Post by Emmarie on Jun 18, 2011 4:27:56 GMT -5
How does it feel to leave a dead, bloodless child in a ditch? To manipulate mortals like pawns on a chessboard? To suspect that the elders wield you as an unwitting weapon against their ancient foes? To eke out an unlife of secrecy and bloodshed? To succumb to the wiles of the Beast and tear innocent victims to shreds?
Vampires have long been feared as rapacious monsters of the night - terrible black forms sweeping out of the darkness to steal infants from their cribs and ravish the blood of innocents. Vampires are also creatures of deadly beauty, immense passion and predatory sensuality. Each vampire is unique, and each has her own fascinating story to tell. The most important characteristic all vampires share, though, is their damnation. More important than any lineage, clan, sect or cause is the fact that all vampires are undead predators. The Kindred have evolved a complex society that exists just out of sight of the mortals who surround them. Age, clan, sect, sire, power, influence and many other aspects of unlife make the Kindred who they are. Part of any Kindred's being is membership in a number of social castes that grace vampire society. By creating and enforcing divisions and roles for themselves, no matter how artificial, the Kindred seek to escape the Beast that roils within them.
Myths & Legends, Weaknesses
Silver: Silver is as toxic to vampires as it is to lycans. Causing anything from mild irritation in small quantities to full out frenzy and blood lust with prolonged exposure, injury or subjecting to larger quantities.
Sunlight: Sunlight is an unfortunate evil. Vampires are creatures of the night and direct, prolonged exposure to the sun will kill them. The younger the vampire, the quicker they will burn while elder vampires may be able to endure the rays for a bit longer before needing to retreat to the shadows. In this we speak of mere minutes. Enchantments, Charms and various other trinkets may be able to protect the vampire from the rays of the sun. This 'rule' applies to the sun itself. A stormy, cloudy day with no sun exposure is perfectly safe for a vampire to venture out in.
Sleep: Vampires do not need to sleep (nor do they need to breath or eat, or anything else) so long as there is enough blood in their system to sustain them. Just because it is daylight does not mean they drop to the ground to find a cozy nest although it is common practice. After all what more does a vampire really have to do other than wait till dusk? The sleep which a vampire does take makes them vulnerable, so if one chooses to.. it shouldn't be in the back ally of the nearest tavern.
Crosses & Holy Water: Are very nice trinkets. Religious artifacts have no direct reaction to vampires, some are even known to collect them. On the same note, vampires are not restricted from stepping on holy soil or grounds either. They can enter a temple or chapel just as any other being can.
Garlic: Also no effect on Vampires.
Fire: Another unfortunate evil. Fire can harm and kill a vampire just as easily as it would any other thing that walks the republic. Fire damage cannot be healed but through time.
Children: Vampires cannot have children. If your insistent on vampires breeding there are spells, trinkets or other various little incantations which can be used (never heard of adoption?!). Dhampir are considered to be somehow genetically altered or mutated by vampire blood or the vampiric disease.
Stake through the Heart: Opposed to traditional belief this does not kill a vampire although many might feign their death in the event of it. A stake through the heart (Wooden Only) merely paralyzes the vampire, nothing more.
Consuming Food: Vampires can consume drinks and food, they simply have no purpose of it and cannot digest it. What goes in.. must come out.. Vampires masquerading as mortals may consume food or drink, tho after a few hours they best see themselves to a Privy.
The Thirst: Blood is essential to the unlife of the vampire. This is not dissimilar to the living and their need to consume food for energy. They cannot heal their wounds or use their abilities without using the blood they consume. Without blood the vampire will wither and die and even enter a bestial state called Frenzy. Frenzy is a state of survival, where the vampire will attack and gorge themselves on anyone which they can come across with no restraint and no mercy. It is not to say a vampire needs to feed every night or that going a day or two without feeding will cause them die or frenzy... a relatively active vampire may have to feed nightly while a sedentary vampire may be fine in feeding every other night. Some... simply enjoy feeding and do so as they please.
Dead Blood: Is as toxic and poisonous in small quantities and fatal to a vampire in large.
State of Body: Vampires are dead. Simply as that. While their bodies do not decay or wither away they to keep with them the pallor of death. With the exception of few who's skins darken as the vampire ages, almost all vampires will gradually grow paler in skin tone over the centuries. Their skin is generally cold or at least cool to the touch and have no pulse of life. Some vampires, with fresh blood in their systems, can fake a pulse, shed 'normal' tears and even feign a warm flesh tone and touch.. but under all a vampire simply has no need for it.
Frenzy: Frenzy is an unmistakable state of mind where the beast within takes over the player completely. This can be fueled by extreme rage, fear, or even hunger. Extreme temperatures (heat/cold) can also cause a Vampire to enter a state of Frenzy. The state lasts until the cause of it is satiated in which the vampire is extremely dangerous and very feral (think Cujo), causing them to lash out in rage or even flee from the area... or deluge themselves in the massacre of a bloodbath.
Torpor: The deathlike slumber vampires sometimes enter either due to starvation, massive amounts of damage, or voluntarily. Extreme temperatures (heat/cold) can also cause a Vampire to enter a state of Torpor. It is particularly common among Elders who feel a great tiredness after centuries of unlife or who wish to sleep through certain ages and rise during more "interesting" times.
Distinctions
Antediluvians: These ancient vampires, if they exist at all, are likely the most powerful creatures in the world. Members of the Third Generation, the Antediluvians are only two steps removed from the First Vampire, Caine. Antediluvians, when they choose to rise from their long sleep, affect all with whom they come in contact; according to the few fractured accounts of their doings, they possess virtually godlike power. According to Kindred legend, there were 13 original Antediluvians, though some have allegedly been destroyed. Their eternal struggle, the Jyhad, touches all Kindred, and innumerable layers of manipulation and deception make the plots of these Ancients almost imperceptible.
Methuselahs: If the Antediluvians are the Kindred's gods, the terrible Methuselahs are demigods and avatars. At the point between a vampire's thousandth and two thousandth year, a grave change overtakes the Kindred. Sometimes the change is physical, while at other times it is mental or emotional. Whatever the nature of the change, the end result is that the vampire no longer bears any semblance of humanity. Having truly moved from the earthly into the realm of the supernatural, the Methuselahs often retire into the earth, where they may slumber away from the thirsty fangs of younger vampires. Their powers are so great, however, that they continue to direct their inscrutable plans mentally, communicating magically or telepathically (and almost always invisibly) with their minions. Kindred greatly fear the Methuselahs, who are accorded any number of horrifying characteristics. Rumors speak of Methuselahs who's skin has become stone, of everything from hideous disfigurements to unearthly beauty that cannot be looked upon. Some are believed to drink only vampire blood, while others control the fates of entire nations from their cold tombs.
Elders: Elders are Kindred who have existed for hundreds of years, and typically range from sixth to eight generation. With centuries of accumulated cunning and a terrible thirst for power, elder Kindred are the most physically active participants in the Jyhad - they do not suffer the long fits of torpor that hamper the Methuselahs and Antediluvians, but they are not so powerless or easily manipulated as the younger Kindred are. The term "elder" itself is a bit subjective; a Kindred who qualifies as an elder in one realm might just be another ancilla in some other land. Elders keep a stranglehold on the Kindred power structure, preventing younger vampires from attaining positions of influence by exercising control they have maintained for decades, if not centuries.
Ancillae: Ancillae are relatively young vampires (between one and two hundred years of unlife) who have proved themselves as valuable members of Kindred society. Ancillae are the lackeys to greater Kindred, and - if they're clever or lucky - tomorrow's elders. Ancilla is the rank between neonate and elder, signifying that the Kindred has cut her teeth (so to speak), but lacks the age and experience to become a true master of the Jyhad. Because the world's population has grown so in the last two centuries, the vast majority of vampires are ancillae or neonates.
Neonates: Neonates vary from newly released fledglings to indolent Kindred of a hundred years or more. Marked by the stigma of not yet having proved themselves to the elders, neonates are inexperienced vampires who might one night make something of themselves - but, more likely, will fall as pawns in the schemes of the other undead.
Fledglings: Newly reborn vampires still under the tutelage and protection of their sires, the vampires who created them. Fledglings are not considered full members of Kindred society and are often treated disrespectfully or as the sire's property. When her side decides her childe is ready, the fledgling may become a neonate, subject to the prince's approval.
Caitiff: The caitiff are the clanless vampires, outcast by other Kindred and despised by those who bother to notice them at all. Vampires may become clanless either by having no idea of their sires' identities (and thus having no sense of lineage) or by being of such a weak generation that no identifying clan characteristics are discernible. Caitiff are almost universally regarded as bastard children and orphans, though some rise to a degree of prominence among the anarchs. Once there were few Caitiff, but recently there has been a sharp increase in their numbers.
The Embrace
Not every victim of the vampire's Kiss rises to become Kindred herself - making a new vampire requires a conscious effort, and often permission. The Embrace is the term for the act of turning a mortal into a vampire. When a vampire wishes to sire progeny, her hunts take on a new characteristic. No longer does the Kindred simply search for sustenance; instead, she becomes more aware and cunning, looking for the perfect combination of personal behaviors that warrant immortality.
The reasons for Embracing new Kindred vary from vampire to vampire. Some sires feel great remorse over their undying curse of vampirism, and select mortals who might "give something back" to the depraved race of Kindred. A few vampires look for great artists, thinkers, creators or just compassionate souls whose talents should be preserved forever. These Kindred often suffer greatly when they see what their selfishness wreaks upon those brought into the fold, for the Embrace often destroys the spark of creativity. Kindred lack the ability to truly innovate - they ride human trends rather than set them, and even their most inspired works are nothing more than pale imitations of mortal work that has gone before. It is an irony that those Kindred who would preserve a childe's gift forever actually do more damage to their progeny's talent than simply allowing it to age naturally ever would.
Other Kindred are vindictive and spiteful with the Embrace, choosing mortals whom they wish to see suffer. Some particularly cruel Malkavians delight in bringing the truly and pitiably insane into their ranks, hoping to glean some new insight from a fledgling's madness as she sinks into despair. The hideous Nosferatu also delight in Embracing the vain or beautiful into their clan, enjoying the anguished shrieks of the childe as she becomes a malformed horror. Even the Toreador, in their degeneracy, sometimes select Childer for the purpose of asserting their superiority over those who had been spoiled in life. Most Kindred, however, Embrace out of loneliness or desire. These vampires are invariably the worst off as, after the culmination of their lust or anguish, they are left not with soulmates, but with monsters every bit as callous and predatory as they are.
Kindred rarely Embrace capriciously - the right to create a childe is seldom granted, and those who observe the Traditions are loathe to squander an opportunity that they may not receive again for a thousand years. Some vampires, though, are flighty, negligent, or simply heedless of a prince's right to destroy them and their progeny. The ranks of Caitiff swell with Kindred who do not know their lineage, accidentally rose after being left for dead by a careless vampire, or otherwise left sires who cared little for them.
The physical act of creating a Kindred is not complex, though many sires refuse to instruct their childer in the process. The vampire first drains his victim's blood to the point of death - which is not difficult, for once the Kiss is administered, the victim is usually too lost in the agonizing rapture to resist her attacker. After removing all of her prospective childe's mortal blood, the sire places a quantity of her own blood in the childe's mouth. The amount varies, as some vampires literally suckle their childer and their own wrists while other Kindred place the tiniest drop on their childer's lips and watch as the Beast takes over thereafter. Vampires of the Sabbat reputedly Embrace their childer and then bury them, forcing the progeny literally to dig themselves out of their own graves.
Whatever course is taken, the childe then dies a mortal and spiritual death, only to rise unnaturally afterward. Most of the time, dying is a period of great pain and anguish: the childe suffers spasms and shock as her body sloughs off the mortal coil. The instant of rebirth, by comparison, is perhaps the greatest pleasure a Kindred may ever feel, and is likely the last true ecstasy the vampire will ever know. As the mystical process transforms the now-dead corpse of the childe, it evens out imperfections and often makes the body beautiful, albeit in a surreal manner. Such beauty is frightening to behold, a predatory grace like that of a shark or venomous snake. The childe's senses also hone to an uncanny level, revealing sounds she has never before heard or heeded, tactile stimuli never appreciated with touch, panoplies of color imperceptible to the human eye, and myriad individually distinguishable smells.
The vampires sense of taste heightens as well, though toward a single, terrible flavor. Only one substance satisfies the vampire: human blood. From the moment she rises, the vampire is a slave to the passion of her Hunger, and every night from her Embrace to eternity she will experience a starvation that can be sated only by preying upon members of her former species.
After the Embrace, the childe is known as a fledgling, under the protection and guidance of her sire until that sire deems her ready to face the night alone. It is the sire's responsibility to educate the childe in the ways of the Kindred, though such education is rarely formal, often spotty, and always tainted by the sire's jealousies and prejudices. Many sires, desiring conspirators, sycophants, or outright dupes, poison the minds of their childer against their enemies or intentionally leave out important bits of information, the better to rein in the child later.
First Nights
As the childe slowly enters the world of the Damned, she learns about the society of the undead through her sire's tutelage and accumulated experience. Should the sire introduce her to other Kindred, the fledgling may gain a firsthand knowledge of the pomp and ritual associated with the vampires' society. Most sires, however, sequester their childer from other Kindred, fearing that exposure to other vampires may sway their younglings' knowledge away from what the sires wish them to learn.
Many of these first nights are spent learning what it means to be undead. The childe inevitably meets her Beast, and either falls to frenzy or learns early on how to subjugate its wild call. The sire may offer aid and guidance in thwarting the Beast, or he may watch as it overtakes his childe, then admonish her for weakness afterward. It is now that the childe learns that undeath is indeed a curse - despite the power brought on by the Embrace, she is no longer entirely herself, and must forever be wary of the Hunger that burns inside her.
Also at this time, the childe learns - too late! - to appreciate the emotional capacity possessed by mortals. As a vampire, the childe's heart has died, leaving her a cold corpse incapable of truly feeling anything. Most vampires compensate by making themselves feel, conjuring up memories of emotions long dead. Desperation is all that remains in the hearts of many vampires, as they realize what they have lost as their mortal selves died. The first nights are a time of bleak revelations. Many fledglings cannot cope with the terrible new world of night into which they have been reborn, and choose to meet the obliterating rays of the sun rather than continue their existences.
Hunting
The most important lesson a newly Embraced Kindred learns is how to hunt for human prey. The sire inevitably takes an important role in this process, either instructing the childe in the art of feeding or leaving her to her own devices and offering criticism afterward. The malice in a Kindred's personality tends to come to the fore when instructing a childe how to hunt. Many vampires offer no "weaning period" to their childer, whereby the vampire may subsist on the blood of animals. In fact, many sires fail to inform their childer that animal blood can sustain a vampire. They turn the childer upon humankind immediately, forcing them to prey upon what they once were.
A childe soon learns that the hunt is the crux of a vampire's existence. Of all the practices to which the sire introduces his childe, feeding is the only one absolutely mandatory to the existence of a vampire. Thus, many sires guide their childer into savoring the hunt, stoking their passions on their prey's terror or basking in the anticipation of a draught of blood even before it courses over their lips. The vampire's feeding, known as the Kiss, engenders great ecstasy in the vessel, the person upon whom the vampire feeds. Needless to say, the Kindred feels physical bliss as well, as nourishing vitae rushes in to fill the void in the vampire's soul.
Kindred feed in numerous manners, as best befits their personalities. Some Kindred prefer the brutality of feeding from whomever they choose, roughly handling their vessels and leaving them broken afterward. Others go to great lengths to increase the sensuality of the Kiss, concocting elaborate seductions and gathering veritable harems of mortal lovers from whom they can feed. Still other Kindred steal their vessels' vitae without their knowledge, feeding from the sleeping or the oblivious. Kindred also experience the aftereffects of drinking from vessels who have peculiarities of blood - the vitae of an ill individual tastes poorly and may have an adverse effect on the vampire, while a Kindred who feeds from a drunken or drugged vessel will feel as if she herself is drunk or high. A few Kindred enjoy this vicarious debauchery, and select their vessels specifically for such intoxication.
In the end, each vampire cultivates her own particular style and preferences when feeding. Learning to feed gives the vampire an opportunity to find these preferences, and the sire often enjoys watching his childe take the first few fumbling steps toward becoming a true predator. Kindred must remember, though, to preserve the Masquerade when feeding. To this end, they typically lick the puncture wounds made by their fangs, sealing them shut and leaving no traces of their presence.
Vampires have long been feared as rapacious monsters of the night - terrible black forms sweeping out of the darkness to steal infants from their cribs and ravish the blood of innocents. Vampires are also creatures of deadly beauty, immense passion and predatory sensuality. Each vampire is unique, and each has her own fascinating story to tell. The most important characteristic all vampires share, though, is their damnation. More important than any lineage, clan, sect or cause is the fact that all vampires are undead predators. The Kindred have evolved a complex society that exists just out of sight of the mortals who surround them. Age, clan, sect, sire, power, influence and many other aspects of unlife make the Kindred who they are. Part of any Kindred's being is membership in a number of social castes that grace vampire society. By creating and enforcing divisions and roles for themselves, no matter how artificial, the Kindred seek to escape the Beast that roils within them.
Myths & Legends, Weaknesses
Silver: Silver is as toxic to vampires as it is to lycans. Causing anything from mild irritation in small quantities to full out frenzy and blood lust with prolonged exposure, injury or subjecting to larger quantities.
Sunlight: Sunlight is an unfortunate evil. Vampires are creatures of the night and direct, prolonged exposure to the sun will kill them. The younger the vampire, the quicker they will burn while elder vampires may be able to endure the rays for a bit longer before needing to retreat to the shadows. In this we speak of mere minutes. Enchantments, Charms and various other trinkets may be able to protect the vampire from the rays of the sun. This 'rule' applies to the sun itself. A stormy, cloudy day with no sun exposure is perfectly safe for a vampire to venture out in.
Sleep: Vampires do not need to sleep (nor do they need to breath or eat, or anything else) so long as there is enough blood in their system to sustain them. Just because it is daylight does not mean they drop to the ground to find a cozy nest although it is common practice. After all what more does a vampire really have to do other than wait till dusk? The sleep which a vampire does take makes them vulnerable, so if one chooses to.. it shouldn't be in the back ally of the nearest tavern.
Crosses & Holy Water: Are very nice trinkets. Religious artifacts have no direct reaction to vampires, some are even known to collect them. On the same note, vampires are not restricted from stepping on holy soil or grounds either. They can enter a temple or chapel just as any other being can.
Garlic: Also no effect on Vampires.
Fire: Another unfortunate evil. Fire can harm and kill a vampire just as easily as it would any other thing that walks the republic. Fire damage cannot be healed but through time.
Children: Vampires cannot have children. If your insistent on vampires breeding there are spells, trinkets or other various little incantations which can be used (never heard of adoption?!). Dhampir are considered to be somehow genetically altered or mutated by vampire blood or the vampiric disease.
Stake through the Heart: Opposed to traditional belief this does not kill a vampire although many might feign their death in the event of it. A stake through the heart (Wooden Only) merely paralyzes the vampire, nothing more.
Consuming Food: Vampires can consume drinks and food, they simply have no purpose of it and cannot digest it. What goes in.. must come out.. Vampires masquerading as mortals may consume food or drink, tho after a few hours they best see themselves to a Privy.
The Thirst: Blood is essential to the unlife of the vampire. This is not dissimilar to the living and their need to consume food for energy. They cannot heal their wounds or use their abilities without using the blood they consume. Without blood the vampire will wither and die and even enter a bestial state called Frenzy. Frenzy is a state of survival, where the vampire will attack and gorge themselves on anyone which they can come across with no restraint and no mercy. It is not to say a vampire needs to feed every night or that going a day or two without feeding will cause them die or frenzy... a relatively active vampire may have to feed nightly while a sedentary vampire may be fine in feeding every other night. Some... simply enjoy feeding and do so as they please.
Dead Blood: Is as toxic and poisonous in small quantities and fatal to a vampire in large.
State of Body: Vampires are dead. Simply as that. While their bodies do not decay or wither away they to keep with them the pallor of death. With the exception of few who's skins darken as the vampire ages, almost all vampires will gradually grow paler in skin tone over the centuries. Their skin is generally cold or at least cool to the touch and have no pulse of life. Some vampires, with fresh blood in their systems, can fake a pulse, shed 'normal' tears and even feign a warm flesh tone and touch.. but under all a vampire simply has no need for it.
Frenzy: Frenzy is an unmistakable state of mind where the beast within takes over the player completely. This can be fueled by extreme rage, fear, or even hunger. Extreme temperatures (heat/cold) can also cause a Vampire to enter a state of Frenzy. The state lasts until the cause of it is satiated in which the vampire is extremely dangerous and very feral (think Cujo), causing them to lash out in rage or even flee from the area... or deluge themselves in the massacre of a bloodbath.
Torpor: The deathlike slumber vampires sometimes enter either due to starvation, massive amounts of damage, or voluntarily. Extreme temperatures (heat/cold) can also cause a Vampire to enter a state of Torpor. It is particularly common among Elders who feel a great tiredness after centuries of unlife or who wish to sleep through certain ages and rise during more "interesting" times.
Distinctions
Antediluvians: These ancient vampires, if they exist at all, are likely the most powerful creatures in the world. Members of the Third Generation, the Antediluvians are only two steps removed from the First Vampire, Caine. Antediluvians, when they choose to rise from their long sleep, affect all with whom they come in contact; according to the few fractured accounts of their doings, they possess virtually godlike power. According to Kindred legend, there were 13 original Antediluvians, though some have allegedly been destroyed. Their eternal struggle, the Jyhad, touches all Kindred, and innumerable layers of manipulation and deception make the plots of these Ancients almost imperceptible.
Methuselahs: If the Antediluvians are the Kindred's gods, the terrible Methuselahs are demigods and avatars. At the point between a vampire's thousandth and two thousandth year, a grave change overtakes the Kindred. Sometimes the change is physical, while at other times it is mental or emotional. Whatever the nature of the change, the end result is that the vampire no longer bears any semblance of humanity. Having truly moved from the earthly into the realm of the supernatural, the Methuselahs often retire into the earth, where they may slumber away from the thirsty fangs of younger vampires. Their powers are so great, however, that they continue to direct their inscrutable plans mentally, communicating magically or telepathically (and almost always invisibly) with their minions. Kindred greatly fear the Methuselahs, who are accorded any number of horrifying characteristics. Rumors speak of Methuselahs who's skin has become stone, of everything from hideous disfigurements to unearthly beauty that cannot be looked upon. Some are believed to drink only vampire blood, while others control the fates of entire nations from their cold tombs.
Elders: Elders are Kindred who have existed for hundreds of years, and typically range from sixth to eight generation. With centuries of accumulated cunning and a terrible thirst for power, elder Kindred are the most physically active participants in the Jyhad - they do not suffer the long fits of torpor that hamper the Methuselahs and Antediluvians, but they are not so powerless or easily manipulated as the younger Kindred are. The term "elder" itself is a bit subjective; a Kindred who qualifies as an elder in one realm might just be another ancilla in some other land. Elders keep a stranglehold on the Kindred power structure, preventing younger vampires from attaining positions of influence by exercising control they have maintained for decades, if not centuries.
Ancillae: Ancillae are relatively young vampires (between one and two hundred years of unlife) who have proved themselves as valuable members of Kindred society. Ancillae are the lackeys to greater Kindred, and - if they're clever or lucky - tomorrow's elders. Ancilla is the rank between neonate and elder, signifying that the Kindred has cut her teeth (so to speak), but lacks the age and experience to become a true master of the Jyhad. Because the world's population has grown so in the last two centuries, the vast majority of vampires are ancillae or neonates.
Neonates: Neonates vary from newly released fledglings to indolent Kindred of a hundred years or more. Marked by the stigma of not yet having proved themselves to the elders, neonates are inexperienced vampires who might one night make something of themselves - but, more likely, will fall as pawns in the schemes of the other undead.
Fledglings: Newly reborn vampires still under the tutelage and protection of their sires, the vampires who created them. Fledglings are not considered full members of Kindred society and are often treated disrespectfully or as the sire's property. When her side decides her childe is ready, the fledgling may become a neonate, subject to the prince's approval.
Caitiff: The caitiff are the clanless vampires, outcast by other Kindred and despised by those who bother to notice them at all. Vampires may become clanless either by having no idea of their sires' identities (and thus having no sense of lineage) or by being of such a weak generation that no identifying clan characteristics are discernible. Caitiff are almost universally regarded as bastard children and orphans, though some rise to a degree of prominence among the anarchs. Once there were few Caitiff, but recently there has been a sharp increase in their numbers.
The Embrace
Not every victim of the vampire's Kiss rises to become Kindred herself - making a new vampire requires a conscious effort, and often permission. The Embrace is the term for the act of turning a mortal into a vampire. When a vampire wishes to sire progeny, her hunts take on a new characteristic. No longer does the Kindred simply search for sustenance; instead, she becomes more aware and cunning, looking for the perfect combination of personal behaviors that warrant immortality.
The reasons for Embracing new Kindred vary from vampire to vampire. Some sires feel great remorse over their undying curse of vampirism, and select mortals who might "give something back" to the depraved race of Kindred. A few vampires look for great artists, thinkers, creators or just compassionate souls whose talents should be preserved forever. These Kindred often suffer greatly when they see what their selfishness wreaks upon those brought into the fold, for the Embrace often destroys the spark of creativity. Kindred lack the ability to truly innovate - they ride human trends rather than set them, and even their most inspired works are nothing more than pale imitations of mortal work that has gone before. It is an irony that those Kindred who would preserve a childe's gift forever actually do more damage to their progeny's talent than simply allowing it to age naturally ever would.
Other Kindred are vindictive and spiteful with the Embrace, choosing mortals whom they wish to see suffer. Some particularly cruel Malkavians delight in bringing the truly and pitiably insane into their ranks, hoping to glean some new insight from a fledgling's madness as she sinks into despair. The hideous Nosferatu also delight in Embracing the vain or beautiful into their clan, enjoying the anguished shrieks of the childe as she becomes a malformed horror. Even the Toreador, in their degeneracy, sometimes select Childer for the purpose of asserting their superiority over those who had been spoiled in life. Most Kindred, however, Embrace out of loneliness or desire. These vampires are invariably the worst off as, after the culmination of their lust or anguish, they are left not with soulmates, but with monsters every bit as callous and predatory as they are.
Kindred rarely Embrace capriciously - the right to create a childe is seldom granted, and those who observe the Traditions are loathe to squander an opportunity that they may not receive again for a thousand years. Some vampires, though, are flighty, negligent, or simply heedless of a prince's right to destroy them and their progeny. The ranks of Caitiff swell with Kindred who do not know their lineage, accidentally rose after being left for dead by a careless vampire, or otherwise left sires who cared little for them.
The physical act of creating a Kindred is not complex, though many sires refuse to instruct their childer in the process. The vampire first drains his victim's blood to the point of death - which is not difficult, for once the Kiss is administered, the victim is usually too lost in the agonizing rapture to resist her attacker. After removing all of her prospective childe's mortal blood, the sire places a quantity of her own blood in the childe's mouth. The amount varies, as some vampires literally suckle their childer and their own wrists while other Kindred place the tiniest drop on their childer's lips and watch as the Beast takes over thereafter. Vampires of the Sabbat reputedly Embrace their childer and then bury them, forcing the progeny literally to dig themselves out of their own graves.
Whatever course is taken, the childe then dies a mortal and spiritual death, only to rise unnaturally afterward. Most of the time, dying is a period of great pain and anguish: the childe suffers spasms and shock as her body sloughs off the mortal coil. The instant of rebirth, by comparison, is perhaps the greatest pleasure a Kindred may ever feel, and is likely the last true ecstasy the vampire will ever know. As the mystical process transforms the now-dead corpse of the childe, it evens out imperfections and often makes the body beautiful, albeit in a surreal manner. Such beauty is frightening to behold, a predatory grace like that of a shark or venomous snake. The childe's senses also hone to an uncanny level, revealing sounds she has never before heard or heeded, tactile stimuli never appreciated with touch, panoplies of color imperceptible to the human eye, and myriad individually distinguishable smells.
The vampires sense of taste heightens as well, though toward a single, terrible flavor. Only one substance satisfies the vampire: human blood. From the moment she rises, the vampire is a slave to the passion of her Hunger, and every night from her Embrace to eternity she will experience a starvation that can be sated only by preying upon members of her former species.
After the Embrace, the childe is known as a fledgling, under the protection and guidance of her sire until that sire deems her ready to face the night alone. It is the sire's responsibility to educate the childe in the ways of the Kindred, though such education is rarely formal, often spotty, and always tainted by the sire's jealousies and prejudices. Many sires, desiring conspirators, sycophants, or outright dupes, poison the minds of their childer against their enemies or intentionally leave out important bits of information, the better to rein in the child later.
First Nights
As the childe slowly enters the world of the Damned, she learns about the society of the undead through her sire's tutelage and accumulated experience. Should the sire introduce her to other Kindred, the fledgling may gain a firsthand knowledge of the pomp and ritual associated with the vampires' society. Most sires, however, sequester their childer from other Kindred, fearing that exposure to other vampires may sway their younglings' knowledge away from what the sires wish them to learn.
Many of these first nights are spent learning what it means to be undead. The childe inevitably meets her Beast, and either falls to frenzy or learns early on how to subjugate its wild call. The sire may offer aid and guidance in thwarting the Beast, or he may watch as it overtakes his childe, then admonish her for weakness afterward. It is now that the childe learns that undeath is indeed a curse - despite the power brought on by the Embrace, she is no longer entirely herself, and must forever be wary of the Hunger that burns inside her.
Also at this time, the childe learns - too late! - to appreciate the emotional capacity possessed by mortals. As a vampire, the childe's heart has died, leaving her a cold corpse incapable of truly feeling anything. Most vampires compensate by making themselves feel, conjuring up memories of emotions long dead. Desperation is all that remains in the hearts of many vampires, as they realize what they have lost as their mortal selves died. The first nights are a time of bleak revelations. Many fledglings cannot cope with the terrible new world of night into which they have been reborn, and choose to meet the obliterating rays of the sun rather than continue their existences.
Hunting
The most important lesson a newly Embraced Kindred learns is how to hunt for human prey. The sire inevitably takes an important role in this process, either instructing the childe in the art of feeding or leaving her to her own devices and offering criticism afterward. The malice in a Kindred's personality tends to come to the fore when instructing a childe how to hunt. Many vampires offer no "weaning period" to their childer, whereby the vampire may subsist on the blood of animals. In fact, many sires fail to inform their childer that animal blood can sustain a vampire. They turn the childer upon humankind immediately, forcing them to prey upon what they once were.
A childe soon learns that the hunt is the crux of a vampire's existence. Of all the practices to which the sire introduces his childe, feeding is the only one absolutely mandatory to the existence of a vampire. Thus, many sires guide their childer into savoring the hunt, stoking their passions on their prey's terror or basking in the anticipation of a draught of blood even before it courses over their lips. The vampire's feeding, known as the Kiss, engenders great ecstasy in the vessel, the person upon whom the vampire feeds. Needless to say, the Kindred feels physical bliss as well, as nourishing vitae rushes in to fill the void in the vampire's soul.
Kindred feed in numerous manners, as best befits their personalities. Some Kindred prefer the brutality of feeding from whomever they choose, roughly handling their vessels and leaving them broken afterward. Others go to great lengths to increase the sensuality of the Kiss, concocting elaborate seductions and gathering veritable harems of mortal lovers from whom they can feed. Still other Kindred steal their vessels' vitae without their knowledge, feeding from the sleeping or the oblivious. Kindred also experience the aftereffects of drinking from vessels who have peculiarities of blood - the vitae of an ill individual tastes poorly and may have an adverse effect on the vampire, while a Kindred who feeds from a drunken or drugged vessel will feel as if she herself is drunk or high. A few Kindred enjoy this vicarious debauchery, and select their vessels specifically for such intoxication.
In the end, each vampire cultivates her own particular style and preferences when feeding. Learning to feed gives the vampire an opportunity to find these preferences, and the sire often enjoys watching his childe take the first few fumbling steps toward becoming a true predator. Kindred must remember, though, to preserve the Masquerade when feeding. To this end, they typically lick the puncture wounds made by their fangs, sealing them shut and leaving no traces of their presence.
