On Non-humans...
On elementals, Primevals, and the light Elemental
On Demons:
In the beginning, Demons were as peaceful as
any of the other races; originating from the beautiful world now known as
Oblivion, they lived in peaceful co-existence with each other, content to build
their home into a great civilization. But the Great Darkness changed everything,
contaminating that world with more evil and horror than anyone could withstand.
The Demons became monstrous, cruel, sadistic—the Darkness eradicated their
capacity for good.
Civil wars broke out; the ambitions of the strongest were no longer confined to
their world, and they swarmed out into other dimensions. Billions of years
passed, and nothing has changed. Time, apparently, does not heal all wounds.
To understand Demons now, it is necessary to understand the fundamental two categories of them: pure bloods, and half breeds.
Pure bloods are direct descendants of the original Demons, with nothing but Demon blood running through their veins. They retain perfectly the aspects of their predecessors, both physical and mystical. Few pure bloods have the ability to shape-shift to resemble another race, AND FEWER STILL WOULD EVER WANT TO. Pure bloods are created through two usual methods: sexual reproduction, and artificial spawning.
Half breeds are those of mixed blood. Beginning with one pure blood parent, the most common mix is with humans. Though generations may pass since the offspring mates with another Demon, the genetics remain equal. Demon DNA does not lessen with each passing generation. Half breeds will always remain half breeds, no matter how far removed they are from the original Demon ancestor. Consider it the Demon’s curse. What sets the half breed apart from its pure blood counterpart, however, is numerous. Primarily, half breeds retain the ability to choose between right and wrong, since half of their genetic make-up is something other than Demon. Also, the Demon traits of the half breed are lessened since the blood has been diluted by another race’s. Almost all half breeds have the ability to change shape between their Demon visage and the other, though they generally lose most of their Demon abilities when not in Demon form. Half breeds are typically produced through sexual reproduction.
There is another type of Demon life, known as Destroyers. Though they are not 100% pure blood, they are still utterly evil. Half of their DNA is Defender, though it has been severely warped by the power of Realm’s Dark Balances. These new creations are much stronger, and usually larger and quicker than their pure blood counterparts. Destroyers are “forged” only, never born or spawned.
What is a vampire?
A useful way of looking at the nature of a vampire is to consider it “possession of the dead”. Siring (creating) a vampire only works on humans; it has so far been unsuccessful on other races. When a human is sired, the process goes as follows: the human is bitten and drunk from to the point of death. Shortly before, the attacking vampire shares his/her own blood with the human (through ingestion). This is how the vampire “infects” the victim’s body. When the human dies, it begins to undergo a mystical metamorphosis. Typically, twelve to sixteen hours pass before the “infection” results in the calling of a Wraith soul to inhabit the now-dead body. The body is once again filled with life, of a sort, though the body itself remains dead (and thus free of all the necessities of life: food, air, etc.) In addition to possessing the reanimated (but dead) human body, the Wraith soul (nothing more than a driving force of blood-hunger and a thirst for violence) revives the “mind” of the human that was. Though the soul is gone (since death), the human lives again in a manner of speaking. Personality quirks and memories remain intact up until the point of death, though the personal perspective on each of these things have changed; now absent the presence of a soul (and thus moral compass), the new individual is an amoralist, at best. The addition of the Wraith soul, however, moves it past this category and into cold-blooded, merciless killer with all the inherent powers (though lessened in the human shell) and weaknesses the Wraith has. The Demon soul has no personality of its own, and for the most part the personality of the dead human remains the same, though now significantly affected by the lack of a conscience.
BECAUSE OF THIS DIFFERENCE, VAMPIRES ARE ABSOLUTELY INCAPABLE OF GOOD. THEY ARE ABLE TO LOVE (ON RARE OCCASIONS) AND EXPERIENCE “HAPPINESS” OF A SORT, BUT COMPLETELY GONE IS THE TENDENCY OR DESIRE TO DO RIGHT OVER WRONG. This does not mean that vampires cannot choose to do something good that benefits themselves, such as making deals or fighting for pay; this simply means the motivation for all of their decisions and actions is evil.
The only tangible evidence that the individual is no longer human is the lowered body temperature (now room temperature), the lack of a pulse, the paler—somewhat ashen—skin tone, and the lack of a reflection (though vampires can still appear on film). The only time a vampire is visibly discernible from a human is when it “vamps out”, or when the Demon rises as much to the surface of the individual as it can. The forehead hardens, and the eyebrows enlarge into small lumpy protrusions with a ridged surface joined at the bridge of the nose. The eyes shift to a sickly yellow, jagged cat’s eye color and shape, and the teeth sharpen—with the incisors elongating noticeably. (This entire process is always accompanied by the growl/snarl of the Demon as it alters its host’s physical appearance to resemble its own natural appearance.) Vampires cannot feed without changing to this visage, and they often shift when angry, wounded (an autonomic response), or for simple intimidation.
The strengths of vampires include enhanced strength (more than any human), increased speed and agility, and an ability to survive certain injuries that would kill or incapacitate a human. Though vampires cannot regenerate lost limbs (except for the dreaded Cianteto clan), their wounds heal at an increased pace than humans. The weaknesses of vampires include an aversion (both psychological and physiological) to crosses, holy water, and sunlight. If touched by either (briefly), the skin at the point of contact burns and sears. If exposed to these things for a prolonged period of time, it can become fatal—particularly sunlight. The only other ways to kill a vampire involve decapitation, removal of the heart, or a wooden stake through the heart. Any other substance that penetrates the heart will not kill the vampire.
Many of a vampire’s senses are also improved upon, including enhanced night vision, a sharper sense of smell, and a more acute sense of hearing. The only sense that diminishes is the sense of taste; food and drink begins to lose flavor—the only exception to this is blood, as it immediately becomes the vampire’s main source of nourishment and hunger.
Common myths surrounding vampires is that
they are also vulnerable to garlic and silver; neither is true. It is also
widely believed that a vampire cannot enter a holy place (church, cemetery,
etc.), but this is mostly a psychological problem for a vampire; they are
perfectly capable of entering any public place. However, a vampire cannot enter
a private residence without an invitation from the permanent resident(s).
On elementals, Primevals, and the Light Elemental:
Elementals are the oldest of the Linear protectors, their origins reaching back thousands of millennia. Their power is tied directly to their world, and they are immortal. Like the Slayer, there are only the Chosen per generation (usually eight), and only a new one can be called by Aura after another is slain.
The powers of the elemental vary according to the element (earth, fire, wind, water), but each elemental generally develops the ability to control, manipulate, and create their own specific element. They are also immune to the harmful effects of their own element. The more powerful elementals also possess the ability to become their element, altering their body to transform from flesh and blood to their pure elemental power visage. A great deal of myth has built up around elementals, due mostly to their secretive and hermetic ways. They are not telepathic by nature, however some can sense each other—but not other beings. Each one possesses a temperament that aligns to their specific element; fire, being the most tempestuous and water being the most passive. Earth is generally manifested through leadership, and wind is often a loyal follower.
Elementals are not known for their fighting prowess; their physical abilities are otherwise as normal as any other human, lacking enhanced strength, agility, and any other power. They can learn to fight, however, and fire elementals are typically known as the greatest of these, natural predators of Wraiths and vampires.
As a rule, elementals are always women, though they cannot bear children. It has happened before, though, and these children always manifest a certain aspect of their parent’s elemental power—be it immunity to the element, control of the element, or simply immortality.
Most importantly, elementals cannot long leave their own world. Since their power is bound to their homeworld, spending long lengths of time away from it weakens them to the point of total nullification of their abilities.
On the other end of the spectrum lies the Primevals. Realizing that they could not overcome the elementals, the powers of Hell forged a new being, specifically tailored to destroy them. This new power was granted only to the darkest of humans, men and women willing to dedicate their lives and deaths in service to the Dark One, the King of Hell.
Primevals possess the abilities of nature similar to the elementals, but vastly distorted and warped to a darker purpose. Their abilities are stronger, and their physical bodies are capable of more. Primevals are stronger physically, can move faster (almost to Blur speed), and are resistant to injury. They are generally classified into two categories: Breakers and Shadow Elementals. Also unlike the elementals, more can be created at any time.
Above them all lies the mythical Light Elemental. Created only a handful of decades ago, this being brings a true unity between divinity and humanity. Retaining all aspects of being human while also possessing the traits of a higher being, the Light elemental incorporates the powers of the Defenders with the mission of the Seraphs. The Light elemental exists only in Realm among all the worlds, but its power reaches beyond. With the power to grant life to the recently deceased and to bring the life-giving light itself, the Light Elemental is the personification of true human perfection. In addition to controlling their “element”, they also have the ability to orb and are extremely difficult to kill.
On Higher Beings:
Higher Beings generally are classified as
individuals who surpass the Linear way of life, able to transcend the mortal
world and experience the higher planes of existence as well. Among these are the
Sovereigns, Seraphs, Defenders, and the Destroyers.
Creation is a vast tapestry, ripe with myths and legends telling of ancient
gods, divinities, and their spiritual messengers (angels). While it is true that
there are guiding forces at work (Aura and its Defender agents), these myths do
not accurately reflect the truth.
The benevolent of the Higher Beings rarely, if ever, assume the roles of gods or angels, but they do not always dissuade these beliefs, either. Defenders are often considered in countless cultures to be angels or even demigods. Destroyers are often viewed as powerful destructive primal gods or forces, and many Demons falsely present themselves as deities for their own nefarious purposes.
Seraphs and Sovereigns, on the other hand, are rarely involved in any of these at all. Sovereigns, particularly, since they do not involve themselves often enough in the lives of Linears, but the Seraphs are generally the great Legend of their guardian world. (In some worlds, Seraphs are considered manifestations of the world-spirit.)
Even elementals (and Primevals) can sometimes be hailed as divine beings due to their fabulous powers and long lives. All religions and creeds carry certain beliefs as to the origin and nature of all life. Few, if any, are aware of the Truth as it really is, though many reflect varying accurate facets of it. (Of all the Linear beliefs, though, it is perhaps those of Crimson Path who understand it best.)
The key difference among the Higher Beings is that many simply use pre-existing beliefs and fit into them to convey their purposes—while others create myths of their own where they once were none.