The New Human Empire
The New Human Empire, also known either as the Methuselah Empire or the Empire of the True Race, was founded around 800 years prior to the events in the Trinity Blood series. Fleeing from the persecution of the Terrans, the Methuselah were guided to these lands by Empress Vradica. The Empress brought nature back to the lands damaged by the Armageddon, and founded a new Kingdom, which would exist separately from the outside world. The Empire itself, is a vast land surrounded by airborne particles that filter out the ultraviolet radiation so that the Methuselah may move about by day. It is because of this that the Empire appears to be bathed in the evening dusk, even during the day. The capital city of the Empire is Byzantium (otherwise known as Constantinople or Istanbul), which is the home to both the Empress and a large number of Methuselah Aristocracy who serve in the Empress' court.
Humans (Terrans)
Humans
Humans once attempted to colonize Mars after a massive population explosion. While on Mars, they discovered the Bacillus and Crusnik nanomachines. When the Bacillus virus was embedded in humans, it transformed them into vampires who needed to feed on blood to survive. While this was unfolding on Mars, continuing wars on Earth led to Armageddon, the apocalyptic conflict that nearly wiped out humanity. The vampires—who now call themselves Methuselah—eventually returned to Earth and entered into a war with the remaining humans.
Nine hundred years later, the surviving humans are still recovering from the devastating effects of the war. They struggle to coexist with the Methuselah, despite lingering distrust and animosity. The Vatican leads the ongoing effort to maintain peace and to deal with rogue elements on both sides who would prefer the war to continue. The Methuselah refer to humans as "Terrans," or the "Short-Lived Race."
THE NEW HUMAN EMPIRE
The Empire is home to both humans and vampires who live in peace together, under the rule of the Empress and her imperial aristocracy. Having existed separate from the outer world, the people of the Empire have developed a culture of their own. Before the Empress, both races are equal, and it is said that she alone may keep the peace. The nobles of the New Human Empire act as feudal lords, and rule over the various lands in the empire. The mortals who live in the Empire may rank anywhere from the servant class to the nobility, and are each given an equal chance to rise to the noble class. They are considered the property of the Empress, and the Methuselah who pledge their loyalty to the Empress are not allowed to harm them.
The Empire is the most technologically advanced nation on earth, with weapons and machines that surpass both the Vatican arsenal and Albion, a nation which manufactures the hardware necessary for the production of technologically advanced machines. In part because of this, the Vatican attempts to remain on good terms with the Empire, which eventually lead to peace talks between the two nations. Because of the current world situation, the end of the Empress' reign would result in chaos which could potentially lead to war with the outside world if not quickly contained.
Augusta Vradica (Seth Nightroad)
Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese); Hilary Haag (English)
Augusta Vradica is the Empress of the New Human Empire. Styled "Augusta Vradica, the First and Only", Her real name is Seth Nightroad. She is the youngest of the siblings, and the third Crusnik. A member of the Alliance Aerospace Navy, Seth viewed Lilith as a mother figure and holds Abel in great sisterly affection. When Cain was fatally wounded in an accident, she injected him with 100% Crusnik, restoring his life, but changing him for the worse. After he killed Lilith during the war, Seth joined Abel in confronting him and was the one directly responsible for shooting him out of an airlock. As a child, she seemed to have an aversion to Cain for some reason, taking Abel's side during an unexplained argument of theirs and going so far as to shrink somewhat into Lilith in fear when Cain later appeared.
Among the four Crusnik siblings, she has spent the most time with Methuselah, but unlike Abel, she does feed on them. Around 800 years ago, Augusta Vradica led the Methuselah to the lands where the Empire would eventually stand, to save them from persecution. She helped restore nature back to the lands, returning them to their former glory before the Armageddon. She then became the Empress of the New Human Empire, ruling over her kingdom as the heart of the Empire itself. As the Empress, Seth is seen as a mother by her people, and treats her subjects as she would her own children. However, most of her courtiers and servants have never seen her before in all the centuries that they have served her, mainly due to the heavy veils she wears to cover her appearance as well as the use of a voice modifier. Though she does age, she still appears as a little girl, but is well over nine hundred years old.[12] It is implied that she does not wish to declare war on the Vatican territories due to her Abel's desire for peace; sideways comments by her have indicated that she has very little faith that a lasting peace is possible. As his sister, she knows Abel very well, and has commented that he is quite popular with the girls for some unknown reason. Her appearance differs between the manga and anime; she looks like a girl of eight or nine years old in the anime, and in the manga, she claims to be 13 while in disguise and looks somewhat older than that. In both versions she has green eyes, short black hair, and is very small in stature.
During a plot to overthrow her, Seth disguised herself as a tea-seller and a medical student in the human district of the capital city, Byzantium. During that time, she met Ion Fortuna and Sister Esther Blanchett, though neither knew who she was. She later alerted Abel and Asthe when Ion and Esther were in danger, and saved Esther from one of Dietrich's puppets.
When her Crusnik powers are activated at 40%, Seth's eyes turn red, her lips turn greenish-blue, her voice becomes deeper, and a pair of giant tuning forks made of blood materialize in each of her hands. At what was presumably a tell-tale 80% activation, fairy-styled wings grow from her back in addition to her other traits. In this state, she can almost instantly disintegrate her enemies, turning them into a salt-like substance. Her power is being based on a manipulation of ultrasonic sound waves which she calls "The Fire of Sound".She has been shown to have a fondness for random odd jobs; the first time Süleyman saw her she was selling flowers, Esther and Ion meet her as a tea seller, and in one of the omakes Abel runs into her several times doing different jobs including bagging groceries, selling tissues, and working as a waitress. Also, she likes the color green so much that, as the Empress, it is the "Imperial" color and only objects associated with her may display it prominently. In the manga, she also owns a small white squirrel named Abel which is seen accompanying her almost everywhere.
During the events of the Trinity Blood Canon Summa Theologica light novel, Seth was compelled to reactivate the massive spaceship Ark when a nuclear attack ordered by Pope Francesco destroyed the Empire's second largest city. From the capital Byzantium, She attempts to destroy the Vatican's nuclear launch facility using the Ark's powerful satellite cannon. As soon as this system is activated, however, Cain and Dietrich appear and take control of the Ark. Abel also arrives and becomes involved with the confrontation between Seth and Cain. Cain reveals that he seeks to crash the Ark onto the Earth. Seth thwarted this plan by sacrificing herself, and when her strength was spent, Cain killed her and severed her head. After the incident, the Rosenkreuz Orden twists the information and Abel is framed for the murder of Empress Augusta Vradica. This leads the Empire to start an all-out war with the Terrans.
Mirka Fortuna
Voiced by: Yuri Amano (Japanese); Jennifer Seman (English)
Head of the Imperial Secret Council, the Duchess of Moldova, the Prime Minister of the Empire, and a keeper of Secret History, Mirka Fortuna is known for her cunning and eccentric nature. She is Empress Augusta Vradica's most trusted advisor and friend, being one of the few people in the Empire who knows the Empress' true appearance. Mirka acted as a decoy for the Empress during an assassination plot in order to draw out those behind the plot. Faking her own death, she allowed her grandson, Ion, to be framed for the murder. For some unknown reason, despite her small stature (she is the same size as Seth in the manga) and frivolous mannerisms, most people who know her seem to be frightened of her in a comedic sort of way, including Ion himself. In the anime, Mirka looks more like a full-grown woman.
Ion Fortuna
Voiced by: Minagawa Junko (Japanese); Aaron Dismuke (English)
Born in 3045 AD, the Earl of Memphis and the Empress's Swords Keeper, Ion Fortuna is very young by Methuselah standards. The grandson of Mirka Fortuna, he is full of pride for both the Empire and his race, and is quite nimble and strong for his age. He is ordered by the Empress to act as an Imperial messenger and envoy to negotiate with the Vatican. Upon his arrival at the Vatican embassy of Carthage where Caterina was staying, the building caught fire, causing the Vatican's agents to believe that he was involved. He fled from Father Tres' gunfire, but was injured by a silver bullet. Abel and Esther established contact with Ion and Radu, and aided their escape through the underground passages beneath the city.
After learning Radu has betrayed him for the Rosenkreuz Orden, Ion is terribly saddened, but finds comfort in Esther's friendship.Initially, Ion holds strong prejudices against Terrans, but after his acquaintance and growing familiarity with Esther, his attitude changes considerably,from the once selfish and human-loathing character seen when he first shows up at the Vatican. Proved when the Puppet Master tries to control him, Ion attempts to commit suicide in order to stop himself from unwillingly killing Esther in a bloodthirsty rage, but is thwarted and saved from this fate by Father Nightroad. Through his experiences with the treachery of the Order, Ion develops a growing desire for vengeance, and eventually joins Abel in his quest to destroy them.
Ion gradually develops a crush on Esther, which later blossoms into a deep, one-sided love. In the anime, he is very shy about these feelings and has a hard time telling her how he feels.[In contrast, Ion is able to confess to Esther in the manga version right before he goes to talk to his grandmother (though it is revealed along the way that he still had to muster up a great amount of courage to do so, blushing furiously when looking back on it.). Ion treasures his friendship with Esther, but his trust in her is greatly shaken when Radu reveals Esther's past with the Methuselah. Troubled and feeling betrayed, he accuses Esther of secretly thinking him a monster, which she insists is not true. Ion later regrets his actions, especially when Esther arrived to save him before he is killed by Radu, and is captured along with him. His faith in Esther is completely restored when, in jail, she repeats her statement that he is indeed her friend. After the Dietrich awakens his thirst for blood, Ion immediately begs Esther to kill him whilst barely using his willpower to restrain himself. Esther refuses, and instead gently grants him permission to drink her blood. Shocked, touched, and his heart breaking, Ion reluctantly almost gives in to his hunger; he manages to stop himself right before biting her, and almost takes his life before Abel intervenes to save them. Before Esther leaves the Empire, Ion is troubled when completely realizing the fact that because they are of completely different races, he might never see her again. Astha affirms this by reminding him that time passed differently between Methuselah and Terrans, and whatever he desired to say should be said now. At the last moment, Ion catches up to Esther and declares that they will meet again, earning a smile in return. It is relatively unknown if Esther fully understands or shares Ion's feelings. In the anime, she is rather oblivious to it, though in the manga, when Ion promises to become stronger and repeat his invitation for her to remain with him in the Empire, she smiles and states that she will be waiting for him to do so.
Ion's appearances in the manga and anime have slight differences: In the anime, he simply looks like a young boy, but in the manga, he has more androgynous features.
Astharoshe Asran
Voiced by: Michiko Neya (Japanese); Carrie Savage (English)
Astharoshe "Astha" Asran, Viscountess of Odessa and Duchess of Kiev, is an undercover agent for the New Human Empire. She is a direct, no-nonsense individual who has a very low opinion of Terrans, referring to them as barbaric and stupid, among other things. Her opinion of humans, however, seems to have primarily been formed through Empire propaganda combined with having little exposure to or understanding of humans. Asthe takes being called a "vampire" as an insulting slur, and only refers to herself as a Methuselah.Astha fights with a weapon called the Spear of Gae Bolg. The most powerful close-combat weapon found among the Lost Technology relics, the spear uses ionized xenon gas to create a high-density, high-temperature plasma blade capable of cutting through anything.
Astha's view of humans begins to change after she is sent to Venice to arrest Endre Kourza, a vampire mass murderer whose newest round of killings in Vatican territory could spur a war. As part of her mission, she is partnered with Father Abel Nightroad from the AX Agency. When the two find Endre, Astha becomes solely focused on killing him because he murdered her partner. She is so blinded by her rage that she destroys the Rialto Bridge, killing and wounding many humans that had come for a festival. Abel also sustains injuries while protecting her from her own sword, which flew back at her in the explosion. She greatly regrets her actions, and keeps a better handle on her emotions when they go after Endre again and arrest him. Though she initially berated Abel for calling himself her partner, a word of special meaning to Astha, at the end of the mission, he earned her respect enough for her to call him her partner. She also became more accepting and tolerating of humans in general. When Ion was framed for the murder of his grandmother, she allowed Abel and his entourage to stay at her estate, and aids Abel in an investigation into the true circumstances of the murder. During the climax of this investigation, she accuses the Duke of Tigris, Süleyman of treason against the Empire, and is forced to kill him after he makes a purposefully unsuccessful attempt on Seth's life. In the manga, she then accompanies Esther to the nuclear launch facility beneath Byzantium. She evidently sees Abel in his 40% Crusnik form, but apparently it does not make any sort of impression on her. She is hit by a fireball when she confronts Radu, and is knocked unconscious, thus she is unaware of both Seth's Crusnik status and her relationship to Abel. She does not appear in this confrontation in the anime.
Her partnership with Abel would become an important step in the secret peace negotiations between the Vatican and the Empire. She would later be assigned to shelter the Vatican diplomats and the Earl of Memphis after the Rosenkreuz Orden's attempt to frame the Earl of Memphis. Through this turn of events, Astha would also become a core Empire representative in the quest to stop the Rosenkreuz Orden's continued efforts to start another war between the Methuselah and Terrans.
In the novels, the partner that Endre killed was the Countess Len Yearnoshe,however in the anime series, her partner is changed to a male and it is implied that they were lovers. In the manga, she owns a very large female tiger named Binas, and cuts her hair short during the conclusion of the Queen of the Night arc because it was singed by a fireball. Her clothing in the manga is much more revealing than in the anime; the portions of her outfit that are absent in the manga are plain white cloth in the anime.
Süleyman
Voiced by: Takewaka Takuma (Japanese); J. Michael Tatum (English)
The third highest ranking noble in the Empire, Duke of Tigris Süleyman has spent over 300 years of his life serving the Empress. He is the Deputy of the Imperial Secret Council and seems to have known Astharoshe since she was a child and considers himself to be her uncle. After Mirka Fortuna's feigned death, he serves as the Acting-Head of the Imperial Secret Council. In truth, he is the apparent leader of the extremists in the Empire and is part of the plot to assassinate the Empress and the Duchess of Moldova so he can seize the throne.[35] Süleyman controls the ring of Solomon, which is capable of firing deadly blasts of energy. Despite his hatred and disagreement with the desire for peace between humans and Methuselah, when he has a chance to take a shot at the Empress, he cannot bring himself to kill her and intentionally misses. He is killed by Asthe.
Baibars
Voiced by: Naoya Uchida (Japanese); Bob Carter (English)
Baibars, the Duke of Khartoum, is a gigantic, dark-skinned man who serves as the chief of the Yeniceri, the Empire's Palace guard.A loyal subject of the Empire, he is also the bodyguard of the Empress, and is an aggressive and skilled fighter. He is first seen leading a group of Palace Guards to arrest Ion Fortuna, and later appears to intercept Abel's uninvited excursion into the palace.When Astharoshe Asran and Abel Nightroad sneak into the palace through the catacombs, Baibars and the Yeniceri appear to defeat the Death Hunters sent by Dietrich, allowing the pair to pass safely into the palace. He is introduced as a gruff, dutiful soldier, but after the plot to assassinate the Empress is foiled, he reverts to a much more friendly and easy going personality, as well as revealing that he and all of the Yeniceri are comically terrified of Mirka Fortuna, the Duchess of Moldova. He is currently training Ion in swordsmanship.
Enderles Kudza
Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese); Chris Patton (English)
Enderles Kudza, Count of Zagreb, is considered the Empire's worst mass murderer, having impaled over 300 Terrans and relentless slaughtering many others in various ways. Boyish in appearance, Enderles is purely evil and was exiled from the Empire. He formed an association with the Rosenkreuz Orden, with Isaak Fernand von Kämpfer acting as his contact. At the Orden's request, he goes to Venice for the purpose of murdering the Pope, however he goes on another massacre spree, killing dozens, in hopes the Empire would send Asthe after him. Having once killed her partner by using Asthe as a shield, he enjoys tormenting her with that knowledge and repeats the scene by using a child as his shield, then killing the little girl the same way he killed Asthe's partner.
When fighting, Enderles protects himself with an Aegis shield, a series of orbs that forms an impenetrable shield around its wielder. A powerful defense system, the Aegis only weakness is that while activate, the person using it is also unable to attack and must drop the shield to make an offensive move. Asthe, partnered with AX Agent Abel Nightroad, finds Enderles, but he escapes their grasp and Asthe, letting his constant taunting get to her, causes massive casualties among the humans. The pair realize his real purpose for being in Venice, however, and set up a trap for him. Asthe belittled him in order to infuriate him so he will drop his shield and attack her, giving Abel the chance to wound him with a silver bullet. He is arrested, but while he is being transported back to the Empire for his trial, Kämpfer frees him, then kills him.
In the anime series, Enderles name is changed slightly to Enderle Kudza. His appearance is greatly modified, giving him an older, more adult appearance rather than the childlike appearance described in the novels. The more gruesome details of his crimes, particular his multiple murders of children, are also not mentioned, nor does the anime reveal his connection to Rosenkreuz and his death is mentioned as a result of his wounding by Abel Nightroad.
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