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Advice from the Society of Leopold

Nicola,

I have spoken to my superiors about your request for help. At the moment, I deeply regret that it is impossible for us to send direct help in investigating the events you outlined for me. However, you information will be invaluable to our efforts and I beg you to keep me up to date on future happenings and any information you can gather about the monsters we both fight.

Normally, we are reluctant to issue any information at all to non members. However, having been greatly reassured of your intentions during your conversation with me yesterday and considering the source of your introduction, I have been permitted to send you the following document, which I have distilled from our files. Should you ever visit us we will be able to provide much more thorough training and guidance.

Finally, may I beg you to be scrupulous in your precautions. It fills me with great unhappiness to think that the wholly inadequate facts I have been able to disclose may be the cause of some rashness which claims your life or worse, your soul. Do your companions in this endevour share the great faith which I recognised in your phonecall? If not, then I fear that the peril may be too great for you. Few escape their first encounters with the undead with their lives and sanity intact. I urge you to travel to the Society as soon as you feel your situation permits. I will be only too glad to act as your sponsor.

My prayers will be with you,

Your Friend

Recognising the Enemy

Superficially, vampires may seen to be as we. But there are many differences, some subtle, some obvious, which can be of invaluable aid to the righteous.

The nature of the vampire is that of a corpse inhabited by a demon or devil. The decay of it's housing is arrested by the fiend within. However, the true state of the body is betrayed by the absence of pulse and breath and by the unnatural coldness of the flesh. Wounded vampires may often not bleed from their injuries, or bleed little. It is often dangerous to attempt to ascertain such symptoms unless the demon is captured. If a suspect vampire is taken captive, then it may be identified by the many signs taught to full members of the Society.

The vampire cannot walk under the sun without being destroyed. Therefore anyone seen during daylight cannot be a vampire. It is well to be suspicious of any person who is seen only at night and who is known to absolutely aviod daylight. However, their allies and thralls are free to move in sunlight, so even during the day, the careful hunter must be wary.

The vampire obtains many evil powers and gifts from it's Master. A description of those known to the Society are to be found below. Although the demons are great in cunning, they may at times be spotted unawares using these Satanic powers and thus betray themselves.

Satanic and Malefic Powers

These monsters are granted many powers by their Satanic lord to better serve his evil purposes upon the earth. The Society knows many of these, but it is often hard to ward against them. Still, if the Hunter bears these powers in mind, he will be at the least forwarned against their use.

Vampires have great powers of control over the minds of the weak. They may even be able to overcome the will of the most righteous, if he is not careful. Do not look into the eyes of vampires as it is through these portals that the inhabiting demon can overcome the unwary. Their victims may be stricken with madness, or forget their duties or even turn upon their comrades. These undead creatures also possess great powers of physical attraction, to seduce and corrupt their victims into the service of Satan.

The demons within have great powers over the corpses they possess. They can cause the corpse to grow claws as well as the fangs with which the feed on their innocent prey. They can alter their appearance to hide from pursuit and to lure the unwary into traps. They can even, as legends describe, change form to a bat, wolf or mist. They imbue the corpse they possess with unnatural strength and speed, so that even the weakest appearing of vampires should be treated with the greatest caution.

The powers of Darkness are theirs' to command. In the old days they were often in league with witches and wizards and they know many foul spells and rituals. They can appear and disappear without warning, attacking when least expected and walking invisible into the best guarded of places. They can bend the very stuff of Darkness to their will, cloaking themselves in shadow or sinking into the earth to escape sunlight. Vermin and other unclean creatures are at their command. Beware of animal spys.

Weaknesses

Vampires have an especial vunerablilty to fire and sunlight. The merest touch of sunlight causes the flesh of the vampire to char and burn. Similarly, their danger from fire is great. Once fire is applied to the unclean corpse, the cleansing wrath of God burns bright and they will be utterly destroyed if not soon extinguished.

Weakness to light and fire gives these monsters a great and overpowering fear of these agents. Many vampires will flee from a large flame or from the appearance of sunlight. These tools are of great use in the questioning of these demons.

Crosses and other holy symbols may be able to protect you from them but the best protection is to avoid contact until you are ready to move in for the kill. Even if you are able to keep the vampire at bay, it may have blood thralls and slaves who can still attack you.

Allies of the Demonic

Vampire's often have slaves whom they force into obedience by feeding them blood or using their psychic powers. It is very difficult to break these bonds except through the death of the vampire commanding them. Therefore, these unfortunates must often be killed in the cause of destroying their master. In any case, they should never be trusted or believed. Remember that these servants have been tainted by the Devil. Even those who serve these demons unknowingly have been touched by the hand of Satan.

In a city where these foul creatures are found, they often have great control over the secular leaders of the area. Therefore, no-one, however respected in society, can be considered above suspicion of demonic taint. There are many who would claim to have little or no knowledge of thier true masters. However, in choosing to serve Satan, they have made themselves the enemies of God.

Vampires are seldom alone. As well as their slaves and unsuspecting pawns, they often spawn lesser vampires to serve them and which they will sacrifice unhesitatingly to save themselves. However, it appears than the oldest and most powerful vampires in a city forcibly prevent the less powerful of their evil brethren from making more of their kind. This seems to be in order to avoid attracting our attention. If they have no spawn, then they will often band together for protection.

Hunting and Tracking

Once a person is supected of Vampirism, they should be watched carefully. Sooner or later they will betray proof positive of their evil nature. Watchers must be cautious, not only of the vampire and it's thralls but of the involvement of human agents such as the police who may be controlled by the undead.

Avoid attacking vampires during the night, when they are strongest. During they day, they may well be weak and sluggish, and cannot pursue you out into the sunlight, should you have to retreat. Vampires often have favourite resting places which they return to to wait for night. Sometimes, several vampires may rest together. This provides an excellent opportunity for attack during the day. Such places can be watched and notes of routines made beforehand. However, don't be complacent during the day, as the vampire's slaves and servants will be active. Resting places are often trapped and will probably be guarded.

Slaying Vampires

The application of fire or sunlight to the undead corpse of the vampire is the surest way to bring about it's destruction. None of the undead known to the Society have returned to wreak thier evil on the earth once the body had been cleansed by these means.

The other sure way to banish the inhabiting demon is to decapitate the corpse it dwells in. Once the head is severed from the body, decay sets in, often in a manner extraordinarily swift as the laws of God and nature overtake the fiend. Older vampires may crumble to dust in a matter of moments.

Large amount of damage to the inhabited corpse can force vampires to 'sleep' but not kill them - that must be done in one of the above ways. Vampires have no pulse and do not need to breath, so the only way to be sure that they have been destroyed is when the body has been burnt or decapitated. They have a great ability to recuperate from physical damage, although doing so weakens them and often brings them into a state of lustful frenzy for blood.

Warnings

Vampires are demons who have possessed corpses. Although they are often very cunning at replicating the personality and behaviour of the victim, they are not really them. If one of your friend or collegues is killed and his body turned into a vampire, then you must not hesitate to destroy them. Remember that they are already dead and their body has been possessed - they cannot be brought back.

When in mortal danger, vampires may try to trick you by appealing to your better nature to spare them. They may say they are unwilling victims of other vampires and mean no harm. These are the desperate lies of cunning creatures. They are demons and servants of Satan and as such no salvation can be found for them. All vampires are irredeemably evil and should be destroyed without hesitation or regret. No opportunity should be lost to slay a vampire, lest it flee from the area and be lost to the hunt, or warn others of it's foul kind that the hunt is upon them.

The older the vampire, the greater it's powers and the more cautious you should be. Because of the ability of vampires to control the minds of others, they should never be confronted alone. It is advisable to be wary of the actions of anyone, even a friend, if you think they may have met one of these hell-spawn alone.

Sins of the hunt

Those who hunt the undead place their souls in the greatest of peril. The undead demons have a great power to corrupt, for which the hunter must at all times remain vigilant. He must take heed of his companions, both to watch for the sign of corruption and to allow them to point out in time should his own resolution weaken or be in any doubt.

The greatest sin the hunter may commit is to allow a vampire to escape, either through fear or false compassion for the damned. By choosing to serve the Society, the new member must understand that he is commited to give his life, if need be, to ensure the freedom of God's children from the terrifying power of these demons. If he weakens in this resolve then he places not only his life but his soul in mortal danger, along with the lives and souls of those companions who trust him.

In carrying out God's work, it is inevitable that the virtuous hunter will find himself in conflict with the laws of the country he is in. While such laws are for the good of the people and should be obeyed in normal circumstaces it is the duty of the individual to break such laws if the contradict his higher purpose.

During the great struggle to which we are all commited, it may happen that the life of innocents may be lost. If such deaths happen in the service of the Society and out of genuine error or great need, then they will be forgiven in the name of the greater good we pursue.

What do they believe to be true?

Nicola will believe absolutely all she is told by the Society of Leopold. The others may be more willing to experiment and less willing to trust their lives to the information. They will take all the precautions suggested by the SoL and then some. They may not take as gospel the injunctions to kill Vampires immediately. Bob especially may be suceptible to pleas for mercy, especially from an apparantly vulnerable Kindred.

©1995 - 1997 Anna Simpson and Richard Gemmell. All rights reserved.