Whet-Fang Inquiries

Written By: Eis Vuur Warden, Circa 3E 431

(Historian and Scholar of The Imperial Geographic Society)

Preface

Let this be a warning to all who venture into the deepest bowels of Black Marsh, my home: Beware the dark places, the places where much blood has been spilt and where the influence of the Hist is weak (unfortunately, such places exist in my home), for it is there that the Whet-Fang, the Serrated, lie. My superiors at the Imperial Geographic Society disagree with this writing, but I must speak of this subject. I myself have…suffered from the Whet-Fang to say the least, in more ways than one. May this guide save many the traveler from their spells, and send their corrupted souls to a place where they can find a better peace.

What are the Whet-Fang?

The Whet-Fang are a twisted subspecies of vampires that live in the swamps of Black Marsh, where few Landstriders go. They are masters of the magical art of Illusion, which they use on potential victims to lure them deeper into their lairs and capture them alive. Unlike the vampire clans of Skyrim or Cyrodiil for instances – who suffer from the diseases Porphyric Hemophilia or Sanguinare Vampiris respectively – the Whet Fang suffer from the ailment Serratus Peryiphim instead. It is one of the rarest of the vampiric diseases, and is most common within Black Marsh or on its borders with Cyrodiil and Morrowind.

The Whet-Fang are reclusive and clannish in nature, only surfacing from their lairs to seize new potential victims. Once infected with the disease, the vampire fledgling is abducted three days later by the Whet-Fang and taken to their home, never to return to their previous life as a mortal. Unlike other vampire clans, the Whet-Fang functions almost as a family, having meals or hunting together, and living with one another in one place.

Characteristics of the Whet-Fang

Serratus Peryiphim endows the victim with the typical characteristics of its sister diseases: increased longevity and nigh-immortality, immunity to disease, and a terrifying weakness to fire and sunlight. However, the Whet-Fang possess certain features that the other vampire races do not. Members of the Whet-Fang have glowing yellow eyes instead of the typical red. Their fangs are also longer and more jagged than a Cyrodiilic vampires’, resembling the teeth of a shark. Their skin is a sickly pale green color, given them the look of a victim of drowning.

Whet-Fang are known to be fantastic swimmers, due to most of their lairs being found all the way or partially submerged underwater. They are masters at using Illusion magic, which they use to take over the minds of their victims and enslave them. They are also known to practice some sort of ‘life magic’, which they use to place victims in comas and slow down their aging process.

Origin of the Whet-Fang

The Whet-Fang bloodline was created, if the legends can be believed, by the Daedric Prince Peryite because of his own personal vendetta against the Argonian race, my people. It is a common fact that the Saxhleel are resistant to many diseases, a gift from the Hist to keep us safe in our own and foreign environments. Shortly after the creation of the first vampire – Lamae Beolfag – by Molag Bal, the Taskmaster looked from Oblivion and saw my people evading many of the ailments that befell the other races. This angered Peryite, as diseases were under his domain and he felt that all most fall under his sway.

The Prince then left Oblivion and traveled to Nirn with vengeful intent, and traveled to early Black Marsh where my ancestors lived and entered a small village full of Saxhleel in the guise of one of them. What happened next is lost to the pages of history, but the entire village was wiped out except two souls. They lived for countless days, waiting for help and running low on supplies. Becoming desperate, one of the survivors resorted to desperate tactics, killing the other survivor and fleeing into the wilderness. From this act the murdered arose from the dead as the first Whet-Fang, and hunted down and feasted on the murderer.

Battle Tactics

When one gets into a battle with a member of the Whet-Fang, there is a few things that you must know to survive the encounter. One, do not trust you’re own senses. As masters of Illusion, the Whet-Fang will constantly manipulate your perception of the environment and attempt to take over you mind. Let your thoughts be constantly vigilant. Two, keep a source of flame on you. This a general principle to follow when fighting vampires. Even the most ancient of these abominations can be turned into a fledgling when confronted with flame. Three, do not go near watery areas. The Whet-Fang are well known for emerging from seemingly small puddles in the ground and drag their victims below to drown them when desperate. If one knows the proper incantations, a good levitation spell can easily counter this.

In Closing

I only wanted this book to be small and informative guide on the Whet-Fang, as it would be cumbersome to publish an encyclopedia of the Whet-Fang vampires. For you travelers, I’ve written this. The vampire race as a whole our horrible creatures, even the good ones, and one must be compared. The treacherous thieves of the Order may be despicable but the Whet-Fang are vile. Remember these words. I am risking a great deal on writing this. Thank you.