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1----
2[[foldercontrol]]
3!Main Characters
4
5[[folder:Eragon]]
6The main protagonist, a poor farmboy who becomes the first new Dragon Rider in over a century. Initially wanting merely to survive and get vengeance on the Ra'zac, he gradually becomes more and more involved with the war between the Empire and the Varden.
7----
8* AdaptationDyeJob: In the books, Eragon has brown hair and eyes. In the film, he has blond hair and blue eyes.
9* AgeLift: Be starts out fifteen in the book, but is seventeen in the film.
10* AntiMagic: In ''Inheritance'' he becomes one of only three practitioners of this. [[spoiler:After using it extensively to break curses, he's probably the most [[TaughtByExperience prolific]] user by the end of the book.]]
11* AuthorAvatar: By the author's own admission, series protagonist Eragon was initially written as a reflection of himself [[AuthorAppeal doing the things he would like to do]] and their physical descriptions are similar, but Eragon has become more of his own character as the series has progressed.
12* {{BFS}}: In earlier publications he had a sword that was as long as he was tall.
13* BlueIsHeroic: He tends to be associated with the color blue; his dragon has blue scales and he later gets a blue sword that bursts into blue flames.
14* BowAndSwordInAccord: For the first couple books, Eragon fights with a sword for melee combat and before he becomes proficient in magic uses a bow for ranged. [[WreckedWeapon The bow gets broken in the second book]].
15* ABoyAndHisX: The relationship between Eragon and Saphira is the central focus of the books, especially since they're literally joined at the mind.
16* ButtMonkey: A recurring theme is that he tends to suffer a lot of injuries over the course of the books, although this is somewhat toned down by the third book. Lampshaded by Saphira, who grows more insistent over time that Eragon never leave her side for fear of what might happen without her protection.
17* CainAndAbel: His relationship with [[spoiler:Murtagh]]. Who is who depends on your [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation personal interpretation]].
18* CharacterDevelopment: Eragon slowly shifts away from a bland AudienceSurrogate to...well, YMMV:
19** Eragon's world view regarding religion is touched upon. At first he's drawn in by rather simplistic {{Hollywood Atheis|t}}m, but decides not to rule anything out when he meets something that seemed to qualify as a "god". At the end, he falls firmly on the side of agnosticism, of the "If he's out there, he'd better have a good excuse" type.
20** He grows more obviously bloodthirsty and vicious in battle as the series goes on, either due to Saphira's influence, or becoming desensitized due to war. Notably, he doesn't actually seem to realize it happening - however, it is several times mentioned that Riders and dragons influence each other, so perhaps some of Saphira's bloodlust was rubbing off.
21* CloudCuckooLander: It doesn't show up very often, but he has a seven-year-old's [[BileFascination fascination]] with {{Squick}} which slowly morphs into a rather dark {{Nightmare Fetishis|t}}m.
22* ConspicuousGloves: While traveling incognito in the earlier books, Eragon wears a set of gloves to hide the gedwëy ignasia on his palm.
23* ConstantlyCurious: Eragon is constantly curious, which gets him into trouble on a lot of occasions.
24* CoolSword: Zar'roc, a longsword with a blood-red blade forged from indestructible metal. Later he forges his own blue sword, Brisingr.
25* DeathIsSuchAnOddThing: He is morbidly amused by death, expressing to Arya that he wonders who or what it is that determines that they get to live while others are dead.
26* DidNotGetTheGirl: In ''Inheritance'', [[spoiler:he and Arya decide that they can't be together, mostly due to their ages and responsibilities. Prior to that, though, Arya had admitted to being open to the idea [[JailBaitWait when he's older]]. Eragon shoots that down by revealing that he'll be leaving Alagaesia "forever", and Arya couldn't reasonably join him.]]
27* DragonRider: He is the first of a new generation after Galbatorix tried to wipe out all the others.
28* DramaPreservingHandicap: For a while in ''Eldest'', [[spoiler:Durza's scar]] gives him seizures at inopportune times thanks to its magical nature, having [[spoiler:been inflicted by a Shade]].
29* EtTuBrute: His reaction when he learns Murtagh has become TheDragon to Galbatorix. Murtagh points out he was forced into it via torture and magic.
30* {{Expy}}: Of [[Franchise/StarWars Luke Skywalker]], though it lessens in later books. A teenager living a simple life on a farm, raised by his uncle after his parents died/disappeared, who gets caught up in a war between rebels an an evil Empire after finding an important MacGuffin accidentally sent to him by a princess. He finds out he's destined to become a member of a group of nearly-extinct magic-using guardians. He rescues the princess from earlier with help from a roguish AntiHero [[spoiler:and loses his mentor/father figure in the process]], then proves vital to saving the rebels when the Empire attacks their base. He then goes to seek out further training from another mentor after receiving a vision to do so, cuts his training short to help his friends, has to make himself a new CoolSword after losing his AncestralWeapon to TheDragon and finds out he is secretly related to a few characters, including a villain. Now, are we talking about Luke or Eragon?
31* FantasticRacism: He absolutely hates Urgals, to the point of arguing that they should be [[FinalSolution killed to the last child]]. He gets over this at the end of ''Eldest'' after meeting Nar Garzhvog.
32* FarmBoy: He starts out working as a farmhand on his uncle's farm.
33* FatalFlaw: [[{{Pride}} Arrogance]], according to him. While it [[WhatTheHellHero shows up]] in spots throughout the stories, Eragon fears its corrupting influence in the future and lets that inform his decisions later in the series. In ''Inheritance'', he's very much aware of PrideBeforeAFall, and takes some impressive steps to avert it.
34* FlamingSword: His sword, Brisingr, bursts into flames whenever he says its name. Comes back to bite him in the butt, as he can't use his favorite magic while holding it. Oddly enough, this was a completely unintended effect that is presumably unique to his sword due to the word Brisingr being a portion of the bladed true name in the ancient language. He dropped it out of surprise the first time he did it by accident.
35* FlatEarthAtheist: He absorbs the elves' atheism while training with Oromis and never lets it go. So much so that when he comes face-to-face with the TopGod of the Dwarven Pantheon, the best he can manage is polite skepticism.
36* FullPotentialUpgrade: An inversion of sorts. Because Eragon learned to fight with an unbreakable weapon, he has a bad habit of blocking attacks with the edge of the blade rather than the flat, which leads to him quickly ruining any normal weapon.
37* AGodIAmNot: In ''Inheritance'', after accepting his {{fatal flaw}}s, Eragon realizes that while he ''does'' possess godlike power, if he became king he could easily become corrupted by that power and the pain of being an immortal while his loved ones grew old and died. He also realizes, partially through watching Galbatorix's reign, that an immortal and powerful magic user has no place being king of subjects who are neither of those things. As such, he adamantly refuses any position of authority at the end of the series.
38* HeartIsAnAwesomePower:
39** In the final battle, [[spoiler:he turns the tide against Galbatorix when he makes the king feel the agony of everyone he's ever caused pain.]]
40** Nonverbal magic is so ridiculously dangerous that even the most powerful magicians only use it for the smallest of spells, since those are low risk. It's a party trick, for those who know it. [[spoiler:Galbatorix doesn't know that it exists, so Eragon is able to incapacitate him with it. He then uses it to instantaneously shield himself and his friends from Galbatorix's atomic RageQuit, where normal spellwork would have been far too slow.]]
41* HeroicAmbidexterity: In the first book, he learns to fight with his left hand while his right wrist is broken.
42* HeroicBastard: At first. He even introduces himself as Eragon Son of None. Averted when it turns out that Brom is his father, and he starts using the name Bromsson proudly.
43* HollywoodAtheist: Glaedr's assertions on the subject are all it takes to make Eragon completely uncomfortable with the idea of religion. Saphira also influences him in this regard, mainly because she can't conceive of anything greater than a dragon. Eragon irritates enough people by constantly bringing this up that he learns to confine his thoughts on the matter to interior dialogues with Saphira.
44* HumbleHero: He tries to play the part, even making plans to return and rebuild his hometown as per TheHerosJourney. Eventually he decides that humility isn't in his character, and after all he'd seen and done, he'd never be satisfied with something so mundane as settling down again.
45* IdiotHero: Understandable since he began his journey as an uneducated farm boy with no combat experience. He gets better about it, but traits remain all through the series, as he's struggling to learn everything he needs to know to be a Dragon Rider. Their training usually takes DECADES.
46* InstantExpert: In less than a year, he masters sword-fighting, learns how to read, and becomes fluent in the Ancient Language. [[RealityIsUnrealistic While it's not as difficult as some may claim]] he ''is'' explicitly noted to be an abnormally fast learner. Saphira's youth probably helps, as while Eragon's mind is past that kind of developmental stage, hers is well-suited to gleaning new information and actively supplementing Eragon's learning. However, it's subverted in that it's explicitly shown to be nowhere near enough to match any experienced Rider or elf, and inferior to learning over decades like he normally should have been doing.
47* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: In a moment of ProperlyParanoid, Eragon decides that this would be way, way too easy for him to do so he automatically shuts down any offers of Kingship or long term authority.
48* KeepingTheHandicap: He is left with a nasty and painful back scar from his fight with Durza. He decides against having it removed at first, feeling like it's become a part of him. [[spoiler:Ultimately, it's removed when Eragon [[NextTierPowerUp is enchanted by the Agaeti Blodhren]].]]
49* LivingForeverIsAwesome: This becomes a vague plot point in Brisingr, when Eragon realizes he has become immortal. Instead of angsting about it, he decides to look for a wife among the elves because they are all immortal. Good thing he's already head over heels for Arya.
50* MagicKnight: He supplements and [[FlamingSword augments]] his swordplay with magic.
51* MeaningfulName:
52** He shares his name with the first Dragon Rider, which Brom says can't be a coincidence. Eragon is the first of the new Dragon Riders.
53** His name is also one letter off from "dragon", which Christopher Paolini stated was how he came up with the name.
54* MenDontCry: Averted. He cried ''sixteen times'' in the first book.
55* MirrorCharacter: Eragon and Murtagh are both young dragon-riders who are even half-brothers (and thought to be full brothers for a significant chunk of the series). Murtagh is forced into an oath because of his father and winds up following a similar path while Eragon takes after his own genetic father, but they have similar skill sets and even use matching swords for dragon riders. Word of God has it that if Saphira hadn't hatched for Eragon, she likely would have for Murtagh--and dragons are picky about finding proper riders in this world.
56* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Presumably after the first Eragon, who was the first DragonRider.
57* NecessarilyEvil: In his mind, all of his lapses and killings are justified because he's fighting an immortal EvilOverlord, and no amount of slaughter or mayhem that he causes could be worse than what Galbatorix would cause. He still angsts over this, which becomes a major plot point early on in Brisingr.
58* NightmareFetishist: At one point fantasizes without much irony about having an apple tree planted over his grave, so that his family would partake of his corpse every time they ate from it. Yum. Similar examples abound throughout the books.
59* NotSoDifferentRemark: Elva points out to Eragon that some of his actions aren't so different from the kind Galbatorix would take. "That way lies the depraved pleasure of controlling others for your own pleasure. Galbatorix would approve." Notably, Eragon specifically avoids (or at least tries to) [[spoiler:any positions of power in the new government because he's afraid he would end up like Galbatorix.]]
60* ParentalAbandonment: Eragon had initially lost his mother Selena after she gave birth to him. He didn't know who his father was at first, as she died without telling anyone. Eragon was raised by his maternal uncle Garrow. Later, he was told one of [[BigBad Galbatorix]]'s followers, Morzan, was his father (it turns out Selena was his wife, and had another son by him). This turns out to be not be true though. [[spoiler:Eragon's father was Brom, who had an affair with Selena. By the time he learns this, Brom's dead.]]
61* PowerStrainBlackout: Prone to fainting after using magic, at least at first.
62* SecretKeeper: Eragon is perhaps the only one who knew of Roran and Katrina's love before the second book.
63* ThouShaltNotKill: In the first book, he goes out of his way to avoid killing humans, limiting his violence to [[OurOrcsAreDifferent urgals]]. In ''Eldest'', however, he drops the policy and starts killing any human associated with the Empire without mercy.
64* TookALevelInBadass: Considering he plans to take out old man Galbatorix himself only a few years after becoming a Rider himself. [[spoiler:He takes quite a few after he discovers the hidden Eldunarí cache under Vroengard, gaining enormous magical power. What's more important is that he's learned ''how to use it.''.]]
65* WalkingTheEarth: Eragon decides that the best course of action is to [[spoiler:leave Alagaesia at the end of ''Inheritance'', due to needing a more suitable place to raise the cache of dragon eggs found on Vroengard and to remove the temptation for him (now the most powerful being alive on the continent) to become another Galbatorix. He has no plans to return and doesn't expect to be able to see his loved ones in person.]]
66* WhatHaveIBecome: Has a few of these moments now and then.
67* WhatTheHellHero: He is on the receiving end of it twice in ''Eldest'' and three times in ''Brisingr.''
68* WorldsStrongestMan: Effectively ends up as this at the end of the series, which he points out to Nasauda as part of the reason he needs to leave forever. Put simply, Eragon is now so powerful that he threatens the balance between the different peoples. With Galbatorix dead, there’s no one single person who can challenge Eragon in the event he decides to take over. Considering he's one of the few people who knows the Name of Names, has the oldest and most mature of the three dragons active in the land, and has over 136 Eldunarí (and considering he gains access to those that Galbatorix had, this number can still grow by a tremendous amount), no one really manages to argue with his decision.
69* YouAreInCommandNow: In ''Inheritance'', he temporarily takes control of the Varden after Nasuada [[spoiler:gets kidnapped]].
70* YoungestChildWins: [[spoiler:He's the younger of his mother's sons and got the better deal. While Murtagh is technically the better fighter, his life has been a near-constant TraumaCongaLine (abusive father, dead mother, raised in a DecadentCourt, forced to run away from home, mistrusted by everyone for his parentage, gets ForcedIntoEvil and so on). Eragon, in comparison, had a happy and peaceful upbringing with his loving aunt and uncle, becomes a champion of the Varden and is widely viewed as a hero for toppling Galbatorix (although he also experiences the trauma of fighting in a war, needing to ask Arya for advice on how to cope with it). He ends the series setting out to rebuild the Dragon Riders, while Murtagh ends it going into exile to deal with his trauma]].
71[[/folder]]
72
73!Humans
74!!Carvahall
75[[folder:Roran]]
76Eragon's cousin, initially a farmboy. After his betrothed, Katrina, is kidnapped by the Empire and his village condemned, he becomes determined to lead his people to safety and fight Galbatorix.
77----
78* AndThisIsFor: When he [[spoiler:kills the Ra'zac]], he gives them a list of reasons why they deserve to die.
79-->"For our father! ''[crunch]'' For our home! ''[crunch]'' For Carvahall! ''[crunch]''
80* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: A combination of asskicking and charisma turns him into the unofficial leader of Carvahall, and later gains him a position in the Varden. [[spoiler:He commands an entire battalion by the story's end, and gets to be earl of Palancar Valley]].
81* AtopAMountainOfCorpses: In ''Brisingr'', after single-handedly killing nearly 200 men in battle.
82* AwesomenessByAnalysis: He's a badass normal to be sure, but if he didn't have brains, he'd be dead a thousand times over with everything he faces. One of the big reasons why he lasts so long and why he gets to promoted to captain is precisely because he's this, even if it does occasionally cause him trouble because he won't obey the orders of some of the rockheads around him. During one otherwise ill-fated battle, he manages to save the majority of his troops from his commander's awful strategy and later accomplishes the siege of an entire town in just days that Galbatorix's Empire had been flummoxing the Varden with for months. He is noted for being bold and willing to take risks, but has an uncanny knack of just how to analyze and unbalance the enemy.
83* BadassNormal: He makes a name for himself in battle alongside Dragon Riders, elves, and other magically enhanced beings.
84* BeardOfSorrow: He grows this after Katrina is kidnapped and it qualifies as this up until her rescue.
85* TheBusCameBack: After being absent for most of ''Eragon'' after the first ten chapters, he returns in ''Eldest'' with his own storyline.
86* CharlesAtlasSuperPower: Seems to be the physically strongest un-enchanted human in the story. Strong and fast enough that he can duel with a fencer with a warhammer and wards. And in fact faster than that, since his general strategy is to outdraw his opponent and break his arm or wrist.
87* DespairEventHorizon: Crosses it when he watches [[spoiler:Eragon leave the continent, for what is probably forever]].
88* TheDeterminator: How else do you slay almost 200 soldiers single-handedly? The specifics of the feat are pretty relevant. Roran and his men retreat into an alley when Roran goes into a berserk rage. Since Roran's other soldiers couldn't get Roran to move away, they just sit on the roofs as the enemy soldiers follow them into the alley in ones and twos and are met with Roran just continuously bashing away with his hammer. Roran's friends pick off any soldiers who might sneak around or kill Roran by luck with bow and arrows, and make Roran getting angry into their entire strategy. [[spoiler:He kills Barst, Galbatorix's greatest general after everyone else had tried and failed.]]
89* EarnYourTitle: Roran Stronghammer, who killed 193 men in a single battle with said weapon. See TheDeterminator above.
90* FarmBoy: Initially, but like Eragon, he moves away from it because he had to.
91* GeniusBruiser: He shows cunning, intelligence, leadership abilities, and charisma as well as skill in battle. Eragon praises Roran over himself for his ability to lead the villagers of Carvahall over the ominous Spine.
92* GoodIsNotNice: Roran starts out a decent man looking to get married to his girlfriend, but he becomes a PragmaticHero.
93* HandicappedBadass: After one of the Ra'zac severs the muscle in one of his shoulders, his ability to move his arm in certain ways in significantly hampered until he gets it healed by magic in the next book.
94* HeroicResolve: He has a lot of it, and needs every bit of it.
95* HeroInsurance: Averted in that Roran is well aware of the damage he is doing to probably innocent people along the way, and tries to avoid doing more damage than he has to.
96* IndyPloy: Roran is extremely good at coming up with effective strategies on the fly. Turns into BatmanGambit and XanatosSpeedChess if you give him more than twenty minutes to plan.
97* LightningBruiser: He seems to be faster than most swordsmen with his hammer, which would mean he would win any duel by default.
98* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: He gets a shield just before leaving Carvahall to supplement his hammer-based fighting style.
99* MadeOfIron: The amount of horrific injuries he survives from ''Eldest'' onward are too long to list. And yet he claims nothing can be more painful than the death of his father and the loss of his home.
100* MissingMom: Roran's mother Marian died of an unknown illness sometime before Eragon found Saphira's egg.
101* MrFanservice: Big time. The wiki for the site actually describes in his template that he is "handsome" and has "big muscles".
102* NeverLearnedToRead: His father, who did know how to read, considered learning to read a waste of time. He indicates some desires to try to learn later on in the series because it's holding him back in advancing ranks in the Varden, yet it never really seems to come up again.
103* NiceGuy: In the first book, and only the first book. After that, the death of his father, loss of his home, and the war turn him into a grade-A example of GoodIsNotNice.
104* NoSympathy: He initially has barely any sympathy for Eragon essentially also losing his father to the Raz’aac, blaming him entirely for it happening in the first place. He seems to become more understanding after reconciling with Eragon, though.
105* OneManArmy: Kills 193 soldiers in a single battle in ''Brisingr''.
106* PastExperienceNightmare: The (many) men that he's killed continue to haunt him.
107* PsychicStatic: He focuses on his memories of Katrina, making his mind impenetrable to psychics, though sudden sounds prove to be a weakness of his.
108* PutOnABus: He takes a job in Therinsford early on in ''Eragon'' and isn't seen for the rest of the novel. He returns in ''Eldest'' and remains a focused-on character for the rest of the series.
109* RousingSpeech: Apparently this guy's talent is leadership. He delivers at least three speeches throughout the series that inspire a large group of people to action. Played for laughs, though, in one instance in which the villagers of Carvahall expect him to give him one of these after a group of them try to rebel against traveling on barges, only for him to declare simply "It's this or walk" and then go to bed.
110* ShirtlessScene: He gets several.
111* ShootTheDog: Burning the docks at Teirm, while creating one hell of a diversion for the villager's escape, resulted in the destruction of the property of countless innocent people.
112* SupportingLeader: He's the secondary POV in ''Eldest'', where he becomes a leader to the people of Carvahall.
113* TookALevelInBadass: In ''Eldest'' he takes charge and leads the villagers of Carvahall all the way to the rebel camp.
114* TheUnfettered: He'll do anything to save Katrina, and, to a lesser extent, defeat Galbatorix.
115* WartimeWedding: To Katrina, although they were already engaged beforehand.
116* WhatTheHellHero: He at least partially blames Eragon for the death of his father, Garrow (despite the fact that Garrow was essentially Eragon's father as well). This is particularly apparent when they finally meet back up in ''Eldest,'' upon which he punches Eragon in the face.
117[[/folder]]
118
119[[folder:Katrina]]
120Sloan's daughter, and Roran's girlfriend and later wife.
121----
122* ArrangedMarriage: Not to anyone specific, but she mentions to Roran that her father is pressuring her to marry someone he approves of.
123* DamselInDistress: She is kidnapped by the Ra'zac in ''Eldest''. Thankfully she doesn't seem to have endured the horrific tortures that Arya and Nasuada endure during their captivities.
124* DatingWhatDaddyHates: She gets engaged to Roran behind her father's back. He is ''not'' happy when he finds out. Roran himself isn't really a bad guy and treats Katrina well, but he isn't able to provide for her financially and Sloan also has a beef with his family, which worsens after Carvahall gets attacked.
125* DidTheyOrDidntThey: It's implied she may have slept with Roran in ''Eldest''. [[spoiler:Later confirmed when she is pregnant in the next book]].
126* HappilyMarried: To Roran as of ''Brisingr''.
127* MissingMom: Her mother died in an accident in the Spine when she was a baby, which causes her father to be overprotective of her.
128* MyGirlBackHome: For Roran when he joins the Varden.
129* NiceGirl: She's generally a sweet girl with no glaring negative traits.
130* SatelliteLoveInterest: To Roran; pretty much her entire character revolves around her relationship with him.
131* SecretRelationship: She's initially in one with Roran because Sloan wouldn't approve; he hopes that if he can get a good job to provide for her, then Sloan will give them his blessing to marry.
132* TeenPregnancy: [[spoiler:She's revealed to be a few months pregnant in ''Brisingr'' and would be seventeen, at the most]].
133* WhatTheHellHero: She is furious at Nasuada for sentencing Roran to be whipped ''fifty times'' for insubordination, even though he did it to ensure the Varden won. She only softens towards her when Nasuada promotes Roran to commander for his feats.
134[[/folder]]
135
136[[folder:Sloan]]
137Carvahall's butcher, and Katrina's father.
138----
139* AntiVillain: He may be a self-centered Jerkass, but he at least is shown to care about his daughter.
140* BloodKnight: When he actually gets in a fight, he's clearly enjoying himself as shown when he finds himself facing a soldier attacking Carvahall, he laughingly asks "Shall I gut and hamstring you?"
141* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:The Ra'zac torture him to death in the film.]]
142* EyeScream: The Ra'zac pecked out his eyes. Eragon tells him that if he rehabilitates himself, the elves will heal him.
143* FaceHeelTurn: He betrays Carvahall to the Ra'zac.
144* {{Jerkass}}: He's antagonistic towards Eragon and Roran, to the point of selling out the village to the Empire in exchange for his daughter's safety. The Ra'zac screw him over.
145* KnightTemplarParent: He was willing to sell out his fellow villagers to the Empire to protect his daughter. It backfired horribly.
146* PapaWolf: He does not want anything to hurt his daughter, and is willing to kill people to make sure this doesn't happen.
147-->"They'll never get Katrina. Never, even if I must skin the lot of them, or fight a thousand Urgals and the king to boot. I'd tear the sky itself down and let the Empire drown in its own blood before she suffers so much as a scratch."
148* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: He's terrified of the Spine mountain range, mostly because his wife fell to her death in the mountains.
149[[/folder]]
150
151[[folder:Horst]]
152Carvahall's blacksmith. Married to Elain and father of Albriech, Baldor, and [[spoiler:Hope]].
153----
154* TheBlacksmith: Served as Carvahall's blacksmith.
155* DemotedToExtra: Horst is a fairly prominent supporting character in the books, but only gets a couple scenes in the film and a single line in each scene.
156* GentleGiant: Horst is a big, hulking man with a soft heart.
157* ParentalSubstitute: To Eragon and Roran after Garrow is killed. He first offered to house Eragon after Garrow's death, does the same for Roran and Katrina after Sloan throws her out, and later stands in for Garrow at Roran and Katrina's wedding in ''Brisingr''.
158[[/folder]]
159
160[[folder:Garrow]]
161A farmer, Roran's father, Eragon's uncle, and Selena's brother.
162----
163
164* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The Ra'zac used [[HollywoodAcid seithr oil]] to torture him, then blew his home to pieces with him still inside, leaving him lingering for days before he died.
165* HiddenDepths: According to Brom, Garrow knew how to read, a rarity for common folk. He just didn't consider it a skill worth passing down to his son and nephew.
166* {{Nephewism}}: He and his deceased wife Marian raised Eragon alongside Roran after Selena left Eragon with them. Eragon thinks of Garrow as his real father instead of Morzan when he believed Morzan sired him.
167* PlotTriggeringDeath: His murder at the Ra'zac's hands is the direct cause of Eragon's journey.
168[[/folder]]
169
170!!Varden
171[[folder:Brom]]
172An old storyteller in Carvahall and a friend of Eragon's, who finds out about Saphira and asks to accompany them on their journeys. Later revealed to be a Dragon Rider whose dragon was killed during the Fall. He founded the Varden in the years following Galbatorix's rise to power and is determined to bring Galbatorix down.
173----
174* CameBackWrong: Discussed. Eragon wants to [[spoiler:use the Eldunarí to resurrect him at the end of ''Inheritance'' but they warn him that they will probably never be able to restore his mind. He decides that it's not meant to be and just carves a new epitaph for him. They also make the very good point that they aren't neurologists and would probably fry his brain in the process.]]
175* CharacterTics: Brom had a couple strange habits while young, like knocking on a door frame while entering/exiting a room.
176* ConstantlyCurious: Oromis says that Brom was this way when he was young.
177* CoolOldGuy: He's far older than he looks, but still possesses supernatural powers from when he was a Dragon Rider.
178* CoolSword: Used to own a sword known as Undbitr; like Zar'roc, it was made from [[ThunderboltIron brightsteel]] but was aquamarine, likely to match his dragon. Undbitr was lost during the Fall of the Riders.
179* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: At first glance he's just an eccentric old man. But Eragon soon finds out that he's a master swordsman, magic-user, and former Dragon Rider.
180* DeathbedConfession: His status as a Rider is not revealed until he is dying.
181* DespairEventHorizon: At first, he's so driven to get revenge on Morzan that he doesn't realized he's crossed it. Once he's killed Morzan, he spends the rest of his life consumed by grief.
182* DragonRider: He is one of the last true Dragon Riders of the old generation.
183* {{Expy}}: He's basically [[Franchise/StarWars Obi-Wan Kenobi]]; a former Dragon Rider/Jedi who was best buds with Morzan/Anakin until [[WeUsedToBeFriends he betrayed them]], goes into hiding in a backwater town to watch over Eragon/Luke where he's regarded as an oddity, introduces Eragon/Luke to the ways of the Dragon Rider/Jedi, then [[spoiler:dies protecting him as they're trying to rescue a princess shortly before the climax]]. One of the only major differences is that it turns out Brom [[spoiler:is Eragon's real father after having an affair with his late mother]]; funnily enough, in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' it's implied via subtext that Anakin thinks Obi-Wan and Padmé were having an affair, though this [[ImaginaryLoveTriangle isn't actually the case]].
184* HeroicSacrifice: He sacrifices himself saving Eragon from the Ra'zac.
185* IncompletelyTrained: Thanks to his dragon dying when Brom was young and the Riders being destroyed very soon afterwards, Brom never received or learned the full breadth of his abilities as a Rider.
186* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: Had a long and bitter feud with Morzan due to being his EvilFormerFriend and the death of Brom's dragon. It culminated in the hunt for Saphira's egg, ending in a duel where Brom killed Morzan and his dragon.
187* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:It turns out that he's Eragon's biological father, though it's not revealed until long after he's dead and buried; Brom knew Eragon was his son all along, but only confided in Saphira and told her not tell Eragon until the time was right]].
188* MagicKnight: Brom is a former Dragon Rider, and thus a skilled swordsman as well as a magic-user.
189* TheMentor: He travels with Eragon while teaching him magic and swordplay. Plus how to read.
190* MentorOccupationalHazard: Ends up getting killed by the Ra'zac.
191* TheMourningAfter: Admits while dying that he never stopped grieving for his own dragon.
192-->'''Brom''': Even now I still grieve for my Saphira, and hate Galbatorix for what he took from me.
193* OffScreenMomentOfAwesome: He's personally responsible for the deaths of more than half of the Forsworn. He killed three of them in single combat. Without a dragon.
194* OldMaster: An elder Dragon Rider who serves as Eragon's first teacher in swordsmanship and magic.
195%%* PapaWolf: [[spoiler:Sacrifices his life for his son Eragon.]]
196* {{Prequel}}: Paolini has expressed interest in writing a fifth book which would tell his and Jeod's backstory, as well as detailing the Fall of the Riders.
197* RebelLeader: Brom founded the Varden to oppose Galbatorix and led the group for a few years before resigning so he could devote his time to revenge on the Forsworn.
198* RetiredBadass: Losing his wife, after already having lost his dragon, Saphira (the elder), means two lost soul mates. [[spoiler:It's remarkable (as per Arya) that he even survived such losses.]]
199* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Brom's entire life since the Fall of the Riders has been a campaign against Galbatorix, specifically against the Forsworn and Morzan most of all.
200* TheStoryteller: While living in Carvahall. At first, Brom insists on accompanying Eragon and Saphira because, as storyteller, he wants to see where Eragon's journey will lead. It turns out that he has deeper reasons.
201* TragicHero: Destiny made sure that he failed in nearly everything important in his life, except for [[spoiler:killing Morzan]].
202* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: He kills Morzan to avenge his dragon, but this ends the days of the Dragon Riders and he comes to Eragon's village with the shame of it.
203* WeakButSkilled: Brom believes in the value of intelligence over strength and typically beat opponents because he was smarter than them. Case in point his campaigns against the Forsworn, where he killed three of them without the aid of a dragon.
204* YouKilledMyFather:
205** [[spoiler:He is motivated to kill Galbatorix]] because he is responsible for the death of Brom's dragon. Brom himself later becomes this sort of motivation to Eragon.
206** He also killed Morzan, Murtagh's father. Despite this, Murtagh bears no ill will towards Brom for the action, given that his father was very abusive (Murtagh's scar, for instance, comes a sword blow his father gave him) and acknowledges that Morzan fully deserved to die.
207[[/folder]]
208
209[[folder:Ajihad]]
210The leader of the Varden.
211----
212* BadassNormal: We mostly get impressions of his fighting ability secondhand, but he very notably came close to killing Durza, a feat which is said to be all but impossible for an ordinary human.
213* BaldOfAuthority: He is bald and the leader of the Varden.
214* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Not the first death in the series, but the first death in the second book.
215* DefectorFromDecadence: A former vassal of one of the Forsworn before breaking his magical bonds and joining the Varden.
216* DroppedABridgeOnHim: A sudden Urgal ambush takes him out. [[DoNotGoGentle He goes out swinging]], though, killing all of his attackers before he dies.
217* RebelLeader: He is the leader of the Varden, a rebel group.
218* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: He dies at the beginning of the second book.
219* WeHardlyKnewYe: Unceremoniously killed off after only being around for the last act of the first book.
220[[/folder]]
221
222[[folder:Nasuada]]
223Ajihad's daughter, heir, and eventual successor.
224----
225* ActionGirl: She's constantly underestimated because she's a teenage girl, only to constantly prove that she's got the nerve of a hardened battle commander and the skill to back it up.
226* BadassNormal: Not a mage, not a Dragon Rider, just a normal human girl who kicks a lot of ass.
227* BrokenBird: She becomes this after the death of her father in the second book, although she rarely shows it. See TheStoic.
228* DamselInDistress: In the fourth book she is captured by Galbatorix.
229* DatingCatwoman: Her feelings for Murtagh, though they both realize they can't act on them.
230* {{Determinator}}: Demonstrated in the Trial of the Long Knives.
231* KeepingTheHandicap: After she [[spoiler:wins the Trial of the Long Knives]], Eragon offers to heal her deeply scarred arms. She declines on the grounds that [[spoiler:she needs to keep the scars to prove that she won and is worthy of being ruler.]]
232* LadyOfWar: She is both elegant and fierce, which she proves in single-handedly devising a way to up the Varden's finances and by completing the Trial of the Long Knives.
233* MadeOfIron: In order to maintain her leadership position, she participated in and won The Trial of the Long Knives, a competition requiring opponents to cut their arms with knives until one of them can no longer continue. Later, with Murtagh's help, she is able to avoid breaking under torture while imprisoned by Galbatorix.
234* PleaseDontLeaveMe: To Eragon, one of her closest friends and lieutenants. [[spoiler:She's absolutely desperate to get him to stay, but ultimately fails. Also to Murtagh when she's imprisoned by Galbatorix. He doesn't]].
235* PostModernMagic: She is trying to find ways to make magic work within civilized society. For instance, using magic to make lace, which normally takes massive amounts of work and thus fetches a high price. Instant war funds. (Also instant economic collapse, but desperate times...)
236* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Notably, she never abuses the oaths of absolute loyalty Eragon has sword to her, on the several occasions she could benefit from doing so - although Saphira was likely more than enough reason not to even if she wanted to.
237* RebelLeader: She's the second leader of the Varden.
238* ShipTease: With both Eragon and Murtagh. [[spoiler:The latter is very overt later in the series, while the former more subtle. Notably, she's ''very'' protective of her friendship with Eragon, nominating him as her NumberTwo. When he tells her he's leaving Alagaesia she attempts to bribe him with just about everything under the sun to stay, finally breaking down when she realizes there's nothing she can do.]]
239* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler:With Murtagh. Unfortunately, she's a queen (by the end), and Murtagh has way too many people hating him for it to ever work.]]
240* TheStoic: In public she keeps her emotions hidden.
241[[/folder]]
242
243[[folder:Elva]]
244An orphaned baby girl who Eragon blessed in Tronjheim. However, due to a mistake in ''grammar'', she ended up being cursed to feel all the pain around her and try to protect others.
245----
246* BigEater: Her powers take a toll on her energy. [[spoiler:Both before Eragon modified them, when resisting them made her physically ill, and afterward, see CastFromHitPoints. Also, feeling others' pain wears her out, even if she isn't compelled to help them.]] Being forced to grow up so quickly probably has something to do with it, too.
247* BlessedWithSuck: Eragon's intended blessing ends up as a torturous curse...which eventually turns into CursedWithAwesome once [[spoiler:Eragon removes her compulsion to help people.]]
248* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The result of essentially being a baby with above-average intelligence. Angela notes that no one bothered to teach her morality because she's compelled by magic to act alturistically, but once she's freed from that compulsion, she'll have to be taught from scratch.
249* CastFromHitPoints: As of ''Brisingr'', [[spoiler:Elva has permanently sacrificed part of her physical stamina in order to never have to feel the urge to help anyone ever again.]]
250* CharacterDevelopment: After Eragon gets the courage to stand up to her, she becomes less self-obsessed.
251* CousinOliver: A rare sinster example. She's a completely out-of-place child latched onto a war party, but that's entirely the result of an enchantment being mistakenly placed on her as a baby. She's pretty bitter about the situation and would herself like to be just about anywhere else.
252* CreepyChild: She's eerie and goes out of her way to creep people out.
253* CreepyGood: She is an infant with violet eyes and an adult's voice in a child's body, which scares the hell out of many adults. She is (ostensibly) on the good side, but she isn't above using her power of knowing what someone's future pain is, someone's fears, or hopes for manipulation of powerful people for her own benefit.
254* CursedWithAwesome: She can foretell the actions of her enemies, and knows exactly what to do to cause them the most pain. After [[spoiler:Eragon makes an alteration to the spell to remove her need to sacrifice herself for others]], she finds that knowing exactly what is going to hurt someone can be a handy ability to have.
255* DeadpanSnarker: She's developed a morose sense of humor as a result of her curse.
256* TheDreaded: She scared the hell out of nearly everyone who met her. Even Galbatorix is implied to fear her and her powers, if the decision of silence her the very second he met her and keep her that way the whole time is of any indication.
257* TheEmpath: She can sense the pain of others as though she herself was experiencing it, and trying to suppress it makes her ill.
258* FacialMarkings: She has a silver mark on her forehead that Saphira gave to her.
259* FreudianExcuse: Her fate is forced on her accidentally by Eragon, and being in the midst of the Varden means that she's constantly suffering because of it. A point is made that a pretty substantial effort is going to be needed to prevent her from growing up evil because of it.
260* GoodIsNotNice: She's acerbic towards everyone and not afraid to use her powers to manipulate people into giving her what she wants.
261* LittleMissBadass: She may only look like a child, but she can handle herself in a fight by literally talking her enemies into surrendering.
262* LittleMissSnarker: Despite her childlike appearance she has a macabre sense of humour and isn't afraid to verbally lambaste people who annoy her.
263* ManipulativeBastard: She not above using her powers to sense what causes people emotional pain, then using it to blackmail them.
264* MarkOfTheSupernatural: Her violet eyes and the silver mark on her forehead signify her mystical nature.
265* MindRape: What she's been going through every day, with most of the people around her not aware of how much pain their everyday lives are causing her.
266* MySensorsIndicateYouWantToTapThat: She's aware of Eragon's feelings for Arya and how much he hates it that she rejects him, thanks to her powers.
267* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Elva is left a sobbing wreck after Eragon [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech rips into her]] over the fact that her refusal to [[spoiler:help them scout a secret tunnel into Dras-Leona got one of his elven guards, Wyrden, killed by a [[SpikesOfDoom booby trap]] in the tunnel and nearly got him and Arya [[FedToTheBeast torn apart by Ra'zac hatchlings]]. Elva is completely broken when Eragon bluntly tells her Wyrden's blood is on her hands, since her abilities could have forewarned them of the trap]].
268* NoJustNoReaction: Her reaction when Nasuada [[spoiler:tries to convince her to keep her curse for the good of the Varden.]]
269* NonIndicativeName: Despite being named "Elva", she is human.
270* NoSell: The strategy proposed in the earlier books was using her to anticipate Galbatorix's every move. [[spoiler:In the final battle proves moot because he knows the name of the Ancient Language.]]
271* PlotRelevantAgeUp: Her curse compels her to help people, and she couldn't help people as an infant, so the curse made her grow until she could help people.
272* SuperEmpowering: Eragon used the ancient language to bless her; her powers came from a grammatical error in the phrasing he used.
273* TookALevelInBadass: Goes from a defenseless baby to a CreepyChild with empathetic powers in the span of a few months.
274* VocalDissonance: She has the voice of an adult (the voice of an adult's pain and experience), although it's implied this eventually goes away.
275* WhatTheHellHero: When she meets Eragon, she makes very clear that she isn't too pleased with his actions in turning her into what she is, though she also tells him that she knows he didn't mean any harm. Does it again to Eragon when [[spoiler:he tries to forcibly remove her powers.]]
276* WiseBeyondTheirYears: As a result of her curse, she has the mentality of a world-weary and somewhat nihilistic adult.
277* YoungerThanTheyLook: She's technically a baby, though her curse caused her to age up.
278* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Invoked by her against Eragon, when she tells him that [[EvilOverlord Galbatorix]] would approve of his actions.
279[[/folder]]
280
281[[folder:King Orrin]]
282The king of Surda and a supporter of the Varden.
283----
284* CynicismCatalyst: In ''Inheritance'', the death of one of his childhood friends at the hands of an Imperial civilian motivated by hatred of the Varden's alliance with the Urgals makes Oriin a lot harder and colder.
285* DrowningMySorrows: In ''Inheritance'', he starts drinking more under the stress of the war, including during important meetings.
286* DudeWheresMyRespect: Asks this of the Varden in ''Inheritance'', resentful at being treated like a lieutenant in their army rather than the king of the nation they're using as a home base.
287* EccentricMillionaire: A relatively mild example -- he uses his wealth as king to fund the many scientific experiments that are his hobbies.
288* HonorBeforeReason: In ''Inheritance'', King Orrin has a plan to send an envoy to Galbatorix, try to negotiate a peace agreement, and tell him the Varden's position. Because to do otherwise would be discourteous.
289* JerkassHasAPoint:
290** He raises the issue that the Varden's alliance with the Urgals is doing more harm than good. The age-old hatred and distrust of Urgals is allowing Galbatorix to frame the Varden in a negative light and Imperial cities choose to fight to the bitter end rather than surrender to forces allied with what they see as monsters, so Orrin has a point.
291** He's also got a point that Nasauda is frequently excluding him from meetings and withholding information that he has a right to know.
292* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Played with. He leads his subjects in battle, but also has a tendency to shirk his duties as king because he'd rather be studying natural philosophy.
293* ScienceHero: He tries for this, claiming that his experiments have the potential to be useful against the Empire. However, none of his tinkering has any apparent practical application; he's just looking for an excuse to slack off. Admittedly some of his experiments are rather dangerous; in ''Eldest'', Nasuada accidentally dips one of her sleeves into a compound that turns out to be an acid.
294* TookALevelInJerkass: In ''Inheritance'' the stress of war causes him to become increasingly dissatisfied with and antagonistic towards the Varden.
295* WarriorPrince: Not by choice, since he loathes war and was reluctant to join forces with the Varden. Once he does take to the field, however, he acquits himself extremely well as a battle commander.
296[[/folder]]
297
298[[folder:The Twins]]
299Two bald magicians who have served the Varden for many years. They are actually spies for the Empire, and later turn on their former comrades.
300----
301* AdaptedOut: They don't appear in the film proper, but appear in deleted scenes.
302* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:When Eragon sees them on the side of Galbatorix in ''Eldest'', they seem to get a kick out of gleefully killing those they once fought alongside.]]
303* BaldOfEvil: Both of them are bald and malicious. It later turns out they were spies for the Empire.
304* BaldMystic: Both bald and both skilled in Dark Magic.
305* BlackMagic: Like most of the Emperor's servants, they're particularly skilled in Dark Magic.
306* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:They're both beaten to death by Roran.]]
307* CreepyLongFingers: CreepyTwins with long fingers.
308* CreepyTwins: They're twins, and they're exceedingly creepy.
309* TheDividual: Absolutely nothing distinguishes one twin from the other, to the point that it's explicitly stated that they don't even have names.
310* DoubleAgent: They're actually Imperial magicians working undercover.
311* DrillSergeantNasty: They're given the task of interrogating people, and they make sure to cause as much discomfort as possible.
312* EvilGenius: To Galbatorix, as they appear to be his chief magicians.
313* {{Jerkass}}: Even when they're ostensibly on the side of good, they're complete assholes to everyone who will let them get away with it.
314* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Their deaths in part come about because Murtagh, a man who they {{Mind Rape}}d and then kidnapped in order to bring back to Galbatorix to be magically enslaved, saw Roran coming up behind them and [[BetrayalByInaction chose not to warn them in time]].]]
315* ManipulativeBastard: No one in the Varden is any the wiser about their true loyalties. They get so far into the organization that they're in charge of all of the group's magic users and are permitted to invade the minds of anyone they wish.
316* MindProbe: They are tasked with interrogating prisoners by reading their minds.
317* MindRape: When interrogating people, they go out of their way to cause discomfort and pain.
318* MissionControl: During the Battle of Tronjheim, the Twins are in constant mental communication with Eragon, sending him wherever he was needed up until he faces Durza. This winds up taking a darker meaning when [[spoiler:it turns out the Twins were in league with Galbatorix and cut off the connection so Durza could capture him.]]
319* TheMole: They're spies for the Empire.
320* NoNameGiven: They're just "the Twins" because, bizarrely enough, they have no individual name (nor collective one, duh).
321* PowerLevels: Stronger than most magicians in the Varden and the Empire, but still not as strong as Eragon, Arya, Murtagh, or one of the other major players in the setting.
322* PurpleIsPowerful: Both are the strongest magicians among the Varden and wear purple robes.
323* SingleMindedTwins: They act as though they were one person.
324* SmallNameBigEgo: They're a pair of relatively minor magicians, but from the way they act, you'd think they were God's gift to magic. It's thrown into sharp relief once Eragon takes over training the Varden's magicians, as they're shown to be pitfully trained, largely ignorant of the Ancient Language, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking have a grammatical error in their group name]].
325* SmugSnake: They treat Eragon with contempt, despite the fact that he's already more skilled with magic than they are when he shows up. They quickly shut up when Arya proves herself more powerful than they are.
326* TokenEvilTeammate: Within the Varden. They later reveal their true colors and allegiance to the Empire.
327* TwinTelepathy: There appears to be some kind of mental link between the two of them, such that when one dies, it seriously pains the other.
328[[/folder]]
329
330[[folder:Trianna]]
331A young sorceress from Surda who becomes the leader of the Varden's magicians when the Twins defect to the Empire.
332----
333* TheCharmer: Eragon is instantly taken with her when they first meet. His internal monologue notes that he hates saying no to her because of how friendly and courteous she is. [[MomentKiller Saphira quickly intervenes]], suspecting that Trianna's sincerity is in question.
334* CombatMedic: She self-describes as a battle-mage, but was a healer before she learned her sorcery.
335* NormalFishInATinyPond: She's clearly the most powerful of the Varden's magic users, but as Eragon quickly discovers when he sets out to train them, that's ''really'' not saying much. Compared to the Empire's magicians and all of the elves, she's practically a novice.
336* OddFriendship: With King Orrin. The two conduct experiments in natural philosophy together on their downtime.
337* SmallNameBigEgo: She's somewhat vain and arrogant due to her status in the Varden, and is rather annoyed when Eragon takes her position before the Battle of the Burning Plains. She scoffs at taking orders from a relative newcomer to the art, nevermind that, IncompletelyTrained as he is, Eragon is her superior by far.
338* WeakButSkilled: Like most of the Varden's magicians she can't do much, but makes the most of it through ingenuity.
339[[/folder]]
340
341!!Broddring Empire
342[[folder:King Galbatorix]]
343A former Dragon Rider who rose up against the others and overthrew them, now the King of the former Broddring Kingdom, and the Empire he formed from it.
344----
345* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Played straight amongst the Varden, but averted amongst the general populace; he has some very loyal subjects who do like him because he made humans, rather than elves, the dominant race in Alagaesia. His general corruption means most people do hate him.
346* ActionBomb: [[spoiler:At the climax of the series, he casts a [[FantasticNuke spell that makes him go boom]]. It converts his entire mass into energy, given that the direct translation of the spell is "be not" and 200+ pounds of supervillain has to go ''somewhere'', which equals a five kiloton detonation.]]
347* AffablyEvil: He speaks to [[spoiler:Oromis]] through Murtagh in ''Brisingr'', and seems quite polite and sane. At least until [[ShutUpHannibal Oromis tells him where to shove his talk]]. Then he loses the Affable part. In ''Inheritance'', he's back to being affable again.
348* AgeWithoutYouth: Downplayed. Dragon Riders are immortal and eternally young unless they die by violence or poison, but Galbatorix, having lost his original dragon, ages faster than a normal Dragon Rider to the point where he looks like a middle-aged man rather than a young one.
349* AxCrazy: While he seems to have settled down the axe since his wars against the Riders, and his late goals make him pass for a wise if strict ruler, he is still definitely ''nuts'', and he shows it occasionally.
350* BeardOfEvil: This is one of his few distinguishing physical characteristics.
351* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Between being stabbed in the gut by Eragon and being besieged by all the bad feelings he caused, he casts a self-destruct spell rather than fall in battle.
352* BigBad: His actions and desire for power drive the main conflict of the series and caused most of the backstory as well.
353* TheChessmaster: His war with the Varden has mostly been a plan to manuovre them into a vulnerable position.
354* CombatPragmatist: The ends justify the means in his book. Not only does he use every dirty trick in the book against the Varden, but the whole reason he's king in the first place is because he doesn't mind [[GroinAttack hitting below the belt in a fight.]]
355* TheCorruptor: Persuaded most of the Forsworn to join him, bringing them over to his side through promises of power and revenge.
356* DeathSeeker: In his backstory, Galbatorix traveled months to return to the Dragon Riders after his dragon was killed and would blindly attack any creature he came across, but was too skilled to be defeated and became so terrifying that all fled from him.
357* DefeatEqualsExplosion: {{Invoked}}. [[spoiler:Upon being subject to all the emotions he inspired in others during his rule, he uses a spell to convert his entire body into energy, creating a [[FantasticNuke massive explosion]] that levels his throne room.]]
358* DragonRider: A Rider who turned against the rest.
359* DystopiaIsHard: We rarely see him because he's so busy doing boring things like protecting the realm's currency and keeping magicians under control. He could make his life easier by loosening his grip over the Empire, but he's too much of a megalomaniac to even consider this.
360* TheEmperor: He rules over most of the western lands with an iron fist.
361* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: PlayedWith in regards to his Dragons.
362** It was the loss of his dragon, Jarnunvösk, that kicked off Galbatorix's StartOfDarkness. While his empathy for others is normally quite low, the sadness he felt for Jarnunvösk was real and his grief for her permanently changed him.
363** His betrayal of the Riders was in part because he felt he was entitled to a new dragon. His treatment of his second dragon, Shruikan, is especially cruel and a twisted reflection of the loving bond most Riders are supposed to share.
364* EvilIsHammy: In the movie. In the books, when he finally shows his face, he moves back and forth between this and ColdHam.
365* EvilMentor: For Morzan, teaching him dark spells that should never have been revealed.
366* EvilOverlord: He established his empire by force.
367* FantasticNuke: [[spoiler:Literally. He tries to pull a TakingYouWithMe after Arya kills Shruikan and Eragon forces him to feel each of his subjects' agony from his rule, so he pulls the same trick that was used on Vroengard. It's powerful enough to render the entire underground section of Uru'baen uninhabitable for a long period of time.]]
368* FauxAffablyEvil: According to Murtagh, he's extremely suave, charismatic, and alluring when he wants to be, but it merely serves to barely hide his true nature, which is dangerously insane and volatile.
369* TheGhost: Despite being the BigBad, he doesn't appear in person until ''Inheritance''.
370* GroinAttack: This is how he killed Vrael, the last leader of the Dragon Riders. Kicked him in the crotch, then [[OffWithHisHead beheaded him]].
371* HeroKiller: [[spoiler:[[PeoplePuppets Takes control of Murtagh and Thorn]] at the end of ''Brisingr'' and uses them to kill Oromis and Glaedr.]]
372* {{Immortality}}: Due to being a Dragon Rider, he is immune to aging and disease.
373* ImmortalRuler: It's cited as one of the reasons why the elves decided to actively rebel against him. They couldn't just wait for him to die like other tyrants; as a Rider, he is immune to anything outside of being killed in battle or poison.
374* KickTheDog:
375** One of his long list of achievements is [[spoiler:torturing Nasuada by having Murtagh burn her with hot irons, tormenting her with illusions (that could cause pain), and allowing his miniature {{Eldritch Abomination}}s to feed on her.]]
376** [[spoiler:He heavily tortured Murtagh both mentally and physically. Nasuada believes Murtagh's tortures to be worse than her own.]]
377** Ordered an entire village destroyed and its population massacred just because it was the closest settlement to the site of an ambush of his troops, and there were ''rumours'' (nothing concrete) that the villagers had supplied the rebels.
378* LetsYouAndHimFight: Murtagh mentions that Galbatorix frequently encouraged infighting between the Forsworn, both for [[ForTheEvulz his own amusement]] and to stop them from [[TheStarscream banding together to overthrow him]].
379* LightIsNotGood: When finally confronted, he uses [[spoiler:Vrael's Rider sword, and Umaroth, Vrael's dragon, was white. The sword's original name fits LightIsGood, but Galbatorix gives it a new, more sinister name. Eragon thinks the new name fits it better.]]
380* MagicKnight: Like all Dragon Riders, he's a skilled swordsman and magic-user.
381* MeaningfulName: His name means "big king" in Welsh.
382* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Galbatorix is ultimately defeated when [[spoiler:Eragon and the Eldunarí backing him force him to feel the agony of all his victims. "What have you done? ''What have you done?'' ]]
383* OrcusOnHisThrone: Justified, as he is trying to find the name of the Ancient Language. [[spoiler:It's also noted in ''Inheritance'' that he wanted to fight the Varden at their weakest, so letting them pull an AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs was intentional.]]
384* TheParagonAlwaysRebels: As a young DragonRider, he was accomplished in all manners of using spells and combat, making him prideful and arrogant. This, combined with the loss of his dragon and convincing himself that the Riders had caused her death, led to the fall of the Riders.
385* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: According to him, he was spending most of his time trying to enchant currency to defeat counterfeiting. Apparently, the counterfeiters were really damn tenacious. He claims that administrative issues like that took up way more time than being evil ever could.
386* SecretKeeper: He was one of the few among the Broddring Empire who knew of Murtagh's existence.
387* ShootTheMessenger: Murtagh mentions that Galbatorix [[OffWithHisHead ripped the head]] off the man who told him [[spoiler:the Ra'zac were dead]].
388* SorcerousOverlord: He's a powerful Dragon Rider who rules over the Broddring Empire.
389* StartOfDarkness: Losing his dragon in an ambush by Urgals. In Brom's story, this was the point where "the seeds of madness were planted."
390* SuperStrength: Apparently can rip heads off, if what he did to a messenger is true.
391* TakingYouWithMe: He attempts to kill his enemies with a FantasticNuke spell at the end.
392* TextualCelebrityResemblance: Although probably unintentional, Galbatorix's physical description from the books strongly echoes a young and more corpulent Creator/ChristopherLee.
393* UnseenNoMore: He's frequently mentioned, but [[TheGhost he never makes an appearance]] until the end of the final book.
394* TheUsurper: Galbatorix's first act after destroying the Riders was to fly to Illirea, depose and murder King Angrenost, ruler of the Broddring Kingdom at the time, and [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt and proclaim himself king]].
395* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: His favourite argument to persuade people to obey him.
396* VillainousBSOD: He suffers a mental breakdown after being magically forced to experience all the pain and grief caused by actions.
397-->'''Galbatorix:''' [[spoiler:What have you done? ''What have you done!'' [...] You will not get the better of me, boy. [[PunctuatedForEmphasis You... will... not.... I... shall... not... give... in...]] (''[[ScreamingWarrior screams in rage]]'') [[BigNo No]]! [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone I didn't]].... [[VillainsWantMercy Make it stop! Make it stop. The pain...]] [...] The voices... the voices are terrible. I can't bear it... pain... so much pain. So much grief... make it stop! ''Make it stop!'']]
398* VillainousValor: Even when he's surrounded and on the brink of defeat by Varden forces, he pulls a TakingYouWithMe rather than surrender.
399* VisionaryVillain: Galbatorix has grand plans for ushering Alagaesia into an era of peace and prosperity. Too bad he uses such brutal means to achieve his ends...
400* WeakSauceWeakness: He had no idea that non-verbal magic was possible. [[spoiler:Eragon just so happens to be competent at it.]] To his credit, however, the sheer amount of power and wards he had set up were making it really difficult to exploit.
401* WellIntentionedExtremist: He can be argued as such. [[spoiler:He believes that magicians need to be restricted by law, as otherwise they have any normal person at their mercy, a belief that Nasuada comes to share. A good intention to start from, but...]]
402* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: On the one hand, his insanity comes from the loss of his dragon, which weakened him considerably. On the other hand, he wouldn't have snapped as hard as he did had he not fallen from the pinnacle of power that he did, and conslidating his power over the continent has only continued to erode his sanity.
403* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: This is implied to be why Galbatorix allied with the Urgals in Book I: when Eragon later questions why he would ally with the creatures who killed his beloved first dragon, Oromis speculates that Galbatorix probably intended to use the Urgals to destroy his enemies like the dwarves and elves, then annihilate the Urgals when they'd broken themselves fighting for him.
404[[/folder]]
405
406[[folder:Morzan]]
407The first of the Forsworn and Galbatorix's right-hand man before the story started. Murtagh is his son.
408----
409* AbusiveParents: He threw his sword at Murtagh's back, leaving him permanently scarred.
410* TheAlcoholic: Had a drinking problem and was drunk when he threw his sword at Murtagh.
411* APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil: Morzan was trained by Oromis alongside Brom before joining Galbatorix.
412* ArchEnemy: To Brom, of the WeUsedToBeFriends variety. Of all the things Brom did against the Empire like founding the Varden and masterminding the deaths of most of the Forsworn, the one thing he wanted most was to kill Morzan for betraying the Riders and killing Brom's dragon.
413* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: Given the infighting amongst the Forsworn, Morzan likely lived the longest because he was the strongest.
414* BlingOfWar: Known for wearing very shiny armor, as if he wanted people to know who and where he was.
415* BrokenPedestal: For Brom. Brom looked up to him when they were Oromis' students and was angrier than most when Morzan turned traitor.
416* TheBully: According to Oromis, Morzan mistreated Brom in all sorts of ways while they were under Oromis' tutelage.
417* CoolSword: He was the first wielder of Zar'roc, the sword that Eragon uses for most of the first two books.
418* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Halfway considering his heterochromia; Morzan was described as having black hair and a black eye.
419* DidntThinkThisThrough: Oromis mentions that while he could devise the most cunning of spells, he would leave a crucial detail out. He also never considered that his abusive treatment of Selena and their son might cause her to fall out of love with him and be willing to start undermining him.
420* DomesticAbuse: Towards Selena, particularly after Murtagh was born. His treatment of her [[AbusiveParents and Murtagh]] eventually drove her to have an affair with [[spoiler:Brom.]]
421* TheDragon: He was Galbatorix's first right-hand man.
422* DragonRider: Morzan rode an unnamable dragon which had red scales (which matches Zar'roc); both were killed in Brom's final duel with Morzan.
423* DumbMuscle: He's described as being "strong in body, but weak of mind".
424* EvilLaugh: Sounded like he was in pain whenever he laughed.
425* EvilerThanThou: Discussed in [[https://inheritance.fandom.com/wiki/Morzan his article on The Wiki]]; it's suggested that Morzan was more evil than Galbatorix because he ''chose'' evil of his own volition rather than being driven mad by grief like Galbatorix was.
426* FaceHeelTurn: Was persuaded to turn to Galbatorix's side very early on in the latter's quest for power.
427* FallenHero: The leader of the Forsworn, a whole group of Fallen Heroes. Admittedly he wasn't much of a hero in the first place due to his unpleasantness.
428* {{Fingore}}: He lost the tip of one of his fingers at one point. This has given rise to a belief among fans that Morzan grew up as a thief before joining the Riders given that the punishment for thieving was the loss of fingers or even hands.
429* IcyBlueEyes: Icy Blue Eye, that is; he had heterochromia, with one eye being blue and the other black, and he had the cold and ruthless personality to match.
430* {{Jerkass}}: Even before joining Galbatorix he wasn't a nice guy by any means, constantly bullying Brom.
431* LastOfHisKind: By the time of his final duel with Brom, Morzan was the last remaining Forsworn.
432* LukeIMightBeYourFather: [[spoiler:Near the end of ''Eldest'', Murtagh reveals that he (Murtagh) and Eragon have the same mother Selena, suggesting that Morzan is Eragon's father. This is a revelation so devastating that Eragon refers to himself as "Son of None" for most of the third book. Plus, given that one of the ''Inheritance Cycle's'' primary criticisms is that it's so derivative of ''Franchise/StarWars'', this could have well been the case until TheReveal late in the third book that Brom was Eragon's father.]]
433* PosthumousCharacter: He's been dead for some fifteen years by the start of the books. Despite this status, he left a large mark on the backstories of several of the main characters, most notably Brom (as his ArchEnemy), Murtagh ([[ScarsAreForever literally]]), and even Arya (after Brom killed Morzan, Arya volunteered to be the egg's courier).
434* ASinisterClue: Eragon sometimes imagines the ruthless and cruel Morzan as wielding Zar'roc left-handed.
435* TheSociopath: Everything described about Morzan's personality depicts him as a deeply unpleasant and egotistical man who was still good at manipulating others and thought little of committing violence on a whim. Specifically he mainly saw Selena's love for him as something he could control and a useful tool that was hard to use against him.
436* StrongFamilyResemblance: Galbatorix says he strongly resembles Murtagh, his son.
437* TokenMinority: Morzan is the only known human Forsworn.
438* YouKilledMyFather: Morzan is personally responsible for the death of Brom's dragon, fuelling his decades-long vendetta against Morzan.
439[[/folder]]
440
441[[folder:Lord Barst]]
442An Imperial general known for his cunning and prowess in battle.
443----
444* AchillesHeel: For bonus points in {{Irony}}, it's his own AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: [[spoiler:Roran finally kills him when he cracks the Eldunarí stored within Barst's armour.]]
445* AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: His [[spoiler:Eldunarí]] embedded in his breastplate, and the source of his extraordinary power.
446* CarryABigStick: He wields a hefty mace in combat, and kills Queen Islanzadí by breaking her neck with it.
447* GeniusBruiser: In addition to his immense battle prowess, he's known as one of Galbatorix's most cunning generals.
448* HeroKiller: In his case, he kills the elf queen.
449* TheJuggernaut: It takes literally hundreds of soldiers just to slow him down. And even then, they have to use siege engines and the combined power of some of the Varden's heaviest hitters to bring him down.
450* OneManArmy: The assault on the imperial capital grinds to a halt because Barst is destroying the attacking army all by himself.
451[[/folder]]
452
453[[folder:The Forsworn]]
45413 Dragon Riders who turned traitor and joined Galbatorix. Morzan was the first and last of them.
455----
456* ThirteenIsUnlucky: There were 13 of them and bad news for anyone in the vicinity (including each other).
457* AmbitionIsEvil: Some of the Forsworn joined Galbatorix out of a desire for power.
458* DarkActionGirl: Formora was a female Elven Forsworn.
459* DumbMuscle: Enduriel was described as particularly unintelligent to the point that his dragon was smarter than he was.
460* DwindlingParty: Murtagh describes the Forsworn dying over time from a variety of causes: murdered by the Varden, infighting, overuse of magic. By the time he was born there were only five left, three when Morzan was sent to chase down Saphira's egg, and finally Morzan himself was the last remaining when he faced Brom in their final duel.
461* EqualOpportunityEvil: The Forsworn included both humans and elves of both sexes in their ranks.
462* FallenHero: All of them are former Dragon Riders who joined Galbatorix.
463* FascistButInefficient: Some of the Forsworn killed each other through infighting encouraged by Galbatorix, both for [[ItAmusedMe his own amusement]] and [[TheStarscream to stop them potentially banding together to overthrow him]].
464* NameAmnesia: The Forsworn's dragons were subjected to a ritual where they were stripped of their names; they couldn't even use pronouns.
465* PosthumousCharacter: All of them are dead by the time of the first book.
466* {{Revenge}}: Some of the Forsworn joined Galbatorix to take revenge for perceived wrongs.
467* SiblingTeam: Kialandí and Formora were fraternal twins who often worked together.
468* SmallRoleBigImpact: Kialandí and Formora were responsible for torturing Oromis and maiming Glaedr; the former case led [[spoiler:to Oromis's death at the end of ''Brisingr'']].
469[[/folder]]
470
471!!Others
472[[folder:Angela]]
473A herbalist, fortune teller, and witch who always seems to know what is happening, and where things are going to be happening.
474----
475* AbsurdlySharpBlade: In ''Inheritance'', Angela's sword [[spoiler:Tinkledeath, a blade which embodies the essence of sharpness, literally allowing it to cut through anything non-magical without even creating friction or resistance, it just slides through.]] It is never specified whether it's simply a blade made from {{Unobtainium}} or enchanted. Angela isn't talking.
476* AmbiguouslyHuman: There's more textual evidence suggesting she ''isn't'' human than is otherwise.
477* BadassBookworm: Skilled with magic and fighting.
478* BewareTheNiceOnes: She's fairly polite, if [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]], but perfectly willing to poison the Empire's soldiers.
479* BunnyEarsLawyer: About as eccentric as they come, but still highly valued by the Varden for her skills and power.
480* CloudCuckoolander: She's highly eccentric, but that augments her prowess and adds to her mystique.
481* CombatPragmatist: She's not above poisoning the enemy's food supply.
482* DelightingInRiddles: In ''Inheritance'', she basically admits that she's being cryptic for the sake of being cryptic:
483-->"Really, you ought to pay better attention to what's going on around you. Otherwise, someone's liable to stick a knife in you when you're not looking. And then whom would I exchange cryptic remarks with? Go on, ask me another question. I'm rather enjoying this game."
484* DoubleWeapon: She has a hûthvír, a staff with a blade on each end, which she won in a game with a dwarf priest.
485* TheDreaded: When the Twins see her coming and cower, you know Angela is one of these. Made even more obvious when she absolutely terrifies the [[ReligionOfEvil high priest of Helgrind]] when she tells him who she is. The reader mostly doesn't find out why.
486* FortuneTeller: Her occupation when Eragon first meets her. She still dabbles in it later on in the series.
487* IJustLikeSayingTheWord: She tends to like playing with words such as "flaccid".
488* ImprobableWeaponUser: When the Varden were ambushed at night, she fought off soldiers in her nightwear with a pair of ''giant wool combs''.
489* InexplicablyAwesome: Apparently she needs to keep ''some'' secrets for herself, but damn it woman can't you at least reveal SOMETHING about why you're so damn awesome at everything!?
490** In the afterwords of ''Inheritance'' Christopher Paolini admits that no matter what he revealed about Angela, it would only detract from her awesomeness, but if you're curious you can always ask his sister, Angela, if she can reveal something about the herbalist.
491** One fan theory is that Angela is none other than the Soothsayer. If this is true then she is neither Elf nor Dwarf. This means that she very well could be human, or descended from the Grey Folk.
492* MinoredInAsskicking: She's a capable physical fighter if need be.
493* OlderThanTheyLook: She's hinted to be ''far'' older than she looks.
494* PluckyComicRelief: One of her major roles is to lighten the mood with her eccentricity.
495* ThirdPersonPerson: In the movie.
496* WildMassGuessing: Due to her mysterious origin, she elicits quite a lot. The most popular one seems to be that she's the Soothsayer and a descendant of the Grey Folk (according to Paolini, pure-blooded Grey Folk do not exist anymore, while it was said that some took mates among other races). This would explain her affinity for nonverbal magic and long life span.
497[[/folder]]
498
499[[folder:Murtagh]]
500A solitary, traveling young man that does not give his loyalty to either the Empire or the Varden, disdaining both. He meets Eragon on the road and becomes a traveling companion. He's later revealed to be Morzan's son, first and last of the Forsworn, and the destined partner of the red dragon egg still in Galbatorix's possession.
501----
502* AbusiveParents: His father was one, as the scar on his back will attest to.
503* AncestralWeapon: In the second book, he takes Zar'roc from Eragon, claiming that it's his inheritance. Technically he's right, as it belonged to his father.
504* AntiHero: His willingness to kill is a sharp contrast with Eragon in the first book.
505* AntiMagic: The second to figure it out, [[spoiler:after Galbatorix. He later teaches it to Eragon in a moment of camaraderie.]]
506* AntiVillain: As Galbatorix's vassal, Murtagh doesn't necessarily want to commit atrocities, but being sworn into the king's service through magic leaves him little choice.
507* BadassNormal: He's Eragon's equal in swordfighting (and later proves his superior), an excellent archer, and he even manages to temporarily destroy Durza. [[spoiler:He turns into a EmpoweredBadassNormal later on.]]
508* BowAndSwordInAccord: Like Eragon he fights with a sword and a bow.
509* BroughtDownToBadass: Following ''Inheritance'', his relinquishment of the [[spoiler:Eldunarí]] in his possession also {{Nerf}}s his physical prowess, though he's still a skilled MagicKnight who [[spoiler:knows the Word]].
510* CainAndAbel: His relationship with Eragon. Who is who depends on your [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation personal interpretation]].
511* CharacterTics: Murtagh has a particular WeaponTwirling, which Eragon uses to identify him when [[spoiler:they meet as foes on the battlefield at the end of the second book.]]
512* CombatPragmatist: In combat, Murtagh goes straight for the kill, which is a key reason why he's more deadly than Eragon.
513* DarkAndTroubledPast: Grew up with Morzan as his father and ended up running away from home.
514* DatingCatwoman: As he and Nasuada are trapped on opposite sides of the war and he later becomes an outlaw, they never actually get to the 'dating' part.
515* {{Determinator}}: During their final sword fight, Eragon tries to figure him out, and realizes that he ''can't'' possibly defeat Murtagh in a fair fight, because Murtagh not only outclasses him in swordsmanship, but is so driven and determined that winning the fight could never mean as much to Eragon as to Murtagh, even if his life is on the line.
516* DistressedDude: In ''Eldest'', he is kidnapped and taken to Galbatorix, who uses his True Name to enslave him. [[spoiler:He doesn't actually manage to break free until the third act of ''Inheritance'']].
517* TheDragon: After his FaceHeelTurn he becomes Galbatorix's right hand.
518* DragonRider: He bonds with a male red dragon named Thorn.
519* DrowningMySorrows: It's implied he's taken to doing this in ''Inheritance'', as [[spoiler:Nasuada]] mentions that when he comes to visit her, he's sometimes drunk and confides in her about his DarkAndTroubledPast.
520* EvilCounterpart: To Eragon. He too is a young dragon rider of the new generation, and he and Eragon are close in age. However, Murtagh is in service to the evil King Galbatorix, while Eragon is fighting for the Varden.
521* FaceHeelTurn: He's abducted by traitors in the Varden and taken to Galbatorix, who forces him to become his slave. [[spoiler:It never took.]]
522* FatalFlaw: An unwillingness to face his problems.
523* {{Foil}}: To Eragon. Eragon is a naive farmboy who becomes a Dragon Rider by circumstance and is fighting for revenge and to protect his friends. Murtagh is a world-weary DefectorFromDecadence who was forced into becoming a Dragon Rider and has to serve as a soldier for TheEmpire because he has no other choice.
524* ForcedIntoEvil: Galbatorix uses his and Thorn's True Names to force him to swear an oath of loyalty to him. It's later also implied that Galbatorix threatened to harm Thorn unless he caved, and confirmed in ''Murtagh''. The result leaves little choice but to serve Galbatorix. In some moments, he uses [[LoopholeAbuse use loopholes]] in Galbatorix's orders to get out of committing villainy. [[spoiler:When he manages to change his True Name he is quick to turn on Galbatorix and helps the protagonists to defeat him]].
525* GenerationXerox: Eragon claims he's "become his father" when he ends up as Galbatorix's lieutenant, but unlike Morzan Murtagh isn't doing so willingly [[spoiler:and switches sides the moment he's able to]]. He takes after his mother quite a bit though; both reluctantly served the Empire, got [[LoveRedeems redeemed by love]], managed to [[spoiler:change their True Names]] and promptly took advantage of this to [[spoiler:screw over the Empire]].
526* GeniusBruiser: When traveling with Eragon, he often suggests plans and maneuvers that even Saphira admits are smarter than Eragon's, spends his leisure time reading in Tronjheim, and all in all is a very intelligent character in addition to his deadly combat skills.
527* GoodAllAlong: He never actually does turn to villany, he's just resigned himself to being Galbatorix's slave because he doesn't see any way out. Once an opportunity to get free presents itself, he takes it.
528* HeroKiller: He's able to [[spoiler:defeat several powerful characters including Hrothgar and all the Dwarven magicians during his tenure as Galbatorix's servant, though this is later revealed to be due to the Eldunarí (gem stones that contain the souls of deceased dragons and greatly enhance power) that Galbatorix gives him to use.]]
529* KingIncognito: Being Morzan's son, he's technically the highest ranking nobleman in the country short of Galbatorix himself. Unfortunately, that status comes with being a virtual slave to the king, so he's on the run from it.
530* LikeFatherUnlikeSon: Despite their [[StrongFamilyResemblance physical resemblance]] and the claims of some other characters that they're similar, Murtagh isn't overtly cruel like Morzan.
531* LimaSyndrome: [[spoiler:He casts spells that prevent Nasuada from feeling pain during her torture while in Galbatorix's prison. It's strongly indicated his growing affection for her helps him to change his True Name and make a HeelFaceTurn]].
532* LongLostSibling: Neither of them knew they had a sibling. [[spoiler:He has the same mother as Eragon. While they initially believe that they share the same father as well, it turns out they don't.]]
533* LoveRedeems: It is his feelings for [[spoiler:Nasuada that allow him to change his True Name, and thus turn against Galbatorix.]]
534* MagicKnight: As a Dragon Rider he surpasses Eragon for a time.
535* MirrorCharacter: Eragon and Murtagh are both young dragon-riders who are even half-brothers (and thought to be full brothers for a significant chunk of the series). Murtagh is forced into an oath because of his father and winds up following a similar path while Eragon takes after his own genetic father, but they have similar skill sets and even use matching swords for dragon riders. Word of God has it that if Saphira hadn't hatched for Eragon, she likely would have for Murtagh--and dragons are picky about finding proper riders in this world.
536* MissingMom: She died when he was a child.
537* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:Murtagh's LoopholeAbuse to get out of taking Eragon captive at the end of ''Eldest'' leaves him and Saphira free to help Roran track down and kill the Ra'zac. When he and Eragon clash for the first time in ''Brisingr'', Murtagh mentions that Galbatorix savagely tortured him and Thorn when he learned the Ra'zac had been slain, since had Murtagh obeyed his orders and taken Eragon and Saphira prisoner, [[FailuretoSaveMurder the creatures would still be alive]].]]
538* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Very reluctantly agrees to go to the Varden with Eragon, Saphira, and Arya in order to get the antidote for Arya's poisoning.
539* ParentalAbandonment: Murtagh lost both his parents by the time he was four; his father Morzan was slain by Brom and his mother Selena died of an unknown ailment shortly afterward.
540* ParentalSubstitute: Tornac, his servant, was the closest thing to an actual parental figure he had in the absence of Selena and Morzan being [[AbusiveParents who he was]]. In addition to teaching young Murtagh swordplay, he took care of him and taught him how to be a man.
541* PoweredByAForsakenChild: The Eldunarí are the only thing that allows him to physically match Eragon, and his were taken from rather young dragons.
542* PragmaticHero: He's pragmatic to the point of ruthlessness, which causes a bit of tension between him and Eragon when Murtagh callously executes a defenseless enemy.
543* PsychicBlockDefense: Even before becoming a Dragon Rider, Murtagh is naturally skilled at blocking mental attacks; the only one known to have broken them was Galbatorix. It allows him to resist Bachel for a time in ''Murtagh'', [[spoiler:but eventually he breaks]].
544* PunchClockVillain: Even after having clashed with Eragon, resented Eragon for having things easier, and at times genuinely wanted to kill Eragon, [[spoiler:when free of his bonds one of the first things he does is to teach Eragon the very valuable and dangerous Name Of Magic and take his leave as a brother.]]
545* RedemptionEarnsLife: He goes into self-imposed exile after his HeelFaceTurn.
546* ScarsAreForever: Has a huge one on his back where his father threw his sword at him when he was three.
547* ScrewThisImOuttaHere:
548** In his backstory, upon learning just how AxCrazy Galbatorix really is, he refused to serve him and fled the capital. Eragon and co meet him while he's on the run.
549** At the end of ''Inheritance'', he effectively says this [[spoiler:to the Empire, the Varden, and the whole continent.]]
550* ShootTheDog: He will not hesitate to, initially contrasting him with Eragon until the latter's CharacterDevelopment.
551* SinsOfOurFathers: He is treated with suspicion and derision by the Varden for being the son of Morzan, even though by his own admission he despised his father and was abused by him.
552* SpannerInTheWorks: Managed to learn the Name of Magic, [[spoiler:which ended up giving Eragon an opening.]]
553* StarCrossedLovers: By the end of the series he has this dynamic with [[spoiler:Nasuada, but unfortunately Murtagh must leave as he is technically a war criminal]].
554* StrongerSibling: Even at the end of the story, [[spoiler:Eragon believes him to be a better fighter.]]
555* TallDarkAndHandsome: Described as such.
556* TookALevelInJerkass: As a villain he treats Eragon with much more contempt.
557* TragicVillain: He's forced into serving the Empire and is filled with self-loathing over it, especially as he had been doing everything he could to avoid having to serve Galbatorix in the first place.
558* TroubledButCute: He's said to be "strikingly handsome" and has a fair amount of emotional baggage and unresolved personal issues.
559* TheUnfavorite: [[spoiler:Upon learning that he and Eragon have the same mother, Murtagh thinks that Selena liked Eragon better because it was him she took away to be raised in a safe and loving home by Garrow and his family, while Murtagh was left stuck with an abusive father and Galbatorix, who attempted to corrupt him. However, given that Morzan rarely let Selena see Murtagh without his permission and it was his birth that reportedly changed her for the better, it's clear how this wasn't the true: when Selena found out who Brom truly was and fell in love with him, she had the chance to escape with him, but refused to do so immediately, in part because she wanted to redeem her actions as Morzan's Hand by helping the Varden, but especially because she refused to leave Murtagh behind; the reason Murtagh was not saved as well was only because neither Serena nor Brom had the chance to do so in time]].
560* VillainousLineage: The reason the Varden don't trust him is because he's the son of an evil Dragon Rider. He does end up becoming Galbatorix's right-hand man, [[SubvertedTrope but not by choice and he's never truly evil]].
561* WalkingTheEarth: His ultimate fate. [[spoiler:He and Thorn leave for an unknown destination, resolving that they might return when the world will appear as a less hateful place to them.]]
562[[/folder]]
563
564[[folder:Jeod]]
565A scholar and friend of Brom's.
566----
567* AdaptedOut: He was cut out of the film.
568* BadassBookworm: He's a scholar, but can fight and has a rapier.
569* HiddenDepths: The end of ''Eldest'' reveals he knows the Ancient Language.
570* MayDecemberRomance: His wife's age is not known, but at least, she looks much younger than him.
571* OutOfFocus: After ''Eldest'', he falls out of focus as a supporting character.
572* RetiredBadass: He's had his share of adventures with Brom before the series started.
573* RoyalRapier: His signature weapon, which he stands by despite Brom deriding it.
574* TheSmartGuy: He's a merchant with a keen eye for business, though he hit a spell of bad luck.
575[[/folder]]
576
577[[folder:Tenga]]
578A reclusive hermit who lives and studies magic at a deserted elven outpost. Angela remembers him as her mentor.
579----
580* BadassBookworm: He owns several compendiums of the Ancient Language, which are considered to be rare and a great treasure.
581* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: To Eragon's surprise.
582* FantasticScience: Several of the questions that he preoccupies himself with answering are implied to involve this.
583* TheHermit: Lives by himself in the middle of the plains.
584* MundaneUtility: Being able to cast magic without the Ancient Language means he can easily light his cookfires with a twitch of his hand. Tenga also uses an abandoned elven outpost as his hermit cabin, and grows vegetables in the soil around it.
585* OlderThanTheyLook: He looks fairly old, but he would have to be near to immortal to have taught Angela. In fact, Angela believed him already dead by the time Eragon mentioned him to her.
586* TheProfessor: Of magic, which he taught to Angela.
587* WackyWaysideTribe: Eragon encounters him while travelling. The encounter has no bearing on the plot other than a bit of comic relief.
588* WizardBeard: A particularly long and impressive one.
589[[/folder]]
590
591[[folder:Selena]]
592Eragon's mother, sister to his uncle Garrow and aunt to Roran. She left Eragon with her brother shortly after he was born and disappeared, never to be heard from again. It's later revealed she was Morzan's wife and personal spy and assassin, known as the Black Hand, before switching allegiance to Varden, and Murtagh's mother as well.
593----
594* AerithAndBob: Out of all her family members, she has the most normal-sounding name (for comparison, her brother's name is Garrow, her nephew's name is Roran and her son's name is Eragon).
595* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: She became infatuated with Morzan when he visited Carvahall and left with him, seeing him as a chance to get away from her boring life as a farmer. However, she started to go off him when she realized [[DeconstructedTrope just how bad he could be]].
596* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Morzan became increasingly unbearable, especially after their son was born. Her husband took him away from her shortly after his birth and only rarely let her see him, using him to control her. It's implied he did [[DomesticAbuse other things]] to control her as well and her love for him was soon eroded, though he was apparently unaware of this.
597* ConnectedAllAlong: It's revealed at the end of ''Eldest'' that she is Murtagh's mother as well as Eragon's, and was Morzan's wife. ''Brisingr'' reveals that she was also [[spoiler:Brom's lover]].
598* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: It turns out she left Eragon with his aunt and uncle because [[spoiler:she needed to return home to be with Murtagh and to prevent Morzan from growing suspicious of her whereabouts. She presumably intended to come back for Eragon, but she fell deathly ill on the road home and died a few weeks later.]]
599* DarkActionGirl: She was reportedly well-trained in combat and described as wearing bracers on her arms and carrying blades on her waist.
600* DefectingForLove: [[spoiler:After falling in love with her, Brom revealed his true identity to Selena.]] Having fallen for him too, Selena chose to ally herself with the Varden and worked as one of their spies.
601* DeliverUsFromEvil: It's believed by a few characters that the birth of her son [[spoiler:Murtagh]] was the catalyst for her becoming a [[TookALevelInKindness kinder and more moral person]].
602* DoubleAgent: She was Morzan's spy until she secretly switched sides and began [[spoiler:spying on him for the Varden]].
603* TheDreaded: She had quite a fearsome reputation amongst the Varden; Jeod even claims he was more afraid of ''her'' than Morzan.
604* FromNobodyToNightmare: She went from a farmer's daughter living a simple life in Carvahall to one of Morzan's most feared and deadly agents and a formidable mage.
605* HeelFaceTurn: She eventually turned against Morzan and [[spoiler:secretly began feeding top secret intel about him and the Empire to the Varden]].
606* HighHeelFaceTurn: She was the only prominent female villain allied with the Forsworn and the only one who turned good.
607* TheLostLenore: She's revealed to be this for [[spoiler:Brom]].
608* LoveMakesYouEvil: She became Morzan's Black Hand in order to prove her love and devotion to him.
609* LoveRedeems: Giving birth to her son [[spoiler:Murtagh reportedly triggered a HeelRealization in her and she began to see the error of her ways and turn against Morzan. After falling in love with Brom, her True Name changed and she made a full HeelFaceTurn, spying on Morzan for the Varden]].
610* MySecretPregnancy: Both her pregnancies were this. When he learned she was pregnant with Murtagh, Morzan [[spoiler:had Selena spirited away to his castle to give birth in secret and then gave Murtagh to nursemaids so his enemies could never use his son against him]]. Upon learning she was pregnant with Eragon, [[spoiler:who was fathered by Brom, Selena secretly returned to Carvahall to give birth and gave Eragon to her brother and sister-in-law to raise]].
611* ParentalAbandonment: She left Eragon with his uncle Garrow and aunt Marian soon after he was born for unknown reasons and left, never to return. It later turns out that she did this to [[spoiler:protect him from the Empire and died before she ever had a chance to come back]].
612* ParentalFavoritism: Upon learning that Eragon is his brother, Murtagh comes to believe that Selena liked Eragon better because she took him away and let him grow up in a warm and loving home with her family, while he was left with his abusive father Morzan and the manipulative Galbatorix. However, given that Selena [[spoiler:had only limited access to Murtagh thanks to Morzan and that it's believed it was in fact Murtagh's birth that saw her start to become a better person, it's unclear how true this is]].
613* PosthumousCharacter: It's presumed she is dead after being absent from Carvahall for fifteen years and it's later confirmed she died not long after Eragon was born.
614* RedBaron: During her tenure as Morzan's spy and assassin, she was known as the Black Hand.
615* SecretRelationship: She had one with [[spoiler:Brom, resulting in her falling pregnant with Eragon]].
616* SympatheticAdulterer: She was still married to Morzan when she had a relationship with [[spoiler:Brom]]. Given that this is Morzan, and that it's implied he was abusive to her -- and was definitely abusive to [[spoiler:their son]] -- she's presented sympathetically.
617* TakeCareOfTheKids: The last thing she told Garrow was to look after her son.
618* TookALevelInKindness: Brom and Jeod's descriptions of her character are quite different, with Brom describing her as a very compassionate and dignified woman who always helped those less fortunate, while Jeod describes her as being "utterly ruthless, devoid of either pity or compassion". Brom didn't meet Selena until after she'd [[spoiler:given birth to Murtagh, at which point she had begun to despise Morzan]] and her relationship with [[spoiler:Brom]] changed her further, so we can assume she [[CharacterDevelopment developed]] into a much kinder and more selfless person.
619* UnholyMatrimony: She was HappilyMarried to Morzan and was his loyal right-hand woman... [[spoiler:for a time]].
620* VillainessesWantHeroes: She ended up falling in love with [[spoiler:Brom and had a HeelFaceTurn]] after learning he was a former Dragon Rider and the leader of the Varden.
621* WalkingSpoiler: Her character is very spoiler-heavy in regards to certain revelations about Eragon and Murtagh.
622[[/folder]]
623
624[[folder:Teenage girl and Woman]]
625A wandering teenage girl and woman whom Eragon blesses.
626----
627* TheCameo: They're briefly seen in ''Inheritance'' at the battle, unharmed. The blessing really worked.
628* HeroOfAnotherStory: Angela is reading their fortune when Eragon meets them. She calls them "pilgrims on their own quest", but refuses to elaborate any further.
629* NoNameGiven: They choose not to give their names, as names have power.
630[[/folder]]
631
632!Dragons
633
634[[folder:As a Whole]]
635Ancient, powerful and nearly-extinct winged reptiles.
636----
637* TheAgeless: Dragons never die of old age, and can live potentially forever if they aren't killed.
638* BreathWeapon: They can breathe fire.
639* OurDragonsAreDifferent: The typical fantasy version -- four-legged, bat-winged, highly intelligent fire-breathing reptiles. They can perform unpredictable and potent magical feats in times of high emotion. Bonded dragons can psychically talk to their partners. Wild dragons are intelligent, but have no civilization. Their eggs normally remain dormant until conditions are favorable for hatching, but the ones given to the Riders are enchanted so that they only hatch when they contact the person who they will bond with. A bonded dragon becomes gentler and more civilized, even as the rider becomes more fierce. They also have a type of crystalline SoulJar in their chests.
640* {{Pride}}: Dragons tend to be incredibly arrogant, both in terms of physical vanity and in regards to seeing themselves as better than other beings.
641* SoulJar: Dragons naturally grow a crystalline organ, named an Eldunarí, within their chests. If this organ is regurgitated while the dragon is alive, [[spoiler:then when they die their consciousness becomes stored within it, allowing them to live on after their bodily death]].
642* StrongerWithAge: Dragons never enter decrepitude, instead growing stronger and bigger as they age -- and since they live until they're killed, they can grow very big and very strong.
643* {{Telepathy}}: Most dragons communicate psychically to their Riders.
644* ThatsNoMoon: The oldest dragons grew so large that they could be mistaken for hills.
645* UnskilledButStrong: Dragons are capable of performing feats of magic of such scale they might as well be miracles. Unfortunately, dragons are incapable of using the Ancient Language to cast magic and can only use the wordless variation that is entirely dependent on their intentions and mindset at the time, the results are often unpredictable based on that, and they can't even access their innate magic save in specific circumstances often brought about by strong emotions.
646[[/folder]]
647
648[[folder:Saphira]]
649Eragon's dragon. After being held in Galbatorix's treasury for many years, she was stolen by the Varden and eventually ended up in Eragon's hands.
650----
651* TheAce: Is considered naturally talented for a Dragon.
652* BlasphemousBoast: When flying, she occasionally dares "whatever gods there might be" to challenge her, because she sees herself as just that awesome.
653* BlueAndOrangeMorality: From our perspective, she's a SociopathicHero, but that's largely because she's a predatory beast who happens to have human intelligence. What human morality she does have is gleaned from Eragon's mind.
654* BlueIsHeroic: She has blue eyes and scales, and is bonded to TheHero, Eragon.
655* BondCreature: She is mystically connected to Eragon.
656* BreathWeapon: Like all dragons, she can spit a jet of magical fire.
657* EggMcGuffin: Spends some time as one in the first book.
658* FourthDateMarriage: Or rather, [[spoiler:First Date Mating With Fírnen, Arya's dragon]].
659* IntellectualAnimal: She has an intellect that matches humans, but is in every other way a large carnivorous animal.
660* MamaBear: She often flies into a rage whenever Eragon is hurt or in danger.
661* MayflyDecemberRomance: She has a one-sided attraction to Glaedr, who is over 800 years older than her.
662* MeaningfulName: Her name sounds rather like "sapphire" and she has blue scales. Her name was also that of Brom's dragon who was killed during the Fall of the Riders.
663* NotGoodWithRejection: She attacks Glaedr when he rejects her romantically, though she feels bad later.
664* OurDragonsAreDifferent: She's symbiotically bonded to a human, and has random bursts of reality-warping magic.
665* PlotRelevantAgeUp: In the movie, she inexplicably grows from the size of a dog to a fully-grown dragon literally in a matter of seconds.
666* SapientSteed: She's sentient and serves as Eragon's mount.
667* SatelliteCharacter: She's mostly this to Eragon; the only subplot she has that doesn't directly involve or revolve around her rider is her [[LoveHurts ill]]-fated [[AllLoveIsUnrequited infatuation]] with Glaedr.
668* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:Saphira is one of the few who knew that Brom was Eragon's father, and Brom told her to keep it secret until after he was dead.]]
669* SmugSuper: Knows she's one of the most powerful creatures on the continent and isn't afraid to remind people about it. About the only time she shows worry for herself in a fight is against another dragon.
670* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only female dragon alive, which is a plot point as she's the only hope to revive the dragons.
671* SociopathicHero: She ultimately displays a fondness for killing, and prefers killing live prey over eating plain meat. She claims that if Eragon were more like her then everybody would be scared to death of them, and is probably right.
672* SoulJar: Her Eldunarí, like that of all dragons, although it was never used.
673* TeacherStudentRomance: She develops a one-sided crush on Glaedr almost immediately after meeting him. He never return her affections, though.
674* {{Telepathy}}: Her main form of communication.
675[[/folder]]
676
677[[folder:Thorn]]
678A red dragon bonded to Murtagh.
679----
680* AntiVillain: In the same way as Murtagh. He was born in Galbatorix's castle and both he and Murtagh are [[ForcedIntoEvil forced to serve]] Galby through magic and torture, even though they hate it.
681* ButtMonkey: A non-humourous example, as Eragon notes. Of the major characters, Thorn is likely more TheWoobie than anyone else. It is noted that Galbatorix uses magic to make him grow much more rapidly than is natural, giving him the body of a mature dragon while his mind is still that of a hatchling.
682* HiddenDepths: The one time Eragon communicates with him, he seems to be gentle and soft-spoken, with a "musical" voice.
683* LightningBruiser: He continually grows stronger and faster very quickly, as Glaedr discovers. Compared to Saphira, however, he's slower and less graceful, but has thicker, stronger limbs.
684* MeaningfulName: Murtagh names him Thorn as he will "be a thorn in the side of all [their] enemies". He certainly proves to be this for the Varden.
685* OnlyFriend: To Murtagh after he's ForcedIntoEvil. Murtagh clearly loves Thorn and only submitted to Galbatorix because he couldn't bear him harming his dragon. Thorn is Murtagh's only true companion and comfort during this time, and vice versa.
686* PoweredByAForsakenChild: [[spoiler:Eldunarí again.]] They give him power comparable to Saphira, despite only being a few days old.
687* RedEyesTakeWarning: His eyes are the same colour as his scales, and he is antagonistic for the majority of the series.
688* ShipTease: With Saphira in ''Inheritance''. [[spoiler:He survives, but it doesn't happen.]]
689* TraumaButton: Enclosed spaces. Due to his captivity in youth, Thorn is extremely claustrophobic. [[spoiler:He conquers this fear to come to Murtagh's aid]].
690* YoungerThanTheyLook: He has physically matured beyond his young age due to Galbatorix's magic.
691[[/folder]]
692
693[[folder:Glaedr]]
694An ancient gold dragon bonded to Oromis.
695----
696* FirstLove: To Saphira, though unfortunately for her, he doesn't return her feelings.
697* HandicappedBadass: He's missing a leg.
698* HeroicBSOD: He spends much of ''Inheritance'' in the grips of depression, unwilling to talk [[spoiler:due to the death of Oromis]].
699* MayDecemberRomance: What Saphira wants with him, but he isn't so enthusiastic.
700* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:Alongside Oromis, the two run afoul of Murtagh and Thorn, who kill both rider and dragon.]]
701* OldMaster: He's the oldest surviving dragon aside from Shruikan, who is in no condition to mentor anyone.
702* SoulJar: [[spoiler:He resides in one because of his physical death by the end of ''Brisingr'']].
703* SupernaturalGoldEyes: They match his golden scales.
704[[/folder]]
705
706[[folder:Shruikan]]
707Galbatorix's black dragon, stolen from the Riders.
708----
709* AxCrazy: As a result of a hundred years of abuse, he's gone completely insane. His eyeballs are literally ''shuddering'' with insanity.
710* BreathWeapon: During his debut in ''Inheritance'', he breathes a jet of flames as wide as a river and several kilometers long.
711* TheBrute: His mind's been twisted by magic, so he's nothing more than a mindless powerhouse.
712* CreepyBlueEyes: Most shown dragons usually have eyes close to the color of their skins, but Eragon is surprised to see that Shruikan's aren't BlackEyesOfEvil but instead a piercing blue. Which arguably makes it even worse when he gets a full look at them and sees the AxCrazy within.
713* DarkIsEvil: Subverted. He has black scales, but it's rather implied that he was a benevolent dragon before Galbatorix drove him insane and he's only a villain because of Galby.
714* EyeScream: In the final battle, courtesy of [[spoiler:Arya wielding the Dauthdert.]]
715* GiantFlyer: And easily the biggest one that's appeared in the series.
716* {{Kaiju}}: Shruikan is ENORMOUS, and the narration shows this surprisingly well. Eragon at first mistakes smaller portions of his body (neck, hind foot, wing fold) for larger parts (main body, shin, entire wing).
717* MeaningfulName: His name is similar to "shuriken", Japanese weapons also known as throwing stars or ninja stars.
718* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Receives one after Galbatorix's death.]]
719* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: The dragon has heavily suffered under his enslavement under Galbatorix, with his sanity having been so depleted that, should he be allowed to, he would destroy the entire planet simply because of his pain and anger. In fact, Elva heavily suggests that the only way to "help" Shruikan is to put him out of his misery.
720[[/folder]]
721
722[[folder:Umaroth (major spoilers for ''Inheritance'')]]
723The dragon bonded to Vrael, who was the leader of the dragon riders before they fell. Revealed in the fourth book to be one of the Eldunarí hidden in Vroengard and accompanies Eragon to the final showdown.
724----
725* BigGood: When he was Vrael's dragon. And again as an Elundari
726* LightIsGood: Was white and was the leader of the original Dragon Riders' dragons.
727* MentorArchetype: Not as much as Glaedr, but it's still there
728* MrExposition: Gives Eragon all the information he needs about the Vault of Souls and what's hidden there.
729* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:He would not have hesitated to let Galbatorix kill the two child hostages had Eragon not stopped him.]]
730[[/folder]]
731
732[[folder:Fírnen (major spoilers for ''Inheritance'')]]
733The third dragon egg in Galbatorix's possession, he becomes Arya's dragon and Saphira's mate for the short time she and Eragon remain in Alagaesia.
734----
735* FourthDateMarriage: [[spoiler:With Saphira]], although not for life and actually only a few months before she and Eragon depart.
736* SecondLove: He becomes this to Saphira.
737* ThereIsAnother: His is the last unhatched egg, and serves as a backup plan for both the Varden and Galbatorix in case their respective dragons should fall in battle.
738* VocalDissonance: He has a surprisingly deep voice for such a young dragon, even deeper than Glaedr and [[spoiler:the Eldunarí]].
739* WalkingSpoiler: To a greater extent than any of the other dragons listed here, as he [[spoiler:only hatches at the very end of the main series, radically altering the context of several characters' relationships with one another]].
740[[/folder]]
741
742[[folder:Valdr (major spoilers for ''Inheritance'')]]
743An ancient wild dragon, who's among the Eldunarí in the Vault of Souls. He's the oldest dragon among them.
744----
745* CloudCuckoolander: This seems to be the case with most old dragons. It's not that they're insane, but the time they've had to reflect on so many things leaves what they say nearly impenetrable, along with the fact that they're mostly senile leaving what is understandable behind winding RamblingOldManMonologue. For example, he gives Eragon some advice that sounds close to just rambling about butterflies, but circumstances unfold so that Eragon understands Valdr's actually very useful advice.
746* MentorArchetype: He frequently gives advice to Eragon, although the latter has trouble deciphering it.
747[[/folder]]
748
749!Elves
750[[folder:As a Whole]]
751Highly reclusive humanoids who live in Du Weldenvarden, a great forest in the north.
752----
753* TheAgeless: Elves never die of old age, and can live potentially forever if they aren't killed. This isn't an innate trait for them, notably -- they used to be as mortal as anyone else, and only became immortal after their magical alliance to the dragons.
754* {{Hypocrite}}: It has been stated multiple times that elves don't trust humans anymore after Galbatorix's betrayal, however they conveniently forget that many of the Forsworn were elves.
755* OurElvesAreDifferent: They're largely the modern fantasy kind, being immortal, wiser, faster, stronger and more beautiful than the other races, highly skilled at magic, and native to an isolationist forest kingdom.
756[[/folder]]
757
758[[folder:Arya]]
759The elf [[{{Ambadassador}} ambassador]] and the guardian of Saphira's egg for fifteen years.
760----
761* TheAce: She's a skilled warrior, magic user and ambassador.
762* ActionGirl: She's held up as an incredibly powerful warrior, is shown to take on urgals, and with some help from Eragon and Saphira, kills a shade at the end ''Brisingr''. She's also Eragon's technical superior in swordsmanship.
763* AdaptationDyeJob: Arya in the books is black-haired and has [[AmbiguouslyBrown "tawny" skin]]. Her movie incarnation had reddish gold hair and white skin.
764* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Eragon falls in love with Arya [[LoveAtFirstSight pretty much instantly]], but Arya ignores Eragon's romantic interest in her and then rejects him outright in ''Eldest''. He manages to patch things up enough for them to be friends again, but never gets over his feelings for her. Her rejection is fairly justified, as her previous romantic partner was killed recently (at the beginning of the first book) and she's put off by how shallow and childish Eragon's crush seems to be.
765* AloofDarkhairedGirl: She has black hair and comes across as quite haughty and cold, even by elf standards. In the third book, it is noted that much of this is due to the trauma of her capture and torture at the beginning of the series.
766* {{Ambadassador}}: Quickly proves herself one of the strongest fighters around.
767* AssInAmbassador: From the perspective of the dwarves, for being chronically tardy and often arguing with their high priest about the dwarves' religion when she visits their cities.
768* BadassInDistress: She spends much of ''Eragon'' locked up in a cell or unconscious after being captured and tortured by Durza. She seems to resent the DamselInDistress label.
769* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Is mentioned to have been beaten, whipped, cut, and burned with hot irons among other tortures by Durza and repeatedly brought to the brink of death at Gil'ead, and Eragon, Saphira, and Murtagh are horrified by the full extent of her injuries when they see them, but Eragon's POV mentions she still looks beautiful "underneath the disfiguring marks". He and Saphira spend hours healing the worst of Arya's injuries to save her life and she has to be healed again at the Varden, but by the time she's awake again to come find him, Eragon notes that there are no marks or scars left from over her torture.
770* BowAndSwordInAccord: She fights using both a bow and a sword, and is superhumanly proficient with both.
771* {{Determinator}}: Saphira calls her "dragon-blood-elf-Arya" in reference to her overall tenacity. In the first book, Durza tortures her daily for information, nearly to the point of insanity, but she refuses to speak. After she is rescued, she continues to participate in dangerous assignments alongside Eragon.
772* DistractedByTheSexy: Has this effect on Eragon, and she deliberately plays on this when sparring with him.
773* DragonRider: [[spoiler:The last of the three dragon eggs, the green one, does in fact hatch for her. His name is Fírnen.]]
774* DudeShesLikeInAComa: Eragon has this reaction while he's healing the unconscious Arya in the first book.
775* ElementalMotifs: Elves culturally have great love and respect for nature, their capitol city is in a forest, and its citizens [[TreetopTown live in]] magically-sculpted living trees. Fittingly Arya, the first elf introduced and the most prominent one, wears leather (animal skin), has brown skin, green eyes, green magic, and a pine needle SignatureScent to evoke nature and woodland imagery.
776* ElvesVsDwarves: She has a lot of disputes with the dwarves, especially since her position means she has to travel among them quite often.
777* EmotionlessGirl: Of the repressed variety. To be fair, even when she does open up, she seems to be naturally restrained.
778* FirstLove: To Eragon. Make that ''[[SingleTargetSexuality only]]'' love, as well.
779* GirlOfMyDreams: Eragon first sees her in a dream while she's imprisoned and soon becomes infatuated with her.
780* HairTriggerTemper: It is noted that she becomes quite tense and irascible while preparing to meet with her estranged mother, so Eragon has to walk on eggshells while talking to her.
781* HellBentForLeather: Most of her clothes are made of black leather.
782* HeroicResolve: Durza does his utmost to break her, but she refuses to reveal so much as a single piece of information even when she's beginning to hallucinate from endless torture.
783* TheHighQueen: [[spoiler:Succeeds her late mother after several months of political debate.]]
784* JailBaitWait: [[spoiler:By the end of the last book is willing to consider a romantic relationship with Eragon, but after 5-10 years]].
785* LadyOfWar: She's a graceful fighter.
786* LettingHerHairDown: When she arrives in Ellesmera, she takes the leather band out of her hair, starts wearing clothes that aren't just black, and relaxes a bit. However, it's not until the third book that she starts being nicer to Eragon.
787* LightningBruiser: As an elf, she is faster and far more durable than a human.
788* MayDecemberRomance: With Eragon. The main reason why she doesn't [[spoiler:initially]] want to have a relationship with him is because he hasn't lived to anywhere near her lifespan yet, although his life expectancy is just as high. [[spoiler:It's eventually clear that she is in fact interested in Eragon, but is uncomfortable with their age differences- while he is considered an adult by human standards, elves age much more slowly and still consider him to be little more than a child.]]
789* MercyKill: Despite the usual elvish reverence for life and nature, Arya shoots dead a gyrfalcon that couldn't fly with this rationale, saying it was too injured for her to heal and killing it with an arrow saved it from a longer, more miserable death. [[spoiler:Again despite the elves' reverence for dragons, in the fourth book Arya is the one to deal the killing blow to the AxCrazy dragon Shruikan while Saphira and Thorn pin him down; even if they kill Galbatorix, Elva had confirmed Shruikan is too far gone from his pain and madness to be saved.]]
790* PeerlessLoveInterest: To Eragon. She's a stunningly beautiful and powerful elf princess, while he's a teenage FarmBoy turned DragonRider in training. He becomes infatuated with her after [[GirlOfMyDreams seeing her in a dream]] and goes to a lot of effort to rescue her in the first book. He also [[DoggedNiceGuy doggedly pursues her affections]] in the second book. This is actually {{deconstructed|trope}} to an extent, as Arya rather [[BrutalHonesty brutally]] dismisses Eragon's feelings as a childish crush; she is decades older than him (though she [[OlderThanTheyLook doesn't look it]]) and so thinks of him as little more than a child, they barely know each other and she detests the way he idealizes her, (including putting her on a pedestal and focusing only on her beauty). It's not until they spend some more time together and Eragon matures a bit that she starts reciprocating his feelings, though even then she suggests [[JailBaitWait they wait until he's older]] before [[AnchoredShip attempting a relationship]].
791* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Just over a hundred. Looks like she's in her early twenties.
792* RebelliousPrincess: She became the ambassador of her people against her mother's disapproval, to the point of being estranged from her for seventy years.
793* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Daughter of the queen and a formidable fighter, as well as the elven ambassador. She actually invokes this intentionally, as she tells Eragon that the elves do not choose leaders who are unwilling to put themselves in danger for the sake of their people.
794* SignatureScent: She's described as smelling like crushed pine needles.
795* SingleTear: When Eragon dreams of her in her cell, she sheds a single shining tear. It's not until the third book that she actually really cries.
796* StatuesqueStunner: She's taller than most human men.
797* TheStoic: She is never not restrained. It seems to be a fundamental part of her identity.
798* SugarAndIcePersonality: Initially cold and stoic, she softens and opens up some by the third book.
799* ThereIsAnother: [[spoiler:Guess who gets to become Dragon Rider #3?]] Downplayed in that it doesn't actually happen until after the main fight is over.
800[[/folder]]
801
802[[folder:Oromis]]
803Also known as the Mourning Sage and the Cripple-Who-Is-Whole, Oromis is a mysterious and powerful individual who reaches out to Eragon and encourages him to go to the elves for further training. Oromis is the last of the old riders, still alive, but severely crippled and no longer the rider that he once was.
804----
805* AdaptedOut: He never appears in the film, probably because the films became a StillbornFranchise.
806* BerserkButton: While he's very difficult to anger, he becomes absolutely furious when he learns that Eragon and Saphira aren't keeping their minds linked at all times, like they're supposed to. He reacts similarly when Eragon seriously argues for [[FinalSolution wiping out the entire Urgal race]] and says that they'd do the same to humans or elves if the situation was reversed.
807* ColorCodedEyes: His gray eyes are of a more mystical variety than Roran, as he's an elf, hermit, magician, and philosopher.
808* CoolSword: His Rider Sword is known as Naegling, and is gold like his dragon Glaedr. Oromis stored whatever magic he could spare into the gem at the pommel.
809* DontCallMeSir: He insists on Eragon calling him "master" during his apprenticeship instead of "elda", even though the latter is a term of respect. He's remains patient when Eragon makes the mistake, though, and is fine when other characters refer to him as "elda".
810* DragonRider: His dragon is Glaedr.
811* HandicappedBadass: He has somehow been crippled so that he can't use powerful spells, and giving him an illness which causes him sudden and intense bouts of pain, momentarily incapacitating him.
812* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:He eventually emerges from seclusion to help the elves, but runs afoul of Murtagh, who's possessed by Galbatorix during their duel.]]
813* OldMaster: He's the last surviving Dragon Rider of the old guard, and he was a mentor to them as well.
814* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: A staple of his race.
815* RetiredBadass: Before he was crippled (right before, actually), he managed to, within a fraction of a second, deconstruct his and Glaedr's entire physical selves and reform them outside of the magical barriers holding them in place.
816* WarriorPoet: He's a retired Dragon Rider who spends his days in retirement writing poetry.
817[[/folder]]
818
819[[folder:Rhunön]]
820The greatest elven smith, who forged the swords that were presented to the Riders. Rhunön is one of the very oldest of all elves, still remembering the time before the Dragon Riders, before elves were even immortal.
821----
822* AwesomeButImpractical: She strongly advises against such designs, as a weapon that looks awesome but doesn't fulfill its purpose is ugly to her eyes.
823* TheBlacksmith: She forged the swords wielded by the Dragon Riders.
824* BrutalHonesty: She is, and seems to approve of this from others. She mentioned that she rather liked Brom when he was a young trainee because "he was a rude one" who "said what he meant and wasted no words."
825* BunnyEarsLawyer: She's very eccentric by elven standards, but as Arya points out, her eccentricities are well tolerated on account of her being the greatest smith who has ever lived.
826* DeadpanSnarker: The only time she's not giving Eragon cheek is when she's explaining how to smith a sword, and even then she's pretty snarky about it.
827* ElementalCrafting: Brightsteel > all other metals. She won't even consider making a Rider's sword from anything less.
828* ElvesVsDwarves: Inverted. Rhunön actually seems to really ''like'' dwarves; she first learned smithing from them, can speak their language fluently, and remembers a legendary dwarf as her mentor. When she first sees Orik, she immediately greets him in Dwarvish and invites him to her house to discuss metalworking. In fact, given her disgust with the rest of her race, she can sometimes seem more like you'd expect a dwarf to be portrayed than an elf.
829* ForgingScene: When she and Eragon forge his sword.
830* GrumpyOldMan: She's very cantankerous and considers it her right to be grouchy.
831* IGaveMyWord: To never make a weapon again. It goes to show how she views things when her oath, to her, really meant that ''her'' hands would never make another weapon.
832* LoopholeAbuse: She gets around a magic oath never to forge another sword by possessing Eragon and having ''him'' do it. She tells off Eragon for asking too many questions about it, because it only works if she herself believes that it doesn't count.
833* MagicKnight: In addition to being a smith and a warrior, she is also powerful in magic. She prefers to use her powers as little as possible, however, as she sees fulfilling tasks with magic makes life meaningless and robs her of the pleasure of it.
834* MyGreatestFailure: Galbatorix's use of one of her blades.
835* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: She does not fit the mold of the traditional elf. She is one of the few who lived before the elves gained their immortality.
836* TheNapoleon: Shorter and ruder than other elves.
837* NeverMessWithGranny: She may be older than the oaks, but she is still fit and skilled enough to stand toe-to-toe with Eragon in a sword fight.
838* PeoplePuppets: How she forges Eragon's new sword; she possesses him and makes ''his'' body do the forging.
839* RestrainingBolt: She can no longer forge weapons because of her oath. This does not extend to [[spoiler:controlling someone else to let them make their own with her expertise and methods]].
840* ScrewYouElves: A really rare instance where the person calling out the elves is an elf herself Rhunön does not approve of what her race has become, and thinks that they were better off before they became ageless and refined.
841* TheStoic: Defied by her. She criticizes the rest of the elves for acting like they have "no more emotion than a marble statue!"
842* TimeAbyss: She's one of the oldest living elves, and even predates the war between the elves and the dragons.
843* UltimateBlacksmith: She is the one who forged the magical swords wielded by the Dragon Riders.
844* YeGoodeOldeDays: She bemoans the end of the days when elves used to act like humans and other normal beings. She is one of the last elves alive who is old enough to have lived in that time.
845[[/folder]]
846
847[[folder:Queen Islanzadí]]
848The Queen of the Elves, and Arya's mother.
849----
850* AchillesInHisTent: She's completely cut off the elves from the outside world out of spite after the Fall of the Riders. Oromis calls her out on this, asking how many thousands of people have died just because the elves sat around and did nothing to stop Galbatorix. And Arya's decision to actually pitch in with the war effort ruins their relationship.
851* CantArgueWithElves: She has the attitude more than just about every elf in the books, which rubs a lot of people -- even other elves -- the wrong way.
852* DeathEqualsRedemption: Arya doesn't fully forgive her mother for her banishment until Islanzadí receives a fatal blow from Barst.
853* TheHighQueen: The queen of the Elves, considered to be the most intimidating of the rulers shown and held in near-mythical reverence by most of the world. Subverted, in that despite her beauty and majesty, she has very real flaws that become apparent the more time Eragon spends in her company.
854* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Her reaction in the first book when she believes that Arya has been killed before they could reconcile.
855* NeutralNoLonger: From ''Eldest'' onward, she and the elves are fully engaged in the war against Galbatorix.
856* ParentsAsPeople: Her spiteful treatment of Arya is what caused their 70-year estrangement. The first thing she does when they meet again is acknowledge this and beg for Arya's forgiveness.
857* ParentalAbandonment: She opposed Arya's decision to join the Varden, so much so that she banished her from Ellesmera. She regretted the decision immediately, but couldn't take it back.
858* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Like all elves, she is ancient.
859* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She heads off to the front lines to fight alongside her people.
860* SacrificialLion: Her death is a major OhCrap moment for the Varden, the biggest hint they have that Lord Barst is not fucking around.
861[[/folder]]
862
863[[folder:Blödhgarm]]
864The leader of a group of twelve spellcasters who were sent to help Eragon.
865----
866* BeastMan: He transformed himself into an anthropomorphic creature with features from a wide variety of animals. According to him, this best reflects his current idea of what is beautiful.
867* LoinCloth: The only clothing he wears. The rest is covered by a pelt of blue fur.
868* SmellsSexy: He emits a pheromonal musk that gets nearby women hot and bothered. It's implied that he does this voluntarily because ''he'' likes the way it smells, as it only seems to affect human women.
869* SupernaturalGoldEyes: His eyes are yellow, emphasizing both his magical nature and bestial appearance. Apparently, they're (literally) the eyes of an eagle.
870[[/folder]]
871
872!Dwarves
873[[folder:As a Whole]]
874Mildly reclusive humanoids who live beneath the Beor Mountains.
875----
876* ElectiveMonarchy: The Dwarves elect their kings among the heads of their clans. Midway through ''Brisingr'', Eragon is chosen to oversee the election of the Dwarven king as a representative of the Varden.
877* OurDwarvesAreDifferent: Short, proud, bearded, mountain-dwelling, fond of hammers and axes, masters of crafts and creators of grandly decorated cities, as is usual. They have a few quirks beyond that, however: they're a polytheistic and devoutly religious people, have some cities underground and also some aboveground -- even with a LampshadeHanging when Eragon is surprised to find that dwarves have open surface cities and a dwarf tells him that they like the open air as much as anyone else -- and have seven toes, and two dwarves hold a bet on whether or not humans actually have only five. According to history, they are the oldest sapient race, and lived in Alagaësia before the elves or humans arrived. Interestingly, when Eragon asks Orik how dwarves know the language of humans, Orik reveals that the CommonTongue is actually the dwarven language.
878* UndergroundCity: Downplayed. Some dwarf cities are built underground, either as tunnel systems or within large underground spaces. Others, however, are out in the open air.
879[[/folder]]
880
881[[folder:Prince Orik]]
882The dwarf prince, nephew of King Hrothgar, and a friend to Eragon.
883----
884* AdaptedOut: He does not appear in the film.
885* AncestralWeapon: He eventually [[spoiler:inherits Volund, the hammer of the dwarven kings]].
886* BoisterousBruiser: He's an eager fighter who's free with his passions, says what's on his mind, and loves his mead.
887* ManlyTears: He cries when Hrothgar is killed.
888* ParentalAbandonment: They died of an illness when he was young.
889* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: He's betrothed to Hvedra, who manages his clan's affairs. The two are absolutely enamoured with one another, to the point where Eragon finds it a bit [[SickeninglySweethearts difficult to watch]].
890* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Seems more proactive and willing to compromise compared to other dwarves, and is in general a lot more level-headed than he seems.
891* RoyalBlood: He's related to King Hrothgar, and eventually becomes king himself.
892* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: His first action in the entire series is to open the doors to Farthen Dur to allow Eragon, Murtaugh, Saphira and Arya to enter, against the Twins' orders.
893* TrueCompanions: Eragon considers him to be his brother. By dwarven law, they ''are'' adopted family.
894* WeaponBasedCharacterization: His primary weapon is an axe, as is tradition for fantasy dwarves.
895* YouKilledMyFather: He has this vendetta towards Murtagh, who killed Orik's uncle and foster father, Hrothgar.
896[[/folder]]
897
898[[folder:King Hrothgar]]
899The king of the dwarves and an ally of the Varden.
900----
901* AdaptationDyeJob: For the movie, where his white hair and beard become brown.
902* AncestralWeapon: He wields Volund, the hammer (though sometimes referred to as a mace) passed down through the dwarven kings for thousands of years.
903* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:He gets blasted by Murtagh at the end of ''Eldest'', making way for the next dwarven king.]]
904* OldSoldier: Hrothgar is getting along in years, but still [[FrontlineGeneral fights on the front lines]].
905* ParentalSubstitute: To Orik, his nephew and adopted son. To a lesser extent, he's this to Eragon, whom he adopts into his clan.
906* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's the voice of reason among the leaders of the dwarves, doing everything he can to hold the more extreme clan chiefs in line, even going as far as to stop them from expelling Eragon from Tronjheim before even meeting him.
907[[/folder]]
908
909[[folder:Gannel]]
910The chief priest of the Dwarven religion and the leader of the Dwarven clan Quan.
911----
912* BadassPreacher: He's primarily a priest but he's also an incredible warrior, [[ProudWarriorRace even by dwarven standards]]. He's first introduced singlehandedly defeating three younger dwarves in combat. At the same time.
913* ExoticWeaponSupremacy: He's deadly in combat in part because he wields the ''hûthvír'', a double-ended staff-sword that only Dwarven priests (and Angela) are trained to use in combat.
914* HighPriest: Of the Dwarves. Much like the [[Literature/TheBible classic example]], the office is implied to be hereditary, like all of the other clan chiefdoms.
915* MagicKnight: In addition to his prowess as a warrior, Gannel is one of the most skilled Dwarven magicians shown.
916* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: It's implied that the reason he votes for Nado to be the next king -- and by extension, the withdrawal of the Dwarves from the war effort -- is because of the routine disrespect for Dwarven traditions shown by Arya and the other elves.
917* MrExposition: Gannel is tasked with tutoring Eragon on Dwarven customs and tradition when the latter is adopted by Hrothgar into his clan. Most of the information the reader gets on Dwarves comes from him.
918* TheRival: He briefly throws his hat in the ring to become king, posing a pretty significant threat to Orik's attempt at the throne. He quickly withdraws and supports Nado instead.
919* SmallRoleBigImpact:
920** Eragon meets him briefly at the beginning of Eldest, whereupon Gannel gifts Eragon with a small necklace that prevents scrying. This prevents Galbatorix (and, as it turns out, Murtagh) from tracking Eragon's movements and learning about Oromis' existence.
921** Gannel is a background character for most of the election for king, but because he's the head of the Quan clan, he wields an enormous amount of influence. Orik notes that it's extremely rare for a candidate not selected by the Quan to win an election.
922* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Despite their respective roles, Gannel and Arya are constantly at odds with each other due to the latter's insistence on ridiculing the Dwarven religion every time they meet. This is implied to be why Gannel ultimately votes to withdraw support from the Varden and the elves.
923[[/folder]]
924
925[[folder:Vermûnd]]
926The leader of a Dwarven clan known as Az Sweldn rak Anhûin, or The Tears of Anhûin.
927----
928* AggressiveCategorism: Az Sweldn rak Anhûin holds a grudge against all Dragon Riders, regardless of whether or not they supported Galbatorix. Vermûnd, as the leader of the clan, is no exception.
929* ArcVillain: [[spoiler:For the Dwarven election in ''Brisingr'', as his racism drives him to order Eragon's death.]]
930* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Purple. Vermûnd and his clan are primarily identified by wearing purple, as well as amethyst jewelry mined from their lands. This is what pegs Vermûnd as [[spoiler:the perpetrator behind the attempt on Eragon's life.]]
931* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:His assassination attempt on Eragon is full of bad ideas, chief among them the angry dragon coming after them for revenge.]]
932-->'''Hadfala''': What did you think to accomplish, besides our doom, by killing Eragon? Even if the Varden could unseat Galbatorix without him, what of the sorrow the dragon Saphira would rain down upon us if we slew her Rider? [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge She would fill Farthen Dûr with a sea of our own blood]].
933* RejectionRitual: [[spoiler:After his attempt on Eragon's life is discovered, Vermûnd (and even most of his clan) is subjected to a ritual known as ''vargrimstn'', where the exiled is [[{{Unperson}} treated as if they do not exist]]. Eragon considers this a FateWorseThanDeath. The clan itself would not be accepted back into Dwarven society ''until'' they replaced Vermûnd, who becomes an exile among ''them''.]]
934* RevengeBeforeReason: Let his and his clan's pathological hatred of dragons and Riders overcome his reason and try to [[spoiler:assassinate Eragon]].
935* ThisIsUnforgivable: [[spoiler:Is told that while his clan may yet redeem themselves, he'll remain an outcast from Dwarven society until the day he dies]].
936* ThreatBackfire: [[spoiler:Vermûnd threatens that if any clan tries to rebuke his with words or swords, Az Sweldn rak Anhûin will treat it as an act of war...only for Orik to burst out laughing and agree that the other clans will do nothing. When Vermûnd questions why that is amusing, Orik replies that they'll do nothing...including having nothing to do with Az Sweldn rak Anhûin, refusing to trade or even interact with them]].
937* {{Unperson}}: Becomes this after he tries to have Eragon killed.
938[[/folder]]
939
940[[folder:Nado]]
941The leader of the Dwarven clan Knurlcarathn, and a rival of Orik.
942----
943* ArcVillain: Replaces [[spoiler:Vermûnd]] as the antagonist of the Dwarven election arc in ''Brisingr''.
944* EveryoneHasStandards: Despite his dislike of Eragon and the Varden, [[spoiler:he votes to banish Vermûnd and his clan for their attack on Eragon.]]
945* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:He eventually concedes the election and joins the other Dwarven clan leaders in proclaiming Orik king.]]
946* TheRival: To Orik as they campaign to be elected king.
947* TeamSwitzerland: Nado is public about his dislike of the Varden and by extension the Elves. So if he becomes King, he intends to pull the Dwarves' support.
948[[/folder]]
949
950[[folder:Íorûnn]]
951The leader of the Dwarven clan Vrenshrrgan, also known as the War-Wolves.
952----
953* AnimalMotifs: Wolves, like the rest of her clan. They're named after a particularly large and powerful species of wolf, and she wears a wolf-head helmet as part of her armor.
954* AmazonianBeauty: The head of the most militarily-powerful of the Dwarf clans, and is apparently stunningly beautiful even by human standards.
955* ComicBookFantasyCasting: WordOfGod says that she's intended to look like Creator/MaeWest.
956* EliteArmy: Clan Vrenshrrgan as a whole are considered an elite military force, even among the dwarves. They're particularly noteworthy in being the only clan whose primary vocation appears to be as soldiers.
957* EnlightenedSelfInterest: She supports Orik out of a genuine belief that he was the best candidate to be king of the Dwarves, but Orik notes that she'll probably expect to be rewarded with a high position in his council.
958* GeniusBruiser: In addition to being one of the finest warriors among the dwarves, she's the most cunning of the dwarf clan chiefs by far.
959* HiddenDepths: She's regarded as devious, power-hungry, and after the throne for selfish reasons, until it's her turn to speak. She gives a stirring speech in favor of supporting the war effort against Galbatorix and shows that she's ''far'' more astute about the political realities of the war than she had let on.
960* LostInTranslation: She's openly flirting with Eragon in most of their interactions, but does so via Dwarven cultural references that Eragon doesn't understand.
961* TheTease: She's not shy about her interest in Eragon, much to Orik's amusement. Eragon notes that speaking to Íorûnn is extremely awkward because she refuses to show any restraint in flirting with him, and she's admittedly very attractive
962* WildCard: No one knows where her ultimate loyalties lie in the clansmeet. She's the only clan chief who insists on maintaining her bid to be queen even after it's obvious that she won't win, and shows no sign of changing this until the last possible moment. She ultimately declares for Orik, being the deciding vote in his favor.
963[[/folder]]
964!Others
965
966[[folder:Durza]]
967Durza, born Carsaib, is a Shade -- a sorcerer whose body is possessed by evil spirits. The main antagonist of the first book, he hunts Eragon and captures and tortures Arya while under Galbatorix's command.
968----
969* AdaptationDyeJob: His eyes aren't red in the film, but they are an unnatural pale color.
970* AlasPoorVillain: He dies just after Eragon discovers he was a TragicMonster and Eragon later admits that he wasn't evil by choice.
971* AndIMustScream: As a Shade, his body is inhabited by evil spirits.
972* AttackOnTheHeart: His heart is his only weak point, and Eragon is only able to kill him by stabbing there.
973* BadBoss: At the end of the prologue, he kills his Urgal subordinates when they fail to get the egg.
974* BlackSpeech: Occasionally (mostly for swearing) speaks in "a wretched language only he knew," likely Demonic.
975* ClimaxBoss: He's the main antagonist of the first book.
976* CompositeCharacter: In the film, he takes the Ra'zac's role as the character who [[spoiler:kills Brom]].
977* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Is an EvilRedhead with red eyes.
978* DarkAndTroubledPast: Lost his parents, then his foster father, and tried to avenge his death by summoning powerful spirits to kill the bandits responsible of it, only for the spirits to prove too powerful for him to handle and take control of his body.
979* DiscOneFinalBoss: He's the main antagonist of the first book, and is killed by the end of it.
980* TheDragon: He was Galbatoix's lieutenant following his loss of Morzan, but is the BigBad of the first book and the movie.
981* DuellingScar: Durza doesn't have one, but his sword possesses a long scratch on it after a previous duel with Ajihad.
982* EvilRedhead: He has red hair, and is possessed by evil spirits.
983* EvilWearsBlack: Wears black clothes when meeting Eragon in Gilead, and his final appearance has him wearing black armour.
984* FreudianExcuse: Was once a normal boy. His parents were killed by bandits after the family was chased from their village. He was taken in by Haeg, a sorcerer. But Haeg was later killed by bandits and, while trying to avenge him, Carsaib summoned spirits that were too powerful for him to handle. They turned on him and took over his body, turning him into a human shell for them to possess.
985* TheHeavy: The main villain for the first book/the film while his master Galbatorix stays behind the scenes.
986* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Became a Shade after summoning spirits that he was ultimately unable to control.
987* HumanoidAbomination: Like all Shades, he's a human shell possessed by [[EnergyBeings spirits]].
988* LeanAndMean: He's a tall thin man who is a HumanoidAbomination.
989* LightningBruiser: He's far faster and stronger than a normal human.
990* MagicKnight: He's a skilled sorcerer, as well as proficient with a cursed sword.
991* ManySpiritsInsideOfOne: "Durza" is a group of powerful spirits inhabiting the body of the sorcerer Carsaib.
992* MusclesAreMeaningless: He's described as having a lean runner's build, but is much stronger then he would appear.
993* NotQuiteDead: When lethally wounded, he'll just respawn somewhere else, [[AttackItsWeakPoint unless you stab him in the heart.]]
994* ObviouslyEvil: Has red eyes, pale skin, and dresses in black. Eragon even wonders why the soldiers of Gilead didn't kill him the moment they saw him.
995* OurVampiresAreDifferent: It might just be a rumor, but he's rumored to drink blood.
996* PosthumousCharacter: In ''Murtagh'', his previous actions cast a shadow over the story. He's the one who cursed the massive pike in Gil'ead, and is revealed to have had contact with the Dreamers.
997* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: As a result of being an EvilRedhead [[CurtainsMatchTheWindows with]] red [[RedEyesTakeWarning eyes]] who is always shown [[EvilWearsBlack wearing black]].
998* RedEyesTakeWarning: Has red eyes, which indicates that he's not really human anymore.
999* ScaryTeeth: Just to add to his inhuman appearance, his teeth are filed into points. From what we see from other Shades, this is not something that happens to all of them, meaning Durza did this intentionally.
1000* TheStarscream: When he has Eragon imprisoned in Gil'ead, he subtly implies he'd like to join forces to overthrow Galbatorix. Nothing ultimately comes of it, and he may have simply been trying to lull Eragon into a false sense of security.
1001* TortureIsIneffective: Tortures Arya over a period of about six months, both for information and for the enjoyment of the evil spirits that inhabit him. He nearly drives her insane in the process, but fails to extract any useful information.
1002* VillainProtagonist: He is the viewpoint chapter for the prologue.
1003[[/folder]]
1004
1005[[folder:Varaug]]
1006A Shade created by the Imperial defenders of the city of Feinster as a last ditch attempt to drive back the Varden besieging the city.
1007----
1008* AttackOnTheHeart: Just like all Shades, stabbing the heart is the only way to kill him. Instead of Eragon though, it's Arya who does the deed this time.
1009* AxCrazy: In comparison to Durza, Varaug is just a rabid monster who only wishes to kill.
1010* ContrastingSequelAntagonist: A rabid, psychotic beast in contrast to the intelligent and calculating MagicKnight that was Durza.
1011* DecapitatedArmy: While Varaug wasn't in command of Feinster's defence, his death is what finally drives the Imperial troops to surrender.
1012* EvilRedhead: Like all Shades. The man who is possessed by the spirits to make Varaug had brown hair, making the hair color change a result of the possession.
1013* FinalBoss: He's the last foe the heroes face in the third book.
1014* FromNobodyToNightmare: Varaug was created from a regular old {{Mook}} that the mages chose to be the host for the various spirits.
1015* GodzillaThreshold: Why he was created; with the city of Feinster about to fall to the Varden's siege, Galbatorix ordered the mages he put in charge of the city's defence to create a Shade to repulse the attackers ([[DidntThinkThisThrough seemingly not caring such a monster could quite easily decimate the defences instead of bolstering them]]).
1016* HealingFactor: Shown to have one when Arya breaks his arm while trying to stop his NeckLift. The first time she breaks his arm, it pops back together and he lifts her higher.
1017* LivingWeapon: All he's meant to be.
1018* ManySpiritsInsideOfOne: He's implied to be possessed by dozens of evil spirits, hence why he's more powerful than Durza.
1019* NeckLift: He hauls Arya off the ground by the neck when he's introduced. She only gets out of it by snapping Varaug's arm, and it takes a couple tries.
1020* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Unlike Durza, who nominally fought for the Empire, Varaug is heavily implied to care nothing for the Empire or the Varden, and is only interested in killing anything in his path.
1021* PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery: The spirits within him imply they're prepared to kill every and anything in their path in retaliation for their incarceration in a human shell.
1022-->'''Varaug''': You will all die for imprisoning us in this cold, hard clay!
1023* RedEyesTakeWarning: Has blood-red eyes like all Shades.
1024* StrongButUnskilled: The multiple spirits within him make him far more powerful than Durza, but [[WeAreStrugglingTogether their continual fighting with each other]] for control over their host, in contrast to Durza, make Varaug leave openings that Eragon and Arya exploit.
1025* ThirdPersonPerson: He frequently refers to himself in plural, presumably because he's possessed by dozens of evil spirits.
1026* ThisCannotBe: His last act is a scream of thwarted rage when stabbed in the heart.
1027[[/folder]]
1028
1029[[folder:Ra'zac]]
1030The last of a nearly extinct species who preyed on humans for food, now serving as the king's personal dragon hunters.
1031----
1032* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Their species are human predators, apparently.
1033* BadBoss: The Ra'zac are just as ruthless with the soldiers under their command as they are with regular villagers, as they kill two of their own men for fleeing a battle (in the first case) and speaking against them (in the second case).
1034* BizarreAlienBiology: The {{Giant Flyer}}s they ride are revealed to be the next stage in their life cycle. When the Ra'zac reach maturity, they shed their humanoid shells like a pupa and grow out their wings, as well as get ''much'' larger. They also no longer have a protective shell, but in return their skin is noted to be much tougher (though not as much as dragon scale).
1035* BlackCloak: They wear black cloaks to disguise their true appearances when among humans.
1036* BrotherSisterIncest: The Ra'zac are the offspring of the Lethrblaka, [[spoiler:and they themselves have offspring]].
1037* CaptainErsatz: They're very heavily based on the [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Nazgûl]]. Far-ranging minions of the BigBad, poisonous breath, BlackCloak outfits, even GiantFlyer mounts. However, rather than being wraiths, they're more like anthropomorphic weevils.
1038* CassandraTruth: The last adult Ra'zac to die tries to tell Eragon that [[spoiler:Galbatorix has nearly found the name of the Ancient Language. Downplayed in that it didn't exactly try to clear up what it meant by "the true name."]]
1039* CoolSword: The Ra'zac use ancient, leaf-bladed swords, which are heavily implied to have been enchanted.
1040* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler:Killed early in the third book when Eragon and Roran come to Helgrind to rescue Katrina.]]
1041* DyingCurse: [[spoiler:The last Ra'zac curses Eragon shortly before their final duel, screaming for him to find no home or peace of mind and leaving his land of birth forever.]]
1042* FemaleMonsterSurprise: One of them is revealed to be female, while the other's gender is not disclosed (but presumably male).
1043* GiantFlyer: They ride huge winged creatures called Lethrblaka, which are their parents and adult form, that are comparable in size to dragons.
1044* TheHeavy: In the second book, they attack Carvahall throughout the book, prompting Roran to take everyone from the village and leave to join the Varden.
1045* HeroKiller: Their official job is to hunt dragons and dragon riders for King Galbatorix.
1046* HumanoidAbomination: They aren't very natural, and don't seem to fit with anything in any of the fantasy mythos that ''Inheritance'' draws from. They are humanoid enough to pass for men when heavily disguised, but they upgrade to {{Animalistic Abomination}}s when they mature.
1047* IHaveYourWife: They abduct [[spoiler:Katrina and her unborn child, but she's rescued]]. [[spoiler:They are themselves enslaved by Galbatorix by means of him holding their eggs hostage.]]
1048* InsectoidAliens: Think a creature that looks like a humanoid weevil or weta and you're in the ballpark.
1049* InTheHood: They wear hooded cloaks when around people.
1050* ItCanThink: The Lethrblaka are said to be as intelligent and cunning as a dragon, albeit a cruel, psychotic one. Which makes sense, given they're the mature form of the Ra'zac, which are fully capable of planning and even human speech, though no Lethrblaka is actually seen speaking.
1051* KarmicDeath: They're killed off by the son and the cousin of the man they killed and the survivors of the village they destroyed. It also exterminates their race.
1052* LastOfHisKind: They are presumed to be the last of their kind, as Oromis states the Riders did their best to exterminate the Ra'zac when they realised how great a threat the creatures were to Alagaesia's human population. This is ultimately averted when [[spoiler:the cult of Helgrind uses several of their spawn to attack Eragon and Arya in ''Inheritance'' and Galbatorix claims that there were more. They are never found by the end of the book, leaving a possible SequelHook.]] In ''Murtagh'', Murtagh finds a Ra'zac egg in Gil'ead, but doesn't recognise it and leaves it alone, cursing himself when he learns the truth for not destroying it.
1053* LightningBruiser: They are stronger than humans, which are implied to be their natural prey.
1054* MixAndMatchCritters: InsectoidAliens but also with beaks.
1055* MonsterIsAMommy: The Lethrblaka are the parents of the humanoid Ra'zac [[spoiler:and the Ra'zac themselves are the parents of a clutch of eggs in Galbatorix's possession.]]
1056* NiceJobFixingItVillain: While they are very dangerous adverseries, quite a few of their actions resulted in this trope:
1057** They killed Garrow in their search for Saphira's egg. While Eragon never really liked the empire, the Ra'zac killing his uncle took his attitude from indifference to ItsPersonal levels.
1058** When they come back to Carvahall to find Roran, they do nothing to endear themselves to the people there, the soldiers they bring cause a lot of needless damage to the village, they don't bother hiding that they ate a dead villager, and they pretty much laugh on demands for compensation. Enough villagers get so fed up that they drive the Ra'zac and their soldiers away.
1059** After the previous event, they threaten the entire village (most of which had nothing to do with it) that they will be killed if they don't turn over Roran, or being sold into slavery if they do. With the choice between death or AFateWorseThanDeath, the entire village decides they've got nothing to gain by giving into the demands.
1060* PoisonedWeapons: They coat their arrows and blades in Seithr Oil, which [[HollywoodAcid dissolves living flesh.]]
1061* PrecursorKillers: Oromis states that it may have been the Ra'zac and Lethrblaka that destroyed so much of the humans' ancient homelands that they decided to flee across the sea from war and plague.
1062* PrehistoricAnimalAnalogue: Artistic depictions of their adult form resemble a Pteranodon crossed with a dragon.
1063* PsychicBlockDefense: The Ra'zac are naturally shielded from mental powers, making them ''very'' good foes for Dragon Riders and why Galbatorix sends them to investigate claims about Dragon Riders.
1064* PunctuationShaker: The name of the juvenile form of the species. Interestingly, the adult form, which are even more disturbingly alien by comparison, lack this. It's not clear if this is intentional.
1065* ScamReligion: Presumably they started the religion at Helgrind, which gives them a regular source of food without them having to hunt.
1066* SinisterSchnoz: Their beaks, both in their juvenile and adult forms.
1067* SnakeTalk: One of them speaks with a sibilant affliction.
1068* SuperStrength: Each can hoist a human up by the throat and throw projectiles unnaturally long distances, as shown in the second book when one throws a vial blowing up several villagers.
1069* ToServeMan: They prey on humans. It's stated that they evolved specifically to hunt humans, with Oromis likening it to how an osprey is perfectly evolved to hunt fish. During ''Eldest'', Quimby, Carvahall's brewer, is killed in a bar fight and the Ra'zac take his body. When it's recovered, that's left of him is bones, with obvious signs of being chewed on (such as the marrow being consumed).
1070* UltimateLifeForm: What the cultists of Helgrind consider them to be.
1071* WeakenedByTheLight: The Ra'zac are afraid of the sun as it burns their eyes and skin.
1072* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: The Ra'zac cannot swim and are thus terrified of deep water.
1073[[/folder]]
1074
1075[[folder:Solembum]]
1076A werecat, and companion to Angela.
1077----
1078* CreepyChild: His human form is a child with cat's eyes, cat fangs, and catlike mannerisms. Eragon admits to being a bit unnerved when he sees it for the first time.
1079* DeadpanSnarker: He's very sarcastic, as befitting a cat.
1080* NonHumanSidekick: He accompanies Angela wherever she goes.
1081* OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: The books describes werecats not as shapeshifting humans, but as a separate magical species that can shift between feline and humanoid forms. He has CuteLittleFangs in human form.
1082* {{Telepathy}}: Main form of communication as a cat. Although he doesn't communicate with humans much.
1083* VoluntaryShapeshifting: He can transform from a felid to a human form and back again.
1084[[/folder]]
1085
1086[[folder:Nar Garzhvog]]
1087An Urgal chieftain who joins the Varden with much of his race.
1088----
1089* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: He got to become chief by doing one thing no one else in his tribe could do: killing a massive cave bear. He's got the job until someone can best him in combat, which isn't likely to happen anytime soon.
1090* AuthorityGrantsAsskicking: Because of the way Urgal culture works, they are always led by their strongest fighter. In Garzhvog's case, he's the warchief of the Kull, meaning that he's likely the strongest Urgal in the world.
1091* GeniusBruiser: He's smarter than anyone would give an Urgal credit for.
1092* HornedHumanoid: He has massive horns.
1093* LargeAndInCharge: He's a [[GiantMook Kull]], making him much larger than normal Urgals.
1094* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Downplayed. He's not ashamed of Urgal culture, but he does admit to Eragon that their survival will depend on being able to live alongside the other races, which he knows won't succeed unless they make ''some'' changes.
1095* OurOrcsAreDifferent: Not exactly, but Urgals are close enough to orcs for it to count.
1096* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The Urgals are this as a race.
1097* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Surprisingly, he is among the most reasonable of the rebel army's leaders.
1098[[/folder]]

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