So, You Want to Roleplay a Vampire...

You’ve decided to become a vampire. Congratulations on your undeath!

 

First – a quick glimpse at Vampire Origins in Wailing Rock’s Lore

​

Several of the original vampires were in fact a coven of witches. The coven attempted to use an arcane spell book to summon forth a demon to do their bidding. Unknowingly, they were actually summoning forth Uvhash (The Blood-Mad God of the Void). Uvhash then turned the thirteen witches into the first known vampires. Vlad was among the first thirteen turned. He was already a vampire when the stories of his reign and fall were recorded as the time of the summoning happened well before recorded history. The story of the tale was passed down only by the eldest of the vampires in existence, eventually being kept secret as the race grew in age and populace. The actual origin of the vampire race was believed to have originated with Vlad. No elder vampires will ever disclose the truth out of fear of the return of Uvhash.

​

Lineage History

​

While there is much that is not known about most of the original thirteen, newly discovered history has been bestowed unto Vampires by Nasht, with the blessing of Uvhash. Five of the thirteen witches that were transformed on that fateful night kept familiars, and the curse that gave them eternal life also gave them the ability to take on the form of their familiar. Your may have awoken to the knowledge that your lineage comes from one of these five:newly discovered history has given Vampires a more comprehensive idea of the progenitors of their lineage:

​

​

House of Lindy - the first Vampire of the House of Lindy took on the form of a snake. If this is your bloodline, you may shirk your bat form in exchange for a serpentine form.

​

House of Berhtram - The first Vampire of the House of Berhtram took on the form of a crow. If this is your lineage, you may shirk your bat form in exchange for a crow form.

​

House of Lagarto - The first Vampire of the House Lagarto took on the form of a lizard. If this is your lineage, you may shirk your bat form in exchange for a lizard form.

​

House of Crevan - The first Vampire of the House of Crevan took on the form of a black fox. If this is your lineage, you may shirk your bat form in exchange for a black fox form.

​

House of Maengmum - The first Vampire of the House of Maengmum took on the form of a spider. If this is your lineage, you may shirk your bat form in exchange for a spider form.

​

((more background on each House to follow soon - please check back for updates after Jan 1, 2020!))

​

Where to Begin

​

The first decision you’ll want to make when considering a vampire is whether you want to roleplay out the change. 

​

Fledgling Life and The Beast

​

If you haven’t become one yet, you’ll want to start by finding a sire to embrace you. It’s a great thing to have a mentor in character and play out the process of becoming what we are, existing as a fledgling. 

 

As fledglings, they may struggle with thirst, the change, the loss of the life they knew, and how to hide what they are. They will need to learn how to get by as a vampire and rely upon their sire to teach them. They are often a slave to their beast and learning to control their very basic impulses to drain everything in a square mile around them. 

 

‘The Beast’ is a term used by vampires to describe the inner predator that strives for control over a vampire’s mind. 

​

Established Vampires

​

If you are an established and already embraced vampire, you’ll come in knowing about a few basics at minimum:

 

• The masquerade 

• Feeding

• The embrace

• The strengths and weaknesses of their kind (though you can play this down if you’d rather play a younger vampire)

 

(Abilities, strengths and weaknesses are listed below)

 

How do Vampires Uphold the Masquerade?

​

The masquerade is just that: we are monsters, and we hide our existence. All of this depends upon the particular vampire and how they exist in their unlife, of course. Generally, they cover our tracks. They may not like one another in the least, but as soon as one is revealed, all are at risk. In order to uphold the masquerade, vampires often resort to tactics similar to those below to feed:

 

• Bludgeoning/knocking out their prey

• Seducing their prey

• Implanting suggestion in their mind 

• Attacking them outright and attempting to wipe one’s mind of the event afterwards.

• Drugging them or getting them drunk, though that will have the effect of drugging the vampire as well. (Some like this though!)

• Some vampires kill their prey outright and dispose of the body. 

 

Often, vampires will cover their tracks by using their own blood to cover the wound left by their fangs. The healing property is limited to a small amount to close a bite mark, for instance. A cut or scrape, but nothing more. 

How do vampires recognize each other? 

We do not automatically recognize one another, but we can seek signs of it in roleplay (attempting to detect heartbeats, smell, or shaking hands to find the skin cool for example). 

However, note there is no way for us to communicate aside from normal avenues. 

 

Other notes about Vampire senses: heightened sense allows you to detect (with consent) heartbeat; however, be sure to allow the person to respond in a post that you are attempting to assess. 

 

Vampires do not have heartbeats and have cool skin unless recently fed, but in this technological age, it’s presumed you may have come up with creative ways to trick others into thinking you are just a human. Likewise, Vampires do not need to breathe, but they can simulate that they are.

​

What Do Vampires Get Their Sustenance From?

​

Well, blood, of course. Specifically, Vampires can feed from:
 

• Humans, Witches, other Vampires, and Demons. 

• Feeding from witches produces a short-term 'high', depending on the power of the witch and the amount of blood consumed.

• Feeding from other vampires takes on the transitive properties of whatever they consumed. They have no blood of their own.

• Feeding from Demons will temporarily boost their chaotic nature, feeling a surge in the powers they already possess ((with proper RP, you will take on a +2 in all stats for a 24-hour duration.))

 

Often, vampires have preferences for feeding. A preference can be a race, a blood type, a gender, a class, a smell… anything. It’s really yours to define and gives your character a certain angle to work into the roleplay. Are you the sort that’s happy with a homeless person? Rats or stray animals? Or are you the sort who prefers a well-dressed man or lady with O- blood?  

  

While Vampires gain no sustenance from eating or drinking anything other than blood, Vampires can consume food and drink. There most likely would be some discomfort and indigestion involved, as a Vampire's internal organs no longer function as they did when they were living. There might also be some small affect from alcohol and drugs taken directly, but the greatest effect would come through the bloodstream of a living being under the affects of drugs and alcohol.

While feeding from witches might induce a short-term "high", there is no other benefit. Vampires may feed from humans, witches and other vampires.

​ 

What blood is Off Limits to Vampires?

​

Vampires will have poisonous, possibly disastrous, effects drinking from: Lycans (toxic), Water-Born (highly toxic), Nature Spirits (like drinking tar). 

 

Nature spirits have an intoxicating smell, but it is meant to draw in and damage a vampire, as a defense mechanism against them. Note: They are not like faeries in True Blood or other lore.

 

While they can drink from vampires, draining a fellow vampire is called diablerie. Unlike VTM, you do not gain a generation or any stat benefits, but it will leave a mark upon your soul or result in lost humanity. Other vampires might sense this darkness about you, depending on how you play it. 

​

Blood Dolls and Ghouls 

​

Why would a vampire choose to have a blood doll or ghoul? It is simple: for the same reason you might have groceries delivered to your doorstep! Convenience and reliable sustenance is the name of the game. There are humans who love the sort of attention and relationship a vampire provides, and it is a symbiotic relationship of sorts, even if one party is a parasite. 

 

They can also be used as pawns, as information gatherers, or just companionship. As for the effect on the character playing the ghoul, they can play the bond as one that has them act as a loyal servant, a resentful plaything that’s desperate for blood, or someone who loves and adores even the smallest bit of attention. Any of these are possible and will make a different kind of play possible between the vampire and ghoul. 

 

• Vampire blood has minor healing properties for a blood doll/ghoul (~30% faster than normal)

• Vampire blood is addictive to those who have acquired a taste through a bond ritual.

• Ghouls cease to age once they are fully bonded (three feedings of blood from the same vampire).

• Ghouls must feed once a month. Without it, they suffer withdrawals. Their aging catches up to normal quickly. If they are an old ghoul, this may mean they turn to dust. 

• Ghouls with a bond to a vampire will lose that bond over time, the more they drink from other vampires. After three successive feedings from others, the bond is no longer felt. It does not change the nature of the ghoul however. 

• Ghouls that were formerly witches lose their powers. 

• Someone can be a blood doll, without being ghouled. The difference is that they do not drink from the vampire. Once they have been fed upon by the same vampire three times, the vampire can locate them.

 

How do you keep a blood doll or ghoul quiet? Same way that you normally feed. Manipulation. Mind tricks. Promises of the moon, sun and stars. And so on. But if they do threaten or start to break the masquerade themselves, it is the vampire’s responsibility to handle things. 

​

The Embrace 

​

Though you may not have done it before, you know the basics. A vampire drains and replaces a victim's blood with a bit of their own to pass the curse of vampirism to a mortal. Vampires cannot reproduce any other way.

 

A few other particulars about the embrace:
 

• Only humans and witches can be embraced. Witches will lose their magical abilities when embraced, and it may be a substantial loss to them. Nature Spirits, Demons, Lycans and Waterborne cannot become vampires for obvious reasons. 

• Vitae must flow directly from the sire to the childe. 

• The Embrace is instantaneous, except in the case of thin-blooded vampires, where it can take many hours. However, the vampire fledgling will experience excruciating pain for two full RP days, and will likely be unable to be in play.

• Any activities which completely drains the corpse is acceptable; draining does not cause the Embrace, the replacement of vitae does.

• Pregnant women will instantly lose their child if embraced (as they can no longer sustain life when drained). 

Coteries and Nests

• A coterie is a group of vampires that bonds together for common purpose. Enforcing the masquerade, fighting a common cause, etc. 

• Nest is a group of vampires who choose to live together, and may tend to become more sadistic and violent the longer they are separated from normal society. Humanity is no longer valued the same way, and becomes a risk to the masquerade. They are more likely to kill their prey, rather than wiping their memories or turning them into blood dolls or ghouls. 

 

Vampire Abilities

​

Blood Ritual:
The blood ritual is more commonly known as "Feeding". That is the way that all vampires sustain their never-aging form. It is a way for them to cure their never-ending hunger. It is also the beginning steps to creating a progeny. Most do not understand the reasoning behind the need of the blood ritual other than it is something that they must all do. The elders of the race would never disclose the accurate reasoning for the need to perform the blood ritual. (OOCly: to create a progeny, the ritual MUST take place under the New Moon. The human must be drained of all blood; they are then given the blood of the vampire progenitor. The body dies, and a ritual is performed, marking the beginning of the transformation. The transformation process takes three (3) days.)

​

Send Dream:
This is an ability that take many years to develop and use. Mainly used on humans that the vampire wishes to either turn to a blood doll, or perhaps turn into a vampire. They would invade their dreams while they slumber, guiding and directing the dream as they wish it to progress. If they intend a romantic involvement perhaps something of a more sexual or affectionate manner will be used in this dream ability. If they looking to take this individual by force, and wish to deter them from seeking assistance. They may force them into a nightmare where all who try to help are killed. (OOCly, this ability will require an agreement between both players and then you can choose among each other if you want to have a battle of Will/Wisdom to actually be successful with the ability or if the human was able to resist the dream. At no time should a vampire take it upon themselves to just impact another characters dreams without discussing it first with them).

​

Locate Blood Doll:
This ability requires the vampire gives just a drop of their blood after having performed the blood ritual on a human. By this human ingesting the blood of the vampire. That vampire can then, for one month, track the human is that is blooded to them. It does not however tell you if that human is in danger or frightened. That is not the idea behind this ability, nor its use.

 

Regarding blood dolls: once a permanent bond has been formed between Vampire and blood doll, that blood doll is then considered a Ghoul, as they would then require their Vampire's blood. The power in the Vampire's blood very briefly carries over to the Ghoul, and as long as the Ghoul receives its regular feedings, does not age. When they are deprived of their feedings, they age quickly and are prone to being more frenzied (as an addict would).

​

Mist Form:
The vampire has an ability to force their body into a fog-like, vaporous state. While in this state the vampire cannot be harmed through regular physical actions (ie. punching, kicking, tackling). However, they may be harmed with something that is considered a flaw to them. They may use this form to travel through small openings such as cracks in floors, or even into the ground. 

​

Bat Form:
Bat Form is just another form ability for vampires. While this gives them the ability to take on the form of a bat, they are not limited by typical bat flaws. They still maintain their intelligence as well as their ability to see and hear as they normally do. This form is just a method used by vampires to travel long distances through flight. 

 

Mesmerize:
This ability allows a vampire to force another person into a trance-like hypnotic state. This ability is for the most versed of vampires, as taking control of a person's mind and recollections can be a difficult task. The use of this ability also allows you to remove certain event's within a recent time frame from the target, or altogether change their recollection of the event in question (OOCly, if being used against an NPC, you should consider the NPC to have a wisdom roll against your attempted use of Mesmerize. If you are planning on using this against a player character, permission from the other character must be given to avoid the look of god-modding. Additionally, a wisdom roll-off between the vampire and the intended target must be made unless the PC that is being mesmerized agrees to allow it to happen with no defense).​

​

Supernatural Strength:
Vampires are physically more dominant than humans, witches and even demons. Their strength is on-par with Water-Born and Nature Spirits, but they are not physically stronger than Lycans. 

​

Supernatural Speed:
While they may not be stronger than a Lycan, they are however faster. They have given up some of the physical prowess only to be gifted with astonishing speed.

​

​​Vampire Weaknesses

​

Vervain:

Vervain is a potent herb and a vampire's most well-known weakness. If a vampire makes physical contact with vervain in any form, it will burn them. If a vampire ingests vervain, the vampire's throat and digestive tract will be burned, and they will become feverish and extremely weak. If a mortal ingests or holds vervain somewhere in or on the body (e.g., holding it in a hand or pocket, wearing it in jewelry), the human is protected from vampire compulsion.

​

Vervain only grows in one area in Wailing Rock – a cave in the forest. This is not something you can conjure, nor can you access easily. It grows in limited amounts, so harvest and use sparingly. Players can click the vervain for an info card and may only harvest small amounts at a time ((submit harvest RP for approval!))

​

​Sunlight:
While damage, and even death by sunlight is a common belief, it is merely a misconception. Sunlight causes no harm to vampires. It does, however, accentuate the pallor of their skin, causing them to appear unnaturally pale. They may even look sickly, depending on the age and nature of the particular vampire. For these reasons, vampires typically will avoid direct sunlight, or at the very least, dress accordingly.

​

Wood:
Wooden stakes of a normal creation can be effective to stake and incapacitate a vampire. To actually destroy a vampire the stake must be enhanced with a rune designed to kill the vampire. Then the stake must be driven through the heart of the vampire. 

​

Fire:
Vampires are undead, but the blood ritual that sustains them does not make them fireproof. In fact, they are actually rather flammable. If anything, consider when an open flame is nearby - you as a vampire have something similar to a phobia of that fire and want to be as far from it as possible.

​

 

Differences Between Wailing Rock and VTM

​

Unlike the pure Vampire The Masquerade roleplay, the abilities and disciplines are a bit different, and do not vary by clan. The creation story is also not consistent with VTM, and unique to Wailing Rock alone.

 

Other ways Wailing Rock differs: 

• The origins of vampires is not the same as having derived from biblical Caine.

• The concept of diablerie and gaining powers through generations is not recognized, and you receive no stats change from killing a fellow vampire. 

• Vampires can be in the sun in Wailing Rock and can ingest food and drink. 

• Vampires do not auto recognize of each other

• There is no telepathy, hivemind or Nosferatu spy network 

• There are no clan powers or generations to speak of, though your character can take the archetype of a clan to base your character on (example: Ventrue tend to be manipulative, power hungry sort, Malkavians battle madness, etc.)  

• There are also no sects, princes, Camarilla, Sabbat, Set or Anarchs. 

 

That’s it! Do you have other questions that we haven’t addressed here? Bring it up to the staff, discuss in the vampires channel and we’ll do our best to incorporate it in the future. 

  

 

Masquerade and You: Notes

​

So, you're considering applying to Wailing Rock and when you do, you will need to check a box that states you have read all of the rules, and that you agree to the conditions created by our lore. One of those conditions is that you maintain masquerade - that is, that as a supernatural being, you do not expose yourselves to humans.

​

But then you think, I'm going to see what happens. Well let me tell you what happens: You die. You die horribly. Along with everyone involved.

​

Let's think about this logically. You saunter down the street in full view. Yes, you're big and strong, and yes, you might be faster. But you're outnumbered. You're outnumbered by humans who have guns, fire, and the ability to walk in the daylight. 

​

Then all hell breaks loose. Let's say you live - a massive hunt begins, and humans take out anything that even looks questionable. It becomes the top headline on news outlets worldwide. Or, let's say they find you and kill you. They put your body on display. The federal government swoops in and takes your body to Area 51. Worldwide news coverage. Who knows. Either way, you've irrevocably altered the course of humanity, forever.

​

It's 2019, we're in Washington state. The SL world we exist in is as close to the RL world as possible.

​

Maintain the masquerade.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

A huge thanks to comicsansa (Marie Beaumont, in-world) for her incredible contributions to this page. 

​