Walk The Line

An Excerpt From A Dummies Guide to Mithranda

A brief excerpt from a cumulative history & culture of the civilization on the continent Mithranda that foreigners may find useful." - An anonymous note scribbled in messy handwriting on the inside cover of the small pamphlet

During the dark ages, humanity was almost wiped out by vampires on the continent Mithranda resided on. Priests and scientists were pressured to try and find a way to allow humans to reach the same level of power as vampires so they could be given a chance. After many experiments, the humans learned how to harness mysterious energy "gifted by the heavens," allowing certain individuals to gain strength and abilities that could contest with that of vampires. These enhanced humans were named Vampire Hunters (see "vampire hunters"). Vampire hunters captured or killed vampires.

To protect his people, King Tajo built the first wall. The first wall towers at 40 meters in height. The year the wall was built became known as year 0, the beginning of this age of recorded history. In year 20, King Tajo's son, King Tajo II, built the second wall, towering at 45 meters. In year 100, the third wall was built by the people without an order from their king, towering at 45 meters. In the year 200, the fourth and final wall was built, by the people again, towering at 50 meters. The people of Mithranda decided that it was not worth the risk to try and venture into the Rasadong Forest (see "the lands beyond the wall") in order to build further walls. The "border villages" reside just outside of the fourth wall, a little bit before the edge of the Rasadong Forest.

In the year 225, Mithranda began the process of integrating vampires (see "silvers") into their society. It took a very long time for vampires to gain rights, and they still do not have equal rights.

About Vampires:

Vampires have a very pale complexion and slightly unusually colored eyes. They have an unearthly elegance about them, often an unnatural beauty as well. The best way to identify them is by their fangs. They are very sensitive to sunburns and are mostly nocturnal, sticking to the dense forest, Rasadong Forest. When in direct sunlight for too long, a vampire's skin will begin to smoke as they begin to turn into ash. If they remain in the sun even longer, they will completely disintegrate to ash. Vampires can eat human food, but often choose not to as it has little taste to them. They need blood to survive, animal or human, though it has been stated that humans taste better. Vampire's cannot see their reflection in a mirror, it is believed that this is because they have no soul (see "about Miro"). Vampires have enhanced senses, strength, and speed. They also can hang upside down by their feet, allowing them to walk upside-down. They also have hypnotic powers, all which vary in strength. Very few, but some vampires have such strong hypnotic powers they can cause others to hallucinate and even control the actions of the weak minded. Some vampires, extremely rarely, have a slight telekinetic power, which allows them to move things with their mind. Silver is the only thing that can kill a vampire besides a stake to the heart or extended exposure to sunlight. They do not like garlic. When they bite a human, most of the time they feed off of their life source and blood. Sometimes, intentionally or not, they inject a venom into the bloodstream of the human, which will eventually (usually after about 2 weeks) turn them into a vampire if they survive the turning process (see "turning"). Often vampires stop aging around their early and late 20s, some in their teens. The freezing of age is either a conscious choice or after going through a period of extreme grief. If an infant does not spend enough time with an older vampire, they will not age.

About Silvers:

Silvers are the vampires that have gone through the integration process. They are placed on a medication that subdues their unnatural abilities and are required to wear a silver bracelet with a shocker inside, a precaution put in place in case a silver decides to attack a human. Silvers are not allowed to marry humans. They are also required to carry their IDs on them at all times.