the abbott family
claimed
abbott family information can be found in the abbott murder section of the lore page.

the agostini family
unclaimed
agostinis are said to die exactly when the clock strikes midnight. some families in hell won't let agostini into their houses after 11:59, for fear the clock might "claim" more than one life. their family estate has every clock stopped at 12:00 but visitors say they sometimes hear them ticking again.

the alderwick family
unclaimed
mirrors don't mind alderwicks, but alderwick reflections do as they please. sometimes the face in the glass lingers a blink longer or glances toward the door before you do. they keep lace curtains drawn at night and a hand towel over the hall mirror when guests stay over.

the ashford family
unclaimed
ashford family information can be found in the lantern man section of the lore page.

the batchelor family
unclaimed
while not the first to arrive in town, they've been there since the beginning. they claimed a considerable piece of land for themselves, which to this day houses their family cemetery. there are rumors that what is buried there doesn't stay dead long, and that if you wander too close to the property at night, you might be the next thing underground.

the blake family
unclaimed
the blakes are a large, rowdy family who keep to the poorer outskirts of hell, raising chickens, goats, and too many dogs. their property is always in disrepair, yet they seem untouched by poverty. their animals multiply unnaturally fast, and no blake is ever seen sick or wounded for long. folks whisper that the blakes are "favored by vermin" and rats and crows flock to them, and sometimes neighbors wake to find those animals watching their windows in perfect silence.

the bolívar family
claimed
a mexican family, the bolívars are known for being withdrawn at parties more often than not, rarely hugging. some say it's because their gift isolates them. they claim they can smell death coming. not rot, but a faint metallic tang on someone's breath. neighbors whisper that when a bolívar excuses themselves from a room, someone dies within the week and there is nothing they can do to stop it.

the boone family
unclaimed
boones are known for their seasonal puppet shows, which are beloved by children and deeply unsettling to everyone else. the puppets never move onstage, only off. during one infamous show, a boone puppet broke a window without being touched. the family claims it was "enthusiasm." no boone has ever admitted making a puppet. they say they "just wake up with them."

the brandel family
unclaimed
once touring illusionists, the brandels had a show based on disappearing acts aka vanishing boxes, smoke, mirrors. but one night, their assistant vanished for real. they shut the show down and all that's left are rumors. the family insists nothing supernatural remains but rumors swirl around that missing assistant haunting them, or having been killed by one of their own with a magical cover up.

the bree family
unclaimed
the bree family are still infamous in 2025 after the famed "poisoned pie incident" of 1948 that left half the family dead during a reunion dinner. the surviving descendants are eccentric, intensely private, and suspected of dabbling in witchcraft. children dare each other to knock on their door but no one stays when the bree invite them in for tea. despite their reputation, some descendants think the town needs to move on, while others love capitalizing on it.

the brohn family
unclaimed
in the 80s, the brohns ran hell's only video rental store and quietly recorded every customer interaction under the guise of "loss prevention." but the footage never stopped rolling. now that the store is long gone, people say the brohns still have the tapes. some claim the footage shows things that never actually happened including fights, confessions, even deaths. family members refuse to discuss the basement vault while some had used said videos to blackmail members of town hall.

the byler family
unclaimed
byler family information can be found in the purgatory putt putt section of the lore page.

the callahan family
unclaimed
the callahans are beloved town pranksters, staging elaborate practical jokes around town. from harmless switch ups to laugh out loud stunts, their antics are more tradition than trouble. folks roll their eyes when a callahan walks in to any event, but usually end up laughing anyway.

the carpenter family
unclaimed
people born into this family are believed to have the gift of foresight, though it depends which family member you ask. some are given dreams of lottery numbers, others are given waking visions of how someone they love will die. you can't win them all. as with most things, this gift is unproven.

the carter family
unclaimed
many, many years ago, louis carter was the town butcher. despite having one of the better explanations for being covered in blood, as kids do, they spread the idea that louis was a vampire. the family has never been able to shake the reputation.

the case family
unclaimed
the cases have served as hell's self-appointed wardens for nearly a century. every generation produces at least one child who can hear "the murmuring line", a low static that marks where the spirit world presses too close. those who inherit the gift are trained in the sealed archives below the hall, learning how to balance hauntings, redirect ghosts, and mend spiritual breaches before the public ever notices. they work to track town hauntings, document unexplained phenomena, and enforcing the ancient spiritual accords that keep hell's restless dead from overrunning the living. their family motto, carved above their business door, reads: "we do not banish; we remind." their business is called the warden hall, and is located in shady canyon.

the cliffe family
unclaimed
the cliffe family is a wealthy north hellport family, who run hellport glassworks. you can read about the business here.

the clifton family
unclaimed
while not on the official founder list, patrick clifton was there. he was accused of a grisly murder he did not commit - but seeing as the only two witnesses refused to budge on his guilt, he was sent away. by the time his wife and children arrived to the newly founded town, patrick had already been found guilty. once grown, his son set up the first law firm in the town, which is still operated by his descendants to this day.

the cresswell family
unclaimed
the cresswell family are hell queen pageant royalty. there's been a cresswell on the court whether queen, runner-up, or "miss congenial" nearly every year since 1948. the three years they were not on the court: 1965, 1982 and 2019, they were usurped by the rodriguez family who they now see as their main competition.

the couric family
unclaimed
as one of the founding families, members of the courics are minor local celebrities... even if why they draw attention often seems to be they have extremely bad luck. they are one of two familes that is cursed and unable to leave the town of hell.

the devereaux family
unclaimed
the devereaux family is a wealthy but perpetually miserable family who made their fortune in real estate. their children have turned squabbling into an art form, waging petty wars over inheritance, houses, and family heirlooms. despite the drama, they all insist on sitting together at hell's annual events, always providing a reliable spectacle for the rest of the town. their current issues lies with who will run the family real estate business.

the dolson family
unclaimed
just as well known as the other founding family, but much more put together about it. despite holding no office, they are frequently involved and prominently featured in town events and festivals. they are the only other family in town that is cursed and unable leave the town.

the drovnich family
unclaimed
of russian descent, the drovnichs arrived in hell in the early 1900s, fleeing both famine and revolution. they brought with them a string of old world superstitions that quickly rooted themselves in town gossip. mirrors always covered at night, bread always broken by hand, coins buried beneath new doorways. what made them infamous, though, were the tales of "the white lady," a figure said to appear in their windows before every family death. while the drovnichs brush it off as an old folk story, hellians still cross the street when passing their house on a foggy evening.

the drumm family
unclaimed
the drumm family have lived in hell for nearly a century. they are notable because no drumm child makes it to adulthood without disappearing once but don't worry, they always come back! some are gone for an hour, some for weeks, one for a year but they always return, confused, speaking of places no one can find on a map. drumm parents lock their doors and windows, but when the time comes, the drumm child always slips away.

the dudley family
unclaimed
beekeepers for three generations, the dudleys sell honey that never crystallizes and candles that burn with unnaturally steady flames. their bees swarm strangely, sometimes forming shapes in the air, like faces or letters. rumor has it that the dudleys whisper names into the hives, and those who anger the family find their homes invaded by stinging clouds.

the durant family
unclaimed
once wealthy. still proud. the durants lost most of their fortune in a land development deal gone wrong in the early 2000s. they live in a massive crumbling tudor house in the elms, each in their own wing. they still send holiday cards like nothing's changed. their children were raised on expectations that no longer apply. one even works at a local diner but wears a rolex to do it, pretending he's doing it out of boredom.

the eaves family
claimed
They run Hell's only home repair hotline—you call, and one of the Eaves siblings shows up, no matter the hour. They fix busted floorboards, appliances, roofs… or just sit with you during a thunderstorm if that's what you needed. Their reputation is spotless. Too spotless. rumors swirl that they clean up and 'fix' more than just houses.

the elk family
unclaimed
the elk family is well known in hell because of gilbert elk, the former hell mayor. he served only one two year term because he was caught in a scandal that angered the entire town. gilbert elk had been funneling money through two charities in the mayor's office. the end game of the money was to rid hell of it's supernatural status forever. citizens felt that hell losing the one thing that made it unique would tank the tourist economy. they voted him out in 2020 and he was ordered by a judge to turn over the funds he'd improperly claimed through the charities. his family, involved or not involved, have not had the best reputation in town since.

the elsin family
unclaimed
the elsins treat death like a comedy act. they host dinner parties in the graveyard, decorate their lawn with year round coffins, and put on amateur plays retelling local tragedies with slapstick flair. children adore them and adults roll their eyes but whenever the town spirits grow restless, the elsins are often the first to hear the laughter in the dark and comedy and stories are their way of coping with their unchosen connection to the dead.

the eriksson family
unclaimed
the eriksson's are a swedish family that immigrated to hell in 1982 and are known for running summer camps, scout troops, and outdoor schools. they're a little too serious about "wilderness survival," and they still wear their old scout uniforms for family photos.

the falkreath family
unclaimed
the falkreaths claim descent from a great grandfather cursed to wander for eternity after a pact gone wrong. their family motto is "do not sign what you cannot read." they are legalists and lawyers, hoarding ledgers of everyone else's business, as if proof might save them from damnation. every few generations a falkreath vanishes abroad, "continuing the walk."

the fane family
unclaimed
the fane family hails from hellport, and owns the echowatch pawn & curios shop.

the fitch family
unclaimed
the fitch family owns the book chaos store (located in bluff's end). their store is rumored to be responsible for many odd happenings in town.

the garrison family
unclaimed
garrison family information can be found in the elf on the shelf incident section of the lore page.

the glasspine family
unclaimed
the glasspines are an old family in hell, known for their long lineage of opticians, lens-makers, and "sight-workers." they own glasspine optometry in shady canyon. local history books claim the family emigrated from a small alpine village in the 1890s, bringing with them a trade in grinding crystal lenses said to be carved from the mountain itself. that village supposedly vanished in an avalanche the same year the glasspines settled in hell.

the glenwood family
claimed
every town, even the non-spooky ones, have the woman or women they decided one day are witches. yes, the glenwoods own an apothecary and natural medicine store. and sure, have had an odd way of only having girls for generations now, only adding to the coven allegations. but that doesn't necessarily make it true.

the glindell family
unclaimed
hell's well known sidewalk artists, the glindells are known for drawing elaborate chalk murals before thunderstorms. most wash away. a few don't. several alleys still bear their work decades later, glowing faintly in moonlight. glindell family members claim to see the future in shadows cast by chalk lines. one family member had their eyes turned silver after a mural "spoke" to him. locals say you shouldn't step over glindell chalk without asking first - always walk around.

the goodale family
unclaimed
goodale family information can be found in the cursed well section of the lore page.

the gossamer family
unclaimed
the gossamer family owns 'the gossamer veil' located in the elms neighborhood. the family wedding boutique has it's spooky reputation due to martha gossamer, who opened the upscale wedding boutique in 1976. it is said the boutique became cursed after she married a woman named doris paulson's fiance two weeks after the doris passed away under suspicious circumstances and the town swears to this day it is doris and other scorned women haunting the boutique and their dresses. not that that stops them from buying from there anyway.


the gurdon family
unclaimed
descendants of a railroad baron, the gurdons are incredibly, stupidly rich. there's rumors of blood oaths and deals with devils to keep that level of wealth, but that's just a rumor right? right?

the hackney family
claimed
they own one of the most prolific hotels in town, fittingly named the hackney hotel. of course, there's rumors of it being haunted, especially room 349. rocking chairs move on their own in nearly every room, but in 349 people report seeing it move, as if dragged to the window before hearing a woman wail.

the hale family
unclaimed
a few years ago the hales had a set of twin brothers, who had a very public falling out after rodrick hale caught his brother, rodney hale, cheating with his wife. rodney swore it wasn't him and that something eerie had gone on (correct), but rodrick was sure of what he saw. the family split into two factions, those who believe rodney and in the supernatural, and those who deny that possibility. rodrick owns a gas station and works as a mechanic there, while rodney owns a barbeque joint.

the heitz family
unclaimed
carpenters by trade, the heitz family built half the houses in bluff's end. even their own family home is notorious for being filled with sealed off crawlspaces and staircases that lead nowhere. once unsealed and explored, people have been lost for hours. bluff's end homeowners claim you can hear scratching and laughter in the attics built by the heitz family, even when the house is empty.

the hendrix family
unclaimed
known locally for hosting movie nights in their hell's cove barn using a broken vhs projector, the hendrixes insist the tapes change on their own. family lore claims they descend from an editor who cut cursed film reels in the 1980s and every hendrix child is born with a black streak in their hair and a deep fear of static. if you fall asleep in their house, you dream in tracking lines and grain.

the hogan family
unclaimed
the hogans are believed to be worshippers of pan, who delight in all things debaucherous. they own a few honest to god speakeasies, and weirdly seem most refreshed and good looking the better their businesses are doing.

the inwood family
unclaimed
the inwoods run a long standing deli downtown, 'inwood deli'. they are a very tight-knit family that demands loyalty over all else. family meals are sacred, even when no one is speaking. the inwoods are tightly wound, emotionally intense, and brutally loyal... until they're not. one cousin got banned from sunday dinners after marrying outside of the approved partners for them; another hasn't spoken since their dad was arrested for embezzlement. you can always tell when a inwood fight happened, the prosciutto is cut thicker (and angrier) the next day.

the iverson family
unclaimed
the iversons are often seen fishing off the coast, with the goal of bringing their haul back to their restaurant and fish market. tourists come from all over to eat their food, and they've never gotten even one bad review. because of this, people started joking they were slipping enchantments into their food, and the joke stuck. the family is also referenced in the girl on the dock's section of the lore page.

the jacquet family
unclaimed
the jacquet family is a wealthy "old money" family that made their fortune in lumber. they famously retreated into isolation after world war ii. the jacquets became known for shuttered windows, candlelit dinners, and pale children tutored at home. over the decades, neighbors claimed the jacquet estate feels stuck in time -- electricity flickers, telephones crackle, and voices carry through vents. their descendants are still in hell, polite but out of step sometimes, but trying to overcome their family's history by becoming more active in town events, and more social in general. the family is also referenced in the lore page.

the jax family
unclaimed
in 1997, a lightning storm hit the jax family home and allegedly killed all inside. yet a week later, they returned alive, confused, and claiming nothing had happened. since then, every major electrical event in hell seems to affect them first. their house flickers like a projector reel and one member always seems to short out nearby electronics. the oldest jax, franklin, hasn't aged since but won't acknowledge it.

the jessup family
claimed
jessup family information can be found in the purgatory putt putt section of the lore page. marlene jessup was an infamous witch in town, famous for planting stories against other witches or covens because she wanted to be seen as the most powerful. many kids skipped her house during trick or treat while she was alive. her family has been dealing with being associated with marlene's intensity for years, often feared just by association. whether or not they have some screws loose like marlene however, remains to be seen.

the jewel family
unclaimed
Known mostly for that one incident with the swan and their terrible luck with vehicles, the jewels are a little too into online contests, local fame, and family TikToks that always seem to end in someone tripping over a lawn gnome. They once got matching family tattoos that read "Thicker Than Water" misspelled. They kept them anyway. they have an on-going scandal with One Merren cousin claiming to have fathered 6 kids in Hell with different surnames. this has never been verified.

the joplin family
unclaimed
the joplins once owned a waxworks shop in shady canyon. their craft was so lifelike that townsfolk joked they had "more friends in wax than in flesh." after the shop closed down in 1967, passerbys swear they hear screams from within the statues as they stay abandoned inside the old shop. rumor says some the joplins experimented with mixing human hair, teeth, and even ashes into their molds to "capture essence." today, the family runs a candle business instead, and people still mutter that the flames flicker oddly, as if shadows move within them.

the kash family
unclaimed
a line of popular local musicians in hell whose songs are beautiful but unsettling. at least once a generation, a kash family memeber disappears during a performance, mid-stage, mid-note, simply gone. the family insists they’re taken "by the music" and their instruments often turn up later in pawn shops, still faintly humming. most people in hell believe this is all a hoax perpetrated by the family for generations to keep their family relevant and popular in the music scene.

the katz family
unclaimed
the katz family is an often gossiped about family because in 2015 they won the mega millions lotter, for over 400 million dollars. they made a big scene of it and moved right into the elms. they lived it up for two years, throwing lavish parties, traveling and otherwise flaunting it. come 2021, they were another lottery winning family to declare bankruptcy. they sold they house in the elms and moved to bluff's end. this is a very sore subject for each family member.

the kaur family
unclaimed
said to have arrived in hell generations ago from india as scholars and astrologers, the kaurs became known for their strange relationship with tides and time. they keep brass prayer bells polished to a mirror shine, ringing them at dusk on the cliffs where the wind bends oddly. locals claim that when a kaur strikes a bell, the sea stills for a breath with waves halting mid-crash as if listening. family lore insists their bloodline was marked by a river goddess, who once demanded their ancestor recite mantras until dawn in exchange for safe passage. since then, kaurs are said to hear voices in flowing water, sometimes comforting, sometimes commanding. when rainwater pools in their yard, the surface ripples in spirals rather than circles, sketching sigils no one else can read.

the kawashi family
unclaimed
the kawashi is an african family that moved to america in 1970. they opened "suds" a hell's cove carwash with some town lore under the suds carwash section.

the ketteridge family
unclaimed
it's said that some ketteridges cast two shadows, one that matches their body, and one that doesn't. the second shadow is unpredictable, lingering a beat too long, moves in directions it shouldn't, or disappears altogether. elders say this began after the great eclipse decades ago, when the family was caught watching the sun without protection.

the kitt family
unclaimed
the kitt family is associated with the fellowship cult, though most have broken away leaving martha alone in her chaos. her younger brother, elias kitt, and his family were once prominent members at her table but left in the late 1990s after they realized it was a cult, and martha was abusing people including their own family. elias was a dentist by trade, less polished than martha but more practical and he believed food was for eating, not worshipping. while they all broke away from her, their name still carries her reputation. *bringing the kitt family is acknowledging martha is an npc controlled by the mods. we will work with you but she may be used in plots!

the krail family
unclaimed
rivals to the russells, the krails ran a series of funeral homes and specialized in "unusual" requests; shipping corpses overseas, embalming with herbs, even storing the dead in ice when money ran out. they never advertised, but everyone in hell knows them. the family owns 'the krail coffin' and display in their show room, it is a lored object in town that has hundreds of names carved into of people that are recently deceased. it is rumored those names appear on the coffin exactly 48 hours before that person died.

the krueger family
unclaimed
krueger family information can be found in the krueger farms section of the lore page.

the lamb family
claimed
the lamb family claims descent from the first settlers who "made peace" with whatever lives in hell forest. they know the trails others get lost on like the back of their hands, they collect charms of twigs and bones, and their children learn to whistle tunes no one else knows that they claim come from the forest. outsiders say the lambs don't own land in hell but they keep watch over it. their family reunions are rumored to take place in the forest at night, marked by bonfires glimpsed between the trees. in reality, a lot of lambs hold jobs in town, and do own houses. with that said, their connection to the forest is mythical.

the landers family
claimed
the landers own a local cinema, the velvet screen, frequently showing not only the newest releases, but older films no one has really heard of. rumor has it if you go to one of those midnight showings, and you're the only one in the theater, the film will be prophetic of your life - for better or worse.

the langmore family
claimed
langmore family history is revealed in the hell casino information in the bluff's end buisness page. *the langmore family has been tied to the usher family since 1976 when gordon langmore and matrice usher wed. the families own the casino together and remain closeknit and guarded of their secrets.

the lennox family
unclaimed
the lennoxes are loud, scrappy, and always two months behind on their bills. the elders of the lennox run a small auto shop out of their garage and throw neighborhood cookouts that everyone pretends to hate but never misses. lennox fights are legendary, several having appeared on the jerry springer show in the 1990s. their shouting matches spill into the yard and down the street but they always patch things up by the end of the end of the night.

the locke family
unclaimed
the locke family name appears in old records as locksmiths and safe makers. but their descendants are rumored to have the uncanny ability to "unlock" secrets. whenever a locke marries or dies, strange family journals surface, filled with confessions that were never written by them. some whisper that every locke carries a skeleton key from the first forge, and that if it’s ever turned in the wrong door, the whole family will pay.

the lovelace family
claimed
those born in the lovelace family have an unproven, but uncanny, ability to heal. be it a restless mind or something greater, you're in good hands if you're in the care of a lovelace. as such, many are in the medical field.

the lyall family
unclaimed
the lyalls are of scottish descent, and they are notorious sleepwalkers and sleeptalkers, often waking up in pews, porches, and parks in the middle of the night, having no idea how they got there. it is said when a lyall dreams, they sometimes dream into other people's pasts. a lyall might wake up speaking of a neighbor's first kiss or a stranger's private shame. locals are uneasy around them, unsure what secrets might surface in their sleep.

the machado family
unclaimed
those born into this family have a way with words. as in they both come to their minds and leave their mouths with ease. they can flip through a book, barely glancing, and be able to tell you every plot point. they can make you genuinely feel like you've been transported when they tell you a story. also, sometimes the things they write down come true.

the marcell family
unclaimed
the town historians. while they haven't been in the town long, they seem to know the answer to every question asked about it. even things not found in any old articles, as if they were able to talk to past residents or see visions of how things used to be...

the merrick family
unclaimed
the merricks trace their roots back to the late 1800s, when captain silas merrick settled in hellport after years of whaling and deep-sea trawling. he was known as a hard, weather beaten man who believed the sea was both a provider and a punisher. his motto, still repeated by his descendants, is "the sea provides, the sea takes." in october 1939, the merrick family vessel 'the eleanor gray' set out for what should have been a routine trip. she was captained by thomas merrick, grandson of silas, with a small crew of cousins and family friends. the boat was loaded heavy with cod and crab, and according to the logs, the sea was calm when they departed hellport. two nights later, a storm rolled in sudden and fast. locals said it was unlike anything they’d seen in years, lightning without rain, winds that howled in a strange, hollow tone. the eleanor gray never returned. days later, pieces of her hull washed up along widow’s bluff, but no bodies were found. rumor has it the eleanor gray had been cursed by a local coven due to thomas' ill-advised affair with one of their members.

the morrow family
unclaimed
the morrow family has been in hell since the early 1900s. they can be read about in the clockmaker's curse section of the lore page.

the mortimer family
unclaimed
known grave robbers in the early days of town, the mortimers dug up more than valuables. their descendants still bear strange ailments coughing up dirt, skin smelling faintly of embalming fluid. rumor has it they can’t step into consecrated ground without fainting. modern day mortimers have tried to repair their reputation but haven't quite escaped the whispers.

the naylor family
unclaimed
deep connection with nature, they are often found outdoors talking to plants. they make wooden furniture and accessories, priding themselves in only taking wood from trees that are ready to be harvested... maybe the trees talk back?

the newby family
unclaimed
the newby family has been in hell since the 1940s, and every family death in town has been dramatic and newsworthy. lightning strikes, car crashes, drownings, or freak accidents. a newby never has a gentle passing in bed. funerals are town events because people wait to hear how the latest newby death went down. some whisper they bargained to never fade away, only to exit life in spectacular fashion so that their names are never forgotten.

the nightingale family
unclaimed
the nightingale family insists they were in town before the town was even founded. some locals believe their lore claims. others think they're confused or just flat out lying for clout. every few years, a new nightingale child is born looking exactly like one already buried in the cemetery giving off rumors of reincarnation or resurrection magic. they all carry pocketwatches that don't tell time but do tick in reverse, claiming it's because something important is about to happen.

the nolen family
unclaimed
the town's unofficial entertainers, the nolens, have always run the costume shop and provide masks, wigs, and odd garments for parades. every generation, one nolen becomes a master impersonator, able to mimic anyone in town so convincingly that people can't tell the difference. some laugh it off as a party trick, others worry the family has "borrowed" more than just appearances.

the oak family
unclaimed
allegedly descended from funeral sculptors, the elvertons now maintain a statuary garden on the northern edge of hell, where each statue represents a family ancestor though some depict people still alive. visitors often experience odd emotional shifts near the marble figures, as though the statues "borrow" feelings to remain upright. it is whispered that no oak family member has been seen crying in over 70 years.

the osgood family
unclaimed
the osgood family always bear children in pairs, sometimes identical, sometimes uncanny opposites. in personal family lore, one twin is favored and the other forgotten. some say the forgotten twin always dies young, others that they simply disappear. their family reunions are unsettling, too many matching faces, speaking in sync and it can be overwhelming for outsiders to follow.

the penumbra family
unclaimed
once scholars and astronomers, the penumbras kept meticulous star charts that predict more than celestial events. their journals speak of deaths, storms, and disappearances. no penumbra has published publicly in decades, though town gossip swears they’re still tracking things best left untracked.

the pimm family
claimed
there's a saying that wherever a pimm goes, the weather seems to follow their mood. sunny when they're cheerful, drizzle when they're glum, wind gusts when they're impatient. they throw notoriously chaotic picnics that can swing from downpours to rainbows in an afternoon. pimms insist they're perfectly normal they just attract the climate. the rumors might be a little exaggerated, and the truth might be closer to somewhere in the middle.

the pyre family
unclaimed
once firefighters, the pyre family were both praised and feared for their uncanny luck in surviving blazes. some said they fed the fires to keep their luck burning. after a suspicious string of arsons, the family name soured, and most pyres left town. the few who remain avoid talking about it, but hell kids dare each other to chant, “pyre, pyre, start the fire!” at pyres in public whenever they're around.

the quayle family
unclaimed
the quayle family can be read about in the lyla quayle section of the lore page.

the quick family
unclaimed
the quick clan are local ghosthunters and busters. they run "quick spectral removal" since the 1960s, a family business headquartered in a surprisingly well kept storefront just off main street in the downtown neighborhood. the quick family lean into order and procedure. they conduct intake interviews, hand out carbon copy receipts, and even have color-coded folders for phantoms, poltergeists and curses. the family as a whole has always been mysterious and sought after for parties and get togethers, in hopes they will tell stories of their family's history.

the rancourt family
unclaimed
the rancourts are french-american, full of artists, boxers, and hairdressers. the bernard's do not fit any french stereotype. they are loud, messy, and deeply beloved except for when they fight, which they do in shakespearean volume. their family has a book of debts and favors passed down through four generations. if you're in it, good or bad, you will hear about it. it is rumored that one rancourt uncle made a deal with the wrong local witch and now forgets his own name on tuesdays.

the rane family
unclaimed
molly rane was a widow with four children who came to town for a fresh start soon after the founding. she started taking care of others children to make ends meet, but children in her care ended up orphans with shocking regularity. this was genuinely no fault of her own, and trying to make the best of it, molly opened an orphanage. the townsfolk were unconvinced of her innocence, and unswayed by her good heart - often chanting rane, rane, go away until one night a drunkard took it too far, burning down the house beside the orphanage in which molly resided. molly perished, but rumor has it no child can be harmed on rane property, as molly is still protecting them.

the rodriguez family
unclaimed
the rodriguez family are most notable for knocking out the cresswell family from claiming spots in three different hell beauty pageants: 1965, 1982 and 2019. many towns people find them refreshing for putting an end to the cresswell egos those years, while some consider them to be just as bad fighting for those spots.

the ruggieri family
unclaimed
originally from italy, the ruggieris were once master pyrotechnicians (fireworks and more) until a misfired sky-burst in 1967 supposedly burned a constellation shaped scar into the air. now their descendants in hell still tinker with flame and color, but in smaller, odder ways including birthday candles that sing old songs, sparklers that whisper secrets and firecrackers that predict mild misfortunes. their yard glows faintly red on new year's eve, even when nothing's lit.

the russell family
unclaimed
another that has been around since near the founding of the town. tony russell opened an ice house, that unfortunately was co-opted as the town morgue for a stint. while the original building has long been destroyed, descendants of tony rebuilt and have been running a true funeral home there for years, including dealing with whispers about being weird for their chosen profession.

the rutherfords family
unclaimed
a family of eternal optimists, the rutherfords feel like they walked out of the brady bunch. they're famous for over-decorating for every holiday, running a relentlessly cheerful lemonade stand every summer, and starting sing-alongs at town events. of course, beneath the sunshine smiles, the rutherfords gossip just as viciously as anyone else in hell, they just do it with perfect hair and a plate of cookies in hand.

the seguin family
unclaimed
the seguins have manned hell's lighthouses for as long as the town remembers. their name was whispered like a prayer by sailors and feared like a curse by the superstitious. while most lighthouse keepers guide ships through storms, the seguins are said to guide souls with their beams stretching further than lantern or flame should, cutting across ocean fog to call the lost back to shore.

the smith family
unclaimed
unlike most magical lineages in hell, the smiths reject ritual. their family legacy is one of unbinding, dedicated to destroying sigils, breaking enchantments and confusing cosmic order. they're the town's anti-coven, hired to undo what others dare not touch. some unbinding rituals have started to backfire. furniture rearranges itself, poltergeists latch on to their homes. they've done less work over the last two decades, with newer generations wanting to bring their work back to hell's forefront.

the stanford family
unclaimed
the town florists, who seem to have a connection to the flowers they sell. they are said to wilt, or even rebloom from death depending on the whims and moods of the family member handling them.

the sterling family
unclaimed
the sterlings are prominent silversmiths whose craftsmanship is unmatched and has been since the 1940s. their silverware never tarnishes and some believe the pieces retain memories of their possessors. there are tales of items that glow under moonlight, or softly hum when tragedy strikes nearby. their hell's cove workshop, "sterling & sons," is always immaculate and they're known to be an organized and particular family in town even when they work outside of the family business. each heirloom is cataloged with tales of its prior owners, and rumored enchantments. outsiders come seeking keepsakes... but seldom leave with just a trinket.

the stroud family
claimed
the strouds own hell's only radio station (wel-333). their late night broadcasts are popular among insomniacs and shift workers, but sometimes the announcers slip into languages no one recognizes, or speak in voices that don’t belong to any stroud. the family claims it's just interference but when those broadcasts air, townsfolk often wake to find doors standing open or clocks reset to 3:33.

the tanner family
claimed
once wealthy, the tanners keep to their drafty stone manor on the outskirts of shady canyon. they're notorious for hiding half of their house behind locked doors, claiming the wings are unsafe, but locals swear candlelight glows in the boarded windows at night. every tanner child is raised on ghost stories, and many end up authors, painters, or playwrights obsessed with tragedy.

the thorn family
claimed
the thorns are among the first families to have arrived in hell in the late 1910s. early ledgers list isaiah thorn as one of the signatories to hell's charter, and local legend claims his wife, miriam, was a healer who mixed herbs with stranger ingredients. when famine struck in 1914, the thorns led the now famous solstice offering in hellport on the beach, rallying townsfolk to give up personal possessions in a great fire. within a year, the town was thriving again and the thorn name became bound to hell's survival. the town of hell carries on this tradition every fall with the thorn family often organizing the event.

the tolliver family
unclaimed
the tolliver family has always loved the stage. they built hell's drama house downtown in the 1920s and have been tied to the theater ever since, either acting, directing, or funding productions. but with art comes ego, and the tollivers are as notorious for their offstage theatrics as for their performances. affairs between cast members, broken engagements, and shouting matches spilling out of rehearsals are regular town gossip. the tollivers' passion for drama has ensured their name endures but rarely for reasons they'd want!

the tolchuk family
unclaimed
this family is quiet, offbeat and known for their long, flat stares, the tolchuks run an unofficial "museum" of childhood imagination gone wrong. their basement is full of plush creatures, odd clay figurines, and unsettling dolls said to be former imaginary friends no longer in use. they claim it's a "retirement home" for abandoned companions. the youngest tolchuk, ari, is never seen without his oversized purple backpack which sometimes mumbles to itself when no one's watching.

the tyrelle family
unclaimed
old New York transplants who act like they’re royalty but have no actual claim to anything except a family tree that might've been forged on Etsy. They believe in prestige, legacy, and wine at lunch, and not one of them has worked a real job in decades. Their dramatic and scandal filled family chat is notorious for leaking to the public because someone screenshots everything. none admit to being the one, and no one learns their lesson by continuting to use the same group chat. they have an Annual in-fighting crisis on the patriarch's november birthday every year over who gets control of the "family ring" even though everyone knows it's a mood ring from a Cracker Barrel.

the usher family
claimed
usher family history is revealed in the hell casino information in the bluff's end buisness page. *the usher family has been tied to the langmore family since 1976 when gordon langmore and matrice usher wed. the families own the casino together and remain closeknit and guarded of their secrets.

the valonette family
unclaimed
the vallonettes have been fashion designers for over a century in hell. their clothes are one of a kind which is why owning a piece by them in town means you own something very valuable. sometimes, however, the clothes pose signs of awareness. some seem to tighten when worn by liars. others vibrate if it's owner is feeling particularly aroused. a jacket once stitched itself shut around a client and wouldn't come off without scissors. it is rumored in town that every design is made while a valonette is in a trace. some lore says that one vallonette was buried in a dress made just for the occasion, and it changed shape during the funeral.

the vargas family
unclaimed
the vargases came to hell in the 1960s and established themselves through trucking. behind the scenes, their company doubled as a cover for drug shipments moving across state lines. several suspicious disappearances in the 1970s and 1980s were rumored to be "vargas business." the current generation keeps a lower profile, but locals still whisper their name whenever someone goes missing along streets within and just outside of hell.

the vernon family
unclaimed
every vernon has worked in hospitality, from innkeepers, hotel clerks, bartenders, etc. but their establishments always end in disaster. fires, floods, unexplained vanishings. town lore says the family is cursed to replay the same cycle over and over, build up, burn down, start again. the current vernons deny it all, but they've quietly begun renovating an abandoned lodge just outside hell because most business owners in town are too scared to hire them.

the viotto family
unclaimed
the viottos run a local extermination business, though no one can remember ever seeing them work. they wear matching jumpsuits, speak in radio buzz, and are always slightly damp. rumor is, they were once infected with something strange while working cleanup at a biotech plant. now, their family photos have one extra person no one can name and that "person" appears a little closer in every frame.

the walsh family
unclaimed
walsh family information can be found in the asher and dolly section of the lore page.

the ware family
unclaimed
ware family information can be found in the cursed well section of the lore page.

the waybright family
unclaimed
midnight swimmers and finders of lost things. waybrights pull back rings dropped off the pier, car keys, even a single shoe that means something. they keep a crate of "come-and-claim" on their porch; what isn't claimed goes to a storage unit where it is held forever until someone comes looking. the waybrights can't explain why their intuition tells them to look, but the family raises their young to see this ability as a gift, privilege and responsibility.

the wilkes family
unclaimed
the wilkes family is hell's very own gallagher family (shameless). martha and gene wilkes produced six kids who all grew up having to provide for themselves in hellport.

the winslow family
unclaimed
a rough and tumble crew of bikers and skateboarders who turned their hobbies into small businesses -- bike shops, repair garages, and event promotion. the winslows are reckless, charming, and perpetually broke. hellians joke that every winslow has a scar worth a story, and that if you want trouble, "just follow the wheels."

the wrenn family
unclaimed
this family raised carrier pigeons in the early 1900s. even after pigeon post fell out of use, the wrenns kept their birds, saying they were “messengers for the beyond.” neighbors say the pigeons sometimes land on their windowsills, cooing phrases in hushed voices — sounding eerily like the words of the departed. every wrenn funeral is marked by hundreds of black-feathered birds circling overhead.

the yarborough family
unclaimed
the yarboroughs are notorious in hell for their spectacularly bad luck in love. their name comes up whenever someone talks about messy divorces, runaway fiances, or broken engagements. the phrase "pulled a yarborough" is local slang for calling off a wedding at the last minute. family lore says the trouble started when josephine yarborough fled her wedding the morning of the ceremony, leaving her groom waiting at the alter. he never forgave her, and her descendants claimed a "curse" was set in motion. despite this, the family maintains a strange kind of charm! they're social, witty, and always present at public events. people like them, but nobody wants to date them. residents whisper that if a yarborough attends your wedding, the marriage is doomed. some couples "forget" to invite them to avoid bad luck. an old folk lore has residents and tourists daring each other to kiss under the willow trees by the yarborough house in shady canyon, which is said to "steal love" from whoever does it.

the zabel family
unclaimed
mechanics and tinkerers, the zabel family runs a scrapyard on the edge of town.