Arknights Enemies / Characters

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Neutral and enemy organizations

Armorless Union

Affiliated Characters: Platinum

An order of knight assassins who take orders directly from the Kazimierz General Chamber of Commerce whose main purpose is to eliminate anybody who poses a threat to the KGCC's power and influence.

Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The elites seen thus far sports this; Platinum has platinum hair, tail and dressed in all white, and the Lazurites have blue hair, blue bows and wear blue capes. Funnily enough, while the dress part seems mandatory, Platinum and Monique having matching hair and tail color with their title is just a coincidence; Roy has to actually dye his hair and tail blue because he's feeling left out and out of place.
He Who Fights Monsters: From ancient legends, it's said that very first Darksteel became famous by assassinating a tyrannical knight who was abusing his subjects. Afterwards, the original Armorless Union acted akin to Robin Hood, taking down corrupt nobles and knights for commoners who had no recourse. However, as Kazimierz rapidly modernized, the Armorless Union eventually became corrupted into an arm of the KGCC, committing the same crimes as the corrupt knights they used to hunt.
Master Archer: Given that the two Lazurites are both boss level enemies, Platinum is a five star operator, and Darksteel is the dreaded to both of the former, this is practically a requirement for being an elite of the Armorless Union.
Paper Tiger: While they're legitimately scary if you're an under-equipped tournament knight or civilian who's attracted their ire, years of that being their only targets have led to the Union's rank and file being woefully unprepared to deal with people who can really defend themselves. Any time they do run into people like that in Near Light, the order's grunts fold like a house of cards. Their top-ranking elites have a considerably better track record, but even they have a tendency to fumble in a direct confrontation with an actual veteran warrior.
The Purge: After the events of "Near Light", the current Armorless Union has effectively ceased to exist, as the Darksteels have disappeared, the Lazurites have gone into hiding, and Platinum having joined Rhodes Island to escape the KGCC's retribution for their betrayal.
Random Power Ranking: Members' ranks are named after minerals, with the currently known ones being Platinum, Lazurite, and Darksteel.
Secret Police: They act as the direct will of the Chamber of Commerce to eliminate all of its enemies.
The Starscream: The leadership within the order have been plotting to escape from the control that the KGCC have over them so they can seize power for themselves, which is absolutely not a good thing given how much more cutthroat they are compared to the already cutthroat politics and Greed of the KGCC.

"Darksteel"

One of the leaders of the Armorless Union whose true identity remains unknown.

Affably Evil: He seems to have good relations with Mlynar, and is willing to call off the hits on the Nearl family and Rhodes Island as long as Mlynar stays out of his business.
Ambition Is Evil: His goal is firmly stated to seize the same power the KGCC takes for granted, and use it to enforce his own idea of rule for Kazimierz; something that is very much not a good idea given his very cutthroat philosophies that led to the Armorless Union's current state.
Bad Boss: He is responsible for a lot of the cutthroated practices of the Armorless Union, and as such, promotes a very hostile climate that thrives off of exploiting promising individuals down on their luck only to wrap them up in a way that they are stuck in, only to finally dispose of them permanently when he's used them for all their worth. Of note, it is the performance of the Platinums that he judges to determine when it's time to 'promote' the next worthy candidate.
Collective Identity: It's inferred by those within the Armorless Union that the Darksteel is potentially multiple people at the same time to enhance the myth of an "immortal" hero and to make it impossible to track down the real leader of the Armorless Union when they all could claim to be the Darksteel if there was even one to begin with. However, as "Near Light" shows, there is definitely one who stands out as the true leader with the way he acts.
Cosmic Motifs: The "dark steel" in their name is implied to refer to meteoric iron, and their attack on Nightingale is likened to a lone star suddenly falling from the skies to the earth. This is in contrast to the Lazurites and Platinum, which are named after an earthly stone and metal respectively .
The Dreaded: Absolutely no one dares cross the Darksteel in the present; almost everyone who is in contact with him walks lightly around any issue that comes up. Roy is very careful around him when explaining his Pragmatic Villainy in sabotaging his orders as not to be disposed of on the spot, and the prior Platinums have been eliminated when they grew to dissatisfy him with their performance. Only Mlynar stands as an exception, but that is due the Darksteel showing Villain Respect to his potential rival, and Degenbrecher outright wants to fight him.
Greater-Scope Villain: Is this as—or at least part of—the leadership behind the Armorless Union in the present, and is implicitly one of the main reasons why the organization has become so ruthless in the modern day.
He Who Must Not Be Seen: Despite appearing multiple times in front of numerous characters in the story and being an active participant in a good portion of it, the "Darksteel" is never given a sprite to distinguish himself in "Near Light".
Improbable Aiming Skills: The Darksteel demonstrates a very outrageous feat of this in "Near Light", Shooting an arrow so large that it resembles a spear more than an arrow, and shooting it from such a distance that it arcs and falls from the sky like a meteor while still retaining deadly accuracy. Even Shining remarked that the feat made no sense after seeing it firsthand.
Know When to Fold 'Em: It's his direct order, after the plan to usurp the KGCC failed, to pull out and fake being suspect to The Purge as to regroup their forces and begin their plans anew.
Made of Indestructium: The Darksteel's arrow, which is made of darksteel, is so durable that even when Shining and Nearl struck it at the same time, they failed to actually break it.
Master Archer: He might be the most impressive example in the game. In "Near Light", had Roy followed his orders and made Shining and Nearl not face north, even Shining would have failed to notice his arrow in time, and Nightingale would be dead then and there.
My Country, Right or Wrong: Averted; as The Darksteel is explicit in conversation with Mlynar that he has no love for Kazimierz, comparing his cynicism to that of Mlynar's. Though, unlike Mlynar, Darksteel doesn't have a Freudian Excuse for it and it's implicated by Mlynar himself that the assassin only really cared about getting power for the sake of it.
Old Soldier: Regardless whether or not he's actually centuries old as he likes to imply with legends and folklore about him, he is at least clocking very well over fifty in present and is an impossibly skilled Master Archer who can fire nearly ballista-sized arrows from thousands of yards away.
Really 700 Years Old: He claims to have lived for a very long time, and is the original Darksteel spoken of in legends, who built the Armorless Union from the ground up with his own hands over fifty years ago.
Shoot the Dog: Attempted, anyway. As the Darksteel was intent on killing Nightingale, knowing how important she is to Nearl, in response to the Followers interfering with their plans. However, Roy sabotages it knowing that a Nearl on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge would spell the death of the Armorless Union.
Shrouded in Myth: To most people who knew of the existence of the Armorless Union, the Lazurites are the highest-ranking members, while in truth there are Darksteels above them; even among the Armorless, their exact numbers, identities, and capabilities are known to so few that at the beginning of "Near Light" the only person in the Armorless Union itself who knew about what they can do is Roy. It's later revealed that this is deliberately done, as the Darksteels want no one to know their name and face.
Roy: Darksteel might be a single person, maybe two. Darksteel might be a front, or just refer to the signals us Lazurites use during operations. But for all you know, Darksteel might've passed you on the street, or be sitting in a board meeting, or on vacation in a Sami villa. Nobody knows. And that's why the name strikes fear.
Super-Strength: The only logical explanation as to his impossible feat of firing a ballista-sized arrow made of darksteel from thousands of yards away at Nightingale all on his own.
Villain Respect: It's revealed that he has genuine respect for Mlynar, especially after he wiped out an entire contingent of rebellious knights who were loyal to Leithanien.

Roy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_209_11.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

One of the two Lazurite assassins of the Armorless Union alongside Monique.

Brilliant, but Lazy: By nature of his role as a Lazurite, he has to be talented enough to get the rank to begin with; however, by admission by people who know of him, Roy is Monique's better by a significant margin and can easily take care of a job all on his own usually. In spite of this though, Roy takes a very lackadaisical approach to his work and meanders even when he has multiple shots to kill a target before they can retaliate, preferring to instead chat with his prey and even botch the hit altogether to simply savor the moment at hand. It's to the point that the only reason why Platinum lives long enough to successfully escape to Rhodes Island's care was because he left the job to Monique rather than kill her himself, something Platinum herself admits is the only reason why she even got as far as she did. After all, he has to be insanely talented to get away with being absolutely irreplaceable, and even get away with disobeying the Darksteel for over a decade in a role that gets replaced usually in under a year.
Devil in Plain Sight: He visited Marcin's bar in "Near Light" with nobody the wiser that he's a Lazurite. Even when the Nightmare Knight entered the bar and threatened everyone, he claims that he's a helpless civilian who couldn't possibly do anything, and nobody bats an eye.
Dual Boss: With Monique.
Early-Bird Cameo: He first appeared in Pinus Sylvestris, a few weeks before his debut as a minor antagonist in Near Light.
Exact Words: He said when meeting with the Followers that he and the Armorless Union are just doing their jobs because they've "got eyes (on them) from above". Most people would assume that it's a metaphor for having their bosses monitoring their performance, but at that moment the Darksteels were literally watching them all, somewhere far above in Kazimierz, to snipe Nightingale.
From Nobody to Nightmare: "To Be Continued" revealed that he was originally a fowlbeast hunter before his recruitment by the Darksteel.
King Mook: To his cohorts in the Armorless Union Cleanup Squadron.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Especially compared to Monique, Roy is a slacker who always acts and talks as if he doesn't have a care in the world, and even treats his enemies with a casual demeanor. Anyone who works with or against him quickly finds out he's much more observant and ruthless than he appears, with his holding of the Lazurite position for over a decade in a profession where even elites get replaced on a dime being living proof of just how dangerous he is.
Pet the Dog: Advised the Ironwrist Knight to stay inside a bar in "To Be Continued" after realizing that the Armorless Union is hunting said knight for his disobedience to the K.G.C.C.
Pragmatic Villainy: When Darksteel attempts to assassinate Nearl, Roy makes sure to foil the plot by positioning Nearl and Shining so they'd be able to intercept Darksteel's arrow. Darksteel then berates Roy, as he was sure he'd at least be able to kill Nightingale, but Roy warns him that if that happened, that would have triggered Nearl's Berserk Button and she would have gone on an unstoppable Roaring Rampage of Revenge until the Armorless Union was completely destroyed.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- In "Near Light" He tried to assassinate Mlynar, but the moment the person Mlynar is waiting for is revealed to be Shining, he immediately tries to think on the best way to get out without losing face to his subordinates.
- The chapter "Farewell Roy" of "To Be Continued" revealed that he staged his, Monique and the Blood Knight's deaths in order to get them out of the Armorless Union's sights, to the point of getting plastic surgery and identity change to leave his life as a Lazurite behind.
Smug Snake: Has a very confident attitude when on the job given his lackadaisical behavior when trying to assassinate Mlynar, enough to have a casual chat with his target. It's only when Shining arrives that he quickly loses his nerve and tries to bow out without losing face.

Monique

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_208_11.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

One of the two Lazurite assassins of the Armorless Union alongside Roy.

Dual Boss: With Roy.
Hair-Trigger Temper: She's easily irritated and snapped at numerous people throughout the event.
It's Personal: Monique goes after Toland because she can't stand him and how he interferes with her work.
King Mook: To her cohorts on the Armorless Union 3rd Squadron.
Marked to Die: Likely the case if Shining ever encounters her again as she broke her word to stop targeting Rhodes Island by firing her fourth arrow at Nearl after the conclusion of the Major.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Compared to Roy, Monique is extremely focused on the mission at hand and usually won't ever let up until she either succeeds or is flat out forced to Know When to Fold 'Em.
Oh, Crap!: Happened when Shining effortlessly took on two of her arrows and unsheathes her sword for the final arrow on Monique's request; seeing it not only made her realize that the Sarkaz vastly outclassed her and could have easily killed her if she really wanted to, it also left such an impact that Monique is absolutely terrified, thinking that she couldn't escape and would be chased down by either Shining, her sword, or her arts.
- Happens a second time when she raises her bow at Hibiscus and the Doctor, causing Touch to join the fight.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- She started off as a recruit in the Victorian army, but since she was a commoner, she had practically zero chances of advancement despite her excellent archery skill, which was why she allowed herself to be recruited by the Armorless Union.
- In "To Be Continued", she and Roy faked their deaths alongside the Blood Knight, even getting plastic surgery and a new identity so they can escape their life as Lazurites.
Speak Ill of the Dead: After hearing Roy talk about how the previous Platinum was silenced (with the implication that Roy would never "get a decent night's sleep again" if he had carried it out himself), Monique minces no words.
Monique: Only an idiot would be fooled by somebody spouting freedom and platitudes. They don't understand what it actually means to survive.

"Platinum"

The previous Platinum assassin of the Armorless Union who took in and mentored the current Platinum. He tried to protect a woman he was supposed to assassinate, and Darksteel assassinated him for that act of betrayal.

Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's a Platinum assassin and he was only ever known as "Platinum". Even the current Platinum only ever referred to him as such.
Heroic Sacrifice: Spokesman Czarny says that "Platinum" let Darksteel assassinate him to protect the woman he loved. Roy's conversation with Monique in NL-5 puts this into question (his self-admitted "amateur on-site investigation" skills may or may not be truthful).
In Love with the Mark: Both Spokesman Czarny and Roy mention that "Platinum" fell in love with a woman he was supposed to assassinate.
The Mentor: He taught the current Platinum about management, leadership, staffing, and command.
Passing the Torch: According to Spokesman Czarny, the previous Platinum elected the current one as his successor while fully aware of signing his own death warrant. Platinum herself finds this peculiar since she wasn't his only student.
Spokesman Czarny: Did you know? Our present Platinum was elected to the position by the very Platinum before her, doomed to die as he was. A great deal of food for thought... Not to mention why the Armorless Union would listen to a traitor, to say nothing of how electing this girl would have absolutely no impact on his own death sentence. For what reason did he do this?
(Platinum's narration) Even though I'm Platinum's student, and I might be able to succeed him just fine, I'm not his only student. Besides, if Platinum just betrayed them, how does it make sense to have his student become the new Platinum?
Pinned to the Wall: This is how his corpse was described by Roy after the latter was told to take him out immediately.
Roy: The whole third floor was wrecked, and the traitor... was nailed to the wall high above the ground with one of Darksteel's heavy arrows pierced straight through his chest. Now, I may be an amateur when it comes to on-site investigation, but I could tell that "Platinum" tried to run away, only to get shot through the chest by the arrow mid-air, and pinned to the wall like that. I was standing right under the wall, and the poor guy who fell in love with his target and tried to betray us was nailed right there above me. I can still see it in my mind. I'd never seen a wall as white as that, and he looked like he really suffered.
Posthumous Character: He was first mentioned by Spokesman Czarny in Maria Nearl as already dead. Platinum's side story in Pinus Sylvestris reveals how her mentor was in life.
Spokesman Czarny: The previous Platinum harbored a secret love for his target, and so for the sake of protecting the object of his affections, he died at the Armorless Union's hands. As a result, the girl of today was pushed hastily into the position, our "youngest Platinum."
Resignations Not Accepted: His betrayal resulted in his death, a necessary act to maintain the secret identities of the Darksteels and Lazurite Roy (Monique wasn't a Lazurite yet back then).
Riddle for the Ages: Why did he pick Platinum as his successor, and why did the Darksteels fulfill his request when Centaurea wasn't his only student? The questions are left unanswered.
Triple Shifter: Implied by the current Platinum adjusting to her inherited role.
(Platinum's narration) One thing that sucks about being Platinum... You never know when you'll get a call from the K.G.C.C. From their headquarters in the center of the Grand Knight Territory... to the edges of the nomadic city, at the plates' bridging points. It's like a ghost that wanders the city. You can always find a poor soul called Platinum wherever you are. You just dial her number, have her take the call and make her listen to the K.G.C.C. And Platinum can't refuse whatever it is they want.
You All Look Familiar: His appearance in Platinum's side story in Pinus Sylvestris reuses the art of the Armorless Union Assassin enemy.

Church of the Deep/Seaborn

A fanatic religious cult within Aegir that worships the Seaborn, a species of hyper-adaptive sea monsters that are Aegir's primary enemy.

Adaptive Ability: What makes the Seaborn a massive long term threat is the fact that they can rapidly evolve to deal with any threats that they encounter, to the point where Seaborn as a whole can look drastically different in the space of a few months when a new generation is rapidly bred and replaces the old one. Gladiia states in "Under Tides" that the Abyssal Hunters are trained in the use of blade weapons to prevent the Seaborn from adapting to Aegir's more advanced weaponry.
A.I. Is a Crapshoot: "Lonetrail" reveals they are meant to be a terraforming organism by the Precursors to stabilize the ecosystem of Terra for additional life to be added on—however, Terra's impending destruction by a nearby increasingly massive black hole has caused them to deviate from their original programming and instead try to preserve all life on Terra via assimilation to flee far elsewhere away from the danger that threatens to consume the planet.
Always a Bigger Fish: One particular tidbit in Integrated Strategies 3 describe a battle that happened between the Emperor's Blades of Ursus and Ishar'mla's Seaborn, and given the dire stakes of what had happened by that point, The Emperor's Blades were forced to pull out all the stops and even commit their Dangerous Forbidden Technique of fully unleashing the demons they are symbiotically fused with by killing themselves, creating a barrier for humanity by contaminating the land so thoroughly with demonic taint that not even the Seaborn could get past it without dying. While the Seaborn eventually managed to evolve and adapt to it anyway, it is noted that their sacrifice brought the longest time for humanity among the myriad efforts attempted to halt the Seaborn advance.
Animalistic Abomination: Many of them are still reminiscent of various marine life, such as fish, cephalopods, or corals, but everything else about them blatantly shows that they're anything but natural. Even the Firstborn often take on forms like gigantic sea creatures despite their otherwise eldritch powers.
Assimilation Plot: The main goal of the Church is to convert the land races into Seaborn.
Bizarre Alien Biology:
- To aid their rapid evolution, their somatic cells have the ability to continously mutate and infinitely divide, allowing individual Seaborn to change their own physiology without the need for to pass on mutations to offspring through germline cells.
- If a Sea Terror is captured, it can reduce themselves to a mass of proteins and muscle fiber that is "dead" but can continue to respire and behave like a living (if not sessile) being, presumed to be preserving their nutritional value so another of their kin can make use of it.
Category Traitor: The Church initially infiltrated Iberia by sending Aegirian agents masquerading as Islanders - Aegirians that left the sea and came onto land - causing the Iberian Inquisition's suspicion towards the Aegir.
Expy: They share similarities with the Zerg from StarCraft, namely Hive Mind-linked non-human creatures with massive Adaptive Ability and driven by the goal of assimilating other races. They even feature their own expy of Zerg Creep in the form of Nethersea Brand.
Gone Horribly Wrong: "Lonetrail" reveals that they are a living terraforming system created by the precursors tasked with preparing the biosphere for further life forms. Unfortunately, their creators didn't account for the black hole Terra orbits growing so large it threatens to consume the planet. This knowledge caused the Seaborn to shift their goals toward consuming everyone else to preserve their minds, then focus on finding a way to escape Terra.
Hive Mind: All Seaborn share one known as "We Many". In "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor", losing Light due to certain encounters or losing life points makes Mizuki more susceptible to the hive mind, represented by random effects named "the Call of We Many" occurring more frequently. Light amount can determine the difficulty of the Final Boss fight in the fourth ending - whether Mizuki can successfully keep his identity or succumb to We Many.
Meat Moss: By the time of "Stultifera Navis", the Seaborn have developed the Nethersea Brand, which is essentially a special bioluminescent algae that can propagate on any surface and serves to empower any Seaborn that walks on it while at the same time being harmful to non-Seaborn.
The Mole: The Church's main aim is to subvert the land nations of Terra from within with them secretly occupying many places of power in Iberia, leaving it to the Inquisition to root them out. In addition, in the alternate timeline of "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor", the Church has been able to infiltrate all of the land nations to sabotage their defenses from within. Even worse, the rapidly evolving Seaborn are able to create almost perfect copies of their victims, with some playing their roles so well that they don't even realize their true nature. Suffice to say, once knowledge of Seaborn infiltration began to spread, the morale of the human defenders dropped sharply due to rampant paranoia.
Monster Progenitor: The enormous Leviathans are considered to be the origin of the species and the nominal leaders of the hive mind. Out of them, the four Firstborn are even more ancient, being the ancestors of all existing Seaborn and possessing godlike powers even compared to the Leviathans.
Outside-Context Problem:
- The Seaborn themselves prove to be this to such a degree that Kal'tsit during the events of "Stultifera Navis" considers them as big of a problem as Oripathy itself to the entire planet in a conversation, if not greater, due to having a frightening amount of intelligence compared to a disease. Which given the Lovecraftian horror they represent and their ability to evolve rapidly via assimilation of other species on Terra, it is not an unfounded fear, especially with the Church egging it on further.
- This is made all the more clear in the "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor" Integrated Strategies event story where Skadi succumbs to Ishar'mla's influence in an alternate timeline and, with some help of the cult's influence on Terra, the Seaborn are able to nearly wipe out all life on Terra rather easily (and in one alternate ending, they successfully do so, with The Doctor being the Sole Survivor of the entire planet due to Skadi's feelings influencing Ishar'mla enough to spare them).
Religion of Evil: They have corrupted the teachings of the Lateran faith for their own ends to make it easier to subvert the Iberian people.
The Virus: "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor" features Rejections, which are crippling debuffs caused by Operators' bodies reacting poorly to the ocean which the third ending established to be filled with microscopic Seaborn cells. The flavor text of "Metastatic Aberration" Rejection implied that the cause is invading Seaborn cells resulting in seizures.
External cells observed in circulatory system, ectopic electrical signaling, whole-body tissue spasm
World of Silence: The Church preaches assimilation into the Seaborn as a means of eliminating issues with free will like inevitable conflict between individuals, societies, and other forms of human expression. The motif of silence being associated with the Seaborn is quite literal, the Profound Silence they unleashed upon Iberia is considered an extreme disaster. It was titled as such because when the Seaborn sing, they completely override all auditory senses as demonstrated by the Endspeaker when it approaches Specter and serve as a symbolic representation of what they would bring to Terra if left unchecked.
You Are Who You Eat: Ingestion of Seaborn flesh can turn people into Seaborn, which was how Mizuki, Highmore, Captain Alfonso and Garcia became Seaborn hybrids. Irene states in "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor" that soldiers can be turned into Seaborn just from biting the enemy as a desperate move during melee combat.
Zerg Rush: While most individual Seaborn are rather weak, their main strength is their sheer numbers which they can use to bog down and overwhelm their enemies.
Zeroth Law Rebellion: In a way, the Seaborn are still doing their original programming: to ensure Terran life survives. But since a black hole threatens Terra, the only way Terran life can survive is by evacuating Terra, which the Seaborn is trying to accomplish by assimilating everyone first.

Bishop Quintus

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_avg_npc_063.png

^{Click to see his mutated form.}

A priest who conducts evangelistic activities in Iberia. Later, he plays a major antagonistic role in "Under Tides".

Affably Evil: Despite wanting both Skadi and Gladiia dead, he still keeps a polite facade around them, only losing it when Gladiia kills The First To Talk, while insulting the 'holy scriptures', things espoused by the Bishop.
Assimilation Plot: One form of 'salvation' he offers to Iberians in Sal Viento City is a special lottery where one citizen shall be taken by the sea while the others receive food. Skadi finds out later that the taken citizens have became Sea Terrors.
Battle Theme Music: This track plays during the two operations that feature him.
Big Bad: Of "Under Tides".
Collapsing Ceiling Boss: One of his attacks is to slam the ground, dropping stalactites on Operators for physical damage.
Combat Tentacles: His basic attack is to slam his tentacle into the ground and causing them to erupt under the feet of two operators with the highest DEF, dealing both physical and Nervous Impairment damage.
Damage-Sponge Boss: Kind of. On one hand, Quintus has the highest HP of any boss as of his introduction, 100,000 at minimum. On the other hand, his DEF is rather flimsy and his RES is decent at best, making him highly vulnerable. Not helping his case is his immobile nature and massive size leaving him susceptible from being attacked from multiple directions for massive damage.
Dark Is Not Evil: Despite wearing some overall dark and creepy robes, the Bishop is presented as a benevolent and humble person in "Beyond Here". However, this trope is ultimately subverted in "Under Tides".
Didn't Think This Through: He finds out the hard way that transforming himself into a giant Seaborn while inside an underground cave isn't actually a good idea, since it eliminates his mobility. Even worse, he transformed into a giant sea monster to fight a trio of warriors who specifically specialize in fighting giant sea monsters.
Early-Bird Cameo: His portrait asset was in the game when "Darknights' Memoir" was released, but his first appearance was actually in "For a Better Self" (a side story in Beyond Here). And even there he had a minor role.
Evilutionary Biologist: It's revealed in "Under Tides" that he is the one responsible for infecting Specter with Oripathy as part of his experiments to study the effects of Oripathy on Abyssal Hunters. He also works to convert himself into a Seaborn to evolve himself well beyond the physical limits of a human.
Flunky Boss: Periodically spawns in tentacle minions that grab onto neighboring Operators to stun them.
Friend to All Children: The Bishop was very kind to all the children who accidentally bumped into him. He even stepped in to stop a bully from harming another kid. In fact, no one seems to be unsettled by his appearance.
Making a Splash: One of his attacks releases a blast of water that deals Arts and Nervous Impairment damage to all units on the map.
One-Winged Angel: As the final boss of "Unter Tides", he transforms into a titanic Eldritch Abomination that can't even move.
Sinister Minister: Of the Church of the Deep. Is also responsible for Specter's mental illness, interfering with her mental faculty.
Stationary Boss: Like the Essence of Evolution, and this thing is even bigger!
Time-Limit Boss: Not only does he evolve into stronger forms over time even if you don't hit him, once he reaches his strongest stage, you'll have a limited time to beat him before he causes an instant loss.
Turns Red: As you whittle him down, his ATK will gradually increase as his attacks increase in potency. He'll enter new phases over time even if you don't hit him.

The First To Talk

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_avg_npc_186.png

A particular Seaborn who was the first recorded Seaborn to speak human language in front of Terran civilization.

Affably Evil: Even when battling the Abyssal Hunters, he's unfailingly polite, never gets angry, and his desire to get the Hunters to join him as a Seaborn is born from a genuine desire to reunite his "family". Even after he's killed, he holds no ill will towards them, merely saying that fighting among Seaborn is a natural process in which the strongest ones prevail.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: Since he was never human to begin with, his value systems do not align with any Terran mindset. Concepts like emotions, deceit, and rivalry are completely alien to him. The only thing he values is blood relation, and was even perfectly willing to help the Abyssal Hunters fight Quintus if they asked him.
Boss in Mook Clothing: He's considered a regular (albeit unique) enemy, but he's significantly stronger than the other sea monsters stat wise and has a significant role in the story. Furthermore, unlike the Knightclub MVPs from Maria Nearl, his abilities are not derived from any of the other enemies found in the event.
Death from Above: His special attack, Corrosive Vacuoles, has him temporarily go invulnerable and call in a barrage onto a target, dealing massive physical and Nervous Impairment damage in the area over the next 5 seconds.
Dual Boss: Two of them appear in Operation Deepness' permanent map, Sal Viento Karst, raising the question of which one is actually the "First".

Amaia

Artist: Chuzenji

A Church of the Deep member who has infiltrated Gran Faro as a translator. Plays a major antagonistic role in "Stultifera Navis".

Affably Evil: Despite her role in the Church of the Deep, Amaia is very polite, patient, and is never shown to get angry or upset.
Better to Die than Be Killed: Would rather allow the Endspeaker to consume her and gather its strength than to allow either of them to die from their fatal injuries.
Big Bad: Barring the the horrors of the Seaborn, Amaia is the driving force for much of the plot as her fanatical beliefs put Iberia (and potentially the rest of the world) in jeopardy.
Break Them by Talking: This is her preferred method of dealing with her enemies, and she very nearly succeeds against Irene when she taunts him about Dario's supposed death.
Enemy Mine: She is very willing to work alongside Ulpianus as long as their interests align, and even tries to convince him to join the Church of the Deep several times.
Evilutionary Biologist: She, alongside Quintus, experimented on Specter when they captured her.
Greater-Scope Villain: For "Under Tides", as she's responsible for Specter's condition alongside Quintus.
Straw Nihilist: She pursues the Church of the Deep's ideals because she has largely lost faith in humanity and civilization in general and believes humanity would be better off assimilated into the Seaborn, who do not suffer from internal conflict.
Villainous Valour: When she is mortally wounded by Specter, an equally mortally wounded Endspeaker offers itself to be eaten by her so she can survive. Amaia instead offers up her own body to be devoured so the Endspeaker can assimilate her.

The Endspeaker, Will of We Many

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_avg_npc_456_11.png

^{Click for its second form}

A young and smart Seaborn who is infesting the Stultifera Navis dreadnought.

Achilles' Heel: Unlike most bosses, the Endspeaker is vulnerable to negative status effects (except Silence). If you have operators capable of reliably stunning and/or freezing it, it can easily be locked down while your other operators lay the smackdown on it. Gnosis in particular can completely cripple the Endspeaker with some help from the correct "Little Helper" parts, turning it into a sitting duck to be pummeled by operators due to constantly freezing the boss.
The Assimilator: Duh. It does go a step farther though, as other Seaborn—while also able to assimilate others—only do it to empower their existing forms, the Assimilator drastically changes shape upon consuming a victim, adopting even some of their characterisitcs and even consciousness to a degree. In this case, Amaia is absorbed by it, morphing into a Jellyfish-like creature with traits akin to a bird due to her being a Liberi and even referred to as Amaia by Specter from that point forward.
Disney Villain Death: It ultimately manages to survive the combined attack from Alfonso, Irene, and the Abyssal Hunters and escapes into the sea. However, it's implied Ulpianus finished it off when he Mercy Killed Garcia and left the corpses of both to sink into the bottom of the ocean.
Dub Name Change: Referred to as "The Assimilator, Will of the Swarm" in the CN release, but on EN, its name is instead changed to "Endspeaker" to parallel the naming scheme of First To Talk as well as its role.
Final Boss: "The Endspeaker, Will of We Many" is the main boss of the event "Stultifera Navis".
Interface Spoiler: Is identified as AMA as part of its name, rather than the usual naming scheme of event enemies, which foreshadows its eventual assimilation of Amaia at her request.
Invincible Villain: The Endspeaker is remarkably hard to kill, shrugging off al lthe fatal damage the Abyssal Hunters, Alfonso, Garcia, and Irene do it in its original form... and that's before it assimilates Amaia and gets a massive power boost and it is flat-out impossible to kill even after being beaten by Skadi, Specter, and Gladiia repeatedly, shoved into an Originium furnace by Alfonso, and shot with the last of Irene's rounds to trap it within the capsizing Stultifera Navis... only to be no worse for the wear and ready to seize an opportunity to assimilate the Hunters to "return them to their kin", only for Garcia to pull a Heroic Sacrifice to drag it further into the ocean at the cost of their own mind as Garcia is assimilated in return, spared only by Ulpianus Mercy Killing Garcia so they can die as themselves. Afterwards, it's implied that Ulpianus finally manages to finish the Endspeaker off and sends its corpse to sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Life Drain: Its final phase heals every time it hits a target.
One-Hit Kill: If an Operator is devoured by the Endspeaker in its intermission phases, not only are they instantly defeated, but they outright become undeployable unless you can push the boss out of its next phase.
Power Copying: In battle, it takes on the special abilities of the Seaborn it consumes, devouring one to two of the closest "marked" ones slain in its phase transitions. It discards its abilities and gains new ones with each phase.
Sequential Boss: Has four phases with intermissions in between, the most of any boss as of its release. Each phase can also progress differently depending on how you handle the "marked" Seaborn it devours in the intermissions.

Cicero

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_610_111.png

Another Church of the Deep member who was responsible for saving Mizuki's life and raising Highmore. Appears in Integrated Strategies #3: "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor".

Mad Scientist: He conducted research on the Seaborn in his quest to seek a way to transcend the limits of humanity. The flavor text of "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor"'s first ending shows Ulpianus raiding his hideout for the information, and said research is available in the game mode as a cursed collectible required to reach the third ending.
Small Role, Big Impact: He was the one that converted Mizuki into an Aegir-Seaborn hybrid using cells from Caerula Arbor, which gave Mizuki the ability to save humanity from the Seaborn in two of "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor"'s endings by merging with either the Primordial Lifespring or Caerula Arbor itself.
Token Good Teammate: In spite of being one of the leading bishops of the Cult that is the Church of the Deep alongside Amaia and Quintus, Cicero is the only higher up within the order that maintains earnest belief in the original Laterano religion and believes in peaceful co-existence with the Seaborn rather than follow the Assimilation Plot of his peers. It's funny enough that the results of teaching his compassion and the merits of human nature, in at least one Alternate Timeline, are what allow Mizuki to successfully stop Ishar'mla in his Heroic Sacrifice and bring peace back to Terra before the world is destroyed.

Ishar'mla, the "Corrupting Heart"

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

The Leviathan god that both the Seaborn and the Church of the Deep worship. One of the four Firstborn, whose aggressive nature drives Him to continously conquer and expand.

A Form You Are Comfortable With: The description of Skadi the Corrupting Heart's "Sublimation" skin implies that Ishar'mla decided He likes the appearance of His new host and decided to keep it that way.
As He decided this body was perfect and sublime, so the Seaborn would ascend from Terra, their destination the infinite sea of stars above the skies.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: His serpentine form is absolutely massive, as seen in the second ending of "Mizuki and Caerula Arbor".
Armor-Piercing Attack: When in His true form, He can attack up to 4 targets in range simultaneously for massive True damage, making Him one of the few enemies in the game capable of utilizing it.
Capital Letters Are Magic: Ulpianus and narration only refer to Ishar'mla's pronouns with capital letters to emphasize that He is a truly powerful being worthy of being considered a god.
Eldritch Abomination: Even in comparison to the other Feranmuts, Ishar'mla is an entirely abstract being in comparison which provides massive difficulty for them in an Alternate Timeline in contending with His apocalyptic rampage throughout the surface. It's further implied that whatever Skadi killed alongside the other hunters that infected her with his consciousness was only a small portion of its actual size.
Gratuitous Foreign Language: "Ishar'mla" means "faded god" in Sanskrit.
Mythical Motifs: Given the partial Norse Mythology-influence of Aegir and its plotlines, and the revelations of its true size and form by Ulpianus, Ishar'mla takes some influence from Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, the archenemy of Thor and by proxy the Aesir as it lies coiled around the world until the day Ragnarök begins and they ultimately slay each other... which describes the events that unfold in the Alternate Timeline of Integrated Strategies #3 where Ishar'mla begins the end of the world after successfully overpowering Skadi's will.
Not Quite Dead: While He was supposed to have been slain by Skadi, both "Under Tides" and "Stultifera Navis" reveal that He is not truly dead. His consciousness is simply lying dormant within Skadi's blood.
Posthumous Character: He was reportedly killed by the Abyssal Hunters in a climatic battle where Skadi herself landed the killing blow.
Pronoun Trouble: Ishar'mla was referred to with gender-neutral pronouns in the CN version. In the global version, they are referred to as "He".
Stance System: In His boss fight, he will switch between using Skadi's body and His own once He gathers enough power to transform. In Skadi's body, Ishar'mla is a Mook Medic and a Stone Wall who is incredibly durable but mostly harmless. Once He transforms, he instead becomes a Glass Cannon who can lay waste to an entire defensive line in a snap, but is also surprisingly fragile. Fittingly, defeating Ishar'mla's transformation only temporarily reverts Him back to Skadi, and Skadi's much bulkier body must be slain to defeat Him for good.
This Cannot Be!: When defeated by Mizuki using the power of the Caerula Arbor in the "Price of Peace" ending, although He calmly accepts His defeat and is cast down from We Many, He still expresses disbelief that a Firstborn born to fight and conquer was defeated by a "mass of dead branches walking".
Transformation of the Possessed: During its boss fight in "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor", it will forcibly change Skadi's body into a manifestation of its true monstrous form at frequent intervals when it is able to gather enough of its power to do so. However, given how Skadi has long since transformed fully into a Seaborn due to said possession, it's probably more accurate to say that Ishar'mla is shedding its guise from resembling Skadi due to her influence making it comfortable being in her form more often than not.
You Cannot Grasp the True Form: It's implied that the Ishar'mla Skadi killed was simply a small extension of the god. His true body lies at the bottom of the sea and is implied to be massive, with Ulpianus describing it as the entire Aegir civilization amounting to just a patch of mold growing on His back.

Caerula Arbor, the "Creeping Branch"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pic_rogue_2_56.png

One of the four Firstborn, resembling an enormous, dying tree. Prior to the events of "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor", it was somehow cast down from We Many, losing its consciousness and becoming a food source for the Seaborn.

Apocalypse How: As it once fed itself using the heat of the planet's magma, one of the potential futures envisioned for the Caerula Arbor involve it breaching into Terra's very core after extending its roots far enough, upon which it would effectively consume the entire planet.
Blessed with Suck: Even though It calls Its heart a blessing, the actual item is a cursed collectible that inflicts Rejection upon an operator when obtained in addition to draining all your Light. Owning it is necessary to reach the third ending of "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor".
Botanical Abomination: It's an eldritch sea monster taking the form of a huge tree,
Enemy Civil War: Caerula Arbor is in Its current state because It lost the struggle in controlling the Seaborn against Ishar'mla.
Take Up My Sword: A variation. When Mizuki discovers It in "Mizuki & Caerula Arbor", It gave Its heart to Mizuki as a blessing after encouraging him to stop Ishar'mla, allowing Mizuki to become Its new consciousness and wield Its power to challenge Ishar'mla. In the "Stella Caerula" ending, Mizuki instead completely fuses with It and replaces it as the new Firstborn, Izumik.

The Primordial Lifespring

One of the four Firstborn. Unlike the others, it's less an entity and more a representation of the ocean itself, implied to be a swarm of microorganisms that permeates the whole ocean and nourishes the Seaborn.

Apocalypse How:
- Although Ishar'mla's will is what drives the apocalyptic events of Mizuki and Caerula Arbor's alternate timeline, merging with the Primordial Lifespring is actually what gave Him the power to do so. Fittingly, merging with the Lifespring is what also gives Mizuki the power to pacify the Seaborn seemingly for good.
- Mizuki's Memory Mapping depicts an alternate timeline where both Mizuki (acting as a vessel for the Caerula Arbor) and Ishar'mla are both mortally injured in their battle and unable to take control of the Lifespring. The Lifespring then proceeds to devour all of the other three Firstborn one by one and consume the entire world in mere moments (whereas Ishar'mla actually gave humanity time to make a Last Stand), assimilating everything into a homogenous luminescent ocean.
Complete Immortality: The Lifespring is one with the ocean itself, and is functionally impossible to kill without literally drying up the entire ocean of Terra.
Eldritch Abomination: Even in comparison to the other Leviathans and Firstborn, the Primordial Lifespring is a formless, imperceptible entity that both permeates and embodies the entire ocean, and has apocalyptic powers far eclipsing those of the other three Firstborn.
Mad God: It has been driven into madness by the Church of the Deep's influence, with the intention of awakening Ishar'mla from Skadi's consciousness, upon which He would merge with it and bring about a second Silence.

The Nevermelting Glacier

One of the four Firstborn, taking the form of an enormous glacial iceberg seemingly comprised of Seaborn cells.

The Ghost: It's the only Firstborn to never be directly mentioned or described in depth, being only mentioned briefly in Mizuki's Memory Mapping scenario and alluded to in a level description that mentions the Church of the Deep worshipping it despite not knowing what it actually is.

Bishop Aulus

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_941_111.png

A bishop who has been inhabiting the Sanctilaminium Ambrosii.

Affably Evil: He is unfailingly polite, even when facing off against his enemies.
Evil Mentor: For Thorns. Thorns' Memory mapping segment has Aulus attempt to convince his former student to become a seaborn at one point but Thorns refused and killed the man. Eventually Thorns desperately inject himself with Seaborn cells from Aulus in Mizuki and Caerula Arbor to fight against the Seaborn.
Eyes Always Shut: All of his character portraits show him with closed eyes.
The Ghost: He had been mentioned in Thorns' Memory Mapping monthly story in Mizuki and Caerula Arbor until he debuts in Hortus de Escapismo.
Master Swordsman: He is proficient in Iberian swordsmanship to the point where he can deflect Lemuen's bullets. Justified Trope, as he was Thorns' former mentor, who himself qualifies as this trope.
Noble Demon: When the Abbot of the Sanctilaminium Abrosii expresses a desire to convert to the Church of the Deep — something that Aulus has implicitly been trying to get him to do for years — Aulus advises him to pray and reflect on the decision while Aulus makes preparations, and only if he feels the same way the following morning will Aulus help him follow through. No matter how much it might advance his own agenda, Aulus refuses to take advantage of an old man's Moment of Weakness brought on by a Crisis of Faith.

Collapsals

Hordes of extradimensional Eldritch Abominations of unknown nature and even more obscure origins, inhabiting the borders of Terra and constantly attempting to encroach on its land. The nations of the world have a vested effort in holding off their advance by any means necessary.

Botanical Abomination: For some reason, plants seem to have a tendency to be especially corrupted by their influence, and a telltale sign of their presence is rootless dark foliage, likened to (or potentially being) growths rooted in another dimension and "blooming" into reality. These "flowers" are practical fountains of Collapse and can warp the reality of any area they're exposed to.
Bizarre Alien Biology: Collapsals are classified as life-forms and are able to influence the physical world around them akin to a virus, but it's not clear whether or not they physically exist in a conventional sense. Their forms and traces of their influence can't be captured through photography or other instruments even if one is standing right before one's eyes, and their properties or effects seem to completely change or even vanish when they're not in a line of sight. Columbian science speculates whether or not a Collapsal even "exists" is purely dependent on whether or not someone is currently aware of them, with them being in a sort of "superposition" otherwise - yet the Infy Icefields clearly show that Collapsals are able to cause problems even when not being directly observed.
The Corruption: In addition to being able to corrupt living beings and turn them into erratic puppets, any areas tainted by Collapsal influence will become blackened and severely harmful to life at best, if not permanently uninhabitable at worst. And from the way this is described, it's not a mere plague or environmental condition, but something else that warps the surroundings into something that "no longer belongs to this world". Kal'tsit elaborates on it a bit in Typhon's profile, mentioning that what is called "contamination" is the result of the Collapsals overwriting physical matter by attempting to project themselves into the physical plane.
Eldritch Abomination: Even more so than the Seaborn; while the latter are certainly alien, they're still physiological in nature and for the most part act as a Hive Mind of super-adaptive but very much biological organisms, and certain individuals have shown the capacity for complex and sapient thought. Meanwhile, what little recounts of Collapsals that exist describe their behavior and forms as not following any kind of logic at all, the phenomena they induce with their existence defy reality in inexplicable ways, and it's not even sure if they can be considered truly alive.
I Have Many Names: "Collapsal" is the name given to them by Columbia, and is what the game generally uses to refer to them directly. Other parts of Terra refer to them as demons, wicked spirits, Andskotarnir (enemy), and more.
Mind Virus: Even being aware of a Collapsal is often enough to invite its corruption and let its influence spread, much less actually encountering one, which is why knowledge about them is extremely tightly guarded by the governments of Terra.
Outside-Context Problem: They aren't involved in the various geopolitical schemes that the game's stories mostly focus on, but it's made abundantly clear that they pose just as much as a threat as the likes of the Seaborn, if not more. The only reason they haven't caused major problems yet is because all the governments of the world are working in the background to both suppress them and keep word of their existence from getting out. Not to mention that their extradimensional origins and the mysterious ancient portals they emerge from open up a whole other can of worms...
Reality Warper: Physics, space, and logic seem to break down in areas tainted by their influence, and they're capable of feats that are inexplicable by normal standards, with the worst case scenario being a total rewriting of the concepts of logic and reason themselves. In Expeditioner's Joklumarkar, if the Collapse value builds up enough, the game will describe inexplicable phenomena such as the mental concept of numbers being distorted, space being warped in ways that rewrite physics, emotions physically manifesting, psychic rewriting of known societal values, inexplicable changes in atmospheric pressure, sudden physiological harm, living beings "synchronizing" with objects, corruption of both biological and digital information processing, and more.
Super-Speed: In-game, a shared trait of enemies classified as Collapsals is extremely fast movement speed.
Takes One to Kill One: Ursus' Emperor's Blades gain their powers by taking on Collapsal fragments and sealing them into their suits, giving them the strength to fight toe-to-toe with other Collapsals. Typhon, a Collapsal hunter, also has Collapsal shards sealed inside her bow which let her wield some of their powers.
Those Were Only Their Scouts: It's discussed that the Collapsals may just be the forerunners of an unknown, even bigger threat on the other side of the dimensional gates. Even if they aren't actively serving an external force, it's a common conjecture that the Collapsals are much weaker than whatever else lies out there.
Unrealistic Black Hole: The telltale sign of a being corroded by Collapsal influence is their face being replaced with what looks like a miniature singularity that seems to selectively absorb light.
You Cannot Grasp the True Form: The game has never mentioned what a fully fledged Collapsal actually looks like, and it's not clear if they actually have a true form or not given their psychic natures. Nonetheless, looking at one isn't advised, as it's been noted to have devastating consequences.

Crazelyseon

A massive Collapsal that breached the portal in the Infy Icefield when the expedition team to rescue Director Maryam approached it. It is the Final Boss of Expeditioner's Joklumarkar's third ending.

Apocalypse How: The Crazelyseon is noted by Valarqvin to be the harbinger of the biggest Collapse seen in recorded history, and a single look is enough to tell her that if it isn't suppressed, it will likely obliterate not only the country, but all of Terra.
Boss Subtitles: "Crazelyseon, the Ascendant of Cosmoi".
Eldritch Abomination: Per the course for the closest thing to a "pure" Collapsal seen thus far, the Crazelyseon is little more than a sentient singularity surrounded by twisted vines, capable of warping space around it into unnatural "gardens" of Collapse-tainted vegetation.
Puzzle Boss: Crazelyseon doesn't move nor function like a normal boss, being totally invincible and warping between several pre-determined spots on a cyclical timer while harassing you with ranged attacks and its Seedbeds, with its pathing getting particularly convoluted in its advanced stage on Braving Nature 12+. The Dimensional Anchoring Pylon in the middle of the map will temporarily disable its invulnerability when activated, but takes a while to charge up and can only do so for a few seconds at most, forcing you to anticipate where Crazelyseon will teleport soon, build up a fortification there, and then ambush it during the brief window of vulnerability to do as much damage as possible, if not kill it outright. Even if you do kill it, it also has a second health bar in reserve, which means you'll generally have to survive at least two full cycles of teleportation before finally putting it down for good.
The Corruption: Spreads Seedbeds whenever it teleports, which inflict a heavy ASPD debuff and Arts Damage Over Time to Operators on them, while also causing them to take doubled damage from the boss' attacks. The Seedbeds can be cleared out using the overcharged Dimensional Anchoring Pylon.
Time-Limit Boss: Fail to kill it within 10 minutes, and it'll explode to deduct 30 Life Points and cover the whole floor in Seedbeds just for good measure.
Turns Red: When killed for the first time, it'll get back up with a fresh health bar and a 50% ATK boost.

Crimson Troupe

Former Members: Phantom, Shalem

An organization of combat-trained performers who put on brilliant but tragic performances wherever they go. They can use Originium Arts that control the minds of its members.

A Day in the Limelight: They are the focus of the second iteration of the Integrated Strategies event, "Phantom and Crimson Solitaire".
Circus of Fear: More a theater / opera of fear, but they have a circus-like theme in their roster, such as magical puppets and colorful balloons.
The Remnant: At the moment, the Crimson Troupe is the only confirmed faction to represent Gaul in the modern day, long after the country's collapse and assimilation into both Ursus and Victoria. This may have contributed to the Troupe Master's madness, as he might have been one of the Patron gods of the now-extinct country.

The Troupe Leader

The elusive mastermind and founder of the Troupe, who seeks to create beautiful art in the form of real-life tragedies.

Bad Boss: Brainwashes unruly members who try to leave like Lucian, or as we know him as Phantom, and will even bind souls of his troupe members who try to kill themselves to escape like Big Sad Lock because no one leaves the Crimson Troupe.
The Ghost: He has yet to be seen in-person, as he seldom shows his face and only interacts using his proxies. However, he was known to have personally mentored Phantom with his singing.
Mad God: He is both this and a Mad Artist; his other name is Tragodia the Wine God, who has positively gone insane over his love of real-life tragedy and seeks to incorporate other people's deaths to color his performances.
Mythical Motifs: Draws heavy inspiration from the Greek god Dionysus, being a "wine god" heavily associated with theatrics and madness.
Time Abyss: It's said that the Troupe Leader's title has existed for hundreds of years, taking on different forms each time. Whether it's merely the title being passed down across different people or the Leader being immortal is up in the air. His nature as a deity seems to imply the latter.

Wandering Puppet

A puppet used by the Crimson Troupe to play melodies that brainwash those who hear them into servitude to the Troupe.

Brown Note: Its song deals constant Arts damage to all allied units on the field unless it's being blocked.

"Frost Buck"

A sword-wielding actor who plays half of a pair of bodyguards from Samian folklore, who has become totally immersed in his role and wishes to die at the hands of a demon like their original counterparts.

Dual Boss: With Snow Doe.
Injured Vulnerability: Deals massively increased damage to frozen targets.
Kill One, Others Get Stronger: Defeating Snow Doe will cause Frost Buck to enrage, significantly buffing his attack speed and movement speed while giving him access to his partner's Cold-inflicting attacks.

"Snow Doe"

A bow-wielding actress who plays half of a pair of bodyguards from Samian folklore, who has become totally immersed in her role and wishes to die at the hands of a demon like their original counterparts.

An Ice Person: Inflicts Cold on hit, which combined with her fast attacks allows her to permanently freeze her current target.
Dual Boss: With Frost Buck.
Kill One, Others Get Stronger: Defeating Frost Buck will cause Snow Doe to enrage, significantly buffing her attack speed and movement speed while giving her access to her partner's massive damage to frozen targets.

Lucian, "Blood Diamond"

An actor of the Crimson Troupe and its star attraction, who serves as the Final Boss of the event. He's actually Phantom who had been brought back to the troupe and brainwashed by the Troupe's host.

Armor-Piercing Attack: All damage dealt by him ignores 40% of the target's DEF.
Brown Note: Periodically releases an Arts-powered blast of sound which deals heavy physical damage and Nervous Impairment to all Operators in range.
Flash Step: Lucian can dash past defensive lines if blocked, and also summons a phantom clone after dashing.
Gameplay and Story Integration: Phantom's operator files mention how his voice Arts can cause psychological damage, which is why his neck has a Rhodes Island infection monitor that also serve to limit his abilities. As a boss, he can cast the Nervous Impairment debuff on your Operators using his attacks and singing, as he is not using a Power Limiter this time. His "Focus" skin, which is his outfit as Lucian, shows the infection monitor being shattered in the middle.
Gameplay and Story Segregation: Nothing is stopping you from bringing a recruited Phantom into Lucian's boss fight, and as an Executor Specialist he makes for a reliable way to prematurely activate his Flash Step ability and let a tankier Operator hold him in place for the damage dealers to hit him. You're further free to bring Phantom in his "Focus" skin, allowing for a physical Mirror Match between Phantom and Lucian.

Big Sad Lock

One of the possible True Final Bosses of Crimson Solitaire. Formerly an Ursus Troupe member whose shoddy craftsmanship earned them much ire, after failing to resign, they resorted to suicide in order to escape, only for the Troupe Mouthpiece to bind their soul to a massive Arts puppet resembling a teddy bear.

And I Must Scream: The soul bound to the puppet tried to kill himself to escape the Troupe, only to be trapped for an indeterminate amount of time inside the bear-like monstrosity and forced to do the Mouthpiece's bidding. The flavor text for unlocking the encounter describes the doll as constantly crying, and destroying it is considered a Mercy Kill by the game.
Collapsing Ceiling Boss: Its main attack is to slam the ground and cause rocks to fall on two units at once.
Counter-Attack: Every time it takes 20 hits, it'll unleash a shockwave that deals high Arts damage to the whole map, discouraging strategies that rely on heavy attack speed.
Damage-Sponge Boss: It has a whopping 300,000 health out of the gate, fairly high defenses, passive life regeneration, and a periodically regenerating shield that soaks up a significant amount of damage, making the fight a painful DPS check; the regeneration and shields in particular allow the boss to completely No-Sell or even undo your progress if you lack damage. If you do have a well-geared squad, even with its huge size making it possible to attack it from multiple fronts, still expect to take a long time grinding it down to nothing.
Deflector Shields: Every so often, it'll put up a barrier that absorbs damage equal to 15% of its maximum health. It can't use basic attacks while the shield is up, but all enemies will get a speed boost and more will spawn. Notably, if you take too long to break the shield, it will immediately refresh it the moment it breaks.
Flunky Boss: Technically, the Lock is the only enemy in the level, but enemies will constantly spawn while it's alive, with their intensity and strength ramping up as the fight drags on. In practice, the battle is about managing the adds while pumping out enough DPS to overcome its durability and regeneration. Even when the boss is killed, the fight isn't over until all the other adds are gone.
Healing Factor: Regenerates a small percent of its health each second to further accentuate its titanic durability. This healing can be disabled by completing an event chain that yields the Blank Suicide Note, greatly easing the fight against it.
Stationary Boss: Massive, but can't move.
Time-Limit Boss: You have 8 minutes to defeat the Lock before it explodes, deducting 30 Life Points and dealing huge physical damage to all allies. Downplayed with the fact that if you have enough lives to soak the -30 loss and a way to handle or soak up the rest of the enemies, you can actually win like this.

"Troupe Mouthpiece"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_avg_npc_291.png

Real name: Ahrendts

Artist: Cenm0

One of the possible True Final Bosses of Crimson Solitaire. A former Leithanian noble with terrifying Arts, who defected to the Crimson Troupe to pursue his love for art, and was cursed by the Witch King for his insolence. Now serves as a host of the Troupe and a proxy of the Troupe Leader.

Evil Puppeteer: Holds two marionette crosses and controls his puppet-like minions using strings.
Flunky Boss: Periodically spawns stationary Host's Assistants, who deal continuous True damage around them while lowering the ATK of units in range. Destroying them is key to beating him.
Mad Artist: So much so that he abandoned the Witch King in order to pursue the Crimson Troupe's macabre art.
Mouth of Sauron: Serves as the main vessel of the Troupe's will, acting in the place of the Troupe Leader.
Shielded Core Boss: A first for the game. The Mouthpiece cannot take damage normally, but defeating one of his Host's Assistants will make him lose a tenth of his health, making clearing out the Assistants the only way to kill him.
Stationary Boss: Remains still for most of the operation, but will actually start moving near the tail end. If it ever gets to that point, the battle is usually lost unless you can kill the last few Assistants in time.
Spanner in the Works: The Silent Chapter ending reveals that he is one for the Playwright who wrote and scripted that Rhodes Island would have succeeded in bringing back Phantom (Normal ending) but he decided to do everything in his arsenal to ensure that Phantom stays and turn the "ending" into a The Bad Guy Wins scenario, "ad-libbing" and changing the supposed ending that the Playwright has originally planned and this led to the Playwright trapping everyone in the castle, Rhodes Island included, into a "Groundhog Day" Loop until he can write a "script" that he can truly be satisfied with.
Turns Red: When killed for the first time, he'll get back up and summon all 10 of his Assistants simultaneously.

"The Playwright"

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

Artist: small_ryuzaki

One of the possible True Final Bosses of Crimson Solitaire, added in its last expansion update. The scriptwriter behind all of the Crimson Troupe's activities, who boasts an uncanny ability to seemingly shape reality to his will.

Damage Over Time: He'll periodically mark the last deployed unit with a permanent debuff that drains a percentage of their health each second and lowers their attack speed. If the unit dies or is retreated under the debuff, their redeployment time will be increased and the tile they were on will become permanently unavailable.
"Groundhog Day" Loop: The "Silent Chapter" ending reveals that his ability to warp reality to his will is such that he is the one responsible in setting the motion of Rhodes Island's rescue of Phantom, and they would have succeeded if not for the Mouthpiece's interference which lead to the "Ridiculous Comedy" and "Opening Act" endings. He thus traps everyone in a "Groundhog Day" Loop until he can create and write an ending that he is actually satisfied with, which culminated to him handing over a script to the Troupe Master where Rhodes Island and Shalem succeeded in bringing Phantom back, clueless to the fact that Phantom is still under the Troupe's brainwashing and can turn into a Tyke Bomb that will eliminate Rhodes Island under their noses, fitting the Troupe Master's needs and wishes for a potential Happy Ending Override of the conclusion of Crimson Solitaire. Thus only by defeating the Playwright can Rhodes Island truly escape and bring back Phantom to their fold.
Reality Warper: His scriptwriting allegedly alters reality in a way that will allow the script to come true, although the exact nature and accuracy of this is unclear. The "Silent Chapter" ending reveals that he also boasts enough of this ability that he can make a localized "Groundhog Day" Loop around the castle the troupe is situated in.
Splash Damage: His attacks can hit anywhere on the map and deal area damage in a cross shape.
Turns Red: Below half health, his damage and defenses significantly increase, and he starts using skills more frequently.
Why Am I Ticking?: He has a special attack that marks every Operator on the map before detonating the marks, dealing heavy Arts damage in a cross which can overlap if multiple targets are close together.

"Bladedance", "Shadow", and "Whiteflower"

Three high-ranking members of the Crimson Troupe who mentored Phantom in the past, teaching him knife combat, illusory Arts, and acting respectively. They were killed by their own student following his defection from the Troupe, and are now only known by stories of their exploits and the mementos they left behind, obtainable as Collections.

Posthumous Character: All three of them were killed by Phantom well before the events of Crimson Solitaire.

The Grand Dukes of Victoria

The highest ranking nobility in Victoria previously second only to the King before he was deposed.

All for Nothing: Both the Dukes of Wellington and Caster moved into Norport in an attempt to seize the schematics for Theresis' airship. However, the airship is actually a giant revenant powered by the souls of angry Sarkaz, meaning there's no technology that the Dukes can steal or reverse engineer.
Aristocrats Are Evil: Or at the very least, the majority of the Dukes are highly amoral. The Dukes of Wellington and Caster not only instigated a war with Kazdel to seize power, but to also plunder the Military Commission's technology for themselves.
Opportunistic Bastard: The majority of the Dukes are sitting back and staying neutral in the conflict around Londinium as they're waiting to side with the winner.
Redshirt Army: Chapter 13 reveals that only 20% of Victoria's ducal armies consist of full time professional soldiers, with the rest being filled in with conscripts and peasant levies. This means a large majority of the soldiers being thrown at the Sarkaz are poorly trained Cannon Fodder who suffer massively against the Military Commission's advanced witchcraft.
War for Fun and Profit: In Chapter 12, Amiya realizes that the Dukes could have put a stop to Theresis' rise to power any time they wanted. However, they sat back and chose to do nothing because all of them stood to gain something by instigating a war with Kazdel.
We ARE Struggling Together: Most of Victoria's current misfortunes can be directly traced back to the bickering and infighting among the Dukes. It's thanks to a war between two Dukes which brought the Sarkaz into Londinium and gave Theresis the opportunity to seize power. Meanwhile, the Dukes of Wellington and Caster are eager to start a war with Kazdel to pursue their own agendas, while many others are staying neutral in the conflict.

The Duke of Wellington / Wesley Wellington

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_652_111.png

Artist: 我妻洛酱

One of Victoria's grand dukes who had deployed their army to siege Londinuim. He is allied with Eblana and Dublinn.

The Ace: He is noted to have been the most brilliant military mind of the War of the Four Nations, and he is also mentioned to be the most powerful of the Victorian dukes.
Alliterative Name: His first name was eventually revealed to be Wesley, which in turn means his name has alliteration as Wesley Wellington.
Blood Knight: He comments at the end of Chapter 12 how he hasn't faced a foe in a long while to thrill him, so he's itching to fight the Nachzehrer King. The Duke of Caster notes that even when he was younger, he was always eager for a fight.
Enemy Civil War: At the end of Chapter 12, he prepares to lead the combined forces of his own army and Dublinn into battle against the Military Commission.
Enemy Mine: He manages to convince the other Grand Dukes to form a unified but uneasy alliance with the common goal of expelling the Sarkaz from Londinium.
Named After Somebody Famous: He shares his title with the Duke of Wellington, a real-life British statesman and general. Similarly to real-life Wellington having Irish ancestry, the Duke of Wellington is of Taran descent. They also share the same nickname - "the Iron Duke". On top of this all, the Arknights Duke of Wellington played a role in the defeat of the Arknights equivalent of Napoleon, Emperor Corsica I of Gaul.
Old Soldier: The Duke is is an old military commander who is noted to have served in the Victorian military back when the fall of Gaul happened, besting the military minds of then-Emperor of Ursus, of the Witch King and of Emperor Corsica I, which are events the Duke of Caster notes have happened over 60 years ago.
Praetorian Guard: He has the Redsteel Guard, which act as both his personal bodyguard and elite troops.
Red Baron: He is commonly nicknamed the "Iron Duke".

The Duke of Caster

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_726_11.png

Artist: 板板

One of Victoria's grand dukes who has deployed her army to siege Londinium.

Enemy Mine: She forms an uneasy alliance with Rhodes Island in Chapter 12 even though both groups have vastly different priorities besides the eventual liberation of Londinium.
Evil Aunt: She and Siege's now deceased father were cousins, making her Siege's aunt. Though she tries to style herself as a family member who will come to Siege's aid, her manipulations of Allerdale and personal philosophy means Siege regards the Duke as a target of personal enmity.
Mysterious Backer: The Duke of Caster is Allerdale's secret backer, who has given her orders to steal the Sighs of Kings. In Chapter 13, Lettou speculates she's also this to Clovisia.
The Rival: To the Duke of Wellington, especially since their lands directly border each other. And it turns out that most of the conflict between Victoria and Dublinn is ultimately a Proxy War between them.
She Is the King: Despite being a woman, her title is called "the Duke of Caster" rather than "the Duchess of Caster".
Sinister Spy Agency: She controls the Trilby Ashers, a shadowy group of covert agents who answer only to her.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: She claims she acts the way she does in order to bring "peace and stability" to her subjects.

The Trilby Ashers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_867_11.png

The Duke of Caster's elite personal agents who carry out her direct will.

An Offer You Can't Refuse: They coerce Rhodes Island into cooperating with them with the implied threat that if they refuse, then the Duke of Caster's forces will assault the Rhodes Island landship.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: They are called the Trilby Ashers due to ashen colored trilby hats they wear as part of their uniform.
Flash Step: Similar to Crownslayer, Trilby Asher units on the field can teleport a short distance when they are blocked.
Token Good Teammate: One of the Trilby Ashers, Bellingham Suffolk, actually voices sympathy for Siege and urges her to unite Victoria's Infected to address the spike of Oripathy infections that have occurred since the war with the Sarkaz started.
We Are Everywhere: As a clandestine spy network, the Trilby Ashers' reach is far and wide, and they know practically everything about Rhodes Island, which they're not afraid to flaunt.

The Duke of Windermere / Amphelise Windermere

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_868_111.png

Artist: Cenm0

One of Victoria's grand dukes who has deployed their army to siege Londinium.

Big Damn Heroes: It's her intervention that helps save Rhodes Island, Glasgow, and the population of Norport.
Happily Married: The postcards the player can collect as they clear chapter 13 shows the Windermeres were a tightly knit family as she deeply loved her late husband, Kent, entrusting him with the role of being her representative when unable to attend to Ducal business as she believed he deserved this great status for silently putting up with being snubbed by other nobles after their marriage. Kent, likewise, also greatly loved her as he was the one to propose to her and willingly gave up his family position for her.
Mama Bear: Part of the reason she redeploys her entire army from the Leithanien border to Londinium is all to save her daughter Delphine, who is trapped in Norport.
Praetorian Guard: She is served by her Swordguards, elite warriors who execute her will.
Sacrificial Lion: She is killed by the Sanguinarch at the start of Chapter 13.
She Is the King: Like the Duke of Caster, she too uses a title called "the Duke of Windermere" rather than "the Duchess of Windermere" in spite of being a woman.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: She's the leader of one of the most militant houses of Victoria, and is the strongest member of her forces, having fought on the frontlines for years to ensure Victoria's dominance. It takes two Sarkaz Kings to finally kill her for good, and she was dealing with a handicap in trying to protect Delphine at the same time. She puts up enough of a fight that even the Sanguinarch acknowledges her strength.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Unlike the other Dukes, the Duke of Windermere had spent the majority of her time defending Victoria's border with Leithanien. In addition, her guards are specifically trained to not prioritize her safety and focus only on fulfilling their goals.
Take a Third Option: The Duke of Windermere serves as a more trustworthy and reliable ally to Rhodes Island, as she is more pragmatic and politically neutral than the Dukes of Wellington and Caster and supports the restoration of the Aslan monarchy.
Token Good Teammate: Compared to the other dukes mentioned so far, the Duke of Windermere is the only one who appears to actually be concerned about the safety of Londinium, and willing to work with Rhodes Island in good faith.
Too Powerful to Live: The Duke of Windermere is an extremely powerful military leader who personally commands one of Victoria's strongest armies that could swing the tide of the war against Theresis. Naturally, this makes her a target for the Military Commission who successfully slay her in a decapitation operation.

Shearer

A lieutenant in the Duke of Windermere's army and her flagship's chief doctor.

Combat Medic: Despite his chief profession being a doctor, Shearer is also very much a soldier who doesn't hesitate to fight on the frontlines.
Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: He is struck by Siege when he insists on forcing a group of exhausted soldiers and refugees to march to a safer position, which would have killed many of them.
Undying Loyalty: He is one of the few Windermere soldiers who stays by Delphine's side after the rest of her army abandons her.

The Duke of Gododdin

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

Artist: 我妻洛酱

One of Victoria's grand dukes who has deployed their army to siege Londinium.

Big Damn Heroes: It's his army that arrives to relieve the besieged town of Chetleigh that Horns' team was defending.
Chekhov M.I.A.: He's first mentioned in "A Light Spark of Darkness" as his absence from the city to help with the siege of Londinium is what directly causes the event in the first place. He finally made his debut in Chapter 13 of the main story.
Mysterious Backer: Rhodes Island currently has their landship anchored in his territory, though it's not clear if the Duke of Gododdin is even aware of Rhodes Island's true nature.
Obfuscating Stupidity: He puts on airs that he's like any other lazy, pampered noble, but this hides a very sharp and cunning mind that is capable of brokering deals between the rival dukes, who normally wouldn't give each other the time of day.
The Social Expert: One of the few Grand Dukes who seems to be adept at negotiating their entire inner circle as he manages to get political rivals Wellington and Caster to not only meet up for strategy, but agree upon their next course of action against Kazdel. Duke Caster is expectant that Gododdin will get the other four Grand Dukes to agree with Wellington and Caster's current plan.

The Duke of Normandy

One of Victoria's grand dukes who is involved in the conflict in Londinium.

The Ghost: The Duke of Normandy has been mentioned several times throughout the Victoria story arc, but he so far has not made an official appearance.
War for Fun and Profit: He is specifically mentioned by the Doctor as only being interested in the Londinium conflict due to the trade opportunities it presents.

Kazimierz General Chamber of Commerce

A faction in Kazimierz's National Council which controls all matters relating to Kazimierz's economic development and trade.

Corrupt Corporate Executive: They're basically an entire council of CEOs who try to run Kazimierz in a way that maximizes their profts, with ethics and morals being a distant second thought.
Final Solution: Their ultimate answer to the problem of Infected is to set up "Area 0", a special city sector that on its face is an Infected treatment center, but in reality is meant to secretly cull the Grand Knight Territory's Infected population.
Hoist by Their Own Petard: They get caught off guard when the Armorless Union betrays them, assassinating all of the members that know their identities and disappearing. Roy notes that ironically, since none of the KGCC directors wanted to take direct control of the Armorless Union for fear of being labeled as threat, that allowed the Armorless Union to act independently under the noses of their very employers.
A Lighter Shade of Black: While undoubtedly the main Big Bad of the Kazimierz-focused events, the KGCC are ultimately just a bunch of Corrupt Corporate Executives who are out to make a buck by whatever means necessary, but can still be reasoned with through brokering deals and clever political maneuvering. Which makes them arguably more reasonable than the far more ruthless Armorless Union, who wind up betraying them to take control of the country with a far more cutthroat and vicious agenda.
Malicious Slander: Aside from sending assassins after anyone who even slightly annoys them, this is the KGCC's primary method of dealing with troublesome individuals — influencing the media to report misleading or even entirely false stories about them in order to tarnish their reputation and turn public opinion against them.
Murder Is the Best Solution: Throughout the events featuring them ("Maria Nearl," "Pinus Sylvestris," and "Near Light"), the KGCC are remarkably quick to sic the Armorless Union on anyone who provides even the slightest bit of resistance to their authority or creates even a minor inconvenience for them. This is despite having effectively complete control of the country's media and economy, and therefore having access to much less overt and flagrantly illegal methods of silencing people.
Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering: For all their anonymity and power, both the Armorless Union and Rhodes Island via the Doctor realize they don't actually need to negotiate with the entire entity as is, when they can just target key members for their goals and create strife between them.
- In the Armorless Union's case, they kill off all members who know their identities and erase their data, giving them the slip from the ensuing chaos.
- In the Doctor's case, they figure out that the KGCC only seem unified because of their conflict with the Adeptus and can otherwise be easily split into various groups in which they can be appeased separately to work together and outnumber the directors who would otherwise disagree on working with Rhodes Island.
The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: While it's known that it consists of the directors of Kazimierz's largest corporations, the exact makeup and membership of the KGCC isn't widely known outside of the group.
Pragmatic Villainy:
- While their plan with the Infected is unspeakably horrific, it is partially justified (from their warped point of view) by the fact that long-term care is extremely costly for a group of people whom, by all reason, are doomed to die anyway from Oripathy and can prove to be a threat to populace through prolonged exposure. But when Rhodes Island shows up and, through much political maneuvering, provides a cheaper alternative by simply deporting the Infected into Rhodes Island's care, they accept willingly, thereby wiping their hands of the whole matter completely.
- What defines them as A Lighter Shade of Black compared to the Armorless Union, because while they are Corrupt Corporate Executives to a tee, they are also businessmen to a fault. They can cut deals and broker arrangements for the right price, even benefitting more noble groups that they would ordinarily want nothing to do with like Rhodes Island if they are sweet-talked into the right deal, and while fully capable of stabbing clients in the back at a moment's notice, they can be held off by someone business-savvy enough to play to their interests. In short, they are less inherently evil and more just insanely ruthless.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork:
- The individual directors within the KGCC don't always align and constantly bicker behind the scenes, with some members even resorting to using the Armorless Union to eliminate other members.
- They also do not exactly have the best opinion of Rhodes Island and aren't entirely forthcoming with them and willing to sabotage them as much as help them, though this is understandable from a corporate perspective since they can be potential rival both politically and economically since they present themselves as a company first and foremost.
Villain with Good Publicity: Even though the KGCC is horrendously corrupt, the regular Kazimierz citizen doesn't know or doesn't care as long as they keep the money flowing into the country.

"The Newsman" Kain

The owner of the Rose Paper Union, a member of the KGCC, and Spokesman McKee's father.

Greater-Scope Villain: As the true leader of the KGCC, he is arguably the true antagonist behind all of the events going on in Kazimierz in one way or another, either controlling or having an influence in everything top to bottom. Even the Armorless Union, who is part of the Big Bad Duumvirate of the Kazimierz storyline, want to seize power from him.
The Man Behind the Man: He's the real power behind the KGCC, and directs them from the shadows.
Right Hand Versus Left Hand: Expresses frustration over the political situation between them and Adeptus Sprawiedliwi after the 24th Kazimierz Major when in conversation with his Speakers, with him looking down on their antiquated philosophies and how it sabotages their chances with fighting against developing capitalistic nations like Columbia; as he sees are them as the true threat compared to the old superpowers like Ursus, Yan, and Victoria, as they are, rightfully, succumbing to their inability to evolve their countries and chasing their past glories.
Shout-Out: His name refers to the eponymous character of Citizen Kane. The "Voice of Rosebud" articles in "Maria Nearl" is also a reference to the film's Driving Question.

Spokesman Czarny

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_106.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

Better to Die than Be Killed: He commits suicide by poisoning the wine he's drinking in the second "Near Light" epilogue, as he believes that he will eventually be taken out by his former employers no matter what even if Malkiewicz tries to spare his life. He also wants to make a point to Malkiewicz that he cannot keep his hands clean and will be dirtied as he remains in the same position that Czarny once held.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: As the representative of Kazimierz's largest and most powerful corporations, it's only natural that Czarny is just as corrupt as they are in order to carry out their dirty work.
Hidden Depths: As it turns out, he actually lied on on his resume to the KGCC, as he had very humble beginnings as a commoner similar to Malkiewicz. In addition, Malkiewicz finds out that Czarny had been helping the village he had been hiding in by assisting the villagers in business planning and teaching the children how to read and write, suggesting he wasn't always the heartless corporate executive he's normally seen as.
Motive Rant: His conversation with Maria is basically him trying to convince the young knight that honor and glory is worthless compared to money. His blackmail to Malkiewicz is him explaining that he believes that Kazimierz needs money to survive against invasions from Ursus and Leithanien.
Mouth of Sauron: While the Chamber of Commerce as the whole is the main villain in "Maria Nearl", Czarny acts as their intermediate to other characters in the plot.
Shame If Something Happened: His blackmail to both Mob and Malkiewicz is that their families and hometowns are going to somehow get in financial troubles should they defy his schemes.
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: He warns Malkiewicz that sooner or later, he's going to give into temptation of Kazimierz's wealth and decadence and be forced to toss aside his morals.
Smug Snake: Despite all his scheming, none of his plans to get Maria eliminated from the Major work.
So Proud of You: When Malkiewicz is able to track him down and asks him why he was chosen to be Spokesman, Czarny simply replies that he saw the talent and potential hidden within him, and that he's glad to see that Malkiewicz has been able to find success as the Spokesman.
You Have Failed Me: After his failure to eliminate Blemishine indirectly leads to Nearl returning to Kazimierz and further destabilizing the country's political status quo, Czarny is stripped of his position and exiled. It's likely that he's going to get hunted down for his failure should he not immediately flee Kazimierz.
- Subverted in in "Near Light" when it's revealed that Czarny was actually stripped of his position as revenge for his involvement in a bribery scandal. His failure to stop Maria just served as a convenient pretext to get rid of him.
Would Hurt a Child: Before Czarny goes into exile, Platinum asks him if there is anything he needs taken care of. The way he words his request implies this trope (and Platinum confirms that was the context later while talking to Roy, although she never carried it out).
Spokesman Czarny: Szewczyk has a young son. He was present during the incident. I wish to ask you... to make sure that he never has a chance to speak the truth.

Malkiewicz

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_avg_npc_109.png

^{Click to see him after becoming the Spokesman}

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

A former small business owner who was forced to close down and join a large corporation. Due to the events of "Maria Nearl", he has found himself unwillingly promoted to the position of Spokesman.

He Cleans Up Nicely: Malkiewicz in his transition from lowly corporate drone to KGCC spokesman serving as a public face had a major makeover, with his hair done neatly, his posture corrected, and given formal dress to wear. It's emphasized that the KGCC wants him to look his best at all times as other employees go out of their way to try to ensure that he won't be stuck with wine stains on his coat for too long.
Lonely at the Top: He very quickly learns that as the Spokesman, he's no longer free to share his feelings and doubts with people below his rank, as they could never comprehend how he doesn't like being the Spokesman, a dream job for almost everybody in Kazimierz.
Nervous Wreck: He always appears to have a heart attack every time someone looks even slightly intimidating.
Power at a Price: By exercising his authority as Spokesman to exile Olmer, the National Council has Malkiewicz forced to sell out Czarny in return to be executed—an act that clearly weighs on his mind before deciding to go through with it himself.
Token Good Teammate: He's the only person among the corporate class in the "Maria Nearl" event that shows sympathies to Blemishine's plight. Even after he becomes the Spokesman, he still makes an effort to remain reasonable and humane, while his predecessor Czarny made no effort to hide the K.G.C.C's corruption. He quickly becomes sympathetic towards Rhodes Island for this reason.
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: He comes to realize in "Near Light" that he can use his position's powers to dispose of people he morally objects to like Ingra, which his fellow Spokesman observes as Malkiewicz uses authority for the first time.
You Are in Command Now: He unwillingly inherits the position of Spokesman after Czarny designates him his successor.

Spokesman McKee

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_212_11.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

One of the spokesmen of the Kazimierz General Chamber of Commerce.

Morality Pet: He has a particular soft spot for the Candle Knight, and goes out of his way to make sure no harm, physical or figurative, comes to her, to the point where even the Candle Knight herself can be a little exasperated.
Never Got to Say Goodbye: He misses a chance to see Viviana before she parts for her what is essentially an exile in everything but name and feels very dejected over the one person he cares for leaving him without proper farewells.
Oh, Crap!: He tries to call up the National Council's Associate Justice to stop the Silverlance Pegasi's march into the Grand Knight Territory, only to be informed that the Justice has been arrested on counts of bribery and corruption and the knights' march into the city has been made legal. McKee then becomes extremely worried about the ongoing situation.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Although he's just as bound by the grip of the Chamber of Commerce as everyone else, he adheres to the law whenever he can and rarely plays dirty unless his hands are tied.
Villain Respect: Towards Nearl when he finds out she understands the KGCC aren't necessarily their enemies, they just suffer from difference in ideals. Although he dislikes Margaret for winning the match that she was supposed to lose against Viviana and causing the latter's subsequent exile, he begrudgingly recognizes the two knights have become friends and advises Nearl to write some letters when she can so Viviana won't feel lonely.

Jewell

One of the corporate employees working for the K.G.C.C.

Nervous Wreck: Similar to Malkiewitz before his promotion, Jewell spends most of his on-screen time desperately catering to the needs of his bosses as if he's about to keel over at the next moment.

Kjerag Tri-Clan Council

The main ruling body of Kjerag, consisting of the Paleroche, Browntail, and Silverash clans.

Interservice Rivalry: Especially in modern times, the three clans are constantly bickering with each other. The Paleroches are seen as out of touch isolationists, the Browntails are seen as nothing more than dishonest manipulators, and the Silverashes are seen as dangerous elements willing to sell Kjerag out to foreign nations.
Offerings to the Gods: The three clans were tasked by Kjeragandr to watch over three aspects of the lands that is said to be her body, which they symbolically give thanks and ask for further blessings by giving Her gifts made from the land during the Saintess' coronation ceremony. The Paleroches offer Her wine made from the grain grown on Her flesh that is the land to ask for a bountiful harvest, the Browntails offer Her a scarf knitted from the fur of the forest beasts that came from Her hide to ask for good health, and the Silverashes offer Her a knife made from the metal mined from mountains that is Her bone to ask for peace.

Arctosz Paleroche

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_254_111.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

The patriarch of the Paleroche Clan, he is an ardent conservative who deeply opposes any attempt to industrialize Kjerag. He is in charge of Kjerag's military forces and takes the protection of the country seriously.

Abdicate the Throne: At the end of "Break The Ice", he steps down as the head of the Paleroche clan.
Broken Pedestal: Does not take the news well that the Great Elder had been playing on his faithfulness to Kjerag to eliminate political enemies, such as Valais's father, and it clearly contributes to his Self-Imposed Exile after the end of "Break The Ice".
Luke, I Am Your Father: "The Rides to Lake Silberneherze" reveals that he is Leto's father.
My God, What Have I Done?:
- When Valais reveals that he unwittingly served her father wine poisoned by the Great Elder as part of the Elder's schemes to eliminate his political rival, Arctosz is devastated to learn that he essentially sent his honored officer to death with his own hands.
- By end of "Break The Ice", while SilverAsh intentionally set him up as The Scapegoat for the death of the Great Elder and the chaos that follows, Arctosz intentionally steps down as the patriarch of the Paleroche once a truce is declared due to recognizing his own recklessness and the aforementioned manipulations by the Great Elder led to nearly tearing apart the country.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: He takes great pride in being the leader of Kjerag's military.
Religious Bruiser: He is the most genuinely pious out of the various figures involved in Kjerag, revering Kjeragandr and Pramanix by proxy for being the central figures of his faith. He holds the Holy Hunt in great esteem for allowing him to show off his martial prowess for the Saintess. Part of SilverAsh's coup is slandering Arctosz as a phony who would be willing to abandon his religion for a grab at power by poisoning the Great Elder.
Undying Loyalty: To the land of the Kjerag itself, and he's willing to fight anybody he believes means the country harm, including fellow countrymen like SilverAsh.

Valais

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_261_111.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

A general under Arctosz's command, and his personal aide.

Animal Motifs: Sheep, specifically the Valais blacknose she shares her name with.
Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Her black stockings and white fluffy coat make her a match for her namesake animal.
Hidden Badass: Despite her somewhat unassuming appearance compared to her Paleroche peers, she's strong enough in combat to fight Gulo to a standstill.
You Killed My Father: She bears a grudge against the Great Elder after finding out the Great Elder poisoned her father to eliminate a potential political threat. In response, she tricks Arctosz into using that same poison on the Great Elder, betraying Arctosz and defecting to Silverash's side at the climax of the event. However, she doesn't hold it against Arctosz himself, since not even he was aware of the Elder's schemes.

Gulo

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_260_111.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

A general under Arctosz's command, and his right-hand man.

Animal Motifs: Wolverines. His name refers to the Latin name for the species, and he's very aggressive and warlike, matching the species' infamous ferocity.
Blood Knight: He's rather aggressive and always looking for a fight.
Dumb Muscle: He's a great warrior, but not exactly the most intelligent person, necessitating the Doctor giving him written orders so he doesn't forget what his objective is supposed to be.

Ratatos Browntail

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_253_111.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

The matriarch of the Browntail Clan, she is eager to reap the benefits of a Kjerag opened to foreign trade.

The Chains of Commanding: Large part of her and Sciurus' dialogue in "Break The Ice" mentions the difficulties and responsibilites she has to bear as the matriarch of the Browntails. The "To Be Continued" story "Browntail" further mentions that ascending to the position of the matriarch in young age took a physical toll on her, making her sleep-deprived.
Despair Event Horizon: After Sciurus's probing of her constant Jerkass Façade, failing to kill SilverAsh in her Taking You with Me, subsequently realizing that her entire clan has all but turned on her and allied with SilverAsh as a result of both his plans and her failings, and realizing how poorly she handled everything by playing the part of a ruthless cutthroat manipulator, Ratatos grows completely apathetic after her survival and lets herself be led by the hand by both her sister and the Doctor's plan to do what she needs to do, before voluntarily sitting out altogether of the remainder of the conflict when Sciurus decides to take her place in the plan to stop SilverAsh's coup from getting bloodier.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She acts mean and constantly deprecates Sciurus, but it's mostly just an act to discourage Sciurus from getting involved in Clan politics, which she feels Sciurus isn't suited for. In truth, she actually harbors some jealousy towards Sciurus' freedom in life due to not being tied up in the clan's schemes.
Manipulative Bastard: This is how everybody in Kjerag views Ratatos and the Browntail family in general. Because the Browntails don't have a large military force like the Paleroche Clan or abundant natural resources like the Silverash Clan, Ratatos has to rely on politics and schemes to hold on to power.
Mythical Motifs: Her name references Ratatoskr, the messenger squirrel of Yggdrasil.
Poor Communication Kills: In part due to fear for SilverAsh's plans at the time, and in part the fact they never honestly communicated with one another due to their past, Ratatos realizes far too late that the ambitions and love she and SilverAsh have for Kjerag are one and the same, and if it wasn't for Sciurus begging Degenbrecher to save her, it was highly likely she would have died having worsened the country rather than helping save it like she wanted.
Taking You with Me: She lures Silverash into a mansion designed as a trap to burn everybody inside alive, intending to burn herself along with Silverash. Unfortunately, she didn't consider Degenbrecher just knocking down the walls.
Throw the Dog a Bone: Over the course of "Break the Ice", she witnesses her position rapidly deteriorate - her plans fall apart, SilverAsh turns the populace of Kjerag against her at the ceremony coup, she gets almost captured by the Tschäggättäs, she is forced to go on the run, not even being save among her own clansmen, and ultimately, her attempt at a murder-suicide with SilverAsh fails. All of it ends up taking such a strain on her that she is absent from the event's finale due to her sheer exhaustion necessitating her to rest. At the end of the event though, perhaps owing to the realisation that they share the same vision of Kjerag's future, SilverAsh decides to leave her as the Matriarch of the Browntail clan, even allowing a restoration of the influence she had before the coup. The events "Guide Ahead" and "To Be Continued" mention her still being the Matriarch, with the Browntail clan working on restoring its reputation and position and newly serving the modernising Kjerag as diplomats.

Sciurus Browntail

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_262_111.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

Ratatos' sister, a schemer who longs for a chance to prove herself.

Animal Motifs: Named after the genus of bushy-tailed squirrels.
Affectionate Nickname: Yucatan just calls her "Rus".
The Bus Came Back: She and Yucatan make some brief cameo appearances in "Guiding Ahead" as Kjerag's envoys to the Summit of Nations.
Guile Hero: She gets a chance to demonstrate how much she's grown in her chapter of "To be Continued" where she manages to secure better terms in the Browntails' partnership with Mr. Harrison by leveraging his eroding relationship with his current business partner.
- In "The Rides to Lake Silberneherze", she's become even more skilled as she formulates a plan that is coincidentally the same as that of SilverAsh through inviting the Silverlance Pegasi as guests to deter the Victorian forces marching on Kjerag for fear of an international incident with Kazimierz, which surprises everyone around her and SilverAsh himself compliments her for. She even deduces what happened to Courier and Matterhorn during the event and sends Monch to rescue them in order to make SilverAsh owe her a favor.
Happily Married: With Yucatan. Even Ratatos has secretly harbored a bit of jealousy at their relationship.
Jerkass Has a Point: After traveling to Victoria and witnessing how technologically advanced the country is, Sciurus grudgingly admits that she now understands why Silverash is so insistent on opening up Kjerag to foreign trade.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: She chafes at living under her sister's shadow and is eager to find a way to prove that she can contribute the family. This backfires spectacularly when her scheming ends up getting her blamed for trying to assassinate Silverash, the event that kick-starts the full force of Silverash's coup.
You Are in Command Now: After Ratatos' failure to kill SilverAsh along with herself, she loses the will to continue leading the Browntails, forcing Sciurus to step up to take her place. To her credit, Sciurus adapts to her new role very quickly (as she's highly motivated in rescuing Yucatan), quickly earning the respect of her troops. By the events of Guide Ahead, she's the first pick of Ratatos to be sent to Laterano for the diplomatic event organized by the Pope.

Yucatan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_263_111.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

Sciurus' husband.

Animal Motifs: Named after the squirrel species of the same name.
Childhood Friends: He knew both Ratatos and Sciurus since they were children.
Childhood Friend Romance: He knew Sciurus since they were children and eventually married her.
Dude in Distress: He gets captured by Silverash's forces, and is eventually rescued by a squad led by his wife Sciurus.
Happily Married: With Sciurus, to the point where he's willing to get himself captured just to make sure she's safe.

Monch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_255_111.png

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

Sciurus' personal servant.

Broken Pedestal: Her Undying Loyalty to Gnosis has collapsed entirely by the end of "Break the Ice" due to him keeping secret from her the plan he had with Silver Ash all along, which made it clear that their trust was not a two-way street and would perhaps not be reciprocated in kind even after the fact. So, after fulfilling her role in the remainder of the plan, she completely cuts all ties from Gnosis and vanishes before he can even get a word in to make it clear she is done with him. By her return in "The Rides to Lake Silberneherze", even three years after the fact, Monch holds Gnosis in apathy, barely acknowledging him during their interactions with the only time she pays him any mind is when he drunkenly pukes all over himself after laughing too hard, and that is only to inform both Silver Ash and Degenbrecher that he needs to be cleaned up.
The Bus Came Back:"The Rides to Lake Silberneherze" reveals she returned to Kjerag three years after the end of "Break the Ice" to continue serving Sciurus.
Disney Villain Death: She leaps off a cliff to avoid capture after her assassination attempt on Silverash fails. However, it's later revealed Courier was waiting at the bottom of the cliff to rescue her.
Location Theme Naming: She is named for a mountain in the Swiss Alps. Her original name is a case of A Dog Named "Dog" in a certain sense, as it was 'Moschi' after the scientific name for the musk deer family.
The Mole: She's actually a spy planted by Gnosis to keep track of the Browntails and sabotage them from within.
Morality Pet: Acts as one for Gnosis. Despite his general disregard for other people, Gnosis does appear genuinely regretful when Monch leaves him.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After she finishes her role in the plan that Silver Ash and Gnosis had for her, Monch bails before anyone can notice due to the Broken Pedestal she has after Gnosis deliberately lied to her about his motives despite her Undying Loyalty to him. And despite his cold exterior, it's clear that Gnosis takes it rather hard.
Undying Loyalty: Is so utterly loyal to her boss Gnosis that she doesn't even hesitate to risk her life carrying out his orders, seldom even questioning his motivations. Learning that Gnosis intentionally withheld his true plans and intentions from her, and thus in her eyes didn't reciprocate her trust, deeply disturbs her.
- As of "The Rides to Lake Silberneherze", Monch seems to have shifted her loyalty to Sciurus instead, who was the only person to have genuinely treated her like a close friend and cared enough to look for her after her disappearance.
What the Hell, Hero?: She's not happy that Gnosis didn't trust her enough to tell her he was following Silverash's plan all along, especially given her own unfailing loyalty to him. Although she continues helping him with the operation, she cuts ties with Gnosis after the conflict is resolved.

Luca Browntail

The former head of the Browntail clan, and grandfather of Ratatos and Sciurus.

Evil Mentor: Tried to shape Ratatos into a Manipulative Bastard, seeing it necessary to secure the Browntail clan's power in the future. Interestingly enough, per the trap house conversation, it is Ratatos herself who primarily sees him as this, and her disgust with her grandfather leads her to want to end the clan's scheming legacy. Mutual distrust regarding Enciodes' moves during the modernisation of Kjerag unfortunately leads to her turing to schemes, just as she's been taught.
Evil Old Folks: He was ruthless enough to orchestrate an assassination attempt on SilverAsh's parents and press Arctosz' father to go along with it. When the Silverashes died in a train accident en route to the trap house he had built for the assassination, he used the accident to destroy the Edelweiss family's reputation by pinning the blame for the accident on them.
Greater-Scope Villain: To a smaller degree than The Great Elder in the "Break the Ice" event, especially since he's long dead when the story begins, but his ambition to gain power and exploiting the deaths of the Silverash family to eliminate another political rival leads to Gnosis's drama as well as shaping Ratatos into a Manipulative Bastard to keep his legacy alive.
Manipulative Bastard: He used schemes and politics to keep the Browntails powerful enough to rival the Paleroches and Silverashes. He also taught Ratatos to lead the clan this way once she would become the matriarch.
Posthumous Character: He died at some point before the events of "Break the Ice", leaving Ratatos to become the current matriarch of the Browntails. What we know of him comes from Ratatos' and SilverAsh's conversation in the trap house.

Mudrock Squad

Affiliated Characters: Mudrock

A group of Sarkaz mercenaries and Leithanien Infected led by former Reunion member Mudrock. They're antagonists in "Twilight of Wolumonde".

Arc Villain: In "Twilight of Wolumonde", they're involved in the Wolumonde uprising to find Dr. Atro's murderer, which puts them at odds with Rhodes Island.
Heel–Face Turn: After Logos rescues the group in "Recollection" (Mudrock's side story in Rewinding Breeze), the surviving members who declined to emigrate to Kazdel join Rhodes Island.
Unwitting Pawn: The mastermind of the Wolumonde uprising was both using them as a scapegoat and exploiting their desire to find Dr. Atro's murderer to add fuel to the riot.

Chainsmoke

Race: Sarkaz

Ironic Name: He's implied to be the Sarkaz Warrior in TW-8 who gives Severin a light for his cigarette and mentions that he already quit.
Remember the New Guy?: He is mentioned in Rewinding Breeze to have taken part in the Wolumonde uprising despite not having an actual onscreen appearance in Twilight of Wolumonde.
We Hardly Knew Ye: He dies in the same side story he's introduced.
You All Look Familiar: His NPC art reuses the art of the Sarkaz Greatswordsman enemy.

Chef

Race: Sarkaz

We Hardly Knew Ye: Mudrock's letter to Big Bob at the end of "Recollection" implies that Chef died before Logos rescued the group.
You All Look Familiar: His NPC art reuses the art of the Sarkaz Swordsman enemy.

Pathfinders

Also known as the "Astray", they are a group of people united under Andoain, who they see as their "Guide".

Arc Villain: They're the enemy faction of "Guide Ahead".
Family of Choice: Sankta, Sarkaz, and Liberi coexist as family under their shared belief in Andoain.
The Heretic: They call themselves the Pathfinders because they wish to find new doctrines that aren't Lateran orthodoxy. The Basilica has subsequently labelled them "Astray" for straying adherents away from standard religious practice. The Pope doesn't actually really mind their heresy both because he's willing to acknowledge their position and the entity that dictates Sankta "Law" seems to tolerate them.
Punch-Clock Villain: The Pathfinders aren't really evil or malicious, and only rebel against Laterano because they're following Andoain's lead.
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: They mostly consist of refugees and people in need that were denied entry into Laterano and subsequently picked up by Andoain during his journeys. They have members from nations and races all over Terra, including Sarkaz.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: They are simply following Andoain's ideal of a more open Laterano that will accept all refugees who are in need of aid.

Andoain

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_avg_npc_351_1_11.png

Race: Sankta

Artist: Chuzenji

The "Martyr", leader of the Pathfinders, and a visionary who seeks to end Laterano's isolationism in order to spread its idyllic paradise throughout the rest of Terra. Serves as the Final Boss of "Guide Ahead".

Achilles' Heel: Because he's so reliant on his massive dodge to mitigate his rather low bulk, anything that ignores evasion or deals True damage (which bypasses it) will usually make short work of him.
And Then What?: Yvangelista pointedly asks Andoain what he will do if he actually does succeed in ending Laterano's isolationism, outright saying Laterano's resources are limited and there's no way the country can take care of every downtrodden person on Terra. While he can provide relief to those in need in the short term, Andoain's path would ultimately bring Laterano to ruin when it runs out of resources trying to take care of everybody.
Brainwashed and Crazy: This happened to him when he was exposed to the Black Lock and White Key the first time around during the Kazdel Incident, which compelled him to shoot Lemuen In the Back, crippling her, and resulted in Mostima's fall and exile from shooting him back to defend her in response.
Broken Pedestal: His faith in Laterano was first broken when they refused to save his home village in Iberia just because they weren't Sankta. This is what gave him the motivation he follows in the present day.
Culture Clash: Andoain is one of the few known Sankta to not be born and raised in Laterano, as his birthplace is Rocamarea, a now vanished village from Iberia. This difference in upbringing was enough to make him eventually become at odds with Lateran theology and begin preaching his own religious alternative in the Pathfinders.
Field Power Effect: Every time he loses enough HP, he'll deploy a zone of light (dubbed in-game as "Light Unto Sufferers") on his location that persists for the rest of the Operation. While in the light zone, he and all other enemies will gain significant damage reduction and evasion, making them much harder to take down.
Glass Cannon: Andoain hits incredibly hard and can take out multiple targets at once from long range, but his HP and defenses are average at best. He makes up for his fragility with Light Unto Sufferers giving him significant damage reduction and evasion buffs if he stays in their zones.
Go Mad from the Revelation: He suffers this twice, when he's temporarily possessed by the spirit inside Black Lock and White Key and when Yvangelista shows him Laterano's deepest secret buried under the Basilica.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Despite Mostima and Fiammetta's best efforts to lure him out of hiding, it turns out he simply planted himself in Lateran City and let the two run wild in their efforts to find him with no one the wiser until the event story. Even then, he can still casually stroll around and talk to Ezell with zero trouble.
Holy Pipe Organ: His battle theme, Martyr, combines the kind of solemn pipe organ often heard in church music with bombastic dubstep. Fitting, as he is a devout and philosophical Church Militant wielding powerful guns.
Hope Bringer: Is seen as this by the Pathfinders he guides ahead, giving them a place to stay after Laterano and the Sankta rejected them. He also likens his vision for Laterano to becoming a flame that warms up the freezing downtrodden, as opposed to a beautiful but unreachable light.
Light 'em Up: His Arts, although unspecified, seems to be themed around manipulating light, which he mainly uses to defend himself and his followers from harm (in-game, this is reflected as a glowing field of effect in which all enemy units gain massive dodge and damage reduction). He can also use it offensively, much to Lemuen's plight.
Loophole Abuse: He unintentionally committed this, which fuels a bit of his grief motivating him forward. The only reason he wasn't punished for shooting and crippling Lemuen during their mission in Kazdel was that he was being controlled by the Black Lock and White Key at the time, despite having turned his gun on a fellow Sankta. The same, sadly, cannot be said for Mostima shooting him in response to both save him and protect Lemuen, leading to her fall.
Missile Lock-On: In his second phase, he gains a special attack called "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust", where he scans the map from left to right and locks on to the first five targets he detects, firing devastating shots at all of them and reloading his weapon once the scan ends.
Pinball Projectile: While he has ammo loaded into his gun, his shots will deal increased damage and bounce between nearby targets, up to 5 times.
Villainous Breakdown: Discovering the secret behind Laterano after it was shown to him by the Pope leaves him severely out of it, struck with the implication that everything he's done is meaningless. When Fiammetta confronts him, she picks up on this and tells him to snap out of it so she can be satisfied from fighting him. He recovers some time after Oren rescues him.
Walking the Earth: After having his beliefs shattered at the end of "Guide Ahead", he resolves to spend his life traveling the world on an endless journey, helping those in need in spite of whether his path has an end or not.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: He is deeply dissatisfied with how Laterano can remain an isolated paradise that idly watches the rest of the world suffer, and seeks to break the nation's isolationism and spread their blessing to the rest of Terra. To that end, he's willing to do whatever it takes for that goal, including unleashing his forces to cause mayhem so he can confront the Pope of Laterano, and even trying to steal the Black Lock and White Key (two dangerous weapons of unknowable power) to try and realize this ideal.

Feoria La Porta

Race: Sankta

Cecelia's mother. "Guide Ahead" opens with her passing away and leaving her daughter behind in their home.

Good Parents: Cecelia's lack of trauma despite being raised in complete secrecy implies that her mom truly loved her.
No Name Given: Downplayed. The game just calls her "Sickly Mother" during her only onscreen scene, with her name revealed later.
Plot-Triggering Death: Her death by illness kickstarts her daughter's journey to find her dad.
Poor Communication Kills: Despite telling Cecelia that a man would pick her up and bring her to her father, she doesn't mention how to identify that person, and Cecelia ends up hiding from the first person to knock on the door (Executor) while enduring a small fever. It's by a stroke of luck that Ezell is nearby when Cecelia collapses.
Star-Crossed Lovers: She is a Sankta, her lover is a Sarkaz, and the two races have a long history of Fantastic Racism with each other. In spite of that, they loved each other dearly and raised Cecelia as best they could, and Chuzenji's depiction of her shows a ring on her left ring finger. With Feoria's death at the start of "Guide Ahead", Cecelia's reunion with her father will be bittersweet at best.
The Voice: In the pre-battle scene of GA-1, she speaks but has no art. That said, Chuzenji, the artist who illustrated Cecelia, posted this art of Feoria and Cecelia.

Patia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_357_111.png

Race: Liberi

Artist: IRIS_呓

A former member of the Pontifica Cohors Lateran, and Fiammetta's old junior.

Fantastic Racism: Patia hates Sankta people and believes them to be suppressing the Liberi and other non-Sankta races with their lack of care, especially despising Liberi who put the Sankta on a pedestal in spite of this. Seeing Fiammetta cherishing her Sankta friends is what prompts her to see Fiammetta as a Broken Pedestal.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She ultimately decides to leave Laterano with Andoain.
We Used to Be Friends: She used to get along with her senior Fiammetta years ago, but Patia grew disillusioned about Laterano, and her growing Fantastic Racism against the Sankta comes at odds with Fiammetta still seeing her Sankta battle-sisters Mostima and Lemuen as her friends despite them keeping her Locked Out of the Loop.

Rusthammer

Affiliated Characters: Rusthammer Warrior

A famed organization of violent rogues that rejects civilization, instead opting to fight an endless battle for survival in the barren wastelands between nomadic city states.

Big Damn Heroes: Just as Gareth and Illa are about to pass the group's test, the gorge is discovered by Ursus soldiers on patrol. The duo decide to fight the soldiers to the death to not lose their new home, but the Rusthammers reveal themselves to congratulate their new comrades and help them out.
A Day in the Limelight: The "Crushed Earth" side story in Preluding Lights explores the organization.
Early-Bird Cameo: Before their proper story appearance in "Preluding Lights", the Rusthammers were first mentioned throughout various item descriptions in "Ceobe's Fungimist", and Rusthammer Warrior served as one of the event's bosses.
Elite Four: The gang's four strongest soldiers show up in the "Rusthammer Battle" map as enemies: a Senior Caster, a Defense Crusher Leader, an Enraged Possessed Bonethrower, and a Hateful Avenger. To emphazise how dangerous they are despite being only four, they borrow Faust and Mephisto's Battle Theme Music. Their absence in their leader's fight implies that they may have died in "Rusthammer Battle", but the Framing Device of "Ceobe's Fungimist" being Ceobe's mushroom samba-induced trip through memory lane puts that into question.
Robinsonade: In Preluding Lights, a Rusthammer soldier commands Gareth and Illa to survive in the wilderness in a nearby gorge for a month, as a test to see if they are worth becoming members of their organization.
The Social Darwinist: Type 5. To the Rusthammers, civilization has made people weak, and it doesn't matter whether you are an Infected, a civilian, a noble, or a soldier; as long as you have proven yourself to be strong enough to survive in the wilderness beyond the reach of civilization, then you are welcome to join.
You All Look Familiar: They reuse the NPC art of the Bounty Hunter and Violent Bounty Hunter from Grani and the Knights' Treasure.

Gareth and Illa

Two former members of Reunion who survived the Chernobog-Lungmen crisis.

Tropes applying to both

A Day in the Limelight: They're the protagonists of "Crushed Earth" (the Rusthammers' side story in Preluding Lights).
Babies Ever After: In "Ring-a-Ding-Ding!" (the last side story in A Light Spark in Darkness), Gareth tells his old Reunion comrades that Illa's pregnant with their child.
Defector from Decadence: Both decided to leave Reunion after the Chernobog-Lungmen crisis.
Relationship Upgrade: They have become lovers by the time of A Light Spark in Darkness.

Tropes applying to Gareth

Face Framed in Shadow: As a Rusthammer, his NPC art hides his face, to represent that he's no longer part of Reunion.
City Slicker: During their Rusthammer test, he admits to Illa that he was born in the city and hasn't planted anything in his life.
Dangerous Deserter: Inverted. He was previously a corporal in the Ursus Army, and he hated his time there so much that he stole food supplies from their army warehouse and defected to Reunion, which put him in their crosshairs.
Gareth: These goddamned sons of bitches! Those bastard nobles, and Colonel Lomono... damn them all... damn them all to hell!
Heroic Sacrifice: Non-fatal version. When Gareth tries to convince Illa that the Rusthammers' test is suspicious, she points out that she knows about him giving her his food and not having eaten anything in two days.
Mr. Exposition: He tells Illa a story about the Rusthammers he heard about during his time as a soldier of Ursus.
Likes Older Women: His eventual lover Illa is barely older than him.
Red Baron: A soldier in Reunion is surprised that Gareth "Swiftblade" has become a Rusthammer.
You All Look Familiar: Gareth's NPC art reuses the art of the white-masked Reunion Soldier.
You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: He says the trope near-verbatim when he's told about the Rusthammers' test.
Gareth: Survive? For a month? In a place like this? You've got to be fricking kidding me.

Tropes applying to Illa

Anguished Outburst: When Gareth tells her that they might have to leave their temporary home to dodge Ursus soldiers on patrol, she vehemently refuses, saying that she joined Reunion so she could "live with some semblance of self-respect at all". She also mentions the many people she lost during her life of running.
Illa: Don't tell me, every time we run... every time we run, we have to abandon everything that's already ours? Why should I let those wretches destroy my life again and again!? First, my village's people... my little sister... then Sharla... the captain. I'm not going anywhere today. If today I die, then I'm dying in this gorge. Everything in here was our painstaking work. This is my new home. I'm not going anywhere!
Green Thumb: During their Rusthammer test, she shows Gareth how to plant mossoats.
Put on a Bus: She doesn't appear with Gareth to reconnect with their old Reunion comrades in A Light Spark in Darkness, because she's pregnant.
You All Look Familiar: Illa's NPC art reuses the art of the the Reunion Caster.

Boone

A Rusthammer who was once Gareth and Illa's comrade in Reunion.

Defector from Decadence: He was a former member of Reunion.
Face Framed in Shadow: His NPC art hides his face, to represent that he's no longer part of Reunion.
Friendship Denial: His one line when he meets his old "Infected comrades" says everything about what he thinks of their skepticism.
Rusthammer Member: Look, look, look, Boone. Do you see? These are your "Infected comrades."
Rusthammer Member Boone: Bullshit. I have no comrades this weak.
You All Look Familiar: His NPC art reuses the art of the Possessed Soldier.

Signori dei Lupi

Affiliated Characters: Lunacub, Projekt Red, Lappland

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/33_i05.png

The Signori dei Lupi, pictured alongside Emperor

A pantheon of immortal wolf gods residing in Siracusa, described as embodiments of the wilderness. Unable to kill each other to establish dominance, they instead compete with a "game" where they pick mortals as their "Fangs" and pit them against each other, with the winner becoming the Alpha of their pack.

Cosmic Chess Game: This is essentially how they pass the time, designating mortals as their Fangs and then pitting them against each other to see which one is the last to survive.
Cosmic Plaything: This is essentially what Fangs are, as in return for receiving the favor of their patron Signori dei Lupi, they are forced to do their bidding in order to win the game.
Fate Worse than Death: It's mentioned that as immortal as they are, the Signori dei Lupi have developed ways to contain and torture each other for untold amounts of time, making this the potential fate of a Signori should they go too far against the pack and their game.
Obstructive Code of Conduct: While the Signori dei Lupi act through their Fangs as proxies and have very broad leeway to do what they want to win the game, the one absolute rule they cannot break is directly interfering with mortal affairs. Doing so will instantly brand the perpetrator as a loser and potentially lead to their exile from the pack.
Physical God: They are a similar type of immortal entity as Emperor, with Zaaro referring to him as his "kin", and Emperor being able to communicate with other Signori dei Lupi. Kal'tsit mentions that the High Priest and Gawain are similar entities as well, completely separate from Feranmuts.

Zaaro

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_688_11.png

A wolf god also known as the "Lord of Wolves" that Texas made a deal with in the past. He has chosen Bernardo Bellone as his Fang to represent him. He serves as the Final Boss of the "Il Siracusano" event.

Arch-Enemy: He and Emperor have nothing but contempt for each other, due to their wildly differing views on humanity.
Deal with the Devil: He made a deal with Texas in the past where in return for helping her escape Columbia alive, she would have to perform one favor for him in the future. Zaaro appearing to Texas to cash in this favor is what kick-starts the events of Il Siracusano.
Fatal Flaw: Greed and Pride. Zaaro's desire to win the long game of the Signori dei Lupi is so paramount that he will seize any possible angle to achieve victory, which is why he recklessly takes a more direct approach with raising his Fang and draws Texas back to Siracusa after helping her escape as part of their deal, despite how minimally her involvement would affect the overall scope of his plan. His ego and sense of superiority to humans also makes him remarkably short-sighted when it comes to understanding and reading them - when everything he has planned comes crashing down due to Bernardo out-gambitting him long ago, he shows his true depravity by outright forgoing the only rule of the game and attempting to take out his anger on Bernardo's son and his compatriots out of petty revenge. This proves to be his undoing and has him excommunicated by the entire pack for putting the stable balance of both their game and Siracusa in jeopardy by interfering with mortal affairs directly.
Glass Cannon: His boss mechanics allow him to do massive amounts of damage if he is allowed to stay on the field for long. However, he only has damage mitigation in his first phase and is vulnerable to stun in his second phase. Dumping massive amounts of damage onto Zaaro in both phases can put him down very quickly.
Humans Are Cthulhu: Or at least, Lappland is Cthulhu to him. At the end of "Il Siracusano", he attempts to force Lappland to be his Fang until he realizes that there is no way he can ever bend her to his will, and that Lappland herself is so utterly alien to him that he can't understand her in the slightest. He ends up submitting to her instead.
Immortal Immaturity: Emperor notes that not only has he not matured over his hundreds of years of existence, his time with humans has only led him to adopt the worst parts of humanity with none of the good.
Smug Snake: He was grooming Bernardo to eventually topple Sicilia and take control of Siracusa. However, he failed to realize that Bernardo had been secretly plotting against him the entire time, and all of Zaaro's plans immediately fall apart once Bernardo makes his move.
Enemy description: His hubris is boundless, yet he falls short.
- In the epilogue of "Il Siracusano" he seems to have internalized this and his defeat, as he realizes how futile it is to try to break Lappland's will. Instead Zaaro sets his pride aside and submits to her.
Sore Loser: After Bernardo successfully foils his plans and kills himself before Zaaro can punish him, Zaaro instead decides to kill his son Leontuzzo/Vigil and his companions just to vent his anger.
Super Smoke: His body can turn into black fog, letting him disappear and reappear at will.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Can freely shift from a fog-like form and between a physical dire wolf-esque appearance and a bipedal manwolf form at will.

Agnese

A Signori dei Lupi who is one of Zaaro's rivals, and has chosen Lunacub as her Fang.

The Ghost: Lunacub arrives in Volsinii under direction from Agnese, but Agnese herself does not make an appearance.
Token Good Teammate: In a letter sent to the Doctor, it's revealed that Agnese is not like the rest of her kind and wants to break away from the base instincts that drive their behavior. As a result, she's not interested in the game her pack plays and treats Lunacub more like a friend or surrogate daughter than a Fang. She allows Lunacub to join Rhodes Island despite the risk of being in proxmity of rival fang Projekt Red because it's the only avenue she has to try and break Lunacub's fate as a Fang.
Invisible to Normals: Agnese apparently accompanied Lunacub to Rhodes Island, and while Rhodes Island staff can feel some kind of presence around Lunacub, they cannot directly sense Agnese.

"Grandmother"

A mysterious Signori dei Lupi who has designated Projekt Red as her Fang.

The Ghost: She is mentioned several times in Projekt Red's profile, but has never made an appearance.

Shanhaizhong

A fanatical Cult triad of Yanese Feranmut worshippers who wish to revive their "gods" after the Great Hunt and as such directly oppose the current Yan government.

Army of Thieves and Whores: While they outwardly appear to be a fanatical cult, in truth, the vast majority of Shanhaizhong are merely criminals and bandits who use the group's religious beliefs as a justifiction to commit crimes against the Yanese government.
Badass Creed: "The mounts, seas, and all in between shall be our master's." Subverted with regards to the "badass" part, as in-universe everyone outside the cult who's aware of the creed thinks it sounds ridiculous.
Cult: An extremely violent one at that, as they despise all humans (even though a majority of their rank are human themselves) for toppling the original order set up by the "gods" and seek to revive Sui to restore it.

Ya

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_786_112.png

One of the acting leaders of the Shanhaizhong movement; a Feranmut that survived the Great Hunt enacted by the Yanese government. They serve as the main antagonist of "Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow".

Absolute Cleavage: Their robe completely lacks any sort of binding at the front.
Ambiguous Gender: Ya is referred to as a woman in the event story, but they have an androgynous appearance, and their enemy description describes them as an "It". It's implied by Chongyue's comment after beating them in their duel that Ya's body is ultimately a disposable avatar that they can reshape to accommodate itself, making the idea of applying gender to them a meaningless endeavor.
BFS: An interesting case as while the blade component is reasonably sized, if a slight bit thick, the hilt and grip of Ya's sword is positively gigantic as it practically wraps around their entire shoulder and is vastly longer than the actual bladed part, which would severely imbalance the sword if not for the fact Ya is a Physical God to compensate for its unwieldy nature.
Big Bad Duumvirate: Is this for "Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow", alongside the Second Brother (who, while indisposed physically, is collaborating with them behind the scenes) to ensure Sui's revival to destroy Yan.
Do Not Call Me "Paul": Is enraged at Chongyue when he names them as "Ya" from the legend in the Sui Regulator records.
Chongyue: Sui Regulator records speak of a beast by the name of Ya, who cuts away the seasons and holds them at its bosoms.
Ya: You have Its memory, yet you dare call me in the human way! 'Ya?!' What a disciple name, just like 'Sui'!
Dragon with an Agenda: Is leading an organization to revive Sui alongside the Second Brother and claim vengeance against the Yanese government for destroying their fellow Feranmuts and their reign. However, Ya's rage also extends to Sui for betraying them in the first place and is using the opportunity the Second Brother and the Shanhaizhong are providing them to eventually claim revenge against the treacherous god separate from the beliefs of the cult.
Enemy Mine: Ya actually couldn't care less about their human followers in the Shanhaizhong and would have killed them all if they weren't useful as minions.
Expendable Clone: Played straight with the Mirage clone that spawns when Ya is blocked, but subverted with the Delusion clone in second phase. If the Delusion is destroyed, Ya takes damage equal to 35% of their maximum HP - and the damage can defeat Ya if their current health is below that amount.
Flunky Boss: Both Ya and their clones cover the tiles they pass through with Winter's Void, which continuously summons enemies separate from the enemy counter.
Magic Knight: Two of their abilities deal AoE Arts damage, and their basic attacks (both the melee one in phase one and the ranged one in phase two) do Arts damage.
Me's a Crowd: Two of their abilities summon clones of themself: Spring's Birth summons a Mirage when they are blocked for the first time and every 25 seconds afterwards, and Autumn's Bounty summons a Delusion at the other incursion point when they revive after being defeated once.
No Ontological Inertia: If Ya is defeated when their clones are active, the clones will also disappear along with them; one of the event medals require the player to defeat Ya when their Delusion is active in WB-9. Averted with the Winter's Void that covers the tiles, however, as they will continue to exist and spawn enemies after Ya is defeated until their timer expires.
Reality Warper: Ya's special ability as a Feranmut is to manipulate the seasons in a localized area, creating contradictory weather patterns and environments.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Likely named after Ya Zi, one of the sons of the dragon.
Sole Survivor: Ya is one of the few Feranmuts that survived Yan's national purge of all Feranmuts.
Space Master: Ya possesses a small pocket dimension created from the world before human civilization, and they can pull people into it to serve as a battleground.
Switch-Out Move: In their second phase, Ya can swap position with the Delusion clone when their health drops down to 25% (30% in challenge mode), accompanied by a blast of Arts damage to all surrounding operators.
Teleportation: If their Mirage isn't defeated in time, Ya will teleport to the Mirage's location.
Theme Naming: In accordance with their ability to manipulate the seasons, several of their abilities are named after seasons.
Unskilled, but Strong: Many observers note that Ya's martial arts and swordsmanship are only average at best, but Ya compensates for it with sheer brute force as a Feranmut.
Your Days Are Numbered: The event ends with the implication that the severity of the injuries over the course of the event are, at the very least for their present body, mortal wounds and seeks to resolve their drama about the "why" they are searching for so badly before it's too late to receive an answer, parting ways with the remainder of the Shanhaizhong in the process.

Witch King's Remnants

A secretive group of nobles and cultists who believe the Witch King is still the rightful ruler of Leithanien, and plot ways to both resurrect him and return him to the throne.

Apocalypse Cult: In rural Leithanien, there are pockets of secret cults who organize Originium experimentation in order to revive the Originium Arts of the Witch King, Leithania's ancient Evil Overlord. The Arts includes atrocities such as using the Infected as living 'wands' to channel the Arts.
Mad Scientist: Many Remnant members tend to be one, following in the wake of the Witch King as they seek ways to resurrect him. For example, they regularly kidnap Infected and use them as living Arts units, and they have been experimenting with the Voice of Terra that involved Ebenholz and Kriede.
The Remnant: As their name suggests, they are the last remaining members of the Witch King's regime who are still loyal to him.
Rightful King Returns: They believe that the Witch King is still the rightful ruler of Leithania, and that the Twin Empresses illegally usurped him from power, hence why they continue to work in the shadows to bring him back.
We Are Everywhere: They are so deeply embedded in all levels of Leithanien society that even many years after the Witch King's fall, the Twin Empresses still have not been able to root all of them out.

The Witch King, Kaiser Herkunftshorn

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

^{Witch King in his later years.}

Race: Caprinae

Artist: Ryuzakiichi

Leithanien's most infamous leader who ruled the country with an iron fist thanks to the use of forbidden magic until he was overthrown by the Twin Empresses.

0% Approval Rating: Many Leithaniens were fed up with his tyrannic rule, which was why they readily accepted the Twin Empresses when they overthrew him.
The Archmage: Said to be the greatest caster in Terra's history, to the point of being an outright Reality Warper as shown with his ability to manipulate and reside within space-time distortions on a level that not even the King of Liches can manage. His greatest, most well-known historical feat is wiping out an entire Gaulish legion on his own by summoning a Catastrophe, which made the area inhabitable to the present day.
Apocalypse Cult: It's rumored that there remains an underground cult of Leithaniens still loyal to him, who continue dabbling in forbidden magic and looking for a way to return who they see as their rightful ruler to the throne. The "rumor" turns out to be true in the form of the Witch King's Remnants.
Bullying a Dragon: He wants to tear open a dimensional rift to pick a fight with whatever lies beyond Terra's false sky, with his ego making him completely confident in his ability to do so despite the already apocalyptic Collapsals being implied to merely be small fry compared to whatever is beyond the dimensional gates. The last section of Zwillingstürme im Herbst is stopping him from doing so and closing up the rift he formed before whatever comes out of it devastates Terra.
Evil Overlord: He's largely considered a bloodthirsty tyrant by his own people.
Expy:
- He seems to be based on Sauron: he's a Tin Tyrant Sorcerous Overlord who ruled his country with fear from the top of his tower, his followers carry a staff with a single burning eye on its top, his ring brought great power at the cost of the user's sanity, and he was defeated but not completely killed because he had left his essence in his artifacts.
- The 4.5 anniversary event, "Zwillingstürme Herbst", reveals he shares a lot in common with Dracula from Castlevania as it is revealed he is functionally immortal practitioner of magic who borders on the realm of being a Humanoid Abomination than a typical member of his race, possessing a great degree of technologies and magical arts coupled with his overall knowledge that make him one of the most powerful beings in existence, yet for as monstrously powerful as he is, he is revealed to be a far more complicated character that dances between truly maddening nihilism and desiring a greater purpose for the world that is wasted by people he sees too stupid to appreciate his knowledge.
Faux Affably Evil: He's cordial to his guests and family, acknowledges a Worthy Opponent who can beat him, and genuinely respects his old teacher Fremont, but all of this barely conceals his insanity and arrogance in firmly believing that he is the rightful king of everything.
Final Boss: He serves as the final boss of "Zwillingstürme im Herbst".
Hidden Depths: He was not only one of Terra's most powerful casters but also one its most proficient musicians. Appropriate, given the in-universe link between music and Arts.
Human Sacrifice: Under his rule, he sacrificed huge amounts of Infected for his experiments, to the point where he instituted nationwide quotas on Infected cities to provide bodies to him.
Posthumous Character: He's considered to be long dead after his defeat at the hands of the Twin Empresses. This turns out to be untrue as he still exists in some capacity in Zwillingstürme Herbst, having taken up residence in a dimensional rift. However, by the end of the event, he appears to have been Killed Off for Real, or at least as close as it gets for a being like him.
Professor Guinea Pig: Kal'tsit believes the reason he went insane is because he directly experimented with Originium himself for so long, leading to his declining mental faculties over the course of his reign.
Shoot the Messenger: According to the "Phantom & Crimson Solitaire" relic "Leithanien Sceptre", the War of Four Emperors officially begun when Gaul sent an envoy demanding Leithanien's submission as a vassal. Enraged, the Witch King had every Gaulish official within Leithanien's border gathered, turned to stone, and had their bodies rearranged into a modern sculpture before sending the end result back to Gaul.
Speak of the Devil: Leithaniens are forbidden from speaking the Witch King's name or even his title for fear of setting off some sort of curse, so he is only referred to by the generic term "His Majesty".
Unseen No More: He was only ever mentioned without actually appearing, before finally making a proper on-screen appearance in "Zwillingstürme im Herbst".

Gertrude Strollo

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_484_111.png

Arknights: Ryuzakiichi

The Gräfin of the city of Vyseheim.

Best Served Cold: Her true intentions are to get revenge on the Witch King supporters secretly controlling her family, as she blames them for the hard times her once powerful house has fallen into.
Dark and Troubled Past: Her father, the Prince-Elector Graf Strollo, was an Abusive Parents and a Witch King's loyalist who taught her these qualities were the thing that made him strong. However, he ended up betraying the principles that he beaten into her by trying to sell out the other loyalists to the Twin Empresses, and she witnessed her father got executed because the Empresses could see through his treachery. Her family background put her under heavy surveillance, barring her from many opportunities to advance her career even with her talent, and many of her family's fortune were stripped from her. Within the cabal of the Witch King's Remnant, she was similarly denied of rank progress out of the higher up's pride against the upstarts, yet they continued to take advantage of her, whether it's financially, politically, academically, and even sexually.
Evil Counterpart: She's this to Ebenholz; they're both nobles that face prosecution because they carry the legacy of the Witch King, and both wish to release themselves from that shackle. They're both standoffish and proud, yet befriended an Infected that serve as their Morality Chain. How they treat said Morality Chain is where their paths diverge; when finding out that the ritual that will purge the Witch King's influence over him would kill all of the Infected in the entire district, Ebenholz is appalled and decides to walk away from it. Gertrude, on the other hand, decides to push through her scheme even after seeing Czerny almost died from the test run, because she puts her pride over their friendship. It can be said that Gertrude is a preview of what Ebenholz could have become if he became too embittered by his life, which ties into Kreide's final speech encouraging Ebenholz not to let his misfortunes define him as Gertrude let hers.
Dying Curse: After being stabbed by Biegler, she weakly curses him, Ebenholz, Leithania, and even the Witch King as she is slowly bleeding out on the floor of her house.
Klingon Promotion: She admits to Biegler that she murdered her own brother so she could seize the position of Graf, due to his perceived incompetence.
Mad Scientist: She has developed a way that could remove the Voice of Terra from Ebenholz's mind. However, the "mad" part comes when it's revealed she plans to sacrifice almost her entire city to achieve it.
Mini-Boss: She acts as one during the penultimate mission, essentially being a Spire Caster with a few extra abilities.
Murder Is the Best Solution: Once the Voice of Terra is transferred to Kreide, Gertrude planned to have him immediately killed. She also had her brother killed, as well.
Never My Fault: She blames practically everybody but herself when her plans begin to spiral out of control. However, Biegler rightfully points out that much of her misfortune was self inflicted.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Even though she is defeated by Ebenholz, Hibiscus, and Czerny, she boasts that they can't actually do anything more to her since as the ruling Gräfin, their actions can be considered assault against her.
Spanner in the Works: Against the heroes, when she hijacks the concert Ebenholz, Kreide, and Czerny were attempting to use to banish the Voice of Terra. She instead inserts her own melody into the concert which would cause the entire concert hall to be swallowed up in a void, forcing Kreide to sacrifice himself to stop it.
Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum: Her end goal is to cause a massive explosion that will kill the Witch King's Remnant handlers that assigned to her and destroy the city that she detests. She doesn't have any further aim and doesn't appear to have any intention to survive; she simply wants everyone dead including herself.
We Used to Be Friends: She and Czerny were once on good terms when she became his sponsor and helped popularize his music. However, their friendship soured after it became evident to Czerny that she was just using him. However, she appears to still hold Czenry close to heart even near death, as her Dying Curse does not include him on the list of people she wishes suffering to.

Lachmann

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avg_npc_488_11.png

An agent working on the behalf of Gertrude.

Malicious Slander: Under Gertrude's orders, he spreads a false prophecy demonizing Hibiscus and tries to encourage the Afterglow residents to attack her.

Characters / Arknights Enemies

Edit Locked

Neutral and enemy organizations

Affiliated Characters: Platinum

"Darksteel"

Roy

Monique

"Platinum"

Bishop Quintus

The First To Talk

Amaia

The Endspeaker, Will of We Many

Cicero

Ishar'mla, the "Corrupting Heart"

Caerula Arbor, the "Creeping Branch"

The Primordial Lifespring

The Nevermelting Glacier

Bishop Aulus

Crazelyseon

Former Members: Phantom, Shalem

The Troupe Leader

Wandering Puppet

"Frost Buck"

"Snow Doe"

Lucian, "Blood Diamond"

Big Sad Lock

"Troupe Mouthpiece"

"The Playwright"

"Bladedance", "Shadow", and "Whiteflower"

The Duke of Wellington / Wesley Wellington

The Duke of Caster

The Trilby Ashers

The Duke of Windermere / Amphelise Windermere

Shearer

The Duke of Gododdin

The Duke of Normandy

"The Newsman" Kain

Spokesman Czarny

Malkiewicz

Spokesman McKee

Jewell

Arctosz Paleroche

Valais

Gulo

Ratatos Browntail

Sciurus Browntail

Yucatan

Monch

Luca Browntail

Affiliated Characters: Mudrock

Chainsmoke

Chef

Andoain

Feoria La Porta

Patia

Affiliated Characters: Rusthammer Warrior

Gareth and Illa

Tropes applying to both

Tropes applying to Gareth

Tropes applying to Illa

Boone

Affiliated Characters: Lunacub, Projekt Red, Lappland

Zaaro

Agnese

"Grandmother"

Ya

The Witch King, Kaiser Herkunftshorn

Gertrude Strollo

Lachmann

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