WHAT IS A VAMPIRE?
The vampires who walk the Earth in modern nights are
both similar to and different from what we might expect. It is
perhaps best to begin our discussion of the undead as if they
were a separate species of being — sentient, with superficial
similarities to the humans they once were, but displaying a
myriad of physiological and psychological differences.
In many ways, vampires resemble the familiar monsters of
myth and cinema. (There is enough truth in the old tales that
perhaps they were created by deluded or confused mortals.)
However — as many an intrepid vampire hunter has learned
to his sorrow — not all of the old wives’ tales about vampires
are true.
Vampires are living dead, and must sustain them-selves
with the blood of the living. True. A vampire is clinically dead
it´s heart does not beat, it does not breathe,
its skin is cold, it does not age and yet it thinks, and walks,
and plans, and speaks and hunts and kills. For, to sustain its
artificial immortality, the vampire must periodically consume
blood, preferably human blood. Some penitent vampires eke
out an existence from animal blood, and some ancient vampires
must hunt and kill others of their kind to nourish
themselves, but most vampires indeed sustain themselves
from the blood of their former species.
Anyone who dies from a vampire’s bite rises to
become a vampire. False. If this were true, the world would be
overrun by vampires. Vampires feed on human blood, true,
and sometimes kill their prey but most humans who die
from a vampire’s attack simply perish. To return as undead, the
victim must be drained of blood and subsequently be fed a bit
of the attacking vampire’s blood. This process, called the
Embrace, causes the mystical transformation from human to
undead.
Vampires are monsters, demonic spirits embodied
in corpses. False and true. Vampires are not demons perse,
but a combination of tragic factors draws them inexorably
toward wicked deeds. In the beginning, the newly created
vampire thinks and acts much as she did while living. She does
not immediately turn into an evil, sadistic monster. However,
the vampire soon discovers her overpowering hunger for
blood, and realizes that her existence depends on feeding on
her species. In many ways, the vampire’s mindset changes —
she adopts a set of attitudes less suited to a communal omni-vore
and more befitting a solitary predator.
At first reluctant to feed, the vampire is finally forced to
do so by circumstance or need — and feeding becomes easier
and easier as the years pass. Realizing that she herself is
untrustworthy, she ceases to trust others. Realizing that she is
different, she walls herself away from the mortal world. Real-izing
that her existence depends on secrecy and control, she
becomes a manipulative user of the first order. And things
only degenerate as the years turn to decades and then centu-ries,
and the vampire kills over and over, and sees the people
she loved age and die. Human life, so short and cheap in
comparison to hers, becomes of less and less value, until the
mortal “herd” around her means no more to her than a swarm
of annoying insects. Vampire elders are among the most jaded,
unfeeling, paranoid — in short, monstrous — beings the world
has ever known. Maybe they are not demons exactly but at
that point, who can tell the difference?
Vampires are burned by sunlight. True. Vampires
must avoid the sun or die, though a few can bear sunlight’s
touch for a very short period of time. Vampires are nocturnal
creatures, and most find it extremely difficult to remain awake
during the day, even within sheltered areas.
Vampires are repulsed by garlic and running water.
False. These are myths and nothing more.
Vampires are repulsed by crosses and other holy
symbols. This is generally false. However, if the wielder of the
symbol has great faith in the power it represents, a vampire
may suffer ill effects from the brandishing of the symbol.
Vampires die from a stake through the heart. False.
However, a wooden stake — or arrow, crossbow bolt, etc. —
through the heart will paralyze the monster until it is removed.
Vampires have the strength of 10 humans; they can
command wolves and bats; they can hypnotize the living and
heal even the most grievous wounds. True and false. The
power of a vampire increases with age. Young, newly created
vampires are often little more powerful than humans. But as
a vampire grows in age and understanding, she learns to use
her blood to evoke secret magical powers, which vampires call
Disciplines. Powerful elders are often the rivals of a fictional
Lestat or Dracula — and the true ancients, the Methuselahs
and Antediluvians who have stalked the nights for thousands
of years, often possess literally godlike powers.
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