Vampire

A vampire is an undead creature that feeds on the life essence of the living. They are known to be night dwelling monsters without souls, a predatory species with little regard for their prey. Even though vampires a undead creatures they still possess a beating heart that pumps blood through out their body. They need blood in order to sustain themselves and without it they will desiccate. Some vampires may choose to drink from animals but this is not exactly a balanced diet and will make the vampire weak and vulnerable. Older vampires do not require to feed as often as newborn vampires do. A newborn vampires requires to feed at least once a night, whereas an older vampire may only require to drink blood once a week. Abstaining from drinking blood can turn the vampire mad or even become fatal. Vampires also do not age. Their appearance remain the same from the moment they die as humans. Physical characteristics such as weight remain the same. Scars and physical disabilities also remain unchanged. Interestingly enough, vampires are able to get tattoos and piercings after transforming. Vampires are generally colder than humans, specially if they haven’t fed in some time. After feeding, vampires can feel warmer to the touch.

Origin
It started with a demon, a demon that held the blood of the seven sins and the mind of pure rage. Its desire and envious feeling drove the demon insane, violent in a cold, red rage of unholy malice. Eventually, the demon had met its final day, breathing its final breath. The carcass would remain in its spot, rotting away as natural as it can be, but it would soon be discovered upon a group of wandering scavengers. These scavengers feasted on the demon’s body, eating all flesh and blood of the ravenous beast until it was merely a meager set of broken bones. Once they had consumed the demon they laid down to rest, unaware of what was to come. It would be then that in those few hours of rest in the day that the scavengers began to grow ill into a strange, violent fit of rage and bloodlust. They had begun to feel a harsh need for darkness, hiding away from the sun to keep it from driving them further into illness. They would attack anything that had come in the way of their path, draining of their victim’s blood. Though if the victim was lucky, however, they too would seem to become ill within the few hours of the attack, undergoing these painful symptoms and passing it along to those who have come in contact with them if they were lucky to survive. They became a silent and deadly epidemic. The humans infected would become ravenous and end up cannibalizing themselves. It would be years before the first few humans became immune to this sickness and managed to survive the transformation stage. No one really knows how old vampires actually are but according to the Sanguinem Verbum ( the Vampire Codex ), the first vampires appeared in Ancient Mesopotamia circa 4000 BCE. During the first few millennia, vampires were not immortal but simply lived longer. Typically a few hundred years before they started to desiccate. Then slowly, vampires started to adapt and evolve until they became gifted with true immortality.

Bloodlines
Vampirism began as a virus. A deadly virus that killed everyone who came in contact with it. It took years but eventually humans who were infected started to survive, giving birth to a whole new species. This period would later be labeled as the period of transition. From here, the virus mutated into four distinct strains that are transmitted through blood.

Bloodline is a term used to describe a group of vampires who share a common lineage. While the term can be used to refer to vampires who share a sire, grandsire, or so on, it usually refers to those lineages that have some inherent distinction between the four traditional Bloodlines, be it in their weaknesses, characteristics, abilities, etc. These vampires share a common characteristic passed on by the blood. Each bloodline has their own organization, culture and characteristics and even though there have been conflicts between them in the past, Bloodlines typically work together out of necessity for a common goal.

Fledglings and Orphans
When a vampire is first turned they undergo a transformation period that lasts 20 years. During this time, a vampire is considered to be a new born and their hunger and abilities are not under the best control. They possess basic vampire abilities and have not yet adapted to their specific bloodline. Ideally, a vampire requires a teacher to help guide them through these changes. Fledglings spend their first 20 years with their maker and they are allowed to leave the nest after they mature. Orphans on the other hand are vampires who were turned and then abandoned by their creators. They are considered to be unreliable and more dangerous because they had no guidance. Orphans usually don’t make it to maturity because they either die due to lack of knowledge or survival skills or killed by other vampires because they are believed to be a threat to their society. Orphans inherit the abilities from their bloodline but they are considered undesirables. Any fledgling created by an Orphan suffers the same fate, regardless of whether the Orphan sire stays with their fledgling.

Orphans aren’t an abnormal occurrence in the vampire universe. However, depending on the bloodline they come from, they can be considered an oddity.

Furorem produce the highest number of orphans, they are not known for thinking before acting and they turn many humans only to leave them to fend off for themselves. However, most of them don’t survive past the ‘infancy’ period. Regium orphans are extremely rare, and subject to death as they can be considered an offence to their bloodline. Regium only turn those they deem worthy of their blood, so an orphan is an unacceptable reality. Cupiditas usually have an attachment to their progeny, so their numbers are lower than Furorem, but they are emotional creatures so there’s always a chance things will go wrong between sire and fledgling. And Proeliator usually have plans for their progeny, but sometimes they turn people that won’t go through with them, becoming essentially useless to their makers.

Orphans will still contain the gifts from their respected bloodlines but they will have trouble controlling them. A Regium might not be able to compel larger groups without becoming weakened. A Cupiditas orphan might not have a good grasp on their suggestive gifts and either be unable to do so properly or have that backfire and have the opposite desired effect. Proeliator’s are physically stronger than other vampires but an Orphan might be slightly weaker and not have as much stamina or take as much damage as a pure Proeliator can. Furorem are cursed the moment they are turned. Most Orphans become too unstable to live and unable to stand their vampirism. Their blood can become so hot during their first few years that they could potentially liquefy from the inside out. Some have gone mad and killed themselves. The ones who survive are more prone to going tino frenzy and their poison is not as deadly as a full fledged Furorem.

Orphans are outcasts and are not protected by any bloodline. If any war between the bloodlines were to happen, they would be left to fend for themselves and they can’t ask for asylum within them own. They have no voice, no claims to any rank and they will never be welcome inside the Kindred. It is against Kindred law for an Orphan to mingle with a “pure” vampire.

Powers and Abilities



 * ENHANCED PHYSICAL STRENGTH - Vampires are gifted with superhuman strength. They are capable of bending steel and breaking a human body in half with a single blow. This strength is influenced by age but also by blood consumption. Vampires who are on a particular diet are weaker than those who feast on human blood on a daily basis.
 * ENHANCED SPEED - Aside from strength, vampires can move at incredible speeds that are undetectable to the human eye.
 * ENHANCED SENSES - Vampires are able to see, smell and hear far better than humans. They are able to hear a heartbeat from miles away, smell blood at distances, recognize scent of prey and have night vision. When first turned, vampires can get overwhelmed by their senses for everything is heightened.
 * IMMORTALITY - Vampires cannot die of natural causes.
 * ADVANCED HEALING - Vampires will heal from any wounds as long as they are still alive. Healing speed can be affected depending on how much blood the vampire has consumed. Starving vampires heal at a much lower speed.
 * COMPULSION - Vampires possess a natural charisma and can compel humans and supernaturals, including other vampires (if they’re Regium), into doing whatever they want through suggestion. These effects can last up to years but will go away if the vampire is killed. Hunters can be trained to resist compulsion, but some minds are more susceptible than others. Compulsion is largely influenced by age and experience, therefore a fledgling or a vampire who has rarely used compulsion throughout the years would have a much lower chance to succeed at compelling a 100 year old werewolf, for example. Furthermore, compulsion cannot be overruled by another vampire, only added to. Attempting to overrule compulsions can be dangerous, however, for it can cause brain damage or dementia so it does more harm than good. The only ways to break someone out of compulsion are: a) if the vampire responsible for the compulsion lifts it; b) if the vampire responsible for the compulsion is killed; c) if a witch can break the victim out of it, though it is a painful process that takes hours and only certain types witches who are strong enough to perform such a task can break someone out of compulsion completely. NOTE: compulsion affects actions but it does not affect emotions.

Each Vampire Bloodline has a specific ability. Please review the Bloodlines page for more information.

Weaknesses



 * HEART REMOVAL - Removing the heart will kill a vampire immediately
 * SUNLIGHT - Vampires will be set aflame when in contact with sunlight. A vampire cannot be out in the sun unless they are in possession of a daylight ring. Daylight rings can be obtained through their sires or directly from a witch who’s familiar with the spell. Attention: since daylight is the deadliest thing to a vampire, do not obtain daylight rings from witches you do not trust. They can remove the daylight spell at any time, though their deaths will not affect the spell.
 * BEHEADING - The head must be completely removed from the body for this to take effect. Giphy.gif
 * STAKES - vampires can be killed with a wooden stake to the heart. They will immediately cease functioning and turn into lifeless corpses. This is called desiccation.
 * WEREWOLF BITE - Vampires that are bitten by werewolves are essentially poisoned, becoming weaker and weaker until they cease functioning and turn into a lifeless corpse. This may take up to 24 hours to take effect, but no more than that. The cure to any werewolf bite is to drink the blood of an alpha.
 * VERVAIN - While vervain cannot harm vampires, it’ll protected people from vampire compulsion. There are different ways of using it: some people dilute the plant and digest it, some spray it on, others may carry the plant with them. The most efficient way is to drink it consistently so that it stays in the system. Vervain is very difficult to find and witches sell them at a very expensive price.
 * INVITATION - Vampires cannot step into the home of the living without an invitation.
 * STARVATION - Vampires need to feed on blood in order to survive, there is no way around it. A vampire can slowly desiccate from the inside out if they don’t feed.
 * NECK BREAKING - This won’t kill a vampire but it will immobilize them for some time.
 * DEAD MAN’S BLOOD - A poison to vampires that incapacitates them for a short period of time. When the blood from a dead human is injected into a vampire it induces a blood sickness, causing them to become very weak.

Creation
Only humans and witches can be turned into vampires.

A human who has consumed vampire blood in some way (whether by drinking it, having it poured into an open wound or being injected with it) and has subsequently died with it in their system will be revived as one of the undead, just like the vampire who sired them. The exact nature of the human’s death is irrelevant to this process; the only condition that must be met is that the body has to be more-or-less intact and able to function once they reawaken in transition. In order to complete the transition into a vampire, the person must then consume a significant amount of human blood, at least a sip’s worth, within the next twelve hours, or else they will simply die. The transition period can be an uncomfortable experience: their senses and emotions are already heightened and their system starts to crave blood. It is an uncontrollable hunger that can stay with the fledgling even after they complete their turning. They are also transitioning into their bloodline and it can be very painful for a vampire to go through that on their own. This is why new vampires are considered to be dangerous without proper guidance and typically require the assistance of a sire for the first 20 years of their rebirth.

The Trinity
In the old days, these laws were created to establish order. It was the duty of the Court leader to enforce these laws and destroy all vampires that broke them. Nowadays, courts are a rarity, only present in areas of high concentration of vampires, and vampires have become more independent. A sire is responsible for teaching these laws to their fledglings:


 * No death can come to a vampire by the hand of another. The only vampire with the authority to sentence a vampire to death is the Court’s king or queen.
 * It is forbidden to turn a human who cannot survive on their own (mentally unstable individuals, children, the elderly, etc).
 * No vampire shall ever reveal their true nature to a mortal and let the mortal live. ( With the increase in popularity vampires have developed over the years, the third law is no longer punishable by death and known to be broken more often than the first two. )

Vampire Blood
The blood of a vampire is a highly potent substance that will affect any other species. When drank by the living, it can cause a number of side effects such as heightened senses, increased strength, mild hallucinations and increased sexual libido. In larger doses, it​​​​​​​ is believed to be able to heal many injuries. Because of the hallucinogenic effects, vampire blood is often sold as a drug in certain circles, and being highly addictive, an extended time without use can lead to withdrawal symptoms similar to those experienced by heroin addicts. Vampires are able to drink other vampires blood, but it wouldn’t cause them such effects. If a vampire were to drink vampire blood, it would be equivalent to them drinking diluted animal blood in the sense it would provide a meal but nothing substantial. A vampire couldn’t live off it easily.

In small doses, vampire blood can heal wounds and give the person a rush of euphoria, but the effects don’t last very long. It also depends on the bloodline the vampire in question belongs to. Cupiditas blood has a more euphoric effect, while Furorem blood is known to have violent results. Someone who consumes large quantities from it can end up suffering from paranoia, hallucinations, irregular heartbeat, mania, aggressiveness and even memory loss.

Vampire blood cannot heal diseases, scars or disabilities. It will only heal fresh wounds.

Glossary

 * FLEDGLING - a vampire who has spent 20 years or less as a vampire. They are weaker than other vampires and typically cannot control their bloodlust. Fledglings are often kept in the care of their sire until they are old enough to be held accountable for their own actions. Even past that point, they will often stay together. This is not always the case, but it is highly frowned upon for a sire and fledgling pair to be separated sooner than a 20 years after their turning.
 * SIRE - a vampire calls their maker a Sire. There is an undeniable connection between a Sire and their Progeny and most are compelled to stay together.
 * PROGENY - a vampire calls the people they turn into vampires their Progeny. There is an undeniable connection between a Sire and their Progeny and most are compelled to stay together.
 * SIRE BOND - the sire bond is a blood calling and it manifests into a blind devotion or trust from fledgling to maker. This doesn’t mean that each fledgling is compelled to do whatever their sire wants them to, but they do have a strong desire to please them and they do feel drawn to them. This connection can be seen not just directly from a fledgling to their immediate maker, but it affects their sire line. For instance, a vampire will feel a pull towards their sire’s maker, and their maker and so forth. The connection becomes weaker and weaker until it disappears completely.
 * BLOODLINE - Not all vampires are the same. There are four distinct vampire Bloodlines, each with their own organization and abilities. Umbra is not considered a bloodline but more of an aberration to vampire nature.
 * ORPHAN - An Orphan is a vampire who was abandoned by their maker or left their maker's side before the transitional period. They are rare because most them die during infancy.
 * GROUNDED - This is a punishment established by The Kindred. A vampire is grounded when found guilty of a severe crime. The vampire is buried alive for an unspecified period of time and left to desiccate.