Vampires

> "Vampires are both helpful and harmful to our homeworld".
>
> - Rachelle Palmer

**Vampires** are a sub-species of various humanoid species seen in the known universe. The series portrays them as living creatures infected with a vampiric blood granting immortality, superhuman physical abilities, enhanced resilience, and healing, but causing a severe weakness to ultraviolet radiation and reliance on regular blood consumption.

The Vampires play a heavy role in some planets, especially in the Coalition of Independent Planetary Bodies and Galactic Republic's Nexus Prime.

## History

In the 8th century, B.C., in the city-state of Lutheia, Priestess Rheya spurned the advances of King Kaelisus. When he became more aggressive, she defended herself and clawed his face. Because it was treason to attack the King (as well as for having his advances rejected), Kaelisus wanted to have her executed. However, Prince Xenocrates spoke up on her behalf, warning his father that he and their kingdom might incur the anger of the gods if they acted in haste. Hence, Kaelisus decided to exile her, telling her that her survival would depend on the will of the gods she served. Gaius was the soldier that escorted her to the caves beyond the city. She pleaded with him to unbind her and he complied, giving her the knife he had used to cut the ropes. According to the legend, she gained her powers by drinking from the Tree of Eternal Life. She later returns to Mydiea transformed into the First Vampire and kills Kaelisus. Xenocrates pleads with her to spare his life and he and Gaius ask to receive her power.

Gaius Augustine became the second vampire after managing to drink the First Blood, then started to create a secret vampiric empire/kingdom alongside the council members such as Adam Vega, Priya Lacroix, Adrian Raines and Kamilah Sayeed, whom hesistantly followed his every word, except for Adrian who has mercy for the weak.

## Notable Features

As opposed to supernaturally immortal demons of identified in literature by Bram Stoker and current pop culture. However, as in this tradition, the Vampires in the known universe are also hemovores, meaning that they feed on blood. While they primarily consume human blood, Vampires, as well as Hybrids with the Vampire gene, have also been shown to feed from animals and even other Vampires, meaning they can be satiated by the blood of other Immortals. While they need to feed on blood, Vampires seemingly don't die from starvation, instead they continuously grown weaker, to the point where they become dried out husks.

Similar to Werewolves, Vampires are capable of transforming their physical appearance when agitated, however, their transformation is relegated to their eyes and teeth. In their normal or "relaxed" state, a Vampire's appearance remains indistinguishable from a normal human's, except that they are distinctively generally pale in regards to their skin color. When they become upset, their canines elongate, and their eyes turn either a shade of blue, red or gold with varying degrees of brightness. .

## Reproduction

In rare cases, vampires are able to sexually reproduce with other Vampires, creating a pureborn Vampire who inherits the sum of both their parents' Vampire strains *Underworld: Awakening* shows that Vampires can also breed with Hybrids, as Selene gave birth to her daughter Eve whose father is a Hybrid of both species (Lycan-Vampire). It is unknown if Vampires are able to reproduce with humans, although it is likely possible.

Non-pure-born Vampires are former humans that survived being bitten by a Vampire, either by choice or accidentally, as the transformative genetic material given by the bite can cause fatal infection or damage. The bite may sometimes leave permanent marks or scars, as Olivia checked Eve for such marks when trying to determine her origins. Also, like Immortals, it is possible that they can transfer blood and therefore, their transformative genetic material to a human and make them a vampire without the need to bite the host.

## Abilities

The Vampire virus causes biological changes in the hosts that endow them with heightened senses and greatly-increased physical abilities. Vampires possess superhuman physical powers, including strength, speed, agility, reflexes, endurance, durability and accelerated healing. Adrian, Jax and Kamilah other Death Dealers are seen leaping from very high places - at least 3 stories in some places and landing without injury or harm as if their bodies and bones elasticity is enhanced to inhuman levels. Throughout the series, Vampires are shown exhibiting tremendous strength and speed, which they use to engage Werewolves, humans, nevians, Vampires and even Nevian Alphas in combat. Their raw strength is sufficient to single-handedly lift a grown man off the ground with ease. Their build, height, and mass no longer determine their strength, as Gaius Augustine possesses the physical strength of Nick "Wolf" Bale and Bane Mallory.

Certain Vampires also display the ability to obtain memories through blood ingestion, possibly through the virus affecting their brain and nerves and making their other tissues and fluids capable of obtaining bio-organic signals and information, which could explain their healing abilities. It can be assumed that all Vampires possess various degrees of these abilities, depending on their age, generation and experience. Their heightened senses manifest in acutely increased depth perception, sense of smell, hearing, and night vision which manifests as electric blue or yellow eyes.

A vampire is also able to change their appearance like Werewolves can, but less drastically; their skin being more pale and white, their fanged canines and lateral incisors extending and being more pronounced from the mouth, and the vampire's irises being either bright electric blue or yellow. This transformation can be willed by the vampire or brought on by intense emotions such as anger, especially when the vampire is in danger or combat.

## Weaknesses

Despite their immortality and regenerative abilities, Vampires can die and suffer permanent damage from severe physical trauma, including amputation, dismemberment, decapitation, mutilation and severe blood loss. Direct exposure to sunlight can cause them to start burning, with prolonged exposure incinerating their flesh in fire and embers until they are reduced to charred corpses or a pile of ash. Indirect exposure to sunlight is enough to hurt their eyes if they look at it, though it cannot burn them. However, only being damaged by the sunlight before getting to safety will only leave a Vampire weakened until they can feed, which heals their injuries completely. While they are highly vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation, Vampires do not possess any of the other mystical weaknesses of mythological Vampires (crosses, holy water, garlic, stakes, etc).

Only a small percentage of the human population can be turned into Vampires, as most humans die from infection of the Vampire virus within an hour of being bitten by a Vampire. Also, Nevian Alphas cannot be turned by their own bites.

### Nevian Alphas

Fighting Nevian Alphas are similar to a Kryptonian fighting a similarly skilled and strong opponent that uses Kryptonite, as such, a Vampire's physical and various other abilities are easily nerfed within the vicinity of ANY Nevian Alpha in their current location. Also, those who had telepathic powers cannot harm Alphas with those abilities. An Alpha's presence is essentially a "Kryptonite" to them, lowering their physical, mental capabilities similar to a normal Nevian, or even a Mähdrescher.

## Trivia

### General

* It is known that Werewolf/Vampire bites and blood can induce a deadly infection to Vampires and vice versa, as the viral strains of each species are incompatible and destroy each other at the cellular level. However, it is unknown why Werewolves are unaffected when feeding off of Vampires.
* When struck by direct sunlight, Vampires ignite and burn as they bodies expels blazes of fire, which displays a natural fire coloration. However, when they are hit by UV ammunation, the Vampires's bodies still burn, but the blaze expelled by their bodies has a blueish coloration.
* Unless you count the flawed Enhanced Vampire-Alpha Strain, vampires can be seen to lack a sub-species unlike Werewolves, which eventually evolved into.
* Gaius Augustine proclaims that he is the first vampire, but it is Rheya Apostolous.

### Rheya and Gaius

* They proclaim themselves to rule the world of vampires, they are under the influence of Lucifer Severus.