Vitae

Vitae is the term used to refer to vampire blood, in order to distinguish it from the blood of mortals and other supernatural beings that does not carry the same properties. For most vampires, the only way to gain vitae is to feed on mortal blood; once they have done so, the blood is immediately converted into vitae in the vampire's veins. Most vampires' vitae is made up of the blood of multiple victims, as they seldom manage to survive on only a single donor for long.

Terminology

The word vitae means literally "lives", a plural from the same Latin root as "viva" meaning "life". This is literal rather than poetic; not only does vitae represent the very real source of life for vampires, without which they would die, but it is also quite literally the lives of several others that they have fed on, now repurposed to keep them alive.

"Vitae" is often used interchangeably with "blood" in casual conversation between vampires; only when it is necessary to clarify that the blood in question is from a vampire is the word used, and even then it may be replaced with the softer "blood" and implications added to the sentence rather than say it aloud, which some vampires consider gauche. Use of the word becomes less common the younger a vampire is; while elders are likely to always clearly state whether they mean vitae or some other kind of blood, neonates generally just talk about "blood" as a general concept.

Properties of Vitae

Vitae, a repurposed and reanimated soup of various peoples' blood being refined inside a vampire's system, is predictably unlike other kinds of blood and possesses unique properties. The most common one is the Embrace, the creation of a new vampire, followed by the creation of ghouls, human beings transformed into enhanced servants by ingesting their domitor's vitae; even more strange experiments with introducing vitae into various different creatures have been rumored, although they often result in unstable monsters more than useful helpers. Vitae can also be used to create a blood bond from its owner to whomever ingests it.

For vampires, everything supernatural begins and ends with vitae. When injured, it is vitae they must use to heal their undying bodies; when they want to perform superhuman physical feats, it is vitae that must be consumed to do so; and when they want to use their disciplines, it is vitae that must be burned to power them. As a result, any loss of blood is at best wasteful and at worst a catastrophe, and most vampires try to remain as full as they possibly can at all times in case of emergency.

Every vampire can only hold so much vitae in their body, and every vampire can only burn so much of it at a time, placing a limit on how much power they can pump into their body at any given moment. The lower in generation a vampire is, the more vitae they can carry and use at once, giving elders a significant advantage over everyone else who simply can't keep up with them.

Other Uses of Vitae

Among vampires, the main use of vitae outside of their everyday lives is to fuel the strange magics of blood sorcery. Blood sorcery calls for the use of vitae as the source of magic, as vampires are dead and cut off from most natural power sources; those with access to such spells can be frighteningly powerful, but they also require more vitae to keep themself active and power their experiments than most vampires need to bother with.

Similarly, other supernatural beings, most commonly Mages and Hunters, may seek to steal vitae to use for their own experiments and spells, some of which call for vitae in order to ward the user against vampires. Understandably, vampires are deeply opposed to giving up even a single drop, and most such "research materials" have to be gathered with violence.

Rarely, an ancient vampire (an elder or older) may develop what is colloquially referred to as the Methuselah's Thirst. This condition renders an ancient vampire incapable of drawing any nourishment from mortal blood (similar to the way most vampires cannot draw nourishment from animal blood) and forces them to feed exclusively on the vitae of other vampires. While this isn't necessarily a death sentence, it brings with it severe downsides as elders often kill their "donors" to avoid the effects of the blood bond and the risk of diablerie is highly increased, and therefore most vampires afflicted with this problem are seen as dangers and take care to keep anyone from discovering it.

Vitae and Vampire Society

Unsurprisingly, vitae is as central to most vampire societies as it is central to all their lives. Complex rituals, varying by sect, surround any situation in which vampires might share blood, feed together, or use their vitae for communal projects; breaking any of these customs and rules can see a vampire shunned as a danger to others or, at best, a boor who fails to be sensitive about bodily issues. Because it is rare and difficult to replace in a crisis, vampires often lick their own wounds in an attempt to recapture vitae that has been bled from an injury; this is widespread but also considered extremely rude and disgusting to mention.

Vitae is spilled ritually in various important social and political rituals; for example, many Camarilla Princes ritually spill their own blood when ascending the throne to symbolically represent their promise to use their vitae for the good of the city. Similarly, vampire marriages require the exchange of vitae to form a blood bond, and the vaulderie is an important tool for bonding among Sabbat packs. Vitae from especially potent elders is sometimes offered as a prize to motivate lesser vampires, who are only too happy to compete for the chance to ingest so much power or use it for their own research.

Since vitae can be used to harm its owner, either through blood sorcery or by exposure to hostile non-vampire beings, it is generally well-protected. Most vampires consider an attempt to steal any of their vitae, even if it has been spilled on the ground and is otherwise going to waste, to be a personal and malicious attack against themself, and are likely to respond accordingly if they find out about it. In cases where vitae has to be transported outside of a vampire's body, most commonly in order to be shipped to a spouse or ghoul to renew their bond, it is entrusted only to the most worthy of couriers, most of whom have been programmed to die protecting it if they need to.