Race Outlines

[Elegant]

Nephilim, often referred to as Shadowhunters, are a secretive race of humans born with angelic blood. They are a demon hunting race that has survived for over one thousand years. They have fought the demons valiantly, creating their own culture and civilization. Their mandate is to protect humans and keep Downworlders in order as well as fighting and killing demons.

Runes

Runes are markings used by the Nephilim. A stele is used to draw them and they have a variety of effects.

Runes are what make Shadowhunters different from average humans. They are markings given to the first generation of Shadowhunters by the Angel Raziel to assist them in fighting the Demons they were tasked to eradicate. Every rune known to the Shadowhunters is recorded in the Gray Book. This is a specially crafted book with each rune place in its pages. Copies of the book are rare because each book must be specially made as many of the runes would burn normal paper.

Many Runes are temporary, fade with time. These runes will always leave behind a faint silver scar symbolic of the rune that was once placed there. These runes would need to be drawn again for their effects to be felt again. Other runes are permanent. These runes never fade and their effects constantly work on the Shadowhunter they were placed on.

The placement of runes also adds to their effectiveness. The closer a rune is place to the heart, the more effective it is. Some runes are place on hands and arms and legs because they target that particular area. The forec that the rune is drawn with is also a factor in how long it lasts. The harder someone presses when drawing the rune makes it last longer.

Shadowhunters are the only beings able to bear the Angel's marks. Most marks can only be worn by Shadowhunters. When drawn on mundanes, they burn. However, several marks, powerful ones, would drive any average person insane. They would be turned into Forsaken, mindless servants to the one who marked them, and they would never be the same. Downworlders that are marked cannot bear the runes. They will kill them on contact.

Most runes are meant to be used on people. However, there are many runes that are used on other things. Runes are placed on the weapons Shadowhunters use to prevent demons from healing when wounded by them. There are runes that can be used to lock and unlock doors, create fires, and a wide array of other abilities.

Parabatai

Parabatai aren’t like siblings — it’s a different sort of bond. They are partners who would lay down their life for the other. It’s an ideal of warrior comradeship that goes back a long time. The term parabatai comes from heniochoi kai parabatai, which just means “charioteers and side-men.” The side-man wasn’t supposed to leave the charioteer. One drove, the other fought from the chariot. The one is useless without the other.

Julian and Emma in The Dark Artifices are a boy and a girl parabatai. Siblings can be parabatai. Cousins. Girls. Boys. Pretty much any Shadowhunters near in age since you both have to be under eighteen when you decide. Most Shadowhunters don’t have a parabatai. It’s like .. being left handed. Not weird but less common. -Cassandra Clare

Children's rhyme for Rune colours:

Black for hunting through the night
For death and sorrow, the color’s white.
Gold for a bride in her wedding gown,
And red to call enchantment down.

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List of Angel Names for Seraph Blades

Seraph Blades are the primary weapons of the Nephilim. They are made of adamas by the Iron Sisters, who are the only ones that know haw to craft them. They call upon the power of an Angel's name (with the exception of Raziel) to use their power. The seraph blades are, when deactivated, dull tubes with blunt edges. They are crafted by the Iron Sisters to be put to use. When the weapons are distributed to shadowhunters, each shadowhunter gives the individual blades a name. Any angel's name except for Raziel would be sufficient to be called upon. When the name is called, the blade springs to life, growing into a bright, glowing dagger.[/size][/blockquote]

[Elegant]

Warlocks are immortal, as Ragnor Fell says in Clockwork Prince. They are the direct offspring of Humans and Demons, and are called Lilith's Children. Many (if not all) Warlocks have unnatural body parts (called a demon's mark) such as bat wings, goat feet, lizard tails, scaled hands or cat eyes. Some also have different coloured skin, such as Catarina Loss in City of Fallen Angels.

On parentage:

Demons don’t really fall in love with humans. They don’t feel love (as Jace says in City of Glass.) With the exception, perhaps of the Princes of Hell and creatures like Lilith: demons who were fallen angels, or have a specific mythology to them.

However, the vast run of demons are not of this ilk. And most warlocks are offspring of incubi or succubi (sex demons, basically, who can shape-change) and humans. The demons are just having fun, and are not interested in their offspring. Or (ickily) it is rape, as in the case of the demon that tried to rape Aline in City of Glass.

On Parenting:

Jace expelled a breath. “Because they’re half-human, half- demon. All warlocks are crossbreeds. And because they’re crossbreeds, they can’t have children. They’re sterile.” -CC

AU info: Aesop Bloom and Colt Hanlon are the oldest Warlocks known to man. It is also a well known fact in Warlock circles that most events in history took place because of these two infamous Warlocks, and therefore are sometimes known as The Masters. These two Warlocks are incredibly old, and incredibly powerful. It is considered idiocy to mess with them.

[Elegant]

• The Fae are the product of angels and demons mating, and are thus immortal and possess magical powers.
  
• The Faerie Realm is an underground palace or city. It is the residence of The Seelie Queen and her Courtiers.
  
• The Fair Folk are also unable to lie. They might, however, tell what they believe is true, even if it is not. They may also expertly weave lies into sentences by using methods such as not telling the whole truth or letting others assume things.
  
• If you drink or eat any of their food then you cannot leave Seelie Court unless the Queen lets you leave.

Known Fae types:

• Nymphs
  
• Elves (8in tall fair folk with sharp teeth)
  
• Pixies (moth sized fairys with "cute" faces and sharp teeth)
  
• Kelpies (described as medium sized people with green/dark black hair, webbed fingers and sharks teeth
  
• Pucas (described as tall with dark skin and pointed ears)
  
• Merfolk
  

[Elegant]

• Also known as the Children of the Night.
  
• They are a very old power in the Downworlder world, and are not a force to be trifled with.
  
• Blood is the main component of a vampire's diet; all vampires need to drink some kind of blood for their survival. Whether it is the blood of humans or animals is up to the vampire.
  
• Mundane food can make a vampire sick since they cannot digest it.

Powers:

• Due to the enhanced predatorial nature of vampires, their abilites tend to be the same as humans but multiplied.
  
• Their strengths increase and grow stronger as they grow older. They have the ability to sheath and unsheath their fangs on command.
  
• Vampires can shapeshift into bats, rats and dust.
  
• Fascination - the Night Children have the power to mesmerize and essentially control their prey -- mundanes.

Subjugates:

• Human subjugates are mundanes kept around by vampires to feed on when they’re short on blood.
  
• Instead of becoming weak from blood loss all the time, the healing properties of vampire saliva helps them live longer—increasing their red blood cell count, makes them stronger and healthier.
  
• It is not against the Law for a vampire to feed on a human it doesn’t really hurt them.
  
• Human subjugates do not eat food. They live on a mix of vampire blood and animal blood, keeping them in a state of suspended animation.
  
• They’re not immortal, but they age very slowly.
  
• When a vampire decides it wants more than a snack and wants a subjugate, the vampire will start feeding its bitten human small amounts of vampire blood to keep it docile and connected to its master.
  
• Subjugates worship their masters, and love serving them.
  
• They follow their every command and finds offense when others speak badly of their masters.
  
• All they want is to be near them.

Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to daylight and holy symbols (of whatever their religion was before Turning).
  
• Somewhat vulnerable to fire, as they catch it easily.
  
• There is a rumour that if a Vampire drinks the blood of a Nephilim, they will become a 'daywalker'

Procedure:

ii. Be bitten by other vampires.

Then, the darkling must be bitten or drained of blood by a vampire to continue the process. Vampire saliva is said to have healing and transformative properties. Once bitten, the human may die. If the human is not completely drained to death, he will only be close to dying and will be at the verge of transformation. The process is said to be like being drugged, painless and pleasant, as if merely going to sleep. Since they have consumed vampire blood, the vampire properties have slightly been transferred to the human, they may rise again as a vampire.

iii. Die.

Once 'dead', they become a fledgling, a not-yet or newly born vampire. The human must die within 24 hours after consuming blood in any manner where the body is preserved. Upon mortal death, the undead body will awaken in a state of transition.

iv. Be buried.

They must then be buried. If they are not buried, they will stay in the state of transition, dead but not quite dead. Never waking.

v. Be reborn and brought back from the dead.

They then must dig themselves out of their grave and will then be 'truly born'. If no one is there to help them dig out of their grave or if they are unable to, they stay like that, starving underground.

vi. Fed blood once again.

Immediately, the newly born vampire is in a frenzy for blood and will kill anything or anyone close to them just to drink the blood. In order to complete the transition, within the next 24 hours, the new-born, transitioning vampire must consume an exceptional amount of human blood, or else they will fade and die.

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[Elegant]

• Also known as the Children of the Moon
  
• Like Vampires, werewolves are actually humans that have contracted a disease from Demons that result in their transformation and enhanced abilities.
  
• In human form, werewolves have enhanced speed and strength and the ability to transform into their wolf form at will.
  
• As werewolves, they follow the long held tradition of being mortal enemies of vampires.
  
• Werewolves are not generally born but are usually humans bitten by another werewolf, although two werewolf parents may produce a werewolf child.
  
• After the first transformation, it takes a werewolf some time to be able to resist the effect of the moon in different phases.
  
• Each pack is lead by a leader, and any werewolf that kills that leader gains control of the pack.
  
• Can be killed by silver, and have a natural aversion to it.

Power:

• Werewolves have the ability to change into wolves. New werewolves change every time there is a full moon, whereas older werewolves master it and can change whenever they want, although they feel different during the full moon. Werewolves also have the ability to partially change into wolves, like extending their claws and making their eyes look like wolves' eyes without fully transforming.

Appearance Notes:

• When shapeshifted, werewolves look like normal wolves. However, while in human form they look fairly normal, although they may appear a little dirty as they don't bother cleaning up much.

[Elegant]

Resources:

Cassandra Clare's Tumblr

The Shadowhunter's Wiki