LiT - Vampires
I suppose it’s long overdue to truly explain vampires within the world Theria and their rung in society. After all, there was a member of group 1 who was a vampire for the better part of a year and the group is about to tangle with the fanged creatures again in episode 32.
To help me make sure that I answer all of your questions, I have asked everyone on our Facebook Fanpage to ask me about vampires in Theria and here’s what they came up with:
Brianne Boo Marie Richardson: “Can any species become vampire? A vampire Minotaur would be pretty bad-ass.”
Strictly speaking, vampirism is a disease. Once a person is bitten by a vampire the virus attacks the bodies immune system. It will gradually break down the host and eventually take it over completely. In essence, during this process, the host is slowly dying.
That being said there are some creatures in Theria that have a natural leg up on the virus that causes vampirism. Take dwarves for example. There has never been a reported instance of a dwarf vampire in Therian history. This may be due to the fact that dwarves have unnaturally sturdy constitutions and can withstand amounts of foreign substances (such as poisons) that would kill most other races.
Dragonborn have a similar leg up, though for a different reason all together. The reason is twofold. For starters, they have a thick hide that is slightly harder to puncture than most other races skin. Secondly, the dragonborn have been weeding out the weakest of their species for hundreds of years which has meant that only the strongest and fittest of their race would live on. From selective breeding to killing off their own weak, sick and old, the dragonborn have seemingly perfected their gene pool. This means that they (much like the dwarves) have a higher tolerance for germs and poisons.The simple truth remains that it is still a very bad idea to let a vampire bite you though. Even if you were to somehow avoid catching the virus itself you would still be dealing with the fact that another creature is (presumably) forcefully draining your blood away.
Leonard Taylor: “When Thoril was a vampire he couldn’t turn other people into vampires, so how are there other vampires? Are some people born vampires and that’s the only ones who can turn people?”
A common misconception is that one is turned into a vampire and instantly receives some sort of list of super powers. However, there are some factors to consider. The generation gap: A vampire who was not bitten but received the virus in it’s original form somehow (there is still heavy debate over what originally caused this epidemic) is a “First Generation” vampire. As of now, there are only a very small handful of 1st Gens in existence in the whole of Theria. They are the purest form of their kind and are both unbelievably fast and strong. 1st Gens have a slew of unique abilities that other vampires lack. They can actually view a persons health in real time via an aura that all people possess but can only be viewed by these 1st gen vamps. They can also become a veil of mist in a matter of seconds and travel into areas that would otherwise be completely inaccessible. Of course, there is also the classic “vampire bat” form that has become synonymous with their kind. Lastly, 1st Gen’s can dominate the will of a person simply by staring into their eyes and using their mind to take control. This tends to work on the weaker willed among people but given enough time and effort a 1st gen vampire can reduce anyone into a willing slave. A 1st gen vampire that sires a person then becomes a 2nd generation vampire. If that vampire were to sire someone, then they would be a 3rd generation…and so on.
The problem is that the virus loses potency the further away from the original host it gets. For instance, if a 1st gen were to bite you and they were to let you turn, the process would only take about 48 hours at the maximum. You would become a second generation vampire and you could then bite someone else and the same would happen to them if you were to allow them to live. However, the process would take longer and the strength, speed and general power of the 3rd gen vamp would be far less then your own (just like a 2nd gen would be far inferior to a 1st gen’s power) and so on. Think of it as making a copy of a copy of a copy. Eventually, you would get sires with no ability to forward the line any further (this kicks in at about the 5th generation). This would explain why Thoril could not sire anyone himself. Simply put, he was a far less powerful version of a 1st gen vampire.
How long has the vampire been alive: Let’s say you’ve been bitten by a 3rd gen vamp that’s been alive (as a vamp) for 50 years or so. Well, that would be a far more potent version of a 3rd gen vampire than one that has only been around for 5 years or so. It takes time to grow into their powers and abilities. They must also be either taught some of their more intricate tricks (like shape shifting and will domination) by a more experienced vamp or simply have the time to discover these things by trial and error (which would take much longer).
Nate Hawkins: “Is it common knowledge for higher ups on the religious tree to know that they can be cleansed like Thoril was?”
It is completely unheard of to “cure” a vampire of their ailment. There are some who claim to be able to stop the virus in it’s tracks before it takes hold completely but their methods are normally too unsavory for most. What happened in Thoril’s case would be considered divine intervention to most people, should the word ever get out. The orb that Rodswell is carrying currently possesses some truly great power should it be able to be harnessed.
James Briscoe: “Are there any legendary vampires? Like Dracula, but in Theria?”
There are those very rare vamps that have either been smart enough or strong enough to become the thing of legend. Remember that a vamp can only stick to itself for so long. The bottom line is, sooner or later, they need to feed. This means that they need to attack something and that normally means that someone in the area will find out sooner or later. The natural next step is for people to go on the attack. This means certain doom for most vamps eventually because of their limitations in the sun. They must hide while normal people can remain on the offensive at anytime of the day or night. There are however, three particularly nasty examples of vamps with long lives and large reputations.
“Countess” Venistrasa Lararath:
Originally an elven healer, she was turned more than 150 years ago. Said to be inconceivably beautiful by the few people who claimed to look upon her and live. Her beauty is matched only by her cruelty. She takes great amounts of joy in torturing her victims for days, sometimes weeks before finally killing them and ending their pain by draining them dry. Unlike most vampires, she doesn’t really hide. Venistrasa lives in a castle that sits on a hilltop overlooking the town of Donhurst.
Udoben:
This half-orc vampire is in a class all by himself. He has said to have never sired a single soul, instead choosing to drain every victim dry. If you were to ask anyone with partial knowledge of his tales, you would hear unspeakable acts of violence against any number of races, creeds and religions. It’s almost as if he is a manifestation of aggression itself. He has not been alive nearly as long as some vampires but his rage is the reason for his fame, not his age. There have been countless sightings of him over the decades in almost all corners of Theria. It is said that he makes his home in the underworld, among the Drow and monsters in the darkness.
Edward Philippe Tharos:
Perhaps the oldest living vampire in Theria, this specimen is more known for his cunning than his cruelty. Born in the kingdom of Solace over 300 years ago, he was the son of very rich parents who gave him the finest education that was available. Three centuries alive has done nothing to dull his deviousness as so many adventurers have discovered the hard way. The combination of his upbringing, his time on the planet and the fact that he is a 1st generation vampire make him a truly formidable foe. The area he has lived in for so very long has changed hands and names many times over the years. Currently the mortals have taken to calling it “Aubrey”.
To help me make sure that I answer all of your questions, I have asked everyone on our Facebook Fanpage to ask me about vampires in Theria and here’s what they came up with:
Brianne Boo Marie Richardson: “Can any species become vampire? A vampire Minotaur would be pretty bad-ass.”
Strictly speaking, vampirism is a disease. Once a person is bitten by a vampire the virus attacks the bodies immune system. It will gradually break down the host and eventually take it over completely. In essence, during this process, the host is slowly dying.
That being said there are some creatures in Theria that have a natural leg up on the virus that causes vampirism. Take dwarves for example. There has never been a reported instance of a dwarf vampire in Therian history. This may be due to the fact that dwarves have unnaturally sturdy constitutions and can withstand amounts of foreign substances (such as poisons) that would kill most other races.
Dragonborn have a similar leg up, though for a different reason all together. The reason is twofold. For starters, they have a thick hide that is slightly harder to puncture than most other races skin. Secondly, the dragonborn have been weeding out the weakest of their species for hundreds of years which has meant that only the strongest and fittest of their race would live on. From selective breeding to killing off their own weak, sick and old, the dragonborn have seemingly perfected their gene pool. This means that they (much like the dwarves) have a higher tolerance for germs and poisons.The simple truth remains that it is still a very bad idea to let a vampire bite you though. Even if you were to somehow avoid catching the virus itself you would still be dealing with the fact that another creature is (presumably) forcefully draining your blood away.
Leonard Taylor: “When Thoril was a vampire he couldn’t turn other people into vampires, so how are there other vampires? Are some people born vampires and that’s the only ones who can turn people?”
A common misconception is that one is turned into a vampire and instantly receives some sort of list of super powers. However, there are some factors to consider. The generation gap: A vampire who was not bitten but received the virus in it’s original form somehow (there is still heavy debate over what originally caused this epidemic) is a “First Generation” vampire. As of now, there are only a very small handful of 1st Gens in existence in the whole of Theria. They are the purest form of their kind and are both unbelievably fast and strong. 1st Gens have a slew of unique abilities that other vampires lack. They can actually view a persons health in real time via an aura that all people possess but can only be viewed by these 1st gen vamps. They can also become a veil of mist in a matter of seconds and travel into areas that would otherwise be completely inaccessible. Of course, there is also the classic “vampire bat” form that has become synonymous with their kind. Lastly, 1st Gen’s can dominate the will of a person simply by staring into their eyes and using their mind to take control. This tends to work on the weaker willed among people but given enough time and effort a 1st gen vampire can reduce anyone into a willing slave. A 1st gen vampire that sires a person then becomes a 2nd generation vampire. If that vampire were to sire someone, then they would be a 3rd generation…and so on.
The problem is that the virus loses potency the further away from the original host it gets. For instance, if a 1st gen were to bite you and they were to let you turn, the process would only take about 48 hours at the maximum. You would become a second generation vampire and you could then bite someone else and the same would happen to them if you were to allow them to live. However, the process would take longer and the strength, speed and general power of the 3rd gen vamp would be far less then your own (just like a 2nd gen would be far inferior to a 1st gen’s power) and so on. Think of it as making a copy of a copy of a copy. Eventually, you would get sires with no ability to forward the line any further (this kicks in at about the 5th generation). This would explain why Thoril could not sire anyone himself. Simply put, he was a far less powerful version of a 1st gen vampire.
How long has the vampire been alive: Let’s say you’ve been bitten by a 3rd gen vamp that’s been alive (as a vamp) for 50 years or so. Well, that would be a far more potent version of a 3rd gen vampire than one that has only been around for 5 years or so. It takes time to grow into their powers and abilities. They must also be either taught some of their more intricate tricks (like shape shifting and will domination) by a more experienced vamp or simply have the time to discover these things by trial and error (which would take much longer).
Nate Hawkins: “Is it common knowledge for higher ups on the religious tree to know that they can be cleansed like Thoril was?”
It is completely unheard of to “cure” a vampire of their ailment. There are some who claim to be able to stop the virus in it’s tracks before it takes hold completely but their methods are normally too unsavory for most. What happened in Thoril’s case would be considered divine intervention to most people, should the word ever get out. The orb that Rodswell is carrying currently possesses some truly great power should it be able to be harnessed.
James Briscoe: “Are there any legendary vampires? Like Dracula, but in Theria?”
There are those very rare vamps that have either been smart enough or strong enough to become the thing of legend. Remember that a vamp can only stick to itself for so long. The bottom line is, sooner or later, they need to feed. This means that they need to attack something and that normally means that someone in the area will find out sooner or later. The natural next step is for people to go on the attack. This means certain doom for most vamps eventually because of their limitations in the sun. They must hide while normal people can remain on the offensive at anytime of the day or night. There are however, three particularly nasty examples of vamps with long lives and large reputations.
“Countess” Venistrasa Lararath:
Originally an elven healer, she was turned more than 150 years ago. Said to be inconceivably beautiful by the few people who claimed to look upon her and live. Her beauty is matched only by her cruelty. She takes great amounts of joy in torturing her victims for days, sometimes weeks before finally killing them and ending their pain by draining them dry. Unlike most vampires, she doesn’t really hide. Venistrasa lives in a castle that sits on a hilltop overlooking the town of Donhurst.
Udoben:
This half-orc vampire is in a class all by himself. He has said to have never sired a single soul, instead choosing to drain every victim dry. If you were to ask anyone with partial knowledge of his tales, you would hear unspeakable acts of violence against any number of races, creeds and religions. It’s almost as if he is a manifestation of aggression itself. He has not been alive nearly as long as some vampires but his rage is the reason for his fame, not his age. There have been countless sightings of him over the decades in almost all corners of Theria. It is said that he makes his home in the underworld, among the Drow and monsters in the darkness.
Edward Philippe Tharos:
Perhaps the oldest living vampire in Theria, this specimen is more known for his cunning than his cruelty. Born in the kingdom of Solace over 300 years ago, he was the son of very rich parents who gave him the finest education that was available. Three centuries alive has done nothing to dull his deviousness as so many adventurers have discovered the hard way. The combination of his upbringing, his time on the planet and the fact that he is a 1st generation vampire make him a truly formidable foe. The area he has lived in for so very long has changed hands and names many times over the years. Currently the mortals have taken to calling it “Aubrey”.
