On 16/12/2011, at 11:04 PM, Richard Hayes wrote:
> Agree -- but they won't all be vampires. I prefer "lich" as the catch-all for powerful, mysterious undead myself.
>
Sometimes, there isn't any reason to fight D&Ds cultural influence. Lich didn't really mean anything apart from corpse before D&D, now it is generally taken to mean an undead being animated by its own sentient mind and magical power. Some Gloranthan undead match that profile, some do not. I think the term Mummy is fairly well established in at least Gloranthan gaming circles for a undead that remains fully sentient and active.
> What makes a creature a Gloranthan vampire? It is undead, it is sentient, it is probably quite powerful, it is probably associated with Darkness and Chaos, it is probably despised by the other elements (especially Fire), it probably drains magical energy from others, it probably drinks their blood, the last two may be connected, etc.
I think the draining to maintain itself is a fairly essential part of what makes something a vampire. Self-sufficient undead I would call mummies. This is a game convention, not a Gloranthan one. But do not think that Gloranthans do not distinguish between different types of undead - those that have reason to care, will distinguish carefully. I do not know what the Uz words are, but I am sure that the ZZ cult distinguishes very carefully between their own mummified undead leaders, and chaotic vampires, for example. Similarly, Humakt hate all undead (including ZZ mummies) - but are very careful to distinguish the occasional ghosts they create from undead. To a Humakti, the difference between an undead and a dead spirit that happens to not be in the Underworld right now is a very important and real one, I'm sure to many other cultures it is a pointless distinction.
> Grachamagacan the Iron Vampire sounds interesting. What is his(?) story?
He as allied with Gbaji/Nysalor, and presumably subscribed to his philosophy. He was the leader of the Vampires Kings of Tanisor. They were foes of Arkat, who killed Grachamagacan and defeated the Vampire Kings.
Cheers
David
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