RACE INFO

[~AMARANTH~]

Given the fact that we are an original supernatural role-play, and we’re horror-oriented, our supernatural species are a bit different than most other places, hence the need for these guidelines.

But before we get into all that, there is one thing that I really want to say. Just because we allow supernatural creatures on Graceless Hearts does not mean that you HAVE to automatically start out with one. You can, I won’t say that you can’t start out with a Vampire character, or a Fae character, or anything, but since we are a site devoted to developing our characters, perhaps it is better to start human and become something else. There is a way to be ‘turned’, so to speak, for each of the four other races, as will be outlined below. But, with that said, let’s begin.

Mortals are exactly what they sound like, mortal. They are the human race, living their rather short lives with as much gusto as they can muster. They do not despair for their small existence because they have hope, a thing which may be their greatest weapon. They are not strong, they are not fast, they do not see the spiritual forces of the world, nor do they commune with nature.

But they love, and again, that is a weapon which they do not even notice they have.

The most numerous of any of the races, if they truly set their mind to it, they could wipe out everything supernatural, everything with even a speck of mystery or magic, but they are a blind people, unwilling to see what is standing right in front of them.

Most of the supernatural races look down on the humans, but all are somewhat disquieted by the knowledge that it was a mortal woman who birthed them.

Along with the knowledge that humanity birthed the supernatural forces of the world, there are mortals who've taken it upon themselves to kill the supernatural, to hunt it down and kill it with fire, sunlight, silver and iron. These Hunters may be trained by the Church, or they may have trained themselves. Some have never seen a Vampire, and some have been raped by Lycans. They are as diverse as the people they come from.

Strengths
--Numerous
--Able to feel powerful emotions
--Constantly bettering themselves
--The power of blind faith

Weaknesses
--Physically weak
--Blind to the supernatural
--Easily cowed and manipulated
--Sustenance – in some way, shape or form – for each of the other species

[~AMARANTH~]

Said to be the first children born of Lilith, the mythical Mother of Monsters, the Vampires are old. As old as time itself, it seems. Despite their great strength and speed, their ferocity and nearly unmatched ability as warriors, they are a sad race.

Vampires will never again feel as the other races do, and besides the sun with her holy light, this is their great weakness. What a vampire feels is an echo of their emotions, a mere reflection of what they felt in life.

The older the vampire, the greater the loss of emotion and sense of self; many sink into depression and few ever crawl back out, but vampires are prideful, constantly driven by their hunger and this is what makes them so dangerous.

The hunger, or the Red Thirst as many of the older Dead call it is the driving force behind many of a vampire’s actions. She is constantly on a verge of feeling like she’s starving, constantly wishing she could sink her fangs into the nearest person with a pulse. Many vampires turn to violence in an effort to quell their thirst if no one is around to sate them, becoming ravening beasts, more akin the Lycans they now hate so much.

Contempt, melancholy and sheer boredom are also easy traps for a vampire to fall into, as the years pass by and he sees the world change with it. Politics between the other vampires, the blood war, and the ever-starving hunt is what keeps them from becoming living statues, turned to unfeeling masses of flesh, waiting for eternity to end. Vampires do not sleep, and many despair over the loss of their dreams.

Vampires get stronger as they age, and for balance’s sake, no original vampires may be over 1000 years old. Canon Vampires may be older.

Strengths
(Regular Vampire)
--Speed of 30 men
--Strength of 20 men
--Enhanced Senses
--Regenerative healing abilities
(Ancient Vampire)
--Speed of 60 men
--Strength of 40 men
--Extremely enhanced senses (as in able to see a fly sitting on a tea cup from 500 feet away)
--Enhanced Regenerative Healing Abilities (able to regrow limbs in hours)
--Psychic Abilities (See the Vampire Canons for which roles have which powers)

Weaknesses
(Regular Vampires)
--Direct Sunlight sears flesh, indirect merely hurts, but won’t kill
--The Red Thirst
--Loss of emotions
--Silver and Holy Water (of any faith)
(Ancient Vampire)
--Direct Sunlight turns flesh to ash, indirect sears skin like paper in a fireplace
--The Red Thirst is nearly uncontrollable when around mortals
--Only feels echoes of emotions, and even those are rare
--Silver and Holy Water (of any faith)

[~AMARANTH~]

(Witches are not strictly female, men can be witches as well. The word ‘warlock’ means ‘betrayer’. Male witches are still called witches.)

Magic has always suffused the world, the power of nature itself, willing to lend itself to those who are willing to do the rites and cast the spells to take it. Many who practice Witchcraft have been persecuted, and will no doubt continue to be persecuted. Taking the mantle of witchcraft is never an easy thing to do, and many who do it anyway wish they hadn’t.

It is said that the first witch was Lilith, called the Mother of Monsters in the supernatural world; it is believed that she was cast from the Garden of Eden by God, when she refused to lie underneath Adam during intercourse. And in the barren wasteland that was Earth then, she found hope.

The Earth itself did weep for this poor, mortal woman, and gave her the power to summon up Earth’s mighty Spirits should the need arise. But Lilith betrayed the Spirits and betrayed the Earth; she used her powers for evil, and sent a Serpent back to the Garden. The deed done, the Serpent came to her, and told her that her power had attracted the Devil to the Serpent, and that should she lie with the Serpent, she would birth a new world.
And she did.

The witches despise the way this story makes them sound, how they are the villains for deeds a dead woman did. Today, many spellcasters of all sorts try to shake off such prejudice and become something…more.

All witches have the ability to use magic, their main weapon and defense, magic itself manifests itself as a number of abilities witches have.

They are as follows:

--Precognition
This ability allows the witch to peer into the past and the future, though doing so is dangerous. Seeing something you might not want to, is always a danger, and the Spirits aren’t particularly fond of people fucking with fate anyway. This spell typically requires a reflective surface, such as a mirror or a bowl of water; however, if a witch is old or powerful enough, this ability could theoretically be used whenever.

--Pain Infliction
This ability allows for the witch to inflict psychic pain on any other creature, from mortal to vampire to anything else. While it draws all of the witch’s attention and concentration, she can kill with this ability, but it’s not instantaneous death, it takes prolonged use.

--Telekinesis
This ability allows the witch to control and direct matter with nothing more than her mind’s mystical energy. She could, at most, pick up a person, but such a feat would require intense concentration. However, this ability can also be used in a variety of other ways, such as throwing things, or making concentrated blasts of force. By far the most universal of a witch’s spells.

--Channeling
Channeling allows for a witch to draw power for her spells or too keep her abilities working if she’s in some sort of prolonged usage of them. Such things that she might draw power from are willing people, fire, celestial events, the blood of a mystical creature, etc.

--Elemental Control
The witch is allowed by the Spirits of Nature dominion over one of the four elements. She is not absolute in her control, but she is strong in it, and can typically use her element in some way to influence the power of the rest of her spells. For instance, a witch who has control over water uses her pain infliction, the victim may feel as if he were drowning, whereas a witch with fire’s victim would feel as if he were being burned alive.

--Spell Casting
There are an infinite amount of spells not mentioned here, that, if the witch has enough power and intent, can still cast. If you have an idea for a spell not mentioned here, PM me and I’ll let you know if you can use it in a thread.

Witches are only allowed one element for Elemental Control, and their powers are not indefinite, a witch can and will run out of magical energy if stuck in a prolonged situation where she’s using her magic consistently. Witches can prolong their lives with magic, but they are not naturally immortal. Due to this, original witches cannot be over 120 years old, Canon Witches are older.

Strengths
(Regular witches)
--Magical ability
--Typically intelligent
--Versatile
--A witch’s exact power level is never known except by other witches or Fae
(High Priestesses/Priests)
--Magical Ability (extremely powerful)
--Typically Intelligent (Extremely well-versed in matters of the occult)
--Versatile
--A High Priestess/Priest is capable of hiding just how powerful she is from any other beings, baring other High Priestesses/Priests or Archfae.

Weaknesses
(Regular witches)
--Human weaknesses
--Easily tired by prolonged casting
--Fear or anxiety can interfere with power
--Susceptible to Holy Water (Christian/Catholic)
(High Priestesses/Priests)
--Human weaknesses
--Easily Tired from prolonged casting (Not as much as regular witches)
--Fear or anxiety can interfere with power
--Susceptible to Holy Water (Christian Holy Water burns like acid, reacting against witches power)

[~AMARANTH~]

The Lycans are the one race not born from Lilith’s womb.
No, their origins are shrouded more in sorrow and pain than in creation. 2200 years ago, there was an extremely powerful vampire, ancient even then, and he lusted after a faerie woman, little did he know that this woman was heir to the throne of faerie and the Earth loved her greatly. He chased after her, all over the world, till at last he found her hiding centuries later with a druidic tribe of the British Isles.

They tried to protect her, and they failed.

The vampire raped the faerie, and she grew heavy with child. And when she gave birth to the child, her child was a wolf. The Spirits wept to see this, and offered the faerie a deal, and with great magic that not even Lilith had been given access to, the faerie bound the spirit of her child, mixed with her own life-force into the vampire.

And he became the first Lycan.

But that’s if you believe those sort of things.

How could such a mystical and in some ways beautiful story have anything to do with the ferocity of the Werewolves? Werewolves are beasts in human shape, never forget that. They kill their enemies without mercy, slicing through them with razor sharp claws and teeth, howling all the while.

Like the very antithesis to the vampires, the werewolves feel everything. Their emotions are powerful and unique things, coursing through them; they feel as strongly as vampires do not. Savage, emotional beings, anger is their power, as is honor. But among the Lycans, rage is a choice, not an order, and that’s what makes them so deadly. A controlled hurricane of slashing teeth and nails, aimed precisely at their enemies.

What the Werewolves lack in discipline, they more than make up for in ferocity and viciousness. Werewolves do shift, and their other form is a bipedal wolf, thickly muscled. Their natural hair color is the color of the Wolf’s fur.

Lycans get stronger as they age, and for balance’s sake, no original werewolves may be over 1000 years old. Canon Lycans may be older.

Strengths
(Regular Lycans)
--Speed of 20 men (once shifted)
--Strength of 30 men (once shifted)
--Powerful emotions
--Regenerative Healing Abilities
--Enhanced Senses
(Elder Lycans)
--Speed of 40 men (once shifted)
--Strength of 60 men (once shifted)
--Powerful emotions with the discipline to control them
--Enhanced Regenerative Healing Abilities
--Extremely enhanced senses (as in, being able to hear a baby’s sigh from three buildings over)
--Small bits of fae magic (See Lycan Canons for which have which powers)

Weaknesses
(Regular Lycans)
--Can become emotionally crippled
--Easily Angered
--The shift is forced by the Moon (full moon only)
--Silver and Holy Water (of any faith)
--Must shift to access strength and speed
(Elder Lycans)
--Can become emotionally crippled
--Easily angered (Can control anger better now)
--The shift is forced by the moon (full moon and new moon)
--Silver and Holy Water (of any faith)
--Must shift to access strength and speed
--Silver burns and disrupts healing

[~AMARANTH~]

When Lilith gave birth at the beginning of the world, she gave birth to two races. The vampires were born first, and it said that she loved them the best for their bloodlust; but what of her other children, the ones who were not bloodthirsty, the fair ones? The vampiric children tried to kill their brothers and sisters, thirsty for their blood.

The Spirits of the world saw this and despaired, afraid that Lilith and children’s betrayal would cost the lives of these innocent children. The Spirits guided these children away from their wretched mother and dead siblings.

Carried them all the way to what is now, the British Isles, and still the vampires fled after them, slavering for a taste of their sweet blood. The Spirits grew angry at such open savagery, and did the one thing they could. They stole the children.

Pulled away, into the mists and away from the circles of the world, the children found themselves in Avalon, a magical isle where the Spirits lived. And the fae were born.

Fae are outsiders, first and foremost. They have lived on Avalon for so long that they are no longer apart of the natural world, instead they are something else. Unearthly beautiful, each and every one, they try to live peaceful lives but are more than willing to go to war if they must. The world has forgotten about them, and the fae are more than willing to call themselves ‘the forgotten’ if it means safety.

Capable of shifting into any animal, and sensing the mercurial forces of magic around them, the fae have become very good at hiding themselves away from the world. They have power to change their appearance at will, and to heal wounds with a touch. They are stronger and faster than humans, and subsist on their emotions.

Through touch, a faerie drains emotional vigor from humans, allowing them to feel the emotions they have forgotten. And with, but a touch, they can even drain life as well.

The fae propagate themselves through kidnapping mortals and taking them to Avalon. Time in Avalon flows differently, a week there is a year here, but a day is all it takes. A human, upon being exposed to Avalon is forever changed, from that moment on, they are fae.

Their abilities are as follows:

--Animal Shifting
The faerie that uses this gift can shapeshift into any animal they’ve seen. Whether a bird for quick escape, or a bear to face down a foe. An angered fae is a dangerous opponent, often underestimated.

--Glamour
Fae also have the ability to wrap themselves in magic, changing their human appearance at will. From shifting their hair-color, to making themselves look completely different.

--Healing Touch
A faerie can heal life-threatening wounds, with but a touch, though this a draining and potentially dangerous ability for the faerie. The injury is ‘passed’ to the faerie in question, forcing the fae to experience all the pain of the injury.

--Draining Touch
This ability allows a fae to drain the emotions, or if used in a more malicious purpose, the life of whatever it touches. While this is an extremely powerful ability, people are not paralyzed by this ability, they can still act, though they are weakening and dying quite quickly. If the touch is interrupted, the victim could survive if they were to flee quick enough.

--Captivating Aura
Fae are adept at making other’s perform to their whims. While most fae are not particularly skilled at captivating other creatures, those old enough to be skilled in this ability are frightening indeed.

--Sensitive
Fae are extremely sensitive to the supernatural forces, and are capable of telling what another creature is by simply looking at them.

--Mind Reading
A capricious ability, most fae except for the older ones cannot control this ability, though it is there. They can read surface thoughts quite easily, and often do even when they’d rather not. Deeper thoughts are harder to read, and often require physical contact.

Faerie’s get stronger as they age, and so, for balance’s sake, no original fae may be older than 1000 years older, though Canon fae may be older.

Strengths
(Regular Fae)
--Speed of 10 men
--Strength of 10 men
--Various mystical abilities
--Regenerative Healing Abilities
(Archfae)
--Speed of 30 men
--Strength of 30 men
--Various mystical abilities (Draining and healing can be used at range)
--Extreme Regenerative Healing Abilities

Weaknesses
(Regular fae)
--Feeds off the emotions of those they touch
--Iron burns their flesh
--Weaker and slower than either Lycans or Vampires
--Magic is weaker than witches magic
--Holy Water (of any faith)
(Archfae)
--Feeds off the emotions who are simply around them
--Iron burns their flesh and can kill if exposed too long or enters bloodstream
--Weaker than Lycans or Vampires of comparable age
--Magic is weaker than witches of comparable power
--Holy Water (of any faith)
--Christian or Catholic churches