Demonkeepers

human retains his own thoughts and actions in direct proportion to the amount of evil in his soul. An ajaw-makol, which is a ruling makol created through direct spell casting, can create lesser makol through blood sacrifice. nahwal—Humanoid spirit entities that exist in the barrier and hold within them all of the accumulated wisdom of each Nightkeeper bloodline. They can be asked for information, but cannot be trusted.

Nightkeeper—A member of an ancient race sworn to protect mankind from annihilation in the years leading up to December 21, 2012, when the barrier separating the earth and the underworld will fall and the Banol Kax will seek to precipitate the apocalypse.

Order of Xibalba—Formed by renegade Nightkeepers, the order was believed to have been destroyed in the 1520s. However, the Order of Xibalba survives, and is now led by a powerful mage named Iago, who seeks to bind his soul to that of the long- dead Aztec god-king, Moctezuma.

Prophet—An oracle created when a magic user’s soul is destroyed but the body is magically preserved, becoming an animate shell that relays information from the barrier-bound library to the Nightkeepers on earth. scribe—A mage who holds a powerful but fickle talent among the Nightkeepers: the ability to create spells. winikin—Descended from the conquered Sumerian warriors who served the Nightkeepers back in ancient Egypt, the winikin are blood-bound to act as the servants, protectors, and counselors of the magi.

Places hellmouth—Formerly found in the cloud forests of Ecuador, this underworld access point, which opens only on the cardinal solstices and equinoxes, has vanished from the face of the earth.

Skywatch—The Nightkeepers’ training compound is located in a box canyon in the Chaco Canyon region of New Mexico, and is protected by magical wards.

Xibalba—The nine-layer underworld, home to the Banol Kax and makol.

Things (spells, glyphs, prophecies, etc.) archive—This three-room stronghold at Skywatch contains the writings and artifacts collected by the Nightkeepers since they escaped Spanish conquest in the fifteen hundreds and migrated north to what became the United States. Although impressive in its scope, the archive contains very few prophecies focused on the 2012 doomsday and end-time war, as these were addressed in far older texts. barrier—A force field of psi energy that separates the earth, sky, and underworld, and forms the energy source that powers the Nightkeepers’ magic. The strength of the barrier fluctuates with the positions of the stars and planets, and weakens as the 12/21/2012 end date approaches. jun tan—The “beloved” glyph that signifies a Nightkeeper’s mated status. library—Created by far-seeing Nightkeeper leaders, this repository contains all the ancient artifacts and information the magi need to arm themselves for the end-time war. Once housed in a sacred cavern on earth, the library is now hidden deep within the barrier, and may be accessed only by the Prophet.

Solstice Massacre—Following a series of prophetic dreams, the Nightkeepers’ king led them to battle against the Banol Kax in the mid-eighties. The magi were slaughtered; only a scant dozen children survived to be raised in hiding by their winikin. These are the Nightkeepers of today. skyroad—This celestial avenue connected the earth and sky planes, allowing contact between the Nightkeepers and the gods. Since Iago’s destruction of the skyroad, the gods have been unable to influence events on earth, giving sway to the demons and tipping humanity’s balance dangerously toward the underworld.

Triad—The last three years prior to December 21, 2012, are known as the triad years. During this time, the Nightkeepers are prophesied to need the help of the Triad, a trio of uber-powerful magi created through a powerful spell . . . one that the Nightkeepers cannot locate. Their only hope is that the spell is contained within the library . . . and that their Prophet can find it. writs—Written by the First Father, these rules delineate the duties and codes of the Nightkeepers. Not all of them translate well into present day.

The Nightkeepers and their winikin Coyote bloodline—The most mystical of the bloodlines. Coyote-Seven, known as Sven, can move objects with his mind and wears the warrior’s mark, but he is the least mature of the magi. His winikin, the senior statesman, Carlos, has been reassigned to Nate Blackhawk, whose winikin died when Nate was a baby. Carlos’s daughter, Cara Liu, is supposed to be serving Sven. Instead, she has returned to the human world.

Eagle bloodline—A bird bloodline, and therefore connected with the air and flight. The current members of this bloodline include Brandt, his wife, Patience (who has the talent of invisibility), and their twin full-blood sons, Harry and Braden. On the king’s order, Brandt and Patience’s winikin, Woody and Hannah, have taken the twins into hiding for their own protection, dividing the family unit.

Harvester bloodline—The harvesters most often worked behind the scenes, and were the most passive magi. The bloodline’s last remaining winikin, Shandi, has raised its sole surviving member, Jade, to be the prototypical harvester . . . but Jade chafes against the restrictions of her heritage.

Hawk bloodline—Also connected with air and flight, this bloodline can be aloof and unpredictable.

Nate Blackhawk, the surviving member of this bloodline, was orphaned young and trusts few. He is a shape-shifter whose potentially destructive power is kept in check by his love for his mate, Alexis, and the steady guidance of his winikin, Carlos.

Jaguar bloodline—The royal house of the Nightkeepers. The members of this bloodline tend to be loyal and fair-minded, but can be stubborn and often struggle between duty and their own personal desires. The current members of the jaguar bloodline include the Nightkeepers’ king, Strike, and his sisters, Anna and Sasha. Strike is a teleporter, Anna a seer who denies her talents, and Sasha a wielder of the lifegiving ch’ul magic. They are protected and guided by the royal winikin, Jox. Strike’s mate and queen, Leah Daniels, is full human, a former Miami- Dade detective who now leads Strike’s royal council.

Peccary bloodline—The boar bloodline is old and powerful; its members ruled the Nightkeepers before the jaguars came to power. Red-Boar was the only adult mage to survive the Solstice Massacre; he lost his wife and twin sons, and never forgave himself for living. He was killed by a makol during the reunited Nightkeepers’ first battle against the dark forces. Red-Boar’s teenage son, Rabbit, lives with the stigma of being a half-blood, and commands wildly powerful magic.

Serpent bloodline—The masters of trickery. Snake Mendez is serving the tail end of a jail sentence and is apart from the Nightkeepers, yet he already has some of his powers. His winikin is locked up in a secure psychiatric facility, driven there by despair at what his charge has become.