Dramatis Personae: Book of the Umbra

Ncon Barsin

“It was twelve.... I am, if nothing else, precise when it comes to death.”

Bred and raised to be an Assassin, he leaves the Deamon-ruled island of McAmal and attempts to reclaim his humanity through acts of heroism instead of murder. Always, though, the Deamon-side of his heritage calls to him—an unforgiven blood-debt. Questions of his heritage compel Ncon to seek answers in the rumor-misted city of Vulcania. Is it his Deamon-blood or his human heart that draws him back to the island of his birth?

Figment

“It ain’t easy being a five-hundred year old living legend.”

Five-hundred-year-old swordmage and professional adventurer, he is Lord of Castle Blacksent and friend to Ncon.  A child of a human priestess and the Avatar of Elemental Air, Figment can call upon the powers of a demi-god in a fight... but he mostly relies on his quick wit and sarcastic quips.  Although he looks like a pampered nobleman, Figment, like his sword Traynor, holds much power behind a deceptive appearance.
Unquestionably loyal, he stands by his friends, ready to pull them back from certain death— if only to be able to say, “I told you so!”

Zandor

            “I am compelled to compel.”

            Wizard and human blood give Zandor great abilities, but also many shortcomings.  His thirst for knowledge sometimes overreaches his capacity.  Single-minded to a fault, he will see a project through to its conclusion, even if it means stepping on toes along the way... as long as he feels that it is for the greater good.
            A vision with many possible outcomes has inspired Zandor to guide Ncon along in his pursuit of the truth of his birth... even if that truth may lead Ncon to his death.

Tala

“Don’t you take that tone of thought with me, young man!”

Ncon’s mother was captured and imprisoned on the island of McAmal for more than twenty years.  She escaped, but was hunted down by her own son.  Faced with killing his mother, Ncon was made to see the horrors he had committed as an Assassin.
Though of human blood, Tala has the ability to see into and direct other people’s thoughts.  Tala will do anything to keep Ncon from returning to McAmal... except override his own free will.  The terrors she faced will not keep her from trying to protect her son.

Oug

“...you have to consider all of the consequences, both positive and negative. Perhaps it is selfish, but that can happen when you get old and the smaller things become more important.”
 
Oug is a Pyrage from Vulcania who can control fire and related magicks and take some animal forms.  Once betrothed to Tala, he was captured along with her and held on McAmal.  Tormented by the FirePriest, former brethren of the Pyrages, Oug never reveled Vulcania’s secrets.  Eventually he helped Tala escape, but was captured again and punished for his defiance.  Stripped of his human form, Oug survived as a cat. He stands by Tala, trying to give her some hope, but holding his own secrets from her thoughts.

 Perenna

“There are bonds that the FirePriests could never understand.... Those bonds cannot be broken.”

The Assassins used the LadyShips—a race of inanimate beings trapped in the forms of solid watercraft—to get from kill to kill. LadyShips command the water to propel them through it. They are intelligent, sentient, and empathic. The Assassins are heartless, but they do have some latent emotions, so McAmal uses the LadyShips’ empathic powers to hold their emotions in check.
Perenna was given her freedom when Ncon disavowed the ways of McAmal and the Assassins.  The relationship she continues to share with him is by choice; a willing bond long denied the LadyShips.

Sal Mayd

“I’m twice the woman of any man here!”

A once-noble daughter of the Lord of Rogage, she was disowned by her family and forced to make her own way in the world.  As a bounty hunter, she tracks her father’s killer, an Assassin from McAmal. Sal Mayd holds onto the hope that her hunt may lead her back into her family’s graces.

Cona Joharra

“...A sacrifice?! Uh, couldn’t we talk about this? I mean, I’m not even a virgin!"

Cona’s effectiveness in battle partly due to her adventures with Figment and Ncon.  Mostly it comes from her latent psychic abilities; she can read her opponent’s next move. She is also the twelfth incarnation of Figment’s One True Love.
Figment has repeatedly found the same girl over and over again, in different incarnations, throughout his long lifetime. They fall in love and she always dies violently within a year of their meeting.  Although Cona’s destiny may have once been with Figment, she is manipulated out of the way—which may save her life.

Samantha

“Why learn lessons in a past life, only to forget them in a reincarnation?"

Samantha was raised as a slave to fight for her owner’s amusement.  She accidentally became the symbol of a slave revolt after killing an overly amorous friend of her owner. 
            Samantha becomes involved in Ncon’s journey and draws Figment’s attentions via Zandor’s subversive guidance. Her own path is a mystery, forged by the edge of her sword.

Dallon

“Sure, I’m a thief. But at least I’m honest about it!”

Dallon is a street thief, good with a throwing knife.  He receives a gift from Zandor, as well as a new course that pairs him with Ncon and McAmal.  His street-smarts do not always translate into practical knowledge or wisdom. Dallon is more apt to believe stories of magic and mayhem than the sword under his own nose.

Haelan

“Oh, yes. You’d tell me if you thought I was gullible, right?

Haelan belongs to a tribe of Solkys, a nomadic people. Most have talents of magical nature; usually healing.  Haelan heals empathically, entering the person’s illness, taking into herself, and then dissipating it. 

Alceste

“What do you want from me? Consistency? At least I drink consistently.”

            A hermit and Astrologer, Alceste loves his beer.  He is most often seen with a stein of brew in one hand and astrological charts in the other.   Wizard blood gives him long life and the ability to see the subtleties of the stars.  Sarcastic and misanthropic, he dresses to bother the other wizards.  His observatory tower home can move through shadow to other locations.

Lkusam

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

            This FirePriest of unknown age may have been one of the originals who called the GrandWeir, the God of McAmal, to the mortal realm.  Lord of McAmal, he controls the Assassins, the Deamons, the humans captured for breeding, and the half-blood creatures that result from his manipulations.  Control over the elemental powers of the Flame makes him a formidable enemy.  Lkusam fears little, except for the truth that Ncon may bring.

Frederick

“Sword don’t lie!"

            The island of Herian is home to the Pirate King and all his faithful corsairs, who live to rob and rob to live. Frederick does not care much for opulent dress, as do many pirates, nor for the riches taken in raids.  He glories in the raid itself; the song of battle.

Vrus

“Nclai Lkuma Dnai ek ir Mchmail.I serve the God of the Flame and McAmal.”

            A young Assassin, barely past the age of the Blood Sacrament, Vrus’s weapons are speed and agility, not strength. Complete devotion to the God of McAmal makes Vrus an effective killer, along with the Yulan sword and katar, a Prelnorian thrusting dagger. The katar is especially nasty, as it opens up scissors-style once stabbed in, guaranteeing an agonizing death.

Full-blooded Daemon

            These huge Deamons look like the predators they are. They are not simple animals, nor are they magical creatures. Called from the Abyss by the FirePriests, they serve the lords of McAmal, lending their blood for the breeding of Assassins.  Intelligent and fierce, they lead the Deamon Horde of McAmal.

Chris Krieger

           “I must down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.”

            The young captain of the Barracuda inherited the ship after taking revenge on his father’s murderer- a Baron of Zerros.  Chris Krieger has never captained a ship, although he is an experienced sailor.  Krieger’s future may not rest with Ncon and the others, but his ship, the Barracuda, will sail the Umbra through the treacherous waters surrounding McAmal and bring them all to their destiny.  Perhaps she will even bring them back from it.

Hussar Svlen

“Old friends, like old swords, still are trusted best.”

             This mercenary always smiles because he loves his job.  Deaf and mute, he relies on his second in command to translate orders.

Aramantra

“We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them. We killed civilians. That's war. And this is war.”