History Characters / Dragaera

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: We don't know the details, though.

!!'''Telnan AKA Zugaron'''
A [[TheDitz ditzy]] and friendly young Dzur who Vlad meets in the novel ''Dzur'', and is an apprentice to Sethra Lavode. He wields a Great Weapon which it's implied that he was destined to hold. He also appears as narrator in the short story "The Desecrator", which explains how he got the sword.
* AxCrazy: His BloodKnight tendencies reach this level at some points in "The Desecrator".
* {{BFS}}: His Great Weapon is massive even by Dragaeran standards which Vlad finds typical of a Dzur.
* BloodKnight
* DarkIsNotEvil / BadPowersGoodPeople: Sort of. Telnan thinks of himself as evil and takes pride in it, but he's basically a friendly and decent guy who wears all black and carries a massive EvilWeapon that wants to kill ''everyone''.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: Good and evil are rather ambiguous in the series, but Telnan sort of fits since his positive quality of having no species prejudice is sort of balanced by a negative one of being rather inclined to slaughter anyone who gets in his way.
* {{Expy}}: He isn't one, but "The Desecrator" shows his sword to be one of [[EvilWeapon Stormbringer]] in the ''TheElricSaga''.

* {{Expy}}: He isn't one, but "The Desecrator" shows his sword to be one of [[EvilWeapon Stormbringer]] in the ''ElricSaga''.

* DeadpanSnarker: Even -- actually, especially -- in council with the other gods.

* MagnificentBastard / ManipulativeBastard: She's quite willing to treat mortals as pawns to get what she wants.

* BerserkButton: Insult the memory of his uncle [[TheEvilPrince Adron]] and he will slice you to ribbons. (Although if you're lucky you won't be ''permanently'' dead.)

* MagnificentBastard / ManipulativeBastard: He's a Yendi. It goes with the territory.

* GeniusDitz: Tazendra is something of a {{cloudcuckoolander}} and sees things in the simplistic terms of a Dzur. Her friends must often explain what's going on when the plot thickens too much for her. In spite of all this, she's a genius wizard and prone to very penetrating insights.

* UglyGuyHotWife: Mario is very average looking, while his lover Aliera is noted for her beauty. On the other hand, Mario is a MasterOfDisguise, so the plain guy Vlad meets might not actually be his true appearance.

* HairTriggerTemper: Dragons tend to have a ''lot'' of {{Berserk Button}}s..

* GuileHero

* WanderingMinstrel

The house of corruption and greed, Jhereg are primarily associated with organized crime, although not every member of the house is a part of the criminal organization. Male Jhereg mostly join the "Right Hand," a.k.a. "the Organization," which handles your standard assassinations, protection rackets and other mundane crimes; women join "the Left Hand of the Jhereg," a.k.a. "the Bitch Patrol," a completely separate organization that specializes in illegal sorcery. The Jhereg is also one of two Houses that will openly accept half-breeds, outcasts, and Easterners, the other being House Teckla.

The peasants. Most live in small rural farming communities; the rest serve nobles as maids or lackeys. The vast majority of Dragaerans are in House Teckla, since anyone can join, but they don't get much of a voice and are usually treated with disdain by the other Houses. Even so, they have their place in the Cycle like all other Houses. Teckla always take over through a peasant uprising, and rule the Empire as a Republic during their term in power.

Builders and architects. However, they're also associated with destruction -- there's mention of book-burnings during previous Vallista reigns.

A middle-class House, associated with metamorphosis, change, adaptation and endurance.

* MysteriousPast: She doesn't use a patronymic anymore, and WordOfGod has mentioned some ''very'' interesting hints about her ancestry.

* TheScrappy: Some fans [[FanDumb hate]] her for breaking up with Vlad. (She did a HeelFaceTurn; he didn't want to.)

* [[JerkAssGods Jerkass Gods]]: Possibly a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but it's still up in the air at this point.

* DaddysLittleVillain/[[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even Bad Women Love Their Daddies]] - She's absolutely devoted to her late father, Adron. The one who accidentally destroyed the Empire in an attempted coup d'etat.

* TheMessiah: Sort of. Vlad is surprised when he realizes that the key to Teldra's charm is that it isn't an act -- she really, genuinely likes almost everybody. That doesn't stop her from being just as ruthless as any of Vlad's other friends when she decides it's appropriate, however.

* ClearMyName: [[spoiler:His parents were falsely accused of treason and he wants to win back the family's honor and get revenge on those that tarnished his name.]]
* HonorBeforeReason - He's a Lyorn, so it's only to be expected.

The SmartGuy and an {{Expy}} of Aramis. House of the Yendi.

* {{Casanova}}: Moreso as a younger man.

* [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]]: Although unlike Aramis [[spoiler:he turns back in time]].

A Dzurlord warrior and sorcerer to whom a noble cause is secondary to a desire to hit people with big swords. The BigGuy and the {{Expy}} of Porthos.

The House of war and conquest. These guys are warriors, and during the time of most of the books, the second most powerful House. There's several major characters in this House, and most of them tend towards a ProudWarriorRaceGuy attitude.

* HonorBeforeReason: Not always, but it's fairly common.

[[HotBlooded Passionate and enthusiastic]], Tiassa are associated with creativity and inspiration. The usual assumption is that the Tiassa is the "idea guy." That doesn't mean they're scholars, though -- most Tiassa like to be in the middle of the action, and don't have the patience to sit around studying.

One of the upper-middle-class Houses, Hawklords seem to be mostly researchers or scholars.

* {{BFS}}: Epidemic.

The house of corruption and greed, Jhereg are primarily associated with organized crime. While not all members of the House are part of the criminal organization, many are. Male Jhereg mostly join the "Right Hand," a.k.a. "the Organization," which handles your standard assassinations, protection rackets and other mundane crimes; women join "the Left Hand of the Jhereg," a completely separate organization that specializes in illegal sorcery. The Jhereg is also one of two Houses that will openly accept half-breeds, outcasts, and Easterners, the other being House Teckla.

* [[{{Mook}} Mooks]]: Although they're usually thought of as merchant sailors, the House of the Orca is also associated with brutality, so when you need to pay some goons to beat someone up, they're the house you go to. Vlad runs into a ''lot'' of Orca mooks.

The peasants. The vast majority of Dragaerans are in House Teckla, since anyone can join, but they don't get much of a voice and are usually treated with disdain by the other Houses. Even so, they have their place in the Cycle like all other Houses. Teckla always take over through a peasant uprising, and rule the Empire as a Republic during their term in power.
* [[DirtyCoward Dirty Cowards]]: By reputation, anyway. The reality is often more CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass.

A middle-class House, associated with metamorphosis, change, and endurance.

* CourtMage: The one for the Emperor/Empress comes from this House.
* EvilSorcerer: Some of the nastiest pieces of work in the Empire are Athyra. The Right Hand of the Jhereg was founded by some particularly corrupt Athyra who were booted out of the House.

* SoapboxSadie: She comes across this way sometimes after joining what amounts to a group of Marxist revolutionaries.

Vlad's pet jhereg -- a small, venomous flying lizard, something like a miniature [[OurDragonsAreDifferent wyvern]] -- and {{Familiar}}. He's fully sentient, and spends most of his time making snarky telepathic comments to Vlad. His mate, Rocza, is a wild jhereg who tags along with Vlad as well.

* PaleSkinnedBrunette: Well, she's a vampire...but then again, no one ''noticed'' that she'd died for several thousand years.

* RealMenWearPink: He always wears an ankle-length skirt when fighting (It's the traditional Lyorn warrior costume), and his hobby is crocheting.

* EvilSorcerer: Vlad notes that Athyra spend so much time in solitary study and contemplation that they often become completely divorced from morality and empathy. As a result, some of the nastiest pieces of work in the Empire are Athyra. The Right Hand of the Jhereg was founded by some particularly corrupt Athyra who were booted out of the House.

* [[JerkAssGods Jerkass Gods]]: Very possibly a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but it's still up in the air at this point.

* [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Goes out taking down a [[EldritchAbomination Jenoine]] in single combat.]]

The Easterner (read: human) protagonist of the novels within the present timeline. Belongs to the House of the Jhereg because they're the only ones who sell noble titles to [[FantasticRacism Easterners]].

* {{Badass}}

* TheScrappy: Many fans [[FanDumb hate]] her for breaking up with Vlad. (She did a HeelFaceTurn; he didn't want to.)

Vlad's secretary, known for being so mysterious and [[strike:skilled at]] [[CursedWithAwesome gifted with]] StealthHiBye that he is a major source of EpilepticTrees, including the belief that he is actually the legendary assassin, Mario Greymist [[spoiler: which he's not]]. Before joining House Jhereg, he was a Dragonlord.

* MysteriousPast: What did he do to get himself kicked out, anyway? Why does Aliera hate him?

* HeroicBSOD: He went distinctly downhill as the Interregnum went on and his guilt over the Emperor's death caught up to him.

Passionate and enthusiastic, Tiassa are associated with creativity and inspiration. The usual assumption is that the Tiassa is the "idea guy." That doesn't mean they're scholars, though -- most Tiassa like to be in the middle of the action, and don't have the patience to sit around studying.

* {{Jerkass}}: If Vlad is to be believed, most Hawklords tend toward "obnoxiously snobby."

* BadassNickname / NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Dagger of the Jhereg.

* SlapSlapKiss: One of the most extreme versions of this ever, [[spoiler:as she actually killed Vlad (shortly before his friends killed her in revenge))]] before they fell in love. ([[IGotBetter They got better]], obviously.)

* [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: As befits her House, she struck without warning and managed to wound a Jenoine before she went down.]]

* ChaoticNeutral

!Humans

* [[spoiler:EmpathicWeapon: Godslayer, which can change from a sword to a dagger, can heal Vlad, is destined to kill Vlad's patron goddess Verra, and contains the soul of Lady Teldra.]]

* SlapSlapKiss: One of the most extreme versions of this ever, [[spoiler:as she actually killed Vlad (and vice versa)]] ([[IGotBetter they got better]]) before they fell in love.
* SoapboxSadie: She arguably fits this trope after joining what amounts to a group of Marxist revolutionaries.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: As detailed in the ''Khaavren Romances'', Morrolan used his EmpathicWeapon to kill the local GodOfEvil, as well as [[DisproportionateRetribution slaughtering an entire village of his followers]]
* DoNotTauntCthulhu - Morrolan gets the attention of the above GodOfEvil by urinating on a statue of him.

* MagicKnight: He's one of the greatest sorcerers in the Empire. He's an even ''better'' swordsman.

* BerserkButton: Don't insult her father, Adron. And don't mention her height. Seriously, just don't.

* DaddysLittleVillain/[[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even Bad Women Love Their Mamas]] - She's absolutely devoted to her late daddy, Adron. The one who accidentally destroyed the Empire by trying to forcibly seize power.
* DontYouDarePityMe: She doesn't accept sympathy well.

The Chatelaine of Castle Black, an Issola. Very polite, very smooth-talking, and an all-around wonderful person. During ''Issola'', [[spoiler:she was stabbed with a Morganti blade. Before her soul could be completely destroyed, Vlad managed to save most of it and use it to construct his [[EmpathicWeapon Great Weapon]], Godslayer, where it now resides, dormant (for now)]].

* PlatonicLifePartners: Her relationship with Vlad in ''Issola''.

TheHero in the Khaavren Romances and an {{Expy}} of D'Artagnan of ''TheThreeMusketeers''. By the Vlad series, he has become the head of several good-ish SecretPolice / StateSec organizations. He's a Tiassa, meaning his specialties are creativity, resourcefulness, and insight.

* [[spoiler:DyingMomentOfAwesome]]- [[spoiler:Goes out taking down a [[EldritchAbomination Jenoine]] in single combat.]]

* TrainingFromHell: Sethra put her through this so that she'd be able to journey into the Paths of the Dead and come back alive.

** Clever Dzur often have GeniusDitz tendencies -- their way of thinking still seems straightforward to the point of simplicity to others, but they're still capable of penetrating insights.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: An issola is a beautiful white heron-like bird. But, as Vlad points out, it's also a predator, and when it hunts it'll strike so fast you'll never even see it move. And then it'll go right back to standing there, looking lovely and graceful. It's particularly notable that the animal issola strikes by ''bowing''.

The house of corruption and greed, Jhereg are primarily associated with organized crime. While not all members of the House are part of the criminal organization, many are. Male Jhereg mostly join the "Right Hand," a.k.a. "the Organization," which handles your standard assassinations, protection rackets and other mundane crimes; women join "the Left Hand of the Jhereg," a completely separate organization that specializes in illegal sorcery. The Jhereg is also one of two houses that will openly accept half-breeds, outcasts, and Easterners, the other being House Teckla.

* ItsPronouncedTROPAY: Its Pronounced Taltosh.

* MeaningfulName: "Táltós" seems to be Hungarian for a witch or magic user, which he is.

* BadassNickname / NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Dagger of the Jhereg

* KnifeNut: the Dagger of the Jhereg.

Vlad's pet jhereg and familiar. He spends most of his time making snarky comments to Vlad. His mate is Rocza.

* TalkingAnimal: Telepathically and only to Vlad.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: the House of Dragon isn't really treated as evil, but Kragar is an example of a character who is an exile because he doesn't at all fit his group's [[PlanetOfHats "hat"]]. Dragons are known for their ambition and military prowess - while he's no pacifist (he works for [[TheMafia Vlad]], after all), he is totally unambitious and did something that got him booted out of his House. Exactly ''what'' he did is shrouded in mystery.
* MysteriousPast: What did he do to get himself kicked out, anyway?

* SassySecretary: a rare male version

* StealthHiBye: people rarely notice he's there until he starts talking to them, and not always then. And he can't turn it off.

By far the greatest thief in Adrilankha and possibly the whole Empire. One of Vlad's oldest friends, she was the first Dragaeran to ever treat him with kindness and played a role in getting him to join the [[TheMafia "business end"]] of House Jhereg. [[spoiler: She is actually an alter-ego of Sethra Lavode.]]

A high-ranking Dragonlord ([[spoiler:third in line after Aliera and Norathar]]) who Vlad meets in ''Taltos''. He hired Vlad as a security consultant for his [[FloatingContinent floating castle]], and they gradually become friends.

* BerserkButton: Say anything bad about his uncle [[TheEvilPrince Adron]] and he will slice you to ribbons. (Although if you're lucky you won't be ''permanently'' dead.)

* MoralDissonance: He once slaughtered three entire villages singlehandedly when he got pissed off.

* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness

The Chatelaine of Castle Black, an Issola. Very polite, very smooth-talking, and an all-around wonderful person. During ''Issola'', [[spoiler:she was stabbed with a Morganti blade. Before her soul could be completely destroyed, Vlad managed to save most of it and use it to construct his [[EmpathicWeapon Great Weapon]], Godslayer, where it now resides]].

** A good demonstration of this is her definition of courtesy: advancing your own goals without doing any ''unintentional'' harm to anyone else.

* TheMessiah: Sort of. Vlad is shocked when he realizes that the key to Teldra's charm is that it isn't an act -- she really, genuinely likes almost everybody. That doesn't stop her from being just as ruthless as any of Vlad's other friends when she decides it's appropriate, however.

!!'''Empress Zerika II'''

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: The Mario of the Paarfi romances is pretty much a typical swashbuckler hero who [[HitmanWithAHeart happens to kill people for a living]] and has a similarly idealized romance with Aliera. However, a more sinister characterization is suggested in one of Paarfi's introductions that he was basically Adron's go-to-guy for killing political rivals and was involved in causing the Jhereg-Dragon War. When Mario turns up in the Vlad series, he's pleasant enough, but hardly a dashing hero type.

* RedBaron: The "Greymist" title, which is given different explanations by Vlad and Paarfi and counts as EarnYourTitle for both/either.

A writer from the House of the Hawk, Paarfi is the in-universe author of the ''Khaavren Romances''. His first love is history, but scholarship doesn't pay the bills, and he's not too proud to turn his skills toward adventure novels. Especially not after his second book, ''The Phoenix Guards'', turned out to be wildly popular.

* Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: How most Phoenix reigns end up, with the exception of Zerika I (the first empress) and Zerika II (the first post-Interregnum empress). As Zerika II explains, the key is knowing to abdicate before decadence sets in.

* LastOfTheirKind: Zerika II, the Empress during the Vlad books.

* HonorBeforeReason: Though not always, it's fairly common.

Historians and record-keepers, mostly associated with tradition and honor. They're usually automatically treated with respect because of this.

* BloodKnight: They like fights where the odds are ''against'' them, and absolutely love fighting against impossible odds.

A middle-class House, associated with unpredictability and tenacity. And...that's about all we know.

Organized crime. It also happens to be one of two Houses that accept half-breeds of other Houses, the other being Teckla. While not all members of the House are part of the criminal organization, many are.

The peasants. The vast majority of Dragaerans are in House Teckla, since anyone can join, but they don't get much of a voice and are usually treated with disdain by the other Houses. Even still, they have their place on the Cycle like all other Houses. Teckla always take power by a peasant uprising, and rule the Empire as a Republic during their term.
* [[DirtyCoward Dirty Cowards]]: By reputation anyway. The reality is often more CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass.

!!'''Cawti Taltos'''

* LaResistence: She joined it. (Note, however, that they work more like a real-world radical group, organizing protests and such, than your standard fantasy rebels.)

* TheSmurfettePrinciple - Not within the series, but within the Jhereg itself - the group is divided between the Left Hand, an all-female group of magic users who deal in illegal spells and the Right Hand, an almost all-male group of assassins and professional criminals. Kiera is one of the few women in the latter group.

* BerserkButton - Say anything bad about his uncle [[TheEvilPrince Adron]] and he will slice you to ribbons. (Although you won't necessarily be ''permanently'' dead.)

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu - As detailed in the ''Khaavren Romances'', Morrolan used his EmpathicWeapon to kill the local GodOfEvil, as well as [[DisproportionateRetribution slaughtering an entire village of his followers]]

* DarkIsNotEvil - He wears black all the time and lives in Castle Black - black being the colour of magic - but is arguably not evil.

* Pride: Oh boy.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: She genuinely likes people and is in many ways the kindest of Vlad's friends, but that does ''not'' mean it's a good idea to underestimate her.

* TheMessiah: Like his Dumas equivalent, he is a sensitive and virtuous man.

* {{Casanova}}: more so as a younger man

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder

* TheSpymaster: in later books and possibly in the present

* BloodKnight: This is the [[PlanetofHats hat]] of her House, and she definitely fits it.

* GenderFlip

!!'''Empress Zerika'''

* TheMessiah

The aristocrat house. Represent decay and rebirth, they reside at the beginning/end of the Cycle. Phoenix are the best and brigtest of the Empire, but they almost always fade into corruption and decadence. Due to the fact that only those born while an actual Phoenix is flying overhead are actually counted as a member, they are the smallest house by far. During the Vlad books, only one is left.
* DeadlyDecadentCourt: How most Phoenix reigns end up, with the exception of Zerika I (the first empress) and Zerika II (the reborn phoenix).

* KnightTemplar: Sometimes.
* Pride: Pretty much their signature character trait.

Passionate and enthusiastic, Tiassa are associated with creativity and inspiration. The usual assumption is that the Tiassa is the "idea guy." That doesn't mean they're scholars, though -- most Tiassa don't have the patience to sit around studying.

* IntrepidMerchant: Although not as

* EvilSorcerer: Vlad notes that Athyra spend so much time in solitary study and contemplation that they become completely divorced from morality and empathy. As a result, some of the nastiest pieces of work in the Empire are Athyra. The Right Hand of the Jhereg was founded by some particularly corrupt Athyra who were booted out of the House.

* AntiHero, of the [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type 4 or 5]] variety. Vlad has a definite cruel and selfish side to his character, but is loyal to his friends and generally makes the world slightly better by the end of each novel.

* ContractOnTheHitman - From ''Phoenix'' onwards, and briefly in ''Jhereg''.

* FirstPersonSmartass - Essentially the TropeNamer.

* ItsPronouncedTROPAY- Its Pronounced Taltosh.
* JerkAss / JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* KnifeNut - He's carrying way less weaponry in ''Issola'' than he used to. This consists of a "mere" five knives and one sword.

* LittleHeroBigWar - Every book, but especially ''Dragon''.
* MeaningfulName - "Táltós" seems to be Hungarian for a witch or magic user, which he is.
* MoralDissonance - He's becoming more and more aware of it.

Vlad's (now estranged) wife

* {{Chickification}}
* HeterosexualLifePartners - With the future Dragon Empress.

* KnifeNut - the Dagger of the Jhereg.
* LovelyAngels - During her days as one half of a two-woman assassin team.
* TheScrappy - Many fans [[FanDumb hate]] her for breaking up with Vlad. (She did a HeelFaceTurn; he didn't want to.)
* SlapSlapKiss - One of the most extreme versions of this ever, [[spoiler:as she actually killed Vlad (and vice versa)]] ([[IGotBetter they got better]]) before they fell in love.
* SoapboxSadie - She arguably fits this trope after join a fantasy equivalent of communist rebel.

Vlad's grandfather and teacher in the ways of witchcraft

* MoralityPet

* PhraseCatcher: Expect the phrase "Shut up, Loiosh," to show up at least three times per book.

* CursedWithAwesome - His amazing but unintentional ability to fade into the background made it impossible to command troops like a proper Dragon. It comes in very handy as a Jhereg, though.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch- the House of Dragon isn't really treated as evil, but Kragar is an example of a character who is an exile because he doesn't at all fit his group's [[PlanetOfHats "hat"]]. Dragons are known for their ambition and military prowess - while he's no pacifist (he works for [[TheMafia Vlad]], after all), he is totally unambitious and did something that got him booted out of his House. Exactly ''what'' he did is shrouded in mystery.
* MysteriousPast - What did he do to get himself kicked out, anyway?

* SassySecretary - a rare male version

* StealthHiBye - people rarely notice he's there until he starts talking to them, and not always then. And he can't turn it off.

The first Dragaeran to treat Vlad with kindness, also played a role in getting him to join the [[TheMafia "business end"]] of House Jhereg. [[spoiler: She is actually an alter-ego of Sethra Lavode.]]

* ActualPacifist - Kiera never kills people

* BadAss

* JerkAss: But does PetTheDog a couple of times per book.
* MoralDissonance - He once slaughtered three entire villages singlehandedly when he got pissed off.

* ObliviousAdoption - Morrolan was around 100 years old by the time he finally learned that he wasn't an Easterner. He never seemed particularly curious about his abnormal height and agelessness.
* PretendPrejudice - He was raised by humans, so he's nowhere near as much of a [[FantasticRacism bigot]] towards them as most Dragaerans.

* VitriolicBestBuds - With Aliera.

* BerserkButton - Don't insult her father, Adron. And don't mention her height. Seriously, just don't.
* {{BFS}} - For a while she was using her ancestor Kieron's greatsword, which was longer than she was tall.
* BlackMagicianGirl - She has absolutely no compunctions about studying (illegal) Elder Sorcery; she probably got it from her dad, who dissolved the capital city and threw the entire Empire into chaos for over 250 years with it.

* [[spoiler:HalfHumanHybrid]] - Her mother is [[spoiler:the Demon Goddess Verra]].
* JerkAss / JerkWithAHeartOfGold - Depends on her mood, really.
* KaleidoscopeEyes - A useful version, warning others of her temper/their impending death.
* TheNapoleon - She has a highly explosive temper and (for a while) a habit of wearing long dresses and levitating in order to look taller.
* NobleBigot - While she's a loyal friend to Vlad, she ultimately doesn't think much of Easterners. To the point of refusing to believe that [[spoiler:Dragaerans are descended from them]], despite being a brilliant geneticist who should know better.
** There's also some elements of [[InnocentBigot Innocent Bigotry]] here, as she sometimes does insensitive things like talk about invading the East right in front of Vlad, apparently without even considering the possibility that this might bother him.
* ParodySue - Aliera is beautiful, an amazing fighter, [[spoiler:the daughter of a goddess]], has color-changing eyes...and is a real jerk.
* PretendPrejudice - As Vlad puts it, "Morrolan, who doesn't hate Easterners as much as you'd expect, and Aliera, who doesn't hate ''me'' as much as you'd expect."

* [[SmallGirlBigGun Small Girl Big Sword]] - Aliera is very short for a Dragaeran, but for a while carries a massive two-handed sword that is as tall as she is.
* {{Tsundere}}
* VitriolicBestBuds - To Morrolan.
* YearInsideHourOutside - Sort of. Because of spending a long time as a soul without a body, when restored to life, Aliera is as physically young as she was at the time she lost her body, whereas contemporaries who were alive the whole time are physically a lot older.

* TheArchmage - She's the most powerful sorcerer in the empire. According to Vlad, she's forgotten more about sorcery than anyone else has ever learned.
* BalefulPolymorph - She's rumored to transform Dzur warriors who challenge her into animals.

* FourStarBadass - She's ''also'' considered one of the greatest war leaders of all time. Given half a chance to talk about military strategy, she can keep going for hours.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent - We don't know the details of why, though.
* PaleSkinnedBrunette - Well, she's a vampire... But then again, no one ''noticed'' that she'd died for several thousand years.
* PalsWithJesus / DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu - Vlad's friendship with her.
* PerkyGoth - She's surprisingly friendly and down-to-earth; in fact, she is probably one of the nicest Dragaerans Vlad knows.

* PhysicalGod - Although she explicitly declined a chance to join the pantheon of the series, she might as well be a deity given how powerful and long-lived (for lack of a better term) she is.

* TimeAbyss - She's older than the entire Empire.

The Chatelaine of Castle Black, an Issola and all-around wonderful person. During ''Issola'', [[spoiler:she was "killed" and her soul created/is housed in Vlad's EmpathicWeapon, Godslayer]]

* BewareTheNiceOnes- She is in many ways TheMessiah and has a kind word for almost everyone, but is hardly a weakling.

* PlatonicLifePartners- Her relationship with Vlad in ''Issola''.

TheHero in the Khaavren Romances and an {{Expy}} of D'Artagnan of ''TheThreeMusketeers''. By the Vlad series, he has become the head of several good-ish SecretPolice / StateSec organizations. He's a Tiassa.

* HappilyMarried- To the Countess of Adrilankha, Daro.
* HeroicBSOD- He went distinctly downhill as the Interregnum went on and his guilt over the Emperor's death caught up to him.
* HotBlooded- As a youth, but he cooled considerably as he grew older (much like D'Artagnan).

* MyGreatestFailure- Failing to prevent the assassination of the Emperor.
* TheQuietOne- By Tiassa standards, at least, he's incredibly reticent.
* TheSpymaster- As noted above, this is his role in the present.

* ClearMyName - [[spoiler:His parents were falsely accused of treason and he wants to win back the family's honor and get revenge on those that tarnished his name.]]

* TheMessiah - Like his Dumas equivalent, he is a sensitive and virtuous man.

* RealMenWearPink - He always wears a skirt when fighting (It's the traditional Lyorn warrior costume), and his hobby is crocheting.
* StarcrossedLovers - With [[spoiler:Tazendra]].

* {{Casanova}}- more so as a younger man

* [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]]- Although unlike Aramis [[spoiler:he turns back in time]].
* MagnificentBastard / ManipulativeBastard - He's a Yendi. It goes with the territory.
* NoNameGiven- Pel also goes by the title of the Duke of Galstan, but Galstan doesn't actually have a duchy, and there is no one on the records of the House of Yendi named Pel. It's a very Yendi sort of title.

* TheSpymaster- in later books and possibly in the present

* BloodKnight- This is the [[PlanetofHats hat]] of her House, and she definitely fits it.

* BoisterousBruiser- A rare female version.

* GeniusDitz- Tazendra is something of a {{cloudcuckoolander}} and sees things in the simplistic terms of a Dzur. Her friends must often explain what's going on when the plot thickens too much for her. In spite of all this, she's a genius wizard and prone to very penetrating insights.
* StarcrossedLovers - [[spoiler:In her last moments of life, she confessed to her love for Aerich, which she couldn't pursue because they belonged to different Houses]].
* TookALevelInBadass - Not that she really needed another one, but she spent the Interregnum [[spoiler:training as a wizard under Sethra]].
* UnstoppableRage - Another Dzur trait. It's particularly awesome in the last book, [[spoiler:when she [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu punches out Cthulhu]] while [[MajorInjuryUnderreaction mortally wounded]]]].

* UglyGuyHotWife: Mario is very average looking, while his girlfriend Aliera is noted for her beauty. On the other hand, Mario is a MasterOfDisguise, so the plain guy Vlad meets might not actually be his true appearance.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: How most Phoenix reigns end up, with the exception of Zerika the First (the first empress) and Zerika the Second (the reborn phoenix).

* LastOfTheirKind: Zerika the Second, the Empress during the Vlad books.

The warrior House. These guys are soldiers, and during the time of most of the books, the second most powerful House. There's several major characters in this House, and most of them tend towards a ProudWarriorRaceGuy attitude.

Record-keepers, mostly associated with tradition and honor. They're usually automatically treated warmly because of this.
* BadassBookworm: the (rare) Lyorn warriors
* HonorBeforeReason: Lyorn are impeccable gentlemen.

One of several Houses with a less-defined role, but associated with creativity and inspiration. The usual assumption is that the Tiassa is the "idea guy."

* TheDitz - Dzur have a remarkably one-dimensional and simplistic view of the world. However, many of them are {{Genius Ditz}}es, with a very detailed understanding of combat and wizardry.

The courtier House. Issola tend to be polite, charming, and diplomatic. But don't get too comfortable- the other thing they're associated with is ''surprise''.

A middle-class House, associated with unpredictability and tenacity. And... that's about all we know.

Builders and architects. However, they're also associated with destruction- there's mention of book-burnings during previous Vallista reigns.

The House that runs the criminal justice system. Judges, lawyers, jailers- all Iorich.

A middle-class House, associated with planning and entrapment. Seems to include a lot of craftsmen- weavers, carpenters, and cobblers have been mentioned. Both associations fit the House animal, which weaves enormous webs.

A ruthlessly commercial House, Orca will do almost ''anything'' for money. Due to their focus on trade, they're often sailors, as befits their House animal.

* FantasticRacism: All the other Houses look down on Teckla.

* CourtMage: The one for the Emperor/Empress comes from this House

* DaddysLittleVillain/[[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Even Bad Women Love Their Mamas]] - She's absolutely devoted to her late daddy, Adron. The one who accidentally destroyed the Empire by trying to forceably seize power.

* ParodySue - Aliera is beautiful, an amazing fighter, [[spoiler:the daughter of a goddess]], has color-changing eyes.... and is a real jerk.

* TheBeard- if you believe Morrolan is gay, she is a good fit for this trope

* GeniusDitz- Tazendra is something of a {{cloudcuckoolander}} and in many aspects is the least bright of the group, but is a brilliant spell caster.
** She's also shown to sometimes be good at observation and deduction: in ''Five Hundred Years Later'', Sethra asks for her observations on a Dzur whom Tazendra never met. Subtle clues in the man's room give Tazendra several detailed insights into his character.

* HitmanWithAHeart: Maybe.

* UglyGuyHotWife: As noted above, Mario isn't that good looking, while his girlfriend Aliera is noted for her beauty. On the other hand, Mario is a MasterOfDisguise, so the plain guy Vlad meets might not actually be his true appearance.

The aristocrat house, as much as there is one. They tend to be either brilliant leaders or decadent courtiers; the latter, unfortunately, is historically much more common. After the Interregnum, the only one left is Empress Zerika.

* LastOfTheirKind

* HonorBeforeReason

Where House Dragon are soldiers, Dzur are adventurers. They love nothing more than a fight where the odds are against them, and the worse they're outmatched, the better.

* TheDitz
** GeniusDitz: There are a ''lot'' of Dzur sorcerers and wizards.
* HonorBeforeReason

* BewareTheNiceOnes: An issola is a beautiful white heron-like bird. But, as Vlad points out, it's also a predator, and when it hunts it'll strike so fast you'll never even see it move. And then it'll go right back to standing there, looking lovely and graceful.

* XanatosGambit

A ruthlessly commercial House, Orca will do almost ''anything'' for money. And, as befits their animal, they're also often sailors.

The peasants. The vast majority of Dragaerans are in House Teckla, since anyone can join, but they don't get much of a voice and are usually treated with disdain by the other Houses. Though Paarfi does mention Teckla Republics in previous Cycles, is it any wonder some of them started their own Bolshevik Revolution?

* EvilSorcerer: Well, the CourtMage in the prequels was described as having a SlasherSmile, Loraan, a villain in the Vlad series (and who appears in the prequels) became one of these, and Right Hand of the Jhereg started from some particularly corrupt Athyra who were booted out of the House.

* CursedWithAwesome - His inexplicable ability to fade into the background may have had something to do with his removal from House Dragon. However, it's ''extremely'' useful in House Jhereg.

* AmbiguouslyGay - According to one fan interpretation. (But then, Dragaera doesn't really have gender roles.)

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu - As detailed in the prequels, Morrolan used his EmpathicWeapon to kill the local GodOfEvil, as well as [[DisproportionateRetribution slaughtering an entire village of his followers]]

* DarkIsNotEvil - He wears black all the time and lives in Castle Black - black being the colour of magic - but is arguably not evil. (You could also easily argue that he's LawfulEvil, like many other Dragons; ruthlessness and arrogance are two of his defining traits.)

* LawfulNeutral / LawfulEvil - It can be really hard to tell sometimes.

** ObliviousAdoption

* [[strike:SmallGirlBigGun]] [[SmallGirlBigGun Small Girl Big Sword]] - Aliera isn't tiny, but she ''is'' short for a Dragaeran, and carries a sword as tall as she is.

* FourStarBadass - She's ''also'' considered one of the greatest war leaders of all time. (Given half a chance to talk about military strategy, she can keep going for hours.)

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: The Mario of the Paarfli romances is pretty much a typical swashbuckler hero who [[HitmanWithAHeart happens to kill people for a living]] and has a similarly idealized romance with Aliera. However, a more sinister characterization is suggested in one of Paarfli's introductions that he was basically Adron's go-to-guy for killing political rivals and was involved in causing the Jhereg-Dragon War. When Mario turns up in the Vlad series, he's pleasant enough, but hardly a dashing hero type.

* RedBaron: The "Greymist" title, which is given different explanations by Vlad and Paarfli and counts as EarnYourTitle for both/either.

The aristocrat house, as much as there is one. They tend to be either brilliant leaders or decadent courtiers; the latter, unfortunately, is historically much more common. After the Interregnum, the only one left is Empress Zerika

Organized crime. It also happens to be the only House that accepts half-breeds of other Houses. While not all members of the House are part of the criminal organization, many are.

A middle-class House, associated with planning and entrapment. We don't know much else.

The peasants. The vast majority of Dragaerans are in House Teckla, but they don't get much of a voice and are usually treated with disdain by the other Houses. Though Paarfi does mention Teckla Republics in previous Cycles, is it any wonder some of them started their own Bolshevik Revolution?

* WeaponOfChoice: Spellbreaker, a chain that disrupts magic spells, [[spoiler:later incorporated into the Great Weapon Godslayer]].

* SoapboxSadie - She arguably fits this trope after joining a fantasy equivalent of communist rebel.

* TheNondescript

* AmbiguouslyGay - According to one fan interpretation. (But then Dragaera doesn't really have gender roles.)

!!'''The Empress'''
* InterspeciesRomance: has a human lover

* [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Race House]]
* KnightTemplar: Sometimes

* [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]]: they like fights where the odds are ''against'' them, and absolutely love fighting against impossible odds.

* GuileHero

* CorruptCorporateExecutive

<<|CharacterSheets|>>

* TheStraightWillAndGrace- Her relationship with Vlad in ''Issola''.

* [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]]