Sword of Shadows / Characters

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The Clans

Clan Blackhail

One of the three great Clans, home to a good chunk of the cast. The murder of Hailsmen supposedly by Clan Bludd starts the war that keeps the Clans too occupied to deal with the threat of the Endlords. The Blackhail boast is "We are Clan Blackhail, the first of all clans. We do not cower and we do not hide, and we will have our revenge".

Raif Sevrance

The protagonist of the story. Raif is a Hailsman that has yet to take his first oath at the beginning of the story. While hunting ice hares in the Badlands with his brother Drey, his father Tem Sevrance and his Chief Dagro Blackhail were killed along with the rest of their hunting party. Refusing to take part in the massacre of Bludd children, he is left with no other choice but to travel south with his uncle Angus Lok, breaking his oath to Blackhail. In their travels, they meet Ash, and the adventure begins. Raif's lore is the raven, signaling his role as Watcher of the Dead.

Curtains Matchthe Window: Raif has brown hair and brown eyes.
Fingore: Loses the tip of his pinky finger to join the Maimed Men.

Drey Sevrance

Effie Sevrance

Raif's little sister, Effie is eight at the beginning of the series, but she is solemn and wise. Her lore is a stone, and her connection to it allows her to know when her family and friends are in danger.

Mace Blackhail

The Blackhail chief after Dagro Blackhail is killed. Mace is a Scarpe by birth, but is brought to Blackhail to be Dagro's foster son. Clever and ruthless, Mace's lore is the wolf. He is involved in the murder of Dagro and orchestrate the massacre of the Bludd children to secure his position as chief.

Raina Blackhail

Originally from Clan Dregg, proud and dignified Raina fully integrated herself into Clan Blackhail as Dagro's Blackhail second wife. After her husband is killed in the Badlands, Mace rapes her in the Oldwood and forces her to marry him in an attempt to nullify her as a threat. Raina's lore is the eagle.

Clan Bludd

One of the three great Clans. Clan Bludd's boast is " We are Clan Bludd, chosen by the Stone Gods to guard their borders. Death is our companion. A hard life long lived is our reward.”. Their boast has a much greater meaning during the battle against the Endlords.

Vaylo Bludd/The Dog Lord

The powerful, aging chief of Clan Bludd, better known by his epithet "the Dog Lord". Driven by a lifelong ambition to become Lord of the Clans, Vaylo makes bargains with some very dangerous people, including Penthero Iss, and sets off a conflict that will engulf all the Clanholds - only to learn that there are much more important things at stake than his ambitions.

Abusive Parents: His father treated him horribly when he was a child for being a bastard. In turn, Vaylo himself treated his own sons almost just as horribly for not being bastards and not having to struggle for anything in life. On the other hand, there is nothing but love and respect between him and his adopted son Cluff Drybannock.
Anti-Villain: Vaylo is ruthless, proud, and ambitious, but he has courage, standards, and a deep, abiding love for his family (except for his sons) and dogs that mark him as a far better man than many of his enemies.
Appropriated Appellation: "Dog Lord" was originally given as an insult, but Vaylo adopted it as a symbol of pride - after all, dogs have many positive qualities, so why wouldn't he want to be named for them?
Barbarian Hero: Deconstructed. Vaylo is an aging Barbarian Hero who, in his determination to achieve the glory he dreamed of as a youth, makes some very bad bargains and sets off conflicts far beyond what he can control.
Book Dumb: Vaylo hasn't had much of an education - scholarship isn't something Clan Bludd is known for, in any case - but he's far from stupid.
Braids of Barbarism: He's the chief of a clan that even other clansmen consider barbaric, and he wears his hair in several warrior braids.
Brother–Sister Incest: Married his half-sister Angarad after killing his half-brothers. By Vaylo's own account, she did not love him back (although he thinks she did grow to care about him in the end of her life), but it had little to do with them being related and more to do with him killing the rest of her family.
Cain and Abel: Killed his half-brothers to win his chiefdom. Of course, they were trying to kill him at the time too.
Canine Companion: He always keeps a pack of five dogs with him at all times, though the one he's closest to is his wolf dog - they are very loyal to him.
A Dog Named "Dog": He doesn't bother giving his dogs individual names; he just calls them all "dog" and tells them apart by their individual descriptions.
Deal with the Devil: Thinks of his bargain with Penthero Iss in these terms, and considers Sarga Veys to be a "devil's helper".
The Dreaded: He's described as the most feared man in all the Clanholds - and considering what the clans are like, that takes some doing.
Everyone Has Standards: Despises assassination, and made sure Bludd never trained or deployed cowlmen (professional assassins) under his watch. He doesn't have much use for sorcery either, though he will use that if stakes are high enough.
Freudian Excuse: As the unwanted bastard son of an uncaring father, Vaylo learned from a young age that if he wanted something he'd have to fight tooth and nail for it, a principle by which he's lived his life ever since.
Genius Bruiser: Vaylo can come across as an uncultured brute, even by clan standards, but don't be fooled - there's a keen, penetrating intellect behind the muscle and old scars.
Heel–Face Turn: After loosing the Dhoonehouse and realizing the futility of his ambitions, Vaylo shifts from trying to conquer the Clanholds and more towards being a better leader for his own clan - and preparing for what's coming.
I Have You Now, My Pretty: Subverted. When he captures Raif and Ash, he treats Raif brutally because he thinks Raif killed his grandchildren - but he's nothing but civil to Ash, who he has no quarrel with.
Insistent Terminology: He's not the "Bludd Lord" and certainly not "Lord Bludd" - he's the Dog Lord, and don't you forget it!
Kick the Dog: Not his actual dogs, who he adores, but he never had much use for any of his sons, seeing them as little more than the second coming of his own father, and made that fact very clear. There's a reason they resent him.
Large and in Charge: Played with. Bram notes that Vaylo isn't really a particularly big man, but his powerful build and the force of his personality make him seem much larger and more imposing than he is.
My Greatest Failure: Depending on his mood at the moment, either his cruel treatment of his sons (thus repeating the sins of his own abusive father) or his alliance with Iss that allowed the Surlord to use him as a tool to throw the clanholds into chaos.
Not Me This Time: The assassination of Dagro Blackhail gets blamed on him, and it's easy to swallow because it came at the same time as Vaylo launched his attack on Dhoone. But of course Vaylo knows he didn't do it, and finding out about it convinces him that Iss is playing all sides in this conflict.
Old Soldier: A man in his fifties who's been chief of one of the most warlike clans for more than half of that, he's got a long, storied career as warrior and war leader behind him.
Papa Wolf: Don't underestimate what this man will do to protect his grandchildren - or, if necessary, to avenge their deaths.
Pet the Dog: Literally - Vaylo's dogs are one of the joys of his life. The other is his grandchildren. He happily dotes on both.
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: When escaping from the Dhoonehouse, Vaylo and his grandchildren are cornered by Robbie himself; Robbie can't help but gloat a bit, calling Vaylo "Bludd Lord." Vaylo calmly informs Robbie that he got the name wrong - he's the Dog Lord! Cue Vaylo's dog pack as they come barreling down the hall, tackling Robbie and his warriors and killing at least one of them, and buying Vaylo and the dogs time to escape.
Red Baron: "Dog Lord."
Refuge in Audacity: A trait the Clans, and Clan Bludd in particular, value - they call it "jaw". Vaylo - who made his name by stealing the sacred guidestone from the most powerful clan and then having it ground down to gravel and rebuilt into his personal outhouse^note and hasn't slowed down since, has jaw to spare.
Revenge Before Reason: Blames Raif for the death of many of his grandchildren; even though it becomes increasingly clear to him that Raif didn't have anything to do with it, he still blames him for it, mostly because he needs to hate someone and Raif is the only person who he knows was there.
Worthy Opponent: Though he despises treacherous and dishonorable enemies such as Iss, Mace Blackhail, or Robbie Dun Dhoone, he's usually quick to acknowledge respect for those opponents who he sees as honorable, including Bram, Angus Lok, and even briefly for Raif.

Cluff Drybannock

The Dog Lord's Sons

The Dog Lord's Grandchildren

Clan Dhoone

Robbie Dun Dhoone

The Dhoone Clan Chief - as soon as he get rid of his great-uncle Skinner Dhoone, that is. However, his ambitions are greater than chiefship of his own clan. After all, he is not called "Thorn King" for nothing. Robbie is charismatic and fearless, but behind his handsome face lies a ruthless man that would do anything to secure his own power.

Bram Cormac

Robbie Dun Dhoone's little brother, Bram has neither his brother Robbie's looks nor his charisma. Bram is easily overlooked, but he has a sharp mind and sharper eyes.

The Cities

Spire Vanis

Asarhia "Ash" March / Ash Mountain Born

Ward of the Surlord of Spire Vanis, Ash was found as an abandoned infant outside of the city and brought up as Penthero Iss's daughter. She's also the Reach, a rare individual born with the power to release the Endlords - a power her adoptive father covets, and which will eventually set her feet on a journey that will bring her in conflict with forces beyond imagining.

Action Girl: She eventually starts training in Sull fighting skills; she's especially effective against the Unmade because her Reach powers can destroy them.
Action Survivor: In the first book she has no appreciable combat skills, but keeps on trucking through all manner of perils.
Bad Powers, Good People: Ash's magic is creepy and destructive even when it's not being used to release the Endlords, but she's an essentially decent person who wants to learn all she can so she can hopefully stop the world from ending.
Barrier Maiden: As the Reach, she was born with a connection to the powers of the Blind and can potentially unleash the Endlords or reseal them.
Deuteragonist: Though Raif is introduced first and gets more page-time, they share the role of central figure of the saga.
Fallen Princess: Spends part of Cavern as a beggar on the streets of Spire Vanis after running away from Iss and before meeting Raif and Angus.
Icy Blue Eyes: After she discharges her power, her eyes turn from grey to a deep, cold blue. Referred to in-universe as "Sull eyes," since many Sull do in fact have eyes of that color.
I Just Want to Be Normal: She's very envious of the Lok family's happy life when she meets them. Downplayed in that she's fully aware that ship sailed long ago, so her envy is more of a wistful nature than an actual desire.
In-Series Nickname: Her full name is Asarhia, but everyone calls her "Ash".
It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: Let's see - her adoptive father took her in solely for her power, said power is slowly killing her, to save herself and the world she has to give up her only friend and her humanity and journey to the Heart of the Sull, the Endlords and their minions want her dead, most everyone else wants to use her, one of her other father figures dies in front of her... yeah, being the Reach is not fun at all.
Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Or "Creepy Dictator's Beautiful Ward," perhaps.
Man of Kryptonite: Becomes this after discharging her power; her presence disrupts the powers of the Endlords and she can destroy their servants with a touch.
Meaningful Rename: After reaching the Heart of the Sull, she renames herself in traditional Sull Fashion as Ash Mountain Born.
Mystical White Hair: Ash has silvery hair and is heir to an extremely potent magical power.
Out of Focus: She's got a lot less to do in A Sword From Red Ice and Watcher of the Dead compared to the earlier books.
Randomly Gifted: Ash has no real idea why she's the Reach; she's just accepted that she is. For those who have read The Book of Words, it's fairly obvious her mother is Tarissa and her father is Jack, which would make her the daughter of a powerful sorcerer. Still no explanation of how she wound up with this particular magic.
Survival Mantra: "I am Ash March, Foundling, left outside Vaingate to die." It may not sound very uplifting, but it does its job of reminding Ash of all she's already survived and giving her the strength to keep going.
Transhuman: In addition to the various changes wrought on her body by her Reach powers, she's ritually transformed into a Sull by Ark and Mal, and it's clear this isn't just an empty ceremony since she starts getting flashes of ancestral memory and understanding of Sull Blood Magic afterwards.
Unskilled, but Strong: She's got no actual training as a sorceress, but her innate magic is volatile enough that she can cause devastation when she unleashes it. Even Sarga Veys is impressed.

Penthero Iss

The Surlord of Spire Vanis and Ash's adoptive father; Iss is cold-blooded and ambitious and dabbles in sorcery and occult knowledge as a means of increasing his power.

Abusive Parents: Generally more cold and emotionally neglectful that outright abusive, but it's made very clear that Ash never volunteered to be his tame Reach and runs away rather than be forced to be the tool of her father's ambitions.
Arc Words: "A Surlord is not a King" comes up repeatedly in Iss's scenes, reflecting the fact that he came to his throne through murder and almost certainly will leave it in the same way, leaving no legacy to a child or chosen heir.
Blood Magic: He enhances his not-too-impressive natural magical skills by draining blood from the captive Baralis.
The Chessmaster: Between his conniving with the Clans and his long-term goals for Ash, Iss runs lots of plans centered on increasing his power.
Disc-One Final Boss: The first two books build him up as a major threat, but he gets killed off rather casually in the climax of Fortress.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Crope kills him almost incidentally while rescuing Baralis, barely realizing who he even is.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Iss's inner monologue indicates he genuinely doesn't understand why Ash ended up turning against him or why she objected to being a tool in his long-term plans.
Evil Overlord: He's the dictatorial ruler of one of the most powerful city-states in the region, and dreams of expanding his power further.
Evil Sorcerer: Not a terribly powerful one, true, but he still gets a fair bit of mileage from his magical abilities.
Evil Tower of Ominousness: His stronghold, Mask Fortress, sports several of these.
Fangs Are Evil: Inverted; Iss has abnormally small, round teeth and generally tries to avoid opening his mouth too wide to show them, as he is embarrassed by this feature.
From Nobody to Nightmare: From the son of an onion farmer to one of the most powerful rulers in the North.
Genghis Gambit: Inverted; his goal was to manipulate the clans into fighting each other, so that would be weak and unprepared when the armies of Spire Vanis marched north to conquer them. This plan was cut short by Iss's death.
Impoverished Patrician: In his backstory; Iss comes from a noble bloodline, but by the time of his birth his family had been reduced to farming onions for a living. Iss began the long, hard process of clawing his house's way back into real power. He's frequently contrasted with Marafice Eye, who came from similarly humble origins but has no noble blood at all.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: He keeps Baralis in constant state of agony so he can use him in his blood magic rituals, but considering Baralis is himself an Evil Sorcerer and the Big Bad of Jones's previous series The Book of Words, it's hard to feel too sorry for him.
Klingon Promotion: Iss won his throne by murdering his predecessor. He now lives in fear of someone doing the same to him.
Malevolent Masked Men: During executions and other major events, Iss appears in public wearing a mask made to resemble Spire Vanis's symbol, the killhound.
Pet the Dog: Though he could have just as easily delegated the task to servants or tutors, Iss personally taught Ash to read when she was a young child. She reflects that whatever else he may have been, Iss genuinely loved knowledge and wanted his adopted daughter to share that love.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Marafice Eye's Red. Iss is a cool, calculating sorcerer.
Red Right Hand: Iss's unusual teeth, mentioned above, tend to provoke a subliminally uncomfortable reaction in people.
Sorcerous Overlord: Downplayed; Iss is primarily an overlord who occasionally uses sorcery rather than a more even split between the two aspects.
The Starscream: In his backstory, he served as The Dragon to the previous Surlord while plotting (eventually, successfully) to overthrow him.
Weak, but Skilled: Iss's own talents for sorcery are fairly minor (Sarga Veys even thinks of him as a weakling), but he's very clever and uses Blood Magic to get a lot of mileage out of what he has.
Wicked Cultured: Despite his humble origins, Iss is a highly intelligent, cultivated man who enjoys intellectual pursuits and the finer things in life, in contrast to his brutish Dragon, Marafice Eye.

Marafice Eye

The brutal Protector General of Spire Vanis and Number Two to Penthero Iss. A man of common origin who rose through the ranks to a position of power, he serves Iss loyally - so long as doing so also benefits his own ambitions.

A Father to His Men: Whatever Eye's other faults (and they are many) he is very loyal to the men under his command and tries his hardest to protect them - and to avenge their deaths, if need be.
Bastard Understudy: Increasingly takes this dynamic with Iss as the story goes on; Eye wants to be Surlord after Iss, and Iss needs Eye's loyalty, so Iss takes Eye under his wing and works to help him build his political skills and power base, while knowing all the while that Eye would happily stick a knife in him if he decides that's a more expedient path to power.
Determinator: When Eye has his gaze on a prize - whether a mission for the Surlord or his own personal ambitions - he never gives up. Never.
The Dragon: As Protector General, he's the second-most powerful man in Spire Vanis and chief enforcer of the Surlord's will.
Dragon Ascendant: Becomes Surlord in his own right after Crope kills Iss.
Four-Star Badass: He's the highest-ranking military officer in Spire Vanis, and he's also more than capable of getting his hands dirty at need.
From Nobody to Nightmare: From the son of a butcher to one of the most feared military commanders in the North.
Genius Bruiser: You wouldn't think it to look at him, but Eye is a very smart man and knows his business well.
Large and in Charge: Eye is an imposing, powerful man.
Meaningful Name: Not initially, but his surname becomes this after he loses an eye at the end of the first book, leaving him Marafice One-Eye.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Eye acts the part of a simple brute, but he's actually far more intelligent than he lets on; sometimes even Iss, who knows this fact full well, is surprised by it.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Eye has a nasty misogynistic streak; Iss thinks he's actually intimidated by women and covers it with hostility.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Downplayed. Eye is never shown committing rape himself, but he's fully willing to permit his men to do so.
Red Baron: "The Knife."
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Iss's Blue. Eye is a Hot-Blooded, aggressive warrior.
Up Through the Ranks: As a commoner, he entered the Rive Watch at its lowest levels, but through fighting skill, ambition, ruthlessness, and cunning rose to be its commander.
Villainous Friendship: Of a sort, with Iss. Their wildly different personalities can grate on each other, but the two men respect each others' skills and understand that they can best advance their mutual ambitions by working together and keeping each other alive.
Villainous Valor: Say what you will, but the man's no coward, fully willing to lead his men from the front.

Sarga Veys

A powerful, ambitious sorcerer in the service of Penthero Iss, who acts as his go-between in his dealings with the clans.

The Ace: Magically speaking, he's just about the best there is; even Angus Lok admits it.
Ambition Is Evil: And Veys's ambitions are big, so much that only service in the court of one of the most powerful rulers in the region can satisfy him - and he jumps off that ship when he gets a taste of what the Endlords can do.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Not remotely shy about reminding everyone how awesome his magical powers are. And he's fully capable of backing it up, too.
Co-Dragons: To Iss in the first book, shared with Marafice Eye.
Evil Sorcerer: He's incredibly magically gifted and completely ruthless and amoral.
Faux Affably Evil: Veys rarely loses his cool and maintains a cultured air, but inside, he's usually sneering.
Ignored Expert: Veys warns Marafice Eye that the drugs keeping Ash docile are close to running out. Eye blows him off. The predictable happens.
Master Poisoner: In addition to his magical abilities, he has faculty with mundane drugs and poisons.
Mouth of Sauron: He serves as Iss's spokesman and representative in his dealings with the Dog Lord and, it's implied, in other under-the-table alliances.
No-One Could Have Survived That: Discussed following the escape from Spire Vanis; Ash and Raif see him go under in the frozen river and assume he's dead, but Angus knows that a sorcerer of his caliber is fully capable of surviving that. He's right.
Sissy Villain: Well, manly men the Dog Lord and Marafice Eye think so, at any rate. He's more of a kindred spirit with Iss.
Smug Snake: Veys is incredibly arrogant, and looks down on muggles - and even weaker sorcerers, including his own boss, Penthero Iss - with utter contempt.
Squishy Wizard: Outside of magic he's got no appreciable combat skills, one of the reasons Marafice Eye holds him in contempt.
Sword and Sorcerer: He's the Glass Cannon to Eye's Fighter while they hunt Ash. The relationship is very, very tense.
Villain: Exit, Stage Left: He escapes Ash's destruction of his and Eye's sept near the end of Cavern, seemingly leaving his service to the Surlord behind him.
Villain Respect: He's grudgingly but genuinely impressed by the forces Ash is capable of unleashing.
What Happened to the Mouse?: He runs off at the end of Cavern, having witnessed the power of the Reach firsthand and seeming determined to find some way to possesses the powers of the Endlords for himself. Nothing's been heard from him since.

Caydis Zerbina

Katia

Lisereth Hews

Garric Hews

Ille Glaive

Angus Lok

Lok Family

Heritas Cant

The Sull

Mal Naysayer

Far Rider of Sull, Mal Naysayer is one of the two Sull who find Ash and Raif in their search for the Cavern of Black Ice. He is named Naysayer because he only answers questions in one way - "Nay".

Ark Veinsplitter

A Far Rider that Ash and Raif meet while searching for the Cavern of Black Ice. He is responsible for ritually transforming Ash into a Sull along with Mal and acts as a mentor and father-figure to her. He is named Veinsplitter for his numerous bloodletting scars.

Yiselle No-Knife

Lan Fallstar

Maimed Men

Stillborn

Traggis Mole

Yustaffa

Other Mortals

Baralis

Crope

Sadaluk

Magdalena Crouch/The Crouching Maiden

Supernatural Beings

The Endlords

A group of nine ancient, immensely powerful beings who embody the concept of destruction and entropy, as opposed to the gods, who embody life and creation. They were imprisoned in the Blind countless millennia ago, but now their prison is cracking and their power has begun to be felt in the living world again.

Above Good and Evil: Possibly. Some information about them indicates they are pure evil, others that they just don't care about human morality. The Endlords themselves have yet to weigh in on the issue.
The Anti-God: The Endlords are explicitly defined as the opposite of the gods. Whether this is just in a general sense or if each Endlord is opposed to a specific god has not been stated.
Big Bad: The ultimate antagonists of the series.
- BigBadNonumvirate: There are nine of them, though so far they haven't shown any individual personality or identity. It's unclear which of them is the leader, or if they have one. However, Mal and Ark do note that all nine have never been known to take to the field at once - a fact for which the Sull are very greatful.
Complete Immortality: If there is any way to destroy them, it's yet to be revealed. The Raven Lord slew one of them with Loss, but that just destroyed the Endlord's body; its spirit explicitly survived.
The Corruption: Their touch alone is sufficient to turn a living being into an Unmade.
Dark Is Evil: They're consistently associated with things like shadows, the night, and the void of space.
Deal with the Devil: They help Baralis remember his name in return for him using his magic to widen the hairline crack Ash made in the Blindwall.
Dimension Lord: They rule over the creatures of the Blind.
The Dreaded: Most people have never heard of them. Those who have - Sull, Phage, or learned scholars - are terrified of them.
Evil Counterpart: To the gods^note
Evil Weapon: Their swords are said to be forged from the absence of all things.
Hidden Villain: Most of humanity is unaware that they exist; they reader isn't clued in to what exactly the creatures in Ash's visions are and why they're so important until almost two thirds of the way through the first book.
Humanoid Abomination: They look (vaguely) humanoid on the rare occasions characters have seen them directly, but they are actually primordial voids who have taken on that shape.
I Have Many Names: Endlords, Lords of Shadow, Takers of Men, among others. The Sull know their true names, but know better than to say them casually.
Keystone Army: Raven Lord's story indicates that even temporarily killing the commanding Endlord will send an Unmade army into disarray.
Leaking Can of Evil: After the Blindwall is damaged by Ash and Baralis, the Endlords themselves are still trapped (for now) but their influence and minions have begun to spread into the mortal world.
Made of Evil: Though Made of Destruction might be a more accurate way to put it.
Obviously Evil: They make no attempts to present themselves as anything but the harbingers of the apocalypse.
Omnicidal Maniac: Their very nature is to seek the end of all things. Worse, various learned characters state that while they may not win this time, someday, their victory is inevitable.
Physical God: Or rather, Physical Anti-Gods.
The Scottish Trope: The Sull know their true individual names, but will not speak them aloud so as to not draw their attention. As of Watcher of the Dead, none of their names have been revealed to the reader.
Sealed Evil in a Can: They were imprisoned by the ancient Sull in a hellish dimension called the Blind. Unfortunately, the walls are weakening...
Time Abyss: They are at least as old as the gods, making them older than both humans and Sull, and possibly the Old Ones. Their armies include Unmade versions of creatures that went extinct long before the present age.

The Unmade

The armies of the Endlords, an infinite horde of undead creatures their corruption has spawned. They were imprisoned along with their masters, but with the Blindwall crumbling, some have begun to invade the living world.

Achilles' Heel: Burning a corpse will keep it from rising as Unmade, stabbing an Unmade through the heart will destroy it, and Ash can cause them to disintegrate with a touch from any part of her body.
Always Chaotic Evil: Their corruption drives them to hate the living and attempt to destroy them.
Dark Is Evil: They resemble shadowy wraiths with cold eyes.
The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: According to Heritas Cant, all they remember of their mortal lives is that they were once something else - and they hate all living things for reminding them of that fact.
Eldritch Abomination: Those Unmade that are particularly ancient and created from particularly alien creatures verge into this, the Shatan Maer most especially.
Evil Weapon: Their voided steel swords are more powerful than regular weapons, and anyone killed by one will rise as an Unmade unless cremated.
I Have Many Names: They are also known as taken, maeraiths and wralls.
Implacable Man: Apart from the Achilles Heels mentioned above, they're nearly indestructible.
The Legions of Hell: Definitely give off this vibe, especially when Raif sees into the Blind and has a vision of the vast army of them waiting on the other side.
Mooks: They compose the bulk of the Endlords' forces.
- Elite Mooks: Between their voided steel swords and the fact that only fire or a direct blow to heart can kill them, they're much more formidable than living creatures.
- Night of the Living Mooks: Being undead and all.
- Giant Mook: Some particularly powerful individual Unmade, most obviously the Shatan Maer.
Omnicidal Maniac: Just like their masters, they exist only to destroy.
One-Man Army: Though the ordinary Unmade aren't as strong as their masters, they're still terrifyingly effective warriors, especially against opponents who don't understand what they're up against or how to fight them. Just one was enough to slaughter an entire outpost of Forsworn knights.
Time Abyss: Though not as old as their masters, some of them have been around a very long time and are older than humanity.
The Undead: Generally function as something of a cross between zombies and wraiths.
The Virus: Unlike the Endlords, they can't create more of their kind with a touch, but they can do it by killing living creatures with their voided steel swords.
Was Once a Man: Or any other number of living creatures, admittedly. They were all once something that they aren't anymore.

The Stone Gods

The pantheon of deities worshipped by the clans. None of them has yet appeared directly, but they speak their will to their worshippers through the sacred clan guidestones.

Arc Words: "[The Stone Gods] answer no small prayers."
The Dreaded: Behathmus, Stone God of death. Like Hades in Classical Mythology, this is less because of who he is and more because of what he represents.
Elemental Embodiment: "Stone God" isn't a random title; it's made very clear that the clans draw a strong connection between their gods and the substance of the earth.
Everybody Hates Hades: Averted. Behathmus, Stone God of death and darkness, is a feared figure, but he's also the god of justice, and so is respected as well. He's certainly no more evil than any other member of the pantheon.
Fantasy Pantheon: Though most of their roles haven't been fleshed out.
Good Is Not Soft: How their followers regard them - they're just gods, but harsh and unforgiving ones nonetheless.
Honor Before Reason: Seems to be at the core of their morality. They are not compassionate or merciful deities, but they demand that their follows adhere to conduct befitting warriors, and according to clan myths will punish those who do not.
Physical God: Defied. So far, they haven't manifested any sort of physical form, if they are even capable of doing so.
The Powers That Be: If they are capable of manifesting directly in the living world, they haven't done it yet; clan guides have to commune with them indirectly by reading the state of the clan guidestone (though judging by Inigar's POV, there's definitely something going on there).
War God: Though each Stone God has his or her own area of influence, they are all gods of war.

Death

The embodiment of death. She has appeared to Raif a handful of times in visions. She may or may not be an Endlord.

Above Good and Evil: Implied; so long as people are dying, she doesn't care if they're good or bad.
Ambiguously Evil: Death is, understandably, not a nice entity, but what her actual intentions are remain shrouded in mystery.
Anthropomorphic Personification: Of death, obviously.
The Chessmaster: Has some sort of long-term plan going, and is also willing to use complex plans to try and ensnare Raif. Using the moonsnake works.
Deal with the Devil: She preserves Raif's life in exchange for him using his powers to kill countless other living things. "Kill an army for me, Raif Sevrance. Otherwise, I might just call you back."
The Faceless: Her actual appearance hasn't been described; she's usually just a voice and a sense of presence.
The Grim Reaper: Of course.
Physical God: Though whether she's an actual god, an Endlord, or something else is yet to be established.
Wild Card: As the rest of this entry indicates, we know very little about her actual agenda or her motivation for courting Raif.
Villain Takes an Interest: Whether she's an actual villain remains up in the air, but she's definitely ominous and sinister and determined to have Raif as her champion.

Characters / Sword of Shadows

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