Vampires are those classified as any being given a strain of powers that descend from the God of the Night and Darkness. The magic has forked several times to the point where two strains can have very different traits.
Vampires, however, have a much deeper lore than meets the eye, and it all dates back to the original God of the Night.
Vampires have existed for much of humanity's existence on Atalan. Their birth came with the rise of the original Vampire in the first God of the Night in the Age of Gods. The first Vampires that received the gift came together to form the Circle of Vampire Lords; a prestigious title only held by those who receive Vampirism from the original source - the God of the Night.
The first written records of Vampires date back to the Age of Control, however accounts of Vampires have been occurring since at least the Regal Era. Vampires were always very reclusive and solitary beings. Unlike Werewolves they do not often form Clans due to having strong personality clashes.
Vampires are required to consume the blood of mortals to survive. For a long while during the Age of Control, Vampires held large masses of land and would terrorize many of the civilians that lived there. Mortal humans often could not fight back until they discovered a plant that took root in Egypt: the Lycium náryáva. This would later be commonly referred to as the Flaming Bush with it's fruits taking the simple name of Flame Fruits. These fruits have highly acidic properties such that even touching the fruit would cause the Vampires pain.
Warring began and the mortals overturned the Vampire rule. This almost brought about the extinction of Vampires entirely, and after excessive use the once-abundant Flame Fruits went extinct. One has not been seen since the Celestial Ages. Vampires disappeared into hiding to survive, yet they still needed to meet their own needs. This is when the rise of the Blood Link came into play.
Blood Links supposedly have always existed for as long as Vampires have. The concept of the Blood Link is simple: two souls who are compatible will be drawn together to form a mutually beneficial relationship. This is the case in many lifestates, including Werewolves, but for the Vampires it is always a Vampiric soul matched with its mortal counterpart. Each gain something from the relationship: the Vampire gains a source of sustenance and can remain in secretive, while the mortal gains the protection and care of the Vampire.
After the warring that tore apart the Age of Control, Vampires remained below the radar. The Vampires families who make up the Counsel of Vampires came together to form a pact so they would not risk their livelihoods again, and the pact remains in tact to this day.
Inherently, Vampirism of the top ranks were reserved for men only up until Charlotte Keeper (Defount, at the time) was bitten during the year 678 of the Era of Prophecies. Charlotte is the first and only known woman to receive the gift of Vampirism from the God of the Night and Darkness, himself. Malice Nightmare was newly risen, and his lack of complacency with the Counsel of Vampires brought about a civil war that dragged all of Vampire-kind into it. Shortly after this sprung a surge of female Vampiresses that rose to fight for their equality.
The war has ended, but only in name. Female Vampires are still not welcomed among top ranks, and women who are turned are usually expected to be put to rigorous tests to prove their worth to best keep their lives.
The first written records of Vampires date back to the Age of Control, however accounts of Vampires have been occurring since at least the Regal Era. Vampires were always very reclusive and solitary beings. Unlike Werewolves they do not often form Clans due to having strong personality clashes.
Vampires are required to consume the blood of mortals to survive. For a long while during the Age of Control, Vampires held large masses of land and would terrorize many of the civilians that lived there. Mortal humans often could not fight back until they discovered a plant that took root in Egypt: the Lycium náryáva. This would later be commonly referred to as the Flaming Bush with it's fruits taking the simple name of Flame Fruits. These fruits have highly acidic properties such that even touching the fruit would cause the Vampires pain.
 |
| Lycium náryáva. |
Warring began and the mortals overturned the Vampire rule. This almost brought about the extinction of Vampires entirely, and after excessive use the once-abundant Flame Fruits went extinct. One has not been seen since the Celestial Ages. Vampires disappeared into hiding to survive, yet they still needed to meet their own needs. This is when the rise of the Blood Link came into play.
Blood Links supposedly have always existed for as long as Vampires have. The concept of the Blood Link is simple: two souls who are compatible will be drawn together to form a mutually beneficial relationship. This is the case in many lifestates, including Werewolves, but for the Vampires it is always a Vampiric soul matched with its mortal counterpart. Each gain something from the relationship: the Vampire gains a source of sustenance and can remain in secretive, while the mortal gains the protection and care of the Vampire.
After the warring that tore apart the Age of Control, Vampires remained below the radar. The Vampires families who make up the Counsel of Vampires came together to form a pact so they would not risk their livelihoods again, and the pact remains in tact to this day.
Inherently, Vampirism of the top ranks were reserved for men only up until Charlotte Keeper (Defount, at the time) was bitten during the year 678 of the Era of Prophecies. Charlotte is the first and only known woman to receive the gift of Vampirism from the God of the Night and Darkness, himself. Malice Nightmare was newly risen, and his lack of complacency with the Counsel of Vampires brought about a civil war that dragged all of Vampire-kind into it. Shortly after this sprung a surge of female Vampiresses that rose to fight for their equality.
The war has ended, but only in name. Female Vampires are still not welcomed among top ranks, and women who are turned are usually expected to be put to rigorous tests to prove their worth to best keep their lives.
Vampires have many types of magic depending on the family from which the Vampirism stems. All Vampires have a hypnosis ability, some enhancements to their speed or strength, and a venom in their fangs that can kill or inflict Vampirism on its victims. Beyond that, each type of Vampire can have different abilities or specializations depending on the strain of Vampirism.
Hypnosis (Seduction):
All Vampires have the gift of "Seduction" which scientifically stems from their ability to form a Blood Link with another person. While it is unconscious during a Blood Link, Vampires over the many centuries have gotten the ability to control it when they desire. This can have adverse effects such as thralling. Hypnotizing or "seducing" someone makes them more pliable to follow or accept the Vampire or what the Vampire is trying to say.
In the case of a Blood Link, the Vampire cannot control (nor would they realize the presence of) their seduction, which acts as more of a gentle question of consent to bond with the mortal; the mortal who is the receiving end of a Blood Link has equal if not more sway over the Vampire which kept the hypnosis and seduction on even playing grounds. Given that Vampires can now use this ability consciously it means that in most cases the playing field is uneven and the mortal could lose their willpower to the Vampire in what is known as thralling.
Enhanced Speed and Strength:
Vampires have increased speed and strength, though in most cases it's dependent on when they've last consumed blood. Vampires can move up to 5 times faster than the average human and can lift things well beyond 5 times their own weight. Their speed and strength aid them not only in the physical sense but it grants them great durability and the ability to recover from wounds quickly. This is due to the fact that the speed and strength are merely side-effects of the Vampirism's effects on their physiology.
The Venomous Bite:
What is the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Vampires? In most cases, it's the bite. Vampires have a venom in their fangs that can kill as well as pass on the Vampire genes, if the body should accept it. The magic that makes up the Vampire venom conflicts with most other magics in the world of Atalan, so it has a fatal effect on any victims that already have magic in their blood. It's taken many, many years but an anecdote for the venom of a Vampire has been created, though it is still being perfected by those in the Knowledge circles.
The Strains:
In the beginning there were nine Vampire families that came from the original God of Night and Darkness. Few of these families remain to this day, as they have bred into other families over thousands of years, yet the attributes of each family's strain of Vampirism keeps its name.
Of the strains of Vampirism there is always leeway. How one person reacts to Vampirism does not determine all, and there are even sects of these strains that have variation within them.
Last Edited: 10/25/17 (LL)
Hypnosis (Seduction):
All Vampires have the gift of "Seduction" which scientifically stems from their ability to form a Blood Link with another person. While it is unconscious during a Blood Link, Vampires over the many centuries have gotten the ability to control it when they desire. This can have adverse effects such as thralling. Hypnotizing or "seducing" someone makes them more pliable to follow or accept the Vampire or what the Vampire is trying to say.
In the case of a Blood Link, the Vampire cannot control (nor would they realize the presence of) their seduction, which acts as more of a gentle question of consent to bond with the mortal; the mortal who is the receiving end of a Blood Link has equal if not more sway over the Vampire which kept the hypnosis and seduction on even playing grounds. Given that Vampires can now use this ability consciously it means that in most cases the playing field is uneven and the mortal could lose their willpower to the Vampire in what is known as thralling.
Enhanced Speed and Strength:
Vampires have increased speed and strength, though in most cases it's dependent on when they've last consumed blood. Vampires can move up to 5 times faster than the average human and can lift things well beyond 5 times their own weight. Their speed and strength aid them not only in the physical sense but it grants them great durability and the ability to recover from wounds quickly. This is due to the fact that the speed and strength are merely side-effects of the Vampirism's effects on their physiology.
The Venomous Bite:
What is the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Vampires? In most cases, it's the bite. Vampires have a venom in their fangs that can kill as well as pass on the Vampire genes, if the body should accept it. The magic that makes up the Vampire venom conflicts with most other magics in the world of Atalan, so it has a fatal effect on any victims that already have magic in their blood. It's taken many, many years but an anecdote for the venom of a Vampire has been created, though it is still being perfected by those in the Knowledge circles.
The Strains:
In the beginning there were nine Vampire families that came from the original God of Night and Darkness. Few of these families remain to this day, as they have bred into other families over thousands of years, yet the attributes of each family's strain of Vampirism keeps its name.
Blathazar Strain: This strain stems from warm, dry climates like deserts, and as such the strain of Vampirism makes it possible to walk in the heat and sunlight with no damage. These Vampires are not as fast as others, but they are stronger and more durable. Besides being able to handle heat and sunlight, they can induce hallucinations like mirages on their victims. Those with this strain are weakened greatly by colder climates.
Sabien Strain: This strain is layered in subterfuge; they can become nearly invisible to most and move without making any sound. They are slightly weaker and slower than most Vampires, but they make up for this with stronger hypnosis abilities. The purer the strain of this Vampirism can allow for teleportation over short distances. This strain is very weak in sunlight to the degree where lesser strains of this cannot step into sunlight at all without great consequence.
Ketto Strain: Those with the Ketto strain can breathe underwater and make some of the best swimmers of all Vampires. They're less bothered by sunlight and heat, though they're not as immune as the Blathazar strain. This strain is commonly found in tropical areas, but they're not limited to it. There are some stray variations of this strain that have grown more resistant to the cold which allowed them to move further north through the continents. The Ketto are very weak in dry areas and fare better in highly humid and wet climates.
Agar Strain: The Agar strain grants extra power to the hypnosis gift of the Vampire. Not only can this strain hypnotize well, they have the ability to mind control and manipulate with ease. This strain of Vampirism is not inherently strong - in fact they are the weakest of all the strains, yet they maintain average Vampire speed and can use their mind control to make up for what they lack in strength. This strain of Vampirism needs to feed more often than most to maintain their ability to control others.
Arato Strain: This strain of Vampirism is the most common and with good reason. The Arato are very capable of adapting to most environments and have very few weaknesses, save for that they need to feed more often than even the Agar strain. Most Vampires can get away with feeding only once every month (minus the Snowes, who can go years in some extreme cases), whereas the Arato strain requires fortnightly or weekly feeding.
Helevorn Strain: The Helevorn strain is unique in that they have a small control of the flow of time. They can slow or even stop (in those who have the purer strains) time within a small duration and radius. This requires a great deal of focus and power from the Vampire and will drain their strength quickly, requiring them to feed more as they do it. Helevorns face a much stronger weakness in that if they are not careful with their abilities they could draw the attention of the Goddesses of Time and be subject to punishment.
Snowe Strain: The Snowe strain has grown increasingly rare, or perhaps the Vampires are just getting better at hiding. Snowes are known for their immunity to cold weather - but even more than that, they do not need to feed nearly as often as the other strains. Their bodies can enter a physical torpor which allows them to survive for years without needing to feed. They are weaker in warmer climates, but not as weak as the Blathazar are in cold climates. Surprisingly, these Vampires are not as sensitive to the sunlight either, which many scientists attribute to the refraction of light against snow and ice they likely had to dealt with for thousands of years.
Tempest Strain: The Tempest strain boasts the ability to wield magic, which has been proven mostly false. Tempests are capable of abilities that mimic magic but after much studying it was discovered to not be the same as the magic used by Magical Sources. What Vampires with this strain can do usually is elemental in nature - creating lightning to strike an area, controlling the environment with thoughts or hand gestures. The greatest weakness of Tempest is that they have no speed or strength benefits, and like the Helevorn and the Agar, their powers are dependent on them feeding frequently.
Malcov Strain: The second rarest strain just under the Original Strain of Vampirism is the Malcov strain. These Vampires have the gift of mind reading at the cost of no magical seductive (hypnosis) abilities whatsoever. Not much is known of this strain and there is no confirmation if there are any living Vampires with this strain remaining.
The Original Strain: The Original Strain can be given only by the God of the Night and Darkness. The God of the Night and Darkness can grant any strain, however this strain is free of any weakness, while it hosts all the strengths of all strains. This strain does not need to feed unless it digs into any of the abilities that would require that support (like the abilities of the Agar, Helevorn, and the Tempest). This strain is not weak to temperature nor sunlight and it is the strongest of all of the known strains of Vampirism.
Of the strains of Vampirism there is always leeway. How one person reacts to Vampirism does not determine all, and there are even sects of these strains that have variation within them.
Last Edited: 10/25/17 (LL)
