03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
HUMANS Standard humans. Humans make up the large majority of the population with only a small percentage being non-human. They are the only species that does not have to live in secret. Humans are largely unaware of the supernatural population though some are believers and some are skeptics, very few if any have any real evidence or experience that would prove the existence of the supernatural.
Abilities: None.
Weaknesses: Susceptible to supernatural influence.
Average life span: 75-80 years
VAMPIRES Overall, their appearance is mostly that of a human though their skin can be cooler to the touch, especially if they have not recently fed on blood. While they can eat regular food they have a low appetite for it, mostly nibbling for the sake of keeping up appearances. They require blood to survive, averaging about a pint each week. The can technically survive on animal blood but lose their abilities if they do so. They can go out into the sun though they are more sensitive to it, burning easily. Most vampires will wear sunglasses and long sleeved clothes out in the sun or else wait until it's less strong either in the mornings or the evenings before going out into sunlight. They thrive in the darkness. Vampires rarely sleep, mostly in specific circumstances such as severe injury, illness, or emotional trauma. Rarely more than once a year and that length of sleep varies depending on how severe the issue is. They can choose to ‘rest’ but never quite fully sleep unless recovering from something.
A person is turned into a vampire when they are drained of blood until nearly dead and then fed vampire blood. When they wake up it is with a desperate need to feed. Newly turned vampires have a harder time of controlling their hunger for the first year which makes their bond with their sire all the more important. Vampires have a unique connection to the vampire that sired them; that is, they have an instinctual desire to obey and protect their sire. They can choose to resist this instinct, but it is hard to do so and uncomfortable. A sire can telepathically 'call' their offspring to come to them. This is not a voice but a sudden pull that nearly forces the offspring to go to their sire, following that sense to find them.
Most of the vampires in Sweetwater are part of the same coven under their coven leader. When joining the coven they are blood bound to the leader and feel a similar, though slightly less intense, draw to obey and protect the coven leader. Details on the Coven here.
Abilities: Above average strength and super speed. Their blood has healing properties allowing themselves to heal from any wounds (besides death) they receive (the bigger the wound the longer it takes to heal) as well as use their blood to heal others. Blood rubbed on the body can heal minor injuries where drinking it is required for larger ones. They have better eyesight than humans in the dark but not as good as werewolves (50% what werewolves can see).
Weaknesses: If they don't drink blood as needed they will go into a dormant state and can remain that way for up to a few years before their bodies wither away. The only other way to kill a vampire is by beheading or running a wooden stake through their heart.
Average life span: Immortal (Oldest playable vampires are no more than 1,000 years). Vampires stop aging from the moment they are turned.
WEREWOLVES A person who has the ability to turn into a werewolf both by choice at any time and by force during the full moon. The werewolf gene is hereditary as well as being turned through bites. A werewolf mating with another werewolf will have a 90% chance of producing a werewolf. A werewolf with a human has a 50% chance. Born werewolves will undergo their first transformation around the time of late puberty, typically between 14 and 17 years of age. If bitten, a human will have a 50% chance of turning into a werewolf, a 35% chance of death, and a 15% chance of survival though they will get a severe fever at every full moon. If the bite was minor, like a scraping of teeth than a full bite than chances of survival rise (reach out to Lyla if that happens to confirm how to proceed). A supernatural creature cannot turn into a werewolf. A vampire has a 25% chance of death and a siren has a 75% chance of death. A newly turned werewolf can be unpredictable when forced to turn on the full moon, being more ravenous than their more experienced counterparts.
Werewolves are naturally hungry for most of the day with a near constant desire to be eating, though their very high metabolism keeps them looking healthy and fit. They also tend to prefer raw or lesser cooked meats. When in their wolf form the size of a wolf can vary from anywhere in the range of being larger than a dog but smaller than a horse and their coloring matches that of typical wolf of any breed.
Born werewolves sometimes will imprint on another wolf, or occasionally a human. When that happens their desire to be with that person romantically for the rest of their lives is nearly all consuming. They will do everything in their power to keep that person safe. An imprint only happens once in a wolf's life if it happens at all and there is a general respect between werewolves to keep their paws off another wolf's imprint even if that person doesn't feel the same as the wolf. Imprints between two wolves are usually but not always mutual. A werewolf can sense when both their imprint and their born children are in danger that might cause them real harm. This means life threatening or severe injury, nothing benign or simply feeling afraid would be noticed. The wolf also can't pinpoint their location from that feeling, only the awareness that they are in danger but no knowledge of where they are.
Werewolves are naturally drawn towards community, it is an intense need inside of them and any wolves that try to live a solitary life find it to be extremely difficult as their senses naturally draw them towards their kind. There are 2 werewolf packs in Sweetwater, both are quick to seek out newly turned wolves in the hopes of having them join their pack before the other can get to them. There is a lot of competitiveness and tension between the two packs. Each is led by an Alpha. Details on the werewolf packs here.
Abilities: Highly sensitive hearing and smell, quick speed (not as fast as vampires), and can see just as clearly in the night as they can during the day. Hearing and smell can be accessed in both human and wolf form while speed and sight can only be accessed as a wolf.
Weaknesses: All werewolves are sensitive to pure silver which burns their skin in both forms. They can be killed by silver bullets and by ingesting a poison called wolfsbane.
Average life span: 150-200 years. After puberty they age more slowly, making them appear younger for longer.
SIRENS Sirens can only be born, not turned, but not all their offspring will inherit get the gene. There is a 75% their daughters will get the gene and only a 5% chance that their sons will get it. A siren/siren pairing is rare due to how few male sirens there are but rather than increasing the likelihood to produce sirens as one might expect, such a pair will only produce humans. (*Limit 2 per member)
Sirens appear human with nothing physical to differentiate them unless they choose to while in water. Siren's do not have an organized group like werewolves and vampires do but they do meet together often for a sense of community.
Abilities: Can choose to have tails when submerged in water, can breathe underwater, and can swim quickly in water in either form but even more efficiently with a tail. Siren song: Through speaking or singing mixed with eye contact a siren can choose to use their voice to lure others into doing what they want. The effect is a powerful and inexplicable urge to obey but can be resisted if not performed carefully or if the person has a strong will (other supernaturals are more likely to be able to resist). When used in song form it is even more powerful and can put their prey into a trace like state.
Weaknesses: Can be killed by any normal means. Have a natural fear of fire which would burn them hotter and more quickly than an average person.
Average life span: 100-150 years. They age slower than humans and seem to stop aging entirely around the time they turn 40, still looking young even when they die of old age.
PHOENIX Phoenix are the rarest of the supernatural species (*limit 1 per member). It neither hereditary nor caused by transference. It is simply a random occurrence that a baby is born as a phoenix. They appear as a typical human unless they choose to show their wings. They have an air of wisdom about them, especially those who have been reborn more than once.
They have a love of warmth, light, and the sun, looking for sources of heat and never seeming to sweat or get overheated. They likewise dislike the cold as being too cold physically makes them sluggish and have a natural discomfort in darkness, preferring some form of light. They are solitary creatures and do not gather like the other supernatural creatures do. They have a respect for all living things but typically choose to mostly keep to themselves when it comes to community building among their kind or the supernatural community at large.
Abilities: Impervious to any supernatural abilities used against them (vampire/werewolf bites, siren song, etc). Flight via the use of wings that they can extract from their shoulders. Each phoenix has different wings and can look like pretty much any flying animal you can think of. Phoenix have minor fire abilities such as lighting a candle or a fireplace and tossing a small fireball, no bigger than a tennis ball. Once lit they do not have control of how the flame burns and it can only be put out by normal means. A phoenix's tears have healing powers that can be used on humans and supernaturals. These tears can stop the process of a human being turned into a vampire or a werewolf.
Weaknesses: Can be killed by non-supernatural means.
Average life span: Immortal through resurrection. They age just as a human would and what happens after death is determined by the cause of their death. In any circumstance, they will turn to ash sometime within a few hours to a few days after their death. If they have a sense that things in that life were unfinished (such as if they died young or were killed by someone else) they would be resurrected from their ashes as the same age of when they died. There is a 50/50 chance they will either come back in the same body as before or as an entirely new one, including the chance for a different gender. If they feel a sense of completion as in dying of 'old age' then they are reborn again as an infant to a new family. The location of rebirth is the choice of the phoenix, able to choose the family they join as long as there is an ongoing pregnancy at the time.
HELPFUL Q & A Q: Can supernaturals detect one another? A: Phoenix: The most 'under the radar' race. They have no distinct smell nor many signs that others might interpret and given their rarity, it's possible that even some of the oldest supernaturals have never met one or only met one or two in their lifetime so there is little experience with the race to go off of. A Phoenix, in turn, cannot instantly tell who might be a supernatural BUT their lifetimes of experience may be able to pick up on their habits and traits pretty quickly if they are paying enough attention to a specific person.
Werewolves: The opposite of a phoenix in that they can both detect the most supernaturals and are most easily detectable by others. A vampire and a siren give off rather distinct scents (vampires: death, decay, blood. sirens: sea, algae.). They cannot detect a phoenix based on scent and given their lifespan they might have little, if any, experience with that race. Werewolves have some of the most 'outward' traits in their demeanor and to sirens and vampires do give off a faint canine scent to other supernaturals (not unlike a wet dog which scent does increase when a werewolf is actually wet, even in their human form). A vampire would recognize this immediately where a Siren might not catch on right away.
Vampires: Unable to detect a pheonix. Easily able to detect werewolves (especially if they are bleeding), werewolves would be the race they are most familiar with. Detecting a siren would be more of a challenge, about a 50/50 chance of recognizing them right away and higher likelihood if the vampire is older and more experienced with sirens. If a siren is bleeding then that chance increases as they would smell the blood mingled with that 'ocean' scent. Vampires are easily detectable by werewolves. Sirens would be unable to detect them unless their experience caught onto signs of their behavior.
Sirens: The second most 'under the radar' race. They are only easily recognized by werewolves and vampires can only occasionally catch on given the vampire's experience and if the siren is bleeding. In turn, they are slow to recognize others. They might recognize a werewolf based on a faint scent if they are paying attention but a vampire would only be recognized if the siren is familiar with general behavior of their race.
Q: What exactly does it mean when a Werewolf imprints on another wolf/human/etc.? And if it’s another werewolf, would they know they had been imprinted on/to? A: The first time it happens it comes on suddenly and intensely (and not necessarily the first time you see a person, it could happen at any time). It is then a constant feeling of all consuming need to have that person in your life as your romantic/intimate partner, and deep and intensely overwhelming love for them. You fear for their safety and will do anything to keep them safe. It's basically like being in love only way more intense. There would be a lot of jealously in seeing the person you imprinted on with anyone else. If a wolf imprints on another wolf instead of a human, then usually the imprint is mutual and the other wolf will feel it back to that same wolf. But not always. It's possible the wolf you imprint on to imprint onto someone else.
Q: Can vampires drink blood from other supernatural creatures? A: Phoenix: Impossible. Phoenixes are impervious to supernatural attacks so if they tried it would likely harm them to an extent. Imagine trying to forcefully take a bite into a diamond, you’ll likely hurt your teeth. Werewolf: This is only done in a life or death situation. Drinking from a werewolf would keep the vampire from becoming dormant but a werewolf’s blood would taste absolutely terrible to a vampire and it does not have the necessary properties to make the vampire thrive. Siren: A siren could likely deter a vampire using their siren song but if given willingly this is like the most decadent dessert for a vampire. Sirens are highly desired and sought out for their blood but it can be dangerous too. It can be hard to stop drinking something so delicious and sirens have died by a vampire getting too eager. Other vampires: Impossible as they don’t have blood in their veins to drink.
Each member is allowed to have one character that is a unique species from the above. Creativity is encouraged! You may choose another species you've heard of before or come up with something entirely unique.
STIPULATIONS: - You need to have been an active member on the site for at least 2 months. - You should already have at least 2 other character with one being human and one being a supernatural creature from above. - The species you create must have a human form in which to disguise themselves in the community.
This will hopefully ensure that this privilege is not abused and that you are filling up other parts of the world before you dive into this unique supernatural.
If you choose to create a character like this, please use the following form and send a DM on Discord to me (Lyla) so we can fine tune any specifics before they are created.
Type of species: (Name of creature) General history: (Not of your character but the species in general) Description of appearance: (Specifically what they look like in their nonhuman form and the methods of when/why they shift appearances.) Rarity outside of Sweetwater: (No super specific numbers needed but a general idea of if your character is the only one in existence, if they are moderately rare, or if they are relatively common just somehow not in Sweetwater, etc.) Abilities: (Be wise, try not to be excessively powerful) Weaknesses: (Please try to ensure that they have relative equal weaknesses to their abilities, this should also include how they can be killed) Life span: (About how long they typically live) Other: (Anything else that you feel may have been missed)
Below you will find the completed details of the unique species in play which may give you a place to start on how to complete the form/knowing what's already created so we don't have repeats
HAVE FUN!
NAGA The Naga, a serpent species, originates from the area of India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and up through Egypt. They have been around for centuries. There existence is relatively well known by other supernaturals but unless they have been to that area of the world is very unlikely that they have met one. A Naga is only born from two Naga parents and it's passed down 100% of the time. If only one parent is Naga then their offspring will be human. The largest population of Nagas reside in the area of the world where the originate (see above). They are about as common as werewolves are in the Americas but it is rare for them to travel outside of desert climates.
Typically they are simply human. They can choose anything from partial serpent in any kind of variety all the way to full serpent. A Naga can turn into any type of snake at any time. There is nothing that forces their snake form.
Abilities: Venomous bite (at will in both snake and human form), transforming into snakes in which they could do things a snake can typically do (constriction, camouflage, good swimmers, good climbers, etc. These skills semi transfer as humans (good rock climbers and swimmers for example).
Weaknesses: Can be slow and sleepy during the winter months, can be killed by normal means, can be influenced by other magical creatures the same as humans
Average life span: Typical human lifespan, 75-80 years
WITCH Most witches were executed long before the approach of the modern world, after the Salem Witch trials most witches went into hiding and ceased practicing all together. Where there used to be hundreds of Witch families only 4 remain in present day. A Witch family may only have 1 heir to Witch power at a time until that empowered Heir dies; upon their death it passes randomly to a female of the bloodline. The families picked random places in the US to live as a safety net for the chaos Witches bring when brought together, some go their whole lives without meeting another Witch heir and in the rare cases they do it's been no more than 1 or 2 at a time (random acts of bad mother nature have happened because of this). The Wyrm family has lived in Sweetwater for the last 75 years; they showed up in the middle of the night during a full moon and have remained. Witch heirs are very rare, only 4 in existence in the world.
Witches almost look just like any other human, almost. Most heir Witches have a slight variant to them that's almost invisible to the naked eye (they usually glamorize their quirk) for example cat eyes/web toes or fingers/horns.
Abilities: Witch Heirs are able to control/manipulate natural elements; Air, Earth, Water, Fire. However the Witch Heir has more control/manipulation/and creation of ONLY ONE element and VERY MINOR control of the other THREE. (Example: Heir has more control of AIR so EARTH/WATER/FIRE are controlled to a lesser degree); Witches are naturally drawn to areas of supernatural essence so to a minor degree they can sense the presence of other supernatural species. Their major element is drawn from their own natural magical affinity and essence.
Weaknesses: Witches are not immortal and can be killed by anything (natural/murder/accidents/poisoning). Witches MUST have access to the other three elements to control them, they cannot create the three lesser elements (where they have to draw from their natural major element (themselves) the minor elements have to have their will/essence drawn from its natural source). They cannot tell what kind of supernatural creature is around and just senses them. The power of a witch is based on age; the older the stronger.
Average life span: Witches can live anywhere between 110-115 years; some powerful elemental control can extend their lives another 5 to 10 past the normal span.
XRILL The Xrill are an ancient and eldritch race of parasites. They found their way to earth via meteorite. Few Xrill have any memory of the meteor let alone what came before it. They were frozen in the ice of the meteor and while some were lost while entering earth's atmosphere or in the ensuing impact others remained intact waiting to thaw. Many many centuries later the ice thawed and the Xrill were released into various waterways. Due to a combination of the meteorites original location and the current of local waterways a few have ended up in sweetwater. Xrill are extremely rare everywhere.
Xrillians have a general sense of unity but due to not remembering their original homeworld do not have a formal culture or shared history. There are some general common sense taboos, like not eating the host of another Xrill or to not loudly announce your presence. Xrillians also tend to be naturally curious and logical. Xrill are incredibly intelligent partially due their telepathic abilities and through their ability to retain the memories of each host they take on. While they are compatible with many creatures they prefer humans for hosts if they can manage it. A Xrill will likely not be compatible with other supernatural types due to a combination of physical incompatibilities or an overload of sensation. Typically those that have attempted to join with a supernatural host have died shortly after.
Once infected the host will feel flu-like symptoms and mild to severe paranoia for about 48 hours. During which the Xrill attempts to join with their nervous system. If the process is successful the Xrill gains full control and the memories of the host body.
Xrill are by human standards pretty ugly. Outside of a host body they are usually quite small black slugs with tiny sets of too many eyes and a circular mouth of sharp teeth. Usually Xrill that have made their way to land based hosts are about an inch or two in length. They are able to grow larger but it is a very slow process. Once joined the host body may undergo some visible cosmetic changes such as the addition of a third black eyelid, a sort of non-transparent nictitating membrane. Most Xrill learn to avoid using this in front of non-Xrill. If a Xrill has been joined for a significant time in humans the host body can often develop cheetah-like freckles/ring-like discoloration along the sides of the neck or torso.
Abilities: It is both a blessing and a curse that Xrillians can pull out the full potential of the host body. They can drive up their host body's strength by artificially inducing adrenaline or disregarding pain senses. They can utilize the knowledge of their past hosts to benefit their current host. The Xrill also have mild empathic and telepathic abilities. If the target is not also Xrillian then they must touch the other creature in order to sense thoughts or any complex emotions. Their empathic abilities are passive but generally only work in a range of a few feet. Neither work well on vampires due to vampires being dead on a few levels. The connection for telepathic insight is stronger on sirens possibly due their aquatic nature but still requires touch. Outside of a host body the Xrill can withstand very extreme temperatures, Xrillians can survive indefinitely without a host.
Weaknesses: If outside the host body the Xrill are easily neutralized by a well placed boot. Drying out is a close second, salting them can weaken them but it would take a lot to kill. Most Xrill find the sensation of their host body feeling pain to be deeply unpleasant. If a Xrill pushes the host body too hard through use of telepathic connections or other stressors it can cause premature death in the host body. Xrill cause short range electromagnetic interference which can cause issues with modern technology and be used by humans to detect them. Transferring hosts is usually the most dangerous part of a Xrills lifespan.
Average life span: Xrill can live potentially many eons if they are not killed in the process of transferring hosts.
Other: Xrill themselves can reproduce asexually but that doesn’t prevent them from partaking of the urges of their host bodies.
BANSHEE Banshees, also known as a Bean Sidhe; is known throughout Irish folklore as a ‘fairy-woman’ who foretells the death of a family member. To hear her keening(cry) is a sign that a member of your family will die that night. According to folklore, she is usually dressed in a gray cloak and green dress, and her eyes are red from weeping. If one were to catch a bean sidhe, the person could force her to tell him who will die. Most tales or sightings are from the British Isles.
Description of appearance: When in her true form; a Banshee appears almost spirit-like; glowing with an ethereal light. Her hair is solid white, eyes red from mourning, a grey cloak and green dress. Banshee’s are all redheads in their human form. They are relatively common among the British Isles. Less common in the States.
Abilities: Banshees have the ability to sense impending death, though unless captured they cannot reveal details. They can levitate and phase through things (ONLY in Banshee form). Keening, or a Banshee’s ‘cry’ can be used to announce an impending death, but is also used in self defense. A Banshee’s cry is so piercing, it can shatter glass and cause severe damage to one’s hearing.
Weaknesses: A Banshee can only be killed by decapitation, or having her heart ripped from her chest. Simply stabbing her heart won’t do, it has to be removed from her body (Human or Banshee form). Silver will burn a Banshee’s skin and leave a scar until the next time she takes her true form (human form weakness only). Iron is the only thing that can hurt a Banshee in her true form, she can’t phase through it.
Average life span: Unless killed, a Banshee can give her life to save a dying woman, thus turning that woman into a Banshee.
Other: While Banshees used to be specifically tethered to a single family or clan, with Banshee’s passing on their title to strangers they’ve saved; they roam more freely untethered now. Banshee’s can’t be turned into Vampires or Werewolves. A werewolf bite would make them sick for a few days and then sick every full moon. And Vampires don’t enjoy feeding on Banshees, their blood is ‘stale’ because they’re ‘technically’ stuck in the ‘in between’ of life and death. A vampire can feed on a banshee in a pinch, but only if she’s in her human form. Banshee’s can fall prey to a siren’s song if the siren is skilled enough, but one shriek would break any established trance. And Banshee’s are not impervious to a witch’s magic, in either form.
