Dawnwalker: Characters and NPCs

Once a miner and farmer in the small village of Laslea Glen, he becomes a human warrior by day and a predatory vampire by night.

Coen is the main protagonist and playable character in The Blood of Dawnwalker. He has 30 days to save his family from a ritual execution at the hands of Brencis, scheduled to take place on the exact day he is crowned ruler of Vale Sangora.

Coen’s father, a former mercenary and miner turned farmer.

My father ... Where do I even start?

He's complicated. He loves us all, for sure, but isn't good at making us feel it. He's the most hardworking man I know, but he may also be the most pigheaded. Life's been hard on him, I get it, especially since mum got worse. But sometimes ... there's just no way to get through to him.

He's taught me a lot, though. Everything I know about sword fighting I learned from him. We worked together in the silver mine, too, before it made me ill.

But his past is a mystery to me. People have told me he used to be a mercenary, but he refuses to talk about it. It's strange - we've lived under one roof my whole life, and yet there's so much about him I don't know.

TYPE: Mortal

Coen’s mother, once cheerful but recently distant and withdrawn.

I remember when my mother used to smile a lot, but that was a long, long time ago. Then life gradually started to take its toll. First Alin's death, then the plague, and finally, the vrakhir takeover ... She withdrew into herself, stopped speaking, eating, sometimes she wouldn't even get out of bed. I hope she'll come back to us one day, but is that even possible at this point?

TYPE: Mortal

Coen’s younger sister, the one you rescued from the plague.

Lunka is my sister. I remember when she was just a toddler, and now ... She's so perceptive and smart, always finding out how to get what she wants. But still, she's just a child, chasing whatever fancy catches her.

And that combination has me worried sick. She can't tell right from wrong, or safety from danger. I'm more of a parent to her now than mum or dad ... and I haven't got a clue how to do it. I don't want to be watching her every step ... But she can't end up like Alin. She just can't.

TYPE: Mortal

Coen’s second sister, nearly a young adult.

My sister Yanna is almost an adult now ... But she's always been mature beyond her years. When my father and I aren't around, she takes care of Mirto and Lunka. Her patience sometimes runs short, but she does what she can.

TYPE: Mortal

Coen’s younger brother, still a child and full of energy.

My little brother, Mirto, could hardly be more different from me. I was a pretty quiet child, while Mirto ... Well, you know. He's just a little ball of fire.

And I can't blame him. Things have never been easy with our dad, and now, with mum's withdrawal ... I'm sure he's dealing with a lot. I just wish I knew how to talk to him. Yanna keeps saying he'll grow out of it - out of the anger and the attitude ... but I worry she's just told herself that so many times that she's started believing it.

Anyway, being a young boy isn't easy. I try to remember that every time he throws a tantrum.

TYPE: Mortal

Brencis is the main antagonist in The Blood of Dawnwalker. Born as Caeso Burrienus Laurentius in 131 AD in the Roman Empire. He is a powerful vampire and the current ruler of Vale Sangora.

Two years ago, soon after the plague started, Brencis and his three vrakhir henchmen stepped out of the shadows. In just one night they killed the knyaz at the time, Skender Dragosti, and took over Vale Sangora.

When Brencis told us he was going to drink our blood and commanded us to drink his, people were terrified. But soon they got used to it.

Today, Brencis rules the valley from Greifberg Castle in Svartrau. He rarely leaves it, except to attend Blood Mass. He is old, there's no hiding it - but even though his body may seem to be crumbling, he is powerful ... and somehow his strength seems only to be growing.

TYPE: Supernatural

Xanthe, she is oldest of Brencis' henchmen.

Xanthe is the oldest vrakhir in Brencis's court, older even than the knyaz himself. While the others rely mainly on their claws and fangs, Xanthe prefers to meddle with her foes's minds. They say she can drive you mad in an instant ... Or even make blood come bubbling out of your ears.

In Brencis's grand plan, she's responsible for turning soldiers into blood guards. How exactly she does that remains a mystery, but it involves a dark ritual that cannot be reversed.

TYPE: Supernatural

Ambrus is the youngest of Brencis' henchmen, but just as corrupt as any of them.

Just a few years ago, he was a mercenary in Skender's retinue - until he stood up to his liege lord, who then punished him by pouring boiling water down his throat.

Brencis found the dying Ambrus in a dungeon and offered to turn him in exchange for unquestioned loyalty. He didn't have to ask twice.

Today, Ambrus is responsible for collecting, storing and distributing blood - and does his job with unparalleled zeal.

TYPE: Supernatural

Bakir, one of Brencis' henchmen.

I don't know if Bakir has always been this mad, or if years of feasting on humans have made him who he is. Either way, he's a monster. He doesn't just despise humans - he makes them into his playthings. His Lunar Tournament - the sick games he lures people into taking part in, end every single time in a bloodbath.

TYPE: Supernatural

It is not hard to guess that Anca is a witch, but she is one of the good ones. She is also a potential romance option in Dawnwalker.

Anca is a herbalist, but she hasn't always been one. For years she served God at St. Tyna's convent. The nun's life wasn't a good fit for her, but the truth is, she's far too clever to be where she is now, either. She speaks Latin, knows things about the world nobody else does ... yet I wouldn't call her happy.

We get along well, though. I enjoy her company, and - for whatever reason - the feeling seems to be mutual.

TYPE: Mortal

Vladimir is a friend of Coen and one of the leaders of the human rebellion against the Vrakhiri. His extreme methods do not sit entirely right with Coen.

Vlad is friends with both me and my father. And since the two of us are as different as night and day, this probably proves that Vlad could be friends with anyone. He's almost twice my age, but the years haven't weighed him down - which is an exception to the rule in Laslea.

Recently he's become somewhat secretive, though. Some say he's in touch with the manumits, the rebels preparing an uprising against Brencis. If that's true, I bet he'll want me and my father to get involved too.

TYPE: Mortal

Kostel is a hot-headed young man working with Vladimir.

Kostel acts before he thinks. He's lucky he had a caring mum, Lina, who always took his side whenever things got out of hand, which usually meant him getting into a fight. My father said once, 'the reason Kostel will never change is because there's always someone to get him back on his feet'. I don't know if he was right, but it continued even after Kostel's mum died. Her nephew, Vlad, picked up where she left off, and started looking after the lad - partly because he's family, but also as a friend, I think. Sometimes I get the feeling that Vlad encourages Kostel's rashness instead of reining it in - but for what reason, I don't know.

TYPE: Mortal

Gremla has a problem. The banner she was weaving at Brencis's request went missing.

Gremla is one of the oldest women in Laslea, and one with many talents. She's a skilled weaver, a great cook and knows the history of our village better than anyone. But since Brencis turned up, she lives in constant apprehension. You can tell she despises the vrakhiri, but she thinks it isn't her place to stand up to them. Instead, she tries to placate them so they'll leave Laslea alone. Not everyone agrees with her, but a lot of us do.

TYPE: Mortal

Gavril is working in the field right off the road to Anca's Hut, searching for his missing brother, Lazar.

Gavril is reliable. If he says he'll do something, you can consider it done. This puzzles many people in Laslea, since Gavril's brother, Lazar, is the exact opposite - to such a degree that some hardly believe they're brothers at all.

TYPE: Mortal

You need to track down Iorgu's missing pig.

Iorgu thinks a lot. He keeps asking himself all sorts of questions, like: What's a rainbow? Do mice really sprout from rotting hay? Why do clouds float? And I don't think he's really looking for answers. He just asks for the joy of it.

That doesn't mean he's some useless layabout. He owns plenty of animals, so he has no choice but to work from dawn till dusk. But he doesn't seem to mind.

TYPE: Mortal

Crina has a problem. Someone dug up her grandson's grave at the cemetery near the church.

Crina is one of my neighbours from Laslea. She looks older than she actually is - in part due to years of working in the fields, but also because she's been struck by tragedy. Her only grandson, Kvet, died unexpectedly from what seemed to be a minor scratch - which then turned into a festering wound. Crina's life fell apart after that. I know what she's feeling and wish I could help her, but I'm not really sure how.

TYPE: Mortal

Vasil is Atanas's unruly son. His father is to blame since he raised him with violence.

In Laslea, Vasil has a reputation. He's not keen on hard work, but does love giving other people a hard time. Me especially, on account of my friendship with Anca. Vasil's father thinks he needs to beat this attitude out of his son, but I'm not sure he's tried any other approach.

TYPE: Mortal

Premysl is the one who stole Brencis's banner, but we shouldn't judge him too harshly.

Premysl is deeply religious. He has always taken the teachings of the Church to heart, maybe even more so than the priests who used to preach them. I imagine that every day under Brencis's rule must be torture for him. Normally, he tries to hold back, but every now and then he'll say something about 'blasphemy' and us being 'lambs ready for the slaughter' - which only adds to the tension between him and the more conciliatory of us.

TYPE: Mortal

Lazar is Gavril's brother. You rescue him from the Ancient Tomb.

Lazar is Gavril's brother ... and that might be the only reason he's still alive. Of the two, Lazar has always been the freer spirit, some might say 'absent-minded' or 'reckless'. But luckily, he's had Gavril, who used to get him out of trouble every step of the way. Oddly enough, I'd say it does them both good. Lazar is free to live as he wants (or maybe the only way he knows how), secure in the knowledge that his brother is watching over him. And Gavril has somebody to look after. It's not my place to judge them.

TYPE: Mortal

Atanas, Vasil's father, faces the consequences of his violent parenting.

Atanas is one of my neighbours from Laslea. He's the sort of man who demands respect simply on account of his age. In Atanas's case, it would be hard to find any other reasons. He's a heavy drinker, and tries to raise his son Vasil mainly by reprimanding him, which only makes things worse.

TYPE: Mortal

Brencis kills Skender two years before the events of Dawnwalker.

Skender Dragosti had ruled Vale Sangora for as long as I could remember. He ascended the throne in 1324, after his father died in a hunting accident. From his very first day, he ruled with an iron fist. He didn't just exploit us all, like his forebears did. He was cruel and ruled entirely through fear.

It took nine years for people to muster the courage to revolt. But even then, he didn't stop. He massacred the peasants at Shrike's Crag, leaving no one alive. From that day on, nobody else dared to oppose him.

Until finally, Brencis did. And many people were grateful for that.

TYPE: Mortal

Father Florin, the opportunistic priest at the church in Laslea Glen.

In the past, Father Florin was Knyaz Skender's personal confessor. Today he is the key figure in Brencis's church, the Blood Covenant. Whatever atrocity the vrakhiri commit, Florin always finds a way to convince his flock this is the way things should be. Most of the time he resides in Svartrau Cathedral, but he often visits villages throughout the valley, celebrating Mass and hearing confessions. He's always known how to keep himself busy, that's for sure.

TYPE: Mortal