Vampyre

The Vampyre curse began when a daemonic bat somehow changed into a primal being that still drew blood from other creatures for nourishment. It kidnapped humans and then feasted on them.

The survivors from it's feast became the first vampyres: humanoids who can eat and drink normally, but ultimately require blood to remain sustained. They also have a nocturnal streak. A dozen and one myths surround the vampyres, and often they are confused for other vampiric species.

Racial Reaction to Vampyric Infection
Vampyrism is most commonly found in humans and half-humans, however it is not only existent in their blood, other races are also affected. There is a chance that a Lamis who is bitten will become infected. They have pointy teeth and can spit poison that paralyses their victims, and they find it easier to hide than many other kinds of Vampyre.

Inter-racial halflings are accepted within the majority of clans throughout Avarion on the condition that they have not been paired with werebeasts, though a number of clans bear prejudices against specific races, and many Vampyres do not play nicely with other vampiric races.

Certain races are more resilient when it comes to being bitten. The Skao'ru, for instance, cannot be turned due to the fact that they are not descended from the elves in any way.

Vampyre Clan Structure
The Vampyres rarely have great physical differences between them, but they tend to form clans. These clans tend to stick to "territories" that are loosely defined by mortal borders.

Independent vampyres exist, but they're generally not well-liked by clans and  are pressured to join with them. Clans themselves sometimes fight each other and squabble among themselves.

Many Vampyre clans have different focuses and specialisations. One clan might be more magic-based, whereas another focuses more on physical might. Each clan instils and encourages these pursuits in their fledglings.

Known Vampyre Clans
The least well-known Vampyre clan is "The Order", a clan existing within L'Imperium's borders. Due to L'Imperium's nature, it is a more organised and larger clan that focuses on keeping other clans out of L'Imperium, excluding it for their own use. The Order's doctrine dictates that half-werebeast half-vampyre spawn are unholy abominations, due to the werebeast races being either god-cursed or the result of the vampire clans' genetic experiments.

The Nightrayne Clan has mountainous holdings somewhere within L'Imperium's borders, and it was they who were responsible for the creation of the Werecats.

The Sutir Clan held land next to other clans and vampiric covens who would apply pressure to one another, having their own diplomatic struggles. The heroic actions and personal taste of Alexander Sutir ultimately led to his exile and a price placed upon him to prevent his return.

One prominent clan operates in the Northern Wastes, and are infamous for hiding under the ice. They and other Northern clans believe that might is right, and they are usually accepting of half-werebeast half-vampyres that can hold their own.

Yr Alban has several clans that constantly fight and ally with one another.

There are Vampyre clans to be found in the East, and it is known that the Witch-King keeps a clan of Vampyres among his lands that are subservient to him.

It is rumoured that among the tributaries of the Empire of the Harpy and the Rising Sun, there is a nation that is ruled entirely by Vampyre nobles. Vampires are citizens with full rights there, but many non-Vampyres and non-vampires might not be so fortunate.

Magehunter Knowledge
Caine and other Magehunters have a fairly decent knowledge regarding Vampyres and the various clans. Different magehunting sects are taught different techniques for identifying and fighting vampyres.

Werebeast-Vampyre Halflings
Many werebeasts can reproduce with other humanoids, and most Vampyres are no exception. These halflings are viewed as abominations by a great number of Vampyre clans, though this piece of doctrine most applies to The Order. Most or all of the clans in the savage North only care about how strong they are, and not how much of an "abomination" the weak Southerners see them as.

There exist Vampyre cat-people who take after the sabertooth tigers, who are known for being particularly aggressive because they find it harder to hide than many other Vampyres and halflings do.

Some Vampyric bloodlines only contain a small dosage of werebeast blood that sometimes surfaces. The stricter clans force those fledglings and those whose werebeast traits surface later on in life into exile, but many clans are accepting of those with a small dosage so long as they "cleanse" their bloodline by marrying into other Vampyre clans, slowly destroying the "taint".