While not a 'race' so to speak on their own, vampires play a significant role within the world of Another Earth. Far from single minded, bloodthirsty monsters of film and page, the vampires of Another Earth see themselves as the masters of undeath and the 'benefits' that come with such a state.  Vampires mostly stay within the confines of their own Kingdoms in South and Central America, though some are known to travel to other parts of the world. It's not known where the vampiric bloodlines began but there have been traces in archaeological sites in Africa, Greece, Persia, and Europe dating back to antiquity. What is known is that during the 'classical era' of the ancient world, a few of the more powerful individuals made their way to the Americas, setting themselves up as quasi-gods that were able to make deals with the Divines when they suddenly appeared on Earth.

 

Vampires can turn nearly any sentient being into one of their kind, therefore they can appear to be of almost any race, though they usually appear pale due to the lack of sunlight over the years. This doesn’t affect races or vampires that have a naturally dark skin tone however. It's believed that vampires are unable to turn drakken (draconians) and fae folk. Zoanthropes and trolls are also seemingly unable to be turned as any attempts in the past has led to painful and horrific deaths. A being is turned by having all of its blood drained and then fed some in return by the vampire.

 

Being undead vampires do not age and as a side effect of this status, they are immune to the Infection, though their food sources clearly are not and they cannot gain sustenance from an Infected being, which leads to them wanting to destroy the Infected anytime they pop up along with the rest of the world. During the Infection War the Vampire Kingdoms maintained their borders and infrastructure far better than the other nations of the world and some of the more amicable Kingdoms aided others in the war against the Infected. Their immunity to being mutated by the magical virus and their supernatural abilities made them highly effective in battling the swarms.

 

Vampires grow more powerful with age though they are often susceptible to the commands of their sire and other elders in their line. This is not an optional obedience as all vampires can command their progeny without resistance and this travels down bloodlines. Therefore not only can a vampire’s sire command them, but their Grandsire, and Great Grandsires as well all the way back up their line to the master vampire that started it. Only the oldest and most powerful vampires develop their will enough to resist the commands of their line's elders, which often leads to the older members of a line eliminating any progeny that prove untrustworthy or rebellious before they grow powerful enough to be a problem.

 

Vampires can wield magic, provided they were able to use it in life, the knowledge and ability continues into undeath. This is why magic users are particularly prized among the people of the kingdoms, having a relative show magical ability is an almost sure way to eventually have them taken as progeny and therefore raise the family to nobility status. However due to their undead nature cybernetics fail to work for vampires. Implants that were present before their turn cease to function, however those body parts do regenerate, so if they have lost a limb it will return eventually.

 

Like the legends state, vampires are vulnerable to sunlight and are burned by the slightest touch of it to their skin. Vampires can shield themselves from the sun with heavy clothing or other means but even this does not protect them fully as they grow weaker in direct sunlight even if covered from head to toe. Vampires have several mystical abilities, such as growing claws from their fingertips, shapeshifting into either a bat or a wolf, and their vaunted ability to charm anyone just by looking into their eyes. While this last ability is likely their most feared one, its also their most overstated one. While it's true vampires can influence others by making eye contact for an extended period of time while conversing, only the oldest and most powerful of their kind have the ability to control the thoughts of others. 

 

Vampires are extremely durable and can take quite a bit of physical punishment. They can heal from all but the most serious of wounds fairly quickly and do not feel pain in the same manner as living creatures do. While pain does register with them, they are able to ignore it's lasting or debilitating effects, unless the source of the pain is fire, sunlight, or magical in nature. All vampires must feed on the blood of the living. While they prefer this to be ‘Fresh from the tap’ as the saying goes they may ingest from blood bags or other methods of storage with no harm done other than perhaps an offended pallet. They do not need to kill those they feed on and in fact many frown harshly upon this practice.  

 

Vampire nobility in the Kingdoms often have mortal families dedicated to their line. These families enjoy the elevated status, comforts, and protection that being in service to nobility provides. It's quite common for a mortal family to have been in the service of a particular member of the undead for centuries, serving as both a source of labor and food for their masters. In exchange these families and their descendants receive the protection of their patron as well as oftentimes access to resources and wealth well beyond that of non-dedicated mortals within the kingdoms.

 

Vampires grow in strength as they age with neonate progeny often spending the first century or so of their undeath in direct service to their creator. In turn their creator is oftentimes expected to teach their new ward the ins and outs of undead existence, the laws of their particular kingdom and line, as well as bring them into the fold of vampiric society. Many of the Kingdoms have strict laws regarding the turning of mortals into vampires as well law regarding the upbringing, training, and responsibility of a sire to their progeny and vice versa. Vampires are granted the title of 'Master' or 'Mistress' upon attaining the age of five hundred years as a member of the undead with at least three direct progeny of their own and total line numbering of at least a dozen undead. This can include any number of generational layers, childer, grandchilder, great grandchilder and so on.

 

There are currently only eight known vampire 'Lords' or 'Ladies', these are the rulers of the eight vampire kingdoms ranging from the southwest region of the old United States, through Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. These eight beings are some of the most powerful non-divine entities on the planet, having sired dozens of undead over their millennia of existence, and possessing powers beyond what is commonly known for their kind.