Immortals come in many forms in fantasies and mythology. In my story, there are a few important characters that readers will encounter who are either based on Chinese mythology, common fables, fantasy storylines, or created from my imagination. Below I have provided relevant background notes on some of these characters related to the storyline of my book.
MORUGGA
Also known as The Dark Shadow. Morugga is the main villainess of my story and is not based on Chinese mythology. I did intertwine her background story with figures and artifacts from Chinese culture and myths, but Morugga is a character of my own creation. I envision her complete background story and adventures to be a prequel book in the future. For now, it is important to know she was once a mortal named Yin who lived a charmed life as one of two children of an emperor. Now she has become an immortal sorceress so feared that the Jade Emperor divided the world into two just to create a magical prison to keep her away from mankind.
jADE eMPEROR
The supreme ruler over heaven and earth. He is also known by the names Yu Huang, Heavenly Grandfather, Highest Emperor, Jade Lord, and Great Emperor of Jade. He was considered all-powerful and could command other gods and spirits. In some tales, he is born a mortal prince and later obtains immortality through a life of perfection. In others, he is the son of a god. Either way, he is said to have lived millions of years performing good deeds.
IMMORTAL EIGHT
Also known as Ba Xian, the Immortal Eight are uniquely gifted and legendary individuals who were used as models of different important virtues in Chinese culture. They are said to live on a mythical group of islands, one of which is Peng Lai or Mount Penglai. Their legend says they were once all human and gained immortality as a reward from the gods for their extraordinary goodness. There are many different tales and myths that surround this group as a whole and individually. One important tale is that each of the eight became immortal by eating the peaches of immortality. Follow the link to learn more about this tale and how it relates to other aspects of my story.