Dispatches from Upstairs Characters

Spoiler Alert! This section contains information that is meant to be viewed after completing Wake and Dual.

List of characters, in alphabetical order:

Barb: (barb) Author of Discovering Past Lives, a book Naoma helped her edit and publish through Burning Wind. She has no sense of personal boundaries and makes cryptic statements about “the spirit of Atlantis and one becomes two”, but admits she is too far from the Astral Plane to truly prophesize. Naoma’s pretty sure she’s been taking hallucinogens since the 1970s. In Wake, she warns Naoma to stay away from Ram, noting his dark aura color, but encourages her to have sex as a way to potentially unlock her Knowledge, something she really wants her to do before she reaches the age of 30. Ok, Barb.

Chuli: (choo-lee) Raised in the woods of Pennsylvania by an unconventional mother and a Lenape tribesman, Chuli’s name means “little brown bird” in Lenape. She is kind and brave and really goes through a lot, including finding out her name is actually Naoma (Nay-oh-ma) Bhatt, and her father wasn’t her biological father, so she’s actually half Indian, not half Lenape. She attended a NYC University where she received a dual degree in Mythology and Literature and a dear friend in Paul, her former professor. She’s offered the opportunity to use her degree and also move back near her hometown to care for her dying father thanks to Paul’s decision to open Burning Wind Press, an occult and new age publishing house, where she’s happily worked as an editor ever since. Her birthday is October 30th, and she is 28 years old when Wake begins. She’s always had what she calls her Inner Fun-Sucker, although it turns out that might have just been the Lost goddess inside her! Her favorite way to deal with her problems is by dancing to her beloved record collection of synth, new wave, and other 80s classics. From here on out, we’re just going to call her Naoma for simplicity’s sake, ok? Even when talking about times that happened to her in the past.

Fun fact from the author: If you recall, Kunchen tells Naoma she was named after her grandmother. Well, my grandma’s name was Naomi, but it was always pronounced Nay-oh-ma, so that’s where I got this particular name. I didn’t want her to have to go through all the pronunciation corrections my grandma did, so I changed the spelling. Her birthday was also October 30th!

Echidna: (ékʰidna) Golden eyed and mysterious, Echidna was kidnapped Upstairs by the cartel and smuggled to Earth, apparently intent on making a profit from her deadly and disorienting blood and saliva. She can talk to women telepathically, which is how Naoma and Revati wound up learning that she is also Manasa, the Hindu snake goddess. Manasa has already been banned from the Earth by the High Order, and Naoma ultimately helps her get back Upstairs before Those Who Judge can intervene in her life further.

Fun fact from the author: In mythology, Echidna is half woman, half snake, and is famous as the mother of many monsters, including Ceberus, the three-headed dog that guards Hades, and the Sphinx, a creature with the head of a woman and body of a lion. I don’t really know if Echidna and Manasa were the same, but it’s cool to ponder! You can read Echidna’s wikipedia and Manasa’s wikipedia and decide for yourself.

Gustov: (gOOs-taav) Tall & brawny with golden, wavy, shoulder-length hair, Gustov of Valhalla looks like he came straight off the cover of a romance novel. Although he’s dreamy in the looks department, his dance skills need some serious help. Naoma thinks he’s a cosplayer over-eager to play the part of viking, and his nonstop talk of Valhalla and goat's milk is ready to put her to sleep. She probably would have been more interested if she realized there was no cosplay involved! Valhalla is a fascinating place pulled from Norse mythology. You can read about it on wikipedia.

Introspection: (intro-spek-shun) Naoma’s famous DJ husband, undercover co-worker, and love interest in Dual. His legal name is Pierre Mebiame. Intro is secretly comprised of two identical twins Naoma nicknames Devil and Angel to keep them straight in her head. Ultimately, she doesn’t learn a lot about their past and their life Upstairs, or on Earth for that matter. They have sexy French accents and a knack for working together (wink, wink). They explain to her that Upstairs, they are one entity, and they dwell in a place called the Dark Garden.

Kunchen: (kÜN-chen) Naoma’s mom, formerly known as Linda. She changed her name to a Tibetan one after moving to a Buddhist monastery, where she’s spent the last 2 years in a vow of silence. Kunchen means “all-knowing”, and she certainly has a lot of answers for Naoma about her past when she finally ends her vow.

Lucy: Naoma’s co-worker, friend, and fellow Bollywood movie lover in Wake. She’s always willing to talk, whether it’s town gossip, analyzing cute men, or anything in between.

Mebeghe: (muh-bay-gay) Ruler of the Shadowlands, Naoma meets him when she accidentally ingests too much iboga. He is beautiful to look at, but has a disconcerting sniffing habit and a translucent ghoulish servant hovering nearby. He gives Naoma a small rock from the Shadowlands so she can come back to visit without going through all the trouble of ingesting iboga.

Fun Fact from the Author: Mebeghe and the Shadowlands are loosely based on the Bwiti religion and the mythology of the Fang people of Gabon. I don’t claim to know very much about them, but after reading this article, it sounds fascinating. Also, iboga is a real thing. It’s a noteworthy drug used not only for ceremonial hallucinations, but also holds promise in helping fight drug addiction. Although illegal in the United States, I suspect maybe one day you’ll hear about studies or medications based on it.

Mr. & Mrs. Richards: Naoma’s neighbors and landlords. They are a nice old couple that she occasionally has over for dinner.

Nagamani: Although not a character per-say, it’s important that we mention this important little green gem set in a ring Naoma receives from Echidna. Nagamani is a snake-stone. There’s a whole bunch of lore surrounding them throughout the world, but this particular sliver is based on the story of Ulupi in the Mahabharata. Both Revati and later Agent Webber look at it with reverence. It was given to Naoma with the instructions “May it bring you life when you need it most.”

Paul: Naoma’s dear friend, boss, former professor, and mentor. Happily married to Stewie, he is nearly always in a good mood and never stresses about anything. His special powers in his current Earth form are the ability to ease someone with touch, and to choke people with his mind if they punch him in the face like Ram did. He is the legendary Greek god Apollo, god of light, music, dancing, truth & prophecy, healing and diseases. Here is his wikipedia.

Rahda Lal: (raad-haa laal) Known as India’s sweetheart, Radha is married to Ram’s brother Sundar, aka Krishna. She takes Naoma under her wing, offering her friendship when she needs it the most. Her special powers in her current Earth form aren’t mentioned, but she is excellent at giving hugs, makeovers, and advice. She’s a real Hindu goddess of love, compassion, devotion, and tenderness. You can read her wikipedia here.

Ram: (rhymes with Tom) Poor Ram, he’s dealing with a lot. He’s got two jobs, two loves, and eons of guilt and heartbreak. At least he has beautiful hair. His powers on this Earth are the ability to talk to animals and the ability to grow amazing produce. He’s really skilled at computers too, but unfortunately, not so skilled in the charm and friendliness department. He is the Hindu god Balarama, god of farming, strength, and many other things. He is most notorious for being the older brother of Krishna. You can read about him here.

Fun fact from the author: There is a Hindu story about the time Balarama drank Veruni nectar and consorted with gopis (milkmaids) in the Yamuna river for two months. It described their consorting as “in the same way that an elephant enjoys himself along with his many she-elephants.” He was also very belligerent to poor Yamuna and threatened her with his plow. This very story was the origin of the entire series! When I read about it, I wondered what his wife thought about it, and what the aftermath of something like that might be. You can read that entire tale here.

Revati: (re-vu-TEE) Revati is the Lost goddess that lives somewhere inside Naoma’s head thanks to a magical binding spell from Upstairs that gods use as a form of suicide. She is also Ram’s wife. She is a real Hindu goddess of opulence and a princess—her father was King Kakudmi. Check out this link for more about her and the wild story of her and Balarama’s not so meet-cute (under the “Legends” section).

Stewie: (stOO-wee) Stewie is the quiet, devastatingly beautiful husband of Paul. His powers seem to be keen observance, the ability to tell someone’s virginity status, and an exceptional ability to choose the correct size of clothing for his loved ones. Naoma does not know what god he is, but hopes maybe one day he’ll share his backstory with her.

Sundar Lal: (suun-der laal) Ram’s devastatingly handsome and world famous Bollywood superstar brother. His powers in his current form aren’t revealed, but he is every bit as charming in person as the tabloids say. He is the Hindu god Krishna. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love. You can read about him on his wikipedia or about a million other places, because he’s one of the most popular Hindu gods around.

Those Who Judge: We don’t know a whole lot about them. We just know they are kind of like the big bosses of the High Order, and what they say goes.

Tolly: (tol-ly) Naoma’s older brother. He inherited their father’s auto repair shop upon his passing. He’s a smooth talker in public, but behind closed doors, he emotionally and occasionally physically abused her when they were younger. What a jerk.

Webber: (webb-ur) We don’t know Agent Webber’s first name, only that the other gods know him as The Executioner. For once, it wasn’t Naoma handing out the nickname—it’s because of his deadly reputation in the High Order. If a god on Earth breaks the rules, it’s Agent Webber who hunts them down to send them back Upstairs. Naoma’s not really sure what to make of him, especially since he’s been nothing but polite to her. He’s even the one who stitched her cut in Wake. She suspects under his bulk, military clothing, and weapons, he’s actually a pretty decent guy.

Zach: (zak) Blessed with black hair, green eyes, a wicked smirk, and oodles of charm, Zach is a former author on herbal lore at Burning Wind Press and a potential love interest for Naoma. His powers in this current form are charm and a knack for locating people. He really turns out to be quite a douchebag, and serious ruiner of lives, since he’s the reason Revati is Lost, and the reason Naoma’s life as Chuli is over, too.

Zach is loosely based on Zahhāk, an evil ruler from Persian mythology, particularly the Arabian folklore version written about in the Shahnameh, an epic poem written by Ferdowsi. In that tale, he is considered “handsome and clever but with no stability of character and easily influenced by others.” Arihman, the evil and destructive spirit from Zoroastrianism teachings, easily convinces him to kill his father Merdās by digging a deep pit near where his father prays every day and covering it up. His father falls in and dies, and he happily takes his place as ruler. Arihman places two evil snakes on his shoulders and tells him he has to feed them each a human brain every day. (it’s a lot, I know! His wikipedia page explains it better!)