Vampyre Virus

While details shared about the virus are scant due to the destruction of the Raven Biopharmaceutical facilities, the dismantling of Shift Company, and the secretive nature of Alice's work, few things are known about the Vampyre Virus' characteristics. It originated in the mid-1600s with a single known example, and was known only as the "Advent" strain due to the fact that only Schillinger (known at that time as the Creature), possessed the characteristics exhibited when he infected Kara and Sonya. The two women had a significantly different effect from their own infection, and this became the first modern strain of the virus, known as "Stockholm." The virus itself became a point of contention and a symbol of power for those who wielded it. Schillinger's plans largely revolved around the use of the virus to shape his highly coveted new world order.

*For the manner in which infected persons are changed, see:* Vampyre Physiology

## Biology

After a period of intense research, Alice was able to deduce that the virus was exceptionally abnormal in its size and number of genes, and became the foundation for the modern concept of a *Pandoravirus.* With a genome size of more than 2 million base pairs, attempting to decode and make sense of its full scope was almost entirely impossible until the 20-year stretch of intensive research done between the events of *Sorrow* and *Desolation*. The Vampyre Virus is also considered to be part of a satellite virus structure, which depends on a "helper cell" to nourish and reproduce the main body. It primarily feeds on human serum albumin, a common protein in the blood, but takes advantage of materials within hemoglobin and myoglobin cells for certain reproductive and motility functions. The rate at which it consumes these materials makes traditional caloric nourishment almost impossible, and food is often supplemented with Vampyre Medicine. Despite the naturally symbiotic nature of the virus, it will eventually consume enough of the host's resources to kill them if not properly nourished.

With these two factors, the Vampyre Virus is considered to be unique to the extend that biologists, chemists, immunologists, and virologists within the Sorrowverse have all come to the conclusion that its development was either a matter of extreme luck under intense mutagenic circumstances or part of a biological hierarchy unknown with possible ancestral roots in ancient amoebic marine life. Scientists were so baffled by the implausibility of its existence that many joked (and some seriously considered) its entrance to the human body via an extraterrestrial life form.

While most viruses have a *cytopathic* effect on its host cells - meaning they cause the death of the cell once the viron replicates or consumes enough energy from the host cell - the Vampyre Viral strains have a separate effect known as *hemolysis*, or the destruction of blood cells, as the initial conversion takes place. While most viruses that utilize reverse transcriptase (such as HIV) use RNA to create and assemble new DNA strands, the Vampyre Virus is different in using the hemolysis effect to break down nutrient components from blood cells (mainly erythrocytes) in order to provide nourishment, which results in the host DNA being released and the viral RNA's reverse transcriptase process to take place in the host. This process makes the virus nearly "invisible" to the immune system, as it carries the host's DNA to mask itself from the innate immunity of the body's white blood cells.This hemolysis and subsequent shortage of blood cells within the body is the reason that there is typically an intense "first craving" upon conversion, which has historically led to attacks and the consumption of the blood of anyone nearby. This biological drive would mirror life-threatening hunger or thirst, and would drive even the most composed fledgling Vampyres into a state of frenzy to satisfy the nutritional demands of the virus.

The complexity of the virus made for its use to be extremely limited, and although the Stockholm variant was not highly contagious, its viability outside of a host was limited. Only after repeated blood samples and extensive trials were conducted by Alice and her medical staff was the Virtuoso mutation isolated: the mutation that gave rise to the unique and supernatural abilities of certain Vampyres infected early on. Research by Shift Company eventually merited the same results and led to the creation of the Seraphim mutation, as well as the Reaper and Phoenix variants. Little effort has been made to break down exactly how the Virtuoso mutation was able to make the changes it did within its hosts, as it appeared to impact their hosts' physiology to little extent. Research on the Virtuoso mutation stopped entirely after The Outbreak.

## Vampyre Medicine

With no formal name, the concept of a medicine (rather than the consumption of human blood) to nourish the virus was adopted early by a young and budding Alice during her early years experimenting with the medical field. With some luck, she was able to change the habit of "feedings" into a series of non-consensual blood donations, which were then chemically refined for longevity. During World War II, one of Adolf Hitler's top scientists, Dr. Sigmund Rascher, was tasked with solving the issues of hemophilia and hemorrhagic shock to maintain the soldiers of the Axis Powers with battlefield injuries. Deviating from true history, it is stated within the Sorrowverse that Dr. Rascher, along with a newly-recruited Kilkovf Strevieg, secured funding and resources to experiment with a synthetic blood alternative.

This became a primary focus for Kara and her Counsel, and was successfully retrieved from the Dachau prison camp during an infiltration. All data related to its research and development was also captured, leaving no evidence within the human world that it had ever existed. Better technologies allowed what was traditionally a weekly, 500mL IV infusion to become a less frequent booster injection to be taken as needed by those who were on-the-go. A majority of Aerael's citizens continued to use the IV infusion methods until after the Outbreak, where the injections were further refined and became commonplace.

*Expanded Universe: Alice's first trials to use a modified version of Dr. Rascher's experimental product were conducted on Nazi SS brutalists and became one of the only times that (within the scope of her medical practice) she voluntarily broke her oath of 'do no harm.' Only after the experiments were successful did she use it herself before giving it to the people of Aerael.*

## Variants, Strains, and Mutations

**Some of the below information contains series-wide spoilers. Read past the "Reaper Variant" entry at your own risk.**

* Advent (Pre-Kara's infection) - Unknown, assumed unique strain
	+ The Advent strain is only an assumed strain of the Vampyre Virus, and was deduced from the vastly different appearance, behavior, and capability reported of the Creature by its survivors and early Pyrate accounts. It is highly likely that the Advent strain was close to mutation, and successfully transitioned to the Stockholm variant during Kara and Sonya's infections. This also aligns with the Creature's later transformation to a more human-appearing form and sense of intelligence. It is not known if the Creature was the first inheritor of the Advent strain, or if he was simply the only one to survive with it long enough to infect others.
* Stockholm - Strain
	+ Originally unnamed and simply referred to as the Vampyre Virus, the Stockholm variant's name arose from a comedic reference to Stockholm Syndrome by Valterius in the early 1980's. When Alice heard the reference, the term stuck and was officially coined for common usage. The Stockholm strain is the version of the virus that most known Vampyres are infected with, and even if mutations are present, the structure and genetic composition typically infer its presence. This variant follows all known patterns of behavior and is the gold standard upon which all experimental procedures and chemical presumptions are made. While minor DNA adaptations are made to the virus' base genome pairs with each infected host, it is largely similar between those infected, including those with the Virtuoso mutation.
* Virtuoso - Mutation
	+ The Virtuoso mutation is the ability-granting capability of the Vampyre Virus, and those with the gene are considered to have an "ability-granting strain" (this is technically a misnomer due to the fact that all Stockholm strain inheritors possess the mutation, but it is inactive in most). This mutation is found in the VZH8 protein of the Stockholm variant and incites more extensive changes to host DNA. Medical science has little explanation for the mechanisms through which these changes are made, but are assumed to have ancestral roots through the Advent strain. The mutation includes an apparent "self-destruct" code on the VZF3 "blocker" protein, which is a further mutation that prohibits the Virtuoso mutation from being active in the newly-infected. This may explain why there are extraordinarily few Vampyres with abilities, and those individuals were all infected a short time after Kara and Sonya. Other than Kilkovf, no known active Virtuoso mutations were passed on from Schillinger, inferring that the resulting VZH8 protein mutation without the VZF3 protein "blocker" could have been mutated due to factors within Kara and Sonya's physiology, or the VZF3 "blocker" may be a mutation that develops long after an initial infection from the Advent strain.
* Reaper (Project Cerberus) - Variant
	+ The Reaper variant is the first synthetic variant known to have been created from the Stockholm strain. Due to a lack of significant structural or genetic change, it is not considered a unique strain, although colloquially, each unique change may be referred to as a strain for the purposes of layman's understanding. The Reaper variant was the product of Shift Company experimentation, with the intent of culling the human population (nine out of ten post-adolescent adults, all at-risk elderly, all chronically ill or immunocompromised, and all under the age of 10). After the failed attack on Washington, D.C. during the events of Affliction, the Reaper project was finished but shelved in favor of finishing Project Catalyst, and the variant was stored in a secure facility owned by Raven Biopharmaceuticals. The Reaper mutation was considered to be airborne-transmissible in spite of the apparent impossibility of that fact due to the virus's sheer size. Regardless of its mechanisms, the Reaper variant was highly transmissible through contact, fluid exchange, aerosolized droplets, and virtually every other vector of transmission.
	+ The Reaper variant was the baseline for experiments on the Phoenix and Seraphim variants, as it reproduced quickly enough to rapidly produce and generate mutations as Shift Company worked to design and implement various additions and removals from the genetic code.
* Phoenix (Project Catalyst) - Variant
	+ The Phoenix variant was the result of Shift Company's merger with former MayVax Research Industries employees and the combined input of resources through the creation of Raven Biopharmaceuticals. This became known as the primary endeavor of Project Catalyst. Work on the variant had started long before the merger, with Shift Company largely contributing to the work, but high-quality facilities, armed protection, and the illusion of pacifism by the public eye made for increased rates of progress during the events of Affliction and Sorrow. While it was hailed as a breakthrough and a milestone for life on Earth by Gregory Hartman during a tour conducted by Raven, there were problems behind the scenes that she neglected to discuss. The Phoenix variant was a calamity of a variant, with artificial genomes forcibly attached to the Stockholm strain and synthetically reproduced since it didn't reproduce sustainably within a host body. Any attempt at natural reproduction led to the deterioration of the Phoenix variant back into the original Stockholm strain, as it would shed its perceived harmful and useless mutations. The attempts at creating a virion that could produce its own proteins was only successful to the extent that it could be applied to the same purposes as stem-cell transplants, with higher rates of success at cellular regeneration (which stem cell transplants were incapable of in a deceased body). Fortunately for the world, Project Catalyst had limited documented success, and the resurrection of Kara and Val using the Phoenix variant are the only two known successes. Even those procedures were later regarded by researchers as "pure luck." After the destruction of the main Phoenix project facility, the variant was not seen again, although some of its research data was held for future use by Dr. Tamara Goodson.
	+ The Phoenix variant allowed for Schillinger's background plan, the Legacy Project, to come into the fold, with the first Legacy subject being infected with the Phoenix strain after an induced coma to reduce brain activity. This allowed for new synapses to be formed during the implantation of Schillinger's memories. This Phoenix strain was a unique sample with an active VZH8 Virtuoso mutation, without the presence of the VZF3 "blocker" protein, allowing for Schillinger to grant Legacy a highly diminished version of his own telekinetic/volatile powers. The VZF3 protein mutated back into existence midway through Legacy's infection, which reduced the effectiveness of the abilities that had developed already. A low viral load with an active Virtuoso mutation made the experiment a technical success, but another Legacy experiment was unable to take place after Schillinger's death, as he and everyone who worked on it had been killed.
* Seraphim - Mutation
	+ The Seraphim mutation project was hidden within the fine details of Project Catalyst and used only Jalix as the subject of the experiment. The Seraphim mutation resulted from the disastrous consequences of the Phoenix mutation attempts, and tried to do only one thing: disable the creation of the VZR3 "blocker" protein that prevented the Virtuoso mutation from taking hold. This experiment was successful not in Jalix, but in his daughter Amy when she was conceived and born with the ability to heal others through the physiological encouragement of the victim's own bodily processes. With this blocker protein disabled in Amy's strain, Alice was able to use the naturally-arising "genome hot spot" to implement a mutation to the VZR3 protein that led to the creation of the Starlight strain.
* Stockholm XI - Strain
	+ The origin of this strain is largely unknown, but was released after the collapse of the Raven Biopharmaceuticals lab that Krystal aided in destroying at the end of *Sorrow*. Despite popular belief, Stockholm XI (named X-I for "extra-infectious" rather than for Roman Numeral 11) was its own strain independent of the Reaper V strain that swept across the United States and Mexico during the viral genocide and mass extinction during Phase II of The Outbreak. Stockholm XI was simply a version of the Stockholm strain that was droplet-transmissible with a lower viral load for systemic infection required than in the original Stockholm strain. No other adverse effects were noted, and it is not known why the strain was created in the first place. Researchers' best guess is that it was an early attempt at the Reaper variant for Project Cerberus, and was isolated for record-keeping and experimental purposes.
* Reaper V - Strain
	+ While the initial attempt at a Reaper variant was successful, the mutations that led to Reaper V as its own strain are theorized to be a self-protective adaptation, as the original Reaper variant often killed its hosts before it had a chance to spread. The Reaper V strain seemed to "tone down" the fatal effects from its infection, killing 5 out of every 6 (indiscriminate of age or other factors, although those immunocompromised or sick often died from complications) instead of the intended 9 out of 10 (plus additional fatalities due to other targeted demographics). The cause or culprit for the release of the Reaper V strain is still unknown, but virologists and epidemiologists have insisted that it did not mutate naturally, nor did the collapse of the laboratory from the Phoenix strain's research release it into the public. at the end of *Despair*, Alice silently theorized an origin for its cause in light of new information, but the suspect was never confirmed, as they died before she could interrogate them.
* Starlight - Strain
	+ After all combined efforts from the medical experts in Vanaheim, along with the help of Dr. Brynn Weiss, Dr. Tamara Goodson, and Amelia Kane, a "cure" to the Vampyre Virus was confirmed. Although the term "cure" is technically incorrect, the genome of the Stockholm strain with Amy's Seraphim mutation allowed for a Reaper-like strain to be created: the transmissibility vectors of the virus were maximized, but a blocker protein was implemented early on in the genetic structure of its DNA, allowing for the typical physiological effects of the virus to be negated entirely. This allows for the virus to nourish itself exponentially slower than in a Stockholm-infected Vampyre and removes the need for blood or a substitute as nourishment; daily caloric intake with a slight increase of iron consumption is enough to remove any perceivable effects.
	+ This went counter to Alice's initial theory of trying to code a fatal flaw into the virus, but is more effective in result, as any infection from a Starlight strain acts as an immunity for humans against infections from other strains. This effectively creates a "biological vaccination" and fears of mutation within the new strain were likely to be close to impossible since its symbiotic nature is satisfied.
* New Dawn - Mutation
	+ After the Starlight strain is dispersed during the final battle in *Despair,* Alice reveals that she had been working on the New Dawn mutation in secret. New Dawn is an RNA-based mutagen that shifts the blocker protein to the transmissibility genome, making a person's virus entirely noncontagious, but allowing the enhancements to an infected person's body (long life, higher intelligence, faster healing, continuation of existing abilities, etc) to continue in parallel with what would be expected of the traditional Stockholm strain. This allows the feasibility of Vampyre selection through choice, and eliminates any chance of accidental or intentional transmission through normal means. If a person carrying the Starlight + New Dawn combination were to bite in individual with the base Starlight strain, the Starlight blocker protein would inhibit any changes past the early sequences of its genome, and the foreign (New Dawn) infection would be naturally eliminated by the body.
	+ The New Dawn mutation can only be applied as an injected solution and viral gene-therapy in controlled and monitored doses via healthcare professionals. The New Dawn Mutation cannot otherwise affect anyone with any other strain or variant. Alice conditioned the New Dawn mutation to meet these exact parameters to safeguard the rate of infection and the number of any future Vampyres.

## Definitions

1. A *Variant* is the scientific term for a strain of virus that has undergone a series of mutations, or changes, but is not changed enough to merit being considered altogether chemically separate from an existing strain. For example, the Reaper variant of the Stockholm strain (both explained below) tells of a type of virus and its behavior, although they are both extraordinarily similar from a genetic standpoint.
2. A *Strain* is a term used to describe a virus that has undergone extreme mutation or extensive genetic rewrite through artificial or synthetic means. Each strain can be entirely unique, and may: be resistant to forms of treatment for past strains, demand a different set of chemical requirements for nourishment, or present with different symptoms (effects). Although the term "strain" is used frequently, it is often used as a colloquial term for any change from a known standard.
3. A *Mutation* is a minor change to a series of proteins known as genomes that may produce unique effects. Some mutations are harmless and produce no change, while others may vastly alter the symptoms of the afflicted. Mutations can be both naturally-occurring or synthetic, or possibly a combination of both. Mutations can also carry compounding effects, wherein one mutation causes another, or a single mutation enhances or diminishes the effect from another. This is exemplified in the VZF3 "blocker" protein in the Virtuoso mutation.