The Vampires of SKYE
So many have had their fill of Vampires. Sadly, the craze over Twilight caused this, but even though the genre became over saturated with Vampire stories, people still love to read them. However, because of the flooded market with concern to the undead, I wanted to create Vampires who held a different purpose and background than most. I knew I needed to keep some of the usual lore (like sunlight being bad for them and not because they sparkle!) but I wanted new things for my beings that maybe we'd not seen before...or at least things I had not seen or written before. The key for the Vampires of the SKYE world came once I decided who their enemies were, the FAE (if you've not read who/what they are, I recommend you do). Once I had that, I was able to develop a heavier background for the children of the night in SKYE.
Below is what I typed up back when we sat down to create the story...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the grand scheme of the world, first came the angels, then the humans, and then the FAE...who were unruly children angry at the punishment they'd been dealt, taking it out on the humans and the Earth. Seeing this, God needed a creature to keep the FAE in line and the human's safe from the FAE's trickery. So when Abraham's son Cain became jealous of his brother Abel and killed him, God marked him like the beast and cursed him roam the Earth for a long time, dying at the hand of a bow and arrow to the heart. However, Cain had made more of his kind before he died, per God's orders; payment for being allowed to finally die.
These creatures He called, Vampire, and their primary job was to keep the FAE in line. However, no creature could go without checks and balances, so in return, the FAE were tasked to keep the Vampires accountable; to not overfeed on humans, drink primarily from donors and evil doers, and not make too many of their kind. They Vampire could not feed from the full-blooded FAE without horrible concequences, so this helped create balance. Not to misuderstand, the Vampires were not sinless, not by far. For they too held a resentment for the humans, just like the FAE did, but they were paying for different sins...the sins of Cain...the sin of murder, a crime against God's creation.
The FAE and the Vampires cannot exhist on the planet without the other. Even so, they are not fans of one another. This is because the FAE police the Vampire world and the Vampires police the FAE. Checks and balances; without them, the two most powerful creatures on the planet would run amuck and destroy creation. Yet, this is not the only reason the FAE harbor resentment for the Vampire. No one really loves their babysitters, so to speak, especially when they are gifted the immortality the FAE used to have when they were angels. And though the Vampires do not age much physically, if at all, after a thousand years they can begin to have mental issues. Often they will walk out into the sun or have a family behead them in official ceremony. Yet some revel in the madness, but that is few and far between.
The rules of the Vampires in the SKYE world...
1. Have existed almost since the begining of time, but they have only recently come out of the closet at a global level. Those in the Goth/Industrial community have know of their existence since the scene first began, for there was no better place for a real Vampire to hide, than with those who the world thought looked like them. Because of this, they still populate the Goth/Industrial scene of major cities where the FAE population is of a substantial size.
2. Can eat and drink most things, but require meat and blood, like the beast that Cain had become, to survive. The sun can kill them, as can fire, a wooden stake to the heart, and beheading. If drained they can die, but unless their canine teeth are removed, the body will live in a form or catatonia similar to a human being in a coma. However, if the canine teeth are removed, they have a limited time until the body will disintegrate to dust. This are small prices to pay for their gifts. They have an eleveated sense of smell and hearing, plus they are stronger than the FAE and almost as fast.
3. Most have evening jobs or work-from-home gigs. Many are artists or work in bars. The largest populations in America are known to be in New York City, New Orleans, Boston, and Detroit, evn though they are scattered all over the world in smaller amounts, living their lives out until they either have had enough or go insane.
4. The only way the Vampire's can reproduce is with the exchange of blood to a subject that has been approved by the family they are a member of OR if the person is their real life child, and of age to make that decision for themselves and ask to be turned, then they can.
5. In the old days, Vampire families lived in underground communities, eventually leaving that world to live in large gothic homes. But now, with smaller dwellings, they live like human families…sometimes in small groups, sometimes alone, and sometimes mixed with humans as roommates, most of the time those are donors and friends or lovers.
6. The Vampires are a bit paler than when they were human and since technically they are dead, there is no heartbeat and they are cool to the touch. That is why they need blood, protein, and water from other sources...their body makes none of it.
7. There is no cure for their kind. To become one, you need to pass inspection by the head vampire in your city, usually known as the King or Queen of a city…and you must be introduced to the royalty by the Prince or Princess of the area you reside in. For example, NYC has 5 boroughs. Each has a Prince or Princess…they all answer to the King. If the King steps down or dies, it goes to the next high up vampire. In the case of NYC, to the Queen if she is still alive. If she is not, to the King’s children if there are any. If not, it will go to the Prince of Manhattan. To not accept this office is looked down upon, causing the individual to lose respect in the eyes of the community, pegging them as both weak and unworthy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That all said, in Skye of the Damned we see the Vampire and FAE world suddenly under attack. Are they hurting one another or is it a third party? And if it is, who are they, what do they want, and is Skye a part of them or just a pawn they tend to use for their own gain? Watch and find out! Season one (6 Episodes) is now FREE online with YouTube and Vimeo (and on here). I hope you enjoy it! - Tamsin :)
© Tamsin L. Silver