Line #9 Characters/SeptimusHeap


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3	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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6	Beware of unmarked spoilers.
7
8	[[foldercontrol]]
9
10	!The Heap Family
11	[[folder:Septimus]]
12	!! Septimus Heap
13	The main character, Septimus is a seventh son of a seventh son, wielding amazing '''Magykal''' powers.
14	----
15	* TheApprentice: Of Marcia Overstrand. She had been in fact waiting for him since long.
16	* BizarreTasteInFood: He's the only one who likes Aunt Zelda's CordonBleughChef cooking, but doesn't like chocolate.
17	* CharacterDevelopment: At first, he's scared and rather antisocial. After the first book, he grows to be more confident and happy.
18	* ChildMage: He becomes [=ExtraOrdinary=] Apprentice at the tender age of ten years.
19	* ChildSoldier: [[spoiler: In the Young Army during his first ten years of life.]]
20	* DragonRider: He is Spit Fyre's rider.
21	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: His hair is bright blond and he's a pretty NiceGuy.
22	* MagicalSeventhSon: The main theme of the series is that seventh children of seventh children have extraordinary ''Magykal'' abilities.
23	* MarkOfTheSupernatural: He gets green eyes after being recovered from the Young Army in ''Magyk'', as do all Wizard children when exposed to Magykal learning.
24	* MeaningfulName: Septimus is the seventh son of a seventh son. His name means "seventh" in Latin. [[spoiler:Furthermore, his Young Army "name" was Boy 412, and 4+1+2=7.]]
25	** Reaches ArcNumber level when in ''Queste'', Marcia Overstrand is revealed to be the 776th [=ExtraOrdinary=] Wizard (remember, the first Wizard came sailing in from ancient Egypt), which will eventually make her apprentice, Septimus, the 777th.
26	* NiceGuy: He is genuinely compassionate towards others and doesn't regard anyone with malice. He even offers a second chance to [[spoiler:Simon]].
27	* SwitchedAtBirth: With Jenna. And then again with Merrin.
28	* TookALevelInBadass: Septimus timidly starts off as TheLoad, but gets much better as his magical skill improves.
29	* TookALevelInJerkass: In ''Darke'', partly as a consequence of the imminent Darke Week and its tribulations.
30	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: All powerful Wizards tend to [[PrimalFear fear heights]], as explained in ''Queste''.
31	* YouAreNumberSix: Known as [[spoiler:Boy 412]] until the end of the first book. Of course, "Septimus" literally means "seventh," so in a way it still applies.
32
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Jenna]]
36	!! Jenna Heap
37	The daughter of Queen Cerys and Milo Banda. She was rescued by Marcia Overstrand when the Queen was shot, and subsequently adopted by the Heap family.
38	----
39	%%* ActionGirl: An on-and-off example.
40	* BarrierMaiden: The safety of the Castle depends upon Jenna’s presence in it.
41	* BerserkButton: Don't try to kill Septimus or else she will take you down.
42	* DisappearedDad: Milo's wherabouts weren't know until ''Flyte'', and his reunion with his daughter was rather less than friendly.
43	* GenkiGirl: She's generally upbeat.
44	* HappilyAdopted: She considers the Heap family to be her true family, almost more than her actual family.
45	* IdenticalGrandson: When she travels back in time, she looks so much like her ancestor Princess Esmeralda that everyone assumes she is her.
46	* OneOfTheBoys: Courtesy of living with six boys, leading into...
47	* {{Tomboy}}: Although she doesn't mind wearing the tiara and dress that come with being queen, Jenna gives off slight vibes of this. She's certainly not scared to get dirty.
48	* PluckyGirl: Whatever happens, she won't let her spirits be dampened.
49	* PrincessesRule: Only in ''Darke'' does she receive "official" royal promotion.
50	* SwitchedAtBirth: With Septimus.
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Simon Heap]]
54	Eldest son of Silas and Sarah.
55	----
56	* CainAndAbel: In ''Flyte'', [[spoiler:Simon is hunting down his younger brother Septimus and trying to eliminate him, to get the [=ExtraOrdinary Apprenticeship=].]]
57	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Subverted. He has blond hair like the rest of his family (except Jenna), but has a FaceHeelTurn between books 1 and 2.
58	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: [[spoiler:He's a good guy in the first book, the antagonist of the second book, a non-entity in the third, in the fourth he's grudgingly back to being a good guy, and by the time the fifth comes along, he's back on the '''Magykal''' straight-and-narrow]].
59	* ReformedButRejected: Simon realizes what he's done, but his family doesn't accept him back at first. [[spoiler:They eventually come around.]]
60	* TheUnfavorite: Simon feels that as the eldest son, he should be the [=ExtraOrdinary=] Apprentice, and temporarily joins [[spoiler:[=DomDaniel=]]] to make it happen.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Sam Heap]]
64	Word of Gay: Angie Sage has confirmed that he and Wolf Boy (Mandy Marwick) are a couple.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Nicko Heap]]
68	Second-youngest Heap son. He becomes a sailor, though he often joins Septimus and Jenna on their adventures.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Silas Heap]]
72	An Ordinary Wizard. Father to Simon, Sam, Edd, Erik, Jojo, Nicko, Septimus, and Jenna.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Sarah Heap]]
76	Mother to to Simon, Sam, Edd, Erik, Jojo, Nicko, Septimus, and Jenna.
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Zelda Heap]]
80	The witch of the Marram Marshes.
81	----
82	* CoolOldLady: Aunt Zelda, being the Keeper of Draggen Island, is pretty cool and beloved by her friends and family.
83	* CordonBleughChef: Aunt Zelda is, erm, "renowned" for her boiled cabbage sandwiches, jellied eel stew, and haddock-and-banana pie. Only Septimus is a fan of her cooking, but it seems to be NostalgiaFilter for him. All of her dishes are perfectly edible, if rather odd-sounding.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	!Wizards
87	[[folder:Marcia]]
88	!! Marcia Overstrand
89	The bossy [=ExtraOrdinary=] Wizard, she became EOW after her tutor Alther Mella was shot along with the Queen, and rescued Jenna in the same moment.
90	----
91	* TheArchmage: The [=ExtraOrdinary=] Wizard of the setting has high authority over other Wizards.
92	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Usually, she is very bossy and can be a huge annoyance to everyone, but when trouble abounds, she can be very caring and helpful. Also, her abrasiveness is often directed at those who deserve it; oftentimes she is depicted as gracious and polite, especially towards those that she takes a liking to. Her biggest fault is probably her tendency to leap to wrong conclusions about people, but she is at least capable of admitting her mistakes, such as happens with both Silas and Marcellus.
93	* ParentalSubstitute: She is this to Septimus, according to WordOfGod.
94	* PurpleIsPowerful: She is dressed head to toe in the purple robes of the [=ExtraOrdinary=] Wizard. She orders her shoes to be handmade out of special purple snakeskin, much to her shoemaker's dismay.
95	* {{Tsundere}}: Marcia is a non-romantic variant -- she's self-centered and abrasive as all get-out, but she very clearly cares deeply for Septimus (when she slips enough to let it show).
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Merrin]]
99	!! Merrin Meredith
100	The former student of Dom Daniel, and a bratty, nasty boy with a bad attitude and worse morals. A general pain to everyone he meets, and mostly just a pile of poor choices wrapped up in stupidity and a hatred for the world.
101	----
102	* AfraidOfBlood: Merrin is afraid of blood, especially his own, which leads him to fight back in ''Magyk''.
103	* AssholeVictim: Merrin has been through some horrible things, including a childhood where leaving his crying, toddler self in a ''closet'' was normal. He still manages to be an ass on every level, and isn't particularly one to sympathize too much for.
104	* BadPowersBadPeople: He's a Darke mage and undoubtedly a disgusting person.
105	* CharacterNameAlias: He renames himself Daniel Hunter, after [=DomDaniel=] and the Hunter.
106	* DirtyCoward: A major one, willing to do nearly anything to ensure his own safety.
107	* DoNotCallMePaul: Hates his name, and gives the alias Daniel Hunter[[note]]from the two scariest people he can think of, [=DomDaniel=] and the Hunter[[/note]] when he applies to work at the Manuscriptorium.
108	* {{Fingore}}: Loses a thumb when the Two Faced Ring has to be removed.
109	* FreudianExcuse: He was raised by a major BigBad, abused constantly, and lived in terror for most of his life, and is an absolutely awful person because of it all. He frequently whines about his past, too, and ''tries'' to use all the bad things that have happened to him as excuses for why he deserves a happy life (read: whatever he wants) now.
110	%%* {{Jerkass}}: The very definition of this.
111	* MistakenForBadass: Merrin was thought by [=DomDaniel=] to be Septimus Heap, who was the seventh son of the seventh son that was said to have extreme magical talent, so [=DomDaniel=] took Merrin in as an apprentice waiting for the talent to arise. It turns he was switched with the real Septimus at birth, so no such talent reveals itself. Merrin doesn't take this well.
112	* NewAbilityAddiction: Once Merrin gets actual power, he uses it almost constantly (and mostly just to show off).
113	* NonActionGuy: Can't fight or protect himself for anything, and has to resort to magic, dirty tricks, and intimidation to get his way. Considering that he's also something of a coward, this might just be his personality.
114	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: He was harmless and mostly useless, right up until Darke, when he actually achieved threat status and a kill count.
115	* ThePoorlyChosenOne: [=DomDaniel=] abducted him because he believed he was the seventh son of a seventh son, and would have great Magykal power. Not only did he not have any significant talent, Merrin's abusive upbringing turned him into a complete {{Jerkass}}.
116	* RingOfPower: Gets a hold of a very evil one after braving the corpse of his old master. [[spoiler: It doesn't end well for him.]]
117	* SwitchedAtBirth: With Septimus.
118	* UngratefulBastard: No matter how nice anyone is to him, he remains entirely awful. Even ''saving his life'' earns nothing but attempted murder.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:[=DomDaniel=]]]
122	BigBad of the first two books.
123	----
124	* DroppedABridgeOnHim: He simply, surprisingly and unceremoniously disappears after [[spoiler:his bones were consumed by Spit Fyre]] in ''Queste''.
125	* EvilMentor: To Alther, his apprentice.
126	* RingOfPower: The Two-faced Ring allows him to survive almost anything, coming back in ''Flyte'' as DemBones.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Syrah Syara]]
130	[=ExtraOrdinary=] Apprentice 500 years ago. She was selected for the Queste, but managed to escape on the back of a dolphin, making her way to the Isles of Syren.
131	----
132	* FishOutOfTemporalWater: When Septimus and co. rescue her from the Syren, she takes a long time to adjust to the world 500 years after her time.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Hotep-Ra]]
136	The first [=ExtraOrdinary=] Wizard. Built the Wizard Tower, the Dragon Boat, and the House of Foryx.
137	----
138	* TheArchmage: The first [=ExtraOrdinary=] Wizard, who founded the Wizard Tower.
139	* CoolOldGuy: Though he doesn't appear old, since [[NarniaTime time doesn't pass inside the House of Foryx]].
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	!Ghosts
143	[[folder:Alther Mella]]
144	Marcia's mentor, and before her Silas's. Killed in the first chapter of Magyk.
145	----
146	* DecemberDecemberRomance: An extreme example, with him only getting together with his love Alice Nettles [[TogetherInDeath after they're both dead]].
147	* KlingonPromotion: A rare heroic example. Alther became [=ExtraOrdinary=] Wizard by wresting the Akhu Amulet away from his EvilMentor [=DomDaniel=], who then fell off the roof of the Wizard Tower in a DisneyVillainDeath. Unfortunately, [=DomDaniel=] was immortal because of the Two-faced Ring, and returned for his revenge.
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:Cerys]]
151	The previous Queen of the Castle. Biological mother to Jenna Heap.
152	----
153	* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Cerys and Alther were murdered by an Assassin while she was still recovering from giving birth to Jenna and too weak to defend herself.
154	* MamaBear: Her powers are limited, but what little she can do to protect Jenna she does without hesitation - up to and including throwing her ancestor Etheldredda out of a window. When it comes to her daughter, the queen has cajones.
155	* SealedGoodInACan: As is the nature of ghosts, she can only enter places that she visited at least once when she was alive. Being the queen, that extends to very few if any places outside the castle. Her options are so limited that she opts to stay in the Queen's Chambers for pretty much the entire series, since someone needs to guard the secret passages up there anyways.
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:Etheldredda]]
159	Queen of the Castle 500 years ago. Mother to Marcellus and Esmeralda. BigBad of ''Physik''.
160	----
161	* CameBackWrong: She drowned when Jenna pushed her off the Castle into the moat below, but having drank Marcellus' incomplete immortality tincture, she came back as a Substantial Spirit - more than a ghost, but less than alive. She is not technically a ghost, so can go anywhere she wants rather than being bound to places she knew in life. But being not technically alive either, she cannot be killed, only sealed away - or, with great difficulty, destroyed.
162	* TheDreaded: Her nickname is literally "Etheldreadful".
163	* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Pretty much nobody was unhappy when she died.
164	* OffingTheOffspring: She personally ordered the drowning of two of her own children, because she was paranoid about them overthrowing her. Their ghosts haunted the castle for years afterward. She tried to do the same to her daughter Esmeralda, but Marcellus rescued and hid her.
165	** She later tried to ''personally'' kill Jenna multiple times, initially because she'd mistaken Jenna for Esmeralda and then later simply because Jenna was a thorn in her side.
166	* SealedEvilInACan: Etheldredda has spent 500 years trapped in a [[PhantomZonePicture painting]] before being released.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Tertius Fume]]
170	First Chief Hermetic Scribe, and the EvilMastermind behind the Queste.
171	----
172	* RhymesOnADime: Tertius Fume does this to the point of being called out for this by Merrin Meredith.
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	!Manuscriptorium
176	[[folder:Beetle]]
177	!!O Beetle Beetle
178	Septimus's best friend, he's the General Dogsbody and Inspection Clerk at the Manuscriptorium.
179	----
180	* BeleagueredAssistant: "General Dogsbody" basically means he does the jobs nobody else wants to do, and the places he has to inspect as clerk are the labyrinthine Ice Tunnels. Gets even worse when Jillie Djinn becomes his BadBoss.
181	* LastMinuteBabyNaming: His mother was overcome by grief at his father's death right before he was born, and at the naming ceremony could only sob "Oh, Beetle! Beetle!", which promptly became his name.
182	* LastNameBasis: Or middle name, since they're the same.
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder:Ephaniah Grebe]]
186	!!Ephaniah Grebe
187	* CrazyPrepared: Though not in the usual sense -- Ephaniah Grebe, who can't speak, has a box filled with ''hundreds'' of cards, apparently written to apply to any occasion, including one written just for the off-chance that he somehow meets the Queen or Princess ("Greetings, Your Majesty"). When his cards fail him (which requires a highly specialized situation, like needing to ask about the range of someone's '''Seek'''), he resorts to a pen and paper.
188	* TheHermit: Hardly ever leaves the Manuscriptorium basement, due to his unfortunate appearance.
189	* RatMen: Ephaniah Grebe is the unfortunate victim of two rogue spells, one of which involved rats, hitting him at the same time. He [[TheHermit spends most of his time in the Manuscriptorium's basement]], hiding his rodent face from the outside world. His transformation also changed his vocal cords to make him unable to form human speech, so he communicates using notecards.[[note]]He ''can'' communicate with normal rats, though, some of which can also speak human.[[/note]] He's not a bad person at all once you get over the initial shock at his appearance.
190	[[/folder]]
191
192	[[folder:Jillie Djinn]]
193	!!Jillie Djinn
194	Chief Hermetic Scribe for most of the series.
195	----
196	* AssholeVictim: No one feels particularly sad when [[spoiler:she dies]]. She was very nasty to Beetle and largely to blame for Merrin's actions through her employing of him in the Manuscriptorium.
197	* BadBoss: To most of the Manuscriptorium staff, but especially Beetle.
198	* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In ''Darke'', Jillie [[spoiler:expires standing up on Marcia's sofa a moment after the climax, without getting much attention.]]
199	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Employs Merrin and fires Beetle with barely a second thought.
200	[[/folder]]
201
202	!Other Castle Residents
203	[[folder:Marcellus Pye]]
204	Son of Queen Etheldredda and Castle Alchemist.
205	----
206	* AbsentMindedProfessor: Especially in ''Queste'', where he constantly forgets the reason for Septimus’s visits. Explained as a consequence of his age (about 500 years).
207	* AgeWithoutYouth: His imperfect immortality elixir didn't keep him from aging 500 years.
208	* ElderlyImmortal: Marcellus's imperfect immortality potion turned him into this. [[spoiler:He gets returned to his youthful appearance after drinking the perfected version.]]
209	* ImmortalGenius: Marcellus has had 500 years to learn everything there is to know about alchemy, though he was already the foremost expert on it before he became immortal.
210	* IWasQuiteALooker: 500 years ago he was a very handsome young man.
211	[[/folder]]
212
213	[[folder:Lucy Gringe]]
214	Simon's girlfriend, and an ActionGirl in her own right.
215	----
216	%%* ActionGirl
217	* BabiesEverAfter: With Simon.
218	* BootsOfToughness: She always wears a pair of sturdy boots, even with a nice dress.
219	* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Her father doesn't exactly ''hate'' the Heaps, and he later becomes a Counter-Feet buddy with Silas, but both families are shocked when Lucy and Simon run away together (they don't actually get married until the seventh book).
220	[[/folder]]
221
222	!Others
223	[[folder:Wolf Boy]]
224	Septimus's OnlyFriend from his Young Army days.
225	----
226	* BratsWithSlingshots: In ''Flyte'', he's able to blind [[spoiler:Simon]] in one eye with his slingshot.
227	* EmbarrassingFirstName: In ''Darke'', he finds out his birth name is [[GenderBlenderName Mandy]] Marwick. He decides to stick with Wolf Boy, and use "[[LastNameBasis Marwick]]" for official documents.
228	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He doesn't even know his birth name until the sixth book.
229	* WildChild: Lived on his own in the woods for several years until he met the "Forest Heaps" (Sam, Edd, Erik, and Jojo) and started living with them.
230	* YouAreNumberSix: Known as Boy 409 in the Young Army.
231	* Word of Gay: Angie Sage has confirmed that he is gay and in a relationship with Sam Heap.
232	[[/folder]]
233
234	[[folder:Snorri Snorrelsen]]
235	A merchant from the Northern Countries. She has some ShipTease with Nicko.
236	----
237	* BondCreature: Her cat, Ullr, who travels everywhere with her. He [[NighttimeTransformation turns into a panther at night]].
238	* GenderBlenderName: Her mother decided she'd name her child Snorri, no matter what gender.
239	* IntrepidMerchant: Her people are known for traveling long distances to trade.
240	* MinorLivingAlone: She sailed all the way to the Castle on her own as a teenager.
241	* MysticalWhiteHair: Though she doesn't have any '''Magykal''' powers. She's just a foreigner with unusual hair.
242	* TheRunaway: She sailed to the Castle against her mother's wishes to find her father's ghost.
243	[[/folder]]
244
245	[[folder:Milo Banda]]
246	Jenna's biological father. He's often away on trading expeditions.
247	----
248	* DisappearedDad: He didn't appear for the first 12 years or so of Jenna's life (though to be fair for most of that time he probably thought she was dead).
249	[[/folder]]
250
251	!Animals
252	[[folder:Stanley]]
253	A Messenger Rat.
254	----
255	* RecurringTraveler: Stanley the rat has a way of popping up where Septimus and Jenna least expect him.
256	* ResourcefulRodents: Messenger Rats will stop at nothing to deliver their messages.
257	* TalkingAnimal: Stanley the Message/Secret Service Rat. In fact, all message rats can talk, since they convey their messages via voice.
258	* YouAreNumberSix: Happens to Stanley the message rat after [=DomDaniel=]'s heavies take over the rat office. The new head rat reassigns him as Rat 101 and strips away his chartered confidential status.
259	[[/folder]]
260
261	[[folder:Spit Fyre]]
262	Septimus's dragon.
263	* BigEater: As to be expected of a growing dragon. He's also somewhat of an ExtremeOmnivore.
264	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / SeptimusHeap