The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Page 15
"DENALI WAS WHERE THE ONE OTHER BAND OF UNIQUE VAMPIRES--GOOD ONES LIKE THE CULLENS--LIVED."
--Bella (New Moon, Chapter 3)
Around the time that Tanya and her sisters became comfortably settled into their "vegetarian" lifestyle, they met Carmen and Eleazar. The newcomers were very taken with the Denali coven's compassionate choice. Tanya invited them to stay and try out the "vegetarian" life. Both parties enjoyed one another's company so much that they made the situation permanent.
The coven was devastated by Irina's execution--again at the hands of the Volturi. At this difficult time they were joined by the nomad Garrett, who had formed an attachment with Kate.
CARMEN
NAME: Carmen
DATE OF BIRTH: 1700s
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1700s
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Spain
HAIR COLOR: Dark brown
EYE COLOR: Gold/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'5"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Carmen has a slight olive tone to her pale skin. Her hair is long and dark. Although she speaks flawless English, Spanish is her native language.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She is part of a coven with Garrett, Katrina, and Tanya, and formerly Irina. Eleazar is her mate.
They adopted the sisters' philosophy and were welcomed into the coven.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
When Carmen fell in love with Eleazar, he was a member of the Volturi. Carmen had no talent to interest the Volturi, so she was not invited to join. For a while Eleazar worked for the Volturi while living with Carmen, but he felt the strain between his two worlds. Carmen was troubled by the violence of Eleazar's everyday life. Eventually he asked for and was granted permission to leave. Carmen and Eleazar spent several years traveling together and living as traditional vampires. But they sought a more peaceful existence and were pleased to meet the Denali sisters, who lived a "vegetarian" lifestyle. They adopted the sisters' philosophy and were welcomed into the coven.
FAMOUS QUOTE
"May I hold you, bebe linda?" Breaking Dawn, Chapter 30
ELEAZAR
NAME: Eleazar
DATE OF BIRTH: 1700s
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1700s
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Spain
HAIR COLOR: Dark brown
EYE COLOR: Gold/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'11"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Eleazar's pale skin has a light olive cast. His hair is dark. Spanish is his first language.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: He has the ability to sense the type and strength of gifted vampires' talents.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: He is part of a coven with Garrett, Katrina, and Tanya, and formerly Irina. Carmen is his mate.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Eleazar was once a member of the Volturi guard. A gentle person by nature, he wasn't entirely happy with their methods, but he felt he was serving the greater good by working with those who would uphold the laws he respected.
After Eleazar fell in love with Carmen, he asked Aro's permission to leave the Volturi, knowing that Carmen was not happy with his involvement. Aro didn't like the idea but nonetheless gave his blessing. He felt there was a good chance that Eleazar would come back to the Volturi if needed, and he did not want to destroy a talent that he had no backup for. The Volturi were not actively recruiting as they had before the acquisition of the twins, but the future was never certain, and Aro might need Eleazar again.
Following his departure from the Volturi guard, Eleazar, together with Carmen, sought a more compassionate lifestyle. They were elated upon discovering the Denali sisters and readily adopted the "vegetarian" philosophy.
FAMOUS QUOTES
"A very talented family." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 31
"No one can stand against them." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 31
GARRETT
NAME: Garrett
DATE OF BIRTH: Mid-1700s
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Around 1780
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
PLACE OF ORIGIN: New England
HAIR COLOR: Sandy blond
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6'2"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Garrett is tall and has a lanky build. He wears his long, sandy-colored hair tied back with a leather thong.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: He has recently joined the Denali coven with Carmen, Eleazar, Katrina, and Tanya. Kate is his mate.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Garrett was transformed during the American Revolutionary War. A hotheaded patriot who willingly fought for the colonies' right to self-govern, he was a true believer in the American dream. His transformation occurred by accident in the aftermath of a battle.
Local vampires took advantage of the war's massive death toll to feast frequently. Garrett was with an isolated group of ten soldiers when a vampire attacked them, knocking Garrett unconscious at the beginning of the attack. The vampire drained the other nine soldiers. By the time he came to Garrett, he was so sated that he didn't drink much of Garrett's blood. Given the blow to Garrett's head, the vampire didn't expect the soldier to survive. Creating another vampire was not his intent.
After the transformation was complete, Garrett's quest to understand what had happened to him turned into a permanent characteristic. He is always curious and willing to investigate a mystery.
FAMOUS QUOTES
"Here's to freedom from oppression." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 34
"I have witnessed the bonds within this family--I say family and not coven." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37
"Do you wish me to call you master, too, like your sycophantic guard?" Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37
"If we live through this, I'll follow you anywhere, woman." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37
IRINA
NAME: Irina
DATE OF BIRTH: 1000s
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1000s
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Sasha
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Slovakia
HAIR COLOR: Pale blond
EYE COLOR: Gold/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'2"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Irina had straight, chin-length, pale blond hair.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She did not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She considered Kate and Tanya her sisters, even though they were not biologically related. All three were transformed by Sasha. Irina considered Sasha her mother. Carmen and Eleazar were also part of her coven. Irina was building a relationship with Laurent before his death.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Irina was the third vampire added to Sasha's coven, after Tanya and Kate. As a human, Irina was a pretty peasant girl living in a small farm community. She physically resembled Tanya and Kate quite a bit, and Sasha liked the idea of adding a new sister for her other girls. Sasha considered the girls, including Irina after she was changed, to be her daughters, and they in turn loved her as a mother. They were a close-knit coven, so it came as a great surprise to Irina when she discovered that her mother had created an immortal child despite the Volturi law prohibiting them.
Irina and her sisters were devastated when the Volturi executed their mother and the child, though they did not fault the Volturi for their decision. Sasha knew the law as well as Irina did, and none of the sisters could understand what she'd done. They did, however, understand her decision to keep them in the dark; the sisters' total innocence of Sasha's act was the only reason the Volturi spared them.
All of the Denali sisters enjoyed the attention of men, both human and immortal, though--flirtatious by nature--none of them ever settled with one mate. As there were always more human men than vampire men, their relationships most often involved humans. In the beginning, these relationships w
ith humans were short-lived and usually ended in a meal for one of the sisters. Their behavior earned them a place in human legend as the succubus. The myth varies from source to source, but at its essence is a tale of a beautiful demon who first seduces her prey and then drains him of life.
After a while, Irina and her sisters began to feel remorse; they were genuinely fond of many of the men they formed brief relationships with and regretted their deaths, though those deaths seemed inevitable.
After a while, Irina and her sisters began to feel remorse; they were genuinely fond of many of the men they formed brief relationships with and regretted their deaths, though those deaths seemed inevitable. They tried to pursue such relationships without killing the man involved, but eventually they would make a mistake and he would die. The regret and guilt became too difficult to bear. For a long while, the sisters avoided human men completely--except as meals--but found this lonely. Tanya began to wonder if she could train herself to resist human blood altogether, and thereby make it possible to have human friends without killing them.
After a few decades, all three sisters grew adept at this new diet, and at enjoying intimacy with humans without injury.
While testing her ability to go without drinking any blood, Tanya had a similar experience to Carlisle's; animal blood suddenly began to smell better than nothing at all. Tanya experimented with living on animal blood and came to the conclusion that abstaining did make it easier to be around humans. Irina and Kate were excited by this breakthrough and joined their sister in her experiment. After a few decades, all three sisters grew adept at this new diet, and at enjoying intimacy with humans without injury.
Over a century later, a nomad couple named Eleazar and Carmen crossed paths with Irina and her sisters. Both unusual among vampires due to their compassionate natures, Eleazar and Carmen were immediately intrigued by the sisters' choice to forgo murder. They stayed with the sisters to learn their way of life, and grew closer and closer. Soon, they asked to join Irina and her sisters permanently. The sisters were pleased to enlarge their family.
By the time the Denali clan encountered Carlisle, they were all as good at vampire "vegetarianism" as he was. They quickly bonded with the Cullens over their shared lifestyle, and considered one another extended family from that time forward.
When Laurent came looking for the Denali sisters on Carlisle's instruction, Irina was intrigued by his interest in her family's way of life. She began to have romantic feelings for him, and he seemed to return them. Before their relationship could progress beyond this early stage, Laurent was killed by the Quileute wolves. Irina never really forgave the Cullens for defending the wolves' action, until she realized she was guilty of a much greater offense against them. Before she was killed, Irina had time to recognize how wrong she'd been to betray the Cullens to the Volturi without first asking them for their story.
FAMOUS QUOTE
"There was no crime. There's no valid reason for you to continue here." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37
KATRINA
NAME: Katrina; preferred name: Kate
DATE OF BIRTH: 1000s
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1000s
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Sasha
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Slovakia
HAIR COLOR: Pale blond
EYE COLOR: Gold/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'6"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Kate is tall and graceful, with long, straight hair the color of corn silk.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She has the power to cause a painful, electric shock-like jolt in anyone she touches.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She considers Irina and Tanya her sisters, even though they are not biologically related. All three were transformed by Sasha. Kate considered Sasha her mother. Carmen and Eleazar later joined the coven. In addition, Kate has become romantically interested in the nomad Garrett; he recently settled with the Denalis.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
As a human, Kate was an attendant--basically a bodyguard--to a highborn female in a warlike tribe of proto-Slavic people. She was well trained in the martial arts of her people. When Sasha and Tanya attacked a small caravan transporting Kate's charge, everyone but Kate was slaughtered. Sasha was impressed by Kate's courage and determination to save her mistress. Kate also resembled Tanya physically. On a whim, Sasha decided to create a sister for Tanya.
She had the ability to create a sensation like an electric shock by touching someone else--vampire or human--with the palm of her hand.
Kate's strongly developed sense of loyalty resulted in her becoming quickly bonded to her new family. Within a decade, Kate's ability to defend her mother and sister with more than normal physical means began to develop. She had the ability to create a sensation like an electric shock by touching someone else--vampire or human--with the palm of her hand. Although the shock was strongest in her hands, gradually she learned to control the intensity and to project it from any part of her body, though she always needed direct skin-to-skin contact.
Kate had a deep sense of respect for authority, stemming from her early training with a ruling family. This respect transferred to the Volturi when she joined the vampire world and Sasha explained its laws to her. She was horrified when it was revealed that Sasha had broken those laws so egregiously in creating an immortal child. Despite her loyalty to her mother, Kate could not ignore the fact that the Volturi were in the right. When the Volturi spared her and her sisters' lives, Kate was grateful for their kindness. She never questioned their motives, and her respect for their authority did not waver.
Always lonely after the destruction of their mother, Kate and her sisters explored different kinds of company. All three were flirtatious and enjoyed the attention of men, whether human or vampire. The human relationships invariably ended in death for the man, and over time, the sisters began to feel remorse for killing these humans they'd felt a genuine fondness for. Kate was eager to try Tanya's solution--avoiding human blood altogether, with animal blood as a substitute. After a few decades, all three sisters grew adept at this new diet, and at enjoying intimacy with humans without causing injury.
A few centuries later, a nomad couple named Eleazar and Carmen crossed paths with Kate and her sisters and eventually joined the family permanently.
By the time the Denali clan encountered Carlisle, they were all as good at vampire "vegetarianism" as he was. The Denali coven came to bond with the Cullens over their "vegetarianism," and considered them extended family.
When Kate met Garrett, she found something she'd never found in another male. She is currently attempting monogamy for the first time in her long life.
FAMOUS QUOTES
"Keep the dream alive." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 4
"Nessie, would you like to come help your mother?" Breaking Dawn, Chapter 32
"Jane's mine. She needs a taste of her own medicine." Breaking Dawn, Chapter 38
TANYA
NAME: Tanya
DATE OF BIRTH: 1000s
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1000s
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Sasha
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Slovakia
HAIR COLOR: Strawberry blond
EYE COLOR: Gold/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5'5"
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Tanya is very beautiful, even for a vampire.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: She considers Kate and Irina her sisters, even though they are not biologically related. All three were transformed by Sasha. Tanya considered Sasha her mother. Carmen, Eleazar, and Garrett are also part of her coven.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Tanya was the first of Sasha's adopted daughters. She was Sasha's biological great-niece, and when Sasha decided she'd like some companionship in her vampire life, she chose Tanya to join her. Sasha enjoyed having the company of another female so much that she added two more "daughters" to her coven in the first century after changing Tanya.
Tanya was th
e closest to Sasha, so she was even more shocked than the others when Sasha's crime was revealed. She could never understand why Sasha would act in such a way, but once the Volturi had tested Tanya and her sisters' innocence, she did understand why her adoptive mother would keep it a secret from her.
Losing Sasha was a tremendous blow to Tanya and her sisters.
Losing Sasha was a tremendous blow to Tanya and her sisters. Tanya always felt like there was an immense hole in her life. She tried to fill the emptiness with a long line of flirtations, which were enough to frequently distract her from her loss. Tanya was the first of the sisters to become sensitive to the deaths of her human companions as she inevitably killed them for their blood. Over time, these smaller losses of short-term friends began to remind her too much of Sasha's death. When the pain of these losses became greater than her entertainment in the liaisons, she gave up human men for a time. Frustrated by the return of her nagging loneliness, Tanya tried to think of a way she could go back to her romantic pursuits without killing her human friends. After much thought, she decided it was the steady diet of human blood that made it so difficult for her to resist the blood of specific humans she wished to spare. Eventually, she discovered that substituting animal blood took care of her nutritional needs without weakening her ability to resist human blood. Her sisters enthusiastically mimicked her new behavior, and in a few centuries they had perfected their "vegetarianism."