WARNING: This page contains spoilers if you have not read the archives!

Characters

Daemons

Teze / Snow

Real Age: ???
Frozen Age: 12
Daemon Element: ???
Beast Forme: Grey Wolf

Though he is very old, Teze (pronounced TEHZ-ay) still looks like he’s twelve. He acts like it, too. He used to be someone very important amongst his fellow daemons long ago, but now he’s been demoted to a secretariat. The only signs of his advanced age are his pure white hair and his brief flashes of wisdom and insight (though those don’t come as often as everyone would like). When disguised in his beast forme of an old grey wolf, he goes by the name Snow. He was given a break from his usual pen-pushing duties to work with Tienar on a very pivotal mission: keeping Fawna alive. He has become like a father to her, telling her stories and caring for her. She has no idea about his and Scree’s dual natures.

Tienar / Scree

Real Age: 245
Frozen Age: 19
Daemon Element: Flora
Beast Forme: Golden Eagle

Tienar is a messenger, and one of the best daemons at the Council’s disposal. He is fast, reliable and often the envy of others for his good looks, charm, and because he is so trusted by the Council. He has been temporarily relieved of his messenger duties and reassigned to a top-secret mission with Teze where he is disguised as a golden eagle with an assumed name, Scree. He has the tendency to be condescending to his lessers, and obsequious to his betters.

Anor

Real Age: 201
Frozen Age: 16
Daemon Element: Water
Beast Forme: Grey Fox

Sarcastic, aloof, and far too clever for his own good, Anor is the resident healer at Headquarters. In fact, he is the only daemon to ever posses healing powers. He is also pretty sly, with a knack for digging up information he shouldn’t know. Few at Headquarters actually trust him, but his healing abilities are needed so badly that they are forced to put up with him.

Rava

Real Age: 64
Frozen Age: 14
Daemon Element: Fire
Beast Forme: Carrion Crow

Rava is a rogue daemon – an outlaw. He has never lived at Headquarters, but been a rogue ever since he gained his supernatural powers. He is fiercely loyal to his fellow rogue daemon, Leandra. She sends him on important errands, though whether trusting him is wise is under debate. He really tries, but calling him ‘hard-luck’ might be an understatement. His beast forme is a crow, and he uses it as a disguise when away from Leandra. Which works, you know, most of the time.

Animals

Fawna

Age: 2
Species: Red Fox

Fawna is a young vixen from the forest Oakwood in England. Eight months ago she was shot and nearly killed by a human hunter, and lost all her memories prior to the incident. She was rescued by the grey wolf, Snow, and Scree the golden eagle. She is very kind and loyal, and would stay out of trouble if not for the encouragement of Flowerlark. Unlike most foxes, she doesn’t like to eat squirrels, but prefers to befriend them.

Flowerlark

Age: 1
Species: Red Squirrel

Flowerlark is Fawna’s best friend and both an incredibly manipulative and very mischievous squirrel. She’s very lazy and takes advantage of others whenever possible, often without meaning to – it’s just second nature.

Eclipse

Age: 1
Species: Red Squirrel

Eclipse is Flowerlark’s sister from the same litter. She’s very vindictive and is perpetually irritated by something. Usually that something is Flowerlark. When not picking up her sister’s chores, she spends most of her time trying to think of new ways to exact revenge on her lazy twin.

Scratch

Age: 2
Species: Red Fox

Scratch is a sour dour dogfox. For whatever reason, he is also the object of Fawna’s affections, try as he might to crush them. The exact reason for his fierce rejection is unknown, but he’s just naturally so unpleasant that none is really needed. Few know his real name- everyone just calls him ‘Scratch’ for the long scar running down his face.

Other Characters

Leandra
A rogue daemon who is Rava’s… boss? Friend? Mother figure? Their relationship is a little difficult to pin down, but she has Rava’s unwavering loyalty. She and Rava have been hiding on Earth for many years to avoid the long arm of daemon law. She is a criminal mastermind, and specialises in remote espionage.
Riella
Riella holds the highest position of power at daemon Headquarters: High Councillor. She rules with a heavy, but fair hand. Though she may look sweet and diminutive, she has a soul of steel. She is also the daemon of Truth, making it impossible to lie to her.
Arivan
A daemon who, six-hundred years ago, sealed masses of ombri away. No one knows how he managed it, and he disappeared immediately afterwards. The seal was supposed to be permanent, but about a year ago it somehow broke, and now the council is desperate to find him so he can redo it.

World

Click images to full-view

Bestiary

Daemon: Daemons are humans who have been gifted incredible powers by the archangel Azrael in order to combat the ombri. They stop ageing when their powers first manifest (which they refer to as ‘freezing’), and can live indefinitely unless they are killed by disease or injury. Their powers include teleportation, shapeshifting, opening Gateways between Earth and Terra, controlling elements, speaking in tongues, and sensing the auras of ombri and other daemons. They are all physically marked with pointed ears.

More information about the daemons is covered in some of chapter end specials

Ombra: pl. ombri The dark and twisted creatures that haunt Terra, and now Earth. They are attracted to negative emotions, and devour souls. If a person or animal is tainted enough, they can not only devour their soul, but posses the body left behind. They are rarely seen by normal humans – at least, not until it’s too late. Every ombra’s appearance is unique, but they all have dark, twisted bodies and blank white eyes reminiscent of a rotting corpse.

Places

Oakwood: A forest primarily made up of deciduous trees – oaks being the most prominent – that lays on the outskirts of a growing suburb in England. It is where our story begins.

Terra: The home world of both daemons and ombri. It is parallel to ours, though is several hundred years behind Earth (the current year on Earth is 2006 – on Terra it is 1798). It shares a close history, but there are significant differences. For instance, magic did not entirely die out in Terra, and mystical beasts such as faeries and dragons still exist. Humans are also not the only sapient species on Terra; the world is also populated by fauns, dwarves, goblins, and elves.

Headquarters: The daemons’ home base. It was once a large town in Terra with a population of over 10,000, where the daemons brought a great deal of modern technology and media back from their visits to Earth – though they kept it (and their town) a secret from the rest of their world. But when the daemons were overpowered by the ombri, it was relocated to an outpost they had here on Earth. It lies somewhere deep in the forests of Canada.


In a rural, forested area of Canada, the outpost daemons once used to learn about Earth has been converted into the new Headquarters.


Once a bustling town, the old Headquarters now lies abandoned. Though only eight months have passed since the daemons fled, it’s already falling to ruin.

Timeline

A chronilogical timeline of events in the Children of Shadow universe.

– Earth 1480 / Terra 1272: January 9th – Arivan seals the ombri and goes missing

– Earth 1986 / Terra 1778: May 12th – The Tell-Tale Violin side-story takes place

– Earth 2003 / Terra 1795: June 24th – Rava’s Awful, Amazing Day side-story takes place.

– Earth 2005 / Terra 1797: December 24th – Ashes’ prologue takes place

– Earth 2005 / Terra 1797: December 27th – The ombri assault the old daemon town and the survivors flee to Earth

– Earth 2006 / Terra 1798: August 16th – Ashes’ main story begins

Process

Below is a brief overview on how the comic is created. Click to enlarge.