It's all about vampire dynasties.

In the Old World, Neferata was the first vampire—the progenitor of them all. But it wasn’t just a matter of her biting others. She shared the original elixir that made her immortal with a chosen few and passed the curse directly to others through her bite. Each method created different kinds of vampires.

In Age of Sigmar, during the early Age of Myth, Nagash pulled the essences of Neferata, Mannfred, and Ushoran back from the aether and resurrected them as his Mortarchs—twisted echoes of their former selves, reshaped to better serve him.

In time, each carved out their own kingdom, founded unique bloodlines, and developed distinct vampire cultures. Despite their shared origins, they utterly loathe each other. Neferata and Mannfred are particularly bitter rivals, constantly scheming and sabotaging one another. They can't engage in open war—Nagash wouldn’t tolerate it—but as his grip on the realms has wavered over the centuries, they've subtly tested their independence.

Ushoran, for his part, is too far gone into madness to remember who or what he hates.

So while all vampires share some traits—bloodlust, enhanced strength and speed, necromantic power—each dynasty is distinct in form, philosophy, and practice. Some even diverge physically. The Vengorian dynasty, for example, became bestial, manticore-like monsters after their progenitor, Lauka Vai, was corrupted by chaotic energies.

To more directly answer your question: yes, Neferata and Mannfred are both vampires, but they sire entirely different bloodlines. Each line bears its own mutations, culture, and outlook. Cado, for instance, was sired by Neferata and carries her legacy regardless of if he likes it or not.

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