One of Special Circumstances' foremost agents, recruited from outside the Culture to change the destiny of planets through intrigue, dirty tricks, and military action. A man of extraordinary capability haunted by a past he cannot escape.

A Culture Special Circumstances officer who recruited Zakalwe and manages his operations. Sharp, empathetic, and more personally invested in her agent than professional detachment would advise.

A dark-haired boy who grows into a cunning, charismatic military commander. As a child he is competitive and aggressive; as an adult he is the embodiment of ruthless adaptability. He is referenced throughout the flashbacks as a shadow figure and the Chairmaker.

A strong-willed woman who appears at various ages across the timeline. As a child she is sensible and protective; as an adult during the war she wears dark clothes and presses for action to save Darckense. In old age she is white-haired but undulled, working as a hospital sister with contemptuous composure toward the man who visits her.

Diziet Sma's personal drone. Highly capable, drily witty, and possessed of a protective streak that once manifested in spectacular and bloody violence on Sma's behalf.

An elderly, bald, deeply lined statesman who wears glasses and academic robes. Bright-eyed despite his age, he is intellectual, cautious, and principled, wrestling with whether his duty to act outweighs his desire for scholarly retirement.

A tall, red-faced man with short grey hair, one real eye, and a false eye that doubles as a micro-pistol. He wears an oversized field marshal's jacket and is consistently drunk, loyal, and endearingly useless in combat.

A girl who screams easily and clings to flowers, later becoming a young woman used as a pawn between the two warring men. Her death at Elethiomel's hands is the central horror of the novel, represented by the recurring symbol of the white chair.

A striking woman with sharp, almost aggressive features and abundant black hair. She is talented, perceptive, and warm but guarded about the future. She writes poetry and lives in a distinctive house with fabric walls that sway in the wind.

A young, blonde woman in a plain smock dress who appears devoted and demure. She is actually a trained operative who moves with combat reflexes, carrying concealed weapons including a gun in her clothing and a pen laser on her person.