The Family Overview
The List Family is one half of the Spiral-bound lineage inhabiting Murkmire Manor. Their Family is known for intuition, theatrics (quiet or otherwise), and the kind of eccentricity that looks coordinated even when it absolutely isn’t. Each member has their own gravitational pull within the Manor; some chaotic, some mystical, all memorable.
Monopo List, last of the Lists, was desperate to preserve his fading Family Name. He married one of the Bland sisters and settled into Murkmire Manor. Another Spiral-appointed lineage teetering on the edge of oblivion was the Toes family. Palmet Toes entered an arranged marriage to the other Bland sister, just as the Spiral had decreed for the final List. He, too, moved into Murkmire, joining his new wife, as well as his new sister-in-law and brother-in-law. There, the two men set about resurrecting their dwindling bloodlines.
The Lists are a family defined by precision, intellect, and a kind of eccentric order that manifests differently in each of them. At their helm stands Fami List, the matriarch who interprets life through the lens of ancestry, tradition, and the often-complicated dynamics that come with being part of the List or Toes families.
Her daughter Mystica List drifts through Murkmire like a prophetic storm cloud, part seer, part comedienne, seeing riddles in tea steam and tarot, all while teetering on the line between revelation and nonsense. Vita List, the family’s moss-obsessed scientist, hides in his Natatorium among algae, specimens, and more than a few organisms who “never agreed to be there”. Mora List, serene and quietly formidable, gardens harmony as if it were a fragile species; she studies virtue like a science and mediates discord between the Families with a calm sharpened by years of necessity.
Among the younger generation is Rea List. Pragmatic, perceptive, and trained in bio-botany, she acts as an unwilling sleuth whose curiosity roots deep even in fog. Her identical twin Natura wanders the conservatory draped in flowers and bees, half botanical saint, half gentle chaos. Their older brother Nove, a noir-obsessed writer with a twitching mustache, documents the world as if every hallway hides a crime scene.
Meanwhile Sty List, flamboyant fashionista of the family, monologues through life draped in iridescent shawls, a dramatic counterpoint to the manor’s gloom. Even the more reclusive branches, like the mountaineer twins Meta and Duel, one analytical, one architectural, carry the List hallmark: a tendency toward extreme focus, odd brilliance, and a bone-deep belief that identity is something built and cultivated into shape. Together, the Lists form a lineage both brilliant and bewildering; equal parts intellect, ritual, eccentricity, and emotional fortification; woven through Murkmire Manor like a vine that refuses to grow straight.
Below are the Lists that appear in the book Frogs & Fog: A Murkmire Mystery.
LIST FAMILY MEMBERS
Rea List
The protagonist. Thoughtful, sharp, and far more level-headed than her surroundings deserve. Rea returns home after ten years away and immediately finds herself juggling old wounds, new mysteries, and a Manor that insists on behaving like a moody relative. Her galah cockatoo, Winkle, is her best buddy.
Natura List
Rea’s twin sister. A botanist whose greenhouse looks like a cathedral built by plants unsure which way was up. Always adorned with pollen, orchids, and bees (literally). Brilliant, eerie, and unsettlingly calm. Natura appears saintlike until you realize saints rarely wield trowels like interrogation tools.
Nove List
Rea’s older brother. A constable with noir-detective aspirations and a mustache that reacts to danger before he does. Constantly scribbling in notebooks, forever suspicious, and investigating their grandmother’s death with the intensity of someone who’s watched too many crime dramas and takes them as inspiration.
Sty List
The youngest sibling. A theatrical whirlwind of color-changing hair, impeccable style, and nonstop commentary. Sty treats the Manor like a runway and every conversation like an audition. Dramatic, affectionate, and larger than life, he brings the energy of someone whose entrance music never stops playing. His followers on PicPok number in the millions.
Mystica List
Rea’s aunt. A mystic of global fame with a gift for predictions (and cryptic nonsense). Appears in layers of shimmering shawls, followed by scents of jasmine and inevitability. Drinks prophetic tea and terrifies everyone in the gentlest possible way.
Mora List
Rea’s mother. Quiet, stitched-together strength. She carries grief carefully, like fabric she refuses to let fray. Sees more than she says and never forgets a lie.
Duel List
Rea’s father. Architect of both buildings and mountain climbing expeditions. Reserved, quiet-voiced, and capable of shutting down an entire room without raising his voice.
Meta List
Duel’s twin brother. Designs impossible structures with his architect brother, and is also an expert mountain climber. Collects butterflies as a reminder that quiet and death can be beautiful.
Vita List
Bog biologist. Lives in the Natatorium with moss, fungus, jars of questionable content, and the gentle confidence of someone who can identify mold by smell alone.
Fami List
Rea’s grandmother (living). Matriarch of the List branch. Regardless of her physical presence, Fami’s diligence and attention is felt throughout the Manor.
If the Lists have a collective motto, it is probably something along the lines of:
“We are not perfect, but we are certainly doing better than the other side.”
And honestly, in Murkmire, that might almost be true.
(Not Pictured, Meta, Duel, Vita and Fami List.)
Related lore:
