Vampire

*"The vampire is the antithesis of life. It is a filthy parody of the redeeming blood of Christ. It can only bring death, misery, and worse: the contamination of the soul."*

-Seán Manchester, Bishop of Glastonbury

 The vampire, or vampyr, also known as the strigoi, is a preternatural being originating in folklore across Serbia and the Balkans in the early fourteenth century. In Romanian mythology the strigoi are believed to be troubled spirits that are said to have risen from the grave. They are attributed with the abilities to transform into an animal, become invisible, and to gain vitality from the blood of their victims. In modern fiction and speculation vampirism has been associated with some form of disease, whether it be a fictional disease or a real life ailment.

In reality vampirism is a supernatural phenomenon involving a recently expired cadaver that undergoes a metamorphosis initiated through a combination of full blown demonic possession and necromantic transfiguration. Such beings are not human and are the true corporeal manifestation of diabolical evil. They have a voracious thirst for the blood of living creatures, particularly that of humans, although they kill indiscriminately whether it be wild animal, cattle, pet, man, woman, or child. They are very predatory and mocking creatures who take great pleasure in human suffering, their sole purpose being to act as a Satanic spoof of the glorified resurrection of the body of Christ. Just as we are redeemed and forgiven by partaking of the blood of Christ in the spiritual sense, vampires greedily partake of the blood of the living in the carnal sense. What he freely gives, they cruelly take. For sin is not of the spirit but of the flesh, thus as the embodiment of pestilence and human sin the vampire must be of the flesh whereas resurrected followers of Christ are reborn in the spirit.

The vampire does not sleep. Rather it undergoes a repeating cycle of death (or rather exanimation : the ceasing of all activity) and reanimation. It takes considerable energy to maintain a state of perpetual undeath, and since the body is dead and therefore can't sleep the vampire conserves it's energy by shutting down completely. For reasons unknown the creature is irrevocably bound to the site in which it was interned upon death, whether it be a sepulcher, mausoleum, burial site, or during times of plague a mass grave. While in their exanimate state they are said to have a peculiar watchfulness about them, as though being intimately aware of what's going on around the corporeal form.

## **Appearance :**

A vampire that has not satiated sufficiently does not appear any different to that of a corpse just a few days old. The skin is grayish in tone and appears gaunt and somewhat livid. Even though death has taken place long before, there will be no decay, no trace of corruption or decomposition, but rather it will remain largely intact and pliable but ice cold to the touch.

The vampire will appear much the same as it did in life with the exception of being still very dead, and are thereby disgusting and putrid even given the corpse's remarkably undecayed state. The skin is sallow, parchment-like beneath which there tends to be a faint bluish or greenish tinge with early formation of Tardieu spots spreading across the body. The stages of decomposition never seem to advance beyond this point.

When recently fed the creature is often described as appearing plump and of a clear complexion. The skin is ruddy, purplish, or dark in colour due to the recent quaffing of blood. Blood was often seen seeping from the mouth and nose when one was seen in its shroud or coffin. They appear gorged and are stinking with blood. Their eyes appear glazed, yellow around the edges with blood red centres. The eyes are baleful and glint with bottomless malice and within those two infernal orbs is set the red fire of perdition. Their mouth is cruel, mocking, and hungry looking, the sclera, teeth, and nails are all yellowed and repulsive in appearance and after each feeding crimson blood is seen trickling out the ears, nose, and mouth. The vampire's own blood is a deoxygenated black color and is partially congealed. When a vampire feeds it is suffused with fresh blood which is a vibrant red. The great leech feeds in such quantity that blood is forced out the orifices.

When resting in their coffin whole person is composed as if in a profound sleep. Sometimes the eyes are closed; more frequently open, glazed, fixed and glaring fiercely. The lips which will be markedly full and red, drawn back from the teeth which appear uncharacteristically sharp and somewhat protruding. Often the gaping mouth is stained and foul with great gouts of blood, which trickles down from the corners on to the lawn shroudings and linen cerements.

Other traits include lividity, dark veins, slightly pointed ears, unusually sharp teeth (though not necessarily fangs), marked recession of the gum line and nailbeds, curved and jagged nails which tend to be dark and discolored, and a slightly receding upper lip. After each feeding the vampire becomes bloated, seemingly engorged like a tick, with blood cascading out of all or most orifices. The skin becomes grotesquely flushed in complexion and appears moist and sticky. Vampires are commonly seen wearing nothing but the shrouds in which they where buried, now dirty and tattered with a large savage tear in the cloth at the mouth from which to feed. Another characteristic of the undead is their apparent difficulty with breathing, often producing a muffled rasping sound instead of just breathing normally or better, not breathing at all (as they clearly don't need to due to their reputation of sleeping in coffins and in other sources even dwelling in shallow water).

## Altered Biology

#### **Feeding :**

   Vampires possess two distended retractable "needles" which protrude from two tiny holes in the upper canines. Both are accompanied by a complex musculature which allows them to slide through fissures in the jaw and descend snugly out the dentin and crown. The needles slide out quickly, squeezing through two thin openings in the gums and once protruded they are locked into place as the muscles constrict and are able to puncture veins and arteries with surgical precision. Additionally they also have four small groves behind each canine which help vacuum up blood whilst they feed. Modification of epiglottal and esophageal tissue and muscle growth in the sub-mandibular duct allow their esophagus to act as a sort of suction, similar to that of a leech. The jaws stretch inhumanly wide, and with the neck arching in a viperlike motion, laches on to the victims throat just above their collar bone while the needles are inserted into the carotid artery and the contractions of throat allow them to suck in large quantities of blood in a short amount of time. The teeth may sometimes press into the flesh, drawing more blood and causing further pain which the creature delights in. However most vampires refrain from this as it creates more evidence, unless it is unlikely that the body will be found, or they plan to dispose of the body which they rarely do. It is also to be pointed out that because they are already dead vampires do not "need" blood to "survive". Blood acts as a fuel for their infernal power. This is why most Satanic rituals involve blood. It is also why Wiccans and practitioners of magick often warn of the perils of blood magic. Something happens when you spill blood during a pagan ritual, it opens a doorway. A doorway that is best kept closed.

#### **Other features :**

Along with abnormal jaw flexibility, vampires have a third maxillary sinus from which is secreted a mild neurotoxin which induces muscle-paralysis in it's victims. This, combined with it's hypnotic abilities makes most prey almost helpless. The corpses vampiric condition is able to do two major things : prevent anaerobic microorganisms from consuming it's flesh, slowing the decomposition, while also denaturing hydrolytic enzymes, which stops liquefaction and the onset of cellular necrosis in their tracks. This is only partly explains how the corpse is able to exist intact for centuries, and perhaps even millennia. Another feature is the glowing red eyes, perhaps something similar to tapetum lucidum, or more likely something caused by it's supernatural condition.

## **Powers/Abilities :**

* Undead Physiology
* Supernatural Body
* Apparition Mimicry
* Anaerobic Resuscitation
* Enhanced Motor Control
* Demonism/ Unholy Vessel

* Incorruptibility (via demonic intervention)
	+ Supernatural Embalming
	+ Putrefactive Resistance
	+ Liquefactive Resistance
	+ Decay Reversal
	+ Regenerative Activation (postmortem body-healing)

* Potent/enhanced Healing Abilities
* Putrescent Stench
* Pestilence Manipulation
* Rodent Manipulation
* Weather Manipulation
* Fog Generation
* Umbrageous Teleportation
* Shadow Submergence
* Jaw Stretching (Hemlock Grove style!)
* Exsanguination Inducement
* Vitality/ Life-Force Draining
* Enhanced Sensory Integration
* Blood Empowerment
* Night Empowerment
* Cemetery Empowerment
* Cemetery Lordship
* Exanimation
* Coffin Sleeping
* Necromancy and the Dark magicks
* Vampirization
* Overshadowing/ Body Hijacking
* Hypnosis
* Fear Inducement
* Sleep Paralysis Inducement
* Evil Embodiment
* Atmokinesis
* Shapeshifting
	+ Therianthropy
	+ Dispersion (ie. mist or fog, flock of crows, swarm of bats/ rats)
	+ Glamour Spell/Human Disguise
* Transvection
* Wallcrawling
* Invisibility
* Extreme elusivity (applications : 1 2 3 )

## **Vampire Weaknesses:**

* Blessed Silver - Vampires are weakened by blessed silver
* Holywater - Holywater burns their skin on contact.
* Running water -Vampires are unable to cross running water without human help (ie. being ferried across by a human).
* Decapitation - Cutting off their head is said to kill or at least severely inhibit them.
* Staking - Being staked through the heart prevents them from reanimating
* Heart removal - Removing the heart, cutting it in half, and then burning it is a common method of disposing a vampire.
* Vervain - Vervain is believed to ward off vampires.
* Holy Objects - Blessed objects and symbols of Christianity, especially the cross, are greatly effective against vampires.
* Salt - Vampires cannot cross a circle of salt, especially salt blessed by a priest.
* Exorcism - Since vampires are demonic they can be expelled via exorcism, although the person doing the exorcism usually has to be proficient in exorcism rites and ordained by the church.
* Incineration - Incineration of the corporeal form is the best method of destroying a vampire. This is best done only after staking and carrying out an exorcism.
* Garlic - Vampires hate garlic. This can possibly be attributed to an allergic or chemical reaction rather than anything supernatural. It's possible that they have a highly enhanced sense of smell which could very well account for this. However garlic is not always the most effective deterrent.