After Dark OOC

Map Circa 1829-1842

Modern Satellite Overview;

Humans:
Humans can be found throughout the world and have little to no magic. Any magic they do have is limited and uncontrolled. Humans make wonderful soldiers, though.

Mages:
Mages and humans are two sides of the same coin. Mages are usual humans with magical abilities. They sometimes wander the world or settle down in one place. There are Light and Dark mages, along with every shade between these extremes. Mages have magic in their veins, quite literally, while humans are usually magicless. They are similar to Sorcerers in many respects, but unlike Sorcerers, the magic often represents as psychical abnormalities such as unusual eye or hair colour, and sometimes even runes that appear naturally on the skin. It is also less dark than their Sorcerer brethen.

Sorcerers/Sorceresses:
Unlike their human or mage cousins, Sorcerers or Sorceresses deal in the very dark magic. Like mages, they are born to their abilities and are literally made of magic, in a way. Their abilities are often things like necromancy, curses, hexes and the like; things to do with harming others. When a mage becomes a sorcerer, they lose any unusual eye or hair colour and distinctive markings. Some consider this option better than remaining a mage. Sorcerers are essentially mages who have gone rogue.

Vampires:
Vampires are a kind of subspecies that derives from humans. They feed on blood and have no apparent weaknesses apart from sunlight, though beheading and then burning the body is known to work very well. They are mostly known for their cruelty and their thirst for blood and violence, though that's not always true. They govern themselves and rarely interfere in the affairs of others.

Rumour goes the first vampire was an ancient queen who was cursed by a young mage boy she sought to possess. Apparently he wasn't very keen on the idea and decided that a curse might help change the woman's mind. What he hadn't counted on was her finding a way to turn him several years after the curse had changed the young queen. Eternally young and beautiful, the woman-turned-vampire began to build an empire of immortals. When her only son died without leaving an heir, the reality of her new life hit her hard. She decided to set up a clan, or a Ginealach as she called it, and began to watch over those who caught a vampire's attention. She became a ruler of sorts, guiding her kind with a gentle yet firm hand throughout the centires. Recently, a new elder vampire has appeared as the leader of the Ginealach. The first's location and wellbeing are unknown.

(Ginealach: Irish, means pedigree, lineage. Essientally describes all vampires originally from the First's lineage, her bloodline, though there are many smaller "clans" around now.)

Werewolves & Shapshifters:
Werewolves are not the same as shifters. While both turn into animals, werewolves are usually tied to the moon's phases. They can change at will, but during a full moon, the change is forced on them and they can often be unpredictable, and especially violent. Also, the lore on them is pretty accurate. If a person is bitten, they become a werewolf themselves. Newly-bitten weres are especially violent, more so than one that's been a werewolf for a while. They're also extremely unpredictable. Female werewolves are also barren. Reproduction is male were and female human, or a female of any other species and/or sub-species that can be found. A male were and female were will produce nothing; the monthly change more often than not triggers a miscarriage, so there's really no point in trying in the first place. They have a severe allergic reaction to silver, but otherwise can heal almost any injury, excluding those they severely compromise their healing alibities. For example, silver posioning combined with a serious injury will most likely kill the were. Also, diseases and illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and STDs, among others, can severely compromise their healing abilities.

On the other hand, shifters are very different. They, like their werewolf cousins, can turn into animals, but their change is not tied to the moon's phases. They can switch forms at any time they wish, and like the werewolf, they can be violent and unpredictable, though it is to a lesser degree than their cousins. Unlike some lore that can be found, they do not pass on their ability by biting or sctraching another. Being a shape-shifter is genetic, and since they can reproduce with any difficulties related to their change, the chance of a miscarriage or barrenness is greatly reduced. Children born of shifter and non-shifter pairings have a 50% chance of being born a shifter or a human. Unlike the werewolf, shifters have less to worry about. Silver still causes an allergic reaction, but less so than a were's reaction. Most injuries will heal, though extremely severe ones will most likely kill a shifter. Like their werewolf cousins, diseases and illnesses such as the ones mentioned above can compromise a shifter's healing abilites.

The Fair Folk:
The Fair Folk are a race of mysterious supernatural beings, also known as Faeries. To most people, they made of legend and myth, and there is a lot of lore on them. Most agree on a few things; faeries are very beautiful, even so that it may be painful for human eyes, that they posses magic of various degrees, including glamour*, and they have a wicked, playful nature, prone to tricks and pranks. The lore also warns one off making a deal with a faerie; they will almost always try to find a way to turn the deal sour. Faeries are experts at this. They also most often must tell the truth, though they are excellent at dancing around it and hinting at it, giving you just enough truth so that they're not spilling their guts but enough riddles and mind-play that you can't tell the difference. In some lore, if you find out ther true name, they must grant you whatever you wish, and/or can be summoned if you call that name thrice (three times). A faerie will do everything in its power to keep this name hidden, and will often use a variety of aliases and nicknames.

They are weak against cold iron (or just iron, 'cold iron' is an archaic term for iron), some charms, certains herbs and trees/wood, especially rowan. They will try to avoid these at all times, especially the iron. Iron is like posion to the Fair Folk, and will melt their skin, bones, etc. Faeries also like to steal human children/babies and replace them with changelings. They also have a fondness for creative people; artists, muscians and the like, for they have no creativity of thier own (according to some lore/legends). They may also steal older people, most likely because the person has the Sight; a gift that allows them to see the Fair Folk, usually in their glamourless state. Faeries also live for a ridiculously long time, much like the vampire, despite their weakness (if either species were to manage to remain unharmed indefinitely, they would truly be immortal, though this is very hard to do), though there are reports of the Fair Folk simply ceasing to exist; for a faerie, to Fade is to cease to exist, and no sane faerie would wish to Fade.

* Glamour; a type of magic that allows a faerie to hide their true image behind a fascade made of pure magic. Iron will disrupt this magic, unless the faerie is very powerful. Weaker faeries and theri glamour will faulter and wilt under the poisonious effects of iron.

Fade/Fading; a state of being where the faerie or faeries ceases to exist. It is one of the few things a faerie truly fears, for when they fade, they are also forgotten. (And none wish to be forgotten, do they?)