The Thirst, a term used by vampires to describe their need to ingest blood to keep their immortal existence. Some feed on animals, others on humans, and still others feed on their own kind and other immortals. -Excerpt from A Treatise on the Vampire's Nature, Duncan O' Sullivan
Vampires: Villains, Heroes, and Bloodlust
Vampires have long enthralled audiences with their dark allure and insatiable appetite for blood, and represent a complex mixture of seduction, danger, and moral ambiguity. The Draoithe Saga often portrays vampires as unlikely heroes, antiheroes, and tragic victims. As dark urban fantasy and steamy paranormal romances, the stories set in the dream usually offer sexy vampires as main characters who find love and ultimately join the fight to balance the magic of the dream and preserve their eternal existence. But what happens when rogue vampires succumb to bloodlust?
In the modern dream, vampires live in enclaves, ruled by powerful vjestice vampire princesses. They follow the strict laws of Volos for consuming blood. Animals serve as their food source. They hunt each night at the hour following sunset, known as the blood dark. They avoid the death of the animal at all costs, yet they must seek blood, only temporarily quenching their unrelenting thirst.
"No animal should lose its life so that my own should continue." (Quoted from an interview with the vampire king, Andrei Alexandrescue. Given freely to Duncan O'Sullivan. Part of the research materials for A Treatise on the Vampire's Nature.)
Vampires hunt rogues in the dream as criminal outlaws worthy of the loss of eternal life for violating the laws of the enclaves. The enclaves, created after the fall of Castle Dracula, an event known to vampires as The Breaking, serve as havens for vampires seeking to avoid human populations. Enclaves embody all the charm and ostentatious opulence of a bygone era, enticing vampires to enjoy their immortality in relative safety among their own kind.
In the dream, bloodlust ravaged early vampire populations, which fed on humans and gave rise to carnage throughout medieval Europe. The myths, legends, and folklore, still prevalent in modern human society, originate from the chaos which followed the collapse of the original vampire societies.
While bloodlust is dangerous, avoiding it is possible, even if a situation puts a vampire at risk. In Vampire Knight, Mihaela risked bloodlust to rescue Andrei when he lay dying after being thrown from a horse. Andrei himself later risks bloodlust when he offers the dark gift to a man mauled by a panther. The secret to avoiding the malady caused by the overconsumption of human blood is to avoid it for several days after ingesting it to overcome the desire for more.
Asylum, the hospital castle complex for immortals. Elf lords acted as immortal doctors in a place outside of the dream and held cures for the diseases of the mind such as vampiric bloodlust.
In the Draoithe Saga, not all rogue vampires choose their situations. Many fall prey to the disease through because of sad circumstances or a lack of education. Some even seek paths to remedy their plights or cure their insatiable bloodlust. Razvan and his brothers escaped the destruction of their enclave, only to find themselves trapped in the middle of the city of Chicago, with little choice but to feed on the great city's inhabitants. These rogue vampires, from the Lyons Gate Miniseries, successfully overcome the scourge of vampire society and cross the line from murky outlaws to respectable citizens when they agree to serve Ientysse Asmodai. Other rogue vampires, accidentally turned without consent or knowledge of what they had become, are more unwitting than deliberate criminals. Humans turned into vampires often believe the stories told by the media or Hollywood to their detriment. In the Mystic Dark Miniseries, a few receive help for their afflictions brought on them through their ignorant overconsumption of human blood by the Elves at Asylum.
From monstrous villains to tragic figures, vampires need not always be the hero. They play the antagonist role equally well in the dream as vampire villains represent a universal struggle between predation and humanity, their bloodlust serving as a metaphor for other primal urges reflecting darker parts of their experience. The vampire villain, or the rogue, perfectly exploits this duality.
Although many of the vampire villains in the dream are shadowy, unnamed secondary characters, one stands out as a classic antagonist. Damon Markucio is the sinister rogue from the opening tale in the Royal Council Miniseries, Arctic Fox, a tale detailing events which occur in medieval Europe and play a pivotal role in creating the Draoithe Kingdom. Markucio's behavior marks him as a criminal from the moment he steps into the first scene. Pity almost exists for a man beset by a heinous disease, but in the end, bloodlust isn't a justifiable excuse for his crimes. While an ancient druid king wrestles with his own moral dilemmas, Markucio's downfall serves as a stark reminder of the consequences associated with giving in to darker urges. Throughout the tale, recognition of both villainy and human complexity within a dark character reveals itself while the story explores how bloodlust and villainy collide, questioning evil's nature and the desires underlying criminal behavior.
The mannerisms, speech patterns, and style of dress Razvan displayed were courtly and meant to impress. The man served as a living representation of the house to which he belonged. -Observations made by Leland Shade, recorded in Lunar Dark by Ophelia Kee
Overcoming bloodlust doesn't instantly turn a noble vampire into a hero. Rather, it adds a layer of connection between the vampire character and the human desire for triumph over adversity. Bloodlust doesn't in itself make a villain, but it adds a sinister layer of darkness to any vampire intent on criminal behavior. Vampires from the dream reveal their dark allure and insatiable appetite for blood and represent a complex mixture of seduction, danger, and moral ambiguity, whether they be hero, villain, or something in between.
Steamy hot, wickedly delicious urban fantasy and paranormal romance tales set in a dream to live for. Draoithe is a place where myths, legends, and fairytales walk among the strange and wonderful, where finding a life mate brings balance, and magic rules the dream! It’s more than a mere saga, it’s a reading experience. Welcome to the dream...
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