The world was born from energy. There wasn’t always a name for it; the ancients called it witchcraft and magic. Here be dragons, they once said, when they had no explanation for the strange creatures of the world. In the modern day, they call it science, but they still don’t know enough to explain the existence of miracles in this world.

The official name for the unknown element is Asterium, and those with its gifts Asters. Scientists have further broken them down to two types, Castors and Polluxes, also known as external and internal types.

While this is not a definitive guide to the world, and it’s not completely necessary to read through every detail, we’ve highlighted some traits and structures for the creatures that dwell in this world. This is only a guide to help you begin developing your characters and giving them structure, rather than to limit what you can do.

If there are any questions, feel free to ask the staff! We’re happy to help.

Created by the hands of god, angels come from a different realm. Some were formed from the earth, while others lived human lives once. It is said that God took pity on humans and martyrs who had their lives taken from them before their time, and therefore he sent them back to the earth to carry his will. It’s not exactly a known science to how humans turn into angels, but for the most part, angels remain in their own realm, in Heaven. Rarely do angels reveal themselves to humans; they're often only on Earth for short periods of time.

Angels are divided into different groups. While seraphims and cherubims exist, one will rarely interact with them.

The angels you do see are those who fight the battles between good and evil. Potentias are the ‘powers,'' the warriors who are sent down to fight the war. They’re equipped with an angel blade to expel demons. With the blade, they are practically invincible; only higher level demons can withstand its gleam. However, angel blades can be used both ways; they can take angels down just as easily, a trait given after the fall of the light bringer. The Virtus, or the ‘virtues’ are the ones that spark light into the world, the hope-bringers. They have powers to heal others, bringing miracles to the world. Potentias and Virtus are often paired with one another; one to fight the battles against evil and one to heal the warriors in their time of need. The determination and direction of Potentias and the soft empathy of the Virtus balance each other.

While not every angel is paired, it can be detrimental to both when separated. Alone, a Potentias can dive headfirst into danger without thinking. They can throw their humanity out the window in their belief that the end will justify the means. On the other hand, Virtus without their Potentias can find themselves wading in a war that feels meaningless, their empathy drowning out all sense of reason. 

While Angels often keep to themselves, they do occasionally meddle in human affairs. Some get attached to certain individuals as guardians, others ask of humans to complete tasks that Angels––due to their otherworldly existence––are unable to do. There are even reports of Angels and humans having offspring, called the Nephilim, though it is forbidden by the heavens. Just be careful, while angels are all ‘good,’ it doesn’t necessarily mean they put your best interests in mind! Every gift they give comes with an ulterior motive, after all, and the end often justifies the means in their minds.

Nephilim do exist in our world, but they are rare. They are the offspring of human and angel, but they're doomed from the start. A nephilim born of a human mother will always kill the mother, and nephilim from an angel mother will rob her of her grace, and be killed before it ever reaches Earth.

While Nephilim inherit powers of being an angel, they are not given an angel's blade. However, they have both the fighting ability and strength of the Potentias, and the healing ability of a Virtus. Therefore, Nephilim are seen as a threat from the heavens; they are too powerful to be held accountable, and any angel who encounters one will be able to sense them, and under the decree of the heavens, are commanded to slay the halfbreeds. Demons also have a vested interest in nephilim; they were the first to truly fall, and are seen as weapons of darkness if they can be corrupted.

While nephilim's powers are half-developed, another thing that holds them back is their lack of grace, which means their own mortality. While they can live lifespans up to five hundred years long, they will eventually age and die just the same. Nephilim can be killed the same way angels are, but they are often more vulnerable, due to the fact that they simply don't have a safety net. Both heaven and hell reject them, and often, their human parent doesn't exist. They must find their own way through this world by themselves.

APPEARANCE: While angels have wings and halos, they rarely appear in their godly forms on Earth. Due to the differences in the realms, they appear human, except for in circumstances of danger or when they're using their powers. It takes them extra energy to appear as their angelic forms.

Ready to make a deal with the devil? Demons have their own structure, crawling out from the dimension one calls hell. They say the first demon was an angel cast down from the heavens, for having the audacity to demand equal standing to God. Demons are a proud race, one that care for little other than their own, and even so, it’s every demon for itself. Quite similar to New York City, one would remark, and perhaps that is why they appear here. Demons are creatures of a dark energy, creatures from another realm. They feed off disaster and chaos. They find their own amusement in toying with the humans of this world, giving them anything they can ever want for the low, low price of selling their soul. What does a human need their soul for anyway? Their structure is simple. They follow Satan and his vices in the seven layers of the underworld. They say demons are just those who sold their souls, both literally and metaphorically, to the world, and once they realise they have nothing after death, they end up here. How fun.

Demons don’t have as clean a category as Angels do, but depending on the demon general they follow, their powers differ and so do their duties. Those who follow Lucifer are proud and arrogant, their desire is to persuade humans to seek glory above all else, and that means throwing others under the bus. Mammon, the demon of greed, promises worldly possessions and gains to those who wish for more, his gilded hand points followers to those who want Midas’ touch, and they tempt those with nothing with the hopes of everything, watching gleefully as they lose it all in the end. Asmodeus controls the demons of lust, the succubi and incubi, the creatures who tempt man into breaking his vows, while Leviathan has the green-eyed gaze of envy, his followers urging humans to crush their rivals and enemies at all cost. Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies, represents gluttony, promoting indulgence to the world, whether it’s in a form of ‘self care’ or not, it doesn’t matter. Belphegor, the demon of sloth, pushes his followers to promote apathy and indifference to the ways of the world. After all, the indifferent crowd more dangerous than those who are evil, no?

The demons are loosely divided into groups depending on what they were like in their human lives, but their goal is to spread chaos and to play with the lives of humans. They care little for anything real, and have little to no empathy for anything other than themselves. All low level demons can possess other creatures for small amounts of time and exist without aging, but as they grow more powerful, they gain more powers other than those of their demon generals, such as supernatural perception, electromagnetic interference, and even biokinesis and shapeshifting abilities.

However, as much as they are 'immortal,' they can be killed. The most certain way of killing a demon is to source an angel blade and to kill them as normal. Other weaknesses include exorcism, which forces a demon back into the void™ and they lose all sense of their former lives. Demon generals also have power over their charges; they control their lesser demons by using their demon name or original name. Therefore, demons don't often give their real names as their aliases, but create another whenever they fancy. Be careful, for demons can give you everything you’ve ever wanted in this life, but are you ready to pay the price?

The Gods have long abandoned Earth to its own devices, finding solace in their own realms, yet their children still roam the Earth. Some have been here for millennia, while others have only been here for decades. Demigods are children of ancient beings hailed by humans as gods, born with Asterium in their veins, they are half mortal and half immortal; they rarely age but they can be killed in battle. While some have stronger protections than others, most have a definite weakness. The one shared weakness demi-gods have is the fear of being forgotten. Their powers are tied to their name. The more who know their name, the more powerful they grow. However, once they're forgotten, the cease to exist, only reborn when they are found once more. As long as one still remembers their name, they remain on our world.

While demigods can come from anywhere, the biggest populations surround three different cultures. Greco-Roman demigods are the most famous, as legends of Jason and the Argonauts, or Hercules still exist to this day. They inherit powers from their fathers and mothers, but find themselves vulnerable to battle wounds. Just because they don’t age doesn’t mean they can’t be killed––they are mostly mortal and can be destroyed through traditional means of decapitation or fatal injury; it’s just more difficult because they heal faster and are more powerful than the average human.

Another large population come from the Shinto shrines of old. Shinto demigods are often ones who are less known––war gods, gods of chaos and calamity, or simply local gods of rivers and forests, have abilities and gifts just the same. However, their weaknesses are different. They can be blighted by curses and demons, or if the natural element they draw power from is polluted. They often hold power within themselves, but channel their asterium through weapons or relics in order to leave their names on this earth if they ever disappear, to be reborn once again.

Demigods are well known in epics as well; demigods are known as humans who become devas. They are often unaware of their powers, and until they find enlightenment, they are unable to unlock the full extent of their power.

That is not to say there aren’t other types of demi-gods. Other gods from different realms have dwelled on Earth before, and many of their children still roam. However, their powers reflect the beliefs of the people; the more well-known they are, the more powerful they are, and the demigod’s struggle will forever be against the most dangerous force of all, the winds of change.

While true fairies are rare these days––chased out of their habitats by deforestation and modernisation––their children remain. Most of the remaining fae are not pure-blooded. Those who are left are often children of changelings, creatures adopted by fairies who somehow inherit the powers as well. Others are mixed with the blood of druids and forest nymphs. As most of their original territories have been wiped out, those who remain rarely know of their ancestry. The fair folk originate from slavic regions, and many of their descendants originate from European origins.

However, one can see it in the way they naturally adapt. There are those with the blood of sirens and succubi, with an enchantment that naturally draws in attention and a voice that can persuade any unsuspecting soul to give everything to them. There are those with the blood of forest nymphs and druids, who naturally have a way with plants, who can speak to the earth and ask it for its gifts, who can naturally see the flow of energy within beings, who have the natural gift of healing. There are also those who are born with fairy’s blood, who can cast illusions and create natural disasters when they please.

The Fae share many common beliefs with Druidic witches. They praise the Green Man and the Mother. While there is certainly still many things unknown about the Fae, one thing that is certain and is naturally understood by its people are the three heads of the green man. The Foliate Head, when drawn, is a symbol of life; it represents fertility and the start of something new. The Disgorging head, with its vegetation spewing from its mouth reminds them of death. It’s a symbol of the end of life, a memento mori. The Bloodsucker’s head, with vegetation growing from all orifices, represents a rebirth. It represents change, that something in the air is different, and action must be done.

While those born with Fae blood are rare, the fae are well studied and well linked to many of the other species that exist. They are a flexible type, more so than other Polluxes, as they are descendants of different creatures. However, as they are all still half human, they are vulnerable to human weaknesses, with little of the extra protection mutants or other mythical creatures might have.

There is currently no organisation for those of Fae blood, as many are unaware themselves that they carry it. They are only gifted individuals, who seemingly fit well with humans. Most are unaware of their existence, only seeing them as legends and stories.

Mutations are a natural part of humanity. Mutants, however, are not seen that way. It is said asterium messes with the human condition, and as its concentration fluctuates, mutants are born with an excess of energy, manifesting themselves into powers. While the general public is still unaware of the mutants’ existence, they are the most well-known Polluxes, and therefore, they are the most dangerous, and the most endangered of them all.

There’s no set ‘power’ for mutants, however most discover their powers between the age of 10 to 25, while their bodies begin changing. There are certain classes of powers too. Physical, Manipulation, and Extrasensory are the most common forms of powers.

Physical powers are simply enhancements of their existing form. Super strength, speed, enhanced senses, intuition, intelligence and even body-hacking can fit into this category. Physical mutations can also include things like wings, elasticity, and other anomalies; the only thing that truly defines a physical power is that it’s internal and it mainly affects the user of the power. At the end of the day, they are very much human, and despite their abilities, will bleed like humans do.

Manipulation is the largest group of powers, as there’s no limit to what can be manipulated. The most common would be elemental manipulation, but in the recent years, other types can be seen, from memory and luck to reality and time. The more powerful a manipulation power is, the more dangerous and self-destructive it can be. Many who have powerful manipulation rarely survive past their fifties, and rarely stay sane––the more power there is, the more likely they never find a way to control it, and before it’s even able to manifest, it can destroy someone from the inside. However it’s the most flexible power of any Pollux class; there are so many gifts and powers it’s impossible to name them all.

Extrasensory powers involve the different realms. While many are similar to what witches can do, they involve psychic powers and astral manipulation. They touch on things such as invisible energies, dreams, different dimensions, and even anti-matter. They involve traveling through reality, defying physical laws, and non corporeal forms. It’s the most mysterious of the powers, and is rarely understood. The danger of extrasensory gifts is the difficulty it takes in understanding its fluidity; one wrong move and they can be trapped in another existence forever.

Mutants are the most broad group of creatures, as they don’t fit into any one category. They walk amongst us as humans, fitting in to whatever society needs them to be. The only real resource they have is the Academy, a school ground by Upper Manhattan, where veteran mutants offer to teach the younger ones how to control their powers. After all, mutants have been scattered for so long, isn’t it time they start working together?

Shifters have long integrated into human culture. From werewolves and berserkers, to skinwalkers and kitsunes. There are two main categories for shifters, though others exist. The most frequent shifters in the world are werewolves. The other main subcategory are skin walkers.

Most legends of the werewolf tell truths. They have two forms, their therian form and their human form. Often, they shift completely, from their wolf to their human. However, if their animal form and human form do not connect properly, they can be stuck in-between, a monster that’s neither wolf nor human. During a first shift, it can be extremely painful.

Werewolves are directly influenced by the moon. When the moon is waxing, their wolf grows more powerful, when the moon wanes, their human side is stronger. Werewolves are almost human during a new moon or eclipse, and most werewolves are forced to shift during a full moon. A bite from a werewolf during waxing gibbous to full moon can turn one into a beast. Not many werewolves are born with their gift, but most who are start developing their powers around the age of sixteen.

Regardless of their form, they have enhanced strength and durability, and have sharper senses than regular humans. However, silver burns the wolf and aconite is a strong poison. When decapitated, wolves cannot regrow limbs or regenerate, despite their enhanced healing. While werewolves are the most common, there are shifters who can turn into other animals, though their biology is similar to their lycanthrope brothers and sisters.

THE PACK:

The pack exists, though not as clean of a structure due to being in New York City. There’s no wilderness to go to unless they go upstate, but the wolves in the city make do. However, the pack still exists, though their main space is outside of the city. The Alpha is the strongest wolf, the leader, and his mate holds the same power. His beta enforces his command. The rest of the pack is like family; they protect one another and fight together as one. There’s no requirement in the pack to be a wolf, though there will always be some who distrust the other shifters.

OTHERS:

The skin walker is a native creature to the Americas. Not much is known about them outside of the Navajo people, except that they were originally witches who go against the cultural values of their people, who make a blood sacrifice of someone they hold close, and use their powers for their ambitions rather than for the healing of their communities. They are creatures with the ability to shapeshift into any living animal. They are extremely rare and must be from a native origin. Their weakness is their human form; they do not have enhanced senses or powers in their human form, only when they’ve transformed.

There really are a lot of misconceptions about vampires. Do they turn to ash when in direct sunlight? ….not exactly. While it’s true almost all vampires have an allergic reaction to sunlight, and–maybe garlic–they aren’t as cheesy as the stories say. Vampires are creatures of the night who have long since given up their souls for eternity. It’s believed they first appeared through demons trading eternal youth to a misguided human, giving them exactly what they wanted for a price, that they’d forever be forced to steal the life force of others to live.

Vampires require blood to live. It’s not the nutrients in blood they need, but the life force, a form of asterium that keeps them young forever. Without a steady supply of blood, they’ll wither and fade away. To turn another into a vampire, one must die with the toxins found in a vampire's bite, which will transform the dying cells into their new forms. Not all survive this painful process.

A few things change when one becomes a vampire. At first, many find it difficult reconciling their own morals and sense of self with their vampire’s; this disconnect can lead to frenzy-feeding and time loss, where their vampire selves take control of their body for short amounts of time. They also will find human food revolting at first, before slowly regaining their tastebuds back. While vampires are practically immortal, there are still ways to kill one. They regenerate quickly, but not quickly enough with fatal injuries. Old witching herbs, such as aspen, holly, and garlic can be fatal in large doses. Lack of blood consumption can kill any vampire.

While vampires do not necessarily lose their reproductive systems, it’s known to be dangerous to birth a vampire, as they require blood as they grow. There are ways to accommodate this, but often, the mother, if not a vampire, will die before the child is born. If the vampire is the mother, they will need supplements to get through childbirth, and often, their powers are reduced to nothing while carrying a child. Their hormonal changes can reduce the mother into a blood-thirsty beast if not careful.

Vampires can live together, but after a few hundred years, their sense of time can fracture, and so will their sense of self. There are some who completely lose their mind and become nothing but a soulless beast, only acting on their inhibitions. It’s dangerous being a vampire; are you ready to give up everything for your eternal youth?

THE CRYPT

Vampires often work alone, but there is a structure within the city. The Crypt rests in Trinity Church. The Hierophant leads the congregation, and a council of six alders decide what the Crypt must do. Those who follow get a certain type of protection within the city, and in return, they pledge their allegiance to the Crypt. While it can be somewhat bureaucratic, the Crypt is there to ensure the safety of Vampires within the city, from hunters and other species alike. They are powerful, and do not like to be messed with.

Witchcraft has a long history throughout many different cultures. While there is no one form of witchcraft, a lot of their gifts remain the same. While witches of all kinds can channel energy, some are born with inherited gifts, such as gifts of divination, healing, energy transference, etc. While there are certainly gifts, it doesn’t mean those without cannot achieve the same result with spells; gifts are generally uncontrolled and sporadic, but have a larger range than usual spells. Witches often gather in covens nearby, meeting once every full moon to discuss the energies they feel, and to seek guidance from the most spiritually connected of them all, the High Priestess or Hierophant. They come together to address matters in their community, and to cast protective spells over their cities together.

Many witches of old are part fae. While they’re still castor types, they have a natural energy within in them that allows them to harness the energy. Witches in general have powers to exorcise and to control spirits and demons, as well as psychic gifts, spell-casting, potion making, healing, etc. While there are certainly attack spells and charms, they’re not usually the traditional fireballs and flames; they often involve the other realms and energies that are not seen by humans.

The most well known witches come from three backgrounds. Druidic witches are those who are mostly in tune to nature; they are your traditional spellcasting wand witches, with their grimoires and traditions, the kind that’s most well-known. They form their magic in artefacts and relics, channeling power through wands.

Another type is the witch doctor originating from South Africa, who often uses potions and focuses on healing, and on transferring energy between one being to another. They’re well known for their powers in divination and spiritual matters; they harness different spiritual gifts and herbs to achieve what they desire.

In the West Indies, the Obeah is a force of resistance. They use dark magic to predict events, gain knowledge, and to create charms. Well known for Voodoo, they are rather gifted in charms and curses, and in spells that last longer than one’s lifetime. They provide cleansing rituals and spiritual guides for those in need.

While these three are the most well known types, there are plenty of other witchcraft traditions as well. Witches are diverse and flexible, and their congregated covens are loosely held by beliefs and the understanding that everything in this world is not as it seems.