Post by Gabrielle DuMinuit on Jul 7, 2007 15:35:09 GMT -5
The term "lunar vampire" applies to all the descendants of Siete: his eight fledglings, and all their dependants. Siete himself is not a vampire; though he does share some traits in common with them, he is not held to all the rules of their existence.
On the Physiology of a Lunar Vampire
A lunar vampire is, quite simply, a dead body, animated by immortal power, and sustained through stolen mortal power. The heart does not beat. The cells do not divide. Hair and fingernails do not grow. On the other side of the equation, the cells do not die. Hairs and fingernails do not break, unless the vampire wills it. In this way, a lunar vampire is a complex collection of particles, held together by consciousness, like iron filings attracted to a magnet. How many of these particles actually match the original body varies by age. However, a vampire subconsciously remembers his "true" form, and thus maintains it without even intending to.
Over time, the mortal, physical power that is the vampire’s body begins to dissipate. When a vampire feeds, the blood that is taken in does not go through the stomach and intestines. Its essence is used in the formation of the body, a raw rearrangement of matter, instead of the messy process of conversation that is human digestion. A lunar vampire who goes without feeding will slowly lose physical form, until he reverts to pure consciousness, which will dissipate over time unless restored to a body.
The most common way to kill a lunar vampire is by destroying the heart. Why, if the heart is not needed for blood circulation, will its destruction kill the vampire? The power that animates a lunar vampire is from a fire elemental, and hence is bound in blood. The center of blood is the heart, so that is where the power rests regardless of what that muscle did once upon a time. In most vampires, putting a knife through there is enough of a rude shock to the power that it gets disassociated from the body. In others, it takes the complete destruction of the heart, and occasionally magic, to kill. In a very few, it takes even more, because they are more thoroughly saturated with power. Provided he held still for the procedure, you could probably rip out Silver’s heart without killing him. This is where the "take the heart, take the head, burn it all" idea comes from... some of them simply don’t die until the last of the blood is gone. Why the head? Because it is very difficult to concentrate without a head, which makes it very difficult to stop the person who is trying to burn you.
There are traits and abilities that all vampires share. All vampires have the ability to move instantly from place to place, dissolving their mortal forms for a moment in order to travel. All vampires have the ability to sculpt their bodies, though most only do so unconsciously. Only a very few very powerful vampires can change their forms completely. All lunar vampires naturally have black eyes, though again, some of the more powerful can mask that telltale sign with illusion. Due to the nature of their power, a lunar vampire’s body is not cold; the average body temperature for their kind about one hundred degrees, slightly above a normal human temperature. Lunar vampires, both male and female, cannot breed, though both are fully physically functional- again, the mind controls the body, so the body does what it expects to do in response to stimuli.
The process by which a human being is transformed into a lunar vampire is well-known: the vampire drinks the human’s blood, and then the human drinks the vampire’s. The drinking of the blood weakens the human system enough that the vampiric power can take over; in order to weaken it so substantially, the human needs to be at the brink of death... but not quite there, since they need to be alive long enough to drink the vampiric blood. If the vampire does not take enough blood to kill the human, the survivor will end up tainted but not changed—usually, bloodbonded (see essay on bloodbonds). The quantity of vampiric blood necessary for the change depends on how powerful the vampire is. Also, the more blood is given to the new fledgling, the faster and easier the change will be. The act of drinking blood, in itself, has nothing to do with the change. The same result could be achieved through a transfusion of vampiric blood into a host dying from other causes. All that is truly necessary is death, in such a way that the host body is not too damaged to accept, and be accepted by, the vampiric power.
Generally, humans who are nearly but not quite fully physically mature make the strongest and healthiest vampires. A ten year old who is changed will remain, physically, a ten year old forever. I agree with the popular theory that children made into vampires probably won’t survive mentally. Their brains weren’t fully developed when they were changed, and what’s there is trapped in a body that isn’t mature, so it seems a setup for failure. On the other hand, once the body has fully finished maturing (in humans, this happens around the late-twenties, mid-thirties), it becomes nearly impossible to change that human. The body will die rather than accept the intrusion of the parasitic, immortal power.
Once changed, the amount of power a vampire has is controlled by two primary factors. One is the ability to hold power, which can be considered like conductivity- the amount of “juice” that can be in the body at a time. The other is the willingness to acquire power. Mortals who have with both traits very strongly are rare.
Some lines, like Silver’s, are based on the fact that each person who was changed was able to carry and control a great deal of power. What gives someone this conductivity? Some of it comes from mental strength. Previous exposure to similar power also helps. Ather was a shapeshifter, Aubrey had worked with other elementals and witches, Moira had been a witch. Fala was one of those humans who was very focused, in addition to having worked with a fire elemental named Lashandra during her pre-vampire days. Jager... I don’t actually know about, since he hasn’t told me his history. I am sure it is fascinating. He is probably the one who taught the rune to Risika.
Someone is about to ask me, "What about Sarah? She’s a Vida, but she isn’t in Silver’s line." Sarah has the potential to be powerful; she possesses this super-conductivity. However, she lacks the willingness to do what is necessary to acquire power. She will not willingly kill, or feed any more often than she must. No matter how potentially strong, a vampire’s actual power will never grow unless it feeds well.
On Humans Bonded to Lunar Vampires
As previously mentioned, sometimes a human, given vampiric blood, is not changed but bloodbonded. Usually, this is intentional; very rarely, it occurs because a somewhat under-educated vampire didn’t do all that was necessary to change the human.
The creation of a bloodbond is far simpler, and less physically stressful for vampire and bond, than actually changing a human. The vampire still needs to take blood from the human, but only enough to create a connection- so, a very small amount, less than you would give in a regular blood donation. The vampire also needs to give blood, but again, only enough to infect the still-living human system with its power. The exchange does give the human some minor vampiric strengths, but the primary change is the creation of a powerful, nearly unbreakable mental bond.
Due to the vampiric blood they were given, bloodbonded humans will not age, though for slightly different reasons than full vampires. Here we get back into biology. The bond’s cells divide and use nutrients just like any human, at least for a while. What doesn’t occur is the cellular breakdown that causes humans to visibly age. The body retains its original form, each cell replicating perfectly, living and dying perfectly... unlike in we true mortals, where the growth and death of our cells occurs imperfectly, leaving flaws and eventually causing marks on our skin, weakened muscles and bones, and finally organ failure.
For this reason, bloodbonds can and must do everything that regular humans do. They need food and water, warmth, etcetera. They also can breed. However, if their master is strong enough, and they (the bloodbond) are old enough, they may also start to need bloodmeals, as well. At this point, the body begins to stop aging, and to in effect "freeze" the same way a regular vampire’s will. In short, the human power eventually does begin to die out, and over the course of many thousands of years, the bloodbond may become close enough to a true vampire to make the distinction difficult.
There are only two ways to break a bloodbond: through the death of the vampire, or through magical means. In the former case, it is unfortunately very likely that the bonded human will die as well, as she has no mental block between herself and her master, and will likely experience his death- something that will almost certainly throw her body into shock, and possibly cause outright cardiac arrest. However, if she survives, the vampiric infection inside her will eventually fade. The amount of time that takes will depend on the strength of her master, and the duration of the bloodbond, and may vary from a few months to a few thousand years.
Some Macht witches (the Smoke line being most likely to try), and certainly Triste witches, are able to break a bloodbond. For Macht witches, it is a very difficult and potentially dangerous procedure, though if done within the first hours of the bond, it is usually fairly effective. For Tristes, it’s a piece of cake... kind of literally, since they can feed on the vampiric power... but joking aside, it is a fairly simple flex of their power, provided they are strong enough and have enough control to break the bond without alerting the vampire and getting killed, and without killing the human accidentally.
On the Culture and History of Lunar Vampires
So, now you know all about the physiology and what makes them tick, but the two previous essays will still tell you little more of relevance about lunar vampires than biology will tell you about French people.
The first thing to remember about vampires is that they were born human, and their minds are human. The patterns of their thoughts are still primarily human, though altered somewhat by the predatory impulses that come with the blood. The blood defines them as solitary hunters, but the mind defies them as creatures of society.
In order to discuss the culture of lunar vampires, one must begin by addressing the five lineages. Siete, the higher Nyeusi who created the vampires, has created through the course of his life eight fledglings; three of them, including Kalika, Renaei and Jazlyn, never changed anyone else. The remaining five include Silver, Mira, Kendra, Akka and Katama.
Each line uses its power a little differently, and may have slightly different abilities- ie, Katama’s line is the only one able to dreamwalk- but the personality notes below do not come from the blood itself. The different characteristics of the five lines come about from how the fledglings are chosen, not from some mystical change in the brain that occurs when the blood is given.
Silver’s line usually chooses its fledglings for potential power, and often for the desire for power; that, combined with the fact that Silver is the strongest of the five progenitors, is why the vampires of Silver’s line are the strongest. Mira’s line is generally peaceable, passive, and in modern time involved with Single Earth. They aren’t likely to change people they think will turn into killers, or train new fledglings in how to kill. Kendra herself was an artist, and is still a lover of beauty. She is also more than a little mad. Hence, her fledglings are much the same way, either from their own lives, or through their less-than-gentle interactions with her. Akka’s line is the only one strongly influenced by the blood itself. Shortly after Akka was changed, which was also shortly after Christianity started to gain power, she ran afoul of a Triste, who decided to instill her with certain weaknesses... I’m sure you can guess. Finally, Katama...
Katama’s line was the first ruling line of Nyeusigrube. Katama changed her sisters Jeshickah and Acise, and the second generation (the trainers) was entirely hand-picked and changed by Jeshickah herself. You can refer to Midnight Predator for further discussion on how she chose them. This group of eight individuals founded Midnight, the empire that ruled Nyeusigrube- the vampires, shapeshifters and witches- with a set laws that revolves around the concepts of ownership and free trade, property and territory.
Katama’s line only grew larger after the fall of Midnight, when another group rose from the ashes of the empire, restrained and hence partially defined by a new set of laws (Mayhem’s). This younger group is often referred to as the Market Circuit, though some very brave few dare to call it Xeke’s line... though even the bravest wouldn’t do so in front of any of Midnight’s trainers.
Though Silver’s line has some of the oldest vampires in it, they did not choose to work together until the late sixteen hundreds, when they founded Mayhem. Silver’s line banned the slave-trade, and gradually began to gain power. They lost much of their support in the early 1700s, when Mayhem burned, but rallied and held enough political power in 1804 to take control and keep Midnight from regaining control after it was destroyed. Since then, Silver’s line and New Mayhem has been considered the ruling line of Nyeusigrube. They do not attempt to keep control over the witches or shapeshifters, but enforce a few simple laws, such as blood claim.
In the last hundred years, Midnight’s followers have again started to gain power, enough so that there are rumors that another coup is in the making. Many groups, especially among Kendra’s and “Xeke’s” lines, mix and match from the laws of both lineages, trying not to violate either side’s dictates.
(Information (c) Amelia Atwater-Rhodes)
On the Physiology of a Lunar Vampire
A lunar vampire is, quite simply, a dead body, animated by immortal power, and sustained through stolen mortal power. The heart does not beat. The cells do not divide. Hair and fingernails do not grow. On the other side of the equation, the cells do not die. Hairs and fingernails do not break, unless the vampire wills it. In this way, a lunar vampire is a complex collection of particles, held together by consciousness, like iron filings attracted to a magnet. How many of these particles actually match the original body varies by age. However, a vampire subconsciously remembers his "true" form, and thus maintains it without even intending to.
Over time, the mortal, physical power that is the vampire’s body begins to dissipate. When a vampire feeds, the blood that is taken in does not go through the stomach and intestines. Its essence is used in the formation of the body, a raw rearrangement of matter, instead of the messy process of conversation that is human digestion. A lunar vampire who goes without feeding will slowly lose physical form, until he reverts to pure consciousness, which will dissipate over time unless restored to a body.
The most common way to kill a lunar vampire is by destroying the heart. Why, if the heart is not needed for blood circulation, will its destruction kill the vampire? The power that animates a lunar vampire is from a fire elemental, and hence is bound in blood. The center of blood is the heart, so that is where the power rests regardless of what that muscle did once upon a time. In most vampires, putting a knife through there is enough of a rude shock to the power that it gets disassociated from the body. In others, it takes the complete destruction of the heart, and occasionally magic, to kill. In a very few, it takes even more, because they are more thoroughly saturated with power. Provided he held still for the procedure, you could probably rip out Silver’s heart without killing him. This is where the "take the heart, take the head, burn it all" idea comes from... some of them simply don’t die until the last of the blood is gone. Why the head? Because it is very difficult to concentrate without a head, which makes it very difficult to stop the person who is trying to burn you.
There are traits and abilities that all vampires share. All vampires have the ability to move instantly from place to place, dissolving their mortal forms for a moment in order to travel. All vampires have the ability to sculpt their bodies, though most only do so unconsciously. Only a very few very powerful vampires can change their forms completely. All lunar vampires naturally have black eyes, though again, some of the more powerful can mask that telltale sign with illusion. Due to the nature of their power, a lunar vampire’s body is not cold; the average body temperature for their kind about one hundred degrees, slightly above a normal human temperature. Lunar vampires, both male and female, cannot breed, though both are fully physically functional- again, the mind controls the body, so the body does what it expects to do in response to stimuli.
The process by which a human being is transformed into a lunar vampire is well-known: the vampire drinks the human’s blood, and then the human drinks the vampire’s. The drinking of the blood weakens the human system enough that the vampiric power can take over; in order to weaken it so substantially, the human needs to be at the brink of death... but not quite there, since they need to be alive long enough to drink the vampiric blood. If the vampire does not take enough blood to kill the human, the survivor will end up tainted but not changed—usually, bloodbonded (see essay on bloodbonds). The quantity of vampiric blood necessary for the change depends on how powerful the vampire is. Also, the more blood is given to the new fledgling, the faster and easier the change will be. The act of drinking blood, in itself, has nothing to do with the change. The same result could be achieved through a transfusion of vampiric blood into a host dying from other causes. All that is truly necessary is death, in such a way that the host body is not too damaged to accept, and be accepted by, the vampiric power.
Generally, humans who are nearly but not quite fully physically mature make the strongest and healthiest vampires. A ten year old who is changed will remain, physically, a ten year old forever. I agree with the popular theory that children made into vampires probably won’t survive mentally. Their brains weren’t fully developed when they were changed, and what’s there is trapped in a body that isn’t mature, so it seems a setup for failure. On the other hand, once the body has fully finished maturing (in humans, this happens around the late-twenties, mid-thirties), it becomes nearly impossible to change that human. The body will die rather than accept the intrusion of the parasitic, immortal power.
Once changed, the amount of power a vampire has is controlled by two primary factors. One is the ability to hold power, which can be considered like conductivity- the amount of “juice” that can be in the body at a time. The other is the willingness to acquire power. Mortals who have with both traits very strongly are rare.
Some lines, like Silver’s, are based on the fact that each person who was changed was able to carry and control a great deal of power. What gives someone this conductivity? Some of it comes from mental strength. Previous exposure to similar power also helps. Ather was a shapeshifter, Aubrey had worked with other elementals and witches, Moira had been a witch. Fala was one of those humans who was very focused, in addition to having worked with a fire elemental named Lashandra during her pre-vampire days. Jager... I don’t actually know about, since he hasn’t told me his history. I am sure it is fascinating. He is probably the one who taught the rune to Risika.
Someone is about to ask me, "What about Sarah? She’s a Vida, but she isn’t in Silver’s line." Sarah has the potential to be powerful; she possesses this super-conductivity. However, she lacks the willingness to do what is necessary to acquire power. She will not willingly kill, or feed any more often than she must. No matter how potentially strong, a vampire’s actual power will never grow unless it feeds well.
On Humans Bonded to Lunar Vampires
As previously mentioned, sometimes a human, given vampiric blood, is not changed but bloodbonded. Usually, this is intentional; very rarely, it occurs because a somewhat under-educated vampire didn’t do all that was necessary to change the human.
The creation of a bloodbond is far simpler, and less physically stressful for vampire and bond, than actually changing a human. The vampire still needs to take blood from the human, but only enough to create a connection- so, a very small amount, less than you would give in a regular blood donation. The vampire also needs to give blood, but again, only enough to infect the still-living human system with its power. The exchange does give the human some minor vampiric strengths, but the primary change is the creation of a powerful, nearly unbreakable mental bond.
Due to the vampiric blood they were given, bloodbonded humans will not age, though for slightly different reasons than full vampires. Here we get back into biology. The bond’s cells divide and use nutrients just like any human, at least for a while. What doesn’t occur is the cellular breakdown that causes humans to visibly age. The body retains its original form, each cell replicating perfectly, living and dying perfectly... unlike in we true mortals, where the growth and death of our cells occurs imperfectly, leaving flaws and eventually causing marks on our skin, weakened muscles and bones, and finally organ failure.
For this reason, bloodbonds can and must do everything that regular humans do. They need food and water, warmth, etcetera. They also can breed. However, if their master is strong enough, and they (the bloodbond) are old enough, they may also start to need bloodmeals, as well. At this point, the body begins to stop aging, and to in effect "freeze" the same way a regular vampire’s will. In short, the human power eventually does begin to die out, and over the course of many thousands of years, the bloodbond may become close enough to a true vampire to make the distinction difficult.
There are only two ways to break a bloodbond: through the death of the vampire, or through magical means. In the former case, it is unfortunately very likely that the bonded human will die as well, as she has no mental block between herself and her master, and will likely experience his death- something that will almost certainly throw her body into shock, and possibly cause outright cardiac arrest. However, if she survives, the vampiric infection inside her will eventually fade. The amount of time that takes will depend on the strength of her master, and the duration of the bloodbond, and may vary from a few months to a few thousand years.
Some Macht witches (the Smoke line being most likely to try), and certainly Triste witches, are able to break a bloodbond. For Macht witches, it is a very difficult and potentially dangerous procedure, though if done within the first hours of the bond, it is usually fairly effective. For Tristes, it’s a piece of cake... kind of literally, since they can feed on the vampiric power... but joking aside, it is a fairly simple flex of their power, provided they are strong enough and have enough control to break the bond without alerting the vampire and getting killed, and without killing the human accidentally.
On the Culture and History of Lunar Vampires
So, now you know all about the physiology and what makes them tick, but the two previous essays will still tell you little more of relevance about lunar vampires than biology will tell you about French people.
The first thing to remember about vampires is that they were born human, and their minds are human. The patterns of their thoughts are still primarily human, though altered somewhat by the predatory impulses that come with the blood. The blood defines them as solitary hunters, but the mind defies them as creatures of society.
In order to discuss the culture of lunar vampires, one must begin by addressing the five lineages. Siete, the higher Nyeusi who created the vampires, has created through the course of his life eight fledglings; three of them, including Kalika, Renaei and Jazlyn, never changed anyone else. The remaining five include Silver, Mira, Kendra, Akka and Katama.
Each line uses its power a little differently, and may have slightly different abilities- ie, Katama’s line is the only one able to dreamwalk- but the personality notes below do not come from the blood itself. The different characteristics of the five lines come about from how the fledglings are chosen, not from some mystical change in the brain that occurs when the blood is given.
Silver’s line usually chooses its fledglings for potential power, and often for the desire for power; that, combined with the fact that Silver is the strongest of the five progenitors, is why the vampires of Silver’s line are the strongest. Mira’s line is generally peaceable, passive, and in modern time involved with Single Earth. They aren’t likely to change people they think will turn into killers, or train new fledglings in how to kill. Kendra herself was an artist, and is still a lover of beauty. She is also more than a little mad. Hence, her fledglings are much the same way, either from their own lives, or through their less-than-gentle interactions with her. Akka’s line is the only one strongly influenced by the blood itself. Shortly after Akka was changed, which was also shortly after Christianity started to gain power, she ran afoul of a Triste, who decided to instill her with certain weaknesses... I’m sure you can guess. Finally, Katama...
Katama’s line was the first ruling line of Nyeusigrube. Katama changed her sisters Jeshickah and Acise, and the second generation (the trainers) was entirely hand-picked and changed by Jeshickah herself. You can refer to Midnight Predator for further discussion on how she chose them. This group of eight individuals founded Midnight, the empire that ruled Nyeusigrube- the vampires, shapeshifters and witches- with a set laws that revolves around the concepts of ownership and free trade, property and territory.
Katama’s line only grew larger after the fall of Midnight, when another group rose from the ashes of the empire, restrained and hence partially defined by a new set of laws (Mayhem’s). This younger group is often referred to as the Market Circuit, though some very brave few dare to call it Xeke’s line... though even the bravest wouldn’t do so in front of any of Midnight’s trainers.
Though Silver’s line has some of the oldest vampires in it, they did not choose to work together until the late sixteen hundreds, when they founded Mayhem. Silver’s line banned the slave-trade, and gradually began to gain power. They lost much of their support in the early 1700s, when Mayhem burned, but rallied and held enough political power in 1804 to take control and keep Midnight from regaining control after it was destroyed. Since then, Silver’s line and New Mayhem has been considered the ruling line of Nyeusigrube. They do not attempt to keep control over the witches or shapeshifters, but enforce a few simple laws, such as blood claim.
In the last hundred years, Midnight’s followers have again started to gain power, enough so that there are rumors that another coup is in the making. Many groups, especially among Kendra’s and “Xeke’s” lines, mix and match from the laws of both lineages, trying not to violate either side’s dictates.
(Information (c) Amelia Atwater-Rhodes)