Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* CarryABigStick: Antigon is armed with a massive mace; as it's disproportionally big for his own small size, he usually just drags it around.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Trope was cut/disambiguated due to cleanup
Deleted line(s) 577 (click to see context) :
* DropTheHammer: A mace, so big, he usually just drags it around.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* EarNotch: It's frequently-mentioned that his ears were torn in countless fights, with one being sliced and one partially-missing.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 1301 (click to see context) from:
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist of the second novel (while he gets introduced in the first one, he has little involvement in it), with Ligul acting as a minor secondary threat.
to:
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist of the second novel (while he gets introduced in the first one, he has little involvement in it), spends most of it offscreen, being only relevant for Daphne's plot), with Ligul acting as a minor secondary threat.
Added DiffLines:
* {{Retcon}}: Arey calls him "Guardian" when explaining how he'd lost his powers originally; second book explicitly says that, despite possessing a darkh, he's ''not'' a Guardian (Daphne explicitly lists this as reason why he can't use the Scroll to replace Ligul, to which he agrees), and final one establishes that Shapeshifters are FantasticUnderclass.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
Daphne, "Daph" or (when under lopukhoid disguise) Dasha Pimonova is the agent of Light in the Darkness's domain and Mefodiy's Guardian Angel.
to:
Daphne, "Daph" or (when under lopukhoid disguise) Dasha Pimonova is the agent of Light in the Darkness's domain and Mefodiy's Guardian Angel.Keeper.
Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* BroughtDownToNormal: She temporarily lost her magic in ''The Ice and Fire of Tartarus'' (due to Ligul's manipulations), and spent the rest of it, and entirety of next novel, without her flute (she was unable to even touch it), and without any of Light-granted abilities (magolodies, wings, immortality and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking antigravic hair]].
to:
* BroughtDownToNormal: She temporarily lost her magic in ''The Ice and Fire of Tartarus'' (due to Ligul's manipulations), and spent the rest of it, and entirety of next novel, without her flute (she was unable (unable to even touch it), and without any of Light-granted abilities (magolodies, wings, immortality and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking antigravic hair]].
Changed line(s) 52 (click to see context) from:
* {{Deuteragonist}}: In the first three novels, Daphne was the second main character after Mefodiy.
to:
* {{Deuteragonist}}: In the first three novels, Daphne was is the second main character after Mefodiy.Mefodiy, with her own parallel storyline.
* FakeDefector: She was set up as the "betrayer of Light", so Darkness would trust her enough to let her near Mefodiy. Despite Darkness never trusting her completely (and Ligul being the one who'd orchestrated that mission in the first place), she was allowed to stay on this position right until Mefodiy defected in the eight novel.
Changed line(s) 55 (click to see context) from:
* GuardianAngel: De-jure, she is Mefodiy's Guardian Angel, despite not being related to Crystal Spheres in any way; her role is to ensure he would not fall into Darkness completely. However, it's a major question who's protecting whom, as she needs his help just as much, if not more.
to:
* GuardianAngel: De-jure, she is Mefodiy's Guardian Angel, Keeper, despite not being related to Crystal Spheres in any way; her role is to ensure he would not fall into Darkness completely. However, it's a major question who's protecting whom, as she needs his help just as much, if not more.
Deleted line(s) 59 (click to see context) :
* TheMole: She was set up as the "betrayer of Light", so Darkness would trust her enough to let her near Mefodiy. Despite Darkness never trusting her completely, she was allowed to stay on this position right until Mefodiy defected in the eight novel.
Changed line(s) 65 (click to see context) from:
* TokenEvilTeammate: Main reason why she was even chosen to become Mefodiy's Guardian Angel in the first place: she is the only Light Guardian to contain some Darkness inside her (which is represented by her bad traits, amongst which are disrespect for rules, and even her love for black humour), so it would be plausible if they pass her as turncoat instead of someone more experienced. It worked, [[spoiler: because it was Ligul who manipulated Troil through dark artifact to send her on this quest]], though Ligul never trusted her in full despite her being seemingly accepted in the team, and would later try to get rid of her more than once.
to:
* TokenEvilTeammate: Main reason why she was even chosen to become Mefodiy's Guardian Angel Keeper in the first place: she is the only Light Guardian to contain some Darkness inside her (which is represented by her bad traits, amongst which are disrespect for rules, and even her love for black humour), so it would be plausible if they pass her as turncoat instead of someone more experienced. It worked, [[spoiler: because it was Ligul who manipulated Troil through dark artifact to send her on this quest]], though Ligul never trusted her in full despite her being seemingly accepted in the team, and would later try to get rid of her more than once.
Changed line(s) 107 (click to see context) from:
Daphne's Guardian Angel... just as unusual and unlucky as she is.
to:
Daphne's Guardian Angel...Keeper... just as unusual and unlucky as she is.
Changed line(s) 109 (click to see context) from:
* BadassBiker: Like all (true, not formal ones like Daphne) Guardian Angels, he can't visit Earth in his true body, so he was forced to resurrect and inhabit the body of a deceased mortal... which turns out to be a biker. While biker's soul went to heaven, his old habits were so integral part of his character, Essiorkh "inherited" them when he took this body for himself. One of them was undying love for bikes and high speed. He also inherited this biker's physical strength, which he now uses to protect people from harm, sometimes not even bothering with using magic.
to:
* BadassBiker: Like all (true, not formal ones like Daphne) Guardian Angels, Keepers, he can't visit Earth in his true body, so he was forced to resurrect and inhabit the body of a deceased mortal... which turns out to be a biker. While biker's soul went to heaven, his old habits were so integral part of his character, Essiorkh "inherited" them when he took this body for himself. One of them was undying love for bikes and high speed. He also inherited this biker's physical strength, which he now uses to protect people from harm, sometimes not even bothering with using magic.
Changed line(s) 114 (click to see context) from:
* DatingCatwoman: He is a GuardianAngel, yet he still dates Ulitha, a Dark witch. They're supposed to be incompatible, yet this relationship survived. It's not always smooth; be it her inability to change for the better (without eidos), or Essiorkh's own "holier-than-you" attitude, but they suffer from quarrels from time to time. Under his influence, she eventually defected to the Light, however.
to:
* DatingCatwoman: He is a GuardianAngel, Keeper, yet he still dates Ulitha, a Dark witch. They're supposed to be incompatible, yet this relationship survived. It's not always smooth; be it her inability to change for the better (without eidos), or Essiorkh's own "holier-than-you" attitude, but they suffer from quarrels from time to time. Under his influence, she eventually defected to the Light, however.
Changed line(s) 119 (click to see context) from:
* GuardianAngel: His actual specialisation; his role is to ensure that Daphne would remain safe and on the right path. Normally, Guardian Angels remain back in Eden, and do not interfere (not even those who guard the other Light Guardians), but since situation looks dire enough, he was sent on Earth directly to protect Daphne (both physically and morally). At later point, he (unofficially) becomes one for Ulitha as well.
to:
* GuardianAngel: His actual specialisation; his role is to ensure that Daphne would remain safe and on the right path. Normally, Guardian Angels Keeper remain back in Eden, and do not interfere (not even those who guard the other Light Guardians), but since situation looks dire enough, he was sent on Earth directly to protect Daphne (both physically and morally). At later point, he (unofficially) becomes one for Ulitha as well.
Changed line(s) 126 (click to see context) from:
* OddCouple: With Ulitha; he is a GuardianAngel in the body of a mortal biker, she is a (highly eccentric) witch in service to Darkness, known for undying love to sweets.
to:
* OddCouple: With Ulitha; he is a GuardianAngel Keeper in the body of a mortal biker, she is a (highly eccentric) witch in service to Darkness, known for undying love to sweets.
Changed line(s) 145,149 (click to see context) from:
* DuelToTheDeath: One of the most common tactics he picks to deal with problems is to challenge the enemy to fight till death, always behind Irka's back, expecting that it would fix all problems. This is part of his tendency to search for "easy solutions" he would only give up after some CharacterDevelopment. It's telling that each new duel comes with slightly more prior thinking.
** In ''Revenge of the Valkyries'', when Irka is about to duel Mefodiy, Matvey attacks Mefodiy first to protect her. He loses and only survives because the Path Stone replaces his actual heart (so he can't be killed by stabbing through the heart).
** In ''The Glass Guardian'', in attempt to at least [[RedemptionEqualsDeath posthumously redeem himself]] for mistake he previously did in the same novel, he challenges Arey, knowing that he stands no chance. The battle ends in rather unexpected way, and Arey spares him for his own reasons.
** In ''The Ship of Light'', he challenges a Dark Guardian Jaff to duel, knowing that it's the last chance he has to help the Valkyries and fix his ''yet another'' mistake.
* FatalFlaw: His [[ItsAllAboutMe egoism]] and demands to stay in control. Even in love, it must be about him, he always (even if subconsciously) demands something in return, like Irka fulfilling some perceived "ideal", and becoming angry when she doesn't. In short, he would rather change everyone else than change himself. Because of that, he constantly fails to find enough strength of will to actually go all the way, and always stops half-way because he loses interest. Because of that, he always searches for the "easy way" to solve the problem, which invariably ends badly for both him and Irka. His entire character arc is about him overwhelming this mindset.
** In ''Revenge of the Valkyries'', when Irka is about to duel Mefodiy, Matvey attacks Mefodiy first to protect her. He loses and only survives because the Path Stone replaces his actual heart (so he can't be killed by stabbing through the heart).
** In ''The Glass Guardian'', in attempt to at least [[RedemptionEqualsDeath posthumously redeem himself]] for mistake he previously did in the same novel, he challenges Arey, knowing that he stands no chance. The battle ends in rather unexpected way, and Arey spares him for his own reasons.
** In ''The Ship of Light'', he challenges a Dark Guardian Jaff to duel, knowing that it's the last chance he has to help the Valkyries and fix his ''yet another'' mistake.
* FatalFlaw: His [[ItsAllAboutMe egoism]] and demands to stay in control. Even in love, it must be about him, he always (even if subconsciously) demands something in return, like Irka fulfilling some perceived "ideal", and becoming angry when she doesn't. In short, he would rather change everyone else than change himself. Because of that, he constantly fails to find enough strength of will to actually go all the way, and always stops half-way because he loses interest. Because of that, he always searches for the "easy way" to solve the problem, which invariably ends badly for both him and Irka. His entire character arc is about him overwhelming this mindset.
to:
* DuelToTheDeath: One of the most common tactics he picks to deal with problems is to challenge the enemy to fight till death, always behind Irka's back, expecting that it would fix all problems. problems; it never does. This is part of [[FatalFlaw his tendency tendency]] to search for "easy solutions" he would only give up after some CharacterDevelopment. It's telling that each new duel comes with slightly more prior thinking.
** In ''Revenge of the Valkyries'', when Irka is about to duel Mefodiy, Matvey attacks Mefodiy first to protect her. He loses and only survives because the Path Stone replaces his actual heart (so he can't be killed by stabbing through theheart).
heart), while this duel only makes the peaceful outcome less likely.
** In ''The Glass Guardian'', in attempt to at least [[RedemptionEqualsDeath posthumously redeem himself]] for mistake he previously did in the same novel, he challenges Arey, knowing that he stands no chance. The battle ends in rather unexpected way, and Arey spares him for his ownreasons.
reasons, with Matvey achieving nothing.
** In ''The Ship of Light'', he challenges a Dark Guardian Jaff to duel, knowing that it's the last chance he has to help the Valkyries and fix his ''yet another''mistake.
mistake. While the plan itself makes sense this time, Mefodiy has to replace him, as plan would only work if Jaff actually dies, which Matvey can't achieve.
* FatalFlaw: His [[ItsAllAboutMe egoism]] anddemands desire to stay in control. Even in love, it must be about him, he always (even if subconsciously) demands something in return, like Irka fulfilling fitting some perceived "ideal", and becoming angry when she doesn't. In short, he would rather change everyone else than change himself. Because of that, he constantly fails to find enough strength of will to actually go all the way, and always stops half-way because he loses interest. Because of that, he always searches for the "easy way" to solve the problem, which invariably ends badly for both him and Irka. His entire character arc is about him overwhelming overgrowing this mindset.
** In ''Revenge of the Valkyries'', when Irka is about to duel Mefodiy, Matvey attacks Mefodiy first to protect her. He loses and only survives because the Path Stone replaces his actual heart (so he can't be killed by stabbing through the
** In ''The Glass Guardian'', in attempt to at least [[RedemptionEqualsDeath posthumously redeem himself]] for mistake he previously did in the same novel, he challenges Arey, knowing that he stands no chance. The battle ends in rather unexpected way, and Arey spares him for his own
** In ''The Ship of Light'', he challenges a Dark Guardian Jaff to duel, knowing that it's the last chance he has to help the Valkyries and fix his ''yet another''
* FatalFlaw: His [[ItsAllAboutMe egoism]] and
Changed line(s) 152 (click to see context) from:
* InsistentTerminology: He isn't a necromancer, he is a wizard's apprentice. No one cares, though: if you act like a necromancer, joke like a necromancer, and look like a necromancer, then you're a necromancer. He quits this after being disillusioned with Mirowood.
to:
* InsistentTerminology: He isn't a necromancer, he is a wizard's apprentice. No one cares, though: cares: if you act like a necromancer, joke look like a necromancer, and look joke like a necromancer, then you're a necromancer. He quits this after being getting [[BrokenPedestal disillusioned with Mirowood.Mirowood]].
Changed line(s) 154 (click to see context) from:
* TheMillstone: He has the bad habit of trying to "help" Irka without thinking first, which often becomes [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the sole reason for her problems]], particularly when he makes the questionable dealings behind her back in misguided believe that it would harm only him, or that he would manage to avoid repercussions (particularly, with Mamzelkina, who ''never'' acts out of good intentions). In other times, he just gets temped or blackmailed by Aida Plakhovna (and in one case Jaff), who has no other means to affect Irka. The other Valkyries are aware of this, and thinks that Irka would be much better without him; at two points, they even tried to exile him when he went too far. He eventually learns to stop making the same mistakes over and over, and finally becomes the supporting figure Irka needs.
to:
* TheMillstone: He has the bad habit of trying to "help" Irka without thinking first, which often becomes [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the sole reason for her problems]], particularly when he makes the questionable dealings behind her back in misguided believe belief that it would harm only him, or that he would manage to avoid repercussions (particularly, with Mamzelkina, who ''never'' acts out of good intentions).intentions to anyone who's not named Arey or Mefodiy). In other times, he just gets temped or blackmailed by Aida Plakhovna (and in one case Jaff), who has no other means to affect Irka. The other Valkyries are aware of this, and thinks think that Irka would be much better without him; at two points, they even tried tries to exile him when he went too far. He eventually learns to stop making the same mistakes over and over, and finally becomes the supporting figure Irka needs.
Changed line(s) 164,165 (click to see context) from:
* {{Tritagonist}}: Later novels have Matvey as the third main character, dedicating just as much attention to his struggle to overcome his flaws as to the current ArcVillain.
* UnscrupulousHero: He is perfectly okay with using questionable methods or dark magic as long as it makes things done, but he is on the side of the good guys.
* UnscrupulousHero: He is perfectly okay with using questionable methods or dark magic as long as it makes things done, but he is on the side of the good guys.
to:
* {{Tritagonist}}: Later novels have Matvey as the third main character, character (after Mefodiy and Irka), dedicating just as much attention to his struggle to overcome his flaws as to the current ArcVillain.
* UnscrupulousHero: He is perfectly okay with using questionable methods or dark magic as long as it makes things done, but he is on the side of the good guys. It generally doesn't end well.
* UnscrupulousHero: He is perfectly okay with using questionable methods or dark magic as long as it makes things done, but he is on the side of the good guys. It generally doesn't end well.
Changed line(s) 176 (click to see context) from:
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Most Guardians only have bronze winged necklace, and aren't allowed to leave Eden. Elite combat-oriented Guardians have golden one (hence the name, Gold-Winged). Guardian Angels have the silver ones, which also have unique, backwards-bent form.
to:
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Most Guardians only have bronze winged necklace, and aren't allowed to leave Eden. Elite combat-oriented Guardians have golden one (hence the name, Gold-Winged). Guardian Angels Keepers have the silver ones, which also have unique, backwards-bent form.
Changed line(s) 193 (click to see context) from:
* BigGood: He is the supreme commander of all Light Guardians (except for Guardian Angels, who act autonomously), making him top-ranking good guy in the setting, outranking even Fulona. Troil, in turn, receives the orders directly from the Light itself.
to:
* BigGood: He is the supreme commander of all Light Guardians (except for Guardian Angels, Keepers, who act autonomously), making him top-ranking good guy in the setting, outranking even Fulona. Troil, in turn, receives the orders directly from the Light itself.
Changed line(s) 1218 (click to see context) from:
* DatingCatwoman: She is a Dark witch, yet she still dates Essiorkh, a GuardianAngel. They are supposed to be incompatible, yet this relationship still goes on. It's not always smooth; be it her inability to change for the better (without eidos), or Essiorkh's own "holier-than-you" attitude, but after quarrel they still return to each other. However, under Essiorkh's influence, she eventually moves away from the Darkness and even regains her eidos, [[HeelFaceTurn no longer applying for this trope]].
to:
* DatingCatwoman: She is a Dark witch, yet she still dates Essiorkh, a GuardianAngel.Keeper. They are supposed to be incompatible, yet this relationship still goes on. It's not always smooth; be it her inability to change for the better (without eidos), or Essiorkh's own "holier-than-you" attitude, but after quarrel they still return to each other. However, under Essiorkh's influence, she eventually moves away from the Darkness and even regains her eidos, [[HeelFaceTurn no longer applying for this trope]].
Changed line(s) 1230 (click to see context) from:
* OddCouple: With Essiorkh, prior to her defection; she is a witch in service of Darkness, he is a Guardian Angel in a body of mortal biker.
to:
* OddCouple: With Essiorkh, prior to her defection; she is a witch in service of Darkness, he is a Guardian Angel Keeper in a body of mortal biker.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
!Sandbox/{{Aazkaal}}
!!Sandbox/MefodiyBuslaev | Mefodiy Buslaev Characters | Sandbox/MefodiyBuslaevRecap
!!Sandbox/MefodiyBuslaev | Mefodiy Buslaev Characters | Sandbox/MefodiyBuslaevRecap
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
! Main characters
[[folder: Mefodiy Buslaev]]
Titular character and destined Chosen one of the Darkness. Born at the moment of total solar eclipse, when darkness concentrated around Moscow, he inherited power of former supreme lord of Darkness, Kvodnon.
----
* TheAce: ZigzaggedTrope.
** He's one of the best students of Arey (''the'' best swordsman who ever lived), but he [[MagicallyIneptFighter consistently fails to grasp his magic abilities]], either Dark or Light ones. Even then, his competency with the sword strongly depends on wether he needs to stand his ground against the current foe, or the story would work better if he fails (which always [[WorfHadTheFlu gets explained by him quitting training]] due to losing interest).
** After becoming a Light Guardian, he quickly learns how to fly (something the other Guardians learns in ''years''), but he's abysmal with flute. He only learns how to properly use it in the very final.
* AffectionateNickname: Arey keeps playfully calling him "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipollino Lord Tomato]]" ever since the first book (though it was originally Ulitha who came up with it).
* AntiHero:
** In the early novels, despite technically being on the Dark side, he keeps fighting the ''actual'' villains instead of the Light Guardians, and has little interest in developing the qualities expected from the future Dark Lord. But he's not free of dark traits, and often shows his jerkish side.
** Even after abandoning the Dark side, he keeps some of his unpleasant traits (particularly, his infamous stubbornness). It also takes him much time to quit thinking like a Dark Guardian and using their tactics.
* ApatheticStudent: He is ''very'' hard to force into studying anything if he isn't already interested in it, be it "lopukhoid" math, or magic.
* ArchEnemy: Mefodiy has ''a lot'' of reasons to hate Tukhlomon, well beyond the usual disdain any Guardian has for the commissioners. Be it his futile attempt to trick Mefodiy into giving up his eidos all the way back into the first novel, or his attempt to steal ''Irka's'' eidos in the second one, Tukhlomon always finds a way to add another point into the list of reasons why Mefodiy wants him dead. Even Ligul doesn't achieve that level of animosity.
* BetaCouple: With his relationship with Daphne stabilising relatively early, they become the {{foil}} for other, less successful couples:
** They serve as this for Matvey and Irka, whose struggle to not only survive themselves, but to also preserve each other constantly clashes with their secrecy, lack of social skills and inability to just accept each other as is, instead of trying to "better" each other to their own tastes. By contrast, Mefodiy and Daphne trusts each other completely and support each other in every peril. Matvey and Irka themselves acknowledged this more than once.
** To a lesser extent, they serve as this for Essiorkh and Ulitha, who have their own insecurities, both with adapting to the "normal" life and with actually staying together (Essiorkh is the Light Guardian who needs to somehow maintain balance between his duty as the Guardian, and his duty of the father and husband, without losing connection to either; Ulitha is the ex-witch who needs to be extra careful to not slip into Darkness again -- because the Darkness would surely not let her go away so easily).
* BloodKnight: Not Mefodiy, but [[EmpathicWeapon his sword]], which is all too eager to spill some blood, sometimes even going out of control.
* BrilliantButLazy: He has extremely powerful natural magic abilities, but can't properly utilise them because he's too lazy to actually train them. While he quickly developed good enough fencing skills (since he's actually interested in training them... most of the time), his magic skills have a lot to desire for. This stopped being the case once he was resurrected as the Light Guardian, as he had lost old powers.
* TheChosenOne: He was destined to inherit the powers of the former Dark Lord Kvodnon, which makes him the prime candidature for position of the new one. Of course, there're many people who want to exploit him, and Ligul would be all too happy if something bad happens to him and he would remain in power. Mefodiy eventually rejected his destiny, however, to forge his own.
* TheChosenZero: Mefodiy is a relatively normal twenty (okay, almost thirteen) years old boy who lives with his (divorced) mother and his (lazy and not exactly nice) uncle in a small room in Moscow. He is neither good student not very popular amongst people (the only friend he has is just as lone disabled girl Irka). When Ulitha showed up and told him what he is TheChosenOne, it took him long time to believe her even after she showed him that magic really exists. Or when he started using some by himself. Old habits die hard. [[CharacterDevelopment He eventually grew up from this]], becoming both more self-confident, and competent.
* {{Determinator}}: People have different opinions about him, some positive, some negative, but even those who dislike him would admit that through years of training he developed unbreakable willpower, which allows him to continue fighting when anyone else would break. In fact, he's the sole known person who actually managed to reject his darkh and successfully destroy it.
* EmotionEater: He can consume the energy or emotions directly from people's auras, empowering himself. Though some of them he would rather avoid, due to them being just disgusting (like Glumovich or Tukhlomon).
* EmpathicWeapon: Until late in the series, he uses the old Drevnir's sword (a Light-turned-Dark artifact weapon). The sword can detect his emotions, and react to them, particularly to his anger and his hatred.
* EvilWeapon: Mefodiy's sword is indeed the weapon of Darkness. This became a problem when he defected to Light, since the sword started showing the signs of disloyalty, and even endangering his friends. Ultimately, he realised that he can't hold for it much longer, and abandoned it forever.
* FatalFlaw: His stubborn determination is actually the double-edged sword, and bites him in the ass just as often as it saves it. While this may be useful when he needs to resist something -- or continue fighting when everything seems to be lost -- he often applies this where it doesn't belong. Sometimes he does something self-harming just because he is unwilling to submit to someone who demands something opposite, including Daphne. Sometimes he keeps fighting where anyone else by that point would already realise that the change of tactics is required. Sometimes, he just does something outright stupid just to spite people, not willing to act like they expect of him.
* HeroesPreferSwords:
** PlayedWith in earlier novels. In this series, swords are mainly used by the villains ([[MusicalAssassin heroes prefer flutes]]), and Mefodiy is TheChosenOne of the [[DarkIsEvil Darkness]]. But, despite his various bad traits, he is not a true villain and has no intentions to become one, while most of his enemies are actual villains.
** PlayedStraight ever since he abandoned the forces of Darkness, as he continued using the sword, while most other warriors of the Light use anything but swords. Even after abandoning Drevnir's sword, he acquired a new one -- his ancestor's spatha.
* MagicallyIneptFighter: He's very competent swordsman, but consistently shows poor performance when he needs to use his magic abilities. The problems continue after hims becoming a Light Guardian, [[spoiler: with him learning how to use the flute literally during the final battle versus Varsus]].
* MasterSwordsman: Of course, not nearly to a degree of his master, but after spending much time training him, Arey taught him well, allowing him to stand his ground against much more experienced and dangerous opponents, like Tartarian Dark Guards. He's acknowledged as very skilled swordsman by everyone but Arey, and even that has more to do with him always seeing the room for improvement. After Arey's death, Mefodiy was acknowledged as the new supreme swordsman by both the Darkness and the Light.
* {{Nephilim}}: He is a distant descendant of the former Light Guardian Deomid (who, after falling in love with mortal woman, descended on Earth and took the name Demid Buslaev). This is why the Darkness has so much troubles to effectively corrupt him, and why he may touch the Light flutes and wings without being harmed. Then he literally becomes a Light Guardians himself at the strt of ''The Gryphon's Mistake''.
* RedRightHand: He has long blond hair, which he normally puts into tail (which eventually grew up waist-long), due to the fact that any attempt to cut them down results in heavy pain and blood going out, which [[AfraidOfBlood freaks out his mother]]. This is one of the traits he inherited from [[SatanicArchetype Kvodnon]]. He loses them, along with his powers, after being killed and resurrected as the Light Guardian.
* {{Troll}}: Quite often, Mefodiy just can't resist the temptation to make fun at others' expense.
* UnskilledButStrong: His extremely powerful innate magic makes him little good because he never properly learns how to utilise it.
* WorfHadTheFlu: As he's supposedly one of the best fighters, to preserve drama, he frequently faces new enemies ''just'' after quitting his trainings as "he no longer needs them".
* YoungerThanHeLooks: It was mentioned by his mother (and later by Daphne) that he always looks several years older his real age, ever since his earliest days.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: It was repeatedly established that major contributor to his constant failures at learning magic was him trying to ''think'' how to do it, instead of just ''do it'', instinctively. Quite often his magic actually starts working exactly when he stops bothering. After becoming a Light Guardian, Mefodiy similarly struggles with flying, because his attempts to do it "right" actually interfere with him just doing this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Daphne]]
Daphne, "Daph" or (when under lopukhoid disguise) Dasha Pimonova is the agent of Light in the Darkness's domain and Mefodiy's Guardian Angel.
----
* AerithAndBob: PlayedWith. Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), she has perfectly human name... but it looks out of place in Russia, where story is set. When near lopukhoids, she either calls herself "Dasha", or pretends that "Daph" is a nickname.
* ApatheticStudent: She payed little attention during her classes, being interested by literally anything but the school program; the sole exception were Sniffer's classes of magolodies, because there was little place for hiding. As result, even things which everyone were supposed to know (like the history of Kvodnon's downfall) must be explained to her (and by proxy, the readers).
* BetaCouple: With her relationship with Mefodiy stabilising relatively early, they become the {{foil}} for other, less successful couples:
** They serve as this for Matvey and Irka, whose struggle to not only survive themselves, but to also preserve each other constantly clashes with their secrecy, lack of social skills and inability to just accept each other as is, instead of trying to "better" each other to their own tastes. By contrast, Mefodiy and Daphne trusts each other completely and support each other in every peril. Matvey and Irka themselves acknowledged this more than once.
** To a lesser extent, they serve as this for Essiorkh and Ulitha, who have their own insecurities, both with adapting to the "normal" life and with actually staying together (Essiorkh is the Light Guardian who needs to somehow maintain balance between his duty as the Guardian, and his duty of the father and husband, without losing connection to either; Ulitha is the ex-witch who needs to be extra careful to not slip into Darkness again -- because the Darkness would surely not let her go away so easily).
* BroughtDownToNormal: She temporarily lost her magic in ''The Ice and Fire of Tartarus'' (due to Ligul's manipulations), and spent the rest of it, and entirety of next novel, without her flute (she was unable to even touch it), and without any of Light-granted abilities (magolodies, wings, immortality and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking antigravic hair]].
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: ''Any'' form of "dark behaviour", up to and including overly dark humour (which she shows a lot in early novels, sometimes surprising even Ulitha), may result in blackening of your feathers (and she has plenty of black feathers already). She's aware of this, but often just can't resist. As we learn in later novels, blackening of one's wings is the main sign that the Light Guardian starts succumbing to Darkness; at first, the wings starts weakening, on the late stages, the wings would ''rot'' and fall out completely.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: In the first three novels, Daphne was the second main character after Mefodiy.
* DatingCatwoman: She started dating Mefodiy even before he abandoned Darkness; their love by itself was major contributor to this happening.
* FluffyTamer: She showed interest in creatures normally considered monstrous even before she obtained Depresnyak. She's also the only person whose orders Depresnyak obeys at least sometimes.
* GuardianAngel: De-jure, she is Mefodiy's Guardian Angel, despite not being related to Crystal Spheres in any way; her role is to ensure he would not fall into Darkness completely. However, it's a major question who's protecting whom, as she needs his help just as much, if not more.
* HumanityEnsues: Her ongoing plot arc ever since third novel (when it was acknowledged as a problem) and until the eight one (where Mefodiy finally defected from the Darkness) is her slowly becoming human, both physically (like her starting growing up on "normal" speed, while usually Light Guardians age up thousand times slower) and mentally. This is a bad thing, because if not interrupted by returning to Eden, this may become irreversible, to the point she stops being a Light Guardian and becomes mortal.
* KidHero: Due to how time works in Eden, her age (13 000 years) is equal to thirteenth years on Earth. Due to constant issues with [[HumanityEnsues slowly becoming human]], she may or may not be of roughly the same biological age as Mefodiy.
* MagicHair: She puts her hair in two large tails, which move on their own, often ignoring gravity. When she temporarily loses her magic, this trait disappears as well.
* TheMole: She was set up as the "betrayer of Light", so Darkness would trust her enough to let her near Mefodiy. Despite Darkness never trusting her completely, she was allowed to stay on this position right until Mefodiy defected in the eight novel.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: {{Justified|Trope}}; Sniffer teaches wide variety of magolodies, even the secret ones (despite supposedly not being allowed to), so when the situation calls for it, Daphne can remember and use something appropriate. When it's something she was not supposed to know, it turns out that Sniffer secretly taught her some magologies which are normally used only by the Gold-Winged Ones.
* NoSell: She's amongst the few people completely immune to Depresnyak's depression-inducing abilities.
* PetMonstrosity: What can be more cool than bald winged cat literally out of hell which can bite off marble, tear apart steel with his claws and cause depression and/or burns merely by being touched? This is her pet cat, Depresnyak.
* RunningGag: When she becomes annoyed by someone too much and wants to end the dialogue, she [[SchmuckBait offers them to hold Depresnyak for a bit]]. With predictable consequences if someone falls for it.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Aside from the first novel (though it's where the seed gets planted), all her plotlines are related to her relationship with Mefodiy (and troubles they face).
* TokenEvilTeammate: Main reason why she was even chosen to become Mefodiy's Guardian Angel in the first place: she is the only Light Guardian to contain some Darkness inside her (which is represented by her bad traits, amongst which are disrespect for rules, and even her love for black humour), so it would be plausible if they pass her as turncoat instead of someone more experienced. It worked, [[spoiler: because it was Ligul who manipulated Troil through dark artifact to send her on this quest]], though Ligul never trusted her in full despite her being seemingly accepted in the team, and would later try to get rid of her more than once.
* TokenGoodTeammate: For the Russian department of Darkness, while she was part of it; she was literally the only Light-aligned being there.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite her constant conflicts with Ulitha, they actually consider each other to be friends, not in the last turn because they share the taste at humour; they wouldn't admit it, of course.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Irka]]
Irka (short for "Irina") is Mefodiy's old friend from his past life. She was bound to wheelchair since childhood, but one day a mortally wounded Loner Valkyrie has visited her, giving her new duty, new power -- and new legs.
----
* AerithAndBob: She's the only Valkyrie to use perfectly normal name instead of made-up alias. She did this unintentionally, but it sticks.
* AscendedExtra: She had only two brief appearances in the first two novels... and joined the cast as one of the main characters in the third one.
* BookWorm: She is ''very'' well-educated for her age, and was [[GradeSkipper actually close to finish school early]] (despite being around thirteen years old). After becoming a Valkyrie, she switched her attention to magic, even knowing she can't use it (outside of valkyrie's abilities), being interested by theory alone.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: She's passionate, energetic and friendly, Matvey is cold, calm and secretive.
* DePower: When she was mortally wounded by Tartarian assassin, she only managed to survive due to essentially having three lives, of which she lost two; unfortunately, with them she lost her magic, access to the spear and, what's worst, her ability to walk (though that one was eventually solved). She has managed to regain ability to walk since then, but the powers are gone permanently.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Ever since her gaining the Valkyrie powers in ''The Third Horseman of Darkness'', she became the second main character after Mefodiy himself; when she isn't involved in the problems Mefodiy faces, she gets her own plotline, which goes simultaneously.
* DisabilityNegatingSuperpower: When she received a dying Valkyrie's powers, that Valkyrie also (somehow) took her injuries for herself, restoring Irka's ability to walk in absurdly short amount of time. However, her newly-gained ability to walk is tied to the Valkyrie powers, as losing them disables Irka again. She regains ability to walk after Matvey [[DealWithTheDevil makes a deal with Mamzelkina]] (just before the Valkyries came up with other way).
* FateWorseThanDeath: She considers her childhood trauma and losing her ability to walk to be this, believing that it ruined her life, forever trapping her in a wheelchair like in a prison cell (she can't even move outside of her house without Babanya's help, as the city is ''completely'' unsuitable for disabled people). After regaining ability to walk, going back to wheelchair became her worst nightmare, not in the last turn because she associates it with being powerless and alone (she has Babanya, but she needs to spend a lot of time at work).
* FirstNameBasis: Unlike most other characters of lopukhoid origin, she's only ever addressed by her first name; in fact, we never learn her last name whatsoever.
* HerNameReallyIsBarkeep: All Valkyries chose new names when they become the Valkyries. Irka, who was unaware of this, just said her real name when asked by the other Valkyries (some reacted with annoyance, some with amusement), making "Irka" official.
* HowlOfSorrow: As the weird consequence of surviving the mortal wound on only the last life -- the she-wolf's one -- Irka "inherited" some wolf-like traits even after losing her Valkyrie powers. Amongst them, the weird habit of showing her sorrow by howling like a wolf (including on the moon). Her howl is "authentic" enough for the animals to recognise it as a genuine howl of sorrow, and react accordingly.
* TheIdealist: Unlike [[TheCynic Matvey]], she always seeks the best in people. Quotes from her diary also shows her dissatisfaction with the cynicism and hostility of the world -- despite which she still believes that it can be improved.
* IneffectualLoner: Part of the course of being the Loner Valkyrie -- instead of working as a part of the team (unlike [[AmazonBrigade the rest of the Valkyries]]), she may only work with her NonHumanSidekick, Antigon, who's not of much help in battle.
* ItBeganWithATwistOfFate: She was merely a disabled teenage girl until the night she chose to accept a dying Valkyrie's proposal.
* LastGuyWins: She starts the story being (secretly) in love with Mefodiy, but slowly develops the feelings for Matvey. After all the challenges and near breakups, they end up together.
* TheMedic: She commonly uses her magic to heal other characters from all kinds of wounds, from small scratches, to near-fatal injuries.
* MiseryTrigger: While she was still disabled, she purposely avoided looking on her legs -- because these small, undeveloped, skeleton-like limbs reminds her about the life she lost. When she restored her legs after meeting a Dying valkyrie, it took her some time to collect enough courage to look on her legs and check wether it worked -- the pain of disappointment would be too strong. Afterwards, she tried to avoid even looking on her old wheelchair, as the last remnant of her dark past.
* MyInstinctsAreShowing: Major danger of her shapeshifting abilities -- while in animal form, it's possible to lose your mind to its instincts. That being said, completely avoiding transformation for large amount of time can "provoke" these forms into trying and taking control by force (which actually happened with her wolf form the first time, since she never tried it and wolf became hungry). Balance is key.
* NoSocialSkills: She has virtually no social skills (if not counting the time she spent on internet forums in attempts to find friends at least there), nor she actually knows anything about the city around her, due to spending most of her life trapped at home, in wheelchair, as the city is ill-suitable for disabled people. Until she became a Valkyrie, her literally only real friend was Mefodiy. They distanced from each other afterwards, due to being on different sides.
* OfficialCouple: Just sort of friends initially, she and Matvey actually started dating towards the end of the series. In the final novel, he finally proposed to her.
* OppositesAttract: Matvey is so much different with Irka, it's hard to comprehend not only why he fell in love with her, but why ''she'' fell in love with ''him''.
* RaisedByGrandparents: Her parents died in the same car crash which took away her ability to walk, so she was raised by her grandmother, [[{{Portmanteau}} Babanya]]. Unfortunately, she has not that much time to spend with her, so Irka stays alone for most of the day...
* {{Reincarnation}}: She's not just distant successor of the Loner Valkyrie Meldika; she's her direct reincarnation. They even look identical. It's presumed in-universe that Irka was born in the first place to give Meldika second chance to redeem herself for past mistakes.
* SadClown: She tries to make jokes about her life to mask how really broken she feels; she isn't exactly successful at this.
* SelfDeprecation: She may joke about her wheelchair (like comparing it to a race car) whatever she wants. Just don't do such kind of jokes yourself, she wouldn't react well.
* SinsOfOurFathers: The longer series go, the more past mistakes of her predecessors gets uncovered, which she now should deal with. Be it her direct predecessor, who [[DealWithTheDevil made a deal with Two-Faced]], or much more distant predecessor who damned her spear by helping Spurius, their mistakes now starts haunting Irka as well. No one cares that she was not even born when they were made.
* SixthRanger: After permanently losing her powers in ''The Blade Dance'', she rejoins the team in the next novel, when the Valkyries discovered the long-lost "tripled spear" -- special melee weapon used by the Maiden of the Tripled Spear, which aids them in battles, despite not being a Valkyrie herself.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Like any Loner Valkyrie, she may transform into a white wolf or into a swan at will.
* WeaponSpecialization: When she rejoined the Valkyries as the Maiden of the Tripled Spear, she traded her old throwing spear for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranseur roncone]] (aforementioned "tripled spear"). Unlike the spears used by the Valkyries, roncone is a melee weapon, requiring her to adapt to new fighting style. This explains why Maidens have so high turnover rate.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: After regaining ability to walk, a prospect of losing it again and returning into a wheelchair became her worst nightmare. Just saying things which can remind her about it makes her shivers.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Being a Valkyrie, she can't be recognised by people who used to know her, including Mefodiy and Babanya, even if she would call herself by name. If she reveals this to them by other means, they would die. Whenever Mefodiy comes close to realised by himself, something blocks his memory, and causes him much pain when he presses on. The magic vanished after she had lost her Valkyrie powers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Essiorkh]]
Daphne's Guardian Angel... just as unusual and unlucky as she is.
----
* BadassBiker: Like all (true, not formal ones like Daphne) Guardian Angels, he can't visit Earth in his true body, so he was forced to resurrect and inhabit the body of a deceased mortal... which turns out to be a biker. While biker's soul went to heaven, his old habits were so integral part of his character, Essiorkh "inherited" them when he took this body for himself. One of them was undying love for bikes and high speed. He also inherited this biker's physical strength, which he now uses to protect people from harm, sometimes not even bothering with using magic.
* BecomingTheMask: At first, he pretends to be a biker, because... well, because it was the only human body available, and the talking dog was certainly even worse alternative. Soon enough, [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody under influence of his new body]], he became the biker for real. He also quickly adapted to the life on Earth, to the point he started feeling out of place when visiting Eden.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: He is responsible for the "little incident" with the Babel. He noticed the local people doing nothing, and suggested them to build a "little tower"; unfortunately, they went overzealous with it. The rest is history. Because of this screwup, he was unable to receive any good task anymore, and was forced to stick with (just as unpopular) Daphne, who was rejected by literally everyone before him.
* TheBigGuy: While he still can access his magic in his mortal body, he often finds it more practical to just kick some asses instead, thanks to his new body being so physically tough. At one point he knocks out a Dark Guardian with a ''wrench wench''.
* ByTheBookCop: When he was introduced, he was prone to consult with the rulebook for any smallest situation, not willing to violate any rule (likely to avoid screwing up even more after that... incident with the Babel). As the time goes on, [[CharacterDevelopment he gradually discards this attitude]], realising that sometimes doing what is morally right is more important than doing what is legally right.
* DatingCatwoman: He is a GuardianAngel, yet he still dates Ulitha, a Dark witch. They're supposed to be incompatible, yet this relationship survived. It's not always smooth; be it her inability to change for the better (without eidos), or Essiorkh's own "holier-than-you" attitude, but they suffer from quarrels from time to time. Under his influence, she eventually defected to the Light, however.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: While he tries to uphold ''some'' lopukhoid rules, he completely ignores those related to personal safety. Fortunately, nothing bad ever happens to him or his occasional passengers.
* FightsLikeANormal: Despite having magic abilities, he mostly relies on his physical strength. It somehow works even when fighting supernatural enemies, including Guardians.
* GlassCannon: While he is physically toughest amongst the main characters, he is not in his actual body, but rather in resurrected mortal one. Because of that, he has no defence against magical attacks whatsoever (something literally everyone else have in at least some capacity, save for Varvara), and can theoretically be destroyed very easily if someone actually tries (which Essiorkh acknowledges), kicking him back to Eden for foreseeable future.
* GoodIsNotSoft: He is a Light Guardian, but if you enrage him enough by being an utter asshole, he ''would'' hit you in the face -- one particularly nasty domestic abuser learned this the hard way. [[CharacterDevelopment He was not like this in his initial appearance]], due to [[LawfulStupid relying on the rulebook too much to be of any use]].
* GuardianAngel: His actual specialisation; his role is to ensure that Daphne would remain safe and on the right path. Normally, Guardian Angels remain back in Eden, and do not interfere (not even those who guard the other Light Guardians), but since situation looks dire enough, he was sent on Earth directly to protect Daphne (both physically and morally). At later point, he (unofficially) becomes one for Ulitha as well.
* HiddenDepths: Early novels showed him as pretty straightforward "BigGuy". Later he develops art skills, both in drawing and in sculpturing (mostly the first one).
* HumanityEnsues: What concerns him the most; the longer he lives on Earth, the more he becomes consumed by the "normal" life, making him closer to losing his magic and identity of the Guardian. Sometimes, when he awakes, he struggles to remember wether he is really the Light Guardian, or it was just a weird dream.
* LawfulStupid: In his earlier appearances, he was tend to put formal rules above common sense. Particularly egregious example is the situation from ''The Scroll of Desires'', when he, instead of helping Mefodiy against the band of thugs, started remembering under which excuses he may use violence, right in the middle of the fight. When he remembered that one of the fitting excuses is protecting somebody from "bandits", he started asking ''said thugs'' wether they may be considered "bandits", and only knocked them down when they tried to hit ''him'', since ''this'' situation ''was'' covered by his book. He failed to notice anything wrong with it when [[WhatTheHellHero he was called out on this]].
* LoopholeAbuse: Stealing is normally bad, but Essiorkh, like any Guardian, can predict future to a degree, and if certain items would be involved in something bad, then they are considered to be "unlucky" and taking them away is fine (even if it would change literally nothing, or "something bad" would happen ''to'' those things). It was how he obtained his first bike in the third novel, since it was supposed to be used for bank robbery and "stealing" someone's wife (in the end the bank was robbed on the car and wife was "stolen" via metro, but who cares?), while the bike was supposed to be drowned (this one [[SkewedPriorities disgusted him the most]]), and his house in the end of novel (it was supposed to burn down; when he informed its owners about it, they happily let him rent it at low price).
* MartialPacifist: He is one of the physically strongest characters, and certainly knows how to stand his ground in melee, but prefers to avoid open confrontation whenever possible, because violence isn't the path of the Light. But if you push him ''really'' too far, he would make an exception...
* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: With new body, he inherited its old owner's habits, [[BadassBiker like undying love for bikes and high speed]].
* OddCouple: With Ulitha; he is a GuardianAngel in the body of a mortal biker, she is a (highly eccentric) witch in service to Darkness, known for undying love to sweets.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Forms this dynamic with Ulitha; he's a calm, gentle philosopher, she's a hyperactive partygoer who can [[MoodSwinger changer her mood ten times per minute]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Matvey Bagrov]]
Apprentice of wizard Mirowood. Unofficially considered to be Irka's squire, even before she stopped being a Loner valkyrie (despite back then she still had Antigon).
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He had a crush on Irka since almost beginning, but it took until much later for her to reciprocate.
* AntiHero: Besides [[UnscrupulousHero preference for unethical methods]], he has plethora of personality problems which constantly interferes with not only his war with the Darkness, but his personal life as well.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: Like his mentor, wizard Mirowood, he uses not only light and [[DarkIsNotEvil dark]] magic, but also [[TheDarkArts necromancy and voodoo]]. Unlike Mirowood, he's savvy enough to realise what one can't resist [[TheCorruption corrupting influence of evil magic]] forever, but for now he resists.
* BlessedWithSuck: His "lucky" bracelet not so much protects from bad luck, as delays it until you take it off. And the instant you take it off, ''every single one'' of the bad things it prevented would hit you ''at once'', almost certainly killing you off if enough of them stockpile. The bracelet's previous owner died from chocking on apple immediately after taking it off (she was unaware of how it works), and it was not even the worst thing what could have possible happened.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: He's cold, calm and secretive, Irka is passionate, energetic and friendly.
* ControlFreak: In fear of losing Irka, he tries to always remain in control of situation, by being aware of anything she ever does, and ''very'' reluctantly allowing anyone near her without his supervision.
* CrazyJealousGuy: He becomes jealous of Irka to anyone and anything, from her friends to her ''relatives''. He is particularly distrustful towards Mefodiy. This trait annoys Irka, but she prefers not to go into conflict with him over it.
* CharacterDevelopment: He starts as a cynical necromancer with little regard for "puny lopukhoid world". As time goes on, his negative traits (including his cynicism and trademark necromancer humour) are slowly dying out. He also learns to put more trust in Irka, instead of trying to "protect" her behind her back, to their mutual peril.
* TheCorruptible: Matvey is very easy to trick into doing some questionable acts for Irka's "greater good", even if it should be obvious that people he deals with (Aida Plakhovna, Jaff) are untrustworthy.
* TheCynic: He has very low (and often materialistic) view on the world and people, and constantly makes tactless jokes and comments. This ''heavily'' annoys Irka, who has the opposite mindset.
* DarkIsNotEvil: A cynical necromancer with extremely dark sense of humour, Matvey is not a villain and actually fights for the good guys. He is also fiercely loyal to Irka.
* DisappearedDad: Matvey's father has died when he was eleven years-old, leaving Matvey's uncle as his guardian; for whatever reason, Matvey hated him and chose to run away when he hit twelve, living by his own ever since.
* DuelToTheDeath: One of the most common tactics he picks to deal with problems is to challenge the enemy to fight till death, always behind Irka's back, expecting that it would fix all problems. This is part of his tendency to search for "easy solutions" he would only give up after some CharacterDevelopment. It's telling that each new duel comes with slightly more prior thinking.
** In ''Revenge of the Valkyries'', when Irka is about to duel Mefodiy, Matvey attacks Mefodiy first to protect her. He loses and only survives because the Path Stone replaces his actual heart (so he can't be killed by stabbing through the heart).
** In ''The Glass Guardian'', in attempt to at least [[RedemptionEqualsDeath posthumously redeem himself]] for mistake he previously did in the same novel, he challenges Arey, knowing that he stands no chance. The battle ends in rather unexpected way, and Arey spares him for his own reasons.
** In ''The Ship of Light'', he challenges a Dark Guardian Jaff to duel, knowing that it's the last chance he has to help the Valkyries and fix his ''yet another'' mistake.
* FatalFlaw: His [[ItsAllAboutMe egoism]] and demands to stay in control. Even in love, it must be about him, he always (even if subconsciously) demands something in return, like Irka fulfilling some perceived "ideal", and becoming angry when she doesn't. In short, he would rather change everyone else than change himself. Because of that, he constantly fails to find enough strength of will to actually go all the way, and always stops half-way because he loses interest. Because of that, he always searches for the "easy way" to solve the problem, which invariably ends badly for both him and Irka. His entire character arc is about him overwhelming this mindset.
* GemHeart: [[MineralMacGuffin The Path Stone]] replaces his heart; without it, Matvey would die. He eventually received the actual heart, though.
* TheILoveYouStigma: Matvey believes that the words "I love you" are very powerful and important, and must be used sparingly, otherwise they would decay into generic greeting. Special words deserve special usage.
* InsistentTerminology: He isn't a necromancer, he is a wizard's apprentice. No one cares, though: if you act like a necromancer, joke like a necromancer, and look like a necromancer, then you're a necromancer. He quits this after being disillusioned with Mirowood.
* MaliciousMisnaming: He openly dislikes Mefodiy (he never lives past it), and consistently mispronounces his name and surname in insulting manner (changing it to sound like he's calling him dead donkey).
* TheMillstone: He has the bad habit of trying to "help" Irka without thinking first, which often becomes [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the sole reason for her problems]], particularly when he makes the questionable dealings behind her back in misguided believe that it would harm only him, or that he would manage to avoid repercussions (particularly, with Mamzelkina, who ''never'' acts out of good intentions). In other times, he just gets temped or blackmailed by Aida Plakhovna (and in one case Jaff), who has no other means to affect Irka. The other Valkyries are aware of this, and thinks that Irka would be much better without him; at two points, they even tried to exile him when he went too far. He eventually learns to stop making the same mistakes over and over, and finally becomes the supporting figure Irka needs.
* MissingMom: His mother has died when he was two years-old; he was risen by his father, until the father died too.
* {{Necromancer}}: Amongst the other things Mirowood has taught him was necromancy, which he often uses to achieve his goals.
* NoSell: He is one of the few males completely immune to Nata's magic -- because he's already taken by Irka.
* OfficialCouple: Towards the end of the series, he actually started dating Irka. In the final novel, he proposes to her.
* OppositesAttract: He's so much different with Irka, it's hard to comprehend not only why he fell in love with her, but why ''she'' fell in love with ''him''.
* TheRival: He sees Mefodiy as his main "competitor" ever since they first met each other, and acts openly hostile to him. This never stops even after Mefodiy defecting to Light.
* SealedGoodInACan: He was imprisoned within his mentor's ring long time ago, and only released by Irka during the events of ''The Ticket to the Bald Mountain''.
* SpartanWay: Once Matvey's mother has died, his father started training him, in ''very'' strict and hard ways; it ensured that Matvey became able to survive whatever life is throwing at him, down to and including supernatural nastiness -- even prior to Mirowood taking him as apprentice; speaking of Mirowood, according to Matvey, his training methods were not a one bit softer.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: The other Valkyries consider him to be the main reason for Irka's problems, causing her to make bad decisions or endanger herself just to save him; many of them are openly hostile to him because of that.
* {{Tritagonist}}: Later novels have Matvey as the third main character, dedicating just as much attention to his struggle to overcome his flaws as to the current ArcVillain.
* UnscrupulousHero: He is perfectly okay with using questionable methods or dark magic as long as it makes things done, but he is on the side of the good guys.
[[/folder]]
! Forces of Light
!! Light Guardians
[[folder: In general]]
Inhabitants of Eden and the main opponents of Dark Guardians.
----
* AchillesHeel: They wear a wings-shaped necklace, which both fuels their magic and allows them to materialise their actual wings. Cut if off, and they would lose all their power -- and their immortality. When old wings gets lost, there is no way to obtain new ones. Naturally, the Dark Guardians aims for the necklace in battle.
* AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: Their wings-shaped necklace gives them various abilities: it allows them to fly or use their flutes to create magic, gives them immortality, etc. Without it, they would be reduced to humans. After losing your wings, replacing them is impossible.
* AwesomeButImpractical: The Light values aesthetics over practicability; as consequence, they often lack magolodies for important, but "not interesting" tasks, like lifting weights (well, technically, they do have weight-lifting magolodies, but they tend to be so destructive they may be used only in combat anyway). When it's possible to achieve the desired result through magologies, they may have ridiculous side requirements, like (if using the same weight-lifting magolody as example) drowning a butterfly of specific species in the well during full moon, and use water from that well to wash your flute.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Most Guardians only have bronze winged necklace, and aren't allowed to leave Eden. Elite combat-oriented Guardians have golden one (hence the name, Gold-Winged). Guardian Angels have the silver ones, which also have unique, backwards-bent form.
* GoldColoredSuperiority: Gold-Winged are the dedicated fighters of the Light. Marked by unique golden wings-shaped necklace (the "normal" Guardians only have bronze ones), they deal with special tasks, which normally involve great risk. They are worthy opponents for the Dark Guardians, both because of their experience and because of knowing special combat magolodies not normally taught by other Guardians.
* HumanityEnsues: The Light Guardians must avoid staying in mortal world for too long, and regularly return back to Eden. Otherwise, they would start losing themselves to mortal routine, and eventually would permanently become mortals, without either wings or their magic.
* LongRangeFighter: Most of them never bother with melee combat (at best, they attach knives to their flutes), preferring to fight their enemies with magic, though several guardians actually do favour melee. As result, they become highly vulnerable if Dark Guardians managed to come close.
* MagicalFlutist: Nearly all of their magic is achieved through using their magic flutes. When playing certain music trough it, you can achieve the different effects, from invisibility to protection barrier to [[MusicalAssassin offensive magic]].
* MusicalAssassin: Being the main instrument of their magic, their flutes can be used for combat as well. Depending on which "magolody" they play, they can achieve various effects, from combat invisibility to destruction comparable to air strike. To destroy a Dark Guardian, they need only a single well-placed magolody to hit their [[AchillesHeel darkh]]. When used against lesser dark creatures like commissioners, they can [[DeaderThanDead annihilate their essence]], guaranteeing they would never return.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: {{Inverted|Trope}}; unlike the Dark Guardians, who [[PlayedStraight exploit mortal souls, tormenting them in process]], the Light Guardians ''protect'' eidoses. The mere energy of their gratitude fuels the Light Guardians and their magic, making them stronger as they help people.
[[/folder]]
!!! Leadership
[[folder: Troil]]
Supreme Light Guardian.
----
* TheAce:
** In the first novel, [[EarlyInstalmentWeirdness it's stated]] that the Light Guardians have the system where their number corresponds to their achievements. Troil is the number 1.
** He's also one of the best swordsmen amongst the Light Guardians, with the only person who can claim to be better being his student Varsus.
* AntiNepotism: He did everything in his powers to ''prevent'' his nephew Cornelius from going into any position which may involve actual combat (Cornelius wants to join the Gold-Winged), knowing that it would result in his nephew being killed ''very'' quickly for [[LeeroyJenkins his attitude]] and [[TheLoad incompetence]] without any contribution to the team (or even [[TheMillstone causing someone else being killed]]). As result, Cornelius is stuck with the "important" task of a mail courier (which he still botches all the time), while literally everyone else gains promotions after some time. This gets proven to be wise very quickly.
* BigGood: He is the supreme commander of all Light Guardians (except for Guardian Angels, who act autonomously), making him top-ranking good guy in the setting, outranking even Fulona. Troil, in turn, receives the orders directly from the Light itself.
* MasterSwordsman: He's one of the best the best swordsmen amongst the Light Guardians; Varsus is his student.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He's old enough to know Arey from before he became the Dark Guardian.
* ConvenientComa: He was put in coma due to Ligul's manipulations early in the first novel -- just enough to put him out of picture until the forces of Light became important to the plot again several novels later.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Sniffer / Elsa Kerkinitida Flora Zaches]]
Elsa (better known under her nickname, "Sniffer") teaches the future Light Guardians how to use their music to fuel their magic.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), she has perfectly human name -- Elsa; this doesn't apply to her full name, of course.
* CharacterTic: She received her nickname from her habit of sniffing at random moments.
* CrazyPrepared: She secretly teaches her students some magologies from the arsenal of Gold-Winged -- just in case. This actually saved Daphne's life more than once.
* InSeriesNickname: Her real name is Elsa Kerkinitida Flora Zaches, but people often just call her "Sniffer" (over her CharacterTic) -- of course, not to her face.
* TheLancer: Even if informally, she acts as Troil's most trusted underling.
* SitcomArchNemesis: While they can't be ''true'' enemies due to both being the Light Guardians, she and Daphne have very uneasy relationship, and Elsa uses every opportunity to humiliate Daphne before her other students, by showing how little she really knows.
* SpeechImpediment: She has heavy lisp.
[[/folder]]
!!! Gold-Winged Ones
[[folder: Pupliy and Rufin]]
Originally tasked with guarding the entrance to the House of Lightest Ones, they were demoted and sent to hunt for Daphne.
----
* BrainsAndBrawn: Pupliy is physically tough, but isn't particularly bright. Rufin is less strong, but more skilled and cautious.
* DePower: After their defeat at Daphne's hands in the first book, Tukhlomon stole their wings necklace, which brought them down to mere mortals. This effect is irreversible.
* LawfulStupid: Pupliy knows laws by heart, but due to acting before thinking he sometimes tries to enforce them where it's not a best idea to do. After he tried to arrest an important official over him forgetting his documents, he and Rufin have lost a prestigious position, after which they were sent on the hunt for Daphne.
* TakenForGranite: Rufin was frozen and then petrified by Minotaur's horn in the first book. He was restored back somewhere between the events of the fist and third novels.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Always stick together, always get in troubles together.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Fukidid]]
Recurring Light Guardian.
----
* PintsizedPowerhouse: He is noticeably shorter than other Guardians (he was compared to gnome several times), but it doesn't make him any less dangerous.
* RecurringExtra: Despite never playing major role in the plot, he shows up in more than one novel.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rathuvog]]
Combat magolodies trainer.
----
* BerserkButton: He ''really'' hates AbusiveParents, to the point that he goes [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown close and personal]] with them as soon as he sees them, which already happened twice before his introduction. Because such traits are not acceptable for a Light Guardian, Troil threatened to punish him with exile if it would occur the third time.
* ByTheBookCop: He is ''very'' thorough with following standard procedure. [[JustifiedTrope We later learn]] that this is because he used to be rather... [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown impulsive]] with several [[AbusiveParents bad peoples]], and any more incidents would result in him being banished.
* GoodIsNotNice: He may be a Light Guardian, but he still isn't a nicest person to be around. Daphne quickly developed antipathy for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dion]]
The former Light Guardian whom Cornelius found and befriended on the streets. Has unique musketeer-style beard.
----
* BadassNormal: He's no longer a Guardian and has none of their skills anymore, but he can fight the Dark Guardians -- and ''win''.
* CruelMercy: Arey destroyed his flute, his wings and his legs, but chose to spare him for whatever reason, reducing him to a crippled shard of former glory. {{Subverted|Trope}} in that nowadays, Dion starts realising that, whatever Arey's intentions were, he did him a favour: he was already on the brink of ending up just like Arey due to his pride as the best warrior amongst the Light Guardians, and that ill-fated duel actually saved him from that fate. He wouldn't forgive Arey, but he's still somewhat thankful for being stopped at the last moment.
* DePower: He lost his wings and flute in a duel against Arey, so he's mortal now. He wouldn't reunite with the Light until he dies.
* HandicappedBadass: He lost not only his wings and his magic, but also his legs after ill-fated duel with Arey. However, he adapted, and can easily move around Moscow with just his hands and small platform with wheels (even on stairs), and can defend himself with his throwing knives, which are charmed against the servants of Darkness. It's telling that he can kill the Dark Guardians in this state.
* OddFriendship: He came along with Cornelius, of all people, quite well.
[[/folder]]
!!! Other Guardians
[[folder: Cornelius]]
Troil's unlucky nephew.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name (even by Russian standards, it's rare, but not exotic, unlike Daphne).
* AnnoyingLaugh: He laughs loudly, and rather maniacally (and, as a "bonus", he loudly stomps the floor while doing this), to the point that neighbour mistook him for psycho, ''twice''.
* CasanovaWannabe: He keeps asking girls for their phone numbers, or tries to straight-up invite them on a date. First one often ends with fake numbers such as number of a local BedlamHouse, while the second one usually gets botched by Cornelius himself in for stupid reasons, because he, for whatever reason, invites several girls simultaneously, in different places at the same time. Early in the series, he mentioned several failed dates and not a single successful one. As was put out by Daphne, this is because he keeps trying to ''understand'' how to do everything right, while he should ''feel'' it. And indeed, the only person he actually managed to go along with was Varvara, [[YouWereTryingTooHard with whom he almost didn't try to act, and was just himself]] -- clumsy, nerdy, optimistic and funny, instead of trying to adapt to please her.
* CatchPhrase: "[[TenPacesAndTurn Six steps, and on command!]]"
* FlyingPostman: He serves as the mail delivery guy in Eden, using his natural ability to fly for it. He's still terrible at this job, always misplacing his mail, delivering it to the wrong people or just being late (like, one week late, if not worse).
* DePower: PlayedWith. Varvara destroyed his winged necklace, thus permanently making him mortal. However, while he certainly lost his wings, he developed so deep connection with his flute that, after some training, he re-developed ability to cast magolodies despite no longer being a Guardian.
* TheLoad: He ''never'' makes anything right. Interestingly, he actually becomes useful ''after'' losing his wings towards the end of the series, stopping being this trope.
** The reason why he was assigned to work as a courier despite sucking at it is because here he's "just" useless; at any other task he would [[TheMillstone actually cause harm]] and likely die.
** Knowing that otherwise Cornelius wouldn't leave him alone, Troil assigns him to Essiorkh. Unfortunately, not only he's completely useless most of the time due to having next to zero combat skills (or any useful skills, for that matter), due to his personality he may very well cause himself being killed if not for Essiorkh. He's also annoying.
* PetMonstrosity: After recovering of the third gryphon, Cornelius and the gryphon became inseparable, both in Eden and on Earth, always playing together, traveling together, etc. The gryphon also keeps an eye on him, ensuring that no one would do him any harm.
* PluckyComicRelief: He is nearly completely useless (if not worse) most of the time, and mostly exists to provide annoyance for the other characters -- and fun for the readers. Considering that later novels took the more dark tone comparing with more light-hearted early ones, it's not exactly a bad thing.
* ShooOutTheClowns: After [[spoiler: Varvara's death]], all his clumsiness, [[ThrowingDownTheGauntlet duellist wannabe tendencies]] and attempts to flirt ([[CasanovaWannabe and fail]]) with everyone female permanently go away, making him much more sad, and somewhat more... wise character. He restores ''some'' of his old traits in the last novel, marking him overcoming his grief, but not nearly to a degree of his old PluckyComicRelief self.
* SmallNameBigEgo: He thinks that he's a great duelist. He isn't. His "skills" are [[EpicFail best demonstrated]] in his [[EstablishingCharacterMoment first appearance]], where, when he tries to showcase to Essiorkh, he accidentally damages his flute by hitting his head with it. This is right after he bragged that he may defeat [[MasterSwordsman Arey]] and bring him to Eden to face justice.
* ThrowingDownTheGauntlet: He keeps challenging people to duels at first provocation; no one ever accepts.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: Similarly to Mefodiy (who has this problem with magic), his constant failures with women are caused by him using his brain (at which he isn't that good) to "analyse" how to make them like him, where he should follow the heart instead. It works much better with Varvara, with whom he just acts as his normal self.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Varsus]]
The Light Guardian whom Mefoidy met and befriended during the latest Forbidden Battle.
----
* TheAce: He's amongst the best fighters in Eden, with both the flute (he was trained by Sniffer) and rapier (he was trained by Troil). The sole reason why he's not amongst the Gold-Winged is because he fails to live up to their ''moral'' standards, constantly going into troubles and having his feathers darkened at multiple occasions.
* ArchEnemy: Eventually, he puts all the blame for his problems on Mefodiy, from him "stealing" Daphne and "his" right to kill Arey, to him allegedly causing Varsus' downfall. Varsus quickly goes from considering Mefodiy to be his friend to wanting him dead.
* BadassAdorable: He's described as looking very young, closer to teenager, cute and certainly unthreatening. Mefodiy instantly recognises that it's merely a facade, hiding genuinely dangerous opponent. He quickly gets proven right.
* BigBadSlippage: His actions in the last two novels leads to him slowly degrading from the warrior of Light to self-righteous jerk obsessed with avenging perceived "offences", with the ever-growing list of people he has grudges with, main of them Mefodiy. While the last novel has no "main" villain at the beginning, Varsus ultimately takes this role in the end.
* ChoiceOfTwoWeapons: He deliberately picked shepherd pipe and rapier as his weapons: their size [[SwordAndGun allows for dual-wielding]], and while he loses in effectiveness in both melee and magic (rapier isn't as strong as the heavy melee weapon, and pipe has limited range of magolodies it can produce), he compensates for it with versatileness and ability to use them in tandem, instead of switching.
* DePower: After losing both the wings and the darkh, technically he became a human. Mamzelkina [[PetTheDog also erased his memory]] to give him a second chance.
* {{Determinator}}: The darkh (''filled'' darkh) causes him ''extreme'' pain, yet he still goes on. Mefodiy was nearly broken by ''empty'' darkh much quicker. [[SubvertedTrope However]], he eventually falls for its influence.
* EvilCounterpart:
** In a way, he mirrors Mefodiy's path, which even Ligul [[LampshadeHanging acknowledges]] at one point. Mefodiy started as a Dark Guardian in training, but chose another path. Varsus starts as the Light Guardian, but ultimately loses his wings due to giving up to his internal Darkness. Both also loses their memory at some point, only for Mefodiy it happens to help him reinforce his willingness to work on himself and left the past behind, while Varsus gets his memory erased to give him one last chance to redeem himself before his Darkness consumes him.
** His history resembles Arey's more than he likes to admit. Both were amongst the greatest Light Guardians, and both let their pride to overcome them. However, where Arey realised what he had become, Varsus started descending further into Darkness,
* FallenAngel: His attempts to use the darkh eventually costs him his wings, technically making him a new Dark Guardian. Fortunately, he gets defeated, and stripped of both the darkh and his memories to give him one last chance.
* FallenHero: Prior to succumbing to his dark side, he was indeed a hero and a great asset for the Light.
* GloryHound: He desperately seeks any and all glory he can obtain. Too bad, the Light discourages that sort of behaviour, which prevents him from being promoted.
* {{Greed}}: What hooks him up on the Darkness (with the other traits quickly following up):
** He starts showing signs of growing lust for power when he picks up the darkh and later feeds it with even more eidoses -- it makes him more powerful, and he ''wants'' the power, much more than he wants to actually let these souls free; he even complains that they give him not nearly enough power tor freeing them, as if they "owe" him. By contrast, when Mefodiy hears the same tempting voice from another darkh which also tries to seduce him into amplifying his wings with the darkh's power, Mefodiy doesn't hesitate and just destroys it.
** When he meets Ligul, the first thoughts are about the opportunity to kill him and die like a hero... which quickly gets replaced by the thoughts about Ligul's darkh and the eidoses inside -- which he can obtain for himself! Ligul doesn't miss it, and exploits it in his favour.
* GreenEyedMonster: He was always in love with Daphne, but she chose Mefodiy over him. He was always aimed to fight Arey and defeat him to prove that he's the best warrior, but Arey was killed by Mefodiy, [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt making him the best warrior by default]], and now Varsus can't even fight him since they are on the same side, and Mefodiy actually acts as the leader of their group. This envy contributes to Varsus' downfall.
* InSeriesNickname: Due to him using shepherd pipe instead of standard flute, and almost child-like face, Mefodiy calls him the "Shepherd boy". Later it turns out that Mefodiy is not the first one to come up with such association, and he's called that even in Eden.
* KnightTemplar: In his delusions, he believes that everything he does is justified; when he can't find a justification (such as him using the eidoses, like a Dark Guardian), he [[NeverMyFault blames the Light or Mefodiy]] for "forcing him".
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: He gets his memory erased to give him one last chance to redeem himself by living as a mortal.
* MagicKnight: Unlike most Light Guardians, he's adept both with a flute and with a sword, making him much more flexible combatant.
* MilitaryMaverick: The reason why he's not the Gold-Winged -- he has massive problems with discipline. However, he's effective enough to still allow him to operate on Earth.
* NeverMyFault: He has much troubles with owning his mistakes and failures, always shifting the blame on someone or something else, up to and including the Light itself. It's not his fault he was too slow to propose to Daphne (several thousand years too slow) -- Mefodiy "stole" her! The gryphon attacked him not because it sensed growing Darkness -- the beast is insane, and must be killed!! He didn't fail to be a Light Guardian -- Mefodiy "stole" his life, and must die!!!
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Despite trying to convince both himself and Daphne that he's using the darkh he obtained from the dead Dark Guardian for good, it's a lie; in truth, he just wants to feel the power -- that was the reason why he picked it in the first place, which he briefly admits before starting coming up with justifications why he can and must use the darkh against the Darkness and lies that he would "let the souls go someday".
* {{Pride}}:
** He believes that he's the best warrior of Light, and [[GloryHound always looks for acknowledgment of his skills]], which he doesn't receive (directly) because the Light encourages humility. This is part of the reason why he became so obsessed with fighting Arey, because he was considered to be the best warrior of Darkness, and by killing him Varsus would've become just ''the'' best warrior, period. Then Mefodiy "stole" his chance...
** Varsus always was very sensitive to injustice. However, after going far enough with his SanitySlippage, he starts planning how he would kick Troil's ass and replace him as the "true good", because '''he''' certainly knows better how to run the Light!
* SwordAndGun: Unlike most Light Guardians, he uses not only [[MusicalAssassin magical music]] (which is used for long-range combat), but also a sword (specifically, rapier); the small size of both weapons allows him freely utilise them in tandem, though both are limited in power as result.
* {{Yandere}}: As he goes progressively more insane and corrupted under influence of the darkh, so does his love for Daphne, which degenerates into obsession with making her "accept" him... wether she likes it, or not. And, of course, it's yet another reason to want Mefodiy dead.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Berenariy]]
Troil's secretary.
----
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He never gets so much as mentioned past the first novel. It's possible that he was replaced after incident with Troil's poisoning.
* VocalDissonance: Despite his enormous size, he has surprisingly high-pitched voice. He also has some "feminine" habits.
* WeakWilled: Yaraat failed to brainwash Troil, so he went with Berenariy and used him in attempt to assassinate him by giving him a box with Typhon's scales (deadly poisonous for Light Guardians). It failed to kill him, but it still put him in coma for several books.
[[/folder]]
!! Valkyries
[[folder: Valkyries in general]]
* AlwaysFemale: The Valkyries are invariably female.
* AmazonBrigade: The Valkyries (except for the Loner Valkyrie, who is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin loner]]) always operate as a team of twelve female warriors, each one providing different powers and skills to increase overall effectiveness.
* ChosenOne: Not nearly to a degree Mefodiy was, but none of the valkyrie candidates are actually random; their spears sense and choose fitting candidates themselves when the current one dies (or is about to, like was with Irka).
* DeaderThanDead: Usually, if you're killed by the Valkyrie's spear, you're gone for good, and nothing would bring you back. The sole known exception is Kvodnon, who, firstly, is [[SatanicArchetype just that powerful]], and secondly, never returned in his true form.
* DwindlingParty: Less than a half of the Valkyries introduced in ''Revenge of the Valkyries'' survives till the end of the series, with Barmia, Hola, Taamag, Buhthla, Filomena, Saenra and Rhadulga, as well as Malara (Barmia's replacement) all dying at various points of the story.
* HeelFaceTurn: The Valkyries used to be the servants of pagan gods, who were chaotic and unpredictable at best, and outright murderous at worst, but joined the Light at unknown time and for unknown reason. They preserved some of negative traits of the old times, however.
* LegacyOfTheChosen: All the currently alive Valkyries have inherited their spears from someone else who died in service to the Light. Even Fulona (regardless of [[ContinuityDrift how old she really is]]) has predecessors.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The Valkyries almost never use their real names. We do lean some of them, but certainly not all, and even out of those, some are very likely to be fake.
* PersonalGainHurts: First rule of the Codex prohibits the Valkyries from exploiting their powers for self-gain, under risk of losing them.
* ReformedButNotTamed: They started serving the Light long ago, but never abandoned some of their more negative traits, like BloodKnight tendencies many of them show. Taamag puts it best:
-->'''Taamag''': Valkyries are not the Light; they only ''serve'' the Light.
* VowOfCelibacy: Fourth rule of the Codex forbids the Valkyries from forming romantic attachments (this is also the reason why they keep changing their squires on a regular basis). This is because firstly, whoever falls in love with a Valkyrie would be in constant danger of death (this is explicitly stated in the codex), and secondly, falling in love makes a Valkyrie herself weaker, endangering her mission. If you ''really'' want to love someone, you may give up your spear to someone more worthy, but there's no going back afterwards.
* WeaponSpecialization: All Valkyries are armed with magic spears, which they throw at enemies (they teleport back to the user after hitting the target). Each one of them has different abilities on top of that (both combat and utilitary), but only some of them were actually revealed.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility: The Valkyries' mission is so important, that any Valkyrie must effectively forfeit her personal life in order to serve the Light, because ''nothing'' is more important than that. Anyone who is not ready, better give up her powers for someone more fit than risk failing her mission.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: None of the previous contacts from the life before accepting the spear, including their family, would be able to recognise them, no matter what (and if clues are too obvious to ignore, the magic would outright block them from thinking about it unless they resist ''very'' hard). The only way they can reveal themselves is by saying outright, but this would result in the person being killed. This is stated in the Codex as the second rule.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Fulona]]
A Valkyrie of the Golden Spear. The oldest Valkyrie still alive and in service.
----
* BigGood: While Troil technically outranks her, he rarely intervenes, leaving Fulona the default leader, especially in Irka's plotlines.
* ContinuityDrift: There's an inconsistence regarding her age and wether she was indeed one of the Valkyries from before they joined the Light, or merely met them.
* ElementalHairColors: Fittingly for someone associated with gold and light, she also has golden hairs.
* GoldColoredSuperiority: The Valkyrie who leads the other Valkyries into battle is also the one associated with gold, including her spear and even hair colour.
* TheLeader: She's the leader of all Valkyries. While she may be no less lethal than any other Valkyrie, her main contribution is her centuries-long experience.
* LastOfHerKind: She is the last of the Valkyries from the time before they joined the Light. Every other one joined later, most -- in our time.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Her exact age is unknown, but she's old enough to remember the ''original'' Valkyries, before they joined the Light. She still looks as young as the other ones.
* SilkHidingSteel: She's normally one of the friendlier Valkyries, but when required, she may show the steel willpower, overwhelming even most stubborn individuals. In these moments, it becomes apparent why everyone follows her as their leader.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barmia]]
A Valkyrie of the Bronze Spear.
----
* BusCrash: She dies at some point between the end of ''Revenge of the Valkyries'' and ''The Ice and Fire of Tartarus'', of which the other Valkyries informs Irka when they return after being absent for some time.
* FlatCharacter: We learn nothing about her besides her name. She also lacks any lines.
* SacrificialLamb: Her only contribution to the plot is showcasing the dangers of Valkyrie's life, by being killed and replaced by a new one [[BusCrash between the fifth and seventh novels]]. Every other Valkyrie returns unharmed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ilga]]
A Valkyrie of the Silver Spear.
----
* BadassBureaucrat: She works at office when off-duty, but becomes no less dangerous than any other Valkyrie when armed with her spear.
* ThePerfectionist:
** {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. According to Buhthla (who possesses the opposite view on things), for her, just doing something is not enough; nope, she would go a long way to do it ''ideally'', only to waste so much time that it would cease to matter.
** She interprets being "punctual" as going to the place of meeting at ''exactly'' the time stated, down to a minute. No one supports her when she chews Irka out on being "unpunctual".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lamina]]
A Valkyrie of the Moon Spear.
----
* DistinguishingMark: She has weird scars on her face (possibly from some disease), which makes her face resemble the moon's surface.
* DoesNotLikeMen: She seems to have low opinion on men in general; she calls them "FAR", which stands for "Fools Allowed to Reproduce"; [=FARs=] are interested only in bragging and (futile) attempts to impress the women. She thinks that it was always like this. Even Ilga (who has [[ThePerfectionist her own issues]] calls her out on this.
* FashionableAsymmetry: Her hairstyle is asymmetrical -- shoulder-long on the left side, barely jaw-long on the right side.
* TheGadfly: When she grows tired of teasing people, she starts annoying them for fun, mainly Ilga and Hola.
* TheTease: She likes flirting with people for her own amusement, including the other valkyries' squires, but never goes beyond this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Hola]]
A Valkyrie of the Brass Spear. Her real name is Xenia, though lopukhoids know her as "Anna".
----
* BadassBureaucrat: She works at office when off-duty, but becomes no less dangerous than any other valkyrie when armed with her spear.
* BlindWithoutEm: When in combat, she gets amplified by her spear and sees everything perfectly, but outside of combat she's very shortsighted, to the point that she has troubles with navigating. However, she's too shy to wear glasses.
* ObsessivelyOrganized: She dedicates a bit too much attention to keeping everything in order, organising everything in a certain way. Irka even compares her apartment to a museum.
* SacrificialLion: She's amongst the Valkyries who didn't survive the battle against the Dark Dozen, killed by the Dark Guardian Lovus, to show how dangerous the Black Dozen is.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Taamag]]
A Valkyrie of the Stone Spear. Her real name is Tamara.
----
* BigGirl: She is physically strongest and tallest one (she is taller than her two meters-tall squire) amongst all Valkyries.
* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: She was amongst the first Valkyries to die (third after Barmia and Filomena). She almost hold off the entire army of Dark Guardians and commissioners, and was only killed by Zigya (mind-controlled by Ziggy Puffs), because she couldn't force herself to hurt him. Even then, she survived for long enough to hold the line until the reinforcements arrived.
* BrawnHilda: She was repeatedly described as looking more like a man than a woman, and not of an attractive kind. Of course, no one risks to say this to her face.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Unlike the other Valkyries, she prefers fighting in close combat, instead of throwing her spear. When she actually needs to throw something, she usually uses several smaller spears, provided by her squire.
* ContraltoOfStrength: The biggest and toughest of all Valkyries also has the lowest voice amongst them.
* FireForgedFriend: After fighting side-by-side with Irka, she learned to respect her. Ever since then, she acts ''very'' hostile to Matvey, whom she considers to be dangerous for Irka.
* HatesWearingDresses: She's the only one ''not'' to go on Haara's birthday in a dress. It gets mentioned in description of the scene that perhaps no force in the world can convince her to put on a dress.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She may be loud and often rude, but she still cares for the other Valkyries -- including Irka, whom she ([[FireForgedFriends at first]]) antagonised. Irka eventually realises that Taamag has no real hatred for her; it's just how she shows her emotions.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Interestingly, she was the ''smallest'' and ''weakest'' child in her family; she has four older sisters, of whom one is a trainer, one is a soldier, one is a prison warden and the last one is a bounty hunter.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Haara]]
A Valkyrie of the Striking Spear.
----
* NeatFreak: She is obsessed with maintaining everything clean and in order. Unfortunately, her squire Vovan (who lives with her) is just too good at making a mess out of their apartment.
* OppositesAttract: Non-romantic example. She and her squire, Vovan, highly contrast with each other. She's known for her love to maintain order and cleanliness, both of which Vovan lacks. They contrast physically, too; she's small, elegant, and when without armour, looks almost fragile, while Vovan is big, brutish and somewhat vulgar (if not counting his weird love for her shampoos, which annoys her to no end).
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Buhthla]]
A Valkyrie of the Sleeping Spear.
----
* BigEater: Both she and her squires have undying love for tasty food; as result, she's rather chubby.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: She may be fat, sleepy and slow to react when outside of combat, but becomes no less dangerous than any other Valkyrie during actual battle. She's also a lot smarter and wiser than she appears at first. According to Gelatha, she used to study on philological faculty before becoming a Valkyrie.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Part of her powers is ability to see future (to a degree) in her dreams.
* ForcedSleep: Her spear may forcibly put people to sleep, either temporarily or permanently.
* NiceGirl: She is one of the nicer Valkyries, and one of the few who was friendly with Irka and even [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Matvey]] right from the start. She was also the one who insisted that the Loner Valkyrie being, well, loner is an outdated tradition and she should become closer to the other Valkyries.
* SacrificialLion: She's amongst the Valkyries who didn't survive the battle against the Dark Dozen, killed by the Dark Guardian Knor, to demonstrate the danger the Black Dozen presents.
* SweetTooth: She likes chocolate a little too much.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Filomena]]
A Valkyrie of the Incinerating Spear.
----
* BattleTrophy: She makes new braids after each new Dark Guardian she kills. She had twenty two when introduced, and by the moment of her death she run out of place to make new ones.
* BloodKnight: She takes so much joy in battles, she keeps marking important victories with [[BattleTrophy new braids]]. It's presumed in-universe that her own bloodlust was the reason behind her downfall, since it reduced her natural defence just enough for assassin to hit her with a cursed arrow.
* DeathSeeker: According to Buhthla, she is aggressive both in pursuit of the enemy and to the other people around her because, deep inside, she just wants to die, and end the suffering of her life.
* ElementalHairColors: Fittingly for someone associated with incinerating her enemies, she has ash-white hair.
* ItsPersonal: The reason why she was hostile to Irka during their initial meeting. Not long ago, she had lost her squire to Darkness-aligned wights, and now sees Irka's duel with Mefodiy as some sort of vengeance for him; yet Irka keeps waiting and wasting time...
* KilledOffForReal: Spurius not just killed her, but destroyed her spear, ensuring that no [[LegacyCharacter other Valkyrie of Incinerating Spear]] would arise ever again.
* PlayingWithFire: Her spear, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin incinerates]] people.
* SacrificialLion: Her death serves to establish just how dangerous Spurius really is.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Saenra]]
A Valkyrie of the Ice Spear.
----
* AnIcePerson: Her spear gives her powers related to ice. Tip of her spear shatters when it hits its target, only to immediately restore (with shards leaving inside and starting freezing victim alive).
* DePower: As punishment for falling out from Light, she gets stripped of her powers and her spear by Essiorkh (who used a magic formula to exile Darkness, and her own powers rejected her after seeing her true self).
* KnightTemplar: As long as it would lead to striking down Darkness, she is perfectly okay with "collateral damage", like attacking Daphne.
* SheWhoFightsMonsters: She fought the Darkness with its own methods, resulting in her becoming corrupt herself.
* SociopathicHero: She eventually started loving war and killing for the sake of war and killing; both are not exactly Light qualities.
* TokenEvilTeammate: She was a blood-thirsty KnightTemplar even before we meet her in ''The Revenge of the Valkyries'', where she finally crosses the line and gets exiled.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: She gets [[DePower stripped of her powers]] and exiled in her second appearance, with the first one not giving her any lines; all within the same novel.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Her subsequent fate after losing her powers is unknown, not even wether she survived it (she aged to old hag almost immediately after being de-powered).
* WouldHurtAChild: If converting Eden time to Earth time, Daphne is thirteen years old (and certainly has a mental age of a teenager), but Saenra sees nothing wrong with trying to kill her. It was not even self-defence; she attacked first, knowing perfectly well that Daphne stands no chance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhadulga]]
A Valkyrie of the Dreadful Spear. Her given name is Alexandra.
----
* HotBlooded: She's one of the easily "exploding" Valkyries. According to Gelatha (with whom Fulona agrees), it's not a good thing: if exploding at every minor problem (like commissioners), one day there may be not enough flame left to fight the real enemy.
* {{Jerkass}}: She's one of the more "toxic" Valkyries; in particular, she never gets along with Irka (not to mention Matvey), always acting cold at best and openly hostile at worst.
* MoreDakka: Judging from the story Taamag tells to Irka, Rhadulga likes assault riffles (and shooting wildly) a bit too much.
* SacrificialLion: She dies during the battle against the Dark Dozen, at the hands of Dark Guardian Vandol, to show how dangerous the Black Dozen is. She manages to [[MutualKill off Vandol]] before succumbing to her wounds.
* SociopathicHero: She's one of the more aggressive and [[HotBlooded trigger-happy]] Valkyries, both in combat and in life, to the point that Fulona worries what she would exhaust herself prematurely, wasting all the fire on insignificant problems.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She may be mostly known for her love for combat and violence (and assault riffles)... but she also likes making bracelets from winegrape.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gelatha]]
A Valkyrie of the Resurrecting Spear. She was a professional medic in her pre-Valkyrie life.
----
* BlindWithoutEm: The spear greatly enhances her eyesight, but without it, she must use contact lenses to see anything.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Amongst all twelve Valkyries, she's the only one to act nice to Irka right from the start (even Buhthla befriended her later), believing that Irka doesn't want to let down the Valkyries, and trying to explain to her why almost everyone else are so hostile. She also tries to set a duel with Mefodiy in another light, explaining that [[ShootTheDog it's better to kill him now, while his eidos may be saved, rather than let him descend into Darkness]], so Irka wouldn't suffer from guilt (others just presses her).
* FriendToAllLivingThings: She actively uses her powers to help sick animals.
* HealingHands: She may heal almost any wound through her powers, even normally fatal ones. Though even she has her limits. She's also specifically unable to heal herself that way, and later we learn that she can only use it on lopukhoids when explicitly allowed by the Light, to not mess up the greater schemes.
* NiceGirl: She's the nicest and friendliest of all twelve Valkyries, and always acts friendly to Irka whenever she appears.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Praskovia]]
A girl whom Ligul obtained as replacement for Mefodiy: almost as powerful, but much easier to control. Later became a Valkyrie of the Ice Spear.
----
* AnIcePerson: [[HotBlooded Praskovia, of all people]], becomes the latest user of the Ice Spear, with all the ice powers it has.
* CreepyChild: She was around Mefodiy's age by the moment of her introduction (who was close to sixteen by the time), but, being risen by Ligul in the depths of Tartarus, alone, without friends and relatives (unless you count Romasyusik), she developed a twisted, almost insane personality. This only gets amplified by her [[TheSpeechless never talking]] or [[EmotionlessGirl showing emotions]], and her [[EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette extremely pale skin]].
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: She is extremely pale (likely due to spending her entire life in Tartarus), and has pitch-black hairs. In combination with her bloody-red dresses (and later sweaters), and [[TheSpeechless complete muteness]], it makes her look downright creepy for anyone unfamiliar with her.
* EmotionlessGirl: While under Ligul's "protection", she rarely shows ''any'' emotions at all, sans for occasional laugh or crying. This is certainly intentional, because her emotional outbursts tend to come with destruction caused by her innate magic. She gradually learns to both show more emotions, and to not cause collateral damage every time something annoys her (mostly the first one).
* FragileSpeedster: How Arey describes her powers; she's significantly weaker than Mefodiy (at least, at first), but takes much less time to actually hit with her magic, leaving no time for defence or retaliation, while Mefodiy is both slower and more unstable with it.
* HeelFaceTurn: She abandons Ligul soon after his ill-fated attempt to kill Mefodiy via duel with Arey -- she just walks away, with Ligul being powerless to do anything.
* HotBlooded: She has major problem with keeping her emotions under control; if she's angry, she's ''explosively'' angry; if she's sad, it would be nothing short of deep depression; and so on.
* IntriguedByHumanity: After spending so much time in Tartarus, she is very curious about life outside of it, and has interest to adapt to it.
* LoveRedeems: It's flat-out stated that her love to Mefodiy (even if unrequitted) is the driving force behind her redemption, as it makes her try to work on own flaws to make him notice her, instead of just forcing him (which doesn't work). She ultimately lives past it, but by that moment, she no longer needs it to stay afloat.
* MindOverMatter: Amongst her other abilities is telekinesis; she can easily throw ''massive'' things around like they weight nothing.
* ParentalSubstitute: She became sort of adoptive mother for Zigya (with Shilov as a "father"). Most of the time she [[DotingParent spoils him]], to Shilov's annoyance, though Zigya knows not to make her angry.
* PlayingWithFire: Amongst the powers which most often comes in play is her ability to set things on fire.
* PuppetKing: The reason why Ligul even bothers with her -- he plans to instate her as a future "Lord of Darkness", so he may control her while remaining in the shadow himself.
* RedRightHand: Just when Mefodiy lost his signature bleeding hairs due to no longer possessing Kvodnon's powers, Praskovia suddenly gained both the powers and this "nice" feature.
* TheSpeechless: For whatever reason, she initially was unable to speak at all, with Romasyusik "[[VoiceForTheVoiceless telegraphing]]" her will. She gradually learned how to speak, but it takes her so much efforts to pronounce even simplest things after spending so long time being mute, she rarely bothers.
* TalkingWithSigns: When she can't or doesn't want to use other to talk for her, and can't rely on her limited ability to talk by herself, she uses notebook or something similar to just write her answers.
* {{Tsundere}}: She may be very nice to someone she loves, like a gentle fire, but when annoyed a bit too much, she becomes an unstoppable firestorm. She can alter between the two rather quickly, due to [[HotBlooded having unstable temper]].
* TheUnintelligible: When she tries to talk by herself, she has so much troubles with it, she often pronounces the words only partially, sometimes making them nearly undecipherable.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: She compensates her lack of ability to speak normally by taking control of the other persons and saying things through them. While under effect, they tend to speak in CreepyMonotone, with utter horror in their eyes, because they remain perfectly self aware during entire process. Originally she used Romasyusik, but since his death she relies on Zigya or just whoever is available.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Malara]]
Barmia's successor as the Valkyrie of the Bronze Spear.
----
* ActionGirl: Even by standards of the Valkyries. She was of very active kind even in her childhood, which is proven by that story with her swimming for whole night when she was pushed far into ocean, and ''surviving''. Nowadays, she's the most accustomed to living in harsh conditions and seeking challenge to overcome; she finds the squires to match.
* ArchEnemy: She seems to have some ''real'' grudges against succubi, even by the Valkyries' standards, and actively seeks to kill them.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: After being introduced in the seventh novel, she quietly disappears until the seventeenth, without being so much as mentioned even once in between. This gets explained by her being on the special mission in Ekaterinburg, while the plot takes place nearly entirely in Moscow.
* DeathInTheLimelight: She receives major expansion on her personality and backstory just before the battle against the Dark Dozen, which she doesn't survive.
* {{Determinator}}: Back when she was fourteen years old, she, when she was on sea vacation with her mother (a Siberian jaeger), run away during night and swim far into the sea, but, due to sudden change of the weather, was forced to spend ''thirteen hours'' making it back to the coast -- and succeeded. With her mother just ''slightly'' worrying, due to being just that confident in her abilities.
* HighTurnoverRate: She just keeps losing squires, and not even in combat. One was sent to the hospital with "stomach problems" (he was cut during some brawl), another was injured when trying to take out the guy out of his car, only for the driver to freak out and turn up the speed, the third [[BreadEggsMilkSquick was put to the madhouse for eating glass]]...
* TheSpartanWay: Unlike the other Valkyries, who constantly complains about the unpleasant conditions, she stoically tolerates everything, and, on contrary, gets satisfied with whatever small "comfort" she can find. She's also perfectly fine with walking many kilometres on foot, and not only doesn't complain, but not even shows any signs of being tired; all of this is because, unlike most of them, she's accustomed to harsh conditions since childhood, due to her uprising (her mother, from what little info available, seems to be just as badass).
-->'''Malara''' [''to Ilga, who complains about it being uncomfortable to sleep on the grass'']]: It would be "uncomfortable" to sleep on the ceiling, or on the broken glass, or on the hot coal! Everything else can be tolerated!
* TheStoic: She's notoriously good with keeping her composure, even before the upcoming battle with the Dark Dozen, to the point that she's the only one who was able to sleep during the flight.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Meldika]]
Irka's distant predecessor as the Loner Valkyrie.
----
* DatingCatwoman: She made a mistake of falling in love with [[FauxAffablyEvil Spurius]]. He exploited her to lift the Dark curse, then lost any interest in her.
* FateWorseThanDeath: She saved Spurius from the Dark curse (which causes unimaginable agony to one afflicted with it, but doesn't kill them), but as result was afflicted with it herself.
* HeroicSacrifice: After her attempt to help Spurius went horribly wrong and damned every single Valkyrie, not just her, she somehow redirected the curse from them on herself, but at the cost of increasing her own suffering. She didn't live for long after that.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Her attempt to help Spurius damned all Valkyries, making their powers and spears unstable, which in turn caused the deaths of three of them (then-current Valkyries of the Stone, Sleeping and Brass spears). While she managed to lift the curse from the others, she did this at the cost of concentrating the whole power of the curse on herself and her spear. Since then, the other Valkyries distrusts any Loners, always seeing potential new Meldika in them.
* PosthumousCharacter: By the time of her introduction she's already dead.
* {{Reincarnation}}: Turns out that Irka is more than just her distant successor -- she's her direct reincarnation. They even look identical. It's presumed in-universe that Irka was born in the first place to give Meldika the chance to redeem herself for past mistakes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dasha]]
Irka's successor as the Loner Valkyrie.
----
* AerithAndBob: Similarly to Irka, she uses her real name instead of any alias, making her stand out amongst people like Fulona, Buhthla, Brungilde, etc.
* CharacterTic: She keeps greeting Babanya ''every'' time they run into each other, even if Babanya just revisits the room where she's in.
* FirstNameBasis: It seems that, similarly to Irka, she chose her real name as the Valkyrie alias. Like with Irka, we never learn her last name.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: What she lacks in social skills, she takes in her ability to find common language with even most wild and stubborn horses. In fact, she just adores horses, and they adore her in turn. Back in her [[KidsAreCruel school days]], it was one of the few things which helped her maintaining her sanity.
* HeroWorshipper: She treats Matvey as the BigBrotherMentor who teaches her how to fight, and, when possible, constantly follows him around, looking at him with eyes full of devotion, and tells everyone else just how awesome he is. Irka feels jealously due to this, because Dasha acts this way only towards Matvey... ''her'' Matvey.
* KidsAreCruel: She was horribly abused in the school by basically everyone, due to her (possibly innate) skin disease. Irka acknowledges that, in some way, her fate is even worse than what Irka lived through, as Irka at least had people she could rely upon, while Dasha was alone.
* ShrinkingViolet: She's painfully shy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Brungilde]]
Taamag's successor as the Valkyrie of the Stone Spear. Her given name is Galina.
----
* BigGirl: She's supposed to replace Taamag as the main front fighter of the team. Also similarly to Taamag, she's extremely big (she was compared to a bear) and strong. Matvey even mistook her for a man at first.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: Her given name is Galina, but she insists on being called Brungilde. She started calling herself that even before becoming a Valkyrie. Not even her parents use her given name anymore.
* ContraltoOfStrength: She has ''extremely'' low (and loud) voice.
* GentleGiant: For all her strength, she's surprisingly gentle, delicate and well-mannered.
* NervousWreck: For someone of her size and strength, she's surprisingly neurotic and prone to random fears. She's afraid of sudden noises, highly distrusts the strangers, and fears possible dangers to her health a bit more than would be reasonable, especially for someone like her (be it microbes or unhealthy food). She also believes her (either incompetent, maligned or both) doctor who insists that she shouldn't lift anything heavier than two kilograms, which is blatantly untrue.
* TerrifiedOfGerms: Amongst her other weirdnesses, she's extremely afraid of germs in particular, and falling ill due to something in general.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: With all her "manly" traits, she still has some feminine ones as well; in particularly, she likes girly hats and earrings.
* UnstoppableRage: It's very hard to enrage her, due to her delicate and friendly personality. When someone ''succeeds'' at that, it's equally hard to calm her down -- and completely impossible to stop her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Arla]]
Hola's replacement as a Valkyrie of the Brass Spear. Her given name is Lena.
----
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: Hola looked (and acted) like rich business lady, while Arla was (rather creepy) veterinary with MadDoctor vibes.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: She's described as very pale and dark-haired. This only adds to her MadDoctor vibe.
* MadDoctor: She was a little too enthusiastic with doing medical experiments on small animals in her spar time prior to becoming a Valkyrie. It's not known wether she still makes her experiments as the Valkyrie.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Margarita]]
Buthla's successor as the Valkyrie of Sleepy Spear.
----
* FirstNameBasis: We only learn her first name. It's unknown wether it's her original name and she simply didn't chose the alias yet, or she, similarly to Irka and Dasha, accidentally made her name the official alias. Similarly to them, her last name is unknown.
* {{Sleepyhead}}: She falls asleep at random times, at random places. She has next to zero control over it, so her squire helps her around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Peppa]]
Rhadulga's successor as the Valkyrie of the Dreadful Spear.
----
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: Unlike tall, rude and tomboyish Rhadulga, Peppa is short, friendly and (somewhat) gentle.
* TheKlutz: She has troubles navigating without hitting things around.
* OnlyKnownByHerNickname: Out of four new Valkyries to replace those who fell in the battle against the Dark Dozen, she's the only one to not have her original name revealed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Varlya]]
Malara's replacement as the Valkyrie of the Bronze Spear. Her given name is Valentina.
----
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: Both Malara and Varlya are overachievers, but if Malara was clearly of action type, Varlya is a painfully shy (perhaps even worse than Dasha) mathematician who was perfect with written works, but completely unable to speak out when meeting the teacher in person.
* ShrinkingViolet: Even worse case than Dasha. She basically becomes unresponsive when she comes too close to another human due to being too shy. When in the presence of other Valkyries, she tries to just hide somewhere in the corner where she wouldn't be noticed (at which she often succeeds).
[[/folder]]
!! Squires
[[folder: In general]]
* AlwaysMale: Squires are invariably male.
* HighTurnoverRate: The Valkyries frequently change them to not grow too attached to them: they rarely lives for long. Several of them stick for most or all series, though.
* TheLancer: Every single Valkyrie has her own squire, who helps them in everyday life, keeps their weapons when not needed, and fights side by side during battles. For whatever reason, they tend to share certain traits with their masters (Taamag's squire is a big, muscular guy; Buhthla's squire is a fat funny guy who shares her love for tasty food and always keeps some prepared; Fulona's squire is an old veteran; etc), though in some cases they are diametrically opposite instead.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Antigon]]
Antigon is the Loner Valkyrie's faithful servant of... mixed heritage.
----
* TheAlcoholic: His [[FantasticDrug jam addiction]] is portrayed like alcoholism, complete with weird behaviour while intoxicated, once-per-month "binges", hangover and stereotypical "alcoholic" nose when he's done eating jam.
* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: PlayedWith. He actually feels pleasure from most kinds of physical abuse (it helps that he's [[NighInvulnerability nearly invulnerable]]), but try to pet him, and he would treat it as ''actual'' abuse. His [[{{Cloudcuckoolanguage}} speech manner]] is also affected by this, because he interprets insults as compliments, and compliments as insults. But he knows what the good and evil means, and never mistakes them where it matters. He's the servant of Light, even if a weird one.
* {{Cloudcuckoolanguage}}: For whatever reason (most likely it's related to his kikimor heritage), he always takes the compliments (either directed at him or to someone else) as insults, and vice versa; he may mismatch the other opposites, too, but it happens not as often.
* DemotedToExtra: Since he is the Loner Valkyrie's squire, he nearly completely vanishes from the plot when Irka loses her powers.
* DropTheHammer: A mace, so big, he usually just drags it around.
* ExtremeOmnivore: In his introduction scene he ate Irka's wristwatch... and actually considered it to be "tasty", only complaining that he can't get more. His tastes remained just as weird in subsequent novels.
* FantasticDrug: He can actually become drunk from expired jam; he quickly developed an addiction to it.
* InSeriesNickname: "Antigon" is a nickname given to him by Irka, who finds his real name, "Antigonius", too hard to pronounce. It ultimately sticks to the point of replacing his original name.
* TheLoad: At no point in the series he provides any meaningful support in battle, always getting easily defeated at the very start, or missing the battle outright.
* LoyalToThePosition: He's the Loner Valkyrie's squire, not Irka's personally, so when Irka stopped being a Valkyrie, he was forced to abandon her. They still remained friends, however.
* NonhumanHumanoidHybrid: He has rich genealogy of various kinds of wights, mostly from Slavic folklore. His father was domovoi ([[HouseFey house-keeping spirit]]), and mother was kikimora (swamp spirit, which in this verse looks like some [[FrogMen amphibians]]). Besides them, his grandpa (from mother's side) was a vampire, and grandparents from father's side were a mermaid and leshiy (forest spirit). He inherited certain traits from each one of them; for example, his house-keeping abilities can be traced back to father, while weird look and speech manner certainly were inherited from the mother. And then there're the rumours about Snow-White and her dwarves being somehow involved as well.
* NonHumanSidekick: If the other Valkyries have human squires which they choose by themselves (and frequently change), the Loner Valkyrie always sticks with [[NonhumanHumanoidHybrid Antigon]].
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: The reason why he serves the Valkyries is because he was cursed, as a punishment for [[NoodleIncident "being naughty"]]. It should take ten thousand years, with three already passing; he can't disclose what it was, or the punishment would prolong.
* RunningGag: To not attract unwanted attention to him, he always gets disguised as a child when traveling in places where lopukhoids can see him. Unfortunately, it never works as intended because ''at least'' one of the following invariably happens: someone steps on his long, frog-like legs because they look shorter under disguise, and he starts yelling; he starts calling Irka "[[{{Cloudcuckoolanguage}} ugly mistress]]"; he either [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentions Irka abusing him, or demands abuse right now]], with people invariably mistaking Irka for [[AbusiveParents his abusive mother]], with predictable reaction.
* ServileSnarker: He's loyal, but he still would comment on his mistress acting like a fool.
* ShooOutTheClowns: Him disappearing from the series (excluding few brief appearances) is one of the signs of transition from more light-hearted early novels to more dark and mature later ones.
* TokenHeroicOrc: He's one of the very few known wight to be on the side of Light; the others mostly either serve the Darkness, or remain hostile to everyone, with those few who remains neutral being mostly jerks.
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Jam, all kinds of it. Expired jam would affect him [[FantasticDrug similarly to alcohol]], to Irka's annoyance, because when he goes searching for it, he always disappears for several days and later returns with hangover.
* UndyingLoyalty: He has next to zero respect to anyone but his master, but for ''her'' he would fight to the end.
* WeakenedByTheLight: While he actually ''likes'' physical abuse (it's hard to actually harm him this way), there's one thing he would rather avoid -- spending too much time under direct sunlight; it harms him, and not in "funny" way.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Fulona's squire]]
Fulona's squire. Just like his master, he's a hardened veteran.
----
* NoNameGiven: We never learn his name, despite him being recurring character.
* NotUsingTheZWord: InUniverse; neither he nor Fulona use the terms "master" and "servant" when referring to each other, unlike all other Valkyries: he chose to serve Fulona on his own will, and nothing aside from his own sense of duty stops him from leaving.
* OldSoldier: Unlike the other Valkyries, Fulona chose the veteran as her squire. Fittingly, since she's the old soldier herself in a sense -- she's the oldest Valkyrie still alive and in service.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Vovan]]
Haara's squire.
----
* NeatFreak: {{Inverted|Trope}}; he's notoriously disorderly, often leaves trash after himself and is rather lazy when it comes to cleaning up. What is weird is that his Valkyrie is the actual "Neat Freak".
* OppositesAttract: Non-romantic example; considering that the Valkyries always choose their squires by themselves, it's quite ironic that [[NeatFreak the Valkyrie obsessed with cleanliness and order]] received the most disorderly squire possible.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Alexei]]
Buhthla's squire.
----
* BigEater: Just like Buhthla herself, he loves eating, perhaps a little too much. He was multiple times referred by Irka as "sandwich-bearer" for his habit of carrying food in his bags, instead of spare weapons.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Just like Buhthla herself, he is fat, funny guy outside of battle... and dangerous warrior inside of it.
* FormerlyFit: He used to be much slimmer before becoming Buhthla's squire.
* NiceGuy: [[RuleOfThree Just like Buhthla herself]], he is nice, friendly and always ready to help.
* PutOnABus: With his master's death, there's no point for him to stick around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Fedya]]
Taamag's squire.
----
* BigGuy: Not to a degree of Taamag herself, but he is very physically tough and always fights on the frontline.
* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: He's the strongest squire -- and the only of them to be killed on-screen. He was [[InTheBack mortally wounded by spear through his back]]. When it didn't kill him on the spot, he was finished off via throat slicing.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aleck]]
Rhadulga's (new) squire. A programmer in prior life.
----
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: {{Invoked|Trope}}. Rhadulga intentionally chose someone more calm and peaceful as a replacement for her late squire, who died due to [[LeeroyJenkins recklessly rushing in battle ]] to avenge Taamag's death.
* BadassBookworm: He seems to be of the geek type, but becomes no less dangerous in combat than any other squire. He's also skilled with firearms.
* MartialPacifist: Aleck prefers to avoid combat when it's possible. Fortunately, people always understand that it's not a good idea to mess with him just by looking him into eyes.
* PutOnABus: With his master's death, there's no point for him to stick around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Victor Shilov]]
Another kid risen in Tartarus, and Ligul's trump card. Later becomes Praskovia's squire when she becomes a new Valkyrie of the Ice Spear.
----
* AntiHero: Even after abandoning Ligul, he didn't become much friendlier or nicer, and still considers it entirely justified to just kill people who annoy him too much (thankfully, he never has a chance to actually follow through with his threats).
* AntiVillain: He never was truly villainous, serving Ligul more due to not knowing any other life. After being reminded about his past life, he [[HeelFaceTurn abandons his former master]].
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist Mefodiy deals with for almost entirety of ''The Fire Gates'', though [[DiscOneFinalBoss he gets possessed by Kvodnon in the end]]. He [[HeelFaceTurn stops being a villain]] after Kvodnon being defeated.
* BadassNormal: He has no (known) supernatural abilities (at least until Mefodiy's rebirth as the Light Guardian, as he absorbs some of his old powers), but still managed to survive in the Grand Desert -- part of Tartarus which ''Dark Guardians'' consider to be unsurvivable.
* ChoiceOfTwoWeapons: He has two signature weapons -- the former sword of Kvodnon, and poisonous darts he keeps attached to his earring (which he wears specifically for that purpose). He never gets the chance to use the darts, however.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His history started with him leaving his friend Nikita for death out of cowardice, seemingly dooming him, after which he was abducted and "adopted" by Ligul, who forced him to undergo TrainingFromHell (literally) to make him his new champion (and ideal host for Kvodnon).
* ExtremeOmnivore: He's capable of eating the ''clearly'' expired food without any consequences. He's not picky; if it's food, he can eat it, the condition doesn't matter.
* HeelFaceTurn: He quit serving Ligul after Mefodiy helped him to banish [[DemonicPossession Kvodnon's spirit]] from his body.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's not the nicest person around, and often goes into conflicts with Mefodiy, even past his HeelFaceTurn.
* LossOfIdentity: His entire life was build around becoming a new host for Kvodnon. Now, when he no longer serves Ligul, he doesn't know just ''what'' he is; he has to build the new purpose in life from scratch. Becoming Praskovia's squire is, perhaps, the closest he has to a start.
* MasterSwordsman: Ligul somehow transferred Hoors' skills to Shilov without Hoors' personality, making Shilov second-best (and since Arey's death, just best) fighter in the whole Tartarus.
* NasalTrauma: His broken and badly healed nose gets mentioned on a regular basis.
* ParentalSubstitute: He became sort of adoptive father for Zigya (with Praskovia as a "mother"). If Praskovia is a DotingParent, Victor tries to teach him some discipline (or teach him ''something'', for that matter), with varying success.
* PrefersRocksToPillows: His experience in Tartarus made him unable to sleep in any place which looks too safe (like bed), because he instinctively sees it as a trap. As result, he sleeps in various places where [[AnOddPlaceToSleep it would be too dangerous to sleep, if even possible]] -- in metro, on a tower crane, etc.
* ReformedButNotTamed: Even switching sides did little to improve his personality; he's still the same arrogant jerk who sees nothing bad in killing people he dislikes (fortunately, he never actually does that).
* TokenEvilTeammate: By the point of his HeelFaceTurn, even Praskovia started slowly changing for the better, but Shilov still demonstratively treats his "friends" like crap and starts the fights with Mefodiy at slightest provocation.
* TrainingFromHell: Both literally and figuratively, since he was trained in Tartarus; he managed to survive in absolutely nightmarish conditions, where EverythingIsTryingToKillYou, but it made him the man he's now -- a strong, hardened warrior who fears no enemy.
* UnusualPetsForUnusualPeople: At one point, Shilov frees a huge black vulture from the zoo. The vulture, instead of flying away, chose to stay with its "rescuer", and follows him everywhere since then.
[[/folder]]
! Forces of Darkness
!! Dark Guardians
[[folder: In general]]
* AchillesHeel: Want to destroy a Dark Guardian? Aim for the darkh: if you break it, you would leave them powerless, not to mention, utterly humiliated.
* AmuletOfDependency: The darkh provides its wielder with great powers, but without it, they are less than humans; humans, at lest, have their own eidoses. Better think about it before accepting it.
* BeyondRedemption: The moment you feed your darkh with first eidos, you lose your last chance to not end up in Tartarus; no matter what you try, no matter how hard you resist, you ''would'' be damned. This is because, firstly, [[PoweredByAForsakenChild the souls in darkh feels eternal agony, comparable to hell itself]], and if you are willing to do it to anyone, then you are a monster indeed; and secondly, the darkh suppresses your good qualities while enchanting the worst ones -- sooner or later, it ''would'' corrupt you, subtly enough for you to not even notice: when it finishes, there's not enough left of you to worth saving.
* BoringButPractical: Many self-respecting Dark Guardians, to preserve even the smallest amount of power, never bother to use "special effects" for their magic, like teleportation: who cares, if it would occur without bright sparks, and you would instead just vanish? Leave bragging for mages.
* TheChosenMany: The Dark Guardians can accept the humans born with powerful enough innate magic, and train them as their own, but not only such people are very rare (much rarer than elementary mages), they also have a high mortality rate during the training.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Dark Guardians prefer melee weapons, mainly swords. When they can't take the Light Guardians by surprise, they must rely on their magic defence to actually get it to melee range.
* TheCorruption: Every Dark Guardian knows -- the darkh ''would'' enslave you, no matter wether you are strong, or weak; only thing which changes is how long you would manage to resist. And once it happens, there's no going back; the darkh would suppress all your good qualities, while amplifying all the bad ones, ensuring you would never change for the best -- you simply wouldn't want.
* EmptyShell: Even if they claim otherwise, they still feel emptiness caused by [[OurSoulsAreDifferent absence of eidos]] and the Light it provides, and utter hopelessness caused by it. No power they can obtain would ever truly fill it, but they still trying, wether they realise it or not.
* EvilIsSterile: The Dark Guardians are unable to reproduce, as creating life requires you to have some Light inside you, and they have none left. The sole known exception is Arey, which is a major plot point.
* HeroesPreferSwords: {{Inverted|Trope}}. Actual heroes, the Light Guardians, mostly use their magic flutes (though there are exceptions), ''sometimes'' with a knife attached, and favour ranged combat; it's the Dark Guardians who use swords as their main weapons.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: To fuel their power, they use darkhs -- dark purple crystal vessels they wear on their necks, where they store eidoses of the damned. This causes so much torment to imprisoned souls, this may as well be considered to be hell.
[[/folder]]
!!! Commanders
[[folder: Kvodnon]]
First Lord of Darkness and Ligul's predecessor. Some time after he was killed during the last battle of Light and Darkness, his powers found a new vessels -- Mefodiy, and three other kids born at the same hour, in the same city.
----
* ArcVillain: ''The Third Horseman of Darkness'' has him (or, rather, his spiritual manifestation) as the main antagonist, with Ligul subtly aiding him. He shows up as the final threat in ''The Fire Gates'' as well.
* BadBoss: He was just as feared by his allies as by his enemies, because he had the bad tendency to kill them at any provocation, or without it.
* TheCaligula: Kvodnon was not exactly sane even ''before'' being trapped behind the Dreadful Gates. He [[BadBoss was just as dangerous for his own subordinates as he was for his enemies]], and ''everyone'' felt relief after he was presumably KilledOffForReal, save for just as violent Midnight Witches, who were created under his rule. And then there're his [[OmnicidalManiac world-ending goals]], which no one else shares.
* TheCorruptor: He's directly behind the origin of the first Dark Guardians, and them starting using darkhs. He's also the one who originally introduced humans to evil.
-->''He loves to being liked, to shine, to impress, loves to lead the people, feeling himself the centre of the universe. He, Arey, finds himself in being the best with a sword, just like he was the best in flight before, but Kvodnon needs a crowd to feel confidence. And the bigger the crowd is, the sweeter the pleasure is! Otherwise, he's nothing. He can only harm. Corrupt. His goal is to finally corrupt and destroy everything. The decaying filth produces heat. He wants to make the whole Universe into the decaying filth, and, while standing in its centre, feeding on the resulting energy.''
* DeaderThanDead: Gold-Winged somehow shattered his spirit into two parts, no longer allowing him to resurrect, not even as a commissioner; one remained as a formless, mindless, almost abstract evil which Darkness worship as some kind of deity, but which can't actually command anything, thus allowing Ligul to remain in charge; another, which actually inherited his mind, was trapped behind the Dreadful Gates, with primordial Chaos. However, it later turns out that the plan [[SubvertedTrope wasn't as perfect as it was presumed]] and it's possible to bring him back via certain means, even if not in his original form.
* EvilMakesYouUgly: He used to be beautiful, but his own evil scarred him, making half of his body looking like mummified corpse. The "Two-Faced Kvodnon" nickname originates here.
* FallenAngel: Like all original Dark Guardians, he used to be a Light Guardian once. He was the first one to fall -- and the one who corrupted the rest.
* GeneralRipper: Kvodnon would not stop until the Light is utterly destroyed. He completely ignores the fact that this would destroy mortals as well (since they can't exist totally without Light), and that without mortals, the Darkness would starve to death, since the Dark Guardians desperately needs eidoses to empower themselves; he either went completely nuts after exposure to Chaos, or, which Arey finds more probable, never cared to begin with. [[NearVillainVictory He almost won once]], in backstory, but was stopped by the team of Gold-Winged, [[HeroicSacrifice at the cost of their own life]].
* GreenEyedMonster: The ''true'' reason for his rebellion: he was envious towards (back then, freshly created) humans, because they had the souls and he didn't; Kvodnon believed that they received something they don't deserve, being too weak.
* KilledOffForReal: He managed to [[SubvertedTrope subvert]] it twice; both times it was claimed that he is dealt with permanently, and both times he proved everyone wrong several novels later:
** First time, in backstory, the Gold-Winged presumably killed him off in such fashion, [[DeaderThanDead no force can bring him back]], even as a commissioner -- yet he found a way to send projection of his spirit to manifest on Earth, in attempt to steal back his old powers and resurrect in the mortal body. It was destroyed by Irka.
** When his plan how to regain his powers failed, everyone, including his former servants, believed that he is gone for good, until several years later Ligul managed to find a way to release actual Kvodnon's spirit from behind the Fire Gates and let him possess another mortal body, only for this plan to be thwarted by Mefodiy. This time, no one tried to deny that he may reappear again some day, even if it seems unlikely at the moment. And indeed, Praskovia would later reveal that she and Shilov contains all the powers of Kvodnon, and if they ever lose control over them, Kvodnon would be able to steal their bodies and resurrect.
* NearVillainVictory: In backstory, at one point he was ''very'' close to destroying Eden and wiping out the Light Guardians; he was only stopped by HeroicSacrifice of twelve best Gold-Winged Ones, who made a suicidal attack on his headquarters, and managed to strike his darkh (also simultaneously dealing the killing blow).
* NeverMyFault: After leaving Eden, Kvodnon tried to recreate it in freshly-discovered Tartarus. Because it was build without either love or regards for the creations' well-being, forcing them to adapt or die, it ended up as the (literal) hellhole it's now. Kvodnon blamed the Light for that instead of his lack of competence, and decided that since it's their fault that Kvodnon can't build his perfect world, he should destroy the Light and then his creation would ([[InsaneTrollLogic somehow]]) become like he desires.
* PosthumousCharacter: He is long gone by the start of the first book's events; in fact, it's a plot point that Mefodiy inherited his powers. All his appearances either have something to do with attempts to resurrect him, or takes place in the past.
* PredecessorVillain: He used to be almighty Lord of Darkness... until the team of Gold-Winged pull a HeroicSacrifice to strike him down for good. His death allowed Ligul to rise to power.
* SatanicArchetype: He is the ultimate leader of dark forces, who wants to extinguish the Light, forever. His backstory, provided in one of the latter novels, actually shows many parallels between his downfall and Satan's story, meaning it's quite possible that humans based Satan on him.
* TheScottishTrope: If someone of sufficient power (like Mefodiy) speaks his name aloud, this by itself can cause destructive effects on anything around. Mefodiy did this mistake twice, and almost did several times more, despite all Ulitha's requests ''not to''.
* TwoFaced: Half of his body is still pretty... and the other is of mummified corpse. This is a [[EvilMakesYouUgly direct consequence]] of him becoming the Dark Guardian.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ligul]]
Chief of Dark Chancellery and the current ruler of Darkness.
----
* AbusiveParents: He is sort-of adopted uncle for Praskovia, yet he makes everything in his power to prevent her from having normal life, and only sees her as another tool to achieve his dream of ruling the Darkness unopposed.
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: The Light sees him ruling the Darkness as better alternative to just killing him; he's known coward and extremely cheap and vile, to the point that everyone knows not to trust him, instantly recognising him for what he is. If he dies, someone more proactive and/or charming can take his role, and make the life for everyone much harder.
* BigBad: He is the current leader of Darkness, and the main source of problems for both Mefodiy and Irka, with every enemy they face being related to Ligul in one way or another, sometimes just being his minions, sometimes [[TheManBehindTheMan indirectly receiving aid from him]].
* ButtMonkey: Despite being the single most important person in the Darkness' hierarchy (Kvodnon [[PosthumousCharacter doesn't count]]), he keeps being defeated and/or humiliated on every step. Arey states to his face that he has no respect for him in any way, shape or form, and Ligul can't do anything about it -- he still has use for him, and whenever he tries to assassinate or punish him, it ends badly for him anyway. And his portraits or statues (actually semi-alive and sentient) which he uses for spying being desecrated in various funny ways is one of the {{Running Gag}}s in the earlier novels. That being said, only Arey and his team can get away with it; other people may end with their tongue -- or their head -- cut off.
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: {{Zigzagged|Trope}} with Arey and Mefodiy. Sometimes, he just barely tolerates them and only causes them minor problems. Sometimes, he decides that the problems outweighs the profit and all but blatantly tries to kill them, only to change his mind by the next novel. While he [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness stopped caring about Mefodiy]] when he obtained Praskovia as easier-to-control PuppetKing, his uneasy relationship with Arey remained like this permanently.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He just keeps betraying (or trying to betray) people around him, be it Spurius, Arey, Mefodiy, or his own men.
* DepravedDwarf: He is not just a hunchback, he is ''short'' hunchback -- and one of the vilest persons of this -verse.
* DragonAscendant: He used to be one of Kvodnon's favourites, second only to Spurius. When Kvodnon was defeated, Ligul used an opportunity to raise to power, since he found a neckchain from his darkh (it being the last symbol of his rule, and still containing some powers, means a lot for the Darkness).
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Ligul just keeps failing to take into account that not everyone as egoistical as him, which leads to him losing. He ''never'' expects that good qualities would prevail over vices, and always gets proven wrong when he expects the worst from the heroes.
* EvilCripple: He is old, short and ugly hunchback -- and one of the most vile characters in this -verse. [[EvilMakesYouUgly He was not always like this]]; this is a direct effect of him becoming a Dark Guardian.
* EvilIsPetty: He keeps habitably reminding Arey that [[LikeASonToMe Ulitha]] is merely a soulless witch he keeps around out of pity, and that to everyone else she is the worthless scum. Arey never reacts well, and always reminds him that one day he "[[ImpliedDeathThreat would make someone short even shorter]]".
* FallenAngel: It's known that he's amongst original Kvodnon's followers. His hunch? It's were the wings were used to be.
* FallenHero: As commented in-universe, to be so deeply vile, [[InvokedTrope someone must have the deepness to begin with]]. Whether it's true or not is unknown.
* FatalFlaw: He's [[StupidEvil too evil for his own good]]. He can't make allies because he's so infamous for being pathologically cheap and vile, no one ever trusts him. [[EvilCannotComprehendGood And he's completely unable to understand such things as love, friendship and compassion]], resulting in his plans consistently failing.
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Formally, he's just a chief of the Dark Chancellory, not supreme Lord of Darkness. This is because Kvodnon still formally possesses this title, despite being [[PosthumousCharacter dead]]; even after his "final" death, he didn't dare to claim the title. He later tried to set up a new Lord of Darkness (as a PuppetKing for him to exploit), firstly Mefodiy as inheritor-in-training, and then Praskovia as his (nominal) superior, but both times it only resulted in them defecting.
* NonActionBigBad: He is a bureaucrat, nor a warrior. He ''very'' rarely goes out of his office to see some action. When he does, he takes multiple bodyguards with him, and even then it often ends with him facing humiliating defeat.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: With him being [[ButtMonkey a butt of so many jokes]], [[NonActionBigBad never taking proactive role]] and constantly going over his head, it's all too easy to stop seeing him as a serious threat (even the Light [[BetterTheDevilYouKnow prefers him]] over someone more aggressive and ambiguous)... making it all the more sudden and effective when he actually puts his resources to good use and creates problems for the heroes out of nowhere.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: He can't fight his enemies directly, but he has full force of the hellish bureaucracy at his disposal to do it for him. All he needs to do is to call Arey to Tartarus at the right moment to leave Mefodiy without his protection.
[[/folder]]
!!! Ligul's inner circle
[[folder: Gerveg]]
Ligul's secretary and his official representative.
----
* TheDragon: He is Ligul's second-in-command, and frequently organises operations for him. Or, rather, he was, until the plan to destroy Mefodiy has failed, and Ligul didn't [[FallGuy put all the blame on him]], resulting in him being lynched by an angry mob.
* SharpDressedMan: Unlike Ligul, who's always dressed in a hooded cloak, or most other Guardians, who prefer comfort over style, Gerveg always wears expensive high-class suits, taken from [[{{Muggles}} lopukhoid]] businessmen (which, as stated by Mefodiy, looks highly out of place in Tartarus). Given that he's much younger than most other Guardians, it's quite possible that he's a DemonOfHumanOrigin and it's a remnant of his old life.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Wilhelm]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian and the chief of English Dark department. Arey's old friend.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name, despite not being of human origin.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: He is the same person as [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfNormandy Wilhelm the Conqueror]].
* FallenAngel: It's known that he's amongst original Kvodnon's followers, who were exiled from Eden.
* FallenHero: Wilhelm is one of the Dark Guardians whose change to the worst is particularly noticeable; Wilhelm was all-loving hero, but became just as vile as the rest of Kvodnon's supporters.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barbarossa]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name, despite not being of human origin.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: He is the same person as Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire.
* {{BFS}}: He prefers massive zweihender over usual one-handed swords most Dark Guardians use.
* BloodKnight: He is amongst the most bloodthirsty of Ligul's followers.
* FallenAngel: It's known that he's amongst original Kvodnon's followers.
* HotBlooded: He was always passionate, but as the Dark Guardian he became volatile.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bonaparte]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: He is the same person as UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte.
* NonActionGuy: He is infamous for his lack of combat skills, which often makes him a resident laughing stock.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Son of the Big Crocodile]]
Hight-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* AerithAndBob: Even in the setting filled with weird names, he still manages to stand out with the name which sounds weird even amongst the names like Arey or Ligul.
* CoveredWithScars: He is covered with countless scars from his past battles.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Precisely, 422 teeth, which grow in three rows.
* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: He is partly crocodile, and is amongst more dangerous Dark Guardians. He doesn't even need a sword to kill you: he can cut you up with his tail.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
* PhysicalGod: It's highly implied that he is a New Zealand pagan god. This gives him no advantage over the other Guardians, though.
* {{Troll}}: He has the reputation of a troll and jokester for his immature behaviour on important meetings and constant silly provocations of other Guardians. No one even cares anymore, always expecting something like this from him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Karl of Austria]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: He is the same person as Charles I, the last emperor of Austria.
* CharacterTic: For whatever reason he keeps playing with croutons on any meetings he attends.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Belviazer]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian and the chief of Brazil's Dark department. Arey's old friend.
----
* FauxAffablyEvil: He likes to put up the NobleDemon facade to entrust and then betray people. It's easier to gain their eidoses that way.
--> ''Sometimes, he says things which the Darkness considers to be blasphemous, but, like the true Tartarian, never forgets to claim new eidoses. Never let his smile fool you. He would condemn the Darkness, curse Ligul, show the similarity of views, and then just take your soul for a ride and go away, leaving you with cold emptiness in the chest and moronic smile on the face.''
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Chan]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian and the chief of Chinese Dark department. Ligul favours him for his department's high success rate.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name.
* EyesAlwaysShut: He always keeps his eyes shut, unless something genuinely surprises him, in which case he briefly wides them before regaining his composure.
* TheQuietOne: He usually remains calm, almost lethargic, only showing that he is awake whenever something important must be said, and then returns to his usual condition.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Marmus]]
Gerveg's replacement as Ligul's secretary.
----
* TheDragon: He's Ligul's latest secretary and his official representative.
* EvilPoacher: He's one of the Dragonhunters -- the secret order, illegal even amongst the Dark Guardians (who are afraid of their power), which hunted many of the dragons to extinction; all so they can obtain their eyes which have unique magic properties.
* FauxAffablyEvil: At first, he acts friendly towards Irka, trying to trick her into trusting him and giving up the Book of Secret Dragons (and Firebreather) for the promise of stopping the battle and saving the surviving Valkyries. When she doesn't fall for it, he drops the facade and attacks her directly.
[[/folder]]
!!! Other top-ranking Guardians
[[folder: Cain]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* {{Cain}}: Yes, [[Literature/TheBible that]] Cain. Just like in the Bible, he was the first man to kill another, with little "help" from the Darkness.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He quietly vanishes in the later novels.
* DemonOfHumanOrigin: One of the few known Dark Guardians who were humans rather than [[FallenAngel fallen Light Guardians]] in prior life.
* RecurringExtra: He appears several times, but has little plot importance. He isn't even a part of Ligul's inner circle.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Attila and Tamerlane]]
Once prominent Dark Guardians, now they basically retired.
----
* AerithAndBob: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), they have perfectly human names, even if no longer used.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Yes, they are those [[UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun Attila]] and [[UsefulNotes/TimurTheLame Tamerlane]].
* LivingProp: They keep being invited on any major events, but don't interact with anyone and just quietly sit there in complete lethargy.
* RetiredMonster: They used to be prominent Dark Guardians with many accomplishments. Now, they are merely "[[LivingProp quests of honour]]" on important events, who don't have any interests in life.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Always appears together, due to any of their appearances happening when they gets invited on various events.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ziggy Puffs]]
Arey's replacement as the chief or Russian Department.
----
* BodySurf: When combat abilities are required, he transfers his mind into Zigya, completely suppressing his own personality.
* DemotedToExtra: Without Zigya, he's [[NonActionGuy a weakling who can't fight for himself]]. It's not in his interests to go out in the field, so he dedicated himself to the paper work and basically disappeared from the plot in later novels, aside from occasional brief appearances.
* DepravedDwarf: He was compared to a bearded infant. Personality-wise, he's just as vile as Ligul (in some aspects even worse).
* KarmaHoudini: Aside from permanently losing Zigya (stripping him of the means to use his combat powers), he gets away with killing Taamag and survives till the end of the series.
* NonActionGuy: In his actual body, he's a poor fighter, being more of a bureaucrat like Ligul; that's why he needs Zigya.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gopziy Rurius Third]]
One of Ligul's supporters to whom Ligul tried to "gift" Mefodiy's sword, realising that since he defected, Mefodiy technically no longer has rights for it. Unless, of course, he is willing to fight for it, with which he would be perfectly okay too, because he knows how to cheat his way to win.
----
* AgentPeacock: He's described to look rather feminine (and has a voice to match), but he is one of the best Dark swordsmen (you wouldn't be called the Fourth Sword of Darkness for pretty eyes).
* ArcVillain: ''The Stairway to Eden'' is all about Mefodiy's duel with this guy, though it's Ligul who set up the situation in the first place.
* CheatersNeverProsper: His death is directly related to him trying to cheat in battle with Mefodiy, as it's what provokes the Valkyries to [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill throw three spears]] at him.
* TheHeavy: He's the main antagonist of ''The Stairway to Eden'', and most of the problems Mefodiy faces are directly caused by him, but it's Ligul who calls the shots.
* MasterSwordsman: He is the Fourth Sword of Darkness. Though, he used to be Seventh until Arey killed several of his competitors.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Azgud]]
The master of the Order of Eyehunters.
----
* TheDragon: Not only the Order actually serves Ligul, of which most Dark Guardians are unaware (officially they are outlaws), it serves as his secret services, making Azgud ''very'' high-ranking minion, possibly even outranking Ligul's secretary Marmus, and certainly more dangerous than him.
* EvilPoacher: He's one of the Eyehunters -- the secret order, illegal even amongst the Dark Guardians (as they are afraid of their powers), which hunted many of the dragons to extinction; all so they can obtain their eyes which have unique magic properties.
* FallenAngel: He was a Light Guardian, but fell from the Light at unknown point (possibly around Kvodnon's rebellion). He preserved his wings for some time, until one of the dragons, previously docile, [[TrueSight sensed his internal Darkness]] and attacked him, burning the wings down.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts in a gentle, friendly manner. In truth, he's a ruthless killer.
* ItsPersonal: He has personal vendetta against the dragons, so for him, killing them is more than just the hunt for their eyes. One of them is responsible for burning his wings (back when he still had them), because [[TrueSight it saw him for what he is]], and since then Azgud relentlessly kills the dragons; he would only stop once all of them are dead.
[[/folder]]
!!! The Dark Dozen
[[folder: In general]]
The elite team of the best Dark Guardians, specifically created to fight the Valkyries.
----
* EvilCounterpart: After the Midnight Witches were almost completely wiped out, they remained as the next best team the Darkness has to put up against the Valkyries.
* DwindlingParty: Whenever they gets brought up, this results in them taking casualties.
* TheNotableNumeral: They decided to just call themselves "the Dark Dozen", after the number of members. There are always exactly twelve members; new ones join only after someone gets killed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Arey]]
A chief of Russian department of Darkness and Mefodiy's mentor. The best swordsman amongst the Dark Guardians.
----
* TheAce: PlayedWith. He was ''the'' best flier amongst the Light Guardians (something which [[{{Pride}} lead to his downfall]]), but he was a poor musician, of which he was aware.
* ArchEnemy: Arey hates Yaraat with passion and [[ItsPersonal wants to kill him personally]]. He has a ''very'' good reason for it: Yaraat once promised to protect his family, but only used this as opportunity to blackmail them into giving up their souls. He threatened to kill daughter if mother wouldn't give up her eidos, and did similar with daughter herself... then he throw them on the bottom of empty well, and [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill dropped several large rocks on them just in case]]. Why he did this? He had no personal hatred to Arey, neither he had any loyalty to Ligul. He did this because he ''can''.
* AttackAttackAttack: Arey only favours aggressive style of combat -- strike first, and overwhelm the opponent with non-ending attacks, leaving them no time to think up their next move and forcing them to just defend. Never give them time to catch their breath and take the initiative, let the battle go on ''your'' pace.
* BerserkButton:
** ''Do not'' badmouth [[LikeASonToMe Ulitha]] or his late family near him. Even Ligul rarely risks doing so directly.
** He hates when people lie to him (and it [[LivingLieDetector wouldn't work on him anyway]]). He's normally able to maintain self control, but liars have the best chances to set him off.
* BitingTheHandHumour: InUniverse, he just keeps and keeps mocking Ligul, even to his own face. He gets away with it because [[CantKillYouStillNeedYou Ligul can't afford to kill him]].
* BladeEnthusiast: He has impressive collection of melee weapons, particularly bladed ones, both magic and not. Additionally, he's canonically the one who originally ''invented'' swords.
* ByronicHero: Arey stands out of the rest of Dark Guardians by being the only one to still preserving some Light inside him, and holding up for it rather than descending fully into Darkness; he's the warrior, but not a butcher, the leader, but not a tyrant, the teacher, but not a slaver. One of the few {{Fallen Angel}}s to realise that their rebellion was a dead end, Arey, disillusioned with their cause, tries to quit his life as a Dark Guardian and start anew, with his new mortal family. Unfortunately, one of the few laws of the Darkness is that any traces of love is to be erased with extreme prejudice, and what little piece of happiness he has left gets taken away and cruelly crushed, with the help of one whom he considered to be his friend, and Arey, heartbroken and no longer having willpower to fight, gets taken back into service. He finds new will to live and fight in his adoptive daughter, Ulitha, and his student, Mefodiy (later he also regains his real daughter, who was brought BackFromTheDead, even if without memory), makes everything in his powers to help them into growing strong to resist Ligul's attempts to break them as he broke Arey himself, and later sacrifices his own life to let them break free from his leash, knowingly condemning himself to hell -- and yet earning the first real chance for salvation.
* DeathEqualsRedemption: He was forgiven after his death, albeit not instantly. He is the ''only'' known Dark Guardians (Ulitha doesn't count since she isn't technically a Guardian, while Mefodiy never became one formally before [[HeelFaceTurn deserting]]) to actually be redeemed, even if after his death. He never properly rejoined the Light because it ''is'' impossible, but he still received his piece of heaven post-mortem, [[TogetherInDeath being allowed to always relive his last happy moment with his family]].
* DeathSeeker: With no way to return back to Light, and no desire to stay with Darkness, especially after losing his family, Arey has little interest in continuing his existence. He wouldn't try to kill himself, but he wouldn't climb for his life either. But he never meets a worthy opponent.
* DrillSergeantNasty: When he trains you, he wouldn't accept anything less than perfect. And he ''hates'' slackers, to the point that the worse you perform, the harder he would make your challenge. After his training, the only thing you can think about is '''pain'''. However, those who actually endure, would achieve the great results, as Mefodiy shows.
* DuelToTheDeath: While he had many duels in his life, two of them serves as the turning points of his life:
** In backstory, Arey has killed Hoors in one of these, despite them being long outlawed by Ligul. This caused Arey's exile to the distant lighthouse, where he met Ulitha.
** Arey meets his own demise in another duel, this time against Mefodiy, [[SuicideByCop by allowing himself to be beheaded]]. Given that Arey [[HeroicSuicide did this to protect the people he cares about]], it's what gives him the first real chance at salvation, and proves that he still has some Light left inside himself.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: In defiance of what Essiorkh claimed (that no Dark Guardian may willingly turn to Light), he [[SuicideByCop let Mefodiy kill him in their last duel]], which served several purposes: saving Mefodiy (who was doomed to die), saving Varvara (whom Ligul would try to corrupt through him) and saving Ulitha (who, due to quirk in her contract, is now free from the Darkness altogether). This self-sacrifice proves that he indeed has some Light left within, and allows him to preserve his sanity in Tartarus and [[KarmicJackpot finally earn salvation]] in the end, receiving the final gift from his friends -- be able to spend the rest of eternity sealed in the last happy moment he had with his family, in their personal little piece of heaven, where no one would ever touch them again.
* EvilIsSterile: {{Averted|Trope}}; as conceiving new life requires to have at least some Light inside you, Dark Guardians normally can't do that, but Arey somehow did, showing that he still has some Light left inside him. It didn't go without issues, however, as his innate Darkness has polluted his daughter's eidos, making it highly vulnerable to Darkness.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Arey makes everything in his power to "correct" Varvara (who, in his opinion, has too many bad habits -- smoking, swearing, dangerous lifestyle...), and protect her from ending up in Tartarus. Part of this is ensuring she would never learn who her real father is and that he's a Dark Guardian.
* FallenAngel: Like all of the original Dark Guardians, he used to be a Light Guardian once. Being too proud of his wings and flying skills, he was unwilling to wait until they rot away by themselves, and chose to cut them off, leaving very specific scars on his back.
* FantasticRacism: Surprisingly {{Averted|Trope}}. Arey never shows the usual contempt the Dark Guardians have for everyone else. Arey actually respects mortals who shows qualities he likes, while despising fellow Guardians who don't: strength, willpower and cold, goal-oriented mind. He developed this mindset after [[FightsLikeANormal spending many years amongst mortals]] as a gladiator, purposely avoiding using his powers, including darkh and artifact sword (thus becoming mortal), even knowing that he may be killed just like any of them, and this death ''would'' be real. He still remembers some of them, and even drew their portraits by memory at some point, though with ages his memories start to fade.
* FatherToHisMen: His team is sincerely loyal to him, and would go any mile to save him, because they know -- he would do the same for them. This is especially true for Ulitha, in both ways. He, as much as he can, protects even Daphne, showing surprising amount of concern for her well-being.
* FightsLikeANormal: Arey spent ''a long'' time traveling around the world without either his magic sword or his darkh, learning countless combat techniques when fighting alongside mortals, all while knowing that any mistake -- and he ''would'' die and be send to Tartarus. This experience taught him to respect humans much more than fellow Dark Guardians.
* FrozenFashionSense: Unless he needs to attend some official event, Arey never bothers with modern formal clothes, preferring some old Slavic clothes, both because it's more comfortable for him, and because he likes the style.
* TheGadfly: He likes making fun of other people from time to time, but never out of malice, just for good laugh (and no one keeps a grudge at him for that). The sole exception is [[ButtMonkey Ligul]], because they hate each other.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: He once tried to abandon the Darkness and continue living as a mortal with a wife and daughter (him having a child is by itself a miracle, as Dark Guardians are supposed to be sterile, due to having no Light in them). This worked for some time, until [[FalseFriend his "friend" Yaraat]] has killed them. He never tried again afterwards, but he never became truly loyal to the Darkness again either.
* ItsPersonal: Arey would not allow anyone but himself to kill [[ArchEnemy Yaraat]]. There is ''very'' good reason for it: Yaraat betrayed his trust and killed his wife and daughter -- but not before stealing their souls; all just for his sick amusement.
* KickedUpstairs: His position as the chief of Russian Department of Darkness is ''not'' a promotion. As the chief, Arey is forced to spend most of his time doing paper work, while being under constant supervisory by commissioners, not to mention how humiliating for a warrior like Arey would be his position as a bureaucrat, like countless others he despises (particularly Ligul himself). For all intents and purposes, it's just another prison, just less blatant than his exile on a lighthouse.
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. He may be [[NobleDemon not as evil]] as [[EvilCripple Ligul]], [[DepravedDwarf Ziggy Puffs]] or [[SerialKiller Yaraat]], but it wouldn't make him ''good'' either. He still kills people, still [[PoweredByAForsakenChild exploits power of eidoses]] and still works for the organisation which purpose is to corrupt and send to hell countless mortal souls. As old saying goes, "tell me who your friend is, I would tell who you are"; and Arey serves the Darkness.
* LikeADaughterToMe: He isn't very open about it, because the Darkness is all to eager to exploit any sign of weakness against you, but his relationship with Ulitha greatly resembles that of the father and daughter. Neither of them reacts well to another one being mistreated.
* LivingLieDetector: Lies ''never'' work on him. Don't even try: he [[BerserkButton wouldn't take it well]].
* LoveIsAWeakness: Dark Guardians are prohibited to to love, and this is one of the few laws they actually respect, punishing any violations with extreme prejudice. Why? Because if you ''truly'' love (not merely desire or lusts over someone; this is not true love, it can't help anyone to grow better, and would die eventually anyway), you can't be ''truly'' evil, and thus, can't be truly loyal to the cause. He takes this matter ''very'' seriously, and there's a good reason for that: long time ago, Arey fell in love with a mortal woman, and they even had a daughter, which again was supposed to be impossible, just because something dead can't create life, and was considered to be an abomination; he became an outlaw, hunted like a beast; this is [[FalseFriend where Yaraat]] came into light... Arey never moved past the death of his family, despite being accepted back afterwards.
* LoveRedeems: It's the love, be it to his (late) mortal wife and daughter, or to his [[ReplacementGoldfish adopted daughter]] Ulitha, or to his students, which keeps him from descending into Darkness completely, and gives him a chance at redemption, not available to anyone else amongst the Dark Guardians. And in the end, he ''earns'' that redemption, being allowed, for once, to be [[TogetherInDeath happy with his family]].
* MasterSwordsman: He is the best swordsman amongst ''all'' Dark Guardians. The only one who was even remotely close to him was Hoors, who was killed by Arey on DuelToTheDeath long before the start of the story (the event which serves as one of the turning point of his story).
* NasalTrauma: His sliced with a scar noseis amongst the most often mentioned features, alongside his signature long grey mustache.
* NeutralityBacklash: He's amongst the first to insist that attempt to stay neutral in the war between the Light and the Darkness would end badly for you, because you either would become insignificant weakling, or just end up with the Darkness anyway, but in the role of its pawn. He does know what he's saying because he tried to defect once and live as the mortal, not aligned with anyone, which ended up disastrous.
* NobleDemon: He hates cowards, liars and traitors, and sees no reason in doing evil "just because". He actually values his team, including Daphne, and wouldn't let anyone to harm them. Also, even if he would kill you, he would do this in a fair fight (though, as [[VillainHasAPoint was pointed out by Ligul]], when one of opponents used to be a literal god of war once, and has centuries of combat experience, this fight hardly can be called "fair"). While he still uses darkh, he out of principle only feeds it with the eidoses from the darkhs of slain Dark Guardians.
* NotWorthKilling: He has nothing but disdain towards Ligul, and not even bothers to hide it, but keeps him alive despite Ligul regularly giving him good excuses with his botched assassination attempts. Why? Because it wouldn't change anything for him, and Ligul is mostly of the "all bark, not bite" type. Given how things end up, it was almost certainly a mistake.
* OffWithHisHead: His preferred method of ending any fight is to just straight-up cut off the opponent's head with their darkh attached in one well-placed hit; just like he killed Hoors. This is also how Arey himself met his end, at duel with Mefodiy.
* ParentsAsPeople: When he interacts with Varvara, he briefly stops being almighty Dark Guardian, and becomes inexperienced father who doesn't know what to do with his daughter, but clumsily tries to fit in this role anyway. He argues with her over her bad habits (smoking, swearing, going on dangerous trips), and tries to come along with her without revealing what they are related.
* PhysicalGod: PlayedWith. It's all but explicitly stated twhat the myths about [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek god of war Ares]] actually describe his past adventures, but Arey never had god-like powers, and at some points actually [[FightsLikeANormal traveled around without even his darkh]].
* {{Pride}}: His FatalFlaw.
** He is ''the'' best combatant, and he knows it. As result, he isn't reliable source of information when talking about other someone else's skills: he tend to diminish their achievements, especially Hoors (who was actually second-best after Arey himself). That being said, never try to use flattery; he is great at telling truth from lies, and ''insincere'' flattery would be taken as insult.
** He showed signs of pride even before falling out from Light, and in fact, it's what caused his betrayal. Back when he was the Light Guardian, he was ''the'' best flyer amongst them, and, to his bane, he was perfectly aware of this. At one point, he started (back then, just in his mind) demanding the "deserved" acknowledgment of his skills from the Light, and, when he didn't receive it, he took it as betrayal. It made him easy target for [[TheCorruptor Kvodnon]], who just started his recruiting campaign.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: He only accepts this as the teaching methods; if your students can't learn on the go and adapt, they aren't worth keeping as students, and deserve whatever happens to them. He stops ''just'' short from outright killing or seriously injuring Mefodiy multiple times, but only because he is ''that'' important, otherwise he prefers his usual methods -- adapt or suffer. This actually pays up, as Mefodiy grew up into a strong warrior, and even infamously lazy Nata managed to learn something.
* TokenGoodTeammate: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. He's certainly least vile amongst the Dark Guardians, and wants nothing but stay away from them, but this still doesn't make him ''good'' either, not in the last turn because he still uses darkh to empower himself.
* TragicVillain: Even if the whole "ALighterShadeOfBlack" part gets deconstructed, he's still one of the more sympathetic and tragic characters from the "dark" part of the cast, with more accent on "evil would ruin your life" than on atrocities themselves. It's telling that he is amongst the very few villains who actually managed to earn redemption, even if long after death.
* TranquilFury: Loud and angry Arey is a bad thing, but usually survivable. When he suddenly becomes quiet, it's a sure sign that he is on the brink of just cutting off your head.
* TrappedInVillainy: He despises the Darkness, but can't return to the Light, either, being trapped in service to Ligul, whom he openly hates.
-->'''Arey''': Light is [[GoodIsBoring too boring]], Darkness is [[EvenEvilHasStandards too vile]]. Perhaps, the lighthouse and loneliness is really the best outcome for me!
* WarriorPoet: Arey at times goes into long philosophical monologues about a nature of Light, Darkness and eidoses, in contrast with his pragmatical, close-to-the-ground approach to combat. He also shows interest (and skills) to drawing at several points.
* WeaponSpecialisation: While he knows every and all weapons to the master level, he particularly values swords, and has entire collection of them. As we later learn, he was the one who ''invented'' them in the first place, precisely as the perfect weapon for his tastes.
* WorldsBestWarrior: He is ''the'' best combatant amongst the Dark Guardians. He achieved this status through centuries of experience, both as a "god of war", and as a mortal warrior (when he traveled without darkh, thus not having access to neither his magic nor immortality).
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jaff]]
Arey's former student and his replacement in the Dark Dozen.
----
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist of ''The Ship of Light'', in two out of three plotlines:
** Mefodiy's plot is all about killing him.
** For Irka, he forms the BigBadDuumvirate with Mamzelkina; they cooperate to corrupt Irka into becoming a second [[TheGrimReaper Grim Reaper]].
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: He's described to be unusually beautiful for someone from the [[EldritchLocation low levels of Tartarus]]. But underneath that, he's a vile, heartless backstabber.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He pretends to be nice and friendly. He's just as much of an asshole as every other Dark Guardian.
* TheHeavy: In ''The Ship of Light'', he's involved in ''all'' storylines, and is the one who pushes the plot forward:
** It's due to him the Dark Dozen gathered enough courage to challenge the Valkyries in the first place.
** Matvey challenges Jaff to a duel in attempt to protect the Valkyries, which, in turn, leads to Mefodiy fighting him instead, on [[DeadPersonConversation Arey's request]] (Arey is perfectly aware that Matvey would be just killed, achieving nothing).
** He's even present in the plot about stealing the eidoses of Ulitha and her son: he's the one who tries to trick her into succumbing to Darkness.
* HeroKiller: He may pretend to be a NonActionGuy, but in reality, he has killed at least ten Light Guardians (including four Gold-Winged) and at least seven Dark Guardians (including two powerful ones), and this if counting only duels. Later it turns out that he's so successful due to somehow obtaining the Ice Spear. And when he fights Mefodiy, he actually kills him, even if Mefodiy gets better afterwards.
* TheMedic: He has the (rare amongst the Dark Guardians) gift of healing. The other Dark Guardians knows about this, and often hire him to patch them up after battles.
* NonActionGuy: {{Invoked|Trope}} by Jaff himself, who puts on a weakling facade to mask his true strength, so he can exploit people underestimating him. Given his killing score, whoever still believes in it [[TooDumbToLive fully deserves their fate]].
* ProfessionalGambler: He receives many souls by tempting people into trying to gamble on their eidos. He claims that he doesn't even need to cheat: [[TheGamblingAddict gamblers]] never stop after just one win, and would keep playing until they finally lose all; while indeed true for many gamblers, it doesn't mean that he wouldn't cheat with someone else (which he does).
* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: He used to be one of the best Arey's students, until he betrayed him. Unlike the other Dark Guardians, [[NobleDemon Arey]] has [[EvenEvilHasStandards no tolerance]] for such things, so he never forgave him.
* SchmuckBait: His modus operandi is to offer his victims the "win-win lottery", where they need to pick one of the four cards; three would earn the victim something valuable for them, and fourth would cost them their eidos. He insists that it's worth it because all stakes are against him... despite being perfectly able to cheat, and doing it whenever things don't go his way. He actually tries it twice with the main characters, with different results:
** The first time he does it with Matvey. Matvey "wins" the lottery, because the actual goal was not to cheat him out of his eidos, but to give him very specific "gift" with [[TheCorruption very specific purpose]].
** The second time he does it with Ulitha (aiming to gain both her and her son's eidoses), right after telling her that she's on the brink of losing Essiorkh. She almost agrees after he pushes hard enough, but refuses to play in the last moment, forcing him to give up... for now.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lovus and Aspurk]]
Two Dark Guardians who trained to fight together to achieve better performance.
----
* AffablyEvil: They act very friendly, even towards someone they are about to face in a duel. Varsus believes that [[FauxAffablyEvil this is just their method of calming down their enemy]]: it's not that easy to kill someone who was so friendly to you, so they likely wouldn't fight in full force; however, Lovus' last words suggests that his friendliness was sincere.
* DualBoss: They always work as a duo. According to Lamina, they are "just good" when fighting separately, but worth four fighters when working together. They are aware of this, and never shows up separately. It remains true in their final battle, where Mefodiy and Varsus have to fight them, also fighting as a duo.
* FallenAngel: They used to be the Light Guardians, until they chose to follow Kvodnon. Lovus, in his final words, indicates that they both regret doing so.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Out of five Guardians who've killed or injured a Valkyrie during the battle in ''The Gryphon's Mistake'', only Lovus survived till the end of said battle. Varsus fixes that in the following novel, by challenging the duo to fight him and Mefodiy; the duel which ends up being the last for both Dark Guardians.
* VitriolicBestBuds: They're constantly mocking each other, but work as ideally synchronised death machine in the battle.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Other members]]
All the other members of the Dark Dozen only appear in one single novel, within one single chapter, which [[WeHardlyKnewYe ends up being the last]] for some of them.
----
* BaldOfEvil: Vandol is completely bald, and is perhaps the most violent person in entire Black Dozen, which is saying something.
* TheBerserker: Vandol is insane out of battle. In battle, he goes so wild, he often drops his axe and just tries to kill his enemy with ''his teeth''.
* TheBrute:
** Vandol is ''the'' dumbest and most insane member of the Black Dozen, who's only tolerated due to his great ability to kill the people around him.
** Ghur relies on his strength more than on any kind of tactics.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Despite being an archer, Knor prefers being always on the move, go close to his enemy and quickly hit them in the vulnerable spot from his short bow. Sometimes, he goes as far as to jump onto enemies' shields to find his target.
* ConfusionFu: Mhango's fighting style relies on surprising the enemy at every step. Fall on the snow and hit your enemies with the knives in your boots. Stand on your head for several minutes while fighting the enemy with both the legs and the hands (armed with axes). And so on. Shame, [[WeHardlyKnewYe he never gets a chance to demonstrate it]].
* CoveredInScars: Vandol is covered in countless scars from his past battles, including the trace of a huge mace hitting him in the face; Shilov thinks it's one of the reasons why he's [[TheBerserker so rabid]]: all the head traumas had a huge toll on his sanity.
* DualWield: Thorp is armed with two battle axes. One is lighter, but longer, another is shorter, but heavier, and resembles some mix between an axe and a sword.
* EvilCounterpart:
** Ghur is explicitly compared to the Valkyrie of Stone Spear, since he takes the similar role -- crushing down the enemy's defence line, allowing the others to attack.
** Dinor is explicitly compared to the Loner Valkyrie, being sort of "commando" of the team -- less open combat, more stealth.
* FlatCharacter: With exception of [[TheBerserker Vandol]], their fighting style gets much more attention than their personalities: the one introducing them has to concentrate on explaining tactics, as they're about to fight those guys.
* {{Foil}}: Rhosvus and Knor are both archers and both works in the same team, but have vastly different combat style and choice of weaponry.
* FragileSpeedster: Knor is small and agile, always being on the move and hitting his targets whenever he finds the hole in their protection, but is very fragile if the enemy actually manages to hit him.
* GlassCannon: Being the sniper, Rhosvus has little means to protect himself, instead relying on his teammates. However, he's capable of piercing almost any defence with his shots, including the Valkyries' shields.
* HeroKiller: Veyzece has killed one of Fulona's predecessors. This is quite an achievement, given that even [[AxCrazy Hoors]] was preferring to avoid clashing with the Valkyries.
* TheJuggernaut: Ghur's role in the team: he rushes to the enemies' positions with just two large knives, and breaks their formation to allow his teammates to deal the finishing blow. Lamina even calls him "the official tank" of the Black Dozen.
* LongRangeFighter: Rhosvus prefers to stay away from the enemy, instead using his powerful bow to snipe key targets from afar.
* PsychoPartyMember: Vandol is completely insane, to the point that he spends most of the time imprisoned just to prevent him from [[TeamKiller killing someone on his own side]]. When he goes to battle, it doesn't matter for him whom to kill, only that he gets to kill. Ligul sees him more as a liability than an asset, and always looks how he can get rid of him. He even considered to make him and Arey fight at one point.
* ShieldBash: Yum uses his shield for both defence and offence. He usually works in a combination with [[TheJuggernaut Ghur]]: Ghur breaks the enemy shield line, and Yum rushes into the hole and smashes people with his own shield, preventing them from reassembling defence.
* TeamKiller: Vandol has the bad habit of not telling friends from foes, ending up massacring both sides; Ligul even considered to get rid of him altogether. The situation must have been very dire if he was considered as an addition to the Black Dozen.
* UncertainDoom: We never learn whether Mhango was killed, or merely injured.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Many of them ends up being dead before we learn anything about their personalities. Mhango ([[UncertainDoom assuming he actually died]]) and Knor didn't have a chance to show even their skills.
[[/folder]]
!!! Other Guardians
[[folder: Hoors]]
A Dark Guardian and Second Sword of Darkness.
----
* AbortedArc: After the first time he [[DemonicPossession possessed Mefodiy]] with the intent to use his body against Arey, he claimed that he would come back one day for a rematch. It didn't happen, and that plot point was completely forgotten about.
* AxCrazy: Hoors was one of the most unstable and psychotic Dark Guardians, taking pleasure in killing. Notably, he was the first Dark Guardian to murder another living being.
-->'''Arey''': He knew how to feed the sword with blood. So much blood, it was enough even for the handle... As far as I remember, when hearing the word "morality", he was always looking for a dictionary, because he was chronically incapable of remembering what it means.
* BloodKnight: According to Arey, he was obsessed with improving his killing skills, to the point that he was able to kill "almost gently", and with bare minimum of blood being spilled.
* FallenAngel: Like all original Dark Guardians, he used to be Light Guardian once.
* {{Flynning}}: {{Invoked|Trope}} by Arey, who ([[UnreliableExpositor falsely]]) claims that Hoors' preferred fighting style looks cool, but in "actual" combat may quickly get you killed. This statement being ''completely'' untrue gets proven when Mefodiy faces Shillov, who now has Hoors' skills. Also, Hoors was the Second Sword of Darkness, meaning that Arey was the only Guardian to surpass him in skill.
* MasterSwordsman: He was the Second Sword of Darkness. Unfortunately, he was unlucky enough to face in battle the ''First'' Sword -- Arey. It [[OffWithHisHead didn't end well]] for him.
* OffWithHisHead: Arey has killed him by cutting off both his head and his darkh in the one single blow. Arey is still unsure whether he hit him that way by himself, or Hoors [[SuicideByCop let him hit his neck as well]], after realising that he lost his darkh and with it, both his power and his dignity, and decided that life no longer worths it.
* PosthumousCharacter: He is long dead by the start of the first book, killed by Arey on a DuelToTheDeath; the reason why this duel happened never gets stated, but it's implied to be related to the deaths of Arey's family.
* TheWorfEffect: It was established that he was the second-best fighter amongst the Dark Guardians, but whenever his skills gets brought up, he gets compared to someone who was stronger than him (either Arey or the Valkyries), which greatly diminishes whatever impression he can make.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Harpiy Zduffs]]
A Dark Guardian who temporarily replaced Arey as the chief of Russian Department during ''The Ticket to the Bald Mountain''.
----
* BadBoss: In stark contrast with Arey, he has absolutely no respect to or from his subordinates, actively going out of his way to make their life insufferable, and planning to kill off several of them under the first excuse he can find.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Besides his attempt to kill Depresnyak, he casually admits that he regularly kills the other hellish cats just for sport.
* BaldOfEvil: He is completely bald, and has even worse personality than [[DepravedDwarf Ligul]].
* BatmanGambit: Entire reason why Ligul sent him, of all people; he knew that Harpiy would antagonise everyone to the point of open hostility... which would give Harpiy an excuse to finish off everyone except for Mefodiy himself, leaving him vulnerable for corruption without the friends nearby.
* ComeBackWrong: If the Dark Guardian gets killed without beheading, there is one-day window to resurrect them, but result wouldn't be pretty. Harpiy looks more like some ugly bald corpse than a human being, has long claws instead of normal nails (he actually uses them to cast his magic) and has no sympathy for anyone or anything ([[NoSell not even Nata's magic can change that]]). He also gained creepy graveyard-themed sense of humour.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: As soon as Harpiy appears, he starts antagonising everyone, and then nearly kills Depresnyak. When Mefodiy tries to defend already injured Depresnyak (who barely survived the first strike of Harpiy's magic), Harpiy stops his heart with his dark magic, and only releases him at the last moment, pointing out that he has permission to do things like this at his leisure. Afterwards, he proceeds to force Ulitha (a fun-loving partygoer) to stay within the residence permanently, not forgetting to point out that she is of no value for him and he can kill her just out of boredom and get away with it -- this is immediately after her being devastated by Arey's imprisonment.
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: What little jokes he makes, all are graveyard-themed, and makes no one laugh at all, given that they're directed at ''them''.
* {{Foil}}: To Arey. Arey is FatherToHisMen, who has sincere loyalty of his team, who would risk their lives for him (knowing that he would do the same for them), while Harpiy does everything in his powers to antagonise everyone. Arey has good sense of humour, while Harpiy's is borderline non-existent and graveyard-themed (even Aida, who has similar sense of humour, is tolerable in comparison). And lastly, while Arey [[NobleDemon has the sense of honour]] and despises blatant cheapness, Harpiy is a sadist and petty tyrant.
* {{Jerkass}}: Even in comparison with Ligul, this guy is a massive jerk to everyone around him, not just Ulitha.
* LeanAndMean: He's lean like a stick, and is absolutely insufferable jerk.
* MeaningfulName: His name sounds similar to the word "harpy" -- fitting for a bastard, who, besides ugly personality, possesses ugly bird-like claws instead of normal nails (they are what he uses to cast spells).
* {{Sadist}}: When he temporarily stops Mefodiy's heart, he enjoys the pain it causes to him.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: He temporarily replaces Arey in the fourth novel; even without comparing him to Arey, he is an absolute bastard of a boss (and [[{{Jerkass}} bastard in general]]), changing anything he possibly can for the worse, and antagonising everyone.
* PutOnABus: One of Ulitha's condition for ''not'' revealing Ligul's DarkSecret is to call that guy off. Whatever happened to him next, he never reappears after the fourth novel.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Wolgengluck]]
Tartatian sleuth whom Ligul sent to obtain the amulet Arey has gifted to Varvara.
----
* ArchEnemy: He ''really'' wants to strike back at Essiorkh for being humiliated, by destroying those whom he loves.
* NoodleIncident: He has some story with Essiorkh which ended with him being humiliated, but we never learn details.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Subplot about his conflict with Essiorkh resolves without his involvement, and he never gets mentioned again.
* WouldHurtAChild: He is perfectly okay with forcing Ulitha to give up the soul of her unborn son. There is no benefits he can gain out of it other than revenge against Essiorkh who previously humiliated him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Erlun]]
A Dark Guardian whom Ligul sent to recruit Arey into the expedition for the Head-Stone.
----
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Arey calls Erlun "everyone's friend" for his habit of befriending people, learning their secrets, and then leaving to find some new "friend", to whom he tells all the secrets he learned from the previous "friends". For that reason, he wants nothing to do with the guy.
* SycophanticServant: Amongst the other his traits which annoys Arey is his habit of always agreeing with whomever he talks to, and complimenting everything they say. Arey compares him to a lapdog which always follows its master.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: His subsequent fate is unknown, including whether he even survived to the present time.
[[/folder]]
!! Servants of Darkness
!!! Commissioners
[[folder: Commissioners in general]]
Evil spirits used as... nearly anything: spies, runners, foot soldiers, etc. But their main role is to fool lopukhoids into giving up their eidoses.
----
* AlienBlood: By the time of second novel, the new commissioners started using ink to imitate blood: Ligul finds it amusing to try and imitate actual human as much as possible, as a special kind of mockery.
* AlwaysMale: Commissioners [[NoBiologicalSex have no biological sex]], being merely evil spirits in artificial bodies. That being said, all encountered commissioners uses male pronounces and have male-like bodies.
* BlatantLies: They love vowing with, or mention in attempt to cause pity, their "mommies". It's blatantly obvious that the evil spirits from hell, especially the ones inhabiting the plasticine bodies, can't have "mommies". Throughout the whole series, only Mefodiy ever fell for this, and only in the very first novel.
* ButtMonkey: They have absolutely no respect from anyone, and would always be kicked, smashed with something, etc at very first provocation or without it. Thankfully for them, they are made from plasticine, so no lasting harm would be made, unless magic or artifacts are involved (which rarely happens because [[NotWorthKilling it would be usually considered being wasteful]]).
* CannonFodder: When Darkness needs foot soldiers, they would arm commissioners (particularly those created in Low Tartarus, who are slower, but more resistant to damage and magic, due to being made from mud) or wights. Naturally, commissioners are threatened as being completely expandable: any fallen commissioner would be replaced by the new one waiting in Tartarus.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: They would betray and snitch on ''anyone'' and ''anything'', as long as it provides them with any benefits. Ulitha presumes that they would snitch even on themselves if there's a way they can profit from it.
* EvilIsPetty: They always drop their disguise right before stealing your eidos, so they can mock you for being so naive.
* TheImp: The commissioners (small, plasticine-made constructs) would do anything in their powers to annoy you, always stopping ''just'' right to not give you a reason to execute them on the spot. If you have no such ability, they would go even further.
* MasterOfDisguise: Due to being made from plasticine (literally), they can transform their bodies on the go to adapt for current situation, either to hide themselves, or to fool [[{{Muggles}} lopukhoids]] into giving up their [[OurSoulsAreDifferent eidoses]].
* NotWorthKilling: They are so pathetic, no one bothers to kill them unless provoked, not even the Light Guardians (who often just blackmail them into providing information; knowing their backstabbing tendencies, they force them into giving magic vows).
* {{Objectshifting}}: Their form does not need to even be human: they can change into anything, up to and including talking cut up fish (like Tuklomon once did, to intimidate one of his victims), or even moving images in the magazines.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Commissioners are low-level evil spirits used by the Darkness for all sorts of errands, from espionage to runner tasks to delivering messages between phones (yes, really). Comissioners have no body on their own; instead, they use constructs made from plasticine.
* PlaceWorseThanDeath: Commissioners would do ''anything'', up to and including [[TheMole allying with the Light]], if they can avoid being sent back to Tartarus; there, they have no opportunity to enrich themselves nor they can rise any higher, and must deal with only the other commissioners, who are just as sneaky and untrustworthy as they are.
* RattlingOffLegal: Their common tactic is to ask you to give up one "little, insignificant thing", with "explanation" what this thing even is being so fast and quiet, no one can decipher what they meant. It somehow works surprisingly often. If pressed, they ''must'' provide adequate explanation... but few people bother.
* RubberMan: They can stretch or change their form to reach certain goals. {{Justified|Trope}}, because they ''are'' made of plasticine.
* {{Slimeball}}: All of them, without exceptions, are sneaky, cunning and disgusting assholes who always try to either pretend to be your friend or cause sympathy through playing the "poor, abused and lone soul" card, only to try to either backstab you, snitch on you, try to cheat you out of your soul, or all three. Their pathetic attempts to look nice only makes them look disgusting instead.
* SoldHisSoulForADonut: Commissioners [[EvilIsPetty just love]] to not just fool you to give up your soul, but to give it up for something worthless even by human standards, like expired sprat can (like Tukhlomon once tried with Mefodiy).
* TheStoolPigeon: They are infamous snitches. They would snitch on ''everyone'', up to and including themselves, if it may serve any purpose. If they can't find any actual information, they would make it up on the spot by interpreting anything they can as a "sign of treachery". Fortunately, most of the time no one takes them seriously.
* SycophanticServant: When they can't find a way to blackmail you, they would try to please you, in the most pathetic way possible. Even if you start kicking their asses, they would make ''even that'' into attempt to please you.
* VerbalTic: They tend to add "-s" on the end of many words where it doesn't belong, mainly when they play their SycophanticServant card (as attempt to imitate old-fashioned Russian servants).[[note]] It was once a norm of etiquette to add it on the end of many words, but fell out of use long ago[[/note]] They also warp many words to sound more "cute", which has the opposite effect.
* YourSoulIsMine: If they fool you into giving up your [[OurSoulsAreDifferent eidos]], they would reach it through your chest, and rip it out, to use for the purposes of Darkness. While it wouldn't cause any visible traumas, the ''real'' damage [[EmptyShell would be much, much worse than any material trauma you can ever have]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tukhlomon]]
A commissioner, notorious for his incredible sneakiness and survival capabilities, even by commissioners' standards.
----
* BavarianFireDrill: One of his signature tactics. Instead of being subtle and [[RattlingOffLegal fooling mortals into giving up their souls]] (which has a chance to fail), he firstly [[{{Gaslighting}} makes them think that they're starting to lose their minds]], then visits them under a new guise and starts blatantly threatening to do something bad, to scary them into giving up their eidos (which he can't actually do, and not merely because he is made from plasticine). After that they universally notices that [[GlamourFailure something is wrong with him]], but it's too late to take words back, after which he [[KickTheDog mocks them for their foolishness]].
* BlatantLies: He keeps bringing up his (non-existent) "mommy" as excuse for whatever favour he tries to ask for, to the point that "Tukhlomon's mommy" became the inside joke between Mefodiy and Daphne. He also keeps pretending to be their friend, despite ''repeatedly'' trying to backstab them, and them being perfectly aware of this.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He is a commissioner, after all. Tukhomon keeps trying to please both Arey and Ligul, sometimes at the same time; when he sees an opportunity to gain something, he can serve someone else too, only to backstab them once they stop being useful. While literally no one likes him, they for whatever reason keeps sparing him.
* EnemiesList: Tukhlomon keeps the list of everyone who ever offended him in any way. It's speculated in-universe that the list by now includes every single Guardian and most commissioners/succubi.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Essiorkh and Ulitha nearly destroyed Tukhlomon with fire, but failed to melt him completely, and small part of him managed to escape... but now he needs to reconstruct himself, which would take months, and, worst of all, commissioners are extremely dependant on the amount of plasticine their bodies have -- the less, the dumber they become; with what is left of him, Tukhlomon is barely sentient now. Unfortunately, it didn't last for long, and, after skipping just one novel, he returns in the final one and runs away.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Despite literally everyone in the Russian department hating his guts, they keep tolerating him because he still fulfils his "duties", and is too useful to just kill him.
* {{Gaslighting}}: One of his signature tactics. Before he finally faces his victims, he prepares them by making them think that they start losing their mind and are seeing hallucinations, via his shapeshifting abilities.
* HatedByAll: Literally every character who ever interacted with him in any way has some reasons to hate his guts. Those few who don't have personal vendetta against him, despises him because he's a commissioner.
* HateSink: This plasticine-made imp represents all the worst qualities of the commissioners, and adds new ones on top of them. While he rarely provides any actual danger to the heroes, the [[{{Muggles}} lopukhoids]] are another matter: Tukhlomon shows up [[OncePerEpisode at least once per novel]], to ruin someone's life and mock them for that, all while [[JokerImmunity never suffering any repercussions]] (unlike any larger scale villains), giving the readers the consistent target to root against, and serving as a consistent reminder that evil is not "cool".
* {{Jerkass}}: He actively tries to be as annoying and disgusting to the heroes as possible. Even when he acts friendly, it's just a part of spectacle and gets done in a mocking, disrespectful manner.
* JokerImmunity: No matter how much he annoys the other characters, he always manages to survive where literally any other commissioner would be killed on the spot. The closest he gets to being destroyed is when Essiorkh melts him with fire, reducing him to a small, ''not sentient'' plasticine worm in ''The Ship of Light'', but even then he only spends one novel being dead afterwards and returns in the final one.
* KarmaHoudini: While the death or imprisonment in Tartarus would be the ''least'' he deserves, he keeps avoiding his punishment. He (temporarily) suffered a FateWorseThanDeath in ''The Ship of Light'', but returned in the final novel and successfully escaped, meaning that he's still out there, stealing eidoses.
* MeaningfulName: "Tukhliy" means "rancid", "rotten" in Russian. Fitting name for such rotten bastard.
* OncePerEpisode: In every novel (excluding final two), there would be ''at least'' one scene where Tukhlomon tricks naive lopukhoid to give up their eidos, never forgetting to [[EvilIsPetty mock them]] before leaving.
* RefugeInAudacity: In sharp contrast with [[SycophanticServant how other commissioners are tend to behave]], he acts very bold, familiar and sometimes outright rude to nearly anyone around him, showing next to zero respect (or showing it in blatantly mocking way). Commissioners [[ButtMonkey can be killed just out of boredom]], but he always gets away with it, both because he pushes it so far nobody can even become angry enough to just destroy him on the spot (and anything less wouldn't cause lasting harm), and because he knows when it's ''really'' time to stop (or at least run away).
* TokenEvilTeammate: While the Russian department was under Arey's leadership, Tukhlomon (who was formally the part of it) was the only outright villainous named character in it, without any redeeming qualities. Well, technically there's also Mamai, but he at least never hurts anyone in the team, and is used mostly for black comedy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mamai]]
Arey's (and later Ziggy's) personal driver. Infamous warlord during his life, he was resurrected as a commissioner after death.
----
* AxCrazy: He is ''so'' violent, even folks in Tartarus can't tolerate him for long (which is saying much). At first opportunity, they dumped him on Arey, who uses him as his personal driver.
* BlackComedyAnimalCruelty: He actively goes out of his way to run over any dogs he finds on the road (fortunately, unsuccessfully, at least when we can see him), even if it puts his car at risk. Why? [[ForTheEvulz because he finds it funny]]. This is played for laughs.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: He not just drives like a maniac; he actively tries to cause as much mayhem as possible.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Yes, he is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamai that Mamai]], of the Golden Horde's fame. After death, if anything, he became ''even more'' violent than he was during his life as the Mongolian warlord.
[[/folder]]
!!! Succubi
[[folder: Succubi in general]]
Another kind of evil spirits used to fool lopukhoids into giving up their eidoses.
----
* {{Camp}}: They acts maximally flamboyant when out of disguise (and sometimes even when in), often to disgusting degree.
* EmpathicShapeshifter: Their transformation magic is quite primitive, dictating them to transform into whatever their victim desires. The problem is, it's kinda trigger-happy and can be activated by sufficiently lustfully-sounding voice. The Light Guardians quickly learned how to exploit this against them.
* FauxAffablyEvil: They tries to pretend that they're your friends. Don't let them fool you: they're anything but, and are only interested in your soul.
* NoBiologicalSex: Succubi are neither male nor female (in fact, even their bodies are made by stitching male and female corpses together), but becomes one needed for their current task via their transformative magic. That being said, all named succubi uses masculine pronounces, albeit in one case, succubus accidentally switches to referring to himself as "it", which is stated as being due to stress.
* RattlingOffLegal: Their common tactic is to ask you to give up one "little, insignificant thing", with "explanation" what this thing is being so fast and quiet, no one can decipher what they meant. It somehow works.
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: When they do not use their disguise, they look like two bodies -- one male, one female -- stitched together.
* ShapeshiftingSeducer: Their modus operandi. They take whatever form their victim desires most, and trick them into giving up their eidoses for the small chance to fulfil their wish -- only to abandon them at the very last moment, because once they receive what they want, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness you completely cease being of any worthy to them]]. They mostly operate by parasitising on our dreams, but this isn't mandatory.
* YourSoulIsMine: If they fool you into giving up your [[OurSoulsAreDifferent eidos]], they would reach it through your chest, and rip it out, to use for the purposes of Darkness. While it wouldn't cause any visible traumas, the ''real'' damage [[EmptyShell would be much, much worse than any material trauma you can ever have]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Whimper]]
Recurring succubus character, originally introduced in the third book. His full name is Whimper Shrieker Hystericus Third, while true name he has long forgot is Aueviallao.
----
* AlasPoorVillain: His breakdown and (presumed) demise are portrayed in a tragic light, as it's the first time he [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realises how low he fell]].
* IKnowYourTrueName: Daphne used his true name, Aueviallao, to interrogate him about the sheath. It worked... and [[HeelRealisation devastated him]].
* PutOnABusToHell: He was sent to Tartarus after his material body was destroyed in the third novel, but, because he actually achieved his goal, Lugul brought him back by the time of the sixth one.
* RecurringExtra: He isn't particularly story-important past his first appearance, but keeps appearing when we need a succubus to make fun of, except for his final appearance, where it's him who's in possession of the sheath Mefodiy is searching for.
* UncertainDoom: Did he actually perish (as his last scene heavily resembles suicide, with according reaction from Daphne)? Did he run away to never return? Did he try to forget? We would never know, as he never appears past his MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment.
* VerbalTic: He likes calling people "my weepie", even when in disguise.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gaulariy]]
New succubus, introduced as replacement for disappeared Whimper.
----
* RecurringExtra: He takes Whimper's role as a recurring succubus after his disappearance.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: He is basically the second Whimper (pre-breakdown), with just slightly different VerbalTic.
[[/folder]]
!!! Other servants of Darkness
[[folder: Drevnir's sword]]
This quasi-sentient sword has ''a long'' story and unique temper not shared by most other dark artifacts.
----
* BloodKnight: This sword has hidden lust for blood, and when it smells an opportunity to spill it, it may even try to ''force'' you into doing it, either by amplifying your own hatred or by directly hijacking your own hand.
* EmpathicWeapon: This sword reacts to Mefodiy's wrath by trying to attack the object of his hatred even before Mefodiy does anything himself.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite its long story, it still hates backstabbers and traitors, no matter on which side they are. According to Arey, this is not uncommon trait amongst many artifacts, even the Dark ones.
* FaceHeelTurn: Drevnir was TheParagon of Light, but was obtained by the forces of Darkness, who then reforged it into the instrument of evil. Transformation was so gradual, the sword didn't notice anything until it was too late.
* ItCanThink: Like any powerful artifact, Drevnir's sword is quasi-sentient and can act on its own accord. Even when not in the hands of its master.
* LoyalPhlebotinum: It would choose its wield by itself; the moment you try to take the sword, it would test you -- and if it deems you unworthy, it would kill you, with almost zero chance to survive its attack. After you become its new wielder, it wouldn't accept ''anyone'' else. Even Arey didn't take the risk of grabbing the sword itself, instead only taking the container where it was stored, and even then never directly, always using magic to move it. However, as it turns out, it can accept the other three of Kvodnon's inheritors as well, which Kvodnon exploits by possessing Nata.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Mefodiy continued using it even after defecting to the Light, despite it being repeatedly stated that it's still a Dark sword. At first it seemed to be of no problem, looking like all these talkings about the "weapon of evil" are little more than superstitions. Then it, seemingly accidentally, hits Daphne when Mefodiy was asleep, poisoning her (requiring to find an antidote, which took the whole novel to accomplish). Then, it nearly kills Troil, by forcibly taking control over Mefodiy's body... After this, Mefodiy finally realises [[EvilIsNotAToy that he shouldn't trust the artifact of Darkness]].
* PutOnABus: Mefodiy abandons the forces of Darkness -- and this sword -- after killing Arey in a duel. It never reappears since then.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aida Plakhovna Mamzelkina]]
Senior Manager of Necrodepartment, or, if you wish, just Grim Reaper.
----
* AffablyEvil: Back when Mefodiy was still on the side of Darkness, she acted genuinely friendly to him, even helping him at times, including when it comes against Ligul's orders -- this is despite Mefodiy stating right from the start that he dislikes her, seeing her for what she is, and never trusting her. She does warn him, though, that no attachments would stop her when the time comes -- the duty is above all.
* AgeWithoutYouth: She may be immortal, but she can't hide her true age by any means, looking like an ugly, decrepit and [[BodyHorror rotten in some places]] hag.
* TheAlcoholic: She loves mead a little too much. When it's out of stock, she would accept vodka, too.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: If Mamzelkina sets up herself as a friend for Mefodiy ([[AffablyEvil sincerely]]) and Irka ([[FauxAffablyEvil not so sincerely]]), with Matvey she doesn't even bother, outright blackmailing him into cooperating while promising him some questionable "rewards".
* ArcVillain: Prior to ''The Fire Gates'', Irka [[MonsterOfTheWeek faced different enemies in each novel]], but starting from there, she becomes the victim of Mamzelkina's plot to corrupt her into her "assistant", and struggles to overcome her. By the end of ''The Ship of Light'', Irka succeeds.
* BlackComedy: She just loves making jokes about death and afterlife. [[DudeNotFunny No one likes her sense of humour]] -- mainly because these jokes are often directed at ''them''.
* BrownNote: It was never elaborated upon, but merely seeing her scythe uncovered is extremely dangerous, especially for the mortals, with consequences ranging from mind-damaging fear to outright death, regardless of wether it's your time to die or not.
* FallenHero: The Grim Reaper ''always'' starts as the good, passionate and heroic person, but turns evil after spending some time in the role. It's also implied that she was a Valkyrie herself once.
* FauxAffablyEvil: While she acts [[AffablyEvil genuinely nice]] to Mefodiy, she uses the same "friendly granny" facade when she interacts with Irka, to whom she has not the best interest in mind, in (futile) attempt to pretend that she's her friend.
* TheGrimReaper: Her actual job; she never goes into exact details how it works, but she either kills whoever is marked, or takes away the souls if they are already dead by the point she arrives. She actually has her own boss (who "marks" the targets), but nothing is known about them, aside from the fact ihat this is ''not'' Ligul. It's noted frequently that the scythe itself can kill anyone, regardless of whether they are marked or not.
* InsistentTerminology: She is not "Grim Reaper", she is the "Senior manager of Necrodepartment" (she always mispronounces the word "manager" in attempt to [[ObfuscatingStupidity look like half-witted granny]]); she thinks it wouldn't scare away mortals prematurely.
* IWasQuiteALooker: She used to be very beautiful before [[EvilMakesYouUgly her servitude made her into an ugly hag she's now]].
* ManipulativeBitch: She constantly manipulates Matvey and Irka to gain what she wants from them, never taking into account what ''they'' want. And when she can't take it through trickery, she takes it by force.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Early novels often portrayed her as [[PluckyComicRelief a comedic character]] with [[HarmlessVillain no actual villainous acts]] (in fact, she ''helped'' Mefodiy several times). After Mefodiy's defection to the Light, however, she switches attention to Irka and Matvey... and shows her true colours -- a manipulative hag who would step at any low to gain what she wants.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: She plays the old, senile, poorly educated and not exactly sober granny in equally old, worn-out sneakers, but not let her fool you: she is perfectly sane, and ''very'' dangerous.
* PunchClockVillain: ZigzaggedTrope. Most of the time, she only works for the Darkness and takes away the lives because she has no choice in the matter; it's her duty as the "Senior manager of Necrodepartment". However, her attempts to corrupt Irka are entirely selfish, and she shows her true colours when the plan fails. Afterwards, she continues acting relatively neutrally, despite [[VillainousBreakdown angrily promising to make everything to destroy Irka]].
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: She is known for extreme love for mead, which she shares with Arey (it's unknown who was first to suggest it, even Arey is uncertain). She always tries to visit him under any excuse, both to inform him about something and to receive some mead, sometimes it's unclear which reason is the main one.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Midnight Witches]]
Thirteen most powerful dark witches, whom Darkness resurrected in undead bodies to act as counterpart for valkyries.
----
* AntiMagic: One of the Midnight Witches' signature abilities is summoning tick yellow fog, which, on contact with anything magical, would suck that magic out. After that, Witch would attack you for the easy kill.
* ArchEnemy: Ever since creation of the Midnight Witches, they and the Valkyries are always at each other's throats.
* ArcVillain: For ''The Revenge of the Valkyries'', where they are involved as ultimate antagonists in all three storyline (including Edya's sideplot).
* BitchInSheepsClothing: The only one who doesn't look like a decaying corpse, Zuimurzung, gets sent to retrieve the Seed of Darkness from Edya's heart; she pretended to be his "bride from the future", Mila, sent to protect him. In reality, of course, she's here to kill him.
* EarlyBirdCameo: One of the Midnight Witches shows up for the first time during ''The Ticket to the Bald Mountain''. The Witches would be properly introduced only in the next novel, where they become one of the main focuses of the plot.
* EvilCounterpart: They are the Darkness' answer to the Valkyries. Where they lack in brute force, they win through dark magic, treachery and sudden attacks. Zuimurzung, particularly, looks like a sort of counterpart for the Loner Valkyrie, due to being the only one to ''not'' look like a decaying old hag (while Loner is the only one who works by alone and has NonHumanSidekick instead of usual squire, in contrast with the other Valkyries).
* HeroKiller: One of the few beings powerful enough to kill the Valkyries (in fact, they were created specifically for that), and have a history of doing so. Yorah, for example, attacked Ilga's predecessor in her sleep with a cursed knife; she lived for just long enough to find a successor.
* KilledOffForReal: Most of them were killed by the Valkyries (two -- directly by Irka) in the same novel they were introduced in. And there's no going back after that -- if you're killed by the Valkyrie's spear, you ''stay'' dead. With Zuimurzung being permanently stripped of her powers, but spared on Essiorkh's request, only two of them remained (Uyrean' and Dadabah), only for one of them being later slain by Fulona. It's unknown what's happened to the second one.
* LifeForce: They suck out the life from living beings to fuel their own decaying bodies.
* PutOnABus: Three surviving Witches, Zuimurzung, Uyrean' and Dadabah, never reappeared past the novel which introduced them. One of them (either Uyrean' or Dadabah) [[BusCrash was killed by Fulona]] at unknown point prior to the events of ''The Glass Guardian''.
* TheUndead: All of them were resurrected in undead corpses, created from the body parts of countless other corpses. When they need replacement, they take them from people they kill.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All but three of them were annihilated in the same novel they were introduced in. Of those destroyed, only Yorah had ''any'' characterisation (if not counting Zuimurzung, who was dispatched non-lethally).
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Romasyusik]]
As a boy, Romasyusik sold his soul to the Darkness in return for survival. Some time later, he was recruited to pay up his debt. After losing his mortal body, he received a new one (made out of chocolate), and was assigned as Praskovia's adjutant and interpreter -- and Ligul's spy.
----
* AmbiguouslyGay: He has [[{{Camp}} weird mannerism and style]], and [[VillainousCrush shows suspicious interest to Mefodiy]], whom he keeps calling "groovy".
* AssholeVictim: Being [[ImMelting literally melted alive]] would be [[CruelAndUnusualDeath rather horrible way to go]] (remember that Praskovia made him able to feel pain, despite him having artificial body)... but if anyone deserves that, it's this sneaky backstabbing asshole. ''No one'' felt sorry after his demise.
* ButtMonkey: He is completely pathetic and keeps being abused by everyone around him.
* {{Camp}}: His weird speech manner sounds as close to stereotypical "gay speech" as possible while staying within '''14+''' rating. He also has rather weird taste in clothes, which was compared to a parrot more than once, and some other suspicious traits.
* CharacterTic: He keeps compulsively touching things at random. It annoys literally everyone.
* DealWithTheDevil: After his deranged grandma jumped out of the window, still hugging him, he gave up his soul to the Darkness in return for staying alive. He teleported back to his house, while grandma fell to her death, but four years later the Dark Guardians came to take him away: they have some better role for him than merely taking his eidos.
* FatBastard: He is fat, sneaky and serves as Ligul's spy.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts sickly sweet with other people (to their disgust), but underneath it he's still a total asshole who serves the Darkness and is ready to sell out everything and everyone; he already has sold his own soul long ago. When pressed hard enough, he abandons even that pathetic pretence of being a friend, and shows his true colours.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Tearing out his ear or something similar wouldn't deal him serious damage, since he can regrow lost parts of himself. It wouldn't be a pleasant experience, however, because while it can't permanently injure him, it still hurts just like the actual injury would; according to Praskovia, it was her who made him feel pain (he lacked that ability originally), so it would be possible to punish him if he screws up (which happens a lot) by breaking his fingers.
* GratuitousEnglish: Romasyusik, after spending some time with one mage from Magford, started randomly inserting English words into his speech, resulting in a wild chaos of English and Russian words, not following the rules of either language.
* HatedByAll: ''No one'' likes or respects him, on either side.
* KilledOffscreen: We only learn about his death after the fact.
* TheStoolPigeon: He's actually loyal to Ligul, not Praskovia, and keeps spying on her for his master. When she found it out when planning to defect, it [[ImMelting didn't end well for him]].
* TooDumbToLive: Why he even lost his original body? He thought that it would be a good idea to swim in the Letha river... yes, that one, the river of oblivion. Whatever happened to him next, it required providing him with a new body.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: Praskovia [[TheSpeechless can't talk normally]], so she uses Romasyusik to say things for her, by forcibly taking control over his body. [[AndIMustScream He's perfectly self-aware during this]], but can't do anything.
[[/folder]]
! Other characters
!! Heroes
[[folder: Drevnir]]
* AngelUnaware: Sardanapal in the first novel's prologue speculates wether he was not just a mage, but a Light Guardian in disguise. Much later, this gets confirmed.
* BigGood: He was ''the'' greatest light mage in history, and the one who united all mages long time ago.
* GreaterScopeParagon: He is long dead, but various artifacts that remained after his death still serve mages well. Amongst the other things, he is responsible for creating Tybidox magic school; creating the list of hundred forbidden spells; [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking prohibiting jinns from using in gambling such things as soul, love, etc]]; and many others.
* PosthumousCharacter: He is long dead by the start of the plot.
* ThouShallNotKill: He is completely opposed to killing anyone. Yes, even [[OmnicidalManiac Chuma-del-Thort]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ulitha]]
A witch and Arey's secretary.
----
* BigEater: Her enormous appetite (and love to [[SweetTooth sweets]]) is the major contributor to her weight.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: She's prone to thinking and acting very... eccentric, to say the least, with her [[InsaneTrollLogic logic]] (when she shows any) being beyond Essirokh's (or anyone else's) understanding.
* DatingCatwoman: She is a Dark witch, yet she still dates Essiorkh, a GuardianAngel. They are supposed to be incompatible, yet this relationship still goes on. It's not always smooth; be it her inability to change for the better (without eidos), or Essiorkh's own "holier-than-you" attitude, but after quarrel they still return to each other. However, under Essiorkh's influence, she eventually moves away from the Darkness and even regains her eidos, [[HeelFaceTurn no longer applying for this trope]].
* DotingParent: She spoils her and Essiorkh's son, particularly by overfeeding him instead of maintaining more healthy diet, slowly turning him into small copy of herself. Essiorkh worriers that it would produce a SpoiledBrat of a son, and tries to "teach" him... despite lacking any knowledge of how even work with someone that young.
* EmptyShell: There are abusive parents, and then there's the mother who sells her not-yet-born daughter's soul for some questionable gains (this is one of the rare cases where selling ''someone else's'' soul can work). Ulitha was supposed to die after that, but survived thanks to Arey. However, she forever remained a soulless husk, alive outside, dead inside, and no matter how hard she tries to mask it, the absence of soul -- and hope it gives -- harms her a lot. Thanks to Mefodiy and Essiorkh, she eventually manages to gain her soul back, however.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In her first appearance, she showsup (while being dressed rather... eccentric) to protect Mefodiy from [[FatBastard Zozo's new boyfriend]] while wielding a sandwich in one hand and shouting SophisticatedAsHell insults at the guy. When he starts insulting her back, she demonstrates that he [[MuggingTheMonster chose the wrong victim]] by playfully destroying his precious car (which started the whole mess in the first place) with her magic. She then bullies the guy further by making her fangs grow and pretending to be a vampire (that one is her favourite trick she used more than once; according to her, it isn't even magic in nature, and can be trained).
* FauxActionGirl: She has much enthusiasm, but lacks any actual skill or power; whenever she goes into melee with her rapier, she gets easily defeated, usually the first, if not the only one.
* HeelFaceTurn: When Arey (her boss) gets stripped of his position as the chief of Russian department, Ulitha choses to stay with heroes and doesn't return to service until Ziggy Puffs remembers that he can use her original contract to simply force her. When Arey dies, the contract (due to some ExactWords being involved) gets void, freeing her permanently.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She may be rude at times, but she still helps her friends when in need, even Daphne.
* KavorkaMan: It was established mutiple times that she's fat and not very attractive, but she somehow still manages to find suitors, both human and non-human. She, however, sticks with Essiorkh, of all people.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Meeting Ulitha during his exile has helped Arey to preserve his sanity and do not break up like Ligul expected. He still keeps her around and protects her, despite nearly everyone amongst the other Dark Guardians (especially [[{{Jerkass}} Ligul]] considering her being worthless. In fact, insulting her near him can be [[BerserkButton very dangerous]].
* TheLoad: Most of the time, she provides little help in battle, usually due to being the first one to be knocked out, as she consistently gets completely outmatched by whatever threat the heroes face.
* MoodSwinger: She can jump from joy to sorrow to anger, in any order, and then do it backwards, quicker than you can read this sentence. She became more stable after regaining her eidos, though.
* NoRespectGuy: The only Dark Guardian who takes her as anything more than the slave of Darkness is Arey.
* OddCouple: With Essiorkh, prior to her defection; she is a witch in service of Darkness, he is a Guardian Angel in a body of mortal biker.
* ParentalAbandonment: It's known that her "mother" sold out her eidos to Ligul in return for some unspecified service (mother selling out her child is one of the few cases when one may sell out ''other's'' soul). It's unknown what happened to her afterwards, and Ulitha doesn't care.
* ParentalSubstitute: She's by no means related by blood to Arey, but he is closest she has to a family she never had.
* PluckyComicRelief: Most scenes involving her serve the comedic purpose. The key word "[[SadClown most]]".
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: She is several centuries old, but looks like she's in her twenties, and often acts so immature like she's in her teens at best.
* ReplacementGoldfish: It seems that Arey treats her like an adoptive daughter of sort, to replace his real daughter, killed by Yaraat.
* SadClown: She may act silly and childishly, but like any eidos-less person she feels [[EmptyShell eternal emptiness inside]], and from time to time briefly shows her true, sad and depressed, self. She changes to the best after re-obtaining her eidos, and and then sticking up with Essiorkh. She continued acting almost exactly like before, but now while being genuinely happy.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Forms this dynamic with Essiorkh; she's a hyperactive partygoer who can [[MoodSwinger changer her mood ten times per minute]], he's a calm, gentle philosopher.
* SelfDeprecation: She can joke about her being fat and/or unattractive whenever she wants. When anyone else tries to make fat jokes, however, she never reacts well.
* SexySecretary: She attracts attention of many people (not all of them human) despite being overweight, and likes putting revealing outfits.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Even is she uses slang, she would construct it into sentences so elaborate it becomes mind-breaking. Particularly noticeable [[EstablishingCharacterMoment in her first appearance]], when she deliberately used it to mock the [[FatBastard Mefodiy's attacker]], who was [[TheDitz not exactly smartest specimen around here]].
* SquishyWizard: She is a skilled witch, but when she comes into melee combat, it ''never'' ends well for her.
* StepfordSmiler : Like any eidos-less person, she feels [[EmptyShell eternal emptiness inside]], which she (not always successfully) tries to mask with her unique dark humour.
* TookALevelInKindness: When Troil finally returns her eidos back to Ulitha, she becomes ''much'' nicer than before, due to no longer having that [[EmptyShell painful emptiness inside her]].
* TrappedInVillainy: Without eidos, she has little choice besides serving Arey (who, in turn, serves the Darkness). When she re-obtained her eidos, it didn't take long for her to abandon the Darkness altogether, because the only true loyalty she had was to Arey, who by that moment was no longer her boss.
* UndyingLoyalty: She would do ''anything'' to protect [[ParentalSubstitute Arey]]. Even reject [[SadisticChoice Ligul's offer]] to return her long-lost eidos.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite her constant conflicts with Daphne, they actually consider each other to be friends, not in the last turn because they share taste at humour; they wouldn't admit it, of course.
* WeaponBasedCharacterization: To demonstrate that she's not a true Dark Guardian, even if she has a darkh, she doesn't use a long sword, like most of them do. Instead, she uses a rapier, much lighter weapon. Rapier (along with epee, which she also temporarily uses when rapier gets broken by Kvodnon) is also commonly associated with [[{{Flynning}} showy and "cool" swordfights]]; Ulitha is very eccentric, including in battle, yet [[TheLoad lacks any actual combat skill]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Depresnyak]]
Daphne's pet (if such hellish creature can even be called that). He is a bald, extremely ugly winged cat with dark grey skin, which often causes burns by mere touch. And then there's his ability to suck out happiness, which is the source of his name.
----
* AxCrazy: Depresnyak is prone to attack anything that moves, unless it moves too fast to catch it. If he does not hunt, he would just trash anything around him for sport.
* ChaoticStupid: He is prone to [[AxCrazy absolutely random bursts of violence and destructive behaviour]], which achieves nothing but problems for everyone, Depresnyak included. It becomes a major plot point in ''The Secret Magic of Depresnyak'', where he runs away with the dangerous artifact.
* CoveredWithScars: Due to picking fights with everything that moves, he's covered with countless scars from past battles.
* EmotionEater: He sucks out happiness from whomever he touches, causing temporal depression-like effects.
* ExtremeOmnivore: Amongst the other things, he can chew glass and drink acid, with no ill effects.
* HybridMonster: He is what you would receive if you merge two cats, one "normal" from Eden and one demonic from Tartarus. He also mates with Earth cats from time to time, producing next generations of "mutant" cats.
* KillerRabbit: Even if you take into account that he is half-demon, it's still hard to believe that he is able to a fight a dog pack and win (albeit scarred), even killing some of them. He can pull this off due to being very tough, being able to bite off ''marble'', and having poisonous claws.
* MeaningfulName: If you touch him, he would [[EmotionEater suck out your happiness]], so the name derived from the word "depression" fits him very well. Interestingly, he was called that ''before'' Daphne learned about these qualities. In earlier novels, he was also able to cause small burns with his touch, but this ability was quickly lost after moving to Earth, as part of him becoming more "grounded", like Daphne herself.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: He has one hundred and twenty teeth.
* TeamPet: Despite his ugly look and even uglier personality, he is liked by most characters, including Ulitha and Arey, though everyone would state the different reasons; Ulitha [[InLoveWithYourCarnage likes his maniacal temper]], while Arey respects his courage and UndyingLoyalty to Daphne.
* TookALevelInKindness: As time goes on, he gradually becomes less mindlessly aggressive, and even loses his "touch me and burn your hand" ability he demonstrated in earlier novels. This is attributed to him living on Earth, which affects the other magic creatures not unlike Guardians (who [[HumanityEnsues slowly transforms into humans]]).
* RunningGag:
** There's always some woman who thinks that he's "cute" and tries to pet him while saying "cute kitty!", with predictable results.
** When Daphne needs to get rid of someone, she tries to push Depresnyak into their hands while saying "[[SchmuckBait hold a kitty for a bit]]", with them either refusing and leaving her alone, or accepting and suffering consequences.
* UnevenHybrid: His mother was the Eden cat, but he mostly resembles his Tartarian father, both in his look and his personality.
* UndyingLoyalty: While it's impossible to order him to do something, if Daphne actually gets in danger, he would fight to the death to protect her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zigya Puff]]
Ziggy's "battle body" and Shilov's long-lost brother; his real name is Nikita.
----
* BigGuy: If Ziggy is a dwarf, Zigya is a giant. He is extremely powerful, feels no pain and uses massive mace as a weapon.
* BodySurf: When in need of combat-able body, Ziggy forcibly transfers his mind into Zigya, suppressing his mind (what little he has).
* CatchPhrase: His trademark "shumething shweet". To the point that even Ziggy Puffs (who rarely shows sense of humour at all) sometimes mocks it.
* TheDitz: His mind is completely underdeveloped, being closer to a small child than his real age. He ''can'' speak, but can't pronounce anything correctly, including his trademark "shumething shweet".
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Besides sweets, he also loves cars, preferably large ones. The problem is, he [[TheDitz has the mind of a young kid]], which always results in massive collateral damage.
* HappilyAdopted: Since Irka was unable to act as his "mommy", he was adopted by Ulitha and Essiorkh, who by that time actually started living together. After he was abducted again, he was "adopted" by Praskovia, who cares about him ever since. Zigya actually calls her his "mommy".
* HeelFaceTurn: Not what he was [[MinionWithAnFInEvil much of a villain anyway]], but the instant opportunity arise, he abandons abusive Ziggy in favour of Irka, whom he immediately accepted as his "mommy".
* TheJuggernaut: If he wants [[SweetTooth "shumething shweet"]], and he thinks you have it but refuse to share, ''nothing'' would stop him -- he's [[BigGuy extremely huge]], near invulnerable and can slice up a tree in one hit.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Zigya is just too [[TheDitz infant-like]] to act even remotely villainous when not [[BodySurf directly controlled]] by Ziggy Puffs. When he has a choice, he would prefer "playing" with cars or "shumething shweet" anytime, anywhere.
* SweetTooth: He is obsessed with sweets, or "shumething shweet", how he pronounces it.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: After killing off Romasyusik, Praskovia started using Zigya to talk for her, as she's barely able to speak.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Masha]]
The girl who was intended to become the Valkyrie of the Brass Spear, but rejected her destiny. Now she tries to redeem herself at least in some way by helping the Valkyries.
----
* MyGreatestFailure: She regards refusing Fulona's offer to become a Valkyrie as the worse mistake of her life.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: She volunteered to aid the Valkyries whenever possible to atone for her mistake, but for her, it was never enough; she needs something ''truly'' heroic. The chance comes up when Ligul sends an assassin to kill Praskovia (who was picked to become the new Valkyrie of the Ice Spear), and Masha takes the spear intended for her. Fulona lampshades how convenient it was: perhaps, such death was a "gift" for her?
* RefusalOfTheCall: She missed her only chance to become the Valkyrie of the Brass Spear because she fell for tempting offer to become a model instead. Offer was made by the Darkness solely to provoke her into refusing Fulona's offer, and her career quickly fell apart without aid from them. That was when she realised what she just missed, but it was too late: the role was already picked by Hola.
* TragicOneShotCharacter: She dies in the same chapter in which she gets introduced, but her sacrifice motivates Praskovia to agree to join the Valkyries after all.
[[/folder]]
!! Villains
[[folder: Yaraat]]
Shapeshifter and infamous artifact thief who's in opposition to both the Darkness and the Light. He's lost most of his powers when Mefodiy was born, which allowed the Darkness to imprison him, only to escape almost thirteen years later -- just in time for first book's events to start.
----
* ArchEnemy: Yaraat blames Mefodiy for being born, which caused Yaraat losing his powers and being caught. Now, when he regained some of them, he's up to find and kill Mefodiy.
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist of the second novel (while he gets introduced in the first one, he has little involvement in it), with Ligul acting as a minor secondary threat.
* BaldOfEvil: In his true form, Yaraat is mostly bald, and not of the tasteful kind. What little hair he has left is [[WhiteHairBlackHeart ash-white]].
* DePower: When Mefodiy was born, he accidentally consumed all of Yaraat's powers, reducing him to mere mortal -- just in time for Dark Guardians to catch him. This lasted for almost thirteen years, then he (with Ligul's help) escaped to claim his vengeance. That event is the main reason why he wants Mefodiy dead.
* EvilOldFolks: Without most of his powers, he starts looking his age -- very creepy and ugly -- which only underscores his just as ugly personality.
* FalseFriend:
** He pretended to be Arey's friend, only to betray him, force his wife and little daughter to give up their souls in attempt to protect each other, and then [[ILied killed them anyway]] -- just for his sick amusement. No wonder Arey wants him dead.
** Befriending and then betraying people, totally ruining their lives [[HopeCrusher can be considered his modus operandi]]; amongst his victims was a girlfriend of the biker whose body Essiorkh now inhabits. After the couple crashed because of the biker's reckless driving, resulting in the girl being ''seriously'' injured (with no way to call for help -- the biker's phone was destroyed), Yaraat (whom they met on the road to nearby city) promised to watch over her until the biker would bring some help. When the biker leaved... Yaraat has killed and ''partially devoured'' the woman, including her face. This contributed to the biker becoming DeathSeeker and soon dying in another crash, just a week ago from the second book's events.
* ForTheEvulz: Main reason why he (or [[AlwaysChaoticEvil any other shapeshifter]], for that matter) does what he does -- because he feels thrill when he's being hated, being pursued. Because of this, he is always at odds even with the Darkness itself: he has no loyalty to ''anyone'' or ''anything''. He befriended Arey only so he can betray him later. He promised him to protect his family while Arey deals with the pursuers, only to force them into giving up their souls under the threat of death, [[ILied and then killed them anyway]], all because he can. Just learning about his atrocities was enough for Mefodiy to go into TranquilFury and give Arey the promise that, if he ever meets Yaraat, he would do anything to kill him, and what ''nothing'' would protect his skin.
* HeroKiller: Yaraat has a reputation for never leaving survivors. He's also directly responsible for the deaths of Arey's wife and daughter, and the death of the biker's girlfriend, which in turn indirectly caused said biker's death (now his body inhabits Essiorkh, who tells this story). He also nearly succeeds at killing both Mefodiy and Daphne.
-->'''Arey''': It is Yaraat. I repeat -- Yaraat. He and "life" are mutually exclusive.
* HopeCrusher: Why he keeps befriending and then betraying people, killing their beloved ones? Because he likes it. When people start hating him, they start hunting for him, and he loves living on his feet, always being one step ahead of his pursuers. Yaraat preys on others' despair and hatred.
* ImAHumanitarian: Yaraat is perfectly okay with eating people alive (which he does in a wolf form). This is how he killed the biker's girlfriend, which contributed to him becoming a DeathSeeker and eventually dying in another road incident.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Both times he crosses his ways with Mefodiy, it ends his long streak of luck avoiding justice.
** First time, back when Mefodiy was born, he [[DePower suck out Yaraat's powers]], resulting in him being imprisoned in Tartarus for thirteen years (and when Arey was briefly imprisoned here just for one book, he nearly went insane, so it was ''very'' unpleasant experience).
** Halfway into the first novel, he escapes his imprisonment in Tartarus (with Ligul's help) and tries to destroy Mefodiy, only to end up encountering Arey; the second meeting, which happens in the next novel (when he tries to kill Mefodiy) turns out to be his last.
* KarmicDeath: In the end of the second novel, Arey finally kills him, avenging all the deaths that Yaraat had caused, including deaths of Arey's wife and daughter.
* KnightOfCerebus: Before him, the tone of the first two book was relatively light-hearted, looking more like another Yemets' teens-aimed fairytale, spiced up with Yemets's trademark surreal humour. Then this completely humourless sadistic killer shows up in person in the second novel, shifting the tone to the dark; when his crimes are described, he is portrayed entirely seriously, without any trace of humour or comedic super-villainy (unlike, say, Ligul). While in subsequent novels, the tone rarely would be as dark as in the moments involving Yaraat, the one thing -- sense of security -- goes away permanently.
* LoveIsAWeakness: Yaraat considers love to be nothing more than a weakness one can exploit. He uses it to trick Mefodiy and Daphne into going into his trap, and then tries to blackmail Mefodiy into giving up his eidos to protect Daphne. He also stops Mefodiy from sucking out his powers (again, this time deliberately) by [[ShapeshifterGuiltTrip shapeshifting into his mother]].
* SerialKiller: Yaraat just keeps [[FalseFriend fooling people into believing what he is their friend]], only to betray them and kill their beloved ones. Sometimes, he "justifies" it by needing to feed. Sometimes... he does it out of sheer sadism.
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: While he never shows it, it was later established that all shapeshifters have extremely ugly default form, which is closer to jellyfish than human. They have very good reason to avoid showing it to anyone.
* SoftSpokenSadist: He openly admits what he just likes killing for the sake of killing -- all while never raising his voice. He would torture and kill anything, including hellish creatures, but prefers killing Eden creatures instead -- he considers their agony to be more "fun". To add even more "fun", he uses magic to paralyse them, so the only thing they can do is just ''watch''.
* StarterVillain: He's the first enemy Mefodiy faces, and only one out of them to be entirely unrelated to the conflict between the Light and the Darkness, working only for himself, and aiming to kill Mefodiy for his personal reasons rather than Ligul's schemes. He's also arguably the least threatening out of them, since most problems Mefodiy has with him lies in his lack of training and sheer bad luck rather than Yaraat's own skills, and once the ''real'' fighters arrive, Yaraat goes down ''very'' quickly.
* VillainousBreakdown: Mefodiy just stole most of his powers, again; Essiorkh destroyed the Scroll of Wishes; and none of his artifacts work anymore, cutting off all of his escape routes. This is the moment when [[SoftSpokenSadist Yaraat]] finally loses it, snapping in panic! And then Arey shows up... However, realising that it's likely the end, Yaraat manages to recover his composure and go out fighting.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: One of the major reasons why no one was able to imprison him until he lost all his powers to Mefodiy was his ability to disguise himself via his magic. One of the forms he can use is a wolf, but he's not a werewolf -- those are limited to one form, and are limited in their ability to control it.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: In his latest form, he has ash-white hair (what little left of them) -- and he is one of the most vile beings in the whole -verse.
* WouldHurtAChild: He tricked Arey's daughter to give up her soul in ([[ILied futile]]) attempt to protect her mother, then he killed them both. He also planned to kill Mefodiy (thirteenth years-old by then) and nearly killed Daphne.
* WouldHitAGirl: After being entrusted with their protection, he killed Arey's mortal wife and young daughter just because he can -- but not before stealing their souls. He also killed and ''ate'' the biker's girlfriend, again, after being entrusted with her protection. And then there's his attempt to suck out Daphne's lifeforce.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Two-Faced]]
Pagan god, known for his love of deals. Has no relation to Roman god Janus.
----
* BreadEggsMilkSquick: He is a god of merchants, moneylenders, venturers... and death.
* DealWithTheDevil: He likes making deals, often dangerous. Irka's predecessor made a mistake of making a deal with him, and now, in just three days, he would take all Irka's powers, including her ability to walk... unless she makes another deal with him.
* FauxAffablyEvil: When he visits Irka, he puts a facade of a weird, but funny fat man. When she notices that something is wrong, he drops this facade entirely and starts pressing her into accepting his [[DealWithTheDevil deal]], describing in [[KickTheDog lovely details]] how she would return to being pathetic nobody, bonded to wheelchair, unless she agrees.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: He ''may'' cancel a deal with a Loner Valkyrie (which he made with Irka's predecessor, and which she "inherited"), leaving her with her powers intact, but only if she would bring him Arey's darkh within remaining three days. He refused to explain why he needs it, though it's likely related to its value.
* VerbalTic: In his "funny fat man" guise, he has a weird habit of finishing his sentences with long "sssyu" sound; it gets compared to sucking in saliva. He drops it after Irka realises that it was just a facade.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He survives for just one chapter before Irka panicks and accidentally [[PutOnABusToHell banishes him to Tartarus for next thousand years]] by throwing a spear at him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Spurius]]
Former Dark Guardian, who sacrificed his own darkh to not being killed, but managed to not only survive, but became much more dangerous than he ever was before.
----
* ArcVillain: He is the main antagonist of the ninth book, trying to obtain Kvodnon's will and Ulitha's eidos (he needs it for its unique qualities), which puts him at odds with Mefodiy, in whom he sees a rival.
* BastardBastard: His name means "illegitimate son of unknown father" in Latin. He used to be a Dark Guardian, now he exploits his position as a fake "guru" to accumulate power anew, at the cost of his supporters.
* BodySurf: He can shift his spirit to a human host when it says the ritual formula to give up their body and soul. He does that with Groshikov in the end ''The Light Wings for the Dark Guardian'', and, given how much time has passed since Meldika's time, it's entirely possible that he did this more than once in the past, as one of the things he had lost along with darkh was immortality.
* DeathByIrony: He predicted that Groshikov would die from the thread. The guy (and Spurius, who [[GrandTheftMe possessed him]]) dies after attempt to unseal the Kvodnon's will, only to realise that it was "booby-trapped" with black magic. Spurius has just enough time to realise the cruel irony of the situation before being incinerated.
* DePower: With sacrificing his darkh, he had lost everything, down to and including immortality. However, since then he managed to find a replacement source of power...
* DirtyCoward: Normally, the Dark Guardians are expected to go down fighting, or at the very least kill themselves after losing their darkhs, since it's considered to be ''extremely'' [[EvenEvilHasStandards dishonourable]]. Spurius is the only one who gave up his darkh ''voluntarily'' to save his skin, and [[SeriousBusiness was punished]] by the Dark curse, which was reserved for worst of the worst betrayers of the Darkness.
* TheDragon: He used to be Kvodnon's favourite, and thinks that Kvodnon planned him as his successor, but to confirm this he needs Kvodnon's will (and Ulitha's eidos, for its unique qualities). Unfortunately for him, the Kvodnon's will was a trap: he never planned anyone succeeding him, and whoever tries to open the scroll, would die.
* FateWorseThanDeath: As a punishment for his cowardice, he was afflicted with the Dark curse, which causes extreme and eternal agony no matter what you do. He was relieved from this by one of Irka's predecessors.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He was very popular with people, especially with women, thanks to his charming personality, including fighters like Arey. Underneath it, he is a total asshole who only cares about his well-being and would sacrifice everything and everyone for survival.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Creators of the Book of Seven Roads (in general)]]
Trio of necromancers who created the Book as the artificial world where they can rule as the gods.
----
* ArcVillain: In the ''Book of Seven Roads'', they are the main antagonists of the chapters set within the Book (which forms the final third of the novel).
* ForcedTransformation: They end up being irreversibly transformed into the worms. They [[KilledOffForReal didn't get much time to "enjoy" this]], however, as the Book gets destroyed with them inside soon afterwards.
* KilledOffForReal: When the Book gets destroyed, they die alongside it.
* {{Necromancer}}: They were the necromancers prior to creating the Book. In fact, the Book itself was created via necromancy, including using their victims to make it, and then sacrificing themselves.
* ThanatosGambit: The last part of creating the Book required them to kill themselves, to transfer their minds into it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rexak Moneest]]
Co-creator of the Book of Seven Roads, which was intended to give him and his colleagues the artificial world which they can rule as the gods, forever.
----
* AnimalMotifs: He has long mane-like greying hair which were compared to lion's mane several times. His personality reminds about the lions, too, but the ''real'' lions, not the brave lions commonly found in heraldic: perceived nobility and combat spirit hiding entitled and cowardly tyrant.
* HotBlooded: He's most prone to explode at slight provocations out of three necromancers.
* MagicKnight: Judging by his habit of wearing the armour and enormous battle axe around, he's trained not only in magic, but also in arts of war.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ust Dunken]]
Co-creator of the Book of Seven Roads, which was intended to give him and his colleagues the artificial world which they can rule as the gods, forever. Dresses in grey mantle and sports stylish white beard.
----
* LightIsNotGood: He looks like stereotypical good wizard, complete with [[WizardBeard beautiful white beard]]. He's [[{{Necromancer}} anything but]].
* SoftspokenSadist: He remains calm and gentle, never dropping the "old wise wizard" personality even when he explains why they are forcing the prisoners of the Book to [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne kill each other]].
* WizardBeard: He sports beautiful white beard one would normally expect on a good white wizard. Except, [[LightIsNotGood he's an evil necromancer]].
* WizardClassic: He looks like stereotypical wizard, complete with long grey mantle and [[WizardBeard stylish white beard]]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tawleus Talorn]]
Co-creator of the Book of Seven Roads, which was intended to give him and his colleagues the artificial world which they can rule as the gods, forever. He's bald, fat and ugly. He vaguely resembles some Ancient Rome senator.
----
* BaldOfEvil: He'c completely bald, and, out of the trio, the most blatant in being the bad guy.
* CreepyHighPitchedVoice: He has extremely high-pitched voice; he gets compared to eunuch.
* FatBastard: He's extremely obese, and the most blatantly evil of the three.
* ObviouslyEvil: Out of three mages, he's the only one obviously evil right from the start, while two others at first looks rather noble.
[[/folder]]
!! "Neutral" characters
!!! Bald Mountain
[[folder: Viy]]
Yes, [[Literature/{{Viy}} that]] Viy. He is an (in)famous news anchor, known by his deadly gaze -- and his (in)ability to actually use it.
----
* ChekhovsNews: His news reports always describes something relevant for the current books -- and foreshadow something what is yet to happen.
* DeadlyGaze: Looking into his eyes can and would kill you. Fortunately, he has troubles with actually opening them by himself -- or finding someone suicidal enough to open them for him.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The main reason he has so much trouble finding audience (or stuff) is certainly related to him keeping ''killing'' whatever audience and/or stuff he has left.
* KentBrockmanNews: While his shows [[ChekhovsNews do provide some actual information]], they are mostly used for comic relief, serving to showcase just how surreal (yet weirdly similar to our own) the magic world can be.
* PompousPoliticalPundit: He's openly and shamelessly biased towards the Darkness.
* PublicDomainCharacter: He is taken directly from Creator/NikolaiGogol's ''Literature/{{Viy}}''.
* RunningGag: Whenever he appears, he tries to find someone to rise his eyelids (which he can't do by himself) while his show is running live. Looking into his eyes is ''lethally'' dangerous, yet somehow he always finds fans [[TooDumbToLive willing to try]]. Fortunately, it never works as he wants: either he fails to find volunteers, or the operator freaks out and ruins the shot, so only people in the studio becomes his victims.
* SoreLoser: He's openly hostile to his (much more successful) concurrents, even when his show runs live and everyone can hear him. He more than once openly threatened to kill them... [[IneffectualDeathThreat if they would be around to see his eyes during his shows]].
* UnseenNoMore: He was repeatedly mentioned in ''Tanya Grotter'', but only started actually appearing in ''Mefodiy Buslaev'', where he became the recurring character in earlier books.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Three-Thumbelina and Two-Thumbelina]]
Twin fairy sisters, forced to share one body after Two-Thumbelina's original body died.
----
* TheAlcoholic: Two-Thumbelina is addicted to alcohol; due to her size, she needs very small dose to get drunk.
* BigEater: While "big" may be not the best choice of words for someone of her size, Two-Thumbelina is ''extremely'' gluttonous (by fairies standards, anyway). Three-Thumbelina complains that the sister makes their body fat.
* BlackMage: Two-Thumbelina specialises in combat magic, which is considered unusual for fairies. It's one of the many traits Thee-Thumbelina dislikes in her.
* CainAndAbel: They ''clearly'' hates each other -- in fact, it goes all the way into childhood. They're always trying to cause as much damage to the other one as possible, mostly by damaging her property... or killing/cursing her pets/servants (yes, even the "good" one does that). Because they share one body, which each one may use only during specific hours, the only way they can harm each other is through self-harm (like overeating), or by damaging each other's property (or allies).
* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Some of their ideas for punishing people are rather creative, like making one into toilet-clearing gear, or into saucepan lid, so you may always smell... but never taste.
* DisproportionateRetribution: They are perfectly fine with punishing people for serving the "wrong" sister with ForcedTransformation. Then there's them "gifting" Edya the soul-sucking snow-globe for "[[LaserGuidedAmnesia forgetting]]" to say "happy birthday" to them.
* EvilTwin: {{Subverted|Trope}}. At first, Three-Thumbelina tries to set up her sister Two-Thumbelina as her evil sister, insisting on her being a cruel witch, but it quickly becomes clear that they share many negative traits and ''neither'' of the sisters can be considered "good".
* ForcedTransformation: The sisters absolutely loves using their powers to transform people who offends them somehow -- mostly by serving the other sister -- into various animals and inanimate objects. Since they [[TwoBeingsOneBody shares the same body]], it quickly resulted in them destroying all the possible servants, and by the time they met Edya, he remained as the sole available option for both of them.
* {{Jerkass}}: Neither of the two sisters are particularly nice. Both considers it perfectly fine to [[ForcedTransformation transform each one's servants into animals or even inanimate objects]] or kill each other's pets, both acts very rude to Edya, and both threatens to polymorph ''him'' for serving the other one, not caring at all that there's no way to not doing so if they shares the same body and switches who's in control seemingly at random. Three-Thumbelina at least tries to pretend that she has some basic decency, while her sister is openly toxic.
* MustHaveNicotine: Three-Thumbelina is a heavy smoker, and can't spend much time without her cigarettes.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Two-Thumbelina specialises in combat magic, which is extremely unusual amongst fairies (even dark ones).
* PhonyPsychic: ZigZaggedTrope. Two-Thumbelina's predictions related to the magic world are [[NotSoPhonyPsychic perfectly reliable]], but the ones related to the mortal world makes ''absolutely'' no sense (especially given the small timeframe for them to happen), like the one about "new world currency"... called "homosap" (short for "homo sapience"); considering that she gets surprised at the mention that dollars are still in use (that's when aforementioned "homosaps" comes up), it's possible that she messed up all those "prophecies" due to paying little attention to the mortal world (which is extremely common amongst mages).
* PolarOppositeTwins: Three-Thumbelina is a heavy smoker; her sister ''hates'' smell of nicotine -- but is a heavy drinker instead. Three-Thumbelina is eccentric, but ''usually'' more or less benevolent, while her sister doesn't even try to hide her toxic personality. Three-Thumbelina is a "normal" fairy with various kinds of light magic; her sister specialises in dark magic, particularly combat magic, which is ''extremely'' unusual for her kind.
* TwoBeingsOneBody: Three-Thumbelina shares her body with the spirit of her twin sister Two-Thumbelina; at certain times of the day they switch control over the body at no warning and without other one noticing anything right until she receives the body back.
[[/folder]]
!!! Mercenaries
[[folder: Olaf]]
A werewolf mercenary. Arey's old friend.
----
* TheAlcoholic: According to Magemma, he's a drunkard.
-->'''Magemma''': By the way, never let him drink. Nothing, ever.\\
'''Olaf''': Humans need to drink! We almost entirely consists of water! That's why mummies are so light -- they have nearly zero liquid in them.\\
'''Magemma''': You do not consist of water. I saw you drinking water exactly once. That was when we nearly drowned.
'''Olaf''' [''picking the mag'']: [[ImplausibleDeniability That's not true!]]
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite looking like unthreatening old alcoholic, he's more than capable of defending himself against most dangerous wights and other threats, which they often learn [[MuggingTheMonster the hard way]].
* SoleSurvivor: He's the only member of his team to survive the expedition to the Head-Stone, if not counting [[SixthRanger temporarily joining]] Arey and Pelka. With both Arey and Pelka being dead, he's the last surviving member of the expedition, period.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: He's capable of transforming into wolf at will to gain upper hand in combat.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mythora]]
A sorceress mercenary
----
* HeroOfAnotherStory: She has eight magic rings, but refuses to reveal how she obtained them, because "these are eight stories, only one of them is [hers]]". She also has a dragon eye, of which she would only say that she wasn't the one who killed the dragon, with the similar justification.
* HeroicSacrifice: She dies fighting the overwhelming foes, knowing full well that using such powerful magic in Forbidden Lands would kill her, but it lets what little left of the team to survive.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's long dead by the start of the story, and shown only in flashbacks.
* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Because her rings are so powerful, the sparks produced by them would be harmful for her eyes if not for her protective glasses.
* YinYangBomb: She can achieve destructive results by combining both light and dark magic rings, and amplifying them to the level dangerous for Guardians thanks to the dragon eye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Magemma]]
A mercenary.
----
* TheHeart: The rest of the team takes care of her and protects her from any harm, because she acts as the "soul" of their team, something which unites them and keeps them together.
* HerNameIsReallyBarkeep: According to her, "Magemma" is both her name and her profession.
* LastOfHerKind: She was the last magemma; she had no chance to pass her gift to someone else, so with her death at the hands of Eyehunters magemmas went extinct.
* MagicIdolSinger: She often makes her money by singing in various taverns, but she can also use her singing to manifest her magic.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's long dead by the start of the story, and shown only in flashbacks.
* {{Seers}}: Amongst her other abilities, she can see future to a degree.
* SuperScream: All her abilities manifests through her voice, including her main form of attack -- highly destructive magical scream.
* SupportPartyMember: She dislikes weapons and doesn't use them out of principle, but contributes enough with her non-combat abilities to make the team keeping her around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Shtoss]]
A giantess mercenary.
----
* BerserkButton: She explodes if someone mentions her real name, Gunita. She [[DoNotCallMePaul insists on being called "Shtoss"]].
* DoNotCallMePaul: Her real name is Gunita, but calling her that is [[BerserkButton a receipt for disaster]]. She prefers being called "Shtoss".
* PosthumousCharacter: She's long dead by the start of the story, and shown only in flashbacks.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: We learn the least about her out of entire team; even Ronkh, the mute shapeshifter, has more backstory, despite dying first.
* WeaponSpecialization: Shtoss uses a whip as her weapon. Judging from its destructive capabilities, either she's just that strong, or it's enchanted; possibly both.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ronkh]]
A shapeshifter mercenary.
----
* ArchEnemy: He jumps at any contract which allows him to kill Dark Guardians, as he was crippled by them, rendering him permanently mute (even his shapeshifting can't fix it).
* EveryoneHasStandards: While he hates the Dark Guardians with passion, and would kill them at first opportunity, he wouldn't let his hatred endanger the mission. If the mission requires him to work with a Dark Guardian (such as Arey), so be it. But after the mission, he's no longer obligated to tolerate them.
* PosthumousCharacter: He's long dead by the start of the story, and shown only in flashbacks.
* TheSpeechless: He was traumatised by the Dark Guardians, and no longer can form a tongue, even in disguise. He hates the Dark Guardians with passion ever since, and uses any opportunity to reduce their numbers.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: PlayedWith. He constantly conflicts with Olaf, but they know each other for ten years and are still alive and working together. Mythora believes that their conflicts somehow helps reinforcing their team instead of breaking it. And yet they are not friends and never spends time together outside of their missions.
* VoluntaryShapeshifter: Similarly to Yaraat, he's capable of transforming his body at will.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He's the first of mercenaries to die, and one of the least developed (though it's hard to explore one's backstory [[TheSpeechless when they lack a tongue]]), with only Shtoss having less backstory than him.
[[/folder]]
!!! The rest
[[folder: Zuduka]]
Petruchho's "finest" creation, which inherited all the "best" traits of his creator.
----
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even more so than his creator. Absolutely no one likes Zuduka (even Petruchho just barely tolerates his antics) because the one and only thing he ever does is [[ThePrankster causing everyone problems]] and mindless destruction.
* {{Golem}}: He is an artificial creature, made from various pieces of trash which were then animated.
* ThePrankster: Zuduka can't talk, but absolutely loves making destructive pranks on people around him. Like, very destructive, down to and including explosions.
* PsychoPartyMember: He contributes nothing but mindless destruction, which caused problems more than once.
* TheSpeechless: Zuduka, like all Petruccho's creations, lacks ability to talk.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mirowood]]
Matvey's mentor.
----
* AboveGoodAndEvil: Mirowood believed that "good" and "evil" are too abstract and relative to care about them (if there's no "universal" good, there may as well be no good at all), so one may just do what ''they'' see fit. This practice ended badly for him.
* AgeWithoutYouth: The potion which let him live for one thousand years did nothing to preserve his youth. This is so bad, the flies keeps "mistaking" him for dead corpse and putting their eggs into him. He has no issues with it, but occasionally eats the flies when they annoy him.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: He was a firm believer that there's no such thing as "evil" powers, it only matters how you use them; so he was perfectly okay with using [[TheDarkArts necromancy and voodoo]], and taught Matvey how to use them too. It didn't him much good, because after death he ended up in Tartarus. Then again, he himself wasn't that good guy to begin with, even if use his own philosophy.
* ImmortalProcreationClause: Amongst the other side effects, the potion which made him nearly immortal also made him sterile.
* NeutralityBacklash: He advocated for staying "in the middle" between the Light and the Darkness and using both to achieve one's goals. The thing is, in this verse, you ''can't'' stay in the middle: if you don't work on yourself to earn Eden, you let yourself being corrupted by the Darkness. ''No exceptions''. Mirowood's fate is the best proof of that.
* PosthumousCharacter: He's long dead by the start of the story. He shows up in flashback chapters in the last novel, however.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He was well aware that he has exactly one thousand years to live. In fact, he's capable to tell how much time exactly he has left.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gulnara]]
Female jinn whom Mefodiy found in the seventh book. After being bound to magic ring, she was forced to serve Mefodiy, and, subsequently, Daphne.
----
* ServileSnarker: She may be forced to serve Daphne, but she wouldn't miss an opportunity to mock her orders (or her in general).
* SingleIssueWonk: She's relatively tolerable... as long as she has no opportunity to bring up "[[DumbBlonde Dumb Blondies]]" topic (she's a firm believer that all blond girls are stupid by definition, and wouldn't believe any proof that this isn't the case; at best, she would insist that smart blondies are dyed brunettes), at which point it becomes impossible to shut her up (and may god have mercy at your soul if you are an actual blondie, like Daphne). Don't think that you would be safe by being a brunette, either: she would switch to "proving" that brunettes are superior to blondes, whether you're interested in it or not.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lyuminiscentiy]]
Ulitha's and Essiorkh's infant son.
----
* BigEater: He's inherited Ulitha's appetite, and Ulitha, seeing nothing wrong with it, feeds him accordingly, which leads to him quickly gaining weight. At one point Matvey compares him to cannonball.
* SuperScream: He's inherited at least some of Ulitha's magic abilities. In particular, ''never'' scare him: if he cries, in the ''best'' case you would be stunned for some time. Matvey learns this the hard way.
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Essiorkh isn't the best with names. Ulitha was not amused when she learned ''how'' he named their son, and instead of using the name Essiorkh gave him, she shortens it to "Lyul".
[[/folder]]
! Lopukhoids
[[folder: In general]]
* FantasticSlurs: The term "lopukhoid" (from Russian "lopukh" -- "burdock", but can also mean "fool") is used by mages (regardless of alignment) and Dark Guardians (Light Guardians are generally trying to avoid this term) to call non-magic humans, and has the negative connotations.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Once ago, the Darkness used to serve as [[TheCorrupter the corruption influence]] for humanity, seducing it into committing all kinds of atrocities, while ripping harvest of damned souls. Nowadays, humanity is so corrupt, it commits those atrocities by itself, without outside influence, and without "dedication" to the Darkness -- which also means, the Darkness no longer has any benefits from it. Many Dark-aligned characters voice their surprise over just how rotten the modern humanity has become, but never as a compliment.
* {{Muggles}}: Lopukhoids are "normal", non-magical humans who inhabit the Earth.
* PunyEarthlings: With the rare exceptions, in this verse humans are usually downright stupid (sometimes [[TooDumbToLive suicidally stupid]]), which gets exploited by nearly everyone. The sole exception are the Light Guardians, who actually want humanity to evolve, but even they look on humans as silly, entitled children at best.
[[/folder]]
!! Mefodiy's relatives
[[folder: Zoya "Zozo" Buslaeva]]
Edya's sister and Mefodiy's mother.
----
* AfraidOfBlood: Since the incident in her childhood when she cut herself and mistook the wound for fatal one (with no parents being around for hours), she's dreadfully afraid of blood.
* BigSisterBully: Even now she keeps bullying her younger brother, Edya. She particularly loves to mock his surname, considering it to be silly and bringing associations with pigs. Whenever he points that it's her surname too, she reminds that she changed it after marriage, and doesn't regret it.
* CartwrightCurse: She had a bad luck of keeping ''any'' relationship for long, with many failed ones happening even before the start of the first novel, but then Tukhlomon realises that her suitors may be used as a stable source of eidoses, and from now on basically every single one of them gets attacked and fooled to give up his soul soon after showing up for the first time. Tukhlomon is sane enough to not touch Zozo herself (or her brother), knowing ''how'' it would end once Mefodiy finds out.
* DoNotCallMePaul: She insists on being called "Zozo", disliking her real name. Since her passport shows "Zoya" instead of "Zozo", she hates it, too.
* FirstGuyWins: After the ''[[LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces long]]'' streak of failed attempts to find a replacement, she finally gives her ex-husband Igor another chance -- even if [[TheLoad undeserved]]. It should be noted that it was not completely her decision; it was a work of cupid (cupids are infamously mischievous).
* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: She constantly seeks a replacement for her ex-husband Igor, only to run into all kinds of jerks, loons and loony jerks. Mefodiy quickly stopped even trying to remember the names of his mother's countless suitors, because they rarely last for more than a week. [[ConMan Igor Buslaev]] is not much different from the rest of them, except their relationship lasted long enough for them to marry (and have a son).
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: She's an energetic one in the duo with her (savvy) brother Edya. She's always enthusiastic and full of energy, but is rather air-headed, and easily gets distracted.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite constantly trolling her little brother -- and being trolled in turn -- they really care about each other.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Eduard "Edya" Havron]]
Zozo's brother and Mefodiy's uncle. Infamous cheapskate.
----
* AnimalMotifs: It was repeatedly stated that his surname brings associations with pigs (mostly by [[BigSisterBully his sister]], who takes some kind of pride at changing it after marrying Igor). Edya himself occasionally gets compared to a pig, too.
* AscendedExtra: Earlier novels only used him or his sister as [=PoV=] characters when in need to describe something supernatural from [[{{Muggles}} lopukhoid's]] point of view without introducing new characters. But eventually Edya became important enough to receive his own storylines, even if as side-plots.
* TheCynic: He has very low opinion on ''everyone'', always finding entirely pragmatic motifs behind any good traits, and expecting absolute worst of the people, including his nephew.
* EmbarrassingLastName: It was repeatedly stated that his surname brings associations with pigs;[[note]] "Havronya" is a stock pet name for female pigs[[/note]] his sister keeps mocking it for exactly this reason, making it clear that she hates it. In the seventh novel, Edya admits that he actually hates it himself. That being said, he still keeps it even after marriage.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He may be rude, cynical and greedy, but he ''does'' love his sister and nephew, and wouldn't allow anyone else to harm them. He insisted that something is fishy with Mefodiy being accepted in elite gymnasium (while Zozo just presumed that Mefodiy somehow cheated his way into it), especially since it was allegedly free of charge, and suggested to check out more thoroughly, not because he distrusted Mefodiy, but because he distrusted ''Glumovich'', and was ready to kick Glumovich's ass if his suspicions ends up correct.
* NewJobAsThePlotDemands: He keeps being fired from whatever restaurant he is hired to work in as a waiter, with reasons varying between conflicts with clients, conflicts with boss, stealing or all three.
* RescueRomance: He fell in love (and later married) a girl called Anna, whom he saved from the suicide attempt.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: He is savvy one in the duo with his (energetic) sister Zozo, being cunning, streetwise and creative (particularly when it comes to saving money on something "non-essential").
* StoutStrength: He maintains good musculature and strength due to doing sport (he especially likes box) regularly, but it's not enough to get rid of fat belly (him liking beer a little too much can have something to do with it).
* TrueSight: His contact with dark magic back in childhood leaved some traces on him after all; one of them is (spontaneously working) ability to see through magic illusions. Notably, he can see succubi and commissioners for what they really are, and never trusts them.
* UnfazedEveryman: He quickly learns to accept the magic as something completely ordinary, and starts playing along without unnecessary questions. It may have something to do with his childhood trauma.
** He took Depresnyak's... weirdness surprisingly well. As long as the cat behaves to at least some degree, he's perfectly fine with it being monstrously ugly or flying around.
** While initially he took a fairy appearing in his house as a sign of brain trauma (he was just beaten up by the thugs who came to force him to paying his "debts"), Edya quickly accepted the "rules of the game", and even tried to exploit his new "friend's" magic for profit. It certainly helps that, minus the magic, their worlds are not so different.
** When he was visited by a girl claiming to be his wife from the future who went here to save his life, he was not even surprised anymore.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite constantly trolling his big sister -- and being trolled in turn -- they really care about each other.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Igor Buslaev]]
Mefodiy's missing (for a while) father.
----
* DisappearedDad: Mefodiy prefers not to talk about him at all, always finding new "explanation" why his dad isn't around when asked (with everyone realising what he means and changing topic). Igor eventually returns, but it seems that he didn't change a one bit. Zozo accepts him back, while Mefodiy doesn't bother with reconciling.
* GetRichQuickScheme: He always creates some [[ZanyScheme elaborate schemes]] how to get rich; none of them ever works and in fact cause him to always being low on money.
* TheLoad: He contributes nothing to the family. Prior to divorce, he was too busy wasting time (and money) on [[GetRichQuickScheme questionable schemes]]. After reuniting with Zozo, he insisted on not working at all, because "[[InsaneTrollLogic he doesn't want to help the thieves and con artists]]".
* {{Nephilim}}: He is a distant descendant of the Light Guardian Demid Buslaev. He is completely ordinary, however, and doesn't possess any supernatural abilities (or ''any'' notable abilities, for that matter), unlike his son.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Anna Havron]]
Edya's girlfriend and later wife.
----
* BlindWithoutThem: She's extremely shortsighted, and needs glasses in order to do even basic things.
* FirstNameBasis: Until she married Edya and took his surname, she was only addressed by her first name.
* RescueRomance: Her relationship with Edya starts with her being rescued by him, twice; firstly from [[InterruptedSuicide suicide attempt]], and then from a domestic abuser.
[[/folder]]
!! Arey's family
[[folder: Varvara]]
A digger girl [[note]] The "diggers" (the loaned English word, not its Russian analogue) are the subculture endemic to post-USSR, including Russia, which involves exploring the urban undergrounds, including metro, for profit, science or just fun, often risking their lives and nearly universally risking problems with law. [[/note]], whom Cornelius meets in metro.
----
* ActionGirl: She's so-called "digger", who usually works alone, save for [[CanineCompanion Dobryak]]. When it comes to fighting, she's more than capable to defend herself, not in the last turn thanks to her favourite cleaver.
* BackFromTheDead: She's Arey's daughter, killed by Yaraat, but resurrected by the Light to give her a second chance to decide wether she would end up in Eden or Tartarus.
* CanineCompanion: Always accompanied by her large dog, Dobryak (literally "good man"), whom she found as a puppy long ago (he was hopelessly sick, but she managed to save his life anyway). [[spoiler: After her death, the dog was adopted by Korneliy]].
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: After all character development, she gets send back in time in a scene which comes basically out of nowhere, where she dies [[ItMakesSenseInContext fighting nazis]] to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong. The end.
* FirstNameBasis: She's one of the few lopukhoid (or loupukhoid-born) characters whose last name was never revealed. Considering her uneasy relationship with her adoptive family, [[JustifiedTrope it makes sense]]: she doesn't want to acknowledge them as her family.
* InSeriesNickname: Since she never revealed her last name, both the narrative and characters at times call her "citizen Gormost" instead, after the organisation responsible for maintaining the subway where she lives.
* JerkWithAHeartofGold: She may be not the most gentle person around here, but she still cares about the people she let near herself, and would help them, though she would likely still say an insult or two if they annoyed her before.
* LikeParentLikeChild:
** She inherited many traits from her father, Arey, including her stubbornness, [[HotBlooded hot temper]], inability to stay in one place for long and aversion towards being controlled by someone. Even her stubborn insistence to remain "neutral" can be linked to him.
** The last novel shows us Varvara's mother, who was [[BadassNormal just as badass as her daughter]]. Varvara clearly inherited a lot from her as well.
* MementoMacguffin: That locket Arey (through Ulitha) gifted to Varvara? It contains the eidos of Varvara's mother (of which Varvara isn't aware), and protects her from Ligul's attempts to corrupt her any further. Now, Ligul is willing to do anything to get rid of it.
* {{Nephilim}}: She's the daughter of Arey -- the former Light Guardian who [[FallenAngel turned Dark]]. This makes her more harm than good, because she inherited some of his not exactly best traits, and now risks ending up just like him, unless something would be done.
* NoNameGiven: PlayedWith. The name "Varvara" was given to her after her resurrection. We never learn how her parents have originally called her.
* OddFriendship: Despite repeatedly saying that he annoys her, she still sticks around with Cornelius. Cornelius believes what she secretly loves him, she's just yet to admit it. He turns up right, even if she only gets the chance to say it in their very last meeting.
* PosthumousCharacter: PlayedWith. She was presumed to be dead when she was originally introduced, but later it gets revealed that she was resurrected by the Light in a new body to give her a better chance to end up in Eden, sufficiently long ago to already be alive by the time of second novel (where she firstly gets mentioned). And yet, since she remembers nothing of her past, the ''original'' Varvara is dead; even her name, "Varvara", was given ''after'' her resurrection.
* TheRunaway: She didn't come along with her foster parents (despite all their best intentions), and eventually run away from house. Ever since then, she lives on the street with only her dog (whom she adopted from the street).
* SatisfiedStreetRat: She's perfectly fine with her life on a street (or, more precisely, ''underneath'' it, since she's a digger), because she's perfectly capable of sustaining herself (despite all the dangers she constantly faces, up to and including police -- diggerism is a legally grey area in best of times), while having no persons who can order her around and force her to behave in a certain way (that's why she chose to run away from her adoptive family -- in their attempts to protect her, they started restricting her). She's tough as a nail, albeit somewhat crazy at times, and respects only the people who share such qualities (mainly, the other diggers), yet still has moral compass and can help people in need.
* {{Tsundere}}: Basically, her relationship with Cornelius. Deep underneath the harsh treatment she shows to him, and periodic bursts of anger, she still secretly loves him. Cornelius realises it first.
* WeaponBasedCharacterization: She prefers using a cleaver (of rare and very good quality) for self-defence. This is one of the proofs that she's indeed Arey's daughter.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Pelka]]
Arey's mortal wife, and Varara's (original; it's complicated) mother.
----
* ActionGirl: Life in [[DeathWorld Forbidden Lands]] is extremely harsh -- adapt, or die. What she lacks in training, she takes in resolve; that's how she managed to survive for so long by herself.
* TheLoad: Not what the actual fighters fare much better, but she contributes little to the expedition to the Head-Stone, being merely human, with neither magic nor military training. She basically tagalongs with Arey.
* NoNameGiven: {{Subverted|Trope}}. She was introduced in the second novel and was repeatedly referenced across the series, but remained nameless... until the last novel, which finally revealed her name and gave her OriginsEpisode.
* ParentalAbandonment: Her father was a scribe, who was killed (along with his wife) to [[HeKnowsTooMuch preserve some secret]]. The only reason why Pelka herself didn't die is because they failed to catch her.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's long dead by the start of the series. When she finally shows up in the plot personally, it happens in [[OriginsEpisode flashback chapters]].
[[/folder]]
!! Arey's students
[[folder: Petruccho Chimodanov]]
One of the other three kids who inherited Kvodnon's powers. His main ability is to animate constructs he makes... mostly from various trash, like burned plastic bottles.
----
* BerserkButton: Never joke about "chemodans" (bags) near [[EmbarrassingLastName Chimodanov]]. In fact, just ''saying'' the word near him, regardless of context, can trigger him sometimes.
* DePower: Alongside Nata and Eugesha, he permanently loses his powers in the twelfth novel, becoming a lopukhoid. He takes it surprisingly well, because he never actually valued them anyway: easy gain, easy go.
* EmbarrassingLastName: His surname, Chimodanov, sounds dangerously similar to the word "chemodan", Russian for "bag". He got bullied for it quite a lot back in the school -- and sometimes still gets by the people around him, mainly by [[{{Troll}} Mefodiy]].
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: While Nata is egoistical, but at least tolerable, and Moskin is spineless, but friendly, Petruccho causes nothing but problems, has a repulsive personality, and likes intentionally annoying people around him, and actively going out of his way to look as disgusting as possible. They only stick around with him because they can't kick him out. He gets better after losing his magic.
* {{Golem}}: His main power is his ability to animate small constructs he creates from... literally any trash available. He abandoned most of them when moving to the residence, but keep his favourite (and most violent) one, Zuduka.
* GracefulLoser: In contrast with Nata and even Moshkin, he treats setbacks surprisingly well, including [[DePower losing his powers]].
* HiddenDepths: If there's one thing he really likes, and is good at, it's creating sculptures from mud. This may be related to his {{Golem}}s-creating skills.
* LeeroyJenkins : His main problem as a fighter is his inability to maintain self-control in battle; he would rush forward and either win or get curb-stomped. This is part of the reason why Arey trained him with axes instead of swords.
* SoapBoxSadie: His mother is best known for considering things like wrongly put road signs or "double-meaning" road marking to be an issue worth involving international law (and forcibly dumping her views on anyone). Once Petruccho adapted to live in the residence, he quickly started sending similarly stupid proposals to Ligul, like the road signs for Tartarus, to mark the lava temperature.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: He prefers being called "Petruccho" instead of his given name "Pyotr", or, god forbid, "Petrusik" (that one his mother loves).
* {{Troll}}: He likes doing disgusting things just to annoy everyone around him.
* UncleanlinessIsNextToUngodliness: Either due to his love for looking as disgusting as possible, or due to his laziness (or mix of both), he just ignores the basic hygiene, be it shower or cleaning his teeth. He's also perfectly okay with cleaning up his hands after eating fish ''with his hair''.
-->''He takes shower as often as the February, 29th falls on Monday.''
* VerbalTic: He likes inserting words "But!" and "I insist!" into his speech at seemingly random moments. This trait is amongst the prime [[{{Troll}} mockery targets]] for Mefodiy.
* WeaponBasedCharacterization: Realising that he is hopeless with swords (fencing requires concentration, which he lacks), Arey trained him to use battle axes instead, because they works best with his aggressive, berserk-like combat style. He actually preserved some of non-magic axes even after losing his powers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nata Vikhrova]]
One of the other three kids who inherited Kvodnon's powers. Her main ability is of charming other people, essentially making them her marionettes.
----
* ApatheticStudent: She has little interest to anything besides herself, including studying and combat training. However, she still learned at least ''something'', because when Arey put her in "do or die" situation without [[CharmPerson her magic]], she actually managed to defeat several much stronger combatants by herself.
* BrilliantButLazy: The only thing which prevents her from developing her combat skills is her laziness. When she ''is'' properly motivated, she may be no less dangerous than the other two, like that one time when Arey, tired of her laziness, froze her face to disable her magic, and put her in combat against several fighters of mixed arts, armed only with a battle perch, and she defeated them all anyway.
* ButtMonkey: Once she loses her powers, all her appearances involves her being humiliated in some way.
* CharmPerson: Her main power is the ability to influence males' minds (females are immune), making them obedient, but dumb servants, through using the right facial impression (she calls it "face dancing"). She started exploiting it long before she even learned that they are magic-related. It wouldn't work on Mefodiy, Petruccho or Eugesha (though it partially worked at then untrained Mefodiy in her introduction scene), and, as it later turns out, it can't work on people who are already in love (like Matvey).
* CripplingOverspecialisation: She never bothered to develop ''any'' useful skills outside of training her magic (aside from some combat skill just so Arey would leave her alone). As result, [[DePower by losing the magic]], she had lost ''all''.
* DemotedToExtra: Out of four Arey's students, she has the least number of appearances after losing her powers, and never plays major plot role afterwards.
* DePower: Alongside Eugesha and Petruccho, she permanently loses her powers in the twelfth novel, becoming a lopukhoid. She took it worst out of three, growing too dependant of these abilities, and developing no useful skills whatsoever.
* FemmeFatale: She is a cold, ruthless seductress who prefers subtle manipulations and [[CharmPerson mind control]] over open combat (though, if it actually comes to combat, she may stand her ground). She also sees little value in anyone else but herself.
* {{Foil}}: To Daphne. Daphne is optimistic and friendly, and seeks best in everyone, Nata is self-centred jerk and cynic, with undying love for black humour (like, ''very'' black). Daphne [[FriendToAllLivingThings tries to protect any and all living things]], while Nata has zero regard even for humans. Just to nail it, even their hairstyle is different -- Daphne is a long-haired blondie, while Nata is a short-haired brunette.
* FragileSpeedster: What she lacks in physical strength, she takes in agility. Due to this, instead of using any heavy weapons, she prefers small, but deadly rapier, similarly to Ulitha (but is more competent with it).
* {{Jerkass}}: She's not the most pleasant person to be around, and often acts rather rude, even to her friends. [[EveryoneHasStandards Even Petruccho]] puts the line at actually going beyond simply annoying people.
* HateAtFirstSight: She constantly acts rude to Daphne since day one for no reason whatsoever and without any provocation; not even Daphne understands just what provokes her: it's not even jealousy over Mefodiy, as she knows that Nata doesn't give a damn about him (and vice versa), and only flirts with him because she can.
* NoEyeInMagic: One of the two ways her [[CharmPerson magic]] can work is through maintaining the eye contact. If you manage to break it, the only way that remains is the physical contact. It also wouldn't work through photos or videos, since they are not magical in nature, and have no connections to actual beings depicted on them.
* TheresNoPlaceLikeHome: {{Inverted|Trope}}; she hates her house and her family (particularly her step-father, a military man with DrillSergeantNasty attitude), and prefers the Dark residence to it. Even Petruccho has better relationship with [[SoapBoxSadie his mother]].
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: She prefers to be called "Nata" or at least "Natalie", instead of her given name "Natalia" (or its common short form "Natasha").
* TokenEvilTeammate: Out of four Arey's studens, she is the most selfish and mean one, and always the first one to backstab her "friends". Even Petruccho, while a {{troll}}, ''would'' help his friends when in need.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She likes putting a "I'm so fragile, so helpless" facade to avoid doing work, but when it doesn't work (and with Arey, it ''never'' works), she shows to be no less lethal than any of Arey's students.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Eugesha Moshkin]]
One of the other three kids who inherited Kvodnon's powers, specifically ability to control water, in any shape or form.
----
* BlessedWithSuck: His powers are retroactively acknowledged to only hold back his personal development; he actually ended up ''better'' without them.
* BroughtDownToBadass: He never quits his trainings even after losing his powers, and thus remains a competent combatant even after becoming a lopukhoid.
* CharacterTic: Never ask him the questions about what he feels or thinks, or wether he is sure of something; he would immediately start doubting himself, and asking ''you'' for confirmation.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He may be weird, but out of four Arey's students, he's the second best after Mefodiy (and in some aspects even better).
* DePower: Alongside Nata and Petruccho, he permanently loses his powers in the twelfth novel, becoming a lopukhoid. This only makes him a favour, because he becomes more successful (and happy) in life without these powers.
* ExtremeDoormat: He has next to zero willpower, never argues with ''anyone'' and always seeks for approval from someone else. It's extremely easy to exploit, and force your own will on him, which even the good guys sometimes do just to speed up things.
* GentleGiant: He is bigger and tougher than the other three Arey's students, and has the second-best combat skills (after Mefodiy), but he is extremely shy and talks in the very calm, quiet voice. He also prefers to avoid any violence, even if it means sacrificing the respect the others have to him.
* HenpeckedHusband: After losing his powers, he went into relationship with a girl called Katia, who started giving him "his" opinions about things, down to and including food and drinks. He never tries to argue, despite sometimes having the completely opposite views, due to his usual inability to argue with anyone.
* HiddenDepths: He is normally quiet and slow to react, but may become rather poetic sometimes, and uses his ice-controlling powers for art.
* TheKlutz: Initially, he was clearly unable to properly control his huge body, resulting in him hitting the nearby things, sometimes with disastrous results. He later grows up from this with Arey's help, becoming the second best combatant after Mefodiy (and even better when he uses quarterstaff).
* LoonWithAHeartOfGold: He's weirdest of the three, but also the most compassionate and friendly, and (almost) always tries to help the others.
* MakingASplash: His main power is the ability to control water, be it liquid, solid or steam, and easily interchange them.
* MartialArtsStaff: He prefers quarterstaffs to swords, and is actually better with them than Mefodiy (which Mefodiy acknowledges).
* MartialPacifist: Despite being a competent combatant (with quarterstaff, he can defeat even Mefodiy), he prefers to avoid combat (or any conflict, for that matter) whenever he can.
* PlayingWithFire: By the sixth novel, he develops the ability to control the fire as well. He awoke this ability when he, in panic, extinguished the fire in Nata's room (which he caused in the first place by accident) just by wishing so. Nata was first to realise this, while Moshkin, of course, started doubting wether it was really his work.
* {{Pride}}: According to Fukidid, deep inside he takes a special pride at acting humbly and self-sacrificial, secretly seeing it as making him superior. Especially since only Moshkin himself is allowed to diminish his accomplishments; when anyone else does that, he secretly takes it as an insult.
* ShrinkingViolet: {{Exaggerated|Trope}} to the point it becomes simply ridiculous; he is so shy and unsure in himself, he can't even just state his current mood, asking whoever he's currently talking to for confirmation. Most of the people he deals with just play along, since it would be easier (and faster).
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: He prefers being called "Eugesha" instead of "Eugene". He also dislikes being addressed as "Genya", but that has more to do with his ex-classmate Eugenia being called that.
* TokenGoodTeammate: He is the least corrupt out of all Areys' students, even late into training, even in comparison to Mefodiy. Fukidid actually gets surprised at first and asks why he keeps sticking with them despite (still) being a good person, before he realises that he has a hidden {{pride}}. That doesn't stop Moshkin from being manipulated by Ziggy Puffs into joining his schemes against Mefodiy ''twice'', though.
* WeaponBasedCharacterization: While he's a competent swordsman, he prefers the quarterstaffs; even Mefodiy acknowledges that Moshkin is better with them than him. Besides being quite efficient with his strength and agility, they’re also the least lethal weapons out of Arey’s arsenal: Moshkin is notoriously pacifistic, and those weren't made to kill, but for self-defence.
[[/folder]]
!! Other lopukhoids
[[folder: Babanya]]
Irka's grandma and her official guardian.
----
* FirstNameBasis: If not counting her maiden name ("Arbuzova"), we never learn her (or Irka's) last name.
* {{Portmanteau}}: '''Bab'''ushka '''Anya'''.
* PromotedToParent: Since Irka's parent's died in a car crush and Irka herself became wheelchair-bonded, Babanya became her guardian.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mikhail Glumovich]]
A director of an elite gymnasium, where Mefodiy and Daphne were sent as disguise in the first novel. He's sold his eidos to Ligul, who let him keep it for a time being (it's called "a rent"), and now serves the Darkness in attempt to preserve it for as long as possible.
----
* AssholeVictim: Normally, losing your soul would be [[EmptyShell pretty bad fate]]... but if anyone deserves it, it's Glumovich, who [[WouldHurtAChild tried to sell out his own students]], just to save his own skin (plus, you know, it was his fault that he sold it in the first place). As an extra irony, his soul turns out to be so rotten that not even the Darkness is willing to accept it; Arey just throws it away like trash.
* DealWithTheDevil: He's sold his eidos to Ligul. He can keep it to himself as long as he remains useful, but it's technically no longer his; he merely "rents" it.
* LastNameBasis: He's addressed by full name (Mikhail Borisovich Glumovich) exactly once in the first novel; otherwise, he's exclusively called "Glumovich".
* MeaningfulName: "Glumitsa" means "to mock", "to scoff"; he's pathetic NoRespectGuy.
* NoRespectGuy: He has no respect from his students because he is on their parents' paycheque, and he has no respect from the Darkness because he is merely a lopukhoid who has sold them his eidos and is only allowed to continue existing due to providing them some services.
* PutOnABus: Due to safety concerns (Glumovich has absolutely no way to protect them, and their enemies may be aware of them living here), both Daphne (since the second novel) and Mefodiy (since the third one) have moved away from his gymnasium (while formally continuing studying there), reducing him to background mentions. Then Ligul finally takes away his eidos in the sixth novel, meaning that he's no longer a part of the team. Since then, he only gets mentioned once, when he kicks Mefodiy and Daphne out of his gymnasium in the ninth novel, just to spite them.
* WouldHurtAChild: In pathetic attempt to preserve his own eidos, he's tried to sell the souls of ''all his students'' by giving them the documents about selling eidoses, in hope that they wouldn't read before signing. Arey has rejected this plan as too blatant to work, while Mefodiy reacted by kicking him out of the residence (literally).
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: By the time of the sixth novel, Ligul loses any interest in him and takes away his eidos after all. Biologically, he's still alive, but [[EmptyShell that doesn't matter much]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Pavel Nikitin]]
The biker whose body Essiorkh now inhabits.
----
* DeathSeeker: When his second girlfriend was killed by [[ImAHumanitarian Yaraat]], he [[DrivesLikeCrazy stopped caring about his survival]], and soon died in another crush.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: He always was a reckless driver, but became [[DeathSeeker outright reckless]] after his girlfriend was killed by Yaraat. Essiorkh has "inherited" this trait along with his body.
* DrowningMySorrows: When his first girlfriend, Yana, dumped him for rich German dude called Otto, he started drowning his grief with alcohol. He stopped just before it killed him, and managed to change for the better.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Until the fifth book he was only ever addressed as "the biker". Even Essiorkh never bothered to tell his real name, despite repeatedly referencing his backstory.
* TheLostLenore: His girlfriend was killed and eaten by Yaraat, after which he [[DeathSeeker stopped caring about his safety]] and soon died in another crush.
* PosthumousCharacter: He is already dead by the time of his introduction.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Petruccho's mother]]
Petruccho's socially-active mother.
----
* ControlFreak: She keeps an archive of her son's friends, which includes all their phone numbers (both home and mobile), photos, residence address, and passport data she may use to quickly identify them.
* NoNameGiven: We never learn her name.
* SoapBoxSadie: She considers things like the wrongly put road signs or "double-meaning" road marking to be an issue worth involving international law; and this is the ''least'' weird of her quirks. And she ''would'' dump her views on you, wether you're interested or not. She even joined the group of think-alike activists; when she eventually parted ways with them, it was implied that either [[EveryoneHasStandards she was too extreme]] for them, or [[SeriousBusiness they were not extreme enough]] ''for her''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Felix]]
A debt collector sent after Edya by his former employer.
----
* ArcVillain: Edya's plot in ''The Ticket to the Bald Mountain'' starts with Edya's conflict with Felix. It gets resolved on Felix's second visit, several chapters later.
* EvilDebtCollector: Felix and his thugs goes after people who refuses to pay up their debts, to beat them up until they change their mind. Edya owes whomever hired Felix $3000 (a ''very'' large sum for the average Russian, even at the time of publication; and Edya is chronically poor), and has less than three days to somehow pay it up, or they would beat him to death.
* FatBastard: Felix is the fat and merciless EvilDebtCollector, who, if you wouldn't pay up, would beat you to the pulp.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He always remains gentle and cheerful. Even when beating Edya up.
* SoftspokenSadist: Felix always talks in calm, gentle voice -- including when describing how he and his thugs would beat Edya up if he wouldn't pay.
* TermsOfEndangerment: Felix keeps playfully calling Edya "sailor" -- both before and after brutally beating him.
[[/folder]]
----
[[folder: Mefodiy Buslaev]]
Titular character and destined Chosen one of the Darkness. Born at the moment of total solar eclipse, when darkness concentrated around Moscow, he inherited power of former supreme lord of Darkness, Kvodnon.
----
* TheAce: ZigzaggedTrope.
** He's one of the best students of Arey (''the'' best swordsman who ever lived), but he [[MagicallyIneptFighter consistently fails to grasp his magic abilities]], either Dark or Light ones. Even then, his competency with the sword strongly depends on wether he needs to stand his ground against the current foe, or the story would work better if he fails (which always [[WorfHadTheFlu gets explained by him quitting training]] due to losing interest).
** After becoming a Light Guardian, he quickly learns how to fly (something the other Guardians learns in ''years''), but he's abysmal with flute. He only learns how to properly use it in the very final.
* AffectionateNickname: Arey keeps playfully calling him "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipollino Lord Tomato]]" ever since the first book (though it was originally Ulitha who came up with it).
* AntiHero:
** In the early novels, despite technically being on the Dark side, he keeps fighting the ''actual'' villains instead of the Light Guardians, and has little interest in developing the qualities expected from the future Dark Lord. But he's not free of dark traits, and often shows his jerkish side.
** Even after abandoning the Dark side, he keeps some of his unpleasant traits (particularly, his infamous stubbornness). It also takes him much time to quit thinking like a Dark Guardian and using their tactics.
* ApatheticStudent: He is ''very'' hard to force into studying anything if he isn't already interested in it, be it "lopukhoid" math, or magic.
* ArchEnemy: Mefodiy has ''a lot'' of reasons to hate Tukhlomon, well beyond the usual disdain any Guardian has for the commissioners. Be it his futile attempt to trick Mefodiy into giving up his eidos all the way back into the first novel, or his attempt to steal ''Irka's'' eidos in the second one, Tukhlomon always finds a way to add another point into the list of reasons why Mefodiy wants him dead. Even Ligul doesn't achieve that level of animosity.
* BetaCouple: With his relationship with Daphne stabilising relatively early, they become the {{foil}} for other, less successful couples:
** They serve as this for Matvey and Irka, whose struggle to not only survive themselves, but to also preserve each other constantly clashes with their secrecy, lack of social skills and inability to just accept each other as is, instead of trying to "better" each other to their own tastes. By contrast, Mefodiy and Daphne trusts each other completely and support each other in every peril. Matvey and Irka themselves acknowledged this more than once.
** To a lesser extent, they serve as this for Essiorkh and Ulitha, who have their own insecurities, both with adapting to the "normal" life and with actually staying together (Essiorkh is the Light Guardian who needs to somehow maintain balance between his duty as the Guardian, and his duty of the father and husband, without losing connection to either; Ulitha is the ex-witch who needs to be extra careful to not slip into Darkness again -- because the Darkness would surely not let her go away so easily).
* BloodKnight: Not Mefodiy, but [[EmpathicWeapon his sword]], which is all too eager to spill some blood, sometimes even going out of control.
* BrilliantButLazy: He has extremely powerful natural magic abilities, but can't properly utilise them because he's too lazy to actually train them. While he quickly developed good enough fencing skills (since he's actually interested in training them... most of the time), his magic skills have a lot to desire for. This stopped being the case once he was resurrected as the Light Guardian, as he had lost old powers.
* TheChosenOne: He was destined to inherit the powers of the former Dark Lord Kvodnon, which makes him the prime candidature for position of the new one. Of course, there're many people who want to exploit him, and Ligul would be all too happy if something bad happens to him and he would remain in power. Mefodiy eventually rejected his destiny, however, to forge his own.
* TheChosenZero: Mefodiy is a relatively normal twenty (okay, almost thirteen) years old boy who lives with his (divorced) mother and his (lazy and not exactly nice) uncle in a small room in Moscow. He is neither good student not very popular amongst people (the only friend he has is just as lone disabled girl Irka). When Ulitha showed up and told him what he is TheChosenOne, it took him long time to believe her even after she showed him that magic really exists. Or when he started using some by himself. Old habits die hard. [[CharacterDevelopment He eventually grew up from this]], becoming both more self-confident, and competent.
* {{Determinator}}: People have different opinions about him, some positive, some negative, but even those who dislike him would admit that through years of training he developed unbreakable willpower, which allows him to continue fighting when anyone else would break. In fact, he's the sole known person who actually managed to reject his darkh and successfully destroy it.
* EmotionEater: He can consume the energy or emotions directly from people's auras, empowering himself. Though some of them he would rather avoid, due to them being just disgusting (like Glumovich or Tukhlomon).
* EmpathicWeapon: Until late in the series, he uses the old Drevnir's sword (a Light-turned-Dark artifact weapon). The sword can detect his emotions, and react to them, particularly to his anger and his hatred.
* EvilWeapon: Mefodiy's sword is indeed the weapon of Darkness. This became a problem when he defected to Light, since the sword started showing the signs of disloyalty, and even endangering his friends. Ultimately, he realised that he can't hold for it much longer, and abandoned it forever.
* FatalFlaw: His stubborn determination is actually the double-edged sword, and bites him in the ass just as often as it saves it. While this may be useful when he needs to resist something -- or continue fighting when everything seems to be lost -- he often applies this where it doesn't belong. Sometimes he does something self-harming just because he is unwilling to submit to someone who demands something opposite, including Daphne. Sometimes he keeps fighting where anyone else by that point would already realise that the change of tactics is required. Sometimes, he just does something outright stupid just to spite people, not willing to act like they expect of him.
* HeroesPreferSwords:
** PlayedWith in earlier novels. In this series, swords are mainly used by the villains ([[MusicalAssassin heroes prefer flutes]]), and Mefodiy is TheChosenOne of the [[DarkIsEvil Darkness]]. But, despite his various bad traits, he is not a true villain and has no intentions to become one, while most of his enemies are actual villains.
** PlayedStraight ever since he abandoned the forces of Darkness, as he continued using the sword, while most other warriors of the Light use anything but swords. Even after abandoning Drevnir's sword, he acquired a new one -- his ancestor's spatha.
* MagicallyIneptFighter: He's very competent swordsman, but consistently shows poor performance when he needs to use his magic abilities. The problems continue after hims becoming a Light Guardian, [[spoiler: with him learning how to use the flute literally during the final battle versus Varsus]].
* MasterSwordsman: Of course, not nearly to a degree of his master, but after spending much time training him, Arey taught him well, allowing him to stand his ground against much more experienced and dangerous opponents, like Tartarian Dark Guards. He's acknowledged as very skilled swordsman by everyone but Arey, and even that has more to do with him always seeing the room for improvement. After Arey's death, Mefodiy was acknowledged as the new supreme swordsman by both the Darkness and the Light.
* {{Nephilim}}: He is a distant descendant of the former Light Guardian Deomid (who, after falling in love with mortal woman, descended on Earth and took the name Demid Buslaev). This is why the Darkness has so much troubles to effectively corrupt him, and why he may touch the Light flutes and wings without being harmed. Then he literally becomes a Light Guardians himself at the strt of ''The Gryphon's Mistake''.
* RedRightHand: He has long blond hair, which he normally puts into tail (which eventually grew up waist-long), due to the fact that any attempt to cut them down results in heavy pain and blood going out, which [[AfraidOfBlood freaks out his mother]]. This is one of the traits he inherited from [[SatanicArchetype Kvodnon]]. He loses them, along with his powers, after being killed and resurrected as the Light Guardian.
* {{Troll}}: Quite often, Mefodiy just can't resist the temptation to make fun at others' expense.
* UnskilledButStrong: His extremely powerful innate magic makes him little good because he never properly learns how to utilise it.
* WorfHadTheFlu: As he's supposedly one of the best fighters, to preserve drama, he frequently faces new enemies ''just'' after quitting his trainings as "he no longer needs them".
* YoungerThanHeLooks: It was mentioned by his mother (and later by Daphne) that he always looks several years older his real age, ever since his earliest days.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: It was repeatedly established that major contributor to his constant failures at learning magic was him trying to ''think'' how to do it, instead of just ''do it'', instinctively. Quite often his magic actually starts working exactly when he stops bothering. After becoming a Light Guardian, Mefodiy similarly struggles with flying, because his attempts to do it "right" actually interfere with him just doing this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Daphne]]
Daphne, "Daph" or (when under lopukhoid disguise) Dasha Pimonova is the agent of Light in the Darkness's domain and Mefodiy's Guardian Angel.
----
* AerithAndBob: PlayedWith. Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), she has perfectly human name... but it looks out of place in Russia, where story is set. When near lopukhoids, she either calls herself "Dasha", or pretends that "Daph" is a nickname.
* ApatheticStudent: She payed little attention during her classes, being interested by literally anything but the school program; the sole exception were Sniffer's classes of magolodies, because there was little place for hiding. As result, even things which everyone were supposed to know (like the history of Kvodnon's downfall) must be explained to her (and by proxy, the readers).
* BetaCouple: With her relationship with Mefodiy stabilising relatively early, they become the {{foil}} for other, less successful couples:
** They serve as this for Matvey and Irka, whose struggle to not only survive themselves, but to also preserve each other constantly clashes with their secrecy, lack of social skills and inability to just accept each other as is, instead of trying to "better" each other to their own tastes. By contrast, Mefodiy and Daphne trusts each other completely and support each other in every peril. Matvey and Irka themselves acknowledged this more than once.
** To a lesser extent, they serve as this for Essiorkh and Ulitha, who have their own insecurities, both with adapting to the "normal" life and with actually staying together (Essiorkh is the Light Guardian who needs to somehow maintain balance between his duty as the Guardian, and his duty of the father and husband, without losing connection to either; Ulitha is the ex-witch who needs to be extra careful to not slip into Darkness again -- because the Darkness would surely not let her go away so easily).
* BroughtDownToNormal: She temporarily lost her magic in ''The Ice and Fire of Tartarus'' (due to Ligul's manipulations), and spent the rest of it, and entirety of next novel, without her flute (she was unable to even touch it), and without any of Light-granted abilities (magolodies, wings, immortality and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking antigravic hair]].
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: ''Any'' form of "dark behaviour", up to and including overly dark humour (which she shows a lot in early novels, sometimes surprising even Ulitha), may result in blackening of your feathers (and she has plenty of black feathers already). She's aware of this, but often just can't resist. As we learn in later novels, blackening of one's wings is the main sign that the Light Guardian starts succumbing to Darkness; at first, the wings starts weakening, on the late stages, the wings would ''rot'' and fall out completely.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: In the first three novels, Daphne was the second main character after Mefodiy.
* DatingCatwoman: She started dating Mefodiy even before he abandoned Darkness; their love by itself was major contributor to this happening.
* FluffyTamer: She showed interest in creatures normally considered monstrous even before she obtained Depresnyak. She's also the only person whose orders Depresnyak obeys at least sometimes.
* GuardianAngel: De-jure, she is Mefodiy's Guardian Angel, despite not being related to Crystal Spheres in any way; her role is to ensure he would not fall into Darkness completely. However, it's a major question who's protecting whom, as she needs his help just as much, if not more.
* HumanityEnsues: Her ongoing plot arc ever since third novel (when it was acknowledged as a problem) and until the eight one (where Mefodiy finally defected from the Darkness) is her slowly becoming human, both physically (like her starting growing up on "normal" speed, while usually Light Guardians age up thousand times slower) and mentally. This is a bad thing, because if not interrupted by returning to Eden, this may become irreversible, to the point she stops being a Light Guardian and becomes mortal.
* KidHero: Due to how time works in Eden, her age (13 000 years) is equal to thirteenth years on Earth. Due to constant issues with [[HumanityEnsues slowly becoming human]], she may or may not be of roughly the same biological age as Mefodiy.
* MagicHair: She puts her hair in two large tails, which move on their own, often ignoring gravity. When she temporarily loses her magic, this trait disappears as well.
* TheMole: She was set up as the "betrayer of Light", so Darkness would trust her enough to let her near Mefodiy. Despite Darkness never trusting her completely, she was allowed to stay on this position right until Mefodiy defected in the eight novel.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: {{Justified|Trope}}; Sniffer teaches wide variety of magolodies, even the secret ones (despite supposedly not being allowed to), so when the situation calls for it, Daphne can remember and use something appropriate. When it's something she was not supposed to know, it turns out that Sniffer secretly taught her some magologies which are normally used only by the Gold-Winged Ones.
* NoSell: She's amongst the few people completely immune to Depresnyak's depression-inducing abilities.
* PetMonstrosity: What can be more cool than bald winged cat literally out of hell which can bite off marble, tear apart steel with his claws and cause depression and/or burns merely by being touched? This is her pet cat, Depresnyak.
* RunningGag: When she becomes annoyed by someone too much and wants to end the dialogue, she [[SchmuckBait offers them to hold Depresnyak for a bit]]. With predictable consequences if someone falls for it.
* SatelliteLoveInterest: Aside from the first novel (though it's where the seed gets planted), all her plotlines are related to her relationship with Mefodiy (and troubles they face).
* TokenEvilTeammate: Main reason why she was even chosen to become Mefodiy's Guardian Angel in the first place: she is the only Light Guardian to contain some Darkness inside her (which is represented by her bad traits, amongst which are disrespect for rules, and even her love for black humour), so it would be plausible if they pass her as turncoat instead of someone more experienced. It worked, [[spoiler: because it was Ligul who manipulated Troil through dark artifact to send her on this quest]], though Ligul never trusted her in full despite her being seemingly accepted in the team, and would later try to get rid of her more than once.
* TokenGoodTeammate: For the Russian department of Darkness, while she was part of it; she was literally the only Light-aligned being there.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite her constant conflicts with Ulitha, they actually consider each other to be friends, not in the last turn because they share the taste at humour; they wouldn't admit it, of course.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Irka]]
Irka (short for "Irina") is Mefodiy's old friend from his past life. She was bound to wheelchair since childhood, but one day a mortally wounded Loner Valkyrie has visited her, giving her new duty, new power -- and new legs.
----
* AerithAndBob: She's the only Valkyrie to use perfectly normal name instead of made-up alias. She did this unintentionally, but it sticks.
* AscendedExtra: She had only two brief appearances in the first two novels... and joined the cast as one of the main characters in the third one.
* BookWorm: She is ''very'' well-educated for her age, and was [[GradeSkipper actually close to finish school early]] (despite being around thirteen years old). After becoming a Valkyrie, she switched her attention to magic, even knowing she can't use it (outside of valkyrie's abilities), being interested by theory alone.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: She's passionate, energetic and friendly, Matvey is cold, calm and secretive.
* DePower: When she was mortally wounded by Tartarian assassin, she only managed to survive due to essentially having three lives, of which she lost two; unfortunately, with them she lost her magic, access to the spear and, what's worst, her ability to walk (though that one was eventually solved). She has managed to regain ability to walk since then, but the powers are gone permanently.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Ever since her gaining the Valkyrie powers in ''The Third Horseman of Darkness'', she became the second main character after Mefodiy himself; when she isn't involved in the problems Mefodiy faces, she gets her own plotline, which goes simultaneously.
* DisabilityNegatingSuperpower: When she received a dying Valkyrie's powers, that Valkyrie also (somehow) took her injuries for herself, restoring Irka's ability to walk in absurdly short amount of time. However, her newly-gained ability to walk is tied to the Valkyrie powers, as losing them disables Irka again. She regains ability to walk after Matvey [[DealWithTheDevil makes a deal with Mamzelkina]] (just before the Valkyries came up with other way).
* FateWorseThanDeath: She considers her childhood trauma and losing her ability to walk to be this, believing that it ruined her life, forever trapping her in a wheelchair like in a prison cell (she can't even move outside of her house without Babanya's help, as the city is ''completely'' unsuitable for disabled people). After regaining ability to walk, going back to wheelchair became her worst nightmare, not in the last turn because she associates it with being powerless and alone (she has Babanya, but she needs to spend a lot of time at work).
* FirstNameBasis: Unlike most other characters of lopukhoid origin, she's only ever addressed by her first name; in fact, we never learn her last name whatsoever.
* HerNameReallyIsBarkeep: All Valkyries chose new names when they become the Valkyries. Irka, who was unaware of this, just said her real name when asked by the other Valkyries (some reacted with annoyance, some with amusement), making "Irka" official.
* HowlOfSorrow: As the weird consequence of surviving the mortal wound on only the last life -- the she-wolf's one -- Irka "inherited" some wolf-like traits even after losing her Valkyrie powers. Amongst them, the weird habit of showing her sorrow by howling like a wolf (including on the moon). Her howl is "authentic" enough for the animals to recognise it as a genuine howl of sorrow, and react accordingly.
* TheIdealist: Unlike [[TheCynic Matvey]], she always seeks the best in people. Quotes from her diary also shows her dissatisfaction with the cynicism and hostility of the world -- despite which she still believes that it can be improved.
* IneffectualLoner: Part of the course of being the Loner Valkyrie -- instead of working as a part of the team (unlike [[AmazonBrigade the rest of the Valkyries]]), she may only work with her NonHumanSidekick, Antigon, who's not of much help in battle.
* ItBeganWithATwistOfFate: She was merely a disabled teenage girl until the night she chose to accept a dying Valkyrie's proposal.
* LastGuyWins: She starts the story being (secretly) in love with Mefodiy, but slowly develops the feelings for Matvey. After all the challenges and near breakups, they end up together.
* TheMedic: She commonly uses her magic to heal other characters from all kinds of wounds, from small scratches, to near-fatal injuries.
* MiseryTrigger: While she was still disabled, she purposely avoided looking on her legs -- because these small, undeveloped, skeleton-like limbs reminds her about the life she lost. When she restored her legs after meeting a Dying valkyrie, it took her some time to collect enough courage to look on her legs and check wether it worked -- the pain of disappointment would be too strong. Afterwards, she tried to avoid even looking on her old wheelchair, as the last remnant of her dark past.
* MyInstinctsAreShowing: Major danger of her shapeshifting abilities -- while in animal form, it's possible to lose your mind to its instincts. That being said, completely avoiding transformation for large amount of time can "provoke" these forms into trying and taking control by force (which actually happened with her wolf form the first time, since she never tried it and wolf became hungry). Balance is key.
* NoSocialSkills: She has virtually no social skills (if not counting the time she spent on internet forums in attempts to find friends at least there), nor she actually knows anything about the city around her, due to spending most of her life trapped at home, in wheelchair, as the city is ill-suitable for disabled people. Until she became a Valkyrie, her literally only real friend was Mefodiy. They distanced from each other afterwards, due to being on different sides.
* OfficialCouple: Just sort of friends initially, she and Matvey actually started dating towards the end of the series. In the final novel, he finally proposed to her.
* OppositesAttract: Matvey is so much different with Irka, it's hard to comprehend not only why he fell in love with her, but why ''she'' fell in love with ''him''.
* RaisedByGrandparents: Her parents died in the same car crash which took away her ability to walk, so she was raised by her grandmother, [[{{Portmanteau}} Babanya]]. Unfortunately, she has not that much time to spend with her, so Irka stays alone for most of the day...
* {{Reincarnation}}: She's not just distant successor of the Loner Valkyrie Meldika; she's her direct reincarnation. They even look identical. It's presumed in-universe that Irka was born in the first place to give Meldika second chance to redeem herself for past mistakes.
* SadClown: She tries to make jokes about her life to mask how really broken she feels; she isn't exactly successful at this.
* SelfDeprecation: She may joke about her wheelchair (like comparing it to a race car) whatever she wants. Just don't do such kind of jokes yourself, she wouldn't react well.
* SinsOfOurFathers: The longer series go, the more past mistakes of her predecessors gets uncovered, which she now should deal with. Be it her direct predecessor, who [[DealWithTheDevil made a deal with Two-Faced]], or much more distant predecessor who damned her spear by helping Spurius, their mistakes now starts haunting Irka as well. No one cares that she was not even born when they were made.
* SixthRanger: After permanently losing her powers in ''The Blade Dance'', she rejoins the team in the next novel, when the Valkyries discovered the long-lost "tripled spear" -- special melee weapon used by the Maiden of the Tripled Spear, which aids them in battles, despite not being a Valkyrie herself.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Like any Loner Valkyrie, she may transform into a white wolf or into a swan at will.
* WeaponSpecialization: When she rejoined the Valkyries as the Maiden of the Tripled Spear, she traded her old throwing spear for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranseur roncone]] (aforementioned "tripled spear"). Unlike the spears used by the Valkyries, roncone is a melee weapon, requiring her to adapt to new fighting style. This explains why Maidens have so high turnover rate.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: After regaining ability to walk, a prospect of losing it again and returning into a wheelchair became her worst nightmare. Just saying things which can remind her about it makes her shivers.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Being a Valkyrie, she can't be recognised by people who used to know her, including Mefodiy and Babanya, even if she would call herself by name. If she reveals this to them by other means, they would die. Whenever Mefodiy comes close to realised by himself, something blocks his memory, and causes him much pain when he presses on. The magic vanished after she had lost her Valkyrie powers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Essiorkh]]
Daphne's Guardian Angel... just as unusual and unlucky as she is.
----
* BadassBiker: Like all (true, not formal ones like Daphne) Guardian Angels, he can't visit Earth in his true body, so he was forced to resurrect and inhabit the body of a deceased mortal... which turns out to be a biker. While biker's soul went to heaven, his old habits were so integral part of his character, Essiorkh "inherited" them when he took this body for himself. One of them was undying love for bikes and high speed. He also inherited this biker's physical strength, which he now uses to protect people from harm, sometimes not even bothering with using magic.
* BecomingTheMask: At first, he pretends to be a biker, because... well, because it was the only human body available, and the talking dog was certainly even worse alternative. Soon enough, [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody under influence of his new body]], he became the biker for real. He also quickly adapted to the life on Earth, to the point he started feeling out of place when visiting Eden.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: He is responsible for the "little incident" with the Babel. He noticed the local people doing nothing, and suggested them to build a "little tower"; unfortunately, they went overzealous with it. The rest is history. Because of this screwup, he was unable to receive any good task anymore, and was forced to stick with (just as unpopular) Daphne, who was rejected by literally everyone before him.
* TheBigGuy: While he still can access his magic in his mortal body, he often finds it more practical to just kick some asses instead, thanks to his new body being so physically tough. At one point he knocks out a Dark Guardian with a ''wrench wench''.
* ByTheBookCop: When he was introduced, he was prone to consult with the rulebook for any smallest situation, not willing to violate any rule (likely to avoid screwing up even more after that... incident with the Babel). As the time goes on, [[CharacterDevelopment he gradually discards this attitude]], realising that sometimes doing what is morally right is more important than doing what is legally right.
* DatingCatwoman: He is a GuardianAngel, yet he still dates Ulitha, a Dark witch. They're supposed to be incompatible, yet this relationship survived. It's not always smooth; be it her inability to change for the better (without eidos), or Essiorkh's own "holier-than-you" attitude, but they suffer from quarrels from time to time. Under his influence, she eventually defected to the Light, however.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: While he tries to uphold ''some'' lopukhoid rules, he completely ignores those related to personal safety. Fortunately, nothing bad ever happens to him or his occasional passengers.
* FightsLikeANormal: Despite having magic abilities, he mostly relies on his physical strength. It somehow works even when fighting supernatural enemies, including Guardians.
* GlassCannon: While he is physically toughest amongst the main characters, he is not in his actual body, but rather in resurrected mortal one. Because of that, he has no defence against magical attacks whatsoever (something literally everyone else have in at least some capacity, save for Varvara), and can theoretically be destroyed very easily if someone actually tries (which Essiorkh acknowledges), kicking him back to Eden for foreseeable future.
* GoodIsNotSoft: He is a Light Guardian, but if you enrage him enough by being an utter asshole, he ''would'' hit you in the face -- one particularly nasty domestic abuser learned this the hard way. [[CharacterDevelopment He was not like this in his initial appearance]], due to [[LawfulStupid relying on the rulebook too much to be of any use]].
* GuardianAngel: His actual specialisation; his role is to ensure that Daphne would remain safe and on the right path. Normally, Guardian Angels remain back in Eden, and do not interfere (not even those who guard the other Light Guardians), but since situation looks dire enough, he was sent on Earth directly to protect Daphne (both physically and morally). At later point, he (unofficially) becomes one for Ulitha as well.
* HiddenDepths: Early novels showed him as pretty straightforward "BigGuy". Later he develops art skills, both in drawing and in sculpturing (mostly the first one).
* HumanityEnsues: What concerns him the most; the longer he lives on Earth, the more he becomes consumed by the "normal" life, making him closer to losing his magic and identity of the Guardian. Sometimes, when he awakes, he struggles to remember wether he is really the Light Guardian, or it was just a weird dream.
* LawfulStupid: In his earlier appearances, he was tend to put formal rules above common sense. Particularly egregious example is the situation from ''The Scroll of Desires'', when he, instead of helping Mefodiy against the band of thugs, started remembering under which excuses he may use violence, right in the middle of the fight. When he remembered that one of the fitting excuses is protecting somebody from "bandits", he started asking ''said thugs'' wether they may be considered "bandits", and only knocked them down when they tried to hit ''him'', since ''this'' situation ''was'' covered by his book. He failed to notice anything wrong with it when [[WhatTheHellHero he was called out on this]].
* LoopholeAbuse: Stealing is normally bad, but Essiorkh, like any Guardian, can predict future to a degree, and if certain items would be involved in something bad, then they are considered to be "unlucky" and taking them away is fine (even if it would change literally nothing, or "something bad" would happen ''to'' those things). It was how he obtained his first bike in the third novel, since it was supposed to be used for bank robbery and "stealing" someone's wife (in the end the bank was robbed on the car and wife was "stolen" via metro, but who cares?), while the bike was supposed to be drowned (this one [[SkewedPriorities disgusted him the most]]), and his house in the end of novel (it was supposed to burn down; when he informed its owners about it, they happily let him rent it at low price).
* MartialPacifist: He is one of the physically strongest characters, and certainly knows how to stand his ground in melee, but prefers to avoid open confrontation whenever possible, because violence isn't the path of the Light. But if you push him ''really'' too far, he would make an exception...
* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: With new body, he inherited its old owner's habits, [[BadassBiker like undying love for bikes and high speed]].
* OddCouple: With Ulitha; he is a GuardianAngel in the body of a mortal biker, she is a (highly eccentric) witch in service to Darkness, known for undying love to sweets.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Forms this dynamic with Ulitha; he's a calm, gentle philosopher, she's a hyperactive partygoer who can [[MoodSwinger changer her mood ten times per minute]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Matvey Bagrov]]
Apprentice of wizard Mirowood. Unofficially considered to be Irka's squire, even before she stopped being a Loner valkyrie (despite back then she still had Antigon).
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He had a crush on Irka since almost beginning, but it took until much later for her to reciprocate.
* AntiHero: Besides [[UnscrupulousHero preference for unethical methods]], he has plethora of personality problems which constantly interferes with not only his war with the Darkness, but his personal life as well.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: Like his mentor, wizard Mirowood, he uses not only light and [[DarkIsNotEvil dark]] magic, but also [[TheDarkArts necromancy and voodoo]]. Unlike Mirowood, he's savvy enough to realise what one can't resist [[TheCorruption corrupting influence of evil magic]] forever, but for now he resists.
* BlessedWithSuck: His "lucky" bracelet not so much protects from bad luck, as delays it until you take it off. And the instant you take it off, ''every single one'' of the bad things it prevented would hit you ''at once'', almost certainly killing you off if enough of them stockpile. The bracelet's previous owner died from chocking on apple immediately after taking it off (she was unaware of how it works), and it was not even the worst thing what could have possible happened.
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: He's cold, calm and secretive, Irka is passionate, energetic and friendly.
* ControlFreak: In fear of losing Irka, he tries to always remain in control of situation, by being aware of anything she ever does, and ''very'' reluctantly allowing anyone near her without his supervision.
* CrazyJealousGuy: He becomes jealous of Irka to anyone and anything, from her friends to her ''relatives''. He is particularly distrustful towards Mefodiy. This trait annoys Irka, but she prefers not to go into conflict with him over it.
* CharacterDevelopment: He starts as a cynical necromancer with little regard for "puny lopukhoid world". As time goes on, his negative traits (including his cynicism and trademark necromancer humour) are slowly dying out. He also learns to put more trust in Irka, instead of trying to "protect" her behind her back, to their mutual peril.
* TheCorruptible: Matvey is very easy to trick into doing some questionable acts for Irka's "greater good", even if it should be obvious that people he deals with (Aida Plakhovna, Jaff) are untrustworthy.
* TheCynic: He has very low (and often materialistic) view on the world and people, and constantly makes tactless jokes and comments. This ''heavily'' annoys Irka, who has the opposite mindset.
* DarkIsNotEvil: A cynical necromancer with extremely dark sense of humour, Matvey is not a villain and actually fights for the good guys. He is also fiercely loyal to Irka.
* DisappearedDad: Matvey's father has died when he was eleven years-old, leaving Matvey's uncle as his guardian; for whatever reason, Matvey hated him and chose to run away when he hit twelve, living by his own ever since.
* DuelToTheDeath: One of the most common tactics he picks to deal with problems is to challenge the enemy to fight till death, always behind Irka's back, expecting that it would fix all problems. This is part of his tendency to search for "easy solutions" he would only give up after some CharacterDevelopment. It's telling that each new duel comes with slightly more prior thinking.
** In ''Revenge of the Valkyries'', when Irka is about to duel Mefodiy, Matvey attacks Mefodiy first to protect her. He loses and only survives because the Path Stone replaces his actual heart (so he can't be killed by stabbing through the heart).
** In ''The Glass Guardian'', in attempt to at least [[RedemptionEqualsDeath posthumously redeem himself]] for mistake he previously did in the same novel, he challenges Arey, knowing that he stands no chance. The battle ends in rather unexpected way, and Arey spares him for his own reasons.
** In ''The Ship of Light'', he challenges a Dark Guardian Jaff to duel, knowing that it's the last chance he has to help the Valkyries and fix his ''yet another'' mistake.
* FatalFlaw: His [[ItsAllAboutMe egoism]] and demands to stay in control. Even in love, it must be about him, he always (even if subconsciously) demands something in return, like Irka fulfilling some perceived "ideal", and becoming angry when she doesn't. In short, he would rather change everyone else than change himself. Because of that, he constantly fails to find enough strength of will to actually go all the way, and always stops half-way because he loses interest. Because of that, he always searches for the "easy way" to solve the problem, which invariably ends badly for both him and Irka. His entire character arc is about him overwhelming this mindset.
* GemHeart: [[MineralMacGuffin The Path Stone]] replaces his heart; without it, Matvey would die. He eventually received the actual heart, though.
* TheILoveYouStigma: Matvey believes that the words "I love you" are very powerful and important, and must be used sparingly, otherwise they would decay into generic greeting. Special words deserve special usage.
* InsistentTerminology: He isn't a necromancer, he is a wizard's apprentice. No one cares, though: if you act like a necromancer, joke like a necromancer, and look like a necromancer, then you're a necromancer. He quits this after being disillusioned with Mirowood.
* MaliciousMisnaming: He openly dislikes Mefodiy (he never lives past it), and consistently mispronounces his name and surname in insulting manner (changing it to sound like he's calling him dead donkey).
* TheMillstone: He has the bad habit of trying to "help" Irka without thinking first, which often becomes [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the sole reason for her problems]], particularly when he makes the questionable dealings behind her back in misguided believe that it would harm only him, or that he would manage to avoid repercussions (particularly, with Mamzelkina, who ''never'' acts out of good intentions). In other times, he just gets temped or blackmailed by Aida Plakhovna (and in one case Jaff), who has no other means to affect Irka. The other Valkyries are aware of this, and thinks that Irka would be much better without him; at two points, they even tried to exile him when he went too far. He eventually learns to stop making the same mistakes over and over, and finally becomes the supporting figure Irka needs.
* MissingMom: His mother has died when he was two years-old; he was risen by his father, until the father died too.
* {{Necromancer}}: Amongst the other things Mirowood has taught him was necromancy, which he often uses to achieve his goals.
* NoSell: He is one of the few males completely immune to Nata's magic -- because he's already taken by Irka.
* OfficialCouple: Towards the end of the series, he actually started dating Irka. In the final novel, he proposes to her.
* OppositesAttract: He's so much different with Irka, it's hard to comprehend not only why he fell in love with her, but why ''she'' fell in love with ''him''.
* TheRival: He sees Mefodiy as his main "competitor" ever since they first met each other, and acts openly hostile to him. This never stops even after Mefodiy defecting to Light.
* SealedGoodInACan: He was imprisoned within his mentor's ring long time ago, and only released by Irka during the events of ''The Ticket to the Bald Mountain''.
* SpartanWay: Once Matvey's mother has died, his father started training him, in ''very'' strict and hard ways; it ensured that Matvey became able to survive whatever life is throwing at him, down to and including supernatural nastiness -- even prior to Mirowood taking him as apprentice; speaking of Mirowood, according to Matvey, his training methods were not a one bit softer.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: The other Valkyries consider him to be the main reason for Irka's problems, causing her to make bad decisions or endanger herself just to save him; many of them are openly hostile to him because of that.
* {{Tritagonist}}: Later novels have Matvey as the third main character, dedicating just as much attention to his struggle to overcome his flaws as to the current ArcVillain.
* UnscrupulousHero: He is perfectly okay with using questionable methods or dark magic as long as it makes things done, but he is on the side of the good guys.
[[/folder]]
! Forces of Light
!! Light Guardians
[[folder: In general]]
Inhabitants of Eden and the main opponents of Dark Guardians.
----
* AchillesHeel: They wear a wings-shaped necklace, which both fuels their magic and allows them to materialise their actual wings. Cut if off, and they would lose all their power -- and their immortality. When old wings gets lost, there is no way to obtain new ones. Naturally, the Dark Guardians aims for the necklace in battle.
* AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: Their wings-shaped necklace gives them various abilities: it allows them to fly or use their flutes to create magic, gives them immortality, etc. Without it, they would be reduced to humans. After losing your wings, replacing them is impossible.
* AwesomeButImpractical: The Light values aesthetics over practicability; as consequence, they often lack magolodies for important, but "not interesting" tasks, like lifting weights (well, technically, they do have weight-lifting magolodies, but they tend to be so destructive they may be used only in combat anyway). When it's possible to achieve the desired result through magologies, they may have ridiculous side requirements, like (if using the same weight-lifting magolody as example) drowning a butterfly of specific species in the well during full moon, and use water from that well to wash your flute.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Most Guardians only have bronze winged necklace, and aren't allowed to leave Eden. Elite combat-oriented Guardians have golden one (hence the name, Gold-Winged). Guardian Angels have the silver ones, which also have unique, backwards-bent form.
* GoldColoredSuperiority: Gold-Winged are the dedicated fighters of the Light. Marked by unique golden wings-shaped necklace (the "normal" Guardians only have bronze ones), they deal with special tasks, which normally involve great risk. They are worthy opponents for the Dark Guardians, both because of their experience and because of knowing special combat magolodies not normally taught by other Guardians.
* HumanityEnsues: The Light Guardians must avoid staying in mortal world for too long, and regularly return back to Eden. Otherwise, they would start losing themselves to mortal routine, and eventually would permanently become mortals, without either wings or their magic.
* LongRangeFighter: Most of them never bother with melee combat (at best, they attach knives to their flutes), preferring to fight their enemies with magic, though several guardians actually do favour melee. As result, they become highly vulnerable if Dark Guardians managed to come close.
* MagicalFlutist: Nearly all of their magic is achieved through using their magic flutes. When playing certain music trough it, you can achieve the different effects, from invisibility to protection barrier to [[MusicalAssassin offensive magic]].
* MusicalAssassin: Being the main instrument of their magic, their flutes can be used for combat as well. Depending on which "magolody" they play, they can achieve various effects, from combat invisibility to destruction comparable to air strike. To destroy a Dark Guardian, they need only a single well-placed magolody to hit their [[AchillesHeel darkh]]. When used against lesser dark creatures like commissioners, they can [[DeaderThanDead annihilate their essence]], guaranteeing they would never return.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: {{Inverted|Trope}}; unlike the Dark Guardians, who [[PlayedStraight exploit mortal souls, tormenting them in process]], the Light Guardians ''protect'' eidoses. The mere energy of their gratitude fuels the Light Guardians and their magic, making them stronger as they help people.
[[/folder]]
!!! Leadership
[[folder: Troil]]
Supreme Light Guardian.
----
* TheAce:
** In the first novel, [[EarlyInstalmentWeirdness it's stated]] that the Light Guardians have the system where their number corresponds to their achievements. Troil is the number 1.
** He's also one of the best swordsmen amongst the Light Guardians, with the only person who can claim to be better being his student Varsus.
* AntiNepotism: He did everything in his powers to ''prevent'' his nephew Cornelius from going into any position which may involve actual combat (Cornelius wants to join the Gold-Winged), knowing that it would result in his nephew being killed ''very'' quickly for [[LeeroyJenkins his attitude]] and [[TheLoad incompetence]] without any contribution to the team (or even [[TheMillstone causing someone else being killed]]). As result, Cornelius is stuck with the "important" task of a mail courier (which he still botches all the time), while literally everyone else gains promotions after some time. This gets proven to be wise very quickly.
* BigGood: He is the supreme commander of all Light Guardians (except for Guardian Angels, who act autonomously), making him top-ranking good guy in the setting, outranking even Fulona. Troil, in turn, receives the orders directly from the Light itself.
* MasterSwordsman: He's one of the best the best swordsmen amongst the Light Guardians; Varsus is his student.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He's old enough to know Arey from before he became the Dark Guardian.
* ConvenientComa: He was put in coma due to Ligul's manipulations early in the first novel -- just enough to put him out of picture until the forces of Light became important to the plot again several novels later.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Sniffer / Elsa Kerkinitida Flora Zaches]]
Elsa (better known under her nickname, "Sniffer") teaches the future Light Guardians how to use their music to fuel their magic.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), she has perfectly human name -- Elsa; this doesn't apply to her full name, of course.
* CharacterTic: She received her nickname from her habit of sniffing at random moments.
* CrazyPrepared: She secretly teaches her students some magologies from the arsenal of Gold-Winged -- just in case. This actually saved Daphne's life more than once.
* InSeriesNickname: Her real name is Elsa Kerkinitida Flora Zaches, but people often just call her "Sniffer" (over her CharacterTic) -- of course, not to her face.
* TheLancer: Even if informally, she acts as Troil's most trusted underling.
* SitcomArchNemesis: While they can't be ''true'' enemies due to both being the Light Guardians, she and Daphne have very uneasy relationship, and Elsa uses every opportunity to humiliate Daphne before her other students, by showing how little she really knows.
* SpeechImpediment: She has heavy lisp.
[[/folder]]
!!! Gold-Winged Ones
[[folder: Pupliy and Rufin]]
Originally tasked with guarding the entrance to the House of Lightest Ones, they were demoted and sent to hunt for Daphne.
----
* BrainsAndBrawn: Pupliy is physically tough, but isn't particularly bright. Rufin is less strong, but more skilled and cautious.
* DePower: After their defeat at Daphne's hands in the first book, Tukhlomon stole their wings necklace, which brought them down to mere mortals. This effect is irreversible.
* LawfulStupid: Pupliy knows laws by heart, but due to acting before thinking he sometimes tries to enforce them where it's not a best idea to do. After he tried to arrest an important official over him forgetting his documents, he and Rufin have lost a prestigious position, after which they were sent on the hunt for Daphne.
* TakenForGranite: Rufin was frozen and then petrified by Minotaur's horn in the first book. He was restored back somewhere between the events of the fist and third novels.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Always stick together, always get in troubles together.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Fukidid]]
Recurring Light Guardian.
----
* PintsizedPowerhouse: He is noticeably shorter than other Guardians (he was compared to gnome several times), but it doesn't make him any less dangerous.
* RecurringExtra: Despite never playing major role in the plot, he shows up in more than one novel.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rathuvog]]
Combat magolodies trainer.
----
* BerserkButton: He ''really'' hates AbusiveParents, to the point that he goes [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown close and personal]] with them as soon as he sees them, which already happened twice before his introduction. Because such traits are not acceptable for a Light Guardian, Troil threatened to punish him with exile if it would occur the third time.
* ByTheBookCop: He is ''very'' thorough with following standard procedure. [[JustifiedTrope We later learn]] that this is because he used to be rather... [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown impulsive]] with several [[AbusiveParents bad peoples]], and any more incidents would result in him being banished.
* GoodIsNotNice: He may be a Light Guardian, but he still isn't a nicest person to be around. Daphne quickly developed antipathy for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dion]]
The former Light Guardian whom Cornelius found and befriended on the streets. Has unique musketeer-style beard.
----
* BadassNormal: He's no longer a Guardian and has none of their skills anymore, but he can fight the Dark Guardians -- and ''win''.
* CruelMercy: Arey destroyed his flute, his wings and his legs, but chose to spare him for whatever reason, reducing him to a crippled shard of former glory. {{Subverted|Trope}} in that nowadays, Dion starts realising that, whatever Arey's intentions were, he did him a favour: he was already on the brink of ending up just like Arey due to his pride as the best warrior amongst the Light Guardians, and that ill-fated duel actually saved him from that fate. He wouldn't forgive Arey, but he's still somewhat thankful for being stopped at the last moment.
* DePower: He lost his wings and flute in a duel against Arey, so he's mortal now. He wouldn't reunite with the Light until he dies.
* HandicappedBadass: He lost not only his wings and his magic, but also his legs after ill-fated duel with Arey. However, he adapted, and can easily move around Moscow with just his hands and small platform with wheels (even on stairs), and can defend himself with his throwing knives, which are charmed against the servants of Darkness. It's telling that he can kill the Dark Guardians in this state.
* OddFriendship: He came along with Cornelius, of all people, quite well.
[[/folder]]
!!! Other Guardians
[[folder: Cornelius]]
Troil's unlucky nephew.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name (even by Russian standards, it's rare, but not exotic, unlike Daphne).
* AnnoyingLaugh: He laughs loudly, and rather maniacally (and, as a "bonus", he loudly stomps the floor while doing this), to the point that neighbour mistook him for psycho, ''twice''.
* CasanovaWannabe: He keeps asking girls for their phone numbers, or tries to straight-up invite them on a date. First one often ends with fake numbers such as number of a local BedlamHouse, while the second one usually gets botched by Cornelius himself in for stupid reasons, because he, for whatever reason, invites several girls simultaneously, in different places at the same time. Early in the series, he mentioned several failed dates and not a single successful one. As was put out by Daphne, this is because he keeps trying to ''understand'' how to do everything right, while he should ''feel'' it. And indeed, the only person he actually managed to go along with was Varvara, [[YouWereTryingTooHard with whom he almost didn't try to act, and was just himself]] -- clumsy, nerdy, optimistic and funny, instead of trying to adapt to please her.
* CatchPhrase: "[[TenPacesAndTurn Six steps, and on command!]]"
* FlyingPostman: He serves as the mail delivery guy in Eden, using his natural ability to fly for it. He's still terrible at this job, always misplacing his mail, delivering it to the wrong people or just being late (like, one week late, if not worse).
* DePower: PlayedWith. Varvara destroyed his winged necklace, thus permanently making him mortal. However, while he certainly lost his wings, he developed so deep connection with his flute that, after some training, he re-developed ability to cast magolodies despite no longer being a Guardian.
* TheLoad: He ''never'' makes anything right. Interestingly, he actually becomes useful ''after'' losing his wings towards the end of the series, stopping being this trope.
** The reason why he was assigned to work as a courier despite sucking at it is because here he's "just" useless; at any other task he would [[TheMillstone actually cause harm]] and likely die.
** Knowing that otherwise Cornelius wouldn't leave him alone, Troil assigns him to Essiorkh. Unfortunately, not only he's completely useless most of the time due to having next to zero combat skills (or any useful skills, for that matter), due to his personality he may very well cause himself being killed if not for Essiorkh. He's also annoying.
* PetMonstrosity: After recovering of the third gryphon, Cornelius and the gryphon became inseparable, both in Eden and on Earth, always playing together, traveling together, etc. The gryphon also keeps an eye on him, ensuring that no one would do him any harm.
* PluckyComicRelief: He is nearly completely useless (if not worse) most of the time, and mostly exists to provide annoyance for the other characters -- and fun for the readers. Considering that later novels took the more dark tone comparing with more light-hearted early ones, it's not exactly a bad thing.
* ShooOutTheClowns: After [[spoiler: Varvara's death]], all his clumsiness, [[ThrowingDownTheGauntlet duellist wannabe tendencies]] and attempts to flirt ([[CasanovaWannabe and fail]]) with everyone female permanently go away, making him much more sad, and somewhat more... wise character. He restores ''some'' of his old traits in the last novel, marking him overcoming his grief, but not nearly to a degree of his old PluckyComicRelief self.
* SmallNameBigEgo: He thinks that he's a great duelist. He isn't. His "skills" are [[EpicFail best demonstrated]] in his [[EstablishingCharacterMoment first appearance]], where, when he tries to showcase to Essiorkh, he accidentally damages his flute by hitting his head with it. This is right after he bragged that he may defeat [[MasterSwordsman Arey]] and bring him to Eden to face justice.
* ThrowingDownTheGauntlet: He keeps challenging people to duels at first provocation; no one ever accepts.
* YouWereTryingTooHard: Similarly to Mefodiy (who has this problem with magic), his constant failures with women are caused by him using his brain (at which he isn't that good) to "analyse" how to make them like him, where he should follow the heart instead. It works much better with Varvara, with whom he just acts as his normal self.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Varsus]]
The Light Guardian whom Mefoidy met and befriended during the latest Forbidden Battle.
----
* TheAce: He's amongst the best fighters in Eden, with both the flute (he was trained by Sniffer) and rapier (he was trained by Troil). The sole reason why he's not amongst the Gold-Winged is because he fails to live up to their ''moral'' standards, constantly going into troubles and having his feathers darkened at multiple occasions.
* ArchEnemy: Eventually, he puts all the blame for his problems on Mefodiy, from him "stealing" Daphne and "his" right to kill Arey, to him allegedly causing Varsus' downfall. Varsus quickly goes from considering Mefodiy to be his friend to wanting him dead.
* BadassAdorable: He's described as looking very young, closer to teenager, cute and certainly unthreatening. Mefodiy instantly recognises that it's merely a facade, hiding genuinely dangerous opponent. He quickly gets proven right.
* BigBadSlippage: His actions in the last two novels leads to him slowly degrading from the warrior of Light to self-righteous jerk obsessed with avenging perceived "offences", with the ever-growing list of people he has grudges with, main of them Mefodiy. While the last novel has no "main" villain at the beginning, Varsus ultimately takes this role in the end.
* ChoiceOfTwoWeapons: He deliberately picked shepherd pipe and rapier as his weapons: their size [[SwordAndGun allows for dual-wielding]], and while he loses in effectiveness in both melee and magic (rapier isn't as strong as the heavy melee weapon, and pipe has limited range of magolodies it can produce), he compensates for it with versatileness and ability to use them in tandem, instead of switching.
* DePower: After losing both the wings and the darkh, technically he became a human. Mamzelkina [[PetTheDog also erased his memory]] to give him a second chance.
* {{Determinator}}: The darkh (''filled'' darkh) causes him ''extreme'' pain, yet he still goes on. Mefodiy was nearly broken by ''empty'' darkh much quicker. [[SubvertedTrope However]], he eventually falls for its influence.
* EvilCounterpart:
** In a way, he mirrors Mefodiy's path, which even Ligul [[LampshadeHanging acknowledges]] at one point. Mefodiy started as a Dark Guardian in training, but chose another path. Varsus starts as the Light Guardian, but ultimately loses his wings due to giving up to his internal Darkness. Both also loses their memory at some point, only for Mefodiy it happens to help him reinforce his willingness to work on himself and left the past behind, while Varsus gets his memory erased to give him one last chance to redeem himself before his Darkness consumes him.
** His history resembles Arey's more than he likes to admit. Both were amongst the greatest Light Guardians, and both let their pride to overcome them. However, where Arey realised what he had become, Varsus started descending further into Darkness,
* FallenAngel: His attempts to use the darkh eventually costs him his wings, technically making him a new Dark Guardian. Fortunately, he gets defeated, and stripped of both the darkh and his memories to give him one last chance.
* FallenHero: Prior to succumbing to his dark side, he was indeed a hero and a great asset for the Light.
* GloryHound: He desperately seeks any and all glory he can obtain. Too bad, the Light discourages that sort of behaviour, which prevents him from being promoted.
* {{Greed}}: What hooks him up on the Darkness (with the other traits quickly following up):
** He starts showing signs of growing lust for power when he picks up the darkh and later feeds it with even more eidoses -- it makes him more powerful, and he ''wants'' the power, much more than he wants to actually let these souls free; he even complains that they give him not nearly enough power tor freeing them, as if they "owe" him. By contrast, when Mefodiy hears the same tempting voice from another darkh which also tries to seduce him into amplifying his wings with the darkh's power, Mefodiy doesn't hesitate and just destroys it.
** When he meets Ligul, the first thoughts are about the opportunity to kill him and die like a hero... which quickly gets replaced by the thoughts about Ligul's darkh and the eidoses inside -- which he can obtain for himself! Ligul doesn't miss it, and exploits it in his favour.
* GreenEyedMonster: He was always in love with Daphne, but she chose Mefodiy over him. He was always aimed to fight Arey and defeat him to prove that he's the best warrior, but Arey was killed by Mefodiy, [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt making him the best warrior by default]], and now Varsus can't even fight him since they are on the same side, and Mefodiy actually acts as the leader of their group. This envy contributes to Varsus' downfall.
* InSeriesNickname: Due to him using shepherd pipe instead of standard flute, and almost child-like face, Mefodiy calls him the "Shepherd boy". Later it turns out that Mefodiy is not the first one to come up with such association, and he's called that even in Eden.
* KnightTemplar: In his delusions, he believes that everything he does is justified; when he can't find a justification (such as him using the eidoses, like a Dark Guardian), he [[NeverMyFault blames the Light or Mefodiy]] for "forcing him".
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: He gets his memory erased to give him one last chance to redeem himself by living as a mortal.
* MagicKnight: Unlike most Light Guardians, he's adept both with a flute and with a sword, making him much more flexible combatant.
* MilitaryMaverick: The reason why he's not the Gold-Winged -- he has massive problems with discipline. However, he's effective enough to still allow him to operate on Earth.
* NeverMyFault: He has much troubles with owning his mistakes and failures, always shifting the blame on someone or something else, up to and including the Light itself. It's not his fault he was too slow to propose to Daphne (several thousand years too slow) -- Mefodiy "stole" her! The gryphon attacked him not because it sensed growing Darkness -- the beast is insane, and must be killed!! He didn't fail to be a Light Guardian -- Mefodiy "stole" his life, and must die!!!
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Despite trying to convince both himself and Daphne that he's using the darkh he obtained from the dead Dark Guardian for good, it's a lie; in truth, he just wants to feel the power -- that was the reason why he picked it in the first place, which he briefly admits before starting coming up with justifications why he can and must use the darkh against the Darkness and lies that he would "let the souls go someday".
* {{Pride}}:
** He believes that he's the best warrior of Light, and [[GloryHound always looks for acknowledgment of his skills]], which he doesn't receive (directly) because the Light encourages humility. This is part of the reason why he became so obsessed with fighting Arey, because he was considered to be the best warrior of Darkness, and by killing him Varsus would've become just ''the'' best warrior, period. Then Mefodiy "stole" his chance...
** Varsus always was very sensitive to injustice. However, after going far enough with his SanitySlippage, he starts planning how he would kick Troil's ass and replace him as the "true good", because '''he''' certainly knows better how to run the Light!
* SwordAndGun: Unlike most Light Guardians, he uses not only [[MusicalAssassin magical music]] (which is used for long-range combat), but also a sword (specifically, rapier); the small size of both weapons allows him freely utilise them in tandem, though both are limited in power as result.
* {{Yandere}}: As he goes progressively more insane and corrupted under influence of the darkh, so does his love for Daphne, which degenerates into obsession with making her "accept" him... wether she likes it, or not. And, of course, it's yet another reason to want Mefodiy dead.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Berenariy]]
Troil's secretary.
----
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He never gets so much as mentioned past the first novel. It's possible that he was replaced after incident with Troil's poisoning.
* VocalDissonance: Despite his enormous size, he has surprisingly high-pitched voice. He also has some "feminine" habits.
* WeakWilled: Yaraat failed to brainwash Troil, so he went with Berenariy and used him in attempt to assassinate him by giving him a box with Typhon's scales (deadly poisonous for Light Guardians). It failed to kill him, but it still put him in coma for several books.
[[/folder]]
!! Valkyries
[[folder: Valkyries in general]]
* AlwaysFemale: The Valkyries are invariably female.
* AmazonBrigade: The Valkyries (except for the Loner Valkyrie, who is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin loner]]) always operate as a team of twelve female warriors, each one providing different powers and skills to increase overall effectiveness.
* ChosenOne: Not nearly to a degree Mefodiy was, but none of the valkyrie candidates are actually random; their spears sense and choose fitting candidates themselves when the current one dies (or is about to, like was with Irka).
* DeaderThanDead: Usually, if you're killed by the Valkyrie's spear, you're gone for good, and nothing would bring you back. The sole known exception is Kvodnon, who, firstly, is [[SatanicArchetype just that powerful]], and secondly, never returned in his true form.
* DwindlingParty: Less than a half of the Valkyries introduced in ''Revenge of the Valkyries'' survives till the end of the series, with Barmia, Hola, Taamag, Buhthla, Filomena, Saenra and Rhadulga, as well as Malara (Barmia's replacement) all dying at various points of the story.
* HeelFaceTurn: The Valkyries used to be the servants of pagan gods, who were chaotic and unpredictable at best, and outright murderous at worst, but joined the Light at unknown time and for unknown reason. They preserved some of negative traits of the old times, however.
* LegacyOfTheChosen: All the currently alive Valkyries have inherited their spears from someone else who died in service to the Light. Even Fulona (regardless of [[ContinuityDrift how old she really is]]) has predecessors.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The Valkyries almost never use their real names. We do lean some of them, but certainly not all, and even out of those, some are very likely to be fake.
* PersonalGainHurts: First rule of the Codex prohibits the Valkyries from exploiting their powers for self-gain, under risk of losing them.
* ReformedButNotTamed: They started serving the Light long ago, but never abandoned some of their more negative traits, like BloodKnight tendencies many of them show. Taamag puts it best:
-->'''Taamag''': Valkyries are not the Light; they only ''serve'' the Light.
* VowOfCelibacy: Fourth rule of the Codex forbids the Valkyries from forming romantic attachments (this is also the reason why they keep changing their squires on a regular basis). This is because firstly, whoever falls in love with a Valkyrie would be in constant danger of death (this is explicitly stated in the codex), and secondly, falling in love makes a Valkyrie herself weaker, endangering her mission. If you ''really'' want to love someone, you may give up your spear to someone more worthy, but there's no going back afterwards.
* WeaponSpecialization: All Valkyries are armed with magic spears, which they throw at enemies (they teleport back to the user after hitting the target). Each one of them has different abilities on top of that (both combat and utilitary), but only some of them were actually revealed.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility: The Valkyries' mission is so important, that any Valkyrie must effectively forfeit her personal life in order to serve the Light, because ''nothing'' is more important than that. Anyone who is not ready, better give up her powers for someone more fit than risk failing her mission.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: None of the previous contacts from the life before accepting the spear, including their family, would be able to recognise them, no matter what (and if clues are too obvious to ignore, the magic would outright block them from thinking about it unless they resist ''very'' hard). The only way they can reveal themselves is by saying outright, but this would result in the person being killed. This is stated in the Codex as the second rule.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Fulona]]
A Valkyrie of the Golden Spear. The oldest Valkyrie still alive and in service.
----
* BigGood: While Troil technically outranks her, he rarely intervenes, leaving Fulona the default leader, especially in Irka's plotlines.
* ContinuityDrift: There's an inconsistence regarding her age and wether she was indeed one of the Valkyries from before they joined the Light, or merely met them.
* ElementalHairColors: Fittingly for someone associated with gold and light, she also has golden hairs.
* GoldColoredSuperiority: The Valkyrie who leads the other Valkyries into battle is also the one associated with gold, including her spear and even hair colour.
* TheLeader: She's the leader of all Valkyries. While she may be no less lethal than any other Valkyrie, her main contribution is her centuries-long experience.
* LastOfHerKind: She is the last of the Valkyries from the time before they joined the Light. Every other one joined later, most -- in our time.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Her exact age is unknown, but she's old enough to remember the ''original'' Valkyries, before they joined the Light. She still looks as young as the other ones.
* SilkHidingSteel: She's normally one of the friendlier Valkyries, but when required, she may show the steel willpower, overwhelming even most stubborn individuals. In these moments, it becomes apparent why everyone follows her as their leader.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barmia]]
A Valkyrie of the Bronze Spear.
----
* BusCrash: She dies at some point between the end of ''Revenge of the Valkyries'' and ''The Ice and Fire of Tartarus'', of which the other Valkyries informs Irka when they return after being absent for some time.
* FlatCharacter: We learn nothing about her besides her name. She also lacks any lines.
* SacrificialLamb: Her only contribution to the plot is showcasing the dangers of Valkyrie's life, by being killed and replaced by a new one [[BusCrash between the fifth and seventh novels]]. Every other Valkyrie returns unharmed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ilga]]
A Valkyrie of the Silver Spear.
----
* BadassBureaucrat: She works at office when off-duty, but becomes no less dangerous than any other Valkyrie when armed with her spear.
* ThePerfectionist:
** {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. According to Buhthla (who possesses the opposite view on things), for her, just doing something is not enough; nope, she would go a long way to do it ''ideally'', only to waste so much time that it would cease to matter.
** She interprets being "punctual" as going to the place of meeting at ''exactly'' the time stated, down to a minute. No one supports her when she chews Irka out on being "unpunctual".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lamina]]
A Valkyrie of the Moon Spear.
----
* DistinguishingMark: She has weird scars on her face (possibly from some disease), which makes her face resemble the moon's surface.
* DoesNotLikeMen: She seems to have low opinion on men in general; she calls them "FAR", which stands for "Fools Allowed to Reproduce"; [=FARs=] are interested only in bragging and (futile) attempts to impress the women. She thinks that it was always like this. Even Ilga (who has [[ThePerfectionist her own issues]] calls her out on this.
* FashionableAsymmetry: Her hairstyle is asymmetrical -- shoulder-long on the left side, barely jaw-long on the right side.
* TheGadfly: When she grows tired of teasing people, she starts annoying them for fun, mainly Ilga and Hola.
* TheTease: She likes flirting with people for her own amusement, including the other valkyries' squires, but never goes beyond this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Hola]]
A Valkyrie of the Brass Spear. Her real name is Xenia, though lopukhoids know her as "Anna".
----
* BadassBureaucrat: She works at office when off-duty, but becomes no less dangerous than any other valkyrie when armed with her spear.
* BlindWithoutEm: When in combat, she gets amplified by her spear and sees everything perfectly, but outside of combat she's very shortsighted, to the point that she has troubles with navigating. However, she's too shy to wear glasses.
* ObsessivelyOrganized: She dedicates a bit too much attention to keeping everything in order, organising everything in a certain way. Irka even compares her apartment to a museum.
* SacrificialLion: She's amongst the Valkyries who didn't survive the battle against the Dark Dozen, killed by the Dark Guardian Lovus, to show how dangerous the Black Dozen is.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Taamag]]
A Valkyrie of the Stone Spear. Her real name is Tamara.
----
* BigGirl: She is physically strongest and tallest one (she is taller than her two meters-tall squire) amongst all Valkyries.
* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: She was amongst the first Valkyries to die (third after Barmia and Filomena). She almost hold off the entire army of Dark Guardians and commissioners, and was only killed by Zigya (mind-controlled by Ziggy Puffs), because she couldn't force herself to hurt him. Even then, she survived for long enough to hold the line until the reinforcements arrived.
* BrawnHilda: She was repeatedly described as looking more like a man than a woman, and not of an attractive kind. Of course, no one risks to say this to her face.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Unlike the other Valkyries, she prefers fighting in close combat, instead of throwing her spear. When she actually needs to throw something, she usually uses several smaller spears, provided by her squire.
* ContraltoOfStrength: The biggest and toughest of all Valkyries also has the lowest voice amongst them.
* FireForgedFriend: After fighting side-by-side with Irka, she learned to respect her. Ever since then, she acts ''very'' hostile to Matvey, whom she considers to be dangerous for Irka.
* HatesWearingDresses: She's the only one ''not'' to go on Haara's birthday in a dress. It gets mentioned in description of the scene that perhaps no force in the world can convince her to put on a dress.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She may be loud and often rude, but she still cares for the other Valkyries -- including Irka, whom she ([[FireForgedFriends at first]]) antagonised. Irka eventually realises that Taamag has no real hatred for her; it's just how she shows her emotions.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Interestingly, she was the ''smallest'' and ''weakest'' child in her family; she has four older sisters, of whom one is a trainer, one is a soldier, one is a prison warden and the last one is a bounty hunter.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Haara]]
A Valkyrie of the Striking Spear.
----
* NeatFreak: She is obsessed with maintaining everything clean and in order. Unfortunately, her squire Vovan (who lives with her) is just too good at making a mess out of their apartment.
* OppositesAttract: Non-romantic example. She and her squire, Vovan, highly contrast with each other. She's known for her love to maintain order and cleanliness, both of which Vovan lacks. They contrast physically, too; she's small, elegant, and when without armour, looks almost fragile, while Vovan is big, brutish and somewhat vulgar (if not counting his weird love for her shampoos, which annoys her to no end).
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Buhthla]]
A Valkyrie of the Sleeping Spear.
----
* BigEater: Both she and her squires have undying love for tasty food; as result, she's rather chubby.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: She may be fat, sleepy and slow to react when outside of combat, but becomes no less dangerous than any other Valkyrie during actual battle. She's also a lot smarter and wiser than she appears at first. According to Gelatha, she used to study on philological faculty before becoming a Valkyrie.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Part of her powers is ability to see future (to a degree) in her dreams.
* ForcedSleep: Her spear may forcibly put people to sleep, either temporarily or permanently.
* NiceGirl: She is one of the nicer Valkyries, and one of the few who was friendly with Irka and even [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Matvey]] right from the start. She was also the one who insisted that the Loner Valkyrie being, well, loner is an outdated tradition and she should become closer to the other Valkyries.
* SacrificialLion: She's amongst the Valkyries who didn't survive the battle against the Dark Dozen, killed by the Dark Guardian Knor, to demonstrate the danger the Black Dozen presents.
* SweetTooth: She likes chocolate a little too much.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Filomena]]
A Valkyrie of the Incinerating Spear.
----
* BattleTrophy: She makes new braids after each new Dark Guardian she kills. She had twenty two when introduced, and by the moment of her death she run out of place to make new ones.
* BloodKnight: She takes so much joy in battles, she keeps marking important victories with [[BattleTrophy new braids]]. It's presumed in-universe that her own bloodlust was the reason behind her downfall, since it reduced her natural defence just enough for assassin to hit her with a cursed arrow.
* DeathSeeker: According to Buhthla, she is aggressive both in pursuit of the enemy and to the other people around her because, deep inside, she just wants to die, and end the suffering of her life.
* ElementalHairColors: Fittingly for someone associated with incinerating her enemies, she has ash-white hair.
* ItsPersonal: The reason why she was hostile to Irka during their initial meeting. Not long ago, she had lost her squire to Darkness-aligned wights, and now sees Irka's duel with Mefodiy as some sort of vengeance for him; yet Irka keeps waiting and wasting time...
* KilledOffForReal: Spurius not just killed her, but destroyed her spear, ensuring that no [[LegacyCharacter other Valkyrie of Incinerating Spear]] would arise ever again.
* PlayingWithFire: Her spear, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin incinerates]] people.
* SacrificialLion: Her death serves to establish just how dangerous Spurius really is.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Saenra]]
A Valkyrie of the Ice Spear.
----
* AnIcePerson: Her spear gives her powers related to ice. Tip of her spear shatters when it hits its target, only to immediately restore (with shards leaving inside and starting freezing victim alive).
* DePower: As punishment for falling out from Light, she gets stripped of her powers and her spear by Essiorkh (who used a magic formula to exile Darkness, and her own powers rejected her after seeing her true self).
* KnightTemplar: As long as it would lead to striking down Darkness, she is perfectly okay with "collateral damage", like attacking Daphne.
* SheWhoFightsMonsters: She fought the Darkness with its own methods, resulting in her becoming corrupt herself.
* SociopathicHero: She eventually started loving war and killing for the sake of war and killing; both are not exactly Light qualities.
* TokenEvilTeammate: She was a blood-thirsty KnightTemplar even before we meet her in ''The Revenge of the Valkyries'', where she finally crosses the line and gets exiled.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: She gets [[DePower stripped of her powers]] and exiled in her second appearance, with the first one not giving her any lines; all within the same novel.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Her subsequent fate after losing her powers is unknown, not even wether she survived it (she aged to old hag almost immediately after being de-powered).
* WouldHurtAChild: If converting Eden time to Earth time, Daphne is thirteen years old (and certainly has a mental age of a teenager), but Saenra sees nothing wrong with trying to kill her. It was not even self-defence; she attacked first, knowing perfectly well that Daphne stands no chance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhadulga]]
A Valkyrie of the Dreadful Spear. Her given name is Alexandra.
----
* HotBlooded: She's one of the easily "exploding" Valkyries. According to Gelatha (with whom Fulona agrees), it's not a good thing: if exploding at every minor problem (like commissioners), one day there may be not enough flame left to fight the real enemy.
* {{Jerkass}}: She's one of the more "toxic" Valkyries; in particular, she never gets along with Irka (not to mention Matvey), always acting cold at best and openly hostile at worst.
* MoreDakka: Judging from the story Taamag tells to Irka, Rhadulga likes assault riffles (and shooting wildly) a bit too much.
* SacrificialLion: She dies during the battle against the Dark Dozen, at the hands of Dark Guardian Vandol, to show how dangerous the Black Dozen is. She manages to [[MutualKill off Vandol]] before succumbing to her wounds.
* SociopathicHero: She's one of the more aggressive and [[HotBlooded trigger-happy]] Valkyries, both in combat and in life, to the point that Fulona worries what she would exhaust herself prematurely, wasting all the fire on insignificant problems.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She may be mostly known for her love for combat and violence (and assault riffles)... but she also likes making bracelets from winegrape.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gelatha]]
A Valkyrie of the Resurrecting Spear. She was a professional medic in her pre-Valkyrie life.
----
* BlindWithoutEm: The spear greatly enhances her eyesight, but without it, she must use contact lenses to see anything.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Amongst all twelve Valkyries, she's the only one to act nice to Irka right from the start (even Buhthla befriended her later), believing that Irka doesn't want to let down the Valkyries, and trying to explain to her why almost everyone else are so hostile. She also tries to set a duel with Mefodiy in another light, explaining that [[ShootTheDog it's better to kill him now, while his eidos may be saved, rather than let him descend into Darkness]], so Irka wouldn't suffer from guilt (others just presses her).
* FriendToAllLivingThings: She actively uses her powers to help sick animals.
* HealingHands: She may heal almost any wound through her powers, even normally fatal ones. Though even she has her limits. She's also specifically unable to heal herself that way, and later we learn that she can only use it on lopukhoids when explicitly allowed by the Light, to not mess up the greater schemes.
* NiceGirl: She's the nicest and friendliest of all twelve Valkyries, and always acts friendly to Irka whenever she appears.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Praskovia]]
A girl whom Ligul obtained as replacement for Mefodiy: almost as powerful, but much easier to control. Later became a Valkyrie of the Ice Spear.
----
* AnIcePerson: [[HotBlooded Praskovia, of all people]], becomes the latest user of the Ice Spear, with all the ice powers it has.
* CreepyChild: She was around Mefodiy's age by the moment of her introduction (who was close to sixteen by the time), but, being risen by Ligul in the depths of Tartarus, alone, without friends and relatives (unless you count Romasyusik), she developed a twisted, almost insane personality. This only gets amplified by her [[TheSpeechless never talking]] or [[EmotionlessGirl showing emotions]], and her [[EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette extremely pale skin]].
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: She is extremely pale (likely due to spending her entire life in Tartarus), and has pitch-black hairs. In combination with her bloody-red dresses (and later sweaters), and [[TheSpeechless complete muteness]], it makes her look downright creepy for anyone unfamiliar with her.
* EmotionlessGirl: While under Ligul's "protection", she rarely shows ''any'' emotions at all, sans for occasional laugh or crying. This is certainly intentional, because her emotional outbursts tend to come with destruction caused by her innate magic. She gradually learns to both show more emotions, and to not cause collateral damage every time something annoys her (mostly the first one).
* FragileSpeedster: How Arey describes her powers; she's significantly weaker than Mefodiy (at least, at first), but takes much less time to actually hit with her magic, leaving no time for defence or retaliation, while Mefodiy is both slower and more unstable with it.
* HeelFaceTurn: She abandons Ligul soon after his ill-fated attempt to kill Mefodiy via duel with Arey -- she just walks away, with Ligul being powerless to do anything.
* HotBlooded: She has major problem with keeping her emotions under control; if she's angry, she's ''explosively'' angry; if she's sad, it would be nothing short of deep depression; and so on.
* IntriguedByHumanity: After spending so much time in Tartarus, she is very curious about life outside of it, and has interest to adapt to it.
* LoveRedeems: It's flat-out stated that her love to Mefodiy (even if unrequitted) is the driving force behind her redemption, as it makes her try to work on own flaws to make him notice her, instead of just forcing him (which doesn't work). She ultimately lives past it, but by that moment, she no longer needs it to stay afloat.
* MindOverMatter: Amongst her other abilities is telekinesis; she can easily throw ''massive'' things around like they weight nothing.
* ParentalSubstitute: She became sort of adoptive mother for Zigya (with Shilov as a "father"). Most of the time she [[DotingParent spoils him]], to Shilov's annoyance, though Zigya knows not to make her angry.
* PlayingWithFire: Amongst the powers which most often comes in play is her ability to set things on fire.
* PuppetKing: The reason why Ligul even bothers with her -- he plans to instate her as a future "Lord of Darkness", so he may control her while remaining in the shadow himself.
* RedRightHand: Just when Mefodiy lost his signature bleeding hairs due to no longer possessing Kvodnon's powers, Praskovia suddenly gained both the powers and this "nice" feature.
* TheSpeechless: For whatever reason, she initially was unable to speak at all, with Romasyusik "[[VoiceForTheVoiceless telegraphing]]" her will. She gradually learned how to speak, but it takes her so much efforts to pronounce even simplest things after spending so long time being mute, she rarely bothers.
* TalkingWithSigns: When she can't or doesn't want to use other to talk for her, and can't rely on her limited ability to talk by herself, she uses notebook or something similar to just write her answers.
* {{Tsundere}}: She may be very nice to someone she loves, like a gentle fire, but when annoyed a bit too much, she becomes an unstoppable firestorm. She can alter between the two rather quickly, due to [[HotBlooded having unstable temper]].
* TheUnintelligible: When she tries to talk by herself, she has so much troubles with it, she often pronounces the words only partially, sometimes making them nearly undecipherable.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: She compensates her lack of ability to speak normally by taking control of the other persons and saying things through them. While under effect, they tend to speak in CreepyMonotone, with utter horror in their eyes, because they remain perfectly self aware during entire process. Originally she used Romasyusik, but since his death she relies on Zigya or just whoever is available.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Malara]]
Barmia's successor as the Valkyrie of the Bronze Spear.
----
* ActionGirl: Even by standards of the Valkyries. She was of very active kind even in her childhood, which is proven by that story with her swimming for whole night when she was pushed far into ocean, and ''surviving''. Nowadays, she's the most accustomed to living in harsh conditions and seeking challenge to overcome; she finds the squires to match.
* ArchEnemy: She seems to have some ''real'' grudges against succubi, even by the Valkyries' standards, and actively seeks to kill them.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: After being introduced in the seventh novel, she quietly disappears until the seventeenth, without being so much as mentioned even once in between. This gets explained by her being on the special mission in Ekaterinburg, while the plot takes place nearly entirely in Moscow.
* DeathInTheLimelight: She receives major expansion on her personality and backstory just before the battle against the Dark Dozen, which she doesn't survive.
* {{Determinator}}: Back when she was fourteen years old, she, when she was on sea vacation with her mother (a Siberian jaeger), run away during night and swim far into the sea, but, due to sudden change of the weather, was forced to spend ''thirteen hours'' making it back to the coast -- and succeeded. With her mother just ''slightly'' worrying, due to being just that confident in her abilities.
* HighTurnoverRate: She just keeps losing squires, and not even in combat. One was sent to the hospital with "stomach problems" (he was cut during some brawl), another was injured when trying to take out the guy out of his car, only for the driver to freak out and turn up the speed, the third [[BreadEggsMilkSquick was put to the madhouse for eating glass]]...
* TheSpartanWay: Unlike the other Valkyries, who constantly complains about the unpleasant conditions, she stoically tolerates everything, and, on contrary, gets satisfied with whatever small "comfort" she can find. She's also perfectly fine with walking many kilometres on foot, and not only doesn't complain, but not even shows any signs of being tired; all of this is because, unlike most of them, she's accustomed to harsh conditions since childhood, due to her uprising (her mother, from what little info available, seems to be just as badass).
-->'''Malara''' [''to Ilga, who complains about it being uncomfortable to sleep on the grass'']]: It would be "uncomfortable" to sleep on the ceiling, or on the broken glass, or on the hot coal! Everything else can be tolerated!
* TheStoic: She's notoriously good with keeping her composure, even before the upcoming battle with the Dark Dozen, to the point that she's the only one who was able to sleep during the flight.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Meldika]]
Irka's distant predecessor as the Loner Valkyrie.
----
* DatingCatwoman: She made a mistake of falling in love with [[FauxAffablyEvil Spurius]]. He exploited her to lift the Dark curse, then lost any interest in her.
* FateWorseThanDeath: She saved Spurius from the Dark curse (which causes unimaginable agony to one afflicted with it, but doesn't kill them), but as result was afflicted with it herself.
* HeroicSacrifice: After her attempt to help Spurius went horribly wrong and damned every single Valkyrie, not just her, she somehow redirected the curse from them on herself, but at the cost of increasing her own suffering. She didn't live for long after that.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Her attempt to help Spurius damned all Valkyries, making their powers and spears unstable, which in turn caused the deaths of three of them (then-current Valkyries of the Stone, Sleeping and Brass spears). While she managed to lift the curse from the others, she did this at the cost of concentrating the whole power of the curse on herself and her spear. Since then, the other Valkyries distrusts any Loners, always seeing potential new Meldika in them.
* PosthumousCharacter: By the time of her introduction she's already dead.
* {{Reincarnation}}: Turns out that Irka is more than just her distant successor -- she's her direct reincarnation. They even look identical. It's presumed in-universe that Irka was born in the first place to give Meldika the chance to redeem herself for past mistakes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Dasha]]
Irka's successor as the Loner Valkyrie.
----
* AerithAndBob: Similarly to Irka, she uses her real name instead of any alias, making her stand out amongst people like Fulona, Buhthla, Brungilde, etc.
* CharacterTic: She keeps greeting Babanya ''every'' time they run into each other, even if Babanya just revisits the room where she's in.
* FirstNameBasis: It seems that, similarly to Irka, she chose her real name as the Valkyrie alias. Like with Irka, we never learn her last name.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: What she lacks in social skills, she takes in her ability to find common language with even most wild and stubborn horses. In fact, she just adores horses, and they adore her in turn. Back in her [[KidsAreCruel school days]], it was one of the few things which helped her maintaining her sanity.
* HeroWorshipper: She treats Matvey as the BigBrotherMentor who teaches her how to fight, and, when possible, constantly follows him around, looking at him with eyes full of devotion, and tells everyone else just how awesome he is. Irka feels jealously due to this, because Dasha acts this way only towards Matvey... ''her'' Matvey.
* KidsAreCruel: She was horribly abused in the school by basically everyone, due to her (possibly innate) skin disease. Irka acknowledges that, in some way, her fate is even worse than what Irka lived through, as Irka at least had people she could rely upon, while Dasha was alone.
* ShrinkingViolet: She's painfully shy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Brungilde]]
Taamag's successor as the Valkyrie of the Stone Spear. Her given name is Galina.
----
* BigGirl: She's supposed to replace Taamag as the main front fighter of the team. Also similarly to Taamag, she's extremely big (she was compared to a bear) and strong. Matvey even mistook her for a man at first.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: Her given name is Galina, but she insists on being called Brungilde. She started calling herself that even before becoming a Valkyrie. Not even her parents use her given name anymore.
* ContraltoOfStrength: She has ''extremely'' low (and loud) voice.
* GentleGiant: For all her strength, she's surprisingly gentle, delicate and well-mannered.
* NervousWreck: For someone of her size and strength, she's surprisingly neurotic and prone to random fears. She's afraid of sudden noises, highly distrusts the strangers, and fears possible dangers to her health a bit more than would be reasonable, especially for someone like her (be it microbes or unhealthy food). She also believes her (either incompetent, maligned or both) doctor who insists that she shouldn't lift anything heavier than two kilograms, which is blatantly untrue.
* TerrifiedOfGerms: Amongst her other weirdnesses, she's extremely afraid of germs in particular, and falling ill due to something in general.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: With all her "manly" traits, she still has some feminine ones as well; in particularly, she likes girly hats and earrings.
* UnstoppableRage: It's very hard to enrage her, due to her delicate and friendly personality. When someone ''succeeds'' at that, it's equally hard to calm her down -- and completely impossible to stop her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Arla]]
Hola's replacement as a Valkyrie of the Brass Spear. Her given name is Lena.
----
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: Hola looked (and acted) like rich business lady, while Arla was (rather creepy) veterinary with MadDoctor vibes.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: She's described as very pale and dark-haired. This only adds to her MadDoctor vibe.
* MadDoctor: She was a little too enthusiastic with doing medical experiments on small animals in her spar time prior to becoming a Valkyrie. It's not known wether she still makes her experiments as the Valkyrie.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Margarita]]
Buthla's successor as the Valkyrie of Sleepy Spear.
----
* FirstNameBasis: We only learn her first name. It's unknown wether it's her original name and she simply didn't chose the alias yet, or she, similarly to Irka and Dasha, accidentally made her name the official alias. Similarly to them, her last name is unknown.
* {{Sleepyhead}}: She falls asleep at random times, at random places. She has next to zero control over it, so her squire helps her around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Peppa]]
Rhadulga's successor as the Valkyrie of the Dreadful Spear.
----
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: Unlike tall, rude and tomboyish Rhadulga, Peppa is short, friendly and (somewhat) gentle.
* TheKlutz: She has troubles navigating without hitting things around.
* OnlyKnownByHerNickname: Out of four new Valkyries to replace those who fell in the battle against the Dark Dozen, she's the only one to not have her original name revealed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Varlya]]
Malara's replacement as the Valkyrie of the Bronze Spear. Her given name is Valentina.
----
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: Both Malara and Varlya are overachievers, but if Malara was clearly of action type, Varlya is a painfully shy (perhaps even worse than Dasha) mathematician who was perfect with written works, but completely unable to speak out when meeting the teacher in person.
* ShrinkingViolet: Even worse case than Dasha. She basically becomes unresponsive when she comes too close to another human due to being too shy. When in the presence of other Valkyries, she tries to just hide somewhere in the corner where she wouldn't be noticed (at which she often succeeds).
[[/folder]]
!! Squires
[[folder: In general]]
* AlwaysMale: Squires are invariably male.
* HighTurnoverRate: The Valkyries frequently change them to not grow too attached to them: they rarely lives for long. Several of them stick for most or all series, though.
* TheLancer: Every single Valkyrie has her own squire, who helps them in everyday life, keeps their weapons when not needed, and fights side by side during battles. For whatever reason, they tend to share certain traits with their masters (Taamag's squire is a big, muscular guy; Buhthla's squire is a fat funny guy who shares her love for tasty food and always keeps some prepared; Fulona's squire is an old veteran; etc), though in some cases they are diametrically opposite instead.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Antigon]]
Antigon is the Loner Valkyrie's faithful servant of... mixed heritage.
----
* TheAlcoholic: His [[FantasticDrug jam addiction]] is portrayed like alcoholism, complete with weird behaviour while intoxicated, once-per-month "binges", hangover and stereotypical "alcoholic" nose when he's done eating jam.
* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: PlayedWith. He actually feels pleasure from most kinds of physical abuse (it helps that he's [[NighInvulnerability nearly invulnerable]]), but try to pet him, and he would treat it as ''actual'' abuse. His [[{{Cloudcuckoolanguage}} speech manner]] is also affected by this, because he interprets insults as compliments, and compliments as insults. But he knows what the good and evil means, and never mistakes them where it matters. He's the servant of Light, even if a weird one.
* {{Cloudcuckoolanguage}}: For whatever reason (most likely it's related to his kikimor heritage), he always takes the compliments (either directed at him or to someone else) as insults, and vice versa; he may mismatch the other opposites, too, but it happens not as often.
* DemotedToExtra: Since he is the Loner Valkyrie's squire, he nearly completely vanishes from the plot when Irka loses her powers.
* DropTheHammer: A mace, so big, he usually just drags it around.
* ExtremeOmnivore: In his introduction scene he ate Irka's wristwatch... and actually considered it to be "tasty", only complaining that he can't get more. His tastes remained just as weird in subsequent novels.
* FantasticDrug: He can actually become drunk from expired jam; he quickly developed an addiction to it.
* InSeriesNickname: "Antigon" is a nickname given to him by Irka, who finds his real name, "Antigonius", too hard to pronounce. It ultimately sticks to the point of replacing his original name.
* TheLoad: At no point in the series he provides any meaningful support in battle, always getting easily defeated at the very start, or missing the battle outright.
* LoyalToThePosition: He's the Loner Valkyrie's squire, not Irka's personally, so when Irka stopped being a Valkyrie, he was forced to abandon her. They still remained friends, however.
* NonhumanHumanoidHybrid: He has rich genealogy of various kinds of wights, mostly from Slavic folklore. His father was domovoi ([[HouseFey house-keeping spirit]]), and mother was kikimora (swamp spirit, which in this verse looks like some [[FrogMen amphibians]]). Besides them, his grandpa (from mother's side) was a vampire, and grandparents from father's side were a mermaid and leshiy (forest spirit). He inherited certain traits from each one of them; for example, his house-keeping abilities can be traced back to father, while weird look and speech manner certainly were inherited from the mother. And then there're the rumours about Snow-White and her dwarves being somehow involved as well.
* NonHumanSidekick: If the other Valkyries have human squires which they choose by themselves (and frequently change), the Loner Valkyrie always sticks with [[NonhumanHumanoidHybrid Antigon]].
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: The reason why he serves the Valkyries is because he was cursed, as a punishment for [[NoodleIncident "being naughty"]]. It should take ten thousand years, with three already passing; he can't disclose what it was, or the punishment would prolong.
* RunningGag: To not attract unwanted attention to him, he always gets disguised as a child when traveling in places where lopukhoids can see him. Unfortunately, it never works as intended because ''at least'' one of the following invariably happens: someone steps on his long, frog-like legs because they look shorter under disguise, and he starts yelling; he starts calling Irka "[[{{Cloudcuckoolanguage}} ugly mistress]]"; he either [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentions Irka abusing him, or demands abuse right now]], with people invariably mistaking Irka for [[AbusiveParents his abusive mother]], with predictable reaction.
* ServileSnarker: He's loyal, but he still would comment on his mistress acting like a fool.
* ShooOutTheClowns: Him disappearing from the series (excluding few brief appearances) is one of the signs of transition from more light-hearted early novels to more dark and mature later ones.
* TokenHeroicOrc: He's one of the very few known wight to be on the side of Light; the others mostly either serve the Darkness, or remain hostile to everyone, with those few who remains neutral being mostly jerks.
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Jam, all kinds of it. Expired jam would affect him [[FantasticDrug similarly to alcohol]], to Irka's annoyance, because when he goes searching for it, he always disappears for several days and later returns with hangover.
* UndyingLoyalty: He has next to zero respect to anyone but his master, but for ''her'' he would fight to the end.
* WeakenedByTheLight: While he actually ''likes'' physical abuse (it's hard to actually harm him this way), there's one thing he would rather avoid -- spending too much time under direct sunlight; it harms him, and not in "funny" way.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Fulona's squire]]
Fulona's squire. Just like his master, he's a hardened veteran.
----
* NoNameGiven: We never learn his name, despite him being recurring character.
* NotUsingTheZWord: InUniverse; neither he nor Fulona use the terms "master" and "servant" when referring to each other, unlike all other Valkyries: he chose to serve Fulona on his own will, and nothing aside from his own sense of duty stops him from leaving.
* OldSoldier: Unlike the other Valkyries, Fulona chose the veteran as her squire. Fittingly, since she's the old soldier herself in a sense -- she's the oldest Valkyrie still alive and in service.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Vovan]]
Haara's squire.
----
* NeatFreak: {{Inverted|Trope}}; he's notoriously disorderly, often leaves trash after himself and is rather lazy when it comes to cleaning up. What is weird is that his Valkyrie is the actual "Neat Freak".
* OppositesAttract: Non-romantic example; considering that the Valkyries always choose their squires by themselves, it's quite ironic that [[NeatFreak the Valkyrie obsessed with cleanliness and order]] received the most disorderly squire possible.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Alexei]]
Buhthla's squire.
----
* BigEater: Just like Buhthla herself, he loves eating, perhaps a little too much. He was multiple times referred by Irka as "sandwich-bearer" for his habit of carrying food in his bags, instead of spare weapons.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Just like Buhthla herself, he is fat, funny guy outside of battle... and dangerous warrior inside of it.
* FormerlyFit: He used to be much slimmer before becoming Buhthla's squire.
* NiceGuy: [[RuleOfThree Just like Buhthla herself]], he is nice, friendly and always ready to help.
* PutOnABus: With his master's death, there's no point for him to stick around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Fedya]]
Taamag's squire.
----
* BigGuy: Not to a degree of Taamag herself, but he is very physically tough and always fights on the frontline.
* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: He's the strongest squire -- and the only of them to be killed on-screen. He was [[InTheBack mortally wounded by spear through his back]]. When it didn't kill him on the spot, he was finished off via throat slicing.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aleck]]
Rhadulga's (new) squire. A programmer in prior life.
----
* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: {{Invoked|Trope}}. Rhadulga intentionally chose someone more calm and peaceful as a replacement for her late squire, who died due to [[LeeroyJenkins recklessly rushing in battle ]] to avenge Taamag's death.
* BadassBookworm: He seems to be of the geek type, but becomes no less dangerous in combat than any other squire. He's also skilled with firearms.
* MartialPacifist: Aleck prefers to avoid combat when it's possible. Fortunately, people always understand that it's not a good idea to mess with him just by looking him into eyes.
* PutOnABus: With his master's death, there's no point for him to stick around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Victor Shilov]]
Another kid risen in Tartarus, and Ligul's trump card. Later becomes Praskovia's squire when she becomes a new Valkyrie of the Ice Spear.
----
* AntiHero: Even after abandoning Ligul, he didn't become much friendlier or nicer, and still considers it entirely justified to just kill people who annoy him too much (thankfully, he never has a chance to actually follow through with his threats).
* AntiVillain: He never was truly villainous, serving Ligul more due to not knowing any other life. After being reminded about his past life, he [[HeelFaceTurn abandons his former master]].
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist Mefodiy deals with for almost entirety of ''The Fire Gates'', though [[DiscOneFinalBoss he gets possessed by Kvodnon in the end]]. He [[HeelFaceTurn stops being a villain]] after Kvodnon being defeated.
* BadassNormal: He has no (known) supernatural abilities (at least until Mefodiy's rebirth as the Light Guardian, as he absorbs some of his old powers), but still managed to survive in the Grand Desert -- part of Tartarus which ''Dark Guardians'' consider to be unsurvivable.
* ChoiceOfTwoWeapons: He has two signature weapons -- the former sword of Kvodnon, and poisonous darts he keeps attached to his earring (which he wears specifically for that purpose). He never gets the chance to use the darts, however.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His history started with him leaving his friend Nikita for death out of cowardice, seemingly dooming him, after which he was abducted and "adopted" by Ligul, who forced him to undergo TrainingFromHell (literally) to make him his new champion (and ideal host for Kvodnon).
* ExtremeOmnivore: He's capable of eating the ''clearly'' expired food without any consequences. He's not picky; if it's food, he can eat it, the condition doesn't matter.
* HeelFaceTurn: He quit serving Ligul after Mefodiy helped him to banish [[DemonicPossession Kvodnon's spirit]] from his body.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's not the nicest person around, and often goes into conflicts with Mefodiy, even past his HeelFaceTurn.
* LossOfIdentity: His entire life was build around becoming a new host for Kvodnon. Now, when he no longer serves Ligul, he doesn't know just ''what'' he is; he has to build the new purpose in life from scratch. Becoming Praskovia's squire is, perhaps, the closest he has to a start.
* MasterSwordsman: Ligul somehow transferred Hoors' skills to Shilov without Hoors' personality, making Shilov second-best (and since Arey's death, just best) fighter in the whole Tartarus.
* NasalTrauma: His broken and badly healed nose gets mentioned on a regular basis.
* ParentalSubstitute: He became sort of adoptive father for Zigya (with Praskovia as a "mother"). If Praskovia is a DotingParent, Victor tries to teach him some discipline (or teach him ''something'', for that matter), with varying success.
* PrefersRocksToPillows: His experience in Tartarus made him unable to sleep in any place which looks too safe (like bed), because he instinctively sees it as a trap. As result, he sleeps in various places where [[AnOddPlaceToSleep it would be too dangerous to sleep, if even possible]] -- in metro, on a tower crane, etc.
* ReformedButNotTamed: Even switching sides did little to improve his personality; he's still the same arrogant jerk who sees nothing bad in killing people he dislikes (fortunately, he never actually does that).
* TokenEvilTeammate: By the point of his HeelFaceTurn, even Praskovia started slowly changing for the better, but Shilov still demonstratively treats his "friends" like crap and starts the fights with Mefodiy at slightest provocation.
* TrainingFromHell: Both literally and figuratively, since he was trained in Tartarus; he managed to survive in absolutely nightmarish conditions, where EverythingIsTryingToKillYou, but it made him the man he's now -- a strong, hardened warrior who fears no enemy.
* UnusualPetsForUnusualPeople: At one point, Shilov frees a huge black vulture from the zoo. The vulture, instead of flying away, chose to stay with its "rescuer", and follows him everywhere since then.
[[/folder]]
! Forces of Darkness
!! Dark Guardians
[[folder: In general]]
* AchillesHeel: Want to destroy a Dark Guardian? Aim for the darkh: if you break it, you would leave them powerless, not to mention, utterly humiliated.
* AmuletOfDependency: The darkh provides its wielder with great powers, but without it, they are less than humans; humans, at lest, have their own eidoses. Better think about it before accepting it.
* BeyondRedemption: The moment you feed your darkh with first eidos, you lose your last chance to not end up in Tartarus; no matter what you try, no matter how hard you resist, you ''would'' be damned. This is because, firstly, [[PoweredByAForsakenChild the souls in darkh feels eternal agony, comparable to hell itself]], and if you are willing to do it to anyone, then you are a monster indeed; and secondly, the darkh suppresses your good qualities while enchanting the worst ones -- sooner or later, it ''would'' corrupt you, subtly enough for you to not even notice: when it finishes, there's not enough left of you to worth saving.
* BoringButPractical: Many self-respecting Dark Guardians, to preserve even the smallest amount of power, never bother to use "special effects" for their magic, like teleportation: who cares, if it would occur without bright sparks, and you would instead just vanish? Leave bragging for mages.
* TheChosenMany: The Dark Guardians can accept the humans born with powerful enough innate magic, and train them as their own, but not only such people are very rare (much rarer than elementary mages), they also have a high mortality rate during the training.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Dark Guardians prefer melee weapons, mainly swords. When they can't take the Light Guardians by surprise, they must rely on their magic defence to actually get it to melee range.
* TheCorruption: Every Dark Guardian knows -- the darkh ''would'' enslave you, no matter wether you are strong, or weak; only thing which changes is how long you would manage to resist. And once it happens, there's no going back; the darkh would suppress all your good qualities, while amplifying all the bad ones, ensuring you would never change for the best -- you simply wouldn't want.
* EmptyShell: Even if they claim otherwise, they still feel emptiness caused by [[OurSoulsAreDifferent absence of eidos]] and the Light it provides, and utter hopelessness caused by it. No power they can obtain would ever truly fill it, but they still trying, wether they realise it or not.
* EvilIsSterile: The Dark Guardians are unable to reproduce, as creating life requires you to have some Light inside you, and they have none left. The sole known exception is Arey, which is a major plot point.
* HeroesPreferSwords: {{Inverted|Trope}}. Actual heroes, the Light Guardians, mostly use their magic flutes (though there are exceptions), ''sometimes'' with a knife attached, and favour ranged combat; it's the Dark Guardians who use swords as their main weapons.
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: To fuel their power, they use darkhs -- dark purple crystal vessels they wear on their necks, where they store eidoses of the damned. This causes so much torment to imprisoned souls, this may as well be considered to be hell.
[[/folder]]
!!! Commanders
[[folder: Kvodnon]]
First Lord of Darkness and Ligul's predecessor. Some time after he was killed during the last battle of Light and Darkness, his powers found a new vessels -- Mefodiy, and three other kids born at the same hour, in the same city.
----
* ArcVillain: ''The Third Horseman of Darkness'' has him (or, rather, his spiritual manifestation) as the main antagonist, with Ligul subtly aiding him. He shows up as the final threat in ''The Fire Gates'' as well.
* BadBoss: He was just as feared by his allies as by his enemies, because he had the bad tendency to kill them at any provocation, or without it.
* TheCaligula: Kvodnon was not exactly sane even ''before'' being trapped behind the Dreadful Gates. He [[BadBoss was just as dangerous for his own subordinates as he was for his enemies]], and ''everyone'' felt relief after he was presumably KilledOffForReal, save for just as violent Midnight Witches, who were created under his rule. And then there're his [[OmnicidalManiac world-ending goals]], which no one else shares.
* TheCorruptor: He's directly behind the origin of the first Dark Guardians, and them starting using darkhs. He's also the one who originally introduced humans to evil.
-->''He loves to being liked, to shine, to impress, loves to lead the people, feeling himself the centre of the universe. He, Arey, finds himself in being the best with a sword, just like he was the best in flight before, but Kvodnon needs a crowd to feel confidence. And the bigger the crowd is, the sweeter the pleasure is! Otherwise, he's nothing. He can only harm. Corrupt. His goal is to finally corrupt and destroy everything. The decaying filth produces heat. He wants to make the whole Universe into the decaying filth, and, while standing in its centre, feeding on the resulting energy.''
* DeaderThanDead: Gold-Winged somehow shattered his spirit into two parts, no longer allowing him to resurrect, not even as a commissioner; one remained as a formless, mindless, almost abstract evil which Darkness worship as some kind of deity, but which can't actually command anything, thus allowing Ligul to remain in charge; another, which actually inherited his mind, was trapped behind the Dreadful Gates, with primordial Chaos. However, it later turns out that the plan [[SubvertedTrope wasn't as perfect as it was presumed]] and it's possible to bring him back via certain means, even if not in his original form.
* EvilMakesYouUgly: He used to be beautiful, but his own evil scarred him, making half of his body looking like mummified corpse. The "Two-Faced Kvodnon" nickname originates here.
* FallenAngel: Like all original Dark Guardians, he used to be a Light Guardian once. He was the first one to fall -- and the one who corrupted the rest.
* GeneralRipper: Kvodnon would not stop until the Light is utterly destroyed. He completely ignores the fact that this would destroy mortals as well (since they can't exist totally without Light), and that without mortals, the Darkness would starve to death, since the Dark Guardians desperately needs eidoses to empower themselves; he either went completely nuts after exposure to Chaos, or, which Arey finds more probable, never cared to begin with. [[NearVillainVictory He almost won once]], in backstory, but was stopped by the team of Gold-Winged, [[HeroicSacrifice at the cost of their own life]].
* GreenEyedMonster: The ''true'' reason for his rebellion: he was envious towards (back then, freshly created) humans, because they had the souls and he didn't; Kvodnon believed that they received something they don't deserve, being too weak.
* KilledOffForReal: He managed to [[SubvertedTrope subvert]] it twice; both times it was claimed that he is dealt with permanently, and both times he proved everyone wrong several novels later:
** First time, in backstory, the Gold-Winged presumably killed him off in such fashion, [[DeaderThanDead no force can bring him back]], even as a commissioner -- yet he found a way to send projection of his spirit to manifest on Earth, in attempt to steal back his old powers and resurrect in the mortal body. It was destroyed by Irka.
** When his plan how to regain his powers failed, everyone, including his former servants, believed that he is gone for good, until several years later Ligul managed to find a way to release actual Kvodnon's spirit from behind the Fire Gates and let him possess another mortal body, only for this plan to be thwarted by Mefodiy. This time, no one tried to deny that he may reappear again some day, even if it seems unlikely at the moment. And indeed, Praskovia would later reveal that she and Shilov contains all the powers of Kvodnon, and if they ever lose control over them, Kvodnon would be able to steal their bodies and resurrect.
* NearVillainVictory: In backstory, at one point he was ''very'' close to destroying Eden and wiping out the Light Guardians; he was only stopped by HeroicSacrifice of twelve best Gold-Winged Ones, who made a suicidal attack on his headquarters, and managed to strike his darkh (also simultaneously dealing the killing blow).
* NeverMyFault: After leaving Eden, Kvodnon tried to recreate it in freshly-discovered Tartarus. Because it was build without either love or regards for the creations' well-being, forcing them to adapt or die, it ended up as the (literal) hellhole it's now. Kvodnon blamed the Light for that instead of his lack of competence, and decided that since it's their fault that Kvodnon can't build his perfect world, he should destroy the Light and then his creation would ([[InsaneTrollLogic somehow]]) become like he desires.
* PosthumousCharacter: He is long gone by the start of the first book's events; in fact, it's a plot point that Mefodiy inherited his powers. All his appearances either have something to do with attempts to resurrect him, or takes place in the past.
* PredecessorVillain: He used to be almighty Lord of Darkness... until the team of Gold-Winged pull a HeroicSacrifice to strike him down for good. His death allowed Ligul to rise to power.
* SatanicArchetype: He is the ultimate leader of dark forces, who wants to extinguish the Light, forever. His backstory, provided in one of the latter novels, actually shows many parallels between his downfall and Satan's story, meaning it's quite possible that humans based Satan on him.
* TheScottishTrope: If someone of sufficient power (like Mefodiy) speaks his name aloud, this by itself can cause destructive effects on anything around. Mefodiy did this mistake twice, and almost did several times more, despite all Ulitha's requests ''not to''.
* TwoFaced: Half of his body is still pretty... and the other is of mummified corpse. This is a [[EvilMakesYouUgly direct consequence]] of him becoming the Dark Guardian.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ligul]]
Chief of Dark Chancellery and the current ruler of Darkness.
----
* AbusiveParents: He is sort-of adopted uncle for Praskovia, yet he makes everything in his power to prevent her from having normal life, and only sees her as another tool to achieve his dream of ruling the Darkness unopposed.
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: The Light sees him ruling the Darkness as better alternative to just killing him; he's known coward and extremely cheap and vile, to the point that everyone knows not to trust him, instantly recognising him for what he is. If he dies, someone more proactive and/or charming can take his role, and make the life for everyone much harder.
* BigBad: He is the current leader of Darkness, and the main source of problems for both Mefodiy and Irka, with every enemy they face being related to Ligul in one way or another, sometimes just being his minions, sometimes [[TheManBehindTheMan indirectly receiving aid from him]].
* ButtMonkey: Despite being the single most important person in the Darkness' hierarchy (Kvodnon [[PosthumousCharacter doesn't count]]), he keeps being defeated and/or humiliated on every step. Arey states to his face that he has no respect for him in any way, shape or form, and Ligul can't do anything about it -- he still has use for him, and whenever he tries to assassinate or punish him, it ends badly for him anyway. And his portraits or statues (actually semi-alive and sentient) which he uses for spying being desecrated in various funny ways is one of the {{Running Gag}}s in the earlier novels. That being said, only Arey and his team can get away with it; other people may end with their tongue -- or their head -- cut off.
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: {{Zigzagged|Trope}} with Arey and Mefodiy. Sometimes, he just barely tolerates them and only causes them minor problems. Sometimes, he decides that the problems outweighs the profit and all but blatantly tries to kill them, only to change his mind by the next novel. While he [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness stopped caring about Mefodiy]] when he obtained Praskovia as easier-to-control PuppetKing, his uneasy relationship with Arey remained like this permanently.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He just keeps betraying (or trying to betray) people around him, be it Spurius, Arey, Mefodiy, or his own men.
* DepravedDwarf: He is not just a hunchback, he is ''short'' hunchback -- and one of the vilest persons of this -verse.
* DragonAscendant: He used to be one of Kvodnon's favourites, second only to Spurius. When Kvodnon was defeated, Ligul used an opportunity to raise to power, since he found a neckchain from his darkh (it being the last symbol of his rule, and still containing some powers, means a lot for the Darkness).
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Ligul just keeps failing to take into account that not everyone as egoistical as him, which leads to him losing. He ''never'' expects that good qualities would prevail over vices, and always gets proven wrong when he expects the worst from the heroes.
* EvilCripple: He is old, short and ugly hunchback -- and one of the most vile characters in this -verse. [[EvilMakesYouUgly He was not always like this]]; this is a direct effect of him becoming a Dark Guardian.
* EvilIsPetty: He keeps habitably reminding Arey that [[LikeASonToMe Ulitha]] is merely a soulless witch he keeps around out of pity, and that to everyone else she is the worthless scum. Arey never reacts well, and always reminds him that one day he "[[ImpliedDeathThreat would make someone short even shorter]]".
* FallenAngel: It's known that he's amongst original Kvodnon's followers. His hunch? It's were the wings were used to be.
* FallenHero: As commented in-universe, to be so deeply vile, [[InvokedTrope someone must have the deepness to begin with]]. Whether it's true or not is unknown.
* FatalFlaw: He's [[StupidEvil too evil for his own good]]. He can't make allies because he's so infamous for being pathologically cheap and vile, no one ever trusts him. [[EvilCannotComprehendGood And he's completely unable to understand such things as love, friendship and compassion]], resulting in his plans consistently failing.
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Formally, he's just a chief of the Dark Chancellory, not supreme Lord of Darkness. This is because Kvodnon still formally possesses this title, despite being [[PosthumousCharacter dead]]; even after his "final" death, he didn't dare to claim the title. He later tried to set up a new Lord of Darkness (as a PuppetKing for him to exploit), firstly Mefodiy as inheritor-in-training, and then Praskovia as his (nominal) superior, but both times it only resulted in them defecting.
* NonActionBigBad: He is a bureaucrat, nor a warrior. He ''very'' rarely goes out of his office to see some action. When he does, he takes multiple bodyguards with him, and even then it often ends with him facing humiliating defeat.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: With him being [[ButtMonkey a butt of so many jokes]], [[NonActionBigBad never taking proactive role]] and constantly going over his head, it's all too easy to stop seeing him as a serious threat (even the Light [[BetterTheDevilYouKnow prefers him]] over someone more aggressive and ambiguous)... making it all the more sudden and effective when he actually puts his resources to good use and creates problems for the heroes out of nowhere.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: He can't fight his enemies directly, but he has full force of the hellish bureaucracy at his disposal to do it for him. All he needs to do is to call Arey to Tartarus at the right moment to leave Mefodiy without his protection.
[[/folder]]
!!! Ligul's inner circle
[[folder: Gerveg]]
Ligul's secretary and his official representative.
----
* TheDragon: He is Ligul's second-in-command, and frequently organises operations for him. Or, rather, he was, until the plan to destroy Mefodiy has failed, and Ligul didn't [[FallGuy put all the blame on him]], resulting in him being lynched by an angry mob.
* SharpDressedMan: Unlike Ligul, who's always dressed in a hooded cloak, or most other Guardians, who prefer comfort over style, Gerveg always wears expensive high-class suits, taken from [[{{Muggles}} lopukhoid]] businessmen (which, as stated by Mefodiy, looks highly out of place in Tartarus). Given that he's much younger than most other Guardians, it's quite possible that he's a DemonOfHumanOrigin and it's a remnant of his old life.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Wilhelm]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian and the chief of English Dark department. Arey's old friend.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name, despite not being of human origin.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: He is the same person as [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfNormandy Wilhelm the Conqueror]].
* FallenAngel: It's known that he's amongst original Kvodnon's followers, who were exiled from Eden.
* FallenHero: Wilhelm is one of the Dark Guardians whose change to the worst is particularly noticeable; Wilhelm was all-loving hero, but became just as vile as the rest of Kvodnon's supporters.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barbarossa]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name, despite not being of human origin.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: He is the same person as Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire.
* {{BFS}}: He prefers massive zweihender over usual one-handed swords most Dark Guardians use.
* BloodKnight: He is amongst the most bloodthirsty of Ligul's followers.
* FallenAngel: It's known that he's amongst original Kvodnon's followers.
* HotBlooded: He was always passionate, but as the Dark Guardian he became volatile.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bonaparte]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: He is the same person as UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte.
* NonActionGuy: He is infamous for his lack of combat skills, which often makes him a resident laughing stock.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Son of the Big Crocodile]]
Hight-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* AerithAndBob: Even in the setting filled with weird names, he still manages to stand out with the name which sounds weird even amongst the names like Arey or Ligul.
* CoveredWithScars: He is covered with countless scars from his past battles.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Precisely, 422 teeth, which grow in three rows.
* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: He is partly crocodile, and is amongst more dangerous Dark Guardians. He doesn't even need a sword to kill you: he can cut you up with his tail.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
* PhysicalGod: It's highly implied that he is a New Zealand pagan god. This gives him no advantage over the other Guardians, though.
* {{Troll}}: He has the reputation of a troll and jokester for his immature behaviour on important meetings and constant silly provocations of other Guardians. No one even cares anymore, always expecting something like this from him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Karl of Austria]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: He is the same person as Charles I, the last emperor of Austria.
* CharacterTic: For whatever reason he keeps playing with croutons on any meetings he attends.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Belviazer]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian and the chief of Brazil's Dark department. Arey's old friend.
----
* FauxAffablyEvil: He likes to put up the NobleDemon facade to entrust and then betray people. It's easier to gain their eidoses that way.
--> ''Sometimes, he says things which the Darkness considers to be blasphemous, but, like the true Tartarian, never forgets to claim new eidoses. Never let his smile fool you. He would condemn the Darkness, curse Ligul, show the similarity of views, and then just take your soul for a ride and go away, leaving you with cold emptiness in the chest and moronic smile on the face.''
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Chan]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian and the chief of Chinese Dark department. Ligul favours him for his department's high success rate.
----
* AerithAndBob: Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), he has perfectly human name.
* EyesAlwaysShut: He always keeps his eyes shut, unless something genuinely surprises him, in which case he briefly wides them before regaining his composure.
* TheQuietOne: He usually remains calm, almost lethargic, only showing that he is awake whenever something important must be said, and then returns to his usual condition.
* RecurringExtra: He is a part of Ligul's inner circle, but has little plot importance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Marmus]]
Gerveg's replacement as Ligul's secretary.
----
* TheDragon: He's Ligul's latest secretary and his official representative.
* EvilPoacher: He's one of the Dragonhunters -- the secret order, illegal even amongst the Dark Guardians (who are afraid of their power), which hunted many of the dragons to extinction; all so they can obtain their eyes which have unique magic properties.
* FauxAffablyEvil: At first, he acts friendly towards Irka, trying to trick her into trusting him and giving up the Book of Secret Dragons (and Firebreather) for the promise of stopping the battle and saving the surviving Valkyries. When she doesn't fall for it, he drops the facade and attacks her directly.
[[/folder]]
!!! Other top-ranking Guardians
[[folder: Cain]]
High-ranking Dark Guardian.
----
* {{Cain}}: Yes, [[Literature/TheBible that]] Cain. Just like in the Bible, he was the first man to kill another, with little "help" from the Darkness.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He quietly vanishes in the later novels.
* DemonOfHumanOrigin: One of the few known Dark Guardians who were humans rather than [[FallenAngel fallen Light Guardians]] in prior life.
* RecurringExtra: He appears several times, but has little plot importance. He isn't even a part of Ligul's inner circle.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Attila and Tamerlane]]
Once prominent Dark Guardians, now they basically retired.
----
* AerithAndBob: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Unlike many Guardians (either Light or Dark), they have perfectly human names, even if no longer used.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Yes, they are those [[UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun Attila]] and [[UsefulNotes/TimurTheLame Tamerlane]].
* LivingProp: They keep being invited on any major events, but don't interact with anyone and just quietly sit there in complete lethargy.
* RetiredMonster: They used to be prominent Dark Guardians with many accomplishments. Now, they are merely "[[LivingProp quests of honour]]" on important events, who don't have any interests in life.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Always appears together, due to any of their appearances happening when they gets invited on various events.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ziggy Puffs]]
Arey's replacement as the chief or Russian Department.
----
* BodySurf: When combat abilities are required, he transfers his mind into Zigya, completely suppressing his own personality.
* DemotedToExtra: Without Zigya, he's [[NonActionGuy a weakling who can't fight for himself]]. It's not in his interests to go out in the field, so he dedicated himself to the paper work and basically disappeared from the plot in later novels, aside from occasional brief appearances.
* DepravedDwarf: He was compared to a bearded infant. Personality-wise, he's just as vile as Ligul (in some aspects even worse).
* KarmaHoudini: Aside from permanently losing Zigya (stripping him of the means to use his combat powers), he gets away with killing Taamag and survives till the end of the series.
* NonActionGuy: In his actual body, he's a poor fighter, being more of a bureaucrat like Ligul; that's why he needs Zigya.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gopziy Rurius Third]]
One of Ligul's supporters to whom Ligul tried to "gift" Mefodiy's sword, realising that since he defected, Mefodiy technically no longer has rights for it. Unless, of course, he is willing to fight for it, with which he would be perfectly okay too, because he knows how to cheat his way to win.
----
* AgentPeacock: He's described to look rather feminine (and has a voice to match), but he is one of the best Dark swordsmen (you wouldn't be called the Fourth Sword of Darkness for pretty eyes).
* ArcVillain: ''The Stairway to Eden'' is all about Mefodiy's duel with this guy, though it's Ligul who set up the situation in the first place.
* CheatersNeverProsper: His death is directly related to him trying to cheat in battle with Mefodiy, as it's what provokes the Valkyries to [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill throw three spears]] at him.
* TheHeavy: He's the main antagonist of ''The Stairway to Eden'', and most of the problems Mefodiy faces are directly caused by him, but it's Ligul who calls the shots.
* MasterSwordsman: He is the Fourth Sword of Darkness. Though, he used to be Seventh until Arey killed several of his competitors.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Azgud]]
The master of the Order of Eyehunters.
----
* TheDragon: Not only the Order actually serves Ligul, of which most Dark Guardians are unaware (officially they are outlaws), it serves as his secret services, making Azgud ''very'' high-ranking minion, possibly even outranking Ligul's secretary Marmus, and certainly more dangerous than him.
* EvilPoacher: He's one of the Eyehunters -- the secret order, illegal even amongst the Dark Guardians (as they are afraid of their powers), which hunted many of the dragons to extinction; all so they can obtain their eyes which have unique magic properties.
* FallenAngel: He was a Light Guardian, but fell from the Light at unknown point (possibly around Kvodnon's rebellion). He preserved his wings for some time, until one of the dragons, previously docile, [[TrueSight sensed his internal Darkness]] and attacked him, burning the wings down.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts in a gentle, friendly manner. In truth, he's a ruthless killer.
* ItsPersonal: He has personal vendetta against the dragons, so for him, killing them is more than just the hunt for their eyes. One of them is responsible for burning his wings (back when he still had them), because [[TrueSight it saw him for what he is]], and since then Azgud relentlessly kills the dragons; he would only stop once all of them are dead.
[[/folder]]
!!! The Dark Dozen
[[folder: In general]]
The elite team of the best Dark Guardians, specifically created to fight the Valkyries.
----
* EvilCounterpart: After the Midnight Witches were almost completely wiped out, they remained as the next best team the Darkness has to put up against the Valkyries.
* DwindlingParty: Whenever they gets brought up, this results in them taking casualties.
* TheNotableNumeral: They decided to just call themselves "the Dark Dozen", after the number of members. There are always exactly twelve members; new ones join only after someone gets killed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Arey]]
A chief of Russian department of Darkness and Mefodiy's mentor. The best swordsman amongst the Dark Guardians.
----
* TheAce: PlayedWith. He was ''the'' best flier amongst the Light Guardians (something which [[{{Pride}} lead to his downfall]]), but he was a poor musician, of which he was aware.
* ArchEnemy: Arey hates Yaraat with passion and [[ItsPersonal wants to kill him personally]]. He has a ''very'' good reason for it: Yaraat once promised to protect his family, but only used this as opportunity to blackmail them into giving up their souls. He threatened to kill daughter if mother wouldn't give up her eidos, and did similar with daughter herself... then he throw them on the bottom of empty well, and [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill dropped several large rocks on them just in case]]. Why he did this? He had no personal hatred to Arey, neither he had any loyalty to Ligul. He did this because he ''can''.
* AttackAttackAttack: Arey only favours aggressive style of combat -- strike first, and overwhelm the opponent with non-ending attacks, leaving them no time to think up their next move and forcing them to just defend. Never give them time to catch their breath and take the initiative, let the battle go on ''your'' pace.
* BerserkButton:
** ''Do not'' badmouth [[LikeASonToMe Ulitha]] or his late family near him. Even Ligul rarely risks doing so directly.
** He hates when people lie to him (and it [[LivingLieDetector wouldn't work on him anyway]]). He's normally able to maintain self control, but liars have the best chances to set him off.
* BitingTheHandHumour: InUniverse, he just keeps and keeps mocking Ligul, even to his own face. He gets away with it because [[CantKillYouStillNeedYou Ligul can't afford to kill him]].
* BladeEnthusiast: He has impressive collection of melee weapons, particularly bladed ones, both magic and not. Additionally, he's canonically the one who originally ''invented'' swords.
* ByronicHero: Arey stands out of the rest of Dark Guardians by being the only one to still preserving some Light inside him, and holding up for it rather than descending fully into Darkness; he's the warrior, but not a butcher, the leader, but not a tyrant, the teacher, but not a slaver. One of the few {{Fallen Angel}}s to realise that their rebellion was a dead end, Arey, disillusioned with their cause, tries to quit his life as a Dark Guardian and start anew, with his new mortal family. Unfortunately, one of the few laws of the Darkness is that any traces of love is to be erased with extreme prejudice, and what little piece of happiness he has left gets taken away and cruelly crushed, with the help of one whom he considered to be his friend, and Arey, heartbroken and no longer having willpower to fight, gets taken back into service. He finds new will to live and fight in his adoptive daughter, Ulitha, and his student, Mefodiy (later he also regains his real daughter, who was brought BackFromTheDead, even if without memory), makes everything in his powers to help them into growing strong to resist Ligul's attempts to break them as he broke Arey himself, and later sacrifices his own life to let them break free from his leash, knowingly condemning himself to hell -- and yet earning the first real chance for salvation.
* DeathEqualsRedemption: He was forgiven after his death, albeit not instantly. He is the ''only'' known Dark Guardians (Ulitha doesn't count since she isn't technically a Guardian, while Mefodiy never became one formally before [[HeelFaceTurn deserting]]) to actually be redeemed, even if after his death. He never properly rejoined the Light because it ''is'' impossible, but he still received his piece of heaven post-mortem, [[TogetherInDeath being allowed to always relive his last happy moment with his family]].
* DeathSeeker: With no way to return back to Light, and no desire to stay with Darkness, especially after losing his family, Arey has little interest in continuing his existence. He wouldn't try to kill himself, but he wouldn't climb for his life either. But he never meets a worthy opponent.
* DrillSergeantNasty: When he trains you, he wouldn't accept anything less than perfect. And he ''hates'' slackers, to the point that the worse you perform, the harder he would make your challenge. After his training, the only thing you can think about is '''pain'''. However, those who actually endure, would achieve the great results, as Mefodiy shows.
* DuelToTheDeath: While he had many duels in his life, two of them serves as the turning points of his life:
** In backstory, Arey has killed Hoors in one of these, despite them being long outlawed by Ligul. This caused Arey's exile to the distant lighthouse, where he met Ulitha.
** Arey meets his own demise in another duel, this time against Mefodiy, [[SuicideByCop by allowing himself to be beheaded]]. Given that Arey [[HeroicSuicide did this to protect the people he cares about]], it's what gives him the first real chance at salvation, and proves that he still has some Light left inside himself.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: In defiance of what Essiorkh claimed (that no Dark Guardian may willingly turn to Light), he [[SuicideByCop let Mefodiy kill him in their last duel]], which served several purposes: saving Mefodiy (who was doomed to die), saving Varvara (whom Ligul would try to corrupt through him) and saving Ulitha (who, due to quirk in her contract, is now free from the Darkness altogether). This self-sacrifice proves that he indeed has some Light left within, and allows him to preserve his sanity in Tartarus and [[KarmicJackpot finally earn salvation]] in the end, receiving the final gift from his friends -- be able to spend the rest of eternity sealed in the last happy moment he had with his family, in their personal little piece of heaven, where no one would ever touch them again.
* EvilIsSterile: {{Averted|Trope}}; as conceiving new life requires to have at least some Light inside you, Dark Guardians normally can't do that, but Arey somehow did, showing that he still has some Light left inside him. It didn't go without issues, however, as his innate Darkness has polluted his daughter's eidos, making it highly vulnerable to Darkness.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Arey makes everything in his power to "correct" Varvara (who, in his opinion, has too many bad habits -- smoking, swearing, dangerous lifestyle...), and protect her from ending up in Tartarus. Part of this is ensuring she would never learn who her real father is and that he's a Dark Guardian.
* FallenAngel: Like all of the original Dark Guardians, he used to be a Light Guardian once. Being too proud of his wings and flying skills, he was unwilling to wait until they rot away by themselves, and chose to cut them off, leaving very specific scars on his back.
* FantasticRacism: Surprisingly {{Averted|Trope}}. Arey never shows the usual contempt the Dark Guardians have for everyone else. Arey actually respects mortals who shows qualities he likes, while despising fellow Guardians who don't: strength, willpower and cold, goal-oriented mind. He developed this mindset after [[FightsLikeANormal spending many years amongst mortals]] as a gladiator, purposely avoiding using his powers, including darkh and artifact sword (thus becoming mortal), even knowing that he may be killed just like any of them, and this death ''would'' be real. He still remembers some of them, and even drew their portraits by memory at some point, though with ages his memories start to fade.
* FatherToHisMen: His team is sincerely loyal to him, and would go any mile to save him, because they know -- he would do the same for them. This is especially true for Ulitha, in both ways. He, as much as he can, protects even Daphne, showing surprising amount of concern for her well-being.
* FightsLikeANormal: Arey spent ''a long'' time traveling around the world without either his magic sword or his darkh, learning countless combat techniques when fighting alongside mortals, all while knowing that any mistake -- and he ''would'' die and be send to Tartarus. This experience taught him to respect humans much more than fellow Dark Guardians.
* FrozenFashionSense: Unless he needs to attend some official event, Arey never bothers with modern formal clothes, preferring some old Slavic clothes, both because it's more comfortable for him, and because he likes the style.
* TheGadfly: He likes making fun of other people from time to time, but never out of malice, just for good laugh (and no one keeps a grudge at him for that). The sole exception is [[ButtMonkey Ligul]], because they hate each other.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: He once tried to abandon the Darkness and continue living as a mortal with a wife and daughter (him having a child is by itself a miracle, as Dark Guardians are supposed to be sterile, due to having no Light in them). This worked for some time, until [[FalseFriend his "friend" Yaraat]] has killed them. He never tried again afterwards, but he never became truly loyal to the Darkness again either.
* ItsPersonal: Arey would not allow anyone but himself to kill [[ArchEnemy Yaraat]]. There is ''very'' good reason for it: Yaraat betrayed his trust and killed his wife and daughter -- but not before stealing their souls; all just for his sick amusement.
* KickedUpstairs: His position as the chief of Russian Department of Darkness is ''not'' a promotion. As the chief, Arey is forced to spend most of his time doing paper work, while being under constant supervisory by commissioners, not to mention how humiliating for a warrior like Arey would be his position as a bureaucrat, like countless others he despises (particularly Ligul himself). For all intents and purposes, it's just another prison, just less blatant than his exile on a lighthouse.
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. He may be [[NobleDemon not as evil]] as [[EvilCripple Ligul]], [[DepravedDwarf Ziggy Puffs]] or [[SerialKiller Yaraat]], but it wouldn't make him ''good'' either. He still kills people, still [[PoweredByAForsakenChild exploits power of eidoses]] and still works for the organisation which purpose is to corrupt and send to hell countless mortal souls. As old saying goes, "tell me who your friend is, I would tell who you are"; and Arey serves the Darkness.
* LikeADaughterToMe: He isn't very open about it, because the Darkness is all to eager to exploit any sign of weakness against you, but his relationship with Ulitha greatly resembles that of the father and daughter. Neither of them reacts well to another one being mistreated.
* LivingLieDetector: Lies ''never'' work on him. Don't even try: he [[BerserkButton wouldn't take it well]].
* LoveIsAWeakness: Dark Guardians are prohibited to to love, and this is one of the few laws they actually respect, punishing any violations with extreme prejudice. Why? Because if you ''truly'' love (not merely desire or lusts over someone; this is not true love, it can't help anyone to grow better, and would die eventually anyway), you can't be ''truly'' evil, and thus, can't be truly loyal to the cause. He takes this matter ''very'' seriously, and there's a good reason for that: long time ago, Arey fell in love with a mortal woman, and they even had a daughter, which again was supposed to be impossible, just because something dead can't create life, and was considered to be an abomination; he became an outlaw, hunted like a beast; this is [[FalseFriend where Yaraat]] came into light... Arey never moved past the death of his family, despite being accepted back afterwards.
* LoveRedeems: It's the love, be it to his (late) mortal wife and daughter, or to his [[ReplacementGoldfish adopted daughter]] Ulitha, or to his students, which keeps him from descending into Darkness completely, and gives him a chance at redemption, not available to anyone else amongst the Dark Guardians. And in the end, he ''earns'' that redemption, being allowed, for once, to be [[TogetherInDeath happy with his family]].
* MasterSwordsman: He is the best swordsman amongst ''all'' Dark Guardians. The only one who was even remotely close to him was Hoors, who was killed by Arey on DuelToTheDeath long before the start of the story (the event which serves as one of the turning point of his story).
* NasalTrauma: His sliced with a scar noseis amongst the most often mentioned features, alongside his signature long grey mustache.
* NeutralityBacklash: He's amongst the first to insist that attempt to stay neutral in the war between the Light and the Darkness would end badly for you, because you either would become insignificant weakling, or just end up with the Darkness anyway, but in the role of its pawn. He does know what he's saying because he tried to defect once and live as the mortal, not aligned with anyone, which ended up disastrous.
* NobleDemon: He hates cowards, liars and traitors, and sees no reason in doing evil "just because". He actually values his team, including Daphne, and wouldn't let anyone to harm them. Also, even if he would kill you, he would do this in a fair fight (though, as [[VillainHasAPoint was pointed out by Ligul]], when one of opponents used to be a literal god of war once, and has centuries of combat experience, this fight hardly can be called "fair"). While he still uses darkh, he out of principle only feeds it with the eidoses from the darkhs of slain Dark Guardians.
* NotWorthKilling: He has nothing but disdain towards Ligul, and not even bothers to hide it, but keeps him alive despite Ligul regularly giving him good excuses with his botched assassination attempts. Why? Because it wouldn't change anything for him, and Ligul is mostly of the "all bark, not bite" type. Given how things end up, it was almost certainly a mistake.
* OffWithHisHead: His preferred method of ending any fight is to just straight-up cut off the opponent's head with their darkh attached in one well-placed hit; just like he killed Hoors. This is also how Arey himself met his end, at duel with Mefodiy.
* ParentsAsPeople: When he interacts with Varvara, he briefly stops being almighty Dark Guardian, and becomes inexperienced father who doesn't know what to do with his daughter, but clumsily tries to fit in this role anyway. He argues with her over her bad habits (smoking, swearing, going on dangerous trips), and tries to come along with her without revealing what they are related.
* PhysicalGod: PlayedWith. It's all but explicitly stated twhat the myths about [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek god of war Ares]] actually describe his past adventures, but Arey never had god-like powers, and at some points actually [[FightsLikeANormal traveled around without even his darkh]].
* {{Pride}}: His FatalFlaw.
** He is ''the'' best combatant, and he knows it. As result, he isn't reliable source of information when talking about other someone else's skills: he tend to diminish their achievements, especially Hoors (who was actually second-best after Arey himself). That being said, never try to use flattery; he is great at telling truth from lies, and ''insincere'' flattery would be taken as insult.
** He showed signs of pride even before falling out from Light, and in fact, it's what caused his betrayal. Back when he was the Light Guardian, he was ''the'' best flyer amongst them, and, to his bane, he was perfectly aware of this. At one point, he started (back then, just in his mind) demanding the "deserved" acknowledgment of his skills from the Light, and, when he didn't receive it, he took it as betrayal. It made him easy target for [[TheCorruptor Kvodnon]], who just started his recruiting campaign.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: He only accepts this as the teaching methods; if your students can't learn on the go and adapt, they aren't worth keeping as students, and deserve whatever happens to them. He stops ''just'' short from outright killing or seriously injuring Mefodiy multiple times, but only because he is ''that'' important, otherwise he prefers his usual methods -- adapt or suffer. This actually pays up, as Mefodiy grew up into a strong warrior, and even infamously lazy Nata managed to learn something.
* TokenGoodTeammate: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. He's certainly least vile amongst the Dark Guardians, and wants nothing but stay away from them, but this still doesn't make him ''good'' either, not in the last turn because he still uses darkh to empower himself.
* TragicVillain: Even if the whole "ALighterShadeOfBlack" part gets deconstructed, he's still one of the more sympathetic and tragic characters from the "dark" part of the cast, with more accent on "evil would ruin your life" than on atrocities themselves. It's telling that he is amongst the very few villains who actually managed to earn redemption, even if long after death.
* TranquilFury: Loud and angry Arey is a bad thing, but usually survivable. When he suddenly becomes quiet, it's a sure sign that he is on the brink of just cutting off your head.
* TrappedInVillainy: He despises the Darkness, but can't return to the Light, either, being trapped in service to Ligul, whom he openly hates.
-->'''Arey''': Light is [[GoodIsBoring too boring]], Darkness is [[EvenEvilHasStandards too vile]]. Perhaps, the lighthouse and loneliness is really the best outcome for me!
* WarriorPoet: Arey at times goes into long philosophical monologues about a nature of Light, Darkness and eidoses, in contrast with his pragmatical, close-to-the-ground approach to combat. He also shows interest (and skills) to drawing at several points.
* WeaponSpecialisation: While he knows every and all weapons to the master level, he particularly values swords, and has entire collection of them. As we later learn, he was the one who ''invented'' them in the first place, precisely as the perfect weapon for his tastes.
* WorldsBestWarrior: He is ''the'' best combatant amongst the Dark Guardians. He achieved this status through centuries of experience, both as a "god of war", and as a mortal warrior (when he traveled without darkh, thus not having access to neither his magic nor immortality).
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jaff]]
Arey's former student and his replacement in the Dark Dozen.
----
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist of ''The Ship of Light'', in two out of three plotlines:
** Mefodiy's plot is all about killing him.
** For Irka, he forms the BigBadDuumvirate with Mamzelkina; they cooperate to corrupt Irka into becoming a second [[TheGrimReaper Grim Reaper]].
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: He's described to be unusually beautiful for someone from the [[EldritchLocation low levels of Tartarus]]. But underneath that, he's a vile, heartless backstabber.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He pretends to be nice and friendly. He's just as much of an asshole as every other Dark Guardian.
* TheHeavy: In ''The Ship of Light'', he's involved in ''all'' storylines, and is the one who pushes the plot forward:
** It's due to him the Dark Dozen gathered enough courage to challenge the Valkyries in the first place.
** Matvey challenges Jaff to a duel in attempt to protect the Valkyries, which, in turn, leads to Mefodiy fighting him instead, on [[DeadPersonConversation Arey's request]] (Arey is perfectly aware that Matvey would be just killed, achieving nothing).
** He's even present in the plot about stealing the eidoses of Ulitha and her son: he's the one who tries to trick her into succumbing to Darkness.
* HeroKiller: He may pretend to be a NonActionGuy, but in reality, he has killed at least ten Light Guardians (including four Gold-Winged) and at least seven Dark Guardians (including two powerful ones), and this if counting only duels. Later it turns out that he's so successful due to somehow obtaining the Ice Spear. And when he fights Mefodiy, he actually kills him, even if Mefodiy gets better afterwards.
* TheMedic: He has the (rare amongst the Dark Guardians) gift of healing. The other Dark Guardians knows about this, and often hire him to patch them up after battles.
* NonActionGuy: {{Invoked|Trope}} by Jaff himself, who puts on a weakling facade to mask his true strength, so he can exploit people underestimating him. Given his killing score, whoever still believes in it [[TooDumbToLive fully deserves their fate]].
* ProfessionalGambler: He receives many souls by tempting people into trying to gamble on their eidos. He claims that he doesn't even need to cheat: [[TheGamblingAddict gamblers]] never stop after just one win, and would keep playing until they finally lose all; while indeed true for many gamblers, it doesn't mean that he wouldn't cheat with someone else (which he does).
* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: He used to be one of the best Arey's students, until he betrayed him. Unlike the other Dark Guardians, [[NobleDemon Arey]] has [[EvenEvilHasStandards no tolerance]] for such things, so he never forgave him.
* SchmuckBait: His modus operandi is to offer his victims the "win-win lottery", where they need to pick one of the four cards; three would earn the victim something valuable for them, and fourth would cost them their eidos. He insists that it's worth it because all stakes are against him... despite being perfectly able to cheat, and doing it whenever things don't go his way. He actually tries it twice with the main characters, with different results:
** The first time he does it with Matvey. Matvey "wins" the lottery, because the actual goal was not to cheat him out of his eidos, but to give him very specific "gift" with [[TheCorruption very specific purpose]].
** The second time he does it with Ulitha (aiming to gain both her and her son's eidoses), right after telling her that she's on the brink of losing Essiorkh. She almost agrees after he pushes hard enough, but refuses to play in the last moment, forcing him to give up... for now.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lovus and Aspurk]]
Two Dark Guardians who trained to fight together to achieve better performance.
----
* AffablyEvil: They act very friendly, even towards someone they are about to face in a duel. Varsus believes that [[FauxAffablyEvil this is just their method of calming down their enemy]]: it's not that easy to kill someone who was so friendly to you, so they likely wouldn't fight in full force; however, Lovus' last words suggests that his friendliness was sincere.
* DualBoss: They always work as a duo. According to Lamina, they are "just good" when fighting separately, but worth four fighters when working together. They are aware of this, and never shows up separately. It remains true in their final battle, where Mefodiy and Varsus have to fight them, also fighting as a duo.
* FallenAngel: They used to be the Light Guardians, until they chose to follow Kvodnon. Lovus, in his final words, indicates that they both regret doing so.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Out of five Guardians who've killed or injured a Valkyrie during the battle in ''The Gryphon's Mistake'', only Lovus survived till the end of said battle. Varsus fixes that in the following novel, by challenging the duo to fight him and Mefodiy; the duel which ends up being the last for both Dark Guardians.
* VitriolicBestBuds: They're constantly mocking each other, but work as ideally synchronised death machine in the battle.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Other members]]
All the other members of the Dark Dozen only appear in one single novel, within one single chapter, which [[WeHardlyKnewYe ends up being the last]] for some of them.
----
* BaldOfEvil: Vandol is completely bald, and is perhaps the most violent person in entire Black Dozen, which is saying something.
* TheBerserker: Vandol is insane out of battle. In battle, he goes so wild, he often drops his axe and just tries to kill his enemy with ''his teeth''.
* TheBrute:
** Vandol is ''the'' dumbest and most insane member of the Black Dozen, who's only tolerated due to his great ability to kill the people around him.
** Ghur relies on his strength more than on any kind of tactics.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Despite being an archer, Knor prefers being always on the move, go close to his enemy and quickly hit them in the vulnerable spot from his short bow. Sometimes, he goes as far as to jump onto enemies' shields to find his target.
* ConfusionFu: Mhango's fighting style relies on surprising the enemy at every step. Fall on the snow and hit your enemies with the knives in your boots. Stand on your head for several minutes while fighting the enemy with both the legs and the hands (armed with axes). And so on. Shame, [[WeHardlyKnewYe he never gets a chance to demonstrate it]].
* CoveredInScars: Vandol is covered in countless scars from his past battles, including the trace of a huge mace hitting him in the face; Shilov thinks it's one of the reasons why he's [[TheBerserker so rabid]]: all the head traumas had a huge toll on his sanity.
* DualWield: Thorp is armed with two battle axes. One is lighter, but longer, another is shorter, but heavier, and resembles some mix between an axe and a sword.
* EvilCounterpart:
** Ghur is explicitly compared to the Valkyrie of Stone Spear, since he takes the similar role -- crushing down the enemy's defence line, allowing the others to attack.
** Dinor is explicitly compared to the Loner Valkyrie, being sort of "commando" of the team -- less open combat, more stealth.
* FlatCharacter: With exception of [[TheBerserker Vandol]], their fighting style gets much more attention than their personalities: the one introducing them has to concentrate on explaining tactics, as they're about to fight those guys.
* {{Foil}}: Rhosvus and Knor are both archers and both works in the same team, but have vastly different combat style and choice of weaponry.
* FragileSpeedster: Knor is small and agile, always being on the move and hitting his targets whenever he finds the hole in their protection, but is very fragile if the enemy actually manages to hit him.
* GlassCannon: Being the sniper, Rhosvus has little means to protect himself, instead relying on his teammates. However, he's capable of piercing almost any defence with his shots, including the Valkyries' shields.
* HeroKiller: Veyzece has killed one of Fulona's predecessors. This is quite an achievement, given that even [[AxCrazy Hoors]] was preferring to avoid clashing with the Valkyries.
* TheJuggernaut: Ghur's role in the team: he rushes to the enemies' positions with just two large knives, and breaks their formation to allow his teammates to deal the finishing blow. Lamina even calls him "the official tank" of the Black Dozen.
* LongRangeFighter: Rhosvus prefers to stay away from the enemy, instead using his powerful bow to snipe key targets from afar.
* PsychoPartyMember: Vandol is completely insane, to the point that he spends most of the time imprisoned just to prevent him from [[TeamKiller killing someone on his own side]]. When he goes to battle, it doesn't matter for him whom to kill, only that he gets to kill. Ligul sees him more as a liability than an asset, and always looks how he can get rid of him. He even considered to make him and Arey fight at one point.
* ShieldBash: Yum uses his shield for both defence and offence. He usually works in a combination with [[TheJuggernaut Ghur]]: Ghur breaks the enemy shield line, and Yum rushes into the hole and smashes people with his own shield, preventing them from reassembling defence.
* TeamKiller: Vandol has the bad habit of not telling friends from foes, ending up massacring both sides; Ligul even considered to get rid of him altogether. The situation must have been very dire if he was considered as an addition to the Black Dozen.
* UncertainDoom: We never learn whether Mhango was killed, or merely injured.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Many of them ends up being dead before we learn anything about their personalities. Mhango ([[UncertainDoom assuming he actually died]]) and Knor didn't have a chance to show even their skills.
[[/folder]]
!!! Other Guardians
[[folder: Hoors]]
A Dark Guardian and Second Sword of Darkness.
----
* AbortedArc: After the first time he [[DemonicPossession possessed Mefodiy]] with the intent to use his body against Arey, he claimed that he would come back one day for a rematch. It didn't happen, and that plot point was completely forgotten about.
* AxCrazy: Hoors was one of the most unstable and psychotic Dark Guardians, taking pleasure in killing. Notably, he was the first Dark Guardian to murder another living being.
-->'''Arey''': He knew how to feed the sword with blood. So much blood, it was enough even for the handle... As far as I remember, when hearing the word "morality", he was always looking for a dictionary, because he was chronically incapable of remembering what it means.
* BloodKnight: According to Arey, he was obsessed with improving his killing skills, to the point that he was able to kill "almost gently", and with bare minimum of blood being spilled.
* FallenAngel: Like all original Dark Guardians, he used to be Light Guardian once.
* {{Flynning}}: {{Invoked|Trope}} by Arey, who ([[UnreliableExpositor falsely]]) claims that Hoors' preferred fighting style looks cool, but in "actual" combat may quickly get you killed. This statement being ''completely'' untrue gets proven when Mefodiy faces Shillov, who now has Hoors' skills. Also, Hoors was the Second Sword of Darkness, meaning that Arey was the only Guardian to surpass him in skill.
* MasterSwordsman: He was the Second Sword of Darkness. Unfortunately, he was unlucky enough to face in battle the ''First'' Sword -- Arey. It [[OffWithHisHead didn't end well]] for him.
* OffWithHisHead: Arey has killed him by cutting off both his head and his darkh in the one single blow. Arey is still unsure whether he hit him that way by himself, or Hoors [[SuicideByCop let him hit his neck as well]], after realising that he lost his darkh and with it, both his power and his dignity, and decided that life no longer worths it.
* PosthumousCharacter: He is long dead by the start of the first book, killed by Arey on a DuelToTheDeath; the reason why this duel happened never gets stated, but it's implied to be related to the deaths of Arey's family.
* TheWorfEffect: It was established that he was the second-best fighter amongst the Dark Guardians, but whenever his skills gets brought up, he gets compared to someone who was stronger than him (either Arey or the Valkyries), which greatly diminishes whatever impression he can make.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Harpiy Zduffs]]
A Dark Guardian who temporarily replaced Arey as the chief of Russian Department during ''The Ticket to the Bald Mountain''.
----
* BadBoss: In stark contrast with Arey, he has absolutely no respect to or from his subordinates, actively going out of his way to make their life insufferable, and planning to kill off several of them under the first excuse he can find.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Besides his attempt to kill Depresnyak, he casually admits that he regularly kills the other hellish cats just for sport.
* BaldOfEvil: He is completely bald, and has even worse personality than [[DepravedDwarf Ligul]].
* BatmanGambit: Entire reason why Ligul sent him, of all people; he knew that Harpiy would antagonise everyone to the point of open hostility... which would give Harpiy an excuse to finish off everyone except for Mefodiy himself, leaving him vulnerable for corruption without the friends nearby.
* ComeBackWrong: If the Dark Guardian gets killed without beheading, there is one-day window to resurrect them, but result wouldn't be pretty. Harpiy looks more like some ugly bald corpse than a human being, has long claws instead of normal nails (he actually uses them to cast his magic) and has no sympathy for anyone or anything ([[NoSell not even Nata's magic can change that]]). He also gained creepy graveyard-themed sense of humour.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: As soon as Harpiy appears, he starts antagonising everyone, and then nearly kills Depresnyak. When Mefodiy tries to defend already injured Depresnyak (who barely survived the first strike of Harpiy's magic), Harpiy stops his heart with his dark magic, and only releases him at the last moment, pointing out that he has permission to do things like this at his leisure. Afterwards, he proceeds to force Ulitha (a fun-loving partygoer) to stay within the residence permanently, not forgetting to point out that she is of no value for him and he can kill her just out of boredom and get away with it -- this is immediately after her being devastated by Arey's imprisonment.
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: What little jokes he makes, all are graveyard-themed, and makes no one laugh at all, given that they're directed at ''them''.
* {{Foil}}: To Arey. Arey is FatherToHisMen, who has sincere loyalty of his team, who would risk their lives for him (knowing that he would do the same for them), while Harpiy does everything in his powers to antagonise everyone. Arey has good sense of humour, while Harpiy's is borderline non-existent and graveyard-themed (even Aida, who has similar sense of humour, is tolerable in comparison). And lastly, while Arey [[NobleDemon has the sense of honour]] and despises blatant cheapness, Harpiy is a sadist and petty tyrant.
* {{Jerkass}}: Even in comparison with Ligul, this guy is a massive jerk to everyone around him, not just Ulitha.
* LeanAndMean: He's lean like a stick, and is absolutely insufferable jerk.
* MeaningfulName: His name sounds similar to the word "harpy" -- fitting for a bastard, who, besides ugly personality, possesses ugly bird-like claws instead of normal nails (they are what he uses to cast spells).
* {{Sadist}}: When he temporarily stops Mefodiy's heart, he enjoys the pain it causes to him.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: He temporarily replaces Arey in the fourth novel; even without comparing him to Arey, he is an absolute bastard of a boss (and [[{{Jerkass}} bastard in general]]), changing anything he possibly can for the worse, and antagonising everyone.
* PutOnABus: One of Ulitha's condition for ''not'' revealing Ligul's DarkSecret is to call that guy off. Whatever happened to him next, he never reappears after the fourth novel.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Wolgengluck]]
Tartatian sleuth whom Ligul sent to obtain the amulet Arey has gifted to Varvara.
----
* ArchEnemy: He ''really'' wants to strike back at Essiorkh for being humiliated, by destroying those whom he loves.
* NoodleIncident: He has some story with Essiorkh which ended with him being humiliated, but we never learn details.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Subplot about his conflict with Essiorkh resolves without his involvement, and he never gets mentioned again.
* WouldHurtAChild: He is perfectly okay with forcing Ulitha to give up the soul of her unborn son. There is no benefits he can gain out of it other than revenge against Essiorkh who previously humiliated him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Erlun]]
A Dark Guardian whom Ligul sent to recruit Arey into the expedition for the Head-Stone.
----
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Arey calls Erlun "everyone's friend" for his habit of befriending people, learning their secrets, and then leaving to find some new "friend", to whom he tells all the secrets he learned from the previous "friends". For that reason, he wants nothing to do with the guy.
* SycophanticServant: Amongst the other his traits which annoys Arey is his habit of always agreeing with whomever he talks to, and complimenting everything they say. Arey compares him to a lapdog which always follows its master.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: His subsequent fate is unknown, including whether he even survived to the present time.
[[/folder]]
!! Servants of Darkness
!!! Commissioners
[[folder: Commissioners in general]]
Evil spirits used as... nearly anything: spies, runners, foot soldiers, etc. But their main role is to fool lopukhoids into giving up their eidoses.
----
* AlienBlood: By the time of second novel, the new commissioners started using ink to imitate blood: Ligul finds it amusing to try and imitate actual human as much as possible, as a special kind of mockery.
* AlwaysMale: Commissioners [[NoBiologicalSex have no biological sex]], being merely evil spirits in artificial bodies. That being said, all encountered commissioners uses male pronounces and have male-like bodies.
* BlatantLies: They love vowing with, or mention in attempt to cause pity, their "mommies". It's blatantly obvious that the evil spirits from hell, especially the ones inhabiting the plasticine bodies, can't have "mommies". Throughout the whole series, only Mefodiy ever fell for this, and only in the very first novel.
* ButtMonkey: They have absolutely no respect from anyone, and would always be kicked, smashed with something, etc at very first provocation or without it. Thankfully for them, they are made from plasticine, so no lasting harm would be made, unless magic or artifacts are involved (which rarely happens because [[NotWorthKilling it would be usually considered being wasteful]]).
* CannonFodder: When Darkness needs foot soldiers, they would arm commissioners (particularly those created in Low Tartarus, who are slower, but more resistant to damage and magic, due to being made from mud) or wights. Naturally, commissioners are threatened as being completely expandable: any fallen commissioner would be replaced by the new one waiting in Tartarus.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: They would betray and snitch on ''anyone'' and ''anything'', as long as it provides them with any benefits. Ulitha presumes that they would snitch even on themselves if there's a way they can profit from it.
* EvilIsPetty: They always drop their disguise right before stealing your eidos, so they can mock you for being so naive.
* TheImp: The commissioners (small, plasticine-made constructs) would do anything in their powers to annoy you, always stopping ''just'' right to not give you a reason to execute them on the spot. If you have no such ability, they would go even further.
* MasterOfDisguise: Due to being made from plasticine (literally), they can transform their bodies on the go to adapt for current situation, either to hide themselves, or to fool [[{{Muggles}} lopukhoids]] into giving up their [[OurSoulsAreDifferent eidoses]].
* NotWorthKilling: They are so pathetic, no one bothers to kill them unless provoked, not even the Light Guardians (who often just blackmail them into providing information; knowing their backstabbing tendencies, they force them into giving magic vows).
* {{Objectshifting}}: Their form does not need to even be human: they can change into anything, up to and including talking cut up fish (like Tuklomon once did, to intimidate one of his victims), or even moving images in the magazines.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Commissioners are low-level evil spirits used by the Darkness for all sorts of errands, from espionage to runner tasks to delivering messages between phones (yes, really). Comissioners have no body on their own; instead, they use constructs made from plasticine.
* PlaceWorseThanDeath: Commissioners would do ''anything'', up to and including [[TheMole allying with the Light]], if they can avoid being sent back to Tartarus; there, they have no opportunity to enrich themselves nor they can rise any higher, and must deal with only the other commissioners, who are just as sneaky and untrustworthy as they are.
* RattlingOffLegal: Their common tactic is to ask you to give up one "little, insignificant thing", with "explanation" what this thing even is being so fast and quiet, no one can decipher what they meant. It somehow works surprisingly often. If pressed, they ''must'' provide adequate explanation... but few people bother.
* RubberMan: They can stretch or change their form to reach certain goals. {{Justified|Trope}}, because they ''are'' made of plasticine.
* {{Slimeball}}: All of them, without exceptions, are sneaky, cunning and disgusting assholes who always try to either pretend to be your friend or cause sympathy through playing the "poor, abused and lone soul" card, only to try to either backstab you, snitch on you, try to cheat you out of your soul, or all three. Their pathetic attempts to look nice only makes them look disgusting instead.
* SoldHisSoulForADonut: Commissioners [[EvilIsPetty just love]] to not just fool you to give up your soul, but to give it up for something worthless even by human standards, like expired sprat can (like Tukhlomon once tried with Mefodiy).
* TheStoolPigeon: They are infamous snitches. They would snitch on ''everyone'', up to and including themselves, if it may serve any purpose. If they can't find any actual information, they would make it up on the spot by interpreting anything they can as a "sign of treachery". Fortunately, most of the time no one takes them seriously.
* SycophanticServant: When they can't find a way to blackmail you, they would try to please you, in the most pathetic way possible. Even if you start kicking their asses, they would make ''even that'' into attempt to please you.
* VerbalTic: They tend to add "-s" on the end of many words where it doesn't belong, mainly when they play their SycophanticServant card (as attempt to imitate old-fashioned Russian servants).[[note]] It was once a norm of etiquette to add it on the end of many words, but fell out of use long ago[[/note]] They also warp many words to sound more "cute", which has the opposite effect.
* YourSoulIsMine: If they fool you into giving up your [[OurSoulsAreDifferent eidos]], they would reach it through your chest, and rip it out, to use for the purposes of Darkness. While it wouldn't cause any visible traumas, the ''real'' damage [[EmptyShell would be much, much worse than any material trauma you can ever have]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tukhlomon]]
A commissioner, notorious for his incredible sneakiness and survival capabilities, even by commissioners' standards.
----
* BavarianFireDrill: One of his signature tactics. Instead of being subtle and [[RattlingOffLegal fooling mortals into giving up their souls]] (which has a chance to fail), he firstly [[{{Gaslighting}} makes them think that they're starting to lose their minds]], then visits them under a new guise and starts blatantly threatening to do something bad, to scary them into giving up their eidos (which he can't actually do, and not merely because he is made from plasticine). After that they universally notices that [[GlamourFailure something is wrong with him]], but it's too late to take words back, after which he [[KickTheDog mocks them for their foolishness]].
* BlatantLies: He keeps bringing up his (non-existent) "mommy" as excuse for whatever favour he tries to ask for, to the point that "Tukhlomon's mommy" became the inside joke between Mefodiy and Daphne. He also keeps pretending to be their friend, despite ''repeatedly'' trying to backstab them, and them being perfectly aware of this.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He is a commissioner, after all. Tukhomon keeps trying to please both Arey and Ligul, sometimes at the same time; when he sees an opportunity to gain something, he can serve someone else too, only to backstab them once they stop being useful. While literally no one likes him, they for whatever reason keeps sparing him.
* EnemiesList: Tukhlomon keeps the list of everyone who ever offended him in any way. It's speculated in-universe that the list by now includes every single Guardian and most commissioners/succubi.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Essiorkh and Ulitha nearly destroyed Tukhlomon with fire, but failed to melt him completely, and small part of him managed to escape... but now he needs to reconstruct himself, which would take months, and, worst of all, commissioners are extremely dependant on the amount of plasticine their bodies have -- the less, the dumber they become; with what is left of him, Tukhlomon is barely sentient now. Unfortunately, it didn't last for long, and, after skipping just one novel, he returns in the final one and runs away.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Despite literally everyone in the Russian department hating his guts, they keep tolerating him because he still fulfils his "duties", and is too useful to just kill him.
* {{Gaslighting}}: One of his signature tactics. Before he finally faces his victims, he prepares them by making them think that they start losing their mind and are seeing hallucinations, via his shapeshifting abilities.
* HatedByAll: Literally every character who ever interacted with him in any way has some reasons to hate his guts. Those few who don't have personal vendetta against him, despises him because he's a commissioner.
* HateSink: This plasticine-made imp represents all the worst qualities of the commissioners, and adds new ones on top of them. While he rarely provides any actual danger to the heroes, the [[{{Muggles}} lopukhoids]] are another matter: Tukhlomon shows up [[OncePerEpisode at least once per novel]], to ruin someone's life and mock them for that, all while [[JokerImmunity never suffering any repercussions]] (unlike any larger scale villains), giving the readers the consistent target to root against, and serving as a consistent reminder that evil is not "cool".
* {{Jerkass}}: He actively tries to be as annoying and disgusting to the heroes as possible. Even when he acts friendly, it's just a part of spectacle and gets done in a mocking, disrespectful manner.
* JokerImmunity: No matter how much he annoys the other characters, he always manages to survive where literally any other commissioner would be killed on the spot. The closest he gets to being destroyed is when Essiorkh melts him with fire, reducing him to a small, ''not sentient'' plasticine worm in ''The Ship of Light'', but even then he only spends one novel being dead afterwards and returns in the final one.
* KarmaHoudini: While the death or imprisonment in Tartarus would be the ''least'' he deserves, he keeps avoiding his punishment. He (temporarily) suffered a FateWorseThanDeath in ''The Ship of Light'', but returned in the final novel and successfully escaped, meaning that he's still out there, stealing eidoses.
* MeaningfulName: "Tukhliy" means "rancid", "rotten" in Russian. Fitting name for such rotten bastard.
* OncePerEpisode: In every novel (excluding final two), there would be ''at least'' one scene where Tukhlomon tricks naive lopukhoid to give up their eidos, never forgetting to [[EvilIsPetty mock them]] before leaving.
* RefugeInAudacity: In sharp contrast with [[SycophanticServant how other commissioners are tend to behave]], he acts very bold, familiar and sometimes outright rude to nearly anyone around him, showing next to zero respect (or showing it in blatantly mocking way). Commissioners [[ButtMonkey can be killed just out of boredom]], but he always gets away with it, both because he pushes it so far nobody can even become angry enough to just destroy him on the spot (and anything less wouldn't cause lasting harm), and because he knows when it's ''really'' time to stop (or at least run away).
* TokenEvilTeammate: While the Russian department was under Arey's leadership, Tukhlomon (who was formally the part of it) was the only outright villainous named character in it, without any redeeming qualities. Well, technically there's also Mamai, but he at least never hurts anyone in the team, and is used mostly for black comedy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mamai]]
Arey's (and later Ziggy's) personal driver. Infamous warlord during his life, he was resurrected as a commissioner after death.
----
* AxCrazy: He is ''so'' violent, even folks in Tartarus can't tolerate him for long (which is saying much). At first opportunity, they dumped him on Arey, who uses him as his personal driver.
* BlackComedyAnimalCruelty: He actively goes out of his way to run over any dogs he finds on the road (fortunately, unsuccessfully, at least when we can see him), even if it puts his car at risk. Why? [[ForTheEvulz because he finds it funny]]. This is played for laughs.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: He not just drives like a maniac; he actively tries to cause as much mayhem as possible.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Yes, he is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamai that Mamai]], of the Golden Horde's fame. After death, if anything, he became ''even more'' violent than he was during his life as the Mongolian warlord.
[[/folder]]
!!! Succubi
[[folder: Succubi in general]]
Another kind of evil spirits used to fool lopukhoids into giving up their eidoses.
----
* {{Camp}}: They acts maximally flamboyant when out of disguise (and sometimes even when in), often to disgusting degree.
* EmpathicShapeshifter: Their transformation magic is quite primitive, dictating them to transform into whatever their victim desires. The problem is, it's kinda trigger-happy and can be activated by sufficiently lustfully-sounding voice. The Light Guardians quickly learned how to exploit this against them.
* FauxAffablyEvil: They tries to pretend that they're your friends. Don't let them fool you: they're anything but, and are only interested in your soul.
* NoBiologicalSex: Succubi are neither male nor female (in fact, even their bodies are made by stitching male and female corpses together), but becomes one needed for their current task via their transformative magic. That being said, all named succubi uses masculine pronounces, albeit in one case, succubus accidentally switches to referring to himself as "it", which is stated as being due to stress.
* RattlingOffLegal: Their common tactic is to ask you to give up one "little, insignificant thing", with "explanation" what this thing is being so fast and quiet, no one can decipher what they meant. It somehow works.
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: When they do not use their disguise, they look like two bodies -- one male, one female -- stitched together.
* ShapeshiftingSeducer: Their modus operandi. They take whatever form their victim desires most, and trick them into giving up their eidoses for the small chance to fulfil their wish -- only to abandon them at the very last moment, because once they receive what they want, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness you completely cease being of any worthy to them]]. They mostly operate by parasitising on our dreams, but this isn't mandatory.
* YourSoulIsMine: If they fool you into giving up your [[OurSoulsAreDifferent eidos]], they would reach it through your chest, and rip it out, to use for the purposes of Darkness. While it wouldn't cause any visible traumas, the ''real'' damage [[EmptyShell would be much, much worse than any material trauma you can ever have]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Whimper]]
Recurring succubus character, originally introduced in the third book. His full name is Whimper Shrieker Hystericus Third, while true name he has long forgot is Aueviallao.
----
* AlasPoorVillain: His breakdown and (presumed) demise are portrayed in a tragic light, as it's the first time he [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realises how low he fell]].
* IKnowYourTrueName: Daphne used his true name, Aueviallao, to interrogate him about the sheath. It worked... and [[HeelRealisation devastated him]].
* PutOnABusToHell: He was sent to Tartarus after his material body was destroyed in the third novel, but, because he actually achieved his goal, Lugul brought him back by the time of the sixth one.
* RecurringExtra: He isn't particularly story-important past his first appearance, but keeps appearing when we need a succubus to make fun of, except for his final appearance, where it's him who's in possession of the sheath Mefodiy is searching for.
* UncertainDoom: Did he actually perish (as his last scene heavily resembles suicide, with according reaction from Daphne)? Did he run away to never return? Did he try to forget? We would never know, as he never appears past his MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment.
* VerbalTic: He likes calling people "my weepie", even when in disguise.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gaulariy]]
New succubus, introduced as replacement for disappeared Whimper.
----
* RecurringExtra: He takes Whimper's role as a recurring succubus after his disappearance.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: He is basically the second Whimper (pre-breakdown), with just slightly different VerbalTic.
[[/folder]]
!!! Other servants of Darkness
[[folder: Drevnir's sword]]
This quasi-sentient sword has ''a long'' story and unique temper not shared by most other dark artifacts.
----
* BloodKnight: This sword has hidden lust for blood, and when it smells an opportunity to spill it, it may even try to ''force'' you into doing it, either by amplifying your own hatred or by directly hijacking your own hand.
* EmpathicWeapon: This sword reacts to Mefodiy's wrath by trying to attack the object of his hatred even before Mefodiy does anything himself.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite its long story, it still hates backstabbers and traitors, no matter on which side they are. According to Arey, this is not uncommon trait amongst many artifacts, even the Dark ones.
* FaceHeelTurn: Drevnir was TheParagon of Light, but was obtained by the forces of Darkness, who then reforged it into the instrument of evil. Transformation was so gradual, the sword didn't notice anything until it was too late.
* ItCanThink: Like any powerful artifact, Drevnir's sword is quasi-sentient and can act on its own accord. Even when not in the hands of its master.
* LoyalPhlebotinum: It would choose its wield by itself; the moment you try to take the sword, it would test you -- and if it deems you unworthy, it would kill you, with almost zero chance to survive its attack. After you become its new wielder, it wouldn't accept ''anyone'' else. Even Arey didn't take the risk of grabbing the sword itself, instead only taking the container where it was stored, and even then never directly, always using magic to move it. However, as it turns out, it can accept the other three of Kvodnon's inheritors as well, which Kvodnon exploits by possessing Nata.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Mefodiy continued using it even after defecting to the Light, despite it being repeatedly stated that it's still a Dark sword. At first it seemed to be of no problem, looking like all these talkings about the "weapon of evil" are little more than superstitions. Then it, seemingly accidentally, hits Daphne when Mefodiy was asleep, poisoning her (requiring to find an antidote, which took the whole novel to accomplish). Then, it nearly kills Troil, by forcibly taking control over Mefodiy's body... After this, Mefodiy finally realises [[EvilIsNotAToy that he shouldn't trust the artifact of Darkness]].
* PutOnABus: Mefodiy abandons the forces of Darkness -- and this sword -- after killing Arey in a duel. It never reappears since then.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aida Plakhovna Mamzelkina]]
Senior Manager of Necrodepartment, or, if you wish, just Grim Reaper.
----
* AffablyEvil: Back when Mefodiy was still on the side of Darkness, she acted genuinely friendly to him, even helping him at times, including when it comes against Ligul's orders -- this is despite Mefodiy stating right from the start that he dislikes her, seeing her for what she is, and never trusting her. She does warn him, though, that no attachments would stop her when the time comes -- the duty is above all.
* AgeWithoutYouth: She may be immortal, but she can't hide her true age by any means, looking like an ugly, decrepit and [[BodyHorror rotten in some places]] hag.
* TheAlcoholic: She loves mead a little too much. When it's out of stock, she would accept vodka, too.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: If Mamzelkina sets up herself as a friend for Mefodiy ([[AffablyEvil sincerely]]) and Irka ([[FauxAffablyEvil not so sincerely]]), with Matvey she doesn't even bother, outright blackmailing him into cooperating while promising him some questionable "rewards".
* ArcVillain: Prior to ''The Fire Gates'', Irka [[MonsterOfTheWeek faced different enemies in each novel]], but starting from there, she becomes the victim of Mamzelkina's plot to corrupt her into her "assistant", and struggles to overcome her. By the end of ''The Ship of Light'', Irka succeeds.
* BlackComedy: She just loves making jokes about death and afterlife. [[DudeNotFunny No one likes her sense of humour]] -- mainly because these jokes are often directed at ''them''.
* BrownNote: It was never elaborated upon, but merely seeing her scythe uncovered is extremely dangerous, especially for the mortals, with consequences ranging from mind-damaging fear to outright death, regardless of wether it's your time to die or not.
* FallenHero: The Grim Reaper ''always'' starts as the good, passionate and heroic person, but turns evil after spending some time in the role. It's also implied that she was a Valkyrie herself once.
* FauxAffablyEvil: While she acts [[AffablyEvil genuinely nice]] to Mefodiy, she uses the same "friendly granny" facade when she interacts with Irka, to whom she has not the best interest in mind, in (futile) attempt to pretend that she's her friend.
* TheGrimReaper: Her actual job; she never goes into exact details how it works, but she either kills whoever is marked, or takes away the souls if they are already dead by the point she arrives. She actually has her own boss (who "marks" the targets), but nothing is known about them, aside from the fact ihat this is ''not'' Ligul. It's noted frequently that the scythe itself can kill anyone, regardless of whether they are marked or not.
* InsistentTerminology: She is not "Grim Reaper", she is the "Senior manager of Necrodepartment" (she always mispronounces the word "manager" in attempt to [[ObfuscatingStupidity look like half-witted granny]]); she thinks it wouldn't scare away mortals prematurely.
* IWasQuiteALooker: She used to be very beautiful before [[EvilMakesYouUgly her servitude made her into an ugly hag she's now]].
* ManipulativeBitch: She constantly manipulates Matvey and Irka to gain what she wants from them, never taking into account what ''they'' want. And when she can't take it through trickery, she takes it by force.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Early novels often portrayed her as [[PluckyComicRelief a comedic character]] with [[HarmlessVillain no actual villainous acts]] (in fact, she ''helped'' Mefodiy several times). After Mefodiy's defection to the Light, however, she switches attention to Irka and Matvey... and shows her true colours -- a manipulative hag who would step at any low to gain what she wants.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: She plays the old, senile, poorly educated and not exactly sober granny in equally old, worn-out sneakers, but not let her fool you: she is perfectly sane, and ''very'' dangerous.
* PunchClockVillain: ZigzaggedTrope. Most of the time, she only works for the Darkness and takes away the lives because she has no choice in the matter; it's her duty as the "Senior manager of Necrodepartment". However, her attempts to corrupt Irka are entirely selfish, and she shows her true colours when the plan fails. Afterwards, she continues acting relatively neutrally, despite [[VillainousBreakdown angrily promising to make everything to destroy Irka]].
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: She is known for extreme love for mead, which she shares with Arey (it's unknown who was first to suggest it, even Arey is uncertain). She always tries to visit him under any excuse, both to inform him about something and to receive some mead, sometimes it's unclear which reason is the main one.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Midnight Witches]]
Thirteen most powerful dark witches, whom Darkness resurrected in undead bodies to act as counterpart for valkyries.
----
* AntiMagic: One of the Midnight Witches' signature abilities is summoning tick yellow fog, which, on contact with anything magical, would suck that magic out. After that, Witch would attack you for the easy kill.
* ArchEnemy: Ever since creation of the Midnight Witches, they and the Valkyries are always at each other's throats.
* ArcVillain: For ''The Revenge of the Valkyries'', where they are involved as ultimate antagonists in all three storyline (including Edya's sideplot).
* BitchInSheepsClothing: The only one who doesn't look like a decaying corpse, Zuimurzung, gets sent to retrieve the Seed of Darkness from Edya's heart; she pretended to be his "bride from the future", Mila, sent to protect him. In reality, of course, she's here to kill him.
* EarlyBirdCameo: One of the Midnight Witches shows up for the first time during ''The Ticket to the Bald Mountain''. The Witches would be properly introduced only in the next novel, where they become one of the main focuses of the plot.
* EvilCounterpart: They are the Darkness' answer to the Valkyries. Where they lack in brute force, they win through dark magic, treachery and sudden attacks. Zuimurzung, particularly, looks like a sort of counterpart for the Loner Valkyrie, due to being the only one to ''not'' look like a decaying old hag (while Loner is the only one who works by alone and has NonHumanSidekick instead of usual squire, in contrast with the other Valkyries).
* HeroKiller: One of the few beings powerful enough to kill the Valkyries (in fact, they were created specifically for that), and have a history of doing so. Yorah, for example, attacked Ilga's predecessor in her sleep with a cursed knife; she lived for just long enough to find a successor.
* KilledOffForReal: Most of them were killed by the Valkyries (two -- directly by Irka) in the same novel they were introduced in. And there's no going back after that -- if you're killed by the Valkyrie's spear, you ''stay'' dead. With Zuimurzung being permanently stripped of her powers, but spared on Essiorkh's request, only two of them remained (Uyrean' and Dadabah), only for one of them being later slain by Fulona. It's unknown what's happened to the second one.
* LifeForce: They suck out the life from living beings to fuel their own decaying bodies.
* PutOnABus: Three surviving Witches, Zuimurzung, Uyrean' and Dadabah, never reappeared past the novel which introduced them. One of them (either Uyrean' or Dadabah) [[BusCrash was killed by Fulona]] at unknown point prior to the events of ''The Glass Guardian''.
* TheUndead: All of them were resurrected in undead corpses, created from the body parts of countless other corpses. When they need replacement, they take them from people they kill.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All but three of them were annihilated in the same novel they were introduced in. Of those destroyed, only Yorah had ''any'' characterisation (if not counting Zuimurzung, who was dispatched non-lethally).
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Romasyusik]]
As a boy, Romasyusik sold his soul to the Darkness in return for survival. Some time later, he was recruited to pay up his debt. After losing his mortal body, he received a new one (made out of chocolate), and was assigned as Praskovia's adjutant and interpreter -- and Ligul's spy.
----
* AmbiguouslyGay: He has [[{{Camp}} weird mannerism and style]], and [[VillainousCrush shows suspicious interest to Mefodiy]], whom he keeps calling "groovy".
* AssholeVictim: Being [[ImMelting literally melted alive]] would be [[CruelAndUnusualDeath rather horrible way to go]] (remember that Praskovia made him able to feel pain, despite him having artificial body)... but if anyone deserves that, it's this sneaky backstabbing asshole. ''No one'' felt sorry after his demise.
* ButtMonkey: He is completely pathetic and keeps being abused by everyone around him.
* {{Camp}}: His weird speech manner sounds as close to stereotypical "gay speech" as possible while staying within '''14+''' rating. He also has rather weird taste in clothes, which was compared to a parrot more than once, and some other suspicious traits.
* CharacterTic: He keeps compulsively touching things at random. It annoys literally everyone.
* DealWithTheDevil: After his deranged grandma jumped out of the window, still hugging him, he gave up his soul to the Darkness in return for staying alive. He teleported back to his house, while grandma fell to her death, but four years later the Dark Guardians came to take him away: they have some better role for him than merely taking his eidos.
* FatBastard: He is fat, sneaky and serves as Ligul's spy.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts sickly sweet with other people (to their disgust), but underneath it he's still a total asshole who serves the Darkness and is ready to sell out everything and everyone; he already has sold his own soul long ago. When pressed hard enough, he abandons even that pathetic pretence of being a friend, and shows his true colours.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Tearing out his ear or something similar wouldn't deal him serious damage, since he can regrow lost parts of himself. It wouldn't be a pleasant experience, however, because while it can't permanently injure him, it still hurts just like the actual injury would; according to Praskovia, it was her who made him feel pain (he lacked that ability originally), so it would be possible to punish him if he screws up (which happens a lot) by breaking his fingers.
* GratuitousEnglish: Romasyusik, after spending some time with one mage from Magford, started randomly inserting English words into his speech, resulting in a wild chaos of English and Russian words, not following the rules of either language.
* HatedByAll: ''No one'' likes or respects him, on either side.
* KilledOffscreen: We only learn about his death after the fact.
* TheStoolPigeon: He's actually loyal to Ligul, not Praskovia, and keeps spying on her for his master. When she found it out when planning to defect, it [[ImMelting didn't end well for him]].
* TooDumbToLive: Why he even lost his original body? He thought that it would be a good idea to swim in the Letha river... yes, that one, the river of oblivion. Whatever happened to him next, it required providing him with a new body.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: Praskovia [[TheSpeechless can't talk normally]], so she uses Romasyusik to say things for her, by forcibly taking control over his body. [[AndIMustScream He's perfectly self-aware during this]], but can't do anything.
[[/folder]]
! Other characters
!! Heroes
[[folder: Drevnir]]
* AngelUnaware: Sardanapal in the first novel's prologue speculates wether he was not just a mage, but a Light Guardian in disguise. Much later, this gets confirmed.
* BigGood: He was ''the'' greatest light mage in history, and the one who united all mages long time ago.
* GreaterScopeParagon: He is long dead, but various artifacts that remained after his death still serve mages well. Amongst the other things, he is responsible for creating Tybidox magic school; creating the list of hundred forbidden spells; [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking prohibiting jinns from using in gambling such things as soul, love, etc]]; and many others.
* PosthumousCharacter: He is long dead by the start of the plot.
* ThouShallNotKill: He is completely opposed to killing anyone. Yes, even [[OmnicidalManiac Chuma-del-Thort]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ulitha]]
A witch and Arey's secretary.
----
* BigEater: Her enormous appetite (and love to [[SweetTooth sweets]]) is the major contributor to her weight.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: She's prone to thinking and acting very... eccentric, to say the least, with her [[InsaneTrollLogic logic]] (when she shows any) being beyond Essirokh's (or anyone else's) understanding.
* DatingCatwoman: She is a Dark witch, yet she still dates Essiorkh, a GuardianAngel. They are supposed to be incompatible, yet this relationship still goes on. It's not always smooth; be it her inability to change for the better (without eidos), or Essiorkh's own "holier-than-you" attitude, but after quarrel they still return to each other. However, under Essiorkh's influence, she eventually moves away from the Darkness and even regains her eidos, [[HeelFaceTurn no longer applying for this trope]].
* DotingParent: She spoils her and Essiorkh's son, particularly by overfeeding him instead of maintaining more healthy diet, slowly turning him into small copy of herself. Essiorkh worriers that it would produce a SpoiledBrat of a son, and tries to "teach" him... despite lacking any knowledge of how even work with someone that young.
* EmptyShell: There are abusive parents, and then there's the mother who sells her not-yet-born daughter's soul for some questionable gains (this is one of the rare cases where selling ''someone else's'' soul can work). Ulitha was supposed to die after that, but survived thanks to Arey. However, she forever remained a soulless husk, alive outside, dead inside, and no matter how hard she tries to mask it, the absence of soul -- and hope it gives -- harms her a lot. Thanks to Mefodiy and Essiorkh, she eventually manages to gain her soul back, however.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In her first appearance, she showsup (while being dressed rather... eccentric) to protect Mefodiy from [[FatBastard Zozo's new boyfriend]] while wielding a sandwich in one hand and shouting SophisticatedAsHell insults at the guy. When he starts insulting her back, she demonstrates that he [[MuggingTheMonster chose the wrong victim]] by playfully destroying his precious car (which started the whole mess in the first place) with her magic. She then bullies the guy further by making her fangs grow and pretending to be a vampire (that one is her favourite trick she used more than once; according to her, it isn't even magic in nature, and can be trained).
* FauxActionGirl: She has much enthusiasm, but lacks any actual skill or power; whenever she goes into melee with her rapier, she gets easily defeated, usually the first, if not the only one.
* HeelFaceTurn: When Arey (her boss) gets stripped of his position as the chief of Russian department, Ulitha choses to stay with heroes and doesn't return to service until Ziggy Puffs remembers that he can use her original contract to simply force her. When Arey dies, the contract (due to some ExactWords being involved) gets void, freeing her permanently.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She may be rude at times, but she still helps her friends when in need, even Daphne.
* KavorkaMan: It was established mutiple times that she's fat and not very attractive, but she somehow still manages to find suitors, both human and non-human. She, however, sticks with Essiorkh, of all people.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Meeting Ulitha during his exile has helped Arey to preserve his sanity and do not break up like Ligul expected. He still keeps her around and protects her, despite nearly everyone amongst the other Dark Guardians (especially [[{{Jerkass}} Ligul]] considering her being worthless. In fact, insulting her near him can be [[BerserkButton very dangerous]].
* TheLoad: Most of the time, she provides little help in battle, usually due to being the first one to be knocked out, as she consistently gets completely outmatched by whatever threat the heroes face.
* MoodSwinger: She can jump from joy to sorrow to anger, in any order, and then do it backwards, quicker than you can read this sentence. She became more stable after regaining her eidos, though.
* NoRespectGuy: The only Dark Guardian who takes her as anything more than the slave of Darkness is Arey.
* OddCouple: With Essiorkh, prior to her defection; she is a witch in service of Darkness, he is a Guardian Angel in a body of mortal biker.
* ParentalAbandonment: It's known that her "mother" sold out her eidos to Ligul in return for some unspecified service (mother selling out her child is one of the few cases when one may sell out ''other's'' soul). It's unknown what happened to her afterwards, and Ulitha doesn't care.
* ParentalSubstitute: She's by no means related by blood to Arey, but he is closest she has to a family she never had.
* PluckyComicRelief: Most scenes involving her serve the comedic purpose. The key word "[[SadClown most]]".
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: She is several centuries old, but looks like she's in her twenties, and often acts so immature like she's in her teens at best.
* ReplacementGoldfish: It seems that Arey treats her like an adoptive daughter of sort, to replace his real daughter, killed by Yaraat.
* SadClown: She may act silly and childishly, but like any eidos-less person she feels [[EmptyShell eternal emptiness inside]], and from time to time briefly shows her true, sad and depressed, self. She changes to the best after re-obtaining her eidos, and and then sticking up with Essiorkh. She continued acting almost exactly like before, but now while being genuinely happy.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Forms this dynamic with Essiorkh; she's a hyperactive partygoer who can [[MoodSwinger changer her mood ten times per minute]], he's a calm, gentle philosopher.
* SelfDeprecation: She can joke about her being fat and/or unattractive whenever she wants. When anyone else tries to make fat jokes, however, she never reacts well.
* SexySecretary: She attracts attention of many people (not all of them human) despite being overweight, and likes putting revealing outfits.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Even is she uses slang, she would construct it into sentences so elaborate it becomes mind-breaking. Particularly noticeable [[EstablishingCharacterMoment in her first appearance]], when she deliberately used it to mock the [[FatBastard Mefodiy's attacker]], who was [[TheDitz not exactly smartest specimen around here]].
* SquishyWizard: She is a skilled witch, but when she comes into melee combat, it ''never'' ends well for her.
* StepfordSmiler : Like any eidos-less person, she feels [[EmptyShell eternal emptiness inside]], which she (not always successfully) tries to mask with her unique dark humour.
* TookALevelInKindness: When Troil finally returns her eidos back to Ulitha, she becomes ''much'' nicer than before, due to no longer having that [[EmptyShell painful emptiness inside her]].
* TrappedInVillainy: Without eidos, she has little choice besides serving Arey (who, in turn, serves the Darkness). When she re-obtained her eidos, it didn't take long for her to abandon the Darkness altogether, because the only true loyalty she had was to Arey, who by that moment was no longer her boss.
* UndyingLoyalty: She would do ''anything'' to protect [[ParentalSubstitute Arey]]. Even reject [[SadisticChoice Ligul's offer]] to return her long-lost eidos.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite her constant conflicts with Daphne, they actually consider each other to be friends, not in the last turn because they share taste at humour; they wouldn't admit it, of course.
* WeaponBasedCharacterization: To demonstrate that she's not a true Dark Guardian, even if she has a darkh, she doesn't use a long sword, like most of them do. Instead, she uses a rapier, much lighter weapon. Rapier (along with epee, which she also temporarily uses when rapier gets broken by Kvodnon) is also commonly associated with [[{{Flynning}} showy and "cool" swordfights]]; Ulitha is very eccentric, including in battle, yet [[TheLoad lacks any actual combat skill]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Depresnyak]]
Daphne's pet (if such hellish creature can even be called that). He is a bald, extremely ugly winged cat with dark grey skin, which often causes burns by mere touch. And then there's his ability to suck out happiness, which is the source of his name.
----
* AxCrazy: Depresnyak is prone to attack anything that moves, unless it moves too fast to catch it. If he does not hunt, he would just trash anything around him for sport.
* ChaoticStupid: He is prone to [[AxCrazy absolutely random bursts of violence and destructive behaviour]], which achieves nothing but problems for everyone, Depresnyak included. It becomes a major plot point in ''The Secret Magic of Depresnyak'', where he runs away with the dangerous artifact.
* CoveredWithScars: Due to picking fights with everything that moves, he's covered with countless scars from past battles.
* EmotionEater: He sucks out happiness from whomever he touches, causing temporal depression-like effects.
* ExtremeOmnivore: Amongst the other things, he can chew glass and drink acid, with no ill effects.
* HybridMonster: He is what you would receive if you merge two cats, one "normal" from Eden and one demonic from Tartarus. He also mates with Earth cats from time to time, producing next generations of "mutant" cats.
* KillerRabbit: Even if you take into account that he is half-demon, it's still hard to believe that he is able to a fight a dog pack and win (albeit scarred), even killing some of them. He can pull this off due to being very tough, being able to bite off ''marble'', and having poisonous claws.
* MeaningfulName: If you touch him, he would [[EmotionEater suck out your happiness]], so the name derived from the word "depression" fits him very well. Interestingly, he was called that ''before'' Daphne learned about these qualities. In earlier novels, he was also able to cause small burns with his touch, but this ability was quickly lost after moving to Earth, as part of him becoming more "grounded", like Daphne herself.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: He has one hundred and twenty teeth.
* TeamPet: Despite his ugly look and even uglier personality, he is liked by most characters, including Ulitha and Arey, though everyone would state the different reasons; Ulitha [[InLoveWithYourCarnage likes his maniacal temper]], while Arey respects his courage and UndyingLoyalty to Daphne.
* TookALevelInKindness: As time goes on, he gradually becomes less mindlessly aggressive, and even loses his "touch me and burn your hand" ability he demonstrated in earlier novels. This is attributed to him living on Earth, which affects the other magic creatures not unlike Guardians (who [[HumanityEnsues slowly transforms into humans]]).
* RunningGag:
** There's always some woman who thinks that he's "cute" and tries to pet him while saying "cute kitty!", with predictable results.
** When Daphne needs to get rid of someone, she tries to push Depresnyak into their hands while saying "[[SchmuckBait hold a kitty for a bit]]", with them either refusing and leaving her alone, or accepting and suffering consequences.
* UnevenHybrid: His mother was the Eden cat, but he mostly resembles his Tartarian father, both in his look and his personality.
* UndyingLoyalty: While it's impossible to order him to do something, if Daphne actually gets in danger, he would fight to the death to protect her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zigya Puff]]
Ziggy's "battle body" and Shilov's long-lost brother; his real name is Nikita.
----
* BigGuy: If Ziggy is a dwarf, Zigya is a giant. He is extremely powerful, feels no pain and uses massive mace as a weapon.
* BodySurf: When in need of combat-able body, Ziggy forcibly transfers his mind into Zigya, suppressing his mind (what little he has).
* CatchPhrase: His trademark "shumething shweet". To the point that even Ziggy Puffs (who rarely shows sense of humour at all) sometimes mocks it.
* TheDitz: His mind is completely underdeveloped, being closer to a small child than his real age. He ''can'' speak, but can't pronounce anything correctly, including his trademark "shumething shweet".
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Besides sweets, he also loves cars, preferably large ones. The problem is, he [[TheDitz has the mind of a young kid]], which always results in massive collateral damage.
* HappilyAdopted: Since Irka was unable to act as his "mommy", he was adopted by Ulitha and Essiorkh, who by that time actually started living together. After he was abducted again, he was "adopted" by Praskovia, who cares about him ever since. Zigya actually calls her his "mommy".
* HeelFaceTurn: Not what he was [[MinionWithAnFInEvil much of a villain anyway]], but the instant opportunity arise, he abandons abusive Ziggy in favour of Irka, whom he immediately accepted as his "mommy".
* TheJuggernaut: If he wants [[SweetTooth "shumething shweet"]], and he thinks you have it but refuse to share, ''nothing'' would stop him -- he's [[BigGuy extremely huge]], near invulnerable and can slice up a tree in one hit.
* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Zigya is just too [[TheDitz infant-like]] to act even remotely villainous when not [[BodySurf directly controlled]] by Ziggy Puffs. When he has a choice, he would prefer "playing" with cars or "shumething shweet" anytime, anywhere.
* SweetTooth: He is obsessed with sweets, or "shumething shweet", how he pronounces it.
* VoiceForTheVoiceless: After killing off Romasyusik, Praskovia started using Zigya to talk for her, as she's barely able to speak.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Masha]]
The girl who was intended to become the Valkyrie of the Brass Spear, but rejected her destiny. Now she tries to redeem herself at least in some way by helping the Valkyries.
----
* MyGreatestFailure: She regards refusing Fulona's offer to become a Valkyrie as the worse mistake of her life.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: She volunteered to aid the Valkyries whenever possible to atone for her mistake, but for her, it was never enough; she needs something ''truly'' heroic. The chance comes up when Ligul sends an assassin to kill Praskovia (who was picked to become the new Valkyrie of the Ice Spear), and Masha takes the spear intended for her. Fulona lampshades how convenient it was: perhaps, such death was a "gift" for her?
* RefusalOfTheCall: She missed her only chance to become the Valkyrie of the Brass Spear because she fell for tempting offer to become a model instead. Offer was made by the Darkness solely to provoke her into refusing Fulona's offer, and her career quickly fell apart without aid from them. That was when she realised what she just missed, but it was too late: the role was already picked by Hola.
* TragicOneShotCharacter: She dies in the same chapter in which she gets introduced, but her sacrifice motivates Praskovia to agree to join the Valkyries after all.
[[/folder]]
!! Villains
[[folder: Yaraat]]
Shapeshifter and infamous artifact thief who's in opposition to both the Darkness and the Light. He's lost most of his powers when Mefodiy was born, which allowed the Darkness to imprison him, only to escape almost thirteen years later -- just in time for first book's events to start.
----
* ArchEnemy: Yaraat blames Mefodiy for being born, which caused Yaraat losing his powers and being caught. Now, when he regained some of them, he's up to find and kill Mefodiy.
* ArcVillain: He's the main antagonist of the second novel (while he gets introduced in the first one, he has little involvement in it), with Ligul acting as a minor secondary threat.
* BaldOfEvil: In his true form, Yaraat is mostly bald, and not of the tasteful kind. What little hair he has left is [[WhiteHairBlackHeart ash-white]].
* DePower: When Mefodiy was born, he accidentally consumed all of Yaraat's powers, reducing him to mere mortal -- just in time for Dark Guardians to catch him. This lasted for almost thirteen years, then he (with Ligul's help) escaped to claim his vengeance. That event is the main reason why he wants Mefodiy dead.
* EvilOldFolks: Without most of his powers, he starts looking his age -- very creepy and ugly -- which only underscores his just as ugly personality.
* FalseFriend:
** He pretended to be Arey's friend, only to betray him, force his wife and little daughter to give up their souls in attempt to protect each other, and then [[ILied killed them anyway]] -- just for his sick amusement. No wonder Arey wants him dead.
** Befriending and then betraying people, totally ruining their lives [[HopeCrusher can be considered his modus operandi]]; amongst his victims was a girlfriend of the biker whose body Essiorkh now inhabits. After the couple crashed because of the biker's reckless driving, resulting in the girl being ''seriously'' injured (with no way to call for help -- the biker's phone was destroyed), Yaraat (whom they met on the road to nearby city) promised to watch over her until the biker would bring some help. When the biker leaved... Yaraat has killed and ''partially devoured'' the woman, including her face. This contributed to the biker becoming DeathSeeker and soon dying in another crash, just a week ago from the second book's events.
* ForTheEvulz: Main reason why he (or [[AlwaysChaoticEvil any other shapeshifter]], for that matter) does what he does -- because he feels thrill when he's being hated, being pursued. Because of this, he is always at odds even with the Darkness itself: he has no loyalty to ''anyone'' or ''anything''. He befriended Arey only so he can betray him later. He promised him to protect his family while Arey deals with the pursuers, only to force them into giving up their souls under the threat of death, [[ILied and then killed them anyway]], all because he can. Just learning about his atrocities was enough for Mefodiy to go into TranquilFury and give Arey the promise that, if he ever meets Yaraat, he would do anything to kill him, and what ''nothing'' would protect his skin.
* HeroKiller: Yaraat has a reputation for never leaving survivors. He's also directly responsible for the deaths of Arey's wife and daughter, and the death of the biker's girlfriend, which in turn indirectly caused said biker's death (now his body inhabits Essiorkh, who tells this story). He also nearly succeeds at killing both Mefodiy and Daphne.
-->'''Arey''': It is Yaraat. I repeat -- Yaraat. He and "life" are mutually exclusive.
* HopeCrusher: Why he keeps befriending and then betraying people, killing their beloved ones? Because he likes it. When people start hating him, they start hunting for him, and he loves living on his feet, always being one step ahead of his pursuers. Yaraat preys on others' despair and hatred.
* ImAHumanitarian: Yaraat is perfectly okay with eating people alive (which he does in a wolf form). This is how he killed the biker's girlfriend, which contributed to him becoming a DeathSeeker and eventually dying in another road incident.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Both times he crosses his ways with Mefodiy, it ends his long streak of luck avoiding justice.
** First time, back when Mefodiy was born, he [[DePower suck out Yaraat's powers]], resulting in him being imprisoned in Tartarus for thirteen years (and when Arey was briefly imprisoned here just for one book, he nearly went insane, so it was ''very'' unpleasant experience).
** Halfway into the first novel, he escapes his imprisonment in Tartarus (with Ligul's help) and tries to destroy Mefodiy, only to end up encountering Arey; the second meeting, which happens in the next novel (when he tries to kill Mefodiy) turns out to be his last.
* KarmicDeath: In the end of the second novel, Arey finally kills him, avenging all the deaths that Yaraat had caused, including deaths of Arey's wife and daughter.
* KnightOfCerebus: Before him, the tone of the first two book was relatively light-hearted, looking more like another Yemets' teens-aimed fairytale, spiced up with Yemets's trademark surreal humour. Then this completely humourless sadistic killer shows up in person in the second novel, shifting the tone to the dark; when his crimes are described, he is portrayed entirely seriously, without any trace of humour or comedic super-villainy (unlike, say, Ligul). While in subsequent novels, the tone rarely would be as dark as in the moments involving Yaraat, the one thing -- sense of security -- goes away permanently.
* LoveIsAWeakness: Yaraat considers love to be nothing more than a weakness one can exploit. He uses it to trick Mefodiy and Daphne into going into his trap, and then tries to blackmail Mefodiy into giving up his eidos to protect Daphne. He also stops Mefodiy from sucking out his powers (again, this time deliberately) by [[ShapeshifterGuiltTrip shapeshifting into his mother]].
* SerialKiller: Yaraat just keeps [[FalseFriend fooling people into believing what he is their friend]], only to betray them and kill their beloved ones. Sometimes, he "justifies" it by needing to feed. Sometimes... he does it out of sheer sadism.
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: While he never shows it, it was later established that all shapeshifters have extremely ugly default form, which is closer to jellyfish than human. They have very good reason to avoid showing it to anyone.
* SoftSpokenSadist: He openly admits what he just likes killing for the sake of killing -- all while never raising his voice. He would torture and kill anything, including hellish creatures, but prefers killing Eden creatures instead -- he considers their agony to be more "fun". To add even more "fun", he uses magic to paralyse them, so the only thing they can do is just ''watch''.
* StarterVillain: He's the first enemy Mefodiy faces, and only one out of them to be entirely unrelated to the conflict between the Light and the Darkness, working only for himself, and aiming to kill Mefodiy for his personal reasons rather than Ligul's schemes. He's also arguably the least threatening out of them, since most problems Mefodiy has with him lies in his lack of training and sheer bad luck rather than Yaraat's own skills, and once the ''real'' fighters arrive, Yaraat goes down ''very'' quickly.
* VillainousBreakdown: Mefodiy just stole most of his powers, again; Essiorkh destroyed the Scroll of Wishes; and none of his artifacts work anymore, cutting off all of his escape routes. This is the moment when [[SoftSpokenSadist Yaraat]] finally loses it, snapping in panic! And then Arey shows up... However, realising that it's likely the end, Yaraat manages to recover his composure and go out fighting.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: One of the major reasons why no one was able to imprison him until he lost all his powers to Mefodiy was his ability to disguise himself via his magic. One of the forms he can use is a wolf, but he's not a werewolf -- those are limited to one form, and are limited in their ability to control it.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: In his latest form, he has ash-white hair (what little left of them) -- and he is one of the most vile beings in the whole -verse.
* WouldHurtAChild: He tricked Arey's daughter to give up her soul in ([[ILied futile]]) attempt to protect her mother, then he killed them both. He also planned to kill Mefodiy (thirteenth years-old by then) and nearly killed Daphne.
* WouldHitAGirl: After being entrusted with their protection, he killed Arey's mortal wife and young daughter just because he can -- but not before stealing their souls. He also killed and ''ate'' the biker's girlfriend, again, after being entrusted with her protection. And then there's his attempt to suck out Daphne's lifeforce.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Two-Faced]]
Pagan god, known for his love of deals. Has no relation to Roman god Janus.
----
* BreadEggsMilkSquick: He is a god of merchants, moneylenders, venturers... and death.
* DealWithTheDevil: He likes making deals, often dangerous. Irka's predecessor made a mistake of making a deal with him, and now, in just three days, he would take all Irka's powers, including her ability to walk... unless she makes another deal with him.
* FauxAffablyEvil: When he visits Irka, he puts a facade of a weird, but funny fat man. When she notices that something is wrong, he drops this facade entirely and starts pressing her into accepting his [[DealWithTheDevil deal]], describing in [[KickTheDog lovely details]] how she would return to being pathetic nobody, bonded to wheelchair, unless she agrees.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: He ''may'' cancel a deal with a Loner Valkyrie (which he made with Irka's predecessor, and which she "inherited"), leaving her with her powers intact, but only if she would bring him Arey's darkh within remaining three days. He refused to explain why he needs it, though it's likely related to its value.
* VerbalTic: In his "funny fat man" guise, he has a weird habit of finishing his sentences with long "sssyu" sound; it gets compared to sucking in saliva. He drops it after Irka realises that it was just a facade.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He survives for just one chapter before Irka panicks and accidentally [[PutOnABusToHell banishes him to Tartarus for next thousand years]] by throwing a spear at him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Spurius]]
Former Dark Guardian, who sacrificed his own darkh to not being killed, but managed to not only survive, but became much more dangerous than he ever was before.
----
* ArcVillain: He is the main antagonist of the ninth book, trying to obtain Kvodnon's will and Ulitha's eidos (he needs it for its unique qualities), which puts him at odds with Mefodiy, in whom he sees a rival.
* BastardBastard: His name means "illegitimate son of unknown father" in Latin. He used to be a Dark Guardian, now he exploits his position as a fake "guru" to accumulate power anew, at the cost of his supporters.
* BodySurf: He can shift his spirit to a human host when it says the ritual formula to give up their body and soul. He does that with Groshikov in the end ''The Light Wings for the Dark Guardian'', and, given how much time has passed since Meldika's time, it's entirely possible that he did this more than once in the past, as one of the things he had lost along with darkh was immortality.
* DeathByIrony: He predicted that Groshikov would die from the thread. The guy (and Spurius, who [[GrandTheftMe possessed him]]) dies after attempt to unseal the Kvodnon's will, only to realise that it was "booby-trapped" with black magic. Spurius has just enough time to realise the cruel irony of the situation before being incinerated.
* DePower: With sacrificing his darkh, he had lost everything, down to and including immortality. However, since then he managed to find a replacement source of power...
* DirtyCoward: Normally, the Dark Guardians are expected to go down fighting, or at the very least kill themselves after losing their darkhs, since it's considered to be ''extremely'' [[EvenEvilHasStandards dishonourable]]. Spurius is the only one who gave up his darkh ''voluntarily'' to save his skin, and [[SeriousBusiness was punished]] by the Dark curse, which was reserved for worst of the worst betrayers of the Darkness.
* TheDragon: He used to be Kvodnon's favourite, and thinks that Kvodnon planned him as his successor, but to confirm this he needs Kvodnon's will (and Ulitha's eidos, for its unique qualities). Unfortunately for him, the Kvodnon's will was a trap: he never planned anyone succeeding him, and whoever tries to open the scroll, would die.
* FateWorseThanDeath: As a punishment for his cowardice, he was afflicted with the Dark curse, which causes extreme and eternal agony no matter what you do. He was relieved from this by one of Irka's predecessors.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He was very popular with people, especially with women, thanks to his charming personality, including fighters like Arey. Underneath it, he is a total asshole who only cares about his well-being and would sacrifice everything and everyone for survival.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Creators of the Book of Seven Roads (in general)]]
Trio of necromancers who created the Book as the artificial world where they can rule as the gods.
----
* ArcVillain: In the ''Book of Seven Roads'', they are the main antagonists of the chapters set within the Book (which forms the final third of the novel).
* ForcedTransformation: They end up being irreversibly transformed into the worms. They [[KilledOffForReal didn't get much time to "enjoy" this]], however, as the Book gets destroyed with them inside soon afterwards.
* KilledOffForReal: When the Book gets destroyed, they die alongside it.
* {{Necromancer}}: They were the necromancers prior to creating the Book. In fact, the Book itself was created via necromancy, including using their victims to make it, and then sacrificing themselves.
* ThanatosGambit: The last part of creating the Book required them to kill themselves, to transfer their minds into it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rexak Moneest]]
Co-creator of the Book of Seven Roads, which was intended to give him and his colleagues the artificial world which they can rule as the gods, forever.
----
* AnimalMotifs: He has long mane-like greying hair which were compared to lion's mane several times. His personality reminds about the lions, too, but the ''real'' lions, not the brave lions commonly found in heraldic: perceived nobility and combat spirit hiding entitled and cowardly tyrant.
* HotBlooded: He's most prone to explode at slight provocations out of three necromancers.
* MagicKnight: Judging by his habit of wearing the armour and enormous battle axe around, he's trained not only in magic, but also in arts of war.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ust Dunken]]
Co-creator of the Book of Seven Roads, which was intended to give him and his colleagues the artificial world which they can rule as the gods, forever. Dresses in grey mantle and sports stylish white beard.
----
* LightIsNotGood: He looks like stereotypical good wizard, complete with [[WizardBeard beautiful white beard]]. He's [[{{Necromancer}} anything but]].
* SoftspokenSadist: He remains calm and gentle, never dropping the "old wise wizard" personality even when he explains why they are forcing the prisoners of the Book to [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne kill each other]].
* WizardBeard: He sports beautiful white beard one would normally expect on a good white wizard. Except, [[LightIsNotGood he's an evil necromancer]].
* WizardClassic: He looks like stereotypical wizard, complete with long grey mantle and [[WizardBeard stylish white beard]]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tawleus Talorn]]
Co-creator of the Book of Seven Roads, which was intended to give him and his colleagues the artificial world which they can rule as the gods, forever. He's bald, fat and ugly. He vaguely resembles some Ancient Rome senator.
----
* BaldOfEvil: He'c completely bald, and, out of the trio, the most blatant in being the bad guy.
* CreepyHighPitchedVoice: He has extremely high-pitched voice; he gets compared to eunuch.
* FatBastard: He's extremely obese, and the most blatantly evil of the three.
* ObviouslyEvil: Out of three mages, he's the only one obviously evil right from the start, while two others at first looks rather noble.
[[/folder]]
!! "Neutral" characters
!!! Bald Mountain
[[folder: Viy]]
Yes, [[Literature/{{Viy}} that]] Viy. He is an (in)famous news anchor, known by his deadly gaze -- and his (in)ability to actually use it.
----
* ChekhovsNews: His news reports always describes something relevant for the current books -- and foreshadow something what is yet to happen.
* DeadlyGaze: Looking into his eyes can and would kill you. Fortunately, he has troubles with actually opening them by himself -- or finding someone suicidal enough to open them for him.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The main reason he has so much trouble finding audience (or stuff) is certainly related to him keeping ''killing'' whatever audience and/or stuff he has left.
* KentBrockmanNews: While his shows [[ChekhovsNews do provide some actual information]], they are mostly used for comic relief, serving to showcase just how surreal (yet weirdly similar to our own) the magic world can be.
* PompousPoliticalPundit: He's openly and shamelessly biased towards the Darkness.
* PublicDomainCharacter: He is taken directly from Creator/NikolaiGogol's ''Literature/{{Viy}}''.
* RunningGag: Whenever he appears, he tries to find someone to rise his eyelids (which he can't do by himself) while his show is running live. Looking into his eyes is ''lethally'' dangerous, yet somehow he always finds fans [[TooDumbToLive willing to try]]. Fortunately, it never works as he wants: either he fails to find volunteers, or the operator freaks out and ruins the shot, so only people in the studio becomes his victims.
* SoreLoser: He's openly hostile to his (much more successful) concurrents, even when his show runs live and everyone can hear him. He more than once openly threatened to kill them... [[IneffectualDeathThreat if they would be around to see his eyes during his shows]].
* UnseenNoMore: He was repeatedly mentioned in ''Tanya Grotter'', but only started actually appearing in ''Mefodiy Buslaev'', where he became the recurring character in earlier books.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Three-Thumbelina and Two-Thumbelina]]
Twin fairy sisters, forced to share one body after Two-Thumbelina's original body died.
----
* TheAlcoholic: Two-Thumbelina is addicted to alcohol; due to her size, she needs very small dose to get drunk.
* BigEater: While "big" may be not the best choice of words for someone of her size, Two-Thumbelina is ''extremely'' gluttonous (by fairies standards, anyway). Three-Thumbelina complains that the sister makes their body fat.
* BlackMage: Two-Thumbelina specialises in combat magic, which is considered unusual for fairies. It's one of the many traits Thee-Thumbelina dislikes in her.
* CainAndAbel: They ''clearly'' hates each other -- in fact, it goes all the way into childhood. They're always trying to cause as much damage to the other one as possible, mostly by damaging her property... or killing/cursing her pets/servants (yes, even the "good" one does that). Because they share one body, which each one may use only during specific hours, the only way they can harm each other is through self-harm (like overeating), or by damaging each other's property (or allies).
* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Some of their ideas for punishing people are rather creative, like making one into toilet-clearing gear, or into saucepan lid, so you may always smell... but never taste.
* DisproportionateRetribution: They are perfectly fine with punishing people for serving the "wrong" sister with ForcedTransformation. Then there's them "gifting" Edya the soul-sucking snow-globe for "[[LaserGuidedAmnesia forgetting]]" to say "happy birthday" to them.
* EvilTwin: {{Subverted|Trope}}. At first, Three-Thumbelina tries to set up her sister Two-Thumbelina as her evil sister, insisting on her being a cruel witch, but it quickly becomes clear that they share many negative traits and ''neither'' of the sisters can be considered "good".
* ForcedTransformation: The sisters absolutely loves using their powers to transform people who offends them somehow -- mostly by serving the other sister -- into various animals and inanimate objects. Since they [[TwoBeingsOneBody shares the same body]], it quickly resulted in them destroying all the possible servants, and by the time they met Edya, he remained as the sole available option for both of them.
* {{Jerkass}}: Neither of the two sisters are particularly nice. Both considers it perfectly fine to [[ForcedTransformation transform each one's servants into animals or even inanimate objects]] or kill each other's pets, both acts very rude to Edya, and both threatens to polymorph ''him'' for serving the other one, not caring at all that there's no way to not doing so if they shares the same body and switches who's in control seemingly at random. Three-Thumbelina at least tries to pretend that she has some basic decency, while her sister is openly toxic.
* MustHaveNicotine: Three-Thumbelina is a heavy smoker, and can't spend much time without her cigarettes.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Two-Thumbelina specialises in combat magic, which is extremely unusual amongst fairies (even dark ones).
* PhonyPsychic: ZigZaggedTrope. Two-Thumbelina's predictions related to the magic world are [[NotSoPhonyPsychic perfectly reliable]], but the ones related to the mortal world makes ''absolutely'' no sense (especially given the small timeframe for them to happen), like the one about "new world currency"... called "homosap" (short for "homo sapience"); considering that she gets surprised at the mention that dollars are still in use (that's when aforementioned "homosaps" comes up), it's possible that she messed up all those "prophecies" due to paying little attention to the mortal world (which is extremely common amongst mages).
* PolarOppositeTwins: Three-Thumbelina is a heavy smoker; her sister ''hates'' smell of nicotine -- but is a heavy drinker instead. Three-Thumbelina is eccentric, but ''usually'' more or less benevolent, while her sister doesn't even try to hide her toxic personality. Three-Thumbelina is a "normal" fairy with various kinds of light magic; her sister specialises in dark magic, particularly combat magic, which is ''extremely'' unusual for her kind.
* TwoBeingsOneBody: Three-Thumbelina shares her body with the spirit of her twin sister Two-Thumbelina; at certain times of the day they switch control over the body at no warning and without other one noticing anything right until she receives the body back.
[[/folder]]
!!! Mercenaries
[[folder: Olaf]]
A werewolf mercenary. Arey's old friend.
----
* TheAlcoholic: According to Magemma, he's a drunkard.
-->'''Magemma''': By the way, never let him drink. Nothing, ever.\\
'''Olaf''': Humans need to drink! We almost entirely consists of water! That's why mummies are so light -- they have nearly zero liquid in them.\\
'''Magemma''': You do not consist of water. I saw you drinking water exactly once. That was when we nearly drowned.
'''Olaf''' [''picking the mag'']: [[ImplausibleDeniability That's not true!]]
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite looking like unthreatening old alcoholic, he's more than capable of defending himself against most dangerous wights and other threats, which they often learn [[MuggingTheMonster the hard way]].
* SoleSurvivor: He's the only member of his team to survive the expedition to the Head-Stone, if not counting [[SixthRanger temporarily joining]] Arey and Pelka. With both Arey and Pelka being dead, he's the last surviving member of the expedition, period.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: He's capable of transforming into wolf at will to gain upper hand in combat.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mythora]]
A sorceress mercenary
----
* HeroOfAnotherStory: She has eight magic rings, but refuses to reveal how she obtained them, because "these are eight stories, only one of them is [hers]]". She also has a dragon eye, of which she would only say that she wasn't the one who killed the dragon, with the similar justification.
* HeroicSacrifice: She dies fighting the overwhelming foes, knowing full well that using such powerful magic in Forbidden Lands would kill her, but it lets what little left of the team to survive.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's long dead by the start of the story, and shown only in flashbacks.
* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Because her rings are so powerful, the sparks produced by them would be harmful for her eyes if not for her protective glasses.
* YinYangBomb: She can achieve destructive results by combining both light and dark magic rings, and amplifying them to the level dangerous for Guardians thanks to the dragon eye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Magemma]]
A mercenary.
----
* TheHeart: The rest of the team takes care of her and protects her from any harm, because she acts as the "soul" of their team, something which unites them and keeps them together.
* HerNameIsReallyBarkeep: According to her, "Magemma" is both her name and her profession.
* LastOfHerKind: She was the last magemma; she had no chance to pass her gift to someone else, so with her death at the hands of Eyehunters magemmas went extinct.
* MagicIdolSinger: She often makes her money by singing in various taverns, but she can also use her singing to manifest her magic.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's long dead by the start of the story, and shown only in flashbacks.
* {{Seers}}: Amongst her other abilities, she can see future to a degree.
* SuperScream: All her abilities manifests through her voice, including her main form of attack -- highly destructive magical scream.
* SupportPartyMember: She dislikes weapons and doesn't use them out of principle, but contributes enough with her non-combat abilities to make the team keeping her around.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Shtoss]]
A giantess mercenary.
----
* BerserkButton: She explodes if someone mentions her real name, Gunita. She [[DoNotCallMePaul insists on being called "Shtoss"]].
* DoNotCallMePaul: Her real name is Gunita, but calling her that is [[BerserkButton a receipt for disaster]]. She prefers being called "Shtoss".
* PosthumousCharacter: She's long dead by the start of the story, and shown only in flashbacks.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: We learn the least about her out of entire team; even Ronkh, the mute shapeshifter, has more backstory, despite dying first.
* WeaponSpecialization: Shtoss uses a whip as her weapon. Judging from its destructive capabilities, either she's just that strong, or it's enchanted; possibly both.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ronkh]]
A shapeshifter mercenary.
----
* ArchEnemy: He jumps at any contract which allows him to kill Dark Guardians, as he was crippled by them, rendering him permanently mute (even his shapeshifting can't fix it).
* EveryoneHasStandards: While he hates the Dark Guardians with passion, and would kill them at first opportunity, he wouldn't let his hatred endanger the mission. If the mission requires him to work with a Dark Guardian (such as Arey), so be it. But after the mission, he's no longer obligated to tolerate them.
* PosthumousCharacter: He's long dead by the start of the story, and shown only in flashbacks.
* TheSpeechless: He was traumatised by the Dark Guardians, and no longer can form a tongue, even in disguise. He hates the Dark Guardians with passion ever since, and uses any opportunity to reduce their numbers.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: PlayedWith. He constantly conflicts with Olaf, but they know each other for ten years and are still alive and working together. Mythora believes that their conflicts somehow helps reinforcing their team instead of breaking it. And yet they are not friends and never spends time together outside of their missions.
* VoluntaryShapeshifter: Similarly to Yaraat, he's capable of transforming his body at will.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He's the first of mercenaries to die, and one of the least developed (though it's hard to explore one's backstory [[TheSpeechless when they lack a tongue]]), with only Shtoss having less backstory than him.
[[/folder]]
!!! The rest
[[folder: Zuduka]]
Petruchho's "finest" creation, which inherited all the "best" traits of his creator.
----
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even more so than his creator. Absolutely no one likes Zuduka (even Petruchho just barely tolerates his antics) because the one and only thing he ever does is [[ThePrankster causing everyone problems]] and mindless destruction.
* {{Golem}}: He is an artificial creature, made from various pieces of trash which were then animated.
* ThePrankster: Zuduka can't talk, but absolutely loves making destructive pranks on people around him. Like, very destructive, down to and including explosions.
* PsychoPartyMember: He contributes nothing but mindless destruction, which caused problems more than once.
* TheSpeechless: Zuduka, like all Petruccho's creations, lacks ability to talk.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mirowood]]
Matvey's mentor.
----
* AboveGoodAndEvil: Mirowood believed that "good" and "evil" are too abstract and relative to care about them (if there's no "universal" good, there may as well be no good at all), so one may just do what ''they'' see fit. This practice ended badly for him.
* AgeWithoutYouth: The potion which let him live for one thousand years did nothing to preserve his youth. This is so bad, the flies keeps "mistaking" him for dead corpse and putting their eggs into him. He has no issues with it, but occasionally eats the flies when they annoy him.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: He was a firm believer that there's no such thing as "evil" powers, it only matters how you use them; so he was perfectly okay with using [[TheDarkArts necromancy and voodoo]], and taught Matvey how to use them too. It didn't him much good, because after death he ended up in Tartarus. Then again, he himself wasn't that good guy to begin with, even if use his own philosophy.
* ImmortalProcreationClause: Amongst the other side effects, the potion which made him nearly immortal also made him sterile.
* NeutralityBacklash: He advocated for staying "in the middle" between the Light and the Darkness and using both to achieve one's goals. The thing is, in this verse, you ''can't'' stay in the middle: if you don't work on yourself to earn Eden, you let yourself being corrupted by the Darkness. ''No exceptions''. Mirowood's fate is the best proof of that.
* PosthumousCharacter: He's long dead by the start of the story. He shows up in flashback chapters in the last novel, however.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He was well aware that he has exactly one thousand years to live. In fact, he's capable to tell how much time exactly he has left.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gulnara]]
Female jinn whom Mefodiy found in the seventh book. After being bound to magic ring, she was forced to serve Mefodiy, and, subsequently, Daphne.
----
* ServileSnarker: She may be forced to serve Daphne, but she wouldn't miss an opportunity to mock her orders (or her in general).
* SingleIssueWonk: She's relatively tolerable... as long as she has no opportunity to bring up "[[DumbBlonde Dumb Blondies]]" topic (she's a firm believer that all blond girls are stupid by definition, and wouldn't believe any proof that this isn't the case; at best, she would insist that smart blondies are dyed brunettes), at which point it becomes impossible to shut her up (and may god have mercy at your soul if you are an actual blondie, like Daphne). Don't think that you would be safe by being a brunette, either: she would switch to "proving" that brunettes are superior to blondes, whether you're interested in it or not.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lyuminiscentiy]]
Ulitha's and Essiorkh's infant son.
----
* BigEater: He's inherited Ulitha's appetite, and Ulitha, seeing nothing wrong with it, feeds him accordingly, which leads to him quickly gaining weight. At one point Matvey compares him to cannonball.
* SuperScream: He's inherited at least some of Ulitha's magic abilities. In particular, ''never'' scare him: if he cries, in the ''best'' case you would be stunned for some time. Matvey learns this the hard way.
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Essiorkh isn't the best with names. Ulitha was not amused when she learned ''how'' he named their son, and instead of using the name Essiorkh gave him, she shortens it to "Lyul".
[[/folder]]
! Lopukhoids
[[folder: In general]]
* FantasticSlurs: The term "lopukhoid" (from Russian "lopukh" -- "burdock", but can also mean "fool") is used by mages (regardless of alignment) and Dark Guardians (Light Guardians are generally trying to avoid this term) to call non-magic humans, and has the negative connotations.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Once ago, the Darkness used to serve as [[TheCorrupter the corruption influence]] for humanity, seducing it into committing all kinds of atrocities, while ripping harvest of damned souls. Nowadays, humanity is so corrupt, it commits those atrocities by itself, without outside influence, and without "dedication" to the Darkness -- which also means, the Darkness no longer has any benefits from it. Many Dark-aligned characters voice their surprise over just how rotten the modern humanity has become, but never as a compliment.
* {{Muggles}}: Lopukhoids are "normal", non-magical humans who inhabit the Earth.
* PunyEarthlings: With the rare exceptions, in this verse humans are usually downright stupid (sometimes [[TooDumbToLive suicidally stupid]]), which gets exploited by nearly everyone. The sole exception are the Light Guardians, who actually want humanity to evolve, but even they look on humans as silly, entitled children at best.
[[/folder]]
!! Mefodiy's relatives
[[folder: Zoya "Zozo" Buslaeva]]
Edya's sister and Mefodiy's mother.
----
* AfraidOfBlood: Since the incident in her childhood when she cut herself and mistook the wound for fatal one (with no parents being around for hours), she's dreadfully afraid of blood.
* BigSisterBully: Even now she keeps bullying her younger brother, Edya. She particularly loves to mock his surname, considering it to be silly and bringing associations with pigs. Whenever he points that it's her surname too, she reminds that she changed it after marriage, and doesn't regret it.
* CartwrightCurse: She had a bad luck of keeping ''any'' relationship for long, with many failed ones happening even before the start of the first novel, but then Tukhlomon realises that her suitors may be used as a stable source of eidoses, and from now on basically every single one of them gets attacked and fooled to give up his soul soon after showing up for the first time. Tukhlomon is sane enough to not touch Zozo herself (or her brother), knowing ''how'' it would end once Mefodiy finds out.
* DoNotCallMePaul: She insists on being called "Zozo", disliking her real name. Since her passport shows "Zoya" instead of "Zozo", she hates it, too.
* FirstGuyWins: After the ''[[LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces long]]'' streak of failed attempts to find a replacement, she finally gives her ex-husband Igor another chance -- even if [[TheLoad undeserved]]. It should be noted that it was not completely her decision; it was a work of cupid (cupids are infamously mischievous).
* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: She constantly seeks a replacement for her ex-husband Igor, only to run into all kinds of jerks, loons and loony jerks. Mefodiy quickly stopped even trying to remember the names of his mother's countless suitors, because they rarely last for more than a week. [[ConMan Igor Buslaev]] is not much different from the rest of them, except their relationship lasted long enough for them to marry (and have a son).
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: She's an energetic one in the duo with her (savvy) brother Edya. She's always enthusiastic and full of energy, but is rather air-headed, and easily gets distracted.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite constantly trolling her little brother -- and being trolled in turn -- they really care about each other.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Eduard "Edya" Havron]]
Zozo's brother and Mefodiy's uncle. Infamous cheapskate.
----
* AnimalMotifs: It was repeatedly stated that his surname brings associations with pigs (mostly by [[BigSisterBully his sister]], who takes some kind of pride at changing it after marrying Igor). Edya himself occasionally gets compared to a pig, too.
* AscendedExtra: Earlier novels only used him or his sister as [=PoV=] characters when in need to describe something supernatural from [[{{Muggles}} lopukhoid's]] point of view without introducing new characters. But eventually Edya became important enough to receive his own storylines, even if as side-plots.
* TheCynic: He has very low opinion on ''everyone'', always finding entirely pragmatic motifs behind any good traits, and expecting absolute worst of the people, including his nephew.
* EmbarrassingLastName: It was repeatedly stated that his surname brings associations with pigs;[[note]] "Havronya" is a stock pet name for female pigs[[/note]] his sister keeps mocking it for exactly this reason, making it clear that she hates it. In the seventh novel, Edya admits that he actually hates it himself. That being said, he still keeps it even after marriage.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He may be rude, cynical and greedy, but he ''does'' love his sister and nephew, and wouldn't allow anyone else to harm them. He insisted that something is fishy with Mefodiy being accepted in elite gymnasium (while Zozo just presumed that Mefodiy somehow cheated his way into it), especially since it was allegedly free of charge, and suggested to check out more thoroughly, not because he distrusted Mefodiy, but because he distrusted ''Glumovich'', and was ready to kick Glumovich's ass if his suspicions ends up correct.
* NewJobAsThePlotDemands: He keeps being fired from whatever restaurant he is hired to work in as a waiter, with reasons varying between conflicts with clients, conflicts with boss, stealing or all three.
* RescueRomance: He fell in love (and later married) a girl called Anna, whom he saved from the suicide attempt.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: He is savvy one in the duo with his (energetic) sister Zozo, being cunning, streetwise and creative (particularly when it comes to saving money on something "non-essential").
* StoutStrength: He maintains good musculature and strength due to doing sport (he especially likes box) regularly, but it's not enough to get rid of fat belly (him liking beer a little too much can have something to do with it).
* TrueSight: His contact with dark magic back in childhood leaved some traces on him after all; one of them is (spontaneously working) ability to see through magic illusions. Notably, he can see succubi and commissioners for what they really are, and never trusts them.
* UnfazedEveryman: He quickly learns to accept the magic as something completely ordinary, and starts playing along without unnecessary questions. It may have something to do with his childhood trauma.
** He took Depresnyak's... weirdness surprisingly well. As long as the cat behaves to at least some degree, he's perfectly fine with it being monstrously ugly or flying around.
** While initially he took a fairy appearing in his house as a sign of brain trauma (he was just beaten up by the thugs who came to force him to paying his "debts"), Edya quickly accepted the "rules of the game", and even tried to exploit his new "friend's" magic for profit. It certainly helps that, minus the magic, their worlds are not so different.
** When he was visited by a girl claiming to be his wife from the future who went here to save his life, he was not even surprised anymore.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Despite constantly trolling his big sister -- and being trolled in turn -- they really care about each other.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Igor Buslaev]]
Mefodiy's missing (for a while) father.
----
* DisappearedDad: Mefodiy prefers not to talk about him at all, always finding new "explanation" why his dad isn't around when asked (with everyone realising what he means and changing topic). Igor eventually returns, but it seems that he didn't change a one bit. Zozo accepts him back, while Mefodiy doesn't bother with reconciling.
* GetRichQuickScheme: He always creates some [[ZanyScheme elaborate schemes]] how to get rich; none of them ever works and in fact cause him to always being low on money.
* TheLoad: He contributes nothing to the family. Prior to divorce, he was too busy wasting time (and money) on [[GetRichQuickScheme questionable schemes]]. After reuniting with Zozo, he insisted on not working at all, because "[[InsaneTrollLogic he doesn't want to help the thieves and con artists]]".
* {{Nephilim}}: He is a distant descendant of the Light Guardian Demid Buslaev. He is completely ordinary, however, and doesn't possess any supernatural abilities (or ''any'' notable abilities, for that matter), unlike his son.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Anna Havron]]
Edya's girlfriend and later wife.
----
* BlindWithoutThem: She's extremely shortsighted, and needs glasses in order to do even basic things.
* FirstNameBasis: Until she married Edya and took his surname, she was only addressed by her first name.
* RescueRomance: Her relationship with Edya starts with her being rescued by him, twice; firstly from [[InterruptedSuicide suicide attempt]], and then from a domestic abuser.
[[/folder]]
!! Arey's family
[[folder: Varvara]]
A digger girl [[note]] The "diggers" (the loaned English word, not its Russian analogue) are the subculture endemic to post-USSR, including Russia, which involves exploring the urban undergrounds, including metro, for profit, science or just fun, often risking their lives and nearly universally risking problems with law. [[/note]], whom Cornelius meets in metro.
----
* ActionGirl: She's so-called "digger", who usually works alone, save for [[CanineCompanion Dobryak]]. When it comes to fighting, she's more than capable to defend herself, not in the last turn thanks to her favourite cleaver.
* BackFromTheDead: She's Arey's daughter, killed by Yaraat, but resurrected by the Light to give her a second chance to decide wether she would end up in Eden or Tartarus.
* CanineCompanion: Always accompanied by her large dog, Dobryak (literally "good man"), whom she found as a puppy long ago (he was hopelessly sick, but she managed to save his life anyway). [[spoiler: After her death, the dog was adopted by Korneliy]].
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: After all character development, she gets send back in time in a scene which comes basically out of nowhere, where she dies [[ItMakesSenseInContext fighting nazis]] to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong. The end.
* FirstNameBasis: She's one of the few lopukhoid (or loupukhoid-born) characters whose last name was never revealed. Considering her uneasy relationship with her adoptive family, [[JustifiedTrope it makes sense]]: she doesn't want to acknowledge them as her family.
* InSeriesNickname: Since she never revealed her last name, both the narrative and characters at times call her "citizen Gormost" instead, after the organisation responsible for maintaining the subway where she lives.
* JerkWithAHeartofGold: She may be not the most gentle person around here, but she still cares about the people she let near herself, and would help them, though she would likely still say an insult or two if they annoyed her before.
* LikeParentLikeChild:
** She inherited many traits from her father, Arey, including her stubbornness, [[HotBlooded hot temper]], inability to stay in one place for long and aversion towards being controlled by someone. Even her stubborn insistence to remain "neutral" can be linked to him.
** The last novel shows us Varvara's mother, who was [[BadassNormal just as badass as her daughter]]. Varvara clearly inherited a lot from her as well.
* MementoMacguffin: That locket Arey (through Ulitha) gifted to Varvara? It contains the eidos of Varvara's mother (of which Varvara isn't aware), and protects her from Ligul's attempts to corrupt her any further. Now, Ligul is willing to do anything to get rid of it.
* {{Nephilim}}: She's the daughter of Arey -- the former Light Guardian who [[FallenAngel turned Dark]]. This makes her more harm than good, because she inherited some of his not exactly best traits, and now risks ending up just like him, unless something would be done.
* NoNameGiven: PlayedWith. The name "Varvara" was given to her after her resurrection. We never learn how her parents have originally called her.
* OddFriendship: Despite repeatedly saying that he annoys her, she still sticks around with Cornelius. Cornelius believes what she secretly loves him, she's just yet to admit it. He turns up right, even if she only gets the chance to say it in their very last meeting.
* PosthumousCharacter: PlayedWith. She was presumed to be dead when she was originally introduced, but later it gets revealed that she was resurrected by the Light in a new body to give her a better chance to end up in Eden, sufficiently long ago to already be alive by the time of second novel (where she firstly gets mentioned). And yet, since she remembers nothing of her past, the ''original'' Varvara is dead; even her name, "Varvara", was given ''after'' her resurrection.
* TheRunaway: She didn't come along with her foster parents (despite all their best intentions), and eventually run away from house. Ever since then, she lives on the street with only her dog (whom she adopted from the street).
* SatisfiedStreetRat: She's perfectly fine with her life on a street (or, more precisely, ''underneath'' it, since she's a digger), because she's perfectly capable of sustaining herself (despite all the dangers she constantly faces, up to and including police -- diggerism is a legally grey area in best of times), while having no persons who can order her around and force her to behave in a certain way (that's why she chose to run away from her adoptive family -- in their attempts to protect her, they started restricting her). She's tough as a nail, albeit somewhat crazy at times, and respects only the people who share such qualities (mainly, the other diggers), yet still has moral compass and can help people in need.
* {{Tsundere}}: Basically, her relationship with Cornelius. Deep underneath the harsh treatment she shows to him, and periodic bursts of anger, she still secretly loves him. Cornelius realises it first.
* WeaponBasedCharacterization: She prefers using a cleaver (of rare and very good quality) for self-defence. This is one of the proofs that she's indeed Arey's daughter.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Pelka]]
Arey's mortal wife, and Varara's (original; it's complicated) mother.
----
* ActionGirl: Life in [[DeathWorld Forbidden Lands]] is extremely harsh -- adapt, or die. What she lacks in training, she takes in resolve; that's how she managed to survive for so long by herself.
* TheLoad: Not what the actual fighters fare much better, but she contributes little to the expedition to the Head-Stone, being merely human, with neither magic nor military training. She basically tagalongs with Arey.
* NoNameGiven: {{Subverted|Trope}}. She was introduced in the second novel and was repeatedly referenced across the series, but remained nameless... until the last novel, which finally revealed her name and gave her OriginsEpisode.
* ParentalAbandonment: Her father was a scribe, who was killed (along with his wife) to [[HeKnowsTooMuch preserve some secret]]. The only reason why Pelka herself didn't die is because they failed to catch her.
* PosthumousCharacter: She's long dead by the start of the series. When she finally shows up in the plot personally, it happens in [[OriginsEpisode flashback chapters]].
[[/folder]]
!! Arey's students
[[folder: Petruccho Chimodanov]]
One of the other three kids who inherited Kvodnon's powers. His main ability is to animate constructs he makes... mostly from various trash, like burned plastic bottles.
----
* BerserkButton: Never joke about "chemodans" (bags) near [[EmbarrassingLastName Chimodanov]]. In fact, just ''saying'' the word near him, regardless of context, can trigger him sometimes.
* DePower: Alongside Nata and Eugesha, he permanently loses his powers in the twelfth novel, becoming a lopukhoid. He takes it surprisingly well, because he never actually valued them anyway: easy gain, easy go.
* EmbarrassingLastName: His surname, Chimodanov, sounds dangerously similar to the word "chemodan", Russian for "bag". He got bullied for it quite a lot back in the school -- and sometimes still gets by the people around him, mainly by [[{{Troll}} Mefodiy]].
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: While Nata is egoistical, but at least tolerable, and Moskin is spineless, but friendly, Petruccho causes nothing but problems, has a repulsive personality, and likes intentionally annoying people around him, and actively going out of his way to look as disgusting as possible. They only stick around with him because they can't kick him out. He gets better after losing his magic.
* {{Golem}}: His main power is his ability to animate small constructs he creates from... literally any trash available. He abandoned most of them when moving to the residence, but keep his favourite (and most violent) one, Zuduka.
* GracefulLoser: In contrast with Nata and even Moshkin, he treats setbacks surprisingly well, including [[DePower losing his powers]].
* HiddenDepths: If there's one thing he really likes, and is good at, it's creating sculptures from mud. This may be related to his {{Golem}}s-creating skills.
* LeeroyJenkins : His main problem as a fighter is his inability to maintain self-control in battle; he would rush forward and either win or get curb-stomped. This is part of the reason why Arey trained him with axes instead of swords.
* SoapBoxSadie: His mother is best known for considering things like wrongly put road signs or "double-meaning" road marking to be an issue worth involving international law (and forcibly dumping her views on anyone). Once Petruccho adapted to live in the residence, he quickly started sending similarly stupid proposals to Ligul, like the road signs for Tartarus, to mark the lava temperature.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: He prefers being called "Petruccho" instead of his given name "Pyotr", or, god forbid, "Petrusik" (that one his mother loves).
* {{Troll}}: He likes doing disgusting things just to annoy everyone around him.
* UncleanlinessIsNextToUngodliness: Either due to his love for looking as disgusting as possible, or due to his laziness (or mix of both), he just ignores the basic hygiene, be it shower or cleaning his teeth. He's also perfectly okay with cleaning up his hands after eating fish ''with his hair''.
-->''He takes shower as often as the February, 29th falls on Monday.''
* VerbalTic: He likes inserting words "But!" and "I insist!" into his speech at seemingly random moments. This trait is amongst the prime [[{{Troll}} mockery targets]] for Mefodiy.
* WeaponBasedCharacterization: Realising that he is hopeless with swords (fencing requires concentration, which he lacks), Arey trained him to use battle axes instead, because they works best with his aggressive, berserk-like combat style. He actually preserved some of non-magic axes even after losing his powers.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nata Vikhrova]]
One of the other three kids who inherited Kvodnon's powers. Her main ability is of charming other people, essentially making them her marionettes.
----
* ApatheticStudent: She has little interest to anything besides herself, including studying and combat training. However, she still learned at least ''something'', because when Arey put her in "do or die" situation without [[CharmPerson her magic]], she actually managed to defeat several much stronger combatants by herself.
* BrilliantButLazy: The only thing which prevents her from developing her combat skills is her laziness. When she ''is'' properly motivated, she may be no less dangerous than the other two, like that one time when Arey, tired of her laziness, froze her face to disable her magic, and put her in combat against several fighters of mixed arts, armed only with a battle perch, and she defeated them all anyway.
* ButtMonkey: Once she loses her powers, all her appearances involves her being humiliated in some way.
* CharmPerson: Her main power is the ability to influence males' minds (females are immune), making them obedient, but dumb servants, through using the right facial impression (she calls it "face dancing"). She started exploiting it long before she even learned that they are magic-related. It wouldn't work on Mefodiy, Petruccho or Eugesha (though it partially worked at then untrained Mefodiy in her introduction scene), and, as it later turns out, it can't work on people who are already in love (like Matvey).
* CripplingOverspecialisation: She never bothered to develop ''any'' useful skills outside of training her magic (aside from some combat skill just so Arey would leave her alone). As result, [[DePower by losing the magic]], she had lost ''all''.
* DemotedToExtra: Out of four Arey's students, she has the least number of appearances after losing her powers, and never plays major plot role afterwards.
* DePower: Alongside Eugesha and Petruccho, she permanently loses her powers in the twelfth novel, becoming a lopukhoid. She took it worst out of three, growing too dependant of these abilities, and developing no useful skills whatsoever.
* FemmeFatale: She is a cold, ruthless seductress who prefers subtle manipulations and [[CharmPerson mind control]] over open combat (though, if it actually comes to combat, she may stand her ground). She also sees little value in anyone else but herself.
* {{Foil}}: To Daphne. Daphne is optimistic and friendly, and seeks best in everyone, Nata is self-centred jerk and cynic, with undying love for black humour (like, ''very'' black). Daphne [[FriendToAllLivingThings tries to protect any and all living things]], while Nata has zero regard even for humans. Just to nail it, even their hairstyle is different -- Daphne is a long-haired blondie, while Nata is a short-haired brunette.
* FragileSpeedster: What she lacks in physical strength, she takes in agility. Due to this, instead of using any heavy weapons, she prefers small, but deadly rapier, similarly to Ulitha (but is more competent with it).
* {{Jerkass}}: She's not the most pleasant person to be around, and often acts rather rude, even to her friends. [[EveryoneHasStandards Even Petruccho]] puts the line at actually going beyond simply annoying people.
* HateAtFirstSight: She constantly acts rude to Daphne since day one for no reason whatsoever and without any provocation; not even Daphne understands just what provokes her: it's not even jealousy over Mefodiy, as she knows that Nata doesn't give a damn about him (and vice versa), and only flirts with him because she can.
* NoEyeInMagic: One of the two ways her [[CharmPerson magic]] can work is through maintaining the eye contact. If you manage to break it, the only way that remains is the physical contact. It also wouldn't work through photos or videos, since they are not magical in nature, and have no connections to actual beings depicted on them.
* TheresNoPlaceLikeHome: {{Inverted|Trope}}; she hates her house and her family (particularly her step-father, a military man with DrillSergeantNasty attitude), and prefers the Dark residence to it. Even Petruccho has better relationship with [[SoapBoxSadie his mother]].
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: She prefers to be called "Nata" or at least "Natalie", instead of her given name "Natalia" (or its common short form "Natasha").
* TokenEvilTeammate: Out of four Arey's studens, she is the most selfish and mean one, and always the first one to backstab her "friends". Even Petruccho, while a {{troll}}, ''would'' help his friends when in need.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: She likes putting a "I'm so fragile, so helpless" facade to avoid doing work, but when it doesn't work (and with Arey, it ''never'' works), she shows to be no less lethal than any of Arey's students.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Eugesha Moshkin]]
One of the other three kids who inherited Kvodnon's powers, specifically ability to control water, in any shape or form.
----
* BlessedWithSuck: His powers are retroactively acknowledged to only hold back his personal development; he actually ended up ''better'' without them.
* BroughtDownToBadass: He never quits his trainings even after losing his powers, and thus remains a competent combatant even after becoming a lopukhoid.
* CharacterTic: Never ask him the questions about what he feels or thinks, or wether he is sure of something; he would immediately start doubting himself, and asking ''you'' for confirmation.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He may be weird, but out of four Arey's students, he's the second best after Mefodiy (and in some aspects even better).
* DePower: Alongside Nata and Petruccho, he permanently loses his powers in the twelfth novel, becoming a lopukhoid. This only makes him a favour, because he becomes more successful (and happy) in life without these powers.
* ExtremeDoormat: He has next to zero willpower, never argues with ''anyone'' and always seeks for approval from someone else. It's extremely easy to exploit, and force your own will on him, which even the good guys sometimes do just to speed up things.
* GentleGiant: He is bigger and tougher than the other three Arey's students, and has the second-best combat skills (after Mefodiy), but he is extremely shy and talks in the very calm, quiet voice. He also prefers to avoid any violence, even if it means sacrificing the respect the others have to him.
* HenpeckedHusband: After losing his powers, he went into relationship with a girl called Katia, who started giving him "his" opinions about things, down to and including food and drinks. He never tries to argue, despite sometimes having the completely opposite views, due to his usual inability to argue with anyone.
* HiddenDepths: He is normally quiet and slow to react, but may become rather poetic sometimes, and uses his ice-controlling powers for art.
* TheKlutz: Initially, he was clearly unable to properly control his huge body, resulting in him hitting the nearby things, sometimes with disastrous results. He later grows up from this with Arey's help, becoming the second best combatant after Mefodiy (and even better when he uses quarterstaff).
* LoonWithAHeartOfGold: He's weirdest of the three, but also the most compassionate and friendly, and (almost) always tries to help the others.
* MakingASplash: His main power is the ability to control water, be it liquid, solid or steam, and easily interchange them.
* MartialArtsStaff: He prefers quarterstaffs to swords, and is actually better with them than Mefodiy (which Mefodiy acknowledges).
* MartialPacifist: Despite being a competent combatant (with quarterstaff, he can defeat even Mefodiy), he prefers to avoid combat (or any conflict, for that matter) whenever he can.
* PlayingWithFire: By the sixth novel, he develops the ability to control the fire as well. He awoke this ability when he, in panic, extinguished the fire in Nata's room (which he caused in the first place by accident) just by wishing so. Nata was first to realise this, while Moshkin, of course, started doubting wether it was really his work.
* {{Pride}}: According to Fukidid, deep inside he takes a special pride at acting humbly and self-sacrificial, secretly seeing it as making him superior. Especially since only Moshkin himself is allowed to diminish his accomplishments; when anyone else does that, he secretly takes it as an insult.
* ShrinkingViolet: {{Exaggerated|Trope}} to the point it becomes simply ridiculous; he is so shy and unsure in himself, he can't even just state his current mood, asking whoever he's currently talking to for confirmation. Most of the people he deals with just play along, since it would be easier (and faster).
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: He prefers being called "Eugesha" instead of "Eugene". He also dislikes being addressed as "Genya", but that has more to do with his ex-classmate Eugenia being called that.
* TokenGoodTeammate: He is the least corrupt out of all Areys' students, even late into training, even in comparison to Mefodiy. Fukidid actually gets surprised at first and asks why he keeps sticking with them despite (still) being a good person, before he realises that he has a hidden {{pride}}. That doesn't stop Moshkin from being manipulated by Ziggy Puffs into joining his schemes against Mefodiy ''twice'', though.
* WeaponBasedCharacterization: While he's a competent swordsman, he prefers the quarterstaffs; even Mefodiy acknowledges that Moshkin is better with them than him. Besides being quite efficient with his strength and agility, they’re also the least lethal weapons out of Arey’s arsenal: Moshkin is notoriously pacifistic, and those weren't made to kill, but for self-defence.
[[/folder]]
!! Other lopukhoids
[[folder: Babanya]]
Irka's grandma and her official guardian.
----
* FirstNameBasis: If not counting her maiden name ("Arbuzova"), we never learn her (or Irka's) last name.
* {{Portmanteau}}: '''Bab'''ushka '''Anya'''.
* PromotedToParent: Since Irka's parent's died in a car crush and Irka herself became wheelchair-bonded, Babanya became her guardian.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Mikhail Glumovich]]
A director of an elite gymnasium, where Mefodiy and Daphne were sent as disguise in the first novel. He's sold his eidos to Ligul, who let him keep it for a time being (it's called "a rent"), and now serves the Darkness in attempt to preserve it for as long as possible.
----
* AssholeVictim: Normally, losing your soul would be [[EmptyShell pretty bad fate]]... but if anyone deserves it, it's Glumovich, who [[WouldHurtAChild tried to sell out his own students]], just to save his own skin (plus, you know, it was his fault that he sold it in the first place). As an extra irony, his soul turns out to be so rotten that not even the Darkness is willing to accept it; Arey just throws it away like trash.
* DealWithTheDevil: He's sold his eidos to Ligul. He can keep it to himself as long as he remains useful, but it's technically no longer his; he merely "rents" it.
* LastNameBasis: He's addressed by full name (Mikhail Borisovich Glumovich) exactly once in the first novel; otherwise, he's exclusively called "Glumovich".
* MeaningfulName: "Glumitsa" means "to mock", "to scoff"; he's pathetic NoRespectGuy.
* NoRespectGuy: He has no respect from his students because he is on their parents' paycheque, and he has no respect from the Darkness because he is merely a lopukhoid who has sold them his eidos and is only allowed to continue existing due to providing them some services.
* PutOnABus: Due to safety concerns (Glumovich has absolutely no way to protect them, and their enemies may be aware of them living here), both Daphne (since the second novel) and Mefodiy (since the third one) have moved away from his gymnasium (while formally continuing studying there), reducing him to background mentions. Then Ligul finally takes away his eidos in the sixth novel, meaning that he's no longer a part of the team. Since then, he only gets mentioned once, when he kicks Mefodiy and Daphne out of his gymnasium in the ninth novel, just to spite them.
* WouldHurtAChild: In pathetic attempt to preserve his own eidos, he's tried to sell the souls of ''all his students'' by giving them the documents about selling eidoses, in hope that they wouldn't read before signing. Arey has rejected this plan as too blatant to work, while Mefodiy reacted by kicking him out of the residence (literally).
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: By the time of the sixth novel, Ligul loses any interest in him and takes away his eidos after all. Biologically, he's still alive, but [[EmptyShell that doesn't matter much]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Pavel Nikitin]]
The biker whose body Essiorkh now inhabits.
----
* DeathSeeker: When his second girlfriend was killed by [[ImAHumanitarian Yaraat]], he [[DrivesLikeCrazy stopped caring about his survival]], and soon died in another crush.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: He always was a reckless driver, but became [[DeathSeeker outright reckless]] after his girlfriend was killed by Yaraat. Essiorkh has "inherited" this trait along with his body.
* DrowningMySorrows: When his first girlfriend, Yana, dumped him for rich German dude called Otto, he started drowning his grief with alcohol. He stopped just before it killed him, and managed to change for the better.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Until the fifth book he was only ever addressed as "the biker". Even Essiorkh never bothered to tell his real name, despite repeatedly referencing his backstory.
* TheLostLenore: His girlfriend was killed and eaten by Yaraat, after which he [[DeathSeeker stopped caring about his safety]] and soon died in another crush.
* PosthumousCharacter: He is already dead by the time of his introduction.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Petruccho's mother]]
Petruccho's socially-active mother.
----
* ControlFreak: She keeps an archive of her son's friends, which includes all their phone numbers (both home and mobile), photos, residence address, and passport data she may use to quickly identify them.
* NoNameGiven: We never learn her name.
* SoapBoxSadie: She considers things like the wrongly put road signs or "double-meaning" road marking to be an issue worth involving international law; and this is the ''least'' weird of her quirks. And she ''would'' dump her views on you, wether you're interested or not. She even joined the group of think-alike activists; when she eventually parted ways with them, it was implied that either [[EveryoneHasStandards she was too extreme]] for them, or [[SeriousBusiness they were not extreme enough]] ''for her''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Felix]]
A debt collector sent after Edya by his former employer.
----
* ArcVillain: Edya's plot in ''The Ticket to the Bald Mountain'' starts with Edya's conflict with Felix. It gets resolved on Felix's second visit, several chapters later.
* EvilDebtCollector: Felix and his thugs goes after people who refuses to pay up their debts, to beat them up until they change their mind. Edya owes whomever hired Felix $3000 (a ''very'' large sum for the average Russian, even at the time of publication; and Edya is chronically poor), and has less than three days to somehow pay it up, or they would beat him to death.
* FatBastard: Felix is the fat and merciless EvilDebtCollector, who, if you wouldn't pay up, would beat you to the pulp.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He always remains gentle and cheerful. Even when beating Edya up.
* SoftspokenSadist: Felix always talks in calm, gentle voice -- including when describing how he and his thugs would beat Edya up if he wouldn't pay.
* TermsOfEndangerment: Felix keeps playfully calling Edya "sailor" -- both before and after brutally beating him.
[[/folder]]
----
