Robert Knox
Robert Knox, AKA Kaleb, is quite possibly the oldest immortal alive... er... undead. And he was possibly the most difficult for me to visualize. I started out with a blonde version, and that just didn't sit right with me. Then, as I started writing more, I began to think about who he was, and where he was from.
I knew he needed to be ancient, alive for one of the first civilization known to man. Therefore, he had to look middle eastern, in a sense. I mean, dark features, tan skin, brown eyes. Then, I came to realize that Robert would look an awful lot like Jake.
Robert was a general in the Babylonian army, circa 3400BC. He was the attacker in a two part unit that he shared with his twin brother, Thomas. Robert describes their relationship as such:
"We were a two part unit, essential to the King's force. Not only were we the most skilled warriors in the military, but Thom and I excelled in correspondence to each other. I, the attacker, he, the defender. Once we had become...what we are, we came to realize the extent of our connection to one another. It was as if there was something passed between us in the womb, during the splitting of the egg. Even as humans, we were unusually bound to one another. And Inanna could see that. How perfect it should turn out to be that I attract people, whilst he hides them."
He was found by Lilith who bit him and turned him into a Strigoi. (For more information, see Chapter 19 "The Truth Behind Those Eyes.)
More than being an ancient, Robert is a charmer. His gift is the ability to lure people in. I wanted someone with an inviting face, someone you would see on the street and trust to give you directions. He also needed to be extremely attractive.
However, Robert isn't all peaches and cream. There is a very dark side to him; a side that obsesses, dominates and ultimately destroys. He is the leader of the Fraternity, an organization that exists to protect one person in particular, a Soul Seeker by the name of Wendell.
I knew that Robert needed to be rational, but broken inside. This unmended heart forces Robert to be loving and compassionate at times, yet vengeful and destructive at others.
So, who doesn't love Steven Strait? In my head, he encompasses all of that, and more.
