birdyballerina | Cherry's Dramatis

Erik Carrière: Little, if anything, is actually known of the mortal life of this deranged and obsessive psychopath. The rumors abound: He was a circus freak who killed the ringmaster; he was the illegitimate child of the world's greatest soprano; he was the master builder for a monarch who lived thousands of miles away from any known civilization. What is known about Erik is, by the time he became a vampire, he had learned some dark, long-forgotten magik and his face was covered with lacerations which would remain with him for all eternity. At some unknown year in his immortal life, Cherry Reyer caught him murdering a man. For unknown reasons, he decided not to kill her as well, but rather, to turn her into a bird. She spent many years in his lair, learning about his abilities and movements. When he learned that his spell had been broken, he dedicated several years to hunting her down before vanishing into parts unknown.

Angie: Where Angie came from is as much a mystery as where Erik came from. When Cherry first encountered her, Angie was already Erik's faithful thrall, doing his bidding without hesitation or question. Sometime in the years Cherry spent at school, Erik and Angie had a falling out, at which point Angie fled. Years later, Cherry found out that Angie had been deeply in love with Erik and, when he didn't return his affection, she betrayed him by releasing some of his prisoners.

Artemis Seth: The leader of the Order of the Silver Crescent, Artemis is a slightly-deranged vampire with the uncanny ability to read people. The youngest of three vampire sisters, all sired by their own father, Artemis dedicated her unlife to fighting against the things that go bump in the night by bringing together mortals and immortals with extraordinary abilities. Artemis herself is a formidable warrior, but prefers to keep a more diplomatic position within the Order. Her psychic dreams are often opened up to the interpretation of the mortal witches in the Order, including Cherry.

Olivia "Denise" Turpin: Generally going by Denise for seemingly no reason at all, she is the friendliest punk in the world. After a few failed stints as a bartender, Denise was convinced, by her adoptive sire, to join the Order and put her talents of "hitting things real hard" to good use. Born a noblewoman, Denise was unknowingly bred to become a vampire by a powerful man named Darius. Unfortunately, one of Darius' rivals caught wind of his plans and sired Denise first, abandoning her to the wilds where she was picked up and raised by another vampire named Areous. Denise's wreckless, rebel behavior led her into lots of trouble as she went searching for her real sire and she left many bodies behind, including that of Darius. She pulled a complete one eighty on her life, however, when she saw one of her own, dearest friends, travel down an even darker path which nearly led to her destroying the world. After that, Denise reformed, joined the Order, and has served it faithfully ever since.

Jonas Mayenca: As a mortal, he was the betrothed fiance of Lady Olivia Turpin. Unfortunately, the same man who killed her decided to come after Jonas as well. He was turned into a vampire and abandoned, only to be found and "brought up" by a man called Darius. Only a few short years into his immortal life, Jonas caught sight of his beloved fiance murdering Darius. He spent years trying to track her down, becoming a bruiser along the way. Eventually, the Order of the Silver Crescent helped Jonas to reunite with the love of his life, in exchange for a pledge of service to their cause. Jonas is incredibly laid back. He and Cherry often have ridiculous contests with one another, seeing who can hold the most grapes in their mouths or who can go the longest hopping on one foot.

Chrissy: Although connected to Cherry through the Order, Chrissy actually met her when she was a child, before either of them would encounter Erik. During her time as a bird, Cherry was under the impression that Chrissy had died. It was only years later, when Cherry joined the Order, that she learned Chrissy had been turned into a vampire by Angie, at Erik's bidding. At first, their friendship was very tenuous, but eventually, they fell back into old habits and became steadfast friends again. Both of them share a deep love of music and spend a lot of time listening to phonographs. In the Order, Chrissy serves as an ambassador, using her charms and her wits to collect information on various hot spots about which Artemis has developed an interest.

The Father: Despite what the name implies, the Father is actually a woman, the grandsire of Artemis and her sisters. Although older than dirt, it seems, the Father's real identity and history prior to four hundred years ago is completely lost. What is known is that one day, she woke up from a deep sleep and, dissatisfied with the world, decided to remake it, bringing it under her command with her own vampiric bloodline serving as her disciples. Unfortunately, the Father's experiments in mixing mortal and vampire blood didn't sit well with Artemis, who eventually splintered off to form her own cult, the Order of the Silver Crescent, dedicated to thwarting the Father and her followers.

Diana and Selene: Artemis' sisters, both in her mortal life, and immortal life, who have both taken a stand against the Father. While Diana is a loyal part of the Order, who travels the realm to do Artemis' bidding, Selene is an anarch who doesn't particularly care about good or evil and is generally just looking for a good time. Unfortunately, her good times are usually at the expense of others. Cherry and Diana are good friends who get along, sharing a love of dancing and music and peace. Selene, however, cannot stand Cherry and often threatens to turn her into a vampire just because it would be funny.

Other Vampires of the Order:
Ariel Lysia -- A thoroughly blood-thirsty child vampire.
Elsbeth Lennox -- Artemis' bodyguard.
Malcolm -- Elsbeth's husband and a diplomat.
Elizabeth Alexander -- An artist.
Joseph Penn -- An ambassador to other cults with similar aims.
Prince Liam -- A detective and soldier for the Order. Not actually a prince.
Milton -- A bruiser who does his best to keep vampire hunters away from Order business.
Gabriel -- A slightly batty old vampire who can control animals.
Areous -- An ambassador and peace-maker among various vampire sects.
Madeline Isis -- One of the Father's experiments, a dhampir rescued by the Order.
Joe Sparkela -- Cherry's piano teacher.