Vampire (Lords of Shadow)



Vampires are one of the three main supernatural races within in Lords of Shadow which includes the Lycanthropes and the Necromancers. They inhabit the Land of the Vampires a godless land of ice and cold. They live in the Vampire Castle, the former home of the Bernhard Family and feed on the people of Wygol Village. The game has a vast mythology for the history for the creation of vampires. In some cases going much deeper and in a very different direction than the original series timeline.

Background
The vampires were created by the Queen of Vampires Carmilla who was created when her good half ascended into Heaven to become a nigh-omnipotent angelic being. Her evil half was left behind to conquer her realm, and infect those living there.

A vampire can be born from many different creatures; the ceremony itself involves the exchange of blood between the 'host' and the soon-to-be vampire, however, vampirism has to be accepted by the recipient, so it remains exclusive to intelligent creatures.

Young vampires are bestial in appearance. The lowest ranked vampires usually take the form of a creature with bat-like appearance. Over the centuries, as they become more powerful, vampires appear more human-like and are able to transform at will from their true form into human form.

One can usually ascertain the power of a vampire by it's appearance and any vampires that appear totally human are usually incredibly powerful, possess superhuman strength and speed, and are extremely dangerous. Indeed, many of the oldest vampires are mistaken for high-born aristocracy.

Vampires can sense the living - that which is their source of sustenance, blood, the life force of all living things. Drinking blood allows them to maintain their strength and power, it also restores their vitality. With the combination of Laura's blood-line and the power of the Forgotten One, Dracula would replace the dark queen and become the most powerful vampire lord known in history.

Powers & Abilities

 * Immortality - Vampire have an infinite lifespan and are not subject to disease or old age. If they have not fed for prolonged periods of time, they begin to slowly show signs of physical age and weakness if they have not fed at all in centuries.
 * Superhuman Strength - Vampires are stronger than humans and grow stronger with age. Dracula is the strongest vampire ever to exist, being over 966 years old and possessing the immense power of the Forgotten One.
 * Superhuman Speed - Vampires possess speed far beyond that of humans. Elder vampires such as Carmilla and Dracula who appear human in appearance, can move extremely fast should the need arise.
 * Shapeshifting - Only Elder vampires can change into their true froms when they are in a tough battle. A vampires true form is a general reflection of its personality and heart. Only Carmilla and Dracula have been known to change to their true forms in the Lords of Shadow series, with the exception of Cornell and Zobek whose true forms are reflections of their domains as Lords of Shadow. Carmilla's true form is that of a winged, bipedal and humanoid vampire-bat beast that is similar to vampire warriors and demonic vampires. Dracula's true form is that of a black and silver dragon that has several traces of fire on its body and gives off a black smoke. As vampires, they can shapeshift into common creatures of the night such as bats, rats, and wolves (forms which are not often seen in-game). Alucard's wolf-forms resemble that of a werewolf and regular wolf.
 * Hematophagy - While immortal, vampires must fed on blood to retain their powers and strengths. This is also the process of spreading vampirism. Human blood is most sought for, but vampires can drink the blood of almost any creature and monster, even other vampires (as seen with Alucard and Dracula).
 * Electrokinesis - Elder Vampires can summon and control electricity.
 * Mist Form - Elder vampires can take on a mist form to pass through obstacles or dodge attacks.
 * Swarm of Bats - Powerful vampires like Carmilla, Dracula and Alucard can summon deadly swarms of bats.
 * Teleportation - Elder vampires can teleport.
 * Healing Factor - Drinking blood heals their wounds and restores their stamina and vitality.
 * Flight - Vampires fly with their bat-like wings. Elder vampires can levitate high above the ground without wings.
 * Seduction - Both female and male vampires are capable of charming and/or posessing weaker life-forms.

Master Vampires

 * Carmilla - The Original Vampire and the former Vampire Queen.
 * Dracula - Gabriel Belmont's new identity, "Prince of Darkness" and the current Vampire Lord.

Victims of Vampirism

 * Laura - Taken from her familly and turned unwillinglly by Carmilla.
 * Lieutenant Brauner - A demon summoned from Hell and willingly turned by Carmilla.
 * Commander Olrox - A demon summoned from Hell and willingly turned by Carmilla.
 * Gabriel Belmont - Willingly turned by Laura.
 * Alucard - Unwillingly turned post-mortem by his father Dracula.

Lords of Shadow
These are newly created vampires that show little humanity. They have wings like bats, and batlike faces, and have the ability to fly. These particular vampires show the signs of being recently turned and cannot hide the fact that they are low level creatures bent to the will of the Vampire Lord. They are fairly weak in comparison to older vampires. They burn when exposed to direct sunlight, and begin to turn to ash, unless they move back into darkness.
 * Vampire Warrior

Some vampires were powerful demons before they were turned, summoned by the Dark Lord long ago. These vampires were never human and thus cannot take that form, instead retaining bestial traits. They are spawns of Hell and possess vampiric powers, which make them formidable foes. They act like leaders over the Vampire Warriors, directing the attacks upon human populations (as it was shown in the attack upon Wigol village). Commander Olrox and Lieutenant Brauner belong to this vampiric category.
 * Demonic Vampires

Human vampires that have lived for centuries regain their human forms. While in human form they are able to fly without wings. In addition to superior vampiric physical abilities, they display the power to transform into mist, summon shadowy swarms of bats, cast protective force fields, and possess electrokinesis, as demonstrated by Laura and Carmilla.
 * Elder Vampires

Mirror of Fate
Following the death of Carmilla and Laura: a new, purer lineage of vampire arose in the castle formed via a deep bond with their new lord. This species is characterized by its cunning, speed and savage cruelty in combat. The next stage of vampire evolution has produced a species that is both beauty and the beast with an insatiable blood lust.
 * Vampire Knight

Lords of Shadow 2
According to their biography after Dracula was thought to be destroyed after the battle against the Belmonts their blood bonds were destroyed and they returned to their primal forms feeding on vermin.
 * Dishonored Vampire (Apterovampiris)

When Dracula returned from the dead the vampires were so ashamed of their behavior that they cut their wings off but kept the bestial look as a symbol of loyalty to their lord and a reminder of their shame.

They are loyal until the castle corrupts them to turn against Dracula. They sometimes carry shields, not only for defensive purposes but the shields can also drain Dracula's life from a distance, making it a priority to destroy the shields.