Nightwalkers

"Condemned to walk only in the night, Night Walkers are beings who are cruel, and driven by their desire and lust for blood."

- Kira

Nightwalkers are vampires similar to those in lore. They are a race of blood-drinking magical creatures, many of which were once human at some point in their lives.

Characteristics
Like all vampires, Nightwalkers are immortal. Many have been known to live for thousands of years. They also mate for life, typically having a single partner. Their diet is based strictly on blood, and while human blood is preferred, they can survive by ingesting the blood of other vampires. Similar to all vampires, they cannot be killed unless certain methods are used.

Nightwalkers organize themselves into clans and nests. A clan of vampires can contain as many as twenty or thirty vampires, while a nest typically contains only eight to ten vampires.
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Despite this, all vampires are part of a monarchy. They are typically ruled by a patriarch. Vampires haven't had a matriarch since the 1200s. Nightwalkers are created in much the same way that all vampires are created. Creation of a Nightwalker takes place during the ritualistic drinking and exchanging of bloods between the pre-existing vampire, and the being that wishes to become a vampire. It is a myth in that all vampires are sterile and cannot reproduce. Vampires can mate and reproduce with one another the same as any other mating couple. The only differences in their reproductive cycle is the fact that a vampire pregnancy generally takes only half the time that a human pregnancy does. A general full term pregnancy for a vampire is only three months.
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Illnesses
Nightwalkers, unlike the Daywalkers are extremely susceptible to a mystery illness known as Taint. Taint is an illness similar to Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease). It is a disease that affects the infected vampire's neurological functions by attacking their brain. Taint has a relatively short incubation period of just two to three days, but has been recorded to stay dormant in a vampire for up to three weeks. The illness can affect a vampire at any stage of their life, even striking some very young purebloods who were only at the age of one month old.

The cause of this illness is still unknown, but some speculate that it has to do with the slight differences in the DNA of Nightwalkers and Daywalkers. It is unclear as to weather Shadow-walkers are in danger of catching this disease.

Signs and Symptoms
This illness, as it progresses, drives a vampire insane and cause them to not only attack and kill without feeding or for no reason other than to kill, but changes their physical appearance.

This illness ultimately ends in death and has no known cure. The Taint affects each victim differently but, some attacking their mind driving them insane causing them to attack friends and family as if they are foes. Some to take away their emotions eating away at them making them seem bitter and angry hateful and causing them to be in a constant state of pain and attacking their powers turning them against themselves.