humans

humans or human-mages are born with the ability to use one or two kinds of elemental magic: water, fire, wind, earth, or lightning. all humans in this world are human-mages.

elemental magic is flexible with branches for each element.

water: ice
earth: plant
wind: smoke
fire: plasma
lightning: magnetism
some branches of magic overlap elements. these include: metal, lava, and weather. the ability of to use this kind of magic depends on the user's skill and their elemental magic.

humans channel magic through a physical item, helping them wield and shape the elements. magic can be channeled through the human body (i.e. hands) but it is not recommended as magic is volatile and can result in lost limbs or death. elemental magic does not require spoken words or written sigils, just concentration and an item to as a magic conductor.

any non-living physical item can be a magic conductor, though objects with a lot of moving parts are difficult to master (guns, vehicles, etc.) so these are less common as conductors.

physically, human-mages don't differ from regular non-magical humans except for hair and eye color which can be any color or shade.

examples: maelle (water), aoko (lightning)

ghosts

ghosts are a phenomenon exclusive to humans where their spirit does not move on, instead anchoring themselves to the world of the living.

ghosts are born after traumatic deaths or when they have "unfinished business." they exist as hazy incorporeal beings resembling the human they once were who have to possess humans or objects in order to physically interact with the world. they are single-minded in their behavior, taking decades upon decades to regain a semblance of their former personality. even then, they're solely focused on their reason for not moving on.

as such, ghosts are near impossible to reason with and, since they can still use magic, hostile ghosts require an exorcism to force the spirit to leave.

it is unknown why humans are the only species capable of becoming ghosts but some allude to the strength of the human will.

examples: sally-ann

fae

fae or the fair folk are long-lived mythical beings that come from the fairy realm, a vast and sprawling world of magic separate from the human realm. some fae slipped through the barrier before the calamity and their interactions with humans led to the creation of folklore: stories and warnings of the fae and their malice. not all fae are bad, but it's said to be careful with even the friendliest ones as their sense of morality differ from humans.

fae magic is known to be transformative. words and beliefs are very powerful to them, to the point the fae language itself is a spell. it's said telling a fae your name gives them power over you. as a result, aliases is common even in modern day.

all fae are lethally weak to iron and it's the strongest defense against them. they have a connection with nature and portals to the fairy realm are usually found deep in forests.

physically, the fair folk are generally humanoid with pointed ears. some have unusual skin/sclera colors or more bestial features such as wings, horns, etc.

half-fae

half-fae are the offspring between a fae and human. the distinction between half-fae and fae descent is the former's magic being more fae-like than human-mages and their behavior aligning more with the fair folk than humans. they also have an innate understanding of the fae language and aren't harmed by iron, enabling to wield weapons that would usually kill a fae.

their lifespans are shorter than full fae but it is said half-fae can live long if they stay in the fairy realm.

half-fae look like humans with pointed ears, though some can have more bestial features.

examples: genevieve, hilda, liko

fae-descent

fae-descents are humans with fae ancestry. their magic are like human-mages and they have a minimal understanding of the fae language, needing to be taught it by a fae or half-fae.

they sometimes have pointed ears and/or bestial features but are otherwise human.

examples: keke, alphonso

werewolves

lycanthropy started as a curse by an unknown fae that turned a human into a wolf monster but has evolved to point where werewolves are considered to be their own mythical creatures. humans can become a werewolf by either being born as one or bitten by one. experienced werewolves can shift at will but none can stop a full moon transformation.

transformed humans are unable to use magic but gain resistance to magic along with heightened speed, agility, and strength.

iron does nothing to werewolves but silver is lethal to them.

giants

giants are a race of mythical beings originating from the gegeneis realm. after the calamity, they claimed domains over the earth and ruled as tyrants which led to a great war with humans. humanity won the war with the help of dragons who decimated the giants after a young dragon was slained in giant territory. however, some historians believe it was humans who killed the young dragon and framed the giants to get the otherwise neutral dragons on their side.

giants were thought to be extinct until the 18th century when an one-eyed child was discovered—a sign of cyclops and therefore giant heritage. it is theorized that some giants survived the great war by finding refuge in the fairy realm, and none have been seen on earth since the war.

giants are categorized into three types:

nephilim (humanoid) behemoth (land) leviathan (sea)
behemoth are stronger on land and weaker in water, leviathan are stronger in water and weaker on land, and nephilim have no terrain advantages.

giants have monstrous appearances and, as expected, giant in size. even the more humanoid nephilim have physical features like scales, stone-like skin, many arms, many legs, etc. behemoth and leviathan giants are beasts, some even an amalgamation of various animal-like creatures.

they are known for their extreme strength, durability, and resistance to magic but their own magic is the weakest of all the races.

giant-descent

giant-descents are the offspring between a giant and a human or humans with giant ancestry. it is thought a fae spell transformed the giants that fled to the fairy realm into forms closer to fae and therefore humans.

not only do giant-descents have magic that's nearly on par with a human-mage but they have extreme strength, durability, and magic resistance from their giant side. what they lack is the ability to transform into their nephilim, behemoth, or leviathan forms. for now.

they are the rarest of the non-human descents and among the most feared.

physically, giant-descents look like humans except they have at least one bestial feature. contrary to popular belief, giant-descents can be any height but they do trend towards the taller end.

examples: eloise (behemoth), basil (behemoth), malik (leviathan)

dragons

dragons are powerful extra-dimensional beings. it is not known exactly where they originate. what is known is that an ancient dying dragon fell from the stars and 'opened' the sky, causing the calamity that changed the earth.

dragons that exist now descend from people who were "blessed" by the original dragon, by touching its corpse or rained on by its gold blood or ichor. the remains of the original dragon eventually vanished into the earth.

dragon-descents can transform into a dragon at will. their dragon forms vary but is generally reptililian or serpentine in appearance with wings and horns, although there have been records of dragons with more unusually appearances. as humans they have pointed ears and the ability to partly transform, sprouting wings, claws, etc. they may also have slit pupils and sharp teeth.

all children of dragon-descents inherit their abilities. they are prideful, able to trace their ancestry back to the original dragon who most worship. they also have a famed temper and been known to go on rage-fueled rampages and destroy everything around them.

mixed-heritage dragons usually take the "best" traits from other species to make themselves more powerful. however, there could be downsides. (i.e. a dragon-descent bitten by werewolf being more agile and stronger but having nearly no control in their dragon form.

dragon blood and bones are powerful magical substances with the original dragon's being the most powerful and sought after. to avoid being hunted, most dragons live amongst themselves in secluded areas.

draconic magic embodies all elemental magic but most dragons have affinity towards a specific element. no matter the element, all dragons breathe fire and have a strong resistance to magic. their magic exceeds human-mages and they able to channel it through their bodies.

while it is difficult to harm a dragon, their greatness weakness is healing. when seriously injured, dragon-descents revert to dragon form and enter a stasis. they will stay in this deep sleep until they are healed. damage they sustain in stasis will cause them to sleep longer, potentially leading to an eternal slumber. they can resist the urge to enter a stasis but their wounds may not heal, leading to infection and death.

they also have a low fertility rate with fewer dragons being born year by year. they are thought to be a very powerful but finite race.

examples: rocket, markos (vampire-dragon), bryony (dragon-witch)

demons

demons are feared extra-dimensional beings from a realm called pandemonium. not much is known about them or the realm they come from with knowledge of them having been derived from witches.

they are said to take many forms, ranging from a "classic" demon to something incomprehensible. there are some that are even a sound or a color. most can assume what they call a "human face" where they look more humanoid. how long a demon can keep their "human face" varies.

it appears they cannot fully access the human realm, with the calamity only allowing them a glimpse. they can materialize on earth in a weakened form if summoned through arcane rituals but how long they stay depends on the ritual and the strength of the witch who summoned them. there have been reports of accidental or flawed summonings with horrendous consequences.

their only known weakness is dragon blood, causing them pain and for some demons to instantly dematerialize. the exact reason for this is unknown but scholars speculate that perhaps the original dragon came from pandemonium or a similar realm.

demons have a vested interest in humanity for unknown reasons and when summon, bargain with their magic in exchange for various human things, including humans themselves.

demon magic or dark magic encompasses all manners of the occult such as necromancy, divination, etc. it also includes mind-bending psychic abilities called extrasensory perception or ESP.

demons are elusive, unpredictable, and dangerous. for the last five centuries, there has been an international ban on demon summonings but some are still willing to take the risk.

examples: daumier

witches

witches are people or the descendants of people who made contracts with demons. it appears the contract passes down through lineage with currently no known way to break it. some witches are offspring between humans and demons but these half-demons tend to be ostracized so they usually pretend to be otherwise.

witches specialize in dark magic including poison manipulation and wielding a toxic supernatural fire called "witchfire". however, witches aren't evil by default. the majority of ghost and vampire hunters are witches as their powers give them an advantage over supernatural entities versus regular human-mages. powerful witches are even able to banish demons.

witches are comparatively weaker against dragon-descents and their elemental magic pales in comparison to a human-mages, though they still need a physical conductor to use magic.

witches look like regular humans for the most part. those with demon ancestry may have pointed ears, horns, tails, or unusual eyes.

examples: asp, frankie and giles (half-demon), desdemona (demon ancestry)

unwitches

in rare cases, a witch is born who cannot use dark magic. it is not known why exactly but these are called unwitches.

unwitches instead have elemental magic typical of a human-mage, though some have powerful ESP abilities.

examples: dahlia, zane

vampires

vampires are dangerous supernatural entities that feed on blood. the first vampire is thought to be the result of a demon summoning gone wrong and witches refer to them as 'earth-born' demons. historians speculate that vampires, like fae, might have existed on earth before the calamity.

vampirism is like a cursed "infection" which can be spread to humans and non-humans alike through a vampire's bite. interestingly, only humans and dragons are able to become vampires. the infection poisons fae, slowly killing them, while it petrifies giants and turns them to stone.

vampires must consume blood to survive. while they can eat normal food, it doesn't provide any sustenance. animal blood will keep them alive in a weakened state.

becoming a vampire requires an exchange of blood between the vampire and their victim. vampires can "lightly" feed on someone but draining them of blood without giving theirs causes the victim to reanimate as mummified ghouls, effectively zombies. ghouls obey the vampire that sired them, but turned vampires are completely separate from their sires.

vampires wield blood magic unique to them. with this magic, they're able to shapeshift into various of forms, even mist or smoke, and can increase their durability and strength. it grants them extreme regeneration, able to be form anew even from ash if given enough time. they also have the power of compulsion or hypnotic suggestion.

contrary to popular belief, vampires aren't weak to sunlight at all but they're more active at night which lead some to be completely nocturnal. fire is their weakness but only dragonfire and witchfire can truly kill them. they can also starve to death.

to avoid starvation, vampires can enter a stasis not unlike dragons. however, in this state vampires are essentially corpses and easy to destroy with even regular means. because of this, most vampires sleep in cemeteries or dark secluded places.

due to the combined efforts of human-mages and witches over the centuries, few vampires exist now. ones that pledge to only feed on animal blood are left alone but monitored in case they attack humans. still, there may be sleeping ancient vampires that can awaken at any moment.

in their default form, vampires look like humans with pointed ears and fangs. they can have unusual hair or eye colors.

examples: jericho, pascal

familiars

familiars are creatures of pure magic. they are born when an excess of magic "piles up" in certain locations. they usually take plant or animal forms, sometimes a mixture of both. some familiars take the appearance of objects. there hasn't been any reported humanoid familiars.

they are sentient with intelligence similar to an animal. they feed off magic but can consume various things. they're often adopted as pets by humans and other species and can use their magic to boost their owner's.

in some cases, familiars soak a lot of magic and transform into dangerous magic beasts. these beasts' goal is to consume any and all magic, including human-mages and other magical species. there's organizations in place to combat these beasts and make sure they don't go out of control.

examples: cmyk, bb