Vampires

Vampires within this series are creatures that are able to perpetuate their life through the consumption of the blood of a living being.

Organization
Vampires organize themselves into small groups called Covens where they occasionally pay homage to an unknown blood god. Covens are kept small in number to avoid drawing attention to themselves due to their need for regular feeding. A typical coven will have less than thirteen members though there may be humans who serve or guard them living at the location as well. When a coven grows strong enough to support more than the traditional number of members, it will spawn a nearby smaller coven with members of its own group.

Each coven is lead by a priest or priestess, typically the eldest of their kind in the group. The priest or priestess is responsible for maintaining control over its members, ensuring that they are not discovered by others and continueing communication with their ruleing body.

Authority
The vampires (at least those who originated in Europe) all fall within the authority of the first twelve who were turned immortal during an ancient blood rite. All covens report to (some) members of the Council, depending upon which region they inhabit. Emissaries of the Council will occasionally visit the covens over the years to ensure that their will is being instituted and that their nation is secure.

Origin
Though it is not known when this ritual was performed (some say during senatorial Rome), the ritual was designed to bestow immortality upon the twelve members of the first coven. The rite required the sacrifice of their thirteenth member to an ancient blood god in return for their new power. The creature granted their petition but felt slighted when it was discovered that the thirteenth member, and the chosen sacrifice, was stricken with a wasting disease and would not have lived longer than a few months more. Feeling cheated for the powers granted in exchange for what was considered a poor gift, the twelve were cursed.

Weaknesses
All vampires are cursed with a continual thirst for blood, a fear of the sun and a vulnerability to silver. They must feed upon a portion of blood at least once every three nights or they begin to grow weaker - more so if they have used their powers. Sunlight is painful to them and will burn their flesh if exposed to it for a time. The older the vampire, the more injury they suffer from the true light of the sun. A fresh convert can still walk in the day light though they will feel uncomfortable. After the first month of age, they will burn more easily (sunburn) and it gradually increases in severity over the years. At their first year of unlife, a vampire will receive a severe sunburn on skin that is exposed to sunlight for a few minutes. It is often for this reason why vampires will often recruit new followers who can travel in sunlight more easily than their elders.

Silver, to a vampire, is a terrible vulnerability. That means that any wound inflected with a silver weapon ignores their supernatural resilience to injury. Bullet wounds, blades, even brass knuckles made from silver will strike and injure them as though they were merely mortal. Additionally, silver is semi-injurous to them in that it will burn them as though it were red hot.

Powers

 * Vampires do not age after their embrace.


 * They grow in strength, speed, resilience and fortitude upon their first dark of the moon and every dark moon there after. This means that every month a vampire is 'alive', they will gradually grow physically more powerful than they were originally.


 * Vampires see in pitch blackness as well as a human can see during the day.


 * Vampires can regenerate injury (burns, broken bones, bruises, even lost limbs) with a significant investment of blood.

Appearance
As a vampire ages, their complexion will turn more and more pale due to their inability to walk in the sun's light.Thankfully, regular feeding upon the blood of a living creature will allow them to temporarily disguise this pale facade with the blush of life. Even an elder, one who has lived for a hundred or more years, whose skin is as white as ivory, will appear perfectly normal so long as they feed regularly.

Vampires are often noticed because of the stark, almost irridescent blue of their eyes. Whatever eye color the vampire had prior to embrace, their eyes will turn an electric shade of blue that become more vibrant when their powers are used.