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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

A former priest of D'rek, the Worm of Autumn, who has fallen into alcoholism after the destruction of his temple and the murder of his fellow priests. Banaschar carries knowledge about the machinations of the gods that makes him both valuable and endangered.

Alchemist Bridgeburner under Hedge. Carries the squad's incendiaries through the convergence.

Sister Belie of the Forkrul Assail Pures. Commands the siege of the North Citadel against Ganoes Paran; killed by Kalam Mekhar.

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 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.

Forkrul Assail child disguised among the Snake, a hidden Quitter sent to break Badalle's hold. Expelled when Badalle finally sees her.

Letherii ex-prisoner captain among the Shake retreat. Counterpart to Pithy.

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

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.