Vampires and Vitae, a V:tM Essay
To Vampires, blood is fundamental to their existence. It is their food and their addiction, maintaining their unlife and keeping their undead bodies from decomposing. But more than this, a Vampire’s Vitae contains all that they are. The Powers of the Blood are fueled by it and their bodies heal faster and are immune to age, minor injury, and mundane diseases thanks to its preservative abilities. However, it also drives their Hunger, the constant need to replenish their blood. But what is it? It's not just their blood, it has a supernatural potency that thickens it and imbues it with myriad abilities. It whispers into a Vampire’s ear, compelling them to become the predator it needs them to be. I suggest that Vitae is not simply an empowered bodily fluid, but a semi-sentient organism in its own right, that has instincts and motivations separate from its host, a host it cannot exist separately from. It is a parasite that has two fundamental motivations: reproduction and self-preservation, which manifest in the host as the desire to Embrace, the Hunger, and the compulsion to act in one’s own interest, forsaking loyalties and morality. These urges are known to some vampires as “the Beast”
To become a Vampire, one must undergo the Embrace. To begin, a Vampire, the “Sire”, must drain a mortal entirely of blood. The Sire then introduces a small amount of their Vitae into the mortal's exsanguinated corpse. That which is used to embrace the mortal is a mix of their own Heartsblood (i.e. the Vitae their Sire used to Embrace them) and the mortal's blood that has just been consumed, which then becomes the Heartsblood of the fledgling Vampire that awakens post-Embrace. This would explain the lower Blood Potency caused by the Embrace, as the Sire's Vitae is diluted by the mortal's, reducing the potency of the Heartsblood of the newly embraced Vampire, the “Childe”. Notably, the Embrace cannot be performed if the mortal has been dead for too long. This may be because the Embrace cannot be performed on a corpse once its soul has vacated it. Also, Vitae used for the Embrace must be administered directly and cannot have been stored outside the Vampire, suggesting that the Vitae is too weak to perform the process if removed from the host. Assuming that the Embrace keeps a soul in a dead body, allowing the soul to control its body, given that it would not usually be able to remain within a cadaver the Vitae must therefore act as an intermediary between them.
Once Vitae enters the body it coalesces in the brainstem, the centre of vital function in the body and from there it revitalises the brain and nervous system. To begin, it is in crisis as the Heartsblood used in the Embrace is insufficient to sustain the body for very long. To remedy this, it attempts to draw blood from the nearest available source, causing what is known as a Hunger Frenzy. In this state, the Vampire is almost animalistic, seeing pets, passers-by, friends, or family as little more than vessels of sorely-needed nourishment. Once blood is consumed, it makes contact with the Heartsblood, which is (unsurprisingly) kept within the heart, and acts as the proverbial “nerve centre” of the Vampire. This new blood then becomes Vitae through its capacity to transmute mundane blood into more of itself. It is possible that this is achieved through a property that makes Vitae impossible to dilute, ironically similar to that of Holy Water. Now that they are sated, this new Vitae then spreads throughout the body to facilitate its fundamental motivations. It suffuses the dead flesh granting resilience, preventing decay alongside reshaping certain tissues and organs to better serve their new, predatory role: teeth become retractable, sharpened fangs; the digestive tract reshapes to allow blood to directly enter into the circulatory system; taste buds and neurotransmitters are altered to reward feeding with immense pleasure; etc. The result is a walking corpse, seemingly frozen in the state just after its death but forever changed by its newfound urges and need to hunt.
Through unknown means, Vitae is consumed by sustaining the body or through manifesting the Powers of the Blood. It is difficult to know what happens to it when it is consumed as it is not excreted visibly, though some part of it may remain in the form of clear exudate upon the eye. As it loses volume, it attempts to restore itself by increasing the host's desire to feed. In extremis it forces the host to forgo rational action, heightening their emotions and forcing their hand through bestial impulses. This may occur any time a Vampire exerts themselves as the human soul is constantly wrestling with the Beast for control, losing in moments of stress allowing its baser instincts to overtake their better judgement. In the event of a threat to its survival, such as sunlight or fire, Vitae exhibits a response similar to the human body's response to extreme cold. To avoid loss of heat, the body concentrates warm blood in the safest and most important areas, the torso and head, leaving the extremities cold and bloodless. In the case of Vampires, the Vitae leaves the anterior of the brain, where advanced reasoning takes place. and concentrates in the posterior of the brain, the amygdala and brainstem which are the centres on emotion and instinct. This causes the distinctive Rötschreck or Fear Frenzy at the sight of sunlight or fire, as it spurs them to flee to preserve itself at all costs.
If the Vampire is unsuccessful in remaining uninjured, the body’s natural regeneration has long since halted and cannot be used. Instead, the Vitae uses its powers of transubstantiation to repair damaged tissue by forming new tissue from itself. Because all their bodily functions are arrested by death, and any injuries are healed quickly and without scarring, including dismemberment, permanent alterations to the body are likely impossible via mundane means. Interestingly, hair and nails cut after the Embrace return to their pre-Embrace lengths while they sleep during the day. This, alongside their inability to be scarred or tattooed, implies that there is a specific original state of their body that the Vitae remembers and uses as a baseline when repairing or removing any deviations in. In the event of catastrophic injury, it withdraws entirely to the heart and brainstem. In this state, known as “torpor”, all activities cease except the sustenance and healing of the body. This reduces further injury by “playing dead” and minimises Vitae loss in order to maximise the amount of healing that can be achieved with current supply. The length of this torpor does not seem to have an upper limit, implying that in this state, Vitae usage is so reduced it is practically non-existent. Torpor can also be induced if the Vampire lacks sufficient blood to maintain wakefulness. In this state the Vampire loses consciousness before the amount of Vitae they possess would not be able to sustain their form.
One notable power of Vitae is its capability to act outside of a Vampire when consumed by another creature. Upon three tastes of it from the same Vampire (although only one taste for lesser animals), one is overtaken by loyalty to them. It cannot take full control though, as in a living host the soul is fully connected to the body. The Vitae therefore does not bind to the host’s soul and can only act as an extension of the source Vampire’s will, taking residence in the amygdala (rather than the brainstem) where it acts to induce a profound loyalty to its source, often to the point of infatuation. Like the Embrace, a blood bond cannot be formed of Vitae stored outside the host. Most interestingly, Vampires are equally susceptible to the Blood Bond as mortals. Vitae slakes Vampiric hunger as blood does, but is already empowered and does not need to pass through the heart. As a result, the incoming Vitae travels directly to the brain to affect their mind the same way it would a mortal’s. While it usually repels implants or mundane disease, taking in foreign Vitae does not provoke the host to expel it. Since Vitae lacks a mechanism to counter the Blood Bond it seems probable that it does not view it as a threat to its survival or prospects of reproducing.
No Blood Bond is formed, however, if a Vampire drains another of enough Vitae to bring about their Final Death. Once one drains another of enough to induce torpor, only the Heartsblood remains. Draining this last drop is an act known as “Diablerie” and consumes not just the subject Vampire’s Vitae, but their very soul. As Vitae acts as the intermediary between a human soul and their undead corpse, drinking the last of this connection drags the soul out of the body and into that of the Diablerist. If the victim’s soul has a greater force of will than its devourer, it may disconnect them from their own Vitae and connect to it in their place. A soul that fails to connect to the Vitae of the Diablerist is consumed, and its memories and personality are consumed along with it. Vitae stored in the brain forms an imprint of the host, taking on memories and personality. This may cause the Diablerist to recall memories that are not their own, find their preferences shift, or hear the voice of their victim in their mind, depending on the victim’s age, force of will, and Blood Potency. One outcome of Diablerie is the acquisition of the victim’s Powers of the Blood, some of which are passed onto the Diablerist. Given that Vampires can more easily acquire the powers of others whose Vitae they have tasted, it is possible that Vitae has a knowledge of its own capabilities contained within itself. A much sought-after outcome is an increase in Blood Potency. Caused by the fusion of two Heartsbloods, the diluting effect of mortal blood on the Heartsblood is reduced by the intake of more potent Vitae, increasing the concentration of the Diablerist’s Vitae.
To summarise, Vampires and their Vitae are in a symbiotic relationship, where they benefit from the Powers of the Blood and functional immortality while it lives within them. Vitae stored outside a body cannot be used in the Embrace or the formation of a Blood Bond, suggesting that it weakens or dies without the aid of an organism. Neither host nor parasite remains unchanged by this relationship: Vampires differ from mortals in both body and mind, and Vitae retains memories and imprints of the host even if the host is destroyed. It does its best to protect its host, granting resilience and weaponry, but also impulses that keep them from serious danger or starvation. The Vampire’s consumption of blood serves to replenish the mass lost through Vitae usage by empowering it through contact with the Heartsblood. The Blood Bond allows Vitae to live outside its host, but in a diminished capacity as it lacks the full control of an undead host. Diablerie fuses two Heartsbloods together, destroying one soul to empower the Vitae of the other. Though the true mechanisms by which Vitae acts are a mystery, I believe it can best be understood in this way. Another hypothesis or approach to the subject would be greatly appreciated, as a way to create a fuller understanding of the Vampiric condition.
Thanks to @pulchrasilva and @tremere-messy-girl for giving me some much needed feedback! I wanted to get some ideas I'd been having out into the public record, I hope you enjoyed and that you have some ideas of your own, I really would love to hear anything you have to say!
