Chronicles of the Shifter Directive Companion Guide Read online

  CHRONICLES

  of the

  SHIFTER DIRECTIVE

  Companion Guide

  Edition 1

  Scarlet Hyacinth

  Editor: Amanda Dawn

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  CHRONICLES OF THE SHIFTER DIRECTIVE

  COMPANION GUIDE, EDITION 1

  Copyright © 2013 by Scarlet Hyacinth

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-472-3

  First E-book Publication: June 2013

  All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  CHRONICLES

  of the

  SHIFTER DIRECTIVE

  Companion Guide

  SCARLET HYACINTH

  Copyright © 2013

  Introduction

  Hello, my dear readers. Welcome to the Chronicles of the Shifter Directive Companion Guide, a free download.

  I chose to write this companion for a very simple reason. The world building in Chronicles of the Shifter Directive is very complex. There are a lot of characters and a lot of information, so I thought it would be useful for readers to have a guide.

  I have done something similar before, with the free character list available on my website for the Mate or Meal series. However, this companion guide is far more complex, including not only the names of each characters, but also historical background, complete description of the species involved, family trees, and a FAQ section.

  Naturally, with all the information in the guide, there will be some spoilers, although not to the plot of the books. I endeavored to keep the information largely independent from what happens in the actual stories.

  If you prefer to be surprised even in terms of world building, I have a little extra for you, a sneak peek into the first story, Werewolf’s Way, starring werewolf Graham Powers and sprite Caelyn Sutharlainn. You can also find it in this Companion and read it without fear of too many spoilers.

  So, this guide can be used for many things—to give you a feel of the series, to make you remember interesting facts, and to help you monitor your favorite characters and their relationships along the way.

  Without further ado, enjoy the Companion, and most of all, enjoy the series!

  The introduction above is posted on ManLoveAuthors.com.

  A Brief History

  Ever since the dawn of time, werewolves and vampires have been the scourge of paranormal society. During the days of the Roman Empire, they led to the appearance of the Antonine Plague. But it was in the mid-fourteenth century that they grew in power, becoming allies in their frantic quest against mankind.

  The Black Death, as history came to know the ensuing massacre, consumed several continents and left behind millions of casualties. Seeing the disaster and the potential end of the human race itself, other paranormal species intervened.

  The Ivenian fae made it their task to heal the injured and fight against the onslaught of enemy shape-shifters. Assisted by their sister nation, the Elusian sprites, they attempted to contain the werewolves and the vampires. It was a losing battle from the beginning, at least until the Ornozian draechen stepped in.

  The draechen, or dragon-shifters, were among the most powerful shifters in the world. However, their influence was limited due to their radically small numbers. Nonetheless, they took the chance of extinction for the purpose of defeating the throngs of werewolves and vampires.

  The alliance between Ornoz, Ivenia, and Elusia began to register some success, but then, the werewolves and vampires came together for a massive attack against the Ivenian capital of Eternelle, also known as Rose Blanc. With draechen and fae forces spread thin over several continents, the fae of Eternelle faced complete annihilation.

  It was the power of two single men that turned the tide of the war. The Ivenian prince Talrasar and the commander of the Ornozian draechen, Prince Kaelezrin, faced the werewolves and vampires in battle. When confronted with overwhelming odds, they summoned the full extent of their abilities to push back the threat on Eternelle. The battle was won at the cost of their lives.

  That day came to be known as the Great Sacrifice. Ushered by the noble actions of the two princes, other species came together in the battle against the werewolves and vampires. Eventually, the enemy shifters were defeated and the plague contained.

  It was at that time that the Directive of the Shifter Castes—or the Shifter Directive—came to be. It became obvious that a law was needed to control the rising power of the werewolves and vampires and to prevent the same thing from ever happening again.

  The draechen took it upon themselves to become the guardians of the paranormal world. After much debate between various species, it was decided that the shifters would be forever divided into nine castes, nine hierarchical groups with different rights and positions.

  The highest burden was, predictably, placed on the werewolves and vampires. They became the members of the ninth caste, practically slaves to the draechen who were now the lone members of the first caste.

  Magical creatures saw that there was too much power in the hands of the draechen. However, they could do very little about it. The law didn’t influence them directly. After the death of Prince Talrasar, the ruling dynasty of Ivenia was shaken, and the fae could no longer worry about the rest of the world since they had their own problems.

  Time passed, and with it, the arrogance and power of the draechen grew more and more. They became more numerous, and their armies continued to target the occasional rebel groups of werewolves and vampires who dared to stand against them. From their citadel in the Black Forest Mountains, the draechen slowly began to move toward taking over in the entire world.

  This is the context the events in Chronicles of the Shifter Directive take place in. With rising tensions between draechen and the rest of the paranormal world, many families, lovers, and friends become trapped in a conflict that they have no desire to start. The rest of this history is theirs to write.

  A Brief History above is posted on ManLoveAuthors.com.

  All content below is original material.

  Directive of the Shifter Castes

  Some Provisions

  I. By the provisos of the present law, all shape-shifters are to be separated in nine castes, as follows:

  1.1The first caste will be assigned to our guardians, the draechen.

  1.2The second caste will be assigned to rare shifters.

  1.3The third caste will be assigned to avian and reptilian shifters, of the first tier, noble.

  1.4The fourth caste will be assigned to avian and reptilian shifters, of the second tier, common, as well as amphibian shifters.

  1.5The fifth caste will be assigned to mammalian shifters and water creatures of the first tier.

  1.6The sixth caste will be assigned to mammalian shifters and water creatures of the second tier.

  1.7The seventh caste will be assigned to felines of the first tier.

  1.8The eighth caste will be assigned to felines of the second tier.

  1.9The ninth caste will be assigned to werewolves and vampires.

  II. Shifters are forbidden to reproduce outside their own ca
stes.

  2.1The exception to this rule refers to the two tiers of the same type of species. Noble and common shifters of the same type are allowed to reproduce even if they belong to different castes. This rule does not apply if the two shifters don’t have a base species type in common.

  2.2Shifters of any kind are allowed to reproduce with magical creatures, according to their own will and the will of their chosen partner and as long as they are compatible sexually.

  2.3The breaking of this rule is punishable with life imprisonment for the parents and the elimination of the product of the union.

  III. The Directive acknowledges the existence of the mate bond between shifters. Should shifters find their mates outside their own castes, the following provisos should be followed:

  3.1The shifters should immediately come forward with their respective mate and announce their intentions.

  3.2The shifters will be required to prove the existence of their mate bond.

  3.3The shifter from the higher caste will be required to take a different official mate, for breeding purposes.

  3.4The shifter from the lower caste will receive the title of concubine and belong to the household of his or her mate.

  3.5The concubine will have the obligation to obey the commands of the official mate.

  3.6No child should appear out of the union of the concubine and his or her mate.

  IV. Shifters of the ninth caste are obliged to submit to the first caste, as penalty for their transgressions.

  4.1Any shifter refusing to comply is subjected to punishment as follows

  4.1.1Light crimes: imprisonment according to the decisions of his or her master

  4.1.2Serious crimes: life imprisonment or death.

  4.2 During the imprisonment or the unlawful individual, masters are forbidden to physically torture of sexually abuse the prisoner. The penalty for breaking this law is falling from caste rights.

  Description of

  Species and Characters

  Shape-Shifters

  The unique trait of shape-shifters is, as their name points out, the fact that they can change in a second form with animal characteristics. The second form is different according to each species. The actual shifting process also differs, in that shifters who are much larger or much smaller than their original human form take more time to change into their second shape that those for whom the sizes of the two shapes are comparable.

  Following the Shifter Directive, they were divided into nine castes.

  First Caste—Draechen

  Among the first species of paranormal creatures to ever appear on earth, the draechen were, from the very beginning, quite rare due to the difficulty of finding a mate. After the creation of Ornoz, they were decimated by their first emperor, leaving behind a very small population.

  After the Shifter Directive, the draechen grew as a species. It became easier to find mates, and, in time, as their population grew, so did their armies.

  Types of draechen and characteristics

  All draechen are physically very strong. They can change into a secondary form—that of a dragon. In this form, they can fly, and their skin—their hide—is also tougher, almost impenetrable. When they are in human form, some of this toughness diminishes, although they are still far more resilient to attack than any other shifter.

  Additionally, dragon-shifters are among the few shifters who have magic. These powers are generally divided into four affinities: fire, ice, air, and earth. According to their element, draechen have specific scales in shifted form, and eye and hair color in human form.

  Fire dragons are the most common, closely followed by ice dragons. As stated in their name, fire dragons control the powers of flame and can create all sorts of fire bolts and spells. Upon shifting, they turn into red dragons, while in human form they have red hair and red eyes. Ice dragons can create frost spells and shape-shift into blue dragons, their human hair and eyes being blue. Air and earth dragons are rarer than the first two species, with powers that control their respective elements.

  The fifth category—not mentioned before—is that of the black dragons. They are extremely rare and, unlike the regular four types of draechen, do not have a specific type of magic. Instead, they can manipulate and absorb any type of energy, be it magic, kinetic, or otherwise. This makes them next to invulnerable to spells or normal weapons.

  There are only two known methods to kill a black dragon. The first is by cutting him or her off from any source of energy and abandoning him or her to starvation. The second method is actually the draechen succumbing to his or her own power and dying due to absorbing too much energy.

  Black dragons are considered very dangerous, and for that reason, they are excluded from potential emperor positions. This is due to the fact that the first draechen emperor, also a black dragon, slaughtered his own kind before he finally perished, going down in history as the Ancient Horror. Therefore, first sons of the emperor would lose their right to succeed to the throne if they are black dragons.

  All draechen have one weak spot which goes hand in hand with one of their largest strengths. Because of the large bulk of the dragons in shifted forms, the transformation between shapes is often slow and opens them up to attack. They are also at a disadvantage in cramped spaces, where they cannot change in their second form.

  Capital and political organization

  The draechen nation is organized as an empire called Ornoz, led by an emperor with absolute power, usually assisted by a consort who can be either male or female. The emperor himself is exclusively male, Ornoz following the system of primogeniture. In this sense, all first-born sons have the ability to speak telepathically to other dragons while in shifted form.

  The main draechen capital is Draechenburg, situated in the Black Forest Mountains, in Germany. The citadel boasts a large palace that serves as a residence for the royal family, as well as a barracks serving as training grounds for elite draechen troops. Draechen architecture focuses on large, airy spaces, corridors, and rooms that permit them to shift into their animal forms. The Draechenburg throne room is known for its size, having been built specifically to accommodate the draechen emperor, who never shifts into his human form. Additionally, draechen are notorious for adorning their homes with opulent decorations, jewelry, raw gems, and gold.

  The citadel has a secondary level, dug into the mountain itself. This level is actually a dungeon reserved for the most dangerous of prisoners, both draechen or otherwise.

  International relations

  The draechen are among the most powerful species in paranormal world. For this reason, relations with many other species are tense and somewhat distant. The only magical creatures who remain close to them are the sprites.

  As the self-appointed guardians of the shifter world, they regularly hunt vampires and werewolves. For this purpose, they created a special armed force called the Chrysalidian Wyverns.

  Religion and marriage rites

  As a rule, draechen aren’t a very religious people, but they do worship a collective deity called the Overlords. They do not hold actual religious ceremonies except on special occasions, such as official matings.

  Draechen marriage rites start with a period of meditation, during which the two future mates commune with the Overlords. If only one person from the couple is a draechen, he or she is the sole participant in this part of the ritual.

  The couple then proceeds to the actual ceremony, which starts with elaborate speeches from the draechen emperor. During the ceremony, friends and family of the two also intervene with a few words on the couple. Usually, an element that represents the draechen’s magic has to be present, such as, for example, a torch in the case of a fire dragon.

  Finally, the couple pledge their lives to each other in the name of the Overlords. As a strongly military-oriented culture, they use official uniforms throughout the ceremony. Due to their shape-shifter nature, draechen rarely wear jewelry. Therefore, to mark their official bond, they get tattoos that
illustrate each other’s element. This process can be very painful due to the fact that enough power needs to be used for the tattoo to be permanent. For example, a fire dragon would burn his mark on his mate’s arm, while an ice dragon would use frostbite. Air, earth, and black dragons have more creative freedom regarding their tattoos.

  Mate bonds

  Like every shifter species, draechen value mate bonds a great deal. Two types of mate bonds can exist, one between true mates, and the other as simply official unions. The value of the former is far higher than that of the latter.

  Mate bonds can exist outside official marriage rites, through a claiming process that consists in the sexual union between the two and a claiming bite. After this, if the two are true mates, their minds become connected, and they are able to speak telepathically.

  When a true mate is a shifter from a different caste, the draechen cannot officially marry him or her due to the Directive. The lower caste partner is relegated to the position of concubine, and the couple cannot have any children.

  The draechen do not discriminate same-sex couples. Marriages can exist between both heterosexual and homosexual couples.