Vampire

Vampires, or those subjected to vampirism, are a type of undead creature. The nature of vampirism, and what makes it distinctly different from other forms of undead is unclear, though it does seem as though physical power and intelligence continue to persist in a vampire unlike forms of lesser undead. It also seems to prevent the physical deterioration often associated with lichdom and most forms of higher undead. What is clear though is that some form of twisting of the soul does seem to occur, as vampires as recorded are without exception, ruthless, calculating, and, when freed from "spawn" status, are self serving above all else. 
The classic trope of the vampire lord is certainly true, though they are the minority. A community of vampires often exists centered around one Lord or Lady, who in a grotesque pantomime of the aristocracy and even family, seems to create for himself a hierarchy of servants. In the closer circle is the coven, which like a witch's coven is a small, close knit group with more power and authority over everyone else. These are usually made up of vampires created by the lord and held in servitude to him by some artifact of his "venom." The next wrung down the latter are vampire spawn who are the equivalent of proto-vampires. These spawn are held in higher regard than other subjects, but not by much. They have no free will of their own, and unless granted to rise from this status are only a step or two above beastial. In the Vampire Lord's domain hierarchy, the next step down the ladder would be any and all living and mortal subjects the lord has deemed worthy to keep around (or torture). These are often your everyday commonfolk, and live in constant dread of being brought up (or down) the social ladder. Below them are any of the other beasts or lesser undead that the vampire lord has seen it fitting to create or acquire for various reasons. 
There is much discussion among scholarly circles as to the nature and origin of vampirism. Particularly why it seems to function so differently than any other form of undead, and in fact defy many of the characteristics most associated with the phenomenon. The main discussion often revolves around the question of whether vampirism is a disease, a curse, or both. Like lycanthropy, it is spread by a "bite," though unlike lycanthropy, no known treatments exist to combat (let alone cure) it. Known ways to remove curses have no effect on vampirism, and if it is a disease, one would assume that those favored warriors of the saints would see their faith protect them from this fate, but that does not seem to be true (though honestly, testing these theories is fraught with difficulty, and often those involved have to rely on anecdotal evidence from ratcatchers).

Origin/Ancestry

Undead