Vampire (Blade)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vampires (homines nocturnae) of the Blade universe are an offshoot of humanity with their progenitor being the entity Drake (aka Dracula, Dagon), a Sumerian who was worshipped as a god. His progeny are the pure bloods, while those beings who are bitten by Drake or his descendants are byproducts of vampirism.
As stated, vampirism is a virus that can be transmitted through the saliva of the vampire (similar to the enzyme found in the saliva of Marvel Comics vampires), and into the prey through incisions in the neck made by their fangs when feeding. Once infected, if not fully drained, it takes approximately 48 hours for the virus to mutate the soon-to-be vampire, transforming them into a new life form. One that feeds on the blood of humans in order to replenish their hemoglobin, which is not produced in the body of a vampire. Along with "The Thirst", vampirism also endows someone with an improved metabolism and biological functions, that grant it a much increased longevity, superhuman physical and mental capabilities, extraordinary fighting abilities, and the ability to recover from tremendous injury in a relatively short amount of time, all of which are directly granted via new specialized organs that are created during the mutation process.
The vampires in the Blade Trilogy and The Series are also much stronger and faster than humans, displaying impressive physical strength to jump and leap great distances and deliver blows and strikes that can knock a full grown man across a room and moving fast enough to side-step bullets and performing actions so fast that normal humans are not capable of registering them. Their pounces and throws can make concrete crack, such as when Drake slams Blade to the floor. They possess impressive physical resilience, shrugging off injuries that would kill a normal human, with the wound only slowing them down. Injuries they receive recover quickly, taking less time than it would for humans, a process which is sped up by the consumption of blood. Vampires can perform amazing feats of agility. In the sequel, vampire assassins display superhuman maneuvers in their battle with Blade. Their senses are also refined and heightened to a very high degree. In the series, it is shown that vampires can perceive things in the ultraviolet spectrum.
Depending on what Tribe they come from, vampires will possess specific strengths and drawbacks, in addition to their inherent abilities. These vampires, especially the Reapers, have also been shown to be able to scale almost any surface, in the same manner as spiders. On occasion, they have been shown to be able to do so without the aid of using their hands and standing up straight while mounted on the wall (as seen in Blade: The Series)
Despite their impressive physical and mental abilities, they have many drawbacks. They are hyper-allergic to silver, sunlight, garlic, and EDTA. The allergic reaction is so severe that it causes vampires to spontaneously combust and turn into ash. They are also addicted to blood, which acts as sustenance and a drug for them. This is seen in its extreme with the Reapers who are so dependent on human and vampire blood, that not having it in their system causes their metabolism to burn faster and cause rapid deterioration to their body.
Because of being intricately tied into human society, vampires essentially have their hands and fingers pulling the strings behind the scene. It has been suggested that vampires co-exist in what might be considered a peaceful relation with humans, seeing as how the police are under the control of vampires, quite possibly the military, and most humans, unless directly affected by vampires, don't seem to care, let alone are aware of the existence of vampires.
Since they are involved with so many different fields of society and technology, the vampires of the Blade world for the most part, with a few exceptions, lead hi-tech lives as seen throughout the movies and series.
