Here are some common and some unusual terms that our staff has encountered during some of their ongoing investigations. While Nightside Investigations does not endorse the meaning or intention behind these terms and the conditions upon which they were found, they have had some significant bearing on our various investigations and may help clients, both new and returning, better understand what they are dealing with.
Allu: The half-breed children of a Succubus’s physical form. There are Lesser Allu and Greater Allu. The only true defining difference is the fact that Lesser Allu are born of two mortals, one of which is possessed by a Succubus or Incubus. Greater Allu are born of a mortal and a Succubus or Incubus who has manifested a physical form.
Angel: Beings of inconceivable power, which are thought to dwell in one of the many Upperrealms. Angels have goals and motivations which are often unknowable to the human mind. Many such beings seem to battle the machinations of Demons and Demonic Spirits, though direct interaction on their part is very rare. These beings are of such monumental power that the Earthrealm cannot contain them. When they do venture to the Earthrealm, they do so by possessing others or, very rarely, by creating a Bright Avatar to walk the Earth. Many believe that a higher force of good directs the actions of these beings, though that is a point of debate amongst the Believers.
Arcadia: The mysterious land of the Fey. It is believed to exist in one of the Spirit Realms (Such as the Wylde Lands) or actually be a Spirit Realm in and of itself. While separated from Earth, there are believed to be portals or doorways that connect Arcadia to Earth and perhaps to other Spirit Realms as well. There are known to be several "nations" or "kingdoms" in Arcadia, such as Avalon, Tír Na nÓg, Annwn and Ablach.
Avatar: A physical manifestation of an Angel or Demon. Avatars are used by these beings as a vessel of power which they can use to enter the Earthrealm in order to conduct business directly. These vessels are extremely rare and most Hidden and Mythic, and certainly most Believers, never witness such beings directly.
Balor: The god-like ruler of the Formori, who possessed one great, yellow eye, which was so filled with evil that it destroyed any living mortal upon which it’s gaze fell and burned the flesh of the Fey. Before the time of man, Balor was trapped beyond the Weave by the Tuatha Dé Danann. Balor was one of the few, vastly powerful OuterSpirits to ever, physically, walk the Earth.
Believers: Normal human beings or even once human entities that know of and understand the existence of The Hidden and The Mythic
The Blind: Humanity at large, blissfully unaware of The Hidden and The Mythic.
Darkling: (Dark Elves, Shadow-Fey) Unseelie Fey who command the shadows. Usually very sinister and conniving, Often found working as assassins or spies.
Demon: Beings of inconceivable power, which are thought to dwell in one of the many Underrealms. Demons have goals and motivations which are often unknowable to the human mind. Many such beings have common goals, however, such as seeking a way to enter the Earthrealm to gain power or simply manipulation of humanity as a diversion. These beings are of such monumental power that the Earthrealm cannot contain them. When they do venture to the Earthrealm, they do so by possessing others or, very rarely, by creating a Dark Avatar to walk the Earth.
Demonic Spirit: A spirit from an Underrealm that is seen as a force of evil. Demonic Spirits can, with some effort, crossover into the Earthrealm. These beings often serve the will of a Demon but have also been know to serve their own ends. Demonic spirits can include Succubi, Imps, Devils, etc.
Doppelgänger: An evil spirit, possibly a Restless Spirit or, more likely, a Demonic Spirit, which takes the shape of another person to cause mischief or evil. The creature has no reflection and casts no shadow but may be photographed or filmed.
Formori: (singular: Formor) An ancient race of OuterRealms beings that inhabited Ireland before the races of man were born. They were defeated by the Tuatha Dé Danann.
The Fey: Mythic beings that originate from the Faerie Lands (Arcadia and its kingdoms - Avalon, Tir Na Nog, etc.). These beings are magical in nature and often of diminutive size and usually mischievous more than dangerous, though there are deadly exceptions. The Fey are divided into two “courts”, the Seelie & the Unseelie. The Seelie are most often aligned with the forces of Good or order and the Unseelie are most often aligned with the forces of evil or chaos. It should be noted, however, that the concepts of good and evil are not always the same for such decidedly non-human entities.
Ghoul (or Ghul): A ghastly creature, commonly mistaken for undead that is actually a demonically tainted spirit or dark jinn that has possessed the body of a dying (but not dead) mortal. Often these creatures are the result of a demonic pact or curse but it is known that, despite their elephantine gray skin, patched with tufts of coarse fur and hollow eyes, they are alive and can even breed, with the young presumably possessed by other dark spirits. Lightning fast and possessing vaguely canine snouts and a mouth full of fangs as sharp as their razor-like claws, ghouls are seldom encountered alone, working and hunting in packs. They commonly live underground, in burrows or sewer systems and, as scavengers, usually feast on dead flesh. They have been known to eat living beings, however, due to opportunity or the scarcity of human corpses near their nest. The creatures are known to make barking or yipping sounds, similar to a hyena.
The Hidden: A term applied to various "once human" supernatural entities, including vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, etc. The term can also apply to humans that possess supernatural abilities, such as sorcerers, witches. Etc.
Homunculus: A type of Magical Construct, formed from a part of the creating Sorcerer’s body or the body of another. It is mystically tied to the being whose body part is used, often to the point that both always know the condition of the other, they often have a telepathic link and they may even feel each other’s pain.
Hosts: Dead bodies that are animated by nonhuman spirits and often imbued with vast power. Due to the strain of containing such inconceivable power, the corpses usually do not last very long.
Krimm: Ancient, LowerRealms beings who seek to invade the EarthRealm by subverting and possessing the bodies of beings in the EarthRealm. Krimm are red parasites, alternately described as spiders and squid, possessing ten or more legs/tentacles. They attach to a hosts body, burrowing a small, almost scorpion-like “stinger” into their spine or brain stem and secreting a chemical that allows them to use the being as a puppet. Those that are strong willed may be able to resist the creature for a time but the creatures will resort to subtle manipulations of such beings to ensure their goals are met. Weak willed or unhealthy individuals are little more than meat puppets under the direct control of their parasite.
Lych: A form of Revnant. A Lych is a powerful Warlock or Witch who possessed sufficient power to repossess and reanimate his or her body after death. A Lych is undying, so they are commonly very powerful sorcerers or, more commonly, necromancers and quite difficult to destroy.
Magical Construct: An artificial body or life-form, created from magical force. Constructs are often used as Avatars by beings from the Upper & Lower Realms. Powerful Sorcerers some times create them and invest them with power or a spirit, in order to use them as bodyguards.
Mandrake: Refers to both the toxic / narcotic Mandragora plants of the nightshade family as well as homunculi created from the root of the Mandrake. This root must be enchanted through ritual, anointed with blood, milk, & honey then buried in grave dirt for 30 days. Once removed, it will grow over the next 30 days into a full sized man, though upon close inspection, it will be clear that it is not a normal man. Their touch is highly toxic and they are exceptionally resilient to bullets, etc. Long bladed weapons & fire are the most effective.
The Mist (also know as The Fog): The force or condition that prevents humanity at large from discovering the existence of The Hidden or The Mythic. The nature of the Mist is a point of hot debate amongst Believers. Some feel that The Mist is a supernatural effect created by Those That Were, to prevent all of humanity from becoming Believers. Others feel that phenomena known as The Mist is simply the human mind's tenancy to create a mundane explanation for events that it cannot handle knowing or cannot understand.
Mulkeem: Darkling assassins, often employed by the Unseelie Court. They move with cat-like grace and darkness and shadows seem to follow their command.
The Mythic: A term applied to various supernatural entities that were never human, such as Non-Human spirits, fey creatures, Ogres, etc.
Necromancer: A sorcerer or Warlock that utilizes “Death Magic” or magic that is powered by the spirits of the dead or even living souls that have been “drained” from mortals. Necromancers are known for their ability to control all manner of dead things, from animating corpses to do their biding to controlling Vampires and other such undead.
Oberon: (Emperor of Shadows) The Last Emperor of the FeyRealms, before they broke into independent Kingdoms. He was thought to be a fierce warrior and brilliant tactician. He is also believed to have been very short but exceedingly handsome. His great grandson, Auberon, the self titled “King of shadows”, is the current head of the Unseelie Court.
Order of the Red Hood (La Commande du Capot Rouge): A secret military order which originated in France, sometime before the 13th century. Born from elements the Hospitillars and the French Inquisition, the stated mission of the Knights of the Red Hood, as they came to be known, was to guard travelers against the predations of the supernatural forces in the world. First charged only with protecting pilgrims journeying to the Holy Lands, as time went by, The Red Hoods began expanding their ranks and operations to include rooting out “monsters” wherever they might strike humanity.
Knights of the Red Hood possess incredible physical prowess and resilience which allows them to stand toe-to-toe with many supernatural beings. The source of this power is kept a quite closely guarded secret and, while there have been many rumors, the Order has never come forth with a true answer. Most all of the Knights, which once numbered in the thousands but are now only thought to number in the dozens, appear to be teenagers or in their very early twenties. Historical records seem to indicate that this has always been the case. It is believed by many scholars of esoterica that the activities of the Order of the Red Hood and their Knights are the source of the stories of the 13th Century “Children’s Crusade”.
OuterSpirit: Non-human Spirits that do not originate from an Underrealm or Overrealm. These spirits are often nature spirits but can also be Incarnates of an idea, belief or location. Dryads (forest spirits); The Heart of the City (an urban spirit that dwells in each metro area) and Thundercloud (a spirit of storms) are examples of Outer Spirits. While these spirits are not good or evil, per se, their goals and motivations can make them allies or enemies of any and all beings in the Earthrealm.
OuterRealm: (OtherWorld) An Outer Spirit World that is neither a Higher Spirit World nor an Underworld. Considered by some to be the most numerous of Spirit Worlds. Spirit beings that are not Restless Spirits or Shades of the dead all originate from these realms. Limbo and The Wylde Lands are examples of OuterRealms.
Restless Spirit: A Hidden that is the ghost of a deceased human or, less commonly, of another Hidden or Mythic. Restless Spirits can be confused waifs of spiritual force or they can be forces to be reckoned with, depending on the nature of their death and their force of will in life.
Revenants: Restless Spirits that have possessed their own (or, in the rare cases of a powerful Restless Spirit, someone else’s) dead body.
Sha'al (Sheol): The "near" spirit world. Where Shades and the Restless Dead dwell. Sha'al appears to be a dark and decayed reflection of Earth.
Shade: A Restless Spirit that is barely a shadow of it's mortal self. Either due to supernatural interference or simply not quite enough will or angst to fully become aware of its existence. They are sometimes used by dark sorcerers and necromancers to create servants and to power spells and artifacts. It is believed that these spirits suffer greatly, unable to express their agony and just as unable to escape it.
Succubus: A well known form of Demonic Spirit that can manifest a human form. Known as seductresses and manipulators, Sucubi drain the life force of their victims through sexual acts of all types, not merely intercourse. While their physical bodies can be destroyed, their spiritual forms must be destroyed or weakened so that they can be banished back to the Underrealm from which they came, in order to be rid of them. There also exists a male for, known as an Incubus. Some believe that an Incubus is simply a Succubus who has taken the physical form of a male or possessed a male body.
Those That Were: Believed to be powerful non-human spirits or even "gods", these beings, legend states, decreed that humanity at large should never discover the existence of The Mythic or The Hidden. It is believed that, should the world at large ever discover the existence of these beings, Those That Were will consume the Earth, paving the way for the next world. Some also believe that the destruction of various cities and even countries, throughout history, were the attempts of Those That Were to prevent the spread of such knowledge to the rest of the world and to punish those responsible for the discovery. (See historical information on the volcanic destruction of Pompeii, the sinking of Atlantis and Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans).
Titan: These incredibly powerful beings were imprisoned, both in the Earth and in other realms, countless eons ago by Those That Were. Unable to free themselves from their prisons, where they are forced to slumber for eternity, these beings are often sought out by those seeking to either find a way to take their massive power for themselves or to use them in some diabolical scheme. Not quite as powerful as Those That Were, these beings are inconceivably more powerful than any being currently existing in the EarthRealm.
Tuatha Dé Danann: Fey creatures who, before the birth of man, defeated the Formorians and ruled Ireland and the surrounding lands.
UnderRealm: A spirit world that is considered dark or evil and home to Demonic Spirits. Hell, Hades, and Purgatori all refer to UnderRealms. Also known as a Lower Spirit World or just an Underworld.
UpperRealm: A spirit world that is considered good or beneficent and home to Angelic beings. Heaven, Elysium and Valhalla all refer to UpperRealms. Also known as a Higher Spirit World or Paradise.
Walking Dead: The corpses of men or creatures, animated by necromancy or, perhaps even by alchemy or science. Barely intelligent and almost without a will of their own. Some believe that they hunger for living flesh but this may be merely a fearful rumor or it may be the result of “programmed behavior” instilled by a master of such creatures.
The Weave: The Weave is what the Hidden and Mythic call the barrier that separates the spirits worlds from the physical world. The origin of this barrier is unknown. Some contribute it's creation to Those that Were and others believe that it is simply a "supernatural reaction" to humanity's "disbelief" that these worlds exist.
Witch (Warlock): A common term for a Hidden that possess mystical abilities. They can posses any number of motivations and even styles of sorcery.
Wonderland (AKA, The Hollows, R'lyeh, Nowhere, or inaccurately, Limbo): The Spirit Realm that lies in the spaces between the other realms. All travelers between realms must cross through this realm, if only for an instant. It is a realm of pure Chaos & suspected to be the source of all insanity in the other realms. It is believed by some scholars that it is actually the lost 5th Kingdom of the Fey but this is a minority opinion.
Zombies: The reanimated bodies of those creatures or beings who have died. Considered the “weakest” form of Undead, zombies can, none the less, be quite potent. Three “classifications are usually acknowledged: Walking Dead, Revenants & Hosts.
Disclaimer: This site is for a ficticious occult investigation agency and should not be considered an actual offer of services. Any cases discussed are "investigations" that were played around a table top, amongst friends, while playing a roleplaying game. If you have difficulty discerning reality from fiction / make-believe / roleplaying games, please look elsewhere for what you seek.