MONDAY, JULY 26 It's in the Blood – This week, we take a look at the special properties of Kindred Vitae, the precious source of vitality for all vampires. Rest for the Wicked – Sleep is a state Kindred fear nearly as much as mortals fear death. Long periods of inactivity, called torpor, remove the vampire from the world of the (un)living for weeks, years or even centuries at a time. Many things can force a vampire into torpor, including the folkloric stake through the heart, great amounts of other physical trauma, or a lack of Vitae to animate the Kindred corpse. A vampire may even enter torpor voluntarily in an attempt to sleep away the troubles of the world. However, a Kindred in torpor is in a perfect condition to be left out in the sun (or worse) by her rivals or traitorous allies. Kindred in the thrall of the great sleep experience lucid hallucinations which some have come to call dreams. However, the dreams and nightmares of torpor mix fantasy and fears with memory, leaving the torpid vampire with a fractured or warped mindset upon waking. When the vampire finally rises, there is also the problem of culture shock – a hurdle many vampires are unable to overcome. To make matters worse, the blood thins as the Kindred sleeps, leaving a newly roused vampire without all of the strength or abilities he had before. It's not uncommon for the sudden lack of Blood Potency to leave former Princes scrambling to pick up the pieces and find new allies in their weakened state. |