open/close all folders
Suncroft Castle & Royal Court
Protagonists
Chime Headwind
Chime Headwind
Mage Rank: Emerald/ Faceted Ball
A powerful but untrained mage from the little hamlet of Jacob's Vale, Chime's undeniable natural talents draw the attention of Della No Cozen and the Royal Court.- Family Theme Naming: Like her mother and little brother, Chime is named after a musical instrument.
- Military Mage: Chime marches off to war with Aronsdale's army in a supportive role, using her green-spectrum magic to boost morale and confidence among the troops. She also uses her magic to "detect" the emotions of the Harsdown forces, giving her side a rough idea of how far away their enemy is.
- Musical Theme Naming: Named after a percussion instrument.
Iris Larkspur
Iris Larkspur
Mage Rank: Rainbow/ Faceted Ball
A mage from the desolate Tallwalk Mountains, Iris was an orphan with no prospects for the future until she was discovered by the Royal Court.- Intimate Healing: She cures Jarid's blindness and deafness on their wedding night, after leading him to her personal forest retreat to consummate their nuptials.
- Military Mage: Iris joins Chime and Aronsdale's army when they go to war against Harsdown. She serves in a similar support position.
Muller Dawnsfield
Muller Dawnsfield
Mage Rank: Indigo/ Sphere
Nephew to King Daron and the reluctant heir to the throne of Aronsdale, Muller has worked hard to keep his imperfect mage gifts hidden away from even his most trusted advisors.- The Dandy: Justified and Exploited — Muller comes of as a Dandy because of his fixation with dressing impeccably and being in control of his surroundings. The truth is, he's paranoid that the imperfect shapes around him could channel his magic unintentionally and end up hurting someone. He'd rather be known as a prissy fop obsessed with clothes and architecture than an heir to the throne with dangerous, uncontrolled mage-gifts.
- Magic Misfire: Muller lives in constant fear that his powers will strike out inadvertently when he encounters imperfect geometric shapes. When this happens, his magic creates spells that twist his intent, often with disastrous or explosive results. This caused him to have a clumsy, accident-prone childhood, and to go to great lengths to hide that fact that he even has mage gifts. As an adult, he is hyper-aware of his surroundings and clothing; most of his advisors and friends believe it's because he's vain and foppish, but Muller is paranoid that he will accidentally focus his magic through an imperfect circle embroidered on one of his tunics, or cast a harmful spell through a lopsided doorway.
Jarid Dawnsfield
Jarid Dawnsfield
Mage Rank: Violet/ Sphere
Grandson of King Daron and the lost heir to the Dawnsfield line. Jarid disappeared and was presumed deceased when the carriage he and his parents rode in was driven off a cliff by bandits — he was only six years old at the time.- Intimate Healing: On their wedding night, his bride Iris cures his blindness and deafness.
- Lost Orphaned Royalty: His parents were killed when highwaymen caused their carriage to go over a cliff, and he only survived because his mother sacrificed herself to cast a spell that could save his life. The bandits nearly killed Jarid when they learned he survived the fall, and he only lived because his magic killed the bandit leader (leaving the young Jarid blind, deaf, and mute in retaliation for using his magic offensively). He was taken in by the soft-hearted rogue Unbent. They two spent the next decade eking out an existence high up in the mountains, very much lost from society until Iris' powers located him.
- Purple Is Powerful: Indigo and Violet spells are at the top of the magical color spectrum, and Jarid is one of the rare mages who can cast those spells.
- Technicolor Eyes: Jarid's eyes are purple - this mirrors the rarity of his mage-gifts, which cover the entire spectrum of magic from red through violet.
- Throwing Off the Disability: Though Jarid was blind, deaf, and mute for over a decade after the attack on his parents and himself, Iris cured him on the night of their wedding. Within hours of gaining back his senses, he was conducting meetings and holding conversations with his family and advisors.
Royalty
King Daron
King Daron
Mage Rank: None
The aged ruler of Aronsdale at the opening of the book. King Daron's only son, daughter in law, and grandson were reported to have perished- The Mourning After: Never remarried after his wife died, even refusing to do so even to produce an heir after his son and grandson were reportedly killed in a carriage accident.
Prince Aron
Prince Aron
Mage Rank: unknown
King Daron's only child and Jarid's father. He perished when his royal carriage was driven off a cliff by bandits.- Death by Origin Story: Perished when the royal carriage was driven off a cliff, orphaning the young Jarid.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Jarid's deceased father, whose death was mourned by all who knew him.
Princess Sky
Princess Sky
Mage Rank: Ingido/ Unknown Shape
Prince Aron's wife and mother to Jarid. Princess Sky was an incredibly powerful indigo mage, though the true extent of her abilities was likely not recognized during her lifetime. As the the royal carriage she and her husband and son rode in was driven off a cliff, Princess Sky cast a spell that would sacrifice her own life in exchange for protecting her son from harm — the type of magic only an indigo mage is capable of.- Death by Origin Story: Perished when her family's carriage was driven off a cliff, orphaning the young Jarid.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Jarid's deceased mother, remembered fondly by all who knew her.
- Family Theme Naming: Downplayed — Sky married into the Dawnsfield family.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Princess Sky sacrificed her life as a component of a spell that would protect her son from certain death.
Muller's Father
Muller's Father
Mage Rank: Unknown
King Daron's brother. Muller's father drowned when Muller was only seven years old, when he and his horse became trapped in a narrow canyon during a sudden thunderstorm.- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Remembered fondly by Muller and his court.
Muller's Mother
Muller's Mother
Mage Rank: Unknown
The wife of King Daron's brother. Muller's mother froze to death in a blizzard when he was only ten years old, leaving Muller an orphan.- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Not much is said about Muller's mother, but no one says anything bad about her...
Advisors
Mage Mistress Della No Cozen
Mage Mistress Della No Cozen
Mage Rank: Jade/ Pyramidal
A politically savvy mage tasked with searching out new magical talent and training the next generation of mages, Della No Cozen takes her jobs very seriously. Lord Brant Firestoke
Lord Brant Firestoke
Mage Rank: None
Cube-General Fieldson
Cube-General Fieldson
Mage Rank: None
- Steven Ulysses Perhero: His name is "Fieldson" and he's a general — a man who leads his soldiers on the battlefield.
Castle Staff
Healer Skylark
Healer Skylark
Mage Rank: Saphire/ Unknown Shape
Suncroft's resident healer and the only known blue-mage at the beginning of the book, Healer Skylark is a woman who, now in her seventies, can count decades of experience under her belt. Sam Threadman
Sam Threadman
Mage Rank: None
Muller's valet and a trusted confidant. Sam caters to Muller's desire for sartorial perfection, even if he doesn't understand the reasoning behind Muller's is so obsessed with dressing well.- Steven Ulysses Perhero: The man's name is "Threadman" and he's a valet whose job is to pick out clothes for Prince Muller.
Arkandy Ravensford
Arkandy Ravensford
Mage Rank: None
Hexahedron-major and childhood friend of Muller's. Archer
Archer
Mage Rank: None
Aria
Aria
Mage Rank: None
One of Chime's maids, a trusted confidant and potential romantic interest of Sam Threadman.- Musical Theme Naming: Like other characters associated with Chime, Aria gets a musical name. "Arias" are "long accompanied songs for a solo voice, typically in an opera or oratorio."
Reed
Reed
Mage Rank: None
One of Chime's maids, a trustworthy and loyal servant.- Musical Theme Naming: Like other characters associated with Chime, Reed gets a musical name. "Reeds" are a part of woodwind instruments.
Quill
Quill
Mage Rank: None
Chime's Pyramid-Secretary, who assists Chime in her official duties by transcribing and editing speeches and correspondences.- Steven Ulysses Perhero: What are the chances that someone with the name "Quill" would end up with a job as a secretary?
Aronsdale
Bell Headwind
Bell Headwind
Mage Rank: Unknown, Likely Red
Chime's mother, whose family has run an orchard for generations. Bell admits to having low-level mage powers, mostly the ability to cast simple red spells.- Family Theme Naming: Gave her daughter and one son names having to do with musical instruments just like hers.
- Musical Theme Naming: Named after a percussion instrument.
Appleton Headwind
Appleton Headwind
Mage Rank: None
Chime's father. As is tradition in the Western reaches of Aronsdale, Appleton married into Bell's family, leaving his own to join hers at their orchards.- Edible Theme Naming: His name is Appleton, and Chime's aunt "Maize" is implied to be his sister due to the other Theme Naming used in the stories.
- Steven Ulysses Perhero: "Appleton" marries into a family that owns an orchard — though granted how Jacob's Hollow is an agricultural hamlet, most of the marriageable ladies his age probably came from farming families.
Drummer Headwind
Drummer Headwind
Mage Rank: Unknown, Likely Red
One of Chime's little brothers. Drummer's low-level mage powers inadvertently gave him access to Chime's Psychic Link with Anvil the Forged, resulting in Drummer having dreams about the kidnapping attempts on Chime and Harsdown's military maneuvers in the North.- Family Theme Naming: Like his mother and older sister, Drummer gets a musical theme name.
- Musical Theme Naming: Named after a percussion instrument/ a type of musician.
Hunter Headwind
Hunter Headwind
Mage Rank: Unknown
One of Chime's little brothers. Maize
Maize
Mage Rank: None
Chime's aunt.- Family Theme Naming: Implied — since "Maize" is another name for corn, it's likely that she's Appleton's sister rather than Bell's.
- Edible Theme Naming: "Maize" is another name for corn.
Harsdown
King Varqelle the Cowled
King Varqelle the Cowled
Mage Rank: None
The cruel, bellicose leader of Harsdown, King Varqelle has longed to conquer Aronsdale for as long as he's been in power. He's noted for his cold and callous style of rule, taxing his citizens into poverty, and for the cruelty he inflicted on his wife — enough to make her take their newborn son and flee back to her home in the Misted Cliffs west of Harsdown. Anvil the Forged
Anvil the Forged
Mage Rank: Indigo/ Sphere
A twisted mage with incredible abilities, Anvil is single-minded in his determination to bring about the destruction of Aronsdale through any means necessary.- Bad Powers, Bad People: Anvil has no empathy and no capacity to cast green magic (which deals with the emotions of others). As such, he's immune to the normal limitations of spell-casting that causes mages to suffer when they use magic to directly inflict harm on others.
- The Dragon: Though he has no political power or army at his beck and call, Anvil poses a larger threat to Aronsdale than his "master" King Varqelle and all the troops of Harsdown. He's certainly a more dire threat to the royal family of Aronsdale, given how he's targeting them personally.
- Dragon with an Agenda: Anvil is only working with King Varquelle because their goals overlap, not because he cares about the politics of the Harsdown/Aronsdale conflict. If Harsdown conquers Aronsdale, Anvil gets to destroy the mages of Aronsdale (against whom he has a personal vendetta) and take Chime as his trophy (because he's become obsessed with her Green-spectrum magic).
General Stonehammer
