This is a character sheet primarily for the characters in Outside Xbox's Blades in the Dark campaign Oxventure Presents Blades in the Dark. For the Oxventure and Lasers and Feelings, go here. For tropes related to One Shot Wonders, go here. For tropes related to Deadlands, go here.
Blades in the Dark
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The Game Master
The Game Master
- Played by: Luke Westaway
"Is everyone ready to enter my fantabulous imaginarium?" Art by Colin Craker
The illustrious Game Master of The Oxventure in Blades in the Dark, having been the one-shot DM for the episode "Watch Out" previously. Luke has also run a few sessions of D&D since, plus a few other systems for One-Shot Wonders.
- Killer Game Master: If only by comparison to Johnny: Luke tends to be firmer in terms of consequences and whether rules can be stretched to benefit the players, but still stays fair. Dread was a firmer swing into this territory, but that's more about the system encouraging Game Masters to be harsh with the consequences.
- Man of a Thousand Voices: This has always been one of Luke's signature talents even before he became the GM, but he can effortlessly switch from his normal tenor tones to a gruff burly dockworker, to a pleasant grandmother, to a Creepy Child, to an Evil Sounds Raspy traitor.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Depicted as such in the artwork of the five characters plus himself. In the videos proper he tends to wear a black shirt instead.
Player Characters / The Hobby-Horses
In General
Five strangers in the city of Volisport who each received anonymous summons promising a worthwhile payout, who end up working together to complete a score.
- Anti-Hero Team: Most of them were driven to crime reluctantly, with the exception of Barnaby who's a twit, although that doesn't stop them from being brutal or ruthlessly pragmatic.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Most of the characters are recognisably fairly different from the Oxventurers' Guild.
- Andy: Corazón is a swashbuckling idiot who tends to be dismissive of intellectualism; Edvard is a genius engineer.
- Ellen: Merilwen is very focused on nature, and while she isn't stupid by any means, she's not exactly focused on book-learning; Lilith is very focused on the supernatural, and is studying for a PhD.
- Jane: Prudence is an orphan with an arbitrarily violent streak, a lot of magical power and a very skewed sense of morals; Zillah is going into crime because she has a family to support, is built around physical power, and is generally the most moral member of the crew.
- Mike: Egbert is loud, impulsive, physically powerful and at least tries to be moral; Barnaby is a cultured, socially-focused Jerkass rich dude who took up crime because he thought it'd be fun.
- Johnny: Hengist, Johnny's fill-in PC during the session run by Luke, at least tried to remain on the straight and narrow and called the Oxventurers out on their mayhem; Kasimir is a career criminal who mentions some unfamiliarity with the concept of guilt.
- Fluffy the Terrible: This terrifying gang of thieves, who have several murders under their belt, are known as the Hobby-Horses (a child's toy consisting of a stick with a felt horse's head on one end). Eleanor, their Anonymous Benefactor from the Act 1, called them that, but it wasn't until Act 3 that it was determined this was the gang's name, based on the hobby horse on the shop sign where they had their base.
- Ink-Suit Actor: All of them bear resemblance to their actors in the official artwork; unlike the Oxventure, it's easier to tell as everyone is human (as far as we know).
Barnaby "The Butcher" Fortescue III
"Nothing bad has ever happened to me in my entire life. I don't think it's gonna start now." Art by Colin Craker
- Played by: Mike ChannellPlaybook: Slide
Mike's new character, a wealthy man who thought crime sounded like a bit of a lark.
- Accidental Murder: In "First Flight of the Sparrowhawk", he pushes a would-be saboteur rival racer off the balloon in self-defence, but wasn't aiming to kill them. Nevertheless, they die from the fall.
- The Alcoholic: He openly admits he keeps contemplating dropping alcohol, but never considers it for long. Largely Played for Laughs.
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: He brings some heat on the gang by drunkenly admitting to having committed a crime, but thankfully this doesn't lead to too much trouble.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He's not a fighter, but he can be surprisingly sharp.
- The Butcher: The first in his family to don such a name, but whether he actually lives up to the title is doubtful.
- Crippling Overspecialisation: Invoked when Mike levels up Barnaby, putting extra stat points into skills he already has rather than balancing out his character.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He proves surprisingly useful in "First Flight of the Sparrowhawk".
- Distressed Dude: At the end of "High Stakes at the Splintered Bone", he gets abducted by Rosie and Josie. He gets rescued at the end of the next mission, but has no memory of the events.
- Everyone Has Standards: Barnaby is a classist jerk, but even he thinks sacrificing a poor peasant girl for immortality / rejuvenation is horrifying.
- For the Evulz: In a sense, as he wanted to get into crime for his own amusement. Kasimir calls him out on this.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Barnaby's self-centred nature, arrogance and bluntness limit how much the others like him. When he gets kidnapped, the gang seriously contemplates leaving him and only relents upon realizing he knows where their money is. Even Mike, his actor, completely agreed with this line of thinking. Even Squiffy, Barnaby's drunken friend, comments to Edvard that he finds the inventor more likable.note Kasimir: Edvard and I accidentally on-purpose dip Barnaby in the sewage.
- Functional Addict: He's surprisingly reliable considering how much he drinks.
- Improbable Weapon User: Murders a man with his own nose trimmer prototype during the Hobby-Horses' final assault on the barricade.
- It's All About Me: Barnaby is as self-centered as a gyroscope. In the first heist, he's upset that he's putting his reputation at risk and didn't even actually get to have sex.
- Jerkass: He treats servants with a kind of condescending disdain.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Shows signs of this in "First Flight of the Sparrowhawk", commending Kasimir on a job well done and showing genuine concern for his cousin, Percy, admitting he'd be genuinely heartbroken if he were to be killed.
- Mugged for Disguise: Inverted. He's mugged so he'll put a disguise on, after initially refusing because of his classist attitude. He takes it surprisingly well.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: One interpretation of his personality; for all of his apparent dimwittedness he always seems to know exactly how people are going to react to him, which allows him to guide the conversation where he needs it to be. Additionally, Barnaby has a knack for long-term plansnote which devastate his target, including short-selling Darnell Ironhook right before sabotaging an execution and giving Amadeus Astor lead poisoning to weaken him during their final confrontation.
- Really Gets Around: Barnaby's special ability is that he gets an extra die if he's performing actions with or around someone he's had an "intimate" relationship. When Edvard comments that he wouldn't trust Barnaby as far as he could throw him, Barnaby reminds that "intimate" doesn't mean "trusted." He fully plans on using flashbacks to take advantage of this power.
- Running Gag: Every time he takes part in a score, he winds up ruining his coat and having to buy a new one.
- Sarcasm-Blind: Doesn't pick up on it when Edvard snarks at him.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: As you would expect. Getting him into a lower-class disguise requires physically stealing his clothes.
- Slave to PR: He values his reputation very highly.
- Slumming It: Has blundered into a life of crime for the fun of it, without much of a clue what he's doing.
- The Social Expert: He's a Slide, a playbook focused on social manipulations.
- Token Evil Teammate: Shared with Kasimir. Though Kasimir's a veteran criminal who enjoys his job, he's implied to have had no choice falling into crime to start with. Barnaby, unlike the others, became a criminal because he thought it'd be fun. He also frames a naïve schoolchum into going to prison.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: He doesn't remember anything about the time he was kidnapped and tortured by the Dimmer Sisters, and assumes he was just getting drunk with his friends.
- Trivially Obvious: When a security guy compliments Barnaby's coat, Barnaby in turn tries to compliment the guy for "wearing some clothes".
- Upper-Class Twit: Barnaby is...not a smart man. Apparently, anyway.
Edvard Lumiere
"I was the first to innovent! I invented innoventing!" Art by Colin Craker
- Played by: Andy FarrantPlaybook: Leech
Andy's new character, "an inventor, a tinkerer, a maker of things."
- Arch-Enemy: Amadeus Astor, a rival inventor who keeps stealing Edvard's ideas and ruining his reputation.
- Berserk Button: Again, Amadeus Astor. Edvard tends to start ranting furiously at the mere mention of Astor's name.
- Big Brother Bully: His older brother, Lemuel, was a huge prat when they were boys.
- Bungling Inventor: The number of times he builds a machine that does NOT explode, catch fire, or beg for death can be counted on one hand.
- Deadpan Snarker: He gets a bit sarcastic about Barnaby's self-infatuation.
- Expy: Let's put it this way: he even has Nikola Tesla's moustache.
- Gadgeteer Genius: As a Leech, his job is to solve problems using engineering and technical skill. This can get ridiculous with things including eel poison and shoulder-mounted crossbows.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Edvard's special ability is invoked to cause this: Anytime he does a Wreck action, the resultant destruction is quiet and passes casual scrutiny.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his hammy demeanour and at times abrasive personality, he got into inventing to make people's lives better and shows a lot of care for his friends.
- Jumped at the Call: When a friend of his offers the opportunity to screw Amadeus Astor over, he practically leaps at the chance.
- Kick the Dog: Edvard was given key information on how to infiltrate Astor Innoventions by his old friend Wester, at not insignificant risk to himself. When he asks Edvard for two coin to get by in exchange, Edvard only gives him one and claims that is all he has. Edvard has far more on hand, and when Zillah gives a knowing and dirty look over it, Edvard claims he will give Wester more later.
- Large Ham: Andy establishes this bright and early with his introduction.
- Nightmare Fetishist: His idea of leisure is studying supernatural oddities. When he discovers that Lilith has snakes for hair, he's fascinated more than anything. During "The Wardens of Bellweather Crematorium", Lilith and Kasimir deduce that Edvard must NEVER learn of the Hollows: Empty human bodies with no soul because he will like it.
- Noodle Incident: Something at Volisport Academy involving corpses; the Resurrection Men; the creation of the prototype of the Wonderful Mechanical Man; and the concept that an open secret is still technically a secret.
- Not Hyperbole: It might seem like he's being over-the-top about Amadeus Astor, but it turns out that he was pretty bang on the money when he accused Astor of being a plagiarist with no moral compass.
- Pet the Dog: He treats Lilith's snake hair and demon lineage as a mere curiosity rather than anything major, and makes absolutely no bones about keeping the secret safe. Lilith is rather touched by this, given the usual reaction.
- Secret-Keeper: He's currently the only member of the group who is aware of Lilith's demon heritage, and he respects her wish to keep it a secret.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: He's very protective of his nice jacket.
- The Smart Guy: The most technically-focused and scientific of the team.
- Smart People Build Robots: He spends the second half of season 1 designing the Wonderful Mechanical Man prototype, and in season 2 he is able to use the completed design to create more of them whenever he wants. He also builds other types of robots like vacuum cleaners. Of course, all of his robots scream and beg for death.
Kasimir Jones
"If you've heard of me, then it's probably too late." Art by Colin Craker
- Played by: Johnny ChiodiniPlaybook: Spider
Johnny's character, a career criminal.
- Affably Evil: Kasimir is undoubtedly the most evil character in the group, being a brutish thug who very much enjoys being a brutish thug, and believes things like violence and arson should be first resorts rather than last ones. But he's also genuinely cheerful, surprisingly reasonable, entirely accepting and non-judgmental unless someone becomes a liability, and even selfless (albeit in the course of helping his cohorts do selfish things) at times.
- Authority Sounds Deep: Johnny gives Kasimir a deeper voice, fitting a veteran criminal and the de facto leader of the gang.
- Badass Longcoat: His character art features a pretty decent longcoat.
- Book Dumb: Technical or even general knowledge is sometimes lost on Kasimir, but he is extremely clever and intelligent. Ultimately, he is the most resourceful member of the group.
- Crippling Overspecialisation: Johnny claims that he's really only good at crime and can't really do anything else.
- Diabolical Mastermind: The entire point of his playbook, the Spider, is to come up with cunning machinations.
- Experienced Protagonist: Unlike the rest of the party, he is an experienced criminal and shows it with characteristic quick thinking.
- Handicapped Badass: Has a knee brace and needs a cane to walk. He's able to move the brace into a more flexible "stealth" mode, but it stings. Despite all this, he's a dangerous criminal and capable in a tight spot.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Invoked when Johnny puts both points gained from levelling up into "Hunt."Kasimir: No one's getting away from us.
- The Leader: Though he'll defer to the others on their areas of expertise, he leads the others through heists by virtue of being their best planner and a veteran criminal. Given that the character archetype is "Spider", the mastermind, it's also invoked by the playstyle.
- The Nicknamer: He dubs Zillah "Pythons", Lilith as "Spooky", and Barnaby as "His Nibs".
- Support Party Member: This is a natural course of action with the Spider playbook, since they are typically masterminds and work through others. But in a more direct sense, Kasimir's special ability allows for two assists per chapter that wouldn't cause stress like a normal assistance would. Also, when Kasimir indulges in vice (along with anyone else who joins), the resultant dice roll can be nudged to either maximize reductions or prevent overindulgence.
- Token Evil Teammate: Shares this with Barnaby. Kasimir is the veteran criminal and thus has fewer compunctions with any of the more immoral stuff. With that said, he is implied not to have had a choice in becoming a criminal.
- Underestimating Badassery: A variation with another ally. He's surprised and pleased at how well Lilith handles herself in "The Gut Cutter Bargain", and by Barnaby's sabotage plans in "First Flight of the Sparrowhawk".
Lilith Capellinaga
"I need you to do me a favor. Well, I say a favor, I'm compelling you." Art by Colin Craker
- Played by: Ellen RosePlaybook: Whisper
Ellen's new character, a scholar of ghosts and the supernatural. She travelled to the city of Volisport to study its population of ghosts, as well as earn enough money to fund her research into such.
- Apologetic Attacker: After she knocks out a guard in "Ironhook's Bounty", she leaves some snacks for him as an apology.
- Badass Bookworm: A bookish scholar who can pull her weight during heists and cleanly knock a man unconscious with a shovel. She also takes charge when fighting a banshee-possessed friend, wielding a lightning whip expertly and practically exorcises the banshee solo.
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Creepy Awesome: Lilith's skills as a Whisper tend to be more situational and esoteric than her cohorts' own, requiring ambient ghosts or some setup from her contacts, and have on at least one occasion hilariously backfired. However, it cannot be understated how terrifying those same capabilities can be when they go right. During "The Lampblack Wedding" she manages to outright terrify Zillah with what she can do with a single compelled, vengeful ghost. By the point of "The Wardens of Bellweather Crematorium", she's known as the Hobby Horses's "creepy one." - Easily Forgiven: On the giving end to her ghost smuggler contact. In spite of the fact that his mistake in transporting a banshee caused him to become possessed and kill a beloved teacher and friend of hers, she does not hold this against him. Once she exorcises the banshee from him, her primary concerns are to get him home, away from the Blue Coats and feeling better. Even asking him for the same information she was going to ask of her teacher is presented more as a means of helping him move on rather than as compensation for herself.
- In the Hood: Sports a black hood on her black and purple coat. It covers up her snake hair.
- Meaningful Name: Both her names have hidden meanings. "Lilith" reflects her demonic heritage, and her surname combines "capelli" (Italian for "hair") with "naga" (Sanskrit for "snake").
- Medusa: It's revealed in "Murder at Volisport Academy" that she's part-demon and has snakes for hair. She doesn't have a petrifying gaze or anything, though.
- The Quiet One: Much like Merilwen, Lilith tends to speak up the least out of the party as Ellen is usually content to; when she first speaks to the group, she seems surprised that they even address her directly.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Her introduction establishes her as foreign nobility who came from overseas to study and better understand the supernatural. She also takes charge and kicks ass when it comes to fighting and exorcising a banshee.
- Shared Family Quirks: Her father has the same snakes for hair that Lilith has.
- Shock and Awe: Lilith has a special ability that lets her create a small stroke of lightning or a storm.
- The Smart Guy: Shares this duty with Edvard, albeit in different fields.
- The Social Expert: She shares this with Barnaby, albeit with the lower class than upper class. On two separate occasions her knowledge of things such as unions, breaks and general workplace standards have ingratiated her and the group with the working class.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Her character portrait's eyes have a yellowish tint.
- Token Wizard: The most supernaturally-oriented character as a Whisper. Taken even further when one of her talents lets her summon a small lightning strike or storm.
- Working-Class Hero: Shares this trait with most of the gang, but it particularly comes into play in the second session where she and Barnaby convince a ship's crew to unionize.
Zillah "The Bruiser" Bruzaud
"I don't mean to threaten you, but also I do mean to threaten you, so I'm threatening you." Art by Colin Craker
- Played by: Jane DouglasPlaybook: Cutter
Jane's new character, a former prize-fighter with family to support. Left the prize-fighting game in the hope of making more money without so many corrupt middle-men taking their cut.
- Action Girl: Zillah is a Cutter, the playbook focusing on the more violent side of crime.
- The Big Guy: The most physically-oriented of the characters.
- Bruiser with a Soft Centre:
- She's quite nice when not beating you to death, taking great pains to ensure that she doesn't kill anyone she fights, and is trying to support her relatives. She also shows concern when she thinks children are out at night, which is indeed a great concern in a place like Volisport.
- In "The Lampblack Wedding" she takes the time to teach the Wonderful Mechanical Man how to read, shows great concern for him when the gang's hideout is broken into and treats him to gentle but affectionate shoulder bumps. She also really enjoys the wedding.
- Dumb Muscle: Downplayed. Zillah is just as good at thinking on her feet as she is with her fists, but when infiltrating Astor's headquarters she does a rather terrible job when posing as an inventor. To be expected, as this isn't even close to her area of expertise.
- Famed In-Story: A well-known and popular pit fighter, to the point where her fans get tattoos of her. She has some trouble keeping a low profile because of this.
- Murderous Thighs: During "The Astor Gambit", she chokes multiple people unconscious with her thighs.
- The Nicknamer: Dubs Barnaby "Tourist" and Lilith "Hood".
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: Her outfit has no sleeves whatsoever.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: She's adept at fighting, but would prefer not to kill if at all possible. Most of the time she prefers to put people into a choke hold and squeeze until they fall unconscious.
- Working-Class Hero: Zillah's working class background frequently comes up.
Marks
Lizette
The mark for the first adventure, and a "friend" of Barnaby's.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: In "Cab Con Caper", she runs into Kasimir, who feels guilty for torching her house.
Darnell Ironhook
The owner of the De Ballena, a whaling vessel. The anchor on his vessel is especially expensive.
- Awesome, but Impractical: Though his anchor looks impressive, a crew member notes it's actually impractical in the long run.
- Mean Boss: Though he values his original whaling crew, they don't always get the best from him.
- Self-Made Man: Worked his way up to his current station and is very proud of it.
- Uncertain Doom: Whether he survived his clash with the Gondoliers is unknown. Confirmed as of the second season: He not only survived, he made a fair amount of money and started a security firm.
Friends and contacts
Daphne
An old prizefighter colleague of Zillah.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Her former manager kept most of the money, so she teams up with Zillah to steal it.
- Revenge: The reason she proposes they steal from Zillah's old manager; he's a terrible boss and takes most of the money.
Marlane
A prizefighting acquaintance of Zillah.
- Punch-Clock Villain: She later joins the Red Sashes, but it's just for the money and not out of malice. note
Percy Pomeroy
A contact and cousin of Barnaby who enters a race with the Sparrowhawk, a hot air balloon, and ropes Kasimir and Barnaby in.
- Giver of Lame Names: His idea for a team name is "The Aeronaughty Boys". This is in spite of the fact that the person he's funding to get the team made in the first place is a woman. Ironically, she's the only other person who comes around to the name.
- The Load: Invoked. When deciding the placement for everyone on the balloon during the race, Kasimir and Barnaby decide that Percy can only be trusted on the simplest of tasks. He does perfectly fine in the role, however.
- Morality Pet: He's one of the few people Barnaby shows genuine concern about.
- Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: As a rich git, this fits him to a Tee. The fact he goes so deep into the illegal racing con he's fed is the only reason that the person conning him actually decides to genuinely go into the race in the first pace. Kasimir picks up on this and his first instinct is to try and con Percy first.
- Spoiled Sweet: To an extent. Percy certainly didn't need to go to the trouble of making everyone on the team matching uniforms, and he certainly didn't cheap out on them either.
- Upper-Class Twit: Being part of Barnaby's family, this is a given. He's not a jerk about it, he's personable and friendly to Kasimir. But he's definitely a dimwit.
Hicks
A confidence artist acquainted with Kasimir by reputation. She was planning on bilking Percy out of money when he wants to try his hand at illegal racing, and ends up getting involved with the sport anyway.
- Action Girl: Has no qualms grabbing large poles and attacking people during the illegal balloon race, although some poor dice rolls make her attempts fairly ineffective.
- Becoming the Mask: In a matter of speaking: She pretended to be really into illegal racing simply as a means to a con. But as Percy kept sinking his money to get involved, Hicks became acquainted with the sport and actually found herself enjoying it.
- Con Man: Kasimir knows her by reputation as such.
- Not So Above It All: She's quite fond of being an "Aeronaughty Boy" despite not liking it originally. She even put on the uniform.
Eleanor
The owner of "Eleanor's Largely Legal Antiques", the shop that the Hobby Horses operate out of.
- Big Good: In a sense. She's looking to take down the Brighteners, who are the Big Bad Duumvirate.
- Unseen No More: She initially communicates to the gang through courier packages, but eventually introduces herself for the Season 1 finale.
Gangs
The Dimmer Sisters
A gang of creepy individuals, largely younger girls, who have a dark fascination with ghosts.
- Amazon Brigade: Dimmer Sisters are all female, and they are certainly a capable, if scary, fighting force.
- Creepy Child: A lot of their membership is made up of younger girls, who speak at an eerily quiet level and are fascinated with ghosts.
- The Dreaded: Messing with them is not a good idea and they've earned a reputation for being creepy. Although by the time Chapter 2 rolls around, they're in a much weaker state.
- Enemy Mine: They're the Hobby Horses' adversaries for much of Season 1, but team up with them against the Brighteners in "Fate of the Dimmer Sisters".
- Evil Is Not a Toy: Crossing them is a bad idea. They kidnap Barnaby for the gang screwing them over.
- Finger in the Mail: After they abduct Barnaby, they send the victim's severed forearm to the crew. It's just an illusion, but they warn that they'll send the real thing if their demands aren't met.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: They're still not someone to cross in Season 2, but it's clear they've taken some serious hits from their various defeats.
- Knight of Cerebus: Though Blades is darker than the Oxventure, it still has a good deal of levity. The Dimmer gang up the horror levels significantly, even before they actively oppose the main cast, and their humour is only occasional.
- Mad Scientist: They have some nasty experiments they carry out with ghosts; both the creation of ghosts and experimenting on them. To wit, they fused a dog and a human soul that has a "raspberry ripple" esque fusion. Even later, when a few of them are arrested for "spirit-twisting", their leader says the charges are trumped up, but not baseless.
- Rhyme Theme Naming: Their names are required to be rhyming: Rosie and Josie, Leah and Mia, and so on.
The Gondoliers
The gondoliers of Volisport, who also indulge in crime occasionally.
- Big Damn Heroes: One of their numbers gets Kasimir and Edvard out from "Cab Con Caper", but ruins it slightly by mentioning their names.
- The Rival: To Darnell Ironhook, as he's a boat captain.
- Saying Too Much: One of their members comes to Kasimir and Edvard's rescue in "Cab Con Caper" but says their names out loud. This may be the reason Astor works out Edvard sabotaged Astor Innoventions at the convention.
The Billhooks
A rival gang and Kasimir's former outfit before the leg-brace prompted his retirement.
- Arranged Marriage: There is an arranged marriage between Belle, sister of the Billhooks leader, and Cornelia, daughter of the Lampblack's leader to ally the guilds. It's implied the two were already fond of each other before the wedding plans.
- Friendly Enemy: The Hobby Horses are in the same field of crime as the Billhooks, but the gangs get along well. It helps that Kasimir left on decent terms. That being said, there is plenty of snark.
- Oh, Crap!: In "First Flight of the Sparrowhawk", their racers panic when they realize their balloon is on fire.
- A Twinkle in the Sky: By the end of the balloon race, their balloon is still on fire and they are pretty much stuck in the sky until they can put it out.
The Red Sashes
Initially appearing to be a gang, the Red Sashes also turn out to be private security for the highest bidder.
- Private Military Contractors: They show up as hired muscle in Season 2.
- Total Party Kill: The whole racing team that enters in "First Flight of the Sparrowhawk" dies; one is pushed to their death (accidentally) by Barnaby, while the rest die when Kasimir's grappling hook damages their balloon.
The Lampblacks
A former lamplighter's guild who also have their own hand in organized crime.
- Affably Evil: Their leader, Bazso Baz. He's a jovial, polite, friendly man who gives a speech at his daughter's wedding...about how he should kill and kill until guild problems go away. He even returns in "A Crimsnight Carol" to contract Edvard and Lilith for a job, and does so quite cheerfully.
- Arranged Marriage: Baz's daughter Cornelia is wed to Belle, sister of the Billhook's leader, to make an alliance of the two crime families. The brides are very fond of each other, and it's implied they liked each other before the wedding plans.
- Body Horror: Lilith sets the ghost of a man Pickett killed back on his murderer. It involves dislocating Pickett's jaw and climbing down her throat.
- Bridezilla: Pickett wasn't the actual bride, but she was in charge of furnishing, floral arrangements and the like. And she absolutely acts like the caricature.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: Second-in-command Pickett's voice is very raspy, and she's betraying Baz on the day of his daughter's wedding. Her voice was very punishing on Luke's throat.
- Kick The Son Of A Bitch: The ghost of a family man attacks Pickett for murdering him by clawing his way down her throat. Given that she killed him in the first place, and was trying to kill Baz on his daughter's wedding day to usurp the Lampblacks, she more than deserved it.
- Number Two: Pickett has been running operations, as Baz has been busy with his daughter's wedding.
The Brightstone Society for Analytical Alchemistry.
A secret society that is apparently studying the phenomena of magic being drawn through a hole in the void and keeping ghosts in the world of G'eth.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: They seem to operate on the policy of "first among equals", making it hard to tell who's the Big Bad.
- Evil Counterpart: Quite a few of the Brighteners are evil counterparts to the Hobby Horses.
- Edvard, naturally, has Amadeus Astor, albeit Astor is more of a contractor with the Society rather than a member.
- Lilith has Bakoros, the leader of the Spiritwardens, as both deal extensively with ghosts and are considered creepy, but Bakoros does far worse than Lilith could ever do
- Zillah has prize fighter Marlane (who's just there for a paycheck), both of whom are tough women who speak first with their fists.
- Barnaby has his Uncle Montgomery, both of whom are fops; however, Montgomery sacrifices servants to a demon god to empower his youth, and Barnaby might have disdain for the poor, but he'd never do something that horrible.
- Kasimir has Lord Strangford. Both of whom work through others (Kasimir as a criminal mastermind, Strangford is a politician).
- Even Eleanor, the nominal leader of the Hobby Horses, has Keleanor, her counterpart and head of the Dimmer Sisters.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Barnaby had no idea that Uncle Montgomery Fortescue was a member.
- The Illuminati: An incredibly secret order that is running research in the background. Names discovered of the group's members include very posh and skilled individuals.
- MacGuffin: Accessing the group, one way or another, is the goal for Act 2 of Oxventure.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: They claim their work is for the sake of G'eth.
The Deathwardens/Spiritwardens
The people in charge of cremating the dead and ensuring Volisport is safe from rogue spirits
- Body Horror: They are making Hollows, corpses that have no spirit animating them.
- Collective Identity: The leader of the group, Bakoros, always wears a concealing hood, mask, and long robes, so the going rumor in Volisport is that one of them just chooses to be Bakoros. It's proven true.
- Creepy Crows: They are known to travel with crows, whom they train to sense spirits and dead bodies.
- Creepy Monotone: Most of them talk in a dull monotone.
- Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Invoked with Bakoros, the leader. Bakoros has run the gang for a long time and the going rumor is that there are many people who use the name, since Deathwardens are masked. It's true, there are multiple Bakoros's.
Other Characters
Amadeus Astor
A rival inventor to Edvard and head of his own company, Astor Innoventions.
- Alliterative Name: Amadeus Astor.
- Berserk Button: He serves as this to Edvard.
- Expy: Seems to be at least partially based on Thomas Edison, between inventing a competing system to Edvard's street lights, having them broken, and constantly using Edvard's inventions to kill animalsnote .
- Faux Affably Evil: When finally met in person, he's oddly polite but it's clear that he's up to something unpleasant. He pretends to offer Edvard a job or partnership, but really plans to have him tortured.
- The Heavy: For Season 2. He's not necessarily the leader of the Brighteners, but he's a key figure in keeping their operation going, and has a very personal connection to the gang.
- Not Hyperbole: It might seem like Edvard is being over-the-top about Amadeus Astor, but it turns out that he was pretty bang on the money when he accused Astor of being a plagiarist with no moral compass.
- Plagiarism in Fiction: Taken to an absurd and nightmarish degree. He has a network of spies stealing the ideas of young inventors before they can even become known to a wider audience, so that his company can make them themselves.
- The Rival: Competing with Edvard Lumiere.
- Smug Snake: He's so smug that he tells Edvard exactly where to find plans for the secret Illuminati-style group, before scuttling the building it was hidden in and sending to the bottom of a carnivorous eel-infested river. note
- Unseen No More: His company is widely around Volisport, but the man isn't seen in person to begin with. This changes in "The Astor Gambit".
- Villain with Good Publicity: He largely seems to be held in high regard by the city, although there are elements of society that dislike him, not least of all Edvard.
- We Used to Be Friends: It's implied he and Edvard used to be good friends or at least capable of working together.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He claims that his work is to benefit Volisport and that he assists the Brighteners with their work for the good of the world. Edvard and Lilith are sceptical and accuse him of being a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist.
Algernon "Squiffy" Squiffington
Barnaby's constant drinking buddy.
- The Alcoholic: Heavily implied; most stories Barnaby has of him involve alcohol and some form of stupidity. Also, "squiffy" is English slang for "drunk". When he's finally mentioned, he comments that while he frequents the opera, he doesn't know anything about them because he spends the whole thing drunk.
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Given the stupid things he gets up to, and that he seems to drink a lot, this can be safely assumed.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Squiffy drunkenly states that if he's looking for something, such as a gardener, he puts out an advertisement that he is looking for one. Because of this, the Hobby Horses decide to make their presence known to the powerful secretive group by committing a brazen theft.
- The Ghost: During Acts 1 and 2, Squiffy was never seen. However, during "The Marriage of Lady Fyengeh", Squiffy shows up during the titular opera. He's exactly as bawdy and raucous as Barnaby implied.
- The Illuminati: Name-dropped by Barnaby, as Squiffy is part of a gang called the Illuminati. However, in this word it is less of a "secret cabal running things" to "three drunk randos who think the idea is hilarious"Luke: Has it been confirmed that Squiffy's face is a pyramid with a giant eye.Kasimir: Thought that was assumed.
- Orphaned Punchline: The "dirty limerick" variety: Squiffy immediately launches into "There once was a lady from Brightstone, whose head was unusually—" before getting tackled by security guards.
- Unseen No More: He shows up at long last in "The Marriage of Lady Fyengeh".
The Wonderful Mechanical Man
Edvard's creation, an automaton he created.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Averted: Edvard makes it clear there are "mechanical man parts" everywhere around their base, and it's exactly what Barnaby thinks they are.Kasimir: It's a wardrobe full of doorknobs. And ball bearings.
- Death Seeker: The original version of the Wonderful Mechanical Man could only beg for death. Edvard treats this as a bug and minor annoyance. This is not unique to the Mechanical Man, all of Edvard's inventions do this.
- Do Androids Dream?: Once it is complete, it begins to wonder if it has a soul. Zillah remarks that no one should tell him he doesn't. Kasimir decides to give him a flatfish and tell him that is a soul.note
- Never Learned to Read: At first, he did not know how to read and write. Zillah used some of her downtime actions to teach him. He later, once complete, resolves to write a play. According to Edvard, it was exceedingly trite.
- Noodle Incident: His creation involved "a couple of corpses shipped in from the Resurrection Men", the fact that an open secret is still technically a secret, and a resulting scandal that might have gotten Edvard expelled from university.
- They Killed Kenny Again: Edvard goes through a number of them refining the process.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: He notes that he wants nothing more than Edvard's approval. Edvard, for his part, is distant.
Evan Screws, "The Geezer"
An investor backing Bazso Baz's gang, who is visited by three ghosts one Crimsnight. You may be familiar with this concept already.
- Abusive Parents: Much like Scrooge, he's a terrible person to his nephew Fred.
- Catchphrase: "A fool and his money are soon parted," usually to justify not paying for something.
- Dirty Coward: When confronted with the ghosts, he hides in the cupboard to avoid the Ghost of Crimsnight Past and shoves Lilith at the Ghost of Crimsnight Present.
- Evil Old Folks: While he's not an antagonist, he's an old enough man that Bazso Baz calls him "The Geezer", and he's a genuinely awful person.
- Expy: As becomes obvious to Ellen the moment Luke refers to him as Evan "The Geezer" Screws.
- Greed: He actually has, in his will, that he wants all his money buried with him. He's absolutely fine with his dirty, graffiti-marked, abandoned gravestone until he discovers that his nephew, who he was planning to cut off, didn't follow those instructions and buried him with nothing.
- Ignored Epiphany: Learns nothing of substance from the ghostly encounters. Even being told to mend his ways on pain of death doesn't work in the long run; Luke goes so far as to roll to see if he learns his lesson and bursts out laughing when he sees the die result.
- Jerkass: He's actually even more of a selfish, miserly jerk than his obvious inspiration.
- Kick the Dog: The first moment of joy he gets in the video is filling out eviction notices, including one for Bob Cratchitt and Tiny Tim. He also decides, for no actual reason, to cut his nephew off.
- Laughably Evil: He's so cruel and miserly that it loops around into hilarity, especially when Edvard and Lilith torment him.
- Moral Myopia: He goes right from planning to deny his nephew any money to being shocked that his nephew opted to keep his money instead of burying it with him as he instructed.
- Percussive Prevention: Edvard attempts to make the moral lessons go down easier by smacking his head into things when he refuses to learn them. It doesn't work.
- Redemption Earns Life: Subverted. The Ghost of Crimsnight Future has to threaten him with death to mend his ways, and even that doesn't work for long.
- The Dog Bites Back: Is the victim of this in the Crimsnight Future vision, when he discovers that his mistreated nephew has presumably taken his money instead of burying it with him.
- Yet Another Christmas Carol: Parodied. The first two visions are inflicted on Edvard and Lilith respectively, and the third vision only prompts him to change his ways temporarily, on pain of death.
