A list of characters that appear in the The Empirium Trilogy and the various tropes associated with each.
Beware of unmarked spoilers!
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Rielle Dardenne
Rielle Courverie (née Dardenne)
Born in the Second Age, Rielle is the first human Queen to appear.- Blessed with Suck: Rielle can control all seven elements without the need of a casting, a feat no other elemental can achieve. However, it's these exact powers that mark her as one of the prophesied Queens, one of whom is apparently destined to destroy the world. Since no one can tell which Queen she is, herself included, she's forced to undergo grueling trials and intense scrutiny of her every move and thought.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Rielle is torn between her long held love for Audric and Corien's appeals to her bruised ego. On the hand, she'd love nothing more to stay with Audric and become a revered heroine in the eyes of her countrymen. On the other hand, her power is insatiable and always hungers for more, thus making the restrictions placed on her powers and actions all the more stifling. Corien claims that if she joins him, she'll be given free reign and won't have to answer to anyone. It's this internal conflict that drives her as much as external ones.
- Dark Action Girl: During Eliana's time period, Rielle was considered the most powerful elemental in existence; not only could she use her powers without the need of a casting, she could manipulate all seven elements as well as heal any wounds and even resurrect the dead. However, she could also kill anyone with a single flick of the wrist, and even murdered her own husband by ripping his heart out.
- Hot for Teacher: Some of Rielle's sexual fantasies include her mentor Tal.
- Pregnant Badass: By the time Rielle joins the angels, she's pregnant with Eliana. She doesn't let her pregnancy get in the way of aiding Corien with his resurrection plan.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Rielle has dark hair and pale skin, and is considered attractive by people people.
- Self-Made Orphan: When she was five, Rielle killed her mother by accident. Over a dozen years later, she ends up killing her father during the fire trial.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Rielle accidentally killed her mother, has had to endure verbal abuse thanks to her father because of it, and was forced to hide who she is from everybody. When her powers are revealed, everybody imposes their own views as to how she should act and behave. The public slowly turns against her, believing her to be the dreaded Blood Queen when her attempts to use her powers constructively prove fatal (at least at first). Corien showing everyone that she was behind the King of Celdaria's death and Audric's father ends up being the final nail in the coffin. Audric, in the heat of moment, accuses her of being the very monster they've feared, leading Rielle to join Corien. By the Third Age, most if not all of humanity loathe Rielle for siding with the angels and closing off the empirium to human use, for doing so allowed the Undying Empire to rise up and take over the world.
Eliana Ferracora
Eliana Ferracora
Upon her arrival in the Third Age, Eliana was adopted by Rozen and Ioseph. She is the second and last human Queen.- Cursed with Awesome: Eliana has control over all seven elements and later develops a healing ability. She's also the only one who can do this, and since the Blood Queen has already appeared, she's thought of as the Sun Queen. Everyone expects her to accept this role and save the world when she herself is terrified of her powers.
- Defector from Decadence: Eliana used to be part of Empirical machine mainly because doing so helped keep her family safe. It takes a combination of finding out that the Empire is run and headed by angels and learning about her heritage and powers that she decides to join the rebel group Red Crown.
- Healing Factor: In Furyborn, Eliana can jump 100 feet off of one dock onto another and only feel a bit of pain. This invulnerability is what earned her the nickname the "Dread of Orline." However, this trait goes away once she's unlocked her powers. Remy suggests her super fast healing ability was because her powers were healing her due to having no other outlet.
- Healing Hands: After gaining better control of her powers, Eliana obtains the ability to heal wounds and past scars. In order to unlock Simon's latent marque magic, Eliana heals some of his physical scars.
- Heroic Second Wind: In Furyborn, Eliana is exhausted, hungry and stressed during the fight with the Empire fleet. After being forced to end her own mother's life, she becomes so upset that she starts a raging storm without even realizing that that's what she's doing. The storm takes down most of the fleet and it confirms to Simon that she's the Sun Queen that he's been searching for.
Audric Courverie
Audric Courverie
The prince of Celdaria and one of Rielle's friends.- Nice Guy: Audric is a gentle and loving soul, willing to give second chances and hear others out.
Simon Randall
Simon Randall
A marque that was tasked with bringing Eliana to Borsvall. However, both he and the newborn were thrust 1,000 years into the future instead. During the third age, he becomes the right hand man of the Prophet.- Wild Child: Simon turns into a feral child after spending a year alone on the desolate mountain he was transported to. He quickly learns how to kill and skin animals in order to feed himself. By the time Corien finds him, Simon is so starved for any kind of interaction that he doesn't mind much that the man giving it is a genocidal angel.
Ludivine Sauvillier
Ludivine Sauvillier
Audric's cousin and Rielle's other close friend.- Dead All Along: The real Ludivine died a couple years before the start of the series. The person calling themself Ludivine is actually an angel that took over Ludivine's body and name.
- Possessing a Dead Body: When she was sixteen, the real Ludivine died of a fever. An angel took over her body and has been in control of it since then. It's this angel that aids Rielle throughout the trials and traveling to various countries in search of the Saints's castings.
Taliesin Belounnon
Taliesan "Tal" Belounnon
Rielle's tutor and the Grand Magister of the Pyre.- Stern Teacher: Tal is strict with Rielle, but still cares about her wellbeing.
Obritsa Nevemskaya
Obritsa Nevemskaya
The recently crowned Queen of Kirvaya. She's secretly a marque, and was raised to become a queen by a member of the human revolution.- Wise Beyond Their Years: At twelve-years-old, Obritsa is able to perfectly act the role of the "stoic orphan suddenly picked to be queen" while secretly being an agent for the human revolution. Justified since she's been raised practically since birth to play that part without giving anything away.
The Prophet
The Prophet
The mysterious leader of Red Crown.- Well-Intentioned Extremist: In the Prophet's mind, the deaths of thousands of people pale in comparison to bringing an end to Corien and, by extension, the Undying Empire.
