So a little background, this is another write-up I had on the forums that came about after all the juicy new Black Court tidbits we got from Jim's last AMA
In the attempt to find answers to what the Black Court Vampires ultimately are, we had several discussions in the past on ALL the Courts and where or how they might have come to be. It took looking back thru previous topics that a friend of mine had on those boards to spark the idea:
Al-Hajj Bilal Ammar Jihad: > This topic has been broached in a couple of different threads devoted to other topics--therefore it didn't seem to go anywhere, and was given only cursory treatment in any event. It's interesting enough to me to reexamine it in here:
It's a given that there was some kind of alliance between the Black, Red and White Court Vampires, but as seen in Blood Rites and elsewhere it was less than amicable. Although all three Courts were formally at war with the White Council, the White Court at least was less than enthusiastic and soon found reason to formally declare a cease-fire. The Black Court had troubles of its own.
Although lumped together as "vampires", I think each Court was comprised of beings fundamentally different in nature. Said differences are outlined below:
Black Court
They're dead.
Per Mortimer's and Sir Stuart's explanations in Ghost Story, sometimes and under certain circumstances, a "shade" is generated when a mortal dies. These are "copies" of the departed spirit, and composed almost entirely of its memories.
I posit that a Black Court Vampire is created when a mortal is killed and drained of blood by another Black Court Vampire because a "shade" is created and magically bound to the mortal's corpse. The shade powers and animates the corpse. That's why new BCV are clumsy and stumble about, but nonetheless posses superhuman strength. They're essentially "zombies", but with the illusory self-awareness of their shades.
This sense of self and corresponding power grows with each feeding, analogous to Corpsetaker becoming more powerful by engulfing the Lecter Specters. The fact that Mavra wanted the Word of Kemmler to keep it from the likes of Corpsetaker also suggests the connection.
Another user contributed the following:
Tami Seven: > In place of shades and spirits I've alwasy felt that it was Demonic possession that makes a Vampire.
Blacks are, as you said, dead corpses. Once killed, a Demon take possession of the soulless corpse, reanimating it. Demon's from the NeverNever don't have corporal bodies of their own in the 'Human world'. They use ectoplasm to create temporary bodies. As an alternative, and longer lasting, way of remaining in the Human world they inhabit Corpses, using them in place of Ectoplasm.