Characters

The main characters of '31 Black Pearls'.
Characters will be added as they appear in the story.

These are my notes about the characters, so they may seem a bit rudimentary.

Martin Reed
- Codename Voodoo.

- Age around 25.

- Stubborn, proud, honorable, determined. Skilled as a hunter and killer.

- Hair dyed red (natural color presumed to be dark blond), cold blue eyes, a scar in the left eyebrow, five long scars on the right side of his ribcage, unusual haircut. Gold hoop earring in the left ear, a red and black tattoo of Yin and Yang in the small of his back, tattoo of a cross on his left shoulder, navel piercing as well as a Guiche piercing.

- Tall, slender, lean, tough muscles, skilled in several martial arts and hand-to-hand combat techniques. His choice of weapon is the Beretta, a hunter’s knife strapped to his left thigh and the wakizashi strapped to his back underneath the jacket.

- Voodoo habitually dresses in black. Jeans or leather pants, leather jacket often with the collar up, black tight turtleneck sweater, black bandana with a red mark the same as the tattoo on his arm.

The meaning of Martin:
Saint Martin of Tours (Latin: Martinus), (born 316 or 317; died November 11, 397) was a native of Sabaria, Pannonia. His father had reached the rank of an important officer in the Roman army. Martin was named after Mars, the god of war, meaning Martin, the brave, the courageous. The family moved to Pavia in Italy. When he was 15, the son of an officer, he had to join the army himself. He was stationed in Gaul and later became a monk in the region of Poitiers.

Other meaning: Warlike.

The meaning of Voodoo:
New Orleans Voodoo is a system of folk magic used in New Orleans and surrounding areas of Louisiana, in which objects like roots, gris-gris bags, powders, graveyard dirt, and "poppets" or "voodoo dolls" are employed for magical effect for the purpose of material gain or against an enemy. It is more or less synonymous with Hoodoo and is not to be confused with the religion of Vodou.
Hoodoo is a folk religion or traditional magic which originated in the southern United States. The goal of Hoodoo is to allow people access to supernatural forces to influence their daily lives.
Elements of various Christian, Jewish and European folk practices found their way into Hoodoo. Voodoo is an established religion. Hoodoo is the magic without the religion.

Explanation Voodoo: While I admit I know not as much as probably should about the religion Voodoo (see above), my “knowledge” is that Voodoo is dark magics and folklore. My Voodoo thought it to be the perfect name for him, since he wishes to distance himself from his friends and his upbringing. He’s a rather morose young man.

Dain
- Birth name Hades.

- Common name currently Dain.

- Age currently unknown.

- Rank Highblood. The rank entails skills and traits all Bluebloods have, such as the power to urge or control minds, acute senses, heightened reflexes and speed, durability and strength.

- Title Dain of the Dark. His title comes from his skill to manipulate shadows and darkness.

- Status Blueblood. His status is due to his lineage of royalty in renaissance Europe.

- Origin thought to be France, but not confirmed.

- Raven black hair, shoulder length, cut in stages around his face. Tall, lean, smooth lines. Piercing green eyes, pale, flawless skin, a dangerous, sensual beauty.

- He dresses in black, most of his coats and shirts inspired by Asian designs, such as the Chinese coats and shirts, but also the Japanese kimonos and haoris. His pants are usually of a more western style, as are his boots. While is clothes are influenced by Asia, his home bears witness to his European heritage.

- Dain would prefer it if he didn’t have to bother with The Council or his responsibilities towards his peers, but as a Blueblood he must. He likes to play, enjoys the hunt and the thrill of a well orchestrated seduction, which he uses to feed and kill. He is more often than not a source of trouble for his friends and confidants.

The meaning of Dain:
Dain is a name of a dwarf from Norse Mythology. It was borrowed by J. R. R. Tolkien as a name for two kings of Dwarves in his fictional universe of Middle-earth:

In Norse mythology, fairy tales, and sword and sorcery fiction and role-playing games, a dwarf is a sprite, a member of a humanoid race, much like humans, but generally living underground or in mountainous areas. Here they have heaped up countless treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones, and pass their time in fabricating costly armor. They are famed miners and smiths though, like humans, specialize in any number of trades.

Explanation Dain: I didn’t know that Dain is the name of a dwarf in Tolkien’s books, I simply liked the name. However, I think my Dain and the dwarves have a few things in common, like living underground and hoarding valuable things.

The meaning of Hades:
(Greek: "unseen") means both the ancient Greek abode of the dead and the god of that Underworld.

Explanation Hades: Like the god of death in Greek mythology, my Dain is very much a creature of death. And since Hades also means unseen, his little skill with manipulating the shadows is rather appropriate.

Father Morris
- Real name unknown.

- Age 62.

- Responsible, caring but just, the leader and caretaker of the team of hunters and staff at his Church.

- Greying, balding hair, grey eyes.

- Average height, thin, a bit crooked back.

Jason Hughes
- Codename Iason.

- Age 27.

- Responsible, honorable, takes pride in being the best he can be, cares for his team, solid, dependable.

- Blond hair, grey eyes, his codename tattooed in Greek letters down the inside of his right forearm.

- Tall, muscled, good hand to hand combat skills. His choice of weapon is various powerful shotguns and rifles, as well as semiautomatic weapons, he has a hunters knife strapped to his right thigh, shock- and explosive grenades,

The meaning of Jason: Healer, doctor.

Explanation Jason:
Jason, Greek, is a hero of Greek mythology. His father was Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus. His real name was Diomedes and he changed it to Jason (which means "healer" or "doctor") after having studied therapeutic herbs under the guidance of centaur Cheiron.

Jason assembled a great group of heroes and a huge ship called the Argo. Together, the heroes were known as the Argonauts. They included the Boreads, Heracles, Telamon, Orpheus, Castor and Polydeuces, Atalanta and Euphemus.

I spell Jason with an "I" when writing his codename, to differentiate between on and off duty Jason.

Nichole Porter
- Codename Nike.

- Age 25.

- Sometimes feels like the mother hen of the team, takes care of the others, loyal, trustworthy.

- Blond shoulder length hair, brown eyes, two small angel wings tattooed between her shoulder blades.
- Slender, strong, good hand to hand combat skills. Her choice of weapon is a converted sniper rifle custom made for her, throwing daggers,

The meaning of Nichole: Victorious, Nicole – Victory of the people.

The meaning of Nike:
In Greek mythology, Nike (pronounced /'nike/ "Nee-keh", meaning "Victory") (Roman equivalent: Victoria), was a goddess who personified triumph and victory. She was capable of running and flying at great speeds. Nike was the daughter of Pallas and Styx and the sister of Cratos, Bia, and Zelus. Nike and her siblings were all companions of Zeus.

Explanation Nike: Nichole is in a way the symbol of this Church’s and it’s teams victory and fortune. It has had much success with keeping vampire numbers low, and Nichole is a great part of the reason for it. Also, having one team member codenamed after the goddess of victory has a good influence on them.

Tuck
- Real name unknown, named Tuck by Dain when he was “adopted” at the age of three.

- Age 17.

- While he often worries about Dain and is dependant on the vampire, Tuck is also very independent and self-sufficient. He is Dain’s Loyal and therefore bound to him to do his bidding, but Dain is in return responsible for Tuck’s welfare.

- Curly, dark blond hair, grey eyes.

- Average height for his age, lean build, quick of mind and body.

The meaning of Tuck: An estoc is a type of sword common in the 16th century. It was long, straight and stiff, with a diamond cross-section. An estoc had no cutting edge, just a point.

estoc is French, meaning thrust or point. Tuck is the English version of the word.

The tuck was an effective weapon. The long, straight blade was very rigid and could be thrust with one hand, or the second hand could be used to grip the blade to deliver an even more powerful thrust.

Explanation Tuck: Mostly know as the Friar Tuck of Robin Hood and his Merry men. Which is why I use my Tuck a little as Dain’s conscience – although Dain don’t always listen – and as his caretaker, obviously.

Shiva
- Birth name Shiva.

- Common name unused for so long it is now unknown by everyone else but Shiva herself.

- Age unknown, but thought to be well over nine hundred years old.

- Rank Highblood. The rank entails skills and traits all Highbloods have, such as the power to urge or control minds, acute senses, heightened reflexes and speed, durability and strength. Her advanced age also gives her the ability to Birth other vampires. Shiva Birthed Paris.

- Title Shiva Death-bringer. Her title comes from her disregard for human lives and her sometimes unquenchable thirst for blood.

- Status Blueblood. Her status is due to her lineage from the old maharajas of pre-colony India.

- Origin India.

- Black hair, waist length, often worn in a tight knot on the back of her head. Red caste mark between her eyebrows. Dark brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, a luminous, alluring beauty.

- She dresses like a contemporary businesswoman, since she owns and runs a very large and powerful corporation with hold in many large cities.

- Shiva is trustworthy and loyal to those she considers her closest confidants. But she always makes sure she comes out with a profit of some kind, always the businesswoman.

The meaning of Shiva: Shiva (also spelled Siva, Sanskrit) is a form of God in Hinduism. The name Siva means "One who purifies everyone by the utterance of His name." Alternatively, Siva means the Pure One, who is not affected by the three gunas (characteristics) of Prakrti (matter), Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.

He is the third form of God as the Destroyer, one of the trimurti (popularly called the "Hindu trinity"). In the trimurti, Shiva is the destroyer, while Brahma and Vishnu are creator and preserver, respectively. However, even though He represents destruction, He is viewed as a positive force (The Destroyer of Evil), since creation follows on from destruction. Worshippers of Shiva are called Shaivaites. For Shaivaites, however, Shiva is the only Ultimate Reality.

Shiva's consort is Devi, God's energy or God as the Divine Mother who comes in many different forms, one of whom is Kali, the goddess of death.

Explanation Shiva: While I know Shiva is a male god and that he is not as “bad” as Kali (the goddess of death and Shiva’s consort in one form), I couldn’t very well argue with my Shiva when she claimed that was her name. Shiva, as read above, is not only a god of destruction, but also of renewal and rebirth, and since my Shiva can Birth vampires of her own, this name suits her, I think.

Paris
- Birth name unknown.

- Common name Paris.

- Age unknown, approximately two to three hundred years.

- Rank Highblood. The rank entails skills and traits all Highbloods have, such as the power to urge or control minds, acute senses, heightened reflexes and speed, durability and strength.

- Status Blueblood. Basis for his claim is unknown, but he was Birthed by Shiva, which adds to his claim.

- Origin unknown, thought to be Europe or early immigrants to America.

- Wavy, blond hair, blue eyes, teasing, friendly smile and contagious laughter.

- Paris dresses in contemporary youthful clothes, often jeans and shirts, t-shirts, leather jackets and such.

- Paris isn’t afraid to get rowdy and often participates in more questionable affairs, much to Shiva’s consternation. He isn’t afraid of a fight and always stands up for his friends.

The meaning of Paris: To be brief, Paris was the younger brother of Hector of Troy. It was Paris, in a way, that brought about the destruction of the city because of his love for the woman Helena. It was also Paris that shot Achilles, killing him. It is said Paris was a coward, but also that he was very brave. I have really too little knowledge about Greek mythology/history to know for certain, but this site is very detailed, I think. Wikipedia is also good.

Paris is also the capital of France, and known as the City of Light. My Paris is a very bright creature, laughing and grinning at most business when others frown or grumble.

Explanation Paris: I like the name. Both meanings as read above suits him, he’s both brave and luminous, and while the Paris of mythology is argued to have been a coward, my Paris is not so. However, he can seem cowardly when following Shiva’s will, but I assure you he’d rather stand and fight. Rowdy creature.

Lupus
- Birth name unknown.

- Common name Lupus.

- Age unknown, approximately two hundred years.

- Rank Lowblood. The rank entails skills and traits all Lowbloods have, such as acute senses, heightened reflexes and speed.

- Origin America.

- Thin brownish hair, grey eyes. Lean, wiry build. Hoarse, thin voice.

- Lupus dresses in contemporary clothes, preferable of dark durable cloth.

- Lupus is after power. This is one reason he chose to become the advisor of the Council.

The meaning of Lupus: Latin for Wolf.

Lupus is a southern constellation. It is one of the 88 modern constellations and was also one of the 48 in Ptolemy's Almagest. It is between Centaurus and Scorpius.

Lupus erythematosus (also known as systemic lupus erythematosus - SLE) is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies are created against the patient's own DNA. It classically presents with a butterfly-shaped malar rash, causing a wolf-like appearance (Lupus is Latin for wolf). Despite this very clear etymology, it has been hypothesized that lupus erythematosus may be one of the diseases that may have inspired the myth of the werewolf.

Explanation Lupus: While I have nothing against wolves, they are wonderful creatures I like very much, my first thought when naming Lupus was a vague idea of a rash. According to the text above it is a disease that takes rash-like expressions, so I guess I was right about that. And it fits my Lupus; he’s not someone you want skin-close, for any reason.

copyright © Marie 'Mim' Efverstedt