WITCHES & WARLOCKS - LAFITTE
Many are familiar with renowned pirate and privateer Jean LaFitte. But what they probably don't know is that he was one of the most powerful hydrokinetic warlocks of his time. Taking the name of their founder, this Coven boasts specialized prowess in the schools of illusion and evocation and hosts a wide variety of powerful invokers and kinetics. Led by a Matron renowned for her strategic mind and strong emphasis on superiority and control, they are considered the more militant and traditional of the major New Orleans covens and continue to be the most ruthless in their hunt of remaining fae.

OTHERS - click for submitted species rules
New Orleans has long established its reputation as a hub of intense magical energies. As such, all manner of creatures are likely to be drawn to the allure of a supernatural safe haven such as Le Chemin, even those thought lost to myth and time. The 'other' category might include things such as variations of undead, created constructs, merfolk, spirits, cryptids, draconic kin, chimeric entities, etc. None are turned away from The Path so long as they abide its laws.

- 'Others' will be accepted on a strict case-by-case basis. Please contact the mods with specific ideas, but be aware that they reserve the right to refuse or request changes to suggested species.
- Only 2 of each 'other' species will be permitted. This rule applies to closely related subspecies. IE. if there are two draconoids in game, a wyvern isn't going to fly - pun intended.
- The first writer to apply with an 'other' species gets to write the associated rules by which subsequent applications must abide. If you wish to take on the second character in any 'other' category, we encourage you to reach out to the first.

WITCHES & WARLOCKS - SAINT MARIE
The legacy of the esteemed Marie Laveau is home to those who follow or bear ties to Vaudun religious disciplines. The Coven of Saint Marie is composed of a large assembly of practitioners especially adept in the magical schools of necromancy, conjuration, and enchantment, arts that are often viewed with mistrust or skepticism among their peers. The youngest of the three staple Covens and undoubtedly questionable in their means, they often find themselves under intense scrutiny and were the first suspected when the Void gates began appearing on the outer edges of the city, as the gates to the Vaudun Underworld (Guinee) are theoretically similar in appearance.

VAMPIRES
Formerly human, vampires must consume the blood of living creatures to sustain themselves, becoming faster, stronger, and more fortified than mortals. They are vulnerable to sunlight, silver, decapitation, and direct damage to the heart, and can create more of their kind by bringing a human to near-death and having them feed from their blood. The transition is painful and often traumatizing, a real-time experience of feeling your body die around you. A vampire has no heartbeat and feels room-temperature to the touch, but still breathes - the blood they imbibe only sustains them if oxygenated. They may consume food and liquid in small amounts, but have no need and derive no benefit. Their alcohol tolerance is extremely low, as the bodily processes needed to filter it from the bloodstream are no longer in full effect. Inebriation in vampires lasts three times longer than in humans.

Many of New Orleans' vampires are younger and have allied with the Saint Marie Coven. The coven provides them with a constant blood source as well as sanctuary within the magical sublevel of their hostel; the vampires provide protection and 'extra muscle'. Though older vampires are less common, they are more likely to have learned special talents such as shapeshifting into smaller, blood-feeding creatures, turning to mist, or temporary thrall creation.

- Vampires cannot be older than 500 years old
- Only vampires older than 150 years can manifest a single special talent.
- Blessed ground creates a sensation of unease in vampires, but does not directly repel them. Garlic is an old wives tale.
- Turning someone against their will is a strict taboo, but does happen.

WITCHES & WARLOCKS - THIBODAUX
Founded in the deep swamps of the Louisiana Bayou, the Thibodaux Coven is often (and incorrectly) assumed to be the weakest, or least impressive, of the NOLA Covens. Underestimated as little more than backwater hedge witches due to their leanings toward natural and ritualistic magics, they actually lay claim to some of the finest healers, alchemists, and mediums on the North American continent. Known for their potions, curses, and salves, they are renowned among the supernatural community at large and have accrued the respect and alliance of many beyond just the other Coven circles.

WEREWOLVES
The first werewolf received its curse at the hands of a spurned Vaudun priestess, who bound their fate to the shifting cycles of the moon. When full, those afflicted with the curse transform into monstrous amalgamations of man and beast. The curse is transferable via a single bite, and werewolves steadily grew in number. Eventually they congregated to form their own 'packs', tight-knit societal groups that live together under laws and regulations determined by the reasoning of a triad: the pack 'leader', their first in command, and the pack's designated healer.

Born werewolves are those who have the benefit of an ancestral curse behind them; their transformations are less painful, and those with specialized training might even be able to manage occasional shifts outside lunar phases. Those bitten are less controlled, with transformations and a lust for blood that causes physical and mental tolls for days following their rampage. Many packs will assign newly bitten 'pups' a mentor to help them transition.

- Weres boast physical enhancements (strength, senses, speed, etc) even while in human form. In their transformed state, those attributes are tripled.
- In the days preceding a full moon, weres are subject to escalated irritability, aggression, lust, and hunger as a result of their base nature preparing itself to surface.
- Nothing short of a well-aimed silver bullet can take down a transformed were - only the brain or heart will do. In human form they are susceptible to other means of extermination, though still extremely allergic to silver.

SHIFTERS
Often confused with weres, Shifters are actually a classification of species entirely separate from their more monstrous brethren. Unburdened with any kind of curse, Shifters are actually humanoid creatures born with the ability to transform into a variety of mundane creatures at will, usually with a specific focus guiding their changes (for example, a single shifter with the ability to effortlessly shift into a lion might also be able to transform into other felines with practice). Shifters do not receive the physical enhancements that Weres do while in their human form, but they will take on the inherent benefits specific to their chosen form while shifted (be it enhanced sight, smell, hearing, etc). Such perks are immediately abandoned the moment they return to their original shape.

- Shifters are able to maintain sense of self while transformed. They cannot communicate verbally, but their thoughts would register as human to telepaths. They may be able to signal intent with physical expression. IE. barking, pawing at points of interest, etc.
- Shifting is tiresome, but neither traumatic nor painful as it is for weres. Exceeding half a dozen shifts in a day may result in extreme fatigue of loss of consciousness. A shifter's abilities are not tied to lunar phases.
- Shifters with the ability to transform into creatures with dissimilar features are exceedingly rare; doing so without decades of practice is agonizing and could result in Shifters becoming 'stuck' if they are not careful.

FAE - click for expanded species information
For a century the Fae succeeded in maintaining balance over the magical forces of New Orleans. Two years ago, corruption took hold of the Winter and Summer courts. Incited to violence, they rose up against the Covens and began an attempted coup for total control that expanded rapidly throughout North America and left many covens devastated and leaderless. Before the covens could organize and retaliate, however, both hostile courts seemingly vanished. Rather than face the vengeful wrath of the covens, many remaining fae chose to retreat, fleeing back across the veil to their homeland. Those unaffiliated with the courts and their uprising were left to bear the brunt of their actions, and many have taken refuge in Le Chemin Noir to escape the violent retribution of the wronged magic users still hunting their kind.

- Fae are inherently weak against iron, but are the species strongest in glamour and illusion. Fae nobles, the Sidhe (unplayable) have been known to live for a thousand years. Lesser Fae are generally no older than 500.
- All Fae are capable of glamour: illusory magics which can make them or their near surroundings appear to be something other than reality. Small glamours, such as personal disguises, can be maintained indefinitely unless the user is greatly startled, knocked unconscious, negated or otherwise disrupted. Larger glamours can only be maintained for a 10-20 minutes, depending on the strength and discipline of the individual caster.
- No court members or formal Sidhe are permitted as playable characters. Please keep in mind that the Fae are presently a minority of extreme ill-repute, unwelcome in most circles, and may have to rely on their glamour to disguise and keep themselves safe.