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"Hail the Dark Mother, from whom we came. Hail the Gloomy Fere, with whom we share our lives. Hail the White Sister, whose light illuminates our eternal darkness."

Lylthian:

Children of the Night, generally believed to be the first vampire race on earth. 

Emblem:

Black Phoenix. A black phoenix holds a crescent in her spread wings.

Origin:

Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation, also is the cradle of the Children of the Night. It was into that ancient times, when gods and men lived side by side, the first Daughter of the Night was born. An early city-state of Sumer was her home.

In the time of yore, a union between divine and mortals was not uncommon. Kanu the God of Death wed Myraim, the daughter of the daughter, a descendent of the black-haired Sumerian. Kanu’s love for her ran deep, so deep that he sought to grant her immortality. He erased her name from the book of the dead and attempted to share with her his life. It was one mistake an Ilu (god) could ever make.

His violation tipped the balance. The gates sealed, the worlds separated, his beloved lost and he himself imprisoned…Myraim’s sister and b.rother sought to retrieve her from limbo. But they, too, were lost.

Amainna and Asatama shed their tears. They beckoned the wanderers, they called them forth, and they took them under their wings. A dark shelter they loomed above them, a silvery b.rightness they enlightened them, many forms of art they bestowed upon them. Thus the Children of the Night were reborn, not as human but beings of night, from them many will come…   

Brief History:

Myraim the first queen and her sister and b.rother were the first three Innunna (those who came from the darkness/night), from them came the three clans: Inn (dark/night), Tama (white/moon) and Dara (red/blood). Inn rules, Tama prays, Dara fights.

Like a triangle the three clans sat on a delicate balance. Inn and Tama always engaged in a political rilvary, contending for power between the worldly and the godly. It was no less b.rutal a fight than wars. They were so drunk in their infights that they forgot, for all these centuries it was Dara's sword kept Lylthians on the throne of the Night, their resentment grew with their ambition. With the support of the second Erešgal (high queen), Mytherva the Iron Queen, Dara claimed independence and took the name Dāmian, kindred and bonded by blood. War b.roke out, Queens' War they called it, a war that shook the entire Twilight Realm, Lylthians, Dāmians, Iretmesu, witches...none was spared. A war that almost led to the neutral destruction of the Night's children and the serpent-eyed.

All the outcast of daylight dwindled after the war. By dwindle I really mean it, the entire population of the Old Ones (Lylthians, Dāmians and Iretmoses) is less than one hundred. Lylthians in teens, the other two in dozens.

Appearance:

Children of the Night's appearances depend mainly on how they looked in their human lives. However their body tent to become leaner and lither for agility and nimbleness. Dāmians are more built up than their kin, in fact their physical strength supasses them all, but they are rarely very muscular.

Skin: Whitens due to their nocturnal biological clock, and will get severe sunburn when expose to sunlight. Yes they get sunburn and tissue damage from sunlight, not turn into ashes. They are nocturnal afterall, lie dormat by day and thrive by night. However the superstition about coffins is...rather unreasonable. Though it still is an option and only will be adopted under extreme circumstances. Normally all they need is a lighttight space.

Hair: For Lylthians, an Inndu/da (nightchild)'s hair gradually darkens while a Tamadu/da (moonchild) is the opposite, his/her hair lightens. It is very likely that their metamorphoses eventually lead to unnatural hair colours. By unnatural I mean unnaturally light or dark shades of colours. But they definitely will stay in the normal spectrum of humans. For example, blonde ends up caramel or platinum blonde/white, black stays black or ends up grey/silver grey, b.rown ends up dark b.rown/black or butterscotch etc. For Dāmians or Bloodborns, their hair lightens in colour but normally will not end up competely white, only to the lightest shade of the original colour. In one word, the longer they life, the darker or lighter their hair will become, so the most powerful of them tent to have pure black or white hair. But it is rather a guidance than a rule, it won't take that long for nature dark and light hair to go completely black and white. 

Eyes: Lylthians' eye colours take the opposite turn compairing to their hair. Inndu/da's eyes lightens while Tamadu/da's darkens. Again the metamorphoses may lead to unnatural colours, but still will stay in the normal spectrum of men. However there are exceptions, sometimes blue colours take the turn of violet and purple, b.rown or hazel take the turn of amber. In darkness, Inndu/da’s eyes shine like stars, Tamadu/da’s eyes dark as void. But for Dāmians, their eyes become their trade mark blood-red. Both Lylthians and Dāmians see perfectly clear by night, but not much luck by day. Sunlight is blinding to them, and harmful, and must be avoided.

Nails：Lylthians' and Dāmians' fingernails sharpen, harden and almost clawed. They are razor shape and strong as steel. Children of the Night normally have longer fingernails than humans, and they must be regularly trimmed so they won't hurt themselves. Can easily be used as a weapon if need to.

Fangs: Nothing dramatic, only sharpened and slightly enhanced human canines. But beware, like their nails, their fangs are both sharp and strong. They can easily be used as weapon if need to. 

Blood: A darker shade of red, like human's venous blood. Lylthians' and Dāmians' blood is the source of their strong self-healing ability. A small amount of their blood can be used to treat injuries, very effective for both sterilisation and healing. In fact Lylthian blood (Dāmians' will also do but their blood is stronger and much more unsteable so must be treated with caution) is considered an arcane ingredient by alchemists and other mystics. Mostly believed to be an ingredient of the Elixir of Immortality.

Language:

Lylthians speak whatever language in their given time. Since they are technically immortal, one can master several languages in their lifetimes. However, they have their sacred language, Eme-lyl, the tongue of night.

It is mostly for sacred, ceremonial, literary, arcane and scientific use, but it doesn’t mean you can’t use it for a daily conversation. In fact, two Lylthians, Dāmians alike, will speak to each other in Eme-lyl on their meet, as a sign of recognition, then proceed to whatever language they prefer, or continue to use it, it’s completely up to the speaker. All Lylthians and Dāmians have the knowledge of this language runs in their blood. Though it must be learned, a fledgling can immediately recognise the language and understand its meaning, despite the fact they can’t speak nor write it.

Vowels: a (as in bat), e (as in end), i (alternative y, as in little), u (as in put)

Long vowels have bars above letter: ā (ah), ē (eh or ey), ī (ee), ū (oo), a͎ (ay)

Long vowels resulted from the conjunction of different vowels have an arrow symbol above the letters: â (ah), ê (eh), î (ee), û (oo)

Consonants: b, d, g, h (as ch in loch), j (y), k, l, m, n, p, q (a throaty k), r (flat), r͎ (rolled), s, s͎ (ts, as c in Pinyin of mandarin Chinese), š (sh), t, t͎ (emphasized t), w, z

Greetings:

Selim (seh-LIm): hello (means health, wellbeing)

Selimma (seh-LImah): a bit formal, usually to an elder

Ạ (ay): hail (Ạ Ereš: hail (my) queen)

Ạja (Ay-yah): hail (to gods) (Ạja Amainna: Hail the Dark Mother)

Lū Amainna (al)atti/tu šue: may the dark mother grace you (Al means light or noble, also is a prefix for honorific)

Farewell:

Lū Asatama kinduzū/zā qarāl: may the white sister light thy path.

Clothing:

In earthly realm, there’s not much to talk about, because they wear whatever humans would in the given time. But in Twilight Realm, it’s another story. For centuries the influence of their culture origins, the Sumerian and Akkadian, has faded away, though it can still be seen on their jewelry, musical instruments, indoor decorations (sculptures, wall paintings) and temples. Various other cultures including Ancient Greek, Byzantine, Baroque and Victorian also have their fair share of influence.

For ceremonies, they have a formal rob with heavy bead and emb.roidery along the collar and neckline, and another similar b.road ornament falls vertically across the chest all the way down to the bottom hem (females usually with the addition of hood or veil). For daily wear, they prefer the style of sleekpunk. What’s sleekpunk? It’s like strip off the steampunk features of Victorian steampunk and throw in the elements from Medieval, Renaissance and fantasy…A long train, some kind of cape is much preferred…though it can be shorts, it’s a personal preference. Gernerally they enjoy a smart, elegant and crisp look. One thing to notice, Lylthians have this almost fanatical love for the intricate Baroque style emb.roidery. They mostly will have a fair amount of this decoration on their clothings. 

Dāmians, unlike their kin, are more to the practical side. They are basically a military order. In human world they wear whatever is practical to their missions/affairs. They do have their uniform, but it is more like a ceremonial wear. Still the love of emb.roidery runs deep in the Innunna blood, just Dāmians keep it simple and practical.   

A colour code is applied to their clothing. Red mostly is associated with warfare but not that uncommonly used in daily wear. Navy, purple and other cold colours of darker shades are for everyday clothes. Navy is restricted to royalty, but other shades of blue are widely worn. Black and pale blue/white are for ceremonial occasions, with hoods or veils. Dāmians normally prefer a combination of rich red, mauve and black.

(Their style is a mixture of Medieval and Baroque, neo-Baroque to be specific. They love ornaments, but not fans of exaggeration.)

Hierarchy:

In the time when the three were united under the name of Innunna (In the time of Innunna or three as one in short), Erešgal (high queen) of Inn reigned over Ereštama (white queen, in the role of high priestess) of Tama and Erudaru (red king, in the role of marshal) of Dara. The Elder Council, a council made up of three rulers and Elders from each clan was the machinery of decision-making. Lylthian crown is passed down along the material line. 

For Dara, or Dāmian, it’s another story. They united in a legion known as Ūmandāmû (oo-man-DAH-moo, legion of blood), Ūman in short (yes, they’ll say they belong to the Ūman instead of the whole word). It is the most-feared military organision, mercenaries/assassins for hire. Through years they have built their reputation across both Realms. They value loyalty above all and have a strong sense of honour. 

Lugal: Marshal

Palil: General (high officer)

Šar (Shah-r): Colonel

Ᾱsil (Ah-sil): Captain (middle officer)

Ensil: Lieutenant

Erim: Sergeant (lower officer)

Karim: Corporal

Ur: Soldier

Note that Lylthians refer their makers Ama (mother) or Adda (father), while Dāmians as Bēlu (sire) or Bēlat (siress). Both Lylthians and Dāmians refer their peers who share with them the same maker Asat (sister) or Ase (b.rother), and they very much value the bloodline. 

Belief:

In time of yore all Children of the Night praised in reverence their three main deities: Amainna the dark mother, Asatama the white sister and Damkanu the gloomy fere. Ilatim (the goddess) of night, Ilatim of moon and Ilum of death. Later Damkanu was worshiped in the form of Daranadam, the red union, a unisex deity of blood. After the Queens’ War, the Children of Night parted ways, so did their faiths. Daranadam was separated as Endaru (en-DA-loo) the red lord and Nindāma (nin-DAH-ma) the lady of blood, respectively worshiped by Lylthians and Dāmians. Nindāma was raised to an equivalent to Amainna by the Bloodborns, and has a tendency to surpass her.

In the time of three as one, the lines between clans were clear and strict. Inn took up the ruling class, Tama the cleric class and Dara the warrior class. With the parting of ways, the boundary blurred. Lylthians built their own military forces and Dāmians orgniased their cleric group. 

Amainna: goddess of night, stars, winter, and secrets. Her avatars are black phoenix and nightmare (dragon winged alicorn). Lylthians call upon her name when swearing the truth. 

Amainna hāzamjā am (ama-in-Nah-Chah-zam-yah-am)

Amainna be my witness

Asatama: goddess of moon, ocean, wild and magic. Her avatar is white wolf (white wolves are extremely sacred to the majority of Nephilians, well of course Iretmoses don't care).

Damkanu: god of death, blood and loyalty. His avaters are raven and dracobat (giant bat). Lylthians call upon his name when forming a bond/union/alliance...basically when making a vow. 

Others:

Lylthians and Dāmians are technically immortal, they can life as long as they want given no external disturbances….but that’s only the ideal model. Though difficult, killing a Lylthian, Dāmian the same, is not an impossible task.

The lives of Innunna sustained solely on blood, their blood is the vessel of their genetic code, memory and magic. Their death requires the thorough destruction of their corporeal forms, even so they can be resurrected as long as one drop of their blood remains, it is only a matter of time.

Excessive bleeding can be quite dangerous to them. A Lylthian, Dāmian alike, loses all his/her vital features were s/he is drained of blood. This individual sinks into a hibernating state, unable to regain consciousness until new blood (preferable his/her own of course) is infused into the body. If the body was destroyed, as long as the blood remains, s/he can still be reborn out of the blood.

Also Lylthians are given the privilege by the Morrigans to call upon them whenever they crave for true death. But this is a one-way ticket, once decided, there is no turning back. Once being called upon, the Morrigans appear to them in red (as they actively end a life). There, the Morrigan will confirm with the Lylthian for the last time. If the Lylthian is determined, the Morrigan will do what s/he must.

Sunlight is one major weakness of the Children of the Night. Though they do not turn into ashes when exposed under daylight, their bodies suffer severe sun burn. There exists two ways for a Lylthian/Dāmian to walk the day. One, fully covered outfit (long sleeves, hood, sunglasses). This only grants them limited motility in twilight and shaded areas. Direct daylight is still deadly. Two, any accessories (preferable rings) infused with Dark Matter. These relics of protection grant them full motility during day time. However, though undetectable by human eyes, they appear to be covered in black mist in aura vision, which pretty make them moving targets. Also the art of forging such accessories is a secret to the Lylthians, Dāmians have limited access to these relics of protection. 

Lylthians are sterile. A blood-exchange rite called Āšum/Domination is performed were a mortal to join the Children of Night. Each fledgling is given an name in Eme-lyl based on his/her Kadra (dark gift). This name is never to be taken lightly. It is a code, a spell that marks the name bearer, and damage can be made were any harm come to the name. Sharing of the name is considered an action of utterly trust.

Lylthians generally live in solitary or with his/her Ilidu or Ilida (son or daughter, the one who received their blood), to whom s/he passes down his/her knowledge and power. Though two can form a "bond" if choose to. Two Lylthians, regardless of gender, take a blood oath, exchange their blood and join their names. The bonded Lylthians can form an empathic connection, they share each other's feelings, emotions and power. They see what they see, feel what they feel, they become two halves of a single existence, whevever they are, they can always find their counterparts. The bond must be formed out of free will otherwise the blood will reject each other. Being able to find a bond is a blessing above all. However, it is not unlikely that the bonded choose to unbond. They can do so by taking back their blood and names, but at the cost of permanent psychological damage. A Lylthian can only form one bond in their life time.  

Lylthians have a quite...detached view on gender role and sexuality. In fact...the difference in gender is nothing more than a difference in appearances. Lylthians' power relate only to their age rather than their gender. Though males may slightly supass females in physical strength and females have more advantages in psychological influence, the two genders are quite even. As a result, there is no gender bias in Lylthian culture, and the gender of one's companionship is completely a personal choice, no bias whatsoever. 

Power:

Enhanced senses, strength and speed, selfhealing, night vision

Aura Vision: able to identify humans, Faefolk, Celestial beings, Demons and Nephilians by their aura. Aura Veiling (hide their aura) can be done by certain spells.

Lylthians:

• Each Lylthian has his/her own unique Kadra (dark gift). Inndu/da (nightchildren) are mind-related (telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, memory manipulation, sensation manipulation....) Tamas' gifts are partial to spiritual (clairsentient, clairvoyance, precognition...)
• Dark matter manipulation (exclusive to Inn)
• Moonlight manipulation (exclusive to Tama)
• Invisibility in darkness
• Short-distance teleport between shadows
• Control over blood (ineffective at the presence of Dāmians)
• Making pact (yes, human can make pact with both Lylthians and Dāmians, in fact all Nephilians, in exchange for their services, or their power/spells etc. The prices vary, mainly depends on who the pact is made with and what they exchange for. Lylthians’ and Dāmians’ prices are usually blood, but if you’re aiming for their services, the price will be yours in return…your ghosts', not soul. No Nephilian dare to have their fingers in souls, they are too powerful to be attempted with. Ghosts…are one’s lifetime’s memory that sustained by soul energy, the stereotypical transparent figures that resemble one’s living image. Once the pact is sealed, no power in this world or the other can interfere it saving the first party of this contract. Only s/he has the power to forfeit the pact.)

Dāmians:

• Solidify blood into weapons or objects.
• Summon familiars through blood
• Blood manipulation
• Create blood puppet (mind control through blood)
• Possession through blood
• Blood seal
• Blood sigils 

Dark Matter: materialization of darkness, a formless substance appears as masses of shadow/darkness, it is believed to be a projection of some kind of astral material from higher dimension. The origin of dark matter can be traced back to the primordial darkness, the dark half of the wheel. The mystic substance is capable of absorbing light, sound and energy, can also solidify on impact. Pefect for both defense and attack, causing confusion or distraction. Also the Dark Matter is a pretty good carrier of energy, very useful when casting a range spell. 

Weakness:

sunlight, strong smells, loud noise, dead blood, light magic, Enochian magic, Litêllā (see unique mineral)

"From chaos we came, into chaos the world shall return."

Iretaapepmesu:

Iretmesu in short, another ancient…I won’t say vampire, rather vampiric (by that I mean they don’t live on blood, they view blood as some kind of offering, something to enhance their power) race, second to Lylthian. They are all originated from Queen Meryamaat, the serpent-eyed, thus they refer themselves as Iretmose, born of the great (serpent) eye.

Meryamaat the serpent-eyed queen (nominal queen)

Ankhnesra/Ankhesenaapep the reborn princess, older daughter of Meryamaat, older sister to Setthoth (actual ruler)

Setthoth the weak, younger daughter of Meryamaat, sister to Ankhnesra (outcast and rebel)

Emblem:

Iretaapep, eye of Aapep, the serpent eye. An eye with serpentine pupil, or just a serpentine pupil.

Origin:

Metyamaat, a lowly consort to an unknow Pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom, claimed that she was visited by Ra the sun god in dream. Soon the pregnant consort gave birt to a princess. The princess, Ankhnesra, was worshiped as the princess of sun, and her mother was raised to the queen's throne. But the unfaithful fate let ailment struck the princess and took her young life far before her time. In desperation Meryamaat summoned an ancient god to b.ring her daughter back to life. The god was one of the Prime Chaos, Aapep the moon serpent. He gave her the power of the serpent eye, and she used it to resurrect her daughter.

But the truth was much fouler than it seems. The god's sister Apnahd possessed Ankhnesra's body through the serpent eye and became one with her. Ankhnesra was reborn was Ankhesenaapep, the queen of Iretaapepmesu.

Though out of love, Meryamaat's intention was impure, she needed her beloved daughter to secure her position in the palace. In fact, it was Aapep disguised as the sun god that came into Meryamaat's dream and 'foretold' the child to her.

Despite the fact that Meryamaat is named the Queen of Serpent eye, the real ruler is Ankhesenaapep. Meryamaat is protected, or imprisoned more likely as the source of the serpent eye, and is trapped in a statue-like state on her throne.

Appearance:

Iretmoses' skin, hair and eyes generally lighten but nothing dramatic. Their eyes, however, take more serpentine feature in time. When affected by strong emotions, an Iretmose's eyes will turn into green or yellow serpent eyes. Their fangs are long and thin, somehow resemble snakes' fangs. Their tongues are also longer and thinner and sometimes forked. It is said that Queen Meryamaat has golden serpent eyes, while her daughter Princess Ankhesenaapep only takes up one while the other Princess Setthoth has none.

Clothing style:

The Elders prefer ancient Egyptian style, while the young ones wear…pretty much whatever they like. But all of them do prefer Egyptian inspired jewelries.

Belief:

Iretmoses praise to their Lord God, Aapep the serpent king. From the sly serpent god they learnt all manners of chaotic magic and dark arts. They would offer sacrifice, often blood sacrifice to the serpent. Eyes, snakes and of course serpentine eyes are sacred to them. Their ultimate goal is to ( )ing the chaotic serpent back to earth.

Heirachy:

Ankhsenaapep the Right Eye

Pupil

Arcus (Pupil-to-be)

Iris

Sclera

Other:

Iretmoses are very dangerous, they view themselves children of god, a superior race. They are also fortunately sterile…and they actually consider it a sign of closeness to divinity. Iretmesu views themselves an elite force, thus tent to choose their heirs among human’s social elites. They are also technically immortal but of course can be killed. 

Power:

• Enhanced sensation, strength, speed, selfhealing
• Chaotic magic
• Dark arts
• Necromancy
• Construction of Nightmare
• Making pact (beware they are the ones who are aiming for souls, and if unable to obtain, they will devour the second parties' ghosts)

Weakness: direct day light, strong smells, dead blood, Enochian magic, Litêllā (see unique minerals)