Sanguine: Vampires through the Ages

Vampires walk among us to this very day, and have done so since the ages of myth wound to a close. Every child learns the story of the first vampire, perhaps before he or she is taught to walk. Who is it, you ask? Cain, son of Adam and Eve and the first murderer? Lilith, first human rebel against God? Count Dracula? Kingu? The hindu goddess, Kali? The monstrous Libyan queen Lamia, cursed by the gods and transformed into a wormlike beast? No... none of these, actually. The first Vampire's story is as follows:

Once upon a time, there was a village girl, the prettiest you can imagine. Her grandmother adored her so much that she made a little red hood for her. The hood suited the child so much that everywhere she went she was known by the name Little Red Riding Hood.
One day, her mother baked some cakes and said to her: "I want you to go and see how your grandmother is faring, for I've heard that she's ill. Take her some cakes and this little pot of butter."
The little girl left. At the crossroads she met a wolf, who asked: "Where are you going?"
"I'm taking a loaf of hot bread and a bottle of milk to granny's".
"Which path are you going to take," asked the wolf, "the path of needles or the path of pins?"
"The path of needles," said the little girl.
"Well, then, I'll take the path of pins."
The little girl had fun picking up needles. Meanwhile, the wolf arrived at Granny's, killed her, put some of her flesh in the pantry and a bottle of her blood on the shelf. The girl got there and knocked at the door.
"Push the door," said the wolf, "it's latched with a wet straw."
"Hello, granny. I'm bringing you a loaf of hot bread and a bottle of milk."
"Put it in the pantry, my child. Take some of the meat there, along with the bottle of wine from the shelf."
In drinking her the blood of her grandmother, who had been a wise woman and a good witch, an ancient curse fell upon the girl, though its effects were not felt until she died.
"Grandma, what big eyes you have!"
"All the better to see you with, my dear."
"Grandma, what big ears you have!"
"All the better to hear you with, my dear."
"Grandma, what big teeth you have!"
"All the better to eat you with my dear!"
With that, the wolf devoured the girl, but while he rested, her death triggered the effects of the curse, and the wolf was consumed from within by the girl, who had now taken on his traits. And so it was with each animal she encountered, until the first vampire possessed a variety of animal features and spells learned over the course of centuries. Rumor has it that she still wanders the world, but in that time, she has transformed a number of people into beings like herself: undying, cursed, bloodthirsty, powerful and romantic. They each passed on their own traits to those whose blood they shared, though the strongest are those who were closer to Little Red Riding Hood (or those who drank the blood of those who were closer to Little Red Riding Hood than they were). This has continued through 13 generations (with the 13th being the weakest, unable to turn anyone else into a vampire... just into hungry ghouls). The 1st generation are those rare beings whom Red herself bit three times, and who passed on the traits of a single animal and certain types of magic, along with certain features and vulnerabilities. A vampire can drink the blood of others of her kind, becoming more powerful until she is able to best someone of a higher generation. Doing so (and drinking that vampire's blood) allows her to move forward to that higher generation, effectively. However, Red has disappeared, perhaps hibernating for centuries until she needs to awake, and there has never been anyone who has drawn her blood. Due to the circumstances of her creation, Vampires have power over shapeshifters (werewolves and the like) and

The Vampire Bloodlines:
The Wings of Night / Lilim: (Bats, Owls) Weather powers, Seduction
The Moon Singers / Aswang: (Canines) Control of body parts when separate from body, levitation
The Dancing Shadows / Ghul: (Felines) Illusion, Coldfire,
The Keepers of Fate / Dakini: (Arachnids) Probability control, Precognition,
The Eyes of the Fallen / Erinyes : (Ravens, Vultures, Birds of Prey) Illusion, Reanimation
The Lords of Life and Death / Nosfer: (Rats, Mice, Rodents)
The Cold Ones / Lamia: (Reptiles) Seduction,
The Beloved Gentry / Leananshee: (Insects) Inspiration,
The Sorrowful Children / Rusalka: (Fish) Enchanting song, Emotion Control, Water Control



(to be continued)