Many centuries ago Sycorax, a witch of terrible power, summoned forth her demonic patron, the Abyssal Lord Caoranach, and bore him half demonic children. These children had human qualities but also many powers of their demonic father. Sycorax taught her children her dark magic, and some say that their father whispered mystical secrets to them as well. As time passed, they too bore children with mortals, but found that their powers declined in the next generation, the demonic blood becoming more thin by the generation. Sycorax then ruled that to preserve the magical power of her descendants, her children and grandchildren would only have offspring with each other.

Sycorax herself is said to have been killed by an alliance of legendary champions, her demonic master banished back to the Abyss. Some believe that she still lives or may one day be resurrected, though only a handful of her most devoted followers or most paranoid enemies give this possibility serious consideration. Caoranach is worshipped as a god by the Sycorax family, who have taken their family name from their late matriarch, and pay him homage through rituals and sacrifice, seeking to once more summon him to the mortal realm. The family is ruled by a group of ancient Sycorax called the Progeny, Sycorax's surviving children.

The Sycorax have always born physical signs of the demonic ancestry. Some have skin as pale as snow and white hair as well, or no hair at all. Others have growing red eyes or eyes as black as night, even the sclera. Many have sharp teeth, clawed fingernails, or horns on their head. There are a number of rarer traits, each member of the family is different. Sycorax also sometimes carry other physical deformities, not from their demonic ancestry but from from so many generations of inbreeding. It is not only the bodies of the Sycorax that are abnormal, their minds are souls carry the taint of demonic blood. It is not uncommon for members of this family to have unwholesome desires or compulsions or suffer from madness. Many Sycorax are obsessed with perverse sexual acts, are addicted to the taste of human flesh, or hear malicious voices speaking in their heads. The Sycorax regard these perversions as gifts rather than curses and within the family, countless unspeakable acts are allowed or even encouraged.

Not all deformities are prized among the Sycorax. Sometimes a Sycorax is born crippled or infirmed, perhaps too feeble minded to provide a benefit to the family. Such children, when their flaws become evident, are offered up as sacrifices to Caoranach. The Sycorax elders control marriage and breeding within the family and they work to perfect their line, using primitive eugenics to bring forth the best traits of both mortal and demon, with the flaws of either. Their success has been mixed, though some Sycorax believe that eventually their family line will become perfect, others call this hubris and belief that only Caoranach can uplift their family.

Despite their evil practices, the Sycorax family have a very strong, if twisted, sense of honor. When they make a vow, they keep it with the fanatical dedication to rival or surpass even paladins of light. Perhaps this goes back to demonic pacts that infernal creatures are compelled to abide by, or perhaps it has simply become the Sycorax tradition because it is the only way such monstrous creatures can peacefully coexist with each other. In any case, those familiar with the family's history in the empire know of Sycorax honor and are willing to work with them if there is pressing enough need.

Within the family are a number of factions, usually united by bonds of blood, but some degree of rivalry and self interest exists. One prominent group within the Sycorax are the Black Priests - priests who dedicate themselves to the worship of Caoranach, plucking out their eyes to allow themselves to gaze into the Abyss and upon their dark god and ancestor. Another faction within the family are the Sklavi, an almost entire female line of the family who take their name from their father Sklavi, one of the Progeny who kills all of his sons and consumes their souls to strengthen his magic while taking his daughters as wives.

Because most citizens of the empire fear the Sycorax, they prefer to stay within their own domains or keeps, rarely venturing out into the world of mortals unless their is pressing need to do so. The less humans interact with them, some of the elders reason, the less reason they may have to hate and fear the family. They then have difficulty making contacts in the mortal world and so have lagged behind other Great Houses in that regard. They are also very conservative in many ways, keeping their same old traditions and after year while the outside world changes around them. The Sycorax often have a distinct accent, that some may recognize as a dialect of an ancient language that was once spoken in the empire.

The Sycorax have a number of abilities based on their demonic ancestry. They are all exceptionally strong and resilient to injury. The Sycorax can see in the dark, even in absolute darkness of a cave or sealed room. All members of the Sycorax family can rapidly regenerate from injuries, even regrowing missing limbs over a course of days or recovering from wounds that would fell a mortal. Their resilience and regenerative abilities can be overcome with blessed weapon or the holy miracles of priests of light, even the touch of a blessed item or holy water can cause them injury. They are also vulnerable to fire, heat, and light. The Sycorax are not fond of daylight and prefer night and darkness, their powers are weaker at night and their eyes not as keen in the light of day.

The Sycorax family colors are black and red. Black for the darkness of the Abyss, the dwelling place of their dark god Caoranach, and red for the unholy blood which flows in their veins and is the source of their power. The sigil of the Sycorax is the Dark Star of Caoranach, a nine sided black star on a red field.