Nosferatu (people)

Nosferatu (नासिका, Life Thief/Thieves) or the more common term, vampires, are magically reanimated corpses (mostly humans) which are inhabited by the spirits of the deceased person and who closely resemble the living human they were before their transformation. They feed and survive on the blood of the living, typically on that of humans, and they can also transform other creatures into more of their kind by infecting them with their enzyme or have the ichor in their veins be introduced into the creature's body by which the change would happen within hours (particularly in said creature was drained of a significant amount of blood). Their name, 'nosferatu,' is a word from the dead language of Atlantis before it was sunk into the ocean; Varnae and his people carried the word as migrated into world after his land was swallowed by the sea.
== History ==
=== Origin ===
==== 18,500 B.C. ====
The race of nosferatu first appeared in the pre-cataclysmic era (before the sinking Atlantis and Lemuria), circa 18,500 B.C., when the Atlantean cult of Darkholders used the power of the Chthon Scrolls in order to oppose King Kull, who had slain their leader, Thulsa Doom. The result was Varnae, one of their own raised as the world's first nosferatu. Varnae quickly slew the other Darkholders and used them to found the vampyr race, with himself as Vampyr Lord.
According to legend, the evil and beautiful Stygian Princess Akivasha reveled in the black halls of Luxor circa 20,000 BC, and became a vampire at some point.
It can be presumed that the datation is approximative and hyperbolic, considering that true vampires only appears circa 18,500 BC, and that Stygians came to inhabit the area known during the Hyborian Age only thousands years later.
Other species of nosferatu -- the Adze, Ancient, Charniputra, Huskies, Jumlin, Nosferati, Tryks, and Yiki Onna -- either diverged from this original Varnaean line, or else arose out of other circumstances.
=== Hyborian Age ===
When Atlantis sank 500 years later after his creation, Varnae went into hibernation, emerging from time to time to confront threats.
==== 10,000 B.C. ====
He battled against Conan, Red Sonja, and Zula, but they were able to fend him off.
==== 2000 B.C. ====
In the region known as Sumeria, Varnae forced a mystic named Aamshed to create a ritual which would make the vampyr lord into a god. However, he could not complete the ritual as it must be performed in one's homeland, and Atlantis had long ago sunk beneath the ocean.
=== 1000 A.D. ===
During the age of Vikings, Varnae traveled to the new world and attacked a Norse colony in North America turning the settlers into Vampyr. A young girl escaped and prayed to the gods for help and Thor answered the call and battled the hordes of Vampyr and eventually facing the first vampire himself. He was able to drive off Varnae and destroyed the vampyr settlers by directing sunlight at them leaving only the young girl alive.
=== 1459 A.D. ===
Having grown tired of his ages-long existence, Varnae chose Dracula as his successor as lord of Earth's vampyr, and imparted much of his supernatural power to him by forcing Dracula to drink his blood. Varnae then committed suicide by exposing himself to direct sunlight.
=== 1591 A.D. ===
A young girl had arrived at the English colony of Roanoke which will one day be part of North Carolina. She was revealed to be a vampire and turned all the 121 settlers into vampyr, leaving only one message carved into a tree: "Croatoan".
== Classifications ==
=== Vampyr Sect ===
The Vampyr Sects are diverse as human religions, as well as serve as species, and Vampyr from different sects might have different characteristics of abilities depending on their species:
* Kreiger Sect: Western European type warriors, one of the strongest sects.
* Claw Sect: Middle Eastern type warriors, rivals of the Krieger.
* Mystikos Sect: American Vampyr who embraced the modern world. They are Businessmen, with skill at technology.
* Anchorite Sect: American rural outcasts who prefer to hide from humanity and live in peace, similar to the lifestyle of the Amish.
* Nosferati: Eastern European, similar to Count Orlok, their need for powerful blood sometimes drives them to attack other vampyr.
* Moksha Sect: Seers who gain their powers by feeding as little as possible and have become a sort of vampyr species.
* Pure Blood: These are vampyr that were born vampyr, like 2 of Dracula children: Janus and Domini.
* Siren Sect: All beautiful female vampyr with powers of seduction and have become a sort of vampyr species.
* Adze: African vampyr species who are able to survive the usually instantaneous methods of vampire destruction for ten minutes.
* Ancient: Italian vampyr species with superior superhuman speed and healing factor compared to that of other vampyr.
* Yuki Onna: Japanese vampyr species with the power to turn into ice storms rather than fog as most vampyr can.
* Jumlin: Native American vampyr species.
* Aqueos: often believed to Atlantean (Homo mermanus) converted into vampires. They are in fact created by ancient beings from the stars, and include Atlanteans and Lemurians, but also Faceless Ones, another type of Aqueos tied to their creators, and various sea animals, such as giant squids, sharks, eels...
==== Sub-Species ====
There are certain sub-species of nosferatu:
* Huskie: Vampyr who are brought back brain dead and are basically human husks. They only follow their base instinct and feed on small animals. They will not rest until they have completed a task from their human life.
* Charniputra: Gargoyle like Vampyr that reside in the Himalayas.
* Tryks: A powerful, parasitic race that prefers the blood of other vampyr.
==== Non-humanoid Species ====
* Cows
* Giant Squids
* Sharks
* Eels
* Whales
* Porpoises
=== Pseudo Vampires ===
==== Baalists ====
The Baalists, followers of Ba'al exhibited many of the same properties as traditional vampires but were not in fact true vampires. They wore false fangs and were not inhibited by ultraviolet radiation, but they did partake in the consumption of human blood. Ba'al bestowed power to his underlings, making them stronger, faster and more durable, but they did not possess characteristics that could be defined as superhuman. The Baalist vampires originate from the region known as Gehenna and have followed the edicts of Ba'al since about 13,000 BCE.
=== Level Classification ===
==== Class-2 Vampires ====
Morg was stated to be a "standard Class-2 Vampire", without clear explanation of the classification.
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Powers ===
A nosferatu is a being (human most of the time) who has died but has been resurrected by specific supernatural means, a natural affinity for magik, and possesses a variety of supernatural abilities and specific limitations, most notably to frequently ingest fresh blood in order to maintain their own existence. Vampyr have often been referred to as "undead" throughout the centuries since, even when active, they were not truly alive in the same sense as ordinary human beings. Technically, they can be classified as actually being dead.
==== Reproduction and Sustenance ====
Vampyr require the fresh blood of living beings, preferably the blood of humans, in order to sustain their physical existence and, usually, obtained it by biting their victims and draining their blood via fangs (usually the canine teeth of human vampyr). The bite of a vampire transferred a very mysterious enzyme found only within the saliva of a vampyr into the bloodstream of the victim. If the vampire drank enough blood to cause the death of the victim, this enzyme would trigger an unusual metabolic change within the victim's body, beginning with the production of an unusual green liquid referred to as ichor into the bloodstream.
After roughly three days, there would be enough of this liquid in the victim's body that it would begin to course through the prey's veins in the same way their blood once did. The victim then returned as a vampire and was capable of all the basic capabilities of ordinary humans, with the exception of being able to have children, plus a number of superhuman abilities. However, if the victim retained sufficient blood to survive the vampyr's attack, he or she would begin to show signs of anemia because of the presence of the enzyme in his or her bloodstream. The victim would not die under such circumstances. Until a newly created vampyr's body metabolized the enzyme, a process that might take as long as several months in some cases, he or she would be extremely weak and highly susceptible to hypnotic suggestions, verbally or through long range mental contact, by the vampyr responsible for the attack. There was also a distinct possibility of the newly-turned vampyr developing a perverse sexual attraction for the vampire responsible for the transformation.
A new vampire is not created unless the attacking vampire wishes to do so or loses control and injects too much enzyme. The attacking vampire can free its victim from becoming a vampire before the final transformation.
==== Summoning and Shape-shifting ====
Vampires could summon and control certain creatures such as bats, wolves, and rats. Vampires could also transform themselves into bats, and in the case of some vampires, wolves, while retaining their human intelligence in these forms. Some vampires could even become human-sized bats. Vampires could also transform themselves into mist at will, while still retaining their normal consciousnesses in that form.
==== Mind Control ====
A vampire can control the will of those it bites, even before the victim fully transforms into a vampire, although those with great willpower can defy control; Dracula was amazed when Storm did so twice. A vampire can make most human beings into its temporary slave if he or she could catch their gaze for a sufficient amount of time, usually only a matter of seconds. The exact length of time needed to mesmerize the victim depends on the strength of will of the vampire and that of his or her victim.
==== Health ====
In most cases, vampires were able to heal themselves from minor injuries within a very brief period of time. Some vampires, such as Count Dracula, could heal from severe burns or broken bones within the span of a few hours, whereas most other vampires might require several days to heal the exact same injury. Vampires were not able to regenerate missing organs or severed portions of their anatomy, with the exception of hair. Apart from periodic inconveniences, injuries like these would not critically impair a vampire's effectiveness. Because the ichor was similar in function to blood, poisons and other toxic substances that were circulated in its bloodstream would adversely affect a vampire, although no dosage was large enough to cause death.
=== Abilities ===
* Will Power: The overall extent of a vampire's abilities depended upon the strength of the vampire's will. Exceptional vampires with powerful wills, such as Dracula or Varnae, were capable of summoning and controlling thunderstorms, even though the mystical concentration required to do so left them extremely weak for a certain period of time. The vampire's willpower could also determine the extent to which he or she could master their craving for blood and retain the same personality they had in life. However, most people that became vampires quickly found themselves unable to resist the all-consuming craving for blood. They quickly degenerated into cruel and animalistic hunters of ordinary human beings, even if these new vampires had been kind and sensitive people in their mortal lives.
==== Average Strength Level ====
Most vampires possessed superhuman physical strength anywhere from 10 to 20 times greater than they possessed in their mortal lives. The vast majority of known and recorded vampires were capable of lifting from 1,000 lbs to 4,000 lbs, with only Count Dracula and his predecessor Varnae being known to lift more at 4 and 7 tons respectively due to their special stance as ruler of Earth's vampire race.
=== Weaknesses ===
Vampires have many limitations imposed upon their supernatural abilities, and even upon their very existence. Below is a listing of weaknesses common to supernatural vampires. Popular fiction depicting vampires often causes others to be skeptical of their reality. Once convinced of their existence, however, the same media provides an education on basic anti-vampire tools, such as religious symbols, sunlight, wooden stakes, and holy water, although those using them may not fully understand details of the tools' requirements.
==== Blood Consumption ====
Vampires are regularly required to consume a few pints (liters) of blood every other night. Failing to do so would cause the vampire to weaken and after an extended period without blood seemingly perish. A vampire's ability to metabolize blood and their frequency of feeding usually varies however depending on a number of factors: Length of time between feedings, damage or injury to the body, resurrection from a near death state, and excessive use of their supernatural abilities and strength.
==== Native Soil ====
Typically, vampires cannot travel more than 100 miles (160 km) from their land of birth, unless they bring at least one pound (500 g) of their native soil wherever they choose to sleep during the day. For example, Dracula would typically have coffins with dirt from his native Transylvania shipped to his various hideouts all over Europe and the United States so that he would have a place to rest unharmed from the sun.
However, in many instances vampires (including Dracula) have been depicted being able to travel to far off places and sleep in locations that do not have their native lands earth on hand.
What happens to a vampire who does not do this remains unknown but given the instances that a vampire has slept without being around soil from their native land suggests that this is not a lethal weakness.
==== Sunlight ====
A vampire's greatest weakness is sunlight, due to their altered metabolism, vampires were unable to withstand direct sunlight. Sunlight somehow caused the ichor to congeal within the vampire's veins and the skin to rapidly decay. Direct exposure to sunlight caused the vampire to dehydrate completely and turn to powder, or even explode in certain cases. Artificial sunlight can also hurt vampires, although not as effectively; when Monica Rambeau attacked Dracula with ultraviolet light, he was hurt but not destroyed.
Some vampires, such as Dracula have been able to reform their bodies following being turned to powder from the sun, while others have been completely obliterated from contact with the sun. The conditions in which a vampire can come back from the dead may be particular to one who is rightfully the lord of all vampires.
==== Religious Symbols ====
Vampires also had an aversion to any religious symbol (such as a crucifix/cross (including objects assembled into a cross, like wood branches), Star of David, or holy water) wielded or placed by anyone who believes in the religious significance of the symbol (for example a cross held by a Jew had no effect). The size of the symbol was not a consideration on its ability to repel vampires, only the strength of belief: for example, a believing Christian wielding a small cross could hold a vampire at bay. The symbol will even sear the vampire's flesh simply by touching him or her with it.
However, the deity must be one that was believed in at the time of the vampire's original death; a cross had no effect on Varnae, for example, since he died approximately 16,000 years before the crucifixion.
Another consideration is if the vampire in question worshiped the faith whose religious symbol is being used against them. For example, when David Eshocl used the Star of David against Dracula, Dracula was weakened by its sight, but stated that because he followed Christianity and not Judaism before becoming a vampire, the Star had a lesser effect on him. On another occasion, he was hurt by a silver Star of David (it is unknown if it was the silver or the star who impacted him). On Earth-1610, a cross wield by Blade against a Jewish Vampire was completely ineffective.
If a worshipper of a god is turned into Vampyr he will burst into flames when touched by the god in question. Thor realized this when a Vikings settlement was turned into vampires.
Further, there may be an element of belief by proxy or a vampyr's own belief that a symbol may harm them, as there have been instances where a crucifix has been used by someone who is not holding the item. For example, Quincy Harker and Elainne Turac have both utilized weapons that would project the symbol of the cross against Dracula while not actually holding the religious symbol. Further, Quincy's faithful dog Saint, has a collar lined with silver crosses that were able to harm Dracula. It's highly improbable that Saint understands the symbolism let alone having faith in Christianity, however either Quincy's faith, or Dracula's belief that the crosses could harm him caused the vampire lord pain.
Lastly, a religious symbol can lose its power over a vampire if the vampire is capable of making the believer's faith falter. In such situations, the strength of the religious symbol's ability to repel a vampire would weaken.
==== Invitations Only ====
Vampires have a mystical aversion to entering any human dwelling place to which they were not verbally invited. A human bitten by a vampire but not fully transformed can invite a vampire. This appears to only be the case with personal dwellings, as vampires have been seen entering public buildings without the need of being invited inside. Vampires have been shown to burst into flames if they enter a private residence without being invited first.
==== Impaling the Heart with Wood ====
Another weakness of vampires is to impale them through the heart with wood, which will cause them to eventually decompose into a skeleton. Originally, it was thought that a wooden stake would be the only means of doing so; however, advancement in vampire hunting techniques have indicated that any wooden object that can break through a vampire's chest and pierce the heart is sufficient in killing a vampire. Their flesh is extremely sensitive to any kind of wood but anything piercing the heart will do. Oak, however, will reduce the body to dust upon piercing the heart.
For example, Blade learned that wooden daggers would prove to be just as effective, while Frank Drake and Rachel van Helsing have used wooden bullets.
However, very powerful vampires, such as Dracula, can reanimate if the stake (or other object) is removed, so long as the body isn't destroyed.
==== Silver ====
Silver is highly harmful for vampyr, to the point even Dracula himself can be crippled if impaled through the heart with a silver wheelchair spoke. Silver weapons can kill vampires in a similar fashion to wooden ones, though very powerful nosferatu such as Dracula are resistant enough so they cannot be killed by such. Vampyr were rendered immune to the ravages of disease and of aging. Their allergy to silver makes their bodies rapidly age should particles of the metal be introduced in the bodies. However, if deprived of blood for a lengthy period of time, such as his or her hair turning gray. Upon ingesting fresh blood, the vampire would revert to the age in which he or she had been at the time of death. Dracula learned this the hard way.
==== Garlic ====
The scent of garlic can sap the strength of a vampire. It has been used as a rope to bind vampires, sapping their strength sufficiently to prevent them from breaking the bonds. Garlic is not lethal to vampires, but it can make them more vulnerable to other means of attack. Knowing this, the undead tend to avoid places that have garlic suspended in it; thus, the source of the medieval superstition that garlic repels vampyr.
==== Magic ====
Magic wielders such as Doctor Strange and Topaz have been able to harm vampires with magic, and some spells have the effect to kill a vampire. The most lethal spell is the Montesi Formula is a spell from the Book of Darkhold which can destroy all vampires. Doctor Strange invoked the spell which destroyed all vampires on Earth (save Hannibal King, who he and his allies were able to restore to human life), but when the spell was broken all the vampires that were destroyed were restored to life.
==== Radioactive Blood ====
Radioactive blood has proved harmful to Vampires that consume it. Also, individuals with it that have been bitten have reverted back to normal once the radiation kills the enzymes responsible for their transformation. On Earth-12041, in the case of gamma radiation, the individual returns to normal when the blood cells super heat, burning the Vampire cells like micro suns. A sanitized sample of Hulk's blood was used to cure the Black Widow when she was on the early states of the transformation.
Every cell of a Majesdanian can absorb solar radiation. If a nosferatu drinks the blood of a fully powered Majesdanian, this is the equivalent of consuming liquid sunlight, turning the vampire to ash. It is unknown what would happen if a Majesdanian were to be fed upon after completely draining their solar reserves at night.
==== Other Limitations ====
Vampyr cast no reflections, and their images cannot not be captured on film. Originally it was believed that the lack of a reflection came from the fact that in the past mirrors had a silver backing (supposedly because silver was a "pure" metal) and that it was a sign that these undead do not have a soul. Later Dracula discovered that because he was in a weakened state (probably because he had not slept in his native soil for some time) that he did have a reflection.
Category:Nosferatu