James

The major antagonist of the novel Twilight, James is depicted as a merciless “tracker” vampire who hunts human beings or, in some cases, animals, for sport. Fellow coven member Laurent says that James is unusually gifted at what he does and always gets what he wants, though it is later revealed that a then-human Alice Cullen escaped his clutches some time ago by being turned into a vampire before James could attack. Unlike the Cullen family, he drinks human blood as his food source. Towards the end of Twilight, James is dismembered and set on fire (thus permanently destroyed) by Cullen brothers Emmett and Jasper after he lured Bella to an empty ballet studio and nearly killed her. The shimmery scar left by his venomous bite still remains on Bella’s hand as a symbol of his unsuccessful attempt on her life. James is described as having light brown hair and being quite unremarkable and average-looking.

Victoria

A red-haired, cat-like vampire, Victoria is originally a member of James’ coven. She plays a small role in the first book assisting James, her lover and coven leader, in hunting Bella Swan. After James is killed, she decides to exact revenge on Edward Cullen by plotting to kill his partner, Bella. However, Bella is sufficiently protected from her wrath by the Quileute werewolves. Months later in Eclipse, Victoria creates an army of bloodthirsty newborn vampires in Seattle to rise up against the combined forces of the werewolves and Cullen family. During this battle, both she and her new fighting partner, Riley, are destroyed by Edward and the young werewolf Seth Clearwater. Her supernatural talent is an ability to know the safe place to escape to.

Laurent

A dark-haired, olive-toned vampire, Laurent is a member of James’ coven in Twilight. When James and Victoria choose to track and murder Bella, Laurent leaves them and travels to Denali, Alaska, hoping to find solace among a coven of “vegetarian” vampires. However, he does not adopt their strict diet of drinking animal blood, and “cheats” by occasionally feeding on humans. During this stay he takes a special liking to a vampire named Irina, though the infatuation is not strong enough to keep him there, as he later returns to Forks in New Moon as a favor to Victoria. During this visit, he stumbles across Bella and tries to kill her, before being ambushed by the Quileute werewolves and subsequently destroyed.

The Volturi

The vampire coven known as the Volturi resides in Volterra, Italy. They are regarded as “royalty” by other vampires because they have lived for well over three thousand years and act as police, enforcing the rule that vampires’ existence remain a secret from humans. They often send others to travel from Volterra to prevent overzealous covens and renegade vampires from exposing their kind. They are guarded by several powerful vampires who have been recruited for their powers and skills. Carlisle once stayed with the coven as a guest, but left due to his desire to avoid harming humans and established his own coven in the United States. At the end of New Moon, the Volturi discover that Bella, a human, has learned that vampires exist and demand that she become a vampire or else be killed. In Breaking Dawn, the vampire Irina goes to the Volturi and warns them that the Cullens have created an immortal child after seeing Edward and Bella’s daughter, Renesmee, hunting close the Cullens’ house. The Volturi coven travel to Forks to destroy Renesmee, but leave once they realize that she poses no threat.

The Volturi leaders include Aro, who can read every thought a person has ever had once he has made physical contact, Marcus, who senses relationships, and Caius, who has no known power. Aro’s wife, Sulpicia, Caius’ wife, Athenodora, and formerly Marcus’ wife, Didyme, who had the power to make others happy, also act as leaders. The Volturi guard consists of 32 members, including Jane, who creates illusions of pain; Alec, who is able to block the others’ senses; Demetri, who can track anyone once he has the tenor of their mind; Chelsea, who can change emotional bondings; and Renata, who can make anyone feel distracted and wandering when they are near her (classified as a “shield”). The majority of the Volturi remain nameless throughout the series. There is also a human secretary named Gianna who appears in New Moon. The Volturi have invited Carlisle, Edward, Alice, Kate, Benjamin, Zafrina, and Bella to join them, though all have refused.

Amazonian Coven

Zafrina, Senna, and Kachiri are members of the Amazonian coven. Zafrina’s special ability is to create illusions; however, they do not affect Bella or anyone who is under her protective shield. She builds a strong relationship with Renesmee Cullen, who is said to have liked Zafrina and her “pretty pictures”. Zafrina has Bella promise to bring Renesmee to visit her in the future.

American Nomads

Peter, his mate Charlotte, Mary, and Randall are American nomads. Peter is Jasper’s good friend, and helped Jasper escape his previous life as a general of newborn vampires. Though he feeds on human blood, he does not agree with the execution of newborns after they have outlived their usefulness. In the past, Jasper lived with Peter and Charlotte, but chose to leave because of his ability to sense his human prey’s emotions.

Denali Coven

Tanya, Carmen, her mate Eleazar, Kate, Irina, and later Garrett are members of the Denali coven. Like the Cullens, the Denali coven practices a diet of drinking animal instead of human blood. They are on good terms with the Cullens, though the relationship is stressed during Eclipse when they refuse to fight Victoria and her army. Tanya is their leader and is described as having strawberry blonde hair, and once expressed an interest in Edward Cullen, though he turned her down. Carmen speaks fluent Spanish and was the first to listen and not fear Renesmee for being a half-breed. Eleazar, a former member of the Volturi guard, speaks fluent Spanish as well and has the ability to vaguely identify the gifts of other vampires. Garrett is a tallish, rangy vampire with ruby eyes and long sandy hair that he keeps tied back. He is an adventurer, and alludes to being an American Patriot. He joins the Denali coven in Breaking Dawn and becomes Kate’s mate. Kate is described as beautiful and blonde. Her special ability is the production of an electric current over her skin that can shock and incapacitate attackers. She assists Bella in learning to use her new ability of mentally shielding those around her.

Sasha, Vasili, and Irina were former members of the Denali coven. Sasha, the creator of Tanya, Kate, Irina, and Vasili, was executed by the Volturi for creating an immortal child, Vasili. It is illegal by vampire law to create an immortal child, as they are unpredictable and have no self-control. For this reason, both Sasha and Vasili were destroyed. Irina is the former mate of Laurent. She holds a grudge against the werewolves, as they destroyed Laurent, but comes to make peace with the Cullens in Breaking Dawn. Before she can speak with them, Irina sees Renesmee, assumes she is an immortal child, and reports the Cullens to the Volturi. Upon realizing that Renesmee is not an immortal child, the Volturi destroy Irina for her mistake.

Egyptian Coven

Tia, Amun, Benjamin, and Kebi are members of the Egyptian coven. Amun, the mate of Kebi, is shown to be very unhappy to stand witness for the Cullens in Breaking Dawn. Benjamin, the mate of Tia, has a high awareness of what is right and wrong. His special ability is to control the elements of nature, air, earth, fire, and water. Benjamin’s ability is unique in that it involves physical manipulation, as opposed to illusions of the mind.

European Nomads

Alistair, Charles, and Makenna are European nomads. Alistair is good friends with Carlisle, though he does not visit him often. His special ability is tracking. When he is called to be a witness for the Cullens, he leaves before he has a chance to do so out of fear of the Volturi. Charles is the mate of Makenna, and his special ability is to sense if a statement is true.

Irish Coven

Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie are members of the Irish coven. Liam is very protective of Siobhan and Maggie. Siobhan and Liam are mates, and Siobhan’s suspected special ability is to alter the course of a situation. Maggie, a red-head, has the ability to sense if someone is lying. They were called upon to witness for the Cullen clan in the face of the Volturi in Breaking Dawn.

Romanian Coven

Vladimir and Stefan used to rule along with other Romanian vampires about 1500 years ago. The Volturi overthrew them, however, and destroyed their castle. After the rebellion, it became apparent that Vladimir and Stefan were the only survivors of their coven. They hold a grudge against the Volturi, and are willing to do anything for revenge.

 

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