History Characters / Safehold

* RomancingTheWidow: From ''How Firm a Foundation'' on he romances Sharleyan's mother, Queen Mother Alannah. Sharleyan herself doesn't mind, is quite happy for them, and not worried about potential scandal since they're both largely out of the public eye at that point, so remaining discreet shouldn't be an issue.

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: She had to maintain an image of TheHighQueen from childhood. One of her oft-mentioned memories of this time is when she had to sign her first execution warrant for a traitorous noble. She managed to get the job done and sentence the man, then vomited as soon as she was out of sight. One thing she's grateful for when it comes to her marriage with Cayleb is that it brings her the closest she's likely to get to a normal life as a wife and mother.

* TheChick: Has this role in both the Old Charis leadership and the Inner Circle.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: She makes sure that she's in charge by beating up the one bigot who said that a woman can't be a captain.

* NoPronunciationGuide: There's no hint in the text about how to pronounce either her name or Dafydd's (her father), something that is especially noticeable in the audiobooks, since the pronunciations ''keep changing'' without ever getting it right. Incidentally, Nimue is either NIM-oo-aa or NIM-way, while Dafydd is DAV-ith (''th'' like in 'the').

* [[LikeASonToMe Like a Daughter to Me]]: Feels like this towards Nimue.

** Noted as his single creepiest attribute. It's noted as early as ''By Heresies Distressed'', but ''Hell's Foundations Quiver'' has Duchairn note that Clyntahn seems completely sincere and without irony when he says, regarding the Fist of Kau-yung, that "men who've sold their souls to [Shan-wei] have every reason to murder true servants of God and then lie about their victims to justify their bloody actions." When the Fist of Kau-yung has been murdering corrupt members of the clergy whose corrupt Zhaspahr has been using for years as blackmail material to ensure their obedience.

** Noted as his single creepiest attribute. It's noted as early as ''By Heresies Distressed'', but ''Hell's Foundations Quiver'' has Duchairn note that Clyntahn seems completely sincere and without irony when he says, regarding the Fist of Kau-yung, that "men who've sold their souls to [Shan-wei] have every reason to murder true servants of God and then lie about their victims to justify their bloody actions."

* EgocentricallyReligious: There is much by both antagonists and protagonists alike regarding where Clyntahn's narcissism ends and his devotion to God begins. It's noted that Clyntahn started this war largely to increase the influence of the Inquisition (and, by extension, himself), sincerely believes his own survival is equivalent to Mother Church's, and that his own death would mean the end of the world. At the same time, his devotion is sincere enough that when, [[spoiler:before his execution, it's shown to him that the Church he claimed to fight for was a lie]], the revelation leaves him broken and raving that he did what he did because [[spoiler:he believed the ''Writ'' to be true]].

* BadassBeard and BadassMustache

* BadassBeard: Cayleb grows one in ''By Heresies Distressed''. There's some argument between him and Sharleyan about letting him keep it, but it manages to stick around.

* LaResistance: One of very few places in the Empire where there's organized opposition, even several, to Charis' rule. This is thanks largely tot heir being blamed for Hektor's assassination. Once the Church's complicity is widely suspected and later proven, much of the wind is taken out of their sails.

* NotSoDifferent: Sharleyan notes this between the two of them. Hektor was aware of it, too. Coris tells Irys that one reason Hektor didn't change the inheritance laws to give Irys the throne was because he didn't think Safehold could handle Sharleyan and Irys on opposite sides.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: [[invoked]] Some characters consider it possible that he died in Kau-yung's attack and the ''Book of Schueler'' is actually a PosthumousCollaboration by Chihiro or somebody else.

* {{Transgender}}: Originally, Nimue Alban was just using Merlin as a mask because women on Safehold have the devil's own time being taken seriously. However, she soon [[BecomingTheMask comes to identify herself permanently as Merlin, and not as Nimue]]. Nimue Chwaeriau notes the change in ''Through Fiery Trials'', stating that whatever he was before, Merlin is a man now.

* ReverseMole: For Shan-wei's faction on the Administrative Council. He and his wife staged a public disagreement and estrangement for this purpose.

* Andropov — patron of... [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers gambling?]]

* OneOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Stands out as the only non-monarchy on Safehold.