Characters from Asher Series.
Main
Tetrine Mariam Reish
Tetrine is an assistant librarian at Asher’s Khepera Memorial Library. Originally from Auros, she emigrated to Asher, where she met Rosemary, her best friend.
Tetrine is a scrivener, which means she has the rather singular gift of being able to read the tongue of demons, the Nell. Since her youth, she’s been told by her family to keep it a secret, unless she wants complications to arise in her life.
Tetrine has a brother, Devne, with whom she keeps in touch despite his constant debt problems.
- Affectionate Nickname: Her friend Rosemary calls her Trina, and her brother calls her Trin.
- Agent Mulder: She is very superstitious, believes in demons even when most of the Aeserian people don’t, and prays to the gods. She also scrupulously respects the Imperial Curfew despite the Empress not being around anymore since a century.
- Bad Liar: Her attempt at lying to Kalevel in the library doesn’t exactly work. Nor do her lies to Julius and Rosemary later on. Highlighted by Tetrine herself.
- Blood-Splattered Wedding Dress: Not an actual wedding dress, but she dies in a white nightgown, which is covered in blood around the neck. Used as a promotional picture for the game.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Has incomplete dreams of potential future events.
- Identity Amnesia: She is mysteriously missing some memories.
- Lovable Coward: Not exactly a coward, but she is easily scared. She has good reasons to, however.
- Nice Girl: An all-around truly sweet person who doesn’t deserve any of the things that happen to her.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: Subverted. She was indeed extremely shocked when she saw Markaius kill a shadow demon who was threatening her, but it’s Markaius himself who removed her memories of the event.
Kalevel Venhera
Kalevel is the ex-princess of Mevayrea, and is revered as a legendary queen in all of Aeser. She is said to have been the one who killed Mara Seita and thus ended her reign of terror.
Nowadays Kalevel lives in Venhera House, with her allies and scriveners.
She hopes to free her sister from her curse.
- Dark and Troubled Past: She had to watch her sister be killed before her eyes, was imprisoned and died killed by her sister Kialee, now turned Shadow Demon. She was then saved from a public execution, turned into a demon, and had to live a miserable life at the Empress’ Court until Mara Seita was killed.
- Deadly Hug: A platonic one. Kialee killed her while holding her in her arms.
- Flashback Nightmare: Remembers her life under the Empress’ reign while being imprisoned in the catacombs.
- He Knows Too Much: The reason why Markaiuskeeps interfering with Kalevel to the point of actually trapping her in a sarcophagus.
- I Will Find You: Even hundred of years of separation couldn’t persuade Kalevel to drop her efforts to rescue her sister, Kialee, from the terrible situation Mara Seita put her in. How and whether this will pan out is still a mystery.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: While Kalevel doesn’t complain too much about her status as an immortal, she does say to Tetrine that it’s an unnatural state of being: "There is something wrong about what we are, dove. I wouldn’t expect roses if I were you." Markaius also tells Kalevel something around the lines of "I know you had envisioned a way happier life for yourself." Considering the misery the Immortal Empress brought to her life, it’s understandable she would have preferred to live as a normal human.
Julius Reini
Julius is an ex-farm boy who ran away from the province his family lived in after the death of his beloved. He was Tell’s only childhood friend, and suffered from isolation due to his Aurean roots.
Having never been cut out to be a farmer and believing he doesn’t have any special talents, Julius barely survives in the streets of Asher until he meets Aya, with whom he becomes a treasure hunter.
After an unfortunate encounter with the Empress’ Shadow, Julius becomes a demon himself, and struggles to recover his mind- and his life.
- Agent Scully: Doesn’t believe in demons, dismissing them as fairy tales. Until he becomes one, that is. Is also generally skeptical of stories surrounding magic.
- Anti-Hero: Julius lived his life by going with the flow, and while he does have principles, it’s hard for him to actually make the needed tough calls. He can be quite apathetic, and whether he follows a Hero’s Journey or embraces the darkness is up to the player.
- Barred from the Afterlife: Can happen in some endings, where he sees Senna in the Nell, but is prevented from actually going to the afterlife with her, on account of him being a Shadow Demon.
- Beleaguered Childhood Friend: He is this to Tell, who can, depending on player choices, choose to either abandon him to his fate (or worse) or help him out.
- Chick Magnet: Maybe too strong of a phrase, but he is the only character who has three potential love interests, past and present: Senna, Aya, and Tell.
- Deadpan Snarker: Can be pretty cynical and makes wry comments about others and himself alike.
- Demonic Possession: Julius’ mind is so clouded by Kialee's influence that he can’t remember anything from the six months that passed since his death.
- Disappeared Dad: Julius mentions that his father left him to fend for himself when he was only a young man.
- Farm Boy: He was one.
- Fighting from the Inside: Against Kialee and her Mind-Chain, as well as the Hunger.
- Heroic BSoD: Julius showed this after Senna’s death, which he just can’t process. The day after her death, he took a train to Asher without even a change of clothes, leaving his childhood friend, distant family and farm behind without even as much as a goodbye. He then represses his memories of her until he meets Tell as a shadow demon under Markaius’ careful planning.
- In-Series Nickname: He's nicknamed Jules, or, more ironically, Boss, by Aya.
- Journey to the Center of the Mind: Spends a significant portion of the story in Tell a Demon trapped in the Mind-Chain and his own memories. It is however necessary for him to break free of Kialee’s control.
- Only Friend: Was this to Tell when they were children, with the exception of her cousin.
- Parental Abandonment: His father left him to fend for himself, and since Julius’ mother died when he was very young, he had to turn to his uncle.
- Repressed Memories: Senna’s death is a memory Julius keeps fighting until it becomes his ticket to freedom.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: In Tell a Demon. Tell notices this when she meets him, and is unsettled by how different he looks with an actual three-piece suit and brushed hair, compared to the "casually unkept" Julius from her childhood. Case in point: in Asher, he looked so shabby that Rosemary thought he was a drug dealer.
- These Hands Have Killed: Can say this depending on player’s choice, after he realizes what he did while under Kialee’s control.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Aya.
Telleni Turius
Tell is a normal young woman aspiring to go to university to escape from a life of boredom at her parents’ farm in the country. She has finally moved to the city to live with her beloved aunt, and hopes to find a job quickly.
But her interview soon turns into a nightmare, as she meets with an old friend of hers turned Shadow Demon.
Tell has to choose how to face this challenge and finds herself swallowed by the secrets of Asher’s mysterious court demons.
- '20s Bob Haircut: She hesitated for a long time before actually cutting her hair in a short bob. She used to have her hair curled in a "nervous bob" when she was in her teens.
- Bookworm: States she is delighted to have access to Asher’s public library and can’t wait to spend her nights reading.
- Farmer's Daughter: She is literally the daughter of a couple of farmers, and is implied to have followed a lot of strict rules in her life, something against which she can begin to rebel.
- In-Series Nickname: Tell is not actually her real name. That would be Telleni.
- Journey to the Center of the Mind: Is sent into the Mind-Chain by Markaius to retrieve a memory for him and help Julius escape Kialee’s domain.
- Magically-Binding Contract: Tell can make bargains with three different demons: Markaius (mandatory for the canon ending), Julius, and Sakraia.
- Only Friend: Was this to Julius when they were children.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Everybody calls her Tell.
- Thoroughly Mistaken Identity: Julius is convinced that she is Senna when he meets her in the catacombs. Granted, they look like twins and he already had trouble distinguishing between them when they were in their teens (and Senna was his lover while Tell was his best friend!).
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: With Senna.
Markaius / Marcus Nathum / Markos
Markaius is an enigmatic demon who is presumed to have heralded from the Other World. He posed as a god and was Mara Seita’s lover, until their bargain could not bind him anymore. He is the one who overthrew her.
Known as the Knight, he is a powerful magician and a demon who can endure daylight. Like a master puppeteer, he schemes and manipulates to make sure his visions of the future become reality.
- Brutal Honesty: Doesn’t mince his words to Tetrine in some of Asher’s endings.
- The Chessmaster: Has manipulated people for centuries, and is pulling strings everywhere to achieve his goals.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Dreams of dozens of alternative futures all the time, which gives him great power to shape it as he sees fit, but also disconnects him from the present.
- Playing God: Markaius was literally known and referred to as the god Markos in Mevayrea, Kalevel’s and Kialee’s homeland. He can actually give a new life through his elixirs, which Tetrine discovers he deliberately manipulates with Nell marks so he can create demons with specific attributes.
- Really 700 Years Old: Nobody knows how old he exactly is, but he is said to have created Aeser with the Empress 1350 years before the present. He doesn’t look older than 35.
Supporting
Aya Gavial / Maya Helen Gavius
Aya comes from a family of cartographers and magicians. After meeting Julius, she persuades him to join her in her quest for wealth, by finding and selling antiques.
While Aya ultimately meets the same fate as Julius at the hands of Kialee, she is more than happy to serve the Shadow and commit atrocities, which puts her at odds with her old partner in crime.
- Affectionate Nickname: More mocking than affectionate, but she keeps calling Julius "Boss." "Her idea of an inside joke," according to him.
- Kick the Dog: Brutally kicks Tetrine in the chest if she tries to call for help when she and Julius attempt to make her join their trip to the Palace’s Ruins. Twice. Even Julius is outraged.
- The Leader: In her duo with Julius, despite having him call her his "associate."
Rosemary Deid
Rosemary is an aspiring actress who works at Asher’s Khepera Memorial Library. She is Tetrine’s ex-roommate and her best friend.
- A Friend in Need: Her being attacked by Julius and Aya leads to Tetrine (optionally) making a bargain with Markaius to save her.
- Birds of a Feather: Is a nice, soft-spoken girl, like her best friend Tetrine. She is notably more extroverted, though.
- Nice Girl: Is a supportive friend, even going as far as to reassure Tetrine as a ghost when they talk in the Nell.
Mishel Paserson
Mishel is a court demon and one of Kalevel’s allies.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Looks nice and polite, almost inoffensive at first. Can actually overthrow Markaius in a matter of months with Kalevel. No big deal.
Senna Mella
Senna was Tell’s cousin and Julius’ first love. She died from illness several years before the events of the games take place.
- Plotline Death: Her death is crucial to the plot of Tell a Demon.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: With Tell, although Tell had long hair when Senna was alive. It’s only after her death that she got the same short bob.
Devne Reish
Devne is Tetrine’s older brother. Constantly caught in bootlegging and debt problems, he has turned to a rather uncommon solution: asking Kalevel for immortality.
- Living Forever is No Big Deal: Asked Kalevel to transform him into a demon, and doesn’t seem nearly as disturbed by his new condition as his sister does.
Oona Brune
Oona was a queen who rebelled against the Immortal Empress.
- Rebel Leader: rebelled against the Empress and payed the ultimate price for it.
Antonine Harus
Known as the Proprietor, Antonine owns the Scylla Street Theatre, and is a powerful court demon. His alliances have recently shifted, and he is seen as a hindrance by several main characters.
- Media Watchdog: Is using his influence to doctor Asher’s newspapers.
Antagonists
Kialee
Kialee is the main antagonist of the series, and also a tragic villain to boot.
She originally is a princess from Mevayrea, as well as Kalevel’s younger sister. The extent to which she remembers her is unclear, although it is mentioned that she now thinks of her as an old enemy.
She died young at the hands of the Immortal Empress before being resurrected as a Shadow Demon. Having had her mind, autonomy and memories stripped from her, she continues to enact Imperial Law even a century after the Empress died.
Kialee controls all Shadow Demons through her Mind-Chain, an immaterial place where she spins the memories of her victims and keep them subservient to her will. Her physical body is trapped in the ruins of the Imperial Palace where the Empress was buried.
- Big Bad: The main antagonist of the story. Sort of.
- Body Horror: Her sprite in the first version of Asher had undertones of this, with her empty black eyes and inhumanly long fingers.
- Brain Washed: Poor, poor Kialee. Also applies to her Children.
- Death of a Child: Julius notices that she can’t have been more than fourteen or fifteen when she was killed and resurrected by the Empress. Despite this, she looks like a young woman.
- Demonic Possession: Not exactly possession, but she can compel her "Children" to do exactly what she wants, including killing people and bringing them back to her as tributes. She can also talk through them, as shown with Julius in Asher.
- Evil Laugh: Both Julius and Tell note that her laugh is chilling when they interact with her in the Mind-Chain.
- Evil Smells Bad: Her Shadow Demons emit a smell that’s reminiscent of rot under a damp log.
- Kill the Ones You Love: Shadow Demons are rumoured to do this. Kialee herself was sent by the Empress to execute her beloved sister.
- Mind Rape: Was stripped of all her memories and autonomy by the Empress, effectively becoming her puppet. Mara Seita was cruel enough to let Kialee retain only one specific memory, to remind her of what she had lost.
- Tragic Villain: Was killed while she was still a teenager, got resurrected into a cursed demon, was sent to kill her older sister against her will, was betrayed by the god she revered, had almost all of her memories erased, became the law enforcer and puppet of a dictator, and is still trapped into the ruins of her palace a hundred years after her Mistress died. Poor Kialee.
Mara Seita
Mara Seita was the Empress who reigned with an iron fist upon all of Aeser for more than a millennium. Despite her originally being a "woman of great vision", the last centuries of her regime were nothing more than a full-blown dictatorship.
She heralded from a period in which demons were born, and not artificially made. As such, she was a naturally-born demon of extraordinay longevity.
After committing patricide, she was cursed to produce only degenerate demons, with unnatural hunger and a tarnished mind. As a last resort, she created the Shadow to ensure she could keep control of them.
The Empress is implied to have been killed by her former lover, Markaius, even though the legend says that Kalevel is the one who drove the blade to her heart.
Her ghost still lingers in the ruins of her palace.
- Greater-Scope Villain: The real main antagonist of the story, even after her passing. People still fear her presence, and her ghost lingers in the physical world, even though it is powerless.
- Predecessor Villain: Is the one responsible for the Shadow Demons’ existence, and for the Shadow (Kialee) herself.
- Villainous Legacy: Her reign of terror still has major consequences in the lives of all Aeserians and impacts all the protagonists.
Sakraia, The Twelfth God
Sakraia is the Twelfth God of Aeser.
She doesn’t possess a physical form per se, and survives thanks to sacrifices made to her altar, in the catacombs of Asher. Ruthless and condescending, she enjoys trapping mortals and demons alike in bargains so she can feel the taste of blood again.
She was a human before the Empress offered her immortality. As a god, she has the appearance of a sphinx.
- Physical God: Derives her strength from sacrifices made to her altar, has the ability to control human bodies, and is immortal.
