The Vampire Courts
The White Court
Wiki Link:
https://dresdenfiles.fandom.com/wiki/White_Court
------- GENERAL DESCRIPTION -------
The White Court is a Vampire Court. White Court vampires are the most human-like of the Vampire Courts. They feed off the emotions and life force of their prey.
Unlike the other Courts, the White Court prefers to avoid direct confrontation with their enemies. They are for the most part, a court of schemers who prefer to stab each other in the back and use "Cat's paws" in exquisitely detailed plots to impress the others in the Court, to the extent that direct confrontation is looked down upon and socially damaging.
White Court vampires are able to cross a threshold but it cripples their ability to draw on their Hunger for strength and speed.
The Hunger fuels their power, strength and near immortality—they are born with it. Using their power makes them Hungry and they need to feed or it causes: moodiness, anger, violent behavior, and paranoia. Long term lack of feeding causes them use up their reserves of life force, then the Hunger takes over, and they go insane if they can't hunt.
The people they feed on get little pieces of their life nibbled away causing some degree of spiritual damage. It leaves them vulnerable to the allure so that the Whites can easily make return visits. If they keep getting fed upon, they go into a mindless daze and eventually die, possibly from a heart attack during sex.
------- HOUSES -------
There are different Houses within the White Court, each comprised of a close-knit family. There is much in-fighting between the Houses, but House Raith is considered to be the most powerful, with Lord Raith acting as King of the White Court. The Houses are mainly distinguished by their choice of emotion to feed upon, but this has been represented as a strong preference rather than a restriction.
House Raith
Those of House Raith are sexual predators, using their supernatural good looks and psychic aura to attract both men and women. During intercourse, or any direct physical contact where emotions like lust are heightened, they feed off their prey - specifically, off the intimacy. Victims of the feedings of House Raith grow to enjoy the experience and become bonded to their predator, not unlike a drug addiction.
Like the vampires of the other houses, the vampires of House Raith have a weakness to the opposite emotion of the emotion they feed on. Members of this house cannot touch someone who truly loves another, and is truly loved in return, or objects that represent a true love in some way (such as a wedding ring).
It is possible for the members of House Raith to kill their Hunger if its done at a certain point. To do so, they must feed off someone they love who loves them back, as long as it is their first feeding.
The tradition of the White Court is to not tell a young potential succubus what they will become, or even anything about the supernatural world. In their childhood and early teens they are raised as a vanilla human. Their first feeding, which is always fatal, comes as a surprise to them, and introduces them into the world of the White Court.
House Malvora
House Malvora Court vampires fead on fear.
Most prefer very strong fear, such as that of being in a potentially deadly situation, but some satisfy themselves with smaller scares like those created by horror and slasher movies.
Like the vampires of the other houses, the vampires of House Malvora have a weakness to the opposite of the emotion they feed on. Members of this house will, as stated by Jim Butcher, "get bad effects from real courage".
House Skavis
The vampires of House Skavis feed on despair, preferring to drive a victim into the depths of depression and in many cases driving them to suicide. They gun for already lonely people.
Like the vampires of the other houses, the vampires of House Skavis have a weakness to the opposite of the emotion they feed on. Members of this house will, as stated by Jim Butcher, "choke on hope".
The Red Court
Wiki Link:
https://dresdenfiles.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Court#cite_note-DF14ch09-3
------- General Description -------
Red Court vampires are non-human creatures, capable of disguising themselves as, and preying on, humans. Their true form is described as flabby, bat-like, and with a distended belly. Their skin mask can be used for disguise and discarded at any time, in part or in whole.
The Red Court is based in Central and South America. They use the people of villages as cattle; feeding on everyone, including children. They also are one of the major supernatural nations in the world with holdings all over the world: property, corporations, accounts, some governments, stocks, and a variety of other assets. The Red Court has a highly organized feudalistic system with a Red King at the top, followed by Dukes and lower ranks.
The mark of power is to be able to control the blood thirst— that is indulging in it by choice and not by impulse. Crossing a threshold will render a Red Court vampire nearly paralyzed.
The Black Court
Wiki Link:
https://dresdenfiles.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Court
------- General Description -------
The Black Court is one of the Vampire Courts. Black Court vampires are the 'classic' vampire variety: undead humans preying on live ones in order to drink their blood.
The Black Court comprises the most well-known kind of vampire, the reanimated bloodthirsty undead popularized by Bram Stoker's Dracula. The publication of that book at the behest of the White Court is believed to be the primary cause of the Court's downfall, as Stoker supposedly published the book as a "how-to" manual to hunt the Black Court. Black Court vampires still inhabit the human bodies that they lived in when they were turned into vampires, with the only difference being their bodies rotting like zombies in the time that they have been undead.
Black Court vampires possess all the classic strengths and weaknesses of Stoker's Dracula: they can lift and throw cars with one hand and crash through concrete walls without harm to themselves; but must sleep in their native soil, and fear garlic and objects of faith. Sunlight, while deadly to younger members of the Black Court, is merely an inconvenience to older members, weakening them significantly, as in Stoker's novel.
Mavra, an ancient Black Court vampire, has demonstrated the ability to use magic in the same way wizards do.
Black Court vampires cannot cross thresholds.
A group of Black Court vampires is called a scourge.
For back up strength, they utilize Thralls and Darkhounds.
The Jade Court
Wiki Link:
https://dresdenfiles.fandom.com/wiki/Jade_Court
------- General Description -------
The Jade Court rarely acts outside of the Yangtze river valley. Their existence is common knowledge, but not their location. They do not respond to invitations or offer any of their own. Their dealings with outsiders are indirect, through allies and agents. They are not signatories of the Unseelie Accords, but they're considered as they were, given the way they've treated those showing too much disrespect. The Jade Court feeds on breath. They are capable of killing from across the street.