Lore Notes.

Incomplete notes on vampire nonsense in the Goodnight universe (Zhas' canon). Mostly so that I'll stop mis-naming the bloodlines off the top of my head--but now you too can learn about all the shit Zhas has to deal with on a regular basis. I am sorry for the rich text in advance.

GENERAL STUFF ABOUT ALL VAMPIRES:

All vampires have the potential for physical malformations and mutations including but not limited to: animal characteristics, all sorts of teeth and jaw problems, weird colored eyes, claws, unfortunate shapes where their shouldn't be shapes, abnormal growth or stretching of limbs, just being really unsettling to be around for some reason.
All vampires "bind" to something when they awaken as newly-turned fledglings, usually the very first thing they see or hear. This moment ("jamais vu") sticks in their subconscious minds and subtly influences their goals, fears, and even their personality from that moment forward.
Vampires lose the ability to empathize and fall out of touch with their human emotions as they grow older. This is why young vampires can be quirky and short-tempered, while centuries-old vampires are essentially functioning sociopaths.
Most vampires are a little faster and stronger than the average human, and have improved senses. It is unclear whether they observe the world like humans do, or if they actually operate on an entirely different spectrum of cognition. Vampires can survive a lot of injuries that would kill a normal human (gunshots, stab wounds, sometimes loss of limbs), and heal at a faster rate. Most vampires are susceptible to sunlight and faith-based magics to some degree, and all (but one) of them can be killed by decapitation. Vampire strengths and abilities get stronger with age, but so do their weaknesses. Furthermore, vampire strengths and weaknesses vary between individuals as much as they would in humans--complete outliers to these descriptions are unusual, but not unheard of.
Clans that are "Marked" are considered an enemy to all vampires and/or extremely dangerous to vampire existence as a whole, and are pretty much hunted down and/or killed on sight. These clans are indicated with ~~crossed out text~~.

KNOWN (PRIMARILY WESTERN/EUROPEAN) VAMPIRE CLANS & BLOODLINES

Crow Clan - Affliction of the body. Symbol is a smooth circle with a vertical and horizontal line dividing it into four quarters, commonly referred to as "the target". This clan's members tend to focus on mental pursuits such as politics, invention, and spying, as their bodies are typically rather delicate and easy to destroy compared to those of other clans. Notably susceptible to sunlight and tricks of the mind (many of them must be invited into buildings, have issues with mirrors, or suffer from arithmomania). They have better cognitive senses than the other two clans, and are very powerful during a new moon. Up until very recently, they held a 3/5ths majority over the West Court, and have done so for most of their history (currently they only hold two seats).
- Sleights - A bloodline with the ability to move objects with their minds. Powerful manifestations are rare, but extremely sought-after.
- Inks - Those who can create illusions from shadow. One of the two Kings in the West Court is of the Ink line, and is good "friends" with Hel.
  - ~~Shadows~~ - A bloodline that's all but disappeared into myth; they can literally turn their bodies into shadows, letting them move anywhere or become incorporeal at a moment's notice. They were hunted to near-extinction by other bloodlines a long time ago, but have remained sort of a boogieman story among fledgelings and the extremely superstitious. Funny enough, Zhas works with one of them. He's so old that he's lost most of his ability to regain physical form, rendering him nearly mute and physically useless until a new moon appears.
  - Ghosts - They have the power to turn invisible, though it only affect themselves, and is easily seen-through by Clearsights and All-Eyes.
- Royals - A bloodline with an astounding level of charisma. They usually end up in positions of authority whether they want it or not--and the smart ones make friends with lots of bigger, stronger vampires, as they are very easy to physically undermine on their own. One of the two Kings in the West Court is of this line.
- All-Eyes - A relatively new bloodline, originally astounded everyone due to their apparent lack of power. Eventually, it was discovered that they can see through the magic of other bloodlines, rendering the work of Inks, Ghosts, and other lines entirely useless. They are also the only known bloodline that can see the glowing eyes of Clearsight humans.

Wolf Clan - Affliction of the mind. Symbol is a circle with four compass-points jutting outwards, fittingly referred to as "the compass". This clan's members tend to be very physically-oriented and tough, making them excellent fighters, bodyguards, and all-purpose mooks. Notably susceptible to fire, aquaphobia, and physical mutations, but typically faster healers than the other two clans. They have the largest population out of the three clans by far (3:1 Crows, 6:1 Serpents), so much so that other vampires often refer to them as "the rats" of the vampire world.
- Dreamers - A bloodline known for being absurdly beautiful. Sometimes they compete with Royals for political power, but often they use their beauty to gain wealth, luxury, and a healthy following of humans to feed off of. One of the Kings of the West Court is from this line.
  - ~~Life-Eaters~~ - Rumored to be the "price of Dreams' vanity", the Life-Eaters are a subset of vampires along this bloodline that are said to have learned how drain the life and youth out of mortals, rather than simply drinking their blood. Though they gained incredible vitality and power in doing so, their forms were twisted so grotesquely that they became nearly unrecognizable as something that was once human. They are hunted mercilessly by other bloodlines both because of their dangerous power, and for the fact that they risk crossing the veil just from being seen. Very few still remain, and they live almost exclusively in underground complexes or sewer systems, far from the eyes of humans and other vampires alike.
- Wildmen - Vampires with incredible physical strength, often disproportionate to the size of their bodies. They are one of the most common bloodlines, with the most offshoots descended from them thus far.
  - Treaders - A bloodline that can shape-shift at will. The majority of them can only change a few small details back and forth, enough to create a disguise or enhance a feature (like nails into claws), but experienced and powerful vampires of this line have been known to change their entire appearance whenever they'd like. They are sought after as spies, despite their being notoriously untrustworthy.
  - Howlers - Vampires who shape-shift into animals. Most of these are found in rural or remote parts of the world, often taking the forms of large, predatory animals such as wolves, bears, or tigers. Fewer are found in the city, and they seem to favor turning into flocks of smaller animals, such as birds or rats. Most of them seem predisposed to solitude and dislike the indoors. It is still argued whether these vampires are technically offshoots of the Treader line, or if they are descended directly from Wildmen themselves. One of the Kings of the West Court is of this line, though he is as antisocial and mysterious as the rest of them.
  - Stone - A line of vampires that is extremely hard to kill. They heal very fast, and their bodies can take an extraordinary amount of damage before expiring. They have a reputation for being kind of moronic because of how often they incur head trauma and brain damage, leading to the nicknames "rockheads" and "pebbles". They are the only known bloodline of vampire (plus Berserkers) that can survive being staked in the heart. Tabbie, one of Zhas' recurring enemies, has survived being shot in the head several times (much to Zhas' frustration).
    - ~~Berserkers~~ - A rare and extremely dangerous offshoot of the Stone line, these vampires heal so fast and so completely that it is all but impossible to kill them. When they are threatened, angry, or in danger of being hurt, they fly into a violent frenzy in which they gain incredible strength and speed, lose all concept of their original selves, and eat anything in their path. The more it happens, the harder it becomes for them to "wake up" from this frenzy. Often awakening to find the trail of carnage and horror they left behind, all of them are aware of what a heavy burden their vampirism is, and only sire one fledgeling at a time. Berserkers instinctively frenzy and kill any living thing that they bind to; the sire dies before they can completely lose their humanity, but a new Berserker must then take their place in the world. Because of this tight-knit cycle, there are only ever a small handful of Berserkers in the world at one time. The clans keep a close eye on this line where they can, though most agree that they are powerless to do much other than clean up after the occasional incident. Zhas is currently hunting Toby, a new Berserker, in the hopes that his line's healing powers may be able to somehow reverse Saoirse's rapidly-dissolving physical state.
- Wind - Those who can move far faster than the average vampire, sometimes to the point of them being incredibly difficult to see. They very rarely reach old age.
  - Birds - Vampires who can jump to incredible heights, sometimes giving them the appearance of flight. They've also been known to stand on vertical surfaces, or upside-down on ceilings. No one is actually sure how they're able to do this.
Serpent Clan - Affliction of the spirit. Symbol is a circle with a vertical line dividing it in half, often with a north and south point jutting out, commonly referred to as "the eye." This clan's members are widely varied in their pursuits and positions, but frequently face suspicion and distrust from the other two clans due to their habit of dabbling in old magics and otherwise being weird, manipulative fuckheads. They are notably susceptible to religious totems, holy water, and silver. They have the smallest population out of the three clans, and have produced more Marked bloodlines than the other two clans combined. They rarely hold seats in the West Court, but one of the Crow's positions was recently taken over by Hel, the famed Vagrant King of the Serpents. His power is still the subject of much controversy.
- Chanters - Those with the power to influence the people around them on a large scale. Examples of this are riling up crowds, calming down a chaotic scene, and being inexplicably liked by whoever is around them. Unlike Royals and Dreamers, this is not based on anything about the vampire themselves, meaning the effect only lasts as long as people are around said vampire. Hel is of this clan, and is rumored to have an absurdly wide and subtle reach with this ability, leading the other Kings to argue whether he really deserves a spot, or if he's secretly been influencing them and his followers the whole time.
  - Ghoulers - Those with relatively little influential power, but a proficiency for binding magic--specializing in gaining complete influence over animals and humans with a ritualistic transfer of blood. Those who are given the vampire's blood are basically their willing slaves for as long as the vampire sees fit to keep them. This line's practices are not illegal, but are generally frowned upon all the same.
    - Trancers - An even smaller (and relatively new) subcategory of vampire that can forgo the blood ritual and simply control individuals' emotions with their minds. The exact effects of this range widely between Trancers; some of them must be near the target at all times for the effects to stay, while a few have claimed to keep complete emotional control over their target even when they are not near each other at all.
- ~~Necromancers~~ - Those with a natural and instinctive understanding of the realm of the dead. Their abilities are wide-ranging and not very well understood, even among the bloodlines who hunt them (there are likely several smaller branches under this line, but no Court-following vampire has stuck around Necromancers long enough to bother categorizing them). They have been rumored to be able to control other vampires through their undead nature alone. They are also said to be able to speak with the spirits of the deceased, raise humans from the dead, and bring twice-dead creatures back to life. Some people think that they have transcended a need to drink human blood, or that they have found the secret to true and unending immortality. There are several older, conservative circles in vampire society that fear that this Necromancer line is working to bring about the apocalypse, the undoing of all creation as they know it. Despite all of this, the Necromancers have remained the biggest and most well-protected of the Marked lines, and are the only ones who've stood a fighting chance against their kin's repeated attempts to wipe them from existence. Necromancers have proved a powerful ally to Saoirse, and despite their relation, have remained one of Hel's most publically hated enemies for decades.
- ~~Readers~~ - Simply put, vampires with the ability to read the minds of others. Members of this bloodline are allowed to live with the rest of vampire society, but they are kept under close watch and often restricted to living in certain places to keep them in control. Those who refuse to swear loyalty to the Court are considered treasonous and immediately marked for execution.
- Harbingers - A bloodline with control over elemental forces, particularly relating to weather. Those with stronger abilities have been known to control water, or to call down lightning bolts from the sky.
  - ~~Firestarters~~ - Those with the ability to create and manipulate fire. These are relatively rare, and they are not always immune to the fires that they start. Given that they are able to create one of the greatest weapons against vampire-kind, and the volatile and dangerous nature of fire itself, vampires of this line are kept under close watch, much like Readers are.
- Seers - Members of this bloodline get fleeting "visions" of the past, present, and future. The exact frequency, clarity, and overall nature of these moments vary widely from person to person and are not always strictly visual in nature. While some vampires have used members of this bloodlines to their advantage (namely those of the Crow clan, due to their extensive knowledge and networking resources), most others find their communications of their visions to be too confusing, vague, or undependable to bother trying.
  - ~~Mirrors~~ - While not technically a marked clan, members of this offshoot are almost universally shunned by others for their chaotic personalities. While Seers can only glimpse into other times and places, Mirrors seem to live there exclusively, and many other vampires theorize they are puppetted more by fate than their own free will. They speak cryptically at best, are barely comprehensible at worst--often suffering through visions and experiences of things that may or may not actually exist. Many of them suffer from mood swings, irritability, impulsiveness, and all kinds of twitchy behavior--and some have been known to lash out at themselves or others to vent the discomfort of being stuck in their own bodies. They would be dismissed as outright crazy if they didn't have a tendency of proving they know absolutely every secret in the entire world. Hang around one long enough, and it starts to make terrifyingly accurate assessments of whatever is around it, or whatever is relevantly happening hundreds of miles away, or something that is going to happen a week from now if something doesn't change. They are impossible to control and scare most who would try, given that they do not seem to fear anything that exists in the mortal realm. There is also nothing stopping them from blabbing a bunch of the vampire's well-kept secrets in the middle of a crowded conference room. They are known to show up unexpectedly to large events and places of power, give cryptic warnings, and disappear soon after. It is not known whether they know instinctively to follow these lines of time and prophecy, or if they are being controlled by something much more powerful than themselves--but either way, they make people very, very nervous. Many Mirrors seek refuge with Necromancers after being shunned from the rest of vampire society, which puts them even further out of favor with the rest of the clans.

~~Kin-Eaters~~ - This is not a clan, but rather the collective name for vampires who drink the blood of other vampires. To a species with so many hang-ups and traditions regarding bloodlines and their own predatory nature, eating one of your own kind is considered one of the dirtiest and most disgusting crimes you can commit in the vampire world. Kin-Eaters are considered very dangerous for several reasons--the biggest of which being that they gain the powers and abilities of whatever bloodline they devour, in addition to their own. The downside for Kin-Eaters is that multiple bloodlines cause them to destabilize, leading to increasingly rapid mental deterioration. Zhas has observed (especially in Saoirse) that even if they retain enough of their mentality to be functional, their bodies will eventually begin deteriorating as well. This effect seems less blatant in vampires that have primarily eaten vampires of the same, or similar, bloodlines. Due to their strict policy of "never bringing harm to humans", the circle of vampires that Zhas works with under Saoirse's rule are almost exclusively made up of Kin-Eaters.

The Pure - Still considered a myth to many, the Pure are an ancient race of creatures that live in the Realm Beyond (the same place that Necromancers study, and the realm that people believe Mirrors half-exist in). One popular creation myth claims that vampires are the result of their trying to fix a human plague. A similar myth tells of how the Pure have the power to turn vampires back into humans. Zhas stole the only Pure that anyone's ever found and keeps the thing in his basement. Their abilities, motives, and personalities are still largely unknown. The one that Zhas interacts with never speaks, but Zhas blames it for the frequent prophetic and warning nightmares he has experienced since finding the damn thing.