a revolution of monsters

There are so many things that go bump in the night. Some of them have cars and taxes to pay. This is a blog dedicated to providing resources for those who are interested in supernatural RP. ◖◑●◐◗

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

New Link Resources:

Complete Tag List

This list will be updated and expanded upon as more becomes available.

Humans

Bedlam Bastards

The Circle

Locations

Roads Meet Bar

Styxus

Witches

MacMillan Coven

Werewolves

Werewolf Alpha Council

Werewolf Packs

Northumberland Pack

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Vampires: Lore Masterlist.

Updated as new materials are published.

Overview.

Sire bonds.

Slang terms.

Healing.

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Vampires: Healing.

So, you got your ass kicked. But we should've seen the other guy, right?

Vampires heal extremely rapidly, but they burn hot. A vampire's ability to regenerate is wholly contingent on their level of blood consumption. In general, the more blood a vampire consumes, the more thoroughly and quickly they will heal.

Vampires glutted on blood are some of the fastest healers in the supernatural world, capable of shrugging off bullet wounds with little trouble. However, vampires starving for blood will have difficulty closing up even a small scratch.

There are some things that the virus cannot heal. Damage from sunlight or other intense UV exposure is much slower to heal than most injuries. Direct, unshielded UV light disrupts the virus, resulting in rapid, cancerous growth. Blood will speed the healing process, but cannot fix extensive UV damage. A vampire who gets a burn through several layers of clothing will heal, if slowly. A vampire who goes with their face or eyes exposed may be permanently blinded and disfigured.

In most cases, the virus cannot regenerate entire limbs or extremities, although it will try. The loss of fingers, limbs, and organs like tongues or eyes usually results in minor tissue regrowth without the regaining of significant function. For example, a vampire who lost their fingers is likely to grow small stubs of bone and flesh in their place. These are unlikely to regain their original levels of form or function.

The organ-healing capability of individual vampires is more variable. Some vampires who lose eyes report gaining a level of light sensitivity in the regrown tissue, while others remain blind. There are no reports of genital tissue regrowth after an injury.

Unlike most internal organs, neural tissue in the spine and brain is slow – potentially impossible – for the virus to repair. The occasional report surfaces of a paralyzed vampire recovering mobility, but these remain only rumours.

The virus will scab blood and knit bone, but that doesn’t mean that anything will be in the right place when it does. It’s common for vampires to heal with shrapnel still inside of them, or with their bones fused at odd angles. The process of rebreaking a poorly-healed limb is as widespread as it is unpleasant. For this reason, those with medical knowledge are valuable.

The virus is able to quickly metabolize the vast majority of poisons, pollutants, and diseases.

While drinking a cup of ammonia would give a vampire a dreadful stomachache, it’s unable to do them any lasting harm as long as they are adequately fed. Likewise, a vampire is unable to grow drunk or injured off of highly alcoholic or otherwise drugged blood.

Vampires cannot get drunk, high, or otherwise enjoy the recreational and medicinal effects of most drugs. Whether they're potent neurotoxins or just a handful of advil and a joint, the virus quickly cleanses foreign substances from a vampire's system with speed and ease.

Poisoning a vampire isn’t entirely fruitless. Filtering poisons will tax a vampire’s viral capabilities. Further, as vampires can only consume living blood, curdling or otherwise killing a vampire’s supply is an effective way to hurt them. It’s a common tactic for non-vampires to poison blood supplies in order to send a message. Enemy vampires are more likely to just drink it themselves.

Vampires feel pain, and significant amounts of pain may stop a vampire in their tracks. But for such quick healers, pain is temporary. Older and more experienced vampires may have learned to push through or otherwise ignore it. Some vampires use this to their advantage in a fight, and may block a knife with their hand, or take one bullet to avoid another. However, this level of pain tolerance is not universal, and every vampire has a threshold of pain which they cannot ignore.

Vampires who are not careful can permanently injure themselves. It is particularly common for young vampires to misgauge the level of damage that the virus can heal. Vampires who are carefree about injury may push themselves into starvation if they do not feed sufficiently to support their heightened levels of viral exertion.

The virus prevents infection with new disease, and vampires do not act as carriers for most mundane diseases. A vampire exposed to HIV would not contract HIV, and would be incapable of passing it on to others. Infection with the virus heals some existing diseases. More than one vampire is a former terminal patient. However, not all vampires survive the combined strains of a new infection and the cleansing of their mundane illness. Newly-infected vampires with previous illnesses will require more blood than other new vampires.

Despite what some hunters claim, studies show that vampires do not have cooties.

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Vampires: Slang.

Like any community, vampires have developed terminology for discussing themselves and their society.

Some common British-English slang is discussed below. These are by no means the only terms used, nor are they used by all vampires.

Ancient - Noun, usually refers to a vampire over a few centuries in age. From a more technical standpoint, ‘true’ ancients are considered to be only those over a thousand years in age. The term carries respect, although it may sometimes imply senility or outdated thinking, particularly when used by younger vampires. ‘Ancient’ may be used sarcastically to refer to a young vampire acting foolish or arrogant.

Bela Lugosi – Noun, a slang term for someone who claims to be ‘in the know’ about vampirism.

Clan - Noun, a common term for an organized group of vampires.

Colony - Noun, a common term for an organized group of vampires. Usually used by non-vampires. Originates from the name of the largest, oldest New York clan: the Colony of New Amsterdam. If the user makes reference to vermin, or otherwise uses the term in its mundane sense (as a group of bats), it is considered very rude.

Count/ess - Noun, a slang term for a vampire who takes the ‘dark, brooding creature of the night’ thing too seriously.

Crash out – Verb, to die as the result of unsuccessful infection.

Donner – Verb, to fatally drain friends or loved ones out of desperation.

Donner Party – Noun, an ‘every man for himself’ situation resulting from widespread blood desperation.

Drain - Verb, to fatally exsanguinate someone while feeding.

Feed – Verb, to consume the blood of a human.   

Hannibal – Noun, a vampire who consumes more than just the blood of their victims. Usually considered ‘weird as fuck’.

Hunter – Noun, a human who seeks out and kills supernatural creatures.

Hunt – Noun, feeding with violent implications.

Infected – Noun, a ‘politically-correct’ way of referring to vampires. Its reception has been mixed. Some vampires will take great offense, while others prefer the term. Only used within the past thirty years.

Lestat - Noun, a slang term similar to ‘Count’. Used by younger vampires.

Lucy - Noun, a slang term for a human who gets off on giving blood, or a human who will give you blood in exchange for sex. Gender-neutral. Usually used only by vampires. Very  rude, especially if used to refer to a vampire’s friend or significant other.

Mundane - Noun, a term used to refer to something that isn’t supernatural.

Mundy - Noun, a slang term for a mundane human (ex: ‘a mundy’). Sometimes used in reference to the mundane world as a whole (ex: ‘out in the mundy’).

Nest - Noun, an insulting term for an organized group of vampires, or for the physical location that they gather in. Usually used by non-vampires, or by members of an established clan to refer to smaller clans and rogues.

New fish - Noun, a slang term for someone newly turned, especially someone who is taking poorly to the transition. Can vary from derisive to loving, depending upon its use.

Progeny - Noun, a term for the person or people that is/are successfully infected by a ‘sire’. Directly linked to the term ‘sire’, and usually only used in relation to it.

Renfield - Noun, a disparaging term for a non-vampire who hangs out around, serves or otherwise sucks up to vampires, usually in the hopes of being turned. 

Rogue - Noun, a vampire without clan affiliations. Commonly used by vampires and non-vampires alike. Etymologically linked to the mundane phrase ‘to go rogue’.

Sire - Noun, a gender-neutral term for the person who successfully infects another, ‘turning’ them into a vampire. Can also act as a verb: ‘To sire’, etc.

Stash – Noun, one’s personal blood supply.

Tap - Verb, to harvest blood from a human. Implications  of non-fatality. 

Turn - Verb, to successfully infect someone and make them a vampire. Does not apply to unsuccessful infections.

Twilies - Noun, vampire groupies and potential Lucys who don’t know that they actually exist. Used usually only by young vampires.

Van Helsing - Noun, a slang term for a (human) hunter. Usually intended with scorn, but usage varies. In some communities, there is no derogatory intent attached.

Virus – Noun, a common method of referring to vampirism.

Using too many ~*special words*~ at once will likely garner eyerolls from other vampires, and is considered like, totally lame, man.

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Vampires: Sire Bonds.

 There’s mom, there’s dad, and then there’s the asshole that infected you.

In some vampire groups, sire bonds hold more weight than in others. At an individual level, there’s further variation.

It’s not uncommon for vampires to have a strong attachment to their sire, regardless of the nature of that attachment. Whether you’re resentful or grateful, it’s hard to entirely forget the person who changed your life — and species.

Not every vampire feels that pull. Many vampires don’t know who their sire was, and some just don’t care. Those without a sire may bond with others who helped them through the often-difficult transition process of infection.

New fish are bad business for clans. Viral infection alters human biology. It's painful, strange, and often disturbing. All newly infected experience very strong cravings for blood, and require a greater quantity of it than an 'adult' vampire. They lack experience and the control that comes with it, and they still hold many ties to their old lives. Severing these connections can be a high-profile process, especially if the new vampire is resistant. 

Shepherding the newly-infected through their first few years of vampirism is a time and resource-consuming investment, with little guaranteed return. The mortality rates of new vampires are high, and suicide is a common cause.

As a result, the majority of clans enforce rules about infection. While specific laws vary from clan to clan, they often limit the number and circumstances under which new vampires can be turned. This process usually requires the approval of the clan's members or leading group. It’s expected that if a clan vampire sires officially-sanctioned progeny, they will bring the new vampire into the clan.

Stepping outside of clan laws is dangerous for both progeny and sire. While some clans are more charitable than others, it’s not unusual for clans to ‘put down’ new vampires and their sires, especially if resources are scarce. This is generally regarded as a mercy for all involved.

Rogues are usually very protective of their territory. Siring a vampire in another rogue's territory or in a contested area is a great way to get killed.

Some vampires will help sireless new vampires to get on their feet. Not all vampires are awful people, and many help just for the sake of helping. The more pragmatic note that it's a good way to make an ally, and to make sure that the new guy doesn’t make a scene while he's on your turf. 

The treatment of sires is a divisive point within vampire communities. Many groups advocate for a respectful, familial bond, while others have encouraged the murder of one’s sire. Some have even endorsed the murder of one's 'bloodline' as a supposed cure for vampirism. Hunter groups don't seem to mind the rumour. 

Sires are assumed to hold accountability for the behaviour of their progeny, even if they abandon them. Abandoning one’s progeny is heavily frowned upon. It just makes the newly infected into someone else’s problem.

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Vampires: An Overview.

Vampirism isn’t a virus. But that’s what most infected call it these days.

Summary –

Vampires are living, former humans that must drink blood in order to survive.

Turning –

In order to infect a new vampire, an existing vampire must transfer a substantial amount of their blood to the new vampire.

Vampires are few in number. The infection of new vampires is a rare occurrence, and even then vampirism does not always take. Roughly one in fifteen infected will survive the infection to become a vampire.

For unknown reasons, some vampires have a higher rate of successful infections than others. It’s theorized that they can at subconsciously sense those whose biology is receptive to the virus, as opposed to those that the virus would kill.

The virus cannot be sexually transmitted, but it is transmitted from mother to child. This invariably kills the child in the womb. All female vampires will give birth to stillborn children.

The consumption of more than a small amount of infected blood will infect humans with the virus, and likely kill them as a result. Supernatural creatures who consume infected blood will grow ill, and those without healing capabilities of their own may suffer serious injury.

The blood of a vampire holds a noticeably different scent and quality than uninfected blood, and is very high in iron in addition to its viral load. Faeries in particular should avoid the consumption of infected blood.

Physical changes –

New vampires do not possess fangs, or otherwise display substantial physical changes as a result of their infection.

As vampires age, they may begin to manifest some small physical differences when feeding. These are usually limited to claws, fangs, and a withered appearance, although there are legends of the very oldest vampires appearing more inhuman.

These age-related changes are not universal. Some argue that the most horrifying thing about vampires is that they look exactly like everyone else.

Metabolism –

In addition to blood, vampires must consume large amounts of mundane food in order to maintain their high viral metabolism.

Fat vampires exist, but they are usually limited to those with existing genetic predispositions towards large bodies. It is difficult for any sort of active vampire to maintain fat through eating habits alone.

Most vampires would find it beneficial to take supplementary vitamins, particularly vitamin D.

Needs – 

The average vampire requires about one pint of living human blood a week in order to function at a basic, slightly super-human level. Most vampires would prefer to drink more than that.

Exerting a vampire’s powers puts strain on the virus, and requires the consumption of additional blood. Likewise, feeding above the bare minimum supplies the virus with more material to work with. A vampire that feeds well will be incredibly strong and fast, and may find that even large wounds heal quickly.

Vampires that do not feed, or that feed insufficiently to their level of activity will enter into starvation. Without any viral exertion (through healing or physical activity), the process of starvation takes about two weeks of not feeding to complete.

Starvation is gradual, and begins with irritation, distraction, and minor pains. Most vampires live perpetually in the earliest stages of starvation, due to the difficulty of obtaining blood.

 As the virus grows lower on blood, pains build in the vampire’s stomach and limbs. If allowed to progress, these will develop into intense, debilitating cramps centered in the vampire's lower abdomen. These come in waves every few hours, leaving the vampire weak when they abate. Between cramps, a vampire will be shaky, sweat profusely, and experience an especially acute urge to feed.

Vampires who still do not feed or who continue to exert the virus will begin to experience increasing difficulty with balance and nervous system function. Eventually, they will fall unconscious, and their breathing will slow. A short while after this, their heart will stop. 

It is only after the vampire’s heart stops that the virus will flare back into life, restarting cardiac tissue and flooding the body with one last, massive surge of energy. Vampires in this final state are crazed, and will attack anything containing consumable blood. This is the peak condition of the virus, and vampires in the end stages of starvation will be stronger and faster than even the most well-fed vampires. This stage is not sustainable. If the vampire does not feed within five or ten minutes of their heart’s restart, they will die. 

The end stages of starvation can cause lasting damage to a vampire's system. Repeated incidents will substantially weaken a vampire's heart, and can lead to final cardiac arrest.

Feeding –

Some new vampires refuse to feed, out of horror or disgust. They usually change their minds.

The ‘high’ associated with feeding (an immediate and overpowering sense of elation, satisfaction, and relief) is intense and present in all vampires. It’s also short in duration, and is followed by the immediate craving for more.

As most vampires do not possess fangs, feeding is done primarily by needle, knife, or other cutting instrument. Some vampires will use their teeth, as with any other human bite. This is discouraged, due to the distinctive nature of the wound. Many vampires keep a set of ‘works’ for harvesting blood. This set-up might include  needles, bags, and preservative agents for blood.

Blood must be fresh, or otherwise ‘alive’ in order to be useful to the virus. Partial blood, or blood in its separate components will do nothing for a vampire. Attempts to create a synthetic blood substitute have not yet met with success, and there's no 'vegetarian' alternative. Vampires will not gain any benefit from drinking the blood of animals or of other vampires.

Feeding on the blood of other supernatural creatures carries varying benefits. The blood of a witch, or of a werewolf or selkie in human form will do as well for a vampire as human blood would. However, the blood of shifters in their animal forms, or the blood of djefa will not sate a vampire’s thirst. Canopim pose an interesting case. Depending upon the nature of the djefa organ that a canopim possesses  and of the stage of their ascension, their blood may or may not sate a vampire’s thirst.

Consuming fae blood in significant quantities can produce vivid hallucinations in vampires. For this reason, fae are occasionally hunted or bribed for their blood. This has gone over about as well as you'd suspect with the greater faery community. Drinking fae blood has the potential to speed a vampire's aging process over time, and those who consume it regularly will appear much older than they should.

Drinking the blood of another vampire is a strong cultural taboo, and carries a foul, acidic taste. This doesn't stop a lot of vampires from trying.

The bone marrow of other vampires is eaten by some religiously-oriented groups, as a ritual method to ‘consume’ their former power. This carries no intrinsic magical benefit.

  Capabilities –

Vampires are stronger and faster than humans, and exhibit inhumanly quick reflexes. While they are hardly a supersonic blur, a fit vampire is capable of physical feats that would astonish most athletes, without their muscle mass or intensive training. Vampires also display advanced healing abilities, further discussed here.

Vampires are able to see in near-dark, but not complete darkness. Their low-light vision is very good, but all vampires require some degree of light in order to see.

Like cats, vampires are capable of seeing in about 1/6th of the light that humans require. Unlike cats and other creatures with low-light vision, vampires do not possess a tapetum lucidum, which is a shiny membrane at the back of the eye that reflects light back into the retina. However, the pupils of vampires are capable of expansion and contraction far beyond the human norm. One easy way to keep an eye out for vampires is to shine a light in theirs.

Some vampires are adept at maneuvering in situations too dark for them to see, and navigate through a combination of enhanced scent and hearing. This system isn’t perfect, and many vampires lack the experience to navigate well while blind.

Vampires have a very strong sense of smell. This can be overwhelming, especially to new vampires, whose brains have not yet fully adapted to effectively process the information. Some vampires smoke or wear heavy perfume in order to dull their own senses. Savvy hunters may also take advantage of this.

A vampire’s scent abilities are not entirely olfactory. Vampires have something of a sixth sense for living human blood, and for other vampires. These two ‘scents’ are stronger than any other to a vampire.

Weaknesses –

Vampires are weak to magic. The virus does not grant immunity from spells or curses, although those that work by mundane poisons or disease will not have much effect. Because of their heavy reliance on blood, vampires are especially vulnerable to magic that manipulates it.

Vampires have no special ability to see through illusions, but they are capable of sensing some supernatural creatures through smell. Fae and djefa will not smell or otherwise appear as ‘food’ to a vampire, and werewolves and selkies may smell like traces of their other forms. 

Holy water, crosses, garlic, and stakes through the heart won’t do anything to a vampire that they wouldn’t do to a human. Common methods of vampire execution include beheading, immolation, suffocation, or just shooting them a lot until they stop moving. Vampires can hold their breath for longer than most humans, but they still require oxygen, food, and water. Because of their resource-intensive metabolisms, most vampires won't last long in a siege.

Sunlight and other UV exposure is harmful to a vampire. While short-term or shielded exposure is not fatal, it isn’t pleasant either. Vampires who must travel during the daylight usually cover up head-to-toe. A vampire exposed to direct, unshielded sunlight will usually die within twenty minutes, as a result of rapid, cancerous growths throughout their body. Staking a vampire out in the sun is a common method of execution within vampire groups. The ‘bodies’ left behind from these deaths resemble nothing human.

Locations –

Blood is expensive, and difficult to find. Suburbs are a no-man’s-land for most vampires, neither dense enough to provide a wide pool of prey, or rural enough to allow for heavier feeding.

In the countryside, vampire usually live alone and prey lightly on a larger number of locals, or pick off the occasional passers-through.

In large cities, frequent disappearances and ‘muggings’ are harder to notice, especially if a vampire is smart enough to cover their tracks. But large cities also attract larger numbers of predators. After starvation, competitions for territory are the largest cause of vampire mortality. Most new vampires don’t survive more than a few years before hunger, hunters, or other vampires pick them off.

Clans –

Many organized groups of vampires exist, primarily in very large cities where a large population requires complex controls on feeding. Clans may be large organizations, or small family units.

Rogue vampires live alone. They exist outside of these groups, but do not receive their protection, or their access to blood. The majority of vampires outside of cities are rogues.

Competitions for territory are fierce between both rogues and clans, and the violence that results from these conflicts is a common cause of vampire mortality.

The politics of vampire groups are often tumultuous, and few last for long. The Colony of New Amsterdam in Manhattan is one of the oldest stable clans. The New London Clan is also considered older than most, having sprung up in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Vampires are notoriously disagreeable. Many avoid clan life so as to not have to deal with other vampires.

Longevity –

Those vampires who survive the early years of infection will find that the virus slows the process of aging, and can even stop it completely. As long as the virus is adequately fed, a vampire has no finite lifespan. However, due to the difficulty of obtaining blood, old vampires who still appear very young are few and far between.

Old vampires (those over a century in age) are rare, and ancient vampires (those with millennia to their names) are so uncommon as to be the subject of legend. While a handful of ancient vampires exist, they usually disguise themselves in younger identities, to avoid attracting the ire of hunters…or of other vampires.

A group of ancient vampires is rumoured to reside in northern Africa, and it’s common knowledge that there’s a vampire in central America who was born before the height of the Aztec Empire. Vampires in Europe (where hunters have historically been concentrated) are unlikely to let their age be a matter of public knowledge.

Some vampires over a few hundred years in age are known to experience memory loss, senility, and periods of disorientation or hallucination. This is probably more common than any of them would admit to.

History and Attitudes –

Vampirism is a global occurrence. For as long as there have been humans – everywhere that there have been humans – there have been vampires.

While werewolves and fae may set themselves apart from humanity, vampires are by necessity linked to human culture and standards. As a result, vampire individuals are as vast and varied as the human societies that they live in. Racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination are as common to vampires as they are to the uninfected. 

Vampires are often stereotyped as aggressive, hostile, territorial, and amoral. Clans are largely seen as bickering, backstabbing, and unstable. These stereotypes are obviously not true of all vampires -- or even most of them -- but it's easy to see where they originate from.

Most vampires are perpetually low on blood, and live in a state of constant mild pain and irritation. It's not a lifestyle that lends itself well to sunny dispositions and group hugs. 

It takes a certain kind of person to be willing to drink blood to live, and few vampires are fortunate enough to avoid killing for very long. Even the most cautious vampire makes mistakes, and in a desperate situation, self-control is hard to come by. 

Some vampires favour secrecy, while others advocate for the idea of going public. More vampires prefer continued secrecy than some supernatural groups, for reasons that should be obvious.

Although vampires are one of the most common targets of supernatural hunters, it's not unheard of for them to work together -- particularly to remove other vampires.

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

The Circle

For as long as there have been monsters, there have been humans.

Someone had to have given them the name 'monsters', right?

There never was an instruction manual that was written by some benevolent god for the mortal population and handed to them with an encouraging pat on the butt once the pink walking monkeys figured out that agriculture and record keeping was a Thing

Slowly, but surely humanity learned the use of iron, silver, wolfbane, and all the other little tricks to keep the unknown at bay

Some smart humans learned of magic, but there were many who didn't trust all of that flashy stuff- those were supernatural powers, not meant for mortals. It was volatile and could easily corrupt.

An order rose from the growing population of humans as they learned how to bite back.

They were not as flashy as the Illuminati or Templars. No one really bothered to take notice of the men and women who relied on tradition, their comrades, and good old fashioned pointy objects to deal with the threat that slowly returned to the shadows and then slipped to myth.

As the knowledge of their true purpose disappeared along with their patrons, the reputation of Argyraspides turned to dust and they only were known as mercenaries and brigands. By the mid 13th century, Argyraspides's last two members were slaughtered and the old Argyraspides archives were burned to the ground as the mongol empire swept in to eastern Europe.

--

As secrets come to the light and humans are reminded that despite their numbers, they are out gunned, Matthias Geroux is reminded of the old stories hunters have kept alive throughout the centuries.

Out of respect to the old order, the name Argyraspides has been retired.They have taken the new name of the Circle.

It's time to regain a sense of pride over being human. pride for how despite all odds, humanity has risen to the top of the food chain.

Humans are a hardy and clever species,

maybe it's time to remind these beasts that they were forced into the shadows for a reason.

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Massive security breach, Secret Intelligence Service reports

Content of stolen cables remain undisclosed as government begins to point fingers.

John Norris in London Monday 1 July 2013 12.39 EDT guardian.co.uk

-- Reports have surfaced of what could possibly be the largest leak of classified information in the history of the United Kingdom. Sources for British intelligence are calling it an incalculable risk to national security; however, officials have remained tight lipped regarding the implications of the leak as to whether it came from the inside or was a result of cyber terrorism.

A source from the Guardian claims that the leak concerns a slew of classified cables ranging from war logs to police reports, as well as top-secret government operations dating as far back as 50 years. Given the excess of documents, an official release of the information to the general public is tentatively scheduled for the following week. Lack of communication from the office of the Prime Minister, and complete silence from the Intelligence Service regarding the contents of the documents has caused some concern among many MPs.

An official statement from the office of the Prime Minister earlier today promises they are currently investigating how the information was accessed and promise an official inquiry. The statement went on to say that the office will be reviewing the contents of the leak before making any further public comments. This prompted further questions by the opposition as to whether or not the current government knew the leaked documents even existed.

When questioned, the Scotland Yard denied any knowledge of stolen reports but went on to denounce the leak, fearing exposure of sealed reports could incite public violence. One officer, who wishes to remain unnamed, commented:“Whatever is in these documents is essentially snapshots of events, both tragic and mundane, and do not tell the whole story.”

Claims by Hacktivists

There have been several conflicting reports as to whether cyber ‘Hacktivist’ group Anonymous is behind the attack. Anonymous has previously claimed to have hacked and vandalised several government websites in pursuit of transparency, but there has been no word yet from their official Twitter account.

More on this Story

Military Presence in Central London - SAT 29 JUNE 2013

Denial of Service Attacks - SUN 30 JUNE 2013

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Elemental Witches

An elemental witch is the most common type of witch as the name spans a great deal of different meanings.

Focus

There are four main points of focus for the elemental witch, coinciding with the four major elements of nature: earth, fire, water, and air. Each of these elements represents a different area of focus for the witch, however very few witches identify themselves by it. You’ll probably not come across someone calling themselves a “fire witch” or “water witch.” Every culture has a different name for witches and even covens can give unique titles to their members. Some examples might be a bone witch, a seer, or conjurer.

Elements

Fire: Just because a witch is associated with fire doesn’t mean they’re wielding it. What it means is that they’re abilities tend to be far more active and are associated closely with fire. Instead of using water or cards for divining, they’ll throw bones in the hearth and read the cracks burnt into them. This type of witch uses offensive, harmful spells and is known for conjuring. Fire’s a dangerous element and so is their magic. It can backfire on them extremely easily. Over the ages, terms like sorcerer/ess have been applied to this kind of witch.

Earth: Also known as a witch of nature. They are not heavily concerned with practicing spellcraft or uncovering divine secrets. Their interests lie with communing with the natural world. Many witches are heavily involved with herbalism and by extension, healing. Their form of healing uses natural remedies mixed with rituals, and though the practice is very safe, it isn’t always effective as a blood witch’s healing (which in turn is twice as volatile). Alternatively, a witch associated with earth doesn’t always use their talents for good. Some witches develop their skills in order to bring harm to others and focus on poisons and illusions.

Water: Not always considered a witch -- they’re more commonly called seers, diviners and psychics. Water’s an intuitive, emotional element and it’s said that being able to read into people and their possible futures is gifted to only the most sensitive and empathic of the supernatural. Because their abilities are great, they typically have very little skill with other active forms of magic.

Air: An element of intellect and deeper thought, these witches are philosophical in nature. They’re unconcerned by supposed limits of their craft and approach witchcraft as an evolving science, rather than magic that has to do with someone’s gods. They’re proficient with alchemy and curses, though the latter tend to be subtle and easily reversed upon taking the proper measures. Some witches of the air element take a particular interest in the planes or realm of the spirits. Some go as far to try to communicate with them, though their efforts are far different and harder to manage than say a medium’s. Some believe that these are the types of witches that most commonly become blood witches, or necromancers.

Why not blood?

Though a witch’s abilities can dip into the different categories above, one thing they’ll never resort to is the use or manipulation of blood for magic and power. Blood witches earned their name and reputation through blood sacrifices -- and most witches are brought up with the understanding that such things are forbidden (though that doesn't stop the occasional witch from using their gifts for harm).

Magic

Spells and such are cast via runes, reagents, and words of power/incantations. The exact words vary from location to location, though they all tend to be rooted in the local population’s oldest language (ie: English words of power are likely in old Norse/Gaelic/Anglo). The modern equivalent to these incantations simply do not exist.

Without proper preparation and schooling, unleashing magic would be like turning on the water to a fire hose without anyone holding on to it. It requires finesse and careful thought. To make quicker work of casting magic, witches can use summoning circles etched with runes, though some even go as far to tattoo themselves with said runes.

Most importantly, to be able to do any of this one needs to be born with the ability to tap into lines of power. While it’s not completely a genetic trait that can be passed down, there’s definitely a higher chance of having children with the gift if a witch and spouse both have it.

Many suspect survival has something to do with it. Without a scrap of guidance, a young witch can put themselves and the people around them in danger.

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Vampires: Clarification on Infected Blood.

Vampirism can only infect humans -- and only a small number of these.

Infected blood acts a poison, and consuming a substantial amount of it will either kill a human or infect them with vampirism.

Supernatural creatures that consume infected blood will have different experiences according to their species and abilities.

Many supernatural creatures are resistant or immune to most poisons. At most, consuming infected blood will give these creatures one heck of a stomachache. Creatures with stronger poison immunities and resistances may not notice any ill effects whatsoever.

Canopim (being both human and host)  pose an interesting quandary to the virus. From all accounts, canopim are incapable of becoming vampires, although that hasn't always stopped them from trying.

A canopim's individual levels of poison resistance or immunity will determine whether they suffer any illness as a result of consuming infected blood.

Canopim in possession of a djefa liver, for example, will probably not see any adverse effects from the consumption of infected blood.

(See the canopim article here about the effects of possession of individual djefa organs.)

A djefa who consumes infected blood while their liver is in the possession of a canopim may be weakened, as they would by any other poison. This depends upon the individual djefa and their canopim, and the amount of blood consumed.

It is considered taboo in almost all vampire societies for one vampire to consume another's blood. (Although some religiously-oriented groups hold the consumption of bone marrow in reverence.)

While a vampire can consume another's blood without illness, drinking large amounts (more than several pints) of another vampire's blood can induce vivid hallucinations and sensations similar to a drug trip.

Despite the usually-unpleasant nature of this experience, it's one of the few ways for infected individuals to enter an altered state. As a result, it's occasionally sought out by the virus' more dedicated thrill-seekers.

Infected blood is not physically addictive to other vampires, but can create an intense emotional attachment that often leads to psychological addiction.

Most large clans have a no-tolerance on this behaviour from anyone living within their territory. It's not good for group stability to add even more incentive for members to pick one another off, and a vampire tripping balls in public seldom ends well. 

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

CotDW Friending Meme

Fill this out and reblog to meet your fellow players!

There's only one rule: If you reblog, you have to contact at least one other person who reblogs this.

MY NAME || MY TUMBLR URL

I am 18+:

Y/N (It's okay if you're not eighteen yet! It's just important for your fellow players to know, for legal and ethical reasons.)

My timezone/When I am usually online:

PST/EST/etc. + evenings/weekends/etc.

My preferred RP formats:

LIST & list your contact information for these formats.

Ex: AIM - AIMNAME.

My OOC contact preferences:

Ex: 'I like talking to people ooc'/'I dislike talking to people ooc'/etc.

My CotDW characters: 

- LINKED NAME, Supernatural classification, current location.

One thing you like/interesting fact about your character. Don't be shy!

Are there any character relationship/backstory hooks that could be/need to be filled?

What are your character's IC goals?

What are your OOC goals for the character? (If any!)

- RINSE, REPEAT.

My previous RP settings (if any!):

List.

Themes that I enjoy playing:

List.

Any triggers/squicks/themes I'd like to avoid:

ex: 'centipedes', 'parasitic mpreg', 'self-harm'

Three things that I like to do outside of RP:

List.

One super cool OOC fact about myself:

ex: 'I eat a lot'/'I once punched a mailman'/'I am a mailman and one time someone punched me'/etc.

[helevere]

Djefa Hives: Styxus (London, England)

London is known for many things, and depending on who you ask that list may or may not include the labyrinthine network of sewers and subterranean rivers running beneath the sprawling metropolis. Many ambitious urban explorers have ventured within in the pursuit of the thrill of discovery (or maybe just bragging rights), but to this day perhaps the most peculiar find of London’s underground has yet to be discovered by mankind. And for good reason: there’s only one entrance, and it changes every few decades. In an alleyway behind a pub near Sloane Park, there is a door. It is an inconspicuous door by all accounts, and if you were to ask the occupants of adjacent properties where it leads they would likely tell you, in one way or another, that they do not know. An old storage room, maybe, or perhaps a cellar that’s long since been filled in. It’s locked and always has been, and we’ve all got better things to do than go snooping about in places we oughtn’t. But if, perhaps, you were given a key to this door, then you would soon discover exactly how wrong these unsuspecting denizens are.

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[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Styxus is open to anyone roleplaying a djefa in London- Feel free to use it in your djefa character's RP, backstory, or whatever!

-Rambeltilx

[childrenofthedarkwoods]

Just a reminder that Tumblr eats messages sometimes, so if you haven't heard back from us about something, please feel free to poke at us again!

A few mods are kinda busy this week, as a note.

- oeste

[helevere]

Cambion: Canopim & Blood

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[helevere]

Cambion: Childhood & Nefer

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[helevere]

Cambion: Introduction

In short, cambion are the halfbreed offspring of a djefa sire and a human mother. Some djefa refer to them as nenem, which literally translates into “to make a mistake” in their language. Though most cambions live largely normal human lives blissfully unaware of the supernatural, the djefa stance regarding their existence in mixed. Some are vehemently against those of mixed blood, others (usually the younger ones) are fully in support of producing offspring with a loved one even if it is a human, and some could not care less one way or the other.

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[childrenofthedarkwoods]

50 followers!

We'd like to thank everyone who has participated in this project for the incredible writing and general sexiness!

If you're here just watching the fun, we greatly encourage you to participate! Applications are open and we're looking forward to seeing what ideas you have.

This has been a very busy week for the admins, but there will be new content posts and attempts to spread the RP love coming very soon.

Much love, The Admin Team Oeste, Felixity, Pennatologist, Cassandrugs, Rambeltilx, Lightandwinged, and Thebeccabeast.