Lady Novella

Part II : The Underworld and how it came about

II : a) THE TORNED VEIL

In the times when the Isle of the Blessed was still flourishing with Magic, Morgana Le Fey had acted rashly in sacrificing her brethen at the sacred place which ultimately led to the veil between both worlds to be torned. The reason? Well, to spite her enemies of course. Despite Emrys' succesful attempt at sealing the veil later on, by then it had been opened for far too long until the point that some of the entities from the Nether-world had festered themselves in the land of the living.

Now, only gifted mortals were able to sense these entities as well as the flora and fauna around them. Some spirits would pick a human host or even animals and thus possessing them whenever it's deemed fit. It is not clear what happens to the soul of the original human owner once the possession has occured but it is said that they have remained lost for eternity. This in turn lead to physical unions which brought about hybrids of what mere man would call 'monsters'. Werewolves were said to have also orginated from such unions. But the condition was cursed by an unknown witch that resided in the Isle of the Blessed which causes the person with lycantrophy to change only during the full moons instead of at will as it used to be. The vampirs on the other hand were sentenced to death by the Sun if they remained under it for far too long. Another curse that was rumoured to be pelted out by Emrys himself when one of his friend was almost struck down by the fanged creature.

Another volatile union between both worlds was that of a sorcerer/sorceress and an Immortalite. Based on available records, Immortalites are humanoid figures that were said to have Nephilic traits. Despite being immortal themselves, their offspring did not receive the same privilege as they would die out after a few hundred years. The only way to sustain the Immortalite's descendants is through bloodshed and magic. The more lives taken, the longer they will roam the earth. The descendants were reported to be a living embodiment of a 'walking corpse' when they appear under the moonlight. Their faces will be marred with runes that spoke of Old Magic along with skin that is ashy white.

Over the centuries, despite the prosecution from governments and commoners alike, these hybrids managed to seek cover in forbidden places that would scare most of mankind away. Their numbers expanded until they had their own descendants from various timelines  which may or may not carry certain traits from their roguish ancestors. Centuries later, despite the blood of the underworld being dormant through mortal marriages, it does not mean that the ability has been wiped out completely. All it takes to awaken them once more is through mind triggering events or more inportantly, the source of this world : Magic. The descendants made it a point to seek one another in a gathering, depending in which country they are currently in which thus forms the Underworld Community.

II : b) Scotland's Underworld Community

The Underworld community is quite well established come the Industrial Revolution that was currently gripping Europe. The existence of heavy machines and then having jobs surrounding them had effectively distracted the mortals attention from the existence of fictional beasts that only comes from legends.

Ever since religion has gained its footing in the continent, the hybrids and their descendants have all been labelled as only myths which further serves the agenda for the Underworlds to completely blend in and mess with mankind from behind the scenes.

Back in Scotland, one can easily access the hidden lairs of the community by going to Gilmerton Cove. Well,  if you just happened to be a normal human that ended up getting lost there then you would be disappointed at the lack of  everything, despite the rumours of treasures abound. If you are a fortunate mortal, you would probably get out of the place alive. If you aren't however, then you would be a sufficient meal for one of the naughty underwolders that may be roaming about.

If the cove sounds too boring for one's ears, they can also seek out the forest of Rothiemurchus, Inverness Shire. It happens to be another portal to Scotland's Underworld community. Although mortals and immortals alike have to face the Chief of Clan Shaw of Tordarroch. The entrance is troublesome at times, especially during emergencies, which is why the Underworlders prefer to enter through the Cove.

The meeting place (or whatever you want to call them) resembles the taverns back in Merlin's days. A mock round table was placed near the fireplace (which emitted blue-green flames) as a homage to King Arthur and his Knights. Mind you but despite being hardly alive, they do indulge in alcohol once in a while. Blame that habit on their human ancestry if you will. It's the only place where we can see magic flow freely and beasts showing off their stand-out features. The place requires no filters unlike the tight reign they have over themselves when living amongst their fully human counterparts.

If you asked the half-goblin that usually resides at the right corner of the place, he would recall with a fond smile at his face about the lady with the maroon hat that was accidently accepted into the location due to her blasting her powers towards a werewolf in self defense. Good thing no one died after the ordeal.

P/s : The torned veil event was inspired by an episode in season 4 of BBC Merlin. The way I use magical creatures in my story may not match the actual lore ascociated with them so apologies in advance.