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* EmbarrassingNickname: [[TheNicknamer Harry]] deliberately gives them these, in order to make them less scary - which has actual weight in a world where fear and belief are empowering forces. Michael warns him against this....and then takes up the nicknames as well.
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* EmbarrassingNickname: [[TheNicknamer Harry]] deliberately gives them these, in order to make them less scary - -- which has actual weight in a world where fear and belief are empowering forces. Michael warns him against this....and this...then takes up the nicknames as well.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Described as such in ''Small Favor''. [[spoiler: In ''Skin Game'', it's gone to GutturalGrowler levels because of the damage Harry inflicted on Nick's throat in their last fight.]]
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* TheSociopath: Self-admitted in ''Skin Games''.
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* TheSociopath: Self-admitted in ''Skin Games''.Game''.
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* PublicDomainArtifact: The thirty pieces of silver.
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* PublicDomainArtifact: The thirty pieces of silver. [[spoiler:the noose Judas hung himself with.]]
* TimeAbyss: In ''Small Favor'' when Harry is describing the advantages the Denarians have, beyond the super strength, shapeshifting, and powerful magic, he considers the Fallen Angels themselves the strongest advantage for this trope. Not only do they likely predate the Creation of the Universe, they have had 2000 years living in a human mind and knowing how it ticks. They would know all the ways to tempt a person and what pains to make them feel, all in the name of converting someone to their cause. And then once they have a partner, they can give this wisdom to them and make the host a truly terrifying force.
* TimeAbyss: In ''Small Favor'' when Harry is describing the advantages the Denarians have, beyond the super strength, shapeshifting, and powerful magic, he considers the Fallen Angels themselves the strongest advantage for this trope. Not only do they likely predate the Creation of the Universe, they have had 2000 years living in a human mind and knowing how it ticks. They would know all the ways to tempt a person and what pains to make them feel, all in the name of converting someone to their cause. And then once they have a partner, they can give this wisdom to them and make the host a truly terrifying force.
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If by \"hot knife through butter\" you mean manages to defeat Harry, Kincaid, and lock down Ivy, sure.
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* ConservationOfNinjutsu: One Denarian? Total badass. ''Small Favor'''s [[spoiler:dozen nameless Denarians attempting to kidnap Ivy?]] I'm sorry, can you say, "Like a knife through hot butter."
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* TheCaper: [[spoiler: Plans on robbing Hades' Vault in ''Skin Games''.]]
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* TheSociopath: Self-admitted in ''Skin Games''.
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* ImAHumanitarian: She eats the tongues of those cult members in her service.
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Major bit of info needed adding
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*[[spoiler:WordOfGod: In A Q&A Jim confirmed that Lash was not only still alive, but appeared in Ghost Story, just not under that name.]]
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* ConservationOfNinjutsu: One Denarian? Total badass. ''Small Favor'''s [[spoiler:dozen nameless Denarians attempting to kidnap Ivy?]] I'm sorry, can you say, "Like a knife through hot butter."
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Oops, cut off edit reason. Harry called him \"Spinyboy\" not \"Thornyboy\"
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I\'m reading Small Favor now. That
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[[folder: Thorned Namshiel (aka "Thornyboy")]]
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[[folder: Thorned Namshiel (aka "Thornyboy")]]
"Spinyboy")]]
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* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The Denarians rarely work together, and even when they do, they spend quite a bit of time backstabbing each other.
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* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The various factions of Denarians rarely work together, and even when they do, they spend quite a bit of time backstabbing each other.other. Even within factions they're rarely what you'd call a happy family.
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* TragicMonster: The current vessel encountered in ''Death Masks'' was once a man named Rammussen, who was a gold prospector heading for California in 1849 when he came across Ursiel's coin. By the time Harry encounters him, Rammussen is a broken and insane man whose mind has been shattered by Ursiel.
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* TragicMonster: The current vessel encountered in ''Death Masks'' was once a man named Rammussen, Rasmussen, who was a gold prospector heading for California in 1849 when he came across Ursiel's coin. By the time Harry encounters him, Rammussen Rasmussen is a broken and insane man whose mind has been shattered by Ursiel.
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\"Everything\'s Worse With Bears\" clean-up
* BearsAreBadNews: So powerful that he takes [[spoiler: all three Knights of the Cross plus Harry]] to bring him down.
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* EverythingIsWorseWithBears: So powerful that he takes [[spoiler: all three Knights of the Cross plus Harry]] to bring him down.
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* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice[=/=]RedemptionEqualsDeath]]
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* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice[=/=]RedemptionEqualsDeath]][[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice[=/=]RedemptionEqualsDeath: This is what seems to have happened at the end of White Night, but the nature and abilities of the Fallen make it impossible to absolutely and unequivocally confirm it, and at the end of Ghost Story the Archangel Uriel confirms that Harry was very subtly manipulated by a Fallen who knew him intimately enough to know exactly what he would do. The Fallen in question is not named, and no information is given about it, so it could easily not be Lasciel, but if she survived in some form, she would certainly have the knowledge and ability to pull it off.]]
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* VillainousFriendship: It's heavily implied that this is what the relationship between Lasciel and Harry would have developed into had he taken up the coin.
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* VillainousFriendship: It's She heavily implied implies that this is what the relationship between Lasciel and Harry would have developed into had he taken up the coin.coin. There are several indications that she is actually telling the truth in this matter (eg. Nicodemus' distaste for wasting talent would suggest that he wouldn't deliberately give the powerful, intelligent and strong-willed Harry a Fallen who would break him down into a beast,) but anything she says should be taken with several pinches of salt.
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[[folder: Quintus Cassius (aka "Snakeboy" and [[spoiler: "Liver Spots"]])]]
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[[folder: Quintus Cassius (aka aka "Snakeboy" and [[spoiler: "Liver Spots"]])]]
Spots"]]]]
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!'''The Order of the Blackened Denarius (aka "the Nickelheads")'''
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[[/folder]]
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!'''Rosanna'''
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!'''Magog (aka "Magilla")'''
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[[folder: Magog (aka
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* MuggingTheMonster: In ''Small Favor'''s climax, Magog picks a fight with the eldest Billygoat Gruff despite the latter's repeated insistence he's got no quarrel with him. It goes... Poorly.
!'''Ursiel'''
!'''Ursiel'''
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* MuggingTheMonster: In ''Small Favor'''s climax, Magog picks a fight with the eldest Billygoat Billy Goat Gruff despite the latter's repeated insistence he's got no quarrel with him. It goes... Poorly.
!'''Ursiel'''Poorly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursiel]]
!'''Ursiel'''
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursiel]]
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!'''Thorned Namshiel (aka "Thornyboy")'''
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[[folder: Thorned Namshiel (aka
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!'''Quintus Cassius (aka "Snakeboy" and [[spoiler: "Liver Spots"]])'''
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[[folder: Quintus Cassius (aka "Snakeboy" and [[spoiler: "Liver
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* TortureTechnician: "I'll go on a treasure hunt...."
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* TortureTechnician: "I'll go on a treasure hunt....""
[[/folder]]
----
[[/folder]]
----
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[[foldercontrol]]
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!'''Nicodemus Archleone (aka "Nicky")'''
->''"Cannot hurt you any more. No matter how many times I hear that one, it's always a fresh challenge."''
->''"Cannot hurt you any more. No matter how many times I hear that one, it's always a fresh challenge."''
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->''"Cannot
->''Cannot hurt you any more. No matter how many times I hear that one, it's always a fresh challenge.
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!'''Lasciel'''
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[[folder: Lasciel]]
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!'''Deirdre'''
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[[folder: Deirdre]]
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!'''Polonius "Tessa" Lartessa (aka "Mantis Girl")'''
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[[folder: Polonius "Tessa" Lartessa (aka "Mantis
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[[/folder]]
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Characters from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', the Denarians.
When adding or editing tropes or characters, '''please be sure to tag spoilers.''' As the series is heavy on mystery and surprise, there's a lot of them, so try not to ruin other people's fun by spoiling major twists and reveals.
----
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesHarrysHousehold Harry and Harry's Household]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheWhiteCouncil The White Council]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheChurch The Church]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheVampires The Vampire Courts]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheFae The Fae]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheKemmlerites The Kemmlerites]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesChicagoPDAndFBI Chicago Police and FBI]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesOtherPowerfulPeopleAndEntities Other Powerful Entities]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesUnfazedEverymansAndBadassNormals Ordinary People and Badass Normals]]
----
When adding or editing tropes or characters, '''please be sure to tag spoilers.''' As the series is heavy on mystery and surprise, there's a lot of them, so try not to ruin other people's fun by spoiling major twists and reveals.
----
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesHarrysHousehold Harry and Harry's Household]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheWhiteCouncil The White Council]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheChurch The Church]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheVampires The Vampire Courts]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheFae The Fae]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesTheKemmlerites The Kemmlerites]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesChicagoPDAndFBI Chicago Police and FBI]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesOtherPowerfulPeopleAndEntities Other Powerful Entities]]
* [[Characters/TheDresdenFilesUnfazedEverymansAndBadassNormals Ordinary People and Badass Normals]]
----
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* [[spoiler: {{Brainwashed}}: Circumstantial evidence suggests he's been influenced by Nemesis.]]
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--->'''Lasciel''': If I wished to kill you, my host, your blood would be seeping from your broken corpse and mixing with the rain on the sidewalk.
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* FallenAngel
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* FallenAngelFallenAngel: Each and every member is a carrier to one of thirty Fallen Angels.
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* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Oh GOD yes. Harry thinks he's read the EvilOverlordList. Well, up until a little logistical problem in ''Small Favor''.
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* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Oh GOD yes. Harry thinks he's read the EvilOverlordList. Well, up until a little logistical problem in ''Small Favor''.[[note]]Guards with no tongues make alerting others difficult.[[/note]]
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* EvilLaugh: Subverted. Harry notes it isn't like that but a deep, rich laughter of one who is supremely confident.
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* EmbarrassingNickname: [[TheNicknamer Harry]] deliberately gives them these, in order to make them less scary - which has actual weight in a world where fear and belief are empowering forces. Michael warns him against this....and then take sup the nicknames as well.
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* EmbarrassingNickname: [[TheNicknamer Harry]] deliberately gives them these, in order to make them less scary - which has actual weight in a world where fear and belief are empowering forces. Michael warns him against this....and then take sup takes up the nicknames as well.
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* BatmanGambit: It’s implied that she is running one of this, managing to play both Harry and Nicodemus like a fiddle. Her capture of the Archive was a rather beautiful one itself.
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* BatmanGambit: It’s It’s implied that she is running one of this, managing to play both Harry and Nicodemus like a fiddle. Her capture of the Archive was a rather beautiful one itself.
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* EmbarrassingNickname: [[TheNicknamer Harry]] deliberately gives them these, in order to make them less scary - which has actual weight in a world where fear and belief are empowering forces. Michael warns him against this....and then take sup the nicknames as well.
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* BatmanGambit: It’s implied that she is running one of this, managing to play both Harry and Nicodemus like a fiddle. Her capture of the Archive was a rather beautiful one itself.
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* BatmanGambit: It’s It’s implied that she is running one of this, managing to play both Harry and Nicodemus like a fiddle. Her capture of the Archive was a rather beautiful one itself.
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* VillanousIncest: He has a sexual relationship with his daughter, Deirdre.
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* VillanousIncest: VillainousIncest: He has a sexual relationship with his daughter, Deirdre.
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* VillanousIncest: He has a sexual relationship with his daughter, Deirdre.
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* WeakButSkilled: In magical terms. Being alive for two thousand years with a Fallen giving one lessons lets even someone with a very modest talent for magic develop it into something very, very powerful.
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* CombatPragmatist: For all his swordfighting skill, he has nothing against controlling people with his shadows or pulling guns during a swordfight.
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More accurate for a villain.
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* TheBigGuy
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* TheBigGuyTheBrute
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!'''The Order of the Blackened Denarius (aka "the Nickelheads")'''
The Denarians are an ancient order of humans who have taken up one of thirty silver coins, believed to be the ones paid to Judas, and each of which contains one of the Fallen - a powerful and mighty fallen angel. In exchange for unnaturally extended lives and superhuman power, the Denarians either work with or serve as vessels for each Fallen - and each Fallen invariably corrupts its bearer. The Denarians themselves are not a unified force; generally, one group works with Nicodemus, one works with Tessa, and the rest do their own thing, but they are all devoted to spreading misery, pain, and despair, thanks to the Fallen controlling or working with them.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The coin each one carries contains the essence of the Fallen inside, and making skin contact with it will implant either the Fallen itself or a copy of that Fallen's essence into the victim's mind.
* FallenAngel
* ForTheEvulz: The Denarians' entire purpose is to inflict as much pain to humanity as they can.
* PublicDomainArtifact: The thirty pieces of silver.
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The Denarians rarely work together, and even when they do, they spend quite a bit of time backstabbing each other.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity
!'''Nicodemus Archleone (aka "Nicky")'''
->''"Cannot hurt you any more. No matter how many times I hear that one, it's always a fresh challenge."''
The leader of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. One of the most dangerous foes that Harry has ever faced. While most Denarians force their hosts into servitude, Nicodemus is actually in a ''partnership'' with his fallen angel. Wears the rope that Judas hung himself with as a necktie, and it grants him [[NighInvulnerable Nigh Invulnerability]]. No one knows all that much about Nicodemus, as he makes it a point to find and destroy the church's records on him every couple hundred years.
* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler: The noose can kill Nicodemus, just as it grants him instant healing.]]
* BadAss
** BadassInANiceSuit: His primary outfit is a silk shirt and trousers.
** BadassLongcoat: Tends to wear them. Harry calls him on the "Bogart" look when they first meet.
* BigBad: He is one of a couple recurring ones. [[spoiler: A subversion occurs when he finds out that he isn't the BigBad of the series, and the thought troubles him deeply.]]
* CardCarryingVillain
* TheChessmaster
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Oh GOD yes. Harry thinks he's read the EvilOverlordList. Well, up until a little logistical problem in ''Small Favor''.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: In his own words, the apocalypse is not an "event" so much as it is a "frame of mind."
* EvilCounterpart: [[WordOfGod The author has stated]] that Nicodemus is essentially the opposite of Michael Carpenter.
* EvilerThanThou: Nicodemus is one of the few, possibly the only, Denarian who is more human than demon. This is because the demon admires the human.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Polite, friendly, and civil. Even when he's about to cut your throat.
* HealingFactor: The noose allows Nicodemus to almost instantly heal from injuries that would kill any other Denarian. Fire, magical assaults, close-range assault fire, explosions - none of it can really ''harm'' Nicodemus to any meaningful degree. The best one can do is briefly stun or drive him off.
* ImmuneToBullets: Thanks to the noose, bullets alone aren't enough to stop Nicodemus. Assault-rifle and other heavy rounds can stun, disorient, or briefly drive him off, but handgun rounds just seem to startle him at best and annoy him at worst. And regardless, he heals the damage almost instantly.
* LivingShadow: He can use his shadow to ''fly''. And ''strangle people''. And all sorts of other crazy things. And we've probably only barely seen the basics.
** The shadow actually seems to be a manifestation of his Fallen, Anduriel. In ''Small Favor'' it whispers to him at times, and actually screams when one of the Swords lights up.
* ManipulativeBastard
* MasterSwordsman: He's had two thousand years to refine his swordfighting. Michael is a highly-skilled swordsman, but he's little more than a speedbump for Nicodemus. Shiro is apparently the only one who could stand against him.
* MeaningfulName: His last name, Archleone, means "Great Lion". [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Harry.
** Also, Nicodemus means "Conqueror."
** So NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Rumored to have been around when Jesus was a local.
* SkunkStripe: Has a gray streak in his otherwise dark hair. This is the only indicator of his age.
* UnholyMatrimony: In ''Small Favor'' we learn that he's married to Tessa, "not that it seems to mean very much to either of them".
* VillainousFriendship: He seems to get along quite well with Anduriel.
** He may also have had a rather twisted version of this with Quintus Cassius, judging by his explanation for why he left him to die:
--->'''Nicodemus:''' Depending on the largesse of others is nothing but parasitism. I respected Cassius too much to let him devolve to that.
** Then again, there may have been [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness other]] [[YouHaveFailedMe reasons]].
* WeaponOfChoice: Swords in general. Doesn't matter what kind; after two thousand years' worth of experience using them, one doesn't stick to one type.
* WickedCultured: Though he isn't fully versed in the most recent developments in psychology, not many psychologists know how to drive chariots, so it evens out.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Nicodemus plays a ''mean'' game.
!'''Lasciel'''
One of the Fallen Angels of the Blackened Denarii, known also as the Webweaver and the Temptress. Nicodemus offered her coin to Harry, who refused but was later tricked into touching it. Lasciel's Shadow, known as Lash [[TheNicknamer to Harry]], was a psychic duplicate who took up residence in Harry's head for some time; her stay in his subconscious changed her significantly from the original, making her a separate and individual entity.
Tropes below apply only to Lash (Lasciel proper has yet to appear).
* AffablyEvil: She tries, anyway.
* ArtifactOfDoom: She came from one, like all the other Nickelheads.
* CombatPragmatist: With temptation thrown in, no extra charge.
* DealWithTheDevil: Harry refuses to sign, a source of much frustration to her.
* DemonicPossession
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Half the discussions are her asking ''why'' Harry does the things he does.
* EvilFeelsGood
* HearingVoices: She causes them.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn: Maybe...]]
* HellFire
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice[=/=]RedemptionEqualsDeath]]
* HumanityIsInfectious
* KissMeImVirtual
* MasterOfIllusion: She makes an effective demonstration of it in ''Dead Beat'' where she shows Harry an illusion of a fire escape, then [[ThisIsNotAFloor breaking it off a split second before he tries to step out on it.]]
--->'''Lasciel''': If I wished to kill you, my host, your blood would be seeping from your broken corpse and mixing with the rain on the sidewalk.
* [[spoiler:RebelAgainstTheDevil: What Harry eventually convinces her to do, "the Devil" being True Lasciel.]]
* SignificantAnagram: Not perfect, but [[spoiler:Shiela.]]
* SpiritAdvisor
* TreacherousAdvisor: She can show Harry how to handle practically anything. And by a wacky coincidence, the solution just happens to involve the coin in his basement.
* VillainousFriendship: It's heavily implied that this is what the relationship between Lasciel and Harry would have developed into had he taken up the coin.
!'''Deirdre'''
->''"May I kill him, Father?"''
Nicodemus's daughter (and [[ParentalIncest lover]]). His favorite subordinate, she's a powerful Denarian who takes the form of a clawed monster with long, flexible metal blades for hair that she can [[PrehensileHair move at will]]. While she's nowhere near as smart as her dad or as psychotically, destructively violent as her mother Tessa, she's plenty scary in her own right.
* CombatTentacles
* DarkActionGirl
* [[DaddysLittleVillain Daddy's Little Denarian]]
* PrehensileHair
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld
!'''Polonius "Tessa" Lartessa (aka "Mantis Girl")'''
More commonly referred to as "Tessa", she is also a leader for the Denarians. As Nicodemus' wife, she and her Fallen, Imariel, are stated as the second-eldest of the Denarians. Generally, she is a rival to her husband, though they do work together to accomplish a similar goal- the last time they were said to have worked together, the Black Plague spread across Europe. She chooses bearers for coins based upon willingness to take a coin, not talent; Fallen who serve Imariel (and Tessa) go through bearers quickly. Tessa is concerned with short-term views, while Nicodemus is focused with the bigger picture and long-term issues. Tessa is also shown to be an exceedingly capable sorceress. Harry notes that she is a "big-leaguer" and "White Council material."
* AxCrazy: Without a doubt
* BadAss: Extremely skilled as a [[GambitIndex user of gambits]] and exceedingly capable sorceress.
* BatmanGambit: It’s implied that she is running one of this, managing to play both Harry and Nicodemus like a fiddle. Her capture of the Archive was a rather beautiful one itself.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: In her Denarian form she takes the shape of a giant praying mantis.
* BreakTheCutie: What she did to Ivy; presumably, what was done to her as a slave.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Does this to Ivy
* CuteBruiser: A pretty, apparently young woman who packs a BIG punch.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: She started out as an underage hooker (though she wasn't underage for Roman Greece). Now she's a powerful mage responsible for some of the most abominable crimes in human history.
* FreudianExcuse: It's mentioned that her own father sold her into slavery in order to save his buisness.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: She looks between 14 and 16 years old... and was a slave in ancient Greece before she met Nicodemus.
* TheSociopath: is responsible for many of the most horrific wars and ethnic cleansings in human history
* ShockAndAwe: Her preferred style of magic.
* SurroundedByIdiots: Tessa prefers recruits who are readily susceptible to the Fallen's temptations over recruits with intelligence or specialist skills. As a result, Tessa's minions tend to be more numerous than Nicodemus', but less formidable individually and far less capable. Naturally, this leads to Tessa periodically complaining about her peons' incompetence.
* TheVamp: More than willing to try and seduce Harry and offer herself sexually to him in exchange for Gard and Hendricks.
* UnholyMatrimony: Nicodemus took her away from her life as a child prostitute and apparently married her, but they both seem to loathe each other and only cooperate on [[ThePlague special]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt projects.]]
!'''Rosanna'''
Tessa's second, Rosanna is able to assume the form of a classic demon: batwinged, leathery skin, red eyes, and so on. She was the one who corrupted Sanya into taking Magog's coin when he was a younger man. Older and more dangerous than she seems, Rosanna is an ''expert'' at tempation and manipulation.
* HornyDevils: Technically, she's not a succubus, but she seems to be the basis for the classic concept.
* KillitWithFire
* [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]]: She's able to feign the "[[TheWoobie scared girl who is in over her head]]" act so effectively that Sanya, who ''knows'' what she is, is still affected by it. When Harry calls her on this, both Rosanna and her Fallen partner seem impressed.
* OlderThanTheyLook: At least several centuries old, but like all Denarians she looks a lot younger than she actually is.
* PunchClockVillain: Tries to act like this, but Harry sees through the facade.
* TheVamp: [[spoiler: She was Sanya's handler while he was Magog's host. He left the Denarians when he discovered how she actually felt about him.]]
!'''Magog (aka "Magilla")'''
Big and brutal, Magog is the heavy hitter of Tessa's crew, resembling a monstrous gorilla. He's fast and tough and hits like a freight train, but is very unsubtle, and abuses his hosts viciously, to the point that they are just animals.
* AttackAttackAttack: Magog does not win points for being clever or quick-witted. His response to most threats, whether they be a SquishyWizard or the most powerful assassin in Summer, is to charge straight at it and plow it under.
* TheBigGuy
* LightningBruiser: Harry notes that he moves ''fast'', and his reaction time is "almost nothing."
* MuggingTheMonster: In ''Small Favor'''s climax, Magog picks a fight with the eldest Billygoat Gruff despite the latter's repeated insistence he's got no quarrel with him. It goes... Poorly.
!'''Ursiel'''
A particularly brutal Denarian who abuses his hosts, Ursiel is aggressive, violent, and psychotic. Taking on the form of a massive, six-legged bear, he serves as Nicodemus' heavy hitter.
* TheDragon: To Nicodemus.
* EverythingIsWorseWithBears: So powerful that he takes [[spoiler: all three Knights of the Cross plus Harry]] to bring him down.
* [[spoiler: OffWithHisHead]]: How the [[spoiler: Knights of the Cross bring him down]].
* TragicMonster: The current vessel encountered in ''Death Masks'' was once a man named Rammussen, who was a gold prospector heading for California in 1849 when he came across Ursiel's coin. By the time Harry encounters him, Rammussen is a broken and insane man whose mind has been shattered by Ursiel.
!'''Thorned Namshiel (aka "Thornyboy")'''
A wizard working with Tessa's group, Thorned Namsiel looks like a human covered with a number of thorns, hence the name. Namshiel serves as her mastermind, and also [[spoiler: took part in the attack on Arctis Tor]].
* BerserkButton: Gets absolutely ''pissed'' when he sees Harry use Soulfire--partly because it's a mortal using "their" power, and partly because Harry's using it to pound his face in.
* TheChessmaster
* TheManBehindTheMan: Implied to be this for Tessa
* [[spoiler: OffWithHisHead.]]
* SquishyWizard: The least-threatening physically of the Denarians, though getting beat about the head and shoulders by Harry's staff, followed by smashed repeatedly into pillars by a giant hand and burned by a column of {{Hellfire}} would ruin anyone's ambitions of being ambulatory.
* RazorWire: Has a strangulation spell that he uses to get around Harry's shield, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysonTheTin strangle him]] and pickpocket the remaining coins.
!'''Quintus Cassius (aka "Snakeboy" and [[spoiler: "Liver Spots"]])'''
The fourth of Nicodemus' usual crew of Denarians, Cassius is a wizard with an emphasis on snakes. Unsurprisingly, takes on the shape of a humanlike snake in his Denarian combat form. At the end of ''Death Masks'', [[spoiler: he gives up his coin]], as he expects that Nicodemus will help him. [[spoiler: He is disappointed, and returns in ''Dead Beat'', working with Grevane under the agreement that the necromancer will help him take down Harry and seize Lasciel's coin.]]
* [[spoiler: BadassGrandpa]]: Cassius is no slouch even when [[spoiler: he's suffering advanced age and has no Fallen to give him immortality]].
* CardCarryingVillain
* ScaledUp
* ISurrenderSuckers: Surrenders to [[spoiler: the Knights and Harry]], fully expecting mercy and fully intending to go back to Nicodemus afterward. [[spoiler: The Knights can't touch him, but Harry ''can'', and does so with a baseball bat to the knees and arms]].
* SmugSnake: A literal example
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler: in ''Dead Beat'', he comes after Harry for payback]].
* TortureTechnician: "I'll go on a treasure hunt...."
The Denarians are an ancient order of humans who have taken up one of thirty silver coins, believed to be the ones paid to Judas, and each of which contains one of the Fallen - a powerful and mighty fallen angel. In exchange for unnaturally extended lives and superhuman power, the Denarians either work with or serve as vessels for each Fallen - and each Fallen invariably corrupts its bearer. The Denarians themselves are not a unified force; generally, one group works with Nicodemus, one works with Tessa, and the rest do their own thing, but they are all devoted to spreading misery, pain, and despair, thanks to the Fallen controlling or working with them.
* ArtifactOfDoom: The coin each one carries contains the essence of the Fallen inside, and making skin contact with it will implant either the Fallen itself or a copy of that Fallen's essence into the victim's mind.
* FallenAngel
* ForTheEvulz: The Denarians' entire purpose is to inflict as much pain to humanity as they can.
* PublicDomainArtifact: The thirty pieces of silver.
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The Denarians rarely work together, and even when they do, they spend quite a bit of time backstabbing each other.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity
!'''Nicodemus Archleone (aka "Nicky")'''
->''"Cannot hurt you any more. No matter how many times I hear that one, it's always a fresh challenge."''
The leader of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. One of the most dangerous foes that Harry has ever faced. While most Denarians force their hosts into servitude, Nicodemus is actually in a ''partnership'' with his fallen angel. Wears the rope that Judas hung himself with as a necktie, and it grants him [[NighInvulnerable Nigh Invulnerability]]. No one knows all that much about Nicodemus, as he makes it a point to find and destroy the church's records on him every couple hundred years.
* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler: The noose can kill Nicodemus, just as it grants him instant healing.]]
* BadAss
** BadassInANiceSuit: His primary outfit is a silk shirt and trousers.
** BadassLongcoat: Tends to wear them. Harry calls him on the "Bogart" look when they first meet.
* BigBad: He is one of a couple recurring ones. [[spoiler: A subversion occurs when he finds out that he isn't the BigBad of the series, and the thought troubles him deeply.]]
* CardCarryingVillain
* TheChessmaster
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Oh GOD yes. Harry thinks he's read the EvilOverlordList. Well, up until a little logistical problem in ''Small Favor''.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: In his own words, the apocalypse is not an "event" so much as it is a "frame of mind."
* EvilCounterpart: [[WordOfGod The author has stated]] that Nicodemus is essentially the opposite of Michael Carpenter.
* EvilerThanThou: Nicodemus is one of the few, possibly the only, Denarian who is more human than demon. This is because the demon admires the human.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Polite, friendly, and civil. Even when he's about to cut your throat.
* HealingFactor: The noose allows Nicodemus to almost instantly heal from injuries that would kill any other Denarian. Fire, magical assaults, close-range assault fire, explosions - none of it can really ''harm'' Nicodemus to any meaningful degree. The best one can do is briefly stun or drive him off.
* ImmuneToBullets: Thanks to the noose, bullets alone aren't enough to stop Nicodemus. Assault-rifle and other heavy rounds can stun, disorient, or briefly drive him off, but handgun rounds just seem to startle him at best and annoy him at worst. And regardless, he heals the damage almost instantly.
* LivingShadow: He can use his shadow to ''fly''. And ''strangle people''. And all sorts of other crazy things. And we've probably only barely seen the basics.
** The shadow actually seems to be a manifestation of his Fallen, Anduriel. In ''Small Favor'' it whispers to him at times, and actually screams when one of the Swords lights up.
* ManipulativeBastard
* MasterSwordsman: He's had two thousand years to refine his swordfighting. Michael is a highly-skilled swordsman, but he's little more than a speedbump for Nicodemus. Shiro is apparently the only one who could stand against him.
* MeaningfulName: His last name, Archleone, means "Great Lion". [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Harry.
** Also, Nicodemus means "Conqueror."
** So NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Rumored to have been around when Jesus was a local.
* SkunkStripe: Has a gray streak in his otherwise dark hair. This is the only indicator of his age.
* UnholyMatrimony: In ''Small Favor'' we learn that he's married to Tessa, "not that it seems to mean very much to either of them".
* VillainousFriendship: He seems to get along quite well with Anduriel.
** He may also have had a rather twisted version of this with Quintus Cassius, judging by his explanation for why he left him to die:
--->'''Nicodemus:''' Depending on the largesse of others is nothing but parasitism. I respected Cassius too much to let him devolve to that.
** Then again, there may have been [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness other]] [[YouHaveFailedMe reasons]].
* WeaponOfChoice: Swords in general. Doesn't matter what kind; after two thousand years' worth of experience using them, one doesn't stick to one type.
* WickedCultured: Though he isn't fully versed in the most recent developments in psychology, not many psychologists know how to drive chariots, so it evens out.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Nicodemus plays a ''mean'' game.
!'''Lasciel'''
One of the Fallen Angels of the Blackened Denarii, known also as the Webweaver and the Temptress. Nicodemus offered her coin to Harry, who refused but was later tricked into touching it. Lasciel's Shadow, known as Lash [[TheNicknamer to Harry]], was a psychic duplicate who took up residence in Harry's head for some time; her stay in his subconscious changed her significantly from the original, making her a separate and individual entity.
Tropes below apply only to Lash (Lasciel proper has yet to appear).
* AffablyEvil: She tries, anyway.
* ArtifactOfDoom: She came from one, like all the other Nickelheads.
* CombatPragmatist: With temptation thrown in, no extra charge.
* DealWithTheDevil: Harry refuses to sign, a source of much frustration to her.
* DemonicPossession
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Half the discussions are her asking ''why'' Harry does the things he does.
* EvilFeelsGood
* HearingVoices: She causes them.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn: Maybe...]]
* HellFire
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice[=/=]RedemptionEqualsDeath]]
* HumanityIsInfectious
* KissMeImVirtual
* MasterOfIllusion: She makes an effective demonstration of it in ''Dead Beat'' where she shows Harry an illusion of a fire escape, then [[ThisIsNotAFloor breaking it off a split second before he tries to step out on it.]]
--->'''Lasciel''': If I wished to kill you, my host, your blood would be seeping from your broken corpse and mixing with the rain on the sidewalk.
* [[spoiler:RebelAgainstTheDevil: What Harry eventually convinces her to do, "the Devil" being True Lasciel.]]
* SignificantAnagram: Not perfect, but [[spoiler:Shiela.]]
* SpiritAdvisor
* TreacherousAdvisor: She can show Harry how to handle practically anything. And by a wacky coincidence, the solution just happens to involve the coin in his basement.
* VillainousFriendship: It's heavily implied that this is what the relationship between Lasciel and Harry would have developed into had he taken up the coin.
!'''Deirdre'''
->''"May I kill him, Father?"''
Nicodemus's daughter (and [[ParentalIncest lover]]). His favorite subordinate, she's a powerful Denarian who takes the form of a clawed monster with long, flexible metal blades for hair that she can [[PrehensileHair move at will]]. While she's nowhere near as smart as her dad or as psychotically, destructively violent as her mother Tessa, she's plenty scary in her own right.
* CombatTentacles
* DarkActionGirl
* [[DaddysLittleVillain Daddy's Little Denarian]]
* PrehensileHair
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld
!'''Polonius "Tessa" Lartessa (aka "Mantis Girl")'''
More commonly referred to as "Tessa", she is also a leader for the Denarians. As Nicodemus' wife, she and her Fallen, Imariel, are stated as the second-eldest of the Denarians. Generally, she is a rival to her husband, though they do work together to accomplish a similar goal- the last time they were said to have worked together, the Black Plague spread across Europe. She chooses bearers for coins based upon willingness to take a coin, not talent; Fallen who serve Imariel (and Tessa) go through bearers quickly. Tessa is concerned with short-term views, while Nicodemus is focused with the bigger picture and long-term issues. Tessa is also shown to be an exceedingly capable sorceress. Harry notes that she is a "big-leaguer" and "White Council material."
* AxCrazy: Without a doubt
* BadAss: Extremely skilled as a [[GambitIndex user of gambits]] and exceedingly capable sorceress.
* BatmanGambit: It’s implied that she is running one of this, managing to play both Harry and Nicodemus like a fiddle. Her capture of the Archive was a rather beautiful one itself.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: In her Denarian form she takes the shape of a giant praying mantis.
* BreakTheCutie: What she did to Ivy; presumably, what was done to her as a slave.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Does this to Ivy
* CuteBruiser: A pretty, apparently young woman who packs a BIG punch.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: She started out as an underage hooker (though she wasn't underage for Roman Greece). Now she's a powerful mage responsible for some of the most abominable crimes in human history.
* FreudianExcuse: It's mentioned that her own father sold her into slavery in order to save his buisness.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: She looks between 14 and 16 years old... and was a slave in ancient Greece before she met Nicodemus.
* TheSociopath: is responsible for many of the most horrific wars and ethnic cleansings in human history
* ShockAndAwe: Her preferred style of magic.
* SurroundedByIdiots: Tessa prefers recruits who are readily susceptible to the Fallen's temptations over recruits with intelligence or specialist skills. As a result, Tessa's minions tend to be more numerous than Nicodemus', but less formidable individually and far less capable. Naturally, this leads to Tessa periodically complaining about her peons' incompetence.
* TheVamp: More than willing to try and seduce Harry and offer herself sexually to him in exchange for Gard and Hendricks.
* UnholyMatrimony: Nicodemus took her away from her life as a child prostitute and apparently married her, but they both seem to loathe each other and only cooperate on [[ThePlague special]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt projects.]]
!'''Rosanna'''
Tessa's second, Rosanna is able to assume the form of a classic demon: batwinged, leathery skin, red eyes, and so on. She was the one who corrupted Sanya into taking Magog's coin when he was a younger man. Older and more dangerous than she seems, Rosanna is an ''expert'' at tempation and manipulation.
* HornyDevils: Technically, she's not a succubus, but she seems to be the basis for the classic concept.
* KillitWithFire
* [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]]: She's able to feign the "[[TheWoobie scared girl who is in over her head]]" act so effectively that Sanya, who ''knows'' what she is, is still affected by it. When Harry calls her on this, both Rosanna and her Fallen partner seem impressed.
* OlderThanTheyLook: At least several centuries old, but like all Denarians she looks a lot younger than she actually is.
* PunchClockVillain: Tries to act like this, but Harry sees through the facade.
* TheVamp: [[spoiler: She was Sanya's handler while he was Magog's host. He left the Denarians when he discovered how she actually felt about him.]]
!'''Magog (aka "Magilla")'''
Big and brutal, Magog is the heavy hitter of Tessa's crew, resembling a monstrous gorilla. He's fast and tough and hits like a freight train, but is very unsubtle, and abuses his hosts viciously, to the point that they are just animals.
* AttackAttackAttack: Magog does not win points for being clever or quick-witted. His response to most threats, whether they be a SquishyWizard or the most powerful assassin in Summer, is to charge straight at it and plow it under.
* TheBigGuy
* LightningBruiser: Harry notes that he moves ''fast'', and his reaction time is "almost nothing."
* MuggingTheMonster: In ''Small Favor'''s climax, Magog picks a fight with the eldest Billygoat Gruff despite the latter's repeated insistence he's got no quarrel with him. It goes... Poorly.
!'''Ursiel'''
A particularly brutal Denarian who abuses his hosts, Ursiel is aggressive, violent, and psychotic. Taking on the form of a massive, six-legged bear, he serves as Nicodemus' heavy hitter.
* TheDragon: To Nicodemus.
* EverythingIsWorseWithBears: So powerful that he takes [[spoiler: all three Knights of the Cross plus Harry]] to bring him down.
* [[spoiler: OffWithHisHead]]: How the [[spoiler: Knights of the Cross bring him down]].
* TragicMonster: The current vessel encountered in ''Death Masks'' was once a man named Rammussen, who was a gold prospector heading for California in 1849 when he came across Ursiel's coin. By the time Harry encounters him, Rammussen is a broken and insane man whose mind has been shattered by Ursiel.
!'''Thorned Namshiel (aka "Thornyboy")'''
A wizard working with Tessa's group, Thorned Namsiel looks like a human covered with a number of thorns, hence the name. Namshiel serves as her mastermind, and also [[spoiler: took part in the attack on Arctis Tor]].
* BerserkButton: Gets absolutely ''pissed'' when he sees Harry use Soulfire--partly because it's a mortal using "their" power, and partly because Harry's using it to pound his face in.
* TheChessmaster
* TheManBehindTheMan: Implied to be this for Tessa
* [[spoiler: OffWithHisHead.]]
* SquishyWizard: The least-threatening physically of the Denarians, though getting beat about the head and shoulders by Harry's staff, followed by smashed repeatedly into pillars by a giant hand and burned by a column of {{Hellfire}} would ruin anyone's ambitions of being ambulatory.
* RazorWire: Has a strangulation spell that he uses to get around Harry's shield, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysonTheTin strangle him]] and pickpocket the remaining coins.
!'''Quintus Cassius (aka "Snakeboy" and [[spoiler: "Liver Spots"]])'''
The fourth of Nicodemus' usual crew of Denarians, Cassius is a wizard with an emphasis on snakes. Unsurprisingly, takes on the shape of a humanlike snake in his Denarian combat form. At the end of ''Death Masks'', [[spoiler: he gives up his coin]], as he expects that Nicodemus will help him. [[spoiler: He is disappointed, and returns in ''Dead Beat'', working with Grevane under the agreement that the necromancer will help him take down Harry and seize Lasciel's coin.]]
* [[spoiler: BadassGrandpa]]: Cassius is no slouch even when [[spoiler: he's suffering advanced age and has no Fallen to give him immortality]].
* CardCarryingVillain
* ScaledUp
* ISurrenderSuckers: Surrenders to [[spoiler: the Knights and Harry]], fully expecting mercy and fully intending to go back to Nicodemus afterward. [[spoiler: The Knights can't touch him, but Harry ''can'', and does so with a baseball bat to the knees and arms]].
* SmugSnake: A literal example
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler: in ''Dead Beat'', he comes after Harry for payback]].
* TortureTechnician: "I'll go on a treasure hunt...."
