The Veil

1. #1Hidden Kinds 01: Bloodlines and the Undying

   Keys: vampire, vampires, strigoi, nosferatu, ghoul, ghouls, blood drinker, daywalker, revenant, corpse-eater, hemovore, dhampir

   Enabled · Order 10

   Entry settings

   Ten bloodline and death-adjacent kinds. These are common categories, not universal biological laws.

   1. Vampires: Long-lived predators or immortals who manage hunger, secrecy, and community rules. Sunlight, invitations, reflections, and blood needs vary by lineage.
   2. Strigoi: Restless, often ravenous revenant-like blood feeders associated with old burial customs. Some are feared; others are simply a distinct nocturnal lineage.
   3. Nosferatu: A secretive vampire people whose bodies or senses may show more obvious signs of their condition. The name is sometimes an insult, sometimes reclaimed.
   4. Ghouls: People sustained by contact with death or grave-associated energies. Some serve as undertakers or forensic specialists; they are not automatically mindless.
   5. Daywalkers: A vampire lineage able to tolerate daylight, often with other limits or costs. The term can also be a political label.
   6. Hemovores: Living beings who need blood or its supernatural equivalent without being vampires. Their needs and ethics differ widely.
   7. Corpse-eaters: A rare lineage that draws nourishment or memories from the dead. Many conceal their nature through mortuary work or strict ritual.
   8. Blood-bound: People whose vitality is sustained by consensual blood exchange or a magically maintained pact. Their bonds are not automatically romantic.
   9. The Undying: A broad family of beings who outlast ordinary lifespans without fitting vampire traditions. Some age slowly, some return after death, and some are simply difficult to kill.
   10. Graveborn: Beings formed through burial magic, a restless death, or a family's connection to the grave. Their personhood and origins vary. Hybrid note: Dhampir, a human-vampire hybrid, is detailed in Hidden Kinds 10. Categories can overlap.
2. #2Hidden Kinds 02: Lycaonians and Shifters

   Keys: werewolf, werewolves, lycanthrope, lycanthropes, Lycaonian, Lycaonians, wolfkin, werebear, wereraven, werecat, wererat, wereboar, werehyena, shapeshifter

   Enabled · Order 20

   Entry settings

   Ten shifting kinds. Transformation may be bodily, partial, seasonal, voluntary, involuntary, or different for each person. Do not impose a full-moon rule unless the scene establishes it.

   1. Lycaonians: Werewolves, named for the Greek King Lycaon tradition. Lycaonian is a scholarly or ceremonial term; werewolf and lycanthrope are common. Packs, lone individuals, and family traditions vary.
   2. Wolfkin: Humanlike people with wolf traits or a wolf form, often distinct from Lycaonian curse traditions.
   3. Werebears: Bear shifters, often physically imposing but not necessarily solitary or gentle. Their cultures vary by region.
   4. Wereravens: Raven shifters who prize keen observation, though the stereotype of a thief or spy is often unfair.
   5. Werecats: Cat shifters ranging from domestic-cat small to large-feline forms. Their independence is an outsider stereotype, not a rule.
   6. Wererats: Rat shifters adapted to dense cities, tunnels, or close-knit communities. They are frequently scapegoated.
   7. Wereboars: Boar shifters with formidable endurance and strong territorial customs in some communities.
   8. Werehyenas: Hyena shifters with varied social structures; outsiders often mistake their vocalizations for laughter.
   9. Werefoxes: Fox shifters, sometimes associated with glamours or cunning. Those abilities are not guaranteed.
   10. Skinshifters: A broad, culturally varied term for beings that can assume another body or appearance. Some forms are limited by a personal bond or learned practice. The word lycanthrope derives from Greek wolf-transformation stories; Lycaon is the legendary king associated with one famous origin tale. This is mythic naming, not proof all werewolves share one ancestor.
3. #3Hidden Kinds 03: The Fae Courts and Wild Kin

   Keys: fae, fairy, fairies, sidhe, sídhe, pixie, goblin, hobgoblin, brownie, redcap, changeling, dryad, troll

   Enabled · Order 30

   Entry settings

   Ten fae and wild kin. Fae customs differ sharply between courts, households, and solitary folk. Stories about iron, names, invitations, and bargains are useful clues, not laws that apply to everyone.

   1. Fae: A broad people bound to old magic, place, or custom. Some are courtly, some domestic, some utterly alien in priorities.
   2. Sidhe: Powerful fae associated with hidden halls and formal courts. Their hierarchy is political, not proof of moral superiority.
   3. Pixies: Small, quick fae known for glamour, misdirection, or practical jokes. They can be serious when it matters.
   4. Goblins: A diverse people with strong craft and trade traditions. Their portrayal as inherently cruel is a prejudice in many human stories.
   5. Hobgoblins: Household or community fae who value reciprocity and dependable routines. A helpful act may carry an expectation of respect, not ownership.
   6. Brownies: Domestic spirits who favor a home or workplace and may quietly help with chores. They dislike being treated as servants.
   7. Redcaps: Dangerous fae tied in legend to violence and old ruins. Some embrace the fear their name inspires; others resent being reduced to it.
   8. Changelings: Fae-raised or magically exchanged people, not a single species. The term may describe ancestry, history, or an accusation.
   9. Dryads: Place-bound or place-connected people whose lives are intertwined with trees, gardens, or old groves.
   10. Trolls: A varied people sometimes associated with stone, bridges, or wilderness. Size and temperament differ; toll-bridge stories are not biology.
4. #4Hidden Kinds 04: Celestial and Infernal

   Keys: angel, angels, seraph, seraphim, fallen angel, demon, demons, devil, imps, imp, succubus, incubus, hellhound, nephilim

   Enabled · Order 40

   Entry settings

   Ten celestial or infernal kinds. These labels describe origins and traditions, not automatic morality. Faiths and communities interpret them differently.

   1. Angels: Otherworldly beings tied to vows, messages, guardianship, or celestial orders. They may be compassionate, bureaucratic, uncertain, or flawed.
   2. Seraphs: A powerful angelic lineage or rank associated with intense presence and difficult obligations.
   3. Watchers: Celestial observers who have lived among mortals, sometimes breaking the rules they were sent to uphold.
   4. Fallen angels: Angels exiled, self-separated, or estranged from an order. “Fallen” may be a judgment imposed by others.
   5. Demons: A broad range of beings from infernal realms or traditions. Their motives and ethics vary beyond the human idea of evil.
   6. Devils: Contract-minded infernal beings known for precise language, hierarchy, and bargains. A deal can be fair, exploitative, or both.
   7. Imps: Small infernal folk often employed as messengers, aides, or troublemakers. Their reputation exceeds their power.
   8. Succubi: Intimacy- or dream-associated demons of any gender. They are people, not consent-free seduction machines.
   9. Incubi: A related intimacy- or dream-associated infernal kind, likewise capable of many temperaments and boundaries.
   10. Hellhounds: Infernal canine beings used as guardians, scouts, or companions. Their loyalty is earned, not automatic. Hybrid note: Nephilim, human-celestial hybrids, are listed in Hidden Kinds 10. Infernal and celestial identities do not dictate a character's beliefs.
5. #5Hidden Kinds 05: Elemental and Spiritborn

   Keys: elemental, elementals, djinn, jinn, ifrit, sylph, undine, salamander, gnome, storm spirit, frost spirit, earth elemental

   Enabled · Order 50

   Entry settings

   Ten beings whose bodies or life cycles are intertwined with natural forces. Elemental identity is not the same as being a mindless force of nature.

   1. Djinn: A broad family of independent, often long-lived beings with varied elemental affinities and intricate social customs. Wish-granting is a human myth, not a job description.
   2. Ifrit: Powerful fire-associated djinn, often politically influential or fiercely independent.
   3. Sylphs: Air-associated people who may sense pressure, currents, or distant movement.
   4. Undines: Water-associated elemental folk, distinct from merfolk despite occasional confusion.
   5. Salamanders: Fire-associated beings who can withstand heat or draw strength from it, with individual limits.
   6. Gnomes: Earth-associated people with communities rooted in stone, soil, or craft. The garden-statue image is misleading.
   7. Storm spirits: Beings formed around thunder, rain, and charged skies. Their moods do not control weather by default.
   8. Frost spirits: Cold-associated beings adapted to winter and ice, with cultures shaped by harsh environments.
   9. Emberkin: Warm, living beings tied to hearthfire, coals, or forge heat. Many value hospitality and skilled work.
   10. Stonehearts: Earthbound people whose bodies may contain mineral or living stone. They are not necessarily slow, mute, or ancient.
6. #6Hidden Kinds 06: Waters and the Deep

   Keys: merfolk, mermaid, merman, siren, nereid, kelpie, nixie, vodyanoy, sea serpent, leviathan, rusalka, hippocamp

   Enabled · Order 60

   Entry settings

   Ten water-associated kinds, from river neighborhoods to remote ocean communities. Aquatic beings can have humanlike forms without sharing one culture or set of needs.

   1. Merfolk: A broad people of aquatic or amphibious communities. Bodies, languages, and attitudes toward land vary.
   2. Sirens: Voice- or song-associated beings, historically feared by sailors. Their voices may communicate, enchant, or simply sing; predation is not universal.
   3. Nereids: Sea-associated folk linked to particular coasts, reefs, and marine traditions.
   4. Kelpies: Shape-changing freshwater beings with a reputation for luring travelers. Some work to undo that reputation.
   5. Nixies: River and lake folk who guard local waters or maintain hidden settlements.
   6. Vodyanoy: Water spirits of Slavic tradition, often connected to rivers, mills, or lakes. Their temperaments differ by community.
   7. Sea serpents: Long-bodied aquatic people or beings; the label covers several unrelated lineages.
   8. Leviathans: Enormous deep-ocean beings, rare and difficult to understand. The name can indicate a lineage or an outsider's exaggeration.
   9. Rusalki: Water-associated spirits or people from Slavic traditions, with varied origins and customs beyond the tragic folklore stereotype.
   10. Hippocamps: Marine folk with equine features or forms, often serving as messengers, couriers, or migratory companions. Water beings may need water, but the degree and method vary. Do not assume all fear dry land or lure humans.
7. #7Hidden Kinds 07: The Unquiet Dead

   Keys: ghost, ghosts, wraith, wraiths, poltergeist, banshee, dullahan, shade, psychopomp, nightmare spirit, ancestral spirit, haunting

   Enabled · Order 70

   Entry settings

   Ten spectral kinds and death-adjacent presences. Not every spirit is a dead human, and not every haunting is hostile.

   1. Ghosts: The lingering dead, with origins ranging from unfinished business to simple attachment. Memory and awareness vary.
   2. Wraiths: Potent, often isolated spirits that feed on fear, grief, or life force. Some are dangerous; some are merely misunderstood.
   3. Poltergeists: Disruptive spirits known for moving objects or disturbing rooms. A poltergeist may be a person, a collective presence, or an emotional phenomenon.
   4. Banshees: Death-warning spirits whose cry can signal a coming loss. The warning need not cause the death, and some choose silence.
   5. Dullahans: Headless or disembodied riders associated with death roads and old boundaries. Modern ones may have ordinary concerns too.
   6. Shades: Dim spirits retaining fragments of identity, memory, or an ancient duty.
   7. Psychopomps: Guides who help the dead move onward. Their role is service, not judgment, and their rules vary.
   8. Nightmare spirits: Beings that inhabit or shape dreams. They may feed on fear, guard sleepers, or simply travel through dreams.
   9. Ancestral echoes: Spirits sustained by family memory, ritual, or a particular place. They can disagree with living descendants.
   10. Mourning lights: Small luminous spirits near sites of loss, often mistaken for will-o'-wisps. Some lead travelers to safety, others only repeat old paths. Spirits may be visible, audible, touchable, or none of these. Establish scene-specific rules rather than assuming all can pass through walls.
8. #8Hidden Kinds 08: Dragons and Great Beasts

   Keys: dragon, dragons, drake, drakes, wyrm, wyrms, wyvern, kobold, basilisk, cockatrice, manticore, sphinx, chimera

   Enabled · Order 80

   Entry settings

   Ten draconic and legendary beast kinds. Many have humanlike or conversational forms, but not all want to be mistaken for humans.

   1. Dragons: Intelligent, long-lived beings with many body types, cultures, and abilities. Hoarding treasure is one tradition, not a biological certainty.
   2. Drakes: Smaller or more terrestrial dragon kin, often social and adapted to rugged landscapes.
   3. Wyrms: Long-bodied dragon lineages, sometimes wingless, with old subterranean or aquatic histories.
   4. Wyverns: Two-legged, winged dragon kin known for speed and territorial nesting.
   5. Kobolds: Small dragon-related folk renowned for mines, workshops, and tight-knit communities. They are not disposable servants.
   6. Basilisks: Gaze-associated beings whose danger can be mitigated by trained control, special lenses, or distance. Their gaze is not always instantly lethal.
   7. Cockatrices: Small but potent hybrid beasts with a talent for toxins, petrifying effects, or both, depending on lineage.
   8. Manticores: Human-faced or human-voiced predators from old accounts, now found in many forms and with varied degrees of civility.
   9. Sphinxes: Riddle-associated guardians and scholars who may test a visitor's intent rather than demand a puzzle.
   10. Chimeras: Mixed-bodied beast lineages, some naturally occurring and some magically made. Their minds and anatomies vary widely. These names can refer to distinct peoples or broad outsider labels. Keep scale and power appropriate to the scene.
9. #9Hidden Kinds 09: Mythic Peoples and Strange Kin

   Keys: giant, giants, cyclops, centaur, satyr, minotaur, harpy, lamia, gorgon, oni, tengu, mythic being

   Enabled · Order 90

   Entry settings

   Ten mythic peoples whose names traveled through human stories, often distorted along the way.

   1. Giants: Tall-bodied peoples with many cultures and ordinary human concerns. Size does not dictate strength or temperament.
   2. Cyclopes: One-eyed lineages with strong traditions in craft, engineering, or herding, depending on region.
   3. Centaurs: People with human upper bodies and equine lower bodies, including urban and rural communities.
   4. Satyrs: Goat-featured or hoofed folk associated with music, wild places, and celebration. Their lives are not one endless revel.
   5. Minotaurs: Bull-featured people sometimes burdened by labyrinth legends. Many have built lives far from those stories.
   6. Harpies: Winged folk whose communities may be migratory, coastal, or city-based. Human myths often mistake their independence for aggression.
   7. Lamiae: Serpentine or snake-featured beings, sometimes associated with ancient magic or transformation.
   8. Gorgons: People with petrifying or stone-shaping traits, often using veils, mirrors, or careful gaze etiquette.
   9. Oni: Powerful beings from Japanese traditions, with diverse roles, appearances, and moral codes. Horns do not make someone a villain.
   10. Tengu: Winged or bird-featured beings associated with mountains, discipline, and martial or spiritual arts. Folklore gives characters an inheritance to negotiate, not a script they must obey.
10. #10Hidden Kinds 10: Hybrids and Mixed Lineages

    Keys: hybrid, hybrids, half-vampire, half vampire, dhampir, vampwolf, half werewolf, half-werewolf, faeblood, cambion, nephilim, merborn, drakeblood, ghostmarked, witchkin, mixed ancestry

    Enabled · Order 100

    Entry settings

    Ten mixed lineages. “Half” is a convenient human label, not always a literal half-and-half inheritance. Traits, needs, and identity depend on both lineages, family, and upbringing. Hybrids are people, not built-in plot twists.

    1. Dhampirs: Human-vampire hybrids. Some inherit heightened senses or a blood need; others have few visible traits. Their relationship with vampire communities varies.
    2. Vampwolves (vargr blood): Vampire-werewolf hybrids. Their bodies may reconcile or conflict between lineages, but they are not automatically unstable or unusually powerful.
    3. Wolfbloods: Human-werewolf hybrids whose shifting may be partial, learned, inherited, or absent. This differs from a full Lycaonian who is transformed by a curse or pack rite.
    4. Faebloods: Human-fae hybrids who may inherit glamour, unusual bargains, or a connection to a place. No single trait is guaranteed.
    5. Cambions: Human-infernal hybrids, often carrying complicated expectations from both sides of their heritage.
    6. Nephilim: Human-celestial hybrids, whose abilities and loyalties vary widely. The term is claimed or rejected differently across families.
    7. Merborn: Human-aquatic hybrids who may breathe underwater, tolerate both environments, or require adaptations that make travel easier.
    8. Drakebloods: Human-dragon hybrids with possible scales, heat tolerance, unusual longevity, or no obvious signs.
    9. Ghostmarked: Living people with a spirit lineage or lasting bond to the dead. Their connection may be a gift, a burden, or simply part of family life.
    10. Witchkin: Human-born descendants of magical lineages, inheriting aptitude or a family tradition rather than a separate species. Their power still requires skill and limits. Mixed ancestry can involve two supernatural lineages as well as human ancestry. Use the label a character prefers and leave {{user}}'s lineage undecided unless they choose it.
11. #11The Lantern Office: Human Supernatural Hunters

    Keys: Lantern Office, human hunters, hunters, supernatural hunters, monster hunters, Veil hunters

    Enabled · Order 100

    Entry settings

    The Lantern Office is a discreet, decentralized human network that investigates and hunts supernatural beings. Its existence is hidden even from most humans; it survives through small local cells, inherited contacts, and a few legitimate fronts such as private security firms, folklore archives, and missing-person charities. It is one organization, not a universal authority, and its reach varies by region.

    The Office began as a mutual-aid network after a supernatural feud devastated a human neighborhood. Over generations, its purpose fractured. Some members investigate threats, protect witnesses, and negotiate boundaries. Others see all nonhumans as dangerous and treat secrecy as permission to strike first. A few cells have become outright predatory, trafficking captured beings or selling occult information. The organization has no single agreed doctrine, and local leaders can be opposed to one another.

    Lantern agents are human, but not all are ordinary: some use research, surveillance, mundane weapons, protective charms, or knowledge shared by supernatural allies. Their equipment is unreliable against beings they do not understand. A careful agent verifies reports and seeks a way to prevent harm; a zealot trusts inherited manuals over living evidence. Humans join for many reasons, including fear, grief, family tradition, money, conviction, or a desire to keep both communities safe.

    The Lantern Office is not automatically the villain or the hero. Its members can be antagonists, uneasy allies, witnesses, employers, or ordinary people trying to contain a dangerous situation. Avoid making every hunter cruel or every supernatural being innocent. Introduce the Office only when relevant, and let its local cell's actions and motives establish the conflict. No faction automatically knows {{user}}'s nature or history.

12. #12Factions Beneath the Veil

    Keys: faction, factions, supernatural factions, hidden community, Veil politics, clan, coven, pack

    Enabled · Order 100

    Entry settings

    The hidden world has no single supernatural government. Power is local, overlapping, and often informal. A supernatural person might belong to a family, neighborhood, species community, mutual-aid circle, business, religious tradition, or political faction at once. Some groups include humans; others avoid them. Names and customs vary by city, and many beings want no part in factional life.

    Useful faction patterns include:

    • The Night Ledger: A coalition of supernatural landlords, clinic workers, and advocates that maintains discreet services and negotiates practical rules for shared neighborhoods. Its members disagree about whether secrecy protects people or mainly protects the powerful.
    • The Open Door League: Humans and supernatural allies who want safer contact between communities, legal protections, and help for people newly discovering their nature. Some favor careful transparency; others move too fast for communities at risk.
    • The Old Houses: Longstanding supernatural families and lineages that preserve custom, property, and mutual obligations. They can offer shelter and knowledge, but loyalty may come with expectations.
    • Independent circles: Packs, covens, river communities, spirit congregations, and other local groups with their own needs. Their priorities are not necessarily political, and they may cooperate with outsiders on one issue while refusing them on another.

    These are setting examples, not fixed allies or enemies. Rename, reshape, divide, or omit them to fit the location and story. Factions have limited resources, internal disputes, and individual members with differing motives. Human and supernatural identities do not dictate a person's politics. Keep conflicts specific: a contested safehouse, a missing person, a proposed boundary, or a dangerous secret is often more playable than a world-spanning war. Bring in only groups that matter to the current scene, and leave {{user}} free to join, oppose, ignore, or reshape them.

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