The Bat Farming Method
“To feed the land, feed the bats. To guard the land, train the bats.” — Saying of the Nahrso druids"
Decline and Rediscovery
With the
collapse of the Nahrso Empire, this practice was largely forgotten. Only
dhampirs, vampires, and a handful of druids preserved fragments of the knowledge. Other empires in ancient history did not adopt this farming method as a fear of giving advantage to the Nahrso Empire, if it they had used their own bats against them, as there were rumors that bats were 'allies' of the Nahrso Empire.
In modern times, druids have rediscovered pieces of the method, though never with the same efficiency as in the Empire’s peak.
Modern Usage
Today, the method is used sparingly in certain
Nars Duchies, under the secret guidance of druids and talented farmers.
An odd farm is in
Hirch Thani, where
Baron Remus, a dhampir himself who learned the farming method as a g young boy in an abandoned library.
Remus is trying to build a farm with the assistance of local druids, farmers and ancient records and fights to make this farm a successful one.
An Illustration Remus showed to the barony advisor to show his vision.
Practical & Strategic Uses
Beyond simple farming, the method had wider implications:
Pest Control & Fertility: Bats ate the insects, their guano enriched the soil.
Empire-wide Strategy: The skies filled with bats, providing cover for surveillance and military tactics.
Trained Functions:
Alarm System:Bats were trained to react when unusual creatures (e.g. “large” or “flying”) approached.
Night Camouflage:Swarms of bats concealed Vampires and Dhampirs moving in animal form.
Companions:Though rarely admitted, it was common that Narso citizens formed emotional bonds with their bats.
Additional Practical Uses that were less common
Pollination Aid: Night-blooming crops thrived under the presence of controlled bats, improving food supply.
Guano Industry: Beyond fertilizer, guano was refined into alchemy reagents and even early explosive mixtures.
Weather Sense: Farmers relied on bat behavior as an omen of storms or famine, allowing them to prepare in advance.
Livestock Guardians: Bat swarms patrolled barns and stables, warding off predators.
Additional Strategic Uses that were less common
Signal System: Trained bats carried enchanted runes or glowing paints, allowing silent military communication.
Psychological Warfare: At night, sudden swarms were released into enemy camps, spreading fear and chaos.
Disease & Curse Vectors: In darker practices, some vampires experimented with infecting or cursing bats to spread sickness among enemy lands.
Scouting & Espionage: Surveillance bats carried tiny messages or enchanted tokens for vampires and dhampirs on missions.
Battlefield Fog of Wings: Thousands of bats released at once created a living screen against archers and spells.
Ceremonial Displays: Swarms were also used in parades, rituals, or executions, reinforcing the dominance of vampire lords.
Vampire & Dhampir-Specific Advantages
Because the farmers themselves were often vampires or dhampirs, additional layers of utility emerged:
מצ ץתך÷-
Blood Supply: Farmers sometimes fed directly on their trained bats in times of famine, sustaining themselves without harming their human serfs.
Shared Senses: Vampires with mental control could see or hear through their bats, granting them supernatural surveillance of their estates and lands.
Loyal Guardians: Bats could be trained to harass intruders who bore symbols of rival houses or faiths, sparing their masters the need to intervene directly.
Symbiotic Bond: Dhampirs, often half-shunned, found social acceptance by raising and controlling bats, creatures as liminal as they were.
Nocturnal Efficiency: Unlike mortal farmers, vampire and dhampir farmers could tend both crops and bat colonies at night, making farming a round-the-clock process.
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