By Dano
My long-lived characters (because nothing except Gods are
truly immortal and I won't write a God) have all been ordinary people. They are
not kings or heroes or even particularly honorable, just people with simple
goals, human failings, and several or more lifetimes of experience to draw
from. Their minds have been exposed to multiple cultures for extended periods
of time, and have integrated into them. Mostly however, through their own
ingenuity, they have survived.
Vampires who murder,
like Mundanes who murder, are generally caught. The difference is that a
vampire won't get a fair trial. One has only to look at history to see this, as
many corpses were dug up as lately as the nineteenth century and 'staked' into
their coffins to keep them from wandering about at night. There was no more
evidence against them than an outbreak of illness shortly after their death.
Imagine if a tight knit society of that time were confronted with actual ex-sanguinated
corpses, mass hysteria would have ensued. To survive any length of time they
would have to have evaded detection throughout history, would remember, and
probably would not change their habits quickly. Even in a modern, open society
they would stay in the shadows.
A long lived character
in any position of power would also be noticed after a few decades, let alone
centuries, unless he changed identities. One has only to look at the likes of
Dick Clark or George Burns to see this, Mr. Clark for his youthful appearance
and Mr. Burns for his longevity. (Both men have sadly passed, but what's up
with Bridgette Bardot?) They would not only have to integrate with changing
societies, but remain transparent to them.
I accomplish this by
placing my characters at the fringes of society where a little weirdness and
changing identity would be overlooked. They have occupations that require
travel, or anonymity, or both. In short, they appear as regular people with a
few odd habits until you get to know them.
Join him and others on adventures at RP World
