open/close all folders
Loïc
Loïc Ard
- Astral Projection: The cloud sage's "memory" reading allows Loïc to briefly project himself anywhere he has been previously or to anyone he has spoken to and vice versa, so that he may visit them.
- Caring Gardener: Grows his own personal greenhouse for use in magic. It may be his trade, but he seems just as inclined to go out of his way to help people using magic completely for free, if somebody's in need of it.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Sports a truly catastrophic case of it. If Alma's to be believed, his white knight complex has been eating his life for some time.
- Claimed by the Supernatural: Loïc has been chosen as Ysmé's divine witness, having invoked a ritual to name her his god.
- Extreme Doormat: Loïc refuses to advocate for himself at just about every turn, instead turning every ounce of his care and attention towards others. Even though he could tell Ysmé was a liar from the start, it only made him more eager to help her. If that wasn't enough, Ysmé shooting him point blank is not enough to turn him fully against her, and at every turn he continues to agree to do her bidding if her survival is on the line. Alma opines that he can't keep living like this forever, but he stubbornly sticks to his principles even when they no longer serve him well.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Seems to have a distaste for organized religion despite the holy origins of his own magic, with no particular faith of his own until it is quite literally foist upon him.
- Gentleman and a Scholar: Both knowledgeable and kind, Loïc is always willing to use magic in order to help someone down on their luck. He's very well-spoken and dapper, the former of which is an important component of his spellcasting.
- Gentleman Snarker: Not above returning Ysmé's heckling with his own polite jabs.
- Good Parents: Lia seems to have heavily favored his company over that of her other guardian, presumably a spouse he separated from. Loïc's flashbacks paint a rosy picture of a father-daughter relationship between the two, complete with corny jokes and an enthusiasm on her part to learn the art of magic. However, it's unclear how long ago this flashback was placed.
- Guilt Complex: He cannot help his dying daughter, which leads him to compulsively help anyone he finds in need in order to feel like his life has meaning.
- Healing Hands: The Aksend rose's "mending" reading can instantly repair something broken, allowing him to painlessly heal Ysmé's injured ankle. Despite this power, Loïc resists being called a "doctor" or a "healer" of any sort, possibly out of shame that he cannot yet do anything for Lia's illness.
- Infodump: Expect him to deliver these. His studies have clearly led him down a number of rabbit holes, including history, theology, and botany.Loïc: Everyone needs a hobby.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Sacrifices his own freedom and independence for Ysmé's sake, even with the knowledge that his gift to her might well be misused for her own selfish gains.
- Leitmotif: His theme, "Words In Lavender," provides a melody that also serves as the core of "Sunflowers" and "Fayim's Gift." In addition, it shows up in "Soul Tether" accompanied by a prominent motif from Ysme's theme.
- Light 'em Up: The white dawn's eye holds the "light" reading, which casts a bright glow over its surroundings.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Expresses as much while he watches a newly-divine Ysmé casually raze a Shield airship.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: In the epilogue of the prelude, Loïc acts with total fealty and genuine fondness towards Ysmé, regardless of the threat she poses or the destruction she's wrought. Besides Ysmé's nascent divinity holding the best shot he's got at actually seeing his daughter alive and well again, he seems to have taken a legitimate shine to her and offers his service as soon as she is awake.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: Shown to calmly No-Sell Ysmé's insistent teasing of him on several occasions.
- Older Than They Look: Old enough to have raised a teenaged daughter, Loïc makes occasional comments that would place him around or approaching middle age. His soft, androgynous looks paired with only some subtle graying hair and eye lines imply he's aging with quite a bit of grace.
- Perception Filter: The effect of the dandelion's "mundanity" reading. When a pack of mutant wolf-monsters has Ysmé cornered, a whole patch of them invoked by Loïc renders her completely unnoticeable to them.
- Playing with Fire: The pallisia blossom's "fire" reading is capable of anything from a comforting warmth to a raging flame in his hands, depending on the color of its petals.
- Secretly Selfish: His boundless generosity isn't necessarily born from a good heart alone. His daughter's looming, inevitable death from illness has left him a shell of himself, desperately wanting to help anyone he comes across in order to comfort his own grief.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Wears a set of dark robes and a taupe cloak adorned with flowers. Typical to GG's characters, he serves.
- Sinister Minister: Ends the prelude as Ysmé's personal minion and priest.
- Soul Jar: Functions as a living one for Ysmé, once the invocation is complete. She cannot die unless he does.
- Squishy Wizard: Admits he doesn't exactly cut a robust figure. Ysmé turns out to be able to outspeed him handily when push comes to shove.
- Tragic Keepsake: A single sprig of sage, kept safe inside his notebook in anticipation of Lia waking up from her coma. The moment he gives up hope of her ever recovering without a miracle is the moment he gives himself over to Ysmé completely and spends it for her sake instead.
- Was It All a Lie?: Defied. At the end of the prologue, Loïc declares outright that he believes Ysmé's Decoy Backstory has more truth embedded in it than she's willing to admit.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: His choices are what enable Ysmé to claim the Sovereignty, threatening to bring about the apocalypse to the Mosaic once and for all.
Ysmé (Major Unmarked Spoilers)
Ysmé
Click here to see her as a ghost
Click here to see Exalted Ysmé
A mysterious woman who has left the Mosaic in search of the promise of a better world. Posing initially as a terminally ill maiden on a pilgrimage to the Hollow Temple, she turns out to be a shady, foul-mouthed trickster on a hunt to steal the Sovereignty — the rumored power to claim godhood for oneself. Not long after, she turns out to be frighteningly determined to take what she wants, regardless of who else is caught in the crossfire. Despite making no attempt to defend her own course of action outside of pure self-interest, there seems to be something very genuine at her core.
- Action Girl: Turns out to be perfectly physically capable and extremely magically capable, when push comes to shove.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Her goddess form towers over entire mountaintops, dwarfing an airship so that it fits comfortably in the palm of her hand.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Her sick girl act was a way for her to try and earn Loïc's trust right off the bat. It worked wonders, though perhaps not for all of the reasons she intended.
- Confusion Fu: True to her archetype, she's able to keep anyone on their toes by potentially having just about any tool, weapon, or construct on hand.
- Cute Ghost Girl: After the Voice of the Sovereignty stabs her, she's left as an intangible specter until Loïc can complete the invocation. Despite the gruesome scar now branching out across her chest, the colorful fire that makes up her soul gives her disembodied form a certain beauty.
- Decoy Damsel: Uses illusions and performance skills to pose as a sickly pilgrim woman.
- Deity of Human Origin: Possession of the Sovereignty grants her divinity and transforms her into a Physical God capable of razing an armed police airship with a single thought.
- Didn't See That Coming: Evidently had no idea that claiming the Sovereignty would involve having her mortal body destroyed by it. On top of that, she also didn't know that Loïc's prayer to resuscitate her would give her total control over him.
- Did You Actually Believe...?: Laughs her head off when Loïc asks her who she is hoping to save with the power of the Sovereignty.
- The Gadfly: Professional-level heckler. For example, when Loïc mentions that Alma has children and a grandson, Ysmé teasingly asks if any of them are his.
- Glamour: Talented at using artisanry to whip up new outfits for herself in an instant, and also to change the shape and appearance of her body in kind. Yes, also like that.
- Godhood Seeker: Her true motive. She's convinced that the only path to a world worth living in is by recreating this one herself.
- Gods Need Prayer Badly: After her initial taste of godhood wears off, she's left with this as her new reality: she must draw power from her believers, of which she currently only has the one.
- The Hedonist: Once her true colors show, she's downright incorrigible.
- Icy Blue Eyes: The only main character sporting this eye color, contrasting Loïc's brown. What start as Innocent Blue Eyes turn into smug, smoldering glances as soon as she decides to stop playing dumb.
- It's All About Me: Claims openly to be unmotivated by anything but her own personal benefit. She emotes disinterest in most lines of thought that don't somehow pertain to her current situation.
- Leitmotif: The melody present in "Normal Theme For A Normal Woman" recurs in "Master of Illusion" and "Light and Hunger." Alter a few intervals on the recurring six note motif that shows up in the choral parts, and it's also at the end of Soul Tether, forming a comfortable pair with Loic's theme.
- Lovable Rogue: Despite or perhaps because of her self-centeredness, there's a palpable charm to her.
- Magical Clown: An expert with artisanry who sports a prominent clown motif, once she starts letting her true colors show. Overlaps with a distinct Stage Magician presentation on her part.
- Master of Illusion: Langlais attests that she has called herself this verbatim. Despite the fluidity and fragility of her many constructs, both they and the damage they inflict are very, very real.
- Monster Clown: Her goddess form is both breathtakingly beautiful and unmistakably monstrous, neither aspect downplaying the other. Her entire ensemble (both as a human and a deity) is gaudy and performative, bringing to mind some manner of jester or stage magician.
- Naked on Revival: Once her brief experience of godhood wears off, she's left naked on the grass in an unfamiliar location, aside from Loic draping his own cloak over her for modesty. Of note is that along with losing her clothing, she has also lost her Glamour, giving the reader a glimpse at what she looks like under all of her illusions.
- Not Quite Back to Normal: After being stripped of her title by the Voice of the Sovereignty, Ysmé ends the prelude with a branching, glowing scar over her heart where she had been stabbed. The voice explains that her Immortality stays in effect as long as Loïc is alive, she can begin reclaiming power by amassing followers, and Loïc is still hers to do as she pleases with.
- Only One Name: Unlike other characters, no surname is listed for her on the cast page. Word of God has stated
that she does not have one. - Pet the Dog: In the epilogue of the prelude, clearly a little touched by his behavior, she mentions unprompted that she'll try to help Loïc find a cure for his daughter so long as he proves useful to her.
- The Power of Creation: Skilled with artisanry. Her style of casting is a bit different than other use cases of artisanry shown thus far, involving the creation of fragile constructs at a prodigious speed.
- Psychopathic Womanchild: Prone to fits of laughter and has a truly childish sense of humor.
- The Runaway: Adult variant. Alleges to be on the run from an overbearing, religious family that would not approve of her faith. If nothing else, she is definitely on the run from the cops.
- Semi-Divine: After her godhood unravels, Ysmé is informed by the Voice of the Sovereignty that she will remain immortal as long as Loïc lives, and may earn back her borrowed divinity by passing the Sovereignty's trials and by gathering devotees.
- Sexy Jester: Knows what she's about. She's clearly very proud of her (customized) looks, and she doesn't hesitate to tease Loïc to try and get a rise out of him.
- Shapeshifter Default Form: Upon revealing that her association with Loïc up until now was a ploy to get him to uncover the Sovereignty using flower magic, she uses magic to change into her preferred business ensemble: a golden leotard with flowing sleeves, a bejeweled tiara, and a face painted with clownish makeup.
- At the end of the prelude, several panels display what she really looks like under her Glamour. She's still drop-dead gorgeous, but it reveals a few facial and body details that she'd been obscuring during her time with Loïc, along with the glowing scar inflicted by the Voice of the Sovereignty. Most notably, it's set up just before the jarring reveal that the awakened figure in The Stinger looks exactly like she does without her illusions on.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: After she's dropped the Ill Girl guise, she starts dropping expletives left and right, with more of them coming out whenever she's especially frustrated.
- The Unfettered: Will stop at nothing to achieve her goal of claiming the Sovereignty, regardless of who has to die or what must be lost in pursuit of it.
- Walking Spoiler: Pretty much everything about Ysmé, her motivations, her true intentions, and her connection with Loic, is a spoiler for the Prelude.
- Wham Line: One sticks out in particular.Ysmé: Oh, I'm not telling you to be eager. I'm telling you to do it.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: She pretended to be a sickly and helpless woman in order to gain Loïc's sympathies and help her with her goals. Loïc reveals he always knew she was hiding something, but decided to go with it anyway.
- You Fool!: Chides Loïc for his continued trust in her, even after she betrayed it to serve her own desires.Loïc: I don't believe everything you told me on the way to the temple was a lie. About the person you wanted to save with the Sovereignty, I mean — even if it was yourself.Ysmé: Then you're an idiot.
Alma
Alma Briolde
- Brutal Honesty: Can be counted on to deliver this to Loïc. She values him as a friend, and because of that friendship she sees no use in holding back when she tells him exactly how badly his Chronic Hero Syndrome will ruin his life if he never prioritizes his own well-being.
- Cynicism Catalyst: Watched Tarn's economy gutter out year by year firsthand until it was nothing more than a Ghost Town.
- Glory Days: Quite proud of her time spent serving treasure hunters several decades prior. Unfortunately, the outside world has been stripped of everything with significant monetary value, and adventuring is no longer a way for anyone to make a living.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Would never charge Loïc for a room or turn down a guest in need, but would never admit that to anybody's face.Loïc: [reminiscing] Even then, [Alma] was just as much of a grouch—and just as caring beneath it all.
- Sacred Hospitality: Still greets guests kindly, though she gets a bit rougher in her greeting once she finds out she's not getting paid for this.Loïc: Ah... Alma's old customer service voice. It's been a while since I've heard that.
- Stopped Caring: Downplayed. Uses up most of her remaining care half-heartedly running the Lamplight at a loss, with little patience left for proper upkeep of the inn.
- Supreme Chef: Loïc alleges that she is one, though her growing apathy has been seriously affecting the quality of her dishes.
- The Power of Creation: Turns out to know some artisanry as well, enough to help stitch Loïc's bullet wound closed and fix up his torn robes.
Langlais
Commander Theodore Langlais
- Dirty Cop: Unprofessional and deeply unpleasant, he ends a harried interrogation of Loïc by faking him out with Ysmé's pistol cocked at his face... only to laugh at him for flinching, not even a day after he was shot with it.
- Miles Gloriosus: Projects a bold, leonine image right up until the point where he realizes his life is actually on the line.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Ysmé attests from personal experience with him that he's completely self-obsessed.Loïc: A real VIP, I take it?
Ysmé: God, no. He'd cream himself if he heard you say that.
Loïc: Helpful to know.
Lelia
Lelia "Lia" Ard
- Affectionate Nickname: Loïc exclusively refers to her as "Lia."
- Big Damn Hug: A flashback shows Loïc and Lelia using the sage's reading to briefly reunite during her two-week long stay with her other guardian, sharing a tender embrace before the effect ends.
- Child Mage: Her father was teaching her basic forms of flower reading for her own use.
- Littlest Cancer Patient: A sweet kid suffering from a poorly-understood illness that has left her on her deathbed with increasingly slim hope of any recovery. Subverted, somewhat— sketches on GG's tumblr account reveal that Lia reached teenhood before falling ill, and her relationship with her father had become notably rockier during that time.
