The Circus
Mortimer Wiles is the Circus' ring master. He's been the ring master since the disappearance of the previous one, Silas. He previously worked for the circus as a juggler and musician, and was Silas' best friend.
Mort is mysterious, charismatic and always seems to have all of the answers... until he doesn't. Mortimer switches quickly from one persona to the next, so quickly that it's difficult to tell what's actually underneath all of that. His thought processes are hideously macabre and he's in the habit on wandering off into long, existential rants at the drop of a hat. He can also be rather violent at times, though this is never directed at any member of the circus. He's a quick thinker and his main priority is to keep the circus together. At any cost.
Death is a bit of a touchy subject for him, considering that he's technically undead. (That's a surprisingly simple story. An unfortunate accident in his youth and a lucky encounter with a necromancer.)Also, don't ask him about his family. His runaway son, Atlas is another reason thing he's rather sensitive about.
Mort likes to dress up, and does so. It's rare he's seen without a waist coat and cravat. He's bright ginger, and extraordinarily pale. His eyes, however, are just blank sockets.
Mortimer's bleeder Laudanum came about after the disappearance of Silas, although it had been festering since Atlas ran away. It's very vicious and will bite pretty much anyone that comes near it. Unless those people are Mortimer or Zari, that is.
Charlie Charles is the one of the two fire-eaters. He came to the circus after several buildings in his home town mysteriously caught ablaze. That being said, he's not a pyromaniac, but he is rather single minded and he knew that from a young age he wanted to be a fire-eater. Hence the unfortunate mistakes. One particular mistake actually caused him some serious damage. Charlie suffered from severe burns to one side of his body, mainly on his shoulders and neck. The scars are still there.
He's something of a genius, always looking to be new and innovative. He can be manic at times, always looking to pick things apart to see how they work. He's not as reckless anymore, the only person he's willing to take risks with is himself. ... Which usually means that he ends up with more burns than before. He's a pretty harmless guy, but his habit of talking without thinking gets him into trouble a lot. Weirdly enough, though, people tend to find Charlie weirdly charismatic and he never has a shortage of girlfriends or boyfriends. (Though, with his absentminded nature, his relationships never last very long.)
Charlie is tiny, around five foot two with short-ish curly blonde hair and rather strange eyebrows. (Parts of them have been burnt off.) He dresses in an eccentric manner, which usually means that he throws on whatever bright coloured pieces of fabric will cover the appropriate areas.
Zari seemed destined to be one of those girls that always ended up in trouble. The eldest of six she was a little bit more wayward and outspoken than her siblings, too curious for her own good. When she was twelve her second sibling was taken in by a group of poachers, thieves and ne'er-do-wells. Family life became even more difficult after that, so she ran away and joined the circus. Once there, she started training to become an acrobat.
When they were near the Fe'gan Mountains, Zari decided to make a visit to Basantha Shrine, where she found the hollow shell of a battleheart. She convinced him to go travelling together and after a time, they fell in love. Now Zari splits her time between travelling with the circus and living with him.
Zari is feisty, and tenacious, she doesn't give in until she's gotten what she wants. That being said, she can also be rather petulant and argumentative at times. She's dedicated, and loyal, with a little bit of a wild streak. Even though she's had more than enough trouble for a life time, it just seems to be drawn to her.
She's generally rather practical, with a dry sense of humor. Zari does not have time for airs and graces and has has no problems saying as much. She can be incredibly blunt. When it comes down to her true feelings, though, Zari can be rather guarded and it's often difficult to tell what she's thinking.
Zari is around five foot five, olive skinned with dark, curly hair. Her eyes are oddly pale-coloured, due to her biolune colouration in her cavillion form. Her clothes are a mix of ostentatious silks with intricate embroidery and over-sized t-shirts and jeans. There's very little in-between. She also has small, intricate tattoos that curl across her wrists and over her palms.
Drucilla is the circus's other acrobat, and the one who trained Zari. She was a close friend of Silas's up until the time of his disappearance. Her and Morte also go way back. It was the three of them that originally founded the circus. Morte as a juggler, Drucilla as an acrobat and trapeze artist, and Silas as a magician.
She is a quiet, reserved soul. She only speaks when she has need to. Drucilla is the voice of reason for many members of the circus, but particularly Morte. He was strange beforehand, but she feels that the necromancy unhinged him even further. She is not, however a bleeding heart and is generally rather cold towards most people. She is quiet, collected and very rarely shows her emotions openly. Drucilla does not mince her words.
- Young fortune teller
Is Zari's apprentice/person who takes over from Zari while she's away.