Gods and Warriors / Characters

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Main Heroes

Hylas

A fairheaded Outsider who herds goats on the slopes of Mount Lykas, Lykonia's mightiest mountain. After the Crows kill his dog Scram and separate him from his little sister Issi, he gets mixed up with the dagger of Koronos, for the Crows believe him to be mentioned in an oracle foretelling the downfall of the House of Koronos. As he tries to survive and find Issi, he makes friends with Pirra, Spirit the dolphin, Havoc the lioness and Echo the falcon. He's twelve years old in the beginning of the series and fourteen by the end of it.

Achey Scars: Whenever Hylas is about to have a vision, the scar from the burning touch of the Lady of Fire aches his temples.
Action Survivor: He goes up against dangerous animals and grown warriors with the wits and skills living his whole life in wilderness have bestowed on him.
Big Brother Instinct: He's protective of Issi and driven by his memory of their mother's request for him to look after Issi.
The Chosen One: He's believed to be the Outsider mentioned by the oracle that says "if an Outsider wields the blade, the House of Koronos burns". Subverted when it turns out that the Outsider is actually Issi and "the House of Koronos" is Telamon.
Doom Magnet: Akastos treats him as a bringer of bad luck to the man.
Ear Notch: His left earlobe was notched to mark him as an Outsider. He has cut the earlobe off in The Burning Shadow to hide his identity.
Fire-Forged Friends: He initially thinks Pirra is a nuisance who'll slow him down, but he forms a strong bond with her during their adventures on the Island of the Fin People.
Had to Be Sharp: Living his whole life in wilderness since the age of five while having a little sister to look after at the same time has already made him tough, quick-witted and self-reliant at the age of twelve.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: His hair is yellow, and he's the main hero of the series.
He Cleans Up Nicely: After he takes a bath and puts on clean clothes in Eye of the Falcon, Pirra finds the normally scruffy goatherd so handsome that she compares him to the golden-haired god of the hunt who has an ivory statue in the House of the Goddess.
In-Series Nickname: Hylas doesn't tell his name to Akastos when they first meet, so the latter starts calling him Flea since the boy's at the time hiding high in a slope. Even after learning the boy's name, Akastos continues using the nickname more often than the real name. Hylas himself often uses it as an alias.
Interclass Friendship: The rough goatherd and Outsider is best friends with the son of Lykonia's chieftain until the latter's Face–Heel Turn. He then forms another one with the daughter of Keftiu's High Priestess.
I See Dead People: After being marked by the Lady of Fire, Hylas gains the ability to see ghosts during momentary visions. He loses this ability upon the dagger's destruction, and he's glad about it.
I Will Find You: In addition to vanquishing the House of Koronos, his main goal is to reunite with his little sister. He succeeds by the end of Warrior Bronze.
Naked on Arrival: He's stark naked when he's introduced escaping the Crows because he was cooling off in a stream when the Crows attacked and had no time to put his tunic back on.
Never Learned to Read: Since he's an Outsider, he hasn't been taught to read writing.
Night and Day Duo: As the yellow-haired boy with the sacred creature of the lion-headed solar deity Sekhmet at his side, he's the day to Pirra's night.
Pursued Protagonist: He's introduced fleeing the Crows right after they kill Scram and he tries to lure them away from Issi.
Speaks Fluent Animal: He figures out some basics on how to communicate with dolphins.
Suffer the Slings: He's proficient in using a slingshot.
We Used to Be Friends: Telamon is Hylas' best friend until Hylas learns him to be a Crow.

Pirra

The daughter of Yassassara, the High Priestess of Keftiu. She's been confined in the House of the Goddess for her entire life, and her mother intends to offer her as a bride to make allegiances. Refusing to submit to this, she gives herself a crescent scar on her cheek. When that doesn't work, she flees when she's promised to Telamon, and she ends up befriending Hylas as they try to survive together. In Eye of the Falcon, she raises the female falcon Echo as her companion. She's of the same age as Hylas.

Animal Motifs: She's frequently compared to a falcon both in appearance and personality, especially in her fierce desire for independence and freedom.

Clingy Jealous Girl: In The Crocodile Tomb, she's hostile towards Meritamen partly because the pretty Egyptian girl is clearly attracted towards Hylas while she herself is afraid her scar prevents Hylas from asking her to be his girl.
Cunning Linguist: Her native language is Keftian, and she has learned to speak Akean in preparation of being taken to Akea for wedlock. By the time of Eye of the Falcon, Userref has taught her to speak Egyptian, and it comes in handy when she and Hylas adventure in Egypt.
Fire-Forged Friends: She starts out on bad terms with Hylas and sticks around him only because she can't survive on her own. They gradually befriend each other as they adventure on the Island of the Fin People.
Hates Their Parent: She both fears and hates her cold mother who'd deny her freedom in the name of Keftiu's welfare.
I Am Not Pretty: Pirra is at first proud of her crescent scar, but after she hits puberty, she starts hating it because she thinks it makes her unattractive, especially in Hylas' eyes.
Insecure Love Interest: She's later in the series afraid that her scar is what prevents Hylas from mating with her until he explains that the problem lies in his visions which might render him unable to keep her safe.
Interclass Friendship: The rich daughter of the High Priestess befriends an Outsider goatherd (although by the end of Eye of the Falcon, Pirra has basically become another commoner).
I Just Want to Be Free: Her greatest desire is to be free of the constraints her status as the High Priestess' daughter places on her. She achieves this at the end of Eye of the Falcon when she allows all of Keftiu to think she's dead along with her mother.
Night and Day Duo: As the girl with a crescent scar and the sacred creature of Heru – the falcon-headed god whose domain includes the Moon – at her side, she's the night to Hylas' day.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Her full name is revealed to be Pirákara in Eye of the Falcon. It's never brought up again because she and Hylas both prefer the shorter Pirra.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She has black hair and pale skin, though she doesn't think herself to be beautiful due to her scar.
Rebellious Princess: Though not named such, she's in practice a princess as the daughter of the High Priestess, Keftiu's most influential person. However, Pirra would gladly give up all the wealth and privileges that position grants her if she could just be free to live her own life. Which she ultimately does.
Runaway Fiancé: She's this twice, first in the first book when she's about to be married off to Telamon, and then in the second book when she's about to be sent to Arzawa as a bride.
Scars Are Forever: She scars her own cheek with a burning stick in the first book. She later tries to make the crescent scar vanish to no avail.

Took a Level in Badass: She becomes better at taking care of herself over the course of the series.

Spirit

A friendly dolphin who befriends Hylas and Pirra when they're stranded on the Island of the Fin People. He gains his own quest to find his pod that mysteriously vanishes.

Back for the Finale: He's absent after the conclusion of The Outsiders but returns in Warrior Bronze to make two short appearances, first to save Hylas and Pirra from being discovered by Crow sentries and then to be introduced to Issi as a way to help her reconnect with Hylas.
Demoted to Extra: He's one of the main POV characters in The Outsiders, but Havoc and Echo take over his animal sidekick role while he himself is only mentioned in the following books before he makes two brief appearances in the final book. It's justified since most of the adventures following The Outsiders no longer take place close to the Sea.
Distinguishing Mark: He's distinguishable from the other dolphins by the three white and straight scars on his nose which he gained when he tried to befriend a female dolphin from another pod.
Friendly, Playful Dolphin: He loves exploring as well as playing with his friends and family.
Heroic Dolphin: He's a greatly kind and helpful dolphin that saves Hylas' life several times.

Havoc

A female lion cub from Thalakrea who's orphaned by the Crows and latches onto Hylas.

Fire-Forged Friends: She can't initially stand Echo, but their adventures in Keftiu and Egypt teach them to respect one another.
Never Be Hurt Again: Feeling abandoned by Hylas who tries to save her by sending her caged to Keftiu that, in the wake of Thalakrea's eruption, turns out to be a hellish place for the lion cub to survive, Havoc swears never to trust a human again. Saving Hylas from being killed by a blizzard and having Telamon's arrow removed by him helps her to slowly regain her trust in him and understand he never really abandoned her.
Panthera Awesome: She's matured into one by the end of The Crocodile Tomb.
Took a Level in Badass: In The Crocodile Tomb when she finally realizes she's no longer a cub and manages to roar for real.

Echo

A female falcon from Keftiu's Mount Dikti who falls out of her nest as a fledgling and is brought by Userref to Taka Zimi's sanctuary to be taken care of by Pirra.

Fire-Forged Friends: She can't initially stand Havoc, but their adventures in Keftiu and Egypt teach them to respect one another.
Noble Bird of Prey: She's a proud and fast falcon, but also loyal to her friends.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: After falling from her nest, Echo is attacked by ants when she tries to eat one. Though Userref saves her, the experience leaves her terrified of ants.

House of Koronos and the Crows

In general

The House of Koronos is a powerful clan that originates from Lykonia where their ancestral stronghold Lapithos is situated. They used to be respectable before they seized Mycenae from the previous High Chieftain thirteen years before the start of the series. The source of their power is a bronze dagger that was forged by their first chieftain and enhanced to make them invincible for as long as they possess it. The clan and the warriors fighting for them are jointly called the Crows.

Animal Motifs: They're nicknamed Crows because Koronos' family is greedy and employs warriors who wear black fluttering cloaks.
Aristocrats Are Evil: The House of Koronos is the despised and greedy ruling class of Akea.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: Koronos treats his descendants more like subordinates than family and isn't concerned if they die. His litter is composed of ruthless sadists who compete with each other over power and the dagger. Thestor and Telamon are the only ones who have an intact conscience, but Telamon ends up turning his back on his father's kind ways and embraces the rest of his family's Might Makes Right philosophy out of ambition. He even refuses to take action to even try to save Alekto and Koronos from their respective demises.
Co-Dragons: Koronos leads the clan while his children and grandson lead his warriors and carry out important tasks for him.
Dreadlock Warrior: The Crow warriors and most of the male members of the House follow the Akean trend of braiding their long hair into dreadlocks.
Even Evil Has Standards: Even the ruthless Crow warriors are hesitant to attack dolphins, the sacred creatures of the Goddess.
Evil Uncle: Before Telamon becomes evil himself, he's just terrified of his father's dreadful siblings. He's also certain their blood relation wouldn't save him if they decided to kill him.
Evil Wears Black: They use obsidian arrowheads, and their warriors wear cloaks and rawhide armor that are colored black.
Know When to Fold 'Em: When the last battle turns in the favor of the rebels following the destruction of the dagger and the last of the House of Koronos, the remaining Crow warriors realize it's futile to continue fighting and surrender. As Akastos becomes the High Chieftain of Mycenae once again, he forbids anyone from taking revenge against the warriors and decrees honorable burial rites for their dead, earning their respect in the process.
Lack of Empathy: Most members of the House are unconcerned about the misery and deaths they leave in their wake.
Telamon: I hear you killed another peasant yesterday.
Alekto: [laughs] I can’t help it if they're weak.
Sibling Rivalry: Koronos' children are at each other's throats over who'll secure the favor of their father as well as the right over the dagger.
Virtue Is Weakness: They firmly believe that they need to be feared in order to get respect and look down at their White Sheep Thestor who chooses to lead through kindness instead.

Telamon

The son of Lykonia's chieftain Thestor, and the grandson of Koronos. He's been secretly Hylas' best friend for four years before the start of the series. Unfortunately, Hylas becoming hunted by Telamon's kin drives a wedge between them. He's one year older than Hylas.

Ambition is Evil: He lets dreams of achieving greatness go to his head to the point that to advance himself, he forgoes honor and refuses to even try to rescue his relatives.
Arch-Enemy: With Telamon being the one enemy Hylas clashes with the most out of all the Crows as well as his former BFF, they hold the most intense of animosities.
Big Bad Friend: He's at first introduced as Hylas and Issi's friend, but the climax of The Outsiders reveals that as the grandson of Koronos and nephew of Kratos, he's been a member of the Crows all along. In the first two books, Telamon tries to ensure his kin won't get Hylas for old times' sake, but their friendship is permanently severed at the conclusion of The Burning Shadow, and Telamon becomes the most recurring antagonist and even the Final Boss. After his death, Hylas honors their ruined friendship by having Telamon's ashes placed in the latter's ancestral tomb.
Big Bad Slippage: He's at first a genuinely honorable young man who's pit against his best friend by his corrupt kin, but after coming round to their way of thinking, he serves as The Heavy before becoming the Final Boss.
Broken Pedestal: Issi used to admire Telamon, but that turns into hatred when she discovers he's with the Crows.
Character Tics: He sometimes fiddles with his sealstone when he's nervous or thinking through a problem.
Conflicting Loyalty: His loyalty to his best friend clashes with his loyalty to his relatives who want to kill Hylas. This ends at the ending of The Burning Shadow; from that moment onward, Telamon fully sides with his relatives against Hylas.
Dreadlock Warrior: This young man already braids his long hair in warrior dreadlocks, with little clay discs at the ends stopping them unravelling.
Evil Nephew: Telamon's uncles and aunt are never portrayed as anything other than villains, but he becomes as rotten as them to the point that he willingly leaves Alekto to her gruesome death.
Face–Heel Turn: He starts out as Hylas' genuine friend and reluctant enemy who feels intimidated by the Crows. Unfortunately, he burns his bridges in the climax of The Burning Shadow and becomes Hylas' main adversary.
Green-Eyed Monster: He's early on established to be envious of Hylas for possessing the confidence he fears he doesn't have. In Eye of the Falcon, he's mad at Pirra for daring to regard Hylas superior to him, with the implications being that he has a crush on Pirra even though he hates her.
The Heavy: He shares this role with Kreon in Eye of the Falcon, for they both are trying to find the dagger and bring it to Koronos. He's continuing this quest in The Crocodile Tomb. Even in Warrior Bronze he's the one who must be stopped from casting the dagger inside Mount Lykas after Koronos and Pharax meet their respective demises.
I Am the Noun: One of his Ironic Last Words is the boast that he's the House of Koronos before he and the dagger are finished off by a lightning strike, completing the oracle.
I Just Want to Be Badass: Combined with I Want to Be a Real Man. He's obsessed with proving himself to be fit to be called a warrior and a leader.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: He constantly tries to act tough to hide his insecurities about his worth as a man, and after his Face–Heel Turn, he starts putting others down. In the final book, Koronos rightly calls him out of trying to hide his fears behind bluster. Pirra even suggests that the reason Telamon befriended Hylas in the first place is because he wishes he'd possess the inner strength of the Outsider.
Interclass Friendship: The chieftain's son chose to become friends with two Outsiders and occasionally sneaked out of Lapithos to hang out with them.
Never My Fault: He develops a nasty habit of refusing to face responsibility or guilt by claiming that the gods' will is at work and that he's helpless to do anything about it. He's particularly stubborn on insisting to himself that Alekto's death – which led to him being hunted by the Angry Ones because he could have tried to save her but chose not to – was the will of the gods and not his fault.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He gives away signs of chauvinistic views even before his Face–Heel Turn when he tells Pirra that girls are for marriage. He's later infuriated at Alekto and Meritamen because he doesn't want his authority to be undermined by women, and he looks forward to making Pirra beg before him.
Telamon: You need to beg more, Pirra. It's what women should do.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Kreon in Eye of the Falcon and Alekto in The Crocodile Tomb, for he feels they both get in the way of his ambition of securing his place as a leader and personally bringing the dagger to Koronos. He even allows Alekto to be killed by crocodiles.
Took a Level in Jerkass: He starts out as a modest boy who values loyalty and honor, but he grows increasingly arrogant and vile after his Face–Heel Turn.
Villainous Crush: Zig-zagged. He and Pirra hate each other intensively to the point that he calls of their Arranged Marriage in The Outsiders, and he still expresses disgust at the thought of marrying her in The Burning Shadow. However, he's alluded to be darkly attracted to her following his Face–Heel Turn. In Eye of the Falcon, his thoughts dwell on proving her wrong about him being inferior to Hylas, and in The Crocodile Tomb, he finds himself thinking that even though Pirra's not as pretty as Meritamen, she "burns with a fire that draws you in and doesn't let go". When he has her at his mercy in Warrior Bronze, he considers killing her right there, but decides instead to keep her as his reward following his ascension and looks forward to keeping her locked up in the women's chambers for the rest of her life. When he thinks she has died when Lapithos burns, he feels regret for a brief moment before dismissing it as her destiny.
We Used to Be Friends: With Hylas and Issi before the entire mess with the Crows drives them apart.

Koronos

The Patriarch of the House of Koronos and the High Chieftain of Mycenae.

Abusive Parents: He's cold even to his terrible offspring who are afraid of him. When he's told about the death of his eldest son Kratos, all he has to say is that he can always sire more sons.
Bald of Evil: Age has scraped hair from this vulture's head.
Big Bad: He's the head of the Crows, and it was his order to kill all Outsiders that separated Hylas from his sister and brought him to the dagger of Koronos.
Disc-One Final Boss: The final battle between the Crows and the rebels hasn't even begun when Koronos has an unexpected seizure in the comfort of Lapithos and drowns in a wine bowl. This leaves for Akastos Pharax to kill so that he can satisfy his brother's ghost with a highborn Crow's blood, while Hylas and Pirra confront Telamon one last time to prevent him from casting the dagger inside Mount Lykas.
The Dreaded: He's the most feared chieftain of Akea. Even his own equally villainous children don't want to incite his wrath.
Evil Old Folks: A ruthless old chieftain who doesn't much care about even the lives of his own descendants.
Femme Fatalons: The fingernails of the Crows' leader are cut to points and stained black.
Gruesome Grandparent: Downplayed. Koronos isn't anymore affectionate towards his grandson than he's to anyone else, but he doesn't explicitly mistreat Telamon even though the boy's terrified of him in The Burning Shadow. His only demeaning words to Telamon are said in the final book when the boy arrogantly tries to take the dagger from him.
Non-Action Big Bad: His action days are behind him, and he's content with leaving his children in charge of the dirty work.
Outliving One's Offspring: Telamon and Pharax are the only descendants of Koronos who survive for longer than he does.
The Stoic: Both his expressions and voice are stony.
The Unfought: None of the heroes get to fight Koronos or even have a direct verbal confrontation with him before he suddenly kicks the bucket before the climax of the last book.
The Usurper: He overthrew his predecessor, the Lion of Mycenae, by conquering Mycenae.
Wicked Wastefulness: He uses only new drinking vessels and shatters them after using them exactly once. This proves to be his undoing in the final book as Issi acquires for Hekabi a potsherd from one of Koronos' shattered vessels so that the wisewoman can use it to curse him.

Thestor

A son of Koronos, Lykonia's chieftain, and Telamon's father. Aware of how dishonorable his clan has become, he has kept his son and province separate from them for years until the disappearance of the dagger forces him to abide his cruel relatives.

Beware the Nice Ones: The first book establishes that Thestor is a kindly chieftain who rarely raises his voice, but when he does, it means something.
Disappointed in You: When Hylas sees Thestor's ghost, it becomes clear that Thestor, aware that Telamon is being hunted by the Angry Ones for leaving Alekto for dead, is ashamed of what his son has become.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: When we finally return to Akea in Warrior Bronze, Thestor has already been killed in the Crows' battles against the rebels.
Good Parents: He's a stern yet loving father whom Telamon adores. Too bad Thestor is unable to prevent Telamon from being corrupted by the boy's ambitions and their evil relatives. Even though his ghost is obviously ashamed that Telamon has let Alekto die, he tries in vain to warn his son about the latter's doom.
Token Good Teammate: With even Telamon adopting the ruthless Crow worldview, Thestor is the only member of the House of Koronos who can be called a decent person, and he has for years kept Lykonia peaceful by having nothing to do with his cruel kin. However, despite his scruples, he reluctantly allows Kratos to hunt down the Lykonian Outsiders and later fights with his clan against Akean rebels.
White Sheep: Since he's not black-hearted like the rest of his kin, they regard him to be weak, and he'd prefer he and his son would have as little to do with them as possible.

Kratos

The firstborn son of Koronos and the main antagonist of The Outsiders. He leads the Crows to hunt down all of Lykonia's Outsiders, resulting in Hylas losing Scram and Issi.

Defiant to the End: He's unafraid of his imminent demise and spends his last moments doing his best to make sure Hylas won't survive to fulfill the oracle.
Die Laughing: Even as he's drowning, he laughs triumphantly as he believes his prayer to the Angry Ones will ensure Hylas' demise.
Dying Curse: When he's on the verge of drowning and unable to prevent Hylas from escaping him, he prays to the Angry Ones to make sure Hylas won't survive.
Evil Uncle: He plays this trope the straightest out of his siblings; Telamon fears Kratos, obeys him only out of duty to his uncle, and genuinely tries to prevent him from killing Hylas. By the time Telamon solidifies his Face–Heel Turn and adopts his evil relatives' views, Kratos is long dead.
The Heavy: His father doesn't appear until The Burning Shadow, so in The Outsiders, Kratos is in charge of the grunt work of getting the dagger back and slaughtering all the Outsiders to prevent the oracle from taking place.
Lightning Bruiser: Pirra is astonished that a warrior thrice her size can move quickly. When the fight between him and Hylas has already left the boy panting and sweaty, Kratos isn't showing signs of tiredness.
Starter Villain: It's not before his death that his father and non-Thestor siblings are introduced and Telamon turns completely to the dark side.
Strong Family Resemblance: Telamon is disturbed to note that Kratos looks much like a Thestor who has none of the latter's kindness left.
Taking You with Me: As he's about to drown in a sinking wreck because of his trapped arm, he tries to prevent Hylas from escaping to ensure the boy will drown with him. When he can't hold his grip on Hylas, he uses his last breath to ask the Angry Ones to finish off the boy.
Would Hit a Girl: He punches Pirra while taking the dagger from her.
You Have No Chance to Survive: His last spoken words after he makes one last attempt to finish off Hylas by praying to the Angry Ones.
Kratos: The gods have heard me! You'll never do it now!

Kreon

A son of Koronos who holds the chieftaincy over the island of Thalakrea where he greedily forces slaves to mine copper for bronze weapons. In Eye of the Falcon, he travels with Telamon to Keftiu in search of the dagger.

The Brute: He's a large warrior and the crudest member of the House of Koronos.
Enhanced Archaic Weapon: In Eye of the Falcon, one of his weapons is a rawhide whip studded with bronze spikes.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Amused that he and his kin are called Crows, Kreon has carcasses thrown at the base of his stronghold to have actual crows infesting the place.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear: Kunisu's guardian bull gores Kreon through the chest and tramples him to death.
Headache of Doom: Paver confirms that the migraine attacks Kreon suffers from in The Burning Shadow are foreboding to the volcanic eruption, which has happened to some people in real life.
The Heavy: He shares this role with Telamon in Eye of the Falcon where they lead an expedition of Crows to find the dagger from Keftiu.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: Hekabi states that Kreon's dangerousness and pompousness stem from his own awareness that he's the weakest link among Koronos' children.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He's with Telamon the joint main antagonist of Eye of the Falcon, but there's no love lost between them; they both crave after the honor of personally delivering the dagger to Koronos and have disagreements about who's in charge of the expedition.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He has developed a fear of snakes during his migraine attacks and imagines that his head is invaded by them.

Alekto

Koronos' beautiful and sadistic daughter. She's only a few years older than her nephew Telamon. In The Crocodile Tomb, she accompanies Telamon to Egypt in search of the dagger.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear: She falls into the Nile and is killed by crocodiles that are drawn by the spell Pirra tricked her to keep as an amulet.
Kick the Dog: While passing by Itineb's village, Alekto orders all the date-palms Itineb's brother planted with love to be cut down and is pleased by his tears, simply because she wishes to taste the heart of a date-palm. That same night, she has some of the village's dogs killed just for barking, including Hebny, the dog of Itineb's little daughter Kawi.
Sadist: Even more so than her brothers. Causing, observing or just thinking about pain is ecstatic to her.
Slasher Smile: She has a habit of sporting one while thinking about or observing pain.
‘My slave found a peasant who seemed promising, but his heart gave out.’ At the memory, she drew her lips back from her teeth in a way that was half smile and half grimace. She only smiled like that when she thought of pain – or, better still, when she observed it: beatings, wounds probed and stitched, the more agonizing the better. As long as there was pain.
Smug Snake: She sneers at everyone else but her father. Pirra easily tricks her into thinking the spell she's carrying is an amulet that prevents drowning, so Alekto takes it for herself and becomes prey to the crocodiles.
The Smurfette Principle: She's the only female member of the House of Koronos.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: She has this dynamic with Telamon in The Crocodile Tomb; she constantly jeers at him, and he feels she's undermining his authority. This culminates in him leaving her for dead when crocodiles bear on her.
Torture Technician: She specializes in torture methods.

Pharax

A son of Koronos and one of the best fighters on the Crows' side.

Badass Boast: He makes one in The Burning Shadow right before he sends Hylas falling down the volcano's crater with a Hand Stomp.
Pharax: If the Outsider wields the dagger, the House of Koronos burns… But if Pharax wields the dagger – it's the Outsider who burns.
Blood Knight: Pharax lives to fight and would face even the end of the world with a sword in his hand.
Cool Uncle: After Telamon completes his Face–Heel Turn, Pharax is the only one of his father's siblings whom he actually admires. A least until Warrior Bronze wherein Telamon decides to prove his superiority over Pharax by taking the dagger for himself.
Covered with Scars: His strong limbs are ridged with scars.

Ilarkos

A high-ranking Crow warrior who frequently appears as a second-in-command to a member of the House of Koronos.

Even Evil Has Standards: Ilarkos doesn't usually question the morality of his masters' orders, but he's aghast when Telamon belays his order to rescue Alekto from crocodiles.
Know When to Fold 'Em: When the last battle turns in the rebels' favor with the extinction of the House of Koronos and the destruction of their dagger, Ilarkos and the remaining Crows surrender.

Number Two: First to Kratos in The Outsiders, then to Kreon in The Burning Shadow and Eye of the Falcon, and finally to Telamon in The Crocodile Tomb and Warrior Bronze.

Other Characters

Akastos

A mysterious wanderer whom Hylas runs into throughout the series. He takes turns at being helpful and threatening towards Hylas, but he's still an enemy of the Crows. He says he lost his farm in Mycenae when the Crows took over and has since been on the run from the Angry Ones.

Animal Motifs: He was called the Lion of Mycenae while he was the High Chieftain. His sealstone, shield and pieces of armor have lions depicted in them. In fact, he's eventually convinced to return to Akea and lead a rebellion against the Crows when he believes Havoc and the lion-claw amulet Hylas wears to be omens.
Anti-Hero: Of the pragmatic variation. Akastos is unquestionably opposed to the Crows and wants to rid all of Akea of their tyranny, but he's still ruthless and ready to do anything to survive. He becomes somewhat fond of Hylas and feels bad about putting the boy in danger, but he still does that if he thinks he must. Havoc lampshades this by sensing that Akastos' heart is a tangle of good and bad.
Baritone of Strength: His voice is described to have an undercurrent of power that makes you want to listen and obey, whatever he's speaking smoothly or roughly. Fitting for a man who was the leading chieftain of all of Akea.
Character Tics: He occasionally chews buckthorn leaves to ward the Angry Ones off. He also scratches his beard while pondering.
Deadpan Snarker: He has a dry sense of humor.
Determinator: Hylas notes that most people who're hunted by the Angry Ones become mad in one year, but Akastos has managed to last for one year longer than Hylas has lived.
Dreadlock Warrior: He braids his hair after he returns to Akea to lead the rebels against the Crows.
Everyone Has Standards: When Hylas thinks Akastos has cut out the tongues of his mute slaves, he pleads with him not to do the same to him. Though the man has already tried to sacrifice Hylas to the Angry Ones and left him stranded on the Island of the Fin People by stealing the raft the boy built with Pirra, Akastos becomes offended at such a notion and reveals that the slaves were already mute when he picked them up to serve him at the smithy.
Genius Bruiser: He's physiqued like a warrior, and he manages to kill in combat Pharax, the best Crow warrior who's a head taller than him even though he's wounded in the side first. He's also one of the most intelligent characters of the series. He knows about inter alia sailing, tracking, disguises, metalsmithing, smuggling and warfare, and he's in addition to Pirra the only Akean/Keftian character who can speak Egyptian.
Icy Blue Eyes: He has piercing light-grey eyes that fit his tough and sharp-witted personality.
King Incognito: The final book reveals he's actually the true High Chieftain of Mycenae whom the Crows overthrew, and he became the Angry Ones' prey by killing in combat his brother who was manipulated by the Crows to fight him over the woman only Akastos' brother loved. He regains his former position after the House of Koronos is exterminated and Hylas helps him get rid of the Angry Ones.
Master of Disguise: The years spent trying to avoid the Angry Ones and the Crows have made him good at disguises. However, only his disguise of Dameas the smith is demonstrated.
Outliving One's Offspring: He reveals that he had a son who'd be about Hylas' age if he were alive.
Parental Substitute: Hylas grows to admire Akastos and wants his approval. By the time of The Burning Shadow, he thinks Akastos has all the traits he'd want his father to have.

Ship Tease: He gets this with Hekabi in his last appearance.

Userref

Pirra's Egyptian slave who has taken care of her for all her life and acted as a big brother to her. He was snatched from Egypt at the age of ten only one year before Hylas and Pirra were born. He's from Pa-Sobek, the southernmost province of Egypt.

Big Brother Instinct: Userref loves Pirra like a little sister and clearly wants what's best for the girl, even though they don't see eye to eye on what's best for her.
Big Brother Mentor: He's Pirra's surrogate big brother, and he has taught her a lot of things, like speaking Egyptian, riding a chariot and taking care of Echo.
Defiant to the End: When he's caught by the Crows in Egypt, he endures their horrific torture and manages to commit suicide rather than tell them where he hid the dagger.
Eye of Horus Means Egypt: He wears a wedjat amulet made of bronze.
The Fatalist: Though he misses Egypt and wants to return to his family, he has never tried to escape because he believes he became a slave on his gods' will. His belief that it's best to try to make do with what role the gods bestow on you puts him at odds with Pirra who can't accept submitting to being married in the name of Keftiu's welfare.
Tragic Keepsake: He was borrowing the wedjat amulet he wears from his brother the day he was enslaved and has felt guilty about it. The amulet ends up becoming this to Pirra following Userref's death.
Undying Loyalty: Though Userref obeys Yassassara over Pirra, his heart is clearly on the girl's side. When he thinks she's dead, he honors her wish to keep the dagger safe until he can find a way to destroy it. Even in death he upholds his vow and prevents Hylas from taking the dagger from his coffin until he's told Pirra is alive.
You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: He calls Pirra "Favoured One" only when he's angry, such as after she has scarred her cheek.

Yassassara

The High Priestess of Keftiu and Pirra's mother.

Abusive Parents: She's an emotionally cold mother who cares nothing for what Pirra wants and punishes her harshly for not submitting to Yassassara's plans to retain Keftiu's strong political position.
Animal Motifs: She's compared to a hawk in her haughty appearance and apparent omniscience.
Cleavage Window: All her outfits are open at the breasts.
Dropped a Bridge on Her: It's revealed in Eye of the Falcon that she succumbed to the plague before she could perform a Mystery to bring the Sun back.
Femme Fatalons: Her pointed fingernails are dyed yellow, and while she's not a Crow, she's ruthless in her devotion to uphold Keftiu's prosperity.
Lack of Empathy: She's devoted to the Goddess and the entire Keftiu, but she doesn't love any individual mortal, not even her own daughter.

Periphas

A Messenian warrior who's brought to Thalakrea as a mining slave the same time as Hylas. After escaping from Thalakrea, he sails the Mediterranean Sea with Hylas until Hylas parts ways with him in the beginning of Eye of the Falcon. In Warrior Bronze, he returns as one of the leaders of the Akean rebels.

Dreadlock Warrior: He uses the braided hairstyle of warriors in the final book.
Nasal Trauma: He's distinguished by his crooked nose. Warrior Bronze reveals that it got broken when he stepped on a hoe at the age of fifteen.
Undying Loyalty: To Akastos. When the Lion of Mycenae went into hiding, Periphas hid his panoply and sealstone, unable to accept him to be dead. Once Akastos returns to lead the rebels, Periphas supports him fiercely.

Hekabi

A wisewoman from Thalakrea and a sworn enemy of the Crows who greedily exploit her homeland.

Back for the Finale: She's last seen in The Burning Shadow rescuing people from the crumbling Thalakrea, but she returns in the last book as an ally against the Crows.

Locked into Strangeness: She has a white streak in her brown hair on one of her temples. She says she gained it when she first fell into a trance as a teenager and hit her head upon falling.

Ship Tease: She gets this with Akastos in her last appearance.

Pit spiders

A group of slave boys who're tasked with carrying copper ore out of Kreon's mines. Hylas is made their member when he's brought to Thalakrea. The others are Zan, a horsebreaker's son from Arzawa, a little boy called Bat, an Egyptian called Beetle, and a scrawny boy called Spit.

The Baby of the Bunch: The youngest and the most innocent pit spider Bat is about seven years old.
Born into Slavery: Bat says he was born at the mines to a slave woman and an overseer.
Demonic Possession: Hylas comes to suspect that Spit is possessed by a snatcher, which would explain his withered appearance and unfortunate tendency to run into Hylas at unfortunate moments. It's actually Beetle who's possessed.
Friend to All Living Things: Bat seems to be fond of animals; he gives breadcrumbs for tunnel mice and wears a dead one as an amulet, speaks wistfully about the Crows' horses, thinks frogs are beautiful, and voices his opinion that it was wrong of Kreon to kill the male lion (Havoc's father) that hadn't done anything bad to him.
The Leader: As the oldest pit spider, Zan acts as their leader.
Nervous Wreck: Spit is always anxious, especially underground because he was nearly caught by a snatcher before Hylas' arrival. Being threatened by the snatcher possessing Beetle is also a factor.
Nothing but Skin and Bones: Spit is so bony his collarbones jut like sticks.
Only Known by Their Nickname: With the exception of Zan. Considering he was born a slave, Bat may not have any other name, but Beetle and Spit are probably not the other boys' given names.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Beetle disappears completely when Hylas causes a cave in to return the deeper mine levels to the snatchers. As for the other three, the last thing we know of their whereabouts is that Periphas saw them being picked up by one of the boats fleeing from Thalakrea's destruction. Whatever they survive the harsh times that follow is never revealed.

Gorgo

An old woman who leads a village of dye-workers on the northern coast of Keftiu. She comes from Messenia.

Connected All Along: She was friends with Hylas and Issi's mother.
Ms. Exposition: As one of the first living people Hylas encounters on Keftiu, she gives him and the reader details about the misfortunes that have taken place there. Upon returning at the ending of Eye of the Falcon, she then reveals where Hylas' parents came from and how his mother died.
Small Role, Big Impact: She appears exactly twice in Eye of the Falcon, but she has some major revelations to share about the parents of Hylas and Issi.

Kem

A dark-skinned boy from Wawat, a country south of Egypt. While trying to pass his tribe's Rite of Passage of stealing a weapon from an Egyptian warrior, he was enslaved and forced to work in Egyptian salt mines for three years. He manages to escape a few days before running into Hylas and Pirra, and he agrees to help them reach Pa-Sobek which isn't far from the border of his country. He's about Hylas and Pirra's age.

The Cavalry: He and his tribesmen appear in the climax of The Crocodile Tomb to rescue Hylas and Pirra by bombarding the Crows with arrows.
Covered with Scars: His back is criss-crossed with the scars he got from his time in slavery. He also has lines of straight ridged scars on his cheeks. Those lines appear to be his tribal markings, for they've been picked out in yellow when he returns in the climax.
Fire-Forged Friends: He's introduced trying to steal a waterskin from Hylas and Pirra, but after they capture him and convince him to help them reach Pa-Sobek, he gradually befriends them. He even returns at the end of The Crocodile Tomb to save them from the Crows.
I Owe You My Life: Upon parting ways with Hylas and Pirra in Pa-Sobek, he tells them he owes them for helping him reach his country faster by making Itineb take him in his boat. He returns the favor by convincing his tribesmen to make a trip to Pa-Sobek in case Hylas and Pirra needed help.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's initially tense with Hylas and Pirra after they catch him trying to steal their waterskin, and it takes some time before he warms up to them. He treats Pirra in particular as The Load until her act to convincing Itineb's villagers to treat Hylas' scorpion sting teaches him to respect her.
Loincloth: He wears nothing but a rag around his hips.
Meaningful Name: Kem means "black" in Egyptian, and the Egyptians named him that because of his dark skin. When Hylas gives him his lion-claw amulet, Kem reveals that his real name means "lion" in his native language.
Mirror Character: Hylas sees in Kem his own desire to prove he's not a coward.
Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: He's angered to be called a coward and determined to prove he's not one.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Kem isn't his real name; it's just the nickname the Egyptians gave him when he was enslaved. Even when he reveals his true name, the narration doesn't reveal what it is.
Tribal Face Paint: When he shows up with his tribe, the scars on his cheeks have been painted in yellow.

Meritamen

The wife of the Hati-aa of the First Province of the Two Lands. With her husband ill, she reluctantly assists Telamon and Alekto in finding the dagger from Pa-Sobek. She's of the same age as Hylas and Pirra.

Anti-Villain: She dislikes the Crows and helps them only because they threaten her family with the Perao's wrath. After Hylas saves her little sister from a cobra, she does what she can to make sure he and Pirra won't end up in Telamon's hands while at the same time trying to ensure her family's safety. After the Crows leave Pa-Sobek, she gives Hylas and Pirra gifts and helps them travel to Egypt's coast as atonement.
Big Sister Instinct: She has a six-year-old little sister of whom she's protective of. Telamon takes advantage of this to make her more compliant with his goals.
Even Evil Has Standards:
- She doesn't tell the Crows about Nebetku because he was kind to him when she was little and she doesn't want the Crows to torture a dying man.
- In order to force Nebetku to hand over the dagger, she has the Spell for Coming Forth by Day stolen from Userref's coffin before it's sealed in their secret family tomb. She then has her guards keep an eye on the Houses of Eternity with the intention of allowing Nebetku to save his brother from the second death in exchange for the dagger. Meritamen makes it clear that she hates herself for resorting to such heinousness in order to guarantee her family's safety.
- When Pirra's at Telamon's mercy, Meritamen tries in vain to convince him to hand her over to her rather than leave her to face torture.
Villainesses Want Heroes: Downplayed; Meritamen's at worst an Anti-Villain, and she's attracted towards Hylas. However, she's aware she can't pursue her feelings due to her being married, and Hylas has eyes only for Pirra. In her last appearance, she confesses she envies Pirra for having a man who'd give his life for her.

Rensi and Herihor

Nebetku's closest friends in the Houses of Eternity. Rensi is a dwarf who makes shabtis, and Herihor is an embalmer.

Creepy Mortician: Herihor, whom Rensi says to be the best embalmer there is, prefers his mummies over the living since he considers the latter unclean. When Hylas is to be put inside the coffin of a sacred crocodile in order to get him to Userref's family tomb, Herihor's main concern is to prevent Hylas from infecting the embalmed crocodile to the point that he wants to shave Hylas all over and needs to be reminded that keeping the boy alive in the coffin is important.
Hylas: Isn't it the dead crocodile who'll be sullying me?
Herihor: It's the living who are unclean! I remove all imperfections. The guts, the worthless brain… I cleanse the flesh in wine and spices till it's light and pure as the sands of the deshret – I leave nothing inside but the hard dry heart. I rescue the dead, I make them perfect!
Prematurely Grey-Haired: Herihor looks young, but he has grey hair for an unspecified reason.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Rensi is married to Berenib, a plump woman who towers over her dwarfish husband.
Undying Loyalty: Both of them do anything to help Nebetku in his goal to save Userref from the second death.

Issi

The younger sister of Hylas. She goes missing when the Crows attack her brother and kill their dog Scram in their campaign to hunt down all Outsiders. Finding her is Hylas' main goal in the series. She is three years younger than Hylas and Pirra.

Animal Motifs: Frogs are her favorite animals. When she causes trouble to the Crows as the "shadow thief", she uses small clay frogs as her Calling Cards. Her name actually means frog in the native language of her mother's people with whom she's able to blend in.
Ear Notch: Like with her brother, her left earlobe was notched to mark her as an Outsider.
Everyone Has Standards: When Issi learns that Pirra has shared many adventures with Hylas, she becomes resentful of the older girl who she feels will come between her and her big brother. However, while she wishes for Pirra to go away, she doesn't want anything bad happen to her. Though she hesitates for a moment, she doesn't leave Pirra bound to the burning Lapithos.
Friend to All Living Things: It's mentioned that she's constantly trying to make friends with wild creatures and adored Scram until he died. She quickly befriends Havoc and later Spirit as well.
The Ghost: She's constantly mentioned and thought back on in every book, but it's not until the final book that she becomes Unseen No More.
Had to Be Sharp: She's been living in wilderness with Hylas since the age of two, so she's also had to learn to use her wits to survive.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has barley-colored hair like her brother, and she's a Friend to All Living Things.
Interclass Friendship: Like Hylas, she was friends with Telamon despite the class difference.
Little Miss Badass: Though younger than Hylas, she's stated to be tough and able to survive in the mountains as well. By the time she's finally introduced, she has gained for herself a reputation as the mysterious "shadow thief" that troubles the Crows without being caught. She helps Hekabi curse the remaining members of the House of Koronos by acquiring personal items from each of them, saves Pirra and Echo when Lapithos is set ablaze, and joins in the final fight against Telamon on the stormy Ancestor Peak.
Meaningful Name: Her name is revealed to mean frog in the native language of her Marsh Dweller mother who also shared her daughter's love of frogs.
Present Absence: Feeling her absence follows Hylas throughout the series.
Strong Family Resemblance: When Pirra finally meets Issi who's no longer having her Marsh Dweller disguise on, she's astonished at how much the girl looks like a younger version of Hylas.
Sweet Polly Oliver: When she flees to Messenia following Scram's death, she disguises herself as a mute boy.
We Used to Be Friends: She admires Telamon, but that turns into hatred when she learns he's a Crow during the events of The Outsiders. He's also fond of her until he completes his Face–Heel Turn and stops caring about her. She willingly helps Hekabi curse him and joins the final confrontation with him where she fulfills the oracle by holding the dagger briefly before he takes it back and is killed by the lightning strike that shatters the dagger.

Characters / Gods and Warriors

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House of Koronos and the Crows

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Characters / Gods and Warriors

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