Characters / Flowers Of Etrea

The Main Characters

Our main group of heroes.

Sislo Haeos/Sebakah

"At the sound of her voice, my rage had been taken from me. At the taste of her lips, all i knew was peace."

A Cherufe living on the outskirts of Etrea with his wife Tetheril. Despite his terrifying appearance and size, he's a good-natured, if somewhat surly kind of guy. However, he has a VERY nasty history with the Iron Industry. Something that may go beyond just being a slave...

• The Atoner: Sislo wants nothing more than to leave his life of serving the Iron Industry behind and do right by his wife. Well, more accurately, he REALLY wants to put behind that time he actually formed the Iron Industry alongside Ondiox out of loyalty for his adoptive father.
• Beast and Beauty: The Beast to Tetheril's Beauty.
• Berserk Button: Do NOT insult or, God forbid, hurt his wife.
  • Don't bring up his past, either.
• Bloody Murder: Can fire blood from his mouth to blind enemies, not unlike what a horned toad does with its eyes.
• Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The Brooding Boy to Tetheril's Gentle Girl.
• Covered in Scars: Sislo's back has a ton of them, presumably from his time as a slave in the Iron Industry. This is in addiciton to the big x-shaped scar on his chest. The one given to him by Zama when he betrayed the Iron Industry, that is.
• Dark and Troubled Past: The Iron Industry bred him to be a slave that ate Ondiox's enemies before he escaped and met Tetheril. Except not really. It's so much darker. He was a slave, but it was to the former Druden empire before Ondiox liberated him and they both killed hundreds to form the new empire. He only stopped when he couldn't stomach the mindless bloodshed any longer.
• Going Cold Turkey: After his past of eating Ondiox's enemies, he does his best to keep his hyper-carnivorous tendencies at a minimum.
• Happily Married: To Tetheril.
• Heel Realization: Seeing that innocent dryad in front of him after years of killing in Ondiox's name caused him to realize just how much pain and suffering he had been causing, and he abandoned the Iron Industry as a result.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Fully believes he has no hope of ascending like the rest of his kind would aspire to due to his sins.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The Huge Guy to Tetheril's Tiny Girl.
• I Am a Monster: Sometimes has these thoughts, and especially after the truth is revealed about his past.
• I Hate Past Me: Part of Sislo's self-loathing comes from how he helped Ondiox form the Iron Industry without question.
• Light 'em Up: Can ignite his weapons with just a thought. To say nothing about his Super Mode.
• Lizard Folk: He's a Cherufe, a kind of fire-based lizard man.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Any time he falls into bloodlust, his eyes become a deep blood-red.
• Seduction-Proof Marriage: Chela pretending to be a succubus fails miserably on him.
• Super Mode: Ascends and gains lots of fire-based powers during the final confrontation with Ondiox.
• These Hands Have Killed: Sislo admits to Tetheril that he can still see the blood of those he killed in Ondiox's name on his hands. And worse, he remembers the pleasure he got in tearing them apart.

Tetheril Haeos

"My people were said to be more flora than fae. Some of us were as strong as the oak. Others were as gentle as the fern. There were those who grew to new heights. While others bore wonderful fruit. I suppose, as a sapling, I always wondered what kind of dryad I would blossom into."

A dryad who specializes in floral and healing magic, and the wife of Sislo. Eternally optimistic and kindhearted, Tetheril brings out the best in her husband and most of everyone else. That doesn't mean you should underestimate her power, though.

• Beast and Beauty: The Beauty to Sislo's Beast.
• Blithe Spirit: Her warm and benevolent disposition helped her befriend Ovar and REALLY brought out the best in Sislo.
• Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The Gentle Girl to Sislo's Brooding Boy.
• Friend to All Living Things: Unless they're spiders. Or machines. Or people well and truly Beyond Redemption.
• Green Thumb: As a dryad, her skills are most proficient in plant-based magic, particularly summoning vines.
• Happily Married: To Sislo.
• The Heart: Easily the nicest of the protagonists, and Sislo's emotional anchor.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The Tiny Girl to Sislo's Huge Guy.
• Martial Pacifist: As much as she hates fighting, she completely obliterates Chela at the end of their fight, seeing it as cleansing a very bad disease from nature.
• The Medic: As well as plant-based magic, she's a great healer. And considering how many scrapes her husband gets into, that's a sweet deal.
• Not So Above It All: As much as she hates violence, she hilariously screams at Sislo to kill the machine menacing them before they realize it's piloted by Gobby and Flint.
• Odd Friendship: With Ovar, much to Sislo's befuddlement.
• Spanner in the Works: If you really think about it, Ondiox's vision went to Hell the moment she came into Sislo's life. He had no idea anyone could love the Cherufe even after all he did in his name, and their marriage kickstarted the events that would lead to a simple quest for a flower that ultimately ended in the Druden's downfall.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: She's a pretty big arachnophobe, though she does admit that because they are creatures of nature, she doesn't hate them.

Ovar

You just want me to hop in without a plan? You think I'm stupid? Lucky guess!

A particularly reckless and sly thief of a Twerg, Ovar is in fact a good friend of Terethil's. Despite always getting himself into trouble while on the wrong side of the law, Ovar always manages to find a way out of his many self-inflicted messes.

• Hidden Depths: As it turns out, most of his thievery is for the sake of an orphanage he cares about deeply.
• Hyperspace Mallet: Quite literally. Somehow he's able to pull out a huge mallet out of nowhere to clobber his foes with.5
• Lovable Rogue: Despite being a petty thief at first, he's on good terms with Tetheril, and is mostly very affable. Plus, he gives a lot to an orphanage, so he has that going for him.
• Odd Friendship: With Tetheril.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Almost every scene he's in is when the comic's at it's funniest.

Greiri

"As far as I am certain, I am the last one here. 54...I killed 54 men. Had I killed one more, that may have not been the case."

The last remaining human resident of Frostbridge, Greiri watched as her family and neighbors were slaughtered by the Iron Industry before killing most of them off in retaliation. Now driven by grief and vengeance, she makes it her vow to slay the one who led the attack in the first place. Unfortunately, this has made her cold and quick to anger.

• Ancestral Weapon: Her armor was once worn by her husband.
• Brawn Hilda: Incredibly masculine and strong to go with it.
• Crusading Widow: Her husband and child were killed by Druden led by Zama.
• The Cynic: In sharp contrast to everyone else, especially Tetheril, everything that leaves Greiri's mouth is a total downer.
• Death Seeker: Immediately forces Sislo to fight her so that she can die with some dignity. He refuses.
• Foil: To Tetheril. While the dryad's a cheerful pacifistic healer, Greiri is a rugged bloodstained warrior who's lost all sense of joy. This is especially pronounced during their meeting at the bar.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: A lot of times, the wrong words cause her to lash out.
• Outliving One's Offspring: Heavily implied to have lost her young child to poison during the Druden invasion.
• Perpetual Frowner: Almost never smiles when we see her. Considering how much she's lost, it's understandable.
• Revenge Before Reason: Seeks nothing more than the destruction of whomever destroyed her home, anything else be damned.
• The Rival: Of a sort to Sislo. Both are quite strong, and they come to blows at one point, but most of the animosity stems from Sislo being the same species as the creature that destroyed Greiri's home.
• This Means Warpaint: Has jagged black markings on her face. In practice, they look more like tears.
• Token Human: Literally the only human character in the story.
• Your Makeup Is Running: Her warpaint looks a lot like black tears going down her eyes. Rule of Symbolism is at play here.

Gobleena "Gobby" and Flint

"Gobby and Flint, unsung heroes to jackasses everywhere."

A goblin and gargoyle couple who'll do anything for riches. Their greatest asset is how they know their way around machines, to the point of having built a large mecha that they pilot. Gobby's got the charisma while Flint's got the brains. And lucky for them, Sislo considers them to be good friends.

• An Arm and a Leg: Not any of them, thankfully, but their mecha's arms get chopped off by Zama.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Gobby gets briefly controlled by Chela during the final confrontation. She snaps out of it when Chela is vanquished.
• Gadgeteer Genius: Both of them, especially Flint, have a knack for engineering. Most of the time, they make weapons of mass destruction.
• Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Gobby is a friend of Sislo, but she leaps at the opportunity to crack heads. Tellingly, she implies that the only way she and Flint's wedding could be fun is if at least a few people die.
• Humongous Mecha: Their main robot is a head taller than Sislo is, and is one of their most powerful weapons yet.
• Outlaw Couple: Moreso than Sislo and Tetheril.
• The Silent Bob: Flint says absolutely nothing, yet Gobby understands him perfectly.
• Those Two Guys: Never seen away from one another.

The Iron Industry

The ruling empire of Etrea, formed mainly by the elf-like Druden.

Iron Lord Ondiox

"The Iron Industry is in the business of progress. Changes for a better future. Those who resist a better tomorrow must be broken. Domesticated. Their world greyed by the charred remains of their past. And yet...those two are introducing color back into their lives."

Long ago, Ondiox lived under a ruthless regime. But one day, the Druden man took it all down with the help of some friends. Unfortunately, instead of making something better, he more or less inflicted an even worse reign on the land. As Lord and Chief Executive of the Iron Industry, Ondiox rules over all with a calculating and brutal fist. And there's a bigger connection between him and Sislo than we know...

• Archnemesis Dad: More or less raised Sislo into the monster he was before he deserted the Iron Industry. He even calls the Cherufe his son at multiple points.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Wears very refined clothing in all situations, even fights.
• Big Bad: The main antagonist of the story.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: He never once uses any magic, and the only time he uses a weapon is near the end. But most of the time, he's just really, really strong. And smart, too.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: He is the Chief Executive of the Iron Industry, after all, and he's an absolute tyrannical scumbag.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Hands one out to every single protagonist. Most notably to Ovar, Greiri, and Gobby and Flint in less than two minutes. No really, he counted. Of course, the final fight between him and Sislo has the opposite luck for him.
• Et Tu, Brute?: He's clearly miffed that Sislo would just throw away the legacy and the empire that they created.
• Evil Is Bigger: He's even taller and bulkier than Sislo.
• Faux Affably Evil: Composes himself as a very polite and reasonable man, but it does so very little to hide how awful he is.
• Full-Circle Revolution: He led a rebellion against the old Druden empire, only to then make one that was just as bad, if not worse.
• Genius Bruiser: He looks like he could fold everyone in the cast (and he does), but he's still the cunning and patient ruler of an entire empire.
• Go Out with a Smile: Fades to ash while smiling a big grin in defiance of Sislo.
• Pet the Dog: After revealing the Awful Truth about Sislo, Ondiox gives Tetheril the rose she needs to save her father out of sympathy for being married to a monster.
• Sword Cane: His cane contains axe-like blades, giving it the visage of a halberd.
• Virtue Is Weakness: Believes that, in his own words, wearing your heart on your sleeve paints a target on you. He tries, and fails, to exploit Sislo's love of Tetheril with this mindset.

High Witch Chela

"He wanted to conquer, I wanted the strife. Now he wants to maintain order...and, well, that doesn't work for me."

Despite being one of Ondiox's strongest fighters, he and Chela couldn't be more different. While he seeks order, Chela wants nothing more than glorious chaos and fear to prey upon. And she'll do anything to get it, mostly through her vile illusion magic.

• Demonic Possession: Can possess and take over several people all at once.
• The Dragon: To Ondiox.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: Wants to plunge everything into chaos behind Ondiox's back. He's aware of it, at least.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Is left at a complete loss as to how Tetheril broke through her illusions and power when the dryad unleashes all she's got while smiling a big smile.
• Evil Counterpart: To Tetheril.
• Master of Illusion: To the point where she's able to trap people in entire mindscapes with her. But a particularly cruel illusion she inflicts is making Sislo think Tetheril got shot while forcing her to watch as he falls into grief and rage.
• Purple Is Powerful:
• Order vs. Chaos: While she revels in causing pain and chaos, Ondiox just wants her to maintain his order, much to her irritation. He's not fond of her spreading witch blood as a drug to make addicts out of the citizenry.
• Villainous Breakdown: Once Tetheril taps into her full potential, nothing Chela throws at her works, and the witch is left screaming at her foe wondering how she could be smiling in her presence.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: Can turn into almost any form, though the only ones we see are always female.
• Wicked Witch: Proficient in magic, outright called a witch, and by far one of the more despicable characters in the story.

Zama the Zealot

"Breath it in again. Remember the smells? Remember the taste? It was all they fed us. By the Serpent, it made us addicts. It made us slaves. It is impossible to resist that craving."

Zama is a perfect example of what Sislo hopes to never become. That being a monstrous, bloodthirsty maneater who serves the Iron Industry without question. Bigger and stronger than his blood brother, Zama wholeheartedly believes that he is destined for ascension despite the atrocities he gladly wears on his sleeve.

• Alas, Poor Villain: After being fatally wounded by Greiri, Zama laments how it was supposed to be him to ascend, not Sislo. He dies starting to feel regret for his actions.
• Arch-Enemy: Turns out, it was he who ordered the attack on Greiri's village. She kills him in return.
• Axe-Crazy: Has absolutely no inhibitions with slaughtering all in his path.
• Blood Knight: Unlike Sislo, he revels in destroying everything.
• Cain and Abel: With how often he refers to Sislo as his brother, it's safe to say that he's the Cain in this equation.
• Evil Counterpart: To Sislo.
• Evil Is Bigger: Stands a good couple of feet taller than his brother.
• Eye Scream: Gets his head impaled by a piece of wood through the eye at the end of his fight with Sislo.
• Shadow Archetype: All of the flesh-eating brutality that Sislo hopes to get away from is embodied by Zama.
• Unusual Weapon Mounting: Keeps his sword within his mouth. He pulls it out bloodily. It's as sick as it sounds.
• What Is This Feeling?: With his last breath, he finds himself regretting everything he did, if only because it ensured he would not ascend like he thought he would.