On Super Humans

Humans are unique among all creatures of the multiverse. What makes them so unique is their genetic ability to handle mutations. This is why, of all Mortal Races, you will find the most Cursed Breeds stemming from humans. This is also why humans are able to adapt a variety of super abilities when exposed to various forces (such as radiation) and why humans have an apparent abundance of super and mutated individuals among their members when compared to extraterrestrial races.

As an example: while there are hundreds of super humans on any given version of Earth, there are no super grays. This is the specific reason why humans were able to survive the expedition from Mars to Earth. This unique skill is also the reason for martians being able to survive after The Great Ones made Mars largely inhospitable.

*As a note: modern humans are nearly identical to ancient martians. Also, while Mars is the origin planet of human life on Earth, humans are widely distributed throughout various planets and dimensions of the multiverse, and have been for millions of years.

Abilities of the Vampire

Vampiric abilities are dependent on both race and personal practice. Nosferatu do not possess many true supernatural abilities. They do not age and their strength and agility typically surpasses the average human. They have no mental abilities and are merely grotesque creatures of instinct.

Strigoi are naturally inclined in dark magic and are born with command over a number of supernatural abilities, such as the manipulation and generation of fog. Strigoi are also the fastest, strongest, most agile, and most lethal vampire race. To fuel these abilities, they also require the most food to sustain themselves. The Strigoi also possesses above-average intelligence. They do not age.

Sanguine and Mangeur have the same abilities. They are both super strong, super fast, and super agile with human-level intelligence. They do not age.

Where the Sanguine and Mangeur differ, and perhaps the one advantage of the Sanguine, is the ability to see well in the dark. The eyes of the Sanguine and Nosferatu are adapted well for the darkness, and they need very little light to see. The Mangeur makes up for this by being the only breed (other than the Strigoi) with eyes which are not harmed by direct exposure to sunlight. Strigoi have enhanced vision at any time of day.

Dhampir all have above-average levels of strength and agility, sometimes bordering on superhuman. They age at the same rate as average humans, though will often live a decade or two longer.

The History of Vampires

The first known vampire appeared early in human history under the name of Nosferatus. The origins of this poor creature are unknown; however, the legacy of Nosferatus is a well-known history among the vampire lineage.

Shortly after his emergence on this world, Nosferatus infested a small farming family with his plague. These individuals became the first in the vampire lineage. Thirsting for blood, these mindless savages fell upon a village and quickly sucked the people dry. The ones who managed to escape alive soon lost themselves to the infection.

These primitive vampires are known as "Nosferatu," and possess no remainder of human intelligence. They greatly resemble bloated and purpled corpses, and are savage in their ways. They often group together but have no form of hive mentality or hierarchy. In modern times the Nosferatu has declined in numbers, hunted nearly to extinction and having their food supply largely cut off and divided among the more advanced vampires of the Strigoi lineage.

Nosferatu are notable as the only vampire race which is completely destroyed while in sunlight. When sunlight falls upon a Nosferatu it combusts, eventually burning into nothing but ash.

Some centuries after the plague of the Nosferatu spread through a portion of the then small human population a new breed, or race, emerged. This breed, known as the Strigoi, is the most powerful race of all vampires. They are intelligent, cunning, immune to sunlight, and naturally inclined to various dark magics and sorcery, the abilities of which are largely unknown to non-vampiric spellcasters. The first of the Strigoi lineage was an artistocrat named Count Orlok.

While it is believed that Count Orlok was the first of the Strigoi clan, it is notable that he appeared somewhat differently from other Strigoi. He assumed a spidery frame and an appearance more rimescent of the Nosferatu, appearing like a risen corpse. Also like the Nosferatu, Orlok was destroyed when exposed to direct sunlight. There are also writings which indicate that Orlok was not wholly in control of himself, and that some portion of his behavior was dictated by instinct. Despite this he could perform many powerful spells and possessed odd abilities. Since very few Strigoi have been created since Orlok and all of those that were have possessed differing abilities, it might be reasonable to suggest that little can be determined about Strigoi and that each one is different and may represent a unique race entirely.

It is unknown how Orlok emerged from the Nosferatu, though it is theorized to be a natural evolution of the vampire species to cope with the technological advancement of humanity, which were quickly turning from prey to predator.

Orlok created the second and most famous of the Strigoi, Count Dracula. Dracula battled with his creator on numerous occasions, though his revenge was eventually stolen from him by a psychic woman named Ellen. Until his death, Count Dracula was adamant, and borderline obsessive, that his predecessor had survived his supposed death. This has never been confirmed. During his life Dracula took many brides, all of whom adopted his abilities and weaknesses to different degree. It was the goal of Count Dracula to spread the vampire plague to all corners of the world and take the place of humans as the dominant species. He was eventually slain by Abraham Van Helsing.

Dracula fathered two children, both Strigoi. His son, Alucard, and his daughter, Marya. Alucard and Marya are considered the Prince and Princess of modern vampires, all of the vampires created by them being either a night-walker—a breed which simply refers to themselves as Vampires, although some have adopted the name "Sanguine"—or a day-walker, which are known as the Mangeur. The races are identical in terms of inherent powers, abilities, and needs, but thrive at different times of day with the Sanguine losing their powers while in the sunlight and the Mangeur losing their powers at night unless otherwise protected by a charm of some variety. Neither Dracula, his brides, nor his children are weakened at any time of day.

While Nosferatu are not known to breed with humans, Strigoi, Mangeur, and Sanguine have all engaged in cross-species endeavors. The resulting offspring is always known as a dhampir, and is sometimes considered a species all its own. The strengths, weaknesses, and abilities a dhampir inherits from its vampiric parent are largely all the same, regardless of the parent's race. The children of Mangeur are typically drowsy and weaker at night while the children of Sanguine tend to avoid sunlight, but these do not noticeably hamper their abilities in any way. Naturally, the half-breed children of Strigoi do not feel any ill-effects at any time of day.

Dhampir are often separated from their vampiric parent and often left to learn about themselves on their own. This has caused much confusion among the dhampir community, with many coming to false conclusions.

The first false conclusion reached by the dhampir community is that there are three types of dhampir: Sanguine, Psychic, and Hybrid. Sanguine dhampir, the name of which have been adopted by the night-walking full vampires, are those with a desire to drink blood. Psychic vampires feed on the emotional energy of their victims, and Hybrids share traits of both.

In reality only the Sanguine are true dhampir. The ones who call themselves Psychic or Psy-Vampires are actually cambions, the half-breed children of a succubus or incubus with a human. Hybrids are the mixed heritage of the succubus and vampire bloodlines, usually by the mating of a dhampir and cambion.

The children of dhampir are also known as dhampir. Dhampir/dhampir matings result in a dhampir, albeit one which is typically more powerful than its parents, while dhampir/human matings result in a dhampir that is typically weaker than its vampiric parent. Like mentioned above, it is possible for dhampir and cambions to create fertile hybridized offspring. It is also possible for dhampir (and vampires in general, for that matter) to create hybridized offspring with most of the Cursed Human Breeds, as their original basis has always been the human genome.

On Angels

Angels are mysterious creatures. At first I thought them to be a unique race of Fay, but that appears not to be the case. They are on par with the Fay in terms of ability and purpose, serving as gatherers of lost souls. In some instances angels act as guardians to protect mortals from demons or other unmortal evils.

When a mortal dies they become a spirit, unless they have through some means become soulless (in which case they are absorbed into Yggdrasil, much like a deceased Fairy). These souls are gathered by the angels and taken to a respective paradise. It appears that souls which are pure in some way are given the opportunity to evolve into an angel. When a soul becomes an angel they often undergo a drastic change, taking on a new form (although humans and elves seem to change very little) and regaining their memories of life (should they have been lost.)

This return of memories often creates some strife within the spirit, and only those who can learn to live with their pasts may evolve.

Angels are ranked by tier, with the lowest set possessing seemingly feathered white wings which protrude from their backs. They also wear a golden halo which floats between three and five inches above their head. All angels appear to radiate light, although they can dim this for various purposes.

Angels with a higher rank go through yet another change where they become more powerful than they had been before. In this next form their wings lose physical properties, seeming to become pure light. They can best be described as being formed by many blades of rainbow light. They retain their golden halos.

Beyond this second stage of angel exists a form which retains no physical characteristics. Only the most faithful and good of angel may reach this evolutionary point. The light which is their bodies shines so intensely that gazing upon it will burn a mortal's eyes from their skulls. Because of this these angels can manifest physical objects at will, typically creating feathered wings with which to curtain themselves and conceal their light. These are the archangels.

These three angels are the angelic equivalent to a Seelie Court. They battle and act on the behalf of goodness. It is not known if they are following the command of a more powerful being, or if they act simply on their nature of existing and are somehow an extension of Yggdrasil, like the Fay. Some Faeries theorize that the angels were created by a being which resides in the center of the omniverse and cannot be witnessed by multiversal beings, but this is not a popular opinion. It is speculated that should an omniverse exist the beings which inhabit it would be similar to Yggdrasil, which is regarded as being above the Fay and so may exist beyond what of it we can see.

It is not known what happens to angel upon its death, but it is assumed that its energies are returned to Yggdrasil, just as are the energies of all spirits upon death.

Angels are not perfect creatures. Those that turn bad undergo a split evolution into what is called a "fallen" angel. Fallen angels are similar in concept to being Unseelie. They are often consumed by cruelty, and develop a wicked appearance to reflect this. While their good counterparts shine with light the fallen angels seem to be shrouded in darkness and shadows, always appearing darker than they truly  are.

In addition to the angel and fallen angel there is a third, less common, variety of angel. Exclusive to areas of intense cold are snow angels, which are created from the souls of adventurers who froze to death in the glaciers. These angels act as guardians of their desolate homes, rescuing travellers who might meet the same fate. Snow angels are more commonly created in areas where something evil sleeps so that they may prevent it from waking. Fallen angels possess black-feathered wings and have lost their halo. Oddly, they do not seem to be able to make use of the same magics that angels and archangels do, suggesting that the angel's magic comes from their halo, and upon losing it, cannot be used.

Snow angles are generally themed with blue and white. Everything from their hair, to their skin, to their feathered wings are either white or some icy shade of blue. Even their eyes share this chill appearance. Despite this they never appear to have been frozen, always being smooth and pleasant to see, and shining with the same light as their cousins. Their halos have the appearance of being made of ice and light, as opposed to the typical halo which appears like a molten and glowing metal.

Angels, like Fay, possess a unique brand of magic. They are capable of healing most injuries and wounds, and possibly even reviving the dead should the situation call for it. All of an angel's magic is performed utilizing light in some fashion, and they have been show to wholly manipulate the photons generated by a light source nearby. Snow angles have an additional control over their native element, which aids in the rescue of lost adventurers.

Unlike Faeries, however, angels do not naturally possess any glamour. If they wish to conceal themselves they must do with clothing, or otherwise learn for themselves how to make use of glamour and other such magic.

The Faire Folk

The Faire Folk, sometimes referred to as Fay and also as Faeries (although this can be confusing as the term is shared with a specific race of Fay), are the original inhabitants of the multiverse. It is said, though not proven, that the Faire Folk dispersed throughout the entire multiverse, eventually being the originators of all existing life and habitable worlds.

The Fay are diverse and odd creatures. Each race has a basic nature which it rarely deviates from. Some   Fay are simpler of mind while other races are more advanced; for example, Grand Faeries are very complex beings whose natures are difficult to discern as they possess the mental and moral faculties seen in intelligent beings across the universe, while Hobs are simple creatures who prefer simply to satisfy their basic needs and little more.

While all Fay tend to enjoy mischief to some degree they are not all deviants. Some Fay live by a certain code of conduct, and while they might play tricks on mortal beings they will never intentionally bring harm to them for the sake of pleasure. These Fay are known as Seelie Fay and are the denizens of the Seelie Court, one of the two courts which rule in Fataheim. Their opposite are the Unseelie Fay of the Unseelie Court. Unseelie Fay have no care for the lives of mortals, or even other Fay, and will harm things at the leisure.

The Seelie and Unseelie courts have been in an endless battle since the beginning of time. Despite this conflict, the Fay do not battle in Fataheim, waging their conflicts in other universes. Because of this all Faire Folk have access to Yggdrasil and the worlds to which it reaches.

Fay which do not belong to either the Seelie or Unseelie courts are known as Solitary Fay. Solitary Fay often fall victim to the Unseelie Court's cruelty, as their deaths will call for no retribution from the Seelie Court.

In some cases certain Fay have been stripped of their magic and glamour and banished from Fataheim. The banisher of these beings is unknown, though it is speculated that the tree Yggdrasil itself expels these Faeries. These beings, turned from Fay to mortal, are known as the Unfaire Folk. Unfay have varying natures and are unpredictable. It is thought that the Unfay are the originators of the Mortal Races.

Fay mating habits are unusual. Typically individuals of a race choose to breed with members of that race, and there is a higher chance of fertility when mating occurs as such. However, it is not unheard of,  and rather common, in fact, for members of different races to mate and create offspring. In some cases the offspring are wholly one race or another, but in some instances the child may display characteristics of both races. These hybrid Faeries are known as "Halfsies" and are sometimes regarded as Unfay.

Fay are naturally adept at the use of a peculiar brand of magic which only they may utilize. Thusfar, in all histories, no pure blooded mortal has been able to use Fay magic without having it bestowed upon them. It is thought that this magic stems from Yggdrasil. Fay are also naturally gifted with glamour, and can perform many illusions. Most notable is their ability to become invisible to those who do not possess the Sight.

Groups of Faire Folk which have settled in various mortal worlds across the universe have forgotten their ancestry, no longer remembering how to return to Fataheim. It is not uncommon for these groups to completely forget, over generations, how to utilize their magic, including glamour. Though not as poorly treated as the Unfaire, these groups are often regarded as imbecilic.

Fataheim

Fataheim is an area of infinite space at the center of the multiverse. Fataheim is the birth-land of the Fay and is ruled over by the Grand Faeries who command the Seelie and Unseelie courts. The center of Fataheim is home to Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Yggdrasil is said to be the originator of all existence, with each universe being an extension of its being. The roots of the mighty tree extend into various locations of the multiverse, creating portals into those universes.