To a Faded, blood is more than nourishment.
It carries subtle qualities that reveal something about the person it came from. While appearance alone is rarely enough to identify someone’s nature, the taste of blood often is.
Experienced Faded can usually distinguish between supernatural species after only a small sample.
| Species | Taste |
|---|---|
| Human | The baseline. Familiar, reliable, and perfectly serviceable. Most Faded compare other blood to human blood in the same way people compare flavors to water. |
| Gifted | Widely considered the most desirable blood. Rich, vibrant, and unusually satisfying. Many Faded describe it as tasting brighter or more alive than ordinary human blood. |
| Hollowborn | Dry and ashen, often compared to smoke, charcoal, or the lingering taste of a burnt fire. |
| Lycanthrope | Earthy and heavy. Notes of soil, moss, pine, wet stone, and the wilderness are common descriptions. |
| Skinwalker | Lighter and more delicate than Lycan blood. Often carries floral, herbal, or woodland notes depending on the individual’s animal form. |
| Damned | Universally unpleasant, though no two Faded describe it the same way. The taste often resembles whatever the drinker finds most repulsive, making it as much a psychological experience as a physical one. |
| Faded | Rarely consumed. Most describe it as overwhelmingly rich and metallic, though accounts vary considerably. |
The differences are subtle enough that most non-Faded would never notice them.
To a Faded, however, the distinction is often obvious.
Many can identify a person’s nature from a single drop.