Characters / Spirit Animals

---

The Four Children

Conor:

Once a shepherd from Northern Eura, Conor then spent several months serving Devin Trunswick to pay off his family's debts. But his life was turned on its ear when he summoned Briggan The Wolf in his Nectar ceremony. He was the first of the four to swear to the Greencloaks, and has demonstrated remarkable honor and loyalty. More recently, he has emerged as the leader of the four children, especially after Tarik's death

• Arcadia: Conor definitely prefers the countryside to the city.
• Dreaming of Things to Come: Being bonded to Briggan gives him prophetic dreams.
• Rags to Royalty: Went from serving the Earl's jerk son to pay off his family's debt to being bonded to a god.
• White Male Lead: Subverted. He's the Euran of the four and gets the first chapter, but he's ultimately no more prominent or important than the other three. This continues even when he becomes the group's unofficial leader.

Meilin:

The child of one of Zhong's foremost generals, Meilin grew up in the lap of luxury and privilege. But when she summoned Jhi the Panda, her life was instantly thrown into chaos. Unbeknownst to her, she was given the Bile instead of Nectar at her ceremony, allowing Gerathon to see through her eyes and control her.

• Demonic Possession: Gerathon can possess her due to the Bile.
• Hot-Blooded: Meilin always had a temper, but she usually kept at least a semblance of composure. After the Conquerors kill her father, she loses even that, becoming angry and violent.
• Kung-Fu Kid: Meilin's dad trained her to defend herself, and she took to it like a duck to water.
• My New Gift Is Lame: Being a fighter and the daughter of a general, she resents being paired up with the pacifist Jhi. It takes her a long time to realize Jhi's own gifts.
• Ship Tease: With Rollan.
• Silk Hiding Steel: Looks like a porcelain doll, and can spend hours getting her makeup just so. Also capable of beating the snot out of most anyone she meets. Eventually subverted as her temper grows more prominent, making her incapable of the silk part.
• You Killed My Father: In book 3, the Conquerors kill her father. After that, she is the one most focused on revenge against them.

Rollan:

Abandoned on the streets by his mother, Rollan spent years scrounging and stealing to get by before finally being arrested (for a crime he didn't actually commit, ironically). Took his Nectar in the prison, and astounded everyone when he summoned Essix the Falcon. While he refuses to join the Greencloaks at first, he is happy to help them fight the Devourer.

• The Artful Dodger: He got along on the streets by becoming a very skillful thief.
• Deadpan Snarker: He's very sarcastic and blunt from his upbringing.
• Deceased Parents Are the Best: He remembers his mother as a saintly, loving figure. When she's revealed to be alive though, he starts remembering other things, like those where she or her sprit animal hurt him or ones where she left him behind.
• Missing Mom: His mom either abandoned him or died, he's not sure, but she's not around. Turns out she's still alive, and abandoned him because her bonding sickness made her actively dangerous to him.
• Rags to Royalty: Went from a street urchin to one of the most important people in the world

Abeke:

All her life, Abeke was the second-best to her sister, Soama. But that finally changed when she summoned Uraza the Leopard at her Nectar ceremony. She was initially recruited by the Conquerors, but realized that she was on the wrong side at the Arax battle.

• Making a Splash: She was in training to become a raindancer before her Nectar ceremony, and with the addition of Uraza's senses she has an almost preternatural sense for water.
• The Smart Guy: While Rollan is more perceptive and people savvy, Abeke is good at puzzles and putting things together.
• The Sneaky Guy: In between her own hunting training, her bow, and her gifts from Uraza, Abeke is by far the stealthiest one of the group.
• The Unfavorite: Was always neglected in favor of her sister, and is quite shocked when she's the one to summon Uraza.
• Welcome Back, Traitor: Played with. It takes a while for Rollan and Meilin to warm up to Abeke, even though it's not her fault she was on the other side. Conor, on the other hand, is more welcoming.

The Four Fallen

During the first war, four Great Beasts fought against the Devourer: Briggan the Wolf, Essix the Falcon, Jhi the Panda, and Uraza the Leopard. They were slain in the climactic battle, but their deaths persuaded the other Great Beasts to intervene and stop the Devourer. Now the Devourer has returned, and so have the Four Fallen.

Briggan

The Great Wolf, Patron of the realm of Eura. As a Great Beast, Briggan was known for his leadership and honesty and for his Great Pack, a pack of thousands of wolves and dogs that followed him in his wanderings. The powers of his Silver Wolf talisman are enhanced senses to the point of prophecy.

• Noble Wolves: Briggan was known as one of the most honorable and loyal of the Great Beasts, as well as being one of the four who stood against the Devourer.

Jhi

The Great Panda, Patron of the realm of Zhong. As a Great Beast, Jhi was known for compassion, empathy, and healing. The powers of her Bamboo Panda talisman increases one's resistance to damage.

• Actual Pacifist: Which brings her into occasional conflict with Kung-Fu Kid Meilin. The only use Meilin has found for her in battle is to drop her on enemies. Although she does have a trick where she can put an enemy to sleep.
• Beware the Nice Ones: She will not fight if there is any other alternative and prefers making peace, hence her title "Peacefinder". But push her far enough and exhaust all her options, and she will remind you that she is a panda bear. Kovo found this out the hard way.
• Healing Hands: She heals wounds by licking them.

Essix

The Great Falcon, Patron of the realm of Amaya. As a Great Beast, Essix was known for her powers of perception. The powers of her Copper Falcon talisman are strengthening the user's eyesight.

• Defrosting Ice Queen: It takes her a long time to warm up to Rollan and refuses to take passive form until the fourth book, preferring her independence. She does care deeply for him, but in her own way.
• Living Lie Detector: A subset of her already formidable powers of perception.
• Silent Snarker: She's just as snarky as her human Rollan, but hasn't regained the power to speak.

Uraza

The Great Leopard, Patron of the realm of Nilo. The powers of her Amber Leopard talisman are increased speed and agility.

• Cats Are Superior: She is very prideful, and rightfully so.
• Panthera Awesome: A leopard with magical powers.
• The Rival: To Carbaro the Great Lion. She rules the jungle and he the savannas, but it's a tense truce.

Other Great Beasts

Arax

The Great Ram, Arax frequents the wilds of Amaya and is known for his power over the weather. His Granite Ram talisman lets the wearer jump impossibly high and sense footholds and handholds in cliffs/walls/other vertical surfaces.

• Blow You Away: Summons gusts of wind to try and knock the Greencloaks off the cliff during the climax of Wild Born.

Rumfuss

The Great Boar, Rumfuss inhabits the far northern reaches of Eura. One of the nicest of the Great Beasts, though a bit anti-social. His Iron Boar talisman grants the wearer iron-hard skin, protecting them from any blow.

• Nice Guy: He forgives Lord MacDonell for imprisoning him and even helps him get his spirit animal back, then hands over his talisman with no fuss.
• Nigh-Invulnerability: Rumfuss seems unusually resilient even for one of the Great Beasts. His talisman also grants this.

Dinesh

The Great Elephant, Dinesh is the only major Great Beast to not only accept human worship, but encourage it. His Slate Elephant talisman vastly increases the size of its wearer's spirit animal.

• A God Am I: While Tarik mentions that it's not uncommon for cults worshiping the Great Beasts to spring up, Dinesh is the only one who actively encourages this.
• Honorable Elephant: He sets up a Secret Test of Character for Rollan, telling him the talisman is his Soul Jar and then giving him the opportunity to steal it. When Rollan refuses, he helps them in battle and then gives it to them afterwards.
• Make My Monster Grow: The effect of his Slate Elephant talisman.

Suka

The Great Polar Bear, Suka is possibly the most physically dangerous of the fifteen. Following the deaths of the Four Fallen, she entombed herself in a massive block of ice in Arctica. Her Crystal Polar Bear talisman projects a kind of telekinetic shadow of its wearer's arms and hands, allowing the wearer to manipulate (or punch) objects from dozens of feet off.

• Bears Are Bad News: Especially when they wake up from trances out of their mind with hunger. Even after she's calmed down, Abeke notices that Suka may be relaxed but she's still not safe.
• Harmless Freezing: Justified. She's a Great Beast with powers of ice and cold, so freezing herself in a block of ice for centuries only results in her losing her mind for a bit before Jhi wakes her up.
• My Greatest Failure: She regrets that she did not go with the Four Fallen, as with her strength she might have been able to avert their deaths, and entombed herself to protect her talisman and out of fear of her newfound mortality. Once she wakes up, she realizes this was a mistake and decides to get involved with the world again.

Mulop

The Great Octopus, and something of a patron for the Hundred Isles of Oceanus. Mulop seems to possess divinatory powers greater than any other entity in the series has demonstrated. His Coral Octopus talisman allows its wearer to breath underwater and renders the wearer's body amorphous, allowing them to slip through tiny cracks and holes.

• Strange-Syntax Speaker: I and I and I speak this way.

Carbaro

The Great Lion, king of the lesser beasts, Carbaro rules over an oasis kingdom deeps within the Nilosioan deserts, where no human has ever set foot. His Golden Leopard talisman allows its wearer roar so loudly that the raw force sends anything in its path flying.

• Gale-Force Sound: The Golden Leopard talisman allows its wearer to roar so loudly that the raw force sends anything in its path flying.
• King of Beasts: Subverted. He would have been the leader of the Great Beasts, but he was too lazy, so Tellun is the leader and Carbaro settled for ruling over lesser beasts.