"Ah, I see you've followed the screams to the dungeon."  With a 
leer the dungeon master looks up at you from tinkering with his newest 
"toy."
     "I do so love when new visitors arrive.  The Lord and Lady have
said you are to have full reign of wherever you wish to explore in
this castle, so I guess you can look around down here if you wish.  
Just don't stray too far, you never know what you may find."

     The modern American vampire is alive and flourishing.
With media coverage, movies, role-playing games, books, and talk 
shows the creatures of the night are further assuring their 
placement in immortality. However, it seems we shall fall prey 
to the same injustice which has always been so, few will go past 
the veil of glamour, horror, and lore to the waiting arms of 
reality.
     A vampire rides the bus next to you, shops at the same 
grocery you shop, and maybe even is a friend of yours. This race 
of people move among everyday life, not stealing through the 
alley ways with midnight on their side.  I cannot tell you what
makes the symptoms which denote the condition.  Why some humans
can manipulate energy and feel others pain and pleasure, while
others can and do not.  But they are here, some with flare for 
the dramatic and everything which society expects the race to 
look like, and others who blend with society, perhaps in the office 
next to yours, or teaching your children at school.
     Their are those who are secure with their reality.  Who bond 
by a ritual exchange of life's blood with their chosen mate.  A 
joining which quenches some buried primitive urge for such a 
pristine and complete closeness with another.  Those who feel and 
accept the constant ebb and flow of an aura which must have sustanance.  
Those who learn to control, and live.  Then there are those who 
consentrate on the darkness of the race.  Those who like pomp and 
circumstance, the flare of the people.  This doesn't make them evil,
for all must accept both sides of themselves.  However, that is the
talent, to not take one sides precidence over another.  For the race
is gray at it's best, not black nor white.  There too are those in
denial, or who have no clue why they feel the way they do.  To these
go my heart and sympathy, for they feel their confusion and pain
more acutely then any will ever know.  For theirs is a path I have 
walked. 
     Hollywood will continue to make movies.  All the lore of old 
shall be marketed to the fullest of it's monetary possibility. 
Yet, where shall we be?  We shall remain, I fear, a race of people 
left to cling to the shadows of our reality.  A race ever accused 
of falling to theatrics and an ideal.  A race left each to die 
without the truth ever known.  And they dare call us immortal. 
     Immortality is found but in death....found o'er and o'er again.  

"American vampires are perfectly suited to this culture.
They reflect those values which many Americans hold dear.
They like to succeed.  They always get the girl.  Their
fans never see vampires suffer anxiety about retirement, 
convelescent homes, and whether or not their social security
checks will be enough to cover their needs."
-from "American Vampires" by Norine Dresser

I.  Vampires hurt people by draining energy.

While its is true in some cases it does not speak for the whole.
As with any ability, it may be used constructively or 
destructively.  I have no tolerance for the weak souls which
"feed" on others in this way.  It is NOT what we are about.

II.  Vampires drink blood.

Bloodlust does not a vampire make.  As a matter of fact, this
is a pretty good sign of someone who has taken on the personae
of the vampire, learned from too many horror movies and novels.
Many vampires believe the consumption of blood to be a very
sacrad thing.  A sort of binding ritual done most often
between two vampires.

III.  Vampires worship Satan.

Vampires, as anyone else, may assume any religious ties they
feel are appropriate for themselves.  Perhaps vampirisn is
a religion within itself.  This I cannot explain, you must
simply take my word for it.

IV.  Vampires like to hurt other people.

Quite the contrary...most vampires are very loving creatures.
Vampiric emotions seem to be a bit more acute than most other
peoples.  Most vampires are empaths, meaning they pick up on other
peoples emotions quite easily.  Thus, for a true vampire to
hurt another, he faces the reality of feeling, in depth, the
pain he has caused.  this is a fairly good deterrant for most
not to do so.  Albeit, their are some, I'm sure, who would
revel in this...again, the few shouldn't shadow the whole.

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