| “ | Talia: Legacies were born vampires. Their bloodline stretches back thousands of years. They believe, to the Garden of Eden. Tess: They aren't even bound to the dark. Very rare. Hard to find. And even harder to kill. |
” |
— Talia and Tess[src]
| ||
A Legacy vampire is a type of vampire that is born, not made. They are descendants of the first vampire Lilith and as such, are born with a vampiric gene. The Legacy must complete a ceremonial first kill when they come of age, which both completes their transition into a vampire and marks their induction into their society. All Legacies can walk in the sunlight which helps them interact normally with humans. They are considered an elite form of monsters as they blend in perfectly with human society and can't be killed by traditional means. They can also make other vampires, from their bite.
History[]
Before the days of recorded history, Lilith and her sister Eve frolicked in the Garden of Eden, where they admired a beautiful peach tree ripe with fruit. An emerald serpent slithered down from the top branch. Eve, frightened, begged the serpent not to bite her, while Lilith embraced the bite. God, disappointed by Eve's cowardice, made her a human. The Queen Snake, known as the Emerald Malkia, bit Lilith and made her into the first vampire. Those descended from Lilith's bloodline were granted special abilities and strengths. They transformed humans into vampires, though the made were notably less powerful then the Legacies. They were not bound to the darkness, affected by wooden weapons, or limited by other weaknesses. The role of guarding the Emerald Malkia was passed through a specific bloodline, given to the matriarch of the family to protect and use.
In the beginning was the garden and in the garden were two sisters born from soil, raised by the sun and the moon. For a time, they lived and grew, and knew nothing of the world beyond the garden walls. One night they lay beneath the tree of life, and when thy woke, there were visted by the Emerald Malkia, first of all beasts, blessed by the tree of life forever. This was the serpent, and the fruit, for it offered them knowledge and power both, and in exchange, asked for only a drop of their blood. Eve was a coward and she [..] the Malkia's offer, for her sister [..] shied from nothing. And [..] Lilith embraced it [..] the Emerald Malkia [.] as it had been [..] never.[1]
Around 1621, a monster hunter from the Guardian Guild fought a Legacy vampire and lived to tell the tale. He used a silver spear that allegedly killed the creature. He broke the spear into six individual silver-tipped spears for maximum usage. The Guild protected the spears in case another Legacy crossed paths with a hunter.[1]
Ceremonial First Kill[]
The Act[]
Legacies must complete their vampiric transformation through a rite of passage - their first kill - after they turn 16. The act of draining all the blood from a human prey makes them the the strongest versions of themselves, where are no longer ruled solely by hunger or weakened by symptoms. After their first kill, a Legacy must later be bitten by the Malkia to complete their ceremonial induction into vampire society.
Juliette's symptoms
Failure to make this first kill results in uncontrollable thirst, crying tears of blood, shakes, migraines, sweating, burning of the throat, sensitivity to noise, and an inability to focus. Juliette kept her symptoms at bay with blood capsules that her mother provided, though the symptoms grew too strong for the "medication" to handle. She tried to postpone her first kill out of morality, but was warned by Elinor that her denial would only make her lose complete control and kill anything nearby. Juliette attempted to complete her first kill on Calliope Burns, though accidental, as she lost control during a make out session, which caused her vision to tint red.
Consecration Ceremony[]
The induction happens through a consecration ceremony and cotillion, hosted on the first full moon following the kill. The Legacy is presented into society by their caretakers for the first time. During the ceremony, the Keeper of the Emerald Malkia will present the Queen Snake to the prospective Legacy. The Malkia then accepts the vampire by slithering onto their arm, biting them, and triggering release of the ceremonial Eve. All in attendance hunt the human, enjoying the kill together. Alternatively, the Malkia can reject the Legacy bringing shame to the prospect and their family. A rejection typically happens if the Legacy has lied about making their first kill. Moreover, because of the matriarchal ways of their species, male Legacies are exempt from the ceremony.
A made vampire can be turned into a Legacy, as demonstrated by Sebastian Fairmont. He was mortally wounded though the Emerald Malkia was able to enter his body to heal him and turn him into a Legacy. This is an occurrence that seemingly never happens. Because he was turned into a Legacy, he gained their special abilities, along with some unique traits that are unlike other Legacies but more serpent-like. In later episodes, Oliver Fairmont calls him a "ghoul", so its not clear if he was truly fully turned.
Community[]
Keeper of the Emerald Malkia[]
Legacy vampires are matriarchal, and have their own culture and aristocracy. The most powerful family is determined by whoever is the Keeper of the Emerald Malkia, the serpent from the garden of Eden that created Legacies. The role of Keeper is passed down from mother to daughter when the matriarch before she dies. The Keeper has complete and final say over the Legacy community, able to order them to attend events or take action. Any sign of weakness from the Keeper or their immediate family can be used by another to usurp control over the Malkia, though this hasn't happened.
The next person to take over as the Keeper is called Keeper-in-waiting, which is then the first born daughter of the Keeper.
Marriages[]
It is deeply frowned-upon for Legacy vampires to become romantically involved with humans or made vampires. They union between a Legacy and made is taboo, with Margot becoming all-but shunned by her family over the disgraceful union, partially because she rejected her betrothal to a Legacy for a made vampire. Arranged marriages for political sensibility are common for Legacies, though the terms of such unions are written in painstakingly specific details. Everything from surnames to number of children is planned in advance, with the impending newlyweds having little say in the dealings, as it's handled by their respective matriarchs.
Legacy Council[]
The legacy council is a gathering of several legacy vampires. The council meetings happen regularly but with months apart. They are located in Europe, with Budapest being one of the cities mentioned.
The council has a court that has the authority to excommunicate legacy vampires from the community and to challenge the current Keeper of the Malkia. Margot Atwood-Fairmont, as the Keeper-in-waiting, gets summoned to a court with short notice.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Creation: Legacies can transform a human into a made vampire through a singular bite.
- Day Walking: Legacies can walk and interact in the daylight or under UV rays without physical harm or death. They often wear sunglasses to protect their eyes, but are otherwise, unaffected by the light.
- Enhanced Senses: Legacy vampires have exceedingly enhanced senses such as hearing, smell, and eyesight. Juliette could smell blood from a far distance, hear Calliope's heart beating, while Elinor could see microscopic flecks of food on the coroners tie.
- Enhanced Agility: Legacy vampires are naturally good at fighting and defending themselves without training, though a skillful hunter can still overpower them
- Fading bite: A bite from a Legacy fades within seconds of removing their fangs, leaving behind no trace of their attack aside from a persistent itch.
- Human food consumption: Unlike their made counterparts, Legacies can consume human food without falling ill, though they don't enjoy it as much as humans. Juliette opts to have human food around her at school for appearances sake.
- Immortality: Legacies don't die of old age, and very few things kan kill them
- Paralytic blood: When the blood of a Legacy makes contact with a human, that part of their body is paralyzed. The paralytic effect spreads to their entire body and lasts for several minutes until it wears off. Human blood will also quicken the healing process for severely injured Legacies.
- Psychic connection: After a Legacy bites their victim they form a psychic bond that links their minds together. They become intrinsically connected and bonded. Juliette heard Calliope scream and rushed to save her, later learning that her mouth was duct taped and the scream was in her thoughts. Juliette somehow heard her distress signal. They also experience visceral, vivid dreams of one another in differing circumstances. Cal's family attempted to remove this bond through a severing ceremony, though it didn't work on the girls.
- Regeneration: The ability to heal from bodily harm. Legacies regenerate faster than made vampires or other monsters, with the exception of their exposure to silver. They can also regenerate a entire limbs or body parts, as Oliver taunted Talia that even cutting him into small pieces wouldn't be fatal. It would only take him longer to regenerate his parts. Legacies also heal faster from a wooden stake to the heart, partially because of their immunity to wood and death. The wound left by the stake heals rapidly but leaves a residual marking that takes a few hours to completely heal. Though impervious to death by silver, Juliette didn't fully heal from her contact with silver for hours.
- Strength: Legacy vampires are naturally stronger than humans
- Speed: Legacies can move very fast, but not as fast as a zombie. This power is inconsistent in the series, and it seems like their reflexes don't keep up with their speed
- Self-Sustenance: Legacies can completely reduce their need to breath oxygen, thus, holding their breath for extensive periods. Talia wanted to sink Oliver to the bottom of the lake to drown him, but he rebutted that she could try but can hold his "for a very long time".
Weaknesses[]
Even though Legacies are the purest vampires, they are not invulnerable and possesses weaknesses, although fewer as compared to made vampires. Legacies are immune to most of the weaknesses that impact made vampires.
- Invitation: Vampires are forbidden from entering a privately owned human residence without invitation from one of its occupants. Once the vampire has been invited in, there are no known ways to undo the invitation. Juliette Fairmont required the invitation of Calliope Burns to enter her home, but was not affected when Cal's father Jack tried to forbid her from entering.
Juliette's burn from Cal's bracelet
- Silver: The easiest way to identify a vampire is through their contact with pure silver. The element burns their skin and leaves a long-lasting burn mark in whichever shape the object takes. The Burns family often use silver chains to detain vampires as it weakens their abilities and keeps them from breaking free. Juliette tried to pick up Calliope's silver bracelet and burned her palm, which caused immense pain that wasn't helped by water. She also temporarily lost control over her fangs, which protruded from her gums. The mark remained on her hand until the end of the school day.
- Silver stakes: There is one known Guild recording of a Legacy being killed by a hunter who wielded a silver spear. The spear was broken into six pieces and fashioned into individual spears. The impalement of the stakes into a Legacy caused them to collapse instantly, even when their heart wasn't punctured. However, they once more healed after several minutes and were back to nearly full strength immediately.
- Sound waves: Due to their sensitive hearing, vampires can be incapacitated by loud sound waves or certain pitches emitted from speakers.
- Wood: Though a wooden stake, bullet, or arrow to the heart won't kill a Legacy, it does incapacitate them for several minutes. They will collapse to the ground in similar fashion to that of a human, and don't disappear into ash like their made counterparts. Juliette awakened from her staking after several minutes of her heart stopping. She had to manually remove the stake to free herself. The wound partially healed but left a residual mark that took longer to fade.
- UV light: A strong UV light can temporarily weaken them
- Curium: A radioactive material that is supposed to weaken them.
Known Legacies[]
- The Atwood-Fairmont Family (Keeper of the Emerald Malkia)
- The Davenport Family
- Loretta Davenport
- Henry Davenport
- Tom Davenport
- Braccos (living in Tuscany)
- The Sugimoto Family
- Akio Sugimoto[2]
Notes and Trivia[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ahart, Bryce, NMcFarlane, Stephanie (writers) & La Salle, Eriq (director). (June 10, 2022). "First Fight". First Kill. Season 1. Netflix.
- ↑ Nolla, Miguel (writer) & Tapping, Amanda (director). (June 10, 2022). "First Love". First Kill. Season 1. Netflix.