Vampires and their Hunters.

Vampires are a unique class of beings within the Suikoden World. Their purpose is a mystery, but the fact that one True Rune is entirely dedicated to their existence points to the undeniable truth that they are necessary to the world--for some reason.

Vampires in the Suikoden world are different from vampires known elsewhere--for example, crosses don't work against them (Christianity doesn't exist in Suikoden), and vampires can walk in broad daylight once they become powerful enough. They do need to feast on the living to survive, just like how vampires are typically understood. However, under the influence of the Blue Moon rune, their lust for blood is satisfied by the "compassion" that the Blue Moon rune grants upon them.

Official record states that Sierra Mikain is the original vampire (referred to as the "Coven Mistress"), was forced to become a vampire nearly 800 years ago. Vampires were not a violent race under the guidance of Sierra. However, after Neclord stole the Blue Moon rune, some vampires turned into carnivores, feasting upon the flesh of mankind.

This gave rise to vampire hunters. The first documented case of a human slaying a vampire can be seen in the "Nameless Land Chronicles," where a local noble by the name of Wilder is listed to have slain a vampire.

Vampires are powerful beings though, with vast powers which are intrinsic to the nature of vampires. All vampires have incredible strength and can cast a trove of spells, summon undead, and turn into bats. They also require special methods to be destroyed, and mere brute force can never destroy a vampire. For that reason, vampire hunting is a seldom chosen path by the average folk, and only those with great hatred towards the vampiric ilk would have the courage... or insanity to pursue their course. Here I will list the names of persons who are vampires, and those who hunt them.

Sierra Mikain is the "Coven Mistress" of the Vampires. She is the "original," chosen by the Moon Rune to be the first of her kind. She existed long before any written history--even before the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia was created. However, while empires formed and crumbled, she remained the same, living alone in a cottage in the forest for centuries until she founded the Village of the Blue Moon.

No one knows where she came from originally. However, she was born as a human being, but came in contact with the Moon Rune at the age of 16. For centuries since she was unable to control the Moon Rune's lust for blood, and thus she took refuge within the forest to keep herself from taking blood from other living beings.

After Neclord stole her Moon Rune, she has been pursuing him for over 400 years, and was finally able to defeat him with the help of Kahn Marley and Viktor. After the Dunan Unification War, she lives among humans, observing them warmly.

Rean Penenberg was the first vampire created by Sierra. Rean was a knight from a kingdom that no longer exists. He was escorting a princess but was attacked and suffered a mortal wound. Before he died, he dragged himself into the forest and came upon Sierra's cottage. Sierra found him, and he explained how he laments to have to die without avenging the death of his master. Sierra took pity on him and sucked his blood, turning him into a vampire.

After becoming a vampire, Rean took off on a journey to avenge the death of his master. After a few years, he returned to Sierra and together with her, explored the powers of the vampire. During these times, Rean and Sierra become lovers, and the centuries they spent together was Sierra's happiest times. After a few centuries, he became a valuable ally of Sierra in the Village of the Blue Moon. However, when Neclord stole the Moon Rune, he was among the few who refused to die, and took off to live as a predator of blood.

Sierra meets him centuries after this when she visits his manor close to the Highland/Jowston border. Rean was trying to hide from Sierra all these years to avoid destruction, and he tries to resist Sierra's attempt to destroy him. However, Sierra ultimately defeats him with the help of Nash Latkje, and he is destroyed by Sierra's "Song of Absolvement."

Neclord became a vampire when he wandered into the Village of the Blue Moon. He was well liked in the village due to his cheerful nature and intelligence. However, one night he stole the Blue Moon Rune from the village, forcing all the citizens other than Sierra to die or follow the path of the predator.

Since then, Neclord has become allies with Windy and Yuber, and together they have participated in much destruction. He also likes to abduct young women as his bride. He was the one who killed Kahn Marley's grandfather and father.

Recently, he destroyed Northwindow because he became bored. This resulted in him creating an unlikely nemesis, Viktor, who had enough willpower to become the bearer of the Zodiac (Star Dragon) Sword. This led to Neclord being defeated in doppleganger form during the Gate Rune Wars, and eventually led to his destruction when Viktor, Kahn Marley, and Sierra Mikain joined forces to seal his soul and destroy him.

Ayana stayed one night at the Penenberg manor, but was turned into a vampire by Rean Penenberg. Since then, she has become a maid servant for the manor, preying upon visitors just like her master.

On the surface, Ayana is a normal country girl, but when the time comes to prey upon visitors, she uses her vampiric nails to rend her victims or use a katana with superb mastery. She meets her match, however, when Nash becomes her next chosen victim. Nash destroys her by impaling her with a holy kobold figurine.

Aegia is the wife of a wealthy South Window merchant. She was abducted by Neclord and turned into a vampire. She had become a threat in the banner pass, and Viktor heard of this rumor and investigated this while he was on his way to Northwindow following his battle with Neclord during the Gate Rune Wars.

Viktor met Forryn, a swordsman, during his investigation. He was accompanying Roy, the son of Aegia. The three (along with the Zodiac Sword) team together to search for Aegia, and Roy found her. However, being a boy, Roy succumbed to Aegia's vampiric beckoning. However, Forryn and Viktor managed to dispatch her before Roy was turned into Aegia's vampiric son.

Zodiac Sword, poorly translated as the Star Dragon Sword, is the bearer of the Night Rune, one of the 27 True Runes. He is the ultimate anti-vampire weapon. He has the power to "expose a vampire's true form" so normal attacks can hurt them. He has existed for a very long time, and was not always a sword. Apparently he is some other type of being who is willfully taking the form of a sword. It seems like he has met Sierra before, and Sierra tells him "you surely are an odd one to take the form of a sword." Zodiac Sword is very arrogant, and often turns against its bearer when not adequately appeased. This happens a few times after Viktor became his bearer.

Wilder was the first human to successfully destroy a vampire. His name only appears in an ancient text called the "Nameless Lands Chronicles," excavated from the Nameless Lands, and it is uncertain how exactly he did this. It is said that he was a local noble in the area.

Kahn Marley is the current head of the Marley family, an aristocratic family in Harmonia. He has been traveling for years in search of Neclord, who killed his father and grandfather. The Marley family has been a family of vampire hunters since lands that belonged to the Marley family was attacked by Neclord. He had fought Neclord with his father, but his father was killed in that battle and Kahn barely escaped. Since that day he swore to avenge the death of his father and to bring justice to the name of Marley.

He came to Jowston shortly before the Dunan Unification Wars after following Sierra Mikain all the way from Harmonia. He wanted to ask Sierra where Neclord may be, but he lost track of her somewhere around Muse, and ended up in Greenhill, where he lent a hand to the Greenhill army to defeat Rowd's initial attack on Greenhill. After that, he crossed over to South Window to seek the Zodiac Sword, and met Viktor, helping him fight Neclord at the old Northwindow fortress. After Neclord escaped, he had been searching for clues on Neclord's next move, but after hearing that Sierra was in Tinto, he headed there and tried to ask for Sierra's help but to no avail. He sought the help of Viktor and the Zodiac Sword, and was finally able to convince Sierra to help him fight Neclord.

In the final confrontation, Kahn used his family secret technique to seal Neclord's soul, preventing him from using his "doppleganger secret." Sierra took the Moon Rune from Neclord, and Viktor finally put an end to Neclord with the Zodiac Sword.

After the war, unbound by his past, Kahn is studying to become a mineralogist.

Viktor was a victim of Neclord's random destruction of Northwindow. Viktor lost all his family and his childhood sweetheart, Daisy due to that tragedy, and since then has sworn to his sword to destroy Neclord. During the Gate Rune Wars, Viktor found Neclord in Lorimar, and was able to "destroy him" with the aid of the Zodiac Sword. However, during the Dunan Unification War, Viktor was again faced with Neclord, who was never destroyed due to his use of the "Doppleganger secret." He was unable to fight him at Northwindow, but finally at Tinto he was able to put an end to his quest of vengeance with the help of Kahn Marley and Sierra Mikain.

Forryn is a swordsman hired by a South Window merchant as a babysitter for their son Roy. Forryn is outwardly kind and never draws his sword. In fact, he claims he is afraid to use it because he is so bad at fighting. However, Forryn is actually an expert swordsman who secretly hunts vampires. He uses an immense sword, which he uses with just one hand. He is able to destroy weaker forms of vampires with his expertiese in using his extremely large weapon. Due to this, he was able to aid Viktor in destroying Aegia.