A call has been issued...
... and you have answered — welcome to New Portsmouth, who are you going to be?
SPECIES
Humans aren't alone in the secret world. The Bestiary offers a taste of the many fellows humans find in the shadows.
CALLING
Somehow, some way, you have found yourself in New Portsmouth. Tell me, what has called your soul here?
ALLEGIANCE
We all need friends in a world like this. Choose yours wisely.
Anima Mundi is an Original Character (OC) focused roleplay group; we only accept OCs made for or tailored to this setting. Expies, as long as they have been made into a unique character, are also welcome.We ask that all characters you app are able to communicate in some way (spoken, written, somatic, telepathic, etc) and to be in possession of sentience. Beyond that, we welcome you to be creative. Ask if you have any questions or concerns!You may play up to 5 active characters at a time."Active" characters will be the primary characters you RP with and submit applications for. They will be allowed to take part in main plot events, participate in Society activities, and drive the overall story of AM forward!If you wish to retire any of your active characters, please communicate this to the mods. The retired character will become an NPC. You can reintroduce retired characters to your active roster at any time with mod approval.Any number of NPCs are welcome, but have certain restrictions.
Our baseline expectations for NPCs are:
NPCs do not require apps, but if you want to give them powers or have them be non-human, open a ticket with us so we can lore check accordingly.
NPCs should only be used as an accessory to a scene and never as the primary interaction with an active character. Therefore, no 1 on 1 threads between an active character and NPC.
NPCs should not fill a niche that can otherwise be filled by an active character. Get involved with your fellow players and put out a call for if anyone would like to volunteer their active character to play a certain role in your plot idea or in your business, etc, before delegating that to an NPC.
If you are using an NPC with the intention to have them be majorly relevant to any active character's development, then it would be better to submit an application for them, even if you have no plans for their personal arc. They can be retired when no longer relevant!
NPCs may take major roles in player-run events as needed, but are not allowed to participate in Main Plot mod-run events.
Bestiary
There are more species that join humanity in calling Earth home than one could ever hope to catalog in full, but the Pacific Northwest has a few common fellows you should expect to see in day-to-day life while visiting extraordinary-friendly places like New Portsmouth.
SPIRITS
Creatures of myths and tales.
WEREBEASTS
Shapeshifters, children of beasts.
OTHERS
Beyond the "common" extraordinary.
Demons
The concept of the demon appears in various forms across cultures, usually attributed to causing illness and misfortune. Despite what many claim, Demons are not creatures of Hell; they are children of the Void. They aren’t beings of evil, instead entities of deficiency.A demon is created when the Void is imposed upon; if a belief in something that doesn’t currently exist is held strongly enough, then this belief is forced upon the Void, who is concerned with Nothingness and thus rejects the belief in whole. To do so, the Void creates a vessel which it then fills with the magical power of the belief that was muddying its pure nonexistence. This now-full vessel is a demon.Demons at their core exist as ‘nothing’. As blank slates, they adopt the characteristics projected onto them by either their formative belief or those around them. If formed in answer to a belief that there are soul-eating ghosts in an ancient structure, they will shape themselves to match and follow their new directive. If the demon is believed to entice others to act immorally, then that is what they will do. They have no predictable behavior, appearance, or weaknesses.As children of the Void, all demons are innately tied to the dark magic half of the Celestial font. Some demons can become practitioners of other fonts due to shaping at the hands of belief, but the Void is always at their core.Demons are unable to sexually reproduce, meaning that the existence of ‘half-demons’ is instead the result of a child being touched by the void. True demons may be able to shed their connection to the Void and fully actualize as something almost human, losing many of their powers in the process.
Categorizations
Though there are many subsets and types of demons, each will come under one of two categories: Guardians and Wanderers.
GUARDIANS are tied to a specific concept; this may be something tangible such beliefs about a place or an object, or something more abstract such as a particular phobia. Guardians are bound to and defined by these concepts, and often have power related to them.
WANDERERS are untethered from obligation to a concept. They are shaped by the chaotic mix of belief and emotion around them. Wanderers are always changing, in a state of constant flux and want for a focus. Some find it, many fade back into the void.
Spirits
Creatures spoken of in myths, fairy tales, and stories. Spirits are a wide family of creatures, their unifying trait being that all were born from or shaped by the power of storytelling. Under this umbrella live beings like faeries, ghosts, and cryptids.As they gain empowerment through belief in stories told about them, spirits often intervene to help weave said tales and shape them to their whims. Many are also masters and tenders of the Dictum font, utilizing myth to create unbreakable rules or trick fools into contracts.
Categorizations
What kind of spirit you may meet depends on where in the world you choose to look. As stories differ between countries and cultures, so too do the beings brought to life by them. However there are three basic types.
TRICKSTERS are Spirits who delight in manipulation and exploitation of mortals and their fellow spirits. A prime example is the western Fae. Under this branch also lives the subtype of Proprietors, Spirits who entrap victims in their own constructed domains.
APPARITIONS are Spirits concerned with haunting, and will play parts to extract energy from other living things. There are many kinds; from ‘ghosts’ informed by the echoes of a soul’s Dynamism that then haunt their loved ones or their site of death, to creatures that attach themselves to places and people to siphon energy from fear.
HUNTERS, the final kind of spirit, are the most malicious. These spirits aren’t satisfied just with power from stories and emotions – they hunger for flesh and souls. Creatures such as Kelpies and Basilisks are members of this category. Hunters will choose pray and chase it to the end of the earth.
Vampires
Once mortal, now transformed into immortal beings that can only subsist on blood. Vampires have been recorded across the globe, including many regional vampiric creatures such as the jiangshi and strigoi.
Origins
Though often thought to be undead, physical death is not a requirement for becoming a vampire. Rather, what is required is the ‘death of the soul’. Currently there are three known causes:
Committing a great act of perceived sin and feeling such guilt that the soul 'dies'. The body lives while the soul reaches a state of ‘undeath’. The body then transforms into a non-human entity of bloodthirst over the course of 20-40 days. A portion of this time is spent in a pupal form where one's original body is dissolved and re-grown in an exact replica of the original, save for new Vampiric traits.
Progeny of vampires will not be born as vampires, but are predisposed to becoming one; it may take a less grievous trauma to trigger the transformation.
Being non-lethally bitten and then fed a vampire's blood in an act of ritual (known as ‘siring’) by an established vampire.
Traits
Vampires rarely look different from humans, though they are occasionally more pallid due to their aversion to sunlight. Their fangs are retractable at-will and are not a reliable identifier. A lack of reflection in silver-backed mirrors is the single persistent trait of all vampires.While not truly nocturnal, vampires are most active at night due to increased light sensitivity, warranting sunglasses and UV protection creams. Some also prefer the night as it makes anonymity easier to maintain, as many vampires lead reclusive lifestyles.Vampires must consume blood as a replacement for all other foods or they will suffer symptoms of starvation. Animal blood can sate one’s appetite, but will not provide the same nourishment as human blood, leaving the vampire weakened. Feeding is not inherently fatal for the prey.Refusing to feed causes a vampire’s consciousness to wither, reducing them to a ‘husk’ that will act autonomously and hunt for prey with disregard for all else but the need to eat. They will kill all victims they do not plan to sire in their instinctual haze.Some vampires are capable of acts of mental influence and hypnosis. Some also transform into animals, similar to werebeasts but without the necessary pelt or size restrictions. They favor smaller creatures such as bats. Whether a vampire has one, all, or none of these varies case-by-case.
Werebeasts
Werebeasts (or therianthropes) are humans that have, via bite or lineage, gained the ability to transform into a beast. The most commonly reported type of werebeasts in folklore are werewolves, but a were’s shape can be that of any animal.It is understood that therianthropy is transmitted as a curse via a non-lethal bite from a werebeast to a human. History traces the curse back to people donning themselves in magicked animal skins with intention to transform, with modern werebeasts being their descendants.
Identification
In their human form, werebeasts behave and appear no different from a human; there are no hallmark traits to identify them. However after their first transformation, every werebeast returns to their human self wearing a pelt reflective of their beast form.In their animal form, werebeasts are almost indistinguishable from regular animals of their species. But there are two defining tells: they retain both their human eyes and their human voice. Coherency of speech depends on their degree of ferality.
Logistics of Transformation
A therianthrope’s pelt is the same size as their were form. This pelt serves as their transformation catalyst, as well as existing as an extension of themselves; any damage done to the pelt is reflected on the owner, or vice versa. Severing any section of a pelt will sever the corresponding human appendage of the were. A pelt can be magically fashioned into many shapes for covert every day wear, but it cannot be smaller than its original form and must stay in one piece.The lunar cycle does not affect a were’s transformation, but it is traditional to do so on nights near the full moon. The urge to transform increases over time; abstinence from it is possible but leads to adverse mental and physical effects. Including the loss of control in animal form.Why a shifter becomes a certain species is unclear. The magic involved cannot drastically affect size – a were’s animal form will be similar in scale to their human one. There is no known cure for therianthropy. Historical ‘cures’ include wolfsbane, exorcism, and use of silver – all ineffective.
Other Beasts...
The creatures listed in this Bestiary are but a fraction of those that exist in this world. Possibilities and the fonts of magic that feed them are limitless. As stated previously, if it exists in the annals of human history - whether spoken, worshiped, or reviled - then it lives. To that end, the Anima Mundi mod team welcomes and encourages players to either pitch ideas for beasts and species they would like added, or to submit a write-up to be added to this page.
Player-Submitted Species
The below Creatures are pitched by Anima Mundi's players. By sharing the write-ups for these species, the creators have opened said species up for other players to make characters with them.
THE MISTS - MISTWALKERS | Creator: Fizz
In a closed-off dimension known as The Mists, peace, joy, and laughter are the only things known by the inhabitants. Creatures that live there, Mistwalkers, vary greatly in form - traits from our world can be seen, but usually are in combination with others. An example would be the satyr - a humanoid with goat legs and other features. They are usually smaller in stature than humans, and are adept at climbing. Mistwalkers have an increased tolerance for mundane poisons and toxins, but struggle with withdrawal symptoms when brought to the mundane world. The Mists can only be accessed from this world by powerful magicks. The most common reason to seek the realm out is to induce euphoria and hallucinations by breathing in the air.
Submission Guidelines
Before submitting a write-up or pitching an idea, please contact mods via the #help-and-questions channel or through a ticket to confirm that your idea is not already covered by one of the four main species (they are umbrella categories after all) and is lore-compliant in concept. After you have done this, proceed to below.
TO PITCH AN IDEA write up a brief summary of the concept and what you feel are the core/most important traits of the beast. Please try to keep this summary under 100 words. Then submit this to the mods through the tickets system with the species name(s) bolded at the top of the message. From here, the mod team will take over and brainstorm further details before creating a write-up on your behalf and adding it to this page.
TO SUBMIT A WRITE-UP, create a thorough but succinct summary of your beast in under or around 150 words. Include a basic overview, identifiable or distinct traits, weaknesses, unique powers or history, and other relevant details. Please submit it to the mods in a ticket for review. We may edit this write-up slightly for posting, then add it to this page!
If we on the mod team have any questions or concerns, we will contact you via DMs after submission. We look forward to seeing what you make!
Fonts of Power
Many magical forces make their mark on the flow of this world; the sources of these magics are known as “Fonts of Power.” Though they are grouped under one label, no two fonts are the same in how they manifest and some are simply attempts to categorize the ungraspable.Each soul is innately tied to one of these fonts – though this can be overwritten if they are touched by a second font in the course of their journey. Only one font may maintain claim to a soul. In the case of multiple souls inhabiting one physical form, each soul may be connected to a different font.
CELESTIAL
Light and shadow intertwined, vast emptiness, the arcane power of symbols.
CHAOS
Cause and effect, the truth of created destiny, the power of ritual and routine.
FLESH
Blood and sinew, life’s innate hunger, control through force.
CORRUPTION
Domain of slow deaths, pestilence and rot, the end of cycles and what grows from it.
PRIMORDIAL
The elements, ancient magics, the domain of appointed gods.
DICTUM
Edicts and rules, the power of speech, domain over spaces.
ROOTS
Harmony in connection, boundless growth, the will of the wild.
DYNAMISM
Forces unseen, that which is unknown, energy in all its forms.
PITCH
Unnatural hunger, destruction as sustenance, consumption of personhood.
Pitch is not selectable.
Calling
To live is to be called; by friends, foes, forces, futures. What defines a soul are those calls that it answers. Somehow, some way, you have found yourself in New Portsmouth. Tell me, what has called your soul here?
Summons: Your time has come – whether you knew to expect it or not. Something beyond you laid the path to your destination and now draws you down it. You are powerless to resist.
Orders: Many of the largest Secret Societies are always hiring, and you signed on for a job. Maybe you’re pushing papers, maybe you’re doing the recruiting, maybe you’re even on field operations. Whatever your normal role, staffing shuffle demands you take this trip – alone or with a team. Either way, orders are orders. Welcome to your new temporary post!
Birth: This cove is your home. Some of the town’s elders joke; from birth to death the children of New Portsmouth never quite seem to succeed in leaving. Even those that depart briefly seem drawn back, like a lodestone calibrating without fail. You are no exception; whether you’ve tried to leave or no, something keeps you tethered to this rocky beach.
Wanderlust: Winds and waves sweep you across land and sea. Your soul is ushered hither and back – only this endless trek fills you with satisfaction. Now you sweep into New Portsmouth, in search of your next great adventure. Who knew such things could grow in small towns like this?
Growth: You hunger; ambition, thirst for knowledge, want for safety, desperate curiosity. Something drives you forward, forces you to grow. There are so many ways to flourish. Academics could bring you to the satellite campus, or intrigue draws you to this storied town, or a need for guidance brings you to the esteemed residents of this port. Something you need is here, so here is where you must be.
Chance: How did you end up here? It feels like you tripped on your intended path, met the dirt, then straightened up to find yourself disoriented and wholly displaced. Emotionally, of course. Whatever the true chain of events, you didn’t mean to end up in New Portsmouth but you’re here now – and no matter how you try, you just can’t seem to leave. Luck just isn’t on your side these days.
Suits
If fonts are the ink with which magic is written into existence, suits are the pen. Suits are an expression of a practitioner's relationship with their font. They define how practitioners bring forth their magic, and how said magic expresses itself. They are separated into two sets of opposing houses; selfish and selfless, manifestation and manipulation.Selfish magic is that which is innately focused solely on yourself or a single target at a time; Selfless magic is innately focused upon a group, friend or foe.Manifestation magic is concerned with conjuration and creation in a physical or direct sense, summoned by direct connection to a font; Manipulation magic focuses on controlling already-present material through invocation of a font and via understanding said font’s flow and inner workings.One can push their magic to expand or sharpen its focus to run against their suit, but it is much more difficult. Ones suit can also change with time, as they grow or change over the course of their life. In cases where a practitioner has alters, each alter may have a unique suit, separate from the host.
Wands
Selfish — Manipulation
The suit of Artisans; creativity and will, focused on your own improvement and innovation. Those in this suit find their prowess lies in the creation of new magic from understanding of its core tenets, be this scholarly or from extensive testing.
Pentacles
Selfish — Manifestation
The suit of Merchants; cunning and resourcefulness, concerned with creation to your own ends. Those in this suit manifest their font’s magic effortlessly, drawing on their connection to realize that which they need or want most.
Cups
Selfless — Manipulation
The suit of Clergy; emotion and devotion, driven by the need to curate community. Those in this suit concern themselves with cultivating a magical base best suited for empowering or managing others, no matter their intentions.
Swords
Selfless — Manifestation
The suit of Warriors; reason and focus, occupied with protection and construction. Those in this suit excel in manifesting their font to defend people or ideals, or to build a more advantageous vantage for them and their allies.
Allegiance
The company one keeps defines them as much as their own actions; this is especially true in the fractured world of magic and monsters. Whose flag you fly impacts your every connection, each coming with its own weighty history.Allegiances are not permanent and can change during roleplay.Upon joining a society, they will provide you with a small initiation pack.
Moonlighters
Hunters, Adventurers, Outfitters and Trainers.
Sisterhood of Scholars
Collectors of knowledge, scions of secrets.
Guides
The hidden eyes, rumored watchers.
Not selectable.
Sentinels of Danube
Defenders of the innocent, warriors and protectors.
Chapman Resources Group
Private army for hire, specialized and deadly.
Others
Endless opportunities exist in the hidden world.
🌘 Moonlighters 🌖
The Moonlighters began as a cabal of werewolves-turned-monster hunters centuries ago – the exact date and town of origin is under constant debate. In the modern era they welcome anyone to their ranks and are the premiere monster hunting trainers and outfitters.They also maintain a public bounty board, with special listings saved for members only. This board is mainly made up of monster slaying quests, along with occasional requests for magical aid, reagent requests, and more.
Relationships
Moonlighters and Sentinels mix like oil and water – a long-standing difference of opinion between leaders trickling down to taint even casual contact between members. Moonlighters claim Sentinels are stick-up-their-asses bullies with no sense of adventure.
Like the rest of the hidden world, Moonlighters are leery of the Chapman Resources Group, but are more open to them than most thanks to their shared role as hired hands.
Moonlighters have no strong shared feeling about the Sisterhood of Scholars; opinion sways dependent on who you speak to.
Identification
Moonlighters have no standard uniform and no unified heraldry. Instead they pay homage to their founders by favoring moon iconography and occasionally an abundance of furred accessories. Waxing or waning moon pins are common as a sign of allegiance.
Initiation Pack
Those who join the Moonlighters receive:
A notated beastiary of nearly-all creatures in the secret world
A trap kit of choice
A full custom set of armor in your preferred style
⚔️ Sentinels of Danube 🛡️
A storied and proud organization of warriors. It began as a specialized alliance formed to protect Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria from the encroaching creatures of the night and their bloodlust. It was named for the river the states used as a final defensive line.In the ensuing centuries, they have spread their “protection” to every corner of the globe. Their oaths demand loyalty, sacrifice to protect the innocent, and no mercy rendered to those that threaten them.The Sentinels are a Society rife with internal political strife - "uniting" multiple Balkan states is only possible to a certain point.Many vampires, among other night-dwellers, still hold some grudges against the Sentinels for their origins, but it isn’t a universal opinion. The Sentinels even boast a few vampires in their ranks.
Relationships
The Sentinels loathe the “unorganized, undisciplined, and selfish” Moonlighters for their unfocused goals and lack of true moral unity. The differences in opinion between Moonlighter and Sentinel leadership taints all contact between the two, even down to the rank-and-file members.
The Sentinels quarrel with the ** Sisterhood of Scholars** as both of them vie to collect as many magical artifacts as possible, often stepping on each other's toes. Sisters see them as power-hungry thieves, while Sentinels return the sentiment by regarding them as spineless hoarders.
Chapman Resources Group receives a similar treatment to Moonlighters; the Sentinels begrudge their mercenary ways, however in some ways they are worse than the Moonlighters, as some Sentinels consider the CRG to be a threat to the hidden world as a whole.
Identification
The Sentinels of Danube's heraldry is a pair of crossed swords over a shield detailed with a rushing river, exact depiction dependent on branch. Many Sentinels have this crest tattooed on their arms, upper shoulder, or back.Their identifying color is white, with a secondary color joining it depending on which branch of the organization a member belongs to. Blue for Research & Development, yellow for Troops & Military, and red for Medics & Mages. Deployed members are required to dress accordingly.
Initiation Pack
Those who join the Sentinels of Danube receive:
A brooch with the Sentinels coat of arms
A high quality weapon of your choice with a carrying case that is easy to conceal
📜 Sisterhood of Scholars 🤝
Once a small and reclusive coven of witches, their beloved patron deity issued a mandate in the face of swelling tensions across the secret world: collect and protect all that you can, pursue knowledge and preservation above all else.Since then, the Sisters have only grown in size and power, spiriting away magical artifacts one after another. One can find a branch circle in every region of the globe. No one is sure where all their spoils go, but their collection is suspected to be the largest library in existence.
Relationships
The Sisters claim not to hold grudges – their focus is wholly on knowledge and not politics – but they fail to remain completely neutral on their contemporaries.
They are as leery of the Chapman Resources Group as any other society, though much less-so than the Sentinels.
To the Sisters, the Sentinels of Danube are an annoyance. They only manage to spirit away a handful of items the Sisters set out to claim, but even one is enough to earn the covenant's ire.
Moonlighters are no more than a passing afterthought to the Sisters. When they do come to mind, disapproval follows, as Sisters consider them to be lacking in true focus or vision.
Identification
Sworn members of the Sisterhood are not, in fact, solely women. The circle welcomes all; those that join are gifted with a bronze pendant, engraved with a pair of clasped hands. It is to be worn on one's person, though how is up to the wearer. Rumor suggests these pendants are how Sisters access their vast libraries.Black, bronze, and silver are the chosen colors of the Sisters. Only the higher seated members bother observing a dress-code. While a large organization, the Sisters are tight-knit enough to always recognize their own.
Initiation Pack
Those who join the Sisterhood of Scholars receive:
A bronze pendant engraved with a pair of clasped hands
A small enchanted bag of holding
An ecyclopedia on the Secret World's hidden Societies
🎖️ Chapman Resources Group 🔷
Money talks, even in the secret world. CRG are especially good at such conversations. This UK-based private-business-turned-society is better described as an armed militia-for-hire that specializes in combat against fellow supernatural entities.A majority of CRG's jobs are done for private entities; protecting an estate, "repossessing" important items, or even assassination. But sometimes they are contracted by in-the-know governments or officials to handle hazards outside the government's abilities.The organization is split into separate combat units, each run by a core of officers. Every unit has a specialty and a preferred area of operation in the world, though some travel extensively. Like the sisters, CRG is extremely tight-knit. Partly thanks to their unfavorable reputation.
Relationships
While few large societies have true friends in the hidden world, none are disliked quite as much as CRG. Whether the reasons are unfounded or not, the only global society even willing to enter talks with them are the Moonlighters, on a case-by-case basis.
CRG sees the Sentinels of Danube as their only true threat -- the feeling is mutual. The two have a bloody history as recently as a couple decades ago.
To CRG, the Sisterhood of Scholars are a hindrance to business, thanks to all the thefts Sisters have attempted (more have succeeded than failed).
Moonlighters are fair-weather allies to CRG. When their goals align, they can put some faith in the Moonlighters tagging along. If they don't, they're as much at odds as any other society.
Identification
CRG has a strict uniform policy for deployed units. The uniform consists of standard fatigues in indigo blue, any required harnesses for weapons, black standard issue boots, and a face covering of choice in matching black or blue. Rank is indicated via color-coded sets of embroidered lines on the breast and shoulder of the fatigues.Further shows of allegiance range from tattoos of a trio of coins (CRG's unofficial iconography) to tastefully minimalist ballcaps with the company's initials embroidered on.
Initiation Pack
Those who join the Chapman Resources Group receive:
1 pair of standard-issue boots
A ballcap with the CRG logo
A face covering of choice
1 weapon of choice
1 boot knife
🗨 Guides 👁️
Not much is known of this supposedly-extant society, mainly relegated to myth and gossip. Only this is known: should the Guides exist, their role is to observe, mediate, and keep the secret world safe from wide-spread discovery.Guides are not a selectable Allegiance.
Relationships... ?
The Sentinels of Danube claim that they have had contact with the Guides, though they keep details close to their chest. As a whole, the organization puts weight behind the Guides’ name.
The Sisterhood of Scholars certainly believe in the Guides, though they feel that whatever the Guides do is simply not their business. As a subtle and tight-lipped society, they don't fear the Guides' eye ever falling upon them.
Chapman Resources Group, and many of the newer extraordinary generations across the secret world as a whole, put very little stock in the whispers of Guides. Those are tales of the older, more paranoid generations.
Moonlighters are, as ever, spread in their opinions. However most sway towards belief, thanks to many of the oldest Moonlighters claiming to have had brushes with the Guides in previous centuries.
Identification... ?
Most rumors claim guides mark their watch over a region by carving or painting eyes in vantage points scattered around the area. Yet more claim said markings are filled with magic, working as some sort of observation network.
Others...
Global players are only a small slice of the Allegiances one can find in the hidden world. Country-specific, regional, and local societies each have their own sway and power. From a local vampire coven to a nation's Spirit coalition, the options are endless.Players in AM are invited to create their own societies, or to join some of New Portsmouth's smaller societies.To create a society, contact the mods through the discord's tickets function. Create a ticket, state the society's name, its focus/purpose, any other starting members, a starter pack it would provide all initiates, and an emoji to use as a representation. For any future members, they can receive the Society's role by reacting to the representative emoji on the IC Role Selection message in #role-selection.
New Portsmouth's Societies
Briarden Pack –Portsmouth's local werebeast pack. They live in a jointly-owned smattering of cabins on New Portsmouth's outer fringes, along the edges of the Hoh rainforest. They accept all manner of shifters. Their pack leader is an elderly woman named Vivian Briarden, who currently serves as a member of city council.
Those joining the Briarden Pack receive: a key to your own personal cabin on Briarden lands, a rawhide bracelet, and a hand-knit sweater.Coven of Starlight – New Portsmouth's largest vampire coven. Lead by the young vampire Hoang Gia Huy, they are a community-focused coven that takes care of both their own and the locals. They run and maintain a housing co-op that offers town members safe housing at low or no cost.
Those joining the Coven of Starlight receive: an aquamarine pendant enchanted with a communication spell, gardening equipment, and a warm pair of leather gloves.Friends of Ruby – Reclusive and secretive, Portsmouth's second vampire covenant is full of older vampires who want peace and privacy. It's hard to gather any detail about them, beyond the fact they are present in town.
Those joining the Friends of Ruby receive: a gold ring, an address book of all other Friends, and an antique coffin in your preferred style.Weaver's Loom – A loosely-aligned collection of witches, wizards, warlocks, and other magical practitioners. Most members are solitary people, but participate in the society to keep their interests jointly protected in the town's politics. Some members are also a part of other societies, considering Weaver's Loom a secondary affiliation.
Those joining Weaver's Loom receive: a chest of magical reagents, a compendium of Weavers' personal spells, and a thread-cutting ring in your preferred style.
Player Societies
Shepherds of Capricorn — An extremely old and secretive church that lurks in the dark places of New Portsmouth. They open their doors to all those who live in the shadows, outcasts of the magical world with nowhere else to turn, and offer them salvation through the embrace of The Black Goat. Their current leader is the weregoat Landon Hartly. (Run by Pedro)
Those who join Shepherds of Capricorn will receive: a black hooded robe with furred shoulders, a runed eyepatch, a handbook of the Society's rituals and secret passages throughout New Portsmouth, and a small bag containing precious stones and incense.Tianxia Shenyou — The Tianxia Shenyou are the oldest surviving magical society in China. Originally founded around 220 BCE by Qin Shi Huang, the organisation’s name means “Friends to all magic (under the sun)”. Although far from the only society in China, it is the largest and most authoritative of them all, establishing and enforcing rules for practitioners of magic both human and non. They also provide an avenue for immortals and cultivators to take on legal identities in the modern human world, should they wish to. (Run by Yarrow)
Those who join Tianxia Shenyou will receive: ... a copy of the Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet? It's what Yufei has on hand.The Old World — Members of T.O.W. meet at the ancient town archive (the New Portsmouth Athenaeum) to drink free tea, research magical history and culture, and debate & preserve the history of the old world. It's fashioned as an intellectual & social group, and their aim is to document all magical (and sometimes human) happenings with a view to study them. Additionally, they have a strict policy of neutrality, and are open for all to join regardless of other societal affiliation — so long as inter-society politics are not discussed within the Athenaeum’s walls. Whether this rule will stay upheld, remains to be seen. (Run by Gabbo)
Those who join The Old World will receive: a magical scrying mirror in the form of a bedazzled makeup compact, a $10 Vanilla Bean Coffee Shop gift card.Ancient Ones — Just as human society has developed numerous wonders of the modern world, so has the supernatural one, chief among them being bureaucracy. How exciting! The Ancient Ones are almost exclusively centuries old misbehaving supernaturals who are handed the unfortunate task of branching out overseas to maintain direct global communications across international communities. In extremely rare cases, they may even be assigned as temporary guardians or ambassadors to locations teeming with supernatural activity — in other words, the immortal equivalent of community service! (Run by Sol)
Those who join the Ancient Ones will receive: a charmed talisman bearing the sigil of the Ancient Ones, a magical self managing calendar-slash-diary, banshee teeth (for use in EMERGENCIES ONLY!)
Celestial
Light and shadow intertwined, vast emptiness, the arcane power of symbols.
Celestial is a font of endless potential, literally; one can tap the stars themselves for their blazing luminescence or the black holes for their inescapable capacity for annihilation or even the empty space that contains them for its lightless chill. In the abstract, Celestial also holds reign over the study of constellations and stellar patterns – making it the foremost source of power for arcane studies.Practitioners of the Celestial font find themselves drawn to the heavens; a constant pull to something vast and beyond their ken, no matter what aspect of the Celestial their power stems from. Few Celestial souls shine similarly.Domains of Power
- Astrology and Divination
- Light and Void magic
- Sigil-smithing, Runes, Arcana
Primordial
The elements, ancient magics, the domain of appointed gods.
Primordials are beings of pure magic that, while tethered to the extant world, struggle to interact with it directly. Instead they dispense a steady stream of magical energy, feeding the most basic elemental powers of the world. There are countless Primordials the world over, each an avatar of an element; these individual Primordials are what a soul becomes tied to, and only ever one of these at a time.Through the belief of devotees and practitioners, some Primordials are elevated to deities. This belief allows them to expand their domain of influence beyond simple elements and into the more fantastical or mundane, from harvests to burials and trade to safe passage. Whatever is believed to be their purview, becomes their domain.
Connection to a Primordial is fickle and dependent on the primordial itself, be they a deity or simply a natural force. Some choose practitioners at birth, others favor familial lineages, and yet others make connections with their chosen after catastrophic encounters with that Primordial’s domain. Sometimes without the chosen's knowledge.Players are welcomed and encouraged to create their own Primordials. They will need to be reviewed by the mods for lore accuracy, but we will work to make sure you're satisfied with your creation!Practitioners of the Primordial font are either chosen scions or devotees of a Primordial. Each is bound intrinsically with the core element of their respective Primordial's power, able to perform at least basic manipulation of said element.Domains of Power
- The Elements; Air, Earth, Water, Fire
- Wish-granting and Blessings
- Whatever each Primordial's devotees ascribe to them
Chaos
Cause and effect, the truth of created destiny, the power of ritual.
Chaos is a font founded on a simple set of beliefs: each action creates a new reality, every choice is a ripple that will become a wave, and no future is written in stone. The power of Chaos lies in tracing the path of these waves, tugging at the strings of causation and reality itself to bend it to your own ends. Chaos thrives in the small things; routines, rituals, choices made with intent. Its chosen, aware or blissfully ignorant, building a new future each day with the power of their free will.Partaking in a ritual or routine can help practitioners of Chaos manipulate outcomes of any given situation - whether they know it or not. Chaos can also be used to catch glimpses of the future, or manifest futures that you desire. Additionally, it can be used to sap luck or good fortune from foes.Practitioners of the Chaos font exist in constant opposition; the structure of routines at odds with flexibility to ride the shifting waves of destiny. For some this is a struggle, for others it's as natural as breathing to navigate Chaos in all its forms.Domains of Power
- Prediction, Shaping of Futures
- Rituals, Reality Bending
- Luck and Fortune
Dictum
Edicts and rules, the power of speech, domain over spaces.
Pacts, parlay, and propriety are Dictum’s main tenets. Within structure, there is power. Dictum is the favored font of many Spirits, namely the Fair Folk – they were one of its first adopters, after all. Those tied to Spirits find an easy connection in Dictum, though it is a font that welcomes all to dabble in its depths. Follow their example and tangle your prey in a mess of promises and pacts, or forge your own path. All you need is this structure – and your wit to manipulate it to your own ends.What is considered "structure" can be defined by each follower of Dictum on their own terms. Writing on a wall may make a space "yours" for the functions of a Dictum spell. Asking a question which demands an answer could be considered a contract. The list goes on - it is up to the practitioner to define what a "rule" is.Practitioners of the Dictum font revel in the innate power of contract – be it social, verbal, or written. Entering into a contract with a Dictum practitioner can look like anything between owing them money at risk of swift magical death, to being beholden to their whims as long as you are within the bounds of somewhere they have marked as belonging to them. Dictum is the most subtle font, many practitioners being completely unaware of the power they wield until having the hidden world revealed to them.Domains of Power
- Pacts, Contracts, and creation of Rules
- Trickery through Speech
- Propriety and Control of Spaces
Flesh
Blood and sinew, life’s innate hunger, control through force.
A much misunderstood font, Flesh is a magic born from the power of life’s most primal tenants. The hunt, butchery, and consumption are three of Flesh’s ruling principles. Alongside them sits the need to protect and nurture. To many, this mix means only ill. To a learned practitioner, Flesh is both blade and suture. One may enhance their own body just as readily as they may command another’s to mend, or yet other’s to move against their own mind’s will. Flesh is a domain of extremes; parasitism and slaughter in tandem with devotion and cultivation, all dependent on whose will the Flesh bends for.Practitioners of the Flesh font are innately in tune with the pulse of living things – be it their own heart or the rush through others' veins. To them, Flesh reveals its secrets.Domains of Power
- Heal & Harm
- Domination of Animate Flesh, Control of Bodies
- Altars & Sacrifice
Roots
Harmony in connection, boundless growth, the will of the wild.
From Yggdrasil gushes an endless spring of power. Its Roots dig deep and spread themselves across the world. Seas buzz with this magic; forests flush green with it; the world’s many creatures sup upon its bounty. To be bound to Roots is to take your place within nature’s endless weave - tending the whole as it nurtures you in kind. Roots grants its practitioners a connection to all the beauty and terror of the natural world, and asks them to love it unconditionally. Speak with beasts, cultivate flora; should the wilds have it, Roots can connect you to it. What you do with this privilege is left to you.Practitioners of the Roots font are gifted with at least partial ability to commune with nature. The extent is unique per soul, known to change over time as the wild sees fit. To Speak and Breathe with Roots is a gift, treat it as such.Domains of Power
- Nature's Gifts and Bounty
- Connection to the Living, Bonds
- Growth in All Forms, the Beginning of Cycles
Corruption
Slow deaths, pestilence and rot, the end of cycles and what grows from it.
Dark warmth; the beauty of a slow-dawning finale and the fresh soil it leaves behind, ripe for growth from its withered corpse. Within this font reigns the understanding of life as both eternal and finite, treasured yet understood as only a single step. Every agent of the inevitable end and its aftermath heralds Corruption as its guiding star: contagion to bring it forth, scavengers to clean the bones, flora to reduce what remains and usher the cycle to start anew. Corruption is kind, for all some endeavor to misunderstand it; take your place amongst its agents and find purpose in your feast.Practitioners of the Corruption font are siblings to those of Root; where the wild grows with abandon, decay follows after to keep Root's ambitions fed. Death and endings are their constant companions, Corruption's practitioners able to sense the signs of them the same as Root's may sense the rain. Together, they complete a cycle.Domains of Power
- Death in All Natural Forms
- Decay & Decomposition, the End of Cycles
- To Turn the Dead into Sustenance for Tomorrow's Life
Dynamism
Forces unseen, that which is unknown, energy in all its forms.
One of the younger fonts – though not in its existence, merely its taxonomy – Dynamism is the broadest font of them all. In fact, it could be argued it isn’t a single font at all. Yet humans struggle to leave anything unclassified, so comes Dynamism; their greatest attempt to label and harness that which is beyond them. Under its wide, wide umbrella lives both the very forces of the universe (sound, motion, heat, gravity) and the power of the living heart (emotion, belief, dreams).In Dynamism dwells perhaps the deepest wells of power known to the secret world, even as its wellspring is entirely made of intangible forces. Draw upon the laws of motion to speed or slow moving objects, or dabble in the art of weaving emotions and dreams. Energy lays waiting at your fingertips; shape it to your will.Practitioners of the Dynamism font have no one unifying trait or experience, vast as its domain is. Perhaps the closest is an oft shared claim that they can feel a constant thrum in all things; energy at their fingertips, in the air, at all angles. A song only they play audience to.Domains of Power
- The Universe's Energy
- All That is Unseen and Unknown
- Dreams, the Power of Belief and the Heart
Pitch
Unnatural hunger, destruction as sustenance, consumption of personhood.
Pitch is not a selectable font.Pitch is an anomaly among fonts; fresh and unknown, it is the first new font discovered in over a thousand years. Adding to its mystique, no record of someone being born tethered to the font exists. Instead, pitch exclusively gains practitioners via contact and the ensuing severing of a souls prior connection to a font of power.Practitioners of the Pitch font are ██████ souls ████████ ██ lose ███ ████ ████ are, were, and will be ██ █ hunger █████ ████ ████ our world. █████ ████ ███ ███████. ████ ██ nothing ████ ███ ████ ███ an ever advancing abyss.Domains of Power
- Consumption, Hunger Untold
- Erasure of ███ ████ █████
- Corruption of ██████, To ███████ Until ███████ █████