Vampires - About the Vampires

The following is a list of some common curiosities in regards to the vampires.

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**Appearance**

Vampires look very similar to human beings. Physically, the most notable changes to their appearance are in the teeth and ears, which both become pointed after the transformation to vampire is fully completed. Ears are only slightly pointed, however, much like a fae's. The pointed teeth in a vampire's mouth are the top two canine teeth - they are sharpened, but the same length as all other teeth in the vampire's mouth until the vampire is ready to feed. Then the canines extend in length, and become sharper than needles.

Vampires are also pale-skinned. This does not mean that they become white as a sheet of paper, but rather, whatever color skin they had when they died is suddenly grayed, ashen, and corpse-like. When a vampire has recently fed, their skin seems a bit more *alive* because of the fresh blood flowing through them.

They are considered beautiful, yet terrifying, creatures. Their eyes retain whatever color they'd had before they died, though there are silver flecks that show up in their irises when a light is shown in them. When hungry, the pupils of a vampire's eyes will swallow the iris and the white.

Vampires do not naturally become an animal or have animalistic features unless the player chooses those abilities for them.

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**The Awakening**

Vampires were once human beings. Originally, these human beings took part in rituals of black magic, trying to obtain the power of the fae and, in turn, cursing themselves into becoming creatures of the night. Since then, vampirism has been passed down through the infection of another human being by a vampire. The vampire who decides to sire a human must first drain the human of their blood until they are nearly dead. Once the human reaches that point of death, the vampire must then feed the human their own blood, forcing the human to drink. Should the human survive the strenuous process, their body will begin the biological changes, transforming them into vampires.

By all counts, the human's physiology is now what would be considered medically "dead". The newly-turned vampire will lose their heartbeat, though they will still have brain activity. Appearance-wise, they will seem like a corpse: they will lose all color in their flesh, their bones and muscles will turn stiff with apparent rigormortis, and all their once-necessary organs will shut down.

The transformation takes approximately 24 hours, or until the moon reaches its apex in the sky the following night, hearkening back to when the ritual for vampirism was performed many thousands of years ago. The new vampire will then be awakened - often with a start, or immediately in "kill everything" mode. They will have become full vampires and will need to feed on human blood *immediately* or risk losing their minds or causing physical damage to their internal systems.

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**The Curse**

Unlike werecreatures, vampires are not ruled by the lunar cycles. Instead, they are ruled by the sun. Vampires are unable to be in direct sunlight without suffering major damage to their skin and internal organs the longer they spend exposed to the light. Rather than bursting into flames, vampires will slowly boil to death. Their skin will roast on their bodies, blisters and boils will crop up, and once the skin begins to peel back, the UV rays will damage muscle and internal tissue. They will suffer something akin to radiation sickness, and if bad enough, the illness can kill the vampire.

Also, due to the need to be up during the night, vampires will often feel fatigued during daylight hours, though many have trained themselves to handle staying up during the day. They do not necessarily need sleep, they can just feel tired due to their curse.

Mirrors, photographs, and holy items do not hold power over them that some myths claim they do. (In fact, there are many vampires who are faithful, and plenty of modern vampires that like selfies.) However, a vampire *does* require permission from an owner to enter a residence or private establishment. Any holy places, government buildings, or public spaces are fair game unless protected with a special kind of spell. Without permission, a vampire will not be able to cross the threshold of a residence.

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**Feeding**

Because of their curse, vampires are forced to feed on the blood of living beings, though that blood does not necessarily *always* have to come straight from the veins of humans. Animal blood is acceptable, although it will not provide the level of strength to their bodies that human blood does, and will not satisfy a vampire. A vampire who lives on animal blood will always be hungry, and will always be fighting to keep themselves under control when around any blood at all. More commonly, bagged blood from blood drives and hospitals is ingested. It gives the vampire what they need to survive, though many complain that it tastes stale compared to drinking from a live vein.

A vampire may also feed on the blood of shifters and Fae, though that is either illegal or highly frowned upon. A vampire gains no magical traits or powers, or boosts to their health, from drinking from a Fae or shifter. A vampire may also drink from another vampire or a werecreature, though this is much like drinking from an animal - it does not satisfy the vampire's hunger, often tastes spoiled or sour, and does very little to help heal wounds or injuries.

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**Magic and its Effects**

There is nothing natural about the magic that was used to create the first vampires, and all those that have followed. From the moment the awakening begins, it starts to corrupt any magic in an enchanted or cursed human while it infuses every cell of an unjoined with corrupted magic. The corrupted magic is not able to be drained from them without killing the owner. It is not able to be shared or augmented in any way. Those that had magical abilities before will notice those abilities may misfire or not work at all, while all of them - even the prior unjoined humans - will notice new abilities start to form.

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**Covens and Sire Bonds**

When a new vampire awakens, they may feel a connection with their sire that they never felt before. This connection can be as weak or as strong as the player would like, and can be romantic, familial, or master/servant, depending on the wills and desire of both the sire and the fledgling. Sires are not required to stay with or teach their fledglings anything, though most do. Vampires are not required to find covens to become a part of, and most prefer to do things on their own.

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**Digestion**

Vampires are still able to consume human foods and drinks so long as they never stopped doing that after they were awakened. Once a vampire stops consuming solid foods for longer than a year, the vampire's body decides the human digestive tract is no longer needed, and stops it from functioning in order to place that energy wherever it's needed more. If a vampire were to begin eating solid foods again, the vampire's body would reject it and cause excruciating pain and sickness in the vampire, though those who have suffered through the effects long enough are able to regain their ability to consume and enjoy solid foods. If a vampire consumes solid foods regularly, that vampire will have normal digestion and bowel movements. If non-blood liquids are consumed, that vampire will have normal urinary function. If a vampire is on a strict blood-only diet, they will not need to use the bathroom as the blood they digest will fuse with the blood in the vampire's veins and arteries, and help operate the cardiovascular system. Any waste (which is already minimal) will be disposed of when the vampire bleeds or cries.

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**Vampire Death**

Vampires, though immortal, can die through a number of ways. Prolonged exposure to the sun or to natural fire can kill them, as can being staked in the heart with ash wood or silver, having their heads cut off (or their brain stems severed), starving to death, or suffering from immortality sickness.

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**Immortality Sickness**

This is an illness that can occur in any vampire at any age, though symptoms typically begin to manifest around 700 to 800 years old. Not all vampires suffer immortality sickness, although most do. It is a byproduct of the curse, and is the only way that nature can cull the vampire population sans violence.

Immortality sickness has four stages, all of which can be experienced as quickly as within a century, or as stretched out as within a millennium.

Stage 1

Typically begins between 700 and 800 years old, though some vampires are much older by the time they begin to feel its effects. This stage is similar to dementia, in that its symptoms consist of personality changes, forgetfulness, clumsiness, mood swings, slight loss of cognitive function or ability to recall memories, and the tendency to stare off into space or wander.

Stage 2

Symptoms include anxiety, loneliness, depression, loss of motor function, slow cognitive function, greater loss of memory, frequently being "zoned out", wandering, nightmares, headaches, increased hunger, loss of physical strength and speed, seeming lost in their own world, mumbled speech, and lack of restraint.

Stage 3

All previously stated symptoms get stronger/more out of control, plus muscle convulsions and spasms, inability to control one's own fangs/eye color, unpredictable behavior, self-harm, aggression, inability to be reasoned with, very short periods of lucidity, extreme hunger to the point of gorging themselves, irrational thought patterns, paranoia, hallucinations, extreme short-term and long-term memory loss, the desire to feel pain, and insanity.

Stage 4

Those who reach this stage do not stay in it for long. Death quickly finds them. All previously stated symptoms grow to be extreme, plus the need for self-harm becomes so great that vampires will often choose to end their own lives by entering sunlight, staking themselves, convincing someone else to kill them, or simply starving to death.

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**Sex**

Sex can be performed the same way it was performed when the vampire was human. However, sex cells in a vampire's body are, for all intents and purposes, dead, and therefore cannot be used to reproduce. For females, this means that there are no living ovums in the ovaries. For males, this means that when a male orgasms, he does not ejaculate sperm cells. For more information on how vampires *can* reproduce, check out the Pregnancy and Birth section.

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**Age**

The age cap for playable vampires is 1000 years old, with admin permission needed for anyone over 800. Non-playable vampires can be much older, in general. Because vampires are immortal, age equals strength in many cases. So, the older the vampire is, the stronger they are, and the better they are at honing their skills. This does not mean that they are invincible, however. Vampires are immortal unless something external takes their lives, such as a weapon or the sun. Newblood vampires experience a surge in strength and all of their abilities in order to help them survive in nature, though they are not stronger than vampires who are considerably older than them. Their strength evens out after the first few decades, kind of like after a period of puberty. Unlike shifters and werecreatures, once a vampire is awakened, they are frozen at that age and will never physically age no matter how old they get. While many vampires will communicate their age in other ways, such as their language or physicality, they will never physically look any older than the day they died.

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**Symbol**

The symbol for the vampires is the upper half of a skull, as if the lower jaw did not exist, with pointed canines and hollowed eyes. The symbol varies by coven, and each clan may have their own spin on it, but the half skull with fangs is the general symbol for all vampires.

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**Other Names**

Vampires also have many nicknames in myth and legend. These include: Strigoi, demons, Nosferatu, Incubus, Succubus, Drakul, Strix, Ghouls, the living dead, the undead, walking corpses, creatures/children of the night, night walkers, ladies/gentlemen of the night, etc.