Prince Roanokeappears in 1. The Indian Gallows

Prince Roanoke is the son of King Cashie, the leader of the Tuscarora Indian tribe. He lives in the early eighteenth century. Roanoke is a brave, compassionate man, who looks past the color of a person's skin. He is kind enough to help Elnora Austin, the girl he loves, even though she makes it clear that she is engaged to another man. Roanoke enjoys getting to know the European girl and her parents, and he falls deeply in love with Elnora. Roanoke has to decide whether to be loyal to his family and tribe, or save Elnora and her people. Knowing that he will be killed if he is found out, Roanoke faces the dangers of battle to warn the people of Edenton of the approaching Indian attack. Roanoke also shows how much pride and self-respect he has, when he decides to leave the safety of the white settlement and return to his people. He knows that they will not show mercy for his betrayal, but he faces his fate without crying out. Because he saves many of the white people from death, he ends up dying the death of a white criminal, hanging from a gallows, disowned by his own people. There are many places in North Carolina named after this prince, who saved the lives of so many people, and sacrificed his own.

Currituck Jackappears in 6. Currituck Jack

Jack is the black slave of Henry White, in the days of the American Revolution. Jack is exceptional in many ways. Physically, he is a giant, with great strength and endurance. Morally, he is gentle and kind, and a hard worker. Spiritually, he is loyal and stalwart. Jack saves up most of the money needed to buy his freedom from his master, and most of the white community expects him to soon take his place as a respected town citizen. Although he is a slave, Jack is so loyal and affectionate to his master, that Henry trusts the slave to go on dangerous ocean voyages without him. Jack is an excellent sailor, and also a formidable fighter, taking down several enemy soldiers, even after enduring a fever and days of exposure on the deck of a ship in a storm of freezing rain. When Jack is enticed by the British to betray his fellow crewmen, he resists, wanting to further the cause of American independence. Jack is clever enough, and a good enough actor, to trick the British, and also break out his crew. After Jack is honored by the Continental Congress and granted his freedom, he lives a quiet, upright life, on his own farm, with his family, who are all free.

Elnora Austinappears in 1. The Indian Gallows

Elnora is a young European girl whose parents are murdered in an Indian attack. Prince Roanoke helps her make it to safety, but then she marries another man.

Tim Farrowappears in 3. The Affair at Brownrigg Mill

Tim Farrow is a widower who marries an exotic, beautiful woman. She turns out to be a witch who can turn into a cat, and Tim is killed when he finally realizes her true nature.

Donald McDonaldappears in 10. Rodanthe's Drum of Old Christmas

Donald is a twelve-year-old drummer boy wounded in a battle between Scotland and England. When he escapes to America, he brings the drum with him.

Joe Bellappears in 9. The Jobellflower

Joe Bell is married to Josephine Bell, and after she dies, he plants flowers all over the coastline in her memory. The flowers are called Jobellflowers, after both Joe and Josephine.

Caroline, the Pirate's Daughterappears in 8. The Beckoning Hands

Because Caroline's father is cursed by an old woman, Caroline dies shortly after her wedding day. She falls through a trapdoor and is entombed in a secret room, where she dies. Her ghostly hands can be seen at the windows of the house, beckoning.

Joe Baldwinappears in 12. The Mysterious Maco Lights

Joe sacrifices his life trying to warn an oncoming train of a caboose on the tracks, and he is beheaded in the crash. Sometimes, people see a bobbing light, as though Joe is walking around with a lantern, looking for his head.

Pierre Frenchy Godetteappears in 15. The Queen of the Sounds

Frenchy loves partying so much that he builds his own showboat to entertain the people of the South. When he turns to Satan worship, his shows suffer, and the boat explodes when Frenchy invites Satan on board.

Don Carlosappears in 7. The Legend of Old Buck

Don Carlos is a Spanish nobleman who is exiled to America. He takes along a bull so that he can introduce the sport of bullfighting to the New World, but his ship is wrecked, and Don Carlos drowns.

Wacheetaappears in 13. The Legend of Mattamuskeet Lake

Wacheeta is a beautiful Indian maiden of the Mattamuskeet tribe. When Wacheeta's fiancé is about to be sacrificed to the Great Spirit, she intercedes for his life. Because of her prayers, the drought is ended, and a new lake is formed.

Alan McInnesappears in 14. The Fountain of Mercy

Alan and his family drift for days in a lifeboat without water. Alan sees a vision in which he is told to drink from "the fountain of mercy," and he discovers a pool of fresh, drinkable water in the middle of the ocean.