State of Mind

[syd]

Vampires

Vampires are humans who have contracted the disease for vampirism from an existing vampire. They typically resemble extremely pale humans, but with elongated canine teeth used for drinking blood (fangs). Vampires can choose who they transmit the disease to, as there's a special way of biting the victim that will cause them to change. This is not taught to young vampires until they are sixty years old, at which point they are considered fully mature by other vampires' standards. When two vampires mate, their child is also a vampire, and inherits the strength of both parents, called the Strength of Blood. This is a natural evolutionary technique to ensure that the vampires as a race continually grow stronger. Vampires who were once human receive a similar gift, though it is only one fourth of the strength of the vampire who bit them.

There are two different classes of vampires, just as there were two classes of people in the feudalistic days of Europe, the nobility, and the common-folk. Noble vampires are those who belong to a Clan, or large group of vampires who share at least one common ancestor, but are not necessarily direct relatives. This Clan is then broken down into Families, which is essentially the same as a human family, consisting of the direct relatives (those who have the same blood in them). Every Clan has a Head Vampire, who is generally a direct descendant of the Clan's original founder except under strange circumstances (all descendants of the founder were killed etc.). When the Head dies, it is his/her firstborn child, son or daughter, who takes over, provided they are of age fifty, the commonly accepted 'adult' age of vampires. If they are younger than this, then their second parent, or the next closest relative to the deceased Head will take over, but only until the heir is of age.

Common vampires are actually quite rare, being descended from a human who was turned vampire by a rogue. They are outcasts, accepted by no Clan, and are often found roaming the sewers, they serve allegiances to no one, and are often quite violent. As well, in this day in age, common vampires are not 'pure' vampires, as those not born into Clans rarely receive the biting technique required to turn other humans, and so either figure it out themselves, or reproduce with normal humans, which still produces a vampire child, but one born this way does not receive the Strength of Blood.

Vampires, being immortal, are notoriously hard to kill by conventional means. They heal remarkably fast, though any direct wound to the heart or severing the head from the body completely will instantly kill them. They are turned to dust by direct sunlight, though they can handle sunrise/set, as well as highly filtered sunlight to different degrees. Fire is as dangerous to them as it is to any other creature on the planet, and they are just as combustible. Vampires cast no reflections or shadows, and some of the most powerful are said to be able to turn completely invisible. As well, most vampires are psychics to some degree, possessing some degree of skill in telekinesis and telepathy, though this varies through individuals.

Most developed vampires (age thirteen and older) are faster and stronger than any human, being able to move at speeds that the human eye perceives as only a blur, if at all. While stronger as far as sheer muscle goes, they are by no means capable of lifting a car in one hand, though putting dents in steel with their fists is certainly within their abilities.

As far as feeding purposes, vampires must drink the blood of a human or other mammal at least once every three days before they begin to die of thirst. While this blood can come from either a willing or unwilling host, willing hosts seem to provide far more nourishment than unwilling hosts do. Vampires do not need to eat normal food as often as humans do, though those that associate with humans regularly may feel hunger as often, and so eat as often. They are certainly capable of eating human food, though they do not particularly enjoy it, as their fangs sometimes get in the way.

For the past millenium vampires have been at war with their arch enemies, the werewolves, or lycans. This has been a brutal war with casualties on all sides of the fence. Each side has its age limit for pushing members into the war, and vampires are not allowed to officially fight until they are at least fifty years old, though many choose to fight individual lycans despite this.

From Wikipedia

[syd]

Werewolves

Werewolves, or lycanthropes, are humans that change into a hairy doglike creature on a full moon. During the time that they are animals, they will not know what they did or are doing. When not transformed, they can be distinguished by yellow eyes and facial hair (on males).

Werewolves can be injured by silver.

[syd]

Fairies

The fairies here at Vernon can be identefied quite easily:

Tall and graceful
Large eyes
No blemishes on the skin
Always beautiful or handsome
Some have pointed ears
Soft, musical voices
Beautiful laughter

Info from Fairy Facts


Signs of fairy presence

An unexplained trembling or whispering of leaves
A whirlwind
The bending of grass blades with no one to be seen
The feeling of an insect walking through your hair, when there is none
A rippling of the water when not caused by something tangible
Silliness and times of uncontrollable laughter
An unexplained loss of time

[syd]

Humans/Mutants

Humans are...well, who do you think is reading this page?! They have no weird characteristics, except for maybe a birthmark or a birth defect, or a disability. Their hair can be black, brown, red, blond, auburn, chestnut, gold, honey, or if they use dye, neon green.

Mutant Humans

From Wikipedia

Although mutant powers vary greatly, the most common mutant powers include telepathy, telekinesis, flight, the ability to project energy, an accelerated healing factor, and enhanced strength, agility or senses at variable limits. Most mutant powers manifest during puberty and, for some mutants, several years of self-discipline are needed before they can control their powers, while others never gain full control of them. Mutants are supposedly the next stage in human evolution and are often called "homo superior" (Homo sapiens superior) as opposed to "homo sapiens" (Homo sapiens sapiens), although the supervillain Vargas who also seems to have been born with his powers (even if he lacks the mutant gene) claims to be a representative of the "true" Homo Superior. (The term "Homo superior" was originally coined by science fiction writer Olaf Stapledon in his 1935 novel "Odd John".) Children born from mutants are more likely to be mutants themselves than children born of human or mixed human/mutant parents, and as an unstated rule, mutant relatives will generally have similar powers and will sometimes be immune to each other's powers. There are also humans who are not mutants themselves but are genetically predisposed towards having mutant descendents.

[syd]

Witches

No, witches are not short and ugly with warts all over their face. The only warty witches you will come across in Vernon are victims of teenage acne. They look like normal humans. Of course, they do have powers. All witches have the traditional witch powers, which is just about anything.

[syd]

Poltergeists

From Wikipedia

Poltergeist (German for noisy ghost) is a term used to describe a spirit or ghost that manifests itself by moving and influencing inanimate objects.

Reports of poltergeist activity typically feature heavily on raps, thumps, knocks, footsteps, and bed-shaking, all without a discernible point of origin or physical reason for occurrence. Many accounts also detail objects being thrown about the room, furniture being moved, and even people being levitated. Though rare, a few poltergeists have been known to speak, including the The Bell Witch in 1817 and Gef the Talking Mongoose in 1931.

Hey, the polters at Vernon can talk, touch, and all that stuff. This is for when they're in full poltergeist mode. You can play them, but they will have to stay at the school all of the time, being ghosts and all.

[syd]

Nekomata/Bakeneko

from wikipedia

A bakeneko is, in Japanese folklore, a cat with supernatural abilities akin to those of the fox or raccoon dog. A cat may become a bakeneko in a number of ways: it may reach a certain age, be kept for a certain number of years, grow to a certain size, or be allowed to keep a long tail. In the last case, the tail forks in two and the bakeneko is then called a nekomata. This superstition may have some connection to the breeding of the Japanese Bobtail.

A bakeneko will haunt any household it is kept in, creating ghostly fireballs, menacing sleepers, walking on its hind legs, changing its shape into that of a human, and even devouring its own mistress in order to shapeshift and take her place. When it is finally killed, its body may be as much as five feet in length. It also poses a danger if allowed into a room with a fresh corpse; a cat is believed to be capable of reanimating a body by jumping over it.

[syd]

Elementals

from Angel Website

Earth: Gnomes

Being of the earth, Gnomes usually live in the soil, rocks, beneath the ground, and under the tree roots. Gnomes will only help humans if they have been considerate of nature and treat it well. They are very helpful of those who have established a connection with them through prior acts of kindness.

The subgroups of the Earth Gnomes consist of Brownies, Dryads, Durdalis, Earth Spirits, Elves, Hamadryads, Pans, Pygmies, Sylvestres, and Satyrs.

Air: Sylphs

The sylphs are the air spirits. Their element has the highest vibratory rate. They are said to live on the tops of mountains. The leader of the sylphs is a being called Paralda who is said to dwell on the highest mountain of Earth. They often assume human form but only for short periods of time. They are usually seen with wings, looking like cherubs or fairies. Because of their connection to air, which is associated with the mental aspect, one of their functions is to help humans receive inspiration. The sylphs are drawn to those who use their minds, particularly those on creative arts. Sylphs are usually sympathetic of human endeavors and for the most part their actions towards them are kindly and thoughtful. The Sylphs can have a profound and powerful influence on the human mental body and thought, and, they are responsible for being the primary impetus behind both inspirational art and inventions

Water: Undines

The water spirits are called Undines. They closely resemble humans in appearance and size, except for those inhabiting smaller streams and ponds. They are beautiful, emotional, and graceful Nature Spirits who dress themselves in greenish, sea colored garb that has both a shimmering consistency and a watery texture. Their ruler is known as Necksa who they love, serve, and honor unceasingly. Since their purpose is to direct the flow and course of the waters of the planet, they live in coral caves, fountains, lakes, marshlands, rivers, seas, waterfalls, and underneath lily pads. Besides caring for plants both above and below the surface of the water, the Undines are concerned with the movements of water and how they relate to human emotions and soul responses. The Undines and their subgroups are friendly, approachable, and are very willing to work with people and to help them. Etheric in nature, they exist within the water itself and this is why they can't be seen with the normal physical vision.

The subgroups of the Water Undines consist of Limoniades, Mermaids, Naiads, Oceanid, Oreads, Potamides, Sea Maids.


Fire: Salamanders

The salamanders are the spirit of fire. Without these beings, fire cannot exist. You cannot light a match without a salamander's being present. They are considered the strongest and most powerful of all the elementals. Their ruler is a magnificent flaming being called Djin. On the spiritual level, they also help to awaken kundalini. Salamanders will always help people who are friendly towards them and keep their heart fires burning.

Just remember, at Vernon, all of these elementals have taken on human forms. Meaning that a Salamander can change from a salamander to a human (just with a firey personality), and a gnome might be a little on the short side.)

[Kenji Fenwick]

Necromancers/Animators

Joss Winters

-They can raise zombies
-They can sense the dead
-They can sense vampires and lycanthropes, estimate their power level, and can resist (at least partially) mental influence from vampires. (You have to be extrememly powerful to be able to do this and sometimes you may only be able to do a few of these things, not all)
-The longer time a person has been dead, the more powerful an animator must be in order to raise the zombie, and the greater of a sacrifice is required to do so.
-Typically, an animator engages in a ritual involving drawing a circle and sacrificing an animal, usually a chicken or goat. However, in some cases, no ritual is required. (You have to be extrememly powerful to be able to do this.)
-No animator can raise a body until its soul has passed, which usually occurs in about three days.
-Some animators are vaundun priests. These animators are trained in the rituals of vaundun and can use their abilities in more sophisticated ways, including the creation of magical talismans called gris-gris.
-Animator powers are significantly more effective at night.

[Cameron Sharpe]

Replaced the old vampire description with my own.

[syd]

Gryphons

from Wikipedia

The Griffin is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. As the lion was considered the "King of the Beasts" and the eagle the "King of the Air", the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. The griffin is generally represented with four legs, wings and a beak, with eagle-like talons in place of a lion's forelegs and feathered, equine ears jutting from its skull. Some writers describe the tail as a serpent, in the manner of a chimera. See the entry Saint George and the Dragon for a nineteenth-century painting showing a dragon very like a classically-conceived griffin.

Classical and heraldic griffins are male and female. Some medieval heraldic traditions say that only female griffins have wings. A "male" griffin, called a keythong in a single fifteenth-century English heraldic manuscript, is an anomaly that belongs strictly to a late phase of English heraldry.

Dragons

The dragon is a mythical creature typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile with magical or spiritual qualities.
Dragons are commonly portrayed as serpentine or reptilian, hatching from eggs and possessing extremely large, typically scaly, bodies; they are sometimes portrayed as having large eyes, a feature that is the origin for the word for dragon in many cultures, and are often (but not always) portrayed with wings and a fiery breath. Some dragons do not have wings at all, but look more like long snakes. Dragons can have a variable number of legs: none, two, four, or more when it comes to early European literature. Modern depictions of dragons are very large in size, but some early European depictions of dragons were only the size of bears, or, in some cases, even smaller, around the size of a butterfly.

Ogres

An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a large and hideous humanoid monster. Ogres are often represented in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings and have appeared in many classic works of literature. In art, ogres are often depicted with a big head, abundant and hirsute hair and beard, a huge belly, and a strong body.

Banshees

Traditionally, when a citizen of an Irish village died, a woman would sing a lament (in Irish: caoineadh, [ˈki¢°nʲə] or [ˈki¢°nʲu¢°]) at their funeral. These women singers are sometimes referred to as "keeners". Legend has it that, for five great Gaelic families: the O'Gradys, the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, and the Kavanaghs, the lament would be sung by a fairy woman; having foresight, she would appear before the death and keen. When several banshees appeared at once, it indicated the death of someone great or holy. The tales sometimes recounted that the woman, though called a fairy, was a ghost, often of a specific murdered woman, or a woman who died in childbirth.

Banshees are frequently described as dressed in white or grey, and often having long, fair hair which they brush with a silver comb, a detail scholar Patricia Lysaght attributes to confusion with local mermaid myths. This comb detail is also related to the centuries-old traditional romantic Irish story that, if you ever see a comb lying on the ground in Ireland, you must never pick it up, or the banshees (or mermaids - stories vary), having placed it there to lure unsuspecting humans, will spirit such gullible humans away. Other stories portray banshees as dressed in green, red or black with a grey cloak.