Welcome to Unison Island. Back in the first century (0000) the first vampires, witches, psychics and shifters tried to live normal lives integrated with humans.
This became more and more difficult as their varying abilities made them stand out (e.g. Vampires only go out at night, shifters disappear once a month, witches tried to help their villages only to be blamed when anything went wrong and young psychics couldn’t always control their reactions to things).
They tried moving away from humans and forming their own communities, but this led to them being hunted and sometimes killed.
Humans feared anything they didn’t understand and therefore declared the stand alone villages that refused all communication with others as dangerous. They decided to try and wipe out those villages, causing battles that the humans almost always lost. But casualties were heavy for both sides and many paranormal beings died as well as humans.
Finally a person from each paranormal community got together and after months of searching they found an island that lay forgotten within what is now known as the Bermuda triangle.
Months were then spent contacting all the paranormal beings of the world and offering them the sanctuary of the island. Everyone who wished to leave the mainland were welcomed with open arms. There were of course people who wanted to stay and see if things improved with the humans. Those people were bound to secrecy with magic but told they would be welcomed on the island any time.
The witches laid spells and enchantments on the island, securing it from ever being found by any humans.
They also used magic to change the seasons and daylight. They made it so that each season lasted three months, this meant that planting and harvests were regulated and the island always had good crops and so plenty of food to feed everyone. They made sure that day and night lasted twelve hours each. This meant that vampires always knew that the sun would gradually set between 8 and 9pm, and would slowly rise between 8 and 9am, giving them an hour to get to shelter before they could be burnt.
At first all communities stayed in their own parts – psychics together, witches together, etc. over the years this changed as people started meeting their partners or mates in other species. Hybrids popped up all over and at first they were shunned, but by the year eighteen hundred attitudes were starting to change, although every place will always have bigots, purists and other extremists.
The people who had set up the island built a Central Building and met up three times a year to ensure all was well. After a while the Central Building expanded and was soon a town that housed a Central High Council that governed the island. The Council was made up of two representatives from each species. Each community had a small council of Elders and they had one Senior Elder who would report to the High Council.
Now, the High Council is in a city, Unison City. As well as housing the High Council and it has four universities, one for witches, vampires, psychics and shifters. Children can be sent to finish their education by their parents (or guardians) and the High Council will pay for their expenses while they’re there. Witches and psychics were found to be great healers and so it was accepted that they might travel away from their own kind to aid other communities.
Communities now have a witch and/or a psychic healer living with them to help with bad injuries or sicknesses. Even vampires need a healer once in a while.
The universities teach everything from healing (for psychics and witches) to advanced shifting and how to become an Elder.
At certain times each year the High Council send teams out to search for any people who may have been born with abilities since the move to the island. They would be descendants of the people who stayed behind. The teams are made up of a Senior Elder from all four species. Sometimes the Elders will bring their mates/partners but the main team is always the four Elders and any others are just there to support them.
They try and encourage any people they find to at least visit the island and see if they would prefer life there. The offer is always left open but all visitors are asked to sign a magic statement that makes them incapable of talking about the island to any humans if they return to the mainland.
The teams also try to find any new technology or medicines that have been not already been found or invented on the island. This means that the island has technology such as helicopters, telephones, TV, internet and other such advances.
The High Council also sets the laws for the island, some of these (but not all) are:
- Vampires are not allowed to kill for blood.
- Vampires must have permission from the person they are feeding from–Blood donation was later set up so people could be paid for a donation and vampires could buy blood so they didn’t have to feed from people directly. Although vampires still need living blood if they are badly injured.
- Shifters must be in human form when entering a community that is not their own.
- Each community is responsible for their own rules but if a criminal crosses communities and commits crimes in each it then comes under the High Council.
- Witches/psychics must not use their abilities to influence people to do what they want or to allow anyone to get injured.
- All parents/guardians are financially responsible for their children till they reach 18 years of age and graduate high school. Unless that child is taken on by another guardian and the change is approved by the High Council. Vampires are the exception and they are under the command of their parents till 25 years old. But if the parent throws them out the child is free to find a guardian for themselves and that guardian must go to the High Council to register the change. The parents will then be punished for not handing the child over for rehoming in the proper manner.
Witchconspy is a psychic community with a witch healer. This is where the characters from Buried Treasure grew up.
Chapmistres view started because one Vampire was sick of living with just his own kind. He wanted to search for other of like mind and felt that he was being restricted by the community he was living in.
He joined another man and together they bought the land that is now Chapmistres view. It was started one thousand years ago (Year 1013) and has an open door policy to all species. It now houses witches and vampires but more are always joining and who knows who’s going to be next?
I hope you enjoy reading about the Island adventures.
Carol Pedroso - Author 