A young noble-born officer from a wealthy Malazan merchant family, Ganoes Paran enters imperial service with more idealism than the Malazan military is accustomed to accommodating. His assignment to the Bridgeburners as their new captain places him at the intersection of forces far older and more dangerous than any conventional military command. Paran is defined by his capacity to absorb disillusionment without becoming cynical - a quality the world he inhabits tests repeatedly.

A Teblor warrior of the Uryd tribe, descended from the Thelomen Toblakai. Karsa begins as a young warrior driven by arrogance and the desire for glory, seeking to raid the lowlands as his grandfather once did. His journey across the novel transforms him from a provincial tribesman into something far more significant, as he discovers the lies underpinning his people's beliefs and forges his own path against the machinations of gods.

An alien deity pulled into the Malazan world from another realm and chained by the Elder Gods. Broken and in constant agony, the Crippled God seeks to corrupt and destroy the world that imprisons him. His poisoned influence spreads through the Pannion Domin and touches events across the continent.

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 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.

A blacksmith and former soldier living in exile in Seven Cities. Barathol is Kalam's cousin, a massive man with a gentle disposition who is drawn back into conflict despite his desire for a quiet life.

A High Alchemist and one of the senior members of Darujhistan's T'orrud Cabal. Baruk is defined by the tension between his considerable power and his institutional caution - he is capable of decisive action but prefers to understand a situation fully before committing to it.

The warlord commanding the principal military alliance opposing the Malazan Empire on Genabackis, Caladan Brood is a figure of immense physical power who carries a hammer said to be capable of ending the world. He is deliberate, patient, and possessed of a strategic intelligence that has kept a coalition of disparate forces functioning across years of war.

A young Tiste Andii who serves as a messenger from the Andara - a community of Tiste Andii living apart from Anomander Rake's people. Clip is arrogant, dismissive, and perpetually spinning a chain with two rings. He guides Silchas Ruin and others through Kurald Galain, though his true loyalties are unclear.

A nobleman of Darujhistan who has fallen on hard times. Once a man of wealth and standing, Coll lost his estates through political machinations and now spends his days drinking at the Phoenix Inn. Despite his decline, he retains his honour and proves himself a loyal friend when it matters most.

One of the two gods who rule the Realm of Shadow, Cotillion is the patron of assassins and one of the sequence's most active divine participants in mortal affairs. Where Shadowthrone operates through misdirection, Cotillion is more direct - he intervenes personally and is bound by a personal code that distinguishes him from the series' more purely transactional divine figures.

A young thief operating across Darujhistan's rooftops, Crokus Younghand is drawn into events considerably beyond his experience when a routine theft places him at the intersection of imperial and divine interest in the city. He is defined by the combination of competence in his chosen field and complete unpreparedness for everything surrounding it.

An ancient Great Raven and the matriarch of the murder of Great Ravens allied with Anomander Rake and the Tiste Andii of Moon's Spawn. Crone serves as Rake's messenger and scout, carrying intelligence across vast distances. She is cunning, sarcastic, and fiercely intelligent, often providing sardonic commentary on the affairs of mortals and gods alike.

An ancient Tiste Andii mage who serves Anomander Rake in Black Coral. Endest is old, weary, and haunted by memories of Kharkanas and the fall of Mother Dark. He carries a burden of grief that even other Andii find exceptional.

A caravan guard captain in Darujhistan with a fierce reputation and a stubborn independence. Gruntle is dragged into events far beyond caravan protection and discovers within himself a capacity for violence and leadership that aligns him with forces he neither sought nor fully understands.

A young boy working in the mines outside Darujhistan. Harllo is the secret child of a noblewoman, sent away to conceal his existence. His story of survival in brutal conditions is one of the novel's most affecting threads.

The High Priest of Shadow, residing in a monastery in the Holy Desert Raraku. Iskaral Pust is manic, scheming, and seemingly deranged, muttering his plots aloud while believing no one can hear him. Despite his apparent madness, he serves Shadowthrone's interests with a cunning that occasionally surfaces through the chaos.

The High King, an ancient and seemingly immortal warlord who has ruled and destroyed civilisations across millennia. Kallor serves as Caladan Brood's second-in-command despite mutual distrust. He is ambitious, ruthless, and carries curses laid upon him by three Elder Gods for the destruction of an entire continent and its inhabitants.

A Tiste Andii and one of Anomander Rake's most trusted lieutenants. Korlat serves as second-in-command among the Tiste Andii forces at Moon's Spawn. She is a skilled warrior carrying the weight of millennia of existence.

A rotund, self-satisfied, perpetually eating resident of Darujhistan whose principal talent appears to be talking. This presentation is not entirely accurate. Kruppe's relationship to the events unfolding around him is closer and more deliberate than his manner suggests, and the gap between his apparent capabilities and his actual ones is one of the sequence's sustained pleasures.