Characters from Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
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The Fateless One
- Action Girl: If female, then very much so.
- All Up to You: The Fateless One has to do pretty much everything to advance. Justified, as Fate dictates every single event that transpires in Amalur, meaning that if Fate says you'll fail, you'll fail.
- Amnesiac Dissonance: Regardless of how you play them, your character is said to be very different to the coldblooded agent they were in their previous life.
- And the Adventure Continues: The ending of the Fatesworn DLC has Alyn Shyr state that she would never meet the Fateless One ever again, but is certain that they're somehow managed to restore the weave of fate.
- Ax-Crazy: According to Ventrinio, you were a definite case of this."You never talked about yourself, but you were... you were terrifying, okay? You were the coldest, most terrifying thing I've ever met! You wouldn't have threatened me like this — you would have just stabbed me to death and looted my corpse. Seriously, I saw you do that to people! Often!"
- Back from the Dead: The only successful experiment in the Well of Souls.
- Badass Cape: Courtesy of certain armors, the Fateless One can walk around with impressive capes.
- Because Destiny Says So: Played with. On the one hand, the Fateless One is actually fighting against fate and can change people's fate simply through proximity. On the other hand, several hints throughout the game indicate that the Fateless One coming to exist in the first place was anticipated, with the Erathi leaving several doors and keys that could only be unlocked by someone not bound by fate.
- Buried in a Pile of Corpses: The game starts with them in one and having to dig their way out.
- Butterfly of Doom: Because the world is supposed to operate on strict fate, the existence of one immune to it reverberates through it all. Even brief interactions with the Fateless One can cause characters predetermined destinies to go off the rails. Unfortunately, this very trait makes it so that they are effectively exiled from Amalur due to their very existence causing massive destabilization to the Weave.
- Came Back Strong: Whoever, or whatever the Fateless One was prior to their death and subsequent revival, there is no question that they are more powerful now.
- The Chosen One: To a certain degree, or The Unchosen One. Later in the game, it is revealed that he/she is the former for Tirnoch. This is played straight in the "Teeth of Naros", where they are chosen by the goddess Ethene and become the "Beckoned" of the Kollosae.
- Deader than Dead: Because of their Screw Destiny powers, Any Fae they kill (who normally have Resurrective Immortality) dies permanently. This is a big reason why the Tuatha are bent on trying to to kill the Fateless One since they lose their biggest advantage over mortals as long as the Fateless One lives.
- Deadpan Snarker: About half of the Fateless One's responses on the dialogue wheel are this. "Sorry I broke your fate rock," indeed. The other half (aside from Persuasion checks and requests for more info) are consummately tactful, moving conversation along and deftly changing the subject away from anything that might antagonize or embarrass the other person.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: With enough time spent playing, The Fateless One can have an pretty long resume of this. The Maid of Windemere, Dead Kel, The Dark Empyrean a.k.a. Ciara Sydanus, Niskaru Lord Khamazandu's Dragon, Besin the Sorcerer, and, most notably Tirnoch.
- The Exile: At the end of the Fatesworn DLC, The Fateless One is forced to leave Amalur due to their very presence causing massive instability to the Fates of the continent.
- Fighter, Mage, Thief: The Might, Sorcery, and Finesse trees, respectively. It's possible to invest points in multiple trees and end up with a hybrid build, or even choose all three.
- From Nobody to Nightmare:
- Towards the Tuatha. Originally a successful experiment on mortal resurrection which they tried to kill, the Fateless One became the single greatest threat to their cause, and, eventually, defeated them and their god.
- On a smaller scale, towards Tyr Magnus of the House of Valor. A nameless fighter who just so happened to pass by the House of Valor and win a fight. Again. And again. And then they best the assassin that was meant to kill them.
- It turns out that prior to their death, the Fateless One was already a very dangerous fighter and specialist at infiltration and recovering items. They just became even more dangerous after being unbound to fate.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Casting a spell or entering into Reckoning Mode give you these, complete with small flames of power seeping through.
- Heroic Mime: While the Fateless One is presumably speaking to NPCs, we never hear them outside of combat noises.
- Humanoid Abomination: Fateweavers treat you like a walking Physical God and the Tuatha refer to you as an abomination, and for a good reason. One NPC even has a freak out watching your power work, although to be fair he just watched you rip out an enemy's fate then use it as a weapon. That in the world where you can't fight fate. That's not even mentioning that you're a reanimated dead person inhabiting a magically created body. It gets to the point that their very presence is causing the Tapestry of Fate to unravel, forcing them to self-exile from Amalur.
- Immune to Fate: As a side effect of being Back from the Dead because Fate no longer has a plan for you.
- Instant Expert: The in-universe explanation for gaining skills and classes. The Fateless One can use the strands of Fate they take from slain enemies to adjust their fate and give themselves whatever skills they want. Want to try magic? With enough Fate accumulated, it just so happens that you were fated to be a master wizard. Feel like trying out being a rogue? Huh, now it says you're a master assassin without a hint of magic.
- MacGuffin Delivery Service: Partway through the Teeth of Naros DLC, Anokatos manipulates the Fateless One into giving him the Cipher of Ethene, which allows him to further proceed with his plans.
- The Magnificent: The Twists of Fate could be seen as such. Notable examples are Siegebreaker, Unstoppable Force, Child of Autumn. DLC adds even more to the list.
- Messianic Archetype: To the Fateweavers, who have been exiled and treated like crap, due to foreseeing horrible futures for everyone. Even though a fateless world would be utterly unpredictable and subject to The Evils of Free Will, not to mention they would be rendered obsolete for the most part, the Fateweavers simply don't care. It's gotten that bad in Amalur.
- One-Man Army: The Fateless One singlehandedly defeats enemies that entire armies couldn't stand a chance against, even breaking the ten-year siege of Mel Shenshir. It comes to a head toward the end of the game, when the Fateless One is storming Alabastra itself almost singlehandedly, leaving behind the main Alfar army who cannot get through the narrow passes and destroying most of the Tuatha defenses by themselves.
- Screw Destiny: The Fateless One is the walking, breathing, talking, killing incarnation of this. So much as meeting them will free you from fate. Exaggerated with Reckoning Mode, wherein the Fateless One rips the fate from their enemies and kills them in all sorts of macabre ways with it.
- Smug Super: Some dialogue options can have The Fateless One boast their accomplishments and power to Screw Destiny toward their enemies and tell their flat out that they stand no chance.
- Spanner in the Works: Big Bad Tirnoch revived them with the intent of using the Fateless One to release her from her prison as part of her Gambit Roulette. It would've worked too, if the Fateless One wasn't so much of a Badass.
- That Man Is Dead: Potentially Both literally and figuratively. The Fateless One can potentially tell Alyn Shir that they have no interest in keeping their oath to the organization they used to work for when she asks them to agree to keep Tirnoch's nature a secret.
- Took a Level in Badass: The Fateless One was rather forgettable and according to Ventrinio and Alyn Shir, also quite arrogant and Ax-Crazy. After being Back from the Dead, you've weaponized Screw Destiny, and beat down powerful beings and Eldritch Abominations on a regular basis.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Determined by the player but assumed by the story. According to their backstory, the Fateless One was a homicidal bastard who killed for apparently no reason other than For the Lulz and the loot. In reality they were part of an ancient organization that murdered people to keep Tirnoch hidden from the world no matter how bad or innocent those people were.
- Try to Fit That on a Business Card: Starts off as "The Fateless One", but after some gameplay, becomes The Siegebreaker Of Mel Senshir, King/Queen Sagrell of The House of Ballads, Champion of The House Of Valor, Truesworn of the Warsworn/Forsworn of The Warsworn, The Chariot of The Travelers, The Child of Autumn, The Archsage of the Scholia Arcana. DLC adds The Scion of Akara, Master of Gravehal Keep, Herald of The Gods, etc. Not bad for someone who died prior to the story.
- Unwitting Pawn: Surprisingly, the Fateless One is this for the House of Sorrows storyline. Bisarane exploits their outsider status in order to eliminate most of the House in order to leave him in sole control.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Inverted. The Fateless One fights out of free will. Everyone else in Amalur, however, is subject to this trope. Until they interact with them, that is.
Races
The world of Amalur is home to several races and civilizations, both past and present. Almain
The Almain are militaristic and religious humans, followers of order. Although many Almain that live in the Faelands seek their fortunes in the land, they still carry their people's customs with them. They come from Alfaria's southern regions.
- The Fundamentalist: While they're hardly the only ones the Almain are the most likely race to get pushy about their religion, though to their credit they usually stop short of reaching Knight Templar levels.
- Humans Are Warriors: The Almain are brave warriors at heart.
- Order Versus Chaos: The Almain are followers of Mitharu, the god of Order, who is diametrically opposed to Telogrus, the god of Chaos.
Varani
The human clans known as the Varani can be found throughout Amalur, as much at home on the high seas as in the villages and outposts they inhabit. Though not as culturally refined as the Almain, the Varani have brought commerce and a degree of civilization to the wilds of The Faelands.
- Beard of Barbarism: A frequent style among Varani NPCs.
- Horny Vikings: The Varani are based on historical Scandinavian cultures.
- Meaningful Name: In-universe, as this frequently nomadic people take their name from the Jottun word to "traveller."
The Alfar in general
- Mage Species: Historically the Alfar were the only mortal race to develop magic use and although others have since picked up the talent Alfar are still more likely to have magical ability.
- Our Elves Are Different: The Alfar are the setting's elves, with the name Elf even being used very occasionally in-universe, though Alfar is far more common. They are closer to humans than most examples, having only slightly slimmer builds than humans, though they do have very different skin colours. They also mostly lack the spiritual, above-it-all attitudes of many settings' Elves, with most of that going to the Fae instead.
- Pointy Ears: Fairly long at that, though not as dramatic as the Fae.
Ljosalfar
A proud and insular people, the Ljosalfar strive to preserve nature and shape it to their will. The Ljosalfar revere the principle of Justice, fighting time and again to defend Amalur against chaos and darkness.
- Good Old Ways: Culturally the Ljosalfar tend towards being traditionalists. We don't see it in game but apparently they used magic to freeze their homeland so it would change less.
- Light Is Not Good: Their name basically means "Light Elf" but it only refers to their generally light coloured skin and they are no more or less likely to be good guys than anyone else.
Dokkalfar
Dokkalfar are renowned as sophisticated students of magic and diplomacy. While they do not shy from conflict, they prefer to resolve disputes subtly and with grace, or efficiently, in silence.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Their name basically means "Dark Elf" but it only refers to their mostly dark skin colours and Dokkalfar can be good or evil at pretty much the same rate as other mortal races.
- Proud Warrior Race: But only recently. The decade long war against the Tuatha has created a strong military culture among the Dokkalfar of Rathir and Mel Senshir.
- Stripperiffic: The Dokkalfar like to show themselves off and their fashion favours plunging necklines and exposed backs. This only applies in civilian fashion though and (Alyn Shir aside) their soldiers dress in reasonably sensible armour rather than something in the Chainmail Bikini range.
Kollosae
A race of stone-like giants that built an advanced civilization in the region known as the Teeth of Naros.
- Floating Continent: Their capital of Idylla is one.
- Living Statue: They resemble Greco-Roman sculptures, with their stonelike skin, monochromatic eyes and chiseled physique. However, though their flesh resembles stone, they're actually fully organic and can bleed.
- We Used to Be Friends: Back when they were known as the Mairu, they were allies to the Ettin, the Jottun and the Deinir, forming an alliance known as Ouranos. The alliance broke when the Kollossae tried to make them abandon their old ways of pillaging and raiding.
The Fae in general
- Anime Hair: Since it's unlikely they're using gel Fae hair seems to grow straight up. It also has a variety of neon colours.
- The Fair Folk: They really don't 'get'' mortal mindsets and vice versa for the most part and this has led to a lot of trouble between the two. That said before the coming of the Tuatha they rarely set out to hurt mortals.
- Pointy Ears: That actually have multiple points.
- Resurrective Immortality: The Fae can die to injury, illness, poison etc but then return to life. That said they still prefer not to die for the most part, as it still hurts and the time between dying and coming back can be quite a while, sometimes centuries.
Summer Fae
- Technicolor Eyes: Their eyes have black schlera and colorful pupils.
Winter Fae
- Dark Is Not Evil: The Winter Fae look rather threatening, dress in dark colours with some Skeletons in the Coat Closet elements and celebrate decay but before the Tuatha they were rarely actively hostile and served an important role in the natural world.
Allies
Fomorous Hughes
- Back for the Finale: He comes back at the end of "Fatesworn" to see the Fateless One off before their exile.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He's able to take care of himself when attacked by the Tuatha.
- Do Not Go Gentle: When faced with the group of Tuatha that killed Encel, he grabs a dagger and charges at them, stabbing the sides of their torsos as he runs away.
- The Fettered: Compared with Ventrinio, who complains that Hughes was far more moral and kind-hearted. Where Ventrinio was willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives to get his version of the Well working, Hughes refused to experiment on living subjects.
- Immune to Fate: Thanks to the Fateless One, Hughes survives his fated death at the hands of the Tuatha.
- The Mentor: He intended to be this to the Fateless One, but an attack on the Well of Souls by the tuatha cut that idea short.
- The Professor: He had a lot of students under his mantle, but some left and most of them died during the attack on the Well of Souls.
Agarth Ulfric
- The Alcoholic: He likes to drink. A lot. He hints at having always enjoyed a good drink, but that he really started in after he became a Fateweaver and foresaw his own death in an ettin's cooking pot.
- Blessed with Suck: His opinion on the "honor" of being inducted into the Fateweavers. It's pretty hard on a man who's overcome every challenge to then know for years exactly how he'll die, and how unavoidable it is. Worse still is the fact that people come to Fateweavers to have their fortunes read and if it doesn't turn out the way they want, they take it out on the hapless Fateweaver with the ill-chosen job title.
- Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Downplayed. He starts ranting about you disrupting fate and destroying the potential of everyone you killed then quickly realizes that he's complaining about being saved from his fated ignoble death. Also Played for Laughs later when he good naturedly complains to you about how he now has to pay off all his bar tabs now that he's going to live.
- Didn't See That Coming: The last thing he was expecting was for his fated death to be averted thanks to the Fateless One killing the Ettin that would have killed him.
- Distressed Dude: He ends up getting imprisoned by the Preordained when he enters Mithros, as part of a plan by Telogrus to lure the Fateless One to him.
- Face Death with Dignity: He intended to do this at Dellach, to meet his fate as the future stew of an Ettin, but then the Fateless One killed that Ettin in front of him, shocking him to the core.
- Foreseeing My Death: Agarth didn't take well to the gift of foresight, which let him know exactly how he'd die: brutally murdered by an Ettin Warpriest in the ruins of Dellach, and turned into stew.
- Knight in Sour Armor: Years of mistreatment and a fated anti-climatic death has made Agarth into this by the time the Fateless One meets him. However, once he's saved from his fated death, he gets a new purpose and aids the Fateless One in unlocking their potential.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Invoked and then defied in-universe. He even gives you a tiny speech about how this is where he has to leave you as he realizes this is the fated moment where he dies. Then the Player Character kills the boss and he has no idea how to proceed.
- Noodle Incident: He alludes to a lot of wild past exploits, from tracking enemies by smell alone to once being "left half-naked and tied to a barghest" by a dark elf. Pretty much any time you question if he's up for the next challenge, he'll remark on some amazing past exploit that makes what he's doing now look like child's play.
- Old Master: He himself admits he's getting old, but that doesn't stop him from fighting alongside the player many times. He helps the Fateless One unlock their potential and he's part of the team that infiltrates Alabastra at the end of the game.
- Screw Destiny: His initial motivation for becoming a Fateweaver was to defy his predestined death. After the Fateless One helps him escape that death, this becomes his main motivation, trying to fight against the inevitable destruction of the world by the Tuatha.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He doesn't like working with Alyn Shir and so does she due to their different priorities and the fact that Alyn refuses to reveal her motivations or backstory and caring more about getting the Fateless One into Alabastra.
Alyn Shir
- Action Girl: She's proficient with a pair of daggers and fight alongside you several times during the course of the game.
- Aloof Ally: Rarely shows any emotion or gives a straight answer.
- Back for the Finale: She shows up at the ending of "Fatesworn" to say goodbye to the Fateless One before they leave Amalur.
- But Now I Must Go: At the end of the game, after you defeat the Final Boss and go unconscious, she has to leave because of the organisation she works for, leaving behind a farewell note.
- Chainmail Bikini: The only example in the game. Seeing how most of her kind dress, it's not really something out of left field.
- Dark Is Not Evil: She's a Dokkalfar (which many consider untrustworthy due to their manipulative tendencies), is an assassin and refuses to explain her motivations or backstory, because of this, Agarth distrusts her explicitly. However, she never betrays the Fateless One and reveals that they were old friends before the Fateless One's fated death.
- Dual Wielding: Two daggers.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: She only wears a pauldron on her right shoulder but not her left; and four belts around her left thigh but none around her right.
- Ms. Fanservice: With most of the major female characters wearing heavy armour, Alyn becomes the de facto source of eye candy in the game by showing her legs, belly and cleavage.
- Multiple-Choice Past: When asked, Alyn Shir is willing to spin any number of tales about her past. Sometimes, she is the last daughter of a minor noble, inheriting only a pair of ancient daggers and a disdain for those who think that power will protect them. In others, she was born a street urchin and survived through stealth and cunning.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She is very pale-skinned and dark-haired, and is regarded as charming and scandalous.
- The Reveal: She's part of an ancient organization created solely to keep Tirnoch imprisoned, killing everyone who knows of her existence.
- Ship Tease: She hints romantic interest in the Fateless One, which the player can comment on. She either tells you to stop acting like a lovestruck fool or asserts that she has no time for love. In Fatesworn, there's an entire set of Lorestones made by her chronicling her time spent in Mithros, with the last entry being a warm reminiscence of how she used to visit you during a vow of silence you undertook, and made you laugh with stories. She finally makes a re-appearance at the very end of the DLC to see you off, remarking that whatever destiny has in store for either of them, "This moment is yours... Ours." And in the DLC's ending cutscene, she's shown watching your ship depart... and appears to be following it, at least unseen from a distance.
- Stripperiffic: Her "armor" covers just enough of her to be considered an outfit.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: She doesn't like working with Agarth and so does he due to their different priorities and the fact that Agarth cares more about discovering the secrets of the Fateless One's revival and unlocking their full potential.
- Too Many Belts: She wears numerous belts around her arms and left thigh.
Ventrinio
- Character Death: He's killed by Alyn Shir just before the end of the story after he attempted to kill her in Bhaile, having grown far too obsessed with Tirnoch's power. At least that's what she says.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He was responsible for the destruction of Hughes' Well of Souls at the beginning of the game and was planning to betray the Fateless One in Bhaile according to Alyn Shir.
- Killed Offscreen: By the time the Fateless One catches up with Alyn Shir in Bhaile she's standing over Ventrinio's corpse.
- The Man Behind the Man: He works under Templar Octienne under the belief that mastering death will lead to him becoming an immortal.
- Token Evil Teammate: He's morally rotten and only cares about his life and the advancement of science, no matter the cost. Fittingly, he is also the only member of the group who dies.
Cydan
- Brutal Honesty: He will remind you that he only makes an alliance with you because of your reputation as an individual with no fate and your incredible feats, but no more.
- Determinator: Even with his forces outnumbered and overpowered by the Tuatha, he continues his war of attrition against them, the House of Sorrows even admits this about him.
- Knight in Sour Armor: All the years of fighting his own brethren has made him distrustful of others and very cynical.
- Last of His Kind: Although he's cut ties with them he was once a member of the House of Sorrows. As of the end of the questline for that House he's the only one left.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: He sees the Tuatha as an aberration of the Winter Fae and he would like to remind the Fateless One that not all the Winter Fae are Tuatha.
Enemies and Bosses
Gadflow
- Voiced by: Jim Cummings
- Actually a Doombot: The Gadflow you fight in the Court of Winter is not the real deal, merely an avatar of Gadflow.
- Bald of Evil: He's bald as he's evil.
- The Dragon: His god, Tirnoch, is actually the one behind everything, including the Fateless One's resurrection.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Originally he was the jester of the Court of Winter and was unsatisfied with his lot. Then he heard the whispers...
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Like all Tuatha Deohn, his eyes glow a solid yellow.
- The Heavy: He leads the Tuatha Deohn, a Always Chaotic Evil race of Winter Fae who have embraced a new god.
- Killed Off for Real: Immortality isn't any good when your patron god is the one who kills you. According to Fatesworn, he can never be reborn either.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Quite unlike most Fae, he despises mortals and wants their destructions. He's also unusual, as despite being a Fae, he managed to change his ways, something that's normally impossible. According to Nyralim, he's the only Fae to have ever truly changed from how he used to be.
- The Unfought: When Tirnoch finally appears, she instantly roasts him in another classic case of You Have Outlived Your Usefulness.
- Villain Has a Point: If the Fateless One tries to rub in their power to Screw Destiny in Gadflow's face. He'll mock the Fateless One for flaunting their power without giving much actual thought into the consequences of altering fate.
Tirnoch (SPOILERS)
- Big Bad: The one giving Gadflow his marching orders.
- Bad Boss: The moment she got free, she instantly roasted Gadflow on account of You Have Outlived Your Usefulness.
- God Is Evil: Pretty obvious, considering her followers are the Tuatha Deohn. Not to mention the fact she is the one keeping everyone within Fate's stranglehold.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: She is the one behind the Fateless One's rebirth and subsequent freedom from fate, in a Gambit Roulette to free herself. She did not, however, take into account how Badass the Fateless One became when they were revived.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Possibly a really old Winter Fae with the power to control fate. Regardless, she possesses a very draconic appearance.
- Physical God: It's not immediately apparent, but Tirnoch is stronger than gods. During the Teeth of Naros DLC, Ethene (one of the patron gods of the Pantheon) was shown to not possess the ability to manipulate fate and had to manipulate the Fateless One into liberating and enlightening her chosen people the Kollossae.
- This Cannot Be!: Her last words before her defeat show this. She is technically right, but then again she enabled the impossibility in the first place.Tirnoch: Impossible. IMPOSSIBLE!
- Underestimating Badassery: She revived the Fateless One to simply be another Unwitting Pawn in her Gambit Roulette, and believed that she could easily defeat her creation. A few spears of materialized fate to the eyes later, she immediately realizes the truth.
- Villainous Breakdown: Breaks down from flaunting her power to demanding the Fateless One die after being hit twice.
- Vocal Dissonance: She has a very light and shrill voice, unexpected for such a large dragon.
- Walking Spoiler: Revealing anything about her will reveal pretty much everything. Including who the Fateless One was in the first place.
- Why Won't You Die?: Shouts this at the Fateless One after being hurt several times in her fight.Tirnoch: You are nothing but dust! Why. Won’t. You. DIE?
Gnarsh
A Mountain Troll matriarch fated to lead an army of her kin that will destroy the Summer Fae capital of Ysa. The Fateless One is sent by Nyralim to kill her to save Ysa and be allowed an audience with High King Titarion.
- Body Horror: By the time the Fateless one finds her, Gnarsh has been mutated by the Tuatha with Prismere crystals growing on her back, something that Alyn Shir finds horrifying.
- Bookends: The first boss you fight in the game was a Mountain Troll, and final main story boss of the Dalentarth region is a Mountain Troll matriarch.
- Disc-One Final Boss: She's the final main story boss of the Dalentarth region.
Great Niskaru Lord Balor
An enormous Niskaru summoned by the Tuatha, and the one who pushed the allied army back to Mel Senshir and keeping them in an unbreakable state of siege for years.
- The Brute: Due to being binded by the Tuatha, he's forced to be their muscle and nothing else, but when his handler is killed...
- The Dreaded: He decimated the Allied army during the counter-offensive in Klurikon and its the reason why the Allied army is stuck at Mel Senshir.
- Eldritch Abomination: He's a near-invincible giant Cyclops with mantis arms and four crab legs that corrupts the lands he touches.
- Eye Scream: The Fateless One kills him by piercing his eye with a Fate-energy recreation of the Piercing Light spear.
- The Speechless: Unlike Khamazandu, he never says a word in the game.
Spoiler Character/"The Financer"
Templar Octienne is an influential and high ranking Gnome of the Templar caste, and the financer of Fomorous Hughes' Well of Souls project. He secretly was also funding a second one led by Hughes' morally bankrupt apprentice and condemned criminal Ventrinio. After Hughes goes into hiding following the destruction of the Well of Souls, Octienne considers Hughes to be a politically dangerous loose end and decides to use all of his available assets to kill him and bury all evidence of his crimes and corrupt schemes.
- Arc Villain: Of the Detyre region's main storyline.
- Cowardly Boss: Much of the fight is spent chasing him across ramparts while dealing with his assassins.
- Immortality Seeker: It's all but stated that he funded the Well of Souls project for this.
- Made of Iron: He manages to survive getting fateshifted by the Fateless One, though he's left too injured to flee from Adessa and is promptly arrested afterwards.
- Manipulative Bastard: He was not funding one but two Wells of Souls and managed to keep the second one hidden from the forum and even Hughes, and he's introduced to the Fateless One by him manipulating them into discovering the location of Hughes so his assassins could kill him and the Fateless One.
- Villainous Breakdown: When you confront him with evidence of his actions, he decides to burn down his office and run away and while you pursue him, he rants about how you ruined years of work and that you will NOT stop him.
Side Antagonists
Ametair
- Voiced By: Michael J. Gough
- Anti-Villain: Being subjected to possession by Buru's Boots is the only reason he's really the monster you encounter him as, and originally he was a pretty nice guy.
- Break Them by Talking: You can ATTEMPT this, but his Persuasion check is so high it would be impossible unless you focused on increasing it from the start, and when you succeed he still slips back into insanity, but you get the necklace "A Hunter's Friend", which is actually a pretty good item for characters focusing on stealth.
- Dual Wielding: He wields a pair of Faeblades.
- Fallen Hero: He was originally a Fae from the House of Ballads and a legendary hunter until his boots destroyed his mind.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: Every time he loses a certain amount of health he'll escape to another room of Arduath, where the fight takes place.
- High-Pressure Blood: Every attack he does that manages to hit causes a large amount of bleeding damage.
- Malevolent Mutilation: He intends to some frightful body modification to you.
- Mercy Kill: Basically what you do to him, since he was in a really bad place at the time.
- Red Baron: The Lord of the Hunt.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: He sealed himself in Arduath, in the Sidhe, before he lost himself to the boots.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Buru's Boots enhanced his physical attributes and made him nearly undetectable, but they also warped his mind into that of a feral beast.
Magwyr, the Maid of Windemere
- Adaptational Villainy: In-Universe, she's part of the Winter Fae's pantheon of heroes but became the villain of the Summer Fae's most revered Ballad.
- Anti-Villain: She believes that the House of Ballads is an oppressive institution obsessed with the past that has ruined the lives many Fae and mortals alike. However, she's willing to risk the lives of mortals to get what she wants.
- Arc Villain: Of the House of Ballads' questline.
- Legacy Character: She's not the real/original Magwyr, who was killed by the first Wencen after he broke free from her brainwashing. but a Winter Fae forced into the role by the House of Ballads.
- Power Crystal: Her ability to manipulate the Telling to her benefit comes from the Prismere crystals she has in her posession.
- Tragic Villain: All she wants in the end is to break the Ballads so that she could be free from being just the villainous Maid of Windemere over and over again.
- Villainesses Want Heroes: Seems to be interested in the Fateless One, or at least the idea of them.
The Hierophant
The deity worshipped by the Travelers. She guides them in exchange of treasures and favors and apparently blesses those who pray to her at her shrine with good luck but something is not right with her…- Arc Villain: Of the Travelers' questline.
- Bad Boss: She takes advantage of her followers to enrich herself and disposes of those who refuses to follow her orders.
- The Reveal: The Hierophant is revealed to be Sun Camp's leader Argine.
- The Unfought: You never fight her during the course of the questline.
- We Can Rule Together: Downplayed. The Hierophant offers to have the Fateless One work with her and betray Grim Onwig instead, using their Immune to Fate powers in order to boost the Travelers' jobs.
Anru Besin
The main antagonist of the Warsworn questline. He's a Dokkalfar sorcerer obsessed with summoning the Niskaru Demon Lord Khamazandu.- Arc Villain: Of the Warsworn's questline.
- The Dragon: To Khamazandu, who he tries to summon to the mortal plane.
Saturnyn
The main antagonist of the House of Sorrows' questline. He's a mysterious Tuatha warrior that has been waging a war of attrition against the House of Sorrows.- Arc Villain: Of the House of Sorrows questline.
- The Bad Guy Wins: He manages to kill the entire house and the Eldests by the end of the questline, though he doesn't succeed in obtaining the Sorrows and is killed (as much as a Fae can be).
- Hidden Villain: He doesn't reveal himself until the end of the questline.
- Mole in Charge: The King of Sorrows himself - Bisarane, was Saturnyn all along.
Ciara Sydanus, the Dark Empyrean
The main antagonist of the Scholia Arcanum questline. A powerful Dokkalfar mage that once ruled over what is now the Plains of Erathell, but was defeated and sealed off by the founders of the Scholia Arcanum.- Arc Villain: Of the Scholia Arcanum questline.
- Demonic Possession: Uses this on multiple members of the Scholia Arcanum, including dead bodies if need be.
- Evil Sorcerer: A manipulative, necromancy-using, mind-controlling villain.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: She was a hated tyrant during her rule.
- Really 700 Years Old: She was defeated and sealed off 600 years before the game.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: After her defeat, she was entombed alive deep beneath Rathir.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Gets rid of bodies she no longer desires to keep by throwing them at the Fateless One.
Factions
The Warsworn
Major Questline characters: Ost Ordura, Gwyn Anwy, Grian Shane, Anru Besin, Niskaru Lord Khamazandu.
- Badass Army: They are a highly-trained legion of mercenaries.
- Blue Is Heroic: Their bulky armors are blue with gold accents. You can get one too, as it's the default Azurite armor set.
- Big Fancy Castle: Their headquarters are this.
- Creature-Hunter Organization: A thousand years ago, they were Niskaru hunters known as the Firstsworn led by their founder: Eamonn, but following his death and the near-expulsion of the Niskaru from the mortal plane, they were left purposeless and jobless and thus they started taking jobs and selling their services to the highest bidder.
- Dwindling Party: The second mission, "The Heart of Sibun" leads to the deaths of the whole group of Warsworn you're travelling with, including Ost Ordura, the one who recruited you in the first place.
- Last-Second Ending Choice: The ending of the Warsworn questline solely depends on whether you choose to take Khamazandu's deal or not. Doing so earns the Fateless One the Forsworn Twist of Fate and the animosity of the Warsworn, while refusing to do so earns them a promotion to Truesworn status.
- N.G.O. Superpower: They have three fortresses and hundreds of soldiers under their disposal.
- Private Military Contractors: They're an army of mercenaries.
Grian Shane
The current commander of the Warsworn.Gwyn Anwy
- Voiced by: Laura Bailey
Ost Ordura
- Times are hard, but hard times can pay if you're willing to take risks. If you have the stomach for this sort of work, we could use another strong arm among the Warsworn.
- Character Death: Impaled by a Niskaru's armblade, after witnessing the wards that kept them at bay fade.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Rikka Egest's diary implies that he convinced her brother Gref and her husband Avery to join the Warsworn and fight in the Crystal War, in which the Tuatha claimed their lives.
The Travelers
Major Questline characters: Grim Onwig, Phasmer Humm, Sun Camp Leader Argine, The Hierophant.
- Chekhov's Armory: Every one of the major items that you steal over the first half of the questline becomes instrumental in the second half of the questline, where the focus shifts towards undermining the Hierophant and uncovering their identity.
- Glory Days: A theme of their storyline is that they have fallen on hard times with many lamenting the fact that they can barely steal something from someone or somewhere when back in the day they were professional thieves and entretainers.
- Halfway Plot Switch: The first half of the quest is rather simple: taking marching orders from the Hierophant in order and executing the heists she asks for. Once Grim Onwig reveals that the Hierophant is setting up Travelers to fail left and right, however, the rest of the questline shifts focus towards uncovering the Hierophant's identity and undermining her authority, but not without partaking in some jobs along the way.
- Tarot Motifs: Their leadership and members take titles from both the Major and Minor Arcana. The Twists of Fate associated with the questline are Temperance and The Chariot.
- Thieves' Guild: They are a wandering version of this. They're also the only group that you can sell stolen goods to.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Most of them are people that were abandoned or mistreated in their communities.
The House of Ballads
Major Questline characters: Hallam the White, King Wencen, the Maid of Windemere.
- Dwindling Party: After the Maid of Windermere kidnaps and brainwashes most of the heroes, the player is forced to either save or kill them depending on their dispelling skill.
- Fling a Light into the Future: Realizing the mortal races had learned to create, alter and destroy Lorestones, and the realization that the Fae's time in Amalur was ending, Hallam and his Almain friend, Father Etair developed the Fae Cairns, an improved and indestructible version of the Lorestones. As their magic was no longer bound to that of Esharra, it will ensure the Fae's Ballads will be preserved forever, long after they're gone.
- Last of His Kind: As of the end of the game they can be the last Fae House still standing. The Houses of Pride and Vengaence were absorbed into the Tuatha, the House of Sorrows was wiped out, the House of Seasons vanished without explanation and the House of Valour has been taken over by mortals. Unless the player chooses to side with the Maid of Windermere Ballads is struggling with some serious changes but far from gone.
- Legacy Character: All the heroes of the Ballads have been played by different Fae across the centuries, with the Fateless One being the latest to take the role of Sir Sagrell at the beginning of the storyline. For example, the current King Wencen is the fifth person to bear his name, and Sir Creth reveals his real name, Trek, when you first meet him. The only ones to avert this are Hallam the White and Sir Tarca, who are the originals.
- Mundane Made Awesome: The House's entire purpose is essentially an extremely serious and hardcore series of LARP sessions intended to protect and preserve the stories of each of the ancient Fae heroes. Because Fae Tellings are cyclic and recreating the conditions of each story causes them to actually happen, this has significantly more impact than your typical role-playing session or oral retelling.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Even if you do everything right and save everyone from Magwyr and slay her, the most important Ballad of all, "The Hero and the Maid", is permanently altered by the current Wencen's cowardice and refusal to face Magwyr. When you return, Wencen V will no longer be with the rest of the House, having left for parts unknown. This warps the Ballad into making Sir Sagrell his successor, for facing and defeating the Maid.
- Start to Corpse: The storyline starts with the death of Sir Sagrell, something that shouldn't have happened in his Ballad, leading to the Fateless One taking his role and title. it ultimately turns out to be subverted; the Winter Fae originally playing Sir Sagrell can be found alive and well in Windermere, taken prisoner and forced to work as the Maid's chamberlain.
The House of Sorrows
Major Questline characters: Bisarane, Tailbreah, the Eldest, Saturnyn.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: The Winter Fae in general don't view death as a terrible thing, instead as part of the natural cycle of life and decay. They thus have a more cavalier attitude toward dying, and even openly display the corpses of the dead as a way of honoring their place as the caretakers of the darker aspects of nature.
- Dark Is Not Evil: The Winter Fae look like evil versions of the Summer Fae. However, These are some of the last Winter Fae that opposes the Tuatha, showing that not all of the Winter Fae are evil as most believe.
- Due to the Dead: In an odd twist, they openly display the corpses of their own dead by hanging them from the Gallow Tree in the Midden, as this is their way of honoring the necessity of death. The Tuatha perverted this sacred process by stringing up the corpses of mortals killed in the war, who rot and putrefy differently from Fae bodies, which just fade away, and thus turned the Midden in a stinking, disease-riddled mound of corpses filled with carrion-feeding wild Fae.
- Downer Ending: By the end of the questline, all members of the house are killed including the two Eldest and their Chosen One is forced to sacrifice herself to prevent more damage, leaving the Fateless One as the last member of the house.
- Fantastic Nuke: The titular Sorrows. The House of Sorrows exists to collect the sorrows of the dead, and store them in Esharra, so that the Winter Fae aren't overwhelmed by these feelings of pain and loss. However, the accumulated sorrows of thousands of dead Fae from multiple millennium creates something that, if unleashed on mortals, can shatter entire armies with crippling, suicidal depression.
Scholia Arcana
Major Questline characters: Jubal Caledus, Aethan Engar, Eran Methneen, Ciara Sydanus
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The Fateless One becomes Archsage due to the fact that aside from the top members of the Scholia having been killed by Ciara Sydanus during the questline events (their predecessor included), the Archmage's actual job is to prevent the Dark Empyrean from breaking out of her seal again.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning: The rings they give out as part of the faction questline improve damage dealt by magical elements. The stones they used to seal the Dark Empyrean are the Sun Stone, the Frost Stone, and the Storm Stone.
- La Résistance: The Scholia Arcana started as a resistance movement that fought against the evil and powerful Dark Empyrean.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The seal on Ciara Sydanus' seal was broken when the Scholia put the Fateless One through their initation ritual. Because of their unique circumstances, the ritual didn't latch on to their magical potential but the strongest one available... which happened to be the Dark Empyrean's.
Jubal Caledus
An Almain mage who is the incumbent Archsage of the Scholia Arcana.- The Archmage: He's the Archsage of the Scholia Arcana and is a powerful specialist in combat magic.
- Child Prodigy: His magical powers awakened when he was a child, and he began developing a magic ability so powerful that he was surpassing even seasoned Alfar mages.
- Journey to the Center of the Mind: He sets up a ritual for the Fateless One to enter his mind and help break Ciara Sydanus' possession of him. While it does work, it fails to prevent her from escaping her seal.
Aethan Engar
A Varani mage who's one of the Savants of the Scholia Arcana.- Taking You with Me: He attempts to do this by throwing himself off Skycrown Peak just as the Dark Empyrean possesses him. Unfortunately for him, his body survives and the possession holds, so the Fateless One is forced to Mercy Kill him.
Other Named Characters
Others
Nyralim
An ancient sentient tree that has existed even before the time of the Fae. He's venerated as a mentor by the Summer Fae and has the ability to see the past and the future.- The Older Immortal: An odd example, since he is significantly older than the Fae and is revered by them but is also technically mortal and will die one day (though without the Tuatha's fated victory he wuldn't expect it to be anytime soon).
- Wise Tree: Provides the Fateless One with guidance as they embark on their quest.
- World Tree: A tree so ancient and vast that his roots reach all across Amalur, not merely Dalentarth.
High King Titarion
- Voiced by: Liam O'Brien
General Tilera ap Gwydion
A Ljosalfar war heroine who pushed the Tuatha out of the Plains of Erathel during the first year of the Crystal War. However, following her forces being decimated on Klurikon by the Great Niskaru Balor, she left her position and rank in shame and went on to try to find the lost spear known as the Piercing Light, a weapon capable of killing Great Niskaru.- Badass Normal: According to many allied soldiers and Alyn Shir, she was a one-woman army. However, a Badass Normal is nothing when they confront a near-invincible Eldritch Abomination, and the trauma of losing her army is the reason of her disappearance.
- Defiant to the End: Before she dies in the Siege of Mel Senshir, she manages to kill Balor's Tuatha handler, which causes the Great Niskaru to go berserk and attack both the Allied army and the Tuatha.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: She spent eight years looking for the Piercing Light spear to kill Balor but dies in the Siege of Mel Senshir before she could use it and the spear is lost during the battle. It's zig-zagged, however. Although she failed to save Mel Senshir, her killing of Balor's rider made him go out of control long enough for the Fateless One to finish the job. If it wasn't for the Fateless One, she would've never been able to obtain the Piercing Light in the first place and Mel Senshir would've been destroyed by the Tuatha.
Ainmhi
A strange, half-dressed man you find limping near Odarath. Talking to him reveals that he actually is a wolf that has been cursed into a human form by spiteful sprites. He requests your assistance to solve his problem.- Androcles' Lion: After you help him recover his original wolf body, he won't attack you and simply walks away with the promise that the tale of your kindness will be told to his pack. This makes him one of the only two wolves in the game that does not try to eat you.
- Forced Transformation: Even though he was actually turned into a strong, muscular man, he sees his condition as this, as he isn't used to this form and is thus very clumsy with his clawless hands, flat teeth and the need to walk on two legs.
- Meaningful Name: "Ainmhí" means "beast" in Irish, and he used to be a wolf.
- The Nicknamer: He calls humans and elves, including you, "Two-Legs".
- Nice Guy: Hands-down the friendliest wolf you'll ever encounter in the game. Sure, he killed and ate chickens that weren't his, but he didn't do it out of malice and had no idea it would be considered wrong from a human point of view.
- Smarter Than You Look: He sounds awkward and has a particular way of expressing himself, due to the fact that he has no knowledge of the way humans think, but he is far from stupid and actually has some insightful things to say when asked about the House of Ballads, the Warsworn or Yolvan.
- Values Dissonance: In-Universe, he was driven away from a human settlement because he apparently killed and ate some of their chickens. He fails to see why this would anger the local humans and genuinely has no idea why they were pissed off.
DLC Characters
Rast Brattigan
- All Women Are Lustful: Gained the trust of her first mate Tari Hostig after he slept with her... at least a few times. Can also end up being the Fateless One's paramour, regardless of their gender.
- Captain Crash: Has been wrecking her own ships since she was but a child.
- The Fool: She's stated to be the only captain who would sail to Gallow's End by lieu of being the only one dumb enough to do so, but is nonetheless incredibly cheerful and loyal to the Fateless One.
- Expy: To Zapp Brannigan from Futurama, based on her name, sexual appetite, and overestimation of their own abilities. That being said, she has a lot more positive qualities.
- Momma's Boy: Played with in that she's a woman but the spirt is there. She's always quoting her mother on what she should do next. She eventually decides that her mother probably gives a lot of bad advice.
- Romance Sidequest: Not quite sidequest, but if the player is nice to her in all their interactions with Rast it unlocks an achievement, with Rast declaring her and The Fateless One an item. She then gives them her mother's sword as a way to commemorate their relationship.
Dead Kel
- Arc Villain: Of The Legend of Dead Kel story line.
- Came Back Wrong: Turned into some kind of human-tree hybrid after being brought back to life by Akara.
- I Cannot Self-Terminate: Unconsciously invited the Fateless One to Gallows End in order to end his undead existence.
- I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Shades of this as he resents Akara in resurrecting him from the oblivion of Death but really hates him for not fully resurrecting him.
The Whispering Witch
One of Dead Kel's Hanged Men, rumored to be his lover. She is a powerful mage and Fateweaver.- Demonic Possession: She possesses Bridgette Malloi in an attempt to gain the Scion's power and help Dead Kel.
- Evil Genius: She's behind the plan to help Dead Kel gain the Scion's power by possessing the current Scion.
Bloodgrin
One of Dead Kel's Hanged Men, a brutish warrior.- The Brute: Serves as the muscle of the Hanged Men, and doesn't speak much if at all.
The Baronett
One of Dead Kel's Hanged Men, a crafty mage.- Agent Peacock: Rast Brattigan describes him as someone who cares more about his silk and swagger than taking a life, though that doesn't stop him from being a formidable foe to the Fateless One.
- Me's a Crowd: Part of his fighting style involves him conjuring two clones to distract attention away from him.
Akara
The God of the refugees of Gallow's End.- A God I Am Not: Says he's not a God, but admits that he acted as one towards all the people that washed up on shore out of pity and kindness.
- Ambiguous Situation: At the end it's not quite clear if he's actually dead or dormant. Either way though his part is over with.
- Big Good: Of The Legend of Dead Kel storyline. He made a mistake in resurrecting Dead Kel in the first place but it wasn't out of malice, and he's been serving as protector for the castaways for literal decades.
- Botanical Abomination: Abomination is too harsh, but he is a tree made out of thorns, sapient, and glows red.
- The Hermit: He calls himself an exile as he separated from The Ring of Keozai as he just wanted to be alone.
- Hive Mind: Is actually a being made up of a bunch of beings, but acts as a singular mind and person. Calling him a He is for the sake of convivence.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Resurrected Dead Kel to act as his instrument only to realize how horrid of a being he was half way through. He's been trying to correct this mistake since.
Secandra
- Statuesque Stunner: Towers over the Fateless One due to being a Kollossae, but is no less attractive due to it.
- You Are in Command Now: Is promoted to Primos of the Kollossae after Anokatos' demise.
Anokatos
- Arc Villain: Of the Teeth of Naros main quest line.
- Faith–Heel Turn: Losing faith in Ethene led him to his Start of Darkness.
- Fallen Hero: Decided to turn on Ethene and the rest of his people after his prayers seemingly fell on deaf ears.
- Walking Spoiler: His role in the Teeth of Naros storyline is rather fraught with spoilers.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He sincerely believes that Arkes' mistake with regards to the Hyperian is justification enough to risk the lives of the Kollossae in an attempt to regain favor with Ethene.
Arkes
The former Primos of the Kollossae and Anokatos' immediate predecessor.- Almost Dead Guy: Despite years of torture at the hands of Anokatos, he manages to hang on long enough to provide the Fateless One and Secandra a clue on how to stop Anokatos. Averted, however, if the player chooses to save the Jottun slaves instead.
- Never Found the Body: When you're tasked early on to retrieve his circlet from his tomb, it's noted that the tomb is empty besides the circlet itself. He's later revealed to have been imprisoned by Anokatos in Nyxaros instead.
Telogrus
- Voiced by: Alistair Duncan
- Arc Villain: He's the central antagonist of the Fatesworn DLC.
- Demonic Possession: He's possessing Wulf as his current body.
- Eviler than Thou: He's stated to be a bigger threat than Gadflow ever was.
- God of Evil: He's the God of Chaos who not only rules over the Niskaru but also seeks the destruction of the Fate itself to wipe out all life.
- Grand Theft Me: His current body is a host that he took over. Specifically it's the former apprentice of Skald Atlas.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: The first time you fight him all you can do is whale helplessly at him while he stands by and mocks you due to the fact that you don't have Chaos Weapons. Naturally the endgame eventually becomes all about forging Chaos Weapons powerful enough to truly harm him.
Skald Atlas
- Voiced by: Claudia Christian
- Artificial Limbs: Her left arm has been replaced by a mechanical prosthetic ending with a wrench.
- Big Good: She's your biggest ally against Telogrus, especially in that she's the one who teaches the Fateless One how to craft Chaos equipment.
- Ultimate Blacksmith: She's the only one who can help you craft Chaos Weapons and in-universe was one of the builders of the Well of Souls.
