This is a listing of characters for the Deptford Mice and Deptford Histories trilogies, as well as the Deptford Mouselets books that have been released so far. The Histories and Mouselets are categorised by book as, unlike the main trilogy, each individual one stands alone, taking place within the same universe but in different time periods and with different sets of characters. Spoilers have mostly been hidden.

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The Deptford Mice

The Mice

Audrey Brown

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/audrey_1.jpg

The headstrong heroine, who tends to dream and enjoys wearing lace and ribbons. She is described as having delicate features, almost like a mouse version of a fairy or elf. Stubborn, though courageous, she is not afraid to speak her mind.

Belligerent Sexual Tension: Between her and Piccadilly. She never gets to resolve it once Piccadilly dies.
Berserk Button: Being told her father is dead in The Dark Portal. Later subverted when she accepts the truth later on.
Break the Cutie: Throughout the books, she goes through a lot of trauma. Audrey's father is violently murdered (she refuses to believe he is dead at first, but gradually comes to accept it), she is accused of being a witch and almost hanged (with the only way to save her being marriage to a friend who is not her true love), Piccadilly, the boy mouse she is in love with, is murdered before she can confess her feelings to him, she is attacked by multiple brainwashed and violent ghosts of those she knew in life (including Piccadilly, but she is able to jog his memory and tell him she loves him; though of course it is too late to do anything about it and she witnesses his crossing over to the other side), she is forced to face the Big Bad Jupiter head-on multiple times, and she is tricked into becoming the (at least initially) unwilling successor of the Starwife. At the end she is left as a weary, melancholy shadow of her former self. She is described as having 'learned many things' and she 'no longer wears lace and ribbons'.
Burn the Witch!: The Fennywolders are wrongly led to believe that Audrey is a witch, and are ready to burn her for it. When Mr. Woodruffe expresses his disgust with their actions, they opt to hang her instead. However, Twit saves Audrey by marrying her, an act which, by their laws, instantly reprieves someone accused of any crime.
Cannot Spit It Out: Just before Piccadilly leaves with Thomas, Arthur, and Barker to confront Jupiter at the power station in The Final Reckoning, Audrey tries to confess her feelings to him. However, what she does manage to say comes out in an awkward and confusing manner, and before she can clearly explain what she's trying to tell him, she is interrupted. She never sees him again before his death.
The Chosen One: She is the one prophesied to bring down Jupiter, and also is picked by the Starwife to become her successor.
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: As outspoken as she is, this has happened several times with Jupiter. The prime example is at the end of The Dark Portal, where she goads him into emerging from his pitch black lair for the first time in centuries. This has the twofold reaction of busting Jupiter's deception wide open, as his rat followers felt betrayed at being made to serve a natural predator.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: She defeats Jupiter... twice!
Disappeared Dad: His disappearance is what sets the plot in motion.
Hearing Voices: In The Final Reckoning, a voice in Audrey's head compels her to return to garden of the empty house in Deptford, in spite of the dangers of being attacked by Jupiter's spectral army. In the garden she finds a snowdrop flower that will be useful later on.
The Hero: Though all the main characters have a role to play, the story focuses mostly on Audrey.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's hot-tempered and very snarky, but she's ultimately a nice girl who is also the heroine of the series.
Junior Counterpart: She is this to the Starwife. Coincidentally, it turns out that they even share the same name.
Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: When Audrey is battling against Jupiter and his minions, she wears her usual outfit; a lace skirt with matching collar and a pink ribbon in her hair.
Little Miss Snarker: She has a fiery personality which causes her to snark and not hold her tongue in an argument.
Marriage of Convenience: She married Twit not for love but to be saved from being hanged as a witch. She comes to regret the marriage as, while she's grateful to Twit for saving her, it prevents her from pursuing a romantic relationship with her true love, Piccadilly.
The Mourning After: She never gets over the loss of Piccadilly, and when she is presented with a picture of him in The Deptford Mice Almanack, she is overcome with emotion and runs away. When she comes back, she requests it be given to her and hangs it behind her throne.
Nice Mice: She is a heroic mouse.
Psychic Link: Audrey has this with the Starwife. At first Audrey cannot understand why, but as it turns out it has to do with her becoming the Starwife's successor.
Say My Name: "I am Audrey Brown," she shouted proudly, "and I know nothing of spells or dark magic; I place myself in the protection of the Green Mouse!"
Trauma Conga Line: Where do we even begin?!
Uptown Girl: Audrey's relationship with Piccadilly. Her family seems fairly well-to-do (as far as mice go) and she has high class tastes, wearing fancy lace and ribbons. He is an Artful Dodger orphan living on the streets of London.
Will They or Won't They?: With Piccadilly. They never have the chance to.

Piccadilly

A streetsmart and cheeky grey mouse from the city who is drawn into the battle against Jupiter when he loses his way in the sewers during a foraging expedition. He falls in love with Audrey and she with him, but neither will admit their feelings for the other publicly.

The Artful Dodger: He fits this trope, being an orphan who has lived on the streets from a young age and is very independent.
Belligerent Sexual Tension: Between he and Audrey. It never gets resolved.
Deadpan Snarker: He's known for his cheekiness.
Did Not Get the Girl: He and Audrey don't end up together due to circumstances beyond the control of either of them.
The Hero Dies: Towards the end of The Final Reckoning, he attempts to defeat the spirit of Jupiter using Audrey's mousebrass, which worked before. It doesn't this time.
Heroic BSoD: He does this more than once in The Final Reckoning. First when he discovers that everyone in his home, Holeborn, has been savagely slaughtered by Morgan's rat army. Then he sees that his friend Marty did not survive the attack after all, and his skin is being used as the rats' flag.
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: When Audrey is fighting for her life against the ghost of Piccadilly, who is being controlled by the evil magic of Jupiter and intends to strangle her. She is finally able to get him to remember who he was, and a tearful farewell takes place as he finds peace and crosses over to the other side.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Downplayed. He's cheeky and snarky much like Audrey, but he's a very nice and heroic mouse.
Nice Mice: He's a nice mouse.
"Not So Different" Remark: Morgan tells Piccadilly this during their duel, which disgusts the latter and causes him to snap out of the rage that had blinded him.
She Is Not My Girlfriend: Barker asks him if Audrey is his girlfriend. A moment of awkwardness ensues.
Survivor Guilt: It becomes clear that he feels this way about surviving his first trip into the sewers while Albert did not. Audrey's initial perception of him as a coward who left her father to die only makes him feel worse.
Will They or Won't They?: With Audrey. They never have the chance to.
Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: When Morgan expresses admiration for Piccadilly's bloodlust during their Duel to the Death, the latter is horrified and snaps out of the rage that blinded him to everything else.

Oswald Chitter

A sickly albino who nonetheless is very heroic. Though a runt, he is taller than the other mice and is apt to stoop. Due to his size, on one occasion he was mistaken for a young rat.

Dowsing Device: He uses a forked hazel twig to find lost objects.
The Infiltration: He is attempting to retrieve Audrey's mousebrass in the midst of a bunch of sleeping rats when they suddenly awaken. He thinks he's done for, but they actually mistake him for a young rat. Though a bit insulted, he goes along with it and, calling himself Whitey, he works in the mines with them for a while... until he realises Jupiter's plan to bring back the Black Death and escapes.
Nice Mice: He's a mouse and heroic.
The Poorly Chosen One: Sort of. The bat Ashmere was given a prophecy by the Lady of the Moon that "a mouse with pink eyes would save all". He doesn't, though he is very courageous in facing Jupiter.
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Subverted in The Crystal Prison. The book begins with him being deathly ill, and it seems certain that he will not make it. Then he is healed by the magic of the Starwife. Death does finally catch up to him in The Final Reckoning, though.
Unlikely Hero: You wouldn't think a frail albino runt would be capable of acts of bravery, but there you'd be wrong.

William "Twit" Scuttle

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

The cousin of Oswald Chitter who lives in the country, he is the result of the union of a house mouse and a field mouse. He is thought of as having "no cheese upstairs" (in other words, as a simpleton), but there is much more to him than that. Several times he has proven his intelligence and bravery.

Beware the Nice Ones: You do not want to threaten his friends!
Country Mouse: Literally!
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He is perceived as an idiot, but when danger appears, he will prove how tough he really is.
Twit was breathing hard. No one had ever known this mood in the little field mouse and the crowd gasped and wondered at the outcome. Twit's teeth flashed as he bared them and he put up his fist.
"You oughtn't to have done that," he shouted, trembling with emotion. "Try it again and I'll do fer you."
Kindhearted Simpleton: This is how he is regarded by many. Deep down, he's so much more.
Nice Guy: He's incredibly goodhearted and never has a mean thing to say about anyone.
Nice Mice: He's a mouse who's a Nice Guy.
Too Dumb to Live: There is one instance where he does live up to his humiliating nickname. When he, Arthur, and Oswald enter the sewers to look for Audrey, he shouts her name as loud as he can in spite of knowing that there are bloodthirsty rats around who would definitely hear him. And they do. The three are almost killed before they happen to be rescued by Audrey and Piccadilly.
Unwanted Spouse: Though she does care for him as a friend, Audrey regrets having married Twit (she only agreed to do so to be saved from the hanging noose) because now she is unable to pursue her true love, Piccadilly.
"If only I had been kinder then, things might be different, he might have come to Fennywolde and I might be his wife instead. I wish Twit had let me hang."

Arthur Brown

Audrey's brother who has a positive outlook and is steadfast in friendship. He enjoys fighting but most of the time he comes off worse.

Author Avatar: Robin Jarvis always likes to insert a character based on himself ("a bit clumsy and a bit too fond of supper") in his books. Arthur is the representation of him in this series.
Big Eater: He really enjoys his food.
Big Fun: He is described as fat and jolly.
Carry a Big Stick: His weapons of choice are sticks, which he calls "rat beaters".
Evil Me Scares Me: The dark magic of the Grille causes him to say some hateful things about Audrey, and when it wears off, he is horrified.
My God, What Have I Done?: Granted, he was influenced by dark magic at the time, but after he realizes he said some really hateful things about Audrey, he immediately regrets it.
Nice Mice: He's a nice mouse.

Thomas Triton

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thomas_5.jpg

A retired midshipmouse with a Dark and Troubled Past. He lives in Greenwich inside the dry docked clipper ship, the Cutty Sark.

Alliterative Name: Thomas Triton.
Dark and Troubled Past: He blames himself for the death of his friend Woodget.
The Drunken Sailor: He loves rum, partly because it helps him to temporarily ease his guilty conscience.
I Let Gwen Stacy Die: He is haunted by feelings of guilt for killing his friend Woodget. This is made all the more tragic when it is revealed that he was under mind control when it happened. On top of it all, he is unaware that Woodget was rescued by the siren Zenna whose song gave him amnesia. He was brought to the City of Hara in India and is presently the Holy One.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: His reaction to Bess's rejection of him in favour of Woodget. He cares deeply for both of them and so he backs down. However, as fate would have it, neither of them end up marrying Bess.
Loner-Turned-Friend: When Twit first came across him, Thomas was living alone on the Cutty Sark. He soon befriended the fieldmouse and became a trusted ally of the mice in the Skirtings.
Love Triangle: He and Woodget are both in love with Bess Sandibrook. She, however, only has eyes for Woodget. When she tells Thomas this after he proposes to her, he bows out gracefully, only to find that Woodget has run off. He left a note explaining his mistaken belief that Thomas' feelings for Bess are reciprocated and that he doesn't want to get in the way of their romance. Thomas sets out to find him and bring him back.
Meaningful Rename: Originally Thomas Stubbs, he took on the last name Triton in tribute to his friend Woodget, who used to tease him with it after their encounter with the sea maidens.
My Greatest Failure: That he was unable to return Woodget safely to Betony Bank and was the one responsible for his death.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He and Woodget travel to Singapore in the hopes of finding Simoon. They do eventually, but they've also unwittingly taken the ninth fragment right into Scale territory.
Nice Guy: He's a heroic mouse.
Talk Like a Pirate: He tends to do this. For instance he calls friends "mateys".
Tragic Keepsake: He always wears Woodget's blue woolen hat in memory of his friend.
Unrequited Love Lasts Forever: In spite of her rejection of him and his not having seen her in years, it seems Thomas still has affectionate feelings for his boyhood crush, Bess Sandibrook. After he is wounded by an ice spear in The Final Reckoning and his fever has him talking out of his head, he imagines that his future wife Gwen Brown is Bess and he speaks passionately to her.

Gwen Brown

The loving mother of Arthur and Audrey, who stays strong for her family amid all the horror and heartache.

Tragic Keepsake: She has her husband's mousebrass, which Piccadilly gave to her after being instructed to do so by Albert before his death.

Albert Brown

The husband of Gwen, and father to Arthur and Audrey. His disappearance sets the plot in motion.

Flayed Alive: His implied fate.
Sacrificial Lamb: He dies in the first chapter.
Small Role, Big Impact: Though only appearing briefly, it is his disappearance that sets the plot in motion.
We Hardly Knew Ye: He is killed almost immediately after being introduced.

Alison Sedge

A vain fieldmouse girl who feels threatened by Audrey when she comes to Fennywolde.

Excessive Mourning: She withdraws into her own little world after Jenkin dies, having delusions that they are together and neglecting to groom herself. By the time of The Deptford Mice Almanack, she has become so frightful in appearance that she looks more like a rat than a mouse.
Green-Eyed Monster: Alison is insanely jealous of Audrey, because she feels that the latter is threatening her relationship with Jenkin.
Human Sacrifice: After Audrey is tied into the Green Laws by her marriage to Twit, Alison is to be the sacrifice that will allow Jupiter's spirit to return to the living plane. She escapes after Akkikuyu casts herself into the bonfire she was to have been thrown into.
Imaginary Love Triangle: Alison falsely believes Audrey is trying to steal Jenkin away from her (though the two of them have already grown apart due to her vanity). While he himself falls for Audrey (and even proposes to her), she politely refuses him and lets him know that Alison is the one for him.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She could be interpreted as this, as even after her semi-Face–Heel Turn to a Proud Beauty when she gets her mousebrass, she still has feelings of compassion for Jenkin.
The Lost Lenore: Jenkin qualifies as this to her, as he was her true love and she has an extreme Sanity Slippage over his death.
Malicious Slander: She is in part responsible for making the Fennywolders believe that Audrey is evil.
The Mourning After: Upon Jenkin's death, she throws away her mousebrass and stops taking care of her appearance. With him gone, it is stated that she knew then that she would never marry.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Though she's not a hero (falling into a grey area at best), this trope literally happens when she breaks Akkikuyu's crystal ball, unwittingly allowing the spirit of Jupiter to escape from within.
The Ophelia: The state she's in at the epilogue of The Crystal Prison, driven mad and wearing a shabby dress with her hair disheveled.
Proud Beauty: Ever since she received her mousebrass, the Sign of Grace and Beauty. Then gets flipped on its head after Jenkin dies.
Sanity Slippage: Jenkin's death sets this in motion for her.

Jenkin Nettle

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

Dark and Troubled Past: His mother died bringing him to the world, and his grief-stricken father abuses and demeans him for taking his wife away. He even wished that his son got carried away by an owl.
Death by Irony: A tragic version of this. In Whortle's Hope, his father says cruelly that he wishes an owl would come and carry him off so he'd never have to see him again. Guess what happens to Jenkin in The Crystal Prison?
Doomed by Canon: Whortle's Hope ends on a rather happy note, but anyone who has read The Crystal Prison beforehand knows the sad fate awaiting Jenkin.
Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: His father blames him for the death of his mother, who died while giving birth to him.
Missing Mom: His mother died in childbirth, which his father blames him for.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: He is shown to be this in Whortle's Hope. It's rather one-sided.

Isaac Nettle

A devoutly religious field mouse. He is the mousebrass maker of Fennywolde and scorns anyone and anything that he feels is against the Green Mouse.

Abomination Accusation Attack: He convinces most of the other field mice that Audrey is evil.
Abusive Parents: He is this to his son Jenkin, who he abuses physically, emotionally, and verbally for "killing" his wife in childbirth.
Activist-Fundamentalist Antics: His rants against Audrey, who he (wrongfully) believes is a bad influence on the Fennywolders.
"Silence, fiend of the deep cold," ranted Isaac. "Thy craft speaks for itself. It is a blasphemous effigy and mocks the design of the Green Mouse. Oh Great One, do not let us pay for the misguided deeds of the ignorant. She is the scum of vile cities, the cream of the sinners - not one of your true servants. Punish us not for her wrong doing."
Condescending Compassion: Isaac shows a condescending pity to those he sees as having welcomed sin into Fennywolde.
Isaac pointed a shaking finger at the King of the Field and cried, "What heresy is this? What sin have thee welcomed, Woodruffe?" He flung his arms open wide and yelled to the sky. "Forgive thy subject, Almighty, that he should have fallen into such folly."
The Fundamentalist: Believes in the Green Mouse so fervently that he looks down on those who don't, and persecutes anyone suspected to be against his god.
I Wished You Were Dead: Chillingly, in Whortle's Hope he declares to his son Jenkin in a fit of anger that he wishes he were snatched away by an owl. In The Crystal Prison, that is exactly what happens and Isaac is devastated.
Kick the Dog: He wishes that Jenkin would get carried off by an owl so he wouldn't see his face again. Guess what happens after?
Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: He holds his son responsible for his wife's death because she died giving birth to him.
Meaningful Name: His surname is Nettle, like the plant known for its stinging hairs. This is fitting due to his abrasive personality.
No Indoor Voice: He tends to do a lot of angry shouting.
Targeted to Hurt the Hero: Madame Akkikuyu leads Isaac to Mahooot's tree where he finds Jenkin's remains in owl pellet form along with his mousebrass, resulting in him having a Heroic BSoD. This was part of Nicodemus's plan to get Isaac enraged enough to create a mousebrass of hate to curse Audrey, which would be a crucial ingredient in the spell that would release the spirit from limbo (he was really Jupiter in disguise).

The Rats

Morgan

Jupiter's lieutenant, who obeys his every command. He is a piebald rat from Cornwall and has served his master ever since throttling his predecessor, Black Ratchet.

Death Equals Redemption: Eventually tired of being under Jupiter's thumb, so he asked Piccadilly to kill him so he could atone. When refused, he kills himself instead.
The Dragon: To Jupiter, increasingly unwillingly.
Driven to Suicide: He kills himself to atone for his sins after Piccadilly refuses to kill him.
Klingon Promotion: He earned his position as The Dragon to Jupiter after throttling Black Ratchet, his predecessor.
Please Kill Me if It Satisfies You: After wearying of their duel, Morgan urges Piccadilly to go ahead and kill him, as he wants to be free of Jupiter's control. When the mouse refuses after coming to his senses, Morgan commits suicide.

Madame Akkikuyu

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

A fortune-telling black rat from Morocco. She is a phony, as she possesses no true magical powers, though she desperately wishes she had them. Jupiter takes advantage of this desire to enlist her into his service.

Animated Tattoo: The face on her ear, through which Nicodemus (really the spirit of Jupiter) is able to speak to her.
Be Careful What You Wish For: She wants to have magic of her own so she can truly be a genuine fortuneteller and have friends. When she realizes just what she got herself into and sees Jupiter's true form as a cat, she doesn't take it well.
Creepy Souvenir: She keeps the head of a kitten drowned at birth as a macabre sort of good luck charm. After getting Trauma-Induced Amnesia, she finds it in her bag and wonders why she would have such a gruesome thing.
Go Mad from the Revelation: When Akkikuyu sees that Jupiter is a monstrous cat, her mind snaps.
Heroic Sacrifice: Madame Akkikuyu throwing herself on the bonfire to stop Jupiter's plans in the second book. While she earns *personal* redemption, Jupiter's spirit finds his way to freedom anyway...
Manchild: After she loses her mind, Akkikuyu is described as being "little more than a harmless mouse child dressed in a rat's skin".
Redemption Equals Death: She defies Jupiter and saves Alison by jumping onto a bonfire where she burns to death.
Self-Immolation: She leaps onto a bonfire to prevent Jupiter returning by taking possession of her body.
Tragic Villain: Deep down, she has a good heart, but is manipulated by Jupiter, who promises the real magical powers she so craves in exchange for serving him. She is hesitant to do the things he tells her to. All she really wants is to be happy in summer sunlight and have friends.
Transformation of the Possessed: In The Crystal Prison, the spirit of Jupiter plans to take possession of Madame Akkikuyu's body as his was destroyed. Akkikuyu begins to transform into a cat (much to her horror), but before Jupiter can fully take control of her body, she kills herself.
Trauma-Induced Amnesia: After seeing Jupiter crawl out of his lair, she gets this. She still is aware of her identity, but has no memory of her life prior to that point.
Weather Manipulation: When there is a drought in Fennywolde, the fieldmice approach Akkikuyu in the hopes that she has some magical way to make it rain. While she herself doesn't, Nicodemus (a.k.a. Jupiter) tells her to gather ingredients to cast a rain spell — a bird to represent air, and a fish to represent water. It works, but unfortunately, the shower doesn't last long.
You No Take Candle: She speaks broken English with a Moroccan accent.

Deities

The Green Mouse

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

The main God of Good in the series, worshiped by the mice and many other woodland creatures. He is the spirit of life and growing things whose power is at its height in the spring and summer, but wanes in the winter.

God's Hands Are Tied: This tends to be the case with the Green Mouse. He might appear and give some encouragement to the heroes, but that's about all.
Have You Seen My God?: The powers of the Green Mouse weaken in the winter (he actually dies temporarily and is reborn in the spring), so he is not available to protect his followers all the time. In The Final Reckoning, due to the eternal cold conjured up by Jupiter, the heroes were essentially on their own with no chance of any divine intervention.
Plant Person: He is the rodent version of the mythical Green Man.

The White Lady of the Moon

The moon goddess, revered by the bats. She is a comrade of the Green. He invited her to take part in the Midsummer's Eve celebration in Fennywolde and she worked her magic on the water of the still pool, making it taste like wine to the mice.

Lunacy: Among other things, she is responsible for giving the bats their gift of prophecy and insight.
Moon Rabbit: Her messenger, sent to earth in the form of a hare, is in all likelihood based on this myth.
Seers: Probably this herself, as she's able to give the bats their gift of prophecy.

Jupiter

A living God of Evil who dwells in the blackness of a portal in the sewers of London, and the main trilogy's Big Bad. No one has seen him, not even the rats who worship him and do his bidding.

Animalistic Abomination: Jupiter is a borderline example even when alive, but in undeath he slides fully into this trope. In that state, he is a building-sized ghost whose mere presence freezes everything around him and whose magical might threatens the whole world.
The Antichrist: An animal version of this. The opening sentence of The Alchemist's Cat is even a derivation of a line from the Book of Revelation.
Big "NO!": He yells this when the Starglass falls from his grasp.
Body Horror: He is a horrifically bloated cat whose body is covered with warts and poisonous boils poking through his ginger fur.
Cain and Abel: The Cain to his deceased brother, the original Jupiter. Growing up, he had to watch Jupiter being loved and cared for by Dr. Spittle while he was abused and called "Leech" for being an ugly runt. When Jupiter was prophesied to be the "Lord of All", Leech murdered him, took his name, and became the god everyone feared.
Came Back Strong: Although he was skilled in black magic when he was alive, after Jupiter returns as a spirit his powers are vastly increased. This is best demonstrated when he quickly and easily destroys the Anti-Cat Charm that had previously led to his death, dashing the hopes of the mice who thought it could work again.
Cats Are Mean: An exaggerated example: As it turns out, he is a hideous giant cat who murdered his brother, took his name and identity, and usurped the original Rat deities as god of the rats. He's also responsible for almost every tragedy the heroes have suffered.
Dark and Troubled Past: He was born an ugly runt and abused by Dr. Spittle, who gave him the insulting name "Leech" because he hated him so much. He was forced to watch from the shadows as his brother received the love and positive attention he wanted so badly.
Deadpan Snarker: He's prone to moments of this, particularly in The Dark Portal, such as when he comments on the irony of being a cat worshipped as a god by rats.
The Dreaded: He is thought of this way by the mice.
Emerging from the Shadows: At the end of The Dark Portal, he finally steps out of the eponymous portal thanks to Audrey's taunting, and reveals himself as a giant cat.
Entertaingly Wrong: Apparently thinks the Raith Sidhe are completely fictional, the final book of the trilogy and several of the spinoff books confirm they are very real, arguably a lot more powerful than Jupiter was before he Came Back Strong and are ........ unhappy about Jupiter usurping their followers among the rats.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: In The Alchymist's Cat, he is alarmed at the news of his mother Imelza's death (at the hands of an angry mob of humans who feared animals were carrying the plague). He secretly vows to avenge her one day and make all mankind pay.
Evil Gloating: He does plenty of this.
"Yes Akkikuyu," sneered the great deceiver, "it is I, your master returned. JUPITER has come back from eternity."
Evil Is Deathly Cold: He aims to smother the world in eternal winter in The Final Reckoning.
Evil Is Hammy: He is very dramatic and almost theatrical in his villainy.
Evil Plan: In The Dark Portal, he plans to unleash the Black Death once more. In The Final Reckoning, his goal is to smother the world in an eternal winter.
Evil Overlord: Of the rats in the sewers of Deptford.
Evil Sounds Deep: His deep, melodious voice is often described.
Fat Bastard: He is a cat "grown bloated and evil by years of hatred in the sewers".
Fate Worse than Death: Audrey uses the power of the snowdrop flower to condemn him to the doom of everlasting spring throughout eternity.
Faux Affably Evil: Particularly while in the Nicodemus persona. There he purposefully adopts a higher, "sickly sweet" voice and charms Madame Akkikuyu into doing his bidding. He lies about being a spirit of the fields trapped in limbo who desperately needs to return so he can tend to nature. In reality, he is manipulating her into releasing him from from the other side.
Freudian Excuse: In his early years, he was abused by Dr. Spittle, who would take out his frustrations on him by kicking him. It was Spittle who gave him his original name, Leech, and showered affection on his brother while despising him for being an ugly runt.
From Nobody to Nightmare: He started off as a pathetic, scrawny runt of a kitten known as 'Leech'. He ended up becoming an immortal sorcerer with legions of followers, and later still a godlike creature that came within an inch of conquering the world.
God-Emperor: Rules the rats under London, and is worshiped as their living god. Come the reveal that he's a cat, the rats feel betrayed for having to work under a predator animal.
I Am the Noun: "I am the dark thought in their waking hours, I invade their dreams and bring horror! I am the essence of night, the terror around the corner, the echo behind!"
Immortality: After drinking the Elixir of Life, he gained a sort of immortality, living for hundreds of years in the sewers of London. Unfortunately for him, he is still vulnerable to fire and water. It's the latter that does him in, but not for long, as he returns in spirit form to torment the living.
Large and in Charge: He's a giant cat whose subjects are rats (though they are unaware of what species he is until he reveals himself at the end of The Dark Portal).
Multiple Head Case: Most characters believe he takes the form of a giant, two-headed rat. They're wrong.
No One Sees the Boss: For hundreds of years, Jupiter has lived in the dark portal, unseen by anyone. However, he can see things anywhere through an extension of himself in Madame Akkikuyu's Crystal Ball. Everyone finally does in The Dark Portal; he's a giant cat.
Nothing Is Scarier: Initially he is this, a mysterious and powerful being who dwells in the complete blackness of a portal in the sewers. Even In-Universe, characters can only speculate as to what exactly he is as no one has ever seen him... at least until he is goaded by Audrey into crawling out and reveals himself to be a giant cat.
Physical God: He is a living god with a physical body (at least until the end of The Dark Portal).
Red Eyes, Take Warning: All anyone has ever seen of him are his glowing red eyes.
The Reveal: When Audrey goads him into finally crawling out of the dark portal after hundreds of years in blackness, he reveals himself to have been a giant cat all along. The rats who worshiped him feel betrayed to have been slaving away for a natural predator.
The Sociopath: His cruelty has no bounds and he never shows remorse for any of the vile things he has done.
Small Name, Big Ego: Played with, as he is in the first book of the trilogy Jupiter has very real and dangerous magical powers and a form of contractual immortality but he is not a true God, and indeed seems unaware of the existence of several real deities in the setting like the Raith Sidhe who he disregards as fictional superstition. When she mentions him to a would be worshipper the Raith Sidhe Goddess Mabb describes Jupiter as an upstart-inferior who would be overthrown when the Raith Sidhe returned. Then Jupiter Comes Back Strong and becomes an undead force of destruction and dark magic to the point the Starwife thinks a confrontation between Bauchan, who is observing his rampage, would go badly for Bauchan.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: Particularly in his guise as Nicodemus, where he is described as having a "sickly sweet voice" that made Akkikuyu shudder.
Take Over the World: His ultimate goal.
This Cannot Be!: When he realizes that Audrey has defeated him, he screams this.
Tom the Dark Lord: In The Alchymist's Cat, it is revealed that his real name is Leech.
Unknown Rival: Jupiter thinks the Raith Sidhe are not real and happily co-opted their worship among the Rats for himself including appropriating several Raith Sidhe religious practices like peeling victims. The Raith Sidhe are in fact very much real and none to happy about Jupiter's actions.
Villainous Breakdown: He has one at the end of The Dark Portal after trying and failing multiple times to force Audrey to go to him with his powers. When she goads him to come get her himself, that's the last straw. Furious, he indeed emerges and reveals himself for the first time after several hundred years of hiding in darkness.
Villainous Glutton: His subjects frequently bring him food as offerings. When he finally shows himself, it is revealed he is a grossly obese cat.
Weather Manipulation: At Akkikuyu's request, he aids her in casting a spell to make it rain. This is while he is manipulating Akkikuyu in the guise of Nicodemus.

The Raith Sidhe

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

The three ancient gods of the rats who lost power long ago and in the 'modern day' had their faith overtaken by Jupiter but they are not gone and are in fact plotting their return to power. Most powerful of all is Hobb, the hideous horned rat, who revels in bloodshed. Mabb, his consort, is known as the Sleep Visitor, for she visits rats in their dreams and inspires them to commit murder. Bauchan is a trickster who can appear in any form he desires to walk unnoticed among his followers.

Big Bad: Hobb is this in The Oaken Throne. His followers being recurring enemies with he himself manifesting in terrfying glory at the book's finale to be fought by the heroes.
Eldritch Abomination: Overlapping with Demon Lords and Archdevils.
Evil Versus Evil: While things never escalated to the point of a face to face confrontation with Jupiter both times a member of the Raith Sidhe becomes active in the same era as Jupiter the Raith Sidhe in question is interested in acting against him, because they see him as a usurper for taking the worship of rats. Bauchan in the final book of the main trilogy was explicitly active to look into the possibility of overthrowing Jupiter and in Fleabee's Fortune Mabb suggests Fleabee elevated to her high priestess could takeover rule of the sewers from Jupiter.
Exact Words: Mabb uses this to trick Virianna in Whortle's Hope. She says she'll take only one life, but doesn't specify whose.
Flaying Alive: Victims are traditionally skinned alive when sacrificed to Hobb. His High Priest wears a red silk costume to imitate the look of a corpse that has been stripped of flesh.
Food Chain of Evil: It's heavily implied they are **much** higher up the supernatural foodchain than Jupiter, atleast before he Came Back Strong, and that their return would not go well for him. When Jupiter senses Mabb's magic in play during Flea Bee's Fortune he becomes uncharacteristically agitated.
Give My Regards in the Next World: The disguised Bauchan whispers in the ear of Kelly's corpse to tell Hobb he sent him.
Master of Disguise: Bauchan, who can assume any form he likes to walk among mortals incognito.
Predecessor Villain: In the main trilogy, they were worshipped by rats and other creatures long before Jupiter came to power and many of the nastier practices among the rats of the modern day like flaying their victims are leftover's of their time in power. Their are several ominous hints they are looking to make a come back.
Pretender Dis: Mabb makes several less than impressed remarks about Jupiter's magic when she appears.
Sealed Evil in a Can: Hobb
Theme Naming: Each of the Raith Sidhe are named after a sort of fairy from Celtic lore. Hobb gets his name from the hob, Mabb is named after Queen Mab, and Bauchan gets his name from a Scottish hobgoblin.
Unknown Rival: Jupiter thinks the Raith Sidhe are not real and happily co-opted the worship of the Rats for himself including appropriating several Raith Sidhe religious practices like peeling victims for his own use. The Raith Sidhe are in fact very much real, looking to make a comeback and none to happy about Jupiter's actions.
Villain Respect: Bauchan claims that the Raith Sidhe appreciate those who show bravery, whether they be rats or not. Whether this is true or not is uncertain due to Bauchan's reptuation as a trickster, but he does seem to genuinely respect Piccadilly for his courage and mourns his death.

Sarpedon

A serpent God of Evil from out of the East who is the Greater-Scope Villain of Thomas. He was banished from the living plane many years ago, but if all nine fragments of a jade egg are assembled when his nine stars are shining in the sky, he will return. The heroes are doing everything in their power to ensure that doesn't happen.

Egg MacGuffin: A jade egg needs to be pieced together for him to return.
I Have Many Names: He has been referred to as Sarpedon, Suruth Scarophion, and Gorscarrigern.
Living Statue: His spirit inhabits a statue of himself when his plans of being reborn in the jade egg are thwarted.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: He is an evil snake god.
The Voiceless: He gets one line: "SPEAK!"
When the Planets Align: He is closest to the living plane when his nine stars appear in the sky.

Other Characters

The Starwife

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

The ancient queen of the squirrels who possesses incredible magical powers. While some would call her a "rude old battleaxe", her seemingly cruel actions are for the good of all, though they may not understand them at first.

Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: She has the Silver Acorn pendant and the Starglass, and they are the sources of her power.
Benevolent Mage Ruler: Though she can appear short-tempered and callous, she is in fact a good ruler and means well.
Cool Chair: She sits upon an intricately carved Oaken Throne.
Cool Old Lady: A sassy magic-wielding old squirrel woman? Definitely cool!
Cruel to Be Kind: Her modus operandi. A notable example is in The Final Reckoning, when she suggests that the wounded Thomas (suffering from the effects of an evil enchanted ice spear) be finished off quickly as it would be better than the fate of freezing to death she believes Jupiter has in store for everyone. Ultimately she is convinced by Audrey to heal Thomas, however.
Deadpan Snarker: She has a very sharp tongue, so it's no surprise that whenever she and Audrey meet, they engage in intense Snark-to-Snark Combat.
Great Offscreen War: There was one at the time she chose to become the Starwife in her youth as she recalls racing "uphill from the battle to the safety of the throne". This can't be the war between the bats and the squirrels as it has been confirmed by the author that she is not Ysabelle.
The High Queen: While she does have her temper and other faults, she is a well-intentioned Benevolent Mage Ruler.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Though the Starwife has the best of intentions, she initially comes across as rude and cruel. This probably has something to do with the fact that being a Broken Bird is an actual requirement for the job, as Ninnia states in the prequel The Oaken Throne.
"To become the Handmaiden of Orion, one must know terrible grief in order to learn compassion."
Junior Counterpart: Audrey is hers, and she is fully aware of their similar personalities, all but saying that the mouse reminds her of herself. That's why they so often clash, and why she chooses Audrey to be her successor. As it turns out, they even share the same name.
Last of Her Kind: She is the sole remaining black squirrel.
Meaningful Funeral: The Starwife orders Thomas Triton to observe the ceremony the squirrels hold to honour their dead in The Final Reckoning. This is because she wants him to make sure she has one exactly like it when she passes on.
Never Mess with Granny: It is dangerous to get on the wrong side of the Starwife. As ancient as she is, she is still an imposing figure and possesses great power. Even her servants fear her fiery temper; she has been known to throw her stick at them when they annoy her.
The Omniscient: She is aware of pretty much everything.
"This is where the stars are studied," boomed Orfeo. "They search for answers far out in the deep heavens."
"When at their feet the Starwife knows all. Wise fools!" snorted Eldritch.
Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Her tendency to be snappy with others causes her to be perceived as rude. She justifies it with having been given little chance to practice her manners
"I do have manners but it's so rare that I find anyone worth practicing them on."
Self-Sacrifice Scheme: In The Final Reckoning, after passing on her title to Audrey, the Starwife goes outside into the snowstorm and ritualistically freezes herself to death. Her body is found and burned in a pyre, and then a magical snowdrop flower grows on that spot. It is later used by Audrey to defeat Big Bad Jupiter once and for all.
Senior Sleep-Cycle: At one point during her first meeting with the Starwife, Audrey wonders if the old squirrel nodded off. The Starwife is indignant at this.
Surrounded by Idiots: She is most certainly not a villain, but often she will grumble about the incompetence of her grey squirrel servants.
When Elders Attack: If riled, she will throw her stick at her servants.
Wizards Live Longer: Much like the Holy Ones, the Starwives are given a much longer life span than ordinary creatures, and this one in particular has remarked that she has lived for more years than is even normal for them.

Orfeo and Eldritch

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

Bat brothers who live in the attic of the empty house in Deptford. They can see into the future and will give predictions to those who visit them, but in such a cryptic manner that it is impossible to make any sense of them.

Cryptic Conversation: Being omniscient Cloudcuckloolanders, this is basically how they communicate. They're so incapable of answering a straight question with a straight answer they wouldn't be out of place on Kitchen Nightmares.
Delighting in Riddles: They clearly get enjoyment from knowing what is to come and giving others only clues about it.
Figure It Out Yourself: The bats are really no help at all to anyone seeking their aid. They speak the truth, but refuse to do so in an easily understandable manner.
Orfeo snorted and spread his wings. "Beware the ear that whispers, did we not tell the fat one?" he pointed accusingly at Arthur.
Prophecy Twist: There are plenty of these. For one, they mention that Audrey will be wearing silver if "all survive the dark months". All the mice can think of are the silver bells Twit gave her that she wears on her tail. In reality, the bats are referring to the Silver Acorn pendant that will be around Audrey's neck when she becomes the new Starwife at the end of The Final Reckoning.
Seers: All bats have the gift of prophecy and insight, and they are no exception.
Vagueness Is Coming: The long-winded prophecy they give in The Dark Portal foreshadows the events not only of that book but of the next two.

The Deptford Histories

The Alchymist's Cat

William Godwin

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

The son of a yeoman who is lured to London to meet his late father's estranged brother. Instead, he is framed for murder and blackmailed by a wicked alchemist who forces him to work in his apothecary shop.

Break the Cutie: He's an innocent preteen boy whose entire family (save for an unknown uncle) is wiped out by smallpox, he goes to London to meet the aforementioned uncle only for his traveling companion to be murdered right in front of him, he is framed for the murder of that man, and is forced into servitude by an evil alchemist who abuses him and sends him on horrifying errands. And in the end, the evil alchemist turns out to be his uncle, who attempts to murder him.
Farm Boy: He qualifies, being the son of a farmer from the village of Adcombe.
The Farmer and the Viper: When Spittle is dying of the plague, Will decides that, in spite of his cruelty, he can't let him die. With Jupiter's help Will creates the Elixir of Life which restores Spittle back to health. But then he is revealed as Will's estranged uncle who proceeds to attempt to murder him.
The Hero: He is the protagonist of the story.
If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: He is initially hesitant to help Jupiter create the Elixir of Life to restore the cruel Spittle to health, but Jupiter responds by asking that if he lets him die "Does that not make you even as he?"
Mistaken for Murderer: Spittle frames him for the murder of John Balker so he will work for him, as otherwise he will be hunted down and lynched if he dares to step outside the apothecary shop.
Muggle in Mage Custody: He is held against his will by an evil alchemist who makes him work at his apothecary shop.
Nice Guy: He is a kindhearted young man.
Save the Villain: Despite the abuse he has suffered at his hands and the possibility of his being finally free from his servitude, Will refuses to let Spittle die of the plague. He finishes creating the Elixir of Life that the alchemist had been attempting to make prior to falling ill and uses it to restore him to health. However, Spittle doesn't care that Will saved his life and tries to kill him afterward.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He rescues the last surviving cat from the burning wreckage of Spittle's apothecary shop. While from his perspective, he saved an innocent animal, he doesn't realise that this cat is the villainous Leech (who would go on to become the living God of Evil Jupiter). Will's small act of kindness unleashed horror upon the world.

Elias Theophrastus Spittle

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

An evil old alchemist, obsessed with finding the Philosopher's Stone and later the Elixir of Life. A ginger kitten, who he names Jupiter, becomes his familiar and ends up learning magic from him.

Bad People Abuse Animals: The kitten Leech is a common target for his wrath, being mercilessly kicked around. He also kills and dissects Dab, for no other reason than to satisfy his morbid curiosity about anatomy.
Cain and Abel: He hated his younger brother Daniel, and once tried to murder him when they were children.
Death by Irony: This almost happens to him. After being so obsessively careful not to contract the plague, the vain Spittle creates a hair colourant to use on himself and impulsively kisses the rat he successfully tested the formula on in gratitude. By doing so, he gets the plague and is doomed to die. However, Will is moved to save his life and teams up with Jupiter to create the Elixir of Life, which restores Spittle to full health.
Evil Uncle: As it turns out, Spittle is Will's uncle, Samuel Godwin.
For the Evulz: Why he kills, dissects, and pickles the innocent cat, Dab.
Immortality Seeker: He sets out to create the Elixir of Life. Ultimately he is successful, but fire and water are the Achilles Heels of anyone who drinks it. It's fire that does him in.
Meaningful Name: His surname, Spittle, refers to saliva (as in spitting). This suits his vile personality, though oddly enough In-Universe it was an alias he chose for himself. The surname he was given at birth was Godwin, as he is really Will's estranged uncle.
Necromancer: Late at night, he goes to St. Anne's Churchyard to summon Magnus Zachaire from beyond the grave. The particular chapter in which he does this is even titled "Necromancy".
Shed the Family Name: He severed ties with his family, changing his name from Samuel Godwin to Elias Theophrastus Spittle.
That Man Is Dead: During The Reveal that he is Will's uncle, Spittle proclaims "My name is Elias Theophrastus Spittle - I do not recognise that former life. I have ceased to be Samuel Godwin!"
Ungrateful Bastard: When Spittle is dying of the plague, Will's good nature moves him to help his captor and abuser by creating the Elixir of Life with the help of Jupiter. Spittle is restored to health, but doesn't care that Will saved his life, and proceeds to try to murder him.
Unknown Relative: He is in fact Will's uncle Samuel Godwin, the one who wrote and invited him to London in the first place.
Vain Sorcerer: One of his unsuccessful attempts to make the Elixir of Life results in him creating a hair restoring potion with which he grows thick auburn locks. He's so proud that he risks going out into the plague-ridden streets of London to show it off. Naturally, that does not end well for him...
Wham Line: "I have ceased to be Samuel Godwin!"
Would Hurt a Child: Spittle abuses and even tries to murder Will, who is 11 years old at the start of the book and can't be more than 13 or 14 by the end. He is revealed as Will's Evil Uncle, who wants him out of the way so he can keep the family fortune for himself. He fails and Will ends up surviving after all.

Jupiter

Dr. Spittle's familiar, a ginger kitten who can be arrogant but possesses a love for his family, even as his brother resents his knowledge of magic.

Big Brother Bully: He is initially cruel to his younger brother Leech, using his magic skills to pick on him. He eventually regrets his mistreatment of him, but by then it was already too late to make amends.
Cats Are Magic: He learns to perform magic by observing Dr. Spittle.
Duel to the Death: He has one with Leech during the finale, which is interrupted when they both realize the apothecary shop is burning down.
Familiar: At Will's suggestion, Dr. Spittle makes Jupiter his familiar, which is the only reason he decided to keep the cat family.
Not His Sled: Throughout The Alchymist's Cat, there are many hints that he will grow up to become the Big Bad of the original trilogy. He doesn't.
Posthumous Character: The god Jupiter is actually Leech posing as his brother, the real Jupiter, who died long ago.
Talking Animal: Though all the animals in this universe are capable of speaking to one another, it has been mentioned that they generally do not speak in a way humans would understand. However, due to his magic skills and teaching himself to do so, Jupiter is eventually able to talk to humans. His voice is described as "a hissing parody of a human voice".
Unstoppable Rage: When Jupiter finds his sister's pickled corpse in a jar in Spittle's cabinet and turns against him completely.

Leech

Jupiter's envious brother, an ugly sable kitten who was the runt of the litter. He wants to learn magic, but is furious when he learns that only one member of any family may use it.

Brains Evil, Brawn Good: His brother is physically stronger than him, but he is conniving and manipulative.
Cain and Abel: Want to know how the cocky but well-meaning Jupiter in the prequel grows up to be a remorseless god of evil? He doesn't. His brother kills him and assumes his identity.
Cats Are Mean: He is spiteful towards others due to being a runt. He would go on to become the evil god Jupiter of the main trilogy.
Duel to the Death: He has one with Jupiter during the finale, which is interrupted when they both realise the apothecary shop is burning down.
Et Tu, Brute?: He and Jupiter climb the chimney of the burning apothecary shop in an effort to escape. At a moment when Jupiter is slipping and needs his brother's aid, Leech instead pries his claws from the brickwork and lets him fall to his death.
Evil Is Petty: He lets his sister Dab be murdered and dissected by Spittle because she was calling to her brother for help and not him.
Freudian Excuse: From the moment the litter of kittens was brought into Dr. Spittle's apothecary shop, the alchemist despised and abused Leech (he was the one who gave him that insulting name) while praising his brother. It's no excuse for his becoming a horrific, cruel monster, but his feelings of bitterness and envy are understandable given the circumstances.
From Nobody to Nightmare: As it turns out in the Twist Ending, he is the Jupiter of the main trilogy, having murdered his brother and stolen his identity.
Kill It with Fire: He murders Jupiter by letting him fall down the chimney of the burning apothecary shop.
Lack of Empathy: As part of his sociopathy. He didn't even shed a tear as Dab was carried away to her horrific fate because she was expecting their brother Jupiter to save her, not him.
Lean and Mean: He is the spiteful, bony runt.
The Resenter: He hates his brother for being able to use magic and because he is adored by everyone.
Sibling Murder: He kills his brother Jupiter and assumes his identity.
Sibling Rivalry: He despises his brother Jupiter, and envies him for his ability to use magic.
The Sociopath: He lacks any true feelings of empathy for anyone, caring only for himself. When his sister Dab was being carried to her death by Dr. Spittle, he refused to help her because she was crying out for Jupiter, not him.
The Un-Favourite: He is this, but not so much to his family as to Dr. Spittle.

Dab

A tortoiseshell kitten, Jupiter and Leech's only sister who tries to be a peacemaker as she doesn't like to see them fighting.

Kill the Cutie: She is a sweet little cat who is killed by the cruel Dr. Spittle.
People Jars: This is her sad fate after being taken away one night, murdered, and dissected by Dr. Spittle. When Jupiter finds her remains, he is filled with Unstoppable Rage.
Too Good for This Sinful Earth: She is pure and tenderhearted — certainly the most sympathetic of the animal characters — and ends up murdered.

Imelza

The mother of Jupiter, Leech, and Dab who hates being trapped in the apothecary shop. She is used to roaming free. Her longing for the outside world will be her undoing.

Be Careful What You Wish For: She hates being cooped up in Spittle's shop and longs to be outside again. She ends up killed by humans who feared she was carrying diseases.
Mama Bear: When the feline midwife recommends killing the scrawny runt Leech, Imelza is outraged and threatens her for suggesting such a thing about her new baby.

Magnus Zachaire

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magnus_0.jpg

The ghost of a sorcerer from the previous century whom Spittle imprisons in a bottle in order to learn his secrets.

Barred from the Afterlife: Called back from the afterlife, Magnus cannot re-enter it (much to his frustration) as he has been trapped by Dr. Spittle in a glass bottle.
Dem Bones: At the end of the book, his skeletal remains are called from the grave, and when they are united with his spirit, he comes back to life.
The Dog Bites Back: After having been trapped in a bottle and tortured by Spittle, he manages to free himself and come back to life to get his revenge on the evil alchemist.
Everyone Has Standards: He is aghast when he learns that Leech let his own sister be murdered by Dr. Spittle merely because she was calling for Jupiter's help and not his.
I Hate Past Me: He has plenty of regrets regarding his behaviour in his mortal life, and knows Spittle is making the same mistakes he did.
Our Ghosts Are Different: He is called back from the grave by Dr. Spittle and subsequently trapped in a glass bottle from which he is unable to escape. Frustrated by the spirit's unwillingness to help him, Spittle tortures him by holding the bottle to a flame. The heat causes Magnus great pain as he is used to the cold of the void.
Posthumous Character: He is a ghost for most of the story.
Sickly Green Glow: He glows blue to reflect the fact that he's a spirit.
The Snark Knight: Having been brought back from the peaceful void against his will, he is very bitter and snarky - especially towards his captor, Spittle.
Spirit Advisor: He speaks with Leech nightly (as he is dead, he now has the ability to converse with any creature no matter the species). He even tries to advise Leech to turn away from his dark path of jealousy, but the cat doesn't listen.
Tailor-Made Prison: Dr. Spittle uses magic to trap Magnus' spirit in a glass bottle from which he is unable to escape.
Who Wants to Live Forever?: After going through all the trouble of coming back from the dead to be immortal, Magnus suddenly decides that he'd rather die again and return to the peace of the eternal void. He drags the horrified Dr. Spittle with him into the raging fire enveloping the apothecary shop.

Molly

A beautiful young woman who befriends Will.

Broken Bird: When she first came to London, she was very naive. Several men (including Sir Francis Lingley) swept her off her feet before breaking her heart. Those negative experiences caused her to become cynical.
Dark and Troubled Past: After her mother died, Molly's father would lash out at her in his grief and anger over her death.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has blonde hair and an angelic personality.
Missing Mom: Her mother is dead.
Plague Doctor: Molly wears this outfit as she tends to plague victims. Also, she stands in the alley outside Dr. Spittle's window while wearing it to scare him, and for a while he is convinced a horrific beaked monster is haunting him.

Sir Francis Lingley

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

Dr. Spittle's rival, a commoner who poses as a lord and has become quite popular in the court of King Charles II.

The Dandy: He always dresses in the finest silks and velvets, with elaborate plumed hats. At one point, he criticises Spittle for his shabby wardrobe, threatening to take his business elsewhere if he doesn't improve his appearance. The enraged Spittle makes a trip to the raghouse to try to find fancier garments with which to impress Lingley.
Driven to Suicide: After he is tricked by Dr. Spittle into disgracing himself, he commits suicide by poison.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: He is introduced as a lord who is a well-respected member of the king's court. After Spittle gives him a list of phrases in French (which he cannot speak), he says them to the king and his guests, only to realise that they are insults. Subsequently he is stripped of his title.
My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels: A banquet is being given by the king for a friend who is visiting from France. Lingley is invited, but cannot speak French, so he is forced to enlist the aid of Dr. Spittle who can. He is given a list of phrases that are supposed to be compliments and general conversation. But as Dr. Spittle hates Lingley, they are in reality horrible insults. Naturally, when Lingley says them to the king and his guests, he is disgraced.

Peggy Blister

The Oaken Throne

Ysabelle

A black squirrel princess of the Hazel Realm, Coll Regalis, she must go on a perilous journey to the land of Greenreach to become the new Starwife. Along the way, she encounters the young bat Vespertilio, and initially they despise each other. However, their feelings soon turn into different ones entirely.

Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: The Silver Acorn, which gives her the power to bring down the Big Bad, Hobb.
Benevolent Mage Ruler: What she becomes as the Starwife.
The Big Damn Kiss: When Vesper kisses her passionately in front of the gathered bat and squirrel armies, who react with shock and revulsion.
Break the Cutie: Initially an innocent, fun-loving pampered sweet princess, she experiences so much tragedy and heartbreak on the road to Greenreach that by the end of the book, she is basically a Broken Bird.
Character Development: At the beginning of the story, she is a carefree and naive princess. During her journey, she is forced to mature and becomes far more humble and compassionate. Through her relationship with Vesper, she sees that the bats are not the monsters she thought they were and slowly begins to forgive them for the crimes they committed against her kind in ignorance.
The Chosen One: The Silver Acorn, the Starwives' badge of office, drops from the sky and she catches it. This seems to be by chance, but it is implied that fate was at work and she was meant to be chosen as the new Starwife. In any case, that's how things play out.
Comes Great Responsibility: Gradually she comes to understand that the powers she is inheriting need to be used responsibly, and that it is not as simple as casting a spell to annihilate the bats, the perceived enemies of the squirrels.
Daddy's Girl: Her father, Lord Cyllinus, adores her.
"Did you see me, Father?" she asked. "How was my dancing? Did it compare to the others?"
With paw on heart, the lord had to admit that he had not even noticed that there had been any other dancers. "You were as the sun and they the stars," he told her. "You did outshine them all."
Deus Angst Machina: Her parents die, several of her friends die and one betrays her, and then to top it all off the love of her life dies. And she is destined for a long and lonely reign as the Starwife.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: She defeats Hobb.
Doomed Hometown: Coll Regalis, which falls to the army of bats that besieged it.
Dressing as the Enemy: She fools the Hobbers by wearing the outfit of their high priest.
Finders Rulers: The Silver Acorn literally falls into her paws. This is a sign that she is The Chosen One who must journey to Greenreach and take up the Starwifeship.
Her Heart Will Go On: After she finds Vesper dead, she takes her place as the Starwife, ruling for nearly three hundred years.
The High Queen: What she becomes as the Starwife.
I Just Want to Be Normal: Initially, she does not want to be the Starwife, but accepts the position because it is her duty.
Interspecies Romance: She, a squirrel, falls in love with Vesper, a bat. They don't get to pursue a relationship due to a villain's curse and Ysabelle's poor choices.
Loved I Not Honor More: She refuses to run away with Vesper at the end of the book because she values her duty as the Starwife above everything else. While she does later change her mind, by then it is too late.
Parental Abandonment: Early on, her parents are murdered by the bat army, having given their lives so she could escape to Greenreach.
A Protagonist Shall Lead Them: It is her duty to journey to the war-ravaged land of Greenreach and become the new Starwife.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: She banishes an evil rat god.
Sole Survivor: She is the last of the royal line of Coll Regalis.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Vesper.
Take a Level in Badass: She starts out as a typical spoiled princess, but circumstances soon require her to get powerful enough fight the villains head-on.
Trauma Conga Line: As she sends her away to become the Starwife, Ysabelle's mother is concerned that her wisdom has failed her in regards to her decision. This is because "to become the Handmaiden of Orion, one must know terrible grief in order to learn compassion". Let's just say that by the end of the book, that's not an issue anymore.
Uptown Girl: She is a princess and ultimately the Starwife, whereas Vesper is a commoner.
Watching Troy Burn: She and her entourage pause to watch the attack on Coll Regalis in the distance, knowing that their loved ones have stayed behind as a diversion and are being killed by the bat army.
Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: She at first has a haughty attitude toward Vesper, viewing him as nothing more than a repulsive bat.
Wizards Live Longer: According to The Deptford Mice Almanack, she reigned for nearly three hundred years.
You Can't Go Home Again: She is forced to leave the Hazel Realm, which will soon be destroyed by the bat army, and travel to Greenreach to take up the Starwifeship.

Vespertilio

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

A young bat who dreams of becoming a Knight of the Moon like his father was. Like all bats, he hates squirrels, but when he meets Ysabelle, he begins to see things differently.

Ancestral Weapon: He takes his father's screechmask and gauntlets and attempts to follow the bat army to the attack on Greenreach. However, they prove too heavy for him and he ends up losing them and getting his wing broken in the process.
Anguished Declaration of Love: He makes one to Ysabelle at the end of the book. She initially rejects him and leaves, but changes her mind. When she returns, however, it is too late.
Big Damn Heroes: His rescue of Ysabelle from being eaten by toads.
"Begone!" commanded a voice that boomed throughout the cavern. "Release her!"
The toads cringed and flinched as the hateful intruder charged at them, rising into the stale air, beating them with its wings and lashing out at them like a thing demented.
The Big Damn Kiss: When he kisses Ysabelle passionately in front of the gathered bat and squirrel armies, who react with shock and revulsion.
Deadpan Snarker: He can be this at times, especially early on when he is antagonistic towards Ysabelle.
Deus ex Machina: He is part of one near the end of the book. Ysabelle is tricked by the treacherous Morwenna into descending far below the Hallowed Oak and becoming trapped in a locked room where hungry toads are waiting to devour her. There seems to be no way out, but somehow Vesper (who is outside in the midst of a presumably noisy battle) is able to not only hear her cries, but quickly find his way down a dark maze of unfamiliar passages (it was previously noted that even Morwenna, who was familiar with them, had some trouble navigating) to rescue her.
Fantastic Racism: Initially hates squirrels, but comes around once he meets Ysabelle.
Happily Failed Suicide: In the opening scene, Vesper leaps from a tall turret, intending to fall to his death. Then he changes his mind and flies upward just before he hits the ground, proclaiming that he'll "not be quenched so easily".
Interspecies Romance: He, a bat, falls in love with Ysabelle, a squirrel.
Love Hurts: Just before his murder, he is rejected by his love interest Ysabelle, who believes it would be best for them to abandon their romantic dreams and never see each other again as it is her duty to become the new Starwife. She does change her mind and comes back to find him, but by then it is too late.
Meaningful Name: Vespertilio is a genus of bats in the family Vespertilionidae.
Prophecy Twist: He is cursed by the High Priest of Hobb to die at the sound of bells, so throughout the book he is terrified whenever he hears them. When his death inevitably comes at the end, the bells surrounding him are in fact bluebell flowers.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Ysabelle.
Too Dumb to Live: Drinking an unknown liquid given to you by a cloaked stranger? Yup, that sounds like a good idea...
Turn Out Like His Father: Vesper's mother forbids him to join in the war against the squirrels. She says it is because he is too young, but she probably also fears he may be killed as his father was.
You Can't Fight Fate: In the end, all the evil is defeated and it seems Vesper has avoided his death curse after all. Then the ghost of Wendel Maculatum appears and kills him at last, leaving the grief-stricken Ysabelle to weep over his corpse.

Giraldus

A blind, leprous mole who is on a pilgrimage to the land of Greenreach in the hopes that he and his friend Tysle will be healed.

Gentle Giant: He towers over the other characters and can be intimidating both because of his size and because of the leprosy that afflicts him. However, those who get to know him will find him to be very kind.
The Grotesque: As a leper, he is disfigured by the disease and his appendages have been known to fall off. Those who encounter Giraldus always feel revulsion and/or pity at the sight of him.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Tysle.

Tysle Symkin

A shrew with a lame leg, the only survivor of an attack by Hobbers. He was rescued by Giraldus and became the blind mole's guide.

Death by Irony: Invoked by his killer, Wendel, who taunts the grief-stricken Giraldus by saying "The little runt always did want me to carve him." Tysle wanted a wooden puppet made in his likeness, but ended up getting Flayed Alive.
Handy Helper: He is faithful in leading his blind friend Giraldus.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Giraldus.

Wendel Maculatum

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

A traveling stoat jester with a dark secret. He is in truth the high priest of Hobb.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first he appears to be a kindly, if dim-witted, friend to Ysabelle... but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Blood Magic: After Flaying Alive one of Ysabelle's guards, he dips the stolen Silver Acorn into his blood three times and then calls Hobb's name three times. This is what summons the evil rat god back to the world.
Curse: Angered that he cannot reach Ysabelle and Vesper as they are being protected by the Green's sacred stream, he lays curses upon them. For Ysabelle, it's to be the first victim of Hobb when he emerges from the earth. For Vesper, it's to die at the sound of bells. As it turns out, Ysabelle is spared because of Exact Words, but Vesper is not so lucky.
Dirty Coward: Wendel runs away as soon as the monsters emerge from the depths of the lonely mere, essentially leaving his friends to die. They hold this against him for a while afterward. However, considering his true villainous nature, this turns out to have been intentional cruelty rather than just a shameful act of a craven coward.
The Ditz: He is a self-proclaimed duncefellow. In reality, he is a cold, calculating villain.
"From the pot of learning I did but take a sip, and found it so bitter to my taste that I did spit out what I supped. Beneath my tinkling hat, not an ounce of brains do I possess, and that I like full well."
Evil Puppeteer: He carves wooden puppets which he delights in using to cruelly mock others.
False Friend: While he at first seems like an ally to Ysabelle, he is in fact the exact opposite.
Flaying Alive: He does this to his victims, and as the high priest of Hobb, he dresses in an outfit that makes himself resemble a skinned corpse.
Happy Harlequin Hat: He wears one of these in red and yellow.
High Priest: He is the high priest of Hobb.
Monster Clown: As an evil jester, he qualifies.
Obviously Evil: Arguably, the illustrations could lead one to the conclusion that Wendel is evil before it is ever revealed in the book. He looks nasty even during his innocent jester routine at Aldertide.
Performer Guise: He gains the trust of the heroes by playing a jester.
Plucky Comic Relief: He is this, even helping Ysabelle In-Universe to deal with the trauma she is experiencing. At least until he's revealed to be evil.
Shoo Out the Clowns: Wendel naturally stops being funny when it turns out he is the murderous High Priest of Hobb in the latter half of the story.
Walking Spoiler: You'll notice that most everything about Wendel has been spoilered out. There's a reason for that...
Wicked Weasel: He's evil, and he's a mustelid.

Morwenna

The treacherous black squirrel who orchestrated the fall of Greenreach.

Bodyguard Betrayal: She was the Starwife's handmaiden, who supposedly was giving her mistress medicine to cure her illness, when in reality it was poison that was making her sicker. She also used her access to the Starglass to lower the magical defenses the Starwife had put around Greenreach so the bats could attack.
Creepy Shadowed Undereyes: As seen in illustrations of her.
Et Tu, Brute?: Her betrayal of the Starwife, who trusted her completely as her handmaiden.
Evil Chancellor: To the Starwife.
Faux Affably Evil: She served the old Starwife for years in the guise of a humble servant.
Fourth-Wall Observer: There is a bizarre example in the first chapter, where she comments on something explained by the narrator. Fourth wall breaking is not something that happens in these books (this is the only time it ever does).
No other squirrel, red or black, had ever had the courage to explore these ghastly caverns. A sinister smile split Morwenna's face.
"Well, if they have," she muttered in a voice as sharp as her features, "none have ever returned."
High Priest: Gender-inverted. She is the priestess of Mabb, the goddess of the Raith Sidhe. Beneath the circlet she wears, there is a third eye tattooed on her forehead to signify this.
Lady of Black Magic: She has magical powers that derive from being Mabb's priestess.
Lean and Mean: She is described as gaunt and bony.
Loves the Sound of Screaming: She took pleasure from hearing the cries of the remaining inhabitants of Greenreach as they were eaten by her pet toads.
"How my ears were amazed to hear their ignoble shouts and screams." She chuckled ever so faintly. "Soon you, too, will squeak as they did before you - squeak and squeal until your lungs rupture."
"You will not hear me cry out," Ysabelle swore. "I shall not satisfy thy black heart by shrieking for mercy!"
Man on Fire: Squirrel in her case; she unwittingly finds herself the victim of the fate intended for Ysabelle - being burned to death by Hobb.
Obviously Evil: As can be gathered by the illustration to the right.
Pimped-Out Cape: She wears one that she created herself. The inside of it is a black tapestry depicting vile scenes. Into its fibers she wove spells of smothering and silence, and she uses it to cover the Starglass and stifle its protective magic over the realm.
Poison Is Evil: She uses it to slowly kill the Starwife. Eventually, however, she finishes her off by stabbing her.
Reminiscing About Your Victims: To Ysabelle she fondly recalls hearing the screams of the royal princesses she lured into the secret chamber beneath the Hallowed Oak to be eaten alive by her pet toads.
Thin Chin of Sin: She's got one to go along with her overall angular appearance.
The Usurper: She fully intends to be this, taking up the Starwifeship for her own nefarious purposes, but she never quite gets the chance to do so.
Villainous Cheekbones: She has these, as can be seen in illustrations of her.
You Have No Chance to Survive: She taunts Ysabelle after she has lured her to the secret chamber where she keeps pet toads that are hungry to devour the squirrel maiden.
"Oh," she cried, "perhaps you hope to be rescued? Ah, my dear, vulgar peasant urchin, how simple thou art."

Lady Ninnia

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

Ysabelle's mother, the ruler of the Hazel Realm, renowned for her vast wisdom.

Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: In addition to the bronze hazelnut pendant she wears around her neck, she also has several rings on her fingers.
The High Queen: She is part of the Matriarchy of squirrel queens governing five different lands.
I Did What I Had to Do: How she justifies sending Ysabelle away to Greenreach to become the next Starwife, although even she has her doubts.
Never Got to Say Goodbye: She manages to keep her emotions in check as Ysabelle prepares for her journey to Greenreach. But after she leaves, she breaks down crying, lamenting the fact that she never even said goodbye to her daughter.
What the Hell, Hero?: Her husband calls her out for planning to send their daughter away into danger in the faint hope that she will make it to Greenreach and take her place as the Starwife. She snaps back that if she stays in Coll Regalis, she will most certainly perish, but if she leaves she at least has a chance of survival. He grudgingly agrees.
Women Are Wiser: Since the rulers of the Hazel Realm are part of a large Matriarchy, this is a required trait. Ninnia is known for her wisdom; after sending Ysabelle away, she mollifies her angered husband by justifying her action with the fact that their daughter would die if she stayed, though even she doubted her own judgement.

Griselda

The nervous field mouse maidservant of Ysabelle, who has looked after her since she was a baby.

Butt-Monkey: She goes through quite a bit of humiliation, such as when she is forced to dance with Wendel.
The Finicky One: A perfect example of this, fussing over her charge and making sure she isn't seen doing anything that wouldn't befit her station.
Lady-In-Waiting: To Ysabelle.
Maid and Maiden: She is the maid to Ysabelle's maiden.
Nervous Wreck: She frets constantly.

Godfrey Gelenos

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

Prime counselor to the Lady Ninnia, so intelligent that even she has bowed to his judgement on more than one occasion.

Cool Old Guy: An old and wise advisor
The Good Chancellor: To the Lady Ninnia.
Indy Ploy: Watching his friends get taken away to their doom, one by one, at the Hobbers' gathering, he comes up with a plan on the spot to trick their guard into untying him so he can punch him out... and it works. He unties everyone else and they escape.
Mentor Archetype: He acts as a mentor to Ysabelle.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: He is killed fairly early on in the book.
The Professor: Not only is he a learned scholar, but he did also teach Ysabelle as she was growing up.
Stern Teacher: He fits this trope perfectly as he has little patience for Wendel's antics, believing that they are distracting Ysabelle from listening to the wisdom he gives her.

The Ancient

The messenger of the moon goddess who came to earth in the form of a hare to converse with the Green Mouse in ages past. He still remains in a chamber beneath the ground, waiting for the time when he will need to emerge and do battle with Hobb.

Blind Seer: He is able to see in this book, but by the time of Whortle's Hope, he has gone blind.
Creepy Good: Ysabelle is initially frightened of his eyes, which shine like the moon. He gently tells her not to fear. Overall he is very intimidating in appearance, but entirely benevolent.
God in Human Form: He is an angel who came to earth in the form of a hare.
I Have Many Names: He has been referred to by a long list of names over history, such as the purblind one, the dew hopper, the furze cat, the stag of the stubble, he with the leathery horns, the legs of the four winds, and the Moon-Sent Angel.
Moon Rabbit: He is based on this myth, except he doesn't embody the moon; rather, he's the messenger of the moon goddess.
Our Angels Are Different: He is a servant and messenger of a goddess and referred to as the Moon-Sent Angel.
Prophet Eyes: His eyes look like twin moons.

The Starwife

The Starwife who ruled Greenreach before being betrayed and murdered by her trusted handmaiden, Morwenna. In her youth she had woven the magical protective barriers that prevented enemies from assailing the blessed hill — at least until Morwenna caused the enchantments to fail.

Benevolent Mage Ruler: She used her magic to protect her subjects.
Horrible Judge of Character: Morwenna served her for years, and even as an all-knowing Benevolent Mage Ruler, the Starwife apparently never once suspected her handmaiden was not who she appeared to be.
The Omniscient: "The Starwife knows all."

Thomas

Thomas Stubbs

See Thomas Triton above.

Woodget Pipple

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

A little field mouse who befriended Thomas when he arrived at the former's home, Betony Bank. When a misunderstanding causes him to leave and board a ship, Thomas sets out to find him, and the two of them become embroiled in a battle against a Religion of Evil from the East.

Break the Cutie: By the end of his ordeal, "the endearing air of innocence that shone in Woodget's face [is] gone forever."
Going Native: With no memory of who he once was thanks to the Siren who sang to him, he becomes the new Holy One of Hara. When asked by Sobhan if he can recall anything about his former life, he responds that he can't and that it is better that way, as he would not want to be anywhere else but with "[his] people".
Identity Amnesia: In the epilogue, it is revealed that Woodget was saved from drowning by the siren Zenna, whose song made him forget all about who he was. She took him to the City of Hara where he became their new Holy One.
Innocence Lost: This happens to Woodget and is lampshaded at the end of the book.
Interspecies Romance: Downplayed, but his defending the dark and antisocial siren Zenna from mockery by her fairer, more Princess Classic sisters leaves her visibly smitten with him. This is why she follows him across the ocean, and ultimately saves his life when a mind-controlled Thomas throws him into the sea to drown.
Meaningful Name: His name is a clever reference to Richard Woodget, the former captain of the Cutty Sark. The famous dry docked clipper ship would become his friend Thomas' home upon his retirement.
Tarot Troubles: Simoon has him select one card to reveal the ruling influence in his life. There is an image of Sarpedon on it, and Simoon uses sleight of hand to switch it for the positive Love card instead so as not to upset him.
Unlucky Childhood Friend: He never gets back home to marry Bess.

Mulligan

An Irish mouse who carries around a bag, inside which is something that he is ready to defend at all costs.

Cruel and Unusual Death: Melted into a pile of sludge by Dimlon.
The Drunken Sailor: He is depicted as this, having a taste for rum.
The Farmer and the Viper: He saves Dimlon from drowning, only to find out that he is in fact Dahrem Ruhar, adept of the Scale. He is intent on killing Mulligan and taking the MacGuffin he is guarding.
Fighting Irish: He's an Irish mouse and will resort to violence to keep the ninth fragment out of enemy hands.
Horrible Judge of Character: As mistrusting of others as he is, he never thinks to suspect Dimlon as being a member of the Scale.
I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: As he dies, he gives the ninth fragment to Woodget and tells him to take it to the City of Hara.
I'm Melting!: His death scene, during which his body melts into a pile of sludge, is described in all its incredibly gruesome detail.
Macguffin Guardian: Mulligan's family has for years been entrusted with the largest and most dangerous fragment of Sarpedon's egg, moving it from place to place so it will never be found.
Seadog Peg Leg: He has one of these.
Talk Like a Pirate: He tends to talk this way.

Chattan Giri

A mongoose captain from the City of Hara in India.

Colonel Badass: He leads an army of mongoose warriors.
Taking You with Me: He says this to Dahrem after the latter's poisoned blades slice into him.

Simoon

A wandering jerboa prophet whom Thomas and Woodget meet on board the Calliope.

Continuity Nod: When Thomas and Woodget ask him to tell a story, he brings up the events of the previous book, The Oaken Throne.
"Of the great war between the messengers of the moon and the treefolk of the wood I know much. Grievous was the sorrow of that dark time, when the young Ysabelle gained the throne through misery and despair."
Seers: What he is.
Tarot Troubles: He uses cards to tell the fortunes of Thomas and Woodget. Much to the former's dismay, he foresees a life at sea with no joy in it, for "a great weight shall ever drag [Thomas] down". He then offers to show Woodget his ruling influence. After he selects a card and Simoon gets a look at it, noticing that it has an image of Sarpedon on it, he deftly switches it with the positive Love card so as not to upset Woodget.

Dahrem Ruhar

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

An adept of the Scale.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He outwardly seems to be a good, if imbecilic friend of Thomas and Woodget's, but deep down he would like nothing better than to savagely murder them.
Evil Gloating: He does this a lot.
Evil Is Hammy: Members of the Scale tend to be this way.
Gorn: The series itself is full of this, but he is guilty of what are likely the most over-the-top examples of it. When he murders the Calliope's bosun, Able Ruddaway, he not only stabs him with his poisoned blades (consigning him to a painful death as he slowly melts into a pile of sludge), but then he also slices him in half and throws the mutilated carcass off of the ship!
False Friend: He pretends to be a friend to Thomas and Woodget, but in reality is deceiving them. At one point he is reunited with the two of them, and while they are overjoyed to see him, he is imagining himself viciously murdering them!
Hostage for MacGuffin: He captures the temple maiden Neltemi and threatens to kill her if Mulligan doesn't hand over the ninth fragment of Scarophion's egg. Mulligan is ready to do as he asks, but Neltemi stabs herself with Dahrem's blades so he doesn't have to make the choice and can escape.
Manipulative Bastard: He pretends to be a dim-witted mouse named Dimlon to befriend Thomas and Woodget, even coming up with an entire false backstory for the character, just to gain their trust.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Beneath his mouse facade, he is an evil lizard.
Scaled Up: As an adept of the Scale, he can tear off his mammalian skin and assume the form of a lizard.
Smug Snake: Literally.
The Sociopath: He fits the criteria for being one.
Ungrateful Bastard: Mulligan saves his life. He wants to kill him.

The Holy One

The head of the Green Council, a wizened loris who has devoted himself to a life of austere solitude as the sadhu. He is among the wisest of all creatures and he dwells in a chamber atop the thousand steps of the mountain in the City of Hara.

Dirty Business: He regrets having to commit an act of betrayal for the greater good.
Lotus Position: He sits like this to meditate.
Necessarily Evil: He unlocks the main gate of the City of Hara so the Scale can enter. This apparent betrayal is part of a plan the higher level good guys have come up with to defeat their enemies.
The Omniscient
Shoot the Dog: His betrayal of the City of Hara. He saw it as necessary, but deeply regrets doing so.

Zenna

A mouse-like siren who falls in love with Woodget after he defends her against the cruel taunts of her sisters.

All Love Is Unrequited: Though she never confesses her feelings to him (preferring to watch from afar), Woodget in all likelihood would not return her love as he only has eyes for Bess.
All of the Other Reindeer: She is mocked by her sisters for her supposedly plain looks and for being a loner who prefers to spend her time in stagnant grottoes rather than singing in the sun.
Because You Were Nice to Me: She becomes infatuated with Woodget after he stands up for her when her sisters are mocking her.
Dark Is Not Evil: Her sisters mock her as "the plain one", because whereas they are the mouse equivalent of the pale-skinned, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Princess Classic, she is a darkly hued siren with glossy black fur and big moon-like eyes. In addition, whereas they are associated with various beautiful, clear, warm seas, Zenna is associated with the cold, dark regions of the oceans. Despite this, she is the only one of the sirens who is not presented as spiteful, vain and cruel, and she is even directly helpful to Woodget on several occasions in her gratitude to him for his standing up for her.
Stalker with a Crush: Of the non-sinister variety. She follows Woodget, unbeknownst to him, on his voyage across the sea due to her having fallen in love with him.
Tuckerization: She is named after the daughter of a librarian Robin Jarvis once met.
Undying Loyalty: Woodget's kindness toward her earns him hers.

The High Priest of Sarpedon

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

A sable who is fanatically devoted to Suruth Scarophion.

Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He is never referred to by his real name, only by his title.

Mother Lotus

A hideous bloated rat who runs the Lotus Parlour, a bar in Singapore. Her customers also refer to her as "Ma Skillet".

Asian Speekee Engrish: She is a Singaporean who speaks broken English.
Compelling Voice: Part of her hypnotic powers. She commands the mesmerized Thomas to throw his friend Woodget into the sea, and he does so without question. When he awakens from the trance, he realises he has made the worst mistake of his life.
Hypnotic Eyes: She has the power to hypnotize others to do whatever she wants them to. Initially she does this to Thomas for her own cruel amusement, but then he ends up saying too much and putting he and Woodget in danger.

The Deptford Mouselets

Fleabee's Fortune

Fleabee

A rat girl who is unlike others of her kind. She is gentle and refuses to harm anything.

Earn Your Happy Ending: Robin reveals that after escaping the sewers at the end of her book, Fleabee traveled the world, became a very respected ratwitch, and changed her name to something more serious.
Famous Ancestor: She is the granddaughter of Black Ratchet, who was formerly Jupiter's lieutenant until he was throttled to death by Morgan.
Fantasy Keepsake: She finds an ornate dagger on her pillow, a gift to her from Mabb.
So Proud of You: Fleabee's mother tells her this after learning that Mabb has asked Fleabee to become her high priestess. In spite of how she acts toward her, Klakkweena has always secretly been proud of her daughter and believed she was destined for great things. But as she has a Hidden Heart of Gold to keep hidden, she warns Fleabee that if she's asked to repeat it, she'll deny it was ever said.
Token Heroic Orc: Rats of Deptford are known for being vile and despicable, but she is the complete opposite.
The Un-Favourite: Her parents are embarrassed by her and wish she could be more like her sister.
Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Often Fleabee's parents will express this sentiment concerning her kindness, wondering why she isn't like the other rats.

Scabmona

The little sister of Fleabee who is an absolute terror, a true rat of Deptford. She can't wait to peel a mouse.

Annoying Younger Sibling: To Fleabee, who she torments mercilessly.
Bratty Half-Pint: As they are rats, her parents are actually proud of her rude behaviour, whereas they are ashamed of her polite older sister Fleabee.
Enfant Terrible: She is a perfect example of this trope. She cannot wait for the opportunity to "doofer" (do for) someone.
Expy: She's a rat version of Ramona, though far more bratty. Her name even combines the last part of Ramona's first name with "Scab".
Little Miss Snarker: She definitely has her moments.
Meaningful Name: A scab is a skin disease that occurs in animals. She acts like an outright pest to Fleabee.
Parental Favoritism: She is favored by her parents for acting like a true rat, unlike the kinder and gentler Fleabee.
Talk to the Hand: She says the rat version of this; "Talk to the claw 'cos the snout ain't listening!"
Unusual Pets for Unusual People: She brings home a cockroach that she names Growler to keep as a pet. Soon she tires of him and eats him.

Klakkweena

Wife of Rancid Alf, and mother of Fleabee and Scabmona.

Abusive Parents: Both she and her husband emotionally (and sometimes physically) abusive to Fleabee for not being like other rats, and favor her sister Scabmona over her because of it.
Almighty Mom: She's the domineering matriarch of her household, and her husband Alf often kowtows to her.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:
- As much as she fights with and insults Alf, there are some genuine moments of affection between the two of them.
- Her relationship with Fleabee is also this trope. While she does demean her oldest daughter for not being like other rats, it's merely a facade and deep down she's really proud of her.
Famous Ancestor: She boasts of being the daughter of Black Ratchet, who was previously Jupiter's lieutenant before Morgan throttled him.
Good Is Bad And Bad Is Good: This is true for her and all the sewer rats.
"Good morning, Mother," said Fleabee.
Another raucous laugh burst from across the tunnel.
"Good?" shrieked the ratwife in outrage. "Good? Don't you dare be polite — you little horror."
Hidden Heart of Gold: It becomes clear that a lot of her nastiness is an act, though she'd never publicly admit to that.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Though outwardly she is as mean and unpleasant as any rat in the sewers, she secretly truly cares for her much-maligned eldest daughter and is proud of her after all.
Parental Favoritism: She favors Scabmona for behaving like a true rat. This is part of a facade she keeps up to hide the fact that she loves Fleabee, too.

Rancid Alf

Klakkweena's husband, and father of Fleabee and Scabmona.

Abusive Parents: Along with his wife, he's emotionally (and sometimes physically) abusive to his oldest daughter Fleabee for not being like other rats.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Though he takes a lot of abuse from Klakkweena, it is made clear that they are as Happily Married as rats can be.
Henpecked Husband: Klakkweena is definitely the one in charge and Alf always does what he is told.

Lickit

A young rat with a lisp. He has a crush on Fleabee, to her disgust.

Abhorrent Admirer: It could be gathered from the way he interacts with Fleabee that he has a crush on her, much to her disgust.
Killed Offscreen: When he tries to run away after having failed to kill anyone during First Blood, it is implied that he is caught by the other ratlings and murdered. Scabmona expresses the hope that they'll tear his head off for a Kickabout.
Speech Impediment: He doesn't say much, but when he does, he speaks with a lisp from having such a long tongue.

Ambrose

A nervous young grey squirrel servant of the Starwife who is captured by the rats to be used as a victim for their Festival of the First Blood.

Human Sacrifice: Squirrel in his case. He nearly becomes this after being caught and brought to the rats' Festival of the First Blood.
Lovable Coward: He could be regarded as this, depending on whether you find his cowardice endearing or annoying. Really, you can't blame him for being scared out of his wits considering the situation he's in.

'Orace Baldmony

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

The ghost of the first rat to ever rebel against Jupiter and live peacefully among the mice. Unfortunately, that did not last long, for he was sought out and murdered along with his new friends.

Friendly Ghost: He acts as a kindly mentor to Fleabee, giving her hope.
Our Ghosts Are Different: When he appears, Fleabee remarks that he doesn't look how she imagined a ghost would look (that is, he appears no different than if he were alive). He laughingly replies that he didn't want to scare her by being "all see-through and smoky".
Redemption Equals Death: Formerly a lieutenant of Jupiter, he realised the error of his ways and befriended the mice whom he decided to live with. However, an army of his kind was sent to find him. When they did, they pulled him to pieces, stuck his head on a spike, and slaughtered all his mouse friends too. Jupiter placed a curse on the Grille in the cellar of the old empty house in Deptford that would lure generations of mice to their doom.
Spirit Advisor: He becomes this to Fleabee as, like her, he was an unusually goodhearted rat.

Nuff

A hamster who escaped the life of a pet to become a circus performer. He has big theatrical ambitions.

Classically-Trained Extra: He's very theatrical with everything he does.
I Am Not Weasel: Klakkweena, having never seen a hamster before, says he looks like a flattened mouse to her.

Tilik and Vasili

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Gerbil brothers from Mongolia who escaped from captivity with Nuff. They speak little English but are very talented acrobats.

Asian Speekee Engrish: They have thick accents and the only English words they know are "yes", "no", and "chocolate finger" (oddly enough).

Whortle's Hope

Whortle Nep

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A young field mouse who wants to win the Fennywolde Games and become Head Sentry.

Doomed by Canon: Anyone reading Whortle's Hope likely has read The Crystal Prison beforehand, so they know that Whortle will eventually end up murdered.
Field Trip to the Past: He is sent on one to witness for himself that the watervole brothers' mother was not guilty of murdering Fenny.
Throwing the Fight: In the end, he allows Jenkin Nettle to win the Fennywolde Games. He has found out that Jenkin's father abuses him and may start being kinder to him if he won.
Underdogs Never Lose: Subverted by Whortle Throwing the Fight to help Jenkin. Were it not for that, he would indeed have won when no one expected him to.
You Already Changed the Past: After being sent to the past, Whortle mistakenly believes that Virianna is attempting to murder Fenny (in reality, she is casting a spell of protection against the Raith Sidhe). He manages to grab her bag of powders and discards it. In doing so, he has allowed Mabb to enter and it is she who kills Fenny (while possessing the body of Virianna).

Figgy Bottom, Samuel Gorse, Todkin, and Hodge

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Whortle's friends, who are willing to do anything to help him win the Fennywolde Games. Together with him they are a club called the Wolf Killers.

Crippling the Competition: Samuel does this to Dimsel Bottom by giving her his magical biscuit. It makes her gain a tremendous amount of weight and renders her completely immobile so that Whortle can win the raft race.
The Promise: They swear an oath to help Whortle win the Fennywolde Games, adding darkly that if they fail, may they all be cursed and doomed. It is implied that, since Whortle didn't win in the end and the oath was left unfulfilled, they indeed unwittingly brought misfortune upon themselves... the events of The Crystal Prison.
True Companions: They're Whortle's friends who will do anything to help him.
Unwanted Assistance: Whortle's friends use cheating to help him win the Fennywolde Games. When he finds this out, he is furious with them.

Dimsel Bottom

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A local bully, and the younger sister of Whortle's friend, Figgy Bottom.

Alpha Bitch: She is the ringleader of her group of friends.
Annoying Younger Sibling: To Figgy, her older brother and one of Whortle's friends.
Balloon Belly: She is given a magical biscuit by Samuel Gorse which, unbeknownst to her, comes with the side effect of making anyone who eats it rapidly gain weight. She becomes too large to move, and it takes over a year for her to return to normal. Her ordeal causes her to become kinder to others.
Girl Posse: Made up of her (the leader), Iris Crowfoot, and Lily Clover.
Jerkass: She is incredibly nasty to others. After eating a strange biscuit that made her too fat to move, she changes her ways.
Karmic Transformation: It is believed by the fieldmice that Dimsel's tremendous weight gain is punishment by the Green for her haughty behaviour. Isaac Nettle had indeed coincidentally warned her previously that she would be cursed and "the weight of His wrath shall not be lifted till thou repenteth a thousandfold!" As none of them are aware of Samuel's magical biscuit, it's the only logical explanation to them.
Tomboy: This is what she is described to be.

Woppenfrake, Willibald, and Firgild

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Three magical water vole brothers who have secretly lived in Fennywolde for centuries in the Grelffit Houm.

Conlang: They speak one, calling Whortle a "rimpi-too" as that is their word for "field mouse".
Forced to Watch: They were forced to watch as their mother was wrongly burned as a witch.
Malicious Slander: They and their late mother are victims of this, though the ones who spread the lies didn't know any different.
Really 700 Years Old: The brothers have been around since the war between the bats and the squirrels, which took place sometime in the Middle Ages.
Reclusive Artist: Firgild, who painted the Grelffit Houm's walls with scenes from history. All three of them are reclusive, actually, though he is the only one with artistic talent.
Sibling Team: They are this, as they work together.
The Weird Sisters: Gender-inverted with the brothers.
Wrong Assumption: Whortle is led to believe that their mother was a Hobber and that they're all liars. They quickly set him straight.

Virianna

The water vole priestess of the Green who guided Fenny and the other woodlanders to the land that would become Fennywolde. She was falsely believed to have been a treacherous Ratwitch who appeared to have murdered Fenny.

Balancing Death's Books: This is the sort of agreement she believes she is making with Mabb, offering her own life in exchange for Fenny's. However, it's not wise to trust the promises of the Raith Sidhe.
Bring It:
The water vole chuckled bleakly. "A contest twixt thee and me," she said, rolling up imaginary sleeves and clapping her paws. "Bring it hither!"
Burn the Witch!: The woodlanders find the possessed Virianna dancing madly about the tree where Fenny has been hanged, and assume that she killed him, when in reality it was Mabb controlling her body. They burn her as a witch, and even force her children to watch.
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: She taunts the rat goddess Mabb to get her to come out of hiding and fight with her.
"Can it be?" she cried. "Is the Great Mabb, the Beldame of the Pit, afraid to confront me? Ho - what a night this is. What was I afeared of? Indeed, what terror is left in thee now? Hobb is the true power of the Unholy Three and without Him - thou art naught but a shifter of shadows and a causer of bad dreams. Why, any gripe in the guts can boast the same!"
High Priestess: Virianna was the priestess of the Green.
Remember the New Guy?: Virianna served the old Starwife (the one before Ysabelle) and was tender of the Hallowed Oak. She later became an important ally of Fenlyn Purfote, but was never mentioned in The Oaken Throne.
Senseless Sacrifice: Though she tries to save Fenny's life by dying in his place, Mabb tricks her. Instead, Virianna is possessed by Mabb, who kills Fenny through her. The woodlanders naturally believe she is guilty and burn her as punishment.
Take Me Instead: She offers her own life to the evil rat goddess Mabb in exchange for her sparing Captain Fenny. Mabb agrees to take only one life... though she doesn't specify whose and so tricks Virianna. Fenny dies anyway, and by Virianna's own hand, no less, as she unwittingly allowed Mabb to take control of her body. When Fenny's corpse is discovered by the woodlanders with Virianna dancing about it madly, they kill her in retribution for the crime she has seemingly committed.

Characters / Deptford Mice

The Deptford Mice

The Mice

The Rats

Deities

Other Characters

The Deptford Histories

The Alchymist's Cat

The Oaken Throne

Thomas

The Deptford Mouselets

Fleabee's Fortune

Whortle's Hope

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Index

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Characters / Deptford Mice

Edit Locked

The Deptford Mice

The Mice

The Rats

Deities

Other Characters

The Deptford Histories

The Alchymist's Cat

The Oaken Throne

Thomas

The Deptford Mouselets

Fleabee's Fortune

Whortle's Hope

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Index

Next