The second son of the Ravkan king who operates as the privateer Sturmhond before his identity is revealed. Brilliant, charming, and strategically ruthless beneath the performance of carelessness. Becomes King of Ravka after the events of the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the central figure of the King of Scars duology.

A Heartrender from the Second Army who ended up in Ketterdam after a shipwreck and an unlikely alliance with a Fjerdan soldier. Warm, politically passionate, and capable of stopping a man's heart with a gesture. Her arc across both duologies deals with grief, addiction, and what it means to keep fighting for something after the cost becomes clear.

The most powerful Squaller in the Second Army and later Nikolai's general and closest advisor. Cold, proud, and formidably competent, she has survived everything Ravka has thrown at her by refusing to need anyone. The King of Scars duology slowly unpicks that refusal.