What is Vampyrism?

Symptoms of Vampyrism
Typically, we experience sensitivity to light, tend to be more nocturnal, hunger for blood (or blood lust), heightened instincts, improved night vision, heightened senses, dual-personality (a.k.a. "The Beast"), resistance to disease and illness, and tend to be more nocturnal. Some display psychic abilities and increased speed and reflexes as well as other skills I will outline below.(*See also Types of Vampyres*)

• · Sensitivity to light can take all forms, from being so sensitive that we will actually develop a serious sunburn, to merely requiring sunglasses while being outside. Our eyes are usually the most sensitive to light.
  

• · By hunger for blood/blood lust I mean that you crave it so bad that you cannot get it out of your mind, the hunger drives you. Its almost like and addiction to a drug. Without it you experience a sort of withdrawal, you feel weak, irritable and an ever growing thirst or hunger that gnaws at you continually until you finally can sate it. When you do finally feed its effects are also similar to a drug, it calms you, the hunger/thirst fades away and you feel at peace once again.
  

• Heightened instincts? you ask. By this I mean that we tend to react without having to think, relying on our instincts rather than taking the time to assess the situation. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we don't stop and think things through, our instincts come natural to us and they are more reliable and faster than human thought processes.
  

• Improved night vision merely means that we can see at night with out requiring a lot of light. Normally we can see without even the aid of moonlight. What can I say, our eyes are just better adapted to the darkness :).
  

• Heightened senses included improved vision, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Sensory extremes are usually quite uncomfortable for us. So what do I mean by improved? Well, we can hear high-pitched sounds that most people either cannot hear at all or have a hard time hearing. I also mean the ability to see spirits, see energy auras, hear and communicate with spirits, the ability to "sense" or feel the presence of spirits, etc.
  

• "The Beast" refers to the surfacing of the Vampyre side. When "The Beast" surfaces its often hard to control. This happens on occasions of severe need for blood, when enraged, intense fear (a sort of self-defense reaction), under the influence of drugs (including alcohol), etc. Emotions experienced while "The Beast" has surfaced are intense. You fight a battle of wills with yourself to keep "The Beast" in check.
  

• Vampyres naturally possess a more heightened resistance to disease and illness than mortals. Things like the common cold and the flu are often not contracted or if so then they are very minor and don't last long as our system recovers quickly. However, if a Vampyre is weak because of lack of feeding, injury or even stress than resistance is lowered and possibility of contracting an illness is increased.
  

We are by nature creatures of the night. Our bodies and its cycles are the exact opposite of humans. Cycles like our circadian rhythms, temperature peaks, the onset of menstruation, and of course the production of sleep hormones occur at the opposite time of day for us. Because of this we tend to have difficulty adjusting to daytime schedules and prefer to work nights, since during the day our bodies feel like they are working against us. Our vitality ranges widely, and we can be energetic and active one day (like after feeding), depressed and sluggish the next (when we need to feed again).

Because of our need for energy and the lack of understanding for what is causing it during the awakening many Vampyres struggle with weight issues, contrary to the image normally portrayed of Vampyres as being thin. Many Vampyres may become food or substance addicts while they search to sate a hunger that seems to have no end. Intoxicants often are less effective on Vampyres however, since our bodies are naturally tuned to run on pranic energy and tend to be slow to process regular food and beverages.

A starved Vampyre will often find themselves feeding unconsciously on the energy of others. To encourage a greater quantity of energy and the speed at which it comes to them Vampyres that feed unconsciously will exhibit types of behavior that draw attention to themselves. Some Vampyres then develop personality types that are at odds with those around them, such as being aggressive and confrontational. Others may refer to them as 'clingy', 'needy', 'attention whores', 'manipulative', 'egomaniacs', 'exhausting', etc. Vampyre presence allows Vampyres to gain the attention of those around them, another talent many young inexperienced Vampyres use with out knowing to help them feed.

Once a Vampyre who feeds unconsciously has had their fill, their behavior will do a 180. Now instead of drawing attention to themselves they tend to do things to avoid or escape attention. They may become withdrawn, seemingly shy, and silent or use a behavior that drives people away from them. The 'feed' and 'fill' cycles can occur rapidly and with out warning in the span of a few moments and can last for days. Vampyres tend to be loners not only because they feel so different from those around them, but also as a way of controlling the amount of energy they come into contact with around them. For a feed cycle they may do social things, or go to places where there are lots of people around. A fill cycle may mean they isolate themselves in their room, or spend time in the wilderness away from others. How a Vampyre acts during these cycles is dependant upon the Vampyre.

Vampyres who are unaware they are Vampyres, or Vampyres who spent their adolescent years unaware of their nature often reach adulthood with below average social skills thanks to the 'feed' and 'fill' cycle mentioned above. They tend to be selfish and self centered because they are so distracted by their energy needs. This often leaves them unable to cope with the needs of others. (When I say distracted I realize that it sounds like they realize what they are doing, but since the cycle is largely an unconscious process they do not understand what they are doing or how their behavior may impact others. All they realize is that if they do or don't do certain things it makes them feel good or bad and respond accordingly.) Behaviors vary wildly from Vampyre to Vampyre, as each will develop their own patterns that work for them. There are patterns that are common among Vampyres though. Seduction (Vampyre Charm) is a ploy often used to draw in a lover to feed from. When the lover becomes too drained or defensive for the Vampyre, they move on and toss the lover aside. Others have long term relationships with one person, some one who enjoys the abuse or another Vampyre whose energy cycle balances with their partner. Many Vampyres in this category will also join groups, be it social, political, religious or magical and cause chaos in them to feed off the resulting energy or end up being thrown out for their attention drawing behavior. In this way thanks to the 'feed' and 'fill' cycle Vampyres can go through lovers, roommates, social groups, and jobs like so many disposable paper cups.

As I mentioned above, some Vampyres join magical groups in order to feed. This kind of group offers more than just higher quality energy, it can lead to the discovery of their true nature because the kinds of people in these groups tend to be not only more open minded towards the supernatural but also more educated about it as well. As a result some Vampyres that discover the truth will work to change their behaviors to function better with others. Vampyres are naturals at energy manipulation and so take to magical workings with ease. Vampyre presence and charm enables them to be great leaders and instructors. Though it may seem to be the case to others, Vampyres are not evil or destructive but rather are just the other side of the coin, the dark to the light. We serve to balance out the equation. Vampyres are only destructive when they choose a destructive role or choose to ignore their true nature.

The mannerisms outlined above are specific to young, inexperienced, and unconscious Vampyres. For the most part, Vampyres who are more powerful and are aware of their nature are the exact opposite. Whether inexperienced or refined, Vampyres are very intense, both emotionally, physically and mentally.

Many Awakened Vampyres don't bother with magic at all as they find it too much work to learn and deal with. They would rather use their Vampyric abilities, which come naturally to they anyway to get what they need rather than to go to all the trouble of using magic.

Skills
A skill (shown as underlined) is the name and the abilities are the resulting actions that are made possible by possessing the skill. Most come naturally and some may be learned or taught. Not all Vampyres display all of these skills. Vampyres rarely display all the abilities listed after each skill, most display a few abilities in each, or all abilities of a few skills. Generally speaking, Royals will develop all the the abilities; Purebloods will develop most of the abilties; and Turns will develop a few, generally ones that their Sire possesses, but not all of them. The lesser in power Royals may not develop all the abilities, the lesser in power Purebloods will develop less abilities then regular Pures, lesser Turns will develop only a few, maybe even only one or two. Please note that I have not taken the time to list all of the abilities that Vampyres can possess due to time contraints, as well as other reasons. I have listed the most common abilities below and in the category titled Skills and Explainations. Skills in this category are explained in more detail and are accompanied with a 'how-to' of sorts.
Psychic skills include but are not limited to: the ability to see into the future, ability to see into the past, the ability to move things with your mind.
Telepathy allows us to see or hear other peoples' thoughts by entering their mind. Aura perception allows us to perceive the halo around all living things. Its color gives a clue to the subject's emotions. Perception of psychic impressions allows us to perceive or sense strong emotions left behind in places or on objects. Astral Projection allows us to project our consciousness outside our body and move it around. (Similar to out of body experiences, but with more control.) Dominate allows us through the exertion of our will, to control some one else's actions, often through entering the subject's mind and controlling their thoughts. Stealth allows us to move quietly and hide well in shadows as well as sneak up on people. Presence allows us to inspire the awe of those around us. We seem to have a sense of command and control about us. It allows us to scare off offending persons with a mere snarl. It also allows us to charm others with ease.

Often those who are unaware that they are a Vampyre are drawn to Vampyre mythology, and Vampyre related lore. They tend to feel different or not a part of the society going on around them. They also tend to suffer (or enjoy, depending on the person) from depression, melancholia, mood swings, vivid dreams that can result in deja-vu, looking younger than you are, food allergies, insomnia and intolerance for milk products {lesser symptoms}.
Now that I've said this, I'd like to clarify. Having a few of, or even several of the lesser symptoms does not mean you are Vampyre.
See also "A closer look at Vampyrism" for even more information.

Author: Razor The Tormented

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