The Goblin Emperor / Characters

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Maia Drazhar/Edrehasivar VII

"We consider it cruel. And we do not think cruelty is ever just."

The titular “Goblin Emperor”, the eighteen-year-old half-goblin son of His Imperial Serenity Varenechibel the Fourth who ascends to the throne of Emperor of the Elflands following the death of Varenechibel and his three older half-brothers when the Wisdom of Choharo, an airship, crashes with all of them aboard.

Abdicate the Throne: During a coup staged by the Lord Chancellor Uleris Chavar and Maia's sister-in-law Princess Sheveän, Maia is almost forced to do so in favor of his nephew Prince Idra. One of the major reasons the plan fails is Idra does not want the throne.
A Birthday, Not a Break: It is on Maia's nineteenth birthday that Tethimar decides to make his move to assassinate him.
Abusive Parents: Maia is neglected by his father for his whole life, his only memory of the man being a sneering remark of his father's against him that he overheard at his mother's funeral. His guardian after his loving mother's death was a cruel distant cousin, Setheris, who beat him and insulted him frequently. All of this had a notable effect on Maia's self-esteem.
A Child Shall Lead Them: Although Maia's existence prevented a literal example of this in his fourteen-year-old nephew Idra, he himself functions as a downplayed example given that he is only eighteen, two years over the in-universe majority of sixteen. Early on, in chapter five, Maia himself lampshades it saying he feels "oppressed by the irony of being the youngest person in the room, and yet the person to whom all others were bowing".
Babies Make Everything Better: Maia is on the backend of a rather cruel subversion of this trope. The marriage of Varenchibel and Princess Chenelo was a deeply unhappy one. Chenelo becoming pregnant with Maia on their wedding night only made things worse. Varenchibel made it clear that if she thought she could replace his last empress Pazhiro, who suffered a Death by Childbirth and delivered a stillborn, she was deeply mistaken. Both Chenelo and the newborn baby Maia are sent away to a backwater estate of the crown as soon as they could travel.
Child of Two Worlds: Due to being the son of a goblin princess and the elvish emperor.
The Good King: It's a bit early to say, but he seems well on his way to being one by the end of the book.
Maia: In our innermost and secret heart, which you ask us to bare to you, we wish to banish them as we were banished, to a cold and lonely house, in the charge of a man who hated us. And we wish them trapped there, as we were trapped.
Csovar: You consider that unjust, Serenity?
Maia: We consider it cruel. And we do not think that cruelty is ever just.
Half-Breed Discrimination: One of the many challenges Maia must face at Untheileneise Court. The title of the novel comes from Maia realizing that Setheris and his ilk will be calling him such as a jab against his mixed heritage.
I Am Not Pretty: Maia is very self-deprecating about his own appearance, although none of the specific details of his physical appearance suggest that he's particularly bad-looking. A lot of it is low self-esteem from years of psychological abuse, plus a bit of internalized Fantastic Racism - Maia is both half-goblin and looks it, and the elven aristocracy are very xenophobic and so are their beauty standards.
King Bob the Nth: Edrehasivar VI reigned nearly five centuries before Maia, and Maia hoped that referencing his long and successful rule would be a good omen. Maia also wanted to signal changes from his father's policies by his choice of an older regnal name.
A Mistake Is Born: One-sided. Chenelo genuinely wanted a child, despite her unhappiness in her marriage, but Varenechibel already had three healthy sons, didn't feel the need for another heir, and resented Maia for being the product of a loveless political marriage conceived while Varenechibel was still mourning his previous wife.
Nice Guy: The nicest. It's what wins many people over once they realize he isn't covering for some scheme, he's just genuinely trying to be good to them with no ulterior motives.
No Social Skills: Since Maia was raised in virtual isolation with only his abusive guardian and a handful of servants for any company, it is inevitable that he falls into this trope. He even states that Setheris punished him for talking too much. This puts him at a distinct disadvantage when he must interact with the glittering lords and ladies of the court.
Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: Maia bears an ugly scrawl of scars on his left forearm from Setheris drunkenly knocking him into an elaborate fire screen when he was about fourteen. The scars represent all of Setheris' abuse against Maia — not just the physical, but the verbal and emotional as well. This connection is made stronger by the scars being hidden beneath Maia's clothes, just like the majority of people are unaware of Setheris' abuse.
Rags to Royalty: Goes from a neglected Unfavorite living in the middle of nowhere with his abusive guardian to Emperor of the Elflands.
Scars Are Forever: In his own words, Maia will "bear until his dying day" an ugly scrawl of scars on his left forearm caused by Setheris' abuse.
Silk Hiding Steel: Maia is polite, gentle, and soft-spoken, but proves to be tougher and more determined than he looks. In hindsight, growing up with a guardian who vacillated between indifference and abuse was good practice for dealing with the various personalities at court.
Sometime, Chavar, you must try living ten years with a man who hates you and whom you hate and see what it does to sharpen your wits.
Spanner in the Works: Maia is one to everyone already established in the court, but especially to Tethimar, who apparently either forgot the Emperor had another son, or assumed he would be an easily-disposed-of nonentity.
The Emperor: Maia is the Emperor of the Elflands.
The Royal We: Maia uses it throughout the majority of the novel, only dropping it in very personal moments such as when he comforts Prince Idra and his younger sisters following their mother's treason and subsequent imprisonment.
Trademark Favorite Drink: Maia always has chamomile tea with breakfast once he arrives at court. His mother loved it as well, while his guardian saw it as "only fit for peasants and barbarians".
Unexpected Successor: Maia was never supposed to inherit the throne, and is totally unprepared for the royal court. He was a distant fourth in the line of succession, and the only reason he wasn't lower on the list was because political circumstances meant he couldn't be disinherited outright.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: There was a period as a child when he dreamed of becoming one of his father's Nohecharei and earning his respect, but he gave up on the idea quickly.

Csevet Aisava

"I am Csevet Aisava, and I am entirely at Your Serenity's service."

The messenger who delivers the news of Varenchibel and his older heirs' death to Edonomee. Csevet becomes Maia's secretary after Maia arrives at court and proves invaluable due to his in-depth knowledge of the court and his instant Undying Loyalty to Maia.

Attempted Rape: Csevet suffered this at Eshevis Tethimar's hands when he was in his teens. He bit him to escape his grasp and then was hunted by Tethimar and his friends. Luckily, he was not caught.
The Reliable One: Although Maia has a plethora of people who serve him, Csevet is the one who is with him from the beginning and who he relies on the most to function as Emperor.
Chessmaster Sidekick: A very capable aide who is knowledgeable about Bothering by the Book methods and gets the most acceptable empress approved by the court by presenting her name along with two others who will siphon support from each other and make Csethiro get the majority of the votes.
Hyper-Competent Sidekick: He goes from being a courier to the emperor's secretary and personal aide overnight and is well up to the challenge while Maia gets brought up to speed.
Undying Loyalty: Once in Maia's service, nothing will stop Csevet from giving his best for his Emperor. It's also clear this loyalty is personal as much as dutiful.

Uleris Chavar

" Do you doubt our word, Serenity?"

The Lord Chancellor of the Elflands. Chavar was deeply loyal to Maia's dead father but has no such feelings towards Maia. He loses his position, is exiled from court, and imprisoned after his failed coup against Maia.

Evil Chancellor: His first action in the book is to try to take control of the Untheileneise Court away from Maia by scheduling the state funeral to take place before Maia's coronation. This attempt fails, and so does his later attempt at a coup.
I Reject Your Reality: It's stated that he remained obsessed with the idea that a workers' political party was behind the airship sabotage long after the notion was discredited.
Lean and Mean: Inverted, Maia when he meets Chavar realizes that he was imagining a copy of his father who was a tall man with fine bone structure. Chavar, in reality, is short and stocky by elvish standards, though still very nasty.
Like Father, Unlike Son: His son Nurevis is a pleasant, not too serious person.
Nice to the Waiter: Subverted. He's utterly confused by Maia's desire to show respect to the dead crewmen from the airship.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Chavar has a brother who lives in the countryside, seems revolted at the idea of living as part of the court politics, and offers to commit ritual suicide to atone for his family's sins (despite not being involved in them personally) when Chavar himself makes no such offer.

Deret Beshelar

One of Maia's First Nohecharei. A lieutenant of the Untheileneise Guard, he fulfills the role of the guardian of the body alongside Cala Athmaza, the guardian of the spirit. As is the case of all of Maia's Nohecharei, at Maia's coronation he swears an oath that he will guard Maia at all cost until Maia's death — at which point his Nohecharei are to be buried with him. Beshelar is a somber and serious man who frequently disapproves of Maia's actions, especially when he believes Maia unnecessarily puts himself at risk.

Anger Born of Worry: Alongside many of Maia's devotees, he does not approve of his plan to meet with the men and women responsible for the crash of the Wisdom of Choharo.
Beshelar: If His Serenity would be sensible, there would be no need to contain them.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Beshelar is normally stoic and restrained in his emotions even when disapproving. When he discovers how Setheris treated Maia, his reserve slips completely, and he roars "Monstrous!"
Protectorate: Maia is his.
Sarcastic Devotee: He often disapproves of Maia's actions but takes his oath seriously from the beginning. Later on his outrage at Maia's abuse at the hands of Setheris and his agreeing to be a "different kind" of friend to Maia prove his personal affection for his emperor.
Undying Loyalty: To Maia, displayed well when he gets stabbed in the arm protecting Maia from an assassination attempt.

Cala Athmaza

One of Maia's First Nohecharei. An athmaza of the Adremaza, he fulfills the role of the guardian of the spirit alongside Beshelar, the guardian of the body. As is the case for all of Maia's Nohehechair, at Maia's coronation he swears an oath that he will guard Maia at all cost until Maia's death — at which point his Nohecharei are to be buried with him. Cala is less strictly formal than Beshelar, but is still aware of the divide between him and his emperor.

Badass Bookworm
Being Personal Isn't Professional: This causes him to tell Maia that he and Beshelar cannot be his friends. He, later on, agrees wholeheartedly to Maia's idea of being a "different kind" of friends, and admits that he was never able to stop thinking of Maia as a kind of friend.
Protectorate: Maia is his.
Undying Loyalty: To Maia. He tells Maia after Dazhis' betrayal that he could never imagine hurting him like that "even if it were not a matter of an oath".
What Beautiful Eyes!: During their first meeting, Maia describes his pale blue eyes as being both gentle and the only beauty in his face.

Csethiro Ceredin

"Serenity, we do not wish you to be frightened of us."

A twenty-two-year-old lady of the court. Dach'osmin Csethiro Ceredin is the grand-niece of Arbelan Drazharan, Varenechibel's first wife, and becomes Maia's fiancée. Scholarly and accomplished, Csethiro is at least partially trained in swordplay.

Arranged Marriage: Csethiro is arranged to be Maia's bride.
Defrosting Ice Queen: She's cold to Maia at first, but displays a friendlier side after she gets to know his actual personality, as opposed to the inaccurate court gossip that had been spread around in whispers behind his back.
Nice Girl: Though she is initially cold to Maia she reveals herself to be one. She even offers to teach him how to dance.
Spirited Young Lady: She's a well-brought-up young noblewoman and can play the part of a Proper Lady when she has to, but her true personality is bolder and less conventional. Especially her desire to throw down on Maia's behalf.
Violently Protective Girlfriend: She is Maia's fiancée only through arrangement, and it takes a while for any affection to blossom between them. Still, she tells Maia she wishes she could challenge Princess Sheveän to a duel to the death for her role in the attempted coup against him and she states that if Eshevis Tethimar, who attempted to assassinate Maia, was not already dead, she would have gutted him.

Dazhis Athmaza

One of Maia's Second Nohecharei. An athmaza of the Adremaza, he fulfills the role of guardian of the spirit alongside Telimezh, the guardian of the body. He assists with the attempted coup led by Princess Sheveän and Lord Chancellor Uleris Chavar against Maia and must commit revethvoran, ritual suicide, for his crimes. He is replaced by Kiru Athmaza.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He seems like a perfectly Nice Guy right up until he betrays Maia for the promise of being made the First Nohecharei of Idra.
Bodyguard Betrayal: He is sworn to guard Maia but ultimately attacks his fellow guard Telimezh and lets Maia be taken by Princess Sheveän's men.
Protectorate: Maia is his. Or at least, he was supposed to be.
Seppuku: Commits the in-world variant of it, revethvoran, after his betrayal of Maia.
The Oathbreaker: He breaks his oath as a Nohecharei when he assists in the coup against Maia.

Telimezh

One of Maia's Second Nohecharei. A lieutenant of the Untheileneise Guard, he fulfills the role of the guardian of the body alongside Dazhis later Kiru Athmaza, the guardian of the spirit.

My Greatest Failure: Blames himself deeply for not foreseeing Dazhis's betrayal. He is fully intended to resign his post as a nohecharis and leave the court entirely over it until Maia tells him he wants him to stay.
Only One Name: Unlike Deret Beshelar, Telimezh is given no first name, not even in the index at the back of the novel.
Protectorate: Maia is his.

Kiru Athmaza

"Do you truly find it so incredible that we should wish to serve you?"

One of Maia's Second Nohecharei. An athmaza of the Adremaza, she fulfills the role of guardian of the spirit alongside, Telimezh, the guardian of the body. She replaces Dazhis after his betrayal and ritual suicide.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling: She is the first woman to ever become one of the Emperor's Nohecharei.
The Medic: She's a cleric of the goddess of healing and a trained doctor as well as a mage.
Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: She's a wizard-doctor-bodyguard-nun.
Protectorate: Maia is hers.
Smurfette Principle: She is the only woman out of Maia's Nohecharei and the first woman to ever be made a Nohecharo.
While You Were in Diapers: She's been a cleric of Csaivo (and by implication, a working healer in a mixed-gender setting) since before Maia was out of leading strings, so her feminine sensibilities can handle the sight of the Emperor in his nightclothes.

Thara Celehar

A Witness for the Dead and kinsman of Csoru Drazharan, the fifth and final wife of Varenchibel the Fourth. He investigates the crash of the Wisdom of Choharo on Maia's behalf.

Tropes:

Bury Your Gays: In his past, Thara Celehar was forced to be a witness against his lover Evru Dalar, who murdered his abusive wife. Evru is put to death for his crimes.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Versus Maia. Maia is a straight half-goblin virgin in his late teens, who goes from Rags to Royalty and has no supernatural powers. Thara Celehar is a gay full-elf in his thirties who has had at least one serious love affair (which ended very badly), comes from noble ancestry but has been disowned and currently lives a modest commoner's lifestyle, and can talk to dead people. Maia wants to make friends but is isolated by his power and position as emperor, Thara manages to make several friends in Amalo despite his introversion and poor social skills but gets treated badly by his ecclesiastical superiors. Maia is very powerful in theory but has to help people indirectly through political advocacy and delegating, Thara doesn't have much authority but is able to take a more hands-on role as a Witness and investigator. Maia has dark skin and hair, and once he becomes emperor, dresses in Costume Porn finery with a lot of imperial white. Thara has pale skin and white hair, wears somber clothing in dark colors, and is frequently shabby due to poverty and occupational clothing damage.
Dark Is Not Evil: He's a gloomy, blunt, black-clad cleric of the setting's God of the Dead, and his powers are pretty creepy, but he's a conscientious and compassionate person.
Disease by Any Other Name: Thara shows clear signs of depression, referred to in the books as being "melancholic".
Hero of Another Story: We get glimpses of his adventures as a wandering investigator-slash-cynical-burned-out-ex-priest, but only that. He gets more focus in The Witness for the Dead, which focuses on him.
The Insomniac: He does not sleep well, and is prone to nightmares.
Interrogating the Dead: He can communicate with the recently deceased, although this ability has its limitations.
Kind Hearted Cat Lover: In The Witness for the Dead, he befriends a bunch of stray cats who live near his apartment.
Limited Wardrobe: Priests of Ulis have a dress code, and even if he was allowed more variety, he wouldn't be able to afford it.
Losing a Shoe in the Struggle: Fighting ghouls tends to leave his coat the worse for wear (which is a particular issue because priests have a dress code, but he gets paid too little to be buying new clothes all the time, and even mending and laundry bills add up.)
The Lost Lenore: Even by the time of The Witness for the Dead, Evru's death continues to affect him deeply.
No Social Skills: He's a kind person, but tends to be tactlessly straightforward about distressing subjects (and as a Witness for the Dead, he often has to talk to people about sudden or violent death), and by his own admission finds the living harder to work with than the dead.
Nothing but Skin and Bones: During their first meeting, Maia notices that he looks unhealthily thin.
Occult Detective: Of a sort. The crimes he investigates are usually mundane but he uses supernatural means to do so.
Squishy Wizard: He has an impressive record against murderous undead monsters (although the revethavar hurt him badly ), but is also short, skinny, and a complete Non-Action Guy against living people.
Trademark Favorite Drink: He drinks a great deal of tea. Whether this heavy caffeine consumption has anything to do with his chronic insomnia goes unexplored.

Prince Nemolis Drazhar

The eldest of Maia's half siblings and heir apparent to the throne of the Elflands. Dies shortly before the events of the novel alongside his father and two younger half-brothers.

Posthumous Character: Perishes in an airship crash shortly before the novel begins.
The Wise Prince: Everyone appears to have liked him. Although there were limits to how far he'd cross his father Varenechibel, Nemolis advocated that Maia receive better treatment, and intended to permit Maia to return to court once he ascended the throne.

Prince Idra Drazhar

The first-born child and only son of Prince Nemolis Drazhar, the first-born son of Varenechibel the Fourth. He was to have become Emperor someday if not for the death of his father and grandfather in the crash of the Wisdom of Choharo. A boy of fourteen, he is more knowledgeable about court than his eighteen-year-old uncle, Maia Drazhar/Edrehasivar VII and many would prefer him to be emperor instead. Idra himself has no desire to be emperor.

Big Brother Instinct:
- Towards his younger sisters Mireän and Ino Drazhin. He cares for them and displays bitterness reflecting how their grandfather ignored them due to his Heir Club for Men ideas.
- He also shows shades of this towards Maia, who is both his uncle and four years his senior. He states that Setheris had no right to tell Maia (who is a fourth son) that too many sons confuse the succession. Maia even notes that he says it with the same indignation with which he tells Maia that Mireän and Ino Drazhin had the right to be loved by their grandfather like he was. He also tells Maia that his father, Maia's brother, had planned to release him from his exile once he became emperor.
Spanner in the Works: His mother and Chavar had Maia at their mercy but then their coup on Idra's behalf fell apart as soon as Idra noted that he wanted no part of it.
Wise Beyond His Years: By virtue of being raised at court as the son of the crown prince.
The Wise Prince: Albeit one with no desire to be Emperor. He's politically savvy, historically knowledgeable and supportive of his uncle and his plans, and not just because he knows how rare it is for a child emperor to survive to adulthood.

Sheveän

The mother of Idra, and Maia's sister-in-law through his eldest brother.

It's All About Me: Whenever she complains about being wronged, it's never about how the thing was intrinsically wrong, merely how she was inconvenienced personally.
My Beloved Smother: To Idra, even though she has little to do with the day-to-day raising of the child. She tries to set herself up as his regent during the coup attempt. As Idra explains, the main problem is that her society denies her any formal power due to her sex, so she has to exert power through her connections to her children.
Vicariously Ambitious: She wants to be the emperor's mother. What her son thinks of this is almost irrelevant.

Lord Berenar

A member of the Corazhas, Eiru Berenar is the Witness for the Treasury. He becomes Lord Chancellor after Chavar's attempted coup and subsequent imprisonment.

Because You Were Nice to Me: His promotion to Lord Chancellor comes because, out of all of the candidates, he's the only one who both noticed that Maia was uncomfortable in his new role and actually did something to help him adjust better while never seeking anything in return.
Challenge Seeker: His wife says the harder a problem is, the more he relishes solving it.
The Good Chancellor: Berenar becomes this by the end of the novel.
Happily Married: Berenar and his wife seem comfortable together and she talks about how nice it is seeing him get happy about his work.

Setheris Nelar

A distant cousin of Maia and his guardian from when he was nine years old until he becomes the emperor.

Abusive Parents: He is physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive to Maia.
Amoral Attorney: Actually averted, despite being a barrister and an awful person. He does have genuine respect for the law and proper procedure.
Bad Bedroom, Bad Life: His bedroom in exile has no decorations or mementos, but plenty of booze.
Drowning My Sorrows: He drinks to deal with his bitterness and is a pretty mean drunk.
Everyone Has Standards: As badly as he had treated Maia himself, he still vocally disapproves of Chavar and Shevean's attempted coup.
Fantastic Racism: Setheris is extremely prejudiced against goblins.
Genre Savvy: He's very well aware that Chavar, the Evil Chancellor who despises Maia even more than he does, will try to usurp the throne from Maia and advises him about how to counter this.
Happily Married: He and his wife write to each other often while he's in exile, and a lot of his bitterness towards Maia comes from how he's forcibly separated from her.
Jerkass Has a Point: His immediate distrust of Chavar is fully justified.
Kingmaker Scenario: He briefly seems to attempt this towards Maia but fails.
My God, What Have I Done?: He was horrified after one of his assaults left Maia with permanent scars and worked hard to keep from striking him after that.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: He disparages and belittles Maia at every opportunity, to say nothing of his behavior before Maia became emperor, but his advice and knowledge of the court is the only reason Maia was able to achieve unquestionable legitimacy before one faction or another could muscle him off the throne in the early days of his reign.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He's homophobic (not rare in the Ethuveraz) as well as prejudiced against goblins.
Put on a Bus: After arriving at court, Maia keeps him as far away as possible due to the poison of their past issues.
We do not wish him unhappy or ill-used, merely away.
Reassigned to Antarctica: He was exiled to raise a distant relative he had no love for in an understaffed estate far away from his wife after crossing the emperor. After Maia gets the job, he indulges in a bit of this, assigning his cousin to a somewhat thankless (although by no means terrible) bureaucratic job. Happens a third time after the reshuffling of the Chancellor's office following Chavar's failed coup, with Maia instructing his staff to find Setheris some sort of position anywhere besides the court so that Maia will never have to worry who he is speaking with and will not have to encounter him personally.
Resentful Guardian: He deeply resented being stuck with Maia away from the court, his wife, and any chances of professional advancement, and made sure Maia knew it. (However, Setheris was relegated because he had alienated Varenechibel with an ill-advised attempt at political maneuvering—Maia was just a handy scapegoat.)
Would Hurt a Child: He pushed Maia into a fire screen while drunk, leaving a nasty scar on his arm. In fairness, Maia remembers that he was honestly horrified once he'd sobered up and was more circumspect with his anger afterwards.

Nemriän Imaran

The older of Maia's two half-sisters and last surviving child of Varenechibel's second marriage, making her Prince Idra's full aunt.

Arranged Marriage: With the Marquess Imel. Mostly significant because the gossip surrounding the negotiations so annoyed her father that he vowed all negotiations surrounding his other daughter's engagement would be totally secret.
Sheltered Aristocrat: Was born to the court and has no apparent other interests or responsibilities.
The Voiceless: Although Maia frequently sits next to her at court dinners, she is never given any actual lines of dialogue. While she can and does talk, she doesn't talk to Maia, because she doesn't like him.

Vedero Drazhin

The daughter of the third wife of Maia's father, and the only surviving child of that union after her two brothers die in the airship explosion. Her sole known interest is astronomy, and many families hoping for power seek her hand in marriage. She is part of a feminist collective passively seeking equal education for women.

Ambiguous Situation: She says that if it were up to her she would rather not marry and focus on astronomy, but it's vague as to whether she means she's asexual (it's noted that her voice is devoid of passion or interest when she says she doesn't wish to get married), a lesbian, or simply doesn't think that any of the prominent nobles she'd be married to would let her indulge that hobby.
Big Beautiful Woman: Downplayed. She's described as slightly taller than Maia, with broad shoulders and hips, but good features and hair as smooth as silk.
Brutal Honesty: She doesn't hesitate to say her father never cared for her.
Commonality Connection: Vedero warms to Maia after he points out that their father didn't think he was worth educating, either. Maia and Vedero subsequently develop as good a sibling relationship as could be expected given their awkward introduction and different social positions.
The Dutiful Son: Or rather the daughter, fully expecting to be married off despite her own wishes and being stoically resigned to it.
Old Maid: By the standards of this universe (she's 28 and unmarried).
Not So Stoic: Maia can tell by her eyes she was crying before the funeral.
Small Role, Big Impact: She only has three or four scenes, but multiple parties seeking a marriage contract with her cause Maia a lot of problems, and the assassination of her father and older brothers was set into motion by the man her father planned to have her marry, due to feeling that relationship to the royal family would let him seize power.
Trying Not to Cry: At the funeral.
Ungrateful Bastard: Downplayed, but Maia is disappointed that she makes no reply whatsoever to his letter saying to study the stars, and that she won't have to get married for at least a year.

Eshevis Tethimar

A high-ranking nobleman, the son and heir of the Duke Tethimel and a suitor for the hand of Maia's sister Vedero.

Attempted Rape: A perpetrator of this at least once. Csevet was his intended victim.
Beauty Is Bad: He's a very handsome man (and well aware of it), but not a pleasant or moral one.
The Kingslayer: Was indirectly responsible for the death of the previous emperor, and tried to kill Maia himself.
Narcissist: Said to possess "self-love so deep that it could not abide to be crossed even in the smallest manner."
Pick on Someone Your Own Size: Despite his skill and experience as a soldier, he has no compunction about assaulting unarmed teenagers. Fortunately, Csevet and Maia both survive.
Sadist: Even when constrained by polite society, he seems to enjoy intimidating people, and his past history with Csevet shows that he's capable of much worse when he's on his home ground and his potential victim is an unprotected commoner.
Smug Snake: Tethimar's a good enough evil schemer to do a great deal of damage, but he can't handle unexpected complications and his pride and bad temper get in his way.

Csoru Drazharan

The fifth-wife of the late Varenechibel, who was deeply unhappy during the marriage and not any more pleasant after his death.

Alpha Bitch: Tries to be one using her status as empress, but she comes off more like a spoiled child who people are humoring.
Awful Wedded Life: Their marriage was yet another of Varenechibel's mistakes on that front, and the experience ended up making Csoru thoroughly miserable. She very clearly wanted power to wield, but Varenechibel was too smart to give her any.
Drama Queen: She overreacts to perceived slights and seems to enjoy making scenes.
Obnoxious Entitled Housewife: By all accounts she was never terribly pleasant, but after her marriage to Varenechibel she got worse, especially once it became clear she wasn't going to get the political power she thought the marriage would bring her. She spends most of her time on the page contriving ways to be offended and making as large a scene as possible. Explaining that she is now a dowager empress and that her continued privileges and presence at court are merely courtesies is one of the early headaches Maia has to deal with.
Trophy Wife: Implied. She was much younger than her husband (in her early twenties, while Varenechibel was old enough to have a teenage grandson) and a noted beauty, and Varenechibel didn't trust her with any substantial responsibilities.
When She Smiles: She spends most of the book being a hostile and off-putting Alpha Bitch, but Maia admits that she does have a radiant and appealing countenance when she briefly "forg[ets] herself" and has fun while dancing at a party.

Maru Sevraseched/The Great Avar

The ruler of Barizhan, and Maia's maternal grandfather.

Acrofatic: He's described as very fat, but surprisingly light on his feet and even graceful.
The Atoner: As noted below he regrets his Parental Neglect of Chenelo and wants to be a decent grandfather to Maia as a result. In addition it was shortly after Chenelo was all but imprisoned by Varenechibel that the Great Avar legally recognised his illegitimate daughters (even the really awkward one who played Sweet Polly Oliver to become a ship captain) despite the political blowback he no doubt faced for this.
Boisterous Bruiser: The Great Avar's a big man with an even larger presence.
Hidden Heart of Gold: Maia is the viewpoint character and this is the side of the Avar the reader mostly sees due to his genuine love for his family and regrets for his behavior toward them. However, some other characters note that Maru gained his power as a warlord, he's kept it by being tougher than any of his rivals, and he's not generally known for being amiable and obliging.
Large and in Charge: Very tall as well as very fat, and the ruler of a country.
Modest Royalty: Unlike the Costume Porn favored by elven courtiers and his own retinue, the Great Avar dresses rather simply.
Parental Neglect: Towards Maia's mother Chenelo. Social mores prohibited him from telling Varenechibel off for his treatment of Chenelo, but the Great Avar didn't even provide the basic moral support of answering his unhappily-married stranded-in-a-foreign-land daughter's letters. To his credit he admits this and clearly deeply regrets it, hoping to make up for it with his grandson.
Pimped-Out Car: The Great Avar's ornate traveling coach is a pre-industrial version.

Chenelo Drazharan

Maia's deceased mother.

Accent On The Wrong Syllable: She makes a point of teaching her son how to properly pronounce her name according to her people's customs, not the elves', with the stress on the first syllable, not the second.
CHE-ne-lo, not che-NEL-o
Altar Diplomacy: She is one of the Great Avar's (the ruler of a powerful kingdom to the north) legitimate daughters, and was married to Varenechibel in the hopes of improving diplomatic relations between the two. In the short term it didn't work at all, but with Maia's ascendancy perhaps more good will come of it than anyone thought.
Missing Mom: She dies when Maia was still a child. He misses her dearly.
Nice to the Waiter: Chenelo was a big believer in this, and passed these values on to her son.
Posthumous Character: She died when Maia was a young child, but she managed to instill her values into him and he thinks of her often.
Proper Lady: She was a dutiful daughter, a loving mother, gracious to servants, raised her son with good manners, and didn't trash-talk her neglectful husband nearly as much as he deserved.
Textile Work Is Feminine: She did a lot of embroidery during Maia's childhood, although Maia wasn't allowed to keep any of her projects as a memento after she died. Maia recognizes the style from an antique piece he sees at Lanthevel's dinner party.
Trademark Favorite Drink: Chenelo shared her son's love of chamomile tea.
Unwanted Spouse: Varenechibel coldly hated her.

Nemera Drazhar/Varenechibel IV

The 208th emperor of the elflands. Maia's distant, abusive father.

Abusive Dad: Most blatantly with Maia, but it eventually comes out that he didn't pay attention to his daughters and only really tried to be civil to his heirs.
Everyone Has Standards: Despite his general demeanor, even his most vocal detractors are willing to admit that he was not personally corrupt and ruled reasonably fairly, especially in comparison to his last few predecessors.
Freudian Excuse: His third and genuinely beloved wife died giving birth to their first son and he spent five years in mourning for them. One of his old supporters thinks that his treatment of Chenelo and Maia wasn't motivated out of hatred, but rather that he associated them too closely with his lost wife and child and he acted out of lingering grief. Maia thinks that it's a kind idea but isn't convinced.
Jerkass: The man had a bitter temper and was abominable to Maia, only better to his daughters by not actively hating them, and exiled people at the drop of a hat. Even the people who liked him admitted it was hard at times.
"Tact is a fine trait in an emperor. Varenechibel had it not."
"Put tactfully."
No Celebrities Were Harmed: His various wives roughly correspond to Henry VIII's.
Plot-Triggering Death: He dies in an airship explosion along with every other viable heir besides Maia mere hours before the start of the book.
Posthumous Character: He might be dead, but given he was the direct ruler of a nation for decades, his policy decisions and goals cast a long shadow over Maia's new court.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: His temper occasionally led him to act against the law as written and order his preferences done. This is particularly frowned upon in the Ethuveraz, as the Emperor is supposed to be the ultimate arbiter and embodiment of the law—if he had wanted to do something against the law he should have committed to changing the law.

Nurevis Chavar

Chavar's only child.

The Dandy: He's far nicer than most examples of the trope, but he is also a fancily-dressed young man who spends his time enjoying the privileges of being an Idle Rich noble.
Fallen Princess: A rare male version. He's a handsome, well-liked noble who is always throwing parties, but his former friends all shun him after his father is arrested for treason and most of his possessions are auctioned off due to technically belonging to his father.
Like Father, Unlike Son: Chavar is a cruel, bigoted career politician. Nurevis is a kind young man who doesn't discriminate against Maia and cares more about hunting than politics.
Not So Above It All: For all that he shuns politics, Nurevis does set up a meeting between Maia and his cousin (who wants to marry Maia and be empress), although he also gives Maia an excuse to leave once Nurevis sees that Maia doesn’t enjoy her company.
Spoiled Sweet: Unlike his father, he's friendly and amiable towards Maia.

Pashavar

The Witness for the Judiciate, and a prominent Imperial advisor.

Hidden Depths: Pashavar consistently disagrees with Maia on a political level, but shows a kinder side when they sit together at a social occasion and shows sympathy for Chenelo and disgust at how her husband treated her before their deaths. He also repeatedly urged Varenechibel to let Maia live in the capital instead of exiling him to a barren estate, and disapproved of his Screw the Rules, I Make Them! actions. He also questions Chavar's fitness for the post of Lord Chancellor.
Honest Advisor: He disagrees with many of Maia's programs and doesn't hesitate to say so, but he does this out of conviction (however incorrect it is) rather than corruption. When his counsel is rejected, he's usually relatively graceful about it.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's an obstreperous reactionary curmudgeon who vocally disagrees with Maia's progressive policy goals, but his disagreement is based purely on his personal convictions, not a cynical plot to accrue more power. Before the story takes place, he repeatedly argued with Varenechibel that Maia should be brought out of exile and allowed into court life, not because he expected any sort of future political gain (or even to succeed in convincing him), but simply because it was wrong to punish Maia just for being born.
Mr. Exposition: He explains the details behind Setheris's exile.
Odd Friendship: The reactionary Pashavar and the scholarly Marquess Lanthevel don't have much in common at first glance, but are close friends.
So Proud of You: Pashavar compliments Maia after the first time he circumvents the bureaucratic rules of granting court audiences, noting that while an emperor who won't obey laws is dangerous, one who won't break even the occasional procedural rule "is nearly as bad, for he will never be able to recognize when a law must be changed."
Sunk Cost Fallacy: He's against making overtures to end a war that the empire started but that no one alive is responsible for because it has claimed thousands of elvish lives.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He dislikes the obnoxious Lord Bromar and becomes "capricious" when they have to work together to advocate a conservative position.

Aina Shulivar

A half-Goblin former apprentice clockmaker turned leader of a society of dissatisfied workers.

The Chessmaster: He is a very cunning man who maps out his plan to take advantage of a coup attempt to make Maia emperor very far ahead. His plan is a complete success, except for his own arrest.
Demolitions Expert: He built the bomb that caused the Plot Triggering Deaths, and the bomb sounds like a very impressive one.
I Did What I Had to Do: He isn't proud of killing 23 people, but persuasively argues those lives are a drop in the bucket compared to the number of people who suffer and die without emperors like Maia.
Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears in one short scene and is mentioned two other times. He built the bomb that killed Maia's father and brothers, and did so with the deliberate aim of putting Maia on the throne.

Deshehar

The Witness for the Parliament, and one of Maia's more progressive advisors. He often argues with Pashavar and Bromar.

Challenge Seeker: Deshelar enjoys launching heated political arguments about current issues as part of his largely thankless job and never minds his defeats.
Hidden Depths: He draws caricatures of his fellow advisors and Maia, and they're never cruel, even when he dislikes his subjects.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: He doesn't understand the engineering specifics of the Clocksmiths' Guild's bridge proposal, but is fascinated by the potential of it and argues against reactionary criticisms of the project.

Bromar

The irritating Witness for Foreigners, who is in charge of dealing with the residents of other countries when they don't warrant an Imperial audience.

"Ass" in Ambassador: He deals with representatives of other governments but has very little respect for any culture but his own and doesn't really hide it. Maia considers him to be an irritating idiot.
A Lighter Shade of Black: His political positions are unpleasant and he supports Chavar, but unlike most people who obstruct Maia, his actions are done out of a belief he's right rather than a desire for power. He's also uninvolved in Chavar's coup.

Arbelan Drazharan

Varenechibel's relegated first wife, who outlived him and returns to court after his death. She's also Csethiro's great-aunt.

Commonality Connection: She and Maia have the shared experience of enduring Varenechibel's ill-treatment.
Cool Old Lady: She's in her sixties, and an excellent conversationalist who knows a lot about court life.
Grande Dame: She's not stiff, at least not with Maia, but she is a former empress and usually very dignified and self-possessed.
Intergenerational Friendship: With Maia, who is young enough to be her grandson.
Law of Inverse Fertility: She only ever conceived one miscarried child in ten years (and as Varenechibel's first wife, they really needed an heir), which is why Varenechibel dumped her. (But the relegation seems to have been spite.)

Ino and Mirean

Idra's younger sisters.

Children Are Innocent: They are sweet little girls who have a hard time understanding their mother's plotting and its effects.
Hired Help as Family: Their nurse has done a lot more to raise and care for them than their mother, and they are more upset by the idea of their nurse leaving than they are about their mother's exile.
The Un-Favorite: Both their grandfather and their mother largely ignore them in favor of their brother due to Heir Club for Men sentiment.

The Edonomee Household

The staff at the Imperial hunting lodge of Edonomee, where Maia grew up in exile after his mother died. Pelchara is the lodge's butler, Haru is the groundskeeper, Kevo is the cook, and Kevo's two daugthers act as maids.

Almighty Janitor: While Haru is just the gardener at an isolated hunting lodge, Maia recalls watching him kill dangerous swamp snakes. Additionally, Haru once gave Maia an insightful lecture about how to safely navigate the swamps without blundering into trouble, and Maia realizes that the same principle applies to political decisions.
Beautiful Singing Voice: Aåno, one of Kevo's daughters, sings ballads, and Maia recalls her as having the best singing voice he ever heard before becoming emperor, although her songs can't compare to the opera singers he meets in the capital.
Crusty Caretaker: Haru does the outside work at the lodge, such as gardening, and is a knowledgable yet standoffish man who inadvertently taught Maia several swear words during his angrier moments.
The Ghost: After Maia leaves Edonomee, he occasionally recalls things they said or did, but none of them appear in person before his departure except for Pelchara, whom Maia instructs to give Csevet some refreshments shortly before Maia, Csevet, and Setheris leave Edonomee.
Gossipy Hens: Pelchara and Kevo are curious about why Setheris got exiled to the lodge and love making outrageous speculations to fill in the gaps of their knowledge. They are also quick to listen for any interesting news visitors bring.
Heavy Sleeper: Haru sleeps "like the dead" and never wakes up while Csevet visits the lodge to summon Maia away.
The Quiet One: Maia notes that Haru rarely spoke to him during Maia's many years at the lodge and seemed awkward and embarassed one of the few times that he did.
No Name Given: One of Kevo's daughters is never named.
The Storyteller: Kevo is fond of reading Dime Novels about the kingdom's history and sometimes tells Maia about his ancestors.

Verer Orthema

The captain of the guards of the royal court, who the royal family's personal bodyguards are chosen from.

Beware the Nice Ones: He is a kind and dutiful man whose first reaction to any serious threat against the empire is to request permission to militarize the court. Later, after a second plot is revealed, he asks to detain anyone associated with the known conspirators.
My Master, Right or Wrong: He was loyal to the late emperor and considered him a friend, but makes it clear that he frequently disapproved of his conduct, especially his mistreatment of Maia.
Old Man Marrying a Child: He is about sixty but his wife is barely out of her teens, although they seem to have a good relationship.
Oppose What You Suffered: He has been called an abomination in the past because of his oddly colored eyes and thus is willing to defend people who are shunned or hated for their physical traits, like albinism.
Rugged Scar: He is a combat veteran with battle scars on his nose and forehead.

Characters / The Goblin Emperor

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