An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters & Denizens of Downworld Read online

  Contents

  THE INFERNAL DEVICES

  THE LAST HOURS

  THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

  TALES FROM THE SHADOWHUNTER ACADEMY

  THE DARK ARTIFICES

  The Infernal Devices

  Alexei de Quincey

  Born

  Unknown

  Species

  Vampire

  Favorite weapon

  Teeth

  De Quincey was the head of the London vampire clan in the late Victorian period. When the Shadowhunters of the London Enclave raided de Quincey’s hideout in Chelsea, they came across very unpleasant wallpaper. De Quincey had commissioned an elaborate design involving hundreds of screaming humans, writhing on a blood-red background.

  Axel Mortmain (Hollingworth Shade)

  Born

  1803

  Species

  Mundane human

  Favorite weapon

  Automaton army

  Mortmain had an unusual upbringing, for he was adopted and raised by two warlocks, John and Anne Shade. He gained his love of the mechanical from John, who was fascinated by the possibilities of combining magic with clockwork. After Axel’s death, the Clave searched his properties. At his residence they found a hidden room filled entirely with music boxes. It is not known whether they were created by John, Axel, or another person entirely. None had magical properties. All of them were well cared for, and had been frequently used.

  Benedict Lightwood

  Born

  1831

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Blades

  Family

  Lightwood, Unknown

  As a young boy, Benedict was fascinated by reptiles. During disagreements with his father, which were frequent, Benedict would flee into the countryside to search for frogs, turtles, and whatever other creatures he could find. He was especially fond of snakes.

  Cecily Herondale

  Born

  1863

  Species

  Nephilim

  Married name

  Lightwood

  Favorite weapon

  Blades

  Family

  Herondale

  Even before training as a Shadowhunter, Cecily had uncommonly good aim. The Herondale children would make a game of throwing rocks to knock objects like pinecones and empty kitchen canisters off of fence posts, and Cecily annoyed her older siblings greatly with her innate skill.

  Charlotte Branwell

  Born

  1855

  Species

  Nephilim

  Maiden name

  Fairchild

  Favorite weapon

  Sword

  Family

  Fairchild, Unknown

  Charlotte and her father Granville Fairchild did not always see eye to eye, but there was one place in which they always enjoyed each other’s company: at the chessboard. Granville taught his daughter to play when she was seven years old, and the game afforded them an opportunity to spend time together over the course of many years.

  Dark Sisters

  Born

  Unknown

  Species

  Warlock, Demon

  Favorite weapon

  Spells

  Little is known of the history of the Dark Sisters, who terrified London in the 1870s, yet their strong connection with each other was undeniable. Records of two women sounding very much like them have been found dating back to the 1600s, when the sisters were forced into seclusion by witch hunts. It is unknown why Mrs. Dark, a demon, chose to spend so much time in a dangerous part of the human world. Possibly it was because she could not bring her sister with her to the demon realms.

  Edmund Herondale

  Born

  1835

  Species

  Nephilim (exiled)

  Favorite weapon

  n/a

  Family

  Herondale, Unknown

  Edmund Herondale left the Shadowhunter world as a young man, but his children, Will and Cecily Herondale, chose to step back into that world. To Edmund’s delight, his son and daughter and their families found ways to visit around the holidays every year. Their appearance was cause for much merry-making, and Edmund would make a point of baking gingerbread, his one specialty, when they arrived.

  Gabriel Lightwood

  Born

  1860

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Seraph blade

  Family

  Lightwood, Pangborn

  Gabriel was not particularly close with his father. After his brother Gideon Lightwood moved to Spain, Gabriel was rather lonely. He read his way through the library, learned to identify the plants in the gardens, and even briefly considered learning topiary. It was at this critical juncture that Benedict Lightwood became suddenly interested in his younger son, inviting Gabriel to accompany him on Shadowhunter business and holding court in his study late into the night, telling Gabriel stories of their glorious family history. Regrettably, many of these stories were completely made up, or drastically altered from their true form to fit Benedict’s purposes.

  Gideon Lightwood

  Born

  1858

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Seraph blade

  Family

  Lightwood, Pangborn

  Once held in the sway of his father, Gideon Lightwood’s life changed dramatically when he spent a year in Spain. Gideon was delighted by the warmth of his hosts, and their kindness gave him a new perspective on his upbringing. He longed for his brother Gabriel Lightwood to share in the experience with him, and resolved to make changes to their lives when he returned home.

  Henry Branwell

  Born

  1856

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Varied, all invented by Henry himself

  Family

  Branwell, Unknown

  Henry was an inventor from the time he was small. His parents were alternately amused and frustrated by his desire to redesign common household appliances. After a particularly frightening incident with a wringer mangle, Henry was encouraged to turn his creativity to mechanical pursuits that were not related to household chores. This inadvertently steered him towards the boundary-breaking work that eventually made him famous.

  Jem Carstairs

  Born

  1861

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Sword

  Family

  Carstairs, Ke

  Jem’s journey back to himself when he left the Silent Brothers was not an easy one. Unsure how to process the years he had spent in a distant emotional and physical state, Jem eventually turned to music. At first his ability to play the violin was nowhere near what it had been before he joined the Gregori, but that was acceptable. Jem wasn’t aiming for technical skill. He was aiming for a nonverbal way to express what he had lost and what he had gained, and he found it.

  Jessamine Lovelace

  Born

  1860

  Species

  Nephilim

  Married name

  Gray

  Favorite weapon

  Parasol

  Family

  Lovelace, Unknown

  Jessamine’s ghost guarded the London Institute for many decades, but her behavior wasn’t always benevolent. If she disapproved of a resident’s fashion choices, they might fin
d the offending articles missing, sometimes replaced by clothing that Jessamine deemed worthy. Since she had no way to leave the Institute, these garments were borrowed from other residents, causing much confusion.

  Linette Owens

  Born

  1839

  Species

  Mundane human

  Married name

  Herondale

  When Linette’s children, Will and Cecily Herondale, would bring their families to visit at holiday times, Linette was fond of corralling everyone into games. Charades and Pass the Slipper were favorites. Forfeits was popular among the children, but usually led to fights between Will and Gabriel Lightwood. Linette tried to steer the family away from games involving wagers, because of her husband Edmund’s nearly ruinous penchant for gambling.

  Nathaniel Gray

  Born

  1859

  Species

  Mundane human

  Favorite weapon

  Deceit

  As a child, Nate Gray was briefly interested in sketching. It was a relatively low-cost hobby for the cash-strapped Gray family, and they used scrap paper whenever they could get it. While he had talent, Nate was frustrated by his inability to convey the images exactly how he saw them in his mind’s eye. He became belligerent and short-tempered about practicing. His sister, Tessa Gray, and their guardian Harriet Moore were both relieved when he gave up the hobby.

  Sophie Collins

  Born

  1858

  Species

  Nephilim (Ascendant)

  Married name

  Lightwood

  Favorite weapon

  Hand mirror

  Family

  Ashdown

  As a child growing up with the Sight, Sophie Collins had an unusual perspective on London. From the time she was young she was drawn to places where the two worlds she witnessed drew close to each other; carnivals, solstice celebrations, Westminster Abbey. Sadly, her wanderings were limited by her need for employment.

  Tatiana Blackthorn

  Born

  1862

  Species

  Nephilim

  Maiden name

  Lightwood

  Favorite weapon

  n/a

  Family

  Lightwood, Pangborn

  Tatiana had very little time with her mother, Barbara Lightwood, for the latter died tragically when Tatiana was only a baby. As a young girl Tatiana became prone to fits of inarticulate rage, blaming her mother’s absence on her brothers, Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood. Tatiana felt she had been cheated, and was extremely jealous of the time her brothers had spent with their mother. Her feelings of rage only intensified when her father was transformed into a giant worm that devoured her fiancé in front of her.

  Tessa Gray

  Born

  1862

  Species

  Warlock/Nephilim

  Married names

  Herondale, Carstairs

  Favorite weapon

  Shapeshifting

  Family

  Starkweather

  Tessa lived in Paris for ten years. For the first five she shared a flat with the warlock Magnus Bane. The two developed several shared routines; Sunday Morning Tea and Pastries, Friday Night Dancing, Saturday Sightseeing, and Wednesday Sipping Chocolate, but eventually Tessa found that Magnus’s flamboyant lifestyle did not agree with her. She took her own room in a peaceful garret, lining the walls with books.

  William Owen Herondale

  Born

  1861

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Dagger

  Family

  Herondale

  When Will and his parabatai Jem Carstairs were twelve years old, they made a game of playing on the roof of the Institute. They kept this pastime secret as long as possible, until Charlotte Branwell eventually caught them at it. After that, they had to wait until Henry and Charlotte were out on Institute business to continue their game.

  Will is famous among Shadowhunters for his heroism and his crippling fear of ducks.

  Woolsey Marmaduke Scott

  Born

  Unknown

  Species

  Werewolf

  Favorite weapon

  Biting wit

  Woolsey founded the Praetor Lupus to honor the brother who raised him, Ralf Scott, who was killed by vampires. The organization’s mission to help newly turned and struggling Downworlders was in marked contrast to Woolsey’s flippant style, but he was serious about creating an institution that would last. Woolsey credits his brother Ralf for giving him the space to become his own person, even though the two brothers had wildly different attitudes and ambitions. Ralf always encouraged his younger brother to follow his own path, and Woolsey was grateful to be able to make his brother’s wishes into reality.

  The Last Hours

  Alastair Carstairs

  Born

  1884

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Cortana

  Family

  Carstairs, Turan

  Alastair and his sister Cordelia didn’t have much in common, but in childhood they did share an early interest in architecture. Inspired by their last name, the two collaborated on building elaborate castles out of wooden blocks.

  Anna Lightwood

  Born

  1884

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Wit

  Family

  Lightwood, Herondale

  Anna Lightwood has always had a knack for making people feel special. Even when she was young, she had a habit of finding the child least at ease and making them comfortable. Her tea parties under tables, tree climbing expeditions, and hide-and-go-seek adventures were much anticipated by her cousins, as were, in later years, her fashion choices.

  Charles Buford Fairchild

  Born

  1879

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Diplomacy

  Family

  Fairchild, Branwell

  Charles took after his mother, Charlotte Fairchild, and long held dreams of following in her footsteps and serving as Consul. As a child, he would assist Charlotte in her work; bringing her papers, adjusting the witchlight, refilling her inkwell. Charles always wanted to talk politics as well, but Charlotte was careful to be discreet when he was around.

  Christopher Lightwood

  Born

  1887

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  His own inventions

  Family

  Lightwood, Herondale

  Christopher Lightwood was lucky to find a mentor in his family’s old friend, Henry Branwell. Henry’s eccentricities paved the way for Christopher in their community; by the time Christopher came along, his parents and their friends were familiar with the ins and outs of life with a creative (yet absent-minded) genius. Though the Clave frowns on experimentation, Christopher’s family supported his curiosity and innovation.

  Cordelia Carstairs

  Born

  1885

  Species

  Nephilim

  Favorite weapon

  Cortana

  Family

  Carstairs, Turan

  Cordelia has a mischievous streak. When she was growing up, she loved scaring her brother Alastair. Her favorite method was to hide under his bed and grab his ankle when he got close enough to reach. To this day, Alastair looks under beds before getting within arm’s length of them.