Supernatural Creature Data Files: Vampires (Beast)

Supernatural Creature Data Files: Vampires (Beast)

Description: Beast vampires are perhaps not ‘true’ vampires, as one would classify them working off historical tales and popular culture. In a way, they are a bridge, showing several traits of true lycanthropes in addition to generally vampiric traits. Strangely, they also show the greatest level of mental changing exhibited by ‘curse’ magic – the current favoured theory is that this approach put those experimenting with curses off, and as such later experiments were more subtle.

            Beast vampires, like lycanthropes, have two ‘forms’. The difference between these is not as great as that between a lycanthrope’s forms, however it is still quite blatant. In their ‘normal’ form they are difficult to identify. Physically, they are identical to their pre-curse selves barring lengthened canines. These are, unfortunately, not long enough to be noticeable and are in some cases shorter than those that can occur naturally.

            Changing to their ‘beast’ form causes several changes. Their muscles grow in size to roughly two times that of an ordinary, fit human (causing in some cases a strange or disturbing appearance). This effect is significantly more pronounced on the arms and upper chest. Their canines and neighbouring teeth elongate to around eight centimetres in length, and sharpen dramatically. Their faces will contort somewhat, mostly around the mouth which will stretch to allow for larger, easier bites. Any hair will become wild and dishevelled during the transformation.

            Further adding to difficulty in identification, the normal form of a beast vampire exhibits no trouble with sunlight, nor any other traditional vampiric weaknesses or strengths. Those in beast form will quickly begin burning when exposed to sunlight; however they are not forced to abandon their beast form (although they are highly reluctant to swap to their beast form in sunlight). They are able to feed in either form.

            Overall, beast vampires are the ‘bruisers’ amongst their kin. When in beast form, they are stronger and tougher (though slower) than other vampire types, with the exception of certain ordinary vampires and some aristocrats. They are only very rarely encountered alone – similar to werewolves, they have a pack mentality; working together in tightly bound groups usually numbering between four and fifteen members.

            These packs are only possible due to the effects of becoming afflicted with this particular vampiric curse. When transformed, and individuals mind is mostly rewritten to follow an entirely different set of morals – effectively, those like them are the only ones that matter, and even then those not in the pack mean almost nothing. Their approach to violence, use of force, killing, and several other more subtle things are also altered – an effective summary is ‘they no longer care’.

Their ‘pack’ will initially and instinctively be the group of whoever turned them, and they will immediately integrate with the group. Thankfully the potential benefits of this – for example, turning an agent to gain information, and other similar ideas – are not realised; beasts will not turn someone they identify as an enemy. This may be because they would not be accepted by the pack, and instead turn rogue; or some kind of simple instinct to kill rather than ‘help’ an enemy.

The process of turning for beasts is similar to that of other vampires. The victim is mostly drained of blood, and forced to drink blood from one (or more) of the beasts. After the victim passes out from blood loss, the curse seems to activate – spreading through their body and altering it, embedding itself into their flesh. Strangely, monitoring has shown that the victim does not always die – and unlike other vampire types, beasts do seem to be (in both forms) physically alive.

Physiology: As mentioned above, beasts are identical to humans in their normal form. Although compared to their ‘living’ self they will have more prominent canines, this is difficult to notice and harder to check.

            Their beast form is radically different. Curse boosted muscles stretch and distort their physiques, at times into strange, unusual arrangements. For an individual beast the effect always has the same result. Despite the apparent impracticality of some arrangements, beasts will always have a full range of movement – and the ability to use their full strength regardless.

            Their unusual fang arrangement (triple sharp points, although the canines are the longest and central) leads to deadlier wounds than other vampires. Rather than biting and draining blood from the resultant damage, a beast will often take a chunk from their victim’s neck and dig until they hit a major artery. This violent approach, coupled with their musculature and generally brutish nature, is the reason for the name ‘beast’.

            Unlike other vampire types, we have reasons to believe beasts age slowly over time (incredibly slowly; perhaps the equivalent of one year every fifty). Additionally, we are unsure if they actually require blood – at a minimum, they are able to live off animal blood, unlike other vampires.

Identification and Destruction: Beasts attempting to remain under the radar are incredibly difficult to track down. They are, however, fairly incapable of remaining beneath the radar – most existing beast groups are either small, out of the way communities that only devour strangers (often communities that are unknown to the rest of society) or a group of four to five in the service of an aristocrat who grants them shelter and access to blood.

            Killing a beast vampire can be accomplished using ordinary methods if they are in their normal form. Catching them by surprise – that is, before they can change forms – is the optimal way of dealing with them. Fighting them during the day, especially out in the open, is also advised.

            Their beast form is vastly more resilient than an ordinary human, and much like lycanthropes can take an awful lot of firepower to put down. Thankfully, modern firearms designed to inflict serious harm will inflict enough damage to eliminate them quickly (unlike fighting a lycanthrope). Specialised (and usually illegal: see relevant files on local laws and concealment of equipment if used) ammo and weapons are available to agents.

Other Details: Beasts are, as far as we know, fairly rare or at least limit their activities to very out of the way places. With only a handful of exceptions, most encounters have been small groups working for or with aristocrats; the rest, mostly out of the way communities that had to be cleared out.

            Beasts were first encountered when a small pack (six members who had split off a larger, more isolated pack) went on a fairly open rampage in a small city. After racking up twenty victims (and incorporating several into their pack), local law enforcement cornered them and killed several. During this, evidence of vampirism came to the IPC’s attention, and a large team was sent in.

            Those who fled were not expecting a skilled, trained team that understood their nature to be hunting them, and were relatively quickly dispatched. Subsequent encounters have not been too troublesome – beasts do not seem to engage in the same level of subterfuge, sneakiness and stealth as other vampires; and various psychic abilities we are able to put into play give us a fairly strong upper hand.