The Rising & Solar Republic | Darrow's Family | House Barca | House Telemanus | The Howlers | The Sons of Ares | The Rim Dominon | House Raa | The Society | House Lune | House Grimmus | House Bellona | House Augustus | The Boneriders | The Gorgons | The Institute | The Obsidians | Criminals and Terrorists
Due to the prevalence of Late Arrival Spoilers and First Episode Twists in both the Red Rising and Iron Gold series, spoilers from Red Rising, Golden Son, and Morning Star may be unmarked. Read at your own risk.
open/close all folders
The Red Hand
In General
A terrorist group that originated as an offshoot of the Sons of Ares. By the time of Iron Gold, they roam the surface of Mars hunting any they perceive as collaborating with the oppression of Reds.
- Misplaced Retribution: The Red Hand go around assimilation camps and slaughter any Gamma they can find, calling them "collaborators" even though they didn't choose to be the Golds' favored clan and were just used to create division among the Reds.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: They force girls as young as twelve into being their child brides so that they can breed a second generation of soldiers.
- Renegade Splinter Faction: They originated as a group of renegade Sons of Ares, uninterested in actually creating equality, instead focusing on violent revenge.
- Would Hurt a Child: The Red Hand is perfectly okay with murdering children or even babies, and they also force girls young as 11 to serve as child brides.
- Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: They see themselves as noble freedom fighters battling for a better future for Reds, but are seen as terrorists by everyone else because their preferred method is indiscriminately murdering anyone they perceive as being a collaborator with Gold, and anyone who tries to protect their intended targets, or generally anyone who gets in their way.
Red Hand Leadership
Harmony
Harmony in the illustrated edition of Red Rising
The founder and leader of the Red Hand. She served as Dancer's lieutenant in the Sons of Ares during the first novel who broke away from the Sons after she becomes more concerned with short-term vengeance than long term success.- Artificial Limbs: She lost an arm in between books and has a robotic arm when Darrow sees her again in Golden Son.
- The Bus Came Back: Returned in Iron Gold after being absent from Morning Star.
- Fantastic Racism: In Golden Son, she's developed this towards anyone who isn't a Red.
- Karmic Death: Kicked into a nest of adult Pitvipers, who burrow inside her to lay their eggs.
- He Who Fights Monsters: By the beginning of Golden Son, she's willing to kill Golds at any cost, no matter how many innocent lowColors get caught in the crossfire.
- Ironic Name: She might be named Harmony but she wants absolutely nothing to do with creating any actual harmony, as she's just interested in violently slaughtering anyone and everyone even remotely associated Golds.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: As of Golden Son, she no longer cares about the Sons of Ares' long term goals and only wants to kill as many Golds as she can.
- Manipulative Bastard: She almost tricked Darrow into performing a Senseless Sacrifice by revealing Eo's secret pregnancy.
- Put on a Bus: Was absent from Morning Star after being rescued from the Jackal's prison in Golden Son.
- Renegade Splinter Faction: Forms one between Red Rising and Golden Son due to differing views on how to run the Sons of Ares.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: By the time of her appearance in Golden Son. Then she gets even worse in the Sequel Series.
Red Hand Soldiers
Cormac O'Vadros
Duncan
The Syndicate
In General
The most notorious crime organization in the Solar System.
- The Dreaded:
- Staged Populist Uprising: The Jackal notes in Golden Son that the leaders of the Syndicate were all chosen by Octavia. After the end of Morning Star, the organization's leadership undergoes a shakeup but is still ultimately under the direction of the Society's leadership.
Syndicate Leadership
The Queen
See the Boneriders page.
The Duke of Hands
One of the main enforcers of The Syndicate.
- The Dragon: As one of the Dukes of the Syndicate, he fills this role to his queen.
- Fantastic Racism: Hates Golds with a violent passion.
- Faux Affably Evil: His affable behavior is only an act.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Virginia uses the psychospyke technology she acquired from Octavia's vaults to erase all of the Duke's memories.
- Uncertain Doom: His fate after having his mind wiped in Dark Age remains unknown.
- Would Hurt a Child: Repeatedly slaps Pax to get a reaction out of him after the boy is abducted by Ephraim.
Syndicate Operatives
Oslo
An arbiter who hired Ephraim to steal various artifacts in Iron Gold.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Only appears in a single scene, but the jobs he hired Ephraim's gang to perform before and during Iron Gold are what convince The Syndicate to hire Ephraim to kidnap Pax and Electra.
Gorgo
Horn Gang
In General
A team of thieves operating on Luna who are hired in Iron Gold to steal the most valuable thing in the worlds.
- Dwindling Party: By the end of Dark Age, Volga is the only member of the group still alive.
Gang Members
Ephraim ti Horn
Official art of Ephraim in Iron Gold
Trigg's fiancé and one of the POV characters of the sequel series. He served with the Sons of Ares after his lover's death before turning to a live of crime after becoming disillusioned with the new Republic.- And Show It to You: Dies at the end of Dark Age when Volsung Fa rips his heart out and eats it.
- Ascended Extra: Was only mentioned in Morning Star before finally appearaning as one of the narrators in Iron Gold.
- Boxed Crook: After Mustang and Holiday discover his complicity in the abduction of Pax and Electra, they immediately conscript him to help rescue the kids instead.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Mentioned multiple times throughout Morning Star, and finally appears as a main character in Iron Gold.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Darrow is rebel leader who believes in people's ability to grow and be better. Ephraim is a mercenary who believes the worst of everyone.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: In Dark Age, he has no idea what to do with his future now that his days as a freelancer on Luna are over. As he works to help train the Obsidian Skuggi to prepare for Sefi's acquisition of Cimmeria, he starts to find a purpose again in helping the Obsidians build a new home for themselves.
- Functional Addict: Frequently uses a new drug that mutes his emotions to dull the pain of losing Trigg.
- Gentleman Thief: What he's become since leaving the Sons of Ares.
- Happily Married: To the late Trigg ti Nakamura.
- Insistent Terminology: Refers to Trigg as his husband, despite the fact that they weren't married yet at the time of Trigg's death in Morning Star, because he feels that calling Trigg his fiancé cheapens the relationship they had together.
- Lack of Empathy: Ephraim does naturally feel empathy for others, however he uses the drug zoladone, which suppresses a person's ability to feel empathy, like candy to deal with the dubious actions he commits.
- The Lost Lenore: His husband Trigg was killed in the opening chapters of Morning Star.
- Parental Substitute: Despite their harsh parting in Iron Gold, Volga still considers him her father figure when they reunite in Dark Age.
- Private Military Contractor: Served as one of these until Morning Star, and specialized in recovering stolen art.
Volga Fjorgen
See the Obsidians page.
Dano Sunshine
A young Red working as part of Trigg's heist team.
- Off with His Head!: During the abduction he's killed by Kavax decapitating him with a punch.
Cyra si Lamensis
A Green who works as the hacker for Trigg's group.
- Disney Villain Death: The Syndicate drop her off the side of an under-construction skyscraper for betraying Ephraim's trust.
- Hackette: She's the hacker in their little band of thieves.
- The Mole: She'd been spilling Ephraim's secrets to the Syndicate all along.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: After she sells out Ephraim to the Duke of Hands, the Duke decides to reward her by letting Ephraim decide to what to do with her, and when Ephraim says to let her go, the Duke has her dropped off of a skyscraper.
Other Mercenaries
Figment
The Brown who abducted Lyria on behalf of Victra at the end of Iron Gold, and one of Ephraim's main rivals in the criminal underworld.
- Puppeteer Parasite: It’s implied that the real Figment is the cybernetic implant implanted in the mercenary’s body, which may have been partially controlling her, and was also the source of her bio-engineered abilities. When it latches onto Lyria after its original host dies, it addresses her as the new Figment.
