Vampires are among the most powerful of beings among the undead. Their power is granted by the power known as the Vampiric Embrace, alternatively known as Thraxis' Kiss to vampires, or Thraxis' Torment to their victims. Like all undead, vampires were once normal mortals. The difference, however, is that vampires are the closest to what they once were. Legend states that vampires were created by Targus soon after his ascendancy to godhood.
Vampires have two appearances. In their normal form, they appear as they were when they were alive, albeit more seductive and charismatic. However, when they draw on their power, their true, horrific appearance is shown. Their skin becomes gaunt and deathly pale. Their eyes become a sickly yellow and shaped like those of a cat. Their teeth turn into long fangs, and their nails grow long, sharp and hard. They are five times stronger and faster then they were are mortals. They do not feel pain, and are resistant to physical damage. Vampires have an insatiable hunger for the life force of living beings, using their victims blood as a medium. Feeding on this life force heals them and makes them grow stronger, as well as giving them an feeling of euphoria. Only blood that have been extracted from a living body within an hour will satisfy their craving. In addition to increased strength, speed, resistance, and whatever skills it had when it was still alive, a vampire gains more powers as it grows older. First, they gain the power of hypnotism. Elder vampires also gain the ability to transform into bats and wolves.
Vampires would have been the invincible masters of the world, were it not for the interference of a cabal of powerful priests serving the gods of Light. When Thraxis created his Vampiric Embrace Should, these priests invoked a powerful miracle that added weaknesses to the curse. The priest of Kaï-den prayed that vampire be destroyed by the light of the divine sun. The priestess of Tierra prayed that the vampire be forbidden to enter a person's home lest invited. The druid of Firhanna prayed that the vampire be paralyzed by a piece of wood struck into the heart, be repelled by the essence of garlic due to its mystical and physical connection to healing, and be destroyed when immersed into running water. In addition to these weaknesses, other ways of combating vampires were found. Should a vampire's body be destroyed, in a few exceptional cases, it turns into mist and goes back to its coffin to reform 24 hours later. If it does not reach its coffin within 24 hours of turning into mist, the vampire is destroyed. When paralyzed by a stake in the heart, the vampire can be forever destroyed by separating the head from the body, then burning them both with fire.
Vampires are created when a mortal is drained of her life force by another vampire. She must then be placed in a coffin within 24 hours of her death. After that, she then rises as a fledgling vampire, psychically bonded to the vampire that created her. A vampire becomes free of the bond upon the death of her master, or until she gains enough strength to challenge her master. A portion of the victim's soul remains trap by the dark energies that power the vampire, ensuring that the victim's soul never rests in peace. As such, the vampire is, for all intent and purposes, the undead version of the victim, with the same personality and memories. The only difference is that all of the negative aspect of the victim is amplified to the extreme (greed, lust, hate, etc.) and the vampire is completely evil. The soul is freed upon the death of the vampire. Very rarely, and only in legends, does a vampire come into being retaining the goodness of her mortal life.