Vampyre Physiology

The following is a collection of information regarding the essential biological principles of Vampyrism, not including the microbiology of the virus and its variants.

**All references to the Vampyre Virus on this page are referring to the Stockholm (common) strain unless otherwise specified. For more information on the various strains, mutations, and variants, please visit the Wiki section on Vampyre Virology.**

## Vampyre Conversion

Conversion to Vampyrism is a process that begins once the Vampyre Virus (most commonly the Stockholm Strain) enters the bloodstream of a human host. This can take place in a variety of ways, as the virus can be transmitted via saliva-blood contact, blood-blood contact, mucosa-blood contact, and has been observed to pass in seminal fluid during intercourse.

**Layman's definition**: Put simply, rather than infecting common host cells in a human being (such as muscle tissue or organ cells), the Vampyre Virus breaks down hemoglobin (red blood cells) and myoglobin and serum albumin (proteins) to replicate and spread while using the DNA from those blood cells to adapt itself to the host. The virus only binds to specified cells once a threshold of infection has been reached.

**Technical breakdown**: 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 a unique form of hemolysis 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. Due to the size of the virions and the addition of satellite particles, very little waste product is produced from virally-induced hemolysis. According to Alice's testing, the virus has a 97% efficiency rate with hemolytic metabolism, leaving only 3% of the original host cell as waste product to be excreted from the body. This is fortunate, as a lower efficiency would lead to kidney or liver failure, or other significant side effects.

The entire conversion process makes the virus nearly "invisible" to the immune system, as it adopts enough of the host's DNA through transcription 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.

## Anatomy, Physiology & Nutrition

### Basic Physiological Enhancements

After an equilibrium is reached within the body, a specially-encoded protein is utilized upon reaching a viral load threshold that bind virions to specific host cells, only after enough of the virus has spread throughout the body. Some of these bind to muscle cells, using local stem cells or undeveloped muscle cells to adapt its purpose, infecting the tissue and increasing the capacity for the production of ATP (the source of muscular energy). This is the reason that all Vampyres have a limited degree of enhanced strength, even in spite of the size of the individual. The same process takes place in all major organ systems, including the skin (for faster healing), the eyes (for enhanced vision) and the brain (to increase synaptic function and to aid in the efficiency of neurotransmitters).

### Viral Nourishment

As blood vessels supply plasma and erythrocytes (red blood cells) to their designated tissue groups, the virus consumes some of the necessary blood components in order to sate its needs. This often leads to shortages of iron and protein in Vampyres if untreated through an extremely high-calorie, high-protein diet, or through either the consumption of blood or Vampyre Medicine. If the virus' needs were to be neglected, this would lead to the breakdown of local host cells for sustenance until the eventual death of the host as they suffer organ failure, anemia, and other potentially fatal side effects. This is partially what occurs during Vampyre pregnancy in some cases.

### Vampyre Nutrition

Modern Vampyres have no otherwise special dietary considerations, and do not *need* to depend on blood to live. As a Vampyre is more physically active or utilizes any abilities, the virus' demands drastically increase. If living a sedentary lifestyle, modern Vampyres could theoretically live through dietary supplementation with iron and protein increases, as well as a caloric intake of roughly 4500kcal/day. Since this is difficult for most, Vampyre Medicine is a simpler alternative. It is assumed that a lower rate of erythrocytic consumption was part of the virus' evolution, and blood or a blood substitute may have been necessary for survival in Kara and some of the older Vampyres until the early 1900s, when Kara, Val, and Sonya all began to notice less frequent cravings over a period of years. The subsequent passing of this assumed mutation has led to a biological norm for Vampyres.

### Immunology

One unique quality of the virus' effects on Vampyre physiology is the fact that the immunological functions of its host are actually enhanced, rather than diminished as in the case of other diseases and viral infections. Virions have the capability to aid T-cell function in the eradication of foreign substances, and while Vampyres can still be poisoned or suffer from allergic reactions, dosing would need to be significantly higher to produce results comparable to humans. For example, a human with an exceptionally strong peanut allergy, which would normally result in anaphylaxis, may only experience a mild itching or tingling after conversion. This same concept can be applied to a variety of immunological concepts, with the virus adapting to aid leukocytes (white blood cells) by increasing production in bone marrow upon reaction to a foreign agent. One exception to this concept is digestive complications, such as celiac disease or lactose intolerance. As this depends on a bacterial microbiome, there is little effect on gastrointestinal function or flora, other than an increased metabolic rate of digestion, that the virus produces.

## Vampyre "Abilities" ("Powers", "Gifts," etc.)

*Please see: Vampyre Virus: Virtuoso - Mutation for a more technical explanation of how supernatural abilities were allowed in certain individuals.*

The few Vampyres to present with significant mutations to their virus (colloquially referred to as "powers" or "abilities") comes from the Virtuoso mutation of the Stockholm strain (with Legacy and his substandard powers being an exception due to heavy experimentation). The Virtuoso mutation, simply put, is a gene of the Vampyre Virus that was active during the early stages of its spread (Schillinger possessed the mutation, and it was passed only to Kilkovf, Sonya, Kara, Valterius, Allison, and Krystal, along with Amelia [only due to experimental circumstances]). Each person with the Virtuoso mutation possessed different capabilities, each of which had their own form of "generation" within the 'family' of ability.

For example, Schillinger passed the mutation directly to Kara and Sonya, who all possessed telekinesis and volatility (the power to make objects kinetically dissipate or "explode"). The next "generation" of the Virtuoso effects were given when Kara infected Valterius and Schillinger infected Kilkovf. This resulted in both of them obtaining supernatural strength, which was presumed by Alice to be a form of the original telekinetic power but instigated only by direct touch. In Krystal and Alice, the same basic family of power was granted - in that the energy of a mass could be manipulated - but worked only within a thermal capacity, with Krystal able to lower the temperature of objects and Alice able to increase their thermal energy.

The manner in which the Vampyre Virus and its Virtuoso mutation were able to grant these feats to their hosts is entirely unknown, as no tangible evidence exists (other than their usage) that prove they even exist. Likely due to the taxing effect those powers had on their hosts' bodies, the virus adapted a "blocker" protein that prevented the Virtuoso mutation from being active. This resulted in a lack of "abilities" within any future infections, and only in mild circumstances were enhancements beyond basic physiological improvements noted. One example of the more mild effects of ability improvement is Eric's information processing, which far exceeds that of most Vampyres. This, however, is likely not due to an active Virtuoso mutation, but resulted from the virus aiding his already-advanced synaptic activity and intelligence within the region of his brain that processed that information.

***Spoilers for Sorrow and Desolation are contained in the following section:***

Amy's healing powers came as a complete shock to those who watched her development into an adult, as no Vampyre had received supernatural gifts for more than two hundred years (when Krystal and Alice were infected). It was later revealed that Jalix's kidnapping in *Sorrow* was done with the intent of Schillinger infecting Jalix with the Seraphim mutation, which would remove the "blocker protein" that prevented the Virtuoso mutation from being active (and lead to the cascade of events that developed Amy into a next-generation Vampyre capable of both vectoring a cure and matching the potential of her mother). This experiment didn't have any significant results in Jalix, but likely led to the circumstances of Amy's rapid and violent birth, along with the abilities that she developed. Theoretically, if Jalix had infected another human while carrying the Seraphim mutation, they could have potentially developed abilities, as the Virtuoso mutation would have been active during that infection.

## Pregnancy

Pregnancies in the Vampyre world are a topic of controversy and often heated debate, as it is difficult to navigate the circumstances surrounding its complex processes and uncertainties. For that reason, most female Vampyres are on high-dose birth control implants to mitigate the potential for accidental pregnancy until a conscious decision is made to remove the implant and move forward with attempts at conception. While it is not difficult for Vampyres to get pregnant, long-term cycles of birth control hormones can alter a woman's menstrual cycle and create unpredictable ovulation schedules. In Aerael and Vanaheim, women who wished to get pregnant would consult with a physician first, who would administer a drug protocol to aid in conception and begin a biweekly monitoring program to screen for positive results.

These results were often extremely difficult to navigate, as male embryos nearly always inherited the Vampyre virus and were born Vampyres, while female embryos has much more hardship in the womb. As males carry the XY sex chromosomes (as opposed to the female XX pair), the Y chromosome acted as a 'signal' to the Vampyre Virus that encouraged rapid growth and development. The cause of this is undetermined, as the process occurs too rapidly to be studied in any detail. Female embryos do not carry the Y chromosome, and were instead seemingly 'scrutinized' by the virus as potentially cancerous growth, occasionally being destroyed at approximately three weeks of gestation (prior to any significant development). Some surviving female embryos avoided inheriting Vampyrism, instead being subjected to the same rapid growth as a male fetus, but being human at birth. The outcome of either result often rested within the mother's genetic factors, allowing (roughly half of the time) the virus to aid in growing the fetus without actually infecting it, and the other half being born as a female Vampyre. The differences between sexes in utero and their gestational development are remarkable, but unfortunately were only studied in the brief opportunities that presented to medical OBGYN surveillance teams.

The birthing process is one that can easily be fatal if left untreated, and "natural" births in the Vampyre realm do not exist under any circumstances, as they could lead to the deaths of both the mother and the child. Once the virus begins the advanced gestational development, mothers typically have between 6 and 12 hours to start effective treatment before suffering permanent or fatal effects. The virus detects, between 3 and 6 weeks of pregnancy, that the in-utero mass is an offspring of its host, and in a hailstorm of survival instinct, harvests genetic and organic material from the mother in order to bring the pregnancy to term. This can last from 3 to 7 days, which is often an excruciating process for the mother far beyond human pregnancy. If supplemented with significant IV nutrients, blood transfusions, and fluids, the survival rate of mothers rested at 90% within staffed clinics and roughly 3% in under-prepared circumstances.

"Startup allowances" were common in Aerael and Vanaheim, with a portion of Krystal's vast fortune dedicated toward helping new families afford the raising of a rapidly-growing Vampyre child. As most of them outgrew their clothes in a matter of weeks, affording new clothing along with a substantial amount of food, sleeping arrangements (crib and beds of increasing sizes) made for raising a Vampyre child to be approximately 2.5 times less expensive than a human child, but at the expense of significantly more time and energy. Hand-me-down marketplaces and thrift shops were a thriving business in the residential areas of Aerael and Vanaheim, and were a cornerstone in families helping one another as lightly-used clothing and pieces of furniture, along with spare diapers, baby formula, and more were given freely or at the cost of small favors to support one another.

***Spoilers for Sorrow and Desolation are contained in the following paragraph:***

Kara's birth process in *Sorrow* was significantly different than that of a normal Vampyre pregnancy, as evidenced by the massive differences in gestational period and use of effective birth control, and baffled Alice along with the colleagues that assisted her with researching it after the fact. Amy's birth was likely different due to the experiments performed on Jalix during *Sorrow*, not revealed until *Desolation,* that mutated his viral strain with the Seraphim mutation (the mutation that allowed Amy to inherit the Virtuoso mutation and therefore be capable of possessing "powers"). This additional development made the demands on Kara's body nearly impossible to handle, and it is with an extraordinary likelihood that she would have died even if cared for within a fully staffed and prepared hospital. Researchers studying the reported effects of Amy's birth described it as "mind-shatteringly painful" and was repeatedly stated that the pain alone would have killed a lesser person before Amy was delivered. Kara likely only survived because of her previous experience in birthing the twins Anna and Ava (Violet and Raven), an exceptional rarity in Vampyre pregnancies. Only six known cases of twins have ever been reported by Alice and her team of OBGYN professionals, and only one case of triplets has ever survived to term.

## Aging

As the Vampyre Virus is considered a *Pandoravirus,* and therefore a DNA (as opposed to RNA) virus, it brings several unique qualities to the host cells that vary from a typical infection. One of these effects is its unique RNA transcriptase process. As host DNA is replicated from healthy cells during reproduction, the Vampyre Virus carries the original DNA to its destination, binding to the host cell to form its specialization and transcribing a young, healthy portion of the host DNA molecule to the host cell. This decreases the "wear and tear" that human DNA suffers from, as the transcription process (which modifies the host DNA) oftentimes removes superfluous 'junk' sequences from host DNA and provides a continuity in telomere length and composition. Telomeres, which are repeating sequences of joined nucleic acids known as *base pairs*, prevent DNA from being corrupted during replication. In normal human lifespans, these are shortened over time and can result in abnormal DNA function, to include the growth of cancer or substandard cellular makeup. In Vampyre cells, their DNA is maintained via telomere conservation, and results in slower aging. Combined with the virus' ability to aid cellular function and instigate stem cell production for repairs, long lifespans of up to 2,500 years are possible (if infected in utero, results determined through computer simulation via Eric's specialized programs). From a practical standpoint, the biological structure of the Vampyre Virus is self-adapting, but not perfect, and would likely result in a significant decrease of efficacy at 1,000 years. No living Vampyre has yet died of old age or natural causes.

The effect of the Vampyre Virus on aging is similar the the concept of "Dog Years," albeit with several caveats. Hormones (primarily HGH, ACTH, TPO, TRH, testosterone, and estrogen) are each involved heavily in the development and growth of the human/Vampyre bodies and are heavily reactive to the Vampyre Virus. This leads to rapid development of children, who can grow to adulthood in roughly five years, but plateu and age significantly slower for the majority of their lifetime. Because of this rapid childhood growth, it is common social practice among Vampyre families to convert any human children when they reach the age of sixteen, rather than at earlier ages. This gives children the opportunity to grow naturally and obtain the experiences of childhood socialization, as well as mitigating any struggles that accompany parental efforts to manage a child growing at a near-exponential rate.

In computer simulations, a "fallout" is expected at approximately 900 years (870-1,260), leading to a sharp decline in functionality and - potentially - the death of the virus itself. This would theoretically return the Vampyre to their human form for the duration of their life, and they would age significantly faster until death from natural causes. A chart can be found below detailing an approximation of age comparison, assuming Vampyrism from birth. During the adult lifecycle, the comparative ratio (est.) for [Years Alive]:[Apparent Age] is roughly (28.5:1).