Vampires
We enjoy the night, the darkness, where we can do things that aren't acceptable in the light. Night is when we slake our thirst.
— William Hill, Vampire's Kiss
Vampires are the undead, immortals of the world. Formerly human, they are created by another vampire and must drink blood to survive. They are creatures of the night and the stuff of myth and legend. Books have been written about them, movies made about them, and the folklore and superstition regarding vampires goes back far and deep in the history of humankind.
The vampires of the modern world thrive on this vast and conflicting collection of "knowledge." The myths and fallacies protect them, and many times it is the vampire community that perpetrates them. Though there are some few scholars, investigators and occultists who do believe and know some scattered bits of truth, for the majority of humanity, vampires are nothing more than romanticized lovers or frightening monsters who hide in the shadows.
Whoa. Fangs. She had fangs.
She leaned in, prodded them a little. Eating with those puppies was going to take some getting used to, she thought.
— J.R. Ward, Dark Lover
It is difficult to identify a vampire on first sight. They were once human, and aside from their paleness due to lack of sun exposure, they still appear human. They remain frozen at the age of their turning, and do not age. Their fangs are hidden and retracted unless they are feeding, angry, excited or in an otherwise highly emotional state. (Yes, this does include heightened sexual states as well.) Unlike the myths that shroud their secrets, their hair and nails do grow and do not remain static. A vampire can easily move through time and identities with a haircut and hair dye.
They pass through the world masquerading as human, for how better to get close to those that provide them their life sustenance? Their bodies still function in a mimicry of humanity: vampires breathe, their hearts beat, and when wounded they bleed. Yet, do not mistake the mask of humanity as living. Vampires are dead. It is only through preternatural magics that are either not known or not shared beyond the vampire community, and the power of human blood that sustains them.
