The playable characters of the main Age of Wonders series. Tropes dedicated to the races, classes, and cultures goes to this character sheet. The sci-fi spin-off Age of Wonders: Planetfall has its own character sheet, as does the fourth game.

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Age of Wonders (The original, Age of Wonders 2: The Wizard's Throne and Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic)
Age of Wonders 3
Age of Wonders 4

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Characters introduced in Age of Wonders

Elric/Keeper Protagonist

The protagonist of the Keepers of the Peace campaign, chosen to recruit an army on behalf of Princess Julia.

Easy Evangelism: They convert quickly to the High Men's faith during their path, dismissing the Keepers as clinging to outdated traditions.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: They get hit with this on the Lizardmen branch, since they go against Julia's orders and end up ostracized from the Keepers. As criticism mounts, the protagonist becomes increasingly stressed and infuriated, until they finally snap after Julia declares them an apostate. This leads to them turning away from the Keepers entirely, into the arms of either the High Men or the Undead.
Fling a Light into the Future: The conclusion of the Undead branch. Cured of their corruption by Julia's dying spell, the protagonist goes into hiding and hides their journal somewhere safe, hoping that someday, someone can use its information to bring down Inioch and avoid making the same mistakes. The protagonist declares that they'll destroy themselves after hiding it, to prevent Inioch from capturing them and learning of the book.
I seal this record in with the hopes that the living might someday rise against the tide of oblivion. My only hope for this world rests in the return of the beings I decimated. And yet, how will they know not the make the same mistakes I did? Will they believe the same lies, and follow the same lusts? Demons streak the sky, searching for me. They will find me soon. I must hide this record and destroy myself. Only then will I, or this record, be safe from the powers of Inioch. My prayer is in memory. Remember. Remember the days when once flourished elves, dwarves and jubilant halflings. Believe the good, when faeries kissed verdant hillsides. A time when satyrs and nymphs danced freely in sacred groves. Wee things blossomed. All thrived in an age of wonders.
Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Their default name is Elric, but the player can change their name and portrait to whatever they like.
In the Hood: Both protagonists are depicted in cutscene artwork as generic humanoids in hooded cloaks.
Light Is Good: The pre-made Keeper protagonist, Elric, starts with two Life spheres, providing unlockable spells relating to light, nature and holiness. Inverted if Elric then goes down the Undead route, as they'll turn their powers of light towards helping Inioch destroy the world.
Making a Splash: The pre-made Elric has one sphere of Water.
Slowly Slipping Into Evil: Can happen based on the player's choices. Taking the Lizardmen branch leads the Keeper to become ostracized from the rest of their faction, since helping the lizards means leaving the dwarves of Deepmir to fend for themselves, and it leads to increased aggression from the frostlings towards the dwarves. After helping the lizardmen take Blackwater Lake, which involves destroying settlements of dwarves and humans and unearthing nodes of death magic, Julia declares the Keeper an "apostate", leading them to become divorced from the elves and at their wits end with anger and resentment. When the red star rises, Inioch appears to tempt the Keeper into joining him, promising "power, order, vindication". Taking the Undead branch sees the Keeper descend into outright madness, their mind corrupted by the death magic they exposed themselves to at Blackwater Lake.
This Is Your Brain on Evil: In the Undead path, the main character's mind and body are warped by the death magic permeating Blackwater Lake, leading them to join Inioch in destroying the world. Their personality shifts dramatically, worshipping Inioch as a god and fawning about how they'll soon unite everyone in death. When they kill Julia at the Valley of Wonders, she uses one last spell to cure the protagonist of their corruption, causing them to realize their horrible mistake and flee.

Talic/Cult Protagonist

The protagonist of the Cult of Storms campaign, a stormlord tasked with carrying out the murder of Queen Elwyn and persecuting the war against the Keepers.

Bad Powers, Bad People: The pre-made Cult character, Talic, begins with two Death spheres and one Fire sphere.
Be Careful What You Wish For: The protagonist is romantically interested in Melenis, and grieves for her death midway through the campaign. Unluckily for them, it's given a cruel twist in the Undead path, when King Inioch reanimates Melenis as an Empty Shell to "reward" the Stormlord. They're so disgusted that they quickly resort to Uriah Gambits to try and get rid of their now-zombified love interest.
My dear Melenis is raised from the dead; but she is not alive, she is undead. How could Inioch grant what I wanted, yet be so cruel? She follows me like a shadow, obedient, yet saying nothing. Her touch is so cold. How can I dispose of this horrific gift?
Bolivian Army Ending: The Dark Elf path ends with the rest of the stormlords turning against the by-then-unpopular main character, who is blamed for the unexplained disappearance of Meandor. Cornered in the palace of the Valley of Wonders with few-to-no allies to call upon, Talic is grimly resigned to their fate, declaring themselves the last true servant of Meandor.
Condescending Compassion: After their stint leading goblin armies against the halflings, they start referring to the goblin army as their "children", and style themselves as a sort of God-Emperor to them. However, the goblins are still being used as expendable slave labor, and the main character swiftly puts down an attempted revolt by goblins sympathetic to the Keepers.
My children are returned to me. Infants. They are impressionable. I have impressed the necessity of fidelity upon them. They will not stray again.
Deadpan Snarker: They pick up this behavior in the High Men route, constantly griping about the hokey idealism of their new allies. At one point, irritated by the High Men's practice of remorseful funeral dirges after battles, the Stormlord wonders if they should've sided with the undead instead — the undead would've almost certainly killed them, but at least they'd do it quietly.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Though the exact dynamic of their relationship (if they even had one) is unknown, the Cult protagonist harbors romantic interest in Stormlord Melenis, first wife of Meandor, and is dismayed by news of her death. In the Undead path, Inioch notices this and reanimates Melenis to "reward" them, and they're understandably horrified.
Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Their default name is Talic, but the player can change their name and portrait to whatever they like.
In the Hood: Both protagonists are depicted in cutscene artwork as generic humanoids in hooded cloaks. However, Talic's portrait depicts him wearing one.
A Nazi by Any Other Name: Especially the Dark Elf path of the late-game, Talic claims that dark elves are the "true" elves, and that the elves of the surface are a debased offshoot. When they visit the earliest settled lands of the elves, Arcalot, and find it full of wood elves, they have the entire place razed to the ground in the belief that these ancient elvish communities have been perverted by life on the surface.
Playing with Fire: The pre-made Cult protagonist, Talic, starts with one sphere in the Fire element.
The Quisling: Throughout the Undead path, Talic is clearly in denial that Inioch is an Omnicidal Maniac, and desperately clings to the belief that the undead will still need living subjects in the long term. By the time it finally sinks in that undead plan to kill everyone, the war is already over, and there's nothing for the main character to do but finish their journal and wait for their turn to die.
Token Evil Teammate: In the High Men path, Talic spends the entire time griping about the Incorruptible Pure Pureness of their new allies and mocking their ideals (though, privately, they admit to growing rather fond of them). Unfortunately, in the ending, the Stormlord's greed leads them to reject Gabriel's seeing stone, and their distrust of humanity leads the High Men to realize the Stormlord is a threat to their work. They brand the Stormlord with a magical Mark of Shame that ensures they will be forever shunned by mortal beings, and strike them dumb so that they will never speak again. Infuriated, the Stormlord plots their revenge, swearing to tear down the utopia the High Men wished to create, using their writing to mislead and corrupt humanity.

Julia

^{Click to see Queen Julia in Age of Wonders 2.}

Secondborn of King Inioch and the daughter of his second wife Queen Elwyn. Survived the destruction of the Elven Court when she was a baby. Guided by her mother, she joins the faction of The Keepers in Aldor to try and achieve peace with the human race. Because of this she is always at odds with the Cult of Storms that want the destruction of the humans. The appearance of an ominous star over the Valley of Wonders led her to her birthplace, where she acted to prevent the situation from getting worse while the Keepers pursued allies for the imminent war.

In Age of Wonders 2, she becomes Queen of the Elves and Wizard of Life, and in Shadow Magic she, Meandor, and a few other wizards defeat the Shadow Demons with Merlin's help.

In Age of Wonders 3, she gets married to Stormlord Saridas, becomes Queen of the High Elves, and becomes the mother of Thannis and Sundren.

Bag of Spilling: Julia shows up on the last mission of the original Age of Wonders as a powerful level 25 hero/leader. Come Age of Wonders II, she becomes a Wizard, in some ways stronger but loses most of her combat capabilities in-between. By Age of Wonders 3, the source of power for Wizards is gone, and when she shows up again, she's a... rather weak level 1 Arch-Druid hero.
Brother–Sister Team: With Meandor in Shadow Magic
Cain and Abel: The Abel to Meandor's Cain. He got better.
Chainmail Bikini: Julia's armor covers most of her body, but its shape is rather form-fitting. This is lampshaded twice during her storyline in Shadow Magic, once by The Big Guy and then by The Vamp.
Dead Girl Junior: Named after her father's first wife, the mother of Meandor. Combined with Elwyn's hasty marriage with Inioch as soon as the mourning period for the original Julia ended, it made Meandor extremely resentful of both Elwyn and his half-sister.
De-power: After the destruction of the Wizard's Circle and the closing of the last Shadowgate, Julia and all the remaining Wizard Kings in Athla lose their access to Old Magic. Saridas attempts to teach her modern sorcery, but it doesn't take, and she instead becomes a druid.
Druid: She's a wizard of the Life sphere in 2, and an Arch-Druid in 3.
Hero of Another Story: While she's the closest named character in the first game that could be called protagonist, that title is reserved to the player. Throughout the campaign you hear of her actions trying to control the situation in the Valley of Wonders until at last you join her on the final mission.
The High Queen: Starts off as a princess in Age of Wonders, graduates to queen of the wood elves in Age of Wonders II, and then becomes the queen of the united high elves in Age of Wonders III.

Meandor

^{Click to see Meandor in Age of Wonders 2.}

Firstborn of King Inioch and half-brother of Julia. Fought at the war between the Elven Court and the invading humans, but lost. Desiring revenge, he takes half of the Elf people and goes on separate ways from Queen Elwyn, creating and becoming king of the Dark Elves. To further his objectives, he creates the Cult of the Storms and joins forces with other races to kill every human standing in the Valley of Wonders.

In Age of Wonders II, he still rules over the Dark Elves and becomes Wizard of Death, and in Shadow Magic he, Julia, and a few other wizards defeat the Shadow Demons with Merlin's help. Meandor also returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Necromancy, leading a Dark culture.

Big Good: While technically a neutral figure in Age of Wonders 4, Meandor is the founder of Magehaven and one of the most senior wizards around, giving him great authority and influence which he uses to mediate unnecessary conflicts among the godir.
Brother–Sister Team: With Julia in Shadow Magic.
Cain and Abel: The Cain to Julia's Abel. He got better.
The Cavalry: Shows up as part of one during "Rise of the Godir: Grexolis" in 4, with Meandor, Fangir and Shira Snowblood coming to the aid of the Custodian to repel the Shad'rai invasion. Unfortunately, since the player is part of the invading force, the defenders are ultimately crushed.
Evil Is Not a Toy: Is convinved to employ necromancy to bring his father back to life. Unfortunately, King Inioch rises as an insane lich.
Heel–Face Turn: In Age of Wonders II Meandor, the leader of the Dark Elves, is now dead, but his ghost has reconciled with Julia. Technically still evil, but the goal is now restoring the Balance Between Good and Evil and simple survival, rather than exterminating humanity.
Hero of Another Story: Like Julia, when playing through the evil campaign of Age of Wonders you hear of Meandor's machinations as you complete your missions.
Lotus-Eater Machine: Is trapped in one by Arachna in Age of Wonders 4, since he's the only person who knows what the Shad'rai are planning to do with the Gildercoil, and the only person who could lead the Covenant to wherever they're going. Under Arachna's influence, Meandor's mind is warped by visions and ghosts of his past, making him no-longer fully cognizant of his surroundings and obsessed with preserving elven souls beyond death (which leads to the elven homeworld of Auldweald becoming infested with The Undead, as he refuses to allow anyone to pass on).
Necromancer: Employs necromancy in Age of Wonders to bring King Inioch back from the dead, which backfires horribly. In Age of Wonders 2, Meandor is a wizard of the Death sphere. In 4 he starts with the aptly-named Tome of Necromancy, and is introduced ruling a realm overrun with the undead.
Pet the Dog: When he discovered and founded Magehaven, Meandor invited all godir to use it as a safe refuge and Truce Zone, regardless of their allegiance and temperment. This extended to the Shad'rai, the evil wizards of Age of Wonders 2, who he freed from imprisonment in the astral void.
Older and Wiser: By the time of Age of Wonders 4, Meandor is an incredibly ancient and jaded wizard king who has largely isolated himself from the bickering of his younger contemporaries. He actually serves as something of a Big Good figure among the godir due to his senority, having founded the Truce Zone everyone hangs around at between conquests.
Put on a Bus: Between Shadow Magic and III, Meandor disappears into the Shadow Realm before the Shadowgate is destroyed. However, The Bus Came Back as he resurfaces in Age of Wonders 4.
Token Evil Teammate: In 4, his culture and tome picks strongly predispose him towards an evil alignment, yet he is (at least when he's not being driven insane by nightmarish visions) staunchly on the side of the Covenant, a faction of godir dedicated to keeping the peace.
Trapped in Another World: By choice, between Shadow Magic and III. After razing the city around the last shadowgate, Meandor was last seen leading his armies through it into the Shadow Realm before it collapsed, stranding him beyond Athla with the other Wizard Kings.
Vagueness Is Coming: After spending two and a half centuries after Shadow Magic campaigning across The Multiverse (likely far, far longer from his own perspective) with the Archons, Syrons and many of the world's most powerful wizards, Meandor suddenly returned and convened with Julia and Merlin in private. It's not known what was said, but it was enough for them to decide that the last shadowgate and the Wizard's Circle had to be destroyed, trapping the Wizard Kings (and Meandor himself) outside Athla and DePowering the rest.

King Inioch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ageofwonders1inioch.png

King of the Elves and father to both Julia and Meandor. Ruled in peace and maintained the balance of power between Good and Evil for hundreds of years. When humans came from abroad, he welcomed them and allowed them to settle in his lands. However, evidence of persecution and maladies caused to humans by sponsorship within the Elven Court led them to rebel and slay him. He is resurrected as an Undead King when Meandor dabbles with magics he didn't fully understand, and becomes one of the main forces to fight for the Valley of Wonders in the finale.

Ambiguously Evil: It is hinted that while Inioch was a strong ruler, he was unwilling to surrender his throne to a successor, in defiance of the laws set by the Archons — His reign of over twelve-hundred years was in excess of the one-thousand mark where the crown is said to be passed on. He also kept the Archons' dictates hidden from the original Keepers, according to the official timeline, leading to confusion regarding how best to deal with the appearance of the human race. If the Keeper Protagonist joins the High Men or the Undead, they conclude that Inioch was trying to sabotage the Archons' plan for humanity to inherit the world, though the motivation given differs between accounts.
Big Bad: For the second half of Age of Wonders. After becoming undead, he commands the armies of the ensuing Zombie Apocalypse to conquer the Blessed Continent, opposed by the recently arrived High Men.
The Emperor: His rule of the entire Blessed Continent was undisputed for over a thousand years. He is said to have maintained the balance between Light and Shadow, implying all races, Good, Neutral and Evil alike paid respects to him.
Fisher Kingdom: Upon returning as a lich, Inioch's presence causes the star above the Valley of Wonders to turn an eerie red color, which shifts the coloring of the world map.
Hijacked by Ganon: The final mission of Age of Wonders 2, the rebel wizards are revealed to be corrupting the Wizard's Circle to resurrect Inioch, who they believe will restore the status quo disrupted by Gabriel. Gabriel flatly tells you that Inioch lied to them, and that the lich actually intends to unmake the world and rebuild to his own liking (i.e. without humanity).
In the Hood: His appearance as a lich, wearing a black robe, cape and hood that hides his eyes.
Long-Lived: The earliest record of history in the series' lore is Inioch being crowned Emperor of the Elven Court 1216 years before the time the first game takes place, which makes him quite old even by the standards of the elves.
Monster from Beyond the Veil: Meandor attempts to bring Inioch back to life with necromancy, but the dead king returns as an evil lich who corrupts the Valley of Wonders and threatens to cause a Zombie Apocalypse.
Omnicidal Maniac: As undead, Inioch cares only for the destruction of all life, to the mounting dismay of the Cult of Storms protagonist trying to play the role of The Quisling. In the ending of the Cult-to-Undead Route, after claiming the Valley of Wonders and crushing his remaining enemies, Inioch seems to eventually come to a complete stop. The Cult protagonist muses that Inioch no longer wants or needs anything, as he sits in in his ruined throne room in the company of silent retainers.
Plot-Triggering Death: His murder by the humans starts the plot, as his two children form opposing factions.
Villain Decay: Appears in Age of Wonders 4, hostile to the player and raving about how he's the rightful king of the Valley of Wonders despite the laws of the Archons. However, this Inioch is merely a ghostly fascimile of the original conjured by Arachna as part of a Lotus-Eater Machine, and his 'faction' is a Free City, little more than a glorified speed-bump for the player.

Queen Elwyn

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portraits_h_main_elwyn.gif

The second wife of King Inioch and mother of Julia. When humans invaded and expelled the Elves from the Valley of Wonders and thinking Meandor was dead, she decided it would be best to leave in peace and settle on the island of Aldor with the remnants of her race. Years later, she is assassinated by the Cult of Storms, sparking the Keepers into action against the Cult.

Comforting the Widow: Gender-inverted. She married to Inioch as soon as the official mourning period for his first wife ended, earning the resentment of Meandor.
Monster from Beyond the Veil: King Inioch, after being raised as a lich, resurrects Elwyn as an undead Hero Unit. When she's slain again, the elves return her body to Aldor to be re-interred in her tomb.
Posthumous Character: The Keepers' campaign starts with her death, which leads Julia to take over. The Cult of Storms' first mission, however, is to assassinate her. In the tutorial of Age of Wonders 3, Elwyn's granddaughter Sundren visits her tomb on Aldor, and recieves a brief cryptic warning from her spirit.

Gabriel

A High Man who proclaims that he is the one who put the star over the Valley of Wonders. He claims he has a divine mission to protect humanity and lead it to a new age.

In Age of Wonders II, he is revealed to be the leader of the Wizard's Circle as Wizard of the Cosmos. Unfortunately, conspirators within the Circle seek to overthrow him and wreak havoc on the humans for trying to dominate them in the first place. After he chooses Merlin as his successor, the conspirators team up together to kill Gabriel and hunt down Merlin.

Ham Binger

A Halfling adventurer and one of the members of the Keepers.

In Age of Wonders 3: The Golden Realms, a much older Ham is a Theocrat hosting a leadership contest among his fellow halflings. However, events surrounding his friend Karl Hushwick and an internal strife among the halflings has left Ernest in charge.

Ham returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Champion armed with the Tome of Roots, leading a Feudal culture named "Wholesome Halflings".

The Atoner: His actions in 3 are motivated by the guilt he feels for entrusting the Oscillator Gem to Karl Hushwick, which drove the latter to madness.
Green Thumb: In Age of Wonders 4, Ham begins the game with the Tome of Roots in the Nature affinity.
Living Legend: Among the halflings.
Long-Lived: After drinking magical water gifted to him by the elves, Ham's natural lifespan has been extended to a similar extent as their own. This has enabled Ham to stick around despite the multiple centuries-long Time Skips between games.
Older and Wiser: By the time of the Golden Realms storyline, over six-hundred years since the start of the original Age of Wonders, Ham's dark hair has faded to grey, and he serves as an ally to the younger protagonist Ernest Thistlewood.
Unluckily Lucky: Several Flavor Text entries in 3 are written from his perspective, usually describing a close shave with a hostile creature that Ham survives through pure luck.

Bormac Orcbane

A legendary Dwarf from the time Inioch ruled the Elven Court. When the dwarves moved to build the city of Deepmir, he mysteriously vanished.

He reappears in Age of Wonders 3 as a Dreadnought leader. Imprisoned again, this time by the Shadowborn at the Sapphire Archipelago.

Living Legend: He's a famous hero of the dwarf people.
Science Hero: As a Dreadnought.
Sealed Good in a Can: He was imprisoned with other Dwarf heroes at the Hall of Heroes. Once freed he features at the Cult of Storms campaign where he justifies his Orcbane title. It happens to him again in Age of Wonders 3, this time courtesy of the Shadowborn.

Melenis

A powerful member of the Cult of Storms, and Meandor's favorite wife. She lays traps throughout the Keeper campaign.

She returns in Age of Wonders 3: The Eternal Lords as a High Elf Necromancer, having returned from the dead using the Oscellator Gem, which is actually her Soul Jar. She also returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Champion armed with the Tome of Necromancy, leading a Dark culture named "Undead Lichbringers".

Back from the Dead: She is killed by the Keeper protagonist during Age of Wonders 1, but rises as a leader of The Undead after the resurrection of King Inioch — much to the dismay of the Cult of Storms protagonist who fancied her as a Love Interest.
- In Age of Wonders 3, her Soul Jar corrupts Karl Hushwick, and the halfling uses it to restore Melenis' physical body.
Evil Mentor: To Arvik in the Eternal Lords campaign. She teaches him the black art of necromancy as a means to restore his broken clan, but what she's actually after is to find a worthy apprentice who'll help her destroy all life.
Evil Sorcerer: Her magical talents are of note, first seen by destroying the entire dwarven caves of Deepmir with an earthquake and raising herself as a Lich. Her work is even noted several centuries later, where the magics in her hideout turned the countryside surrounding it into a blighted wasteland, and her research is considered valuable enough that a fraught expedition is sent by the Commonwealth to explore her domain.
Evil Versus Oblivion: Occupies the 'Oblivion' side against Werlac and the Shadowborn in the Eternal Lords campaign of 3. The Shadowborn want to become gods by releasing the tyrannical Wizard Kings, while Melenis plans to achieve it by performing a ritual that will consume all life on Athla.
Joker Immunity: No doubt thanks to being a lich. Melenis dies twice over in the Keeper Loyalist campaign of Age of Wonders 1, and presumably dies a third time when defeated in the canon ending of Age of Wonders 3: The Eternal Lords. Despite this, she shows up yet again in Age of Wonders 4, none the worse for wear.
Lady Macbeth: She is the wife of Meandor, the leader of the villainous Cult of Storms, but proves significantly more insane than he is, willing to unleash a Zombie Apocalypse by blowing the Horn of the Dead.
The Magnificent: Her character name in 3 is "Melenis the Risen".
Necromancer: A master of the Death sphere. She's single-handedly responsible for the existence of the Undead in the world by activating the Horn of the Dead. Her return in 3 coincides with the rise of new necromancer-lords on the Blessed Continent, as she adopts a cabal of students to further her schemes. In 4, she starts the game with the Tome of Necromancy, an obvious starting choice for undead factions.
Not Me This Time: The player could be forgiven for assuming Melenis is the cause of Meandor's insanity in Age of Wonders 4, given the locals say she showed up in his court shortly before Audweald became a realm of the dead, but she insists that she only wanted to talk to Meandor about a completely unrelated scheme. Since Meandor's madness is inconveniencing her, she actually offers to help the player restore his mind by breaking the Lotus-Eater Machine.
Omnicidal Maniac: In 3, she wants to kill all life on Athla and render the planet barren, to fuel a ritual that will free her from the constraints of undeath and effectively make her a god.
Our Liches Are Different: Uses her mastery of the Death affinity to become one of these. Her spirit is contained in the Oscillator Gem, and by the time of The Eternal Lords she's regained her physical body with the help of Karl Hushwick.

Sirdanc the Changed

A powerful Human knight that penetrated an Elven forest and got seduced by Nymphs. Returned a decade later, completely changed into an effeminate man with a penchant for singing, prancing, and riding a pony with a golden mane, braided with flowers.

Brainwashed and Crazy: The result of his encounter with nymphs.
Secret Character: He's featured on an extra story of the first game, but inside the game proper you'll have to be lucky to meet him wandering the map of the last mission. Even if you do, he's an absolutely harmless independent hero.

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders II

Merlin

^{Click to see Merlin in Age of Wonders III.}

Protagonist of the Age of Wonders II campaign. After almost drowning during an oversea trip, he is rescued and given a mission by Gabriel to preserve Humanity and become the master of all spheres of magic.

Cool Old Guy: Serves as this to Sundren and Edward in the third game
Dead All Along: Merlin realizes that he can master the death sphere of magic without Gabriel's guidance because he had drowned before Gabriel "rescued" him in the beginning of the campaign.
The Dulcinea Effect: Merlin spent maybe half a day with Julia before she was kidnapped, and there's no indication that she showed any interest in him, but Merlin repeatedly states that he can't stop thinking about her and tries his best to rescue her.
Faux Death: Responsible for the destruction of the Wizard's Circle at Evermore sometime between Shadow Magic and 3, stripping all wizards of their powers and causing widespread calamities. The people demanded his execution, which Julia purportedly carried out, but its not long before he turns up during 3's storylines.
Godzilla Threshold: In response to a warning from Meandor about an unspecified dire threat originating from The Multiverse, Merlin finally claimed the throne of Evermore to destroy the Wizard's Circle, wielding the chaotic outpouring of magic as a weapon to destroy the last shadowgate. This brought an end to the original spheres of magic, stranded the Wizard Kings in the Shadow Realm, and caused widespread calamities thanks to the wizards' climate-controlling spells all failing simultaneously. Needless to say, this caused many, many innocent deaths, and the people demanded Merlin's execution.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Despite his love for Julia, he let her marry Saridas because his humanity made him unable to grant Julia's desire for the reunification of wood and dark elves.
Older and Wiser: By Age of Wonders 3 — after spending a long time in the Shadow Realm with Year Inside, Hour Outside rules — Merlin is an old man with shaggy hair and a long, grey beard, and he plays an enigmatic supporting role to Sundren and Edward Portsmith on their adventures.
Shout-Out: Merlin finds a Sword in the Stone in an optional quest "that may be of use to me in some future age".
Year Inside, Hour Outside: Merlin joined Meandor, the Archons and the Syrons on their military campaign to battle threats in the Shadow Realm. When he returned fifty years later, he was significantly older, and claimed he had spent fifteen-hundred years exploring what turned out to be a full-fledged Multiverse where time passes at variable rates.

Yaka

^{Click to see Yaka in Age of Wonders 4.}

Wizard of Fire and one of the leaders of the Tigrans.

Yaka returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Pyromancy, leading a Mystic culture named "Firebrand Predators".

Ascended Extra: He was actually mentioned in the original Age of Wonders but only in flavor text for Azrac units, most importantly his Avatars. His role was greatly expanded from Age of Wonders 2 on, where he was retconned from being an actual god to a mere god-like wizard.
Back for the Finale: After being banished at the end of 2, he reappears with the rest of the conspiracy in the penultimate level of the standalone expansion Shadow Magic, when the All-Devourer releases them from imprisonment as a ploy to capture Merlin.
The Bus Came Back: Returns in Age of Wonders 4, after the Shadow Realm is reopened.
Defeat Means Playable: In Age of Wonders 4, completing "Rise of the Godir I: Valley of Wonders" — where he serves as the Starter Villain — adds him to the list of playable characters.
Egopolis: In the first story scenario of Age of Wonders 4, his capital city is named "Yakathan". In the fifth scenario, he rules from "Yakopolis". Yaka's domain also has the unique visual trait of spawning towering statues of himself to litter the landscape at random.
Evil Reactionary: Is part of a conspiracy to seize the Wizard's Throne from Gabriel, who had sought to curtail the wizards' excesses. The final mission of 2 reveals that the rogue wizards' ultimate goal was to bring back Inioch, in the belief that he would restore the old ways.
God-Emperor: He created the Azracs and the Tigrans, both of whom worship him as a god. Merlin discredits him in the first scenario of The Wizard's Throne's campaign, but some Tigrans still worship him as late as The Eternal Lords, many generations after he and the other Wizard Kings were sealed away.
The Maker: The creator of the Azracs in Age of Wonders and the Tigrans in Age of Wonders 2. In Age of Wonders 4, he creates the Firebrand Predators as Replacement Goldfish for the Tigrans, who had turned against him previously.
Nepharious Pharaoh: His dress sense is Wizard Classic with an Egyptian tilt, and the Tigrans and Azracs he created are collectively a Fantasy Counterpart Culture to ancient Egypt. As for the 'Nepharious' part, he forces his creations to worship him as a living god, only to abandon them when they fail to carry out his ambitions.
No Full Name Given: Like the rest of 2's wizards, but an event in the third story realm of 4 reveals his full name to be "Yaka Enkhanan", implying a connection between him and the Tigran godir Enam'ru Enkhanan beyond him being the creator of the Tigran race.
Playing with Fire: He's a wizard of the fire sphere in 2, and starts with the Tome of Pyromancy in 4. In the first game, Azrac mythology holds that if Yaka ever personally walked the earth, the entire world "would burn with such intense heat that it would melt and fold together like a scroll".
Replacement Goldfish: After condemning the Azracs for failing him, Yaka creates the extremely similar Tigran race in Age of Wonders 2. After the Tigrans turn against him, Yaka replaces them with the Firebrand Predators in 4, whom he is noted to dote upon to ensure their loyalty.
Starter Villain: In Age of Wonders 2: The Wizard's Throne, he is the first wizard that Merlin faces in the campaign. In Age of Wonders 4, he reprises this role as the antagonist of the first story realm.
Taught by Experience: By Age of Wonders 4, he finally seems to have realized that his creations won't turn on him if he treats them well, and is explicitly noted to fire on the Firebrand Predators to retain their loyalty.
Two-Faced: Picked up some nasty facial scarring during his time in The Multiverse between 2 and 4, leaving one eye lidless. His appearance in the launch trailer of Age of Wonders 4 draws attention to it by having his Face Framed in Shadow, and the damaged eye glow hellishly.
You Have Failed Me: He forsook the Azracs when they were weakened by the Humans, causing them to intermarry with the Humans to form the Nomads. According to his background, Yaka's done this to several civilizations over the millennia.

Karissa the Red

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_karissa.png

^{Click to see Karissa in Age of Wonders 4.}

Wizard of Fire and one of the leaders of the Orcs.

Karissa returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Pyromancy, leading a Barbarian culture named "Enthralled Orcs".

Dark Is Not Evil: She's a cruel temptress who leads a faction of orcs, who are considered an "evil" race by the game, but she's strongly loyal to Gabriel and joins Merlin after learning he is the former's chosen successor. In Age of Wonders 4, she's introduced as a bloodthirsty antagonist in the third chapter of "Rise of the Godir", but granted, the player in that chapter is part of the villainous Shad'rai, and the realm they are fighting on is a demonic world that influences everyone to be more hostile and warlike. Later, in the second chapter of "Ashes of the Past", she makes a surprise reappearance at the Sahrian Trial — an event that Meandor set up so that groups of wizards could hopefully resolve an ownership dispute peacefully, with the implication that the participants (including her) were hand-picked for being fairly level-headed despite the Hate Plague currently raging on Magehaven. While she's unapologetic about her behavior, mocks the other participants to their faces, and openly hopes for diplomacy to break down, she won't voice any complaint if the player chooses to befriend everyone.
Everyone Has Standards: In 4, Karissa calls out Noctus' use of necromancy, claiming that at least her orcs can expect to stay dead. Noctus isn't amused by her criticism, protesting that he is a scholar, while Karissa is a mass-murdering hedonist.
The Horde: Leads the orcs, a savage and warlike race counted by the second game as Evil. In 4, her Enthralled Orcs are a combat-geared Barbarian Tribe with the 'ruthless raiders' and 'ritual cannibals' traits, giving Karissa a -20 alignment modifier. Combined with the Tome of Pyromancy, her faction starts with a a whopping five points in the Chaos affinity, which is geared towards war and conquest.
Trusting in axe and spear, Entralled Orcs crush their enemies. Every tradition is focused upon the sole purpose of domination and destruction. They enslave weaker beings to do the disparaging tasks like farming and gathering resources, but the best treasures are plundered from the soft.
I Am a Humanitarian: She's picked up cannibalism by 4, and her first words to the player are elaborating on her fondness for drinking blood.
Karissa: Some say the blood of men is an aphrodisiac. I say it is a source of power. I drink, while my Enthralled Orcs consume flesh and bones. It's a fair share, don't you think? The bloodshed on the battlefield is only the appetizer: Once the vanquished enter the slaughterhouse, the true fun begins.
It Amused Me: In "The Sahrian Trials", she claims to be playing along with Meandor's diplomatic trial because she thinks it'll be entertaining — and that she left the Crimson Caldera because she grew bored of it.
Playing with Fire: A wizard of the fire sphere in 2, while in 4 she starts with the Tome of Pyromancy.
Put on a Bus: Joined the crusade across The Multiverse between Shadow Magic and 3, along with most of the other wizards, and was stranded out there by Meandor and Merlin when they destroyed the last shadowgate.
- The Bus Came Back: ...only to return in Age of Wonders 4, after the Shadow Realm is reopened.
Sapient Eat Sapient: Her Enthralled Orcs in 4 have the Ritual Cannibals society trait, allowing them to restore health by devouring corpses on the battlefield, and gain bonus food/mana income for nearby cities based on how many units (friend or foe) die in battle. Since wizard kings share the traits of their subjects for simplicity's sake, Karissa herself can eat the freshly dead for a boost.
Stripperific: What little she is wearing is practically a bikini.
The Vamp: According to her description in 2, Karissa uses her beauty to beguile the weak-willed to her cause, while having her minions cut down anyone made of sterner stuff. Her orcish followers are described as an army of expendable playthings, with tribes waging war on one-another for her amusement. In Age of Wonders 4, Karissa's faction is outright called "Enthralled Orcs", and in Tome flavor text quotes attributed to her, she is also known as the "Mistress of Passions".
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: In Age of Wonders 4, having suffered the Torment of Shadows more than most godir, Karissa is deathly afraid of Mage Banes. Confronting her with one allows you to neutralize her faction without a fight, and the evil option is to let the Mage Bane drag her off to the astral void.

Marinus

Wizard of Water and one of the leaders of the Halflings.

The Ghost: While not present in Age of Wonders 4, Marinus can be chosen as the random wizard that a free city chooses to honor with a festival.
Making a Splash: A wizard of the water sphere.

Nimue

Wizard of Water and one of the leaders of the Humans.

Nimue returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Beasts, leading a Mystic culture named "Chosen Children".

Back for the Finale: After being banished at the end of 2, she reappears with the rest of the conspiracy in the penultimate level of the standalone expansion Shadow Magic, when the All-Devourer releases them from imprisonment as a ploy to capture Merlin.
Defeat Means Playable: In Age of Wonders 4, completing "The Enchanted Archipelago" — where she's the antagonist — adds her to the list of playable characters.
Evil Reactionary: Is part of a conspiracy to seize the Wizard's Throne from Gabriel, who had sought to curtail the wizards' excesses. The final mission of 2 reveals that the rogue wizards' ultimate goal was to bring back Inioch, in the belief that he would restore the old ways.
Green Thumb: Favors the Nature affinity in 4. Her archipelago is home to races augmented with the "Leafskin" transformation from the Tome of Glades, while Nimue and her Chosen Children already have the "Gaia's Chosen" transformation from the Tome of Paradise.
The Maker: In Age of Wonders 4, she's set up shop in an archipelago realm and is experimenting with creating new races, with the aid of a captive astral maer. Unfortunately, Nimue is obsessed with making her creations "perfect", and whenever she decides the latest crop didn't make the cut, she uses her power over the sea to wipe them out.
Making a Splash: A wizard of the water sphere in 2.
Necromancer: Her "Ritual of the Drowned" in "Rise of the Godir: Grexolis" periodically summons reinforcements of random preset races to the capital cities of herself and her Shad'rai allies, which all have the Wightborn transformation applied. This ritual was presumably meant to summon the elite army she was tasked with crafting at the Enchanted Archipelago, but since her work ended in failure, it's implied that she's instead using the ritual to dredge up her rejects from the sea as undead cannon fodder.
The Bus Came Back: Returns in Age of Wonders 4, after the Shadow Realm is reopened.
Shout-Out: Named after a figure of Arthurian myth.
Villainous Breakdown: In 4, when you form alliances with each of her previous failed creations to liberate the archipelago, Nimue calls in to scream and rant about how she'll hunt down and exterminate every last one of them for their betrayal — Apparently, she expected them to remain loyal to her, even after attempting genocide on them once before.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: She eliminated every single one of the lizardmen when they were brought to the brink of extinction by the humans, because she considered them "weak".
- By Age of Wonders 4, she's developed a gruesome habit of creating new races and doting on them as her "children", until she grows bored or disappointed with them, whereupon they're drowned en masse.

Fangir

Wizard of Earth and one of the leaders of the Dwarves.

Fangir returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Warding, leading a Mystic culture named "Moonrock Dwarves".

10-Minute Retirement: When the Shadow Demons attack Athla, Merlin tells Julia to enlist Fangir's aid. When she meets him and his dwarves, however, he claims that he's no longer interested in fighting. He eventually relents, on the condition that Julia recovers his magic vault and destroys a Shadow Demon city.
The Cavalry: Shows up as part of one during "Rise of the Godir: Grexolis" in 4, with Meandor, Fangir and Shira Snowblood coming to the aid of the Custodian to repel the Shad'rai invasion. Unfortunately, since the player is part of the invading force, the defenders are ultimately crushed.
Discard and Draw: His flavor text in Age of Wonders 4 reveals that Fangir lost interest in earth magic after exploring the cosmos, and he now practices magic from the Astral affinity instead.
Dishing Out Dirt: A wizard of the earth sphere in 2, though he's said to have lost interest in this field by 4.
Heroic BSoD: After being defeated on Grexolis, Fangir is found stoically mourning the loss of the great works he and his dwarves were building, having genuinely wished to settle on the forbidden world after saving it. His grief is so obvious that the Shad'rai elect to leave him alone, instead of locking him up with the rest of the defeated Covenant godir.
No Full Name Given: Normally referred to by just his first name, though in early development builds of 4, he was referred to as "Fangir Rockborne" before going back to just his first name. His full name can still be found credited by the flavor text of the Tome of the Golden Realm and some Magic Materials.
Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Played straight in Age of Wonders 2, where he's a dwarf wizard that predictably specializes in earth magic. Averted in Age of Wonders 4, where Fangir is a wizard of the astral affinity instead, and his dwarvish followers have followed suit to become a society of mystics.
Put on a Bus: Joined the crusade across The Multiverse between Shadow Magic and 3, along with most of the other wizards, and was stranded out there by Meandor and Merlin when they destroyed the last shadowgate... only to return in Age of Wonders 4, after the Shadow Realm is reopened.

Mab

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_mab.png

Wizard of Earth and one of the leaders of the Goblins.

Back for the Finale: After being banished at the end of 2, she reappears with the rest of the conspiracy in the penultimate level of the standalone expansion Shadow Magic, when the All-Devourer releases them from imprisonment as a ploy to capture Merlin.
Dishing Out Dirt: A wizard of the Earth sphere.
Evil Reactionary: Is part of a conspiracy to seize the Wizard's Throne from Gabriel, who had sought to curtail the wizards' excesses. The final mission of 2 reveals that the rogue wizards' ultimate goal was to bring back Inioch, in the belief that he would restore the old ways.
The Ghost: She is mentioned in the Flavor Text of the Tomes of Terramancy and the Creator in 4, but she herself doesn't appear.

Tempest

Wizard of Air and one of the leaders of the Draconians.

Tempest returns in Age of Wonders 4: Dragon Dawn as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Evocation, leading a Mystic culture named "Stormborn Draconians".

Back for the Finale: After being banished at the end of 2, he reappears with the rest of the conspiracy in the penultimate level of the standalone expansion Shadow Magic, when the All-Devourer releases them from imprisonment as a ploy to capture Merlin.
Blow You Away: A wizard of the air sphere.
The Bus Came Back: After being absent in III, he returns in the Dragon Dawn DLC of Age of Wonders 4.
Evil Reactionary: Is part of a conspiracy to seize the Wizard's Throne from Gabriel, who had sought to curtail the wizards' excesses. The final mission of 2 reveals that the rogue wizards' ultimate goal was to bring back Inioch, in the belief that he would restore the old ways.
The Maker: He is responsible for the creation of the draconians on behalf of the declining dragon race, claiming half of the first generation as his personal minions.
Shock and Awe: In Age of Wonders 4, Tempest begins with the shock-themed Tome of Evocation and a lightning orb weapon.

Artica

Wizard of Air and one of the leaders of the Frostlings.

Artica returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Cryomancy, leading a Barbarian culture named "Gnarled Frostlings".

An Ice Person: Leans heavily on the air sphere's ice magic, and rules a race that thrives in tundra conditions. In 4, she begins the game with the Tome of Cryomancy in the Shadow affinity.
Blow You Away: She is a wizard of the Air sphere in 2, which includes ice-themed spells.
Boss Battle: In Age of Wonders 4, Artica can appear on maps with the presence trait "Domain of the Frost Queen", where she begins with an established empire and minions augmented with frostling transformation. Defeating Artica becomes an alternate win condition for the match.
Bystander Syndrome: While not a member of the conspiracy against Gabriel, she choses to withhold all the information she gained about it via scrying, until Merlin corners her at her last wizard tower.
Frame-Up: Julia's kidnapping by a frost wyvern initially seems to be the work of Articia, since... you know, ice. Only later does Merlin learn that it was actually the work of fellow air wizard Tempest and Serena, who used the kidnapping to accuse Merlin and take over Julia's lands.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: She resembles Michelle Pfeiffer
Put on a Bus: Joined the crusade across The Multiverse between Shadow Magic and 3, along with most of the other wizards, and was stranded out there by Meandor and Merlin when they destroyed the last shadowgate.
- The Bus Came Back: ...only to return in Age of Wonders 4, after the Shadow Realm is reopened.

Anon

Wizard of Life and one of the leaders of the Archons.

The Ghost: He is mentioned in Flavor Text in the Tomes of Faith, Sanctuary, and Exaltation in 4, but he himself doesn't appear.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He resembles Morgan Freeman◊

Serena

Wizard of Life and one of the leaders of the Elves.

Serena returns in Age of Wonders 4: Primal Fury as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Roots, leading a Primal culture named "Verdant Elves".

Back for the Finale: After being banished at the end of 2, she reappears with the rest of the conspiracy in the penultimate level of the standalone expansion Shadow Magic, when the All-Devourer releases them from imprisonment as a ploy to capture Merlin.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Introduced as an ally, she actually uses Merlin's escort mission as a cover to let Tempest kidnap Julia, while pinning the blame on Merlin and Artica.
Evil Reactionary: Is part of a conspiracy to seize the Wizard's Throne from Gabriel, who had sought to curtail the wizards' excesses. The final mission of 2 reveals that the rogue wizards' ultimate goal was to bring back Inioch, in the belief that he would restore the old ways.
Green Thumb: Comes with being a wizard of the life sphere.
Light Is Not Good: She may be a Wizard of Life, but she participated in the conspiracy against Gabriel and encouraged the elves to attack Merlin as revenge against the genocide humans inflicted on them.

Nekron the Risen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ageofwondersnekron.png

Wizard of Death and one of the leaders of the Undead.

Nekron returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Warding, leading a Dark culture named "Cruel Deathbringers".

Back for the Finale: After being banished at the end of 2, he reappears with the rest of the conspiracy in the penultimate level of the standalone expansion Shadow Magic, when the All-Devourer releases them from imprisonment as a ploy to capture Merlin.
The Bus Came Back: Nekron returns in Age of Wonders 4, after the Shadow Realm is reopened.
Demoted to Extra: While present in Age of Wonders 4, he makes no appearance in the story, and for some reason isn't counted for the "Returning Circle" achievement that requires the player to add every returning Evermore wizard to their pantheon.
Evil Reactionary: Is part of a conspiracy to seize the Wizard's Throne from Gabriel, who had sought to curtail the wizards' excesses. The final mission of 2 reveals that the rogue wizards' ultimate goal was to bring back Inioch, in the belief that he would restore the old ways.
Necromancer: A wizard of the death sphere. He's still a necromancer in 4's flavor text, though he starts the game with a tome in the Astral affinity.
Shock and Awe: Downplayed in 4, where his starting weapon is a Lightning Orb.
Skull for a Head: His head is shaped like a skull, fitting for a necromancer.

Arachna

Wizard of Death and one of the leaders of the Dark Elves.

Arachna returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Beasts, leading a Barbarian culture named "Reclusive Spiderlings".

Arachnid Appearance and Attire: Pale skin, silk and spiderweb patterns. Her original design has a decorative spider clasp for her ponytail with legs digging into her scalp, while in 4 she opts for a tiara made of metallic spider legs.
The Beastmaster: Starts with the Tome of Beasts in Age of Wonders 4, enabling her to recruit and summon spider units (alongside many other critters), and provide her troops with synergetic bonuses for fighting alongside them.
Beneath the Earth: Hides deep underground with her dark elf followers during Age of Wonders 2. In 4, her Reclusive Spiderling goblins have the 'underground adaptation' trait, placing Arachna's capital city underground.
Bystander Syndrome: In Age of Wonders 2, she's introduced late in the story hiding deep underground, believing that she can simply weather the approaching storm of the conspiracy's endgame. Even after getting trounced by Merlin, she refuses to actually help him save the world, beyond giving him access to the Hallowed Halls.
Defeat Means Playable: In Age of Wonders 4, completing "The Eternal Court" — where she's the antagonist — adds her to the list of playable characters.
Face–Heel Turn: For a given value of "face", but she was a neutral isolationist during Age of Wonders 2, only hostile because she was afraid and wanted to be left alone. By 4, she's aligned herself with the Shad'rai, a faction of conquering evil wizards that includes the returning antagonists of 2.
Lotus-Eater Machine: Puts Meandor in one during Age of Wonders 4, employing a mix of mind-control magic and necromancy to summon figures from his past, including his mother and father.
Necromancer: A wizard of the death sphere in 2.
No Full Name Given: Like the other wizards, she's only referred to by her first name. However, the flavor text of the Tome of the Doomherald in Age of Wonders 4 reveals her full name to be "Arachna Aranea".
Our Goblins Are Different: Her faction in 4 is a race of goblins called the Reclusive Spiderlings, whom Arachna adopted as her minions after they proved unappetizing for her spiders. The goblins have since tamed the spiders, and bred them to be large enough to ride.
Put on a Bus: Joined the crusade across The Multiverse between Shadow Magic and 3, along with most of the other wizards, and was stranded out there by Meandor and Merlin when they destroyed the last shadowgate.
- The Bus Came Back: ...only to return in Age of Wonders 4, after the Shadow Realm is reopened.

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic

Phobius

Emperor of the Phobian Empire, which he established after denouncing the Wizards for unleashing the Shadow Demons with their magic. He went on a crusade to root out all practitioners of magic despite practicing magic himself.

Game-wise, he's a Cosmos wizard who leads the humans and has three Life and three Death spheres.

Antimagical Faction: The Phobian Empire is on a crusade against magic, or so they say, since their commanders actively use it.
Disc-One Final Boss: For more than the first half of the campaign, he appears to be the villain the heroes fight against. After his defeat, the shadow demons gain more focus as the ultimate threat to the world.
Fantastic Racism:
- He treated the Draconians as mere cannon fodder partly because of their immunity to the Shadow World's effects, so they served as O'neron's jailers. He got his own taste of medicine when they sided with Meandor.
- Enslaved the Halflings as entertainers forced to perform humiliating acts just to entertain the humans. The Halfling jesters in the third game are a Take That! to this bitter legacy.
Meaningful Name: His empire is known as the Phobian Empire, and he established it by taking advantage of people's fear and hatred of wizards.

Vorsar

Phobius' right-hand man and top commander of Phobius.

Game-wise, he's a Cosmos wizard who leads the humans and has three fire and three death spheres.

Alas, Poor Villain: Merlin lamented his capture by the shadow demons after Ke-nan had to defeat him even though they teamed up against Yaru.
Jerkass: Has a condescending attitude at all times.
Sanity Slippage: He slowly but surely becomes more and more aggressive and desperate as he loses battles. When sent on a suicide mission by Phobius, he convinced himself that he is still in the good graces of the emperor and continues to belittle the huge menace that the shadow demons represent. He is still sane enough to realize that it would be in his best interests to agree to an uneasy alliance with Ke-nan in order to repel the shadow demons - only to turn his back on him as soon as this enemy has been dealt with. Not that you couldn't guess his intentions from the start. After his defeat, he disappears from the radar, with Merlin commenting that he has been taken by the shadow demons. The next time you see him, he's... not quite himself anymore, and has gone completely cuckoo, spouting gibberish, laughing like a maniac and calling out for his mother.

Ke-nan

Son of the greatest nomad chief who unified all nomad tribes under one banner until his assassination by Sahira. He, Julia, and Meandor are the first Wizards Merlin recruited to fight against the Shadow Demons.

Game-wise, he's a Cosmos wizard who leads the nomads and has three fire and three air spheres.

Mr. Fanservice: Reveals a bare chest under his cloak. This was lampshaded by Karissa when she proposed an alliance against Sahira.
Rescue Arc: Also doubles as an Escort Mission in the Drakar Oasis, where he rescues O'neron and brings him to safety.
Save the Villain: Tried this on Vorsar by warning him that Phobius just sent him on a suicide mission. They garnered an alliance against Yaru and the All-Devourer, only for Vorsar to turn against him afterwards. The end result is Vorsar taken away by the shadow demons, who turned him crazy.
The Wise Prince: He wants to abolish slavery among the nomads.
You Killed My Father: The first mission of his campaign involves avenging his father's assassination at the hands of Sahira.

Symon

A young boy Julia and Merlin discovered to have magical powers, so they trained him in the ways of the wizard.

Game-wise, he's a Cosmos wizard who leads the halflings and has one sphere from every element.

Child Mage: The only wizard in Shadow Magic who is a child rather than an adult.
How Do I Shot Web?: Because he's only just discovered his magical abilities, Merlin trains him.
Master of None: With a single sphere in every element, Symon can cast spells from every type of magic... but not especially well, since he's locked to the most basic spells of each type.
Tagalong Kid: Served this role among the Shadow Magic protagonists.

O'neron

A Syron sage Ke-nan rescued from Phobius' forces in the Drakar Oasis. After Meandor kills Phobius, he travels to a recently opened rift in the east to find refugees and rescue Merlin.

Game-wise, he's a Cosmos wizard who leads the Syron and has four life, one air, and one water sphere.

Distressed Dude: Phobius kept him as a prisoner in the Drakar Oasis, leading Ke-nan to rescue him.

Skulkan

An orc wizard Julia encountered when she was out to enlist Fangir's aid against the Shadow Demons.

Game-wise, he's a Cosmos wizard who leads the orcs and has three fire and three earth spheres.

Obfuscating Stupidity: He was a slave who played to the stereotype that orcs are stupid to trick his master into letting him learn magic.

Sahira

The court shaman of Ke-nan's father, who assassinated him and usurped Ke-nan's position. She allies with the Shadow Demons and feeds them slaves in exchange for power.

Game-wise, she's a Fire wizard who leads the nomads.

Court Mage: Served as one to Ke-nan's father before assassinating him.
Deal with the Devil: Made a pact with the Shadow Demons that they keep her in power as long as she provides slaves to feed them. She learned the hard way that this was not a good idea.
Laser-Guided Karma: After her defeat by Ke-nan, the Shadow Demons, who consumed the slaves she gave to them, consumed her.
Playing with Fire: Notably the only wizard from Shadow Magic who isn't a cosmos wizard.

Ambir

A draconian wizard in the service of the Phobian Empire as O'neron's jailer.

Game-wise, she's a Cosmos wizard who leads the draconians and has three air and three fire spheres.

Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: The Phobian Empire treated the Draconians as nothing more than cannon fodder, partly because of their immunity to the Shadow World's effects, hence why they served as O'neron's jailers with her as their leader. By the time Meandor was in the Urland Fields hunting down renegade heroes working for Phobius, she gladly sided with him as a result of Phobius's mistreatment of her people.

Perses

A Tigran wizard who leads a faction of anti-Yaka tigrans.

Game-wise, he's a Cosmos wizard who leads the tigrans and has three water and three earth spheres.

All-Devourer

The ultimate personification of the Shadow Demons' hive mind that has been consuming souls from countless numbers of worlds.

Game-wise, it's a Cosmos wizard who leads the Shadow Demons and has four death, one earth, and one fire sphere.

The Man Behind the Man: Is manipulating Phobius to weaken Athla for its invasion.
Mind Rape: What it does to its victims should they escape from its grasp. Just ask Vorsar.

Yaru

O'neron's old friend whom the All-Devourer captured and brainwashed.

Game-wise, he's a Cosmos wizard who leads the Syron and has three death and three water spheres.

Alas, Poor Villain: Merlin lamented his death after Ke-nan had to kill him and defeat Vorsar afterwards.
Brainwashed and Crazy: He used to be O'neron's friend, but the All-Devourer turned him evil.

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders 3

Affiliated with the Elven Court

Sundren of House Inioch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sundren.png

A High Elf Rogue and protagonist of the Elven Court campaign. As the second-born of King Saridas and Queen Julia, she wasn't schooled in the ways of the court. Without accepting just being secured a powerful husband in an arranged marriage, she trained and spied. This proves useful when, during a meeting in the Council of Origins, her brother is killed in an ambush. She decides to gather allies to fight back against the Commonwealth.

Sundren returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Champion armed with the Tome of Roots, leading a High culture named "Mended Torchbearers".

Arranged Marriage: Avoiding one was her primary motivation to join her brother and subsequently starts the campaign.
Blow You Away: Has the Air Adept specialization, providing some wind-based spells.
Can't Argue with Elves: Adopts this mentality if she remains loyal to the Elven Court. Under her leadership, the Elven Court becomes oppressive and cruel towards other races, especially humans. Unfortunately, this leaves the elves with few allies when the Wizard Kings return.
Dead Person Impersonation: Her disguise as "Lithyl Nightweaver" during Age of Wonders 4 is explained to be this during the events of Empires & Ashes — Lithyl Nightweaver was one of the first wizards to attack Athla when the seals were broken, and Sundren eventually slew her and took her mask as a trophy.
Enemy Mine: In the Eternal Lords campaign, Sundren will join you as an 11th-Hour Ranger if Arvik chooses to fight against Melenis. She'll do this even if Arvik allies with Werlac, which leads directly to the Shadowborn opening the Shadowgate and summoning the Wizard Kings.
11th-Hour Ranger: In the Commonwealth (if Edward joins the Torchbearers) and Eternal Lords (if Arvik fights Melenis) campaigns.
Green Thumb: In Age of Wonders 4, she starts with the Tome of Roots in the Nature affinity.
Guile Hero: She's a Rogue in 3, and mention is made of her use of spycraft during her adventure. However, she really comes into the role during Age of Wonders 4. Believing that Vagueness Is Coming and that the Godzilla Threshold needs to be crossed, she adopts the identity of Lithyl Nightweaver to manipulate the Shad'rai into conquering Grexolis so she can unseal the world-vault, while occasionally returning to the Covenant as Sundren to counter any collateral damage caused by the evil wizards. Meandor, no stranger to skullduggery from his Cult of Storms days, is impressed by his half-niece's duplicity.
Hypocritical Humor: She'll mention at one point that her prejudice against orcs diminishes right at the same time when her hatred of humans increases should she choose to remain loyal to the Elven Court.
I Did What I Had to Do: How she justifies the various crimes she committed as Lithyl Nightweaver. According to her, the Archons are losing their war against "The Shadow", and the power inside the World Vault could help the godir turn the tide. Since the Archons refuse to open it, and the Covenant wouldn't dare tamper with it, she had to get the Shad'rai to help her break it open by force.
Like Father, Unlike Son: Julia is an idealistic and honorable woman who led the Keepers to be as good and noble as possible, but her daughter Sundren is a Guile Hero willing to resort to underhanded and manipulative tactics in the name of thwarting a greater evil. Meandor remarks that he didn't think anyone on that side of the family could be so duplicitous, an acknowledgement that Sundren takes more after her Retired Monster half-uncle.
My Greatest Failure: Being unable to save her brother Thannis weighs heavily on her, and Age of Wonders 4 reveals that she later failed to save her father, King Saridas, from a deadly betrayal. She's nearly paralyzed with grief when their maddened spectres show up to guilt-trip her during the Auldweald level.
Patchwork Kids: Sundren inherits her mother's wood elf skin-tone and her father's snow white hair, while Thannis has dark elf shading and his mother's blonde hair.
Rebellious Princess: She refused to let her father marry her off to a powerful husband, and instead trained to become a rogue and spy. This can culminate in Sundren forming the Torchbearers and leading an open revolt against her father, in the name of stopping the war between elves and humans.
Spin-Offspring: The daughter of Queen Julia.
White Magic: Has the Creation Adept specialization, providing some spells centered around healing and holy magic.

Thannis of House Inioch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thannis_9.png

A High Elf Warlord. Firstborn of King Saridas and Queen Julia of the Elven Court. Thannis is set to be heir, but he is killed during the Council of Origins.

An Ice Person/Making a Splash: Has the Water Adept specialization, providing spells themed on water and ice.
Barred from the Afterlife: In Age of Wonders 4, Meandor's bout of madness in Auldweald sees him attempt to capture and preserve as many elvish souls as he can, preventing any of them from passing on. This includes Saridas and Thannis, who confront Sundren as corrupted ghosts, guilt-tripping her about her inability to save them. Fortunately, defeating the free city they occupy restores their sanity, and allows for a peaceful farewell.
Blow You Away: Has the Air Adept specialization, providing some wind-based spells.
Character Death: He's murdered during the Council of Origins.
Martial Pacifist: Despite his military prowess, he would rather negotiate on the Elven Court's behalf first.
Patchwork Kids: Sundren inherits her mother's wood elf skin-tone and her father's snow white hair, while Thannis has dark elf shading and his mother's blonde hair.
Sacrificial Lamb: His death is the first thing that happens in the game, and a very important plot point.
Spin-Offspring: The son of Queen Julia.
The Wise Prince: Continually tried to prevent war during the Council of Origins even when most other envoys wanted war.
White Magic: Has the Creation Adept specialization, providing some spells centered around healing and holy magic.

Saridas of House Inioch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tharidas.png

A High Elf Sorcerer. An important Dark Elf figure in the days before the Mending. He was appointed as one of the three advisors to co-rule with Queen Julia during Meandor's absence between Shadow Magic and the third game, and he was the only one of the three who gave any heed to her opinions. They fell in love, married, and together realized the Mending, a magic ritual that reunited the Wood and Dark Elves into a single race, the High Elves. He became King of the Elven Court and fathers Thannis and Sundren.

Archnemesis Dad: Should Sundren form the Torchbearers, she'll have to defeat Saridas to force an end to the war. Fortunately, when the dust settles, he's convinced to see reason.
Barred from the Afterlife: In Age of Wonders 4, Meandor's bout of madness in Auldweald sees him attempt to capture and preserve as many elvish souls as he can, preventing any of them from passing on. This includes Saridas and Thannis, who confront Sundren as corrupted ghosts, guilt-tripping her about her inability to save them. Fortunately, defeating the free city they occupy restores their sanity, and allows for a peaceful farewell.
Bus Crash: Dies between 3 and 4, and briefly returns as a maddened ghost Barred from the Afterlife. The circumstances of his death are not elaborated upon, but its hinted he was betrayed and killed during the return of the Wizard Kings.
Black Magic: Boasts a bit of this through the Destruction Adept specialization, which favors evil acts.
Blow You Away: Has the Air Adept and Air Master specializations.
Outliving One's Offspring: The murder of Prince Thannis provokes Saridas to declare open war between the Commonwealth and the Elven Court. His desire to avenge his son ensures that he can't be talked down during the last level, and his faction needs to be destroyed outright before he finally relents to Sundren's desire for peace.
Unwitting Pawn: Of Werlac and the Shadowborn conspiracy, who orchestrated the murder of Saridas' son and framed the Commonwealth, starting a globe-spanning war that would leave both empires too weak to resist the return of the Wizard Kings.

Reskar Scapeshaper

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reskar.png

A Draconian Arch Druid who escaped the ambush at the Council of Origins. Leading the outcast draconians, he allies with Sundren in the fight against the Commonwealth.

Black Magic: Has a bit of this with the Destruction Adept specialization, which favors evil acts.
Distracted by the Sexy: Defied; Shnaga the Pretty tried to seduce him, but he refused her advances, calling her appearance "nauseating".
Dragon Rider: The Golden Wyrm Egg hatches into a gold wyvern mount, one of the game's rarest, during the second mission. With it, Reskar can fly, has a 40% bonus to fire and blight resistance, and has True Sight.
The Lancer: To Sundren. He's present in all of the Elven Court campaign missions save for the third one.
Messianic Archetype: Has these vibes. The draconians are shunned by the Commonwealth and without a home. Reskar fulfills a prophecy by bringing a Golden Wyrm egg to the Pool of Origins. He brings his people to Ralikesh and, when the egg hatches, bringing the gold wyvern to its place of origin earns him a mandate from the dragons themselves.
White Magic: Has the Creation Adept and Creation Master specializations, providing many options for healing, protecting friendly units and purifying the landscape into temperate terrain, as well as providing some positive alignment points.

Nomlik Trismegistus

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nomlik.png

A Goblin Theocrat who lived in Xablor province of the Commonwealth. After Voraditius proclaims Emperor Leonus Divine Emperor, he burns his temple rather than having it defiled, and runs to the deserts of Ralikesh heeding to a prophecy. There, he meets and becomes an ally of Sundren and Reskar.

Blow You Away: With the Air Adept and Air Master specializations.
All-Loving Hero: He says that the humans in Ralikesh should be spared as a gesture of mercy, which in turn can make them potentially loyal supporters of the Elven Court.
Good Shepherd: In contrast to Voraditius, he's concerned with the lives of those faithful to the church of the Allfather, especially the goblins of Xablor Province who were his flock.
The Heart: To Sundren's party, he is the one who always advocates for mercy and restraint. He'll abandon the group if she ignores Merlin's advice and continues the war.
Turbulent Priest: A devout servant of the Allfather, Nomlik was one of the only priests in the Commonwealth to speak out against Voratitus' proposal for Emperor Leonus to be deified, and burned his own temple to the ground rather than see it be perverted to the new religion. After this, he follows Merlin's guidance to join Sundren, daughter of the Commonwealth's primary enemy, and with her help starts a rebellion in the province of Xablor.

Groshak the Sharp-edged

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/groshak.png

An Orc Sorcerer who lives in Ralikesh. He joins the Elven Court as he believes in preserving the ancient traditions of magic.

Blow You Away: Has the Air Adept specialization.
The Bus Came Back: Shows up in the Golden Realms storyline, most likely after he abandoned Sundren in the main story's Torchbearer path.
Evil Reactionary: Sides with King Saridas because he believes that magic is the main driving force of Athla, and wants to go back to the pre-human days of the Elven Court. He'll abandon the party if Sundren chooses to form the Torchbearers and make peace with the humans.
Fantastic Racism: Encourages Sundren to kick out the humans from Ralikesh. It foreshadows his abandonment of her if she forms the Torchbearers.
Playing with Fire: Has the Fire Adept and Fire Master specializations.
Token Evil Teammate: Serves as one among the Elven Court heroes, though he's more misguided than evil.

Werlac of Insaldur

A High Elf Sorcerer, advisor to King Saridas of the Elven Court and a former Dark Elf.

Werlac returns in Age of Wonders 4 as a Champion armed with the Tome of Evocation, leading a Dark culture named "Shadowborn Elves".

Big Bad: He's the one responsible for the deteriorating relations between the Elven Court and the Commonwealth, at least on the elves' side. He's one of the leaders of the Shadowborn, a conspiracy that seeks to re-open the Shadow Realm and summon the tyrannical Wizard Kings, in the hope of becoming either wizards themselves or favored servants of the Kings. Fostering the war serves to cover his tracks, and ensure the nations of Athla are too exhausted and divided to survive the coming invasion.
- Big Bad Ensemble: With Melenis in The Eternal Lords. Arvik gets to choose whether to side with Melenis and kill all life, side with Werlac and allow him to open the Shadow Realm, or make a stand for his own people and destroy them both.
Black Magic: Has the Destruction Adept and Destruction Master specializations, which favor evil acts like spreading blight and razing cities.
Dark Is Evil: He's a sinister-looking dark elf who was previously a high-ranking stormlord (i.e. one of the leaders of the Cult of Storms from Age of Wonders 1), and is now the leader of a new cult named "the Shadowborn", making him the main antagonist. He's also got both levels of the Destruction specialization, which favor evil acts like spreading blight and razing cities.
Dirty Coward: He'll quickly flee when his forces are defeated.
Dude, Where's My Reward?: According to his bio in 4, Werlac suffered this after helping to liberate the Wizard Kings. The Shad'rai only ever viewed the Shadowborn as a tool to free themselves, leaving Werlac disappointed when his "gods" didn't care to reward him. Now Werlac and his Shadowborn Elves are exploring the astral sea in the hope of finding another, more powerful god somewhere who will appreciate their worship.
Evil Chancellor: Serves as King Saridas' advisor and is a member of the Shadowborn. Notably, Werlac was a trusted lieutenant of Meandor, and was appointed along with Saridas to rule the dark elves in his absense, yet Werlac seeks to undo Meandor's Heroic Sacrifice between games by opening the Shadow Realm.
Evil Mentor: Serves as Sundren's mentor in the tutorial, encouraging her to develop Fantastic Racism against the goblins infesting the island of Aldor. As it turns out, Werlac is the reason the goblins are there in the first place, having "sold" the island to them as yet another ploy to worsen relations with the Commonwealth.
Evil Sorcerer: He uses the Sorcerer class, and his goal is to open up the Shadow Realm so that he and his co-conspirators can gain the power of the Wizard Kings.
Evil Versus Oblivion: He fights against Melenis in the Eternal Lords campaign, on the grounds that Melenis wants to kill all life on Athla, while he simply wants to free the Wizard Kings.
Karma Houdini: He slips away after the Shadowborn conspiracy is exposed in the Torchbearer endings, and the canonical ending of The Eternal Lords sees Werlac succeed in reopening the last shadowgate, leaving any comeuppance for the next installment.
Manipulative Bastard: He's been scheming under Saridas's nose in order to provoke conflict between the Elven Court and the Commonwealth.
The Mole: He's actually a high-ranking member (if not the outright leader) of the Shadowborn, a cult that seeks to free the Wizard Kings from the Shadow Realm.
Playing with Fire: Has the Fire Adept specialization in 3.
The Bad Guy Wins:
- If Sundren or Edward choose to remain loyal to their nations and persecute the war to its end, the undiscovered Shadowborn quietly continue their work and eventually open the Shadow Realm. The Commonwealth and Elven Court, each severely mismanaged by Sundren or Edward, are left with few allies against the returning Wizard Kings and are implied to be swiftly conquered.
- According to Word of God, siding with Werlac is the canon ending of The Eternal Lords, meaning that the Shadowborn ultimately succeed in opening the Shadow Realm despite all their setbacks. The story ends with the nations of the Blessed Continent massing their armies in preparation for the inevitable arrival of the Wizard Kings. This would be confirmed by the announcement of Age of Wonders 4, which concerns the return of the Wizard Kings to Athla. Notably, even the neutral ending features the new Frostling empire plotting to take advantage of the dormant shadowgate to access The Multiverse on their own, which would effectively complete Werlac's plan for him.invoked
Shock and Awe: Werlac is a Sorcerer in Age of Wonders 3, a class that focuses on shock damage. In Age of Wonders 4, he begins the game with the Tome of Evocation in the Astral affinity, which also focuses on shock damage.

Leana the Huntress

A High Elf Warlord from the Elven Court.

Just Following Orders: Even if you defeat Werlac first and expose his treachery, she'll still fight you because "She has her orders".

Vontor the Shocking

A Goblin Sorcerer from the Elven Court.

Xorn the Disciplined

An Orc Warlord from the Elven Court.

Fai Dural Dzirikon

A Draconian Theocrat from the Elven Court.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:
- To her fellow Draconians. She rallied a sizable number of them to fight alongside Saridas just to act as cannon fodder.
- To the Elven Court. The main reason why she fought alongside Saridas was to weaken the Elven Court with a war of attrition so it won't stand a chance against the forces from the Shadow Realm.
The Mole: Member of the Shadowborn, responsible for convincing many Draconians to fight for the Elven Court on the final battle.

Affiliated with the Commonwealth

Edward Portsmith

A Human Dreadnought and protagonist of the Commonwealth campaign.

Edward returns in Age of Wonders 4: Empires & Ashes as a Champion armed with the Tome of Artifice, leading a Reaver culture named "Commonwealth Remnants".

Arc Villain: Of the "Ashes of the Past" storyline in Age of Wonders 4, where he's a Rogue Protagonist.
11th-Hour Ranger: In the Elven court campaign, if Sundren joins the Torchbearers.
24-Hour Armor: Implied by the artwork shown in between campaign scenarios, as Edward is always depicted keeping his armor on, even at a ballroom.
Emperor Scientist: In the Commonwealth ending, Edward usurps Leonus and crowns himself Emperor, and begins a campaign of global industrialization fueled by Magitek of his own design. Unfortunately, it leads to post-peak mana, crippling the now tech-reliant Commonwealth.
Playing with Fire: Has the Fire Adept and Fire Master specializations in III.
Post-Peak Oil: If Edward remains loyal to the Commonwealth, he takes over as emperor and starts a new industrial revolution with his Magitek. However, the world's supply of crystal mana is eventually consumed by over-industrialization, crippling the tech-reliant Commonwealth in time for the return of the Wizard Kings.
Rogue Protagonist: Becomes this during the "Ashes from the Past" storyline in 4. Being cast adrift in the astral void (which has a built-in Psychological Torment Zone) causes his anger and despair over the fall of the Commonwealth to grow into an obsessive hatred of the Wizard Kings. He and his men embark on a campaign to "liberate" realms, destroying anyone who would support or even tolerate the rule of a Wizard King. It's later revealed that Edward's aggression is being magnified by an Eldritch Abomination that embodies the warmongering Chaos affinity. Defeating him or sealing off the realm from the astral sea causes Edward to return to his senses and be horrified by his previous actions.
Science Hero: As a Dreadnought. He's technically the first Dreadnought, since he's the guy who first devised mana core technology, which promises to revolutionize the Commonwealth's industry. Unfortunately, with the collapse of the Commonwealth between games, Edward also became known as the Last Dreadnought.
Sword and Gun: In Age of Wonders 4, his default equipment is a magelock pistol and sword, giving him a ranged secondary attack.
The Last of His Kind: Zig-zagged. He is titled as the "Last Dreadnought of the Commonwealth" ever since the Wizard Kings decimated Athla, and the return of high magic rendered the fledgling Magitek of the Third Age obsolete for a time... until the technology is rediscovered by enterprising wizards during the events of Empires & Ashes, so while he is the last surviving member of the original Commonwealth Dreadnoughts, he is not the last user of Dreadnought-style magitek and magelock weaponry.
Tyrant Takes the Helm: If he chooses to remain loyal to the Commonwealth, he'll kill Leonus and replace him as emperor, running the country into the ground through over-industrialization.

Laryssa Mirabilis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/laryssa.png

A Human Sorcerer, the niece of Emperor Leonus and childhood friend of Edward.

Laryssa returns in Age of Wonders 4: Empires & Ashes as a Champion armed with the Tome of Warding, leading a Reaver culture named "Commonwealth Philosophers".

I Did What I Had to Do: She stole the Oscillator Gem from the dwarves at Hengevolt to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Stripperific: Wears a dress that exposes her midriff. Lampshaded by Valery, who calls her a "scantily-clad witch" if Edward joins the Torchbearers.
Witch with a Capital "B": She gets called this by Valery if Edward chooses to defect to the Torchbearers.

Valery of House Avernos

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/valery.png

A High Elf Warlord fighting for the Commonwealth despite her race's war against it.

Valery returns in Age of Wonders 4: Empires & Ashes as a Champion armed with the Tome of the Horde, leading a Reaver culture named "Commonwealth Remnants".

Black Vikings: In the service of the Commonwealth despite its persecution of High Elves due to the war against the Elven Court. It's mentioned that she had to endure racism throughout her life.
Distaff Counterpart: To Groshak the Sharp-edged from the Elven Court storyline. They're both loyal to the respective nations they fight for based on the values they espouse; Groshak on preserving ancient traditions like magic, Valery on upholding racial and social equality. It goes to the point that they'll abandon the protagonists of their respective campaigns if they defect to the Torchbearers.
General Ripper: Inverted in 4. While she's found prosecuting a war against the Krazura's Hidden Elf Village on Edward's orders, the "reconcile both sides" path sees Valery admit that she's barely in control of her troops, and she asks the player to take out some of the more influential rogue officers so she can restore order and sue for peace. It quickly becomes apparent that there's a Hate Plague involved in making the Commonwealth troops so aggressive.
My Country, Right or Wrong: She got better in the end if Edward chooses to defect to the Torchbearers.
Non-Player Character: In Age of Wonders 4, she only appears during the story as an NPC for two reasons — the first is that her faction is merely a Palette Swap of Edward's, and the second is that being a Champion of a different form from her followers (she's an elf while her troops are human) isn't legally possible in the game mechanics.
Undying Loyalty: Believe it or not, she's strongly loyal to the Commonwealth, especially its original non-discriminatory tenets. In fact, she'll abandon Edward should he defect from the Commonwealth to join the Torchbearers.

Sulthor Nightblade

An Orc Rogue whom Edward and Valery meet in the Sunbirth region.

Guile Hero: Uses subterfuge to establish a base of operations for the Torchbearers in the Rockshoal Isles.

Dwemus Strongmouth

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dwemus.png

A Dwarf Theocrat preaching around blighted regions throughout the Commonwealth.

Black Magic: Has the Destruction Adept and Destruction Master specializations, giving him ways to destroy enemies and cities with greater ease and spreading blight.
Dishing Out Dirt: Has the Earth Adept specialization.

Leonus Degrance

A Human Dreadnought, Divine Emperor of the Commonwealth.

A God Am I: He's proclaimed a living god by Voraditius and does nothing to disprove this. It turns out that he's actually Brainwashed and Crazy.
Black Magic: Has the Destruction Adept specialization, which favors some evil acts.
Brainwashed and Crazy: What Voraditius did to him in order to destabilize the Commonwealth.
Bus Crash: It is implied that he died with the Commonwealth, when the Wizard Kings returned in 4.
Emperor Scientist: Very much praised for his engineering abilities, which the Commonwealth relies upon for its military and economic superiority.
Evil Uncle: After learning that his niece Laryssa stole the Oscillator Gem and purportedly killed his diplomats, he demands her execution without investigating the truth behind it.
Hidden Depths: His personal domain in Bisançon province contains cities inhabited by each race in the game, suggesting that he really does practice the racial equality propagandized by the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, the Shadowborn have infiltrated the Commonwealth government's upper ranks, preventing him from stopping the persecution of minority races outside his home.

Voraditius Pontifex Maximus

A Human Theocrat who proclaimed Emperor Leonus as the Divine Emperor of the Commonwealth. He lives in Xablor province.

"Ass" in Ambassador: Served as the human representative at the Council of Origins, where it was implied that he and fellow representative Yzzo were responsible for carrying out Thannis's assassination.
Bad Boss: To the goblins in Xablor province, whom he enslaved under the guise of "indentured labor". He then inflates the prices of necessities to reduce their ability to buy their freedom.
Bald of Evil: He's actually balding, but whatever.
The Mole: Uses his position as the High Priest of the Commonwealth to further the designs of the Shadowborn.
Sinister Minister: Which leads to troubles with one Nomlik.

Gustav Gorsmog

A Dwarf Dreadnought working for the Commonwealth.

Kick the Dog: Burnt a goblin city in Xablor province because he thought it smelled funny.
Retcon: In the Commonwealth campaign, he and fellow dwarf dreadnought Drugal teamed up together to form a rebellion among the dwarves as a result of Svengir's manipulation. In the Elven Court campaign, said rebellion never happens, and he's in Xablor enslaving goblins with Voraditius.

Svengir the Golden

A Dwarf Rogue working for the Commonwealth.

The Mole: He's a member of the Shadowborn and instigator of the war on the Commonwealth side.
Retcon: In the Commonwealth campaign, he manipulated the dwarves in Hengevolt to rebel against the Commonwealth and was killed by Valery. In the Elven Court campaign, he doesn't do that and either follows Leonus into battle against Saridas or is defending Kaerunn province, depending on the path Sundren chooses.

Ekko the Explosive

A Goblin Dreadnought from the Commonwealth. Sundren encounters him in the tutorial, leading a small force to claim the isle of Aldor.

Hostile Terraforming: He's hard at work poisoning the landscape of Aldor into blight terrain, with the goal of making the island more suitable for goblin habitation. Oddly, he doesn't have the Destruction specializations that would enable him to actually spread blight.
Starter Villain: He's the antagonist of the game's tutorial.

Lucian van Kesburgh

A Human Dreadnought who went to Ralikesh to exploit the mana nodes of the region.

Fantastic Racism: He says that High Elves and Draconians should have been made extinct by humans centuries ago.

Wazuhl the Jagged

A Goblin Warlord from the Commonwealth.

Argula Ironheart

An Orc Dreadnought from the Commonwealth.

Yzzo the Rat

A Goblin Rogue from the Commonwealth serving as the Goblin representative during the Council of Origins.

"Ass" in Ambassador: Framed Thannis for trying to attack him, which caused Gamblag to kill Thannis. His act was part of the Shadowborn's plan to incite war between the Commonwealth and Elven Court.
The Bus Came Back: Shows up in the Golden Realms campaign, most likely as a result of fleeing the Commonwealth and Elven Court now that their leaders have learned that the Shadowborn are the real threat to the world.
Karma Houdini: Does not appear at all for the rest of the Elven Court campaign if Sundren forms the Torchbearers. However, in the Golden Realms campaign, it is implied that he was killed when Ham Binger uses the Prime Seals to vanquish the enemies of the Halflings.
Karmic Death: Sundren gets to kill him if she chooses to remain loyal to the Elven Court.

Golden Realms

Ernest Thistlewood

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ernest_8.png

A Halfling Warlord and main protagonist of the Golden Realms campaign, one of the contenders for the leadership of the Halflings of the Golden Realms. After the destruction of the Halfling city of New Heartwood, he is convinced that the Halfling Race will survive only through warfare.

No Celebrities Were Harmed: His appearance (down to his beret), partisan specialization, and even name indicate that he's partially based on Che Guevara, whose real name is Ernesto.
Training the Peaceful Villagers: He wants to turn the halflings into a nation of warriors in order to ensure their survival in the face of invaders.

Allie Thistlewood

A Halfling Sorcerer, sister to Ernest and his second in command.

Camille Moonflower

A Halfling Rogue, one of the contenders for leadership of the Halflings of the Golden Realms.

Break the Haughty: If you manage to contact her before Crescendale is razed, she has a rather impertinent behavior.
Doomed Hometown: Twice over. New Heartwood is destroyed by orcs and goblins, then when contending for the new leadership of the Halflings, her city is destroyed by the Naga, prompting her to join Ernest in search of revenge.

Roger Peacock

A Halfling Theocrat, one of the contenders for leadership of the Halflings of the Golden Realms.

Karl Hushwick

A Halfling Arch Druid and one of the members of the ancient order of Keepers.

Back from the Dead: After his seeming death, Ernest wakes up to hear of a report of an eerie light from a Seal. He investigates the Seal, where he discovers the risen Karl chanting of Melenis's resurrection and disappear. In the Eternal Lords campaign, he accompanies Melenis, as her minion, in the final chapter.
Fallen Hero: Originally a member of the Keepers, his dabbling with the Oscillator Gem caused him to use extreme measures against the halflings' enemies. It consumed him to become Melenis's pawn.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: This is what happens when you try to use the Oscillator Gem's powers for your own ends.
Necromancer: In the Eternal Lords expansion, he returns as a Lich.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: He believed that using the Oscillator Gem's powers would help the halflings reclaim their old prominence in Athla and defeat their enemies.

Eternal Lords

Arvik the Dark

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ageofwonders3avrik.png

A Frostling Necromancer and the main protagonist of the Frostling campaign, the last lord of clan Varnheim. His clan protected the icy lands of the Frostlings from the Commonwealth, a task that ended up causing the clan's ruin, as their lands were the ones to be destroyed as the invasion was repelled. Intent on restoring his clan, Arvik presents himself as a suitor for the newly crowned High Queen Sanhild, and is mocked by his adversaries. Visiting the hall of his forefathers, he meets Melenis, and is taught by her how to restore his clan through Necromancy.

Arvik returns in Age of Wonders 4: Primal Fury as a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Necromancy, leading a Primal culture named "Risen Frostlings".

Dude, Where's My Respect?: His clan has long defended the Frostling homeland from Commonwealth attacks, which destroyed their lands and severely reduced their numbers over time. The other suitors mocked him and saw his holdings as loot without regard to Clan Varnheim's service to the Frostling nation.
Last of His Kind: The last lord of Clan Varnheim and desperate to restore it to its former glory.
Necromancer: Melenis taught him necromancy, which he uses to win against the other suitors competing for Sanhild's favor and restore his clan to its former glory. In Age of Wonders 4 he starts with the Tome of Necromancy, the starting necromancy tome.

Rowlar the Warden

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rowlar.png

A Tigran Arch Druid. The return of the Tigrans and the rise of the Cult of Yaka led the race to the frozen plains of Brisska to melt the ice and turn it into a burned desert. As an Arch Druid, Rowlar knows this plan would have dire consequences on Athla's ecosystem. He defects and travels to the north, where he warns Arvik and Sanhild of the Cult's ploy and asks them for help to stop the Cult.

Interspecies Romance: Implied to have a crush on Sanhild's sister Ella, a frostling.

Sanhild the High Queen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sanhild.png

A Frostling Arch Druid and High Queen of the Frostlings. She is crowned shortly before the start of the Eternal Lords campaign, and the Frostling lords compete to be her suitor.

Big Sister Instinct: She doesn't want to force her sister Ella into the meaningless position of handmaiden even though it was Frostling tradition to do so. If Arvik allies with Werlac, Sanhild tells the former to take good care of Ella.

Other Leaders

Gamblag Master of Origins

An Orc Theocrat that serves as the guardian of the Pool of Origins at the Valley of Wonders, where the Council of Origins is held.

Starter Villain: The antagonist of the first Elven Court campaign mission.
Unwitting Pawn: To the Shadowborn, who manipulated him into killing Thannis in order to incite a war between the Elven Court and the Commonwealth.

Oscar Van Heldon

A Human Rogue, alleged cultist, responsible for the rebellion of the northernmost Commonwealth region of Brisska.

Smug Snake: His remarks at Edward and Laryssa during their attempt to quell the rebellion he leads at Brisska comes off as this. Apparently, this trait runs in the family because a relative of his in the Sapphire Archipelago does the same thing to Sundren.
Starter Villain: The antagonist of the first Commonwealth campaign mission. Unlike most examples, he is a member of the Shadowborn, the primary bad guys of the campaign.

Shnaga the Pretty

A Goblin Rogue that controls part of the tropical lands of Ralikesh.

Black Widow: If you kill Urlagh first, she says he no longer matters to her as he was expendable in the first place.
Ironic Name: Played with. While not a looker herself, it's implied that she managed to seduce a number of men before finishing them off.

Urlagh the Unchained

An Orc Warlord that controls part of the tropical lands of Ralikesh.

Isabella van Heldon

A Human Rogue who invades the Sapphire Archipelago in an effort to create a large fleet of ships for the Commonwealth while plundering the towns in the region as a pirate.

Evidence Dungeon: In the Torchbearer path, Sundren finds that Isabella held detailed records of all the Shadowborn cult's activities, with enough contextual clues to implicate Werlac as one of the cult's leaders. Merlin believes that none of it was ever intended to be written down, and suspects that Isabella had been amassing the evidence as blackmail material.
Pirate: She's a pirate queen working for the Commonwealth as a privateer, and terrorizes the elves of the Sapphire Archipelago while building ships for the empire. Appropriately, her faction emblem is a white skull on a black field, reminiscent of a Jolly Roger flag.
Smug Snake: If you defect from the Elven Court and offer peace, she'll mock you for even thinking that she would accept this. This trait seems to run in the family, because a relative of hers at Brisska does the same thing to Edward and Laryssa. Furthermore, she seemed to believe she could hijack the Shadowborn from under Werlac, as she amasses a mountain of incriminating blackmail materials that the Torchbearers gain after her defeat.

Carishar Morclaw

A Draconian Sorcerer operating in the Sunbirth region.

Egopolis: His principal city in the Sunbirth region is named after himself.
Obviously Evil: So you're in a desolate region and telling the hero to mind his own business in a forceful tone. Way to be subtle there, Carishar.
Too Dumb to Live: If Edward chooses to remain loyal to the Commonwealth, he'll immediately declare war on him after you defeat Laryssa despite initially playing off the two in the first place.

Brenn Grimdotter

A Dwarf Theocrat. She is the one who imprisoned Bormac Orcbane on the Sapphire Archipelago after tricking him.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She was this to Bormac in the past, which led to his imprisonment in the Sapphire Archipelago. The full details are unknown.

Malzua of Shyndra

A Draconian Sorcerer, one of the inhabitants of the Golden Realms, not very happy with the recent migration of Halflings to her people's lands.

Jurwac the Loyal

An Orc Warlord. Responsible for the massacre of New Heartwood.

Bolmor the Silent

A stoic Dwarf Arch Druid who lives in the underground of the Golden Realms.

Ankhnaton Anarak

A Tigran Sorcerer who leads the Cult of Yaka, a cult of Tigrans seeking to turn Athla into a desert to prepare for their god Yaka's return.

Playing with Fire: He uses a powerful fire-based spell to turn Athla into a desert, starting with Brisska.

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders 4

Accrion the Endless

Accrion was a legendary but cruel wizard among his people. Not long after what his emperor called "a series of horrid experiments", Accrion was sentenced to death by beheading. Little did his people know, Accrion was already closely acquainted with the astral void, and losing his head turned out to be a mere inconvenience.

Voidseekers are the subjects of Accrion, the Voidseer, whose mind travels the astral sea. They are his test subjects and followers, whose knowledge about everything astral transcends many others.

Accrion is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Evocation, leading a Mystic culture named "Voidseekers".

Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, but can appear randomly during custom games.

Alfred Elderstone

When he was a young prince, Alfred saw the deaths of his parents at the hands of an invading Wizard. In order to protect his people, he united the splintered factions of Athla under one banner and started the search for a new home.

After the return of the Wizard Kings, the many human factions of Athla were unable to rise against the invasion. It took a great hero – a young prince who knew tremendous loss, to unite them under the banner of the Destined Humans.

Alfred is a Champion armed with the Tome of Faith, leading a Feudal culture named "Destined Humans"

Decoy Protagonist: Kind of. The story trailer covers his backstory, and the first story mission makes reference to it in past tense, suggesting that Alfred is at minimum the canon protagonist of the introductory chapter. However, the player is not obligated to play as Alfred at any point, and can subsitute any other ruler in his place.
The Good King: His appearance as an NPC in Empires & Ashes portrays him as this trope, having high hopes for the diplomatic overtures of the Sahrian Trials (though he struggles with the morally bankrupt nature of the Wizard King participants, Karissa and Noctus). The "Chosen Uniters" society trait of the Destined Humans gives Alfred some positive baseline karma.
Jousting Lance: His starting gear, paired with a horse. Notably he was the only Feudal leader that started with a lance at all, until the weapon was later made available for custom Feudal rulers (the default "shock unit" option for Feudal Champions was a greatsword until then).
Religion is Magic: Starts with the Tome of Faith in the Order affinity, which unlocks a Chaplain unit, Convents in cities, and special Abbey provinces.
White Magic: The Tome of Faith provides Alfred's faction with healing abilities, including the Army Heal and Staves of Mending spells, and the Mending Touch hero skill.
You Killed My Father: In the Age of Wonders 4 story trailer, Lithyl Nightweaver murders young Alfred's parents and sets herself up as a Sorcerous Overlord. Alfred spends the next few decades slowly building The Alliance to bring down her empire. This later prompts an outraged confrontation with Sundren, who was revealed to be disguising herself as Lithyl — she quickly explains that it was a Dead Person Impersonation, and that she wasn't the murderer of Alfred's parents.

Anura the Cold-Blooded

Anura was the court magician of her people. When her queen did not heed the warning of a harsh upcoming winter, many of her people perished. Anyra, desperate to save her people, called upon powerful dark magics to adapt them to the cold.

Once, the Frozen Toads loved to bask in the sun. After Anura cast her spell, they could not stand the warmth anymore. Now all they crave is an eternal frost.

Anura is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Cryomancy, leading a Dark culture named "Frozen Toads".

Gameplay and Story Segregation: Despite their flavor text, the Frozen Toads don't have Arctic Adaptation, instead having Underground Adaptation.
Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, but can appear randomly during custom games.

Aric Rex

After the Commonwealth crumbled under the arrival of the banished Wizards, one lion stood fast in the astral storm. Aric Rex fights to restore his beloved Commonwealth to its former glory. His armor represents the Emperors of his past.

Even though the Commonwealth of the Third Age has fallen, Aric's faithful followers fight to uphold its values.

Aric is a Champion armed with the Tome of Zeal, leading a High culture named "Faithful Tigrans".

Bling of War: Aric wears a suit of lion-themed golden armor, with a golden laurel crown, purple cloth and a white fur cape.
Cat Folk: Uses the feline form, and is explicitly a tigran from Athla. Aric himself is a tigran with white fur and a thick mane-beard, to go with his lion-themed armor.
Downloadable Content: Aric and his Bling of War outfit are the subject of a pre-order bonus for Age of Wonders 4.
The Remnant: Alongside Edward and his followers, Aric's tigrans are Commonwealth loyalists who survived the return of the Wizard Kings.

Asgera Spinesplitter

Brutality is Asgera Spinesplitter! She rallies her Orcs with a covenant of conquest, and nothing stands forever against her might.

Bloodfang Orcs are not known for their love of flower arranging or carving fruit into the shapes of tiny animals. They do enjoy the rhythm and visual poetry that results from repeatedly bashing a foe’s skull against a bloody rock until it caves in with a beautiful scarlet display of fleshy fireworks.

Asgera is a Champion armed with the Tome of the Horde, leading a Barbarian culture named "Bloodfang Orcs".

Blood Knight: Expounds this philosophy in the flavor text of the Chaos-aligned tomes of Revelry and Devastation:
Asgera: Nothing instills more doubt in an enemy than a foe who revels in battle! The warriors who feast on the carnage, they are the ultimate victors of war, no matter the outcome. Take glory in the fray and care not who wins!
Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: Fitting for a brutal warmongering barbarian, she starts with a great-axe weapon.
The Horde: With the Barbarian culture, Ruthless Raiders trait and Tome of the Horde, the Bloodfang Orcs are a belligerant and warlike race.
Our Orcs Are Different: Asgera and her followers are fairly standard Tolkienesque Orcs, though compared to the Enthralled Orcs who serve Karissa, they're not quite as bad.

Blint the Underdelver

Blint listens. The earth trembles and he hears its murmurs. Patiently he waits below, hoarding his resources, until his means are sufficient to overhwlem the fools who waste their efforts on works of rock and stone to fortify themselves.

Blint’s Mole-folk, dubbed by many as the Deep Dwellers, are known for outstanding levels of patience and cunning. They possess the knowledge and instinctive ability to both raise glorious structures as well as tear them down in the most efficient manner possible.

Blint is a Champion armed with the Tome of Rock, leading an Industrial culture named "Deep Dwellers".

Dishing Out Dirt: Blint starts with the Tome of Rock.
Mole Miner: A race of mole-people that specialize in living Beneath the Earth, whose leader wields earth magic for good measure.

Cinren Toliath

An attractive elf who nevertheless evokes an aura of haughty superiority, Cinren wears a perpetual sneer of lecherous intent. It is said that he has devoted much of his existence to the magical honing of carnal delights, often careening down dark and morally ambiguous pathways in order to reach undiscovered realms of pleasure.

The group of elves known as the Ashborn Hedonists follow Cinren Toliath and revere his godlike pursuit of pleasure. Powerful practitioners of magic in their own right, they seek to bring all under the sway of their master in order to provide more fodder towards his lecherous machinations.

Cinren is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Evocation, leading a Mystic culture named "Ashborn Hedonists".

Amazing Technicolor Population: Unlike most elves, Cinren and his devotees have red skin.
Court Jester: Under the influence of a Love Potion, he can be ordered by the player to entertain them as a court jester, granting a Skald unit.
The Hedonist: Cinren has devoted his long life and magical gifts to the pursuit of pleasure. The Ashborn Hedonists have the Prolific Swarmers society trait, suggesting that they spend quite a lot of time, ahem, enjoying themselves.
Love Potion: Defeating him without war in Rise of the Godir: Crimson Caldera involves bewitching him with a love potion, the surge of emotion breaking through his jaded hedonism. He promptly disbands his faction and begs to join your court.
Shock and Awe: Cinren starts with the shock-oriented Tome of Evocation as well as a lightning orb weapon.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Cinren goes bare-chested, flaunting shiny golden tattoos.

Dafal Dea

When the sharp mind of an Amphibian is driven by a divine calling, it can reach quite erudite heights. When, as in the case of Dafal, it ascends to roaming the seas to bring justice, it becomes a force to be reckoned with indeed.

The followers of Dafal Dea are as zealous as they are naturally amphibious. Long conversations about philosophy and Godirhood can often be heard drifting through the sea fog, to the accompaniment of excited croaks, when one of their vessels is close by.

Dafal is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Zeal, leading a High culture named "Crusading Croakers".

Darman Voss

Darman Voss is the rightful heir according to many, a weakling not worth following according to others. He refused to act when his brother Skogan split from the kingdom, further fracturing the realm as Jarlan went to extreme measures to reunite it. He is a diplomat at heart, seeking peace at any cost. Many would think him weak for this, yet the lives of his subjects are prosperous and stable in spite of the kingdom's fracturing.

His loyalists are a people of principles, lawful to a fault and eager to serve.

Darman is a Champion armed with the Tome of Enchantment, leading a Feudal culture named "Darman's Loyalists".

Non-Player Character: He is not playable, but is instead set to spawn alongside his brothers in maps with the "Pretender Kings" presence trait.
Sketchy Successor: He's the rightful heir to the throne of Vossin, but his aversion to war and inability to prevent chunks of the kingdom from seceding has led many to consider Darman unfit to rule.

Decimus the Unwavering

Decimus was hand-picked by Nimue as a ruler for her then-latest created race, and proudly named him her tenth favorite. He wore this honor with pride and responsibility, until his creator goddess grew disappointed with him and his people for reasons known only to herself. It was this guilt that led him to pursue a life of righteousness for him and his people, and it was this weight of responsibillity that started him on the path to ascension.

The Atoning Toadmen were created by Nimue and once rose above many others, but must now answer for their sins. What sins and how, they're not sure, but they must atone nonetheless, and lead others on the same path of righteousness before their former goddess, Nimue, can love them again.

Decimus is a Champion armed with the Tome of Faith, leading a Feudal culture named "Atoning Toadmen".

The Atoner: He becomes this after finally being persuaded of Nimue's evilness, vowing to atone for his mistakes.
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: In "Enchanted Archipelago", he turns against Nimue for nearly exterminating his people when the player allies with him.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Decimus and his people have already been cast aside by their creator, Nimue, but the Crusading Croakers are convinced that they can somehow regain her favor, even if they aren't sure why she rejected them to begin with. It takes a little push from the player before Decimus is willing to betray Nimue.

Enam’ru Enkhanan

“At the center of all good mysteries sits an unassuming cat, watching silently through wide jeweled eyes.” Enam’ru Enkhanan sees all with her ever so slight, half-moon smile twitching in amusement at the arcane secrets the rest of her peers have yet to discover.

Arcane Tigrans are Enam’ru’s shadowy, feline agents who flit through the dark places between worlds, absconding with arcane secrets for their mistress. Masters of magical channeling, they make formidable foes should they decide to step out of those shadows...

Enam'ru is a Champion armed with the Tome of Warding, leading a Mystic culture named "Arcane Tigrans".

Cats Are Magic: Enam'ru and the Arcane Tigrans are Cat Folk with a Mystic culture and the Mana Channelers trait, making them very adept at spellcasting.
Shock and Awe: Besides specializing in the Astral affinity, Enam'ru's starting weapon is a lightning orb.
Sneaky Spy Species: With the Shadow Walkers society trait, Arcane Tigran scout units have "universal camoflage" on the world map, and come pre-equipped with the Wayfarer enchantment to give them extra movement.
Summon Magic: Their Mana Channelers society trait makes summoning spells cheaper to cast, and gives +1 initial rank to recruited creatures of magical origin. Enam'ru also begins the game with a random magic-origin creature in her starting army.

Frikka Dynosis

Frikka is an ancient Godir in the guise of a Halfling, with a penchant for cunning and frivolity. Her sharp mind and quicker wit are testament to the time spent learning from the Archons before their withdrawl. Ever a fickle being, her motivations are as changable as the winds. Mischief and mayhem are interchangable with seemingly selfless acts of kindness that leave those who deal with her reeling in confusion and reaching for an understanding that is simply unattainable!

The Gleeful Miscreants are the aptly named race of rat-folk that worship Frikka as master and muse. They delight in the mischief she is so talented in sowing and will, at her behest, occasionally pretend to capture her in order to lure in hapless would-be rescuers. Like Frikka herself, their looks often serve to decieve those who gaze upon them and see only helpless vermin.

Frikka is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Cryomancy, leading a Dark culture named "Gleeful Miscreants".

Casting a Shadow: Specializies into the Shadow affinity, and upon being defeated she makes her escape from the caldera through a portal of darkness before the player can properly banish her to the void. A hint that she's no mere wizard, as the demonic Khir Uranon is the only other opponent able to to pull a similar escape.
Defeat Means Playable: Completing "Crimson Caldera" — where she's one of your opponents — adds her to the list of playable characters.
The Dog Was the Mastermind: 'Frikka' turns out to be the assumed identity of the Demon Prince of Deceit, who stole the Gildercoil from the Archons and led each of the opposing godir to the Obbadothic caldera, all under a variety of guises and aliases. After the player prevails in the ensuing free-for-all, the Demon Prince grants them and the Shad'rai access to the MacGuffin, cheerfully letting them know that the Archons will be after their head now.
Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Attempts to present herself as a helpless damsel in distress to the player character, but fortunately they can tell something's not right, not least because she's trying to pull this con in a demonic realm where everyone is compelled to attack and kill each other.

Gloom Hooknail

Gloom Hooknail, the Dark Lady, rewards cruelty. She is fickle and deliberately impulsive, keeping her servants in a state of constant fear while competing for her favor. She loves cruel assassins and rewards the most deplorable acts of depravity, for they amuse her.

They creep deep in the dark, which they love and despise. Corrupted Goblins see the fair and laughing souls and let hate and envy fill them. They may not be strong in might, but their minds are devious and filled with a cruelty that horrifies.

Gloom is a Champion armed with the Tome of Necromancy, leading a Dark culture named "Corrupted Goblins".

Dark Is Evil: Psychotic "corrupted" goblins led by a Necromancer, with the Dark culture and the society traits Ruthless Raiders and Scions of Evil. Combined, Gloom starts the game with a -30 modifier on the Karma Meter.
Necromancer: Starts with the Tome of Necromancy, naturally.

Jarlan Voss

Jarlan Voss, second son of the late king, had no aspiration to rule, but as the kingdom split and his brother refused to take up arms, he took action instead. He was exiled, and now he leads a people seeking the rebirth of Vossin against both his brothers. Jarlan is a warrior through and through, and he vows to not rest until Vossin is whole once more.

Jarlan's Secessionists consist of much of the warrior class of old Vossin. Hardy and dedicated to the cause, they believe in might over diplomatic prattle.

Jarlan is a Champion armed with the Tome of Zeal, leading a Feudal culture named "Jarlan's Secessionists".

Knight Templar: He's convinced that Darman is a weak king in the face of Skogan's madness, and has put together a violent counter-insurrection of his own to take the throne. Jarlan's faction has Imperialists, Ruthless Raiders and, fittingly, starts with the Tome of Zeal.
Non-Player Character: He is not playable, but is instead set to spawn alongside his brothers in maps with the "Pretender Kings" presence trait.

Khir Uranon

The name Khir Uranon has often been spoken in dread whisper. Those that know his name know him to be a demonic manipulator, whose mastery of the forge is fueled by a callous disregard for the souls he infuses his creations with.

The Blackfurred Forgelings are known for their prodigious strength and merciless cruelty, both aspects forged in the fires of their masters' ancient crucibles. Here, they help him utilize the souls of those that fall before them to power demonic artifacts

Khir is a Champion armed with the Tome of the Horde, leading an Industrious culture named "Blackfurred Forgelings".

Cats Are Mean: His people have the Feline form and the Scions of Evil society trait, which gravitates them towards evil.
Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, and only takes to the field as an NPC in the third story realm.

Kruul Blightlord

Kruul embodies the prowess of his kin, despising any lies propagated against his people. He especially hates the one regarding his origins that suggests they were the results of a Godir’s experimentation crossbreeding rodents and humans, and that in a moment of bloodlust they ate their own creator. Any hint of that story will drive him into a murderous frenzy.

The Fiendish Rodents strive to embody their master’s best qualities. As such, they are driven by an insatiable bloodlust and almost gleeful addiction to malevolence and pain.

Kruul is a Champion armed with the Tome of the Horde, and leads a Barbarian culture named "Fiendish Rodents".

Poisonous Person: Kruul Blightlord's starting weapon is a poison orb, and the Primal Strike trait of all Barbarian units gives them bonus blight damage the first time they attack during a battle.
Zerg Rush: With the Overwhelm Tactics mind trait, the Prolific Swarmers society trait and the Tome of the Horde, Kruul's basic strategy is to bury his enemies with masses of cheap, but deceptively hard-hitting, tier-I units.

Lithyl Nightweaver

Rumors surround the origins of enigmatic Lithyl Nightweaver, the half-masked wizard who seemed to appear from the Astral Void itself. Shortly after her arrival on Magehaven she joined the Shad'rai on their quest for power over others. Charming and conniving, she seems to be one of many mad Godir, haunted by her Torment of Shadows. But Lithyl specifically stands out for her talent of appearing and disappearing at opportune times.

Not all who wander the astral sea are godir. Many mortals find themselves lost in its depths, forgotten, with no divine power to save them. One godir has taken it upon herself to save these lost souls. Lithyl Nightweaver reaches out an eldritch hand to pull the Forgotten Ones from the void, no matter how haunted and scarred it has left them. Whatever her ulterior motives may be, Lithyl has won her people's undying devotion.

Lithyl is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Cryomancy, leading a Mystic culture named "Forgotten Ones".

Army of Thieves and Whores: Her faction, the Forgotten Ones, is said to be made up of wayward mortals who somehow got themselves stranded in the Void Between the Worlds, subjected to the Torment of Shadows like any godir. Lithyl rescues them, and in return they become her fanatical servants.
Canon Character All Along: She's actually the heroic Sundren engaging in Dead Person Impersonation.
Create Your Own Hero: In the story trailer, killing the parents of Alfred Elderstone turned him from just another noble on Athla into a powerful Champion and Godir, uniting the realm against her.
Dead All Along: Sundren explains in Empires & Ashes that Lithyl was indeed a real wizard queen, one of the first to return to Athla, but Sundren killed her and later decided to assume her identity. The story trailer is the only appearance of the real Lithyl.
Diabolical Mastermind: She's the one behind the Shad'rai plan to break into the World Vault and steal the power contained within. The other Shad'rai tend to be too unstable (e.g. Nimue) or self-absorbed (like Yaka) to plan anything on that kind of scale, and it took a charismatic plotter like Lithyl to unite them behind a singular goal.
Eyepatch of Power: Her crown incorporates an eyepatch, hinting at the physical trauma suffered by wizards who spend too long in the void.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: Her remaining eye sports a glowing purple iris, which is given a close-up during the story trailer.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Like most of the Shad'rai, Lithyl is visibly disfigured by scars inflicted by the Torment of Shadows, and her crown incorporates an Eyepatch of Power.
Malevolent Masked Woman: Like a lot of Wizard Kings, she wears a fancy combination of crown and mask.
Mascot Villain: For Age of Wonders 4.
Mysterious Past: As far as anyone knows, she just showed up in Magehaven one day. Turns out, its because "Lithyl Nightweaver" is largely a fabrication.
Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, and only takes to the field as an NPC in the fifth story realm.
Playing Both Sides: As Lithyl she leads the efforts of the Shad'rai to break into the World Vault. As Sundren, she makes sure to counter Shad'rai plots that cause too much collateral damage, such as Yaka's attempt to burn the Valley of Wonders, and Arachna driving her uncle Meandor insane when she was only meant to distract him.
Reaching Towards the Audience: A variant. She's the Wizard Queen on the game's official cover art, beckoning the viewer (and her armies) to follow her through a portal that opens into a pristine new world.
The Reveal: At the end of the battle for Grexolis, one of her defeated opponents unmasks her and causes a collective Mass "Oh, Crap!" from everybody involved. She's actually Sundren, revealing that the Shad'rai were merely pawns in her plan to prepare the godir for war against an unidentified new threat.
Walking Spoiler: All her tropes get an entirely different context once you learn that she's Sundren in disguise.

Meshara the Radiant

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ageofwonders4meshara.jpg

Meshara grew up as the daughter of a knight and a priest. Her people say divine righteousness runs through her blood. Yet, she tries to stay humble – or as humble as one can be, when one is named the Prophetess of her entire people.

The Archons are said to be the most legendary protectors of the worlds, and the Human Paladins believe themselves to be a close second. Led by their Prophetess, they aim to bring justice to all living beings on the realms they decide to save.

Meshara is a Champion armed with the Tome of Faith, leading a High culture named "Human Paladins".

Boss Battle: Appears with the "Archon Prophet" map presence trait. She not only has a pre-established empire, but all free cities on the map are already vassalized to her, providing her with a massive economic boost while styming the expansion of player empires. Defeating Meshara becomes a special victory condition for the match.
Knight Templar: In the story realms, the Hate Plague of Obbadoth has led her to believe that all of her rivals in the caldera (including the player) are demons in disguise, and therefore must be driven back with valiant steel. To be fair to her, though, her territory is wedged between Khir Uranon (an actual, undisguised demon) and Frikka Dynosis (another demon who is in disguise).

Noctus

Only one day after being named high chancellor of his people, Noctus was poisoned. His feats of necromancy allowed him to not only return from the astral void as a wizard king, but also to bring back the souls of his forefathers, who taught him the secrets of death and eternity... and exacted revenge on those who wronged him.

The Erudite Orcs share an almost obsessive interest in history and death. Always searching for a way to extend their massive libraries, they thread the needle between archaeology and grave-robbing as they sometimes bring back the dead themselves to verify their research.

Noctus is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Necromancy, leading a Mystic culture named "Erudite Orcs".

Boss Battle: Maps with the "Librarian" presence trait add Noctus as a pre-existing AI empire with accelerated research, and defeating him becomes a special victory condition for the match.
Captured Super-Entity: Defeating Noctus in his special scenario reveals that his resource bonuses were due to a lost wizard he was keeping chained up to a siphoning device in his citadel. With Noctus banished to the void, the player gains the device and its bonuses as a post-victory reward.
For Science!: In Empires & Ashes, Noctus is shown to have this reputation among the godir, for his use of necromancy to gain historical info and his willingness to experiment on lost wizards. Alfred Elderstone and Karissa both call him out on his decidedly creepy methods, though the player can choose to defend Noctus' view in both cases.
Necromancer: Noctus starts with the Tome of Necromancy, and his scholarly people employ necromancy to obtain first-hand accounts of ancient civilizations from the spirits of the dead.
Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, but can appear randomly during custom games, or as a Boss Battle in maps with the "Librarian" modifier. In Empires & Ashes, Noctus appears as an NPC during the second mission.
Proud Scholar Race: The Erudite Orcs are a Mystic culture focused on the fields of archeology and history, which they pursue with the aid of necromancy.

Otto the Discarded

Once, Otto was Nimue's eighth favorite, and for a short while everything was good. Being abandoned by his Goddess initiated his ascension to Godirhood, though he fears what these powers may do to him. Now he leads the people who call themselves Recreants, wearing the shame of Nimue's abandonment as a banner. Whether Godirhood is a blessing or a curse to the created Otto... only time will tell.

The Drowned Recreants were once named Nimue's Chosen Children and a friend to beast and man alike. They were loved by their Goddess, and they loved her in return. She, however, eventually grew disappointed with their flaws and discarded them, drowning many in her wrath. Now, those who remain call themselves the Drowned Recreants and are trying to start a civilization of their own, though many still fear the wrath of their former Goddess.

Otto is a Champion armed with the Tome of Beasts, leading an Industrious culture named "Drowned Recreants".

Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: In "Enchanted Archipelago", he turns against Nimue for nearly exterminating his people when the player allies with him.

Raina the Golden

Raina was a powerful human queen, who cared more for grandeur than for her subjects. One day an especially scorned and magically adept subject turned the Queen into a toad. Only a life of moderation can break the curse, but since Raina and her people have been toads for generations, this has proven an unsurmountable task.

The Cursed Toadlings originated as Raina’s most faithful followers. After the first shock of the curse had diminished, they accepted their new existence as semi-aquatic humanoids with valor.

Raina is a Champion armed with the Tome of Enchantment, leading a Feudal culture named "Cursed Toadlings".

Bewitched Amphibians: She and her people were turned into toads by a curse, but they seem to have taken it in stride.
Ignored Epiphany: The toad curse supposedly will be lifted if Queen Raina decides to lead "a life of moderation", in redemption for her life of luxury and callousness. Evidently, this has not happened.

Rakshagi

Many fear the unending hunger of Rakshagi, the Grand Devourer, who was said to have perished of hunger, and now aims to get a taste of every living being in the universe. In the meantime, however, she feasts upon her followers as she pleases.
The Ratty Munchkin revere their Grand Devourer with equal amounts of adoration and fear. They do all they can to please their mistress. After all, it takes very little for her to decide that they are more useful as an afternoon snack.

Rakshagi is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of the Horde, leading a Barbarian culture named "Ratty Munchkin".

Cat Folk: Rakshagi uses the feline form.
Cats Are Mean: Rakshagi is a sorcerous feline who abuses and feasts upon her terrified rodent minions.
Horse of a Different Color: With the Nightmare Mounts mind trait, the rats ride into battle atop Hellish Horses.
Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, but can appear randomly during custom games.
Rat Men: Rakshagi's followers are rat people she has bullied into servitude.
Sapient Eat Sapient: The Ratty Munchkin have the Ritual Cannibals trait, allowing them to heal by devouring corpses on the battlefield.

Sanguine the Atoner

Sanguine was a zealous priestess of a peaceful tribe of halflings, before a tragedy forced the tribe into cannibalism. This drove Sanguine into madness, claiming divine forces allowed these atrocities. She found godirhood through a terrifying blood ritual which cost many lives.

The Bloodied Halflings were once a peaceful tribe, but after a terrible earthquake trapped all survivors underground, they had to resort to cannibalism to survive. To cope, they adapted their religion around it.

Sanguine is a Champion armed with the Tome of Faith, leading a Feudal culture named "Bloodied Halflings".

Hobbits: A race of pale-skinned halflings who have become a Cannibal Tribe living deep underground.
Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, but can appear randomly during custom games.
No Party Like a Donner Party: After being trapped underground by a cataclysm, this tribe of halflings resorted to cannibalism to stay alive, and the horror of it has warped their culture.
Sapient Eat Sapient: Bloodied Halflings have the Ritual Cannibals trait, allowing them to heal themselves by gorging on the corpses of other units. They also gain extra food and mana income for the nearest city based on the tiers of every unit that dies in battle, including their own.
Scary Amoral Religion: To cope with their desperate turn to cannibalism, Sanguine and her people adapted the practice into their existing religion, and Sanguine starts with the Tome of Faith.
White and Red and Eerie All Over: Sanguine's default faction colors are white and red, with a droplet emblem. Her character model also has fresh blood splattered over her mouth and chest, staining her white dress and deathly pale skin.

Shira Snowblood

Shira was born the hier of her people. During her coronation, the Shad'rai invaded her realm, killed her family and cast her into the astral void. Shira would have been lost if not for the aid of Meandor, who guided her to Magehaven, where she joined the Covenant and learned to channel her grief into primal prowess. After a heroic return and a fierce battle against the usurping Shad'rai godir, she retook her homeland.

Arctic Felines are a proud people who adjusted to the icy tundra of Cantarra, their homeworld. After the return of their long-lost queen, they followed her through the depths of the astral sea and back to avenge their fallen royal family and thwart the plans of the Shad'rai.

Shira is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Beasts, leading a Feudal culture named "Arctic Felines".

Defiant to the End: Upon being defeated at Grexolis, she's still roaring to fight the Shad'rai by herself, daring her enemies to finish the job. Unfortunately, the enemy wizards simply use magic to imprison Shira without giving her the dignity of a Last Stand.

Skogan Voss

Skogan Voss, bastard son of the late king, was shunned by many, but made a name for himself as a powerful healer. He came to lead a faction of devoted healers, but unknown to many he had bigger plans. He would seize his father's kingdom, and turn it toward a singular purpose: Ascension. When the time came however, his influence was not as effective as he'd hoped. The secession of the provinces where he held the most sway plunged the kingdom into chaos. Now he seeks to reunite the kingdom under his own rule and complete his plan.

Skogan's Fanatics consist of his most devout followers, healers, covert agents and ambitious warriors. Each of the Fanatics sees themselves as eventually usurping the position above them, yet direct violence is prohibited, thus schemes and plots are plentiful in their domain.

Skogan is a Champion armed with the Tome of Necromancy, leading a Dark culture named "Skogan's Fanatics".

Hellish Horse: Skogan's Fanatics have the "nightmare mounts" trait, replacing their default mounts with fiery demon horses that provide the "intimidating aura" passive.
Necromancer: Skogan starts with the appropriate Tome for it.
Non-Player Character: He is not playable, but is instead set to spawn alongside his brothers in realms with the Pretender Kings presence trait enabled.
Obviously Evil: The most villainous of the three brothers is a Necromancer riding a Hellish Horse, and his faction uses the Dark culture (unlike Darman and Jarlan, who run Feudal civilizations).

Sylvani Laurel

Sylvani was born and raised in the capital city of her elven tribe. With her talent for magic and love for nature she inherited her title from her grandmother, after she fell to undead forces.

The Auldweald Elves are one of the oldest elven tribes on the world of their namesake. They cave their history in their own bodies and in the trees around them. Thereby, both bark and skin share the same legends.

Sylvani is a Champion armed with the Tome of Roots, leading a Barbarian culture named "Auldweald Elves".

Taiena Greyblood

Born blind, Taiena was not expected to lead the Ashen Fae. But through sheer perseverance and her keen other senses, she cultivated her talents as a pyromancer, and eventually became the first emberkeeper to ascend to godirhood.

The Ashen Fae originated above ground, as one of the many types of surface-dwelling elves. But when war forced the elves to choose between fighting and perishing, one tribe fled underground. They worship fire, for it is their main source of light in the sunless depths.

Taiena is a Champion armed with the Tome of Pyromancy, leading a Barbarian culture named "Ashen Fae".

Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, but can appear randomly during custom games.

Turiel Tolarim

A mighty orc whose honor-bound convictions match his prodigious strength, Turiel was the first wizard king to ascend to godirhood. He appears as a mighty and masked orc, a bastion of stoic ferocity clad in indominable armor and weilding brutal weaponry. Ever oath-bound to the Archons in guarding Grexolis, he holds honor and duty in highest esteem.

Turiel leads the mighty Onmar, fierce ascended orcs who aid him in a duty shared and have, in return, been blessed by the Archons. Their minds are guarded against the insidious whispers of the banished souls they hold eternal vigil over.

Turiel is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Zeal, leading a High culture named "Onmar".

Ancient Keeper: He is the Custodian of Grexolis, appointed by the archons to protect the world-vault from anyone who would seek to open it.
Final Boss: Of the Rise of the Godir storyline in Age of Wonders 4.
Hero Antagonist: In Story Realm V. He's a heroic champion of the Archons fighting side by side with members of the Covenant to protect Grexolis from an invasion by the Shad'rai, a villainous faction of evil Wizard Kings.
Non-Standard Character Design: Turiel's people, the Onmar, are the only ones in Age of Wonders 4 to have a distinct name, as opposed to the usual pattern of "adjective nouns".
Our Orcs Are Different: Very different. Turiel and his followers are essentially Orc Paladins, combining the High Culture with Chosen Uniters and Devotees of Good as society traits, giving them 6 Order Affinity and +30 on the Alignment scale right off the bat.

Vaneyra

Once, Vaneyra was a First Elf who travelled the astral sea to prepare and protect the realms long before humans even existed. But where other First Elves looked forward to landing on a solid realm again, Vaneyra enjoyed the travelling itself the most. The astra sea pulled her, called her... and one day she answered the call.

As Vaneyra's followers spent more and more time in the astral sea, they found it molded them into something new, something... more. They think of themselves as blessed by unending magics, and aim to return this blessing to all worlds within the astral sea.

Vaneyra is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Evocation, leading a Mystic culture named "Starsailing Fae".

Non-Player Character: Is not part of the library of playable pre-set characters, but can appear randomly during custom games.

Xetevaca Worldshaper

Xetevaca was named by the excavators who found her after she was cast into the dark depths as a newborn. Her charm and popularity was deemed dangerous by her ruling empress, resulting in the banishment of Xetevaca and her loyal followers. She emerged from the Astral Void as a Godir.

The Underground Disciples originated as a small community within a vast empire, but their trust in Xetevaca caused them to take a leap of faith into the Astral Void itself. Those who survived emerged with her and now follow in search of a new home.

Xetevaca is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Enchantment, leading an Industrious culture named "Underground Disciples".

Mole Miner: Leads a race of industrial mole-people named the Underground Disciples, whose Underground Adaptation tait ensures they'll start Beneath the Earth.

Ydgaard Worldbender

Like the void stone that replaced his heart through a macabre covenant for power, Ydgaard's desires run to the cold and shiny. A grizzled and mighty dwarf whose greed is as impressive as his beard, he covets wealth and resources above all. The great jewel that adorns his left eye socket in place of an eyeball (also part of the aforementioned pact) is a stark reflection of how he sees the world.

Ydgaard rules over a race of mole-like beings known as the Grave Underlings. It is surmised that their form was chosen due in part to their poor eyesight, that they may never covet their master's wealth. Likewise, their natural prediliction to excavation of the planet's riches allow them to ever increase the size of Ydgaard's own hoard.

Ydgaard is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Rock, leading an Industrious culture named "Grave Underlings".

Zaethyl Silverleaf

After the Dragons breathed out the worlds, and the Archons fixed them to stars, they called the first ones to lead those who will put down the storm, quench the fires and quicken the seas. They call for the Wild Guardian, Zaethyl.

The immortal First Elves live refined lives cultivated by millennia of patient thought and arcane mastery. Entrusted with arcane mysteries and guardians of creation magic, they form worlds rife with life. Sometimes perceived as intolerant elites, they have little patience for short-term mortal concerns.

Zaethyl is a Champion armed with the Tome of Beasts, leading a High culture named "First Elves".

Druid: With the Tome of Beasts, Zaethyl can summon, recruit and empower animals, and recruit Wildspeaker units.

Dragon Dawn

Aerelazaliar the Vainglorious

Having hatched only ten cosmic cycles ago, Aerelazaliar would be considered "young" among his dragonkin. Perhaps it is his youth that drives his curiousity and kindness towards those his kin would be inferior? He pays their comments no mind, for Aerelazaliar's gaze drifts beyond his nature of creation and destruction, and he dares to question "why?"

The Starbred Salamanders were created in Aerelazaliar's own image. It is rare for a dragon to create their own people, and many wonder what the consequences of Aerelazaliar's "vain splurge in divinity" will be. His people, however, are forever grateful for their draconic father's care.

Aerelazaliar is a Dragon Lord armed with the Tome of Evolution, leading a Mystic culture named "Starbred Salamanders".

Allipavar the Destroyer

The birth of Allipavar the Destroyer, youngest of the Great Dragons, sparked great chaos on the realm. Compared to others of her kind, she is a simple creature. Yet, though her pupose may seem crude and brutal, she is the fire that tempers steel, warms the night, and lays low entire civilizations. From those ashes, new life may arise, new creations may be built, new order may be found. Conflict is what drives her, and she understands life only in terms of battle and strife. The Ashen War may not have formally been sparked by her, but she will certainly end it, one conquest at a time.

The Destroyer's Brood are a primal people, seeking the contest and exhilaration of conflict above all else. Spawned from the first blood shed by Allipavar in combat, they are devoted to her and her fury beyond any doubt. Each of the Destroyer's Brood lives for the contest, each seeking their god's favor through ever greater displays of destruction and ferocity.

Allipavar is a Dragon Lord armed with the Tome of Pyromancy, leading a Barbarian culture name "Destroyer's Brood".

Non-Player Character: Appears only as an AI ruler in the Ashen War scenario.

Boszorkan the Arcanist

Boszorkan the Arcanist, as one of the younger Great Dragons, seeks the arcane with a singular purpose. Unconcerned for the physical trifles of the other dragons, his involvement in the Ashen War is born out of curiousity. Allipavar presents his greatest rival; her destructive nature represents a break on his seemingly endless advancements. The arcane might Boszorkan wields and extends to his followers is unrivalled and rightly feared.

Boszorkan did not create his followers like many of the other Great Dragons. Instead, they were drawn to his service, seeking enlightenment in magic. Boszorkan seems indifferent to their reverence, but uses them as one would use a tool. The Students accept this arrangement, as they have much to learn from the scraps the Storm Dragon leaves behind. They desire, above all else, to achieve arcane feats that draw the attention of their master, and to perhaps one day be his equals.

Boszorkan is a Dragon Lord armed with the Tome of Evocation, leading a Mystic culture named "Arcanist's Students".

Non-Player Character: Appears only as an AI ruler in the Ashen War scenario.

Kralicavir the Collector

Kralicavir the Collector, mirror of Sumuskira, is a creature of purpose and conviction. A strict code rules her actions, yet her code would be seen as reprehensible to some. Death is vital for the cycle of life, and she collects the souls of sinners and saints alike. All find a home beneath her dark wings before being whisked away forever. She's considered cold and uncaring by many, but perhaps the most devoted to her duties, even if those duties lead to ostracism.

The Collected represent the Death Dragon Kralicavir's hoard, souls who still have a use in her possession before they are passed on forever. They seek naught but service, working tirelessly and without complaint towards their goddess' goals.

Kralicavir is a Dragon Lord armed with the Tome of Necromancy, leading a Dark culture named "Collected".

Non-Player Character: Appears only as an AI ruler in the Ashen War scenario.

Logarr the Shipscourge

Logarr started as a soft-scaled shipmate. Through perseverance (and some lucky close encounters with death) she rose through the ranks to captain her own ship for the glory of her people. But it took an unwinnable naval battle for her to truly show her tactical prowess and ascend to the title of Fleet Captain.

The Crocodile Corsairs cannot imagine a life without sea-salt and sunlight on their scales. Where others cultivate their lands, they'd rather raid and plunder. When something of importance needs to be discussed, they call for a Pond; a form of parlay taking place whilst participants float in a body of water.

Logarr is a Champion armed with the Tome of Evolution, leading a Barbarian culture named "Crocodile Corsairs".

Lady Looks Like a Dude: The crocodilian Logarr is set to use female pronouns, but uses the male body type and is very stout.
Never Smile at a Crocodile: A race of savage pirate crocodiles. Notably, their race is tweaked to ensure that all of their units only use the lizardfolk's crocodile-like head type.
Pirate: They call themselves corsairs, and Logarr's title is "Fleet Captain". Fittingly, they have the "experienced seafarers" society trait, improving their naval units, as well as "ruthless raiders".

Tephradenir

Tephradenir is an elder dragon who was born together with her world. Mountains and dales formed under her care. After her task was done, she slept... until she was awakened once more, to see her world filled with vermin who change and destroy her precious creations. Enraged, she rises to take vengeance upon those who deem her work "imperfect".

A group of primitive cave-dwellers hid from dwarven miners and found the elder dragon who slept at the bottom. When she awakened and destroyed the dwarves — and a big chunk of the world above — the cave-dwellers named her their wrathful goddess. Generations later, few question the decisions of their primal patron.

Tephradenir is a Dragon Lord armed with the Tome of Rock, leading a Barbarian culture named "Worldscorcher Cultists".

Soncevar the Radiant

Soncevar the Radiant is a being of laws, uncompromising and unforgiving. He tends to the spirit of mortals, molding the laws and morals of societies as they start to form. A plan exists for all beings in his realm, and it must be seen to an orderly conclusion. The birth of Allipavar brought strive to his ordered world, driving Soncevar to spark the Ashen War to rid the realm of the threat of Allipavar, and contain Kralicavir.

The Radiant Host, beings born of the will of Soncevar himself, seek order in all things. Soncevar made his followers as tools to enforce order where he himself cannot be. They are tailor-made for maintaining order and control. Unusually, each Radiant has morals identical to their god, unable to diverge or change, something considered distasteful by some of the other Great Dragons.
Soncevar is a Dragon Lord armed with the Tome of Zeal, leading a High culture named "Radiant Host".

Non-Player Character: Appears only as an AI ruler in the Ashen War scenario.

Sumuskira the Grovetender

Sumuskira the Grovetender was one of the first of the Great Dragons to be born, along with Vox'Sebas. Sumuskira sparks life, planting the seeds for mortals to emerge. She loves her creations, perhaps a bit too much. Though she understands that all things must eventually die, she cannot abide the chaos of Allipavar, or the cold judgements of her younger sister Kralicavir. Her involvement in the Ashen War is one born out of a desire to extend the life of her creations, to shield them from the strife that might break them, rather than any desire to see her opposition destroyed.

The Grovetender's Disciples are a blessed people, wild and enduring. Sumuskira granted them many gifts and has appointed them her caretakers. The Disciples are perhaps the closest to their master of all the people serving the Great Dragons. They seek to emulate their mother in every way they can, spreading and caring for the gifts of life wherever they go. They fear death more than most, and their obsession with life's gift may be seen by some as foolish, but none can dispute the beauty they spread.

Sumuskira is a Dragon Lord armed with the Tome of Evolution, leading a Feudal culture named "Grovetender's Disciples".

Non-Player Character: Appears only as an AI ruler in the Ashen War scenario.

Vox'Sebas the Forgefather

The moniker of "Forgefather" was given to Vox'Sebas by his followers, whom he was gifted by his love Sumuskira. Vox'Sebas devotes himself to creativity and innovation, better materials and experiences. He is proud to possess the mightiest hoard of all the Great Dragons, some of its contents by his own creation. He is pained by his involvement in the Ashen War, but he believes he must, for an untempered Soncenvar would have brought great imbalance. And thus he finds himself in war, facing his love Sumuskira on the field of battle.

The Forgefather's Favored are an unusual people, gifted to him by Sumuskira herself. Though they share traits with their cousins among the Disciples of the Grovetender, they never grew to the size and strength of their natural brethren, instead working the forges and fires of creation. They regard Vox'Sebas as their father, and it is the Favored's greatest joy to create works of art for their father's hoard. On the field of battle, they rely fiercely on their creations rather than their own strength.

Vox'Sebas is a Dragon Lord armed with the Tome of Enchantment, leading an Industrious culture named "Forgefather's Favored".

Author Avatar: Named after a member of the Triumph dev team who goes by the handle of "Avoxel".
Non-Player Character: Appears only as an AI ruler in the Ashen War scenario.

Empires & Ashes

Fauster the Meticulous

In a harsh society where the strongest thrived, Fauster was the weakest chick in a nest of seven. It was his intelligence and social aptitude that helped him survive and even thrive. Fauster has since then more than made up for his physical disadvantage, and become the Avian Reavers' Master Alchemist.

The society of Avian Reavers took shape by their ruler's discovery of alchemy and magelock weaponry, which revolutionized their so-called "primitive" heritage into a society of science and more efficient shows of force. Before, one's tail feathers decided one's social success. Now the size of their guns and explosions matter most.

Fauster is a Champion armed with the Tome of Alchemy, leading a Reaver culture named "Coppertalons".

Xandera the Phoenix

With scarlet wings and piercing emerald eyes, Xandera the Phoenix signals her readiness to the potential enemies of her people — which means everyone else. As the Yukara of the Krazura, she is believed to be the current reincarnation of the first Yukara, possessing great knowledge and wisdom. But the recollections of millennia of hardships and betrayals have rendered her cautious and unforgiving towards outsiders.

Knowledgable and gifted in the arcane, the Krazura still resemble their distant ancestors in many ways. However, ages of isolation within Grexolis have dulled their astral instincts and eroded their civilization, to a point that only a minority of Manuhari's inhabitants still call themselves Krazura.

Xandera is a Champion armed with the Tome of Enchantment, leading a Mystic culture named "Krazura".

Absolute Xenophobe: She has little tolerance for anyone intruding on Manuhari, only made worse by the aggression of the Commonwealth that arrived shortly before you did. Her faction will be at war with yours automatically, siccing the robotic defenders of the vault after you, until you prove your trustworthiness by destroying the Commonwealth intruders or passing a sacred trial.
Hidden Elf Village: Xandera's faction demonstrates the "Hermit Kingdom" society trait, which provides research and happiness bonuses for cities whose domains don't touch any foreign borders, and doubles the grievances received when other empires expand into her claimed regions without permission.
Non-Standard Character Design: Much like the Onmar led by Turiel, Xandera's Krazura are one of the few races in the game to have their own "native" name instead of an English compound word or one of the standard "X Race" names.
Racial Remnant: Xandera and her people are the reduced remnants of the Precursors, living within the world-vault of Grexolis. They've lost their understanding of most of their once-advanced technology, and their society has fractured into multiple independent city-states.

Primal Fury

Birchfoot the Hermit

Birchfoot was never ambitious, but his spiritual visions ensured his rise within Grasshorn society. He is deemed a wise and thoughtful, albeit fretful ruler. When the burden of leadership becomes too heavy, Birchfoot seeks solace in the eye of a thunderstorm, where his connection to the Storm Crow is strongest.

Grasshorns believe themselves to be born from the roots of a lightning bolt, carrying their own likeness of the storms’ strikes on their heads. They worship the Storm Crow and see wisdom as their greatest virtue.

Birchfoot is a Champion armed with the Tome of Roots, leading a Primal culture named "Grasshorns".

Wepwatep

Wepwatep was a zealous priestess of the Dune Serpent. So deep was her love for her Primal Spirit, that in an elaborate ritual she had herself covered in snakes and entombed below the shifting snads of the Alkothan Desert. When she emerged, the golden markings of the Dune Serpent were forever etched in her body and soul.

Sandfangs see wealth as a great virtue and adorn themselves in gold and jewelry to honor the Dune Serpent. Priests create pendants of the bones of the dead, for Sandfangs believe it is a great honor to wear the fangs of their forefathers on their bodies.

Wepwatep is a Wizard King armed with the Tome of Rock, leading a Primal culture named "Sandfangs".

Other

Urrath

The greatest nemesis of the Archons, Urrath is an eldritch being widely believed to be the source of all evil in the cosmos.

The Anti-God: Presented as the opposite counterpart of the Allfather, blamed for the creation of eldritch monsters and evil itself.
Early-Bird Cameo: First mentioned in the Flavor Text for the Necropolis subfaction in Age of Wonders 3, where a cult dedicated to Urrath is responsible for animating dead Archons as bloodthirsty mummies, providing a low-key Cosmic Horror Reveal. However, what Urrath is isn't established properly until Age of Wonders 4.
God of Evil: Blamed in Flavor Text for the existence of astral sea monsters and all mortal evil. They're also implied (through the background of the Necropolis dwelling in 3) to be the ultimate source of The Undead.
Greater-Scope Villain: In Age of Wonders 3, Urrath's power created the psychotic undead archons of the Necropolis dwelling. The Rise of the Godir storyline of 4 also implies that Urrath is the mysterious cosmic threat that the Archons are waging their multiversal crusade against.

The Endailon

A group of cosmic beings who waged war against the Archons and Krazura in ages past.

Elemental Embodiment: Of the six magic affinities as described in Age of Wonders 4: Order, Chaos, Materium, Astral, Nature and Shadow. In-universe scholars are unsure whether the Endailon are merely Made of Magic or the very source of magic itself.
Eldritch Abomination: The straightest example in a series that is no stranger to sanity-damaging eldritch beings. The Endailon are unfanthomably ancient Elemental Embodiments of the different forms of magic. Their very existence slowly warps mortal minds across the cosmos, and in their heyday they went around annihilating entire worlds and civilizations.
Emotion Bomb: The Endailon of Chaos is able to inspire reckless, warmongering aggression in mortals. Its influence turns Edward Portsmith and his troops into wizard-hating Knight Templars, and sows discord and infighting among the rest of the godir that even Magehaven's Truce Zone magic struggles to contain.
Sealed Evil in a Can: The Endailon were sealed (alongside a good chunk of The Multiverse as collateral damage) inside the world-vault of Grexolis by the Krazura and Archons to stop their rampage across the whole of creation. Sundren lets them out, as a way to cross the Godzilla Threshold.
You Cannot Grasp the True Form: Implied. The Endailon are rendered as indistinct humanoid shadows backlit with the color of their related affinity, and their dialogue comes across more like a surge of thought and emotion than coherent speech. In the Sahrian Trials mission, the player gets a suggestion from Meandor to try psychically contacting the force responsible for the Hate Plague overtaking all the wizards, which turns out to be the Endailon of Chaos. It works in identifying the threat, but the player's ruler is immediately reduced to one hit point.
Walking Spoiler: They are what the Grexolis world vault was built to contain.

Characters / Age of Wonders

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders II

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders 3

Affiliated with the Elven Court

Affiliated with the Commonwealth

Golden Realms

Eternal Lords

Other Leaders

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders 4

Dragon Dawn

Empires & Ashes

Primal Fury

Other

Alternative Title(s): Age Of Wonders 3

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Characters / Age of Wonders

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Characters introduced in Age of Wonders

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders II

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders 3

Affiliated with the Elven Court

Affiliated with the Commonwealth

Golden Realms

Eternal Lords

Other Leaders

Characters introduced in Age of Wonders 4

Dragon Dawn

Empires & Ashes

Primal Fury

Other

Alternative Title(s): Age Of Wonders 3

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