Every Sunday I run a Special relating to my writing endeavours and the world of Aeyuu, which is the stage for many stories that will be developed further on the official Tales from Aeyuu site. These Blogs are closely tied with my novel-to-be, The Age of Silence, which is basically a story about Love, Sacrifice, and Death.
Previous Special Arcs:
0. TAoS Themes (3 journals)
1. The Syrilae (7 journals)
2. The Necrolore (6 journals)
3. The Denumbra (2 journals)
Today we delve into the physical attributes of Vampires.
In the Sommerdiev Empire, it is a well-known fact that to become a Vampire, one must be bitten by a Vampire. This fact, however, isn't foolproof: there are cases of Humans seeking out Vampires, being drained of their blood and life, yet never to rise up as Vampires themselves. The most driven of alchemists, most of them Korindian, have long explored Vampiric physiology to try and determine what about their bite triggered transformation.
They discovered that, through a nigh invisible cavity at the tip of their main fangs (incisors) and the twitch of a muscle in their gums, a needle-like protrusion shot out. Further research revealed venom glands within the teeth themselves - a physical mystery yet to be comprehended that gave further credibility to the theory Vampires are divine beings. How else could solid teeth change shape and hollow out to accomodate a previously non-existing, apparently self-replenishing gland?
Experiments were conducted to understand the process of Vampiric transformation - of 'turning', as it became known; these were not all conclusive, as certain alchemists died when the newly made Vampires went berserk. From the few that were succesfully contained and observed, the alchemists derived theories. The greatest theory, which was proven true across the Empire, was the 'clean slate': the theory that, upon transformation, a Human's memory is wiped out. People across the lands had lost loved ones to vampirism, to later discover their loved ones no longer remembering them. Yet these new Vampires had retained quirks from their old lives, such as a love for animals or a particular food, down to fighting moves or a traveler's instinct to always pack a blade, just in case.
Another theory proven true was the 'predator switch': that a Human become Vampire developed new skills and even instincts during their metamorphosis. People missing for a few days were found again, as Vampires, with the strength to crush a man's skull when they'd barely been able to lift a blade before. How much a Human changed, however, was never defined; each individual seemed to undergo a different change, with only accrued strength and better sight in the dark being common among all Vampires. As well as the need to feed on blood.
Make no mistake: a Vampire can subsist on cooked meals alone. Some even enjoy the pleasures of great banquets, and thus perfectly blend into society. But eventually, they will need to feed on fresh blood. If they don't, they visibly age - like Humans naturally do. They become weaker, short-tempered, until such a time comes that Hunger blinds rationale and they attack the first wounded person crossing their path - oft leading to their demise. With the advent of madness-inducing Rosebleed and paralyzing toxins, Vampires lost their top-predatory spot in the foodchain.
Yet to this day, Vampires have yet to be eradicated. With Human history advancing ever further, it became clear that Vampires' lives could be long-lived - if not eternal, lest they encountered a 'fatal accident'. These Old Vampires are most feared of all, and easiest to recognize - there is no fear in their eyes, no fault in their stride, and have often the looks of aging adults while speaking in words laden with the sort of knowledge obtained through long experience. How long a Vampire truly can live is as-ot-yet an unknown that alchemists everywhere are keen to unravel.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next Sunday Special, same Blogger channel :D
Previous Special Arcs:
0. TAoS Themes (3 journals)
1. The Syrilae (7 journals)
2. The Necrolore (6 journals)
3. The Denumbra (2 journals)
Today we delve into the physical attributes of Vampires.
Physiology: from Human to Vampire
In the Sommerdiev Empire, it is a well-known fact that to become a Vampire, one must be bitten by a Vampire. This fact, however, isn't foolproof: there are cases of Humans seeking out Vampires, being drained of their blood and life, yet never to rise up as Vampires themselves. The most driven of alchemists, most of them Korindian, have long explored Vampiric physiology to try and determine what about their bite triggered transformation.
They discovered that, through a nigh invisible cavity at the tip of their main fangs (incisors) and the twitch of a muscle in their gums, a needle-like protrusion shot out. Further research revealed venom glands within the teeth themselves - a physical mystery yet to be comprehended that gave further credibility to the theory Vampires are divine beings. How else could solid teeth change shape and hollow out to accomodate a previously non-existing, apparently self-replenishing gland?
Experiments were conducted to understand the process of Vampiric transformation - of 'turning', as it became known; these were not all conclusive, as certain alchemists died when the newly made Vampires went berserk. From the few that were succesfully contained and observed, the alchemists derived theories. The greatest theory, which was proven true across the Empire, was the 'clean slate': the theory that, upon transformation, a Human's memory is wiped out. People across the lands had lost loved ones to vampirism, to later discover their loved ones no longer remembering them. Yet these new Vampires had retained quirks from their old lives, such as a love for animals or a particular food, down to fighting moves or a traveler's instinct to always pack a blade, just in case.
Another theory proven true was the 'predator switch': that a Human become Vampire developed new skills and even instincts during their metamorphosis. People missing for a few days were found again, as Vampires, with the strength to crush a man's skull when they'd barely been able to lift a blade before. How much a Human changed, however, was never defined; each individual seemed to undergo a different change, with only accrued strength and better sight in the dark being common among all Vampires. As well as the need to feed on blood.
Make no mistake: a Vampire can subsist on cooked meals alone. Some even enjoy the pleasures of great banquets, and thus perfectly blend into society. But eventually, they will need to feed on fresh blood. If they don't, they visibly age - like Humans naturally do. They become weaker, short-tempered, until such a time comes that Hunger blinds rationale and they attack the first wounded person crossing their path - oft leading to their demise. With the advent of madness-inducing Rosebleed and paralyzing toxins, Vampires lost their top-predatory spot in the foodchain.
Yet to this day, Vampires have yet to be eradicated. With Human history advancing ever further, it became clear that Vampires' lives could be long-lived - if not eternal, lest they encountered a 'fatal accident'. These Old Vampires are most feared of all, and easiest to recognize - there is no fear in their eyes, no fault in their stride, and have often the looks of aging adults while speaking in words laden with the sort of knowledge obtained through long experience. How long a Vampire truly can live is as-ot-yet an unknown that alchemists everywhere are keen to unravel.
* * *
And that is all for this week. I didn't really know where to start off, so I figured it'd make sense to delve a bit into the physical facts of Vampirism.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next Sunday Special, same Blogger channel :D
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