Vampires

(Vampires usually wear contacts in order to blend into human society)

— Damien

Vampires, exquisite creatures of intellect, find sustenance solely through the consumption of human blood. Their divergence from humanity lies within the intricacies of their inner biology, their intricate psyche, and their macabre dietary requirements. Despite this, they often bear an uncanny resemblance to their mortal counterparts, mirroring physical traits and intelligence with striking similarity.

In a world where humans are their prey, vampires face relentless persecution by the vigilant enforcers of the DCV and other meticulously organized anti-vampire factions, deftly controlled by governments across the globe. Universally loathed, feared, and relentlessly pursued, vampires embody a palpable terror. Their exceptional swiftness, preternatural strength, and unparalleled acumen contribute to the pervasive dread, exacerbated by their ability to turn others, an existence crueler than death itself.

Throughout history, the intrusion of even a solitary vampire into a community has sown seeds of distrust and unleashed bedlam, capable of toppling entire settlements. Covens, the collective term for the diverse clans that vampires coalesce into, serve as the bedrock of their society. Sprawling across Europe and America alone, a staggering multitude of over a thousand distinct covens emerges, ranging from intimate enclaves of a dozen to grand congregations boasting hundreds of thousands. Amidst this intricate tapestry, the Covenant stands as a beacon of supreme authority, shrouded in mystique and embodying the epitome of the vampire underworld.

## Origin

— Stephen

The origin of vampires remains a mystery. Contrary to popular belief, in the *Bloodlines* universe, vampires deviate from those of traditional myth; a fact often alluded to in the series, usually for humor. Scientists have discovered that vampires may have been around for centuries, even since the beginnings of mankind. Because vampires share close anatomy with humans, some researchers suspect that vampires may be distant cousins or mutations of humans. There has been evidence of vampires being around during the archaic periods with its earliest occurrence about 2 million years ago, and its specimens are among the first recognizable members of the genus Homo.

### Population

The population of vampires varies from continent to continent. However, vampires are said to make up around 10% of the world's population. While the Covenant conducts a somewhat accurate and continuous census of the vampire population worldwide, the human world lacks specific data on the number of vampires living in each nation. According to the Covenant, from each continent their population varies as shown; Asia's vampire population is around 560 million; Africa's vampire population is around 217.5 million; North America's vampire population is around 32.8 million; South America's vampire population is around 13.55 million; Europe's vampire population is around 25.5 million; Australia's vampire population is around 700 thousand. In Crimson City alone, there are roughly 525,000 vampires, which is about 3.5% of the overall population.

## Physiology

### Nutrition

— Damien to Alice

The defining characteristic of vampires is their unnatural, insatiable craving for blood. Vampires rely solely on blood for sustenance, unable to derive nutrients from human food or the sun. It is their sole source of energy. While human blood is the most common and alluring choice, making it incredibly difficult to resist, vampires can also consume animal blood. However, those who opt for animal blood experience lower energy levels compared to those who feed on humans. Although animal blood still provides nutrition, it lacks the appeal that human blood holds for vampires, as it contains fewer nutrients. Just as humans require food and water to survive, vampires need blood to maintain their existence. Research indicates that vampires can endure around 2 to 3 weeks without blood before growing hungry and needing to feed. The absence of blood consumption for an extended period is akin to torture, as it leads to extreme weakness and aggression, eventually resulting in death for the vampire.

Though feeding on an animal's blood is seen as undesirable by most vampires, it isn't uncommon. Most pacifists vampires choose to feed on animal blood in order to avoid causing harm to other humans and also avoid detection from DCV investigators. Those who feed on animal blood as a substitute for human blood are referred to as "*vegetarians*" in the vampire world. There are also vampires who enjoy feeding on the blood of other vampires. A vampire's blood taste varies from vampire to vampire, some describe it as a short rush of euphoria will others describe it as "drinking a bottle of sea water". Important to note that vampires can gain nutrients from vampire blood but not at the same rate compared to animal and human blood. Drinking vampire blood can keep a vampire alive but make the vampire extremely weak, more weak then having a animal blood diet. Those who do find enjoyment in drinking the blood of other vampires are called "*cannibals*". Such action is deemed animalistic by the Covenant and therefore illegal. It also not known by many that consistently drinking on vampire blood while abstaining from human blood can cause a vampire to become a Anblood.

As blood is the only component of a vampire's diet, failing to drink blood (whether human or animal) for an extended period of time will physically and mentally weaken a vampire and eventually kill them. It is very similar to starvation or dehydration for humans. The longer a vampire abstains from blood, the more likely the vampire will lose their rationality and mental faculties until they give in to their thirst, because their throats are described to be in "burning pain", which will worsen the longer they do not drink blood.

Similarly, a vampire has human-like physiology, and their bodies continue to function normally as long as they have a steady diet of blood; for example, their heart still beats to pump the blood they've consumed through their system to maintain their vitality. Because of this, vampires can eat human food, though it doesn't sustain their life or provide any nutrition as blood does, and their digestive system will continue to process it and produce wastes just as healthy humans do. Regardless, many vampires continue to eat regular food for several reasons, including out of human habit, to maintain human appearances in order to prevent their exposure and to help sublimate their eternal hunger for blood and thereby keep their bloodlust at a manageable level. Also they also have a strong sense as taste, they are able to taste and experience human food on more stronger level.

On occasion, the appeal of human blood can be so enticing that a "vegetarian" vampire will lose control, especially if their self-control is weak. To a "vegetarian" vampire, carnivores' blood is more appetizing than herbivores, though still not quite as good as humans. On the moral grounds that all human life is precious, a very small proportion of vampires in the *Bloodlines* universe receive their sustenance from animal blood, ironically calling themselves vegetarians. Some examples known are the Rosenwald family and the Newcomers coven.

### Physical Appearance

— DCV Chief Investgator Hiram Helsing

It is a common stereotype that many (though not all) vampires are extraordinarily beautiful, some more attractive than others, described has to have angelical or even god-like. It is believed in the human world that this is one of the several features meant to attract their prey—more specifically, to attract, fascinate, and (if necessary) seduce, unsuspecting humans. One human legend about vampires stated that how physically appealing their prey finds them is determined by how desirable they were as humans themselves. If an already attractive human were to be transformed, their physical beauty would be "beyond breathtaking". If they were of average interest, their attractiveness would be lower, but still stunningly beautiful. If however, they were not particularly pleasing to the eye, they would become average, but this is a rare occurrence, as vampires normally select exceptional humans to turn. This legend however isn't true and vampires who were previously human, pretty much retain their same features that they had before their were turned with the only thing really changing is their eye color. However, it is true in many cases that vampires normally select attractive humans to turn. Malbloods, however, seems to be the expectation of this rule, since their bodies and facial features are physically disfigured.

Their bodies still preform similarly to humans, such as heartbeat, blood flow, brain functions, digestion system, etc. Vampires can also become intoxicated by drugs such as alcohol and marijuana just as humans can, although they do have much higher tolerances due to their accelerated healing, which rapidly regenerates the cells damaged by these drugs which cause the sensation of being drunk or high. In fact, most vampires frequently drink alcohol throughout the day to help them deal with their perpetual hunger, much in the way that some vampires eat human food to help curb their cravings.

If an arm, leg, nose, or other such appendages should be removed, albeit painfully, it can be easily reattached. Some older vampires who have exceptional healing factors can even grow back limbs with ease. Since vampire venom is adhesive, coating the severed end with their own venom will help it heal faster. Vampire venom is noted to be the only thing that scars a vampire, meaning biting another vampire can cause the vampire to have a scar. Though their mental phycology is different from humans, they still can develop mental illnesses (like ADHD, ASPD, depression, server anxiety, etc), but are immune to physical illnesses and diseases (like STDs/STIs, bad eyesight, viruses, etc). Their bodily scent is based on their venom and unique to every vampire, which is pleasant, not only to humans but to other vampires as well.

A vampire's eye color changes with both their age and diet. Newborn vampires show bright red eyes regardless of how long they abstain from blood, or their diet. A diet of human blood would eventually darken them to a rose-red color. However, a diet of animal blood would instead dilute the eyes to a golden color. A vampire who has recently fed on animal blood will have light, honey gold eyes, while a vampire who has recently fed on human blood will have vivid crimson eyes. All vampires' eyes darken perceptively as they abstain from blood until their eyes become onyx or coal black. The process usually takes one to two weeks before the eyes are turned completely black. It is rumored that Anbloods has a particular unique violet or deep purple irises but no one knows for sure.

Rosenwald family and the Newcomers coven and among many other vampires and smaller vampire covens are known to be vegetarians, feeding only on animal blood instead of human blood. Their eyes are liquid topaz, or honey-gold, reflecting their diet. These eyes, however, are viewed as strange and somewhat unnatural by other vampires whose diet consists of human blood and whose eyes are of a vivid deep crimson, becoming even more vivid as they continue to feed on human blood and a darker burgundy as they abstain. Some vampires view these vegetarians as "weaker" and shameful to vampires society such as the Anarch who believes these types as vampires aren't "embracing their true nature".

Newborn vampires are known for having incredible strength as well as brilliant crimson eyes. Both traits are caused by their own blood that still lingers within their tissues, producing the shockingly bright red eyes that fade slowly over the course of a few months and incredible speed. If a vampire were to drink human blood, their eyes would instantly turn vivid crimson, and if two weeks were to pass without blood, their eyes would grow dark. If their were to return to a diet of animal blood, their eyes would become light golden color, and dark gold, if they were to continue on animal blood.

As a vampire's thirst grows, his/her eyes grow darker with it, until they, at last, become a coal-black which includes red, blood-shot sclera with protruding black colored veins around the eyes. In contrast, as vampires feed, their eyes become lighter. In addition to the thirst, the purplish-black bruises under their eyes become more pronounced as their thirst grows. Though if they have recently fed the bruises become less noticeable, and all but disappear (depending on how well-fed they are). The bruises indicate that vampires never sleep.

A vampire's teeth appear no different than regular human teeth at first sight, but they can produce fangs. A vampire's teeth are flawless, unbreakable, and razor-sharp at the edges. They are also incredibly strong, able to bite through almost any solid substance, including vampire skin. Their teeth are also venomous, affected by the vampire venom that flows in their mouths.

### Heredity

— Selena to Jason

Since their body still functions closer to humans, male vampires can still produce sperm, which is able to impregnate female vampires and female humans. Female vampires still produce eggs and thus still goes through menstrual cycles like normal female humans. However, their periods usually last a day, and pain and discomfort are almost none existence. Vampire society classifies vampires into blood status. Blood status, also called purity of blood, is a concept in the vampire world that distinguishes between vampires that have different levels of vampirism.

* **Kinbloods** are vampires who are born from two other vampires. Many kinbloods consider themselves to be akin to royalty in the vampire world, or at the very least the elite. They often disdain those of different blood statuses and humans, some even arguing that thinbloods should not be admitted into the vampires' world since they cause much of a threat to their very existence. The Covenant took this philosophy to an extreme, striving to eliminate thinbloods altogether. Many kinbloods hold much power within the vampire world, with the majority of the Covenant ranks being held by kinbloods. Even though there aren't many biological or psychological differences between kinbloods and other vampires, many kinbloods enjoy preferential treatment from authorities and are generally treated better than other vampires. Kinbloods are the largest group of vampires making up around 80.5% of the vampire population.
* **Thinbloods** are vampires who were once human but were turned into a vampire by another vampire. They are also referred to as newborns or newcomers. On average, a thinblood's physical strength greatly surpasses that of any other vampire because they still have their own human blood lingering in their tissues. As time passes, however, the vampire blood in them will consume that blood, and the thinblood's physical capabilities and thirst will slowly diminish until it reaches that of a normal vampire, by the end of its first few months.  A thinblood's thirst for blood is overwhelmingly and relentlessly painful, described by many as being a "fire in the throat", and they will feed as much as possible to curb it. Thinbloods are often bloodthirsty, violent, and uncontrollable. Their enhanced emotions are hard to control and they anger easily. They are also likely to kill one another to compete for blood. When they catch the scent of blood, their hunting instincts will take over and cloud their ability to focus, even the sound of the word "blood" is enough to make their thirst unbearable. The thirst is so maddening in the first few weeks that most newborns are more animalistic and wild than their older counterparts. However, as time passes, their thirst will slowly diminish and become easier to manage. Their secondary human emotions and desires will mostly be dormant for a while and resurface slowly over time. Thinbloods used to be the largest group of vampires but after its illegalization due to Accord XIII, its population size decreased to around 17.9% of the vampire population.
* **Malbloods** are vampires who are deformed and disfigured. They are products of vampire and human reunions. Because of the different anatomy vampires and humans have, their children almost always come out disfigured and lacking normal vampire abilities. Most Malbloods are lucky to survive after childhood since so many are left for dead or killed after birth. It is common for offspring of a human and vampire union to die before or moments after delivery. The combination of human blood/genes and vampire/genes are extremely incompatible for offspring, therefore the results of such a union would always gradually deform the struggling tissues of the fetus body into a grotesque abomination. Most malbloods who survive their birth suffer weeks of pain from deformities similar to terrible birth defects, cancer growths, crippling injuries, and leper-like sores. Malbloods also suffer from alopecia, being incapable form growing hair on no part of their body. Malbloods are the most feared by average humans for their features while the vampire world denies their entry. The protection the Covenant has over vampires does not extend to malbloods, because of this malbloods usually have to fend for themselves, many of which hide in sewers to avoid being seen. Due to Accord IX malbloods are also persecuted by the Covenant and though unions between humans and vampires are allowed, those who gives birth to a malblood due to their union must report the birth and give the child to the Covenant, where then the child will be put to death. They are considered "easy pickings" by The Inquisition investigators. Malbloods are also the second smallest group of vampires in the world, making up around 13.2% of the vampire population.
* **Anbloods** are vampires who have walked the earth for centuries and have gained much respect and power in the vampire world. They also are known as elderblood or higher vampires. They have gain the power of immortality through the consumption of vampire blood. Their vampiric abilities are far superior to any vampire. They are also incredibly intelligent and possess numerous—and often individual—abilities. Unlike their lesser brethren, anbloods do not need to drink blood to survive; however, the consumption of blood offers an experience, not unlike the consumption of alcohol. Because of the rarity of anblood vampires, as well as the unique abilities they often possess, classification can be extremely difficult. Fortunately, encountering one is an incredibly rare occurrence, with most people go their entire lives without encountering one knowingly. Not all anblood vampires are dangerous to humans; many avoid human contact, and some even work altruistically, if clandestinely, to aid humanity. The Covenant has studied that there may be around 1% of Anbloods left in the vampire population. Since the process of becoming an Anblood involves the vampire to had to be born and vampire and require a complete abstinence from human blood for years with their diet consisting of nothing but of vampire blood with doesn't provides them with nutrition or energy to use their vampiric abilities. Because of this tedious and hard process, coupled with Accord IIV, many vampires don't even attempt it since majority end up dying or giving up before completing the process. The most popular anbloods are the The Elder Kings who are creators of the Covenant.

### Genetics

Vampires carry 25 pairs of chromosomes, 2 chromosomes more than humans. Dr. Stephen Constantin reveals this to while telling Jason about their vampiric genetic relations. Vampire breeding has notable implications, regarding the transmission of the vampire genome, or to hybridization with other humans. Breeding between *Homo devoro* and *Homo sapiens* can result in either a vampire or human child, having a 50/50 chance for either. All vampires born from human-vampire relations has all been Malbloods and humans born from human-vampire relations tend to have little to no vampire attributes.

## Abilities

### Speed

One of the most amazing among their abilities is their speed. They are able to run in excess of a 20 miles per hour, substantially faster than the average human. The creature’s sheer speed, combined with its unnatural stealth, makes it impossible for the vampire’s prey to detect or escape from the vampire until it is too late. The power to not only jump, move and run far beyond the capacity of any human or animal, but to also mentally and physically react to one's environment with inhuman precision and celerity. With time they grow physically faster.

### Strength

The superior physical strength of a vampire compared to that of a human is a prominent theme. Vampires possess strength equivalent to that of 50 or more strong men, they can crush granite boulders, subdue any prey, crush metal, and uproot trees with their bare hands. Newborn vampires generally have the advantage of superior strength when in direct physical combat with a human; they can single-handedly lift a grown man off the ground and throw him across a room with enough speed and force to send him through a wall or across an alley, they can also knock them unconscious with a single chop, snap their necks with one hand, and crush their bones, all with little to no effort. Their strength increases as they age; older vampires of a significant age are stronger than younger, weaker vampires.

Diet does not have a massive impact on strength, since it always depends on the individual vampire. Although, a diet of human blood makes a vampire stronger than animal blood, albeit only fractionally. Vampires who feed on animal blood (vegetarian vampires) find that "big game"—predators like bears or wildcats—not only smell more appealing to them but also make them stronger than the "weaker" blood of herd animals such as deer or cattle.

Strength, of course, is not always physical. If a vampire possessed great mental strength and willpower as a human, they will find it easier to control their wild, animalistic instincts. Even so, if a vampire has not fed for a long time, he will be less likely to think clearly and more likely to give in to his thirst, attacking the first living thing he detects and draining it of blood within seconds, all without a single thought (human or animal). If, however, an unlucky human were to be near their vicinity, they will preferably attack him/her rather than the animal.

### Senses

Vampire’s senses of sight, smell, hearing, and touch are of supernatural keenness, comparable on many levels to a bat’s. The vampire can see with perfect clarity in the darkness of the night, to the point of being able to detect the bodily heat emanations from its victims. The creature’s hearing is comparable to a bat or an owl, possessing a level of sensitivity on par with the bat’s own echo-sensitivity and they even have a sonar system just in case they are blinded. The Vampire’s sense of smell is as acute as that of a wolf or a dog’s, enabling the creature to track its prey for miles by the scent of the victim’s blood alone, a sensation that the vampire relishes. The Vampire is also able to tell individual people apart by the scent of their blood coursing through their veins or bodily odors.

The Vampire’s sense of touch is amazingly acute, as the creature can feel the heartbeat of a potential victim through thick walls, or it can detect the vibrations of a vampire hunter’s footsteps and the direction of the footsteps, enabling the Vampire to either escape or prepare an ambush for the would-be hunter. In addition to its five senses, the vampire possesses several preternatural senses. The Vampire can instinctively sense impending danger, usually posed by humans. Vampires can feel the heartbeat of a person and see the blood and brain activity, allowing them to save the lives of people. Vampires require very little amount of blood to tell the age, gender, blood type, health status, and eating habits.

### Stamina

Vampires are able to move at great speed for long periods, and it is nearly impossible to tire the vampire, due to their preternatural degree of endurance. Though vampires need oxygen to sustain consciousness, they cannot die from lack of it or being cut from oxygen. It means that drowning and asphyxiation would never kill a vampire. Vampires of this ability generally possess a highly developed musculature that generates fewer fatigue toxins than the musculature of most other humans or similar beings, endowing peak human level stamina. As such, they can perform feats such as running for several kilometers/miles without losing breath or exerting themselves at peak capacity for hours with minor to no fatigue.

Although vampires don't need to sleep in order to become stronger and more energetic, they are nonetheless capable of doing so, and those that do so do so for reasons other than gathering energy like their human counterparts. Vampires may sleep for a variety of reasons, including to blend in with human culture, for relaxation (like meditation), as a pastime, or even out of boredom. Some vampires, like Damien, like to sleep since it gives them happy dreams.

### Agility

Vampires possess superhuman agility. They have shown that they can move quickly, jump very high, climb, and run incredibly fast without difficulty or exhaustion. Vampires can jump with their speed too. Vampires that feed on human blood can jump much higher than vampires that feed on animal blood. This ability also increases with age.

### Durability

Vampires can take a great amount of physical damage without being slowed down. Even vampires who have been shot with bullets, which have a weakening effect on vampires, have been seen to continue fighting so long as they were not shot in or the head which would temporarily incapacitate them. Vampires still react to physical force in a human manner, particularly young vampires, who will occasionally be affected even by human-strength-level force. Vampires can also still be stunned and dazed by strikes and trauma, though their tolerance for it will increase as they get older.

### Flexibility

A vampire's body movements are uncannily flexible. Their agility is more advanced than humans, which allows them to rapidly respond to change by adapting to its initial stable configuration; They can make numerous gymnastic, or martial arts implements with little effort using a combination of strength, balance, reflexes, and speed. They can even swing, flip, bend, and twist themselves without failure due to their enhanced sense of balance and flexibility. Using their physical senses as allies, they can find motions at a human speed too slow for them to miss.

### Healing Factor

Vampires have a strong regenerative ability: small wounds and fractures heal in a matter of seconds. Larger wounds take longer to heal, but will usually vanish after a few days, as long as the vampire has access to an adequate blood supply. Vampires have been shown to regain their strength and heal wounds almost immediately after consuming a small amount of blood, suggesting that they can quickly metabolize their food to boost their regeneration. This regenerative ability varies among individuals, with some vampire exhibiting the ability to reattach severed body parts or regrow detached limbs. In extreme cases of regenerative ability, some powerful vampires can even heal severe brain injuries, reattach their upper body, and regrow large sections of their bodies. For more weaker vampires, a direct blood injection into their veins or heart faster speeds up their healing factor.

### Slow Aging

Contrary to popular belief, only certain vampires are immortal while the rest have incredible slow aging. Their body still work as humans being about to receive bodily harm like stabs, cuts and bruises but the healing factor and pain tolerance makes them close to invincible. They can still grow old and die but at a extremally slower rate than humans. However, depending on a vampire's diet, their aging can be very slowed or stopped completely. Those who fed on human and animals blood still age but do so at an extremely slow pace. Being able to live over a century but still have the appearance of around a 20-year-old. However, a vampire who feeds on the blood of other vampires is able to stop their aging altogether. Upon their transformation, vampires become immune to all conventional illness, diseases, viruses, and infections. While vampires who were cancer-free as humans will be immune to cancer after they are turned, those humans who were turned while they had cancer will not only still have it as a vampire, but their newly-enhanced healing factor will accelerate the progression of the cancer cells over two-fold, nearly always causing the cancer-stricken vampire to kill themselves to end their suffering.

### Enhanced Emotions

Vampires experience emotions more powerfully than humans. Emotions like love, joy, and happiness are magnified for vampires, allowing them to live life more intensely. This ability allows vampires to feel emotions at their peak regardless of their age. Conversely, sadness, depression, guilt, fear, and anger are also amplified, causing many vampires to become a Ripper, being so overwhelmed that they "turn off" their humanity to block out the more painful emotions. After time and practice, the overwhelming sensations of heightened emotions fade as the vampire learns to overcome their emotions without turning off their humanity altogether.

### Panmnesia

Vampires can remember and recall everything that they have ever experienced, encountered, or learned in their lifetime. Vampires need only to read, hear, or see something once and they will never forget it. They continue to learn for the rest of their lives and their brain will simply compress neural synapses to contain it all, allowing the memory of every event, experience, or a bit of knowledge from birth to the present.

### Venom

Venom is a toxin produced by the saliva glands in a vampire's mouth. It serves five purposes: it serves as the basis for their physiology; it serves as a means to paralyze their prey in pain to prevent them from escaping; it serves as a pleasant scent to lure in the vampires' human victims; it serves as a toxin poisonous to animals; and, very rarely, it serves as a means for vampires to propagate their species. When a vampire bites a human, the venom from the vampire's mouth enters the victim's bloodstream. If the venom-contaminated blood is not completely drawn away, the human heart will circulate the venom throughout their circulatory system, infecting every cell it goes through. The venom will have saturated all cells within the host over the course of 2-3 days, completing their metamorphosis into a vampire. The procedure is said to be slow and agonizing, with the sensation of being burned alive. Vampires are extremely harmful since their venom is unique to them, even having its own fragrance. Though not enough to kill them, it is enough to create constant, never-ending pain if not removed. The Inquisition was able to use this knowledge to make Cruor, a poisonous solution capable of killing and harming vampires. When a vampire is bitten by another vampire, the poison from the teeth leaves a permanent bitemark that is normally imperceptible to human eyes, and the pain is said to be stinging but ultimately fades.

### True Face

A vampire's true face is the appearance they are hiding under their normal human face. When a vampire's true face is revealed, the sclera of their eyes turns pitch black, dark veins appear under their eyes as the blood pumps forcefully through them, and their canine teeth extend into razor-sharp fangs. On some occasions, a vampire's fang teeth can include both their canines and their lateral incisors or both their canines and their premolars. A vampire's true face can be revealed whenever they wish, but it will appear against their will whenever they are aroused by the scent of blood or are feeling intense emotions such as fear, anger, lust, sadness, etc. A vampire's fangs are extremely sharp which gives them the ability to tear into almost any substance (including and especially flesh) and tear off limbs. A vampire's true face will appear for the first time either while they drink human blood for the first time or shortly afterward.

### Pain Tolerance

Some vampires are more combative and engage in more violent interactions or fights because they have been subjected to such horrific torture and injuries for so long that they have developed such a high pain threshold that they barely react to things that would incapacitate a human, such as being stabbed or shot. Vampires have the ability to suppress pain at will and are highly immune to physical pain in general, allowing them to think clearly and move without flinching despite severe injuries. Vampires can think clearly, walk around, disregard torture, and function in situations where a human person would be incapacitated by pain. When they are damaged, they do not respond at all; they can go on while being damaged or fight without stopping no matter how severely they are hit. As a result, some vampires have turned to torturing other vampires, usually by forcing them to abstain from blood, which weakens them and significantly reduces their pain threshold.

### Decapitation

In the *Bloodlines* universe, vampires are not known to be killed by human effort, are unharmed by sunlight, garlic, holy water, silver, and can enter homes without permission. However, any kind of human weapon, including bullets, can cause pain and won't heal correctly if the bullet isn't removed. Shooting a vampire in the head can also incapacitate them for a short while. One of the two only known ways to kill a vampire is to dismember his or her head from their body. Dismembering or manually removing the head of a vampire will result in an instant and permanent death.

### Heart Extraction

Removing or penetrating the heart of a vampire will result in permanent death. Vampires have the strength to plunge their hands right through the flesh of humans or other vampires, allowing them to punch their hands through the thorax of a person and pull out their heart. Humans have a hard time penetrating and harming a vampire's heart due how strong their thorax and chest muscles are, so while other vampires may have the strength to rip another vampires heart out with their bare hands, simply inflicting a scratch on vampire's heart from a gunshot or knife its extremely hard. If it is a vampire who has been subjected to this, then they will desiccate upon their death, causing their bodies to resemble that of a recently deceased corpse with their vampiric veins exposed all over their body.

— Levi

### Veratrite

Veratrite, a poison deadly only to vampires, was created in 1966 by Romanian scientist Ludovic Vera. It is made with acidic solutions and vampire venom, which is engineered by Vera to be far deadlier to vampires. Veratrite ammunition, hollow bullets filled with the poison, is a popular creation that humans use to kill vampires. The poison's effectiveness depends on the amount and location in the vampire's body. It works by entering the bloodstream and clogging it with poison, leading to death. While there is no known cure, some vampires can survive by removing the affected limb. The creation of veratrite is long and costly, making it a prominent threat to vampires and a target for the Covenant, who murdered Vera in 1986.

### Bad Blood Syndrome

This usual and rare phenomenon, also known as antivenom sickness, is a relatively new epidemic affecting the vampire population. The peculiar syndrome is unknown, but after extensive research conducted by the Covenant, it was discovered that this strange event was causing a vampire to inject far too much venom into a human at their initial bite and attempt to transform them. Instead of the poison immobilizing its target and commencing the transformation from human to vampire, people with the condition inject so much venom into the human that it kills them within minutes, rendering the transformation impossible to complete. This epidemic has been going on for a few years, and while no cure or therapy has been discovered, the number of vampires diagnosed with this illness has risen drastically. When an overwhelming majority of pregnant female vampires gave birth to stillborn newborns or simply miscarried before bringing the child to term, the epidemic took a turn for the worse. The disease has caused panic and outrage among vampires, with many wondering how it would affect the vampire population, which is already small in comparison to its human counterparts, who are also actively seeking their extermination. While working in secrecy to study the disease and maintain peace, the Covenant is concerned that it may be the greatest threat to vampire civilization yet, and even be the cause of the vampire world's ultimate demise.

### Animal Blood

Animal blood, while somewhat satisfying a vampire's hunger and sustaining their life, will make the vampire considerably weaker than they would be if they had drank human blood, causing their physical abilities to be inferior to a human-blood-consuming vampire, making them heal much more slowly. Vampires who feed on animal blood (vegetarian vampires) find that "big game"—predators like bears or wildcats—not only smell more appealing to them but also make them stronger than the "weaker" blood of herd animals such as deer or cattle.

### Broken Neck

Breaking a vampire's neck will not kill them, but it will render in a death-like state for varying amounts of time, depending on the diet and age of the person in question. Older vampires can recover quickly from a broken neck then more younger vampires.

### Staking

Piercing a vampire in the chest with almost any object wouldn't kill them but will leave them in a permanent state of paralysis until the stake is removed. They loose all function to there body but are still capable of their five senses.

## Lifestyles

Though there is a range of vampire lifestyles, the most common is nomadic. The majority of vampires move frequently, never settling permanently in one place. This pattern is partly an attempt to hide from the notice of humans. If too many humans disappear from one area, suspicion might be aroused and the Covenant might take notice. Also, if a vampire interacts regularly with humans, eventually the humans will notice that the vampire isn't aging or aging extremally slowly. Another aspect is boredom; vampire lives are so long that many keep up a continuous search for novelty.

Some of them appear to attempt to take on identities within the human world and exist alongside humans while others instead appear to enjoy living among humans mostly anonymously without making human attachments and then choosing to travel to new places for a change in scenery whenever the urge strikes them. Some, mainly Malbloods, is forced into hiding and avoiding human contact at all costs because of their physical features.

A few covens are exceptions to this rule and maintain semi-permanent or permanent homes. Doing this requires a great deal of subterfuge—if the coven wants to avoid suspicion and keep the Covenant or the DCV from becoming involved—and most vampires don't care for the hassle. Vampires usually travel alone, in pairs or trios. These small groups usually consist of a vampire mate and/or their sired vampire.

### Masks

Vampires wear masks to keep their true identities as "humans" from being discovered by the DCV or other enemies. Several masks have a symbolic meaning or metaphor for the person who wears them. They have a big say on the aliases that the DVC assigns to some vampires. Vampires often obtain their mask after their first kill or feast on a human. Many people manufacture their own masks to make them more personal, while others buy them or have them custom-made by professional mask makers. The majority of Crimson City's vampires wear masks designed by Seth, the owner of the Needled Heart tattoo studio.

### Human Relations

When its comes to relations with vampires and humans, both sides views such unions as illegal but for completely different reasons. Because majority of humans view vampires as barbaric monster, having romantic, platonic or sexual relations with them is seen as especially grotesques and distasteful, but not illegal in some countries but socially unacceptable often times seen as on the same level of rape or even bestiality. Countries where human-vampire relationship are illegal can result in the human being punished by imprisonment the vampire being put to death. Surprisingly, the vampire world has more relaxed laws concerning human-vampire relationships. Vampires law declares human-vampire relationships as regulated and always kept to a limit, with romantic, platonic or sexual relations deemed acceptable as long as the vampires identity remains hidden. Though there are vampires that view human-vampire relationships as wrong, this isn't a societal norm in the vampire world. In the vampire world a vampire is allowed to marry a human but he or she is still responsible for the secrecy of their identify and the vampire world and the punishments of Accord II still apply. Due to Accord IX malbloods are also persecuted by the Covenant and though unions between humans and vampires are allowed, though if they give birth to a malblood due to their union they must report the birth and give the child to the Covenant, where then the child will be put to death. Since keeping such a big secret such being as vampire in a marriage is nearly impossible, this forces the vampire to either turn his or her spouse into a vampire or forces them to abandon their spouse and sometimes their child(ren). Because of the harsh rules surrounding human-vampire relationships in both the vampire and human world, many vampires don't even try to pursue romantic relationships with human.

Vampires has very hostiles and toxic relationship with humans, with humans in every country deeming them the number one threat to their country's stability and outlawing vampirism. Both legally and societally, vampires are treated as barbaric beast whose very existence is a threat to human kind everywhere. Many vampires view humans as lesser then themselves and mere livestock or food to them, because they see no problem with killing them indiscriminately and even putting them through physical, mental and sexual abuse. However, glimpses of sympathy and tolerance can be found on both sides, with a minority of humans and vampires seeing themselves as equal to each other. There are even many cases of vampires and humans begrudgingly working together in secret. This can mainly be seen in the criminal underworld where the vampire world has mostly taken control of. It can also be seen with certain governments in some country's working with vampires in order to instill some form of peace between both sides.

## Psychology

### Basic instincts

Aside from their original personalities, they also have ferocious instincts and a compelling drive for consuming blood. The moment they give in to their thirst, all of their human characteristics disappear and they could risk hurting one another by competing for prey. The longer they abstain from blood completely, the harder it becomes for them to resist, and eventually, they will give in to their thirst. Vampires can be feral, predatory creatures, and far more savage and beast-like than their human appearance suggest. They growl, hiss, snarl, and curl their lips back baring their teeth as signs of aggression when provoked. They also have a sense of self-preservation; when they are confronted with danger that proves too overwhelming for their capabilities, they will immediately evade the area, unless there is something holding them back.

### Bonding factors

Vampires are mostly territorial and nomadic, but there are a few occasions for them to bond with someone else, human or vampire. The first bonding force is a romance: If a vampire falls in love, that feeling almost never fades away and because of their strong emotion their love for another being is also strong. As a general rule, only the bond between mates is strong enough to survive the competitive drive for blood. Larger covens are less stable and usually end because of internal violence. If a vampire was romantically bound to someone before they turned, that love will remain as a permanent aspect in their characteristics after the transformation. It is also possible for a vampire to fall in love after they were turned, and that love will be just as permanent as any other.

Another prevalent vampire trait is that of a vengeful nature. Related again to their unchanging state, vampires are not forgiving; they do not move past an insult or injury. The most common example of vampire vengeance is the aftermath of the loss of a mate. When a vampire loses their mate, they never recover from the pain. They cannot rest until the party responsible is eradicated. Centuries can pass without lessening the ferocity of their need for vengeance. However, it is possible to suppress that desire if they compel themselves to focus.

The second bonding force, and one that is able to keep a large coven stable, is ambition. Vampires are competitive by nature, and some vampires have been able to evolve this competitive disposition into a greater cause capable of uniting many individuals into a secure whole. The pursuit of power is that bonding cause for vampires.

The third, and rarest, bonding force is the vampire conscience. Very few vampires are born with or develop a value for human life. The consumption of human blood is such a known aspect of vampire life that few ever question it; the driving thirst for human blood seems irresistible. However, those who do learn to value human life in spite of this reality are able to subsist on animal blood. Vampires who live this way are sometimes referred to as "vegetarians". Animal blood is unappealing to vampires, and thus a difficult diet to maintain. Those who make the sacrifice, though, experience related benefits. In the absence of human blood, the competitive drive disappears. Vampires are able to form bonds of love in addition to the bond between mates. The weak coven alliance is replaced by a strong, family-style union.

## Transformation

— Jason transitioning into a vampire

Humans can be changed into vampires by another vampire's venomous bite, and vampire venom is nothing more than a deadly poison to animals. The transformation from human to vampire is described as being "the sharpest memory they have of their human life." Once a human is bitten, the venom from glands inside the vampire's mouth is injected into the bloodstream and will travel throughout the body to change every living cell. Depending upon "how much venom is in the bloodstream, and how close the venom enters to the heart", the transformation could last anywhere from two to five days. During this time, the human will endure moments of indescribable pain. Once the venom is injected, the victim feels very close to being burned alive. The venom will then make its way throughout the body. Next through the heart, and it will pump again and again in the heart until it starts meeting itself in the veins. It moves slower than blood because it is thicker, which makes the transformation long-lasting. Each beat of the heart can only push it so far. The changing/burning process is slow. The venom has to saturate every cell in the body before the process can be completed. Once completed the person would go under cardiac arrest and subsequently die for a short amount before their heart starts up again this time pumping vampire blood throughout the body. There is no medicine that is strong enough to numb the pain; the best one could do is to immobilize the body. The transition between vampire and human can lead to either death or vampirism.

### Bloodlines

Bloodlines, also known as sirelines, are a genetic and immortal bond between vampires and the chain of those who have sired them. These bloodlines refer to the Elder Kings' sirelines, who are the three most powerful vampires and the leaders and rulers of the whole vampire community. They are the world's oldest vampires, dating back roughly 1000 years and hailing from middle ages. As a result, they are the only vampires in the world who can be accurately labeled as Anbloods, and they have mutant genetics that allow them to use particular anomalous abilities. Each Elder has their own talents, and their descriptions are all veiled in mystery. Those who were sired by these vampires were said to have inherited the Elders' abnormal genetics. These sired vampires were also able to pass on this capacity to the vampires they sired, resulting in the formation of three powerful sirelines known as the Triad Bloodlines or simply Bloodlines. Members of this Bloodline are held in the highest regard and are believed to be among the most elite members of vampire society. Though the number of vampires belonging to this sireline has dwindled throughout time, some even claiming that all three Bloodlines are now extinct. The Covenant seeks out vampires from the Bloodlines with the intent of integrating them into their ranks and increasing their power.

## Myths/Legends

### Incubus

An incubus is a blood sucking demon in male form who, according to mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleeping women in order to engage in sexual activity with them. In the vampire world is seem as a societal norm for nomadic male vampires to take sleeping with many woman along their path. Within the ranks of the Anarch however they take this tradition to the extreme by kidnaping young girls from of the streets or even their homes to force them into a human sex trade for the coven's profit.

### Succubus

The Rosenwald family female vampires, with the exception of Narcissa, used to lure men to their deaths by seducing and engaging in sex with them before feeding on their victim. However, in the long term, the strain wore on them and the Rosenwald's started to feed on animal blood. They, however, kept enjoying the company and nocturnal activities with men, both vampire and human, who by now could survive the experience. This may also be the origin of the **succubus** myth: a demon that assumes a woman's aspect, seducing men to have sex with it.

### Other

* **Garlic:** The vampire's supposed repulsion towards garlic may have been a fabricated lie. Garlic has no effect on vampires.
* **Holy Items:**The myth that vampires could be harmed using holy artifacts like crosses, blessed ground, and holy water may have circulated from the belief that they are unholy creatures originating from Hell and in league with the Devil.
* **Mirrors:** The myth that vampires did not cast a reflection may have come from the belief that vampires had no souls. There are vampires, however, who are capable of invisibility which the belief may have also come from.
* **Shapeshifting:** The origin of the myth that vampires had the power to morph into a bat, wolf, rat, or a cloud of mist is unknown. It may be the result of a mistake of perception between normal vampires and vampire who shapeshift their facial and body features.
* **Soulless:** The belief that vampires are soulless beings may have stemmed from their ability to shut down their humanity, causing them to block out their emotions and behave without remorse or regret, giving off the impression that they have no conscience and by extension, lack a soul.
* **Death:** Contrary to popular belief, vampires have beating hearts and they cannot function without oxygen. They will, however, be forced to revive after suffocation or oxygen deprivation but will only die again if the circumstances of their revival are less than favorable.
* **Cold Skin:** Contrary to popular belief, vampires are not cold to the touch because they aren't undead. They are alive as much as humans are and are very much mortal beings like humans. Because have much similar anatomy like humans, they bodies are also about to produce heat like humans as well. Their body's muscles, organs, and brain produce heat in a variety of ways.