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.

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 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.

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.

A former priest of D'rek, the Worm of Autumn, who has fallen into alcoholism after the destruction of his temple and the murder of his fellow priests. Banaschar carries knowledge about the machinations of the gods that makes him both valuable and endangered.

A blacksmith and former soldier living in exile in Seven Cities. Barathol is Kalam's cousin, a massive man with a gentle disposition who is drawn back into conflict despite his desire for a quiet life.

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 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 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.

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.

A Malazan officer who joins the Chain of Dogs with his family after fleeing the rebellion. Keneb is a capable soldier whose personal stake in the march - protecting his wife and children - gives him a perspective shared by the tens of thousands of refugees Coltaine is escorting.