Old bloodlines

Selected families ruled Athera in the early Third Age. Their rule was toppled by the rebellion incited by Davien the Betrayer in 5018. Their descendants hold out to this day as barbarians, living in forests where they are chased by the towns' headhunters.

• s'Ahelas -- Family name for the royal line appointed by the Fellowship Sorcerers in Third Age Year One to rule the High Kingdom of Shand. The half-brothers Arithon s'Ffalenn and Lysaer s'Ilessid have the same s'Ahelas mother. Gifted geas: farsight.
• s'Brydion -- Ruling line of the Dukes of Alestron. This family was the only old blood clansmen to maintain rule of a fortified city through the uprising that defeated the rule of the high kings.
• s'Callient -- Lineage of the caithdeinen of Melhalla, this family was Fellowship-chosen to succeed s'Dieneval after the fall of Tirans.
• s'Dieneval -- This family was the lost lineage of the caithdeinen of Melhalla. The bloodline carried strong talent for prophecy, and was decimated during the sack of Tirans in the uprising, with Egan s'Dieneval's pregnant wife the sole survivor. Her daughter, Meiglin was mother of Dari s'Ahelas, crown heir of Shand.
• s'Ellestrion -- Lineage of the High Kings of Melhalla, the last member of the s'Ellestrion family died in exile in the crossing the Red Desert, following the uprising.
• s'Ffalenn -- This family was the royal line appointed to rule the High Kingdom of Rathain. Arithon s'Ffalenn is the only surviving heir.
• s'Gannley -- This family bears the responsibility of caithdein for Tysan.
• s'Ilessid -- This family was the royal line appointed to rule the High Kingdom of Tysan. Lysaer s'Ilessid is one of several living heirs at the time the story begins.
• s'Lornmein -- This family was the royal line appointed to rule the High Kingdom of Havish.
• s'Taleyn -- This family bears the responsibility of caithdein for Shand.
• s'Valerient -- This family bears the responsibility of caithdein for the kingdom of Rathain.

Main characters

• Arithon s'Ffalenn — A protagonist of the series, Arithon is private, reclusive and resists closeness from most people as a result of his gifted geas of empathy. He possesses the gift of elemental shadow, allowing him to create darkness, extreme cold and shaped illusion on a scale limited only by will and imagination. Like Lysaer, Arithon's lifespan and youth is magically extended by five hundred years.
• Lysaer s'Ilessid — Another protagonist of the series, Lysaer is Arithon's opposite - charming, warm and inspiring. His gifted geas is justice, forcing him to pursue his version of justice against all odds. Lysaer's gift is of elemental light, allowing him to create intense heat and light on a similarly grand scale. Lysaer's life has been lengthened by five hundred years after drinking from Davien's Five Centuries Fountain.
• Dakar the Mad Prophet — Initially in the series, Dakar was an inveterate drunk, who befriended Lysaer and was suspicious of Arithon. Dakar has the gift of prophecy, in which he foretells a conditional future while in a trance.
• Elaira — Elaira is a member of the Koriathain Order.
• Jieret s'Valerient — Arithon's caithdein (seneschal), Jieret has known Arithon since childhood.
• Lirenda — A member of the Koriathain Order, Lirenda hates Arithon and has designed numerous traps to snare him for use by the Order.
• Morriel — The ruler of the Koriathain Order, Morriel is close to the end of an already unnaturally long life Physically weak but capable of powerful magic, she acts in what she believes to be the best interests of the humans living on Athera, to the detriment of the planet itself.

The Mistwraith

The Mistwraith is a malicious entity of parasitic wraiths that gained entry to Athera through the southern Worldsend gate. Originally, it was embodied in a world-shrouding fog that covered the entire planet.

Fellowship of Seven

The Fellowship of Seven is a group of Sorcerers bound to Athera by the summoning dream of the dragons and charged to secure the mysteries that enable Paravian survival. They achieved their redemption from Cianor Sunlord, under the Law of the Major Balance in Second Age Year One. They were the originators and keepers of the Compact made with the Paravian races to allow Mankind's settlement on Athera in Third Age Year One. Their authority backs charter law, upheld by crown justice and clan oversight of the free wilds.

Members

• Asandir — His secondary name is Kingmaker since his hand crowned every High King of Men to rule in the Third Age. After the Mistwraith's conquest, he acted as field agent for the Fellowship's doings across the continent. He is also called the Fiend-quencher, for his reputation for quelling iyats; Storm-breaker and Change-bringer for his past actions when Men first arrived upon Athera.
• Ciladis the Lost — He is the greatest healer among the Fellowship. He left the continent in Third Age 5462 in search of the Paravian races after their disappearance following the rebellion.
• Davien the Betrayer — He was responsible for provoking the great uprising in Third Age Year 5018 that resulted in the fall of the high kings after the Mistwraith's conquest. Rendered discorporate by the Fellowship's judgement in Third Age 5129, he has lived in exile since then by personal choice. Davien's works included the Five Centuries Fountain near Mearth on the splinter world of the Red Desert through West Gate; the shaft at Rockfell Peak, used by the Sorcerers to imprison harmful entities; the Stair on Rockfell Peak; and also, Kewar Tunnel in the Mathorn Mountains.
• Kharadmon — Kharadmon has been discorporate since the rise of Khadrim and Seardluin leveled Paravian stronghold at Ithamon in Second Age 3651. It was by Kharadmon's intervention that the survivors of the attack were sent to safety by means of transfer from the fifth lane power focus.
• Luhaine — Luhaine has been discorporate since the fall of Telmandir in Third Age Year 5018. Luhaine's body was pulled down by the mob while he was in ward trance, covering the escape of the royal heir of Havish.
• Sethvir — He has been The Warden of Althain Tower since Third Age 5100, when the last centaur guardian departed after the Mistwraith's conquest.
• Traithe — Traithe was solely responsible for the closing of South Gate to deny further entry to the Mistwraith. Traithe lost most of his faculties in the process and was left with a limp. Since it is not known whether he can make the transfer into discorporate existence with his powers impaired, he has retained his physical body.

Associates

• Verrain sen Dient — Master Spellbinder and Guardian of Mirthlvain, Verrain resides at Methisle Fortress and keeps watch over the dangerous predators in the swamp. He was trained by Luhaine.
• Dakar — Apprentice Spellbinder to Asandir, Dakar is sometimes called the Mad Prophet.

Koriathain Order

The Koriathain order is an ancient sisterhood that predates Athera. It is a woman-only order that binds members to the crystal matrices that they use to activate their talent. All crystals of the order are stones that were brought to Athera and, as such, are not protected under the Compact (unlike crystals mined on the planet). Koriani crystals have not given consent to their bearers to use them, as such their crystals are often chaotic and have vast trapped energies. In the case of the Great Waystone (which is the most powerful of their crystals) it carries the shades of all past, failed Matriarchs.

The sisterhood draws power from talented children foundlings. Elaira herself was a street child found by them. Male children are released from their service once they reach their majority and they leave, while the girls are bound to the order for life. The order's goal within the Wars of Light and Shadow has always been to break the Compact that prevents them from doing what they believe is their right, which is to meddle in the affairs of the world with their power. During the uprising, the Great Waystone was lost. The order sustains itself by providing acts of magic and healing, but these come with a price. Any action taken by the Koriani must be repaid in kind.

Paravian races

• Athlien Paravians — Sunchildren, akin to elves or pixies
• Ilitharis Paravians — Centaurs, though of enormous stature
• Riathan Paravians — Unicorns