Hellsing lore expansion
So I am going to expand on hellsing’s lore. Mainly folklore. Buckle up cause this may be a long one lmao
Let’s start simple and gradually get more complex;
Ghouls
Ghouls as the blood sucked humans turned undead (brain dead) soldiers for the vamps who drained em. But in my story they are a bit more than that.
Vampires use only the blood-dry corpse of a human and control them from there to do their bidding but there are other beings who drink the blood of humans and turn them into ghouls. The oldest example is a dark fae known as a Baobhan Sith, they seduce, drink the blood of, and then use the ghouls in ways you wouldn’t really think. Sometimes they will set the ghouls out to hunt down their next meal, other times they will use them to clear out settlements.
Over all ghouls are still brainless zombie esc things that thirst for blood and hunger for flesh. They are just not limited to vampires creating them.
Witches
ok so these guys can be complex when you dive into all the variations of magic that can be used/practiced but if we don't go into that then Witches are much more simple.
Witches are not limited to one species, they can be vampier, human, fae, siren, anything really. magic is not limited. how each species practices magic is different though, but all throughout history witches have existed to aid, or hinder. create or cause chaos.
Sirens
Sirens were once human beings, girls who were taken to sea and either their ship sunk of they were thrown overboard, the only sure thing is that these girls and women drowned but just before they could die the sea itself took pity on them and made them its people, giving them gills to breath, and tails to swim with.
with their voices of silk, they lure the men who left them for dead. they are often in the most turbulent of waters, or the foggiest of lands. rocky shores, stone beaches, and places where you wouldn't normally go.
merfolk fall into the same category, but if you are a merfolk you were likely born to the sea and don't thirst for the blood of men.
Dhampir
"the unholy offspring of a vampire and human" honestly, these guys get the best of both worlds. Dhampirs can eat normal food while still drinking blood (if they chose, but they don't need it to survive). they're good in both sunlight and moonlight (so they have the option of being nocturnal but they don't have to be) and while they have sharp teeth + pale skin its not enough for someone to look at them and go "oh yeah, that's vampire spawn" nah.
the last bonus of the Dhampir is that they age super slow, there not (technically) immortal like thier vampier parent, but they can live up to 200 years of age if they play their cards right.
now being one of these isn't all perks, Dhampirs are the absolute rejects of society. vampires scoff at them, and humans fear them. often times Dhampiers will be hunted by other races for sport.
Vampires
Created from a ritual gone wrong (alucard and Aireth) Vampires came about as a cross between dark fae and half dead humans. They are creatures who drink blood to sustain their own life, and because of their fae origin they will sometimes (depending of who turned them or gave birth to them) will be able to access abilities that the fae have (ex. Summoning families, manipulating their body, shadow travel, etc).
Because of the half dead human thing, a vampires nerves are slightly numbed thus they have higher pain tolerances and can handle much more than the average human. Tie that into their crazy regeneration factor and you get vampires who down right won’t feel pain.
They are still capable of reproducing by sexual means (either with another vampire or with humans) or they can reproduce by drinking all the blood of a virgin of the opposite sex.
Now the burning in sun light thing is incorrect. Even in hellsing ultimate we see alucard in the daylight and he’s fine, same with Seras. The truth to the myth is that the sun weakens them slightly and makes them very groggy as well as tired (like that nap that you take for 14 hours wake up with your mouth dry, sweating, and are even more tired than when you went to take the nap in the first place) but at night they are at their peak. Dark fae thrive in the night and since vampires are part dark fae the same can be said for them.
The wooden stake through the heart also has some merit, but it can’t be just any type of wood. There is a specific tree that grows in the fae wilds, it’s bark is made from pure light and that’s what does the vampire in. Though putting a regular stake through their heart will greatly hinder their regeneration.
Werewolves
now these beings are ancient, they came about around the same time as the fae, maybe a bit after, but they have been walking on their earth for a long ass time, and there are a few ways that a werwolf can come to exist.
you are born of a human and a wolf god. (yes the wolf god would be a shapeshifter, as fucked up as i am in the head i will never think of writing bestiality bullshit)
you are cursed by the fae with lycanthropy
you are blessed by a wolf god
you are cursed by a werewolf through their bite (aka the only normal way in modern times lol)
if you are cursed / get bitten by the cursed you develope what we would think of as normal lycanthropy. (monster under the full moon)
if you are blessed / a child of a wolf god then its hella different, for one the child would not appear as a normal wolf, there would be some other aspect to them (maybe they are mistier in their transformations) also they would be so much bigger than a normal werewolf has any business being, and finally they can control their transformations, anywhere, anytime.
Fae
ok, so the fae have been around for-fucking-ever. there are two main categories and within those two are the smaller sub-categories. the two main ones are; light and dark (Seelie and Unseelie)
the Seelie court has a queen, the Mother of Life, and the Unseelie court has a king, the Father of Darkness. these two tolerate one another and rule side by side (as roommates there is no romance) because they thought this arrangement was better than eternal war.
so within the two (courts? realms? factions? species????) there are several types of fae;
banshee - Unseelie who were more than likely drowning victims, or spirits of turbulent waters. they will use their water-logged, rough voices to scream and whale at all those they come across because their sorrows and regrets are as deep as the ocean
Boggart - Unseelie, malevolent shapeshifters that often like to play mean tricks on unsuspecting people
Brownie - Seelie, they are very helpful little spirits that don't like to be seen but love to do little tasks.
dryads - Seelie, caretakers of the woods they call home
Nymphs - depending on the type of nymph they can be either Seelie or Unseelie. often tied to nature (a specific tree, plant, spot) they are caretakers and guardians of nature.
Elves - again either Seelie or Unseelie in nature, are tall, pale, and have pointed ears. these fae make up most of the high courts
gnomes - seelie or unseelie, they are kinda like the nymphs but they are much more curious than most others and will try to get closer to humans. often they live underground and protect buried treasures and secrets
Pixies - mostly Unseelie (sometimes seelie) pixies are mischievous and will often take things from humans, first it will be small, something un-noticeable and then they will work their way up to things you cannot live without. pixies are small, and have insect-like wings on their backs
Trolls - massive, ugly, protective earth spirits
Will O' the Wisp - guiding spirits that will help travellers leave the fae lands
those are only some, others (because im too lazy to explain what all of them are) are; centaurs, kelpies, selkies, phoenix, kitsune, manticore, Nixie, pooka, satyr, goblin, gremlin, Undine, harpy, sprities, salamander, dyad, Vodnik, ballybog, devas, kobald, and many, many more.
fae come from all over the world in many forms and shapes, they take shelter in patches of woods that are hidden from humans. eventually (because humans keep cutting down their forests) they had to move their lands to a separate kind of realm (it took a lot of magic and some couldn't make the transition) so now these lands are called "Fae wilds"
the fae wilds entrances are deep within the forests usually if you don't know where your going but the forest recognizes you as fae the trees will begin to guide you. within the wilds there are whole cities
exactly like this image.
the last thing I want to cover is the Fae-Born.
The Fae-Born are humans who were taken by the fae and re-born again as enchanted beings. they are the perfect mix of flesh, magic, and mysticism. most of the Fae-born can practice any magic type they so desire, and they are immortal as well.
out of the many humans that the fae have tried to turn into fae-born, only two were successful; The Crimson Witch of the Moon (Aireth) and the Sun of the Golden Meadows. these two are complete begins, fae, but not fae, they wield the most powerful magic possible and can tilt on the edge of light and dark.
fae-born are capable of performing rituals that normal fae cannot, the tole not nearly as much as it would be for the normal fae. often times, if they are not killed in childhood for being failures Fae-born will go through a coming of age ceremony where they have to spend 100-200 years out in the mortal world and see how humanity acts towards -not just them- but the world that they surround themselves by.
