I'm not Human?

Ancestors: A Crappy Prelogue

Every culture shares stories of vampires with the world. Dating back to 40,000 BC, homo Sapiens left clues to hint at the existence of these creatures. Long tools with pointed ends appeared on many an archaeological dig. The mortals thought these objects were used to hunt and create new items. They never considered the possibility that such items could be used to defeat a blood-thirsty demon.

The mortals didn't remember the demons of Olde. And thus, they never discovered the unsettling truth about their natural enemy. Those blood thirsty creatures were a close relative to the homo sapien. Homo edi, first of the ancient Edimmu, evolved from the Neanderthal around the same time as the Homo sapiens.

Bloodthirsty and violent, the Homo edi consumed the Neanderthal with a vengeance, consuming the body and draining the blood. Too fond of the sweet blood of their ancestors, the Homo edi annihilated the last of the Neanderthal. With their food supply gone, the Edi could no longer continue as a species.

With the death of the last Homo edi came homo sinecorpus. Not a being of the physical realm, yet not a spirit, the sinecorpus fed on the spirits of newly departed humans. In time, the essence of mortals gave the sinecorpus a form of immortality. No longer did age bind them to the living world.

As the human's intelligence grew, they began to organize. Upon noticing a strange essence above the newly dead, the mortals began to bury their departed. A burial prevented the spirit from leaving the Earth, dispersing energy into the ecosystem over time. With food scarce, the sinecorpus became reliant upon different nomadic tribes without burial traditions.

Around this time, the homo vis de manobus evolved from the homo sapien. Named by the enemy it swore to destroy, the Vis were a species of mortal whose bodies acted as a vessel for the energies of the universe. Named for their ability to wield deadly energy with their hands, the Vis represented a threat to the spirit eaters. Unlike the Homo sapiens, these people could protect mortals from a sinecorpus feeding without burying their dead. In fact, the Vis could push spirits into a "reincarnation" of sorts. It protected spirits from the enemies of man.

Homo sapiens stayed unaware of this battle between species. Growing in intelligence, changing in appearance, man evolved and prospered under the protection of the Vis. Their numbers grew, and the humans became less nomadic. One human tribe in particular, the Natufian, became sedentary and began to grow agriculture. This change prompted an important decision from the strange, ethereal monsters. Should they stay and face the Vis? Or explore the lands around them.

Around 12,500 BC, the sinecorpus split off into 10 tribes. Divided in interest, the creatures wanted to stay with the humans but also desired more of them to feed off. Some fled to find areas not protected by the Vis.

A majority of the sinecorpus stayed where they knew the territory. They would survive, the whispers foretold, on less food than before.

A small group of sinecorpus followed the humans north east, to the water, new foods, and different opportunities.

Several traveled north west, determined to find new lands to explore.

The rest divided into pairs and set off on journeys unbeknownst to them, propelled by a desire to find more...

Each group that split from the sinecorpus changed into something...else.

Each group became more dangerous than the next as they struggled to survive.

The humans eventually found a name for the sordid creatures hunting them. Vampires.

Over time, the Edimmu evolved and developed along with the humans. Some fed on blood, some on energy, some on emotion. They hunted in the metaphorical darkness, preferring their food ignorant. Still, every predator gets caught eventually. Horror stories grew of the creatures that stalked through the shadows. Legends of vampires bloomed around the globe. But no one truly believes in the things that go bump in the night. Until those things...bump into them.