The Door Within Trilogy - Characters

Characters

Aidan Thomas: The main character At first concerned only with his own convenience (or lack thereof), Aidan becomes brave, loyal, and self-sacrificing after he enters Alleble. Invited by King Eliam, he enters the Realm and becomes a knight, in which role he brings Mithegard, one of Alleble's neighbors, to become Alleble's ally in its war with Paragor. A favorite ruse of his, used in the first and third books, is to disguise himself in the livery of Paragor in order to infiltrate the latter's territory. Aidan is revealed in The Final Storm to be one of the 'Three Witnesses'; one of three prophesized heroes who bring about the final end of the said war. Aidan's name as a Witness is "Seeker of the Lost".He is killed by Paragor after he refuses Paragor's offers of wealth and glory; but is revived moments later to defeat Paragor's army. Before he becomes Witness he wields the sword called Fury, which had earlier belonged to his mentor Captain Valithor; but once revived, he wields Adoric, "The Glory Seeker". Aidan is the only Witness to have visited the Realm more than once, and the only one to have returned from it.

Gwenne: A Glimpse swordmaiden of the Elder Guard. One of Aidan's most intimate friends. Gwenne is typically audacious and lighthearted, but can be passionate and reliable. Aidan is very fond of her. Her sword is called Thil Galel ("Daughter of Light" in the language of Glimpses).

Antoinette Lynn Reed: Gwenne's human counterpart. Antoinette is a classmate of Aidan's, who having learned of the war continuing in the Realm is brought to Alleble, where she takes Gwenne's place. As a swordmaiden of Alleble, Antoinette joins a diplomatic mission to revive the faith in Alleble of the vassal Yewland. She is skilled at the art of kendo, rambunctious, and sometimes danger-prone. Her personality is similar to Gwenne's, but lacks Gwenne's emotional maturity. Antoinette is revealed in The Final Storm to be one of the Three Witnesses, one of three prophesized heroes who bring an end to the war between Alleble and Paragory. Antoinette's name as a Witness is "Child of Storms". This is ironic, because Antoinette is said throughout Rise of the Wyrm Lord to have suffered a trauma in near-infancy during a thunderstorm; as a result of this trauma, she is attuned to weather and is instantly aware of an approaching storm and its intensity. The irony may serve to indicate the ability of King Eliam (to whom the Glimpses of Alleble attribute "all that is just and good") to generate positive effects even from the least likely sources. As Witness she wielded the sword Thorinsagaet, the "Storm Bringer".

Black Dragons: Huge, bulky, unwieldy dragons kept by Paragor's people as beasts of burden. Used to carry siege engines from Paragory to targets of its invasions.

Blue Dragons: Alleble's messenger dragons, used only in times of emergency. Known for their speed and stamina.

Butterwing: A dragon known for smooth flight. Mentioned by Mallik in The Final Storm. Later implied to become Nock's mount en route to the Blue Mountains.

Captain Valithor: A Sentinel of Alleble. A powerful figure, known to be almost entirely honest with himself and others; notable for his thunderous voice, his colorful language, and the strict discipline he imposes on his students, the Elder Guard. Captain Valithor's human counterpart is Aidan's grandfather; his son Ravelle is king of Mithegard and the alter-ego of Aidan's father Charles; his grandson Aelic is Aidan's reflection. Captain Valithor is himself killed when Mithegard is sacked by Paragor's army.

Kaliam: A Glimpse warrior who is often called "Pathfinder" and who helps Aidan learn knighthood. In the second book, Kaliam succeeds Captain Valithor as Sentinel of Allble. He is quite compassionate, tall, and capable. He often imitates Valithor in order to admonish his students. In The Final Storm, Kaliam marries the swordmaiden Merewen. At the end, he is appointed ruler of Alleble by King Eliam.

Acsriot: A member of the Elder Guard who betrayed his fellows to Paragor. In order to disrupt a diplomatic mission sent to the city-state Mithegard, he advised the Guard to travel across a wasteland known as the Grimwalk, whose stormy weather scattered the knights. Acsriot then escaped on dragonback, later to join Paragor's army for an attack on Mithegard. There, he fought on Paragor's side and eventually inflicted a mortal wound on Captain Valithor. Moments later, Aidan took Valithor's sword Fury and used it to kill Acsriot. His name is an anagram or play on "Iscariot", the name of a disciple of Jesus who betrayed his mentor.

Count Eogan: A spy from Paragory, who disguises himself as an Alleb envoy and attempts to impose harsh laws on Yewland in order to turn the inhabitants of Yewland against Alleble. He is thwarted in this effort by the mission headed by Kaliam. Later, Eogan approaches Aidan's friend Robby, whom he teaches to perceive Paragor as the injured party of the Great Betrayal, only to have his statements refuted by Aidan. He is later killed by the sword he gave Robby.

Elspeth: An Alleb Glimpse who acts as caretaker to the new recruits among the knights. She is quite talkative, optimistically stoic, and fond of her charges, as well as familiar with most of those to whom she speaks. Elspeth is renowned as a skilled cook; her specialty is a stew much prized among the Elder Guard. She has a very hard time keeping secrets, and is very inquisitive.

Falon: Eldest of the mortiwraiths. Falon dwells in a cavern, where she amuses herself by arranging her body into a maze called Falon's Labyrinth. If Glimpses or humans can navigate this maze without error, Falon will allow them to pass unharmed; if they make mistakes, Falon will eat them. She owes Captain Valithor a debt for his rescue of her daughter from Paragor's knights, which she pays by helping Aidan rescue Gwenne and several Mithegardians from a Paragorian military camp. Her son Faethon tests Antoinette during the latter's training as a swordmaiden. Falon is ultimately killed in a battle with the Wyrm Lord (see below). Because her blood is a toxin, the Wyrm Lord dies upon ingesting it.

Faethon: Last living son of Falon the Great. He tests Antoinette's trust in the King and later is sought by Sentinel Kaliam and Lady Merewen, who wish him to help defeat Paragor. He is not found, and nothing is ever said of his outcome.

Farix: A Glimpse martial artist, known to be a lethal, efficient fighter despite his lack of any weapon other than his limbs. He is capable, as such, of holding his own in a battle and keeping his friends safe.

Gabrielle/Gabby: Gwenne's silver dragon. Brings Aidan to Alleble in the first book. Later serves as Aelic's mount when Gwenne is replaced in the Realm by Antoinette. Gabby is affectionate to most people and loyal to both of her riders. She ultimately dies defending Aelic from the Seven Sleepers.

Grampin: Aidan's paternal grandfather, who uses a wheelchair. He has traveled to the Realm and kept an extensive diary of his journeys there. The death of his parents and loss of his mobility is implied to correspond with Valithor's similar losses of his parents and much of the skin on his hands during the Great Betrayal. Grampin speaks with a broad accent and a firm tone of voice. It is he who encourages Aidan to resume belief in the reality of the Realm, after the belief had been doubted by Aidan's father. He died as a result of Valithor's murder.

Honk: A white dragon from Yewland named in imitation of a sound she uses to name herself. Serves as Antoinette's mount when Antoinette is trying to reform Lord Kearn. Like all dragons in the Realm, Honk is loyal to her rider and understands everything said to her. Dragons of her color and breed are said to be the fastest in the Realm. She is not mentioned after Antoinette's capture by Kearn.

King Eliam: The omniscient, omnipotent, apparently immortal King of Alleble, acknowledged as ruler by non-Glimpse life-forms such as trees. His second-in-command, the Sentinel Paragal, attempted to oust King Eliam and usurp the throne, but was unable to complete his conquest. King Eliam is known to be generous and seldom seen. When he does appear, King Eliam resembles a Glimpse, having long white hair and a long white beard, though both features are often hidden by a brilliant halo. Alone among the Glimpses, King Eliam's eyes do not display the colors of his loyalty. The Knights of Alleble, in particular the Elder Guard (of whom Aidan, Gwenne, and Paragal were members), are fiercely loyal to him. At the end of the series, King Eliam departs from the mortal world, leaving Sentinel Kaliam and swordmaiden Merewen to rule Alleble. His name is derived from the Hebrew Bible.

Mallik: Gigantic Glimpse warrior from the Alleble's vassal kingdom located in the Blue Mountains. His people are known for their skills with mining and stonemasonry. Mallik appears to be brusque and coarse, but is eventually revealed as a big-hearted, gentle giant. He is distinguished by his size and by his gigantic war hammer. Mallik eventually succeeds to the rulership of the Blue Mountains after the death of King Brower.

Merewen: Merewen is a swordmaiden formerly in the service of Paragor, who turned to the Alleb side. She is part of the diplomatic mission to revive the alliance of Yewland to Alleble. As a result of her experiences, her arguments in favor of service to King Eliam are more convincing than are the arguments of those who have been Allebs all along. Merewen eventually marries Kaliam.

Naysmithe: A master swordsmith and former Sentinel of Alleble. He is known to have prepared for the coming of the Three Witnesses by creation of weapons for their use.

Nock and Bolt: Twin archers who grew up in Yewland, a vassal domain of Alleble. As a result of a tradition wherein toddlers are taught to use a bow before they can walk, Nock and Bolt never miss a target. When not practicing their shooting, they enjoy talking/sparring with Mallik. Bolt is killed in battle while defending Mithegard. His death shocks the Queen of Yewland, who was very much attached to him. Nock, at the end of the series, becomes ruler of Yewland after the Queen is killed by Paragor's allies.

Oswyn/Os: Oswyn is a herbalist and a chemist, as well as a knight of Alleble. He is quite friendly and enjoys experimenting with chemicals of all kinds. Several of his concoctions are explosive and therefore used in battle.

Queen Illaria: Queen of Yewland. One of the strongest allies of Alleble. She has exceptionally keen hearing; is generous and indulgent toward nonroyals; is both passionate and cautious; and is known to have had a soft spot for Bolt.

Paragor: The main antagonist. Formerly King Eliam's Sentinel Paragal, who led a rebellion known as the Great Betrayal. Later was banished to a region of the West, where he anointed himself Prince and gathered armies to himself. The change of his name is indicative of the change of his character; in the oldest language of the Glimpses, Paragal means "Pure Light" whereas Paragor means "Pure Darkness". Paragor and King Eliam are constantly vying for the loyalties of the free Glimpses, through whom their political power is achieved. Paragor is vanquished at the end of the series. He is an able sorcerer, though shown to be jealous of King Eliam for keeping supreme power to himself.

Ravelle: King of the city-state Mithegard and son of Captain Valithor. Ravelle, in his youth, became estranged from his father and left Alleble for Mithegard, where he became king through a vaguely described process. His own statements imply that rule of Mithegard is not necessarily inherited, but can be obtained through a "campaign", which word may signify either a coup d'etat or a raising of support for himself among the people. His right to rule remains unchallenged. Ravelle's selfishness caused his wife Ariana and son Aelic to be estranged from him. After the destruction of Mithegard by Paragor's army, Ravelle became a vassal of Alleble. His son Aelic (the Glimpse version of Aidan) later joined the Elder Guard.

Ariana: Wife of King Ravelle of Mithegard. Separated from her husband when they refused to co-operate. Ariana lived in Balesparr for several years, then later reunited with Ravelle before the end of the war — ironically on the very day of Kaliam's marriage to Merewen. Implied to be the alter-ego of Aidan's mother, whose given name is never mentioned.

Aelic: Glimpse knight, son of King Ravelle and grandson of Captain Valithor. Protagonist Aidan's alter-ego. Aelic is similar to Aidan in some ways, but has more skill with words and has made fewer comical mistakes. As a result, Aelic is often embarrassed when reminded of Aidan's errors. He is fond of secondary protagonist Antoinette, but is less reckless than she or Aidan. Aelic is known to favor the stew that is specialty of the palace servant Elspeth.

Robby Pierson: Aidan's best friend in the human world. Athletic, outwardly relaxed, but traumatized by his parents' separation. His Glimpse counterpart Kearn is a servant of Paragor. When Antoinette learns this, she attempts to convert Kearn to King Eliam's side, but in so doing places in danger the mission of which she is part. Robby ishimself later approached by Paragor's servants, who give him good luck in order to convince him to join their side. Robby is later convinced to become a servant of Alleble. He is trained as a knight of the Elder Guard, later to join them as the twelfth member of their group. Robby is revealed in The Final Storm to be one of the Three Witnesses. His name as a Witness is "Dragonfriend", because he alone could tame 'Splinter', the most vicious dragon in the service of Alleble. As Witness he wielded the sword 'Wyrmfel', the "Dragon's Bite".

Kearn: Robby's alter-ego, the son of Rucifel. A highly-ranked servant of Paragor. Kearn believes that the world is a savage place, wherein all creatures constantly take from each other; therefore he is continuously frightened of the idea that if he has not power superior to that of others, the others will take that which he considers precious from him. Antoinette, having recognized him as Robby's counterpart, makes several efforts to persuade Kearn that he should fight on the side of Alleble. Although Kearn is hostile to this suggestion, he makes efforts of his own to understand Antoinette's motives and is gradually converted to her beliefs. During his imprisonment of her, Kearn visits Antoinette many times, in which encounters occurs the debate between them. He shows more mercy and respect toward her than to his other prisoners, to the extent of giving her a sword by which to die fighting her would-be executioners.

Rogan: A warrior from Mithegard who fights on the side of Alleble. Rogan carries a large axe. He is chosen as one of those who assist Antoinette on her journey to Yewland in The Rise of the Wyrm Lord. He becomes a good friend of Nock and Mallik and is often near them in the rest of the series. He is sent to watch Robby on his mission in the King's Forest in The Final Storm to make sure that Robby is a wholehearted follower of King Eliam and later survives the novel's climax.

Rucifel: Paragor's second-in-command. A ruthless, cruel fighter known for using two swords simultaneously. Acts as his Prince's diplomat. His name is an anagram of "Lucifer". His human twin is Kurt Pierson, father of Robby. His son is Lord Kearn, Robby's Glimpse twin.

Swiftwing: A dragon from Alleble. Sent by King Eliam to be Captain Valithor's mount after the captain was nearly killed in a violent "Tempest" created by Paragor. Swiftwing is said to have fought and died in the battle at Mithegard.

Splinter: A dark-colored female dragon, named for the white spines protruding from the back of her head and tip of her tail. Untamable except by Robby. Dies defending him when Alleble is sacked by Paragor's army.

Thrivenbard: A tracker and pathfinder, having skills superior to any other of his trade. Very flexible, co-ordinated, and agile. Blames himself for the loss of anyone whom he guides.

Halberad: Thrivenbard's apprentice, who is often awed by his mentor.

Timera: A Mortiwraith descended of Falon, having the atypical abilities to glide by means of flaps of skin located between her legs (compare to the gliding lizards of the tropics) and to remain unharmed in moonlight and sunlight, which ordinarily activate the toxins in a mortiwraith's blood, killing it. Mentioned only in a chapter of The Final Storm. In this chapter, she is shown enlisting Mallik and Nock to help her build a shelter for her offspring.

Trenna Swiftfoot: Glimpse maiden rescued from slavery by Antoinette. Born and raised in Yewland. Antoinette dubbed her a servant of King Eliam outside of the trading posts known as Baen-Edge. Trenna later became a knight of the Elder Guard. She was presumably killed by Paragor's soldiers during the aerial assault.

Sil Arnoth: Oldest of the Realm's trees. He is a blackwood tree: a species unique to the Realm, so called for its shining black coloration, as large as a Sequoia. Sil Arnoth's growth rings, like those of most blackwood trees, are legible to Glimpses, who can in them read a highly detailed description of the trees' entire history. Sil Arnoth himself is held in reverence by the Glimpses of Yewland, as well as by King Eliam, who hid inside him a scroll revealing the location of that place wherein the Wyrm Lord is imprisoned. He is eventually killed by Paragor, who seeks to discover the location of the Wyrm Lord.

Warriant: "First vanguard", or war-leader, of the Glimpses who dwell, isolated, in Balesparr. His people wish to remain aloof from the wars fought between other Glimpses, until such a position becomes untenable. Although he is nearly neutral, as reflected in his green eyes, for a large part of the book, he eventually becomes a servant of Alleble.

White Dragons: The fastest dragons in the Realm, bred in Yewland. They do not speak either human or Glimpse languages, but are suggested to have a definite language of their own and to understand everything spoken directly to them. These abilities may or may not be shared with other dragons of the Realm; no other is shown exhibiting them, though several are implied to have them.

Wyrm Lord: Oldest of the Realm's dragons, whose envy and hate have corrupted him. In the second book, he arises from long imprisonment (given as a punishment for his murder of Torin, King Eliam's most faithful servant) to aid Paragor. His servants are seven lupine creatures called the Seven Sleepers, who like him have the power of shape-changing. It is suggested that the Wyrm Lord caused the Realm to separate from the readers' world. His 'Black Breath', which obscures vision, creates a frightening backdrop for the Final Storm after which the third book is named. He dies as a result of having ingested the blood of Falon the mortiwraith.

Zabediel/Zabed: A scribe in the service of King Eliam. Zabed has lived for millennia. It was he who wrote on the scroll taken from Sil Arnoth the location of the Wyrm Lord, and the prophecies of Paragor's rise and that of the Three Witnesses. Zabediel is known to have lived, until the third book's beginning, in the secluded village of Balesparr. From there, he was taken by Paragor and imprisoned. He was freed by Aidan and Antionette, to whom he revealed the prophecy, and later killed while trying to escape Paragory. The suffix of his name means "of God" in Hebrew and is commonly used to name angels.