Blood of Truth and Traitors Characters

Rose Kultavaris is the central protagonist, an Issen/Sanning/Morathkian descendant raised as a slum rat and bonded to the dire wolf Fen. She arrives in Isthyr seeking help with inherited ice powers, is hailed as the lost princess, and struggles with identity, poison from the Veil, and protecting her family. She is fierce, secretive about her brother William/Florian, and determined to save Kay and her friends.

Arc: She moves from denying royalty to enduring the Rite of the Veil, learning she is a child of four heritages, completing the Veil, and discovering her mother was the Queenkiller. She becomes a leader who unites allies against the Rottings and Mila while facing an impossible choice between saving William and stopping Mila.

• Kyor — her mate/lover, who calls her Thorn
• Fen — her bonded dire wolf, who calls her Little Raven
• Florian (living as William) — her younger brother, whom she hides and protects
• Kay (Acacia) — her sister
• Magnus — her grandfather
• Ruben — her best friend
• Benny (Lord Benaris Birch) — friend and companion
• Caz (Caroline) — friend and researcher
• Thessa — cousin and companion
• Loch — friend and companion
• Mila — enemy and High Priestess
• Korvane — enemy and Kyor's father
• Ranveeg (Greta Ranveeg) — enemy and captor
• Stefan — trainer turned enemy

Kyor is the Morathkian crown prince and Rose's mate, a storm/lightning wielder bound by a blood vow to his father Korvane. He is protective, conflicted about his father's crimes, and struggles with secrets that magically prevent him from speaking of the Rottings. He uses Robbard's tincture to numb pain.

Arc: He goes from hiding magic and parentage to openly siding with Rose, breaking his vow by stopping his own heart and being revived, denouncing Korvane, and preparing to overthrow him. He grieves his dead soldiers and vows to save William.

• Rose Kultavaris — his mate/lover
• Korvane — his father
• Elska — his bonded dire wolf
• Uzra — ally and trainer
• Benny (Lord Benaris Birch) — friend and ally
• Ruben — former rival turned friend
• Caz (Caroline) — friend
• Thessa — companion
• Loch — companion
• Stefan — enemy
• Ranveeg (Greta Ranveeg) — enemy
• Mila — enemy who bound him

Stefan is an Issen warrior, Rose's trainer, and Magnus's former intended successor. He is ambitious, controlling, and eventually plots Rose's death to take the throne. He is stripped of magic and banished.

Arc: He moves from trainer and political suitor to revealed traitor who lures jétnar to kill Rose, admits he wants to rule, and is punished by Inara and Magnus.

• Rose Kultavaris — trainer and enemy
• Kyor — rival
• Brida — former betrothed
• Magnus — king who punishes him
• Ranveeg (Greta Ranveeg) — ally

General Greta Ranveeg is an Issen general and Brida's mother, hostile to Morathkians and Rose. She leads the expansionists, abuses Brida, and eventually betrays Isthyr by showing Morathkians through the pyrrhic. She kills via suffocation magic.

Arc: She moves from captor and accuser to open traitor, takes Astrid hostage, confesses, and dies cursing Rose after Rose stabs her.

• Brida — her daughter
• Magnus — king she betrays
• Rose Kultavaris — enemy
• Kyor — enemy
• Uzra — rival
• Stefan — ally

Korvane is the Morathkian king, Kyor's father, and a tyrant who seeks the Crystal of Aemnoy and power. He bound Kyor with blood vows, conspired to kill Magnus's wife and daughter, and hunts Sannings. He is the main political enemy.

Arc: He remains off-page but his control over Kyor is broken when Kyor stops his heart; Kyor decides to overthrow him. His search for the crystal and alliance with Mila drive the plot.

• Kyor — his son
• Mila — possible lover/ally
• Magnus — enemy
• Rose Kultavaris — enemy
• Lyda — she distrusted and hated him
• Uzra — former protector

Mila is the High Priestess who stripped Rose's family of magic, wounded Jai, and placed a priestess's binding on Kyor. She holds one of the three daggers and is suspected of controlling Rottings and seeking the Crystal of Aemnoy. She is a major antagonist.

Arc: She remains mostly off-page but her past actions and present threat drive Rose to complete the Veil and plan to take her dagger before Mila takes Rose's.

• Kyor — bound him
• Rose Kultavaris — enemy
• Korvane — possible lover/ally
• Jai — caused his death
• Galreck — uncertain ally/lover

Sanrott is the god who stripped the Sannings of magic and is feared to rise again. The three daggers may be able to kill, bind, or free him. He is the ultimate threat behind the prophecy.

Arc: He remains an off-page divine antagonist whose possible return drives the Last Prophecy and the daggers' importance.

• Sannings — stripped their magic
• Aulia — Torailians want to prevent his rise
• Rose Kultavaris — enemy through prophecy

The Myrkr is a named entity Rose killed, which first called her Child of Four and may be tied to Sanning or priesthood power. It appears connected to the Rottings and the blades. It matters to the prophecy and the greater threat.

Arc: It is killed by Rose, but its words and nature deepen the mystery of her identity and the Great War.

• Rose Kultavaris — killed it and was called Child of Four by it
• Rottings — connected to the threat
• Sannings — possibly connected to their power

Commander Knavin is a female Morathkian knight who leads the demand for Rose's dagger, threatens invasion, and refuses Magnus's mercy. She serves Korvane and Mila.

Arc: She remains an antagonist, delivering the ultimatum that forces the group to suspect betrayal.

• Kyor — knows him from a battlefield
• Korvane — serves him
• Mila — serves her
• Rose Kultavaris — threatens her

Fen is Rose's bonded dire wolf, able to speak into her mind and call her Little Raven. He is protective, often violent in battle, and deeply bonded to Rose so that her death would kill him. He is mated to Elska.

Arc: He supports Rose through training, the Veil, and battles, guards her dagger, fights Morathkians and jétnar, and remains her comforting companion.

• Rose Kultavaris — his bonded human
• Elska — his mate
• Kyor — ally who asks him to guard Rose
• Benny (Lord Benaris Birch) — companion in battle
• Ruben — companion in battle
• Mila — threat to Rose and the dagger

Magnus is the Issen king and Rose's grandfather, a powerful ice mage who believes in judging people by their hearts. He withholds truths about the Veil and Rose's heritage but later tries to make amends. He values peace and refuses to send a child to war.

Arc: He moves from secretive king to apologetic grandfather, revealing Rose's Sanning heritage, hosting allies, and accepting Kyor despite his father. He ultimately tells Rose the Issen will not follow her until she completes the Veil.

• Rose Kultavaris — his granddaughter
• Kyor — guest and ally
• Ranveeg (Greta Ranveeg) — general who betrays him
• Stefan — former intended successor
• Lyda — his wife
• Ingrid (Reeva) — his daughter
• Uzra — ally and general
• Aulia — Torailian trade partner
• Toren — his man

Ruben is Rose's best friend and a former slum rat with fire magic, later revealed to love Benny and fear his low birth will harm Benny politically. He is warm, loyal, and fiercely protective of Benny. He dies saving Benny from a jétunn.

Arc: He goes from supporting Rose and hiding his relationship with Benny to accepting Benny's proposal, then sacrificing himself by channeling Rose's magic into a destructive flame. His funeral becomes a hero's rite of ice and light.

• Rose Kultavaris — her best friend
• Benny (Lord Benaris Birch) — his fiance/lover
• Kay (Acacia) — helped Rose and Kay
• Noleen — his mother
• Stefan — enemy
• Kyor — friend

Benny is Lord Benaris Birch of the Eastern Isles, a detail-oriented noble and Rose's friend. He is witty, politically torn between the Eastern Isles and Rose's group, and deeply in love with Ruben. He investigates rebellion and expansionist plans.

Arc: He moves from flirting with Ruben and questioning Kyor to openly proposing to Ruben and grieving him after Ruben's death. He then joins the plan to overthrow Korvane.

• Ruben — his fiance/lover
• Rose Kultavaris — friend
• Kyor — friend and ally
• Caz (Caroline) — friend
• Thessa — companion
• Loch — friend he supports
• Ranveeg (Greta Ranveeg) — former political contact
• Stefan — former political contact
• Korvane — enemy

Caz is Rose's friend, a scribe/researcher with truth-sensing abilities, and Thessa's companion. She is called Caroline by Thessa and is central to researching the Veil, blades, and prophecy. She cares deeply for her friends and grieves Ruben and Llinos.

Arc: She moves from bookish researcher to keeper of the prophecy, discovering Rose's Sanning heritage and the Veil's poison. She considers staying in Isthyr and supports Rose through grief and battle.

• Rose Kultavaris — friend and researcher
• Thessa — companion/girlfriend
• Benny (Lord Benaris Birch) — friend
• Ruben — friend
• Loch — friend
• Llinos — lost love/friend
• Kyor — ally

Thessa is a Sanning sentinel with a trained memory, grieving Stide and later revealed to be Rose's cousin. She is gentle, traditional, and provides Sanning history about the Gods, Sanrott, and the Myrkr. She receives a bursta brush from Magnus.

Arc: She moves from quiet companion to blood relative of Rose, sharing Sanning history and supporting the group despite grief. She stands by Rose politically and emotionally.

• Rose Kultavaris — cousin and friend
• Caz (Caroline) — girlfriend and companion
• Stide — deceased fellow Sanning
• Magnus — uncle by marriage
• Loch — comforted him

Loch is a sensitive companion who hears magical noise and was left behind in the second trial. He recovers in the healers' quarters and becomes clear-headed, kind, and perceptive. He often warns of approaching threats.

Arc: He moves from panic and rocking to recovery through silence and listening, then supports Benny after Ruben's death and provides warnings about Rottings and Torailians.

• Rose Kultavaris — friend
• Benny (Lord Benaris Birch) — friend he supports
• Ruben — recognized his love for Benny
• Thessa — companion
• Caz (Caroline) — companion
• Fen — slept against him

Florian is Rose's younger brother, believed dead but living in Wrohelm under the name William as one of Artur's wards. He has Issen lace patterns and is central to Rose's motivation. He is trapped/kidnapped and in danger.

Arc: He is hidden by Rose, protected by Jonas, exposed in dreams and visions as having Issen markings, and finally shown trapped in a basement. His rescue becomes Rose's impossible choice.

• Rose Kultavaris — his older sister
• Kay (Acacia) — his sister
• Jonas — his protector
• Magnus — his grandfather
• Kyor — vows to save him

Kay, also called Acacia, is Rose's younger sister, married to Jonas and living in Wrohelm/High Hold. She becomes pregnant, loses the baby, and later manifests dangerous unknown magic. She relies on Rose and William.

Arc: She moves from pregnant sister to grieving mother fearing her magic caused the miscarriage, then trains with Jonas and longs for Rose and William. She represents Rose's family duty.

• Rose Kultavaris — her sister
• Jonas — her husband
• Florian (living as William) — her brother
• Magnus — great-grandfather of her expected child

Brida is Ranveeg's daughter, initially hostile to Rose and jealous, but later becomes an uneasy ally. She caused the chandelier and suffocation attacks out of humiliation and fear of her abusive mother. She is ashamed of Stefan and volunteers to carry Kyor's message.

Arc: She moves from attempted killer to cooperating ally, helping Rose spy on Torailians and disguise herself to contact Kyor's loyal Morathkians.

• Ranveeg (Greta Ranveeg) — her mother
• Rose Kultavaris — former enemy turned uneasy ally
• Stefan — former betrothed
• Caz (Caroline) — watches over her
• Kyor — carries his message

Uzra is a Morathkian defector and former knight of Korvane, now an Issen general and ally to Rose. He completed the Veil, values honor, and helps train Kyor. He is grandfather to Orla.

Arc: He moves from testing Kyor to openly supporting Rose, revealing the truth about Korvane and fighting alongside Kyor. He remains a trusted older ally.

• Kyor — ally and trainer
• Rose Kultavaris — ally
• Orla — his granddaughter
• Magnus — ally
• Korvane — former king

Toren is an Issen warrior and king's messenger who reverently calls Rose Your Highness. He guides, chaperones, and protects Rose and Kyor. He is uncle to Linnea.

Arc: He remains loyal to Magnus and Rose, escorting them, defending them from crowds, and obeying Rose's battle orders. Oel speaks through his body during the second stage.

• Rose Kultavaris — guide and ally
• Magnus — his king
• Linnea — his niece
• Brida — not friends
• Kyor — ally

Aulia is a Torailian leader who first tried to kill Rose but later recognizes her as the Child of Four/Skakka. She delivers the Last Prophecy, offers Torailian fighters, and pledges to follow Rose. She represents a shifting alliance.

Arc: She moves from antagonist to ally, apologizing with gifts and agreeing to protect Isthyr and take the dagger to Caz if Rose loses.

• Rose Kultavaris — Skakka and ally
• Magnus — trade partner
• Caz (Caroline) — ordered to receive the dagger
• Torailians — their leader

Elska is Kyor's bonded dire wolf, Fen's mate, and a fierce fighter. She is protective of Kyor and communicates mind-to-mind. She helps search for threats and carries the injured.

Arc: She supports Kyor and Rose through training, battles, and grief, staying with Kyor and helping locate the shade.

• Kyor — her bonded human
• Fen — her mate
• Rose Kultavaris — companion
• Caz (Caroline) — familiar face

Jonas is Kay's husband and a Wrohelm court figure. He married Kay to protect her from marrying his father and protected Florian/William like a brother. Rose trusts him, though Kyor distrusts his court ties.

Arc: He comforts Kay after her miscarriage, helps her train her magic, promises secrecy, and remains a protective family figure.

• Kay (Acacia) — her husband
• Rose Kultavaris — her sister's husband
• Florian (living as William) — protected him like a brother
• Kyor — distrusted by Kyor

Ingrid, known as Reeva, is Rose and Kay's mother, daughter of Magnus and Lyda. She suppressed her children's magic, took a potion to remove memories, and died after illness. Veil visions reveal she conspired with Dinah to kill Kyor's mother.

Arc: She moves from beloved dead mother to tragic Queenkiller whose secrets shaped Rose's life. Her past becomes a source of pain and identity for Rose.

• Rose Kultavaris — her daughter
• Kay (Acacia) — her daughter
• Magnus — her father
• Lyda — her mother
• Dinah — co-conspirator
• Kyor's mother — victim

Dinah is a priestess and grandmother figure who gave Rose her special dagger and raised/advised Reeva. She instructed Reeva to dose Rose with magic-suppressing tonic and to attend the queen's labour. Rose now suspects Dinah manipulated her family.

Arc: She moves from trusted protector to suspected manipulator and co-conspirator in the queen's death. Her motives remain unclear.

• Rose Kultavaris — ward and grandmother figure
• Ingrid (Reeva) — advisor and co-conspirator
• Kyor's mother — victim
• Etta — spoke through her

Oel is the God of Order and Logic who speaks through Toren's body in the Veil. He calls Rose Child of Four and Child of Etta, gives her a painful gift of Issen magic, and speaks of a coming Great War. He says the Gods are watching her.

Arc: He remains a divine force who gifts Rose power and expects her involvement in the Great War.

• Rose Kultavaris — chosen and gifted
• Etta — referenced as the source of Rose's other gift
• Toren — speaks through his body

Etta is the Goddess of Life, prayed to by Rose and connected to the Sanning history and the three blades. Her priestesses took Noleen and Evelina, who became Rottings. She does not answer Rose directly.

Arc: She remains an absent divine figure whose gifts and priestesses cause hope and suspicion.

• Rose Kultavaris — goddess she prays to
• Dinah — spoke through her
• Oel — calls Rose Child of Etta
• Sannings — gifted the blades

Lyda was Magnus's wife and Rose's grandmother, found near frozen with the priestess Frida and brought to Isthyr. She distrusted Korvane, fled with Ingrid, and wrote a farewell letter Magnus burned. She is central to Rose's hidden heritage.

Arc: She is revealed through Magnus's account, explaining how Ingrid ended up abandoned and how Rose's bloodline was hidden.

• Magnus — her husband
• Ingrid (Reeva) — her daughter
• Rose Kultavaris — her granddaughter
• Frida — found with her
• Korvane — she distrusted him

Frida was a Morathkian priestess found with Lyda and brought to Isthyr. She left after less than a moon without Lyda. She is one of Etta's marked.

Arc: She appears in Magnus's account as a piece of the mystery around Lyda and Ingrid.

• Lyda — found and sheltered with her
• Magnus — guest
• Etta — marked as one of hers

Orla is Uzra's granddaughter, obsessed with dire wolves and able to restart a heart. She revives Kyor after he stops his own heart to break his vow. She is a child ally with a rare gift.

Arc: She moves from background child to crucial healer by saving Kyor, then receives apology food from Rose.

• Uzra — her grandfather
• Kyor — revived him
• Rose Kultavaris — coached her
• Linnea — child friend

Linnea is Toren's niece, a child who gives Rose a spelled ice wolf sculpture and later asks Rose to bring her father back from the war. Rose names a giant ice wolf after her.

Arc: She appears as a hopeful child whose request adds emotional weight to Rose's burden.

• Toren — her uncle
• Rose Kultavaris — gave her a gift and named an ice wolf after her
• Orla — child friend

Astrid is an Issen guard who escorts Rose, creates ice sculptures, and fights with loyalty. She is taken hostage by Ranveeg and later joins the combined Issen magic to raise the wall.

Arc: She remains a loyal guard, moving from chaperone to battle defender.

• Rose Kultavaris — guard and ally
• Toren — fellow guard
• Kyor — receives orders from him
• Ranveeg (Greta Ranveeg) — taken hostage by her

Ylva is Magnus's housekeeper and the group's chaperone, watchful and proper. She later reveals ice flails and fights for Isthyr at the pyrrhic. She addresses Rose as Princess.

Arc: She moves from hospitality and chaperoning to active combatant, showing loyalty to Rose.

• Magnus — his housekeeper
• Rose Kultavaris — chaperone and ally
• Caz (Caroline) — fetches her
• Thessa — fetches her

Nettie is an Issen healer who treats Rose's broken ankle, aches, and Benny's injuries. She cannot touch the poison in Rose's Veil marks.

Arc: She remains a helpful healer whose limits highlight the Veil's danger.

• Rose Kultavaris — healer
• Benny (Lord Benaris Birch) — healer
• Ruben — mourns him

Tove is a librarian who helps Caz research and offers the librarians' magic for Ruben's funeral. Ruben had visited the library and was well liked.

Arc: She supports the group's research and mourning.

• Caz (Caroline) — research help
• Rose Kultavaris — offers condolences and aid
• Ruben — knew and liked him

Inara is an Issen who obeys Magnus and strips Stefan's magic by placing her hands on his head. She is an instrument of Issen justice.

Arc: She appears to punish Stefan for plotting Rose's death.

• Magnus — king she obeys
• Stefan — stripped his magic

Galreck is a named holder or source of one of the three daggers and is discussed as possibly connected to Mila. Kyor proposes getting the dagger from him. Rottings attack Galreck.

Arc: Galreck remains off-page but becomes a destination and a source of the final dagger.

• Kyor — proposes retrieving the dagger from him
• Mila — uncertain ally or lover

Ryne is one of Kyor's trusted Morathkian knights who brought news that they found what they were looking for. Kyor trusts her enough to send Brida with a message to loyal Morathkians.

Arc: She is mentioned as a loyal contact in Kyor's plan to rally Morathkians.

• Kyor — his knight and trusted ally

Llinos, sometimes Llin, is Rose's deceased best friend and also someone Caz grieved as a lost love or friend. Her death haunts both Rose and Caz. She appears in Rose's imagination urging her not to give up.

Arc: She remains a memory that comforts and wounds, motivating Rose and Caz.

• Rose Kultavaris — deceased best friend
• Caz (Caroline) — lost love or friend

Jai was a Rettling from the Eastern Isles who died in the Sunken Temple after Mila's blade wound caused endless bleeding. His death links Mila to the daggers.

Arc: He exists in memory as a victim of Mila's blade, helping Rose understand the daggers' danger.

• Mila — killed by her blade
• Rose Kultavaris — fellow Rettling

Noleen is Ruben's mother, who was sick and taken by Etta's priestesses. Rose later sees her as one of the Rottings. Her fate fuels Ruben's grief and Rose's suspicion of priestesses.

Arc: She is revealed as a Rotting, deepening the mystery of the priestesses and Rottings.

• Ruben — her son
• Rose Kultavaris — saw her as a Rotting
• priestesses — took her

Evelina was Corem's late wife and Rose's former neighbor, last seen as a Rotting pillar with mottled green skin. Her fate shows the Rottings' reach.

Arc: She remains a Rotting, connecting Rose's old life to the current threat.

• Corem — her husband
• Rose Kultavaris — former neighbor who saw her as a Rotting

Corem is Rose's former neighbor in Wrohelm, last seen on the way out; Rose gave him food to hand out. His wife Evelina became a Rotting.

Arc: He appears as a reminder of Rose's old life and the cost of the Rottings.

• Rose Kultavaris — former neighbor
• Evelina — his late wife

Stide was a Sanning who recently died and whose loss Thessa grieves. Thessa and Caz say they owe their lives to the other Sanning. Stide's absence adds to Thessa's pain.

Arc: Stide remains a remembered loss that shapes Thessa's grief and the Sanning survivors' burden.

• Thessa — fellow Sanning who mourns her
• Caz (Caroline) — owed her life to Stide

Hesta is an Issen chaperone who guides Rose and Kyor, relays Stefan's apology, and shows repulsion toward Kyor. She follows orders but disapproves.

Arc: She remains a minor chaperone figure.

• Brida — takes over chaperoning from her
• Rose Kultavaris — chaperone
• Kyor — repulsed by him

William is Rose's father, seen in Veil visions holding baby Florian and calling Rose Rosebud. He is Reeva's husband and believed Rose would be a great healer. He is deceased.

Arc: He appears in memory and vision as a loving father, part of Rose's lost family.

• Rose Kultavaris — his daughter
• Ingrid (Reeva) — his wife
• Florian (living as William) — his son