The Shadowhunter's Codex

Introduction

A/N: This book and characters do not belong to me.

Welcome and congratulations. You have been chosen to become one of the Nephilim. Soon, if you have not done so already, you will drink from the Mortal Cup, taking into yourself the blood of the angels, and you will become one of the "Shadowhunters," named for the founder of our order. Our eternal work is the battle against the forces of darkness that encroach upon our world. We also keep the peace in the Shadow World-The hidden societies of magic and magical creatures wrought by demons we fight-and keep it hidden from the mundane world. And this now is also your charge. You are the protector, defender, knight errant in the name of the angels. You will be trained to fight demons, to protect mundanes, to negotiate the complex landscape of the Downworlders-werewolves, vampires, and the like-that you will encounter. Your life will be spent in pursuit of the angelic against the demonic. And when you die, you will die of glory.                          This may appear an intimidating description of the Shadowhunter's life, but we must emphasize the sacredness and the weight of our mission. Joining the Nephilim is not like becoming a mundane policeman, or even a mundane solider. "Shadowhunter" is not what you do;  it is who you are.  Every aspect of your life will change to accommodate the holy assignment you have been chosen for.                                                       This codex serves to assist you in acclimating to the new world into which you have been thrust. Most Shadowhunters are born into this life, raised and immersed in it constantly from birth, and thus many things about the world that are second nature to them will be new to you. You have been recruited out of your mundane life, and you will quickly encounter much that is confusing and dangerous. This book is designed specifically to reduce your confusion and, ideally, to keep you alive long enough to become a full Shadowhunter in a good standing in your local Institute.                                                                                             It goes without saying that it is against the Law for the Codex with any person other than Shadowhunters and mundanes in the process of Ascension.