WOLVES | | VAMPIRES | | WITCHES | | HUMANS - WIP |
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Culture and Terminology - Werewolves - Alpha- The Alpha of a pack, (and note this is not a reference to 'alpha male personality'), is the leader and his wish is any other pack member's command. To become an Alpha one must challenge the current one and they will fight until one of them is dead. There are no 'retired Alpha's', only dead ones. The Alpha can give commands in a certain manner which forces his pack or pack member to comply. A pack wolf cannot refuse, as its innermost nature will torment them until they do as commanded.
- Biter- A wolf who deliberately turns humans at any opportunity, usually a feral wolf. Biters are considered a risk to packs or other wolves in the territory because they do not protect humans during the incubation period of Lycanthropy in their system (Inception), nor after, causing various risks of exposure to human communities and development of ferals.
- Cub- A young wolf, either a teenager with inherited Lycanthropy or a human of any age past teens who's been turned (infected Lycanthopy). Cubs have far less restraint than mature wolves. They shift accidentally because of stress or emotions and they tend to be reckless, impulsive and unpredictable. These traits are less prominent while they are in human form but still present. They are under normal circumstances guided by the wolf who bit them until they reach maturity and this is expected of any wolf who infects a human. This is usually a period of three to eight months.
- Feral- A werewolf whose wolf form is largely dominant of the human one, to the point of human thought and emotion getting pushed into subconscious. This can happen for a variety of reasons, the most common ones being isolation from other wolves since during inception or cub months or severe physical or mental trauma. Ferals are a threat to humans.
- Inception- Lycanthopy's incubation period from the time a human is bitten and until the first shift, which happens on the first full moon after infection. Inception is a confusing and difficult time as wolf senses and tendencies are bombarded onto a human who is in no way capable of controlling them properly. Examples would be sudden bouts of aggression or lust, and hyper sensitivity to sound, scent, taste and light.
- Infected Lycanthropy (Bitten wolf)- Humans bitten by a werewolf will suffer a physical and mental transformation down to the very core of their genes. They will in nearly every way be identical to wolves of inherited lycanthropy, the only differences being as follows:
- A bitten wolf cannot resist shifting on a full moon at any point in their life (except when pregnant).
- A bitten wolf's offspring might not inherit lycanthropy if the mate is human.
- A bitten wolf cannot become Alpha of a pack. (The exception would be if every beta was a bitten wolf as well, but it would not match a born wolf Alpha in power.)
- Inherited Lycanthropy (Born wolf)- The child of a born wolf will always be a wolf. Werewolves are sister-species of humans and have never been merely human nor will they ever be. A werewolf child will show no signs of its Lycanthropy until it shifts for the first time, which generally happens around puberty. Shifting for the first time from age 13-15 is common, but age considered normal would be 11-17. Advantages of being born over being bitten are:
- A born wolf can learn to control their shifting even at a full moon.
- A born wolf will always make wolf babies.
- A born wolf can become Alpha of a pack.
- Pack- Wolves always seek the security and community of a pack. Be it three wolves or thirty, they are most comfortable amongst others of their kind. They hunt in packs, they prefer living as close to pack members as possible, and they seek strength, empathy, warmth, loyalty and resilience from their pack bond. A pack is made up of a single Alpha and as many 'beta's' as they wish.
- Pack Bond- The pack will in essence strengthen any wolf's own attributes when gathered. A wolf running solo is very strong but if he's running with his pack mates his strength is enhanced by the confidence in his pack. It is a purely psychological thing, but none the less powerful. A pack is family.
- Rogue- A lone wolf, one without a pack. Pack wolves aren't particularly fond of their rogue brothers. Being banished from a pack, abandoning a pack or being turned by a biter, feral wolf or another rogue are the ways a wolf ends up on his own. This is not common, nor is it generally desirable since pack mentality is deeply rooted in the rogue as any other wolf.
- Shifting- Every werewolf has the ability to shift from human form to wolf form. They can shift at will as soon as they have cleared the cub stage, but only some born wolves can resist shifting on a full moon. Resisting the moon takes immense self-control and it is beyond a bitten wolf's ability to master in that context. Shifting is a painful process of bones and tissue snapping into different places and taking new shape. The first time is pure agony and takes a long time. As time goes by and they gain control, shifting gets easier, quicker and less painful. A mature, experienced wolf can shift effortlessly in a matter of seconds. A werewolf can only shift fully into a wolf or a human, there are no partial shifting phases, no disfiguring of features other than part of a full shift.
- Telepathy- Wolves in a pack under an Alpha can communicate telepathically. Cubs can't control this, they might simply broadcast whatever goes on in their head at random times, but mature wolves have learned to control it and focus it. They can speak to a single member of the pack or a select few, or the whole group. Only the Alpha can communicate with wolves who are not within his or her sight (or close enough to pinpoint an exact location).
- Werewolf Pregnancy- A pregnant werewolf will not shift at any time until she's given birth. It is not a conscious effort, pregnancy simply alters her hormones so that her wolf side is dormant, similar to how children do not shift. A pregnancy happens, works and ends in the same way as a human one, the difference being lack of multitude of issues human women may suffer that werewolf women avoid due to their enhanced healing rate and resilient physicality. This is the only time a bitten wolf will not shift during a full moon. A wolf's scent will change subtly during her pregnancy. It's not a change that others will recognize for what it is without other hints, however. There's no specific 'pregnancy scent'. The hormonal effects of a pregnancy (not shifting) will occur almost immediately, or within 24 hours from conception.
| | Culture and Terminology -Vampires - Charm- a hypnotizing effect on humans, a learned skill. The benefits of this while feeding are a calm victim that surrenders to the vampire's will and thus allowing the feeding to go smoothly (and in most cases not fatally) if the vampire has been parented, as well as no recollection of this happening if the charm effect is withheld properly throughout feeding. This can be used in other circumstances as well, but is limited to the vampire's experience in applying it. A very experienced vampire who is used to this method of control could Charm a room full of humans to forget a portion of their lives, or implant certain memories to replace the ones they already have. Werewolves cannot be charmed.
- Draining- transforming a human to a vampire by draining them of all their blood until they are at the brink of death and feeding them a small amount of vampire blood to trigger the transformation.
- Familia- A group of vampires aligned and under the reign of a single Vasilias. When joining a Familia, a vampire undergoes a small blood ritual. The Vasilias bites them, drinks a small amount of their blood, and by that connects the vampire to himself and through him every other Familia vampire. The only time a vampire feels the effect of this is when the Vasilias uses it to order a demand telepathically.
- Feral- a vampire that was not parented by a mature vampire through its fledgling stage and thus never learned to tame its blood lust, usually rogue vampires that Familias aren't too fond of having in their domain. They hunt for the enjoyment as much as for feeding and usually kill their victims. If they turn a human they do it by slaying.
- Hunger- the primal need to feed, same as human hunger only for a different diet. This is what vampires learn to manage from being lust if they are parented during fledgling stage.
- (blood)Lust- an uncontrolled urge to feed, resulting in feral indulgence and death of the victim in most cases as well as quite a mess because the vampire will not bother with charm.
- Newborn/Fledgling- a vampire recently turned from human condition (derogatory term is childe). Newborns are unstable, unpredictable, unable to control their hunger if not under strict care of a mature vampire. This stage usually takes 3-8 months. Fledgelings are a threat to humans.
- Parenting- when a mature vampire helps get a newborn through the fledgling stage by teaching them how to control their lust for blood and to utilize charm when feeding, allowing them to feed without killing the human. Intimate relations between the mature vampire and the newborn are ill advised.
- Slaying- transforming a human to a vampire by feeding them a small amount of vampire blood and killing them right after, thus triggering the transformation.
- Telepathy- Vampires in a Familia under a Vasilias can communicate telepathically. Fledgelings can't control this, they might simply broadcast whatever goes on in their head at random times, but mature vampires have learned to control it and focus it. They can speak to a single member of the Familia or a select few, or the whole group. Only the Vasilias can communicate with vampires who are not within his or her sight (or close enough to pinpoint an exact location). Vampires can communicate thoughts telepathically to humans, but humans cannot do the same so it cannot be a telepathic conversation but rather a one sided invasion into a human's mind.
- Turning- the act of transforming a human to vampire, done by one of two ways, draining or slaying. Both ways include human death and revival into vampire life. No permanent death occurs. A vampire is not undead.
- Vasilias- leader of a Familia. The Vasilias holds undisputed authority over the Familia and his words are law. Not doing his bidding, regardless of its ultimate context, is punishable by death. In addition to this the Vasilias has an ability to telepathically give an order to Familia vampires, and when he does they will feel a strong compulsion to heed his demand. The only way to replace a Vasilias is to challenge his reign and fight to the death. There are no retired Vasilias'.
| | Culture and Terminology - Witches - The Departed- The Departed is a term commonly used by witches to describe those who have turned from a path intended to protect humans from the selfishness of other supernatural forces, such as vampires and werewolves, to a path which is steeped in magic focused on self-fulfillment and greed. The magic used by The Departed has a sole purpose of bringing pain to all who encounter it, including its user. It is not uncommon for these witches to sell portions of their souls to demonic forces in order to obtain more power for themselves.
- The Council– The Council is a group of seven put together to ensure there are checks and balances in the coven's community. They potentially have the power to override the Supreme's decision.
- Coven- A coven is a community or gathering of witches, a group of believers who gather together for ceremonies of worship, such as celebrating the Sabbaths and honoring the gods. Although witches enjoy the protection offered from living as a mass collective rather than alone, there are no detrimental effects if one choses to live in isolation. In fact, upon coming of age, many witches take pilgrimages away from their home towns or cities, traveling mostly by foot, in order to visit where they believe to be the birthplace of magic. Sometimes, they find themselves settling somewhere discovering along the way.
- The Sacrosanct- The Sacrosanct is an umbrella term used by witches to describe themselves. All witches obtain their abilities through biological development. At times, the magical gene can become dormant, for unexplained reasons, and then reappear generations down the line to the unsuspecting and unprepared. Every witch, upon the ragged inhale of their first breath, is considered to be a member of the Sacrosanct. Only when a witch forsakes the laws of her coven do they lose their natural status and privilege to be called such.
- Supreme – The Supreme, a role which can be held by anyone regardless of their gender, is the witch responsible for the creation of the laws within a coven along with ensuring each member abides by them. Sometimes, they are called forth to issue punishment to those who tread too closely to violating them. The Supreme also has the ability to use more than one class of magic.
- The Untested – The Untested is a term commonly used by witches to describe those who have not mastered their abilities. Although witches are born with the ability to perform magic, it is a skill which must be mastered and controlled, an ability even those considered full bodied witches struggle with at times. Some parents make the decision to have their children’s powers bound until they reach puberty, around sixteen years of age. A grand ceremony is held on the Samhain in their celebration.
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The Laws of Nature - Werewolves - Aging: A wolf will age the same way a human would, only at a slower rate after their first shift. A wolf will age the equivalent of a single human year in ten years of life. They have a hypothetical potential to grow around 900 years old, but reaching that age is extremely rare for the aggressive species, and their bodies and minds do start to grow weak and frail in old age as a human's would after the 700 year mark. Average life span of a werewolf is around 300, kept down by constant warring between them and vampires.
- Appearance: A werewolf looks just like any human although they tend to be on the fit or slim side because of their fast metabolism. Their wolf form is identical to your average wolf with the exception of being slightly larger or about 6-10 inches taller on the shoulder.
- Being fed on by a Vampire: If a wolf is fed on by a vampire it causes an immediate rush, a pleasant sensation. Afterwards though, the wolf will experience a kind of link to the vampire which reveals itself during sleep. Dreams will be vivid and strong and feature the vampire, often in sexual context. Vampires know this. The whole act of letting a vampire feed on one self is forbidden and very taboo, because of vulnerabilities it can present. Wolves in general consider this an underhanded weapon of vampires. The link lasts for about a week and then fades, unless there is repeated exposure.
- Diet: Werewolves eat regular human food, and hunt animals for fresh meat. The hunt is part of their nature and a part of shifting at a full moon.
- Sex: Female werewolves go through heat. For the average woman this occurs every three months and lasts a week at a time. During heat, she will experience greatly increased libido and her scent will indicate this to other wolves. The more mature a wolf is, the better she can control how much this affects her. At an average of 50 years old they've gained decent control. A 100 years old wolf has, on average, full control. How much they choose to apply said control varies from person to person; some very much indulge in this week. Some male werewolves knot just before they reach orgasm. Whether they have control of this or not varies from person to person.
| | The Laws of Nature - Vampires - Aging- a vampire will age with time, in the same way a human would only at a far slower rate. A vampire will age the equivalent of a single human year in fifty years of life. They have the potential to grow around 900 years old, but their bodies will begin to show signs of aging at around the 700 year mark, comparable to what would happen to a werewolf of the same age. Average life span of a vampire is in the 300's, kept down by the constant warring between them and werewolves.
- Appearance- A vampire's skin will be a shade paler than in its human life, but not ghostly pale by any means. That is the only alteration from their human form, aside from their fangs. The fangs are elongated canines with the same shape any human canines might be only the edge of each tooth is razor sharp. The fangs retract and appear human but push forth when the vampire prepares to bite a victim. This is voluntary and controllable. Breaking their own skin with the teeth happens frequently but due to their fast healing rate this goes unnoticed most of the time.
- Biology- A vampire is not undead, dead or in any way anything other than alive. When turned they are indeed killed but the transformation acts for the body the same way any medical means would bring back a person from cardiac arrest or the like. Their human life is over, but only because their genes have mutated as a result of a vampire's blood affecting them, leaving them vampires themselves. Note that this is knowledge no vampire automatically gains from simply being turned, they learn it if someone explains it. Hair and nails do grow at a human rate and need tending, they have a heartbeat and every part of their body is fully functional with one exception. They do not conceive. A vampire will not get pregnant or impregnate another. Survival of their species depend on turning others into vampires, not giving birth.
- Diet- Vampires need blood to survive. (See blood deprivation in weaknesses.) They can eat any food but it will not provide them with nourishment as it did while they were human. They can substitute human blood with animal blood but need to feed much more frequently if they do so since human blood provides far greater nourishment. Some vampires have chosen to go 'vegan' in the past few decades. Feeding once a week off human blood is enough (if about 500ml are taken which is about the amount of blood an average sized human can spare without dangerous consequences of blood loss). Feeding on animal blood requires feeding daily and it needs to be a full 'meal'. One rabbit won't do, for instance (medium rabbit's entire blood volume would be around 180ml whereas the vampire needs 500ml to be sated until the next day). As such, typically, with smaller animals (unless the vampire plans on taking no more than a sip of each creature) the animal dies of blood loss.
- Feeding on a Wolf- Drinking werewolf blood causes an immediate rush, a pleasant sensation. Wolves' blood has addictive qualities to vampires, making them crave more of that specific wolf's blood once they've tasted it, but overdosing on it is lethal. Wolves know this. The whole act of feeding on a wolf is forbidden and very taboo because of vulnerabilities it presents. Vampires consider it an underhanded weapon of wolves. The addiction lasts for about a week and then fades, unless there is repeated exposure.
| | The Laws of Nature - Witches - Coven Connection- Although a witch can hold their own against opposition, they do have greater power and influence in numbers. A spell can easily be increased in effectiveness, or potentially be less draining, when there are multiple contributors to its creation. If a pair becomes promised to one another, magically bond to spend their lives together through incarnation, they share a link with each other, permitting them to feel the other’s emotions to a certain extent.
- Inception- A witch is born, not made. Regardless of how one studies, the Way simply cannot be learned from dusty tomes or dedication. The spark, found in one’s blood, is required before power burns to a person’s truest potential. For The Sacrosanct only one parent, mother or father, is required for the child to inherit the gift. Sins of the parent do not fall upon the child. If a child is born to a Departed parent, they will have the opportunity to become Sacrosanct if they seek it.
- Witch Pregnancy- A pregnant witch experiences some of the same symptoms as a human female would. One consequence of pregnancy is that the witch's powers become unstable due to the untrained baby residing in her body. In addition, witches can breed with both humans and werewolves. Their children have the potential to inherit one of their parent’s abilities. For example, a wolf and witch can potentially have either wolf or witch children. There is a small possibility their children might be human.
| | The Laws of Nature - Humans Coming soon! |
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Physical Abilities - Werewolves - Fast metabolism: Causes their core temperature to be higher than a human's and has all usual effects on physicality, such as high tolerance to alcohol and near constant hunger.
- Heightened senses: Hearing, sight, taste, scent, sound, all heightened. More so in wolf form but also present in human form. Can be focused on tracking when in wolf form.
- Quick Reflexes: In wolf form: Matching their vampire foes, young wolves can move about 30mph/50kmh and as they mature that speed grows to around 70mph/110kmh. In human form: They can run at top human speeds (20-30mph) and have generally fast reflexes.
- Stamina: They are able to push themselves for long bursts of physical effort.
- Strength and healing: Healing at a fast enough rate to close a surface would in seconds and a deep cut in about two minutes depending on severity. Severed limbs do not grow back but will grow back on if replaced immediately. A window of about ten seconds applies there. Strength is a gradual attribute, starting with the ability to effortlessly lift 220lbs/100kg - 440lbs/200kg and going as far as effortlessly lifting 880lbs/400kg.
| | Physical Abilities - Vampires - Heightened Senses- Hearing, scent, taste, sight and touch are all enhanced
 For better or worse.
- Increased Strength and Healing- Healing at a fast enough rate to close a surface would in seconds and a deep cut in about two minutes depending on severity. Severed limbs do not grow back but will grow back on if replaced immediately. A window of about ten seconds applies there. Strength is a gradual attribute, starting with the ability to effortlessly lift 500lbs/230kg - 1100lbs/500kg (the latter being your average cow ), and going as far as effortlessly lifting 3000lbs/1500kg (your average Hippo).
- Quick Reflexes- A young vampire can move at about 30mph/50kmh and that speed gradually increases to be at around 70mph/110kmh. How long they are able to maintain this speed is up to age and experience. They do not need to move this way and if they choose not to, the skill will not evolve. Their basic reflexes far surpass those of a human.
| | Physical Abilities - Witches - Physicality- In most respects, witches mirror the same physicality of their human counter parts. The body types, physical strengths and stamina vary dependent on the individual. There is one area of the witch that sets them apart from their less evolved human cousins. The ability to perform magic.
THE MAGIC - THE BASICS- These are the skills every witch is either born with or can learn. Their proficiency at these skills varies dependent on the witches will, skill and linage.
- Potion Brewing: The act of brewing and concocting magical potions. Skill varies from witch to witch.
- Spell Casting: The act of changing and controlling events through the use of incantations and more.
- Aura Reading: The act of being able to perceive auras, granting them the ability to determine if a being is:
- Human (purple),
- Witch (gold),
- Wolf (green), or
- vampire (red).
- SPECIALIZED POWERS- Witches generally only ever have an affinity for one of these disciplines of magic. Thus making that skill their "Major" magic. Witches may additionally have a much small affinity for an additional discipline. Developing that ability to a much lesser but still wieldable magic. This is termed a "Minor" magic. Skill level for both again depends on will, skill and linage of the individual witch. The only exception to this rule is the Supreme who may master several specialized powers.
- Astral Projection: The power to project the astral body from outside of the physical body in order to travel from one location to another.
- Aerokinesis: The power to control and manipulate the element of air.
- Geokinesis: The power to control and manipulate the element of earth.
- Hydrokinesis: The power to control and manipulate the element of water.
- Pyrokinesis: The power to control and manipulate the element of fire.
- Levitation: The power to float or rise the physical body within midair through mental influence.
- Telekinesis: The act of controlling and manipulating the movement of objects and persons through mental influence.
- Clairvoyance: The power to divine through the perception of emotions, objects, people, or physical phenomena.
- Empathy: The power to identify the emotions of another person.
- Mediumship: The power to commune with the spirits of the dead.
- Premonitions: The power to divine through the observation and study of dreams.
- Psychometry: The power to divine through contact with or proximity to a certain object or person.
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Weaknesses - Werewolves - Full Moon: A bitten wolf cannot resist shifting on a full moon, and all wolves who shift on full moon are more feral than usual. All werewolves can experience a shorter fuse and a more present link to their animal side during the days leading up to a full moon, experience, personality and blood (bitten more than inherited) being determining factors on how evident this is.
- Head, Neck and Heart: Extreme injuries their fast healing rate cannot keep up with will kill them, such as a broken neck, severed head, pierced or crushed heart, or severe internal injuries.
- Oxygen: They need to breathe. Depriving them of air will kill them, such as choking, hanging, drowning, etc.
- Silver: Injuries caused by silver items heal as slow as human wounds if the silver is constantly applied (bullet lodged in bone). They heal faster if the impact is brief but still slower than their usual healing rate (stab wound). Silver will cause irritation similar to allergic reactions if simply applied to skin in non-aggressive manner such as a piece of jewelry. If silver is left on the skin in non-aggressive manner (such as chains), the irritation will develop into burn wounds and eventually become fatal through shock to their system and/or infections.
| | Weaknesses - Vampires - Blood Deprivation: If vampires do not feed they will weaken until they enter a comatose state. The stages of blood loss are: Slight fatigue, severe fatigue, bleeds (any punctured skin or orifices start bleeding) and coma, all of whom are accompanied by gradual loss of coherent thought and superhuman abilities. First symptoms will begin to show after a week or so.
- Decapitation: If the head of a vampire is severed completely, the vampire will perish. Breaking the neck of a vampire only causes discomfort.
- Exsanguination: If a vampire is completely drained of their blood, they will become comatose. In such cases they need vampire blood to regain consciousness and human blood to regain their strength. If this happens to a young vampire (>10 years) they may need to go through a fledgling stage again.
- Must be invited in by the owner of a private residence. Vampires do not need to be invited into public places (such as bars or restaurants). Humans and werewolves can rescind their invitations from vampires, which causes the vampire to immediately leave the house. This is involuntary and unavoidable. Attempting a denied entry is best described as trying to walk through an invisible wall. A vampire does not need permission to enter another vampire's home.
- Silver: any contact with silver will burn, long term contact will eventually melt the exposed surface. These wounds heal at a slower rate than other ailments, and if enough of the vampire's body is covered in silver for a long enough time it will eventually result in decomposing and death.
- Sunlight: If a vampire comes into contact with sunlight, their skin will burn and they will be weakened. Persistent exposure to UV rays will eventually result in decomposing and fortunately death.
- Wood: If the heart of a vampire is pierced with a wooden object, (such as stake or wooden bullet) the vampire will die. (Their heart will heal if pierced with anything else unless the object is made of silver and left in the wound.)
| | Weaknesses - Witches - Human Physicality: Despite their ability to perform magic, they are bound by the same physical hindrances (age, strength, speed, cell regeneration, metabolism, etc.) as humans. However, it is known that especially powerful witches can overcome these weaknesses and develop physicality similar to the other supernatural species.
- Iron: A hard and strong magnetic metal that is used to repressed the supernatural abilities of a witch. A quick fact is that the metal was one of the reasons so many witches burned during the Salem Witch Trials. They were confined in it and thus unable to escape a gruesome death. Contact with the metal should be limited. Even the faintest brush can cause agitation.
- Magic: Witches are not immune to magic. An untrained witch can easily harm themselves with their own power as they could another person.
- Overexertion: The excessive use of magic could lead to disorientation, nose bleeds, unconsciousness, and if taken to the extreme, death.
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