The author never really went into too many specifics as to the race of vampires, but rereading did help bring a lot of things to point. Some of it is speculation but as far as I've read I'm correct. Feel free to email me with any changes. Vampires are more prominent in this game because they were the majority when Winthrop was founded, but let's get started on explaining, because some of us may need a refresher.
Quick Links:
Origin | Lamia | Made Vampires | Shared Traits | Racial Relations
Redferns & Harmans | In Game
Origin
Hecate was a great witch queen and she gave birth to twin daughters named Hellewise and Maya. Hellewise would go on to become the mother of the Harman line of witches. Maya would end up becoming the first vampire and the mother of all Lamia vampires, as well as creating the first made vampire. Hellewise and Maya were often compared because of their drastic coloring difference and their personality difference too. Maya was considered the dark daughter and wanted to retain her beauty for eternity, as well as gaining immortality. Her desire to create her own fountain of youth required she use the blood of babies, but what she did not count on was that she would have to continue to drink the blood of living creatures in order to survive. The spell she cast indeed backfired in a way she least expected and also caused her exile from her witch clan.
Maya, after she was banished, went on to create the very first made vampire, and after that had a child in which she named him "Red Fern." All children from Red Fern took that on as their last name ("Redfern") and since some humans have that as their last name now, they can easily blend in. For Maya, immortality was truly gained as well as the ability to create others like herself and she disappeared over the ages, no onesure whether or not she is still around or if she was killed. *(Deviation) It is believed Maya was killed by a hunter from the Van Helsing line, but nothing has been confirmed.
* Maya is a non-playable character and will have nothing to do with this game.
Lamia
Lamia are born vampires. By born we mean that two other Lamia did that thing your parents talked to you about on the birds and the bees, and the mommy Lamia...okay, you get the gist now, right? All Lamia come from the line of Maya, some gain some of her physical traits, others don't. Some physical traits include the multi-hued eyes or the natural darker than midnight hair. Maya did have the ability to shapeshift but no one except for Maya has that ability.
Lamia differ in the sense that they experience childhood as a vampire and grow up normally. They can age just like a regular human being, but lucky them, they can force the aging process to halt entirely. Another bonus for the Lamia is that they can walk around during the daylight hours and blend in with regular humans. However, their vampiric powers are at full power at night.
Made Vampires
Made vampires are basically humans who become vampires. Lamia are born a vampire whereas made vampires become one. That difference usually means a lot to the vampires, especially since the Lamia have a "pureblood" kind of attitude because they decend directly from Maya through blood. Made vampire aren't trustful of Lamia though they are their first ally in case their species feels threatened.
To become a made vampire it is precise and it is also illegal. The process includes blood exchanges where the vampire will first drink the blood of the human and in return the human will drink the blood of the vampire. It takes three blood exchanges in order for the process to be complete. The human cannot only give blood and not get any in return. When the exchange takes place each gives a large amount of blood, more blood loss than any regular human can handle. The vampire blood replaces it, which is why the actual "exchange" needs to take place.
Just giving someone vampire blood will not mean they will become a vampire. Vampire blood actually attacks the human blood which is why the person dies after the exchanges are complete. Also note that if you exchange blood more than once within a week you've already begun the process and you need to finish. Vampire blood is thought to taste very sweet and at one point have been hunted for it.
The human will die and then rise from the grave after a week. During the time dead, the body's chemistry changes so that the human will now become a vampire and also become depedent on blood for survival. When newly made vampires wake up for the first time, they have an uncontrollable hunger that must be fed. The process must be done with complete blood exchanges, otherwise the human will become like a zombie and their flesh will start rotting...yeah...not good.
Not all humans can survive the process, in fact most made vampires look like they are under 20 because they are. People over 20 years old have a next to zero chance of surviving the whole process. People under that age may still not make it but they have better odds at making it through.
Making a made vampire is considered taboo among the species because the last thing they want is to have their favorite food supply run out by making everyone a vampire. To make a made vampire is a crime and vampires will seek out a Bellmont hunter to punish those responsible. Also note that made vampires are primarily nocturnal and do not go out in the day, because their powers are weakened, like Lamia. Newly made vampires should avoid sunlight for a good while, they are extremely sensitive to it at first. They will eventually adjust but they prefer the night just as any other person.
Making a vampire is tricky business, because if an autopsy were done, well, the secret would be out and that last thing the supernatural races need is a front page story. Usually the vampire who is in charge making the human one takes the precise care in making sure that the body does not go under autopsy or to the hospital for study, it does not get embalmed, or the mouth sewn shut. With how much technology exists nowadays it is entirely too risky to make a vampire. It is viewed as a threat to everyone.
Not done yet! Made vampires are not capable of reproducing, so you cannot be a made vampire and have children or be the child of a made vampire. Made vampires also stop aging once they become a vampire. Unlike Lamia who can stop the aging process when they choose, when you become a vampire, you remain the age you are when you died. So if you were seven years old and made into a vampire, you're stuck in the body of a seven year old till someone kills you. Period.
Shared Traits
The following characteristics that both types of vampires share:
- Vampires in the Night World are represented by a black rose. They usually wear the insignia of such somewhere whether it be a ring, a neck charm, a tattoo, shirt or even a symbol on a watch
- You can kill them by fire or staking.
- Must feed off blood in order to survive, whether it be human or animal it doesn't make the difference. Blood is required.
- They have highly sensitive smell when it comes to blood. They can jump higher, run faster, and they are very strong too.
- When they are about to eat their features are accented, to the point of an alien like beauty, their eyes a metallic version of their original eye color and their fangs extend. Other than that they look perfectly normal.
- Items of religious significance have no effect on them. They are not damned angels or anything. You pull a cross out on them, they'll laugh at you.
- Increased healing abilities. The more active you are as a vampire (more often you eat) the faster you will heal. If you eat seldomly, you will still heal quickly, but not as fast as you can. Older vampires don't have to drink blood all the time to heal quickly, but actually heal fast on their own.
- Vampires hate wood because wood hurts them. Badly. A vampire who eats regularly can take a regular bullet and the wound will heal up in a matter of seconds. But a wound from wood will take much longer to heal.
- A vampire can eat regular food but it has no effect on his or her appetite which can only be satisfied by blood. They can taste it just fine but they won't get full.
- As a vampire you have the ability to mesmerize a human with a glance. Vampires use this technique in order to control their prey and make it a much easier and have a less messy feeding.
- When a vampire is killed their body shrivels up and looks mummified
- Telepathy is a trait that all vampires have and most use it for hunting or preparing a victim to be fed upon. Older vampires have stronger telepathy and can control the movements of others if they have an average strength will.
- Vampires can use their telepathy power to trick people to induce an illusion or go into another person's dreams. Not every vampire has this ability but people aren't surprised to see it.
- Vampirse can use telepathic "blast" and be back to knock them back.
- When a vampire bites they are able to dig into the mind of the human or animal, whatever it may be. The connection is one-sided unless the victim happens to be the vampire's soulmate.
- Vampires can erase memories of the feeding, leaving the person with a blank memory about what happened during that period of time.
- Though related to witches distantly, vampires are incapable of invoking spells or anything magic related
- You must feed once a day otherwise you start to get sick, your body aches all over, and you will starve just like a person who has not eaten or drank for several days will.
Redferns & Harmans*
Both families came from the daughters of Hecate and they would eventually end up having to intermarry in order to save the Redferns from disappearing completely. It was around the early days of the "Burning Times" that many of the pureblooded Redferns found they had trouble having children as well as family being killed off by the Van Helsing family of hunters. So they made a deal with a Harman witch and through her womb came five daughters and three sons. Three of the daughters were witches, as well as one of the boys. Two of the daughters and sons were Lamia vampires. Through that short lived union the Redferns were able to stop from being extinct. Some pure blooded Redferns still exist, but the ones that came from mixing with the Harmans are the more numerous Lamia. Other Lamia before them had mixed with other species but they were belittled because of this.
* differences from the books, so please pay attention.
Racial Relations
If anything, vampires are the most arrogant of the Night World races. Some people like to blame it on the fact that they come from Maya or that they are considered not only the numerous, but strongest of the different races. Vampires have the advantage of immortality, so more of them have survived and stuck around. Modern vampires believe shifters to be dumb and good for doing dirty work, but older vampires know why shifters need to be kept down. Vampires don't care too much for witches though they are distant relatives and witches do have the advantage of the ability to use magic over them. All vampires view humans a food source and prefer their taste over other options. They usually have little or no respect for humans. They will become friends with humans but that is to keep a steady food supply available. They often refer to humans as "vermin."
In Game
Vampires of Graves Island are a little more old-world in the sense that they are very traditional about many things. Younger generations are more laid back but the ones up at the top of the chain are very much into rules. They do have tolerance for other species and treat them with higher respect than the average vampire would. Vampires are more numerous on the island than other species, but many of their line have left to live on the mainland. With the opening of the island to humans, they are outnumbered for the first time, though they still hold a good advantage since the humans don't have the faintest clue as to what they are. They only assume they were just an isolated town and private school.
Since vampires are the more powerful of the races if you intend to play one remember that your character will most likely be a teenager, not only that, but they will not have developed a lot of these powers. At least not most of them.
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