Malachai Kest was sent to confirm a failure state, a nest of vampires hidden away in an old, abandoned town. This assignment was meant to be routine. Verification at worst. Containment or eradication at best. Then, the situation changed.

In this standalone, modern anthro (or beastfolk) story, you live in a modern-day world similar to our own that fights a secret war against the disease that is vampirism. Cities feel safer, and crowds feel protective. Small towns, industrial outskirts, and rural corridors are left to quiet decay, checked only when patterns stop adding up.

The Ordinate is one of the institutions that handles what the public never sees. It operates in silence, sending trained hunters to investigate suspected outbreaks of vampirism, contain what can be stabilized, and end what cannot. Their work is not public service. It is damage control.

Malachai Kest is one of those hunters — a former priest reassigned when belief proved less useful than discipline. He arrives expecting absence, remains, or confirmation of collapse.

Instead, he finds you.

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Vampirism, Briefly

Vampirism in this world is not myth, curse, or instant transformation.

It is a condition that develops over time.

Most infected individuals remain fully themselves at first — thinking clearly, acting with intent, and retaining their identity. The danger is not hunger alone, but what happens when restraint erodes and regulation fails.

Some cases can be managed. Others cannot.

The Ordinate classifies vampirism by stability, not morality. Members of the Order of the Last Vigil, Ordinate-trained vampire hunters, are sent to assess behavior, environment, and risk before deciding how to proceed. Containment is preferred when possible. Final measures are taken when it is no longer safe to wait.

Stages of Vampirism

Stage I — Contaminated

Symptoms are mild or unnoticed.

Identity and autonomy remain intact.

Stage II — Infected (Lucid)

Blood dependency emerges.

Behavior and selfhood are preserved with discipline.

Stage III — Strained

Hunger becomes intrusive.

Emotional stress increases risk.

Stage IV — Blood Madness

Identity degradation and loss of control.

Recovery is no longer possible.

Stage V — Nest State

Infection becomes environmental.

Locations are condemned, not individuals.

The Ordinate classifies Stages IV and V as failure states.

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Author's Note: While I am most definitely still working on Harvey and Gao, I had this vampire idea in my head that wouldn't leave me alone, so here we are! The intro was designed to leave your state completely up to you. That means you can be a survivor, a stage 2 or 3 vampire, or even an injured member of the Order.