a blurred memory as to what they were trying to accomplish. She is able to push her shield several meters out from herself. She will also shield Caius and Marcus if they are nearby, but her primary concern is to protect Aro.
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE VOLTURI GUARD
AFTON: Chelsea‘s mate
Afton has a minor shielding skill, but it is limited by the fact that he cannot project it outside of himself. He has the ability to make himself invisible to attackers, but someone with a strong focus can see through the illusion. A person standing directly behind him can be hidden, too, but this is not a very reliable safeguard. Afton is not gifted enough to earn a place with the Volturi on his own merits; he owes his inclusion to his much more talented mate, Chelsea.
CORIN: A guard
Officially, Corin‘s primary job in the Volturi is to protect the surviving wives, Sulpicia and Athenodora. In reality, she does not protect them so much as soothe them into complacency while other, more physically impressive vampires do the actual job of guarding the wives. The wives are so closely protected that they have become virtual prisoners in Volterra. However, Corin‘s gift keeps them satisfied with life — even happy.
A person can become addicted to the feeling she produces, and be unable to feel well without it.
Corin is able to make anyone feel content in his or her circumstances. There is a druglike side effect to her skill, however. A person can become addicted to the feeling she produces, and be unable to feel well without it. Aro has been careful not to expose himself too greatly to Corin, while using Chelsea to keep her tied to the coven. Marcus has always refused to let her relieve his never-easing pain over Didyme‘s death. Caius, on the other hand, frequently uses Corin‘s gift to alleviate his boredom between battles and punishing expeditions.
SANTIAGO: A guard
Like Felix, Santiago is a physical enforcer. He has no psychic gift, only tremendous physical strength.
OTHERS WHO SERVE THE VOLTURI
NAME: Gianna
DATE OF BIRTH: Late 1970s
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Italy
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Green
HEIGHT: 5‘6?
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Gianna was tall, with long, dark hair and olive-toned skin. She was beautiful, for a human.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: Gianna served as the receptionist and assistant to the Volturi coven.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: As a human, Gianna was not considered a member of the Volturi, although she was loyal to them.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Gianna knew the Volturi‘s secret and kept it, serving them in the hope of one day being turned into a vampire. She knew that if she was not found helpful enough, she would be killed, but she chose to take the risk. Unfortunately, the Volturi decided her skills were less valuable than her blood.
The Volturi Lair
The Volturi maintain a permanent home in Volterra, Italy, which most of the actual coven — Caius being the exception — rarely leaves. The Volturi founded the town of Volterra three thousand years ago, during the time of the Etruscans. The Volturi still own almost all of the property in the vicinity.
Most of the living space is located below ground, in tunnels that run three stories beneath the town.
The main structure of the Volturi‘s actual home is a castle constructed during medieval times, built into the walls of the ancient city. The most noticeable feature of the castle is the large turret that rises above the rest of the structure. Most of the living space is located below ground, in tunnels that run three stories beneath the town.
There are several entrances to the Volturi castle. The front door is located at street level.
It opens to a reception area, where there is always a very polite human to receive visitors, as well as several inconspicuous surveillance cameras. All the doors in the room lead to dead-end, innocuous offices, and the elevator is heavily secured. This door is never used by the Volturi, their guard, or anyone who has real business with them. The elevator leads to another reception area, with even higher security.
The castle can also be accessed from Volterra‘s sewers. Several drainage holes in the stone-paved streets lead to often-used Volturi passageways. These drains are covered by iron grilles that are too heavy to be lifted by several human men together. These passages also lead to the second reception area, where the human in charge is aware of the nature of her bosses.
Thanks to Heidi‘s gift, when she asks her tourists to follow her into the beautiful, ancient tunnel that leads to an amazing castle, none of them refuse.
The most often used door is not actually located within the city. Rather, this door is located in the cellar of an ancient church outside the walls, somewhat hidden in the hills. Heidi‘s tours always end in this quaint, concealed historical landmark located beside a small private landing strip (owned by the Volturi). Just in case someone were to recognize the Tuscan landscape, there is no cell-phone service available. Thanks to Heidi‘s gift, when she asks her tourists to follow her into the beautiful, ancient tunnel that leads to an amazing castle, none of them refuse. This tunnel bypasses both reception areas and leads directly to the Volturi turret.
The turret contains the main meeting room of the Volturi, and also the dining room. They have made no attempt to make it comfortable for humans; the stone walls are not insulated, and there is no heat or cooling or
