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.

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 Malazan mage of extraordinary latent power serving in the Bonehunters. Beak is childlike in manner, gentle, and appears simple, but he can open every Warren simultaneously - a feat that should be impossible. His story is one of the novel's most devastating emotional threads.

An Atri-Preda (military commander) of the Letherii forces tasked with subjugating the Awl'ari. Bivatt is competent, pragmatic, and increasingly troubled by both the Awl resistance and the political machinations of the Tiste Edur overlords she nominally serves.

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.

A Tiste Edur Overseer assigned to govern conquered Letherii territory. Brohl Handar is a warrior placed in an administrative role he is ill-suited for, forced to work alongside Bivatt while confronting the realities of occupation.

A Tiste Edur warrior who defies the corruption of Rhulad's court. Bruthen Trana is honourable and increasingly disturbed by what the Edur empire has become under the Crippled God's influence. He undertakes a dangerous quest to find a champion who can challenge the emperor.

The youngest Beddict brother and the King's Champion - the finest swordsman in Lether. Brys is honourable, devoted to duty, and increasingly troubled by the corruption he sees in the Letherii court and the threat posed by the Tiste Edur.

Tehol Beddict's apparently humble manservant, an old man of unassuming appearance who handles the practical details of Tehol's schemes with quiet competence. Bugg's true nature is considerably more than his presentation suggests.

A young Tiste Andii who serves as a messenger from the Andara - a community of Tiste Andii living apart from Anomander Rake's people. Clip is arrogant, dismissive, and perpetually spinning a chain with two rings. He guides Silchas Ruin and others through Kurald Galain, though his true loyalties are unclear.

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.

The eldest Sengar brother and a Tiste Edur warrior of great skill and honour. Fear serves as Weapons Master to the Edur and watches with growing horror as his youngest brother Rhulad is transformed by the cursed sword into something he can no longer recognise.

A young Letherii slave among the Tiste Edur who possesses the ability to read the Tiles - a form of divination. Feather Witch is ambitious and resentful of her bondage, and her growing power as a caster of the Tiles draws dangerous attention.

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.

The Warlock King of the Tiste Edur, who unified the six Edur tribes through a combination of sorcery and political skill. Hannan Mosag made a pact with the Crippled God that set in motion the events consuming his people, and watches his power slip away as Rhulad's madness grows.

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 head of the Patriotists, the secret police of the Letherii Empire under Tiste Edur rule. Karos is intelligent, sadistic, and obsessed with puzzles and power. He uses his position to terrorise the population while pursuing his own agenda.

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.