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Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.
— Night World Description


The Night World is an underground society made up of different kinds of Night People, including vampires, witches, shapeshifters, and werewolves. It is a secret society amongst the ordinary human world. Night People are governed by laws. Authoritative bodies such as the Night World Council make sure these laws are followed to prevent humans from knowing the Night World exists. A human who finds out about the Night World or its people should be killed according to these laws.

History[]

The Night World was officially formed in the sixteen hundreds, after Hunter Redfern did a blood-tie ceremony with Maeve Harman and married her, to end the fueding between vampires and witches. This was done due to the highly negative effects of a period known as the Burning Times, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds - maybe even thousands - of supernatural beings, at the hands of prejudiced and frightened humans. In order to avoid extinction and protect themselves, the supernatural beings, including vampires, witches, werewolves and shapeshifters joined together in one society and aimed to keep it hidden from humans at all costs. Ever since then, the species that make up the Night World are known as Night People.

Government[]

The Night World is ruled by a Council, consisting of Night World Elders, who are amongst the oldest and most powerful Night People. They are responsible for creating - and sometimes enforcing -  the laws and regulations that ensure the Night World remains a secret. 

Night People[]

The term Night People or Night Person is used to distinguish the species that belong to the Night World from humans, who are not considered Night People; they are generally viewed with fear, distrust or outright hatred, regarded as “vermin” or inferior. Not all Night People share this view, however, with Night People belonging to Circle Daybreak seeking to live in harmony with humans.

The term Night People is used as an umbrella term for all the non-human species that inhabit the Night World. It includes witches, werewolves, shapeshifters and both kinds of vampire. It is unknown if ghouls or dragons are counted as Night People (this is possibly not the case, given that most dragons lived before the formation of the Night World, whilst ghouls are non-sentient, being little more than reanimated corpses driven by primitive instincts such as hunger). Lost witches are possibly considered Night People, despite being unaware of the Night World, as due to their witch genes, they are automatically counted as belonging to Night World society. Hybrids are usually counted as Night People, unless they are half-human, although it is possible for half-human hybrids to blend in with their Night Person heritage so well, they are indistinguishable, such as in the case of Jez Redfern. Lost witches are the sole exception, although half-human hybrids may still consider themselves Night People. Alternatively, some may reject their Night World parentage altogether, choosing to live as humans (two examples of this being Phillip North and Jez).

Night People presumably began referring to themselves as such after the formation of the Night World in the 17thcentury. Prior to this, the different races were not a homogenous group and so likely did not have a collective name or term. A shared trait amongst Night People is that they're often considered to be very attractive to humans, sometimes even referred to as having "inhuman beauty". They also possess superhuman abilities and powers, though their exact abilities and traits depend upon their individual species.

Notable Night People[]

Night World Species[]

Shapeshifters[]

Shapeshifters are a species of the Night World. They are noted for their ability to shapeshift into a specific animal. Due to their once-prominence over the earth, they are subtly feared by other Night People, who treat shapeshifters as second-class citizens.

Description[]

Shapeshifters are described not as people who change into animals, but as an animal that can appear as a human; they are truly animal deep inside, with given instincts and abilities. Shapeshifters are almost always given a name or surname to reflect which animal form they take. Despite outward appearances and the usual beauty of the Night World citizen, the features of shapeshifters usually give a clue as to what they really are. For example, Keller is said to give the impression of a half-tamed panther, her true nature.

Powers and Abilities[]

In addition to being able to change form, shapeshifters retain their given animal senses even while in human form, making them excellent at tracking down human targets and recognizing fellow Night People. They can additionally track and hunt people by homing in on their life energy. Usually, they require a diet of meat, namely heart and liver, although this likely depends on what type of shapeshifter they are.

Shapeshifters can also, with enough control, achieve a halfway form, in which they boast both human and animal features. However, even for those trained to do this, it can be risky, as they may not be able to keep their self-control in that form, being neither fully animal or fully person at the time. This form is possible for younger shapeshifters, but they run the risk of getting stuck this way.

As shifting into animal form will damage regular clothes, most shapeshifters will wear clothing made from the skin, fur and hides of deceased shapeshifters, which transform with them and remain on their body when they change back.

As with vampires, humans can be converted into shapeshifters, but it is not exactly known how this is accomplished. There is an implication that, similar to werewolves, the shapeshifting ability is passed on by a bite.

It has been stated in Black Dawn that like werewolves, shapeshifters are vulnerable to silver, although it is shown that they can certainly be harmed by telepathic attack and heavy physical assault.

History[]

The rest of the shapeshifters were downtrodden as the witches and later vampires came to power; this inbred fear of the shapeshifters led to generations of prejudice and ill-treatment at the hands of the Night People. In most of the series, shapeshifters, as well as werewolves, play minor roles, usually as underlings to vampires or witches allied to the Night World.

Sometime during the 20th century, beginning with the ancient Azhdeha, the dragons began to reemerge, although it is unknown who had awakened them. Seeing the dragon's revival as a kind of messianic event, many shapeshifters flocked to Azhdeha; at his bidding, in broad daylight they began making fatal attacks, with one of their victims being Grandma Harman herself. Even Keller notes that "mice" shapeshifters would likely follow the dragon, as they believe Azhdeha will end their suffering and bring them back into power. However, the First House sought to establish an alliance with Circle Daybreak, having been a neutral party until then. It had been agreed that the prince of the First House, Galen, and the Witch Child Iliana Harman would marry at a Winter Solstice celebration, uniting the two families and formally creating an alliance with the shapeshifters; if the two teenagers did not, the shapeshifters would back out of the agreement and join the Night World. However, at the ceremony proper, Iliana instead chooses to make another shapeshifter, Keller, her blood-sister, uniting the shapeshifters and witches in a new way; the First House accepts this decision, making it an official truce.

The shapeshifters, under the reign of the dragons, were the ruling class of the Night World when the world was still young. For the most part, they were worshipped as "totem animals" and offered sacrifices, mainly by enslaved humans, whom the shapeshifters were additionally raising like cattle as a food supply. However, they found a dire enemy in the witches, who engaged in a war against them. The dragons were defeated by the witch clans but, rather than deal with this, decided to pool their powers and obliterate the world; if they could not have the world, no one would. Fortunately, the witches were able to stop them, placing them in a deathlike sleep to rid the earth of their presence. However, they allowed the youngest, the Dragon Princess, to remain awake, as it was felt she was too young to harm anyone. The princess was watched over and raised by the witches, ultimately having children of her own; her descendants became the First House of Shapeshifters, the Drache Family. This ended their reign over the earth, allowing the witches to come into power over the world in their place.

Notable Shapeshifters[]

  • Dragons
  • Rashel and Keller's father (Presumably a feline shapeshifter . He is also the father of Rashel and Keller )
  • Gavin (A hawk or falcon shapeshifter, slaver and underling for the witch Sylvia Weald. He is implied to have been the one who converted Miles Neely)
  • Bern (A bear shapeshifter and slaver for the Dark Kingdom. Killed by Delos Redfern)
  • Miles Neely (A falcon shapeshifter; formerly human, implied to have been converted by Gavin)
  • Raksha Keller (A panther shapeshifter)
  • Galen Drache (Chooses to become a leopard shapeshifter)
  • Fulton Arnold (An eagle shapeshifter)
  • Kierlan Drache (Animal form unknown, stated to be feline)
  • Georgie Douglas (Animal form unknown)

Trivia[]

  • Although "shapeshifter" is commonly used to describe those born with their animal forms and members of the Drache family, it is also a collective term for other kinds of shapeshifters distinct from the main groups e.g. werewolves and dragons.
  • The Drache Family are considered the ruling clan of the shapeshifters, and are given the distinct title of First House of Shapeshifters.
  • Werewolves are not counted as shapeshifters proper due to werewolves not being pure-blooded wolves.


Werewolves[]

Werewolves are a species of Night People and a branch of shapeshifters (though they are not regarded as being shapeshifters proper), characterized by the ability to turn into the form of a wolf. There are some minor characters throughout the series who are members of this species, affiliated with either the Night World or Circle Daybreak.

Description[]

Werewolves, like all shapeshifters, have the ability to transform into a huge wolf-like creature at will, although their coloring as a wolf is carried over to their human forms. They are differentiated from wolf shapeshifters proper due to the fact that they have mixed blood; werewolf blood is mixed with that of wild dogs, as such preventing them from being counted as true wolf shapeshifters. As with all shapeshifters, their animal form is what they truly are. Unlike vampires, werewolves must kill to feed, as they need to consume the heart and liver of prey. As such, a werewolf kill is far harder to cover up. They are also highly territorial creatures, who mark out their hunting grounds, although they can be persuaded to share it. A werewolf can reproduce in the traditional way and can convert a human into one as well, expanding the species. This is most likely done with a bite, but it is not known if a blood exchange has to occur in addition. That being said, Hugh Davis was attacked by a 'wolf as a child, which resulted in him almost losing a leg when he was bitten by the 'wolf, but he did not turn into a werewolf as well. This would suggest that some kind of blood exchange is required. It has also been shown that a werewolf can successfully produce children with a human, in spite of the dire consequences for all involved under Night World law.

Among the Night World, werewolves are frequently treated poorly and seen as "second-class citizens". According to James Rasmussen, they are thought to be more stupid than others because they are "more wolf than human", although this assessment is likely a propagated stereotype generated out of fear. There are also werewolves known as 'rogues', who live outside the Night World, hunting and killing wherever and whenever they please. These werewolves are often marked for execution, due to the threat they pose to the rest of their species and Night World society as a whole.  

Similar to the naming traditions of vampires and witches, werewolves have given names that mean "wolf" in various world languages. Examples include "Lupe" (Spanish), "Rudi" (Hungarian), "Ulf" (Scandinavian) and "Autolykos" (Greek). Among Night People, the werewolves use the symbol of black foxglove to identify themselves.

History[]

Werewolves were originally descended from wolf shapeshifters, but apparently evolved into their own separate species. Neither shapeshifters or werewolves themselves really consider werewolves to be shapeshifters, due to them not being "pure" wolves and have slightly different physiology and powers. It is unknown exactly when werewolves came to regard themselves as their own separate species, but it was presumably thousands of years ago. Werewolves presumably joined the other non-human species in forming the Night World in the 1600's, to prevent themselves being hunted to extinction by humans. They don't appear to have any representation on the Night World Council, nor do they appear to have a ruling body or "royal" family like the other species, but they are still regarded as Night People and must follow Night World law.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Shapeshifting: As a member of the shapeshifter species, a werewolf can change at will between human and wolf form. Like the shapeshifters they have derived from, werewolves are also able to achieve a halfway form.
  • Enhance Strength: Utilizing their bodies, jaws and claws, werewolves can easily shred through heavy doors, walls and human flesh.
  • Enhanced Speed and Agility: As quadrupedal supernatural creatures, werewolves can move faster and more nimbly than most.
  • Enhanced Senses: Werewolves are noted for having the greatest senses of vision and smell even among other Night People. The vampire hunter Rashel Jordanremarked that werewolves make excellent guards. It is also possible that werewolves can sense the life force of their prey, allowing for easier tracking.


Weaknesses[]

  • Silver: As with the literary werewolf, silver is dangerous to the blood of werewolves, acting as a natural poison to their system.  
  • Fire: As with vampires and witches, werewolves can be burned and are vulnerable to fires.

Notable Werewolves[]

    • Ulf (a bouncer of a Black Iris Club in California)
    • Jeremy Lovett
    • Rudi (a werewolf assistant and guard involved in the blood feast in The Chosen. He is later killed by Quinn.)
    • Lupe Acevedo
    • Lupe Acevedo's mother (the werewolf who fall in love with a human man and conceived Lupe . She is later rescued along with her daughter during the attack on the family by other werewolf by Thierry Descouedres , but her humanoid lover unable to survive )
    • Autolykos (a nobleman of the Dark Kingdom, who converted and later killed the human daughter of Laundress. His name translates to "Lone Wolf" in Greek)
    • Maya's werewolf (a werewolf hired by Maya to hunt down Hannah Snow in Soulmate.)


Trivia[]

  • The werewolf race may have evolved from wolf shapeshifters into what they are now.
  • In the ultimate fan guide, Azarius, an associate of Lily Redfern, is classified as a werewolf. However, this is a mistake, as in the novel The Chosen, Azarius is stated to be a made vampire.
  • Jeremy Lovett has a traditional werewolf name, but in his case, it is his surname that has the meaning, rather than his given name (Lovett is an old Anglo-French word for a wolf cub).
  • The flower of this species, the black foxglove, doesn't have a traditional meaning in flower language, as the flower doesn't truly exist and has never been created by humans (unlike the black rose and black dahlia, which have been cultivated, and the black iris, which occurs naturally). However, the foxglove itself in flower language represents insincerity. It is also noted, in reality, for containing the substance digitalis, which is a toxin that affects the heart. Although it can be used medicinally to treat heart disorders, too much of the toxin will result in cardiac arrest.
  • Werewolves are the only Night People to not be officially affiliated with either the Night World or Circle Daybreak.

Vampires[]

Vampires are a species of the Night World. Similar to other literary versions, vampires are supernatural, immortal creatures that require the consumption of blood to survive. Many protagonists and antagonists of the Night World books are vampires.

Vampires are divided into two distinct sub-species: lamia and made vampires. Although the two share the same basic characteristics physically, lamia and made vampires differ in several ways. Lamia are the "family" vampires; they are the species that can reproduce and are in fact born as vampires. In addition, they can eat human food and, notably, can choose to stop aging for several years at a time, although if they begin aging again, their body will quickly catch up to the appropriate amount of years.

Lamia Vampires[]

are one of two branches of the vampire species in the Night World, the other being made vampires. Lamia are characterized by being born as vampires, their ability to age, consume food and be able to breed more lamia children.

In addition to possessing all other vampire characteristics, lamia will age like humans, but can choose to halt this process for a certain amount of time if they choose.

However, lamia who do so must exercise great care, as if they choose to resume aging, their body will quickly age the appropriate amount of years to their actual age, which, as stated by Kestrel Redfern, "if you've been alive for five or six hundred years can be quite interesting".

In the short story Jez and Morgead's Night Out, this pausing of age is stated to be a conscious process, a recycling of life energy, which continually revitalizes the body until the lamia vampire in question chooses to consciously undo it.

Lamia families often will name their children for items and creatures found in nature (flowers, animals, weather patterns, gemstones, etc.). However, tree names for a lamia vampire are held in high regard, even considered auspicious, despite wood being lethal to a vampire.

Despite their consumption of food, it is not necessary for either lamia or made vampires, as blood provides all nutrition. Breathing is also not necessary, though they can do so.

Characteristic of this type, lamia can produce children with one another, as well as with witches (also possibly with werewolves and shapeshifters, but this has never been shown). Normally, when having children with a witch, the offspring will not be hybrids, but will be either lamia or witch.

The only time a lamia will not produce offspring is with a made vampire, who are infertile, and with a human (the only exception being Jez Redfern, one of The Wild Powers.

Among the Nightworld, lamia utilize a black iris flower as their sigil.

Made vampires[]

are former humans or witchesthat have been changed into a vampire by lamia or another made vampire. These vampires are technically undead, as they have to pass through a deathlike state before reviving as a vampire. This is done through three to four exchanges of blood; this process can be risky, and people over the age of 20 cannot survive. Additional characteristics include being stuck at the physical age of transformation, the inability to eat human food, and infertility.

Made Vampires are the second of two branches of the vampire species, the other being the lamia. Made vampires were formerly human (or witch), converted into a vampire either by lamia or another made vampire. An alternate method is using a spell to become a vampire. They are represented among the Nightworld Council by Lord Thierry Descouedres.

Made vampires are created by a series of blood exchanges between a vampire and the given person they intend to change. In most cases, the amount of exchanges is normally three to four, and involve taking large quantities of blood from the future made vampire and replacing it with vampire blood. If successful, the human or witch will fall into a deathlike coma for a few days and will revive as a made vampire. However, there are specific limitations to this process; any number of things can go wrong, from not receiving enough vampire blood to even some internal complication that causes the person to die. Given requirements include the person being changed being younger than 20, as people who are older than this never survive.

The amount of blood exchanged must be substantial enough to at least replace the amount of blood taken from the human or witch. If they do not receive enough, they will die and revive, but as a ghoul instead of a vampire.

If the process of blood exchange is done correctly each time, and the person intended to become a made vampire changes their mind, it is possible to halt the process midway, which will allow them to revert to regular status as human or witch (although the subject will be sick for some time as the vampire blood works through and leaves their system).

Although they share similarities with lamia, made vampires differ in some respects. They cannot bear children, do not need to eat regular food and are stuck at the exact physical age they were changed.

As shown with Poppy North, people who are sick or dying from a disease can be cured by being changed into a made vampire. They also gain the inhuman beauty, agility and abilities of all other vampires.

Among the Night People, made vampires use black roses as their personal symbol.

Physiology[]

Vampires are said to be "inhumanely beautiful", as are other Night People, as well as possessing supernatural speed, strength, agility and resilience. In anticipation of feeding, a vampire's eyes grow more silver in color, becoming reflective, and their lips redden as blood rushes to them. In the case of a vampire with yellow eyes, the combination of yellow with the silvery hue will render their eyes golden in appearance. Their canine teeth will additionally lengthen, usually to the level of their lower lip, though a vampire can retract these fangs at will, or when put off of feeding.

It has also been noted that the eyes of a vampire are like those of natural nocturnal predators, able to reflect back light when seeing at lower light levels. In darker areas, the pupils of a vampire's eyes can dilate to about 9mm, an impossible dilation for humans to achieve, in order to absorb as much light as possible.

In contrast to the usual assumption that blood is used as food, in truth blood is a source of respiration for a vampire (although food-related vocabulary is used often in regard to blood consumption, even among vampires). Vampire blood is notably different from that of a human in that it lacks hemoglobin, the enzyme necessary to carry oxygen in red blood cells (this also explains why vampire blood has a markedly different, exotic taste when compared to human blood). As such, although vampire blood is highly resilient, making the vampire immune to disease, aging, and most weaponry, it cannot provide the cells of a vampire with the oxygen necessary to survive. Vampires usually need to feed at least once a day to maintain their health. If not, their body begins to slowly suffocate, heralded first by a sense of breathlessness, and soon followed by severe muscle cramps at several points of the body. These symptoms are typically called "thirst" and "bloodlust". Vampires can live on both human and animal blood and do not need to kill their prey to feed (though some willingly choose to do so, or may do so by accident).

The regenerative factor of vampires might also be present in their saliva, as, after biting a victim, the wounds will close up almost immediately after feeding, with only faint marks left behind. They can heal quickly from most injuries, unless they are inflicted with wood, which is deadly to vampires. Fire is also dangerous to vampires. When killed, which can only occur by being fatally stabbed with wood, the vampire's body will collapse and "mummify"; their skin will turn yellowish and take on the texture of old leather, shrinking tightly over the bones in the process.

Unlike those appearing in folklore, vampires are not affected by things such as running water, crosses or holy water. James Rasmussenmentions that they can "even roll in garlic if we don't mind losing friends". Sunlight also does not appear to harm vampires; however, they prefer not to go out in it unless necessary, as they are naturally nocturnal creatures - the bright light hurts their sensitive eyes and their abilities are weakened during the daylight hours.

Vampire Society and Culture[]

Whether lamia or made, vampires appear to be the highest members of the Night World hierarchy; since the last Night War in the 17th century, vampires are tolerant, even good-natured, toward witches, although they hold werewolves and shapeshifters in outright contempt, in truth fearful of their latent power. Their society is rather similar to human society, even though they believe humans to be the inferior of the two species. However, in certain Night World enclaves, vampire society is run exactly the way it was in 1600s Colonial America. Female vampires there have limited freedoms, as the patriarchy of vampire society is more strongly enforced, the father of a family having complete control over the members of his household. Wood is not present, even as a building material, and the only humans present are mesmerized servants, used additionally as a food source.

Among the Night World Council, representing the vampires are the lamia patriarch Hunter Redfern and several vampire Elders, who make up the governing laws of the Night World and act as its legislative, executive and judicial system. Legal actions and decisions must be presented to and judged by them. The Elders are well known for following Night World law to the letter, and can order the execution of those whom they feel have threatened the secrecy of their society, although it can be inferred that the Elders are only be able to execute those of their own species, unless the offense is severe enough to bring before the joint Night World council.

In regard to romance, vampires are again similar to humans, able to court and marry freely, although those living in enclaves are subjected to arranged marriages. A term used among vampires is "lovepair", describing two vampires in love with one another and who work together as hunting partners. It is unknown if the word also describes a married vampire couple, or is exclusive for vampire couples prior to being wed.

History[]

Prehistoric Times[]

The progenitor of the vampire species was Maya, a former witch and the twin sister of Hellewise Hearth-Woman. Maya sought immortality and performed a spell that required drinking the blood of four babies to achieve this. She succeeded, but had to constantly drink blood to sustain herself; becoming the first vampire and ancestress of the entire species. She returned to her tribe, biting and turning Thierry Descouderes, then named Theorn, into the first made vampire. With an unknown man, Maya had a son called Red Fern, the first lamia vampire, who fathered the Redfern line. However, because of Maya's ruthless ambitions and killing of innocent people, she and her son were driven from the witch tribe by Hellewise in the very first Night War, beginning the blood-feud between the vampires and witches that would last for centuries.

More vampires would be generated throughout the centuries, even down into modern times. Ultimately, after taking control of the world from the witch clans after the Ice Age, the reign of the vampires themselves was ended by the legendary Great Flood, after which humans gained supremacy, ushering in the Fourth Age, which has lasted until modern times.

Colonial Times[]

The Night Wars continued for years, with the witch clans and the vampires feuding with and killing one another. After coming to power as head of the Redferns and leader of the Night World council, Hunter Redfern, Maya's descendant, had a son named Chervil. However, he and Chervil quarrelled, and the younger Redfern disappeared, leaving Hunter without a legitimate heir. Ultimately, to end the Night Wars and (in Hunter's case) provide the Redfern line with a true male successor, the matriarch of the Harmans, Maeve, and the patriarch of the Redferns agreed to conduct a blood-tie ceremony, followed by marriage. This had the effect of making all future Redferns part-witch, and to consider Harman descendants as their relatives. Furthermore, it acted as a formal truce among the witch and vampire families, uniting the two major species of the Night World.

Hunter and Maeve had four daughters: Garnet Redfern, Dove Redfern, Lily Redfern and Roseclear Harman. Due to having no male children, Garnet's offspring  were permitted to keep the Redfern surname by Hunter; all modern Redferns are descended from her. Hunter additionally made John Quinn his legal heir after converting him into a made vampire and adopting him into the Redfern family. Hunter is also credited for creating island enclaves, for vampires and other Nightpeople to find safety from humans. Garnet would eventually marry another vampire, Fletcher Marsh, and bear a son who would continue the Redfern line.

Meanwhile, Chervil Redfern would go on to establish the Dark Kingdom in Colorado, and would sire a son, Tormentil, who in turn became the father of Delos, continuing the male Redfern lineage.

Modern Day[]

Vampires continue into the 20th century as the main citizens of the Night World. They all shared a hatred for humans, whom they refer to as vermin. Additionally, they appear to have strained ties with witches and shapeshifters, especially subjecting the latter creatures to humiliation and prejudice (out of fear).

When the witch clans secede from the Night World and join Circle Daybreak officially, the vampire clans overall choose to remain as part of the Night World, seeking the destruction of the world as they believe once humans are gone, they shall rule. Additionally, they search for the four Wild Powers, intending to find them before Circle Daybreak and either convert them to the Night World cause, or kill them to avert the prophecies of their saving the world. That being said, it should be noted that many vampires have rejected the Night World and fight for Circle Daybreak. Most notably, one of the founders and co-leaders of the Circle is the vampire Elder, Thierry Descouedres.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Immortality: Vampires are immune to natural death and can only be killed with wood through the heart, fire or psychic attack.
  • Super Strength: Vampires are much stronger than humans, easily bending metal objects out of shape.
  • Super Speed: Vampires are much faster than humans, capable of catching up to humans running at full speed without tiring themselves.
  • Supernatural Agility: Vampires have faster reflexes than humans and react much more quickly to stimuli.
  • Enhanced Senses: Vampire senses are more acute than a human's and they are able to detect things indistinguishable to human senses.
  • Enhanced Resilience: Vampires are far more resistant to damage and pain than humans. Wood is the only thing capable of keeping a vampire from healing instantly.
  • Enhanced Healing: Vampires heal much faster than humans, to the point that an otherwise fatal injury is healed in a short space of time, unless the injury is inflicted by wood.
  • Transformation: Whenever vampires are angered or in anticipation of feeding, their canines sharpen, their eyes become more silver in color and their lips redden. Their presence take on a savage air and they become visibly cunning.
  • Telepathy: Vampires can broadcast and receive the thoughts of other beings naturally, although the strength of this ability varies from vampire to vampire.
  • Mind Control: Vampires can control and manipulate the minds of humans to their will. This power does not work on all humans and Night People are immune to it. They can also erase memories completely, even being able to eliminate days worth of mental impressions, provided the memories are not entangled with the memories of other events. However, this works best on a one-on-one basis, as controlling the minds of more than one person places visible strain on a vampire.
  • Power: The rise of the Old Powers granted vampires an ability known as Power, the means to conduct psychic attack, which can be strong enough to kill, even being harmful to fellow vampires. (James Rasmussen is described having a “silvery aura of power".)
  • Shapeshifting: Theoretically, it is revealed to be possible for a vampire to shapeshift, however this would require a great amount of experience and power to achieve. The only vampire shown to be capable of such a feat is Maya.

Weaknesses[]

  • Wood: The lignin chemical in wood is the only thing capable of stopping vampire cells from regenerating - thus wood through the heart is fatal to vampires and will kill them. A wound in another vital organ using wood is also lethal.
  • Fire: Similar to werewolves, fire is harmful to vampires and can kill them.
  • Sunlight: Sunlight inhibits all vampire powers but does not overtly harm them.
  • Blood Deprivation: Vampires need blood to sustain themselves, as vampire cells cannot carry oxygen. Thus, if vampires are deprived of blood then they will asphyxiate.
  • Spells: Like most other Night People, vampires are susceptible to the powers of witches. It is not known if spells can kill vampires, but they have been shown to inhibit the powers and abilities of one.
  • Telepathic Attack/Power: The vampiric ability known as Power has the strength to seriously injure and even kill other vampires. Even regular telepathy utilized to harm or attack another will have an effect.

Notable Vampires[]

Stone Age[]

Renaissance - Colonial America[]

20th Century[]

Trivia[]

  • The "royal" family of vampires are the Redferns - the direct descendants of the first vampire Maya Dragonslayer.
  • According to the ultimate fan guide, vampires ruled the world for ten thousand years after the witches lost power, until the Great Flood which caused them to lose their hold over the earth, and for humanity to rise.
  • Most vampires seem to be actively trying to bring about the Apocalypse. This is to bring down the human race and take over the world.
  • Vampires - particularly lamia vampires like the Redfern Family - seem to be patriarchal, despite the fact that the first made vampire is a woman and was a witch (who are matriarchal).
  • Red Fern is stated as the first lamia vampire, with his descendants becoming the Redferns, but it is not shown where other lamia families had originated from, as the Redfern family is not the only lamia family. Even if Red Fern had multiple children, explaining the other lamia families that exist, they would have had to mate with humans in order to continue the species, as the vampires were at war with the witches, and made vampires cannot reproduce.
  • James tells Poppy that it's theoretically possible for vampires to shapeshift. This could be true as Maya demonstrated this ability in Soulmate. However, it should be noted that Maya was the first vampire and retained all of her witch powers.
  • Vampires apparently cannot reincarnate. The reason for this, according to Maya, is that vampires may not have souls. While she simply could have been taunting Hannahwhen she said this, there seems to be some truth in the statement, as she was going through with her plan to turn Hannah. It could be, however, that because vampires are already immortal they can't reincarnate like mortal beings.
    • Also, many vampires in the Night Worldseries have soulmates, adding further contradiction to Maya's statement.
  • Maya was the oldest vampire alive up until her death in Soulmate. Thierry currently holds the title.

Witches[]

Witches play a large role in the lore of the Night World. A parallel species to Homo sapiens born with raw paranormal potential, witches are human-like creatures capable of influencing properties of the natural world through their own unique school of sorcery known as witchcraft.

Description[]

Among the Night People, witches are close to humans in their anatomy and mortality. While witches are collectively called Daughters of Hellewise, warlocks - or male witches - do exist, being few in number. This prompted early witches to take human men as husbands for procreation.

Thea Harman noted that humans have a much higher fertility rate compared to witches, enabling them to become the dominant species of the planet despite their physical impotence compared to supernatural creatures. This explains the largely small population of witches in the world.

A witch's power is an inborn property; their bodies surging with arcane energies. The purpose of spells is to focus this energy into something the witch can control through sheer force of intent and emotion and thus exert their influence over the physical world or another person.

Without training or spellcasting, a witch's power will leave their immediate presence and begin manifesting as random psychic phenomena such as telekinesis or prophetic visions. These incidents can prove dangerous both to onlookers and to the witches themselves if left unchecked.

It is also mentioned that iron is toxic to witches. Witches can be converted into made vampires(probably due to their great similarity to humans). They can also breed with lamia, though the children resulting from such a union will always be either a witch or a lamia.

Culture[]

Witches have established a matriarchy in which all members of a bloodline will inherit their legal status and surname from their mothers instead of their fathers, even if their sire was human. Witches were also expected to enter their mother's clan after coming into their powers.

Many witches name their children after a certain goddess, a legendary hero, or a creature. Names that reflect certain natural elements such as fire or wind are also common. A witch's surname is likewise intended to represent a specific attribute of the mother's bloodline or clan.

Historically, all witches are called "Daughters of Hellewise", as they trace their ancestry through her (although members of the Harman Family are in particular Hellewise's direct descendants). Witches regard one another on familiar terms, the formal greeting among them being "Unity", and despite rank consider one another equals (the concept of prejudice or racism, as shown by the witch Dani Abforth, are unknown among the witch clans).

Witches are shown to be polytheistic, as they call upon and worship a variety of ancient goddesses, gods and spirits, often asking them for aid in their spells. Most witches have a particular favorite deity, and on special celebrations may dress in the image of such idols. In addition, witches appear to celebrate many if not all of the traditional holidays of the real-world Wiccan calendar, with both Summer and Winter Solstices, Samhain and Beltane mentioned as being celebrated.

As they are mortal, witches accept the concept of death, believing that when they die, their spiritsascend and go the afterlife, called "the Other Side". However, advanced witches are capable of calling back the spirits of the dead, specifically during the celebration of Samhain, when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead are thinnest. Furthermore, in times of great need, a witch has the power to even call back their ancestress, Hellewise.

For high crimes committed against either the witches or the Night World, a witch and any associates involved can be subject to execution, though the severity of the crimes in question are subject to the ruling of the Inner Circle and/or the joint Night World Council. In the case of a capital crime, a witch is said to be given "the Cup of Death" (likely poison or a compound containing iron), implying that the guilty witch is to drink something toxic and die forcibly by their own hand.

The Night World symbol for witches is a black dahlia. An additional, more obscure signet for the witch species is a crescent moon with three stars.

Circles[]

Main article: Circles

Witch society is composed of two Circles (originally three), each of which a given witch chooses to belong, although they make their permanent choice once they become eighteen. The Circles consist of Circle Twilight and Circle Midnight. Those of Circle Twilight were considered the less drastic of the witches in their hatred of human beings, and held respect for all life in accordance with the Wiccan Rede ("And in harm none, do what ye will"). In contrast, Circle Midnight consisted of those witches who were active in their stand against humans, even resorting to torture and killing at whim, and practicing far darker spells. A third, extinct circle, Circle Daybreak, had once existed, which encouraged good relations between witches, other Night People, and human beings. However, with the persecution of witches during the Burning Times, the circle was disbanded (though it was revived during the 20th century)

A fourth Circle, the Inner Circle, is a coven of nine of the most powerful witches, "the geniuses, far-seers, prodigies, the teachers...". They are the governing body of the witches and act as their representatives among the joint Night World council. Its members include:

The community of witches is always led by a Maiden, Mother, and Crone, in addition to the Inner Circle. The current leaders are Aradia as Maiden, Mother Cybeleas Mother, and Grandma Harman as Crone. The Maiden represents young and teenage witches, and will one day become the Mother, and then the Crone. The Crone is always the oldest of the direct descendants of Hellewise. Witch age groupings are also named after these figures: younger witches, up to age eighteen, are considered "Maidens", adult witches are "Mothers", and elderly witches are deemed "Crones". Maidens will initially join a given Circle (Twilight or Midnight) at age seven, but at age eighteen must chose the Circle they intend to stay with for life.

Lost Witches[]

Lost Witches or Psychics are the Night World's terms for describing a witch that does not know that he or she is a witch. In certain cases, several members of witch clans interbreed with humans or become mixed in with human society.

As a result, the witches themselves and/or their descendants forget their original heritage and mistakenly believe themselves humans as well. Despite this, their powers as witches remain present, usually manifesting as some kind of psychic ability, including telekinesis, psychokinesis, clairvoyance, psychic dreams and precognition.

However, this can have a negative effect on the mind of the lost witch, as their lives can be dramatically disrupted by the manifestation of their unfocused power, causing some to resort to escapist measures to cope, such as alcoholism in the case of Gillian Lennox's mother.

The Night World fully accepts lost witches who have rediscovered their origins. However, the reaction of the lost witches to learning about their true heritage varies; some accept it and begin formal training in witchcraft, taking their place among the clans, or some will deny their birthrights and continue to live as normal humans.

Spellcaster[]

Spellcaster is a term used to describe a person who performs magic and witchcraft, but does not identify as a witch. Thus far, the only person in the series who refers to themselves in this way is Sylvia Weald, who disowned the witches due to the Harmans (her paternal family) not allowing her to claim the name of Hearth-Woman and take a seat on the Night World Council, as Sylvia's Harman heritage came from her father, not her mother.

It can be assumed that any witch who rejects his or her heritage, but still practices witchcraft, may refer to themselves as spellcasters. Presumably, spellcasters, in addition to not calling themselves 'witches' and disassociating with them, also reject witch ideals, values and culture, in particular the reverence for all life (Sylvia allied herself with the lamia patriarch Hunter Redfern and initially tried to help him in his plan to overthrow the human race and destroy the witches, also abducting and torturing the Maiden of the Witches, Aradia, in the process, though she later had a change of heart). Because the majority of the witches seceded to Circle Daybreak in opposition to the Night World, it's possible that the witches who chose to remain loyal to the Night World (most of whom were from Circle Midnight) now see themselves as 'spellcasters' rather than true witches. Despite this however, spellcasters are technically still members of the witch species, no matter how much they may deny it.

History[]

Prehistoric Times[]

The witch clans had originally been led by Hecate Witch-Queen, the ancestress of all witches, and her twin daughters: Maya and Hellewise. Under Hecate, during the First Age, the witch clans were involved in the battle between the witches and the dragons, which resulted in the defeat and enchantment of the entire dragons species; only the youngest was spared, the progenitress of the Drache family. This ended the First Age and ushered in the Second Age, during which the witch clans reigned supreme over the world.

However, some time after this battle, Hecate passed away, and her daughters became the rulers of the tribe. Unfortunately, Maya sought immortality and her quest for it eventually made her the first vampire. After Maya converted her close friend Theorn into a made vampire and ruthlessly killed many others, Hellewise fought her sister in the first Night War and defeated her, driving Maya and her son Red Fern from the tribe. Hellewise then subsequently died of her injuries sustained in the battle. Ever since this first Night War, the witches and vampires have been engaged in a centuries-long blood feud with one another.

Ultimately, the reign of the witches was brought to an end by the Ice Age, after which the vampires rose to power over the world, spawning the Third Age.

Colonial Times[]

The feud continued into the 16th and 17th century, during the Fourth Age when mankind gained supremacy over the world. However, among the vampires, a predicament developed: Hunter Redfern, the current leader of Maya's descendants (the Redferns) and representative of the vampires, had no male heir. Therefore, to end the Night Wars, the Redfern patriarch agreed to perform a blood-tie ceremony with the leader of the witches at the time, Maeve Harman, who was tired of the bloodshed, which formally ended the Night Wars and united the witches and vampires as Night World citizens. During this time additionally, the third circle, Circle Daybreak, was disbanded with the persecution of Night People at the hands of humans. Enclaves were then formed as safe havens for the Night World's denizens.

Modern Day[]

The witches continued their existence even in the present day; Edgith Harman, the eldest of the Harman clan, eventually rose to the position of Crone among the witch circles as well as their representative. However, troubles began appearing for them when Thea Harman (and later other Harmans) found a soulmate among humans. When brought before the Inner Circle, in spite of Thea demonstrating great power, even being able to call on her ancestress Hellewise, Thea had no choice but to leave the Night World and her family. In light of this event, Grandma Harman had begun to ruminate on the possibility of reviving Circle Daybreak. With aid from Theorn, now the vampire lord Thierry Descouedres, the circle is restored, acting primarily as a place for those Night People finding human soulmates, as well as for those humans who learn of the Night World's existence and seek harmony for all.

Due to friction with the Night World during the emergence of the Wild Powers, the witches formally seceded from the Night World after the disappearance of their Maiden, and officially joined Circle Daybreak, seeking to protect humans from the apocalypse. The witches would unfortunately lose their Crone to the Night World after this defiance; the Crone is attacked and killed by shapeshifters working for the Night World in Witchlight; Mother Cybele becomes their new leader after this tragedy. To boost their strength and unite with the shapeshifter clans, the witches agreed to a promise ceremony between the son of the First House and the legendary Witch Child, a Harman witch and the third Wild Power. The treaty goes through but not as originally planned; the Witch Child, Iliana, instead unites the two species by conducting a blood-tie with the shapeshifter Keller, after learning her intended fiance, Galen, is Keller's soulmate. This action formally unites the two species.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Spell Casting: is the power to work magic through the recitation of incantations and words of power. It is the most common magical ability employed by witches.
  • Precognition:also known as foresight, premonitionor the Sight, is the ability to sense or see future events before they occur. Several Night People have this ability, in particular witches, and some humansseemingly have this ability too.
  • Psychokinesis: (sometimes referred to as telekinesis, though the two terms have a slightly different meaning) is the power to move or manipulate objects with one's mind. Telekinesis is closely related to psychokinesis, but slightly differs in that it specifically refers to mentally moving objects from a distance. Psychokinesis includes moving objects with the mind that may in close vicinity to the person using the power. Hence, psychokinesis can be regarded as an 'umbrella' term which includes telekinesis. Psychokinesis is a power possessed by witches.
  • Pyrokinesis: is the power to create and/or manipulate fire with one's mind. It is a power most notably possessed by witches (and possibly the Wild Powers).
  • Retrocognition (also referred to as 'the Sight') is a power possessed by some Night People, most notably by witches. It is closely related to the power of precognition; however, in the case of retrocognition, it involves seeing and sensing events happening in the present.
  • Witchlight: not to be confused with the novel of the same name, is an ability developed by witches with the rise of The Old Powers. It manifested as energy in the form of colored flames that can be used as an attack technique. Witchlight comes in a variety of colors such as amber and orange, but the spectrum and strength of such colors are unknown. The only kind of witchlight unavailable to witches is The Wild Powers' blue fire.
  • Mind Control: Witches also have the ability to influence minds, though to a lesser extent than vampires. They often employ spells, charms or potions to heighten their abilities.
  • Telepathy: is the ability to 'read' or sense the thoughts and minds of others. It is a power possessed by many Night People, particularly vampires. Those who can use telepathy are sometimes referred to as telepaths.
  • Witchcraft: is an inborn supernatural discipline which enables witches to affect change in the physical world by enacting their will through spells, infusing their energies into potions or ceremonies, or invoking the names and natures of personalized divinities to summon miracles.


Weaknesses[]

  • Mortality: Due to having similar physiology to humans, witches are susceptible to many of the weaknesses humans are, including disease and old age. They can be heavily injured, and are also known to have allergic reactions to substances, including spells, as the Maiden Aradia had once been accidentally poisoned by a truth potion and suffered a near-fatal reaction to it.
  • Iron: akin to wood for vampires, the element of iron acts like a poison to the bloodstream of a witch, and is extremely lethal to their kind.


Notable Witches[]

Stone Age[]

Renaissance-Colonial Times[]

Early 1900s[]

20th Century[]

Former Witches[]

  • Maya Dragonslayer (the first vampire; formerly a witch, yet despite her transformation, she has retained her spellcasting ability)
  • Poppy North (formerly a lost witch; converted into a made vampire by her soulmate)


Disputed Status[]

  • Thierry Descouedres (before being changed into a vampire, he had been stated as being a member of the witch tribe to which Maya and Hellewise belonged, leading to speculation that Thierry might have been a witch himself before his transformation)
  • Conlan Spearthrower (Thierry's brother; he was also a member of the prehistoric witch tribe and therefore could've been a witch too - according to the family tree, he was also the partner of Hellewise and the father of Iluna)
  • Mal Harman (stated to be a vampire-witch hybrid)
  • Clèment and Lucienne Blanchet (younger siblings of Suzanne Blanchet, who was a witch; they are never explicitly stated to be witches though it can be assumed they were due to their sister being one. They were executed for witchcraft, though the witch-hunters were hardly experts at determining who was a real witch)

Trivia[]

  • Being direct descendants of Hellewise Hearth-Woman, the Harman Family are considered "royalty" within the Night World.
  • In contrast with the lamia, witches are matriarchal.
  • All witches trace their heritage to Hellewise Hearth-Woman.
  • Most witches have seceded from the Night World and joined Circle Daybreak, with the exception of the darkest Circle Midnightwitches.
  • A witch, Maya Dragonslayer, was responsible for the creation of the vampirerace.
    • Through elaborate spells, Maya successfully became the first vampire by drinking the blood of four of her tribe's babies. The vampires descended from her became known as the lamiaand those who she changed are called the made vampires.
  • Appropriately, male witches are called "Sons of Hellewise".
  • The very first witch introduced to the series was Poppy North, albeit as a lost witch. The first trained witch introduced was Gisèle, a friend to James Rasmussen.
  • The flower of this species, the black dahlia, in flower language can mean instability, but also rebirth and dignity, as shown by the pride of the witches in their heritage. It is also the nickname of a very famous murder victim from the late 1940s, named Elizabeth Short. She was so nicknamed due to her penchant for wearing a black dahlia flower in her hair.
  • Witch society bears a strong resemblance to the neopagan religion of Wicca and to the Goddess movement.
  • Witches appear to be the only Night People who cannot convert humans into their kind.
    • Ironically, witches are more similar to humans than other Night People.
  • Although witches consider themselves "sons and daughters of Hellewise", there were witches that preceded Hellewise, such as her mother Hecate Witch-Queen.
    • It's possible that the term "son/daughter of Hellewise" is an honorary or symbolic title, rather than implying all witches are descended only from Hellewise (it is stated on numerous occasions in the novels that only the Harman family are Hellewise's direct descendants).


Hybrids[]

Hybrids or half-breeds, are Night People of mixed heritage. Examples can include being half werewolf and half human, or half witch and half human.

Usually, one genetic makeup wins out over the other, and in the case of witch and werewolf half-breeds, they are counted among the species whose traits they share most.

In the case of witches and vampires, when lamia marry and mate with witches, their offspring will be either-or; their children will be either a lamia vampire or a witch, regardless of the parents (such as in the case of the daughters of Hunter Redfern - a lamia - and Maeve Harman - a witch. Their three eldest daughters, Garnet, Lilyand Dove inherited their father's lamia genes, whilst their youngest daughter, Roseclear, inherited her mother's witch genes). When a vampire changes a witch into one, although the witch will retain their own powers, he or she is counted as a vampire due to their new physiology and his/her new vulnerability to wood rather than iron. Many lost witches are technically hybrids, due to believing themselves human and intermarrying with humans.

While witches, shapeshifters and werewolves can successfully mate and produce children with humans (despite this normally leading to execution under Night World law for all involved), for lamia this is allegedly not possible; however, the existence of the vampire-human hybrid Jezebel Redfern throws doubt on this.  

Half human hybrids are seen as "freaks" and believed to pose a threat to the Night World, and are often hunted down by Night People, as per the law. This is likely because the existence of such a hybrid usually means that one of the cardinal laws of the Night World - to never fall in love with a human - has been broken.  

Notable Hybrids[]

  • Red Fern ( Red Fern is the son of Grinnel Riverman and Maya Hearth-Woman , the first made vampire . It is unknown if Grinnel was a human or a witch , or possibly even a shapeshifter or werewolf . However , it is possible that Red Fern's father , Grinnel is a human . If Grinnel was a human , Maya is one of the earliest known made vampire to have fallen in love with a human . This may suggest that Grinnel and Maya were possibly soulmates. )
  • Jezebel Redfern (Jezebel is the only known successful product of a coupling between a vampire and a human. An exception to the dominant genetics rule, Jez has attributes of both humans and lamia vampires and is therefore the truest example of a hybrid in the series).
  • Mal Harman (Mal is stated explicitly to be a vampire-witch hybrid, the first of the series. However, the scope of his abilities is still unknown).
  • Lupe Acevedo (Lupe is not a "pure bred werewolf", as her father was human. However, as far as we know she exhibits all the usual abilities of a normal werewolf - it is unknown if she could choose to live as a human, in the same way as Jez Redfern).
  • Raksha Keller and Rashel Jordan (revealed to be the twin offspring of a human motherand shapeshifter father. Interestingly, one twin - Keller - was born a shapeshifter, whilst the other - Rashel - was born human, though her notable agility and keen senses may be a sign of her mixed heritage).

Trivia[]

  • All known 'true' hybrids (Jez and Mal) in the series are half-vampire.
    • Interestingly, both of them have Redfern fathers and belong to the "royal" families of the Night World.
  • The Wild Power prophecies foretold that one of the Wild Powers would be a hybrid: One from the Day World where two eyes are watching.

Trivia[]

  • In contrast with the Night World, the human world is called the "Day World".
  • The origins of the Night World will be explored in Strange Fate [1]

References[]

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