Note: The text in this essay written by Christofer Nigro will appear in red, whereas text by,Zahir Blue will, appropriately enough, appear in blue...
As is well known by students of the macabre, the most notable feature of vampires outside of their sanguinary habits and immortality is their sheer degree of diversity. Upon reviewing the numerous sources of vampire activity across the spectrum of the Wold Newton Universe [WNU] and even beyond, it becomes clear that there cannot be a single strain or bloodline of vampires, but rather several different types. These different strains will almost always share the characteristics of requiring the blood of living beings—preferably that of humans, the species below them on the food chain with whom they are directly related to—and immunity from aging, but will share a sometimes beguiling degree of similarities and differences when it comes to other characteristics, e.g., details of physical appearance, specific vulnerabilities, relationship to other mystical beings that co-inhabit their ecosystem (e.g., werewolves and/or demons), rough geographic distribution, specific notable adversaries among the human race which they routinely prey upon, and range of supernatural abilities.
It is my personal supposition based upon much research that the reason for the similarities amongst the varying strains is that there is a central other-dimensional locus of dark mystical power that was drawn upon by the various beings who created the strains. It may be possible that most if not all strains have a common ancestor, who are the origin of that central primordial power source used to spawn all the various strains. This common ancestral source may be related to the Lovecraftian beings of unspeakable power and darkness from alien worlds known in various circles as the Old Ones [i.e., 'Chthulhu Mythos'], who are said to have once dominated the Earth before humanity appeared and took over, and are known for spawning the ancient demonic race of blood-sucking humanoids called the Turok-Han, who in turn became the progenitors of the ancient but still extant Turokian strain of vampires and their sub-species spin-offs, such as the ‘Airskimmer’ sub-branch.
Other possible common ancestral sources for most or all strains of modern vampires may include the powerful human sorcerer-turned-demonic-being known in certain sources as Rasalom, who is believed to have created the modern Varnaean strain. The Varnaean vampire bloodline are in turn descended from a strain created by various Atlantean sorcerers of ages past, who used their initial vampiric, creation Varnae as their template for creating the rest of the strain. Another suggested candidate for this common primal ancestor of most modern vampiric strains is Lilith (not to be confused with the powerful vampiric daughter of Dracula-Prime, or the daughter of the soul-clone Dracula-Grimpod, a.k.a., Grampa, whose name is often shortened to 'Lily'). The primordial Lilith is a primeval female demon of Jewish legend who is said to have spawned numerous ancient races of monsters, including the great majority of vampires inhabiting the other-dimensional realm of Draculon, and more famously, the heroic she-vampire known as Vampirella.
Of note also are various primordial strains of vampire that may or may not exist any longer, at least in our plane of reality. The most famous of these are vast creatures known as The Great Vampires, who warred with the Time Lords of Gallifrey in the youth of the current cosmos. Such beings may or may not be in some way related to the bat-like space vampires that arrived in a slower-than-light vessel within the tail of Haley’s Comet. This incident took place in an alternate history, as chronicled in the motion picture Lifeforce. It seems at least possible there is a reality where all such beings may have originated, or simply been victorious against all opposition, and this timeline is referred to by some as the Vampire Dimension. Further research on this point continues.
My co-author and I independently came to the conclusion a while back that different strains of vampires must exist in the WNU to account for the myriad inconsistencies seen in vampires across all the available sources, and in this essay we pool our resources to make an attempt at properly categorizing these different vampiric strains for the benefit of those who have a similar interest in the many faces worn by the Undead. The majority of vampire nomenclatures used here were created by my colleague Zahir Blue, who I am indebted to for much of the info seen below, as well as specifically fleshing out some of the distinct strains, including the Dacians.
Below are a list and description of the various strains that still exist upon Earth today, which we have identified based on researching the various sources of vampire appearances:
Turokians (initially called 'Bestial'), so-called for their presumed association with the ancient and banished Turok-Han. Like most vampires, they actually burn when exposed to direct sunlight, and are often bound by other arcane rules as well--like needing someone's permission before entering a privately owned home or other human dwelling place. Nearly all vampires of this bloodline undergo a personality change upon being turned, as the former-human deals with the rush of new instincts (which typically manifests as a strong inclination towards committing acts of 'evil' and malicious cruelty towards human beings, regardless of what type of person the vampire was before being turned into one of the Undead, this attitude extending even towards people who may have been beloved and cherished friends and family members of the vampire when they were human). In this vampiric bloodline, the latter effect seems particularly strong. When enraged or hungry, Turokian facial features undergo a grotesque change, and with enough time this “game face” may become more extreme. But while they prefer human blood, this type of vampire can survive on animal plasma. Legend has it that the last (or one of the last) Turok-Han to leave this reality mingled its own blood (i.e., ichor) with that of a human victim, thus creating the strain of vampires we know today. Such may well be how Turokian vampires first came to walk this Earth.
[Examples: Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Angel; Supernatural; The Lost Boys]. White Wolf probably took rumors of these undead to fashion the 'Gangrel' and/or 'Brujah' clans for their Vampire: The Masquerade RPG.
Though both my colleague and myself believe that all supernatural vampire strains have the innate potential to manifest the same abilities as any other bloodline, some strains (or sub-strains) accomplish certain feats much easier and much more often, than others. As an example, Turokian vampires do not exhibit shape-shifting powers into either various animals or vaporous mist, or mesmerism (with rare exceptions), nor do they typically possess the ability to control the wills of certain nocturnal animals or display limited control over the elements, such as the local weather, as do many of the Varnaean strain. Their potential for shape-shifting abilities is only evident in the changes to their facial features that occur when their “game face” is exhibited, which usually happens when they are angry or overcome with bloodlust (though they can manifest the "game face" simply by willing it). It is further known that when Turokian vampires reach great age, they not only greatly increase in power, but their appearances tend to grow increasingly less human during that time, albeit in somewhat varied ways.
Like most other supernatural strains, Turokian vampires are greatly vulnerable to weaponry made of wood, and can be slain with a wooden stake thrust into their heart, which will immediately cause them to disintegrate into a huge pile of dust. Unlike some of the other strains, however, they do not seem to be harmed by silver or garlic, though they do feel more pain from injuries inflicted by common metals than some of the other strains, but apparently cannot be killed by them unless their heads are actually severed by a sharp metal weapon. They also heal from injuries at supernatural speed, but not at the rate of speed observed in certain other strains. They can also be destroyed quite readily by immolation when exposed to even a moderate amount of fire. Like most other supernatural strains, they are repelled by holy symbols like the cross, but apparently to a lesser extent than other strains, such as the Varnaean and Dacian bloodlines. However, holy water scorches them like acid as readily as it does these other strains. It is unknown whether or not they have any difficulty crossing running water as is said to be the case with Varnaean vampires.
They will immolate upon exposure to direct sunlight, but unlike the Varnaean strain, they do not have to go into a catatonic state while in contact with their native soil during the daylight hours (in fact, they tend to resent it when humans assume what the Turokians refer to as the “coffin stereotype” being applicable to all vampiric strains), but they do seem to require a fair amount of sleep like ordinary humans do, and their sleep state apparently comes replete with dreaming.
The physical agility of these vampires is so great that they appear to be engaging in martial arts moves when they fight, and in fact, it has been suggested in some sources that these vampires may possess an instinctual knowledge of hand-to-hand combat skills, though the level of skill displayed varies, sometimes greatly, between individual members of this strain.
The Turokian strain is clearly a demonic strain, meaning that when they kill another human being by biting them and then sharing their own blood with them to turn them into a vampire of their strain, that person’s soul will vacate the body as it normally does when a human dies, and is replaced by a discarnate demonic entity who, will take over the body and its memories. That demon will apparently not have memories of its own outside of the human whose body it has now taken over, and it will exhibit a darkly twisted version of its host’s original human personality. [Indeed, the demon that possesses a Turokian may not even possess what we recognize as a “mind,” only a set of instincts].
As such, despite personality variances, members of this strain of vampire will have a natural propensity towards committing acts of sadism and 'evil' towards their human victims for its own sake, due to the pleasure their demonic persona's derive from causing harm to those they consider a lesser life form, and even in some cases, members of their fellow vampiric brethren whom they personally dislike. [Lacking souls, they also lack human restraint, and tend to act out the darkest impulses of the human they once were.] They tend to retain much of their previous human interests or hobbies, they will retain any special abilities or powers their human host once possessed (such as psychic abilities or specialized knowledge), and they tend to form into gangs for both social and strategic reasons. They retain their original human sex drive, and will often form romantic pairings and attachments with each other despite their demonic persona's; since they are not impotent like other strains, they will engage in sexual intercourse with each other and sometimes with human partners for strictly recreational purposes, as neither male nor female vampires of this strain (like most others) are fertile or capable of sexual reproduction under normal circumstances.
Despite blood being their only required form of sustenance, these vampires often do retain a taste for certain types of human food (though they cannot subsist on it), and many of them seem to enjoy imbibing alcohol and/or coffee. They will evidently not die from prolonged lack of blood, but they will gradually deteriorate both physically and mentally until reaching an extreme state of possibly irreversible deterioration.
The Aurelian sub-strain of this bloodline are unable to fly, but the Airskimmer sub-strain of Turokian vampire are all capable of levitation and true flight at impressive speed and altitude despite their lack of ability to transform into bats or other flying animals. Any other differences between the two sub-strains are not yet known, except that the leader of any particular group of Airskimmer vampires he/she has sired has full control over them, and will treat them as something akin to his or her children; further, when he or she is invited into a human’s home, it evidently renders the human residents entirely powerless to stop the vampire visitor via traditional means. Nevertheless, despite these differences, the two sub-strains are very clearly related and derive from a common source. How many other sub-strains of the ‘Bestial’ main strain may exist has not yet been determined.
Though distributed in varying numbers throughout the globe, the Turokian strain appears to have various ‘nests’ or covens in particularly large numbers within and around the Los Angeles environs, and seems to be the dominant strain of vampire in that region.
The most famous members of this strain are Lothos, apparently the progenitor of the modern Turokian strain (evidently slain for good by Buffy Summers in 1995), Angel (formerly Angelus), and Spike (formerly William the Bloody), the latter two being legendary figures for their evil acts until both regained their souls (albeit under different circumstances, and at different times--Angelus in 1898, and Spike in 2002), after which they subsequently became great heroes, using their vampiric powers alongside their formidable acquired skills to battle the forces of darkness, which both continue to do to this very day. [Other notorious vampires of this bloodline include the mad prophetess Drusilla, the cult leader known as The Master, and his progeny (as well as Angel’s sire) Darla.]
Varnaeans (identified by the scholars of MONSTAAH), so-called for one of, if not the, oldest member of the bloodline, Varnae of Atlantis (who in all likelihood was not a member of homo sapiens sapiens, but perhaps the equivalent of a Neanderthal). These undead also can be hurt by direct sunlight, but as a result of a sorcerous spell in ancient Sumeria, they also noticeably weaken if isolated from their native soil. Perhaps of all bloodlines, this one has the least amount of trouble learning how to shape-shift. [Examples: Dracula and his various soul-clones; Barnabas Collins, etc.] It seems likely White Wolf used rumors of the Varnaeans to design their ‘Tzimisce’ and/or ‘Lasombra’ vampire clans.
The Varnaeans are among the most famous of all the strains, and they are noted for the impressive array of shape-shifting abilities they typically learn to utilize without any great degree of training. These tend to include a specific number of nocturnal animals, such as bats, a form they tend to use for purposes of escape or stealth, though they can become bats of human size for horrific effect and attack when attempting to intimidate potential prey or adversaries; they can also transform into wolves--which may imply a much hinted at connection with werewolves throughout European folklore—as well as disperse their bodies into a diffuse vaporous mist, in which state they are invulnerable to any type of physical assault.
They also possess other formidable abilities that most members of this strain appear to acquire without much difficulty to one degree or another, such as the ability to mesmerize humans if they can catch their gaze for at least three seconds (though this varies depending upon the willpower of the human in question, of course). They also typically possess additional powers to control the wills of nocturnal predatory or scavenging animals, and some can influence the weather in their immediate vicinity to varying degrees. However, it’s quite obvious that not all Varnaean vampires possess these abilities to an equal extent, and some find themselves unable to wield or master ulterior abilities such as shape-shifting, animal control, or weather manipulation, and thus prefer not to use them to any major degree. Some, like the heroic Varnaean vampire Hannibal King, have refused to use these ulterior powers the majority of the time for reasons relating to principle.
This strain of vampires will also sometimes exhibit a “game face” similar to that of the Turokian strain when they experience a sufficient degree of anger or pain, and their eyes tend to become an almost blazing red when this occurs. Their level of superhuman strength and agility will typically rival that of the Turokian strain, and they have all the same weaknesses, in addition to a few more, such as vulnerability to silver (a silver blade in the heart will dispatch them as readily as a wooden stake) and garlic, as the latter herb can not only repel them or scorch their flesh upon contact in a manner similar to a holy object or blessed water, but it also apparently prevents them from utilizing their shape-shifting abilities while within about 20 feet of a garlic clove.
Despite often going into a catatonic state during the daylight hours to rebuild their energies, some members of this bloodline who possess an unusually high degree of willpower could walk about during the daylight hours, even though they had to avoid direct sunlight (Hannibal King was sometimes seen doing this). It has also been reported in some sources that Varnaean vampires are unable to cross running water under their own power, nor can they normally enter any human dwelling place without first being invited in (though particularly powerful vampires of this strain, such as Dracula, appear to be able to overcome this limitation at times).
These vampires are vicious and sometimes even utterly animalistic hunters of human blood regardless of what their previous human personality was like, even though there is no conclusive evidence that they are demonic in the same sense that the Turokian strain definitely is. Evidently, their bloodlust is so great that only a handful of the most strong-willed amongst their number can resist becoming bloodthirsty hunters of human beings, or retain their original human personalities in full, after being vamped. It has been noted that at least some members of this strain are able to regain a strong semblance of their original personalities and sense of identity if they find a viable chemical substitute for blood, though such blood substitutes (i.e., synth-blood) tend to be very difficult to come by in sizable quantities, and it may not work on all strains. An example of these vampires includes the small community of Varnaean undead who inhabit the small, secluded Arizona-based town of Purgatory, founded by the rogue soul-clone known as Dracula-Latos, who later discovered a means to manufacture synth-blood on a modest scale; the entire community of Purgatory has apparently been able to abandon their original, predatory ways towards common humanity as a result of this.
Note from ZB: I feel compelled to point out my own theory that Dracula’s get following the 1500s tend to be particularly ‘evil’ and more susceptible to sunlight than usual, certainly more-so than Dracula-Prime himself. This may well be a side effect of Dracula-Prime’s diableries of the ancient Egyptian vampire Qu’ra (see below).
Though the template for the Varnaean strain was created through the efforts of different sorcerers from ancient Atlantis before the different sections of the small continent sunk beneath the ocean, the modern incarnation was apparently created by the powerful demonic being Rasalom in the late 15th century A.D., possibly by working in collusion with the then-still living Varnae.
The most famous member of this strain is quite possibly the most infamous and feared vampire on Earth: Count Vlad Tepes Dracula, the Lord of Vampires, who has not only succeeded Varnae (at the latter’s behest) as the ruler of all vampires of this strain, but he has also become the de facto leader of all vampires on Earth, with a nearly unbroken reign extending right into the present day, and in the early 21st century, he has even attempted to unite all the disparate vampire strains together under his leadership as the Vampire Nation. Dracula is also one of the most powerful of all vampires, and he has created several soul-clones of himself to carry on his machinations, some of which have gone rogue and created soul-clones of their own. It’s likely that a few of his soul-clones are converted members of other vampiric strains.
Note from ZB: I have supposed that a relative of the man who became Dracula-Denrom married into the Karnstein family—indeed, I suspect Denrom was the son of John Roger Baskerville, a.k.a., Stapleton, while Count Ludwig Karnstein’s mother was his great aunt, the sister of Sir Charles Baskerville. But that is merely conjecture for now.
The population of these vampires appear to have a powerful beachhead in certain areas of the Balkans, particularly in Transylvania and other areas throughout Romania. In the United States, they appear to be the dominant strain of vampires who inhabit New York City, Long Island, and their surrounding environs.
Sutekhim take their name from the Egyptian God of Storms. As can be told, the progenitor of the line (who was probably, like Varnae, a mage in ancient Atlantis who aided in the re-creation of vampires using the dark mystic tome known as the Darkhold) was known as Qu'ra. His get all suffer more from sunlight than any other known strain. They don't simply burn in sunlight, they combust. Qu'ra also seemed able to infuse his own evil into vampires of his line, which was the reason his offspring Divia staked him and trapped his body in the tomb of a priest dedicated to the Sun God in the first century CE. She did not kill him, however, but forced him into hibernation (a state some undead use to gather strength or heal injuries). Qu'ra was evidently devoured by Dracula-Prime sometime circa 1500 CE, whereupon the various vampires of this type began to show signs of individual consciences. Another trait of these undead is, like the Turokians, a tendency towards golden eyes. [Examples: Forever Knight]. They were almost certainly the basis for White Wolf's fictionalized ‘Setite’ clan.
Dacians, upon further reflection, seem to show several very unusual characteristics. One is a relative lack of aversion to sunlight compared to typical members of other strains. They find it uncomfortable, but not harmful, though they remain in a weakened state during the daytime hours. They rarely hunt during the day, and are noticeably less aggressive when the sun is up. Another is their powerful thirst, which seems to afflict many of this bloodline, so that when feeding they all-too-often kill. Relatively few people can become Dacian vampires, which is why certain families have been fostered to furnish the “raw material” with which to make more. Most famous of these would be the Karnsteins. Lacking, for the most part, the raw power possessed by some of the other vampire strains, Dacians tend to become masters of various skills. Several have been noted magic-users. [Examples: Twilight; The Count of St. Germain; Carmilla; The Golden, etc.]. White Wolf would seem to have heard rumors of this bloodline, and used it as the basis for their ‘Ventrue’ and/or ‘Giovanni’ and/or ‘Tremere’ clans of vampires.
The vampires who appeared in the Twilight saga as recorded by author Stephanie Meyers (under the covert direction of Dracula-Prime) are conjectured by me to be a notable sub-strain of the Dacians that I call the Sparkoi, the Karnsteins being a member of the main branch. However, as per her orders under the hidden direction of Dracula-Prime, Meyers heavily fictionalized the exploits of the Cullen clan, the most famous of the Sparkoi sub-strain, exaggerating the level of their powers and the fine details of many of the actual events they were involved in. She also claimed that all of them sparkled when standing in direct sunlight, when in actuality only Edward Cullen did so, and that was the result of countless tiny fragments of a huge diamond embedding themselves in his skin after it exploded in his vicinity. The presence of those strange mystic diamond fragments in his epidermal layer may also explain why unlike most of the Dacians, Edward Cullen proved fertile, and was able to impregnate his wife Isabella "Bella" Swan sexually while she was still human (though there was likely something unusual about her father’s lineage that helped make this most unusual event possible).
Orlockians are deformed vampires, almost impossible to pass off as human, but with powerful pack instincts. Like other vampires, they burn upon exposure to direct sunlight. Evidence suggests they've even developed their own language. Of all the bloodlines, they may be the most organized. [Examples: 30 Days of Night; the Seven Golden Vampires of China; Graf Orlock; the Prince of Lies from Angel, etc.]. White Wolf used this bloodline loosely as the basis for their ‘Nosferatu’ clan, and they were also described as such by Marvels Comics.
The most famous of them all is the individual from whom this strain was named, Count Graf Orlock, who is also the most powerful of this bloodline, occasionally having been mistaken for Dracula himself as a result of this.
Corvini vampires are no longer speculative, as I once considered them to be. They appear to be the descendants of one Alexander Corvinus, one of whose sons became a vampire, another a werewolf, while a third was simply...human. Like many such beings, they grow stronger with age. But they aren't shape-shifters, at least not usually. It seems they possess an enormous potential in their very genes, but precisely why is a matter of speculation, although it remains possible that Alexander Corvinus might have been the natural son of Prince Corwin, the inter-dimensional traveler from the world called Amber. Circumstantial evidence suggests Corvini vampires make up the backbone of the Myskatos Sect, who are vampires noted for embracing modern technology and methodologies for all purposes. The Corvini burn in sunlight, but also possess the startling gift of fertility! They can mate and produce viable offspring with both other members of their strain, and (though less often) with humans. This no doubt helps augment their numbers given that nine times out of ten their victims die from their bite. Corvini can drink animal blood and survive. [Examples: Underworld saga; and to some extent, Van Helsing (it's quite likely that the unusual soul-clone Dracula-Vladisla--believed to have been created by another powerful rogue soul-clone, Dracula-Mathias--was a hybrid of the Varnaean/Corvini strains)].
The Corvini strain also has a dire enmity with a particular breed of werewolf (the ‘Lycans’), whom they once kept as slaves, and whom they appear to have some strong but as yet undetermined connection to. It’s possible they were created by the same source. My colleague has uncovered evidence that the Corvini bloodline may form the bulk of the Myskatos Sect of vampires, who serve as a sort of elite aristocracy of the Vampire Nation, since they have great interest in business and all other aspects of capitalism, and thus tend to be made up of families who have a great deal of material wealth. Nevertheless, they seem to be the dominant strain of vampire only in certain areas of Europe, such as Italy and France, where the elite council of their ruling class were described by Stephanie Meyers as the ‘Volturi.’
Wamphyri vampires come from an alternate Earth called Starside. Formidable shape-shifters and gluttons, most suffer severe damage in sunlight and have extreme allergies to garlic and/or sunlight (in this they resemble the Varnaeans). A handful have been banished to this world, where they have learned to become more anonymous. Two brothers with the name Drakul made themselves a dark legend in Eastern and Central Europe, inspiring a certain high-ranking noble family to take the name Dracul, and then Dracula, as well as spawning tales of Dracula predating Dracula-Prime's birth! [Examples: Necroscope novels; Eli in Let The Right One In; Hannah in Crypt of the Living Dead, etc.]. Perhaps more than any other strain, Wamphyri have created many dhampir [human/vampire hybrids] by slaking their lusts, which sometimes resulted in weird appetites or practices showing up in descendants, who often had no idea of their unhuman lineage. Most famous of these would be Countess Erzebet Bathori (a.k.a., Elizabeth Bathory) of the Carpathians, later turned into a full vampire by one of Dracula’s soul-clones [she is actually a distant relative of Vlad Tepes Dracula]. Unlike other undead, Wamphyri are the result of a parasitical infection, a ‘leech’ that alters the body over time.
Haemovores are also “alien” (in this case, extra-temporal) in the sense that they originate from many thousands of years in Earth's future, with one of them brought back to the 9th century CE. These oceanic vampires are relatively few in number, or perhaps just rarely seen. They apparently tend to be unstable due to the impact of time travel, so their reaction to sunlight (and other things) varies rather extremely, but their preference for sleeping in water makes it relatively easy to identify them. It seems likely that at least some of them are in alliance with the Deep Ones. [Examples: "The Curse of Fenric" episode of Dr. Who; Children of the Night; and the race of “Mermaids” in Pirates of the Caribbean 4].
Note: I believe that The Patriarch--likely the oldest Dacian vampire in the world for many centuries--degenerated as a result of his interactions with the Old Ones. He may also have been diablerized--that is, devoured—by a Wamphyri known as Onari the Fist sometime in the 5th century CE. The long-term effects of this might have had dire consequences for the ancient vampire.
I am also going to add one new strain, which is likely to be a controversial one, but which I think is nevertheless relevant to the study of vampire diversity.
The Morbians are a strain of vampire whose inclusion in this article will likely prove to be controversial (as noted above). The name for this type of vampire is a general label for vampires specifically created via scientific means, and who therefore do not truly die in order to become a vampiric entity, as do the people who become members of the mystical strains, but who can nevertheless augment their numbers via biting certain human beings. The best example of this scientific strain would be the WNU version of Dr. Michael Morbius (whom I named the strain after, of course), and all of the non-supernatural vampire-like entities he has created by his bite.
Another example of a Morbian bloodline would be the scientifically created strain that exists on the dystopian alternate Earth chronicled in the classic novel I Am Legend, with similar realities seen in the films The Last Man On Earth and The Omega Man.
These vampires tend to possess superhuman strength and speed which rivals that possessed by the supernatural bloodlines, and their requirement for blood to survive causes them to hunt humans with the same degree of predatory single-mindedness as seen with the Varnaean strain. However, being of a scientific nature, they do not possess any of the ulterior powers that the Varnaean strain has, including shape-shifting or mesmerism. Conversely, they likewise lack any of the supernatural strains’ weaknesses, such as wood, holy objects, garlic, etc. They tend to be greatly weakened by sunlight, and thus spend almost all waking hours indoors to sleep, but they will not die from exposure. At least some of them possess certain unusual abilities, including the power of Michael Morbius to glide on air currents over long distances in a semblance of flying.
***
It should finally be noted that there are a small number of vampires who appear to be of unique, singular origin, and thus do not belong to any established strain mentioned above. The best example of this would be Vampirella, who was said to be spawned by the primordial demon Lilith to battle vampires and other monstrous beings on Earth. Vampi possessed powers very similar to that of Varnean vampires, including shape-shifting and mesmerism, and was forced to subsist on blood for survival, which she eventually managed to control by acquiring supplies of synth-blood to help her overcome the bloodlust. However, she is not vulnerable to typical Varnaean weaknesses, such as holy objects, sunlight, wood, silver, garlic, etc.
It should be noted that another colleague of ours in creative mythography, John A. Small, has uncovered evidence that Vampirella may in fact be the 19th century adventuress known as Lady Rawhide, transformed into a vampire by one of Dracula’s many victims, which would make her an extremely unusual Varnean of some kind. Much of Vampirella’s existence remains mysterious, even to her, and further research is underway. John’s theory can be read in full in his article Kiss of the Vampire.