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The only true test of loyalty is fidelity
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in the face of ruin and despair
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May. 11th, 2024 10:03 am
[in-character contact post]
Sep. 15th, 2024 12:16 pmI don't bite unless you ask for it. code source : image source |
Part of the vampire transformation will increase the concentration of platelet tissue factor and of antibacterial agents already present in human saliva (such as lactoferrin, lysozyme and peroxidase). Platelet tissue factor helps promote blood clotting.
Other changes would include the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), which is not found in human saliva. Experiments with animals who have NGF in their saliva, such as mice, have found that wounds doused with NGF heal faster.
Another compound found in human saliva of interest is opiorphin – it has a pain-killing effect. However, the molecule degrades quickly in the intestine and doesn’t permeate the blood-brain barrier well, in the form found in human saliva. There’s a modification to the molecule that will stabilize it and preserve the analgesic effects, so if someone does science to the vampires of Keziah's ilk, they’ll also find pyroglutamized opiorphin in vampire saliva.
With this base of actual change to the composition of vampire saliva, and a boost from their semi-mystical nature, that is why licking wounds -- on themselves or others -- can speed up healing.
Other changes would include the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), which is not found in human saliva. Experiments with animals who have NGF in their saliva, such as mice, have found that wounds doused with NGF heal faster.
Another compound found in human saliva of interest is opiorphin – it has a pain-killing effect. However, the molecule degrades quickly in the intestine and doesn’t permeate the blood-brain barrier well, in the form found in human saliva. There’s a modification to the molecule that will stabilize it and preserve the analgesic effects, so if someone does science to the vampires of Keziah's ilk, they’ll also find pyroglutamized opiorphin in vampire saliva.
With this base of actual change to the composition of vampire saliva, and a boost from their semi-mystical nature, that is why licking wounds -- on themselves or others -- can speed up healing.
Lycanthropy does not affect vampires. Vampires have been dead, they need to breathe only rarely, and their hearts beat slowly. Vampires run far cooler than the truly living, and the disease of lycanthropy cannot survive long enough to truly take root in them.
The fae are living creatures. They can be bitten by werewolves and turned into... another kind of monster. This is especially terrifying for Faerie Gentry -- their rulers must be without physical flaw, after all. Werewolf bites tend to scar terribly, and the transformation is ruled by the phases of the moon and not individual will.
The vampires of Keziah's world are able to sense each other's presence, as long as they are within the same family line or House. Sire and child are able to sense each other's emotional states, which becomes stronger with eye contact and especially physical touch. This more potent connection can temporarily be formed by vampires outside of the sire-child connection, but each vampire needs to drink of the other's blood. (Like many things, this is a formalized contact -- one vampire presents a wrist or hand, the other bites, and then the gesture is repeated. It is considered polite to bite as near the same spot -- wrist and wrist, palm and palm, same finger -- as possible.) It can be useful for conflict resolution, for although actual thoughts cannot be shared in this method, knowing how the other party felt about an event does assist in mutual understanding.
If necessary, a sire can slip into the mind of their child and reinforce the child's will (or suborn it to their own). This is not a step that Keziah likes to take, outside of ensuring that her newly turned vampire child will not give in to bloodlust.
Fae creatures are able to influence the minds of mortals with their particular brand of magic. Illusions, glamours, altered voices -- all to assist in trickery. Vampires are resistant to such illusions, and may be able to spot a fae for what they are (older fae that are strong in their magic are harder to spot). However, if a vampire drinks of a fae creature's blood -- even that of a changeling or half-faerie -- it gives the fae an 'in' to influence the vampire's mind. Unfortunately for vampires, faerie blood is addictive... feed from them too often, and you will begin to crave it above all else. And of course, a fae can take advantage of this addiction to enslave a vampire to their will.
Around 1350, the Spring Court of the Mediterranean feared lycanthropic incursion and corruption. Several vampires were kidnapped and forced to imbibe faerie blood to become enslaved protectors of the Spring Court Gentry. Keziah tried to save her sire from this fate, but it was too late. Ibtihaj was lost to her.
Scent is usually the tell that Keziah depends on when it comes to sussing out someone associated with the Fae. She is too smart to attack immediately, but she'll watch such people -- enthralled humans, half-fae, full faerie, whatever -- with suspicion. Hate on sight, basically.
The fae are living creatures. They can be bitten by werewolves and turned into... another kind of monster. This is especially terrifying for Faerie Gentry -- their rulers must be without physical flaw, after all. Werewolf bites tend to scar terribly, and the transformation is ruled by the phases of the moon and not individual will.
The vampires of Keziah's world are able to sense each other's presence, as long as they are within the same family line or House. Sire and child are able to sense each other's emotional states, which becomes stronger with eye contact and especially physical touch. This more potent connection can temporarily be formed by vampires outside of the sire-child connection, but each vampire needs to drink of the other's blood. (Like many things, this is a formalized contact -- one vampire presents a wrist or hand, the other bites, and then the gesture is repeated. It is considered polite to bite as near the same spot -- wrist and wrist, palm and palm, same finger -- as possible.) It can be useful for conflict resolution, for although actual thoughts cannot be shared in this method, knowing how the other party felt about an event does assist in mutual understanding.
If necessary, a sire can slip into the mind of their child and reinforce the child's will (or suborn it to their own). This is not a step that Keziah likes to take, outside of ensuring that her newly turned vampire child will not give in to bloodlust.
Fae creatures are able to influence the minds of mortals with their particular brand of magic. Illusions, glamours, altered voices -- all to assist in trickery. Vampires are resistant to such illusions, and may be able to spot a fae for what they are (older fae that are strong in their magic are harder to spot). However, if a vampire drinks of a fae creature's blood -- even that of a changeling or half-faerie -- it gives the fae an 'in' to influence the vampire's mind. Unfortunately for vampires, faerie blood is addictive... feed from them too often, and you will begin to crave it above all else. And of course, a fae can take advantage of this addiction to enslave a vampire to their will.
Around 1350, the Spring Court of the Mediterranean feared lycanthropic incursion and corruption. Several vampires were kidnapped and forced to imbibe faerie blood to become enslaved protectors of the Spring Court Gentry. Keziah tried to save her sire from this fate, but it was too late. Ibtihaj was lost to her.
Scent is usually the tell that Keziah depends on when it comes to sussing out someone associated with the Fae. She is too smart to attack immediately, but she'll watch such people -- enthralled humans, half-fae, full faerie, whatever -- with suspicion. Hate on sight, basically.
[permissions]
Mar. 6th, 2024 02:09 pmPLAYER
NAME: Vonn
CONTACT: PM this journal
ACTIVE TIMES/PACE: Pacific time zone / slow in daytime
BRACKETS/PROSE: Prose preferred, will match thread partner
OFFENSIVE SUBJECTS & TRIGGERS: I can play even if threads mention these topics but please warn for - pregnancy (tokophobia), vomiting (emetophobia)
CONTACT: PM this journal
ACTIVE TIMES/PACE: Pacific time zone / slow in daytime
BRACKETS/PROSE: Prose preferred, will match thread partner
OFFENSIVE SUBJECTS & TRIGGERS: I can play even if threads mention these topics but please warn for - pregnancy (tokophobia), vomiting (emetophobia)
OUT OF CHARACTER
BACKTAGGING: Always welcome
THREADHOPPING: Yes
FOURTHWALLING:Not for this character, aside from recognizing her as a vampire
NOT INTERESTED IN: Obviously no pregnancy plots, please
THREADHOPPING: Yes
FOURTHWALLING:Not for this character, aside from recognizing her as a vampire
NOT INTERESTED IN: Obviously no pregnancy plots, please
IN CHARACTER
PHYSICAL AFFECTION: Not immediately, but she can warm up to it.
PHYSICAL VIOLENCE: Definitely yes.
RELATIONSHIPS: She's open to it, but don't expect long term unless you're willing to be turned.
PSYCHIC & PSIONIC INFORMATION: She's a vampire, they experience the world differently from a human, so if you can peek into her head it will be obvious.
MAGICAL INFORMATION: Her setting has a spell called Safe Return -- no magic from her world can block it, though it does require setting up the return point first. It will teleport the caster (plus anyone making physical contact with them) back to the return point. This is the only spell that Keziah is able to cast.
MEDICAL INFORMATION: Keziah is a vampire, an undead creature. She has a very slow heartbeat and very low body temperature.
OFFENSIVE SUBJECTS & TRIGGERS: Woe betide you if you are a member of a Faerie Court, especially the Spring Court. She's been holding a grudge for over 600 years for what they did to her sire.
PHYSICAL VIOLENCE: Definitely yes.
RELATIONSHIPS: She's open to it, but don't expect long term unless you're willing to be turned.
PSYCHIC & PSIONIC INFORMATION: She's a vampire, they experience the world differently from a human, so if you can peek into her head it will be obvious.
MAGICAL INFORMATION: Her setting has a spell called Safe Return -- no magic from her world can block it, though it does require setting up the return point first. It will teleport the caster (plus anyone making physical contact with them) back to the return point. This is the only spell that Keziah is able to cast.
MEDICAL INFORMATION: Keziah is a vampire, an undead creature. She has a very slow heartbeat and very low body temperature.
OFFENSIVE SUBJECTS & TRIGGERS: Woe betide you if you are a member of a Faerie Court, especially the Spring Court. She's been holding a grudge for over 600 years for what they did to her sire.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
VISUAL: A short, slender woman with brown skin, dark brown eyes, and very fluffy, dark brown, 3B curly hair. In vampire form both her upper and lower canines extend into fangs, and her eyes turn orange and feline.
AURAL: She has a low voice and her accent has become muddled over the centuries, but her native tongue is Tamazight (Berber).
OLFACTORY: generally a smoky sandalwood smell from the incense she burns in her home
DEMEANOUR: Keziah can be quite formal and distant when meeting new people, but she warms up once she decides that she likes a person.
AURAL: She has a low voice and her accent has become muddled over the centuries, but her native tongue is Tamazight (Berber).
OLFACTORY: generally a smoky sandalwood smell from the incense she burns in her home
DEMEANOUR: Keziah can be quite formal and distant when meeting new people, but she warms up once she decides that she likes a person.
☆ code by kimmiserate ☆
There were some measures said to stop a corpse from rising as a vampire...
–> burying the body face-down, so that the vampire goes the wrong way when it tries to dig out of the grave
–> burying the body at a crossroads
–> a long nail driven through the skull
–> wild roses planted over the grave, in the hopes that the thorns would entangle the corpse’s shroud when it attempted to rise
–> breaking the spine
–> cutting off the hands and feet
–> cutting out the heart
–> stuffing the mouth with garlic, or a coin, or some other charm…
–> stuffing the mouth with a brick
–> rubbing certain parts of the body with the lard of a pig killed on St. Ignatius Day (31 July)
–> driving a wooden stake through the chest
–> driving an iron spike through the body
–> cutting off the head
–> burning the body
Other than the wooden stake through the chest and cutting off the head, none of these measures will actually kill a vampire in Keziah's world. (And for her line, in a feature inherited from her original House, a wooden stake is not fatal unless it is ash wood.)
These preventative measures don’t actually stop the vampire from becoming undead, but some of them do mess up the bodies. The pre-reanimation damage can, in some cases, keep the vampire from being able to escape the grave.
Mutilated, aware, eternally hungry for the blood of the living but utterly unable to satisfy that hunger... corpse zombies are thwarted vampires gone mad in their graves.
–> burying the body face-down, so that the vampire goes the wrong way when it tries to dig out of the grave
–> burying the body at a crossroads
–> a long nail driven through the skull
–> wild roses planted over the grave, in the hopes that the thorns would entangle the corpse’s shroud when it attempted to rise
–> breaking the spine
–> cutting off the hands and feet
–> cutting out the heart
–> stuffing the mouth with garlic, or a coin, or some other charm…
–> stuffing the mouth with a brick
–> rubbing certain parts of the body with the lard of a pig killed on St. Ignatius Day (31 July)
–> driving a wooden stake through the chest
–> driving an iron spike through the body
–> cutting off the head
–> burning the body
Other than the wooden stake through the chest and cutting off the head, none of these measures will actually kill a vampire in Keziah's world. (And for her line, in a feature inherited from her original House, a wooden stake is not fatal unless it is ash wood.)
These preventative measures don’t actually stop the vampire from becoming undead, but some of them do mess up the bodies. The pre-reanimation damage can, in some cases, keep the vampire from being able to escape the grave.
Mutilated, aware, eternally hungry for the blood of the living but utterly unable to satisfy that hunger... corpse zombies are thwarted vampires gone mad in their graves.
Some vampires do not take to the change well.
A human is drained to near death and fed a vampire's blood, then allowed to expire. If it is successful, the dead human will rise again as a vampire.
If the change fails, you simply have a corpse that you wasted your blood on. But there are some who successfully rise from death into the not-quite-living state of a vampire, but then cannot regain enough of a human guise to blend in with the prey.
Commonly called "ghouls", these failed vampires generally end up on the fringes of society -- perhaps hiding amongst the homeless of a city, or in less populated rural areas. In order to be healthy, a vampire must feed on life energy through the medium of blood. It is best for them to feed on human blood, since they used to be human. However, they can survive on the blood of other animals. Ghouls that survive will usually subsist on animal blood and lifeforce, which makes them even less human-like than they originally started.
The creature reported in Moca, Puerto Rico in 1975 which has since been known as the "chupacabra" was a ghoul, a failed vampire. Any weird differences in appearance were just unreliable witness accounts being taken as fact.
Other cryptids who go after livestock are likely to be ghouls, regardless of whatever name that humans give the creatures.
A human is drained to near death and fed a vampire's blood, then allowed to expire. If it is successful, the dead human will rise again as a vampire.
If the change fails, you simply have a corpse that you wasted your blood on. But there are some who successfully rise from death into the not-quite-living state of a vampire, but then cannot regain enough of a human guise to blend in with the prey.
Commonly called "ghouls", these failed vampires generally end up on the fringes of society -- perhaps hiding amongst the homeless of a city, or in less populated rural areas. In order to be healthy, a vampire must feed on life energy through the medium of blood. It is best for them to feed on human blood, since they used to be human. However, they can survive on the blood of other animals. Ghouls that survive will usually subsist on animal blood and lifeforce, which makes them even less human-like than they originally started.
The creature reported in Moca, Puerto Rico in 1975 which has since been known as the "chupacabra" was a ghoul, a failed vampire. Any weird differences in appearance were just unreliable witness accounts being taken as fact.
Other cryptids who go after livestock are likely to be ghouls, regardless of whatever name that humans give the creatures.
Keziah was not always known as Keziah. It is a name that she adopted in 1347, after one hundred and sixty nine years as a vampire.
Vampires in Keziah's world inherit their benefits and weaknesses from their sire. Superhuman strength, speed, and durability are the basic benefits; while an inability to go in the sun, skin burning upon contact with religious iconography, and the fatality of a wooden stake through the heart and beheading are common weaknesses. And of course, all vampires feel an urge to feed on the life-force of the truly living -- for most vampires, this translates into a thirst for blood.
However, as vampires have diversified and come into contact with witches, fae, lycanthropes, and other creatures, they have changed. Some have gained boons against being harmed by certain kinds of attack, some have changed to feed directly on life-force energy rather than through the medium of blood, and a thousand other small differences. Witches will retain their magical abilities even after being turned, and vampires who were dhampirs (half-human, half-vampire offspring) to start with are stronger than average. Certain notable or long-lasting vampire lines have organized themselves into Houses, and knowing which House a vampire hails from can be a clue into the specific details of their strain of vampirism.
When she was turned in 1178, she was 22 years old and known by the name Ruqayyah. Her sire, a woman named Ibtihaj, had befriended her while she was alive. At this time, they have a generalized weakness to religious iconography and a weakness to sunlight that manifests itself in severe burns to the skin following exposure.
In the early years among her first House, Ruqayyah eventually comes to be referred to by the kunya Umm Shafaqat, a name meaning "mother of compassion".
It was likely this compassion that drove Ruqayyah in 1347 -- following the death of a Christian child, the local Jewish community was blamed, and the Christian majority was going to attack in revenge. Instead, Ruqayyah allowed herself to be seen feeding in order to shift the blame to herself. Vampire hunters were called in. But she was able to escape from them into the sunlight, after finding out that it no longer burned her. (Further, while Christian religious iconography no longer harms her, certain Jewish religious items will sting or sear her skin when handled.) After this, she takes on the name Keziah.
The vampires she sires afterward, starting with Giuseppe Poggio in 1350, inherit her sun resistance, as well as the specific weakness to Jewish religious iconography. Keziah values coexistence with the human majority and dislikes those vampires who don't have the control to leave their prey alive after a feeding. She does not believe in any kind of inherent superiority of vampires over other forms of life, knowing that they are far more dependent on the truly alive such as humans than most vampires would like to admit. She takes care when selecting who to turn, though she can be swayed by pleas from her vampire children. Anyone who doesn't meet her standards of self control will eventually be... removed from the House.
Vampires in Keziah's world inherit their benefits and weaknesses from their sire. Superhuman strength, speed, and durability are the basic benefits; while an inability to go in the sun, skin burning upon contact with religious iconography, and the fatality of a wooden stake through the heart and beheading are common weaknesses. And of course, all vampires feel an urge to feed on the life-force of the truly living -- for most vampires, this translates into a thirst for blood.
However, as vampires have diversified and come into contact with witches, fae, lycanthropes, and other creatures, they have changed. Some have gained boons against being harmed by certain kinds of attack, some have changed to feed directly on life-force energy rather than through the medium of blood, and a thousand other small differences. Witches will retain their magical abilities even after being turned, and vampires who were dhampirs (half-human, half-vampire offspring) to start with are stronger than average. Certain notable or long-lasting vampire lines have organized themselves into Houses, and knowing which House a vampire hails from can be a clue into the specific details of their strain of vampirism.
When she was turned in 1178, she was 22 years old and known by the name Ruqayyah. Her sire, a woman named Ibtihaj, had befriended her while she was alive. At this time, they have a generalized weakness to religious iconography and a weakness to sunlight that manifests itself in severe burns to the skin following exposure.
In the early years among her first House, Ruqayyah eventually comes to be referred to by the kunya Umm Shafaqat, a name meaning "mother of compassion".
It was likely this compassion that drove Ruqayyah in 1347 -- following the death of a Christian child, the local Jewish community was blamed, and the Christian majority was going to attack in revenge. Instead, Ruqayyah allowed herself to be seen feeding in order to shift the blame to herself. Vampire hunters were called in. But she was able to escape from them into the sunlight, after finding out that it no longer burned her. (Further, while Christian religious iconography no longer harms her, certain Jewish religious items will sting or sear her skin when handled.) After this, she takes on the name Keziah.
The vampires she sires afterward, starting with Giuseppe Poggio in 1350, inherit her sun resistance, as well as the specific weakness to Jewish religious iconography. Keziah values coexistence with the human majority and dislikes those vampires who don't have the control to leave their prey alive after a feeding. She does not believe in any kind of inherent superiority of vampires over other forms of life, knowing that they are far more dependent on the truly alive such as humans than most vampires would like to admit. She takes care when selecting who to turn, though she can be swayed by pleas from her vampire children. Anyone who doesn't meet her standards of self control will eventually be... removed from the House.
A vampire doesn’t live to be over 800 years old by taking foolish chances, nor by clinging to old ways.
Keziah has always tried to adapt to the world around her, and blend in to survive. She’s never clung to old mansions or outdated modes of dress, for all that she may miss such things when they fall out of fashion.
The one thing she demands that no one forget is proper respect. Small she may be, and a woman besides, but she has outlived warrior kings and grand empires, and no stripling still smelling of grave dirt will ever look down on her. If one dares, he shall be put in his proper place – mewling for mercy at her feet.
Keziah may appear young, but the full weight of her age can be felt when one meets her eyes. (Especially if she is not in human guise.) Sometimes, in an effort to keep from overwhelming a young vampire, Keziah won’t even look at them when talking to them. This, combined with the deference shown to her by those of her House, gives the impression of a cold and demanding persona, but Keziah does care about getting along with others. She is not especially warm to outsiders, but if one manages to amuse or impress her, one can engage her in long and informative conversations.
Keziah has always tried to adapt to the world around her, and blend in to survive. She’s never clung to old mansions or outdated modes of dress, for all that she may miss such things when they fall out of fashion.
The one thing she demands that no one forget is proper respect. Small she may be, and a woman besides, but she has outlived warrior kings and grand empires, and no stripling still smelling of grave dirt will ever look down on her. If one dares, he shall be put in his proper place – mewling for mercy at her feet.
Keziah may appear young, but the full weight of her age can be felt when one meets her eyes. (Especially if she is not in human guise.) Sometimes, in an effort to keep from overwhelming a young vampire, Keziah won’t even look at them when talking to them. This, combined with the deference shown to her by those of her House, gives the impression of a cold and demanding persona, but Keziah does care about getting along with others. She is not especially warm to outsiders, but if one manages to amuse or impress her, one can engage her in long and informative conversations.
