Black Court

The Black Court is one of the Vampire Courts. Black Court vampires are the 'classic' vampire variety: undead humans preying on live ones in order to drink their blood.

Description
The Black Court comprises the most well-known kind of vampire, the reanimated bloodthirsty undead popularized by Bram Stoker's Dracula. In  the Dresdenverse, the publication of that book at the behest of the White Court, is believed to be the primary cause of the Court's downfall, as Stoker supposedly published the book as a "how-to" manual to hunt the Black Court. Black Court vampires still inhabit the human bodies that they lived in before they were turned into vampires, with the only difference being their bodies rotting like zombies in the time that they have been undead.

Strengths and weaknesses
Black Court vampires possess all the classic strengths and weaknesses of Stoker's Dracula: they can lift and throw cars with one hand and crash through concrete walls without harm to themselves; but must sleep in their native soil, and fear garlic and objects of faith. Sunlight, while deadly to younger members of the Black Court, is merely an inconvenience to older members, weakening them significantly, as in Stoker's novel.

Mavra, an ancient Black Court vampire, has demonstrated the ability to use magic in the same way wizards do.

Details

 * The Black Court can not cross a threshold at all, period.


 * A group of Black Court vampires is called a Scourge.


 * For back up strength—goons—they utilize their ability to enthrall by making Simple Thralls, Renfields and dark dog-like creatures called Darkhounds.

Politics
The Black Court is currently the smallest and (politically) weakest of the Courts, although those few who survived the purges caused by Stoker's book are among the strongest and most cunning monsters in the world by virtue of sheer necessity.