Line #402 Characters/TheGrishaverseRavka


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9	[[foldercontrol]]
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11	Click [[Characters/TheGrishaverse here]] to return to the main page.
12
13	!Royal family
14
15	[[folder:King Alexander III]]
16	!!King Alexander III
17
18	The king of Ravka.
19	----
20	* AbdicateTheThrone: [[spoiler:His son Nikolai forced him to abdicate and after that exiled him and his wife.]]
21	* DirtyOldMan: He uses his position of power to rape servant girls.
22	* TheExile: [[spoiler:After it's revealed he raped Genya, Nikolai forces him to abdicate and go into exile.]]
23	* PuppetKing: His own court members show little fear insulting him, often speaking about how naive and easy to manipulate the king is.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Queen Tatiana Lantsov]]
27	!!Queen Tatiana Lantsov
28
29	The queen of Ravka.
30	----
31	* ArrangedMarriage: She was married off to Alexander III in a flimsy alliance between Fjerda and Ravka.
32	* LieToTheBeholder: Excessive tailoring by Genya Safin allows the actually quite plain queen to look twenty years younger and always stunningly gorgeous.
33	* NoNameGiven: Her name is never said in ''The Grisha Trilogy''.
34	** Averted in later books set in the ''Grishaverse'' when her name is given as Tatiana.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Vasily Lantsov]]
38	!!Vasily Lantsov
39	->'''Played by:''' George Parker
40
41	The eldest son of king Alexander III and the heir to the Ravkan throne.
42	----
43	* TheAlcoholic: Loves heavily drinking. Always shows up to war meetings hungover.
44	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: As Crown Prince, Vasily studied ruling and statecraft, but he’s clearly, in charm, strategy, politics, and looks, completely outshone by his younger brother.
45	* BigBrotherBully: Called Nikolai “Nikolai Nothing” despite Nikolai’s hero worship of him when Nikolai was a child, constantly implies Nikolai is a bastard, and likely tried to poison Nikolai when he was twelve.
46	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Dies after a nichevo’ya tears his arm right out of his socket, and he bleeds to death.]]
47	* EntitledBastard: Thinks he is owed the throne, and yet puts in absolutely no effort to rule the country or figure out Ravka’s problems.
48	* PrincelingRivalry: Inverted. Nikolai sees his brother as unsuitable for the throne, but tries to just act as a better ruler rather than trying to physically hurt his older brother. Vasily, however, likely tried to poison Nikolai when he was twelve.
49	* PrinceCharmless: An arrogant brat who annoys most characters. He proposes to Alina but she very carefully turns him down.
50	* SiblingRivalry: He and his younger brother Nikolai do not get along. Vasily accuses his brother of being a bastard and trying to steal his throne, and Nikolai thinks his brother is lazy, unintelligent, and that he would make a terrible king.
51	* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Prince Vasily is normally just useless, but then he announces that he arranged a treaty with Fjerda by allowing them free access to the roads in Ravka without interference from the First Army. While the Darkling and his army are looking for a way to invade Os Alta. On the night the most important people in Ravka would all be in one place celebrating Nikolai's birthday.]]
52	* SpoiledBrat: Vasily is the crown prince of a country on the brink of war that is nearly bankrupt. He continues to live an ostentatious lifestyle, spending his time getting drunk and spending the country’s tight finances betting on horses. His solution to the country’s problems is to lower the draft age to thirteen. He frequently shows up to council meetings drunk, and gets angry when he can’t have his way.
53	* UpperClassTwit: Vasily is a prince who is very unintelligent, arrogant and lazy. He is also way more interested in drinking and horses than in actually ruling a country. [[spoiler:Luckily he dies before he can become king.]]
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Nikolai Lantsov / [[spoiler:Sturmhond]]]]
57	!!Nikolai Lantsov / [[spoiler:Sturmhond]]
58	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nikolai_lantsov.jpg]]
59	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
60	The younger Ravkan prince. [[spoiler:Becomes the king of Ravka after his father's abdication and his brother's death.]]
61	----
62	* AllForNothing: His efforts to prove he'd make a better king than Vasily end up being this. [[spoiler:Vasily dies at the end of ''Seige and Storm,'' making Nikolai heir by default.]]
63	* AnimalMotifs: He's often associated with dogs and foxes.
64	* ArrangedMarriage: [[spoiler:After the failure of a Shu plot to assassinate Nikolai at the end of ''King of Scars", he gives princess Ehri-Kir Taban (second in line to the Shu throne) two choices: marry him or be executed.]]
65	* BadassLongcoat: He wears a teal frock coat, extremely gaudy, but extremely dramatic.
66	* BlackSheep: The people at the Ravkan court call him the black sheep of the family, because he chose to serve in the infantry as an ordinary Ravkan, earning his ranks himself instead of starting out as a officer like most royals.
67	* ButHeSoundsHandsome: When someone mentions that the prince isn't bad looking, he's compelled to put in that he's 'damnably handsome', among a long litany of other inflated qualities.
68	* DeadpanSnarker: Arguably more than Alina.
69	* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler:It's revealed in ''King of Scars'' that the darkness inside of him has its own mind.]]
70	* TheCharmer: Clearly knows his way around others, is beloved by the court and his people. Constantly flirts with Alina, and uses his charms to manipulate his way through social situations.
71	* ConsummateLiar: About almost anything. He lies to Alina about his true intentions, then his true identity, and continues to lie in various small ways throughout the books. Most of the time, no one suspects a thing.
72	* TheEngineer: Helped to invent the world's first flying craft, machine guns, and several other devices.
73	* FateWorseThanDeath: Played with in ''Ruin and Rising'', when [[spoiler:his body becomes merged with one of the Darkling's shadow soldiers]].
74	* ForcefulKiss: Kisses Alina against her will in order to convince his people she is his 'Sun Queen'.
75	* CommandingCoolness: Sturmhond's official title on board the Volkvolny.
76	* GuileHero: While Nikolai is a good fighter, he mostly uses his silver tongue, manipulation skills and his talent for scheming and politics to win the day.
77	* HeroicBastard: Nikolai is officially the son of the former king Alexander III and his wife, the queen, but there are some rumours that he was actually born from one of the queen's affairs. [[spoiler:This later turns out to be true when the queen tells him that his father is Magnus Opjer, a Fjerdan diplomat.]]
78	* InsistentTerminology: He is quite insistent that he is a privateer, not a pirate.
79	* ItsAllAboutMe: He has a very carefree attitude, and tends to make things about himself as a joke. He's playing off his own arrogance.
80	* LoveableRogue: You want to hate him, but you just can't.
81	-->'''Nikolai''': I have several ships. The Darkling wanted a whaler, so I got him one.
82	-->'''Alina''': You mean you stole it.
83	-->'''Nikolai''': Acquired it.
84	* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Acts as a gender flip version for both Alina and Zoya.
85	* MindRape: What [[spoiler:the Darkling did to Nikolai, by turning him into a monster]], had strong shades of this. [[spoiler: The Darkling forced [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything something into Nikolai and Nikolai tried to fight back but couldn't.]] He made Nikolai completely helpless to his own body and mind, and totally perverted who he was. Luckily, after the Darkling’s death, he gets his own body back again, but, in the sequel series, is still haunted by what happened.]]
86	* MirroringFactions: At the end of ''Rule Of Wolves'' he muses that he and [[spoiler:the Darkling had pretty much the same goal, trying to be Ravka's salvation; and he has the potential to go the same way as his nemesis if he doesn't take steps to right his course. He also mourns the young man that the Darkling once was, who was very similar to Nikolai himself in believing he could accomplish anything if only he was clever, strong and brave enough.]]
87	* MeaningfulName: An in-universe example. His childhood nickname was ''Sobachka'' (Ravkan for puppy), which he plays on to create [[spoiler:his later alias, Sturmhond.]]
88	* TheMutiny: [[spoiler:He and his crew overthrow the Darkling and his men from their ship, thereby mutinying against a superior officer.]]
89	* NonAnswer: Notorious for this.
90	-->'''Alina''': Do you ever answer a question directly?
91	-->'''Nikolai''': Hard to say. Ah, there, I've done it again.
92	* {{Polyglot}}: Albeit not a very good one. He knows Zemeni, Ravkan, Kerch, and some Shu, though he's not perfect.
93	* PrinceCharming: A rare modern example. Despite his introduction and tendency to win with trickery, Nikolai fits all the key traits. He is a very handsome prince with a magnetic personality, who is very brave, and is also quite kind and fair, and he’s also fundamentally good.
94	* PrincelingRivalry: Subverted. Nikolai thinks his older brother is unsuitable for the throne, but he tries to act as a better ruler, rather than trying to assassinate his older brother. In fact, Nikolai never tries to actually physically hurt his older brother, despite his brother likely trying to poison him when he was a child.
95	* {{Privateer}}: Operated as one under the name Sturmhond for several years.
96	* ReallyRoyaltyReveal: [[spoiler:After the Hummingbird crashes, Sturmhond is revealed to be Nikolai.]]
97	* ResistTheBeast: [[spoiler:Nikolai attempts to prevent himself from changing, and warns others of it in ''King of Scars'']].
98	* RoyalBrat: [[spoiler:He was this when he was much younger, before the castle decided to enforce discipline by punishing one of his friends rather than Nikolai himself.]]
99	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Nikolai left court as soon as he could, insisted on doing his military service in the infantry, apprenticed to a gunsmith, and then later went to study shipbuilding. This turns out to be useful when he [[spoiler: becomes a pirate--er, privateer.]]
100	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney!:He's not above bribery, and he's very willing to disregard rules.
101	-->'''Nikolai''': Pauper or Prince, every man can be bought.
102	* SiblingRivalry: He and his older brother Vasily do not get along. Vasily accuses his brother of being a bastard and trying to steal his throne, and Nikolai thinks his brother is lazy, unintelligent and that he would make a terrible king.
103	* SpareToTheThrone: He is next in line to the Ravkan throne after his brother, Vasily and [[spoiler:he becomes the new king after his brother dies and his father abdicates.]]
104	* TooCleverByHalf: He screams it. He's extremely intelligent and he knows it, and is thus unafraid to remind others of it.
105	* TransformationOfThePossessed: [[spoiler:His body morphs and changes significantly with the darkness in control.]]
106	* WhiteSheep: His father, [[spoiler:actually step-father]], raped Genya, his servant, when she was still a child and likely did this to other servants. Additionally, he’s a naive and apathetic ruler who ran his country into the ground. Nikolai’s mother, the queen, groomed and physically abused Genya, and appears just as negligent to the common people as her husband. Nikolai’s brother is an [[RoyalBrat entitled brat]] who never puts an ounce of work in, looks down on the common people, and wants to lower the draft age to thirteen. Nikolai, by contrast, cares deeply for the people of Ravka and will do anything to do right by them, including giving his life. He is constantly working, has a strong sense of justice, and generally does the right thing.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	!The First Army
110
111	[[folder:Malyen Oretsev]]
112	!!Malyen Oretsev
113	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/malyen_oretsev.png]]
114	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
115	->'''Played by:''' Archie Renaux
116
117	Alina's childhood best friend, a former soldier of the First Army and a gifted tracker.
118	----
119	* TheAce: Mal is handsome, an unbelievably good tracker, and makes friends very easily. Alina muses that you could drop him anywhere in the world and before long he'd fit in perfectly.
120	* ChildhoodFriends: He and Alina have known each other since they were very young, growing up in the same orphanage.
121	* BettyAndVeronica: There's a subversion here. While the Darkling is definitely the Veronica, being a handsome and seductive stranger in contrast to Malyen's status as Alina's childhood friend, Malyen isn't much of a Betty besides being a childhood friend given how much sleeping around he does.
122	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:At the climactic confrontation of ''Ruin and Rising'', Mal, having realized that he's the third amplifier, guides a badly-wounded and utterly broken Alina into driving a knife to his chest, [[ExactWords taking her power to its logical conclusion.]]]]
123	* {{Hypocrite}}: He flirts and sleeps with women as much as he wants while in the First Army, but when he sees Alina wearing signs of the Darkling's favor, he gets furious and accuses her of being a whore. He gets possessive of her around Nikolai, but then kisses Zoya. In front of her.
124	* ItsAllAboutMe: He complains to Alina about how she doesn't have time for him anymore... while she's trying to keep the Second Army afloat, help Nikolai's political game, and keep a civil war from breaking out. [[SkewedPriorities Yeah]]...
125	* LikeBrotherAndSister: Mal sees Alina as his sister instead of a potential girlfriend, much to her silent torment. [[spoiler:He comes around.]]
126	* LoveEpiphany: [[spoiler:Mal comes to realize just how much he loves Alina back while they are in hiding from The Darkling.]]
127	* LoveTriangle: Stuck in one for the bulk of the series, with Alina and the Darkling, and later, Alina and Nikolai.
128	* MrFanservice: Mal is described as a very handsome man, turning heads wherever he goes, much to Alina's annoyance.
129	* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: Downplayed. Mal spends a lot of the series resenting Alina’s powers and the position they give her, and wanting her to go back to “normal”, even though repressing her powers causes her to be sickly, weak, and miserable. He also takes issue with the social life she gains at the Little Palace independent of him.
130	* ReallyGetsAround: Implied hook up with many women during his time in the First Army.
131	* ScarilyCompetentTracker: It's said of Mal that he can "turn rocks into rabbits." He's so good he can even track a sea-serpent ''on the open ocean''. [[spoiler:It turns out that this ability is supernatural and derived from his power as an amplifier. Since "like calls to like" is the rule of the Grishaverse, he's naturally drawn to other amplifiers like the stag and the sea serpent.]]
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Isaak Andreyev]]
135	!!Isaak Andreyev
136	A soldier in the First Army who became a member of the royal guard.
137	----
138	* AssassinationAttempt: [[spoiler:He gets murdered by a Shu agent, while he is disguised as King Nikolai.]]
139	* FishOutOfWater: Isaak is a normal, rather shy guy from a poor family, so he is rather out of his comfort zone when [[spoiler:he has to pretend to be King Nikolai and has to navigate complicated diplomatic situations, because the real king is missing.]]
140	* KingIncognito: [[spoiler: Inverted, Isaak is a normal guard pretending to be the king to prevent chaos after the real king went missing.]]
141	* {{Polyglot}}: Aside from his native Ravkan he is fluent in Shu, Zemeni, Kerch, and Suli languages.
142	* PraetorianGuard: He is a member of the royal guard, tasked with protecting the king and his family.
143	* UndyingLoyalty: He is completely loyal to King Nikolai, who got him a job as a royal guard, which allowed him and family to escape from poverty.
144	[[/folder]]
145
146	!The Second Army
147
148	!!Shadow/Sun Summoners
149
150	[[folder:The Darkling /[[spoiler:Aleksander Morozova]]]]
151	!!The Darkling / [[spoiler:Aleksander Morozova]]
152	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_darkling.jpg]]
153	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
154	->'''Played by:''' Creator/BenBarnes
155	-->"''Fine, make me your villain.''"
156
157	The mysterious force that leads the Grisha.
158	----
159	* TheAgeless: The Darkling states that he is 120 years old, but it's implied that [[Really700YearsOld he's much older than that.]] [[spoiler:It turns out that he accidentally created the Shadow Fold, which is around four hundred years old, so he's older even than ''that.'']]
160	* AgeLift: In a physical sense. Though he's TheAgeless, the books describe him as looking a little older than Alina (roughly late teens to early twenties). For [[Series/ShadowAndBone the series]], he's played by Creator/BenBarnes, who was 38 when filming the first season.
161	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: The Darkling has this appeal for Alina, encouraged by her belief that Mal has forgotten about her. She comes to despise him after the events of the first book, but a very strong attraction is still clearly there.
162	* AmbitionIsEvil: He wants to make the world a safer place for Grisha, [[spoiler:so he'll just conquer the world. The Shadow Fold was also brought about by him experimenting too much and too darkly with magic.]]
163	%%%* AnimalisticAbomination: [[spoiler:What happens when he starts messing with really dark magic, accidentally creating the volcra.]]
164	* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:He was always this, but it becomes most prominent in ''Ruin and Rising'', where he declares that he'll destroy ''everything'' that Alina loves so that she has nothing left but him.]]
165	* BeautyIsBad: He's a thoroughly gorgeous man, but thoroughly ruthless and power hungry.
166	* BettyAndVeronica: There's a subversion here. While the Darkling is definitely the Veronica, being a handsome and seductive stranger in contrast to Malyen's status as Alina's childhood friend, Malyen isn't much of a Betty besides being a childhood friend.
167	* BigBad: Revealed to be the Black Heretic, the one who created the Shadow Fold, halfway through the first book, making him the main villain of the Grisha Trilogy. His goals are further revealed to be expanding the Fold to consume Ravka, and he even declared Alina can make him the villain if she wants.
168	* BitchInSheepsClothing: For the majority of ''Shadow and Bone'' he seems like a good and even kind man who only wants the best for his country and encourages Alina in her training. By the end of the book, he sheds this mask to [[BigBad reveal his]] [[ManipulativeBastard true persona.]]
169	* CallForward: It is stated in ''The Demon in the Wood'' that as a [[UsedToBeASweetKid child]], the Darkling ''loved sunlight'' and was ''afraid of the dark'', perhaps foreshadowing his future infatuation with Alina, the sun summoner.
170	* CastingAShadow: His main ability; he wouldn't be called the ''Dark''ling if he didn't manipulate shadows.
171	* TheChessmaster: He is a master at manipulating people and events to serve his purposes.
172	* ConsummateLiar: He manipulates most of the people around him with a web of lies and flattery.
173	* TheCorrupter: One of his major goals is to either get Alina to abandon her principles and join him willingly...or force her into doing so.
174	* CrazyJealousGuy: Towards Alina; [[spoiler:he leaves Mal to die in the Shadow Fold and later transforms Nikolai into a volcra at least partly because Alina cares so deeply for them.]]
175	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Explored in ''The Demon in the Woods;'' [[spoiler:when he was a child, he and his mother spent their lives on the run since Grisha were feared and hunted, and when he actually made a friend she ended up trying to ''murder'' him so she could use his remains as an amplifier. He ended up killing both her and another boy who also wanted his bones, which in turn caused the destruction of a nearby otkazat’sya village when he had to frame them in order to protect himself from reprisal.]]
176	* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: His dabbling with his shadow-related powers [[spoiler:ended up accidentally creating the Shadow Fold.]]
177	%%* DarkIsEvil
178	* DiagonalCut: Possesses the rare ability called "The Cut", which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
179	* TheDreaded: Even the Grisha feel uneasy around him in ''Siege and Storm''.
180	* DrowningPit: [[spoiler:A girl he befriended at 13, Annika, betrayed him by luring him into a lake and using her Tidemaker powers to freeze it over after learning he’s a living amplifier]].
181	* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: He's pale-skinned and dark-haired and very creepy. Even before he's revealed as evil, people are scared and unnerved by virtue of his [[CastingAShadow powers]].
182	* EternalLove: He believes that eventually as Alina [[spoiler:comes to accept her immortality]], they will share this.
183	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Played with. He sees his mother as someone who can share his immortal life, but blinds her when she helps Alina. But then later when she [[spoiler: commits suicide]], he not only tries to ''stop'' her, but Alina feels him grieving through their link.
184	* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: Despite all the terrible things he's done, his mother still loves him and Alina still feels ''something'' for him, [[spoiler:to the point she cries when she kills him]]. This helps the narrative humanize the Darkling.
185	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: He's addressed as "the Darkling", and apparently has been for centuries. We don't find out his real name until the end.
186	* TheExtremistWasRight / VillainHasAPoint: The following ''Crows'' and ''Nikolai'' duologies go into excruciating detail on just how terribly Grisha are treated around the world outside of Ravka (save for Novyi Zem, and even they're willing to provide Fjerda with weapons, while the Grisha there are considered 'blessed' but ''also'' have to live in hiding for fear of being abducted by slavers from other countries) and how new developments in technology and warfare could either enslave or wipe Grisha out altogether. Plus in ''Rule of Wolves,'' it emerges that Fjerda is ''breeding'' captive Grisha to create future generations of slaves. ''The Witch of Duva'' and ''The Demon in the Woods'' take place in a time when Ravkan Grisha were forced to live as fugitives in fear of being slaughtered. Even at the time of the original trilogy a ''lot'' of non-magical Ravkan people still hate and fear the Grisha, despite the Second Army being all that stands between them and conquest by Fjerda or Shu Han; the Darkling probably feared that if the Shadow Fold were destroyed and the need for the Second Army diminished, Ravka might well have turned against its former protectors. In fact, [[spoiler:when the Fold ''is'' destroyed]] things arguably become even worse for Ravka and its citizens now that Fjerda and Shu Han can easily attack the country, and the Grisha ''still'' have to endure discrimination; at one point Zoya mentions that certain towns forbid Grisha from owning property and will readily drive them from their homes. All of this serves to vindicate the Darkling's cause to make a ''truly'' safe place for Grisha, during which he's had to endure numerous incompetent and corrupt Ravkan kings, and the King he currently serves [[spoiler:and attempts to depose]], Alexander III, is genuinely awful.
187	* FauxAffablyEvil: He is very suave and seductive in nearly all his scenes, which only serves to increase his cold and manipulative aura.
188	%%%* ForcefulKiss: A few with Alina.
189	* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:He started out as one of a persecuted few, constantly on the run from those hunting Grisha. His experiences as a child led him to first make Ravka safe for Grisha -- and then scheme to take over the world.]]
190	* GoodScarsEvilScars: His face is faintly scarred by a volcra attack after the end of ''Shadow and Bone''.
191	* HatesBeingAlone: Seems genuinely troubled by the prospect of spending the rest of his long life by himself.
192	--> '''The Darkling''': Don't let me be alone.
193	* HobbesWasRight: He certainly seems to believe that without him as its sole ruler, Ravka will never be a great power again.
194	* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: When he captures Alina after she attempts to escape with Mal in ''Shadow and Bone''.
195	* IJustWantToBeLoved: In ''Ruin and Rising'' Alina concludes: "For all his crimes, the Darkling had loved Ravka, and he'd wanted its love in return."
196	* IfICantHaveYou: Towards Alina and Ravka both, preferring to destroy them rather than see anyone else have them.
197	* ItsAllAboutMe: He claims his actions are for the good of Ravka, but as Alina points out, it's only as long ''he'' is the ruler.
198	* LackOfEmpathy: One of his most prominent qualities. ''The Demon in the Woods'' and ''Ruin and Rising'' seem to imply this developed as a survival and coping mechanism.
199	--> '''The Darkling''': If I still felt as you do, if I ached as you do, I could not have borne this eternity.
200	* LifeIsntFair: He exasperatedly espouses this philosophy to Alina in ''Shadow and Bone''.
201	* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Given his level of obsession with Alina and the more irrational he becomes at her rejection, she seems to become this to him.
202	* LoveIsAWeakness:
203	--> '''The Darkling''': The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak.
204	* LoveMakesYouCrazy: He certainly seems to act more irrationally when it comes to Alina.
205	* LoveMakesYouEvil: All his wicked deeds are rooted in his love for Ravka. And if his claims to love Alina are true, a few can be attributed to his feelings for her.
206	%%%%* LoveRedeems: Baghra hopes that this can be the case with him.
207	* LoveTriangle: In one with Mal and Alina, with Nikolai later added to the mix.
208	* ManipulativeBastard: He plays with Alina's emotions to get what he wants.
209	* MindlinkMates: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Siege and Storm'' he and Alina become a romantically one-sided version of this.]]
210	* MoralityChain: He tells Alina she could become this for him eventually. She counters that he would corrupt her.
211	--> '''The Darkling''': You might make me a better man.
212	--> '''Alina''': And you might make me a monster.
213	* MoralSociopathy: The Darkling seems to have a kind of moral structure, but it is incomprehensible to all but himself.
214	* MurderTheHypotenuse: Repeatedly threatens to kill or attempts to kill Mal in order to have Alina all to himself.
215	* NotGoodWithRejection: He really cannot take being turned down by Alina, especially since she prefers men that, to him, are deeply inferior.
216	* NotSoStoic: His usual demeanor is cool and distant, but he's highly selective of what emotions he shows and who he shows them to. How much of it is genuine is up for interpretation.
217	* PowerIsSexy: This combined with his looks makes the Darkling a much-desired man among women. [[spoiler:He himself has this for Alina, to the point of obsession.]]
218	%%* RavenHairIvorySkin
219	* SayMyName: Asks this of Alina [[spoiler:as he's dying]].
220	--> '''The Darkling''': Once more. Speak my name.
221	* StalkerWithACrush: Really begins to come across as this, especially in ''Siege and Storm''.
222	* ThousandYardStare: Almost exactly how Alina describes the expression in his eyes when she comes to him at Keramzin.
223	* TomTheDarklord: Alina is quite amused to learn that his real name is [[spoiler:Aleksander, an incredibly common and mundane name in Ravka.]]
224	%%* TheSociopath:
225	%%%* [[{{Ubermensch}} Ubermensch]]:
226	* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:Baghra]] says he used to be just a brilliant, talented boy. The short story ''The Demon in the Wood'' features a 13 year old Darkling (then Eryk, to hide his identity for safety) and gives insight into what his childhood was like. [[spoiler:His narrowly escaping being murdered by his new friend, who wanted to use his remains as an amplifier, being forced to kill her and another boy who also wanted his bones, and framing the nearby otkazat’sya village for their deaths which results in ''their'' slaughter as well clearly breaks something inside him.]]
227	* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Claims he wants to use the Shadow Fold to make Ravka a safe place for Grisha.
228	* VillainousCrush: The Darkling has feelings for TheHero Alina; they edge between this and DatingCatwoman depending on the book.
229	* VisionaryVillain: His goal is to make Ravka a great nation and a haven for other Grisha.
230	%%%%* WeCanRuleTogether:
231	* WhatBeautifulEyes: His grey-colored eyes are frequently described in loving detail by Alina's narration.
232	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Certainly comes off as this in ''The Demon in the Woods''. This however is debatable by the time of ''Shadow and Bone''.
233	* {{Yandere}}: Very much so towards Alina. By the time of ''Ruin and Rising'', he's so far gone he declares that he'll destroy everything she loves so she has no shelter but him.
234	[[/folder]]
235
236	[[folder:Alina Starkov]]
237	!!Alina Starkov
238	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alina_starkov.jpg]]
239	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
240	->'''Played by:''' Jessie Mei Li
241	-->''"I'm the Sun Summoner. It gets dark when I say it does.''"
242
243	The protagonist of the first series and TheChosenOne, one of the most powerful Grishas who has ever lived and the only one capable of destroying the [[AnimalisticAbomination volcra]] and the [[{{Mordor}} Shadow Fold.]]
244	----
245	* AcheyScars: In ''Siege and Storm'', [[spoiler:Alina gets one from the Darkling's shadow soldiers. It itches whenever the Darkling is near.]]
246	* TheAgeless: What Alina supposed to become, considering the amount of power she wields. [[spoiler:[[BroughtDownToNormal She loses it later]]]].
247	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: The Darkling has this appeal for Alina, encouraged by her belief that Mal has forgotten about her. [[spoiler:She comes to despise him after the events of the first book, but a very strong attraction is still clearly there.]]
248	%%%%* AmbitionIsEvil: She begins to show aspects this when she receives the second amplifier.
249	* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler:Ultimately Alina's fate at the end of ''Ruin and Rising'' is to lose all of her powers.]]
250	* TheChosenOne: Happens when you're the world's only Sun Summoner and the only Grisha with the power to destroy The Shadow Fold.
251	* CharacterDevelopment: She's a sickly and naive girl when we first meet her but soon proves to be a lot more competent over the course of the trilogy.
252	%%%* ChildhoodFriends: With Mal.
253	%%%* ClingyJealousGirl: Alina shows this in regards to Zoya's interest in Mal.
254	* DeadpanSnarker: One of Alina's most defining traits is her dry wit.
255	-->'''The Darkling''': What are you smiling at?
256	-->'''Alina''': Myself.
257	-->'''The Darkling''': Are you that funny?
258	-->'''Alina''': I'm hilarious.
259	* DifferentlyPoweredIndividual: She's a Sun Summoner, an exceptionally rare Grisha who manipulates light. She's the only one in existence, and furthermore the only one born in ''centuries''.
260	%%%* DrunkWithPower: This happens to Alina [[spoiler:when she combines two amplifiers]] early in the second book.
261	%%* EurekaMoment: Has one in Shadow and Bone.
262	%%%* GoodIsNotSoft:
263	* HeartwarmingOrphan: Alina starts out as an orphan working as a cartographer in the First Army, and not only saves her best friend's life, but also saving the world from [[BigBad the Darkling]].
264	%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Genya.
265	%%* ImStandingRightHere: Alina is often victim to this, mainly when Mal and Nikolai are involved.
266	* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: Her belief. She feels alone during her Grisha training because she's one of a kind and can't relate to anyone but the Darkling.
267	%%%* TheLeader: [[spoiler:Of the Second Army.]]
268	* LightEmUp: The gist of her abilities is light manipulation.
269	* LikeBrotherAndSister: With Tolya. He's arguably one of her closest male friends, but distinctly ''lacks'' any attraction or romance on both ends. Tolya even asserts that Alina is his and Tamar's sister at the end of the trilogy.
270	* LoveTriangle: Between Mal, Alina, and The Darkling. In the second book, this becomes a love square between Mal, Alina, the Darkling, with the addition of Nikolai.
271	* TheMarvelousDeer: Alina's first amplifier is taken from the horns of a great stag.
272	%%%* MentorsNewHope: For Baghra
273	* MessianicArchetype: She's [[TheChosenOne the Chosen One]], has a group of loyal followers, gets betrayed by someone she trusted, defeats a great evil, [[spoiler:figuratively dies and is resurrected]].
274	* PentUpPowerPeril: She was constantly sickly growing up due to subconsciously suppressing her powers. Once she starts using them regularly, her health improves greatly.
275	* PleaseIWillDoAnything: Threatens to [[spoiler:fight against The Darkling for the rest of her life if he harms Mal. But if he spares him, she promises to spend it "proving [her] gratitude."]]
276	* PowerDyesYourHair: [[spoiler:Her hair turns white as a consequence of using merzost.]]
277	* PowerHigh: Despite her hesitation, she thrives when she is using her powers.
278	* ThePowerOfTheSun: Her abilities derive from sunlight, which means it's more difficult for her to use her powers at nighttime or underground.
279	* ReluctantWarrior: She honestly ''doesn't'' want to be TheChosenOne.
280	* SecretKeeper: Becomes one for [[spoiler:the Darkling regarding his name.]] Worth mentioning that it was never explicitly stated that she wasn't allowed to tell anyone, but she never does.
281	* SlaveCollar: [[spoiler:The first amplifier goes around her neck and can't be removed; Baghra tells her it was created with the intention of chaining her to the Darkling.]]
282	%%%* TookALevelInBadass:
283	[[/folder]]
284
285	!!Corporalki
286
287	[[folder:Fedyor Kaminsky]]
288	!!Fedyor Kaminsky
289	->'''Played by:''' Julian Kostov
290
291	A heartrender.
292	----
293	* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: He winds up getting thrown from the roof of the Little Palace.
294	[[/folder]]
295
296	[[folder:Genya Safin]]
297	!!Genya Safin
298	[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/genya_safin.jpg]]
299	[[caption-width-right:349:]]
300	->'''Played by:''' Daisy Head
301	-->''"I am not ruined. I am ruination."''
302
303	The queen's tailor who befriends Alina Starkov. [[spoiler:After the war she becomes a member of the Grisha Triumvate.]]
304	----
305	* BadassBoast: Delivers one to the king after explaining the effects of her poison and how she used it to poison him. Doubles as AppropriatedAppellation after being called "Razrusha'ya" (''the ruined'') after her disfigurement.
306	-->'''Genya''': ''I am not ruined. I am ruination.''
307	* BeautyToBeast: She receives horrible disfiguring scars in ''Siege and Storm''.
308	* BestServedCold: Her revenge on [[spoiler: the king]] was designed to be as slow and painful as possible.
309	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Is generally a kind and polite person, unless you hurt her. Then you’re really in trouble.
310	* FaceHeelRevolvingDoor: It's hard to keep track of whose side she's really on.
311	* RedHeadsAreRavishing: Has red hair and is considered to be very beautiful, both by Alina (who comments on Genya's beauty constantly in her narration) and by the standards of the world around her.
312	* RelationshipUpgrade: With David after her trial in ''Ruin and Rising.'' [[spoiler:''King of Scars'' revealed they got married sometime after the war.]]
313	* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Her beauty was the reason why the King takes such an interest in her and raped her.
314	* TheMakeover: Her main superpower is Tailoring, altering someone's appearance. While this can be used for disguises, at court Genya is mostly called upon for making people prettier.
315	%%%* WorldsMostBeautifulWoman: At least until ''Siege and Storm''.
316	[[/folder]]
317
318	[[folder:Ivan]]
319	!!Ivan
320	->'''Played by:''' Simon Sears
321
322	A powerful heartrender loyal to the Darkling.
323	----
324	* BattleTrophy: His amplifier are the claws from the forepaw of a Sherborn bear that Ivan personally hunted down and killed. He wears them on a chain around his neck.
325	* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: Ivan follows the Darkling because he believes that the Darkling can end the centuries-long wars that his brothers, uncle and father died fighting in.]]
326	* UndyingLoyalty: He is unwaveringly loyal to the Darkling, believing he is the ''only'' person who can save Ravka and give them peace.
327	[[/folder]]
328
329	[[folder:Nina Zenik]]
330
331	For information on Nina click [[Characters/TheGrishaverseKerch here]].
332	[[/folder]]
333
334	[[folder:Sergei Beznikov]]
335	!!Sergei Beznikov
336	A heartrender.
337	----
338	* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler: After he sells out Alina's location to the Darkling, the latter has him dismembered by his creatures.]]
339	[[/folder]]
340
341	!!Etherealki
342
343	[[folder:Adrik Zhabin]]
344	!!Adrik Zhabin
345	A squallor who is determined to fight in the war even though he is too young. Nadia's younger brother.
346	----
347	* HandicappedBadass: [[spoiler:He loses one of his arms in the war, but he remains a badass.]]
348	* ShipTease: He admits to Nina that he has a crush on Leoni, but he isn't doing anything about it because he is her commanding officer. However, Nina points out that after their mission is over, he won't be anymore.
349	[[/folder]]
350
351	[[folder:Harshaw]]
352	!!Harshaw
353	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harshaw.jpg]]
354	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
355	An inferni from the Wandering Isle.
356	----
357	* ADogNamedDog: He named his cat 'Oncat', which is Kaelish for cat.
358	* DarkAndTroubledPast: When he was younger his brother got murdered for being a Grisha. Harshaw then burned down their entire village in revenge.
359	[[/folder]]
360
361	%%[[folder:Marie]]
362	%%!!Marie
363	%%->'''Played by:''' Jasmine Blackborow
364	%%----
365	%%* BelligerentSexualTension: Has this with Sergei.
366	%% * KilledOffForReal: Is one of the casualties during the Darkling's attack on Ravka.
367	%%* ThoseTwoGirls: With Nadia.
368	%%[[/folder]]
369	%%
370	%%[[folder:Nadia Zhabin]]
371	%%!!Nadia Zhabin
372	%%->'''Played by:''' Gabrielle Brooks
373	%%
374	%%A shy Squaller who becomes friends with Alina.
375	%%----
376	%% * RelationshipUpgrade: ''King of Scars'' reveals that she married Tamar sometime after the war.
377	%% * ThoseTwoGirls: With Marie.
378	%%[[/folder]]
379
380	[[folder: Zoya Nazyalensky]]
381	!!Zoya Nazyalensky
382	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zoya_nazyalensky.jpg]]
383	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
384	->'''Played by:''' Sujaya Dasgupta
385
386	A powerful squaller in the second army. [[spoiler:She later becomes a member of the Grisha Triumvirate and Commander of the Second Army.]]
387	----
388	* AloofDarkHairedGirl: She has black hair and doesn't show her emotions very often.
389	* AlphaBitch: When she first meets Alina, she plays this role.
390	* CharacterizationMarchesOn: At first she fills the AlphaBitch role, and is just mean to Alina, but she is later characterized as generally cold around everyone.
391	* DefrostingIceQueen: Usually aloof and cold, she gradually starts letting this drop around [[spoiler:Nikolai]] in ''King of Scars''.
392	* EveryoneHasStandards: When they first met, she was eager to fall into the Darkling's good graces. However, she has nothing but disdain for him after his actions resulted in the deaths of her beloved aunt Liliyana and her adoptive cousin.
393	* GreenEyedMonster: Initially, Zoya doesn't like Alina because she's jealous of how the Darkling favours Alina and all the attention Alina gets in the Little Palace.
394	* GirlFriday: To Nikolai, in ''King of Scars''. She is his advisor.
395	* HiddenHeartOfGold:
396	** Several of Zoya's admirers insists she has one and is just looking for the "right man" to reveal it.
397	** [[spoiler:''King of Scars'' reveals that she really does have one and Zoya cares ''far'' more than she's willing to admit.]]
398	* OldManMarryingAChild: She nearly fell victim to this. Her mother Sabina arranged for Zoya to marry a man in his sixties while she was ''nine.'' The wedding was only stopped when [[OnlySaneMan Liliyana]] protested the entire affair. When Zoya's fiancé tried to attack Liliyana, Zoya discovered her Grisha powers and Liliyana brought her straight to the Little Palace to guarantee the wedding wouldn't happen. The ordeal more or less ruined Zoya's relationship with her mother.
399	* ParentalSubstitute: In some ways, her aunt Liliyana was a more proper mother figure to Zoya than her real mother.
400	* ProudBeauty: She is beautiful and she knows and enjoys it.
401	* WeatherManipulation: As a squaller she can summon lightning and manipulate the wind. [[spoiler:By the end of ''King of Scars'' she also possesses ElementalPowers as she shows the ability to summon wind, water, and fire.]]
402	[[/folder]]
403
404
405	!!Materialki
406
407	[[folder:David Kostyk]]
408	!!David Kostyk
409	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/david_kostyk.png]]
410	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
411	->'''Played by:''' Luke Pasqualino
412
413	A brilliant fabrikator with a talent for inventing things. [[spoiler:After the war he becomes a member of the Grisha triumvate.]]
414	----
415	* AbsentMindedProfessor: David is a brilliant inventor who often gets completely lost in his work.
416	* AdaptationalAttractiveness: David is by no means ugly, but he is described as being rather plain, enough to get people wondering why someone as supposedly drop dead gorgeous as Genya would go for him. Well, David is played by Luke Pasqualino in the Netflix adaptation, so it's really not hard to imagine why at all.
417	* RelationshipUpgrade: With Genya in ''Ruin and Rising''. [[spoiler:''King of Scars'' revealed they married some time after the war.]]
418	[[/folder]]
419
420	[[folder:Leoni]]
421	!!Leoni
422
423	An Zemeni alkemi who is stationed in Fjerda with Nina and Adrik as part of the Hringsa. [[spoiler:She is later appointed the Materialki representative in the Triumvirate.]]
424	----
425	* ConnectedAllAlong: Jesper's mother Aditi Hilli sacrificed herself to save Leoni from poison when she was a child.
426	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Adrik and Leoni, respectively.
427	* ThePollyanna: She is described by Nina as "walking sunshine".
428
429	[[/folder]]
430
431	!Other
432
433	[[folder:Baghra]]
434	!!Baghra
435	[[quoteright:347:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baghra.jpg]]
436	[[caption-width-right:347:]]
437	->'''Played by:''' Zoë Wanamaker
438
439	A short-tempered woman who teaches Alina how to summon her power.
440	----
441	* AntagonisticOffspring: She spends the whole trilogy trying to find ways to redeem the Darkling. Lampshaded by Nikolai:
442	-->'''Baghra''': The little Saint, returned to save us all.
443	-->'''Nikolai''': Well, she did almost ''die'' trying to rid us of your cursed spawn.
444	* CastingAShadow: She is the mother of the Darkling, and has similar powers.
445	* CynicalMentor: Baghra is ''not'' impressed with Alina's progress.
446	* DarwinistDesire: A particularly cold example.
447	-->'''Baghra''': I wanted a child, so I sought out the most powerful Grisha I could find. He was a Heartrender. I don't even remember his name.
448	%%%* DrivenToSuicide [[spoiler: In ''Ruin and Rising''.]]
449	%%* IWasQuiteALooker
450	%%* MyBelovedSmother: Shades of this.
451	* OldMaster: She's Alina's mentor. She's the Darkling's mother, so as old as he is, [[Really700YearsOld she's even older.]]
452	[[/folder]]
453
454	[[folder:Dunyasha Lazareva]]
455	!!Dunyasha Lazareva
456	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dunyasha_lazareva_2.jpg]]
457	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
458
459	A mad assassin hired by Pekka Rollins to eliminate Inej, Dunyasha claims descent from royalty.
460	----
461	* AllThereInTheManual: Her last name [[OneNameOnly isn't given]] in the narrative; it's revealed in the DramatisPersonae at the end of ''Crooked Kingdom''.
462	* AxeCrazy: Insane enough that Fjerda decided she was too unstable to back for the throne.
463	* TheChosenOne: Subverted. Dunyasha ''seems'' like a prototypical YA chosen one. She has royal blood, has been trained as an assassin, and kills as holy work. Of course she's also a delusional lunatic, who hires herself out as a PsychoForHire.
464	* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of YA protagonists. All the traits are there: An extremely skilled fighter, claim to royalty, beautiful. Inej notes that she could be the main character of a story. Ultimately she's a footnote in the Grishaverse, however. Also people don't think her white assassin outfit is cool, they make fun of her for it.
465	* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:She's tricked by Inej into falling to her death during their fight at the top of a church.]]
466	* EvilRedhead: Auburn hair and no conscience.
467	* {{Expy}}: A [[LargeHam hammy]], arrogant assassin who claims royal heritage. Some readers have pointed out that she seems a lot like a villainous version of Celaena Sardothien from ''Literature/ThroneOfGlass''.
468	* {{Ninja}}: Complete with shiriken.
469	* PsychoForHire: She's a lunatic who hires herself out as a killer because she gets off on it.
470	* TheUnreveal: It never is confirmed whether or not she's Ravkan royalty, or just deluded. She's mentioned in ''King of Scars'' but her claims are dismissed just as casually as she was mentioned.
471	* WorthyOpponent: How she refers to Inej, even using the exact phrase, just before [[SubvertedTrope subverting the trope]].
472	-->'''Dunyasha:''' There is no shame in meeting a worthy opponent. It means there is more to learn, a welcome reminder to pursue humility. ({{beat}}) I have learned humility. And now you will learn that some are meant to serve. And some are meant to rule.
473	[[/folder]]
474
475	[[folder:Sabina Garin]]
476	Zoya's mother.
477	----
478	* AbusiveParents: She was emotionally abusive towards Zoya and tried to marry her to an old man when she was only nine years old.
479	* MalignedMixedMarriage: She married a Suli man, which caused her parents to cut her off.
480	* MarryForLove: She married a poor Suli man, despite her parents disaproval, because she loved him. She eventually comes to regret this, as she ends up living in poverty and estranged from her family.
481	[[/folder]]
482
483	[[folder:Liliyana Garin]]
484	Zoya's maternal aunt.
485	----
486	* OnlySaneMan: The only one who objects against nine year old Zoya being married to an old man
487	* PosthumousCharacter: She died before the start of ''The Nikolai Duology'', but she is still important due to the influence she's had on Zoya's life.

Context Characters / TheGrishaverseRavka