#adze

the character line up for my upcoming comic, Vampire sorority!!! wooo!!!

Lilien - Moroaica (Romanian vampire) house director

Meabh - Dearg Due (Irish vampire) business major

Izumi - Iso-Onna (Japanese sea vampire) environmental science major

Diantha - Chedipe (Hindi vampire witch) English literature major

Shauntae - Adze (Ghanaian firefly vampire) fashion design major

Kanami - Manananggal (Filipino self-segmenting vampire) health studies major

The adze is a vampiric spirit from the Ewe folklore of West Africa (present in Ghana, Togo, and Benin). It disguises itself as a firefly at night to enter houses and suck the blood and vital energy of people, especially children.

Altough her design is not as clever as other espers, I wanted her to have an outfit that reminded people of firefly inspired by modern african fashion. Specially the pattern present in almost every outfit I saw. She may be smiling sweetly at the camera when I drew her but it's because I wasn't sure how to make her fell like a Zoe Morgan (person of interest) while reveling her outfit (and also because I didn't like the first less-open designs)

Information below!

Chapter 0

Prev

FINALLY MORE ASTER LORE!!

Meanwhile…

The grass whispered in the early dawn, bending and parting with the breeze—or so it seemed.

But something else moved beneath it.

A pulse of orange light blinked once in the shadows, then again, drifting low across the weedy outskirts of Norrisville like a stray ember. Small, silent, deliberate. A lone firefly. But not just any firefly. Its glow burned deeper than natural—tinged with red and gold. Its wings, thin and smoky, left faint trails of heat in the cool air. And its flight? Too controlled. Too knowing.

It bobbed through tall grass and past chain-link fences long forgotten by the city, until it reached a cracked, moss-covered storm drain yawning at the earth like a mouth waiting to swallow something whole. The firefly hovered at its edge… then darted inside.

Below, the sewer tunnels pulsed with old, unseen magic. The deeper it flew, the more the air thickened—cool and still, like the world had stopped spinning. The walls, crusted with lichen and grime, bore scars older than the city itself. Symbols etched in stone—twisted, ancient glyphs—glowed faintly at the firefly’s approach.

The insect paused mid-air, hovering in place. And then, without warning, it began to change.

Its glow intensified, erupting into flame before stretching and twisting, smoke curling around its body as it shed the guise of something small. Wings folded into arms, legs unfurled from haze, and the creature stood upright at last—tall, thin, wrapped in flickers of light and ash.

The Adze.

Eyes glowing like coals beneath dark water. A smirk already carved across his sharp face. He raised his hand, and a ring of runes lit around him—old magic, not forgotten but waiting.

A howling tear opened in the air, swirling like an oil-slick whirlpool, edges crackling with sparks and dread. From the portal stepped a figure draped in dusk.

The Sorceress.

She emerged with liquid grace, her long, serpentine form wrapped in robes of black, deep plum, and shifting midnight blue. Her hair flowed as if submerged, floating around a face both regal and wrathful.

Her first words were a snarl. “Who dares drag me from exile?”

But the Adze only chuckled, the sound smoky and smooth.

“My lady,” he said, bowing with a hand to his chest, “I assure you, I’m an ally.”

Her jaw tightened, eyes narrowing. “The Sorcerer- where is he? Where is my love?”

The Adze’s smile widened, cruel and slow.

“Gone. Turned to dust. A smear on the walls of history, thanks to the Ninja.”

The scream she loosed rattled the very bones of the city. Pipes cracked. Stone shivered. The air itself recoiled.

“I will reduce this wretched town to embers!” she howled, magic boiling at her fingertips.

“Or,” the Adze purred, circling her, “you could burn it with purpose.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’ve seen what’s coming,” he whispered. “The Codex has awakened. The Ninja isn’t alone anymore. Another warrior has awoken—foreign, unpredictable. Not of this land.”

The Sorceress tilted her head. Her fury began to cool, replaced by something far older. Curiosity.

The Adze leaned in, voice low and laced with promise.

“Let me show you how to break them. We poison the Codex’s next bearer—corrupt them from the inside. And then… the Ninja will fall. Not in battle. But by betrayal.”

Adze 9x12 Watercolor and Colored Pencil on Hot-Pressed Watercolor Paper

OC art, Seshi Osei

Mmoatia

Origin: Ghana (Akan)

Creature it is not: Dwarf

(Singular: Aboatia) Mmoatia are a subclass of abosom (spirits in between Man and Creator) that live in the forests of Ghana. They are short, have curved noses, backwards feet, and a unique language made up of only whistling sounds. Whistling in the forest is a sure way to get their attention. According to legend, they are phenomenal herbalists that will sometimes share their knowledge with humans. When a person gets lost in the woods, they are said to have been taken by Mmoatia. Humans who come back after being taken will become incredible medicine men. In Ghana, Dust Devils are called "Mmoatia Mframa" (Wind of Mmoatia) because they are belived to be a portal to their world similar to how fairyrings are treated in Ireland.

Mmoatia are divided into three tribes: Black, White, and Red. Black Mmoatia are supposedly harmless, while White and Red ones are always up to some kind of mischief.