Tia was devastated when Benjamin disappeared.
Tia was devastated when Benjamin disappeared. When the uncle's body was found, everyone assumed that Benjamin was dead, too. Tia searched out her mother, whom she found in slightly better circumstances. Tia had all the money she and Benjamin had saved, and her mother was happy to let her stay with such a contribution. Tia continued performing and stealing to help her family. After a few years, Tia's mother was offered a dowry for the girl, which she accepted. Tia was married to a clerk for a shipping company and taken to Suez. Her circumstances were more comfortable than at home, and she was not unhappy. However, she did not love her husband.
When she realized that she couldn't effectively stay with him as a human, she was willing to become a vampire.
When she saw Benjamin in her garden, Tia didn't question for a second that she would be leaving with him. Though she was totally unprepared for his changed appearance or revelations, none of it made a difference. When she realized that she couldn't effectively stay with him as a human, she was willing to become a vampire.
Tia never embraced Amun or Kebi as fully as Benjamin had. She could see that, like the uncle, Amun was interested in Benjamin because of what he could get out of him. But as long as Amun's goal was the same as hers--to keep Benjamin safe--she had no problem staying with his coven.
The Irish Coven
The three members of the Irish coven are old friends of Carlisle Cullen's. Siobhan is the leader, but she and her mate, Liam, trust the judgment of their newest member, Maggie, who has a gift for knowing a lie when she hears one.
LIAM
NAME: Liam
DATE OF BIRTH: Around 1615
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1651, at approximately age 36
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Ireland
HAIR COLOR: Dark brown
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6'5"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Liam is tall and lean, with an imposing countenance.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Liam's mate is Siobhan. Maggie is the other member of their coven.
Once a vampire was totally sated, she might continue to drink blood for enjoyment rather than need.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Liam was an Irish warrior who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and later against Cromwell's reconquest of Ireland. Liam became a vampire through one of the most common types of accidental transformation: battlefield excess. After the Volturi came to power, vampires were unable to kill as recklessly as before, and most were forced to curb their appetites to avoid notice. The circumstances of war, however, gave them an opportunity to kill large numbers of humans at once without attracting attention from either humans or vampires. It became common among nomads to seek out human wars as an opportunity to feast. One of the consequences of this practice was the occasional unplanned transformation. Once a vampire was totally sated, she might continue to drink blood for enjoyment rather than need. In such situations, she might not drain enough blood from her victim to kill him. If she left him in that state without any further violence, he would begin the transformation process.
After Liam's conversion was complete, he went through the normal period of newborn behavior. He met Siobhan during his first six months of vampire life. She instructed him on the vampire laws, which kept him from drawing negative attention from the Volturi. Liam was very taken with Siobhan's strength and beauty. They joined forces quickly. Though it was never discussed, from the beginning Siobhan was the coven's leader.
When Liam was no longer a newborn, he became selective about his prey. For centuries he would kill only Englishmen. English soldiers are still his preferred victims.
Liam and Siobhan were well aware of the Volturi and their rules, and always behaved circumspectly. For Liam, as long as the Volturi did not become corrupted by their power and attempt to control more aspects of vampire life, he had no problem with them. He was born into a world where their laws of mutual convenience were accepted fact, and he did not question them.
Liam was not as fascinated as Siobhan by the stories of the Volturi guard's special talents. When Siobhan discovered Maggie and wanted to try to create her own talented vampire, Liam was opposed. He was concerned that the Volturi would resent the imitation, if they found out. More than that, he didn't want to share Siobhan's attention with anyone else. Siobhan transformed Maggie regardless, leaving Liam quite unhappy with her decision. Siobhan pled with him to give Maggie a chance, and he grudgingly agreed. It didn't take long for Liam to see the benefits of having a talented coven member, and over time he became quite fond of Maggie. He learned to consider her a younger sister.
MAGGIE
NAME: Maggie
DATE OF BIRTH: 1832
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1847, at age 15
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Siobhan
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Ireland
HAIR COLOR: Red
EYE COLOR: Blue (human); red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'2"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Maggie is short and very thin, and has bright red ringlets.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She is able to tell if a person is lying.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She is in a coven with Siobhan and Liam.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Maggie always had difficulty dealing with authority, on a parental level and on a community level. The normal everyday hypocrisy that most people expected was always foreign to her. If someone said something that did not correspond with their true feelings, Maggie was instinctively aware of that discrepancy. In those situations, she felt compelled to point out the lie. Though this often led to punishment, sometimes quite severe, she was unable to let the lie pass. Her accuracy made people uncomfortable, and the closer someone was to her, the more uncomfortable she made them.
In reality--as Maggie was well aware--she was sacrificed because her parents did not love her as much as they loved her siblings.
In the mid-1840s the Great Famine decimated her village. Everyone who could afford to immigrate to America left. This included her family, who had not quite enough to buy passage for every member. Maggie's maternal grandparents, who were already in poor condition, were left behind. Maggie was left, ostensibly to care for them as best she could. In reality--as Maggie was well aware--she was sacrificed because her parents did not love her as much as they loved her siblings. She was a trial to them, and they sometimes wondered if her abilities were demonic.
Siobhan and Liam found Maggie alone on the road to Cork, nearly dead from starvation. Naturally, when Siobhan questioned Maggie, her answers were the whole truth.
After Maggie's transformation, her ability became even more pronounced. A person did not have to speak aloud for Maggie to know if he was behaving in a way contrary to what he believed. If a person misrepresented himself in either appearance or action, she knew.
Because Siobhan and Liam were routinely honest with each other and themselves, having Maggie join their coven was not the strain it might have been. It was easier for Maggie to be with them than it would have been otherwise; after her transformation, any kind of deception made her physically uncomfortable.
FAMOUS QUOTE
"I know truth is on Carlisle's side. I can't ignore that." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 34
SIOBHAN
NAME: Siobhan
DATE OF BIRTH: Around 1490
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Around 1510, at approximately age 20
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Sancar
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Ireland
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Violet-blue (human); red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6'2"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Siobhan is very tall, muscular, and voluptuous, with thick black hair and exceptionally beautiful facial features.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Though Siobhan does not believe she has any talent, some s
uspect she can affect the outcome of a situation through willpower alone.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Her mate is Liam, and Maggie is also in her coven.
Eventually, she became an accepted part of village life and grew famous in the surrounding areas as the big blacksmith girl.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Siobhan was the only daughter of a blacksmith and his wife. This made her unusual in a village where most families were very large. She had a strikingly attractive face. Large violet-blue eyes, surrounded by incredibly long lashes, were her dominant feature. She also was known for her perfect fair skin. Aside from these things, however, she was unlike the other village beauties. By the time she was fourteen, she was taller than any other woman in the village. By the time she was sixteen, she was taller than all of the men, except for her father. She was also stronger than many of them; as an only child, she'd always helped her father at the forge. He died in an accident when she was seventeen, and by then she was strong and knowledgeable enough to take over his craft. This was unheard of, and disapproved of by many. However, it was what she wanted, and the village needed a blacksmith. Eventually, she became an accepted part of village life and grew famous in the surrounding areas as the big blacksmith girl.
Despite her beautiful face and generous hourglass figure, Siobhan did not have suitors. Her height, strength, and profitable occupation were intimidating to the village men. This did not bother Siobhan, who saw no need for a husband. She was able to comfortably support herself and her mother, and she did not want anything else.
The physical size and strength that awed the locals, however, brought her to the attention of a Turkish vampire named Sancar. Sancar was creating a vampire harem, and he desired unusual women for his collection. Sancar traveled through all of Europe with human servants, seeking the exceptional. He heard of the beautiful Irish woman who was stronger than a man, and sought her out. She was like no one he'd ever seen before, and he decided to add her to his assortment of females.
She was intrigued by the amazing things they were rumored to be capable of, and by the warriors in the bunch.
Sancar gave Siobhan no warning or explanation. He abducted her in the night, raped her, bit her, and then carried her back to his home while she was still in the painful throes of the conversion process. Sancar had a difficult time dealing with the newborn Siobhan. She was incredibly strong, even for a newborn vampire. She also had no love for Sancar. For a while he was able to keep her distracted with plenty of blood, but before her first year as a vampire was over, she killed Sancar. She was then forced to destroy the three members of his harem coven who were devoted to him. The four others were not upset by Sancar's demise, and they all went their own ways. Siobhan spent a few years traveling and learning the way vampires lived before she returned to Ireland. She was more widely nomadic for her first century, hunting across most of Europe and Asia. During that time, she met a few members of the Volturi guard. She was intrigued by the amazing things they were rumored to be capable of, and by the warriors in the bunch. She wondered if she was strong enough to be acceptable. But she never went to the Volturi to be considered. She didn't want to belong to anyone but herself.
On one of her return trips to Ireland, she found the newborn Liam. She was attracted to his fierceness and focus, both of which were apparent despite his newborn wildness. She could see that he was totally uneducated, and so she took him under her wing. After they joined forces, they stayed mostly in Ireland. Liam was most comfortable there, though he did travel occasionally with Siobhan.
Siobhan and Liam had just finished hunting one night when they came across Maggie. Siobhan was startled when the delirious child accused them of not being human. Intrigued, Siobhan asked her how she knew, and Maggie explained the curse that had led to her abandonment.
Siobhan was sure she had discovered one of those special humans who would have an extra ability as a vampire. She was excited to proceed.
Siobhan was sure she had discovered one of those special humans who would have an extra ability as a vampire. She was excited to proceed, but Liam was upset. He didn't understand why she would want to add someone to their coven. Weren't they happy as they were? Siobhan overruled him, and invited Maggie to join them, promising that she would never be hungry again. Maggie could sense that Siobhan was telling the truth, and that Siobhan did not mean her harm, so she agreed.
Siobhan asked Liam to trust her, and he reluctantly agreed to see how things would work out. Siobhan made it clear that Liam was her first priority, and he became reconciled to Maggie's presence more quickly than Siobhan had expected.
Siobhan also enjoyed Maggie's company more than she expected. She felt very maternal toward the girl, and fell naturally into the kind of close relationship she'd had with her own mother. She also enjoyed the advantage Maggie's talent gave her in any kind of interaction. Maggie learned to control her vocalizations, so she was able to simply nod or shake her head slightly to communicate whether or not someone was being honest. As long as she knew Siobhan was hearing the truth, she was comfortable.
While Siobhan was happy with her choice to include Maggie in her coven, she felt no desire to seek out other talented humans. Her curiosity about that world was satisfied.
FAMOUS QUOTE
"Shall I visualize the outcome I desire?" Breaking Dawn, Chapter 34
James's Coven
James, a tracker who loved the hunt, sought out the company of a few other vampires in order to use their help in his ongoing tracking games. His coven was nomadic. The members, all of whom are now deceased, drank human blood, as do most vampires, and they spent the majority of their lives outdoors. Because they never made the attempt to blend in with humans, they did not see the need to pay close attention to personal appearance; they looked feral to other vampires and to humans.
NAME: James
DATE OF BIRTH: Around 1780
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Around 1805, at approximately age 25
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: A French vampire
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Present-day northwestern Pennsylvania, near Lake Erie
HAIR COLOR: Light brown
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'10"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: With an average build and nondescript features, James was not as beautiful as most vampires.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: He was a skilled tracker, able to sense in advance the most likely moves of his prey.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: His mate was Victoria. Laurent also traveled in his coven for a short while.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
James was born near the end of the American Revolution. His father was a French trapper and his mother was an English girl who had come to the Americas as an indentured servant and subsequently run away from her master. They lived a nomadic lifestyle, spending most of their time on the trail and occasionally returning to Montreal or Pittsburgh to trade.
James was raised to track and trap, and he learned quickly. The Iroquois killed his parents before his eleventh birthday, but already his skills were developed enough that he was able to survive on his own. He gained a measure of fame during his late teens and early twenties as the best tracker on the frontier, as well as sometimes being called the ugliest. He didn't care about his face; all he cared about was winning. He was boastful about his prowess, and always up for a challenge. He won all contests of skill, until one night in Montreal, when he met a mysterious Frenchman--also claiming to be a tracker--who found James's confidence amusing. The Frenchman offered to best him in any test, his only condition being that the competition had to be at night. James was unimpressed by the dandified appearance of his competitor, and he agreed without hesitation, even when the Frenchman--seemingly in jest--upped the stakes to life or death. James's test was to release a marked deer into the wild, allow it an hour to run or hide, and then track it. Of course, the Frenchman found the deer in a matter of minutes. He returned the carcass to James, who had just begun his search, and re
minded James that his life was forfeit. James--who had witnessed the speed with which the Frenchman moved and also saw no evidence of traditional hunting methods on the deer's body--cried foul. He said the Frenchman obviously had an undisclosed advantage, perhaps witchcraft or demonic help. If James were given the same advantage, he was sure he could beat the Frenchman.
The French vampire was entertained by James's brash confidence. He agreed to give James the exact advantage he himself had, thinking it a good joke to end the bet by taking James's life in a different way. He bit James and left, laughing, offering a rematch in a decade or so.
He was quite pleased with his heightened abilities, and surprised that he was no longer considered ugly.
James adjusted to vampire life fairly easily. He was quite pleased with his heightened abilities, and surprised that he was no longer considered ugly. But that didn't soften him toward the Frenchman. It was only about six months after the newborn madness had faded when he found the French vampire and killed him--James's idea of winning the bet.
Being a vampire made normal tracking--James's lifelong pursuit--somewhat boring. His senses were so developed that it was child's play to track any animal or human. To liven things up, James began giving himself harder and harder challenges. He would pick someone on a crowded city street, allow himself one sniff, and then walk away from the chase for a week or a month. Then he would return to the scene and track that individual. When that became too easy, he would do the same thing on a crowded dock, follow the ship a few months later, and search for his victim in another country. Sometimes these hunts took years, but James always found his prey. Because of his success, this got boring, too. He looked for bigger challenges, and began moving away from the practice of tracking for food. Instead he tracked vampires, a more worthy prey. This practice nearly cost him his life a few times, when he'd killed one member of a coven and then been set upon by the vengeful remnants. These dangerous experiences did not stop him; he enjoyed the escalated consequences of his game.
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