Sweet Ruin

EXCERPTED FROM THE LIVING BOOK OF LORE . . .

The Lore

“. . . and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man’s.”

• Most are immortal and can regenerate from injuries, killed only by mystical fire or beheading.

Primordial

“The mightiest of them all; filled with power, magicks, and majesty.”

• The firstborn—or the oldest generation—of a species.

The Møriør

“In the tongue of the Elserealms, Møriør can mean both ‘The Dozen’ and ‘Soul’s Doom.’ ”

• An alliance of otherworldly beings led by Orion the Undoing.

• Have seized control of most planes of existence.

The Noble Fey of Grimm Dominion

“A warrior nobility who ruled over all the demon serfs in their realm.”

• Were féodals, an ancient term for feudal overlords, which became shortened to fey.

• Their source dimension is Draiksulia, their empire the Grimm Dominion.

The Dark Fey

“Offspring between darkness and light. Cursed banes on the fey.”

• Halflings born of a fey and a demon.

• Their black blood is poisonous, known as baneblood.

The Demonarchies

“The demons are as varied as the bands of man. . . .”

• A collection of demon dynasties.

• Most demon breeds can teleport or trace to places they’ve previously been.

• A demon must have intercourse with a potential mate to ascertain if she’s truly his—a process known as attempting.

The Accession

“And a time shall come to pass when all immortal beings in the Lore, from the Valkyries, vampire, Lykae, and demon factions to the witches, shifters, fey, and sirens . . . must fight and destroy each other.”

• A kind of mystical checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals.

• Occurs every five hundred years. Or right now . . .