December 6th is coming, and with it, the release of Brides of Carpathia 3: Blood Magic! As we prepare to whisk you back to Newport Beach and the world of the evenfall, here are 10 bloody fun facts to get you warmed up!
1. All of the Brides (except for Carmilla) are named after actresses who have played vampires: Kate Beckinsale, Jun Ji-Hyun, Brigid Branagh, and Rutina Wesley. The Bridegroom, Brian, is named after actor Brian Michael Smith.
2. The story derives heavily from the classic Bram Stoker's Dracula. Sharp-eyed readers may have already discovered some of our (rather direct) references to this tale.
3. We've also taken deep inspiration from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Some of the supernatural qualities exhibited by (some of) the Brides, such as the inability to change any natural detail of their appearance after death, come directly from Rice's vision.
4. Quin is an alchemical mixologist, infusing the mysterious ancient science with a little bit of magic and a dash of fine spirits to create a special cocktail menu that keeps the Brides and their allies alive and on their feet. The secret to his unnaturally long life is so far unknown, as he is not a vampire himself.
5. Only women become evenfall (also known as Brides). Male victims of vampires whose transformations go awry end up as mindless, bloodthirsty, half-turned monsters.
6. Evenfall often display partial vampire abilities, but not all. Kate develops the power of obfuscation, allowing her to hide from plain sight or cloud the memories of those who see or interact with her; Ji-Hyun displays superhuman strength, speed, and a defiance of gravity which allows her to easily walk on walls and ceilings; Brigid can move freely during the day and has gained limited control of natural elements.
7. Carmilla calls herself one of the three vampire Queens. The other two are Elizabeth Bathory and a creature known as the Striga. The story of Carmilla, Countess of Karnstein, predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years.
8. The characters of Willa and Tali, the ladies who run the Mystic Sisters new age holistics shop in Newport Beach, are direct homages to the characters of Willow and Tara, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
9. The character of Viggo was inspired by actor Viggo Mortensen and his portrayal of the devil in the 1995 movie, The Prophecy. Though we originally intended to give him a different name, because of this inspiration we continually referred to the character as simply "our Viggo", and it stuck.
10. One sure-fire trick to help gamer girl Brantwijn break a writer's block? A quick play-through of Vampire, The Masquerade: Bloodlines.
