The intersection between the supernatural and the mortal plane. Sometimes also called nightlife or simply the night.
General[]
The Shadows is a term more defined by what it is not, making it a very nebolous term. It is made up of beings moving on the mortal plane with connections to the supernatural. These connections can be of varying strength, be of different frequency, and imply different levels of awareness of the supernatural. Many people in the Shadows are outside Heaven’s light, but this seems to be a consequence of life in the Shadows rather than a prerequisite.
“Yes,” she said, looking him in the eye again. “You’re a good guy. Not everyone walks into the shadows with their eyes open.”
— Sierra, Personal Demons, chapter 14
Just because two beings both are in the Shadows does not mean they feel any specific connection or relation with each other. They will have a greater probability of encountering each other due to the way magic and the supernatural draws to itself, but there is no overarching society, unity, or community.
Elements[]
The Shadows includes Practitioners, jinn, vampires, other undead, werewolves, demons active in the mortal world, and possibly other groups. It also can include the mortal non-practitioners who have more than intermittent contact with the supernatural, like the muscle of a Circle.
According to Lorelei, vampirism is among the more easily spread curses that afflict mortals.[1] This implies that there are other former humans associated with Hell than werewolves and vampires. Examples of beings in or associated with the Shadows but of unknown nature are Anatole, Katerina Sorrow, and Moonclaw.
The FBI has a Special Task Force to investigate crimes that might involve or originate from the Shadows, though it is unclear if they use the term themselves, and to what degree they can be said to be part of the Shadows, or just be aware of it.[2] Kevin Murray and Tyrone Johnson are similar examples of regular humans with some awareness of the Shadows but who not can be said to be part of it.
Culture[]
“These waters are filled with monsters and sharks. They search for weakness. Humility will not help you here.”
— Zafirah, Past Due, chapter 14
Most who live or move in the Shadows are fractured and isolated, and outside small groups it mostly functions as an anarchy.[3] The vampires are the most organized group, but have trouble keeping up with rapid change.[4] Most attempts to unite groups within the Shadows—or move them closer together—founder on mutual distrust, mutual prejudices, or infighting. This goes within each element of the Shadows, and even more so when attempting to bring different elements together.[3][5]
Not all who live in the Shadows are criminals or make their living through illegal means. However, nearly everyone can be said to be extralegal, in that they cannot depend on the institutions and the laws of the mundane world, at least not when interacting with other elements of the Shadows. Some consider themselves to be above or beyond the law.[6] Thus they generally need to be prepared to defend their own interests, if needed with violence. A further cause for that is that might makes right for many who are involved in the supernatural.[7][8]
The economy of the Shadows mainly run on favors and trade. Money can play a role, but is largely secondary to other concerns.[9][10]
Name[]
The Shadows are probably so named because it fits in several ways. One is the absence of Heaven’s light for many of the people living there; it is however unclear how many in the Shadows who is aware of that. A second is that it is largely hidden from the rest of human society. A third is that many of the people within it prefer the night to the day in various ways or simply live late.[9]
The word nightlife has also been used for either the Shadows as a whole or specific parts of it, most often about vampires.[6][11] The night seems to be a less used term.[12]
Locations[]
Los Angeles[]
Los Angeles has a large presence of the Shadows, if only because of its sheer size. The FBI has a permanent team based there. There are not many known werewolves within the metropolitan area.[13] The vampire society is currently likely in flux after the death of Lord Cornelius.[14] Anatole, a human who has gained some sort of supernatural power, is a major influence, and seems to have filled at least some of the vacuum left after Cornelius.[10][15]
Seattle[]
Seattle and environs has a relatively large presence of the Shadows, both in general and in comparison to its size. Anastacia’s court of vampires had over sixty members, and was one of the largest identified in the USA.[2] There were ghosts and several large Circles, the largest of them being the Brotherhood of Apollo. At least six different Practices could be found. There were werewelves in the rural areas outside the city.[16] Demons were common, and relatively well-organized.[17]
The Shadows in Seattle are currently in a volatile and uncertain state after recent events.[18][4] These include the Battle of Blackthorne Manor, Rachel’s time as Dominion, and the twin battles of the casino and of Suite 1705.
Vancouver[]
Very little is known about the Shadows of Vancouver. The Family had a large estate there, but it is unclear how many of their members had their permanent home there.[19][20] It recently had an influx of demons and other beings from Seattle due to Rachel’s tenure as Dominion.[21]
References[]
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 17
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Natural Consequences, Prologue
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Personal Demons, chapter 4
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Past Due, chapter 2
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 29
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Good Intentions, chapter 16
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 18
- ↑ “Outsourced”
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 “Legitimacy”
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 “Celestial Navigation”
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 13
- ↑ “Dead Reckoning”
- ↑ “Constellations”
- ↑ Natural Consequences, chapter 7
- ↑ “Charting Stars”
- ↑ Good Intentions, chapter 14
- ↑ Skin
- ↑ Personal Demons, chapter 11
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 8
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 16
- ↑ Past Due, chapter 10