A Field Guide to Vampires Read Free

mirror?
    -Shapeshift into bat, wolf, or mist (debunked)
    -Sleep in coffins (debunked)
    Strengths:
    -Very fast and strong
    -Can fly or levitate (debunked)
    -Strong sense of smell and sharp eyesight
    And they can smell a lie.
    Weaknesses:
    -Cannot enter without invitation (debunked)
    -Wooden stake in the heart
    -Decapitation
    -Garlic (debunked)
    -Traditional holy water (debunked)
    -Crosses, churches (debunked)
    -Sunlight

8.
Basic Vampire Statistics
    This handbook focuses on the two major types of vampires generally dealt with by the Western Division. This is meant as a brief introduction as there are too many vampiric creatures across the world to properly explore in this handbook.
    I’ve heard that there are vampire watermelons in the Balkans and that in Russia, vampires can turn into butterflies. That’s seriously weird. Now I kind of want to keep a butterfly in my room and freak out my roommate Sarita by telling her it’s Nicholas.
    Habitat:
    Any topography, nighttime preferred. Rarely found in desert settings. Live in tribal family groups. Some prefer to live together for safety; others are more solitary by nature. Look for blacked-out windows.
    Distinguishing Characteristics:
    -Sunlight weakens the young; elders can withstand indirect light for short periods of time.
    -Elongated retractable canines (fangs)
    -Vampire pheromones not consciously detectable to human noses but still have effect. A few vampires have exceptionally strong pheromones, which may be processed through the body as the scent of lilies and chocolate. In insect and animal populations, pheromones are used to trigger alarms before an attack, to mark territory, or to call a mate. In vampire populations, pheromones are used to attract victims and make them willing and/or forgetful.
    -Irises of eyes grow paler with age; common eye colors are blue, green, gray, and hazel
    -Age very slowly
    -Low body temperatures
    -Pale skin
    -Vampires cling to the fashions and traditions of their youth.
    Ever seen a vampire turned in the 80s? It’s not pretty.
    -Find it difficult to resist fleeing prey
    Food:
    -Blood, both animal and human
    -Human blood preferred when ill or wounded
    Strengths:
    -Heal quickly
    -Move with incredible speed
    -Well-developed sense of smell and sight
    -Extremely strong, especially during newborn hunger frenzy at sunset
    Weaknesses:
    -Allergic reaction to sunlight
    -Wounds through heart do not heal; vampires disintegrate entirely at moment of death. (This is thought to be a natural stealth process meant to hide their presence from the general population, even in death. Research is understandably difficult to apply.)
    -Decapitation leads to instant death.
    -Vampires sleep or are unconscious during daylight hours.
    -Transformation ("bloodchange") can be painful and leaves the victim vulnerable.
    Reproduction:
    -Vampires are created when a vampire drinks a human’s blood, usually through a bite, and offers his or her own blood to the human in return. The bloodchange can be quite violent, and subjects do not always retain sanity, should they survive.
    -In rare ancient families (currently surviving: Drake, Joiik, Amrita), vampire children are born to human females. In some cultures, they are known as
dhampirs.
The ancient families are not traditional dhampirs, in that they transform on their sixteenth birthday. Regular dhampirs areborn vampiric. The Council families have been known to change, as families occasionally die out and are replaced.
    Young:
    -In those rare families, the children born to human mothers age naturally until their sixteenth birthday, when they weaken and die unless human blood is given to complete the transformation into a vampire.
    -Once transformed, vampires age normally up to and through puberty, until they reach a biological age equivalent to their early twenties. Some variations occur.
    Political Structure:
    -Family/tribal groups are generally ruled by the oldest member of the lineage and his or her consort. If their leader