'Twas the Darkest Night
Page 50
Heimdallr: (Norse) Is the son of Nine Mothers and a Norse god who possesses a magical horn, Gjallarhorn, and prophetic powers. He is also described as having a keen sense of sight and hearing, which allows him to guard Bifrost and keep watch for the onset of Ragnarok from his abode.
Hel: (Norse Mythology) Is the goddess of and ruler of Helheim, the Norse realm of the dead. She is the daughter of Loki and a frost giant, Angrboda. Her brothers are Fenris, the wolf, and Jormungand, the serpent.
Hugin/nn: (Norse) Huginn or “Thought” Is one of the pair of ravens that sit on Odin’s shoulders. They fly all over the world and act as All-Father’s eyes and ears, carrying back information to Odin.
Huldra: (Scandinavian) A breed of the troldfolk (trolls), a huldra is a seductive forest creature with very similar characteristics to a Greek forest nymph. Other names include: skogsfru and skovfrue). A male huld is called: huldu or huldrekarl. They often dwell underground and have the appearance of a strikingly gorgeous woman with long hair. She will more often than not have a cow’s tail or her back may be covered in tree bark. In New Gotham, they retain many of the same features mentioned above, and likewise, have no innate glamour and may suffer from an emotive curse.
Hydra: (Greek) An ancient serpentine sea monster that possessed many heads. According to Greek mythology, it dwells beneath the ocean and guards an entrance to the Underworld.
Icewraith: (New Gotham) Is a breed of golem and a frost elemental that resembles various icicles floating together in the vague shape of a humanoid being. Their voices often sound like the howling wind and their eyes are often two silver diamond chips. If removed, the icewraith evaporates and ceases to exist.
Imp: (Germanic) Is a lesser demon and are often depicted as diminutive in size and rather unattractive. As tricksters, they are often mischievous rather than evil and can function as familiars. As familiars, they act as guides and (mostly) helpful companions. In New Gotham, they are actually a collective species with several types and MUST have a witch’s patronage (i.e. be a witch’s familiar in order to maintain a corporal presence in the mundane world.)
For instance, Elsa’s cat, Fenris, is an Unseelie sprite, i.e. fey. She killed a tabby cat and magically bound the imp into the carcass so it could live in the real world. It still retains its magic and ability to navigate in-between reality planes because it is fey. In other stories, there may be a true imp, i.e. a demonic imp OR an imp with vampiric ties like a batmite. Oh, and remember the Cheshire cat? That flea-bag was DEFINITELY an imp.
Incubus/Succubus: (Judaism) Is a vampiric sex demon. Its prey includes anyone who is sleeping with men and women in order to have intercourse, from which they derive their sustenance in the form of psychic/sensual energy. A succubus is the female counterpart. Sex with an incubus usually results in death, wet-dreams, sickness, or pregnancy. (All the “fun” in life, ladies and gentlemen.)
In New Gotham, a true incubus is an androgynous being with the ability to shift between genders, i.e. succubus and incubus. Incubi cannot procreate amongst themselves as they have no reproductive material. An incubus may be driven to procreate and produce offspring with a female partner via the process described in the cambion entry. However, theoretically they could not themselves carry a baby to term.
Jokul Frosti: (Norse) Is a nature spirit with elfish attributes. He is normally depicted with pointed ears and is responsible for frost, harsh winters and dangerous icicles. He is thought to announce his arrival be leaving fern-like patterns of ice on windows and is often seen holding a paint brush and bucket, which he uses to color the autumn foliage.
Jotunheim: (Norse) Is one of the Nine Worlds and the homeland of jotuns, i.e. giants. It is usually depicted as a frozen wasteland.
Kitsune: (Chinese) A wild fox demon with the ability to possess, haunt or drain it’s victims of energy via sexual intercourse. The vampiric element of a kitsune and an incubus function similarly. It is a shape-shifting being (often a trickster) that usually appears as a beautiful maiden. Its true form is a fox, usually depicted with multiple tails. In New Gotham, the kitsune gender varies as well as the amount of inborn magical ability.
Lorelei: (German) Is the reincarnated spirit of young women who committed suicide by diving head first into a river in despair over a faithless lover. Upon death, they are reborn with innate sexual allure and minor magical ability, one of which is the hypnotic quality of their lovely singing voice. They often lure sailors to their death. In New Gotham, the lorelei is a breed of siren.
Manticore: (Persia) Is a creature very similar to the Egyptian sphinx. It has the body of a lion, a human face, and three rows of jagged teeth. It usually has the tail of either a dragon or a scorpion, and it has the ability to shoot poisonous (paralyzes victims) spikes from the appendage. In New Gotham, the manticore has a black lion’s mane that is very valuable and useful for the creation of special instruments. Also, their roars are known to sound like a shrill, piping trumpet.
Merfolk: (Universal) A race of aquatic dwelling humanoids. They are amphibious creatures and usually prefer to remain neutral to land’s turbulent affairs. In New Gotham, they claim no allegiance to any of the major factions and tend to be endearing snooty twits.
Mjolnir/Mjollnir (Thor): Is the hammer of Thor, the Norse God, and is capable of leveling mountains.
Moonwood: (New Gotham) Is a special type of magical wood only found in the Veil. Typically the wood is used for magical instruments, given the flexibility of the supple chestnut-toned wood.
Naga: (Hindi/Buddist) Is a serpentine mythological creature with a human upper half. They are often considered semi-divine beings and can either shape-shift between a wholly human form, wholly snake and their natural state, which is the hybrid. In New Gotham, they are considered to be territorial creatures and potentially dangerous to anyone they meet given their ability to eat their victims whole, or psychically cannibalize their prey via sexual intercourse. They also happen to be wily salesmen.
Nettlebane: (New Gotham) Is a special type of magical wood only found in the Veil. Typically the wood is used for weaponry, given the diamond-hard granulated ebony wood. Often necessitates a special skill set to work with this construction material given its inflexibility and the risk of special sanding required.
Nisse: (Scandinavian) Normally associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season, another name for the diminutive fey known as nisse is tomte. It’s a three foot tall elf that has a long white beard, color clothes and a cap. In New Gotham, they tend to be drunken, mischievous and occasionally helpful decorating assistants.
Pegasus: (Greek) Is a winged stallion. According to Greek mythology, he was fathered by the god Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa. During the Middle Ages, it became a symbol for poetry. In New Gotham, Pegasus are directly related to their flesh-eating counterparts, Xanthi, and are stabled on the outskirts of the city. Don’t wear your good shoes and bring lots of apples. Pegasus love apples.
Pixie: (Celtic) Are the Anglicization of a race of diminutive trooping fairies called piskies. They are believed to be the reincarnated souls of unbaptized children or those good souls who died before Christ’s coming. In New Gotham, pixie is a species with many different breeds, i.e. true pisky, ellylon, etc. and physical characteristics such as wings vary from breed to breed.
Ragnarok: (Norse) Ragnarok is the Norse equivalent of the Christian apocalypse. It’s a series of future events which foretell a great battle in which many of the gods die, natural disasters ravage the land, and finally the world is swallowed. Eventually, the earth will resurface as a renewed paradise for those who survive.
Shedu: (Summarian) Another name for shedu is lamassu. It’s usually depicted with a human head, a bull or a lion’s body, and eagle wings. They are usually attributed to ancient Assyrians and often erected to guard the entrance to the city or as a sign of wealth. They are said to be the true origin of Christian angels. In New Gotham, a shedu is a hybrid creature made up of a dire-lion’s body and eagle wings.
Sprite: (Europe) Is a broad term referring to a large umbrella of legendary creatures that are not from this earth, usually those with fey attributes or similar elf-like traits. Term could also be used to signify a spiritual being like a ghost.
Storymaven: (New Gotham) Is a classification of witch and is categorized in New Gotham under the “Coven” faction. However, storymaven are special sprites that are neither dead, nor living and are imbued with awesome magical ability and the fey ability to navigate between reality planes. They also retain whatever capabilities they may have had in life. They are tasked by the Pagemaster, who is a nebulous being in charge of the production and preservation of all great tales ever told. The storymavens are instructed with recording tales to add to the library. In other words, a storymaven is not only a fairy godmother, she’s got a freaking deadline. Busy, busy, busy.
Triton: (Greek) A rare militant race of aquatic dwelling humanoids with very similar characteristics to merfolk. Their skin is most often blue and they owe a special kinship to the Greek demi-god Triton. However, in New Gotham, they are considered a “breed” of merfolk, rather than a separate species all together.
Troldfolk: (Scandinavian) In Denmark, a term used to describe mountain-trolls. In New Gotham, the term can also be used to describe all breeds of trolls.
Troll: (Scandinavian/Norse) Is a species of supernatural beings who dwell in isolated rocks, mountains, caves, and burrows under hills. They are often described as larger than average people and monstrously ugly with extremely large noses and ogre-esque features. If they were not hostile giants, they were fiends responsible for black magic. In Norway, the female species of trolls can appear as beautiful with long red hair. They share close kinship with brownies and dwarves, and are considered expert metal workers and herbalists. Often, they despise noise and can be driven away with holy church bells. They are also nocturnal by nature as sunlight turns them to stone.
In New Gotham, they are species normally categorized within the “Court” faction as they originate from The Veil. Likewise, there are many breeds of trolls. For instance, haggraven and huldra. Trolls as a species do not have innate glamour and therefore rely on charms and amulets to camouflage their appearances.
Trollkonor: (Scandinavian) Is a troll’s wife, who possesses magical abilities. They greatly resemble their ugly troll mates and are often depicted with long noses, black cats as familiars, and can usually summon a variety of wood animals to their aid. In New Gotham, a trollkonor is a breed of troll’s wife. Depending on what the creature originally was will influence the amount of power she can siphon from her mate—it will also govern the extent of her magical transformation. However, she is the only breed of troll who does not suffer from an emotive curse.
Will o’ wisps: (European) Is the commonly most widely known name for Ignis Fatuus. They are commonly thought to be trickster boggarts (known as Hobbledy’s Lanterns) or sometimes have a ghostly origin. For instance, a soul who simply could not rest, so it wanders. It usually appears as an atmospheric, ghostly ball of light or a flickering lamp, and is said to recede if approached. Often, it appears at night to travelers, especially over bogs, marshes and woodlands. In New Gotham, will o’ wisps can be: boggarts, wandering souls and the colors and personalities vary. They are often categorized in New Gotham under the “Court” faction.
Wispmothers: (New Gotham) Is a breed of witch and is categorized in New Gotham under the “Coven” faction. She is often the ghostly offspring of an ice elemental and a boggart. A school of will o’ wisps patrolling the forest often indicates the border line into a wispmother’s territory.
Yeti: (Himalayas) Is an ape-like cryptid (a creature whose existence is suggested, but has to be proven and documented) and often depicted as the abominable snowman. In New Gotham, yetis are often found lumbering about New Gotham’s forest or operating heavy machinery like construction cranes.
Yggdrasil: (Norse) A gigantic ash tree that acts as the center of the Norse cosmos. Its branches stretch out across all nine worlds and extend into the heavens. It is braced by three enormous roots. The first root is in Asgard, home of the gods. The second root extends down to Jotunheim, the land of the giants.
Other Useful New Gotham Terms and Definitions:
Emotive Curse: In New Gotham, any given creature could be cursed at any time. Curses are much like anything else in New Gotham—there are many varieties. An emotive curse is the type of curse that embodies a negative trait/inner demon that the victim is forced to battle with constantly, much like an addiction to harmful drugs and/or alcohol. Most emotive curses are inborn and inherited, i.e. at some point in the past an ancestor was cursed with a downfall that would haunt the species or their bloodline forever. There are several types of emotive curses. Some mentioned in this book are: Greed and Lust.
Dire-creature: Are large, feral animals. They are faster, bigger, and more aggressive than their normal counterparts. Dire-creature doesn’t automatically mean were-creature. There are mundane creatures that are considered “dire.”
True “Monster”: A true monster is the traditional and purest depiction of a monster. For instance, a “true” vampire is a breed of vampire. However, in order to be considered a true vampire, the creature’s bloodline must be pure and it must have characteristics similar to the original historical/mythological depiction.
Therefore, a true vampire is almost like the purest breed of vampire, i.e. the purebloods. They are the vampires that everyone knows and recognizes as traditional “vampires.”
If Dracula is billed as the origin of all vampires and sired a daughter with another vampire, she is not the sole species ancestor, etc., but she's close enough to the real thing to be considered a true vampire. All modern vampires and many, many vampiric breeds will have descended from her bloodline at some point in evolutionary time.
The Court: In New Gotham, the term fey is a very broad term. It is a species umbrella term, almost like a classification in the Animal Kingdom. There are many different breeds of fey and they generally do not meddle in the mundane realm, preferring to live in The Veil (also known as the Otherworld). The Veil is a melting pot of exotic and intricate ancient cultures. Many of their practices spill over into the mundane realm, but for the most part they prefer to keep things simple for the ignorant and uncouth. A fey of high-standing limits their terms of address to “court” or their given first names, granted the simpletons can pronounce it.
The Clan: In New Gotham, the term vampire is a very broad term. There are many different breeds of vampires and they can be respectfully addressed by their faction title. For instance, it is appropriate to refer to a vampire as “clan” in casual conversation. However, vampires are considered nobility in New Gotham and the correct formal term of address is “sir vampire” or “lady vampire.” They are never to be addressed familiarly without explicit invitation. Likewise, they don’t take too kindly to the derogatory term “suckhead.”
The Coven: In New Gotham, the terms witch, wizard, warlock, alchemist, etc. are very broad terms. There are many different breeds and types of magic wielders but they can be respectfully addressed by their faction title. For instance, it is appropriate to refer to a magic wielder as “coven” in casual conversation. Coven often prefer to be addressed by their chosen monikers like “Gillian the Candy Witch” or “Arn the Undertaker.”
Registered covens and guilds are headed by a master magic user known as The First Witch, The First Enchanter, The First Alchemist, etc. Their given name cannot be used in a formal setting without explicit invitation. The First “Enchanter” or The First is appropriate. (But really? They’re a lot more laid back than everyone else. It’s more like, “Just call me something close to the right name and
quit being a buzz kill. We’re making magic here!”)
The Pack: In New Gotham, the terms shifter and were-creatures are very broad terms. Like everything else in New Gotham, there are many breeds. However, the difference between a were-creature and a shifter is very distinct.
Shifters have complete cognizant control over their transformations from human to animal/animal to human at ALL times. Were-creatures may have control over their “changes” most of the time, but there is inevitably an underlying compulsion that must be satisfied according to whichever curse they happen to bear. For some, it’s the phases of the moon. For others, it’s as random as an unscheduled nervous breakdown twice a year.
All weres and shifters can be respectfully addressed by their faction title. For instance, it is appropriate to refer to a werewolf as “pack” in casual conversation. In fact, they don’t necessarily find it insulting when vampires refer to them as “the animals.”
Did the ravens miss anything? Feel free to send a carrier pigeon via the contact form on Sophie Avett’s website with any questions or ideas for entries. Thanks!
Author’s Note
This book…
This miserable, blood-sucking…
This was a book of firsts. It was my first paranormal romance. First holiday themed story. First foray into Norse mythology. First time writing fairy tale magic. My first attempt at penning a Fem-Dom, or a submissive male. Second piece of work I ever wrote for publication, back when I decided I fancied dying in the streets like Poe. And it is by far the longest book I’ve ever written. Like ever. There were seriously times where I felt like I was writing a Harry Potter novel. I’d finish one chapter and like six more appeared just to mock me.