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. This is due to the fact that the First Vampire emerged in the 8th century, B.C., in the city-state of Mydiea. From her, she sired two vampires, the First Son and the Second Son; and from the Second Son, the Vampire line descended. 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 because there are many places where vampires still have to hide their true natures. In New York City, Adrian states that there are 180 vampires.

This is because New York City has been ruled by the Council since 1931. Each Council member rules a clan of 29 followers. They 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. 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.

In Freaks and Monster: A Hunter's Guide, Vampire Hunters are listed. Adrian states 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. These facts are later disputed in Book 2 and Book 3 if this was referring to The Order of the Dawn which existed for over two millennia and had not been exterminated until Book 3, Chapter 5.

The Council
In Book 1, 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 control the most powerful factions in New York, but there are a few smaller ones throughout the state. They are allowed fewer members, but 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 (Disbanded)
 * Clan Castellanos: Commerce Sector (Disbanded)
 * Clan Baron: Crime Sector (Disbanded)
 * 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, most members of Clans Raines, Sayeed, and Matsuo remain loyal to their respective leaders. Most members of Clans Lacroix, Castellanos and Baron join Gaius.

In Book 3, Chapter 1, with the defeat of Gaius, the Council resumes with Clans Raines, Sayeed, and Matsuo. It is assumed the previous clans dispersed with Lacroix's death or went into hiding if you allowed her to live. When Rheya appears, the Council once again dissolves as she does not believe that the Council is necessary when they have her as their sole leader.

After the Massacre at the Bacchanalia, Your Character has a premium choice to save Nikhil Banderjee and she tells Adrian, Kamilah, Lily, and Jax the truth about Rheya. They escape to Japan for a brief time before returning with a "cured" Gaius to liberate it. Nikhil states that Rheya "brainwashed" some vampires and humans. The only vampires Nikhil was able to save are still loyal to Clan Matsuo and are in hiding. After defeating Rheya, Your Character and her friends dissolve the Council permanently.

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 Book 1, 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 vampire.

The process of Turning a person into a vampire is fraught with risk. 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 their maker and from their maker, the blood of the First Vampire, which protects them from becoming Feral. It forges a personal connection that keeps their consciousness tethered to the vampire's body. Clanless vampires can turn Feral at any moment because they lack the brand and thus the link to the First Vampire.

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 as soon as possible. He says if the Council leaders start fighting each other, the newest vampires tend to be the first casualties. Later, 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.

Bloodkeepers
Bloodkeepers have a history parallel to vampires. This is due to the fact that they are descended from Iola, Rheya's and Demetrius's daughter. Although Iola had not been Turned by Rheya, they still shared blood and therefore, they shared power. Iola was able to see her mother's memories, and thus became the first Bloodkeeper. When she married and had a daughter, she passed her bloodline through her daughter and there the Bloodkeeper bloodline flowed. Bloodkeepers became the keepers of vampire memories, having a psychic connection to see past, present, and sometimes future memories, becoming the only mortal human-beings who were able to know the true history of vampires.

Bloodkeepers are always female, and the condition is held within a bloodline. However, merely being the daughter of a Bloodkeeper does not guarantee that one becomes a Bloodkeeper, because the Bloodkeeper gene can sometimes skip a generation.

Your Character is the first Bloodkeeper to be Turned and the line of Bloodkeepers ends with her. She took four days to become a vampire, and as a vampire, she noticed her psychic powers increase tenfold. Sometimes, her powers are triggered instinctively in response to danger. Because Demetrius is neither alive nor dead but sits at the nexus of life and death, of past and future, he observes what is and what will be. As an unintended consequence, his gaze upon the world allows those who are sensitive on the psychic plane to catch glimpses of his thoughts. As the Bloodkeeper, she experiences those glimpses as prophecies, visions, and dreams.

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 is rank, but similar to regular vampires, they also possess great strength. They snarl as they attack and attack with pure rage. Ferals are dangerous to humans and vampires alike, as their bites are infectious to both. A Feral bite results in the infected individual turning into Feral as well.

In Book 1, Chapter 7, Kamilah said that Ferals result from the dilution in a vampire's blood, as each new generation of vampires is further 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, but does not prevent infections caused by bites.

Cryptoferals and Spiderferals
In Book 2, Chapter 8, Cryptoferals appear to be an enhanced type of Feral. Trapped in the Paris crypts hundreds of years ago after an attack by The Order of the Dawn, these Ferals evolved from the dark, silent catacombs, proving the rumors true that Feral physiognomy could change in response to environmental factors.

In Book 3, Chapter 13, Spiderferals appear on the South Pacific island where Demetrius lives. Adrian states that Demetrius' aura is like radiation which affects humans, vampires, and also animals that either live in the island or fly over the island. Because Demetrius was the First Feral, it can be stated that he influenced the evolution of everything on the island to protect it. The Spiderferals prove difficult to defeat.

Clanless Vampires
In Book 1, Jax Matsuo is the leader of the Clanless vampires living in New York City while simultaneously trying to hide from The Council. In 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, but most have discovered that feeding off humans that they had an emotional bond with prior to Turning can delay it. However, in many cases, becoming Feral is just a matter of time. Jax states 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. Yet, they remain in New York because there, it is actually safer for them to hide than in other cities. Other cities don't tolerate them as much as New York does. In Chapter 16, the Clanless form a Clan under Jax, taking Clan Vega's spot in the city.

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 but he is exclusive 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. In Book 3, Chapter 10, Kano Yoshimasa is revealed to be another child vampire. He gets his blood from Daichi who slits his wrist and fills a bowl for him to drink from.

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 use their own blood to accelerate the closing of wounds. This does not mean they are impervious to pain. Vampires can still feel pain and when they break their bones, they need to reset them to help the healing process.
 * 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 and how she can hear the water running through the pipes three stories up. 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.
 * Taste is also amplified. Good things tend to taste better and bad things tend to taste foul.
 * When vampires kiss someone, it is like their "senses going on overdrive".
 * Memory Erasure (Debriefing): A few vampires possess this ability such as Scholar Jameson. He describes it as a psychic art that requires a tremendous amount of focus and discipline. It is accomplished by putting his hands on both sides of the other person's head and pressing his fingers against the other's temples. It is described as a simple and quick process. Jameson notes that Serafine Dupont and Kano Yoshimasa possess psychic abilities as well.
 * Blood Manipulation/Body Manipulation: As the Second Son and maker of all vampires, Gaius possesses this ability as he can control his progeny through their blood. He was able to freeze Banner Westbrook in place; he could also anticipate attacks from Your Character's friends in Book 2. Adrian Raines temporarily gained this ability after being exposed to UV rays with multiple doses of the Serum still in his system in Book 1, Chapter 15.
 * Telekinesis: Jameson notes that Vlad Teppes could hover over the ground; this is proven true if Your Character becomes intimate with him. In Book 3, Chapter 11, Kano Yoshimasa can also teach Your Character this technique. He states that instead of releasing energy, Your Character must restrain it to make things float.
 * Psychic Blast: Kano explains that psychic blasts takes immense concentration focused on either the palm or fingertips and released in a wave of energy. Your Character was able to release it in defense when her friends were under Rheya Apostolous's control. Kano also explains it can also be released through incredible passion as well.
 * Pyrokinesis: In Book 1, Chapter 10, Gaius is revealed as the only one with this type of power. He has the ability to conjure blue fire from his hands. 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 he can also reach into minds in other ways. He can't exactly read the other person's thoughts, but he can tell if they're lying. More experienced vampires know how to guard their thoughts, but humans and newly turned vampires are like an open book.
 * Invisibility: In 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: Sunlight hurts them and can prove fatal after more than thirty minutes of exposure. Overexposure causes 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 could alleviate. In the brief period where he resisted, Adrian experienced severe discomfort whereby he eventually gave in to his instincts. When Vampires don't consume blood for extended periods of time, they tend to give in to their instincts and attack the nearest human in order to quench their thirst. Newly turned Vampires like Lily (in Book 1, Chapter 11) are the ones mostly affected by this problem. Older vampires -such as Xenocrates- learned to suppress it and feed on the minimal amount to survive.
 * A Feral's Bite: A bite from a feral vampire is infectious to regular vampires because it can turn them feral too. Touching the First Feral's blood also turns humans and vampires Feral.
 * Aging: Not drinking enough blood over a long time causes the vampire to age physically, including a change of facial features.

Myths

 * In Book 1, Chapter 2, Adrian mentions that garlic gives him a minor distaste, rather than kill him. This debunks the myth that garlic is a weakness for vampires as a whole.
 * Contrary to the common stereotype, vampires do not turn into bats nor can they fly.
 * In Book 1, 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, 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) 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. It is said that these creatures fear only two things: silver chains and sunlight. Later in that same scene, Gaius points out that silver has no effect on him. and presumably, other vampires.
 * Contrary to the myth that vampires may only ingest blood, they may eat and drink any kind of food, and can get tipsy from drinking alcohol. A vampire's sense of taste does not diminish upon being Turned. However, blood is the only substance in which they gain sustenance, any other food and drink is simply enjoyed for taste.
 * Until Book 3, the First Vampire was regarded as a myth. She was thought to be the perfect vampire, able to survive sunlight, the stake, being burned, and could walk throughout civilization endlessly.

Clan Raines

 * Archive Clerk (Defected) †

Clan Castellanos

 * Silvio Marcetti (Defected) †

Clan Baron

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

Clan Vega

 * Soldier

Clan Lacroix

 * Margot †

Clan Matsuo

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

The Five of Japan

 * Aiko Nakamura
 * Takeshi Watanabe †
 * Akeyo Kwangi
 * Henry Zhang
 * The Evolved

Unaffiliated

 * Your Character
 * Gaius Augustine (Determinant)
 * Scholar Jameson †
 * 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 (Determinant)
 * 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. For more information on The Five of Japan, click here.
 * Europe: Vampires were forced to live in hiding or face the stake, as the Order of the Dawn controlled the region until Book 3, Chapter 6.
 * 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.