vil is a point of view. We are immortal. And what we have before us are the rich feasts that conscience cannot appreciate and mortal men cannot know without regret. God kills, and so shall we; indiscriminately. He takes the richest and the poorest, and so shall we; for no creatures under God are as we are, none so like Him as ourselves, dark angels not confined to the stinking limits of hell but wandering his earth and all its kingdoms." ~ Anne Rice
he first and foremost unspoken rule of the vampire is to "always remain beautiful". That is not to say that some are not ignorant of this. Ettiquette is very important and helps to create the dark aestheitic which is such a part of the sanguine lifestyle. The way a greeting is carried out usually communicates a current emotional status or mood. The basis of vampyre ettiquette is the Sanguine greeting which is used in most havens. f course, everyone is an individual, and to each their own...but by nature, romance is the very air that the Sanguine breathe. One might even say that their very being is "romance personified". Vampires can fall in Love and have all the normal emotional bonds that mortals share; these are quite enough for anyone to cope with. There is some sort of spiritual connection between all vampires, and this Link is enhanced through the sharing of blood...casual sex for the vampire. Certainly there is some sort of "connection" to the net of vampires, a gaining of spiritual powers and so forth. There exists a network of vampire nightclubs (Havens), safehouses and resources which allow vampires to network and gather.
f course, everyone is an individual, and to each their own...but by nature, romance is the very air that the Sanguine breathe. One might even say that their very being is "romance personified". Vampires can fall in Love and have all the normal emotional bonds that mortals share; these are quite enough for anyone to cope with. There is some sort of spiritual connection between all vampires, and this Link is enhanced through the sharing of blood...casual sex for the vampire. Certainly there is some sort of "connection" to the net of vampires, a gaining of spiritual powers and so forth. There exists a network of vampire nightclubs (Havens), safehouses and resources which allow vampires to network and gather.
t is possible for a vampire to badly lose their self-control, but nothing like the frenzy of the Beast. Some Disciplines and Majiks may invoke frenzy; they are treated as normal because they introduce a supernatural rage.
Panic, Rage, and Fear
ampires still feel these things. However, the consequence of failure will probably not be frenzy; it will be the milder human equivalent. The vampire automatically "rides the wave" if they choose to, and has the normal chances to fight the emotion. Failure does not bring disaster and botches do not bring derangements. This is not to say that a vampire in panic is in control anymore than a mortal in panic is in control. It is simply a matter of degree. Vampires can panic when exposed to fire, sunlight and other threats. The intensity of the panic will depend on the threat to the vampire's life. Rituals and Disciplines that control the Beast will not work unless their purpose is to induce a clearly defined emotion.
espite what Hollywood would have us all believe, Crosses, Garlic and Silver have no real effects on vampires; neither as a repellent or otherwise. In fact, many vampires are quite fond of looking at crosses, amidst the graveyards and catacombs which are their playground. Holy water, however, may serve to repel those truly "demonic" vampires...if they are of the devil in spirit. Sunlight is the vampire's greatest weakness, although there does exist "daywalkers". Nothing is absolute. vampire may be killed outright by decapitation or removal of the heart or brain. The attacker must also be using an appropriate edged weapon. It is harder to remove the heart, so it is not generally a useful tactic. An incapacitated vampire is easy to decapitate, as the attacker may accumulate successes and the difficulty is generally much lower. Optionally, the attacker may remove the heart instead; the procedure is the same. "Staking" is also an efficient method. However, it is harder to remove the heart of a staked vampire, mainly because there is a stake through it. The victim is still immobilized, however, and ripe for decapitation and other unpleasant things. vampire may still die from aggravated wounds. A vampire that runs out of blood after being incapacitated is in a state of "Torpor", and does not die unless one of the other causes of death occurs, such as taking an aggravated wound, being beheaded, and so on. It follows that even though older vampires can sustain terrible wounds that would destroy a mortal or child utterly, it takes a long time to recover from such wounds. When "The Vampire Lestat" entered Torpor, he was in an awful state of depression and defeat. Torpor is not an end, it is an interlude.
vampire may be killed outright by decapitation or removal of the heart or brain. The attacker must also be using an appropriate edged weapon. It is harder to remove the heart, so it is not generally a useful tactic. An incapacitated vampire is easy to decapitate, as the attacker may accumulate successes and the difficulty is generally much lower. Optionally, the attacker may remove the heart instead; the procedure is the same. "Staking" is also an efficient method. However, it is harder to remove the heart of a staked vampire, mainly because there is a stake through it. The victim is still immobilized, however, and ripe for decapitation and other unpleasant things.
vampire may still die from aggravated wounds. A vampire that runs out of blood after being incapacitated is in a state of "Torpor", and does not die unless one of the other causes of death occurs, such as taking an aggravated wound, being beheaded, and so on. It follows that even though older vampires can sustain terrible wounds that would destroy a mortal or child utterly, it takes a long time to recover from such wounds. When "The Vampire Lestat" entered Torpor, he was in an awful state of depression and defeat. Torpor is not an end, it is an interlude.
he Dark Gift is different for everyone, keep in mind. Among the most common superbateral abilities of the vampire are: Auspex: Heightened Senses, Super Strength, Spirit's Touch, Astral Projection, true Telepathy, Hypnosis, the Dreaming, an ability to project one's consciousness into the lives of others--these are all demonstrated. Actual physical flight is for the aged and powerful only. As well as animalistic shape shifting (i.e. the Raven, Wolf, Bat, etc.) Celerity: Louis, as a Fledgeling, moved faster than the eye could see. An ability to block telepathy and vanish into shadows. This is sticky. The telepathy blocking is more of an outgrowth of his basic mental powers, and in The Vampire Lestat, his ability to hide in Shadows is specifically described as nothing supernatural- just a careful stepping from dark to dark, and Lestat and Gabrielle were able to pick it up instantly.
ll blood contains Life. And this is the vampire's source of sustinence. Just as humans live off of plants and animals, the vampire feeds from the very energy which flows through your veins. The more powerful the Life force, the more nourishing the meal. Remember, spirit first. Sadly, the full-fledged vampire is incapable of digesting whole food, especially charred. The reference to the "slowing of the heartbeats" does not mean that vampires cannot drink vessels dry, it simply means that they must stop the joy of the Embrace - the linking of spirits - before the last drop is drunk; and that they should not try and drink from a mortal at the moment of death. Vampires have a sense for this and can avoid being sucked into death with their victims. A mortal who is "drained" will usually not suffer, due to the spiritual link, and the intense feelings of euphoria from the embracer. A hungry vampire may become strained at the sight of blood, or have a strong desire to drink. This does not mean that they frenzy, only that they have a strong desire. If the desire is restrained, the vampire will probably regain control. Once they have more than 10% of their blood pool restored to their system, the hunger subsides. t is mistakenly popular to think of vampires as predators on the human race, always killing their victims and "disappearing into the night". Society has always associated the night with evil. This superstition stems from mankind's primal fear. For, the night was when predators could not be seen, and the weak went into hiding. The books of Anne Rice have encouraged sympathy with a vampire subculture that has its own history, one in which human beings are little more than walking snacks. Vampires are even glamourfied by some as "culling" the human population of criminals and other undesirables -- a pretty dangerous model to adopt. But vampires are far more parasitical than they are predatory. Both in folklore and among blood-drinking living vampires, the vampire cultivates a relationship with the "donor". Living vampires don't need to kill at all, unless they're relying on something the size of rodents for their meals, and doing so is wasteful and rather grotesque to imagine. n nature, a parasite that kills its host outright tends to be inefficient, even though it's true that most hosts of parasites do not thrive under the arrangement. A far more constructive model for the role of living vampires is that of symbiont. The living vampire develops a relationship with the donor to the point of an equal exchange, a give-and-take of mutual dependency. A living vampire may be able to trade healing and revitalizing powers for pranic energy, and even blood-drinking living vampires can provide warmth, companionship and great sex. Most living vampires' needs are more than satisfied by practices that require no living thing to die for the vampire's benefit. This is the farthest away from a "predator" that you could get. The predator model of vampyrism is a dangerous one to rationalize and defend, and living vampires who attempt to live it out have crossed the boundary into sociopathology. ot all vampires know about concealing fang marks by using a little of their own blood to heal the wounds (vampire "saliva" will not suffice). They should take care not to accidentally create new vampires when doing this. Vampires soon develop a clear idea of how close a victim is to death, so accidental creation of vampires in this way is rare. In general, it should be harder for vampires to conceal where they have fed. Fortunately, there are other arteries in the body besides the neck. Feeding from the wrist is most convenient and is easier to conceal wounds there. Removing the hands of murder victims is not just something that the Mafia does.
t is mistakenly popular to think of vampires as predators on the human race, always killing their victims and "disappearing into the night". Society has always associated the night with evil. This superstition stems from mankind's primal fear. For, the night was when predators could not be seen, and the weak went into hiding. The books of Anne Rice have encouraged sympathy with a vampire subculture that has its own history, one in which human beings are little more than walking snacks. Vampires are even glamourfied by some as "culling" the human population of criminals and other undesirables -- a pretty dangerous model to adopt. But vampires are far more parasitical than they are predatory. Both in folklore and among blood-drinking living vampires, the vampire cultivates a relationship with the "donor". Living vampires don't need to kill at all, unless they're relying on something the size of rodents for their meals, and doing so is wasteful and rather grotesque to imagine.
n nature, a parasite that kills its host outright tends to be inefficient, even though it's true that most hosts of parasites do not thrive under the arrangement. A far more constructive model for the role of living vampires is that of symbiont. The living vampire develops a relationship with the donor to the point of an equal exchange, a give-and-take of mutual dependency. A living vampire may be able to trade healing and revitalizing powers for pranic energy, and even blood-drinking living vampires can provide warmth, companionship and great sex. Most living vampires' needs are more than satisfied by practices that require no living thing to die for the vampire's benefit. This is the farthest away from a "predator" that you could get. The predator model of vampyrism is a dangerous one to rationalize and defend, and living vampires who attempt to live it out have crossed the boundary into sociopathology.
ot all vampires know about concealing fang marks by using a little of their own blood to heal the wounds (vampire "saliva" will not suffice). They should take care not to accidentally create new vampires when doing this. Vampires soon develop a clear idea of how close a victim is to death, so accidental creation of vampires in this way is rare. In general, it should be harder for vampires to conceal where they have fed. Fortunately, there are other arteries in the body besides the neck. Feeding from the wrist is most convenient and is easier to conceal wounds there. Removing the hands of murder victims is not just something that the Mafia does.
f I'm a vampyre, do I have to worship the devil?" No. There is absolutely no ideological, religious or philosophical requirement or implication in being a living vampire. If you are a living vampire, human or non-human, I feel entirely confident that you are not possessed by a demon, a minion of Satan or condemned to Hell. You do not need to abandon God or change your religious beliefs. I personally know living vampires who are devout Christians, Pagans, Wiccans, Taoists, Satanists and Atheists. While there are some "vampire religions" of different types, and many of them have origins in forms of Satanism, these "religions" are strictly options for any living vampire. ome living vampires are quite stern in asserting that vampyrism has nothing to do with religion at all, and that self-proclaimed "vampire religions" are misleading and pernicious. The notion that vampyrism is some sort of "cult" rather than a state of being, is probably an overlap from witchcraft folklore. I first recall it being mentioned in the 1960 Hammer film, "The Brides of Dracula", in which Van Helsing describes vampyrism as a "cult". In reality, being a living vampire no more involves a "cult", or a religion, than having a particular color of hair and eyes does.
No. There is absolutely no ideological, religious or philosophical requirement or implication in being a living vampire. If you are a living vampire, human or non-human, I feel entirely confident that you are not possessed by a demon, a minion of Satan or condemned to Hell. You do not need to abandon God or change your religious beliefs. I personally know living vampires who are devout Christians, Pagans, Wiccans, Taoists, Satanists and Atheists. While there are some "vampire religions" of different types, and many of them have origins in forms of Satanism, these "religions" are strictly options for any living vampire.
ome living vampires are quite stern in asserting that vampyrism has nothing to do with religion at all, and that self-proclaimed "vampire religions" are misleading and pernicious. The notion that vampyrism is some sort of "cult" rather than a state of being, is probably an overlap from witchcraft folklore. I first recall it being mentioned in the 1960 Hammer film, "The Brides of Dracula", in which Van Helsing describes vampyrism as a "cult". In reality, being a living vampire no more involves a "cult", or a religion, than having a particular color of hair and eyes does.
he following are a list of terms which are common among members of the vampyre community: Bloodline--a family or lineage of vampyres. Also referred to as a House, Clan or Tribe. Each has their own sigil and traditions. Coven, Circle, Family--a group of 3-13 vampyres who are like immediate family, lovers or close friends. They are commonly bound by commitment or common needs. Elder--a prominent member of the vampyre scene or someone who has founded a bloodline or is in the Inner Circle or a House, Clan, or Family. Familiar--a non-vampyre servant (see Thrall). Fledgling--a child vampyre or someone new to the scene. Garb--historical or scene specific clothing. examples: Gothic, Medieval, Victorian, Edwardian, etc. Haven--a vampyre night club. House, Clan, or Family--various terms for bloodlines of a vampyre. Kithal--those who are a mix breed of two or more bloodlines. Lord/Lady--Head of a House, family, clan, kingdom (not exclusively). Master--a term which outdates Lord, with the same meaning, not exclusive (the word has corrupted with time). Mundane--a non vampyre or someone who doesn't understand the scene. Pureblood--those born as vampires. Ronin--a vampyre without a clan, existing bloodline, or family, Lone. Sanguinarium--the vampyre scene. Sanguine--another word for vampyre. Sigil/Crest--the symbol of a bloodline or coven of vampyres. Sire--a parent vampire. Swan--a non-vampyre/sanguine lover who is knowledgeable about the Sanguinarium. White Swans cannot accept their lover's lifestyle and consistently try and get them out of it. Swans accept it but do not feel the draw to become apart of it. Torpor--a state of being dormant or inactive, temporary loss of all or part of the power of sensation or motion. Tenets--Laws of a vampyre organization. Thrall--a vampyre specific term for a slave or submissive. Vampyre Majik--SMBD or occult oriented which reflect vampyre powers.
Bloodline--a family or lineage of vampyres. Also referred to as a House, Clan or Tribe. Each has their own sigil and traditions.
Coven, Circle, Family--a group of 3-13 vampyres who are like immediate family, lovers or close friends. They are commonly bound by commitment or common needs.
Elder--a prominent member of the vampyre scene or someone who has founded a bloodline or is in the Inner Circle or a House, Clan, or Family.
Familiar--a non-vampyre servant (see Thrall).
Fledgling--a child vampyre or someone new to the scene.
Garb--historical or scene specific clothing. examples: Gothic, Medieval, Victorian, Edwardian, etc.
Haven--a vampyre night club.
House, Clan, or Family--various terms for bloodlines of a vampyre.
Kithal--those who are a mix breed of two or more bloodlines.
Lord/Lady--Head of a House, family, clan, kingdom (not exclusively).
Master--a term which outdates Lord, with the same meaning, not exclusive (the word has corrupted with time).
Mundane--a non vampyre or someone who doesn't understand the scene.
Pureblood--those born as vampires.
Ronin--a vampyre without a clan, existing bloodline, or family, Lone.
Sanguinarium--the vampyre scene.
Sanguine--another word for vampyre.
Sigil/Crest--the symbol of a bloodline or coven of vampyres.
Sire--a parent vampire.
Swan--a non-vampyre/sanguine lover who is knowledgeable about the Sanguinarium. White Swans cannot accept their lover's lifestyle and consistently try and get them out of it. Swans accept it but do not feel the draw to become apart of it.
Torpor--a state of being dormant or inactive, temporary loss of all or part of the power of sensation or motion.
Tenets--Laws of a vampyre organization.
Thrall--a vampyre specific term for a slave or submissive.
Vampyre Majik--SMBD or occult oriented which reflect vampyre powers.
s with most underground scenes like the fetish community or among drag queens, vampyres choose a scene name. This is to enhance the dark ambience (and personal privacy) at havens, online and in public. Their "vampyre name" for is what they would be known as in the scene. Thus, a person whose mundane name might be "Jane Doe" might choose to be known as "Morgan" or "Gabrielle" while in the scene. These names are usually derived from fictional/fantasy literature, historical figures (like Vlad Tsepes or Countess Bathory), ancient deities, variations on their mundane names, etc.
any people feel a powerful need to get out and do something important in the world, and for some of them, everyday good deeds just aren't enough. They yearn after the kind of unequivocal grandiosity that Stephen King talks about in his vampire novel, Salem's Lot: But Callahan was neither a new priest nor an old one ... he wanted to lead a division in the army of--who? God, right, goodness, they were names for the same thing--into battle against EVIL. That's how a lot of people feel. That's why "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is so popular, and all the endless vampire stories in which the vampires are the bad guys and the heroes are the ones wielding the crosses and stakes. That's why people read super-hero comic books. But it's kid stuff. iving vampires are no more likely (or unlikely) to be unethical or criminal than any random human, and they certainly are no more "evil" then the average Joe. They're your fellow beings on this planet. Killing them is murder, plain and simple. And there's no justification for it. You're performing no great act of heroism by slaughtering another intelligent being, no matter how you rationalize it. You'll pay for it in this lifetime, by being caught and punished, and you'll pay for it karmically, as well. You won't get any credits for killing someone just because you don't like what they are. History has given us some pretty unpleasant names for people who do so. f you truly feel "called" to join the front lines, "Fight the Good Fight", slug it out with the dark side of the Force, there's plenty of work out there for you to do. It's not as glamourous as slinking around in a trenchcoat with stakes and books full of esoteric knowledge, but it needs doing. You can fight racism in the inner city, build affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity, train yourself for a career in law enforcement, join the Peace Corps, become an environmental activist, teach school on Indian reservations, become a Priest, or volunteer in a shelter or a food pantry or a day care center. There are hundreds of thankless, low-paying or unpaid jobs you can do to help humanity and battle "evil". There's millions of people living lives of desperation who could use your help. There's a thousand ways you can be one of the "Good Guys". But trust me. "slaying vampires" isn't one of them. It's time for all you "vampire slayers" to grow up and join the 21st Century.
iving vampires are no more likely (or unlikely) to be unethical or criminal than any random human, and they certainly are no more "evil" then the average Joe. They're your fellow beings on this planet. Killing them is murder, plain and simple. And there's no justification for it. You're performing no great act of heroism by slaughtering another intelligent being, no matter how you rationalize it. You'll pay for it in this lifetime, by being caught and punished, and you'll pay for it karmically, as well. You won't get any credits for killing someone just because you don't like what they are. History has given us some pretty unpleasant names for people who do so.
f you truly feel "called" to join the front lines, "Fight the Good Fight", slug it out with the dark side of the Force, there's plenty of work out there for you to do. It's not as glamourous as slinking around in a trenchcoat with stakes and books full of esoteric knowledge, but it needs doing. You can fight racism in the inner city, build affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity, train yourself for a career in law enforcement, join the Peace Corps, become an environmental activist, teach school on Indian reservations, become a Priest, or volunteer in a shelter or a food pantry or a day care center. There are hundreds of thankless, low-paying or unpaid jobs you can do to help humanity and battle "evil". There's millions of people living lives of desperation who could use your help. There's a thousand ways you can be one of the "Good Guys". But trust me. "slaying vampires" isn't one of them. It's time for all you "vampire slayers" to grow up and join the 21st Century.
