Small assemblage of questions

[rodentfanatic.livejournal.com]

And once again, my brain has been ticking, and I wondered if anyone had any answers (or just ideas, theories, headcanons, etc.) on any of the following:

- I haven't read the book in which Byron appears, but an AB Wiki tells me that he "was turned at 15, but due to bulking up muscle can pass for 18." Is it ever stated in the books whether or not this bulking-up was done before or after death? I swear I got the impression somewhere that he did so AFTER being turned, which has all sorts of interesting implications. Like, if vampires can build muscle, can they lose it? Can they gain or lose fat, maybe by drinking from someone with high blood sugar or cholesterol too often or something like that? If they die bulked-up, do they have to work to maintain that muscle after death, or does anything you died with stay the same and you can only add from there, not lose?

- Why is the rat king/rodere leader called the Rom? What does that mean and how would it relate to rats? The only 'Rom' I know of is the Roma people, and when I searched the term on Wiki, I didn't get any results that seem rat-related.

- How much blood do vampires need to drink? In some parts of the book there's an implication that they don't need much at all, while other parts imply they can potentially kill someone by feeding on them. My guess is that while they may only need a bit, some go way overboard, either because they're assholes or just can't control themselves, but is it ever stating explicitly just what the case is?

- Necromancers can control all types of undead, not just zombies. There's been a lot of focus on Anita controlling vampires, but what about ghosts and ghouls? Ghouls are a type of undead, do ghosts count as such too? And has there been anything on Anita having influence over either since her necromancer powers awakened?