Lore:Carlos Rivera

Carlos Rivera
Alias(es)	C (By Yonnie) C-los (By Yonnie) Mr.Councilman Mr.Chairman
Age	10 (Ride the Night Wind) 17 (Nothing Like the First Time) 23 (Minion) 25 (The Thirteenth) 42 (Shadow Walker)
D.O.B	November 5, 1980
Gender	Male
Race	Hispanic
Species	Human (Formerly) Vampire (Formerly) Human-Vampire Hybrid
Status	Alive
Allegiance	The Light Neteru Guardian Team Vampire Council (Formerly)
Residence	Neteru Guardian Compound
Territory	North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia
Family	Damali Richards (Wife) Alejandro Rivera (Brother) Sarah Rivera (Daughter) Alejandro Rivera (Shadow Walker) (Son) Yolondo Johnson (Line Brother)
Guardian Type	Tracker Olfactory Vampire-Neteru Hybrid

Carlos Rivera is the male Millenium Neteru, husband of Damali Richards-Rivera and father of Sarah Rivera and Alejandro Rivera (SW). He is the Co-General of the Neteru Guardian Team, former member and Chairman of the Vampire Council.

Biography

Early Life

At the age of 10, Carlos' father moved his family to East L.A. His dad was a frustrated migrant factory worker, an impoverished, cynical man who drank, beat his wife, and died relatively young. He grew up without much and at one point his entire family was living in a single bedroom. Carlos had no respect for his father and had no positive role model—which led him to find a “street family,” of sorts. The hardships of his life left him with a drive to always further his lot in life. From souped-up Chevy's, doing drive-by's and gang banging for turf to running a club and dealing drugs. Carlos was always looking to expand.

He spent 2 years fighting to earn a rep and another 2 years to gain the trust to be a drug runner. He began hard dealing at 16 and by the time he was 17, he ran the streets.

Note: The VHL Teacher's Curriculum Guide claims Carlos was born in L.A. while the books claim his parents moved there when he was at the age of 10. Additionally, the Vampire Huntress Legend Sampler claims Carlos was "born in LA Barrios, died in the Santa Monica Mountains."

Physical appearance

• Height: 6 ft 2 in
• Eyes: 
• Hair: Barber cut
• Fangs: 6 - 8" when provoked. 3/4" wide.  

Carlos is described as being in top form from working out, having manicured hands.

Vampire

When battle bulked, the muscles in his body tense and build, being described as 'huge'. He could feel his density shift and become stronger. His nails would turn into long, hooked talons like a lion's retractable claws. An erotic rush would cause his nails to increase by a deadly eighth of an inch longer.

When outside of Nuit's lair in Hell, his shoulders gained an additional 3 inches, his fangs took on sabre-toothed proportions and his eyes were red but flickering with gold. His chest looked like 2 cinder blocks and his abs 8 well-defined bricks. He had a vice-like grip and his body was like stone. He was making throaty growls.

Abilities

• Symbol: Nkyin kyin - (ohema nkyinkyin). Changing one's self. Playing many roles.
  • With the dawn of a new male Neteru, so has this Akhan symbol been burned into Carlos Rivera's skin--over the left jugular vein--in supernatural silver to anoint and seal off his previous vampiric bite markings.

Territories

The Hunted North and South America as well as the Caribbean. South America was illegally ceded to him by Fallon Nuit who had killed the South American Ambassador.

The Bitten During the Masters Hunt, Carlos bets his entire territory for a night with Damali. When he wins the hunt, he becomes the master of every piece of land on earth, with the exception of the Holy Land which is reserved for Level Seven.

Lairs

Santa Monica Mountains, California:

Morales:

Appearances

Nothing Like the First Time

Set in 1997 or 1998, Carlos is a drug dealer running his own little section of the streets of L.A.. Upon seeing several young men harassing Damali Richards, he drives up and begins firing his weapon to gather their attention. Damali had busted the leader's jaw and Carlos ordered them to get him to a hospital before inviting Damali to get into his car and get to safety. When she eventually complies, he asks her where she needs to go and she tells him that she's a runaway, so he takes her to his mothers house and argues for her to be allowed to sleep on the couch.

Note: This version of the story takes place from the perspective of a 15 year old Damali and a 17 year old Carlos, as opposed to the other tellings of the story throughout the series where adult Carlos and Damali are looking back on their lives or re-living memories.

Minion

Carlos begins the novel as a hardened sinner, a drug-dealer, who is attracted to Damali Richards and often argues with her about their differing views on religion and justice. At the beginning of the novel, Carlos receives a visit from Damali, who warns him about the dangers of his dark lifestyle and tells him to always wear a cross somewhere on his body. She also makes him promise to say a prayer to God if he finds himself in a bad situation. Carlos agrees, though he doesn't believe Damali when she talks of monsters and Hell.

Over the next few days, Carlos' posse are attacked, including his younger brother Alejandro. Carlos, grief-stricken and wanting revenge for his posse's deaths, arranges a meeting with a rival gang who claim to know who killed his boys. They meet in the woods, and Carlos meets Fallon Nuit for the first time, though he doesn't realize that Nuit is a master vampire. Fallon shows Carlos the men who supposedly killed his boys, and tries to goad Carlos by asking him how he wants to kill them. Still angry, Carlos tells Nuit to kill them like his boys were killed. Nuit orders Raven to rip one of the men apart and eat their flesh. Revolted, Carlos tells them to give the final man a quick death.

Afterwards, Nuit bites Carlos, turning him into a vampire. Carlos, panicking, asks God for forgiveness. Carlos is turned immediately, for some reason, which baffles Nuit but pleases Carlos, as it means that he now has the upper hand. Carlos learns that he is now a vampire, and that Hell is real. Immediately upon regaining his senses, he is shocked to find that the cross that he carried in his pocket now burns his hand. Carlos goes with Nuit and is introduced to the Minion, Nuit's group.

Later, Carlos is summoned by the Vampire Council. He learns that his immediate turn was due to their interference by the council's chairman who intervened and turned Carlos. Carlos learns that Raven killed and turned his boys. He also learns that Damali is a vampire huntress and that the vampires want him to bring her to them. Secretly refusing to bring them Damali, Carlos strikes a deal with the Council: he will kill Nuit and bring them the Neteru.     

The Awakening

In Hell, Carlos receives a tour of the various levels, except Level Four, where the Amanthras reside.   

Carlos' Territory Hit against Fallon Nuit is successful.   

The Hunted

(Between the books) The D.E.A. liquidated Carlos' assets and seized his club, putting his mother and sister in the Witness Protection Program.

After the battle in Hell, Carlos finds himself trapped in the Mexican desert, too injured to transport himself to a place of safety before dawn. He manages to crawl into a cave and is found by the remaining members of The Covenant, who strike a deal with him: they will help him find redemption if he investigates strange happenings in Brazil and reopens Damali's closed Third Eye. Carlos goes with them back to L.A. and spends a month watching Damali telepathically, resisting the call of female vampires and yearning to give in to his primal vampire nature. After being allowed out of his safe cabin by the monks, Carlos organizes his territory and pays a visit to Hell to explain his month-long absence to the Vampire Council.

Carlos later visits Damali to open her Third Eye.

For the next ten days, Carlos keeps Damali ignorant about the happenings in Brazil, afraid for her safety if she went there. However, eventually Damali finds out and is furious at him for concealing it from her. She ends the relationship and Carlos leaves the monks' cabin for his lair in Beverly Hills, to be away from the temptation of giving in to his thirst.  

The Forbidden

Now a human, Carlos struggles to adjust to his new life. 

Ride the Night Wind

Mentioned in passing indirectly by Jose's mother and later by Rider, Jose, and Jaunita. At the time of the story, Carlos is 10 years old.

Relationships

• Damali Richards-Rivera (Wife)
• Unnamed mother
• Unnamed father
• Unnamed grandmother
• Mialissa Rivera (Sister)
  • Died from a crack overdose in a crack house some time between when Carlos was 17 and 23.
• Alejandro Rivera (Brother)
  • 'Jandro
• Julio (Cousin)
• Unnamed cousin(s)
  • Referred to by Inez as Carlos and Alejandro's cousins, implying more than Julio.
• Father Patrick (Surrogate/Adoptive Father Figure)
• Yolondo Johnson (Line Brother)
  • Yonnie was initially a third generation vampire. Upon meeting Carlos, he's made a second-gen and eventually brought all the way up to council level after Carlos eliminated all of the other masters and Council members. He is a line-brother of Carlos and Carlos' top lieutenant.
• Jose Ciponte (Line Brother)
• Tara Rider (Line Sister)
• Sarah Rivera (Daughter)
• Alejandro Rivera (SW) (Son)
• Chairman Dante
  • Role model and pesudo-father.

Origin and Inspiration

Carlos is "gathered from the fabric of the ‘hood', being bitten and turned into a vampire was a metaphor for being incarcerated.

Gallery

• 

  Official website profile.

• 

  Carlos as he appears in the comic.

• 

  Carlos wanted poster.

In Other Languages

Language			Name
English		UK	Carlos Rivera

Trivia

• In Shadow Walker, Sarah says legend has it that Carlos is said to be one of only 3 vampires to ever be pardoned by The Light. The other 2 are members of Carlos' line, Yonnie and Tara respectively. There are however, 2 more not mentioned.
  1. Christine Stone, also known as Raven. She was turned at the age of 15 by Fallon Nuit and considered too young to be taken by the darkness.
  2. Gabrielle, the sister of Marjorie Berkfield who is said to have been retrieved from Purgatory.
• Carlos was Christened and given a small gold cross when he was.
• In the Vampire Huntress Legend Sampler, Carlos' dossier claims he was an Olfactory Guardian. However, in Minion it is claimed he was destined to be a Tracker Guardian.
  • His full guardian type was an olfactory tracker.
• When Carlos was initially turned into a vampire, he didn't actually die, he had only transformed.
• Carlos' first language is Spanish.

References

• Male Neteru symbol research websites: (Listed in the official website PDF, all dead links.)
• Neteru symbol meaning.
• Sarah Rivera in Shadow Walker referring to Yonnie as Calos' top lieutenant.
• Carlos Rivera's origins and inspiration.
• Sarah Rivera in Shadow Walker mistakenly claiming Carlos is one of only 3 vampires to ever be pardoned.
• Carlos' first language.

	Edits to this page before January 1, 2021 use CC-BY-SA-licensed content from the Fandom Vampire Huntress Legend Series Wiki.