Species of Avendale
There are several different types of species that your character may be. Here are their names and a little information about them.

The vampires of Avendale are impervious to sunlight (although it gets quite annoying) but have a strong dislike of iron. They also cast no reflection or shadow. Methods of killing them range from being blown apart, cut into pieces, stabbed through the heart, or being burned. Avendale vampires are exceptionally strong, fast, agile, and heal very quickly. Also, a mortal, once bitten and given the blood of a vampire, has two hours before they fully become a vampire. During the first hour, a witch with certain powers able to perform the procedure can force the vampiric blood out of them. This procedure is not done often as most who are changed are humans and don't even know of witches. Vampires are not born into clans as wearwolves, only created by blood exchange with the exception of halflings.

The Avendale vampires also possess souls, despite the savage nature of some of them.

Avendale vamp's also have the ability to shapeshift. Any animal is game, although ravens, crows, panthers, and wolves are the more common one's that are chosen. They aren't the only ones but they are the most often seen. Shapeshifting into another human form is not possible.

There are five vampire Coven's, each created by an Elder, who were made by Akmon, the first vampire. Covens are determined by their power over a specfic line of magic.

+ Ignis Coven: The first Coven, established in 6001 B.C. by Phu. They have power over all elements of fire.
+ Unda Coven:The second Coven, established in 5673 B.C. by Erthu. They have power over all elements of water.
+ Humus Coven:The third Coven, established in 5211 B.C. by Bordil. They have power over all elements of earth.
+ Aer Coven: The fourth Coven, established in 4930 B.C. by Meiqure. They have power over all elements of air.
+ Anima Coven: The fifth Coven, established in 1267 B.C. by Toldaen. They have power over all elements of the soul.

+ Halfling Vampires: Halflings are even rarer than vampire-bitten mortals finding a witch.

A halfling vampire can be created by a vampire giving a mortal their blood but not taking any of theirs. Halfling vampire's have half the abilities of a full-blooded vampire, including the ability to only shapeshift into three forms instead of an unlimited amount. They are not true immortals unless they gained a great amount of blood from their Sire and only live for about a thousand or so years. Most halfling vampires don't even need to drink blood though most prefer it. Also, if a pregnant woman is forced to drink the vampiric blood, her unborn child will also receive it. Halfling's who gain the blood in this way age normally until they reach between the ages 14 and 20. Then their vampiric half's fully surface and they are true halflings.


The vampire slayers are gifted with the same sort of powers as their witch hunting counterparts: to sense vampires and heightened senses (sight, hearing, etc) as well as abilities (speed, agility, etc). They still, however, risk life and limb fighting the vampires, who are by far much stronger and faster. Their chosen weapons are blades forged with special magicks that have the ability to scar vampires. These blades, when forged correctly, have the power to stall the healing powers of a vampire and prevent the wound from healing for a matter of days, always leaving a scar behind.

Most Slayers are from families that have been hunting vampires for centuries but a few are not. These 'rouge' Slayers are often looked down upon by a Slayer from one of the Families.

All who marry into the families take the Family name, no matter male or female. This was a rule created by Mikael Adaeon after the slaughter of the Liecester family in 1205 by vampires. That way the family name lives on, even if only one survives a vampire attack.

There are four Slayer families that have survived the centuries: All members of the Clan bear the same surname. Those who marry into it bear the same name.
+ Adaeon Family: The oldest of the Slayer families. Among the first families to begun hunting vampires in the seventh century, they are the only one that survived the ages and vampires hunting them.
+ McClain Family: Began hunting vampires in the tenth century and were very nearly destroyed in 1478. But they survived and continue to slay vampires today.
+ O'Brien Family:A daughter of the McClain Family married in the fourteenth century and took her husband's name instead of him taking hers. After a group of vampires attempted to kill their daughters, Michelle O'Brien (nee McClain) turned her new family into a new family of Slayers.
+ Smythe Family: he youngest of the families. They have only been hunting since 1854 but perhaps take hunting the most seriously. Children in the family are trained from age six in the Hunt and begin to hunt when they turn eighteen. The first Hunt of a Smythe child is their initiation: either they survive or they don't.

The families that did not survive the centuries are:

+ Liecester Family: Completely destroyed by vampires in 1205.
+ McDoorbin Family: Completely destroyed by the bubonic plague in 1348.
+ Amhall Family: Completely destroyed by vampires in 1489.
+ Tiernan Family: Completely destroyed by vampires in 1678
+ Hobson Family: All burned at the stake by witch hunters in 1707.
+ Kerry Family: Completely destroyed by vampires in 1709.
+ Ordure Family: Completely destroyed by a fire in 1812.

The witches of Avendale ally themselves with the Vampires and Shapeshifters, occasionally helping them dispel a slayer or hunter. They are seen as outcast and a threat to the outside world, though many have found a home within the Avendale walls. Witches have a range of powers that they can control, some can control more then one area of magic while others specialize in only one.

Witches also have a longer lifespan - about 500 years - but they age slower, so even at 250 they may look only in their fifties.

The different areas are...

+ Necromancer: Raiser of the dead.
+ Pyromancer: Summoner of fire.
+ Hydromancer: Summoner of water.
+Terramancer: Summoner of earth.
+ Aeromancer: Summoner of wind.
+ Cryomancer: Summoner of frost & ice.
+ Pneumonmancer: Summoner of spirits.
+ Chronomancer: Limited power over time. Can freeze time for short periods (10 to 20 minutes max) as well as slow down and speed up time. Also can make someone younger or older but only skilled Chronomancer's can do as such.
+Seers: Power to see the past, future, and present - with no control over what they see or when they see it.
+ Warlock: Has the power to summon and control a varity of Demon minions.
+Priest: (not the church type) Power of healing.
+ Wiccan: Uses potions and spells, which can do a varity of different areas of magic. Though they are not as powerful as those who can do it naturally.
+ Magician: A trio of three different powers fall to them, with only one going to each Magician. Either have the power of Reflection (can create or alter a reflection), Illusion (can create and dispell illusions), or Truth (can see or show the truth).
+ Wraith: Possess power over chaos and destruction. Oft times they go mad for a reason as of yet unknown and must be killed else they will destroy everything in their path. Very few of them exist at one time.
+ Porters: Ability to transport. Though a very hard skill to learn and few witches can do very long distances.
+ Warden: Has the power to summon and control a varity of Animal minions.
+ Druids: Harnesses the powers of Animal plus can use a bit of arcane magic.


The witch hunters are gifted with two powers: to sense witches and heightened senses (sight, hearing, etc) as well as abilities (speed, agility, etc). They begin being trained to hunt witches at age nine and by age nineteen make an oath to continue in the Hunt until they are either too old to continue or else die during the Hunt.

There are eight Hunter Clans, each created by the person for whom they were named after. All members of the Clan bear the same surname. Those who marry into it bear the same name.

+ Larcoth: The first Clan, established by Larcoth in 798 A.D. after a witch killed his mother (self-defense).
+ Dalcazen: The second Clan, established by Dalcazen in 799 A.D. with his half-brother Larcoth.
+ Levier: The third Clan, established by Levier in 1045 A.D. after two witches murdered his family (revenge for their - the witches - family's deaths). This Clan was destroyed by another in 1847 A.D.
+ Bezbenthen: The fourth Clan, established by Merz Bezbenthen in 1178 A.D. after seeing a witch slaughter an entire household (again, revenge).
+Smithsphere: The fifth and most known Clan, established by Alexander Smithsphere in 1365 A.D. after a witch killed his wife and very nearly him (she - a slayer - killed the witch's son).
+ Bannon: The sixth Clan, established by Wilhelm Bannon in 1476 A.D. after his daughter was turned from hunting by falling in love with a witch.
+ Holt: The seventh Clan, established by Mirana Holt in 1590 A.D. after a witch killed her husband (self-defense).
+ Wolfe: The eighth Clan, established by Daniel Wolfe in 1604 A.D. after his wife Lindra Walcox-Wolfe, was killed by a Witch (self-defense).

Generally simply called Shifters. They ally themselves strongly with the witches and have a weak alliance with the vampires.

Often discover their powers when they go through puberty, unless they come from a family of Shifters (which is a very rare occurence). Weaker Shifters can only transform into animals close to their own body mass (ie: wolves and such). Stronger Shifters can transform into any type of animals, although small (ie: gerbils) and large (ie: elephants) animals.

Only the most skilled, careful, and powerful Shifters have the ability to change their bodies into that of different human parts instead of animals. And even they are cautioned against doing as such as that type of transformation is very dangerous - and can be fatal.


The werewolves of Avendale are immune to silver in small doses (bullet-sized) - although large amounts can harm/kill them - and can change at will, ignoring the pull of the moon. However, they must change when the moon is full, which is the only time that they cannot resist her pull and are forced to change, no matter where they are.

All werewolves are either born into the pack or bitten by another in the pack.

Werewolves are also exceptionally strong and can toss a small car with a large amount of effort (tired afterwards but not much weaker). They become slightly stronger during the days of the full moon but their other ability (heightened senses) does not change no matter what. Even in human form, they have the senses of a wolf.

There are five werewolf Packs. Unlike the witches and slayers, members of the packs do not have to keep the surnames of their founder.
+ Iravits: The first Pack, established by Mallia Iravits in 642 A.D.
+ Halvar: The second Pack, established by Hayden Halvar in 1167 A.D.
+ Warlock: The third Pack, established by Gabriel and Rowena Warlock in 1322 A.D.
+ McEwen: The fourth Pack, established by Devin McEwen in 1563 A.D.
+ Myatt: The fifth Pack, established by Llyr Myatt in 1693 A.D.

Each pack has a specific look to their wolf form. Here are the variations.
+ Iravits: Smallest in form, ranging from the 6 to 4 feet tall. Generally reddish in color, they have either blue or green eyes.
+ Halvar: Only a little larger than the Iravits Pack (all are within the 5 foot range), they are quite likely the strongest of all the Packs. Looking rather like a Husky, they are often found in lighter shades of color (tan, blonde, etc). Eyes are most often brown or black.
+ Warlock: Very likely the most vicious of the wolfkin, they are the one's that have been told about for ages in myths and legends. Within the 6 foot range of height, they are most often dark in color. A light colored wolf within the Warlock Pack is nearly untold of - the exception being Midria Warlock, the youngest daughter of Gabriel and Rowena Warlock, who was blonde in color. Eyes are maroon, amber, or yellow, which sometimes brings confusion between the Warlock and McEwen Packs.
+ McEwen: The largest in form, ranging from 8 to 6 feet tall. Generally black, brown, or brindle in color there HAVE been a few white coated werewolves in the McEwen Pack. Eyes are either red or amber.
+ Myatt: Almost equal to the McEwen Pack in size (waver in the 7 foot area mostly), they are the trimmest of the werewolf breeds. Appearing like a slightly furry Greyhound, they are often monochromatic in color - with the exception being the lack of a pure white-furred werewolf. Eyes are most often icy colors (light blue, silver, blue, etc).

You can also find these two Alternative werewolves in Avendale...

+ Hexenwolf: Mortal who uses a talisman or pelt that holds an evil spirit to transform into a wolf. Often they are taken over by the spirit and can no longer care what harm they bring to those around them. Also the one's taken over by the spirit are usually is found in control of slayers and hunter who use them like dogs to hunt witches and slayers.

+ Lycanthrope: Mortal who does not transform but does become faster and whose senses heighten when the moon is full.

Normal human beings who generally don't know anything about vampires, slayers, witches, or werewolves. They carry on normal lives...unless, of course, they run into one of the above.