open/close all folders
Protagonists
General tropes
- Age-Gap Romance: Amir is eight years older than her groom Karluk who is twelve when he marries Amir. She does guide him a bit into the more romantic aspects of marriage, although most of the time it seems she is willing to wait until he grows up.
- Chastity Couple: They're already married and live together. So far, they're only kissing, holding hands, and innocently sleeping as a couple. They're refraining from any sexual activity out of consideration for Karluk's young age. Chapter twenty-three has Amir wishing that he'd grow up faster, as it's strongly implied that she wants to get a lot more intimate with him.
- Courtly Love: Out of the very simple necessity of Karluk only being twelve years old.
- Duet Bonding: Amir and Karluk enjoy singing together.
- First Kiss: They share their first kiss in chapter three.
- Happily Married: They get along perfectly well and grow to love each other dearly as husband and wife.
- The Jailbait Wait: Voluntarily, rather than legally. By his culture's standards, twelve year-old Karluk is old enough for marriage and everything that entails. His grandmother is able to bluff to Amir's relatives that Amir is already pregnant with Karluk's child, and while admitting it isn't true, she says it's going to happen sooner or later anyway. Even so, Karluk and Amir both recognize it's better to wait until he's older.
- Marriage Before Romance: They get married at the start of the story as Arranged Marriage is the norm in their time and culture. They come to love each other as husband and wife once they get used to living together and know each other better.
- Official Couple: They get married at the start of the story and their romantic relationship is central to the story.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Their marriage starts as an arrangement between their families. Soon enough, they fall in love as they get to know each other and bond.
- Rescue Romance: While Amir and Karluk are already married at the start of the story, it isn't until Karluk's Big Damn Heroes moment in chapter 8 that Amir moves away from being more of a Cool Big Sis to Karluk and starts to see him romantically and act like a smitten young woman (and awkwardly so).
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Karluk is much calmer than Amir.
- Sleeps in the Nude: Justified when they sleep in a yurt because they need to sleep naked to keep their bodies warm.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Amir is fully-grown, Karluk is still a twelve-year-old.
Amir Halgal
Karluk's twenty year-old bride; she is from a semi-nomadic clan. She is the daughter of the clan chief.
- The Ace: Barring her age, Amir is pretty much the perfect bride. She excels at sewing, cooking, and hunting, on top of being a kind and patient beauty. She also happens to be the daughter of her natal clan’s chief (after Belqat dies, her loving elder brother, Azel, succeeds him).
- Action Girl: She has hunting and survival skills that can be turned to combat, and she’s physically courageous as well as fiercely protective of her new family. It’s actually stated that this was part of a normal education for girls where she’s from. Chapter thirty-three drives the point firmly home when she takes out her own father, the enemy commander, single-handed.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: After a brief moment of insecurity on Karluk's part, Amir gives him one in chapter sixty-six. He responds in kind.
- Bathing Beauty: She could lounge naked in the bath for ages.
- Chekhov's Gun: Remember how Amir panics whenever someone gets sick and how it apparently took her father seven years to find a groom despite her many qualifications and being the daughter of clan chief? There’s a reason for that... Apparently an epidemic killed many members of her clan, combined with Belqat not realizing that the best is the enemy of the good, and you get the present results. This continues to effect her.
- Comically Missing the Point: While other characters do this for time to time, Amir is definitely the biggest offender. In particular:
- In the first chapter, Amir receives some cloth from her mother-in-law, Sanira, which she uses to make a rabbit fur-trimmed vest for Karluk. Sanira says that she'd thought it'd be nice material for Amir to make something for herself. Amir thinks this means that Sanira thinks her current clothes are too dirty to wear, so she immediately strips down and runs off to do laundry.
- In chapter three, after Amir hunts down a fox, Karluk admits he worries she may one day run into a wolf. Her response?Amir: Oh, for wolves you need more people, to get all of them at a shot! You can't hunt them alone!Karluk: ......
- Cool Big Sis: She is this to Pariya and Karluk's niece and nephews.
- Delicious Distraction: Pomegranates are guaranteed to catch Amir's attention at any time.
- Gender-Blender Name: "Amir" is an actual male name, however, the manga applies it to the clearly female Amir, without it being noticed In-Universe.
- I Gave My Word: Amir smuggling a meal to a boy being punished is one thing, but doing so after she told him that she can't do it again is quite another (to the mother’s distress).
- The Ingenue: Amir is innocent and occasionally oblivious, so she can come off this way despite being otherwise mature. This includes a few Cloudcuckoolander moments (one word: hedgehogs), despite otherwise not fitting the trope.
- Innocent Fanservice Girl: She has no qualms about occasionally going about the house in her underwear.
- Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Like all other female characters in the setting, she wears elaborately embroidered clothing along with jewellery (hers are on the more elaborate end due to her status as the daughter of her clan’s chief and the wife of the heir to a wealthy family). Like the other action girls in the setting, she makes no change to her garb when hunting or helping to stop an invasion.
- Meaningful Name: "Amir" means "commander, prince, emir;" she is the daughter of the chief of her clan and sister of his heir apparent.
- Ms. Fanservice: She's shown fully naked in bed or the bath in several scenes, with a complete exposure of her breasts.
- No Infantile Amnesia: She remembers being put in a saddlebag when she was a baby.
- Odd Friendship: With Pariya.
- One Head Taller: She's taller than her young husband by a full head.
- Parenting the Husband: Subverted. Amir thinks this is her role in regards to Karluk and seems fine with it, but he grows weary of it pretty soon and eventually gets the point across that she doesn't have to babysit him. The way he does it also has a side effect of Amir falling head over heels for him.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Karluk's kindness, maturity, and bravery at the time of protecting her are the reasons Amir comes to love him as her husband.
- Through His Stomach: After she starts falling in love with Karluk, her first real romantic gesture towards her husband is cooking him a big feast that she personally hunted for him.
- Unbroken Vigil: When Karluk falls ill with a fever, Amir stays by his side to watch over him while even refusing to properly eat and sleep.
- Violently Protective Wife: Don't try to hurt Karluk, even if you are her father. Seriously, don't.
Karluk Eihon
Amir's twelve year-old husband. He comes from a sedentary town not far from Bukhara. He is the only son of Akunbek.
- Beautiful Singing Voice: According to Amir, his singing voice is quite fine (whether it will last after his voice changes is another question).
- Beware the Nice Ones: He may be a sweet twelve year-old boy, but don't try to harm or kidnap his wife. He will use any means available to stop you, no matter how hopelessly out armed or physically out-classed he is.
- Cool Uncle: He has shades of this in the eyes of his nephews (possibly his niece as well).
- He's All Grown Up: Chapter twenty-eight has Amir slowly coming to this realization, with the added input of other female characters discussing how Karluk's all grown up to accentuate Amir's moment of realization in the last page. Note, however, that his emotional maturity is way ahead of his physical maturity.
- I Just Want to Be Badass: He doesn't want Amir to treat him like a child or someone weak who needs protection. He feels humiliated whenever he can't match her strength, as in his losses to her in arm wrestling, or his struggling with the draw weight of the horn bow she made for him. Most of all, their village's conflicts with the Halgal and Badan tribes make him decide that he never wants to be helpless again or be unable to protect Amir.
- Likes Older Women: Despite this being a culture in which a girl of twenty like Amir is considered old for a bride, Karluk states that her age doesn't bother him one bit, and in fact he wouldn't have her any other way. Downplayed in that it is unclear if Karluk thinks this way about women in general or if it is because Amir happens to be older than him.
- Manly Men Can Hunt: He seems to be partially of this opinion and takes measures to learn how, this being an element in his Muscle Angst and later development. Admittedly, this is partially because he noticed the advantages of archery over the firearms of his day and because he wants to go hunting with Amir.
- Meaningful Name: "Karluk" probably refers to the Karluk people, who were closely related to the Uzbeks and Uyghurs and seem to have married into those groups, making Karluk a Karluk.
- Muscle Angst: He works hard to get muscular and wants to have Amir notice his gains.
- Nice Guy: He's an outstandingly polite and kind boy.
- Took a Level in Badass: While he was already quite brave, given his actions in chapter 8, he does get stronger. Over the course of the story, he comes to learn archery, and then gets some lessons from his wife’s family.
- Wise Beyond His Years: To modern sensibilities, twelve year old Karluk comes off as surprisingly mature for his age. In the setting, though, he's considered an adult and expected to act as such.
Eihon Household
Balkirsh
The matriarch of the Eihon household; she is Karluk's grandmother.
- Action Girl: She is an expert archer, and while she mostly stopped using her bow after she got married, she’s still got the touch, as well as Nerves of Steel. She also uses her talent for riding goats to rescue a small child from a steep cliff in a side chapter. She isn’t exactly young either.
- Apron Matron: Resident Cool Old Lady, Balkirsh bears this role, and she’s also the wife of the Eihon family patriarch, Mahatbek.
- Cool Old Lady: She drives off hostile visitors with a bow and rides a goat up a cliff to rescue a child. After the latter side-story, she's explicitly dubbed the coolest and strongest woman in the manga!note
- Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: She wears an exceedingly elaborate headdress, among other things, even when ridding a goat.
- Never Mess with Granny: She fires an arrow at Azel as a warning shot when he comes to retrieve Amir and successfully bluffs him out of the village. In a side story she rides up a mountain on a goat to rescue a little boy. At the end of the chapter she is deemed the strongest and coolest woman in the whole manga. She even kills Azel's father personally, even though he's Amir's father too.
- Old Master: Balkirsh is an old master at many things and becomes this to Pariya, mostly with regard to embroidery. She has streaks of a Stern Teacher as well. In chapter fifty-two, Pariya imagines Balkirsh being a sort of Spirit Advisor, one who leaves her to her own devices in a tough spot.
- Shipper on Deck: While she is always happy to help anyone with their relationship problems she seems to be particularly helpful when it comes to Pariya and Umar's relationship, even keeping it a secret the two are hanging out alone together, which would usually be a big no-no.
Mahatbek Eihon
The patriarch of the Eihon household, although he has mostly handed the reins to his son, Akunbek. He is Karluk's grandfather and a lifelong resident of the town.
- Non-Action Guy: Due to his age, if ever did have any action element, it wasn’t much and is now long gone.
- The Patriarch: He technically bears this role, although he prefers a state of semi-retirement. When ever his guidance is needed, he willingly gives it.
Sanira
Karluk's mother and Akunbek's wife.
- Silver Fox: Sanira already has a few grandchildren, but is still very beautiful. Her husband, Akunbek, notes this even while she's suffering from a cold.
Akunbek Eihon
Karluk's father, the de facto head of the Eihon household and a significant person in the town.
- The Patriarch: He is the de facto head of household, since his father prefers to be in semi-retirement. He is also an important person among the town elders.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He is a very reasonable person, nor does he abuse his authority as head of the household and a town elder.
- Sacred Hospitality: He gives this to several characters at various points.
- Sleepyhead: He can fall asleep instantly and apparently always has.
Seleke
One of Karluk's elder sisters and the only one who lives in the Eihon household. She is Yusuf's wife and the mother of their four children.
- Absurdly Youthful Mother: She seems to be in her early or mid twenties, yet as four children. Her eldest, Tileke, is eight; that said, the middle two are twins.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Chapter 79 provides this, showing how she and her husband act in private. In the end, the fact that they have four children isn’t at all strange.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With her husband, Yusuf.
Yusuf
One of Karluk's brothers-in-law and the only one who lives in the Eihon household. He is Seleke's husband and the father of their four children.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Chapter 79 provides this, showing how he and his wife act in private. In the end, the fact that they have four children isn’t at all strange.
- Big Brother Instinct: He has this for his much-younger brother-in-law, Karluk.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With his wife, Seleke.
- Brutal Honesty: Usually, which is typically the cause of his arguing with Seleke.
- Too Much Information: Due to his usual speech habits, he’s a periodic purveyor of this. That said, there are also times when he deliberately keeps quiet.
Tileke
Karluk's niece, the eldest child and only daughter of Seleke and Yusuf.
- Cheerful Child: Along with her siblings, she’s a happy child in a well-to-do home.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: On the whole she’s very feminine, having no interest in archery and focusing on her embroidery, however, the girl is obsessed with falcons. Seleke brings this up in chapter one.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Every once in a while, she’ll take on this role, but never as much as her brothers.
Torkan and Chalg
Karluk's twin nephews, the second and third eldest children of Seleke and Yusuf.
- Always Identical Twins: They're fraternal; so clearly not the case here. They also lack most common twin tropes, rarely having any Twin Banter, etc.
- Big Brother Bully: They tend to be a little rough with Rostem
- Cheerful Child: Along with their siblings, they’re happy children in a well-to-do home.
- Plucky Comic Relief: They take on this role almost every time they show up.
- Those Two Guys: They are always shown together.
Rostem
Karluk's nephew, the fourth child and youngest son of Seleke and Yusuf. Often seen skipping or trying to get away from his chores.
- Cheerful Child: Along with his siblings, he’s a happy child in a well-to-do home.
- Curious as a Monkey: Loves watching a woodcarver, to the point of trying to use the man's tools himself.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Every time he appears, he has loads of this. Even more so than his elder brothers.
Travellers
Henry Smith
An English scholar and researcher sojourning and traveling in the region.
- Ascended Fan Boy: He grew up hearing stories about explorers and their grand adventures. The stories about the Silk Road especially fascinated him, so when he was given a reason to explore the Central Asia region he jumped at it.
- Badass Bookworm: He's not a fighter by any means, but he has the bravery to help people and is willing to risk his life to preserve the local cultures even when the Russians are knocking.
- Benevolent Boss: Was this to Ali, who comments to Nikolovsky after they have parted ways with Smith and Talas that he never once actually ordered Ali to do anything, which was quite the contrast to all the scare stories about Westerners that Ali had heard.
- Blind Without 'Em: Without his glasses, at less than a yard away, he can't tell people apart from pillars.
- Blue Blood: Apparently comes from a very well-off English family whose father is a member of Parliament.
- Didn't Think This Through: One recurring comment about Henry, from both his friends and family back in England, is how he as a knack for springing into action without paying heed to what others would think. This also means that he has a bad habit of not fully thinking through the ramifications of his actions.
- Cunning Linguist: Knows at least two Central Asian languages and is always learning more. His purpose for studying abroad apparently started as wanting to learn more about the regional dialects.
- Gentleman and a Scholar: While a little awkward and geeky, he is also kind, polite, generous, and sincerely dedicated to the study and preservation of Central Asian cultures.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: After a run-in with the Russian military, Smith finally accepts that his travels have become too dangerous and decides to return to England with Talas.
- Last-Name Basis: Usually goes by his surname, despite it being difficult for most people in the region to pronounce.
- Love at First Sight: Despite his initial reluctance to take Talas as his wife, Smith admits he was attracted by her beauty from the moment he first saw her.
- Non-Action Guy: Well, he is mainly a scholar. Made especially obvious when he travels with Ali who's a career bodyguard and Nikolovski, who's a former soldier. That said Smith does possess a quick wit and Nerves of Steel so he's far from useless.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Henry's parents are less than thrilled to see him return from Central Asia with a native fiancée. While his father is disappointed he is at least understanding, even joking that at least Henry is the second son. His mother on the other hand is beside herself with anger, outright forbidding Talas to stay in any of the family homes. She goes on such a racist tirade that Henry was beginning to get legitimately angry; if not for the timely intervention of Mr. Hawkins, he probably would have said something that would have gotten him disinherited.
- Opaque Nerd Glasses: He's a geeky scholar and we usually can't see his eyes behind his glasses except in the more serious situations.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: His glasses are part of being the scholar/nerd, and they are often whitened out as a way of showing his awkwardness. When you can actually see his eyes, it's probably a serious and/or emotional moment.
Ali
Smith's capable guide.
- Brutal Honesty: He doesn't mince words.
- Deadpan Snarker: Often his way of commenting on their current situations.
- Dowry Dilemma: Gender Inverted, as in his case his family doesn't have enough wealth to secure him a marriage, hence he is guiding Mr. Smith to earn money for a bride.
- Native Guide: Mr. Smith is lucky to have him, as he is well-versed in everything in the area (including different languages, different customs, etc.), and also a competent traveler himself. Mr. Smith would probably be dead without him.
Nikolovsky
A man who works as a messenger.
- Debt Detester: Hawkins saved Nikolovsky's life during their time together in the war, and Nikolovsky swore to serve him afterwards. Hawkins is frustrated at Nikolovsky's refusal to accept fair compensation for his service, especially since he feels he owes Nikolovsky just as much. He's only able to convince Nikolovsky to take the house where he'd been residing in Ankara off his hands when he returns to England by convincing Nikolovsky to think of it as a gift from a friend rather than payment.
- Gentle Giant: A very tall and big man, but is also polite and friendly.
- I Choose to Stay: An interesting varient in that he chooses to stay traveling with Smith into the Steppes despite saying he was just going to accompany him to Tehran.
- I Owe You My Life: Mr. Hawkins saved his life during a war when Nikolovsky acted as a guide and interpreter for his regiment. Given that all his children are grown up and married off, Nikolovsky decided to follow Hawkins and act as his servant until the time he had repaid his debt.
- One-Man Army: He manages to fight off and put to flight an entire Russian army unit all by himself while Smith, Talas, Ali and the female townspeople and children escape... and survive with barely a scratch.
- Papa Wolf: He is extremely protective of children, especially girls, as they remind him of his daughters. While he is normally a very stoic and quiet man, he becomes much more talkative and energetic when talking about his family.
Townsmen and Neighbors
The Carpenter
An elderly carpenter living not far from the Eihon household.
- Anger Born of Worry: Shouts at Rostem when the latter played with his carving tools.
- No Name Given
Pariya Togonosh
A young woman living in town, she is kind but a bit brash. She is her parent's only child as well as Amir's first friend in the town.
- Brutal Honesty: She isn't trying to be mean, but she's not good at lying and can't help but speak her mind.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: Inverted. Pariya doesn't easily fit into the setting's standard of femininity: she cares nothing about embroidery, is bad at girly talk (at first) and is considered brash and awkward. However, despite what one may assume from this, likely due to her parent's business, Pariya is an accomplished baker.
- Friendless Background: Before Amir, Pariya didn't seem to have any friends her own age. Not because she hated anyone, or vice versa, she was just very socially awkward. Amir has helped bring her out of her shell.
- Master of the Mixed Message: Pariya has a habit of being gruff and her expression can often seem grumpy when in fact the exact opposite is the case.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: Double subverted. Pariya hates sewing and embroidery, but is very good at it when she tries. Thankfully for her, as girls cannot avoid doing embroidery if they want to marry.
- Tomboy: Pariya is considered very unladylike in her culture and it often causes her problems. She tends to speak without thinking and she loves doing manual labor which for a lot of people is just weird.
- Stalker without a Crush: She basically stalks Kamola for a few days trying to learn from observation how to be more ladylike.
- Stronger Than They Look: As well as being very tomboyish, Pariya is incredibly strong for a girl. When the axle of the wagon she and Umar are riding on snaps, she's able to lift the entire thing off the ground on her own to let Umar fit a new one, absolutely astonishing (as well as thoroughly impressing) him.
Pariya's Parents
Pariya's worrywart parents. Her father, Togo, is a potter.
- Eyes Always Shut: Pariya's mother is almost always drawn like this. Especially notable since she seems to be the only one drawn to be so.
Umak
Karluk's paternal uncle, a nomad who moves to the lands near the town in chapter three.
Town Headman
The head elder of the town.
- Stroke the Beard: Is fond of stroking his lengthy beard when thinking.
Kamola
A very accomplished and friendly young woman living in town.
- The Ace: Pariya ends up stalking the girl because in her mind Kamola is the perfect example of what a woman should be.
- Nice Girl: Her overall defining trait is she is a wonderfully nice girl that can get along with anyone.
- Odd Friendship: She becomes very close to Pariya despite the fact that the two couldn't be more opposite if they tried.
Halgal Clansmen
General tropes
- Bow and Sword in Accord: They display skill as archers and swordsmen.
- Horse Archer: All Halgal warriors are trained in archery and horse-riding.
Azel Halgal
Amir's elder brother, son of the clan chief.
- The Ace: Hot-Blooded tendencies aside, Azel, is basically the perfect man by the region's standards. He excels at hunting, archery, swordsmanship, leadership, falconry, equestrianism, and most traditionally male tasks. He's also smart, handsome, and very loyal to his family. In short, he’s very clearly Amir’s brother.
- Aloof Big Brother: Azel is this to Amir; later it turns out that this was partially imposed by their father's attitudes and even then he shows a fair amount of Big Brother Instinct. He later comes to have a similar attitude toward Karluk.
- Anti-Villain: Azel strongly disapproves of his father's order to take Amir back and marry her to an abusive and wealthy man, but very reluctantly follows orders anyway, since they're the orders of the clan's Chief and no one should ever disobey their father. Together with Joruk and Baimat, he tries to dissuade the elder members of their clan, especially his father, to no avail. When Belqat leads a raid on Karluk’s town, the three set up a counter-plan in advance, sending Joruk to alert Amir under the guise of trying to convince her one last time, actively minimizing casualties, and striking back at the Badan. After Belqat dies and Azel becomes the chief, they lead the clan in a more intelligent and sensible direction, giving the entire clan a Heel–Face Turn.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Although Azel doesn’t usually say much, not only is he a One-Man Army, he’s also really bloodthirsty when genuinely angry.
- Big Brother Instinct: Azel does this a lot, although it isn't always obvious, and he extends this to his young brother-in-law.
- Big Brother Mentor: He later becomes this to Karluk.
- Determinator: Azel will do whatever he sets his mind to, even with terrible odds. This is made particularly clear during the Halgal-Badan invasion.
- Genius Bruiser: Azel is far more intelligent than his One-Man Army status and Hot-Blooded tendencies would lead you to believe, and he shows this from his introduction. On top of his clear judgements in confusing and life-threatening situations, he needs very little information to determine what is going on. Just how smart is made amply clear in chapter 30. He's only had a brief glance at the Badan armoury and seen their pastures in passing, and not only does he know that the Badan are in bed with Czarist Russia, he knows exactly what both the Badan and the Russians are up to.
- Hot-Blooded: Underneath his quiet and calm exterior, Azel has quite the temper and can be very bloodthirsty when provoked.Azel: I thought that I should slit their throats right here and now.
- Hunk: He has a foot in both camps and also happens to be one of the most attractive characters in the story.
- Like Father, Like Son: Azel shares his father Belqat's battle prowess (and then some), determination, and quick temper.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Azel is usually calm, thinks before he acts, and deeply cares about his family; his father Belqat is rash, arrogant, and puts his goals before his family members.
- Meaningful Name: "Azel" means "reserved," which describes him quite well.
- Mr. Fanservice: Hey, remember Amir's brother, Azel? He's kinda hot, right? Now, let's get him soaking wet and watch him strip. Oh, so you enjoyed that last part? Well, I guess it wouldn't be too much trouble for him to take his shirt off again. And let's give him a few bruises and bandages, why not?
- Nerves of Steel: Azel has a prominent case of this. Not only is he able to stare down a skilled archer who is aiming at his head at close range and stand his ground, he can gauge the situation clearly while in the thick of a chaotic battle with his surroundings covered in smoke and the odds very much against him.
- One-Man Army: Azel on horseback. Seriously, anyone approaching him with hostile intentions while he’s riding would fare better to just slit their own throat. Being on foot weakens him to a more typical range of badassery: taking out five mounted gunmen alone and on foot isn’t exactly a stretch for him.
- Only Sane Man: Along with Baimat and Joruk, he is this for his entire clan, whose priorities are... strange at times.
- The Stoic: Azel at first seems this way, but is shown to be too caring toward his family and generally Hot-Blooded to qualify.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Very much the case for Azel. There’s a reason why he's Mr. Fanservice.
Baimat
Amir's cousin on her father's side.
- Anti-Villain: Baimat disapproves of Belqat’s order to take Amir back and marry her to an abusive and wealthy man, but very reluctantly follows orders anyway, since they’re the orders of the clan’s Chief and no one should ever disobey their father. Together with Azel and Joruk, he tries to dissuade the elder members of their clan, especially Belqat, to no avail. When Belqat leads a raid on Karluk’s town, the three set up a counter-plan in advance, sending Joruk to alert Amir under the guise of trying to convince her one last time, actively minimizing casualties, and striking back at the Badan. After Belqat dies and Azel becomes the chief, they lead the clan in a more intelligent and sensible direction, giving the entire clan a Heel–Face Turn.
- Armor-Piercing Question: He gives one to Azel in chapter 30.
- Big Brother Mentor: He later becomes this to Karluk.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: He's much, much larger than his eventual wife, Aigul.
- Hunk: He’s portrayed this way, in a low-key manner.
- Only Sane Man: Along with Azel and Joruk, he is this for his entire clan, whose priorities are... strange at times.
- The Stoic: Baimat never gets angry, ever; when he tries to recall a time he lost his temper, he cannot think of one (nor can anyone else, for that matter). Because of this, he usually acts as a voice of reason for Azel and Joruk.
- Those Two Guys: Baimat and Joruk are introduced this way, before they are flushed out. Even then, shades of this remain.
Joruk
Amir's cousin on her mother's side.
- Anti-Villain: Joruk disapproves of Belqat’s order to take Amir back and marry her to an abusive and wealthy man, but very reluctantly follows orders anyway, since they’re the orders of the clan’s Chief and no one should ever disobey their father. Together with Azel and Baimat, he tries to dissuade the elder members of their clan, especially Belqat, to no avail. When Belqat leads a raid on Karluk's town, the three set up a counter-plan in advance, sending him to alert Amir under the guise of trying to convince her one last time, actively minimizing casualties, and striking back at the Badan. After Belqat dies and Azel becomes the chief, they lead the clan in a more intelligent and sensible direction, giving the entire clan a Heel–Face Turn.
- Big Brother Mentor: He later has shades of this towards Karluk.
- Deadpan Snarker: Joruk sometimes does this, even when it is probably not the best idea, survival-wise.
- The Gadfly: Joruk can’t help himself, it would seem. He’s just teasing people, really, or trying to see other expressions.
- Hunk: Joruk totes the line on this one and is portrayed as quite handsome, although not to the same extent as Azel.
- Lovable Rogue: Joruk has no issues with doing morally dubious things for his own enjoyment, but not only are these fairly minor, he has no ill intent.
- Obsessed with Food: Joruk often complains about being hungry and pilfers food whenever he can.
- Only Sane Man: Along with Azel and Baimat, he is this for his entire clan, whose priorities are... strange at times.
- Stepford Snarker: Although he will drop it when questioned specifically (e.g. chapter 30), when he is in danger of losing his life, Joruk adds snark to his usual gadfly tendencies. This is particularly made clear when he is in danger of being executed due to the authorities getting a simplified version of the Halgal-Badan attack in chapter 35, and continues regardless, while being held down with his face to the ground.Joruk: [to the town headman] Fuck no. Don't bury me with those assholes[...] I've never seen two people see eye to eye, let alone two tribes. Guy your age's been around enough to know that much.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: While not to the same extent as Azel, Joruk is a looker.
- Those Two Guys: Baimat and Joruk are introduced this way, before they are flushed out. Even then, shades of this remain.
Belqat Halgal
The Halgal clan chief, as well as Amir and Azel's father.
- Abusive Parents: He is constantly snapping at and sometimes hitting Azel whenever the latter tries to reason with him, and from what we see of him, we are made to understand that he treats all of his children similarly when he pays attention to them and otherwise doesn’t notice them. And obviously, that’s only the tip of the iceberg, given his actions in the present.
- Archnemesis Dad: He married multiple relatives (including his younger daughters) to the son of Numaji's chief, despite both women being abused to death, so he wants to strip Amir away from her present loving husband in order to marry her off to the man.
- He gets increasingly violent about taking Amir away. Ultimately, when he fails to kidnap Amir and the Numaji kick them out, he tries to invade the village and kill all of the people instead. This includes ignoring Amir's presence in the town and actively trying to kill his young son-in-law.
- To make matters worse, he orders Amir’s brother, Azel, to take part in every attempt, which in the setting is the same as forcing him. This is while completely ignoring Azel’s clear objections to the idea and attempts to dissuade him.
- Cultural Posturing: He thinks that the sedentary tribe he leads an attack on will be easy to take, for one. More noticeably, he is the character who most severely underestimates Russia. This is made especially obvious in chapter eighteen:Belqat: And what are the Russians supposed to be anyway? They’re just savages from the borderlands!
- Determinator: He will get his hands on some land, no matter who he has to sacrifice, scruples be damned. And he won’t listen to reason, either.
- Eye Patch Of Power: He wears an elaborately decorated cloth band over his missing left eye.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: This is also how he meets his end, curtesy of Balkirsh.
- Pride: He is very arrogant, both with respect to himself and his clan.
- Revenge Before Reason: Once he is betrayed by the Badan, he is seen dragging himself away while wounded swearing revenge on his daughter and everyone else involved in the attack, in chapter 35. Fortunately, Balkirsh stops him.
- Skewed Priorities: He puts his Pride and goals before everything else, sometimes to the extent of near tunnel vision. This is also the reason why Amir ended up marrying so late and why Azel, Baimat, and Joruk are still single.
- Silver Fox: As curmudgeonly as he is, the man is physically attractive.
Amir and Azel's Grandfather
The previous chief of the Halgals. He is Amir and Azel's paternal grandfather.
- Like Father, Like Son: He completes the picture set up by his son and grandson, largely sharing Azel's temperament (rather than Belqat's) and with only half the temper.
- Posthumous Character: He is dead by the time the story begins. However, he is talked about and shows up in a brief flashback.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: According to both Mahatbek and Amir. From what we hear about him, he was wise and respectable, unlike his son, but very much like Azel (only rather less Hot-Blooded).
The Halgal Elders
The various warriors of the Halgal clan, all of whom are at least thirty or so.
- Pride: They are very arrogant.
- Skewed Priorities: They have a bad case of this. Case and point: chapter 33, they are betrayed during battle, and when a younger Halgal warrior tries to direct them, they scold him for being impolite. Said younger warrior calls them out on this.
Aterui and Karahiga
Amir's younger sisters who were married off to Numaji and died.
- Domestic Abuse: Both women were married off to the same abusive man and died from it.
- Perfect Health: According to Amir, Aterui had this.
- Posthumous Character: They only get a few mentions, starting with the news that one of them died in chapter one. They are both mentioned in chapter 13.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: They are only mentioned in passing, their deaths explaining why the Amir's father wants to take her back and marry her off again.
The Jandiq Clan
Jahan of the Jandiq
The leader of the Jandiq clan, and father of Bique. He allies his clan to the Halgal through marriage to help cement a coalition between the steppe tribes and the villages against the oncoming threat of Russia.
- Good Parents: Unlike Belqat, he's very caring towards his daughters (although it's a bit ambiguous how many of the tribe's young women are his daughters and how many are nieces or other relatives), refusing to allow them to be married off to unworthy men just for the convenience of his tribe. He's protective of Aigul in particular, refusing to allow Baimat to marry her until he swears an oath that he shall never raise a hand against her.
Jahan Bique
The strongest daughter of the Jandiq clan leader, a cool beauty who owns a magnificent golden horse called Kalkashka. After being defeated in the Engagement Challenge by Azel, she becomes his bride.
- Action Girl: Probably the toughest female character in the series, she turns the horse race between her and her sisters and the Halgal men into a battle over the last remaining arrow. On the night of her wedding to Azel, she pledges to fight alongside him when he faces the Russians.Bique: The daughters of the Jandiq do not sit crying in their yurts awaiting the return of their men. Rather than quietly becoming widows we would fight alongside, taking out at least one or two of the enemy.
- Ain't No Rule: When Azel seizes one of the arrows marked with a red cloth that he needs to bring back to win the Jandiq's Engagement Challenge, Bique uses her saber to cut it in half. She then grabs all of the remaining arrows, keeps one for herself, and uses her bow to shoot the remainder out of reach, changing the contest from a race to grab an arrow and bring it back, to a battle over possession of the single remaining arrow.Bique: I don't remember anyone saying obstruction is against the rules!
Azel: True enough! - Ice Queen: Stoic, cool, unflinching and with the classic beauty of a carved marble statue. Azel compares her to a hawk, describing all other women as little lambs by comparison.
Ryazat
One of the daughters of the Jandiq clan. Feisty and eager to marry, she latches on to Joruk before the Engagement Challenge race is even over.
- Extreme Libido: By the standards of the series anyway; she's incredibly eager to get married to Joruk just because he's cute, and on their wedding night she asks him upfront how many children he wants, with her thinking at least ten, before practically throwing herself at him.
- Genki Girl: Impulsive and energetic, she's almost more woman than Joruk can handle.
- Throwing the Fight: She offers to let Joruk beat her in the engagement race because she thinks he's cute. Joruk hesitates to accept because he thinks it wouldn't be right to win that way, but she rescinds the offer when Bique changes the contest from individuals trying to win to the men and women facing off in teams.
Aigul
Another daughter of the Jandiq clan, she returned to the family after divorcing her violent husband, who disfigured her face by splashing her with boiling broth. Baimat chooses her as his bride.
- Broken Bird: Aigul is quiet, shy and seems perpetually sad, even when she's overcome with joy.
- Domestic Abuse: Her former husband was violent. After he kicked a kettle of boiling broth at her, badly burning her left cheek, her family took her back.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Baimat towers over her.
- Tears of Joy: After Baimat chooses her as his intended bride, explicitly to make up for the abuse she suffered at the hands of her first husband, she has tears glittering in her eyes.
- What Beautiful Eyes!: On their wedding night, Baimat doesn't patronise her by praising the beauty of her scarred face, instead telling her that she has "eyes as deep as a mountain lake" before kissing her.
Kazara
Talas
A Qaraqalpaq
widow who is first seen in the market in Kazara. After her first husband died without issue, she was successively married to all of his younger brothers with the same result.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Talas is able to use a complicated camera setup mostly by watching Henry a few times (plus a brief explanation by him later).
- Awful Wedded Life: Downplayed; She and her third husband didn't get along too well, and she was more saddened that her fifth husband had basically been a child when he died than for the loss of a spouse.
- Cartwright Curse: Five husbands, all from the same family, all died.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: While in the west it might not seem that big a deal that Talas disobeyed her father-in-law's orders (heck, even Smith with a fairly conservative background doesn't really get it) and married someone he didn't approve of, in her culture and most of the various silk road cultures what she did is pretty much unheard of and shocking.
- Determinator: Talas makes a long journey from her home to Ankara and actually beats Mr. Smith there. She then sits in the market everyday in all weather watching for Smith's arrival.
- Faking the Dead: Talas and her sixth husband decide it's best to tell everyone back home that she died on their fake pilgrimage.
- Pony Tale: Her arc has shades of this due to her close bond with her horse, Chubar.
- Runaway Bride: Played With; Talas is the first wife we meet to not be happy with her Arranged Marriage. It gets played with in that she didn't run away from the marriage so much as her family, and had her arranged husband's blessing and help in leaving.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: As she travels with Smith, Talas becomes either depending on the region they are in. In Persia, a much more religiously conservative country, Talas is practically a wild woman, who doesn't hide her face and acts like a man. In the area around the Aral Sea, Talas seems like a delicate princess who has beautiful clothing as her everyday wear. Smith himself sees her as a bit of a tomboy, being in awe of how easily she does the strenuous tasks of her day-to-day life without breaking much of a sweat.
Talas' Mother-in-Law
The widowed mother of all five of Talas' deceased husbands. She wants Talas to remarry.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: A familial version; she knows Talas sticks around out of worry for her, but this just causes she her to worry that Talas will ruin any chance of having a happy future when she's gone.
- Outliving One's Offspring: All five of her sons died young.
Talas' Uncle-in-Law
The brother of Talas' later father-in-law: a blustering xenophobe.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: While not her actual father culturally he has as much say in who Talas can and cannot marry as if he were, and he is absolutely against Talas having anything to do with a foreigner like Mr. Smith.
Umar
A young man who is his father's only child. He later becomes Pariya's fiancé.
- Amazon Chaser: Despite her worry, its pretty obvious that Umar really likes Pariya most when she's being her usual self. In fact, he doesn't like it when a girl is more sensitive and fragile than he knows how to deal with. When Pariya is helping him fix their cart's broken wheel, displaying her abnormal strength and endurance for a girl by lifting the entire thing off the ground, he can't stop sneaking glances at her and blushing.
- Goal in Life: He wants to open an Inn due to fond memories of when he was a child of hanging out with traders.
- The Smart Guy: He learned to use the abacus for calculations, which proves very helpful to Pariya's village. He's also mechanically minded, with his fascination towards waterwheels.
Umar's Father
A somewhat elderly widower, he is Umar's father.
- Amazon Chaser: An amazon chaser by proxy, you might say; he loved his wife, but she died as a result of her weak constitution. He's hopeful that because Pariya is robust and energetic, she'll never leave his son a widower.
Muyank, Town by the Aral Sea
General tropes
- Doomed Hometown: Not anything anyone in the story will have to really worry about, but in about a hundred years thanks to poorly planned irrigation canals the Aral Sea will almost entirely dry up, and become one of the most inhospitable deserts on earth. Muynak, the town the story takes place at, will be especially hard-hit.
Laila and Leili
Mischievous identical twins who are their parents' eldest children.
- Always Identical Twins: The twins look and act almost the exact same, to the point that when asked if they have any differences the girls themselves can't come up with an answer. However they do actually have subtly different personalities.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite the fact that for most of the time they spend with their parents, they are either arguing with them or being punished, their love for each other sometimes shows. When the sisters realize that being married means they will no longer be living with their family they actually become almost inconsolable, despite that they had been trying to do just that for their entire story arc.
- Childhood Friend Romance: The sisters grew up knowing the brothers, though ironically they didn't think of them as romantic prospects until they actually went on dates and got to know them better.
- Didn't Think This Through: Pretty much every harebrained scheme the sisters come up with lacks consideration for both the details and the end result. When the sisters invite Smith to their home for supper, they don't realize this means feeding half the village themselves.
- Genki Girl: The two girls have a lot of energy, and unfortunately it tends to get them in trouble more often then not.
- Gold Digger: When Mr. Smith and Ali arrive in their village, Laila and Leyli have been causing trouble trying to find wealthy grooms for themselves who will also bend to their will.
- Graceful in Their Element: A Downplayed example as they're not exactly clumsy on land, despite their tendency to barge around everywhere like a bull in a china shop, but having grown up in a fishing village they have the grace of mermaids when swimming.
- Humanizing Tears: Although they can be abrasive, they are adorable when they cry.
- Schemer: A Running Gag is that most of their get-rich-quick schemes (which fail) end up with them getting bonks on the head from their father.
- Single-Minded Twins: The twins do almost everything together, to the point that the only time they remember being separate was when one of them caught a cold and the other went shopping.
- Trickster Twins: They have a reputation as troublemakers in their village and are twin sisters.
Farsami (Saami) and Sarmaan (Sahm)
A pair of brothers, being the eldest and second eldest respectively. They are Laila and Leili's childhood friends.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Downplayed; for the most part the brothers used to see the sisters as a pair of troublemakers who often came across as bullies. Its not until they went on sanctioned dates that they really come to see the sisters as romantic partners.
- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: The brothers put a reality check on the twin sisters' flights of fancy.
- Insecure Love Interest: There are a few hints that Saami doesn't mind the thought of marrying the twins as much as he acts, but worries that by marrying one of them he'll end up ruining their dreams.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: The brothers are a lot more reserved compared to the sisters.
The Brothers' Father
Saami and Sahm's father. He is constantly fighting with the twins' father.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He and the twins' father have known each other a long time, and while they don't mind the thought of becoming family, they butt heads a lot over the details.
Persia
Anis' Husband
A wealthy man who briefly hosts Henry Smith during his travels.
- The Ace: Rich, cultured, kind, generous, healthy, and considered a perfect man by both of his wives.
- Noble Bigot: He's a nice guy and loves his wife dearly, but he has a conservative attitude about propriety for women and constantly worries that Anis will end being bullied or ridiculed by others.
- Nice Guy: He loves Anis and will do anything to make her happy. When he marries Sherine, on Anis's request, he also has Sherine's still in-laws from her previous marriage moved into his home as well.
- No Name Given: He's a major character in Anis' story but has never once been named, to emphasise that Anis and Sherine are the actual couple to focus on.
Anis
The slender young wife of a wealthy man.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Playing into her childlike personality, Anis has a hard time being focused on any one thing for very long.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Despite being a rich woman living in a lavish palace and having a very kind husband, what Anis wants most is someone to spend time with.
- The Ingenue: Anis is a very innocent type of person. Although she is also vulnerably naive, she is well protected by her household so this does not cause much trouble.
- Pseudo-Romantic Friendship: Anis loves her husband a lot, but it's shown she loves Sherine just as much. She tends to talk about the two of them in the same way and be very affectionate with them. One of her happiest moments is watching her husband and Sherine becoming friendly with each other.
Sherine
A quiet and voluptuous young woman whom Anis meets at the baths.
- Big Eater: She regularly eats whole watermelons all by herself as a snack.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: She has a voluptuous figure, which Anis can't help but stare admiringly when they bathe together. Sherine claims they started getting big after she gave birth to her son. Later we learn that Anis' cat likes to knead soft things with its paws, causing Sherine some embarrassment.
- Cool Big Sis: Sherine usually acts this way with Anis, the cool and mature woman to Anis's childlike personality.
- Rags to Riches: She goes from the wife of a low-income butcher to the second wife of the town's richest man.
Sherine's Husband
Sherine's husband, a butcher.
Mahfu
Anis' handmaid, she is also helping to raise Hassan.
- Servile Snarker: She finds Anis and her realtionship with her husband and Sherine to be pretty entertaining, and often snarks about it in the background.
Hassan
Anis' son.
Mafud
Sherine's Son by her first husband.
- Momma's Boy: More often then not, you will find him clinging tightly to his mother. When Talas tries to photograph him, they all come out blurry because he keeps running back to his mom.
Sherine's In-Laws
Sherine's mother and father-in-law.
Others
The Numaji
A wealthy and brutal clan.
- The Bluebeard: Their chief's son has abused at least two women to death, but is wealthy enough that getting a third doesn't seem to be a problem.
- Domestic Abuse: The son of the clan's chief has abused at least two wives to death. Moreover, one of them was extremely healthy prior to that.
- The Ghost: This clan is talked about but never actually appears.
The Badan
A clan with distant blood ties to the Halgal.
Hawkins
A good friend and former school senior of Henry Smith, he is presently stationed in Ankara. He employs Nikolovsky, and acts as a middleman to forward messages to and from Henry Smith.
- Anger Born of Worry: Gives Henry endless grief for his recklesness because Hawkins is his old friend who also had promised Henry's family to keep him safe at all costs.
- Brutal Honesty: A pretty blunt person, especially to Henry.
- Last-Name Basis: To the point that as of chapter 104, his first name still hasn't appeared.
Talas' 6th Husband
A man who marries Talas (his previous wife died) in a match arranged by Talas' nasty father-in-law. He had no idea she was in love with someone else, and goes to extreme lengths to help her.
- The Lost Lenore: Part of the reason he is able to empathize with Talas is because he knows what its like to lose someone you love. Its implied he only married Talas due to cultural reasons and still mourns his first wife.
- Nice Guy: Extremely so; what else can you call a man who would travel miles away to reunite his own wife with her true love and expect nothing in return?
Smith's Family
Smith's family in England, consisting of his father, mother, elder brother, sister-in-law, a niece, and a nephew.
- Blue Blood: While the Smiths aren't aristocrats, they're rather wealthy, with the family patriarch being a member of Parliament. One of Henry's great-great-grandparents was apparently an aristocratic landowner.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Much like the rest of British high-class society, the family generally puts emphasis on propriety and on their children marrying into their proper class. For Henry to return with a nomadic foreigner beyond the frontiers of "civlization" as his fiancée, thus, comes as a major slap to the face, at least as far as his mother's concerned.
- Parental Marriage Veto: While Henry's father is at least understanding of his desire to go his own way, Henry's mother is not and outright refuses to acknowledge both the betrothal and Talas herself.
- Racist Grandma: Henry's mother is extremely dismissive of Talas, referring to her homeland as 'home of the savages' and worrying out loud if she might have dragged diseases into the house — directly in front of Henry.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Downplayed. Henry Smith's father isn't particularly happy to hear of his relationship with Talas but still gives his blessing amicably enough. Though this has as much to do with Henry not being the first-born son (thus free of heavier social obligations) as out of genuine paternal love. That said, however, he does note approvingly how Henry's travels have otherwise made him a healthier man.
