[Center][H1]The Night Bloods[/H1][/Center]

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The oldest legends in the history of Errandil, those stories still found on cave walls and stone tables suggest that every being that roams across the land, flies in the sky, or swims under the sea have at least a few drops of the dark blood. Legends of yore suggest that in the beginning the blood of those existing on this realm were pure and even consecrated by the breath of Yggdrasil. Times were peaceful. Man and animal lived side by side in a symbiotic relationship that allowed resources to remain in abundance. Most importantly, it allowed for every living thing predator or prey to live in harmony across the land of Errandil. 

Until the time of the Long Night. It has been centuries since the flaming hand of Yggdrasil tore through the sky, angered by some slight that had gone unnoticed by the inhabitants of the land. The land trembled in the wake of a great wind that rattled the mountains and ripped the leaves from their branches. On that day the sky turned from a brilliant cerulean to an ominous fiery red that would swiftly be replaced by a terrifying darkness that would spread to encompass the horizons in all directions.

Life had ceased to exist as it was previously known. The ground slowly disappeared beneath a blanket of grayish-white death. The sustenance that the herbivores found in abundance swiftly disappeared. As the predatory animals found their prey becoming more and more scarce, they turned to supplement their diets with the meat of men who has found a difficult life of survival as the environment continued to dramatically change. However, no matter how difficult existence became life had done as it always did. Life had found a way. 

What had broken through were daemonic monsters with a thirst for survival in the form of destroying any sign of life that they could feed upon. No one is sure of where these “nightbloods” originated from as tales account of their arrival around similar times like they had merely sprung up from the ground. They were bred to hate the life lived by more peaceful creatures. These “nightbloods” were born so viciously that they would even go so far as to render their own arm from the body just to see another’s suffering. 

A true “nightbloods” appearance varies with regards to multiple characteristics. They can be shorter than a dwarf or taller than a man, thinner than a child or as heavy as a horse. The color of the flesh or eyes vary like sunlight through a stained glass window. Their tongues can be pointed or forked. Their noses upturned, smashed in, or elongated. The ears pointed like elves, or flat as if that of a serpent. They typically maintain a human appearance but have been seen to sport additional appendages such as arms, bony protrusions, or even what appears to be the beginning of an avian evolution from their backs. No matter their goblinoid appearance when cut their blood is always the same. As black as the night sky or deepest subterranean ravine. 

It has been seen in recent times that even presumptively healthy and mundane individuals are capable of hosting traits of the night blood. This is often seen with those who survive an attack by the Nightbloods, subsequently having some cross contamination where the night blood begins to slowly take over the mundane body. These people will slowly begin to show signs of contamination such as an alteration in skin color of a hand or near the infection site. The longer ones’ exposure the more outward symptoms they will show. However, it is readily understood that a cure for exposure to this night blood is nigh existent. 

Finally, it is important to note that night blood in and of itself is believed to be an arcane substance. This is to suggest that the viscous, black fluid contains some sort of magical essence that may or may not have various applications. What has been seen is that carriers of this blood do maintain some level of innate arcane prowess. These magical attributes do not always present themselves physically. It may simply be seen as an ability to heal swiftly, or deny the magics of an attacker. But with those few that can manifest a physical example of this prowess can be a very destructive force on their own laying waste to opponents with fire balls and magical lightning (just to note some of the most common practices). When surrounded by a band of allies, these Nightbloods can be a death sentence.