Love the enthusiasm ❤️❤️❤️ alright, some vampire lore for y'all!
There's two kinds of vampires. I don't have names for either of them yet but they boil down to biological and religious.
Biological vampires are what happens when a person dies from being bitten, typically of blood loss. Think Lucy from Dracula. There's a difference between feeding on a human vs letting them die, mind. You can theoretically feed on a human an infinite number of times, so long as you give them time to recover, because a vampire doesn't need more than a small amount at once.
A biological vampire happens when they're almost bled out. The only way to kill a biological vampire is to cut off the head. They are forbidden in vampire society; as in, they'll kill humans who might bleed out from bites while alive so they don't turn.
Religious vampires are what most vampires are in this series. They are not accidents, they are chosen, mafia style.
(Villainous vampires live mostly in a place called the Keeps, btw. It's set in a mountain/ravine area. Neutral vampires and human friendly ones live basically wherever they can.)
The villainous vampires in the present day of the story walk the line between crime organization and cult. They don't just turn anybody. A lot of humans that work for them don't get that. Religious vampires aren't just looking for the best criminals. They are looking for family.
A few of those steps off the top of my head in no particular order...
The vampire fledgling (who I might call a neophyte) must go through a several year period of training, especially if Noticed at a young age. There are no Claudia types here, and they don't like feeding on children. So if you're Noticed as a teen you'll be trained until you're an adult
Religious training starts early and intensifies as the training continues. Human beliefs, religious or not, are tested and proven false compared to the power of the five vampire gods. This is mandatory even if, especially if, you're an atheist.
At some point the neophyte must sever their emotional ties with their family. In the past this could involve homicide but these days it's considered better to keep the human family alive to avoid drawing attention or if they seem useful. They are allowed to be as creative as they want with this. This is a late stage thing. If the neophyte can't do this they are killed.
Neophytes are chosen by a sire who helps them adapt and integrate with their new family. They are trained personally, meet new people, etc. They may have a mild psychic connection to their sire or the rest of the family but it's not mind control. It's more like an awareness of where your family is and how they're doing.
Last stage is the surgery. They are drugged to unconsciousness and cut open. Their hearts are removed, and the metal 'locket' is placed around it. The heart is sewn back into the body, which is dying or has died by this point. They then sew the body back up and wait for the newborn vampire to revive. When the vampire comes back, they are dehydrated from lack of blood (painful) and don't yet have fangs. They are presented with a goblet of blood, including blood of their family members, to help them recover.
On the subject of fangs, they are a bit painful as they develop. It's more painful, though celebrated, if they have fangs with poison glands or whatever.
Side note: go read Honoria if you haven't. I can't go into spoilers on this post, just... Trust me. Read it. It's free on itchio y'know and costs like $2usd everywhere else. Also let me know if you'd like to join the tag list for this series!!
