Characters

Prologue:

Star Michael Tyrian

15 years; 5'8"; 130 lbs; ancestry: Celtic; hair: reddish brown; eyes: gray-green
A street hustler with a hair-trigger temper, Star doesn't discuss the past or believe in the future. But much as he'd like to think of nothing but survival, his brain (certified 'gifted' by the school board because they don't use the word 'genius' anymore) refuses to shut down. It's frustrating to try to make sense of a senseless world -- and when Star gets frustrated, somebody eats asphalt.

Jaime Carlos Ortiz

15 years; 5'5"; 110 lbs; ancestry: Latino; hair: black; eyes: dark brown
Despite the current squalid state of his life, Jaime retains a kind of innocence. He doesn't understand why the world is so harsh, and expects it to improve any minute. After all, when he was alone, didn't it bring Star to take care of him? Jaime is smarter than he sounds, but he has all the common sense of a mylar birthday balloon full of junebugs.

Book One:

	Star Michael Tyrian 26 years; 5'10"; 155 lbs; ancestry: Celtic; hair: reddish brown; eyes: gray-green A killer with a heart of... well, something as heavy and cold as gold, but with an acetylene flame of pure rage caged inside. He likes Korean horror comics, Cuban hip-hop, and the color sage. He hates dreams, being watched, and his crime lord ex-boyfriend Milo Sterne. Favorite band: Orishas. Favorite movie: Seven Samurai, or anything with Antonio Banderas in it. Best weapon: nerves of aviation-grade titanium.
	Alexander Lewis Skerry 24 years; 6'1"; 150 lbs; ancestry: Lakota; hair: black; eyes: dark amber Zander is a hacker in the deepest sense; he loves to find clever solutions to difficult problems. He's a real geek, and naturally very shy; when forced to interact with people, he tends to get defensive and bitchy, but with his few friends he's a real sweet guy, honest. Favorite band: Wolfsheim. Favorite movie: LoTR. No, Star Wars. No, Princess Mononoke. No, wait... Best weapon: Did you know they can't officially measure an IQ over 180?
	Jane Carol Martins 37 years; 5'9"; 145 lbs; ancestry: Germanic; hair: honey blonde; eyes: blue Favorite band: Crystal Method. Favorite movie: Full Metal Jacket. Best weapon: Desert Eagle with hollowpoints. Also literalism.
	Milo Sterne 34 years; 6'4"; 180 lbs; ancestry: unknown; hair: platinum; eyes: violet blue Favorite band: The same as yours. Favorite movie: Whatever you want to see. Best weapon: Pure sex appeal and pure evil.
	The Bird Common urban pigeon Milo's pet, familiar, or prisoner. It was once something else. If it could ask for any one gift, that would be the ability to stay dead.
	William Lane Bradley 54 years; 5'8"; 210 lbs; ancestry: African American; hair: gray; eyes: brown Favorite band: Grateful Dead. Favorite movie: It's a Wonderful Life. Best weapon: The Dad nature -- wisdom plus compassion, with authority.
	Kevin Sobiezki 25 years; 5'7"; 145 lbs; ancestry: Eastern European; hair: blond with maroon tips; eyes: turquoise Apparently, Zander's ex-boyfriend. Whatever the story is behind that, they're not telling. Favorite band: Placebo. Favorite movie: Velvet Goldmine. Best weapon: U of M library. Or possibly puppy eyes.
	Aleksandr 'Lexi' Ivanov 22 years; 5'9"; 140 lbs; ancestry: Eastern European; hair: bright copper red; eyes: gray-blue Why does the youngest master of entropy magic ever work at an obscure branch like TC Riverside? "Zander runs a kickass DnD game.". Favorite band: Modern remixes of classical music. Favorite movie: Modern productions of Shakespeare's plays. Best weapon: "This wand goes to 11."
	Gina Paresi 19 years; 5'3"; 120 lbs; ancestry: Southern European; hair: black; eyes: brown A seer who has prophetic dreams, Gina sometimes wishes she could trade all her powers for a good night's sleep.
	Charlie Weiss 28 years; 5'6"; 125 lbs; ancestry: Northern European; hair: red; eyes: blue Milo's second in command. 38-26-34, D cup -- come on, you know you wanted to ask.

More to come; there's roughly a bazillion of 'em. Don't worry, this won't be on the test.

World

When the first rebel angels fell, some of the angels still loyal to the Light made it their mission to counter the new demons' schemes. Their war continues to this day. The battlefield is Free Will; humans are both the weapons and the prize. Over the ages, the opposing groups stationed on the material plane have developed into two organizations: the Veil, demons working to corrupt mankind, and the Foundation, angels working to block the Veil's plans and repair the damage.

Both sides are bound by strict rules. The demons only follow these rules because breaking them frees the angels from the same constraints. They may not use their powers on mortals, nor manifest fully in their true forms. To get past these limits, they inhabit mortals. The demons possess their mortals completely, pushing out the mortal soul and reshaping the body as they please. The angels come only when invited, to mortals who channel them voluntarily.

And then there are the witches, psychics, and magi on both sides... Not to mention that everybody gets to play with lots of guns... It's lucky for us ordinary folks that the two sides are locked in eternal stalemate, and refuse to escalate to open war.

Um... they're not going to escalate to open war, are they? Are they?