Characters that appear in the Trine games.
open/close all folders
The Heroes of Trine
Amadeus, The Wizard
- Voiced by: Kevin Howarth
- Character Development: In the first game Amadeus tries to be a charming wizard. Come the second game and he becomes basically a Henpecked Husband going as far as comparing his wife to a dragon. In Trine 5, he's a father with triplet children.
- Cowardly Lion: In Trine 2 Amadeus is almost always the first to note something dangerous. However he never gets cold feet and sticks to his friends until the end.
- Flash Step: His "Blink" ability in Trine 4.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: In Nine Parchments, he still can't learn how to throw a fireball.
- Heart Is an Awesome Power: Conjuring items out of thin air doesn't seem like an awesome power in a High Fantasy world where there are dragons and elemental slinging wizards up the wahzoo, but Amadeus is one of, if not the, most useful character to solve puzzles in every game of the series.
- Locked into Strangeness: His hair was turned prematurely white by an accident in potions class.
- Long-Range Fighter: Amadeus is best used with his unorthodox ways of fighting staying as far as possible from combat since he has to stay in place while using his spells or levitating enemies or things to use against them.
- Mind over Matter: Amadeus can levitate any object not attached to the ground and put where he wants, as long as he's not standing on it. He can also use them as bludgeons against enemies. In the second and fourth games Amadeus can levitate enemies with a certain skill. Elite Mooks and bosses are immune to this, though.
- Not the Intended Use: The Conjured Boxes are not meant to be used as weapons, but a ruthless player can weaponize them by dropping said objects on enemies to crush them. In Trine 1 he can turn the triangle platform into explosives. In 2 a late game skill also allows them to ensnare the smaller ones and throw them into nasty and deadly hazards. Trine 4 finally gives a proper combat skill and lets Amadeus to throw his conjured items with immense strength and speed.
- Alternatively a quick player can use the conjured items to protect themselves or hamper enemy progress, sometimes even creating ambushes in the tougher battle rooms.
- The Power of Creation: Amadeus' biggest trait. He can create a small variety of platforms in geometrical shapes (square, rectangle, triangle...) to aid him cross large gaps or protect him from projectiles.
- Progressively Prettier: In the first two games he has an extremely unkempt appearance combined with an unflattering robe and a comically large set of gear-shaped amulets, and concept art for Trine 2 even giving him a Gag Nose. By Trine 3 he has a more flattering, coat-like robe with the gear motif worked into it. By Nine Parchments and Trine 4, he has considerably more well-groomed facial hair and a stylish and streamlined wizarding robe.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Amadeus apparently hates flying and the clumsy landing in the end of Trine 2's "Goblin Menace" campaign did not do his phobia any favors. By Trine 4 he seems to have gotten over it, stating how much he enjoys riding on the back of an eagle.
Zoya, The Thief
- Voiced by: Victoria Kruger
- Abhorrent Admirer: One of the letters you can find in Trine 4 is from a nobleman who has become utterly infatuated with Zoya. He sends her grotesquely sappy love letters despite her complete lack of interest.
- Bottomless Magazines: Thankfully. Zoya never seems to run out of her plain arrows, special arrows in Trine 1 consume mana, however. Played straight in the second and fourth games to her fire and ice arrows since there is no mana gauge there.
- Classy Cat-Burglar: Beautiful, charming and cunning.
- Deadpan Snarker: Out of the three Zoya is certainly the one armed with the most amount of sarcasm.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Already skilled with a bow and arrow and grappling hook, the power of the Trine also grants her immortality and an assortment of magical arrows.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: She has a pretty far-reaching one. It will only latch to wooden surfaces in the first two games, and only to specific hooks in the third and fourth games.
- Insistent Terminology: She's an entrepreneur, not a thief. Even the Narrator pokes fun at it at her debut level in Trine 2.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While "jerk" might be stretching it, of the three heroes she's the only one of the heroes who's also both an unrepentant criminal and an Unscrupulous Hero. She still joins the others to save the day whenever there's trouble in the kingdom.
- Long-Range Fighter: Unsurprisingly given her main weapon are bow and arrows. Later games usually give her a way or two to get some distance from pesky enemies that likes to get too close.
- Smoke Out: One of her skills in Trine 2. Upgraded it also leaves a decoy that can explode in the face of goblins.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The reason given for why she suddenly starts wearing trousers in Trine 4 is that she's started developing arthritis. It turns out running around freezing-cold areas without proper legwear is really bad for the joints.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: In Trine 1 she starts off quiet and only waiting for a chance to get the Trine and screw Amadeus and Pontius over, who she deems as useless buffoons, and sell it off for profit. She eventually (sort of) warms up to them later.
- Trick Arrow: Zoya can use Fire Arrows in the first game, upgraded they explode. They return in the second and fourth games alongside Ice Arrows which can create temporary platforms if shot on water.
- Unnecessary Combat Roll: One of her unlockable abilities in Trine 4 is a dodge-roll that gives her a single fully drawn arrow shot.
Pontius, The Knight
- Voiced by: Brian Bowles
- Acrofatic: While he has no mobility skills, he is capable of running as fast and jumping as high as the considerably more athletic Zoya.
- Big Fun: Always eager to meet new people, visit new locations and is generally the friendliest of the trio.
- Boisterous Bruiser: While not on Blood Knight levels, Pontius is quite fond of battle.
- Close-Range Combatant: That sword and shield aren't just for show. Pontius excels at close quarters battle, but has little options against enemies that attack from afar or likes to teleport around.
- Dash Attack: His Charge attack, which knocks down enemies and sends objects flying.
- Dumb Muscle: He's not the wisest member of the group, but he's extremely loyal to his companions.
- Empowered Badass Normal: He starts out as merely a skilled swordsman, but the power of the Trine grants him not only immortality, but also powerful enchantments to his sword and shield.
- Flaming Sword: Pontius' upgraded sword is of the flaming variety in the first two games.
- Hammerspace: Where does he keep his hammer and sword and shield is anyone's guess.
- Lightning Bruiser: In Trine 2 he gains a Dash Attack that makes him move very fast for someone his size.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Pontius' shield can not only block enemies but do other nifty things: like pulling objects and launching them (Trine 1) or cause enemies to slowly freeze until they are helpless (Trine 2). In Trine 5 he gains the ability to reflect beams of light with it to solve puzzles.
- Magic Knight: Downplayed. Pontius cannot use magic, but he can wear elemental equipment that makes him even more fearsome in combat.
- Mighty Glacier: Relatively speaking. Pontius has no real mobility skills in the first game, so platforming puzzles are best left for Zoya or Amadeus. He does gain the ability to glide in the second and third game.
- Not Quite Flight: In Trine 2, 3, 4 and 5, Pontius can use his shield to glide. He will gain height if he does it under a strong upwards air current in Trine 2. In Trine 5, he can also run along beams of light he has reflected with his shield.
- Shock and Awe: In Trine 4, his sword and shield can be upgraded to occasionally electrify enemies.
- Stout Strength: Quite rotund and just as powerful.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: In the first version of Trine 1 he'd sink like a stone if he leapt into water, since he was wearing a full suit of plate armor.
- Super Swimming Skills: While all three characters are capable of swimming with ease, Pontius is somehow capable of it despite wearing a heavy suit of armor. His Stout Strength and using his shield to swim probably helps.
- Video Game Dashing: By Trine 4, his Charge can be performed in midair, allowing him to Air Dash.
Bosses and Antagonists
Sarek the Skeleton Wizard
Sarek is the main antagonist of the first game.
At the end of the long reign of kings, Sarek (also known as the “Old King”) became obsessed with the Artifacts. He managed to get possession of two of the Artifacts and placed them at the very top of a tall dark Evil Tower, now the stronghold of his army. He took the Artifact of body and matter and paired it with the Artifact of mind and power. Without the Artifact of soul and righteousness, the power of the Artifacts became twisted and brought to life the Undead Army. Sarek became corrupted and when he died his corrupted spirit became known as the “Skeleton Wizard”. From his stronghold Sarek sends out the Undead Army - hordes of skeletons to wreak havoc throughout the kingdom.
- Evil Laugh: He cackles maniacally in most of his appearances.
- Final Boss Preview: Sarek makes several appearances in the first game before the final confrontation with him. You also occasionally hear his Evil Laugh.
- Our Liches Are Different: A king who turned into a magic-wielding undead monster after experimenting with mysterious magical artifacts.
- Playing with Fire: His magic is what is causing the lava to rise up the tower as the heroes climb it.
- Power Floats: Flies around to always keep out of harm's reach.
- Spike Balls of Doom: Summons these as the heroes climb up his tower.
Melody
The main antagonist of the "Melody of Mystery" DLC. She is a mysterious spirit who Cornelius unwittingly unleashed from a cursed music box, trapping the Astral Academy students in their own enchanting dreams.
- Demonic Possession: Briefly does this to Cornelius after he accidentally releases her. After the heroes of Trine destroy her music box, she opts to use him as her living vessel instead. However, this ends up backfiring on her — in a twist of irony, by the time she realizes her mistakes and wants to release him from her hold, Cornelius has grown too attached to his dream and refuses to let her leave, hijacking her Nightmare creations to drive off the heroes on his own volition.
- Genie in a Bottle: Or Genie in a Music Box, more like.
- Mundane Fantastic: So, how does a Genie come to be? They go to Genie school, apparently. Cursed music boxes in the Astral Academy's archives? That was just Melody sending herself to the Astral Academy for further studies.
- Obliviously Evil: As it turns out, she's not trying to be malicious. She genuinely wanted to make the students' dreams come true- even if just literally- and just didn't grasp how sleeping forever could be so dangerous.
- Our Genies Are Different: Melody fulfills her victims' dreams in a very... literal sense.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Subverted. Not only is she not actually evil, she deliberately bound herself to the music box and sent herself to the Astral Academy with instructions on how to release her safely. Too bad wizards don't like reading.
- Trapped in the Host: In a twist of irony, Melody is ultimately subjected to this by Cornelius. By the time she realizes her mistakes and wants to release him from her hold, Cornelius has grown too attached to his dream and refuses to let her leave, hijacking her Nightmare creations to drive off the heroes on his own volition.
Students of the Astral Academy
Cornelius Crownsteed
- Voiced by: Ashley Margolis
- Alliterative Name: Cornelius Crownstead.
- Arranged Marriage: In a Yuletide short story, Cornelius acknowledges this trope as a common practice among nobles, with he himself having 'faceless, shadowy figures' picked out by his family.
- Blue Blood: The only child of the Crownsteeds, an old and prestigious noble family known for owning the largest cabbage farms in the Kingdom. Owl will also call Cornelius this word-for-word in their introductory conversation, to the latter's gentle disapproval.
- Break the Cutie: A mild version of this in the "Melody of Mystery" DLC. When the Trine heroes attempt to wake him from his curse-induced dream, he reacts badly, begging to stay in his dreamland while unleashing monsters on the heroes. After waking up, he's obviously somber about the whole affair.
- Butt-Monkey: Is frequently the target of jokes by the other Academy students. It doesn't help that his sheltered upbringing has left him very gullible.
- Demonic Possession: He is briefly subjected to this in Melody of Mystery by the titular antagonist, who had him carry her music box out from the Academy's archives. In a twist of irony, by the time Melody realizes her mistakes and wants to release him from her hold, Cornelius has grown too attached to his dream and refuses to let her leave, hijacking her Nightmare creations to drive off the heroes on his own volition.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Implied. While Cornelius expresses interest in travelling, he also mentions his father's disregards for it, considering it frivolous nonsense and claiming that even the act of enjoying a view is a lazy person's pursuit.
- Friendless Background: Heavily implied. Most obvious when he's paired with Amadeus, as he seeks advice from the hero on 'how to get friends'. Post Nine Parchments and Melody of Mystery, he appears to be slowly growing out of this trope with the 7 other students. An official short story even has him cement a small friendship with Selius.
- Hero-Worshipper: Pairing him with Amadeus on a Nine Parchments playthrough will reveal Cornelius as a fan of the box-conjuring hero.
- Inept Mage: On a solo run, he will mention that everyone at the academy believes he'll "fail at anything he sets his mind on."
- Innocent Bigot: Dialogue with Selius will bring up Cornelius' father's worry about commoners 'being the wrong influence for him,' which he doesn't seem to disagree with. He will also later admit to finding the world 'easier' when 'everything- everyone has a place.' Outside of this however, he does not treat his fellow 'commoner' classmates with any disdain, instead seeking friendships with them.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Extremely rich, very much friendless. This is the case even before the events of Nine Parchments; an exchange between Cornelius, Gislan and Selius reveals his parents had him homeschooled to avoid interaction with the local children.
- The Pollyanna: He noticeably has a very cheery disposition in most of his conversations with his fellow students, even if they're dissing him (or fighting monsters). He's also depicted with a joyful smile in his official art. One of his four character-unique quick-chat moods is even 'Optimistic'!
- Sheltered Aristocrat: Referred to as 'extremely sheltered' by the devs.
- Shrinking Violet: Described word-for-word as this by Carabel.
- Skilled, but Naive: Despite widespread belief (and a lot of jokes) about him being a terrible mage among the students, an instructor at the Astral Academy considers him 'gifted'. They may have a point, considering how he has not only survived countless hordes of monsters on his quest for the Nine Parchments, but also managed to defeat a powerful, undead Lich.
- Spoiled Sweet: Cornelius is described as pampered, with Carabel more frankly calling him 'a bit spoiled'. Regardless, he has a very kind personality- if also rather naive and slightly prejudiced.
- Upper-Class Twit: Seen as this by his fellow schoolmates, to the point that he's being bullied for it. Gislan in particular has some rather searing comments about him.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Constantly talks about his desire to impress his family and how they don't quite see him in high regards. It's also implied that his father is the one Cornelius wants to be acknowledged by the most. Melody of Mystery reveals this as his greatest wish.
Gislan of Alcyon
- Voiced by: Jess Robinson
- Adopt-a-Servant: Was given to the witches of Alcyon as a young child and raised to serve them and their cause. While outwardly unbothered by this, Gislan harbours some degree of resentment about her lot in life.
- Green Thumb: As a Verdant Witch of Alcyon, this comes naturally. She even occasionally helps out in the Astral Academy's gardens to earn some money whenever her allowance from Alcyon falters.
- Hidden Depths: In Melody of Mystery, she dreams of going on a treasure hunt of all things and abandoning her duties and studies. Not quite what you would expect of a straight-laced, seemingly cynical student. Melody also reveals her growing bitterness with regards to her obligations to her elders on Alcyon.
- I'm Not Here to Make Friends: She intends to graduate and return to Alcyon as swiftly as possible, and will name-drop this trope if other students try to befriend her.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: For all her haughtiness, she comes to care for her fellow students' wellbeing, albeit subtly. In a Yuletide short, she keeps Carabel company after she winds up on the wrong end of Butternut's temper, and also schemes to get Selius a job after learning he's been cut off from his family.
- Not So Stoic: As much as she "likes things peaceful", she has her limits. Stress her out enough with silly antics and she's bound to get snappy.
- Oblivious to Love: With a good dose of Everyone can see it. Gislan is unaware of Nim's affection for her, even though she has reportedly received many misguided remarks about their "relationship"- even one from Selius!
- Seers: In conversations with Selius and Nim, she mentions having had dreams of things to come- though she admits they are more like possibilities rather than certainties. She does, however, accurately describe the maze surrounding Selius' castle, and accurately foresaw somebody falling in love with her at the Academy (to Nim's embarrassment).
Marvek the Torrid
Marvek spent a good part of his life as a simple baker- once. As it turns out, he's a very late bloomer. His fiery magical prowess manifested in his golden years, causing him to accidentally burn down his beloved bakery and left him no choice but to enroll as a student of the Astral Academy.
Carabel the Glacial
- The Magnificent: Her title is "the Glacial", in reference to her ice magic.
Rudolfus the Strange
- Voiced by: Alex Jordan
The Mechanical Owl
- Voiced by: Keith Wickham
Nim the Cleaner
A less-fortunate student at the Astral Academy, Nim finances the Academy fees by working as a cleaner before and after classes. The mysteriously masked caretaker is a taciturn mystery who prefers short conversations and solitude.
- Cannot Spit It Out: He is absolutely smitten with Gislan, but every time he tries to talk to her or she's simply around, he's reduced to a stuttering mess. It makes Gislan think that he has a speech impediment.
- Cool Mask: When he was younger, Nim was given a mask to symbolise his importance as a magic user in his homelands. He never takes it off, even when eating.
- Deadpan Snarker: Nim doesn't talk much, but put him in a party with the other students and he'll have some sarcastic remarks to dish out.
- Foil: Nim is the poorest student at the Academy, in contrast to Cornelius' Sheltered Aristocrat. However, they aren't so different, as Owl observes; neither have friends.
- Gibberish of Love: Is reduced to a stuttering mess whenever Gislan is around, so much so that Gislan thinks it's a natural impediment for Nim.
- The Hermit: Openly enjoys and even prefers his solitude, though he isn't against the company of others.
- Loner-Turned-Friend: Turns out that the events of Nine Parchments also doubled as a great team-building exercise. In a Yuletide short story, it is revealed that the eight students- including the solitary Nim- now often share a table at lunch.
Selius Heatherwood
- No-Sell: Selius' dream magic nullifies Melody's own, leaving him (and the mechanical Owl, who does not sleep organically) as the only ones unaffected by her curse.
- Shrouded in Myth: Rumours in the Academy has it that a student has been locked up in the dungeons. Guess who it is?
