Minor Smoke Room characters

This is a list of minor characters that appear or are mentioned in the visual novel The Smoke Room.

## Phillip "Big Momo" Antonelli

**Phillip Momo Antonelli**, also known as **Big Momo**, is the son of an influential mafioso in The Windy City, where William used to work as a detective. Described as deeply religious and popular with the public, Antonelli stayed ahead of the law by maintaining airtight alibis and using others to commit violent acts on his behalf, but Will was eventually able to bust him by catching on to the system of notes he circulated around the city using the L-trains. The fallout from upsetting Antonelli's powerful family, as well as many others who benefitted from his corruption, led Will to leave his job and eventually relocate to Echo for the protection of himself and his family.

## Mary Applegate

**Mary Applegate** is a student at Echo School. According to Blithe, she is a beautiful, attentive, and "stuffy" student who gained many admirers. Eventually, Mary began receiving threatening letters that included dead bugs or clippings of her own public hair before suddenly disappearing to "go live with family" elsewhere.

In actuality, Mary was murdered by her stalker and her body was left in Danicka Mine. Her corpse is found by Melissa Boike during the events of Murdoch's route, floating in a pool of water with her snout gnawed off. During Nik's route, Sam, Nik, and Yao enter this same room and are spoken to by a girl's voice coming from the water who claims to be dead while being slowly eaten by a creature, likely some version of Mary herself.

## Benton

**Benton** is the pianist at the Saguaro's Hip.

## Danicka Briggs

**Danicka Briggs** is the daughter of Gregory Briggs. She does not appear in the events of the story, but the Danicka Mine was named after her.

## Doctor Brisbane

**Dr. Brisbane** is a resident of Echo who, according to Cordelia Hendricks, may have an interest in the supernatural. Dr. Brisbane is mentioned alongside Cybelle Jennings and both are described as reclusive.

## Amos Bronson

**Amos Bronson** is a barber in Echo. He is an uncle of Todd Bronson.

## Doris and Daisy

**Doris** and **Daisy** are a pair of feral donkeys owned by Jebediah Coles who pull his wagon when he escorts travelers between Echo and the nearby Meseta reservation. Jeb cherishes his donkeys highly, as they were purchased by his late partner prior to his death.

During the events of Cliff's route, the group is attacked by a mysterious creature that beheads Doris and causes Daisy to run off into the forest. Jeb, Murdoch, and Sam later bury Doris' body.

## Elmer

**Elmer** is a raccoon who works as the butler of the Hendricks mansion.

## Enola

**Enola** was the younger sister of Avery and the daughter of Manaba and Gad. One day during her youth she was taken away by the government, like many other Meseta children, to be educated at a residential school and her family lost contact with her. She was subjected to severe mistreatment, overseen and possibly even directly committed by Caldwell, that eventually lead to her death. Enola's family was informed that she had died, but were barred from ever seeing or recovering her remains.

During Cliff's route, Avery is able to return to the site on the Meseta reservation where he believes Enola's body is buried, although he cannot confirm the location definitively because the small cairn is surrounded by many other graves that he does not wish to disturb. After the reverend is mortally injured, the knowledge that Caldwell played a role in Enola's death leads Avery to stand by instead of helping him.

## Jimmy Fisher

**Jimmy Fisher** was a gray fox estimated to be around fifteen years old. He was a poor orphan who failed out of school and did odd jobs around Echo to make ends meet. These jobs typically included unsavory activities such as theft.

Jimmy appears exclusively on Will's route, having seemingly been paid by an unknown source to kill Cliff using Huxley Greene's gun. He was unsuccessful in this attempt and ended up being killed by Will himself.

## Aiden Fletcher

**Aiden Fletcher** is a man from William's past, mentioned briefly by name while Will is reflecting on his old life in The Windy City.

## Gabriel

**Gabriel** is an employee at Saguaro's Hip. They are the one who discovers that Cliff has made an appointment with Sam by checking Madam Dora's records.

## Gad

**Gad** is an elk who lives in a hogan located between Echo and the Meseta reservation. He is the father of Avery, the husband of Manaba, and a member of the Meseta tribe. Gad is a friendly individual who freely welcomes his son's companions into his home. He is shown to be able to weave and play the flute, as well as being an experienced storyteller. Gad also appears to have a competitive side, as he and his wife race to finish their respective tasks for the day.

During the events of Cliff's route, Gad welcomes the expedition team into his hogan and talks with Jeb and Avery's party while the rest of the group helps Manaba outside. Later that night, Gad shows the group a map of the region made by his father and explains how the Meseta have always considered Echo to be an unnatural place and avoid its disturbingly circular border. He later sees the group off as they continue on their route to the reservation, expressing worry about Avery's safety in particular.

## The Hendricks Family

The **Hendricks family** are the descendants of the founder of Echo, James Hendricks I. James I became rich after discovering gold in the region in 1852 and subsequently founding the mine, and his family still enjoys wealth and influence in the town. In 1915, James Hendricks III lives in the sprawling mansion his grandfather built and still holds partial ownership of the mine. Other members of the family include James III's wife Cordelia and their son Noah. All members of the family depicted in The Smoke Room are sheep and rams.

James I committed a series of child murders in the late 1800s, relying on his mansion to sequester his victims and hide their remains. He was eventually able to escape blame by pinning the crimes on his Meseta lover John Begay, who had initially tried to expose them. John was ultimately lynched and, aside from the scandal of James I having an illicit male lover, this cover-up kept the Hendricks family's reputation mostly untarnished. By 1915 the public largely accepts that John was responsible for the murders, and James I's descendants seem to believe this as well.

Carl Hendricks, the grandson of Noah and another direct descendent of James I, is a major character in Echo.

## Noah Hendricks

Noah Hendricks is the young son of Cordelia and James Hendricks.

Noah quickly befriends Andy, the son of his family's new chef, shortly after he moves to town. At some point Andy promises to tell Noah stories about the army if he can get ahold of William's gun, causing Noah to clumsily attempt this when the sheriff comes to the Hendricks mansion. Noah is also amazed to learn that Will has killed people, to the embarrassment of his mother.

Noah's grandson Carl Hendricks is a major character in Echo.

## Anthonie van Houwelinck

**Anthonie van Houwelinck** was a famous Batavian painter and the grandfather of Cornelis van Houwelinck. The two would often spend time together talking and painting, with Anthonie heavily praising Cornelis' skills. Anthonie was the one to initially teach Cornelis about the Meseta, which would eventually inspire his thesis. He passed away at some point before the events of The Smoke Room.

## Gerrit van Houwelinck

**Gerrit van Houwelinck** is the father of Cornelis (better known as Cliff) and Marie van Houwelinck. After the passing of his wife, he grew distant from his children and turned his eyes toward business exclusively. He frequently attempted to push Cornelis toward business as well, disapproving of his son's art or his spending time with his grandfather.

He pays for Cornelis' expenses and education with the caveat that his son falls in line with his expectations. Gerrit made a number of business connections across the world, eventually including industrialist James Hendricks III and Reverend Caldwell. This led to him sending Cornelis to Echo in order to help James close a business deal involving the expansion of the railroad into the nearby Meseta reservation governed by Caldwell. Over the course of Gerrit's correspondences with Caldwell, he seems to have readily shared what a low opinion he has of his son's fanciful and 'funny' behavior.

## Marie van Houwelinck

**Marie van Houwelinck** is the younger sister of Cornelis van Houwelinck.

## James' Bodyguards

**James' bodyguards** are a pair of muscular wolves frequently seen accompanying James Hendricks III around town. One of them appears to double as James' chauffeur.

## Cybelle Jennings

**Cybelle Jennings** is a resident of Echo who, according to Cordelia, may have an interest in the supernatural. She is mentioned alongside Doctor Brisbane and both are described as reclusive.

## John

**John** was the partner of Jebediah Coles who passed away after contracting an then-unrecognized case of tuberculosis or consumption. Jeb became much more withdrawn in the wake of his death and attempted to carry on his legacy by providing for Doris and Daisy, the donkeys John had purchased for them before growing ill. Jeb speaks highly of John, and states that he was the only one to enjoy and encourage his writing.

## Julia

**Julia** is a squirrel who works at Saguaro's Hip. She serves beer in the saloon at one point during Will's route, and is briefly mentioned by Harlan.

## Mr. Kai

**Kai** is the surname of a miner briefly mentioned during Nik's route. After the pneumatic mining pick that Beckett is operating malfunctions, he learns from Ben that Kai was apparently absent from his assigned duty to oversee the compressor that powers it. Ben fails to report this dereliction until Beckett asks him about it, much to the foreman's frustration.

## Larry

**Larry** is a man of unknown species mentioned on Cliff's route. He is an acquaintance of Ed Purcell who is infamous for telling new settlers, particularly immigrants, a story about being able to receive one's deepest wish by following a select series of steps that include wandering to the middle of the desert during the midday heat without supplies and staying there until nightfall. In reality, this "story" is an attempt to lead unwary and fortune-hungry newcomers to their death. At one point, Larry told this story to Murdoch after having seemingly mistaken him for an Irish immigrant.

## Liu

**Liu**, or **Lee**, is a panda and a previous client of Sam's. Sam was unable to pronounce "Liu," leading to his nickname of Lee. At some point before the events of The Smoke Room, he stopped visiting Samuel for unknown reasons.

## Manaba

**Manaba** is an elk who lives in a hogan located between Echo and the Meseta reservation. She is the mother of Avery, the wife of Gad, and a member of the Meseta tribe. Manaba is a strong-willed woman who is more than willing to put others in their place. She is a highly capable individual who is proficient at sculpting, cooking, and singing. Manaba also appears to have a competitive side, as she and Gad race to finish their respective tasks for the day. She follows very particular principles as part of her Meseta heritage and strongly enforces them within her home.

During the events of Cliff's route, Manaba allows the expedition team to take refuge in her hogan for the night after they are attacked by an unknown creature. Manaba attempts to convey to Cliff that she is simply a person living her life and not something to be commodified and studied. She later sees the group off as they continue on their route to the reservation.

## Sheriff McKinney

**Sheriff McKinney** was the sheriff of Echo before William, and employed Todd as his deputy. McKinney was shot to death at some point before the events of The Smoke Room, although the exact circumstances of his murder are unknown. His death eventually led to Will being elected to take over his role.

According to Gretchen, Sheriff McKinney was aware that Huxley Greene was an abusive husband but gave up on investigating the situation because doing so only made things worse for Huxley's wife Marcy.

## Menzel

**Menzel** is one of the three foreman of Danicka Mine, and the one who initially oversees Nikolai and Yao. Yao mentions that he does not socialize with workers of lower rank. Samuel, Nik, and Yao sneak by Menzel during his lunch break in order to search for Sam's lost money deeper inside the mine.

## Mr. Mercer

**Mr. Mercer** is a regular customer of Red's General Goods. While berating Murdoch for failing to organize the store's shelves to his precise specifications, Red brings up that Mr. Mercer prefers fruit preserves and fruit jellies to be stocked separately so he does not confuse them.

## Judge Miller

**Judge Miller** is a judge who works out of Echo's town hall.

## Miranda

— Miranda allowing Sam to eavesdrop on Briggs

**Miranda** is a young polecat who works as a secretary for the James Hendricks III and Gregory Briggs, the bosses of the CSCG mining operation. She sits at a desk directly outside the executive offices at the company headquarters and manages appointments and phone calls. According to Nik, Miranda is something of a mole for the union, and keeps them informed about whatever James is up to. This seems to include leaking crucial information that she learns by eavesdropping and reading messages intended for the mine's owners. She is brisk and professional to the point of curtness, and secretive about her affiliation with the miner's union, but displays strong support for its mission on ideological grounds.

During the miners' strike on Nik's route, Sam explains to Miranda that he knows Dimitri, a major union organizer, and promises to carry a confidential telegram to Porter Moore for her so that she will allows him to eavesdrop on a private conversation between Briggs and Nik. Although she helps him because of their shared loyalty to the union, Miranda makes it clear that she will not risk exposing herself as a spy by covering for Sam if he gets caught. Sam and Nik later read the telegram and discover that the National Guard will be arriving to violently deal with the striking miners the next morning.

At one point on Nik's route, James indicates that he finds her dour and boring and playfully suggests firing her and hiring Sam as a replacement.

On William's route, while investigating the Hendricks Mansion with Will, Nik reveals that he already has prior knowledge of James' plan to replace the money in Echo with CSCG company scrip because Miranda tipped off the union.

## Amos Moore

**Amos Moore** was a member of the Moore family and the elder cousin of Beckett and Porter. He was apparently close with his cousins, but he and Porter had similar political ambitions. In 1910, Amos was in competition with Porter for administrative position at Echo's town hall until Porter, in an attempt to gain an advantage in the election, used genealogical records to demonstrate that the men on Amos' side of the family were prone to developing an inherited degenerative condition called Huntington's disease. Facing a likely physical and cognitive decline early in life, Amos was deemed unfit for the job by the town council and was pressured to give it up in favor of Porter. Once Amos began developing symptoms of the disease himself shortly afterward, he ended his own life with a gun. Beckett blamed Porter and, appalled by his willingness to essentially ruin their cousin's life for his own gain, cut his brother out of his life, creating a rift between the two that continues throughout the events of the story. Beckett keeps a photo of himself with Porter with Amos in his wallet, albeit with Porter's face burned out of it.

## The Moore Family

The **Moore family** is a large, influential family in Echo. Since around 1910, its members have held positions of prominence in the town, and their influence appears to have lasted throughout the 20th century. All known members of the family are Gila monsters.

In the time of The Smoke Room, Beckett Moore is a foreman for the Echo's mine and works directly under co-owners Hendricks and Briggs, while Beckett's estranged twin brother Porter Moore, a bureaucrat at town hall and the municipal librarian, has amassed a significant amount of indirect influence by trafficking in rumors and valuable secrets. During the events of Echo a century later, the mayor of the town is a member of the Moore family and her nephew Flynn Moore is a major character.

According to Cordelia, the Moores have people in 'all sorts of places' and a reputation for being affiliated with the occult, although individual members of the family appear to reject or embrace this association to differing degrees. Porter, for example, has a great interest in the paranormal but Beckett is disgusted by it.

Male members of certain branches of the family, like Amos, are predisposed to developing Huntington's Disease, which greatly shortens their lifespans. In 1910 Porter made Amos' high-risk genealogy public knowledge in order to beat him in a municipal election and Amos committed suicide shortly after, once he began to develop degenerative symptoms. Beckett blames Porter for contributing to their cousin's death, and has not been on speaking terms with his brother in years.

## Scarlet Murray

**Scarlet Murray** is a brawny red squirrel who works as a prostitute at the Saguaro's Hip. She is a close friend of Cynthia and Lucy and often spends time with them. She plays the Levitation Game with the pair during the events of Will's route, and later debriefs with Sam and Cynthia after Marcy Greene is brought to the Hip in critical condition.

Scarlet speaks with a Scottish brogue and enjoys singing. On one occasion, she received a client who wanted to be "toe-fucked," a proposition she declined after discovering that he did not plan to pay.

In Murdoch's route, Cynthia mentions that Scarlet has been proposed to 'again' and may accept this time, because she wants children.

## Lucy Olives

**Lucy Olives** is a heron who works as a prostitute at the Hip. She is a close friend of Cynthia and Scarlet and often spends time with them, including playing the Levitation Game with the pair during the events of Will's route as the one being levitated. Lucy is shown to be a bit naïve and is said to have an "angelic" appearance due to her white feathers, a feature that causes some clients to hire her as an escort or even someone to pray alongside rather than a sexual partner.

Lucy is the one who first finds the trunk of strange occult items used in the Levitation Game, after opening a hidden panel in the wall of the Hip's powder room that she discovers while cleaning.

## Penelope

**Penelope** is the sister of Marcy Greene. When Marcy was young, she took an ornate porcelain doll from her sister in a fit of jealousy and was not able to give back before leaving home. Marcy has kept the doll all her life, and seems to treasure its connection to her sister.

## The Peshlekai Family

The **Peshlekai Family** are former residents of Echo and presumably members of the Meseta tribe. In Murdoch's route, Cliff finds a scrap of patterned cloth tied to an otherwise unmarked grave in Echo's cemetery, and theorizes that its pattern indicates a member of the Peshlekai family is buried there. He also notes that according to official records, the family has not lived in Echo since the 1870s, which is seemingly incongruous with the fresh cloth placed on the grave.

## Ed Purcell

**Edward "Ed" Purcell** is a coyote encountered at a rest stop by the expedition team on Cliff's route. He is an acquaintance of Jeb who frequents the trails around Echo. He is said to be scrawnier than William and dresses in ragged clothes. Ed is an extremely friendly person who openly welcomes company and enjoys swapping stories with others. Although he owns a guitar, he is noted to be a poor musician.

## Roger

**Roger** is a friend of Jim Sterling, mentioned by Holly along with Reubin and Neil during a Byrnes family dinner in Murdoch's route. He lives in the 'big city' that Jim is from, and his wife has just given birth to twins. Unlike Reubin and Neil, Roger does not come to Echo to celebrate Jim's wedding, and it is unclear whether he was invited.

## Rogers

**Rogers** is a miner for CSCG. While the exact nature of his work is unknown, he is presumably not union-affiliated and likely loyal to Briggs. While the unionized miners are on strike, he works a late overtime shift with Ben and Nate, searching for ore deep in an uncharted section of the mine. On Nik's route, Rogers is likely killed by the rubble from a cave-in that results from Ben's rash and negligent overuse of dynamite. Nate is horrified and after they lose sight of Rogers he worries that he can see blood trickling out from beneath the fallen debris, which Sam observes too, but Ben insists that it is only groundwater. In one variation of the route, this display of callous disregard for Rogers' fate drives Nate to stand up to Ben, which ultimately leads to Nate's death as well.

## Grandma Rowan

**Grandma Rowan** is the mother of Gretchen and the grandmother to the Byrnes children: Seamus, Dahlia, Murdoch, and Holly. She is described as a short, hobbling woman of at least seventy years old with gray fur that she wraps in scarves. She also wears a pair of glasses. Despite her small stature, Sam describes her as having a "big presence" that feels as though it will greatly outlast him even in spite of her age. Grandma Rowan is an astute woman who is good at judging character, including that of locations. As such, she has little patience for getting involved in the machinations of her younger family members, feeling that the present and future is up to the coming generations.

As a young adult, Grandma Rowan and her husband immigrated from Eire and came to settle in the area near Echo, where she raised Gretchen. Unlike the rest of her family, Grandma Rowan has strong spiritual beliefs that she subscribes to rather than Catholicism. Most prominently, she believes that the collective experiences of people can influence the "soul" of certain places, leading her to conclude that "soil" in Echo is bad and refuse to settle there. She disagreed heavily with her daughter's decision to move to Echo, considering her to be haughty for doing so. As a result, Grandma Rowan only visits Echo on special occasions. She also possesses a strained relationship with Gretchen likely as a result of these disagreements, though she did financially support her daughter in buying a house to the point that she considers herself its owner despite refusing to dwell there.

During her grandchildren's childhood, Gretchen would send them to stay with Grandma Rowan for the summer while she and Alfred stayed behind, likely as a result of their strained relationship. According to Murdoch, she believes in fairies, spirits, and goblins and treats them as very serious matters. Murdoch seems to have enjoyed hearing her tales, and although he never interpreted them literally, he credits Grandma Rowan for his own understanding about the supernatural forces at work in Echo. Grandma Rowan's influence is likely also the root of Holly and Dahlia's own beliefs in the supernatural, driving many of their present day actions.

Grandma Rowan arrives in Echo the day before Holly's wedding to Jim, having come to town for the ceremony. She tasks Jim with bringing her pure silver in order to use it in creating a wedding coin for him to present to Holly on the day of their ceremony as part of a Rowan family tradition, promising him her blessing in exchange. Grandma Rowan is also given an envelope by Holly and told to keep it hidden unless Jim should try to back out of their wedding. That night, Grandma Rowan and Dahlia are woken up by a dispute between Holly, Jim, Murdoch, Sam, and Ralph outside the gate of the Byrnes house, in which she overhears Holly's blackmail plans to which she has become a confidante.

The next morning, Grandma Rowan meets Sam when he comes to the Byrnes house in hopes of securing Holly's blackmail photos on behalf of Murdoch. She welcomes him in while in the midst of creating the wedding coin in the fire, affirming that she does not need help in doing so. Grandma Rowan discusses her negative beliefs about Echo's nature with Sam and thanks him for standing by Murdoch before freely handing him the blackmail photos. She states that Holly has a bad habit of taking advantage of her family while remaining unaware of how poor her standing is with the other women. Afterward, she allows Sam to snoop through Holly's room in search of her copies of the blackmail, advising him to take no longer than ten minutes in doing so.

When Alfred arrives home unexpectedly while Sam is in Holly's room, she greets her son-in-law tersely and helps cover for Sam when he sneaks down the stairs by handing him a fire poker and claiming that he has been helping her. After Alfred takes Sam to assist him in looking through the basement, Grandma Rowan finishes making the wedding coin and makes her way to the church where the ceremony will be held. Later on, she steps out of Sam's shadow to present the coin to Jim, who rebuffs it. Rather than being upset, Grandma Rowan smiles and states that it's best she holds onto it for now.

## Shilah

**Shilah** is a member of the Meseta tribe of an unknown species who was part of Avery's party attempting to return to the Meseta reservation through the woods. He was said to be tending to the fire before the group was attacked by a mysterious monster that dragged him off. Shilah has not been seen since. Upon their return to the Meseta settlement, Yiska and Tsela inform Shilah's family of his fate and many Meseta community members (as well as Cliff) engage in a wake for him that lasts for several days.

## Istad and Kele Tsosie

**Istad and Kele Tsosie** were the mother and father of Cynthia Tsosie. They lived on the Meseta reservation near Echo and raised their daughter there, until the family was forced to relocate when Kele fell mysteriously ill. After initially setting out for the town of Camp Rosa, the Tsosies seem to have found themselves in Echo.

Tsela, Cynthia's cousin, recounts that Istad was a skilled maker of jewelry, and that the spiritual significance of her items, as well as the wealth she could accrue by trading them, upset the colonial forces trying to control the lives and suppress the culture of the Meseta living on the reservation. Istad died at some point, and although Cynthia is very reluctant to speak about her past she dearly misses her mother. Kele's fate is unknown.

In William's route, Cynthia is very unsettled to find a trunk in the walls of Saguaro's Hip that contains, in addition to some novelty occult items, a braid of kit for fur and a necklace bearing Istad's insignia. Cynthia later learns that the trunk and its contents belong to Harlan, and is horrified that her mother's remains have evidently been desecrated and sold to "collectors."

## Mr. and Mrs. Washington

**Mr. and Mrs. Washington** are the parents of Blithe. Mr. Washington acknowledges his daughter's independent spirit, but seems to lecture her often about the importance of finding a practical path through life. Mr. Washington is a miner; Blithe states that he is not a member of the miner's union, however, as he is too poor to be able to strike.

Mrs. Washington died prior to the events of The Smoke Room, but Blithe can still perceive some version of her presence lingering in their home.

## Old Woman Willoughby

**Old Woman Willoughby** is an elderly woman to whom Mayor Testerman allegedly once gave his jacket.

## References

1. ↑ The Sims Content pack made by GeorgeSquares
2. ↑ The Sims Content Pack made by GeorgeSquares