This story is heavily inspired by mythology and legend. Many of the characters are specific mythological creatures, such as a ghoul, unicorn, dragon, demon, vampire, or fairy. The best way to explain this is through the character Richard Golson, the ghoul:

  • Ghoul legends originated in the Middle East and travelled to England —> Richard’s parents emigrated to England from Persia.
  • Ghouls typically hung out in graveyards and ate the flesh of the dead —> Richard is a grave robber who uses this occupation as his main source of money, which he uses to buy food.
  • Ghouls were vulnerable to sunlight —> Richard has xeroderma pigmentosum, a skin condition that gives people extreme sensitivity to the sun.
  • Ghouls are part of the underworld —> Richard spends most of his time in his basement, which is underground.
  • Ghouls have rubbery skin —> Richard wears a rubbery suit outside to protect himself from the sun.
  • Ghouls like to be isolated —> So does Richard.
  • Ghouls are canine in appearance —> Richard has two dogs for pets and has as canine a face as a human can have.
  • Ghouls have hoofed feet —> Richard has hooves for feet.
  • Ghouls are creative tricksters —> Richard is a painter and someone who leads through brains rather than brawn.
  • Ghouls are cannibals —> Richard makes his money off of other people’s bodies.
  • The fact that the ghoul’s name is Richard is a reference to HP Lovecraft’s Richard Pickman

This is the general line of thought that goes into creating characters. While most are based on mythological creatures and/or folk stories, a few of the characters are from classic literature. For example, there aren’t many vampires in folklore who are given characterization. So, instead, I use a combination of vampire characters such as Dracula, Carmilla, and Lord Ruthven for the personality, powers, and appearance of the vampires in this story (this is the source of the vampire character Camilla. Two guesses as to who she’s based on). Some of the fairy traits and names are also taken from Shakespeare, such as Oberon (though that character actually comes from an earlier poem), Titania, Mab, and Puck.

Below is a list of the sources of the characters and their inspirations. BEWARE OF SPOILERS.

Duke Leonard Mephisto – Mephistopheles, Doctor Faustus

Duchess Serena Mephisto – Selkie, Scottish folklore

William “Brownie” Brown – Brownie, English folklore

Camilla Chambers – Carmilla, Carmilla

Doctor Johann Faust – Doctor Faustus, Doctor Faustus

Duke Oswald Janson – Also Mephistopheles, Doctor Faustus

Clarissa Janson – Unicorn, English/Scottish folklore

Ernest Janson – Ordinary human, the unicorn’s virgin, English/Scottish folklore

Hugh Janson – Satyr, Greek mythology

Albert Janson – Spoiler creature

Emma Janson – Half-demon Nephilim, Christian theology

Sarah Janson – Changeling, this idea has been used in folklore all over the world.

Richard Golson – Ghoul, English/Persian folklore

Deirdre – Banshee, Irish/Scottish folklore

Sylvia Sapping – Fae, English/Irish/Scottish folklore

Jean Gévaudan – Spoiler creature

Mark Murphy – Ordinary human

Ransom Egerton – Nuckelavee, Scottish folklore

This is an incomplete list, but will be added to and/or replaced with a full character list as time goes on.