Brother Abide of the Forkrul Assail Pures. Speaks for procedure in the Spire council.

Queen of Bolkando, the Firehair. Joins the Bonehunter and Perish march east with her daughter Felash's intelligence.

Son of Onos T'oolan and Hetan, taken by Olar Ethil for her own bone-driven purpose.

Witch of Malaz City and Bottle's great-aunt. Keeps an apothecary in the Mouse Quarter and intervenes during the Wickan pogroms.

Tiste Andii infiltrator hidden as a Hiroth Edur warrior. Knows the truth of the ancient Edur betrayal of the Andii at the K'Chain Che'Malle war.

Brother Aloft of the Forkrul Assail Pures. Named in the Spire roster.

The First Child of the Dead Seed - the leader of the Tenescowri, the Pannion Seer's army of starving peasant cannibals. Anaster was born of a mother raped by an undead soldier and carries a connection to death that defines his terrible authority over the desperate masses who follow him.

Lord of Moon's Spawn and leader of the Tiste Andii, an ancient people of darkness who have outlasted most of what they once cared about. Anomander Rake is among the most powerful beings in the Malazan world, carrying a sword called Dragnipur whose nature is itself a kind of story. He is defined by the combination of immense power and genuine weariness, and by a code whose contours become clearer across the sequence.

A Bridgeburner sergeant known for his nervous disposition and perpetual anxiety. Despite his anxious nature, Antsy is a competent soldier and a reliable member of the Bridgeburners.

Tiste Liosan officer and reluctant lieutenant of Kadagar Fant. Carries the regret of what his kind have become.

Tiste Andii Mistress of Thieves, imprisoned within Dragnipur. Conspires with the chained dead to escape the chaos pursuing the wagon. Distinct from Apsalar of Itko Kan.

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.

An Aptorian demon from the Shadow realm who has adopted and fiercely protects a young boy. Apt is a deadly creature whose maternal instinct toward the child creates one of the novel's stranger and more affecting relationships.

Tiste Andii of Nimander's troupe. The vessel through which Mother Dark returns to confront the Dying God.

Letherii Atri-Ceda, junior seer to Brys Beddict who becomes his lover and later wife. Debuts as an awkward, chain-smoking newcomer at the Letheras court.

A prehistoric Ay (great wolf) accompanying Toc the Younger. Linked to Togg and Fanderay through Toc's visions, with deep T'lan Imass associations.

A child poet among the Snake - a long column of refugee children crossing the Glass Desert toward Kolanse. Badalle's poems give voice to the suffering and endurance of children abandoned by the adult world.

A Teblor warrior of the Uryd tribe and one of Karsa's companions on his raid into the lowlands. Bairoth is strong and capable but lacks Karsa's single-minded certainty, harbouring doubts about their mission and the truths of Teblor history.

Senan warrior who breaks with the clan's complicity to help Cafal rescue Hetan.

Sergeant of the 9th squad. Dal Honese, prone to wandering attention but a competent commander when it counts.