European Vampire Bloodline: The Nightingale

Bloodline Values: Sophistication, Nobility, Excellence, Beauty, Stability and Preservation of the Species

Bloodline Traits:
Euphoric bite/venom, hypnotic gaze, telepathy, highly enhanced speed, enchanting voice, social hunters, territorial.

Bloodline Description:
Nightingales are one of the most common kinds of vampires in the modern era. They are social hunters who are largely indistinguishable from humans, even without the protection of the Veil. They hide in plain sight, moving through human spaces without fear of discovery.

A Nightingale considers themself a member of the "Nobility" of vampirekind and the elders of the bloodline consider it their "duty" to protect the existence of their species from any and all threats: whether that be individual Mundanes, vampire hunting cults, other Supernatural species or even entire Vampiric Bloodlines. They are single-minded in their effort to protect vampirekind from discovery and/or distruction and they will pursue and exterminate these threats -- no matter the cost.

Because of this, the Nightingale Bloodline is distrusted and even feared by the less common bloodlines like the Siren, the Lamia and the Felis. They're also greatly disliked by members of the Revenant Bloodline and the Stryzga bloodline.

Bloodline Culture:
Generally speaking,the Nightingale is mostly solitary, preferring to live alone but sometimes forming covens or gangs of around five members. In larger cities, these covens will be organized into a Court, with a select few functioning as a sort of "noble family" serving under a King or a Queen.

The position of King or Queen is generally passed on to a new Nightingale when the previous Monarch is killed... Which usually includes the destruction of every Noble beneath them... Which means these kinds of coups are relatively rare as Nightingale highly value stability and view the death of other Nightingales as abhorrent.

Nightingale society is highly structured with elaborate social roles, etiquette and a constantly shifting landscape of who's In, who's Out and Who's Not To Be Associated with. Lavish parties and celebrations are a common feature of Nightingale culture, and a member of the Nightingale Court likely has a completely packed social calendar.

Bloodline Appearance:
In appearance, the Nightingale is largely indistinguishable from humans -- even to those with the Sight... Though they do have traits which cause them to stand out from the mortal rabble...

Like all vampires, the Nightingale has incredibly striking eyes with a catlike, slitted pupil as well as brilliantly colored irises that possess a faint luminescence, causing them to appear to glow faintly in low lighting. They also have a reflective layer at the back of their retina that allows them to see in near total darkness, this layer causes their eyes to appear as red pinpoints when hit with a bright light at the correct angle, much like a cat.

In addition to this, the Nightingale has razor sharp, pronounced canines (and sometimes outer inscisors) that extend to nearly twise their original length during any intense emotional state (anger, fear, arousal, surprise, hunger, etc.,). They also have sharp, darkly colored retractable claws.

A Nightingale's skin is also incredibly clear and usually two or three shades lighter than the shade they had as a human. Unlike some other bloodlines, their skin is still highly saturated.

Hunting Methods:
The anti-coagulent venom that Nightingale vampires possess has neurotoxic properties that induce a euphoric and even orgasmic state in their victims -- which allows them to feed without much risk of notice in any place where "necking" or "making out" might go unnoticed. After being fed on, the venom will remain in the victim's system, causing them to remain in a suggestible state that resembles being drugged for anywhere up to an hour.

Because of the effects of their venom, most Nightingale hunt in social settings such as clubs, bars and concerts. It's also not uncommon for a Nightingale to maintain a herd of humans that they feed upon regularly, rather than hunt for new prey nightly.

Bloodline Abilities:
The Nightingale possesses all the general abilities of vampirekind: enhanced speed, strength, stamina and finely tuned senses. What sets the Nightingale apart from the other bloodlines, however, is their master of mental powers -- from a hypnotic gaze to telepathy and full-on mind control, Nightingales are capable of bending just about any mortal to their will... And even some other vampires.

Nightingales are also among the least sensitive to sunlight amont the "Common" bloodlines -- they wake just as the sun sets and sleep just as it rises and may even be able to spend time awake during the day in a well-shaded room.

Bloodline Weaknesses:
Of all the vampiric bloodlines, Nightingales are the most prone to becoming inflexible creatures of habit -- trapped in the same cycles for all eternity, despite any attempt to break free. They've also made an enemy of many of the other vampiric bloodlines with their behavior.

The Bloodlines:
The Nightingale [You Are Here]
The Revenant
The Siren
The Stryzga
The First
The Felis
The Lamia
The Feral

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