Peacock’s newest original series, Vampire Academy, has arrived, and with its four-episode premiere, the stage is set for a war to begin amongst the three factions of this universe. With the series being adapted from Richelle Mead’s series of novels of the same name, there is plenty to look out for in the show.
While the creative teams have taken some liberties with crucial story elements, the basis for what these factions represent remains the same. Here we will dive into what separates the factions from one another and how these divisions affect their social standing and role in vampire society. We will also be looking into the inspirations for these divisions, such as the romani origins that helped Richelle Mead create an immersive world of vampire politics and death.
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Moroi
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
While the Moroi’s etymology would lead one to believe they are nightmarish undead creatures, the Moroi are celebrated in vampire society as royalty. Generally seen as the most attractive, with golden irises revealing their royal lineage, the Moroi are always in positions of power, with vampire society recognizing a monarch as their regent. This monarchy wouldn’t have absolute power as deeper dives into the politics of the vampiric world would show that a cabinet of diverse Miroi advisors have significant political power and can even challenge the incumbent regent for their place on the throne.
Throughout the series, we also see the Moroi being divided by specialization, with vampires capable of great magical power in addition to their supernatural martial abilities. As we’ve seen with Vasilisa Dragomir’s trial, society only recognizes four elements: air, earth, fire, and water. While Vasilisa is participating in the trial, there is great concern she won’t specialize, as well as gambles and crowds cheering for her to specialize with their element, similar to a sports game. As would be later revealed, there is a fifth element that has gone unrecognized. The element of spirit which Vasilisa has shown great power in, healing her friends of their injuries. There are reports of the possibility that the spirit element can also help bring a Strigoi back from the grips of madness.
Dhampir
The Dhampir are considered the working class of Vampire society. While they are generally hard-working individuals with hopes and desires, the Moroi tend to look down upon the Dhampir as mere tools to be used. The Dhampir’s primary purpose is to become a member of the Moroi’s military protection force.
Seeing as this is a dangerous job that could result in the Dhampir’s final death, the Moroi know the need to have new generations of Dhampir ready for training constantly. A Dhampir can only be born from the connection of a Moroi with another Dhampir, or, as had been done in past generations, the union of a Moroi and a human. Seeking to ensure new generations and to incentivize Dhampir to join the military, any non-military Dhampir is to live in the commons until they are called upon to please the Miroi regardless of the Dhampir’s wishes. Outside of these duties, a Dhampir would be shamed and forced to sell themselves to maintain their squalid life for themselves and their family. This can easily lead to many comparing the societal divide between Dhampir and Moroi to the societal structure of today.
Strigoi
The Strigoi are often spoken about in Romanian stories of undead creatures who come out at night to hunt and consume blood. The word Strigoi also has links to the term “Striga,” a monster of the night that fans of The Witcher may find themselves familiar with. Throughout the show, we witness the Strigoi coming out at night and consistently attempting to break into significant locations of the Miroi, only to be dissuaded by the Dhampir military and technological defenses. Their aggressive tactics lead to many gruesome injuries, and they also carry the ability to turn a vampire into one of them. After brutally slaughtering an enemy they allow their vitae to drip into their victim’s mouth and the corpse reanimates into the gruesome visage of a Strigoi.
While the initial belief is that the Strigoi are mindless abominations that seek only to kill, there have been instances where the monsters have grouped together and would commit to strategies that catch their prey off guard. They’ve also shown the possibility of retaining memories of their past lives, such as when Christian Ozera had a letter that implied his parents were seeking him out despite their transformation into Strigoi. Their appearances are monstrous as compared to the more human-like appearances of the Moroi and the Dhampir. While the Strigoi only come out at night, they tend to be unstoppable, with only a silver stake or complete beheading stopping them in their tracks once and for all.
