A young Malazan mage in the 14th Army with an unusual connection to spirits and the natural world. Bottle's magic is instinctive rather than formal, drawing on a talent for communicating with animals and spirits that makes him valuable for reconnaissance.

A Malazan sapper veteran serving in the 14th Army under Adjunct Tavore. Cuttle is experienced, cynical, and devoted to his explosives with the professional affection common to Malazan sappers.

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 Malazan marine and close companion of Gesler. Stormy is a large, red-bearded fighter who shares Gesler's tendency to survive situations that should have killed them both. His transformation alongside Gesler during the novel is one of its stranger threads.

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.