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Near Country

Squaredeal

South Family

Shy*

Shy South

POV: Red Country, Sharp Ends

"Maybe it's my Ghost blood but I'm cursed with a contrary temperament. Folk warn me off a thing, I just start thinking on how to go about it. Can't help myself."

A retired outlaw, Shy South has spent her days running her farm and watching over her younger brother and sister. One day she comes home to find her farm burned down and her siblings stolen. Now, if she wants to find the men responsible and save her siblings, she has to go back to her bad old ways. She's aided by her stepfather, a cowardly Northman with nine fingers.

Accidental Murder: When she was seventeen she accidentally killed a boy. The exact circumstances aren't given much detail other than Shy got scared, cut him and he bled out. This was the catalyst for a series of events that caused her to become the outlaw Smoke.
Action Girl: She's capable with a bow and with a blade, and has used them both to fight off Ghosts, outlaws and mercenaries.
Be Careful What You Wish For: She frequently derides her stepfather Lamb for his non-confrontational and cowardly nature. When they go off to rescue Shy's kidnapped siblings, she doubts how much help he'll be only to be horrified at the psychotic, homicidal persona that's been lurking just beneath the surface.
Belligerent Sexual Tension: She and Temple have a classic case, as Lamb lampshades. They spend a lot of their time bickering at each other and arguing over the debt Temple owes her, but after he pays her back they end up hooking up at a party.
Big Sister Instinct: Shy is willing to travel the Near and Far Countries, weather all their dangers, and fight Ghosts, outlaws, mercenaries and Dragon People, all to save her kidnapped siblings and bring them home safely.
Childish Tooth Gap: One of her most distinguishing features is a gap between her front teeth, which she has a habit of spitting through.
Cool Big Sis: She's adored by her younger siblings, Ro and Pit, who she provides for.
Cowgirl: Shy is a medieval fantasy version of one in keeping with the wild west aesthetic of Red Country.
Dark and Troubled Past: She ran away from home at seventeen, accidentally killed a boy, went on the run from his vengeful family, turned to stealing to survive, fell in with some bandits, carved out a bloody reputation as the outlaw Smoke, was betrayed by her fellows for the bounty on her and killed them in self-defense—including her traitorous lover, lost all the money they stole, and then saw an innocent girl hung in her place.
Deadpan Snarker: It's a world of snark and Shy is no exception in the witty banter department. There's a running gag of Temple asking her a dumb question only for Shy to raise his hopes with withering sarcasm.
Death Faked for You: Shy was the outlaw known as "Smoke" up until an innocent girl who didn't even look like her was caught and executed in her place. The guilt of it weighs on Shy heavily.
The Determinator: Once someone tells Shy things have got to be one way, she immediately gets to thinking on how to make it the opposite. She spends months traversing the Near and Far Countries all to bring back her brother and sister, becoming the first person whose family has been taken by the Dragon People to make it to Ashranc.
Disappeared Dad: While it's established her mother died before the events of the novel, no mention is made of her biological father except for a short story in Sharp Ends which describes him as half-Ghost and a drunkard.
Do You Want to Haggle?: Shy's so notorious a haggler that nobody wants to go against her, especially not fellow misers Clay and Majud.
Everyone Can See It: About the only two people in the Fellowship that don't realize Shy and Temple have feelings for each other are Shy and Temple themselves. They hook up halfway through Red Country and, after a temporary split, become a couple by end the novel.
Fiery Redhead: A stubborn, abrasive redhead with a contrary temperament.
Happily Adopted: Lamb is her stepfather, which she's quick to point out if anyone calls him her father, and she can't resist a chance to mock him for being a "coward," but privately she does acknowledge Lamb's been good to her little brother and sister and even herself as much as she's allowed him to. When she decides to help him save Savian, she finally refers to him as her father both internally and externally.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: A familial example when she works with her stepfather Lamb. Shy's not particularly small so much as Lamb is simply huge.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She's abrasive, confrontational and a miser over money but she's also willing to trek across two countries to save her siblings, pull a complete stranger from a river and foot the bill so he's not left stranded in the wild, and risk certain death to repay a man who's saved her in the past.
Miser Advisor: She's introduced lambasting her stepfather's poor haggling and then goes into the general store to show him how it's done. She's so good at haggling that others tend to fear making deals with her.
Missing Mom: Her mother died some time before the events of the novel, and is buried beneath a tree near the family farm.
Morality Chain: She and her siblings serve as this to their stepfather Lamb, who views them as both the only good things he's done in the world and the only things keeping him from becoming the Bloody-Nine again. Unfortunately, when Ro and Pit are abducted, his best bet to bring them home is by becoming the Bloody-Nine again.
Ms. Vice Girl: Shy's ultimately a heroic character, but damn if she doesn't love money and haggle over every single bit.
No Honor Among Thieves: Not Shy herself, but her comrades. After she and her gang rob a bank, her gang turns on her to collect the 4,000 mark bounty on her head. One of the traitors is her former lover, even if he wasn't as enthusiastic about it as the other two.
Non-Indicative Name: In addition to her full-name being a pun, her first name is also a misnomer because "shy" is something she's certainly not. As she puts it herself, "It's a name, not a description."
Off the Wagon: She starts off the book sober, knowing full well how easy it is for a sip of drink to turn into a swallow, to turn into a bottle, to turn into waking up in an alley. After her siblings are taken, she begins drinking again, but in moderation.
One of the Boys: Shy participates in the same work as the men in her Fellowship, hunting and fighting and even just pissing in the bushes instead of being shielded in a circle by the rest of the women.
Red Baron: As an outlaw she gained the moniker "Smoke", supposedly on account of her being able to disappear as quickly as such. Shy herself doesn't really know how the name—or her accompanying fearsome reputation—caught on.
Retired Outlaw: Shy spent two years as the infamous outlaw Smoke. Her efforts ultimately amounted to nothing but several corpses, an empty purse and a heart full of regret. She's been doing her best to provide for her younger siblings ever since and has been looking over her shoulder for years, fearing her past will catch up with her.
The Runaway: She ran away from home when she was seventeen to get away from her mother and her first bastard stepfather. Her initial plan was to open a store, but things went South and she ended up falling into banditry instead.
Scarily Competent Tracker: She's a keen tracker who's able to follow Cantliss's men for days. She chalks her skill up to hunting and be hunted as two sides of the same coin, and since she has two years of experience at the latter, she's become similarly acquainted with the former.
She Cleans Up Nicely: Temple has this reaction upon seeing her in Crease after having new clothes and a bath for the first time in weeks. She has a similar reaction upon seeing him dressed in a fancy new suit.
Sympathetic Criminal: She ran away from home at seventeen, accidentally killed a boy, then when his family came after her she was forced to steal to survive. She ended up falling in with a bad crowd, which led to more robbing and killing, and ended with an innocent girl being hung in her place.
Underestimating Badassery: She spent years thinking of her stepfather Lamb as some kind of coward for his meek, gentle ways. Then her siblings are kidnapped and she finds out exactly what kind of monster Lamb can be when he's properly motivated.
Will They or Won't They?: She has this relationship with Temple throughout Red Country. They end the book as a couple.
You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Her treacherous lover Dodd says this when she has a bow-and-arrow trained on him. They're both equally surprised when she does.
Youthful Freckles: She's still youthful as someone in her twenties—albeit others pick up that the years she's lived have been testing—and has a soft dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

Lamb

See Logen Ninefingers

Ro*

Ro South

POV: Red Country

The younger sister of Shy and older sister of Pit.

Big Sister Instinct: Ro is one of the oldest children Cantliss has abducted, so she takes charge of the group, looking after them in addition to her brother Pit. She keeps them fed and clean and quiet and does her best to shield them from their abductors.
Big Sister Worship: Ro starts off loving and respecting her older sister Shy, telling both Cantliss and Waerdinur that she'll be coming after her and Pit, no matter what. Unfortunately, Ro's feelings towards her sister become much more complicated after Stockholm Syndrome sets in.
Damsel in Distress: She and her brother Pit are kidnapped at the start of Red Country, causing their big sister Shy and stepfather Lamb to go on a journey to rescue them.
Harmful to Minors: She's ten-years-old and is abducted, witness to the death of her friend and other children, is nearly raped, sold to Dragon People, develops Stockholm Syndrome, then watches firsthand as her new "family" is massacred by mercenaries and her formerly beloved stepfather Lamb nearly murders her in a berserker fury. While she eventually starts to resemble her old self, she's still troubled enough to wish death on Lamb when it looks like a mysterious stranger may kill him.
I Have No Son!: After she tells Shy she hates her in the language of the Dragon People and Temple responds in the same language to defend her, Ro tells him to tell Shy that she has no sister. By the end of the novel she seems to slowly start to forgive Shy.
Important Haircut: She asked Waerdinur to shave her head so that she can officially be inducted into the Dragon People. After the Dragon People are attacked, her "father" Waerdinur dies, and Shy takes her home, Ro nearly shaves her head to continue identifying as one of the Dragon People, only to realize she's already forgetting Waerdinur's face and the lessons imparted to her, prompting her to let her hair grow back.
Offing the Offspring: Her stepfather Lamb, in the throes of his Bloody-Nine persona, nearly kills her after she attacks him to save her "adoptive" father Waerdinur. She only survives because Waerdinur takes the blow meant for her and others arrive in time to restrain Lamb.
Stockholm Syndrome: Ro is sold to the Dragon People and raised as Waerdinur's daughter, something she gradually comes to believe over the course of several months. Ro actually attacks her stepfather Lamb when he's about to kill Waerdinur and after being rescued, she tries and fails to run away from her family to go back the Dragon People. It takes much more time for her to accept Shy as her sister again.
Unwanted Rescue: Shy spends months crossing the Near and Far Countries and facing all manner of danger to rescue Ro and Pit from the Dragon People, but by the time she finds her again, Ro has been indoctrinated by the Dragon People and tries to kill her stepfather Lamb to protect her "real father" Waerdinur.

Pit

Pit South

The younger brother of Shy and Ro.

Children Are Innocent: Pit's youth makes it easy for him to both accept Waerdinur as his new father after his abduction, and remember Lamb and Shy as his real family after they rescue him. This contrasts with his older sister Ro, who isn't able to immediately accept either Waerdinur as her new family or Shy as her old until much more time has passed.
Distressed Dude: He and his sister Ro are abducted by Cantliss at the beginning of Red Country and remain in peril for most of the book.
Stockholm Syndrome: He's sold to the Dragon People and raised as Waerdinur's son, something he comes to believe over the course of months due to his young age and isolation from his family. Luckily, his youth also means he's quicker to recover from it when Shy and Lamb rescue him.

Others

Temple*

Temple

POV: Red Country, Sharp Ends

"The trouble with running is wherever you run to, there you are."

An ex-priest turned lawyer working for the Company of the Gracious Hand under Nicomo Cosca. After his mercenary employer commits one atrocity too many, Temple deserts and ends up joining the same Fellowship as Shy South and Lamb. Temple is both a moral person and a coward who feels conflicted between doing the right thing and the easy thing.

Alcoholic Dad: He became one for a long time after his wife and daughter died, describing himself as the most miserable drunk you could imagine. By the time of Red Country he's been ten years sober.
Amoral Attorney: Subverted. He is introduced as a financial wheeler-dealer, but is quickly unsettled when Cosca takes on an unethical job from the Inquisition, and is actually one of the most moral members of Cosca's company, even if he's too cowardly to act on his ethics. The novel ends with him opening "Temple and Kahdia: Contracts, Clerking and Carpentry".
Belligerent Sexual Tension: Temple and Shy have what Lamb calls a "classic case" with all their bickering and arguing over the debt Temple owes her. After Temple pays Shy back, they hook up at a party.
City Slicker: Temple comes from Dagoska and has no idea how to survive in the wild.
Classical Anti-Hero: Temple is one, being a humorously unlucky coward.
The Conscience: Cosca claims that Temple serves as his conscience in the Company, being the one man who tries to convince him to take moral actions. In reality their relationship is the inverse with Cosca always ignoring Temple's moral suggestions and serving as a corrupting influence on Temple himself.
Dark and Troubled Past: Not only did Temple's mentor die by sacrificing himself to Eaters to protect the lives of Temple and his followers, but his daughter died and his wife not long after, causing Temple to fall into a spiral of drunken depression which ended with Cosca recruiting him into the Company of the Gracious Hand as their lawyer.
Defector from Decadence: Temple knows that the Company of the Gracious Hand is a band of mass-murdering marauders but he reluctantly accompanies them because of the protection they offer. He can't stop his conscience from pricking at him and his breaking point comes when the company attacks the town of Averstock. Not only does it cause a bloodbath that costs his friend Sufeen his life, but it's completely unnecessary as Temple and Sufeen had just convinced the rebels in the town to surrender peacefully.
Despair Event Horizon: Already reeling from the death of his daughter, after his wife died too, Temple became an alcoholic and fell in with the Company of the Gracious Hand, becoming party to their crimes and slowly disillusioning himself of any potential righteous reasons for their actions.
Drowning My Sorrows: He became an alcoholic after the deaths of his wife and child. He was sober for ten years but then begins drinking heavily again after he ruins his relationship with Shy by abandoning her to Cantliss so he could save his own life.
Everyone Can See It: The only people in the Fellowship who don't realize that Temple and Shy have feelings for each other are Temple and Shy themselves. They finally hook up at a reunion party for their Fellowship in Crease.
Everyone Has Standards: Temple works for a ruthless mercenary company but objects to Cosca taking the job of brutalizing the Near Country, since it goes from warfare to mass murder, where women and children would be terrorized all to force the country to be annexed by the Union.
Evil Is Easy: When confronted with doing the easy thing or the hard thing, Temple has a bad habit of taking the easy way, even if the easy thing and the wrong thing have a knack for walking so comfortably together. Much of his character development comes from finally becoming committed to doing the right thing despite the sacrifices it requires.
Face Death with Dignity: When he offers his own life to Cosca, he's as scared as he's ever been, but he maintains his composure as he awaits the inevitable. Luckily he's saved at the last minute.
He Cleans Up Nicely: Shy has this reaction upon seeing him cleaned up and in a suit for a party. Earlier, Temple had a similar reaction to seeing Shy in new clothes and freshly bathed after arriving in Crease.
Heroic Sacrifice: The climax of Red Country involves Cosca taking the Buckhorm children hostage and threatening to kill them if Temple doesn't return his stolen money. With the money already gone, Temple instead offers his life in exchange for the children, the same way his mentor Haddish Kahdia sacrificed his life to the Eaters so his people would be spared. Luckily, Cosca's biographer betrays and kills him before he can kill Temple.
I Owe You My Life: He works for Cosca initially because he feels indebted to him for rescuing him from prison. Eventually Cosca's actions become too heinous for Temple to stomach and he abandons his mercenary company, nearly drowns in a river, and then becomes indebted—literally—to Shy South who rescues him and pays his way into a Fellowship rather than leave him stranded in the wild.
Jack of All Trades: Temple has dabbled in many professions and gained a variety of skills. He's been a priest, surgeon, butcher, carpenter, architect, and lawyer.
Lazy Bum: Of the both the physical labor inclined laziness and moral laziness. Temple is used to taking the easy way in all situations and his character development is growing out of it to make the necessary sacrifices to do the right thing.
Lovable Coward: Temple is a good man at heart, but is also a self-admitted coward who'd rather run than risk his life. He works as the attorney for a group of marauding mercenaries but only for the security it provides, and eventually deserts them for moral reasons. His lowest point comes when he abandons his lover Shy—who he just said he'd always stick by—so he can save his own life, and his character development is completed when Temple offers to sacrifice his life to save the lives of innocents the same way his mentor did for him and his fellows.
My Greatest Failure: Temple's mentor, Kahdia, willingly sacrificed himself to Eaters so that they would spare his people. Over a decade later, Temple still feels guilt over not stepping forward to offer his life as well. Eventually, when children are held hostage by the mercenary he robbed, Temple emulates his mentor and offers up his life so the children will be spared. Luckily, both he and the kids survive.
Non-Action Guy: Temple's good at a surprising number of things, but fighting isn't one of them.
Number Two: He's Cosca's right-hand man in the Company of the Gracious Hand and one of the few people Cosca seems to genuinely view as a friend. He eventually reveals he wants Temple to succeed him as the Captain General of the company after his retirement, a prospect that thoroughly sickens Temple.
Off the Wagon: He's been ten years sober but falls off the wagon during a party at Crease where he and Shy finally hookup. It's only depicted as a bad thing after he turns to heavy drinking in the wake of his cowardice costing him his relationship with Shy.
Outliving One's Offspring: He had a daughter who died in infancy. It was a long time ago but he confides in Shy that sometimes it doesn't feel that long at all.
Preacher Man: As a youth he studied as a priest under Haddish Kahdia and he can still lead a sermon if properly incentivized, but his own faith in God has been shaken ever since the siege of Dagoska and, later, the deaths of his wife and child. At various points he alternates between thinking of God as a forgiving and loving figure to being vengeful, cruel, neglectful or simply non-existent.
Renaissance Man: No one ever brings it up, but he's remarkably successful in the various gigs he gets throughout the book. Good priest, beguiling lawyer, expert architect and fluent in six languages.
Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: He abandons the Company of the Gracious Hand after they cause the death of his friend Sufeen during their attack on Averstock, in spite of the fact that Cosca promised them an hour to negotiate for any rebels to surrender.
Son of a Whore: His response to being insulted as a son of a whore is a calm, "My mother was never ashamed of her profession—why should I be?"
The Teetotaler: After a large stint as an alcoholic, Temple has been ten-years sober. He starts hitting the bottle heavily after it looks like his relationship with Shy is irreparable, but recovers by the end of the novel, where he drinks in moderation.
Token Good Teammate: The Company of the Gracious Hand is a mercenary band full of the worst scum of the earth, and Temple is one of the only members who argues against taking certain assignments on moral grounds. The one person better than him in the company is his friend Sufeen, who acts as Temple's conscience and dies trying to save a town from being sacked by their company. His death is what motivates Temple to finally split from the group.
Will They or Won't They?: He and Shy have this dynamic. By the end of Red Country, they're a couple.
Work Off the Debt: Shy buys his way into the Fellowship headed to Crease so Temple won’t be left stranded in the wilderness, but she fully intends to make him pay her back for every bit by doing odd jobs and riding drag. It's a Running Gag for her to call out how much left he owes her each day she sees him.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Both his mentor Haddish Kahdia and his friend Sufeen know that Temple is a good person despite his insistence to the contrary and constantly challenge him to live up to his potential.
Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Cosca's remarks that Temple reminds him a lot of himself when he was younger fills Temple with utter disgust, especially when Cosca says he wants Temple to succeed him as Captain General of the Company of the Gracious Hand.

Leef

A teenager whose farm was raided by Cantliss, with his parents being murdered and younger brother taken. He travels alongside Shy and Lamb to follow after Cantliss.

Big Brother Instinct: He's willing to travel all the way across Near and Far Country to track down Cantliss and rescue his brother. Unlike Shy he's much less skilled and able to handle the situation.
Serendipitous Survival: He's out hunting when his home is raided so he survives when the rest of his family is killed.
Surprisingly Sudden Death: Attacked and fatally wounded by Ghosts off screen. His death is sudden and random, while also being completely unconnected to his character arc.
Tagalong Kid: Downplayed Trope. While he's older than most examples at sixteen, he still fits the trope by being younger and less experienced than anyone else in the group.

Far Country

Crease

The Mayor

See Carlot dan Eider

Papa Ring

"I got no graces but I got my word. That's what everything stands on, on my side of the street. Folk are loyal to me 'cause I'm loyal to them. Break that, I got nothing. Break that, I am nothing."

A saloon owner and gangster in the town of Crease. He and the Mayor are embroiled in a bitter rivalry for control of the town, and are getting ready to settle their feud once and for all.

Affably Evil: For a gangster who claims to have no graces, he's surprisingly gracious in dealings with others, even if they're his enemies.
Affluent Ascetic: Unlike the Mayor's lavishly furnished quarters, Papa Ring adorns his with improvised, splinter-filled furniture in a modest room. It's said he's the kind of man who likes spending money less the more he has.
Arc Villain: He's the main antagonist for Part III, Crease of Red Country.
Even Evil Has Standards: When Papa Ring gives his word, he means it, even when it's not in his self-interest to do so. He's also genuinely disgusted when he finds out his man Cantliss repaid his debt to him by abducting and selling children.
Evil Virtues: He may be a criminal, but Papa Ring always keeps his word, never betrays his employees even when it's more prudent to do so, and is disgusted by the idea of harming children.
Face Death with Dignity: He's understandably nervous at his execution, but he maintains his composure long enough to deliver some final words. He's cut short by the Mayor who has him hanged mid-speech.
Fat Bastard: He's an overweight crime lord, albeit an affable one.
Honor Before Reason: Papa Ring keeps his word even when it's in his best interest to do otherwise. He wants Lamb to refuse to fight for the Mayor but won't give up his man Cantliss in exchange. Even though Ring hates Cantliss, he wont't give up one of his own just on the word of two strangers claiming he abducted their kids. He also plans on adhering to the outcome of the fight he and the Mayor arranged, and doesn't prepare at all for the Mayor launching a preemptive strike.
I Gave My Word: The one thing that Papa Ring prides himself on above all else is that once he's given his word, he keeps it. He thinks about dishing out all kinds of tortures to the Mayor after he wins their competition, but admits to himself they're just fantasies and instead plans on letting her go as he promised.
I Own This Town: More accurately, Papa Ring owns half of the town of Crease, while his rival, the Mayor, owns the other half. The two have been fighting for a long time for total control, and they plan on resolving their feud by staking everything on a fight between two champions.
Pragmatic Villainy: He'd prefer the Mayor leave quietly rather than have their conflict escalate into all-out war. It's not that he's averse to bloodshed, but too much is bad for business.
Public Execution: After the Mayor launches a preemptive strike against Ring's side of the town, she has him and his top men captured and hanged.
The Rival: He and the Mayor are the two most powerful people in Crease and the two of them have been trying to wrest control of the town from the other for eight years, doing everything short of outright war. Papa Ring wants to bring the town into the Union while the Mayor wants to join the Old Empire and they plan on settling their dispute through mining law, aka, a fight between two champions.
Saloon Owner: He is one though his headquarters is officially a general store.
Self-Made Man: He claims he came to Crease with nothing but built himself up into one of the most powerful people in town.
Would Not Hurt A Child: When Lamb tells Ring that one of his men had abducted Lamb's children, Ring says that he'd never take any part in stealing kids, and after finding out Cantliss did indeed do what they accused him of, Ring is disgusted by him.

Cantliss

Grega Cantliss

An outlaw in the employ of Papa Ring who's responsible for a rash of child abductions across the Near Country, among them Shy's brother and sister.

Abusive Parents: According to his girlfriend Bee, Cantliss's parents beat him and abandoned him as a child. She tries to use it as an excuse for his horrible behavior but whether it's true or not, even the ten-year-old Ro knows that being hurt in the past should make you slower to hurt others than quicker.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: The only reason Shy spares his life is because she needs him to show her the way to Ashranc, where he sold her siblings to the Dragon People.
The Dandy: He's a vain man who likes to wear fancy tailored clothes as a way to stand out from the brutish thugs he surrounds himself with.
Death by Woman Scorned: A non-fatal example. Bee, Cantliss's constantly abused lover, can't bring herself to kill him, but she does cut Shy free of her bonds so that Shy can do the job instead. Cantliss only survives because Shy needs him alive to show her where he took her siblings.
Dirty Coward: Cantliss is a sniveling coward content with hurting people who can't fight back, like unsuspecting families, children and hostages, but he begs for his life when at someone else's mercy.
Disc-One Final Boss: He's the man who sets off the plot by abducting Shy's siblings, murdering her friend and burning down her farm, but it turns out he was hired by Waerdinur to procure children for the Dragon People.
Domestic Abuser: Cantliss frequently insults and beats his girlfriend Bee, who keeps making excuses for his horrible behavior and tries to convince herself that he loves her. After he returns from selling the abducted children to the Dragon People, Bee finally recognizes him for the monster that he is and frees his enemy, Shy, in the hopes that she'll kill him.
The Dragon: Cantliss is Papa Ring's top enforcer in Crease, even if Ring himself loathes him and is just waiting for the chance to hire a better class of thug.
Eviler than Thou: Cantliss is a child-trafficker and outlaw but he's also established as a pathetic, cowardly manchild. It comes as no surprise when Nicomo Cosca, a ruthless, greedy mercenary, hangs Cantliss after he asks for a share of the treasure he led Cosca to.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: His abused girlfriend Bee, tries to make excuses for his abominable behavior by saying that Cantliss was beaten as a child and abandoned by his parents. Given that she's saying this to a group of children that Cantliss himself has kidnapped and is selling to pay off a gambling debt, it falls well short of justifying his loathsome actions. Ro, a ten-year-old girl, only thinks that being hurt as a child should've made him slower to hurt others rather than quicker.
Hate Sink: Even with Red Country being relatively "lighter" in tone compared to the rest of The First Law series, there are still plenty of characters willing to commit horrific acts of violence in the name of self-interest or simple bloodlust. Cantliss differs in that he doesn't have the tragic elements of Lamb or Cosca, the virtues of the Mayor or Papa Ring, the well-intentions of Waerdinur or even the fanatical zeal of Inquisitor Lorsen. Cantliss is just a sociopath who embodies the utter banality of evil as a sullen, self-pitying manchild who acts like life is unfair to him and him alone. He's incapable of empathy, abuses his girlfriend, and is willing to stoop to murdering families, stealing their children and selling them off to a fate he (wrongly) assumes is horrific just to pay off a gambling debt.
Hated by All: Not one person in the story actually likes him. Papa Ring is digusted with how Cantliss got the money to pay off his debts, Cantliss' girlfirend Bee intial thinks he has a good side, but eventually turns on him once she realizes that he doesn't have one. Even Cosca, who's at his lowest in the book, has Cantliss executed for his actions.
It's All About Me: Cantliss doesn't care about anyone other than himself. Best illustrated on the nights where he drinks and complains about how life isn't fair and how a banker cheated him out of an inheritance and how things never go his way. He says all of this to a group of children whose families he's murdered and whom he intends to sell.
Kick the Dog: Abuses Bee, who is loyal and forgiving to him, for no real reason. This has consequences.
Jerkass: He's an out-and-out piece of crap who bullies those that are powerless against him.
Lack of Empathy: He murders families, sells children, abuses his girlfriend, and feels absolutely nothing for his victims.
Manchild: Cantliss is a grown man with the temperament of a sullen child who thinks the world isn't fair to him and him alone. He actually comes across as far more immature than the literal children he's abducting.
Never My Fault: Always blames the world around him for his problems, and always thinks that everyone isn't willing to give him a fair shake. He is also willing to kidnap and traffic children to what he thinks is a horrible fate, and yet never seems to consider how people might not want to associate with someone who does that.
Offscreen Villainy: One prospector returning from the Far Country relates a rumor that Cantliss robbed, flayed, murdered, and "interfered with the bodies" of a thirty-man Fellowship. Whether it's true or not is never confirmed.
Only in It for the Money: The reason he's been kidnapping children is to sell them off to pay off his gambling debts. He later helps mercenaries raid Ashranc and seize the Dragon People's fortune out of self-preservation and a share of the gold.
Outlaw: He's an infamous outlaw in the Far Country who's working for the gangster Papa Ring.
Paper Tiger: As a powerful enforcer for Papa Ring, Cantliss is feared as one of the most black-hearted bastards in the Far Country. However, while he's regarded as The Dreaded in Crease, Cantliss is ultimately minimal as a physical threat and easily overpowered by both the heroes and the other villains.
Pragmatic Villainy: When one of his men tries to rape the ten-year-old Ro, he has the man executed, not out of moral disgust, but because he doesn’t want anyone to cost him money by "damaging the merchandise." Once the children are delivered, he doesn't care what happens to them at all, even saying that the Dragon people mght sexually abuse the children completely blase.
Small Name, Big Ego: Cantliss likes thinking he's an important man, but really he's just a low man who surrounds himself with even lower men to make himself look better by comparison.
Trapped by Gambling Debts: The reason Cantliss was in debt to Papa Ring in the first place is because he placed money he didn't have on a gamble he couldn't win. Papa Ring gave him until winter to pay him back or he'd kill him, and Cantliss came up with his plan to sell children to the Dragon People as a result.
Villains Want Mercy: When Shy and Savian have him at their mercy after Cantliss has kidnapped Shy's siblings, murdered Shy's friend and tried to kill Shy himself, he resorts to groveling for his life. The only reason he's spared is because he has information Shy needs. Plus, she can always kill him later.
Would Hurt a Child: He kidnaps children to sell them and has his thug Blackpoint kill one for running away. He also has no idea what the Dragon People plan to do with the children once he's delivered them and expresses amusement at the idea they could be raped or cannibalized by them. This actually makes him far worse than the Dragon People, who have absolutely no intention of harming the children but just want to raise them as their own because their home in Ashranc has rendered them unable to have children.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After Cosca successfully used Cantliss to find the Dragon People, raid their home and steal their fortune, Cantliss demands his share. Cosca "rewards him" by having him hanged.

Bee

Grega Cantliss' girlfriend whom he constantly abuses. She makes excuses for his actions, beliving that there is some good in him.

The Dog Bites Back: After Cantliss abuses her one too many times it finally clicks for Bee just what sort of person he is, and she pulls a knife. When she ultimately can make herself attack him, she opts to free Shy and giver her the knife, as Bee recognizes that while she can't hurt Cantliss, someone needs to.
Everyone Has Standards: She does participate in the trafficking of children she tries to comfort and care for them, not fully realizing just what sort of fate could await them. Once she gets an admission from Cantliss that he had no good intentions for their children, that, along with yet more abuse from him, gets her to turn on him in disgust.
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: She gets strung along by Cantliss with a couple moments of kindness he shows her, but once she realizes how much those moments are outweighed by abusive ones, she no longer wants anything to do with him, and would by quite happy to see misfortune befall him.
Woman Scorned: A downplayed and quite sympathetic example, given that its Grega Cantliss she's getting revenge on, and after a slew of cruel abuse. She notably is unable to personally attack Cantliss, but she is willing to enable someone else to.

Ashranc

Waerdinur

"I have sworn to protect this sacred ground and the people upon it with my last blood and breath and only death will stop me."

The leader of the Dragon People and 39th Right Hand of the Maker. Waerdinur and his fellows worship Kanedias, the Maker, and have preserved his works for generations.

Affably Evil: He commissioned Cantliss's child abductions so he and his people could raise the children as their own. He shows remorse over the bad things he's done, is blatantly disgusted by the evil actions of his mercenaries, and only shows politeness and respect towards the heroes. Even the children he abducted, he loves as his own, to the point where he sacrifices himself to save one from Logen after he's been overtaken by his Bloody-Nine persona.
Alas, Poor Villain: While Logen is in the middle of one of his Bloody-Nine episodes, Waerdinur sacrifices himself by taking a mortal wound meant for his "daughter" Ro. Before Cosca finishes the job, Waerdinur manages to survive just long enough to know many of his people have been killed and their greatest work will be left forever incomplete. His final words are a sad admission that he just tried to do what he thought was right.
All for Nothing: He lives long enough to see that all of his efforts to keep his people alive and continue the Maker's work only resulted in Ashranc being sacked, their relics and creations destroyed, their treasure stolen, and his people closer to dying out than ever before.
Apologetic Attacker: When he meets Shy and Lamb face-to-face and finds out who they are and why they've come, he's genuinely remorseful that they've come all that way to retrieve Ro and Pit, but he still refuses to let his charges go, and apologizes for the violence that will come next.
Big Bad: For the events of Red Country, as the one who hired Grega Cantliss to provide children to be the next generation of Dragon People. Then it turns out the real evil the heroes need to vanquish is Nicomo Cosca.
Cain and Abel: Though they aren't shown interacting face-to-face, he and Crying Rock have an antagonistic relationship and still consider each other "brother" and "sister" even though they aren't blood siblings.
Church Militant: He and the rest of the Dragon People worship Kanedias with a religious devotion and they're willing to kill to keep the Maker's works safe.
Cool Old Guy: He's considered a good leader by the rest of the Dragon People, loves Ro and Pit as if they were his own children, and shows respect and affability to Shy for her tenaciousness in crossing the Near and Far Countries to save her siblings.
Disc-One Final Boss: He was the one who set the story in motion by hiring Cantliss to abduct children for the Dragon People, but Red Country continues after his defeat, leaving Nicomo Cosca as the main antagonistic force for the remainder of the book.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He's not exactly evil when compared to other antagonists in the series, but he is willing to go to some pretty extreme measures to protect his people. However, Waerdinur loves his adopted children Ro and Pit, even after only knowing them for only a few months, and when he says he will protect them, and all his people, until his last breath, he means it.
Everyone Has Standards: He murders Blackpoint, one of Cantliss's mercenaries, when he finds out the man murdered one of the children he was ordered to deliver. He's also disgusted by people like Blackpoint—who only get fulfillment from hurting others—and Cantliss—who only cares about money.
Evil Old Folks: He's more a morally gray extremist than he is evil, but he has done some pretty terrible things to maintain the Maker's works.
Eviler than Thou: He's on the receiving end of this at the hands of Nicomo Cosca. Waerdinur is a well-intentioned extremist trying to protect his people and the works of the Maker, while Cosca is a mercenary concerned only with money who sacks Waerdinur's city and has him killed to steal his fortune.
Friendly Enemy: Towards Shy, whom he holds no malice towards and even admires her for coming all the way across the Near and Far Countries to retrieve Ro and Pit. However, as he considers the younger South siblings his adopted children now, he won't give them up without a fight.
The Leader: He's the leader of the Dragon People during the events of Red Country.
Papa Wolf: Even though Ro and Pit are his "adopted" (i.e. kidnapped) children, he loves them and views them as his own. He also wasn't lying when he swore an oath to defend them with his last blood and breath, as he fights the Bloody-Nine himself to protect them and sacrifices his life to save Ro.
Parental Substitute: He tells Ro and Pit that he's their new "father," having hired Cantliss to abduct them and other children so the Dragon People could raise them to continue their culture. He fully considers them his children too, loving them and raising them as his own, and is willing to die to keep them safe.
Stockholm Syndrome: Waerdinur hired Cantliss to provide children for the Dragon People to raise, and "adopts" Ro and Pit. Despite the trauma they've endured because of his actions, due to their youth, their months of isolation with the Dragon People, and Waerdinur's kind and loving nature in contrast to Cantliss's cruelty, Ro and Pit do come to fully embrace Waerdinur as their "father." Waerdinur himself, as well as his fellows, would also fall into this as the Dragon People are sterile and can only continue their culture by abducting children and raising them as their next generation.
Taking the Bullet: When Logen, overtaken by his Bloody-Nine persona, is about to murder Ro, Waerdinur takes the attack himself, saving her life at the cost of his own.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: All Waerdinur wants is to protect his people and to preserve the works of Kanedias the Maker, and he's willing to do many terrible things to achieve his goals. Not only does he hire Cantliss to abduct children for the Dragon People to indoctrinate into their beliefs, Waerdinur has a town of two hundred prospectors massacred to deter people from coming near the Dragon People's land, and his ultimate goal is to finish work on the mechanical Dragon created by Kanedias, which they believe will awaken and drive all outsiders from the mountains to remake the world as it was.
Would Hurt a Child: He'd rather adopt children into the Dragon People than kill them, but that doesn't stop him and his people from sometimes killing children that are too old to assimilate. After the Beacon massacre, a thirteen-year-old girl was killed for this reason, even though Uto, another of the Dragon People, offered to adopt her.
You Shall Not Pass!: When the Company of the Gracious Hand attacks Ashranc, Waerdinur holds off the attackers on a narrow archway so his fellow Dragon People can escape. He dispatches the mercenaries relatively easily, but Lamb is a more difficult foe.

Ghosts

In General

The Ghosts, or The Folk as they call themselves, are the native people of Near and Far Country who have either integrated with the new settlers, or still live in their tribes, coming into conflict with the settlers.

Dying Race: They are clearly on their way out, with it being noted that their animal herds are significantly smaller than they used to be, and what is left of them being hit by disease. One of their own members considered their eventual disappearance to be inevitable.
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: A fairly obvious stand in for Native Americans, being the original peoples living in the setting who have hostile relations with the new peoples, but visually they have similarities with Celts.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Were once the dominant people of Near and Far Country, but by the time of the story their most prominent leader has been reduced to raiding passing caravans to get by.

Sangeed

"I fear not for myself. I had my time. I fear for you and the young ones, who must walk after me, and will see the end of things."

The 'Emperor of the Plains', the Ghosts most dreaded war leader. By the time of the story he is very old and past his prime.

Arc Villain: His war bands are the primary threat of Part II, Fellowship of Red Country.
Anti-Villain: He does have caravans raided, but its mostly to to get supplies to support his tribe, who are in dire straits.
Bling of War: Clearly attempts this, wearing a necklace full of ears he gathered in battle, as well as a fancy breastplate with a feather cloak, but his age and worn down nature of the breastplate makes him more pitiable than impressive.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Lamb slashes Sangeed's throat, leaving him to bleed while Lamb kills all but one of Sangeed's men. Sangeed attempts to get up and fight back, but Lamb forces Sangeed down and hacks his head off in multiple blows. One of Sangeed's cheeks is split open from where one of Lamb's blow went wide.
Decapitation Presentation: Lamb tosses Sangeed's severed head onto Locway's lap.
The Dreaded: His name is known for prowess throughout the settler towns, and even in the Union proper. While he may have lived up to the legends in his youth, that man is clearly long gone from age.
Off with His Head!: Lamb rather brutally kills Sangeed this way.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He tries to take care of his tribe, and is willing to make peace with caravans he attacks. Unfortunately for him, Lamb had other ideas.

Locway

A young warrior under Sangeed. He tries to act fiercer than he is, to hide his fears, particularly about his future.

Papa Wolf: Has a newborn son whose future he worries deeply about.
Sole Survivor: Savian restrains him while Lamb kills the rest of the Ghost negotiation party, and then threatens him so he goes back to the other Ghosts and tells them to not mess with the Fellowship.

Travelers

Dab Sweet

"From what I've heard I should be half a mile high. Folk like to talk. And when they do, ain't really up to me what size I grow to, is it?"

An old frontiersman who's been all over the Near and Far Countries and whose exploits have become legendary. He and his partner Crying Rock have been hired as guides by Abram Majud to lead a Fellowship to Crease.

The Atoner: Sweet's efforts to covertly rob the Fellowship inadvertently result in the deaths of several people, including the teenage Leef and two children. Sweet ends up agreeing to help Shy save Lamb and Savian after Crying Rock suggests it might be a way to make things right for those that died on the plains.
Cool Old Guy: He's a friendly old pioneer who's been all over the Near and Far Countries and has stories to tell of his exploits, some of them even true.
Dare to Be Badass: When Shy asks for Sweet's help to rescue Lamb and Savian from hundreds of mercenaries, Sweet goes on a speech about how he's just an old man nothing like the legends. Shy shuts him up partway through, saying the truth doesn't matter because she needs him to be the man from the stories who killed a red bear with his bare hands. That and some additional words from Crying Rock motivates Sweet to help.
Expecting Someone Taller: Shy's reaction upon meeting him in the flesh. His response is that with all the stories people throw around about him, he should be a mile high.
Fake Ultimate Hero: Sweet doesn't try to actively cultivate the image of himself as the ultimate badass, but the stories of his exploits get so exaggerated by others that by the time they get back to him they're stories of a man he's never met, succeeding at things he's never dreamed of accomplishing.
Famed In-Story: Tales of Dab Sweet are known all throughout the Near and Far Countries. While some have a basis in truth, many are so distorted that Sweet himself is uncomfortable hearing how little they have in common with reality.
Feeling Their Age: Sweet is in his fifties and wistfully recalls a time all the aches and pains of age didn't bother him.
Implied Love Interest/Platonic Life-Partners: It's hard to know the exact nature of Dab Sweet and Crying Rock's relationship. They're always seen together, but they never display any overt romantic feelings. When asked by Shy about their relationship, Crying Rock delivers a deadpan "He's my wife," with Sweet agreeing that it does feel that way at times. Later on, after Crying Rock convinces Sweet to help Shy save Lamb and Savian, Sweet asks her how she's still beautiful after all these years, with Crying Rock only shrugging in response as if it's a matter of fact.
Let's Get Dangerous!: Sweet may doubt his own prowess when compared to the stories of his exploits, but after Shy's Dare to Be Badass speech, he proves he can be just as heroic as the stories say, sneaking into the base of the Company of the Gracious Hand and stampeding their horses as a distraction.
Living Legend: Dab Sweet is famous for exploits such as killing a red bear with no more than his two hands. In truth, the bear was old and slow and not that big, and he killed it with a spear. He's not especially happy that the stories of his life are taken by others and distorted. At one point him simply reporting the death of the Ghost Chief Sangeed is enough for people to give Sweet the credit for killing him.
Mountain Man: Sweet loves the outdoors, wears a massive fur coat, is a legendary frontiersman, and works as a scout and a guide for Fellowships going to and from the Far Country.
My God, What Have I Done?: He made a deal with Sangeed's Ghosts to rob the Fellowship he was leading and split the money fifty-fifty. The one condition was no one was supposed to die. Instead the Ghosts attack and kill Leef, as well as several others, including two children. No one in the Fellowship knows about Sweet's role in it, but his guilt motivates him to help Shy save Lamb and Savian from the Inquisition.
The Pioneer: Sweet has been travelling all over the Far Country since there was nothing there but wild spaces, beasts and Ghosts. Reportedly he's the first "civilized" man to lay eyes on the Black Mountains.
Wanting Is Better Than Having: Sweet reflects on how he spent most of his life expecting things to always be better over the horizon. The grass greener, sky bluer, water clearer, and it's only now that he's old that he realizes he looked so hard to the promise of the future that he neglected the beauty of the past.

Crying Rock

An elderly Ghost of little words who's been a lifelong partner to Dab Sweet.

Best Served Cold: She's spent half her life waiting to get revenge on the Dragon People for abducting her as a child and she finally gets her chance when the Company of the Gracious Hand raids Ashranc.
Cain and Abel: Though they never interact face-to-face, she has an antagonistic relationship with Waerdinur. They're not blood relatives but they still consider each other "brother" and "sister" and Crying Rock has been waiting for years to get revenge on the Dragon People.
The Exile: She was abducted by the Dragon People as a girl but was too old to assimilate to their culture. She just kept growing angrier to the point they exiled her from Ashranc.
Implied Love Interest/Platonic Life-Partners: It's hard to know the exact nature of Crying Rock and Dab Sweet's relationship. They're always seen together, but they never display any overt romantic feelings. When asked by Shy about their relationship, Crying Rock delivers a deadpan "He's my wife," with Sweet agreeing that it does feel that way at times. Later on, after Crying Rock convinces Sweet to help Shy save Lamb and Savian, Sweet asks her how she's still beautiful after all these years, with Crying Rock only shrugging in response as if it's a matter of fact.
Never Mess with Granny: She's an old woman who's still able to fight off bands of attackers and cave in skulls with her club.
Oral Fixation: She's always seen chewing on an unlit chagga pipe.
The Quiet One: Crying Rock doesn't talk much, aside from some occasional snark. If she ever does answer a question, don't expect an elaborate answer.
The Stoic: Crying Rock masks her exact thoughts and feelings behind a silent and stony demeanor. Only Sweet's known her long enough to read the nuances in her expressions, like her disappointment in him when he makes a deal with the Ghosts to rob their Fellowship.
Terse Talker: Whenever she does talk, she's not prone to elaboration.
Vengeance Feels Empty: She spent half her life wanting to get revenge on the Dragon People for taking her as a child, but after she helps sack Ashranc, she admits it doesn't feel as fine as she thought it would.
Wearing a Flag on Your Head: She binds her hair up in an old flag. It seems much more of a stylistic choice than any sign of patriotism.

Corlin

A woman travelling with her uncle to the Far Country, supposedly as prospectors.

Actually, That's My Assistant: Cosca and Inquisitor Lorsen arrest her uncle Savian, believing him to be the rebel leader Conthus. After reuniting with Shy and Temple, Corlin offhandedly reveals that she's Conthus, not him.
Big Damn Heroes: Just as a mercenary is about to kill Temple and Shy, Corlin and her people show up in the nick of time to save them by riddling him with flawbow bolts.
Everyone Has Standards: She's expresses contempt for Temple's cowardice after he dove out of a window naked rather than help Shy fight the outlaw Cantliss.
Hero of Another Story: While Red Country is focused on Shy's efforts to save her abducted brother and sister, Corlin turns out to secretly be the rebel leader Conthus, who's been fighting the Union to liberate Starikland. Her trip to the Far Country was to regroup with her fellows while avoiding the Inquisition, and she has some kind of arrangement with the Magi Zacharus and presumably the Old Empire.
Missing Mom: The only mention of Corlin's mother is in Savian's POV section, where it's heavily implied she's dead.
Mysterious Past: Even more so than her uncle, nothing is really known about Corlin's past, aside from the allusion that her mother might be dead.
Rebel Leader: She's the rebel leader Conthus who's been trying to liberate Starikland from the Union.
Samus Is a Girl: Everyone assumes Conthus is a man, not knowing that "he" is really a young woman.
The Stoic: Corlin and her uncle Savian aren't exactly the most expressive of folks.
Supporting Leader: Corlin turns out to be the rebel leader Conthus, which the Union's Inquisition has been hunting for, but, not only is she not a POV character, she gets less page-time than her uncle Savian, who acts as a Red Herring.
Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: She's considered a hero and a liberator by her fellow rebels and a terrorist by the Union's Inquisition.

Savian

"You pick a path, don't you? And you think it's just for tomorrow. Then thirty years on you look back and see you picked your path for life. If you'd known it then, you'd maybe have thought more carefully."

Corlin's uncle, who's travelling with his niece to the Far Country, supposedly as prospectors.

A Death in the Limelight: His POV segment in Red Country details his Last Stand against mercenaries sent by the Company of the Gracious Hand and ends with his death.
Actually, That's My Assistant: With his rebel tattoos exposed he's believed to be the leader of the Starikland rebellion, Conthus. While he is part of the rebels, his niece Corlin is the real Conthus.
Bash Brothers: He and Lamb form this relationship, most notably during their final fight against Cosca's mercenaries. Savian uses a flatbow and bow and arrow to snipe incoming attackers, protecting their fort from the second-story while Lamb kills attackers on the ground floor.
Birds of a Feather: Lamb is the only member of the Fellowship other than Corlin that Savian opens up to. They're both grizzled fighters getting on in years who've seen and done terrible things and they form a camaraderie where they're willing to risk their lives to help one another.
Defiant to the End: After killing nine mercenaries sent for him, and bleeding out from a knife wound, he shouts to Nicomo Cosca and his company, "That the best you can do?" Sadly, no, the best Cosca can do is fire a canon at him.
Heroic Sacrifice: He refuses to admit the truth that his niece Corlin, is the rebel leader Conthus, even after he's been captured by the Inquisition and is being tortured because they mistake him for her.
Hidden Depths: According to Lamb, he has a very good sense of humor underneath his grizzled demeanor.
Incurable Cough of Death: He develops a serious cough which gets worse the further he goes into Far Country, no doubt the cold winter weather and physical exertion don't help. Shy notices how severe it is but Savian is abducted by the Inquisition before anything can come from it.
Last Stand: He goes out fighting against Cosca's mercenaries, managing to kill nine of them before he's knifed in the stomach. Even then he continues to roar his defiance at the mercenaries and only dies when Cosca fires a canon at him.
Mysterious Past: He's been fighting for thirty years and has seen and done horrific things to liberate Starikland from the Union, but other than that, next to nothing is known about his past.
No Kill like Overkill: Cosca decides to forgo sending more mercenaries to their deaths against Savian and Lamb and opts to just fire a canon at the former instead.
Number Two: He serves as the right-hand man of the rebel leader Conthus, who's secretly his niece Corlin.
Papa Wolf: An uncle variant. He's very protective of his niece Corlin and is willing to be tortured by the Inquisition rather than give up her identity as the rebel leader, Conthus.
So Proud of You: As he's faced with near certain death, he reflects on how he wishes he could've told his niece how proud he is of the person she grew up to be, and how proud her mother would be of her too.
The Stoic: He and his niece Corlin aren't the most expressive of folks, preferring to keep their thoughts and feelings to themselves.
Torture Is Ineffective: In addition to Lorsen being an incompetent torturer, Savian himself resists torture, refusing to answer any questions and only grunts in response to being burned.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Savian reflects that he used to cry easily as a child, but after all he's seen and done, there's not enough salt water in the world to make him cry now.
When He Smiles: The first time Shy sees the normally stoic and taciturn Savian smile, she describes it like a lantern being uncovered.
Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: The Union views him and his allies as rebels, but Savian and his group view their actions as fighting to secure the liberation of Starikland from a corrupt, oppressive government.

Majud

Abram Majud

"I have the feelings of my partner Curnsbick to consider, and he has a heart of iron where business is concerned."

A merchant who forms a Fellowship headed to the Far Country. He's the business partner of Honrig Curnsbick.

Ambiguously Gay: A segment from Curnsbick's POV in The Age of Madness reveals he continues to fondly think about Majud a decade after they've parted, and with the later mention that Curnsbick is gay, it's implied they weren't just business partners.
Blatant Lies: He repeatedly insists he would be more generous but his partner Curnsbick "has a heart of iron where business is concerned." When Curnsbick finally does appear, he's a friendly, generous man who's more than happy to pay his workers a bonus for fine work.
Catchphrase: Expect him to bring up Curnsbick's "heart of iron" whenever someone wants money from him or he wants more money from someone else.
Miser Advisor: Not him, but his partner Curnsbick, who has a heart of iron. It's why Majud can't be more generous in his dealings. Honest.
Mr. Vice Guy: While he clearly values money, Majud is also a good person at his core, displaying both kindness and bravery. At one point, when weapons are pointed at him and a group of his friends, Majud's first instinct is to pull Shy's young siblings closer to him to safety.
Noodle Incident: It's never said what exactly caused his partnership with Curnsbick to come to an end.
Platonic Life-Partners: He and his business partner Curnsbick's relationship seems more like this than a purely professional matter. Their relationship might not have been platonic at all given Curnsbick's POV segment in The Age of Madness where he continues to regret Majud is no longer by his side and Savine's casual mention to Leo that Curnsbick is gay.
Retired Badass: While he's a businessman now, Majud served for a long time in the Gurkish army. He was gifted a sword by General Malzagurt for saving his life, and he has no problem drawing it when all of Crease breaks out in a fight.

Characters / The First Law Near And Far Countries

Near Country

Squaredeal

South Family

Shy South

POV: Red Country, Sharp Ends

Ro South

POV: Red Country

Pit South

Others

Temple

POV: Red Country, Sharp Ends

Leef

Far Country

Crease

Papa Ring

Grega Cantliss

Bee

Ashranc

Waerdinur

Ghosts

Sangeed

Locway

Travelers

Dab Sweet

Crying Rock

Corlin

Savian

Abram Majud

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Index

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Characters / The First Law Near And Far Countries

Edit Locked

Near Country

Squaredeal

South Family

Shy South

POV: Red Country, Sharp Ends

Ro South

POV: Red Country

Pit South

Others

Temple

POV: Red Country, Sharp Ends

Leef

Far Country

Crease

Papa Ring

Grega Cantliss

Bee

Ashranc

Waerdinur

Ghosts

Sangeed

Locway

Travelers

Dab Sweet

Crying Rock

Corlin

Savian

Abram Majud

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Index

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