Sarafine Duchannes

"I'll love you until the day after forever"

- Sarafine, last thing she tells John Eades before she murdered him

Sarafine Duchannes was one of the most powerful Casters known in Caster world. She is the daughter of Emmaline and Silas Ravenwood, sister of Delphine, half-sister of Macon, Hunting and Leah Ravenwood, late wife of the late John Eades and mother of Lena. Being born in the cursed Duchannes family as a Natural, she was not able to choose between Light and Dark during her Claiming. This eventually lead to her turning into a Cataclyst when her Sixteenth Moon revealed to her the path of Darkness. First trying (and failing) to fight off her Dark nature, the Dark soon took control over her in the same time Abraham Ravenwood was helping her to try and grasp her new dark powers. She eventually killed her husband John Eades when he threatened to take their child, the newborn Lena, away from her fearing for Lena's safety around her.

Biography
Izabel Duchannes was born to Emmaline Duchannes and to Silas Ravenwood, both members of cursed families. As a member of the Duchannes family, she was a powerful Caster who couldn't choose between the path of Light and the one of Dark. As a result, she grew up with the constant fear of becoming Dark.

Before her Sixteenth Moon occurred, she met John Eades, with whom she fell in love with. While he knew about her curse, she lied to him about her exact birth date in order not to scare him. The day she turned Dark, she was rejected by her family. On that day her mother Emmaline revealed her true name, Sarafine. If John still accepted being with her, she was convinced she could fight off her Dark nature and powers. However, it became obvious she was failing to fight off her Dark nature and was slowly becoming a threat to their newborn daughter's safety. This is proved true with the influence of her ancestor Abraham Ravenwood and when she soon totally lost herself to the Darkness of her powers and lost total control of her abilities, putting things on fire unwillingly.

When John threatened that he would take their child away from her if she were to see Abraham again, she became outraged and kills him by setting their house on fire, nearly killing their baby in the process, before leaving the house to perish in the flames simply walking away officially a new, cruel and evil person. What she did during the following sixteen years remains unknown, though she eventually let the Dark totally and completely consume herself, ultimately becoming the "Darkest of all Casters", and also murdered Ethan Wate's mother, Lila Evers Wate, a fact she did not deny and almost brags about; saying how easy she was to kill.

Sarafine was murdered by her daughter, Lena Duchannes when the girl encircled her in a circle of fire. She attempted to trick Lena into freeing her claiming to have always loved her, but Lena, aware of her trickery and lies, allowed her to die. She was then perished in the flames of the fire, suffering the same fate as her late husband John Eades did by her own hands.

Sarafine helped Ethan in his journey by killing herself in order for him to return to the Mortal world, helping him defeat Angelus since, while she openly said she hated Ethan, she hated Angelus "more". Ethan, though, liked to believe a part of her genuinely wished to help Lena and him.

Physical Appearance
Sarafine is described as having an almost identical resemblance to Lena; having the same long, curly black hair and long elegant features, but where Lena is "frighteningly beautiful," Sarafine is described as "simply frightening."

Personality
Sarafine is shown to be a cruel and evil Caster totally consumed in the darkness of her powers. She has even tried to kill her daughter Lena on the night of her sixteenth moon and even murdered her boyfriend Ethan right in front of her just to provoke her into going Dark (although Lena and Amma brought him back to life soon after his murder). When she failed to convince Lena to turn Dark and failed in her attempt to kill her, she teamed up with Abraham in order to force her to turn Dark; which also fails.

Before the night Sarafine turned Dark, she is shown to have actually been a kind and caring woman who was loving of her husband John and their infant daughter. She also initially fought her dark nature. When she turned dark, that person faded as the darkness of her powers totally consumed her, transforming Sarafine into a cold, emotionally detached and often cruel person. In Beautiful Redemption, after her death in the mortal world, she helps Ethan return to it and life by killing herself, so that he may kill Angelus. Despite saying that she is only helping him because she hates Angelus more than she does him, Ethan believes that a deep-buried part of Sarafine genuinely wanted to help Lena.

Powers
Since Sarafine is a Dark Caster, she has the regular abilities other Casters have, but she is considered the most powerful Caster in the Caster world since her powers are enhanced to a whole new and powerful (as well as dangerous) level, having far more control of her abilities and hence able to use them in ways that regular casters can not.

She is shown to also have additional powers Casters do not have as seen in Beautiful Creatures when she is able to possess Mrs. Lincoln for a long period, thus showing her power of Possession. Like her daughter Lena, Sarafine has the power to control weather and the elements, among other abilities. Which is a higher level of power a Caster can control and no regular caster has those abilities. Her "go-to" element is fire. Like a Succubus, she can also Travel. She can also possess a Dark Caster and Cast at the same time as an apparition, which is incredibly powerful magic.

Abraham Ravenwood
He first meets Sarafine as she goes Dark and soon begins to influence her into shedding her once caring and kind personality and transforming her into a cold and cruel and just as ruthless person. Sarafine's then-husband John Eades, fearing the influence of Abraham was too strong for her to resist harming Lena for mere kicks, made a secret arrangement to take off with Lena. However when Sarafine, discovering his plot and too far deep in her cruel and sadistic ways brought on by Abraham, murdered him. It is unknown if she spent the following 16 years with Abraham or by herself.

Sarafine continued to be Abraham's basic partner alongside him in his plans and tactics to get Lena into turning Dark, therefore making all Light Casters in her family to die. All of which ultimately failed. In the third novel of the series, Sarafine and Abraham team up once again to discern who the One Who Is Two was to spare the worlds from ultimate imminent destruction along with them in it. When Lena trapped her in a circle of fire, she leaves her to perish in the flames and to suffer the same fate as John Eades, doing the same thing to her as she did to John.

Quotes

 * "I'm so sorry, Ethan. I hoped our first meeting would be under different circumstances. It's not every day that you meet your daughter's first boyfriend. Or your daughter."
 * "Just a few words with Mrs. Lincoln and look how easily this whole town turned on you. You don't belong in their world. You belong with me."
 * "You and Ethan can never be together, not physically. Casters and Lilums cannot be with Mortals. At least not without killing them."
 * "You know, you've interfered for sixteen years. I think you should sit this one out, Macon."
 * "I've always loved you, Lena. You're my little girl."
 * "Oh my daughter how I've missed you, your dear mother Sarafine has come home for you."
 * "You don't know. Do you?" Turns to Macon. "You didn't tell her. Well, that's not playing fair."
 * "Surprised Ethan? You think Lena's the only Caster on this Channel? Let her try to stay Light now." 
 * "There will be no New Order. The universe has already brought Darkness upon the Mortal world. But things will get worse."
 * "There is Darkness within us all. Haven't you learned that by now?"
 * "I will love you until the day after forever."
 * "You wouldn't believe how many times I nearly killed you at the dinner table droning on and on about your stupid band."
 * "Ethan, we have a way the two of you can be together."

Film portrayal
In the film adaptation of the Caster Chronicles series, Sarafine was played by Emma Thompson as announced on February 10, 2012.

Trivia

 * Emma Thompson in fact played two roles; one role being Mrs. Lincoln and the other role being Sarafine.
 * Before the darkness consumed her and when Lena was born, she was the one to pick Lena's name since she wanted her daughter's true nature to be light. However after she went completely off the grind and giving into her dark nature, she found out that if Lena went Light all other Dark Casters in the family would die.
 * Once the Beautiful Creatures' events were transpiring she tried to make Lena give into being a Dark Caster.