Cecile Delacroix
Occupation: Mambo (Voodoo Priestess)
Skills: Clairvoyance, Healing, Divination
Motivation: To serve her congregation and the loa
Weaknesses: Trusting

Cecile is a young woman of about eighteen who is a priestess of Voodoo, known as a Mambo. Voodoo is a religion which worships ancestor spirits known as loa. The spirits must be shown respect by performing ceremonies in 'heir honor and giving them offerings. In return they will look after their followers and give them gifts and knowledge.

During the ceremonies the loa enter Cecile and by possessing her body, they appear and speak to the worshippers. Cecile knows how to call the spirits down and how to control their possession of her body. She always carries a rattle called an "asson" which symbolizes her power over the spirits.

Marie received the calling to become inducted into Voodoo when she was very young. She underwent the training and ordeals to become a mambo and she was chosen by her patron loa Erzulie, the goddess of love. Her teacher during this time was the mambo Marie Pascal; Cecile used to keep in touch with Marie, but lately she has not heard from her.

Cecile was born with a natural gift of second sight and has been able to see the loa since she was very small. Her kind and trusting nature and clairvoyant skill have made her a favorite among the loa, and although she is young she has had many Successes with healing sickness and divining people's fates. She often works alongside Rene Trouillor, a respected houngan.

Rene Trouillot
Occupation: Houngan (Voodoo Priest)
Skills: Calling the Spirits, Healing, Training Initiates
Motivation: To serve the loa
Weaknesses: Overconfident

Rene is about thirty and has long been a priest of Voodoo known as a Houngan. He has his own temple called a "hourngfor" which has altars to the loa and this is where he carries out Voodoo ceremonies and dances to honor the spirits. Rene leads his congregation in these ceremonies and he calls down the loa to possess the worshippers. Rene's patron loas are Damballah-wedo, the snake god, and Papa Legba, the guardian of the crossroads; he is most often possessed by Damballah during these ceremonies.

Rene has trained many other young potential candidates to take up the "asson" (sacred rattle) of the voodoo priesthood. He often works with the young mambo Cecile Delacroix, who he encouraged to join the priesthood after she told him of her visions of the loa.

Rene has had many successes and is much loved and respected by his congregation; unfortunately, this has made him overconfident. He might soon need reminding that the spirits do not serve him and that they only grant favors to those with the proper humility and respect.

Michael Labat
Occupation: Docteurs feuilles (Herb Doctor)
Skills: Plant Identification, Making Magical Powders
Motivation: To gain more knowledge about plants
Weaknesses: Obsessed with his profession

Michael is not a member of the voodoo priesthood but he has gained knowledge from the loa about many different plants and has become a "Docteurs feuilles" or herb doctor. He can immediately identify plants by sight and knows which ones are associated with which loa and their magical properties. He knows how to make mixtures of dried roots and leaves that can be made into magical powders.

Michael sells these powders as love charms and healing powders. He knows how to make other powders too - ones that can cause insanity or illness or make people invisible - but he would never sell these powders, and keeps them his secret. These powders can be taken willingly or can they can be used as invisible contaminants; for example, on bouquets sent to women or dusted on household surfaces where they are unwittingly breathed in. Dew is also thought to have magical properties, and the powders may be spread out at night to mix with the dew; the magic will be absorbed if someone walks on the wet ground.

Michael is obsessed with finding new magical plants and secrets and he always seems rather preoccupied and distant. He can be tempted with new knowledge and may not think of the consequences until it is too late, because knowledge and favors often have a price.

Joseph Maidou
Occupation: Bokor (evil sorcerer)
Skills: Making Magical Powders, Binding Bakas (evil spirits)
Motivation: Power
Weaknesses: Owes debts to several powerful bakas

Joseph is a much-feared sorcerer who is said to "serve the loa with both hands," which means that as well as serving the spirits like the priests of voodoo, he also practices black magic. However, there is a price for asking the spirits to do black magic, as they demand sacrifices and favors in return. The stronger and more powerful the magic the greater the sacrifice, and some evil spirits may demand Joseph capture "ti- bonange" - human souls - for them.

Joseph sells magic spells, charms known as "angas," and powders; his prices are high and if he feels the person is influential, it may involve favors instead of money. A "wanga" is magical charm often used for selfish purposes: it is a talisman to which a spirit is bound, and the magic it can do depends on the type and strength of the spirit bound. A person can buy a strong evil spirit called a "baka" to do their bidding, but they are never Completely in control of it, as the baka will only obey if it is given offerings. To make a person rich, it demands a relative's soul, and if the pact with it is broken there is nothing to stop the baka from the devouring the soul (if its owner.

People only come to Joseph if they are desper.ate, as it is rumored that he is involved with death magic and has changed people into zombies. These rumors are true - he has a couple of zombie servants that work during the night on his farm.

Gabriel Duval
Occupation: Zombie Laborer
Skills: Untiring worker
Motivation: To escape
Weaknesses: Bully (not when zombie)

Gabriel was the head of a large family and he often humiliated his younger brothers, demanding that they do more their fair share of the work on the family farm and borrowing - and not paying back their money. One brother finally had enough and went to Joseph Maidou, a feared Bokor, to get revenge. A few weeks later Gabriel appeared to catch a sudden illness and died. Gabriel's brother was horrified, as he had only wanted his brother punished, but he was too afraid of the Bokor to do or say anything.

In reality, Gabriel was poisoned by Joseph to make it appear as though he was dead. The day after Gabriel had been buried he was dug up by the Bokor, and given a partial antidote to the poison, Gabriel's mind is still clouded by the poison and the terrifying experience of being buried alive has transformed him into a zombie, willing to mildly follow Joseph's orders. He works untiringly through the night at Joseph's farm. His movements are slow, he never swears, and he displays no emotion.

His "gros-bonange," or life force, has been captured by Joseph and placed in a bottle in his house - until it is retrieved, Joseph has power over Gabriel. Deep in the recesses of his mind Gabriel knows he must escape and if he does he will probably be found wandering aimlessly, unable to speak. If he is given the traditional treatment of salt water it will return his power of speech but his mind will still be damaged. If someone recognizes him as the recenyly-deceased Gabriel perhaps he can be returned to his family. He can be cured by a houngan or mambo if the bottle containing his life force is retrieved.

Marie Pascal
Occupation: Mambo (voodoo priestess)
Skills: Calling the Spirits, Black Magic
Motivation: To gain the highest level of the priesthood
Weaknesses: Pride, Corrupted by bakas (evil spirits)

Marie is a voodoo priestess who started out being a good mambo. She has trained many in the ways of the loa and always took care of her congregation. However in the last few years she has tried to reach the highest level of voodoo induction, the "prix-des-yeux" or the price of eyes" which is the gift of second sight.

However, she has been refused by the loa, who said she wasn't ready for such a gift. This has made her bitter and jealous and instead of waiting for the power, she has started to dabble in black Magic, using it to cause sickness and bad luck among her perceived enemies. Although she was arrogant enough to assume she could deal with the bakas, she has, come to regret her actions of "serving the spirits with both hands," as the evil spirits have been hounding her, offering her more power, if she will only give them the proper sacrifice of a human soul.

Marie has been trying to resist their advances but she doesn't know how much longer she can withstand them. She knows if she uses magic to kill, her own soul will be damned.

Unknown to her, the spirits have already started their corruption and she is becoming an evil spirit herself. At night she becomes a tiny "loup garou", which takes shape of a mosquito and sucks the blood of children. Any child she feeds from will become sick of a wasting disease and unless she is stopped from her nocturnal visits, they will eventually die. Charms from voodoo priests or herb doctors can keep "loup garous" away. The only way Marie can be cured is if she swallows her pride, realizes what a mistake she has, made, and seeks help from a houngan or mambo.

Papa Legba
Occupation: Guardian Loa (powerful spirit)
Skills: Possession, Magic
Motivation: Guarding the gate to the spirit world
Weaknesses: Lame

The loas are ancestor spirits; Voodoo followers most appease them with offerings and ceremonies, and in return the loa will grant favors and give advice, protection and knowledge. It can be disastrous to ignore the loa' for if 4ey feel they are being dishonored they will cause all sorts of trouble, such as illness and bad luck.

One of the most important loas is Papa Legba. He is the loa that gave the secret of the spirit world to mankind and he is the first of the loa to he invoked in a Voodoo ceremony, as he opens the gate that separates the supernatural world from the world of humans. It is only once Papa Legba has been asked to "opened the door" that the other loa may join the ceremony. For this reason Legba is said to guard all boundaries and gates -and is often known as the "Master of the Crossroads." He is also known as the protector of the home and once darkness falls he is sometimes worshipped as a patron of magic by sorcerers.

Papa Legba appears as a feeble oIJ man, puffing a pipe and supporting himself on a crutch. His appearance is deceptive, as he is an extremely strong loa and if he decides to possess a worshipper, they undergo violent body movements and may even fall to the ground as if hit. Legba's "veve" or symbol is a cross and he is represented in many Voodoo temples by a crutch. He should be offered rice, stuoked foods and green bananas.

Erzulie
Occupation: Loa of Love (powerful spirit)
Skills: Possession, Bestow Happiness
Motivation: Romantic Love
Weaknesses: jealousy

The beautiful loa Erzulie, the goddess of love, has many different aspects to her personality. She represents the moon and in this form is virginal and pure and is the goddess of love. She brings happiness and prosperity and bestows gifts on her followers. However she has a darker side, and in this form she flirts, has affairs with many of the other loa, and is prone to violent mood swings in which she can be jealous, melancholy or angry.

In this aspect she causes jealousy and discord and she forces those she possesses to twist themselves into distorted shapes.

She is the wife of Legba and the mistress of Damballah-wedo, the serpent loa. She appears as a beautiful woman with very dark skin who is always opulently attired in lavish dresses and jewelry.

Erzulie's "veve" or symbol is a heart and she is sometimes represented by a mirror. Those possessed by her act in an exaggeratedly feminine way flirting with the worshippers and speaking in a high-pitched voice and demanding sweet cakes, champagne and perfume.

Damballah-wedo
Occupation: Snake Loa (powerful spirit)
Skills: Possession, Bestow Wealth
Motivation: Bringer of Good
Weaknesses: Cannot speak

Damballah-wedo, the serpent loa, is a creator god who formed the stars and planets, and when he shed his skin, it released water to the earth. He is a pictured as great snake stretching across the sky: he is married, to Ayida-wedo, the beautiful rainbow loa, and together they entwine across the sky, representing unity. He represents goodness and the ancestral knowledge of the Voodoo religion.

He is thought to live in trees near bodies of water such as springs and these trees will often be decorated or offerings left at them for him.

Damballah's symbol or "veve" is a picture of a serpent - his symbol and that of his wife Ayidawedo often decorate the central pole around which Voodoo ceremonies are preformed.

When Damballah possesses a follower, that person falls to the ground where they will not use their limbs, but will writhe and crawl along the ground and they may even climb trees. They never speak but only hiss, darting their tongues in and out like snakes do. During the ceremony Damballah is offered white things to eat such as eggs, rice, flour and white hens. He is associated with treasure and prosperity and may reward the faithful of his followers with wealth.