Line #322 Characters/TheGreatLibrary


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2	! The Great Library of Alexandria
3	[[folder:The Library]]
4	In the world of The Great Library, the royal library of Alexandria, Egypt never burned down like it did in real life and has since risen to become a dominant world power in its own right. Despite behind upheld as a beacon of knowledge and progress, the library has a dark side. The higher ranking officials seek to exert control over everything the library influences, and violently stamp out anything that might threaten their control, using everything from veiled threats to outright murder.
5	----
6	* AncientConspiracy: The Library is certainly ancient, and, although famous, conspires to keep all countries and citizens subject to it. This involves controlling the spread of knowledge and destroying anyone or anything that threatens it.
7	* ArtifactCollectionAgency: A primary focus of the Librarians, although they work exclusively on books (and scrolls, tablets, etc). This involves retrieving these 'originals' from hitherto undiscovered caches, smugglers, and private citizens. One sector of the organization, the High Garda, is dedicated to this and to stamping out Library-related crime.
8	* BadassBookworm: A given, since this is a world where a library is a dominant world power.
9	* BadassNormal: Everybody but the Obscurists
10	* EqualOpportunityEvil: Because of the influence they exert and their acceptance of the brightest minds in the world, the library can be reliably counted on to employ anyone regardless or race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, or religion.
11	* GreatBigBookOfEverything: The Codex serves as one.
12	* GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: The Library contains all knowledge ever recorded, although only some of it is made available to the public.
13	* ImpartialPurposeDrivenFaction: What the Library is supposed to be. It...isn't.
14	* LightIsNotGood: The publicly visible figures and portions of the library are always brightly dressed and appearing benevolent.
15	* MultinationalTeam: They accept only the very best and brightest from every corner of the globe.
16	* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Most library employees oppose the protagonists simply because the heroes are going against tradition.
17	* NebulousEvilOrganization: Zig-Zagged. The organization itself isn't evil, but the administration clings to their old way of doing things despite the vulnerability posed by the Obscurists and violently destroys anything and anyone that can threaten the Library's influence on the world, and most of the rank and file employees follow the administration regardless of whether they're right or wrong.
18	* NGOSuperpower: They have bases all over the world, they have diplomatic immunity in all war zones, and their own army. To give an example of how much power they have, when the Austrian government violated the Library's neutrality, taking several staff members prisoner and executing them, the library ''destroyed'' Austria in retaliation.
19	* PretentiousLatinMotto: ''Tota est Scientia.'' Knowledge is all. Justified since this is a library we're talking about.
20	* StateSec: The High Garda
21	* WeHaveReserves: The Library places the value of books above the human lives given to protect them.
22	[[/folder]]
23	[[folder:Postulants]]
24	! As a group
25	The incoming class of new recruits in the year 2031. They come from all over the world to train for a chance to enter the library's service, but there are only six openings available. As the herd thins out, they discover the dark side of the institution they are training to serve. When one of their own is imprisoned and executed for creating something to help the library that the administration fells threatens their power, the remaining postulates join forces to uncover the library's secrets and change the world.
26	----
27	* BadassBookworm: A given, since they're all studying to be librarians.
28	* DwindlingParty: They start out as a group of 32, and slowly get whittled down as Wolfe tests their knowledge, resourcefulness, and luck. Then they go into a war-zone, and no one is safe. Only six of them remain.
29	* FamilyOfChoice: The core six make it clear early in the third book that they consider each other family.
30	* MultinationalTeam: Jess and Morgan are English, Glain is Welsh, Thomas is German, Khalila is Saudi Arabian, Dario is Spanish, Izumi is Japanese, Danton is American with French routes, and Portero is Portuguese.
31	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: They all defy the library's rules and regulations throughout the second book to save Thomas.
32	* SixthRanger: Morgan Hault
33	* TrueCompanions: Everyone at the beginning of the series is friendly with each other (some of them anyway), but by the end of it, they all become friends.
34	* UndyingLoyalty: Towards each other. Although they've all gone on to different branches of the library, none of them hesitate to defy the rules and do what's right when they find out that Thomas is still alive.
35	* VitriolicBestBuds: Jess with Dario and Glain.
36
37	! Jess Brightwell
38	The series protagonist and scion of a family of black market book smugglers. Jess has always had a deep love of books and has always felt at odds with his family's business. When his father sends him to the library for training in order to use him as a spy, he begins to enjoy the thrill of being around books, only to discover that the dark side of the library is far darker than he ever believed possible. At the end of the first book, he joins the High Garda intending to work his way up the ladder and avenge Thomas.
39	----
40	* AbusiveParents: His father treated him more like a tool to further the family business than an actual son.
41	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: feels that his twin Brendan is always better at the family smuggling business than he is.
42	* TheChessmaster: He and Dario are forced to become this in the third book to ensure the group's long-term survival.
43	* CulturedWarrior: Becomes this when he joins the High Garda alongside Glain at the end of ''Ink and Bone''.
44	* FriendOnTheForce: What his family wants him to be within the Library.
45	* MemoryGambit: [[spoiler: While impersonating Brendan in book 4, he has Elsinor Quest hypnotize him so that he actually believes he is his brother for the next twenty-four hours. He does this to avoid the library's more Obscurist-related interrogation techniques so he can maintain his cover]].
46	* NewMeat: To the High Garda at the end of book 1, then to Captain Santi's squad midway through book 2.
47	* OfficialCouple: With Morgan. [[spoiler: Until they break up in Book 5 and she dies]].
48	* PolarOppositeTwins: Jess and Brendan look alike but have very different personalities—Jess is outgoing and kind, while Brendan is both more reserved and [[spoiler: seemingly]] more sadistic.
49	* SecretKeeper: Keeps Morgan's nature as an Obscurist a secret for most of the first book.
50	* StreetSmart: As a result of his family's business, he knows his way around the ins and outs of the criminal underworld of book smuggling. This both helps and hurts him at various points in the story.
51	* TwinSwitch: [[spoiler: He and Brendan pull one off at the end of ''Ash and Quill'' so that he can accompany Morgan and Wolfe to Alexandria.]]
52
53	! Thomas Schrieber
54	A genius inventor from Berlin studying to become an Artifex for the library. [[spoiler: He is taken prisoner by the library when he invents a printing press, and subsequently tortured for more ideas before he is to be eventually executed.]]
55	----
56	* BewareTheNiceOnes: [[spoiler: The High Garda Elite working for the former Archivist learned this the hard way when they try to abduct him in ''Sword and Pen'']].
57	* DistressedDude: [[spoiler: Held captive by the Library in a secret prison underneath the Serapeum in Rome for the first two thirds of ''Paper and Fire''.]]
58	* ChildProdigy: Invented several miniature automatons, a printing press, and full-blown ArtificialIntelligence on his own at the age of ''16.''
59	* GadgeteerGenius: In a steampunk world where all technological progress is held in check by the library, Thomas single-handedly invents a clockwork chess-playing ''ArtificialIntelligence''.
60	* GentleGiant: He's described as being big enough to bend iron, but he's unfailingly polite to everyone around him.
61
62	! Khalila Seif
63	A brilliant girl from Riyadh studying to become a Scholar. She's braniac of the group, but never hesitates to get her hands dirty when the situation calls for it. Becomes a research Scholar at the end of the first book and uses her position to help her fellow postulates uncover the secrets of Thomas' incarceration.
64	----
65	* BadassBoast: Delivers one by proxy on behalf of the library itself in the first book.
66	-->'''General Warlow:''' ''(speaking to Captain Santi)'' [[ShameIfSomethingHappened "With one single command, I could make you, your scholar, his students, and all your troops and vehicles just... vanish. Just like that. No bodies. No wreckage. No trace. Strange things happen, in war.]] That's not a threat. It's a simple fact.
67	-->''Wolfe and Santi respond with [[DeathGlare Death Glares.]]''
68	-->'''Wolfe:''' [[PolitenessJudo "It's good we understand each other. Every single fallen Scholar in history has his or her name on a wall in the Great Library. Names that each of these students remember. You may ask them. They will flawlessly recite each name, each war, each instance. Postulant Seif. Relevant example, please.]]
69	-->'''Khalila:''' "Yes, Scholar. Scholar Padma Dahwan was selected to close the Serapeum in the city of Milan during the war with Austria. She and her entire party were taken prisoner by the Austrian army and executed. The Serapeum was destroyed.
70	-->'''Wolfe:''' "And the Library's response?"
71	-->'''Khalila:''' [[WhamLine "Austria no longer exists."]]
72	* BadassBookworm: They're all Badass Bookworms, but Khalila stands out as the smartest one out of the whole group.
73	* BetaCouple: Forms one with Dario
74	* ChildProdigy: Only 16 years old and she's the first person ''in the entire world'' to ever get a perfect score on the Library's entrance exams.
75	** [[spoiler: She then becomes the youngest in history to hold the office of Archivist Magister]].
76	* {{Expy}}: Of [[Literature/HarryPotter Hermoine Granger]]
77	* GoodIsNotSoft: Is perfectly willing to get her hands dirty in a fight if she has to.
78	* ShipperOnDeck: Shows hints of this for Thomas and Glain in the fourth book.
79	* TheSmartGuy: Fills this role among the other postulants. She was the first person in history to ever achieve a perfect score on the entrance test after all.
80
81	! Glain Wathen
82	A girl from Wales with a fiery temper and fierce determination. She becomes a sergeant in the High Garda at the end of the first book and serves as Jess's squad leader for the first third of ''Paper and Fire''.
83	----
84	* ActionGirl: Especially when she joins the High Garda.
85	* TheBigGuy: As a member of the High Garda, she fills the role of the team's muscle.
86	* CulturedWarrior: When she joins the High Garda.
87	* TheDeterminator: She's driven to excel at whatever she does.
88	* VitriolicBestBuds: With Jess. Their initial rivalry is due to the fact that their countries are at war.
89
90	! Dario Santiago
91	The son of a Spanish ambassador who begins the series as Jess's snobby, obnoxious roommate. Becomes a Research Scholar alongside Khalila at the end of ''Ink & Bone'', and attempts to use his professional and personal connections to help his friends rescue Thomas in ''Paper & Fire''
92	----
93	* BetaCouple: With Khalila.
94	* TheChessmaster: He and Jess are forced to become this in the third book to ensure the group's long-term survival.
95	* {{Expy}}: Of Draco Malfoy [[spoiler: at first.]]
96	* HiddenDepths. ''Paper & Fire'' reveals that because of his deaf sister, he's fluent in sign language and is assigned as an assistant to a deaf scholar.
97	** Then ''Ash & Quill'' reveals that his cousin is the king of Spain.
98	* ILetGwenStacyDie: Blames himself for getting Scholar Prakesh killed.
99	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While he can still be a snarky, cynical JerkAss at times, he does care about his friends.
100	* LeeroyJenkins: His efforts to help Thomas keep failing due to his lack of experience in being subtle and discreet.
101	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: His cousin is the King of Spain, making him count as an example of this trope.
102	* SpoiledBrat: Starts off as one, but gets better after his Codex is stolen.
103	* TookALevelInBadass: Grows out of his Leeroy Jenkins status in ''Sword and Pen'',[[spoiler: where he successfully tricks the Spanish spy network in Alexandria into destroying the archivist's minions and freeing up resources for Santi to defend the city with]].
104	* TookALevelInKindness: After his Codex, which he received as a gift from his father, is stolen by other students as blackmail material, he stops acting like a spoiled brat and undergoes some serious character development.
105	* VitriolicBestBuds: With Jess.
106
107	! Guilamme Danton
108	An American student whose family is suspected of having ties to the Burners.
109	----
110	* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: The library kills him with a botched Translation.
111
112	! Izumi
113	A student from Japan and one of the final nine students to make it to the end of the training course. She is dismissed from the course before the mission to Oxford when she ducks out of travelling by translation.
114	----
115	* PutOnABus: is dismissed from the training course when she cannot handle travelling via translation.
116
117	! Joachim Portero
118	* SacrificialLamb: killed during the escape from Oxford.
119
120	! Morgan Hault
121	A refugee from Oxford who arrived late in the training course due to the fact that her home was under siege by the Welsh army. She turns out to be an Obscurist attempting to erase all records of her existence before the Library can find her and lock her in the Iron Tower for the rest of her life.
122	----
123	* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler: Trapped in the Iron Tower at the end of the first book.]]
124	* DamselOutOfDistress: [[spoiler: Breaks herself out twice in the second, however]].
125	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Uses her Obscurist powers to extinguish the flames of the Great Archives' fail-safe and stop the Archivist's plan to destroy the library if he cannot have Alexandria at the cost of her own life]].
126	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: she dies at the end of ''Sword and Pen'']].
127	* LastGirlWins: The fourth major female character introduced, and the only one Jess is interested in romantically.
128	* NobleFugitive: She's being hunted because of the fact that children born with the power to be an Obscurist are rare and critical to the library's continued existence.
129	* OfficialCouple: With Jess.
130	* SecretKeeper: She and Jess agree to keep each others' secrets when he finds out she's an Obscurist.
131	[[/folder]]
132
133	[[folder:Scholars]]
134	! Christopher Wolfe
135	A disgraced scholar and the teacher of the 2031 class of postulates. [[spoiler: He is on probation after a lengthy stint in prison for inventing the printing press, which the Library's administrators see as a threat to their power. Only his mother's position in the upper ranks of the library saved him from being executed, yet the library continued to hold threats over the people he cares for to keep him in line.]]
136	----
137	* BadassBookworm: He's a scholar.
138	* BadassNormal: As the son of two Obscurists, his moments of action in Oxford definitely make him qualify.
139	%%* BetaCouple: [[spoiler: With High Garda captain Niccolo Santi.]]
140	* ChildByRape: The Breeding Program the library uses to breed more obscurists amounts to RapeByProxy in all but name.
141	* CynicismCatalyst: His imprisonment made him bitter and cynical, not helped by the fact that he's forced to teach a bunch of untrained children as punishment and his lover is constantly being threatened to keep him in line.
142	* DeadpanSnarker
143	* DefrostingIceQueen: Over the course of his time with his students, his cynicism begins to fade bit by bit.
144	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He may be a cynical jerk for most of the first book, but he balks at the idea of sending inexperienced children into a warzone.
145	* ParentalSubstitute: The final book openly acknowledges he was more of a father to Jess than Callum Brightwell ever was.
146	* SternTeacher: He's not a sadist so much as he's just intense and, honestly, not a great teacher. The job was an explicit punishment.
147	* MuggleBornOfMages: His parents were Obscurists.
148	* SecretSecretKeeper: He and Santi know perfectly well that Morgan is an Obscurist and Jess comes from a family of criminals, but keep quiet about it anyway.
149	* StraightGay: no indication of his sexuality is given until Jess comes to Santi's quarters to ask a question and finds him shirtless.
150	* TeamDad: A fact that Santi acknowledges in the third book.
151	* UndyingLoyalty: To his students, and to his lover, [[spoiler: Santi]].
152
153	! Naomi Ebele
154	A research scholar stationed at the Oxford Serapeum.
155	----
156	* TheBusCameBack: Shows up at the London Serapeum in ''Paper and Fire.''
157
158	! Scholar Prakesh
159	A deaf Indian woman working in the Alexandria Lighthouse.
160	* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: The official story is that she was hit by a carriage while crossing the street. None of the Postulants believe that for a second.
161	* SheKnowsTooMuch: She was [[spoiler:killed for helping the Postulants investigate the Black Archives]].
162
163	! Neska Darzi
164	A Silver-Band Scholar at the Library who Brendan was staying with in ''Paper and Fire.''
165	----
166	* BreakHerHeartToSaveHer: Brendan breaks up with her so that she won't be punished if he gets caught.
167	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Killed when an Automaton drives its spear through her back]].
168	* SheKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Killed by the Archivist in ''Smoke & Iron'' when her prior relationship with Brendan causes him to question her loyalty]].
169
170	! Murasaki
171	A scholar assigned to one of the Serapeums in Spain. [[spoiler: She becomes the next Archivist at the end of ''Smoke and Iron'']].
172	----
173
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:High Garda]]
177	! As a whole
178	The High Garda are the soldiers of the Library's personal army. High Garda soldiers handle everything from bodyguarding Research Scholars in hostile territory to raiding Burner hideout.
179	----
180	* BadassArmy: They function as this most of the time, but when the plot requires it, they'll switch to Red Shirt Army.
181	* RedShirtArmy: They alternate between this and BadassArmy as the plot requires.
182	* CulturedWarrior: All of them have received the same training as a scholar.
183	* StateSec: They are the Library's version of this
184
185	! Niccolo Santi
186	A Captain in the Library's High Guarda. He serves as Scholar Wolfe's teaching assistant for the duration of the first book, and Jess and Glain's commanding officer for part of the second. Unlike many of his fellow soldiers, he is perfectly aware of the evil the library is capable of behind closed doors, but his lover [[spoiler: Wolfe]] is constantly threatened to keep him in line.
187	----
188	* BadassTeacher: Not technically a teacher, but he still helps Wolfe with his class and serves as a mentor to the students.
189	* BetaCouple: [[spoiler: with Wolfe]]
190	* MyMasterRightOrWrong: He thinks [[spoiler: Wolfe's]] attempts to get involved with helping his students rescue Thomas are suicidal and will most likely only get one or both of them killed, but he stands with his lover regardless.
191	* SecretSecretKeeper: He and Wolfe know perfectly well that Morgan is an Obscurist and Jess comes from a family of criminals, but keep quiet about it anyway.
192	* StraightGay: no indication of his sexuality is given until Jess comes to his quarters to ask a question and finds both him and Wolfe shirtless.
193	* TeamDad: Fills this role alongside Wolfe, a fact that he acknowledges in the third book.
194	* UndyingLoyalty: To Scholar Wolfe, [[spoiler: his lover]].
195
196	! Thabani Botha
197	Captain Santi's third-in-command.
198	----
199	* YouAreInCommandNow: [[spoiler: Promoted to captain of the squad when Zara defects in ''Smoke and Iron'']].
200
201	! Tariq Oduya
202
203	! Helva Svensdotter
204
205	! Violet Bransom
206
207	! Shi Zehn
208
209	! Tom Rollison
210	* MauveShirt
211
212	! Captain Feng
213
214	! Captain Nghiem
215	A Vietnamese High Guarda member in charge of Wolfe's security detail on his first assignment as a Scholar outside of Alexandria. She's killed by Burners attempting to assassinate Wolfe.
216	----
217	* RedShirt: Killed to give Wolfe a reality check about the dangers of his chosen profession.
218
219	! Sergeant Vickers
220
221	! Zara Cole
222	One of the soldiers in Captain Santi's company. While initially loyal to the Library, the events of the second book and their aftermath shake her faith in the Library.
223	----
224	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: [[spoiler: First she's a loyal soldier for the library in Book 2, then she helps Santi, Wolfe, and the postulants in their rebellion in Books 3 and 4, then she sides with the Archivist, then she betrays the Archivist in Book 5]].
225	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Defects from the rebel faction at the climax of Book 4 because she fears that Santi's UndyingLoyalty to Wolfe will get them all killed]].
226	* FriendOnTheForce: After some initial hesitation in the second book, by her next appearance she and the rest of Santi's company are willing to look the other way when the main cast escapes Philadelphia in ''Ash and Quill''.
227	* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: Realizes she chose the wrong side when the Archivist Magister would rather destroy every book in the library rather than let the institution continue on without him]].
228	[[/folder]]
229
230	[[folder:Obscurists]]
231	! As a group
232	The Obscurists are a mysterious group of alchemists that perform all the essential functions of the library such as translation and mirroring. However because those born with the power required to become an Obscurist are rare, they are forced to spend their entire lives trapped inside the Iron Tower in the heart of Alexandria. Those born outside the tower are taken from their homes by force, and those born inside without the gift are forced out into local orphanages. All Obscurists living inside the Tower are forced to breed with each other as the Library desperately tries to cling to its power.
233	----
234	* AchillesHeel: They are the Library's greatest strength, but also its greatest weakness. Without the Obscurists, the Codex doesn't work, and without the Codex, the library falls. Rather than try to reduced their reliance on the Obscurists, the Library administration only clings tighter to the ones they have and desperately searches for more, hoping to capture or breed more generations.
235	* AlchemyIsMagic: Their version of it is.
236	* BreedingCult: An unwilling example, as the Library has forced them to become this so that the institution can have a steady supply of Obscurists.
237	* HappinessInSlavery: Some of them have become so accustomed to their confinement in the Iron Tower that they're happy to accept whatever is asked of them.
238	* SuperBreedingProgram: The Library forces the Obscurists in their employ to breed in order to produce more of them.
239
240	! Keria Morning
241	The Obscurist Magnus and [[spoiler: Wolfe's mother]]. She is in charge of directing the Obscurists in performing the duties that the library requires of them for the institution to continue functioning.
242	----
243	* BatmanGambit: Her plans in Book 2.
244	* TheChessmaster: In the second book. [[spoiler: Everything that happened to the heroes was to push them to gain access to the Black Archive and remove as much of the forbidden knowledge within as possible and get it out into the world.]]
245	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Stays behind in the Iron Tower to buy time for her son and his students to escape.]]
246	* HeroOfAnotherStory: Spends all of book two scheming for a way to get the printing press out into the world and change the system for the library, but she only has a few major scenes in two books [[spoiler: before she's killed off.]]
247	* InTheBack: [[spoiler: Shot in the back at the climax of Book 2.]]
248	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: By the end of the second book.]]
249	* MamaBear: When her son is imprisoned, she pulls every string she possibly can in order to keep him alive.
250	* MyCountryRightOrWrong: The first book implies that she has accepted her fate and advises others to do the same, [[spoiler: but this is Subverted in the second, which reveals that she's simply been biding her time for someone to come a long that she believes has a chance of changing the system.]]
251	* NeverMessWithGranny: While younger than most examples, she's well into her fifties by the start of the series and age has not hampered her abilities one bit.
252	* TranquilFury: Whenever she goes against the Artifex and the Arhicvist, this is always the case.
253
254
255	! Gregory Valdosta
256	----
257	* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: [[spoiler: The Artifex Magnus recommends him for the position of Obscurist Magnus following his predecessor's death, because the only other alternative is Wolfe's [[PapaWolf other parent]].]]
258	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: Morgan redirects one of his bird Automata into his ear, with the sharpened beak piercing his brain]].
259	* {{Jerkass}}: Takes great pleasure in enforcing the Library's breeding program for new Obscurists.
260	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Killed by Morgan at the end of ''Smoke and Iron'']].
261	* OneSteveLimit: Averted. There's another Gregory who is around the same age as Keria, while this one is only a few years older than Wolfe.
262	* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Becomes the Obscurist Magnus [[spoiler: Following Keria's death in ''Paper and Fire'']].
263
264	! Sybilla
265	A girl Morgan had befriended during her confinement.
266	----
267	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Had a crush on Morgan, who was already in love with Jess.
268	* BungledSuicide: After Morgan fled the tower without her, she tried to kill herself with poison and failed.
269	* ConvenientComa: As a result of her attempted suicide when Morgan left without her.
270	* StraightGay: Was in love with Morgan.
271
272	! Eskander
273	Scholar Wolfe's father and a prisoner of the Iron Tower
274	----
275	* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: Leads the Obscurists out of the Iron Tower to save the heroes at the climax of ''Smoke and Iron'']].
276	* ChangedMyMindKid: [[spoiler: Morgan is initially unsuccessful in convincing him to lead the Obscurists in a revolt, but he shows up at the Feast of Greater Burning anyway]].
277	* DefiantCaptive: Even after decades in the Iron Tower he remains defiant.
278	* TheDreaded: He's the only person with the right qualifications to [[spoiler: succeed Keria as the Obscurist Magnus]], but the Library is so terrified of him that they would rather [[spoiler: put Gregory Valdosta in charge]] rather than drag him out of his self-imposed exile.
279	* ElectiveMute: According to the Artifex Magnus, he took a vow of silence.
280
281	! Annis
282	One of the lowest-powered Obscurists in the Iron Tower and a close friend of Wolfe's parents.
283	----
284	* EthicalSlut: Frequently shown bringing paramours back to her quarters for sex.
285	* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:She stumbles into a secret meeting of the Archivist's spies in the Iron Tower, and they promptly kill her to maintain their secrecy]].
286	* HoneyTrap: [[spoiler: Uses her reputation as someone who has lots of sex to sway people in the Iron Tower to Morgan's cause. She still sleeps with them afterwards, though]].
287	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Killed by the Archivist's spies in ''Sword and Pen'']].
288	* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: Her death is only revealed when Morgan finds her body]].
289	* ReallyGetsAround: Almost everyone her age in the Iron Tower appears to have slept with her at some point.
290	* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler: Abruptly killed by the Archivist's spies within the Iron Tower only one book after her introduction]].
291
292	[[/folder]]
293
294	[[folder:Curia]]
295	! The Artifex Magnus
296	The library's chief engineer and right hand of the Archivist Magister himself. Since the Archivist is rarely seen by even other library staff members, he serves as his superior's representative.
297	----
298	* TheDragon: To The Archivist Magister
299	* GadgeteerGenius: Artifex refers to the Library's engineering and technology department, meaning that being the Artifex Magnus at all makes him this.
300	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite his willingness to kill and torture those he considers enemies of the library, the Archivist's order to destroy the Black Archives in ''Paper & Fire'' absolutely sickens him to the point that he's actually described as crying as he carries out the order.
301	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: He has yet to be referred to by name, simply as the Artifex Magnus.
302	* InformedAbility: Has yet to display any engineering skills despite being the head of the Library's technology division. Justified since he has to deal with managing everyone else in his department in addition to his duties as TheDragon to the Archivist Magister and doesn't exactly have time to invent things.
303	* LegacyCharacter: The Artifex Magnus is an office that is passed on from person to person throughout the years. This one is only the most recent holder to occupy the position.
304	* ManlyTears: Sheds several tears when the Archivist orders him to destroy the Black Archives.
305	* MouthOfSauron: Because the Archivist is busy running the library and can't make time to deal with day to day things like crushing rebellion personally.
306	* NoNameGiven: Is simply referred to as "The Artifex Magnus" or "The Artifex", despite not being the only person in the story to hold that title.
307	* ShameIfSomethingHappened: His modus operandi is threatening this against the friends and family of those who oppose him.
308	* WellIntentionedExtremist: He genuinely wants to protect the library. The methods he uses though, are far from noble.
309	* WouldHurtAChild: Has no qualms about sending inexperienced 16-year-olds into an active warzone just to punish Wolfe.
310
311	! The Archivist Magister
312	The absolute leader of the library and arguably the most powerful man in the world. He is rarely seen outside of the library, instead preferring to act through his agents, such as the Artifex Magnus.
313	----
314	* BigBad: The main source of conflict in the story is him and his administration clinging to power at all costs.
315	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: His real name is revealed to be Theo in Book 5, but is typically only referred to as "Archivist Magister," or simply "Archivist."
316	* TheGhost: The only things that have ever been seen of him in the series are his written letters to his agents. [[spoiler: Until Jess finally meets him in the flesh at the end of ''Ash and Quill''.]]
317	* LegacyCharacter: The Archivist Magister is a position that is passed on from person to person each generation. The current Archivist is just the most recent owner of the title. [[spoiler: At least until book 4, when he's deposed and exiled, with Khalila taking his job]].
318	* TheManBehindTheMan: To the Artifex Magnus.
319	* NonActionBigBad: Has not displayed any combat skill, but given the fact that he's constantly protected by automata, Obscurists, and the High Garda Elite.
320	* OrcusOnHisThrone: For the first three books, he remains behind the scene, giving orders but never doing anything proactive to stamp out rebellions.
321	* VillainousBreakdown: Becomes progressively more desperate and draconian in his attempts to stamp out rebellion against his authority in the fourth book.
322	** In the fifth book, he is willing [[spoiler: to burn the library's entire collection of books rather than allow the institution to survive without him]].
323
324	! Callimachus
325	The first Archivist of the Great Library back in the days of Pharaoh Ptolemy II and without whom the Great Library would not be what it is today, for better or worse. Although he began as the archivist for the Pharaoh, his one true loyalty is to knowledge itself.
326	----
327	* BadassBoast: When Ptolemy declares that women should not be admitted to the library, the original archivist had this to say:
328	-->'''Callimachus:''' [[SarcasmMode "His divine wisdom]] can kiss my common arse. We blind and hobble half the world through such ignorance, and I will not have it. Women shall study at the Serapeum as they might be inclined. [[RefugeInAudacity Let him execute me if he wishes, but I have seen enough of minds wasted in this world.]] I have a daughter. My daughter will learn."
329	* PosthumousCharacter: He's been dead for several thousand years before the start of the series. All information about him comes from transcribed letters between himself and his contemporaries.
330	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Despite the StayInTheKitchen attitude held by the Pharaoh in regards to women learning, he declares that he is sick and tired of brilliant women being wasted by the sexism of the era, and that he will teach his daughters to read, execution for treason be damned.
331	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He made the Great Library independent from the Egyptian government to ensure that the knowledge collected would be preserved. The Great Library went on to become a [[NGOSuperpower world power unto itself]], perfectly willing to sacrifice human lives in the name of collecting and preserving knowledge.
332	[[/folder]]
333
334	! The Shadow Markets
335	[[folder:Brightwell Clan]]
336	! Callum Brightwell
337	Jess and Brendan's father and head of the Brightwell family's smuggling operation. He sends his son to train for service to the library in hopes of using Jess' position to benefit his family.
338	----
339	* AbusiveParents: Both physically and emotionally. Besides treating Brendan like a backup twin to Jess, he treats his sons more as disposable tools than as his actual children.
340	* CallingTheOldManOut: Finally gets hit with this in ''Sword and Pen'', from his son, ''his wife'', and Wolfe.
341	* TheFagin: Hires local London children to serve as decoys on smuggling runs to ensure the book carriers don't get caught.
342	* NeedleInAStackOfNeedles: Hides the children he hires to smuggle books by having entire crowds of decoys run the same route together to divert attention away from the one actually carrying the merchandise.
343	* YouAreNotMyFather: When they finally meet face to face in the final act of ''Paper and Fire'', Jess refuses to call him "Dad" and refers to him by his first name. Subverted in ''Ash and Quill'' when they're forced back together by circumstances and Jess has to play nice in order to secure his father's help.
344
345	! Brendan Brightwell
346	Jess's twin brother who begins training to eventually take command of the family business when Jess is sent to train at the library.
347	----
348	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Jess sees him this way, [[spoiler: and the second book reveals that he feels the same way about Jess.]]
349	* BackupTwin: How his father always treated him in comparison to Jess.
350	* BerserkButton: being called "Scraps."
351	* EmbarrassingNickname: "Scraps" referring to the fact that he was born a few seconds after Jess and dangerously small.
352	* EvilTwin: The first book sets him up as one to Jess, [[spoiler: and then the second one subverts it with the reveal that he has a major inferiority complex and is simply trying to set himself apart from Jess, who he views as AlwaysSomeoneBetter.]]
353	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The second book reveals his softer side underneath his ruthless shell. And then he and Jess get a few moments of teamwork in the third.
354	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Murdered by Zara in the climax of Book 4]].
355	* PersonalHorror: Projects his self-loathing issues onto Jess, according to his personal diary.
356	* PolarOppositeTwins: Jess and Brendan look alike but have very different personalities—Jess is outgoing and kind, while Brendan is both more reserved and [[spoiler: seemingly]] more sadistic.
357	%%* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler: With Neska at the end of ''Smoke and Iron'']].
358	* TwinSwitch: [[spoiler: He and Jess pull this off at the end of Ash and Quill so that Jess can accompany his friends to Alexandria while Brendan pretends to be Jess and protects the printing press and the Black Archive books from their father.]]
359	* TheUnfavorite: ''Paper and Fire'' reveals that he feels this way about himself, as a side affect of being born unhealthily small and being given the humiliating nickname "Scraps".
360
361	! Frederick Brightwell
362	Jess's cousin who helps the Postulants escape the Welsh siege of Oxford in exchange for Originals.
363	----
364	* BadassAndChildDuo: Implied with his adopting an orphan baby at the end of the first book.
365	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's very smug and sleazy, but he doesn't hesitate to rescue and adopt an orphan baby Jess finds in Oxford when the Welsh army won't allow the library party to leave with her.
366
367	! Liam Brightwell
368	Jess and Brendan's oldest brother. He was captured and executed before the start of the series.
369	----
370	* DyingAlone: His family refused to come forward and identify him when he was caught in order to preserve their reputations and maintain their secrets. As a result, he was hung for book smuggling and dumped into an unmarked mass grave.
371	* ParentalFavoritism: Painfully clear to Jess that Liam was his father's favorite son.
372	* PosthumousCharacter: Hung for book smuggling before the first book even started.
373
374	! Celia Brightwell
375	Jess and Brandan's mother.
376	----
377	* ExtremeDoormat: never protested Callum's treatment of her children. [[spoiler: She finally grows a spine in Book 5]].
378	[[/folder]]
379
380	[[folder:Ibrahim Family]]
381	! Red Ibrahim
382	A Book Smuggler operating in the heart of Alexandria. One of Callum Brightwell's closest allies.
383	----
384	* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:Anit kills him with a shot to the head]].
385	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Killed by his own daughter for trying to sell Jess out to the Archivist]].
386	* PlayingBothSides: In ''Smoke and Iron'', he is business allies with the Brightwell family, while also [[spoiler: selling out the Postulants to save his own business]].
387	* ProperlyParanoid: He has to be when he's running a black market for books right in the heart of Alexandria.
388
389	! Anit Ibrahim
390	The daughter of Red Ibrahim who is willing to trade Jess information.
391	----
392	* AmbiguouslyEvil: It's unclear whether she's on Jess's side or his father's. [[spoiler: Ultimately, though allied with Jess, she's on her own side]].
393	* FamilyOfChoice: She and Jess declare themselves this in Book 5.
394	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Has this reaction in Book 4 after [[spoiler: she kills her own father]].
395	* {{Patricide}}: [[spoiler:Kills her own father in the fourth book to save Jess and Brendan]].
396	* ProperlyParanoid: Much like her father, she has to be when selling Originals in the heart of Alexandria.
397	[[/folder]]
398	! Burners
399	[[folder:The Burner Movement]]
400	The Burner Movement was founded in 1795 by Thomas Paine, who spoke out against the library's ironclad control over what knowledge people were allowed to read. The Burners protest the illegality of personal ownership of books, as well as the library's WeHaveReserves attitude towards human lives sacrificed in defense of books. Their goal is to weaken the library's influence and spread the knowledge it hordes across the world.
401	----
402	* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Their members included Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
403	* BookBurning: How they got their name, by burning books with GreekFire to protest the library's totalitarian level of control over civilization.
404	* GreekFire: Their weapon of choice for book burning.
405	* MeaningfulName: Burner refers to their M.O. of burning books to make a political statement.
406	* PretentiousLatinMotto: ''Vita hominis plus libro valet!'' A life is worth more than a book. Possibly invoked to mock the library's own motto, "Knowledge is all."
407	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Jess remarks that he understands their goals and motivations, he finds their methods of burning books repulsive, because unless other copies of a work exist, the knowledge contained in the books they burn is lost forever.
408	[[/folder]]
409	[[folder:Willinger Beck]]
410	The leader of the Burner city of Philadelphia, and by extension, leader of the entire Burner movement. He hates the Library with a fanatic zeal and will do whatever he can to weaken its grip on the world.
411	----
412	* FauxAffablyEvil: Jess and the others are able to see through his veneer of civility.
413	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Partway through the third book.]]
414	* ManOnFire: [[spoiler: Burned alive when the Library destroys Philadelphia with Greek Fire midway through ''Ash and Quill]].''
415	* ManlyTears: Cries tears of joy when he sees the printing press in action and realizes its implications.
416	* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Killed halfway through the book in which he was introduced.]]
417	[[/folder]]
418	[[folder:Kate Hannigan]]
419	The leader of the Burners operating in London. Callum Brightwell and his smuggling organization temporarily ally themselves with her at the end of ''Paper & Fire'' when the Welsh army attacks London, only to betray Callum and take the Postulants prisoner.
420	----
421	* EnemyMine: She and Callum consider each other rivals, but the Welsh invasion of London forces them to temporarily join forces.
422	* MookLieutenant: She serves as this within the Burner hierarchy.
423	[[/folder]]
424	[[folder:Danton Sr.]]
425	The father of Postulant Guillame Danton.
426	----
427	[[/folder]]
428	!! Other
429	[[folder: Elsinor Quest]]
430	A black market mesmer in Alexandria who the main cast sometimes turn to for help.
431	----
432	* TheBusCameBack: Returns in ''Smoke and Iron'' after being absent for two books.

Context Characters / TheGreatLibrary