"Imagine a society where people can live thousands of years. All the politics of who owes who favors and who is related to who, and who is the best at what, that I gather vampires have. Without short lived innovators like humans pushing things along. Resting on the accomplishments of their ancestors, and afraid of using the vast power those ancestor accumulated, so afraid they they don't know how to educate rising generation who to use it wisely, only that it shouldn't be used. That's what I grew up in."