Warlocks

*This article uses material from the "Warlocks” article on the Shadowhunter wiki at FANDOM and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.*

**Warlocks,** also known as Lilith's Children, are an immortal race of Downworlder offspring of demons and humans, typically mundanes.

## Description

Warlocks are born from demons and humans, usually rape or deceit from shape-shifting Eidolon demons, disguised as humans or a human's loved one or an object of sexual desire. Through this, some warlocks may have half-siblings, and quite possibly, a pure sibling from a human parent raped or tricked more than once.

Warlocks are immortal beings. At one point in their lives, they stop aging—which point exactly will depend on their demon parent. At one point, however, after an unspecific but long duration of time, warlocks, like most immortal or long-lived beings such as Silent Brothers, can "fade" and "petrify"—when they grow bored or unsurprised by life and stop looking forward to their years ahead, when the weight of their long lives settle on them, they may begin to lose their minds, and/or stop feeling and living, in all other essences of the word except literally.

A universal trait among them are their warlock or demon marks, a part of their body that is strange or unique that identifies them as unearthly. Warlocks from the same demonic bloodline may have similar demonic features on their bodies.

Additionally, warlocks are unable to have children. Warlock pregnancy always results in stillbirth as they are crossbreeds and are thus sterile.

An exception from these limitations are the very rare offspring of demons and unmarked Shadowhunters; without Marks to resist the demonic energy in a fetus, the pregnancy results in a living child—particularly, a dominantly Shadowhunter being with traces of warlock abilities. The only known case so far is Tessa Gray, who does not have a warlock mark and has given birth.

Because of their half-demon, half-human nature, other Downworlders sometimes insultingly refer to them as "half-breeds."

## Abilities

Along with faeries, warlocks are the only Downworlders who can cast magic because of their demon blood; unlike vampires and werewolves, who were merely infected by demonic diseases. Because of their willingness to use magic when asked by mortals, usually for a price, even Shadowhunters work with warlocks, as partners or as hired specialists, to allow the Nephilim to make use of some of the demonic magic that their own powers and nature exclude them from. The language they use to cast spells is called Chthonian.

Nearly all warlocks are, to some extent, practitioners of magic. Some inherit more magical aptitude than others, and those who cultivate that aptitude may become quite powerful. The most gifted may find themselves able to study demonic magic and become scholars in the secretive Spiral Labyrinth, the central home of warlock magical research and knowledge. They have invented quite a lot of new magic, which is dutifully recorded and kept in the Labyrinth. However, while warlocks inherently possess magic, some are still born without it, and they are known as ifrits.

## Culture

Warlocks are independent and mostly keep to themselves, hence they do not have an established community or organized society. However, most warlocks are usually acquainted with each other and at least have a way of contacting one another. They are also governed by an unofficial group called the Spiral Council who reside in the Spiral Labyrinth. High Warlocks are also seemingly appointed in every major city or locality around the world.

In addition, few warlocks opt to marry, let alone adopt a child.

## Trivia

* Raphael Santiago stated that drinking warlock blood does strange things to vampires, though he does not elaborate on what they could be.
* It was a warlock who supposedly summoned the Angel Raziel to create the first of the Nephilim.
* Although "witch" is generally a term used to refer to mundanes who partake in witchcraft, it is also sometimes used to refer to female warlocks.
* Warlocks can be affected by only a few diseases, but they are generally immune to those that affect mortals.
* According to Magnus Bane, warlocks prefer to use simple, one-syllable last names, apparently always nouns, in contrast to the Shadowhunters' long and self-important ones, possibly reflecting the warlock's mood during the choosing. Due to their immortality and infertility, they rarely pass them on.
* To Simon and his vampire senses, warlocks smell like burned matches.
* It is more common for warlocks to have a father than a mother as a demonic parent.
* There are eight warlocks who are still alive in the late 1990s or early 2000s who claim to have been born before Jonathan Shadowhunter, meaning they have been alive for almost a millennia, if not longer. One is these warlocks is Baba Agnieszka.