Summary:
The Vampira race hold a special place in the dark hearts of their Fallen masters. They are drinkers of blood, as their common name would suggest, and are the closest to humans in appearance, intellect, and behaviour. Many demons consider this an unfortunate racial flaw, but it has afforded them all the skills necessary to make them supreme hunters in the domain of mortals. It also enables them to understand the complex creations of pre-siege civilization, and so they are frighteningly good at prying the secrets from the ancient technology found in the ruins. Fortunately, for all their strength and skill at preying upon humans, true vampires have a difficult time propagating, and are blessedly few and far between. Their thralls, on the other hand, are quite numerous and are not to be underestimated.
Physical Characteristics:
Vampires come in as many colors and shapes as humans do. In this way, they are difficult to discover at a glance. On average, they do tend to be of darker coloration, but exceedingly fair examples have been discovered.
Vampires are known to have the following traits.
- Elongated cup-shaped ears that come to a rounded point (male ears are of a greater length than those of females and the cupping is more pronounced)
- Enhanced canines on both the upper and lower jaw, with the upper canines bearing a narrow, hollowed core for the purpose of biting and feeding. The lower fangs are suited for grasping the prey and holding it fast. These canines are especially deeply rooted to prevent them from being knocked out.
- Tranquilizing venom, in the same manner as serpents, administered by bite. This substance is of a clear, slightly amber color and becomes more potent as the vampire ages. It slows the heart and the absorption of adrenaline by the body, making escape difficult. A potent bite from a strong vampire can cause unconsciousness or even death.. Other demons seem to be resistant to this venom, but are not entirely immune. Vampires, of course, are not affected by traces of their own venom within the blood they drink. The reservoir for this venom is not very large, and so these demons use up their supply in only a few bites. It is not known how long it takes for their bodies to produce more. It is this venom that gives a vampire bite the informal name “ sleeping kiss. “
- Faint spotty or patchy patterns extending from the base of the spine up the back and neck. These markings are typically light brown, but have been seen on some vampires in grey, gold, rose, or slate blue. These markings can also appear around the temples, or on the forearms and calves. It has been discovered, from ancient documents, that rosetted vampires once existed. These have not been seen for some time.
- Natural healing abilities. Vampires are very resilient creatures. Their bodies, when healthy and well fed, can recover from most damage within two hours. This dark gift becomes less effective if they have not fed, however.
- A hypnotic gaze. A vampire’s most useful hunting skill is the use of their captivating eyes to entrance their prey. It is not entirely clear whether this effect is magical in nature, or not, but it is effective nonetheless. Eye contact must be constant and unbroken to be successful and can only affect one person at a time. Vampires can not only draw prey to them with this trick, they can also issue commands to the object of their attention and stand a good chance of being obeyed. Animals are very weak to a vampire’s stare and are easily enslaved.
- Crystalline fingernails. They are much like most other demons in this way. A vampire’s nails are made of a hard, crystal-like substance, and are usually of a hue matching the markings on their body.
- Poisonous blood. A vampire’s blood is deadly if tasted, or spattered on the open wound, or absorbent membrane of a human. This is a painful and lengthy death with consequences that surpass the mortal breadth of life. A death by vampire blood does not free the shard . . . .it enslaves and infects it.
Feeding:
Vampires are entirely dependent on blood to survive. Their body temperature, strength, and appearance are maintained by frequent feedings. The average adult vampire must consume a pint of blood at least twice a week to maintain a healthy appearance. Otherwise, the skin becomes slack and the muscle deteriorates slowly, causing the vampire to look gaunt and emaciated, and eventually skeletal. Maintaining a constant body temperature of 97-99 degrees F requires daily feeding. While this is not generally necessary for decent health, it is essential to vampires wishing to have a child. As with humans, a vampire can be successfully starved to death over a period of about two and a half weeks. As a final note, a starving vampire is among the most frightening and deadly creatures that can be encountered anywhere in Graceland. They become excessively vicious in their desperation and fear nothing.
Reproduction:
Vampira, as mentioned before, still maintain cultural tendencies similar to those of pre-siege humans. They are more often than not, polyamorous until they reach complete adulthood. At this point, they will often choose a single mate to sexually reproduce with, although they will engage in whatever other affairs they please. The conditions required for a successful pregnancy are so difficult to achieve that females generally suffer no unintended births. Fortunately for them, Vampira, like Anima, can produce creatures similar to themselves by nonsexual means as well.
Sexual conception requires both the male and female to be at their peak body temperature during the time of intercourse and for several days previous. Females must continue to feed in small portions throughout the day to maintain this temperature as closely as possible through the entire duration of the pregnancy, which amounts to the human equivalent of 9 months. Any significant drought in blood will cause a miscarriage. Miscarried young are reabsorbed into the female’s body. This process becomes increasingly painful and traumatic if it occurs during the latter half of the pregnancy.
Young are born in the same manner as human young and are initially imperceptible from humans at birth. They are not born with fangs, and so must feed from the mother's breast, which produces blood rather than milk. This blood is enriched with nutrients as it collects within the mammary glands. Because of this draining process, the mother must continue to drink frequently to supply her hungry child, who must drink several times a day. The fangs emerge at around three years of age, along with the venom reservoirs, and the child is then weaned.
Thralls, the nonsexual spawn of vampires, are risen humans whose shards have been poisoned and infected by vampire blood. If the body of a human killed in this manner is left unattended, it will awaken again once the poison circulates completely. This process takes up to three days and produces a being that is strong, wicked, and bound to the will of his or her master. Thralls receive none of a true vampire’s dark gifts, but inherit the constant craving for blood and a drastically extended lifespan. They retain their mortality and cannot create other thralls or have children, as they are essentially stalled in death.
Magicks:
Vampira are very avid students of magick. Their strong auras provide equally powerful and plentiful fuel for their spells. They are especially fond of curses and use these with devastating alacrity to torture or kill their enemies. Their interest in the energies is not as strong, although all vampires are expected to maintain at least a minimal knowledge of these disciplines and many excel in all areas. In addition to the traditional magicks, Vampira are possessed of a peculiar racial deviation which may produce an unusual variety of magick affinity. . .It is only mentioned in records and has not been seen thus far.
Weaknesses:
Vampira are among the most deadly of the demons, yet they pay for this power in various ways. They, being closer to humans than most, are not born with the typical demonic resistance to the city’s acidic rain. Their regenerative abilities allow them to recover eventually if they are caught in a storm, but they are not immune to damage. Additionally, they are very weak to strong light. They may walk in the day, but only with the continual protection of Graceland’s constant cloud cover. Even the filtered daylight may cause the more sensitive of their breed some discomfort. Those with light eyes appear to suffer more.
Vampires also tend to become sluggish in colder temperatures. A combination of low body temperature and cold weather can make these typically quick and agile demons manageably slow.
Extermination:
The methods may vary, but the only sure way to adequately and completely destroy a vampire is by piercing or removing the heart and burning the body. Decapitation may seem like a good idea, until the severed head bites one in the ankle. If a fight looks grim and one must take flight from a vampire, attempt to strike the face to smash the fangs. A vampire may still swallow blood, but digestion is slow and inefficient in adults and the loss of the fangs will make feeding difficult, weakening the creature for quite some time. Overall, these demons are very resilient, very devious, and their hunting is not to be taken lightly at any time.