- Leino, Pekka's husband, is a practical mage (essentially, an engineer) involved in military-related research. In the early books he is seen only through his wife's eyes, becoming a viewpoint character in his own right only after the demise of Cornelu had created a kind of "vacancy", and Leino's own circumstances took him away from events which the reader was already seeing through Pekka's eyes. As first seen, as still officially a civilian expert in his normal university job, he helps develop a better armour for behemoths (equivalent to tanks). Then he is drafted and participates in a secret project on the austral continent - to turn an iceberg into a ship ( based on an actual, though uncompleted, project undertaken by the allies) called Habbakuk, specifically a dragon carrier which greatly increases the possibilities of bombing the Algravian-held territory and is instrumental in winning the war. Simultaneously with the beginning of Pekka's affair with Fernao, Leino also starts an affair with a Lagoan fellow-mage - Xavega, who at first treats him with haughty disdain, but they are brought together by having been both insulted by the odious King Donalitu of Jelgava, who they were supposed to restore to his throne. Unlike Pekka and Fernao, Leino and Xavega have no emotional hang-ups, never use the word "love" to each other, and do not plan on staying together after the war - but for the time being they enjoy the sex and act as a good magical team. They become, however, overconfident, trusting in superiority of "The New Magic" and fight the Algarvian mages in between bouts of love-making. Underestimating the enemy proves fatal: the Algarvians - with the more crude murder-magic - set a deadly trap, the earth opens under them and the two fall in and get crushed. Leino's death has indirect grave implications for the entire world, as grief and anger at his death - mixed with guilt feeling at having been unfaithful - help instill in the originally-gentle Pekka the ruthlessness needed to magically destroy the Gyongyosian capital and launch this world's equivalent of the nuclear age.
Read more about this topic: List Of Darkness Viewpoint Characters