OTHERWISE

WHO ARE THE OTHERWISE?

‘Otherwise’ is the generally accepted term for all of the various supernatural/preternatural beings that populate our world and other worlds beyond. Each species is different, yet each one is set apart from humans; the dominant species on Earth as most of us know it. There are some hybrid individuals, but the main species are as follows:

Vampires are human/demon hybrids created by a demonic virus which in turn was created by a shamanic curse a very long time ago. Each vampire must be created by another, and the process is incredibly painful, and doesn’t always work. The end result leaves a quite often badly traumatized being who is torn between their new demonic needs and their original human nature. This conflict can quickly drive the vampire to insanity. It takes an exceptionally strong minded individual to withstand the making. Older vampires know this, and so will look to create their progeny from humans they deem strong of body and spirit. 

Vampires don’t all know of their origins, but there are a lot of rumours and a great many theories bounded about. Some few vampires do know the truth, but these few keep it to themselves. Vampires live in our world, although there aren’t very many, and they blend in perfectly among us, so you usually will not know someone is a vampire until it’s too late. Vampires feed on human blood and *only* human blood. they cannot survive on the blood of animals or anything else (they can, however, drink the blood of some other species and of human-hybrids.)

Vampires are immortal. They can be killed, but only by sunlight or beheading. They are super fast, super strong and super flexible, with a skeletal structure akin to a cat’s (flexible spines/connective tissue, etc) so they can fit into extremely small spaces, and absorb falls and jumps with relative ease.

Vampires have none of their supernatural strength or abilities by day, and they cannot heal when it’s daylight, and so are extremely vulnerable when the sun above the horizon. Contrary to popular belief, however, vampires can move about by day, albeit with great effort. older vampires find this a bit easier than younger ones, but it is very difficult and dangerous for all of them. by night, depending on when and how much they have fed, a vampire can swiftly heal almost any wound and they are dangerously swift and strong.

Vampires are usually loners, and do not like hanging out together. although there are a few sanctuaries around the world wherein they might, on occasion, gather. fact is,  it’s pretty unsustainable to have more than a couple in any one city at any given time, considering their food source. They tend to live in larger cities, because they can hide their activity easier than in small towns, so if you go looking (and you really shouldn’t) cities are a good place to begin.

Werewolves are  magically cursed human/fairy hybrids (AKA Changelings).

They all know of their origins and spend a lot of time trying to reverse the curse, or mitigate it at least. When they shift, it is for 3 days around the full moon, and they shift very painfully into a wolf with the same mass as whatever their human form is (so a pretty big wolf), and it is not something they can control. When in wolf form, werewolves think and act as wolves, with no human intelligence or control, although some older werewolves have been rumoured to have some influence over their wolf forms.

Werewolves are not immortal, but do live for a very long time. They are difficult to kill, but are deathly allergic to silver.

Werewolves live between our world and in Fairy/Arcadia/The Summerland/Tír Na Nóg, where they serve the royal fairy line as bodyguards. In our world a great many of them work in the field of medicine/biology.

Werewolves are carnivores, full stop. They also ache for the hunt. It’s a physical need, and if they don’t get it, they get chemically depressed and are likely to lose control and kill the nearest thing when they next shift. They often live with their own families, but honestly don’t hang out together that much, and there is no ‘alpha/beta/omega’ stuff at all (that’s been proven to be BS anyway with regular wolves). They are very careful, however, and have, over the centuries, have built safe spaces in our world for their ‘wolf-out’ times.

Werewolves are pitied in fairy for their inability to control their shift, and are absolutely not allowed to ‘wolf out’ in fairyland.

Fairies are all over Ireland, and they aren’t the twee little Victorian kind. No, not at all. Those are simply the young ones. Or sometimes the very old (you see, Faires live in a circular way). You wouldn’t want to cross a fairy. Or insult them. Or lie to them. Or not repay a favour. Or speak badly of them. At all. Ever. Full-blooded fae drink dreams. Yes dreams. Fairies are immortal, but can be unmade.

Some are tied to natural spaces, like trees or bodies of water. Some fae live under the sea. All are attuned to nature. All fae are deathly allergic to iron and all of it its derivatives.

Fairies can shapeshift into anything, and all shifters are actually fairies. Only some are cursed to shift into one creature only, a fact the rest of the Fae find rather sad.

Fairies have a royal line, and are governed by a federal monarchy. Other creatures that can’t ‘pass’ or hide in our world live in Fairyland as well. Like dragons. Or Trolls. Or Giants.