These are parts of one of the basic study manuals for all trainees of Unit 3, dealing with the Night World, it's species and customs, The Lancers, Spirits and the Old Powers.

The Night World

Vampires

The Myth and the Reality
   Vampires in the Night World do live longer than humans, but they can be killed.  Unlike normal vampires, however, they are not killed or harmed by sunlight.  Some can grow old and have children, though traditional myths say differently.  They look like everyone else, as opposed to the myth of the Nosferatu.  They don't sleep in coffins or need native soil, and cannot change into mist or animals like shapeshifters or fly.
   In fact, they are just like humans.  They look like humans, act like humans, age like humans, go to work, pay taxes, cross running water and eat Wheaties or even garlic just like humans.  That's how they can blend into society without being caught.
Anatomy and Physiology
   Vampires have retractable fangs that extend at the thought of blood.
   They have many advantages over humans: they see better in the dark, hear better than humans, are stronger than humans, have ESP (extrasensory perception, a.k.a. mind reading), and heal quickly.  Some can even age, so you can have known them from the cradle and they still have been a vampire their whole life.  Vampires have the ability to hypnotize most people, so you may discover many times what they are and never be able to remember.
   The vampire physiology is almost perfect, with the exception of their blood cells.  Their blood cells, unlike a humans, can't carry oxygen.  That is why they must feed every day or so.  Otherwise, bloodlust will set in and they will feel like they are going to suffocate.  Vampire blood destroys hemoglobin (red, oxygen carrying blood cells).  It tastes exotic, rich, and potent.  Human blood must be consumed to keep vampires alive.  It also serves for some more mystical reasons (think bloodfeast).
   Wood, like the myths say, does harm vampires.  They can quickly heal from any wounds inflicted by metal, or any other substance, but it takes time to recover from wood inflicted wounds.
   One of the only consistencies between all vampire myths is that they drink blood.  But vampires have their own blood as well that has been described as tasting wonderful.
Blending In or Fading Out
   Most members of the Night World take on a natural names like Madder and Jasper Rasmussen.  Madder would be a plant, and Jasper a gem stone.
   However in keeping with the times and blending in, they named their son James, a normal human name.
   Madder and Jasper have also taken normal jobs that let them deal with lots of people.  It's not that they need the money, but they need the people to hypnotize people and feed from and an interior decorator and a psychiatrist deal with plenty of people.
   Dove Redfern was killed by humans, and in order to protect Night People, especially vampires, Hunter established enclaves.  We know that Ash, Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade were all from an island enclave of the coast of the United States mainland.  If anyone would ever need to get away from human society without having to fear ignorant and unaccepting humans, this is their sanctuary.
   If a human ever got into a Night World club, like the Black Iris, they would either be killed, or picked up as a toy or a pawn.  Both terms are slang for humans that are brainwashed into thinking that vampires aren't real.
Powers and Weaknesses
   Most vampires have the ability to read minds and transmit thoughts into others minds in a range approximately about that of a house, making them able to communicate with people in another room.  Some vampires, however, are much more telepathic and can reach out much farther than that.  One example would be Poppy North.  She is extremely telepathic because of her witch blood mingling with the vampire blood when James Rasmussen changed her into a made vampire.
   Vampires can also hypnotize others, except those that are resistant.  Even those that are resistant are still drawn to hypnotism, but they can feign it off more easily than other humans.  Most have no chance at all of resisting.
   Vampires are not able to hypnotize witches, and probably not werewolves or shapeshifters, though we aren't too sure.
   Vampire's theoretically can shapeshift into animals if they are powerful enough.  Maya may be one of these very few if there are any others than her at all.  This may perhaps be because of her abilities to work magic from the times when she once belonged to Hecate's clan.
   Vampires can bend and tear at metal and steal, but are unable to harm wood by sheer strength.  Of course they should be able to bend a switch in half like any other creature, but when it comes to their supernatural strength they cannot pull apart bast cords.
   The sun hampers all vampire powers.   Vampires eyes can dilate completely in daylight due to their increased vision, which is why you will usually find them all wearing sunglasses.  For new made vampires the sun is excruciating.
Lamia and Made Vampires
   There are two kinds of vampires.  First there's Lamia and then there's Made Vampires.  They are almost completely the same, except for a few major differences.  Lamia are the descendants of Maya, born from Lamia parents, they can stop aging whenever they want and they can have children of their own.  Their symbol is the Black Iris.  Lamia means "ones who're born that way."  Made vampires were born human and are made by either lamia or another made vampire, are sterile and stop aging when they become a vampire.  Their symbol is the Black Rose.
Intermingling and Interbreeding Species
    It is possible for lamia and witches to have children together.  We know this because of the offspring of Maeve Harman and Hunter Redfern.  We are not sure if vampires and werewolves or vampires and shapeshifters are able to have children together.  We have never heard of a case of vampires and werewolves or shapeshifters getting together.  Perhaps this is because witches and lamia are considered the first class, shapeshifters second class, and werewolves are believed to be the lowest caste of the Night World.  Though not a certainty, made vampires may be rated as second or third class because of their former humanity.
    We know for certain that made vampires and lamia cannot have children.  All vampires and humans certainly cannot have children, but there is an exception with Jezebel Redfern.  She is the offspring of a human and a lamia from the Redfern family.  How this is possible, it is not known, but because of the wild power prophecy, her creation was backed by mystical forces that we cannot comprehend.  Even though Jez can be considered proof that this is a misconception, she is the only one of her kind, and will remain so with the exception of any offspring she may have.
    Jez, even though she is half human and half lamia, going with the laws of science, she shouldn't be able to produce any offspring, seeing as she is like a mule, the offspring of a horse and a donkey.  Like mules, all half-breeds of this kind should be sterile and not even be able to have children with other half-breeds of their kind.  But again, the existence of vampires has nothing to do with science, but magic, so we cannot right off the bat assume that Jez is sterile.
Maya
    Maya co-ruled the hearth-women with her sister Hellewise, both daughters of Hecate.  She, however, wanted to rule the clan alone and also to be immortal.  They couldn't find a normal spell to make Maya immortal, so she did some experimenting.  Hellewise even helped with her experimenting, but when they found a spell to make her immortal Hellewise refused.
    She refused because it required Maya to drink the blood of four babies.  But Maya did it anyway, and discovered that once she performed the spell, she was doomed to drink the blood of mortals forever if she would want to live.
    Maya has had children as well as biting other members of the clan, one being Theorn, whom we know as Theirry Descoudres.
The Third Age
    After ten thousand years of rule, the vampires wrestled control from the witches.  This is what is known as the Third Age, but after their ten thousand years ended, the humans took control, and have been in charge since.  The vampires have hatched a scheme dealing with wild powers in hopes of getting back the control they lost.
Holidays
    There is only one vampire holiday that we know of, and surprisingly, it is for the made vampires.  The spring equinox is the date that Maya bit Theirry during the reign of the witches.
The Vampire Hierarchy
    The Night World Council is lead by one person for every species.  The lamia are ruled by the Redferns.  They were named after Maya's son, Red Fern.  It is currently being lead by Hunter Redfern, who is believed to be deceased.  Some think he is still alive.
    Most of Hunter's power lied in the fact that he was a Redfern, but the fact that he was the Redfern to control all the power was due to the fact that he colonized America with vampires in the sixteen hundreds.
    Hunter produced four daughters with the witch Maeve Harman.  He kept three for himself: Lily, Garnet, and Dove.  The other, Roseclear, was raised as a witch, producing the rest of the Harman line.
    In Boston during the 1600s, Dove Redfern met a colonist named John Quinn, who had fallen in love with her.  Because he wanted to mary Dove, Hunter changed him into a vampire through blood exchange.  When Dove was killed Quinn became Hunter's adoptive son, and therefore his heir because he had no sons of his own.
    But Quinn still is not the most powerful of the made vampires.  Though many of the most important made vampires were killed during the fire on the enclave, the most powerful of the made vampires is Theirry Descoudres.  He was the very first vampire ever to be made by Maya when he was still named Theorn.  He is the council representative for the made vampires, and the leader of Circle Daybreak.  He was the first person ever to break Night World laws by falling in love with Hana even before there was a Night World of a Night World law.
Making Vampires
   To our knowledge both humans and witches can become made vampires.  It may be possible that shapeshifters and werewolves could become vampire half-breeds, but it is not known.
    To become a vampire, there must be two people involved, on of them being a vampire and the other mortal.  It doesn't matter whether the vampire is lamia or made.  The vampire drinks a large amount of the mortals blood, and then the mortal drinks a large amount of the vampires blood.  This should happen more than a few times or else the human won't get enough vampire blood.  If the mortal has gotten enough vampire blood, the two bloods will battle in their system.  The mortal body will die, and they will look dead even though they are really unconscious.  If they don't die completely (a small percentage don't wake up), they will wake up as a vampire.
    During the blood exchange mortals may become a bit telepathic and develop sharpened senses.  If they don't get enough blood, They may become very pale, go into an irrational cloudy state, and crave blood or red foods in their place.
    If they do get enough blood they start to feel weaker, and then sleepy.  Then they fall asleep, and while asleep their physical body changes to match the physiology of a vampire.  During this sleeping period they appear dead, but they are really asleep.  The last sense to go before they fall asleep is hearing.
    When they first wake up, they are confused.  They don't remember some things.  Also, newly made vampires are sensitive to light.
    The first signs of blood lust are a severe craving for blood.  Later there are cramps, and finally the feeling of suffocation.
Zombies
    During a blood exchange, if the human doesn't get enough blood and still dies, they will become a zombie.  The two bloods fight each other and the mortal body doesn't die, but the person does.  They walk around, their skin turns gray, their eyes become flat, they drool, and eventually they start to rot.  But they still don't die.
    Zombies prefere to eat the heart.
    The last book where zombies are mentioned is Huntress.
    Most made vampires are in their late teens or younger.  If humans are changed when they are much older they will die and become zombies because their bodies cannot handle the change.

The Myth and the Reality
    Witches do not have warts, big noses, or green skin.  They actually look just like you and I.
Anatomy and Physiology
    It has been said that witches are physically humans.  Their only difference is in their mystical handling and telepathy.
    It has also been stated that iron is harmful to witches, but if they are physically human, than just about anything is harmful to withces.  So that could mean several things. One might be that iron can penetrate or counteract spells that would protect witches.  Another, which I highly doubt since iron is found in food, is that any iron is like poison.  It may be a physical difference that makes iron so harmful, but could be a more mystical factor that makes it dangerous to witches.
    There's also something something strange about Harmans.  Most of them have purple eyes.
Blending In or Fading Out
    Oddly enough, most of the witches don't have natural names like the lamia do.  Seeing as they are more in tune with nature being witches, that's surprising.  Not one of the witches named in the books have natural names.  However, their names are also as unique as the lamia.  Witches are a matriachial race.  The mothers and women are most respected, and the women's surnames are taken during marriage instead of the mans.  One instance of this brings great confusion.
    Illiana is most often called Illiana Harman.  That's because that's the surname listed on the back of Witchlight.  But on her brith certificate it says Illiana Dominick because she was raised in the human world and in the human world the women take their husband's surname.  So, while to the witches she is Illiana Harman, to us she is really llliana Dominick.
    Some of the more powerful and presitgious witches like Granny Harman have storefronts for magical supplies, like the Harman Store.  The stores look just like normal New Age shops, but if you flash your black dahlia, you'll get the real service.
Powers and Weaknesses
    Besides channeling the yellow witch fire (not the blue fire of the wild powers) and strong telepathy, all a witches power really resides in is their ability to perform spells as far as we know.
    Their ability to do more powerful magic is surely related to their knowledge.  They must learn more to be able to do more.  Their age may also be a factor.  I seems that a mother is more powerful than a maiden and a maiden more powerful than a crone.  But then that may also be that crones have had more time to learn than mothers or maidens.
Witches and Psychics
    There are two kinds of witches, "those that know about their heritage, and those that don't."  The first kind is the straight out witch.  The other is the lost witch.
    The former is a witch that was raised as a witch.  They've been trained in the art of witchcraft and know how to perform magic.
    The later is a witch in heritage, that isn't aware of their peculiar parentage.  They are normally psychic.  Some of the lost witches with strong psychic powers suddenly stumble onto the Night World by using their gifts for mind reading.  Most of the lost witches that aren't quite as gifted aren't so readily accepted, if at all.
Intermingling and Interbreeding Species
    It is possible for lamia and witches to have children together.  We know this because of the offspring of Maeve Harman and Hunter Redfern.  We are not sure if witches and werewolves, made vampires and shapeshifters are able to have children together.  We have never heard of a case of witches and werewolves or shapeshifters interbreeding.  Might possibly be because witches and lamia are considered the first class, shapeshifters second class, and werewolves are believed to be the lowest caste of the Night World.  Though not a certainty, made vampires may be rated as second or third class because of their former humanity.
    We know for certain that witches and humans can have children.  Most lost witches are the offspring of humans.
Hecate and Hellewise and the maidens
    Hecate is considered to be the mother of all witches.  She is certainly the great-grandmother of all witches and lamia. She had two daughters, Hellewise and Maya.
    When Hecate, the witch queen, died she left both of her daughters responsible for the witches.  When Maya was searching for immortality, it was Hellewise who helped her find the spell.  When Maya was changing other witches, it was Hellewise who fought Maya. In the end, Hellewise won, but she died of her wounds.  All Harmans are directly desended from Hellewise Heath-Woman.
     Aradia is also a very important witch figure, but only because she was named specifically in the wildpower prophesy.  She is known as the blind maiden.  In the books she is eighteen years old, and the wildpowers were said to have been born in the year of her vision, when she was a year old, making the wildpowers all seventeen years old.
     One of the other most important maidens is the Witch Child.
The Witch Child
     lliana is the witch child.  The witch child had to be a wild power, and was destined to marry the son of the First House of Shapeshifters, and therefore bind the shifters to Circle Daybreak.
     lliana is so important because she is a pure soul.  That compassion is what makes her the Witch Child.
The Second Age
    After ten thousand years of the shapeshifters rule, the witches fought the shapeshifters for control.  It was said that they died by fire and volcanoes, but it was really the witches.  Hecate is the witch that organized the campaign against the shapeshifters.  They buried the dragons deep in the earth to keep them there forever.
    The end of the ten thousand years of the witches rule, the ice age came.  Then the witches and the vampires fought in the Night Wars, thus resulting in the Third Age of the vampires.
     There was also that pesky ice age.
The Witch Hierarchy
    The Night World Council is lead by one person for every species.  The lamia are ruled by the witch Elders, most specifically the Harmans, though not always.  The witch elders are a circle on their own, The Inner Circle.
    The Inner Circle consists of the following known members: Grandma Harman, Aunt Ursulla, Rhys, Mother Cybele, Nana Buruku, Aradia, Illiana Dominick Harman, OId Bob, Belfana and Creon.  The most important members of The Inner Circle are the mother, maiden and crone.
    At first the maiden was Aradia, the mother Mother Cybele, and the crone Grandma Harman.  When Grandma Harman died, Mother Cybele became crone, Aradia became mother and Illiana became maiden.
The Witch Circles
    There are three witch circles known to date.  There may have been more in the past, and there may be more in the future.
    The first circle was Circle Midnight, the most traditional of witch circles. They are the darkest of witches, with some more notable members, such as Blaise Harman.  When most of the witches suceeded from the Night World, only witches from Circle Midnight remained with them.
    Then there was Circle Twilight.  They are more peaceful than Circle Midnight.
    Finally there is Circle Daybreak.  They are a circle not only for witches, but all species to get together.

There is some debate as to whether or not werewolves are shapeshifters or they are their own species
    They both can change forms from animals to humans and humans to animals.
    They can both change other humans into their kind by breaking the skin of the human, I guess (take Miles Neely and Jeremy's attempt to change Mary-Lynnette for example).
    They both must consume human flesh to survive.
    Their shifts look a lot like their normal counterparts. (Take for instance Lupe's wolf form being of the same color as her human form and instead of turning to a black panther like the darker colored Keller, Galen changed into a golden leopard since he had lighter coloring).
    They both are hurt by silver.
    They can feel human energies, they don't just have to smell.
Well, they are probably considered different species, at least until Black Dawn.  Werewolves are prevalent until Huntress.  After that they are called wolf shapeshifters
Well, werewolves are a specific type of creature.
    As mentioned in Daughters of Darkness, werewolves are really wolves that sometimes turn into humans.
    They have an affiliation with the moon that urges them to change their shape (though they can change their shape at will).
    Though we aren't sure if werewolves, like vampires, are immortal, their one great weakness is silver.  If silver is the only thing that will kill them, it is not known whether or not if they will die ever if not exposed to silver.  They may only die of old age but we aren't sure.
    They change into a wolf-like creature.  They are larger than a normal wolf.  Their are set higher and have longer legs and yellow eyes.
    A werewolf can impregnate or be impregnated by a human. (Lupe is a half-human, half-werewolf saved by Circle Daybreak)
    The werewolf's flower is the black foxglove.
    It's not certain whether there is a real leader or organization that leads the werewolves (Hunter leads the lamia, Theirry the made vampires, the Inner Circle leads the witches and the First House of Shapeshifters, the Drache family, leads the shifters).
Shapeshifters are a large category of creatures
    They include several types of animals.  They look exactly like the animals.  Their size, as well as all the characteristics of the animal they change into are the same as any normal animal.
    They are humans that change into animals, not the other way around.  How this is known is that the Draches don't shift until they've chosen their form.  Well, the form they start out in is human.
    Shapeshifters are never mentioned to have any affiliation with the moon.
    It is well known that the Draches and the First House of Shapeshifters lead the shifters in the Night World.
    Unless it's foxglove as well, we are unsure if the shapeshifters even have a flower.
    They cannot change into bugs.  There are no bug shifters.
    The more flesh a shapeshifter eats, the stronger they become.
    Shapeshifters have their own ancient language.
    Shifters clothes can change with them if it is made out of shapeshifter fur.
If werewolves were to be counted as shapeshifters, they might be something like the dragons.  The dragons do not follow the same rules as the other shapeshifters, yet they are still considered shapeshifters
    Dragons are immortal unless you cut off their horns.  This is the only 'kryptonite" known for any shapeshifter (unless werewolves are shapeshifters, which I don't think so).
    In their normal form, which is human, they have horns.
    Dragons can shapeshift into any form they choose, so long as it's probably in the animalia kingdom.  They can shapeshift into animals, into different looking animals of the same species, no matter the coloring.  They only have to touch an animal to be able to shift into it.  Also, they have to touch different colored animals to shift into different colored animals.
    When they touch the animal they are going to shift into, they suddenly know everything that animal knows.
    Dragons can also shift into actual dragons.
    They are the only species that can shift into other human forms.
    Their blood is a yellow, pus-like substance.
    Dragons have power over all shapeshifters.
    They can communicate telepathically with other shapeshifters.
    Dragons also have telepathic mind control and can force at least weak humans to do whatever they want them to.
    Dragons actually have a roar that doesn't sound like any noise a human can make.  This roar can be made in any form.
    Dragons have black eyes.
    Dragons may actually be able to shift into bugs.
    Most dragons have one to three horns, four in rare cases.  Azhedeha has five.  Horns are the dragon's seat of power, and if removed, a dragon actually dies.  This is the only way that they die that we know of.  They could very well be immortal, but we are not sure.
    A Dragon's horns can be seen in all their shifts.
Draches are dragons, but they have bred outside their own kind so long that they are dragons of a more diluted form
    The first Drache was the weakest of all the dragons.  They were very young and raised from four years old by witches.
    Draches can choose the form they want to take at adulthood.  They have to touch the animal and study the form before they can change.
    A Drache's eyes turn red when they are studying a form to change into.
    Until a Drache shifts for the first time, they feel no bloodlust.
The shapeshifter greeting for royalty
        Kneel, take the hand of the shifter belonging to the First House and bring it to your forehead.  Say,
    "Welcome, Drache, son/daughter of the First House of shapeshifters.  I am yours to command,
    naturally."
The shapeshifter history
        Once upon a time, shapeshifters ruled the world.  When people lived in caves and such, the
    shifters were their gods and totems.  That was in the very nice cases.  A lot of times, humans were
    kept in pens and bred like cattle for their hearts and livers, the parts of a human shifters like to eat
    best.
        Hecate organized the fight against the shapeshifters.  When the dragons knew they were going to
    loose, they used their power to trigger all the volcanoes in the world.
        Their reasoning?  If we can't have the world no one can!
        When the witches defeated the dragons, they put all the of the dragons to sleep and buried them in
    the deepest spots of the earth.  Except for one.  She was the weakest of all the dragons, and was
    raised by witches from childhood.  All shapeshifters in the First House are descended after her.
        And today, that is why shapeshifters and werewolves are considered second class citizens.
What happens when shapeshifters shift
        Their features ripple.
        Existing hair moves and spreads down the body.
        The eyes get smaller and the irises flood the white out.
        They change into a blob like thing with neither human nor animal features, the structure reforms,
    and then they are the animal.
The Scrolls
        There are scrolls kept by the First House of shapeshifters.  These scrolls are kept in a chest guarded with wards, so there must be a witch to open them.  Inside, there are hundreds of tiny pieces of paper with illustrations or words in the ancient shapeshifter language.
Other
    Shapeshifters are always best at determining who is human, and who is not.
    Shapeshifters feel with intensity ten times that of a human.
    Changing is a nice type of painful for shapeshifters.  They usually feel very free in between shifting.
    They can also shift into half/half forms, where they show some animal characteristics and some human characteristics.  This is also dangerous, because no one part of the shifters mind is in control.

    You can call spirits two ways.  The first way is to summon them (like Thea in Spellbinder).  The second way is to fetch them yourself (like Gillian Lennox).
    A spirit is an unhappy dead person, a damaged soul.  When they have done something really wrong in their life, they get caught in the astral planes near Earth, and cannot pass on to the other side.  To pass on to the other side they must be healed, but most times they are too angry to be healed.
    In Spellbinder, that spirit was Suzanne.  She was a witch that was burned along with her family.  In Dark Angel, the spirit was Gary Fargeon.
    Anyway, most of the time when a spirit is angry, they have the ability to hurt people.
    I'm assuming that's why the spell is forbidden to all witches, even crones, except for the Inner Circle.
The Witch Technicalities
   One you "fetch a soul" and bring it to Earth, you leave it free to do what it wants.  I'm guessing that this might not always be the case.  I'm assuming that Gillian left out the same part that Thea did; they both didn't have a circle to trap the spirit.  I think that if you have a circle, you can actually trap it and make it do your bidding.
    The hard way to fetch a soul is to die and come back with a soul with you.  That is the way that Angel came back in Dark Angel.
    The other way to bring a soul forth is to do it the way Thea did.  She first started a bale fire, add oak and ash to it, add quissaia chips to it, add blessed thistle powder, mandrake root and three drops of something to the fire.  Then she breaks the clay seal containing the blood and hair of a spirit that you'd wish to call back over the fire.
    Then you repeat this spell:

May I be given the Power of the Words of Hecate
From beyond the veil...I call you back
Through the mist of years...I call you back
From the airy void...I call you back
Through the narrow path...I call you back
To the heart of the flame...I call you back
Come speedily, conveniently and without delay!

May I be given the Power of the Words of Hecate
To the heart of the flame...I send you back
Through the narrow path...I send you back
From the airy void...I send you back
Through the mist of years...I send you back
From beyond the veil...I send you back
Go speedily, conveniently and without delay!

By the power of Earth, Air and Water!
By the power of Fire on this night of Hecate!
By my own power as a daughter of Hellewise!
Go speedily, conveniently and without delay, (you bitch!)

    The old powers, the ancient magic that makes the world go 'round, are making several things happen.  Natural disasters are acting up.  The weather is becoming very strange.  Extinct and sleeping volcanoes are erupting.  There are increases on animal attacks, shapeshifter and otherwise.

                    "The Ancient Magic that has controlled the universe in the old days of the Night
                World.  No one could see or know the Old Powers; they were forces of nature, not
                people.  And they had been sleeping like giant dragons for thousands of  years ever
                since humans had gained control of the world." - Hugh
                    "And so what happens if they keep rising?" - Jez
                    "The worst.  We're talking the end of the world here." - Hugh

    Night People are receiving new powers and becoming more powerful.  The Orange Fire that Winnie uses in Witchlight is a result of the new powers that Night People are getting.  So is Morgead's telepathic blasts.
    Witches are getting in contact with Hellewise and Hecate when they say their spells.  There is Thea's calling of spirits spell.  And then there's lliana's spell at the end of Witchlight when she kills Azhedeha.

                I am a witch and the daughter of a witch.
                Mine was the hand that took your power;
                Mine was the hand that buried you in silence.
                Hecate was the most ancient of my mothers.
                Hecate's hand is my hand now.
                Mine is the hand that send you back.
                Mine is the power of the ages.
                Mine is the power of the end of the world.

    Iliana didn't write that spell.  She didn't even know that spell, but Hellewise spoke through her.
    Soulmates are also become more prevalent toward the new millenium, especially between humans and Night People.  The soulmate connection has been described as something like an electric shock, a warm feeling, like falling, a silver cord (sound something like Secret Circle?), a blazing path between the minds.  This is usually felt when soulmates have skin to skin contact.
    It easier to tell that you are soulmates when you've just met.  Some soulmates (Poppy and James, Gillian and David, Jez and Morgead) can't tell who their soulmate is and though they've known each other for years they never feel the soulmate connection by touch until later.
    Sometimes soulmates can't stand each other.  But they learn to love each other.  If they don't, they turn away from each other.  It has been known that some soulmates can't handle the connection.
    Toward the beginning of the series, soulmates could share minds when they exchanged blood.  When L.J. Smith stared writing soulmates that didn't have a vampire in the couple, she had to write it as them having telepathy without sharing blood.
    The most important part of the old powers rising is the end of the world.  It's coming, and will end the reign of humans.  A time of blood and darkness will come, therefore putting an end to the human world.  Unless the wild powers stop it.
    The wild powers all have blue fire that they can release if they are bleeding.  If the ability to release the blue fire is discovered to early, it can cause damage to the wild power.
    Hopi Indians predicted the end of the world very accurately, according to Huntress.  It said that they believed that there were three worlds.  The first was destroyed by fire, the second by ice, and the third by water.  The first world, the shifters world, was destroyed when the dragons set off all the volcanoes in the world.  The second, the witches world, ended with the Night Wars and the ice age.  The third world, the vampires world, ended with the great flood (think Noah).
Prophesies
           In blue fire, the final darkness is banished.
            In blood, the final price is paid.

            Four stand between the light and the shadow,
            Four of blue fire, power in their blood
            Born in the year of the blind maiden's vision
            Four less than one and darkness triumphs.

            One from the land of kings long forgotten;
            One from the hearth which still holds a spark;
            One from the Day World where two eyes are watching;
            One from the twilight to be one with the dark.