Black Marsh Blood: An Article on Black Marsh's Mysterious Vampires

Black Marsh Blood, by Korilina Psytha “An Article on Black Marsh’s Mysterious Vampires”

From my homeland in the Summerset Isles to the Ashlands of Vvardenfell, the vampire is a being which captures both ire and curiosity for the commoner and scholar alike. The vampire is a creature all but ubiquitously vilified and hunted among all the myriad races of mer and men, but also has captured our curiosities, sprouting forth a nearly endless number of theories and conspiracies regarding vampires in society. But this is another topic for another book. The purpose of this book is to prepare oneself with knowledge for encountering a particularly rare and ill-understood breed of vampire, the vampires of Black Marsh.

As is perhaps the case with most things in Black Marsh, the topic of vampires in Black Marsh is information which is shrouded with secrecy and mystery, in fact, it would be more accurate to say that the vampires of this land are a mystery within a mystery, and pitifully little knowledge is available on them. What little we know about vampires in the rest of Tamerial seems like comprehensive knowledge compared to what we know about vampires within the province of Black Marsh. Alas, vampirism is rightfully put aside in the studies of Black Marsh for more "productive" research, but it is regrettable that this follows the usual trend of disregard and dismissal for vampirism that is given among mainstream scholars.

I suspect that traveling to Black Marsh would not yield a conductive understanding of the topic either, as the Argonians are largely wary of outsiders, and already proven consistently secretive about their normal day-to-day culture, without even going into the more sensitive topics. Argonians are notorious as being among the most insular of the races of mer and men, and so they are unlikely to provide details, and may very be as ignorant of their vampires as we are of our's.

With that said, the search for Black Marsh’s vampires is not completely for naught, and some details may be gleaned within the literature which give us an idea of the nature of their vampires. It is said, of the few mentions able to be found, that the Whet-Fang (the only named vampire clan known) uses magicka to keep captives catatonic in order to feed on them. This points to a strain of vampire that is highly skilled in Illusion-based magicka, which corresponds quite appropriately with reports of the already prominent skills in Illusion magicka that even the peasant-folk of Black Marsh posses. This, in addition to the increased sensitivity to, and proficiency in, Illusion-based magicka observed in most vampirism points to an extremely powerful skill in Illusion.. However, there is admittedly nothing to suggest that these vampires are any less susceptible to the use of fire and sunlight than others.

With that said, it should be noted the dangers that an Argonian vampire, or particularly a Whet-Fang vampire, pose are severe to any expeditions into Black Marsh. Not to mention the health risks that may emerge should unintentional infection result in introduction of the strain, or strains, of Black Marsh, into the world outside the province. Any travelers and expeditions which may face the risk of encountering vampirism within Black Marsh should come suitably prepared. Individuals skilled in the knowledge and practical application of Illusion and Destruction (particularly fire) magickas are recommended, in order to provide suitable knowledge and protection from the particular skills of Argonian vampires.

Moving on to how the Argonians themselves view vampirism, the cultural implications are not well-known, nor can we take into account the vast diversity of the innumerable clans and tribes within Black Marsh, and their varying perspectives, but based off previous accounts of the attitudes of Argonians towards necromancy, the dark arts, and the undead - and considering their emphasis on the relationship between the soul, the Hist, and reincarnation - it is reasonable to suggest that vampires may likely be seen in a similar light as has been noted among the races of mer and men. However, acceptance, or dare I say even reverence, is possible in exceptions due to the extremely high cultural diversity of Black Marsh (even on a regional level). However, it must also be surmised that we do not understand the nature of the particular strain of vampirism in Black Marsh, and thus we do not know the extent to which vampires are able to hide their condition, or if they are primarily able to supplement the need for blood that is experienced among the vampires of the races of mer and men, as some vampires have been observed to survive off the blood of animals. This leads us to be ignorant of the degree to which awareness of vampirism is even present within the civilian population.

In addition to this, it is perhaps also of note that “vampirism via infection” could be a less common phenomena within Black Marsh due to the natural Argonian resistance to disease, and that could imply that there is either a smaller quantity of vampires within Black Marsh, or it could imply that the vampires that do exist within the marsh are more often vampires by choice. Perhaps there even exist some forms of ritual or sacred vampirism within the Marsh’s many cultures, but it is here where we shall end, as the contents of this writing are spent, and its borders are touching upon absurdity.