P:DH - Tamashii Ryoshi

EDITED: Redone 10-14-07

It's everyone's favourite Elder Daywalker, Tamashii~

I love her to pieces~ And not just because she's the 'oldest' character I have.

Info~ (apologies for the disjointed-ness)

Tamashii is over 500,000 years old, and is the first (and so far only) recorded specimen of Homo Nosferatu, born to unknown parents of the Homo genus.
(Amusingly enough, the scientific community won't even touch her. She answers so many questions that they don't even want to ask. ^_^)

Yosei used her as the Demonhunter before Toshi made the scene, and Tamashii has never been happier to be put on 'reserve'.

Tamashii-sama is unique among vampires - she is natural-born, but because both of her parents were 'human', she is not a dhampire... but she is of such a great age that she is stronger than even the elite of the elders. She is immune to the majority of allergens and psychological issues that accompany being a vampire, and has time to focus on curing the genetic lack of iron that makes vampires what they are. Because she is not a viral vampire, she can consume 'normal' food to survive, but does need the occasional 'donation' to keep her healthy. She refuses to bite another living sentient creature, and has never sired. (And probably will -never- do so.)

Note on her hair: Tamashii's follicles are actually hollow... so when she -does- get around to feeding on blood, a good deal of it ends up in her hair as it makes it's way through her system. It's how to tell what her bloodlust is like. The more white hair, the better your chances of being attacked and drained.

Shortly after the Hell Council was founded, Tamashii, Kali, and Lilith created the Consanguine as a way for vampires the world over to have a support system - which includes safe houses, counselling, and access to a disease-free food supply, as well as information from research into other dietary options. (Most of which are far less disturbing to mortals than cracking open a co-ed.) Many vampires do not use the resources of the Consanguine, but every vampire over a certain age or of a certain rank within a group MUST be a member for communication purposes, and honestly, their own safety.


Tamashii's breakdown of Vampires:

There are honestly only two types of Vampires - Natural-born and Viral.

Natural-born vampires are from the union of a vampire and his/her widow. They are normally seen as dhampires, and are normally stronger than their counterparts.

Viral vampires are much more common, and are produced by coming in contact with another vampire's blood. (This goes for vampires that are buried and 'rise' from the grave. Also, it can be transferred by animals such as wolves and 'vampire' bats, but not mosquitoes)

Both types of vampires do practise some form of hematophagy, but this has been known as a 'cure' for anaemia among humans in the middle ages. Vampires normally suffer from a very acute form of anaemia, in which their bodies genetically cease producing iron.

Vampires release an enzyme into the blood, much like that of a mosquito (amusingly enough) to keep blood from clotting as they feed. It's not what turns a victim into a vampire, but in some mutations of viral vampire, it can be the trigger.

Allergies:

Garlic: Vampires are VERY allergic to a chemical in garlic called allicin (which amusingly enough doesn't exist until garlic is cut or damaged in some way...), and normally leads to anaphylactic shock. Vampires shy away from full bulbs the same way that some people can't even be in a room with any peanut product/by-product whatsoever.

Sunlight: Photodermatitis or Porphyria can cause vampires to be extremely wary of sunlight. They do not burst into flame, per se... but they do get an extremely advanced sunburn within a short period of time. (Like the Irish... or most Albertans. ^_^)

Silver: Much like humans can become allergic to certain metals in jewelry, vampires are acutely allergic to silver, leading to extreme cases of argyria - even to the point where the body cannot intake oxygen through the pores and the vampire suffocates.

Wolfsbane: Not so much an allergy, but vampires are quicker to succumb to the plant's toxicity due to their body's inability to properly create and process iron. (which aids in the body's ability to fight off illness)

Mental/Spiritual issues include:

Crosses/Scripture/Holy Water/Etc.: Depending on the age of the vampire and the beliefs of both vampire and hunter, crosses and other religious apotropaics have varying degrees of effects ranging from ... nothing... to a whimpering, huddled lump begging for God's forgiveness. Vampires that are most susceptible to religious symbols are normally those that were quite religious in 'life', and therefore believe that they will never cross into Heaven, Nirvana...etc, and have been damned forever. In this state, things like Holy Water leave a mark purely through psychosomatic action.

Counting: This is a simple (well, not -simple- simple...) obsessive-compulsive disorder that many vampires suffer from due to the lack of proper hemoproteins, though many vampires are clever enough to get around it. For those vampires, leaving a pile of millet or poppy seeds outside your door just pisses them off.

Thresholds: Some vampires don't need to be invited into the house, some every time, some only once. Honestly, it's just manners. With churches and other sites that have been deemed 'holy', it depends on the beliefs of the vampire.

Running Water: Seasickness. There, I've said it. Crossings at low tide are rare, but do occur.

Native Soil: Another obsessive-compulsive trait. It's like a security blanket, but most vampires will abandon a sleeping area if the dirt has been disturbed or there are Eucharist wafers ground into it... mostly because it means that hunters have been there, and the area is no longer safe.

Thorns: These usually are more of a deterrent rather than an actual barrier. It's like capsaicin on nail biter's fingers. Painful, but once you clear out the irritant, there's no problem. Unwillingness to cross a thorny area comes more from common sense than anything.

Mirrors: When mirrors and other surfaces (such as camera plates) were coated in silver, vampires did not want to be associated with such things to the point that their soul (if one still remained in the vampire) would avoid coming in contact with anything that reflected in the metal.

Stakes: Hawthorn and Oak are most commonly used in staking... but they don't really do much to a vampire, unless their heart or a major artery are pierced.

Injuries: Vampires can heal very quickly from most wounds, and their healing only gets faster as the vampire ages. The only injuries a vampire can't survive are: Beheading, cremation, or having their heart destroyed. (Some vampires can reclaim their heart if it is removed, but this is EXTREMELY RARE, and can only do so if the heart is not burnt)

Shape shifting: The vast majority of vampires DO NOT shapeshift. This comes from Columbus, Cortés and their men who found the Vampire Bat in South America. Stupid thing only exists there anyway. ... Jerks.

Flight: Vampires are known to move extremely fast, and this can appear to have the illusion of flight. Unless they're a magic user and know levitation spells, nosferatu are unable to actually fly under their own bipedal form's power.

Done~

Tamashii (c) T. Metcalfe