Everyone knows what vampires are like, right? Smooth, sophisticated, pale-skinned; stunningly attractive night stalkers, princes of the night. Right?
Well, that’s what they like people to think and it might even be true when they first get turned. Becoming undead doesn’t really stop the decay process, and having to rely on sucking the blood of living beings tends to take its toll on the mind. Newly turned vampires look and act moderately human, but the older they get, the more they start to resemble walking corpses. Over time most of them start to see humans as walking bottles of blood. Some manage to hang onto their humanity for longer, but not many and not forever. Vampire saliva causes a chemical addiction in those bitten, as well as inducing a lot of pleasure to mask the pain. And that is often the only way older vampires get a meal; through human “chew toys” who are addicted to the experience. Older vampires do have the advantage of being able to mask their looks under an illusion as well.
Not that it’s not easy to find a vamp much older than fifty. Before the Shattering they could barely function in the pitiful magical field the Earth had. Like many other supernatural creatures, vampires became more common after the event which changed the world. And the world was forced to change accordingly. Britain has laws on its books specifically for the undead, but they aren’t entirely nice. Undead have rights, but dead people don’t, so when a vampire dies before coming back they essentially get classed as dead, and the vampire is a new person. Recent legislation has allowed a spouse to reassert marital status if their partner is turned; prior to that the marriage was over an vampires were not allowed to marry. A vampire can also apply for return of their goods and belongings, which would have passed to their next of kin on their death. However, legal precedent favours the living relatives if their is a dispute.
So, think twice if your plans to for immortality include getting bitten on the neck. You could end up homeless, peniless, and not quite the hot, undead beauty you thought you’d be. Oh and vampires don’t sparkle in sunlight, and if they did they wouldn’t know; they can barely see in bright light. That’s another fun thing about being a night-hunter.
Thaumatology 