Post by Aria Talei on Oct 2, 2010 17:03:29 GMT -5
Vampires are a cursed race; once normal Humans, they have been shifted into the undead by a non-fatal bite by the infected race. An epidemic once swarmed the ancient world, and the plague's cure came in the form of Werewolves and Werecats, who drove the numbers down but did not manage to squash out the sickness.
Aside from a very pale complexion, Vampires appear much as other Humans may. So close, in fact, that should a Vampire keep his or her hunger under control and play the part right, they may seamlessly go unnoticed in the Human population. This trick, however, does not work around the Were creatures, who can immediately spot the infected for who they truly are.
Vampires hunger for Human blood; while they may live off of the blood of any other creature, lack of Human blood causes withdrawal-like symptoms that become increasingly hard to fight. Gifted with unnatural strength, their mortal prey is no match for a hungry Vampire, who can smell them with heightened senses. Humans' blood smells incredibly alluring, smelling differently to each Vampire and catering to their preference. Werewolves smell like charcoal and are, like Humans, easily tracked; Werecats smell strongly like pine needles, lavender, or other similar scents, but unless their unique smell is intimately known to a Vampire, they are near impossible to track.
Vampires have no fear of the sun; that is a common misconception. This myth comes along with the Vampires' fear that they will be recognized by their pale skin in the daylight, whereas it is harder to tell in the dark. Also, Vampires cannot reproduce.
Where the Were's are weakened by silver (forced into their Human state by it), Vampires are harmed by holy objects. Crosses will sting and smart (think of a jellyfish) at the touch, and holy water gives the sensation of boiling water on contact. Since many crosses are made out of silver, Weres do not often bother with these holy objects, but many humans wear these charms or sprinkle their homes with holy water in hopes of keeping the Vampires away.
