Sun Quest

A Sun Quest is a term used for both a celebration and the actual passing of a vampire on it's own terms. A vampire's average lifespan in darkness is approximately 120 to 130 years. After that, many become tired of the life they've lived, feel unbearably lonely, realize that their human life has now rotated out of existence, or begin a rapid decent into madness as a century's worth of memories begin to repeat themselves constantly in the mind. Of course there are many documented cases of vampires living much longer than that, and with mental exercises and meditations, a rare few can double or even triple that age with ease. This is the case for many of the Elders.

Basically, when a vampire has deemed itself 'old', 'bored', or 'alone', in its life of immortality, it has the option of leaving this world by going out to see the Sun one last time. The sunrise, due to vampire's intense sensitivity to light, causes death within moments. The night before a sun quest there is usually a celebration in order to say goodbye to old friends and loved ones. Sometimes old wounds are mended, small gifts and trinkets are exchanged, and anything the vampire wants to leave behind is given personally to those in attendance. Also, food is often brought to these events since a vampire can only digest human blood, this is its last chance to taste some of the favorite foods from their human life.

While this practice may seem like a sad and desperate act for some, for most of the vampire population it is seen as an honorable search for more questions and answers in the next world. A level of vampire spirituality, in which the pain of dying allows them to be born anew in a place filled with new and exciting adventures. A sun quest can also be taken when a vampire's heart has been damaged beyond repair, and the victim uses it as an escape from the pain of starvation.