Dhailloraich

The Dhailloraich
A Vampiric Bloodline that came into being during the 1st Era, the Dhailloraich are a lineage commonly found throughout the Druadach Mountains. Born from a Pact of King Dhaillor made with the Daedric Prince Hircine after Molag Bal cursed him with Vampirism, the Bloodline proudly bears and emphasises their connection with the native Reachmen from whom they primarily draw their recruits. Due to this affinity, the Vampires of the Dhailloraich act as the shadowy guardians of the Witchmen clans, hunting down those who would dare try to tame the men and women of the Reach. As a result, many of their customs are modified variants of Reachman culture, but most prominent is the Sacred Hunt. Due to Hircine's patronage, each hunt, regardless for its reasoning, is sacred and is always in the Lord of the Hunt's name, for he loves all hunts...the reasons just add their own flavour to it. Indeed, the Dhailloraich make their lairs throughout the Reach, with their homes being found in both Skyrim and High Rock. However, with the events of the 4th Era, the Clans of Skyrim would begin to suffer heavy defeats at the hands of the the Falmer, the degenerate descendants of the Snow Elves. Those who weren't slain were forced to flee for their Unlives, abandoning their homes to the horrors beneath Skyrim, and thus was born a Dhailloraich diaspora which can be found throughout Tamriel.

Regardless of clan alliance, the Dhailloraich bear the symbol of Hircine on their beings somewhere. However, it is somewhat varied from Clan to Clan, whilst those who aren't in a Clan don't use their patron's symbol...often because they may not even be aware of their Bloodline's ties to Hircine. While there are no formal headquarters, most of the Dhaillorhaich can only be found within caves and ruins throughout the Druadach Mountains throughout the Reach. As such, the bulk of their numbers can be found within both Skyrim and High Rock. The closest they have to a single place where they all convene, is a shrine to Hircine deep within the Druadach Mountains where their line was born, and their progenitor buried. Some members of this Bloodline, be they accidentally-infected individuals or legitimately-sired Dhailloraich due to recent circumstances, can be found within cities throughout Tamriel...though they are a rare bunch, and for good reason.

Generally, they are aligned with the Daedric Prince Hircine. Entire broods also serve as bloody custodians over their mortal clans; many are still very loyal to the idea of the Reach belonging to the Reachmen again. Of course, those outside of the Broods can also have their own personal allegiances as well. Those infected by the conventional means of Vampirism, namely those who survive being attacked by a Dhailloraich, are illegitimate abominations...and are often hunted down should word get out about them, unless they prove themselves worthy. As for legitimate members, mostly consisting of native Reachmen, they are brought into the fold through drinking their maker's blood in a ritual known as the Gifting; due to Hircine's gift of Vampiric Fecundity, this strain of Sanguinare Vampiris swiftly overwhelms the drinker, turning them within a day. As such, those who undergo the Gifting are seen as being Pureblooded in the eyes the Clans, for they are passing on the lineage of Dhaillor, whilst those turned by the disease are seen as unclean.

For those Dhaillorach who hold membership within a Clan, a gerontocratic hierarchy exists for them. At the very top is the Clanfather/Clanmother, a Vampire either personally infected by Dhaillor himself, or one of their oldest progeny should they be slain. For the rest, it all comes down to who's older than who; with newly-turned Fledglings being at the bottom of totem pole, which generally goes up from there with the oldest Vampires of the Bloodline being second only to the Clanparent themselves. There exists a way in which a Dhailloraich could become a Clanparent outside of their hierarchy; to do this, they must make a pilgrimage to Dhaillor's tomb at the highest peaks of the Druadach mountains. Should they make this grueling trek through miles of snow they must then duel the Anointer, Cullainaichin, the first of Dhaillor's childer. If they survive, the Anointer marks them with Hircine's Moon and sends them into the antechamber where Dhaillor's body lies, completely untouched by time. They are then compelled to drink of his blood, and when they've had their fill, they fall unconscious. No one knows what happens to them during this event, for the those who undergo are sworn to secrecy. Suffice to say, when they leave the tomb, the aspirant emerges bearing a bronze crown marked with horns and thorns...a sign that they have their Bloodfather's blessing to found their own Clan

The Code of Dhaillor
Whilst there are varieties between Clans, all of them agree upon the tenets of the Code of Dhaillor and the honouring of Hircine as their patron god. Those who find themselves separated still cling to them.

1. Honour our Lord Hircine in all that you do; hunt swiftly and share your bounty with the Lord in his honour.

2. Associate not with the slaves of Molag Bal, lest you intend to slay them. The Lord of Coldharbour gave us the Blood, but it is Hircine who is our true father! Failure to uphold this tenant forfeits your life's claim to the Blood.

3. You shall not bestow the Blood of Dhaillor upon those not of the Reach, unless your Clanparent decrees so. Failure to uphold this tenant results in forfeits to the claims of both Maker and Progeny to the Blood.

4. Every time you partake of blood, you must ensure that ours does not spread outside of the Gifting. Use whatever means necessary to do so.

5. You are to be a guardian to your mortal clan and lineage, but you must do so from the shadows...unless they throw their lot in with the usurpers of the Reach or the slaves of Molag Bal. Then you must either correct their betrayal, or they shall be unworthy of your protection.

History
Once an ancient king of the Reach back during the First Era, Dhaillor was one of many who fought together in an alliance against the Alessian Empire. However, he would not meet the Imperial army in battle....no, he would be waylaid by a strange hermit that challenged Dhaillor to a duel for his throne. Little did he realise that his opponent was a Champion of Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Corruption and Domination. The King fought well, but was overpowered and left bleeding to death by his foe. Pleased with his victory, the Champion called upon Molag Bal to make an example of his fallen foe...and the Daedric did so once his Champion was away. Forcing the dying king's mouth open, Molag Bal would vomit a river of blood down Dhaillor's throat, finally causing his heart to stop. Then however, once the sun had set, he would awaken a Vampire. Enraged at his usurpation and his defilement at the hands of Molag Bal, the dethroned king, declaring himself the Prince's enemy, would make a pilgrimage to a shrine of Hircine deep within the Druadach Mountains and would slay a great beast in order to catch his favoured deity's attention...and that he did. The Lord of the Hunt brought Dhaillor into his Hunting Grounds, and gave him a trial; he was to slay a great Lycanthropic champion and drink deep of the slain warrior, for within his blood lay Hircine's reward for Dhaillor. Thirsting for vengeance and blood, Dhaillor immediately set forth in this challenge. He would stalk the beast for six days and six nights, such was his focus that he ignored his Vampiric hunger, saving it for his prey. Then, there it was, a great beast half man and half serpent...it was then that the king charged. After a fierce battle, and nearly having his unlife ended by the creature, Dhaillor finally slew it and drank deep of its Daedric blood, and was struck by a great euphoria as Hircine's blessing seeped into him. He felt himself change from within as the blood of the Lord of the Hunt mingled with his own Vampiric blood.

Once this was done, the Prince would then send Dhaillor back to Nirn, having deemed the Pureblood as one of his champions. However, when he returned, he found that a century had passed in the realm of mortals; frustrated, the Vampire used his new gifts to track down the descendants of his clan, having learned that they were scattered to the winds. The unworthy he slew and feasted upon, whilst those who he deemed worthy received the gift of his Blood. Thus were the Dhailloraich born, and he would then receive some interesting news; the Champion of Molag Bal who had usurped him was also now a Vampire, and had amassed a brood of his own within High Rock. Mustering his progeny, Dhaillor went to war with his oldest enemy. For a century, a shadow war would rage deep within the dark places of the Reach, where Vampiric blood stained the soil out of mortal sight. Eventually, the two enemies would meet in battle...both of them would slay one another. Distraught at the loss of their progenitor, the Dhailloraich would bury their lord at the very shrine where he had made his pledge to Hircine. Suffice to say, they managed to wipe out the lineage of their founder's enemy, honouring both him and the Lord of the Hunt with their sacrifice. After that, the Bloodline would fracture into many Clans scattered throughout the Reach, where they could be found in both High Rock and Skyrim. Often they remained close to where their mortal relatives still remained, watching over them from the shadows. As years became centuries, as the Reach fell into the hands of the many Empires of Cyrodiil, the Dhailloraich would become hard-pressed; for with them came other Vampires loyal to Molag Bal. So far, they managed to keep these interlopers out of the Reach, until the advent of the 4th Era. The Clans of Skyrim would find themselves entangled in another shadow war...this time with the feral descendants of the Snow Elves, the Falmer, who have become bolder in their attacks on the surface. Out of desperation, the Clanparents of Skyrim would call for the abduction and infection of anyone who traveled the wild places of the Reach...even if they weren't Reachmen. However, come the turn of the 5th Era, the Falmer would win this war, driving many Dhailloraich Clans out their lairs and into the rest of Tamriel. The Clans of High Rock remain within their ancestral holds, though they find themselves beleaguered on all sides by both hunters and the Vampiric Bloodlines of the Illiac Bay.

Traits
Like any of the Vampiric Bloodlines that plague Tamriel, the Dhailloraich exhibit greater levels of strength, speed, healing, reflexes and endurance. Also, they are inherently silent and deadly. Like their cousins in the Cyrodiilic Ordo Vampyrum and the Volkihar Clan, they are resistant to the effects of sunlight when well-fed, but find themselves weakened and damaged when blood-starved. They can also turn invisible and have access to the ability to drain their victim's life force. However, unlike these Bloodlines, they are incapable of mesmerising their victims. Instead, they can instill a primal dread that, depending on how it is used, either sends their prey screaming or paralyses them with fear. Whilst all Vampires exhibit sharper senses, the Dhailloraich have been blessed by their Patron thoroughly in this aspect. Alongside their darkvision, they can pick-up someone's scent from a great distance and hear heartbeats from several feet away. This can however result in sensory overload, forcing the Dhailloraich to shut off their senses for a time lest they be made vulnerable to attack. As another mark of Hircine's blessing, they can all manifest claws from their hands which are useful against both the living and the dead; these claws can be summoned at the user's beck and call when at Stage 1 and 2, but automatically come out and remain out at Stage 3 and above. Due to their affinity as hunters, the Dhailloraich can interact with any predatory beast, for they can sense another just like them. Such is this kinship, that the Vampire can easily bend such creatures to their will, though it varies based on the Vampire's age.

In terms of appearance, a well-fed Dhailloraich can blend in with humans, a gift from Hircine which allows the predator to blend in with the prey; they are even biologically capable of growing hair, thus helping with their concealment. However, their patron has marked them in such a manner that a part of their appearance maintains a predatory mien; this manifests as golden eyes with an eyeshine commonly seen in most animals in low-light conditions (which manifests in times of rage or the usage of their fear power), pointed ears (though this can be easily explained away as a latent manifestation of Mer ancestry, given their Reachmen origin) and four pairs of fangs, which can result in a nastier bite. As the Vampire becomes more starved, their appearance grows more inhuman; with eyes beginning to glow orange, with teeth becoming more pronounced and skin more corpselike. Eventually, once they reach Stage 4 in their Vampirism, the Dhailloraich looks more like a monster than a mortal, and from their heads grows a magnificent pair of antlers in the image of the Lord of the Hunt.

Weaknesses
In terms of their vulnerabilities, which include other classic Vampire weaknesses, the weakness to sunlight manifests at Stage 1, but doesn't begin to inflict damage until Stage 2. Once that happens, instead of burning, the Dhailloraich instead begins to slowly turn to stone, though getting out of sunlight allows it to heal. As such, it is common for the Clans to punish their own by leaving the condemned to petrify in the sun, proceeding to bring them into their lairs where they serve as examples to those who would dare to violate the tenets of the Clan. Another unique weakness is also present within the Dhailloraich strain, all members of the Bloodline constantly feel the urge to hunt and kill, even if they don't actually need to feed. Whilst they can control it at earlier stages of Vampirism, once their condition reaches Stage 3, those urges truly begin to hammer at the Vampire's psyche. Magnified by the hunger within them, they eventually succumb to both urges at the same time...the end result is rather disturbing to say the least.

Notable Members
Dhaillor: Father of the Dhailloraich

Cullainaichin: The Anointer, first Childe of Dhaillor

Faellon (known to the wider world as Luic de Felloux)