Van Richten's Guide to Vampires - Relations between Vampires

"I lie to my offspring", the vampire told me with a smile. "It is really that simple. A new fledgling knows little about the world, about itself. In general the only information it has is what it remembers from folk isles and legends, often pure falsehood".
The vampire chuckled and settled itself more comfortably. "So I tell my offspring that their existence is inextricably linked with mine", it continued. If I am destroyed, I tell them, then so are you. Your existence is as long as mine, no longer.
They usually believe me, it added complacently. Or, at least, they fear to test the truth of what I tell them. This is a kind of loyalty; they will do whatever is in their power to protect me from harm, believing that the moment of my destruction is also the moment of theirs".

"Do they not learn otherwise?" I asked. They would", the creature admitted, "in time. But I always destroy them before that time comes. After all, I gave them unlife, so I am entitled to rescind my gift. Is that not true?"

- From the personal journal of Dr. Van Richten

By nature most vampires are solitary and territorial predators, whether competitively building their power and amassing influence or just jealously defending a personal hunting ground. This rapacious, ruthless, and competitive nature sometimes brings vampires into conflict with each other.

Although vampires generally much prefer to compete through minions and champions, or even through more intangible means such as influence-peddling and rumor-mongering, the creatures do sometimes come into physical contact. Unsurprisingly, physical contact often leads to physical combat.

A few individuals apparently enjoy interacting with others of their kind, and form social microcosms of their own. This usually occurs only with vampires of considerable power and maturity that have existed long enough to pass beyond a stage of blind competition and jealousy. When such vampire "societies" form, they can become frighteningly powerful, frighteningly fast, and there is virtually nothing that can stand in their way.

It is lucky, then, that these societies are usually relatively short-lived (although in this context that may mean they last as long as a century or two). Over the centuries vampires may learn patience and cooperation, but only to a degree. At their core they are still selfish and evil monsters, and this nature will almost inevitably resurface. Initially a society of vampires may appear stable and united, but soon enough one vampire and then the others will develop their own hidden agendas. What may begin as solidarity will eventually degrade into the mere semblance of cooperation, with each vampire conniving to gain power, prestige, or wealth, to the detriment of its "colleagues". Societies sometimes break up when the participants finally choose to go their separate ways, but most societies are torn apart by infighting, both figurative and literal.

Some vampires know better than to form societies with others of their kind. Instead, they form shifting and temporary alliances with other vampires in positions of power. Vampires that choose this route wilt be as careful in their dealings with their kin as thieves are with their fences: the deals will be so constructed that both sides gain and neither party comes under the sway of the others.

Younger vampires - those below the age category of Ancient - will almost never reach any level of cooperation. They are almost exclusively loners, and the only other vampires they will consider coming in contact with are the slave creatures that they, themselves, have made. Some of these "master" vampires use their slaves as food gatherers, sending the servant creatures forth to feed in the world, take the concomitant risks, and then return to offer their necks to their controller. But this is a significant risk: should the master vampire's care and control slip even in the slightest degree, the servant creatures could accidentally or purposely lead hunters to the master's lair.

Of course, vampires well know the bitterness and the hatred that their servant creatures feel toward them, and so are aware that their servants will turn on them and destroy them should the chance ever arise. For this reason, master vampires usually destroy their servants long before they become powerful enough to challenge for their own dominance.

How can one vampire harm another? First, so great is the enchantment that surrounds a vampire that one creature is able to strike and physically damage one of its own kind. The one exception is in the case of Patriarchs: a Patriarch can only be struck by another of its own age category.

Second, there is always the possibility of spell usage. Spellcasting vampires might well have powers capable of harming, even destroying their kin. (Note that one vampire is incapable of charming another, however, due to the monsters' innate resistance to "charm attacks".)

Although a blow in melee from one vampire can inflict physical damage on another, it should be noted that one beast is unable to drain energy experience levels from another. Why? The likelihood is that the creatures are not alive, and have no life energy to drain.

Vampires that drain other attributes through a strike in combat can drain them from another vampire, however. I, myself, have seen two of the creatures locked in mortal combat - hands locked like vices around each other's throats, hissing and spitting like cats! As they struggled, horrible wounds opened in the flesh of one vampire. Meanwhile, the other grew progressively more feeble until it finally collapsed to the ground, whereupon the victor tore the defeated's head from its body. As the victor stood above its vanquished foe, howling its elation, the wounds on its face and body closed with the unnatural speed typical of vampires. I speculate that the conqueror was actually sapping the fundamental strength (Str) of the conquered, while the conquered was only able to drain the health (hit points) from his better.

The majority of vampires can feed only from a willing, charmed, or otherwise immobilized but living victim. Can one of these creatures feed from another vampire? Apparently, yes. The following discussion will concentrate on those creatures that drink blood, because these are the most common. Similar conditions apply for other types of feeders.

One vampire can drink the blood of another. In fact, vampiric blood, described by one vampire as "kin-nectar", is a better source of sustenance than the blood of mortals at least in one sense. Vampires need to drink much less kin-nectar than they would mortal blood in order to meet their food requirements.

Yet few vampires enjoy drinking kin-nectar, it seems; they vastly prefer the taste of blood, supped from the vessel of a living (demi)human. It may be that there are some vampires that prefer kin-nectar, and perhaps one or two who requires it. These creatures are in the unenviable position of depending upon other vampires for their survival - not a particularly secure position in which to be.

If one vampire drinks the blood of another, the creatures enter into a close relationship: for several (1d3) hours following the feeding, the two creatures' minds are so intimately linked that they can communicate telepathically as easily as by speaking. This telepathy persists regardless of distance or intervening matter as long as both vampires are on the same plane. One vampire cannot "overhear" thoughts not intended as communication, however.

In addition, the vampire who drank the blood has a significant level of control over the vampire who provided the blood for as long as the telepathic link exists. The creature who fed can issue orders telepathically and the second creature must obey them, within reason. Most vampires will find this interconnection distasteful and, in the case of the creature who was fed upon, downright dangerous, so the monsters usually shun kin-nectar. Most will only participate in this kind of feeding on either side if they totally trust the other participant (which is very rare) or if they simply have no choice in the matter.

It is nearly impossible for two vampires to feed exclusively from each other for a protracted period of time. They can do it for the short term, but it will become debilitating to both creatures in the long term. Such "mutual" arrangements would be incredibly rare in any case, because both vampires would in turn make themselves vulnerable to the telepathic orders of the other.

Conventional wisdom is categorical on one point: newly-formed vampires are slaves of the creatures that created them, with no free will of their own. Even one of the most reputable tomes on the subject repeats this: "Once they become undead, the new vampire is under the complete control of its killer".

But how true is this? And what constraints are there on the control that does exist? For the first days or weeks of a Fledgling vampire's existence, it is highly susceptible to the orders of its creator - so I have discovered from my research. If there is no telepathic bond between creator and created, then the master vampire must be in the vicinity, and must be willing to communicate with its offspring.

How, then, do vampires keep their slaves under their control beyond this period? They do so in much the same way that mortals dominate others: through intimidation. The fledgling is new to the vampiric world, and at least partially ignorant of its own abilities. Its creator can, if it is careful, create the perception in its offspring that the master is immensely more powerful and knowledgeable than the newly-created vampire, which it may in fact be. Through simple intimidation and by playing on the offspring's natural doubts and fears, the master can create a situation enabling it to "rule" for decades.

The reader may realize that this situation is totally different and much more unstable than the "traditional" picture of the master and its unquestioning slaves. Offspring vampires may have considerable free will from the moment of their creation, although they do have an "inborn" propensity to bow to the will of their creator. After several years have passed, however, this propensity wears off.

The journal entry that opened this chapter indicates the risks that accompany creating an offspring vampire. The "master" must keep the intimidation level high and discipline tight. If the offspring senses weakness in its master, it may consider challenging for dominance or simply fleeing. As time passes the offspring vampire will learn more about its own strengths, and probably more about its master's weaknesses. As soon as the offspring believes that it may be able to defeat its master, the two creatures will almost certainly come into conflict. Of course, the majority of vampires will destroy their offspring before this point is reached. Some, however, will send them away, officially granting them their freedom. (This is merely another psychological trick, if an offspring vampire is "freed" before it realizes it can depose its "master", it may feel some gratitude toward its creator.)

The vast majority of vampires view their offspring simply as disposable tools, to be used and then discarded. Yet there are some, it seems, that feel some kind of empathy for their "children". These rare creatures will "raise" their offspring, teaching them all they need to know to survive in the world, and then send them forth to "live their own lives". Gratitude is an uncommon thing among vampires, however, and offspring of such sentimental creatures generally view this "care" as weakness. Vampires who care for their offspring are most often destroyed by those very offspring.

Vampires differ in their motivations when creating offspring. Some fledglings do it accidentally, not yet understanding the consequences of killing a foe. Others do it to create slaves for themselves. Some few seem to need contact with members of their own kind, and create companions. This latter group are more likely to become the sentimental "parents" described above, and are hence most likely to meet destruction at the hands of their offspring.

When a vampire is destroyed, all semblance of control over its offspring immediately vanishes. Most offspring will immediately go about their own business. I have heard of some rare creatures who have sought the destroyers of their creator and wreaked vengeance on them. I find this somewhat hard to believe because it implies a sense of loyalty, even love of a kind, between vampires. Still, stranger things have proved to be true.

"I truly loved her", the vampire admitted quietly, pain showing on its normally stoic face. "Would you believe that? I loved her. I would have given anything, anything - even the rest of eternity - if she had loved me in return".

It paused, and I thought for an incredible moment that the monster might cry. But then it seemed to rally its strength, and its chill gaze nailed me to my chair.

I misjudged her totally", the vampire continued, its voice now virtually emotionless, "I thought she would retain the innocence I so loved in her as a mortal, but no. I misjudged her, and it was my greatest mistake. She saw me not as a protector, but as a rival, as a slave master. And she dedicated herself to freeing herself from my yoke". It chuckled mirthlessly. "It is so obvious now, but for all those decades I fooled myself. I suppose - " and its voice almost broke, for all the creature's superhuman control. "I suppose I had the love in my eyes, so that I was unable to see what was right in front of me.

"The first clue I actually paid attention to", it continued after a moment, "was when the hunters arrived in my sanctuary. Can you imagine my horror, my humiliation, my degradation? The only way they could have found me was through my bride, my love", and it spat the last word with undying hatred.

"I killed them all, of course", it went on. "My beloved did not know all my strengths. And then I hunted her down. Not difficult, really. Then I dissolved the bond". It bowed its head in remembered pain. "I dissolved the bond and tore her traitorous body apart. And do you know? I think the pain that I felt was greater than hers...

An especially rare and unique relationship between vampires is in that of the "Bride" or "Groom". Actually, considering that the fact all vampires were once mortal, it is almost surprising that this phenomenon is not more prevalent. No matter what changes undeath has wrought, some vestiges of mortal thoughts and aspirations still survive, I am sure. Eternity can weigh heavily on the spirit - even the spirit of a vampire. Of all the burdens of immortality, perhaps the greatest is loneliness. To whom can a vampire bare its soul and admit its fears? With whom can the vampire vent some of the intense sensuality which seems to pervade its breed? From whom can it receive consolation for the past, comfort for the present, and hope for the future? An eternity of solitude can be an eternity of pain.

It is no wonder, then, that vampires sometimes long for a special companion. Fortunately for these tortured souls - and unfortunately for their mortal victims - vampires are capable of creating such companions. These special minions, if such a term truly applies, are known as "Brides" and "Grooms". These terms may seem inappropriate, carrying with them as they do the emotional "baggage" of love and marriage. While marriage is not an issue, a form of love - or at least of emotional bonding - is involved, so the terms are not as inappropriate as they may, at first, seem.

Creating a bride or groom, although seemingly a simple process, requires an exhausting exercise of much power by the creating vampire. For this reason, only vampires of advanced age and capability can even assay this procedure. A bride or groom can be created only by a vampire of age category Ancient or greater, and not even all of those are capable of doing so.

The first step requires that the vampire find an appropriate mortal to be the bride. (Note: With apologies to the feminine gender, I shall use the term "bride" and the pronouns "she" and "her" to refer to both brides and grooms. Unless otherwise specified, there are no restrictions or differences in the procedure based on the sex of either vampire or victim.) Usually this problem solves itself. Very rare is the vampire who decides in isolation, "I will make a bride", and then seeks out a mortal to fill the bill. In the vast majority of cases, the process occurs in the reverse order. The vampire is drawn emotionally to a mortal and decides, because of the strength of this emotion, to make her his bride.

The nature of this emotion can vary widely. It may simply be hormonal lust (after all, the physiological systems related to such effects in mortals are still present, and sometimes still functional, in vampires). It may be an obsession dating from the days before the vampire became what he now is, as is the case with Strahd Von Zarovich's obsession with women who resemble his lost Tatyana. In these cases, the vampire creates its bride in cold blood, for the sole purpose of satisfying its own desires.

Sometimes, however, the emotion may be close to what mortals classify as love. The happiness of the vampire becomes tied up with the prospective bride, and its well-being depends on hers. In these cases, the vampire might actually believe it is bestowing a gift when it turns the mortal into its bride - the gift of freedom from aging and death.

To actually create the bride, the vampire bestows what is known as the "Dark Kiss. It samples the blood of its mortal paramour - once, twice, thrice - draining her almost to the point of death. This process causes the subject no pain; in fact, it has been described as the most euphoric, ecstatic experience, in comparison to which all other pleasures fade into insignificance. Just as the subject is about to slip into the terminal coma from which there is no awakening, the vampire opens a gash in its own flesh - often in its throat - and holds the subject's mouth to the wound. As the burning draught that is the vampire's blood gushes into the subject's mouth, the primitive feeding instinct is triggered, and she sucks hungrily at the wound, enraptured. With the first taste of the blood, the subject is possessed of great and frenzied strength (Str 18, if the character's Str isn't already higher), and will use it to prevent the vampire from separating her from the fountain of wonder that is its bleeding wound. It is at this point that the creator-vampire's strength is most sorely tested. He is weakened by his own blood loss, and also by his own rapture as the "victim" of a dark kiss. Overcoming the sudden loss of strength and the inclinations of lust, the vampire must pull her away from its own throat, hopefully without harming her, before she has overfed. Should the subject be allowed to feed for too long (more than 2 rounds), she is driven totally and incurably insane, and will die in agony within 24 hours.

Once the subject has stopped feeding, she falls into a coma that lasts minutes or hours, (2d12 turns), at the end of which time she dies. Several (1d3) hours later, she arises as a Fledgling vampire - and her creator's bride! Her vampire creator must be present to teach her the requirements and limitations of her vampiric existence. Otherwise, she might not understand the necessity of feeding, and might even wander out into the sunlight and be destroyed.

The first moment that the bride realizes the ugly truth about her new nature can be highly traumatic, unless her creator takes steps to ease her acceptance. Even if her creator is sensitive to her emotional pain and gentles her into realization, only the most strong-willed person can come through that moment of understanding with sanity totally unshaken. The simultaneous acts of love and hatred, or taking a bride by murdering her, create an emotional paradox which is often impossible to resolve. In some cases, perhaps a majority, the knowledge of her fate totally unseats the bride's reason, and she becomes wildly and irrevocably mad. If this occurs, most creator vampires will be forced to mercifully destroy their brides - in the prescribed manner, as described later - and end their suffering. Of course, some cruel creatures will simply allow her wander off to meet her own fate, even though doing so will cause the creator vampire some damage.

The actual process of creating a bride inflicts some limited damage on the vampire. Even the small amount of blood the bride drinks weakens it for some time.

Any vampire can have only one bride or groom at a time. A vampire is physically incapable of creating another bride or groom while it has a companion already bound to it in this relationship. If the vampire wishes to create another bride or groom, it must either destroy its current bride or groom or follow the ritual described later to dissolve the bond between them.

Although there are some folk tales that describe the bride of a vampire as its slave, in much the same way that offspring are slaves, a bride is free-willed from the moment of her creation. The creator vampire does have great influence over the bride, however, although this control is totally nonmagical. When a vampire is created in the traditional manner - that is, when a victim's life energy is completely drained away - the new fledgling instinctively understands much about the vampiric way of unlife, and about its own strengths. weaknesses, and needs. Not so the bride. Newly-created brides are generally ignorant of their own capabilities. If in life they heard folk tales and myths about vampires, they might have some vague conception, but often these tales are totally wrong. The bride is effectively dependent - totally dependent - on her creator, to learn how to survive as a vampire. This obviously gives the creator great power over the bride. By lying to her or bending the truth, he can convince her that she must obey his every order or suffer horrible consequences. With time, and through experimentation, the bride might find out the true level of control her creator has over her - that is, none. She is still in a very inferior position, of course, because she is a Fledgling and her creator is at least an Ancient. Some creator vampires - particularly those who created the bride out of love - will be totally honest with their creation, depending on loyalty, friendship and even reciprocated love, to stop the bride from trying to bring about their destruction. This is probably the most beneficial situation for both vampires, because two creatures cooperating are much more effective than two creatures involved in machinations against each other. A vampire and bride who truly love and trust each other make a team that is exceptionally difficult to defeat!

One of the reasons "married vampires" are so difficult to defeat is that a vampire and its bride share a telepathic communication that has a range measured in miles. Regardless of intervening terrain or obstacles, the two vampires can communicate instantly and silently as if they were speaking together. It is important to note that this communication is very much like silent speech. One vampire cannot read the other's mind against the subject's will, so the bride cannot pilfer secrets from the mind of her creator. As the sole exception to this statement, one member of the pair can sense incredibly strong emotion in the other's mind. (This could be equated to hearing a vocalized gasp of surprise or fear.) Only extreme fear, pain, surprise, sadness or exaltation can be sensed in this manner.

No matter how close and honest the relationship between a vampire and its bride, the bride is still a vampire, with the selfish, ruthless, and rapacious characteristics which that implies. Relationships between a vampire and its bride are rarely idyllic, and are often stormy enough to make a civil war seem like a garden party in comparison. As the bride grows in power and knowledge she will probably start acting in her own best interests, rather than in those of her creator, and begin to gratify her own desires. Her creator will frequently respond to this selfish behavior with intense and raging jealousy. Many of these relationships have ended with the two vampires at each other's throats, tearing each other apart. (The bride will usually lose such a conflict, of course.)

While the bond is in existence, there is a strong metaphysical link between the two vampires' unlife forces. (No doubt this link explains the telepathic communication the creatures share.) So close is this link that the destruction of one member of the bond inflicts grave damage to the other member.

The bond that joins the bride and her creator is eternal, unless the creator takes measures to break the bond. Although the bride must participate in this ritual - either voluntarily or otherwise - she cannot instigate it. The ritual must be performed at the will of the creator. To break the bond, the creator vampire must first open a wound in its own body and allow a quantity of its blood to spill on the ground. It must then open a similar wound in its bride, and allow her blood to mix with its own in a puddle on the ground. At this point, the bond between the two vampires is terminated and can never be re established. The telepathic link between the vampires is also ended. Perhaps most importantly, the consequences of one vampire suffering upon the destruction of the other will now not take place. One of the two vampires is free to destroy the other - if it so wishes, and if it can do so - without any repercussions.

Traditionally, a female vampire will create a male groom, while a male vampire will create a female bride. This is not always the case, however. There have been cases reported where male vampires have created male grooms, while female vampires have created female companions. There are no restrictions whatsoever concerning this, apart from the vampire's own tastes and proclivities. (It horrifies me to dwell on it, but I believe to this day that my son Erasmus was not transformed into a vampire in the traditional way. I surmise that Baron Metus - may his soul rot forever in the deepest pits of the Nine Hells - turned my only son into a vampire's groom...)