Compulsion, more commonly referred to as compelling, is the supernatural ability to influence and manipulate the minds of others. This ability is only possessed by Vampires, Dhampirs, Alpha Elder Vampires, Werewolf-Vampire Hybrids, and occasionally Witches, who can control the minds of another simply by simply looking them in the eyes through eye contact and erase the victim's memories or even alter them to the point where something is completely different about them, with a hypnotic stare and bending their will with their words.
Characteristics[]
Through compulsion, Vampires can manipulate their victims into doing as they desire. They can also make a person forget certain events or implant fake memories. Additionally, Vampires can use compulsion to enter and manipulate the dreams of others.
It should be noted that Vampires can only compel ordinary humans, as most supernatural beings possess an immunity to compulsion. Additionally, humans with Vervain in their system cannot be compelled.
Compelled beings usually follow the instructions given to them by the vampire who compelled them to the best of their ability, sometimes even those that would otherwise be beyond their "normal" capacity (i.e. being forced to forget a very recent and otherwise unforgettable experience, cause them to develop new skills, and even create new personalities). Needless to say, this ability plays a vital role in keeping the existence of Vampires (and by extension, other supernatural races) hidden. While most vampires use compulsion with verbal commands, this is not heeded as a necessity, as in one such instance Damon was able to compel Caroline with eye contact alone. However, this method of compulsion has not been used since. Silas however seems to easily do these feats without eye contact or verbal commands when he wants, and can even get into the minds of the Original vampires.
Species with this Ability[]
Vampires[]
All Vampires possess the ability to compel and control the minds of humans, including thoughts desires, and memories and can also manipulate dreams and bestow hallucinations. It is handy for getting humans to do what they want. When vampires compel, they look into the subject's eyes. The vampire's pupils appear to dilate. They can either say what they want the human to do or think it.
There can be some elements of telepathy to hypnosis as well. If the vampire has entered a human's mind in the past and is currently in immediate distress, with deep concentration, the vampire can telepathically "call" on the human. The human will be able to get a "sense" that something is wrong - in addition to any strong messages from the vampire (for instance, the vampire will be able to lead the human to them). The human won't be able to hear any voices, but only have a strong urge to go somewhere or do whatever the vampire is calling on them to do.
However, Vampires cannot compel other supernatural creatures, such as witches, werewolves, etc.
Dhampirs[]
Because of their vampire side, Dhampirs have the exact same powers as vampires, and can compel people. They've even been known to compel younger vampires.
Alpha Elder Vampires[]
As the oldest vampires in the world after Dracula, the Alpha Elder Vampires have the same powers of compulsion as any vampire. However, there's is more powerful and they can compel any non original vampire, non-original werewolf-vampire hybrids, and humans so long if they are not on vervain. They cannot compel each other though.
Werewolf-Vampire Hybrids[]
Due to their Vampire side, Werewolf-Vampires Hybrids have the same exact powers of compulsion of a non-Original Vampire. That extends to all hybrids, but only those who are half vampire.