You look human: pale and thin, maybe sickly. You have gleaming red eyes, but no other physical qualities that would set you apart from those on whom you sometimes feed. Your normal appearance conceals the corruption you gained from the vampire who fed on you or inherited from one of your ancestors. You must eat food, drink water, and sleep—but you also can nourish yourself on a diet of blood. When you enjoy periods of high blood consumption you appear healthier, even youthful, compared to when you go a long stretch without.

Normally vampires create other vampires by draining their victims to the brink of death, then feeding them vampiric blood. The feeding kills the victim and causes them to rise as a new vampire. Sometimes, though, a vampire feeds without killing, leaving the prey weak but able to recover. Sometimes when this occurs, the vampire’s corrupted essence passes through the “kiss, ” it transforms the mortal into a dhampir. These unfortunates gain a thirst for blood and some vampiric traits but remain as alive as before the encounter; they pass the curse onto their offspring.

Dhampirs have the same physiology as humans, except they can ingest and digest blood without growing ill. The blood they drink vitalizes them for superhuman feats. Aside from their cravings for fresh blood—and the ability to draw sustenance from it—dhampirs also acquire certain physical quirks. Hair can grow from the palms of their hands, or their eyes might shine in the darkness. They might reflect faintly in mirrors or cast no shadows at all. Dhampirs who surrender to their thirst develop more and more of these qualities, with the cumulative effect of stripping away their humanity.

As few people distinguish between dhampirs and vampires, such misidentification causes endless trouble for dhampirs. Well-intentioned undead slayers hunt them, and mobs of torch- and pitchfork-wielding commoners form to drive out suspected blood drinkers. Even if dhampirs mind their own business, sequestered in some isolated place, they’re bound to run afoul of adventurers who think they do good by kicking down doors and attacking with wooden stakes. For these reasons, dhampirs eager for long lives do well to stay out of view, keep their true natures hidden, and make sure to feed without any witnesses.

Speed, a keen sense of smell, an incredible constitution that enables you to ignore any toxin—these traits come at a cost. Sunlight hurts. You don’t burn in the manner of some undead, but you feel weak, dizzy, and sick. No matter how much you cover up, the sunlight finds a way to get to you, so you prefer to do your business at night.

Your name is typical to the society you grew up within.