Sasha

Sasha Landvik is a female vampire and Eric’s progenitor. Her mortal origins are presently unknown, but we infer she was chosen by an ancient vampire several centuries ago. Physically, she appears well-toned and buxom, with black hair and a wide smile. Emotionally, she seems somewhat unstable, being slightly obsessed with her own progenitor, a man whom–according to Sasha–Eric strongly resembles. This resemblance is what led her to change Eric into a vampire.

Sasha is, at best, a minor wizardess. She has gone to great lengths to preserve or recover as many artifacts of her previous lover as possible, including his portrait, sword, and some of his grimoires. Eric’s introduction to the magical arts came from those books.

Her influence also prompted Eric to take swordsmanship seriously. Eric used to fence and dabbled in swordplay as a hobbyist, but Sasha convinced him to train in earnest, claiming it was a vital skill in any age. While not mentioned in Eric’s memoirs, she once told him, “Swordsmanship is a noble art, and worthy of serious study. Even if carrying swords is frowned upon today, the skill of beating someone to death with a long stick is useful more often than you might think.”

From comments in the text, we can infer Sasha was a resident of England, possibly London, sometime during a plague epidemic, possibly during the Great Plague of London (1665-1666). Her progenitor discovered her at some point during this period and "saved her" from the plague. Although whether he cured her of the plague or merely took her away from the plague-infested areas is an open question. According to Sasha, he turned her into a vampire (Chao Bibens Sanguinus) and she resided with him in his home somewhere in the south of France. They were separated when the peasants rose up--The French Revolution? 1789-1799--and her progenitor held off the mob to let her escape.