Character Information - Under Construction
What follows is the mun's best effort to explain the particular universe and how it works. Please bear with; it does get lengthy.
The Peasantry || The Aristocracy || Half-Breeds || The World Today || Rhaine Sinclair
The Peasantry
In this particular alternate universe, there are two types of "people". The Aristocracy and the Peasantry. The latter social class is the lowest and is composed entirely of those humans who are of pure blood. They are mentioned first simply because there is little to explain; they are humans like any other. They have no powers, no special abilities. In fact, they are looked up by the higher social class as cattle, or at best, servants. It should be noted that humans outnumber their aristocratic counterparts by a ratio of perhaps a hundred to one, since they are quite prolific and the higher classes are not.
Humans in this universe live in cities or towns like any other, they even have their own form of government, but everything they have built or do is overshadowed by whatever ruling Aristocratic House holds their tithes. They are not required to pay offerings or tribute, but they are required to acknowledge House rule and submit accordingly. Retribution for disobedience is swift and most times, fatal.
This is not to say humans are slaves or kept as such. Most have very comfortable lives, many never coming into contact with a member of the Aristocracy, unless circumstances happen to work things out thus. Some humans seek employment or other tasks within the Aristocracy; if accepted into service, they are automatically afforded House protection and all that entails.
The Aristocracy
The highest social status is, of course, the aristocracy, which is composed of what we know as "vampires". However, these vampires do not possess characteristics common with what modern literature and other mediums have taught us. Some differences are minor, others are glaringly different.
For example, in this world, vampires actually give birth to young of their own kind. There is no magical "sharing" of blood to create another of the vampire race. Unless a child is born carrying vampire blood, there is no way for him or her to ever "become" a member of the vampire class.
Vampires in this world do not have the ability to change their shape, turn into mist, make any more of their own kind by "magical" means, or practice any sort of "Hollywood" magic as we might see in the movies. There is also no lizard-like wall-climbing, as Gary Oldman so aptly demonstrated in "Bram Stoker's Dracula". Their bodies are substantial; they bleed when cut, burn when set on fire. But they do have extraordinary strength, speed and stamina, much greater than even a top human athlete. Their bodies are also not dead, just different. They have circulation, reflections, and all the sorts of things humans do. They also ingest food and drink wine, water, and other liquids as would humans.
However, vampires in this world do require blood to live, which is usually taken from the human servants which serve their families, a personal "pet" - usually an exclusive human of their own choosing- or whatever random victim might suit their fancy. The victim's death is not required, but every vampire has his or her quirks.
Sunlight is usually avoided, not because they spontaneously combust when touched by ultraviolet light, but because their bodies cannot manufacture melanin, which gives humans their flesh colored skin tone. All vampires in this world are very sensitive to ultraviolet light, including sun, but they are able to move about during the daylight hours, and coffins are not a requirement. Crosses and articles of faith have no effect, nor does holy water or silver.
Personality wise, most of the aristocracy are petty, juvenile and quite crass. Due to their long life spans and security atop the proverbial food chain, they devote their time to their whims and fancies; as long as one individual in the family takes care of business (financial stability, growth and manages their estates), the others are usually left to their own devices, the same as spoiled brats everywhere. There are a few Great Houses who have managed to accumulate vast wealth and power, and it is these Houses which more or less rule the Aristocratic nation, their matriarchs sitting atop thrones of near divinity.
The families of the aristocracy are ruled by a presiding matron, usually the Countess of the clan. This particular female is a literal deity in her own right; it is she who handles all business of the family and makes executive decisions and overrules others. As the society is matrilineal, the first female child born into the family is heir-apparent and will assume control of the family when her mother either dies, steps down, or is otherwise removed from power.
Half-Breeds
Due to the ability of aristocratic females to bear children and aristocratic males to father children, a certain amount of cross-breeding is inevitable, particularly for peasantry females, as any child she might bear has the potential to become a part of its father's house and would be provided for as such entitled. Of course, the House Matron has to approve, for it is normally considered a blight upon a House name to harbor such an "abomination". If the child is accepted, however, it and its mother are taken under House protection and, although they will never have full approval of the aristocracy, they will nevertheless be provided for under Aristocratic Law.
Should a female of the aristocracy become pregnant by a human male, the outcome depends on the sex of the child. Provided it is a livebirth (due to the decline of the aristocratic bloodlines over the centuries, many children are stillborn or miscarried) and male, the mother is free to do with it as she wishes. Many are killed or otherwise disposed of, depending on the matron's whims. If the child is female, however, that child automatically becomes the next in the legacy, no matter its mixed blood due to Aristocratic Law, upheld by the Eternal Council.
Half-breeds are far more susceptible to the "thirst" than are their purebred kin; due to their genetic crossing, their bodies cannot process enough substance to keep them alive without regular doses of "human" plasma. Thus, half-breeds are far more apt to lose their control over their cravings and become bestial, even revenant if they are not strong enough to conquer their own blood. With these "cycles" - during which a half-breed must consume at least some quantity of human blood - come sometimes drastic alterations in personality; some become purely animalistic in nature and drastic measures have to be taken to ensure safety of all. To date, there have been no documented cases of a half-breed not suffering through this trying cycle and needing human blood to regulate their own system.
The World Today
The world has moved out of the dark ages and embraced the modern era. Only a few great Houses still exist and have power enough to influence the world at large and these Houses are so vast that their entirety cannot readily be fathomed.
The Aristocracy itself, however, is on the decline, thanks to the dilution of the pure bloodlines due to the overall degeneracy of those in power. Fewer and fewer pureblood children are born to Aristocratic females and males are notorious for corrupting young peasant girls and siring bastards. Matrons who have consolidated their base of power are slower to name successors and step down, as they jealously guard what they have struggled to achieve.
As a race, the Aristocracy will eventually breed itself out of existence and the great Houses will either adapt to accept the influx of impure blood into its branches or it will further deteriorate until there is naught left but a hollow shell of what was once a great empire.
Rhaine Sinclair - To be reworked at a later date
The named heir and last child of Madrona Sinclair, the great Matron who has ruled the Sinclair line with an iron fist for nearly eight centuries, Rhaine Sinclair does not hold with her mother's penchant for cruelty, avarice and power. An outspoken advocate for change in the Aristocratic class, Rhaine's revolutionary standing both angers and embarrasses her family, particularly in light of the fact that her father is not the Matron's long-time consort.
Madrona Sinclair is an Aristocrat of many appetites, the least being the lust for dalliance with servants and the result of one such affair with a young groomsman was her pregnancy which led to the birth of her only daughter and, under Aristocratic Law, named heir to the Sinclair line. In effort to keep this great secret hidden - as Madrona feared losing her high standing among the Matron class by giving birth to a bastard half-breed, to say naught of the fact the child was now her only heir - the young girl-child was educated as befit a proper Aristocrat, but governed cruelly due to her mother's seething rage. Madrona always insisted such brutality was customary, especially for an Aristocrat who would one day sit upon a House throne.
But the Matron's calculated cruelty did not perform its intended function; instead it drove Rhaine far from her family, forced to see beyond the veneer of nobility and see the Aristocracy for what it truly was; powerful creatures living for nothing but their whims, desires and fancies. For over two hundred years, she has warred with both her family and other Great Houses of the Aristocracy, trying to instill in her dying race the need for change, but few Matrons are willing to see the truth, especially from what is rumored to be the bastard offspring of a mere human.
Nevertheless, Rhaine Sinclair is determined to somehow make a difference, even if it be one so minuscule as to be almost invisible. Estranged from her family, she now governs her own lands, which have become known as a haven for those needing refuge or sanctuary. Many seek shelter within her House; she provides education, training, work and has even been known to set up those willing with work in the surrounding towns. A philanthropist of sorts, she nevertheless remains a very vocal advocate of the new era, hoping a peaceful resolution might be reached, but instinctively knowing it will come to war before any concrete steps are made towards bringing her people out of the Dark Ages and into the light of a new world.
To Be Continued...