Felidae

An intelligent and cynical cat who acts as a reluctant detective within a haunted, posturing household. He uncovers the murders, discovers the laboratory past, and navigates the dangers of Joker’s sect. His curiosity and grit drive him to defy Claudandus and piece together the truth.

A foul-mouthed, one-eyed Maine Coon who becomes an uneasy ally to Francis. His rough exterior hides knowledge of the house’s secrets and the cat community around it. He survives the fire and remains a key figure amid the escalating danger.

The enigmatic leader of a sect that venerates Claudandus, weaving rumors of having met the legendary figure. His presence drives the sect’s rituals and the peril that forces Francis to act quickly. His death marks a turning point in Francis’s investigation.

A blind cat whose knowledge about the Claudandus sect provides critical clues. She serves as a quiet informant and witness to the darker side of the house’s secrets. Her information helps Francis connect the dots between the murders and the lab's legacy.

An elderly, tech-savvy cat who maintains a meticulous list of feline residents, yet secretly leads the Claudandus cult. His dual role as caretaker and would-be mastermind reveals a long-running plan to mold a new breed from ancient traits. Terminally ill, he murders Preterius and falls to Francis in the final confrontation.

The project’s alcoholic and increasingly unhinged lead technician who oversaw the laboratory experiments. His role glimpses the dangerous ambition behind the fibrin glue research and the deceit that allowed Claudandus to rise. His murder by Claudandus marks a critical pivot in the cat murders.

A figure referenced through Mendel’s laws, representing the scientific underpinnings of the eugenics project. Francis’s nightmare of the friar and geneticist underscores the ethical toll of manipulating heredity. Mendel’s ideas echo throughout the mystery as the key to understanding Claudandus’s ambitions.

Francis’s owner, a romance writer and archaeologist who inhabits the same house footprint. He embodies the household’s history and intellectual curiosity but remains a distant figure within the room’s cryptic experiments. His presence anchors the domestic world amid looming dangers.