Vampires

The Vampires of the Bloodbound series are undead creatures who possess incredible strength, speed, and immortality. Vampires feed and survive on the blood of humans and according to Adrian, it has been consensual for some time now. Due to being nocturnal, they do not sleep at night.

History
Vampire myths go back as far as Ancient Babylon... possibly even further than that. When Your Character asks Adrian in Book 1, Chapter 2 how many vampires there are, he answers that he's not sure of the exact number of vampires around the world. He goes onto say that there are still many places where his kind still have to hide their true nature. When Your Character then asks about how many vampires there are in New York, Adrian replies that there's 180.

This is because New York City has been ruled by six vampire clans. Each clan is ruled by a single leader with 29 followers. In 1931, six vampires formed the Council, and agreed upon a Pact consisting of two principles. First, vampires are only allowed to feed off willing humans. Second, the creation of new vampires is strictly limited and subject to the approval of the Council. Those six vampires are the six Clan leaders. All of this allows the Clan leaders to keep the peace, preserve the secrecy of their kind and allows them to consolidate power behind the scenes.

If Your Character chooses to read Freaks and Monster: A Hunter's Guide in Marcel's library with Adrian in Book 1, Chapter 9, he reveals that Vampire Hunters were actually real at one point. That they were an entire society going back for a millennia and were determined to wipe out vampires. He acknowledges that some were good men, though a bit misguided. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, there were certainly others who Adrian views as petty sadists. In the 1850's there was a secret war between the vampire hunters and the vampires; the latter of which won. As far as Adrian knows, they have been wiped out entirely.

The Council
Each Clan leader is also the head of a particular sector that The Council has control of via their membership into the group. According to a newly turned vampire by Marcel Lafayette, it was revealed in Book 1, Chapter 9, that The Council are the most powerful factions in New York City, but there are a few other smaller ones throughout the state. They are allowed fewer members, and the City Clans have authority over them. In Chapter 16, Jax is selected as the new council member replacing Adam Vega after his death in Chapter 15.
 * Clan Lacroix: Entertainment Sector
 * Clan Castellanos: Commerce Sector
 * Clan Baron: Crime Sector
 * Clan Vega: Politics Sector (Disbanded)
 * Clan Raines: Technology Sector
 * Clan Sayeed: Finance Sector

In Book 2, Chapter 6, Gaius dissolves the clans, telling all vampires who are in the Fangbook network that they have the choice of joining him or being killed by him (or his followers). In response, all members of Clans Raines, Sayeed, and Matsuo remained loyal to their respective leaders, as do most members of Clans Castellanos and Lacroix and a few from Clan Baron despite the deaths of their leaders (or in Clan Lacroix's case, its leader's defection to Gaius). Meanwhile, most of Clan Baron and a few members of Clans Castellanos and Lacroix have joined Gaius

The below listed clan affiliations are considered formerly but remain listed for reference-sake.

Turning
There is a procedure to turn someone into a vampire. In Chapter 5, Adrian bites his own wrist causing it to bleed, then proceeds to feed his blood to Lily, which begins her transformation into a new vampire.

The process of Turning a person into a vampire is fraught with risk. In Book 1, Chapter 3, Adrian explains to Your Character that if something goes wrong in the transition, the person in question becomes feral instead. Placing a newly-Turned vampire in a completely dark, enclosed space for at least six hours reduces the chances of them becoming Feral. If the vampire is welcomed into a clan, they receive a brand infused with the blood of the First Vampire, which protects them from becoming Feral. As a result, Clanless vampires can turn feral at any moment. This brand is infused with the blood of their maker. It forges a personal connection that keeps their consciousness tethered to the vampire's body.

Adrian further explains to Your Character, also in Book 1, Chapter 3, that Turning humans into new vampires without the consent of The Council is strictly forbidden by the Pact. The Clan leaders are only allowed to create new vampires if it's to replace a vampire that has been killed... and only with the vote of The Council.

In Book 1, Chapter 11, shortly after the survivors of Marcel's last Ball are safe and sound, tensions rise amongst the members of The Council. Adrian tells Your Character and Lily to get to somewhere safe ASAP. He tells Your Character that unfortunately, if the Council leaders start fighting each other, the newest vampires tend to be the first casualties. Later on, Jax tells Your Character that the last New York Clan War was in 1948. It set the city ablaze and at least sixty-five vampires died, most of which were Clanless.

In Book 3, Chapter 1, it is theorized that a Bloodkeeper takes longer to transform because of their body not knowing how to do the Turning.

Ferals
They are in a sense still vampires but they are driven only by a desire to feed and kill. Feral are as dangerous as they are pitiable, but are also mindless and soulless. Their breath are rank, but much like regular vampires they also possess great strength. They snarl as they attack and when they do (attack), it is with pure rage. Ferals are dangerous to humans and vampires alike, seen as how their bites are infectious to both. A feral biting a human and/or vampire will subsequently result in the infected individual turning into a feral as well.

In Book 1, Chapter 4, Adrian revealed to Your Character that the feral that attacked you both in Central Park was once someone by the name of Douglas Courette. He was previously a bartender employed by The Baron.

In Book 1, Chapter 7, Kamilah said that Ferals are the result of a dilution in a vampire's blood, as each new generation of vampires is removed from the First Vampire, whose blood flows in all vampires. The brand of an elder vampire prevents a vampire from turning into one at random except being bitten by a Feral.

Cryptoferals
In Book 2, Chapter 8, Adrian tells Your Character and Jax that these are special kinds of ferals that were trapped after the attack from The Order of the Dawn hundreds of years ago. He surmises that they must have evolved due to their environment, proving the rumors true that feral physiognomy could change in response to environmental factors.

Clanless Vampires
Jax is one of the many Clanless vampires living in New York City while simultaneously trying to hide from The Council. He is the leader of the Clanless. In Book 1, Chapter 4, Jax reveals to you that without the brand of an elder vampire protecting them, going feral is pretty common amongst the Clanless. A few can resist it through sheer will. Moreover, they have discovered that by feeding off humans they were once close to prior to Turning can delay the action of becoming Feral. This may have to do with the lingering emotional connection. In many cases, becoming Feral is just a matter of time. Jax further reveals that while The Council could save all the Clanless vampires, they choose not to. As a result, Clanless vampires are rejected by both the human and vampire worlds respectively. They could but choose not to leave New York because in New York, it is actually safer for them to hide. Other cities would not kill them quickly. In Book 1, Chapter 16, they are welcomed to the vampire community, taking over Clan Vega's spot.

Child Vampires
As of Book 1, Chapter 10, Lula Jacobs is the only (physical-looking) child vampire in the main plot of the Bloodbound Series after Marcel's death in the same chapter. Vladimir is another child vampire who is exlusive to premium scenes. He appears in Chapter 13 and Chapter 15 if you freed him from the Shrike. Jax tells Your Character that Child Vampires are tricky because they don't have the self-control to feed on humans without draining them. As a result, child vampires like Lula are fed pre-exsanguinated blood.

Freaks and Monsters: A Hunter's Guide
The entry from this book talks about how 'vampires are among the most feared and terrible of the undead, for they possess not only animal appetites but human intellect.' It goes onto say how some hunters' believed that vampires have infiltrated the highest echelons of power in human society (i.e. politicians, nobles, even kings potentially being vampires).' This particular entry also discusses how, 'slaying a vampire can be a Hunter's greatest accomplishment...'

Powers and Abilities

 * Immortality: In Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian confirms that he does not age. This however does not mean he cannot die, but only that he is not affected by the normal human trials and tribulations of getting older.
 * Superhuman Strength: The upper limit of such strength is still unknown, but in Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian claims that he is strong enough to lift a car.
 * Superhuman Speed and Reflexes: Vampires possess increased speed and reflexes.
 * Healing Factor: Accelerated healing is an ability that allows vampires to heal from physical injuries at supernatural speeds. If a vampire uses their blood as a healing medium such as when Adrian was done feeding on Nicole. Vampires can heal the bite mark on their victims as well, using their own blood as a medium to accelerate the closing of the wounds.
 * Heightened Senses: In Book 1, Chapter 6, Lily mentions how she can feel the slightest air currents, how she can even see the tiniest pores in Your Character's skin and can hear the water running through the pipes three stories up. Thus we can assume the same came be said for other vampires as a whole. In Jameson's notes, he writes that vampires are "more alive" than humans.
 * A consequence of being a vampire is the immunity to drowsiness; as such, vampires are not hampered by fatigue caused by sleeplessness.
 * Debriefing: In Book 1, Chapter 3, it is revealed that few vampires possess this ability, with Scholar Jameson being the only confirmed one with this ability. He describes it as a psychic art that requires a tremendous amount of focus and discipline. It is done by putting his hands on either side of the other person's head and pressing their fingers against the other person's temples. Moreover it is described as a simple and quick process. In Book 2, Chapter 2, Jameson notes that Serafine Dupont and Kano Yoshimasa possess psychic abilities as well.
 * Telekinesis: In Book 1, Chapter 10, Gaius is revealed to possess this ability when he froze Banner Westbrook to prevent him from moving when Banner refused to recognize Gaius as king of the vampires. Adrian Raines also temporarily gained this ability after being exposed to UV rays with multiple doses of the Serum still in his system in Chapter 15. In Book 2, Chapter 2, Jameson notes that Vlad Teppes could hover over the ground.
 * Pyrokinesis: Also revealed in Book 1, Chapter 10, Gaius is revealed as the only one thus far with this type of power. He has the ability to conjure blue fire from his hands as seen in a flashback scene if the Player collected the third portrait fragment found at the Shadow Den. As of now, he is the only known vampire to wield this ability. The only other vampire to have this ability was Reinhardt III of Bavaria.
 * Intuitive Polygraphy: In Book 1, Chapter 12, Jameson tells Your Character that his abilities aren't limited to debriefings. He can also reach into minds in other ways. He can't exactly read the other person's thoughts, but rather he can tell if you're lying. Priya also says that any vampire who's worth anything knows how to guard their thoughts. But humans and newly turned vampires are like an open book.
 * Invisibility: In a premium scene of Book 2, Chapter 2, Jameson's notes include a mention of Akeyo Kwangi of Kenya who was said to have had the ability to turn invisible.

Weaknesses

 * Sunlight: As Adrian stated, sunlight hurts them and can prove fatal after more than thirty minutes of exposure. Overexposure causes, as Adrian describes it, an accelerated heat stroke. According to Jameson's notes, the younger the vampire, the more vulnerable they are to sunlight.
 * Decapitation: Dismembering or manually removing the head of a vampire will result in instant and permanent death.
 * Heart Destruction: Destroying the heart by means of staking (for minimum 30 seconds by Jameson's observations) will result in permanent death.
 * Heart Extraction: Removing the heart of a vampire will also result in permanent death.
 * Unquenched Bloodlust: When Adrian first became a vampire, he felt the powerful thirst for blood which no amount of water can relieve. In the brief period where he resisted the urge, Adrian experienced severe discomfort whereby he eventually gave in to his instincts. It is unknown yet how long a vampire can remain thirsty or what the extent of pain is when this need is unmet, when Vampires don't consume blood for extended periods of time, they tend to give in to their instincts and attack the nearest human nearby in order to suppress their thirst, newly turned Vampires like Lily are the ones mostly affected by this problem. In Book 1, Chapter 11, Jax tells Your Character that Bloodlust can be triggered if vampires get too hungry. Moreover, that it's especially easy for  the younger vampires (like Lily) to succumb to it than older vampires.
 * A Feral's Bite: A bite from a feral vampire is infectious to regular vampires because it can turn them feral too.

Myths

 * In Book 1, Chapter 2, he mentions that garlic gives him a minor distaste, rather than kill him. This in turn means that it is not a real weakness for vampires as a whole.
 * Adrian claims that, contrary to the common stereotype, vampires do not turn into bats nor can they fly.
 * If the player purchases the fourth portrait fragment found in Ahmanet Financial Office, Your Character learns of the legend of The Undying Centurion. According to Kamilah in Book 1, Chapter 12, this is someone who can survive any wound and is said to fight like a god.
 * Thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt, Kamilah (before she was turned into a vampire) talks about ancient legends among her people. Legends that tell of demons from the Underworld that walk the earth. They feed on blood and cannot be killed by any blade. Moreoever, it is said that these aforementioned creatures fear only two things: silver chains and sunlight.
 * In Book 1, Chapter 14, Kamilah reveals that the First Vampire is a she, a myth, and is thought to be the perfect vampire, able to survive sunlight, the stake, being burned, and could walk throughout civilization endlessly.

Council Members

 * Adrian Raines
 * Kamilah Sayeed
 * Lester Castellanos (Formerly) †
 * Priya Lacroix (Determinant) †
 * The Baron (Formerly) †
 * Adam Vega (Formerly) †
 * Jax Matsuo

Clan Raines

 * Archive Clerk (Formerly) †

Clan Castellanos

 * Silvio Marcetti (Formerly) †

Clan Baron

 * McGinty (Determinant) †
 * Douglas Courette (Bartender; Formerly; unofficial/feral) †
 * Guard †

Clan Vega

 * Soldier

Clan Lacroix

 * Margot †

Clan Matsuo

 * Lily Spencer (Formerly Raines)
 * Arnold Northmun (Determinant) †
 * Lula Jacobs
 * Elena Vo
 * Liv Denara †
 * Griff Sanderson †
 * “Sally” (Mentioned but never seen)

The Five of Japan

 * Aiko Nakamura of Japan
 * Takeshi Watanabe
 * Akeya Kwangi
 * Henry Zhang
 * The Evolved

Miscellaneous

 * Your Character
 * Gaius Augustine
 * Scholar Jameson (Determinant) †
 * Marcel Lafayette †
 * Arjun Agarwal
 * Banner Westbrook †
 * "Vladimir" (Premium Scenes only)
 * "Girl" †
 * Carlo †
 * Rheya Apostolous, The First Vampire
 * Serafine Dupont
 * Xenocrates †
 * Kano Yoshimasa
 * Reinhardt III  †
 * Vlad Tepes
 * Quintus Vesuvius  †
 * Alicia †
 * Sir Elric the Mad of England
 * Elizabeth Bathory
 * Elias Moralis †
 * Bishop †
 * Bennet
 * Bloody Bart †

Global Community

 * American Shadow Kingdom: Due to Gaius' efforts, America remains a safe haven for vampires.
 * The New York Vampires (governed by the Council) - specifically New York City - are considered the "glitterati" of the (American) Vampire world.
 * The New Orleans Vampires (previously lead by Carlo) are considered to be the "riffraff". They run a club called Flechette geared toward the fetishists and vampfans.
 * The Five of Japan: Possibly the only vampire community on par with America, this group prefers to rule alone.
 * All were Turned by Gaius, and established rule in Japan while the Order controlled Europe and Gaius created his Shadow Kingdom. They began to gather power in the late 1800s and now they handle everything from top secret government decisions down to which potholes need to be filled.
 * They do not believe in Turning, and have taken a vow never to Turn. They also do not invite those who might cause trouble. Breaking this vow results in punishment. However, Takeshi Watanabe technically did not Turn a human in Japan.
 * Europe: Vampires are forced to live in hiding or face the stake, as the Order of the Dawn controls the region.
 * From the 1500s to the 1600s, Paris was the destination for European vampires. There was a whole society that used the crypts beneath the catacombs as their home. The crypts were a large underground complex, like a city hidden under the city. The Order of the Dawn found them and a massive battle ensued. The Order bricked off the main entrances, trapping them like mice. Many perished that night and their community never recovered. The crypts are a monument to what they have lost, a reminder of the tragedy they faced because of the Order.
 * Latin America: Vampires live in small communities due to their tentative agreements with the greater powers that rule there.
 * Africa: Vampires live in small communities due to their tentative agreements with the greater powers that rule there.

Trivia

 * Adrian references Twilight when he says that, unlike what was portrayed in the movie, vampires do not sparkle.
 * The writers of Bloodbound confirmed in a livestream that Vampires cannot biologically reproduce. This means their only way to multiply is through Turnings.
 * On March 8, 2019, Kara, one of the writers at PB, revealed that according to Andrew Shvarts, the head writer for the Bloodbound series, It's always safe sex with vampires.
 * When vampires die, they turn into ash.
 * In Nightbound, they refer to the New York vampires as the glitterati. Nik Ryder mentions while most vampires stick to the East Coast, there are a few vampires in New Orleans and they are of the unsavory sort.
 * In a premium flashback scene of Nightbound, Chapter 15, a young Nik and his mentor Elijah hunted a Feral. Elijah could tell Nik about the clan system and the practice of giving Vampires a brand. Elijah commented on this as "an awfully convenient way for the powerful to control the masses".
 * In Bloodbound, Book 1, Lester is said to hail from the 14th century. However, in Book 2, in Scholar Jameson's notes, it is stated that Lester was born in the 15th century.
 * Serafine's notes in Bloodbound, Book 2, Chapter 9, mention the Bloody Monks, a religious sect of vampire scholars who wrote the Book of Blood. They were massacred by the Order of the Dawn.
 * The spelling of Dracula's last name in Bloodbound, Book 2, switches between Tepes and Teppes.
 * Book 3 introduces the Unchained with Bishop as the leader who is killed by Rheya in Chapter 4.
 * In the same chapter, you can say that you want to keep the Council or that you want to create something new. If you choose the latter, you suggest a more democratical way to have all vampires have a vote on leader.