Nightfall (Book 2, the Halfblood Chronicles)

Pronunciations | Glossary | Playlist

✦ PRONUNCIATIONS ✦

*Stressed syllables are capitalized.

Daemonstri
day-MAWN-stree

Serafi
sur-RAF-fee

Nefili
nef-FEE-lee

Volkari
vole-KAR-ree

Inferni
in-FUR-nee

Nika Dimitrovich
NEE-kah
dim-MEE-tro-vich

Ren Romanovich
REN
ro-MAWN-oh-vich

Luiza Lazarov
loo-EE-zah
LAZ-zur-ov

Misha Kovac
MEE-shah
KOE-vack

Jade Ramsay
JAYD
RAM-zee

Dante Azzara
DAWN-tay
ah-ZAIR-ah

Viktor Kostopoulos
VIK-tor
kuss-TOP-ah-luss

Saran Maksimova
sah-RAWN
MAK-sim-OH-vah

Konstantin
KAWN-stan-teen

Lirovin
LEER-oh-vin

✦ GLOSSARY ✦

Daemonstri
Supernatural beings that hide in the shadows of the human world. Divided into four races (listed below), which are determined by physical and supernatural attributes. They are born, not created, and possess the same lifespans as humans, though they can be more difficult to kill. All Daemonstri have four retractable fangs and a variety of abilities.

Serafi
Daemonstri race with traits akin to angels, witches, and vampires. Abilities include supernatural grace, magic-wielding, and bewitchment. Serafi are ethereally beautiful and can be identified by a soft "inner glow" of the skin, which is called a halo. They consume blood, but not as a main source of sustenance (more like a daily vitamin). They have a minor allergy to sunlight that causes their eyes to burn.

Nefili
Daemonstri race with traits akin to demigods and vampires. Abilities include supernatural strength, speed, and agility. Nefili are naturally athletic and battle-hungry. They consume blood solely for curative purposes, and as a result, can fall victim to blood addictions. A supernatural strength of willpower allows them to create mental shields, which can be used to prevent bewitchments.

Volkari
Daemonstri race with traits akin to werewolves and vampires. Abilities consist of shapeshifting, telepathy (with other Volkari), and superior senses (including night vision), as well as supernatural strength, speed, and agility. Volkari consume blood solely for curative purposes, and are also susceptible to blood addictions. The bite of a Volkari is fatal to members of the other Daemonstri races.

Inferni
Daemonstri race with traits akin to demons and vampires. Abilities consist of flight via wings, *partial* shapeshifting, and supernatural strength, speed, agility, and sensory perception. Their thirst for blood is stronger than that of the other races, and they consume great amounts of blood and raw meat each day. Exposure to sunlight can cause Inferni to "wither" and become paralyzed in a sleep-like state.

Ministry
An oligarchical Daemonstri institution that presides over the Western Hemisphere of the world, acting as the lawmaking and justice authority of Daemonstri populations within its sphere. Made up of thirteen Ministers, including a Prime Minister.

First Family
A Daemonstri monarchy that presides over the Eastern Hemisphere of the world, acting as the supreme authority of Daemonstri populations within its sphere. It is the oldest Daemonstri institution and also the most supreme, so even the Ministry must answer to the ruling monarch. The current First Family is part of the Dalca dynasty.

Vigil
A worldwide Daemonstri organization whose purpose is to defend and protect the races from inner and outer threats. Members are known as keepers. The Vigil has a number of divisions based on location (Europe, North America, Asia, etc.), and each division has a High Keeper, who is a member of the Council of High Keepers.

halfblood
Someone whose parents are of two different Daemonstri races.

pureblood
Someone whose parents are of the same Daemonstri race. Note: Serafi are always purebloods.

belabane
A plant with a black blossom that is toxic to all Daemonstri races.

Shadowlands
The mythical realm from which Daemonstri supposedly originate. No one knows for sure if it is a real place. Most people regard it in a poetic or symbolic manner to emphasize the innate differences between Daemonstri-kind and humans.

Oldbloods
According to lore, the Oldbloods are four supernatural beings from whom all other supernaturals descend—essentially, the "original" Daemonstri. Some people consider them to be mythological figures, while others think of them as deities. They are described in Daemonstri literature as four siblings. Their names and titles are as follows:

E l a n t i s
Witch of the Oldbloods
Mother of Serafi

B r a n o m i r
Knight of the Oldbloods
Father of Nefili

S t a r e k
Wolf of the Oldbloods
Father of Volkari

V o l o r a
Wight of the Oldbloods
Mother of Inferni

spirit wolf
An immortal supernatural being that must link up with a host in order to physically manifest itself. The host of a spirit wolf must be a Daemonstri (humans are incompatible). No one knows how many exist, but at least four are mentioned in lore. All spirit wolves possess magic-wielding abilities, but these powers are limited to a single theme. For instance, the Winter Wolf's magic allows her to summon and manipulate ice.

The Forgotten Legends
A series of Daemonstri tales that are traditionally passed around by word of mouth, and have thus been "forgotten" by all but the remote Volkari packs of Russia. These tales often follow the feats of spirit wolves.

Order of Genetic Dominance
Daemonstri-kind has an "order of genetic dominance," which is a system used to determine the racial and blood status of a person.

(less dominant → more dominant)

Serafi → Nefili → Volkari → Inferni

This simply means that there is only one way in which Serafi offspring can be produced, and four ways in which Inferni offspring can be produced. The variations are listed below.

There is one way in which Serafi can procreate—by breeding with other Serafi. This is what makes them the "purest of the pure."

Serafi + Serafi = Serafi (pureblood)

There are two ways in which Nefili can procreate:

Serafi + Nefili = Nefili (halfblood)
Nefili + Nefili = Nefili (pureblood)

There are three ways in which Volkari can procreate:

Serafi + Volkari = Volkari (halfblood)
Nefili + Volkari = Volkari (halfblood)
Volkari + Volkari = Volkari (pureblood)

There are four ways in which Inferni can procreate:

Serafi + Inferni = Inferni (halfblood)
Nefili + Inferni = Inferni (halfblood)
Volkari + Inferni = Inferni (halfblood)
Inferni + Inferni = Inferni (pureblood)

✦ PLAYLIST ✦

Listen to the Nightfall playlist on Spotify using the link in the inline comment section ☞