Kaden opened the door to a room at the end of the hallway, letting the others walk in. “Well… you guys should be good here.” He began to turn around and close the door, heading out, when Jacobi dropped a heavy, strong hand on his shoulder. “Where do you think you’re going?” Jacobi harshly turned Kaden around by the shoulder. “We need an expert on this stuff, remember?” he threatened through a tease. “Wh-wh… come on, man, there’s only two beds in here.” “You’re taking the floor,” Jacobi drags him into the room proper and closes the door. Kaden glared at Jacobi and unconsciously clenched his fist at his side. He immediately relaxes it when he notices and exhales, looking down. “My offer to you guys was to stay the night here, not to be a trip sitter” “We’d appreciate you being here,” Kira said politely from behind Kaden. Kaden’s face softened. He turned around to look at her. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she smiled softly, hopeful. She was holding Kalel’s organic arm as if to keep him from falling over. Kalel had his head down. His hair draped over his face. “We don’t know what’s normal” “… yeah…” Kaden looked at Kalel. “Just… get him to the bed. It’s better to not move too much” Kira helped Kalel walk over to the bed on the right side of the room. Kalel stretched his hand out ahead of him to guide his way towards sitting. He placed his hand gently on the bed and slowly lowered the rest of himself onto it. His arm gave out somewhat, causing him to clumsily flop onto the mattress with loud snaps and popping sounds coming from the wood frame. “Damn! How much do you weigh!?” Kaden blurted out, the snapping making his heart jump. When he turned to the bed, he saw Kalel hunched over, holding onto his cybernetic arm, tucking it into himself. His face uncharacteristically wore an expression that was clear to read: guilt. “Oh! Hey! That’s not… don't be like that.- No! I’m not trying to tell you how to feel. It’s just it’s not you- the bed- the sound scared me- you’re really big. I wasn’t trying to- I’m sorry-I didn’t mean t-” “Kaden,” Kira interrupted Kaden’s spiral. “It’s okay.” Kaden looked at Kira, choking on his words. “Seriously, I wasn’t trying to be mean” “Yeah, it seems like being a dumbass comes naturally to you,” Jacobi said, jumping hard into the bed next to Kalel. “Kal, hey bro. Don’t let high-tail make you run away.” Kalel cracked a small smile at the inside joke at Kaden's expense. “Seriously, you didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, this thing is a piece of crap anyway” Kaden internally scoffed at Jacobi. The bedframe is a handcrafted piece from a renowned woodworker…like every other bed in the house. But still! “I just… Please don’t break my bed,” Kaden sighed.

By Bhavika N. Venkataraman DV

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Overview

There are four distinct stages of vampirism, the first one being death. In this stage, one’s body biologically dies for a period of time (1–2 weeks) while the pathogen causing vampirism hijacks the somatic cells for rapid reproduction. The nervous system is prioritized, leading to dramatic changes such as new and sharpened primal instincts and reflexes. This stage is ideal for treatment.

The process of rebirthing¹ can be a scary, and even detrimental one without guidance and preparation. Note that there is currently no recommended way to treat a rebirth at home, especially if the patient is alone. In the case that you or a loved one are in the early stages of vampirism, please call one of our specialists at 555 for a safe transportation to Requiem General Hospital. If you suspect that someone is in stage I, do not approach.

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Stage I: Death

To become a vampire, it is understood that you must die. Traditionally, death occurs through exsanguination² via fledgling.³ Fledglings are the most effective method of spreading vampirism, but hypothetically there are other methods of transmission, all of which involving bodily fluids.

In stage I, one is—for all intents and purposes—dead. During this time, the pathogen replaces the immune system and takes root in the somatic cells. The nervous system is most affected at this time as the human brain is rewired to enhance and rediscover primal instincts, and somatic reflexes are sharpened dramatically. In addition to typical reflexes, among others, a snapping reflex develops near the end of this stage, which makes the patient dangerous to be near even in death. It is suggested that a professional is called for transportation at this point.

Vampiric traits and determined in this stage. The pathogen rapidly mutates one's DNA, though it halts before using a lethal amount of energy. This causes traits to show up later.

While there is no cure for vampirism yet, this stage is ideal for treatment if rebirthing is unwanted. It is possible to resuscitate a patient in stage I once the progression of the pathogen has been stopped or reversed. This is typically done through silver therapy.

Stage I typically lasts around 7–14 days varying slightly depending on a patient’s size and immune response.

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Footnotes:

1. Formally 'turning'. This is now an outdated term due to its negative connotations.

2. Death by blood loss. In this contexts, caused by overfeeding

3. Vampires in stages II or III of rebirth.

Kalel looked up and out the window when the smooth ground of the wastelands gave way to the brick road of their home oasis. They headed deeper into the most habitable areas of the center. The bright greens and soft glows from bioluminescent foliage waved and shifted in front of Kalel, looking almost unnaturally vibrant. They drove past homes built of wood and stone, large twisting trees and plant life integrated into the architecture. Metal is found here and there, wielded into walls for stability, used as decor, and a few exposed pipes that carry clean water. Near these homes, parked custom and bought rigs for travel of all sizes and shapes. They pulled next to a large house, one big enough to hold at least two generations, let alone just two people. Kaden parked and opened the automatic side door. “Alright, just follow me.” He climbed out before them and walked toward a side door of his home. Jacobi climbed out, followed by Kira. Kira assisted Kalel out by pulling on his cybernetic arm. “Thanks,” Kalel said quietly to Kira after standing up straight. He then lifted his organic arm to her head and petted her hair. “Kal, come on!” Kira giggled. She held his hand in hers and guided him to the entrance where her brother and Kaden were waiting. Kaden watched Kira make her way to the door, focusing on her hand around Kalel’s. He looked away when they got close and unlocked the door. “My mom is upstairs in her room,” he said, stepping inside before the rest. “She’s probably trying to sleep, so try to keep it down” The four of them walked into a spacious kitchen that was lit by the orange soft glow of ceiling lamps hanging by vines. Kaden’s attention was brought to a plate of frosted cookies resting on the marble island in the middle of the room, next to a small hand-sized bag. Before he grabbed one, he noticed a folded card with his name on it, written in cursive with a heart on the last letter. He picked it up, opened it with one hand, and skimmed the note left inside. I’m so proud of you! I know you’ll be a great influence on them! You enjoy yourself, sweetpea! Kaden carelessly flicked the card back on the counter and grabbed a cookie. He gestured with his head toward the rest of the cookies at his three guests while taking a bite. Jacobi didn’t hesitate to grab a cookie and eat it in two bites while pocketing two others. Kalel slowly walked up to the counter and stared at the plate, wide-eyed with a slightly open mouth. After standing for a beat, Jacobi looked up at him between bites and grabbed a cookie and stuffed it in Kalel’s mouth. Kalel took a bite and grabbed the treat in his mouth before it could fall out and let out a deep closed-mouth giggle after a hum of satisfaction. He grabbed just one other cookie and slipped it into his pants pocket. Kaden looked over at Kira. She held one cookie, taking smaller bites than Jacobi, notably not taking any others. She wore a smooth dress with no pockets. Kaden grabbed the bag off the counter and stuffed two cookies inside, then pocketed one for himself. “Hey, Kira” She looked over at him, her hand to her mouth, holding on to a chuckle, keeping her full mouth closed. “Hmm?” “Here.” Kaden handed her the bag of cookies. Kira gratefully took it from his hands, swallowed, and looked at him with soft eyes and a genuine smile. “Thank you, Kaden.” “Uh.” Kaden cleared his throat and looked to the floor. “Yeah.” He then quickly turned and pointed to a nearby hallway. “The room you guys can stay in is this way.” He felt the heat rising in his face as he quickly walked the way there.

“Holy shit,” Kaden said under his breath, realizing he was trembling slightly. He looked back over toward Kalel. He was on his knees, his organic hand clutching onto the trash can above his head. The metallic one hung heavy at his side. His head was slumped, big dark curly hair draped over his face. Kira was sitting on her heels next to him. She opened the curtain of hair in front of his face, tucking it behind his ear, and held his chin with her other hand. He looked awful. His face was relaxed. His green organic eye was completely glazed over. The metallic black “eye” darted wildly, the yellow “iris” shrank and enlarged rapidly, making his red “pupil” constrict and widen violently. Kaden looked away from the freakshow, snapping at the rest of his friends. “Did you know!?” “No way!” one of them yelled, their voice trembling with shock. All of them wore wide-eyed, horrified expressions. Kaden growled, narrowing his eyes at them. Then he was forced forward, his eyes locking with Jacobi’s. Jacobi held him by the collar of his shirt, his grip tight, his clenched fist pressed against Kaden's neck. In his other hand, he held the small bottles of the illicit powder. “What is this?” Jacobi growled through clenched teeth. “I told you, seriously, I don’t know!” That didn’t convince Jacobi. He twisted Kaden’s shirt collar, constricting it around Kaden’s neck. "Okay! Okay!" Kaden strained out. “It does look familiar.” “What. Is. It.” “From the looks of it and your brother, it’s most likely a low-grade hallucinogenic. The shit that kid pushes is not exactly medical grade. But he really should be fine, he just has to ride it out.” “Ride it out?” “You know? Just wait for him to come down, it should happen on its own with time, it depends on how much he took.” Jacobi looked down at his open hand. In it were the six vials, two of which held nothing inside. “But hey man, I don’t know how that kid works. That thing with his eye…” Jacobi looked up at Kaden, his eyes furrowed. He stared hard into him. “You’ve done this shit before?” Kaden didn’t answer that question, choosing to stay silent, mostly from embarrassment. The crowd around them slowly got back to mingling with each other and moving to the music, completely getting over the violent altercation they were witness to. Jacobi snatched Kaden by his bicep, dragging him toward Kalel.

Kaden is a bit of a high-status surface kid, similar to Hakeem and Aria's children. He's a full-blood Hyomeo. Filled with arrogance, his mother smothers him and absolves him of taking any accountability. Kalel is a gentle giant. Being entirely capable of punching a hole through someone, chooses to never engage in any physical aggression towards another person because of this and being forced into his mysterious past. Kaden pretty much takes full advantage of this.

The events that led to this shift happened at a party the main crew was hosting. A rager on the surface in an abandoned warehouse. They worked hard to set up the place, making it a ticketed event. The twins wanted to raise money for something. They built a stage and large areas for dancing and lounging and outfitted the place with an air filtration system so any Norman who could make it there could attend to their full potential by taking off any masks they needed to get there. It was what happened at the party that changed Kaden.

🎼 unfinished character sketch ♪*. full story below ↓

I liked how this turned out, so I decided to post the black and white version )) this is Biruta (her name is an homage to a character in "Syzyfowe Prace"), she's a working class student from Cerewa, more on her in the next paragraph. I'm still not sure how I want to incorporate her story in the main Jane Doe storyline, with Adri, Alicja & the crew. In my head (and in docs) they are two separate stories. For now, her storyline is called Morderca Psów/Dog Murderer/Killer of Dogs; as I said before - it also takes place in Cerewa, but not in Nirsk; she comes from a place that's way worse, way more run down and hopeless.

Ruta is very outspoken, she never shies away from confrontation (conflict seems to be more like a driving force in her case) & has the street smarts, she knows everyone in her area but also knows who to avoid. Her comrade/brother used to take care of the locals when Cerewa went into lockdown, but after getting into an altercation with foreign military (who were there to keep people in place basically, not letting them out of the city even when food was running low, the only people who were allowed to leave were "volunteer soldiers") he suffered brain damage that left him very unstable. He could no longer take care of their neighbors or children because of his erratic behavior, it got so bad Biruta lost contact with him. So- she took over his role, albeit clumsily.

She's a student, although it's a university only in name - classes take place in an old library and are led by volunteer professors. Some of them local (who Biruta likes), some led by volunteers from rich-er countries/regions (who Biruta doesn't like) that want to do a good deed! Help the poor people in a poor country! While staying at the only resort in the area, that's there precisely for the type of people who stay there: faux philanthropists born with a golden (ruby and diamond-studded) spoon in their mouth and equally rich artists who want to visit a rundown place like Ruta's hometown to get inspired, to have a new, exotic experience. Pretty much just tourists and sometimes international cargo workers.

Her hometown falls into ruin, simultaneously becoming an international bedroom, for the privileged, of course. The education isn't great, her peers don't need to work or study as the foreign military gives out food rations (which are not big, people are starving) and another emerging problem is the lack of medicine. Ruta herself suffers from an illness that requires taking pills, but after the lockdown for some reason there weren't any available and if they were, the price skyrocketed; people are stealing and selling drugs in order to buy food or find whatever addiction or dreams they have going for them. She knows she's going to die, every day is worse, her only chance at survival would be to steal the medicine or leave the region to a richer part of Cerewa, which, of course is impossible.

Her days turn into an endless cycle of checking on her comrades and neighbors, flaking on classes, looking for meds or substitutes and feeling her body deteriorate more and more every day. Her drug-seeking escapades make her run into other disabled or sick people, whom she bonds with. They naturally form a group that tries their best to re-obtain as much medicine as possible and redistribute it back to the community.

There's more I have in store for this character, but that's the gist of it )) her best friend is a man around her age who suffered spine damage (you can see his cane on the left from her) I'll draw them together soon!

Recent world-building sketches! More world + characters info

Sketchbook pages of sketches and concepts )) from the top:

Zosia Jenot - young receptionist in Nirsk, Cerewa Federation; younger sister of the local police department archivist. She's mischievous, loves to gossip, collect pretty objects and ride her bike. She used to work at a post office before it got shut down due to military actions. She's currently saving money for further education

Andrieja Šafran (surname may change) - detective at the Nirsk police department, a hard-working woman who, despite her seemingly professional demeanor is a romantic. She loves to read - prose and poetry; she cares deeply about the city and it's people, even though the police obviously aren't liked. Even in the poverty and degradation of the area, Nirsk was the first place she's ever felt at home in. She favors her right leg due to an old contusion.

Maria Juric (ID photo) - the Jane Doe that started it all, the Ophelia fished out in Santa Nova, kilometers away from where her ID would initially place her (that would've been Nirsk), no ring finger, strange death and many, many unanswered questions...

Ewa - Nirsk PD's lawyer and legal advisor. She comes from one of the richer regions of Cerewa. She's between 40 and 50, very elegant and witty.

The three (lazily drawn) men on the top of the last page are other Nirsk PD police officers and Zosia's brother, the archivist, Seweryn Jenot. The symbols below are different ideas for what I would call religion in this universe. Or saints (kind of inspired by the cult of virgin Mary above Jesus in Poland); I do have some overall lore dumps on the saints.

Santa Nova, the country, is named directly after their favorite saint (cult of the red sun, strength, military power and quiet luxury, pride, physical strength, bee/ant worker symbols)

Paragraphs:

Ether

Ephemerae and enigma

Transmutation

The Void

Ecosystem

Basics of magic

Ether is what the souls are made of. Ether is a pure essence of Divine Insight. It's an esoteric matter that is able to contain enigma. In fact, all Nerys are formations of ether infused with many feelings and thoughts - the enigma of creation. Once upon a time, the Divine Spark imbued dead cold rocks with this mysterious substance, creating a world.

Nerys-eter is full of shattered souls that are called Ephemerae. They sometimes appear as tiny sparkling butterflies, as if made of glass or crystal. They carry small amounts of residual enigma–a metaphysical substance which gives this world a form. Some Nerys call it "value" or “significance” and even "hope". Matter, it's form, characteristics and overall existence is defined by Ephemerae.

Enigma can be affected, rearranged in a way so it becomes unstable and starts to emit energy trying to adopt a new stable equilibrium. Energy is a byproduct or a required component of a transmutation reaction. And transmutation is a process of matter's enigma being rearranged. Along with the enigma, the ethereal formation of the object also changes, corresponding to the new state so we see physical, observable changes: ice melts, metals become alloys, the wood is burning, alchemical reactions happen. Rearranging the enigma can be achieved with magic. Not only that, other manipulations such as heating, melting, dissolving, grinding, fermenting can have the same effect. That's what Nerys alchemy is based on. Similar techniques are used in imbuement, including also specific direct magical manipulations.

The Void – vast senseless nothingness. It defies meaning and when the meaning is lost - everything turns upside down, everything crumbles and fades into nothingness. It is infinite and immortal, and therefore opposite to life. It can’t comprehend a concept of meaning and you definitely can’t comprehend its existence. Ether is resilient to the Void, but still, nothing living is eternal.

Magic in the world exists as long as there’s ether and enigma in the environment. It forms some sort of magical balance, an ecosystem. Massive destructive magic can cause severe damage to the spiritual balance of the region making it unfit for habitation, causing mutations and decay, making it easy for the Void to consume a disharmonious ecosystem. The unique magical balance of the region shall restore with time if it wasn't critically damaged.