Heroes: The Guardians | The Chan Clan | The Rebellion | Section 13
Villains: Phobos Court | The Dark Hand | The Oni | Unaffiliated Villains
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The Rebellion
Meridian's organized resistance against Phobos' tyranny of their world.- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: Deconstruction, as the Rebellion's reliance on its Token Evil Teammates to do its dirty work is shown in a very negative light, and all the more moral members (Caleb especially) are disgusted by them.
- Combat by Champion: They have a protocol in place to settle leadership disputes like this. Aldarn uses it to try and usurp Caleb.
- Enemy Mine: After the Sack of Torus Filney, Will convinces their leadership to take a different approach by allying with the members of the nobility who aren't truly loyal to Phobos.
- Hope Is Scary: The entire concept of Carhaiz, giving the smallfolk a place free of Phobos' rule without having to fight his regime, scared the Rebellion's leadership, which feared losing support for their cause. So they destroyed the town and claimed that it was the site of a weapon Phobos was building.
- "Not So Different" Remark: The Sack of Torus Filney exposes the fact that the Rebellion can be just as brutal as Phobos' regime.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Many in their ranks have no problem with being as vicious towards Phobos' forces as said forces are towards them.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: They are not presented as a bunch of saints in this setting.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified: However, after the Sack of Torus Filney, Caleb dedicates himself to reforming the organization.
- Superweapon Surprise: They manage to pull this off at Torus Filney, thanks to guns bought from Bartholomew Chang.
- There Are No Therapists: They don't seem to care about the psychological damage that their members suffer.
- Trial by Combat: If enough people in the Rebellion think the leader's doing a bad job, they can be challenged to prove themselves in a duel.
Caleb
The young leader of the Rebellion, whose narrow-minded view on the realities of warfare are shattered soon after meeting the Guardians.
- A Child Shall Lead Them: Leads the Rebellion despite being a teenager, as per canon.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: His role as the Child Soldier leader of a war is thoroughly deconstructed, and he goes through hell over the course of the story.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: He and Raythor merely happened to be on other sides in canon. Here, Caleb holds Raythor responsible for his father's death.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In canon, his and Aldarn's friendship never changes. In this story, however, their differing views on how the Rebellion should be led causes their friendship to break down, until finally Aldarn plots to kill Caleb and usurp his position.
- And Then What?: His conversation with Servantis in Chapter 13 leads Caleb to realize that he has no idea what would happen if the Rebellion wins the war, since Elyon isn't around to stick in charge (at that time).
- Anti-Hero: Zig-zagged. He starts off as perfectly willing to do absolutely anything to win the war, but after the Sack of Torus Filney opens his eyes to how brutal the Rebellion really is, he becomes more willing to take more moderate courses of action. Even so, he’s still ready and capable of making the less than moral choices when he needs to.
- Armor-Piercing Question: When he says that all Shapeshifters are evil, Taranee asks if he’s ever met any other than Cedric or Miranda, which shuts him right up.
- Armor-Piercing Response: When Aldarn calls him out for allying with certain nobles despite all the nobility's crimes, he responds by bringing up all the awful things that the Rebellion has done as well, saying they need to change their ways or they're no better than the people they're trying to overthrow. This brings Aldarn up short for a moment before he presses on.
- Awful Truth: Learning the Dark Secret of what happened at Carhaiz, and more importantly his father's role in it, devastates him.
- The Berserker: Becomes this whenever he gives into the influence of the Sword of Thanatos.
- Black-and-White Morality: Has this viewpoint at first, believing utterly in the righteousness of the Rebellion and the wickedness of Phobos' regime, to the point of it teetering on Black-and-White Insanity.
- Black-and-Grey Morality: However, after meeting the Chan Clan and Guardians, he reevaluates his worldview, eventually coming to see that there’s good and evil on both sides.
- Break the Cutie: He has to deal with his father becoming a Broken Pedestal, getting an Artifact of Doom attached to him, and his best friend trying to kill him.
- Broken Pedestal:
- He loses his rose-colored view of the Rebellion after the events at Torus Filney, as he comes to realize that they're no better than Phobos' forces. Likewise, his idolizing of his father, after learning what happened at Carhaiz.
- He, in turn, becomes one to Aldarn, whose moral flexibility keeps him from agreeing with Caleb’s decision to compromise with the nobility.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Calls his father out for Carhaiz and the other failures of the Rebellion.
- Character Development: He goes from a borderline Knight Templar with Black-and-White Morality to being more open-minded and having a more nuanced view.
- Child Soldier: A fact that is heavily deconstructed.
- Children Forced to Kill: He admits he first killed an enemy at age 11.
- Childhood Friends: With Aldarn.
- Clingy MacGuffin: After it bonds to him, he can't get too far away from the Sword of Thanatos without it teleporting back to his side.
- Cycle of Revenge: He wants revenge against Raythor for killing his father, but upon getting it finds himself the target of Lothar’s desire to avenge his mentor.
- Empathic Weapon: The Sword of Thanatos has a conscious mind of its own, and wants him to use it.
- Everyone Can See It: His and Cornelia's feelings for each other are apparent to everyone long before they actually hook up.
- Everyone Has Standards: He's willing to go to great and ruthless lengths to defeat Phobos' forces, but when he learns that Rhouglar is a rapist, he's utterly disgusted to the point of executing Rhouglar on the spot.
- Fighting Your Friend: He ends up having to fight Aldarn when Aldarn challenges him for leadership.
- Foil:
- To Aldarn: They're both utterly dedicated to the Rebellion, and both start out operating under Black-and-White Morality. But while Caleb comes to gain a more nuanced and grey view of the war, Aldarn slowly slides into outright Black-and-White Insanity.
- To Lothar: Both start out utterly convinced that their side is in the right no matter what, but over time have enough Character Development to realize that there's good and bad on both sides.
- He Who Fights Monsters: He constantly worries about the Rebellion falling into this in their desire to bring Phobos down at all costs. He himself nearly crosses the line during the Sack of Torus Filney, before the Guardians talk him down.
- Innocence Lost: Happened to him years before the start of the story, due to becoming a Child Soldier at such a young age.
- Internal Reformist: When he learns of the dark side of the Rebellion, he works hard to try and fix it.
- Knight Templar: Starts off as this, or at least bordering on it, before a talk with Jackie sets him straight.
- The Leader: Of the Rebellion, as per canon.
- My God, What Have I Done?: His reaction when he realizes all the evils he's been letting fester in the Rebellion.
- Pragmatic Hero: Even after turning away from being a Knight Templar Anti-Hero, he's still perfectly willing to make the harder calls.
- Scars Are Forever: He earns a facial scar from dueling Servantis, and chooses not to have it fully healed.
- Vengeance Feels Empty: After avenging his father's death via seemingly killing Raythor by getting him dumped down the Abyss of Shadows, he finds he gets no satisfaction from it.
- We Used to Be Friends: His and Aldarn's friendship slowly falls apart due to their different views on leading the Rebellion culminating in Aldarn trying to kill him in a duel.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: The Mage assures Caleb that because he actually has concerns about the Rebellion becoming He Who Fights Monsters, he's better then Phobos. Of course, "the Mage" is actually Nerissa in disguise and she's just trying to manipulate him, so what she's saying should be taken with a grain of salt.
- You Are Not Ready: Part of the reason "the Mage" didn't tell Caleb about Carhaiz was to protect his innocence.
- You Killed My Father: He hates Raythor, who allegedly killed his father.
Blunk
A Passling who befriends and allies with the Guardians and Rebellion.
- Because You Were Nice to Me:
- His reason for being loyal to the Guardians, and to a lesser extent, Caleb.
- Also, the reason he's willing to work with Charles Ludmoore. Most Meridianites treat Passlings badly, but Ludmoore has always treated him and his kind with respect.
- Hidden Depths: Caleb thinks so after Blunk explains his people's creed.Blunk: Trade's sacred for Passling-folk. You must give as much as you take.
- Insistent Terminology:
- He's not a smuggler, he's a businessman.
- Also, he's not a goblin, he's a Passling. Goblins build things, Passlings are traders.
- Plucky Comic Relief: In the first few chapters. Becomes significantly more downplayed as the series gets darker.
- Third-Person Person: Like all Passlings, he always speaks like this.
- This Is Unforgivable!: His reaction to Jeek's slave trading.
- Utility Party Member: He's too small to fight anything bigger than another Passling, but he's able to find portals and detect nearby enemies because of his sense of smell.
Aldarn
Caleb's best friend and second-in-command of the Rebellion, their viewpoints on the conduct of the war begin to diverge in an increasingly dangerous way.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In canon, his and Caleb's friendship never changes. In this story, however, their differing views on how the Rebellion should be led causes their friendship to break down, until finally Aldarn plots to kill Caleb and usurp his position.
- Adaptational Villainy: He's much more aggressive in canon, which culminates in him plotting to kill Caleb for compromising with the nobility, and usurping his role as Rebel Leader.
- Aggressive Categorism: In his view, all Aristocrats Are Evil.
- All for Nothing: His attempted power grab just results in him being possessed by Ikazuki and his followers being subsequently discredited in the eyes of the rest of the Rebellion.
- And This Is for...: During his Motive Rant, he lists all the loved ones he's lost to the war as part of why he's so determined to win it at all costs even if it means killing Caleb to take over.
- Armor-Piercing Response: When he calls Caleb out for allying with certain nobles despite all the nobility's crimes, Caleb responds by bringing up all the awful things that the Rebellion has done as well, saying they need to change their ways or they're no better than the people they're trying to overthrow. This brings him up short for a moment, before he presses on.
- Black-and-White Morality: Like Caleb, he's utterly convinced in the righteousness of the Rebellion and the evil of their enemies. Unlike Caleb, he sinks completely into this mindset until it becomes Black-and-White Insanity that lets him justify killing and usurping Caleb for disagreeing with his views.
- Broken Pedestal: Caleb becomes this to him due to the divergence in their views on how the Rebellion should be led.
- But Now I Must Go: After waking from his mask-induced coma, he leaves to wander Meridian, in the hopes of learning to let go of his hatred for the nobles.
- Calling the Old Man Out: When his father decided to leave the Rebellion, Aldarn called him a coward and effectively disowned him.
- Childhood Friends: With Caleb.
- Demonic Possession: When he puts on Ikazuki's mask during his duel with Caleb, it ends up fully possessing him.
- Everyone Has Standards: He's even more ruthless when it comes to fighting Phobos' forces than Caleb is, but is just as disgusted upon learning of Rhouglar's crimes.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: He is utterly convinced that he can control Ikazuki's mask without being overwhelmed. He's quickly proven wrong.
- Face–Heel Turn: He becomes so disgruntled by Caleb's leadership that he’s willing to kill him and take control of the Rebellion by force.
- Fatal Flaw: He hates the nobility so much that Caleb deciding to work with some of them to help bring down Phobos drives him to put on Ikazuki's mask in an attempt to take control from him.
- Foil: To Caleb. They're both utterly dedicated to the Rebellion, and both start out operating under Black-and-White Morality. But while Caleb comes to gain a more nuanced and grey view of the war, Aldarn slowly slides into outright Black-and-White Insanity.
- Freudian Excuse: His mother was killed by Phobos' forces, as were all of his closest friends aside from Caleb. Because of this, he has an Irrational Hatred not just for Phobos and his minions, but everyone who supports them even remotely. This is why he can't abide Caleb's choice to ally with those nobles who are opposed to Phobos but haven't outright rebelled against him.
- He Who Fights Monsters: He's utterly convinced that all of Meridian's nobility needs to be wiped out alongside Phobos and is willing to kill Caleb and take over the Rebellion by force to make it happen.
- Ignored Epiphany: Even when admitting Caleb has several good points about why the Rebellion's old black and white views are wrong, he refuses to let himself be swayed by them, feeling that he's done and sacrificed too much to just change his ways.
- Innocence Lost: As with Caleb, his innocence was shattered at a young age due to his family's involvement in the Rebellion even before he started fighting himself.
- Irony: He votes for Ludmoore being welcomed into the Rebellion despite not trusting him because he needed an excuse to challenge Caleb (who, by contrast, voted against Ludmoore). So, it's Aldarn's own fault that the person he doesn't trust is now in the Rebellion.
- Irrational Hatred: His feelings towards the nobility grow into this over time.
- I've Come Too Far: His reason for not calling off his duel with Caleb. He feels that after everything he's done and lost for the Rebellion, he simply can't compromise his hardcore interpretation of its mission.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: He becomes increasingly disgruntled with the compromises Caleb is making in his leadership of the Rebellion, specifically working with defecting nobles. Eventually, this results in him challenging Caleb to a Duel to the Death for leadership, and using Ikazuki's mask to try and win.
- Knight Templar: Starts growing into this regarding how the Rebellion should be dealing with Phobos' supporters. This hits its boiling point when Caleb decides to ally with some of the nobility opposed to Phobos, which Aldarn is so disgusted by that he plots to kill Caleb and take over the Rebellion.
- Moral Myopia: He despises the nobility and Phobos' forces for all the awful things they've done, but feels justified in the "heroic" nature of the Rebellion's own less than admirable acts. He's also perfectly willing to use Ikazuki's mask to force the Rebellion to accept his leadership, but denies that it's anything like Phobos' means of ruling by force.
- Motive Rant: In Chapter 26, after being called out on how he's been manipulating Caleb into being forced to accept a leadership challenge, he goes into a rant about all he's sacrificed for the Rebellion, and how he can't accept working with defecting nobles, or anything else other than totally wiping out the nobility.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: He's more an Anti-Villain than anything else at that point, but his decision to use Ikazuki's mask to win his duel with Caleb ends up completely discrediting his bid for leadership of the Rebellion.
- "Not So Different" Remark: After he puts on Ikazuki's mask during their duel and says that he did so to guarantee that the Rebellion would have to accept him as a leader no matter how the duel turned out or what they thought, Caleb gets the idea to provoke him by asking how that makes him any different than Phobos.
- Parental Abandonment: Shortly after his mother died, his father lost faith in the Rebellion and left it, abandoning the young Aldarn when he refused to do likewise.
- Properly Paranoid: His distrust of Ludmoore is a Right for the Wrong Reasons version of this, as he's absolutely right that Ludmoore isn't trustworthy. It's just that he thinks Ludmoore will betray them to Phobos, unaware that he's been Playing Both Sides all along.
- The Starscream: Eventually becomes this to Caleb, plotting to overthrow him and take control of the Rebellion.
- Survivor's Guilt: At least part of his hatred for the nobility seems to stem from how the noble forces aligned with Phobos killed his mother and all his closest friends except for Caleb while leaving him alive.
- Walking Spoiler: Due to the actions he ultimately resorts to as his friendship with Caleb dissolves.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He is utterly convinced that the compromises Caleb is making in the Rebellion's methods are only weakening them, to the point that he's willing to face Caleb in combat for leadership.
- We Used to Be Friends: His and Caleb's friendship slowly falls apart due to their different views on leading the Rebellion culminating in Aldarn trying to kill him in a duel.
- You Killed My Father: His mother, and many of his friends, were killed by Phobos' forces, which contributes to his hatred of all of Meridian's nobility.
Vathek
Another close friend of Caleb's, who acts as the Rebellion's mole in Phobos' court for a time before being exposed.
- An Arm and a Leg: Loses most of one hand during the Battle of Meridian Plains.
- Animal Companion: His pet falcon Salazar.
- For Want Of A Nail: He's exposed as a spy much sooner than in canon, due to Lothar's vendetta. As a result, this also means the Rebellion and Guardians don't learn that Elyon is the lost princess until right before she's taken to Meridian.
- Little "No": Lets out two when he uncovers the Dark Secret of what happened at Carhaiz.
- The Mole: As per canon, he starts off spying on Phobos for the Rebellion.
Drake
Another of Caleb's friends, and a voice of reason in the Rebellion's leadership. He's actually Ludmoore's mole and youngest brother, Cyrus.
- Adaptational Villainy: Whereas in canon he's strictly heroic, here he's manipulating the Rebellion for his family's Long Game.
- Agent Provocateur: Manipulates the Rebellion into taking the actions he and his brothers want for their Long Game.
- Ascended Extra: He has a relatively small part in canon, compared to the larger role he plays here.
- Becoming the Mask: After so many years living among the rebels, he's come to genuinely care for them, even as he manipulates them.
- Dramatic Irony: At one point, he's warned to never trust a Ludmoore. He quietly takes some humor in the fact that the person telling him this is unaware that he's a Ludmoore.
- Functional Addict: Is a heavy drinker, but it doesn't interfere in his role as a leader among the rebels.
- Godzilla Threshold: His personal one is using his Shapeshifter form, which he finally crosses in Chapter 32.
- Lizard Folk: His Shapeshifter form is a Palette Swap of Cedric's.
- The Mole: For his brother.
- O.C. Stand-in: Gets significant development and backstory for a character with such a small role in canon. Helped by the fact he's mixed with an actual OC.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's the most sensible of the Rebellion's leaders by a significant margin, not that he has much competition. It says a lot that that remains true even after it is revealed that he's The Mole for Charles Ludmoore.
- This Is Reality: After the Sack of Torus Filney, he spells it out to a disillusioned Caleb that Black-and-White Morality doesn't exist in war, and that there are always good and bad people on both sides.
- Walking Spoiler: Due to his real identity.
Sephiria
A nun of the Faithful of the Light of Meridian, she serves the Rebellion as a healer and an advisor to Caleb, on whom she has a crush.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Has a crush on Caleb which he doesn't even notice.
- Good Shepherd: Her faith is built entirely around helping other people.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Averted. While she's initially jealous of Caleb's growing relationship with Cornelia, she eventually admits to herself that it's her own fault for not confessing her feelings to Caleb sooner, and moves on.
- The Medic: She and her fellow nuns serve in this capacity for the Rebellion.
- Original Character
- Spit Take: She chokes on her wine when Drake refers to Cornelia as the girl Caleb loves.
- Subordinate Excuse: Her crush on Caleb means that she tends to agree with all of his decisions. This is an invoked example, as Nerissa deliberately chose her as the Faithful’s representative in the Rebellion leadership specifically because she knew this would happen, and thus allow Caleb to always have a supportive vote.
Alistair Tharquin
A former knight and a leading member of the Rebellion, Tharquin is an utter fanatic who will do whatever it takes to win.
- Asshole Victim: He's viciously killed by Jade, the very person he tortured for being the wrong species.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Likes inflicting this on captive Shapeshifters and does so to Jade.
- Cycle of Revenge: One of his men points out that most acts of violence against humans and Galhots by Shapeshifters were retaliation for acts of violence against Shapeshifters, like when he occasionally lets one of his victims live to give people a reason to keep supporting him. He kills that man as a result.
- Evil Is Petty: Blunk offers to help him and his men after Aldarn and Drake are kidnapped by Shapeshifters. Tharquin kicks him and ridicules him, claiming that Blunk couldn't possibly be of any help.
- Expy: Per
Word of God, he’s primarily based on Grand Moff Tarkin, with some elements of Kur from Kage. - Fantastic Racism: Views Shapeshifters as nothing more than monsters that need to be exterminated for the good of Meridian.
- Freudian Excuse: His hatred of Shapeshifters and focus on "purity" are the result of his abusive father drilling those views into him as a child.
- Final Solution: He believes Shapeshifters need to be wiped out for the sake of Meridian.
- The Fundamentalist: He is utterly convinced that everything he does is righteous and for the good of Meridian.
- Hate Sink: He's a thoroughly nasty piece of work.
- Hypocrite: Something that Jade points out — he's obsessed with "purifying" Meridian of Shapeshifters, when he himself is technically impure, being a human/Galhot hybrid. And while she doesn't know this, he's also been releasing some of the Shapeshifters he tortures in order to make sure people continue to support his efforts.
- Ignored Epiphany: He has a moment or two where he almost realizes that Shapeshifters aren't all evil through the example Jade, who is a hero of the Rebellion alongside the Guardians, provides, but rejects them and doubles down on his current course of action.
- Karmic Death: He's brutally killed by someone he’d just spent hours torturing.
- Knight Templar: In his view, anything is justified if it helps the Rebellion win the war. And this doesn’t even begin to describe his feelings toward Shapeshifters.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: He presents himself as doing what's necessary for the safety of Meridian, but it's clear that he's just a racist and a fundamentalist.
- Original Character
- Token Evil Teammate: He's an unrelating Knight Templar who will do anything to win.
- Unfriendly Fire: He has Rhouglar attack and capture Jade during the fighting at Torus Filney, so that he can execute her without anyone else on their side realizing it.
- The Un-Smile: He's just bad at smiling. It's noted that it's probably because his facial muscles just aren't used to making that shape.
Rhouglar
The leader of a gang which serves as a strong faction within the Rebellion, Rhouglar is a hedonist who cares more about his own satisfaction than their goals.
- Asshole Victim: He's killed right after committing rape and bragging about it.
- At Least I Admit It: He says that Caleb has no right to judge him for his raping and pillaging, given how many awful things the Rebellion has done.
- Bad Boss: Tharquin suspects he murdured one of his own men in order to sleep with the man's wife.
- Blood Knight: Absolutely loves the more violent parts of war.
- Destination Defenestration: Servantis kicks him out a window during their duel.
- Eye Scream: Ishol slashes one of his eyes when trying to resist his raping of her.
- Hate Sink: He's an utter asshole who rapes women and brags about it. There's nothing likable about him after that reveal.
- Karmic Death: He's executed by Caleb right after bragging about his crimes.
- Loves the Sound of Screaming: His men believe it’s why he joined the Rebellion.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: He's known as "The Mad Dog of the Rebellion”.
- Off with His Head!: How he meets his end at Caleb's hands.
- Original Character
- Post-Rape Taunt: Happily brags when called out on raping Servantis' wife.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Everyone on both sides is horrified by his actions.
- Sociopathic Soldier: He's an utter lunatic on the battlefield.
- Token Evil Teammate: Is an unrepentant Blood Knight and rapist.
- Too Dumb to Live: After being exposed as a rapist, he confesses his crimes to Caleb and brags about them. This pisses Caleb off to the point of killing him.
- Unfriendly Fire: Tharquin has him attack and capture Jade during the fighting at Torus Filney, so that he can execute her without anyone else on their side realizing it.
