Moulin

Moulin were a variety of Higher Vampire, known to be the most dangerous outside of the Elder Vampire. Mercifully rare, Moulin were nocturnal hunters capable of wiping out entire towns overnight, should they so desire. Due to this danger, Moulin were hunted to the brink of extinction in the Second Age. Those that do remain are the most powerful and cunning, making them even more dangerous.

Description
Moulin were the most horrific and dangerous of the vampires on average. While they possessed a human form like most Vampyrs, Moulin were most dangerous when transformed into their true form. Their true form was that of a hulking batlike humanoid, standing 8-10 feet tall, with powerful wings that allowed them to fly at high speeds. Even worse, Moulin had a natural form of camouflage that triggered when they were in darkness, rendering them invisible at night. Moulin also possessed heightened senses that made them near impossible to escape.

However, Moulin were extremely vulnerable to sunlight, even more so than other vampires. So aggressive was this vulnerability that it would instantly burn their flesh on contact and cause them to lose their human form. As such, Moulin were exclusively nocturnal, avoiding sunlight at all costs. Moulin also possessed a very sedentary lifestyle, often hibernating for months at a time between feedings. Most frighteningly, this resulted in an insatiable hunger that could empty entire villages when they did feed.

Creation
Moulin were created exclusively from the bite of an Elder Vampire, the cause of their rarity prior to their extermination in the Second Age. As few (if any) Elder Vampires remained by the beginning of the Third Age, no new Moulin were created to replace those that were slain, resulting in them being a very rare breed.

Strengths and Abilities
Moulin were quite possibly the deadliest type of vampire outside Elder Vampires, with a plethora of dangerous abilities. While they lacked the ability to learn and use magic unlike other Higher Vampires, Moulin possessed numerous innate strengths that made them immensely deadly predators when in their environment.


 * Massive Speed and Strength- Moulin by far possessed the most physical prowess of any Higher Vampire other than the Elder Vampires. Capable of overpowering even Hill Giants in a contest of strength, they made easy prey of any unlucky humanoid they came across.
 * Flight- Moulin were the only vampire species that was naturally capable of flight. When in their true form, they were capable of flying at staggering speeds, allowing them to chase down any unlucky creature they decided to pursue.
 * Stealth- When in shadow, Moulin became cloaked in an unnatural darkness, rendering them invisible when fighting at night.
 * Unholy Durability- Moulin were unnaturally resilient, capable of resisting attacks from nonmagical weaponry and were immune to most forms of poison.
 * Regeneration- Like other vampires, Moulin could rapidly regenerate from the wounds they sustained as long as they were not in sunlight or did not take radiant damage.
 * Keen Senses- Moulin were immensely perceptive at night, capable of seeing for miles in near pitch blackness and also possessing very strong ears and noses that could detect prey no matter how well it tried to hide.

Weaknesses
Moulin, despite their terrifying nature, did have some distinct weaknesses that allowed them to be beaten by those who did their research. This contributed to their near extinction after bands of vampire hunters learned and utilized these weaknesses to great effect during the Second Age.


 * Sunlight- Moulin were extremely vulnerable to sunlight, even more so than other vampires. Even brief contact with sunlight would scorch their flesh and force them into their true form, weakening them drastically.
 * Running Water- Fresh, moving water burned vampires like acid. While Moulin possessed this vulnerability like all others, they did have the advantage of being able to fly over it.
 * Fire- Moulin were mortally afraid of fire, as it likely reminded them of the sun, and would flee at the sight of it.
 * Lack of True Immortality- Unlike Vampyrs, Moulin were not able to cheat death. Mortal wounds would kill them like most creatures, though their regenerative abilities would allow them to survive wounds that other creatures could not.
 * Solitary- Moulin were exclusively found alone, and extremely territorial. They also did not possess the ability to create Vampire Spawn or other underlings.