A young noble-born officer from a wealthy Malazan merchant family, Ganoes Paran enters imperial service with more idealism than the Malazan military is accustomed to accommodating. His assignment to the Bridgeburners as their new captain places him at the intersection of forces far older and more dangerous than any conventional military command. Paran is defined by his capacity to absorb disillusionment without becoming cynical - a quality the world he inhabits tests repeatedly.

A Teblor warrior of the Uryd tribe, descended from the Thelomen Toblakai. Karsa begins as a young warrior driven by arrogance and the desire for glory, seeking to raid the lowlands as his grandfather once did. His journey across the novel transforms him from a provincial tribesman into something far more significant, as he discovers the lies underpinning his people's beliefs and forges his own path against the machinations of gods.

A High Mage of the Whirlwind rebellion and a deeply malevolent figure. Bidithal is a practitioner of the Shadow warren who pursues his own agenda within the rebellion, driven by personal obsessions and cruelty that make him dangerous even to his supposed allies.

The ruler of the Malazan Empire, Laseen came to power through the Claw and has maintained that power through a combination of political ruthlessness and calculated distance from the empire's military campaigns. She is one of the sequence's most deliberately ambiguous figures - her decisions cause enormous suffering, and the sequence neither excuses nor simply condemns her.

A High Mage who has joined the Whirlwind rebellion and serves as one of its principal sorcerous assets. Kamist Reloe's power makes him a dangerous opponent for the Malazan forces, and his alliance with Korbolo Dom strengthens the rebellion's military capability.

A renegade Malazan Fist who has defected to the Whirlwind rebellion and commands the army known as the Dogslayers. Korbolo Dom is ruthless, ambitious, and driven by a personal hatred of the Malazan military hierarchy that once employed him.

An alien deity pulled into the Malazan world from another realm and chained by the Elder Gods. Broken and in constant agony, the Crippled God seeks to corrupt and destroy the world that imprisons him. His poisoned influence spreads through the Pannion Domin and touches events across the continent.

A young fisher's daughter from a coastal village who was possessed by the god Cotillion and used as an instrument of assassination before being encountered by the Bridgeburners. Apsalar is defined by the difficulty of reclaiming an identity after it has been occupied by something else, and by skills she did not choose and cannot entirely discard.

The Fist commanding the Aren garrison. Blistig is a competent officer who finds himself increasingly frustrated by High Fist Pormqual's cowardice and political manoeuvring as the rebellion closes in on the last Malazan stronghold in Seven Cities.

One of the two gods who rule the Realm of Shadow, Cotillion is the patron of assassins and one of the sequence's most active divine participants in mortal affairs. Where Shadowthrone operates through misdirection, Cotillion is more direct - he intervenes personally and is bound by a personal code that distinguishes him from the series' more purely transactional divine figures.

A young thief operating across Darujhistan's rooftops, Crokus Younghand is drawn into events considerably beyond his experience when a routine theft places him at the intersection of imperial and divine interest in the city. He is defined by the combination of competence in his chosen field and complete unpreparedness for everything surrounding it.

A High Mage within the Whirlwind rebellion who conspires against Sha'ik. Febryl is scheming and treacherous, pursuing his own path to power by manipulating the rebellion's internal politics and playing various factions against each other.

The youngest sister of Ganoes Paran, cast into the otataral mines of Skullcup during the Malazan nobility purge ordered by Adjunct Tavore. Felisin's experiences in the mines harden her into someone very different from the sheltered noblewoman she once was. Her journey through suffering and rage shapes the Whirlwind rebellion.

A sapper and one of the Bridgeburners' longest-serving members, Fiddler is defined by a sardonic pragmatism that functions as both coping mechanism and genuine philosophy. He is exceptionally good at his work and exceptionally tired of the circumstances that require it. His card readings recur across the sequence as moments of unwanted clarity.

The Fist serving as Adjunct Tavore's second-in-command during the march to confront the Whirlwind rebellion. Gamet is an ageing veteran who served the Paran household before joining Tavore's command. He is competent but increasingly troubled by self-doubt and the weight of his responsibilities.

A Malazan sergeant whose experiences during the novel transform him in ways he does not fully understand. Gesler is a veteran soldier, practical and laconic, who endures extraordinary circumstances with the stoicism characteristic of long-service marines.

A former priest of Fener, the Boar of Summer, who was defrocked and sentenced to the otataral mines of Skullcup for writing a controversial history of Empress Laseen's rise to power. Heboric lost both hands as part of his punishment, yet retains a connection to forces beyond mortal understanding.

A Bridgeburner sapper and one of the most reckless demolitions experts in the Malazan military. Hedge is inseparable from his fellow sapper Fiddler, and the pair are renowned for their creative and often excessive use of Moranth munitions.

The High Priest of Shadow, residing in a monastery in the Holy Desert Raraku. Iskaral Pust is manic, scheming, and seemingly deranged, muttering his plots aloud while believing no one can hear him. Despite his apparent madness, he serves Shadowthrone's interests with a cunning that occasionally surfaces through the chaos.

A Seven Cities native and one of the Bridgeburners' most formidable soldiers, Kalam Mekhar carries a past in the Claw - the Malazan imperial assassins - that he has chosen not to discuss. Physically imposing and economical in both movement and speech, he is the squad's most dangerous close-quarters combatant and one of its most morally grounded members.