| abstract | - A Taste of Hope by Lord Lowerniel Vergidiyad Drakan The House of Drakan's roots were formed from Vampyrium's tribal system, as is true for all of the great houses. In those days of old, blood was nothing more than sustenance to keep us alive. You were either predator or prey, and the tribal leaders either ruled by strength or they did not rule for long. Each of the tribes had their own hunting grounds and preferences, and many tribal wars erupted over territory. Though we were a naturally resilient species, average life expectancy was short due to the savagery of our world at that time. The arrival of Lord Zaros brought an end to the tribal system, with him forming them into the early houses of Vampyrium. He introduced to us alien cultural concepts such as society and art. The more we followed his tutelage, the more refined our tastes became, and blood started to become about more than just a means to live. As vampyric life expectancy was prolonged, so too did our palates become refined, tasting in the blood the essence of a being. Cannibalistic haematophagy was outlawed, and weakened predators became servants, their wings clipped, and their place set on the ground, while the burgeoning nobility rose up both figuratively and literally with the building of many great towers and castles. Blood was no longer just food, but access to blood became a sign of wealth. As the head of the newly formed House Drakan, I drank in Lord Zaros's lessons more eagerly than my peers. Before the concept of laws were passed on to our newborn aristocracy, I seized an opportunity to co-opt my neighbouring houses...by draining their leaders of blood. These smaller houses fell under my leadership, and the House of Drakan became the prevailing power on Vampyrium. As the wealthiest living vampyre, I tasted many different bloods, refining my palate further still, discovering that food from each of House Drakan's territories held subtle differences in taste.
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