Birth of a Vampire:
Vampires are sterile and are not willingly able to turn a victim into a new vampire as legends would suggest. Although some Vampire necromancers can spawn lesser vampires, the occurrence when a Vampire can spawn a new Vampire is as rare as it is unpredictable. When a Vampire feels the grip of spawning, it will feel a pressure moving inside its body as the newly born dark liquid Nospherite body snacher crawls within. The vampire will then instinctively seek a suitable host. Once the victim is overpowered in a mouth to mouth embrace the Nospherite progeny oozes from the Vampire's mounth and invades the target. The Vampire that spawned the new Nospherite will have lost half of it's vitality and will retire to it's lair where it will fall into coma that will last a day.
Once invaded the host has a seizure and soons falls into a coma indistinguishable from death as the formless body snacher parasite within spreads in the body and merges with the victim. The inhuman creature resulting from the merger retains the outward appearance of the host but has the internal metabolism of an ooze like entity. The coma catalepsy lasts several hours. At the end of this process the resulting Vampire will either possess the memories and personality of the Nospherite invader or of the Host, depending on which of these overcomes the other's will during the merger. When the Nospherite consumes the host permanently the resulting Vampire is called a Nospheratu when the host's personality and memories prevail the Vampire becomes a Kindred also known as a Children of the Night. Kindred sometimes have dreams triggered by memories from the lineage of previous hosts but such visions are fleeting.

Age and Power:
When a vampire is born it is only slightly stronger, faster, more agile, more charimatic than it was hours ago as a human. It can endure more wounds than it could previously, but only a little more. Over time the Vampire grows stonger and it's capacity to endure wounds increases. In addition, although a Kindred newborn knows little to no powers, he is likely over the years to learn and accumulate powers. Initially the newborn will only have the wealth he had as a human, and although he may loose this wealth in the following years, he may slowly build new wealth from crimes and investments that could add up over the decades. As years go by the young Vampire goes from being vulnerable to capable, as decades and centuries pass he becomes increasignly powerful. After centuries an Elder Vampire could potentially be stronger than a Tiger and withstand wounds that could kill a Great White Shark. By that time the Elder Vampire probably also weilds a variety of necromantic and cerebral powers. Nospheratu also start out relatively weak physically as do Kindred, but they already know many of the powers that have been learned by the Vampire that has spawned it, which gives them a head start over the Kindred.

Kindred: The Children of the Night
Having retained a twisted version of their former human personality, many Children of the Night use their powers to satify their greed, lust, vanity, spite and other selfish needs. Some even form closed secret societies to safely engage in a decadent lifestyle. New Children of the Night are the weakest of vampires, they are little more than humans cursed with the blood blight. They benefit from an unusual ooze-like metabolism which amounts to the equivalent of the perfect version of the Death Pact necromantic power on a permanent basis. So they instantly regenerate most of wounds caused by falls and projectile weapons (these cause minimal damage) and instantly regenerate half of non-magical melee attacks (which cause half damage). It also allows them to hibernate at will. The blood lust allows them to grow nails and canine teeth and to regenerate wounded flesh by eating flesh or drinking blood. Over time some vampires will develop additional necromantic talens as well as cerebral powers to mislead humans. Those that focus on these powers are known as Dread Lords and usually become respected leaders of Vampire casts.

Their unnatural longevity has allowed many elder vampires to accumulate wealth. Vampires also use their powers of influence over humans to gain wealth, power and satisfy their selfish needs. Older Kindred vampires even emulate the attitudes of old aristocraties. They can develop a sense of superiority and of entitlement, seeing themselves as the unseen masters of the human race while viewing humans as inferior beings to be used as servants and cattle. They fear the Nospheratu, some beleive that the Nospheratu are dangerous and vulgar brutes that have lost their minds while others beleive they are the mysterious keepers of dark elder secrets.

The Nospheratu:
Nospheratu on the other hand having lost all traces of their former humanity do not seem motivated by human desires, greed nor lust. They are solitary, dont care about fashion nor trivial human comforts. They are content to sleep in a dirty forsaken coffin. From the moment they are created, if the host looses it's personality, the new Nospheratu is a very powerful vampire, that will soon recover most of it's progenitor's memories, necromantic talents and cerebral powers. Their motivations are shrouded in secrecy, they are very powerful recluse that sometimes study ancient or recent human accounts and study the occult. They occasionally meet with other Nospheratu and on rare occasions will slay a Kindred that is deemed a liability. Unlike the Kindred which are selfish, by some accounts Nospheratu seem to be part of a collective, where individuality and rivalry is virtually inexistant. A Nospheratu sees another Nospheratu as a part of his own body, but sees a Kindred as usless gangrenous limb that isnt worth the trouble and should either be ignored or severed if it becomes a nuisance. They do not fear death when it benefits the other Noshperatu. Nospheratu seem more interested in waging a secret war against the Archons which can also hide within human hosts.

Feeding:
Vampires have both parasitic and predatory instincts influencing them to see humans and animals as preys.
The Prowler's way: Experienced Vampires will often use stealth to drink the blood of a sleeping victim and will usually drink from the smallest insition on sleeper's foot, leg or arm. In these cases the Vampire usually only drink an amount of fresh blood from a victim to sustain himself without killing the prey. On occasion a selected prey can be revisited at a later time. Drinking from a victim without infecting the victim is an acquired skill mastered by all Vampires. On rare occasions, should a Vampire fail it's attempt to prevent the infection of a victim, the victim is usually killed before the symptoms of the Blood Blight become apparent.
The Hunter's way: Anonther means of feeding is to lure a victim in an isolated area usually far from the Vampire's dwelling and drain the victim to death. Biting in earnest to feed is the most satisfying means to feed but also carries greater risks so most vampires use this method sparingly. In many cases several vampires will feed on the same victim, usually the senior vampire or his guest have first blood. Sometimes lower ranking vampires or vampire minions will be given the corpse's raw flesh to eat after senior Vampires have had the victims fresh blood. The vampires usually dispose of the corpse in a way that conceals the way the victim died.
The Gatherer's way: The Kindred sometimes have a human pet from which they draw blood to minimize their need to stalk preys. Vampires also occasionally supplement their diet with bottled blood which can be obtained by various means and can be preserved for days or weeks. Bottled blood tastes bad and too much of it would eventually weaken a vampire. In Urban area Vampires can occasionally drink rat blood and in rural areas, they also drink cattle blood.
All of these strategies allow vampires to avoid the attention numerous victims would attract, for if Vampires are nocturnal predators, they are occasionally stalked themselves. Should a vampire fail to hide its presence, it can be hunted by Vampire Hunters, or a merciless Nospheratu, or can disapear at the hands of a mysterious Mothman. The Mothmen are boggeymen for Vampires, for if some wisper myths about them, no one as ever seen one. Some speculate the Mothmen are Wyrasps. Another noteworthy menace are the Werewolves, who can recognize a Vampire's true nature or presence with their uncanny sense of smell.

Fighting a Vampire:
The fear and misconceptions generated by its reputation is by some accounts a Vampire's greatest asset. In fact some suspect Vampires themselves may have contributed to false legends. The rumors stating that 'Vampires have no reflections in mirrors' makes it easier for vampires to roam among humans without being recognized since they do cast a reflection, while rumors stating 'Holy water burns and is an effective defense' has given some enemies a mistaken sense of security.

In combat, Vampires can be slain like any normal humans but are more resilient to certain types of wounds. They are not affected by critical wounds to vital areas (vital organs) that would be fatal to humans. They instantly regenerate most of wounds caused by falls and projectile weapons (these cause minimal damage) and instantly regenerate half of wounds caused by non-magical melee attacks (which cause half damage). Vampires also do not bleed, in rare cases when suffering massive damage their dark crimson nearly black blood will quickly ooze back into their bodies. A stake through the heart will hurt them to be sure, but does not guarantee an instant kill. Severing the head however will instantly kill a vampire. Vampires are slightly more agile than the average human, have the strenght of a vigorous man and can even increase this strenght by unleashing their 'Blood Lust' necromantic power which also triggers the growth of nails into claws and canine teeth into fangs. This power also allows them to quickly heal wounds by consuming fresh blood and allows them to cling to walls and ceilings with their bare hands and feet.

When a Vampire has suffered more damage than it could survive as a human, it's inert body falls as if it were dead. Although the creature is unconscious it usually is not quite dead yet, it feigns death as a last defense mechanism to fool it's attacker. This subterfuge as saved some vampires and lead to rumors of their invincibity. Unless additional severe wounds are inflicted on the inert corpse it will slowly regenerate over time, even if burried. As it is so close to being destroyed a stake through the heart may in some cases be just enough to finaly kill it but not always so. Severing the head or burning the corpse is the best way to make sure the Vampire is indeed permanently destroyed.
Typical Vampires can be a fearsome foes, but more powerful Vampires do exist. These are older Vampires that have mastered necromantic or cerebral powers. Vampire that follow the path of Necromancy soon learn that their blood blighted flesh is too unstable to spawn the undead minions that human necromancers can create. They are nonetheless able to control their virulent flesh to evoke dreadful powers. Vampires that concentrate on mastering Cerebral powers can fool or cripple a human adversary with a simple thought. They often use their abilities to play around with a victim, tricking a victim's mind into thinking that the Vampire can blink from place to place, change into vapors, or they can overwhelm the victim with fear or cloud his memory.

Vulnerabilities:
Vampire have unnatural longevity. Like all necro-creatures, Vampires are immune to all known diseases. Vampires are amphibious, can avoid brething if need be, can hibernate at will and can easily feign death. They are not affected by Holy Water. Nospheratu are not affected by Holy Symbols, while some Kindred. Sunlight is painful and hurts them, but although they avoid it they are not likely to be destoyed by it in a combat situation.

Myths and Legends:
As you probably realize by now the Occult Creatures that were given the name Vampire are substantially different from the vampires of legends. There are subtantial differences and a few similarities. Here's a review of various myths about the vampires of legends and how these apply to the Occult Vampires of Nospherite origin:

Vampire avoid daylight which kills them. True.
Vampires avoid daylight as it is painful and slowly kills them. Each few seconds of exposure to sunlight causes minimal damage. Sunlight is usually fatal within a minute. Exposure to daylight or to sunlight while fully covered by clothing causes minimal damage every minute. Daylight or sunlight while covered is usually fatal within an hour. The damage caused by sunlight and daylight is usually not visible but in rare cases may eventually look like a sunburn. Exposure to daylight also prevents the use of a vampires necromantic powers. A Vampire slain by prolongued exposure to daylight or sunlight will not burn or explode but will simply fall down, inert, never to rise again. Nospheratu have a deep instinctive fear of sunlight, while some of the most steadfast of Kindred can overcome this fear and walk for a brief time in daylight as normal humans can.

Vampires cannot cross running water and immersion in water is fatal. False.
Vampires can not only brethe in water but will sometimes go underwater to hide or cloak their movement. They dont make a habit of it for simlpe practical reasons, as walking around with drenched clothes would call attention.

Vampires are repelled by garlic. False.
They are alergic to food in general but are not repeled by the presence of garlic.

Vampires do not eat or drink normal food. True.
Although they can actually eat a normal meal for the show, they would soon be overcome with pain and regurgitate the food. A raw bloody steak would cause a mild indigestion but would not be regurgitated.

Holy water burns vampires like acid. False.

Vampires can only enter a private dwelling if invited first. False.

Holy Symbols keep Vampires at bay. Maybe.
Nospheratu are not affected in any way. Kindred might be intimidated by a known holy symbol no matter what their previous faith was, and are more likely to be intimidated when the symbol is weilded by an intimidating person.

Vampires dont cast a reflection. False.
Vampires do cast a reflection. They will usually discretly avoid mirriors however, because the vampire's eye appear to glow red when seen through a mirror in soft or dim light. They sometimes count on mirrors in brightly lit rooms to throw off suspicions.

The best way to kill a Vampire is to drive a stake through it's heart. False.
This would injure the vampire but would not result in a fatal blow. Of course any human mistaken for a vampire, such as a person infected by the blood blight, would indeed be killed as would any human.

Vampires need to rest in a coffin or on soil from their grave. False.
In some situations a coffin can be an convenient place to hide during the day. Most Vampires simply want to sleep in an area without windows. A crypt is a good place not to be disturbed as are the sewers although some Vampires might still want to sleep in a coffin there to keep critters off. Some vampires feel safer in a coffin that locks from the inside while others would rather just sleep on a bed in a windowless room. If no other option is available, Vampires can burry themselves below soil in a shaded area to spend the day or can sleep immersed in water as long as no daylight can reach.

Vampires can fly. False.
Being able to resist greater falls without injuries, agile Vampires can leap off a roof to land on the street below. Seeing a man fall from above in the middle of a dark alley could lead to the wrong conclusion. Falling from a high rise building would be lethal to Vampires. The most powerful of Vampires may possess Dark powers that allow him to jump high and survive a fall from any altitude, but such powers are the result of dark sorcerery as opposed to a natural ability.

Vampires can shapechange into a wolf or bat. False.
The creatures that can shapeshift are not Vampires but demon blooded creatures (and Feral Blooded humans, which is a variant of Demon Bood). Some powerful vampires could use mental projections to appear as a fearsome animal of equivalent size. Although Vampires neither change shape into a wolf or bat, keep in mind however, that the 'Blood Lust' necromantic power that most Vampires use to feed does change their appearance by triggering dramatic physiological changes such as causing the iris to expand in the eyeballs, canine teeth to grow, nails to grow into claws and causes facial muscle contractions that alter the face's shape giving a beastial or demonic appearance. On rare occasions when this power is pushed the skin becomes sickly brown with a dense pattern of tiny cylindrical bumps.

Vampires can command rats. False.
Some poweful Vampire necromancers can spawn and control one to several vampiric rat or bat familiars, but they are unable to control the common variety varmin. Some even drink the common rat's blood.

Vampires can charm and mesmerize humans. Maybe.
Initially Kindred Vampires just benefit from the strong presence that charisma offers. In time some powerful vampires can develop cerebral powers they can use to influence the minds of humans. Most Nospheratu on the other hand wield cerebral powers from the moment they are spawned, but Nospheratu only mingle with humans to feed.

Vampires are immortals. True.
Vampires are immune to all known diseases (being already infected with a form of necro-blood and blood blight no other diseases affects them) and from a human perspective their longevity cannot be easily measured. They are not known to die of old age. It is thought that some elder vampires have existed for thousands of years, though the eldest of vampires spend most of their existance in hibernation.

A victim that drinks Vampire blood will rise as a Vampire. False.
A person that drinks typical Vampire blood on any given night will only contract the terrible blood disease that plagues Vampires but will not gain any paranormal abilities. The person with the Blood Blight will avoid sunlight which will be painful and will not be able to digest foods other than blood, and may even think they are a Vampire, but that's about it. Vampire's that are powerful Necromancers can use their blood to turn a living person or a recently dead one into a lesser vampire such as a 'Vampire Ghul' or a 'Vampire Spawn'. Unfortunetly, in either case the person that was will have died while it's corpse will be used as a shell for the aberant body snaching creature that will now serve its progenitor as a minion. This creature will have access to vague memories borrowed from it's fleshy shell but no emotion other than an instinctive need to feed on blood. On very rare occasions a Vampire will overpower a victim in a mouth to mouth embrasse to spawn a real Vampire. In this case the victim dies to become a Kindred or truly dies as the parasite takes full control thus becoming a Nospheratu.

A Vampire brought to the brink of death can simply turns into mist. False.
Some powerful vampires could use mental projections to appear as a mist for a few moments. Very powerful vampires could melt into a dark crimson or black liquid which could flow into or out of a drain or seep through a narrow space.

Vampire Society:
Lost ones are the Kindred who have not met with or avoid other vampires. Vampires are so few and so discreet that an abandoned new spawn can wander for years before encountering other vampires. Sometimes these vampires do not wish to join an established society and continue to wander either alone or with other nomadic vampires. A Vampire society in a closed group of vampires that abide by rules set by an Elder Vampire. Coven of Vampires is usually comprized of a group of 3 to 13 vampires. Joining a society as many advantages. The elder vampires has often access to great wealth. In good times the society usually resides in a luxurious dwelling. In times of crisis the society lives in an autere albeit secure lair. Being part of a group offers a measure of protection by virtue of numbers and the elder vampire is usually powerful as well. The elder vampire can teach the most trusted of the family some of the powers he has learned over time. Some members of a society focus on armed combat and become sentinels in charge of protecting the family. Others focus on social interaction and become courtisants in charge of facilitating contacts with human preys and other societies. Others focus on occult research.