Vampire Hunting Game
Libby Cowen
Vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in folklore and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires and other monstrous or undead creatures, including their powers and weaknesses, and uses this knowledge to effectively combat them.
Vampire hunters range in characterization in fiction from sages with more than average knowledge about the occult, to athletes with the skill and ability to confront vampires with traditional or holy weapons often including wooden stakes and holy water, to supernatural beings themselves who fight vampires with mystical powers. Many characterizations draw from the history and folklore of the Balkans.
They were usually either born on Saturday (then called Sabbatarians,[1] Bulgarian sbotnichav,[2] Greek sabbatiano[1]) or the offspring of a vampire and a woman (typically his widow), called a dhampir in Romanian or a vampirović in Serbian. It was also believed that someone born on a Saturday could see a vampire when it was otherwise invisible[1][2][3] (and sometimes other supernatural entities as well); similarly for the dhampir. In the case of the Sabbatarians, it was believed in some places that they needed to be fed meat from a sheep killed by a wolf (Bulgarian vlkoedene); this would enable them not to fear the things that only they were able to see. In Croatian and Slovenian legends, the villages had their own Vampire hunters that were called kresniks, whose spirits were able to turn into animals at night to fight off the vampire or kudlak.
Some carried a kit that used mallet, stake, and crucifix. If part of a church, it included holy water, holy oil, etc. However, the most important things it carried were items such as rope, crowbars, or even pistols.[2][4][5]
The most widely known example of a vampire hunter is Abraham Van Helsing of the novel Dracula and in other works of fiction adapting or modifying that work. Other more recent figures include Buffy "the Vampire Slayer" Summers from the television show and film of the same name. Buffy's spin-off series Angel is also focused on a vampire hunter, the titular star, Angel, a vampire himself cursed with a conscience, is often portrayed battling vampires as well as other demons. Created by Marv Wolfman, Marvel Comics character Blade is a half human/half vampire who uses his super strength and agility to hunt vampires and other monsters. The character spawned a 1998 film adaption which developed into a franchise. Vampire hunters have also appeared in video games, such as Castlevania (the occupation of the famed Belmont lineage), and The Elder Scrolls (with factions such as the Dawnguard).
As well as being knowledgeable about vampire lore, vampire hunters in fiction are often armed with an eclectic mix of items and weapons which are designed to take maximum advantage of the monster's traditional weaknesses. These have included firearms with silver ammunition, appropriate religious symbols, crossbows that fire all wood bolts and even waterguns filled with blessed holy water in the movies The Lost Boys and From Dusk Till Dawn.
The organizational strength of depicted vampire hunters can vary wildly. Most hunter characters are in small groups working alone and in secret. By contrast, the Hellsing Organization in the anime television series, Hellsing is a British government paramilitary strike force with access to troops, heavy combat vehicles and weapons and even allied vampires.
While predominantly depicted as human, examples of other types of vampire hunters also exist. Dhampiric figures, having a mix of human and vampire blood, are a popular form. Alucard from the Castlevania series,[6] and the eponymous hero of the Blade series of comic books, movies, television series, and anime, are both examples of dhampir vampire hunters. Some vampire hunters are vampires themselves. Two examples of this type can be found in Morbius, the Living Vampire in Marvel Comics, and Zero Kiryuu in the manga and anime series Vampire Knight.
The image of the vampire hunter is often a mysterious and dramatic avenging hero, an eccentric extremist, a mad scientist, or sometimes a mix of these. A hunter may be a heroic figure, a villain (from the perspective of the vampire), a lonesome avenger, or sometimes, although not usually, a bounty-hunter-style character, hunting vampires for profit. Vampire hunters have also popularly been depicted as hunting various creatures such as werewolves, demons, and other forms of undead as well. Others have been depicted as mages and cyborgs. Vampire hunters are often associated with or are members of the clergy, holy orders, or other religious organizations which may be dedicated to fighting vampires, other demons, and other supernatural forces. Vampire hunting as a family tradition or birthright is a popular use of the archetype in fiction, such as the Belmont family from the Castlevania series. Some hunters devote their entire lives to the eradication of vampires; for others it is just a strange hobby. They can also sometimes be members of law enforcement or government agencies.
The job comes with the risk of getting bitten and the hunters turned into vampires themselves. More often than not fellow hunters, usually do mercy killing to prevent them from becoming monsters, though in some fiction it may be possible for a hunter to cure themselves (and others) of vampirism, especially if the person in question was recently turned into a vampire. Another common trope is hunters being forced to slay their loved ones or allies who have been turned into vampires. Alternatively, after becoming a vampire, sometimes hunters will continue to fight and hunt vampires using their newly acquired vampire powers and abilities (sometimes being hunted by their former allies and other human vampire hunters). In addition to human hunters, dhampirs, and vampires that hunt other vampires, it is not uncommon for vampire hunters to be other supernatural creatures such as werewolves or witches[citation needed]. Additionally, some human hunters may possess holy powers, superhuman, or other supernatural abilities that they can use both to fight and protect themselves from vampires and other supernatural entities they hunt. Some hunters may even resort to using dark powers or weapons (usually dark magic or demonic in nature). Some human hunters may even be tempted to become vampires themselves in order to obtain their powers and immortality, either to continue hunting them, due to fear of their own mortality, or simply a lust for power.
I had my idea for this week's blog post all ready to go and then, while browsing the web this morning, I came across an article which was so fascinating that I've changed my mind completely! I just had to write about this instead!
The article that caught my eye this morning was about a rather fascinating item that is going up for auction at Hansons Auctioneers on 26th September. An antique vampire slaying kit containing crucifixes, a pistol, a dagger, two stakes, silver bullets and an axe. The wooden box, which also includes a prayer book, rosary beads and bottles of holy water, was owned by a retired driving instructor.
References to vampires go back more than 200 years. They are embedded in European folklore and superstition. Professional vampire hunters played their part in the vampire beliefs of the Balkans. It was believed that if someone was born on a Saturday they could see a vampire when it was invisible to others and in some places, it was believed that the vampire hunters had to be fed meat from an animal killed by a wolf to enable them to be fearless in their quests to defeat the vampires.
Let's just look at the facts here. The taxi driver who the vampire hunting kit belonged to, let's call him 'Barry', apparently purchased the kit "around" 18 months ago... Which would have coincided nicely with the thick end of the Covid-19 pandemic... I'm just throwing it out there, but do we think 'Barry' might have thought the Covid-19 pandemic was in fact down to an invasion of vampires and thus, bought this kit...? I've heard worse conspiracy theories to be honest...!
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[The big update is here!]Welcome Traveler! The residents of coTown need your help; At night the streets of the town are crawling with vampires and the residents have called upon you to help them!How many vampires can you slay, and will you be able...
But my favorite part of the film was the sword fight at the end between Captain Kronos and the vampire, Lord Durward. Without the benefit of special effects, camera tricks, and so forth, what you have is an incredibly choreographed fight that is wonderfully entertaining.
That's because Serwa knows that some fireflies are really adze, shapeshifting vampires from the forests of Southeastern Ghana. Adze prey on the blood of innocents, possessing their minds and turning them into hulking monsters, and for generations, slayers like Serwa and her parents have protected an unknowing public from their threats.
Serwa is the best adze slayer her age, and she knew how to use a crossbow before she could even ride a bike. But when an obayifo (witch) destroys her childhood home while searching for a drum, do Serwa's parents take her with them on their quest to defeat her? No. Instead, they dump Serwa with her hippie aunt and cryptic-obsessed cousin in the middle of Nowheresville, Maryland "for her own safety." Now, instead of crossbows and battle armor, she's dealing with mean girls and algebra, and for the first time in her life she doesn't have to carry a staff everywhere she goes, which is . . . kind of nice, actually.
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