Vampire

[St. John]

Beneath the fallen pillars of mankind's once great civilization is a world of eternal night; streets and homes, an entire city trapped within cavern of concrete and steel. While it may seem like the perfect shelter from the storm that is the Empire of the Horde, it is a place humans avoid at all costs. Haunting the shadows of this undercity are creatures drawn from the most horrific myths of man's past. This is the domain of the vampires. They call themselves Cinites, or Children of Nod, and have existed in shadow for as long as man has lived in the light.

With the rise of the humans and their scientific minds, the cinites fell in numbers as many of the oldest withdrew into a great sleep, hidden away from the humans they hunted. But now, as humanity falls, they have returned, and returned with great hunger. No longer do they fear exposure to the humans. Let the mortals know they exist, and let them fear the fangs of the cinites. As stagnant creatures, unable to move beyond the generations they were created in, the vampire society is a unliving aristocracy, come to the island of Manhattan to carve out their own kingdom of blood. Like Enoch before the Great Flood, New York will become the center of their dominion over all living creatures. As the vampires grow in power and more human blood is spilled to quench their thirst, some of the eldest have begun to stir from their sleep. They slowly return to the world to retake their place at the height of the Aristocracy. Something the younger vampires fear for they elders return only prevents them from gaining more power.

Creating a cinite is a long and dangerous process. This built in mechanism prevents over population within the vampire world. Since the cost is so high, a vampire must be certain he is willing to suffer the risks to sire progeny. A single bite from a vampire will not turn a human. The human most be fed on for three continuous nights, with each feeding taking a bit more than the one before it. On the third night, the human is drained completely and their blood replaced with the blood of the cinite. The risks on this third night are great, for the siring vampire weakens himself to give the curse of undeath to his progeny. If he is attacked at this time, the hunters will find the vampire easy prey (well, easier at least).

[St. John]

The Children of Nod posses many common attributes among them with the potency of these traits and the fatalities of their weaknesses increase the older the vampire is. All vampires are immortal, or more specifically, they are undead, living without living, dead without aging - death eternal. There existence as creature without life brings for an insatiable hunger for the blood of the living. It is in the blood that a vampire finds their power. They are supernaturally strong, blindingly fast, and have their sense enhanced. Also, a cinite can heal its wounds by feeding on mortal blood or expending some of the blood already drank.

Undeath also has its cost. On top of the need to feed, a vampire is curse forever to live in darkness. The light of the sun is fatal, burning away their stolen blood from within them until they are nothing but ash. Younger vampires can suffer a few minutes of pain, but the older the cinite, the faster they will burn. Contrary to popular belief, a stake through the heart does not kill a vampire, but it will render them immobile until it is removed. However, the effort of strength it takes to actually stab a vampire through the chest and into the heart has made this weakness a small threat. Also, it must be a stake, any other item other than wood that passes through the heart is useless; the wound healing immediately behind the attack. Faith, holy power, garlic and running water are creations of man's imagination and useless against the undead. Fire does hurt them and if left to burn for long enough can prove fatal to a vampire.

[St. John]

The great society of the undead has recently fractured into two clans. While they all seek the same things, it is the method of how they reach their goals that separates them.

The ancient Aristocracy that has existed for centuries still rules the vampire world, passing laws and power over the lesser covens of cinites. Some of the oldest creatures in existence sit at the height of the Aristocracy, although most of them still slumber in the Great Sleep. The younger the vampire, the further down the hierarchy of society they sit. The Aristocracy has one simple goal: to rule the mortal world as gods like they once did in the times before the Testaments. In this End of Ages, the vampires see at last their time has come to rise up and take their places as undead rulers of the living.

Unlike the human governments that have come before, vampires of high station do not pass away, or retire due to age. This simple fact is why many of the younger cinites and even a few of the older ones, have broken away from them main group and aligned themselves with the Horde. These Horde Cinites hope to gain power, rank and privilege within the Empire, such things they would be denied by their immortal superiors in the Aristocracy. For their allegiance, they are given free reign over the humans of the Pens and all the blood they can drink.

While the Aristocracy sees the Horde Cinites as foolish children, they clearly do not take the threat these traitors represent to the vampire existence. The Horde Cinites would gladly return to the Aristocracy, but only if it meant attaining position equal to or greater than those they hold with the dark mages. And the only way to do that is to remove the cinite that has held that station forever.

Methuselah: The oldest of the ancient cinites, these are among the first vampires ever created. So great is their hunger that the majority of them still slumber in the Great Sleep. The few who have awakened in the End of Ages rule the Aristocracy with absolute authority. (NOTE: Since these vampires are so powerful their numbers will be restricted and members who abuse their power will have character suspended.)
Password: "I won't angle."

• ur-Shulgi
  
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Neophyte: The vampire who have remained with the Aristocracy after the splintering of the factions. Some stayed because the did not want to lose the power they already had and some (like the younger ones) stayed to claim the power vacuum left by the desertion of the Horde Cinites. This class ranges from the newest created vampire to the more experienced vampires who have live for hundreds of years.
Password: "Whether how don't we flail?"

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Prince: The oldest among the vampire who broke away from the stagnant Aristocracy, the vampire Princes led the desertion and brokered the deal to join the Empire of the Horde. Their Lust for power spurred their actions and now they seek nothing but the powers held by their Aristocracy "equals," the Methuselah. These vampires are old, but still hundreds of years younger then the ancients they compete with.
Password: "We do forage."

• Jarrow
  
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Vassal: Inspired by the words and actions of the vampire Princes, the young vassals sought the powered promise by aligning themselves with the Horde. These are some of the youngest vampire - most of them only nights old, who seek a fast rise in rank. Luckily, the Horde is only too happy to provide them with what they want in exchange for their services.
Password: "We voice me?"

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