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Author's Notes

# Primas

Story
The moon hung low over the tiled roofs of Arveth, washing the city in pale silver. A quiet garden lay hidden behind high walls, its paths lit by lanterns no passerby could see. There, beneath a flowering tree, sat Lady Nerisse, her gown of simple white silk trailing like water.
A young soldier knelt before her, his face flushed though his body was weary from campaign. He bared his arm without being asked. Nerisse leaned close, her touch light as breath, and her lips brushed the skin.
The boy's eyes closed, his breath catching. What should have been pain was instead a rush of warmth that coursed through his body. His weariness fell away. For a moment he felt endless, as though years had been given back to him.
When it was done, Nerisse kissed his brow. "You will live long," she whispered. "And when your children's children speak of you, remember me kindly."
The soldier staggered to his feet, smiling though he could not explain why. He would leave the garden stronger than he had ever been. By dawn, he would remember the night not as a transaction, but as a blessing.
And Lady Nerisse, alone again beneath the tree, closed her eyes and whispered a prayer, not to gods, but to the oldest of her kind, whose memory she carried like a flame.

Prima and an Olydrian soldier sharing in communion

Story
Among the Primas, there are whispers of Selvarion, whose age is counted not in centuries but perhaps in millennia. No mortal record marks his birth, and among his people, no one disputes his claim to have walked the world before the rise of kings.
Selvarion is remembered for his wrath against corruption. Where vampires stalked like wolves or carnees desecrated villages, he descended upon them with a fury that no mortal army could withstand. Entire covens are said to have been erased in a single night when he rose against them. His name is a warning spoken even among vampires, who call him the Pale Judge.
Yet he is not only remembered for violence. Selvarion built hidden sanctuaries for his kin, places where younger Primas could gather and learn to temper their gifts. His teachings stressed that restraint is strength, and that anger must be wielded like a blade - sharp, precise, never wasted. Many of the Primas alive today trace their line of teaching back to him.
Descriptions of him vary, for he rarely reveals himself beyond his own kind. Some say his hair has long since turned silver, though his face remains young. Others claim his eyes have lost all color, burning instead with an inner light when his wrath stirs.
Among the Primas, his words are preserved like scripture: We are the flame that walks in flesh. Let us warm the worthy and consume the wicked.
To this day, no one knows if Selvarion still walks the world or if he has entered the deep slumber of the eldest. But when whispers of carnee butchery spread, or when a vampire lord falls in sudden ruin, the Primas still murmur: The Unyielding has passed this way.

A vampire coven wiped out by a prima

Info
The pale ones are said to be nothing but vampires in finer clothes. They smile instead of snarl, but still drink the lifeblood of the living.
Some say they never grow old, for each sip they take steals years from another.
They cannot cross rivers, nor step inside a home unbidden. Mirrors show their true faces, and bells will drive them into the dark.
Folk warn that if one ever speaks your name, it binds your soul to theirs, and you will follow them until death.

The Primas are an ancient and hidden people, claiming to be the Firstborn of all mortal peoples. Their own songs and chronicles speak of a time before the shaping of kingdoms, when they walked the world as solitary dreamers. No other source supports this, and most scholars dismiss such claims as arrogance, yet the Primas hold to it with absolute certainty.

## Appearance

At first glance they resemble slender humans, with fine features and a certain otherworldly stillness about them. Their skin tones mirror the peoples among whom they live, though often paler, as if touched by moonlight. Their eyes hold unusual clarity, and in moments of strong emotion, they can appear almost luminous.

## Nature and Lifespan

Primas are not immortal in the divine sense, but they do not age. No Prima has yet been known to wither into death, though they may be killed by violence. Their blood is strange, resisting decay, poison, and disease. They heal wounds as swiftly as humans, yet their bodies remain youthful indefinitely, and, unlike other people, seem to only grow stronger with age.

They require blood to sustain themselves, but in small, measured quantities. For them, it is neither addiction nor hunger, but a ritual of communion. The act brings intense pleasure to both Prima and donor, forging a bond that can last a lifetime. A mortal who gives regularly will find their own aging slowed, often living two or three times longer than their kin. For this reason, many who discover a Prima willingly serve them in secret for generations.

A prima and her human protegee

## Mind and Emotion

The Primas are marked by extremes. Their emotions burn hotter than those of humans: joy is radiant, grief crushing, anger terrifying. They find it difficult to live in balance, instead pouring their souls into narrow pursuits. Some become masterful artists, musicians, or scholars, creating works that border on obsession. Others lose themselves to melancholy or passion and vanish from society altogether.

Between Primas, bonds can deepen into something stranger. If two of them grow close in spirit, they may develop an empathic or even telepathic link, allowing thought and feeling to pass silently between them. These unions are rare but unbreakable, and Prima society reveres such pairings as sacred.

## Place in the World

Primas live hidden among other races. Few mortals suspect their existence, and the Primas prefer it that way. They are kind and protective toward those they trust, but they know the danger of exposure. Too easily are they mistaken for vampires or worse, the vile carnees.

Toward vampires, their stance is complicated. Vampires revere Primas as exalted ancestors, seeing in them a purer origin. The Primas themselves reject this, viewing vampires as corrupted predators who stain their name. Carnees they despise without reservation, destroying them when they can.

## Religion

Primas do not bend the knee to gods. They acknowledge their existence, they respect the power of temples and priesthoods, but they do not worship. To them, divinity is distant and irrelevant. Instead, their reverence is directed inward, toward their own kind.

The oldest of the Primas are venerated as living pillars of wisdom. These ancients have centuries of experience, their senses and empathic gifts sharpened beyond what younger Primas can imagine. When they speak, their voices carry a weight that feels almost divine. Mortals who encounter such an elder often describe the experience as unsettling or transcendent, like standing in the presence of a saint or oracle.

Among Primas, the respect for elders borders on worship. They are not prayed to, but sought out for guidance. Their words are preserved as teachings, sometimes memorized by whole lineages of younger Primas. The gatherings where elders speak are hushed, ritualized affairs, with silence kept as if in a temple.

This reverence shapes their society:

Elders as Oracles: Decisions of importance often hinge on the counsel of an elder Prima. While not rulers, their guidance is rarely ignored.

The Silent Throne: In some enclaves, an honored seat is kept empty for the oldest known Prima in the world, even if they are absent. This is not idolatry but acknowledgment that their presence transcends geography.

The Passing of Names: When a Prima dies by violence, their name is spoken in solemn gatherings and committed to memory. The act is less a funeral than a sanctification, ensuring the elder's wisdom lives on in the community.

To outsiders, this might look like ancestor worship, yet it is not death that sanctifies a Prima but the depth of their living presence. The oldest among them embody what the younger aspire to become: not immortal gods, but perfected beings.

## Identity and Belief

Primas believe themselves to be a higher life form, not through conquest but through refinement. They see humanity and other peoples as rough stone, themselves as the polished gem. Though they live quietly, they carry a pride that never dims. To ally with a Prima is to gain a steadfast protector and often a lifelong companion, but to betray them is to awaken wrath that burns hotter than human vengeance.

## Possible Secrets

### The First Circle

The oldest Primas are far older than even their own kind believe. Some may predate recorded history, and whispers say they were present at the shaping of the first civilizations. A hidden council, the First Circle, may guide their people from the shadows, unseen even by younger Primas.

### The Shattered Origin

Primas may not be a race at all, but the remnants of something else. Perhaps they are the fragments of an ancient divine being, or the results of an early experiment in shaping life. Their insistence on being Firstborn could be rooted in half-remembered truth.

### The Sleeping Eldest

There may be a Prima so old their body could no longer bear the weight of eternity. Instead of dying, they entered a deep slumber, hidden away. The Primas guard their resting place fiercely, believing their awakening could change the world.

### The Bloodsong

When many Primas gather and share blood in ritual, they can enter a trance where their voices blend into a single harmonic resonance. This Bloodsong is said to grant visions of truth, prophecy, or shared memory reaching back to the First of their kind. Mortals must never know of it.

### The Divine Connection

Though they deny worship, some of the oldest Primas may secretly hear the voices of gods, or something older than gods. They do not reveal this, fearing it would undermine their claim of self-sufficiency.

## Adventure Hooks

### The Artist's Obsession

A famed sculptor in the city has locked themselves away, refusing commissions, refusing visitors. Their patrons are furious, and rivals whisper of madness. In truth, the sculptor has become enthralled by a Prima muse whose blood has granted them decades of vigor. The party is hired to investigate or retrieve the artist, but do they expose the Prima or protect them?

### Mistaken Identity

A string of disappearances has been blamed on vampires. A mob forms, hunting down anyone who seems strange. In the chaos, a peaceful Prima family risks being revealed. The adventurers are asked to prove their innocence, but the true culprit may be something else entirely.

### The Healing Touch

A noble child lies dying of a wasting sickness no priest can cure. A servant secretly approaches the adventurers, saying they know someone who can save the child: a Prima who has extended lives before. The party must decide whether to reveal the Prima, protect them, or bargain for the noble's life.

### The Carnees' Bait

A carnee coven has spread rumors of "benevolent blood-drinkers" in a village, hoping to flush out local Primas. The adventurers arrive to find frightened townsfolk, strange rituals, and whispers of inhuman benefactors. They must unravel the truth before the Primas are lured into a trap.

### The Vanishing Patron

An eccentric Prima scholar has sponsored the party for years, providing knowledge and resources. Suddenly, they disappear without explanation. Clues point to an academic rival who suspects their true nature and seeks to expose them, or worse, dissect them.

### The Festival of Masks

During a city festival, a Prima patron of the arts invites the adventurers to attend a grand masked ball. But amid the music and feasting, spies from a vampire cabal infiltrate the event, hoping to recruit or assassinate the Prima host. The adventurers must navigate intrigue and danger without unmasking their ally.

### The Silent Rivalry

A vampire prince sends emissaries to negotiate with a Prima enclave, hoping to form an alliance against the carnees. Both sides distrust one another, but neither will speak openly of their true reasons. The adventurers are hired as neutral mediators, but keeping peace may mean uncovering hidden grudges or even blood-duels from centuries past.

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