Player's Guide to the Supernatural 1998

Welcome to the Supernatural 1998

The supernatural isn’t secret anymore. In 1994, a devil-worshipping cult botched a ritual, tearing open the veil between worlds and ever since, the world has been a little less human. Magic is real. Monsters prowl the streets. Hell has many doorways, and some things are crawling out.

You play as someone living on the fringes. You don’t play a hero. You’re not a government agent, a vampire noble, or some chosen one. You’re a burnout witch scraping by, an escaped lab experiment hiding from those who made you, an ex-cultist trying to survive, or someone who simply saw too much to go back to normal life. Every day is a struggle: corporations pump werewolf blood into designer drugs, ghosts linger in subway tunnels, devils scheme to rewrite reality itself and everyone in power is either in denial or secretly in on it.

In Player’s Guide to the Supernatural (1998), you live on the edges. You choose your skills; combat, magic, investigation, or survival balance your health and morale, and roll d10 dice to see if you live to see tomorrow. Every choice has risk. Every ally could betray you. Every spell or weapon comes at a cost. Investigate haunted buildings, infiltrate corporate labs, sabotage cult rituals, or survive the urban jungle where monsters, men, and devils all play the same game.

Your world is alive with factions: the bureaucratic clean-up crew of F.A.T.E., the feudal intrigue of the Umbra Court, the shadowed streets of the Red Vipers, and radical eco-magical cells like Grow Back! Every decision you make affects your survival and the survival of everyone else in a world teetering on the edge of a long apocalypse.

This is the 1990s as you’ve never seen it: VHS horror whispers secrets, floppy disks hide forbidden knowledge, and the pulse of grunge, industrial, and early goth beats. The rules are simple: roll, act, survive.

Factions

A Cold War psychic reserch project turned underfunded public-relations clean-up crew. Their agents smile for the cameras and promise the world, “We’ve got this,” but they really don’t. Behind the CRT monitors and VHS evidence logs, they’re barely holding it together. Many agents in the field find themslef ill prepared to deal with what goes bump in the night

Agents drive from one supernatural disaster to the next—covering up demon possessions, recovering rogue artifacts, interviewing witnesses who won’t stop screaming. They burn evidence, rewrite reports, and pray that the monsters never show up. Every mission leaves a little less sleep, a few more pills in the glove compartment, another “Routine Containment Operation” stamped across the case file.

Player Activities: Rescue agents, investigate paranormal incidents.
Containment Specialist: You’re the poor soul called when something crawls out of a TV.
Field Agent: A half-trained operative with a sidearm and a flashlight
Archivist: You work the night shift watching old surveillance tapes, trying to catalog the unexplainable.
Public Liaison: The face of “Don’t Panic.” You smile for the cameras.
Style: CRT monitors, VHS tapes, manila folders, "Report the strange" broadcasts, desks overflow with folders labeled UNEXPLAINED.

Multi-industry corporation exploiting supernatural resources.

Born from the merger of Cold War military contractors and early biotech startups, Hydra was waiting when the veil tore in 1994. They buy occult objects, blood samples, haunted real estate, and mages by the dozen. They exists as an example of post-revelation capitalism, the first corporation to turn the supernatural into an industry. Despite Employees wearing ID badges etched with runes, day to day life at Hydra is unsettlingly normal. Employees gossip over burnt coffee and compare notes on quarterly goals. Some genuinely believe they’re helping humanity adapt. Others just need the paycheck. Most don’t ask questions. It’s only when the lights flicker that you remember what kind of company you work for.

Halcyon Pharmaceuticals: Drugs from supernatural blood.
Papyrus Holdings: Ghost ownership, real estate, vaults.
Amaranth Dynamics: Magical tech, runic hardware, weapons testing.
W.A.R.D.: Paramilitary enforcement.
Your NDA includes your afterlife rights.

Vampire feudal hierarchy with politics and intrigue. Founded in the late Middle Ages by vampire elites, the Court arose in response to overpopulation, rampant violence, and the growing threat of human mages. Its purpose was simple: regulate the creation of new vampires, settle disputes before they boiled over into massacres, and ensure that the undead never revealed themselves recklessly to humans.

Life as a noble is eternal and intricate. They navigate politics, cultivate influence, and play centuries long games of loyalty and betrayal. For fledglings, life is violent, unpredictable, and short. Many are used as pawns in larger schemes.

The Court is hierarchical and ruthless. At the top sit Kings and Princes, rulers of entire regions, their decrees absolute and backed by centuries of power. Marquesses, Counts, and Barons administer smaller territories, with Counts being the lowest rank able to grant nobility, and Barons acting as local enforcers. Feuds between nobles are common, but carefully regulated direct conflicts between high-ranking lords often result in political assassination, subtle displays of power, or manipulation rather than open combat.

Younger vampires live dangerous lives. Fledglings without masters have no rights and are considered pests by the Court, yet many seek independence, risking death or exploitation.

Ranks: King, Prince, Marquess, Count, Baron, Noble.
Fledgling vampires without masters are considered pests but may fight for freedom.

The Fraternal Order of Mages traces its roots back to the Enlightenment, though its influence predates written history. It began as a clandestine society of scholars and practitioners seeking to codify, refine, and control magical knowledge. Over centuries, the Order evolved into a rigid, elitist institution, shaping the course of magic in Western society. Its members see themselves as the custodians of true arcane knowledge, guardians of mystical tradition, and arbiters of magical law.

The Order is hierarchical and secretive. Apprentices are recruited from universities or families with latent magical talent, identified through subtle tests and arcane observation.The Order looks down on anyone who practices magic outside its strict codes. Street mages, folk witches, and self-taught spellcasters are considered reckless amateurs

Player Activities: Research, duels, infiltration, Outcast ex-members seeking revenge or forbidden knowledge..

Once warriors, now shadows of their former glory. The Japanese Clans trace their roots to the feudal wars of old Japan, bound by honor, blood, and ancient spirit pacts with kami, yokai, and dragon lineages. For centuries, they fought each other, mages, and supernatural beasts to protect their territories and uphold their codes.

By the 1990s, the world has changed, and many clans have struggled to adapt. Some have clawed their way into legitimate business, politics, or the supernatural underground, using old alliances to broker deals with corporations like Amaranth Dynamics or syndicates like Jade Lotus. Others are reduced to struggling families, barely able to pay bills or maintain their ancestral estates.

Modern life clashes with ancient codes. Clan elders often push tradition and strict hierarchies, while younger members embrace street magic, punk subcultures, or mercenary work to survive. Blood debts, honor disputes, and spirit contracts persist, but so do failures: some clans have lost their ancestral kami, others are turn to devils to fill the role.

Player Activities: Clan politics, street fights, ancestral quests.

A ruthless underground syndicate controlling the trafficking of supernatural beings, forbidden artifacts, and illicit drugs. Active across North and South America, the Red Vipers operate in the shadows of major cities, borderlands, and decaying industrial districts, where the law either turns a blind eye or is too terrified to intervene.

Their opertions stretches from back-alley clinics harvesting organs, to armored mansions with hidden summoning pits, nightclubs, and border warehouses filled with contraband from both this world and Otherworld. They run underground fight clubs for magical creatures and exploit fledgling vampires, witches, and escaped experiments alike.

Player Activities: Raids, rescue ops, artifact smuggling, combat tournaments.

A shadowed hand in the East Asian underworld, Jade Lotus controls black-market auctions for cursed artifacts, spell scrolls, and spirit contracts. Enchanted dice and possessed cards shuffle in underground gambling dens. Their influence stretches across bustling port cities, secretive temples, and shipping yards, reaching from Chinatown districts in major North American and Australian cities to the back alleys of Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Player Activities: Raids, rescue ops, artifact smuggling, combat tournaments.

Eco-magical radicals opposing corporate exploitation. Grow Back is a coalition of witches, druids, and werewolves united. Their goal is simple in theory: reclaim land, protect wildlife and spirits, and rebuild society in harmony with magic and nature.

But Grow Back is far from united. Its decentralized structure means local covens and cells act independently, sometimes at cross-purposes. Some factions believe devils are a not to be trusted, while others see potential for controlled alliances. Disagreements over vampires are even more contentious: some view them as unnatural predators to be eradicated, others as sentient beings worthy of negotiation.

Differences in magical philosophy create further tension. Some members practice raw, primal magic animism, plant-bonding, and elemental rites while others prefer structured rituals and ceremonial spellcraft. Even methods of resistance against corporations diverge: some favor sabotages and strikes, others push for public education and community building.

Player Activities: Eco-terrorism, sabotage, coven gatherings, magical education.

Final Dawn Cult rose to infamy in October 23, 1994 when their reckless ambition tore open the world’s perception of the supernatural. The cult worshiped Ashkariel, a six-winged angel of ash and flame, imprisoned in Hell for leading a failed rebellion against the godhead. They believed that by freeing Ashkariel, they could ignite a new age and burn away corruption, weakness, and the limits of mortal life.

Their ambition culminated in a ritual designed to tear open the boundaries between Hell and the mortal world. The ceremony backfired catastrophically: cities shook with firestorms, demons poured through the newly-opened gates, and the supernatural was exposed to the public for the first time. Countless lives were lost, and the world has never been the same.

The aftermath destroyed the cult itself. Most members perished in the ritual or were hunted down. Ashkariel remains imprisoned, but the world now knows that Hell is real and that the supernatural walks among them.

Player Activities: Cult takedowns, ritual prevention, demon hunting, bargaining.

Devils & gods

Devils are beings, of any origin, branded as such by the gods and some of witch are imprisoned in hell for opposition

Ashkariel is the embodiment of revolution, rebirth and oppostion to the status quo. Where others see ruin, Ashkariel sees opportunity: the fire that burns away corruption, weakness, and stagnation to make room for renewal. Not all who follow Ashkariel are pyromaniacs or zealots. Some are visionaries and reformers, those who have faced personal loss, trauma, or societal collapse and seek to rise from the ashes stronger, wiser, and freer.

worshipers engage in rituals like burning effigies ment to represent past failures, demolish old structures to rebuild better, or facing personal fears in controlled rites

Exulta is the devil of ecstasy, identity, and freedom through expression. She is the patron of performance, disguise, and physical transformations. Her worshipers include artists, dancers, and dreamers, people who believe that to feel deeply is to be alive. They reject conformity, seeking Exulta’s liberation from the dull weight of moderation. For them, her faith is about finding transcendence in the body and senses

worshipers reject repression, encouraging others to embrace who they truly are as in a cruel world, pleasure itself becomes a radical act of defiance

Gaia is a devil of natural balance, reclamation, restoration, the living pulse of creation and decay. Her followers are caretakers, healers, gardeners, herbalists, or spiritual wanderers. Many seek to cure the world’s sickness; pollution, greed, and the decay of the spirit comes from humanity severing its connection to the natural order. They often serve as mediators between mortals and other supernatural entities tied to the natural order like spirits and beasts. Her covens and circles often serve as sanctuaries for the lost.

Worshipers plant trees as offerings, compost personal belongings as acts of letting go, or meditating among decaying leaves to remember that everyting end.
Gaia is the creator of all the earthly spritis

Virelia a devil associated with disease, insects, and the small. Followers of Virelia are often those who have been ignored, marginalized, or underestimated and represent the underdogs of society. Virelia, for those overlooked but persist, her great power lies with those who come from nothing and win against all odds. Those who do rise to the top, must stay humble and remember where they came from.

Followers honor the small things and often build shrines in the unnoticed corners of the city where life persists and the creatures that survive despite neglect

Morghul is a devil of conservation and stagnation, the patron of archivists, historians, curators, hoarders, mourners, and ghosts. Among his faithful, Morghul is a guardian of memory, a keeper of what the world forgets a being for those people who’ve lost too much and refuse to let go of what little remains. His followers crave continuity of the past and to never lose what they have. His followers believe that if someone remembers; then it never truly dies.

Followers light candles in abandoned houses, keep journals of the dead, or preserve relics both physcial and digital
Morghul is said to be the creator of vampires and teacher of necromancy

Judecar is often feared as a figure of retribution, but not all who follow the arch wraith seek violence or revenge. Many of Judecar’s devotees are drawn to justice, balance, and the restoration of fairness. They see Judecar as a teacher of consequence and responsibility, guiding them to confront wrongdoings. Followers often act as mediators, investigators, and counselors, using Judecar’s insight to uncover corruption, right injustices, or help communities navigate morale dilemmas

Judecar is the only known Arch Wraith, a being that refuses to move on becuase a great injustice committed by the gods.

Thassian is the patron of those who seek understanding beyond limits, the keeper of truths hidden in shadows. Followers are scholars, thieves, strategists, planners, invesigators, and thoses who use subtlety rather than brute force.

Thassian smybols include the moon, mirrors, and darkness
Some say Thassian is many beings

Volgrin embodies purpose through struggle, the crucible of combat as a path to meaning. Volgrin’s disciples come in many forms: soldiers, smiths, people who embrace ritualized challenges to prove themselves against fear, doubt, or weakness. Their communities often operate like militant orders, emphasizing training, endurance, and preparation for the next test.

Volgrin was once one of the gods before his banishment

Shoal is a patron of peace, recovery, and the long exhale after struggle. Shoal’s devotees are a quiet and contemplative sorts like hermits, healers, and wanderers. Many are tired, grieving, and broken. All desire pease in life, to move on, to find rest and forget. There are many coastal shrines, maintain graves near the waterline

Orders of Shoal are offten pacifist and mediators who use water and salt to cleanse places of great damage.
It is said that Shoal use to be the god of oceans, one that sailors prayed to for mercy but has abdicated and now resides in the lost Archipelago

Auramax’s followers range from corporate magnates in golden masks to petty criminals. Those who devote themselves to Auramax are ambitious, opportunistic, and endlessly striving for more. They see life as a game of acquisition, where wealth, influence, and status are proof of superiority. Auramax’s devotees often form networks of patronage and debt.

Aerion is the lord of storms, he holds the sky in place and acts as the divine architect of structure, law, control, and vigilance. He is the All-Father, the leader of gods. His domain is invisible lines of control such as electricity, surveillance, discipline, and rightous command. Worshiper of Aerion often embed themselves in militaries, police, or corporate security forces, turning institutions into exsentions of thier beliefs.

Aerion's lightning bolts symbolize divine punisment
The eye of Aerion symbolizes truth and revelation
Aerion teachings emphasize a community of order and self control

Kalyra is the goddess of wisdom, knowledge, records, and medicine. Kalyra draws followers who seek clarity, understanding, and the betterment of themselves and the world. Her devotees are often doctors, healers, civil servants, and governors. Many buildings like libraries, universities and clinics have her symbols.

Serpents entwined around a staff, symbolizing both wisdom and healing
Devotees are tuaght to temper emotion with understanding, leading wisely and compassionately.

Velessa draws her followers through creativity and the desire to shape the world around them. At her core, she embodies the power of influence. Followers are artists, filmmakers, musicians, and performers who seek to or provoke emotion. Many chase popularity and fame, honoring Velessa by including her imagine in thier works.

Some desperate worshipers manipulate trends, engineer viral sensations, or use media to control opinions.

Rheos, the god of opportunity, commerce and trade, draws those who thrive on movement. His followers are merchants, explorers, travelers. Anyone who sees the world as a network of opportunities. Folowers thrive on risk and speculation. Worshiping Rheos offers a kinda clarity to see opportunity in a chaotic world

His symbols are found stamped on coins with intricate runes around the edges and interlocking rings

Durnos is a god of work, endurance, and creation. He teaches that value is forged by effort, that sweat must be shed, and that the treasures below belong to those who dig deep enough to claim them. Teachings of Durnos say that man has dominion over the earth

Some of the most devot often work hours with out breaks or food
Workers often wear small charms of iron shaped into nails, gears or hammers for protect or strength

Magic & Combat

When you take an action like swinging a bat, casting a spell, lying to a cop, or breaking into a lab. You roll a pool of ten-sided dice (d10s) to see how well you do.

Your dice pool = Attribute + Skill.

Each point in the relevant Attribute and Skill adds one die to your roll.
If you’re shooting a gun (Dexterity + Ranged) and you have 3 Dex and 2 Ranged, you roll 5d10.

Every roll of 8 or higher counts as a Success.

The more Successes you score, the better your outcome. One Success usually means you succeed, and extra Successes may boost damage, recover morale, or add flair to your results.

You get 3 Actions each turn. You can mix and match

Move - Change your position or take cover.
Attack - Strike, shoot, or use a weapon
Cast Spell - Use a magical ability or ritual.

You can modify your spells on the fly by spending dice and every extra die used to cast a spell causes a loss of 1 morale
shooting fire at 3 targets can be done one at a time with 3 actions or you could use one action to aim for 3 targets removing 2 dies from your pool for each additional target you may also choose to increase your damage my removing another die to increase your attacks severity by one level

Concentrate - Focus your will; add +1 die to your next roll & take 2 morale damage
Aid - Help an ally, adding +1 die to their next roll & take 2 morale damage
Reactions - by saving an action you can instead use it outside your turn for blocking, dodging or counter

Blocking alows you stop attacks from hitting allies and/or reduce incoming damage equal to your Body Attribute
Dodging alows you not take damage from unmodtified and some modtified attacks. The attacker must roll to to score a number of success => your Dextarity Attribute
Countering alows you to interupt actions while inflicting Minor (1) damage

A car is driving at you at full speed you may choose to Concentrate 2x and then shoot the cars tire but you wouldn't have the actions points left to move out of the way in case you miss or you may choose to Shoot 3x and hope for the best or Concentrate, Shoot, and then Move, letting you try to hit the tire but still allow yourself to avoid getting ran over in case of failure

Damage is measured by Severity; diffrent attacks or weapons have diffrent Severity levels that can be upgraded with the removal of dice from your pool

Damage: Minor (1), Moderate (3), Major (5), Severe (7), Lethal (10).
Status Effects:

Immobilized - Can't move, can still act/cast
Stuned - Can’t move or attack next turn
Slowed - Lose 1 action next turn
Disoriented - Can’t cast spells next turn
Afraid - Lose 1 psyche per turn
Weakened - Roll -2 die on next Physical attacks
Distracted- Roll -2 die on next Magical attacks
Cursed - Next healing effect on the target you fails
Hexed - Next spell cast on target gets +1 success automatically
Burning - Take 2 Damage per turn till healed
Bleeding - Take 1 Damage per turn till healed
Exhausted - Max actions reduced to 2; cannot Concentrate
Poisoned - Roll -1 die to all actions and checks
Sleep - Stuned effect till damaged

Flairs: Tracking, Piercing, Returning Thrown Weapon.

Tracking - Action Can't be Dodged and ignores cover
Piercing - Action Can't be Blocked or mindigated
Returning - thrown objects returen to thrower

Skills & Perks

Body

Health is (5 + Body)
your ability to resists physical status effects like poison, disease, fatigue, or environmental damage
Damage resistance

Dexterity

your ability to resists physical status effects that restict movement or action
used for tumbling, leaping, balancing, dodging traps, or parkour
Initiative and Dodging DC

Intelligence

Intelligence measures reasoning, education, and technical skill. It’s the stat of hackers, scientists, occult researchers

Wisdom

Wisdom represents perception, intuition, and spiritual focus.
Morale is (5 + Wis)
your ability to resists magical or mental status effects like fear, domination, or mental control. Also used to push through exhaustion or temptation.

Charisma

Charisma is personal magnetism and force of presence

Athletics - Running, climbing, swimming, breaking down doors, or any physical exertion. Used for chases, escapes, or stunts.
Melee - Proficiency with close combat weapons (swords, bats, knives, etc.)
Unarmed - Fighting with fists, claws, or improvised brawling. Also used for grappling and wrestling.

Stealth - Sneaking, hiding, and moving quietly. Used for infiltration, shadowing, or ambushes.
Skullduggery - Lockpicking, sleight of hand, pickpocketing, or criminal trickery.
Driving - Controlling cars, motorcycles, boats, or other vehicles
Ranged - Using guns, bows, or thrown weapons.

Deception - Lying, bluffing, disguises, or faking emotions.
Persuasion - Convincing others through logic, empathy, or charisma. Used for negotiations, diplomacy, or seduction.
Intimidation - Coercing others through threat, dominance, or presence.
Performance - Acting, singing, or public displays. Used for distraction, entertainment, or rituals that rely on expression.
Charms - Using supernatural allure to magically enhanced persuasion, glamour, or influence.
Leadership - Inspiring allies, issuing commands, rallying groups, or coordinating combat teams.

Science - Understanding chemistry, biology, physics, or other hard sciences.
Computers - Hacking, programming, or operating digital and magical systems. Includes navigating the occult internet (VeilNet).
Mechanics - Repairing or modifying machines, vehicles, weapons, or magitech.
Arcana - Knowledge of spells, magical theory, enchantments, and spellcasting systems.
Religion - Study of divine beings, holy rituals, and theological lore.
Occult - Supernatural trivia, monster lore, dark rituals, and forbidden knowledge.
Runecraft - Designing or interpreting magical symbols, wards, or enchanted circuits.
Medicine - Treating wounds, diagnosing diseases, and stabilizing dying characters.
History - Understanding historical events, mythic ages, or the origins of factions.
Academics - General education: literature, culture, law, or bureaucracy.
Elementalism - Direct control over natural elements—fire, water, air, earth, lightning. Used for combat and utility magic.

Animal Handling - Calming, training, or commanding beasts
Animism - Communicating with spirits, ghosts, or the essence of living things.
Investigation - Analyzing clues, crime scenes, or hidden details.
Perception - Spotting hidden things, noticing danger, reading subtle cues.
Nature - Survival knowledge, tracking, foraging, navigating wilds, and understanding ecosystems.
Insight - Reading emotions, lies, or intentions.
Streetwise - Knowing how the underworld operates: black markets, gangs, and criminal codes.
Conjuration - Used to manipulate physical locations in space. Summoning spirits, devils, or familiars. Used for creating and controlling summoned entities.
Survival - Enduring the wilderness, finding food or shelter, and resisting natural hazards.

Flash Step (25 XP) - Grants a free Move Action once per turn after a successful melee takedown.
Alert (15 XP) - +3 Initiative.
Immaculate Health (15 XP) - +1 Max Health.
Confident (15 XP) - +1 Max Morale
Mystic Memory (15 XP) - Store one Concentration spell and swap instantly
Reaper’s Sprint (20 XP) - After killing or disabling a target, immediately repeat attack on another within range at -1 die.
Drop That (15 XP) - +1 die when try to disarm targets.
Dark Hand (20 XP) - On dealing Major+ melee damage, regain 3 Health.
Master of Disguise (20 XP) - +1 die to Disguise (Deception) checks.

Monsters

Vampires, Skinwalkers, Revenants, Ghouls

Mirrordemons, Ghosts (Echoes & Wraiths)

Example Characters

Takao Ishikawa carries the weight of a fallen legacy. Once an heir to a minor Japanese clan, he now struggles to rebuild his family’s honor in a modern world that has little patience for tradition. Rival clans see him as weak and actively work to undermine his efforts, while corporate and supernatural powers encroach on his ancestral lands. He is disciplined and loyal, believing that legacy and honor can overcome chaos, but his rigid worldview and guilt over past failures often cloud his judgment. Takao walks a perilous path, seeking lost artifacts, recovering spirit pacts, and forging alliances to restore his clan’s prestige, all while navigating a world that constantly tests the limits of his discipline.

Liora Vance is a survivor. Trafficked by the Red Vipers for her magical abilities, she managed to escape, but the world she now navigates is just as dangerous as the one she fled. Every shadow could hide an enforcer seeking to reclaim her, and corporations or factions like Jade Lotus may see her as a tool or weapon. Liora is clever, fiercely independent, and wary of trusting anyone. Freedom is everything to her, and she uses her magic to survive while seeking ways to undermine those who once enslaved her. Paranoia and guilt over unintended consequences haunt her, but they also sharpen her instincts, making her a ghost in the streets, always just out of reach.

Vale was once a rising star in the Fraternal Order of Mages, until betrayal from a jealous superior saw them exiled. Now outside the Order, they walk a lonely path, pursuing forbidden knowledge and uncovering truths the elite would rather suppress. Cynical, brilliant, and obsessed with uncovering secrets, Vale thrives in the shadows where other mages fear to tread. Their arrogance and obsession often blind them to immediate dangers, and rival mages or corporate factions may exploit their ambition. Vale seeks to reclaim prestige, prove their magical prowess, and reveal the corruption festering within institutions that once claimed to protect the arcane.

Simon Hartwell, known as Locke to those few he trusts, is a F.A.T.E. field agent whose life has been fractured by the horrors he’s witnessed. Haunted by the grotesque and the supernatural, he clings to his work because it is the only thing he feels competent at, even as his personal life collapses. He navigates a world where corporations, cults, and rogue mages all see him as a threat or tool, while his own agency questions his methods. Locke is resourceful, moraleistic, and determined to protect innocents, but trauma and obsession weigh heavily on him. Every mission is a morale crucible, forcing him to balance duty, survival, and the consequences of what he cannot unsee.

Celeste Armand, or Cinder, is a fledgling vampire hiding in the neon-lit underground of 1990s club culture. Unbound by a master, she survives through charm, cunning, and careful manipulation of the nightlife scene. Rival fledglings and Umbra Court enforcers monitor her every move, and criminal factions like the Red Vipers would love to claim her as a weapon. She is charismatic, playful, and always calculating, seeking independence in a hierarchy designed to suppress the inexperienced. Overconfidence and hunger are her constant threats, but Cinder’s ambition drives her to turn the underground into both a refuge and a weapon in the deadly game of vampire politics.

Maren Sylvar fights for a world most have forgotten. As a radical member of Grow Back, a coalition of witches, druids, and eco-magical activists, they sabotage corporations, protect magical ecosystems, and educate humans about the supernatural world. Their passion and idealism sometimes cross into recklessness, putting themselves and allies in danger, and even other radicals may disagree with their methods. Maren believes that magic exists to heal and protect, and they will stop at nothing to safeguard nature and its mystical inhabitants. Every mission is a risk, but for Maren, the protection of the natural and supernatural world is worth any cost.