Post by Feathers on Apr 29, 2010 18:05:54 GMT -5
vampires
lycans
werewolves
shifters
faeries
mages
white angels
fallen angels
demons
hybrids
neko
humans
The vampires are an extremely old, elegant and blood-soaked race. Like those of legend, they are pale as the moon they walk under, thirst for blood and are fatally attractive. Their long, snake-like fangs and increased strength, speed, hearing and eyesight make them the perfect predator, and as they must feed regularly or go into a bloodthirsty rampage, these beings are deadly to have around. They have several weak points, however, namely the sun. Traditional vampires are confined to nighttime as UV rays from the sun degrade their skin very quickly. A few minutes of sunshine will make them burn and steam, but too much more than that and the vampire will be burned to a pile of ash. Additionally, silver weapons give them wounds which are difficult to heal, lack of blood weakens them, and decaptitation (followed by burning) kills them. Holy water burns most, although the vampires who have chosen to abstain from causing death or harm remain mostly unaffected by the stuff. While some vampires choose to continue to eat food after being Turned, it is not a requirement. Vampires do not really age, and have mild regenerative abilities.
Older vampires may, over time, develop an immunity to some of these afflictions, as well as develop various other powers. It is common for these additional powers to be passed onto those who a vampire sires, albeit in weaker form. It is very rare for one to be born a vampire, as generally most vampires are infertile. A fertile line does run in most royal families, however, which allows them to pass down their state through the generations. Vampires are usually created by being bitten and then drinking the blood of the vampire who sires them. Vampires are said to be the descendants of Cain.
lycans
Lycans are the descendents of the ancient race of werewolves. They roam the world as both man and wolf, cunning and intelligent as man but ruthless, wild and strong as the wolves they are. The lycans, unlike their werewolf ancestors, do not require a full moon to transform and are able to control their wolf form much more easily to the point of shifting at will. Even in their human forms, lycans have better agility, senses and strength than most people (although not quite superhuman), but these abilities are exponentially greater when they are in their wolven forms. Like vampires, lycans do not really age and have some mild regenerative ability. Lycans are allergic to silver, and feel a distinct desire to transform during a full moon, but they are not forced to transform, as weres are. Lycans are often passionate, violent or sexual creatures, owing to their beastly blood. One can become a lycan by suffering a bite without immediate treatment, or by being born to lycan parents.
werewolves
The werewolves are an ancient breed, far older than their lycan heritors, whose fearsome habits are surely known by all. They seem at almost all times to be a completely normal lot, distinguished only by their incredible strength, speed, stamina and senses. However, in the light of a full moon, these poor souls lose their humanity completely, and revert to the most beastly of forms; the werewolf. The transformation is painful, but short, and the beast that emerges wrathful, powerful and destructive. Generally, werewolves cannot remember anything about what happened after they awake, human again, and most count this as a blessing. There are few werewolves left in the world, this mostly owing to the fact that they are the most hunted species on account of their violent curse. As werewolves age, they generally become able to control their shifted state more, but no werewolf may resist the full moon or shift without moonlight. Werewolves' weaknesses include wolfsbane and religious artifacts such as crucifixes and holy water, as well as quicksilver, also called mercury. It is said that if true silver enters a werewolf's body, it will revert back to it's human form, but there has been little evidence of this as it is quite difficult to get so close to an angry werewolf. Werewolves, as with lycans and vampires, do not age, and have moderate regenerative ability. One may become a werewolf by being bitten or by birth.
shifters
Shifters are the children of Gaia, the earth, created to protect Her from the other creatures that inhabit the world. The are a race as old as the rocks and mountains themselves, humans who can take the shape of three natural Earth creatures, or one fantasy creature, like a dragon or unicorn, although these are incredibly rare and there is only one of any kind of fantasy shifter alive at one time. (Thus, please see an admin if you seek to have a 'fantasy' shifter!) The shifter can transform between their animal forms as easily as breathing. On the whole, this species tends to be more naturally-oriented, prone to a neutral alignment and flighty or aloof. They do not age, and have excellent regenerative abilities. The forms a shifter takes are tied somehow to that shifter's personality, like the patronus of Harry Potter, the daemons of The Golden Compass, or even the spirit guides of Native American lore. Shifters generally have a weak ability to manipulate the weather-- they may cause a light shower, or call up a breeze, but no shifter can cause a hurricane or flood. Perhaps, though, a group of shifters working together could...
faeries
Good luck with the fae. Called by many names, these creatures run the gamut of size, shape and function. They traditionally are skilled at some form of charm or illusory magic, most notably the 'glimmerspell,' which allows them to change the appearance of an object or person, especially their own person. Fae cannot lie and contact with cold iron burns them. Generally, they are small-framed and delicate, with shining skin and large eyes. Their inability to lie often simply means that they are disposed to speaking in riddles, and can be hard for the weakminded to understand. They, too, come from and prefer the wild places of the earth. As fae come in so many varieties, some have mild regenerative ability and some do not.
mages
By and large, mages are human, albeit humans with strange and wonderful powers. Mages almost always come from long lines of their kind, and the people of these ancient families all have similar talents. Some families are known for weather mages, others for metallurgy, still others for their talents at potion-making. Other than their magical talents, these humans are just that-- human.
Current families:
Telchines - Mentalists (precognition, telekinesis, mediumship, telepathy, psychometry)
white angels
ELDER
The elder white angels have the honor of being the first species created by he who they call Father, who represents what we call the gods on earth. The angels, who call themselves the bene ha'Elohim, are pure beings, created not born, and function only to protect humankind and the Order of things. Elder white angels are organized into highly complex hierarchies and are eternal as long as they remain in the good graces of their Father. They live in what we call heaven, from which they presumably oversee the goings on of the world. Some of these angels, called Grigori, have opted to walk the earth in human skin, presumably to protect, guide or attempt to balance out the evil of other creatures. This is a rare thing among them, as the earth is an alien world, full of evil and temptations that can pry their purity from them and make them fall. Generally, there has been only one case in which angels have fallen out of heaven without the influence of earthly temptations-- this occurence was the fall of Lucifer and the War of Heaven. On earth, one can usually tell an elder angel from a younger angel as the elders are almost autistic in their general inability to understand facial expressions or vocal cues, since these things do not exist in heaven. After sufficient time on Earth, however, these elder angels can become more accustomed to this type of communication, but there will always be an alien quality to them.
YOUNGER
The younger angels are those who have ascended from very pure, spiritual lives as humans. They have done some incredible deed during their lives, and after death accepted the opportunity to forego heaven for a time and serve humanity. There is usually a 100-year delay between their death and return as an angel to ensure that no one they knew while alive is around to detract them from their duty. They are much easier to interact and identify with than the elder bene 'elim. The younger angels are very rarely a part of the complex hierarchical system of the elder white angels, although particularly adept, experienced younger angels are sometimes promoted-- think Jeanne d'Arc and Gandhi, here, though.
IN GENERAL
On earth, angels are easily identified by their white wings, which only humans cannot see. They are usually given a host of powers, all holy, to use in order to fight the damned or protect their charges. Angels must remain pure or they risk falling, although it can be hard to tell where the line is drawn. It is not possible for an angel to reproduce under any circumstance. Most angels have some sort of regenerative quality, though those with separate healing power will themselves heal the most swiftly. Most angels have some shade of blue eyes.
fallen angels
The Fallen consist of angels, young and elder, who have fallen from grace. They have violated their purity and thus lost their beautiful white wings and their powers. Luckily for them, there is a recruiter for the other team. Usually, when a white angel loses her wings and powers, she is given new, smaller, dark wings and rather more sinister powers. Fallen angels, sometimes called 'black' angels, are just as indestructable as their white counterparts, and though the two species often butt heads, it is still a fact that fallen angels were once just as noble-hearted and good as their white brethren, and are not usually totally lost to evil forever. Still, it is very difficult for a fallen angel to regain his white wings, and if he does, they will always have a single black pinion as a reminder of their slip. As with white angels, fallen cannot reproduce or hide their wings from anyone but humans.
demons
Demons are the denizens of hell, a chthonic place accessible only by them and a very hot, fiery, suphurous environment. They are known to be deviant, malicious sorts, the polar opposite of the purity of angels. Though they easily take human form and are mostly indistinguishable from normal folk, they do have some identifying marks. They are sanguine-faced and warm to the touch always, and often have eyes with a reddish tint to them. Additionally, demons have a second form, a 'demonic' form, which is some chimeric mashup of traits that form a unique, often monstrous shape. One might be red-scaled and horned and hooved, with bat wings, while another might be quadruped like a centaur, with fox-like ears and black and white fur with a pointed face and long claws. Your imagination is encouraged to go completely wild. While many demons prefer the safety and normality of hell, some surface, although their reasons are all their own. Like many races, demons do not age and have mild regenerative capabilities.
hybrids
While in the past, it has been more than a little taboo to interbreed with races outside of your own, the modern world has become quite a bit more diverse, both in its peoples and their modes of thinking. Thus, hybrids are becoming ever more populous. There are still not a ton of them, but those hybrids that do exist are never more than a mix of two species, and the powers/traits they inherit from their parents often behave strangely and are always weaker. Their enhanced senses and reflexes will not be as powerful, either. The hybrid tends to be a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none, having a wider range of abilities but not the power of a pure beast. (As hybrids are rare, please no more than 2 hybrid characters per person!)
neko
Neko are a race of animal-people. Said to be the descendants of interbreeding between humans, shifters and fae, Neko traditionally are a race of humans with cat-ears, tails, delicate boning and brilliantly colored eyes. They tend to be sleek, sly people, fond of tricks and treats, whose moral code glosses over theft as, more or less, a survival instinct. However, due to ever-increasing interbreeding between species, other variety of neko are slowly becoming more prevalent. There are fox-neko, for example, and sheep-neko. Still, the normal neko, with the traits of housecats, remain most prevalent. Neko are the newest species on earth, and some of the most high-strung, flighty and unreliable. It is said that they make very satisfying slaves...
humans
At the request of our dear Dirk, I will provide a description of the mysterious race known as 'hyoomin' or 'huumen.' It deserved it's own page.