History Literature / EmpireOfTheVampire

* AntiHero:

* FantasticDrug: '''Sanctus''' is a powder made from extracted vampire blood, smoked through a pipe by the Silversaints in order to slake their own thirst for human blood and boost their own powers before going into battle. Vampiric blood itself is highly addictive and repeated consumption renders one enthralled to the undead from which it came. To avoid this, and dull its potency in general, the blood is dried and powdered, and only smoked once a day at most, usually during evening mass.

* CharacterNarrator: The story is framed as an autobiography which Gabriel narrates to Jean-Francois, one of the vampires keeping him prisoner. The chronicler will occasionally even interrupt the Silversaint's telling for the sake of expanding on the worldbuilding, as his stated mission is to "preserve (the setting's) image long after (Gabriel's) name has been forgotten by future generations".

* EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Due to [[TheNightThatNeverEnds Daysdeath]], a perpetual shroud of dust and smog smothering the world's atmosphere, there is an acute lack of sunlight across the entire continent. Beyond the immediate problems such as crop failure, the resulting risk of famine and the gradual decline of all natural food chains, this also allows the formerly minor and endemic threat of vampires to spiral out of control through targeted mass turnings by a handful of ancient, powerful ''highbloods''. As hordes of ravenous Dead sweep away the last bastions of odl civilization across a starving, dying world, it seems reasonable for many characters to conclude that the End Times have come.

* FantasticDrug:
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Empire seems to largely consist of several reasons of Old World cultures in late medieval or early modern period. The centre of the empire, Elidaen, has a heavy French and Mediterranean vibes and has been the traditional centre of power, culture and innovation on the continent. Nordlund seems a mix of Germanic countries, and is renowned for its [[{{Ruritania}}mountainous geography and hardy people]], though still culturally and ethnically unremarkable. Ossway is a mix of Ireland and Scotland, with highland clans brimming with [[ViolentGlaswegian red-haired warriors with heavy accents]]. Finally, Sudhaem appears to be a mix of Arabic and African cultures, with it's people dark-skinned and naming conventions taken after the Muslim world. All realms of the Empire are united by the One Faith.

* ByronicHero:

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Empire seems to largely consist of several reasons of Old World cultures in late medieval or early modern period. The centre of the empire, Elidaen, has a heavy French and Mediterranean vibes and has been the traditional centre of power, culture and innovation on the continent. Nordlund seems a mix of Germanic countries, and is renowned for its [[{{Ruritania}}mountainous geography and hardy people]], though still culturally and ethnically unremarkable. Ossway is a mix of Ireland and Scotland, with highland clans brimming with [[Violent Glaswegian red-haired warriors with heavy accents]]. Finally, Sudhaem appears to be a mix of Arabic and African cultures, with it's people dark-skinned and naming conventions taken after the Muslim world. All realms of the Empire are united by the One Faith.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture:

* HorrorHunger: The curse of the vampires involves the perpetual, unending thirst for fresh blood, so powerful it drives the lesser vampires into downright suicidial frenzy. Though it can be slaked off by devouring animals, human blood will always be preferred, for it is the sweetest and most varied. The [[{{Dhampyr}}''palebloods'']] inherit this hunger from their undead parent, among other things, and it eventually always either consumers their mind until they're too weak to resist, or lose their minds supressing the urge. Smoking vampiric blood in the form of [[FantasticDrug ''sanctus'']] staves the urge off, but never truly sates it.

* EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt:

* FeralVampires: Those vampires whose ''Becoming'' occurs later, after their body and brain has decayed significantly, wind up as animalistic, mindless walking corpses more in line with original Eastern European myths about the undead. These beings are named ''wretched'' by mortals, who view them with hatred, and ''foulbloods'' by ancien vampires, who view them with contempt. Originally they were merely the unfortunate victims of a vampire's feeding, discarded after death and left to fend for themselves should they happen to reanimate, for to sire a foulblood by accident was seen as a mark of shame within kith circles. Even without a hunter's intervention, most ''wretched'' were left so feral and brain-damaged that their hunger completely consumed them, and they were often simply caught out in the open by sunrise, swiftly burning to a crisp. However, after Daysdeath, their numbers began to naturally surge as the sun could no longer harm them. This led Fabien Voss to discard the traditional ''kith'' stance on siring wretched and begin spawning an army of Dead under his command, an approach which was quickly emulated by the other bloodlines. Currently, the ''wretched'' form the bulk of the Forever King's armies, a [[TheHorde mindless, starving horde]] forever enthralled in service to their callous creators.

* HorrorHunger:

** [[BigBad Fabien Voss]]: '''The Forever King'''

* VampireMonarch: Fabien Voss, the eldest of Blood Voss and possibly the eldest vampire in existence. After initiating the first undead rising which overran Talhost, he styled himself the Forever King and began conquering the rest of the Empire. [[spoiler: Following his demise at Gabriel's hands, Margot Chastain claims his throne and styles herself Empress of Wolves and Men.]]

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampires within the setting largely fall into all the classic vampire tropes of a standard GothicHorror setting. They are referred to as vampires, coldbloods or the Dead by mortals, and refer to each other as "kith". Their curse is [[VampireBitesSuck passed via bite]] and the draining of all blood from a victim, although it is a fickle process over which the vampire itself has no control. Depending on what state they rise in, they are classed either as ''highbloods'', the eternally youthful and beautiful midnight aristocrats, or ''foubloods'', also called the ''wretched'', feral, mindless walking corpses whose only instinct is the consumption of blood. A vampire's offspring is [[YourSoulIsMine completely subservient]] to their sire, and cannot in any way defy their will. Based on their age, vampires are divided into ''fledglings'' (a few years old and still somewhat human), ''mediae'' (a few decades old and only barely human) and finally the ''ancien'' (centuries to millennia old and utterly inhuman). They have the standard set of strengths (SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperToughness, SuperReflexes, HealingFactor, Hypnotic Eyes) and weaknesses ([[ThePowerOfTheSun sunlight]], [[SilverHasMysticPowers silver]], [[KillItWithFire fire]], [[OffWithHisHead decapitation]], [[AttackOnTheHeart impaling]], [[HolyBurnsEvil holy objects and icons]], [[CannotCrossRunningWater running water]], [[MustBeInvited dwelling thresholds]] etc.), as well as more unique gifts particular to the four great bloodlines to which all vampires belong. Finally, despite being technically dead they are apparently alive to [[VampiresAreSexGods maintain certain bodily function]], enough so to couple with mortal women and sire {{Dhampyr}} children, known as ''palebloods'', who inherit some of their supernatural characteristics.

* RedBaron: Badass titles and "nom" "de" "guerres" abound within the setting, particularly among the undead aristocracy. Examples include:

* RedBaron: Badass titles and "nom de guerres" abound within the setting, particularly among the undead aristocracy. Examples include:

* RedBaron: Badass titles and "nom de guerres" abound within the setting, particularly among the undead aristocracy. Examples include:

* TheNightThatNeverEnds:

* BloodMagic: Sanguimancy is the vampiric power to channel magic using blood itself, feared even by other vampires. It can be used to make the blood within both living and Dead boil, forced to bend shape and form to the will of its user and even reshape the users own body. However, little is known for certain about it, as it is associated with the ancient, now presumably extinct Blood Esani.

* {{Dhampyr}}: All brothers of the Ordo Argent are ''palebloods'', children born of a vampiric father and mortal mother. The result of such a union, if any, is invariably a boy who inherits some traits of their undead sire, such as a measure of SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperReflexes and a potent HealingFactor, as well as the talents particular to their own bloodline. However, along with these gifts, the palebloods inherit their father's curse as well, feeling the same burning hunger which drives them to consume the blood of the living, and radiating a similar, if more subdued, aura of dark charisma which either draws or repels everyone around them. To atone for the sin of their conception and salvage their own souls from damnation, palebloods are recruited into the Ordo Argent and tasked with ridding the world of their coldblooded progenitors so that no more such as they may be sired in the future.

* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: Most highbloods go for this trope hard, being forever frozen in their life's prime, but counting among the most evil and depraved beings in the world. Of particular note are those turned as children, who look beautiful and fae, but are just as capable of horrific slaughter and vile perversion.
* FantasticCatholicism: The One Faith is mostly a one-to-one reskin of the Catholic Church cca. the 1400s, complete with [[{{God}} Almighty God]], the [[CrystalDragonJesus Redeemer]], [[SacredScripture The Testaments]], [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]], [[PatronSaint saints]], [[HighPriest High Pontifex]], [[NunsNRosaries nuns]], [[KnightTemplar crusaders]] and even the [[SecretPolice Inquisition]]. The few differences are mostly aesthetic - the Redeemer died on a wheel instead of a cross, which, along with the seven-pointed star, became the icon of the faith. The most prominent divergence is that the Emperor of the continent-spanning empire remains the nominal head of the Church, much more in lieu with Byzantine and later Russian emperors and Orthodox churches.

* FeralVampires: Those vampires whose Becoming occurs later, after their body and brain has decayed significantly, wind up as animalistic, mindless walking corpses more in line with original Eastern European myths about the undead. These beings are named ''wretched'' by mortals, who view them with hatred, and ''foulbloods'' by ancien vampires, who view them with contempt. Originally they were merely the unfortunate victims of a vampire's feeding, discarded after death and left to fend for themselves should they happen to reanimate, for to sire a foulblood by accident was seen as a mark of shame within kith circles. Even without a hunter's intervention, most ''wretched'' were left so feral and brain-damaged that their hunger completely consumed them, and they were often simply caught out in the open by sunrise, swiftly burning to a crisp. However, after Daysdeath, their numbers began to naturally surge as the sun could no longer harm them. This led Fabien Voss to discard the traditional ''kith'' stance on siring wretched and begin spawning an army of Dead under his command, an approach which was quickly emulated by the other bloodlines. Currently, the ''wretched'' form the bulk of the Forever King's armies, a [[TheHorde mindless, starving horde]] forever enthralled in service to their callous creators.

* HunterOfHisOwnKind:

* TheOrder: The '''Ordo Argent''', a ChurchMilitant branch of the One Faith hierarchy operating out of the ancient San Michon monastery deep in the mountains of Nordlund. Though the order also counts regular staff, such as a group of secretive smiths known as "Blackthumbs" and an order of nuns called the Silver Sorority, its main members are the palebloods, cursed children born of union between vampires and mortal women. To attone for the sin of their birth and rescue their souls from damnation in Hell, young palebloods are conscripted into the Ordo and trained to hunt their vampiric kin, as well as other horrors of the night. The Ordo languished in obscurity for many centuries after its founding, but after Daysdeath, with the numbers of Dead soaring, it found itself enjoying the favour of Empress-Consort Isabella, allowing them to broaden their operations.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampires within the setting largely fall into all the classic vampire tropes of a standard GothicHorror setting. They are referred to as vampires, coldbloods or the Dead by mortals, and refer to each other as "kith". Their curse is [[VampireBitesSuck passed via bite]] and the draining of all blood from a victim, although it is a fickle process over which the vampire itself has no control. Depending on what state they rise in, they are classed either as ''highbloods'', the eternally youthful and beautiful midnight aristocrats, or ''foubloods'', also called the ''wretched'', feral, mindless walking corpses whose only instinct is the consumption of blood. A vampire's offspring is [[YourSoulIsMine completely subservient]] to their sire, and cannot in any way defy their will. Based on their age, vampires are divided into ''fledglings'' (a few years old and still somewhat human), ''mediae'' (a few decades old and only barely human) and finally the ''ancien'' (centuries to millennia old and utterly inhuman). They have the standard set of strengths (SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperToughness, SuperReflexes, HealingFactor, Hypnotic Eyes) and weaknesses ([[ThePowerOfTheSun sunlight]], [[SilverHasMysticPowers silver]], [[KillItWithFire fire]], [[OffWithHisHead decapitation]], [[AttackOnTheHeart impaling]], [[HolyBurnsEvil holy objects and icons]], [[CannotCrossRunningWater running water]], [[MustBeInvited dwelling thresholds]] etc.), as well as more unique gifts particular to the four great bloodlines to which all vampires belong. Finally, despite being technically dead they are apparently alive to [[VampiresAreSexGods maintain certain bodily function]], enough so to couple with mortal women and sire dhampyr children, known as palebloods, who inherit some aspects of their supernatural being.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Vampires and palebloods who have freshly fed will have their eyes redden, often to the point of completely colouring their whites. This also happens whenever Silversaints smoke ''sanctus''. It is generally recommended "not" to take on any individual, vampire or paleblood, who is seen in this state.

* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: Eventually, if they live long enough, all palebloods will succumb to the hungry curse passed onto them by their fathers, the thirst within them becoming unbearable. When this happens, rather than risk losing their minds or becoming no better than the beasts they hunt, a Silversaint is taken to "Heaven's Gate" by his brothers at San Michon. There, his throat is cut and his body cast into the waters of the river below, ensuring an honourable death and a short path to Heaven, or so it is said.

* VampireHunter: The Silversaints of the Ordo Argent are sworn to hunt creatures of darkness across the Empire, with vampires constituting their primary and most common quarry, though they are also mentioned to have [[WickedWitch hunted witches]], [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]], [[FairFolk faekin]] and [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent duskdancers]].

* CrapsackWorld: What was until barely three decades past a rather by-the-numbers MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting went rapidly downhill after a falling star crashed into the planet, sending up clouds of dust and particles thick enough to conceal the sun itself. The initial problems were bad enough - most harvests failed, millions of people were rendered jobless and pennyless, and a continent-wide famine was only narrowly averted. And that was before the Dead took advantage of the fact that the sun, though still faintly present, was now too weak to burn them. Fast-forward twenty-seven years, and most of the continent has been rendered a barren wasteland, with forests of dead black trees constantly smothered in downpours of ashen grey snows and thick filthy rain. Nothing grows except potatoes and mushrooms, much of the larger fauna has been rendered extinct and the last of humanitys food stores are finally running out. All that without taking into account the hordes of ravenous corpses rampaging across the Empire, draining entire cities and enthralling the survivors into chattle slavery for their ancient overlords. In the words of the protagonist himself:

* CreepyCatholicism: Given the heavy and liberal usage of [[CreepyCathedral high medieval Gothic architecture]], [[BadHabits dark clothing]], OminousLatinChanting or a [[ThePowerOfBlood plethora of rituals and rites involving the drawing and imbibing of blood]], Kristoff definitely enjoys making use of this trope. This not even mentioning the more mundane horror within the Church, including [[CorruptChurch priestly corruption]], [[TheFundamentalist rising fanaticism]] or certain priests [[SinisterMinister being exposed as allies of the Dead]]. That said, for all their doubtless flaws and sinister imagery, the Ordo Argent and the Church factions aligned behind them [[DarkIsNotEvil are undoubtedly on the side of good]].

* CreepyCatholicism: Given the heavy and liberal usage of [[CreepyCathedral high medieval Gothic architecture]], OminousLatinChanting or a plethora of rituals and rites involving the drawing and imbibing of blood, Kristoff definitely enjoys making use of this trope. This not even mentioning the more mundane horror within the Church, including CorruptChurch corruption, TheFundamentalist rising fanaticism or certain priests being exposed as allies of the Dead. That said, for all their doubtless flaws and sinister imagery, the Ordo Argent and the Church factions aligned behind them DarkIsNotEvil are undoubtedly on the side of good.

* CreepyCatholicism:

* FantasticCatholicism: The One Faith is mostly a one-to-one reskin of the Catholic Church cca. the 1400s, complete with [[{{God}} Almighty God]], the [[CrystalDragonJesus Redeemer]], [[TheBible The Testaments]], [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]], [[PatronSaint saints]], [[HighPriest High Pontifex]], [[NunsNRosaries nuns]], [[KnightTemplar crusaders]] and even the [[SecretPolice Inquisition]]. The few differences are mostly aesthetic - the Redeemer died on a wheel instead of a cross, which, along with the seven-pointed star, became the icon of the faith. The most prominent divergence is that the Emperor of the continent-spanning empire remains the nominal head of the Church, much more in lieu with Byzantine and later Russian emperors and Orthodox churches.

* FantasticCatholicism:

* BattleStrip: {{Justified}}. Armour is largely useless against even juvenile vampires, who have enough raw strength to twist metal with their grip. Thus, Silversaints employ an "aegis" instead - a set of beautiful, complex tattoos writ with silvered ink, depicting holy images and icons. Such a pattern is difficult to so much as look at for most vampires, and actively [[HolyBurnsEvil burns them]] should they touch it, whilst also allowing the hunters to enjoy maximum mobility and agility due to being unencumbered.

* BlackEyesOfEvil: Many vampires sport these, particularly the completely inhuman, ancien higbloods. Younger vampires tend to have merely disconcerting, glassy yet intense stares with regular human eyes.

* TheOrder: The Ordo Argent, a ChurchMilitant branch of the One Faith hierarchy operating out of the ancient San Michon monastery deep in the mountains of Nordlund. Though the order also counts regular staff, such as a group of secretive smiths known as "Blackthumbs" and an order of nuns called the Silver Sorority, its main members are the palebloods, cursed children born of union between vampires and mortal women. To attone for the sin of their birth and rescue their souls from damnation in Hell, young palebloods are conscripted into the Ordo and trained to hunt their vampiric kin, as well as other horrors of the night. The Ordo languished in obscurity for many centuries after its founding, but after Daysdeath, with the numbers of Dead soaring, it found itself enjoying the favour of Empress-Consort Isabella, allowing them to broaden their operations.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Vampires and palebloods who have freshly fed will have their eyes redden, often to the point of completely colouring their whites. This also happens whenever Silversaints smoke sanctus. It is generally recommended "not" to take on any individual, vampire or paleblood, who is seen in this state.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampires within the setting largely fall into all the classic vampire tropes of a standard GothicHorror setting. They are referred to as vampires, coldbloods or the Dead by mortals, and refer to each other as "kith". Their curse is [[VampireBitesSuck passed via bite]] and the draining of all blood from a victim, although it is a fickle process over which the vampire itself has no control. Depending on what state they rise in, they are classed either as ''highbloods'', the eternally youthful and beautiful midnight aristocrats, or ''foubloods'', also called the ''wretched'', feral, mindless walking corpses whose only instinct is the consumption of blood. A vampire's offspring is [[YourSoulIsMine completely subservient]] to their sire, and cannot in any way defy their will. Based on their age, vampires are divided into ''fledglings'' (a few years old and still somewhat human), ''mediae'' (a few decades old and only barely human) and finally the ''ancien'' (centuries to millennia old and utterly inhuman). They have the standard set of strengths (SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperToughness, SuperReflexes, HealingFactor, Hypnotic Eyes) and weaknesses ([[ThePowerOfTheSun sunlight]], [[SilveHasMysticPowers silver]], [[KillItWithFire fire]], [[OffWithHisHead decapitation]], [[AttackOnTheHeart impaling]], [[HolyBurnsEvil holy objects and icons]], [[CannotCrossRunningWater running water]], [[MustBeInvited dwelling thresholds]] etc.), as well as more unique gifts particular to the four great bloodlines to which all vampires belong. Finally, despite being technically dead they are apparently alive to [[VampiresAreSexGods maintain certain bodily function]], enough so to couple with mortal women and sire dhampyr children, known as palebloods, who inherit some aspects of their supernatural being.

* DeadpanSnarker: Plenty of characters fall under this trope. Gabriel himself is quite partial to biting sarcasm, particularly when conversing with his jailer Jean-Francois, who gives as good as he gets. Every other word from Astrid Rennier's mouth is some witty jab, quip or insult. But Ashdrinker, Gabriel's EmpathicWeapon, quite possibly takes the cake with her mix of YeOldeButcheredeEnglish and sudden, vicious bouts of barbed tonguelashing.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampires within the setting largely fall into all the classic vampire tropes of a standard GothicHorror setting. They are referred to as vampires, coldbloods or the Dead by mortals, and refer to each other as "kith". Their curse is [[VampireBitesSuck passed via bite]] and the draining of all blood from a victim, although it is a fickle process over which the vampire itself has no control. Depending on what state they rise in, they are classed either as ''highbloods'', the eternally youthful and beautiful midnight aristocrats, or ''foubloods'', also called the ''wretched'', feral, mindless walking corpses whose only instinct is the consumption of blood. A vampire's offspring is [[YourSoulIsMine completely subservient]] to their sire, and cannot in any way defy their will. Based on their age, vampires are divided into ''fledglings'' (a few years old and still somewhat human), ''mediae'' (a few decades old and only barely human) and finally the ''ancien'' (centuries to millennia old and utterly inhuman). They have the standard set of strengths (SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperToughness, SuperReflexes, HealingFactor, Hypnotic Eyes) and weaknesses ([[ThePowerOfTheSun sunlight]], [[SilveHasMysticPowers silver, [[KillItWithFire fire]], [[OffWithHisHead decapitation]], [[AttackOnTheHeart impaling]], [[HolyBurnsEvil holy objects and icons]], [[CannotCrossRunningWater running water]], [[MustBeInvited dwelling thresholds]] etc.), as well as more unique gifts particular to the four great bloodlines to which all vampires belong. Finally, despite being technically dead they are apparently alive to [[VampiresAreSexGods maintain certain bodily function]], enough so to couple with mortal women and sire dhampyr children, known as palebloods, who inherit some aspects of their supernatural being.

* DeadpanSnarker: Plenty of characters fall under this trope. Gabriel himself is quite partial to biting sarcasm, particularly when conversing with his jailer Jean-Francois, who gives as good as he gets. Every other word from Astrid Rennier's mouth is some witty jab, quip or insult. But Ashdrinker, Gabriel's EmpathicWeapon, quite possibly takes the cake with her mix of YeOldeEnglish flowery rhetoric and sudden, vicious bouts of barbed tonguelashing.

* EmpathicWeapon: Ashdrinker is a legendary vampire-slaying sword which Gabriel winds up wielding via means unknown. She is made from MeteoricIron, called ''starsteel'', and is the most legendary vampire slaying weapon in the world. However, the point of her blade has been broken off, leaving the sword with a sort-of speech impediment, which means she usually merely repeats things Gabriel already knows, much to his frustration. Whenever she is not mocking him that is.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Vampires within the setting largely fall into all the classic vampire tropes of a standard GothicHorror setting. They are referred to as vampires, coldbloods or the Dead by mortals, and refer to each other as "kith". Their curse is [[VampireBitesSuck passed via bite]] and the draining of all blood from a victim, although it is a fickle process over which the vampire itself has no control. Depending on what state they rise in, they are classed either as highbloods, the eternally youthful and beautiful midnight aristocrats, or foubloods, also called the wretched, feral, bestial walking corpses whose only instincts are the consumption of blood. A vampire's offspring is completely subservient to their sire, and cannot in any way defy their will. Based on their age, vampires are divided into fledglings (a few years old and still somewhat human), mediae (a few decades old and only barely human) and finally the ancien (centuries to millennia old and utterly inhuman). They have the standard set of strengths (SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, SuperReflexes, HealingFactor, MindControl over the weak-willed) and weaknesses (sunlight, silver, fire, decapitation, holy objects and icons, running water, dwelling thresholds etc.), as well as more unique gifts particular to the four great bloodlines to which all vampires belong. Finally, despite being technically dead they are apparently alive to [[VampiresAreSexGods maintain certain bodily function]], enough so to couple with mortal women and sire dhampyr children, known as palebloods, who inherit some aspects of their supernatural being.

* CrapsackWorld:

* CrystalDragonJesus: The Redeemer, the central figure of worship of the One Faith, is a very straightforward example. Son of God sent to Earth to spread His word among the people, he was eventually captured and tortured to death by the priests of the "Old Gods", though instead of a cross, they hung him from a chariot wheel, which serves an identical purpose. His death also acted as the catalyst which eventually spread the One Faith across the Empire which originally executed him. Instead of Virgin Mary, the Redeemer was birthed by the Mothermaid, and instead of the Twelve Apostles, His word was spread by the Seven Martyrs. The names of many angels are also lifted over from Christian canon, though their attributes are switched up - angel Gabriel is now angel of fire. There is even a figure named Jezebel associated with harlots and prostitutes, much like her Biblical counterpart.
* DeadpanSnarker:

* EmpathicWeapon:

* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: Most highbloods go for this trope hard, being forever frozen in their lifes prime, but counting among the most evil and depraved beings in the world. Of particular note are those turned as children, who look beautiful and fae, but are just as capable of horrific slaughter and vile perversion.

* FemmeFatale: Astrid Rennier, all the way through. Beautiful, intelligent, resourceful and very aware of it, Astrid is an almost textbook example of the trope, down to the raven hair, ivory skin and near-constant smoking. Laure Voss tries to put up a simmilar air on occassion, but usually she winds up somewhere between TheVamp and TheBrute due to her fundamentally childish mindset.

* FemmeFatale

* TheLostLenore:

* BloodMagic:

* ImmortalityImmorality:

* CrystalDragonJesus: