Vampire

Vampires, self-referenced as the Kindred, also known as the Immortal Accursed, Cold Ones, or the Children Of The Night, are a supernatural species of predatory immortals that originated as magically reanimated corpses inhabited by the spirit of the deceased person in question. Vampires are nocturnal by nature, as the touch of sunlight burns their skin on contact, though there are magical means by which they can prevent this reaction. The species is characterized by their need to drink blood in order to maintain their immortality and supernatural abilities.

Origins
The Original Vampires were once a family of powerful Atlantean witches some 10,000 years ago circa 8,000 BC. At some point, the youngest son of the witch Esther Gallio and the mortal warrior, Mikael, was brutally killed by a neighbouring pack of werewolves who lived in a nearby village during an uncontrollable frenzy induced by the Full Moon, causing Esther to harness the dark powers of her accursed bloodline in conjunction with the spells of the Darkhold to sever her children's souls from their bodies. Their souls travelled to Purgatory where they merged with pure Turok-Han essence from the last remaining Queen of their kind, before being rebound to their bodies, reviving as the first vampires. The Original siblings spread vampirism like a plague, raising vast armies and causing untold destruction until they were eventually imprisoned for the next few millennia, during which time their surviving progenies and vampiric descendants suffered as they were cut off from their progenitors, mutating them and giving rise to various new vampiric species in an attempt to emulate the purity of the Original Family.

Creation
The majority of vampires are made, not born, from human stock. There are long-standing cultural prohibitions against turning an already existing supernatural being - considered higher life-forms than humans - into a vampire. Humans, however, are perfect candidates. Vampires select potential humans according to their needs at the time, whether that be a mate, soldier, assassin, skilled servants, or to fill out their clans. In order for a human to become a vampire, they must die within 24 hours of consuming vampire blood. The nature of the human's death is irrelevant; however, the body must be preserved and able to function upon reanimation. If the human is killed by decapitation, fire or corrosives, damage to or removal of the heart, or excessive loss of body mass, reanimation will not occur. Upon physical death, the human will awaken as a vampire and may require blood to complete the Change. Vampires call this process the "Embrace". Once made, vampires experience up to five years of vampire infancy. During this time, they are under the almost constant supervision of their maker or another powerful member of their family while growing accustomed to their new talents and abilities.

It is known that a human is not the only being capable of becoming a vampire, but are the most common, as both corporeal demons and angels can be transformed also, in addition to other supernatural beings, such as witches or even kitsunes.

Genetics
Vampire blood brings ordinary human genetics to its greatest, most extraordinary potential, conveying preternatural beauty, longevity, strength, height, and senses to the former human (there are rarely ugly vampires). They are described as being impeccably beautiful in appearance, and as being angelic or even god-like. This is one of the several features meant to attract their prey—more specifically, to attract, fascinate, and (if necessary) seduce, unsuspecting humans. But their most striking feature are their bright inhuman eyes, which are said to be so alluring that to gaze upon them would cause one to fall into a hypnotic state. This makes vampires more efficient predators, as it allows them to attract and seduce humans. The attractiveness of a vampire is determined by how desirable they were before they died. If an already attractive human were to be sired, their physical beauty would be "breath-taking". They do not age physically; instead becoming more "statuesque" as they age, developing very smooth, flawless, marble white skin. Their features are refined and perfected (including their voices), rendering them supernaturally beautiful to lure in prey. Vampires can be noticed by their lack of body heat as well as the absence of a heartbeat. However, their hearts do actually continue to function but at a very slow and near-imperceptible pace.

The physical changes that occur whenever a human becomes a vampire are apparent: their eyes become luminous, their skin pale and reflective, and their fingernails become translucent. Their muscle mass is enhanced and perfected, and they have no further need to breathe, though many still do out of habit. The ability to cut off airflow from their lungs allows them to remain submerged underwater for as long as they wish, and contributes greatly to their excellent swimming capabilities. The hair, nails and skin of all vampires are flawless and their entire bodies are textured with a sleek, marble-like substance which continues to smoothen over time. The teeth of all vampires are beautiful and unbreakable equipped with two pairs of visible, elongated fangs along the upper canines and lateral incisors that they can extend and retract at will. Upon their transformation, the newly born vampire's bodily functions will alter. They are unable to produce bodily waste but can consume human food and drink with as much ease as any ordinary mortal, but this provides absolutely no sustenance, and merely dissolves once the system has time to disintegrate it. Although they are capable of shedding ordinary tears, in moments of extreme emotional upheaval, some vampires are actually seen to cry blood. Another unusual trait is their inability to sweat, unless they are weakened or in the midst of sexual intercourse with their mate.

They can hear sounds coming from several miles away, and even with their eyes closed, they can be sure that there are multiple people in a room thanks to their varied breathing patterns. They can hear the sound of a heartbeat, a pulse thudding in a vein, and words spoken too quietly or too fast for humans to detect. Their enhanced vision allows them to see the smallest details - dust motes floating through the air and ultraviolet light. Vampire vision is unhindered by darkness, and is so acute that they view humans as blind, or "mud-eyed", in comparison. Josie describes her sight as being better than an eagle's. Vampires find wearing glasses or contact lenses to be uncomfortable or irritating; they see the miniature imperfections (ex. scratches). Their scent is based on their venom, and is pleasant, not only to humans, but to other vampires as well.

When vampires die, their bodies are reduced to either dust or burning ash. The souls of deceased vampires go to a netherworld exclusively inhabited by the spirits of deceased immortals, the nature of which is a mystery. It appears to be more of a limbo that an actual afterlife, as many of it's prisoners either move on to a better Higher Plane or are dragged to a Hell Dimension to endure eternal torment.

Eye Colours
Like the majority of supernatural creatures, a vampire's eyes reflects their true nature. Most of the time they retain their normal human eyes, but theirs are more luminous than an ordinary human's. Their eye colour depends heavily on their diet. A diet of human blood would eventually darken them to a rose red colour. However, a diet of animal blood would instead dilute their eyes to a golden colour. A vampire who has recently fed on animal blood will have light, honey gold eyes, while a vampire who has recently fed on human blood will have vivid crimson eyes. All older vampires' eyes darken perceptively as they abstain from blood, until their eyes become onyx, or coal black. The process usually takes one to two weeks before the eyes are turned completely black. Oliver Mikaelson is an exception, as his eyes do not take half as long to reflect his eating habits. Pureborn vampires are actually shown to possess electric blue eyes on occasion. Another vampire was seen to have unique purple irises, the significance of which is unknown.

Psychology
Vampires have the capacity to be extremely feral, predatory creatures, and can be more beast-like and savage than their human appearance suggests. They growl, hiss, snarl, and curl their lips back when provoked, baring their fangs as a sign of aggression when faced by a threat. Many of them tend to often be very sexual and erotic beings, usually taking up hedonistic lifestyles as they revel in their vampiric powers, but this is not always the case. The bite itself is an orgasmic experience, and can induce extreme pleasure in both the vampire and the victim.

Despite their nature, vampires are also capable of human emotions, such as compassion, love, and self-control. However, it's in a vampire's nature to be violent, and no matter what their morality or kindness, they will almost always resort to such acts if it's necessary for their survival. While vampires typically maintain their human personalities after their transformations (though magnified by the magical properties of vampirism), they are usually dehumanized to some degree, and due to both the violent tensions between witches, werewolves, and vampires (along with the in-fighting within the vampire community itself), violence, tragedy, and death of the aforementioned groups and humans caught in the crossfire seem to follow vampires wherever they go, even despite their best efforts to avoid it. Many (though not all) vampires are inherently selfish and consider other beings, especially humans, to be inferior to themselves, as they see themselves as the top of the proverbial food chain. Even the most compassionate of their kind will often resort to cruelty and torture if it means protecting themselves and their loved ones from danger.

For example, Stefan Salvatore, despite his generally kind and compassionate attitude, has been shown to be unafraid of killing when the situation calls for it, though he makes it a point not to harm or kill humans unless absolutely necessary. Similarly, Caroline Forbes, while saving Stefan and his brother Damon from her mother and her police force, ended up slaughtering two of her deputies in an animalistic and stealthy manner and was completely calm and unfazed afterward; this contrasted greatly with her reaction after she had accidentally killed a carnival worker out of hunger just hours after she had completed her transition, which upset her so much that she began to sob and insisted she was a monster. This suggests the longer one spends as a vampire, the more tolerant of violence and murder they become.

Additionally, over the course of their ten millennia of life, Elijah and Rebekah have also become somewhat dehumanized after spending so much time as the most powerful beings on earth, even despite their generally kind and gentle nature; their penchant for the "snatch, eat, erase" method of feeding and their dedication to avoiding unnecessarily large demonstrations of violence and cruelty if at all possible is typically more out of their desire to protect themselves from exposure than a desire to not harm others. In recent years, both Elijah and Rebekah have mellowed out, and are not as quick to harm or kill out of anger, they still are known for being ruthless against their enemies or anyone who tries to harm their family and friends, and have shown no discomfort in torturing others to get the answers or results they need.

However, vampires experience sensations and feelings much more intensely than humans, and as a result, they have a much more difficult time controlling their emotions, all of which are tied to their hunger in some way. Whenever a vampire is overwhelmed by powerful feelings (such as extreme hunger, fear, anger, happiness, love, lust etc.) their faces become pale, and blood rushes into the veins surrounding their eyes, darkening them tremendously. Their canine teeth will lengthen into fangs, giving them a more predatory look to scare off or threaten their prey and to aid them in feeding on humans and animals. This intensification of emotions experienced by vampires also extends to their personalities as well, both the good and the bad aspects of it. For example, Elena and Stefan were both compassionate and kind as humans, which amplified these traits to the point of being self-sacrificing as vampires; conversely, Vicki Donovan, who was a troubled teenage girl with addictions to drugs, carried these personality traits into her vampire life as well, making her subject to violent mood swings and making it even harder for her to resist her cravings for human blood until she had to be killed to save Elena and Jeremy from being killed.

Due to their intensely emotional nature, it is not uncommon for vampires wishing to maintain self-control to document their lives after their transition in journals. Though they have consistently shown considerable powers in recollection of specific memories and dates, vampires still need to peruse their journals in order to reflect on their feelings and other minute details during certain events. Another function of the vampire nature is the ability to "turn off" their humanity in order to make it easier for them to emotionally deal with feeding on (and occasionally even killing) humans to maintain their immortality.

Vampires who have used this coping mechanism, such as Elena, Damon, Stefan, Caroline and Enzo, have described the process as "flicking a switch," which essentially numbs their emotions and disables their ability to be empathetic, allowing them to shut out painful feelings such as guilt, grief, and sadness and turning off the part of them that makes them ashamed of their actions. Vampires with their humanity turned off often think of themselves as purely rational and logical and are not ruled by their emotions. They also have no problem feeding indiscriminately on whomever they please, either using mind compulsion to make the humans forget the experience or killing them outright with no shame or remorse.

Characteristics
Vampires have strong family bonds and prize loyalty to family above all else. They are hierarchical and obedience to the leader of the pack isn’t up for discussion. Unlike Daemons they follow the rules (well, the vampire code of law and order, that is). Most avoid being centre stage preferring solitary occupations where they can hide in plain sight and are possessive in love. When they choose a ‘mate’, the commitment will last centuries.

While humans are the ultimate prey animals, vampires are the consummate predators. Were it not for the human aggression and the devastating Vampire Wars of the late classical and early medieval periods, vampires might have become the dominant population on Earth. The common warm-blooded opinion of vampires is that they are cold, single-minded, and dangerous (to witches and psychics, vampires feel like an icy and focused sensation), whereas vampires themselves are proud of their elegance and discipline. They are charming yet have a tendency to unveil a darker side when they smell blood.

Vampires believe that they are top of the food chain as they feed off of warm-blooded creatures, including humans and the majority of animals; they avoid feeding off other supernaturals, and certain animals such as wolves, horses, and dogs. They view themselves as the Night World's apex predators, a role that their ancient rivals, the werewolves, are also contenders for. Despite the animosity between the two species, they tend to show one another a high degree of respect.

Once a vampire has been made and the maker is convinced that the newly-turned vampire is now self-sufficient (initial transitioning period is difficult one for newborns), the vampire begins to establish a new identity. Vampires cultivate passions and interests to prevent themselves from falling into boredom and depression as a result of their prolonged lifespans. This means that they are often found in careers that reward long-term thinking (these include investment banking, art collecting, scientific research, and real-estate). Because they live so long, vampires are adept at a kind of shape-shifting, moving to new countries and acquiring new language skills and identities, new jobs, new houses, new friends and lovers. This is how they not only survive but thrive.

Pureborn
The term "Pureborn" is applied to any creature born with vampiric qualities and traits. Even if such a being is not a complete vampire pureblood, as long as they possess some vampiric heritage within them from the moment of birth. This includes hybrids, such as Brightborn and Dhampirs.

Nature
Most of the common lore about vampires, which were shaped by human fears, is entirely wrong. Vampires can go out in sunlight, but only with magical aid unless they are an Original or a hybrid; holy water has no effect on them; they can be killed by all kinds of bullets (not just silver bullets); religious icons are completely useless against them; they do not require an invitation to enter a person's dwelling; and they can consume more than human blood.

Nutrition
Vampires subsist on blood as their only food source. Human blood is by far the most common source and the most appealing, and subsequently the most difficult to resist. As blood is the only component of a vampire's diet, failing to drink blood (whether human or animal) for an extended period of time will physically and mentally weaken a vampire. The longer a vampire abstains from blood, the more likely the vampire will lose their rationality and mental faculties until they give into their thirst, because their throats are described to be in "burning pain", which will worsen the longer they do not drink blood. Although it still gives them nutrition, animal blood is less appealing to vampires.

On the moral grounds that all human life is precious, a very small proportion of the vampiric population refuse to drink human blood, even from blood bags. Instead, these immortals derive sustenance solely from animal blood, jokingly calling themselves 'vegetarians'.

Singers
The blood of each human has an individual taste and smell; sometimes a certain vampire finds a particular human whose blood he or she finds nearly absolutely irresistible. The Volturi call such a human "la tua cantante"—your singer—as their blood "sings" to that particular vampire. To most vampires, such discovery is an experience to be savoured. These singers often make excellent mates.

Mates
The single greatest need vampires have, other than hunting and feeding themselves, is to find their mate. Vampires are drawn to their mates through a combination of affinity and chemical compatibility. The bond between mates is irresistible and lasts for a lifetime. The intensity of chemical and emotional responses to mating make it difficult for vampires to let their partners out of their sight, and vampire widows or widowers often attempt suicide to escape the physical and mental anguish associated with the loss of their beloved. Some vampires do mate again, though this is rare. Vampire mates may be other vampires, or they may be humans or another supernatural. In the case of human mates, difficult decisions must be made about whether to turn them into a vampire. Vampires are extraordinarily protective and possessive of their mates and mark them with the vampire's scent to indicate ownership. A vampire will never touch another's mate without permission as this is considered a hostile action.

Clans
Vampires have a strong sense of family that is similar to that of wolf packs. The head, or sire, of a vampire family - also called "a clan" - has absolute authority. Etiquette requires that this head of the family be addressed as "Sieur". When a sire is not mated, that honour can be bestowed to another. Vampire clans are extremely hierarchical, and disobedience is not tolerated. Insubordination often leads to death, and in some cases, large vampire families are divided into scions with semiautonomous sires who report back to the main sire clan. The term "sire" can also refer to the vampire who gave his or her blood to create another, though "maker" is more commonly used among vampires. In addition to making full-blooded vampire children, vampires also have a tradition of adoption. Being the adopted, or "blood-sworn", child of a vampire accords them all the rights and privileges of belonging to a clan without having to become a fully fledged vampire.

Bloodlines
Bloodlines are extremely important in vampire culture, and even the blood-sworn child of a great vampire sire would be higher of status than the full-blooded child of another subordinate vampire. According to legend, a vampire's blood vow sings for a year and a day. All vampires can hear it, but the song is particularly loud and clear to those who carry the maker's blood in their veins.

Trivia

 * Contrary to popular belief, both male and female vampires are capable of sexual reproduction, though it is extremely rare.
 * Vampires will often drink coffee in order to warm their bodies, so humans are not disturbed by their lack of body heat.
 * Vampires have a natural rivalry with werewolves, whom they respect as worthy contenders for the role of apex predator.