Character List - The Devils

A monk from Leonis who prides himself on bureaucracy and administration but has zero experience with supernatural matters. Appointed as Vicar of the Chapel of Holy Expediency, he now leads a dangerous congregation of vampires, necromancers, elves, and werewolves despite being perpetually anxious and completely overwhelmed by his morally complex role.

A street thief and con artist with a birthmark proving her royal heritage, officially proclaimed as Princess Alexia Pyrogenitus, rightful heir to the Serpent Throne of Troy. Daughter of murdered Empress Irene, she survived in poverty but must now journey nearly a thousand miles to claim her throne while facing four deadly cousins who practice black magic and command assassins.

A battered, scarred Knight-Templer whose body is a map of decades of warfare, with iron-gray hair, multiple scars through beard and brows, and a limping gait. A veteran of countless sieges including the siege of Troy itself, he serves the Pope with his sword despite flesh that fails him, kept standing only by unbreakable oaths.

A broad-faced woman with dark curls, gold teeth, and scars across her lips and beneath one eye, who describes herself as a lay minister. Former lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Sicily and artist's model, she carries an extraordinary number of daggers and assists the Chapel's Vicars with whatever methods prove expedient, balancing theatrical charm with deadly competence.

An imposing necromancer with black hair and beard shot with gray, who styles himself the Terror of Damietta and creator of a necromantic opera. One of Europe's top necromancers, he was captured by witch hunters and forced into the Church's service, where his immense pride and magical expertise clash with the humiliation of following orders from those he considers inferior.

An elf with an impossibly narrow jaw, impossibly wide sharp cheeks, far too small nose, and far too big unblinking eyes, plus the supernatural ability to become invisible at will. Former circus captive dragged around on a chain as a villain, she now serves the Chapel with exceptional perception and hearing, developing an unexpected friendship with Alex despite her traumatic past.

An ancient-looking vampire who appears as a hunched, withered man with few wisps of hair and delicately pointed teeth, leaning on a walking stick. When starved he seems decrepit, but feeding on blood restores his youth and vigor; he possesses aristocratic manners, vampiric mind control powers, and a dry philosophical wit that makes him particularly dangerous.

A Norse werewolf of terrible power kept locked in the Chapel's wagon as their last resort. In wolf form she's vast as a horse with grasping hands, devil's eyes, and knife-sized teeth; in human form she's an extraordinarily tall, muscular, naked woman covered in warning tattoos, beloved by the Pope despite her monstrous hunger and hatred for everything when transformed.

A ten-year-old girl Pope with brown curls barely contained by her white skull cap, a large mole above one eyebrow, and simple white clothing. Despite her childish distraction by peacocks and complaints that being Pope isn't fun, she wields devastating magical power through seemingly casual rituals, commanding even the greatest necromancers with bindings they cannot break.

A sturdy woman with grayish hair and dragon-like eyes who serves as head of the earthly Curia and undisputed mistress of the Church's sprawling bureaucracy. The true power behind Eduardo's appointment, she advocates using any weapon necessary against the Church's enemies, including morally questionable methods, to unite Christianity and prepare for the apocalyptic threat of the elves.

Head of the Celestial Choir, described both as tall and kindly and as short and solid with wrinkled brow and flinty gaze. One of Europe's most learned magicians, she helps administer the papal binding and speaks with the full authority of the College of Cardinals, though she improvises magical protocols that offend traditional practitioners while proving devastatingly effective.

A tall, handsome man with kind face and Eastern accent who wears silk robes stitched with golden dragons. Son of Empress Theodosia, brother to murdered Irene and usurper Eudoxia, he's Alex's uncle who found her after years of searching and now works to restore her to the Serpent Throne while personally protecting her with sword skills that belie his pacifist philosophy.

A tall, handsome warrior in his prime wearing bright armor with gilded lion-helm, dual-wielding jeweled swords with brutal efficiency. Youngest son of Empress Eudoxia and cousin to Alex, he personally leads hybrid beast-men created by his mother's sorcery to assassinate Alex, showing utter contempt for his opponents and ruthless determination to claim the throne for himself.

Youngest daughter of Empress Theodosia who murdered her sister Irene to usurp the Serpent Throne, triggering civil war and schism. A sorceress of terrible power who founded a coven in Troy and conducted obscene experiments fusing humans with beasts to locate and enslave the soul, her recent death leaves four deadly sons competing for succession and a cursed legacy requiring destruction.

Duke Michael's dear friend who served as warden of Eudoxia's chamber and stayed in Troy after the civil war. She risks everything to keep Michael informed through secret correspondence about conditions in the city and the movements of Eudoxia's sons, acting as his spy network and preparing to support Alex's arrival and claim to the throne.

A celebrated theologian and Bishop reputed to be marked for future sainthood who leads a pilgrimage company to Venice. Despite appearing humble and pious while delivering sermons from her remarkable portable pulpit, she proves to be a fraud and hypocrite who betrays Princess Alexia after being bribed by Duke Constance with promises of sacred relics that could advance her to a cardinal's chair, valuing personal ambition over faith and sacred duty.

Vicar General to the Archbishop Isabella of Ragusa and a senior priest of the Western Church who accompanies Count Radosev in his border war. She speaks with pious certainty about divine sanction and the support of powerful relics, advocating that the saints will guide the righteous back to their heavenly calling, though her involvement in the proxy war between Eastern and Western churches reveals the Church's political machinations.

A boisterous nobleman in highly polished armor who speaks loudly and does nothing gently, supported by the Western Church in his border war against Countess Jovanka. His grandfather witnessed Yakov's illustrious forebear lift the siege of Kerak during the Third Crusade, and he is eager to leverage Yakov's military expertise to humble his wayward opponent, though his squabbling with Jovanka represents the kind of ugly proxy war the churches have been fighting for centuries.

A small, impeccably attired noblewoman in a sapphire-blue dress with epaulets and gilded ornamental breastplate who commands a sprawling military camp. Former lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Sicily alongside Baptiste, she inherited her title through a series of accidents and misfortunes to her relatives. Despite engaging in bitter warfare with Count Radosev over disputed territories and calling him an arrogant bastard, she ultimately reveals he is her husband, and their conflict was an absurd lover's quarrel that nearly sparked a full-scale battle.

A pockmarked baker and crime lord in Venice who operates from a converted monastery, pounding dough on the former altar stone with firm precision. Though his granddaughter trains in the family business of both baking and crime, Frigo's true trade is gathering information—the only currency that truly counts. He demonstrates the rare ability to see people not just for what they are but who they are, recognizing Sunny's loneliness and exceptional talents even while she remains invisible, and offers her future employment should she tire of disappointment.

A massive Danish werewolf with a craggy face covered in tattooed warnings, hired by Duke Sabas to hunt Princess Alexia. Capable of tracking by scent with deadly accuracy, he can detect the "salty elf smell" even when Sunny is invisible and fights on all fours more animal than man. During a savage battle with Vega at the Abbey of St. Demetrius, their violent duel transforms mid-fight into simultaneous coupling as both undergo their werewolf transformations, after which he limps back to Denmark feeling thoroughly spent.

Head of the Eastern Church in Troy who formally examines and proclaims Princess Alexia as the rightful heir to the serpent throne before the assembled crowds. His predecessor objected to Empress Eudoxia's black magic and was killed so thoroughly there was nothing left to bury, leaving Mathodius little choice but accommodation with the sorceress empress. Later, when Brother Diaz seeks his aid against Lady Severa's treachery, the Patriarch refuses to subordinate the Eastern Church to women or the Pope, leading Brother Diaz to punch him unconscious.

A stern German priest and zealous missionary who spent her life carrying the Savior's word to the benighted corners beyond the map's edges, from the steaming jungles of Afriek to the freezing mountains of Norway. She despises hypocrisy above all sins, believing heat purges the body while cold sharpens the mind, and greater bodily discomforts create purer faith. Former cellmates with Cardinal Zizka at seminary, the two have despised and admired each other since girlhood—Zizka like the hungry, ever-adapting sea, Beckert like the unyielding rock. Summoned back to take her old benefice at the Chapel of the Holy Expediency.

A tall, slender, flamboyantly dressed young man with a silver tooth who claims to be from everywhere and nowhere, doing "a little of this and a little of that." His rich man's accent is not the one he grew up with, and he carries multiple names for different occasions. Handsome and somewhat nervous, he has been summoned by the Pope to replace someone at the mysterious 13th Chapel within the Celestial Palace, though Mother Beckert warns him that while he may know a little of many things, about virtue he has much to learn.

Grandmother to Princess Alexia and mother to the murdered Empress Irene, the usurper Empress Eudoxia, and Duke Michael. Former ruler of the Empire of the East whose three children's conflicts tore the empire apart—Irene was murdered by Eudoxia who usurped the Serpent Throne, while Michael believes the throne should always have been his, orchestrating elaborate conspiracies to claim power through his supposedly dead niece Alexia.