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The Party
Augustus Parsons
Augustus Parsons
The ghost of a former Cashew tycoon, whose spirit is bound to service for the Grayson Agency. Played by Justin.
- Bad Boss: He was this in life.
- Barred from the Afterlife: The-powers-that-be have forced him to work for the Grayson Agency to atone for his sins.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Was this in life.
- Extended Greetings: Whenever he introduces himself.Augustus: Hello, my name is Augustus Parsons. I am the spectral form the man who was once known as Augustus Parsons, of the Augustus Parsons Cashew Company. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
- To the point that when he attempts this in the finale, Errol cuts him off, due to Dylan bleeding out and time being of the essence.
- In-Series Nickname: See Malicious Misnaming.
- Insistent Terminology: He is "the spectral form of" Augustus Parsons and his nature is "phantasmagoric".
- Malicious Misnaming: Downplayed. Both Errol and Gandy call Augustus "Gus" despite Augustus asking them not to.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: Because of how Urban Shadows portrays ghosts Augustus has to consciously choose to be seen, heard, or felt, and he can only pick two at a time.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: His mode of speech is to combine rather grandiloquent verbiage with a slow Southern drawl.
- Unfinished Business: Literally. He's trying to keep an eye on the cashew company he founded, and it's still important enough to him that he can be threatened with it.
Gandy Dancer
Gandy Dancer
Orphaned daughter of a pair of railroad workers, who has grown up into a wizard seeking to beat death. Played by Clint.
- Cool Car: Her "sanctum sanctorum," where she keeps all of her magical gear, is a black maria (a type of carriage used as a hearse).
- Dark and Troubled Past: She lost her parents in a railroad accident as a young girl and she had to work on the railroads to survive.
- Deal with the Devil: Before the start of the campaign she struck some sort of deal with the demon inhabiting her "Uncle Oni" doll.
- Enemies with Death: She despises death and wants to beat it at any cost. When she meets Michael, the literal angel of death, she vomits and (apologetically) declares that she hates him.
- Immortality Seeker: After seeing her parents die at a young age, she's sought magic in a quest to beat death.
- Meaningful Name: A gandy dancer
was once slang for a railroad worker. Deliberately invoked by the railroad workers who raised her after her parent's death, not knowing her name. - Mortality Phobia: She is terrified of death due to losing her parents at a young age. Naturally graveyards makes her extremely uncomfortable and being near Michael is enough to make her physically ill.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: She pretends not to know how to play poker in order to hustle a card shark at The Sterling. She reveals later that she's participated in poker tournaments before.
Errol Ryehouse
Errol Ryehouse
A former politician turned werewolf, currently stuck halfway between forms. Played by Griffin.
- Deadpan Snarker: Occasionally, like when he says "Yeah, furs can't hurt other furs, that's in the Bible."
- Epic Fail: Travis makes Griffin roll to get a root beer. He misses, resulting in the root beer sliding all the way across the counter and off the other side.
- Fantastic Racism: The reason for his attempted lycanthrophy-ectomy—he was afraid that being a werewolf would ruin his burgeoning political career.
- Shapeshifter Mode Lock: After a botched attempt at removing his lycanthropy, he's stuck half-transformed.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: When Sheriff Connors tries to convince the party to side with him:"Why are we having this fucking conversation? You killed a boy in the street."
- Trademark Favorite Drink: Root Beer.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Griffin specifically cites Mr. Smith Goes To Washington as an inspiration.
The Mathis Family
Dylan Mathis
Dylan Mathis
Eldest son of the Mathis clan, and heir to the silver mine. Current prime suspect in Jeremiah Blackwell's death.
- Berserker Tears: Goes into these when Errol opens his cell, giving Dylan a clear shot at attacking Connors.
- Death Seeker: Implies that he plans to let the lynch mob kill him in the morning, as he is very deeply grieving Jeremiah.
- Fall Guy: For Jeremiah Blackwell's murder. Unintentional in-universe. Sheriff Connors originally planned to frame Liam for Jeremiah's death, but Dylan being witnessed over Jeremiah's corpse combined with the investigators arriving a day earlier than anticipated forced Connors to use Dylan as his patsy.
- Heroic BSoD: Has fallen into this as a result of Jeremiah's death.
- I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Loved Jeremiah, but was willing to let him go (and let his own heart break) so Jeremiah and Anne could be happy together.
Abigail Mathis
Abigail Mathis
Matriarch of the Mathis family, owner of the silver mine, and the client who originally hired the party to act as arbiters in a deal between the Mathis' and Blackwells.
- The Determinator: Is single-mindedly determined to free her son from prison, to the point of ominously declaring herself "Plan B", should the party fail their mission.
- Mama Bear: Threatens Errol when he suggests she leave her son in prison, almost turning into a full werewolf
Anne Mathis
Anne Mathis
Fraternal twin sister of Dylan Mathis, and widow of Jeremiah Blackwell.
Liam
Enforcer and bodyguard for the Mathis family, and foreman at the Mathis silver mine.
- Dumb Muscle: A little slow on the uptake.
- Fall Guy: Connors intended to turn him into this for Jeremiah Blackwell's murder, intending to use Liam's love of Anne and jealousy of Jeremiah against him, as well as using Liam's mining tool to kill Jeremiah.
Organized Crime
The Banshee
The Banshee
A mysterious, unknown crime lord who operates out of the Crescent Region.
- Affably Evil: Is nothing but polite and friendly to Errol, even when threatening everything he and his partners hold dear.
- Body Surf: Is a spirit, and thus has no form of its own. Its first appearance has it possessing the corpse of an old woman.
- Dead All Along: When we first see the Banshee, it appears to be a living old woman...
- The Don: Of all organized crime in the Crescent Region.
- The Dreaded: Is known and feared by most citizens of the Crescent Region.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Prefers organized crime over unorganized chaos, and finds Jeremiah being murdered in the street "sloppy."
- I Have Your Wife: Attempts this by threatening to destroy Gandy's mobile lab, foreclose all of Carrion Street, and buy and shut down Augustus's old cashew company.
Ellis
A polite member of the Banshee's crime ring.
- Affably Evil: To the point of being personally insulted when Errol accuses him of meaning him harm.
Blackwood
A quiet member of the Banshee's crime ring.
- The Voiceless: Ellis does the talking for the two of them.
Other Characters
Uncle Oni
Uncle Oni
A Bunraku puppet inhabited by a demon, who has a partnership with Gandy.
- Creepy Doll: A small puppet with a voice very reminiscent of Garfield the Deals Warlock.
- Deal with the Devil: Gandy's contract with him stipulates that he must answer three of her questions truthfully each day.
- Meaningful Name: His name literally means "Uncle Demon".
- Nightmare Face: He's capable of pulling a very creepy one thanks to his puppet body.
- One-Steve Limit: Nearly averted this. His name was originally supposed to be Michael, but the introduction of the NPC Michael below meant that Clint had to change his name on the spot. note
- Your Soul Is Mine!: He offers to tell Gandy the perpetrator of the murder outright in exchange for her soul.
Sheriff Connors
Sheriff Connors
The local head of law enforcement, who arrested Dylan Mathis.
- Big Good: As head of the investigation. At first, anyway. The Banshee claims he can't be trusted, and he is later revealed to be the one who murdered Jeremiah Blackwell.
- Deal with the Devil: As a member of The Law, he made a deal with an Order demon named Lemdifel, which allows him to discern whether or not a person is telling the truth. He has since broken ties with Lemdifel and made a deal with a Chaos demon named Omdifel, as part of his attempt to save the town.
- Police Are Useless: Spends much of the investigation sitting in the jailhouse, while the Graysons and Deputy Rosa are actively pursuing leads.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Also believes in Dylan's innocence, despite not being able to do much about it.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: His years crusading against mob families in Crescent City turned him into this. This is also his reasoning for killing Jeremiah Blackwell and framing Liam, as destabilizing the Deal would stop Dry River from being incorporated into the rest of the Crescent Region, and thus stop the inevitable influx of organized crime that accompanies organized government.
Michael
Michael
The actual Archangel Michael, the Angel of Death, who also serves as Dry River's mortician.- Don't Fear the Reaper: Is a pretty nice guy, if not a bit intimidating.
- Psychopomp: Is the personification of death, similar to Kravitz before him.
Isabella Slate
Isabella Slate
Vampiric owner of the Sterling, the local casino.
- Affably Evil: Is very sweet and helpful to the party. However, aside from being on the Banshee's payroll, she also keeps Marcus, the former owner of the Sterling, locked in a cage in her basement to feed on nightly.
- The Mole: Is secretly working with The Banshee.
