Vampires
There have been many stories of vampires throughout history, and while most of them have some semblance of truth to them, none of them really tell the full story of what a vampire actually is.
While the exact origin of the vampire is shrouded in mystery, what is known is that the first vampire was the subject of a curse which bound them to some supernatural force that prevented them from dying. A vampire is practically immortal. It never ages, gets sick, or succumbs to any of the ailment a normal human would suffer through during a normal life span.
This immortality comes with a price though. An insatiable hunger for the blood of living creatures. This hunger is so powerful that it can overcome the self-control of a vampire turning them into mindless beasts that only live to feed. Not feeding does not cause them to die like a human would without food. Instead, it causes them to grow weaker and weaker, and their hunger to grow more and more until they enter a state where all they know is the hunger but are powerless to do anything about it. This ultimate fate is fear of any vampire.
On the other spectrum, the act of feeding is more than just satisfying a physical need. The act itself is immensely pleasurable to the vampire depending on the subject they are feeding on. Vampires not only gain physical sustenance from the blood, but the stronger the emotion of the victim, the more sustaining the blood is to the vampire. They relate this to taste but it is much more that than.
Drinking blood from an animal is very bland for a vampire and while it is physically sustaining the amount of sustenance they get from it is minimal. Most vampires find this unpleasant, while drinking the blood of a living human with strong emotions, is extremely satisfying. It can also sustain the vampire for longer periods of time. The stronger the emotions of the victim, the satisfying and sustaining the blood is to the vampire.
The type of emotion also has an effect on the vampire. For most vampires, Fear is the most enjoyable, but there are vampires that enjoy others such as lust, and even love, though love between a victim and vampire is extremely rare.
While the exact origin of the vampire is shrouded in mystery, what is known is that the first vampire was the subject of a curse which bound them to some supernatural force that prevented them from dying. A vampire is practically immortal. It never ages, gets sick, or succumbs to any of the ailment a normal human would suffer through during a normal life span.
This immortality comes with a price though. An insatiable hunger for the blood of living creatures. This hunger is so powerful that it can overcome the self-control of a vampire turning them into mindless beasts that only live to feed. Not feeding does not cause them to die like a human would without food. Instead, it causes them to grow weaker and weaker, and their hunger to grow more and more until they enter a state where all they know is the hunger but are powerless to do anything about it. This ultimate fate is fear of any vampire.
On the other spectrum, the act of feeding is more than just satisfying a physical need. The act itself is immensely pleasurable to the vampire depending on the subject they are feeding on. Vampires not only gain physical sustenance from the blood, but the stronger the emotion of the victim, the more sustaining the blood is to the vampire. They relate this to taste but it is much more that than.
Drinking blood from an animal is very bland for a vampire and while it is physically sustaining the amount of sustenance they get from it is minimal. Most vampires find this unpleasant, while drinking the blood of a living human with strong emotions, is extremely satisfying. It can also sustain the vampire for longer periods of time. The stronger the emotions of the victim, the satisfying and sustaining the blood is to the vampire.
The type of emotion also has an effect on the vampire. For most vampires, Fear is the most enjoyable, but there are vampires that enjoy others such as lust, and even love, though love between a victim and vampire is extremely rare.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Not only did the curse of vampirism give vampires the immortality and the hunger, but it also gave them the tools they need to satisfy their hunger. Even the weakest Vampire is physically stronger and faster than a normal human. Their strength, endurance and reflexes are not any product of musculature but is source from the same supernatural force that is responsible for their existence.
As they age their supernatural prowess increases. A new vampire could keep up with an Olympic runner or lift the same as one of the most accomplished human bodybuilders, while an older vampire could run as fast as a car of lift that same car. Why this happens is a mystery, but it has something to do with the potency of the power that is contained in their blood. While vampires rarely feed on each other, it is possible for a younger relatively weak vampire to drink from an older more powerful vampire and gain some of that vampire's power. This is normally short lived depending on the amount of blood they have drank, but there are tales of the power becoming permanent if the younger were to completely drain the older.
Along with increased strength and faster reflexes, a vampire is almost indestructible. They heal incredibly fast, wounds closing seconds after they are inflicted. Even major damage to their body such as limb amputation can be healed. Burns seem to heal much more slowly than other types of physical harm and can incapacitate a vampire for a long period of time. They also can not recover from decapitation.
Vampires are also very susceptible to sunlight which burns their skin like fire. The burns from sunlight are even more severe than that of fire, and other caustics and take even longer to heal. A vampire exposed to the sun for too long may even burn completely to ash, making it one of the only ways, in addition to decapitation, and the complete draining of their blood by another vampire, to permanently kill a vampire.
Another supernatural enhancement that vampires possess is heightened senses. They can see almost as good in the dark as they can in the light, and their hearing is as good as most animals. It can even pick up the sound of a heartbeat if it is strong enough. Their sense of smell is slightly better than of a human, except for their ability to pick up the scent of blood, which they can smell from yards away.
As they age their supernatural prowess increases. A new vampire could keep up with an Olympic runner or lift the same as one of the most accomplished human bodybuilders, while an older vampire could run as fast as a car of lift that same car. Why this happens is a mystery, but it has something to do with the potency of the power that is contained in their blood. While vampires rarely feed on each other, it is possible for a younger relatively weak vampire to drink from an older more powerful vampire and gain some of that vampire's power. This is normally short lived depending on the amount of blood they have drank, but there are tales of the power becoming permanent if the younger were to completely drain the older.
Along with increased strength and faster reflexes, a vampire is almost indestructible. They heal incredibly fast, wounds closing seconds after they are inflicted. Even major damage to their body such as limb amputation can be healed. Burns seem to heal much more slowly than other types of physical harm and can incapacitate a vampire for a long period of time. They also can not recover from decapitation.
Vampires are also very susceptible to sunlight which burns their skin like fire. The burns from sunlight are even more severe than that of fire, and other caustics and take even longer to heal. A vampire exposed to the sun for too long may even burn completely to ash, making it one of the only ways, in addition to decapitation, and the complete draining of their blood by another vampire, to permanently kill a vampire.
Another supernatural enhancement that vampires possess is heightened senses. They can see almost as good in the dark as they can in the light, and their hearing is as good as most animals. It can even pick up the sound of a heartbeat if it is strong enough. Their sense of smell is slightly better than of a human, except for their ability to pick up the scent of blood, which they can smell from yards away.
Genetics and Reproduction
Vampires do not reproduce like normal humans. While they can have intercourse and some even derive pleasure from it, a vampire cannot orgasm. Males no longer produce sperm and females have no cycle and produce no eggs. instead, they procreate by passing on the curse to other humans. If a vampire drains a human almost completely and then replaces some of its blood with the vampire's own, the human may become a vampire.
Creating another vampire is more of an art than science. There is a balance on how close to death the vampire must bring the human before feedin it vampire blood. Too far the human dies, and not enough the human remains a human. Many vampires fail the first few times they try it. The transformation from Human to vampire is traumatic. Not only physically but mentally. The changes the body goes through is something a human was never meant to endure. It is painful and alien. Even when the subject survives the transformation, their mind may break, leaving them nothing more than a dangerous animal, which their maker usually has to put down.
Those that do survive and manage to remain sane, then have to deal with the immediate hunger, and the fact that have to avoid the sunlight. It is rare for them to survive a single day with guidance. Fortunately, the act of creating a new vampire is not usually one take carelessly and the vampire making a new fledgling often spends much time choosing the right candidate. It is usually someone they are already very familiar with and have some type of relationship, so they can guide the new vampire and help them understand their new existence. This isn't always the case though, and there are times when a vampire will leave its creation on its own. This is frown upon by the vampire community and if known the creator is usually punished in some way.
Creating another vampire is more of an art than science. There is a balance on how close to death the vampire must bring the human before feedin it vampire blood. Too far the human dies, and not enough the human remains a human. Many vampires fail the first few times they try it. The transformation from Human to vampire is traumatic. Not only physically but mentally. The changes the body goes through is something a human was never meant to endure. It is painful and alien. Even when the subject survives the transformation, their mind may break, leaving them nothing more than a dangerous animal, which their maker usually has to put down.
Those that do survive and manage to remain sane, then have to deal with the immediate hunger, and the fact that have to avoid the sunlight. It is rare for them to survive a single day with guidance. Fortunately, the act of creating a new vampire is not usually one take carelessly and the vampire making a new fledgling often spends much time choosing the right candidate. It is usually someone they are already very familiar with and have some type of relationship, so they can guide the new vampire and help them understand their new existence. This isn't always the case though, and there are times when a vampire will leave its creation on its own. This is frown upon by the vampire community and if known the creator is usually punished in some way.
Ecology and Habitats
Vampires of New Orleans
New Orleans has a strong vampire presence. The numerous tourists that travel to the city and the pastime of heavy drinking makes the city a perfect place for Vampires to feed. There are always plenty of inebriated visitors who are easy pickings, and if a vampire goes too far, it is just one case of a missing person amongst many.New Orleans has a very social network of vampires and many of the major bloodlines are represented. The city's vampires are ruled by the Patricians. but are constantly under pressure from the Avant Garde’s. New Orleans is a city rich in culture, and the Avante Garde’s realize this, and take advantage of their unique influence in the city. The Patricians treat the city as any other city, using money and political power to gain control which doesn't work as well in the Big Easy. They have been able to hold on to power, only because of the lack of true leadership from the Avante Gardes, but that has recently changed. A new leader of the Avante Gardes has come forth who is very capable of taking the city out from under the patricians.
The city has no sewer system where Umbral Vampires usually lair and that has kept the number of Umbral Vampires limited. The St Louis Cemetery No 1 has become the home of a few of the Umbral Vampire that live in the city. They lair in Tombs and move through the shadows at night. While most of them attend to their own affairs, some work with the Patricians providing information, and even muscle when needed.
Another problem the Patricians have to deal with is the presence of vampires of the Fortis bloodline. Most of them are members of a gang called The Gotti Boys and their nature is to cause chaos and disrupt the structured leadership of the vampire community. The Roma have a presence in the city, but not a great one, and they care little for the internal politics of the vampire community. The few that have made their home here, at least temporarily generally care for other matters in the city.
Playing a Vampire
Vampires live on the edge of humanity, with a murderous beast always there ready to take control. They have different way of dealing with it. Fortis embrace the part of them that craves violence and directs it to their ends. The Roma spend time understanding and accepting that part of them. Umbral deny its existence outright and force it deep inside. Patrician and Avante Garde strengthen their human side but creating an elaborate society of rules and customs.If you wish to play a vampire character of one of the existing bloodlines, please see the individual bloodline page for more information. The existing bloodlines should cover most types of vampire characters. If you are interested in playing a vampire that does not fit into one of these bloodlines, you can play an un-blooded, a Vampire who does not have strong ties to any bloodline. They are not as powerful but are less restricted in their abilities. Also, you have the option of creating your own bloodline. Please discuss this with me as there are many types of character that will not fit the setting. Also, the blood line should be as complete as the existing ones, and most of the work will have to be done by the player that wants to play it. Be prepared to do some writing before you get to play a new bloodline.
Additional Information
Social Structure
While vampires are natural predators, built for hunting alone, the fact they must constantly battle their bestial nature to maintain some semblance of humanity, means they often seek out thier own kind. They have a need to be social, and due to their unique circumstances, the only real community they fit in is with other of their kind.
Only other vampires, who are also restricted to the darkness and understand the hunger, can truly relate and so over the year they have built up a strong social structure. Most vampires are members of a Bloodline, that goes back thousands of years. Some of these bloodlines have member that form a strong bond, like a family, where they all protect and watch out for each other. Others are more chaotic and see competition in the bloodline as healthy and good for the bloodline. These bloodlines even have unique abilities that are passed on through the blood, from maker to childe (A term used to describe a new vampire that is still under the protection of his maker). These unique abilities mark a vampire as a member of his bloodline. Bloodlines offer vampires a community and a bit of safety. Even bloodlines that tend to encourage internal conflict, will usually stand with members of their bloodline over those from other bloodlines.
Another social structure is the coven. A coven is a smaller group of vampires that come together over a common goal. They are mostly formed for security, especially in places where there may not be a lot of members of the same bloodline. Covens of vampires all from the same bloodline are not uncommon, especially in large population that can support them, but in smaller communities' covens usually cross bloodlines.
Only other vampires, who are also restricted to the darkness and understand the hunger, can truly relate and so over the year they have built up a strong social structure. Most vampires are members of a Bloodline, that goes back thousands of years. Some of these bloodlines have member that form a strong bond, like a family, where they all protect and watch out for each other. Others are more chaotic and see competition in the bloodline as healthy and good for the bloodline. These bloodlines even have unique abilities that are passed on through the blood, from maker to childe (A term used to describe a new vampire that is still under the protection of his maker). These unique abilities mark a vampire as a member of his bloodline. Bloodlines offer vampires a community and a bit of safety. Even bloodlines that tend to encourage internal conflict, will usually stand with members of their bloodline over those from other bloodlines.
Another social structure is the coven. A coven is a smaller group of vampires that come together over a common goal. They are mostly formed for security, especially in places where there may not be a lot of members of the same bloodline. Covens of vampires all from the same bloodline are not uncommon, especially in large population that can support them, but in smaller communities' covens usually cross bloodlines.
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