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Protagonists
Trilby
- Action Survivor: Gets so good at this it basically becomes his job.
- Badass Normal: Capable of taking on magic supernatural entities with just his wits and enough strength to yank the occasional rug and kick the occasional face.
- Coat, Hat, Mask: In his early days as a thief, he wears his suit, his trademark trilby hat, and a full mask that is black cloth and featureless.
- Gentleman Snarker: Much of his dialogue is dry English wit.
- Gentleman Thief: Trilby prefers to label himself as such, and always fends off accusations that he is a simple burglar by pointing out that he only steals from the rich.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: He prefers not to let people know his real name - although
Word of God is that he shares a birth name with Malcolm Somerset. - Malevolent Masked Men: Subverted. While during his time as gentleman thief, he wore a black featureless full mask, he is by no means malevolent. And after his experience in the first game, he ditched the mask entirely.
- Manipulative Bastard: Makes a habit of it. Explicitly stated in Trilby and the Ghost, where he's outright called a devious bastard after his well-meaning but unkind way of dealing with a ghost. He admits that's why they keep him around.
- Master of Unlocking: In 6 Days.
- Occult Detective: Becomes one as a part of a rehabilitation program.
- Person with the Clothing: He named himself after his hat.
- Retired Outlaw: As of Notes.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Including his trademark trilby hat and Waistcoat of Style. Becomes Awesome Anachronistic Apparel in the future-set 6 Days.
- Stiff Upper Lip: He tries very hard to appear unflappable in public, even though we see that privately he is very affected by his experiences.
- Unfazed Everyman: He's astonishingly quick to accept the existence of ghosts, paranormal investigation agencies and parallel universes, although the trauma of being possessed and nearly killed by the Defoe Wraith does appear to give him a mild form of PTSD. His clones are, if anything, even more unfazed by their own existence as clones, and one of them remains able to hold an eloquent conversation while inside Chzo.
Dr. John Somerset
A psychologist on the Mephistopheles, later revealed to be a fraud who stole the identity of his own father, who tangles with the DeFoe wraith and later kills himself in prison to become the Caretaker of destiny.
- Action Survivor: Like the other two protagonists, he survives an encounter with John DeFoe without any real combat skills.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Becomes the immortal Caretaker in death.
- Impersonation-Exclusive Character: We never see the real Dr. Somerset.
- Self-Made Orphan: Killed his father to steal his identity.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Comes to believe this after becoming the Caretaker. This is caused by his gaining the ability to see all of time at once following his suicide.
Theo DaCabe
A council building inspector and all-around average joe, the plot of 6 Days a Sacrifice kicks off when Theo is sent to inspect the Optimology building for signs of illegal expansion. Pushed down an elevator shaft and into a secret underground facility by a member of the cult for which Optimology is a front (the masochistic and Chzo-worshipping Order of Blessed Agonies), Theo, badly injured but alive, struggles to survive the horrors contained within. At the end of the game, Theo, now having endured all of the Blessed Agonies, is dragged through a portal to the World of Magick, and, transformed into the New Prince by Chzo, kills Cabadath and takes his place by Chzo's side.
- Action Survivor: Especially so in his case, as he has no experience with any kind of violence or dangerous situations whatsoever.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: After knowing Janine for all of four days - most of which he spent out doing fetch-quests while she hid in her room - he finds himself sleeping with her for comfort and ends up emotionally relying on her so much that losing her puts him through the Blessed Agony of the Soul.
- Heroic BSoD: Has one of these after the death of Janine. It also counts as the Blessed Agony of the Soul.
- Meaningful Name: Theo's name, when rearranged, is very similar phonetically to Cabadath, hinting at his eventual fate.
- The Everyman: Is the most normal out of the 3 protagonists in the series, having no special skills to speak of and having a relatively uninteresting life — that is, until he becomes the New Prince.
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The Woobie: He did nothing to deserve the horrors heaped on him, yet easily goes through the most traumatic experiences of any of the three protagonists. This is what makes him a more desirable servant to Chzo than Cabadath, as he has been through the Blessed Agonies and thus is "of [Chzo's] flesh."
Antagonists
Chzo/The King
- Almighty Idiot: Theorised to be a "fattened pig" acting on basic instinct but backed up by the power and magic of a god.
- The Bad Guy Wins: The Order of Blessed agonies assumed their worship of Chzo would bring him into the World of Technology and usher in a new era of torment for humanity. Not only is this not what happens, it isn't what Chzo wanted. His only goal was to acquire a new, more perfect servant. And he succeeds.
- Big Bad: Everything which happens in the series is by its design.
- The Chessmaster: Albeit possibly by instinct rather than intent.
- Eldritch Abomination: Beyond the limits of understandable reality, even time. Just to give an idea, its plans reach a conclusion more than 200 years before one of the steps to completion, but this does not stop it.
- Evil Is Petty: Keeps Cabadath in a vulnerable position so the New Prince can kill him, instead of doing it himself.
- Faceless Eye: All he mostly is when shown is a big eye with pinkish skin of a sort.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Pain Elementals were once tiny weak entities which fed on the misery and pain of sentient creatures. Then Chzo came along and decided to do it to his brethren.
- Last of His Kind: Chzo became the monstrously powerful deific entity it is by eating and absorbing the strength of every other pain elemental.
- Monstrous Cannibalism: Pain Elementals were never supposed to feed on anything but negative emotions, but Chzo decided to to something different.
- Physical God: Downplayed. If Chzo were able to enter physical reality, nothing would be able to stop it. However, as a Pure Magic Being, it is incapable of doing this, so it must act through its servants.
- Pure Magic Being: As a pain elemental.
Cabadath/The Tall Man/The Prince
Originally a druid in the year 55 BCE, Cabadath was dragged into the World of Magick by Chzo after a failed attempt to summon and bind it in order to defeat an invading Roman army. Turned into an immortal Lich by Chzo, and deformed after years of horrific torture, Cabadath eventually broke down and swore himself into Chzo's service, and now carries out his master's will in the World of Technology. That is, until Chzo attempts to replace him...
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: The staff he wields. Said staff is similar to a four-bladed scythe, however the sharp part of the blades is on the outside rather than the inside. As a result, the staff is much less efficient at killing, causing incredible amounts of pain in the process...which is a perfect fit for the right hand of a god who feeds on pain.
- The Blank: Didn't start out as one, but was deformed as such by Chzo's torture.
- Break the Haughty: What Chzo intended when it turned Cabadath into the Tall Man, as punishment for attempting to bind Chzo to his will. Whether it succeeded or not is debatable, as while he became a Dragon with an Agenda and actively opposed Chzo's goals, he claims that it was out of loyalty and a desire to continue serving it. It's unclear whether he's telling the truth, or if he's just lying to try to save himself and is really just afraid of a Fate Worse than Death.
- The Dragon: To Chzo.
- Dragon with an Agenda: Becomes desperate to remain with Chzo, even if that means sabotaging Chzo's actions.
- Dressed to Kill: Wears a nice suit with a Badass Longcoat and Scarf of Asskicking while painfully murdering people.
- The Heavy: Takes over from John DeFoe for the duration of Trilby's Notes and makes an effort to share the role in 6 Days.
- Humanoid Abomination: Post-transformation.
- Iconic Sequel Character: He was introduced in Trilby's Notes, a very late stage in a series with four main entries, but he's one of the most recognizable and important characters in the games.
- I Have Many Names: "Cabadath" is his original human name, "The Tall Man" refers to his appearance and is what most people call him, "The Arrogant Man" is what Chzo called him originally, as he thought he could control Chzo, and "The Prince" is what Chzo calls him after he becomes his servant.
- Mercy Kill: When Chzo reached into the Realm of Technology and took Cabadath, Cabadath begged his friend Galdn to kill him. Galdn was terrified and ran, and Cabadath ended up in immortal slavery to Chzo.
- Neck Snap: Uses these to kill the Trilby clones near the end of 6 Days A Sacrifice.
- Our Liches Are Different: He isn't any sort of necromancer, but was made a Lich involuntarily by Chzo.
- Soul Jar: His tree.
- Super-Strength: Frequently tears people open with his bare hands.
- Undying Loyalty: Towards Chzo. Either this, or the fear of a Fate Worse than Death, is what motivates him to try and prevent Chzo from replacing him.
- Was Once a Man
John DeFoe/The Welder
An abused feral child, turned into a serial-killing wraith by the Tall Man.
- Abusive Parents: His father kept him locked in a basement until he went insane.
- The Brute: The least intelligent and most violent of the villains.
- Cool Mask: A (somewhat anachronistic) welder's mask forms part of his costume.
- Demonic Possession: He possesses people in order to kill, his old body being rotted away to bones by now.
- Expy: Of Jason Voorhees. Mask. Machete. Menacing stroll. Lack of dialogue. Child abuse backstory. Associated with significant date. Keeps killing people even after his death.
- Genius Loci: His mind is trapped in the ruins of his house.
- The Heavy: The most commonly-recurring villain in the series and the most direct threat in three out of four games.
- Iconic Outfit: A welder's mask, leather apron and machete are considered to be the artifacts of John DeFoe, and are an instant identifier of anything related to him.
- Meaningful Name: Possibly unintentional, but "John DeFoe" is very similar to "John Doe", the name used as a placeholder for unidentified individuals or corpses. Given his status as both a wraith and nameless, this is rather appropriate.
- Menacing Stroll: How he moves at all times.
- Never Given a Name: Was never given a name in life, due to being disowned and locked in a basement on the day he was born. As such, the different characters come up with various means of identifying him, the most frequently used being Trilby's "John DeFoe".
- Offscreen Teleportation
- The Quiet One: Rarely says anything (unless you count the recurring phrase "father why").
- Soul Jar: The wooden idol.
- Super-Strength: Enough to hack people apart and break necks with extreme ease.
- Tragic Monster: He only kills because he's severely mentally ill and urged to violence by supernatural forces beyond his control.
The New Prince
- An Arm and a Leg: His left leg is missing the corresponding foot, most likely having been blown off by the explosion.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: Poor, poor Theo...
- Cool Mask: Similar to that worn by John DeFoe, though the eye slit is vertical rather than horizontal, and the mask encloses his entire head. It would be impossible for it to be used effectively by anyone human - conveniently, the New Prince may not count. Not anymore, at least.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Defeats the de-powered Cabadath with ease.
- Humanoid Abomination
- Iconic Outfit: A steel mask and leather apron, very similar to that worn by John DeFoe, as well as his entire body being covered from head to toe in bandages. The bandages are a holdover from Theo's dressings after he was injured, and the mask and apron are, indeed, artifacts of John DeFoe that Theo was wearing at the time. It is also significant in that John DeFoe, as the Bridge, was instrumental in Theo's transformation, and is thusly reflected in his design.
- Power Floats: Levitates off the ground at all times. This could be an indicator that he is a more fitting servant for Chzo, a being of magic, than Cabadath, who is always seen walking. Given Theo's broken body after the blast, it's also possible that his feet- or rather, foot- just don't work anymore.
- Tragic Monster: Was made Chzo's servant by force, just from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- The Dragon: Shares this role with Cabadath, to Chzo. For a few seconds, anyway.
- Walking Spoiler: It's hard to say anything about him without spoiling the fact that he is a transformed Theo DaCabe, having murdered Cabadath and taken his place after he outlived his usefulness.
5 Days A Stranger Supporting Cast
A.J.
- Known Only by Their Nickname: A.J. never gave his full name to anyone and ends up dead before talking to Trilby/the player.
James "Jim" Fowler
- Action Survivor: He, Trilby, and Simone are the only survivors in 5 Days.
Matthew DeFoe
- Posthumous Character: Like his father, died long before the game starts. Though his spirit briefly possesses Jim.
Philip Harty
- Jerkass: Philip is very abrasive and feels the need to make snide comments on nearly everything. He's also the quickest to throw blame around, especially after A.J. is found dead.
Sir Roderick DeFoe
- Abusive Parents: Kept his mentally disabled son chained up in the basement, and eventually beat him to death.
- Bait the Dog: His final journal entry in 5 Days, written shortly after his murder of John, has him begging God for forgiveness, suggesting that he was immediately overcome with remorse after doing the deed. The flashback to John's death in Trilby's Notes reveals that this wasn't the case at all. What Roderick was actually praying for forgiveness for was for bringing John into the world and not "destorying the monster" sooner.
- Posthumous Character: Died generations before the events of the game, and only shows up in flashbacks and briefly possesses Simone, as a spirit.
Simone Taylor
- Back for the Dead: Trilby goes to visit her in Notes only to find Simone has been murdered.
- Hot Scoop: An up and coming reporter eager for a story.
7 Days A Skeptic Supporting Cast
Engineer Lt. Adam Gilkenny
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Adam opened the locker containing John DeFoe's remains, causing all the problems in the game.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Adam spends the entire game avoiding nearly all his duties as engineer.
Lt. Cdr. Angela Garrett
- Look Behind You: Angela refuses to heed John's warning causing her to be killed by a possessed, reanimated Barry.
- The Spock: Angela is extremely cold and logical.
Capt. Barry Chahal
- Benevolent Boss: He's very friendly and personable, and he prefers a more informal attitude from his crew.
- Came Back Wrong: His corpse gets possessed by John DeFoe's soul, making him a kind of murderous zombie.
- The Captain: Barry was the posted captain of The Mephistopheles.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Barry ignores a recommendation from high command and brings the John DeFoe locker onto the ship.
- Retirony: Barry was on his final posting when the events of 7 Days began.
- Tempting Fate: Barry wished for an exciting final posting. A killer wraith probably wasn't what he had in mind.
CCO Serena Langley
- Emotionless Girl: Throughout the game, Serena displays no emotion at all, even after Somerset tells her that Barry was dead.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Her glasses look like that throughout the entire game, which is fitting after Somerset sees her in random locations after her disappearance, and especially when she appears in front of him right after he found her headless and limbless torso.
Dr. William Taylor
- The Dragon: He becomes one either due to John DeFoe's influence or out of self-preservation. Possibly a combination of both.
Trilby's Notes Supporting Cast
Siobhan O'Malley
- Damsel in Distress: Becomes this in the climax when Lenkmann ties her up in the climax.
Dr. Abed Chahal
- Absent-Minded Professor: A large part of why he's easily manipulated and why he's oblivious to what's happening around him.
- Off with His Head!: His ultimate fate. In a display of what Trilby describes as morbid humor, The Tall Man replaces his head with that of a porcelain doll that Trilby takes to solve a puzzle.
Peter Lenkmann
- All There in the Manual: The 6 Days special edition content includes documents which mention Lenkmann's first name.
- The Dragon: To the Tall Man.
- Evil All Along: Pretends to be an agent of the Ministry of Occultism in order to manipulate Trilby, with orders to try and convert him. Though he admits to Trilby that he personally didn't think it was a viable.
- Last-Name Basis: His first name is only in the 6 Days special edition content.
- You Have Failed Me: Is on the receiving end of this by The Tall Man when Trilby (temporarily) dies. His ultimate fate is being turned into a flesh ventriloquist dummy for Cabadath to use to communicate with the Order, until 6 Days, where his corpse is unceremoniously disposed of and used to lure one of the Trilby clones.
6 Days A Sacrifice Supporting Cast
Canning
- Big Bad Wannabe: Canning certainly looks intimidating with his bright red robe and creepily calm demeanor. While Theo initially thinks Canning is the one keeping them prisoner, Sam and Janine reveal that Canning is nothing more than a low level acolyte that the rest of the order left behind to keep an eye on the prisoners.
- Unwitting Pawn: While Canning believes he is playing an important role in the summoning of Chzo, he is completely unaware of the fact that his superiors have abandoned him to die for a previous failure.
The Caretaker
- Trickster Mentor: To Theo, the final Trilby clone, and his younger self.
- Walking Spoiler: It's hard to say anything about him without spoiling the fact that he is Malcolm Somerset, the protagonist of 7 Days A Skeptic, after killing himself with Frehorn's blade and ascending to a higher plane of existence that allows him to see time in a nonlinear way.
Janine Orzechowski
- Demonic Possession: Later in the game, by John DeFoe.
- Intrepid Reporter: Basically why she's even involved in the first place, she was investigating the Optimology building and stumbled upon the underground complex.
Dr. Samantha Hardy
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: Comes with the territory when you work with a cult worshipping a god of pain.
