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Drusas Achamian
Drusas Achamian
A Mandate sorcerer and spy who stumbles into events far beyond his control or understanding.
- Affectionate Nickname: Akka.
- Badass Bookworm: A bookish sorcerer and war-cant master.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Akka is introduced as a dumpy, middle-aged, not-especially-competent spy with self-confidence issues. And then he starts casting spells.
- Deadpan Snarker
- Defector from Decadence: at the end of the first series, turns his back on Kellhus's court and goes off to live in the wilderness and research his dreams of Seswatha.
- Distinguishing Mark: All sorcerers have a metaphysical stain that other sorcerers can see, due to them warping the fabric of reality with their magic. The narrative also makes frequent references to the distinguishing five streaks of white in his beard.
- The Hermit: After he abandons Kellhus and Esmenet when he realizes Kellhus is a manipulating liar, he ends up in the wilderness of the northern highlands as a lone hermit. This is how we find him in the beginning of the second trilogy.
- Heroic BSoD
- Knight in Sour Armor
- Like a Son to Me: Feels this way about Inrao and Proyas even if he doesn't verbalize it.
- The Mentor: Was this to Inrao, Proyas, Kellhus and Mimara in various degrees and flavors.
- Person of Mass Destruction: As a former sorcerer of the Mandate and a War Chant master, Achamian can slaughter whole companies of soldiers or Sranc with his words. Wielding the Gnosis, he's more powerful than several Anagogic sorcerers put together.
- Powers via Possession: After he escapes from the Scarlet Spires, Achamian describes the exercise of the Gnosis as more powerful than normal. It's been speculated that in demanding circumstances Mandate Schoolman can be be possessed by Seswatha to become even stronger. A similar circumstance in The Great Ordeal all but confirmes this.
- Psychic Dreams for Everyone: A staple of the School of Mandate, where all sorcerers have to relive the ordeals of Seswatha in their dreams every night, in order to remember what they are fighting against. It appears that Achamian's dreams are unique, exploring parts of Seswatha's life ranging from prosaic and banal to deeply kept secrets. He ends up dreaming of Nau-Cayuti's life as well.
- Refuge in Audacity: When Mimara begins annoying him with her questions, Achamian starts singing a child's nursery rhyme. To whit, "to match her ridiculousness with his own."
- Wizard Beard: His long beard with five grey/white streaks in it is frequently mentioned.
Anasûrimbor Kellhus
Anasûrimbor Kellhus
A Dûnyain monk, sent into the outside world to find his exiled father.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: Kellhus is a subtle variant of this. As a Dûnyain he is basically an organic supercomputer with vestigial emotions. His persona as a charismatic, charming, insightful and helpful friend is a mechanism to facilitate his manipulations. Oddly enough, once he is the Aspect-Emperor and people believe he is a living god, he is allowed to act colder and be more detached from humanity.
- A God Am I: While hanging in the Circumfix, Kellhus has a vision that he truly has been selected to save the world, and he's convinced most of the world that he's a divine being.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Most Triumphant Example. So long as he has someone to teach him or even just watch Kellhus can master seemingly ANYTHING. He is the greatest swordsman, greatest mage, greatest general, greatest politician the world may have ever seen. Almost everyone who ever meets him regards him as their greatest friend/teacher/leader ect. ect. You could call him the greatest philosopher... if only he believed anything he said.
- Big Good: Played With. The vast majority of humanity perceive Kellhus as this. But the truth remains to be seen.
- The Chessmaster: He never, ever tells anyone to do his bidding "because I want to". Kellhus can find out everyone's innermost desire or motivation, and then appeal to that. Cnaiür scarily describes Kellhus' and his father's powers of manipulation when he breaks down completely. "They makes us love! They make us love!"
- The Chosen One: A total deconstruction of this trope, since Kellhus makes himself the Messiah of a new religion by manipulating everyone into believing he is the Chosen One.
- Cool Sword: Kellhus's Dûnyain steel sword. His disciples name it Enshoiya—Certainty in Sheyic.
- Dark Messiah: Kellhus believes that he is the chosen one to save the world from the Apocalypse, and he's set himself in the position where most of the world believes him. However, he does so with brutally pragmatic strategies that cause untold suffering and death along the way.
- Flaw Exploitation: What he does to everyone.
- God-Emperor: Kellhus is firmly this in the second trilogy.
- I Have Many Names: Kellhus accrues plenty of titles and epithets over the course of the story, including: Adûnyani, Prince of Atrithau, Warrior-Prophet, Prince of God, Blessed One, Son of Heaven, Most Holy, Lord-and-Master, Holy Aspect-Emperor, High King of Kûniüri, and the Harbinger. Less flattering are: Prince of Nothing, False Prophet, Kurcifra, and the Demon.
- Healing Hands: Averted Trope. Xinemus remarks this was one of the most famous abilities of Inri Sejenus. The fact that Kellhus, a supposed prophet, doesn't have this ability is a red flag for Achamian.
- Heroic BSoD: He has this while he is hanged from the tree, before his "resurrection".
- Holy Backlight: The haloes on Kellhus's wrists and head seem to have this effect.
- Hyper-Awareness: The ultra-perceptive Kellhus turns this into a superpower.
- Instant Expert
- Living Lie Detector: This is easily the scariest of Kellhus' abilities. All the Dunyain have the ability to read human faces, but Kellhus takes this to a new terrifying level.
- Magic Knight: Other than Cleric, Kellhus is the only other example of this in the series.
- Master of Your Domain: a skill all Dûnyain possess.
- Person of Mass Destruction: More powerful than any Gnostic sorcerer, and possibly the most powerful living being in the history of Eärwa.
- Rousing Speech: Kellhus takes this ability up a notch. A notable example is when the Great Ordeal is leaving Sakarpus, Kellhus gives a speech to his army. The POV then switches to the Sakarpi who are watching from their ruined city. The people of the Lonely City can instinctively feel how epic, powerful and moving Kellhus's speech is—and they can't even understand the language.
- Self-Made Orphan: The very reason why Kellhus was sent to find his father Moënghus was to kill him. And he eventually does.
- The Social Expert: Kellhus is a master of social engineering.
- Stepford Smiler: Kellhus has no passion. He only smiles as part of his manipulation of others.
- Übermensch: All of the Dûnyain are basically Nietzschean superhumans, but especially Kellhus.
- Warrior Therapist: As a Dûnyain, Kellhus takes this trope up to eleven.
Esmenet
Esmenet
An ordinary prostitute in the metropolis of Sumna, who is thrown into an extraordinary situation.
- Affectionate Nickname: Esmi.
- Betty and Veronica: The "Veronica" to Serwë's "Betty" in the first two books.
- Big Fancy House: In the second trilogy she's the wife of Kellhus and her house is the lavish imperial palace on the Andiamine Heights. From a street hooker to the Empress of the Three Seas. Not bad.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold
- Mama Bear: To her children. She'll defend her sons to the death, even if they're obviously in the wrong. This is probably Esmi overcompensating and feeling guilty for having sold Mimara into slavery as a child.
- Meaningful Name: Esmenet was also the name of the wife of Angeshraël, the most important of the Old Prophets of the Tusk.
- Parental Neglect: One of the things she blames herself for.
- Rags to Riches: Esmi goes from being a lowly prostitute, scorned by society and condemned in religious scripture, to being wife of the Warrior-Prophet and eventually Empress-Consort of the Three Seas.
- The Spymaster: Fulfills this role for Kellhus during The Thousandfold Thought.
Cnaiür urs Skiötha
Cnaiür urs Skiötha
A Scylvendi chieftain with a fearsome reputation.
- Affectionate Nickname: Nayu.
- Armoured Closet Gay: Cnaiür was seduced by Moënghus. He's become the greatest warrior of the Scylvendi, but nothing can wash away his shame. He does lust after women, however, so he's not exclusively gay.
- Badass Boast: Half of the series' examples come from him.
- Badass Normal: He has no sorcerous ability or Dûnyain training, yet he's still an incredible fighter and extremely intelligent.
- Barbarian Tribe: He belongs to one.
- Depraved Bisexual: Quite depraved by the fact that Moenghus seduced him.
- A God Am I: During his fight with the Nansur at Joktha, he seems to become possessed by Gilgaöl, the god of war. His ravings take on the personality of Gilgaöl, claiming to have stalked the Nansur for a thousand years. Or maybe he's just gone completely insane.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Scylvendi are "the people of war."
- Mad Love: Cnaiür develops a very twisted kind of love/obsession for Serwë, who wants nothing to do with him — mainly because his way of expressing this "love" involves repeatedly raping her.
- Not Quite Dead: Last seen contemplating the slitting of his own throat in The Thousandfold Thought. He's then assumed dead for the second trilogy. Come the final chapter of The Great Ordeal, Cnaiür reappears as the King-of-Tribes leading a vast army of Scylvendi marching north to aid the Consult—a Wham Episode of titanic caliber.
- Odd Friendship: Seems to have one with Proyas. Cnaiür warns Achamian about Conphas's incoming army solely to save Proyas from potential harm.
- Rousing Speech: Gives a curt one to his meager forces at Joktha.
- Sanity Slippage: Cnaiür goes increasingly crazy in the third volume, after Serwë's death and Kellhus' ascent to becoming the Messiah and a living god.
- Screaming Warrior: Cnaiür loves to scream threats and taunts at his enemies before and during combat.
Serwë
Serwë
A Norsirai girl purchased as a concubine by a Nansur noble house. She falls in love with Kellhus, becoming his first and most loyal disciple.
- Affectionate Nickname: Serchaa.
- Betty and Veronica: The "Betty" to Esmenet's "Veronica".
- Break the Cutie: Sold into sexual slavery as a child by her father, taken prisoner by Scylvendi, and finally broken fatally by Sarcellus when she resists Kellhus' arrest.
- Brainless Beauty: She's one of the dumbest characters in the series. Kellhus has her utterly within his spell.
- Fate Worse than Death: Kellhus tells Proyas that he was unable to save Serwë, that she burns in Hell.
- Informed Attractiveness: We're told many times how almost impossibly beautiful she is. Even Esmenet, herself a beauty, is intimidated.
- Rape as Drama: Happens to her at several points.
- Riches to Rags: Downplayed Trope. Serwë wasn't from a tremendously wealthy family, but her father was a Chieftain of the Nymbricani.
- Waif Prophet: Downplayed example. In a throwaway moment Serwë says she sees vast hordes of people bowing down before Kellhus, along with Kellhus killing the Padirajah in battle. With "inexplicable certainty, she knew this." Both of these things happen after Serwë's death and Kellhus is cut down from the Circumfix.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist
