Character sheet for the Adastra franchise: the original visual novel, Adastra, its midquel Interea, and the sequel, Khemia. Please include sprite art when possible. Feel free to contribute.
There may be unmarked spoilers.
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Introduced in Adastra and Interea
Amicus
The Loving Wolf
One of two crown princes competing for the title of Emperor of Adastra, and one of two main characters. A youthful goofball who struggles with fulfilling the high expectations set upon him by the pressures of royalty. He kidnaps you, the player character, in the hopes of making you his pet to boost his status and the chances of ascending the Adastran throne. Also struggles with basic communication. And has a massive libido.
- Big Fun: And how.
- Break the Haughty: He is soundly defeated by Magis during their pugnu match in Interea, giving him a much-needed dose of humility.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: While it's noted that he has the potential to be a fine emperor (he is very well read, better at debating than his brother Cassius and a fierce warrior) and was in fact favored by his father and (for a time) Cato, Amicus is seen to be anything but. He would rather just relax and have fun. At the same time he's cocksure that he's a shoo-in for the title of emperor. Part of his character development revolves around accepting that he has a role to fulfill, but with the caveat that being emperor shouldn't mean suppressing your identity.
- Cannot Spit It Out: He really has issues communicating.
- Character Development: Amicus starts out as a carefree fellow who doesn't think his decisions through and who wants nothing more than to have his way, consequences be damned. By the end of the story, he has become far more understanding of the fact that the world doesn't revolve around him.
- Drowning My Sorrows: When Marco seems to die due to avia pox and spends a few days out of commission, Amicus downed several bottles of alcohol in his room, fearing the worst.
- Fanservice: As expected of a novel such as Adastra, he has plenty of Walking Shirtless Scene going for him.
- Fire-Forged Friends: With Neferu. By the time of Khemia, this culminates with Neferu becoming a close advisor.
- Genius Bruiser: He's actually quite well-read, and an excellent orator. He also happens to be a fierce, violent warrior.
- Innocent Bigot: He tends to be condescending to others, but he doesn't mean to be. He honestly doesn't know any better. Marco makes him aware of this and Amicus promises to improve this trait.
- It's All About Me: On occasion, he indulges in the trope, like invoking his authority to visit a restaurant. That was closed. Because he was five hours late. He grows out of it- well, mostly.
- Laser-Guided Karma: He makes fun of Magis early on in Interea, confident that he can be beaten. Magis gives him well-deserved trouncing later on that brings his ego down considerably.
- Manchild: He pouts and rants when he doesn't get his way in ways unbecoming of an emperor and would rather roughhouse and play than take his duties seriously. He gets over it eventually... Well, to a point.
- Manly Gay: A closeted homosexual, or tail raiser, who has an obvious attraction to men, but is forbidden from engaging on it due to Adastra's highly homophobic culture. Accepting himself for who he really is and coming out of the closet is a big part of his character development. It's also implied that, as emperor, he will rewrite the law to allow gay marriage in Adastra, as well as extend more rights to women, like initiating divorce.
- Nice Guy: He's really a big sweetheart, underneath the tough exterior. But beware when he doesn't get his way!
- Parental Favoritism: He was the apple of his father's eye, being coddled from an early age. As a result, Amicus is the most well-adjusted of the three imperial siblings.
- Pals with Jesus: As a member of the royal family, he has easy access to communicating with the Parents, and has nothing but absolute trust in them... but certain events later in the story lead to his faith being tested and eventually breaking.
- Poor Communication Kills: He might as well be considered the Second Coming of this trope. He really doesn't communicate nor explain his decisions and actions, which causes considerable friction between him and Marco.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Marco for much of the story, and with Neferu to a lesser degree. Both get resolved, but Neferu's puts considerable strains on Marco's and Amicus's relationship.
Player Character (default name: Marco)
The Protagonist
The player character. A human exchange student studying abroad in Rome. He gets kidnapped by Amicus to become his "pet". In Interea and Khemia, he has become a diplomat, currently trying to assist humanity in establishing relations with Sibling races.
- Audience Surrogate: He reacts like a typical human, ranging from incredulous disgust at how Adastran royalty works to obvious attraction to Amicus. His opinions also hit home for the vast majority of readers, especially when it comes to Alexios.
- A Match Made in Stockholm: He falls in love with his kidnapper, Amicus for no other reason than: "this is a handsome, good boy."
- Brutal Honesty: Marco will not hold back his criticisms. If he witnesses someone engaging in reprehensible behavior, he'll call them out without fail. This lands him in hot water more than once, and unlike most instances of Character Development this trait doesn't really go away.
- But Now I Must Go: Embarks on an eight-year journey to prepare humanity for contact with the Sibling races at the end of Adastra and Interea.
- Freudian Excuse: Marco may have a notable abrasive side, but considering the circumstances and environment he faces throughout the story (getting abducted and forcefully taken to an alien world where he must keep his uncontacted species/intelligence secret or else he could (and almost does) face execution, along with being surrounded by those who are openly hostile to him, don't tell him important information at critical times or are secretly using him for nefarious sabotage related goals), one can see where his aggressive moments mostly stem from.
- Idiot Ball: Marco doesn't let go of the ball for most of the story. He openly blurts out secrets to people he has no business revealing them to, is rather clumsy and, due to his human trait of Brutal Honesty, tends to piss off the wrong people.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be rather mean-spirited when he has to be, but he's really a good man.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Way to go, Marco, asking Cassius to Abdicate the Throne IN THE PRESENCE OF THE SPY!
- Spanner in the Works: Marco's humanity (his beliefs, Brutal Honesty, blatant blabbing of secret matters and general ignorance of Adastran culture) ruin Cassius's and Cato's plans in the long run, and to a lesser degree, Alexios's.
- You No Take Candle: Has to resort to this during his masquerading as a primate from another planet. He tries to stifle chuckles for it, with varying degrees of success.
Cato
The Regent Emperor
The acting emperor of Adastra in the absence of Amicus's father, who died in an unexplained accident a few months before the start of the novel.
- Big Bad: Revealed to be this for Adastra- most of it, anyway.
- Defiant to the End: His hatred for the Khemians never went away even as he bled to death at the climax of his fight with Amicus, as his final actions before his opponent delivers the killing attack has him cursing out Neferu while still trying to use his golden knife to attack him.
- Facial Horror: Underneath his visor are some uncanny looking wounds he received from the Khemian-Adastran war, which are revealed almost simultaneously as his role of the main antagonist.
- Fantastic Racism: He really, really, really dislikes humans, Khemians and anyone not Adastran Wolves, but to him, Khemians have a special place in Hell just for them.
- Jerkass Façade: An inversion: he's pretending to be a Nice Guy instead, waiting for his opportunity to seize the Adastran throne and continue his bloodthirsty crusade against Khemia.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: He would love nothing more than to continue war with the Khemians and to bring Adastra to greatness, at least according to his views.
- Walking Spoiler: It's quite hard to talk about him without revealing much of the first two thirds of Adastra.
Cassius
Sickly Prince
One of two crown princes competing for the title of Emperor of Adastra. A sickly wolf, he was born with the lupine equivalent of Vrolik's Disease, causing him to have brittle bones that are prone to breaking. Loud, obnoxious and highly competitive, he will stop at nothing to obtain the throne from his brother's clutches- until circumstances reveal his cowardice and actual standards, giving him pause from obtaining the throne illegitimately.
- Abdicate the Throne: He's blackmailed into this by Virginia and Marco. Unfortunately, thanks to Alexios, this plan goes awry .Cassius is poisoned by Cato and Cato takes the throne for himself, leading to widespread riots and discontent all over Adastra.
- Ambiguously Gay: It's confirmed that he and Alexios have feelings for each other, and they regard each other with considerable affection, though how much of this trope is true depends on the scene, as he displays considerable homophobia during his rather incendiary campaign for the throne.
- Butt-Monkey: The poor guy goes through a myriad of embarrassing and humiliating events, including being projectile vomited on, being forced to abdicate (becoming the laughingstock of the empire in the process) and being the plaything of a monitor.
- Dirty Coward: Justified given his rather neglectful upbringing. He cowers in fear when Amicus stands up to him, as well as when Cato begins his coup.
- Everyone Has Standards: He very much opposes Cato's plans to install him as a puppet emperor, but his cowardice leaves him unable to fight back.
- Heteronormative Crusader: He is disdainful of homosexuals and his campaign has him attack his brother for being gay.
- Hypocrite: For someone who calls Amicus a rather dishonorable slur for gays, he sure enjoys the company of Alexios, who is of the same sex. It is unknown if he and Alex went further than a kiss at the first trial.
- Jerkass: Rude, abrasive and obnoxious to everyone except Alexios, but softens up considerably as the novel goes on, eventually becoming a Reasonable Authority Figure.
- Kick the Dog: During his debate against Amicus, he nearly ruins Amicus's life by playing an illegally obtained video of Amicus and Neferu having sex. But thanks to Marco's innocent blabbing about Cassius's plans to get rid of the triumvirate, the latter votes unanimously with Amicus, and Cato's vote falls short, making Amicus the winner- and causing a gigantic controversy that is more excited gossiping than outright malice. While Amicus isn't too broken up by it, he does recognize that the damage upon his reputation is quite significant.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While their relationship remains fragile, he nevertheless reaches an understanding with Marco, and allows him to see Amicus while imprisoned. He also settles into the position of Chief of Social Affairs in Interea rather comfortably.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Firmly on the cynical side, having long given up on being a good ruler and politician after decades of being treated like absolute crap by his father figure Cato, his own father and others around him.
- Take That!: To conservative politicians and far right views. That he's possibly a closeted homosexual is icing on the cake.
- Took a Level in Kindness: He becomes nicer once he is free of the position of emperor.
- The Unfavorite: Due to his illness, he was neglected by his father. Amicus was the favorite and Virginia was 50/50 on that scale.
Neferu
Flower of Khemia
A native of Khemia, and Virginia's pet due to a special arrangement. Known as the Flower of Khemia, and a shameless flirt and sex-positive jackal, this hedonist has more going for him than just his looks. The second son of the pharaoh. He is visiting Adastra as a diplomat to ensure an alliance... Which has almost no chance of occurring. By the time of Khemia, to everyone's surprise, said alliance is beginning to solidify, and he accompanies Scipio to ensure its success.
- Drowning My Sorrows: He's in a low moment, seriously doubting himself after the confrontation with Cato. When Marco finds him, he's obviously drunk. Ironically, he hates Adastra wine.
- Ethical Slut: A very sex positive individual, but with strong, chivalrous values. For example, he wasn't having sex with Amicus just for fun or to shit on Marco. He legitimately had a strong stake in it: should something bad happen to Amicus, then Neferu will grant Marco Khemian citizenship to protect him from Cato. He's also very honest and open about the why of his dealings.
- Mr. Fanservice: He's almost always shirtless and wearing Egyptian-esque attire.
- Spanner in the Works: His and Amicus's foresight protect Marco from the wrath of Cato, and also lead to Alexios being outed as a spy and saboteur.
- The Unfavorite: He's easily overshadowed by the rest of his family and was probably sent to Adastra as punishment or a way to get rid of him. Technically, however, he's there to further his family's status as an ambassador.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Nearly every single scene is him indulging in this, as he doesn't wear any upper clothing on his art or sprites.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: The man may be fond of his hedonism, but he's very much aware of the workings of Adastran society and knows how to play that game. He also has a penchant for counseling of all things in Khemia.
Virginia
Ambitious Lady
The lone sister of Amicus and Cassius. Due to being a woman, she is ineligible for most positions of power in the Adastra government. A mysterious woman with a hidden agenda of her own...
- Abdicate the Throne: Attempts to pull this on Cassius with Marco. Unfortunately, it doesn't stick.
- Arranged Marriage: Finds herself facing one against her will with Cato after the plan to get Cassius to peacefully abdicate fails, though Amicus and Marco thankfully get her out of it when they kill off the tyrant in the arena.
- Big Damn Heroes: After she witnesses Cassius nearly get fatally poisoned, her quick reaction of getting him to throw up the substance and administering the correct antidote is what helps him survive.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: She projects a tough front, and it takes her a long time to warm up to Marco. There's one thing that's crystal clear, though: when it comes to her brothers, all bets are off.
- Freudian Excuse: When one notes the environment she grew up in, Virginia and her distant personality make sense, as she herself goes into detail when she finally opens up to Marco: During her youth, she had been subjected to long sessions of behavior modeling at her fathers demand, with enforced changes made to her individuality (which she found ironic, as he also seemed to be building up the reputation as an egalitarian ruler). While she admits that she still hates him for this, she also ended up understanding him and his reasons why he made her into the mostly emotional closed and hard overworking wolf she is; her mindset of “trust no male” helps her mentally handle all the animosity she faces as a woman in a high ranking position where females in power are still unheard of (mentioning she's already faced vicious and sexist rumors from officials, yet none of their words bother her as she focuses on what needs to be done for the empire) and that by doing her job, she opens up opportunities for future female generations within Amicus' emperorship (which possibly hints her long-term goals, as her line of other women not having power yet implies). Marco (who himself noted the sexism of Adastra, such as recalling past education inequality by gender during the University visit), seems to understand her points, which leads to them forming a subtle bond and a mostly pleasant goodbye.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While it's kinda excessive to refer to her as a jerkass (especially compared to Cassius and Alexios), Virginia's harsher moments to Marco and Amicus seem justified as their lack of self-control and immaturity have caused conflict both personally and politically that could've been easily avoided (with Marcos tendency to say what he feels without regard to others reactions and Amicus' Manchild and Poor Communication Kills behavior being strong examples), even informing Marco that this is the main reason she's distant towards him (though she does also mention she believes he and Amicus will grow up and improve in the future, which in turn will lead to better relations).
- "Success Through Sex" Accusation: Because of Adastra's patriarchal culture, rumors quickly spread that Virginia is as successful a diplomat as she is due to giving sexual favours to politicians rather than the actual reason: the fact she's brilliant. Of course, Virginia knows about these rumors, and laughs them all off.
- Women Are Wiser: Usually displays more maturity when compared to her brothers. It turns out this trait was actually applied to her personality growing up so that she could get by in a world where females are considered inferior to males.
Alexios
Cowardly Pet
Cassius's pet, from the planet Omorfa. A bit of a prim and proper cat, Alexios lives to please Cassius and assist him in all matters. This is all a front. He is eventually revealed to be a spy and saboteur for Omorfa, who is concerned about the wolves and their potential to bring disaster to the Galaxias.
- Becoming the Mask: Cassius tries to invoke this trope to justify Alexios, saying that Alexios had no choice in the matter of spying and that he's the only one who truly understands him. Marco shuts down the argument immediately by saying Alexios always had a choice, and that he made said choice when he acceded to his unsavory occupation.
- Dirty Coward: He would rather run and hide than deal with his problems.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite having his moments of using him for his own gain like everyone else (primarily his plan to steal Amicus' ship), it's clear that Alexios genuinely does care for Cassius. When he unintentionally gets him poisoned by Cato, the Oh, Crap! reaction he gives shows much more terror then all the other moments of fear he displayed, and he also yells at Cato for going too far after realizing what the tyrant had done to stop the plan to oust him, which earns him a hard punch to the face. It's also worth noting this is the only time Alexios was clearly upset someone was negatively impacted by his sabotage besides himself.
- Hate Sink: Deplored by both cast and fandom alike, for being the one responsible for getting Cassius nearly killed, sabotaging Adastran politics (which eventually contributed to deadly riots all over the moon) and basically using everyone he knows as a disposable pawn.
- Irony: One of the reasons Alexios claims to be spying on/sabotaging the wolves is that he views them as dangerous to the safety of the Galaxias, mentioning their past war mongering ways as a prime reason. However, thanks to his sabotage he ends up getting the two main heirs to the throne who don't plan to go to war with anyone in a disadvantaged position (getting Cassius poisoned and keeping Amicus locked up) while indirectly aiding Cato, who plans to launch another war with Khemia, to full power. note
- Karma Houdini: Aside from getting banished from the palace grounds for his actions, as well as getting threatened to the point where he completely cowers in fear more than once before and after said banishment, Alex gets off relatively scot-free for his actions.
- Resigned to the Call: Cassius implies this for Alexios, noting that he really doesn't have a choice in the matter when it comes to his true occupation. Marco, however, very strongly disagrees.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: It's worth noting that Alexios is the only living character in the story that ends his relationship with Marco on a much lower note than when it started, as Virginia (who, after spending the majority of the story being the most distant palace resident towards him, opened up to Marco on his last day on Adastra and genuinely bonded with him with personal experiences and perspectives) and even Cassius (who started off as a xenophobic, Jerkass towards the human but managed to later bring his hostile behavior down a notch and even gave a sincere "thank you" to Marco for his role in getting rid of Cato and putting the Empire on a less corrupt course) concluded their final interactions with Marco in a much better way.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Even though Marco was the main reason he didn't get severely punished for his wide-scale sabotage of Adastra (as he needed Alexios' help to free his wolf from the dungeons at the most critical time in the story and offered him a deal that he would be given mercy for his actions) and Amicus chose to honor Marco's deal and only banished him from ever setting foot in his home again, Alexios doesn't seem to acknowledge any of this based on his following actions: He continues to act cold and dismissive to Marco at best (never even showing a hint of apology or remorse for getting him indirectly killed), tried to build another communication device on the private island in Interea in order to continue spying on the wolves (while possibly tricking Cassius into helping him) and tried to steal Amicus' ship after getting Cassius drunk on the day before Marco was due to leave for his eight year mission (which he was fully aware of and poorly pretended not to know when called out on it).
- Walking Spoiler: Talking about him gives away one of the novel's bigger plot twists.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Marco and Amicus, after he gets exposed by Neferu. It's very uncomfortable to watch.
The Monitor (SPOILERS)
Mysterious Entity
A mysterious, cosmic creature that Marco, Amicus and Cassius interact with briefly. Very little is known about them except that they are a voice for the mysterious entities known simply as The Parents.
- Troll: They don't like Cassius very much, bluntly calling them false emperor and playing pranks on them after they attempt to make contact with the Parents.
- Walking Spoiler: His presence alone can give away much of the Parents plot.
Bjarni
Ursine Tour Guide
A bear tour guide for Amicus's entourage during the events of Interea. He knows far more about Adastra than he lets on...
- Badass Bookworm: He's very well informed and knows much about Earth. He's also very considerate to Marco, attempting a handshake.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He's introduced having an argument with Alexios (go figure) about the Parents and the Other. His first reaction, after finishing the conversation, is to warn the Emperor to keep an eye on the cat.
- Big Beautiful Man: The man's built like a tank!
Brunis
Troubled Wolverine
One of the last remaining wolverines, after a traumatic uplifting that was terminated by Adastra. Rough around the edges, he takes his work very seriously, despite appearances.
- Brutal Honesty: He doesn't mince words and is rather blunt about his job and views.
Magis
Magistr [sic]
A retired pugnu wrestler, a master of nontraditional styles and a triumvirate from Lux. Known only as a kind intellectual, with great respect for his emperor.
- Apologetic Attacker: After his pugnu match with Amicus, he apologizes for the violence and asks if he's alright.
- Nice Guy: He is nothing but unfailingly polite and respectful to others, and is shown to kneel in great respect to Amicus.
- No Sense of Personal Space: He catches Amicus and Marco in a compromising situation and he doesn't seem to notice... or he's aware and is trying to teach something to Amicus.
Introduced in Khemia
Scipio
Tragic Diplomat
A diplomat sent to Khemia on an important mission, and the player character for Khemia. He was there during the riots caused by Alexios, which has caused him considerable trauma.
- Bespectacled Cutie: Has huge glasses on his eyes.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Makes two brief appearances in Adastra before being officially introduced in Khemia. The first has him be described in appearance at the museum by Marco while the second has him giving Amicus diplomatic news in the stinger (though his face isn't shown entirely).
- Straight Gay: Compared to Amicus and possibly Marco, Scipio has a far more svelte, slender build, longer hair, and glasses. He's still manly and big though.
