Aswang are a form of non-Kindred vampire native to the Philippines.
Overview[]
Though the term has come to mean almost any manner of supernatural being, "aswang", in a more technical sense, refers to a specific set of breeds of supernatural, blood-drinking shapeshifters, all of which lead double-lives. Often, the "normal", daytime life is entirely unaware of the actions of the Aswang and vice versa.
Though there are three known kinds of Aswang, all of them must ingest blood, are blessed with unnatural strength, and fuel themselves with Vitae, which they burn more quickly than the Kindred. Their bite mutilates the victim, unlike the Kiss.
Types of Aswang[]
- Halimaw: Living an ordinary life by day, the halimaw changes at night into a humanoid with claws and large wings. The disconnect between these lives is sharper in halimaw than in other Aswang. Additionally, it can shapeshift into the forms of its human victims. The bite it leaves behind is a large hole torn out by fangs.
- Tik-Tik: This Aswang bears a monstrous form that is a cross between a raptor and a bat, with a proboscis used to feed from its victims. Said feeding produces a "tik-tik" noise, hence the name; its flight also produces the noise. Its bite resembles that of a leech, with a ragged hole surrounded by smaller wounds.
- Sigbin: The sigbin shifts into the form of a hornless goat-creature whose large ears are capable of clapping like hands; this clapping can induce a trancelike state in a victim. Its muzzle is long and thin and its tail may be used as a whip. The bite of the sigbin generally leaves an infected, weeping wound. This Aswang, unlike others, must annually hunt a virgin to make an amulet out of his or her heart. This amulet sustains the sigbin for the year. If it is destroyed, the creature immediately enters a ravenous rage, transforming into its monstrous state; if a new amulet is not created within three days, it dies.
References[]
- VTR: Night Horrors: The Wicked Dead, p. 18-20
