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Supernal World Building
🕑 Added 2024-06-19 11:46:34 +0000 UTCDue to car troubles my schedule was thrown majorly out of whack so I am sharing with you fine folks a major world building document I've been working on. It started as a side project for potential Wednesday fanfics and then ballooned into something far more extreme.
I hope this compensates for the slow update rate at the moment.
Introduction:
This wonderful and terrible world of ours is old and strange.
It is both a mass of rock and water drifting through the expanse of space and a globe of spun glass floating in the ether.
It is a world where skyscrapers made from steel and glass border mountains where monsters howl under the full moon.
It is a world where the fires of industry roar, even as the powers of the Supernal flow through the realms invisible and unseen.
It is a world of Society & Outcasts, of Humans and Monsters.
History:
This history may be familiar to many of you; why would it not be, it is history after all? But let’s highlight some familiar factors.
In times before the written word, humanity spread across the African Savannah and beyond, at their side or perhaps before their time or even after it, were the monsters, as much a part of life as a storm, a lion or rival hunting band.
In times long past, when temples were raised beneath the sun and crafters of copper shaped their first tools, one could find beast men in the company of God kings, and rumors abound of Lilith’s trading relief for crimson blood in the night.
In ancient days, a Gorgon monarch was deposed by the rebel leader Perseus, democracy his rallying cry. Worlds away, the dead monarch of the land are imbued with new life through ritual and prayer that they may guide their people again.
In days long gone, the Mongols rose, spreading destruction and plague upon all who challenged them, all who could challenge them. Amongst their victims were those whose very nature, whose very existence, was deemed a threat to the war.
In years of exploration and conquest, cities and farms spread akin to locusts, beasts extinguished and those who hunted them starved. Preachers spoke of the need to cleanse the world of that which was inhuman, even as they enslaved their own kind.
In days so recent they may as well be modern, the Monsters, the predators, and the hunted became the Outcast. United by need and creed, they carved out a place for themselves in a world eager to see them cast into the shadows of history as though mere folk tales.
Today, the world is at peace, or as much peace as it has ever known, but all it could take is one spark to set everything ablaze. Who or what remains to look over the ashes may well be the next to write history.
Outcast Genotypes:
Just as there are various monsters and outcasts of the world there are many means by which to sort and categorize them. The main overarching castes of Monsters are as follows:
· The Born – These Outcasts were born from an Outcast parent of the same type and regardless of whom or what the sire is, the child-bearers’ species will be the Childs.
· The Immutable – These Outcasts are born and exist as they are, their bodies cannot undergo any significant alterations, nor can they obscure their nature as monsters.
· The Turned – These Outcasts, while capable of reproduction, can also convert others, namely humans or those lacking a strong Supernal affiliation, into their own kind.
· The Shifters – These Outcasts can, at least in part, masquerade as their prey, namely humans, and alternate between this suppressed form and that of their true selves.
· The Crafted – These Outcasts are the results of Supernal forces influencing a mortal form, be it by choice or force, it encompasses Undead, practitioners and many more.
· Mutations and Rarities – These Outcasts are unique, their manifestation unexpected & uncontrollable, their mere existence not replicable even with intense study.
Notes
Among Shifters there is variance, the difference between the shifting of a Vampire, Siren and Lycan is all rather immense, as vampires only experience marginal shifts in appearance, Lycans experience a total metamorphosis and Sirens fall in between.
Being different species, all Outcasts have varying degrees of innate and distinct instincts. Such as isolationist and highly individualistic natures coming naturally to Sirens and Gorgons, while communal and collective natures occur naturally in Vampires and Lycan. Individual personality, culture and life experience still plays a determining role in behavior, but the base, instinctual needs of a given person will vary between species.
The Born
Gorgon/Naga/Lamia - Reptilians with strong ties to the magics of the earth in the form of stones both bejeweled and mundane rock, which among their species lends itself naturally to petrification, paralysis, and stillness, seemingly born as a survival mechanism, be it for hunting or self-defense. These Geomantic ties blend strangely with that of the flesh, blending together scale and skin and providing long lives through renewal.
Often solitary and long lived, they were once perceived as regal leaders or protectors but, in many regions, have some to be seen as alien and predatory. They have a rather minimal sense of community by most species’ standards, with last names only being adopted to honor noteworthy ancestry rather than born of a sense of shared blood or bonds. Love is indeed possible, but they are often quite distant and can spend years in total isolation with no harm unto themselves.
Their snake-like traits can manifest in a myriad of ways from scaled skin to snake-like hair or their bottom half being reptilian.
Oozlum/Sirin/Kinnara/Kalaviṅka/Inmyeonjo/Harpy/(Siren) – Avian beings, they are born with a supernatural connection the air itself which allows for their flight at incredible speeds with their passing often described as accompanied by a thunderous boom. But they have another magical nature, that of the Song; like their aquatic cousins, their singing can hold influence over the minds of others.
These avians have stronger communal instincts than their water dwelling cousins but lack the supernatural connections between themselves and their kindred such as held by Lycan or Vampires, they simply prefer to flock together as a group. Unlike their cousins they are not shifters by birth but have a natural preference for meat greater than most which shows their shared heritage.
The Immutable
Centaur/Satyr/Ipotane/Tikbalang/Nuckelavee/Ichthyocentaurs/Glashtyn - Built unto as Equus, these people are bound to the primal magics of the beast and the Living Earth be it forest or grasslands or savanna alike. Easily able to commune with animals and entreat with the plants, their magic is often quite wild and free; but one must remember there is more to nature and animals than mere trees and frolicking. This more brutal, primeval side, beyond morality and familiar forms of life always hangs overhead of these four-legged travelers.
They have moderately strong communal instincts, but these tend to cap out at the size of a clan or small polity, and their physical structure also often makes larger societies more hassle and less practical until recently. They do not strictly resemble any breed of horse, deer, or even human, but they have some strange collection there-of, often informed by their locality.
Oni/Troll/Ogre/Yowie/Yeti/Minotaur/Jotnar - Large and powerfully built beings, they possess a supernatural connection to the storm. Not solely the external manifestation of the weather but in the clashing and grinding of discontented parts to create crackling heat and booming roars. Their second affiliation is tied to the mountains and deep places in which they tend to congregate, the Grounded Earth is their bastion and their boon, filling their lumbering bodies with the stamina and strength to survive and thrive.
These creatures tend to have elongated arms and larger heads proportional to their bodies with single or several horns of varying shapes and sizes. They are ponderous beings who perceive and respond to most events slowly but with keen eyes. They do tend to have families, but familial & communal bonds tend to be rather loose outside the most immediately familiar. They do not look at strangers among their kin with hostility, but giants tend to prefer their own privacy & company outside of the odd festivity.
The Shifters
Selkie/Finfolk/Piscine/Mermaid/Undine/Ningyo/(Siren) - Sirens, in an example of what some might call convergent evolution. They hold powerful sway over the minds of others, through their ability to subvocalize and convey messages through water which can become a song on land.
They are Shifters, who draw strength from Flesh magic in the same manner as Lycans. The stories of their gory feasts on sailors, while somewhat exaggerated, do reflect their carnivorous and hungry nature. A second row of jagged teeth line the backs of their mouths; their legs and strange skin become a tail and scales when submerged in water.
There are many 'types' of Sirens from fresh water to sea water to deep sea; though all among them have rather loose concepts of family and minimal communal instincts, even if they may enjoy singular individual companions. They often form bonds with Kelpie and other types of water 'horse'. Siren tend to be comparable to Clown Fish as far as reproductive matters are concerned.
Jorōgumo-Tsuchigumo/Iktomi/aqrabuamelu/Anansi/Arachne/Pabilsaĝ - These beings have two forms, that of a more 'human-like' guise and their natural form which is multi-pronged and tough but smooth to touch; they tend to resemble a blurred line between spiders and scorpions. Their magic naturally tends towards the acts of binding and consuming, with words and magic as equally valid avenues to tether and entrap their prey as webs and craft.
They have strong paternal instincts, rarely if ever being separated from their infants if they can avoid it and forming large networks or web-works together. Though they tend towards having fairly weak romantic instincts, the sires will usually return to their blood family and assist in raising their siblings' children as opposed to their own children.
The Turned
Vampires/Lilu/Jiangshi/Aswang/Asanbosam - are natural born shifters, who can seamlessly blend in amongst their human prey, save for their blazing crimson eyes. However, they have another form, one sharper, longer, more bestial with long wide ears with pointed tips, a fanged maw that unhinges, with extremely prehensile tongue, as they adopt more 'bat' like qualities alongside clawed hands.
Their primary magic is tied to the very concept of draining, drinking, or absorbing, this often takes the most primal form of absorbing life essence from a body through touch or blood but can be trained to let them drain magic from spells and even drink curses.
Blood, being the carrier of life force, is also closely tied to vampires and is their primary means by which they externalize magic, through bloody spells and crafts. Meaning they are quite poor at offensive or defensive matters.
They are intensely communal creatures, with a subtle but ever-present psychic bond to their extended clan that shares their blood. They tend to lose their identity and even sapience when losing all or even most of that support network. Through blood or life force, vampires can grow their numbers without the need for biological reproduction, though possible it is quite rare biologically and culturally speaking.
Lycan - Bultungin/Werewolf/Kóryos/Asena/Itbarak/Rougarou/Nagual/ Glawackus - are natural born shifters who can, by their nature and the whims of their patron moon, live in the form of what appear to be humans, or become the epitome of all predators; hyena, wolf, Jaguar, and bear can all be seen in its mighty form. Further still they can adopt merely some of the desired traits such as clawed fingers or fanged maw as they come to master their true nature.
Their inherent transformation is tied to the cycles of the moon but matured Lycan can choose when or when to or when to transform and the degree. This connection to the moon also gives them a natural tie to magics such as scrying or using the moon as a medium to commune with the dead.
Their most natural and inherent magic, however, is that of flesh and bone and the marrow, it is of the meat and muscle and sinew, inherent to their ability to transform. But it is also tied to their swift healing, voracious nature, and their ability to make others like themselves, or otherwise alter the flesh of their targets.
They are an intensely communal species with a strong bond between families, be they born or turned or bonded and hold ties to larger pack structures. The loss of these bonds, be it through death or banishment can be so traumatic they turn deadly, usually via heart attack, or an all-consuming melancholy that simply causes the body to shut down.
The Crafted:
Witches/Shamans/Priests/Seers/Sages/Psychic - Supernatural Practitioners - For as long as there have been monsters and creatures of supernatural power there have been humans who were born, blessed or through back breaking labor that could wield Supernatural powers of their own. Often passing these abilities down to their children.
Some were even taught by monsters, or mutated themselves through taking on the traits of supernatural beasts or through living in spiritual locations and becoming attuned to its natural magics. Whatever their source, these people can and do use Supernatural energies for their own purposes, their primary methods both for personal use and as a means for others is through ritual and craft.
Put simply, while some humans may be born with an abnormal connection to a Supernatural power source, this will usually at most amount in only one or two marginal powers unless trained or developed and can easily amount to nothing or overwhelm and destroy their user. But these people are the exception, most practitioners gain their abilities through some form of in-depth study or communion with greater powers and through the lens of ritual begin to tap into these energies using their own body as a conduit and commanding force to give the powers intent and purpose.
Runic languages and symbology designed to entreat, trick, or terrify spectral beings. Potions and elixirs crafted from Supernatural ingredients. Chanting in languages that do not die as metal is forged and shaped with blood as a key ingredient. These are but a few examples of how Practitioners tap into the sources of magic, and they are among the most common and known methods, with talismans, potions and wards being the most common forms of magic; but at more advanced levels one can call on and command spirits or scry on distant locations and even commune with the dead.
Some can even cheat death itself.
Note:
It must be made clear that in order to advance past the point of arduous ritual or relying on amulets, trinkets or talismans, a Practitioner must attune themselves to one or more sources of magic, always one or two but never more. This can even lead to some Practitioners seeking adoption among monsters, or to seek out specific Living locations already attuned to the magical source they wish to infuse their being.
What's more, Monsters can also be Practitioners, and in fact most are, but their natural alignment means that they both have an easier time studying their natural magic, but also a more difficult time trying to become attuned to a new Supernatural source and in fact trying to do so can often be a self-destructive risk, even for Practitioners who were not born attuned to any specific magic.
Practitioners usually form conclaves, covens, clans, or other forms of small organizations, though some seek to create bloodline specific lineages exclusively, or not share their abilities. They are also considered by the world at large to be no different from the Monsters themselves, and in truth are not once attuned, or if born attuned to their magical source as such energies tend to create a mind and even body subtly or overtly distinct from an ordinary human.
As the practitioner casts more and more spells the more they risk drawing attention from external entities with their own goals and motivations, while weakening their own essence and making themselves pliant and vulnerable to anything from death to possession or infection by immaterial parasites.
It should also be noted that through ritual even a charlatan can invoke dangerous powers. Those who dabble in the Supernal with no experience or guidance can at times accomplish impressive feats in their freedom and blissful unawareness. But every spell is a dance with death and danger at the best of times.
Hybrids -
Hybrids are in themselves both rare and common.
Rare in the sense that few species can actually intermingle without the use of supernatural aids and when they do the resulting child will be the birthing parents’ species thanks to being doused in their supernal energies for so long. (Though they may inherit some traits from their sire or have a knack for magic outside their birthing parents’ nature it never goes further than this.)
But some are also quite common, thanks to Vampire and Lycan who are the exceptions when it comes to mingling with humans, amongst themselves the rules remain much the same as above. The reason for this could be genetic, or tied to their natural supernal energies, being that of blood and flesh allowing them to cross the barriers between species.
As is custom, a child sired by a human parent will be the carrier’s species.
However, in cases where a Lycan or Vampire impregnate a human, the resulting child will generally be a Wira or a Dhampir. These newborns may well develop into their sire’s species with time or in rare and often dangerous cases can be born as such. However, generally speaking, they will emerge as something in between and will be lacking one of the core Supernal connections that makes these species what they are.
Wira – Are often quite obviously inhuman, bearing a resemblance to a partially shifted Lycan but with an overall more stable and cohesive body. They will inherit many of their sire species traits such as a strong sense of smell, excellent hearing, claws, and strength. But are bereft of a strong connection to the lunar cycles, which is what keeps them from being able to shift or commune with the spiritual essence of their sire species.
More often than not, Wira will choose to forge this connection, or make the decisions before they are old enough to know better and thus become Lycan, but there are many who choose their own path. These Wira can still be considered part of the wider pack or direct family and can be quite well regarded for the unique skills they bring to the table.
Lacking the lunar connection however can cause a spiritual divide between Wira and their sire species, hence some forming their own small communities. As with other Outcasts, the Wira, if impregnated by a human will give birth to another Wira, while if they impregnate a human the resulting child will be by and large human, though be it one who could manifest as a Wira or even a Lycan under the right conditions.
Dhampir – Easily the most ‘human passing’ of the Outcasts, at least insofar as their appearance is concerned, internally however they are quite distinct, and their natural affiliations are very unique. Rather than inheriting their sires’ ties to blood and the taking of vitality, the Dhampir’s initial imbuement of vitality draining Supernal can both make them dangerous to carry and if not, will usually keep the resulting infant near the realms of the spectral and through that, decay.
Dhampir have slow but extremely powerful heartbeats that lead to the Dhampir having minimal adrenaline production and a subtle resistance to narcotics due to their slow dissemination rate in the body. Though once they are affected it can easily become lethal. They tend to “age well” though their lifespan is not notably impressive. Otherwise, they tend to be quite pale, with glassy eyes and slightly larger canines than one would see in most humans, though still much smaller than even a human presenting Lycan.
Dhampir are not negatively regarded in the vampiric community, in fact many are considered incredibly useful due to being able to pass through human society unnoticed. However, their acceptance is rather hinged on them playing a role for their extended family or community. Like with Wira, Dhampir often ascend to become vampires, though strangely they don’t have an inerrant natural advantage in this contest, as their strong ties to blood can sometimes make them more inclined to be slaves to their instincts than newly introduced humans.
While not directly tied to the hive instincts of the greater clan, Dhampir are known to be extremely possessive of their loved ones and respond very poorly to isolation. They have a natural inclination for blood magic and can ingest the substance and receive some nourishment. Dhampir and human born children are barely distinguishable from humans in most cases, though certain locations, magic use, or locations can bring such traits to the forefront.
Notes:
These rules are by and large hard and fast, though intermingling with Practitioners can at times result in a purely ‘human’ child who may only have marginal left over links to their heritage, or more likely a hybrid whose second Supernal affiliation is ingrained from birth.
Other Monsters intermingling with humans can only conceive via magical ritual and in this context, the human carrier is more akin to a surrogate, or donor whose genetic influence will be marginal at best.
Dhampir are technically counted among the Living Dead, whom are covered in detail below.
Undead
The Undead are a complicated topic, made more so by the nature of spirits and ghosts, but the easiest distinguishing trait is their possession of a material body and naturalized presence in the material plane. Their Supernatural energies may align with decay and spectral, but they are as much a part of the living world as anyone else. Decay is, after all, an extant form of life.
What's more, technically anyone can become undead, though it does necessitate losing one of their magical affinities in order to be able to function. Some Undead are also mere creations or not thinking creatures in of themselves, but usually the creation of natural magical well springs or skilled Practitioners and can often operate rather similarly to Familiars.
Of the free dead there are many variants, most of whom exist thanks to spell and ritual or themselves being bound to a location suffused with such energies that will not let them go. Others however exist more in a state of near death, they are on the cusp of the world of the living and the dead by their very nature, but they were born in do age.
Of the former, one can find creatures like:
Kukudh, Ro-langs, Vetala and mummies. These are usually powerful practitioners who for one reason or another did not wish to move on and so have bound their spirit to a prison of flesh, sometimes their own ritualistically slain body, preserved just as it was, while other times they may become a specter and possess an empty vessel.
Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, but the greatest weakness of both states is inherent to the premise, existing as such a being naturally untethered you more from the material plane than any other, meaning banishment rituals are indeed viable in a manner they would not be for the living or other Undead. Their magic affiliation is always of the spectral variety.
Those bound to a location tend to manifest as:
Ghouls and Zombies, brought back by the land and spirits themselves, sometimes with their mind and will and spirit intact but in other instances they are mere extensions of the land itself, some strange curse or housing a newly born spirit. Ghouls and Zombies are aligned with both decay and spectral.
Any links to their former heritage are superficial at best and rarely grant much advantage thanks to their forms withered state. Those who become powerful in this state can be terrible indeed, spreading their curse through decay and spiritual sickness and their bodies still pump some sickened approximation of blood and ectoplasm. Their inherent nature to decay often means they age... In a manner of speaking.
Finally, there are the:
Living Dead, these beings are people who live on lands suffused with Supernatural energies tied to the spectral, are born of Death magic aligned covens and Practitioners. The Dhampir also fall into this category, emerging in families with vampiric ancestry under the right conditions. With a preference for bloodier meals and a dab hand at blood magics, slow to bleed and hard to kill or scare, they often evoke a sense of the uncanny valley in humans. Many consider them near a Supernatural species unto themselves, save for their relative rarity.
Spirits:
Spirits/Ghosts/Yūrei/Mononoke/Lemures - In the simplest form, these are the ectoplasmic forms of the now deceased, they can be human, animal, monster, or even 'other' beings entirely. Many do not exist in the material plane but can be communed with or called to it through ritual or key periods of the year when the barrier between life and death is thinner. Those that do remain tend towards being malevolent or maudlin, but some among them can be more akin to their living selves; much is dependent on their locations, motives, and the means by which they stay incarnated.
Regardless, all such beings are inherently tied to the magics of life and death, for all living things have a soul that becomes a spirit when their material form stops functioning and through that they become attuned with death. Most tend to only have whatever skills they had in life, though it is possible to grow after death the more one separates them self from their old self the harder it is to re-emerge on the material plane. Afterlives are nebulous and vary wildly in what is said but are all agreed upon as existing in some form.
Shikigami/Familiars - These beings can be spirits created from several component parts and imbued with power to become in essence, like a ghost. Or they are usually animals or alchemical experiments to create a new material life imbued with spiritual essence from their creator or other source to create a new being.
These creatures are usually closely bound to their maker, and have some degree of natural supernatural affinity, one tied to their previous form and the other to the materials their maker utilized when making them.
They are usually devoted and loyal, but there are stories of familiar going rogue due to mistreatment, mistakes in their creation or from having been made through malevolent means, making a living curse.
Living Locations:
These types of supernatural beings come in two forms and flavors, the first being Spirits of the World and the latter being Household Spirits.
The spirits of the land - can come in any form, shape, or size; they are technically in everything, everywhere, from trees to bricks and steel and more. But to be a Spirit of the Land is more than merely having essence, it is having a sense of self, a personality if not a sapient sense of identity. These locations can be anything from a haunted forest to a large stretch of savannah that cannot be tamed, to a thunderous mountain that allows no interlopers.
What is to be understood is that these places have power and personality, enough so that even the armies of the modern world are wary of dealing with them, lest the bombing or a sacred grove lead to mass crop failure and forest fires as a final act of revenge.
Still, these locations tend towards having mediators, mortals who are allowed to live upon them and advocate for their needs and desires while also protecting them from more subtle encroachments and intern, often gaining power from the land itself, many-a coven has been formed around such sites.
Household Spirits - are often much humbler than their greater spirit kindred, but they are also far more numerous and often far more in tune with those around them, with many having been able to manifest some form of medium or intermediary through the creation of a familiar, usually from common rodents to act as their mouth and hands. Household spirits are in essence, a building, or castle or compound given a sense of life and purpose.
The means by which this happens can vary from intentional cultivation, to being built on a well spring of supernatural energies or being the 'child' of a spirit of the land, or even ghosts merging with their former home and taking on a new identity. Their personalities can vary wildly however, but while less easy to offend than their seniors, Household Spirits have their own counsel and expect their fair treatment to be met with a similar degree of respect and regard.
They will close the door on pursuers and warm the hearth, you should repair that leaky pipe and leave something tasty out every now and again, thank you very much.
Magic Types & Systems:
The powers of the Supernal are strange and primal things, as much concept as they are material one must wonder if their power was shaped by their observers or if they shaped our perceptions.
Even the structures of magic systems and guidelines born of the innate power of monsters cannot wholly define magic as we know it. Not its limits, interpretations, or its flexibility.
So much is to the wielder themselves, no wonder many prefer the more predictable power of technology, lifeless and restrictive as it tends to be.
First, there are sources of magic, the Supernal, and from them come the methods of magic, the ritual, the spell, and the curse.
Supernal Sources:
The Grounded Earth: Geomancy/Petrification
Rocks upon the raging shore, mountains against the winds, & pillars that shoot deep into the core, they all are petrified.
The Storm: Alchemic/Sympathetic
Not merely of clouds & thunder but born of the roiling clash of energies to create resounding sounds & severe heats.
The Song: Phonic/Aural
Instinctive vibrations echo in the mind and sound crashes against the body; a song that promises all & gives nothing.
The Living Earth: Chthonic
Called from trees, bushes & fungus, roots will dig deep, pollens will poison, decay will fosters life as grass devours bone.
The Beast: Druidism
Animal instincts, the bestial spirit, the very hunt inherent to nature itself, this power is primal and productive.
The Mind: Psychics/Mediums
Perception beyond what the traditional senses can perceives and thought made manifest into the material world.
The Depths: Abyssal
Waters ripple with imprisoned air, they embody the deep, dark places, can kill, cleanse and cloister, but not create life.
Binding: Tether/Contract
To trap the body or tether the soul, crimson strings to bind a spirit, or a web laid to catch their prey, their net awaits.
Consumption/Absorption
Draining, drinking, the act of devouring life through blood or essence gives & even wisdom, strength to the consumer.
Life Magic: Anima/Blood
Born of blood and living essence, this magic brutal but powerful, it can control and curse, and cure in equal measure.
Flesh Magic: Shapeshifting/Therianthropy
It is primal magic of shaping marrow, muscle, and flesh, it can heal, strengthen and hasten, but above all it is change.
The Lunar: Esbat/Astrology/Transition
The moon and its skies ever shifting, the moons face’s ever changing, a satellite & symbol of transitions that sees all.
Decay: Necromancy/Shamanism,
The power of the dying and dead, of the steady erosion & conversion of that which falls, it is sickness & it is innate.
The Spectral: Spiritualism/Ectoplasm
Spirits & ectoplasm, invisible, powerful & endlessly varied, that which is dead can be a building as much as a person.
Methods of Magic:
1. Sympathetic or imitative magic relies on attuning oneself to a Supernal source.
2. Innate and inborn powers, that are then trained over the course of a lifetime.
3. Sigil, Runic or Apotropaic born of the written language’s scripts & etchings.
4. Ritualistic magic that uses the environment, elements, or tools & time.
5. Enchanting talismans, amulets, bottling, fetich’s, totems, & tokens.
6. Concoctions, potions, balms, elixirs, toxins, gases, and poisons.
These are all different structures & systems that can at times overlap, so the easiest means by which to understand them is to break them down into their most basic forms, that being, their modus operandi:
Sigil/Ritualistic/Enchanting/Concoctions:
These methods rely on time, place, tools, materials and can be done, in theory, by anyone and are the source of practitioners becoming other than human.
This is very structured in concept, but variations appear the world over. These powers can be dangerous for the inexperienced as one mistake can spell doom. All monsters and human societies have some.
Sympathetic/Innate:
The magic of monsters, the world, and creatures beyond, this Supernal power is in the bones and blood and bark of those blessed or cursed with abilities beyond the rational world.
They often start small but like a muscle can be grown and mastered, allowing for incredible and impossible feats, though to get more than what comes innately one must work.
Casting:
This is the most advanced form of magic, though with psychics/mediums some elements can be inborn such as visions or telekinesis. Many masters of the Supernal can uncover or create a single, or small collection of minor ‘spells’ that would normally require reagents or environmental conditions, or even exist beyond inborn powers. This is quite rare.
Ingredients of Magic:
As has been well established, tapping into Supernal powers can often rely on tools, materials, and other intermediaries. These sources can range from the flesh and blood of living beings to more mundane fare like typical fire made miraculous by ritual and placement. But when it comes to matters of concoction, crafting and creation, there are more innately Supernal resources in the world than others.
Their power can be drawn both from their interplay with Supernal powers. Such as how Belladonna and nightshades can be made into a more potent poison than contemporary plants of seemingly similar strength. Other examples might include oak, roses, Sorbus aucuparia and yew.
Then there are more innately Supernal materials that manifest in nature, usually in Living Locations, but at times on their own from one source of another. These can include such esteemed members as: The Man Eating Plant, Lotus Tree, Raskovnik, Sanjivani, Adder stone, Vampire pumpkins and watermelons and more!
There are also of course mineral examples, such as iron, Thogcha silver and obsidian that blur the line between mundane and magical, and that often serve as the basis for tools and weapons used by and against Outcasts, or to tap into the Supernal world as a whole.
However, there is no shortage of other examples, such as specialized incense, mercury blessed under a full moon, specific crystals or stones and even more arcane and mysterious concepts like ectoplasm, spirits of nature shadows.
The production and trade of all these ingredients and more can be a profitable if at times very risky business, especially when touching the more Supernal subjects which often require a high level of expertise, or a willingness to risk someone’s life and limb on a potentially doomed venture. Warning said limb need not be our own.
Magical Animals:
These creatures tend stay within Living Locations or are carefully cultivated by outside assistance in the modern era thanks to either their unique nature or the danger they pose making them target. The Western Wolves for example raise and trade powerful Dire Wolves., & Sirens live among Kelpie.
Many of these animals are familiar creatures but grander, imbued with innate magic or familiars. While a handful are very alien indeed and can often prove inscrutable to even many Supernal that did not grow up around them, being as they are so tied to magic and nature but less so the mind.
Such creatures make for prized exotic pets, leading to an extensive black market, and dangerous hunts deep into the amazon jungle seeking feathers serpents, often to the hunter’s demise.
Supernal creatures can at times act more akin to manifestations of nature itself, akin to avalanches or storms, such as the terrible boar charges and other such events.
Still, many are extinct, or rather subdued by the standard of their mythic inspiration, and in more mild cases can be found even in human homes.
Notes:
Shifters have inborn resistance to mind magic & with magical defenses, or ear plugs in case of mind control others can resist as well.
The sun cannot be drawn on directly but only distantly and conceptually, through aspects woven into other Supernal powers than its true self for its raw power and proximity promise destruction to all who try. Though it can emerge in divination, its meaning is interpreted differently by many Practitioners.
Those born with the powers of the mind often serve as mediums, willingly or not. Their minds assailed by visions of the dead, they might have been past and scattered glimpses of maybe futures. One can train oneself into a medium through scrying and spectral excursions, it takes great time and effort. On the other hand, many Mediums are vulnerable to possession or self-destruction. Mediums are more adept at utilizing other Supernal energies than most through rituals, though only so much so.
Monster Hunters:
The term, the concept, the very role, and those who bore the duty of battling the Supernal forces of the world have a long and storied history and no history at all.
For you see, while some wish to claim that there have always been orders of humans striving to eradicate the endless scourge of the unnatural. The truth of the matter is that for much of history and in many lands and among many people, that which was inhuman could have as much to do with culture or birthplace as it did species.
Thus, while there were always those who specialized in combating magical threats, they could just as easily be a Lycan as they would an armored warrior or holy speaker.
The role was more about filling a niche, that of a detective and defender against the dangers of the Supernal as a whole and while this role varied, evolved, grew, and shrank across generations it is not they we are here to discuss.
History:
No, today we speak of the ‘Monster Hunters’, those who see a stark line between the Supernal versus mundane, or as they call it, what is normal and natural. Orders like these claim several different lineages and ideologies, some more modern and others more ancient.
Some descend from the Kheshig of Genghis Kahn, whose campaign against Monsters but not practitioners stained the world in blood. Even after their Great Khan’s death and the splintering of his empire, this masters of blade and magic continued their hunt and preached of the great storm that would cleanse the world.
Others owe their origins to the rise of Christianity and its ardent belief that the world was made for man and man alone and that all other beings and powers are thus unholy. Inquisitions and noble families wielding flames and silver in their pursuits of the unholy, be it in a grand crusade or by skulking in alleyways and farmhouses.
There are more, of course, the Assassins, or Ḥaššāšīn themselves the heirs to the stranglers and lynchers of the pre-Lilu dynasty era. Or the Priestly Orders of the Aztecs who viewed the more isolated Outcasts as easy prey for training and offerings. Some had more practical motivations than purely religious, but ideologies grew and flourished with time.
Modern Ideologies:
Most modern incarnations of Monster Hunters share several broad caveats.
1. The first being that the Outcasts, the monsters, and lands in rebellion to man have no place in this world & are in fact corruptions, or aberrations of the natural order be it scientific or divine.
2. The second is that these orders feel human centric governments and officials are not doing enough to curb the existential threat presented by the Supernal powers of the world.
3. This leads modern Monster Hunters to be broadly ‘illegal’ but also quietly tolerated and even funded by either human governments directly or through turning a blind eye.
Beyond these elements however one can find a diverse range of opinions, methodologies, and ideals.
Magi/ʿUlūm
Some will argue that it is only the Monsters and other beings outside of man’s control that must be purged. They are however entirely comfortable with utilizing Supernatural energies for themselves and tend to hold a special contempt for the Practioners who align with Outcasts.
These orders tend to be quite old, often founded in ancient days by everything from sages to militants, fanatics or just the wealthy for their own ends. They hold clandestine meetings in elegant halls and regal wear, participate in the conventions of high society, before donning robes & invoking secret rituals.
Goetia/Hermeticism
Other movements take from a more ‘enlightenment era perspective. Matters of faith still matter, but their thoughts trend towards the scholarly over ritualistic. They dabble in matters of potions and poisons and whispered words behind closed doors.
To them the Outcast is a thing to be picked apart for its components, but the powers, the magic kept at arm’s length. Too dangerous, too chaotic, and slyly influential, but the tools and rituals have their place in securing humanities salvation.
Militia/Hunters
Finally, there are those who hold all that is Supernatural in low regard. These orders are far more modern, though most have strong roots in racist ideologies. Some are indeed fairly venerable by their own reckoning, but most are but a few decades old at most.
These groups form tightly packed, extremist militia in the woods & hunting lodges, they arm themselves with silver bullets and bombs laden with toxins offensive to the senses of a given Outcasts. They are also ardent trophy hunters and hold their seniors in low regard.
Modern Orders:
Some of the modern orders include:
Militia – Sons of Silver, Bloody Cross Brotherhood, Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists
Scholars – Inquisitors, Freemasons, The Root of Wisdom
Magi – Mithraists, Ḥaššāšīn, Knights of the Old Table
Tools:
The tools employed by monster Hunters in history ranged from their own hands to silver swords & prayer born flames. In the modern era, Monster Hunter organizations take inspiration from their forbearers & modern resources to craft weapons that best capitalize on the weaknesses of the Supernal. Though it must be noted on hand, that weapons born by hand tend to be more innately effective against the Supernal than others, thanks to the presence of a soul & intent which can be lacking in other areas.
Silver is one of the most versatile metals on the planet. Constantly existing in an ‘excited form’, associated with both the moon and sun in different cultures, naturally antimicrobial and useful in medicine. These are its mundane forms, but they influence its supernal strength, and so when properly prepared and attuned it can be of great use for magic rituals, but also harmful in its base form to most Outcasts, even leading to allergic reactions in some Lycan.
This is mostly rooted in its nature as something resistant to external influence, meaning Supernal energies have limited impact on it compared to most other materials. Thus, allowing it to pierce or cut, or burn Outcasts with ease, especially as it can still be engraved with symbols hostile to Outcasts, even as the metal itself carries no magic. Thus, it is considered a key basis in magic and martial matters by both Outcasts and humans, and especially beloved by Hunters.
Cold iron/shaped iron has a long history of being useful for wards and weapons both for and against the Supernal. In this case, it comes down to the perfect blend of sturdiness and flexibility that lets it be shaped into ideal warding forms and highly specialized weapons for a given foe or task. The real power of iron hails from Meteoric iron, alien, or our world, it and the Supernal find themselves inherently in conflict and essentially reject one another, due to their respective ‘alien’ natures.
Nightshade, a particularly virulent poison on its own is uniquely hostile to Outcasts, if applied in large enough quantities it can prove near instantly lethal. In lesser qualities, it will trigger panic attacks, hallucinations, and can even forcibly trigger magical reactions such as a Lycans transformation, if a wretched one.
Garlic and other plants that tend to cause watering eyes or sickness are common to use in gas weapons, they do not kill, but they are disruptive to Outcasts sensitive senses and occasionally one gets lucky and there is an allergy.
UV Lights, while not killed by the sun, vampires are still extremely light sensitive and can be harmed, tanned, temporarily blinded, or even burnt by too intense and sudden injections of light.
Fire, as is to be expected, fire can harm almost anything, and so flamethrowers and incendiary weapons are much beloved.
Hawthorn & Blackthorn, when properly prepared, make for painful concoctions, toxins, and even wooden weapons.
Mundane weapons do have an impact on Outcasts and the Supernal, but it is heavily reduced, a Lycan can more easily shrug off a steel bullet than an iron bullet and could die from a silver bullet for example.
NOTES:
Despite broad approval or at least indifferent to the hunters; most governments who hold treaties with outcasts have a quiet understanding that if a Hunter or even roguish civilian intrudes onto Outcast territory and dies it is not their obligation to investigate it.
This does not extend to notable or wealthy figures, but any given bigot with more bullets than brains breaking into a Lycan Legionary camp is not going to be missed or mourned.
What’s more, many governments prefer to view them as disposable weapons at best, or an equal threat to Outcasts at worst, as these secret societies keep themselves every bit as much as the Monsters themselves, if not more.
Supernal Factions & Alliances:
Much as noted above, the modern days state of political factions, alliances and cross species treaties is a rather new affair. Not to say that across history a given Lycan pack might not align with a clan of vampires, or a crew of Siren raiders did not exchange gifts with minotaur kinds.
But these were largely always local affairs, or the matters of key individual states and not born of any sense of unity among non-humans as a collective. In truth, most regarded their counterparts with as much suspicion as did humans barring a few exceptions.
The shifts began in the East with the genocidal campaign of Genghis Khan, leading to the greater integration of major Outcast populations into multiple East Asian governments.
Then reached fever pitch during the height of the First Colonial period, where-in the great alliances came to be formed for mutual protection and survival.
Finally culminating in Africa with the salvation of Kanem-Bornu from the hands of European colonists and the establishment of the first Outcast controlled state in the modern era.
History:
Across this period of torrential political shifts across the world, Outcasts steadily began to organize and adapt to an increasingly globalized world where there were too few to easily wield influence even with their powers.
The integrated Outcasts of Southeast Asia were able to bare the initial brunt of Muslim expansion, but most save a few did indeed buckle before European powers via sheers numbers. Still, some nations such as Siam, Japan, Vietnam, and Tibet were able to either maintain their independence, or never rallied enough support to inflict the same kind of staggering losses on Outcasts seen elsewhere.
There are many bloody holidays commemorating those who were not so fortunate as even the best nation found itself needing their share of scapegoats and martyrs. The name Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry is still treated as a curse by the vampires of Japan. Generations of work older than any given nation reduced to ash by his edicts and the Shogun’s cowardice.
In contrast the Outcasts of the Americas were motley refugees fleeing persecution and seeking land in which to grow strong, only to encounter colonists, indigenous nations, and cousin species. Violence was common early on, but pragmatism beget alliances to ensure survival as the colonists continued their maddened expansion Westward.
Some Outcasts, mostly among the Practitioners, managed to secure treaties early on.
Their saving grace being their more human appearance and skills at engaging with Supernal landmarks as the sheer scale of death and destruction caused by the colonial invaders had torn much of New Spain to shreds and colonists wished to avoid a similar fate. Thus, came contracts and treaties with great families and powerful covens in exchange for cooperation or at least no resistance to the colonies.
The assembly of monstrous armies on the West Coast who managed to drive back the colonial armies were the breaking point of the ‘New World’ and laid the foundations for what was to come.
Humans engaged in every depravity from child soldiers, to scorching earth to stem the tide and fought the Western Supernal armies to a standstill rather than the crushing victory they desired. Then, betrayed by their ‘tame’ Outcasts refusing to aid them, and imperials powers looking weaker by the day, government conceded to a treaty lest their empires bleed themselves dry fighting monsters.
To say some felt this a cheat would be an understatement, but few would deny that even if the humans lost the war for the Americas, they could likely win the war for the world if it came to that.
So, peace was deemed necessary.
Thus, leading to the creation of the Outcast Enclaves, where monsters and their human allies could own land and conduct the law as they saw fit. Though be it still needing to pay tax and tariff to the new colonial governments despite not being represented in the legislature in any official capacity.
Those who dwelled on the Western coasts, be they Lycan, Siren, or the still persevering if shrunken nation of Kusko would be swift to seek other potential allies across the sea, while those further inland tightened their bonds and tethers to weather the ensuing wave of angered humans.
When it came to the colonization of lands like Sahul and Africa, the matter of Outcasts extermination was approached with more care and twice the ruthlessness. However, Outcasts, by their own hand or through international aid, were not so easy to turn the tables on even as economic strangleholds and disease assailed their homelands.
This was the birth of large-scale nonlinear warfare and it raged for generations as the European powers greedily devoured as much of Africa as they could. While surviving Muslim and African imperials fought to hold onto what was theirs.
The Outcasts, many having already had to flee inland during the era of the slave trade, both found and created their salvation around the great Northern lakes. Here the Outcast who had fled slavery had been building strength for generations and with the arrivals of so many of their kindred fleeing and sly aid from their kindred it was time to make themselves known.
The great powers of France and Britain dueled for control of the Great Lake, and both saw their armies met with not merely modern munitions but organized magic and supernatural strength in such skill and number it ground them to a halt. Experimental gas weapons were turned against them as the winds howled and raged, while vast tunnel networks unleashed hordes of cackling Bultungin.
It was not one but several great humiliations that intern ensured a string of rebellions and aggressive plays by surviving African monarchs, such as the rulers of Abyssinia. Forcing the first true Outcast and human treaty in the modern era.
Most believe outrage at this and perceived weakness on the part of France and England is what dovetailed the world into its first world war. But that is a story for another day.
With their country on the hill established and safe for now, the Outcasts of the world stepped from the shadows and into greater prominence. Even as the masters of their nations tried to penalize, punish, and persecute them, they persevered and still survive to this day. In large part thanks to the mutual aid and trade and support of their fellow factions’ members and the greater United Supernal Community, (USC).
Though things remain hard for many, the monsters of this world have made it clear they will not go gently into the night, not unless it is to hunt at least.
Outcast Political Factions:
Political factions tend to be a mixture of ideological and pragmatic alliances among different Outcast communities, enclaves, and collectives. These political factions are what divide the USC, with many having internal trade deals and united voting power, as well as tense rivalries with their counterparts. Still, matters never fall into bloodshed, not when humans are always searching for signs of weakness.
Pacifica Pact – Some of its members include the Gokudō vampires of Japan best represented by the vast Tanaka Clan. Along with the Western Wolves led by the Safran Pack who hold domain over Colorado’s mountains with their human allies. The Kinnara Collective of Sia, the united pā (Fortresses) of Aotearoa and the surviving state of Kuzko and its undead hordes.
This faction and their other members hold a great deal of influence over the Pacific Ocean through which extensive trade in Supernal, legal, and oftentimes illegal goods flow. They are widely considered among the most aggressive and isolationist factions when it comes to human interactions, despite or perhaps in part due to living in such close proximity.
Obsidian Order – Heavily centered in the Easter Americas and with strong ties to Western Europe survivors. Their members include the Arkadia Alliance which persists in Greece and the Great Lake Siren Galère. But also holds numerous powerful families and covens like the Addams, Frumps and Thorpes who make up a large part of the Onyx Coven Collective.
Many of the members of these factions were among the first to cut deals with colonists by becoming wardens to dangerous lands that needed a Supernal touch or by being too useful or dangerous to dismiss. They are not well liked by humans, but most have an ambivalent attitude towards humans, preferring polite indifference to political power plays.
Kanem Country – The only country in the world with a majority outcast/monster population and government. It is not a staggeringly large country, but neither is it small and certainly most respects its strength. It is a representative democracy with a lower house representing the states and an upper house representing the various species demographics.
Serving as a city on the hill to many Outcasts, even if some rankle at the tension this causes with their neighbors, Kanem is one of the world’s most exotic and dangerous locations because of its residents. Tourism has become something of a staple, alongside the production of high-quality Supernal goods, fish farms and was an early adopter of solar energy.
Apolitical Factions:
There are other such political alliances of course, and more members to say the least, but for now let us move our attention to some of the groups designed to either meet a specific need or generate unity among Outcasts.
The Lycan Legionaries – an international organization which blurs the line between scouts, military boot camps and private security companies or militia. Packs are expected to send one or several cubs to learn the arts of survival, war and universally understood Lycan magic. It is generally felt if war between humans and Outcasts comes again Lycan will make up the largest body of soldiers thanks to their high populations and supernatural durability.
The Amber Alliance – an international organization dedicated to the goal of discovering, reclaiming, and protecting Supernal locations, relics, and unique persons. That is to say, those who were born as unique even among Outcasts that might otherwise get exploited. Generally seen as a politically progressive and polite organization, there is something of an underbelly to it given how spread their members are allowing for disreputable conduct.
The USC Union – A well-structured organization of scholars, diplomats and media experts that work to smoot over ruffled feathers, organize large events and do charitable work on behalf of struggling Outcasts of strained communities. Their actual political and military power is relatively middling, with them needing to rely on the real power players to orchestrate major turns, but without them the bureaucracy would grind to a halt.
Gen'yōsha, Dark Ocean Society – A broad title applied to the Supernal Underworld, that rather akin to the Yakuza operates semi legitimately and with strict codes of conduct. They are heavily tied to smuggling and are often where Outcasts among Outcasts find themselves filling the lower ranks. Vampires tend to have the strongest presence, along with many criminal Practitioners finding themselves pressganged into service when they’ve nowhere left to go. Officially they are unknown, all being merely local gangs, or club owners, but they play a useful, if oftentimes unseemly role in Supernal society.
NOTES:
How much acknowledgement the larger scale political factions, or the independent factions receive from human governments varies wildly. But most prefer to frame them as external agitators to their own nation’s interests and a reason to distrust their own Outcast populations.
Though this is not universal, and many are only vaguely aware of their existence at all as these alliances and organizations are either semi-informal and held together by arrangement and friendship, or otherwise operate through fronts and or only show a small portion of their face to the public.
Arranged marriages, while not enforced, are relatively common in some circles, though they can be rejected by those assigned them provided it is done so respectfully. These, like other matters such as oath, are more about emphasizing which family is closest to which or which pack and clan have strong trade ties.
Conclusion:
Our world is old and young, it is varied and familiar, magical, and mundane.
What I have told you this day does not even scratch the surface of the true width and breath of this wonderful, terrible world of ours. & though I am sure some of this was well worn knowledge to you, I am hopeful it proved illuminating all the same.
