This subsection of the Heralds of Valdemar Character Sheet deals with the characters of the Collegium Chronicles and the Herald Spy books.
Herald Trainee Mags and Companion Dallen
- Dark and Troubled Past: Beginning with his time as a child slave in a diamond mine!
- Dude in Distress: Gets this several times in both the Collegium Chronicles and even in the Herald-Spy, along with Amily. While they are kidnapped in Closer to the Heart he grumbles that 'we oughtta change our names t' Mags and Amily Victim.'
- Genre Savvy: The reason for his and Amily's My Own Private "I Do". Their crisis-riddled lives mean that Mags figures on a better-than-average chance of something going drastically wrong on the Big Day. Actually, he and Amily are kidnapped just before, but they rescue themselves in time for the Big Day to go ahead as scheduled. But for bonus points, they're kidnapped while trying on the new formal Whites they're using as wedding outfits!
- Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: He delivers a verbal one of these not only to the King, but the entire Privy Council early in Closer to Home. After Nicholas technically comes back from the dead (his heart stops, but is revived with an early form of CPR), they're all so thrown by Amily becoming King's Own while her father's still alive, that Mags has to remind them that one of the most talented and experienced Heralds in the Circle is still alive.
- Living Lie Detector: Can sense truth or lies with just his Gift, without resorting to the Truth-Spell.
- Made a Slave: From infancy, pretty much.
- Mind Control: He is a strong enough Mindspeaker to actually take control of an opponent. This completely exhausts him, and he will only do so with Dallen's permission.
- Mind over Manners: Since he's got the strongest Mindspeaking gift ever shown in the novels, he holds himself to the highest standard when using them. When he was younger, he asked a superior whether it would be abusing his powers if he did a mind-scan to save people's lives in a blizzard. As an adult, he doesn't trust himself to decide to use Mind Control, and will only do so at Dallen's instruction (as a double-check on his own morality).
- Morality Chain: As noted above, Dallen volunteers to serve as his gatekeeper, since both of them are aware that Mags knows techniques which push the bounds of morality but might be necessary in the line of duty.
- My Own Private "I Do": With Amily, early in Closer to the Heart. The formal, public wedding took place at the end of the novel.
- Nonchalant Dodge: Mags was already proficient in this when he was Chosen; it was the only form of self-defense that was safe for him to use while a child slave.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: He's literally under orders to make himself seem dumber than he actually is to anyone who isn't part of of his close circle or Nikolas' network. That includes playing sports in part to have people assume that he's Dumb Muscle.
- Reincarnation: Dallen knew Tylendel in his previous incarnation, though he doesn't reveal who he was.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Thanks to the frequent Distress episodes of him and Amily, between Herald Spy and Family of Spies he teaches his children a weaponized version of Screw This, I'm Out of Here! from the time they learn to walk. In Spy Spy Again his youngest, Tory, remembers his father grumbling that he and Amily have played victim quite enough for this family, thank you very much!
- Teen Superspy: Mags becomes part of Herald Nikolas's spy ring early on.
- Telepathy: He is the strongest Mindspeaker yet shown in the books. It's mentioned he's one of the very few Mindspeakers (in history) who can 'send' to people without Mindhearing.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Pocket pies for Dallen, cheese for Mags.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: They really like to snark at and insult each other, but they're rock-solid friends on a level many Herald-and-Companion friendships never achieve.
Healer Trainee Bear
- Arranged Marriage: He went home for the holidays to find himself already betrothed. Borders on the forced marriage version, though this is illegal in Valdemar — his family has no interest in his desires.
- Badass Normal: Specializing in saving lives rather than taking them, but he's a Healer without a trace of Healing Gift, who makes up for it by becoming the Collegium's specialist on herbs.
- Chekhov's Gunman: of sorts. From his first appearance, it's mentioned that Bear studies every form of non-Gifted healing that he can get information about. In Closer to Home Mags revives a technically-dead Nicholas from drowning with a primitive form of CPR. It's mentioned that Bear taught it to him.
- Elopement: He gets out of the arranged marriage by eloping with Lena (who he is in love with), though he does ask Mags's advice before doing so.
- Muggle Born of Mages: Lacks his family's Healing Gift.
- Muggles Do It Better: Born without Healing Hands, Bear studied up on herb-lore and mundane medicine instead, and these skills are a lot better for certain problems than the Gift.
- Put on a Bus: With Lena, between Bastion and Closer to Home.
- Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Born totally without a healing gift to a line that had it for generations.
- You're Not My Father: He cuts all bridges with his father after getting married.
Bardic Trainee Lena
Mags' first friend- Elopement: She elopes with Bear, whom she loves and has the added bonus of getting him out of his Arranged Marriage. There's also a bonus for her, in that she can take Bear's name and become a Bard under that name instead of being associated with her father.
- Magic Music
- Put on a Bus: With Bear, between Bastion and Closer to Home. Justified, in that being assigned to various places or going on journeys around Valdemar is standard procedure for all Bards who aren't assigned to the court or teaching at the Bardic Collegium. Lena's very talented, but she doesn't have the kind of unique talent that would justify her being assigned to the Court or Haven as a journeyman-class bard.
King's Own Herald Amily
- Animal Eye Spy: Develops this gift somewhere between the end of Bastion and the start of Closer to Home.
- Damsel in Distress: several times, much to her annoyance. She works hard to learn various ways to become Damsel out of Distress.
- My Own Private "I Do": With Mags.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers an impressive one in Closer to the Heart to the Guardsmen who have been tricked into near-treason.
- Took a Level in Badass: In Bastion.
King's Own Herald Nikolas and second Companion Evory
- Back from the Dead: In Closer to Home, he drowns. The Death Bell rings. Rolan chooses Amily. Then, Mags successfully resuscitates him.
- My Own Private "I Do": mentions to Mags (who is planning to do the same with Amily) that he and his late wife did this as well... because their respective mothers were feuding so viciously over planning of the official ceremony.
- Renowned Selective Mentor: To Mags; the only reason none of the other Trainees is jealous is because both Nikolas and Mags are careful to hide the relationship.
King Kiril
- Family Eye Resemblance: Vanyel's silver eye color is alive and well in him. It also pops up in his grandson, Kyril who inherits Vanyel's mage gift.
- King Incognito: Mags first runs into him in the Companion stables and mistakes him for a random yet familiar Herald. Two of his features give his identity away if you remember that the king of the time was just two or three generations removed from Vanyel and that dark brown was the signature royal family hair color in The Last Herald-Mage.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Special mention for the end of Intrigues. In fact, he does 'something' so well that he becomes the first King to retire, handing over the throne to his son in conjunction with his contemporary Monarch's Own Amily.
Tobias Marchand
Lena's father- Bad Samaritan: He takes in protegés from time to time to steal their work.
- Dark and Troubled Past: in one of the books, it's implied that Tobias used his projective Empathy to get women into bed, especially after they turned him down once. Bard Breda implies that he got away clean with it because the Bardic Circle couldn't prove it (and perhaps there were even a few Circle members susceptible to Marchand as well), and none of the women ever came forward to make an actual complaint they could investigate.
- The Empath: With a twist: he can impose feelings on other people with ease, but has little in way to reading him.
- Gold Digger: Suggested to be the reason he married Lena's mother. And also the reason he gave information to the assassins.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: At some point, he starts telling people that he suspects that Lena is not his daughter due to not thinking of her as a good connection at the time. However, people quickly point out that 1) Given the way he's been treating Lena, she could be happier to not be associated with him and 2) That would mean that his wife isn't faithful to him.
- Jerkass: Quite possibly the worse there has ever been among the "good" guys. And again, he was the one giving info to the assassins just because he needed the money.
- Magic Music
- Parental Neglect: Towards Lena.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: At the end of Changes, after being found out to be stealing his protegé's work and one of the people who was informing the assassins.
Violetta of House Chendar
- Break the Cutie: She comes to Haven as the innocent, naive, indulged youngest daughter. Once there, she sees a very attractive young man and sends him a note. He turns out to be the son of her father's worst enemy, and the noble lady who is sponsoring the family makes it very clear what an unscrupulous young man could do with the note she sent. Brand then seduces her, deflowers her, and tries to kill her family. When placed under the truth spell, he makes it clear he never cared for her and just planned to use her while keeping a woman on the side. Then she has to testify during the inquest into his death, and have at least some of her humiliation made public.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: What she and Brand plan.
- Friend to All Living Things: She loves animals and has several pets at the family estate. She's the only one of her sisters to want the lapdog specifically bred to function as a muff warmer when offered.
- In Love with Love: She's very much the romantic of the family. While her sisters plan their marriages for advantages (one wants an old man so she will soon be a wealthy widow, the other wants a rich man who is involved in either textiles or jewelry), she dreams of a young man sweeping her off her feet for romance.
- Love at First Sight: She writes a love letter to Brand before even knowing his name.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: She considers herself and Brand to be this. He had other ideas.
- Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Constantly thinks about how this is just like a tale or a song.
Brand of House Raeylen
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: His set know him as a perfect gentleman. He's actually a sociopathic seducer and murderer.
- The Casanova: Seems to be quite skilled at seducing the ladies.
- Child Marriage Veto: Plans to use one of these to avoid marrying Violetta's sister. By killing his family, and hers.
- False Soulmate: He does not return Violetta's feelings, and just plans on using her.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Plans to do this with Violetta.
- Manipulative Bastard: Uses Violetta's feelings for him to get what he wants out of her.
- Self-Made Orphan: He plans to become one, so he can inherit his father's estate.
- The Sociopath: He cares nothing for his family, their honor, or anyone else. His only interests are his own comfort and the ability to have a lover.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Is described this way.
