- This article is for the vampires. For their Court, see White Court.
White Court vampires, which Toot-Toot calls Pale Hunters,[1] are one of the various unrelated creatures called "vampires". White Court vampires appear human and prey on human emotions and energies. Their corresponding organization is the White Court, after which they are named.
Description[]
Vanity, thy name is vampire.— Harry Dresden on Thomas Raith[2]
White Court vampires appear human and prey on human emotions and energies. They are long lived, possibly immortal; Lord Raith and Lara Raith have both lived for centuries. The ones present in The Dresden Files can be identified by a shared inhuman beauty, and blood that is "a few shades too pale to be human".[2]
Their vampiric state is genetic and highly hereditary, rather than induced like the other two major Courts. They are, for all intents and purposes, human, until their vampirism manifests sometime around the age of their maturity. As with the Red Court, their first feeding, with its subsequent and almost inevitable kill, usually marks their full transformation, and awakens the demon that lives inside of them, forcing them to feed. If they refrain from feeding for too long, this "Hunger" drives them into a frenzy where they must feed, usually enough to permanently harm or kill their victim,[3] and can drive the vampire permanently insane.[4] However, under specific circumstances, individuals descended from White Court vampires may curtail their transformation into vampires completely.[5]
Their demon feeds upon specific emotions, which largely depends upon which family you come from: House Raith normally feeds on lust, for example; House Malvora feeds on fear; House Skavis feeds on despair, and so on.[6] They can change the emotion that they feed on, such as with Madrigal Raith, but it is considered very taboo,[2] and, according to Maeve, it may be a result of Nemesis.[7] The feeding is addictive, and victims usually come back for more.[8]
White Court vampires are not endowed with as much physical strength as other vampire breeds under normal circumstances,[9] although they have naturally enhanced sight,[10] hearing,[11] and sense of smell,[6] able to see in pitch darkness and at great distances, hear whispers from ten feet away, and track scents like dogs can. Their physical performance levels (standing jump heights, speed, endurance, reflexes, rate of healing, and so on) are majorly dependent on how much their demon is fed. If they use too much of their supernatural powers, they must feed again to replenish them.[12] While tapping into the demon, they radiate waves of cold (possibly an illusory reaction of normal humans to their energy sink), their skin whitens, their eyes turn an unnatural silver, and their whole body begins to glow faintly.[3]
They have far fewer vulnerabilities than other kinds of vampires. Sunlight and symbols of faith do not harm them at all.[9] Their largest weakness is the opposite to the emotion that the vampire primarily feeds upon: Raiths are harmed by true love,[13] Malvora by acts of courage, Skavis by hope, etc.[14] People or objects who are (or who have recently been) contaminated by the opposite emotion of the specific vampire are highly resistant to that vampire's control, and can even physically burn and blister the vampire's skin upon contact.[13][15] Should they sustain too much trauma without feeding, their hunger will become mad, uncontrollable and unsatisfying, turning against their host by feeding through their life force till they die even if they were redirected to their prey. It's possible to slow down the damage if another White Court gave his or her energy to them, however it will leave that vampire feeling empty and hungry that they need to feed depending on the damage.[16]
The Whites can cross a threshold without an invitation but doing so cripples their abilities.[17]
A Black Court vampire believed that he could successfully be able to turn a White Court one. However, since the Black Court member was turned only three years earlier, his assumption may have been incorrect.[18]
White Court vampires can also still trigger a soulgaze when looking a wizard in the eye, and can breed with the general human population, without any noticeable abnormalities in the offspring until their vampiric transformation occurs, suggesting that they are merely human variants rather than entirely separate creatures.[5]
According to the Harry Dresden, the Paranet refers to them as whampires.[16]
References[]
- ↑ Small Favor, ch. 5
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Proven Guilty, ch. 28
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Blood Rites, ch. 19
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 5
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Blood Rites, ch. 21
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 White Night, ch. 16
- ↑ Cold Days, ch. 25
- ↑ White Night, ch. 7
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Blood Rites, ch. 1
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 40
- ↑ "It's My Birthday, Too"
- ↑ White Night, ch. 24
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Blood Rites, ch. 20
- ↑ WoJ on Vampires
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 34
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Peace Talks, ch. 3
- ↑ Ghost Story, ch. 9
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 16