The Ransom family stands as one of the oldest and most respected supernatural lineages in New England, their roots extending deep into the pre-colonial history of Massachusetts. As members of the Nipmuc people, they were already ancient when European settlers first arrived on Ransom shores. Unlike many supernatural families who amassed quick fortunes, the Ransoms built their influence gradually through centuries of careful stewardship of both the land and its secrets.
During colonial expansion, while many indigenous peoples faced devastation, the Ransoms strategically positioned themselves as invaluable guides and scouts. Settlers marveled at their seemingly preternatural ability to navigate impossible terrain and predict weather patterns. What appeared as wilderness intuition was often the family’s supernatural abilities at work.
By the 20th century, the family had established the Ransom Land Trust, ostensibly a conservation initiative but secretly a means to protect ancient power sites from development. These nexus points of supernatural energy, some predating human habitation, remain under Ransom guardianship to this day. Their modern environmental conservation organizations and sustainable development companies serve dual purposes: preserving natural resources while maintaining stewardship over places of power.
Though the Ransoms lack the ostentatious wealth of families like the Rothwells or Fairchilds, they possess something far more valuable: territorial advantage. The family’s unbroken connection to their ancestral lands grants them an almost unbeatable home-field advantage. Supernatural conflicts that unfold on wild Ransom territory inevitably end in their favor, regardless of the opponent’s apparent strength. The very land itself seems to side with the Ransoms, leading to a saying among supernatural circles for a hopeless cause: “Fighting on Ransom turf.”
Notable family members include:
Elder Miriam Ransom – A shaman in her nineties whose communion with the land spans over seven decades. Though physically frail, her spiritual authority is unquestioned. She has memorized the locations and purposes of every site of druidic power in Massachusetts and serves as the family’s living archive.
Joseph Ransom – In his sixties, Joseph is the CEO of Ransom Sustainable Development and the family’s primary interface with human business and politics. A werewolf who learned to channel his aggressive instincts into environmental activism and corporate negotiation. His company’s construction projects mysteriously never encounter permit delays.
Dr. Leah Ransom – In her forties, Leah is a biologist whose groundbreaking research on forest ecosystems has won international acclaim. Her werewolf senses allow her to detect environmental changes imperceptible to scientific instruments. She leads the family’s scientific branch while maintaining their traditional knowledge systems.
Twins Daniel and Diana Ransom – The family’s security specialists who coordinate protection of sacred sites. Both werewolves, they’ve developed a fighting style that combines modern tactical training with traditional Nipmuc warrior traditions. Supernatural trespassers who encounter them rarely make the same mistake twice.
The Fairchild family’s presence in American finance is so entrenched that Wall Street veterans often joke that luck itself seems to bend toward their will, a statement far closer to truth than fiction. Tracing their lineage to Cornish and Irish immigrants who arrived in Massachusetts in the late 1700s, the Fairchilds brought with them not just ambition but a potent faeborn bloodline that would become their greatest asset.
The family’s supernatural nature first truly proved its advantage during the Panic of 1819 when Elias Fairchild, seemingly guided by inexplicable foresight, liquidated assets days before the market collapsed. This pattern repeated throughout American financial history, Fairchilds mysteriously absent from market crashes while perfectly positioned during booms. Their uncanny financial intuition isn’t merely good business sense, but the manifestation of their faeborn ability to manipulate probability fields and perceive fortune’s flow.
The Fairchild Sovereign Fund, established in 1923, has become legendary in financial circles for its consistent outperformance of market indexes. Investigations by the SEC have repeatedly failed to find evidence of insider trading or market manipulation, though supernatural observers recognize the subtle luck manipulation that gives their investments an invisible edge. Competitors who challenge Fairchild interests often find themselves plagued by improbable mishaps, key documents misplaced, communications disrupted by technical failures, or crucial meetings missed due to bizarre transportation delays.
Further distinguishing the Fairchilds from merely wealthy families is their elaborate patronage of culture across the East Coast. Since the mid-19th century, they have maintained the Fairchild Foundation for Artistic Excellence, supporting musicians, painters, writers, and performers across Massachusetts and beyond.
Notable family members include:
Twins James and Jonathan Fairchild – In their fifties, these identical twins jointly manage the family’s financial empire through a unique arrangement: James handles public operations while Jonathan directs their supernatural dealings. Their faeborn luck manipulation is amplified when they work in tandem, allowing for complex probability alterations impossible for a single family member.
Olivia Fairchild-Mercer – In her late forties, Olivia is the Director of the Fairchild Foundation who has expanded their artistic patronage into digital and emerging media.
The Rothwells of Massachusetts trace their lineage to the early 17th century, when Josiah Rothwell, a stern demonborn merchant, arrived on American shores with his angelborn wife, Elizabeth. Their union, unusual for the time, established a dual supernatural lineage that would define the family for generations to come.
The family’s fortune began in shipbuilding and maritime trade, with their vessels known for always returning with profitable cargo regardless of storms or pirates, a success attributed to the demonborn captains’ ruthlessness and uncanny ability to inspire fear. By the early 19th century, they had diversified into manufacturing and banking. Their supernatural heritage gave them advantages in both human and supernatural circles; Rothwell demonborn used their innate ability to sense others’ dread to pressure vulnerabilities in negotiations, while angelborn family members could harness their empathy to find agreeable compromises with even the most inscrutable supernatural entities.
The Rothwells formalized their approach to their supernatural heritage during the Victorian era under the iron rule of Bartholomew Rothwell (1818-1892). He established what became known as “The Rothwell Covenant”; demonborn males were groomed for leadership in both human businesses and supernatural councils, their natural ruthlessness celebrated as necessary strength. Angelborn females were prized as perfect diplomatic envoys to volatile supernatural factions, their ability to adopt others’ desires making them exceptional mediators. Meanwhile, angelborn sons were hidden away in the family’s private institution or forced into supportive roles, while demonborn daughters were similarly sequestered.
The Rothwell Institute, ostensibly a school for “sensitive constitutions,” housed generations of the family’s “inappropriate” offspring until it was finally closed in 1975 after journalist and distant family member Victoria Rothwell (demonborn) exposed its conditions in a series of articles.
The conservative Western Branch of the family still subtly encourages angelborn sons to remain closeted, often directing them to serve as archivists or lore-keepers where their traits can be disguised as scholarly dedication. Meanwhile, the more progressive Eastern Branch has seemingly embraced all manifestations of their supernatural heritage since the 1980s.
Rothwell Holdings now spans technology, pharmaceuticals, and finance, with the family maintaining significant influence in both human and supernatural affairs. Their regular Galas draw supernatural dignitaries from across the continent, serving as neutral ground where ancient rivals can negotiate under the watchful eyes of Rothwell mediators.
Notable Figures:
Helen Rothwell – In her early nineties Eleanor presides over the family with a velvet-gloved iron fist. Though she publicly embraces modern sensibilities, she privately maintains the old ways. Her reputation as a peacemaker among supernatural factions belies her manipulative nature; she has subtly influenced supernatural politics for decades.
Harrison Rothwell – In his late seventies Harrison is the former CEO of Rothwell Holdings and Eleanor’s brother-in-law. His legendary business acumen earned him the nickname “Bloodless Harry” for his ability to sense and exploit weaknesses in competitors. Now semi-retired, he serves as the family’s representative on several shadowy supernatural councils and conservative political action groups. Despite his age, younger family members still fear his sharp tongue and sharper mind.
Josephine “Jo” Rothwell-Wu – In her sixties Jo is known as the family rebel who fought against her consignment to the Rothwell Institute in the 1970s. She later became a prominent civil rights attorney before moving into private practice to serve as head of legal for Rothwell Holdings.
Thomas Rothwell – In his late fifties now, Eleanor’s youngest son spent his early years in the Institute, he now maintains the family’s library and collection of antiquities and is rarely to be seen in public.
Margaret Rothwell – In her late forties, Margaret is the current CEO of Rothwell Pharmaceuticals and the family’s most public face. While ostensibly the face of the more progressive turn of the family, there are many who believe her commitment to most causes comes a distant second to her personal ambition.
The Washington family’s legacy of truth-seeking traces back to William Washington who, after his emancipation, leveraged his demigod ability to hear whispered truths and unspoken desires to found The North Star Observer in Virginia during reconstruction.
The family and their network of small to medium sized newspapers slowly spread up the East Coast, propelled by the family’s natural talent for finding secrets and uncovering corruption.
By the 1920s the Washingtons had expanded their holdings to include multiple newspapers across Massachusetts but suffered significantly during the Great Depression and had to slowly build their fortunes back up over time under the skilled guide of Elizabeth Washington who took advantage of the Harlem Renaissance to help further diversify their business interests.
The family experienced various ups and downs over the next few decades and throughout the civil rights movement before one of their publications landed a vital, groundbreaking expose in the eighties and since then their trajectory have been ever-upwards, diversifying into different branches of media but maintaining the focus on exposes and uncovering secrets that the family had proven to be so adept at.
Today, Washington Media Holdings encompasses traditional print publications, television networks, digital platforms, and data analytics companies. Their flagship newspaper, “The Boston Chronicle,” remains one of the region’s most respected news sources, known for investigative journalism that consistently uncovers stories others miss. Their broadcast division, Meridian Networks, operates news and entertainment channels with a reputation for programming that seems perfectly calibrated to audience interests before trends fully materialize.
The Washingtons maintain significant influence in both human and supernatural communities, their ability to discover and control information making them valuable allies and dangerous adversaries.
Notable Family members include:
Dr. Thomas Washington – In his seventies, Thomas serves as the family patriarch and Chairman of Washington Media Group. He compliments the ability to hear the wishes of others with incredible insight, making him a formidable interviewer and negotiator. His landmark interviews with political figures have often revealed truths subjects never intended to disclose.
Maya Washington – In her late forties, Maya serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Boston Chronicle and has expanded its investigative unit into one of the most respected in journalism. Her preternatural ability to sense when someone is hiding information has led to several major exposes of corporate and governmental misconduct.
Mason Washington – In his early forties, Mason oversees the family’s digital media operations and community investment initiatives. His demigod strength and enhanced senses make him particularly effective at protecting journalists investigating dangerous subjects, though publicly he’s known simply as an innovative media executive with a commitment to community development.
Antoinette Washington – In her early fifties, Antoinette is a grizzled investigative journalist who operates mostly out of DC and is famed for her no-nonsense attitude.
The Chandler-Wei dynasty stands as a monument to the power of knowledge, their influence extending through the most prestigious academic institutions across New England and beyond. Their supernatural lineage traces dual paths: the Chandlers claim descent from Athena through a scholar who caught the goddess’s attention during the Renaissance, while the Wei line connects to Guan Yu, whom they had sheltered during the Three Kingdoms period, before his death and later apotheosis.
The families first intersected in 1892 when Professor William Chandler, then chair of Harvard’s Classics Department, encountered Dr. Wei Jingyi at an international academic conference in London. Both recognized the divine spark in each other immediately. Their subsequent marriage scandalized Boston society but united two powerful demigod bloodlines, creating a dynasty whose members would inherit not only divine strength and longevity but also preternatural intelligence and strategic brilliance.
The family’s true power lies not in monetary wealth, though they possess that in abundance, but in their control of knowledge. Since the early 20th century, they have systematically established positions of influence across New England’s elite universities. The Chandler-Wei Library System, ostensibly a philanthropic endeavor supporting academic institutions, serves as cover for their network of hidden archives containing texts deemed too dangerous for general knowledge, grimoires, forgotten technologies, and historical accounts expunged from conventional record.
The Chandler-Weis have long maintained a tradition of identifying and mentoring newly-awakened supernaturals, particularly those with academic potential. Many prominent supernatural figures across New England began their journey under Chandler-Wei guidance, creating a vast network of former proteges who maintain loyalty to their mentors. This arrangement benefits both parties, the young supernaturals gain protection and education, while the Chandler-Weis gather information and extend their influence.
Notable family members include:
Dr. Elizabeth Chandler-Wei – In her nineties but appearing decades younger, Elizabeth serves as the family matriarch and President Emerita of Radcliffe University. Her demigod heritage manifests in her unaging nature and tactical genius. She personally oversees the family’s most sensitive research and maintains their ancient connections to divine relatives. Her photographic memory contains centuries of supernatural lore, making her one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the supernatural world.
Professor Timothy Chandler-Wei – In his sixties, Tim is a professor of Anthropology at Harvard.
Dr. Sofia Chandler-Wei – In her forties, Sofia works as a physicist at MIT while overseeing the family’s technological research. She maintains the family’s digital archives and security systems, which incorporate both technological and magical protections.
Lian Chandler-Wei – In his late forties, Lian works as a curator in the Venetian supernatural library.
Unlike the old-money dynasties that have shaped supernatural New England for centuries, the Vasquez family represents a newer, more dynamic form of power. Their rise began in the 1970s when Magdalena Vasquez, a charismatic vampire embraced during the Spanish Civil War, arrived in Massachusetts with little more than ambition and decades of accumulated wisdom.
Recognizing that traditional supernatural families relied on bloodlines, Magdalena pioneered a different approach, using strategic vampiric embraces to create a chosen family bound by blood and loyalty rather than genetics. She first established a small nightclub in Boston’s North End that catered to both human patrons and supernatural entities seeking neutral ground. The success of “Sangre Nocturna” provided the foundation for what would become the Vasquez empire.
Magdalena’s brilliance lay in her selective embracing, she identified individuals with specific talents and connections, particularly from immigrant communities overlooked by established supernatural powers. Each new vampire brought unique skills and networks into the family fold, allowing the Vasquez influence to expand exponentially. This approach was revolutionary in supernatural circles, where “made” families were historically viewed as inferior to those with inherent supernatural bloodlines.
By the 1980s, the Vasquez portfolio had expanded to include nightclubs across New England, and by the 1990s, they had diversified into boutique hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Their flagship property, the Obsidian Hotel in downtown Boston, serves as both a luxury destination for wealthy humans and a supernatural sanctuary with specialized accommodations for various non-human needs.
Today, the Vasquez family’s greatest strength lies in their nearly peerless information network. Through their hospitality venues and deep connections with immigrant communities, they have eyes and ears throughout the region. Waitstaff, hotel employees, and nightclub bouncers report valuable intelligence to the family leadership. This information economy has become the Vasquez’ most valuable currency in supernatural politics, allowing them to trade secrets rather than relying solely on traditional forms of power.
Notable elder family members include:
Magdalena Vasquez – In her physical early forties but chronologically over a century old, Magdalena remains the undisputed head of the family. Her vampiric abilities have been honed through decades of practice, granting her exceptional mental influence over mortals. She personally approves every embrace into the family, maintaining strict quality control over their supernatural lineage.
Carlos Vasquez – Embraced in 1979, Carlos was a brilliant financial analyst in life and now manages the family’s legitimate business holdings. Selected by Magdalena for his keen intellect and almost perfect recall, he is being groomed into an immortal trove of knowledge to rival Elizabeth Chandler-Wei. He appears to be in his mid-thirties.
Mary Vasquez – Embraced in 1985, Mary was formerly an immigration lawyer who now serves as the family’s primary liaison with human authorities, and manages their extensive network of informants. She maintains her aging practice as cover for the family’s activities. She appears to be in her mid-forties, giving her the semblance of being older than Magdalena herself.
Lucas Vasquez – Embraced in 1992, Lucas oversees security for all Vasquez properties and serves as Magdalena’s enforcer when diplomatic approaches fail. Before his embrace, he was a decorated Marine lauded for his efforts in the Gulf War. He appears to be in his mid-thirties.
The Pierce family’s reputation in Massachusetts carries a peculiar duality, celebrated as medical pioneers while whispered about in supernatural circles for their unsettling research methods and the high concentration of demonborn in their bloodline. Their story begins with Dr. Elijah Pierce, a Civil War field surgeon whose battlefield innovations saved countless soldiers despite his unorthodox approaches to pain management and experimental procedures.
What historical accounts fail to mention is that Elijah’s demonborn nature gave him not just a tolerance for others’ suffering but a heightened understanding of pain itself. Where others saw only agony to be alleviated, he perceived pain’s mechanisms with supernatural clarity. This insight, coupled with his natural demonborn sadism, created a paradoxical healer, one who could inflict precise suffering to ultimately reduce it.
The family established Pierce Memorial Hospital in 1879, ostensibly as a charitable institution but secretly designed with hidden facilities for studying supernatural physiology. Over generations, the Pierces expanded their medical empire to include research centers, pharmaceutical companies, and specialized clinics, all while maintaining their clandestine studies of non- human biology.
The demonborn trait has manifested consistently throughout the Pierce lineage, creating generations of physicians with the same contradictory nature: deriving satisfaction from pain while channeling that disturbing affinity toward medical advancement. Family members without the demonborn trait typically gravitate toward administration or research roles where their normal, empathetic responses prove advantageous in managing public perception.
Pierce Pharmaceuticals, established in 1923, has become their most profitable venture, producing medications derived partially from their supernatural research. Their pain management drugs are particularly effective because they target mechanisms understood only through the family’s unique perspective on suffering. Several breakthrough treatments for previously untreatable conditions have emerged from Pierce laboratories, creating a moral ambiguity about their methods as to whether the ends justify the questionable means.
The family maintains a careful public image of philanthropy and medical dedication while concealing their supernatural nature and more controversial research. Their annual charity gala raises millions for public health initiatives while secretly providing access to their supernatural medical services for the non-human community.
Notable elder family members include:
Dr. Lawrence Pierce – In his early sixties, Lawrence combines his hereditary demonborn sadism with genuine medical innovation. After a controversial military career developing enhanced interrogation techniques, he redirected his understanding of pain toward groundbreaking treatments for chronic conditions. His leadership style is clinical and results-oriented, measuring success through medical breakthroughs rather than profit. He maintains an uneasy alliance with his more socially acceptable brother Nathan, who handles the family’s corporate image while Lawrence pursues research others find disturbing.
Dr. Nathan Pierce – In his fifties, Nathan is the current CEO of Pierce Pharmaceuticals. Though not demonborn himself, he has leveraged his “normal” empathy to become the family’s public face while facilitating his relatives’ more questionable research.
Dr. Samantha Pierce – In her forties, Samantha is the family’s leading researcher in supernatural physiology and Director of Special Projects at Pierce Memorial Hospital. Her demonborn abilities assist her in understanding how different supernatural species experience pain, making her research particularly valuable for developing specialized treatments.
Dr. Marcus Pierce – In his late thirties, Marcus oversees the family’s network of specialized clinics that secretly provide medical care to supernatural entities. His demonborn nature makes him particularly effective at diagnosing the severity of supernatural ailments by measuring the suffering of his patients.
The Mercers have been whispering to the Atlantic for centuries, their lineage as deeply entrenched in New England’s maritime history as barnacles on a ship’s hull. Unlike landlocked supernatural families who measure power through wealth or knowledge, the Mercers’ dominion extends across the churning waters of the North Atlantic, where they reign as intermediaries between the surface world and what dwells beneath.
Some family members carry oceanic demigod blood from ancient unions with children of Poseidon, Njord, and Manannan Mac Lir, while others possess the faeborn ability to shift between human and mer-forms. This diverse supernatural lineage has created a family uniquely adapted to both terrestrial and aquatic realms, with members able to navigate the complex politics of both worlds.
The family’s recorded history begins in the 1650s when three siblings, Abigail, Ezekiel, and Thomas Mercer, established a small fishing operation in Gloucester. Contemporary accounts noted their uncanny ability to return with full nets regardless of weather or season. What witnesses couldn’t perceive was the siblings’ supernatural communion with the sea itself; they could sense fish movements, manipulate the weather through arcane means to calm threatening waves, and negotiate safe passage with deeper entities that other sailors only glimpsed in nightmares. Mercer ships helped facilitate the growth of colonial New England by delivering supplies and workers from the Old World to the New World, eventually settling themselves in the area in the late 18th century.
By the mid-1800s, Mercer Shipping had become one of New England’s premier maritime companies, their vessels mysteriously immune to the worst Atlantic storms. The family’s influence expanded from fishing into international shipping, shipbuilding, and eventually maritime insurance. Today, Mercer Maritime Holdings controls significant portions of New England’s shipping infrastructure, including key docks, warehouses, and shipping lanes.
While the family claims to have evolved beyond the blood offerings to creatures of the deep of earlier centuries, they still honor these agreements through modern equivalents. Environmental conservation efforts serve dual purposes; protecting marine ecosystems while appeasing ancient powers, proposed shipping routes are mysteriously altered to avoid disturbing sacred underwater sites, and periodically, valuable artifacts disappear from Mercer cargo manifests, delivered unto the watery depths as tribute.
Notable family members include:
Eleanor Mercer – In her eighties, Eleanor serves as the family matriarch and Chair of Mercer Maritime Holdings. Her oceanic demigod heritage manifests in her ability to sense approaching storms days before meteorologists and calm turbulent waters with her presence alone. She maintains the family’s oldest pacts with deep-sea entities.
Jacob Mercer – In his sixties, Jacob personally captains the family’s largest vessel and oversees their shipping operations. His mer-shifting abilities allow him to personally inspect underwater facilities and serve as the family’s primary diplomat to the deeper ocean realms.
Dr. Coraline Mercer – In her forties, Coraline leads the Mercer Marine Research Institute, which combines legitimate oceanographic research with supernatural marine biology. She seems to have a preternatural ability to communicate with certain sea creatures.
The family’s rise to prominence began in the early days of motion pictures when Augustus Montrose, a faeborn with extraordinary luck manipulation abilities, established Montrose Pictures in 1915. What separated his studio from countless others was Augustus’ supernatural talent for identifying stories that would resonate with audiences and his ability to subtly influence probability during production, ensuring his films avoided the technical disasters and budget overruns that plagued competitors.
By the 1930s, the family had expanded their supernatural composition through strategic marriages and, in some cases, vampiric embraces. Eliza Montrose, Augustus’ daughter, married into a line of Dionysian demigods, introducing an almost hypnotic charisma into the bloodline. Meanwhile, his son Frederick was embraced by an ancient vampire with connections to European theatrical traditions, bringing immortal perspective and heightened sensory perception perfect for evolving media technologies.
This supernatural diversification proved prescient as entertainment evolved. When radio emerged, Montrose Broadcasting capitalized on their vampiric members’ sleepless natures to master the new technology well ahead of their competitors. As television developed, their demigod-descended producers listened in on their audience’s wishes for what they wanted to see, quickly cornering markets other broadcasters didn’t realize there was any demand for. The digital revolution found them equally prepared, with younger family members naturally attuned to emerging platforms.
Today, Montrose Entertainment Group encompasses film studios, television networks, streaming platforms, music labels, and digital media companies. Their productions are known for their inexplicable ability to capture the zeitgeist, a phenomenon supernatural observers recognize as the family’s faeborn luck manipulation subtly guiding cultural trends. More concerning to those aware of their nature is their capacity to embed subliminal messaging within their content, influencing human society in ways that advance their own agendas.
Notable elder family members include:
Victoria Montrose – In her physical seventies but chronologically over two centuries old, Victoria is the vampiric head of the family’s film division. Her supernatural senses allow her to perceive minute details in performances that human directors miss, while her centuries of observing human nature give her an unparalleled understanding of storytelling. She maintains the family’s oldest supernatural connections.
Steven Montrose – In his fifties, Steven oversees the television and streaming divisions. His demigod lineage manifests in an almost supernatural charisma and familiar understanding of human desires. Network executives often find themselves inexplicably agreeing to his seemingly risky creative decisions.
Lydia Montrose-Chen – In her mid-forties, Lydia leads the family’s digital media operations. Her faeborn abilities allow her to navigate the chaotic landscape of viral content with extraordinary luck, consistently identifying trends before they emerge. Many significant social media algorithms are derived from her work.
Alexander Montrose – In his late thirties, Alexander appears to be the family’s black sheep, eschewing mainstream entertainment for experimental art films. In reality, his projects serve as testing grounds for new methods of supernatural influence through media, pioneering techniques later subtly incorporated into the family’s mainstream productions.