Monsterpedia
This page is under continuous construction. It contains facts and fables about the Dark Forgotten universe, some which made it into the books, and some that are still waiting in the wings. Email me if you think I've missed something, or if you have a question
History | Species | People | Places | Things
History
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Coming Out of the Crypt
Creatures of the night existed in the shadows up until the year 2000. At that time, the governing council that rules the vampires voted to stop living in secret. They "came out of the crypt" on several national late-night television talk shows. The were-beasts and other non-human species followed suit. Ratings went through the roof.
The reason for all this, besides making TV sponsors very happy, was that living off the radar was getting far too difficult. Computers and the need for personal identification, such as passports, complicated the simplest transactions. No longer could one simply vanish and move on to terrorize the village next door. Besides, while some non-humans could afford to buy false identities, not every vamp and were-beastie had that kind of cash.
Legal Rights
The supernaturals are not welcomed world-wide. In North America and most European countries, they have provisional citizenship and basic economic rights. They can earn money and pay taxes. You may have wings, fins, horns, and a tail but, if you have a pay check, you're good enough for the folks down in the taxation office.
Other legal rights, such as the right to a trial by a jury of one's peers, are not yet in place. The law varies considerably between jurisdictions. Not all countries recognize inter-species unions or custody rights.
The cause of equal rights for all sentient species is spearheaded by the vampire queen, Omara.
Legend of the Chosen
Vampire myths are legion, but then when you live forever you have plenty of time to make stuff up. This legend says that if a human loves a vampire above all others and chooses them for their mate, that vampire will be cured of the need for blood and can live on love alone. The catch is that the human has to do this of their own free will and must not be under the influence of the vampire's venom.
This does sound like wishful thinking. Forced to have sex for eternity. Well, all right!
Magic and Nature
Magic is bending energy with will. Each species has its own form of magic, but all draw on basic elemental energies-earth, air, water, or fire. Witches are born with a genetic adaptation that enables them to manipulate earth energy, drawing on reservoirs of power stored in natural objects, such as plants, stones, and the earth itself. Earth magic is aided by ritual, but can be used spontaneously by an experienced practitioner. In this way, magic can be "thrown" in self defence. That is, they can zap people really well.
Sorcerers and wizards work with air and fire magic. Unlike witches, they have no genetic advantage and can come from any species. They rely on study, ritual and power objects to cast spells. Many vampires study sorcery, probably because they have the time to wade through all those big, thick books.
Water magic is unpredictable and rarely used. Water-dwelling supernaturals have made no move to contact humans or any other land-based species.
Portals
There are only a few ways to travel to and from the Castle (or any other dimension).
- Magic users from our world can create a portal to summon a demon. In a rare instance, one might become a permanent doorway.
- The nine sorcerers who created the Castle each had a key to create a doorway when/wherever they wanted. These keys also opened any locks in the Castle. One of the nine keys was built into The Book of Lies and the sorcerer, Atreus, collected at least some of the others.
- The Guardsmen have the ability to create portals at will in order to retrieve escaped prisoners. However, they can't use them to escape themselves, as the Guardsmen will die if they're out of the Castle for too long.
Public Relations
Some humans (mostly young, wealthy urbanites) think the supernaturals are edgy, trendy and cool, earning the nickname "spookniks." Others would rather kill their supernatural neighbors on sight. Most humans waver somewhere in between.
Species
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Changelings
Changelings are a genetic/metaphysical mutation of vampires that dates back around a thousand years. Mutations can occur if vampires are inexperienced or not powerful enough to successfully Turn their fledglings. For this reason, vampires must be authorized by their sires before starting their own clan. "Mistakes" or unauthorized fledglings are immediately destroyed. However, for some reason the original changelings survived and have the ability to create more of their own kind. Unlike regular vampires, much their human personalities do not survive the Turning. As a result, they are more aggressive.
Changelings make movie-monster nosferatu look cute. Rejected and marginalized by the rest of vampire society, they are in a constant battle to establish their own hunting territory. Those who were driven into the Castle became mercenaries. For many years, local vampires thought changelings were extinct.
Rather than turn to dust when killed, changelings turn to slime.
Crows
The so-called crows are a form of were-bird about the size of a large eagle. Like the hellhounds, the crows have only recently re-entered our world from the Castle.
Crows are largely solitary beings. They get together only for highly ritualized seasonal festivals that are barred to outsiders. In their human form, they are slight, no more than medium height, and usually dark-haired. Many have gone into bartending and the fashion industry. They favor gloomy, urban chic somewhere between Wednesday Addams and Uriah Heep, if Heep was hip.
Demons
No one knows where demons first came from. Traditional magic practitioners believe the first demons came from an alternate dimension, aka Hell. Most summoning spells are made to call demons from Hell to Earth. Demons are immortal.
There many different sub-species of demons, ranging from mild to extra-nasty. The most familiar are the soul-eaters. These were humans at birth who were infected by a demon-creating curse (some believe it is a parasite) called the Dark Larceny. Strong demons of this sub-species instinctively create subordinates, who create their own flunkies, and so on. The demon at the top of the pyramid is able to draw upon the strength of its "children" (known as thralls) to stake a claim for hunting territory, gather share options, and claim the company car and/or all-expense paid vacations in the holiday time- share.
The similarity between demon society and corporate structure has caused some to believe that demons were spawned by an ancient marketing firm desperate for aggressive sales associates.
Soul-eaters live on human life essence and exist in a constant state of hunger. Newly made soul-eater demons appear as a black, powdery mist. Once it is strong enough to assume a solid form, they manifest as rats, spiders, snakes, or whatever else will spook their victims. At their strongest, soul-eater demons assume the human form they had in life. This camouflage is a master demon's greatest weapon. In this form, it is hard to spot a demon through normal or magical perception.
Most demon sub-species can only be killed by a witch's magic but, if the demon is a master, banishing is the safest option.
Dragons
Everyone over a thousand years old remembers dragons, especially the ones that got away. No one has seen a dragon in the wilds since the Renaissance, although there have been unverified sightings of dragons inside the Castle.
A black market for dragon parts thrives in the underground wizard community.
Fey
The Fey do not see themselves as belonging to the same class of species as other supernaturals. Their civilization predates humanity by several thousand years. Not much is known about the fey and, for the most part, no one cares. An extremely haughty people, they have few allies and no friends. They remain neutral in most conflicts.
Fey are talented magicians and master illusionists. For this reason, no one is sure if they really are a race of tall, good-looking beings in fabulous jeweled robes or gremlins with a really good makeover.
Fey prefer to be outdoors. Traditionally, they wove fine cloth and tended orchards. In the modern era, they specialize in market gardening. Some work as gardeners on large estates, and it is rumored that young, male fey are in high demand as pool boys.
Ghosts
Humans are the only species to generate ghosts. They range from sentient to mere shadows of people or events. Up until the monsters "came out of the crypt," humans tolerated hauntings unless they were malicious. Now, with a rise in pro-human and anti-supernatural sentiment, ghosts have a severe and adverse effect on property values. The ghost-busting industry is booming.
Ghouls
Ghouls are scavengers. Unfortunately, you don't have to be dead to be scavenged. Or particularly edible. They might try out a Toyota just to see how it tastes.
Ghouls are about the size of adolescent children, but don't be fooled. They're strong, fast, and have claws like razors on both hands and feet. They travel in packs and generally stick to less populated areas. They're not particularly well socialized or adapted for human society, although they can occasionally be found in jobs where customer service is a low priority, such as a Merchandise Returns counter.
Guardians
These are the prison guards of the Castle. They are humans by birth, but the magic of the Castle makes these warriors immortal and gives them added strength and healing ability. The Castle also removes the need for food, and drink.
Long centuries in the dark halls of the Castle have taken their toll. Most believe the guardians are mad or corrupt. They have a reputation for cruelty.
The number of guardians has dwindled through the centuries and fewer and fewer replacements are being sent into the Castle. As a result, many areas of the prison are left unguarded.
Guardians do not leave the Castle often, but they will pursue escaped prisoners. While they are outside, they will capture any supernatural beings they find.
Hellhounds
Hellhounds are a type of shape shifter often confused with werewolves. They can actually assume a variety of forms at will, including a large black dog, a horse, or a panther. In Britain, they are sometimes called gytrash.
Almost all the hellhounds were incarcerated in the Castle until recently. They live in tight-knit family groups ruled by an alpha pair. Competition for dominance is fierce. They will not breed unless there is a mated alpha pair.
Hellhounds adapt easily to human society, but do not form significant relationships with other species. They are proud, independent, and prefer to work alone. Many are skilled craftsmen or mechanics.
The alpha in Fairview is a young hellhound named Lore.
Houses
Witches build houses capable of sentience. These houses serve both as an extra means of protection against enemies and also as an aid to magical workings. The sentience grows stronger with age.
The magic used to sustain the houses' consciousness is fed by the natural energy surrounding a vibrant family of witches. Unfortunately, due to the decline in the witch population, many of these houses are being abandoned. With nothing to feed on, most houses slowly lose consciousness. A few lure people—witches if they can get them—inside and devour their life force in an effort to survive.
When a house becomes a killer, it must be destroyed, usually with a burn order.
Necromancers
Anyone with enough magic and the right instruction manual can raise the dead. Previous generations of Carvers had a well-developed talent for bringing back the dearly departed.
An anti-necromancy sentiment is creeping into the public mood. Worries about sanitation and the sanctity of the grave frequent the headlines. The Zombie Justice League of North America ("Vote No to Eating Brains") is currently lobbying for regulations on unauthorized resurrection.
The Old Ones
The Old Ones were a group of nine sorcerers who built the Castle several thousand years ago. Once the Castle was built, they raised armies who drove all but a handful of supernatural beings into the Castle prison. The names of the Old Ones have been forgotten. It is unclear whether they all came from Earth, or if the Castle was an inter-dimensional project.
Sorcerers
Sorcerers can be from any species. They are not born magicians, but study their craft over many, many years. Their primary interest is air and fire magic. Typically, they collect grimoires (spell books) and objects of power to assist them. They will sometimes invoke the aid of supernatural creatures, typically demons.
Sorcerers view themselves as the cream of the magic-using crop and look down on wizards and witches.
Vampires
Vampires live in clans, which a hunting territory large enough to support its members.
Clans are made up of a sire and those vampires he or she has made. The sire typically has one or more favorites, lieutenants, and warriors. Fledglings are chosen for their beauty and ability to entertain. To be without clan is to exist without protection or social status. Typically, unless an "orphaned" vampire is taken in by another clan, they will not survive long.
A vampire king or queen rules a collection of clans. Kingdoms vary in size and importance.
Vampires are, for all practical purposes, immortal. They can be injured by a silver weapon or killed by being beheaded, staked or burned. Certain magic or poisons will also do the job. Vampires turn to dust when killed.
Sunlight can produce serious burns if they are directly exposed. Simple daylight renders a young vampire unconscious. An old vampire can function in the daytime if protected from the light, but only about as well as someone with a serious hangover. Vampires do not die during the daytime, but sleep more deeply than humans.
Vampires do not need to drain a human to feed. A vampire's bite contains venom, which is sexually pleasurable and addictive to humans. Even one bite can turn a human into a venom junkie. No vampire will bite a child. They can mark humans through their bite, which psychically grants them control of a human's will. In an effort to ease human/vampire legal relations, the marking of human slaves is a no-no.
Vampires can drink small amounts of beverages, but do not eat. It takes a large quantity of alcohol or drugs to have an effect on their systems. Vampires are not adversely affected by religious objects and most believe they have a soul. The Desire is a bond, normally expressed through both sexual and emotional affection, between vampires of the same clan. It is most powerful between sire and child. Scientists think it is an evolutionary adaptation that allows competing predators to live in a family grouping.
The ritual to Turn a human into a vampire is complex and dangerous and requires a competent vampire sorcerer. Back-alley jobs usually result in death or hideous complications. The changelings were the result of a botched Turning that was allowed to survive and make more of its kind.
Werewolves
There are many types of were-animal. The wolf is the most common in North America, with the cougar a close second. When the European wolf immigrated to the New World, it mixed with the native packs.
Were-animals are a separate genetic population. They do not successfully interbreed with humans and rarely with each other. They change form at will, although the urge to do so is strongest during the full moon.
Werewolves live in close-knit extended families. They are hard-working, prosperous, and extremely proud of their offspring. Packs are typically made up of a large, intermarried family group.
The most prominent werewolves in Fairview are the Bakers, who run a gravel operation west of town. The patriarch, Tom Baker, is the pack alpha. Perry Baker, the eldest son, is a professor at the University's School of Business.
The Baker family barbeques are justly famous, and in a good way.
It is possible to turn a human into a type of werewolf through sorcery, but the victims of this type of curse is often violent and experiences a bloodlust similar to that of the vampire.
Witches
Witches are a separate sub-species of humans. The term applies to both male and female individuals. They have a genetic mutation that enables them to manipulate magic very effectively. They are predisposed to working with earth magic, but can use other kinds as well. (see Magic and Nature).
Witches live in extended family groups or clans, building sentient houses to live in (see Houses). They encourage their offspring to marry within the witch population. Children are trained to use magic from birth. Not all witches achieve the same level of power, and those with enhanced abilities achieve higher status within the community. Extensive use of high-level magic can prolong a witch's life and youth indefinitely.
In the past, children with mixed human blood generally lived with their human relations and did not receive magical training. However, in recent years, the witch population has declined to the point where any child with magical potential is prized.
Historically, witches never hid their existence, counting themselves more humans than supernaturals. Due to a low birth rate, intermarriage, and persecution, their numbers have dropped to a few thousand in North America.
Wizards
Wizards are not born with a genetic predisposition for magic. They can come from any species and can be male or female. Like sorcerers, wizards rely on spell books and magical objects, but the similarity ends there. They are not interested in research for its own sake. Wizards are typically living-in-the-basement-with-the-music-up-loud rebels. They care less about ritual form and tradition and more about making things work for practical reasons. Modern wizardry incorporates all forms of available technology. There are several pieces of weighty legislation under review regulating use of wizardry in the IT industry, particularly with regard to spell casting copyright issues.
People
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
The Carver Family
The Carvers have been in Fairview since the 1800s. Seven generations have lived in the family home. The Three Sisters Agency was originally founded by Elaine, Louise, and Serena Carver in the 1880s and originally specialized in mediumship and necromancy. Most generations of Carvers up until recently have had at least three sisters in the family. Holly's grandmother, however, was an only child and married a human.
There is some confusion about family trees due to the fact that witch families are matrilineal and therefore a man adopts his wife's name on marriage.
William Kinnear, Holly's father, married Alice Lowell, a human, and had one son, Brendan (who did take his father's surname of Kinnear as per the human pratice). The marriage broke down after eighteen months due to tensions over William's connection to the magical world. He lost all rights to his son in the ensuing divorce. Two years later, he married Marian Carver and fathered two girls, Ashe and Holly.
William and Marian were killed in a car accident when Ashe was sixteen and Holly eight. Ashe moved to Spain as soon as she was of legal age. Holly continues to live in the family home and carry on the work of the Three Sisters Agency.
Champion
Every vampire monarch has a vampire who is their champion. With the exception of battles for the crown, the champion fights on the monarch's behalf. They also personally enforce the laws within all or part of the monarch's territory and carry out any necessary executions. The champion carries a silver broadsword as their weapon and badge of office.
Clan Albion
The Clan Albion vampires originated in Tudor England and relocated to North America around 1850, eventually settling on the West Coast. They made their fortune by importing stained glass and other fine building materials for upscale homes. As the demand for luxury houses leveled off, they moved on to importing automobiles. They lost most of their fortune during the Depression and then again in the 1980s. Despite this, Clan Albion remains an ambitious and powerful household.
The Flanders Family
One of the old witch families in Fairview, the Flanders clan were Geneva's allies back in the day. The individual Flanders family members ranged from odd to nightmarish and gave credence to all the scary-witch folk tales. The family line has since died out.
Their house stands empty near the university and has gone rogue.
Geneva
One of the soul-eating demons, Geneva is an old enemy of Queen Omara and did battle with her for Fairview in the 1800s. At that time, Omara banished her to the Castle with the help of Elaine Carver, one of Holly's ancestors. Elaine died during the battle.
No one knows when the blond, beautiful Geneva walked the earth as a human.
Giuseppi
Giuseppe is one of the Changeling leaders. In life he was an important Florentine merchant. He had a personal beef with Alessandro's sire, which he has since transferred to Alessandro.
Hunters
Besides stake-happy yahoos who watch too much TV, true Hunters do exist. They belong to a small ethnic group from the Balkans and pass their knowledge from generation to generation. Some came to North America during the 1950s and a group of families settled in Fairview. They stick close together, rarely marrying outside their culture.
Kalil, Prince of Tombs
A vampire hailing from Constantinople, Kalil was heavily involved in trade with the Italian city-states during the Medieval and Renaissance eras. He was killed, along with most of his clan, by human hunters in Turkey in the early 1700s. Kalil was Alessandro's sire.
Macmillan, Conall
Conall (aka Mac) was the only child of Douglas Macmillan and Mary Pritchard. Douglas, an RCMP officer, was killed in the line of duty when Mac was eight. His mother, a native of Fairview, raised him with the help of a large extended family. She made a successful career working in a land developer's office. Mac inherited her condo and some good investments.
Mac has a degree in criminology from Simon Fraser University. He had a varied career with several law enforcement agencies before working as a detective with the Fairview Police Department. Decorated twice for personal bravery, he was one of the lead officers in their new supernatural crimes division.
As well as being an enthusiastic outdoorsman and widely-read, Mac is known for a good dress sense and flair for cooking. He loves black labs. Unfortunately, he has no sense when it comes to women.
Omara
Vampire Queen of the Pacific Northwest, Omara rules dozens upon dozens of vampire clans. She is the liaison with human media and legislative representatives and is a passionate advocate of pan-species rights.
Raglan, Steve
Steve is a busy real estate entrepreneur in Fairview. He's made a fortune purchasing ramshackle properties, giving them a superficial face-lift, and selling them to suckers. He's best known for his three ex-wives, a string of zoning offences, and a fondness for the ponies. However, Steve does love his collie, Jip. Nobody's all bad.
Three Sisters Agency
The agency was founded by Elaine Carver and two of her sisters. It began largely as a way to take advantage of the nineteenth-century fad for spiritualism, but quickly grew into a thriving business doing basic bread-and-butter magic such as finding lost objects, cleansing houses, and laying troublesome ghosts to rest. Its most lucrative period was during the 1920s and 30s, when a number of shipwrecks off the coast created a bumper crop of spooks. The business still survives and is currently operated by Holly Carver.
Places
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Barnaby's Café and Tea Room
This cafeteria-style eatery operates in a historical building just outside the university district. The desserts are guaranteed to ruin one's diet just by looking at the layers of ganache, butter frosting, chocolate, and whipped cream. The tea room is famous for its original rolled-tin ceiling and etched glass windows.
The Bayshore Pub
This is a pub restaurant in a strip mall across from St. Andrew's cemetery. It's Mac's favorite eatery since it's open late, close to the police station, and always has free parking. It's not trendy but the food's good and the service is friendly.
Campus Joe's
This is a coffee shop in the Student Union Building at the University of Fairview. Reliable but not memorable.
The Castle
The Castle exists outside the laws of time and place in its own small dimension. There is no outside of the Castle, only an interior.
There are many legends about how the Castle was created, but we do know that there were nine human sorcerers who built it millennia ago. Even though now it looks like a medieval dungeon, it was originally a pleasant enough place, with sun and trees.
The Castle was created to house every creature with a whiff of magic, from the smallest unicorn to the most fearsome demon. Humans were not the dominant species, and the sorcerers wanted to ensure human survival by removing the competition. Or at least that's what they said. Some believe their real motivation was to create a sorcerers-only monopoly on magic. Y'know, world domination and all that.
A genocide of the non-human races followed. It was not entirely successful, but afterward there were scant few magical beings left to roam the world at large. The sorcerers grew into tyrants, and eventually their human followers turned on them. The nine were thrown into the Castle, becoming prisoners in the jail they had themselves created. As the sorcerers perished and the magic of the Castle grew weaker, it slowly degenerated (for various reasons) from a pleasant landscape into a dungeon.
It was not until Y2K that the non-human races once again lived openly with their human neighbours.
Fairview
Fairview is a coastal university town located in the Pacific Northwest with a population of about 300,000. Its history dates back to the 1840s, when it was an outpost of The Hudson's Bay Company. It gained importance as a stopping point along the gold rush trail. Besides the university, its current economy is driven by civil service jobs and tourism. It has one of the highest per capita concentrations of non-human residents in North America. In terms of vampire geography, it belongs to Queen Omara's territory.
Fairview University and Community College
Upscale Fairview University officially merged with the working-class community college—its next-door neighbour—about ten years ago. The move ended a hundred-year rivalry between the schools, sort of.
F.U.C.C. has used many of the neighbourhood's historical houses for overflow offices, studios, and meeting spaces. The campus itself is large and architecturally varied, housing many, many young-uns on their first adventure away from home. The school's claim to athletic fame is the men's basketball team, the unfortunately-named Fairview Ferrets.
An opens admission policy welcomes non-human students, although the number of non-human faculty is small. There is growing pressure from parents and donors to make F.U.C.C. humans-only. However, the university also houses the Fairview Interspecies Cultural Association, proud sponsor of the new Fairview University and Community College Pan-Species Studies Department. Among other outreach activities, the cultural association funds CSUP 101.5 FM, the campus radio station. CSUP is well-known because of its celebrity host, the Goth werecougar Errata Jones.
Dances with Vampires Goth-a-Go-Go
Owned by Queen Omara, this popular dance club operates on Johnson Street. There are many vampire-related urban legends about this place, some of them ridiculous. While it is true that vampires hunt there for willing human donors, it is highly unlikely that Lestat and Louis actually made an appearance on New Year's Eve back in '95.
St. Andrew's Cemetery
St. Andrew's Cemetery is one of the oldest in Fairview and is situated in a residential area in the south part of the city. It has all the requisite mossy headstones, weeping angels, and a few passable mausoleums. One side overlooks the beach and the north side is bordered by a main road. On the other side of the road is a small shopping plaza with Mac's favourite pub, The Bayshore. It also houses a grocery store, bank, hardware store, and pet store. Handy if the dead have a sudden need for duct tape or cat litter.
Ley lines run under the cemetery, making it a powerful location for working magic. It's not surprising the dead are restless, occasionally calling in fogs or twilight just to spruce the place up a little. When there used to be an open-air drive in nearby, the cemetery was particularly bad after the weekly Friday Fright Night.
Sinsation
A trendy restaurant and wine bar in Fairview, where humans and vampires go to meet and get personal. Live (or not) entertainment. Discretion assured. One of Queen Omara's new favorite places.
University Laundromat
This is largely what it sounds like. The single point of interest is that many a hot young werewolf male hangs out there in search of a human date. My, what a big laundry basket you have, grandmamma.
Wily Wolf Delicatessen
This highly successful, werewolf-run deli caters to a mixed demographic of humans and shapeshifters. At the left-hand counter, one can order a very tasty Reuben sandwich and bag of chips. At the right-hand counter, there's fresh rabbit, venison, and big jars filled with whole field mice (for the kids). However, their most popular item is the organic coffee fresh-roasted on site. Everyone needs caffeine.
Things
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Book of Lies
This is an ancient book of sorcery that includes instructions on the summoning, banishing, laundering, etc. of demons. For such a fundamentally boring piece of prose, it is in high demand. There is only one extant copy, presumably in the handwriting of the original author.
Burn Order
Legal authorization to torch a sentient or badly haunted house. The execution is performed and strictly supervised by the police and fire departments.
Howlywood
Howlywood is the slang name for the supernatural film and entertainment industry. Although small, it has its own stars and an eager fan base.
Ley lines
Regarded as part of earth magic, ley lines run deep underground. The lines are explained in a variety of ways: as a magnetic phenomenon, as the blood flow of the planet, as excretions from various magic sites, or part of a magical net that binds all living objects together. Witches use ley lines as a power source, and the very powerful can use them as a means to transport their consciousness through time and space.
Senient houses are often built over ley lines to provide an extra source of power. The Flanders house is built on a nexus of two powerful lines.
Look-away spells
A look-away spell does not make something invisible, but rather not noticeable. This makes it possible to hide something in plain sight. Teenaged witches frequently use them to disguise messy bedrooms, dings in the family car, and disreputable outfits. Much effort has been made to harness the use of these spells in the political arena, but without success.
Orpheus Tokens
These were manufactured by vampires in past centuries. About the size of a coin, these were made as souvenirs or badges and carried or sewed onto clothing as ornaments. Generally, they were made of an inexpensive alloy. It is possible to date them and identify the country of origin by the design. The figure of Eurydice was added after the time of the Black Death, in the early 1400s.
The Orpheus legend has meaning for both werebeasts and vampires. In the myth, Orpheus tamed the beasts with music. To the werebeast cultures, this symbolizes their capacity to successfully manage their animal natures.
The vampires focus on a different part of the myth. Orpheus journeys to Hades to rescue his dead love, Eurydice. Vampires adopted this as a symbol of the legend of the Chosen. Essentially, they believe the love of a living mate has the power to lead them out of the psychological hell of the blood drinker.
Among the vampires, the older tokens have value as currency and status objects. Because few humans know their value, it's often possible to find tokens at a bargain price in junk shops or on the internet.
Silver Knife
In the supernatural community, if someone sends you a silver knife they mean business. It's usually a signal that they have a beef they intend to settle by combat. If the knife is bloody, that means a fight to the death. If the recipient refuses, they lose honor and rank.