Vampire (True Blood)

**Vampires** (or ***Vampyr*** as coined by Christian) are a supernatural species of sentient reanimated corpses that drink blood to survive and maintain their powers. They were originally humans or other living beings converted into a vampire by a "maker." Being technically deceased, their primary characteristics include a lack of a heartbeat, body heat, brainwaves, electrical impulses, need to breathe, and other bodily functions. They are often referred to as "immortal," but it is frequently pointed out that all vampires meet the true death eventually, through one means or another.

On the HBO original series *True Blood*, due to the creation of synthetic blood (Tru Blood), vampires have revealed themselves to the global population. As vampires are able to sustain themselves on synthetic blood instead of human blood, vampire representatives have assured the human population that vampires are no longer a threat to humanity. Vampires interact peacefully with humans and have largely succeeded in integrating themselves into human society. They retain their own laws and traditions, although the two communities come closer and closer together as the series progresses.

Reactions to vampires vary greatly. In parts of the world like Latin America and Iran, they are hunted and persecuted relentlessly. This caused many of them to flee for their safety to more tolerant countries, such as the United States. They are considered legal citizens within the United States, albeit with limited rights and tolerance. The vampire community, along with their sympathizers, continues to fight for equal vampire rights. On the other hand, many anti-vampire groups fight to deny them their rights or even advocate their extermination.

## Powers and Abilities

The supernatural forces that sustain them beyond mortal death also endow them with immunity to aging, heightened senses, and superhuman abilities which make them physically superior to humans.

### Common Abilities

* **Eidetic Memory** - Vampires are said to possess perfect recall and to be unable to forget. Their minds are often called "vaults" in which they store all information permanently.
* **Fangs** - Vampires can grow fangs that they use to feed themselves, they might come out when a vampire is close to blood or angry. The bite of a vampire can sever the limbs of humans and other creatures.
* **Flight** - Some vampires have the ability to fly. It is suggested that older vampires can fly, while younger vampires can merely levitate. When Sookie Stackhouse asks Eric Northman if all vampires can fly, Eric responds "can all humans sing?", suggesting this is more a skill than an innate ability.
* **Glamour** - Vampires are able to "glamour" humans and a few of the more common supernatural creatures such as werewolves. Glamour is a form of hypnosis or mind compulsion, which requires vampires to make eye contact and use their voices to mentally compel the victim. Glamouring does not affect other vampires, powerful witches, maenads, halflings, ghosts or fairies. Excessive glamouring can have a negative effect on the mental stability of a victim. Glamouring is not an innate ability, as it needs to be taught and practiced. Vampires can glamour at least two humans at the same time, as both Jessica Hamby and Eric Northman have been seen to do so. There are ways to shield against glamouring.
* **Healing Factor** - Vampires have an accelerated healing factor. They are able to heal all types of wounds, including open wounds, massive burns and tissue damage. If an injury is severe, vampires need human blood to initiate the healing process. They are also immune to most diseases, with the exceptions of Hepatitis D and V.
* **Superhuman Endurance** - Vampires are much more resilient to harm and physical trauma than human beings, allowing vampires to receive extreme trauma and still continue to function. A vampire's tremendous endurance allows them to fight with other vampires without being crippled by the immense force of their attacks, as well as allowing them to sustain blows from humans without even flinching.
* **Heightened Senses** - Vampires possess tremendously heightened senses, well beyond any human being, this allows them to see, hear and smell with greater range and clarity. Vampires are nocturnal creatures, adapting all of their senses to far greater range, allowing them to see with perfect clarity even when in complete darkness.
* **Superhuman Speed** - Vampires are the fastest-moving of supernatural creatures. They are able to move much faster than humans and are perceived as a blur by non-vampire eyes. Vampires themselves however, are able to perceive this movement. Their vision and reflexes are accelerated like their movement, as shown when Eric Northman was able to perceive a speeding bullet in slow motion, and himself in normal motion while moving at superhuman speed. Speed, just like strength, advances with age, as older vampires are significantly faster than younger vampires. In addition, vampires have heightened reflexes, but, in most cases, are not fast enough to dodge bullets.
* **Superhuman Strength** - Vampires are noticeably physically stronger than humans, werewolves and shapeshifters. They slowly grow stronger with age and experience; older vampires can subdue younger ones with minimal to no effort. Feats of their strength include being able to support the weight of a whole car or dismember grown men in the case of younger vampires, or uprooting trees and flipping mobile homes over in the case of older vampires. Even newborn vampires generally have the advantage of physical strength when in direct hand-to-hand combat with a human; able to single-handedly lift a grown man off the ground and hurl him across a room.
* **Voice Imitation** - Some vampires are able to imitate voices; for instance, Bill Compton has been shown to be able to imitate Eric Northman, while Eric himself has been able to mimic the voice of a guard at Governor Burrell's Vamp Camp. Only a few of the more aged vampires have demonstrated this ability. It is unknown if the any younger vampires possess it.

### Unique Abilities

Lilith, the sirens and Bill (Billith) showed some abilities not possessed by other vampires.

* **Advanced Vampiric Abilities**: The powers of Lilith, either because of age or other factors were far more developed than in normal vampires. After consuming the blood of Lilith, Bill's strength has increased to such an extent that he was able to easily overpower a 1,000 + year old vampire like Eric and control through maker ability the 5,500 years old Warlow. In addition, much earlier, an apparition of Lilith was able to surprise an apparition of Godric and rip off his 'head.'
* **Advanced Progeny Calling**: This call is much more powerful than normal and may cause the progeny to vomit blood and suffer from acute chest pains if not responded to.
* **Astral Projection**: The spirit of Lilith can manifest herself physically; even after her true death. Lilith can also project her consciousness into the minds of those who consume her blood. Bill is also capable of astral projection, if almost completely drained of his blood Bill may appear on the astral plane where he currently resides Lilith.
* **Blood abilities**: The blood of Lilith can affect other vampires in the same way that if affects humans, causing euphoria, increased thirst of blood, and allowing the spirit of Lilith to connect with the consumer.
* **Glamour Advanced**: The sirens have demonstrated the power to put a person in a state somewhat hypnotic.
* **Haemokinesis**: Lilith, the Sirens and only to a lesser extent, Bill can be covered with the blood and also make the blood dissipate at will. Lilith also seems to have control over her blood, even after she died the true death. During his "coma", Bill was able to drink all the blood of a donor simply making travel from the body up to its mouth.
* **Intangibility / Invisibility**: The sirens and Lilith are intangible and invisible to normal vampires.
* **Longer Fangs**: Lilith's, the sirens' and Bill's fangs are longer and sharper than those of a normal vampires.
* **Precognition**: Bill had acquired clairvoyance and now has the ability to perceive the future and was capable of Panempathy with all the vampires in the world. As he states that he can feel their "pain".
* **Self-Control**: Both Lilith and Bill have been shown to maintain an enormous degree of self-control in the presence of faeries and Halflings, which is highly impressive as the scent of Faerie blood is highly appealing to vampires.
* **Species Detection**: Bill could determine the species of an individual with the view and not just smell, he could view the luminescence emitting from Sookie's mouth whilst she spoke.
* **Stake, Fire & Invitation Immunity**: Bill was immune to fire and survived a direct stake to the heart without too much damage. Bill can also enter the house of human beings without an invitation. Bill is also supposedly immune to silver but is still vulnerable to sunlight.
* **Telekinesis**: Bill could freeze and move objects with his mind. His power was so powerful it could even shake a whole house.
* **Teleportation**: While on the astral plane Lilith and the sirens have demonstrated the ability to appear and disappear in a cloud of blood.