Post by luvsdemons666 on Jul 23, 2009 12:03:52 GMT -5
(Disclaimer: The following is the Copyright © material of Kresley Cole.)
The Lore
"… and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man’s."
The Valkyrie
"When a maiden warrior screams for courage as she dies in battle, Wóden and Freya heed her call. The two gods give up lightning to strike her, rescuing her to their hall, and preserving her courage forever in the form of the maiden’s immortal Valkyrie daughter."
They take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning. Possess preternatural strength and speed. Without training, they can be mesmerized by shining objects and jewels.
The Lykae Clan
"A proud, strapping warrior of the Keltoi People (or Hidden People, later known as Celts) was taken in his prime by a maddened wolf. The warrior rose from the dead, now an immortal, with the spirit of the beast latent within him. He displayed the wolf’s traits: the need for touch, an intense loyalty to its kind, an animal craving for the delights of the flesh. Sometimes the beast rises …"
Also called werewolves, or war-wolds. They are enemies of the Horde
The Vampires
There are two warring factions, the Vampire Horde and the Forbearer Army. Each vampire seeks his Bride, his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he finds her. The Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath and making his heart beat, a process known as blooding. Tracing is teleporting, the vampire’s means of travel. A vampire can only trace to destinations he’s previously been. The Fallen are vampires who have killed by drinking a victim to death. Distinguished by their red eyes.
The Horde
"In the first chaos of the Lore, a brotherhood of vampires dominated, by relying on their cold nature, worship of logic, and absence of mercy. They sprang from the harsh steppes of Dacia and migrated to Russia, though some say a secret enclave, the Daci, live in Dacia still."
Their ranks are comprised of the Fallen. They are enemies of most factions in the Lore.
The Forbearers
" … his crown stolen, Kristoff, the rightful Horde king, stalked the battlefields of antiquity seeking the strongest, most valiant human warriors as they died, earning him the name of Gravewalker. He offered eternal life in exchange for eternal fealty to him and his growing army."
An army of vampires consisting of turned humans, who do not drink blood directly from the flesh. Kristoff was raised as a human and then lived among them. He and his army know little of the Lore. They are also enemies of the Horde.
The Demonarchies
"The demons are as varied as the bands of man …"
They are a collection of demon dynasties. Most demon breeds can trace like vampires. Some breeds are bound to obey summons. Those that can emit poison from their fangs, horns, or claws are more vulnerable to others’ poison. Many demon breeds must have intercourse with a potential mate to ascertain if she’s truly his—a process known as attempting.
The House of Witches
"… immortal possessors of magickal talents, practitioners of good and evil."
They are mystical mercenaries who sell their spells. Strictly forbidden to create personal wealth or grant immortality. They are separated into five castes: warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress. The only witch known to possess the powers of all five castes is Mariketa the Awaited.
The Sept of Sorceri
"The Sept forever seek and covet others’ powers, challenging and dueling to seize more—or more darkly, stealing another’s sorcery…"
A breed-line broken from the enchantment caste of the House of Witches. They are born with one innate power, their root power. If they lose it, they become slaves to their own kind called Inferi. They can trade and steal secondary powers. They are one of the physically weaker species in the Lore, they used elaborate armors to protect their bodies. Eventually they held metals—and especially gold—sacred.
The Furiae
"If you do evil, beg for punishment—before they come… "
They are ruthless she-warriors bent on delivering justice to evil men when they escape it elsewhere. They are led by Alecta the Unyielding One.
The Berserkers
"A berserker's lonely life is filled with naught but battle rage and bloodlust… "
A cadre of warriors (most of them mortal) who swore allegiance to Wóden, known for their merciless brutality. They are one of the few human orders to be recognized and accepted by the Lore. Are able to conjure the spirit of the bear, and channel its ferocity.
The Sirenae
"Near the sea’s edge, beware the siren’s song…"
A female species of immortals, they can permanently mesmerize and enslave males who hear their singing. They derive power from the sea and can’t be away from it for more than one cycle of the moon.
Wendigo
"Corpse-eaters insatiable for flesh, ravenous for blood. They feed and feed, but can never be sated."
They can be found in the boreal forests of cold and northern lands. They are distinguishable by their long, knifelike claws, and bodies that are forever emaciated. Will even dig up graves for flesh.
The Wraiths
"… their origin unknown, their presence chilling."
Spectral, howling beings. Undefeatable and, for the most part, uncontrollable. They are also called the Ancient Scourge.
The Vessel
"To be chosen is to be doomed …"
At the cusp of each Accession, a chosen female will beget a child who will become a warrior of either ultimate evil or of ultimate good—depending upon the father. Of the last seven Vessels, six have spawned evil. Some factions seek to assassinate the Vessel to prevent any birth. Others battle to possess her and control her offspring.
Revenants
"The dead robbed of eternal rest, forced to serve a dark master . . ."
A corpse raised from the grave and reanimated, most often by a sorcerer or necromancer, who controls it. They can’t be slain until the one who commands it is killed.
The Kobolds
"When eyes are on them, winsome they seem. Eyes away, and you can’t imagine what they become."
Gnomelike creatures that dwell in mines. The name of the capricious and dangerous mined element cobalt is derived from this species.
The Ghouls
"Even immortals beware its bite …"
They are humans turned savage monsters, with glowing green skin, yellow eyes, and contagious bites and scratches. Their imperative is to increase their number by contagion. They’re said to travel in troops.
The Turning
"Only through death can one become an ‘other.’"
They are some beings, like the Lykae, vampires, and ghouls, can turn a human or even other Lore creatures into their kind through differing means, but the catalyst for change is always death, and success is not guaranteed.
The Talisman's Hie
"A treacherous and grueling scavenger’s hunt for magickal talismans, amulets, and other mystical riches over the entire world."
It is held every two hundred fifty years. Hosted by Riora, the goddess of impossibility. It was won the last five times by the Valkyrie Kaderin the Cold Hearted.
The Accession
"And a time shall pass that all immortal beings in the Lore, from the strongest Valkyrie, vampire, and Lykae factions, to the phantoms, shifters, fairies, sirens … must fight and destroy each other."
A kind of mystical checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals. Occurs every five hundred years. Or right now …
"… and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man’s."
The Valkyrie
"When a maiden warrior screams for courage as she dies in battle, Wóden and Freya heed her call. The two gods give up lightning to strike her, rescuing her to their hall, and preserving her courage forever in the form of the maiden’s immortal Valkyrie daughter."
They take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning. Possess preternatural strength and speed. Without training, they can be mesmerized by shining objects and jewels.
The Lykae Clan
"A proud, strapping warrior of the Keltoi People (or Hidden People, later known as Celts) was taken in his prime by a maddened wolf. The warrior rose from the dead, now an immortal, with the spirit of the beast latent within him. He displayed the wolf’s traits: the need for touch, an intense loyalty to its kind, an animal craving for the delights of the flesh. Sometimes the beast rises …"
Also called werewolves, or war-wolds. They are enemies of the Horde
The Vampires
There are two warring factions, the Vampire Horde and the Forbearer Army. Each vampire seeks his Bride, his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he finds her. The Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath and making his heart beat, a process known as blooding. Tracing is teleporting, the vampire’s means of travel. A vampire can only trace to destinations he’s previously been. The Fallen are vampires who have killed by drinking a victim to death. Distinguished by their red eyes.
The Horde
"In the first chaos of the Lore, a brotherhood of vampires dominated, by relying on their cold nature, worship of logic, and absence of mercy. They sprang from the harsh steppes of Dacia and migrated to Russia, though some say a secret enclave, the Daci, live in Dacia still."
Their ranks are comprised of the Fallen. They are enemies of most factions in the Lore.
The Forbearers
" … his crown stolen, Kristoff, the rightful Horde king, stalked the battlefields of antiquity seeking the strongest, most valiant human warriors as they died, earning him the name of Gravewalker. He offered eternal life in exchange for eternal fealty to him and his growing army."
An army of vampires consisting of turned humans, who do not drink blood directly from the flesh. Kristoff was raised as a human and then lived among them. He and his army know little of the Lore. They are also enemies of the Horde.
The Demonarchies
"The demons are as varied as the bands of man …"
They are a collection of demon dynasties. Most demon breeds can trace like vampires. Some breeds are bound to obey summons. Those that can emit poison from their fangs, horns, or claws are more vulnerable to others’ poison. Many demon breeds must have intercourse with a potential mate to ascertain if she’s truly his—a process known as attempting.
The House of Witches
"… immortal possessors of magickal talents, practitioners of good and evil."
They are mystical mercenaries who sell their spells. Strictly forbidden to create personal wealth or grant immortality. They are separated into five castes: warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress. The only witch known to possess the powers of all five castes is Mariketa the Awaited.
The Sept of Sorceri
"The Sept forever seek and covet others’ powers, challenging and dueling to seize more—or more darkly, stealing another’s sorcery…"
A breed-line broken from the enchantment caste of the House of Witches. They are born with one innate power, their root power. If they lose it, they become slaves to their own kind called Inferi. They can trade and steal secondary powers. They are one of the physically weaker species in the Lore, they used elaborate armors to protect their bodies. Eventually they held metals—and especially gold—sacred.
The Furiae
"If you do evil, beg for punishment—before they come… "
They are ruthless she-warriors bent on delivering justice to evil men when they escape it elsewhere. They are led by Alecta the Unyielding One.
The Berserkers
"A berserker's lonely life is filled with naught but battle rage and bloodlust… "
A cadre of warriors (most of them mortal) who swore allegiance to Wóden, known for their merciless brutality. They are one of the few human orders to be recognized and accepted by the Lore. Are able to conjure the spirit of the bear, and channel its ferocity.
The Sirenae
"Near the sea’s edge, beware the siren’s song…"
A female species of immortals, they can permanently mesmerize and enslave males who hear their singing. They derive power from the sea and can’t be away from it for more than one cycle of the moon.
Wendigo
"Corpse-eaters insatiable for flesh, ravenous for blood. They feed and feed, but can never be sated."
They can be found in the boreal forests of cold and northern lands. They are distinguishable by their long, knifelike claws, and bodies that are forever emaciated. Will even dig up graves for flesh.
The Wraiths
"… their origin unknown, their presence chilling."
Spectral, howling beings. Undefeatable and, for the most part, uncontrollable. They are also called the Ancient Scourge.
The Vessel
"To be chosen is to be doomed …"
At the cusp of each Accession, a chosen female will beget a child who will become a warrior of either ultimate evil or of ultimate good—depending upon the father. Of the last seven Vessels, six have spawned evil. Some factions seek to assassinate the Vessel to prevent any birth. Others battle to possess her and control her offspring.
Revenants
"The dead robbed of eternal rest, forced to serve a dark master . . ."
A corpse raised from the grave and reanimated, most often by a sorcerer or necromancer, who controls it. They can’t be slain until the one who commands it is killed.
The Kobolds
"When eyes are on them, winsome they seem. Eyes away, and you can’t imagine what they become."
Gnomelike creatures that dwell in mines. The name of the capricious and dangerous mined element cobalt is derived from this species.
The Ghouls
"Even immortals beware its bite …"
They are humans turned savage monsters, with glowing green skin, yellow eyes, and contagious bites and scratches. Their imperative is to increase their number by contagion. They’re said to travel in troops.
The Turning
"Only through death can one become an ‘other.’"
They are some beings, like the Lykae, vampires, and ghouls, can turn a human or even other Lore creatures into their kind through differing means, but the catalyst for change is always death, and success is not guaranteed.
The Talisman's Hie
"A treacherous and grueling scavenger’s hunt for magickal talismans, amulets, and other mystical riches over the entire world."
It is held every two hundred fifty years. Hosted by Riora, the goddess of impossibility. It was won the last five times by the Valkyrie Kaderin the Cold Hearted.
The Accession
"And a time shall pass that all immortal beings in the Lore, from the strongest Valkyrie, vampire, and Lykae factions, to the phantoms, shifters, fairies, sirens … must fight and destroy each other."
A kind of mystical checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals. Occurs every five hundred years. Or right now …
kresleycole.com/books/immortals-after-dark-lore.html