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Post by Spotify on Apr 7, 2013 17:02:13 GMT -7
The Creation of the Shadowhunter...
One thousand years ago, the precise date unknown, the earth was being invaded by hordes of demons. A man, Jonathan Shadowhunter, had a warlock summon the angel Raziel. He begged Raziel to help save humanity so the angel mixed his blood with that of Jonathan Shadowhunter, in the Mortal Cup, and gave it to men to drink. Those men became known as the Shadowhunters, as did their children, and their children's children. They were given the first Gray Book, listing all of the runes, to use in their fight against demons.
Their Mission...
The goal of the Nephilim is to end the plague of demons on Earth. They are dispatched to every place on Earth to fight against demon hordes. The fight even continues after death. Their bones are used, as the bones of demon hunters are powerful protection, to fortify important buildings.
Their History...
In 1868, the Shadowhunters sign the first of The Accords. This is the first step in the peace negotiations with the Downworlders populace.
In 1878, the Shadowhunters of the London Institute face the Magister. He and his clockwork army attacked the Nephilim. Tessa Gray, with the ability to Change into other people, dead or alive, and hear and see their thoughts and memories, and be used as a volume for communication with the spirits of the dead, is sought by the Magister.
The Uprising occurs in 1991. Valentine Morgenstern and the Circle plan to slaughter the unarmed Downworlders. This event is stopped by the Downworlders and some of the other Shadowhunters, informed by Valentine's wife, Jocelyn Fairchild-Morgenstern, and former best friend, Lucian Graymark, both of whom discovered the error of his ways.
In 2007, the Accords were signed again and Valentine plans to wipe out the current Shadowhunter race and make a new one by calling upon the angel Raziel again. A demon army he had summoned from their dimensions nearly slaughters all Shadowhunters and Downworlders, a great battle taking place. Valentine is defeated, nonetheless, after being killed by the angel Raziel.
Their Culture..
As with all populations, the Nephilim have developed their own culture and traditions. They have traditions and habits that, though not official laws, are expected of them. They have traditions for everything: Births, Marriages, Deaths, and Friendships.
Births
Newborn Shadowhunters have spells cast on them to protect their minds from demonic influences. These rituals protect the Shadowhunters from demon visions for example. The rituals are performed by a Silent Brother and an Iron Sister.
Marriages
"The ritual is taken from the Song of Solomon. 'Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death.'"
The color of marriage is gold. Shadowhunter women generally wear gold dresses and men black ceremonial gear, marked with gold runes. Marriages are often done in The Accords Hall in Alicante. The Shadowhunters mark each other with permanent runes of love and commitment over their heart and arm, signifying their love and devotion toward one another.
Mundane
Some choose to leave their lives as Shadowhunters behind to live and have a family with their mundane lover.
There are three rules for those who leave the Clave. First, the Shadowhunter must sever contact with any and all Shadowhunters they have ever known, even their own family. Second, they cannot call upon the Clave for help. And third, the Clave can still lay claim to their children.
Since Nephilim blood is dominant, if a Shadowhunter has children with a mundane, their children will still be Nephilim.
Ascension
Although marriage of a Shadowhunter to a mundane is forbidden, they can marry if the mundane is turned into a Shadowhunter through a process called Ascension. After the Shadowhunter applies to the Clave for an Ascension for their partner, the Clave is required to consider it for at least three months, and the mundane will be studying to learn about Shadowhunter culture.
Mundanes who Ascend to become a Shadowhunter may then choose their own Shadowhunter last name, and may pick from one of the old Nephilim names.
Ascension, which involves making the mundane drink from the Mortal Cup, was still then allowed during The Infernal Devices, but has since then been disallowed because the dangers of letting adult mundanes drink from the Mortal Cup has since then been recognized.
Deaths
Shadowhunters often die young. The fight against demons kills off many of them. Therefore, when a Shadowhunter dies in battle, the words Ave Atque Vale and their name are spoken. This means "hail and farewell" in Latin. Their bodies are burned to ashes and laid in the tombs. The color of funerals is white. They do not use black because that is the color of fighting and it isn't appropriate. They also wear red runes for mourning.
Friendships
Parabatai is the term for two Shadowhunters who fight alongside each other. These Shadowhunters are partners and are particularly close to each other. Shadowhunters must choose their parabatai before they turn 18.
The runes drawn by one's parabatai are stronger than those used by another. Also, there are some runes that can only be used by parabatai. It is illegal for two parabatai to fall in love with each other. If this happens, they will be separated. Most Shadowhunters don't have a parabatai, so they are not very common. In a Shadowhunters life, they can only have one parabatai, unless their partner dies.
Colors
Black for hunting through the night
For death and sorrow, the color’s white.
Gold for a bride in her wedding gown,
And red to call enchantment down.
Colors mean different things to Shadowhunters than they do to mundanes. Black is the color of their gear; white is for mourning; gold for weddings and red is ceremonial.
Their Government and Politics
The Nephilim follow a strict set of rules set out in the Shadowhunter's Codex. There are many rules and guidelines that must be followed.
The Clave
The Clave is the general organization of all Nephilim, particularly, it is the governing body of the world of half-humans, headed by the Council.
The Clave has different branches in different areas of the world, with Institutes are the seats of power. Every active Shadowhunter in an area belongs to a certain Clave, such as the Conclave in New York, Enclave in London.
The Covenant
Covenant is the Law upheld by the Clave.
Our Mission..
The time of the Magister and Valentine has passed. Now is the time for a new era of peace. Peace between the Downworlders and Shadowhunters. The accords have been modified once more and all is well. Atleast for the moment. Who am I, you ask? Well, I'm Hope Wayland, daughter of the legendary couple Jace Wayland and Clary Fray, like my mother I am special, I can create new runes, but like my father I'm the deadliest Shadowhunter since Will Herondale. You're around my age so you should know this. I'm sixteen, but back to the era of peace. It's ending. All the shadowhunters know it. War is threatening. And this time it's not just between the demons, but the Downworlders too. What? Oh yes. Quite a few of them are my friends, but the new inquisitor hates them. Yes, I realize this is a giant step backwards, but there is nothing I can do! I'm a Shadowhunter under the mortal sword I must obey the inquisitor and the consul. Well enough chitchat! You have to go train. After all with war threatening we don't want our shadowhunters weak now do we?
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Post by Spotify on Apr 27, 2013 18:42:27 GMT -7
The Earth's creations..
Nephilim, often referred to as Shadowhunters, are a secretive race of humans born with angelic blood. They are a demon hunting race that has survived for over one thousand years. They have fought the demons valiantly, creating their own culture and civilization within human society. Their mandate is to protect humans.
Humans, are often referred to as mundane. They do not know of the Shadowhunters or of the Downworlders, unless they are granted the sight, which is very rare. They have no sense of the magic around them, unless they are dragged into the world by a Shadowhunter or Downworlder.
Species of Downworlders..
Vampires,also known as the Night Children, are a species of Downworlders. Along with werewolves, vampires are humans infected with a demon disease. For a human to be turned into a vampire, one must drink Vampire blood, be bitten by other vampires, die, buried, and then be reborn and brought back from the dead, then fed blood.
When a human consumes vampire blood, they become darklings. They begin fearing that they are turning into vampires themselves, mainly because this is how vampires pass their powers to others - through blood. Anxiety in the sun and when seeing vampires, even in movies, are some signs. Although the effect fade eventually, most Darklings are still drawn to the place where they received the blood, or the vampire from whom they ingested the blood. This urge also goes away when they become vampires.
Then, the darkling must be bitten or drained of blood by a vampire to continue the process. Vampire saliva is said to have healing and transformative properties. Once bitten, the human may die. If the human is not completely drained to death, he will only be close to dying and will be at the verge of transformation. The process is said to be like being drugged, painless and pleasant, as if merely going to sleep. Since they have consumed vampire blood, the vampire properties have slightly been transferred to the human, they may rise again as a vampire.
Once 'dead', the fledgling – not-yet or newly born vampires – human must die within 24 hours after consuming blood in any manner where the body is preserved. Upon mortal death, the undead body will awaken in a state of transition. They must then be buried and must dig themselves out of their grave and will then be 'truly born'. If no one is there to help them dig out of their grave or if they are unable to, they stay like that, trapped like rats under the earth, starving underground. But if they are not buried, they will stay in the state of transition, dead but not quite dead; never waking.
Immediately, the newly born vampire is in a frenzy for blood and will kill anything or anyone close to them just to drink the blood. In order to complete the transition, within the next 24 hours, the new-born, transitioning vampire must consume an exceptional amount of blood, or else they will fade and die.
Werewolves, also known as Lycanthropes or the Children of the Moon, are part of the Downworlder population. Like Vampires, werewolves are actually humans that have contracted a disease from demons which therefore resulted in their transformation and enhanced abilities, in their case, the ability to transform into wolves and have their inhuman strengths and powers.
There are two kinds of werewolves:
the kind that are born werewolves, with werewolf parents, and
the kind that get infected with lycanthropy through a bite
When shapeshifted, werewolves look like normal wolves. However, while in human form they look fairly normal, although they may appear a little dirty as they don't bother cleaning up much. When in wolf form, they tend to look relatively like their human forms.
In human form, werewolves have enhanced speed and strength and the ability to transform into their wolf form at will.
Werewolves, like vampires, must belong with a group; a pack, in their case. The Praetor Lupus make sure that new Downworlders find their place. Each pack is lead by a leader, and any werewolf that kills that leader gains control of the pack.
As werewolves, they follow the long held tradition of being mortal enemies of vampires. Maia explains that the demons that passed on the disease to humans that gave birth to vampires and werewolves were mortal enemies, and that prejudice was passed down to their races.
Werewolves are not generally born but are usually humans bitten by another werewolf. After the first transformation, it takes a werewolf some time to be able to resist the effect of the moon in different phases. Many, like Luke Garroway, train themselves to be impervious to the moon, but even Luke is forced into wolf form during a full moon.
Warlocks, also known as Lilith's Children, are the immortal offsprings of mundanes and demons. They are the only Downworlders who can cast magic because they have demon blood, unlike vampires and werewolves who were merely infected by demonic diseases.It was a Warlock that summoned the Angel Raziel to create the first of the Nephilim. Ifrits are Warlocks that can't cast magic.
Many, if not all, warlocks have unnatural body parts, called a demon's mark, such as bat wings, goat feet, lizard tails, scaled hands or cat eyes. Some also have different coloured skin.
Faeries, also known as the Fair Folk or fey, are an extremely cunning race of Downworlders. They have angel blood mixed with demon blood. According to legend, and Madame Dorothea, faeries are fallen angels, cast down out of heaven for their pride. It is also said that they are the offspring of demons and angels. Most faeries avoid midday sunlight, for the devil has no power except in the dark.
They reside in the Faerie Realm, within the Seelie or Unseelie court. They are ruled over by a queen. To enter the Seelie court in New York, you must go into the lake in Central Park where the moon is shining on the surface - under the water you will gain entrance into the court.
The Fair Folk are also unable to lie. They might, however, tell what they believe is true, even if it is not. They may also expertly weave lies into sentences by using methods such as not telling the whole truth or letting others assume things.
If you drink or eat any of their food then you cannot leave Seelie Court unless the Queen lets you leave.
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Post by Spotify on Apr 28, 2013 7:05:35 GMT -7
Weapons, Runes, and Other importan things...
Runes, sometimes referred to as marks, are markings used by the Nephilim. A stele is used to draw them and they have a variety of effects.
Runes are what make Shadowhunters different from average humans. They are markings given to the first generation of Shadowhunters by the Angel Raziel to assist them in fighting the Demons they were tasked to eradicate. Every rune known to the Shadowhunters is recorded in the Gray Book. This is a specially crafted book with each rune place in its pages. Copies of the book are rare because each book must be specially made as many of the runes would burn normal paper.
Many Runes are temporary, fade with time. These runes will always leave behind a faint silver scar symbolic of the rune that was once placed there. These runes would need to be drawn again for their effects to be felt again. Other runes are permanent. These runes never fade and their effects constantly work on the Shadowhunter they were placed on.
The placement of runes also adds to their effectiveness. The closer a rune is place to the heart, the more effective it is. Some runes are place on hands and arms and legs because they target that particular area. The force that the rune is drawn with is also a factor in how long it lasts. The harder someone presses when drawing the rune makes it last longer.
Shadowhunters are the only beings able to bear the Angel's marks. Most marks can only be worn by Shadowhunters. When drawn on mundanes, they burn. However, several marks, powerful ones, would drive any average person insane. They would be turned into Forsaken, mindless servants to the one who marked them, and they would never be the same. Downworlders that are marked cannot bear the runes. They will kill them on contact.
Most runes are meant to be used on people. However, there are many runes that are used on other things. Runes are placed on the weapons Shadowhunters use to prevent demons from healing when wounded by them. There are runes that can be used to lock and unlock doors, create fires, and a wide array of other abilities.
Weapons, basically any weapon you can think of, but their are some new ones you need to know. The first is Serpah Blades and after that its steeles and sensors.
Seraph Blades are the primary weapons of the Nephilim. They are made of adamas crafted by the Iron Sisters. They call upon the power of an Angel's name to access the blade's power.
The seraph blades are, when deactivated, dull tubes with blunt edges. They are crafted by the Iron Sisters to be used as weapons. When the weapons are distributed to Shadowhunters, each Shadowhunter gives the individual blade a name. Any angel's name, except for Raziel, would be sufficient to be called upon. When the name is called, the blade springs to life, growing into a bright, glowing dagger.
Because only the Iron Sisters are allowed to make the actual blades, it seems that a blade can be refined at a Shadowhunter's personal preference. A longer blade could be used if desired as well as a shorted blade.
Seraph blades are activated when their name is called, becoming stronger the louder their name is yelled. They are an efficent way to kill demons, but do not work, and disintegrate when used on the last version of Mortmains clockwork automatons.
Steles are the weapons used by Shadowhunters to draw runes onto their skins. There are many different models of steles, often evolving as cell phones do. They look like long, slender twigs. They are made of adamas and crafted by the Iron Sisters. Lengths and styles depend on the owner.
It is a device that allows Shadowhunters to detect the presence of demonic frequencies or energies. When in its ordinary metal and plastic form, it has buttons and also has delicate runes engraved all over it.
Other important things include the Silent brothers, the Iron sisters, and the gray book.
The Silent Brothers are a powerful group of all male Shadowhunters. To strengthen their minds, they have taken upon themselves the most powerful of runes known to Shadowhunters. However, the process mutilates their appearance. They are among the most feared and dangerous Shadowhunters. They are so powerful that they even scare other Shadowhunters.
The Silent Brothers are Archivists. They keep the records of the Nephilim within the confines of the Silent City in which they reside. They are duty bound to assist Shadowhunters in their quests to defeat the forces of demons. They are not fighters in the way that other Shadowhunters are. They constantly do everything in their power to learn more.
Primarily, The Silent Brothers are archivists. They keep extensive records of all shadowhunter transactions and operations. They hold the histories of the Nephilim within the confines of their Silent City. They keep the information on all recorded cases of reparations within their archives.
Additionally, the Silent Brothers keep exhaustive records on all members of the Clave. They have knowledge of all Shadowhunters. Their records even stretch so far as to knowing the Shadowhunters since the beginning of the race.
The Silent Brothers usually cover themselves with heavy hooded robes the colour of parchment and with an intricate runic design along the hem and sleeves in the colour of dried blood. Underneath the robe they have bald heads that are as white as eggs. They have no eyes, just indents where they had once been. Their lips are crisscrossed with a pattern of dark lines that resemble surgical stitches. Their skin is as thin as parchment paper and inked all over with runes.
The Iron Sisters are the female counterparts of the Silent Brothers. Very little is known about them except that they are a communal organization that, when tested, Charlotte Branwell had them at her disposal. They are the creators and forgers of Shadowhunter weapons. They are the only ones who know how to shape adamas, the material that steles, witchlight runestones, and the demon towers of Alicante are made of.
The Iron Sisters all wear pale white gowns. The gowns blend in with the mist that encroaches the Adament Citadel so when they come to speak with someone, they seem to appear out of nowhere. Additionally, all Iron Sisters possess orange eyes the color of flames.
The Gray Book is a sacred ancient text, a tome, some might say. The pages are special paper for holding runes, with some runes so powerful, they'd burn through regular pages. In it is copied every rune Angel Raziel wrote in the original Book of the Covenant. There are few copies left as they have to be specially made. The High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane and Hodge Starkweather have their own. Shadowhunters learn one rune at a time from the book, and it usually takes a while for one to learn a single rune.
Idris is the Shadowhunter home country located between Germany and France. Its capital is Alicante, also called the Glass City. Wardings have been put up over all its borders so that if mundanes try to cross into it, they are instantly transported from one border to the next and therefore few mundanes know about it. A counterpart to mundane globes can be found in the Institute's library, which includes other lands only known to the beings of the Shadow Realms.
Most Shadowhunters come from Idris, and some even grow up and are trained there. Hodge Starkweather, was cursed to never leave the Institute during his exile as punishment, he was particularly banned from Idris, seeing it as a heavy punishment as most Shadowhunters who grew up here long to be in their home country. |
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Post by Spotify on Apr 28, 2013 7:28:03 GMT -7
Open! Got an questions? Just ask!
Hope stared out at the horizon, her gold whip curled around her arm like a bracelet,"Luka."she whispered, smiling just the slightest as she turned to look at her older brother. Unlike Hope, he didn't inherit his mother ability to create new runes, though he was a fine Shadowhunter like their father, Jace. "Mom wants you to go out with her. The faeries have requested her and your audience. Bring another Shadowhunter too, but I can't go. My job is to distract dad since you know he won't ever let go there by herself or you for that matter."he said, grinning lazily.
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Post by Cloudy on Apr 28, 2013 7:28:36 GMT -7
[FIRST]
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Post by Cloudy on Apr 28, 2013 7:32:57 GMT -7
Raphael's dark, distant gaze was settled on the far-off lands. The young man, aged seventeen, leaned against the rough brick wall of the building behind him, toned arms crossed over his chest. The wind stirred his night-colored hair slightly, but he remained still, waiting; watching. His fingers drummed across his bicep absently, the odd coloring of his amber eyes swimming slightly with power. He was an imposing figure - that much was certain. Tucked into his back pocket was his Seraph blade, the dull, circular tube inactivated at the moment. He cocked his head to the side, pupils narrowing as he listening to the hustle and bustle of the mundane humans around him, watching them absently as they hurried to their destination, wholly unaware of the beings that lurked in their midst - beings that would happily rip out their hearts and laugh and devour it without a second though.
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Post by Spotify on Apr 28, 2013 7:47:45 GMT -7
Hope stared out at the horizon, her gold whip curled around her arm like a bracelet,"Luka."she whispered, smiling just the slightest as she turned to look at her older brother. Unlike Hope, he didn't inherit his mother ability to create new runes, though he was a fine Shadowhunter like their father, Jace. "Mom wants you to go out with her. The faeries have requested her and your audience. Bring another Shadowhunter too, but I can't go. My job is to distract dad since you know he won't ever let go there by herself or you for that matter."he said, grinning lazily. |
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Post by Cloudy on Apr 28, 2013 7:53:17 GMT -7
Raphael gave a bored sigh, pushing himself off of the wall reluctantly. He turned north, towards the horizon, and began to walk. He was dressed fairly casually, with his dark colored jeans and the dark blue shirt he wore. He'd rolled the sleeves up so they pooled about his elbow, though none of his runes were revealed by the action. Raphael wasn't stupid, and as such knew better than to reveal his runes to humans. It would only cause too much trouble. His amber eyes grew a tad darker as he pondered the mundane species, thinking about their blissful lives. It must be nice, not having to worry about when your death would finally claim you. Raphael smirked; his mother had ensured his favor with the angels by giving him the name 'Raphael,' which meant 'God has healed' and was the name of one of the seven archangels.
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Post by Spotify on Apr 28, 2013 8:04:41 GMT -7
Hope's eyes wandered down below to the street, immediately her gaze fell on Raphael. He was invisible to the mundane world. All Shadowhunters were unless one of the mundane had the sight. She smiled and propped open the window of the institute,"Raphael!"she called, she needed another Shadowhunter to come with her and her mother to the Seelie Faerie court. Hope, herself didn't like the fair folk, they were tricksters and more than once had Hope found herself in trouble with her parents because of them. Her eyes gleamed as she launched herself out of the window. Her whip shot out and curled around a nearby chimney. Gently, Hope landed on the ground and with one flick of her wrist her whip was once more curled around her wrist,"Raphael!"she called once more.
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Post by Cloudy on Apr 28, 2013 8:12:41 GMT -7
Raphael spun almost instantly, instinctively dropping into a defensive crouch. His amber eyes were glowing but he relaxed his pose, pulling himself to his full 6'4 height. "That is my name," he rumbled. "Is there something I can do for you, Hope?" He absently crossed his arms across his chest, eyeing the whip. He wasn't a fan of whips, honestly. He'd been at the receiving end of a warlock's magically enhanced whip once, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Raphael himself was a powerful Shadow-hunter, and was deadly in his own right, though his parentage was nothing spectacular like Hope's. His mother was an average Shadowhunter who had fallen in love with a human; she'd had to severe all ties to the supernatural world. However, they'd staked a claim on Raphael the instant he was of age. It had pissed his mother off, but she'd been unable to do anything.
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