| Vladimir Tod | |
|---|---|
 "I'm the Pravus, and don't you forget it." | |
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Hair Color |
Black |
|
Eye color |
Grey (flash violet when using abilities) |
|
Species |
Half-Human, half vampire, the Pravus |
Vladimir "Vlad" Tod is the Pravus, and one of, if not the, most powerful vampires on the planet.
Biography
Early Life
Vladimir Tod was a born on November 21, 1993 to Tomas and Mellina Tod in the town of Bathory. Due to a marriage between a human and vampire being illegal in Elysia, the couple had Vlad in secrecy and in a place away from Elysian influence. According to an entry in his diary, Tomas had thought that his son would come out deformed as "punishment" for breaking Elysian laws, but Vlad was born healthy, yet pale and ravenous. Vlad grew up on bagged blood that Mellina's best friend, Nelly -- being a nurse -- stole from the expired blood at the hospital.
His father was reluctant to let him start kindergarten, but he ended up attending due to the constant pleading of his mother. There, he was bullied by tormentors Bill and Tom and also met his best friend and soon-to-be drudge, Henry McMillan. One time while playing together, Henry fell from a tree and scraped his knee. The sight of blood made Vlad's fangs elongate and he then explained that he was a vampire, upset that he broke his promise with Tomas to keep it a secret. To his surprise, however, Henry asks Vlad to bite him, saying they'll be "blood brothers." So He bites into his friend's finger and drinks, unknowingly making Henry into his drudge.
At age 10 on November 19, 2002, a young Vlad woke up early and decided to turn off his parents' alarm clocks to give them more time to rest, so they would know he was grown-up and didn't need any help getting himself ready for school. Later that day, he was called into the office and told that his house had gone on fire. Hurrying home, he entered his parents' bedroom and found his parents dead on their bed -- a moment that would scar him forever. After that, he moved in with his aunt Nelly, who cared for him as if he were her own son.
During the third grade, Vlad developed a crush on new student, Meredith Brookstone. Then, at some point in the fourth grade, Henry stuck a piece of gum in her hair, making Vlad knock him down and sit on his chest until he apologized -- an act Meredith would remember.
At some point before the series, Vlad discovered the Bathory High School's Belfry and made it into a sanctuary he'd frequently visit during the night, keeping scrapbooks, books, and a framed picture of his father there.
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod!
"But for the most part, being a vampire bites."- Vlad, during his oral presentation about vampires.
The Slayer Chronicles
Vlad does not make a physical appearance in the first book of Slayer Chronicles, instead being mentioned in passing during Joss' reminiscence.
In "Second Chance",Vlad appears in chapter 8, A Voice From The Past, as Joss remembers staking him and Otis threatening the young slayer afterwards while Joss is in the V bar.
Appearance
Vlad is supposedly an awkward boy, but he does have some charm. He is said to have dark hair with bangs, pale skin, and his eyes flash an iridescent purple color when he touches glyphs and other vampiric objects. He is to posess an extreme likeness to his Father; so much so that even Otis told Vlad at some point about how much he looked like his dad.
Personality
Vlad is often quiet, sarcastic and is, above everything, very caring for the people around him. He is wise beyond his age, what with being orphaned at age ten, chased down by psychopathic vampires, controlling his thirst for human blood, and then being staked by a close friend. Vlad knows the hardships of life and has felt betrayal on many different levels. He has an interesting sense of humor; appropriate for someone like him. He and his friend Henry are always making gags about how Vlad is a vampire, but is also shown to be dark and pessimistic at times, especially when remembering his parents. When in the company of someone he cares for, he is very sweet and loyal. Vlad takes precautions when being around his sweetheart, Meredith, and breaks up with her later on when he finds that he cannot take being within close proximity with her in fear of drinking her blood and sucking the life out of her. After some time, Vlad becomes closer to Dorian as well, to the level that he was enraged when Joss staked Dorian in the chest, and proceeded to beat Joss and hurt him.
Powers and Abilities
Being a vampire, and being the Pravus as well, Vlad has several unique and special abilities, as well as those common to vampire kind.
Normal Vampiric Powers:
- Telepathy: Vlad can read minds and project his own thoughts as a means of communication.
- Levitation: Vlad, while unable to achieve true flight, can hover in mid-air.
- Superhuman Speed: Being a vampire, Vladimir can move at very high speeds
- Superhuman Strength: Vlad can lift objects much heavier than what a normal human could.
- Immortality: Like all vampires, Vlad does not age and can heal from injuries within minutes.
- Mind Control: He can mentally command any human, namely Henry who is his drudge, to obey him.
- Vampire Detection: Vlad can detect any vampire with a connection to Elysia from anywhere on the planet. However, he cannot track those who have severed this connection, such as his father and Vikas
- Glyphs: Vlad can use his blood to create various glyphs.
- Eye Color- Vlad’s eyes change into an iridescent purple when he touches a glyph or in a moment of extreme power.
Pravus Powers:
- Regeneration: Vlad can regenerate from any injury and is thus immune to all vampiric weaknesses (excluding dependence). During the tenth grade, D'Ablo supposedly took this away from him using an ancient ritual, but in senior year, this is proven false.
- Enhanced Vampiric Abilities: All basic vampire powers are basically heightened and stronger (ex: During training in the eleventh grade, he moves faster and more agile than any vampire Otis or Vikas has ever seen.)
- Enhanced Mind Control: He can command and make anyone (human or vampire) do anything he wants them to do. This power greatly affects the Pravus prophecy. In the twelfth grade, he can kill a person by just shouting "DIE!" at them and controls all of Bathory to get them to stop fighting. This does not apply to vampires who have had their glyphs burned off.
- Ability to 'turn' former drudges: Powerful enough to turn Snow, who he had released as his drudge. (it is practically impossible for vampires to change someone who was a drudge in the past into a vampire)
- When the Pravus turns someone, it seems they get some of his power, as seen in the twelfth grade when Snow's eyes flash irridiscent green after turning. It is unknown if this will be played upon in the future.
Relationships
Vlad, being the protagonist, has the most complex relationships with most of the characters in the book.
Snow- Snow is the girl that learned Vlad's secret and accepts it. She willingly lets him feed on her. She talks to him, eases his worries and loves him. Even when he pushes her away "to keep her safe", she understood his reasons. Snow gets abused by her father and doesn't believe that she deserves Vlad. In the end, they get together. When she saves Vlad by almost dying, he turns her into a vampire because he can't live without her. "Snow is my perfect match."
Henry McMillan- Henry is Vlad's best friend since they were both eight. Henry and Vlad are very close and has known Vlad's secret since the day he told him and made him his drudge. Their friendship is strong, and they go through some up and downs. Like in the tenth grade, when Henry was sick of being Vlad's drudge. Nevertheless, Henry is always there when he feels like Vlad is in trouble. The boys share a bond beyond drudge and owner, as they are best friends and always will be.
Joss McMillan- Joss was at first Vlad's friend, but after a misunderstanding (and constant brainwashing by the Slayer Society), Joss believed that Vlad was only pretending to be friends with him in order to gain information. Joss joins the Society because it goes from generation through generation in his family and he was gald to join after seeing his baby sister being drained of her blood by a vampire. In the ninth grade, Joss stakes Vlad, which nearly kills him and ruins their friendship. The following year, Joss comes back to get rid of Vlad, but before he gets the chance, Vlad saves him from being killed. This leaves them on a rocky relationship, being friends in the daytime and mortal enemies in the night. Joss, eventually, becomes a friend to Vlad - again, for real this time - and finds a way to keep the Slayer Society away from killing Vlad.
Meredith Brookstone- Meredith is a girl that Vlad had been crushing on since the third grade. She finally becomes his girlfriend in book three, and Vlad is describes his feeling toward her as "what love felt like before he truly understood love". Meredith, however, seems like she wants to get back with Vlad and has genuine feelings for him after he breaks up with her for her own protection. They remain friends at the end of the series, but nothing more.
Otis- Otis is Vlad's paternal uncle, mentor, and friend. Vlad has a telepathic connection with Otis, and is often going to him for help. Vlad and Otis have a good relationship, often counting on each other. They rarely get in fights, and those are resolved quickly.
Tomas Tod- Tomas is Vlad's father. Vlad loves his father very much, and forgives him very quickly when he comes back alive in book five. Tomas also kills Nelly by draining her when she tried to run away from him. This action destroyed any love Vlad had for his father.
Nelly- Nelly is Vlad's adoptive mother. She took him in after the fire which killed his parents, and has been taking care of him ever since. She is very understanding of the problems Vlad goes through, and helps many times as much as she can.
Vikas- Vikas is Vlad's friend and mentor. He spent time with Vikas in Siberia, and they bonded over that time. Vlad is often seen with Vikas, who is understanding to Vlad's problems.
D'Ablo- D'Ablo was originally the antagonist of the story. He was helping Vlad in a way, and yet was still trying to kill him. He is killed in the fifth book by Tomas Tod. He has a fondness for black leather gloves, and black clothes, which is why Vlad calls him a 'stereotype'.
Trivia
- In mythology, Vlad would be considered a Damphyr, another type of human/vampire hybrid. He shares many traits with this creature, such as self-awareness, a nearly uncontrollable bloodthirst, and eyes that can glow.