Player characters
| Erentona | Daughter of performers of 'morality plays', but blessed with her father's robust build rather than her mother's delicate prettiness, she did not fit in on the stage. Increasingly haunted by strange dreams, she painted her vision as the backdrop of one play, not realizing it was an accurate node map for some grimoire. Adept Hermeclus recognized it for what it was, leading to his formally but discretely adopting her, then promptly sending her off to study at the Imperial College under a master who owed him favours. It turns out that aside from her visions she does have regular talent at learning magic. |
| Exalian Urmantle | Exalian is from a displaced noble Galvosti family. Since arriving in the vicinity of Syran, they've managed to obtain positions in the Masons guild, but his family still has the urge to power. The family fortune has been put behind their most promising son, Exalian, who has been sent to the Imperial College of Syran (because it was cheapest) in order that he might find the power to raise the family up to it's former position of nobility. He got in by claiming to have converted to the Stygian Church. |
| Kiki | Kiki was a happy child. Always ready to run errands for her Mums healing
clinic or to fetch plants from outside the cities. When she could make the
time Kiki would escape to her hideaway to paint the creatures that would
come to her. With her empathy and kind heart animals always liked her and
the wilds hold her no fears.
It was the self portrait of her nude riding a magnificent Unicorn that drew the attention of the adept Hagbron. She managed to avoid punishment from embarrassed parents and Church of Inspiration over the painting by proving her purity of action. That the painting sold for a significant sum of money to a city elder also helped. Now with her quick drawing and accurate hand she is refining her realistic studies of nature in the School of theSacred Image. Her solitary nature has made her few friends and her habit of keeping inappropriate pets has irritated many. Now she has to do many of her favourite animals from memory since the “horse in the attic" incident. |
| Pavel | The golden boy of the Felster Naval College, Pavel is sponsored at great
expense by the Ropemasters Benefit Fund. He aims to emulate his sociopathic
father and has built his world on not seeming to care. In truth he is yet to
care much about much as things have always come incredibly easily to him -
others have always done their utmost to assist him, receiving little in the
way of return.
Pavel's raffish dark hair and sad eyes, together with his fine features and handsome frame, are of the sort to inspire overly romantic poets and silly girls who want to help him. |
Other students
* Taking part in experimental joint teaching experient
Felster Naval College | |
| Gorbo* | Stout fellow |
| Meredith* | Pretty, but prone to fits of giggles. A shipwright's daughter, she's usually found in the company of her equally giggly friend Abigail. Makes Pavel feel uncomfortable. |
| Pensimmon* | Little nerd, known by other Naval College students as 'the squirt'. Has helped Pavel with homework in the past, but refused to help write his presentation for the Disputation and publically accused the other boy of cheating. |
Imperial College | |
| Agnetha* | In-crowder, known as the Ice Maiden |
| Aldeth* | Clever but spiteful in-crowder, friend of Pavel. |
| Berem | A burly misfit, the son of a knight |
| Delf | |
| Derren | Stammerer |
| Filey* | |
| Filmore* | Timid genius and one of Welspun's nerdy correspondents |
| Hayward | |
| Holdfast | Father is a Mason |
| Ioren | Tall and lanky |
| Kentan | Class clown |
| Kerra | Pleasant but otherwise undistinguished |
| Morten | |
| Neronil* | Friend of Exalian |
| Oren | In-crowder. Eren's nemesis, he's a friend of Pavel, but earned Exalian's enmity in the Disputation. |
| Ruggiero | In-crowder |
| Slevan | Friend of Kiki, as a result of her kind-heartedness in the Disputation. |
| Vey* | New boy, apparently friendly towards Eren, humiliated by Pavel in the Disputation. He claims that he was born in Syran and father is an 'old boy' of the College, but he seems to have started his studies in wizardry elsewhere... |
School of the Sacred Image | |
| Hal* | Shy but talented artist |
| Jandrell* | Quiet, serious sculptress. Friend of Kiki. |
| Laramy* | Flamboyant tailor's son |
School of Tenebrous Wisdom | |
| Cecily* | Impressive but rather abrasive girl with a pale face and kohl-rimmed eyes. Her fondness for wearing black - including black leather accessories with metal studs - is unusual, even amongst gloomers. |
| Demetrius* | Boring know-it-all |
| Ricardo* | Tall dark and handsome in-crowder. Atheletic and well-connected, but apparently not very bright. |
Masters and adepts
* Judge in the Disputation
Felster Naval College | |
| Principal Harman | School Principal |
| Adept Carrick | 'Old friend' of Jayron, seen arguing with him at the Disputation |
Imperial College | |
| Master Alphanus | Headmaster |
| Master Atlan | Eren's master |
| Adept Asalat | Admired by Exalian |
| Adept Fennig* | Habitually grumpy |
| Master Gallowglass* | Fierce |
| Master Hannigan* | Pious but sympathetic |
| Adept Harigan* | Reputedly brilliant but disturbingly intense research fellow |
| Mistress Hephania* | Stern but fair |
| Master Hermeclus | Eren's sponsor |
| Master Jayron | Exalian's master |
| Master Olivant* | Notoriously misogynistic curmudgeon |
| Master Sicart* | Rather irritable, but noticeably more generous after lunch. |
| Master Stockfish* | Portly, with an exuberant mustache and a perpetual smile, Master Stockfish specializes in the study of animal and plant essences. |
| Adept Toruk | Exalian's sponsor |
School of the Sacred Image | |
| Master Adhuc | Master of Tutors |
| Tutor Hagbron | Kiki's master |
| Salazari | Syran's Greatest Cartographer. |
Others
| Strange Vagabond | Mysterious individual that Pavel, Merry, Eren and Vey encounter during a field trip to the Graveen Marshes. He claims to be a disgraced knight of the Order of Arkat Liberator and insists that Syran is infested with sorcerers, some of whom were responsible for his missing shadow. Also claims to be an old friend of Pavel's father and on this basis persuades the boy to carry a message to an associate that he knows only as The Doctor. |
| Bojek | Pavel's 'uncle' - a leading light in the Ropemasters. |
| Garan Stoneheart | Pavel's father. |