Vampire

## Mythology

A **vampire** is a being from folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital force (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires were undead beings that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighborhoods they inhabited while they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early 19th century.

Vampiric entities have been recorded in most cultures; the term *vampire* was popularised in Western Europe after reports of the 18th-century mass hysteria of a pre-existing folk belief in the Balkans and Eastern Europe that in some cases resulted in corpses being staked and people being accused of vampirism. Local variants in Eastern Europe were also known by different names, such as *shtriga* in Albania, *vrykolakas* in Greece and *strigoi* in Romania.

In modern times, the vampire is generally held to be a fictitious entity, although belief in similar vampiric creatures such as the *chupacabra* still persists in some cultures. Early folk belief in vampires has sometimes been ascribed to the ignorance of the body's process of decomposition after death and how people in pre-industrial societies tried to rationalise this, creating the figure of the vampire to explain the mysteries of death. Porphyria was linked with legends of vampirism in 1985 and received much media exposure, but has since been largely discredited.

The charismatic and sophisticated vampire of modern fiction was born in 1819 with the publication of "The Vampyre" by the English writer John Polidori; the story was highly successful and arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century. Bram Stoker's 1897 novel *Dracula* is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and provided the basis of the modern vampire legend, even though it was published after Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 novel *Carmilla*. The success of this book spawned a distinctive vampire genre, still popular in the 21st century, with books, films, television shows, and video games. The vampire has since become a dominant figure in the horror genre.

## Reality

In truth, vampirism is actually a form of bacteria originating from an unknown source. Some believe it is a bio-engineered plague, used as a weapon on a far-flung world that was once inhabited by another form of magikin. Others consider that it may have been a naturally occurring disease that ended up ravaging entire worlds, carried from one to another by those fleeing from possible infection. Through notes and experiments supplied by an anonymous source, it has been determined that the disease is only capable of infecting several groups: fetuses, eggs, or other developing forms of life, as well as those with compromised immune systems.

In the former, the bacteria becomes latent, growing and developing throughout the lifespan of the host until it reaches an appropriate level of maturity. The mutation takes place at such an inherently genetic level that the bacteria integrates itself completely into the host, and thus spawns a new species of vampire based on the original species of the host. The latter example has only been seen recently, and the result is a monstrous half-mutated creature with incredible strength, insatiable hunger, and a single-minded desire to feed upon blood.

Transmitting the bacteria to a new host can only be accomplished by some species of vampire, most notably the 'broodmother' class (such as the baobhan sith) and the extremely potent human variant (known as a Dhampir). The only known 'offspring' of Dhampir are the immunocompromised strigoi, which may mean they cannot truly spread the infection in the same way their creators can.

## Known Species

**Alp**

**Baobhan Sith**

**Dhampir**

**Nachzehrer**

**Strigoi**

**Yuki-onna**