Vampires

Vampires are an interesting ecosociety to think about.

First of all: They Feed on humanoids.

Second: They are immortal.

Take a moment to think of the implications of these two facts.

Names for Vampires are very interesting, as they reflect the immortality of the bearer. Old Fashioned names should be the norm for a young vampire. Victorian names have a sweet melody to them. But consider an Ancient name for a moment. Imagine you are in a world where 200 years of living is the norm, and then you meet someone with AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN NAME. That is ancient by any standard. Would you fight a guy who has survived 4 millennia? Would you expect to win? It is terrifying by itself.

Next, it is a staple of the genre that Vampires are wealthy noblemen. Take a moment to maybe subvert this expectation. Else, turn it up to eleven and max out. Vampires are not built for subtlety.

A poor vampire will probably be able to gain some wealth in a couple of centuries or die in his first years. Maybe he works for an elder Vampire in servitude. Maybe he is a wanderer feeding on anything he can, as a Nosferatu. A down-on-their-luck vampire has some charm to it, feeding on sailors and brothel customers (maybe their own clients). But keep in mind how they avoid the sunlight and where their resting lair is.

A rich Vampire, even if lacking in Silver, will have accumulated riches, art pieces, and luxurious artefacts from ages past. After aeons of living, maybe they dominated a specific art or craft. From fencing to painting, a hobby is useful to keep yourself busy when you have an eternity of time and an assured food supply. Food is their priority, and no matter your riches, you cannot buy life. If your vampire lord lives in a creepy castle, he probably feeds on peasants and travellers. If he lives by a city, probably the docks are a good hunting ground as mentioned before. He will most likely keep a smaller place by the city, so as not to be surprised by the sun. This second lair will probably connect to the main castle by arcane means. Maybe this allows him to hunt further away than his own reign, keeping the peasants ignorant of their nature.

Any Vampire, no matter wealth level, is an apex predator. If they wander, they hunt. If they stay in a palace, they hunt. If they ever get hungry, they will hunt.

Even a single vampire affects the ecology around them. Other predators will be reduced, as either hunted or lacking prey. A vampire's land is a peaceful one. Other creatures may seek to enter the apparently peaceful domain, to be quickly dispatched. Maybe commoners are actually grateful for this and see the sacrifice of a few as food as a necessary evil. Maybe the elders ritually go to the castle as tribute when they reach a certain age. You may have noticed that not many commoners here reach old age.

Also, Middle European vampires are overused, right? Maybe add some variety. An Aztec vampire that feeds on hearts specifically, not blood. An Egyptian mummy raiser hoarding undead slaves and hordes of skeletons. A Celtic dream-stealer that keeps emotional depression on its way. A vampire from the desert who steals the water from your body. A greek Vampirate on their own Odyssey commanding a ghost boat with black flags. Or a nomad sun worshiper healer with a conscience that is looking for a cure to vampirism.

This is ONE vampire's effect. But what about the Society of Vampires?

Well, this is where it gets interesting. You can have from Clans to Bloodlines or any societal allyship among vampires except one: Family. Vampires reproduce by biting a victim and allowing the conversion by not killing them (and maybe doing some ritual). Therefore, a family can be a title for an existing connection, but it is a chosen or built family, but not a progeny.

A Parentship is more akin to a Lordship. Patronage, more than care. Education may be provided to a Neofite, but it may as well be left to survive on its own and forgotten by its maker. It may be an absolutely accidental event with no responsibility ever taken.

But Maybe society does develop somehow. Under Clans or Bloodlines (connections from Elders to the Neofites that they produce), or even allyships and treaties among different Clans, relationships of friendship, rivalry, and even enemies can be built among vampires. Games of power and envy can foster in a Clan, or strict rulership in a Bloodline can produce diversions and factions. Respect and education can also produce strong bonds among immortals. Most would understand that a power vacuum is of the rarest occurrence and make their own fortune. As such, superficially friendly relationships would be favoured by a society of vampires. Either if moved by Ego or proper affections is anyone's guess.

These clans and bloodlines may have some rituals and events where they get together. Periodically or extraordinarily, they provide cohesion to the group that lacks other bonds. They will more than likely defend each other from external threats, as extraordinary as they may be. A threat for one is a threat for all, as the massive power of a Vampire can only be endangered by another massive power. Vampire hunters and inquisitions may be able to hunt down one of them, but you definitely need a miracle to exterminate a whole Clan.

Vampires will probably follow a twisted version of religion. More than likely for the rituals, not the beliefs themselves. And certainly not follow a diety, nor have rulers outside the Clan structure. Their religion would be better described as a set of rituals for cohesion, and probably focus on a major source of power such as Blood, Darkness, or even the Sun they long to see again safely. Corrupted masses should be a staple of vampire society, with the sharing of blood and flesh of the sacrifice. Just not as metaphorical as Catholics.

Speaking of Catholics, Magic the Gathering has a delightful connection between Vampires and Spaniards that I see as a masterclass in flavour. They both carry diseases (flu and the Blood Curse) to a new world, looking for gold and holy artefacts of eternal life, conquering by sword and conversion. And they even look awesome, as the Golden Century of the Spanish Empire was quite fancyful, especially for moustaches. It is a masterful work of conceptual connection of the bloodthirsty Conquistadores, who still believed their cause to be righteous, and a Clan of Sun Worshiper Vampires, making also religion a core concept of their design. Is this a romanticization of the genocides of the Conquistadores? Maybe, but it doesn't lack a bite. Pun intended. Most medieval fantasy romanticises the Crusades without doing such a marvellous and apt comparison. And definitely is not as layered as the Spaniard Vampires of the Golden Century.