Vampires

Vampires are a humanoid species found throughout the world, but are originally thought to have originated in the Balkans. Many believe modern vampires come from a race of undead creatures, however research shows that the process of turning into a vampire doesn't involve killing the host. They were feared for hundreds of years, and have only in recent centuries assimilated into human society. Vampire turning is strictly controlled by the law, so there are very few new vampires each year.

## Appearances

Vampires typically appear human, but their skin is extremely pale or washed-out and can become slightly translucent with age. They often also lose pigment in their hair and eyes, causing the colours to appear muted or grey. Their canine teeth are more prominent than that of a human.

## Abilities

### Biology

Vampires have extremely acute senses. Their eyesight is among the best of any humanoid, and they have the ability to see with unrivalled clarity in the dark. Their hearing is similar to a bat's, particularly in regard to echolocation. The rumour that vampires are harmed by garlic stems from their very sensitive senses of smell and taste, and while many vampires struggle with strong flavours and scents, they are not physically harmed by garlic or any other foods.

As in traditional vampire lore, they are sustained almost exclusively on blood, however the consumption of human blood is outlawed, so vampires generally drink animal blood or coconut water. Some vampires believe that their power is diminished by not drinking human blood. Vampires who drink coconut water are not sustained as long as those who drink animal blood, however because it can be used as a blood substitute in humans it can also sustain vampires.

Vampires also have a much longer lifespan than some humanoids. In the past they were thought to be immortal, however it has become apparent in recent years that they can live for between 500 and 700 years before fading to dust. Many believe that this is a result of swapping human blood for animal blood, however many vampires are content with their mortality.

### Magic

Vampires also have telepathic and telekinetic abilities. These abilities develop as vampires get older, manifesting around 5 years after the vampire is turned. They can use telepathy to read the minds of humans and some shapeshifting humanoids, though it doesn't work on those who also have magic abilities. It's most common application, however, is for communication between covens and coven members over long distances. Their telekinetic abilities are mostly used to push or pull objects, though some older vampires can use it on humanoids.

## Culture

Vampires are fairly uncommon in heavily populated areas, preferring suburban or rural life, as the destruction of the vampire hunts are still close to the surface for many older vampires. Instead, they form their own communities called covens, typically consisting of one or more 'family units' of vampires turned by the same individual. These groups are tight-knit and rarely accept outsiders. Since the formation of the Coven Council, the 9 largest covens in the world meet annually to discuss issues facing the vampire species. This group does not rule over all of vampire society, though members of the Coven Council, especially the Elders of each coven, are well respected and involved in the affairs of other covens and individuals in their areas.

As their sensitive skin is prone to sunburn and blistering in the sun, vampires often wear veils to cover their faces and necks. The crafting of veils that protect vampires from UV rays has been perfected in parts of Africa and Asia and are a major export in some countries.

Vampires have only a small number of unique cultural aspects, as they generally consider themselves part of human society and therefore adopt the cultures of their home countries and cities. However, Blood Treaty Day is one of few vampire holidays and is celebrated on different days depending on when it was signed around the world. Celebrations typically include different covens gathering together for the day to tell stories, sing and drink together.

## History

Vampires are believed to have emerged in the Balkans, primarily Romania, though historians aren’t exactly sure how and when. The most popular Romanian story says that a princess was forced to drink her lover’s blood by a jealous suitor, and then committed suicide. As the priest administered her last rites, she is said to have risen from her coffin and run off into the night. However, there are many other stories throughout south-eastern Europe, and historians have been unable to conclusively prove any.

Up to the 1800s, vampires and humans had been at odds. The majority of the vampire population drank exclusively human blood, and as a result vampire hunting was common. Vampires were hunted almost to extinction in Europe in the late 1600s, and in some areas it was believed that the vampire population had been entirely eradicated. Much of the vampire population isolated themselves in remote and rural areas, and a number of vampires also moved to the Americas with the hope of living undetected in the new land. This period is known in revisionist history as the ‘Vampire Disappearance’. This isolation lasted several decades for many vampires, and gave rise to some of the largest vampire covens in history. During this time, a number of vampires were forced to turn to animal blood as their main diet in order to avoid attention from humans. It was found that, unlike previously thought, vampires could be sustained exclusively on animal blood. It was the adjustment to drinking animal blood that made some vampire covens (known as reformist due to their ‘reformed’ diet) comfortable enough to move back into urban human populations. While a large number of those who moved back remained on an animal blood diet, there were those who reverted back to a human blood diet, causing significant concern among reformist vampires.

Following the Vampire Disappearance, many reformist vampires lived comfortably in urban human environments without raising suspicion. This helped to stabilise vampire populations throughout Europe. While many vampires were hesitant to make too much of a stir in the human population, the success of the Werewolf Reconciliations encouraged vampire covens to gather together with the hope of one day securing protections for themselves. These meetings later included several of the largest covens from Asia, and by the early 1800s the 9 largest covens in the world attended the annual meetings, which became known as the Coven Council.

However, it wasn’t until 1836 that the Coven Council brought their issues to human attention. Many humans were shocked to discover so many vampires living among them, and many called for a war against the obviously well-organised vampire population. The Coven Council continued pushing for law reforms in both Europe and Asia, but it took several years for the first agreement to be made. This time it was in Switzerland, with the Shuler Coven agreeing to a complete ban on drinking human blood in return for legal protections from vampire hunting in 1841. This agreement informed many of the debates about vampire rights elsewhere in the world, with all of the Coven Council covens agreeing to the terms. These agreements are colloquially known as the Blood Treaties.

In the years after the Blood Treaties were signed, there was significant unrest between reformist and traditional vampires who had not been consulted about the Treaties. There were a number of violent clashes between the two groups, the bloodiest of which claimed the lives of 23 traditional vampires and 19 reformist vampires in Prussia. Human casualties, however, as a result of these conflicts were next to none. In 1844, butcheries in Great Britain began selling animal blood for vampires, and as other countries adopted the same initiative, unrest among the vampire population died down.

Despite having a small vampire population relative to general population, America implemented the laws outlined in the Blood Treaties in 1865, the first non-European or Asian country to do so. The last country to implement vampire protection laws was Bolivia in 1892.

There have been no formal reconciliation efforts for the vampire hunts.

## Hybrids

Vampires only have the ability to produce offspring in their first 2 years, so vampire hybrids are rare. Shapeshifters and humans are the only two known humanoids that vampires have been able to produce offspring with.

Vampire-human hybrids inherit their vampire parents acute senses and pale features, and a small number also inherit either telepathy or telekinesis. Because of this, vampire-human hybrids commonly become involved with witchcraft.

Vampire-shapeshifter hybrids are rare, however it's believed this is where the common myth about vampires turning into animals comes from. They are able to shapeshift into a range of forms, however always appear with similar pale features of their vampire parent. They are generally only able to inherit telepathic abilities, not telekinesis.

Vampire hybrids typically don't live in covens, however they are often still welcome within the coven. All vampires hybrids appear to be able to sustain themselves on human food rather than blood.