I'm glad you find it intriguing. As for how long it's been around, yeah, hundreds. Evil creatures of lore, yup. As for how it came to be. . . Since we have multiple immortals and creatures to go with on this, I'd say the tech followed a genetic and biological route that allowed humans to come up with something or another that would weaken the immortals and beasts, and combined it with a mystical element to ensure enslavement. Like, for the Weres, a collar which keeps them in check, for faeries a web to keep them where you want them, for the Fae an addiction they can't escape. I like the idea of each race being handled differently, and the bonding with vampires a very different experience from the enslavement of the other races. Like, the guy has to drink something if he want the vampire to be entirely his rather than just another slave who has to stay by their master's side from a more shallow kind of bond. The other vamp in his service could be bonded in the shallow way, giving him more freedom to express himself or have minor rebellions, while what the human wants for the rebel is far crueler :P *Lets mean streak show*