| Real History within the Series |
The series features real life references in history, books and even people. Here are a few sprinkled throughout the books. (More will be added
as the books are released)
Origins Available: English, Scottish
Spelling variations of this family name include: Harkin, Harken, Harkins, Hacon, Hakon, Haken and many more.
First found in Norfolk where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke
William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Ann Harkin, who arrived in St. John, New Brunswick in 1833;
George Harken, who arrived in Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1820; as well as Daniel, James, John, Patrick, and William Harkin, who all
arrived in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1870.
Much of the Archane history stops around 1466 at the mysterious death and massacre in the Castle of Twilight east of the Scotland Highlands
after the family left their first home, the Plume Castle du Provence, in Inverness. The former castle belonging to Julian Archane still stands to
honor his death since his passing with the battle against the English armies.
Colors on the coat represent:
LINES ON COATS OF ARMS
Indented Line Fire Power
SHIELDS ON COATS OF ARMS
Chevron Represents the roof of a house - signifies Protection, faithful service
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon
names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hammond has been recorded
under many different variations, including Hammond, Hammon, Hammons, Hamon, Hamond and others.
First found in Kent where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke
William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect.
On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States.
Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed.
Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hammond or a variant listed
above: Daniel Hammond settled in Bermuda in 1635; Elizabeth Hammond and her husband settled in Boston Mass. in 1630 with their four
children; Henry Hammond arrived in Fort Cumberland Nova Scotia with his wife and three children in 1774.
Some noteworthy people of the name Hammond
* George Hammond, American Chemist
* Jay Sterner Hammond (b. 1922), American politician, governor of Alaska from 1974-1982
* John Hammond Jr. (b. 1942), American blues guitarist/harmonica player.
* Reginald Walter Hammond (1903-1965), English cricket player
* Dame Joan Hood Hammond (b. 1912), operatic soprano
* John Hammond Sr. (1910-1987), famed talent scout, producer, promoter in the popular music industry
LINES ON COATS OF ARMS
Name Meaning Image Irish Example
Indented Line Fire Power
Chevron Represents the roof of a house - signifies Protection, faithful service Tully
Mullet (5-pointed Star) Divine quality bestowed by God. Sign of the third son.
Born September 7, 1795 and Died August 24, 1821. Polidori was an Italian English physician and writer, known for his associations with the
Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction.
Polidori was one of the earliest pupils at recently established Ampleforth College from 1804, and in 1810 went up to the University of
Edinburgh, where he wrote a thesis on sleepwalking and received his degree as a doctor of medicine on 1 August 1815 at the age of 19.
In 1816 Dr. Polidori entered Lord Byron's service as his personal physician, and accompanied Byron on a trip through Europe. At the Villa
Diodati, a house Byron rented by Lake Geneva in Switzerland, the pair met with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, and her husband-to-be, Percy
Bysshe Shelley, and their companion (Mary's stepsister) Claire Clairmont.
One night in June, after the company had read aloud from the Tales of the Dead, a collection of horror tales, Byron suggested that they each
write a ghost story. Mary Shelley worked on a tale that would later evolve into Frankenstein. Byron wrote (and quickly abandoned) a
fragment of a story, which Polidori used later as the basis for his own tale, "The Vampyre", (believed to be the first vampire story published in
English).
(From Wikipedia)
A Kiss of Ashen Twilight introduces the character of Angel Polidori. Angel is the Necro Cerberus for the houses often working all night to
dispose of the bodies the houses have fed on (or those unfortunate to have crossed their path). Not many people have seen her, mostly
dismissing her as a stranger in the night called to the service. Her origins are sketchy but some suspect she was the inspiration for the first
novel her physician father wrote. A story that became one of the first fiction works chronicling the vampire legend.
Drăculea, He lived from 1431 to1476 and was a Wallachian (southern Romania) voivode. His three reigns were in 1448, 1456, 1462, and 1476.
Vlad the Impaler is known for the exceedingly cruel punishments he imposed during his reign.
In the English-speaking world, Vlad III is perhaps most commonly known for inspiring the name of the vampire in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel
Dracula. As prince, Vlad maintained an independent policy in relation to the Ottoman Empire and a defender of Wallachia against Ottoman
expansionism.
During his reign and following family traditions due to his old hatred towards the Ottomans, Vlad decided to side with the Hungarians
during his main reign from 1456-1462. During this time Vlad paid special attention to the rumors of Nightwalkers and wolf/man-like
creatures that roamed the nights. Set on learning their power, Vlad ordered his men to search the grounds and bring the immortals in one by
one. He was at his wit's end, set on becoming the greatest ruler of all time and there would be nothing to stand in his way. He feasted on their
blood, often draining each creature until their death.
To the end of the 1450s there was once again talk about a war against the Turks, in which the king of Hungary Matthias Corvinus would play
the main role. Knowing this, Vlad stopped paying tribute to the Ottomans in 1459 and around 1460 made a new alliance with Corvinus as he
continued his experiments on the immortals. The alliance angered the Turks, who attempted to remove him. They failed.
Knowing the Turks would attack again, Vlad tried one last attempt to take the powers from the immortals, not knowing the kin of the
captured would fight back. As war broke out among the castle grounds, Vlad sent his men to fight back, issuing cruel punishments to the
captured. His senses picked up a greater threat: the Nightwalkers were coming to kill him. He quickly took his leave and escaped during the
midst of battle, leaving his castle in the winter of 1461 to 1462. Vlad crossed south of the Danube and devastated the area between Serbia and
the Black Sea before the immortals could capture him.
as the books are released)
- The Archane Name
Origins Available: English, Scottish
Spelling variations of this family name include: Harkin, Harken, Harkins, Hacon, Hakon, Haken and many more.
First found in Norfolk where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke
William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Ann Harkin, who arrived in St. John, New Brunswick in 1833;
George Harken, who arrived in Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1820; as well as Daniel, James, John, Patrick, and William Harkin, who all
arrived in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1870.
Much of the Archane history stops around 1466 at the mysterious death and massacre in the Castle of Twilight east of the Scotland Highlands
after the family left their first home, the Plume Castle du Provence, in Inverness. The former castle belonging to Julian Archane still stands to
honor his death since his passing with the battle against the English armies.
Colors on the coat represent:
Or (Gold) Generosity
Argent (Silver or White) Sincerity, Peace
Gules (Red) Warrior, Martyr,
Military Strength
LINES ON COATS OF ARMS
Indented Line Fire Power
SHIELDS ON COATS OF ARMS
Chevron Represents the roof of a house - signifies Protection, faithful service
- ~*~
- The Hammond Name
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon
names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hammond has been recorded
under many different variations, including Hammond, Hammon, Hammons, Hamon, Hamond and others.
First found in Kent where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke
William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect.
On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States.
Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed.
Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hammond or a variant listed
above: Daniel Hammond settled in Bermuda in 1635; Elizabeth Hammond and her husband settled in Boston Mass. in 1630 with their four
children; Henry Hammond arrived in Fort Cumberland Nova Scotia with his wife and three children in 1774.
Some noteworthy people of the name Hammond
* George Hammond, American Chemist
* Jay Sterner Hammond (b. 1922), American politician, governor of Alaska from 1974-1982
* John Hammond Jr. (b. 1942), American blues guitarist/harmonica player.
* Reginald Walter Hammond (1903-1965), English cricket player
* Dame Joan Hood Hammond (b. 1912), operatic soprano
* John Hammond Sr. (1910-1987), famed talent scout, producer, promoter in the popular music industry
- Or (Gold) Generosity
Argent (Silver or White) Sincerity, Peace
Sable (Black) Constancy, Grief
LINES ON COATS OF ARMS
Name Meaning Image Irish Example
Indented Line Fire Power
Chevron Represents the roof of a house - signifies Protection, faithful service Tully
Mullet (5-pointed Star) Divine quality bestowed by God. Sign of the third son.
- ~*~
- John William Polidori
Born September 7, 1795 and Died August 24, 1821. Polidori was an Italian English physician and writer, known for his associations with the
Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction.
Polidori was one of the earliest pupils at recently established Ampleforth College from 1804, and in 1810 went up to the University of
Edinburgh, where he wrote a thesis on sleepwalking and received his degree as a doctor of medicine on 1 August 1815 at the age of 19.
In 1816 Dr. Polidori entered Lord Byron's service as his personal physician, and accompanied Byron on a trip through Europe. At the Villa
Diodati, a house Byron rented by Lake Geneva in Switzerland, the pair met with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, and her husband-to-be, Percy
Bysshe Shelley, and their companion (Mary's stepsister) Claire Clairmont.
One night in June, after the company had read aloud from the Tales of the Dead, a collection of horror tales, Byron suggested that they each
write a ghost story. Mary Shelley worked on a tale that would later evolve into Frankenstein. Byron wrote (and quickly abandoned) a
fragment of a story, which Polidori used later as the basis for his own tale, "The Vampyre", (believed to be the first vampire story published in
English).
(From Wikipedia)
A Kiss of Ashen Twilight introduces the character of Angel Polidori. Angel is the Necro Cerberus for the houses often working all night to
dispose of the bodies the houses have fed on (or those unfortunate to have crossed their path). Not many people have seen her, mostly
dismissing her as a stranger in the night called to the service. Her origins are sketchy but some suspect she was the inspiration for the first
novel her physician father wrote. A story that became one of the first fiction works chronicling the vampire legend.
- ~*~
- Vlad Tepes
Drăculea, He lived from 1431 to1476 and was a Wallachian (southern Romania) voivode. His three reigns were in 1448, 1456, 1462, and 1476.
Vlad the Impaler is known for the exceedingly cruel punishments he imposed during his reign.
In the English-speaking world, Vlad III is perhaps most commonly known for inspiring the name of the vampire in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel
Dracula. As prince, Vlad maintained an independent policy in relation to the Ottoman Empire and a defender of Wallachia against Ottoman
expansionism.
During his reign and following family traditions due to his old hatred towards the Ottomans, Vlad decided to side with the Hungarians
during his main reign from 1456-1462. During this time Vlad paid special attention to the rumors of Nightwalkers and wolf/man-like
creatures that roamed the nights. Set on learning their power, Vlad ordered his men to search the grounds and bring the immortals in one by
one. He was at his wit's end, set on becoming the greatest ruler of all time and there would be nothing to stand in his way. He feasted on their
blood, often draining each creature until their death.
To the end of the 1450s there was once again talk about a war against the Turks, in which the king of Hungary Matthias Corvinus would play
the main role. Knowing this, Vlad stopped paying tribute to the Ottomans in 1459 and around 1460 made a new alliance with Corvinus as he
continued his experiments on the immortals. The alliance angered the Turks, who attempted to remove him. They failed.
Knowing the Turks would attack again, Vlad tried one last attempt to take the powers from the immortals, not knowing the kin of the
captured would fight back. As war broke out among the castle grounds, Vlad sent his men to fight back, issuing cruel punishments to the
captured. His senses picked up a greater threat: the Nightwalkers were coming to kill him. He quickly took his leave and escaped during the
midst of battle, leaving his castle in the winter of 1461 to 1462. Vlad crossed south of the Danube and devastated the area between Serbia and
the Black Sea before the immortals could capture him.