The Devil's Doorknob BBS Capture (1996-2003)/devilsdoorknobbbscapture1996-2003.iso/Dloads/TEXTFILE/VAMPIRES.ZIP/VAMPIRE4.TXT

Text File | 1993-09-23 | 6KB | 107 lines

2On the Nature of Vampires

     It is amazing how mortal writers regularly stumble across truths and
half-truths - sometimes very profound ones - by the most haphazard and
fallacious thinking; and then, unaware of what they have uncovered, they
proceed to expound generalities in completely the wrong direction.

     Some two and a half centuries ago, a French churchman named Calmet sought
to collect all the information 7extant 0on the nature of Vampires.  It is not
surprising, then, that his treatise contains many contradictions and areas of
uncertainty. Quoting from the reports of Papal Commisions sent out to deal with
"plagues" of Vampires in Austria, Hungary, Moravia,, and Silesia, he reports
that a Vampire may be destroyed by being transfixed with a wooden stake,
followed by decapitation, and the burning of the remains.  This will indeed
destroy a Vampire, just as certainly as it would destroy a mortal. Such a
clever man, Calmet.

     Motion pictures have abbreviated this treatment somewhat, creating the
fallacy that the stake is sufficient. Do not believe such tall tales.
Impalement on a stake will immobilize a Vampire, but some further treatment is
necessary.  Whether this be burning or sunlight; but trust not the stake alone.
Neither should you place your faith in weapons of metal, as did your American
friend.  Such things injure, but the wounds heal quickly.

     Sunlight, it is said, is infallible doom to the Vampire. Motion pictures
show motely greasepaint Vampires crumbling to dust at Sol's caress, or bursting
into flames like Greek Fire.  Sadly this is true, if somewhat overstated.
Sunlight burns their skin as does flame, and only the oldest and strongest can
withstand it for long.

     Crosses, holy water, and the other trappings of religion may be ignored -
the Church is the first refuge of mortals faced by things beyond their
comprehension, especially in former times.  There are rare occasions where such
items were capable of causing considerable discomfort - their weilder almost
glowed with faith in the Divinity, and I can only conclude that the religious
items somehow served to channel the power of that faith.  But ignore tricks of
the cinema with their crossed candlesticks and shadows of windmills' sails.

     Likewise garlic, aconite and other herbs.  They repel Vampires no more
than they repel mortals, for all the canting of the goodwives who peddled them.
Like the Church, the village wise-woman was oft required to use her "magick"
against vampires, and was just as successful.

     Running water affects Vampires not at all.  They no longer breathe, hence
they cannot drown.  While being trapped underwater is unpleasant and may, if
prolonged, result in some physical deterioration no Vampire has died of
immersion alone, although one Clan is rumored to have a weakness to water.
Belike this is how many of the rumors originated, for weaknesses have arisen in
several bloodlines and have been passed down from Sire to Get.

     The cinematic Vampire, it seems, may take several forms if the human shape
suits his purpose not.  Wolf, bat, mist - in some folklores, cat and night-bird
also.  The powers of the Elders are considerable, and they are seldom revealed
to those of newer Generartions.  There are not many in existance and I will not
discredit their abilities, but I tell you this - a Vampire who has plural forms
will either be of a rare breed or will be very old, very wise and very
powerful.  I pray that such a one will never cross your path.

     Many vampires, however, have the abilities which a mortal would consider
to be supernatural.  As predators, their senses are sharp, and some have
developed other abilities to aid them in the hunt, abilities pf the kind
discussed by M. Mesmer.  The ability to inspire fear, stillness, obedience and
other feelings is a useful one, although popular writers have extended it
somewhat in the interests of their stories.  In dealing with mortal kind, the
powers of Domination have proved most necessary.

     It occurs to me that some of the confusion about a Vampire's supernatural
powers and weaknesses may be due to mistaken identity. There exists a class of
creature in between mortal and Vampire, which Kindered have named Ghoul.  It is
not the legendary corpse-eating ghûl of the Indies, although certain
individuals may display similar behavior.

     A mortal who drinks the Blood without first being drained of theirs will
become a Ghoul. These creatures may go abroad in daylight as other mortals do,
but they do not suffer the Hunger, nor do they age so long as they feed on
Vampiric blood regularly.  They may even have superhuman strength and reflexes.
From time to time, it is advantageous to create such servants, commanding their
loyalty through the promise of eternal life.  And they need not be human - a
hound which has drunk of one's blood becomes the most perfect and faithful
guardian one could desire.  Thus do tales of hell-hounds arise.

     While the Ghoul displays some of the strengths of a Vampire, it retains
most of the weaknesses of the mortal.  Impalement will slay a Ghoul as
effectively as a mortal, and a silver bullet will kill as surely as a lead one.
They may even develop fear of religious trappings, or garlic, or what you will
- a purely neurotic phenomenon, based on the fact that they believe these
things can harm them.  And the existance of Ghouls in animal form may go some
way toward explaining the widespread belief in shape-changing Vampires.

     Some Ghouls may well believe themselves to be full-fledged Vampires,
having been deceived to that end by their creators.  They may even act
according to their mistaken ideas - to the point of drinking blood - for they
seldom know the truth of the Kindred any better than mortals.  Most are
deranged to some extent by the experiences they have suffered, and many are
deliberately misinformed by their masters, the better to serve them.




                 7L E S T A T
                  3PRINCE OF DARKNESS