Vampires

Vampires, known as the Children of the Night, are a species
of Downworlders that sustain immortal life by feeding off the essence of life
(in the form of blood) from other creatures. Vampires were once humans who were infected
by a demon disease known as Vampyrism.

## Background

Vampires were created during the Second Demonmachy, after the Nephilim were created by Malchor and their forces were defeating the demon armies. Constantine infected his human prisoners with a demon disease with the hopes that it would make the human crave blood. Hoping to send the plagued humans back into the world to kill the Nephilim from within and spread the disease, what he created were vampires. Over the course of a thousand years, the population of vampires have risen. Because vampires do not crave blood, the Nephilim have allowed others to create more so long as consent is mutual between both parties. Vampires live in covens throughout the world, though a bulk of their population lives in the Shadowlands in the vampire country of Carpathia.

## Biology

Vampires are created when humans contract vampirism;
typically when a human drinks the blood of a vampire. The disease spreads and
resides within its host but doesn’t become active until the host dies. The
disease then starts the body back up, usually hours after the host’s death. The
body, now under the disease of vampirism and the host now a vampire, can now
sustain immortal life by feeding off the essence of life, which vampires generally
get by feeding off blood.

## Diets and Lifestyles

There are two diets vampires follow, one which involves blood
and another which involves human food. Consuming blood for a vampire keeps them
immortal and is the source of their abilities. There are some drawbacks from
this diet, however: vampires who consume blood cannot tolerate sunlight and
will combust if they are in contact with it for more than a few seconds. Also,
they become sterile and do not age or grow hair.

Vampires can also follow a human diet, where they consume
food, water and air. When vampires diet with human food, they slowly become
human again where they can age, tolerate sunlight, grow, and have children. Its
common that vampires switch between these two diets, usually because during parts
of their life they wish to be a vampire or return to their human lives. For
every year a vampire drinks blood, they must consume human food for a month
before they can completely revert back to humanity.

## Appearance

Vampires are pale creatures with retractable fangs.

## Abilities

Vampires enjoy a number of enhancements; superior strength, speed,
senses, durability, and an unnatural healing rate that is twice as fast
as a human’s. They’re also immune to all illnesses except Vampyrism.
They’re abilities are strongest in the hours after they’ve fed, and
weaken If they go long period without feeding. Vampires, known for being
 hundreds of years old, have been known to have an influencing power,
seemingly able to influence the behavior and actions of those around
them. Vampires are comfortable in the dark, which they can see in.

## Weaknesses

When consuming blood, vampires are vulnerable to sunlight and will combust if they stay in contact with it for more than a few seconds. They're also easily burned by fire, which their skin catches on when they touch sunlight. A common tactic to combat vampires is to light a wooden arrow with fire and shoot them anywhere on their body. They're immune to fatal wounds, except for when they're beheaded. As vampires revert back to humanity, fire and sunlight becomes as dangerous to them as it is to mankind, though sunlight does bother them.