History Characters / TheFirstLawNorth

!!!POV: ''Literature/ALittleHatred'', ''Literature/TheTroubleWithPeace''

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Clover is remarked on as being loyal for a Northman. However, the North's version of loyalty is "faithfully serving until it no longer becomes practical." Clover's served many people then jumped ship when it became clear they and even admitted to killing a few friends too. [[spoiler:By then end, Wonderful is added to that list.]]

[[folder:Curnden Craw]]

[[folder:Beck]]

[[folder:Jonas Clover]]

!!Bethod's Line

[[folder:King Bethod]]
!!King Bethod

A charismatic and ruthless leader. An excellent military tactician who intends to conquer Angland after he has defeated almost every clan in the North. He is Logen's bitter enemy after he betrayed him and his band of men. He has two sons, Calder and Scale.

* AffablyEvil: He's very charismatic as well as power-hungry. He also turns out to be less one-dimensionally megalomaniacal and more well-intentioned than he initially appears.
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist for the story arc dealing with the Union's war against the Northmen.
* BadBoss: After a decade of using him to unify the North, he exiled Logen under pain of death. Of course, that's Logen's side of the story. According to Bethod, Logen's psychotic actions as the Bloody Nine kept forcing Bethod into situations where violence was the only option. The only reason he didn't kill Logen and his men is because Bayaz forced him to exile them instead.
* CombatByChampion: Bethod conquered many tribes by having Logen fight as his champion. Logen won every single fight.
* CombatPragmatist: As a commander.
-->'''Logen:''' He delights in every trick of war - in setting traps and ambushes, in mounting feints and deceptions, in sending sudden raids against the unwary. Look for him where you expect him least, and expect him to be strongest where he seems the weakest. [[DefensiveFeintTrap Beware him most of all when he seems to run.]]
* CoolCrown: His golden crown is often commented on.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: Bethod claims this is what Logen did - he was just one of many war chiefs originally, who hoped to gain a few victory's and then get good terms from his enemies, like everyone else did, so he could keep his home safe and give his sons a little more land. When Logen became his champion, he forced him into all out war by killing the men Bethod wanted to spare or ransom, leading to total war in the North, forcing Bethod to beat everyone or die.
* DealWithTheDevil: Made one with [[spoiler:Bayaz, and a related one with the Shanka.]]
* DefiantToTheEnd: After Logen kills Bethod's champion, Fenris, and advances on him, Bethod doesn't cower or flee. He just keeps mocking Logen and calling him out of his own dark deeds. He keeps insulting him until Logen smashes his head in.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Calder thinks very highly of him in ''The Heroes'', showing that, for all his villainous acts, Bethod really cared for his sons. He even says that one of his only goals in starting the war was to leave more behind for his sons than his own father left behind for him.
* EvilFormerFriend: To Logen, who served him for many years before being banished. Except then it turns out Logen is an UnreliableNarrator and according to Bethod, Logen's actions as the Bloody Nine are responsible for escalating the war until it reached the point of no return.
* GenghisGambit: His war against the Union is an attempt to strengthen his fragile hold over the North by uniting the recently conquered clans against a common enemy.
* TheGoodKing: The things he did for the North make him a legend by ''The Heroes.''
* {{Good Parent|s}}: Surprisingly, in later books he comes off as wanting only the best for his sons and doing his best to teach them how to rule.
* NobleSavage: The image he attempts to cultivate.
* PoisonousFriend: Claims that ''Logen'' was this to him, and he only had to conquer the North because Logen made too many enemies with his brutality.
* PragmaticVillainy: While Bethod was not opposed to murder, he also saw the power in mercy. When Calder murdered Forley the Weakest to make himself appear tough, Bethod merely saw the display as wasting an asset. Afterwards he cautioned Calder to appraise a thing's value before destroying it instead of smashing a thing because he can.
* RepressiveButEfficient: Stories following his death say Bethod was the evilest bastard who ever set foot in the North, but that's only because people like simple stories of good and evil. Though he was a conqueror, Craw mentions how people don't remember the good Bethod did for the North, like building infrastructure, creating great walls, roads and bridges, and stopping the constant warring between the clans--albeit by waging war on the South.
* TheStrategist: He unified the North mostly by defeating all his enemies in battle, something he was very good at. Bethod is wildly regarded to be one of the greatest military minds alive, and a severe threat to the Union.
* TragicVillain: The reason Bethod said he had to conquer the North in the first place was because Logen's psychotic episodes as the Bloody-Nine caused so much bloodshed against Bethod's wishes, that he was essentially backed into a corner and ''had'' to start a war.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He and Logen were once friends before becoming bitter enemies. Logen even comments that you can't truly hate a person unless you've loved them once, and he did once love Method.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: One interpretation of his actions in conquering the north. He started off by defeating the local clans to stop the bigger ones from squeezing his own. His success grew to the point where he defeated and united almost all the clans, and started to focus on infrastructure to improve the North. His war against the Union is partly to gain territory, but also to strengthen his hold over the North by setting his new subjects against a common enemy.

[[folder:King Scale]]
!!King Scale Ironhand

-->'''Bayaz:''' ''"Brave as a bull, strong as a bull, thick as a bull's arse."''

Bethod's older son and heir to the Northern Throne. At least he was until Black Dow became ruler by betraying Logen Ninefingers. As of the end of ''Literature/TheHeroes'', Scale has become King of the Northmen.

* AdiposeRex: Thanks to the lose of his hand, Scale as gone to siege as King of the Northmen, transforming from a mountain of muscle to a mountain of blubber.
* TheAlcoholic: Frequently seen drinking during his time as king.
* AnArmAndALeg: He loses a hand to Bremer dan Gorst in their duel. He gets it replaced with an iron prosthesis earning the nickname Scale Ironhand.
* AwesomeButImpractical: he wears a horned helmet into battle. In their fight, Gorst grabs a hold of one of the horns and hammers its impracticality into Scale's head. Literally.
* TheBerserker: He goes into a blood rage
* BigBrotherInstinct: In spite of having nothing in common with his witty, wimpy half-brother Calder, he loves him and protects him from his own sharp tongue.
* BigBrotherMentor: Tries to be this to Calder, but Calder's twice as smart as he is. His presence does dissuade people from just killing Calder, though.
* BloodKnight: Scale absolutely loves fighting and war.
* TheBrute: Not a bad guy, really, but only understands solving things through violence.
* CoolUncle: He acts this way to his nephew and heir, Stour Nightfall, whom he dotes on. This is likely because he has no children of his own, coupled with the fact that the two have a lot in common, particularly during Scale's younger days. Stour even gets along better with Scale more than he does his own father. [[spoiler:Not that this stops Stour from killing him to be king all the sooner.]]
* DualWielding: Sword and mace combo.
* DumbMuscle: Played so very straight. He's brawny, mean, and prefers to solve his problems through violence, but he's not intelligent, especially when compared to his more calculating little brother.
* EnemyMine: He and Calder team up with Black Dow to make one last attempt on Logen's life in ''Last Argument of Kings''. They fail, and afterwards both end up subservient to Black Dow, who surpasses them as ruler.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Though he doesn't agree with some of Calder's ideas and wishes he was a warrior, Scale really does love his little brother. His first instinct on hearing he was nearly assassinated is to try to kill the man believed to be responsible, even though it would just get them both into trouble.
* FrontlineGeneral: One of the reasons why Scale is so well-liked by his men is because he fights with them in battles. This seems to be a prerequisite for any Northerner who wants respect. His near death at the hands of Bremer dan Gorst is evidence why this isn't always a good decision.
* GloryDays: His time as King is mostly spent reminiscing on his past exploits and reveling in the tales of his nephew, Stour Nightfall, who greatly resembles him in his youth.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:At the end of ''A Little Hatred'', Scale takes the loss of his war against the Union remarkably rather well considering that he was on the verge of winning and only lost because Stour challenged Leo dan Brock to a duel in the circle, only gently chastising Stour for the failure.]]
* HotBlooded: Scale is a very passionate individual, and he's quick to anger and action without cooler heads to reign him in.
* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:Stour shoves a knife in his throat without warning right in the middle of their conversation.]]
* NotQuiteDead: Loses his hand and is captured by the Union, but Bayaz returns him to Calder at the end of ''The Heroes''.
* RedOniBlueOni: The impulsive, violent Red to Calder's scheming, cowardly Blue.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Scale and Calder flee after Logen kills Bethod. They later return, having teamed up with Black Dow for one last chance at Logen.
* SiblingYinYang: Scale is an unintelligent brute who prefers to settle his problems through violence. Calder is a scheming snake who is terrified of the mere thought of fighting.
* PuppetKing: Even though Calder ultimately decides he loves his brother too much to assassinate and usurp him, the end of ''The Heroes'' implies that Scale is more of a puppet that Calder rules through. This is confirmed in ''A Little Hatred'' where it's an open secret that Calder is the real ruler, with even Scale good-naturedly acknowledging it.
* WarriorPrince: He's heir to the Northern throne and a skilled fighter who's earned the admiration and respect of his men through battle.
* YouShallNotPass: Does this at the old bridge. Thanks to Bremer dan Gorst, it doesn't work. He is revealed to have survived though.

[[folder:Prince Calder]]
!!Prince "Black" Calder

-->'''Dogman:''' ''"Bethod's youngest son. And a snake."''

Bethod's ''younger'' son, a charmer and schemer among the straightforward warriors of the North. Introduced in ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'', he becomes a [=POV=] character in ''Literature/TheHeroes''.

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:He spent years trying to achieve his deceased father's ambition for the North by waging another war against the Union. By the end of the book, all of his ambitions have fallen apart thanks to his son challenging Leo dan Brock to the Circle and losing.]]
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: With his wife Sef, and occasionally comes through in interactions with his older brother [[TheBrute Scale]]. In the end, played straight as he loves Scale too much to assassinate and usurp him, instead giving Scale rulership of the North.
* BadDreams: Ever since he murdered Forley the Weakest, he's had nightmares of the event, regretting his decision to kill a good person just to make himself appear strong.
* BestServedCold: After he figures out that his father-in-law, Caul Reachey, was the one behind the assassination attempt on him, he waits until after his son is born before having Reachey poisoned, framing another enemy for the deed.
* BlueOniRedOni: With Scale. Calder's the scheming blue, to his brother's impulsive, violent red.
* TheCasanova: His love for his wife is enough to make him swear off other women. Well, almost enough.
* TheChessmaster: He spends most of ''The Heroes'' trying to scheme and manipulate his way into gaining control of the North from Black Dow. By the end, his plans bare fruit, though only after one incredibly lucky break saves his life.
* CurbStompBattle Though Calder challenges Dow to a duel to the death, it's only to buy himself more time, as he doesn't believe he has a chance against him. Sure enough, he's right, and Black Dow spends their "duel" beating the living crap out of him.
* DeadpanSnarker: His contempt for his fellow Northerners mentality combined with his quick wit leads to Calder getting some great zingers. Even some of his enemies can't help but laugh at them.
* DirtyCoward: By his own admission, Calder takes every opportunity he can to avoid fighting, especially in battles. When he finds out his brother needs him and his men as a reserve, Calder is too cowardly to help, and is horrified when it seemingly leads to Scale's death.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
** Calder is deeply in love with his wife, Seff, to the point where he swears off other women for her... mostly. Though she's long dead by the time of ''A Little Hatred'', Calder never remarried and says the reason why he could never discipline their son is because she saw too much of her in his face.
** Calder loved and respected his father, whose advice he frequently remembers long after his death.
** He shows care for his HonoraryUncle, Curnden Craw, even after the latter sells him out to Black Dow, mostly because he respects Craw as being a "straight-edge" and sticking to his principles. In contrast, he assassinates his father-in-law for also selling him out because he'd merely been pretending to be a "straight-edge."
** He also loves his older brother, Scale, even though he also resents him for his brutish nature and for standing in line for the throne. However, by the end of ''The Heroes'', he proves his love for him when he refuses to kill and usurp his weakened brother, willingly giving up the throne he always wanted. [[spoiler:And he's horrified when Stour murders him at the end of ''A Little Hatred''.]]
* EvilIsPetty: Even after remembering his father's words that mercy can be power, and reflecting on what a mistake it was to execute Forley the Weakest to make himself seem strong, he still decides to order a kid who played a small role in an assassination attempt on him killed because of some minor pain he got as a result.
* TheEvilPrince: He's Bethod's second son, a scheming snake of a man, and is deeply resentful of Scale, a brute, being next in line for the throne even though he views himself as more deserving. Subverted when he willingly gives up a chance at the throne rather than murder his brother.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: It seems that no one in the North, other than his wife and brother, respects him, because his cowardly, scheming ways are completely antithetical to the ProudWarriorRaceGuy mindset of most Northerners.
* HappilyMarried: Calder and his wife, Seff, are completely head over heels in love with each other.
* HotGuyUglyWife: Not ''ugly'' per se, but Sef's most mentioned physical trait is her pig nose.
* IHaveYourWife: Black Dow is holding Calder's wife, Seff, hostage to ensure Calder--as well as Seff's father--don't try to betray him.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: Part of his bitterness over not being heir to the throne is that Calder believes he's more like his father than Scale is. Whether that's completely true is up for debate, but he's certainly as cunning and ruthless as his father.
* TheLostLenore: Calder remains in mourning for the death of his wife, Seff. Even a decade later he still expresses devotion to her and never remarried.
* TheManInFrontOfTheMan: He ends up as this to Scale after the latter becomes king.
* ManipulativeBastard: Dead set on reclaiming his father's throne from Black Dow.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Doesn't start with one, since he's never earned it. Then after he defeats Black Dow in the circle (with a little help), people start calling him Black Calder.
* NonActionGuy: He's completely useless in a fight. Even when he does have to fight in an actual battle, his sword is completely unbloodied.
* NoRespectGuy: Calder is a very competent schemer and actually raises some decent points about why Black Dow should sue for peace, but his lack of bravery or combat experience means everyone just thinks of Calder as a cowardly weakling not worth listening to.
* OlderAndWiser: By the time of ''A Little Hatred'', Calder has completely shrugged off his old, arrogant demeanor and become a much more subtle in his scheming.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Calder's own positive, scheming qualities are overshadowed by his older brother's strength and martial prowess.
* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: At first he was offended that his father forced him to marry a woman he considered unattractive. After they married, however, Calder grew to truly care for her, to the point that he's so in love with her, he's almost completely sworn off other women... almost.
* PuppetKing: Bayaz plans on using him as one after he becomes King of the Northmen at the end of ''The Heroes''. Instead, Calder decides to pass over the crown to Scale and Scale becomes one to Calder and, through him, Bayaz. Calder being the real power behind the throne is an open-secret to everyone by the time of ''A Little Hatred''.
* RageBreakingPoint: After Scale's apparent death, Calder's response is uncharacteristically hot-headed.
* RejectedApology: He tells the Dogman that he hasn't gone a day without regretting ordering Forley the Weakest's execution. The Dogman responds by threatening to murder him if he ever comes into the Dogman's territory.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Scale and Calder flee after Logen kills Bethod. They later return, having teamed up with Black Dow for one last chance at Logen.
* ShutUpHannibal[=/=]ShutUpKirk: Depending on your perspective, delivers a pretty awesome one to Black Dow, so much so that many of the people there to watch Dow butcher him start laughing.
* SiblingYinYang: Scale is an unintelligent brute who prefers to settle his problems through violence. Calder is a scheming snake who is terrified of the mere thought of fighting.
* SleazyPolitician: He definitely has the personality of an ambitious, back-stabber who's trying to scheme his way into power. This reputation does him no favors in the martial-focused North.
* SmugSmiler: His arrogant smirk is noted to be one of his most defining characteristics. His [=POV=] shows that it's a defense mechanism, and he tries to wear that smirk like armor.
* SmugSnake: In the original trilogy he certainly fits the mold as a scheming, ambitious, arrogant man. However, it becomes zig-zagged throughout ''The Heroes''. Calder repeatedly schemes himself into a corner and wriggles out in unexpected ways, and displays far more charismatic and humanizing qualities than he previously did. He reverts to his arrogant snake personality when it appears he'll be ruler of the North, but then Bayaz puts him in his place by forcing Calder to be his puppet. Then he escapes ''that'' through brotherly love. As of ''A Little Hatred'' he's escaped this trope entirely after becoming OlderAndWiser.
* TooCleverByHalf: While Calder is a very smart individual, but he's not quite smart enough to ever get ahead. In fact his scheming usually gets him into big trouble that he's forced to talk his way out of.
* TheUnfavorite: Calder believes Scale was favored more by his father than him.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Calder's narration reveals he really wanted his father's approval. In fact, one of the reasons why he killed Forley the Weakest was a failed attempt to gain his dad's respect.
* WouldHurtAChild: Orders the death of a kid who was involved in an assassination attempt on him. Notably, the kid didn't actually try to kill him, he just minded the others' horses, and while Calder recognizes there's probably nothing to gain from the act, he orders it anyway out of wounded pride.

[[folder:Stour Nightfall]]
!!Stour Nightfall

-->''"Folk say a lot o' things about my grandfather, Bethod this and Bethod that, but I never even met the bastard. I got my own dreams to think about."''

The only son of Black Calder and Seff, nephew to King Scale Ironhand, and heir to the kingdom of the Northmen. Nicknamed the Great Wolf for his prowess in battle, he's helping his father and uncle in waging another war against the Union to seize the Dogman's Protectorate. His prowess as a warrior is matched only by his bloodlust and desire for glory.

* ArrogantKungFuGuy: When he goes into the Circle with [[spoiler:Leo dan Brock]], he's so cocky that even when he's the one allowed to choose which weapon the combatants use, he doesn't care and says his opponent can pick. The ensuing duel proves his confidence was wellfounded as he spends the entirety of it wiping the floor with his opponent with minimal effort.
* AwesomeMcCoolName: His name is Stour Nightfall because he was born during an eclipse. At least, that's how the legend goes. In actuality he was born an hour beforehand but his family's too powerful for anyone to say otherwise.
* AxCrazy: In addition to being a ruthless war criminal, Clover and Wonderful worry Stour might be actually insane after he details his plan for Rikke. He plans on putting her on display where the Dogman's forces can see her then having her gang-raped by his soldiers, horses and possibly a pig, before cutting the bloody cross into her and sending her guts in a box to her father scented with herbs so he won't know what's inside until he opens it.
* BloodKnight: Stour truly is a masterful fighter and loves fighting like the warriors of legend, whether on the battlefield or in the Circle.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler:After defeating him in the Circle and sparing his life, Leo tries to invoke this on Stour, reminding him this was how Logen Ninefingers, whom they both admire, won those he bested over to his side. This and a few other arguments end up convincing Stour to be “friends” with Leo. It's then deconstructed when Stour proves himself to still be an utter sociopath who takes Leo's "friendship" as a justification to do whatever he wants by murdering his uncle to become King of the Northmen.]]
* TheDragon: He acts as one to his uncle and his father both in their third war against the Union.
** DragonInChief: Though he's not a match for his father's intelligence, at the time of the story, he's leagues more dangerous as a warrior than his uncle.
* TheEvilPrince: Averted. His uncle, the King of the Northmen, is one of the only people Stour is shown getting along with. This is most likely because, not only has Scale already named Stour his heir, but the two of them are much alike, reveling in tales of past glories, and preferring simple combat to intricate schemes. [[spoiler:Then unfortunately played straight at the end of ''A Little Hatred'' when Stour's near-death experience has taught him life is too short to wait for his moment and he just murders his uncle to become King.]]
* FatalFlaw: Pride. [[spoiler:He could've killed Leo a dozen times over in the Circle but spent most of it just toying with him. By the time he's ready to deliver the killing blow, enough time has passed for Rikke to use her Long Eye to cry out a warning that ends the duel in Leo's favor. Stour only survives because Leo shows mercy and, surprisingly, Stour learns from this encounter.]]
* FrontlineGeneral: Ruthless bastard or not, no one can fault his bravery. He goes where the fighting is because that's where the glory's earned.
* GloryHound: Stour doesn't just want to win the war against the Union, he wants to become a LivingLegend in the process. He loves hearing tales about his past victories and wants knew songs to be sung of him the same way Northmen sing of Shama Heartless, Whirrun of Bligh and the Bloody-Nine.
* HateSink: He has his father and uncle's vices with none of their virtues and proves to be a vicious, unlikable bastard even by Northern standards. It almost seems to be lampshaded by Rikke, who loathes him after overhearing him plotting her horrific death, but speculated that when she saw him in person she'd see he's just another human being with his own loves and redeeming aspects. Instead she sees the same strutting jackass he's always been.
* {{Jerkass}}: Most of his interactions with other people amount to belittling them and treating them with utter contempt. Even his own father isn't spared his scorn.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He killed Stranger-Come-Knocking in the Circle, not because the latter was a monstrous rapist, but because he was infamous enough for his death to add to Stour's legend.
* LikeFatherUnlikeSon: Instead of being strategically minded and cunning like his father, Black Calder, Stour is much more like his uncle, Scale, a warrior who enjoys fighting in the battlefield in search of glory.
* MasterSwordsman: Stour is a prodigy with a sword and just a few minutes into his duel against [[spoiler:Leo dan Brock]] is enough time for everyone present to know that, despite the latter's skill, Stour is the far more capable swordsman of the two.
* NotSoDifferent: He and Leo dan Brock share a lot of similarities. Both identify as warriors rather than soldiers, both are self-centered and hungry for personal glory, both prefer to fight openly rather than listen to the strategic advice of their much more competent single parent, whom they chafe under. [[spoiler:Highlighting their similarities is one of the ways Leo sways Stour to ally with him rather than remain enemies.]]
* RapePillageAndBurn: His EstablishingCharacterMoment is razing a village by personally going from house-to-house to burn it down. Afterwards he says he wants to burn a few more before dinner.
* TheRedBaron: Due to his exploits, Stour has garnered the nickname "The Great Wolf" and has made a wolf his personal standard.
* RedRightHand: His eyes are described as constantly watering. Clover speculates they're "tears of acid contempt" for everyone around him.
* RoyalBrat: Calder partially believes the reason why Stour turned out the way he did is because Calder never disciplined him after the death of his beloved wife, since he saw too much of Seff in Stour's face. The end result is a spoiled sociopath who's heir to the Northmen Kingdom.
* TheSociopath: Stour partakes in acts of excessive cruelty on a whim without thought to their long-term consequences, shows no remorse for any of his crimes, displays no real love or loyalty for friends and family, and only cares about himself and glorifying his own massive ego. The only times he shows respect to another person, it's to his uncle Scale, whom he's very similar to. [[spoiler:But even then Stour ends up murdering him without batting an eye to become King of the Northmen.]]
* SoldierVsWarrior: Stour falls firmly on the "Warrior" side, fighting for the thrill of it as well as his own personal glory.
* StupidEvil: After his father spent years plotting the conquest of Uffrith, Stour burns it to the ground for no reason. He later intends to have Rikke raped then tortured to death rather than use her as a valuable hostage, and takes his time slowly bleeding [[spoiler:Leo dan Brock]] in the Circle rather than killing him outright. Clearly he never took his grandfather and father's lessons of not breaking something just because he can.

!!!Bethod's Court

[[folder:Fenris the Feared]]
!!Fenris the Feared

-->''"With this hand I tore down the statues of Aulcus. Now I kill little men, in little wars."''

Bethod's champion, an unstoppable giant.

* AchillesHeel: The entire left side of his body is covered in blue writing that gives the left side of his body a HealingFactor which makes him impervious to harm. Meanwhile, he wears impenetrable armor over his right side. Logen kills him by stabbing his sword into his left side and pushes it further and further in until it starts stabbing the organs on his right.
* AmbiguouslyHuman: He appears more or less human, if rather imposing. But he's big enough to be a giant and strong enough to fight off several named men at once without a weapon of his own. His very presence inspires a queasy, instinctive fear in the hardest of men, and he is at least ''thousands'' of years old yet still in the prime of his power. Plus his magical tattoos, which make half of him invincible, elevate what little humanity he may have had to something supernatural. The spirits claim he is no man at all, but something far more. His life before becoming Glustrod's champion is left untold, but given Glustrod's penchant for communing with devils and the devil-blooded, it's entirely possible he was never fully human to begin with.
* TheBrute: To Bethod, he's a giant that stands over seven-feet-tall and is borderline indestructible thanks to his armor and mystical HealingFactor. It's no surprise Bethod uses him strictly for killing.
* TheChampion: He serves as Bethod's after Logen was exiled.
* TheDreaded: Right there in the name. His mere presence mystically compels his enemies to break down in his presence.
* EldritchAbomination: He appears to be a ''terrifying'' man, but that by itself is relatively mundane. The real horror of him is the overpowering sense of sickening, dizzying dread he inspires in all who behold him. Logen realizes that Fenris gives off the same vibe as the cursed, radiated ruins of Aulcus, being powered by similar forces as those that destroyed the old city.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Of some sort. Invoked with his armor and tattoos.
* HumanoidAbomination: He appears human-esque, but his form towers above all other men and is rippling with tight muscle and hslf-coated in intricate tattoos. His unblinking eyes bulge from his thick skull and his voice is grating and inhuman. His wounds on one side never bleed and his strength is more than enough to mown the greatest warriors with ease. Worst of all, [[EldritchAbomination he radiates an upsetting, otherworldly aura that reduces the bravest men to nausea and terror]].
* TheJuggernaut: He's completely unstoppable in battle. Even Logen doesn't stand a chance against him until Caurib is killed.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Start with naming him after a legendary, giant, god-killing wolf. Then add "the Feared."
* NighInvulnerability: Half of his body is covered with magic runes in the language of demons that make him impervious to any harm.
* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: Fenris, or Fenrir, is a figure from Norse mythology. The son of Loki, he is a great and vicious wolf that can barely be contained by the most powerful of binds, prophesied to break free during Ragnarok and kill Odin the Allfather himself. A name to inspire fear and power.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: If his claims that he served under Glustrod during the fall of the Old Empire are true. And given the fact that a spirit corroborates the story, they most likely are.

[[folder:Caurib]]
!!Caurib

A sorceress from the utmost North, unaffiliated with the Order of the Magi, who serves King Bethod.
----
* CompellingVoice: Her power, the Golden Voice, allows her to seduce anyone and control them with her voice. When the Dogman and Harding Grim try to assassinate her, she uses it to convince Grim to stab the Dogman. They're only saved by Black Dow's arrival.
* TheEvilGenius: Though Bethod is a genius when it comes to warfare, she provides the magical genius and skills integral to his war.
* EvilSorceress: A sorceress who uses her magic to help Bethod conquer the North and wage war against the South.
* FogOfDoom: She summons mists to conceal Bethod's armies.
* MakeupIsEvil: Bayaz even mocks her for wearing so much makeup.

[[/folder]]

!!Logen's Band

[[folder:Logen Ninefingers]]
!! Logen Ninefingers

-->''"I've no doubt the world would be a better place if I'd been killed years ago, but I haven't been, and I don't know why."''

An aging Northman with a black name and a blacker past. After living a life of senseless violence, Logen tries to turn away from the path he's walked so long only to find, no matter where he goes, he can't easily escape his deeds, or his nature. [[spoiler:By the time of ''Literature/RedCountry'' he goes by the name Lamb.]]

* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: After he kills Bethod, Logen becomes the new King of the North. Unfortunately, his rule is short-lived.
* BarbarianHero: A classic, if gritty example.
* BattleCouple: More like "Battle FriendsWithBenefits," but he and Ferro Maljinn get into a physical relationship on their journey to the Edge of the World, and they frequently face threats together.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: A rare heroic example. [[spoiler:Logen Ninefingers used to be the worst man in the North. By the time of ''Red Country'' he's a nonviolent, non-confrontational coward named Lamb... at least until his children are stolen.]]
* TheBerserker: On occasion. Bad occasion. When he becomes the Bloody-Nine he doesn't distinguish friend from foe. All that matters is killing.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Logen is one of the nicest characters in the original trilogy, but he's one of the most feared men in the North for a reason. His Bloody-Nine persona is a dangerous psychotic who's a danger to friend and foe alike.
* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Red Country'', he realizes that his past as the Bloody-Nine will always put his adoptive children at risk, and decides that the best thing he can do for them is leave.]]
* CatchPhrase: Several. Almost all of them are shown to be inaccurate or delusional over the course of the books.
** "You have to be realistic about these things."
** "You can never have too many knives."
** "Still alive."
** "Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he...*insert relevant trait here.*"
* CombatPragmatist: During a fight, all Logen cares about is surviving, meaning he'll do whatever it takes to win.
* CoolSword: Carried the Maker's Sword for a while.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Outside the North, he comes off to many people as a dim-witted savage. In reality, he's not only a very intelligent and philosophical person, he's quite possibly the deadliest fighter in the series.
* TheDragon: He used to be this to Bethod, as his champion during the early parts of the war.
* TheDreaded: People in the North are terrified of him. By the time of ''The Heroes'', just the rumor of his presence can send Northern warriors fleeing.
* TheHeart: Despite his incredibly dark and bloody past, Logen adopts this role in Bayaz's group as they make their way to the Edge of the World. While Bayaz and Quai remain distant, Logen tries to inspire camaraderie in the rest of the group. He convinces Ferro to stay and his lessons trigger Jezal's development into a better person.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Discussed. Logen states that he has no preference in weapons, but Bayaz tells him that HeroesPreferSwords, so he gives him one.
* ISeeDeadPeople: Not "dead people" exactly, but he's one of the only people left in the world who can see spirits, creatures that are otherwise invisible to normal folk. It's one of the reasons Bayaz takes Logen with him on his trip to the Edge of the World.
* KnifeNut: Prefers larger weapons in a fight, but always has a few knives as backup. One of his mottoes is, "You can never have too many knives."
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Bloody-Nine.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: His children with his wife, Thelfi, died during a Shanka raid on his village.
* PapaWolf: [[spoiler:In ''Literature/RedCountry'', he's adopted three kids: Shy South (who's a grown woman by the time of the story), Ro and Pit. When Pit and Ro are kidnapped, Logen brings his Bloody-Nine persona out of retirement to rip apart anyone who stands between him and his missing kids.]]
* PoisonousFriend: Bethod reveals that it was Logen's bloodlust as the Bloody-Nine that forced Bethod's hand to become king. The times when Bethod tried to smooth things over nonviolently were usually sabotaged by Logen killing important people, making peace impossible.
* RetiredMonster: By the beginning of the series, Logen is ashamed of his past atrocities and his Bloody-Nine personality. In ''The Red Country'', [[spoiler:he goes a step farther by retiring to a farm and changing his name, but he still can't escape the Bloody-Nine]].
* TheSoCalledCoward: As [[spoiler:Lamb]] he becomes a dark take on this. [[spoiler: He puts on a cowardly, non-confrontational personality, because if he engages in combat, it tends to bring out a [[SuperpoweredEvilSide not so nice side of his personality]]. His adoptive daughter, Shy, not realizing the truth, thinks of him as a coward as a result and is horrified when she finds out differently.]]
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: The Bloody-Nine. [[spoiler:It's an alternate personality in which he gains seemingly superhuman fighting abilities, yet also goes into a battle lust that causes him to kill just about anything in front of him. Even friends and children. By the start of the series, Logen hates the Bloody-Nine and resists him taking over in anything less than the most extreme circumstances]].
* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: In ''Literature/RedCountry'', he's [[spoiler: Lamb]]. While the book can be enjoyed without knowing this, it's a LateArrivalSpoiler that is important to understanding his character.
* UncertainDoom: The original trilogy ends with him escaping an assassination attempt by leaping from a window and plunging to the river far below. The book ends on a cliffhanger as to whether he survived. Years later, he's presumed dead, and Black Dow has taken credit for killing him, but considering the body wasn't found and he managed to survive an earlier plunge in the beginning of the very first story, it's possible he survived. [[spoiler:''Red Country'' confirms he's still alive.]]
* WarriorPoet: Has a bit of a philosophical side.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Logen says that you can't truly hate a man without loving him first, and he admits to himself that he did love Bethod before they became bitter enemies.
* WouldHurtAChild: Or, rather, the Bloody-Nine would. During the Battle in the High Places, he kills one of Crummock-i-Phail's young sons.

[[folder:The Dogman]]
!!The Dogman

Logen's oldest friend, a Named Man of some repute. He has sharp teeth, a sharp nose and an even sharper sense of smell.

* TheArcher: His primary weapon, as a scout.
* CombatPragmatist: Pretty common among the Northmen.
* TheGoodKing: He becomes leader of a Northern Protectorate by the end of ''The Heroes'' and is widely beloved by his people over fifteen years later in ''A Little Hatred''.
* {{Good Parent|s}}: He's a loving and devoted father to his daughter Rikke, whom he provides with equal amounts of loving support and worldly wisdom.
* TheNoseKnows: His namesake is his extremely sharp sense of smell.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Helped by his sense of smell.
* StealthExpert: Played with. He's famous for his stealth, but due to the relatively realistic nature of the series, we occasionally see Dogman trip over things or bump into people he wasn't expecting.

[[folder:Rudd Threetrees]]
!!Rudd Threetrees

-->'''Harding Grim:''' ''Never took an easy path, if he thought it was the wrong one. Never stepped back from a fight, if he thought it had to be done. I stood with him, walked with him, fought with him, ten years, all over the North. I've no complaints.''

An elderly member of Logen's band, a skilled and inspiring leader in his own right.

* CoolOldGuy: Admit it, you want to get drunk and smoke chagga with him.
* KnightInSourArmor: Has an old-fashioned Northern sense of honor, despite his circumstances.
* TheLancer: He was second to Logen. When Logen seemingly dies, Threetrees takes over leadership of their group.
* TheLeader: After Logen is separated from his crew.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: He wields a big, round shield in battle along with his sword.
* OldSoldier: The oldest member of the band, but still plenty of fight left in him.
* SacrificialLion: He's a major character in the first two books but dies in battle to Fenris the Feared.
%%* SinkOrSwimMentor: To West.
* TheStrategist: He always spells out the plan.

[[folder:Black Dow]]
!!Black Dow

-->''"This ain't for you, to kill a man tied up. It's for work like this, you bring along a man like me."''

A sharp-tongued member of Logen's band who is famed for his ruthlessness.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Becomes King of the Northmen after the trilogy.
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: He despises people who pretend that they're the good guys despite being ruthless killers. This is also large part of his justification for trying to assassinate Logen.
* AxeCrazy: Has this reputation, though ''The Heroes'' implies that he's actually quite calculated.
* BadBoss: Zigzagged in ''The Heroes''. He can be perfectly affable to his subordinates if he deems them worthy of his respect, but behaves like a total jerk to everyone else. His constant mistreatment of Shivers has [[TheDogBitesBack fatal consequences for him.]]
* BloodKnight: There's nothing that Dow enjoys more than killing. In ''The Heroes'', he jumps at the chance of fighting on the frontlines again after years of inactivity.
* BodyguardBetrayal: He betrays Logen at the end of the original trilogy, and, in ''The Heroes'', is betrayed and killed by Caul Shivers.
* CardCarryingVillain: He's an unrepentant murderer and rapist, and enjoys every minute of it.
* CombatPragmatist: Despite being a fearsome fighter, he doesn't like to take unnecessary risks and is not above fighting dirty. Logen finds out the hard way at the end of the trilogy.
* CoolSword: After betraying Logen, he claims the Maker's sword for himself.
* CurbStompBattle: His duel to the death with Calder is painfully one-sided in Black Dow's favor. The only reason Calder survives is because Caul Shivers betrays and kills him in the middle of it.
* DeadpanSnarker: Has a [[BlackComedy very dark,]] cynical kind of humor.
* TheDogBitesBack: Pulls this on Logen, and then years later Shivers pulls it on him.
* TheDreaded: Nearly as much as Logen. He has a particularly vile reputation for having done just about every underhanded deed you could think of.
* DualWielding: Sword and axe.
* DuelToTheDeath: He's forced to accept Calder's challenge of a duel to save face. Everyone expects Dow to win due to his fearsome reputation and his opponent's status as a NonActionGuy. Dow ''would'' have won had Caul Shivers not betrayed him.
* EarAche: One of his most notable traits is his missing ear.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Claims to not be as bad as Bethod's tax collectors, who leave nothing from villages they 'collect' from. He then claims he never would kill his friends to Logen, and kills him to prevent a madman becoming the King of the North.
* FakeUltimateHero: [[spoiler:Doesn't actually kill Logen Ninefingers, which is a large part of his reputation.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Dow reveals he used to be a potter's apprentice before becoming one of the most feared men in the North.
* HairTriggerTemper: Although he seems to be able to turn it off just as quickly. Its hinted at in ''The Heroes'' that he plays the part on purpose. Being known as a crazy fucker who might start killing people on the drop of a hat has its perks.
* HiddenDepths. Used to be a craftsman's apprentice and sometimes regrets leaving that life.
* InTheBack: He's killed in the middle of his duel with Calder when Caul Shivers attacks him while his back is turned.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Although his heart is pretty black, he's noted to express moral disgust on a few rare occasions. The Dogman is also surprised to see how emotional he gets at Forley's funeral.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He is even more a ruthless a despot than Bethod ever was and while he gets annoyed at Logen dragging the North into someone ''else's'' war, the first thing he does after coming to power is start conquering the rest of the North for himself.
* {{Jerkass}}: Generally acts hostile and abrasive, even to his own allies.
* TheLancer: To Threetrees.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: ''Is'' this trope.
-->''What's my name? White Dow?''
* PetTheDog: Has a few notable moments, such as his interactions with West or his words at Threetrees' funeral. In ''The Heroes'' he surprises Craw by allowing him to retire once the war is done.
* RetiredMonster: Has shades of this in ''The Heroes''. Being King of the Northmen does not leave one with much time for RapePillageAndBurn.
* SlasherSmile: Often flashes a menacing grin.
* TheSneakyGuy: "You won't see Black Dow coming. Not if he doesn't want to be seen."
* TokenEvilTeammate: Seems to revel in it - he claims he's the one to kill teenagers who they've captured. Revelations about the Bloody Nine shows he might not be so bad in comparison.
* TookALevelInKindness: Surprisingly, he comes across as much more personable in ''The Heroes'', though this might just be how [[NobleTopEnforcer Craw]] sees him.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: He usurps Logen as new King of the North at the end of the original trilogy. Surprisingly enough, he's not really any worse than any other ruler.
* TheUsurper: At the end of the original trilogy, while he fails to assassinate Logen, he takes credit for his death and becomes the new King of the North.
* VitriolicBestBuds: He and Tul Duru will occasionally work each other into a screaming argument that requires the others to tone down before it comes to blows, but their both good friends.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He still respects the Dogman even years after the two became enemies, following Dow usurping Logen as King of the North. He regrets that they've become enemies and gets pissed off when one of his allies besmirches the Dogman's reputation.
* WouldHitAGirl: Has no qualms about killing women.
* WouldHurtAChild: Or children, for that matter.

[[folder:Tul Duru "Thunderhead"]]
!!Tul Duru "Thunderhead"

-->'''Dogman:''' ''The Thunderhead was a different animal. Once that big ox got properly riled there was no calming him. Not without ten strong men and a lot of rope.''

A giant member of Logen's band, he is extremely tall and strong.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Even by Named Man standards.
* BadassBeard: He's a gigantic warrior with an impressive beard.
* {{BFS}}: He wields an enormous sword that he often rests on his shoulder.
* TheBigGuy: His role in the Logen's group of Named Men, being the literal biggest and strongest.
* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: He's the third member of the band to die. Logan kills him in one of his blackouts during the battle of the High Places.
* NiceGuy: He's not one to use his size to bully others, and is "slow to anger."
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: The cause of his death. When Logen is wounded in battle, Tul tries to help him up, not realizing that Logen is in full Bloody-Nine mode and no longer able to distinguish between friends and enemies.
* NoIndoorVoice: Has a deep, booming voice, giving him his name.
* RageBreakingPoint: The Dogman muses at one point that Tul Duru is extremely slow to anger, and that's ''a very good thing for everyone.''
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Dow. With Dow. They argue all the time, and each refuses to follow the other, but when Tul dies, Dow delivers an impassioned eulogy at his funeral.

[[folder:Harding Grim]]
!!Harding Grim

--> ''"Uh."''

A laconic member of Logen's band.
----
* ArcherArchetype: Logen accounts him the best archer he's ever seen... before he met Ferro.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Logen recalls nearly being spitted by Grim with a spear during their duel.
* CaptainObvious: The Dogman notes that, when Grim does choose to speak, it's rarely something profound and usually something that didn't need saying in the first place.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "Uh."
* ColdSniper: A very laconic and stoic archer.
* DeadpanSnarker: On the rare occasions where he does talk, he can be quite snarky.
* HiddenDepths: Speaks fluent Union, for one.
* TheQuietOne: He rarely speaks, which is where his name comes from.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Forley the Weakest]]
!!Forley the Weakest

-->'''Dogman:''' ''He might not have been much at killing, Forley, but he was a damn good boy for stopping those that were from killing each other.''

A member of Logen's band, nervous and cowardly but acts to keep the group together and stop them fighting each other.
----
* DecapitationPresentation: Bethod's son, Calder, has Forley killed out of spite, and one of his lieutenants throws the sack containing his head at Threetrees' feet. Logen's band proceed to kill all of Calder's lieutenants for this.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: He's the weakest member of his tribe, and certainly of the band.
* TheHeart: Lousy at winning fights, but excellent at preventing them, which the Dogman notes is a very useful ability.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: With the Shanka advancing and Bethod's army on the move, it's only a matter of time before the Shanka overwhelm the North. Forley volunteers to deliver a warning to Bethod's people about the Shanka since he's the least threatening member of Logen's band, so they're most inclined to listen to him. Not only does Bethod's son, Calder, have Forley killed, it turns out Bethod is working with the Shanka.
* NonActionGuy: He generally just hides during fights. When he does manage to kill a flathead, it's a matter of celebration.
* SacrificialLamb: In-universe; his village sent him to duel Logen as a form of surrender. This turns out to be his role in-story as well.
* TheSoCalledCoward: Everyone, including himself, considers him a coward due to his NonActionGuy status. But in the end Forley is willing to risk his life by parlaying with Bethod's people in the hopes of warning the North about a Shanka invasion. He ends up killed for it and Threetrees' remarks at his courage and self-sacrifice at his funeral.

[[/folder]]

!!Craw's Dozen

[[folder:Curnden Craw]]
!!Curnden Craw

-->''"Every sword's a curse, boy."''

Leader of a crew of Named Men, known to all as a real straight edge.
----
* AFatherToHisMen: Craw cares about every member of his Dozen. He does his best to keep them alive and if he fails, he says the words over their graves.
* CatchPhrase: "Those are the times."
* ConflictingLoyalties: He has to choose whether to be loyal to his principles in serving his chief, Black Dow, or loyal to Calder, someone he loves like a son, when he tries to convince him to assassinate Dow. In the end he reluctantly chooses his principles.
* CoolOldGuy: He's an old man who's also funny, personable, reasonable, and a caring leader.
* EmbarrassingNickname: His name "Craw" comes from nearly choking on a chicken bone that got stuck in his throat. At the time he was furious at Threetrees for giving him such an embarrassing name, but as time went on he became grateful for it.
* FeelingTheirAge: While he's an OldSoldier, his age is definitely catching up to him, as he reflects any time he's getting ready to go into battle. His knees in particular give him a lot of trouble.
* FriendlyEnemy: With fellow Northman, Hardbread. They're old friends and they genuinely like each other, it's just that every time they meet in ''The Heroes'', they're on opposite sides of a war. At least until the epilogue where they're on the same side.
* HonorBeforeReason: Even though he doesn't like Black Dow, and he loves Calder like a son, he still chooses to live up to his principles by telling Black Dow that Calder wanted Craw to assassinate him. He does this knowing it'll likely mean Calder's death.
* KnightInSourArmor: Craw always tries to do the right thing, no matter how difficult it is or how much he grumbles about it.
* LikeASonToMe: He loves Calder like a son.
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: A platonic example. His second, Wonderful, describes their relationship like a married couple that no longer fuck.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: He chooses to remain loyal to his chief, Black Dow, even though it means confessing that Calder, who's practically his surrogate son, tried to convince Craw to assassinate Dow. Calder is nearly executed as a result.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: How he views his SadisticChoice.
* NumberTwo: He used to be second to Rudd Threetrees. He later becomes Black Dow's second, but only until the war is over.
* OldSoldier: He's an old man who's been involved in wars practically his entire life. He's been meaning to retire for a long time but never quite gets around to it.
* ParentalSubstitute: He was practically Calder's second father. Even after Craw sides with Dow over him, nearly causing Calder's death, Calder doesn't hold a grudge.
* TheReliableOne: Craw has a reputation as a "straight edge" due to his commitment to doing the right thing, sticking by the old ways, and standing by his chief and crew. It's the reason why Black Dow chooses him as his second.
* RetiredBadass: Craw's dream is to retire from soldiering and live a quiet life. Unfortunately he can never quite find a time to hang up his sword. He finally does at the end of ''The Heroes'' only to realize he doesn't want to stop soldiering, and joins up to help Calder in his war against Glama Golden.
* SadisticChoice: Faced with one when his old friend and former chief's son Calder attempts to turn him against his new chief.
* UndyingLoyalty: He's famed for stellar loyalty among the North.
* YouRemindMeOfX: Black Dow tells Craw that he reminds him of Threetrees, which Craw is deeply flattered by.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Wonderful]]
!!Wonderful

Craw's second-in-command.
----
* ActionGirl: She's one of the only women seen fighting along with the men in the North.
* ActionMom: She has children at home and visits them between jobs.
* BaldWoman: Wonderful has shaved-stubble hair. She first shaved her head when trouble started up with Bethod's men trying to attack her farm.
* ColdSniper: A sarcastic warrior who's skilled with a bow.
* CombatPragmatist: Anyway to win a fight is the right strategy.
* DeadpanSnarker: Wonderful has a very sarcastic and snide sense of humor.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:After stabbing her in the heart, Clover holds her as she dies, since he thinks he'd want someone to hold him when he dies.]]
* HappilyMarried: Has a husband and kids back at home, whom she visits between jobs. This turns out to be a lie as they packed up and left years ago, and she couldn't bear to tell anyone.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She can be snide and sarcastic towards her friends, but it's obvious she cares about them a lot.
* TheLadette: Wonderful is a capable fighter who's described as tough as any man.
* TheLancer: To Craw. Later to Dow, when she takes command of his Carls.
* NumberTwo: She's Craw's second in his Dozen.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: She and the rest of her Dozen make a run for it rather than stick around to see the aftermath of Dow's murder at Shivers' hands.
* ShootYourMate: [[spoiler:Stour Nightfall orders Clover to murder her to prove his loyalty to him. Clover doesn't even hesitate, even though he hates doing it.]]
* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: [[spoiler:After Stour orders Jonas Clover to kill her to prove his loyalty, she doesn't even have time to finish saying Clover's name before he's stabbed her in the heart.]]
* [[WhenYouComingHomeDad When You Coming Home Mom]]: She doesn't get a chance to visit her husband and kids often because she's usually too busy off fighting. She says they understand it's just who she is. Except it turns out she's lying, and they packed up and left years ago and she couldn't bear to tell anyone.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Whirrun of Bligh]]
!!Whirrun of Bligh

A hero from a valley in the far north of the North, and a member of Craw's dozen.
----
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: The reason he joined up with Craw was because the sorceress Shoglig told him that he'd be shown his destiny by a man choking on a bone. He's also unafraid when fighting because she told him the day and manner of his death. He's pretty bummed when dying that she was just making shit up.
* {{BFS}}: The Father of Swords, an impossibly large two-hander.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: People put up with his gonzo personality because he's such a good fighter.
* BoisterousBruiser: He's usually chipper, even during war, partly because he [[ForeseeingMyDeath knows when and how he'll die]].
* CharacterDevelopment: In "The Fool Jobs," a story concerning Craw's crew several years before ''The Heroes'', Whirrun is new to the band, so he's detached from his comrades and rather reticent. By the time of ''The Heroes'', he's an old hand with the group won't shut up about whatever is on his mind.
* CloudCuckooLander: Whirrun has an... odd way of thinking at times.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Acts like a weird goofball most of the time.
* CursedWithAwesome: He wields the Father of Swords, a sword said to have been dropped by God and is worshipped by people way up North in the valleys. Whirrun says he views it as both a blessing and a curse, though, he admits as he lays dying, that now he only considers it a curse, and asks Craw to bury it with him so no one else needs to carry that burden.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: He dies in Craw's arms.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: He takes his death remarkably well, only being disappointed that Shoglig had no clue what the hell she was talking about when she predicted his death.
* FamedInStory: Other Northmen spend the time between battles talking about his ridiculous list of accomplishments.
* ForeseeingMyDeath: He has no fear because the witch Shoglig told him to the day and manner of his death. He often gloats that today is not the day of his prophesied death, so he is sure to overcome his enemies. Subverted when he's mortally wounded by a random spear. As he lay dying, he's not too happy to realize that Shoglig had no idea what she'd been talking about all along.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: He dies when he's stabbed by a random spear while fighting Bremer dan Gorst.
* ImplausibleFencingPowers: Whirrun can somehow use the impractically large Father of Swords to deadly effect. Bremer dan Gorst has never seen such swordsmanship.
* MasterSwordsman: His swordsmanship skills are legendary. Gorst, a MasterSwordsman himself, regards him as a WorthyOpponent when they meet on the battlefield.
* NonIndicativeName: He's never even been to Bligh. That's just the northernmost place that anyone locally has ever heard of, so he's assumed to be from around there.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Has less clothes on every time he fights. This ultimately gets him killed.
* WorthyOpponent: He and Bremer dan Gorst acknowledge each other as this during their duel. Unfortunately, in the middle of it, Whirrun ends up killed by a random spear.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Beck]]
!!Beck

A Northern lad of seventeen, whose father was a famous champion.
----
* DirtyCoward: Deconstructed. Beck abandons his comrades and hides during a battle, but it's part of the deconstruction of warfare. Who ''would'' want to participate in such an atrocious waste of human life?
* DramaticIrony: Beck becomes a Named Man, doing so by hiding in a pile of corpses and getting covered in blood, so that his comrades believe he'd fought through hell to survive.
* {{Jerkass}}: Well, he ''is'' seventeen.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Of course, throughout the novel there are obvious signs that Beck cares, and that much of his jerkish behaviour is overcompensating. And while a good part of his aversion to war is (arguably sensible) cowardice, much more of it has to do with the fact that he's just not a killer, and after his first taste of battle, he doesn't want to be.
* MommasBoy: He was raised by his mother, but abandons her and his siblings to become a man. When the realities of being a warrior dawn on him, he starts thinking a lot about his mother. He returns to her in the end.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Kills a comrade after spending most of a battle hiding. When the northman veterans give him a name, he tries to correct them, but he's too exhausted and traumatized to do so. At the end of the novel, he confesses this to Craw hoping to be punished, and when Craw simply says he's seen and heard stories like that dozens of times, he only feels worse.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of the battle, having seen enough of his father's lifestyle.
* SmallNameBigEgo: His ''father'' was Shama Heartless yet he acts like he's owed the same level of reverence without having to do anything to earn it. He soon becomes disavowed of that notion.
* TookALevelInKindness: One of the ''very'' few in the First Law Universe. He goes from being a selfish, vain, jerkass of a teenager who dreams of being a butcher on the battlefield to a humble, caring man content to live the rest of his life on a farm and forget about the war.

[[/folder]]

!!Black Dow's War-Chiefs

[[folder:Caul Reachey]]
!!Caul Reachey

One of Black Dow's five war-chiefs, and Calder's father-in-law.
----
* BrokenPedestal: Calder expresses disappointment in Reachey's attempt on his life, mostly because he thought better of Reachey than that. In contrast, when Craw betrayed Calder, there were no hard feelings because Calder knew Craw was sticking to his principles.
* CoolOldGuy: He's a reasonable old man with a reputation as a straight edge and promises to side with Calder within reason. Turns out he's not quite as much of a straight edge as he advertises.]
* FrameUp: Calder has him assassinated in revenge for his attempt on Calder's life, and frames Glama Golden for the deed.
* IHaveYourWife: His daughter is held hostage by Black Dow to ensure Reachey's good behavior.
* KilledOffscreen: He's killed by Calder offscreen.
* PapaWolf: Reachey will do anything to protect his daughter, Seff, who's being held hostage by Black Dow to ensure his good behavior. He's even willing to try to assassinate his son-in-law, Calder, rather than risk his scheming costing his daughter her life.
* TheReliableOne: Like Craw, Reachey has a reputation as a straight edge due to his dedication to the old way. Unlike Craw, Reachey has no illusions about the old way and is willing to backstab and betray his son-in-law out of pragmatism.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Brodd Tenways]]
!!Brodd Tenways

One of Black Dow's five war-chiefs. He's the most loyal among them and possesses a burning hatred of Bethod's sons.
----
* BigDamnVillains: Tenways actually saves Calder's life from Mitterick's soldiers.
* EvilOldFolks: An evil, elderly war-chief.
* {{Gonk}}: Tenways has bad teeth, a foul smell, and patches of a hideous rash covering his twisted face. The overall effect has Calder describe him as "ugly as incest."
* TheMole: Bayaz reveals that Tenways' loyalty was mostly a show, and he was really one of his agents.
* NotMeThisTime: He wasn't behind the assassination attempt on Calder. Caul Reachey was.
* SinsOfTheFather: Tenways lost to Bethod twice in battle and lost everything he had as a result. Since Bethod's death, however, he's transferred all his loathing to his sons, Scale and Calder, instead.
* UriahGambit: He withholds backup for Scale during a battle, nearly resulting in his death.
* YesMan: He's the most vocal in his support of Black Dow, and comes across as a toadying bootlicker as a result. In reality, this is an act, and he's really one of Bayaz's pawns.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cairm Ironhead]]
!!Cairm Ironhead

One of Black Dow's war-chiefs and Glama Golden's rival.
----
* HiddenDepths: Calder is surprised to realize that Ironhead is more politically cunning than Calder anticipated.
* TheRival: He and Glama Golden despise each other and are in frequent competition.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: He and Glama hate each other but they're forced to work together under Black Dow.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Glama Golden]]
!!Glama Golden

One of Black Dow's war-chiefs who's known for his vanity and his rivalry with Cairm Ironhead.
----
* BlingOfWar: He goes into battle decked out with golden armor, rings, bracelets and necklaces. It's where he got his name from.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:He gets an undeservedly excruciating death in ''Red Country'' when Logen, as the Bloody-Nine, literally rips him apart during their duel to the death.]]
* CurbstompBattle: [[spoiler:In ''Red Country'', while his and Logen's duel starts off seemingly on even footing, it ends with Logen effortlessly killing him.]]
* DuelToTheDeath: In ''Red Country'' he's become a pit fighter who engages in these. [[spoiler:His last one, against Logen Ninefingers, does not go well for him.]]
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's introduced in ''Red Country'' defending Shy South from some of Papa Ring's thugs. [[spoiler:When Papa Ring kidnaps Shy to force Logen to throw the duel, he keeps it secret from Golden because he knows he'd disapprove.]]
* TheExile: After he's [[spoiler:framed for Reachey's assassination]], he's forced to flee the North and remain in exile in the Far Country.
* FallenOnHardTimesJob: From a mighty, feared war-chief to a measly pit fighter for a crime boss.
* FrameUp: [[spoiler:Calder assassinates Caul Reachey and frames Glama Golden for the deed.]]
* NobleTopEnforcer: He becomes this to the crime boss, Papa Ring. Unlike his other hired muscle, Glama is reserved, has standards, and no longer relishes violence.
* NotSoDifferent: By the time of ''Red Country'' he's become a lot like Logen, a killer who's remorseful of his violent past but can't quite escape it's shadow.
* PunchClockVillain: He works for the crime boss, Papa Ring, but otherwise he's nowhere close to being a villain.
* TheRival: He and Cairm Ironhead despise each other and are in frequent competition.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: He and Ironhead hate each other but they're forced to work together under Black Dow.
* TookALevelInKindness: He's lost a lot of his vanity and arrogance by the time of ''Red Country'', having become a more thoughtful and less violent person. [[spoiler:[[ShootTheShaggyDog Not that it helps him any.]]]]

[[/folder]]

!!Other Northmen

[[folder:Caul Shivers]]
!!Caul Shivers

A bitter Northman, he searches for vengeance against Logen for butchering his brother many years ago.
----
* AscendedExtra: Had a supporting role in the original trilogy before becoming a main character in ''Best Served Cold''.
* AxCrazy: After his FaceHeelTurn.
* BattleCouple: He and Monza become lovers during ''Best Served Cold''. To say it ends poorly would be an understatement.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: From a well-intentioned man who was victimized by the Bloody Nine to an amoral barbarian who is a cut-price Bloody Nine.
* BedmateReveal: With Monza at one point. She demands he take payment in gold for the night and is quite annoyed when he tries to refuse.
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: Shivers getting his eye burned away in a torture chamber finally pushes him over the edge.
* BigBrotherBully: It's revealed that far from loving his older brother, Shivers despised him, since he acted caring in public, only to mercilessly abuse him in private. Shivers wonders if he's mad at Logen for killing his brother, or mad at him for taking away Shivers' own chance at killing him.
* TheBigGuy: Not his role in the group or story, but he often gets tagged with this stereotype due to being Northern.
* BodyguardBetrayal: He tries to kill Monza in ''Best Served Cold'' and successfully kills Black Dow in ''The Heroes''.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Played with. He ends up betraying almost everyone he ever serves to some degree or another, but every time it's due to mistreatment, and the one time it isn't is also something of a redemptive moment for him.
* CrazyJealousGuy: He can't help but agree with Monza's assessment that he's essentially trying to kill her just because she slept with someone else.
* TheDogBitesBack: Don't mistreat Shivers. ''Seriously.'' Don't.
** In ''Best Served Cold'' after Monza distances herself from him following his torture and mutilation, and starts sleeping with someone else, Shivers tries to kill her.
** In ''The Heroes'' Black Dow continually belittling him leads to Shivers murdering him.
* TheDreaded: By the time of ''The Heroes'' he's become one of the most feared men in the North, and is considered Black Dow's dog.
* EvilSoundsRaspy: Speaks in a raspy whisper following his torture, due to his vocal chords being damaged from his screams of pain.
* EyeScream: One of his eyes is burnt out when he's captured and tortured by Salier's soldiers.
* FacialHorror: As a result of the aforementioned EyeScream.
* GoodFeelsGood: When he decides to let go of his feud with Logen, Shivers comments on how good it feels to let go of something.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Throughout the entire series. He starts out as fairly heroic in the original trilogy, undergoes a StartOfDarkness in ''Best Seved Cold'', is firmly on the villainous side during ''The Heroes'', and shows signs of his former idealism at the end of ''Red Country''.
* HeroesPreferSwords: He's one of the more heroic characters in the series, and uses a sword. He switches to an axe after his FaceHeelTurn in ''Best Served Cold''.
* KnightInSourArmor: More or less slides into this after leaving the North. He loses this attitude by the end of ''Best Served Cold'' and essentially becomes a straight-up villain.
* TheLancer[=/=]TheDragon: To Monza. And Black Dow. And Calder. And most recently [[spoiler:the Dogman]].
* MadnessMantra: "It should have been you" to Monza after his torture.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Officially, Monza's child is said to be Duke Rogont's, though it could just as easily be Shivers.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Subverted. He claims that he's called Shivers because his enemies shiver in fear when they see him, but it's actually an EmbarrassingNickname he got after he fell into a freezing river on his first raid. However, after his FaceHeelTurn in ''Best Served Cold'', people ''really'' start being afraid of him.
* PetTheDog: At the end of ''Red Country'', [[spoiler:when he finally decides to lay his feud with Logen to rest.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of the original trilogy, he decides not to participate in Dow's betrayal of Logen.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Monza has him get a haircut, cleans him up and gets him into fancy clothes. He looks rather dashing. It's implied, rather disturbingly, she's trying to make him look like Benna.
* SixthRanger: Joins Threetrees' band of Named Men in ''Before They Are Hanged''.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: During ''Best Served Cold'', he goes from an idealistic trying to become a better person to a bitter, broken psychopath.
* StartOfDarkness: ''Best Served Cold'' is this for him. He tries to be a good man, but when it proves difficult, he ends up falling in with Monza's revenge scheme for the money. He's continually disillusioned, ends up tortured and disfigured, and essentially ends the story as the new Bloody-Nine.
* WomanScorned: The rare gender-flipped example. The final straw that causes Shivers to betray and attempt to murder Monza is because she she sleeps with another man. Though, being discarded and treated as an embarrassment after he repeatedly saved her life and ended up tortured because of her didn't help.
* YouKilledMyFather: The reason Shivers loathes Logen is because he murdered Shivers's brother even though he promised him mercy. Logan cut off his arms and legs and nailed his head on Bethod's standard. His father, Rattleneck, was driven to depression, alcoholism, and an early death as a result. It's later revealed Shivers hated his brother, who was an abusive bastard, and resented his father, who wished Shivers had been killed instead. Shivers wonders if he hates Logen just for killing his brother, or for making it so that Shivers could never kill his brother himself.
* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: His father would've preferred if Shivers had died rather than his elder son. Later, after being tortured, Shivers tells Monza that she should've been the one tortured instead.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Crummock-i-Phail]]
!!Crummock-i-Phail

Regarded "the maddest bastard in the north" he leads a clan of Treemen, he wears a necklace of finger bones around his neck and has his three children carry his weapons around for him (unable to tell his daughter from his sons), he seems friendly if crazy.
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his considerable girth, he's a capable fighter.
* AffablyEvil: Beneath his goofy, easy-going facade, he's surprisingly ruthless and cunning.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Zigzagged. He wants to see Logen fight in a war as the Bloody Nine again, but when the Bloody Nine does take over in battle, he ends up murdering one of Crummock's sons. However, afterwards Crummock doesn't seem too shook up about it, and seems ignorant Logen was even the killer. At least until their final conversation where Crummock flat-out tells Logen he knows he murdered his son and gives him an ImpliedDeathThreat if he ever comes back into Crummock's territory.
* BigFun: He's a fat man who's cheerful and entertaining in his borderline insanity. Then it turns out he's not as insane as he leads others to believe and he's much more ruthless than first expected.
* BoisterousBruiser: The only Northman who is ''always'' in a good mood. Even when outnumbered and outclassed against an attacking army. He loves to fight, laugh and tell stories, often laughing at stories about fights.
* CloudCuckooLander: He seems insane, in particular with regards to believing Logen to be "favored by the moon". He struggles to remember his own children's names, and is shocked to find out one is his daughter where he remembered having a son.
* CreepySouvenir: Wears a necklace made of the finger bones of his fallen enemies.
* DissonantSerenity: He reveals to Logen that he knew all along that the Bloody Nine killed his son, yet, beyond dropping his mad facade for a moment of seriousness, the Hillman is remarkably comfortable with the fact. He does warn Logen to keep out of the High Places unless he wants retaliation, but leaves in surprisingly good humor about the whole affair.
--> ''"You don't put a wolf amongst your sheep, then cry when you find one eaten."''
* DropTheHammer: His WeaponOfChoice is an enormous war hammer.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's proud to be considered bloodthirsty and mad, calling himself and those like him "beloved of the moon". Once he sees enough of Logen's fighting, however, he admit's it's possible to be ''too'' beloved.
* FatBastard: Despite the above tropes, he's also happy to get other people killed pursuing his ideas about destiny, and remarkably unconcerned about his own son's death.
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: In his last scene with Logen, he drops his usual loony behavior, revealing that he's completely aware that Logen killed his son and [[ImpliedDeathThreat advising him never to come back to the High Places]] before leaving.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: He respects Logen mostly because of how brutal and impressive his Bloody Nine personality is in battle.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Hilariously, has this reaction to Logen.
* {{Lunacy}}: He seems to have some sort of religious fixation or superstition about the moon, claiming that the mad, such as himself, can commune with it, and that the bloodthirsty and brutal, like Logen, draw their power from its favor.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Everyone regards him as a complete lunatic, but he's apparently sane enough to lead men into battle, and was able to evade Bethod's armies longer than any other chieftain. His conversation with Logen after the battle of the High Places shows that his insanity is mostly a charade.
* OldSoldier: He's well past his prime, but still a highly respected chieftain and warrior.
* PapaWolf: Averted. When one of his children is killed in battle, he seems remarkably unconcerned about it. Then subverted when he drops his facade of insanity in his last conversation with Logen, where he reveals he knows Logen killed his son in one of his Bloody Nine episodes. While he doesn't attack Logen outright, and says maybe the weak should be culled for the strong, he still says he won't be one of Logen's subjects and [[ImpliedDeathThreat warns him to stay out of the High Places]].
* ParentalFavoritism: He confides in Logen that his daughter, Isern, who Crummock acts dismissive of, is actually his favorite of all his children.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stranger-Come-Knocking]]
!!Stranger-Come-Knocking

A towering savage who brings his Northmen to Dow's cause.
----
* AffablyEvil: He acts surprisingly polite for a towering monster and rapist who relishes bloodshed.
* BloodKnight: Specifically joins Dow's army because he wants a good fight. He repeatedly asks about fighting his own allies, like Whirrun or Dow himself.
* TheDreaded: One of the most feared men in the North these days.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: After he captures Finree dan Brock, he makes it perfectly clear he intends to rape and impregnate her, being impressed with her boldness and wanting to have "civilized" children. Luckily, Finree gets to go free. Unluckily, her friend doesn't.
* KilledOffscreen: He died in the Circle against Stour Nightfall before the events of ''A Little Hatred''.
* LargeAndInCharge: He's a veritable giant and is chieftain of the region beyond the Cinna.
* TheMole: He's revealed to be working for Bayaz at the end of ''The Heroes''.
* YouHaveFailedMe: He kills one of his men for trying to defile Finree, but only because he wants her for himself.

[[/folder]]

* AwesomeMcCoolName: His name is Stour Nightfall because he was born on an eclipse. At least, that's how the legend goes. In actuality he was born a few days beforehand but his family's too powerful for anyone to say otherwise.

* GoodParents: Surprisingly, in later books he comes off as wanting only the best for his sons and doing his best to teach them how to rule.

* GoodParent: He's a loving and devoted father to his daughter Rikke, whom he provides with equal amounts of loving support and worldly wisdom.

* BadassGrandpa: The oldest member of the band, but still plenty of fight left in him.

* SinkOrSwimMentor: To West.

* BadassGrandpa: He's getting old and the years are catching up to him, but he's still a good fighter.

* FeelingTheirAge: While he's a BadassGrandpa, his age is definitely catching up to him, as he reflects any time he's getting ready to go into battle. His knees in particular give him a lot of trouble.

* UndyingLoyalty: He's famed for it among the North.

* BadassGrandpa: He's well past his prime, but still a highly respected chieftain and warrior.

* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Calder expresses disappointment in Reachey's attempt on his life, mostly because he thought better of Reachey than that. In contrast, when Craw betrayed Calder, there were no hard feelings because Calder knew Craw was sticking to his principles.]]
* CoolOldGuy: He's a reasonable old man with a reputation as a straight edge and promises to side with Calder within reason. [[spoiler:Turns out he's not quite as much of a straight edge as he advertises.]]
* FrameUp: [[spoiler:Calder has him assassinated in revenge for his attempt on Calder's life, and frames Glama Golden for the deed.]]

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:He's killed by Calder offscreen.]]
* PapaWolf: Reachey will do anything to protect his daughter, Seff, who's being held hostage by Black Dow to ensure his good behavior. [[spoiler:He's even willing to try to assassinate his son-in-law, Calder, rather than risk his scheming costing his daughter her life.]]
* TheReliableOne: Like Craw, Reachey has a reputation as a straight edge due to his dedication to the old way. [[spoiler:Unlike Craw, Reachey has no illusions about the old way and is willing to backstab and betray his son-in-law out of pragmatism.]]

* BigDamnVillains: [[spoiler:Tenways actually saves Calder's life from Mitterick's soldiers.]]

* TheMole: [[spoiler:Bayaz reveals that Tenways' loyalty was mostly a show, and he was really one of his agents.]]
* NotMeThisTime: [[spoiler:He wasn't behind the assassination attempt on Calder. Caul Reachey was.]]

* UriahGambit: [[spoiler:He withholds backup for Scale during a battle, nearly resulting in his death.]]
* YesMan: He's the most vocal in his support of Black Dow, and comes across as a toadying bootlicker as a result. [[spoiler:In reality, this is an act, and he's really one of Bayaz's pawns.]]

* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: After his FaceHeelTurn.]]
* BattleCouple: He and Monza become lovers during ''Best Served Cold''. [[spoiler:To say it ends poorly would be an understatement.]]
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: [[spoiler: From a well-intentioned man who was victimized by the Bloody Nine to an amoral barbarian who is a cut-price Bloody Nine.]]

* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler: Shivers getting his eye burned away in a torture chamber finally pushes him over the edge.]]
* BigBrotherBully: [[spoiler:It's revealed that far from loving his older brother, Shivers despised him, since he acted caring in public, only to mercilessly abuse him in private. Shivers wonders if he's mad at Logen for killing his brother, or mad at him for taking away Shivers' own chance at killing him.]]

* BodyguardBetrayal: [[spoiler:He tries to kill Monza in ''Best Served Cold'' and successfully kills Black Dow in ''The Heroes''.]]

* CrazyJealousGuy: [[spoiler:He can't help but agree with Monza's assessment that he's essentially trying to kill her just because she slept with someone else.]]

** In ''Best Served Cold'' [[spoiler:after Monza distances herself from him following his torture and mutilation, and starts sleeping with someone else, Shivers tries to kill her.]]
** In ''The Heroes'' [[spoiler:Black Dow continually belittling him leads to Shivers murdering him.]]
* TheDreaded: [[spoiler: By the time of ''The Heroes'' he's become one of the most feared men in the North, and is considered Black Dow's dog.]]
* EvilSoundsRaspy: [[spoiler: Speaks in a raspy whisper following his torture, due to his vocal chords being damaged from his screams of pain.]]
* EyeScream: [[spoiler: One of his eyes is burnt out when he's captured and tortured by Salier's soldiers.]]
* FacialHorror: [[spoiler: As a result of the aforementioned EyeScream.]]
* GoodFeelsGood: [[spoiler:When he decides to let go of his feud with Logen, Shivers comments on how good it feels to let go of something.]]
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: [[spoiler: Throughout the entire series. He starts out as fairly heroic in the original trilogy, undergoes a StartOfDarkness in ''Best Seved Cold'', is firmly on the villainous side during ''The Heroes'', and shows signs of his former idealism at the end of ''Red Country''.]]
* HeroesPreferSwords: He's one of the more heroic characters in the series, and uses a sword. [[spoiler: He switches to an axe after his FaceHeelTurn in ''Best Served Cold''.]]
* KnightInSourArmor: More or less slides into this after leaving the North. [[spoiler:He loses this attitude by the end of ''Best Served Cold'' and essentially becomes a straight-up villain.]]
* TheLancer[=/=]TheDragon: To Monza. [[spoiler: And Black Dow. And Calder.]]
* MadnessMantra: [[spoiler: "It should have been you" to Monza after his torture.]]
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: [[spoiler:Officially, Monza's child is said to be Duke Rogont's, though it could just as easily be Shivers.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Subverted. He claims that he's called Shivers because his enemies shiver in fear when they see him, but it's actually an EmbarrassingNickname he got after he fell into a freezing river on his first raid. [[spoiler: However, after his FaceHeelTurn in ''Best Served Cold'', people ''really'' start being afraid of him.]]
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Red Country'', when he finally decides to lay his feud with Logen to rest.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of the trilogy, [[spoiler: he decides not to participate in Dow's betrayal of Logen.]]
* SheCleansUpNicely: Monza has him get a haircut, cleans him up and gets him into fancy clothes. He looks rather dashing. [[spoiler: It's implied, rather disturbingly, she's trying to make him look like Benna.]]

* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: [[spoiler:During ''Best Served Cold'', he goes from an idealistic trying to become a better person to a bitter, broken psychopath.]]
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:''Best Served Cold'' is this for him. He tries to be a good man, but when it proves difficult, he ends up falling in with Monza's revenge scheme for the money. He's continually disillusioned, ends up tortured and disfigured, and essentially ends the story as the new Bloody-Nine.]]
* WomanScorned: The rare gender-flipped example. [[spoiler:The final straw that causes Shivers to betray and attempt to murder Monza is because she she sleeps with another man. Though, being discarded and treated as an embarrassment after he repeatedly saved her life and ended up tortured because of her didn't help.]]
* YouKilledMyFather: The reason Shivers loathes Logen is because he murdered Shivers's brother even though he promised him mercy. Logan cut off his arms and legs and nailed his head on Bethod's standard. His father, Rattleneck, was driven to depression, alcoholism, and an early death as a result. [[spoiler:It's later revealed Shivers hated his brother, who was an abusive bastard, and resented his father, who wished Shivers had been killed instead. Shivers wonders if he hates Logen just for killing his brother, or for making it so that Shivers could never kill his brother himself.]]
* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: [[spoiler:His father would've preferred if Shivers had died rather than his elder son. Later, after being tortured, Shivers tells Monza that she should've been the one tortured instead.]]

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Beneath his goofy, easy-going facade, he's surprisingly ruthless and cunning.]]

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Zigzagged. He wants to see Logen fight in a war as the Bloody Nine again, but when the Bloody Nine does take over in battle, he ends up murdering one of Crummock's sons. However, afterwards Crummock doesn't seem too shook up about it, and seems ignorant Logen was even the killer. [[spoiler:At least until their final conversation where Crummock flat-out tells Logen he knows he murdered his son and gives him an ImpliedDeathThreat if he ever comes back into Crummock's territory.]]
* BigFun: He's a fat man who's cheerful and entertaining in his borderline insanity. [[spoiler:Then it turns out he's not as insane as he leads others to believe and he's much more ruthless than first expected.]]

* DissonantSerenity: He reveals to Logen that [[spoiler: he knew all along that the Bloody Nine killed his son, yet, beyond dropping his mad facade for a moment of seriousness, the Hillman is remarkably comfortable with the fact. He does warn Logen to keep out of the High Places unless he wants retaliation, but leaves in surprisingly good humor about the whole affair.]]

* FatBastard: [[spoiler: Despite the above tropes, he's also happy to get other people killed pursuing his ideas about destiny, and remarkably unconcerned about his own son's death.]]
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: [[spoiler: In his last scene with Logen, he drops his usual loony behavior, revealing that he's completely aware that Logen killed his son and [[ImpliedDeathThreat advising him never to come back to the High Places]] before leaving.]]

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Everyone regards him as a complete lunatic, but he's apparently sane enough to lead men into battle, and was able to evade Bethod's armies longer than any other chieftain. [[spoiler: His conversation with Logen after the battle of the High Places shows that his insanity is mostly a charade.]]
* PapaWolf: Averted. When one of his children is killed in battle, he seems remarkably unconcerned about it. [[spoiler:Then subverted when he drops his facade of insanity in his last conversation with Logen, where he reveals he knows Logen killed his son in one of his Bloody Nine episodes. While he doesn't attack Logen outright, and says maybe the weak should be culled for the strong, he still says he won't be one of Logen's subjects and [[ImpliedDeathThreat warns him to stay out of the High Places]].]]

* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: After he captures Finree dan Brock, he makes it perfectly clear he intends to rape and impregnate her, being impressed with her boldness and wanting to have "civilized" children. Luckily, Finree gets to go free. [[spoiler:Unluckily, her friend doesn't.]]

* TheMole: [[spoiler:He's revealed to be working for Bayaz at the end of ''The Heroes''.]]

* CoolSword: [[spoiler: After betraying Logen, he claims the Maker's sword for himself.]]
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:His duel to the death with Calder is painfully one-sided in Black Dow's favor. The only reason Calder survives is because Caul Shivers betrays and kills him in the middle of it.]]

* TheDogBitesBack: Pulls this on [[spoiler:Logen, and then years later Shivers pulls it on him.]]

* DuelToTheDeath: He's forced to accept [[spoiler:Calder's]] challenge of a duel to save face. Everyone expects Dow to win due to his fearsome reputation and his opponent's status as a NonActionGuy. [[spoiler:Dow ''would'' have won had Caul Shivers not betrayed him.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Claims to not be as bad as Bethod's tax collectors, who leave nothing from villages they 'collect' from. [[spoiler: He then claims he never would kill his friends to Logen, and kills him to prevent a madman becoming the King of the North.]]

* InTheBack: [[spoiler:He's killed in the middle of his duel with Calder when Caul Shivers attacks him while his back is turned.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Although his heart is pretty black, he's noted to express moral disgust on a few rare occasions. The Dogman is also surprised to see how emotional he gets at [[spoiler:Forley's funeral]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: [[spoiler: He is even more a ruthless a despot than Bethod ever was and while he gets annoyed at Logen dragging the North into someone ''else's'' war, the first thing he does after coming to power is start conquering the rest of the North for himself.]]

* PetTheDog: Has a few notable moments, such as his interactions with West or his words at [[spoiler: Threetrees']] funeral. In ''The Heroes'' he surprises [[spoiler:Craw]] by allowing him to retire once the war is done.
* RetiredMonster: Has shades of this in ''The Heroes''. [[spoiler: Being King of the Northmen does not leave one with much time for RapePillageAndBurn.]]

* TokenEvilTeammate: Seems to revel in it - he claims he's the one to kill teenagers who they've captured. [[spoiler: Revelations about the Bloody Nine shows he might not be so bad in comparison.]]

* TyrantTakesTheHelm: [[spoiler:He usurps Logen as new King of the North at the end of the original trilogy. Surprisingly enough, he's not really any worse than any other ruler.]]
* TheUsurper: [[spoiler:At the end of the original trilogy, while he fails to assassinate Logen, he takes credit for his death and becomes the new King of the North.]]

* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:He still respects the Dogman even years after the two became enemies, following Dow usurping Logen as King of the North. He regrets that they've become enemies and gets pissed off when one of his allies besmirches the Dogman's reputation.]]

* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: [[spoiler:He's the third member of the band to die. Logan kills him in one of his blackouts during the battle of the High Places.]]

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler: The cause of his death. When Logen is wounded in battle, Tul tries to help him up, not realizing that Logen is in full Bloody-Nine mode and no longer able to distinguish between friends and enemies.]]

* VitriolicBestBuds: With Dow. With Dow. They argue all the time, and each refuses to follow the other, [[spoiler:but when Tul dies, Dow delivers an impassioned eulogy at his funeral.]]

* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: Speaks fluent Union, for one.]]

* DecapitationPresentation: [[spoiler:Bethod's son, Calder, has Forley killed out of spite, and one of his lieutenants throws the sack containing his head at Threetrees' feet. Logen's band proceed to kill all of Calder's lieutenants for this.]]

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: With the Shanka advancing and Bethod's army on the move, it's only a matter of time before the Shanka overwhelm the North. Forley volunteers to deliver a warning to Bethod's people about the Shanka since he's the least threatening member of Logen's band, so they're most inclined to listen to him. [[spoiler:Not only does Bethod's son, Calder, have Forley killed, it turns out Bethod is working with the Shanka.]]

* SacrificialLamb: In-universe; his village sent him to duel Logen as a form of surrender. [[spoiler:This turns out to be his role in-story as well.]]
* TheSoCalledCoward: Everyone, including himself, considers him a coward due to his NonActionGuy status. But in the end Forley is willing to risk his life by parlaying with Bethod's people in the hopes of warning the North about a Shanka invasion. [[spoiler:He ends up killed for it and Threetrees' remarks at his courage and self-sacrifice at his funeral.]]

* ConflictingLoyalties: [[spoiler:He has to choose whether to be loyal to his principles in serving his chief, Black Dow, or loyal to Calder, someone he loves like a son, when he tries to convince him to assassinate Dow. In the end he reluctantly chooses his principles.]]

* FriendlyEnemy: With fellow Northman, Hardbread. They're old friends and they genuinely like each other, it's just that every time they meet in ''The Heroes'', they're on opposite sides of a war. [[spoiler:At least until the epilogue where they're on the same side.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Even though he doesn't like Black Dow, and he loves Calder like a son, he still chooses to live up to his principles by telling Black Dow that Calder wanted Craw to assassinate him. He does this knowing it'll likely mean Calder's death.]]

* MyMasterRightOrWrong: [[spoiler:He chooses to remain loyal to his chief, Black Dow, even though it means confessing that Calder, who's practically his surrogate son, tried to convince Craw to assassinate Dow. Calder is nearly executed as a result.]]

* NumberTwo: He used to be second to Rudd Threetrees. [[spoiler:He later becomes Black Dow's second, but only until the war is over.]]

* ParentalSubstitute: He was practically Calder's second father. [[spoiler:Even after Craw sides with Dow over him, nearly causing Calder's death, Calder doesn't hold a grudge.]]
* TheReliableOne: Craw has a reputation as a "straight edge" due to his commitment to doing the right thing, sticking by the old ways, and standing by his chief and crew. It's the reason why [[spoiler:Black Dow]] chooses him as his second.
* RetiredBadass: Craw's dream is to retire from soldiering and live a quiet life. Unfortunately he can never quite find a time to hang up his sword. [[spoiler:He finally does at the end of ''The Heroes'' only to realize he doesn't want to stop soldiering, and joins up to help Calder in his war against Glama Golden.]]
* SadisticChoice: Faced with one when [[spoiler:his old friend and former chief's son Calder attempts to turn him against his new chief.]]

* HappilyMarried: Has a husband and kids back at home, whom she visits between jobs. [[spoiler:They packed up and left years ago, and she couldn't bear to tell anyone.]]

* TheLancer: To Craw. [[spoiler:Later to Dow, when she takes command of his Carls.]]

* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: [[spoiler:She and the rest of her Dozen make a run for it rather than stick around to see the aftermath of Dow's murder at Shivers' hands.]]
* [[WhenYouComingHomeDad When You Coming Home Mom]]: She doesn't get a chance to visit her husband and kids often because she's usually too busy off fighting. She says they understand it's just who she is. [[spoiler:Except it turns out she's lying, and they packed up and left years ago and she couldn't bear to tell anyone.]]

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: The reason he joined up with Craw was because the sorceress Shoglig told him that he'd be shown his destiny by a man choking on a bone. He's also unafraid when fighting because she told him the day and manner of his death. [[spoiler:He's pretty bummed when dying that she was just making shit up.]]

* CursedWithAwesome: He wields the Father of Swords, a sword said to have been dropped by God and is worshipped by people way up North in the valleys. Whirrun says he views it as both a blessing and a curse, [[spoiler:though, he admits as he lays dying, that now he only considers it a curse, and asks Craw to bury it with him so no one else needs to carry that burden.]]
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:He dies in Craw's arms.]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:He takes his death remarkably well, only being disappointed that Shoglig had no clue what the hell she was talking about when she predicted his death.]]

* ForeseeingMyDeath: He has no fear because the witch Shoglig told him to the day and manner of his death. He often gloats that today is not the day of his prophesied death, so he is sure to overcome his enemies. [[spoiler:Subverted when he's mortally wounded by a random spear. As he lay dying, he's not too happy to realize that Shoglig had no idea what she'd been talking about all along]].
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:He dies when he's stabbed by a random spear while fighting Bremer dan Gorst.]]

* MasterSwordsman: His swordsmanship skills are legendary. [[spoiler: Gorst, a MasterSwordsman himself, regards him as a WorthyOpponent when they meet on the battlefield.]]

* WalkingShirtlessScene: Has less clothes on every time he fights. [[spoiler: This ultimately gets him killed.]]
* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:He and Bremer dan Gorst acknowledge each other as this during their duel. Unfortunately, in the middle of it, Whirrun ends up killed by a random spear.]]

* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler:Beck becomes a Named Man, doing so by hiding in a pile of corpses and getting covered in blood, so that his comrades believe he'd fought through hell to survive.]]

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Of course, throughout the novel there are obvious signs that Beck cares, and that much of his jerkish behaviour is overcompensating. [[spoiler:And while a good part of his aversion to war is (arguably sensible) cowardice, much more of it has to do with the fact that he's just not a killer, and after his first taste of battle, he doesn't want to be.]]
* MommasBoy: He was raised by his mother, but abandons her and his siblings to become a man. When the realities of being a warrior dawn on him, he starts thinking a lot about his mother. [[spoiler:He returns to her in the end.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Kills a comrade after spending most of a battle hiding. When the northman veterans give him a name, he tries to correct them, but he's too exhausted and traumatized to do so. At the end of the novel, he confesses this to Craw hoping to be punished, and when Craw simply says he's seen and heard stories like that dozens of times, he only feels worse.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:At the end of the battle, having seen enough of his father's lifestyle.]]
* SmallNameBigEgo: His ''father'' was Shama Heartless.
* TookALevelInKindness: One of the ''very'' few in the First Law Universe. [[spoiler:He goes from being a selfish, vain, jerkass of a teenager who dreams of being a butcher on the battlefield to a humble, caring man content to live the rest of his life on a farm and forget about the war.]]

* BadBoss: After a decade of using him to unify the North, he exiled Logen under pain of death. [[spoiler:Of course, that's Logen's side of the story. According to Bethod, Logen's psychotic actions as the Bloody Nine kept forcing Bethod into situations where violence was the only option. The only reason he didn't kill Logen and his men is because Bayaz forced him to exile them instead.]]

* CreateYourOwnVillain: [[spoiler: Bethod claims this is what Logen did - he was just one of many war chiefs originally, who hoped to gain a few victory's and then get good terms from his enemies, like everyone else did, so he could keep his home safe and give his sons a little more land. When Logen became his champion, he forced him into all out war by killing the men Bethod wanted to spare or ransom, leading to total war in the North, forcing Bethod to beat everyone or die.]]

* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:After Logen kills Bethod's champion, Fenris, and advances on him, Bethod doesn't cower or flee. He just keeps mocking Logen and calling him out of his own dark deeds. He keeps insulting him until Logen smashes his head in.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Calder thinks very highly of him in ''The Heroes'', showing that, for all his villainous acts, Bethod really cares for his sons. He even says that one of his only goals in starting the war was to leave more behind for his sons than his own father left behind for him.
* EvilFormerFriend: To Logen, who served him for many years before being banished. [[spoiler:Except then it turns out Logen is an UnreliableNarrator and according to Bethod, Logen's actions as the Bloody Nine are responsible for escalating the war until it reached the point of no return.]]

* TheGoodKing: [[spoiler: The things he did for the North make him a legend by ''The Heroes.'']]

* PoisonousFriend: [[spoiler:Claims that ''Logen'' was this to him, and he only had to conquer the North because Logen made too many enemies with his brutality.]]
* PragmaticVillainy: While Bethod was not opposed to murder, he also saw the power in mercy. When Calder murdered [[spoiler:Forley the Weakest]] to make himself appear tough, Bethod merely saw the display as wasting an asset. Afterwards he cautioned Calder to appraise a thing's value before destroying it instead of smashing a thing because he can.

* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:The reason Bethod said he had to conquer the North in the first place was because Logen's psychotic episodes as the Bloody-Nine caused so much bloodshed against Bethod's wishes, that he was essentially backed into a corner and ''had'' to start a war.]]

** Calder is deeply in love with his wife, Seff, cares about his HonoraryUncle, Curnden Craw, and loved and respected his father, whose advice he frequently remembers long after his death.
** He also loves his older brother, Scale, even though he also resents him for his brutish nature and for standing in line for the throne. However, by the end of ''The Heroes'', he proves his love for him when he refuses to kill and usurp his weakened brother, willingly giving up the throne he always wanted.

* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Dies in battle to Fenris the Feared]].

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: [[spoiler: Becomes King of the Northmen after the trilogy.]]
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: He despises people who pretend that they're the good guys despite being ruthless killers. [[spoiler: This is also large part of his justification for trying to assassinate Logen.]]

* BadBoss: Zigzagged in ''The Heroes''. He can be perfectly affable to his subordinates if he deems them worthy of his respect, but behaves like a total jerk to everyone else. [[spoiler: His constant mistreatment of Shivers has [[TheDogBitesBack fatal consequences for him.]]]]

* BodyguardBetrayal: [[spoiler:He betrays Logen at the end of the original trilogy, and, in ''The Heroes'', is betrayed and killed by Caul Shivers.]]

* CombatPragmatist: Despite being a fearsome fighter, he doesn't like to take unnecessary risks and is not above fighting dirty. [[spoiler: Logen finds out the hard way at the end of the trilogy.]]

!!!Bethod's Court

[[folder:Fenris the Feared]]
!!Fenris the Feared

-->''"With this hand I tore down the statues of Aulcus. Now I kill little men, in little wars."''

Bethod's champion, an unstoppable giant.

* AchillesHeel: The entire left side of his body is covered in blue writing that gives the left side of his body a HealingFactor which makes him impervious to harm. Meanwhile, he wears impenetrable armor over his right side. [[spoiler:Logen kills him by stabbing his sword into his left side and pushes it further and further in until it starts stabbing the organs on his right.]]

* TheJuggernaut: He's completely unstoppable in battle. [[spoiler: Even Logen doesn't stand a chance against him until Caurib is killed.]]

* CompellingVoice: Her power, the Golden Voice, allows her to seduce anyone and control them with her voice. [[spoiler:When the Dogman and Harding Grim try to assassinate her, she uses it to convince Grim to stab the Dogman. They're only saved by Black Dow's arrival.]]

* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:After he kills Bethod, Logen becomes the new King of the North. Unfortunately, his rule is short-lived.]]

* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: A rare heroic example. [[spoiler: Logen Ninefingers used to be the worst man in the North. By the time of ''Red Country'' he's a nonviolent, non-confrontational coward named Lamb... at least until his children are stolen.]]

* CatchPhrase: Several. [[spoiler: Almost all of them are shown to be inaccurate or delusional over the course of the books.]]

* PoisonousFriend: [[spoiler:Bethod reveals that it was Logen's bloodlust as the Bloody-Nine that forced Bethod's hand to become king. The times when Bethod tried to smooth things over nonviolently were usually sabotaged by Logen killing important people, making peace impossible.]]

* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: In ''Literature/RedCountry'', he's [[spoiler: Lamb]]. While the book can be enjoyed without knowing this, its a LateArrivalSpoiler that is important to understanding his character.
* UncertainDoom: The original trilogy ends with him escaping an assassination attempt by leaping from a window and plunging to the river far below. The book ends on a cliffhanger as to whether he survived. Years later, he's presumed dead, and [[spoiler:Black Dow]] has taken credit for killing him, but considering the body wasn't found and he managed to survive an earlier plunge in the beginning of the very first story, it's possible he survived. [[spoiler:''Red Country'' confirms he's still alive.]]

[[folder:Prince Scale]]
!!Prince Scale

Bethod's older son and heir to the Northern Throne. [[spoiler:At least he was until Black Dow became ruler by betraying Logen Ninefingers. As of the end of ''Literature/TheHeroes'', Scale has become King of the Northmen.]]

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:He loses a hand to Bremer dan Gorst in their duel.]]
* AwesomeButImpractical: he wears a horned helmet into battle. [[spoiler: In their fight, Gorst grabs a hold of one of the horns and hammers its impracticality into Scale's head. Literally.]]

* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Calder team up with Black Dow to make one last attempt on Logen's life in ''Last Argument of Kings''. They fail, and afterwards both end up subservient to Black Dow, who surpasses them as ruler.]]

* FrontlineGeneral: One of the reasons why Scale is so well-liked by his men is because he fights with them in battles. This seems to be a prerequisite for any Northerner who wants respect. [[spoiler:His near death at the hands of Bremer dan Gorst is evidence why this isn't always a good decision.]]

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Loses his hand and is captured by the Union, but Bayaz returns him to Calder at the end.]]

* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Scale and Calder flee after [[spoiler:Logen kills Bethod. They later return, having teamed up with Black Dow for one last chance at Logen.]]

* PuppetKing: [[spoiler:Even though Calder ultimately decides he loves his brother too much to assassinate and usurp him, the end of ''The Heroes'' implies that Scale is more of a puppet that Calder rules through.]]

* YouShallNotPass: Does this at the old bridge. [[spoiler:Thanks to Bremer dan Gorst, it doesn't work. He is revealed to have survived though.]]

!!Prince Calder

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: With his wife Sef, and occasionally comes through in interactions with his older brother [[TheBrute Scale]]. In the end, [[spoiler:played straight as he loves Scale too much to assassinate and usurp him, instead giving Scale rulership of the North.]]
* BadDreams: Ever since he murdered [[spoiler:Forley the Weakest]], he's had nightmares of the event, regretting his decision to kill a good person just to make himself appear strong.
* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:After he figures out that his father-in-law, Caul Reachey, was the one behind the assassination attempt on him, he waits until after his son is born before having Reachey poisoned, framing another enemy for the deed.]]

* TheChessmaster: He spends most of ''The Heroes'' trying to scheme and manipulate his way into gaining control of the North from [[spoiler:Black Dow. By the end, his plans bare fruit, though only after one incredibly lucky break saves his life.]]
* CurbStompBattle [[spoiler:Though Calder challenges Dow to a duel to the death, it's only to buy himself more time, as he doesn't believe he has a chance against him. Sure enough, he's right, and Black Dow spends their "duel" beating the living crap out of him.]]

* DirtyCoward: By his own admission, Calder takes every opportunity he can to avoid fighting, especially in battles. [[spoiler:When he finds out his brother needs him and his men as a reserve, Calder is too cowardly to help, and is horrified when it seemingly leads to Scale's death.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Calder is deeply in love with his wife, Seff, cares about his HonoraryUncle, Curnden Craw, and loved and respected his father, whose advice he frequently remembers [[spoiler:long after his death]]. He also appears to have affection for his older brother, Scale, even though he also resents him for his brutish nature and for standing in line for the throne. [[spoiler:However, by the end of ''The Heroes'', he proves his love for him when he refuses to kill and usurp his weakened brother, willingly giving up the throne he always wanted.]]
* EvilIsPetty: Even after remembering his father's words that mercy can be power, and reflecting on what a mistake it was to execute [[spoiler:Forley the Weakest]] to make himself seem strong, he still decides to order a kid who played a small role in an assassination attempt on him killed because of some minor pain he got as a result.
* TheEvilPrince: He's Bethod's second son, a scheming snake of a man, and is deeply resentful of Scale, a brute, being next in line for the throne even though he views himself as more deserving. [[spoiler:Subverted when he willingly gives up a chance at the throne rather than murder his brother.]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:He ends up as this to Scale after the latter becomes king.]]

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Doesn't start with one, since he's never earned it. [[spoiler:Then after he defeats Black Dow in the circle (with a little help), people start calling him Black Calder.]]

* PuppetKing: [[spoiler:Bayaz plans on using him as one after he becomes King of the Northmen at the end of ''The Heroes''. Instead, Calder decides to pass over the crown to Scale and becomes it's implied Scale becomes one to Calder and, through him, Bayaz.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: After [[spoiler:Scale's apparent death]], Calder's response is uncharacteristically hot-headed.
* RejectedApology: [[spoiler:He tells the Dogman that he hasn't gone a day without regretting ordering Forley the Weakest's execution. The Dogman responds by threatening to murder him if he ever comes into the Dogman's territory.]]
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Scale and Calder flee after [[spoiler:Logen kills Bethod. They later return, having teamed up with Black Dow for one last chance at Logen.]]
* ShutUpHannibal[=/=]ShutUpKirk: Depending on your perspective, delivers a pretty awesome one to [[spoiler:Black Dow, so much so that many of the people there to watch Dow butcher him start laughing.]]

* SmugSnake: In the original trilogy he certainly fits the mold as a scheming, ambitious, arrogant man. However, it becomes zig-zagged throughout ''The Heroes''. Calder repeatedly schemes himself into a corner and wriggles out in unexpected ways, and displays far more charismatic and humanizing qualities than he previously did. [[spoiler:He reverts to his arrogant snake personality when it appears he'll be ruler of the North, but then Bayaz puts him in his place by forcing Calder to be his puppet. Then he escapes ''that'' through brotherly love.]]

* WellDoneSonGuy: Calder's narration reveals he really wanted his father's approval. In fact, one of the reasons why he killed [[spoiler:Forley the Weakest]] was a failed attempt to gain his dad's respect.

* TookALevelInKindness: He's lost a lot of his vanity and arrogance by the time of ''Red Country'', having become a more thoughtful and less violent person.

* CloudCuckooLander: He seems insane but in an entertaining way, in particular with regards to believing Logen to be "favored by the moon."

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: If his claims that he served under Glustrod during the fall of the Old Empire are true.

* SmugSnake: In the original trilogy he certainly fits the mold as a scheming, ambitious, arrogant man. However, it becomes zig-zagged throughout ''The Heroes''. Calder repeatedly schemes himself into a corner and wriggles out in unexpected ways, and displays far more charismatic and humanizing qualities than he previously did. [[spoiler:He reverts to his arrogant snake personality when it appears he'll be ruler of the North, but then Bayaz puts him in his place by forcing Calder to be his puppet. Then he escapes ''that'' through [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming brotherly love.]]]]

* UncertainDoom: The original trilogy ends with him escaping an assassination attempt by leaping from a widow and plunging to the river far below. The book ends on a cliffhanger as to whether he survived. Years later, he's presumed dead, and [[spoiler:Black Dow]] has taken credit for killing him, but considering the body wasn't found and he managed to survive an earlier plunge in the beginning of the very first story, it's possible he survived. [[spoiler:''Red Country'' confirms he's still alive.]]

* DeadpanSnarker

!!Other Northmen

[[folder:Caul Shivers]]
!!Caul Shivers

A bitter Northman, he searches for vengeance against Logen for butchering his brother many years ago.

* AscendedExtra: Had a supporting role in the original trilogy before becoming a main character in ''Best Served Cold''.
* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: After his FaceHeelTurn.]]
* BattleCouple: He and Monza become lovers during ''Best Served Cold''. [[spoiler:To say it ends poorly would be an understatement.]]
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: [[spoiler: From a well-intentioned man who was victimized by the Bloody Nine to an amoral barbarian who is a cut-price Bloody Nine.]]
* BedmateReveal: With Monza at one point. She demands he take payment in gold for the night and is quite annoyed when he tries to refuse.
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler: Shivers getting his eye burned away in a torture chamber finally pushes him over the edge.]]
* BigBrotherBully: [[spoiler:It's revealed that far from loving his older brother, Shivers despised him, since he acted caring in public, only to mercilessly abuse him in private. Shivers wonders if he's mad at Logen for killing his brother, or mad at him for taking away Shivers' own chance at killing him.]]
* TheBigGuy: Not his role in the group or story, but he often gets tagged with this stereotype due to being Northern.
* BodyguardBetrayal: [[spoiler:He tries to kill Monza in ''Best Served Cold'' and successfully kills Black Dow in ''The Heroes''.]]
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Played with. He ends up betraying almost everyone he ever serves to some degree or another, but every time it's due to mistreatment, and the one time it isn't is also something of a redemptive moment for him.
* CrazyJealousGuy: [[spoiler:He can't help but agree with Monza's assessment that he's essentially trying to kill her just because she slept with someone else.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: Don't mistreat Shivers. ''Seriously.'' Don't.
** In ''Best Served Cold'' [[spoiler:after Monza distances herself from him following his torture and mutilation, and starts sleeping with someone else, Shivers tries to kill her.]]
** In ''The Heroes'' [[spoiler:Black Dow continually belittling him leads to Shivers murdering him.]]
* TheDreaded: [[spoiler: By the time of ''The Heroes'' he's become one of the most feared men in the North, and is considered Black Dow's dog.]]
* EvilSoundsRaspy: [[spoiler: Speaks in a raspy whisper following his torture, due to his vocal chords being damaged from his screams of pain.]]
* EyeScream: [[spoiler: One of his eyes is burnt out when he's captured and tortured by Salier's soldiers.]]
* FacialHorror: [[spoiler: As a result of the aforementioned EyeScream.]]
* GoodFeelsGood: [[spoiler:When he decides to let go of his feud with Logen, Shivers comments on how good it feels to let go of something.]]
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: [[spoiler: Throughout the entire series. He starts out as fairly heroic in the original trilogy, undergoes a StartOfDarkness in ''Best Seved Cold'', is firmly on the villainous side during ''The Heroes'', and shows signs of his former idealism at the end of ''Red Country''.]]
* HeroesPreferSwords: He's one of the more heroic characters in the series, and uses a sword. [[spoiler: He switches to an axe after his FaceHeelTurn in ''Best Served Cold''.]]
* KnightInSourArmor: More or less slides into this after leaving the North. [[spoiler:He loses this attitude by the end of ''Best Served Cold'' and essentially becomes a straight-up villain.]]
* TheLancer[=/=]TheDragon: To Monza. [[spoiler: And Black Dow. And Calder.]]
* MadnessMantra: [[spoiler: "It should have been you" to Monza after his torture.]]
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: [[spoiler:Officially, Monza's child is said to be Duke Rogont's, though it could just as easily be Shivers.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Subverted. He claims that he's called Shivers because his enemies shiver in fear when they see him, but it's actually an EmbarrassingNickname he got after he fell into a freezing river on his first raid. [[spoiler: However, after his FaceHeelTurn in ''Best Served Cold'', people ''really'' start being afraid of him.]]
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Red Country'', when he finally decides to lay his feud with Logen to rest.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of the trilogy, [[spoiler: he decides not to participate in Dow's betrayal of Logen.]]
* SheCleansUpNicely: Monza has him get a haircut, cleans him up and gets him into fancy clothes. He looks rather dashing. [[spoiler: It's implied, rather disturbingly, she's trying to make him look like Benna.]]
* SixthRanger: Joins Threetrees' band of Named Men in ''Before They Are Hanged''.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: [[spoiler:During ''Best Served Cold'', he goes from an idealistic trying to become a better person to a bitter, broken psychopath.]]
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:''Best Served Cold'' is this for him. He tries to be a good man, but when it proves difficult, he ends up falling in with Monza's revenge scheme for the money. He's continually disillusioned, ends up tortured and disfigured, and essentially ends the story as the new Bloody-Nine.]]
* WomanScorned: The rare gender-flipped example. [[spoiler:The final straw that causes Shivers to betray and attempt to murder Monza is because she she sleeps with another man. Though, being discarded and treated as an embarrassment after he repeatedly saved her life and ended up tortured because of her didn't help.]]
* YouKilledMyFather: The reason Shivers loathes Logen is because he murdered Shivers's brother even though he promised him mercy. Logan cut off his arms and legs and nailed his head on Bethod's standard. His father, Rattleneck, was driven to depression, alcoholism, and an early death as a result. [[spoiler:It's later revealed Shivers hated his brother, who was an abusive bastard, and resented his father, who wished Shivers had been killed instead. Shivers wonders if he hates Logen just for killing his brother, or for making it so that Shivers could never kill his brother himself.]]
* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: [[spoiler:His father would've preferred if Shivers had died rather than his elder son. Later, after being tortured, Shivers tells Monza that she should've been the one tortured instead.]]

[[folder:Crummock-i-Phail]]
!!Crummock-i-Phail

Regarded "the maddest bastard in the north" he leads a clan of Treemen, he wears a necklace of finger bones around his neck and has his three children carry his weapons around for him (unable to tell his daughter from his sons), he seems friendly if crazy.

* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his considerable girth, he's a capable fighter.
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Beneath his goofy, easy-going facade, he's surprisingly ruthless and cunning.]]
* BadassGrandpa: He's well past his prime, but still a highly respected chieftain and warrior.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Zigzagged. He wants to see Logen fight in a war as the Bloody Nine again, but when the Bloody Nine does take over in battle, he ends up murdering one of Crummock's sons. However, afterwards Crummock doesn't seem too shook up about it, and seems ignorant Logen was even the killer. [[spoiler:At least until their final conversation where Crummock flat-out tells Logen he knows he murdered his son and gives him an ImpliedDeathThreat if he ever comes back into Crummock's territory.]]
* BigFun: He's a fat man who's cheerful and entertaining in his borderline insanity. [[spoiler:Then it turns out he's not as insane as he leads others to believe and he's much more ruthless than first expected.]]
* CloudCuckooLander: He seems insane but in an entertaining way, in particular with regards to believing Logen to be "favored by the moon."
* CreepySouvenir: Wears a necklace made of the finger bones of his fallen enemies.
* DropTheHammer: His WeaponOfChoice is an enormous war hammer.
* FatBastard: [[spoiler: Despite the above tropes, he's also happy to get other people killed pursuing his ideas about destiny, and remarkably unconcerned about his own son's death.]]
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: [[spoiler: In his last scene with Logen, he drops his usual loony behavior, revealing that he's completely aware that Logen killed his son and [[ImpliedDeathThreat advising him never to come back to the High Places]] before leaving.]]
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: He respects Logen mostly because of how brutal and impressive his Bloody Nine personality is in battle.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Hilariously, has this reaction to Logen.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Everyone regards him as a complete lunatic, but he's apparently sane enough to lead men into battle, and was able to evade Bethod's armies longer than any other chieftain. [[spoiler: His conversation with Logen after the battle of the High Places shows that his insanity is mostly a charade.]]
* PapaWolf: Averted. When one of his children is killed in battle, he seems remarkably unconcerned about it. [[spoiler:Then subverted when he drops his facade of insanity in his last conversation with Logen, where he reveals he knows Logen killed his son in one of his Bloody Nine episodes. While he doesn't attack Logen outright, and says maybe the weak should be culled for the strong, he still says he won't be one of Logen's subjects and [[ImpliedDeathThreat warns him to stay out of the High Places]].]]
* ParentalFavoritism: He confides in Logen that his daughter, Isern, who Crummock acts dismissive of, is actually his favorite of all his children.

[[folder:Caul Reachey]]
!!Caul Reachey

One of Black Dow's five war-chiefs, and Calder's father-in-law.

* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Calder expresses disappointment in Reachey's attempt on his life, mostly because he thought better of Reachey than that. In contrast, when Craw betrayed Calder, there were no hard feelings because Calder knew Craw was sticking to his principles.]]
* CoolOldGuy: He's a reasonable old man with a reputation as a straight edge and promises to side with Calder within reason. [[spoiler:Turns out he's not quite as much of a straight edge as he advertises.]]
* FrameUp: [[spoiler:Calder has him assassinated in revenge for his attempt on Calder's life, and frames Glama Golden for the deed.]]
* IHaveYourWife: His daughter is held hostage by Black Dow to ensure Reachey's good behavior.
* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:He's killed by Calder offscreen.]]
* PapaWolf: Reachey will do anything to protect his daughter, Seff, who's being held hostage by Black Dow to ensure his good behavior. [[spoiler:He's even willing to try to assassinate his son-in-law, Calder, rather than risk his scheming costing his daughter her life.]]
* TheReliableOne: Like Craw, Reachey has a reputation as a straight edge due to his dedication to the old way. [[spoiler:Unlike Craw, Reachey has no illusions about the old way and is willing to backstab and betray his son-in-law out of pragmatism.]]

[[folder:Brodd Tenways]]
!!Brodd Tenways

One of Black Dow's five war-chiefs. He's the most loyal among them and possesses a burning hatred of Bethod's sons.

* BigDamnVillains: [[spoiler:Tenways actually saves Calder's life from Mitterick's soldiers.]]
* {{Gonk}}: Tenways has bad teeth, a foul smell, and patches of a hideous rash covering his twisted face. The overall effect has Calder describe him as "ugly as incest."
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Bayaz reveals that Tenways' loyalty was mostly a show, and he was really one of his agents.]]
* NotMeThisTime: [[spoiler:He wasn't behind the assassination attempt on Calder. Caul Reachey was.]]
* SinsOfTheFather: Tenways lost to Bethod twice in battle and lost everything he had as a result. Since Bethod's death, however, he's transferred all his loathing to his sons, Scale and Calder, instead.
* YesMan: He's the most vocal in his support of Black Dow, and comes across as a toadying bootlicker as a result. [[spoiler:In reality, this is an act, and he's really one of Bayaz's pawns.]]

[[folder:Cairm Ironhead]]
!!Cairm Ironhead

One of Black Dow's war-chiefs and Glama Golden's rival.

* HiddenDepths: Calder is surprised to realize that Ironhead is more politically cunning than Calder anticipated.
* TheRival: He and Glama Golden despise each other and are in frequent competition.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: He and Glama hate each other but they're forced to work together under Black Dow.

[[folder:Glama Golden]]
!!Glama Golden

One of Black Dow's war-chiefs who's known for his vanity and his rivalry with Cairm Ironhead.

* BlingOfWar: He goes into battle decked out with golden armor, rings, bracelets and necklaces. It's where he got his name from.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:He gets an undeservedly excruciating death in ''Red Country'' when Logen, as the Bloody-Nine, literally rips him apart during their duel to the death.]]
* CurbstompBattle: [[spoiler:In ''Red Country'', while his and Logen's duel starts off seemingly on even footing, it ends with Logen effortlessly killing him.]]
* DuelToTheDeath: In ''Red Country'' he's become a pit fighter who engages in these. [[spoiler:His last one, against Logen Ninefingers, does not go well for him.]]
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's introduced in ''Red Country'' defending Shy South from some of Papa Ring's thugs. [[spoiler:When Papa Ring kidnaps Shy to force Logen to throw the duel, he keeps it secret from Golden because he knows he'd disapprove.]]
* TheExile: After he's [[spoiler:framed for Reachey's assassination]], he's forced to flee the North and remain in exile in the Far Country.
* FallenOnHardTimesJob: From a mighty, feared war-chief to a measly pit fighter for a crime boss.
* FrameUp: [[spoiler:Calder assassinates Caul Reachey and frames Glama Golden for the deed.]]
* NobleTopEnforcer: He becomes this to the crime boss, Papa Ring. Unlike his other hired muscle, Glama is reserved, has standards, and no longer relishes violence.
* NotSoDifferent: By the time of ''Red Country'' he's become a lot like Logen, a killer who's remorseful of his violent past but can't quite escape it's shadow.
* PunchClockVillain: He works for the crime boss, Papa Ring, but otherwise he's nowhere close to being a villain.
* TheRival: He and Cairm Ironhead despise each other and are in frequent competition.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: He and Ironhead hate each other but they're forced to work together under Black Dow.
* TookALevelInKindness: He's lost a lot of his vanity and arrogance by the time of ''Red Country'', having become a more thoughtful and less violent person.

[[folder:Brodd Tenways]]
!!Brodd Tenways

One of Black Dow's five war-chiefs. He's the most loyal among them and possesses a burning hatred of Bethod's sons.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stranger-Come-Knocking]]
!!Stranger-Come-Knocking

A towering savage who brings his Northmen to Dow's cause.

[[folder:Dow's War Chiefs]]
!!The War Chiefs

Black Dow's five generals, all leaders in their own right with a claim to the North. Consists of [[DumbMuscle Scale]] (see above), [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Glama Golden]], [[TheStoic Cairm Ironhead]], [[CoolOldGuy Caul Reachey]], and [[YesMan Brodd Tenways.]]

* {{Gonk}}: Brodd Tenways, "ugly as incest."
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: for Dow.
* TheRival: Golden & Ironhead.

[[folder:Stranger-Come-Knocking]]
!!Stranger-Come-Knocking

A towering savage who brings his Northmen to Dow's cause.

* TheDogBitesBack: Don't mistreat Shivers. ''Seriously.'' Don't. In ''TheHeroes'' [[spoiler: Black Dow himself learns this the hard way.]]
* TheDreaded: [[spoiler: By the time of ''The Heroes.'']]

* KnightInSourArmor: More or less slides into this after leaving the North.
* TheLancer / TheDragon: To Monza. [[spoiler: And Black Dow. And Calder.]]

* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler: What ''Best Served Cold'' is for him.]]

* BloodKnight: specifically joins Dow's army because he wants a good fight. He repeatedly asks about fighting his own allies, like Whirrun or Dow himself.

* TheMole: [[spoiler:He's One of Bayaz's pawns.]]

* WhenYouComingHomeMom: She doesn't get a chance to visit her husband and kids often because she's usually too busy off fighting. She says they understand it's just who she is. [[spoiler:Except it turns out she's lying, and they packed up and left years ago and she couldn't bear to tell anyone.]]

* ImplausibleFencingPowers: Whirrun can somehow use the impractically large Father of Swords to deadly effect. Bremer dan Gorst has never seen such swordsmanship.