Vampires

Since the dawn of man, he has always feared the darkness and the night  and for good reason.Evil creatures have always hunted humanity by the moonlight, and few are dreaded more than the vampires. Known in Russia and many other Slavic nations as as the "wampyr," this became the first case of vampires collectively preying on human beings.

## History

The exact origins of the vampire are uncertain many cite the Desmodus rotundus, or Vampire Bat, as the first vampiric creature, while others believe the origins lie within humanity alone. Lilith, Adam's first Wife, left him and courted with Satan, creating both the Demon and Vampires. There was also a race of Alien Vampires that arrived on Earth in the ancient times. There was also a Vampire that ruled Lemuria for a thousand years before being slain by the warrior Thongor or Lemuria.

The first recorded human vampire, however, is Queen Akasha of Egypt. After her death in roughly 5000 BC, the spirit Amel, a millennia old Yuggoth spirit  forcibly joined himself with Akasha's soul with the aid of witches. Reentering her body, the dark being imbued the queen with a hunger for blood and great sensitivity to sunlight.

While Akasha is the first known vampire, she was most certainly not the last. Since her curse, vampires have come to exist in a number of different forms and from a number of different causes  some scientific, some mystical. Scientists group those of magic origin into five general groups, with some overarching traits, such as the consumption of blood to survive and other nonhuman characteristics. These groups are known as the Daeva, Gangrel, Mekhet, Nosferatu, and Ventrue.

In addition, as long as there have been vampires, there have been vampire hunters. The first "Slayer" was created in roughly 3,500 BC by an unknown tribe in Africa; shortly after, these men formed the Watcher's Council, a group dedicated to the eradication of vampire kind. Slayers, often known as Vampire Slayers, are chosen individuals (generally a young woman) destined from birth to battle vampirism and the forces of evil in general. However, a Slayer is not the only individual capable of hunting a vampire  the van Helsing and Belmonst families has a number of individuals who specialized in vampire destruction, and many Dhampir (vampire-human hybrids) feel the need to defeat their darker brethren, such as Alucard and Blade. Of course, the dismantling of the Watcher's Council in 2002 led to the dissolution of the Slayers line, further opening the door to potential hunters.

Historically, vampires remained unorganized through most of their history. While some individuals rose to power, up until the Dark Ages, few had the means or ability to organize in large numbers. It was during this period that a number of vampire lords, at first the Gangrel and later the Ventrue, obtained control of regions, mostly in Eastern Europe. Due to the mass extermination of Gangrel circa 1000 AD, most of these records are lost; Ventrue lords, however, are still remembered. The first major vampire lord recorded is Walter Bernhard of Transylvania, also the first to give a reputation to the region. Dracula's usurpation of his rule ushered in the era of Dracula, the most famous vampire of the era.

Of course, all eras must draw to a close. During the post-Renaissance period, vampire lords began to fall out of favor, and their tenuous grip on their countries slipped even further. Vampire attacks in East Prussia during 1721 led to a full-on assault against the creatures, culminating with development of a cure for vampirism in the court of Louis XVI and Draculas flight from Transylvania during the late 1800s. Arriving in England, where he again was defeated, the Ventrue's final hold on Europe dissipated, and again vampires returned to the shadows. Transylvania, however, remained a center for vampire society, remaining the capital of their entire civilization for many years.

Until, at least, the resurgence of vampire culture at the start of the 20th Century. The publication of Dracula in 1897 and filming of Nosferatu in 1922 (unbeknownst to its producers, starring an actual Nosferatu) brought the idea of a vampire as a literary figure to the public imagination, a trend which continued throughout the century, Inspiring many to imitate the vampire, including the famous criminal gang known as "Les Vampires." Underground vampire communities grew across decades, for better and for worse  the vampiric immunity to blood-based diseases, but ability to transmit them, seems to be a major cause of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. This culminated in the 21st Century, where the newfound popularity of vampires in literature and film and the development of synthetic blood spurred the vampire community to go public in 2005. Of course, in 2002, the Watcher's Council was disbanded and a spell cast created hundreds of new Slayers, changing the dynamic of vampire hunting forever.

This new development vampires as citizens, not monsters, caused a great amount of friction across the globe,particularly with the blossoming Slayer groups. Despite this, many important steps were taken in dismantling the barrier between the dead and undead. In this same period the vampire Angel fought to protect humanity, and eventually attained celebrity status in Los Angeles despite the negative connotations of vampirism, lasting until the Awakening of Magic in 2011.

Interestingly, the opening of vampires to scientific study led to an interesting discovery  the Human Meta-Human Vampiric Virus, or HMHVV, a transmittable virus that can turn a normal human being into a vampire. Later strains  HMHVV-II, HMHVV-BL, and HMHVV Krieger were discovered to act similarly in the formation of werewolves, ghouls, and other such creatures. This particularly aspect of vampirism seems to have originated with Alexander Corvinus who, in the early 5th Century, was infected with a usually deadly virus, which mutated within him and gave him the traits generally aligned with a vampire.

It is impossible to ascertain which vampires were created magically and virally at this point  strains of the virus have been found in all five groups of vampires, and the variations in the virus amongst individuals makes it difficult to pinpoint which traits are directly associated with it. However, with this virus, scientists were able to engineer its own vampires with their nigh-immortality, great strength, and use of sustainable sustenance, the vampires made for ideal space travelers and colonists. After millennia of persecution, the vampire had come to aid the men they once hunted.

## Types of Vampires

**The Daeva-**The Daeva are generally thought to be descended from Akasha herself. Known for their sensual nature and ardent emotions, the Daeva are the common image of vampires in the public eye. Their skin is generally pale, with a texture of marble, with either crimson eyes, due to the consumption of human blood, or golden, from consumption of animals. They have strength far beyond that of a normal human being, but are often subject to vices and indulgence.

The major organization behind the Daeva is known as the "White Court," which itself is composed of a number of different clans, covens, and families, including the Volturi, Chthlon, and Erebus. Eventually, some sects of the Daeva grew to immense power; immune to the sunlight and gaining strength and agility far beyond the bounds of even a normal Daeva. Some believe that Heathcliff, a British man known for his iron-fisted rule of the moors near Yorkshire, is the origin of this particular bloodline; others point to the forbearers of the Cullen family.

**The Gangrel-**The Gangrel, on the other hand, are ugly, animalistic creatures. Generally, they act as nomadic travelers, living and hunting for blood in packs. Like Daeva, Gangrel are formed by interaction with demons. While initially the most common breed of vampire, led by a single Council of Elders, circa 1,000 AD Vicente, the elder Gangrel, attempted to bring his breed public. Met with harsh persecution, many were hunted, and the organization, for the most part, decentralized, forming the tribes and gangs the group is now known for. While many would remain in the Old World  eventually disguising themselves as more highly-bred vampires and forming the Red Court, a major rival of the White Court  an equally large portion would move to America's wilderness, such as the Lost Boys of California and Vicente's followers in Alaska.

**The Mekhet-**The Mekhet are a rather secretive breed, known as "Shadows" by other vampire clans, due to their extreme weakness to direct sunlight. It is believed that Mekhet are corpses reanimated by artificial means, with possible roots in Atlantean rituals dated to 13,000 BC. A wide variety, however, also exist in East Asia  these varieties, often known as Jiang Shi, however, will feed upon either spinal fluid or pure energy. Heavily traditionalist and fearful of outsiders, the Mekhet shun modern technology and weaponry; however, they are generally rather merciful to humans. Despite this, the Mekhet (and their centralized government, the equally mysterious Jade Court) are distrustful of even other vampire groups. Perhaps, this is due to the mental prowess of the group, with the ability to read minds, memories, and other aspects of an individual.

T**he Nosferatu-**The Nosferatu are an interesting subset of vampires, combining humanlike aspects with strange, alien features. The best known Nosferatu is, of course, Count Orlok, and it is his mold most heavily associated with the breed. Generally immortal, the group has no overt organization, instead acting as free agents and spies, due to their relative skill at stealth. Orlok's reign of terror across Northern Transylvania in 1838 is one of the few examples of a Nosferatu aspiring to be anything beyond this.

**The Ventrue-**Finally is the Ventrue, another widely recognized group. After the fall of the Gangrel, Ventrue appeared to fill the void, reveling in power and dynastic strength. Among the most famous Ventrue is, of course, Count Dracula, whose power and influence is often considered to be the main strength of the Ventrue group. However, he is by no means the only powerful Ventrue. Lord Ruthven of Rome was a fixture of high society for many years and is considered by many to be a great influence to modern vampirism. Demitri Maximoff of Romania fought for control of entire demonic realms while maintaining an iron-fisted rule over his subjects. Of course, the Black Court acted as the center of vampire culture for centuries. However, their grip dissipated after 1897 and the publication of Dracula by Bram Stoker, an account of the vampire's failed coup of England, and considered by many an instructional manual on the weaknesses of the Ventrue and is considered the major cause of the Black Court's fall.