Vampire

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Anyway, back to vampires...blah!

[Jonathan]

There are Vampires in Middle-Earth!
This is what I found in the Encyclopedia of Arda:

"Vampires,
Mysterious bat-like creatures in the service of Morgoth and of Sauron. The only vampire that Tolkien names is Sauron's servant Thuringwethil, but Sauron himself took the form of a vampire on at least one occasion."

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Indeed there are. In fact, I think that the Elf-mother Luthien the Blessed once took on the form of a Vampire.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Okay, I've been thinking of possibly writing about a Vampire hunter, and I was wondering if someone could give me a link to resources related to that topic?

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

Well, I was at a Camarilla meeting just last week, but I don't think that'll help you much. . .besides, it will be a while before I return to the World of Darkness. . .
<--is way too obsessed with playing Vampire: The Masquerade*

ANYWAY, well, I'm looking for vampires too, for my own reason. And sure they exist, and no, not the people in New Orleans, though I have heard about them and their idea is very interesting, Chi and all that. Anyway.

Oh, and by the way, if you're looking for Vlad Tepes (aka Vlad the Impaler aka Vlad Dracula, etc.), he was Prince of Wallachia, NOT Transylvania. It's a different region of Romania. And yeah, Elizabeth Bathory, blood countess of Romania, well, she was interesting... Not a vampire per se, but she did bathe in the blood of virgins. . .

As for the various Dracula movies. . .wow. How prongy. Such a prong, Dracula was! And don't get me started on Interview with the Vampire...
However, my friends are currently doing a play of Bram Stoker's book. Is cool. Fun. Yay.

Well, if I see any bats (my word for vampires ) I'll let you know, 'kay? Will you do the same for me?

*speaking of which, anyone else here play?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I take it that Camarilla has to do with White Wolf's Vampire RPG?

Something that strikes me as strange about Balory is that I often see her listed with vampires, and resources on such, but I've never read any stories about how she was believed to be a vampire/gave birth to vampire legends...

I'd be interested to hear some more on what you have to say on Vampires/Vampirism.

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

Yes, the camarilla is the political structure of vampires in most cities in the World of Darkness (white wolf games...), though not all clans are associated with it. Um. Trying to remember, I mean, I'm hardly an expert. . .

I think it's Bathory's association with the taking the blood of people (mainly young women) that led to her association with vampires. However, vampire myths arised more from the peasant class, and vampires were, long ago, generally what I refer to as a class of revenant now: basically a dead, rotting corpse that rises from the grave to drink the blood of or have sex with the local villagers, usually relations to the deceased person in question.

Well, anything specific you'd like to know? I've devoted much of my time, and plan to do so more, researching vampires, both current conceptions thereof and their origins. As well as creating a complete myth of my own with my friends. So, one of our own. And I know the vampires are out there

Still working on origin, but we've got pretty much everything else covered. Speaking of origin, I like the Masquerade version, but just for fun--I find it entertaining. Descened from Caine, and all that. "I am Elspeth, childe of Trent, childe of Sullivan, childe of *mumble, mumble, mumble* childe of Caine

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Ha! I'm not the only one who mispelled Balory.

Indeed, I agree, except that I think Revenants are usually associated with revenge, or taking vengeance against someone, especially whoever the person, aren't they?

Wait...First, you say they exist, then now you're making a myth? The Dimwitted Apprentice Loremaster is thoroughly confounded.

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

Spelling is all relative. Or at least it was in her time. I miss those days. . .

Well, I refer to revenants as some of the lesser undead, a lot of times associated with the dead who have unfinished business, i.e. revenge. . .so yeah, usually they aren't simply blood-sucking, animated rotting corpses, but. . .to me at least it's a general term. I do, however, have more research to do. There's always more research

Sorry, I guess my terms are confusing. Allow me to clarify: I say myth as a general term because a. I don't generally associate myths to necessarily be something NOT TRUE and b. because I figure that's just a reasonable term for the whole system. But I suppose I might need to find another word, ne? So what we're doing, essentially, is trying to figure out what makes the most sense, combining a large number of the myths surrounding vampires, as we know myths have some origin in the truth, and simply adding a few things of our own that seem reasonable. We're perfectly willing to be corrected upon meeting an actual vampire Wow, I'm good at run-on sentences

[Coney]

I used to play Vampire the Masquerade (as a game it had great source material.....the game mechanics sucked donkeys tho' :/)

Needless to say...........my preffered characters were Malkavian

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

Originally posted by Coney
I used to play Vampire the Masquerade (as a game it had great source material.....the game mechanics sucked donkeys tho' :/)

Needless to say...........my preffered characters were Malkavian

YAY! Yeah, the mechanics aren't that great, but it's still so much fun. A friend of mine might run a Masquerade game next fall that takes place in the 1920s.

I play a Brujah...definitely my preferred clan. Probably because they're so much like me: short tempered, rebellious. . .

[Coney]

Originally posted by Eruviel Greenleaf
YAY! Yeah, the mechanics aren't that great, but it's still so much fun. A friend of mine might run a Masquerade game next fall that takes place in the 1920s.

I play a Brujah...definitely my preferred clan. Probably because they're so much like me: short tempered, rebellious. . .

Ah, the bully Brujah Second only to Toreador for the endless list of Malkavian pranks (great characters to play tho'.........can really let loose with a Brujah, hard as nails )

Second and third on my list were Gangrel and, later, Ravnos..

I've never played in a 20's setting.......Tho' I've downloaded the Victorian sourcebook for Vamp.

Played a few times in the Dark Ages setting............IMO the source material is excellent! Made for really good scenarios

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

I'd love to play a Dark Ages setting some time. See, I've only just started playing, and I've yet to find anyone here in Seattle to start a game with. . .must keep looking!

Gah, must review the clans, am not remembering much right now! Need to find my own books. The Resident Director of the building I lived in last semester had just about any Vampire book one could wish for. . .

[Sminty_Smeagol]

I do believe in some magic, and that some magic does exist and I don't understand it but I know there's something...

However, I think a lot of the younger wiccans of today, my generation, are getting in to wicca, but they don't really understand it. Some of the wiccans my age I know are rather foolish in their beliefs... like they don't really understand it themselves but like to pretend to have powers nobody else has. It seems a lot of it is irrational, ridiculous imagination. But I do believe there is something out there, but a lot of people are making up a little fictional world rather than keying in to the real magick.

[Sminty_Smeagol]

Same about the vampire thing. I don't think there is anyone out there with vampire in their DNA. I just think some people wish they were vampires... and make themselves believe they are vampires. It's all like, wishful thinking that has gone too far. So, they believe they're vampires, so they go out sucking blood or whatever vampires are supposed to do. What would make them want so badly to be a blood sucking freak, that's a different matter entirely...

I have a friend at my school who is wiccan. She talks about all this weird stuff, and can't go in depth about it, and doesn't seem to understand it so well herself, and yet she insists it is real and makes sense. It doesn't make sense, and she doesn't seem to be able to make sense out of it, but she believes it anyways. All of it is illogica. Then I go online and find a much deeper explanation of Wicca than what she seems to have. A much deeper meaning.

I thought Wicca would be a spiritual, deep practice, but I guess even that can be diluted by superficial, foolish minds.

Forgive me if I offend anyone, but if I do, I don't care. I will repeat, however, that I do believe there is some truth in witchcraft, albeit it's been diluted by some pathetic people (not that all wiccans are pathetic, just, some I happen to know are).

I have read on some wicca, and some of it does seem to have a very deep, elemental, mystical nature. But when some reject goes around insisting she can put a curse on you, and doesn't seem to have interest in really understanding it or questioning her beliefs (which I think anyone of any religion should do... question their beliefs, challenge them themselves, so that they can prove it to themselves and believe in it the stronger).

[Lalaith_Elf]

i agree with sminty, but i also know some pagans, i follow there belife, i don't believe in god, but the god and godess, the earth and the moon and the sun.... that stuff. the magic that pagans do isn't the stuff you see on harry potter. the only stuff i've ever done is a few things when my friends needed help and crystal healing.... i'm really good at getting rid of headaches... but the paracetamol way is much better

and like usual someone will come and prove me wrong and totally dash my beliefs.... but don't worry most try to do that so your free to try

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Actually, the God and the Goddess is Wiccan, not Pagan.

[Insidious Rex]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
Actually, the God and the Goddess is Wiccan, not Pagan.

so you are saying if someone worships or at least has a spiritual connection of some sort with the earth goddess then they must call themself wiccan?

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

Pagan, as far as I know, is a general term, not specific to a certain set of beliefs. Wicca, however, is. The God and Goddess are not exclusively Wiccan.

As for my beliefs, I suppose I could be called Pagan, because I worship the warrior face of the Celtic goddess Morrigan, as well as the Kami, and the dragons. Then again, I also believe in Enlightenment, and Amida Buddha, and Kannon and other Bodhisattvas. . .Which is why I don't have a specific religion. What's with all this exclusive religion stuff anyway?

But to get back on subject. . .somehow. . .um. . .vampires. Right. I know they're out there, I just have to find them!

Did anyone else find Interview with the Vampire (the movie) to be really funny? And probably not in the way it was intended? silly movie! silly movie!

[Sminty_Smeagol]

Wicca is Pagan...