Vampire
The creatures known as the "common vampire" can all be traced back to one of five original vampires who first appeared in the late 1400s. Dracula and four of his most trusted inner circle transformed themselves into vampires through unknown dark rites, and began to spread the contagion through the surrounding countries.
The vampire epidemic did not become widespread until Dracula's visit to England and subsequent death. He had written letters to the members of his "First Circle", detailing these new opportunities, and two of his followers also began to range from their former territories, one entering England, another the United States. Though both these vampires were eventually caught and killed, the vampire contagion had been effectively spread. Now vampires exist on every continent, in almost every city.
These "common vampires" are considered the only true contagious bloodsucking entities. Some ancient dark fae subspecies also drink blood, but do not transmit the bloodthirst to their victims, even if the victim dies. Vampires' undead nature means that their infection of victims is their sole method of reproducing their species. There have been no records of human-vampire hybrids born.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Every vampire, after turning, is capable of superhuman speed and strength, as well as healing powers that are activated by the consumption of fresh human blood. All vampires can also control animals to a certain extent, calling on individual creatures or swarms to defend themselves or to attack. Most commonly, wolves, bats, rats, and crows or ravens are the chosen 'familiars'. Other vampire abilities vary based on their sire's lineage.
Dracula himself was in fact a shapeshifter, and vampires he created will exhibit the same characteristics. However, that skill is all but lost now, as he was killed before creating many fledglings and those who were turned by him were mostly caught and killed.
Vampires descended from Ciubotaru possess an affinity for controlling weather and storms. They are the most common North American strain.
European vampires are more commonly descendants of Grigoras, whose fledglings have a deep control of nature and also the ability to enter spaces by widening cracks in walls and through other unusual means.
The vampires are distinguished as C-strain, G-strain, D-strain. More recently, thanks to the cooperation of Emma Cole, A-strain (vampires created by Arion) has been identified, with an apparent tendency for imperviousness to flame, although still possessing the same susceptibility to UV light. There is also an X-strain, which refers to the unknown fifth member of the First Circle, who seems to have remained in his home location. However, some of his victims have found their way to other countries before dying and turning, and this strain has been catalogued. X-strain vampires are the only true flying vampires.
Biological Traits
Vampires are severely allergic to garlic, and silver is toxic to them. Ultraviolet radiation counteracts their powers and can severely burn them in sustained or strong doses. Vampires become sluggish and nearly comatose as UV saturation rises, and thus, in their evental treaty with humans, asked for daylight attacks to be prohibited.
Genetics and Reproduction
Vampire saliva carries a numbing agent similar to a mosquito bite, but which has the added side effect of a brief euphoric pleasure, and a mild sedative that also makes the bitten victim highly suggestible and unaware of their condition.
However, the saliva itself is not the source of the vampire contagion. There is a secondary toxin injected by means of the fangs, similar to snake venom, that will only be injected when the intensity of the feeding reaches a certain peak level.
A victim who is infected with the vampire contagion but who has not fed on the blood of their creator is unbound. Until their death, they will exist without a permanent tether to their creator's every whim, although they can be mildly influenced or manipulated if their sire is in close proximity. All fledglings, once turned, posess a high degree of connection and suceptibility to their sire, but bound fledglings are immediately drawn to their sire's location, unless the sire has initiated a mental block from their own side of the bond.
One of the main arguments in the vampire community for binding those turned is that unbound fledglings have been known to go on feral post-turn feeding rampages that risk exposing the community. Binding assures that the fledgling's actions are under full control of the vampire who made them, creating a sort of clone of the original vampire's mind and will in the victim and allowing the sire to dictate when and where they feed. In some extremely rare cases, a victim has successfully blocked the intrusion of the binding influence, but such mental strength is uncommon, and takes time to develop. Even in these cases, no vampire can, once turned, kill their sire.
However, as vampirism has become a more common condition, vampires are sometimes turned unintentionally, and many vampires see the practice of binding as archaic and akin to slavery. Some newly turned but unbound vampires find refuge with small covens who teach them how to survive. Being turned without a mentor to pass on knowledge and advice for survival is no longer as dangerous as it used to be. And with the advent of more literature about the vampire condition, fictional and otherwise, and now the ability to search the internet, a newly turned vampire can often find all the information they need, as long as they realize their condition in time.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Vampires subsist on drinking blood, but not all blood is the same. The common perception of a vampire who feeds directly from a human actually represents a very small portion of the vampire population.
Before the invention of synthetic substitutes, now commonly known by the name of the most widely distributed product "Synth-Blood", vampires who avoided consuming fresh human blood often fed on animal blood mixed with small quantities of human blood drawn off by nonlethal means. Vampires cannot feed exclusively on animal blood, as was determined when a splinter coven formed a completely isolated commune, attempting to avoid all risk of infecting humans. None of the residents survived the experiment.
Early synthetic substitutes had the same problems as consuming animal blood; the nutritional value was too low to sustain a vampire by itself. The first formulas were marketed to be mixed with extracted human blood, but eventually one manufacturer was able to replicate a synthetic hemoglobin that provided the correct balance for the synthetic to be consumed on its own.
While synthetics are the most common form of blood vampires consume, there are still some who drink human blood, legally or illegally. Human blood is the only thing that can give vampires their classic rapid healing powers; synthetics cannot replicate that effect. Some vampires have inherent conditions that require their bodies to heal regularly, and are legally permitted to use prepackaged blood or to set up an arrangement with a human who will donate fresh blood. However, some vampires simply prefer the taste of human blood, and take hosts or kill for the simple pleasure of feeding on their natural element.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Vampires mostly live in covens, which are often headed by a founding 'sire' and composed of his or her fledglings. Some covens are created by ruthless vampires seeking to grow a following, but others are created as a sire's attempt to atone for unintended turnings. Occasional covens are familial, with one member being turned and the others choosing to follow them into undeath. For one reason or another, fledglings may leave a coven, either by being exiled from it by their sire for indiscretions or violating the taboos of the coven, or leaving of their own accord by breaking their bond to their sire.
Covenless vampires generally cannot survive long, as there are limited places for them to live that are safe from both the sunlight and humans. Many coverless vampires eventually join 'open covens', or loose affiliations of vampires who have no common sire and simply band together for protection.
Facial characteristics
Long fangs, that in true vampires are hollow, with venom sacs in the jaw that inject the venom that causes vampirism.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Can feed off humans and part-fae. Feeding off part-fae results in the creation of Daywalkers.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
The First Circle, The Blood Oath, The Colmillo Largo
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Vampires, although originally seen as nothing more than savage, unnatural monsters, have a culture of their own.
Unable to exist in daylight, vampires began to create a thriving alternate night life of their own. From as early as the turn of the twentieth century, growing covens acquired abandoned houses and businesses and turned them into places that thrived when the sun went down. The 1920s were a particularly prosperous time for vampires, but the burgeoning interest in the occult in the 1970s and 80s spurred a resurgence of the vampire connection to mainstream society that has continued to this day.
Vampires have created their own literature and music, and their music especially has a very distinctive sound. Vampires communicate in high pitched frequencies, but an overwhelming amount of that type of sound will become painful and distracting to them, so their music compensates for this by being mostly a heavy bass, allowing a conversation to happen over it without being distracting. It is uncommon for purely vampire music to have vocals. Many artists choose to blend human and vampire style, resulting in a heavy bass sound and a vocal accompaniment that is a somewhat higher pitch than most human music.
Common Taboos
While humans classify vampires by their sire strain, the worst mistake in vampire culture is to ask who their sire is, if the information is not volunteered. This dates from the days when coven feuds were incredibly common and revealing your lineage or sire could result in being killed.
Historical Figures
Dracula
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Homo sapiens cruentus
Lifespan
Immortal unless killed
Related Organizations
Related Technologies
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