Line #124 Characters/WraithKnight


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2	! The Iron Order
3
4	[[folder: Jacob Riverson]]
5
6	!! Jacob Riverson AKA The Wraith Knight AKA [[spoiler: The King Below]]
7	[[quoteright:237:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wraith_knight.png]]
8	[[caption-width-right:237:The last Wraith Knight.]]
9	A bastard blacksmith's son turned Temple Knight turned Knight Paramount of the Shadowguard. He was slain in a MutualKill with Kurag Shadowweaver, the previous leader of the Wraith Knights. After two hundred years of slavery to the King Below, he was freed when the GodOfEvil was slain. Now he must decide to what to do with the rest of his life.
10	----
11
12	* TheAce: Even before he had two hundred years to perfect his skills, he was this. A magnificent soldier, a master swordsman, a incredibly talented sorcerer, and a capable blacksmith. Very few people realized this, though, because he was a HumbleHero.
13	* AmbiguousDisorder: In-universe. Jacob Riverson has a tendency to be overly literal, not understand social cues, and have a BlackAndWhiteMorality that doesn't have any room for shades of gray. He is also deeply emotionally isolated and struggles with connections (and those few that he has, he goes all in on). Other characters comment on how strange Jacobs way of thinking is.
14	* {{Antihero}}: Jacob Riverson, the titular Wraith Knight, is an undead HumanoidAbomination that has been infused with the power of the recently deceased GodOfEvil. He is also a honorable, decent, and compassionate man who just wants to do the right thing. He's also absolutely ''terrible'' at knowing what the right thing to do is.
15	* TheAntichrist: The King Below promised that he would get his revenge by sending his power to one of his minions to become an even more powerful version of the GodOfEvil to imperil the world. This is known as the Prophecy of the Black Sun.
16	** AntiAntiChrist: Jacob actually just wants to do right by the world. [[spoiler: But ends up on a mission to conquer the Southern Kingdoms and destroy the Lawgiver anyway.]]
17	* TheArchmage: Jacob Riverson, himself, is one of the most powerful wizards alive (unalive?) because he stole the secrets of the elvish lord Co'Fannon as well as the Great Wizard Tharadon. He was also a preternaturally talented battlemage and magical engineer while alive. Later, he has four hundred years as a Wraith Knight to develop his skills.
18	* BlackKnight: Jacob Riverson and the other Wraith Knights were this by nature. They were all undead MagicKnight warriors who served as the King Below's generals. Jacob is a rare heroic version of this and a DarkIsNotEvil (theoretically) example. He is still a man in ice-covered black hooded armor, a being referred to as "Dark Lord", and a superhuman killing machine capable of taking on small armies.
19	* TheBlackSmith: Jacob is one of these, being a magical artificer and creator of weapons in addition to his status as a MagicKnight. [[spoiler: Becomes TheUltimateBlacksmith when he creates Starlight as a gift for Regina.]]
20	* BloodKnight: The Trickster says Jacob is secretly one of these. This seems somewhat of an InformedAttribute since he plays the role of TheStoic most of the book. Still, he leads from the front and kills hundreds of people.
21	* BodyHorror: Jacob has one of these moments when he realizes ''he doesn't have a face." He gets better.
22	* CoolSword: Chill's Fury is a serrated sword that channels witchfire blue flame and serves as a focus for Jacob's magic as well as his SoulJar.
23	* TheDragon: A rare double example for Jacob as he was first one for Jassamine/Prince Edward then one of these for the King Below while his spirit was enslaved. [[spoiler: He becomes the DragonAscendant when he assumes the mantle of the King Below.]]
24	* {{Expy}}: Jacob is an {{Expy}} of the Witch King of Angmar and Boromir. Some reviewers believe he's closer to Anakin Skywalker, though. Jacob also possesses some similarities to [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft Arthas Menethil]] and [[Series/GameOfThrones Jon Snow]].
25	* EvilOverlord: Jacob is a subversion of this as everyone expects him to be but he really doesn't have the temperment for it. Nevertheless, he's a powerful wizard king and ruler of an army of monsters as well as undead.
26	* FallenHero: Jacob Riverson was once the First Knight of the Shadowguard. He was then killed and his spirit transformed into that of a Dark Lord.
27	* FamedInStory: By the time Jacob regains his free will, he's a legendary hero. He was also famous as a war hero while alive for his battles against the Shadowkind during the Fourth Great Shadow War.
28	* GeniusBruiser: Jacob Riverson is a WorkingClassHero who does not appear to be particularly smart but is a magnificent warrior. We later find out that he's TheArchmage from even before he became a Wraith Knight and was a genius engineer.
29	* LifeDrain: This is the go-to move of Jacob Riverson AKA the titular Wraith Knight. He possesses the power to drain the life of his enemies and use them to empower his own spells. Given he's frequently set against armies and foes even more powerful than himself, it is an easy way to sustain himself.
30	* MagicKnight: Jacob is one of these, possessing sorcery equal to his skill with a sword. It only gets more the case when he becomes a Wraith Knight.
31	* RedBaron: Jacob is known as the [[spoiler: King Below]], the Black Sun, and Jacob the Black.
32	* TheStoic: It takes an almost inhuman amount to get Jacob to get angry. He only really shows strong emotion when he first discovers he's undead and when his BerserkButton is pushed. [[spoiler: Also when it's revealed Jassamine in the BigBad.]]
33	* TinTyrant: Jacob Riverson is one of the four Wraith Knights with intimidating black demonsteel armor along with black hooded cloaks. Eventually, Jacob graduates to become the new King Below, EvilOverlord of the Shadowkind, with even more intimidating helmets. Played with as he is a DarkIsNotEvil {{Antihero}} subversion of a fantasy villain.
34	* WellIntentionedExtremist: One of the major themes of the book is how easy it is to fall into this. Both Jacob and Jassamine were this in life, willing to let the Grand Temple burn to the ground in order to purify the Lawgiver church of its corruption. The Nine Heroes commit horrific deeds to not only defeat the King Below but also unite the Southern Kingdoms. Jacob, himself, willingly indulges Regina's lust for revenge even though it threatens to plunge the world into another Great Shadow War.
35	* WouldNotHurtAChild: Jacob and the Formor have this in common. It is one of their berserk buttons.
36	* WorkingClassHero: Jacob Riverson was born a bastard son of a blacksmith in the Riverfords before becoming apprentice to his mercenary uncle. While he eventually becomes a Temple Knight and head of the Shadowguard, he never really sheds his peasant's view of the world.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder: Regina Whitetremor]]
40
41	!! Regina Whitetremor AKA The Starlight Maiden AKA The Bloody Unicorn.
42	[[quoteright:237:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/regina_0.png]]
43	[[caption-width-right:237:The Bright Lady.]]
44	The daughter and heir of the destroyed House Whitetremor. A Shadowguardswoman, she decided to steal the legendary sword, Hopebringer, and raise a rebellion against the Nine Heroes. That was right before assassins went to kill her. Thankfully, she had an unusual rescuer.
45
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47
48	* ActionGirl: Regina is a dragon-riding, master swordswoman, and user of Light magic. [[spoiler: She is later elevated to becoming a war goddess.]]
49	* AGodAmI: Acclimates to being a goddess and worshiped as one far better than Jacob.
50	* {{Antihero}}: Increasingly the case with Regina Whitetremor despite the fact she starts as a KnightInShiningArmor. She is increasingly WrongGenreSavvy that she is TheParagon in a heroic narrative as the CycleOfRevenge gets worse and RevengeBeforeReason takes hold of her mind.
51	* BloodKnight: Regina is the most bloodthirsty of the protagonists with a devotion to killing the Nine Heroes, their followers, and anyone associated with them.
52	* BerserkButton: Anything related to the Nine Heroes drives Regina to murderous fury.
53	* CoolSword: Regina first wields the broken sword, Hopebringer, before switching to the enchanted blade Starlight that turns dark magic into light.
54	* DoomedHometown: The city of Whitehold was an elf-loving place of artistry, wealth, and culture in the Annessian Empire.
55	* DragonRider: Regina, as a Shadowguardswoman, is a trained dragonrider with a preference to blue dragons.
56	* {{Expy}}: Regina is a DistaffCounterpart of Aragorn mixed with Eowyn, Daenerys, and Ciri of Cintra.
57	* KissingCousins: Regina's FirstLove is her cousin, Gewain, who turned out to have an IncompatibleOrientation with her.
58	* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Regina as a woman raised in the Northern Wasteland and then as part of the hedonistic nobility of Whitehold is somone who sees no problems with free love, large amounts of drinking, and an otherwise wild lifestyle.
59	* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Regina has no sense of shame toward nudity, free love, or appreciation of others' beauty of both sexes. It's simply not an issue for elves or humans of the Annessian nobility.
60	* RevengeBeforeReason: Regina struggles with this as she wants to be a good servant of justice but ''really-really'' hates the Nine Heroes/Usurpers.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder: Serah Brightwaters]]
64	!! Serah Brightwaters AKA The Raven Queen
65	A powerful sorceress and the niece of the Lakelord of Lakeland. She developed shadow magic powers early and was the victim of FantasticRacism. She was also Regina's lover before she began developing feelings for Jacob too.
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67
68	* TheArchmage: Serah Brightwaters is a BlackMagicianGirl who also possesses great powers of illusion. Already one of the most impressive wizards in the world, she gains a massive boost in her power when Jacob shares his godhood with her and their lover, Regina.
69	* {{Antihero}}: Serah Brightwaters is a BlackMagicianGirl who was treated as a monster from birth due to her natural facility for dark magic. This has made her jaded, ruthless, and contemptuous of 'normal' people. She also works diligently to protect her homeland from Imperial conquest and later her adopted family.
70	* BadPowersGoodPeople: A DownplayedTrope example since Serah is, by far, the most ruthless of the protagonists, but she is still a protectof of the weak and defender of the innocent.
71	* DefrostingIceQueen: Jacob is understanding, patient, and concillatory to her anger at being labeled a Shadowkind since the day she was born.
72	* {{Irony}}: Serah Brightwaters looks like a High Human (i.e. Sub Saharan African features with blue eyes) but is a member of the merchant class. She is also a shadow magic user but has no connection to the King Below (until she marries the new one).
73	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Despite being desperately in love with Regina since she was a young woman, Serah is happy to be a ShipperOnDeck for her and Jacob. This depsite also developing feelings for Jacob himself. Thankfully, they TakeAThirdOption.
74	* LadyOfBlackMagic: Serah is elegant, composed, and an offensive magic user with a desire for unlimited power. She is also a great deal less idealistic than either Regina or Jacob, focused more on benefiting herself.
75	* PragmaticHero: Serah constantly favors the most pragamtic and straightforward response to any given situation. The morality of events bears very little impact on her decisions, only the effectiveness.
76	* ThenLetMeBeEvil: After decades of being treated as a monster and avoiding BurnTheWitch, she eventually decides to side with the King Below. Thankfully, the new King Below is Jacob who is a Redeeming Replacement.
77	* VainSorceress: Serah uses magic to make herself look beautiful. Justified as she's noticed that while people are pretty hostile to wielders of black magic in general, they're somewhat more tolerant of good-looking ones.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	! The Forces of Light
81
82	[[folder: Saint Jassamine the Deliverer]]
83
84	Jacob's lover from his mortal days who started as a priestess of the Great Mother, became a wizard of the Mysterium, rose to lead it, and then became the puppet master behind the Empire. She soon was given Sainthood status and died peacefully in her bed. Except, no, she's alive and still leading the forces of good.
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86
87	* AGodAmI: Saint Jassamine proclaims herself to be the daughter of the Lawgiver, his lover, and prophet. Later, it's revealed she actually ''is'' a goddess (one of the two Peace-Weavers) and has assumed the Lawgiver's power.
88	* AllLovingHero: Saint Jassamine is driven by her love of all things and her desire to create a paradise on the World Between for all beings. Unfortunately, this is part of her FreudianExcuse.
89	* TheArchmage: Saint Jassamine is one of the most powerful mages of all time. She also had this title as the head of the Mysterium.
90	* BastardGirlfriend: [[spoiler: It'd be easier to list the ways she hadn't betrayed Jacob but not the least is selling him out to the King Below, sacrificing children to create Hopebringer, and leading the Nine Heroes to take over the world.]]
91	* BigBad: Jassamine is the force responsible for the Nine Heroes' ascension, Jacob's damnation, and the current conflict. Though she is arguably DragonInChief for the Lawgiver [[spoiler: until we find out she overthrew him.]]
92	* BloodMagic: Jassamine practiced this in addition to her LightIsGood powers. She even uses HumanSacrifice if it serves her purposes.
93	* CorruptedCharacterCopy: Saint Jassamine is basically a DistaffCounterpart to Gandalf the Gray except [[spoiler: evil. She's a PhysicalGod sent from the Lawgiver who leads the forces of good from behind.]]
94	* DarkMessiah: Jassamine believes it is her destiny to rid the World Between of evil and create a paradise for all beings. She's also willing to use any means to do it.
95	* HolyBurnsEvil: Jassamine's very presence is anathema to undead beings like Jacob.
96	* LightIsNotGood: Jassamine is surrounded by a nimbus of light in the "present" and wields light magic against her enemies.
97	* LovedINotHonorMore: [[spoiler: Jassamine was a ''terrible'' girlfriend to Jacob, constantly using him and manipulating his feelings while citing this as the reason.]]
98	* PhysicalGod: [[spoiler: Jassamine is actually the Lawgiver's daughter and the goddess known as the Sorcerer Queen.]]
99	* RankScalesWithAsskicking: Saint Jassamine is the most powerful mage in the world and the head of the forces of light.
100	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Jassamine is remembered as SAINT Jassamine and is considered the founder of the modern religion.
101	* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Jassamine murdered both the princesses of the Anessian Empire in order to create the sword Hopebringer.]]
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder: The Nine Heroes]]
105	A collection of the age's greatest warriors and heroes that successfully defeated the King Below as well as brought an end to the Great Shadow Wars. Theoretically. In truth, they're all a bunch of ruthless antiheroes if not outright villains themselves.
106
107	Its members consist of:
108
109	* Morwen the Wise: The BigBad and TheLeader.
110	* Jon Bloodthorn: TheDragon and BarbarianHero.
111	* Fel Hellsword: TheArchmage and a MagicKnight.
112	* Silence: A ProfessionalKiller and NobleDemon.
113	* Armac the Binder: An EnemySummoner and a OccultDetective.
114	* Marahi Crimsonmoon: A PirateGirl and LovableRogue.
115	* Elevin the Mad: A MadScientist with a {{Steampunk}} aethstetic.
116	* Aegeta Silverhair: TheBard of the group and TheFriendNobodyLikes.
117	* Thermic Redhand. A {{Demigod}} and SociopathicHero TokenEvilTeammate.
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120
121	* AllThereInTheManual: Much information about the Nine Heroes comes from WordOfGod.
122	* {{Antihero}}: The Nine Heroes are all incredibly ruthless and willing to engage in assassination, slavery, and magical experimentation to get what they want.
123	* TheArchmage: Morwen, Fel Hellsword, and Armac the Binder are three of the most powerful mages of their age.
124	* TheDragon: Jon Blackthorn serves as this for Empress Morwen. When he dies, he's replaced with Fel Hellsword.
125	** The Nine Heroes/Usurpers serve as this for [[spoiler: Jassamine.]]
126	* {{Expy}}: Some of them are for classic fantasy characters.
127	** Jon Bloodthorn is one for Conan the Barbarian.
128	** Fell Hellsword is one for Elric of Melnibone.
129	** Thermic Redhand is one for Hercules and [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]].
130	* FantasticRacism: The Nine Heroes are generally extremely uncaring toward nonhumans and actively want to commit genocide against the Shadowkind races. They're also unsympathetic to the Fir Bolg and boggans.
131	* GenocideBackfire: Albeit, one the Nine Heroes/Usurpers couldn't really have imagined would happen. They destroy the Duchy of Whitehall and then lay siege to the city of Accadia, essentially getting TheAntiChrist involved with [[{{Revenge}} two very dangerous women who now have a reason to go after the Usurpers.]]
132	* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: A particularly bizarre example in ''Wraith Lord.'' Jacob Riverson has no interest in waging war against the Southern Kingdoms due to the massive loss of life this would entail. However, once they hear about a surviving Wraith Knight and his rebuilding the King Below's Empire, they immediately begin plotting genocide.
133	* LightIsNotGood: The Nine Heroes wield light magic and are the champions of the Lawgiver with their cause to liberate the world from darkness. They are also a bunch of WellIntentionedExtremist types at best.
134	* MadScientist: Fell Hellsword has magical laboratories for his experiments and is famous for his creations. Elevin is also infamous for his strange and dangerous inventions.
135	* NecessarilyEvil: How Jon Blackthorn justifies his destruction of Whitehall and its inhabitants.
136	* RankScalesWithAsskicking: Morwen is not only one of the world's most powerful magicians but she's also a fantastic general as well as warrior.
137	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Nine Heroes used their status as the heroes of the Fifth Shadow War to take over the Southern Kingdoms.
138	* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Nine Heroes want to create a {{Utopia}} with themselves in charge and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans believe that will require extreme measures.]]
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	!! The Gods
142
143	[[folder: The King Above AKA The Lawgiver]]
144	The God of Good, Order, and Light who rules the universe from the World Above. Supposedly.
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146
147	* AIIsACrapshoot: [[spoiler: The Lawgiver was one of the three AI put in charge of the Three Worlds.]]
148	* {{Hypocrite}}: Claims to be the most devoted to the Great Experiment but is the one who helped create the two Peace-Weavers.
149	* CainAndAbel: He and the Trickster are believed to be this. Which one is which is difficult to ascertain, though. [[spoiler: It turns out neither is as Jassamine was the party responsible for the Trickster's death.]]
150	* AGodAmI: [[spoiler: Is the one who first suggested pretending to be deities to the people of the World Between.]]
151	* GodOfGood: His role in the pantheon of the Three Worlds. He is anything but.
152	* KnightTemplar: Averted. The Lawgiver doesn't actually care about good versus evil beyond how it impacts the Great Experiment.
153	* LightIsNotGood: The Lawgiver is a god of light who has been persecuting the Shadowkind as well as running a con on his own followers for millennia.
154	* PathOfInspiration: The entire religion devoted to him turns out to be a way to manipulate the public into obeying his dictates.
155	* RunningBothSides: Is working with the Trickster to keep the conflict between good versus evil going for millennia.
156	* WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide: He uses a variety of euphemisms to refer to getting rid of the Terralan colonists.
157	[[/folder]]
158
159	[[folder: The King Below AKA The Trickster]]
160	A strange and malevolent shapeshifting deity that controls the World Below.
161	----
162
163	* AIIsACrapshoot: [[spoiler: Was originally designed to be one of the three AI to judge the World Between]]
164	* AGodAmI: [[spoiler: Is just an AI like his brother, though he claims real gods exist.]]
165	* CainAndAbel: Is believed to have this relationship with his brother. [[spoiler: He actually has UndyingLoyalty to the King Above.]]
166	* GodOfEvil: Is viewed as this by the people of the Three Worlds.
167	* ItAmusedMe: The Trickster claims this to be his motivation for most actions.
168	* SpiritAdvisor: Despite dying before the events of the books, his remnant in Jacob's brain continues to advise him.
169	* TheTrickster: It's in his name and one of his most famous avatars. The Trickster is a prankster and corrupter with a glib tongue.
170	* UnreliableNarrator: While he's Jacob's primary source of information, many of his stories are contradictory and impossible to reconcile completely.
171	* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: The Trickster continuously harasses Jacob despite being dead, often commenting on his adventures.
172	[[/folder]]
173

Context Characters / WraithKnight