Characters / Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness

Player Character

The Heir of Lord Espen

Race: Any
Class: Any

The Player Character. In the beginning of the game, they're a servant of the house of Lord Espen. Destiny however sees them becoming the late Lord's heir, and were their hidden child as well.

• An Adventurer Is You: You get to customize your character with plenty of options for race, class, gender, appearance, etc.
• Deadpan Snarker: There are a lot of dialogues available where you can react like this.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: You can say a few lines like this after you find out you're Espen's heir but before you're able to prove it. Most of the nobility will just scoff at you, but then do a full 180 after you prove your claim.
• Good Is Not Soft: Can be played this way. You'll come across a lot of bandits and others who will try to shake you down and demand your gold. With most of them you can talk them down or intimidate them away with a high enough Bargain And Persuasion skill, or optionally you can react aggressively. The latter option generally won't raise world greed or hurt your reputation either.
• Hidden Backup Prince: Downplayed since they're nobility, not royalty, but the main character is initially a servant of their father's house, who is a lord. It is mentioned that they have been given training and favor that the other servants have not been given. Even the player character isn't aware of their true parentage initially.
• Honest Advisor: You can be this later on if you do the right things. If you handle things well, you can steer King Velianrick in the right direction and help make peace between him and the Deron-Guld rebels.
• Ideal Hero: Optionally. You can be generous to every questgiver, refuse rewards, and do everything you can to be a voice of reason in a world where many are jumping off the slippery slope because of the curse of greed.
• Lazy Bum: Downplayed in that Beline, one of the other servants calls the protagonist one in the prologue and expresses frustration that they take so long to get ready. It's only one off-hand mention though and you don't have to play your character this way. Plus when you meet Beline's ghost later on after she's killed, apparently you and she were good friends before the game started, despite her earlier sassing you.
• Refuge in Audacity: Several lines allow you to say some rather outrageous lies and do some hilarious stunts, like using your steal and plant items skill to spill some wine inside another person's pants to embarrass them. If your skills are high enough, you can even make it work.
• Treacherous Advisor: You can be this later on if you set yourself up right. You can do things like frame an innocent maid for murder in order to solidify your position in King Velianrick's court, and then either betray him later to fuel your ambitions or push him to implementing even more insane policies if you want to.
• Villain Protagonist: Optionally. You're given the chance to greedily shake down nearly every quest giver and do all manner of nasty things to benefit your own station at everyone else's expense.

Companions

Helgenhar

Race: Dwarf
Class: Fighter

• Only Sane Man: In his personal quest, he can come across as this in regards to his clan. He's trying to resolve a dispute over a gem mine that is boiling into a clan feud reasonably when each side in the feud is too greedy and stubborn to listen to reason.
• Our Dwarves Are All the Same: For the most part. He's honorable, holds to traditions, is eager to fight the bad guys, and is consistently one of the more moral companions. Unlike the dwarf stereotype though, he isn't greedy and in fact does not like such behavior.
• Refuge in Audacity: Played for Laughs in one instance. He manages to scare off some of Bjalla's admirers by claiming the gem in her diadem causes magical poisonings which causes them to run off.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Should the player swear loyalty to Zornilsa, he will abandon the player on the spot.

Siracca

Race: Rillow
Class: Cleric

• Defector from Decadence: Most Rillow live lives of debauchery, decadence, and extravagance, which can be seen when you visit the Garden of Delights. Siracca abandoned this to worship Alnarius.
• The Exile: Siracca forsook worship of Elenuator to serve Alnarius. This is considered a grave act of heresy among the Rillow and she is considered an outcast. She has to deal with assassins regularly.
• Refuge in Audacity: Played for Laughs in one instance. Siracca scares off some of Bjalla's admirers by going over and giving the most boring, droning sermon she can to them until they leave in disgust.
• Religious Bruiser: A cleric, and decent in melee combat.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Should the player swear loyalty to Zornilsa, she will abandon the player on the spot.

Bjalla Adelis

Race: Feldegug
Class: Spellweaver

• Court Mage: Bjalla has this position in Isilbright, and has the status and prestige that goes with it. That said, she will state the position is mostly honorary and her actual duties are not all that important. She is quite knowledgeable on matters of nobility. She's less thrilled about the suitors that come with the position.
• Dude Magnet: Bjalla attracts hordes of admirers everywhere she goes. Most of them are extremely shallow with their flirtations of her. She really doesn't appreciate it.
• The Exile: Bjalla was exiled from the frozen northern home of the feldegug elves. It's mentioned in the compendium that she was exiled for asking too many questions that went against tradition. It doesn't seem to bother her much though, she's glad to be free from such restrictions.
• Like an Old Married Couple: In one of her personal quests, she ends up arguing with a colleague of hers' from her time at the Wardenhaft Academy. The player can make this comment, which prompts an awkward silence from both of them.
• Mutually Exclusive Party Members: After a certain point, with Jade. Both of them have a feldegug diadem, and only one of them can receive the wisdom from the feldegug matriarch's spirit. Whichever one you don't choose will leave you forever. Can be averted if you don't complete the quest, but you miss out on a good upgrade to one of their diadems if you do that.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Should the player swear loyalty to Zornilsa, she will abandon the player on the spot.
• The Chosen One: After her exile, she managed to find an ancient magical feldegug diadem which called a wolf spirit to her, which some believe makes her a chosen of the ancient feldegug for some unknown destiny. Though it turns out to be completely subverted, when she speaks with the feldegug matriarch's spirit, the spirit says that her finding the diadem was purely a matter of chance and not any kind of destiny at all.
• The Smart Girl: There's numerous dialogue options to ask her about magical and other strange phenomenon, which she is quite learned about. She also has a high starting learning and research skill.
• Squishy Wizard: She's a Spellweaver, and has a low physique stat and HP count. She can however support the party with a very large variety of magic spells, and very knowledgeable about many magical phenomenon.

Hamlin

Race: Elf
Class: Thief

• Hidden Heart of Gold: It may be hard to see because he's an unashamed thief, and he encourages more greedy behavior. At the same time, he does rather strongly disapprove of many of the more evil actions you can take and supports you when you do the right thing, especially helping commoners.
• Kleptomaniac Hero: Encourages this. Greedy and entirely willing to steal but likes it when you do the heroic thing when it counts.
• Lovable Rogue: Can come off as this. He's an unashamed thief but he can be charming, supportive, and likes it when you look out for the little guy.
• No Honor Among Thieves: Is the victim to this in his personal quest. He tries to hawk off a stolen painting to a client to get to join a thieves guild. Instead what happens is he gets mugged by other thieves who go to hawk it themselves and claim the reward.
• Our Elves Are Different: Hamlin follows very few standard elven tropes. While there are elves that are forest dwellers, Hamlin didn't like that life and prefers living in a city. He doesn't follow any ancient ways and instead tries to join a thieves guild and likes the thrill of getting into trouble. About the only 'standard' elven trait he has is that he's a good shot with a bow, but that doesn't get called on in dialogue.
• Satisfied Street Rat: He used to be a forest dweller but then became a thief on the streets of Isilbright. He didn't like living in the forest, and he's clearly happy with the hustle and bustle of city life.

Arvex

Race: Human
Class: Highlander

• Blood Knight: He's elated about getting into trouble and finding strong enemies. A bit more subdued though because while he likes fighting, he mostly just wants to die.
• Deal with the Devil: His family was killed when his village was destroyed. He made a bargain with Elenuator to bring them back if he lets Elenuator claim his soul. However, Elenuator continually brings him back from death as to indefinitely stall this bargain.
• Death Seeker: Largely lost the will to live after his family was murdered. And now he's under a curse that won't allow him to die properly.
• Resurrective Immortality: Elenuator brings him back to life whenever he's killed. This carries over to gameplay where if he's killed in battle, he'll get right back up.
• Shoot the Dog: As part of his personal quest, Elenuator can try to tempt Arvex into killing Siracca in order to free him from his bargain. If you don't talk Arvex down, he'll attempt to do this and murder her.

Sea Hag

Race: Human
Class: Druid

• Deadpan Snarker: Downplayed. She's normally soft spoken, polite, and has a motherly demeanor. There are a few things which provoke her to bring out the snark, usually younger people behaving in an immature or idiotic manner.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: She's very knowledgeable in dialogue about old lore and matters pertaining to the gods, but her in game starting stats start her with 0 ranks in knowledge and research, and only 1 rank in the theology skill. Additionally, in dialogue, she will say that as a druid of Omeyrenon rather than Tilnadia, she mentions being closer to the sea and implies she has some water and ocean based powers. However in gameplay, she has the same spellbook and ability selection that other druids do.
• In Mysterious Ways: If you ask her about how she can be a druid and undead at the same time, her response largely boils down to this. She thinks there's better things to do than ponder this. In party banter with Siracca, she also mentions that being an undead doesn't stop her from serving her patron.
• Never Mess with Granny: She's an old druid but she's a capable spellcaster and capable of dealing with foes. Her age doesn't hinder her that much since she's actually undead.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Should the player swear loyalty to Zornilsa, she will abandon the player on the spot.
• Squishy Wizard: More like squishy druid, but she can't wear even light armor or use shields, so you want to keep her off the front lines. Her character build is more casting focused, so it's best to keep her in that role or using a sling at a distance.

Phimm

Race: Human
Class: Swindler

• Con Man: He's got a high charisma score and a high bargain and persuasion skill. He likes to fleece and scam and insult people, largely just to be a dick.
• Even Evil Has Standards: It might simply be him being a dirty coward, but if the player decides to swear loyalty to Zornilsa, he will abandon the party on the spot.
• It Amused Me: This is Phimm's primary motivation. Usually it comes at the expense of others.
• Jerkass: There's nothing remotely pleasant about him. He likes insulting people and worse for his own amusement.

• Token Evil Teammate: He stands out as being unpleasant even among the more amoral characters like Arvex and Jade. He's notably the only companion who explicitly approves of you framing Frick for murder because he thinks it's hilarious, while all of your other companions will react with outright or suppressed disgust with your actions. (Except for Rabinandera who isn't available then). He doesn't have the excuse of being insane or possessed either.
• Toxic Friend Influence: Encourages the player to screw people over while he's in the party, even if there's no reward in doing so. He actively disapproves of aiding others selflessly.
• Upper-Class Twit: Alludes to having been chased by angry mobs of “peasants” and looks down on those who aren't fortunate. It's mentioned in the compendium that he used to be nobility, until his outrageous habits ended up with his family disowning him. Also a Deconstructed example, since his behaving exactly like this is what leads him to being disowned and having to live as a wandering con artist.

Jade

Race: Human
Class: Necromancer

• Black Mage: Her whole thing. She's a necromancer and can summon undead minions and has a nice repertoire of deadly offensive spells.
• Burn the Witch!: Averted. She got threatened with it in the past when she applied to be a mage at Wardenhaft while looking to learn necromancy, but she managed to avoid that fate. She is however, aware of the reputation her necromancy comes with so takes steps to ensure she avoids this.
• Came Back Wrong: Jade mentions that one of her first projects was to revive her dead uncle. It's implied that her uncle came back as a mindless zombie rather than a proper resurrection and her family was not happy about it. Naturally, they're not on speaking terms.
• Guide Dang It!: The first part of her personal quest is relatively simple to do. Complete the dungeon you find her in, remove the curse on her diadem. You only unlock the second part of her personal quest if you complete enough of another companion's personal quest. Since both of the characters are mages it's not likely you'll want both in the same party.
• I Love the Dead: Played With, Jade admits that she's done this, although she mentions that it's not nearly as fun in practice as it sounded the first time.
• Mutually Exclusive Party Members: After a certain point, with Bjalla. Both of them have a feldegug diadem, and only one of them can receive the wisdom from the feldegug matriarch's spirit. Whichever one you don't choose will leave you forever. Can be averted if you don't complete the quest, but you miss out on a good upgrade to one of their diadems if you do that.
• Perky Goth: She's a necromancer who's flirtatious, friendly, and has an active sex life. She also does like the color black and plays up the whole classic necromancer fashion, if not the demeanor.
• Robbing the Dead: Before you meet her, Jade had done some delving into ancient tombs, particularly one old Feldegug tomb. She took a cursed diadem that's now stuck on her head. Her personal quest is about trying to remove the curse.
• Sad Clown: There are hints that despite her perky demeanor, that she holds a lot of hurt and sorrow inside.

Rabinandera

Race: Rillow
Class: Shaman

• Ax-Crazy: Is he ever! He thoroughly enjoys killing and is clearly unhinged. His madness is to such a degree that he can only barely hold a coherent conversation some of the time.
• Demonic Possession: According to the compendium, Rabinandera suffers from this, having become possessed by a malign spirit, and that his former self is gone. Even if you don't look in the compendium, if you ask where he is from, he says he is from an outer black void, making it clear he's not referring to the Rillow he used to be.
• Greed: A pretty consistent theme of the game, but he's extremely greedy in addition to being violent. He mentions wanting to have a literal mountain of gold.
• Horrifying the Horror: Party banter with him and Sea Hag mentions that Rabinandera finds her extremely creepy, especially not liking her being undead. That said, Sea Hag is a fundamentally good person who can also see Rabinandera for what he really is without needing any prompting or cluing in.
• Late Character Syndrome: Only becomes recruitable very late in the game, after chapter 4, specifically.
• Laughing Mad: Most of what dialogue he has (and his select quotes) usually have him laughing while talking about murder, violence, or getting more gold.
• The Exile: After becoming possessed by a spirit, he was exiled.

Major NPCs

Lord Espen

A noble in Isilmerald who the player character initially works as a servant for.

• Reasonable Authority Figure: Was repeatedly mentioned by others as a voice of reason and source of stability in the region. His death ends up hastening the rapidly erupting turmoil in Isilmerald and kicks off the player character being thrust into the main plot.
• Sacrificial Lamb: He's an important figure who gets murdered in the prologue. His absence causes no end of problems.

Lord Aldnar

The child of Lord Espen, who has defected from Isilmerald to help lead the rebellion in Deron-Guld.

• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Before the game even started, he betrayed Isilmerald to the rebellion in Deron-Guld. He betrays his house and bloodline by murdering his father. He later betrays the War Council of Deron-Guld to usurp sole control for himself.
• Deal with the Devil: It is never confirmed, but it is heavily implied that Lord Aldnar has made one. Notably if you fight him he uses certain abilities that only those who have dedicated themselves to Rothgor have. He is also revealed to be the source of a demonic plague, though it's not confirmed if he intended this. It would fit his power hungry personality, for sure.
  • Word of God confirmed that he is under the influence of Rothgor, though it's not specified how. You won't find proof of it either way in game.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: He's mentioned as having a foul temper and you get a few opportunities to insult him to the point where he almost attacks you. The other members of the War Council calm him down before he does anything dumb, but they say his temper is better suited for the battlefield than a diplomatic council.
• Leave No Survivors: He orders everyone in Lord Espen's estate in the game's prologue massacred, even having servants and visitors killed by his forces. It's mentioned a few times he's done this before. He only misses the player character by happenstance.
• Patricide: In the prologue he kills his father, Lord Espen.
• Starter Villain: He's the primary antagonist for the first part of the game.
• We Can Rule Together: After he usurps control of Deron-Guld from the war council, he will make this offer to you. You can take him up on it or just kill him.

King Velianrick

The King of Isilmerald. Once a shrewd, steadfast, and fair ruler, the curse of greed has affected his mind greatly, meaning that he's none of those things by the time the game starts.

• Hair-Trigger Temper: As tempting as it might be to sass him given how he behaves, he usually responds to such by ordering the execution of whomever's sassing him. Including you.
• The Caligula: He pushes absurd degrees of taxation on his subjects, has a volatile temper, enjoys taking the assets of his nobility and then rubbing it in their face. He'll insult and belittle you even if you do a good job. It's little wonder the kingdom is crumbling under his leadership. Depending on how the curse of greed goes, he can get even worse, to the point of wanting to dissolve the nobility entirely and doing things like looting an active battlefield despite the clear danger in doing so.
• The Good King: He used to be a good king in the past, according to the game's lore, and it's why he has support in the kingdom despite his increasingly unhinged behavior. He certainly doesn't behave like this by the time the player meets him. If you can help weaken the curse's hold on him, he'll start behaving more like this.

Lord Frelsi

One of the nobles who is part of the War Council of Deron-Guld and has rebelled against Isilmerald.

• Cool Old Guy: He certainly gives off this vibe, albeit in a difference from the usual trope, his clout is more political than in direct action. He's able to keep the War Council with it's many less than sane and aggressive members in line. He also has a workable spy network and shares useful information with the player. He's also able to see through one of King Velianrick's political schemes in seconds, where the player character needs it spelled out for them.
• Foil: To Lord Aldnar. Both of them are nobles who have sided with the Deron-Guld rebellion. However, Frelsi prefers to find peaceful and reasonable solutions to conflicts, while Aldnar prefers violence and murder to achieve his ends. Frelsi joined the rebellion because King Velianrick's policies were driving the miners and people of Deron-Guld to poverty and desperation, while Aldnar is only in the rebellion for his own ends. Finally, Frelsi has taken a lot of action to try to deal with the plague in Deron-Guld, while Aldnar is behind it.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He's this for the rebellion of Deron-Guld, willing to try and find an equitable compromise to opposing sides to avoid further bloodshed. He's concerned by the many problems Deron-Guld faces and does what he can to help with them.

Lord Blythe

One of the nobles who is part of the War Council of Deron-Guld and has rebelled against Isilmerald.

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: When you first meet Lord Blythe, he's not one of the easier nobles to get along with and is very much skeptical of the Player Character and King Velianrick who sent them. That said, he does care about the wellbeing of the people of Deron-Guld, even if he doesn't show it as much to the player. He's also more conciliatory later on if he's the one leading peace negotiations for Deron-Guld.
• Properly Paranoid: He doesn't trust King Velianrick to negotiate in good faith or fairly, and he's quite on point since King Velianrick The Caligula, and very greedy and untrustworthy. He doesn't initially trust the Player Character, but it's up to the player if he's right to suspect them or not.
• You Are in Command Now: After Aldnar performs his coup, if you side against Aldnar, Lord Blythe will lead what remains of the War Council, taking Lord Frelsi's place.

High Matriarch Alumu

The Matriarch of the Rillow in the Garden of Delights, the Eastern Empire's outpost bordering Isilmerald. She's noted as being a wise leader, but also very ruthless one.

• Realpolitik: Engages in plenty of this. She's willing to get involved in Isilmerald's problems, but only for the Eastern Empire's benefit. Trying to reason with her on moral grounds is largely ineffective, she's clearly looking out for number one. If you ask her to send aid to Deron-Guld who's suffering from a plague out of altruism, she'll dismiss the notion, and will only do it if you agree to do it for lowering import taxes. If you want to convince her to side with either Isilbright or Deron-Guld if they go to war later in the game, she responds best to arguments along these lines, rather than moral ones. If she is at the ceasefire talks between Isilbright and Deron-Guld, she tries to get you to arrange a permanent council seat for the Eastern Empire.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: As ruthless and amoral as she is, she is at least sane and accepts reasonable offers and advice.

Isla

Race: Human
Class: Spellweaver

A mysterious mage that the party encounters several times. There's clearly more going on with her than is readily apparent, but at the same time she seems to be helpful.

• Ambiguously Human: There's a few subtle hints to this, though the game never says outright. She could just be an incredibly powerful mage, or there could be more to her. It's never clarified. Notably though, at the ending cutscene, when talking with the Pendulum, she talks about mortals in a way that implies she doesn't consider herself one.
• The Archmage: Mechanically she's a 13th level spellweaver, and one of the few things that is clear about her is that she's incredibly powerful. She's capable of feats of magic that Bjalla states she thought were not even possible.
• Cryptic Conversation: Most conversations with her involve this, and she often references things which are revealed much later in the game that. The first time you can meet her, she'll even ask you to help her solve an obscure riddle. She's after knowledge of the Pact Prophecy, which itself is also very cryptically written. Even so, most conversations with or involving her will likely leave the player with more questions than clear answers. She does eventually start to give you more clear answers later on in the game, though.
• Guest-Star Party Member: Isla joins the party near the end of chapter 4. She's a 13th level spellweaver when most of your party will likely be around level 9-10, and her stats and skills are well beyond what would be possible with a legal character build. She leaves the party after the end of chapter 4.
• Mysterious Protector: Seems to be this for Yerengal as a whole. Most of what she does is in trying to combat or reveal the origins of the curse of greed. Most of what she does behind the scenes are never revealed. At the ending cutscene, her conversation with the Pendulum has her asking about what shall come of the mortals and seems to be preparing to intervene in a calamity she knew would happen.
• Really 700 Years Old: She's either this or a time traveler, or both. The player can first meet her 50 years in the past, and she has the magical know-how for time travel. When you meet her in the present, she hasn't aged a day. She also subtly hints that she was around when the Xurxur beast was banished, an event which happened well over a human's lifespan ago.
• The Smart Girl: She's very well learned on many forms of magical phenomenon, including obscure things like Time Travel. She's also the one who figures out what's going on with Deron-Guld's plague, and later, she figures out how the Curse of Greed works.
• We Cannot Go On Without You: If you manage to get her killed while she's in your party, it's an immediate game over.