Biology

Vampires simulate many aspects of life, but they are creatures of magic rather than 'alive' in any biological sense. So the topic of this page is misleading. All the same~

The ritual that Azaes performed, so long ago, bound his immortal soul inexorably to his mortal flesh-- with the intention of making it, too, imperishable and unchanging. The gods could not directly undo what he had done, but they could alter it, much as the evil fairy Maleficent threw her two cents in after the good fairies' blessings. They cursed Azaes, and it was the combination of both curses and gifts, in a somewhat lessened form, that Azaes eventually passed down to others, with the package comprising the state of "vampirism."

Some major points:


 * Vampires cannot eat or drink regular food or liquids; it makes them sick, tastes terrible, and doesn't provide nourishment
 * Vampires are lethargic or asleep in daylight hours, in proportion to how bright the sun is. Direct sunlight burns them painfully and can destroy them if they are exposed for too long
 * They can also be killed by fire, decapitation, or a form of starvation, see below
 * Wooden stakes through the heart do not kill them, but they do paralyze them and leave them highly vulnerable
 * Many animals react negatively to vampires-- dogs growl, bark, or cower; cats hiss and snarl; birds panic, etc. The effect seems more pronounced among warm-blooded creatures-- reptiles and fish do not seem to mind vampires terribly, for instance.
 * Vampires do not need to breathe, and their flesh is naturally cool; they can imitate breathing and human body heat well enough, if they try
 * They have a remarkable ability to heal from even grievous injury, with their bodies automatically attempting to 'reset' back to their base state (how they were at turning, essentially), but with the caveat that this requires energy in the form of blood; a vampire that doesn't have enough reserves on hand may still die as a secondary result of serious injuries; see below for full details
 * Everything uses blood.

Blood
Some nitpickers and pedants (like Josh) may say that what vampires actually need to survive and to fuel themselves is energy rather than blood. While this may be technically true, for the overwhelming majority of vampires, that energy is present in the medium of blood, and thus, the two are essentially the same. There is also an element, thanks to Azaes's curse by the gods, where blood is craved; there is a psychological desire for it that is not necessarily satisfied by 'alternative energy sources.' The conventional wisdom, believed by 99.99% of vampires, is that they do require blood to survive-- human blood, ultimately.

Blood that is ingested by a vampire remains in their body until they do something that requires energy. Any action taken by a vampire requires some level of energy-- whether that's something as simple as opening and closing their eyes, or as complicated as enchanting a weapon. The energy required rises based on how complex or involved the task is. (A vampire that is truly motionless and quiescent, including mentally, uses no energy, and can maintain that dormant state for an indefinite period of time, though most vampires would find this unpleasant, and also difficult to achieve a true 'zero expenditure' state... short of being staked.)

Blood powers all actions a vampire takes. A vampire's daily level of interaction, such as having a conversation, walking from point A to point B, etc., will constantly, if minutely, draw on their blood reserves. More intensive action uses up more blood. Using specialized abilities can use a great deal of blood. With time and practice, a vampire learns to be more efficient with the ratio of energy they can 'harvest' from blood, and thus stretch their body's blood reserves further. A newly-turned vampire is subject to more of a constant sensation of hunger, and to sharp drops in their available energy resources, than one who is a hundred years old; similarly a five-hundred year old vampire is usually better at 'managing' their blood than the hundred-year one (accomplishing more, with less).

A vampire can 'starve' to death. This is less a function of time without sufficient blood, as it is actions without sufficient blood. A vampire who simply did not have access to blood for an extended period would eventually, willingly or not, enter a dormant state, as they simply wouldn't have the resources to do anything else-- like a car running out of gas. Generally, a vampire cannot expend blood they don't have "in the tank"-- it would be impossible for a vampire who was 'nearly empty' to attempt something complex and blood-intensive. The exception to this is serious injury-- the healing response is an automatic process that does not need to be consciously activated by the vampire. If a vampire is already low on blood when their body starts healing deep injuries, they can run out of blood entirely, at which point they would die. Sufficiently old or skilled vampires can consciously "stop" the healing process, but it takes a great deal of sustained effort and willpower to override the regenerative magic.

Vampires can ingest any type of human blood, even that of sick or diseased people, without ill effect. The blood of healthy individuals provides the most energy, however.

Vampires can also ingest animal blood, and many supplement their diets with animal blood. It provides a bare-minimum satisfaction of their needs, but it doesn't satisfy the craving aspect of the curse, and it returns less useable energy than human.

A vampire who is too low on blood reserves will start experiencing a decline in self-control, as regards satisfying their craving. Regardless of their intentions, resolutions, relationship with the person in question, or the consequences that might result-- if they're hungry enough, a vampire will attack anyone. Most vampires accordingly try and make sure to stay well-fed, and away from that dangerous brink.

Vampires can also find sustenance in the blood of other vampires. Most vampires engage in consensual mutual blood sharing for purposes of bonding and companionship. A newly turned vampire will 'feed' from their creator a fair bit in the early stages. Non-consensual vampire-on-vampire nomming does happen, but this is, to say the least, a very loaded topic. (See Reclamation.)

Biological Details
Vampires are humanoid in form, but their bodies function very differently. It may be useful to think of vampires as magical constructs of flesh and bone, piloted by an animating consciousness, rather than as organic creatures. The older a vampire is, the less their inner workings resemble humankind's-- vampires who are "new to the life" tend to still have the habit of breathing, for instance, whereas an older vampire must consciously remember to imitate breathing when around humans.

Vampires cannot get sick in any traditional understanding of the term; their bodies cannot contract diseases, host viruses, or experience infection. Their ill-gotten blood doesn't "flow" in their bodies; they aren't bothered by poisons or drugs. Their hearts generally don't beat, but they can choose to make them beat for the sake of disguise, if needed (new vampires often take a little while to lose the 'habit' of a heartbeat, just like their breathing).

The magic that keeps their bodies 'frozen in time' stops them from decomposing, but also means that their bodies do not attract or host the millions of bacteria that typically are found in the body of any living creature. They don't experience biological processes such as sweat, epidermal oils, etc. All of that has been arrested. Accordingly, most vampires have less 'natural scent' than living creatures, though external smells still cling to clothes and body as normal (i.e., cologne, tobacco, etc.). Growth of hair and nails has also been arrested, but can be artificially induced, just like a heartbeat, with some blood cost associated.

A vampire's thought process, and sense of "self," is not as tied to the physical organ of the brain as it is for humans. In a younger vampire, a head injury could imitate (in a more mild form) some of the same effects it might have on a human-- though there would be no risk of death or lasting damage from a concussion, etc. Older vampires tend to have their consciousness more diffused throughout their physical form. A vampire might suffer a head injury early on and, in the aftermath of said injury, develop that more 'diffused consciousness' as their body adjusts to the fact that it doesn't actually need the brain, so to speak.

Numerous organs become redundant for vampires after their turning-- for instance, the digestive system is now pointless. On a subconscious level, the vampire will usually allocate less and less blood energy towards keeping the now-pointless organs in "working order," and those organs will atrophy inside the body and eventually rot away to nothing. (Yum...) The lungs generally stay in good condition, since they're used regularly to speak.

The nervous system stays functional, although old or skilled vampires display some ability to selectively turn it on or off (i.e., if they don't want to experience the sensation of pain). Body heat can be simulated when necessary, though this skill takes some time to master for most vampires.

Vampires cannot procreate sexually and are infertile in all senses of the term.

These vampires do have a reflection. They are not affected by garlic or holy symbols (see Rue for specifics on crucifixes, however), and they only require an invitation to a home if the home has a 'hearth,' an actual functioning fireplace. Vampire can cross running water without difficulty, but generally have a subconscious aversion to ocean water (more or less a sublimated racial memory of the sinking of Atlantis and the several months that Azaes spent being sentient driftwood).