Characters / Red Rising

Due to the prevalence of Late Arrival Spoilers and First Episode Twists in both the Red Rising and Iron Gold series, spoilers from Red Rising, Golden Son, and Morning Star may be unmarked. Read at your own risk.

These pages index the many characters in the Red Rising trilogy, the sequel series Iron Gold, and the graphic novel prequel, Sons of Ares.

Characters in italics denote that their main entry is elsewhere but have been affiliated with that particular group for a time.

The Solar Republic

• The Rising & Solar Republic ^note  Virginia Augustus, Dancer O'Faran, Daxo Telemanus, Publius cu Caraval, Britannia ag Krieg, Rollo O'Sicyon, Theodora, Orion Aquarii, Pellus, Oro Sculpturus, Cadus Harnassus, Aengus of Lagalos, Dagan of Lagalos, Wulfgar, Fel, Pytha xe Vega, Cassius Bellona, Regulus Sun, Matteo Sun, Mickey, Kobachi, Ava of Lagalos, Lyria of Lagalos, Liam of Lagalos, Maeve, Brea
  • Darrow's Family ^note  Darrow O'Lykos ,Eo O'Lykos, Virginia Augustus, Pax, Deanna O'Lykos, Dale O'Lykos, Kieran O'Lykos, Dio O'Lykos, Rhonna O'Lykos, Leanna O'Lykos, Narol O'Lykos, Loran O'Lykos
  • House Barca ^note  Fitchner Barca, Bryn of Cryssos, Ryanna of Cryssos, Sevro Barca, Victra Barca, Electra Barca, Calypso Barca, Selene Barca, Ulysses Barca
  • House Telemanus ^note  Kavax Telemanus, Niobe Telemanus, Daxo Telemanus, Thraxa Telemanus, Pax Telemanus, Xana Telemanus
  • The Howlers ^note  Sevro Barca, Clown, Pebble, Weed, Screwface, Harpy, Rotback, Quinn, Thistle, Ragnar Volarus, Holiday Nakamura, Min-Min, Winkle, Marbles, Kieran O'Lykos, Colloway Char, Alexandar Arcos, Thraxa Telemanus
  • The Sons of Ares ^note  Fitchner Barca, Ryanna of Cryssos, Cylax Si Nexiti, Doran, Fennix, Roran of Nagasos, Corthus of Nagasos, Ballista, Matteo Sun, Regulus Sun, Evey, Cyther, Virany, Trigg Nakamura

The Rim Dominion

• The Rim Dominion ^note  Helios au Lux, Pandora, Aurae, Athena, Cheon, Goroth
  • House Raa^note  Akari au Raa, Revus au Raa, Gaia au Raa, Romulus au Raa, Atlas au Raa, Dido au Raa, Aeneas au Raa, Diomedes au Raa, Marius au Raa, Seraphina au Raa, Belerophon au Raa, Thalia au Raa

The Society

• The Society^note  Tactus au Rath, Apollonius au Valii-Rath, Roque au Fabii, Arturius au Vardan, Hecuba au Rhodes, Prospera au Rhodes, Kalindora au San, Scorpio au Votum, Cicero au Votum, Horatia au Votum, Asmodeus au Carthii, Valeria au Carthii, ArchGovernor Cylus, Lorn au Arcos, Timony cu Podginus, Glirastes, Zanzibar, Exeter, Alia Snowsparrow
  • House Lune^note  Silenius au Lune Octavia au Lune, Lysander au Lune, Anastasia au Lune, Brutus au Arcos, Silenius au Lune
  • House Grimmus^note  Magnus au Grimmus, Aja au Grimmus, Moira au Grimmus, Atalantia au Grimmus, Ajax au Grimmus
  • House Bellona^note  Tiberius au Bellona, Julia au Bellona, Karnus au Bellona, Cassius Bellona, Julian au Bellona, Iona au Bellona, Kellan au Bellona, Cagney au Bellona
  • House Augustus^note  Nero au Augustus, Virginia Augustus, Adrius au Augustus, The Abomination, Pliny au Velocitor, Leto
    • The Boneriders^note  Lilath au Faran, Vixus au Sarna, Antonia au Severus-Julii, Tharsus au Valii-Rath
  • The Gorgons^note  Atlas au Raa, Xenophon, Vagnar Hefga, Xanthus
  • The Institute^note  Proctor Apollo, Fitchner Barca, Proctor Minerva, Proctor Jupiter, Novas

Other

• The Obsidians ^note  Ragnar Volarus, Sefi Volarus, Alia Snowsparrow, Wulfgar, Vagnar Hefga, Volga Fjorgen, Osgard, Valdir, Freihild, Skarde, Sigurd, Ascomanni
• Criminals and Terrorists ^note  The Duke of Hands, Gorgo, Tongueless, Ephraim ti Horn, Cyra si Lamensis, Dano Sunshine, Volga Fjorgen, Figment, Harmony, Duncan, Cormac O'Vadros

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The Hierarchy in general

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• Curtains Match the Window: Most people in the Red Rising universe have hair and eye colors that correspond to their caste, though there are a few exceptions.
• Fantastic Caste System: The entire system is built around each color performing a specific role that they are never allowed to deviate from, all dedicated to serving the Golds.
• Fantastic Naming Convention:
  • Most people in the Red Rising universe have a prefix before their last name that represents their assigned color. Metalic colors such as Gold, Silver, and Copper use the exact periodic table abbreviations for those elements, while other colors use the abbreviation for an element that's associated with either their color, or their place within the caste system. For example, Blue last names have the prefix xe for xenon, Green names use Si for silocone, Grays have Ti for titanium, and so on.
  • The only exceptions appear to be Pinks, Reds, and Obsidians. The former two Colors typically do not have last names under the Society, while the later have first and last names but no prefixes.
  • During the Sequel Series, characters allied with the Solar Republic gradually begin to abandon the prefix system regardless of Color, while Reds have begun to adopt a naming convention of taking a last name from the place they were born. (Ex: Darrow of Lykos is now Darrow O'Lykos, etc.)
• Human Subspecies: Due to the Society's extensive use of both genetic engineering and eugenics over centuries the different Colors are like different species, to the point that they cannot naturally have children with another Color.

The Colors

Red

The worker ants of The Society. Reds are unskilled laborers used for a variety of menial jobs in society. HighReds are generally used as servants in wealthy households or aboard luxury spaceships, while LowReds are conditioned for manual labor in brutal environments like the Helium mines on Mars.

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• Born into Slavery: The LowReds have been mining under the surface of Mars for generations, but then, just about everyone who isn't a Gold qualifies for this trope.
• Fiery Red Head: A common trait in many members of this caste.
• Heteronormative Crusader: While other colors have no hang-ups over same-sex relationships, Red culture was explicitly engineered to be rigorously heteronormative.
• Only One Name: To indicate that they are considered property rather than people.
• Slave Race: Their function in the hierarchy. Unlike the Browns, who function as servants, Reds are explicitly referred to as slaves.
• We Will Use Manual Labor in the Future: How the caste was created.
• You Are Number 6: LowReds on Mars under the Society are only listed in census records as an ID number rather than names.

Pink

Unparalleled in beauty, Pinks are bred for the arts of physical pleasure, with occupations ranging from prostitutes to masseuses.

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• Beauty Is Best: All of them are bread to look as beautiful as possible.
• Beautiful Slave Girl: All Pinks are this regardless of gender
• Breeding Slave: All Pinks are sterilized, with the exception of those set aside for reproducing to keep the population afloat.
• Designer Baby: Eugenics and genetic manipulation means that all Pinks are designed for physical perfection and statuesque beauty.
• Only One Name: As with Reds, they are considered property rather than people.
• Sex Slave: Many of them fill this trope.

Obsidian

A monstrous race bred only for war, Obsidians are physically imposing warriors raised to be unstoppable killing machines.

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• Bargain with Heaven: They're raised to see their service to Gold as this.
• Blood Knight: They're all raised to be this.
• The Berserker: Most Obsidian fight this way.
• Human Notepad: Obsidian tattoo various runes all over their body when they become Stained.
• The Juggernaut: The only color able to grow taller and more physically imposing than Gold.
• Mystical White Hair: They're always seen as otherworldly, and are one of the few castes to avert Curtains Match the Window.
• One-Man Army: Every single one of them.
• Slave Mooks: Treated as mindless cannon fodder by Golds, who view them as little more than animals.
• The Spartan Way: Some of their combat training involves this.
• Training from Hell: The Trial of the Stained.

Gray

The police and military personnel of society.

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• Gung Holier Than Thou: Many Grays have this attitude towards those beneath them on the color hierarchy.
• Hired Guns: They can either serve in the Gold legions, or become mercenaries.
• Private Military Contractors: One of their roles in society.
• Slave Mooks: Less so than the Obsidians, but still technically the case, even if they do have more freedom that other castes.

Orange

Mechanics and engineers

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• The Engineer: Their role in the caste system.

Violet

The artists and other creatives of society.

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• Bio-Augmentation: Many of them specialize in this.
• Mad Artist: Many of them are forced to take drugs while working, resulting in this trope.
• Gratuitous Special Effects: Some artists, called carvers, specialize in creating genetically engineered monsters just because they can.

Green

The programmers and developers of technology.

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• Gadgeteer Genius: Their function in society is to program and design technology.
• Playful Hacker: Some of them.
• The Smart Guy: They tend to fill this role when it comes to technology.

Yellow

The doctors, psychologists, and scientists of the society.

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• Curtains Match the Window: Yellow hair and eyes.
• The Medic: Their function in the social pecking order.
• Plenty of Blondes: One of the defining characteristics of their caste.
• The Shrink: Another role they fill.

Blue

Pilots and astronavigators

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• Ace Pilot: All of them are raised to be the best pilots possible
• Danger Deadpan: Their speech patterns are devoid of almost all emotion even in emergencies.
• Tron Lines: They have them on their skin.

Copper

The lawyers, administrators, and bureaucrats of the solar system.

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• Corrupt Bureaucrat: While its presumed that not all Coppers are corrupt, none of the ones named in the series are portrayed sympathetically.
• Punch-Clock Villains: Many of them are simply doing their jobs. There are a few exceptions.

Silver

Innovators, financiers, and businessmen

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• Beleaguered Bureaucrat: Someone's got to handle the financial paperwork for all the family feuds and conflicts that happen in the series.
• Nouveau Riche: They manage society's money, but few of them ever gain any social standing from it.

Gold

The fiercely intelligent rulers of humanity

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• The Beautiful Elite: They sit at the top of the social pyramid and are bred for beauty as well.
• Decadent Court: Gold culture relies on scheming, manipulation, and backstabbing.
• Fantastic Racism: They consider all the other colors subhuman.
• Gold-Colored Superiority: Obviously.
• Idle Rich: Pixies are Golds who enjoy the perks of their position without doing anything with it.
• Master Race: They believe they are the last stage of evolution in humanity. That they are humanity and nothing below qualifies as human.
• Never My Fault: You'd be amazed at how the Aureate's petty pride, which they foolishly call honor, makes them believe they by default are infallible to lowColors and anyone who contradicts them is executed or punished severely and blamed for "not knowing their place".
• Non-Idle Rich: Most of them are from ancient, wealthy families, and most of them are badass.
• Old Money: Most Gold families are extremely wealthy.
• Plenty of Blondes: They all have beautiful golden hair. Unlike Yellows though, it actually looks gold.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: The Peerless Scarred.
• Supernatural Gold Eyes: Comes with the territory.
• Statuesque Stunner: Golds are almost universally tall and attractive.
• Upper-Class Twit: How Pixies are viewed by the rest of society.

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