Ecology of the 'Vampires of the Locust Star' & ' Nosferatu: Plague of Terror' Graphic Novel

A splash page from the NOSFERATU: PLAGUE OF TERROR Kindle ebook by Rik Levins and Melissa Martin Ellis.

Introduction 
Read the first series of articles for this one to make sense right HERE
 The ' Nosferatu: Plague of Terror' graphic novel has been released on digital download. I've been thinking quite a bit about vampires and their kind. Because I'm preparing for a the Splatterpunk VHS game using the Crypts and Things system  I started to do quite a bit of cross comparing. The ideas of dark hell spawned vampire cults that prey on weak kingdoms and fortress city states lurks in the background of both products. Alien vampire gods are not new ideas. Plague of Terror presents a few new wrinkles on the idea.

Biology of The Alien Vampire Hell spawn from The Locust Star 

Upon page one fourteen  through one hundred sixteen of Crpyts and Things we are introduced to the 'Vampires Kings of the Locust Star'. The ideas here are simple: A.That Vampirism is an infection and that humans are turned into Thralls, B. victims of the Vampires die, High vampires are from other worlds and are strange alien creatures, those who evolve into Adepts are on their way to becoming completely alien creatures, Thralls can pass through human society with little issue until they feed, Vampires are bloodless immune to both poison and disease, and finally since they are alien creatures they are not harmed by sunlight. 

 The God Complex Of Nosferatu 

 One of the wonderful ideas that is put forth in 'Plague of Terror' is idea of a vampire cult bound in both godhead and blood. This isn't new at all, instead we have vampire cults forming throughout literature and fiction. The vampire itself as alien fallen angel goes all the way back to the very foundation of the legends of these godless monsters. These creatures trip through history creating religions around themselves for their own twisted ends. They are alien monsters hell bent on creating groves of blood laden fruit just waiting for harvest.
'The Vampires of the Locust Star' from Crypts and Things are no different at all. Everything of their affair centers around the creation of the 'Elixir of Life' which seems the central pillar of their 'religion'  or is it cult. Cults that wait to be harvested for blood and belief.
Godhood connected with plagues goes back all the way to the specter of Pazuzu and their demonic ilk. The adventure possibilities are pretty endless when cycles of interstellar plague from the 'Locust Star' crosses over with the central theme of the vampire as alien other.
Could the coming of both Orlock and Locust Star Vampires show the coming of alien demonic beings from beyond the stars?

Alien Kingdoms of The Vampire Lords

The realms of the vampires throughout legend and history often seem almost alien to Earth. Kingdoms of blood draining alien monster just waiting for heroes and adventurers to stumble upon them. The death and destruction caused by a nest of vampires is incredible. The victims of the plagues of these creatures cause a thinning of the veil between 'the paranormal worlds' and Earth. The powers of Hell itself and Outer planar demons are free to roam. Various cycles of supernatural horror and terror seem to result.
 Cities in ruin and whole communities are drained dry. Cults are actually food sources harvested at the whim of their alien vampire overlords. 

This is a kingdom of phantoms,vampires,undead, and werewolves.The day brings final dissolution of the things of the night. But only for that night. This is a vastly different world from the more traditional games of Vampire or Kult or even OD&D.
This is a world affected by the ravages of the plagues of the vampire. A place of the damned and haunted. A place that might be swept away at dawn's light into the pages of someplace like Kult or Limbo.
A place where the living,half living, and undead are under the sway of both angels and demons.  Caught up between the Illusion and Death itself.


The VHS Realms of  The Vampire Lords 

Running a 'balls to the walls' vampire lord campaign in the reality of Crypts and Things means that the PC's are going to have to be geared for 'Vampire slaying'. The physical is going to the prime attributes  White spell lists may help with a priest wizard. The grey wizard is going to get a work out and given the alien technology of the 'vampire lords' thieves will be in demand.
Barbarians and fighters tracking the ruined landscape are vital if not essential to success. 

The ruined landscape of the kingdom of the vampires means travel by horse and walking possibly lots of it. Vampires including 'Count Orlock' seem to prefer the most inhospitable places where isolated villages of blood donor peasants can be farmed out at whim.  

 The 1d10 Vampire Lands Encounter Table 

1. Groups of refugee's fleeing the wrath of a local lord. Actually possessed by a demon who is covertly moving his herd of hosts elsewhere. They will attack as berserk and are armed with make shift weapons.  
2. A flock of low flying razor wings 1d20 of the bastard closing in for the attack. 
3. 1d10 raiders on horse back  3rd level fighters. 30% chance of mutations. 
4. A group of villagers burying a vampire victim. There is a 20% of the vampire victim animating. 
5. A small group of plague zombies stumbling through the dark. 1d8 zombies. 
6. A group of adventurers running from the local lord. They are on horse back. There's a 20% of them carrying plague
7. A lone exorcist or wandering monk selling charms and telling stories. He knows most of the local legends. 4th level thief as well.  
8. A small wandering group of warrior nuns 3rd level on horse back armed with shot guns and blunderbusses. 
9. A victim of a vampire attack nearly dead and turned with a map of a local fortress. 
10. A giant vampire hybrid creature hunting for its master!  4 hit points, Armor Class 6, Damage 1d8 from its claws and horrid fangs! 
    

Vampri Angelic Lords 

Type: Other 

Armor Class : 0 

Hit Dice: 8/10/15 

Attacks: Claw (1d12)

Razor wing (1d6)

Bite (1d4)

Saving Throw: 8/5/3

Special: Regenerates by drinking human blood or draining life force 

Super humanly fast, Blood Rage, Fly, Possession,
Move : 19 by flight or foot
Challenge Level/XP : 22/5,000 

These creatures are the alien head of the "Locust Star Vampires". They appear to be angels from myth and legend with black wings like crows. In actual fact they are uncaring predators whose planar ships drain planets of any and all life. These creatures are always 2nd level or better black wizards whose alien technology rapes and drains everything around them.Even using it soils the very soul of the person.
Their presence upon a surface of a world will cause reality to bend and melt around them. They are able to hide their presence by possessing one or more of the local life forms and blending into the society where they begin the formation of a  world spanning Vampiric cult. These things are formidable natural predators of the highest order and able to drain a human being of both life force a blood within seconds. Those so drained with be carriers of highly dangerous cosmic zombie plague.

Support links for  Nosferatu: Plague of Terror' Graphic Novel 
 You can buy the graphic novel right over HERE
Also the Facebook group for the novel is right HERE
 Blog HERE