History Characters / TheFirstLawUnionCitizens

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Weavers means may be horrifying but his goals are well-intentioned. He knows exactly how corrupt the Union is and he wants to overthrow its government so that the poor and downtrodden will no longer be oppressed.

His identity is a major spoiler. For more information see: [[spoiler:[[Characters/TheFirstLawUnionInquisition Superior Pike]]]]

* BigBadEnsemble: "Bad" in this series is always debatable, but he's the main threat of the Breakers and Burners storyline, while competing with Stour Nightfall in the Northern storylines, and Bayaz as the GreaterScopeVillain of the series. [[spoiler:By the end of ''Literature/TheTroubleWithPeace'', Stour has become Rikke's prisoner while the Weaver's forces are more of a threat than ever.]]

* CommonalityConnection: [[spoiler:Both he and Vick were prisoners in Angland's brutal penal colonies yet willingly joined the very Inquisition that sent them there, if nothing else but for the chance to finally be the ones with their boots on someone else's necks. It's one of the reasons he ends up offering her a job.]]
* HazyFeelTurn: The morality in ''The First Law'' series has always been sketchy, with there being less "good" and "evil" than moral grayness. [[spoiler:The Weaver goes from the second-in-command of the Union's Inquisition to the head of a rebel organization willing to go to any extremes to bring the Union down.]]

* MoleInCharge: [[spoiler:After Glokta retires as Arch Lector, he appoints Pike his successor, meaning the revolutionary who wants to tear down the Union is now in command of the Inquisition, one of its most powerful institutions.]]

* MultipleChoicePast: Whenever Judge asks people, "You know why they call me Judge?" she gives out different but not necessarily exclusive backstories each time. For example, saying she got the name because it was her job to settle disputes among the whores down by Keln's docks, judging who had the right of it. Or because her parents were killed by Chief Sangeed of the Ghosts in Far Country and she was kidnapped to act as an impartial judge to the feuds of the clans as an outsider. Or because she she can judge someone's character with one look, better than they can judge themselves. Or because she's the person who's been chosen to judge what survives the past and what burns. [[spoiler:She prompts the question a final time to Savine before trying to execute her. When Savine asks why, Judge's response is, "Fuck if I know."]]

* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:Sister variant. She eventually wages war against her half-brother Orso so that she can become queen. The two were lovers previously and Savine had actually planned on marrying him until she was told the truth of her lineage. Despite admitting to herself that she still loves him, she still goes along with the coup, knowing full well she can only succeed if her brother dies.]]

* TheQuisling: [[spoiler:During the Great Change, Sworbreck sides with the Burners, adopting their colors and enforcing their ideology in show trials in order to expand his personal power.]]

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

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

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

* AgentScully: When Savine's other maids express fear at the possibility of Zuri encountering Eaters while traveling South, Zuri dismisses them as fictional. This in spite of the fact that Eaters attacked Adua only thirty years ago and people are still alive who remember fighting against them.
* AsTheGoodBookSays: Zuri frequently cites priestly sayings in conversation, usually dryly acknowledging the hypocrisy involved each time.She frequently cites her scripture teacher in it. [[spoiler:Her teacher having been the Prophet Khalul, though Zuri admits it's been years since she gave a single damn what Khalul might think of her.]]

* SatelliteCharacter: Most of Zuri's characterization revolves around her relationship to Savine, with little else known about her or her past.

* StrongerThanTheyLook: She's packing a lot of deceptive power for such a slim woman. [[spoiler:it's a major hint she's actually an Eater.]]
* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:When Savine decides to turn herself in following her failed coup, Zuri decides to go with her, in spite of the risk to her life posed by being labeled an accomplice to treason.]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:The final chapter of ''Wisdom of Crowds'' features a vision where Hildi has grown to a woman, who has mastered finance and smothers all the north in a cage.]]

* PropagandaMachine: Savine hires him to be one to bolster her public image among the working-class. Sworbreck begins writing puff pieces of Savine doing secret (and fake) charity work for the common folk, who have named her "The Darling of the Slums." The target audience have mixed reactions.

* NotSoDifferent: When she sees Broad fight she says she recognizes the "devil in him," mostly because it takes one to know one. It's partly why she's so keen to have him by her side.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Her real name is unknown. She gained the name "Judge" because it was her job to settle disputes among the whores down by Keln's docks, judging who had the right of it. She claims that she can judge someone's character with one look, better than they can judge themselves.

* HangingJudge: In addition to being named "Judge," during the uprising at Valbeck, she takes over the courthouse and runs mock trials against her wealthy prisoners, having the jury box filled with prostitutes who declare the defendants guilty before Judge is done stating their name and an imprisoned, naked defense attorney who's only purpose is to agree their client is guilty and offer no defense at all. Judge ends up hanging dozens of her prisoners before Vick can negotiate the release of the rest.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: She and her mother have no idea that Gunnar is working as a leg breaker for their boss, assuming he's just another servant.

* LegacyCharacter: He allows others such as Superior Risinau to use the name "the Weaver" to spread his ideals.

* VisionaryVillain: The Weaver's ultimate goal is to stop the rapid industrialization that has been exploiting and destroying the lives and livelihoods of the underprivileged. He formed the Breakers to ''break'' the Union, ridding it of its corruption, and stopping the merciless system that facilitates the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer.

* ProtagonistJourneyIntoVillain: [[spoiler:''The Wisdom of Crowds'' reveals his entire character arc was about his journey from a wannabe hero into a wannabe evil overlord, as he betrays Orso the second they've defeated the Burners and eventually executes him and anyone loyal to him to make himself Lord Regent. The only reason he's not more villainous is because Savine is around to curtail his warmongering desires by making sure the contract they had written gives her equal power to him, and she refuses to allow Orso's death to be entirely for nothing.]]

* VirtueIsAWeakness: [[spoiler:Defeat at Orso's hand only inspires him to abandon his remaining principles and be as deceptive as the people he hates. He ends the trilogy refusing Orso's offer for a chance to work together and executes him to seize ultimate power for himself instead.]]

* AwfulWeddedLife: [[spoiler:By the end of Age of Madness, Savine is clearly through with him and makes it clear all they are is a business arrangement. While she admits her culpability in how Leo turned out, she refuses to let him have his way. Any affection or care between them is dead and Savine intends him to "pay the bill" for his misdeeds.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Leo genuinely believes his rebellion will save the Union by expunging the corrupt Closed Council and replacing them with good, honest patriots. He didn't intend to cause a civil war or even kill Orso, only "liberate him" from his advisors, and he had no idea his coconspirators plotted to kill him to put Leo in his place.]]

* PunchClockVillain: He's a loving husband and father who just wants to provide for his family. Unfortunately, after Valbeck, the best way for him to do so is by working as a hired goon for Savine dan Glokta.

* GoodParents: His son Leo distinctly views him as such after his death.

* PyrrhicVillainy: [[spoiler:He's won by the end of Age of Madness. His son will be King as he's Lord Regent, he's defeated and executed Orso, the Union is his. But he's also in crippling pain, he feels no joy or satisfaction at anything, his supposed pawns will side against him and Savine makes clear that she'll oppose him on the Council whenever she deems it necessary, forbidding him from starting pointless wars. He's a bitter, broken shell of a man without any happiness despite achieving all he wanted and having thrown away any goodness for it.]]

* AsTheGoodBookSays: Zuri frequently cites priestly sayings in conversation, usually dryly acknowledging the hypocrisy involved each time.

* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoilr:After the battle of Stoffenbeck, Leo is left shattered. His friends are dead, his ideals are gone, he realizes he was just a selfish, easily manipulated fool and he can't even bring himself to speak to Orso when Orso confronts him.]]

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Despite being one of the more "heroic"--or, at least, well-intentioned--protagonists, Leo's incredibly homophobic, to the point of [[spoiler:sending away two of his TrueCompanions, including his best friend, after discovering they're gay]]. He's also racist towards non-whites and openly voices his displeasure at seeing so many dark skinned people in Adua, which Orso and Savine are quick to call him on.

* SpoiledSweet: Finree grew up in a rich household but is one of the few kind nobles to display consistent kindness, loyalty to her allies, and compassion to the innocents hurt by the Union's actions.

* DefeatMeansFriendship: After hearing stories of people like Logen Ninefingers befriending those they bested in combat, [[spoiler:Leo spares Stour Nightfall's life in the Circle and offers a hand of friendship to end the war between the North and the Protectorate. Unfortunately, RealityEnsues. While Stour ceases active warfare, he only does so to play for time since Leo's position is stronger now. Stour still plans on seizing the Protectorate eventually, and when Leo approaches him for an alliance in another war, Stour has no intention of helping him without getting anything in return.]]

* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: She ends up captured by Stranger-Come-Knocking who plainly states his intention to have her father "civilized" children for him. Luckily, she's saved at the last minute. Unfortunately, her friend isn't so luckily.

* RatedMForManly: It's frequently commented on that Leo is the manliest man who ever manned. Deconstructed in that his love for all things MANLY!!! is strongly hinted to include being sexually attracted to men, and that he's very conflicted and insecure beneath the rugged exterior.

[[folder:Harod]]

!!!Other Nobles

[[folder:Carlot dan Eider]]
!!Carlot dan Eider

A merchant, head of the Guild of Spicers.

* TheCharmer: Dipping into FemmeFatale when necessary.
* TheChewToy: The universe apparently ''hates'' poor Carlot. She's constantly batted around by powerful figures, which ends repeatedly in her losing everything, and she deserves it far, far less than people who get away free with bigger crimes. She's finally content and happy as of ''Red Country.''
* DeterminedWidow: Married a far older man to pay off her father's debt, and gradually took over his responsibilities in the Guild of Spicers as his health declined. After his death, she effectively inherited his title as a Magister.
* ManipulativeBitch: Although for pretty altruistic reasons.
* MayDecemberRomance: When she was twenty-two, she was compelled to marry a sixty-year-old man to repay her father's debt.
* MissKitty: In ''Red Country'', true to the book's Western theme.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: She ignores Glokta's earlier warning to flee the Union to return and warn him about the Gurkish making their way to Midderland with a secret fleet. As a result, Glokta ends up seizing her assets at the end of the story and forcing her to act as his spy in Styria.
* NonIdleRich: Does everything in her power to support Glokta in his defense of Dagoska.
* PetTheDog: As part of the ruling council of Dagoska she tries to restrain the Union's worst abuses towards the natives.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Her role in the ruling council of Dagoska and as the Mayor in ''Red Country''.
* TheRival: In ''Red Country'', she's in a bitter fight with the crime boss, Papa Ring, for control of the town of Crease.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: By the end of ''Best Served Cold'', she flees Styria to avoid Glokta's wrath after Shivers fails to kill Monza. It's revealed in ''Red Country'' that she's made her way all the way to the town of Crease in Far Country.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: When she first appears, she tries to use her resources and wiles to save the population of Dagoska. With every appearance after that she compromises her principles further. In ''Red Country'', she breaks her word to let a duel decide which of them rules Crease, and instead launches a preemptive strike against Papa Ring's forces and businesses while the fight's still going on, causing a bloodbath in Crease.
* ThrowTheDogABone: After spending most of her screen time suffering undeservedly, the end of ''Red Country'' has her as the unopposed Mayor of Crease which is starting to evolve thanks to industry. She's also gotten the Union out of her hair by convincing them she's aligned with the Old Empire.
* TraumaCongaLine: Glokta exposes her as a traitor and later forces her to work for him as a spy in Styria, where she becomes [[TheEvilPrince Ario's]] mistress. In ''Best Seved Cold'', she's tortured and blackmailed into assisting Monza in Ario's assassination, forcing her to seek protection in the League of Eight in order to escape the wrath of both Glokta and Grand Duke Orso. Fortunately, things start to look a little brighter for her by the time of ''Red Country''.
* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: Though her name is never mentioned, it's pretty obvious that she's the Mayor of Crease in ''Red Country''.
* UltimateAuthorityMayor: In ''Red Country'' she's become the Mayor of Crease and the power in town is split evenly between her and her rival, Papa Ring, until she bests him. Her authority is justified in this case since it's a plot point that Far Country is far away from most global powers, and Carlot's plan is to align with the Old Empire over the Union.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: In ''Before They Are Hanged'', she turned traitor to the Union and made a deal to hand Dagoska over to the invading Gurkish Empire because she knew the city was doomed anyway and at least by cooperating she could ensure there wasn't any bloodshed.

[[folder:Fedor dan Isher]]
!!Lord Fedor dan Isher

A scheming aristocrat who is dissatisfied with the royal family and Closed Council during the ''Age of Madness''.

* AristocratsAreEvil: Isher has been seizing his land back from Union citizens by sending out thugs to either intimidate people into selling or kill them if they won't budge. Eventually he plots treason against the crown and [[spoiler:instigates a civil war to gain more power.]]
* BigBadWannabe: He may be the initial brains of the conspiracy against Orso and the Closed Council, but all Isher really brings to the table is two blowhard noblemen. [[spoiler:Isher is completely dependent upon Leo's soldiers to be a military threat, and, after Savine joins the conspiracy, she supplants him as the brains of the operation, turning it into a much more dangerous threat.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: Isher plays both Orso and Leo like a fiddle during the Wetterlant Trial to get more power on the Open Council. [[spoiler:While Orso catches on, Leo doesn't, and Isher uses Leo's dissatisfaction with the Crown to get him to join a conspiracy against Orso.]]
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: His stated reasons for wanting to depose and replace the Closed Council is to weed out the corruption in the government and make the Union great again. In reality, Isher is just a power-hungry man who wants a spot on the Closed Council and a more malleable PuppetKing.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: [[spoiler:Isher manages to escape when his side loses the Battle of Stoffenbeck, leaving his coconspirators behind to face the King's justice.]]
* SmugSnake: Isher is clever enough to manipulate others into helping him, and careful enough that even Savine doesn't have any dirt on him, but he's still nowhere near the powerful threat he thinks he is.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: He ingratiates himself as a friend to Leo but only to manipulate him into causing a scandal at the Wetterlant Trial. [[spoiler:His masterplan is to use Leo to launch a coup against Orso and the Closed Council, and, once that fails, Isher leaves all of his allies behind to die while he makes his escape.]]
* VillainRespect: [[spoiler:Despite having a low opinion on women, he expresses respect towards Savine when her superior planning gives his conspiracy against the Crown a much better chance of success.]]
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: He's still a young man but his hair is already white, and his heart is already devoid of compassion.

!!Citizens

!!!Broad Family

[[folder:Gunnar*]]
!!Gunnar Broad
!!!POV: ''Literature/ALittleHatred'', ''Literature/TheTroubleWithPeace''
-->'''Liddy''': ''"It's a fine line, Gunnar, between helping people and hurting 'em. You're prone to wander all over it."''

A Union veteran returning home from the failed wars in Styria. He and his family are forced off their land after Gunnar's temper gets the better of him during an altercation with Lord Isher's hired thugs. Gunnar struggles to provide for his family while also battling his violent nature.

* BattleButler: After entering Savine's employ, his cover is that of her coachman, but in actuality he works as a hired goon who dirties his hands so Savine's businesses continue to run smoothly.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gunnar comes across as a pretty nice guy under most circumstances, but he has a monstrous appetite for violence that he's willing to indulge in at a moment's notice.
* BlindWithoutEm: Lord Marshall Mitterick gave Gunnar a pair lenses as a reward for saving his life. Without them, Gunnar can't see more than a handspan in front of him before the world becomes a smudge.
* TheBrute: Savine hires him to serve as her main muscle, and, despite his shame over it, he does love violence.
* CallToAgriculture: Coming home from the failed war against Styria, Gunnar intended to live a peaceful life with his wife and daughter on the family farm. One violent altercation with a local lord's hired goons quickly forces the family to move out of fear of reprisal.
* FrequentlyBrokenUnbreakableVow: Gunnar keeps promising his family that he'll stay out of trouble, yet frequently finds himself--sometimes through happenstance and sometimes deliberately--facing situations where violence is his only option. His wife lampshades it by telling him to not make promises he can't keep.
* HappilyMarried: Despite all the hardships they face, Gunnar and his wife, Liddy, genuinely love each other.
* PapaWolf: The first time Gunnar goes into a murderous blood-rage onscreen is when a man tries to intimidate him into selling his land by threatening to kill Gunnar's wife and daughter. Not only does Broad brutally kill him, he does the same thing to the man's two accomplices.
* PunchClockVillain: He's a loving husband and father who just wants to provide for his family. Unfortunately, after Valbeck, the best way for him to do so is by working as a hired goon for Savine dan Glokta.
* ReluctantPsycho: Gunnar knows that his temper and love of violence are genuinely wrong, and he works hard to repress them for the good of his family and out of a genuine sense of shame. Unfortunately, more often than not, he's fighting a losing battle against his nature.
* ReturningWarVet: His first chapter in the ''Age of Madness'' trilogy has Gunnar finally returning home to his family after being off fighting in the Union's war with Styria.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Gunnar was a Ladderman in Styria, meaning he was in one of the most dangerous positions as the first man up the ladders, over the walls, and into the fighting where it's thickest. He did it five times. The horrible things he did during the war have damaged him greatly, to the point where he isn't sure he'll ever be able to escape his violent tendencies.
* TheTeetotaler: Gunnar has stayed sober since coming back home from Styria, knowing that drinking would just make his judgement even worse.
* UnknownRival: He becomes one to Lord Isher after his men force Gunnar and his family off their land.
* WouldHurtAChild: His first chapter in ''Literature/TheTroubleWithPeace'' has him threatening a worker's son to get him to call off a strike he planned. The man gives in before Gunnar gets to work, but Gunnar had every intention of following through on his threats.

[[folder:Liddy]]
!!Liddy Broad

The wife of Gunnar and mother of May. She's been keeping the family farm afloat while Gunnar was fighting in Styria.

* DeterminedHomesteader: Due to increased industrialization, common land is being cordoned off for businesses and the local lord, Isher, is forcing people out to seize their property. Liddy has managed to keep the farm going despite the hardships and the threats of Isher's men, but her and her daughter's efforts end up being for naught when Gunnar immediately murders Isher's men for threatening his family, forcing them to flee as fugitives.
* HappilyMarried: Even though Gunnar's violent tendencies only make things more difficult for their family, the two of them still love each other.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: She and her daughter have no idea that Gunnar is working as a leg breaker for their boss, assuming he's just another servant.
* MoralityChain: The welfare of her and her daughter Liddy are about the only things keeping Gunnar from giving in completely to his psychopathic tendencies.

[[folder:May]]
!!May Broad

The daughter of Gunnar and Liddy Broad.

* CallingTheOldManOut: Just as her father is about to act on his violent impulses after they've already landed the family into trouble, May snaps at him not to mess up their lives again after she just went through all the hard-work to earn them safety and comfort.
* DaddysGirl: Gunnar is fiercely protective of her and May greatly admires her father for fighting in the war with Styria, even if Gunnar doesn't think he did anything to be proud of.
* IOweYouMyLife: She invokes this by sheltering Savine dan Glokta during the Breaker uprising in Valbeck, telling Savine that she wants protection and employment for herself and her parents as payment.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: She and her mother have no idea that Gunnar is working as a leg breaker for their boss, assuming he's just another servant.
* MoralityChain: Her welfare and her mother's, are the main things keeping her father from giving in completely to his psychopathic tendencies.

!!!Breakers and Burners

[[folder:The Weaver]]
!!The Weaver

The mysterious leader of the Breakers and the Burners. His goal is to bring about the "Great Change," which will "break" the rotten core of the Union, and bring in a new era where the poor and downtrodden are no longer crushed under the boots of the rich and powerful.

His identity is a major spoiler. For more information see: [[spoiler:[[Characters/TheFirstLawUnionInquisition Superior Pike]]]]

* AffablyEvil: He wants to bring about a Great Change to improve the lives of the Union's oppressed citizens and, once his identity is revealed, he shows himself to be well-mannered, calling his followers "his children," and even offers [[spoiler:Vick]] a job despite their skepticism. [[spoiler:It's a stark contrast to the emotionless and terrifying torturer he acted like as Superior Pike.]]
* BadBoss: [[spoiler:He hangs two hundred of his own followers who rose up in Valbeck to bring about his Great Change. Vick, who was already unnerved by what Superior Pike is willing to do to his enemies, is even more terrified of what he's willing to do to his own allies.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: "Bad" in this series is always debatable, but he's the main threat of the Breakers and Burners storyline, while competing with Stour Nightfall in the Northern storylines, and Bayaz as the GreaterScopeVillain of the series. [[spoiler:By the end of ''Literature/TheTroubleWithPeace'', Stour has become Rikke's prisoner while the Weaver's forces are more of a threat than ever.]]
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:In his civilian identity of Superior Pike, he organizes a revolution against the Union while working as the right-hand of the Inquisition, one of the Union's most powerful institutions. Throughout the ''Age of Madness'', he instigates the uprising in Valbeck, then hangs two hundred of his own supporters knowing Prince Orso will be blamed and further turn the Union's citizens against the Crown, then uses the chaos of Orso's war against Leo and Savine as a distraction to stage his own massive uprising across the Union while simultaneously depleting his enemies' numbers.]]
* CommonalityConnection: [[spoiler:Both he and Vick were prisoners in Angland's brutal penal colonies yet willingly joined the very Inquisition that sent them there, if nothing else but for the chance to finally be the ones with their boots on someone else's necks. It's one of the reasons he ends up offering her a job.]]
* HazyFeelTurn: The morality in ''The First Law'' series has always been sketchy, with there being less "good" and "evil" than moral grayness. [[spoiler:The Weaver goes from the second-in-command of the Union's Inquisition to the head of a rebel organization willing to go to any extremes to bring the Union down.]]
* LegacyCharacter: He allows others such as Superior Risinau to use the name "the Weaver" to spread his ideals.
* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:He's able to play ''everyone'' against each other in his civilian identity, tricking fellow [[TheChessmaster Chessmasters]] while keeping his real loyalties and motives hidden. He even successfully plays MasterActor and ConsummateLiar, Vick dan Teufel.]]
* MoleInCharge: [[spoiler:After Glokta retires as Arch Lector, he appoints Pike his successor, meaning the revolutionary who wants to tear down the Union is now in command of the Inquisition, one of its most powerful institutions.]]
* RebelLeader: He's the leader of both the Breakers and their more extreme offshoot, the Burners, with his goal being to tear down the corrupt leaders of the Union.
* TheUnfettered: Despite his affability and well-intentions, the Weaver is utterly ruthless in bringing about his Great Change, to the point where [[spoiler:he's willing to hang two hundred of his own supporters to further the cause]].
* VisionaryVillain: The Weaver's ultimate goal is to stop the rapid industrialization that has been exploiting and destroying the lives and livelihoods of the underprivileged. He formed the Breakers to ''break'' the Union, ridding it of its corruption, and stopping the merciless system that facilitates the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer.
* WalkingSpoiler: The Weaver's identity is a massive spoiler for the ''Age of Madness'' trilogy.
* WeCanRuleTogether: He offers [[spoiler:Victarine dan Teufel in the final chapter of ''Literature/TheTroubleWithPeace'' the chance to join him, partly due to their similar backgrounds, partly because he wants a skeptic to balance out his more fanatical followers. She accepts, if only because she's in the midst of an army of his followers at the moment]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Weavers means may be horrifying but his goals are well-intentioned. He knows exactly how corrupt the Union is and he wants to overthrow its government so that the poor and downtrodden will no longer be oppressed.

[[folder:Judge]]
!!Judge
-->"Nothing ''was ever got with talk... That couldn't be got with fire."''

The psychotic leader of the Burners, the more fanatical offshoot of the Breakers.

* AxeCrazy: Even her own allies know Judge is dangerously insane, with a love of violence and a desire to see the Union burn.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: The Burners, as their name implies, don't want to break the Union to bring about the Great Change, they want to bring it by burning the Union to the ground. She and her forces end up burning down vast swathes of Valbeck, heedless of the danger towards their Breaker allies.
* CoDragons: She and Superior Risinau serve as the Weaver's right and left hands.
* TheCorrupter: Judge isn't only mad herself, but she has a way of turning other people mad as well.
* EvilIsHammy: She's more than a touch theatrical while riling her followers up in her speeches.
* FieryRedhead: Judge is passionate and a total psychopath with a mass of flame-red hair.
* HangingJudge: In addition to being named "Judge," during the uprising at Valbeck, she takes over the courthouse and runs mock trials against her wealthy prisoners, having the jury box filled with prostitutes who declare the defendants guilty before Judge is done stating their name and an imprisoned, naked defense attorney who's only purpose is to agree their client is guilty and offer no defense at all. Judge ends up hanging dozens of her prisoners before Vick can negotiate the release of the rest.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: She immediately takes a shine to Gunnar Broad after he knocks one of her bailiffs through the witness box. She continues to show tangible appreciation for the violence he's capable of while flirting with him and offering him a spot by her side.
* MightMakesRight: When one of the prisoners she's put on trial demands what right she has to judge him, her response is that she has the authority of the fist, sharpened metal, and force, which she claims is the only real authority there is.
* NotSoDifferent: When she sees Broad fight she says she recognizes the "devil in him," mostly because it takes one to know one. It's partly why she's so keen to have him by her side.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Her real name is unknown. She gained the name "Judge" because it was her job to settle disputes among the whores down by Keln's docks, judging who had the right of it. She claims that she can judge someone's character with one look, better than they can judge themselves.
* PsychoSupporter: Judge is a total psychopath and she supports the Weaver mostly because he's willing to resort to insanely ruthless measures to bring about the Great Change.
* {{Pyromaniac}}: If being part of a group called the Burners wasn't obvious enough, Judge really loves starting fires.
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: The Burners are so named because they're even more extreme than the already extreme Breakers, and Judge is their leader. She's more than happy to bring about the Great Change by burning their oppressors alive then digging through their ashes to grab her freedom, regardless if "collaborators" or innocents get caught in the blaze.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: She and the Burners hightail it out of Valbeck before Prince Orso's soldiers and the Inquisition arrive to take back the city. But not before starting a few more fires on her way out.
* SirSwearsALot: Practically every sentence out of her mouth is laden with curses.

[[folder:Malmer]]
!!Malmer

One of the leaders of the Breakers during the uprising in Valbeck.

* CoolOldGuy: He's an older man who cares about the common folk of Valbeck and is willing to give Broad a job based on a friend's recommendation. Broad, Vick and Orso all reflect that they can't help but like him.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: He's the only Breaker leader who stays behind to protect his followers when the king's forces surround Valbeck. [[spoiler:His compassion ends up getting him tortured and executed by Superior Pike.]]
* OnlySaneMan: When compared to his fellow rebel leaders, Risinau and Judge. The former is a dreamer more concerned with the romantic ideals of the Great Change than he is with the practical details of it, like providing food and safety for their people. The latter is a psychopathic fanatic willing to let her own allies be caught in the crossfire if it means burning down the Union. Of the three, Malmer is the most grounded, the one who actually looks out for his people's best interests, and the only one who doesn't abandon the city before the king's forces arrive.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Malmer is the most moral of the Breaker leaders in Valbeck. All he wants is for common citizens to get fair wages for fair work and safe environments. He frequently tries to get his fellows to show mercy and he's the only leader who stays with Valbeck when the king's forces come to reclaim the city, even if it will probably result in his death.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: His fellow rebel leaders use him to start the uprising in Valbeck, then leave him to be executed for the ordeal while they run. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that the man who executed him was his boss, the Weaver.]]

[[folder:Sarlby]]
!!Sarlby

A former comrade-in-arms of Gunnar's who persuades him to join the Breakers.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Sarlby always wanted to upend the Union as a Breaker, but after [[spoiler:two hundred people were hanged]] following the Valbeck uprising, Sarlby stopped being a Breaker and joined the more extremist Burners.
* ReturningWarVet: Like Gunnar Broad, Sarlby has returned from the failed Union war with Styria.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: When Sarlby is first seen, he's an old war buddy of Broad's and vouches for him so Broad can get a job at a local tavern. After the fiasco that was Valbeck, and Broad starting to work for Lady Savine, the next time they meet Sarlby is disillusioned with his friend "joining the enemy." He agrees to take Broad to the Breakers but makes it clear he won't stop them if they decide to kill him.

!!!Other Citizens

[[folder:Mauthis]]
!!Mauthis

A senior representative of the mysterious banking house of Valint & Balk. Introduced in Literature/TheFirstLaw, he offers a "non-traditional" loan to Glokta to help the Union's defenses against the Gurkish invasion in return for unspecified vapors in the future.

* CharacterTics: He licks his thumb before turning pages in his ledger. Moveer takes advantage of this to poison ''all'' the ledgers in Valint & Balk, killing Mauthis along with dozens more.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He's calm and polite even when he makes veiled threats to Glokta.
* GuiltByAssociation: Monza's reasoning for targeting him is essentially "he was in the room when Benna was killed." Mauthis had no idea about Orso's plan to kill them, and while he didn't object it, he did seem confused by Orso's decision-making.
* LeanAndMean: Described as tall, gaunt and hollow-eyed.
* MorallyBankruptBanker: He's not above threatening Glokta when the latter starts asking uncomfortable questions. It later turns out that Valint & Balk was created by Bayaz to control the Union and keep the war against the Gurkish going.
* MysteriousBacker: Lends Glokta a substantial amount of money during the siege of Dagoska, for initially unknown reasons. He's ultimately revealed to work for Bayaz.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: He's usually a very composed and stoic man, but when Mauthis warns Glokta about the type of people he's gotten involved with by accepting Valint & Balk's money, Glokta becomes afraid because the composed Mauthis is terrified.
* TheStoic: He's completely unfazed by Benna being murdered right in front of him.
* StraightEdgeEvil: Drinks no alcohol, in order to keep his mind on the job.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: He's killed along with dozens of other people after Morveer poisons every single ledger in the bank.

[[folder:Longfoot]]
!!Brother Longfoot

A talented Navigator whose constant chatting and boasting get on his companions' nerves.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Absolutely none of his companions much care for him, since he never shuts the hell up. Still, much as they dislike him, they do tolerate him.
* LovableCoward: He admits to running from fights, but it's hard to hold that against him.
* MilesGloriosus: Spares no opportunity to boast about his talents and accomplishments.
* MotorMouth: He will not. Stop. *Talking*.
* NonActionGuy: Combat is not among his many skills.
* PluckyComicRelief: He doesn't have much depth beyond providing humor to that plotline.
* RunningGag: His constant tendency to brag about his "many skills".
* ShooOutTheClowns: Following the journey, he is captured by the Inquisition and barely escapes (mostly) intact, before exiting the story. Things get worse after that.
* SmallNameBigEgo: One of his signature traits is constantly boasting about his skills and knowledge, and having a very high opinion of himself despite his relative unhelpfulness to the group.

[[folder:Sworbreck]]
!!Spillion Sworbreck

A writer with an over-inflated sense of his own talent. First seen as Nicomo Cosca's biographer, he eventually returns to the Union with new writings of his adventures in the Far Country.

* ChekhovsGunman: He just appears to be Cosca's put-upon biographer throughout ''Literature/RedCountry'', but in the climax of the book, he's the one who defuses the conflict between the heroes and Cosca by killing the latter with his own sword.
* TheDogBitesBack: After being dragged through hell on account of Cosca's actions, witnessing horrific crimes and being arrested by the Inquisition just for being associated with him, Sworbreck finally breaks when Cosca takes a family hostage and runs Cosca through with his own sword.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He grows increasingly disgusted by the unnecessarily violent actions committed by the Company of the Gracious Hand, even as he accompanies them as Cosca's biographer.
* FakeUltimateHero: In his writings, he cultivates the image of a GentlemanAdventurer of the Far Country. In actuality, he doesn't go further than the Rostod harbor and instead pays a scout to wear his clothes and ride across the plains so they look like an adventurer's clothes upon his return.
* GuiltByAssociation: After Inquisitor Lorsen turns Cosca's men against him, Lorsen has Sworbreck arrested alongside Cosca and Friendly. When Sworbreck asks why one of the mercenaries replies with, "Why not?"
* InnocentlyInsensitive: While going on about Savine's experiences in Valbeck during the uprising, Sworbreck obliviously triggers her traumatic memories of the event with his prattle.
* PropagandaMachine: Savine hires him to be one to bolster her public image among the working-class. Sworbreck begins writing puff pieces of Savine doing secret (and fake) charity work for the common folk, who have named her "The Darling of the Slums." The target audience have mixed reactions.
* SecretKeeper: He knows exactly what Orso and Savine use his office for when he's out of town, but he keeps his mouth shut about it.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Sworbreck fancies himself the best writer in the world, but when he rattles off some of his most famous literary accomplishments, he's met with stone silence from his listeners.

[[folder:Zuri]]
!!Zuri
-->''"Everyone looks better on their knees. It was my favorite thing about attending temple."''

A Gurkish refugee who acts as the peerless lady's companion to Savine dan Glokta.

* AgentScully: When Savine's other maids express fear at the possibility of Zuri encountering Eaters while traveling South, Zuri dismisses them as fictional. This in spite of the fact that Eaters attacked Adua only thirty years ago and people are still alive who remember fighting against them.
* AsTheGoodBookSays: Zuri frequently cites priestly sayings in conversation, usually dryly acknowledging the hypocrisy involved each time.
* BigSisterInstinct: She travels alone to the chaotic war-torn South to save her brothers and bring them back to Adua.
* GirlFriday: Zuri is always by Savine's side as her peerless lady's companion, writing down everything that could benefit Savine's businesses and damage her rivals in the little book she keeps on her.
* OnlyFriend: She's the closest thing to a friend that Savine has, with Savine noting how sad it is that the one person she can say that about is the person who's companionship she pays for. Though Zuri herself acknowledges the power imbalance in their relationship yet genuinely views Savine as her friend anyway.
* TheReliableOne: Savine thinks of Zuri as her rock, and when Zuri departs for the South to help her brothers, Savine is worried what she'll do without Zuri by her side.
* SatelliteCharacter: Most of Zuri's characterization revolves around her relationship to Savine, with little else known about her or her past.
* ServileSnarker: While she's always impeccably polite about it, she's still willing to trade sarcasm with Savine.
* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:When Savine decides to turn herself in following her failed coup, Zuri decides to go with her, in spite of the risk to her life posed by being labeled an accomplice to treason.]]

[[folder:Hildi]]
!!Hildi

The thirteen-year-old valet of Prince Orso.

* DaddysLittleVillain: She's the only daughter of Sand dan Glokta, Arch Lector of the Union's Inquisition, and one of the few people in the world he genuinely loves. For her part, Savine is a ruthless businesswoman who only grows more ruthless as time goes on, and respects her father immensely. Her opinion of him sours immensely upon learning her true parentage, [[spoiler:to the point where she's okay with waging war against him for ambition.]]

* ObliviousAdoption: She has no idea that Sand dan Glokta isn't her real father until her mother tells her near the end of ''Literature/ALittleHatred''.

* BrotherSisterIncest: She and Orso are in a secret relationship, both unaware that they're half-siblings. [[spoiler:He eventually proposes to her and the only reason she says no is because her mother reveals the truth to her after Orso pops the question.]]

* DaddysLittleVillain: She's the only daughter of Sand dan Glokta, Arch Lector of the Union's Inquisition, and one of the few people in the world he genuinely loves. For her part, Savine is a ruthless businesswoman who only grows more ruthless as time goes on, and respects her father immensely. [[spoiler:Her opinion of him sours immensely upon learning her true parentage, to the point where she's okay with waging war against him for ambition.]]

* LoveEpiphany: Savine offers to back the cost of Orso's military campaign in the North with absolutely no strings attached, then stops and wonders why she just did that. Thinking about him makes her realize she did it because she's in love with him.

* LukeIAmYourFather: She's unaware that she's the bastard daughter of King Jezal dan Luthar, [[spoiler:until after she tells her mother she plans on accepting a marriage proposal from her half-brother]].

* ObliviousAdoption: She has no idea that Sand dan Glokta isn't her real father [[spoiler:until her mother tells her near the end of ''Literature/ALittleHatred'']].

* SecretRelationship: She and Orso have secretly been lovers for a long time because their parents disapprove of them being together. Neither of them know it's because they're half-siblings.