December Wright
Student
Ember Wright is a foster kid, outcast, and lone Goth in her sleepy, late-80s town, and she knows she is different. She’s preoccupied with music, art, knitting, and Victorian insults, which she uses freely. She has a secret, though: songs that get stuck in her head double as premonitions. The strangeness she has always experienced escalates as her 18th birthday approaches. Even her tarot cards are telling her that something big is coming…
Mr. Whitley
Owner, Mr. Whitley’s Emporium of Curiosities and Oddities and Ember’s employer.
Adair Whitley–or Whit, as Ember calls him– has secrets. Unbeknownst to Ember, Whit, was once part of a monastic oracle society called the Draíodóir in the magickal city of Elysia. He is also Ember’s father. As Ember’s 18th birthday approaches, Whit knows there are hard truths that she must confront. His biggest hope is that his secret won’t tear them apart.
Nicoletta Jones
Student
Nico Jones is Ember’s best friend and ally against the bullies of Hackley High. She’s always down for hanging out, knitting, or taking down a tormentor. But there’s something she’s hiding from Ember, and it could mean the end of their friendship.
Kenyon McQuiston
Inventor, Honourable Guild of Innovators
As a brilliant inventor, rising star within the Innovators Guild, and libertine, Kenyon McQuiston appears to have it all to the outside world. However, tragedy struck early in Kenyon’s life when he lost his mother. Loss taught him to never invest too deeply into anyone. A haunting memory returns to remind him that there is more in store for him than he could ever guess.
Phaedra Rule
Prioress, Priory of the Vala
Honourable Guild of Liminal Space
Phaedra belongs to the Oracle society The Priory of the Vala, which descends from Norse witches, the Völva, who were practitioners of Seiðr. Their art of spinning yarn to induce visions and weaving as a form of intervention into Destiny lives on in the Vala. After a meteoric rise through the ranks of the Vala, Phaedra finds her skills don’t measure up to the job. Phaedra’s addiction to magic and the magic-enhancing drug Amplicon drive her to great lengths to make the power hers. Guilt, manipulation, and gaslighting are Phaedra’s weapons of choice.
Prior Aaric Aumont
Prior, Priory of the Draíodóir
Honourable Guild of Liminal Space
Once slated to be the First Steward of the Draíodóir, Aaric finds himself pushed into a leadership position with the sudden and mysterious disappearance of his best friend and confidant, Adair. The influence of the once powerful Draíodóir continues to wane under his guidance.
Sister Vadoma Palgrave,
First Cleric, Priory of the Vala
Honourable Guild of Liminal Space
As a gifted Oracle, Sister Valdoma was destined to be the Prioress of the Vala. All that changed with the unexpected rise of another. Now, Sister Vadoma is First Cleric, taking a back seat to a Sister of questionable abilities and even more questionable motives. Responding to the chaos Sister Phaedra has initiated, Vadoma creates an ad hoc resistance to combat the dubious dealings of the Prioress.
Brother Imanu,
First Steward, Priory of the Draíodóir
Honourable Guild of Liminal Space.
Born in Kalahari, Imanu was the first of his family to be born with the gift of clairaudience, which put him at odds with the complex political machinations of his family. He traveled throughout the magical cities of the Commonwealth of Atlaria, searching for a place to call home. His search led him to find the Priory of the Draíodóir, but, as is his family’s way, he finds himself in a leadership position within his chosen home as second in command. First Steward Imanu is content to hold his position, though he worries about the Draíodóir’s future and their leader.
Romulus Amato
Artomancer
Honourable Guild of the Arts
Romulus Amato is making a name for himself with his deep interest in arcane studies, reviving the nearly lost craft of Artomancy. He bucks societal rules as he forges his own path of identity and occupation. His close friends Kenyon McQuiston and Nico Jones call him Romeo.
Zola Ragana
Zola is the mysterious new Art teacher at Hackley High. Her unusual affinity to a peculiar shawl is obvious, as is her observance of Ember Wright. She has a secret all her own about her origin and place in Ember’s life.
Merrick McQuiston
Inventor
Honourable Guild of Innovators
A widower and single father, Merri must find his way through his grief to be everything his son needs. A clandestine friendship with exiled friend Adair is the only companionship he allows himself. This friendship has long ties to their familial histories and even longer ties to their family’s futures.
Magðalena McQuiston, deceased
Formerly, Priory of the Vala
Honourable Guild of Liminal Space
New mother and wife Lena died tragically young, leaving a young son and bereft husband behind to make a life without her.
Personal Assistant to Kenyon McQuiston
Honourable guild of Laborers
Samara Zandi
Formerly the assistant to Kenyon’s father, Zandi’s desire to remain in service to the family is an act of kindness. Finding it difficult to leave a young man who’s all alone, Zandi does her best to watch over Kenyon.