Characters / Tales of Arcadia – Guardians of Arcadia

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Ninth Configuration

Jim Lake Jr.

See The Trollhunters

Toby Domzalski

See The Trollhunters

Claire Nuñez

See The Trollhunters

Blinky Galadrigal

See The Trollhunters

AAARRRGGHH!!!

See The Trollhunters

Aja Tarron

See House Tarron

Krel Tarron

See House Tarron

Varvatos Vex

See House Tarron

Douxie Casperan

Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan

"History won't remember me. Stories won't be told about me, but I won't let that stop me from fighting for what is right."

Appearances: Trollhunters | 3Below | Wizards (2020) | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Voiced by: Colin O'Donoghue

A guitarist and student of Arcadia Oaks Academy. He is eventually revealed to be an apprentice Wizard and student of Merlin.

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• Absurdly Long Wait: Douxie had to wait for literally 900 years until Merlin calls for him by the beginning of Wizards.
• Almighty Janitor: As he says himself none will ever know his name or what he does but it won't stop him from fighting with all he's got to save the world.
• Always Save the Girl: In contrast to Merlin's approach, Douxie places great value on individual lives, attempting to get Morgana and Arthur to reconcile even if the former was on the verge of a Face–Heel Turn, and entering the Arcane Order's lair in an attempt to help Claire save a Brainwashed and Crazy Jim.
• Artists Are Attractive: Given that Douxie plays guitar in his own band, this may be part of what makes him so appealing to the female student body at Arcadia Oaks Academy.
• Ascended Extra: Goes from being a simple minor character of Trollhunters and 3Below to the main protagonist of Wizards.
• Badass Teacher: He ends up taking Claire as an apprentice to help her control her Shadow Magic.
• Bait-and-Switch: Whenever he says his catchphrase "Fuzzbuckets" he tends to sound like he's going to drop a Precision F-Strike.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Douxie is an all-around Nice Guy, but is perfectly capable of imprisoning Morgana and subduing the Arcane Order for endangering his friends.
• Big Good: With Merlin and Morgana both dead, his own incredible magical prowess, and taking the role as Nari's main protector, Douxie is the most powerful force for good among the heroes and the Arcane Order's main obstacle in their goals.
• Blue Is Heroic: Douxie's magic and the tips of his hair are blue, and he's very heroic and selfless.
• Borrowed Catchphrase: Is very fond of Steve's trademark insult "buttsnacks".
• Butt-Monkey: His past self is a No-Respect Guy klutz, keeps getting ordered to carry Merlin's things and got two sleep spells cast on him by Present!Douxie, both times resulting in Amusing Injuries.
• Catchphrase: "I Can Fix This" usually right after or before he fails at some task or magic. Also, "Fuzzbuckets" whenever something goes seriously, horribly wrong.
• Chick Magnet: Manages to gain the affection of a number of girls at Arcadia Oaks Academy.
• Contrasting Sequel Protagonist: In regards to Jim and Aja, who were The Chosen Ones but, at first, refused to accept their mantles and destinies, Douxie is very much The Unchosen One and fights very eagerly to prove his worth. Both Jim and Aja are also untrained teenagers at first, while Douxie has been training for nearly a millennium. And, while the previous protagonists were capable physical fighters, Douxie obviously prefers ranged spells and tricks, but is still more than capable of facing Morgana in combat.
• Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Douxie cleverly tricks the Arcane Order with a simple cup game and the Genesis Seals to trap them in an eternal time trap, allowing him to sneak into their fortress and rescue his friends since even if they have the Seals, they still need Nari.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Despite having actual centuries worth of experience, when he goes back in time to Camelot, Merlin still treats him as the naive apprentice he was back then. Justified since he likely has a hard time dissociating two functionally identical people.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Douxie lacks his trademark bracelet in his early appearances, despite having presumably worn it non-stop for 900 years. Discussed by Aaron Waltke that Douxie can actually disguise his charm bracelet into a regular watch with a simple glamour spell (but he does this off-screen).
• Experienced Protagonist: Has been alive for over 900 years and has had plenty of practice with his extensive arsenal of spells. The first thing we see him do in Wizards is hunt down a demon.
• Fatal Flaw: Recklessness. Douxie has shown to have a lack of regard for the danger or consequences of his own actions, such as almost messing with the timeline and unwittingly handing the Genesis Seals to the Arcane Order to protect Nari... without much of a plan other than running and hiding, which inadvertently leads to the Order capturing Nari and awakening the Titans.
• Final First Hug: In the borders of the afterlife, Douxie and Merlin hug each other for the first and final time.
• Foil: To Merlin, ironically enough. Merlin is a very wise and powerful Wizard, but also very vain, stubborn, and a huge pain. He tends to chalk things up to be impossible if he can't think of any solution, he is ruled by logic-based rationale and always working for The Needs of the Many regardless of the sacrifices he might need to make or get others to make. Douxie on the other hand has poor self-esteem, tends to be a bit wishy-washy, and is pretty nice to everyone. If he can't think of a solution he'll go look for one, even at great personal risk or low odds of success. Douxie is ruled by his passions and desire to help and can make rash decisions in the heat of the moment.
• Friend-or-Idol Decision: After gaining the Genesis Seals and learning that the Arcane Order has kidnapped his friends, Douxie is torn between listening to Merlin's instructions to protect the Seals or save his friends and sacrifice the safety of the world. He ultimately decides to help his friends when he remembers that, even if Bellroc and Skrael get their hands on the Seals, they still require Nari to break them. With help from Krel's alien technology, Douxie uses the Seals as bait to lure the Order away from their fortress long enough to infiltrate it and rescue his friends.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a thin scar on the back of his left hand, which is more visible when his charm bracelet is shown in close-up.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Douxie sacrifices himself after trying to overcome Bellroc and Skrael, which caused a massive explosion and fall to his death, all in order to protect Nari from them and the Seals. Douxie has a final talk with his deceased master and then is resurrected to reunite with his friends and protect Nari.
• I Hate Past Me: He really doesn't like his past self, at one point calling him a "moppet with a man-bun".
• Inept Mage: Despite his age, Douxie is no better at using his spells than he was during the 12th-Century, either mistakenly using a spell different from the one he meant or the spell wearing off before he could utilize it as intended.
• Interspecies Friendship: Douxie, a human wizard, and Archie, his shapeshifting dragon-cat familiar. The two are so close, they are rarely seen apart and help each other fight the forces of evil together.
• Instrumental Weapon: He uses his guitar in defense against some Gumm-Gumms about to attack Mary and Darci. After he gains his Magic Staff, he "makes it his own weapon" by turning it into an electric guitar.
• It Is Not Your Time: In the borders of the afterlife, Merlin stops Douxie from following him and Morgana through the doorway. While Merlin and Morgana's time in the living is over, Douxie must stay behind to protect the world of man, carry on their magical legacy, and protect Nari and the Guardians of Arcadia, no matter what.
• Just Friends: It was initially believed that Douxie was hitting on Claire and was a potential love rival for Jim in the third season of Trollhunters. However, it's firmly established in Wizards that Douxie and Claire are merely close friends, nothing more. In fact, Douxie respects Claire's relationship with Jim.
• Last-Second Word Swap: Played With. Whenever he uses 'Fuzzbuckets', it always sounds like he's about to use a different word more appropriate to the situation going sideways before he actually says it.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: He reads Aja's palm in one episode and makes a lot of accurate predictions. However, it's unclear whether he was using cold reading or using actual magic.
• Meaningful Name: Hisirdoux's name refers to the French word "hasardeux", which means "risky or hazardous", and Douxie shows a lot of his reckless tendencies.
• Morality Pet: Downplayed. Merlin's as condescending and insulting to Douxie as to everyone else, but he's also noticeably warmer and more protective of him than with other characters, and is reluctantly willing to go along with his insane plans. He’s also the only character on the show to actually make Merlin change his mind over something.
• Mundane Made Awesome: While not capable of the same impressive feats as Merlin or the Arcane Order, Douxie is shown to have made good use of "beginner magic" like his Infinite Corridor spell to great effect, and was able to make clever use of the Shell Game to throw Bellroc, Skrael and the Genesis Seals through time. When he gains his Magic Staff, he turns it into an electric guitar, using it as both a blunt weapon, noisemaker, and energy weapon.
• Mysterious Past: Not much is known about Douxie's past before his time in Camelot.
• Nice Guy: Douxie shows rather chivalrous characteristics (considering he lived since the Dark Ages) and is a good guy. Even when Jim tries to insult him when in a jealous streak, he never shows any offense and doesn't actually seem interested in flirting with Claire like that; Douxie actually respects Jim and Claire's relationship and merely sees Claire as a close friend.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Only two characters, Merlin and Zoe, ever call him Hisirdoux.
• Perky Goth: Douxie's style of dress is clearly goth but he’s shown to be friendly and upbeat.
• Playing with Fire: In the first episode, he uses magic fire to shoot a large fireball at the Mephits, and during his battle with Morgana, he combines his fire with Archie's fire to surround her. His familiar is also a dragon in the form of a talking cat.
• Pretty Boy: Lampshaded by Steve assuming modeling was one of his various part-time jobs.
• Really 700 Years Old: He is a little over 900 years old. Steve once approximated that Douxie physically looks like he's 19.
  Steve: 900 years?! What? Are you like… 19?
  Archie: A few centuries, give or take.
• Recruited from the Gutter: Merlin recruited the orphaned Hisirdoux into his teachings before the knights could execute him, needing a new apprentice.
• Undying Loyalty: Even after Merlin sleeps in his tomb after the Battle of Killahead for 900 years, Douxie has yet to stray from his loyalties or his duties to Merlin. Especially impressive considering what Merlin is like.
• Unknown Relative: Douxie's family — let only most of his past before he was taken in by Merlin — was never expanded upon in Wizards. Douxie only ever mentions that the only real family he has is his familiar, Archie, and all but admits that Merlin was basically the only father he ever knew.
• Unknown Rival: It is clear that Jim has not liked him since the moment they met given his flirting over Claire. Douxie and Claire, on the other hand, both seem completely unaware of this. If Douxie was attracted to Claire, it went out the window when Claire was possessed and he was freaked out by her behavior.
• Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: Played with and lampshaded. It's not that Douxie keeps changing jobs, he just works multiple part-time positions at different places to earn more money.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: He really wants Merlin's approval and it's one of the driving forces behind a lot of his actions.
  Lady of the Lake: You seek redemption from a scorned mentor.
• Would Hit a Girl: Has no problem striking Morgana right in the face with an electric guitar. Justified considering how powerful she is and she would have had no problem killing him, though it doesn't make her reaction any less hilarious.
  Morgana: [In disbelief] Did you just strike me with a— a lute?
• The Worf Effect: On the receiving end of this in Rise of the Titans. Douxie is meant to be the most powerful of the Guardians as, back in Wizards, he was able to barely overcome Bellroc (along with Skrael) and destroy her fortress by himself. However, when he tries facing off against a supercharged Bellroc on the Fire Titan alone, he's blasted right off the Titan in no less than two minutes.

The Creepslayerz

Steve Palchuk

Steven Q. "Steve" Palchuk

Appearances: Trollhunters | 3Below | Wizards (2020) | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Voiced by: Steven Yeun

The resident bully, suspicious of the weird things Jim does.

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• Abusive Parents: It is implied by Coach Lawrence that Steve's hostility was a result of a verbally abusive dad.
• Adaptation Name Change: Goes from "Steve Jorgenson-Warner" from the book to "Steve Palchuk" in the show.
• Adaptation Species Change: By the end of the original novel, Steve was revealed to be a changeling. In the show, however, he is fully human, proven straight when he was once hit in the head with Jim and Toby's Gaggletack and didn't change.
• Amazon Chaser: Immediately falls for Aja after she kicks his ass.
  Steve: [Internally] Woah! She's like a ninja-kicking angel. I mean, she— she kicks ninjas, but she's an angel.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: Even after the Season 2 finale of Trollhunters brought him face-to-face with the supernatural, he scoffs at Eli's claims that extraterrestrials might be living among them.
  • Inverted and Lampshaded in the 3Below series finale: when approached by a talking cat warning about the doomsday, Steve's first reaction is to ask why he wears glasses. When Toby asks why he doesn't question how the cat can talk in the first place, Steve answers he has already seen weirder things happen.
• Ascended Extra: He goes from being part of the supporting cast in Trollhunters to being part of the main cast in 3Below and Wizards. Though he does end up getting demoted back to being part of the supporting cast in Rise of the Titans.
• Badass Normal: Subverted. Despite being normal, he still struggles to hold on his own in fights or actually help his allies.
• Barbaric Bully: Within minutes of their first meeting, Steve's calling Jim out for a beating after school. When outright fighting Jim is out of the question, he employs increasingly esoteric and deranged methods to torment him.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Has thick, brown eyebrows.
• Bullying a Dragon: He torments and ridicules Jim constantly, more than a few times Jim has thought about decking him but is able to resist for the most part. It should be noted that Jim has more or less tempted Steve to bully him because whenever Steve went after kids actually weaker than him Jim would always step in.
• Butt-Monkey: In Wizards, he spends most of his screen time being humiliated in several creative ways. Rise of the Titans takes this up a notch when he kisses Aja for the seventh time upon her return to Earth, he unwittingly makes himself pregnant in the process and spends the rest of the plot suffering from abnormal cravings and enduring painful contractions of childbirth.
• Catchphrase: "Die, Creeper!", his go-to battle cry.
• Character Development: Steve, hands down, gets the most development of any character in the show. He starts off in Trollhunters as your typical Jerk Jock bully, picking on anyone he deems weaker than him. Slowly though thanks to the increasing weirdness of Arcadia we see him become friends with Eli, tone down his bullying ways significantly, and a secret protector of the heroes.
• Demoted to Extra: Doesn't really appear much in Part Three of Trollhunters, obviously to compensate for his role in 3Below.
  • After playing a major role in both 3Below and Wizards, he ends up only playing a minor role in Rise of the Titans as him going through Akiridion pregnancy is irrelevant to the whole plot, other than just making him more of a Butt-Monkey.
• Do Not Go Gentle: In the Bad Future, his last moments involve fighting a winged troll as it carries him off into the night.
• Dumbass No More: A more mundane example; he starts off as a typical Dumb Jock and Jerk Jock, usually having no survival skills whatsoever. Realizing there's weirdness in Arcadia, however, motivates him to shape up to stay alive and take down supernatural threats. He goes from someone that tries to run Jim off the road to a quick-thinker that gets parasols and blankets to protect trolls from the sun.
• Fire-Forged Friends: With Eli in "Creepslayerz" as they form the titular team while investigating the strange, possibly dangerous creatures in Arcadia. At the same time, they also form a genuine, if vitriolic, friendship.
• Flanderization: While he received a lot of Character Development over the course of Trollhunters and 3Below, by Wizards and Rise of the Titans he became nothing more than superfluous Butt-Monkey.
• For Want Of A Nail: In the Bad Future that Jim saw, he ends up as Romeo and kissing Claire onstage. Jim witnesses Steve's last moments as taking down invading Gumm-Gumms and dying in the attempt.
• Freudian Excuse: It's implied he's a jerk because his dad was an emotionally abusive deadbeat. He gets better about this when admitting that he prefers his mother to date Coach Lawrence and realizes that Jim isn't his enemy.
• Genre Savvy: When Jim calls them for aid in protecting the evacuating Trolls from the sunlight, Steve candidly likens it to the same weakness shared by Vampires.
  Steve: Ah, like vampire rules!
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Eli Pepperjack, of all people. He cries out for Pepperjack several times and after the end of 3Below, he's about as upset about losing Eli as he is about losing Aja.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Dim as he may seem, he's got enough brains and acting ability to land the (understudy) role of Romeo in the school play. Furthermore, he has enough acting ability to completely con Jim in the Truck-a-thon, and when auditioning for Krel's role in Toby and Eli's movie his talent brings his audience to tears. It says a lot that even though the role was written for Krel, and Krel was already filming it, the Director was seriously considering recasting and starting again.
  • While he initially comes off as a crybaby blowhard, Season 2 shows he has a noble, brave side.
  • While embarrassed by him, Steve confesses that he really does see Coach Lawrence as the good father figure he never really had.
• I Choose to Stay: Aja invites Steve to join her on Akiridion-5, but he decides to stay because he can't leave his family.
• Interspecies Romance: He gets into one with Aja, who is Akiridion while Steve is human.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Wearing a diaper to the Touch-A-Truckathon might be disgusting and undignified, but it manages to give him a legitimate edge over much of the competition.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's an unrepentant bully and season 2 proves that deep, deep down, Steve has the capacity to be brave and selfless and befriend others. He maintains a strong friendship with Eli for the rest of the series and starts dating Aja when they meet. He also learns to care for Jim to a degree.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Pre-Character Development, he has plenty of these:
  • He spends the first half of Trollhunters Part One trying to get his revenge on Jim for him breaking his tooth, from trying to beat him up to taking his place as Romeo for the school play; he even flirts with Claire just to get under his skin. When he arrogantly tries to challenge Jim for a Vespa race (while the latter's being chased by a Stalkling), Steve ends up totaling his Vespa. As a result, he develops a concussion and can no longer play Romeo.
  • In the beginning of Part Two, Steve continues gloating about his Spring Fling King crown and scepter, even though the dance ended two weeks ago. He sadistically mocks Jim's absence in front of Toby, even when the latter does everything to get rid of him and the former just refuses to leave him alone. Steve gets another short end of the stick when Toby gets him arrested as payback.
• Long-Distance Relationship: As Aja returned to her home planet, they decide to try a really long-distance relationship.
• Love at First Punch: Or kick in this case, but Steve falls head over heels for Aja after she kicks him several feet for hitting her brother.
• Mistaken for Gay: In season 2 of 3Below, it's suggested that Toby has mistaken Eli and Steve's friendship for dating at least once before.
• Parent with New Paramour: His father is out of the picture and his mother is now dating Coach Lawrence, putting a strain on his relationship with his formerly favorite teacher. Steve eventually admits, however, that he prefers Coach Lawrence because at least the man tries to be his friend and is better than his real dad.
• Seen It All: By the 3Below finale, it's clear that nothing out of the ordinary surprises him anymore.
• Secret-Keeper:
  • In "Creepslayerz", Steve is this in regards to Eli's Embarrassing Middle Name.
  • He promises to keep Aja's secret once she reveals her true form to him.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Becomes this in "Creepslayerz" as he and Eli realize that Jim is somehow connected to all of the weird activity in Arcadia, but keep it quiet because they know that whatever Jim's secret is, he's on the side of good. He graduates to a Secret-Keeper with Eli in the season two finale, when Jim finally cuts the pretense and asks Steve for help saving Trollmarket refugees.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: After forming a friendship with Eli in "Creepslayerz", they become this as Steve is brash, insulting Manly Man to Eli's nice, polite Sensitive Guy.
• Sixth Ranger: Steve becomes a helping hand for the Trollhunters when he and Eli find out the whole truth. He continues this role in 3 Below, helping the Royal Family, though that has a lot to do with his attraction to Aja.
• Took a Level in Badass: Zigzagged. Even after becoming an ally to the Trollhunters and House Tarron, Steve was not very professional about combating the supernatural. Around Wizards, even while he's trained by Lancelot, his skills were still less than that of his more experienced friends and the knights. Later on, he held back against a changeling and knocked it out, allowing Douxie and the others to kill it, and later fought alongside them at the Battle of Killahead, killing a good amount of Gumm-Gumms with his Toothache weapon without much struggle. However, he ran from Bular and resorted to ask Nimue to throw him out of battle.
• Took a Level in Kindness: It doesn't happen until the second half of season two when he witnesses Jim fighting a monster and declaring he's protecting Arcadia. Realizing that he read Jim all wrong, Steve resolves to help in any way he can and reforms his character. What's more, he finally tells Coach Lawrence that he's happy to have him as a friend even if he's not ready for another father-figure.
• Understanding Boyfriend: While he had developed the idea that aliens are all "brain-sucking" monsters, he drops this when he finds out that his girlfriend is also an alien. The fact that she's an Angelic Alien compared to the ones he's encountered before probably helps with this.
• Would Hit a Girl: When Claire tries to get Steve to back off from Jim, he violently shoves her out of the way.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: During Jim and Steve's fight in "Airheads", Steve breaks down, claiming that Jim keeps winning over him and that he feels like he's losing everything. When Jim feels sorry for him and forfeits, Steve immediately snaps out of it and mocks him for falling for it.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: When he, Aja, and Krel are abducted by bounty hunters, he assumes that all aliens are the "brain-sucking/probing" kind, making Aja apprehensive when she decides to reveal herself.

Eli Pepperjack

Elijah Leslie "Eli" Pepperjack

Appearances: Trollhunters | 3Below | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Voiced by: Cole Sand

One of Jim's classmates who is out to prove the existence of Trolls.

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• All of the Other Reindeer: Eli is a frequent victim of Steve's bullying and doesn't seem to be well-respected among his peers.
  Eli: I have friends!
  Girl: No, you don't.
• Artistic License – Law: Eli's ownership of several shurikens as his choice of weapons is questionable as it's illegal to own shurikens in California.
  • This was somewhat remedied when Eli is caught and accidentally exposes his shurikens to a government official (Sergeant Costas) and was taken in (even if he was merely taken hostage for being an ally to the Tarrons).
• Artistic License – Politics: Even by alien standards, Eli's position as an "Earth ambassador" for Akiridion-5 can be considered unofficial; he was not appointed by any Earthly government and he would need to be chosen unanimously or at least by the U.N. Security Council, which would be required for him to be an official ambassador.
• Badass Driver: He can't parallel park normally, but can do so via "Tokyo Drifting".
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Eli is initially skeptical of Steve's theory that Jim is an evil shapeshifter with plans for world domination because Jim was one of the few people to be genuinely and consistently kind to him. He's relieved to find out that Steve was wrong.
• Brainy Brunette: Eli has black hair and appears to be quite intelligent.
• The Bus Came Back: After spending some time on Akiridion-5, Eli returns to Earth alongside Aja in Rise of the Titans, now physically more mature than when he first left.
• Butt-Monkey: He's picked on by Steve, not well-respected among his other peers, and sometimes is caught up in Jim's Trollhunter life.
• The Cassandra: Eli is the only one who knew about the various supernatural anomalies that populate Arcadia, but of course nobody believes him until Steve manages to capture a goblin routing through his trash, and even then Steve does not believe him that there are aliens there as well. This finally gets averted in the Trollhunters season 2 finale.
• Demoted to Extra: Like Steve, Eli doesn't appear much in Part Three of Trollhunters, due to his more prominent role in 3Below, but is completely absent from Wizards due to becoming an Earth Ambassador for Akiridion-5. While he does return in Rise of the Titans, Eli doesn't have a major role, other than being responsible for designing the Gun Robot Megasuit, which helps Varvatos battle the Fire Titan.
• Embarrassing Middle Name: His middle name is "Leslie".
  Steve: [Chuckles] Leslie? Guess we both have a secret.
• Fire-Forged Friends: With Steve in "Creepslayerz" as they form the titular team while investigating the strange, possibly dangerous creatures in Arcadia. At the same time, they also form a genuine, if vitriolic, friendship.
• Full-Name Ultimatum: Expects his mom to deliver this whenever he shows any form of disrespect to her. Talking back or snapping at her is a common Running Gag to this.
• I Got Bigger: When he returns to Earth, Eli has significantly matured so much that Steve initially doesn't recognize him. Turns out, puberty had a very pleasant effect on him during his stay on an alien planet for almost a year.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: If hero duty or Jim calls, Eli is always ready to help. When Gunmar staged his invasion of the human world, Eli suited up with wheelies and prepared to distract the Gumm-Gumms away from innocent people. It helped buy time for the Trollhunters to dive into combat.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Played With, Eli isn't privy to the details but he is aware of the presents of Trolls, Aliens, and Wizards. At least for the former, he got to interview the trolls personally after helping to evacuate them. In fact, he is the only one aware of all three.
• Mistaken for Gay: In season 2 of 3Below, it's suggested that Toby has mistaken Eli and Steve's friendship for dating at least once before.
• Momma's Boy: Shows some hints of this - on more than one occasion he's talked back to his mom, only to be immediately contrite when she responds with a Full-Name Ultimatum.
• Nerd Glasses: Wears big, black glasses.
• Nice Guy: He's shown to be consistently polite and friendly.
• Put on the Bus: Eli is completely absent in Wizards, due to visiting Akiridion-5 as an earth ambassador. Although he's mentioned a few times by Steve.
• Secret-Keeper: In "Creepslayerz", Eli is this in regards to Steve's mother dating Coach Lawrence.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Becomes this in "Creepslayerz" as he and Steve realize that Jim is somehow connected to all of the weird activity in Arcadia but keep it quiet because they know that whatever Jim's secret is, he's on the side of good. He and Steve later become full-blown Secret Keepers and Jim's allies in the season two finale.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: After forming a friendship with Steve in "Creepslayerz", they become this as Steve is the brash, insulting Manly Man to Eli's nice, polite Sensitive Guy.
• Sitcom Archnemesis: Acts as one to the Tarrons in the first season's initial quarter as they're afraid he'll out their true natures to the rest of the town. They eventually realize that he's harmless and, more importantly, no one believes anything he says anyway.
• Sixth Ranger: It's safe to say they're finally in the loop after the Season 2 finale. They are ready to help the evacuation when Jim finally calls for their aide and is exposed to Trollkind.
• Smart People Wear Glasses: Eli wears Nerd Glasses and is quite smart.
• Throw the Dog a Bone:
  • After spending an entire episode in the middle of a fight between Steve and Jim, he manages to win the Truck-A-Thon just by avoiding their punches.
  • In the Trollhunters season 2 finale, Jim calls him and Steve for help in evacuating the trolls from Gunmar's coup. Eli is thrilled that he gets to be a hero and that he'll finally get answers to all of his questions.
• Took a Level in Badass: In a Meaningful Background Event: he is shown easily climbing a rope in the gym and then backflipping back to the ground.
• Vocal Dissonance: Despite being a teenager, Eli has the voice of someone in middle school or earlier than that. This changes in 3Below season 2 when his voice deepens.

Others

Merlin Ambrosius

Merlin Ambrosius

"My amulet does not make mistakes. Of all the creatures in our worlds, I chose you."

Appearances: Trollhunters | 3Below | Wizards (2020)

Voiced by: David Bradley

The mysterious wizard that created the Trollhunter amulet.

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• Ambiguously Human: His true appearance is notably never shown, and there are some dialogue clues that he might be a troll. That is until season 3, where it is confirmed he is a human wizard.
• Big Good: He created the Amulet of Daylight, and by extension, the entire Trollhunter legacy.
• Black Comedy Cannibalism: Comments that Toby is lucky he didn't eat him in the cave. When asked if that was a joke, he says "Mmm, not really".
• Broken Pedestal:
  • His Unscrupulous Hero antics have a habit of getting people not to vote for him when it comes to certain plans or ideas.
  • Downplayed with Douxie. When he finds out that his mentor had trapped the Lady of the Lake in her cave after she helped him forge Excalibur for Arthur, Douxie is confused and shocked that his master would do such a thing. He decides to set her free as she doesn't deserve to be trapped like this, yet doesn't hold it against Merlin.
• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: In his efforts to imprison Morgana, most of Merlin's magic was lost, as well as putting him into a sleep lasting centuries.
• Brought Down to Badass: While he lost most of his magical powers in the battle that led to Morgana’s imprisonment, he is still a competent wizard and a skilled craftsman. He was able to reassemble the amulet despite not having worked with it for centuries, he was able to reverse engineer various forms of modern technology (including Jim’s beloved Vespa) into armor despite his lack of resources, was able to create a cradlestone (helping save the various infant familiars in the Darklands) using their microwave, concoct a spell that would turn Jim into a troll all from memory, project memories onto the environment and a slew of other things.
• Catchphrase: In Wizards, when giving instructions to his apprentice, he often preempts Douxie's objections by finishing with:
  Merlin: …and don't—
  Douxie: But Master…!
  Merlin: —"But Master" me.
• The Cavalry Arrives Late: Merlin's big plan is to get the Staff of Avalon to regain his great magic powers, in which he would then single-handedly win the battle against Morgana, Gunmar, and their Gumm-Gumm hordes. It is not until after Jim slays Gunmar, wipes out his army, and banished Morgana to the Shadow Realm with no way back without him does he regain his powers.
  Blinky: Ah, now he shows up.
• Characterization Marches On: In the first series, he seemed to have Fantastic Racism towards trolls, considering that he rather callously brushed off Blinky after the latter mentioned how honored he was to meet him, seemed to have a friendliness towards Claire that had some… unsettling implications, and seemed to have more of a priority on regaining his power and defeating Morgana over protecting the people of Arcadia. In the third series, these more unflattering attributes seem to have been dropped, with him treating trolls and Claire hardly any different from other humans, with his relationship with Douxie and Arthur being more emphasized as friendly, prioritized the latter's survival as well as the former's proper behavior, discipline, and training, and does not really consider his power that important this time.
• The Cynic: Due to the era that he is from the centuries of experience, he does not have much faith in others, usually deflating whatever image people have of him intentionally and prioritizing The Needs of the Many in spite of knowing the kind of harm his decisions may take.
• The Ghost: His name is mentioned at various intervals, though little is ever elaborated. Nor is he ever actually present. This is later subverted in Season Three, revealing that not only was he still alive, but he joins the team with the intent of defeating Morgana and Gunmar.
• Good Is Not Nice: Merlin is old, cranky, and ornery, quick to play favorites, and dole out insults. Some of this comes from being the smartest guy in the room, and when Jim calls him a jerk at one point, Merlin agrees with him but points out that it doesn't make him wrong.
• Hypocritical Heartwarming: Played for Drama. He derided Jim for wanting to save his mother over preparing for the Day of Eternal Night. In Wizards, he spends his last moments rescuing Douxie from the Arcane Order, at the cost of his life.
• I Did What I Had to Do: His views of seeing the bigger picture lead him to manipulate Jim into willingly turning himself into a troll permanently.
• Insufferable Genius: He is a master of the mystic arts and possesses mild omniscience that has allowed him to plan against the forces of darkness centuries in advance. He is also very cynical, has a tendency to selectively ignore those around him, and acts on Knight Templar levels of morally-compromisable ideas in the name of defeating his enemies.
• It's All About Me: In Trollhunters, his biggest concern was regaining his magical power from Morgana rather than protecting the humans and trolls that Gunmar was threatening.
• Jade-Colored Glasses: He tells Jim he was once as idealistic as him.
• Jerkass: He is generally condescending to others, casually insulting other characters, rendering his battle with Morgana "the real battle" while ignoring the massive threat Gunmar and his armies pose and trying to pull the moves on an underaged girl. Jim even lampshades this, with Merlin fully acknowledging it as well. His Unscrupulous Hero antics don't endear him at all, though he does care about his allies, even if he doesn't always show it well.
  Jim: You're a real jerk, you know that?
  Merlin: Yes, but that doesn't make me wrong.
• Jerkass Has a Point: His methods were underhanded, but at the end of the day he's correct that Jim wouldn't have survived and been able to defeat Gunmar as a human. Inverted in Wizards when Claire calls him out for manipulating Jim to do so in the first place; Douxie is forced to admit that she has a solid point.
• Jerkass Realization: In his last moments, he admitted he was a poor master to Douxie and a poorer protector of the world by following Arthur blindly. Merlin reassures Douxie that he will be a Redeeming Replacement.
  Merlin: Do not blame yourself. I spent a lifetime serving the wrong master, trying to save this world. But I saw a glimmer of greatness… of what you could become. And the greatest thing I have ever accomplished… was saving you.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Underneath his jaded exterior, Merlin genuinely does care for his pupils, especially Douxie, even if he doesn't always show it.
• Karmic Death: He spent his time in Camelot blindly supporting Arthur's genocide against magical creatures, playing The Long Game until Arthur could see reason about the amulet. Merlin also derided the people who wore their hearts on their sleeves. Merlin dies in an attempt to rescue Douxie, and when a resurrected Arthur "rewards" him for his loyalty with a stab through the chest and knocking him out of the Arcane Order ship. He notes the irony with dignity.
• Killed Off for Real: Is killed by Arthur in Wizards.
• Knight Templar: He is willing to resort to violence and lead people to their deaths if it serves the greater good.
• Kung-Fu Wizard: Despite his age, Merlin is a competent fighter, being able to fight circles around Jim and even conjures a sword as his primary weapon.
• Lack of Empathy: Zigzagged. Merlin's strong belief in the greater good of the world almost always makes him look like a total sociopath, especially towards his allies but has times when he sympathizes with those he personally knows. He had no regret of concocting a potion to turn Jim into a half-troll, along with a Sadistic Choice, but still gave him a choice regardless instead of forcing him. He even attacked Morgana without a second thought when she fights Arthur, but looked genuinely shocked that his most accomplished apprentice turned on them. And, of course, he was clearly saddened at Morgana's first demise and did not want Douxie to suffer the same fate as Morgana. He was later against the idea of saving Jim when he is corrupted by the Green Knight's shard but agrees on Douxie's terms. He finally shows genuine empathy to Douxie when he is fatally stabbed by the Green Knight (whom he discovers is his old friend, Arthur), and finally in the afterlife where he congratulates his apprentice on his past accomplishments without his guidance.
• Light 'em Up: Manifesting as a green or blue magic, that causes daylight to shine through.
• Meaningful Name: Merlin's last name, Ambrosius, is Latin for "immortal" and "divine".
• The Needs of the Many: Merlin's strong belief. He's somewhat firmly willing to sacrifice his own personal desires for the good of the world (especially his allies', much to their scowling). It can be argued that this is also his Fatal Flaw as many characters believe it to be.
  Merlin: I do what I must for the greater good.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: A nearly averted version, as he tries prioritizing Morgana over Gunmar, pointing out that while Gunmar’s threat is more immediate, Morgana’s magic could spell doom for the entire world. When he is given the chance, he completely overlooks the idea that Morgana would render the staff useless and be at her mercy. It is not until the rest of the team kills Gunmar and banishes Morgana to the Shadow Realm does he regain his powers, making him essentially The Millstone for the team.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: He only went Always Save the Girl once under Douxie's insistence. When the Arcane Order held Douxie hostage and threatened him unless he produced Nari, Merlin went on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge then and there. When his efforts got him killed, Merlin genuinely apologized to Douxie for all the harm he caused with his dying breath.
• Pet the Dog:
  • He makes it easier for NotEnrique and Chompsky to rescue all the babies trapped in the Dark Lands by creating a crystal that can hold all of them without being prompted.
  • His last act is his most decent one when he refuses to let the Arcane Order hold Douxie as a hostage in exchange for Nari, or flee into the night. Merlin immediately fought to the bitter end to rescue his apprentice. Then he admitted to Douxie that he was chasing after an ideal by following Arthur blindly.
• The Rival: To the Arcane Order. It's clear that Merlin has a bit of a history with the Arcane Order, and it's implied that they have been bitter enemies long before Arthur united the kingdom.
  • Aaron Waltke explains that since Merlin had no master of his own and had to acquire immortality at an old age, he unlocked countless magical secrets by stealing them from others, especially from the Arcane Order, hence their intense rivalry.
• Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: He breaks every pedestal people try to put him on and makes a very poor house guest. He is also centuries older than a regular human.
• Seers: He possesses some level of omniscience that allowed him to foresee various events, having used this ability in the past to ensure the greater good in advance. It isn't perfect though, as while he knew Jim would become the Trollhunter, he got his age wrong, nor was he absolutely certain that they would have been able to defeat Gunmar and Morgana. In Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia — The Felled, it is revealed that this ability comes from the Omniscienstone, a Power Crystal that bestows those who touch it visions of the past and different, equally probable futures.
• Token Wizard: Zig-Zagged. While Claire serves as this to the team itself, her signature weapon being a Magic Staff that she has the experience and command over with a spell, Merlin is much more experienced in magic and contributes as more of a Deus ex Machina for certain problems too big and nebulous for the Trollhunters to fix (like creating the cradle-stone to solve the "hundreds of babies in the Darklands" dilemma). With that said, he spends most of the story with much of his power gone and either relying on physical combat to fight his way through a problem or manipulating the Trollhunters in some manner.
• Unscrupulous Hero: While he is aware of the harm he causes and bereaved into doing so, Merlin's behavior and methods come across as needlessly cruel and unusual at times. He seeks to prioritize all of the Trollhunter's efforts and resources into targeting Morgana despite Gunmar being the more immediate threat just so that he could have his magic powers back, believing that he could take out Gunmar himself when this happens in-spite of the casualties. He concocts a potion that would turn Jim into a troll, knowing and admitting fully well that he has no way of reversing the spell, and more or less manipulates Jim into accepting it. On a lesser scale he is very quick to belittle or insult those around him (only sometimes by accident), especially people that sing his praises (like Blinky) or those that prostrate before him (like Strickler).
• Unseen No More: Merlin is alluded to as the Big Good of the series numerous times, having been the creator of the Amulet of Daylight and the Trollhunter. In "Unbecoming", he appears in a disembodied voice, and in "For the Glory of Merlin", he is revealed to be alive (having been in an endless sleep for centuries) and joins the main cast.
• Vague Age: While he physically looks around senior age, he claims that he's been around since "the [Earth] was still young". It's unknown just how long he's existed on Earth.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Upon learning of his ruthless plans there is no shortage of outrage on the part of the heroes. Claire in particular calls him out in Wizards for how he doesn't want to save Jim when it's his fault that Jim had to become the Trollhunter in the first place and sacrifice his humanity. Toby joins in, saying this is why no one likes Merlin.
• Would Hurt a Child: Merlin had no problems dueling a 16-year-old Jim and removing his amulet against his will, which was quite painful on Jim's part and even rendered him unconscious as a result. Merlin even magically shoved his own apprentice into a tree – hard – when he tried to intervene in Arthur and Morgana's quarrel.

Archie

Archibald "Archie"

"Put it simply, the world as you know it is about to end. Meow."

Appearances: 3Below | Wizards (2020) | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Voiced by: Alfred Molina

Douxie's shapeshifting dragon-cat familiar and one of his closest friends.

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• Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: He's always wearing glasses, to the point that catches Steve's attention more than hearing him talk.
• Catlike Dragons: Taken to a logical extreme; he's a small, furry black dragon who spends most of his time in the form of a cat.
• Cats Are Magic: This "cat" is more than capable of shapeshifting and all of the natural perks of his draconic ancestry. He fits the visual stereotype well too, being all black with a white patch on his chest like a Cait Sith.
• Familiar: He chose to be one, but despite his initial misgivings about the lifestyle his father sees it as a two-way street and considers Douxie his "Wizard Familiar".
• Last Episode, New Character: He shows up in the final episode of 3Below.
• Non-Mammalian Hair: He has fur in his dragon form too. Considering his father also has hair, this is normal for dragons.
• Our Dragons Are Different: He was born a dragon, but he prefers to take on the form of a cat, being relatively the size of one in his true form.
• Servile Snarker: He serves as Douxie's loyal familiar, but that doesn't mean he won't snark at his expense every now and then.
• Talking Animal: He's a familiar, which is a form of talking animal. AAARRRGGHH!!! introduces him as a familiar to Steve and Toby.
• Undying Loyalty: He follows Douxie wherever he goes, whether in the past or present.

Stuart

Stuart

Stuart in alien form

Appearances: 3Below | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Voiced by: Nick Frost

A helpful alien the three meet who has been living on Earth for 30+ years. He hails from the planet Durio, known for being the smelliest planet in the universe, and occasionally helps the heirs when they have an Earth problem.

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• Aliens of London: He has a very pronounced English accent.
• Ascended Fanboy: He's a huge nerd over galactic royal families, but by far he loves House Tarron. He takes great delight that he is now friends with Aja and Krel and helping them on their mission to return home.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: For all his goofiness, he apparently managed to break out of a heavily guarded military base, with walls wired with bombs among other threats. And then willingly goes back to break out his old friend Buster.
• Extra Eyes: He has four eyes in his true form.
• Meaningful Name: He's from the notably stinky planet Durio 3 and is, therefore, a Durian. Anyone who has been near the Durian fruit knows only too well just how pungent they are.
• Nice Guy: Stuart is an amicable and pleasant alien who is always willing to help out the Royal Family.
• Recurring Extra: For Trollhunters as the owner of the town's most popular Taco truck. He even gets his name-dropped, or at least his store does, in the second episode when Jim and Toby are running from Bular.
• Shipper on Deck: Seems to be this for Steve and Aja.
• Signature Scent: Despite being on Earth for 3+ decades, he comes from the stinkiest planet in the galaxy. Even he knows how bad it smells and has a metaphor about it.

Strickler

See Gumm-Gumms

Nomura

See Gumm-Gumms

Charlemagne

Charlemagne the Devourer

"Family isn't only who you have; it's also who you're with."

Appearances: Wizards (2020) | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Voiced by: BRIAN BLESSED

A dragon Merlin knew and Archie's father.

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• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Archie seldomly visits his father and spreads false rumors of him being a terrifying monster because he prefers it over the real thing.
• Benevolent Monsters: He's built up as this infamous monster that eats any human that wanders into his den. In actuality, he is a sweetheart and a hospitable fellow.
  Douxie: Oh, a "real monster", eh?
  Archie: You think you're the only one with father issues, hmm?
• Catlike Dragons: He’s not as cat-like compared to Archie, but he has a few lion-like characteristics to his design with his build and mane.
• Open-Minded Parent: While it is implied that he was disappointed in Archie becoming a familiar, he has long since gotten over it.
• Pungeon Master: A fact that embarrasses his son to no end.
  Charlemagne: Look what the cat dragged in… get it? "Cat. Drag-in." It's a play on words.
• Scatterbrained Senior: He struggles to read a message in dragon language before remembering that he needs his reading glasses, looking for them for several minutes before remembering that he had them tucked behind his horns.

Luug

See House Tarron

Dadblank & Momblank

See House Tarron

Sir Galahad

Galahad

"Get everyone to safety!"

Appearances: Wizards (2020)

Voiced by: John Rhys-Davies

Another Knight of the Round Table.

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• Age Lift: In Arthurian myths, Galahad is often one of the youngest members of the Round Table (being Lancelot's son). Here he's by far the oldest.
• The Big Guy: The more physical bruiser in Camelot (fitting King Arthur being The Leader and Lancelot The Lancer). Ironically he's the shortest of the bunch.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Loud in personality and fierce in battle.
• Cool Old Guy: He's a jolly Boisterous Bruiser well into his old age.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Galahad crashes his frozen tower into an ice bridge created by The Arcane Order to buy Merlin time. This gambit succeeds in giving Merlin time (and likely saving the world in the process), but it costs him his life.
• In Name Only: Outside of being a Knight of the Round Table, he has zero resemblance to the original figure of Arthurian Legend lacking defining elements of his character such as being Lancelot´s son and achieving the Holy Grail.
• Large Ham: In typical John Rhys Davies fashion Galahad speaks in a very lively manner.
• Really 700 Years Old: He shows up in present-day guarding the Heart of Avalon, making him some 900 years old.
• Unrelated in the Adaptation: In Arthurian Legend, Galahad was Lancelot's bastard son. It is far less likely to be the case here considering Galahad is much older than Lancelot in this version.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Subverted. He shows up in the modern-day and dies shortly thereafter, but when the characters go back in time we see more of him before the point of his chronological death.

Barbara Lake

Barbara Lake

Appearances: Trollhunters | 3Below | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

Voiced by: Amy Landecker

The overworked single parent of Jim Lake.

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• Action Mom: She's the mother of the current Trollhunter and has an Orange Belt in Krav Maga.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: In the book version, it was she that abandoned Jim, not James Sr.
• Ambiguously Trained: She knows Krav Maga, an aggression-based martial art that is commonly practiced by military personnel. Since the only visual instance of one of her relatives - her brother or father - is a photograph of him in an army-green mess dress tuxedo with medals pinned to it, it is likely that she served some form of military service just like he did, or at least worked as a military M.D. at one point in her life.
  Barbara: I have an orange belt in Krav Maga, and I will not hesitate to use it!
• Amnesiac Lover: Due to the spell that broke her curse with Strickler, she forgot about most of the events of Trollmarket and Angor Rot. Season Three reveals that she has been having dreams and faint recollections of that night, expressing them through her paintings, only to remember completely by end beginning of "Parental Guidance."
• Ascended Extra: Never made an appearance in the books, but is a supporting character here.
• Back to School: A photograph in her living room shows her dressed in graduation attire with a younger Jim standing next to her, implying that she graduated from Medical School at some point after her husband left her.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Barbara is a kind woman, but can and will defend her son from any danger.
• Brainy Brunette: Downplayed. Barbara is a doctor but has orange-brown hair.
• Dating Catwoman: Not that she knows he's kinda evil, but she is dating Strickler.
• Forgiveness: At first she's mad at Strickler for nearly getting her and Jim killed; when she loses her memory she's mad at him for leaving without even having the decency to break up in person. After she gets her memory back, however, she's at least willing to work with Strickler when he's switched sides and is protecting Jim. The moment where she forgives him is when she urges him not to free Morgana to save her life, and he expressly says that he can't lose her again. It does help that he has the sense to only do part of the ritual and then escapes with her, and he tries to break down the bathroom door to save Jim from changing into a troll.
• Fiery Redhead: Zigzagged. Barbara has orange-brown hair, and is quite even-tempered, but does have her limits.
• Good Parents: Barbara is an understanding, kind, and protective mother to Jim.
• Hidden Depths: She may be a bad cook, but she is shown to be an exceptional artist as she produces impressive paintings of her memories of the troll world.
• Hospital Hottie: Employed as a doctor and is reasonably attractive.
• Innocent Blue Eyes: Blue eyes she shares with Jim to match her kind, warm nature.
• Interspecies Romance: She (a human) and Strickler (a changeling). Although, she's unaware of his real species.
• Labcoat of Science and Medicine: Often seen wearing a white lab coat and is a doctor.
• Lethal Chef: In contrast to her son, Barbara is a terrible cook, burning or mishandling virtually everything she makes.
  Toby: I had to eat your mom's spaghetti carbonara... more like "cardboard-nara."
• Mama Bear: "Angor Management" has Barbara ready and willing to help her son fight off Angor Rot.
• Morality Pet: Strickler genuinely cares for her.
• The Needs of the Many: When Gunmar tries to use her as leverage to make Strickler free Morgana, she begs Strickler not to, telling him that her life is not worth risking the world. Unfortunately, he cares too much about her.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Barbara flat out refuses to eat her favorite breakfast Jim prepares for her, Jim knows she's genuinely angry with him, and it's implied that she's been refusing to eat his food for a month since the events of "The Battle of Two Bridges", something Toby chides in:
  Toby: [to Jim] You know a woman's beyond angry when she starts dishing out the silent treatment.
• Parental Obliviousness: Was completely in the dark about her son's trollhunting double life. She eventually learns of Jim's activities, but loses her memory of it after her bond with Strickler is broken. Later on, she regains her memories altogether.
• Rejected Apology: Played for Drama. When Strickler returns to her house to apologize for his "absence", she slams the door in his face, but takes note that he actually returned. After regaining her memories, she remembers what Strickler is and what he's done to her and almost killed her son. She's less than enthusiastic about having him in her company, but after he saves her from Gunmar, she forgives and makes amends with him.
• Teacher/Parent Romance: Strickler is a changeling troll that works as a teacher in her son's school and they form a romance later on.
• Took a Level in Badass: She is already a martial arts expert and a no-nonsense doctor, but when you refuse to beg for your life from man-eating trolls, try to take on Merlin with nothing but a broom and do what you can to help innocent people in the Eternal Night then you have definitely grown several levels of badass.

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