I don't know if I ever drew this one again, but a demon AU of Cain wherein I went with bioluminescent freckles. Still like the idea and design, might reuse it?
I updated Caellum’s bio so it’s caught up on his current lore!
You can read it on FR here if you prefer, but here’s a preview+the rest under the cut as well!
Deep within the Scarred Wasteland, Caellum was born into a race of Plague dragons that feed off the blood and emotions of others. This origin clan of 'vampires' has kept themselves secret and hidden for centuries, but their race has slowly started to branch out across Sorneith to feed and to make their power known.
Caellum learned from an early age that he couldn't depend on anyone but himself. As soon as he was able to walk and feed on his own, his parents stopped taking care of him. He wasn't shown any pity or sympathy from neither adults nor other children like himself. Anywhere else this method of upbringing might seem neglectful and cruel, but not to the vampires who wanted their children to grow up relying solely on their own strength to survive. These harsh life lessons forced Caellum to mature early, permanently ingraining savageness and pride into his sense of self worth.
As he grew, both in body and strength, it became clear to the other vampires that the new generation, with Caellum as their leader, would surpass and eventually overthrow the older generations. Though many understood that this inevitable future would lead their race into the next stage of evolution and power, the eldest of the vampires selfishly banded together to put a stop to the rise of the new generation, refusing to let their current hierarchy fall to ruin.
The elder generation descended upon the new, slaying the youth of their own race before their power could manifest. Amidst the slaughter, many of the new generation perished. Only a handful, Caellum among them, who had reached maturity and received their magic could not be defeated. Unable to kill them, the elder generation pooled their own magic and cast a curse on the survivors of the new generation, sealing their magic and trapping them in the forms of children.
These cursed children were then cast out of the Plaguelands in different directions with no recollection or way to access the memories of their adult selves.
Caellum, for all he knew, was a lost child. He couldn't remember where he came from, where he was going, who his parents were, or if he even had any. Alone, he wandered through Plague and Shadow territories, rediscovering his body's thirst for blood and feeding on travelers who were easily fooled by his innocent appearance.
Continuing on his path led Caellum deep into Nature territories where he happened upon Lakerest during a festival they called 'Halloween'. Children of all ages came and went from Lakerest's borders all night, so no one questioned Caellum's presence there and many stopped to offer him treats and ask him if he needed help finding his parents or his way home.
With nowhere else to go and no memories, Caellum decided that for survival, sticking close to a constantly growing clan such as Lakerest would be his best bet.
A year passed, and the curse keeping Caellum in the form of a child began to weaken with time and distance from its casters, until it could no longer contain him.
Caellum was a fair distance north of Lakerest, on the outskirts of a deep-woods village that was still in its early stages of development, when the curse reached its breaking point. Caellum felt mildly dizzy before suddenly being overwhelmed by an excruciating rush of his own magic. He fell to his knees and cried out in anguish as his body began tearing itself apart in its hurry to regrow to its original shape and size. He writhed and clawed at the soil beneath him, screaming, until the pain subsided into an ache and he was able to lay there for a moment panting and drenched in a cold sweat.
But the relief didn't last long.
Reverting back into a form more akin to that of a mortal teenager had expended more physical and magical energy than he could have ever prepared for, leaving him drained, feverish, and above all else, hungry. Caellum had never felt so empty, so feral, before and he couldn't stop the hunger from taking over him completely. His voracity alone got him back on his feet, but it was the scent of fresh blood not far off that gave the animal within enough drive to sprint towards the unsuspecting village nestled among the trees nearby.
Blinded by his immense new hunger, Caellum slaughtered everyone in the village. With no warriors or mages strong enough to fight back, they were helpless to stop him, and an otherwise peaceful day became a bloodbath. Only after everyone had been slain did Caellum start to feed. He drained dozens of them dry, devouring and consuming more than his hunger had ever demanded of him before until eventually the frenzy faded, and he returned to a saner state of mind.
Upon regaining consciousness, Caellum took in his surroundings. No longer under the effects of the child curse, he understood what he must have done, but felt no remorse or guilt. Instead, confusion of another kind settled deep in his bones and very full stomach. He knew his name. He knew he was a vampire and thus fed on the blood of others to keep up his strength. He knew who and what he was, but everything else, all the memories he should have gotten back, were still extremely foggy or absent entirely.
He had his body back, but so many pieces were still missing.
Over time a handful of Caellum's memories and some of his magic have returned to him, often triggered by engaging in battle, but much of who he is still remains just out of reach. Being unable to access everything that's locked away inside of him, for reasons he also can't remember, has left Caellum in a perpetual state of frustration and confusion.
Already quick to bare his fangs at anyone and everyone, this frustration causes Caellum to be increasingly irritable and prone to lashing out even more than usual. His seemingly constant bad attitude often gets him into fights with others who are usually much bigger and stronger than himself, and since he can heal almost any physical wound, he continues to fight battles he knows he can't win without any sense of self preservation.
Still in the dark about the majority of his past, Caellum keeps himself isolated from others as much as he can, determined to rely only on his own strength to move forward.
Funfacts:
So long as he's well fed, he can heal just about any physical wound.
One of Caellum's abilities that he keeps as both a child and an adult is the ability to sight share with feline-esque beings.
When feeding, it isn’t uncommon for him to pick up the flavor of his victim’s most prominent emotion. It has to be strongly felt by the victim, but emotions such as fear, sadness, joy, and lust all have distinct individual tastes to his palette. They also seep into Caellum’s own emotions for a few hours after feeding.
Rarely sleeps. He’s most active at night, but even during the day he considers sleeping more of a pastime than a necessity.
If put into a position where he can’t feed for an extended period of time, he loses the ability to use magic and can no longer heal. He also reverts to a state of animalistic hunger in which he will lash out at anything with a pulse and is much more likely to kill his victim while feeding.
He unconsciously seeks discipline and guidance from others as a result of his upbringing
It’s highly likely. It has yet to be established if Caellum possesses the capacity to express the mortal concept of ‘love’, and even he himself is unsure if he could reciprocate such emotions if given the chance. To make things worse, Caellum is openly hostile, bad-tempered, violent, and self-destructive, making him extremely difficult to get along with let alone be the object of another person’s affection. Love is something Caellum may never have, but a mate stands a bit more of a chance. A hypersexual being, Caellum engages in more than his fair share of sexual activity, so a relationship with a potential mate could be possible given some of the following: There is a mutual need for sexual gratification. Caellum tolerates his partner and in turn is tolerated. Even if there may not be ‘love’, familiarity and understanding could be enough to make a potential mate Caellum’s preferred company, and that might be as close as he ever gets.
