Mundanity



Dieon Amafo, Mama Aisa's younger brother, killed in a drug gang squabble.

Diwan, Terry's friend. Brother of  Rasheed. From Istanbul who used to run hashish up from Morocco. They can usually be found hanging out at the cafes in the Red Light district. Never deeply involved in the gangs, always up for a good time and didn’t take things too seriously; their aloofness has a touch of an otherworldliness to it, but maybe that's just them being stoned.

Elsje (https://joelsavage1.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/dutch-6.png?w=662) is the totally adorable police officer that Claudia accused Ayesha of sleeping with the night she stormed out and disappeared. Claudia had to call on her afterwards to see if she’d seen Ayesha . Elsje was really sweet and sympathetic and made Claudia tea and patted her hand and offered to fill out a missing person report.

Estie Blaumreng: Claudia's therapist.  She is an extremely good listener, modest, funny.  She's very centered and vital.  Claudia has a secret crush on her, but knows that it is totally ridiculous to have a crush on your therapist.  Her joke to herself is that she has a crush on Estie to keep from getting involved in a real relationship, which is probably true.

Floris Gelderlander, arch, catty, idealistic and vengeful records secretary in public works who has a vast horde of gossip and intrigue on everybody in that department.

Greta Bradshaw, a partner at Hasan's law firm, i is handling the BZBB development account and lately she has seemed tired and pale. Something about that account is draining her and it may be more than just a few late nights.

Hans Barber: Director of the Department where Claudia works. She doesn't trust him.

Martin Berendse: Director of the Amsterdam public library (OBA). Claudia's friend. A few years back, she helped him navigate all of the historical re-zoning intricacies that were needed in order to get permits to restore the library. He recently broke up with his boyfriend, and he's lonely so he comes over to Claudia's place and cooks dinner and they drink and talk. On the board of 180 Amsterdamers; he told Claudia two funny stories.

Oggie, drug dealer from Soraya's neighborhood, and her supplier of opium for Nene Ima. Went on a tinder date with Claudia six months ago: came across as really brilliant and funny, and creative online, but when he showed up 40 minutes late, high as a kite, in dirty clothes, she got out of the coffee shop as fast as she could. Currently arrested by the Amsterdam police, charged with possession of narcotics.

Paul Melson, Claudia's colleague. He keeps his head down, and never says anything, but outside of work, he's always having breakfast, or lunch or drinks with guys from the real estate development community and he's bought several flats in areas where Claudia's department has inside knowledge that the property values are going up.  He shouldn't be able to afford to do that.  Claudia suspects he's dirty and on the take.

Rashid, Terry's friend. Brother of  Diwan. From Istanbul who used to run hashish up from Morocco. They can usually be found hanging out at the cafes in the Red Light district. Never deeply involved in the gangs, always up for a good time and didn’t take things too seriously; their aloofness has a touch of an otherworldliness to it, but maybe that's just them being stoned.

Ronni Amafo, Mama Aisa's younger brother, killed in a drug gang squabble.

Sylvana ("Sylvia") Van Der Flagg.  Sylvia hired Claudia in the department out of grad school and taught her everything she knows.  She's not really Claudia's boss anymore.  After Sylvia retired, they hired her back part time to  oversee the storage and conversion of paper blueprints and property vector shape files for the permitting department.   Claudia trusts her because she has incredible integrity and she knows the city better than any person alive.

Night




Anna Schtobach, Goli's "special projects coordinator" at the pest department. A sallow, skinny young woman, whose eyes are bloodshot and who looks like she doesn't get enough sleep, and therefore probably a vampire.

Anton Vink, a ghoul. Voluntarily became a ghoul for artistic success. Curator of the Tot Zover, and attends Jan's lair there. Seems like a sickly mortal, but his mind is slowly burning out. Obedient to Jan.

Ayesha Lodewijk, Terry's daughter, kidnapped several years ago by Vamps. Ex-girlfriend of Claudia (unbeknownst to her dad, who isn't aware she was queer); Ayesha ghosted Claudia with only a single text the night she stormed out, at 3AM: "Goodbye.  Don't look for me." If Terry goes anywhere near the park at night, vamp-y people come up to him and insinuate that his daughter is inside.

Conrad Volker, bureaucrat in the department of public works.  Sometimes Claudia works with them when you need the public infrastructure inspected.  The canals or the sewers or the properties that butt up against something historic. Vampire. Attacked Claudia's car with a lot of rats. Notoriously kinky: according to Floris G, he is a regular customer at a dungeon underneath the nihilist goth club near Dom square called clubNi where its unclear about whether he pays or is paid to allow people to do all sorts of dark, unspeakable things to him. He is super secretive about it, and Floris only knows about it because Conrad recently left his girlfriend, who immediately asked Floris out for drinks to commiserate.  The management at DPW Amsterdam is extremely conservative and would certainly not look kindly on him being a regular at an illegal, unlicensed, uninspected dungeon club beneath the city.

Greta Bradshaw, a senior partner at MBA. Kicked off the BZBB account. Somewhat incompetent. Punctual and quick to take offense. A vampire. Tries to have Hasan killed.

Hamid Goli, GDC Amsterdam, Pest inspector. Vampire. Ensorceled Mandana.

Josina Martens, a ghoul. Formerly a criminal who Jan hunted and turned. Works for municipal sewage and attends Jan's lair in the Tot Zover. Seems like a sickly mortal, but her mind is slowly burning out. Obedient to Jan.

Knights of Zollern - radical vampire faction, now dominant in the Order of the First Rite.

Konrad Abeizer Prussian vampire who was in WWI with the German army, and turned Jan (a transaction arranged by Fatima). Previously a member of the conservative Old Guard of the Order of the First Rite,  ousted by the Knights of Zollern -- believed to be destroyed, sleeping, or plotting a vengeful return.

Nadja Lodewijk, Terry's wife, formerly owner of a kebab shop; killed by Vamps near the Vondelbunker.

Nicolaj Marberg, a partner at Hasan's law firm, is a huge beast of a man who seems to have uncanny good luck. Hasan isn't certain but he suspects something supernatural.

Nederjagersgilde, a loose clan of vampires (including Jan) in the Netherlands and Flanders. It is only barely a formal group, with a few rare rituals and convocations, and a "we are all much too cool to compete for leadership" vibe. A helpful source of contacts, resources, and dispute resolution. Of the few laws of the Nederjagersgilde, one of the most followed is a ban on feeding on Amsterdam's sex workers.

The Order of the First Rite, a pan-European vampire clan making inroads into Amsterdam. Jan has been feeding Terry information about them.

Power



Ima Tavalokian, Soraya's grandmother. A witch, 115 years old (b. 1903), being consumed by a Dream Eater. Ima knew (and had a romance with) Jan in Paris in the 1930s, and was part of the Amsterdam resistance during WWII. Her shop was used to hide and transport Jews out of the city and away from the Nazis. (In fact, if Soraya looks carefully she'll find some old tunnels in her sanctum.)  Hasan became involved through his wife Fatima, part of Ima's network of spies and smugglers, and revealed himself to Ima by using fae glamour to distract some soldiers searching her home. Ima and Hasan became close friends, keeping each others's secrets. Jan, too, was a fierce member of the resistance; Ima originally saw him as a hard-to-control demon while Jan saw in her an intimidating witch, launching a rapidly cycling lust/fear relationship that lasted for the duration of the war. When the war ended, Ima was scared of what Jan would do to the innocent public of Amsterdam now that he couldn't just devour invaders. She trapped him, lifeless with a stake in his heart and sealed away with her other most dangerous treasures. In the 1950s, she felt she could use the help of a vampire (and longed to see her lover now that she was feeling so removed from those vibrant, thrilling war-years). He escaped and the two feuded until finally reaching a détente: Ima did her best to monitor Jan's hunting and enforce whatever morality she could wring from him. Jan now visits her, with Soraya's permission. Hasan keeps tabs on her family from a distance.

Mandana Tavalokian, Soraya's younger sister. Middle-aged, helps run the Psychic Eye occult bookstore. No magical talent, but bound by a curse to the building where she lives -- which she believes is superstition. She wants to sell _The Psychic Eye_. Always looked up to Mercedes and strove to impress her; tends to ignore Soraya.

Mercedes Tavalokian, Soraya's younger sister. Middle-aged, helps run the Psychic Eye occult bookstore. No magical talent, but bound by a curse to the building where she lives -- which she believes is superstition. She wants to sell _The Psychic Eye_. A flirtatious beauty when young, her Baba's favorite, who turned bitter and isolated when he died -- and more selfish still since Mama's death last year.

Wild



Dream Eater, a monster beneath The Psychic Eye, consuming Ima Tavalokian's dreams and beginning to infect Soraya's.

Chamrosh, aka Popswallow, aka Emerald Presence of the Unseen Dune, Orchestrator of Evensong, a powerful desert fae, mother of Hasan's unborn egg-child. Formidable, celebrated in certain circles, and very independent, but not so independent as to annoy the Court. In fact, she may be a favorite of the current Winter Queen. She had some sort of intense interaction with Fatima at some point in the past. Driven by curiosity and a taste for adventure. Has vowed to stay in the mortal realm with Hasan "until she understands", as long as it does not interfere with her service to the Winter Queen, and provides information useful to her liege.

Elizabeth De Braag aka "Puck"  aka "that merry wanderer, of the night",  aka the "Dutch Yoko Ono". An outrageous performance, and installation space artist, bon vivant, and talk of the town. Claudia knows that she is scandalously indebted to her investors.

Grondig Welgesteld, Tainted, managing director of BZBB Development.  He never visits MBA but the VPs and other directors that visit, (and Greta) fear his name. In the process of a scheme to banish supernatural insects at nexus points on the crumbling road of Amsterdam's ancient wall, possibly to cosmically gentrify the city. Step three: profit!

Fatima Shirazi, Hasan's dead wife, a Fae of the Fire court who was a doctor with Doctors Without Borders, and died in a bombing in Yemen.

Marc, a tainted mortal who Soraya is drawn to, and who brokered a deal to have her banish a magic bug with the power of the Dream Eater.

Plimpton DeVeers, aka Plikplok. Stijn's chief of staff, a  fastidious, chatty, diminutive fae official, in charge of the bug-banishing shindig.  He wears the chivalry of the seafoam lords. Clauida met Plikplok through Sylvana Van Der Flagg when her Vespa couldn’t pass inspection.  He got her an “antique” exception and made Claudia promise you’d do him a favor someday, when she was “running the city”.  It seemed a joke at the time, but she knew he wasn’t joking.

Sarese Peasebottom, half-Fae subordinate of Plikplok. Fast friends with Claudia. Grew up privileged, fell in with the wrong kind of boy and her mother sent me to amsterdam to work this job until she learns her lesson. Worries that she's going to screw something up here and her mother is going to disinherit her permenantly. Also worries about the structural integrity and safety risks of giant skylights.

Stijn van den Graven in the City of Amsterdam Department of Environmental Planning and Sustainability. Clearly in bed with BZBB on the bug-banishing plan. He’s sponsored and got permits for a series of 8 “ecologically friendly lunar panel and art installations”, each with an exclusive invitation only ribbon cutting, each taking place on consecutive weeks at midnight on a Wednesday.  Something is very irregular with the permits, there’s no location or address for these installations.  The address for the installations is the address for Stijn’s office building. At the sixth event, Soraya banished a giant bug.


Unknown Faction



Aleta, Hasan's associate at MBA.

Jurgen, Greta Bradshaw's secretary at MBA; they were having an affair. Murdered, with puncture marks in his neck.