The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Page 14
FAMOUS QUOTE
"Nice fishing." New Moon, Chapter 21
FELIX
NAME: Felix
DATE OF BIRTH: Unknown
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Aro
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Unknown
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6'7"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Felix is very tall and muscular. His pale skin has a slight olive cast. He has short, cropped black hair.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: He is a member of the Volturi guard.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Felix is one of the few members of the Volturi guard with no psychic talent. Instead, he is physically the strongest vampire that the Volturi have encountered. Felix wears the lighter gray cloak of a lesser member of the guard, but he does have a permanent position with them. Felix is a part of most of the Volturi's punitive missions. When there are larger threats, he is accompanied by other physically dominant members of the guard, like Santiago, or any of a number of other transitory guard members.
HEIDI
NAME: Heidi
DATE OF BIRTH: Before 1550
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Before 1550
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Hilda
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Germany
HAIR COLOR: Mahogany
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire), although she often wears blue contacts that make her red eyes appear violet.
HEIGHT: 5'10"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Heidi is tall and strikingly beautiful.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She is overwhelmingly physically appealing to men and women, humans and vampires. Resisting her allure is possible but also very difficult, especially if she is trying hard to attract.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: She is a member of the Volturi guard.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Heidi was originally changed by a vampire named Hilda, and belonged to her coven for several years. Hilda was later accused of attracting too much notice with her large coven. All but two of the vampires were destroyed: Heidi was considered penitent and so was spared, and the other--Victoria--was able to escape. Thanks to Chelsea, Heidi is totally loyal to the Volturi.
Her primary duty is orchestrating elaborate ploys to bring human victims to Volterra.
Heidi became a key member in the day-to-day existence of the Volturi. Her primary duty is orchestrating elaborate ploys to bring human victims to Volterra for the sustenance of the coven. She is required to bring them from far away, without leaving a trail. Heidi might arrange for a contest where the prize is an all-expenses-paid vacation to Turkey (or another random location), or a job interview for a position with an amazing salary. The victims never hear the word Volterra, and usually are unaware that they are even being taken to Italy. She has more than one jet and other vehicles and props to use in her efforts to attract humans to the Volturi's private city. Once an intended victim meets Heidi, it is difficult for him or her to refuse any invitation she extends.
JANE
NAME: Jane
DATE OF BIRTH: Prior to 800 A.D.
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Exact date unknown; around the age of 12 or 13
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Aro
PLACE OF ORIGIN: England
HAIR COLOR: Pale brown
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 4'8"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: If not for her girlish face and full lips, Jane could be mistaken for a preteen boy. She is quite short, and her childlike voice is high and thin. She usually speaks with an air of apathy or boredom. Despite all this, she has a commanding presence.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She can cause people to experience excruciating pain that instantly incapacitates them. She can inflict this pain on only one target at a time; she must be able to see her victim to use her gift on him or her.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: She is a member of the Volturi guard.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Her twin brother, Alec, is also a member of the Volturi guard. Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Jane was chosen by Aro while she was still a human child. Aro's plan to let Jane and her brother mature with their human family backfired when superstitious locals condemned them as witches and sentenced them to death by fire. Aro arrived barely in time to save Jane and Alec from their accusers. While Alec focused his psychic powers on escaping his own pain, Jane was consumed with the desire to inflict her pain on those who were hurting her. This desire shaped her vampire talent into a very effective weapon.
While Alec--with his ability to use his gift on a great number of targets concurrently--is more advantageous in open battle, Jane's talent is more often used. As evidenced during Edward, Alice, and Bella's visit to Volterra, Jane's talent is frequently utilized to control potentially aggressive vampires. Just having her on hand usually guarantees Aro a polite and compliant audience.
In the field Jane inspires a great deal of fear, which is helpful to the Volturi attack strategy, as well as to their reputation.
In the field Jane inspires a great deal of fear, which is helpful to the Volturi attack strategy, as well as to their reputation. Also, Caius enjoys using her talent to punish vampires before they are executed. Over the centuries, Jane has absorbed some of Caius's sadistic enjoyment in the process.
FAMOUS QUOTES
"We're not used to being rendered unnecessary. It's too bad we missed the fight. It sounds like it would have been entertaining to watch." Eclipse, Chapter 25
"Caius will be so interested to hear that you're still human, Bella. Perhaps he'll decide to visit." Eclipse, Chapter 25
RENATA
NAME: Renata
DATE OF BIRTH: 1240s
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1260s
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Luca
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Malta
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'0"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Renata is slight in build.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She can shield herself and others, repelling physical attacks and confusing the attacker and making him forget his purpose.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: She is a member of the Volturi guard and Aro's personal bodyguard.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Guard members show the Volturi the loyalty they would family.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Renata was born into an unusual, vampire-friendly family that has produced several vampires over the centuries, including, many years after Renata, a nomad named Makenna. Renata was changed by her great-uncle Luca (with a few dozen greats added) on her twentieth birthday. She originally intended to help her uncle protect and perpetuate their family line, but Renata was very talented. She quickly caught the attention of the Volturi and was invited to join. Luca, wanting no trouble with the Volturi--the way he interacted with his human relatives was already a gray area--encouraged her to go.
Thanks to Chelsea, Renata became exceptionally loyal to the Volturi, particularly Aro. On Aro's instructions, Chelsea attached Renata to Aro alone, rather than to all the leading Volturi together. Renata is so tightly bound to Aro that she would rather die than see him harmed. When Aro leaves Volterra, she is always at his side. She is able to repel attackers from herself and anyone in close physical proximity to her. Her gift causes assailants to become confused as they approach her. They find themselves moving in a new direction, with a blurred memory as to what they were trying to accomplish. She is able to push her shield several meters out from herself. She will also shield Caius and Marcus if they are nearby, but her primary concern is to protect Aro.
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE VOL
TURI GUARD
AFTON: Chelsea's mate
Afton has a minor shielding skill, but it is limited by the fact that he cannot project it outside of himself. He has the ability to make himself invisible to attackers, but someone with a strong focus can see through the illusion. A person standing directly behind him can be hidden, too, but this is not a very reliable safeguard. Afton is not gifted enough to earn a place with the Volturi on his own merits; he owes his inclusion to his much more talented mate, Chelsea.
CORIN: A guard
Officially, Corin's primary job in the Volturi is to protect the surviving wives, Sulpicia and Athenodora. In reality, she does not protect them so much as soothe them into complacency while other, more physically impressive vampires do the actual job of guarding the wives. The wives are so closely protected that they have become virtual prisoners in Volterra. However, Corin's gift keeps them satisfied with life--even happy.
A person can become addicted to the feeling she produces, and be unable to feel well without it.
Corin is able to make anyone feel content in his or her circumstances. There is a druglike side effect to her skill, however. A person can become addicted to the feeling she produces, and be unable to feel well without it. Aro has been careful not to expose himself too greatly to Corin, while using Chelsea to keep her tied to the coven. Marcus has always refused to let her relieve his never-easing pain over Didyme's death. Caius, on the other hand, frequently uses Corin's gift to alleviate his boredom between battles and punishing expeditions.
SANTIAGO: A guard
Like Felix, Santiago is a physical enforcer. He has no psychic gift, only tremendous physical strength.
OTHERS WHO SERVE THE VOLTURI
NAME: Gianna
DATE OF BIRTH: Late 1970s
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Italy
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Green
HEIGHT: 5'6"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Gianna was tall, with long, dark hair and olive-toned skin. She was beautiful, for a human.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: Gianna served as the receptionist and assistant to the Volturi coven.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: As a human, Gianna was not considered a member of the Volturi, although she was loyal to them.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Gianna knew the Volturi's secret and kept it, serving them in the hope of one day being turned into a vampire. She knew that if she was not found helpful enough, she would be killed, but she chose to take the risk. Unfortunately, the Volturi decided her skills were less valuable than her blood.
The Volturi Lair
The Volturi maintain a permanent home in Volterra, Italy, which most of the actual coven--Caius being the exception--rarely leaves. The Volturi founded the town of Volterra three thousand years ago, during the time of the Etruscans. The Volturi still own almost all of the property in the vicinity.
Most of the living space is located below ground, in tunnels that run three stories beneath the town.
The main structure of the Volturi's actual home is a castle constructed during medieval times, built into the walls of the ancient city. The most noticeable feature of the castle is the large turret that rises above the rest of the structure. Most of the living space is located below ground, in tunnels that run three stories beneath the town.
There are several entrances to the Volturi castle. The front door is located at street level. It opens to a reception area, where there is always a very polite human to receive visitors, as well as several inconspicuous surveillance cameras. All the doors in the room lead to dead-end, innocuous offices, and the elevator is heavily secured. This door is never used by the Volturi, their guard, or anyone who has real business with them. The elevator leads to another reception area, with even higher security.
The castle can also be accessed from Volterra's sewers. Several drainage holes in the stone-paved streets lead to often-used Volturi passageways. These drains are covered by iron grilles that are too heavy to be lifted by several human men together. These passages also lead to the second reception area, where the human in charge is aware of the nature of her bosses.
Thanks to Heidi's gift, when she asks her tourists to follow her into the beautiful, ancient tunnel that leads to an amazing castle, none of them refuse.
The most often used door is not actually located within the city. Rather, this door is located in the cellar of an ancient church outside the walls, somewhat hidden in the hills. Heidi's tours always end in this quaint, concealed historical landmark located beside a small private landing strip (owned by the Volturi). Just in case someone were to recognize the Tuscan landscape, there is no cell-phone service available. Thanks to Heidi's gift, when she asks her tourists to follow her into the beautiful, ancient tunnel that leads to an amazing castle, none of them refuse. This tunnel bypasses both reception areas and leads directly to the Volturi turret.
The turret contains the main meeting room of the Volturi, and also the dining room. They have made no attempt to make it comfortable for humans; the stone walls are not insulated, and there is no heat or cooling or artificial lighting. The room is lit by the arrow slits high above. The lone furnishings are three massive thronelike chairs that belong to Aro, Caius, and Marcus. They use these thrones when they are acting as magistrates, hearing cases against vampires who have infringed on the law. In the center of the room is a slight depression that contains a drainage grate. The Volturi dispose of the bodies of their victims through this hole, which sits above a very deep cavern. Routinely, these remains are reduced en masse by acid.
"EDWARD WILL BE UNDER THE CLOCK TOWER, TO THE NORTH OF THE SQUARE."
--Alice, to Bella (New Moon, Chapter 20)
The Amazon Coven
"THE REUNITED AMAZONS HAD BEEN ANXIOUS TO RETURN HOME AS WELL--THEY HAD A DIFFICULT TIME BEING AWAY FROM THEIR BELOVED RAIN FOREST...."
--Bella (Breaking Dawn, Chapter 39)
The Amazon coven consists of three sisters, Kachiri, Zafrina, and Senna, all natives of the Pantanal wetlands. The sisters never interact with humans except when hunting; they do not associate with them or make any pretense of behaving in a human way. They are feral in appearance and rarely leave the unpopulated wetlands except to hunt. Few vampires--including the Volturi--have ever heard of this coven.
KACHIRI
NAME: Kachiri
DATE OF BIRTH: Unknown
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
PLACE OF ORIGIN: South America
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6'4"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Kachiri is very tall, with thick black hair. Her features and limbs all appear unnaturally long.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She is part of a coven with her sisters, Senna and Zafrina.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Kachiri belonged to an ancient native tribe located on the fringe of the Pantanal. After she was changed, she went back for her two closest friends. They've been together ever since, rarely leaving the wetlands, hunting in the habitations along the fringes. Their self-sufficient way of life has kept them a secret from most other vampires. Carlisle and his family discovered them in the 1940s while on a hunting trip; the Cullens' interest in large animal game brought them to an area other vampires dismissed for its lack of human prey. The Amazons were quite taken with Carlisle's gentle, friendly manner.
Their self-sufficient way of life has kept them a secret from most other vampires.
SENNA
NAME: Senna
DATE OF BIRTH: Unknown
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Kachiri
PLACE OF ORIGIN: South America
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'11"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Senna is the shortest of the A
mazons, but still very tall. She has the same long limbs and facial features as Kachiri and Zafrina. She wears her black hair in a braid, and her clothing is homemade from animal skins.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She is part of a coven with her sisters, Kachiri and Zafrina.
ZAFRINA
NAME: Zafrina
DATE OF BIRTH: Unknown
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Kachiri
PLACE OF ORIGIN: South America
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6'1"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Zafrina shares the same long limbs, fingers, and facial features as Senna and Kachiri. Like Senna, Zafrina wears her long hair in a braid, and her clothing is made out of animal hide.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Zafrina has a strong illusory talent. She can make her target see any illusion she wants, or see nothing at all. Her range includes anyone in her eyesight.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She is part of a coven with her sisters, Kachiri and Senna.
The Denali Coven
The Denali coven was originally founded by Sasha, who was responsible for transforming Tanya, Kate, and Irina into vampires. They considered Sasha their mother and one another sisters. After Sasha was executed by the Volturi for creating an immortal child, Vasilii, Tanya assumed leadership of the coven. The sisters often amused themselves by romancing local human men. Such trysts usually ended in a meal; their lovers never survived long. After a few centuries, the sisters began to regret their actions. They felt real affection for some of these men, and losing them was depressing. They tried to spare the men they associated with while hunting other humans, but this didn't work; the human blood was too hard to resist in such close proximity, and eventually they would slip up. The longer one of them spent with a man, the more devastating it was when the man died. Finally Tanya devised a plan to give up human blood altogether. She had a similar experience in the woods as Carlisle did with his first vampire meal: She realized that unappetizing animal blood could quench her thirst. Her sisters decided to follow her example, and after many years of practice, they developed self-control to rival Carlisle's.