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The Redfern family are a patriarchal line of lamia vampires descended from the first lamia vampire, Red Fern. They act as the ruling clan among the lamia, and are represented among the Night World council by the current head, Hunter Redfern.
History[]
Prehistoric Times[]
The progenitor of the Redfern family was Maya, a former witch and the twin sister of Hellewise Hearth-Woman. Maya sought immortality and performed a spell that required drinking the blood of four babies to achieve this. She succeeded, but had to constantly drink blood to sustain herself; becoming the first made vampire and ancestress of the entire species. With a man named Grinnel Riverman, Maya had a son called Red Fern, the first lamia vampire, who fathered the Redfern line. However, because of Maya's ruthless ambitions and killing of innocent people, she and her son were driven from the witch tribe by Hellewise in the very first Night War, beginning the blood-feud between the vampires and witches that would last for centuries.
1600s[]
After coming to power as head of the Redferns, Hunter, Maya's descendant, had a son named Chervil. However, he and Chervil quarrelled, and the younger Redfern disappeared, leaving Hunter without a legitimate heir. Ultimately, to end the Night Wars and (in Hunter's case) provide the Redfern line with a true male successor, the matriarch of the Harmans, Maeve, and the patriarch of the Redferns agreed to conduct a blood-tie ceremony, followed by marriage. This had the effect of making all future Redferns part-witch, and to consider Harman descendants as their relatives.
Hunter and Maeve had four daughters: Garnet Redfern, Dove Redfern, Lily Redfern and Roseclear Harman. Due to having no male children, Garnet's offspring were permitted to keep the Redfern surname by Hunter; all modern Redferns are descended from her. Hunter additionally made John Quinn his legal heir after converting him into a made vampire and adopting him into the Redfern family. Quinn had originally intended to marry Dove Redfern, but she was unfortunately killed by Quinn's father, a minister. Hunter is also credited for creating island enclaves, for lamia vampires and other Night People to find safety from humans, particularly after the death of Dove.
Meanwhile, Chervil Redfern would go on to establish the Dark Kingdom in Colorado, and would sire a son, Tormentil, who in turn became the father of Delos, continuing the male Redfern lineage.
Modern Day[]
The Redferns retained their hold over the Night World and its citizens. However, it was found that while the Old Powers began reviving, many members of the Redfern line and its offshoot branches were finding soulmates among humans, a species considered by most Night People to be "vermin"; the same was happening to their Harman kin. The majority of the elder Redferns, particularly Hunter, found this intolerable and sought to exterminate those family members who had broken Night World law and fallen in love with mortals. This may have had the effect of de-stabilizing the Redfern family line, as Hunter eventually lost many descendants, including Quinn, to the Soulmate Principle.
Hunter attempted to revive his family's prestige, first by trying to host a blood-feast to unite with the made vampires. Having failed that, he tried again when he discovered his descendants through Chervil, finally meeting his great-grandson Delos. However, Delos also found a human soulmate, Maggie Neely; in response Hunter usurped Delos' power and ordered his execution. Fortunately, with aid from Aradia and the witch Sylvia Weald, Delos was able to to regain control of his abilities as a Wild Power and destroy Hunter.
With the deaths of Hunter and his remaining daughter Lily, it is unknown where the Redfern Family stands in current Night World politics, especially as Hunter had no official heirs left by the time of his death.
Members[]
Prehistoric Redferns[]
- Red Fern (progenitor; the first lamia vampire)
- Redwing, Son of Red Fern
- Moonhunter of the Red Fern
- Darkwalker of the Red Fern
- Starlight of the Red Fern
- Swiftbrook of the Red Fern
- Moonflower of the Red Fern
- Hawksbill of the Red Fern
- Ravenwing of the Red Fern
Medieval/Renaissance/American Redferns[]
- Hunter Redfern
- Chervil Redfern
- Garnet Redfern (despite marrying out of the family, Hunter legalized her offspring to bear the Redfern surname)
- Lily Redfern
- Dove Redfern † ( former love interest of John Quinn )
- John Quinn (formally adopted into the family)
- Griffin Redfern (son of Garnet Redfern and Fletcher Marsh)
- Sweetbrier Curlew (wife of Griffin and mother of Dunlin Redfern; Redfern by marriage)
- Dunlin Redfern (son of Griffin)
- Jasmine Thorn (wife of Dunlin; Redfern by marriage)
- Sterling Redfern (son of Dunlin and Jasmine)
- Ruby Linden (wife of Sterling; Redfern by marriage)
Modern Redferns[]
- Tormentil Redfern † ( father of Delos Redfern )
- Phaedra Oryx (wife of Tormentil and mother of Delos; Redfern by marriage)
- Delos Redfern ( prince of the Night World's Dark Kingdom, the second Wild Power, and the soulmate of Maggie Neely )
- Gunnel Redfern (father of Alder, brother of Angar and Opal Burdock)
- Anise Clay (wife of Gunnel, mother of Alder and Madder; Redfern by marriage)
- Angar Redfern (brother of Gunnel and Opal)
- Blade Redfern (son of Angar, father of Mancy Redfern)
- Alder Redfern (father of Rowan, Ash, Kestrel, and Jade)
- Elodie Blackthorn (Alder Redfern's wife, mother of Rowan, Ash, Kestrel and Jade; Redfern by marriage)
- Rowan Redfern
- Ash Redfern
- Kestrel Redfern
- Jade Redfern
- Brook Redfern † (brother of Bracken Redfern, father of Jez Redfern)
- Bracken Redfern (uncle of Jez Redfern)
- Dulse Sheldrake (wife of Bracken Redfern; Redfern by marriage)
- Jezebel "Jez" Redfern
- Mancy Redfern (stated to be the father of Mal Harman)
Relative Families[]
- Maya Dragonslayer † (first made vampire, mother of Red Fern)
- Grinnel Riverman † (stated to be the father of Red Fern)
- Nightwing (mate of Red Fern; unknown if she was counted as a Redfern)
- Rushglow (mate of Redwing; unknown if she was counted as a Redfern)
- Ironwood (mate of Moonhunter; unknown if she was counted as a Redfern)
- Summer Ice (mate of Darkwalker; unknown if she was counted as a Redfern)
- Spring Rain (mate of Hawksbill; unknown if she was counted as a Redfern)
- Dreamweaver (mate of Ravenwing; unknown if she was counted as a Redfern)
- Fletcher Marsh (stated as the lamia husband of Garnet Redfern; their children are formally legalized to retain the Redfern surname rather than have the Marsh surname, although it is unknown if Fletcher himself is considered a Redfern jure uxoris).
- Jasper Rasmussen (husband of Madder Rasmussen, father of James)
- Madder Rasmussen (Jasper Rasmussen's wife, mother of James; Redfern by blood. Married out of the family)
- Opal Burdock (Hodge Burdock's wife; Redfern by blood. Married out of the family.)
- Hodge Burdock (husband of Opal Burdock)
- James Rasmussen (son of Madder and Jasper)
- Mark and Mary-Lynnette Carter (related to the family by blood-tie ceremony. Mary-Lynnette also becomes engaged to Ash Redfern. However, this link is not acceptable officially for the Redferns since the siblings are human).
- Roxanne Goddard † (wife of Brook Redfern and mother of Jez Redfern; not counted among the Redferns as she was human)
- Mal Harman (although his father is a Redfern, he has his mother's surname, a very unusual occurrence in the patriarchal Redferns' bloodline; normally lamia children have their father's last name)
- Roseclear Harman (daughter of Hunter Redfern, but has her mother, Maeve's surname and is considered a Harman; she was also born a witch, not a lamia)
- The Harman Family (related by a blood-tie ceremony and marriage between Hunter Redfern and Maeve Harman)
Trivia[]
- The Redfern family is named after Red Fern, son of Maya Dragonslayer. According to the family tree, the descendents of Red Fern originally called themselves 'of the Red Fern', which eventually became the surname 'Redfern' (similar to how the Harman family name was originally 'Hearth-Woman').
- In contrast with the Harman Family who are matriarchal, the Redferns are a patriarchal family, with children taking their surnames and inheriting from the father's bloodline. It can be presumed, as a typical patriarchy, any female who marries into it is counted as a Redfern (in a patriarchy, a woman belongs to her father's family until marriage, when she then became part of her husband's family), while Redfern daughters who marry out are counted towards their husband's family. As such, sons are highly valued among the Redferns and other lamia.
- Members of the Redfern family, as well as the Harman Family, seem to be the main targets of The Soulmate Principle. This is presumably to make the Night World aware of the rising Old Powers and bring humans and Night People together.
- All Redferns from Garnet's descent are technically not Redferns at all, due to the patriarchy of lamia society. The only "true" Redferns are the descendants of Chervil.
- Some Redfern members of Red Fern and Hunter's immediate descent appear to have certain physical characteristics in common, namely yellow eyes (and in certain cases, also blood-red hair). Members who have one or both of these characteristics include Hunter, Tormentil, Delos, Lily, Kestrel and Jez (although in Jez's case, she may have inherited her hair colour from her human mother, who was described as having red hair).
- The Redferns often have names associated with things occurring in nature, such as plants, gemstones, animals, land and, more rarely, trees. Tree names are said to be considered particularly powerful amongst Redferns, due to the fact wood is lethal to vampires. Many other lamia also have names, particularly surnames, associated with nature. This tradition seems to have dated back right to Red Fern, the first lamia.