Vampires are a prominent undead race in the Ascension Academy world. Their history is one of the oldest ones, and their culture is among the most feared ones because of the mystery behind this race's inner workings. Vampires follow a feudal system where the government of the race is centered around the Vampire Council, conformed by the most important pure-blooded vampires. Their territory is located north of the Gates of Faust, and their capital is Nosferat.
What is a Vampire?[]
In a typical description, Vampires are known to be "creatures of the night" that are essentially undead, though not in the same fashion that Zombies are undead. Like zombies, they are willpower-dominate; however, they maintain a large portion of their life force through feeding, allowing them to maintain their motor skills and higher cognitive functions. On top of this, the said undead individual will also hold supernatural abilities such as "super strength," "super speed," "super-healing," and "immortality" while having a weakness to sunlight.
Vampires originate from the Mirrored Peaks, deep within the Dark Lands. It is where the first vampire was turned and still holds great significance to their kind as the region where the Culling is held and where the primary Vampire Kingdom sits.
Culture[]
The Dining Hall in the Cliffs of Faust.
Vampiric culture is very old and laden heavily with tradition as a result of its nearly infinite lifespan.
Vampires follow a strict hierarchy where the pure-blooded vampires rule the aristocracy, with their respective elder vampires, who have likely sired thousands, standing at the top as it is believed that the purer and less diluted the blood the closer to the progenitors. To be considered an Elder they need to be at least 900 years old, and they are tasked with important tasks fitting their status and power, being the example of the Vampire Council where most of its members are pure-blooded Elder Vampires. Each degree of separation places a vampire at a lower standing. Vampires who turn another are expected to sire their spawn and teach them of vampiric culture and practices. The only difference is the bloodline is less pure.
Vampire Society in the Ascension timeline is very hidden and secretive. They just finished a war with all of mankind and are near extinct and trying to rebuild. All the vampires are forbidden to talk about their race outside of their society, and they are tasked to spread misinformation about their weaknesses to other races. Young Vampires are trained and tasked by the council to take care of missions consisting of hunting down rogue or mad vampires to prevent the spread of vampirism. It's also why vampires are only allowed to sire a limited number. After the war that ended at the gates of Faust, and the vampire treaty was accepted the vampires will basically have to control their own population to prevent any future wars.
In both timelines, vampires seem to have knowledge about The Darkness In the Ascension Academy timeline, the vampires seem to be the ones that know about it besides Ascension.
They also have an old and dying language called Nosferat, which is also the name of their capital city in the Dark Lands.
Government[]
Vampire Council[]
The Vampire Council holds the highest authority in vampire society, establishing the rules and laws that all vampires must adhere to. Each member of the council bears the title of King or Queen, with their two immediate subordinates referred to as Ladies or Lords. While predominantly composed of Pureblood vampires, there are occasional exceptions among its ranks. Known Council members:
Vampire Houses[]
Six influential vampire noble houses dominate key aspects of vampire civilization, commanding the loyalty of numerous lesser houses and ensuring the seamless operation of their society.
Stygian
Their banner features a scythe, and their colors are red and brown. The Stygian House safeguards the human population, manages the blood tithe. They support the Vampire Treaties.
Martielle
Their banner features wings, and their colors are gold and purple. They specialize in monster taming, training dire bats, and restraining the creatures of the dark lands. They are a traditionalist house, and advocate for the Old Ways.
Known Members[]
Armaya
Their banner features a lantern, and their colors are yellow and gold. They specialize in magic and maintaining the spells that keep the Dark Lands perpetually overcast. They support the Vampire Treaties.
Leiche
The Leiche House's banner features a corpse, and their colors are black and white. They specialize in necromancy and managing thralls. They are a traditionalist house, and advocate for the Old Ways.
Black Rose
Godfrey's house. Their banner features a rose, and their colors are red and black. Godfrey serves as the Mouth of the Council and train the Strigoi Guard, who function as mercenaries for the vampires.
Known Members[]
Heinrich (Fallen)[]
Previously a noble house, it was purged by its sole remaining member, Victor Heinrich, effectively removing this house from the group.
Hierarchy[]
Pure Bloods or True Vampires[]
Victor is an example of a pure blood
True Vampires, more commonly referred to as simply Purebloods, are vampires that are born to two vampires. They are the highest rank among vampires and have a lot of influence in their society. Due to the gap in genetic and blood purity, pure bloods tend to look down on the non-pure bloods and many of the "turned" see the purebloods as superior.
Known Pure Bloods[]
- Tess
- Godfrey
- Wolfgang
- Victor
- Genevieve
- Dr. Ivanka Ducloff
- Octavia Baldassare
- Tarnick
- The Proctorate
- Tera
- Aldric Naust
- Viktoria Naust
- Zacc (Possibly)
- Marcel Campanel (Possibly)
- Vulcan
- Miles
- Bosch Von Rosenburg
- Lenora Valaine
- Blackwin The Immortal
- Elizabeth Martielle
Half Bloods[]
Chipz, the most known half-blood
Those who were not born a vampire, but rather were turned later in life, are called Half Bloods and are typical of lower social standing than nearly all other vampires. There are however exceptions to this depending on the region and subculture the vampires come from and the standing of the vampire who turned the half-blood. Chipz, for example, was turned by a very high-ranking vampire, Tess, which placed him above the other half-bloods but still bellow a natural-born vampire. Someone who is born of a vampire and a non-vampire is also considered a Half-Blood.
Known Half Bloods[]
- Chipz
- Irinarya Sungrove
- Llynn
- Ves Vontril
- Astrid
- Elise
- Evelyn
- Finley Mockingbird (Possibly)
- Lucina Zelna
- Edgar Van Richten
Thin Bloods[]
Ciaphas Kane, a thin-blooded vampire.
Below the Half Bloods are the Thin Bloods, vampires who were turned by a Half Blood which makes them even weaker.
Known Thin Bloods[]
Ferals and Vargheists[]
Below Thin Bloods are the mindless vampires and beasts. Feral Vampires, Vargheists, and any mindless vampire crazed with madness all fall under this category. Vargheists specifically are great beasts that are transformed into demonic batlike creatures who devour and destroy anything in their paths. They all stand in the lowest class in the vampire hierarchy. Other vampires are tasked with killing any vampire that falls under this category.
Known Ferals and Vargheists[]
TBA
The Culling[]
"In the name of the Nosferit, the legions and the Dark Council, most powerful, to Chipz, the Ashen. Be it known that you are summoned unto the Culling, the Ancient trial of the Vampires. We command your presence at the Cliffs of Faust, to undergo preparation, effective immediately. A Fang has been sent to assure your arrival." ― The Summons letter sent to Chipz.
The pathway to the Cliffs of Faust, where the Culling is held.
The Culling is an ancient trial of the Vampires, put in place to test the strength and resolve of those summoned. Ordinarily, the Culling is taken alone and primarily by Pure Bloods however exceptions have been made. Chipz and Victor are the only two to have ever taken the Culling together. When a Vampire is summoned to the Culling, a Blood Crystal is sent to deliver the message and is blood locked so only the individual being summoned can hear the summons. When the time comes for the actual Culling an individual called a Fang is sent to retrieve them.
During the Culling, the Vampire is tasked with various challenges. It is unknown if these challenges are always the same or change every Culling, but the former is likely the case given the traditional nature of the event. During the only on-screen Culling, Chipz and Victor were forced to trap a rotting Lycan-like beast in a spiked pit on the ground that consumed it. Then they were forced to drink from a bowl embedded in a stone altar and battle a dark reflection of themselves- Victor literally, Chipz through willpower. The final challenge saw them enter a separate plane and battle against shades before confronting a vision of their past.
The Entrance to the Cliffs of Faust.
If a Vampire emerges from the Culling alive they are bound to the Mirrored Peaks, where the trial is held, and given an item called a Scar that represents their desires on entering.
Scars[]
Victor and Chipz scars
There's very little information about the scars as vampires don't have many written records of this. Scars are bound to the person that succeeds in the trial, scars not only work as a weapon but also according to Tera[1] they are a partner in life, an extension of yourself and everything you lack and hope to gain. The Scar does not have to be a weapon, it can also come in the form of an item. Its form and abilities are suited to the wielder, customized for them. When a vampire passes the Culling they are bound to the Mirrored Peaks and the Scar is made from their soul. To borrow the power of this item you need to treat it like a partner, you have to bond with it to create a connection between the two.
Known Scar Wielders[]
- Chipz (Katana)
- Victor Heinrich (Rapier)
- Godfrey (Unknown)
- Octavia Baldassare (Grimoire)
- Llynn (Dagger)
- Dr. Ivanka Ducloff (Eye)
- Blackwin The Immortal (Greatsword)
- Shaw (Battle Axe)
Shepherds[]
Vampires view themselves as the shepherds of the world. Blessed with long life that grants greater foresight and hindsight than the lesser races. Guardians who tend to their flock and cull their numbers as needed. Preventing humans from growing out of hand or damaging the world and of course, they are to be fed upon and used as needed. They are for all intents and purposes animals to the vampiric. Some simple food, others useful tools, but never equals or even friends.
Biology and Traits[]
Vampires have pronounced fangs they use to drain victims, or even as weapons in a fight.
Infection[]
Though there are several strains of Vampirism floating through the Metaverse, the one that seems to be the most common is the strain Tess, Chipz, and Victor carry. Vampires of this type are infected through drainage, put simply: First a target is drained almost empty by a vampire, and then they have to feed from their Sire. After this, the fresh turned will be incredibly weak and exposure to light is fatal. The ritual is magical and can be seen as very intimate. Accidental infection through normal feeding is not possible, there has to be intent behind the draining. It is believed though that when you become a vampire, you lose your humanity or at least a part of it.
Transfer of Power[]
The transfer of power refers to when a new vampire is fed from their sire as they are too weak to do it themselves in this process the sire loses some of their power when giving the blood. This is a ritual based similar to how the curse forces the vampires to drain someone normally but this can be resisted for a time. But eventually, the need to attack and drain someone overpowers their will. The transfer of power from Sire to Childe via their own blood is used to prevent the childe from going on a rampage the first few months and turning too many people.
Cursed Young[]
A Pure Blood child born of two vampires is born with the need to feed on blood, which needs to be provided to them since they can not hunt obviously. However, a Half-Blood born of a vampire and a non-vampire are different. The curse lays dormant in the Half-Blood until they hit puberty, after which they begin to feel the cravings for blood. If they manage to resist the craving at this point the curse will go dormant again. Those who are turned regardless of age will crave blood despite being Half-Bloods.
Appearance[]
Vampires are generally fair-skinned due to their avoidance of the sun, whether it kills them or not, though otherwise, their physique remains the same as it was before the infection. At roughly 8 years old true born vampires begin growing their first fangs, however, this process happens almost immediately for any newly infected through biting. On top of the rapid growth of fangs, the infected will undergo subtle mutations to the eyes allowing for improved eyesight as well as eye color shifts. Depending on the strain, their eyes may turn red and stay that way, or they may be able to shift between red and their previous natural color.
Vampires do age but at an incredibly slow rate depending on the purity of their blood, for example, the pure-blooded Victor seems younger that the half-blood Chipz. Vampires who are hundreds of years old can look as if they are in their twenties or thirties. As for the vampires who look elderly, they are usually upwards of 1000 years old. Vampires can also look even younger depending on the vampire's previous race. Llynn, for example, is also elven so she still looks very young despite being in her 900s. There's also the case of very old vampires looking like children. These are extreme cases of lineage and or glamour.
Abilities & Weaknesses[]
Abilities[]
Vampires gain several bonuses from their affliction, typically in the form of enhanced strength, speed, durability, bone tensile strength, and stamina. On top of this, depending on the strain, some gain enhanced hearing, blood sense, eyesight, night vision, and language abilities. All vampires can infect one another through near-death draining, though the pre-vampire must feed quickly to avoid death. Vampires are capable of regenerating from nearly any injury short of decapitation however it takes time depending on their power and if they feed. Vampires also are able to survive and withstand injuries that would normally be fatal for other races. Although vampires can survive almost anything, there are still repercussions. If the vampire is grievously wounded (such as having all their limbs torn off) and without a blood supply, the body will fall into a comatose state until the consciousness is pulled back in when the body regenerates itself enough. Vampires are even capable of surviving a stab through the heart as long as the weapon is pulled out, but they will be put in a state of torpor that can last for years.
Vampires are also adept at blood magic as blood is everything in vampire culture. Family, power, and a vehicle of the curse itself. They can use this blood magic to perform various types of magic, from tracking people through their blood to even gaining control of them. As Vampires are one of several species that are beings of darkness. All their powers are enhanced at night when vampires are at their strongest.
Weaknesses[]
Vampires still maintain a range of weaknesses, dependent on strain, such as garlic allergies, silver, and holy relics. Vampires are also damaged by normal healing magic and alchemy, though they can be healed through Necromantic Healing. Normally a vampire can only be killed permanently by decapitation. If a vampire's heart is pierced by a stake they will fall into a coma. The most common strain of vampirism in the Metaverse that we have seen is contrary to popular belief not killed by sunlight. However, extended exposure causes headaches and can cause one to blackout.
In the daylight, they are plagued by migraines and they are slower and weaker, and regeneration takes longer. If a vampire had all his limbs torn off in daylight he would most likely lose consciousness and take several hours to recover. If much time is passed without drinking in daylight vampires could lose control of their rationality.
Other Information[]
Related[]
Trivia[]
- Long lived races, especially Elves, have a much lower successful turning rate than more 'mortal' races. Humans are almost guaranteed to turn, where a successful elf turning is very rare. It possibly has something to do with their long history of being entwined with magic.
- Some elder vampires stab themselves in the heart on purpose, abusing the fact that they will be unconscious for years. They can use this as a way to "time skip" for an extended period of time, which can be used to help stave off madness if they have lived for long enough.
- Although most vargheists tend to be mindless beasts, very few vampires with the strongest of wills manage to contain and control their vargheists forms and are even able to utilize while being conscious.
- Most noble houses have an animal as their sigil.