Seven Devils/Guide

*Seven Devils* is a wiki-canon short story that follows the life of Mitchell in the near-century before the beginning of the roleplay. As such, there are some specific details that centre around Mitchell's story, the main fact being he is a vampire.
Below, is a rough guide to the story and what appears within it. This includes information on the two different Clans, different customs, and of course the lore and history on *vampires*.

## Clans

In the times before the Clans, cats would lay claims to territories owned by their families. One family, in particular, had a strong claim to the lands due to the countless, traceable generations that had lived there. As a result, this invited competition, and more Clans would come and go as they were either defeated in battle or joined into the long-standing, Donleavy's Clan.
### Donleavy's Clan

Donleavy's Clan has ancestry from the early 1800s, but, the name comes from Donleavy the First. The Clan was technically founded by his son, Séamus, who named the Clan in his father's honour after the tom passed away. The Clan's early history comes from the fact that cats followed Donleavy by offering food and protection to the young family. After Donleavy's passing, Séamus named the group in memory of the deceased tom and continued to lead until his death.
The Clan had a very simple hierarchy, having just a single Leader and their mate. The couple were expected to produce a male heir as soon as possible, and some nursing stories tell of leaders killing their female children. However, this factor remains as a nursing story with no truth behind them. The rest of the Clan are called hunters and are expected to hunt and fight under their leader's command. Donleavy's Clan also don't believe in an afterlife, instead, it is said that once a cat passed they would be reborn if deemed worthy. If not, they would spend their death in the dark until they were deemed worthy to be reborn.
As it would be, eventually Donleavy's Clan would disperse with the other Clans and return to living in smaller, family groups. Donleavy's Clan officially disbanded after the disappearance of John, Donleavy the Third's heir. In his absence, Darcy, his mother and Donleavy's widow, took the role of leadership over the cats that didn't leave the Clan. Upon her death, the Clan was no more and its existence slowly faded from the memory of the land's native families.
### Herrick's Clan

Herrick's Clan was less of a Clan and more of a band of rogues that followed their leader blindly. A majority of this Clan were in fact cats turned into vampires by their leader. Herrick's Clan came into power when he began starting fights with the other known Clan leaders of the area, mainly Donleavy the Third. Herrick remained as an enemy for years, rarely offering any thoughts of ending the ongoing fight that would one day turn to war.
Upon the birth of John, Herrick did keep the peace for a period of time, before returning to his old ways. Herrick's Clan disappeared the same time that Donleavy's did. They weren't wiped out in the war that destroyed the other Clan, instead, they simply disbanded as Herrick had the cat that he had wanted and left with those that he needed.
Little was known about the hierarchy in the Clan. Herrick led with an iron rule, and it was known that he had only one daughter, named Idunn. She was betrothed to a member of his Clan, instead of a cat from a rival Clan. However, the tom that was intended for her betrayed this trust and paid the price. It isn't known if these cats believed in an afterlife, but, it is suspected that they didn't.
### Other Clans

There were other Clans during the time period. However, they aren't as well documented as the above two. It is believed that many of the other Clans were much smaller family units that would occasionally rise up against the larger two. Darcy was known to have come from a rival Clan. She was betrothed to Donleavy the Third to end a disagreement and join the two Clans together under one leader.
## Vampires

### Origins

The true origin of this phenomenon is unknown, but, legends point towards a tom known as Snow being the first true vampiric cat. The tom comes from an older era and a far off land, having travelled with Twolegs to the territories. It's unclear to how he became infected with the curse, but some believe he made a deal with some form of a dark spirit, akin to the Clan's Dark Forest spirits.
From there, it's similar to a direct lineage. Snow is believed to infected a fair amount of cats in his early days in the new territory, setting off mass panic. Most cats were killed in the early days, but, Snow managed to remain hidden and alive. Those that he infected, if they weren't killed, went on to infect their own and as it is, this continued for a few centuries. Herrick, and most of his cats, are a part of Snow's lineage of vampiric cats.
### Abilities

The first apparent ability that cats inflicted with the curse gain is "immortality". These cats are like photographs, frozen in the age that they were infected at. Mitchell, for example, was around two years old when he was turned and is currently still alive at a technical age of roughly one hundred and eleven years. This extended lifespan is both a gift and a curse, as cats can outlive their loved ones and eventually the years begin to blur and it becomes apparent that living forever is also a curse within itself.
Alongside this extended lifespan, they also have some healing properties and immunity to common diseases. The healing ability is an interesting biological change and while generally it only heals minor cuts and scrapes, it still is a strong and unknown adaption that the vampiric curse has made to survive. Vampiric cats, while able to be injured, are never seen to develop permanent or long-lasting blemishes such as scars are able to be healed. It is believed that feeding will initiate the healing process and that abstaining from feeding will greatly hinder the healing process. As for their immunity to common diseases, it comes down to the fact that vampires are technically dead, therefore, their biology is completely different.
These cats are also gifted with enhanced senses. Vampiric cats possess keener senses than normal cats, having demonstrated such exceptional hearing and sense of smell. Possibly the most interesting note that can be made about just how keen their senses become is that they can hear something's heartbeat if they've abstained from feeding. They can also tell if another vampire has been feeding or not by their scent, which is not possible for a regular cat to do. Alongside enhanced senses, these cats are also known to be stronger than their mortal counterparts. They can be hard to overpower in battle and in general.
Its believed that the older the vampire, the stronger their abilities. It is believed that some of the older ones possess entirely unknown abilities to the average vampire.
### Weaknesses

These cats also have some very interesting and unique weaknesses to account for all their new abilities. The most well-known ones include sunlight, religious ideals, severe physical trauma. Sunlight is an interesting weakness due to the nature of the territories and the livelihood of the cats. Over the generations, this weakness has come down to eye and skin irritation to the individual. It also appears to depend on the cat themselves and how long they've had the curse. Older vampires tend to not be affected by the sun at all, while fresh vampires have more obvious subversions to the sun.
Religious ideals is a very fascinating weakness as it is a relatively new one and has evolved with the times and creation of the modern Clans. Their devout belief in StarClan has created the idea of a higher being and a good in the world. As a result, vampiric cats have been inflicted with the inability to around them and are essentially repelled by the idea of them. This has kept the idea and solid appearance of vampires to the Clans unknown simply because they seemingly can't enter the Clan's ranks without hurting themselves. However, in some cases, if a vampire has befriended a Clan cat and shares either a strong friendship or intimate bond with them, it is possible for a vampire to enter the ranks of a Clan.
While vampires can generally heal minor injuries, severe physical trauma is an entirely different league. Wounds that are deep enough to penetrate and cause injury to internal organs will generally kill a cat inflicted with the vampiric curse. Being severely burned will also kill a vampire, and of course, if they are somehow stabbed with a pointed object.
## See also

* Seven Devils
* Mitchell
* Vampiric cats