Dracula and Lisa Tepes

First, the picture has nothing to do with these two.  The only similarities are that they’re couples.  Finding a vampire couple picture wasn’t going well, so I just grabbed this one out of frustration.  Professional here.

Instead of giving these characters a post each, I’m putting them in one because they operate as a couple.  Luna and Joran are the newest Dawn Fangs to join Clyde’s forces of Nytefall.  They’ve been a pair I’ve been wanting to introduce for a long time, but they wouldn’t have worked in previous adventures.  With their story, they work best as a final hour introduction.  That meant I had to hit the ground running with them and demonstrate their personalities, powers, and goals faster than any of their predecessors.  The paladin army heading for the Dawn Fangs didn’t help.

As I said, Luna and Joran are a couple, which is how they start.  They are womb-born who grew up in different lifestyles and eventually met up during their wanderings. Both come with their own sets of trauma and issues, but they work together perfectly.  In this way, they can come of as a younger, less experienced version of Clyde and Mab.  They are able to operate as a team even with minimal or lack of planning because they have a deep understanding of each other.

Of course, these two have aspirations since they’re clearly plot essential.  That would be getting to Nytefall and joining the war.  The subplot of vampires wanting to bring an end to the violence gains an added dimension from this young couple.  They want to help Clyde defeat Nyte in order to help him achieve his dream.  With Dawn Fangs exposed, Luna and Joran can live in the light, which is something everyone wants.  Their existence is going to push and prod the older characters who aren’t all rushing to finish Xavier and the Nyte crew off.  Is it going to be a major clashing of ideas? Well, you’re going to have to read War of Nytefall: Anarchy to find that out.  It is certainly going to drive home the fact that Dawn Fangs are growing impatient.

So, what are these characters like?  They are polar opposites in terms of personality.  Luna is friendly, excitable, and determined to be of help to Clyde.  She is willing to do whatever it takes to earn her idol’s praise, which makes her a burst of manic energy rivaling that of Lost.  It was a lot of fun to write someone with no filter, who would speak out of line and not always notice.  I saw Luna as a child who is still learning the ins and outs of more advanced manners.  Maybe she wasn’t that bad, but I definitely had her step on a few toes because a newcomer needs to cause some friction.

Joran, a Dawn Fang chaos elf, is more standoffish due to his history, which has left him unable to trust anyone other than Luna.  He loves her more than anything, so there is a sense he is joining Nytefall for her instead of the cause.  He does possess a healthy amount of ego and aims it at others he deems weak, which I had trouble keeping in check when I wrote him.  I enjoyed the idea of a couple where one person was overly friendly and the other was heavily guarded and kind of a jerk.  They worked off each other so well even though Joran may have been overshadowed a bit.  Makes sense for a guy who only knows fighting and isn’t big on socializing with people other than his girlfriend.

Well, that’s a brief look at our newest Dawn Fangs.  Hope people pick up the book and enjoy their debut.