What Are Daemonkin?

Daemonkin are mortals with a distant infernal or outer-realm inheritance who live convincingly as human but carry intermittent flare traits that spike under stress. In Baltimore the Collective recognises three broad kinds:

• Ember-blood: heat-tolerant, pain-gating, and hard to rattle; flares present as warmth, steady hands, and brief resilience under harm.
• Whisper-blood: voice-pressure and presence; can steady crowds or tilt a room’s mood; overuse frays the speaker and those nearby.
• Shadow-blood: affinity for darkness and angles; excel at not being noticed, reading threats, and short burst agility.

Common traits: stress-linked boosts (focus, poise, tolerance for heat/pain), quick study under pressure, strong boundary sense. Limits & taboos: overreach causes crashes, tremors, and behavioural spill; coercing flares is banned; public exhibitions are forbidden; poorly handled lineage lore attracts predatory “fixers”. Most daemonkin pass as human and keep to boundary etiquette to avoid turf friction.

Overview

The Thresh Collective is a mutual-aid co-operative for daemon-touched people across Baltimore. It prioritises safety, anonymity, and de-escalation over politics and maintains strict boundary etiquette with other major factions. Whispered talk of short, alarming power spikes — “gold on the air” — is logged as stories until a clean proof exists.

Maxim: “Breathe. Ground. Then decide.”

Leadership & Faces

• Luz Thresh (Coordinator) — Social worker; calm centre; horns only when furious. Keeps the rota and the keys.
• Dr Amir Cole (Wellness Lead) — Community GP; triage, meds cupboard, referrals to therapists who won’t panic.
• Nia Kade (De-escalation Captain) — Trains grounding drills; runs the late-night phone tree; first on scene when someone flares.
• Seb “Ink” Marlowe (Printshop Steward) — Shop cover and income; safe IDs, signage, and small paid gigs.
• Old Tom Vale (Stories Keeper) — Archivist of lines and caution tales; remembers how past overreach went wrong.

PC/NPC hooks: Help via Luz; medical/mental-health support through Dr Cole; midnight flares to Nia; work gigs via Ink; heritage questions to Old Tom.

Structure & Cells

Order (flat): Coordinator Circle → Safety Team (De-escalation • Wellness) → Work Crew (Print • Repairs • Rides) → Members → Trusted Guests

Member Cells

• Quiet Cell: members who wish to remain unseen; contact only through Luz.
• Hands Cell: practical support (repairs, moves, escorts).
• Study Cell: skills swap (grounding, paperwork, rights, lineage history).

Protocol & Customs

Safety First

• Grounding before talk: breathe, water, food; then decisions.
• Two-person rule: no one de-escalates alone; pairs only.
• Soft exits: marked routes and a rides list for leaving venues quietly.

Boundary Etiquette

• Respect territory boundaries: avoid Free Court salons, Harbour red rooms, Iron Belt tracks, and Lodge slips unless invited.
• No filming; no posts; members choose their own visibility.
• No recruitment pressure, no cult talk, no “family demands”.

Collective Rules

1. Consent is non-negotiable. No forcing flares; no “testing” tricks.
2. No street exhibitions. Keep power inside safe rooms; never for show.
3. Protect the young. Late-bloomers and scared kids get priority resources.
4. Boundary respect. Honour other factions’ spaces; request chaperones when crossing.

Resources & Fronts

• Thresh Hall: meeting room, calm room (weighted blankets, white noise), kitchenette, tiny gym; soundproofed walls.
• Print Shop: cover income; discounted runs for community groups; job board.
• Rides List: volunteer drivers for exits at odd hours.
• Clinician Network: GPs/therapists who understand flares and won’t pathologise heritage.

Relations (Boundary-respecting)

• Meridian Commission (Baltimore FO): Quiet liaison for welfare and exposure prevention; apolitical posture appreciated.
• Crimson Harbour (vampires): Minimal contact; members avoid red-room corridors; emergencies via neutral clinics only.
• Iron Belt (werewolves): Courteous distance; no runs through park tracks without call-ahead and escort.
• Free Court (fae/spirits): Polite; shared arts spaces by invitation; no Court salons without a sponsor.
• Highland Concord (djinn): Warm working relationship around mutual aid and hospitality nights.

Emerging Rumours (GM Guidance)

• “Gold-surge” notes: Two members report brief over-performance (strength, poise) followed by shakes and a crash; no samples; filed as hearsay.
• Clinic oddity: Dr Cole logs a faint metallic artefact on a night-shift tox; marked “contaminant” for now.
• Predatory pitch: A stranger offers a “safe tonic” to help members “control their gift”. Luz bins the card; keeps the name.
• Policy: Verify twice, act once. No trials, dosing, or experiments without independent proof and third-party oversight.

Known Spaces & Safe Rooms

• Thresh Hall (Station North): main space; calm room; emergency cots; locked cabinet (grounding kits).
• Upton Gym Loft: late-night access; bags, mats, showers; good for burning off a flare.
• Charles Village Studio: quiet practice room with blackout curtains; booked through Luz.

Membership (Sample NPCs)

• Luz Thresh — Coordinator; steady voice, steadier boundaries.
• Dr Amir Cole — Wellness; pulse oximeter in one pocket, tea bags in the other.
• Nia Kade — De-escalation; knows every back stair in three blocks.
• Seb “Ink” Marlowe — Printshop; laughs often; never misses a deadline.
• Old Tom Vale — Stories; remembers the last time someone promised a “safe tonic”.

Open Slots: 4–8 members (pick flare traits), 1 late-bloomer teen, 1 mortal ally with a van.

Hooks & Episode Seeds

• Midnight Call: Nia needs help calming a flare without calling the police; boundary lines must be respected en route.
• The Wrong Card: A predatory fixer is recruiting daemonkin for “tonic trials”. PCs trace the card without crossing other factions’ lines.
• Gym Fire Alarm: A controlled training session trips a sensor; Meridian knocks; keep it quiet or lose the space.
• Paper & Rent: Ink takes a rush job that smells like a setup; do you print, stall, or refuse?
• Family Question: Old Tom finds a ledger linking a member’s ancestor to a historic bargain; closing that loop could stop modern trouble.

GM Notes (Backstage)

• Tone: mutual aid, dignity, practical kindness; power to be managed, not flaunted.
• Pressure Dials: Exposure □□ • Rumour Heat □□ • Boundary Friction □□
• Escalation Path: rumours → first clean artefact → internal split (ban vs. controlled trial) → outside parties test the Collective’s resolve.
• Fail State: a public flare inside another faction’s territory; trust collapses; spaces lost.
• Win State: proof gathered quietly; a measured stance (contain, condemn, or treaty) while members stay safe and neighbours calm.