THE VAMPIRE GARDEN FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)

Welcome to the Vampire Garden's Frequently Asked Questions Page!

First let us introduce ourselves...
We are Sam and Karen, known within the walls of the Vampire Garden as Prince Sebastian and Princess Karina.  We are the Son and Daughter-in-law of Queen Envy of the Damned.  At Elaine's departure from the garden and Mother's abdication of the throne, we became Administrators of the Vampire Garden and The Savage Garden Board (Sam and Karen) and rulers of the Coven of the Damned (Seb and Karina). Sebastian and Karina are husband and wife, as well as soulmates and their life has been dedicated to their home, the Vampire Garden.  They were deeply devoted to their Mother, Queen Envy and miss her presence enormously.  She will be given all the respect and honour of the Queen Mother when she is present in the room.  They hope that they will be able to live up to her expectations of them, and also to her wonderful reputation.
Now, we will take you through some information that will help enhance your experience while in the Vampire Garden.

This room IS and always WAS based on Anne Rice. There are countless numbers of other chat rooms, and many of them are RP as well. This room is open for people who wish to come and be a part of Anne’s world. Her fans and devoted followers should be here to celebrate the talent she has, and have fun with other people that have the same interest. If you don't like her books, or don't want to play by Ricean rules, then this is NOT the chat room for you. It was made specifically for fans of Anne, and those interested. If you would rather play by other rules FIND A CHATROOM THAT SUITS YOU. Don't expect everyone to bend and change the rules. The fun of playing by Ricean terms is just that: RICEAN TERMS. We play by them because we want to...it’s why the room was created.  (Thank you to Akasha aka Michelle for the above paragraph.  She made this statement at the Public Meeting and gave us permission to use it).

Remember this is a serious roleplaying room...should you not find it to your liking, Chatalot offers you a choice of many other rooms and and styles of Roleplay that may be more to your liking.
The basis of this room, as the Founder Envy Queen of The Damned intended, is Anne Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles".  The intention is to create an environment that has the ambience of the seductiveness and allure of the Ricean Vampire.  If you have not read the Chronicles, we suggest that you read the series as this will aid you in the roleplaying premise of the Vampire Garden. Let us begin...
 

WHAT IS THE VAMPIRE GARDEN?
The Vampire Garden is a kingdom set high on top of a mountain, surrounded by enormous walls with only one entrance, the gate. Here you will find creatures of all sort, but the majority of the population are Ricean Vampires. It is home to the members of The Coven of The Damned. It is perpetually nighttime within the Garden so that they can live in their Garden 24 hours a day. All are welcomed to enter, but beware, Vampires are seductive, preternatural creatures that sustain themselves on the blood of the living.

IS THIS THE 20TH CENTURY?
Nope, not in the Garden. The time period is between 1700-1800's. So we do not recognize things like tv's, radios.....such. But that doesn't mean we do not poke fun at it once in a while.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A VAMPIRE?
Vampires are humans that have been made immortal by another Vampire. Their human bodies become host to vampiric blood, but no longer function as human. They posses various powers and abilities depending on their immortal age and Sire. Unlike the purely evil monsters of nineteenth-century fiction, the vampire of the Ricean Race retain the romantic image of the vampire as a dangerous creature of the shadows, yet retain their (now heightened) human emotions and psychological conflicts.

CAN I HAVE A VAMPIRE OF MIXED RACE?
No and there are no exceptions.
When you enter the garden your character is affected by "Ricean" style .  While we realize that there are characters of mixed origins, the theme of the Garden is Ricean and so All Vampires will be treated as Ricean and hence follow Ricean rules.

WHAT KIND OF POWERS DO THEY POSSESS?
Typically vampires do not possess any powers other than their heightened senses, strength and speed. Some Vampires do possess powers that are psychological in nature (IE Empathy, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Pyrokinesis) and/or Elemental Magik.  (see FAQ for "traditional magik") Vampire's powers increase with immortal age, and an older vampire that makes a Chylde passes on his or her strength.  A newly made Chylde could thus be more powerful than vampires that have been in existence longer.  In reality however, our physical power is not as important as is our minds, creativity and our ability to have fun.

HOW DO I BECOME A VAMPIRE?
First you must role-play in the Garden as a mortal. Observe the elder Vampires and decide wisely who you would want as a Sire.  Once a vampire accepts you, they will embrace your character.  This involves him/her draining your blood almost to the point of death and then offering you their blood to replenish you.  Once this happens, your human body and it's natural functions die and you become immortal. You are now their Chylde and must answer to them.  You cannot be "resired" later on if you change your mind.  Coven Members need to seek the advice of their Sire before bestowing the Dark Gift on a prospective chylde.

CAN VAMPIRES HAVE SEX?
This does not occur on a mortal basis, but it is considered a sensual experience to partake of the blood.  Both the vampire and their victim share in a great pleasure, above and beyond the pleasures of mortal sex. Therefore, Vampires cannot become pregnant either, as the normal bodily functions have ceased.
 

IS EVERYONE IN THE GARDEN A VAMPIRE?
 Absolutely not.  Various different creatures visit the Garden.  All are welcome in the Garden as long as they fall into all the specific guidelines ie timeline etc. If you insist on bringing in dinosaurs from the ice age or "jedi" from star wars etc. you will be showing your poor roleplaying style and will be warned and ignored!....first and foremost this is a chat room at Chatalot and all are welcome to chat.  But remember this is a serious roleplaying room, with a medieval atmosphere and we want to keep the "Ricean" dream alive.  That is why we have these FAQs, so that all who enter know what kind of room it is and what the guidelines are.
If this room is not to your liking, there are many different chatrooms offered at Chatalot and there may be a room more suitable to your needs.

HOW DO VAMPIRES DIE?
Vampires can die only two ways.  Left out in the light of the Sun, this burns them to ashes.  However if they are a very old immortals, they will only turn brown, ie Akasha, Lestat, Khayman etc. (note:  The Garden is kept in perpetual darkness and this is not a possibility within its walls. The second way is to burn them.  If you cut them or stab them it will not work for as soon as the blade is removed, they will begin to regenerate and the wounds heal.  One of the dark gifts is the ability to heal quickly. Fire can kill the vampire and reduce them to ashes.  However, it takes more than just a normal fire to kill an old immortal. ie Pandora.(ie a small bonfire or campfire is considered a normal fire)   But once burned to ashes and said ashes properly scattered, the immortal cannot regenerate.  Once destroyed, in the proper way, they are gone.  Period.  If they are brought back then they should be ignored.
 ~ more about this subject ~  

IS KILLING NORMALLY ALLOWED?
The Garden is generally a NO KILL room.
The only exception to this is during the course of a MUTUALLY CONSENTED TO DUEL between characters for Role Play purposes only.

HOW DO WE DUEL?
In order to engage in a duel, one must first seek out Moderators for the proposed duel. They must be from the Royal Family, the Guard, the Advisor to the Royal Family or a Council Member.  IF you find Moderators to agree to allow your duel, the Moderators will issue the rules of said duel and appoint a time for it to commence.  No Duels will be allowed if not within the proper guidelines.  The Duel shall be conducted in a "post-for-post" manner, with action/reaction time kept in mind and an appropriate Moderator/Moderators appointed.  During the course of these duels, healing your character must await the outcome/conclusion of the action.  Naturally if your character dies as a result of the duel, he/she is gone..dead.  So enter into any duel with careful thought and proper consideration as to the possible affect this will have to your character!!   (Pre-arranged "not to the death" duels are of course not affected, and the "no kill" choice cannot be altered in mid fight!)
All kills should be posted to the Boards to be recorded.

IS FEEDING ALLOWED?
Yes...again however,this must be done with PRIOR CONSENT OF BOTH PARTIES.

CAN I PLAY A CHILD CHARACTER?
The answer is yes, child characters are welcome within the Garden. HOWEVER, the "child" you bring here should be aware of the dangers that a child faces. It was highly unlikely that small children were allowed to roam the country side unattended in the 1700/1800's because of all the unsavoury characters that were about.  AND  Vampires are always looking for an "easy meal"...PLUS  small children do not possess godlike characteristics in Ricean style, so be forwarned....if you insist on acting "godlike", you will only be showing your poor roleplaying abilities and thus be ignored.  Also, if you insist on being a child character, do not complain about the sexual innuendo or adult flavour of the room.
NOTE: this is an 18+ room and there is a big difference in 'playing' a child character and having a child playing in the room.  Chatalot rules will be enforced and KNOWN minors will be evicted.  (This refers to ALL Chatalot Rules!)

CAN I USE "TRADITIONAL" MAGIK?
Yes, but it must be traditional magik.   For example, Wiccan/Old World magik, that involves the use of the elements, or psychological magik, that comes from within.  It must be consensual between the parties involved and must be set up and utilized in a proper time format. (several posts/days etc)  So no "abra cadabra" your a frog, or frozen on the spot, or invisible nonsense etc.  That is not Ricean magik, like Maharet or the members of the Talamasca used.
 ~more on this subject~

DO YOU RECOGNIZE "VTM" OR STRENGTH'S WITH DICE, ECT.?
No, VtM is another form of role-play.  We do not role dice to determine our strength or powers, nor do we recognize the "Masquerade" or clan traits.  We do invite anyone from other clans or covens to visit the Garden.  However they will be considered Ricean Vampires.  Remember the Vampire Garden is like another world and once you step through the gate it is like stepping through a portal into another dimension.  Once you leave, you return to whatever style of Vampire you want.
Note:   the ‘portal,' so to speak is a legal binding agreement between "you", the chatter and Chatalot to agree to the terms.

HOW DOES THE MESSAGE BOARD TIE INTO THE GARDEN?
The message board is considered a wall near the entrance of the Garden where characters leave notes for other characters or to play out scenes. Remember that the Board is considered part of the Garden and all rules of Chatalot apply.  No ooc messages are allowed, there is an OOC board just outside of the Garden wall.  You may post all ooc messages here.
Any ooc messages will be deleted.The only exception here, is that the Administrators will from time to time need to post ooc information that is pertinent to the garden's members.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE ADMINISTRATORS?

The Administrators (Karen and Sam aka Karina and Sebastian) are the overseers of the room and the garden boards.  They will make decisions based on questions brought forth from the Advisor,Guard and Council. They alone will rule in matters of violations of Chatalot terms of agreement. and will have use of the Boot codes.
If you have a serious question or need help you can contact either  Karen or Sam at:
karensam@satlink.com.au or
icq's 6055827 (Karen) 46088397 (Sam)

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE ROYAL ADVISOR?
The Advisor, (Mordeus) is to give advice in an IC and OOC capacity to the administrators and to head the council.  He will be available should you wish to take any problem to him and he can then present them to the Prince and the Princess.
However, the Prince Sebastian and Princess Karina (and ooc Karen and Sam) make all final decisions.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE GUARD?
The Guard is first and foremost for the protection and support of the royal family, and then the coven members.  They will no longer be "police" for the garden, thus freeing them to have fun in their roleplaying.  They will pledge allegiance and loyalty to the Prince and Princess first, and the royal family and will be coven members.
Sir Loup remains the Captain of the Guard.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE COUNCIL?
The council's purpose is to be there for the people of the garden ,be they coven members or guest, so that problems or questions can be discussed at a base level instead of festering.  They can then bring these issues to the Prince and the Princess for a resolution.  Please note that all final decisions will rest with the Prince and Princess (Administrators).
There will be an initial selection of council members, however if you wish to be on the council or you think you know someone who should be on the council, you may bring that proposal to Mordeus (who will head the council) for the council to vote upon.
As mentioned above, Mordeus will be the Head of the Council and oversee its administration.
  ~ the Council page ~

Remember the FAQ's are designed to help you roleplay your Character in the Garden.
We hope that your roleplaying experience in the Garden is a fruitful one. In the near future there will be various links added taking you to pages that further explain our way of life.

Respectfully
Karen and Sam

Excerpts for this FAQ were taken from:
The Vampire Companion, The Official Guide to Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles
Authored by:
Katherine Ramsland