The term "dhampir" refers to a person who is descended from a member of the the Aristocracy, but is also partly human. "Dhampir" is a less polite word than "bastard" or "half-blood", but it's not the horrible insult that "vampire" is.

Comment by Russell:
"Bastard" and "half-blood" aren't literally the same thing. But "bastard" refers to a child born outside of wedlock, and Nobles aren't generally allowed to wed non-Nobles. When they are (and that requires Church? approval, which you're really not likely to get), it involves an agreement that no inheritance will pass through the resulting line.

Comment by jeff:
He's not kidding about the word being an insult. I seemingly missed the "these are the terms you should be using" lecture, and ended up with Laylah's jaws in my face the first time I dropped the v-bomb. (Apparently, its the same as using a certain derogatory term about a certain racial group....you know what I mean.)

Comment by jeff:
And, just in case I missed the point, this matter was punctuated by having Angela leap across my living room floor and showing me exactly how she was choking Harper. And we don't even LARP.....

Dhampirs tend not to be well-liked in noble society.

Dhampirs exhibit many of the characteristics of the Nobility (including their thirst for blood and long lives), but tend to lack the full range of supernatural powers. Many suffer only discomfort and skin irritation when exposed to sunlight.

That said, it's more than possible for dhampirs to pose as true Aristocrats. While this gets tricky, what with the relatively small number of Nobles and their tendency to keep good records on births and deaths, it can be done. "Witch tests," where suspected dhampirs are exposed to sunlight, are uncertain at best, and generally only happen when a politically significant issue rests on a bloodline claim.

While dhampirs are generally second-class members of the ruling class, they are part of that class. Many of them find employment in the Church?, and a very few become Battle Maidens.