Vampires & Undead

[GMSkarka]

The vampire-as-romantic-figure pretty much started with Varney the Vampire, IIRC, which was a novel written about a thinly-disguised Lord Byron

Actually, Varney the Vampire was a Victorian-era serial novel potboiler (available online here) which was very much in the vampire-as-disease model.

The novel you're thinking of was The Vampyre, written by Byron's physician, John Polidori, during the same vacation in Switzerland which spawned Frankenstein. The vampire in that novel, Lord Ruthven, was very much a Byron-clone. When the novel was released, it was even mistakenly credited to Lord Byron, in fact, which pissed Polidori off to no end, as he had written it to criticize Byron.

That was the first "romantic" treatment of the vampire, although it was "romantic" more by it's similarity to Byron than any actual intention of the text. It's arguable, however, that it is responsible for planting the seed of romanticism in the vampiric legend which essentially took over in the next century.

 

[Aristotle]

Well, this isn't an "in your campaign thread" bt in MY campaign... The closest thing to Vampires are a race of beings descended (yes, they have children) from the followers of a Saint who attempted to overthrow God. The saint and all of his worshipers were cursed by God.

<<note: "God" denotes the "one true God" of my campaign and not a figure from any known real-world religion.>>

They have CON scores, they can't be turned, and they can go out into the sun (although they suffer penalties similar to those that drow elves suffer when doing so).

Their curse has severed the connection between their soul and the sun, better known as the Nexus (the sun is just a portal to the afterlife). Without that connection the soul begins to wither away into nothingness. To keep from being erased (no reincarnation like everyone else, not even eternity in Hell like especially chaotic people), the creatures have learned to sate the cravings of their soul by devouring other souls.

So instead of the standard "creature without a soul" the vampires of my campaign are "souls trapped within a creature".

 

[The_Gneech]

Actually, Varney the Vampire was a Victorian-era serial novel potboiler (available online here) which was very much in the vampire-as-disease model.

The novel you're thinking of was The Vampyre, written by Byron's physician, John Polidori, during the same vacation in Switzerland which spawned Frankenstein. The vampire in that novel, Lord Ruthven, was very much a Byron-clone. When the novel was released, it was even mistakenly credited to Lord Byron, in fact, which pissed Polidori off to no end, as he had written it to criticize Byron.

That was the first "romantic" treatment of the vampire, although it was "romantic" more by it's similarity to Byron than any actual intention of the text. It's arguable, however, that it is responsible for planting the seed of romanticism in the vampiric legend which essentially took over in the next century.

A-ha! Thanks for the correction ... it's been a while.

-The Gneech

 

[Patman21967]

I think I am dating one

 

[Patman21967]

Oh....you said BLOOD sucker....not life draining, wallet draining, friend losing, motivation crushing leech....hahaha....just kidding....I thought it was funny

 

[Patman21967]

Hmmm....thinks quietly to himself....how did my pillow and blanket come to arive on the front lawn....I don't remember placing them here.....

End my comedic interlude....sorry