History Characters / NightWorldShapeshifters

* MeaningfulName: Possibly. Shapeshifters are known to have names alluding to their animal form. Sekhmet is an Egytian goddess of war and healing, often depicted as a lioness or with the head of a lioness. [[GeniusBonus This would imply Sekhmet's animal form is in fact]] [[PantheraAwesome a lioness]].

!!!'''Appears in:''' ''Black Dawn''

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: To an extent. Moments after meeting [[spoiler: Aradia]], he was compelled to help her in any way possible and was willing to risk injury or even death protecting her from Night People. He clearly has this in common with his sister.
* CoolBigBro: To Maggie.

* DisneyDeath: Sylvia claims at the start that he accidentally fell to his death whilst they were mountain climbing, but Maggie doesn’t believe her because she [[OutOfCharacterAlert knows her brother would never make such an amateur mistake]] and because she realizes Sylvia is [[CrocodileTears faking her grief]]. [[spoiler: In the end, he turns out to be alive and well]].

* AwesomeMcCoolName / MeaningfulName: His first name is possibly derived from Irish Gaelic meaning "black" or "dark", potentially alluding to the line of the Wild Power prophecy that pertains to him: "One from the twilight to be one with the dark". Combined with his surname, his full name roughly translates as "black dragon" or "dark dragon".

* BalefulPolymorph: [[spoiler: Sylvia turns him into a falcon shapeshifter and puts an enchanted band on his leg that doesn’t allow him to turn back into a human. After Maggie finds him and removes the band, however, he’s able to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting transform at will]]]].

!!!'''Appears in:''' ''Secret Vampire''

[[folder: Raksha Keller]]
!!Raksha Keller

->''"Love is weakness. And nobody is making me sentimental and weak! Nobody!"''

The main protagonist of ''Witchlight''. She is a panther shapeshifter and one of Circle Daybreak's top agents, assigned to find and protect Iliana in time for her ArrangedMarriage to Galen Drache. However, matters are complicated when Keller turns out to be Galen's soulmate.

* AbusiveParents: See ParentalAbandonment.
* ActionGirl: She's one of Circle Daybreak's top agents and always throws herself into the front lines without hesitation.
* ActionGirlfriend: A bit of one to Galen.
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: She’s usually [[ConsummateProfessional all-business]] and not a cuddly sort of person, bordering on {{Jerkass}} at times, with black hair. She [[CharacterDevelopment becomes a bit friendlier]] towards the end.
* AnimalMotif: The [[PantheraAwesome black panther]] (her animal form). She's said to look "like a half-tamed panther" even in her human form.
* BeastMan: Resembles this when she’s [[PartialTransformation partially transformed]].
* BerserkButton: Don't call her by her first name.
* BettyAndVeronica: She's the Veronica to Iliana's Betty for Galen.
* BloodBrothers: [[spoiler: Iliana declares them blood sisters after performing a blood tie with her]].
* BrokenBird: Considering the way she was treated in her early years, it's not all that surprising she has issues trusting people or letting them be close to her; it's also implied she views ''herself'' as being unworthy of love to an extent.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: GenderFlip version with Galen, she being the Brooding Girl to his Gentle Boy.
* ByronicHero: A rare female version. She's jaded, brooding and prone to angry outbursts, claims to not give a damn whilst actually possessing a strong and unwavering moral code, willing to risk severe injury or death [[{{Determinator}} to achieve her goals]], has a DarkAndTroubledPast that has a lot to do with her [[CynicismCatalyst current cynicism]] and is rather [[LoveHurts angst-ridden and conflicted over her growing feelings]] for Galen.
* CatchPhrase: "I'm just a grunt".
* DefrostingIceQueen: She becomes less aloof and standoffish over the course of ''Witchlight'', mostly due to [[OneTrueLove Galen]] and [[FireForgedFriends Iliana]].
* DoNotCallMePaul: She's not keen on her first name, due to it meaning "demon".
* FireForgedFriends: Eventually with Iliana.
* GoodIsNotNice: She can be quite rude and hostile, but is ultimately a good-hearted person. She eventually [[CharacterDevelopment becomes a fair bit friendlier]] as well.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Keller isn't exaggerating when she describes herself as a predator, trying to rip out an opponent's throat with her ''teeth''.
* HotBlooded: When she's not being [[AloofDarkHairedGirl sullen and aloof]], she's charging into battle, yelling at people for one reason or another and generally comes across as stubborn, strong-willed and opinionated.
* IcyGrayEyes: Her eyes are gray, befitting her somewhat cold and unapproachable demeanour, as well as her strong will.
* InconvenientAttraction: Keller considers her soulmate bond to Galen to be ''extremely'' inconvenient, both because she thinks LoveIsAWeakness and because he's already betrothed to Iliana, the marriage pact being integral to the alliance between the Draches and Harmans. Even when she starts to accept her feelings for him, it only [[LoveHurts causes her more pain]] because she knows [[StarcrossedLovers they can't be together]].
* InterclassRomance: With Galen. She's an ordinary shapeshifter while he's a prince.
* KnightInSourArmor: What she actually is despite her claims of being a PunchClockHero; as tough and cynical as she is, she ''does'' actually care…she just doesn’t like to admit it because she thinks LoveIsAWeakness.
* LastNameBasis: She's very rarely called by her first name.
* TheLeader: Of the team in ''Witchlight''; a tough, headstrong, no-nonsense ActionGirl who commands respect and always finishes what she started.
* LongLostSibling: According to WordOfGod, [[spoiler: Rashel and Keller]] are twins SeparatedAtBirth.
* LoveIsAWeakness: Keller's motto. [[spoiler: She [[CharacterDevelopment changes her mind]] by the end]].
* MeaningfulName: Her first name comes from the rakshasa, creatures found in Hindu mythology who can shapeshift. The word itself comes from a Sanskrit term translating as "protect", possibly alluding to her protector role in Circle Daybreak and as Iliana's bodyguard.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: ''Claims'' this is her motivation, [[SubvertedTrope but Galen calls her out on it]], stating that someone wouldn’t be willing to [[{{Determinator}} go to the lengths she does to achieve her goals]], including nearly getting herself killed repeatedly, simply for money. The level of devotion she shows to Circle Daybreak and her teammates suggests otherwise, too.
* OppositesAttract: With Galen. She's an abrasive KnightInSourArmour, while he's a kind and gentle IdealHero.
* PaleFemalesDarkMales: A rare inversion. [[spoiler: Keller's animal form is a melanistic leopard, whilst her soulmate Galen is a more typically-coloured golden leopard]].
* ParentalAbandonment: [[spoiler: Because of the fact that she couldn't control her shifting (especially when she was frightened) her mother (or possibly her father) left her in an cardboard box like someone would for kittens and puppies, ''stuck in her half and half form'' with a note basically saying that [[KickTheDog she is unloved and will always be alone]]. And it didn't even end there. She got fostered by someone who worked with Circle Daybreak, but they palmed her off on someone else after she inadvertently scratched them, even though she clearly never meant to do it and she was just a child at the time]].
* PunchClockHero: Subverted. She tries to act like she only does what she does for money and out of gratitude to Circle Daybreak for taking her in as a kid, but it becomes clear she actually does care about helping people (which she accepts by the end).
* RecruitedFromTheGutter: A near-literal example. She is very loyal to Circle Daybreak because they rescued her after [[spoiler: she was abandoned by her parents as an infant]].
* ShapeshifterModeLock: As an infant and young child, she would get stuck between her human and panther forms due to [[PowerIncontinence lacking the ability to control her powers]]. [[spoiler: She was actually ''abandoned'' by her parents in this form]].
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She eventually falls for Galen because he's a genuinely [[NiceGuy very kind and sensitive boy]], who often tells her YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre.
* SourOutsideSadInside: Her [[IceQueen aloofness]] and {{Jerkass}} behaviour is [[HiddenHeartOfGold a cover]] for her pain over her past and [[NeverBeHurtAgain fear of being hurt again]] if she lets anyone in.
* {{Tsundere}}: Has shades of this, with her default personality as "tsun tsun", though she gradually shows more "dere" traits.

[[folder: Azhdeha]]
!!Azhdeha

A dragon shapeshifter who is awoken shortly before ''Witchlight'' and allies with the Night World, leading their hunt for Iliana Dominick.

* BigBad: Of ''Witchlight'', though as he later reveals to Keller that he [[GreaterScopeVillain secretly serves someone else]] responsible for waking him - "a witch who isn't a witch".
* DraconicAbomination: His true form is a foul smelling, greenish-yellow, fifteen foot long Velociraptor dragon who stands on two legs and has sharp clawed hands.
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: He is finally defeated by Iliana incinerating him with blue fire]].
* MeaningfulName: According to Galen, Ahzdeha means "man-eating serpent" in Persian. In Iranian mythology, 'azhdaha' are giant, snake-like creatures similar to dragons.
* MindRape: He has the ability to mentally dominate people and bend them to his will.
* SealedEvilInACan: Thousands of years ago, he was put into an enchanted sleep and buried beneath the earth by the witches, but was recently awoken by an unknown person to aid the Night World against Circle Daybreak.
* TimeAbyss: As the war between the witches and dragons occurred years before even Maya and Hellewise's duel (in the Stone Age), Azhdeha is likely the oldest living character in the series thus far.
[[/folder]]

!!Drache family

[[folder: In General]]
* AltarDiplomacy: In ''Witchlight'', the family seeks an alliance with the Harmans (and by extension all the witches [[spoiler: and Circle Daybreak]]) by marrying Prince Galen to the Witch Child, the lost Harman destined to be a [[TheChosenOne Wild Power]].
* DragonAncestry: All the Draches are descended from [[{{Weredragon}} dragon shapeshifters]], though it's unknown if they themselves could still shapeshift into a dragon form.
* MeaningfulName: Their surname is German for "dragon".
* RoyaltySuperpower: Members of the Drache bloodline have some abilities and traits different from ordinary shapeshifters, due to being descended from dragons. One such ability is being able to telepathically communicate with animals, including other shapeshifters while they're in their animal forms. Another unique trait they possess is that they aren't born with a specific animal form and can choose for themselves; they do this by making physical contact with an animal when they consciously choose to shapeshift for the first time. However, once they've made their choice, they're stuck with that animal form permanently, so they have to choose carefully.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Galen Drache]]
!!Prince Galen Drache
!!!'''Appears in:''' ''Witchlight''

->''"People die . . . so love them every day. Beauty fades . . . so look before it's gone. Love changes . . . but not the love you give. And if you love, you'll never be alone."''

One of the secondary protagonists of ''Witchlight''. He is a prince of the First House of the Shapeshifters, who hasn't yet chosen his animal form. He's meant to be marrying Iliana Dominick to secure an alliance, only for it to turn out he is the soulmate of Raksha Keller, Iliana's bodyguard.
----

* InTheBlood: Subverted. Though his family - due to being descended from dragon shapeshifters - are known to be tyrannical and bloodthirsty, Galen is [[NiceGuy very kind, gentle and largely a pacifist]].

[[folder: Prince Galen Drache]]
!!Galen Drache

[[folder: Galen Drache]]

!!!'''Appears in:''' Witchlight''

!!!'''Appears in:''' Witchlight''

!!!'''Appears in:''' Witchlight''

!!!'''Appear in:''' Witchlight''

* DraconicAbomination: His true form is a foul smelling, greenish-yellow, fifteen foot long Veliciraptor dragon who stands on two legs and has sharp clawed hands.

[[folder:Azhdeha]]
!!Azhdeha
A dragon shapeshifter who is awoken shortly before ''Witchlight'' and allies with the Night World, leading their hunt for Iliana Dominick.
----
* BigBad: Of ''Witchlight'', though as he later reveals to Keller that he [[GreaterScopeVillain secretly serves someone else]] responsible for waking him - "a witch who isn't a witch".
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: He is finally defeated by Iliana incinerating him with blue fire]].
* SealedEvilInACan: Thousands of years ago, he was put into an enchanted sleep and buried beneath the earth by the witches, but was recently awoken by an unknown person to aid the Night World against Circle Daybreak.
* TimeAbyss: As the war between the witches and dragons occurred years before even Maya and Hellewise's duel (in the Stone Age), Azhdeha is likely the oldest living character in the series thus far.
[[/folder]]

* GrayEyes: Her eyes are gray, befitting her somewhat cold and unapproachable demeanour, as well as her strong will.