Black Dagger Brotherhood
Encyclopedia
The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a paranormal romance
series by author J. R. Ward. The series focuses on six vampire
brothers and warriors who live together and defend their race against Lessers, de-souled humans who threaten their kind.
Rhage son of Tohrture. This worrier is the strongest and most beautiful of the Brothers. Cursed by The Scribe Virgin, he is possessed with a dark creature known only as the Beast that makes him a danger to everyone including his brothers. His story is told in Lover Eternal. He falls in love with a human named Mary and wishes to take her as his Shellan.
Zsadist Son of Aghony. He is the scarred, menacing Brother. Taken as an infant from his family, he's forced into blood slavery until his twin, Phury, rescues him a century later. He was described as being "ruined, not broken" by all who knew him prior to meeting the beautiful aristocratic vampire Bella. The softening of this tortured warrior's heart in told in Lover Awakened. He is now Bella's mated Hellren and has an infant daughter, Nalla. His eyes, once as black as death, have regained the same gold-yellow color of his twin's, reflecting the tremendous change in him.
Butch/Dhestroyer is the only mail human to be allowed within the Brotherhood, and is descended from Wrath. This connection to him allows him to be "turned" and he is initiated in the BDB. He has been through all the book of thr brother hood. He lives at the "Pit", a two bedroom gate-house connected to the mansion where the King and other Brothers reside, with Vishous and he is a friend to all the warriors. An ex-homicide detective, he was lovingly given the nickname "Cop" by the vampires. He is the object of an ancient Lesser Prophecy, and has the ability to sense them wherever they are and can absorb them into himself. His story and his love for the vampire Marissa is told in Lover Revealed.
Vishous is the most intelligent and the one who is specially gifted. His curse is his ability to prognosticate: he sees the future, though not the 'when' of events so he is tortured by his inability to save those he loves from danger. Tattooed on his face, his genitals, - which are scarred since his father tried to castrate him - and his entire hand, he has the ability of psychometry. All of this was inherited from his mother The Scribe Virgin. He falls in love with a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb. His story is told in Lover Unbound.
Phury Son of Aghony. He is Zsadist's twin brother and a celibate who cannot truly live because of everything his biological brother has lost. Phury is incredibly loyal to his brother, even shooting off his own leg to save his twin. His noble nature went so far as to help release Vishous from being "Primale" to the Chosen. He eventually falls in love with the Chosen, Cormia, his first mate. His story is told in Lover Enshrined.
Rehvenge is brother-in-law to Zsadist, half symphath, and owner of a local club called ZeroSum. He is also a member of the vampire aristocracy and the "Princeps Leahdyre" of its council. He hides the fact that he is half "symphath" even from his own sister, Bella. His story is told in Lover Avenged.
Tohrment took over leadership of the Brotherhood when Wrath became king. He was the steady and calm Brother, ever serious but with a kind heart, until a tragedy took the life of his Shellan, Wellsie and his unborn son. He disappears until Lover Enshrined, whereupon he is returned weak and emaciated to the Brotherhood by the fallen angel, Lassiter. In his youth his father disowned him and he was taken in by the Brother Darius in the old country. Both he and Darius saved the life of the female who would end up being Xhex's biological mother. His story will be told in Lover Reborn, to be released in March 27, 2012.
John Matthew/Tehrror is the reincarnation of Darius. Born mute, John uses American Sign Language and whistling to communicate with others. Before learning that he was a pre-trans vampire, he lived alone in the human world. At one point, he was cornered in the hallway to his apartment and raped by an unknown human. In despair John turned to the suicide prevention network in Caldwell and met Mary Luce. He followed her home so that he could meet her; during this meeting, Mary's neighbor, Bella, visited and sensed John was a vampire like her. As the introductions ensued, Bella noticed a bracelet John wore which carried his name in the Old Language. The name of a Brother, Tehrror. Bella contacts the brotherhood and John learns what he is and that he will soon go through his transition to become an adult male vampire. He was also invited to live amongst his kind, at which time he lived with Tohrment and his expectant mate Wellisandra. Now that he has gone through his transition Wrath has made him join the war due to his unexplained proficiency with weapons and knowledge of Lessers. His story is told in Lover Mine. He is best friends with Qhuinn and Blaylock, and now is Xhex's mated Hellren. He shares a kinship with Zsadist because of the traumatic similarities in their pasts.
Qhuinn is best friends with Blaylock and John Matthew. He is hated by his parents because of his mismatched eyes, seen as defects to the vampire aristocracy. During training he came to the defense of John Matthew, nearly killing his cousin Lash when he pinned John to the wall, bringing back John's memories of being raped. In order to avoid being put to death he was dedicated as John Matthew's ahstrux nohtrum - his protector - and they work incredibly well together as a team. Currently he lives with John and the Brothers after his family disowned him. He is a playboy with commitment issues, preferring a steady stream of anonymous sex, but in "Lover Mine" you also see that he really is in love with Blay. He however feels that if he gives in that he will never be able to leave him, and if that happens he will never be approved by the Glymera. Something he desperately wants even though he hates himself for it. Despite this he has proven himself a fierce warrior in the war against the Lessers.
Blaylock First met John Matthew at the training facility and quickly became John's first friend within his class. He is often referred to by his nickname, "Blay" and was the first of the three friends to go through his transition. He is now a soldier in the war against the Omega and the Lessening Society. It has been revealed that he is gay and is in love with Qhuinn, placing an increased strain on their friendship. Currently he lives with John and the Brothers. In Lover Mine Blaylock has his first romantic/sexual encounter with another male, Saxton, who is a lawyer for the race as well as Qhuinn's cousin.
Dr. Manuel "Manny" Manello is Chief of Surgery at St. Francis and was Jane Whitcomb's old boss and arguably her closest friend until her ‘death’. In Lover Unleashed after suffering a paralyzing injury while sparring with Wrath, Payne’s life (as well as her mobility) is in jeopardy. When Doc Jane realizes the damage is too great for her to repair, she goes looking for Manny, as he is a world renowned orthopedic Surgeon.
Mary Madonna Luce Once a secretary in a legal office and a regular volunteer at a suicide hotline, Mary is Rhage's human Shellan. Mary's leukemia was relapsing when she first meets Rhage. Her voice immediately attracts Rhage, and her acceptance of "the beast" side of Rhage makes her unique and fearless. All the Brothers fear the "beast", but it knows her and loves her too. She was healed of cancer after Rhage made a deal with the Scribe Virgin, in which he must sacrifice a life for a life. Essentially, this means giving up his life, meaning Mary, in return for her not dying. Soon after Rhage agrees to this, the Scribe Virgin realizes that Mary's previous medical treatments have rendered her infertile, therefore negating the deal. She allows Rhage to be with his human seeing how Mary will never hold "flesh of her own flesh" and thinks that that is sacrifice enough. Mary's mother was religious and named her after the Virgin Mary. She is also a teacher and confidant of Zsadist, first teaching him to read and write and then to help him get over his fears about the Mistress and what Zsadist would tell his daughter once she grows up and inquires about his slave bands and scars.
Wellesandra "Wellsie" Shellan of the Black Dagger Brother Tohrment and blooded daughter of the Princeps Relix. Resigned to the danger her Hellren faced in the war, Wellsie chose to support him as best she could and went on to help other Shellans (Beth most prominently) do the same. Levelheaded, steadfast and impossibly kind, Wellsie and Tohr were happily married for more than 50 years. She and Tohr had an arranged marriage but fell in love all the same. Wellsie is noted to be pregnant with their first child in Dark Lover which causes Tohr to worry over her tremendously. She and Tohr take in John Mathew before his transition and come to see him as a surrogate son. Tragically, Wellsie, her unborn son, and her cousin, Sarelle, are slaughtered by the lesser Mr. O in Lover Awakened.
Bella A former aristocrat, Bella was Mary's neighbor until she unfortunately encounters the most deadly lesser in the Society, David. She is Rehvenge's younger sister and Zsadist's Shellan and salvation from his past. They have a daughter, Nalla whom for the first few months after her birth Zsadist avoids touching for fear of his past touching her. The three finally become a family in the novella "Father Mine".
Marissa The "great beauty of the species". She was for over 300 years initially the Shellan of Wrath, the vampire king. Their match however was a loveless one and ended when Wrath fell in love with Beth. She was attracted to Butch from the moment they met. Her brother Havers kicked her out of their house after knowing she harbored feelings for Butch, a human. He later is miraculously transformed into a vampire. She is now his Shellan and helps run "Safe Place", a safe-house for battered females.
Dr. Jane Whitcomb A brilliant Trauma surgeon who operated on Vishous when he was shot in the chest, Jane helped "V" overcome his conflicted feelings for Butch and also his troubled past. Jane was shot and killed by a lesser. In desperation, Vishous pleads with his mother, the Scribe Virgin to bring Jane back. Mustering up her deeply buried maternal side, the Scribe Virgin sacrifices her love (her birds), in return for Vishous's (Jane). Jane returns to him in another form through which he can only touch her through his curse. She is the Brotherhood's private surgeon.
Cormia Chosen as First Mate to Phury the Primale in Lover Enshrined, Cormia was friends with John before Phury finally decided to take action and respond to his feelings and claim her as his. She and Phury become "parents" to the rest of the Chosen when the Primale chose to mate with only Cormia. The Scribe Virgin allows the Chosen free-will to chose their mates and their futures under Phury's supervision. In the compendium of J.R. Ward, Phury and Cormia become real parents to the young, Ahgony or "Aggie".
Ehlena Introduced as the love interest of Rehvenge, she works as a nurse at Haver's clinic until she's fired for giving Rehvenge non-prescribed antibiotics. At first she keeps her distance from the male but soon his pursuit of her changes her mind. When he destroys his life in Caldwell by brutally exposing his occupation and history to her, it rightly disgusts her. She leaves him. He then fakes his death and moves to the Symphath colony. Once she finds out that her lover is still alive there, she asks for help from Xhex and the Brotherhood to rescue him. She now works with Jane and the Brothers as their nurse and is Rehvenge's Shellan.
Xhex is another half-symphath who works for Rehv as a bodyguard/bouncer/co-manager at ZeroSum. She is close to Rehvenge and protects him with her life. She feels bad that he has to repay the Sympath Princess over her screw-up twenty-five years ago. She is a very tough and hard-core female. She was once involved with the Brother Murhder and feels tremendous guilt over his having gone insane. She was captured by Lash in the colony to replace his previous captive, the Sympath Princess. She is now John Matthew's Shellan after the events of Lover Mine take place. Her full name was revealed to be "Xhexania," meaning "beloved one" in the Old Language; she was named by the Brother Darius.
Payne is Vishous' fraternal twin sister. She is the daughter of the Scribe Virgin and the warrior "the Bloodletter." Although a female, she's a warrior like her father and her brother. She was in a state of suspended animation in the chamber of the Scribe Virgin for a long time because the Scibe Virgin felt that she was too much like her father the "Bloodletter" and a danger to herself and every one she was around. However, when the Scribe Virgin grants the Chosen free-will in Lover Enshrined, she feels her daughter deserved the same and therefore wakes up Payne. However, due to her mother putting her in such a state in the first place, Payne bears nothing but hatred and resentment for her mother. Her story is told in Lover Unleashed.
No'One was a forsaken Chosen who served her sisters on the Other Side in the Scribe Virgin's sanctuary. She is described as having a prominent limp and is always clad in black robes which completely hide her body. She is friends with Payne and the Chosen Layla, and is revealed as of Lover Mine to be Xhex's birth mother. She had committed suicide after Xhex was born as she couldn't live with the pain surrounding her child's conception, but was granted live anew so she could serve the Chosen as atonement. After the events of Lover Mine take place she has been appointed Payne's personal servant in the human world.
Lassiter is a fallen angel who has taken to staying with the Brotherhood. He rescued Tohrment from death and now fights alongside the Brothers. Unlike them Lassiter displays a number of metrosexual
characteristics (such as watching Oprah and Maury religiously). He is described as having long blonde and black-streaked hair and a vast array of piercings on his face, ears, nose and mouth, as well as emitting an otherworldly white light from his entire body, much like the Scribe Virgin (though a comparison between the two has not been made canonically). His background is hinted at and is the reason for the Brothers' initial hatred and distrust of him.
The Omega is the Lessers' counterpart to the Scribe Virgin. He is a malevolent, mystical figure who has targeted the vampires for extinction out of resentment toward the Scribe Virgin for her ability to create life. It also exists in a nontemporal realm, Dhund (the vampiric equivalent of "Hell") and has extensive powers. The Omega is also the brother of the Scribe Virgin. After the events of Lover Enshrined it is shown he can circumvent time and space to a certain extent, as he was able to impregnate a female vampire in order to sire a child. He is hinted to be gay and displays a fickle, unstable nature.
Lash is the half-vampire son of the Omega. After nearly being killed by his cousin, Qhuinn, for brutally assaulting John in a fight, Lash's true legacy was revealed to him by the Omega. He murdered his vampire parents and joined, though still somewhat confused, his true father to lead the Lessening Society. He began to transform into a creature similar to the Omega, but was ultimately killed at the end of Lover Mine.
Vishous may qualify as a nontemporal being as he is the son of the Scribe Virgin. Likewise, Payne could also be considered a nontemporal being, as his twin.
The Moors are twin brothers Trez and iAm, - the Shadows - who work for Rehvenge at ZeroSum. They can move about undetected by the Sympaths, can disappear, and have blue blood. After ZeroSum was no longer Trez started running the Iron Mask and iAm started running Sals Italian restaurant. They are thought to be Prince's of their race and is ref.LAv pg.171..........Trez slowly closed the ancient book's cover. "I'm just getting ready, s'all." "For going into the priesthood? I thought the whole king thing wasn't up your alley."
Character references- J.R Ward Character Guide
Within the vampire world, Wrath is known as the Blind King, due to his extremely poor eyesight, though this does not affect his powers on the battlefield nor his ability to sense the feelings of others around him.
Blaming himself for not intervening when his parents were slain, Wrath has wrapped himself in a cocoon of self-hatred and emotional distance, but Dark Lover tells of his enlivening. When the Lessers kill one of his best fighters, Darius, Wrath is left with the responsibility to help the warrior’s half-human daughter, Beth, through her transition. It is through Beth that Wrath learns to feel and look toward the future of his life and of the species as a whole.
Rhage was cursed in the early eighteen hundreds for angering the Scribe Virgin. Due to his continued recklessness and uncontrollable lust after his transition, the Scribe Virgin gave him The Beast. Fearsome in its beauty, the Beast resembles a huge dragon with massive claws and a jaw filled with sharp fangs. It was a punishment designed to regulate Rhage's energy and moods. Whenever he gets out of control, the Beast comes out. When this occurs Rhage's eyes turn a brilliant white and his body mutates in a grisly display of tearing and ruptures - letting the Beast emerge. When it is out, Rhage is totally suppressed and he is in no way able to control the Beast, who knows neither friend nor foe. Because of this, Rhage has to keep the Beast from coming out by subduing it through the satiation of a good fight or sex...
Rhage's sexual exploits are the stuff of legend in the Vampire society. It is said that fathers tell their sons the story of Rhage when the time is right. But Rhage does not relish this reputation and is, in fact, eager to cast it off.
Within the second book of the series, Rhage meets Mary, a human female to whom he is inexplicably drawn. Mary is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. However with a life-threatening curse of her own she is not looking for love and lost her faith in miracles long ago. But when Rhage's attraction turns to something more emotional he has to fight to make Mary his alone.
Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love might not be enough to save him...
As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself- she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.
In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. Long divided as a terrifying battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate. Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.
Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for hundreds of years by her mother, she finally frees herself - only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can - but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?
Tohrment, the Brother who had it all, but lost everything to the enemy, is destined for a second chance at love and life. But will the past and his bitterness hold him back?
Paranormal romance
Paranormal romance is a sub-genre of the romance novel. A type of speculative fiction, paranormal romance focuses on romance and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the genres of traditional fantasy, science fiction, or horror...
series by author J. R. Ward. The series focuses on six vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
brothers and warriors who live together and defend their race against Lessers, de-souled humans who threaten their kind.
Black Dagger Brotherhood
Wrath (also known as the Blind King), son of Wrath, is the King of the vampires and is the last pure blood vampire in existence. He is almost blind, and is the leader who was not willing to ascend the throne. He falls in love with Beth, the half-breed daughter of his Brother, Darius. His story is told in Dark Lover. By the end of Lover Avenged, Wrath is completely blind and relies on a dog called George who sleeps with him and his wife, Beth.Rhage son of Tohrture. This worrier is the strongest and most beautiful of the Brothers. Cursed by The Scribe Virgin, he is possessed with a dark creature known only as the Beast that makes him a danger to everyone including his brothers. His story is told in Lover Eternal. He falls in love with a human named Mary and wishes to take her as his Shellan.
Zsadist Son of Aghony. He is the scarred, menacing Brother. Taken as an infant from his family, he's forced into blood slavery until his twin, Phury, rescues him a century later. He was described as being "ruined, not broken" by all who knew him prior to meeting the beautiful aristocratic vampire Bella. The softening of this tortured warrior's heart in told in Lover Awakened. He is now Bella's mated Hellren and has an infant daughter, Nalla. His eyes, once as black as death, have regained the same gold-yellow color of his twin's, reflecting the tremendous change in him.
Butch/Dhestroyer is the only mail human to be allowed within the Brotherhood, and is descended from Wrath. This connection to him allows him to be "turned" and he is initiated in the BDB. He has been through all the book of thr brother hood. He lives at the "Pit", a two bedroom gate-house connected to the mansion where the King and other Brothers reside, with Vishous and he is a friend to all the warriors. An ex-homicide detective, he was lovingly given the nickname "Cop" by the vampires. He is the object of an ancient Lesser Prophecy, and has the ability to sense them wherever they are and can absorb them into himself. His story and his love for the vampire Marissa is told in Lover Revealed.
Vishous is the most intelligent and the one who is specially gifted. His curse is his ability to prognosticate: he sees the future, though not the 'when' of events so he is tortured by his inability to save those he loves from danger. Tattooed on his face, his genitals, - which are scarred since his father tried to castrate him - and his entire hand, he has the ability of psychometry. All of this was inherited from his mother The Scribe Virgin. He falls in love with a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb. His story is told in Lover Unbound.
Phury Son of Aghony. He is Zsadist's twin brother and a celibate who cannot truly live because of everything his biological brother has lost. Phury is incredibly loyal to his brother, even shooting off his own leg to save his twin. His noble nature went so far as to help release Vishous from being "Primale" to the Chosen. He eventually falls in love with the Chosen, Cormia, his first mate. His story is told in Lover Enshrined.
Rehvenge is brother-in-law to Zsadist, half symphath, and owner of a local club called ZeroSum. He is also a member of the vampire aristocracy and the "Princeps Leahdyre" of its council. He hides the fact that he is half "symphath" even from his own sister, Bella. His story is told in Lover Avenged.
Tohrment took over leadership of the Brotherhood when Wrath became king. He was the steady and calm Brother, ever serious but with a kind heart, until a tragedy took the life of his Shellan, Wellsie and his unborn son. He disappears until Lover Enshrined, whereupon he is returned weak and emaciated to the Brotherhood by the fallen angel, Lassiter. In his youth his father disowned him and he was taken in by the Brother Darius in the old country. Both he and Darius saved the life of the female who would end up being Xhex's biological mother. His story will be told in Lover Reborn, to be released in March 27, 2012.
John Matthew/Tehrror is the reincarnation of Darius. Born mute, John uses American Sign Language and whistling to communicate with others. Before learning that he was a pre-trans vampire, he lived alone in the human world. At one point, he was cornered in the hallway to his apartment and raped by an unknown human. In despair John turned to the suicide prevention network in Caldwell and met Mary Luce. He followed her home so that he could meet her; during this meeting, Mary's neighbor, Bella, visited and sensed John was a vampire like her. As the introductions ensued, Bella noticed a bracelet John wore which carried his name in the Old Language. The name of a Brother, Tehrror. Bella contacts the brotherhood and John learns what he is and that he will soon go through his transition to become an adult male vampire. He was also invited to live amongst his kind, at which time he lived with Tohrment and his expectant mate Wellisandra. Now that he has gone through his transition Wrath has made him join the war due to his unexplained proficiency with weapons and knowledge of Lessers. His story is told in Lover Mine. He is best friends with Qhuinn and Blaylock, and now is Xhex's mated Hellren. He shares a kinship with Zsadist because of the traumatic similarities in their pasts.
Qhuinn is best friends with Blaylock and John Matthew. He is hated by his parents because of his mismatched eyes, seen as defects to the vampire aristocracy. During training he came to the defense of John Matthew, nearly killing his cousin Lash when he pinned John to the wall, bringing back John's memories of being raped. In order to avoid being put to death he was dedicated as John Matthew's ahstrux nohtrum - his protector - and they work incredibly well together as a team. Currently he lives with John and the Brothers after his family disowned him. He is a playboy with commitment issues, preferring a steady stream of anonymous sex, but in "Lover Mine" you also see that he really is in love with Blay. He however feels that if he gives in that he will never be able to leave him, and if that happens he will never be approved by the Glymera. Something he desperately wants even though he hates himself for it. Despite this he has proven himself a fierce warrior in the war against the Lessers.
Blaylock First met John Matthew at the training facility and quickly became John's first friend within his class. He is often referred to by his nickname, "Blay" and was the first of the three friends to go through his transition. He is now a soldier in the war against the Omega and the Lessening Society. It has been revealed that he is gay and is in love with Qhuinn, placing an increased strain on their friendship. Currently he lives with John and the Brothers. In Lover Mine Blaylock has his first romantic/sexual encounter with another male, Saxton, who is a lawyer for the race as well as Qhuinn's cousin.
Dr. Manuel "Manny" Manello is Chief of Surgery at St. Francis and was Jane Whitcomb's old boss and arguably her closest friend until her ‘death’. In Lover Unleashed after suffering a paralyzing injury while sparring with Wrath, Payne’s life (as well as her mobility) is in jeopardy. When Doc Jane realizes the damage is too great for her to repair, she goes looking for Manny, as he is a world renowned orthopedic Surgeon.
The Females
Elizabeth "Beth" Randall is the only surviving offspring of, The Black Dagger Warrior, Darius and an unknown human woman. Originally a journalist prior to her transition, she is Wrath's beloved shellan and the half-breed queen of the vampires. She also thinks that she is John's sister. Her close relationship with Butch allows him to be taken in by the brotherhood.Mary Madonna Luce Once a secretary in a legal office and a regular volunteer at a suicide hotline, Mary is Rhage's human Shellan. Mary's leukemia was relapsing when she first meets Rhage. Her voice immediately attracts Rhage, and her acceptance of "the beast" side of Rhage makes her unique and fearless. All the Brothers fear the "beast", but it knows her and loves her too. She was healed of cancer after Rhage made a deal with the Scribe Virgin, in which he must sacrifice a life for a life. Essentially, this means giving up his life, meaning Mary, in return for her not dying. Soon after Rhage agrees to this, the Scribe Virgin realizes that Mary's previous medical treatments have rendered her infertile, therefore negating the deal. She allows Rhage to be with his human seeing how Mary will never hold "flesh of her own flesh" and thinks that that is sacrifice enough. Mary's mother was religious and named her after the Virgin Mary. She is also a teacher and confidant of Zsadist, first teaching him to read and write and then to help him get over his fears about the Mistress and what Zsadist would tell his daughter once she grows up and inquires about his slave bands and scars.
Wellesandra "Wellsie" Shellan of the Black Dagger Brother Tohrment and blooded daughter of the Princeps Relix. Resigned to the danger her Hellren faced in the war, Wellsie chose to support him as best she could and went on to help other Shellans (Beth most prominently) do the same. Levelheaded, steadfast and impossibly kind, Wellsie and Tohr were happily married for more than 50 years. She and Tohr had an arranged marriage but fell in love all the same. Wellsie is noted to be pregnant with their first child in Dark Lover which causes Tohr to worry over her tremendously. She and Tohr take in John Mathew before his transition and come to see him as a surrogate son. Tragically, Wellsie, her unborn son, and her cousin, Sarelle, are slaughtered by the lesser Mr. O in Lover Awakened.
Bella A former aristocrat, Bella was Mary's neighbor until she unfortunately encounters the most deadly lesser in the Society, David. She is Rehvenge's younger sister and Zsadist's Shellan and salvation from his past. They have a daughter, Nalla whom for the first few months after her birth Zsadist avoids touching for fear of his past touching her. The three finally become a family in the novella "Father Mine".
Marissa The "great beauty of the species". She was for over 300 years initially the Shellan of Wrath, the vampire king. Their match however was a loveless one and ended when Wrath fell in love with Beth. She was attracted to Butch from the moment they met. Her brother Havers kicked her out of their house after knowing she harbored feelings for Butch, a human. He later is miraculously transformed into a vampire. She is now his Shellan and helps run "Safe Place", a safe-house for battered females.
Dr. Jane Whitcomb A brilliant Trauma surgeon who operated on Vishous when he was shot in the chest, Jane helped "V" overcome his conflicted feelings for Butch and also his troubled past. Jane was shot and killed by a lesser. In desperation, Vishous pleads with his mother, the Scribe Virgin to bring Jane back. Mustering up her deeply buried maternal side, the Scribe Virgin sacrifices her love (her birds), in return for Vishous's (Jane). Jane returns to him in another form through which he can only touch her through his curse. She is the Brotherhood's private surgeon.
Cormia Chosen as First Mate to Phury the Primale in Lover Enshrined, Cormia was friends with John before Phury finally decided to take action and respond to his feelings and claim her as his. She and Phury become "parents" to the rest of the Chosen when the Primale chose to mate with only Cormia. The Scribe Virgin allows the Chosen free-will to chose their mates and their futures under Phury's supervision. In the compendium of J.R. Ward, Phury and Cormia become real parents to the young, Ahgony or "Aggie".
Ehlena Introduced as the love interest of Rehvenge, she works as a nurse at Haver's clinic until she's fired for giving Rehvenge non-prescribed antibiotics. At first she keeps her distance from the male but soon his pursuit of her changes her mind. When he destroys his life in Caldwell by brutally exposing his occupation and history to her, it rightly disgusts her. She leaves him. He then fakes his death and moves to the Symphath colony. Once she finds out that her lover is still alive there, she asks for help from Xhex and the Brotherhood to rescue him. She now works with Jane and the Brothers as their nurse and is Rehvenge's Shellan.
Xhex is another half-symphath who works for Rehv as a bodyguard/bouncer/co-manager at ZeroSum. She is close to Rehvenge and protects him with her life. She feels bad that he has to repay the Sympath Princess over her screw-up twenty-five years ago. She is a very tough and hard-core female. She was once involved with the Brother Murhder and feels tremendous guilt over his having gone insane. She was captured by Lash in the colony to replace his previous captive, the Sympath Princess. She is now John Matthew's Shellan after the events of Lover Mine take place. Her full name was revealed to be "Xhexania," meaning "beloved one" in the Old Language; she was named by the Brother Darius.
Payne is Vishous' fraternal twin sister. She is the daughter of the Scribe Virgin and the warrior "the Bloodletter." Although a female, she's a warrior like her father and her brother. She was in a state of suspended animation in the chamber of the Scribe Virgin for a long time because the Scibe Virgin felt that she was too much like her father the "Bloodletter" and a danger to herself and every one she was around. However, when the Scribe Virgin grants the Chosen free-will in Lover Enshrined, she feels her daughter deserved the same and therefore wakes up Payne. However, due to her mother putting her in such a state in the first place, Payne bears nothing but hatred and resentment for her mother. Her story is told in Lover Unleashed.
No'One was a forsaken Chosen who served her sisters on the Other Side in the Scribe Virgin's sanctuary. She is described as having a prominent limp and is always clad in black robes which completely hide her body. She is friends with Payne and the Chosen Layla, and is revealed as of Lover Mine to be Xhex's birth mother. She had committed suicide after Xhex was born as she couldn't live with the pain surrounding her child's conception, but was granted live anew so she could serve the Chosen as atonement. After the events of Lover Mine take place she has been appointed Payne's personal servant in the human world.
Nontemporal Beings
The Scribe Virgin is the vampire's deity, a mystical force and the creator of the vampire race. She acts as counselor to the king, keeper of the vampire archives, and dispenser of privileges. She exists in a nontemporal realm and possesses great powers. Her true name is revealed in Dark Lover to be Analisse.Lassiter is a fallen angel who has taken to staying with the Brotherhood. He rescued Tohrment from death and now fights alongside the Brothers. Unlike them Lassiter displays a number of metrosexual
Metrosexual
Metrosexual is a neologism derived from metropolitan and heterosexual coined in 1994 describing a man who spends a lot of time and money on shopping for his appearance...
characteristics (such as watching Oprah and Maury religiously). He is described as having long blonde and black-streaked hair and a vast array of piercings on his face, ears, nose and mouth, as well as emitting an otherworldly white light from his entire body, much like the Scribe Virgin (though a comparison between the two has not been made canonically). His background is hinted at and is the reason for the Brothers' initial hatred and distrust of him.
The Omega is the Lessers' counterpart to the Scribe Virgin. He is a malevolent, mystical figure who has targeted the vampires for extinction out of resentment toward the Scribe Virgin for her ability to create life. It also exists in a nontemporal realm, Dhund (the vampiric equivalent of "Hell") and has extensive powers. The Omega is also the brother of the Scribe Virgin. After the events of Lover Enshrined it is shown he can circumvent time and space to a certain extent, as he was able to impregnate a female vampire in order to sire a child. He is hinted to be gay and displays a fickle, unstable nature.
Lash is the half-vampire son of the Omega. After nearly being killed by his cousin, Qhuinn, for brutally assaulting John in a fight, Lash's true legacy was revealed to him by the Omega. He murdered his vampire parents and joined, though still somewhat confused, his true father to lead the Lessening Society. He began to transform into a creature similar to the Omega, but was ultimately killed at the end of Lover Mine.
Vishous may qualify as a nontemporal being as he is the son of the Scribe Virgin. Likewise, Payne could also be considered a nontemporal being, as his twin.
The Moors are twin brothers Trez and iAm, - the Shadows - who work for Rehvenge at ZeroSum. They can move about undetected by the Sympaths, can disappear, and have blue blood. After ZeroSum was no longer Trez started running the Iron Mask and iAm started running Sals Italian restaurant. They are thought to be Prince's of their race and is ref.LAv pg.171..........Trez slowly closed the ancient book's cover. "I'm just getting ready, s'all." "For going into the priesthood? I thought the whole king thing wasn't up your alley."
Character references- J.R Ward Character Guide
Book 1 - Dark Lover
Dark Lover is the first book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Wrath - the last purebred vampire left on the planet. The un-ascended king of the vampire species, Wrath lives only to fight in an endless war with the soulless vampire slayers, Lessers, who brutally murdered his parents centuries ago. As leader of the Brotherhood, his only solace is in fighting, not looking to the past or future, shunning his duties as King.Within the vampire world, Wrath is known as the Blind King, due to his extremely poor eyesight, though this does not affect his powers on the battlefield nor his ability to sense the feelings of others around him.
Blaming himself for not intervening when his parents were slain, Wrath has wrapped himself in a cocoon of self-hatred and emotional distance, but Dark Lover tells of his enlivening. When the Lessers kill one of his best fighters, Darius, Wrath is left with the responsibility to help the warrior’s half-human daughter, Beth, through her transition. It is through Beth that Wrath learns to feel and look toward the future of his life and of the species as a whole.
Book 2 - Lover Eternal
Lover Eternal is second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Rhage who is considered to be the most attractive of all the Brothers. His beauty has earned him the nickname 'Hollywood'.Rhage was cursed in the early eighteen hundreds for angering the Scribe Virgin. Due to his continued recklessness and uncontrollable lust after his transition, the Scribe Virgin gave him The Beast. Fearsome in its beauty, the Beast resembles a huge dragon with massive claws and a jaw filled with sharp fangs. It was a punishment designed to regulate Rhage's energy and moods. Whenever he gets out of control, the Beast comes out. When this occurs Rhage's eyes turn a brilliant white and his body mutates in a grisly display of tearing and ruptures - letting the Beast emerge. When it is out, Rhage is totally suppressed and he is in no way able to control the Beast, who knows neither friend nor foe. Because of this, Rhage has to keep the Beast from coming out by subduing it through the satiation of a good fight or sex...
Rhage's sexual exploits are the stuff of legend in the Vampire society. It is said that fathers tell their sons the story of Rhage when the time is right. But Rhage does not relish this reputation and is, in fact, eager to cast it off.
Within the second book of the series, Rhage meets Mary, a human female to whom he is inexplicably drawn. Mary is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage's protection. However with a life-threatening curse of her own she is not looking for love and lost her faith in miracles long ago. But when Rhage's attraction turns to something more emotional he has to fight to make Mary his alone.
Book 3 - Lover Awakened
Lover Awakened is the third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It tells the story of Zsadist, a former blood slave, who is the most sinister and terrifying of the brothers. He rescues the beautiful aristocrat, Bella, from the hands of the evil Lessening Society. Their desire for each other is overwhelming, but in order for any hope of a future together, it is Bella who must "rescue" Zsadist from the suffering and humiliation of his tortured past.Book 4 - Lover Revealed
Lover Revealed is the fourth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world- to engage in the bolster war with the Lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love might not be enough to save him...
Book 5 - Lover Unbound
Lover Unbound is the fifth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pre-tran growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time- until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her.Book 6 - Lover Enshrined
Lover Enshrined is the sixth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Fiercely loyal to the Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished. He feels as though he is uncapable of love, but looks apon the other brothers with want for what they have, though he'd never show it.As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself- she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.
Book 7 - Lover Avenged
Lover Avenged is the seventh book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Caldwell, NY, has long been the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It’s also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and owner of a notorious nightclub (ZeroSum) that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he’s approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King, and leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a Brother. Because he’s a symphath, his identity is a deadly secret- the revelation of which will result in his banishment to the symphath colony. And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world - Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him - and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction. It was released in hardback on April 28, 2009. The paperback version was released on November 24, 2009. It is also available as an ebook.Book 8 - Lover Mine
Lover Mine is John Matthew's story, and was released on April 27, 2010. It is the eighth book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. It revolves around rescuing Xhex (Rehvenge's loyal friend and half sympath) from Lash (Vampire/Son of the Omega/Head of the Lessening Society). John Matthew is the reincarnation of Darius, the Brother who was killed by a car bomb in Dark Lover.In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. Long divided as a terrifying battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate. Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.
Book 9 - Lover Unleashed
Lover Unleashed, released on March 29, 2011, tells the story of Payne, daughter of the Scribe Virgin.Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for hundreds of years by her mother, she finally frees herself - only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can - but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?
Book 10 - Lover Reborn
Lover Reborn, will be released on March 27, 2012Tohrment, the Brother who had it all, but lost everything to the enemy, is destined for a second chance at love and life. But will the past and his bitterness hold him back?
Black Dagger Brotherhood
- Dark Lover (September 6, 2005) (416Pages) ISBN 978-0451216953 Paperback $7.99 @ Amazon.com
- Lover Eternal (March 7, 2006) (464Pages) ISBN 978-0451218049 Paperback $7.99 @ Amazon.com