Lycidas, similar to the rest of the collection, has a unique ability. Possessing the ability to weaken his enemies through his mere presence, he has no intention of mating, let alone finding his beloved. The thought that he would kill his mate crush...
The Seven Fatal Sins: Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and Acedia.
Acedia: Adj. without care; self-pity; conveys both the melancholy of the condition and the self-centeredness upon which it is founded.
Artemis: The Goddess of which is believed to have created vampyres and assign beloveds. She is venerated.
Vampyres: A species that subsists by feeding on blood, emotion, or energy of others. Some vampyres may have special abilities of which are specific to them.
Limitations of Vampyres: Vampyres hunt at night as daylight mutes their powers; They cannot see themselves in mirrors or their reflections, Porphyria, irritation from the sun, may be alleviated through consumption of blood. Silver hurts them, though will not kill them unless exposed to it for long periods of time. Vampyres often stay within their residence during the day, sleeping, until the moon rises.
Transition: A vampyre may change a human through a bite to the neck, though it is incredibly unlikely that a human would survive. The human must have first, consumed vampyric blood, and secondly, consume the same blood from the same host after transitioning. Vampyres may be biologically birthed, though it is difficult. A human and a vampyre may not procreate.
Feeding: Vampyres can only digest the blood of their beloved once they have found them. If they have not found their beloved, they may feed on unmated vampyres, but their nothing quenches the thirst as a beloved does. The blood of a beloved is a religious experience. Once acknowledging their beloved, they thirst only for their mate but must consume more frequently. The act of feeding is called, 'The Coupling,' and is a very intimate experience that is usually shared only between two people.
Powers: Hyper-strength, hyper speed, enhanced senses, tightened vision, though limited at day, immortal, and some vampyres have other personal abilities. Usually, the characteristics that are most prominent in the then-human are heightened in their vampiric state. If a human is severely injured, a vampyre may allow a human to consume their blood, triggering rapid healing, however, after consumption they are romantically and legally bound to their sire, the vampyre that helped them. Only after full transition is the bond broken.
Beloved: The eternal mate of a vampyre. Beloveds are chosen at birth by Artemis. When a vampyre finds their beloved, their heartbeat increases permanently and their cold skin becomes warmer. Their complexion becomes darker. Unlike, lycanthropes, it is much more difficult to notice your beloved as a vampyre. The bond may only be recognized after long periods of time shared with their beloved. Because of this, many vampyres choose their own mates.
Tokens: Vampyres, unlike lycanthropes, do not bite their beloved as an indicator of their relationship. Instead, they have a ceremony similar to a wedding and the female receives a piece of jewelry from their beloved (if it is a homosexual relationship, it is communicated who will perform each role). The female may token their male through their scent, although, females are unable to voluntarily do so. Tokening their male occurs whenever the female is certain that the male is her beloved. Sometimes their body recognizes the bond far before they consciously do. The female's body will emit a unique scent that will remain on her beloved for others to know of their relationship.
Government: Unlike lycanthropes, vampyres are far more independent and secluded. Therefore, there is no kingdom, nor are there rulers. Instead, there are rigid class divisions. Artemis is the supreme countess, though, she is hardly scene and she doesn't intervene in vampyric affairs often. 'The Collection' is a council of chosen vampyres that protect their vampyric society from enemies. On an equivalent political level, there are the 'priestesses.' Priestesses are chosen females that are fed on by The Collection. They also act as political advisors. Finally, vampyres that are not in The Collection or are a Priestess are labeled as civilians.
A Viewing: An observation by members of a clan to identity the gift of a recently turned vampyre.
A Fledgling: A newly transitioned vampyre.
Members of The Collection:
Kieran, Caine, Lycidas, Zanthus, Quillian, Athanasius, and Demedicus
