History Characters / TheEmperorsSoul

* GildedCage: She blows off steam by performing minor Forgings to improve the room in which she's kept. By the end, she has the nicest room in the palace, better even than the Emperor's wing [[spoiler:- except for where she Forged the floor under her bed to be almost completely rotted through as part of her escape plan]].

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Perceives Shai as someone who does illegal things for gain, rather than an artist who happens to work in an illegal medium. As such, she tries to bribe Shai with something the forger has no interest in, and [[spoiler:sets herself up to spend years looking for hidden backdoors in Ashravan's Essence Mark that don't exist, as she can't conceive of a criminal with the opportunity to take control of the Empire ''not'' trying to do so]].

* LastRequest: He's old, nearly blind, and bedridden. So he asks his former student for one final service: [[spoiler:to destroy his greatest masterpiece so that it cannot be used to glorify a nation he hates.]]

* NonActionGuy: Shai is not much of a fighter, preferring to talk or bluff her way through dangerous situations. However using one of her pre-prepared essence marks she can become '[[BadAss Shaizan]]', a version of herself if she'd been adopted by a harsh warrior culture and lived among them for well over a decade.

* GildedCage: She blows off steam by performing minor Forgings to improve the room in which she's kept. By the end, she has the nicest room in the palace, better even than the Emperor's wing.

* {{Guile Hero}}ine: Her survival in the custody of the Rose Empire hinges on her abilities as TheSocialExpert.

'''WARNING!''' all spoilers on this page are '''unmarked!'''

** BadassLongcoat: [[spoiler:When she takes Zu's cloak.]]
* BoxedCrook: The basis of the plot is that she's a magic-using criminal captured by the government so she can Forge a new soul for the Emperor.

* DeadpanSnarker: Not to the extent of some of Sanderson's characters, but she'll take snarky digs at her captors.
* DrivenToSuicide: Her fifth Essence Mark. The other four simply grant new skills and some physical changes, but let her remember who and what she is. But the fifth, if ever used, would totally erase her old life. As far as she would then know, the simple farm-girl life that Mark gives her would be the only life she'd ever had. She has no plans to use it, but just the fact that she made the thing (Essence Marks take years of dedicated labor to make) is a bit disturbing.

* {{Retconjuration}}: Her power as a Forger. She can rewrite the history of any object, provided the new history is at least somewhat plausible. For example, she can make her battered desk "actually" have been lovingly maintained and kept in pristine condition.
* TheSocialExpert: Being a skilled Forger requires her to be very good at making accurate deductions based on comparatively little evidence, about people as well as inanimate objects.

* SquishyWizard: See NonActionGuy. Forging is a very powerful magic system, but the process of doing it is involved enough that it's not that hot in physical combat compared to say, [[{{Franchise/Mistborn}} allomancy]]... well, at least until [[ProudWarriorRaceGirl Shaizan]] comes out to play.

* CoolOldGuy: An intelligent, reasonable, and quite moral older man.
* {{Deuteragonist}}:He's the second most important character after Shai, and their interaction and contrasting characterization drives many of the scenes.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's the most level headed, honest and willing to see the potential in others out of the Arbiters.

* [[spoiler:ManipulativeBastard: She wants to have a way to control the emperor after he's rejuvenated.]]
* SmugSnake: One tends to get the impression that Frava's not nearly the genius she thinks she is.

* CameBackWrong: Close enough, though, as it was impossible to be perfect. And close enough that even his closest friends and advisers can't tell the difference. [[spoiler:A subversion in the end: While Ashravan will basically be afflicted with permanent ResurrectionSickness - he'll have to carry a SoulJar at all times and re-stamp his soul daily - Shai actually made him BetterThanNew when it came to the actual content. It's what the best forgers do, after all.]]

* TheEmperor: Of the Rose Empire.
* [[spoiler:HeelRealization: Shai tweaked his memories so that his assassination and recovery would provoke one.]]

* IdleRich: He started out a good man who wanted to make the world a better place, but became complacent during his reign, caring more about pleasure than ruling.
* JerkassFacade: The cynical, self-interested Emperor actually took the throne hoping to reform the empire, before he gradually lost sight of that fact. [[spoiler: Shai helped him find it again]].

* [[spoiler:AntiVillain: He just wants money to help a woman he loves.]]
** [[spoiler:EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He's in love with a woman back in his homeland and wants to use the money he makes serving the Empire to help her.]]
* BlackCloak: His usual attire is a rather sinister hooded black robe.
** InTheHood: See above.

* EvilAlbino: He's deathly pale and has red eyes, both of which seem to be traits of his people.

** BloodMagic... and if he has a sample of someone's blood, he can make a seal to let his skeletals track them.
* NoNameGiven: He's only ever referred to as "the Bloodsealer".
* RedEyesTakeWarning: He has red eyes, and while he may be [[spoiler: an AntiVillain]], the nature of his powers and his role in the story makes him one of the more sinister characters.
* {{Synchronization}}: Judging from how he seems very weak and almost completely unresponsive [[spoiler:when Shai destroys all of his skeletals in quick succession]], this seems to be the case with the skeletals he animates.

* FlatCharacter: He's pretty much solely defined by hating Shai.

* {{Jerkass}}: He's arrogant, ruthless, hateful, and all-around unpleasant.

* TheGhost: He indirectly sets off the plot, but never actually appears in person.
* [[spoiler:OldMaster: The artistry mentor of Shai.]]

The CharacterSheet for ''Literature/TheEmperorsSoul'', a novella by Creator/BrandonSanderson. For other characters on the world of Sel, see Characters.{{Elantris}}. For characters who are important throughout TheVerse in which the stories take place (including "Hoid", the Imperial Fool), see Characters.TheCosmere.

* PosthumousCharacter: She's killed in the same assassination attempt that left the Emperor brain dead.

%%* FiveManBand: Using her SplitPersonality Essence Marks, Shai is a one woman version of this trope.
%%** TheHero: Shai's main personality.
%%** TheLancer: The scout/woodsman. Also possibly the beggar.
%%** TheBigGuy: Shaizan.
%%** TheSmartGuy: The scholar personality.
%%** TheChick: Shai's cook escape plan if she wants to abandon Forging entirely.

* TheIdleRich: He started out a good man who wanted to make the world a better place, but became complacent during his reign, caring more about pleasure than ruling.

The CharacterSheet for ''Literature/TheEmperorsSoul'', a novella by Creator/BrandonSanderson. For other characters on the world of Sel, see Characters.Elantris. For characters who are important throughout TheVerse in which the stories take place (including "Hoid", the Imperial Fool), see Characters.TheCosmere.

%%* BoxedCrook

%%* DeadpanSnarker

%%* HeroProtagonist

%%* TheSocialExpert

%%* CoolOldGuy
%%* {{Deuteragonist}}

%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

%%* SmugSnake

%%* TheEmperor

%%* TheIdleRich
%%* JerkassFacade

%%** [[spoiler:EvenEvilHasLovedOnes]]
%%* BlackCloak
%%** InTheHood

%%* EvilAlbino
%%* TheNecromancer
%%** BloodMagic
%%* NoNameGiven
%%* RedEyesTakeWarning

%%* FlatCharacter

%%* {{Jerkass}}

%%* TheGhost

%%* PosthumousCharacter

* SplitPersonality: Shai's Essence Marks are this for herself. See FiveManBand.

* BoxedCrook

* DeadpanSnarker
* FiveManBand: Using her SplitPersonality Essence Marks, Shai is a one woman version of this trope.
** TheHero: Shai's main personality.
** TheLancer: The scout/woodsman. Also possibly the beggar.
** TheBigGuy: Shaizan.
** TheSmartGuy: The scholar personality.
** TheChick: Shai's cook escape plan if she wants to abandon Forging entirely.

* HeroProtagonist

* [[NonActionGuy Non-Action Girl]]: Shai is not much of a fighter, preferring to talk or bluff her way through dangerous situations. However using one of her pre-prepared essence marks she can become '[[BadAss Shaizan]]', a version of herself if she'd been adopted by a harsh warrior culture and lived among them for well over a decade.
* TheSocialExpert

* CoolOldGuy
* {{Deuteragonist}}

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

* SmugSnake

* CameBackWrong: Close enough, though, as it was impossible to be perfect.
** [[spoiler:A subversion in the end: While Ashravan will basically be afflicted with permanent ResurrectionSickness - he'll have to carry a SoulJar at all times and re-stamp his soul daily - Shai actually made him BetterThanNew when it came to the actual content. It's what the best forgers do, after all.]]

* TheEmperor

* TheIdleRich
* JerkassFacade

** [[spoiler:EvenEvilHasLovedOnes]]
* BlackCloak
** InTheHood

* EvilAlbino
* TheNecromancer
** BloodMagic
* NoNameGiven
* RedEyesTakeWarning

* FlatCharacter

* {{Jerkass}}

The artist of a painting that Shai tried to steal. [[spoiler:Actually, she burned it and made two copies to cover her tracks... on his orders.]]

* TheGhost

* TheLostLenore
* PosthumousCharacter

* SoullessShell: The Resealers were able to repair his brain. In fact, it's as good as new -- [[BlankSlate that's exactly the problem.]]

* SquishyWizard: See NonActionGuy. Forging is a very powerful magic system, but the process of doing it is involved enough that it's not that hot in physical combat compared to say, [[Franchise/Mistborn allomancy]]... well, at least until [[ProudWarriorRaceGirl Shaizan]] comes out to play.

* {{Anti Hero}}ine: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type]] [[KnightInSourArmor II]], though she becomes something of a [[ClassicalAntiHero I]] over time due to CharacterDevelopment.

* KnightInSourArmor: Due to CharacterDevelopment.

* {{Guile Hero}}ine

* CorruptBureaucrat
* {{Jerkass}}

* {{Anti Hero}}ine: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type]] [[ClassicalAntiHero I]], though she becomes something of a [[KnightInSourArmor II]] over time due to CharacterDevelopment.

!Kurshina