Blood in the Canals Plot Page

As this rp deals with vampires, we need some clarification of what we're dealing with exactly, so this will serve mainly as species info, since we don't really have a plot at the moment.

Appearance

Vampires are actually very similar to humans in appearance, though they are usually on the pale side. Their fangs are retractable, meaning they extend when they see and smell blood. Otherwise a vampire's fangs look just like normal human canines, though they are always extremely sharp. Vampires have natural eye colors (blue, green, brown) most of the time, but when they are craving blood badly their irises will turn a deep red. The eye color change is almost like an indicator of a vampires mental state. If their thinking is more "human" at the time, then they will retain their normal eye color. However, when they slip into the "vampire" state and start thinking about blood or having a desire to kill (for whatever reason) the red appears.

As far as age goes, every vampire has an age at which they stop looking any older, which varies slightly from person to person. If you are younger than your target age when you're changed, then you'll continue to age normally until you reach it. If you're older, then you'll age in reverse (subtracting one year for every year passed) until you reach it. Once you reach your target age, which is usually in the twenties, you stop aging physically, though most vampires can appear about any age they want as long as it's within ten years of their target age. Many vampires will make themselves appear to age slightly over the years if staying in one place, but many choose to remain as young as possible all the time.

Feeding

Vampires do need blood to survive. It is their food, and while normal food won't harm them, it does nothing for them. It's like a human eating paper, not exactly harmful but not exactly pleasant. Drinks are a little better, and many vampires enjoy wine or other alcoholic drinks since they can't get drunk, but nothing compares to blood. When a vampire doesn't have blood their veins start to go dry and they will become very weak and eventually die. The opposite is true in that if they have plenty of blood they will feel very strong and energetic. Most vampires need to feed once every other week to stay feeling strong, and most would die if they went six weeks without blood. Basically it goes like this:

Weeks Since Last Feeding (assuming a feeding is at least a pint):
1) Still going strong
2) Lagging a bit but still okay
3) Getting fairly tired, but able to go on
4) Extremely tired but still functioning
5) Barely able to get out of bed
6) Dead or inches from it

The older a vampire gets the better they retain blood, so while a newborn may feel like he needs to feed every week or even every few days to stay strong, a vampire who's over 200 years old could perhaps only start feeling tired after five or six weeks. However, despite not aging, very few vampires live to be that age. Most are either killed or kill themselves by that point.

Vampires can live off animal blood, but most prefer human simply because it tastes better. Monkeys and apes taste very similar to humans but of course those are rather hard to come by unless you live in the rainforest. When a vampire bites a human, a venom in their fangs actually acts as an anesthetic, making them unable to feel the pain. Usually humans have a floating sensation when they are bitten and will often pass out. When they wake up they won't remember what happened, and if they do, they'll think it was only a bad dream, though they will still have the bite marks. A vampire's saliva will seal wounds, but not heal them.

Abilities

I reiterate: THIS IS NOT TWILIGHT. While vampires are much stronger and faster than humans, it is not to a ridiculous extent. They run about as fast as a cheetah (average speed: 75 mph; maximum speed: 125 mph) and can lift or carry about as much as an African elephant (1-2 tons), though older vampires are usually faster and stronger than young ones. They do need to sleep, though like coffee, extra blood can replace sleep, especially since they don't need much to begin with. Most will take a short nap every day around noon, when the sun is brightest (unless it's raining), or go a few days without sleeping and then sleep all day. A vampire's skin is the same as a human's, and will not be damaged in the sun, though bright lights tend to hurt vampires' eyes and generally make them uncomfortable. Vampires can be cut and will bleed like any human, which can be dangerous since they need their blood to survive. Vampires' bones are a bit more durable than a human's, but they can be broken, and vampires can be hurt in any other way that a human can. They will feel all the pain of it, but they will heal rapidly (think Wolverine from X-men). About the only thing they will not recover from is instantaneous decapitation. So if their head's not rolling, they'll get up and walk away.

As for other abilities, vampires are a bit special. They can sometimes have psychic abilities or other "powers" associated with enhanced physical or mental capabilities. Each vampire has only one ability, and it usually relates to their personality in some way, though it doesn't have to. More mature vampires can hone their abilities and become extremely powerful, and young vampires will usually be fairly clumsy with them. All vampires possess the inborn ability to sense when another of their kind is near, kind of like the chill you feel when you're being watched. They do, of course, have enhanced senses such as sight, hearing, and scent, so they can smell everything around them. However, vampires themselves have a scent that is subtle to nonexistent, like the smell of cold air. Slayers on the other hand have a smell that is also barely there, but it is more like the smell of hot air.

Creation

In the beginning there was...

Just kidding. Vampires cannot be born, they must be created, and that requires another vampire. To transform a human, a vampire must first drink some of the human's blood. Then the human must drink some of the vampire's blood (a substantial amount, as this is all they'll have in their body once the change is complete). That's why all the humans that vampires feed off of don't become vampires themselves. When only the first step is completed, they're just a meal. With the second, they become a companion. The change usually takes about an hour to complete, and most humans will pass out, but they will awake thirsty and needing blood, no matter how much they took from the vampire who created them.

Slayers

As long as there have been vampires, there have been slayers, a breed designed to kill. This is the main difference between vampires and slayers physically. Vampires are hunters. Slayers are killers. Slayers are as strong as vampires, as fast as vampires, and have the same enhanced senses. However, they do not have the vampires' special abilities and they do not have their healing powers. Slayers are also born, not created. Slayers are more like enhanced humans than a different species entirely. In the past they have sought only to kill and destroy vampires, and while they still enjoy killing what they consider monsters and there is much discrimination, they now serve a more regulatory function. Slayers are here to keep vampires in line and make sure they follow the rules. The universal rules, which both vampires and slayers must follow are as follows:

1) Never kill a human.
2) Never let a human know what you are.
3) Never break the rules.

If a vampire breaks one of these rules, he or she is automatically fair game. Any slayer can kill him at any time. If a slayer breaks a rule, his or her punishment is determined by the local slayers' Council. Punishment depends on the severity of the crime, and while it can be execution it will more likely be suspension from slayer duty or some kind of fine. It's not fair by any means, but the slayers make the rules and enforce them, and as the hated minority, vampires are in no position to argue for rights.

Just a note: all vampire and slayer activity is kept secret from humans, but the slayers in the world form an international organization that supposedly investigates top-secret crimes. Really they just needed the power to shoo ordinary investigators away from crimes involving vampires. Every slayer carries a badge, and every government worker knows to shut up and follow orders when they see it.