Once Living, Blood-Fiends, and Other Ambulatory Dead

Vampires are the living dead, able to feed only upon blood. They have paler skin than the normal human, no pulse, and of course fangs. All vampires are strong and fast, though not to the same extent as lycanthropes. However, they also possess a variety of powers, known as 'mind tricks', with which they can appear to move more rapidly than they actually are (they cloud the mind while they are moving, so that it does not notice the motion, but rather their end position). Vampires have a keen sense of hearing and smell, especially when it comes to blood.

Vampires require the blood of humans or lycanthropes to truly survive, although animal blood can sustain them on a temporary basis. The blood of lycanthropes and magically-inclined humans is more potent than simple human blood, and in fact vampires can become drunk on enough powerful blood.

During the day, vampires do not simply sleep - they die. A necromancer's vampire servant can sleep instead of dying if their master is touching them, and a powerful enough vampire can maintain consciousness even while the sun is in the sky. Powerful vampires can rise before sunset, and necromancers can raise vampires during the day (though they do not achieve full consciousness). Weaker vampires woken during the day may become animalistic. A very few vampires have shown an ability to walk in indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight, however, causes any vampire to burst into flame.

A vampire's 'age' - the length of time they have been a vampire, which is not tied to the age they were when they were turned - affects the strength and number of their abilities. The newly dead have trouble disguising their vampirism (they don't have the art of smiling without flashing their fangs down), and also have not yet lost enough of human habit to make themselves perfectly still, like a marble statue.

Master vampires can turn humans through a series of three bites, although certain powerful vampires can turn a human with only one bite. For this reason, vampires tend to avoid drinking from the same human more than three times in a month. In very rare cases, a human can be turned through a group feeding, in which case they rise as an 'animalistic vampire' - the equivalent of a rabid beast, with great pain tolerance and without any cognitive ability. The master that created them can control them, but only if they have enough power. When vampires first rise, they are often confused and/or dangerous. As a result, victims of a vampire attack are stored in a special morgue, where a vampire counselor waits with a welcome snack.

No vampire, no matter how powerful, may physically enter your home without an invitation. This invitation can be revoked at any time, which will physically force the vampire out of the home. Vampires can be repelled by holy objects (crosses, for example), but only if there is faith behind the object. The stronger the faith, and the more powers the vampire is using at the time, the brighter the glow produced by the object, and the hotter the burn they produce if the vampire makes contact. Crosses can be used to restrain vampires, usually draped over their coffins while they sleep. Holy water burns vampires permanently like acid would burn a human.

Vampires can be killed through fire or decapitation, as well as the typical stake through the heart. Silver causes wounds that heal with human slowness, so a fatal wound (a head or heart shot) can kill them (strong vampires can be unpredictable, however, in their healing capacities). The preferred method for effectively eradicating a dangerous vampire is to stake and/or decapitate them, cut out the heart, burn the body, and scatter the ashes over running water.

Vampires have the ability to hypnotize, or 'roll', people through eye contact. This hypnosis is temporary, allowing the vampire to mask their movements, give commands, or hide the pain of their bite. The simplest way to avoid this is by not meeting the vampire's gaze, but animators, other vampires, powerful lycanthropes, and human servants display varying levels of immunity to a vampire's gaze. Vampires can also use mass hypnosis, which is the only legal form of rolling without consent, and is limited in what it can achieve. With more time and power, a vampire can 'deep roll' a victim. While the actual hypnotized state can be released at the vampire's will, the vampire will forever have a connection to the victim and be able to recall them at will. The only way to end this state of hypnosis is through death, either of the victim or of the vampire.

Vampires can also read emotions, to a certain extent. This is an ability that grows stronger with marks. Some vampires can use this ability to determine if they are being lied to, but not all can.

While biting a victim, some vampires can enter the victim's mind and establish some mental control over the victim. This control is firmly established after a few bites, but can be erased by fully cleansing the wound with holy water. A vampire's bite can also be sexual.

A vampire's power increases with age, but not all vampires will reach master status.

Master vampires are more adept at the generic vampire abilities, and can also exert control over lesser vampires. In addition, they may develop one or more master-specific abilities.

The most typical ability is having an animal to call. This power gives the vampire the ability to summon (and to a certain extent control) animals of a certain type (for example, rats) and their lycanthropic equivalent. Certain vampires can call more than one animal (Belle Morte can call any feline, Padma Master of Beasts can call any). A sufficiently powerful lycanthrope can both ignore the call and block its effects on other lycanthropes - usually this is displayed by clan leaders, who can then protect the lycanthropes of their clan through metaphysical ties. A master vampire can form ties with one particular lycanthrope of this type, making them their Animal to Call.

Some master vampires can rise early, though they may not walk in direct sunlight and survive.

Many master vampires can make their voice a tangible force, conveying emotion with their words. Certain vampires are better at conveying some emotions than others.

A master vampire can bind a human to them through a series of four marks. These marks cannot be removed once given, and a vampire can have only one Human Servant at a time. Each mark binds the two closer together - the death of the master or the servant can lead to the death of the other. Most servants are subject to their master's will, but a necromancer servant retains free will.

First mark: a simple energy transfer. The human servant gains greater resistance to injury and to vampire mental powers, and an almost complete immunity to their master's mental powers.

Second mark: another energy transfer, usually represented by points of light resembling the master's eyes. The master gains the ability to draw power from the human servant, to experience food and drink consumed by the servant, and to enter the servant's dreams.

Third mark: the master drinks the servant's blood. The servant gains increased healing and an immunity to poisons. Master and servant gain the ability to communicate telepathically.

Fourth mark: the servant drinks the master's blood. The servant ceases to age, and may draw upon the vampire's strength. Mental communication between the two is nearly complete.

A triumvirate can be formed by a vampire with their animal to call and human servant if their human servant has significant psychic/magical abilities. The abilities of all three are strengthened through the marks, and the master can feed off of both servants if they run out of energy.

Certain master vampires gain a resistance to silver, while others gain complete immunity to its special effects.

By manipulating auras, some master vampires can cut their opponents from a distance. Normally humans cannot be affected this way, but necromancers have an aura of power which allows them to be cut.

Some master vampires can call shadows to cloak an area in darkness.

Very few vampires have minor pyrokinetic abilities - even fewer have major pyrokinetic abilities.

Sometimes a master vampire gains enough power to become a sourdre de sang - a "fountain of blood". While they were able to sire vampires before, being the sire of a bloodline makes them forever independent of their own sire. This becomes important, as vampires owe fealty to the sourdre de sang of their bloodline.

A sourdre de sang generates their own animating force, but also provides for all vampires that have been sired by they and their line, or have taken a blood oath into the line. Individual lines often have distinguishing characteristics that are passed on to vampires of that line.

Certain members of Morte D'Amor's bloodline can cause their bodies to rot and decay at will, without suffering harm. This renders them nearly impossible to kill without the use of fire and/or sunlight. An even smaller number of Morte D'Amor's line can spread corruption to a victim with their bite, causing them to decay and die.

Night hags, or moras, are vampires that can feed off of fear the way Belle's vampires feed off of lust. Like the incubi and succubi of Belle's line, they can generate this 'food' in those around them. There is a lingering aura of fear around them, whether they will it or no. It is believed that Moroven, once of Belle's line, is the sourdre de sang from which this talent springs. Only master vampires of her line display this ability.

Vampires maintain a highly organized social hierarchy reminiscent of the courts of Medieval Europe (with good reason).

Each city is controlled by a single master vampire, the Master of the City, to whom all other vampires in the city must answer. In fact, the other vampires of the city are blood-oathed to the Master, to enable the enforcement of the Master's laws. The exception to this lies in St. Louis, where the Church of Eternal Life was founded. The vampires of the Church were, until very recently, not blood-oathed to Jean Claude (Master of St. Louis) - nor were they bound to Malcolm (the Church's leader), but rather remained free individuals. This made it impossible for Jean Claude or Malcolm to be aware of their doings at all times. After recent events, however, the vampires of the Church are bound to Jean Claude.

The Master of the City draws strength from the vampires bound to him/her. This makes them harder to kill, but many Masters employ the use of a Stalking Horse - a vampire who masquerades as the Master of the City while the true Master works in secret. As the position is generally transferred only by the death of the Master, this becomes a wise strategy when challengers come around.

All Masters of the City owe allegiance to their sourdre de sang, but above all to the Vampire Council, based in Europe. A seat on the Council may be bought only through the death of one of the sitting members, but as the Council are some of the strongest vampires in the world, with each being a Soudre de Sang, this is no easy task.

Humans in vampire society are typically only food, with a few exceptions. A master's human servant is off-limits to other vampires.

A vampire may also take a pomme de sang ("apple of blood"), someone who feeds them regularly. This is usually a lycanthrope, as they are immune to vampirism and have a higher metabolism. Pomme de sangs are treated in the same manner as treasured lovers - they are given gifts, provided for, and protected from other vampires. A pomme de sang may be shared with guests to show generosity on the part of the host.

Humans who have been mentally dominated by vampires are referred to as Renfields, after the character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Before that, they were referred to simply as slaves.

Vampires often drink from willing donors. Some vampires are involved romantically with humans who provide blood, while others attend 'freak parties' - events hosted by vampire junkies who are eager to be bitten.

In the United States, vampires can marry humans, but reproduction is difficult; vampires, being dead, usually cannot produce children. A female vampire can become pregnant, but the child will spontaneously abort, frequently being absorbed back into the womb - the dead cannot give birth to life. A male vampire can father children, but again the fetus tends to spontaneously abort. Vampires over a century in age tend to be sterile. The newly dead have a better chance, but doctors recommend at least a six week wait before trying to have children. When the fetus doesn't abort, it runs a high risk of Vlad Syndrome, which threatens both fetus and mother.