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.

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.

A Jhistal priest and political adviser whose influence extends far beyond his apparent station. Mallick Rel operates through whispered counsel and careful manipulation, positioning himself at the intersection of power with a patience that suggests long-term designs.

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.

A heavyset, taciturn man sentenced to the otataral mines alongside Heboric and Felisin. Baudin presents himself as a common thug but his true nature and purpose are considerably more complex. He endures Felisin's contempt with a patience that hints at deeper motivations.

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.

Coltaine's veteran Wickan second-in-command. Bult is scarred, laconic, and utterly loyal to his commander. He serves as the bridge between Coltaine's Wickan warriors and the Malazan regulars under their command.

The Fist commanding the Malazan 7th Army and a Wickan war leader. Coltaine is tasked with escorting tens of thousands of Malazan refugees across the Holy Desert Raraku to the safety of Aren while under constant attack from the forces of the Whirlwind rebellion. His tactical brilliance and iron will define the Chain of Dogs.

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.

An Imperial Historian attached to the Malazan 7th Army on the Seven Cities continent. Duiker is a veteran observer of military campaigns who finds himself drawn into the Chain of Dogs, the desperate march of Coltaine's forces across the Holy Desert. His role as chronicler forces him to witness events he is powerless to change.

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.

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 half-Jaghut wanderer of immense age who travels with his companion Mappo Runt. Icarium is cursed with an inability to retain memories for more than a few years, leaving him gentle and inquisitive in his normal state. But within him lies a capacity for destruction so vast that civilisations have fallen when his rage is unleashed.

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.