Vampire

"You know, it's weird to think that Nosferatu could've been real. Was he real? Was Vlad the impaler a vampire?"
"No no no, you see, Nosferatu and Count Dracula are the same. I wrote the book about his real life history, so to answer your question, yes, Count Dracula-- Er, Nosferatu as you call him, was indeed a person, and Vlad The Impaler was a vampire, it's crazy what you learn."

— BBC News, Interview with a Vampirologist, 07/24/2004

Originally thought to be a mythological entity told throughout the years as a horror story, Vampires are a powerful, undead type of human that feeds off of the blood of mammals. Having existed for centuries, they became recongnized by the world around the beginning of the 1900s, when several novels were published that told horrific stories of these creatures. After The Bloom occurred, Vampires-- Once a secluded race that kept their numbers low, quickly began to grow in population, until they made up a large chunk of it, even after The Withering.

Basic Information

Anatomy

On the outside, they are almost completely similar to humans. However, further inspection of a Vampire would reveal several subtle but significant differences. For one thing, their canine teeth will grow a few centimeters in length and become much sharper, allowing them to bite through skin with ease. Meanwhile the hair, fingernails, and toenails of a vampire will begin to experience an increase in growth speed.

Biological Traits

When a Vampire has managed to draw blood from someone, whether it's from biting into them or injuring them sufficently, they will succumb to a type of bloodlust, the pigmentation in their irises turning a brilliant; glowing red. When this happens, their physical abilities are enhanced. This has often resulted in them exhibiting enhanced strength, speed, and magical ability.

Genetics and Reproduction

While some Vampires are born through similar means as to humans, a majority of the time a Vampire is created when one bites a human. When a Vampire bites someone, they can transfer some of their life essense into them, which results in the human coming down with Vampiristic Conversion. After they go through all of it's effects, they will awaken as a Vampire. Depending on the age of the human, they will either continue to grow until they reach an age of maturity; typically around twenty-five years old, or they will remain the age they are for the rest of their life.

Dietary Needs and Habits

One notable trait of vampires is that, although they can devour ordinary foods, their main source of nutrition will be that of blood. While any type of blood will do, typically a vampire will desire to devour the blood of humans, and as such have tended to feed on them in the past. However, with the arrival of the era after The Bloom, stores had begun to sell packets and drinks that are made almost entirely of blood; received from donations made to the companies that sell them. As a result, vampires feeding on humans has become less common, though a for a variety of reasons, some Vampires have continued to do so.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Vampires tend to follow a social structure somewhat-simialr to that of a human's family structure. Typically, Vampires will live under the patriarch or matriarch of a family, not by blood but by conversion into a Vampire or birth. Above the family will be the larger groups that a Vampire puts themself into, organized and typically sticking together whenever needed. Above that, however, is the biggest organization of Vampires themselves, The Counts. At the top of the leadership of Vampires is King Dracula. Typically, whatever he says, goes.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

For reasons not entirely known despite extensive research into it, Vampires tend to be a fair bit weaker when exposed to complete sunlight. Due to this, it's suggested that most vampires tend to adopt a more nocturnal lifestyle, though some have managed to get by living during the daytime. Despite what some people think, Vampires do not sparkle, and do not appreciate any sentiment claiming they do.

Vampires have an enhanced type of hearing and smell, allowing them to hear things more clearly wherever they are, and smell things more distant or usually harder to smell. While this can be considered a great strength, there is one thing that a Vampire absolutely despises smell, let alone tasting and eating: Garlic. Consumption of garlic makes a vampire rather ill, not to mention that the smell is comparable to smelling vomit for them.

Despite what myth tells people, Vampires can be seen in mirrors and film-reel, although in the latter case there might be an odd type of distortion visible, with the same going for digital photos. However, Vampires asked about the topic have reportedly claimed that if you're unable to see the reflection of a Vampire, it would be advisable to run.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

The name of a vampire tends to come from whatever era they became one. As a result, some Vampires tend to have outdated or archaic names from around or before the 1800s. Vampires after the 1900s have more common, modern-day names.

Major Organizations

Due to their nature, a majority of vampires will not follow any religion. Instead, they will often live under what is considered by them to be a family, whether it's a large group of vampires that they tend to stay around, or a smaller group composed of those converted into a vampire by the head of a family; regardless of if it's a patriarch or matriarch. There are two large organizations of Vampires, however, that are well known throughout the world: The Black Sabbath organization located throughout Europe, and The Counts Family, led by the king of Vampires, King Dracula.

Common Dress Code

While vampires tend to match up with darker forms of clothing that Humans wear, some Vampires tend to wear long cloaks and large hats. The former because it's a look that was popularized by King Dracula himself, typically due to how he loved to emphasize drama and flair. The latter, meanwhile, is due to how large hats are good for shielding a Vampire from sunlight. Of course, this hasn't stopped some Vampires from wearing large, absurd and silly hats at times.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Vampires, along with living in dark locations typically, tend to have a knack for the dramatic flair of life. As such, most of them will deliberately go for flair over anything, which has resulted in some vampires living in castles, large office buildings, or massive; flashy bars. Others will take it a step further and deliberately go for a campy kind've style, exaggerating the nature of a vampire for fun. Most other vampires, meanwhile, tend to just keep to themselves or the families they reside with, trying to pass off as a human as best as they can; though they tend to tread lightly, as they can just as easily enter a state of bloodlust without much provocation. Needless to say, life as a Vampire can be stressful at times.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human

Lifespan

Potentially Immortal

Average Height

5.6 ft | 1.7m for Men
5.3 ft | 1.6m for Women

Average Weight

136.7 lb | 62.0 kg Worldwide