Gods and Other Entities
Niffins
Beings of pure magic, Niffins are former magicians who lost control of their powers while trying to cast powerful spells; in their new state, these individuals are capable of almost anything, but unfortunately lack both soul or sanity, and are prone to doing anything that will amuse them - no matter how destructive. As a result, Niffins are among the most dangerous entities in the setting, and can only be tackled by magicians of great skill and experience.
- Humanoid Abomination: Niffins look roughly human apart from the glowing blue flame, but any notions of human thought have long since gone out the window.
- Magic Misfire: The birth of a Niffin is always brought about by some catastrophic botch of spellcasting, hence why Dean Fogg warns Quentin and Penny never to work magic in anger or grief. Charlie, Alice's brother, ended up as an unfortunate demonstration of this - having been transformed into a Niffin while frantically trying to repair Emily Greenstreet's Facial Horror.
- Posthuman Nudism: Niffins are beyond all notions of humanity and don't appear to need or want clothes; as such, the ones we encounter are most often seen stark naked.
- Power Floats: It's more common for them to levitate rather than walk.
- Pure Magic Being: Whereas magicians merely channel and manipulate magic, Niffins have been completely overwhelmed by the energies they previously worked with and have become magic - and with their bodies of luminous blue flame, they definitely look the part.
- Sinister Nudity: In keeping with their total disconnection from humanity, they're always completely naked... and given that they appear to be made of blue flame and gleefully ready to kill anything they meet, the effect is intended to be more unearthly than sexy.
The Grand Canal Dragon
One of the great dragons, currently dwelling in the waterways of Venice (hence the name). Known as a collector of rare magical items, Quentin and Poppy consult him on the whereabouts of a Button that can lead them to Fillory.
Renard
A trickster god that the Free Trader Beowulf Group have the misfortune to stumble upon over the course of their studies.
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Julia notes that trickster gods tend not to be very fucking funny. Reynard's joke appears to have been something like "You thought you were summoning a benevolent deity, but instead you got me! And the punchline is I'm going to kill you all!"
- Fox Folk: A giant hairy fox-human hybrid. The effect in an otherwise non-furry real world is horrifying...
Our Lady Underground
An ancient, powerful, and benevolent mother-goddess – and, as it turns out, the end-goal of the Free Trader Beowulf Group’s ambitions.
The Old Gods
A mysterious group of entities believed to be the only true gods to be void anywhere in the multiverse; impossibly powerful, they can be found roaming the Neitherlands, “correcting” any flaws they find in the fabric of reality.
