List of Otherworld characters

This is a listing of all Otherworld characters in Mark Chadbourn's trilogies The Age of Misrule, The Dark Age and The Kingdom of the Serpent. For human characters, see List of characters in Mark Chadbourn's trilogies.
NB: By their nature, the Tuatha Dé Danann often use several different names. They are listed here by the name they are referred to most frequently within the novels.

Tuatha Dé Danann

Cernunnos

A very powerful member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Cernunnos, the Horned One, Lord of the Dance, Giver of Gifts, is known by many names: Gwynn ap Nudd, White Son of Night, Lord of the Underworld; Woden; the Green Man; Herne the Hunter; Serpent Son; Wish Huntsman; Robin Hood. He represents some of life's fundamental aspects, and is lord of the dark half of the year, his lady the Triple Goddess representing the light half. Under the guise of the Erl-King, he leads the Wild Hunt, and it is in that guise he is trapped by the Fomorii's Wish-Hex, becoming a monster and hounding the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons across all of Britain until he is freed from Fomorii influence by Ruth, using the Spear of Lugh. He grants her his patronage, and 'marks' her to make this clear to other Tuatha Dé Danann, and promises his aid if ever she needs it.

Niamh

Niamh is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann who is closest to humankind; she visits Church many times throughout his childhood life, trying to prepare him for what is to come. When the Wish-Hex strikes, she seeks sanctuary within the Watchtower, a place between the worlds, where she makes contact with Laura DuSantiago, Sister of Dragons, offering her the information she needs to draw Church. Niamh tasks Church and the other Brothers and Sisters of Dragons with retrieving the Four Talismans by which the Tuatha Dé Danann can be recalled to the world, promising him that he will learn the truth behind Marianne's death if he does - a promise that is not upheld, the Tuatha Dé Danann as treacherous as they are beautiful. Although she seems gentle and lovely, she shows hints of great power, such as when she is angry with Church for falling into the hands of the Fomorii, and offers her assistance with some admonishment to help him escape.

Nuada

A powerful Danann, original wielder of Caledfwlch, the Sword hidden at Tintagel, Nuada is a leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is also known as Nuada Airgetlámh, Nudd, Lludd and Lud. He is one of the first to return, and speaks with the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons almost immediately - but only to let them know that the Tuatha Dé Danann are going to remain in this world, and that they are the ones responsible for the various deaths which strengthened the Brothers and Sisters two years ago.

Ogma

A powerful member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, with an almost limitless library of knowledge buried within his mountain, there is almost nothing that Ogma does not know. He bonded with Etain, daughter of the healer Dian Cécht, and the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons turn to him as a healer in Dian Cécht's absence. He is mysterious and enigmatic, but also seems to be fairly close to humanity, maintaining a human appearance when the Brothers and Sisters visit. He is able to remove the Fomorii's Caraprix from Tom and heal Laura's wounds (suffered when Callow attacked her), but leaves Ruth with enigmatic comments regarding the belief systems of the Gods, remarking that there is 'always something higher'.

The Triple Goddess

One of the most powerful of the Tuatha Dé Danann, she appears in three forms: that of an old woman, a young woman, and a teenage girl, representing the sacred feminine in all its forms. She is the patron of the Witches, and lends her particular support to Ruth Gallagher, Sister of Dragons, a powerful Witch who she asks to locate her other half, the being known to Ruth as Cernunnos.

Fomorii

Balor

Greatest and most powerful of the Fomorii, Balor was their greatest fighter in their original war with the Tuatha Dé Danann until he was slain by the Spear of Nuada. Powerful beyond belief, his one eye can cause instant death if it falls upon someone, and he is almost immortal, with very few physical weaknesses. The Fomorii work tirelessly towards the aim of reviving him, hoping to use him to return to their former power.

Calatin

A leader of the Fomorii, with a physical beauty that is more reminiscent of the Golden Ones, the Tuatha Dé Danann, Calatin is a cruel and merciless creature with no hesitation to cause pain and devastation wherever he goes. He is responsible for capturing Marianne's spirit and using it as a lure for Church, and when Church arrives in his clutches below Dartmoor, he subjects him to various terrible tortures in an attempt to glean the location of the Stone of Fal. When this fails, he prepares a plan to allow Church to escape and regain the remaining Talismans, before swooping and claiming them for himself, but before this plan is complete, Church makes his own escape with the help of Niamh of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Once all the talismans are reunited, Calatin uses Tom – under the control of a Fomorii Caraprix – to lead the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons into a trap. Although Calatin hopes to claim the Talismans here, his plans are thwarted by the arrival of Mollecht and his rival group of Fomorii, who seek to gain power over Calatin and his followers. Recovering from this setback, Calatin launches an all-out assault on Dunvegan – where the Bratach Sith, the Fairy Flag through which the Tuatha Dé Danann can be contacted, lies in wait – in an attempt to prevent the Brothers and Sisters from succeeding. He manages to kill Church – albeit briefly – but is not in time to stop the Tuatha Dé Danann's return, and is swept away in the confusion following their arrival.

Mollecht

A powerful Fomorii, Mollecht's twisted experiments into dark power left him so far beyond his original form that the only way to contain the energy that he had become was within a magical, swirling murder of crows, taking the shape of a man. He operates in a different faction of the Fomorii to Calatin, and although he is striving for basically the same end, is desperate to achieve it before Calatain, with much less regard for the Four Talismans. He tracks Church, Ruth and Laura to Avebury, but is thwarted by the Bone Inspector, before travelling to Tintagel in an attempt to kill Church, Veitch and Tom - but is once again thwarted when Tom transports the trio along the ley lines. When Calatin captures the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons in an attempt to acquire the Talismans, Mollecht attacks Calatin's forces, trying to claim them for himself, but both Fomorii armies lose out, as the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons manage to escape with the Talismans intact.

Other

Baobhan Sith

The sentries of the night, these deadly beings take the form of beautiful women to lure passers-by before ripping their throats out. Marshalled by the Fomorii, they attack Tom near Stonehenge when he attempts to scout the land, before venturing into Salisbury in a fruitless search for Church, Ruth and Tom. Later, they trap the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons on an isolated road as part of an elaborate trap to destroy them and the Four Talismans.

Black Shuck

A massive black dog, the size of a small pony, with immense physical strength, Black Shuck is the precursor to the Wild Hunt, a powerful force of wild magic which, once summoned, cannot rest until it claims a soul. Church first encounters Black Shuck in Salisbury, and it attacks once more in a service station before the Hunt finally catches up to it, and hound the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons across Britain until Ruth finally frees Cernunnos from the Fomorii's influence.

Caraprix

A mysterious creature with some kind of link to the higher beings, most Tuatha Dé Danann have one, and they are also used by the Fomorii. Whereas the Fomorii seem to use them as a method of control, placing them in the heads of those they wish to subjugate, the Tuatha Dé Danann seem to see them as companions, often wearing them as part of their clothing and using them as weapons, and appear to view them with some fondness.

Caraprix are agents of Existence itself, and are forged by the lives of Fragile Creatures (humans). Upon the death of a Fragile Creature, its spirit goes to the Gray Lands; the seed of Existence inside becomes a Caraprix.

Fabulous Beasts

A fundamental part of existence, the Fabulous Beasts - also known as dragons - are powerful creatures, avatars of the earth energy known as the Blue Fire, and guardians of the ley lines and old places that criss-cross Britain. They are fiercely wild and independent; although the Fomorii do engage in a draining and powerful ritual to tame one briefly in an attempt to hunt down Church and Ruth, this takes a lot of energy and rules the Fabulous Beasts out as permanent slaves of the Fomorii. Under Avebury, Church, Ruth and Laura encounter the oldest of the Fabulous Beasts, still sleeping in a lake of Blue Fire, waiting for the land to wake.

Ruth's Owl

A mysterious companion, gifted to Ruth by the Triple Goddess as a familiar to help her along her journey, the Owl proves itself useful in several situations - distracting Black Shuck once to give Ruth and Laura chance to escape, accompanying her all the way to Glastonbury, where it guides her, Shavi and Laura after another escape from the Hunt, and even journeying with her to the Far Lands in their attempt to claim the Cauldron of Dagda.

Sea Serpents

Water-dwelling, powerful reptilians, the Sea Serpents have a close bond with the Fomorii, making them much easier for the Fomorii to control than the Fabulous Beasts. One guards the stretch of water between Kyle of Lochalsh and Dunvegan, part of the measures to prevent the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons from reaching the Bratach Sith, but Shavi's Shamanic abilities are able to subdue it to give them enough time to cross.

The Wild Hunt

A force of nature, the Wild Hunt, led by Cernunnos in his aspect as Erl-King, is preceded by Black Shuck and consists of several masked, deadly riders, and a pack of red and white devil dogs known as Yeth Hounds. They chase down their prey relentlessly, and, once summoned, cannot be sated without a soul; even after Ruth frees the Erl-King from the Fomorii's influence, they must still seek out a soul to allow them to retire.