A list of characters in the television series The Shannara Chronicles.
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Main characters
Wil Ohmsford
Wil Ohmsford
Click here to see him in Season 2
]Played By: Austin Butler
"When you've spent your whole life being judged for who you are, you try to keep an open mind about people."
A young man from Shady Vale who discovers he is the last member of the Shannara bloodline.
- Action Survivor: Since he's a Non-Action Guy in season 1, he mostly survives by running away, improvising or relying on his Elfstones.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Shea Ohmsford is Wil's paternal grandfather in the book. In the series, he is his father.
- Adaptational Wimp: In the books Wil is already a learned Healer who's well established in Storlock. In the show he's still an aspiring Healer and has never set foot outside of his home.
- All-Loving Hero: He's a genuinely good person who wants to become a healer out of a desire to help people.
- Audience Surrogate: Wil has never even set foot outside of his hometown, and is very naive, allowing him to ask questions to have Allanon explain to him several things about the setting.
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: Wil is well endowed, if Eretria's comments while leaving the morning after having sex with him are anything to go by.Eretria: I'll never call you short tips again.
- Chick Magnet: Attracts both Eretria and Amberle. Even the Witch Sisters, who intend to kill them all, plant a kiss on him. In Season 2, Mareth eventually starts pining for him as well.
- Combat Medic: By season 2, he's much better at both fighting and being a healer.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments:Amberle: You're here with a druid? I thought they were all dead.
Wil: This one just took a very long nap. - Good Is Dumb: Definitely the least street-smart of the main characters in Season 1. Also the kindest and gentlest one. In Season 2, he's a lot tougher and more competent, and also angrier and more cynical - he's less dumb, but also less good.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Not human enough to fit in Shady Vale, but not Elven enough to be accepted by them.
- Half-Human Hybrid: His father was an Elf, and his mother a human woman. Although his dad was adopted by humans and raised in Shady Vale.
- I Am Who?: He has no clue about what a Shannara even is when Allanon tells him about his destiny.
- Last of His Kind: The last descendant of the legendary Elven King Jerle Shannara, who ruled Arborlon before the Elessedil family.
- The Medic: He wishes to go to Storlock and train as a physician, but he is already pretty knowledgeable about medicine. During the Time Skip in season 2, he actually got his wish and became a talented student there, although he's been faltering due to the traumas he got in season 1.
- Mr. Fanservice: He's very attractive and gets a lot of Shirtless Scenes. Most of the girls check him out at least once.
- Naïve Newcomer: He's never set foot outside of his hometown before the start of the series, and gets taken advantage of pretty quickly due to his naivete.
- Naked First Impression:
- Gives one to Allanon, who first meets Wil when he finds him passed out in a bathtub after being drugged and robbed by Eretria.
- He is later given one by Amberle when he bumps into her while she takes a Waterfall Shower.
- Nice Guy: Wil starts out as a very cheerful and friendly individual, always trying his best to mediate between people.
- Non-Action Guy: Out of the four Season 1 leads, he's the only one who starts out with no combat skills. note
- One Head Taller: Wil is considerably taller than Eretria. It becomes most obvious when they're riding a horse together.
- The Protagonist: He's The Hero and the main character of both seasons.
- Sex God: After sleeping with him, Eretria mentions him being very good in bed.
- Significant Haircut: Cuts his hair between Season 1 and 2, giving him a harsher and leaner look to go with his more bitter and cynical worldview.
- Taught by Experience:
- After being robbed of the Elfstones numerous times, he switches them out for dice and lets Cephelo see where he put the pouch, so Cephelo ends up stealing the dice.
- In season 2, he's much more distrustful of Mareth when she comes searching for him, telling her he's been fooled by beautiful women trying to take advantage of him before.
- Took a Level in Badass: Over the course of the first season, Wil becomes a lot more competent and confident. He never becomes as good a fighter as Eretria or as powerful a battle-mage as Allanon, but by the end of the season he can pick up a weapon and contribute to a fight, or use the Elfstones to hold off a supernatural evil for a critical moment.
- Took a Level in Cynic: He's much broodier and cynical in season 2, due to losing Amberle.
- Tragic Keepsake: Elfstones are not only a MacGuffin to him, but a keepsake he has to remember his mother, as she gave it to him on her deathbed.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Amberle for most of season 1. They get together in the season finale, just before the final battle.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Wil constantly finds himself in situations that require him to take off his shirt.
Amberle Elessedil
Princess Amberle Elessedil
Played By: Poppy Drayton (adult), Angelina Cottrell (child)
"I didn't do all of this just to lose."
An Elven princess and granddaughter of King Eventine, she is the first woman to become one of the Chosen who tend to the Ellcrys. Her late father Aine was Eventine's eldest son.
- Action Girl: She is quite handy in a fight. Considerably more so than Wil. But at the same time, see Faux Action Girl below.
- Adaptational Badass: Although she does get captured a lot, the show's Amberle still is introduced while beating boys in a race and she's quite skilled with weapons. In the books, Amberle never fights and has no such skills.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Amberle in the books is described as having chestnut brown hair. Here she has dark brown hair.
- The Chosen One: As the last of the order of the Chosen, she alone can do what is necessary to bring forth a new Ellcrys and restore the barriers of the Forbidding.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: She becomes extremely jealous of Wil's relationship with Eretria, especially when she learns they slept together.
- Covert Pervert: She sneaks a peek at Wil's chest when he disrobes to fetch mud from the Silver River.
- Demoted to Extra: One of the main characters in Season 1, but only has a few scenes in Season 2. Mostly because she's technically the spirit of a tree by that time.
- Deuteragonist: Her role in the plot comes second only to Wil in season 1. But she gets Demoted to Extra in season 2.
- Dude Magnet: Lorin, Wil and Cephelo are all attracted to her. Even Eretria shows some interest.
- Faux Action Girl: For someone with noted fighting skills, she seems to spend an awful lot of time tied up and needing to be saved by Wil or Eretria, whereas they rarely need much help from her.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the season 1 finale, she had to give up her life to become the new Ellcrys and hold back the demons.
- The Lost Lenore: Becomes this for Wil in season 2 after her Heroic Sacrifice, as he's shown to have trouble moving on from her.
- Missing Mom: It's mentioned that her mother suffered from Death by Childbirth.
- Modest Royalty: Despite her status as royalty, she mostly wears practical clothing and armor.
- Ms. Fanservice: She's easy on the eyes and gets many bath scenes, though doesn't show much more than Shoulders-Up Nudity or Toplessness from the Back.
- Naked First Impression: First meets Wil when he finds her taking a Waterfall Shower, which starts off their Unresolved Sexual Tension which will go on for most of the season.
- Princess Protagonist: Princess Deuteragonist in her case.
- Rebellious Princess: A moderate case, as she participated in the test to join the Chosen without the consent of her grandfather the king and knowing he would disapprove.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Like all the members of the Royal Family, she is very good in a fight.
- Sherlock Scan: She notices that Eretria doesn't have a wedding band, so cannot be meeting her husband as she claims.
- Skewed Priorities:
- In "Breakline", Amberle and Eretria are on the run from a pack of elf hunters and fall through a hole in the ground, finding themselves in the buried ruins of a human high school. Eretria immediately starts working on an escape attempt (the sensible thing to do, as they are still being hunted). Rather than help out in any way, Amberle walks around looking at pictures and collecting relics of the human world.
- She gets accused of this in episode 8, Eretria is sure the only reason Amberle was looking for her is because Eretria had the map to Safehold, Wil also seems to think it's true after hearing about it. Amberle herself is shocked at the accusation, and had honestly forgotten about the map.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Wil for most of season 1. They get together in the season finale, just before the final battle.
- Warrior Princess: She's a trained warrior and a princess of her kingdom. This is implied not to be unusual, as members of the royal family typically serve as commanders in the army.
- You Go, Girl!: She becomes the first woman to run the Gauntlet and become a Chosen by winning a handicapped race.
Eretria
Eretria
Click here to see her in Season 2
]Played By: Ivana Baquero
"If you want to survive in this world, you need to start taking care of yourself, because no one's gonna do that for you."
A Rover girl who becomes embroiled with Wil and Amberle’s quest.
- Action Girl: She can kick the crap out of men twice her size.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In the books, though Eretria had an indifferent father who used her to steal, the show made this even worse, with him letting his men abuse her and it's implied she was raped (or nearly so) as well.
- Adaptational Sexuality: Eretria in the books only shows attraction to men. Here, she's bisexual, and also seems to prefer women.
- Anti-Hero: While the other main characters are all driven by altruism to some degree, Eretria is pretty forthright about only looking out for number one. At least at first.
- The Artful Dodger: She’s a female version, who uses her beauty and adroit skill at covertly dosing beverages to rip people off.
- Badass Abnormal: After spending most of Season 1 as the token non-magical main character, it's eventually revealed that one of her ancestors was a demon, and she's inherited certain magical abilities from it.
- Badass Normal: Alone of the Season 1 main characters she doesn't have magical powers or visions. She kicks ass the normal way.
- Combat Pragmatist: Eretria doesn't believe in niceties during a fight, having no trouble knifing people In the Back, drugging an opponent beforehand or headbutting tied-up prisoners.Wil: That wasn't even close to a fair fight!
Eretria: Well, the world isn't fair! - Composite Character / Decomposite Character: Being part Demon on the show makes her comparable to the books' version of Mareth, who was fathered by one of the Warlock Lord's Skull Bearers.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Eretria was sold into slavery as a child, then raised by Cephelo as his daughter, who made her steal to survive while having to fend off his men, implying they probably raped her as well as you can't really expect she always succeeded.
- Depraved Bisexual: Downplayed at first. She starts out as a ruthless bisexual thief who flirts with or seduces people regardless of gender solely to rob them blind, but doesn't do anything worse. However, over time her being with Wil and Amberle (who both appeal to her) transforms Eretria into a nice woman, subverting it. She has a lover in Season 2, Lyria, whom she's genuinely caring and loving to.
- Deuteragonist: She's the Tritagonist in season 1, but gets upgraded to Deuteragonist in season 2 since Amberle gets Demoted to Extra and Eretria gets more plot-critical roles.
- Eating the Eye Candy: She sneaks a peek at Wil’s torso while he is taking a bath, and doesn’t even try to dissimulate it.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: She's the Token Evil Teammate compared to Wil and Amberle (though she starts Taking A Level In Kindness after Episode 6), and she's absolutely convinced that Amberle only came to rescue her in Episode 8 because she had a map that Amberle needed (as opposed to coming to rescue her because they were friends). Amberle takes offense at this.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- Pretty low standards, admittedly, but she does go out of her way to save Wil's life from a troll before robbing him, even though she could have just as easily looted his corpse.
- Also her attitude on killing:
Eretria: I kill to survive, not for sport.- Much as she hates Amberle, she can't bring herself to leave her to be raped. Though the fact that Amberle had previously pointed out that her grandfather would pay a fortune for her safe return probably helped.
- Money or no money, she makes a clear moral objection to leaving Wil and Amberle at the mercy of a demon, going back to save them at risk to her own life and over Cephelo's objections.
- Fantastic Racism: She despises the Elves, though she seems to be slowly getting over it in Amberle's case, and she doesn't have anything against Wil, who is half-Elf, other than calling him "mongrel" and "half-breed".
- Half-Human Hybrid: Season 2 reveals that she's a descendant of Armageddon's Children, a group of half-demons.
- The Highwayman: Eretria's main line of business is robbing travelers crossing her particular neck of the woods.
- Honey Trap: Eretria has no qualms whatsoever about using her sexuality to get her targets to drop their guard. She seduces Will to rob him when he's sleeping after they have sex.
- Instant Expert: After being given a 3,000 year old revolver at Utopia, she becomes a crack shot with it from the first time she uses it.
- Justified Criminal: She claims this, saying that she steals to survive. Amberle isn't having any of it.
- Le Parkour: In "Changeling", she breaks into the Elf palace by climbing through a seemingly high window without assistance, using only her hands.
- Morality Pet: Actually ends up being this for Amberle, not only showing the elf girl how not all Humans Are Bastards, but during the climax, her sacrifice convinces Amberle to fulfill her destiny.
- Parental Abandonment: Eretria's mother died in her childhood, killed by a demon, and her father is unknown. She was adopted by Cephalo after that, who's a terribly abusive father to her.
- Race Lift: The books describe her as "dusky", from a people based on the Roma. Here, she's played by a white Spanish actress.
- Sex Goddess: Implied, as Eretria brags about having sex with Wil for hours and "knocked him out" while she was none worse for the wear.
- Sherlock Scan: She notices the royal crest in Amberle’s bracelet, identifying her as an Elven princess.
- Slipping a Mickey: Eretria's favorite trick is to offer her marks a goblet of wine or water with drugs in it, and rob them blind at her discretion while they're unconscious. Amberle doesn't fall for it.
- The Tease: Eretria constantly flirts with Wil and Amberle during Season 1, while also denying she's attracted to them.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Being around Amberle and Wil gradually changes her from a selfish thief to a loyal and trustworthy friend.
- Troubled, but Cute: She acts like a complete Jerkass most of the time, but given her upbringing it's easy to see why... and, well, she's very cute.
- Waif-Fu: She is a very small woman, but she has little trouble flipping over men twice her size and kicking their ass.
Allanon
Allanon the Druid
Played By: Manu Bennett
"Being a Druid is not a choice. It's a calling."
The last of the Druids, he is the driving force behind the quest to restore the Ellcrys.
- Adaptational Badass: Played With. While he's still a badass in the books, he's more of a Squishy Wizard that relies on his magic. In the show, he's a swordfighter and engages in physical combat quite often.
- Character Death: Dies in the season 2 finale.
- Disappeared Dad: Unintentionally, he was absent in his daughter Mareth's life while she grew up, since he'd been unaware of her existence. Plus he'd thought he was sterile.
- The Fettered: He sees himself as doing what must be done, even when it isn't pleasant and even when it goes against his own desires.Allanon: Being a Druid isn't a choice. It's a calling.
- Good Is Not Nice: He's rude, tactless and not above using people as disposable pawns in his plans to save the world. However, the situation is usually desperate enough that his harsh measures are justifiable, and he is equally merciless to himself as to others. This attitude does come back to bite him when it contributes to Bandon being A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has what appears to be runes or sigils carved into the back of his neck. The effect is a little unsettling, but definitely falls on the side of cool rather than monstrous. It also works to symbolise that Allanon's magic carries a heavy cost to him.
- Interspecies Romance: He fell in love with Eventine’s sister Pyria, but it wasn’t meant to be.
- Kung-Fu Wizard: Both a great Druid magic-user and a hardbitten fighter with or without weapons.
- Last of His Kind: As the last of the Druids, the responsibility of dealing with magical threats lays squarely on his shoulders. Though we learn in Season 2 that he will not be the last.
- Magic Knight: In addition to his magical powers, he is also absolutely deadly with a sword.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: It's not really his fault, however. If his mentor Bremen ever bothered to use gender pronouns when telling Allanon he would have a successor, a lot of the troubles that arose during Season Two would never have happened. And Allanon might have lived longer.
- No Social Skills: Or at least none that he bothers to use. He always says exactly what he thinks without bothering to sugarcoat it, and just generally seems to have trouble relating to other people.
- Really 700 Years Old: He hasn't aged a day in the thirty years since King Eventine last saw him, and his conversation with Wil at the Druid's Keep implies that he is centuries old. Later confirmed in his conversation with Bremen - he is over 300 years old.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Not huge but clearly his reaction, first to how Arion refuses to believe in magic and then to how Eventine has allowed his people to believe the Ellcrys holding back demons to only be a myth. He also clearly can't believe Wil, the great hope of the lands, has let himself be robbed of the Elfstones and has no clue of his inner magic. He basically walks around with an attitude of "how am I supposed to save the world with these punks?"
- Telepathy: Has a habit of reading people's minds, though if a person has magic then it's almost impossible for him to read them.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- In Season 1 he calls out Prince Ander for trying to abdicate, as the elves need a strong leader now more than ever.
- He's also a frequent target for this trope, since he tends to look at the big picture and be pretty callous about lying to or even outright sacrificing other people when he thinks it's necessary.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: After 300 years, he's very, very tired. It probably doesn't help that his longevity is of an especially Blessed with Suck variety whereby he doesn't actually spend any more time living, just goes into suspended animation a lot so that he only lives through times when he's needed.
- You Can't Fight Fate: His philosophy, and he's most often right.
The Elves
The Royal Family
Eventine Elessedil
King Eventine Elessedil
Played By: John Rhys-Davies
The King of the Elves, he is contemplating abdicating the throne as the series starts.
- Character Death: Stabbed to death by the Changeling in episode 5.
- Death by Adaptation: In the show he's killed when the Changeling attacks him. In the books, while he is attacked and wounded by the Changeling, he manages to kill the demon by himself before falling into a coma, averting the Kill and Replace plot. He does die much later of these wounds.
- The Good King: He is a wise ruler and beloved by his people.
- Kill and Replace: He's slain and replaced by the Changeling in episode 5.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: As soon as Allanon comes into the picture, King Eventine gets with the program immediately and starts cooperating to the best of his ability.
- Retired Badass: He's said to have fought in the War of the Races alongside Allanor long before the series started. By now, he's already retired as a warrior.
Arion Elessedil
Prince Arion Elessedil
Played By: Daniel Mac Pherson
King Eventine’s eldest surviving son and heir to the throne.
- Always Second Best: He lives in the shadow of his late elder brother, believing that no matter what he accomplishes, he will never measure up in his father's eyes.
- Came Back Wrong: He's is revived as a thrall for Dagna Mor and forced to fight for him in the Season 1 finale.
- Character Death: Is killed by Dagna Mor after being tricked into a suicide mission by The Changeling.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: He absolutely refuses to believe in magic or demons, even in the face of ever-increasing evidence of their existence, thinking the Gnomes are the ones behind everything.
- Jerkass: The man is a complete dick to almost everyone he interacts with, including members of his own family.
- Inadequate Inheritor: His father considers him to be one given his hostile attitude towards Allanon and tells him he won't step down even after the Ellcrys crisis is done since Arion has shown he's not ready to be a king.
- Mercy Kill: His only moment of clarity as Dagna Mor's thrall is to ask for his brother to finish him off.
- The Usurper: He openly states his father should step down and let Arion be king so he can handle "our true enemy." Slightly Subverted as he truly doesn't believe in magic and thinks this has to be some sort of normal attack. His father wisely realizes this attitude just proves he's not ready to be king.
Ander Elessedil
Prince Ander Elessedil
Played By: Aaron Jakubenko
King Eventine’s youngest son.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: After Eventine's death is revealed, and with some encouragement from Allanon, he becomes the next king.
- Cartwright Curse: In Season 1, he's still in love with Tilton, and she dies in battle with the demons in the season finale. In Season 2, he's revealed to have started a relationship with Catania, who doesn't last many episodes before being killed by his enemies.
- The Chains of Commanding: He does not particularly enjoy being King of Arborlon. Considering that his reign has so far consisted of fighting a Hopeless War against a demon horde and then being stuck with the almost as demoralising task of rebuilding a kingdom ruined by said war, while constantly having to fend off would-be usurpers to his throne and losing just about everyone he cares about, that is perhaps understandable.
- Cool Uncle: He is very close with his niece Amberle, aiding and abetting her in her plans.
- Death by Adaptation: in the book, he survives the whole trilogy. In the show, he is killed by Riga during his wedding to Lyria.
- Insistent Terminology: He doesn't "indulge" his niece's whims - he aids and abets her plans.
- It's All My Fault: Fully blames himself for his eldest brother's death, as he died because Ander's carelessness allowed Gnome assassins to gain access to the palace.
- Stepford Smiler: Despite his devil-may-care attitude, Idle Rich front and flippant disregard for tradition (unless it involves parties), he holds onto a deep-seated guilt over his brother Aine's death, to the point of telling his father that he wishes he himself had died instead.
The Crimson
Riga
General Riga
Played By: Desmond Chiam
A renowned Elven general, he is the founder and leader of the Crimson.
- Affably Evil: If you are not a magic user, and you cooperate with him, he is an extremely pleasant and genial person to deal with.
- Anti-Magic: He is highly resistant to magic, due to having some Mwellret blood, which he puts to use as a Mage Killer.
- Antimagical Faction: He is the founder of the Crimson, an Elven extremist group that believes that magic is the source of all the suffering the Elves have endured during the events of the series. He seeks to eradicate magic and everyone who uses it.
- Canon Foreigner: He has no counterpart in the book series.
- Nonhuman Humanoid Hybrid: He is an elf with Mwellret (a race of scaly mutants) blood running through his veins, as a result of his mother being attacked by Mwellrets while she was pregnant with him.
- Off with His Head!: The Warlock Lord literally rips his head off. And you see every second of it happen.
- Red Right Hand: His left eye is an unnatural turquoise color. It's the only thing keeping him from being strikingly handsome, as well as clueing in the viewer to the fact that he's not one of the good guys.
- Remember the New Guy?: One of King Eventine's top generals during the War of the Forbidding, he was nowhere to be seen during Season 1.
- Sickly Child Grew Up Strong: He grew up suffering from crippling pains and sensitivity to light due to his Mwellret blood, but by the time we meet him he's a powerful warrior who can hold his own against the likes of Allanon and Jax.
Valcaa
Valcaa
Played By: Erroll Shand
A member of the Crimson and one of Riga's lieutenants.
- Canon Foreigner: He's an original character created for the show and has no book counterpart.
- The Dragon: He does General Riga's dirty work.
- Stupid Evil: Manages to be this despite not actually seeing himself as evil. He seems to take every opportunity to be as unnecessarily awful as possible, and it repeatedly backfires on him.
- Would Hurt a Child: Kills a small boy, apparently for no better reason than that the kid was in the way.
Other Elves
Diana Tilton
Commander Diana Tilton
Played By: Emelia Burns
The captain of the guard in Arborlon.
- Action Girl: She's one of the most formidable fighters on the show.
- Aerith and Bob: Unlike all the other Elves, her name wouldn't be out of place among 21st-century humans.
- Canon Foreigner: She has no counterpart in the book series.
- Love Triangle: She's in the middle of one between Prince Arion, herself and Ander.
- Not So Above It All: She can’t help but crack a smile when Amberle becomes the first woman to join the Chosen.
Bandon
Bandon
Click here to see him in Season 2
]Played By: Marcus Vanco
An elf Amberle and Wil come across locked in a barn on a farm decimated by demons. He has a dark burden that makes even a casual touch terrifying.
- Affably Evil: Even after his Face–Heel Turn he doesn't seem to be interested in being needlessly unpleasant to anyone (with the possible exception of Allanon, whom he blames for his misfortunes). He just doesn't care what he has to do to them to get his way, either.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: A Shirtless Scene in Season 2 shows him to have carved sigils into his back in much the same way as Allanon, presumably for the same occult reasons. Making him an evil character with "good" scars.
- Canon Foreigner: He has no counterpart in the book series.
- Cursed with Awesome: While he doesn't like his powers, the fact that he is seeing a potential outcome means that he has the ability to intervene.
- Doesn't Like Being Touched: Seeing the death of anyone who does will do that to you.
- Evil Counterpart: To Wil in Season 2. They were both born different and suffered for it, they were both used ruthlessly by Allanon in his efforts to save the world and resents him for it, they both fell in love with someone and then lost her (and both blame Allanon for it, though in neither case was it really his fault). Towards the end of the season, Wil comes to terms with his bitterness, forgives the people he has grudges against and ends up making a Heroic Sacrifice, while Bandon ultimately decides that no one will ever care about him and so he should become completely selfish, and ends up being ignobly killed when trying to usurp a more powerful villain. Even their hair is equal and opposite - Wil has long, blond hair in Season 1 and cuts it short before Season 2, while Bandon has short, dark hair in Season 1 and grows it out before Season 2.
- Face–Heel Turn: In the Season 1 finale, after which he becomes part of the Big Bad Ensemble in Season 2.
- Forgot About His Powers: Although precognition is the first and most notable magic that Bandon displays in Season 1, in Season 2 he uses it not at all, despite that it would have been really helpful to him.
- Freudian Excuse: Locked up by his family because they feared his magic, and forced to watch them be killed by demons despite his attempts to warn them. Exploited as a resource by a cynical Druid, imprisoned by the Big Bad, and infected with a corruption that ended up driving away the one person who seemed to care about him for himself. Surrounded by Muggles who increasingly hate and fear magic users like him. Yeah, trying to resurrect the Warlock Lord might not be the healthiest reaction to all of the above, but it's hard to blame him for feeling angry at the world... at least until he murders an innocent boy.
- Magic Knight: While he starts out without much in the way of either magical or martial skill, he eventually acquires large amounts of both.
- Mind over Matter: Becomes quite handy with telekinesis in Season 2.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: A rare example on the side of good. His turn to the dark side is chiefly motivated by Allanon's willingness to use him as psychic bait for the Dagda Mor.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Goes from Allanon's apprentice in Season 1 to the Big Bad of Season 2.
- Seers: Has the ability to see the potential moment of a person's death upon contact with them.
- Telepathy: In Season 2, he has learned to read people's minds.
- Walking Spoiler: It's really hard to say anything about him in Season 2 without spoiling what happens to him in late Season 1.
- We Can Rule Together: In Season 2, he is fond of making this offer to those he regards as his fellow outcasts.
- Would Hurt a Child: Brutally murders an innocent young boy in season two to punish the boy's parents for unknowingly badmouthing him.
Catania
Catania
Played By: Brooke Williams
Amberle's handmaiden and childhood friend.
- Canon Foreigner: She is an original character that has no counterpart in the book series.
- Character Death: Stabbed to death by Edain because she found out too much.
- Childhood Friends: With Amberle, often complicit in Amberle's schemes
- The Confidant: For Amberle; Catania is her close friend and one of the few who are supportive of her rebellious streak. In fact, this is why her character was created.
- The Lost Lenore: To Bandon in Season 2. After Edain kills her, part of Bandon's reason for wanting to bring back the Warlock Lord becomes so he can resurrect her. He does, but it predictably turns out badly.
- Love Interest: For both Bandon and Ander.
- Nice Girl: She's consistently kind and selfless.
- Ship Tease: With Bandon, particularly after he saves her life.
The Humans
The Rovers
Cephelo
Cephelo
Played By: James Remar
The leader of a band of Rovers and Eretria’s adoptive father.
- Abusive Parents: Cephelo was anything but a good parent, and Eretria really resents him:Eretria: I spent my days learning how to steal and my nights fending off his men.
- He allows his men to physically abuse her - one strangles her with a whip onscreen when the gang catches up with her in an early episode.
- He laughs his ass off when Eretria is held at knifepoint by Amberle, completely unfazed at the idea of his daughter being killed.
- In fact, he threatened to kill her himself, if she doesn't bring him the Elfstones. And before that, he threatened to sell her to some other Rover gang leader who wants her for a bride. Which implies that he really sees Eretria as less of an adopted daughter and more of an indentured slave apprentice.
- Action Survivor: Uses his extensive knowledge to survive in the harsh wilderness and even defeats a powerful demon by drawing it into a trap.
- Adaptational Villainy: He was an opportunistic Con Man and an indifferent father in the books, but the show has really upped both those traits to a thief, abuser and attempted rapist.
- Con Man: He reads Wil like an open book and plays him like a fiddle for a while.
- Faux Affably Evil: Listen to that warm, fatherly, reasonable voice and it's easy to forget what a bastard he is... until he starts talking about killing, raping or selling people into slavery in the exact same tone.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: He admits Eretria deserved a better life right before cutting a rope that Eretria, Wil, Amberle, and an unstoppable demon juggernaut were hanging from, causing all four to fall off a mountain.
- Pervert Dad: Cephelo often mentions how pretty and beautiful Eretria is, often while uncomfortably close; the fact that he is only her adoptive father doesn't alleviate the
Squick factor. - Redemption Equals Death: Sacrifices himself to give Eretria and her friends time to escape some crazy humans, admittedly it was only after he was already dying and running and bargaining had failed, but he does apologize to Eretria for everything he did.
- Token Evil Teammate: When forced to work with the heroes, he makes for a surprisingly valuable ally. Until his inevitable betrayal, of course.
The Kingdom of Leah
Queen Tamlin
Queen Tamlin of Leah
Played By: Caroline Chikezie
The queen of the kingdom of Leah, a cunning ruler.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: At her execution Tamlin jumps off the dam to her death rather than give Riga the satisfaction of pushing her off himself.
- Blatant Lies: She claims that Lyria strings people along just to break their hearts in order to turn Eretria against her, but it's pretty clear that she's either paid off or killed all of Lyria's past lovers.
- Canon Foreigner: She has no counterpart in the book series.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Of the three major factions in Season 2 (King Ander, the Crimson and Bandon), she turns out to have made deals with all three that she's not planning on ever delivering on. It eventually backfires fatally on her.
- The Easy Way or the Hard Way: She gives the same choice to all of Lyria's lovers: a handful of diamonds if they leave and never see Lyria again, or a swift execution.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: She cares more about the power of her kingdom than the happiness of her daughter.
- Mama Bear: She may not care about her daughter's wishes, freedom or happiness, but by damn she cares an awful lot about her safety.
- Older Than They Look: She was already Queen of Leah during the last War of the Races, 30 years ago, which would make her of the same generation as King Eventine and Flick Ohmsford. And yet, she looks considerably younger than either of them.
- Race Lift: While Tamlin has no book counterpart the House of Leah in the books are all depicted as Caucasian rather than African.
Princess Lyria
Princess Lyria of Leah
Played By: Vanessa Morgan
Queen Tamlin’s daughter and heir, introduced as Eretria's Love Interest in Season 2 before it's revealed she's a runaway princess.
- Ambiguously Absent Parent: Lyria's father isn't seen or mentioned at all.
- Canon Foreigner: She has no counterpart in the book series.
- Has a Type: According to her mother, she has a thing for "feisty brunettes."
- Lipstick Lesbian: She's a very elegant princess who wears gorgeous dresses, while also being into women.
- Parental Abandonment: Lyria's father isn't mentioned or seen, while her mother kills herself rather than be killed by Riga.
- Race Lift: While Lyria has no book counterpart the House of Leah in the books are all depicted as Caucasian rather than African, or bi-racial in Lyria's case.
- Rebellious Princess: She ran away from the palace to join Cogline's Enclave and claims to have been far happier there than she ever was as a princess.
Garet Jax
Garet Jax
Played By: Gentry White
A bounty-hunter in the employ of Queen Tamlin, he is one of the deadliest warriors in the Four Lands.
- Adaptation Personality Change: The Garet Jax of the books was a taciturn man interested only in testing his skill and fighting the ultimate Worthy Opponent. In the series, he is a roguish and lustful bounty-hunter driven by profit and pleasure.
- Badass Normal: Has never been hinted to have any magical abilities, but is still one of the most formidable fighters in the series - hinted to be even better than Eretria, who was previously the show's supreme Badass Normal and who does in fact have some magical ancestry that might explain some of her prowess.
- Bounty Hunter: His occupation. Even when offered a permanent position among her forces by Queen Tamlin, he prefers the freedom and profits of being a bounty hunter.
- Insistent Terminology: He's not a bounty hunter, he's a weapons master.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: Jax will work for anyone who can afford him, whether that means Queen Tamlin, the Crimson or the heroes. He eventually comes around to a more idealistic mindset, though.
- One-Man Army: He slaughters eight men without breaking a sweat in his introductory scene.
- Race Lift: His counterpart from The Wishsong of Shannara is described as having light skin browned and weathered by the sun and wind, gray eyes, and light hair bleached silver by the sun. In the series he is played by an actor of African descent.
- Sole Survivor: During the war he commanded a unit of the Border Legion that was attacked by Demons. He was the only one to survive.
The Enclave
Cogline
Cogline
Played By: Andrew Grainger
A mysterious man from Eretria's past, later revealed to be an ex-Druid. He leads a group of scavengers in the Wilderun and experiments with combinations of magic and science.
- Cool Old Guy: He's at least middle-aged, but hasn't let that slow him down.
- Ignorance Is Bliss: One of his core beliefs, and the reason why he tries to tell people as little as possible of things he thinks they're happier not knowing.
- Magitek: His specialty. Among other things, he carries what seems to be a high-tech version of Allanon's staff which is powered by a battery at his belt.
- Meaningful Name: He's a gadgeteer, meaning he's heavily associated with cogs and lines.
- Psycho Supporter: He sees himself as being this to Eretria, keeping her safe in the Wilderun at the cost of lying to her about her past and concealing Wil's attempts of finding her from her.
- Science Hero: Has his people go over the ruins of San Fransisco looking for surviving technology for him to examine.
- Ultimate Blacksmith: He was the one who originally forged the Sword of Shannara. The physical sword; it was Bremen who enchanted it.
The Gnomes
Slanter
Slanter
Played By: Jared Turner
The leader of the Gnome rebellion.
- Demoted to Extra: In Season 1, he's an important sometimes-adversary, sometimes-ally to the heroes. In Season 2, his role seems limited to following first Ander and then Jax around.
- Enemy Mine: Once he realizes the magnitude of the threat the demon horde poses, he leads his people into an alliance with their traditional enemy, the Elves.
- Hero Killer: He is the one responsible for the death of Amberle's father.
- Heel–Face Turn: He is introduced as an enemy, but quickly sides with the heroes when he realizes the entire world is at stake.
- Recruiting the Criminal: Prince Ander recruits him to guide him through the Breakline Mountains.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Among the Gnomes. Once he sees the evidence with his own eyes he immediately agrees to help.
- Rebel Leader: He led the Gnome rebellion until he was captured 10 years before the events of the series.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Slanter and a group of his compatriots attempted to assassinate King Eventine, killing Amberle's father in the process.
The Elder Stor
The Elder Stor
Played By: Calvin Tuteao
The leader of Storlock, a mostly Gnomish village home to the finest healers in the Four Lands.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He is never called anything other than "the Elder Stor."
- The Medic: His occupation, as well as being the leader of a whole institution of medics.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While he is stern, he always tries to be fair to people and is ultimately on the side of good.
- The Stoic: He remains unflappable, no matter how many anti-magic zealots and sorcerous lunatics turn up at his doorstep.
Half-Elves
Mareth
Mareth
Played By: Malese Jow
A mysterious young woman with magical powers. The daughter of Allanon's old flame, King Eventine's sister Pyria, she believes that Allanon is her father and wants him to train her in the use of her magic.
- Canon Foreigner: Technically. While there is a character in the Shannara books named Mareth she is neither a half-elf, Allanon's daughter (though she did wrongly assume she was his mentor Bremen's daughter for a while), nor even alive as of the events of Elfstones, as she lived during the time of Jerle Shannara. What they have in common besides the name is possessing inborn magic and being trained by the current Druid.
- Composite Character / Decomposite Character: Of the book version of Mareth (her name, innate magic, and status as an apprentice Druid, and that she - correctly - believes Allanon to be her father, as the book Mareth - mistakenly - believed Bremen to be her father at first), Jair and Par Ohmsford (her ability to create illusions appears similar to their versions of the Wishsong, and much like both of them she starts out seeing magic as a wonderful gift but eventually learns that it's a bit more complicated than that) and Walker Boh (as Allanon's successor in the Druid Order). Meanwhile, Book Mareth's demonic lineage (as her father was actually one of the Warlock Lord's Skull Bearers) is given to Eretria.
- Disappeared Dad: Allanon wasn't in her life until she grew up because he didn't even know he'd fathered a child.
- Foil: To Wil. They are both Half-Elves with a magical inheritance, but while he'd rather be rid of his, she's eager to embrace hers.
- Half-Human Hybrid: She's the daughter of the Elf Pyria and the Human Allanon.
- Hidden Backup Prince: Not an intentional example, but she turns out to serve this function after the death of every other Elessedil.
- Jumped at the Call: In contrast to Wil, she starts out eager to explore her magical heritage.
- Luke, You Are My Father: Allanon not only never knew he had a daughter, but had believed that the Druid Sleep had made him sterile.
- Magic Knight: While she starts out relying on her illusions, she quickly develops impressive sword skills after training with Allanon.
- Master of Illusion: Her main ability.
- Power Incontinence: She can control her illusions well, but she's got other, more dangerous powers that tend to erupt when she gets upset. She started her search for Allanon after accidentally hurting someone she cared about.
- Second Love: Becomes Wil's Love Interest in Season 2 after Amberle's Heroic Sacrifice.
- Superpowerful Genetics: Even though Allanon learned his magic rather than being born with it, she appears to have inherited some of it.
The Demons
The Dagda Mor
The Dagda Mor
Played By: Jed Brophy
The leader of the demons of the Forbidding and the main antagonist of the first season.
- Adaptation Species Change: A partial one in that the Dagda Mor is still a demon, however in this adaptation he started off as an Elven Druid before he was corrupted by the Ildatch.
- Big Bad: For Season 1. Goes with being the leader of the demons who want to lay waste to the world.
- Composite Character: He retains all the characteristics of his literary counterpart, but gets a backstory similar to that of Brona the Warlock Lord, the Big Bad of The Sword of Shannara, both being former Druids who were corrupted by the power of the Ildatch and turned into monsters.
- Demon of Human Origin: He has been a demon for untold millenia, but originally he was an Elf.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Up until the Ellcrys began to die, he was imprisoned in the Forbidding along with the rest of the demonic hordes.
- Spell My Name with a "The": It's the Dagda Mor, thank you very much.
- Was Once a Man: He was once an Elven Druid, before he was corrupted and became a demon.
The Changeling
The Changeling
Click here to see its true appearance
Played By: Shushila Takao
The Changeling is an ancient Demon, a shapeshifter that can inhabit the form of any being it chooses. It is Dagda Mor’s spy inside Arborlon.
- Ambiguous Gender: It presents itself to Dagda Mor in a female form, but it also impersonates male characters and its true shape lacks any distinguishing gender characteristics whatsoever.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: When reporting to Dagda Mor it assumes the form of a beautiful Elf-like female, because that’s the form Dagda Mor would rather see.
- Kill and Replace: Its preferred tactic, although not as effective as most instances of this trope because it still has to dispose of the dead body, which is problematic. It eventually pulls this on Eventine.
- Morphic Resonance: Its eyes occasionally flash silver while in an assumed form. This is the main way by which it can be identified.
- Shapeshifter Default Form: Its true form is seen occasionally and it’s hideous and hairless.
- Technically Naked Shapeshifter: The Changeling’s transformations include its clothing. When in its default form it is actually shown to be naked.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Its power allows it to assume the identity of any person or animal.
The Warlock Lord
Played By: Manu Bennett
A renegade Druid who tried to conquer the Four Lands in the War of the Races. Was killed by Shea Ohmsford but comes back to wreak more havoc in Season 2.
- Back from the Dead: He made preparations to ensure that in the event of his death, his followers would be able to resurrect him. He also proves capable of bringing other dead people back. Weirdly, he seems to see this more as an inconvenience than a positive, hinting that he spent his time dead busy... elsewhere. Apparently not enough to kill himself or otherwise depart before conquering the Four Lands though.
- Beard of Evil: Grew an especially sinister-looking one.
- Big Bad: For the backstory, and also for the last few episodes of Season 2.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": While his book counterpart is sometimes called by his given name, Brona, in the show he's only ever referred to as the Warlock Lord.
- Evil Counterpart: He is in many ways a dark reflection of Allanon, with all the Druid's morally ambiguous traits exaggerated to the point of nightmarish villainy. He is even played by the same actor, which is explained in-show by the fact that Allanon's blood was used in resurrecting him.
- Greater-Scope Villain: He serves this purpose in Season 1 and the first half of Season 2, before appearing in person.
- Love Is a Weakness: And so, according to him, is friendship. And pragmatic alliances among equals. And anything else short of absolute dominion. One might say he's not really a people person.
- Magic Knight: He has enormous magical power and also wields the Warlock Blade with great skill.
- Mind Control: A strategy he seems to favour.
- Mind over Matter: He commands powerful telekinesis.
- Savage Piercings: He has multiple piercings across his face, and is certainly brutal and savage enough to live up to the trope.
- Voice of the Legion: His voice has a scary, echoing quality to it.
