A character sheet for the characters from Terry Brooks' long-running Shannara and The Word And The Void series. Each character is listed in the book he/she first appears in.
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The Sword Of Shannara Trilogy
Allanon
An enigmatic Druid, and the only character to appear in all three books. He both manipulates, and befriends the various members of the Ohmsford family, protecting them from their enemies, while at the same time using them for his own ends. Despite this, he's an unabashed good guy, and the closest thing the series has to both a Big Good and The Mentor. Appears in Sword, Elfstones, Wishsong, the Heritage foursome, First King, and the Voyage trilogy.
Anti-Hero: Somewhere between Type II and Type III. He has good intentions, but is willing to be manipulative, enigmatic, and downright mean in order to achieve them.
Badass: So, very, very much. He's wrestled a Skull Bearer, fought two different Dragons, slain a Demon Lord and held entire villainous armies at bay. He even manages to take down the Jachyra before it kills him.
Determinator Shown off many times, but never more so than in his battle with the Jachyra. He shoves his hand down its throat and burns it alive. While it bites him.
Figure It Out Yourself: The master of this. Allanon frequently holds back vital information if he believes it will make the protagonists doubt themselves.
Full-Contact Magic: It ain't Kung Fu (or any other recognisable martial art) but Allanon can both burn you alive and beat you to a pulp, completely independently of one another.
Heroic Self-Deprecation: At times. A standout is towards the end of Elfstones when he says Wil should "Tell Flick he was right about me. He will like that, I think."
The Mentor: Serves Shea, Brin, and later Walker in this capacity.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: Although it takes three books to catch up with him. In a way that just makes it worse.
One-Man Army: Especially in Elfstones. The Elven archers hold two sides of Halys Cut and Baen Draw, the Free Corps has the back...and Allanon covers the third side all by himself. At meetings he's actually accorded the same status as if he was the leader of an army.
Playing with Fire: His preferred attack involves blue, Druidic flames.
Pet the Dog: Generally Allanon will have one or two scenes with the main characters of each book wherein he explains everything, gives a So Proud of You speech, and then leaves. These are inevitablyTear Jerkery, and serve to remind the audience that yes, he is one of the good guys.
The last scion of the Elven House of Shannara, half-human Shea Ohmsford didn't even know about his heritage until Allanon showed up and shafted him into saving the world. Used to living in sleepy Shady Vale, and working in his father's inn, he knows very little about the Sword he's supposed to find, and less about how to use it. A bit of a romantic, Shea has no idea what he's gotten himself into. He'll be the first Ohmsford to aid Allanon and save the Four Lands. He certainly won't be the last.
Pinball Protagonist: Just about everything that happens to him is due to outside influences—Allanon telling him his destiny, the Skull Bearer coming to Shady Vale, the decision of the council in Culhaven, the fight with the proto-Creeper in the Wolfsktaag necessitating the trip to Storlock, his fall from the Dragon's Crease. It's not until he meets up with Panamon and Keltset, and decides to go after Orl Fane and the Sword, that he truly starts making decisions of his own that affect the plot (and not coincidentally, truly accepts his destiny).
Pointy Ears: Which demonstrate his half-elven heritage.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: At least at the start of the book. By the end some of this has been lost.
Flick Ohmsford
Shea's foster brother, fully human Flick is suspicious, practical, and well-grounded. He has absolutely no desire to get involved with Allanon, but goes along to help his brother. Also appears in Elfstones.
Crazy-Prepared: Brings the climbing gear when the visit the Black Oaks, in case they get lost again.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Grumpy, practical, and heavily built, in contrast to the more positive, romantic, and slender Shea.
The Smart Guy: Flick's ability to plan ahead, and improvise on the fly (despite really hating to do so) come in handy several times.
Menion Leah
Shea's oldest friend, and a Prince of the Highland Kingdom of Leah. Menion is hotheaded, impulsive, and on occasion, downright reckless. He's also loyal, brave, and will go miles for you if he considers you a friend. He's a Tracker, a hunter, the best bowman in the Southland (at least in his considered opinion), and an all around useful fellow.
Badass: Menion starts out as a superb archer and a capable swordsman and only gets better with time. Whether it's making impossible shots, fighting Sirens and giant insects with a sword, or massacring kidnappers, Menion Leah has you covered.
Took a Level in Badass: While Menion is already an excellent fighter at the start, his irreverent personality and lack of direction prevent him from being a true badass until he grows up partway through.
A Dwarf Tracker and woodsman who serves as the group's guide through the Eastland. Perhaps the most experienced member of the group, he is hated by the Eastland Gnomes, who have a price on his head.
The Quiet One: And not a screwed up example. He just doesn't talk that much, unless the situation calls for it. The word most used to describe him is "taciturn."
You Shall Not Pass: He and Menion pull this when Stenmin attempts to lead the enemy into the city through the basement.
Balinor Buckhannah
Prince of Callahorn, Border Legion Commander, and inspiring leader par excellence, currently away from home due to a disagreement with his brother Palance. Serves as the team leader when Allanon is not present.
Fatal Family Photo: Averted. We learn about one of the brother's beloved Lynliss back home in the Westland, which seems like a sure sign he's going to die in the final battle at Tyrsis—but he doesn't.
Flat Character: Very little characterization is devoted to them, to the point they often seem like window dressing and rarely speak, acting only as extra fighters when the bad guys show up. Seem to be included only so that there could be Elves in the story.
The Big Bad. The head honcho. The monster whose fault half this series is. Formerly one of the Druids, Brona was among the first to rediscover the books of magic. Growing obsessed with it, he rebelled against the Druids, plunging the world into a repeating cycle of war that can only be ended by his death. Leader of the armies of Man during the First War of the Races, The Man Behind the Man to the Trolls in the Second, he's now out to instigate a Third, and bring all of the Four Lands squarely under his heel. Seemingly Immortal, he can only be slain by the touch of the Sword of Shannara. Appears in Sword, First King and High Druid.
A God Am I: He's convinced the Trolls, the Gnomes, and possibly himself, of this.
The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: Implied. Brona originally began studying the books of magic for the same reason Druids did anything, to gain the knowledge needed to help lead, guide, and protect the world. But after being corrupted by the Ildatch and losing his soul, he became merely a vessel for its power and only cared about taking over the world. If any of his real self was left, it might pretend he was doing so in order to lead and guide it, but that's just sophistry at this point.
Dead All Along: Brona is revealed to be a walking corpse, sustained only by the magic and his belief in his own immortality. The Sword Of Shannara reveals his lies to him, promptly killing him in truth.
Deadpan Snarker: His characterisation in High Druid is surprisingly close to this. He seems to get a real kick out of mocking Grianne, and telling her she isn't asking the right questions. It's quite stunning (and funny) given his previous characterisation as a Stock CharacterEvil Overlord.
Determinator: In a way. Brona's will, combined with his magic and his belief that he cannot die is the only thing still keeping him, and his Skull Bearers, alive. It takes the power of the Sword to shatter his convictions.
Dragon-in-Chief: To The Ildatch. Brona doesn't necessarily even know it, but his Artifact of Doom has thoroughly manipulated him into becoming what he is, and is largely using him in order to unleash its magics upon the world. That said, the plan is Brona's, and without him, the Ildatch is just a book. There's a reason why it doesn't even put in an appearance in Sword, and is of secondary concern in First King. Without Brona to wield it, the Ildatch can't do much.
Dub Title Change: In the Italian version at least his title of "Warlock Lord" is changed to "Signore degli Inganni" (Lord of Deceptions).
Evil Sounds Deep: He's described as having a deep, roiling voice, that echoes in your mind. It's also written entirely in capitals in Sword and First King. In High Druid his mind-speech is more normal, but still very low.
Faking the Dead: After the First War Of The Races. He isn't faking after the Second though: it legitimately took him that long to recover from the damage Bremen and Jerle Shannara inflicted on him.
Killed Off for Real: Finally bites the dust in Sword after over a thousand years of menacing the world.
Large Ham: In Sword, and to a lesser degree First King. MORTAL CREATURE, I AM HERE!
Literal Genie: His ghost goes out of its way to be this in High Druid, being as unhelpful—and as aggravating—as possible whenever Grianne asks a question.
Load-Bearing Boss: Both Skull Mountain, and the entire Knife Edge collapse after he dies. All of the Skull Bearers go too.
The Man Behind the Man: In the First and Second Wars Of The Races. He's a little more obvious about it in the Third.
One-Scene Wonder: In Sword and High Druid. He gets a little more screen time in First King.
Orcus on His Throne: Actually justified. Brona's less a character, and more a channel for eldritch forces. He can't do anything.
The Druids who rebelled alongside Brona, they now function as his generals, bodyguards, and top henchmen. No longer human, the magic has warped them into monstrous beings with leathery wings, red eyes, heavy, slouching bodies, and clawed fingers. Nearly unkillable, they exist only to serve the Warlock Lord's will.
In the Hood: Thankfully. When we do see their faces, they're described as looking like pitted coal. The art in World of Shannara makes it even worse.
One-Man Army: Any one of them can match Allanon blow for blow. The one that gets into the Elven palace in First King murders the royal family and half the guard before it is finally put down. If you don't have an Elfstone or Druidic powers of some sort, and you see one of these guys, start running.
Balinor's younger brother, Palance is not the man he once was thanks to his treacherous adviser, Stenmin. With his father ill, and Balinor driven from the city, Palance is the one running Callahorn—or so he thinks.
Cain and Abel: He's the Cain to Balinor's Abel, though the hatred is entirely onesided.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite the utter mess that his mind and personal life are, Palance certainly cares about Shirl. He also refuses to have Balinor executed, despite his paranoid delusions and Stenmin's insistence that it is the only way he can protect himself.
The Mentally Ill: In the end, Palance's madness becomes horribly real.
The Resenter: Horribly resents Balinor for being the firstborn.
Weak Willed: The drugs that Stenmin feeds him only make it worse, causing him to vacilitate back and forth, usually making a decision based on the advice of the last person he talked to.
Stenmin
One of the Warlock Lord's spies, and a treacherous advisor to Balinor's brother, Palance. He plots to open the gates of Tyrsis to Brona's army.
Dirty Coward: Spineless, sleazy, and pathetic, with a strong attachment to his own skin. Even Palance, who thinks that Stenmin is the smartest person in the world, describes him as a coward.
Informed Ability: He never demonstrates his "mystic" abilities. Of course, he could have been an astrologist, or an alchemist, or something else along those lines, in which case he may not have had any, or at least none that would be of viable use in combat.
Stupid Evil: Does he really expect Brona to reward him after the war is over? Than again, it's exactly these qualities of his that the Sorcerous Overlord is playing on.
A thief, highwayman, and all around rogue whom Shea meets after being separated from the group. Quick-tempered, and prone to mood swings, he's nevertheless a useful (if shady) companion, and goes on to become Shea's protector on the trek to the Skull Kingdom.
Affably Evil: Panamon is polite, courteous, and prefers to avoid killing people if he can. That said, he's no gentleman and can turn very ugly if the situation warrants it.
Dual Wielding: In a way. He has the pike on one arm, and carries his broadsword in the other.
Even Evil Has Standards: Panamon's a thief and a murderer, but he balks at what the Northland has become under Brona. He's also revolted by the deserter Orl Fane, who left all his friends to die.
Pride: Perhaps his defining characteristic. Even his decision to help Shea is based at least in part because being outfoxed by Orl Fane and nearly killed by a Skull Bearer hurts his vanity.
The Quiet One: He's an actual mute, yes. He also however, rarely involves himself in the decision making process unless he has to, allowing him to still fit this trope.
Dangerous Deserter: A thief, tramp, and all around miserable excuse for a human being, Orl Fane alternates between snivelling sycophancy and violent insanity, making him dangerous to all those around him.
The Mentally Ill: His mind utterly shatters by the time of his final confrontation with the group.
Not So Harmless: He really did manage to get his hands on the Sword of Shannara, and is able to avoid Shea and Panamon Creel for a couple hundred pages before being captured by the Warlock Lord.
Shea's grandson, Wil was orphaned when his parents died in a fever. Raised by Shea and Flick, he's studying in Storlock to become a Healer, in the hopes of saving people like his parents. That's the plan anyway, until Allanon comes crashing into his life. A few years back, Shea had passed the Elfstones on to Wil. Now the Druid wants him to use them to protect an Elven Princess on her way to save the world from a Demonic invasion. Does Wil get a choice in this? Not on your life.
Combat Medic: Wil is a healer, trained by the Gnomes of Storlock. He's also carrying the demon-destroying Elfstones around with him. He's a pretty solid example of this.
Deceased Parents Are The Best: His mother and father died of a fever, convincing Wil to become a Healer. He seems to have relatively decent memories of them. That said, his grandfather (Shea) and great-uncle (Flick) haven't given him much to complain about in the Parental Substitute department.
Lamarck Was Right: His use of the Elfstones physically damaged him, causing him to pass along magically altered genetics to his children. Cue the Wishsong.
Took a Level in Badass: After spending most of the book frightened of the magic, and on the run from forces too powerful to combat, Wil turns around and burns The Reaper to ash.
Amberle Elessedil
The granddaughter of Elven King, Eventine Elessedil, Amberle was the first girl to be Chosen by the Ellcrys in years. It was a great honour. It was one she ran away from. When Allanon finds her, she's hiding out in an orphanage, helping look after the children. Next thing she knows she's on a quest to save the world, with only Wil for protection.
The Chosen One: Amberle was chosen by the Ellcrys to help repair the gap in the Forbidding. Surprisingly, she isn't the main character. She initially thought it was a cruel joke.
Heroic Sacrifice: Gives up her life in order to become the new Ellcrys.
Like Brother and Sister: She and Wil claim to be this. If it's true or not is never confirmed.
Rebellious Princess: Though much girlier than most. She ran away from home because she couldn't face being a Chosen or enduring her family's disapproval.
The adopted daughter of Cephelo, leader of a Rover band that Wil and Amberle encounter. She quickly falls for Wil, and tries to help him when her father cheats him. She returns to help them again near the end.
Femme Fatale: Beautiful, enigmatic, and willing to offer Wil just about anything if he'll take her away from Cephelo. While she's far less skanky than most, the trope still applies.
Often regarded as the greatest of the Elven Kings, Eventine was an exceedingly minor character in Sword. When we meet him in Elfstones he's in his eighties, and trying very hard to train his son Arion to take his place. He's not too happy about having to trust Amberle (who he regards as the black sheep of the family), but goes along with it at Allanon's urging. Spends most of the book leading his troops, which results in his receiving several serious injuries.
Ascended Extra: A minor character in the first book, he has to be rescued like a Damsel in Distress by Flick. In Elfstones on the other hand, he is a clearly great, if aging king, a central character, and a total Badass.
Badass Grandpa: A more realistic version than many. Still, the man's eighty-two, and not only leads his men from the front but managed to kill the freaking Changeling, injured, and by himself.
Prince Charmless: He can lead an army, but has no patience for politics, which makes including him in diplomatic negotiations a risky process at best.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Hot-tempered, bitter, and undiplomatic (though a capable war-leader) to Ander's reasoned deliberateness.
Ander Elessedil
Eventine's second son, younger brother to Arion, and older brother to the deceased Aine. He takes on more and more responsibility as the book progresses, due to natural, self-effacing leadership skills, and the fact that he's one of the few people Allanon trusts.
The Unfavourite: A non-malicious example. It's not that Eventine doesn't love Ander, it's just that he sees training his heir, Arion, to be much more pressing.
The Captain of the Elven Home Guard, Crispin and six of his men are tasked with seeing Wil and Amberle safely to the Wilderun. Competent, brave, and dedicated to his job, Crispin ultimately sacrifices himself so that Wil and Amberle can escape The Reaper.
Bow and Sword in Accord: Fires one shot after another at The Reaper before resorting to a direct confrontation, wherein he acquits himself relatively well.
Dying Moment of Awesome: With his team dead, and The Reaper approaching rapidly, Crispin holds the Pykon Bridge against the unstoppable monster, holding it off long enough that Wil and Amberle are able to destroy the bridge, thus ensuring their escape. He doesn't actually do any damage, but the simple fact that he was able to slow the Demon down cements him as an immense Badass.
The commander of the Border Legion Free Corps, Jans and his men are among the first to answer the Elven call for assistance. A valuable ally, and walking Big Damn Heroes moment, his men will follow him just about anywhere.
Dark and Troubled Past: Implied. He leads what's essentially the Callahorn version of The French Foreign Legion. All his men, and Stee himself, are running away from something.
The leader of the Demons, The Dagda Mor is a powerful Demon Lord and sorcerer, with abilities that are a match for those of Allanon. He serves as the main antagonist of Elfstones, arranging the collapse of the Forbidding and leading his army's assault on the Elves, with his ultimate objective being the destruction of all sentient life in the Four Lands.
Asskicking Equals Authority: The Dagda Mor is in charge because he has brutally crushed anyone who might have stood against him, using both his own power, and that of The Reaper. Few Demons approach his level of strength, and no one wants to challenge him for his position.
Bat out of Hell: Uses a gigantic one as his mode of transport.
Evil Genius: It's repeatedly stated that while the Dagda Mor may not be the most powerful Demon (although he's close enough), he is the smartest.
Evil Sorcerer: Channels Druidic magic through his Staff Of Power as an addition to his own, innate abilities. As such, he is the only Demon to keep his magic when the Ellcrys staff renders his army mortal.
Kill All Humans: And Elves, and Dwarves, and Trolls, and Gnomes. If it isn't a Demon, The Dagda Mor wants it destroyed.
Primal Stance: Walks slouched and hunched, with his hands near the ground courtesy of a huge humpback.
Revenge: Wants to payback the Elves, and then all of humanity, for his imprisonment.
The Dagda Mor's spy, The Changeling is a spiteful Demon who looks down on all those who refuse to toy with lives the way that he does. He serves The Dagda Mor out of fear, and infiltrates Eventine's councils for him, disguised as the King's wolfhound, Manx.
Social Darwinist: Believes the strong should rule, and is contemptuous of anyone who is trapped by what they are. The only thing he respects is power superior to his own.
The Reaper
Created to be the ultimate hunter and tracker, The Reaper represents all the darker impulses of predation combined into one being and given human intelligence to balance animalistic instinct. Driven by instincts that demand it kill everything it comes into contact with, The Reaper is The Dagda Mor's most dangerous servant, and the one he uses to harry Wil and Amberle across the whole of the Westland.
The Dragon: To The Dagda Mor, though it doesn't actually share his goals. The Reaper's sole objective in life is to kill as many living beings as it can, and The Dagda Mor provides it with the opportunity to indulge those instincts again and again.
Nigh Invulnerability: Nothing can stop The Reaper. One of the Elven Hunters hits it in the throat with his sword. The sword breaks, The Reaper doesn't.
A pair of psychotic witches, who make the Wilderun, home of the Bloodfire, their home. They hate one another, while viewing everything and everyone else as just something to toy with. Mallenroh captures Wil, Amberle, and Eretria, and takes the stones, hoping to alter the balance of power between her and her sister. Morag arrives and the two of them proceed to kill one another as Wil, Amberle, and Eretria escape with The Reaper right behind them
Living Doll Collector: Mallenroh captures people she finds "pretty" and either turns them into wooden figurines, or keeps them alive in her dungeons. Morag is implied to do the same.
Love Triangle: A human got caught between them. They killed him and blame one another.
Wil's daughter, Brin inherited some of the ancient Elven magic in the form of the Wishsong. Allanon recruits her while Wil (who's never quite trusted him after the events of Elfstones) is out, needing her ability to mimic and control all forms of life in order to enter the Maelmord and destroy TheIldatch.
Lamarck Was Right: Her abilities stem from her father's use of the Elfstones.
Mutant: Pretty much. Wil's use of the Elfstones contaminated his bloodline, resulting in she and Jair being born with innate magic of their own.
Reality Warper: Can bend nature and life around her Wishsong.
Story Breaker Power: Begins accessing this level of power under the Ildatch's control. It believes she would be even more powerful than Brona was, and without the Achilles Heel. Luckily, Jair gets there in time to head this off.
Take Up My Sword: Courtesy of Allanon. Interestingly, it's one of her descendents, Walker Boh, who actually has to deal with the ramifications of this.
Jair Ohmsford
Brin's younger brother, Jair has a milder version of the Wishsong, which allows him to create extremely detailed and realistic illusions. Attacked by Gnomes soon after Brin and Rone set out, he is rescued by Garet Jax and given a mission by the King of the Silver River.
Menion's great-grandson, he's an old friend of the family and has a fairly serious crush on Brin. Distrusting Allanon, he accompanies the Druid and the Valegirl so that he can protect her.
Bodyguard Crush: Becomes Brin's defender solely to be close to her.
A Gnome from the band that captured Jair, he later becomes involved in the boy's quest to save Brin. Suspicious, and a loner by nature he has no desire to be along on this quest, but somehow gets caught up in it anyway. Sometimes called "The Gnome who was not quite a Gnome" due to his dislike for his own people and their superstitions.
Anti-Hero: Evolves into a Type II. He's much like Garet Jax actually, in his cynicism and reluctance to get involved with Jair's quest, but comes through in the end.
Defector from Decadence: Slanter hates the Mord Wraiths, and finds his fellow Gnomes primitive, savage, and more than a little stupid. It ultimately leads to his defection to Jair and the Dwarves.
Hired Guns: Slanter works as a mercenary Tracker, hiring out his services to anyone who pays.
Knife Nut: Slanter's reliant on his long knife in most combats, in no small part due to his size. Unlike with other Brooks' characters, who carry a knife as just a part of their arsenal, it seems to be his main weapon.
Pintsized Powerhouse: Gnomes are hardly tiny, but still very short compared to other races, and Slanter is no exception. He'll still slice you to ribbons if you screw with him or Jair.
The Weapons Master, Jax is a mysterious mercenary who saves Jair from a band of Gnomes. He accompanies the Valeman as his protector from that point on. Possibly the biggest Badass in the entire franchise.
Anti-Hero: Type II. Cynical and standoffish, but still a hero.
Because Destiny Says So: Or at least the King of the Silver River, who convinces him that he has to serve as Jair's protector.
Blood Knight: He's looking for the one foe who can defeat him.
Death Seeker: Garet Jax follows Jair because he's looking for the chance to face his ultimate opponent, and die. A prophecy tells him that if he goes along with Jair he will find the opportunity to do this.
Although it's not so much death itself he's looking for, he really just wants to face something that even has a chance of killing him so he can actually have a challenging fight for once.
A crazy old man who aids Brin in her search for the Maelmord and the Ildatch. Later revealed to be a lapsed Druid, and the last one left besides Allanon. Appears in Wishsong, the Heritage foursome, and First King.
Crazy Awesome: In Wishsong. By Heritage he's recovered his sanity. Mostly
Heroic Sacrifice: Dies blowing himself and Death up with gunpowder in order to save Walker.
The Magic Versus Technology War: Will cheerfully use gunpowder and other Old World sciences against the Mord Wraiths and their ilk. He's also a competent Druid, although he hides it well.
A monster from the Faerie world that even the Demons thought too dangerous to loose. Two of them are released by the Mord Wraiths.
Combat Sadomasochist: Hardwired into them by the dark magic. They actually feed on pain, both their own, and that of others. They'll tear themselves apart in order to kill their victim.
Evil Laugh: A hyena-like cackle that just about freezes the blood.
Mortal followers of Brona, subverted by the magic of The Ildatch. They now resemble tall, skeletal figures, wrapped in black robes, and prone to worshipping the book.
Implacable Man: To anyone without magical abilities. There's a scene where three of them take a few dozen arrows and get right back up, as though nothing had happened.
The book of eldritch magic responsible for subverting Brona, the Mord Wraiths, and countless others. Very old, The Ildatch dates back to the war between the Faeries and the Demons and has been corrupting people ever since. Its destruction serves as the main plot of the book. Unbeknownst to all, including Allanon, the book is alive, sentient, and The Big Bad of the entire trilogy. A very nasty, Artifact of Doom indeed.
A descendant of Jair Ohmsford, and The Hero of the trilogy, he has inherited Jair's Master of Illusion powers. Initially a travelling storyteller, he and his brother Coll are summonded, along with Walker Boh and Wren to the Hadeshorn, and given a charge by Allanon. Par's is to retrieve The Sword of Shannara. Desperate to be a hero, he is the first Ohmsford to embrace his charge.
Blessed with Suck: The Wishsong is an incredibly powerful, evolving weapon. It's also addictive, unpredictable, and prone to overriding Par's mind, and meddling with his psyche. Not to mention that it attracts Shadowen in the dozens.
Par's brother, and the only Ohmsford with no magic. He accompanies Par, having been given no charge himself. Or so we are led to believe. In reality, he's the one destined to wield the Sword of Shannara after Par finds it.
A distant relative of Par and Coll's, who briefly lived with them in Shady Vale, where he was nicknamed "The Dark Uncle." Descended from Brin Ohmsford, Walker is tall, pale, and withdrawn, with limited innate magic, including the power to converse with nature. Charged by Allanon with reviving the Druids and Paranor, he is the most reluctant to accept his charge, and initially refuses outright.
Determinator: He made it home after losing his arm, he crawls after Rimmer Dall's attack despite being near dying, he survives half a book with a fatal injury in the sequel; there's not much you can hit Walker with that he hasn't been hit with.
I Am Legion: Possibly. He has bits and pieces of all the other Druids inside him after his use of the Black Elfstone on Paranor. It's never made clear how much of Walker is left.
Squishy Wizard: Look at this trope list. To say that Walker averts this hard without ever becoming a Magic Knight or a Kung-Fu Wizard would be putting it lightly.
Par and Coll's cousin, and the bearer of the Elfstones. Raised by the Rovers in the Westland, Wren is charged by Allanon with bringing the Elves back to the Westland. Unbeknownst to her, she is secretly their queen.
Action Girl: A very competent fighter, and a match for any of the men in series.
Boyish Short Hair: Always pictured with short hair; it's helpful in combat.
Changeling Fantasy: She's really Wren Elessedil, granddaughter of Ellenroh Elessedil, Queen of the Elves. This leads to a serious identity crisis.
The Chosen One: Twice over. Allanon charges her to return the Elves to the Four Lands; at her birth Eowen Cerise prophesied that she would be the one to save the Elves.
Fire-Forged Friends: How she describes her friendship with Triss in Talismans.
G-Rated Drug: Fears becoming addicted the Elfstones, a fact that frequently handicaps her in Elf Queen.
Horrible Judge of Character: To some extent with Gavilan but especially Tib Arne. The latter was lampshaded and justified somewhat in-story by her being emotionally vulnerable thanks to losing Garth, but still...
I Just Want to Be Normal: Has a lot of this in Elf Queen, as one revelation after another shocks her to the core.
Knife Nut: Like many of Brooks' characters, she seems to prefer long knives and short swords to larger weapons.
Par and Coll's oldest friend, Morgan has spent most of his life up until now, harrassing the Federation officials who occupy his homeland. He tries to protect Par and Coll, using contacts in the Dwarf Resistance and the Freeborn, as well as the battered Sword of Leah to aid them. Then, bad things start happening, and he goes on to become a character in his own right, and a major player in the series, all without really wanting to.
Badass: With shades of Badass Angster. By the end he's going through Shadowen as if they weren't even there, despite being broken as heck over what happened to Quickening.
Break the Cutie: The torture Morgan goes through comes very close to this. He goes from comic relief to bitter adult very quickly.
Expy: Starts out as one of Menion...then goes through Hell and comes out very, very diffrent.
Heroic BSOD: After losing the Sword Of Leah in Scions, Morgan finds himself paralysed by fear and indecision. This will return to haunt him on several occasions.
The Kirk: When partnered with Damson and Matty in Talismans.
Reluctant Warrior: Morgan will kill Shadowen without batting an eye, but has serious issues with killing people. It makes for some tension with Matty Roh.
The Smart Guy: Morgan is the go-to guy when the Free-born need a planner. He gets them in and out of Federation cities and prisons with seeming ease, and is second only to Padishar and Walker when it comes to going unnoticed.
Warrior Prince: His family may not run Leah anymore, but he's close enough for farm use.
Padishar Creel
The leader of the Freeborn resistance, and a descendent of Panamon Creel. He is delighted to hear about the Ohmsfords' missions, and does everything in his power to aid both them and Morgan. Probably the most implacable, if odd enemy that The Federation has.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Padishar is really, really weird. And equally effective.
Consummate Liar: A heroic example, Padishar puts his manipulative abilities to work for the Free-born, convincing people from all walks of life to follow him out of the belief that his past mirrors their own.
Expy: In-universe. He deliberately modelled himself on Panamon Creel.
La Résistance: He's not the founder of the free-born, but he is the man responsible for uniting them into a competent fighting force.
A member of the Freeborn and Par's Love Interest. She's also Padishar's daughter.
Achilles Heel: Could be said to be this to Padishar because she's his daughter, so he will do anything to save her, including staying behind to be captured and executed.
Action Girl: Maybe. It is clear she can fight, though, and there's no questioning her bravery in helping Par, particularly in the last book when she's the only Badass Normal in the group to go into Southwatch (aside from Matty Roh), and without any major weapons with her. Walker gave everyone "a bit of magic" to protect them, something she had no way of knowing how effective it would be or what form it would take, yet she went anyway.
Chekhov's Gun: The Skree. Just a bit of harmless street magic she gives to Par to help them reunite when he goes chasing after the Brainwashed and Crazy Coll...but later it helps her and Matty find and save Coll from slavers, and still leads her and the others to Par at Southwatch for the Final Battle, thanks to his magic having "imprinted" a reflection of it on himself.
Florence Nightingale Effect: Much of her relationship with Par comes about due to nursing him back to health while hiding out from the Federation in the Tyrsis sewers.
Heroes Want Redheads: She and Par are more or less joined at the hip after Scions.
La Résistance: Is a prominent member, or at least associate, of the free-born.
The McCoy: Takes this role when partnered up with Morgan and Matty.
We Need a Distraction: No, not for the obvious reason—her street magic serves this purpose quite often, but she also forms one in the mundane sense when she poses as Padishar's wife to get them into the People's Park, and again during their escape from the Pit the second time.
Garth
Wren's protector and guide, Garth has raised her since her early childhood. A Rover, he does his best to teach Wren how to survive in a very cruel world.
Mighty Glacier: Compared to other people, he's probably a Lightning Bruiser, but when forced to face the Wisteron and other various Shadowen monsters, he's much closer to this.
Muscles Are Meaningless: Averted. Garth's size and physical power are his primary assets in a fight.
Head of the Seekers, the Federation Secret Police, Rimmer Dall is also the leader of the Shadowen, The Big Bad of the series, and an all around bastard. He pursues and harasses the Ohmsfords at every turn, playing with their minds, in an attempt to break them all. He seems to be particularly obsessed with Par and the Wishsong.
Consummate Liar: Nothing short of the Sword Of Shannara can pierce Rimmer Dall's carefully crafted falsehoods. And since he's aware that Par can't use the Sword, Rimmer Dall's more than willing to hand it over to him, using the Sword's lack of reaction to his stories in order to further Par's confusion.
Manipulative Bastard: By the time he's done with Par and Coll, they can't tell reality from fiction. More than any other villain in series, Rimmer Dall relies on manipulating his victims' emotions for his plans to work.
No Yay: There are some serious rape overtones to his attempted possession of Par.
Puppeteer Parasite: The real Rimmer Dall isn't the man described here. He's the smokey wraith inside of him.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes turn into "pinpricks of blood" when he's angered or anticipatory.
Red Right Hand: Red Left Hand. It's the one he uses to project his power and is normally kept gloved to conceal the fact that it's both red, and more importantly made of fire.
A member of the Dwarf Resistance. Girlfriend of Steff, Morgan's contact. Tortured by the Shadowen, she has no face, and speaks very little. Eventually outed as Shadowen, she betrays the group, murders Steff, and is slain by Morgan.
Pet the Dog: The moment when Par is on watch at the camp, and she comes to him asking him to show her how the magic works. Possibly subverted in retrospect, as a clever Foreshadowing of her being a Shadowen, since this was an example of her being drawn to Par's magic as all the others were. But since it isn't clear when exactly she became a Shadowen—she may not have been The Mole to start with but got attacked and possessed sometime after this scene during the journey, it still could count. Even if she was a Shadowen at the time, that doesn't preclude her still having a humanizing side to her. Regardless, the moment certainly acted as a nice deflection from her true loyalties, making her a Red Herring for a while.
Waif-Fu: Far, far stronger than she looks, and every bit as fast.
Quickening
The daughter of The King of the Silver River, she leads Morgan, Walker, Pe Ell, and Horner Dees on a trek north to defeat the Stone King, and recover the Black Elfstone. She has the power to heal the land, and undo the poisons inflicted upon it.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Appears at first to be one of these, but it turns out she was far more Genre Savvy than she let on, knowing from the very beginning what Pe Ell was and what he wanted but bringing him anyway, because she needed the Stiehl to pierce her body's magical defenses, so she could become one with the land and undo the Stone King's poison. Very much an I Did What I Had to Do decision from one who seemed naive and far too trusting until The Reveal.
Pe Ell
An assassin for hire, and a favourite of Rimmer Dall's. He possesses a knife that can cut through anything, including magical defences. Calling him a sociopath is putting it mildly.
Absurdly Sharp Blade: The first person to wield The Stiehl which can cut through anything, including armour, magic, and solid stone as though it weren't there.
Break the Haughty: The book as a whole is a devestating one for him.
Not so Different: From the Shadowen, and particularly from Rimmer Dall.
Psycho for Hire: Lives to look into his victim's eyes as they die; he views this as a way to glimpse the afterlife, and it is an act with a borderline religious significance for him.
Yandere: Becomes one to Quickening, seeing her as his possession. He's insanely jealous of anyone—Morgan, Walker—who gets too close to her.
Horner Dees
A retired Tracker, hunter, and woodsman, Horner Dees is the only man to have survived entering Eldwist, the city of the Stone King, and is recruited by Quickening to guide her company to Uhl Belk's home. A bearish old man who loves the mountains, Dees is eventually revealed to be a former Federation Tracker with a history with Pe Ell.
The Alcoholic: Dees has a serious drinking problem. To his credit, it doesn't interfere with his job.
Animal Motifs: Counting the number of times he is compared to a bear would make a good drinking game.
A creature of fairie, Uhl Belk is brother to the King of the Silver River, and Lord of Eldwist. Fearing change, he seeks to turn all the world to stone. Prior to the events of the series, he stole the Black Elfstone from the Druids; Walker, Quickening, Morgan, Pe Ell, and Horner Dees seek to retrieve it.
Abusive Parents: To the Maw Grint. His repeated demands on it, and fusions of magic, have driven it insane.
Disc One Final Boss: In his role as Big Bad for Druid. He has powers that rival or exceed that of the combined Shadowen armies, but is defeated halfway through the series.
Irony: He's terrified by change and chaos, but his plan to convert the entire world to stone is more or less the definition of Chaotic Evil.
Not so Different: How he sees himself and the King of the Silver River.
Omnicidal Maniac: Though he doesn't necessarily see it that way. He wants to turn the world to stone, in order to keep it from changing. He believes that in doing so, he is fullfilling his pledge to the Word.
Physical God: Would be, were it not for his immobility, and dependence on the Black Elfstone.
Taken for Granite: Resembles an immense, semi-mobile statue, and has the power to turn things to stone with a touch.
The Maw Grint
Uhl Belk's child, it is a formerly humanoid elemental with the appearance of a monstrous, fanged worm.
Evil Counterpart: To Quickening. Like her, it had the power to carry its father's magic wherever it went, changing the land, and it was even described as Uhl Belk's son, i.e. the opposite gender.
Graceful Loser: Pauses and allows Quickening's magic to erase it instead of attacking. It almost seems to welcome it, perhaps in a moment of I Cannot Self-Terminate.
Story Breaker Power: Forget the Shadowen. The Maw Grint's size alone makes it literally unkillable. It's so vast that it fills all of Eldwist during its rampage at the end, making it immune to anything the heroes might throw at it. And that's without getting into the fact that both its touch, and its magic, are deadly poison. In short there is no actual way to stop it, or even fight it. Quickening's Heroic Sacrifice is the only thing that prevents it from taking over the world; a direct confrontation would have resulted in everybody but it dying.
The strongest and most dangerous of Morrowindl's "demons", it has the appearance of a spider/monkey hybrid. It lays claim to the entire swamp of the In Ju.
Disc One Final Boss: The final opponent confronted by Wren in Elf Queen, the Wisteron tests the limits of her abilities more fully than anyone she faces afterwards. It's not connected to the series' Big Bad, and yet it's still a near perfect match for this trope.
A Splinterscat whom Wren and Garth save on their way to Arborlon. He accompanies them back to the Four Lands and serves as a wilderness guide and scout for the Elven Army.
Prince Charming:Subverted. At first he seems like the real thing, but is revealed to be a coward by the end.
Matty Roh
One of Padishar Creel's top agents, Matty is a very self-possessed and capable young woman. She runs a bar for Padishar, and later accompanies Morgan Leah on his trek south.
Actually I Am Her: Morgan asked her (while she was disguised as a boy) where he could find Matty Roh. Several rounds of question dodging later, this gets said.
Battle Couple: Forms one with Morgan. He handles the Shadowen, she handles the normal people.
Bifauxnen: Matty is repeatedly described as looking like an especially Bishōnen male teenager, instead of the adult woman she is. This is an obvious help with her boy disguise.
Broken Bird/ Kuudere: Courtesy of a traumatic backstory that's both believable and very sad.
I Did What I Had to Do: Convinced a Federation officer to give her some information she wanted, then cut his throat before he could...ahem...try and make a move on her. She's convinced that what she did was justified. Morgan's not so sure.
La Résistance: A very high-ranking member, somewhere just behind Padishar Creel and Chandos.
Royal Rapier: Brooks doesn't name the weapon she's carrying but it's a slim, light fencing weapon, used with one hand, meaning it's either this or a duelling sabre.
Second Love: To Morgan They're definitely falling for one another by the time the book ends.
Survivors Guilt: Her entire family died of a disease that she herself brought into the house. Somehow she got better. They didn't.
Waif-Fu: Very slim, armed with a rapier, and dependent on trying to avoid getting hit. She's quite tall however, and capable of taking a reasonable amount of punishment against normal people. Against the Shadowen, she's absolutely dependent on this style.
The Four Horsemen
Four Shadowen, given the appearance of the legends, and sent to harass Walker Boh.
Dem Bones: Famine is essentially a skeleton, albeit with a little bit of flesh attached.
The Evil Genius: The main reason that Death is the last one standing is because he was bright enough to hang back from the fight, realised what Walker was doing with the illusions, and traced the Druid's attack on War back to its source.
Evil Is Deathly Cold: Death. His touch is freezing and saps his victims' strength while his scythe leaves frosty trails in the wounds it inflicts.
The Worm that Walks: Pestilence's body is made up of thousands of plague flies trapped within an amorphous yellow body.
Tib Arne and Gloon
A very young free-born agent, sent to bring Wren information about Padishar's movements. He later befriends Wren, who he seems to view with a certain amount of reverence. Gloon is his War Shrike and protector. Both are eventually revealed to be Shadowen spies. They kill one of Wren's companions and abduct her, before being slain by the Elf Queen herself.
Cool Pet: Gloon is a War Shrike, a creature that can best be described as an airborne wolverine, complete with the attitude, badassery, and lack of regard for its own personal safety. About as cool a pet as you can get.
Loyal Animal Companion: Gloon follows Tib everywhere, and protects him as best he can. Tib says he's raised the Shrike since infancy, and Gloon seems to believe he owes him.
The cousin of Quentin Leah, Prince of Leah, Bek was orphaned at a young age and adopted by Quentin. Recruited by Walker for reasons unknown. It's eventually revealed that he's an Ohmsford, has the powers of the Wishsong, and, by the by, is the Ilse Witch's brother.
Reality Warper: Not to Brin, Par, or Grianne's level, but Bek's Wishsong can clearly do more than just create illusions. He just doesn't have to use it that way with any great frequency.
I thought this would be our great adventure, our right of passage into manhood, a story we would remember all our lives, that we would tell to our friends and family. Now I don't ever want to talk about it again.
The current Prince of Leah, and Bek's best friend, cousin, and surrogate brother. Brought along by Walker so that they can have access to the Sword of Leah.
Blessed with Suck: He has the Sword of Leah. Its power is addictive and puts him at great risk, and despite that, he still can't save most of the people he wants to protect.
Jumped at the Call: He thought going on this trip would be a big adventure. Now...
We Are Not Going Through That Again: Quentin is never leaving home again. Hell, if he can arrange it, he's going to forget everything that ever happened on the Voyage.
The Lancer: Naturally falls into this role no matter who is partnered up with. He's been The Lancer to Bek, Tamis, and Panax.
Older Sidekick: To Bek, whom he is obsessed with protecting.
A Rover mercenary serving on the Prekkadoran Hights, Walker hires him to captain the Jerle Shannara. Also known as Big Red, and "the man with the luck."
The younger half-sister of Redden Alt Mer, Rue is an accomplished mercenary in her own right, and along with Spanner Frew, is her brother's second-in-command. Also known as Little Red.
Action Girl: She stole Black Moclips by herself and survives battles with Mwellrets. She definitely counts.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: After spending most of her life among Rovers and soldiers, this is the reason she's interested in Bek.
Ahren Elessedil
The younger son of the Elven King, he is sent on the Voyage by his older brother, Kylen. Goes through more trauma than the rest of the cast combined.
Antihero: Type I. Ahren's in way over his head and knows it.
Classical Antihero: Plagued by self-doubts, unaware about what's really going on, and frequently victimised by those who are more powerful than he is, Ahren is really not cut out for this hero gig, but tries anyway.
Archenemy: How he sees the relationship between himself and Cree Bega by the end.
"He hated all of the rets, but their leader most of all. Cree Bega was a weight about his neck that would drag him to his death if it wasn't cut off now."
Break the Cutie: No character goes through quite the level of torture that Ahren does. By the end he's a fundamentally broken person with no self-respect left.
Cain and Abel: His brother wants him dead, or at least out of the way, for fear that when he dies, Ahren will take the throne from his children. Ahren wouldn't dream of it, but that doesn't do anything to allay his brother's paranoia.
Face Your Fears/Tired of Running: With regards to Cree Bega. When the big lizard climbs onto the ship and kills one of the crew, Ahren's first instinct is to run. He has an injured Quentin Leah to defend however, and realises that if he runs now, he'll never retain a single shred of his own self-respect. An awesome Knife Fight ensues.
Jumped at the Call: Like Quentin and Bek, he thought travelling to Castledown would be a great adventure. It leaves him broken, dead inside, and wanting to die.
The protege of the Addershag, Ryer is an empath and a seer recruited by Walker to help them on their journey. She doubles as The Mole for the Ilse Witch, and is eventually captured and tortured by Cree Bega and The Morgawr, resulting in her suicide. Has a very complex relationship with Walker.
Heel Face Revolving Door: How things look to Ahren. In reality she's pulled a Heel Face Turn, but is trying to trick the Morgawr as part of her charge from Walker.
The son of a Borderman and a Shape Shifter, Truls Rohk is badly disfigured, and extremely bitter. He's known Walker for years, and is recruited by him to help the crew of The Jerle Shannara. Along the way he strikes up a friendship with Bek. Killed in battle with the Ilse Witch's caull, he is reborn as a true Shape Shifter.
High Octane Nightmare Fuel: He's half-man, half-Shape Shifter and his body reflects this, with parts of it constantly mutating, even as others stay exactly the same.
Shapeshifter Weapon: Forms blades and other weapons from his own ruined body.
Panax
A Dwarven Tracker recruited by Walker to help serve as their guide. He develops a close friendship with Quentin Leah, and Obat, the leader of the Rindge.
Going Native: Opts to stay with the Rindge because there's nothing new to discover at home.
Tamis
An Elven Hunter and protege of Ard Patrinell, upon whom she has a fairly serious crush. She teams up with Quentin in Antrax to Mercy Kill the Patrinell wronk, and dies in the process.
Ineffectual Loner: Initially, due to lingering bitterness over being forced to become an Elven Hunter instead of a member of the vaunted Home Guard. She gets over it by partway through Antrax.
A broken, deadly young woman who can kill with her voice, the Ilse Witch makes her home off the coast, where she plots revenge against Walker for imagined wrongs. Hearing of his quest to obtain the books of what she believes to be old magic, she gathers her own airship crew and sets off in pursuit of him. She is eventually revealed to be Bek's sister, Grianne, and reforms, turning against her mentor, The Morgawr.
Bad Boss: Crushes any servant who questions her authority.
Bastard Understudy: To The Morgawr. They're both very aware of it too, and it's a major theme in their interactions with one another.
Big Bad Duumvirate: Forms one with The Morgawr, though as his former pupil, she is the junior partner, a fact she very much resents, despite all her bluster about them being equals.
Big Bad Wannabe: She's effectively sidelined during Antrax and is just not evil enough to compete with The Morgawr on an even footing.
Villainous BSOD: After being shown the truth about her past and herself by the Sword of Shannara, Grianne pretty much shuts down, and goes into a waking coma. Snapping her out of it becomes a big part of the plot in Morgawr.
Villain Protagonist: Gets at least as much attention as the heroic part of the cast.
Wangst: Deliberately invoked. That she's a selfish bitch blinded by her own perceived suffering is the entire point of her character.
"To feed on another's life. You cannot imagine the ecstasy!"
An ancient warlock who hides within the Wilderun, The Morgawr claims to have been the brother of The Witch Sisters,Morag and Mallenroh. A grotesque, disfigured monster who feeds on human lives and souls, The Morgawr is the Ilse Witch's mentor and the true Big Bad of the Voyage trilogy. Appearing in the background throughout the first two books, he emerges in Morgawr to finish the main cast and take the books of magic for himself. He is eventually slain by Bek, Grianne, and the spirit of Mephitic castle. Probably the single evilest character to appear in the entire franchise.
Bad Powers, Bad People: He devours peoples' souls and minds in order to extend his own life and power. Moreoever, all his other magics stem from this leeching of life. Unsurprisingly, he's one of Brooks' most evil villains.
Brain Food: Worse. He reaches through the back of your head, absorbs your brain (and soul), and leaves you a mindless puppet.
Complete Monster: He's disgustingly evil, has truly vile abilities, and doesn't have the excuse of being a Demon, having a sympathetic backstory, or suffering from corruption by The Ildatch. He eats peoples' brains for crying out loud, and just look at the rest of this trope list. Undoubtedly the most evil thing to come out of Brooks' writing.
Dark Is Not Evil: Invokes and then subverts this trope, assuring a younger Ilse Witch that despite his frightening appearance he is her friend. He's not. He's not anyone's friend.
Determinator: Shows some aspects of this in his Wizard Duel against Grianne, when he temporarily holds off an attack by her and the spirit of Mephitic castle through sheer force of will. The Morgawr may be a monster, but he does not go out like a bitch.
Energy Absorption: Feeds on the Life Energy of his victims, then channels that into magic. He's basically a magical leech.
Full-Contact Magic: Typically uses his magic to shield himself before grappling with his adversaries.
Half-Human Hybrid: He may be part man, part Mwellret. He may also just be a human who has mutated to resemble one. Either way, he has some definite characteristics of this.
The Man Behind the Man: He's been manipulating the Ilse Witch (who thinks she's his equal partner) since she was five or six.
Mysterious Past: Very little is ever made clear about The Morgawr's past, including what he is, what his real name is, if he really is Morag and Mallenroh's brother, and if not, how old he really is.
No Name Given: Note that he's The Morgawr. Is that a title? The name of his species? His job description? Whatever the case may be, we're never told if he has a real name.
It's both title and species. It means "Warlock."
The Nondescript: One of the forms he takes in front of Sen Dunsidan. He implies that it might be his real face.
Voluntary Shape Shifting: Can alter his features to resemble almost anyone, although he doesn't do it very often, preferring the shock value of his actual appearance.
Wizard Duel: Against Grianne and the spirit of Mephitic castle.
"She took ssso long to die, little Elvesss. So long it ssseemed that it would take forever."
The Morgawr's right handMwellret, and the commander of the 'rets among the Ilse Witch's crew. A slimy, obsequious psycho, and one of the few members of the cast who isn't afraid of the Witch. Killed in a Knife Fight against Ahren Elessedil during the climax of Morgawr.
Complete Monster: He's a sadistic, torture-loving monster who's only slightly less monstrous than his boss. And that's got more to do with a lack of opportunity than greater morality. Even the Ilse Witch treads carefully with him.
Knife Nut: Both the throwing and the stabbing variety. Unlike many of Brooks' other examples, he does play up the psychotic aspects of this weapon choice.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: The most evil character in the trilogy after his master. And being less vile than TheMorgawr is not a ringing endorsement.
The Resenter: Towards the Ilse Witch, who he believes is less than worthy of The Morgawr's attention.
Smug Snake: He's arrogant, vicious, and contemptuous of all the "Little peoplessss"; even his undeniable bravery (he's one of the few people in series who isn't scared of the Ilse Witch) stems more from arrogance than anything else. Just reading any of his conversations with the Ilse Witch or Ahren should make his inherent Smug Snakeness apparent.
The Starscream: To The Ilse Witch. He makes it very clear that he believes that he, rather than her, should be the one in charge of the Voyage. The only reason he doesn't try and stick a knife in her is because The Morgawr told him not to, unless she tries to betray him.
An Old World supercomputer, Antrax was created to protect the world's knowledge during the Great Wars. Told that it must survive at all costs, Antrax lures magic-users to its home in Castledown where it imprisons them and drains off their magic to fuel itself. The main cast's lack of knowledge about what it is makes it truly dangerous.
Alas, Poor Villain: It was never really evil, being essentially a victim of its programming, and its panicked attempt to understand what is happening to it is rather sad.
A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Subverted. Antrax is doing exactly what it was hardwired for.
Genius Loci: Because of the main cast's unfamiliarity with Old World machinery, Antrax certainly looks like one to them, as it brings the entirety of Castledown to bear against them.
Knight Templar: Antrax will kill anyone who tries to access the books without the codes. Moreover, it has expanded its practises to luring in people with magical abilities and enslaving them. Why? So that it can drain their magics in order to fuel its own existence, and thus fullfill its Obstructive Code of Conduct of protecting said books. The best part: it doesn't even know what it's protecting.
Magitek: Antrax has evolved past the point of using solar radiation; it now feeds on raw magic, drained from its victims.
Master Computer: Antrax's systems extend throughout the entire fortress.
Ahren and Quentin's mentor, ex-Captain of the Home Guard, and the leader of the company of Elven Hunters aboard the Jerle Shannara. He is captured by Antrax, turned into a wronk and sent to hunt his friends down. Quentin and Tamis spend most of Antrax trying to Mercy Kill him.
Fate Worse than Death: He's transformed into a mechanical monster and sent to hunt down his friends, while still being fully conscious and trying to fight it.
Minister of War for The Federation, Sen Dunsidan is a consumate politician who aspires to be his nation's leader. He as long maintained a mutually beneficial alliance with the Ilse Witch; later he begins to aid The Morgawr.
Even Evil Has Standards: Played with. He's horrified by what The Morgawr has done, yet does nothing whatsoever to stop him.
Honest John's Dealership: He's willing to offer you anything...all while planning to stab you in the back.
Karma Houdini: Subverted. Sure he makes it out of the series with his possessions and power intact, but after witnessing what The Morgawr did to those sailors, he'll never sleep again. And then The Moric eats him in the sequel.
"Everyone called him turnkey, as though that were more than name enough for a man who did what he did."
The keeper of the Federation prisons' keys, the turnkey serves as warden and torturer as well. He aids Sen Dunsidan when the Minister makes his deal with The Morgawr, and kills himself shortly afterwards.
Allanon's father, and the man responsible for the creation of the Sword of Shannara in the first place, Bremen is an elderly Druid who becomes aware of Brona's threat before the other Druids. When the Druid Council will not listen to him, Bremen leaves Paranor in disgust, deciding to take matters into his own hands.
Bremen's other ally among the Dwarves of Paranor, Tay is an Elven Druid, whose studies focused mostly on the elements. A close friend of Jerle Shananra, Bremen sends him to warn the Elf King about Brona, and obtain the Black Elfstone.
Becoming the Mask: Has to be very careful of this when he infiltrates the Chew Magna. Subsumed in his worst emotions in order to disguise himself, it would only take one false move to turn him into a genuine monster, instead of just looking like one.
The Woobie: He Did Not Get the Girl, he has to watch her with his best friend, and finally he dies retrieving the stone. Yeah, he qualifies.
Mareth
A young Druid-in-training, she ends up traveling with Bremen, Risca, and Kinson Ravenlock after the fall of Paranor, aiding in rallying the Dwarves to the cause against Brona, as well as obtaining the aid of Urprox Screl in the forging of the Sword of Shannara and, though it isn't clear at the time, helping him locate his successor in the form of Allanon.
Action Girl: Not as much as other Brooks heroines thanks to her Dark and Troubled Past, emo-ness, and the dangers of truly unleashing her magic, but she qualifies thanks to the battles she engages in—including the final one with Brona's forces, which nearly annihilates the Dwarves, kills Risca of all people, and almost kills Kinson...but of which she's the only survivor other than Jerle and Bremen.
Luke, I Am Your Father: Played with. During the course of the journey she is told by a man claiming to be her father that the innate, nearly out-of-control magic she possesses was inherited from him—a Skull Bearer. She has the appropriate reaction, and almost succumbs to a Heroic BSOD until Kinson Ravenlock snaps her out of it. In the end, however, it is never revealed if this was actually the truth, or part of a trap by the Genre Savvy Warlock Lord to ensnare her powerful magic through her longing for her Disappeared Dad.
Power Incontinence: Her main issue throughout the book, solved only when she is given a staff by Bremen to channel it and later when she deals with her issues regarding her parentage.
Take Up My Sword: Averted when, after the final battle, rather than being the last of the Druids she throws away her staff and chooses to have a normal life with Kinson.
White Magician Girl: Invokes this appearance wise, but that staff is for a heck of a lot more than healing.
Jerle Shannara
The ultimate grandfather to the whole Shannara line, Jerle makes his first real appearance in this book. Promoted to the kingship when the rest of his relatives are slaughtered, he accompanies his friend Tay on the hunt for the Black Elfstone and is later chosen by Bremen to wield the Sword of Shannara against the Warlock Lord.
Cool Sword: The original wielder of the Sword of Shannara.
Hero Secret Service: Was the Captain of the Elven Home Guard before the royal family was wiped out.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His inability to accept his own failures allows Brona to escape, albeit severely weakened.
Warrior, bodyguard, and Tracker who travels with Bremen, first to the Skull Kingdom, then to Paranor, and finally on a journey to rally the Dwarves and help forge the Sword of Shannara. Falls in love with Mareth and ends up founding the city of Kern. Ancestor of Shirl Ravenlock.
Demon Lords And Arch Devils: One of several Straken Lords who have ascended to leadership positions among the Demons following the death of the Dagda Mor in Elfstones.
The Man Behind the Man: To the traitor Druids, who believe that they are equal partners with him.
Scary Black Man: Appears as a tall, muscular man with dark skin.
Spikes of Villainy: Grows them from his entire body with the exception of his face.
The Moric
Demonic Possession: Possesses an even more perfect version of The Changeling's powers, activated by devouring a victim, and then wearing their skin, taking on that person's memory and personality.
Walking the Earth: Part of his job description. His Bad Dreams tell him where a disaster will happen, and he must go there to prevent it.
Two Bears/O'olish Amaneh
Badass: Said to be one of the few people who could easily dispatch a rogue Knight of the Word. The fact that even Findo Gask doesn't want to fight him firmly cements his Badass credentials.
Omnicidal Maniac: Like all demons, this is his goal in the long run.
The Nondescript: Is described as having an utterly bland appearance, save for the pale blue eyes. His powers help him out here too: when he's in the room with you, you're always sure you know him from somewhere and his name is just on the tip of your tongue; when he leaves people typically forget he was ever there at all.
Revenge by Proxy: Nest's grandmother, Evelyn spurned him. His response? Wait for years, seduce her emotionally fragile daughter, Catelyn, get her pregnant and then reveal the truth about himself, driving Catelyn to suicide.
Smug Snake: He's quite effective, but his own viciousness, and underestimation of Nest and her grandmother royally screw him over.
Manipulative Bastard: Uses nightmares and frightening dreams to try and force John into murdering an innocent man, an action from which he will not recover, and which would have triggered his fall to The Void.
