Lightwing Characters

A human marked by twelve spirit runes and missing the Serpent's mark stolen by Rissa, Ferris is the spirit singer bound to the Great Elm's task of finding Providence. She can call many spirits, begins as Hendrix Bane's captive, and becomes his ally and lover. She is determined, protective of Rissa, and increasingly willing to bargain, fight, and defy powerful enemies.

Arc: She moves from begging the spirits to help her escape and grieving Rissa to training, bargaining with Azbeth, confronting Providence, and joining the uprising against the Coterie. After Woe tears away her amulets and Sorshana sentences her to the blood games, she vows to find Hendrix again in this life or the next.

• Rissa — her sister, whom she rescued but who stole the Serpent's mark and abandoned her
• Hendrix Bane — her captor, ally, and lover, whom she calls her own
• Amelda — her friend and ally in Hendrix's family
• Azbeth — the Hag she bargains with, traps, and forces into a written contract
• Providence — the spirit she seeks and confronts as the awaited spirit singer
• Great Elm — the spirit that set her task and tied her life to it
• Death — a spirit who wants her soul and later seems weakened in her presence
• Dragon — a spirit ally she rides and questions
• Queen Sorshana — her captor and the queen who steals her amulets and sentences her to the blood games
• Woe — the spirit that tears her twelve amulets away and blocks her spirits

The Necromancer of The Blight, Hendrix Bane is a Fae male cursed with an undead family and power over Death and the Hollows. He is the Crownthief who hid the Last King's crown in the forest ringing the palace in Rivenspire. He begins as Ferris's captor and becomes her partner and lover, obsessed with her and desperate to free his family from Death's curse.

Arc: From brooding over failing the Great Elm and locking Ferris away, he becomes her trainer, protector, and lover, plans an uprising, and releases Providence from the cat's eye crystal. After Woe blocks his Art and Sorshana imprisons him, he despairs while Ferris is taken to the blood games.

• Ferris Creed — his captive, ally, and lover, whom he calls lightwing
• Amelda — his sister
• Kashton — his estranged brother
• Baldrick — his uncle
• Death — the spirit he summons and whose power he wields
• Azbeth — a Hag he bargains with and later keeps captive
• Providence — the spirit he releases from the crystal
• Great Elm — the spirit he failed before and whose task binds him to Ferris
• Queen Sorshana — his enemy and captor
• Islasees Bellatorn — his enemy who seizes Ferris and threatens him
• Woe — the spirit that crushes him and blocks his Art

Ferris's sister, Rissa stole the Serpent's mark and abandoned Ferris, and has been changed by the cursed forest into a creature of vengeance. She rides the Serpent, uses the Lost Children's song to lure Fae, and murders villagers in outer settlements. She rejects Ferris's pleas and insists Ferris must choose between spirits and mortals.

Arc: She shifts from an absent, lost sister to an active and violent antagonist who refuses redemption and escapes underground on the Serpent. Ferris still hopes to restore her mind, and Providence later agrees to that request with a warning.

• Ferris Creed — her sister, whom she rejects and leaves behind
• Serpent — her mount and ally
• Mother — their mother, whom Rissa resents
• Father — their father, whom Rissa resents
• Hendrix Bane — her enemy in the village confrontation

Queen Sorshana is the false ruler of Rivenspire, presented as having claimed the city without being chosen by Providence and as reveling in blood games. She accepts Islasees's betrothal and vows to bring Bane Crownthief to justice. The Lost Crone's account also names Sorshana as helping Arthrun trap Providence with Woe's crystal.

Arc: She moves from public ruler celebrating the broken forest curse to direct tyrant who summons Woe, steals Ferris's amulets, and sentences Ferris to the blood games. She uses public cruelty to punish defiance and reinforce her rule.

• Islasees Bellatorn — her betrothed and consort
• Woe — the spirit she summons and commands
• Ferris Creed — her prisoner and victim in the blood games
• Hendrix Bane — the traitor she orders caged
• Arthrun — co-conspirator in the Lost Crone's account of trapping Providence

Islasees is the Fae who presents a branch as from the Great Elm, claims he broke the forest curse and lost companions to Bane Crownthief, and asks for Sorshana's hand in marriage. He orders Jacabee to lead warriors into the human realm to kill Ferris's family and friends. He later seizes Ferris by the throat, threatens to torture Hendrix, and throws a wooden spear at Ferris in the arena.

Arc: He rises from public claimant to Sorshana's betrothed and consort, then becomes an active captor and enemy of Ferris and Hendrix.

• Queen Sorshana — his queen and betrothed
• Jacabee — his subordinate, ordered to lead the hunt
• Hendrix Bane — his enemy, whom he accuses and threatens
• Ferris Creed — his enemy, whom he seizes and later attacks in the arena

Woe is the spirit of misery who gave Arthrun and Sorshana the cat's eye crystal capable of trapping Providence, in exchange for torment. It resides in the blood games and feeds on misery, and the Lost Crone names it as the creator of the Hags. Summoned by Sorshana, it blocks Ferris's spirits, tears twelve amulets from her, and crushes Hendrix.

Arc: Woe moves from a historical bargain entity behind Providence's imprisonment to an active enforcer for Sorshana who steals Ferris's trapped spirits.

• Queen Sorshana — summons and commands it
• Arthrun — bargained with it for the crystal
• Ferris Creed — targets her and steals her amulets
• Hendrix Bane — overpowers and crushes him
• Providence — the crystal it provided was used to trap him

The Serpent is the spirit whose mark Rissa stole from Ferris, and it becomes Rissa's mount and ally in her campaign of eradication against Fae and humans. It fights the Dragon, sends rock shards flying at Rissa's command, and later bursts from the ground to carry Rissa away. It preaches eradication of mortals out of resentment and blame.

Arc: It moves from a stolen mark to Rissa's active enforcer and escape route, burrowing underground with her when Ferris refuses to join them.

• Rissa — her mount and ally
• Ferris Creed — her enemy and the original bearer of its mark
• Dragon — fights it
• Raven — an ideological opponent

Jacabee is the Fae subordinate Islasees commands to lead warriors into the human realm to kill Ferris's family and friends until she shows herself. Ferris later sees him among three warriors joking about the task and expecting hunting humans to be easy sport.

Arc: He remains a minor hunter sent after Ferris's family, representing Islasees's reach into the human realm.

• Islasees Bellatorn — his superior who orders the hunt
• Ferris Creed — the human fugitive whose family he is sent to hunt

Dorkin Rikes is a Coterie member who recognizes Amelda in battle and threatens to rip her apart. He is killed by Amelda's unleashed grandmother.

Arc: He appears only to threaten Amelda and is killed by the family's undead grandmother.

• Amelda — Coterie enemy he threatens
• Farlan Blackwall — fellow Coterie member

Farlan Blackwall is a Coterie member who suggests ripping Amelda apart piece by piece in battle. He is killed by Amelda's unleashed grandmother.

Arc: He appears only to threaten Amelda and is killed by the family's undead grandmother.

• Amelda — Coterie enemy he threatens
• Dorkin Rikes — fellow Coterie member

Death is the spirit who answers Hendrix's summons, tells him he is master of his Art, and toys with Ferris's soul. She transports Hendrix and Ferris, refuses to enter the palace because she fears something there, and later shows Hendrix a vision of Hollows attacking his family. When Providence blocks Hendrix's Art, she leaves him in his cell.

Arc: She moves from an ominous patron and transporter to a withdrawn spirit when Providence blocks Hendrix's power. She remains close to Ferris's fate and waiting for bloodshed.

• Hendrix Bane — the Necromancer she answers and calls master of his Art
• Ferris Creed — the spirit singer whose soul she wants
• Providence — his power blocks Hendrix's Art
• Queen Sorshana — refers to the queen of lies as having grown too strong

Amelda is Hendrix's undead sister, whose curse dulls her emotions and whose mind is cracking; she often repeats 'tick, tock.' She is curious, provocative, and fond of Ferris, urging Hendrix to see love and happiness. She helps disguise Kashton, fights the Coterie, unleashes their grandmother from her wriggling pack, and flees when the Hollows turn feral.

Arc: She moves from bored spy and troublemaker to Ferris's friend and an active fighter for the family. Her words help break Hendrix's resistance to loving Ferris, and she risks herself in the uprising.

• Hendrix Bane — her brother
• Kashton — her brother
• Baldrick — her uncle
• Ferris Creed — her friend and ally
• Grandma — her grandmother, whom she unleashes in battle
• Dorkin Rikes — a Coterie enemy she has killed via their grandmother
• Farlan Blackwall — a Coterie enemy she has killed via their grandmother

Kashton is Hendrix's estranged brother, bitter and accusing, who blames Hendrix for stealing the crown, killing the king, and causing the family's curse by acting alone. He helps rescue Ferris from the undead attacker, later impersonates Hendrix with a cloak and fake infinity tattoo, and fights the Coterie. When the curse breaks, his heart awakens and he saves Baldrick before fleeing the feral Hollows.

Arc: He moves from refusing amends and taunting Hendrix to fighting beside his family in the uprising. The shared battle begins to heal the rift, though his bitterness remains part of him.

• Hendrix Bane — his estranged brother
• Amelda — his sister
• Baldrick — his uncle, whom he saves when the curse breaks
• Grandma — his grandmother
• Ferris Creed — an ally he watches and later fights beside
• Dorkin Rikes — a Coterie enemy in battle
• Farlan Blackwall — a Coterie enemy in battle

Baldrick is Hendrix's undead uncle and a scholar, comic and hapless, whose bonnet keeps his detachable head in place. He helps Ferris research barnags, Hags, and spirits, and his attempts to die failed even after beheading. In battle his head is cut off and rolls among the fighters, but when the curse breaks his neck wound heals and Kashton forces his head straight so he can breathe.

Arc: He moves from comic undead librarian to battle survivor, and the breaking of the curse restores him enough to flee with his family.

• Hendrix Bane — his nephew
• Amelda — his niece
• Kashton — his nephew
• Mother — his sister
• Grandma — family member

Azbeth is the Hag who bargains with Ferris and Hendrix, taking the Last King's crown and demanding the barnag's head, bones of an innocent and a sinner, and burning moss before she will perform her ritual. She admits she had no real knowledge of Providence and used them to deal with a monster plaguing her home. Ferris later traps her in a water vortex and forces her into an iron-tight written bargain.

Arc: She moves from predatory Hag bargaining for blood and truth to Ferris's captive, bound by a contract she reads aloud and admits she underestimated Ferris.

• Ferris Creed — her bargainer, captor, and enemy
• Hendrix Bane — an old acquaintance and enemy who keeps her trapped
• Death — confirms that Azbeth's tongue is bound on the crown

Providence is the great spirit described as a wanderer interested in humans and Fae, fond of prophecy, who whispered of 'The Last King' to two favored acolytes. Arthrun and Sorshana trapped him in a cat's eye crystal with Woe's help, and Hendrix later smashes the crystal to release him. He reveals the song of forgetting, the placing of Fae and humans on Rathian, and a planned future war between lands.

Arc: He moves from imprisoned legend to released bargainer who agrees to break the curses on Hendrix's family and restore Rissa's mind, warning 'be careful what you wish for.' He vanishes after Ferris releases him.

• Ferris Creed — the awaited spirit singer who confronts and bargains with him
• Hendrix Bane — the Necromancer who releases him
• Arthrun — trapped him in the cat's eye crystal
• Queen Sorshana — helped trap him in the cat's eye crystal
• Woe — provided the crystal used to trap him
• Dragon — calls him the greatest of the spirits

The Dragon is one of the spirits bonded to Ferris through her runes, refusing her first plea to escape because she must fulfill her task and the castle's magic would not welcome spirits. It later answers her questions about Providence, fights the Serpent and the barnag, and carries Ferris and Hendrix in flight. It is angry and stubborn, insisting Ferris is its ally rather than its master.

Arc: It moves from refusing to help Ferris flee to becoming a battle ally and transport, though it remains willful and refuses to come when still angry.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally who calls it 'spirit singer'
• Serpent — fights it behind the wall of fire
• Hendrix Bane — carries him during escapes
• Providence — speaks of him as the greatest of the spirits

The Raven is a spirit ally of Ferris who lifts her into the air, warns her that Rissa and the Serpent are in the village, and explains the bitterness and resentment driving them. It helps carry Rissa away and is wounded by her, then later swoops in to catch Hendrix by the jacket and haul him from a cliff.

Arc: It functions as a recurring rescuer and source of insight, helping Ferris reach Rissa and saving Hendrix on Mount Dracus.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally whose bond lets her feel its pain
• Phoenix — a fellow spirit that joins it in seizing Rissa
• Rissa — carries her away, then is wounded by her
• Hendrix Bane — rescues him from the cliff
• Serpent — opposes its philosophy and actions

The Phoenix is a spirit ally of Ferris who appears at breakfast and knocks Hendrix back, shields kneeling Fae with a ring of fire, and helps snatch Rissa from the Serpent's back. It is wounded by Rissa and forced to retreat, and it later threatens Azbeth during the Hag's bargain.

Arc: It serves as a dramatic protector and attacker for Ferris, appearing when her power surges and suffering injury when it tries to seize Rissa.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally whose bond lets her feel its agony
• Rissa — carries her away, then is wounded by her
• Hendrix Bane — knocks him back when it first appears
• Azbeth — threatens her during the bargain

The Great Elm is the spirit that set Ferris's task of finding Providence and tied her life to completing it, and it has recalled the taking trees after the forest curse broke. Hendrix broods over having failed it before, and its task binds him and Ferris together. Its curse and the small tree's seasons create the countdown threatening Ferris's life.

Arc: It remains an unseen task-setter and source of the curse, driving Ferris and Hendrix toward Providence and the rebellion.

• Ferris Creed — set her task and tied her life to it
• Hendrix Bane — he failed before it and is bound to its task
• Providence — the spirit Ferris is tasked to find

The Lost Crone is the mountain spirit atop Mount Dracus who tests Ferris and Hendrix with an unnatural snowstorm and appears after Ferris praises its beauty. She agrees to answer one question and tells how Arthrun and Sorshana trapped Providence in a cat's eye crystal, bargaining with Woe for it in exchange for the blood games. She was lonely and abandoned by other spirits and turned her back on Rathian after people complained about the weather.

Arc: She grants Ferris the crucial answer about Providence's imprisonment after being flattered, then vanishes and clears the path.

• Ferris Creed — sees her pure heart and grants her one question
• Hendrix Bane — knows him as the Necromancer of The Blight
• Providence — dislikes him for meddling with Fae and humans
• Arthrun — tells how he trapped Providence
• Queen Sorshana — tells how she helped trap Providence
• Woe — tells how its crystal trapped Providence

Arthrun appears in the Lost Crone's story as the seeker who asked Providence to declare him Last King, then trapped Providence in a cat's eye crystal with Sorshana and claimed the throne. He bargained with Woe for the crystal in exchange for the blood games and encouraged the Coterie's twisted games.

Arc: He remains a lore figure whose bargain explains Providence's imprisonment and the crystal hidden in the Queen's quarters.

• Queen Sorshana — co-conspirator in trapping Providence
• Providence — trapped him in the cat's eye crystal
• Woe — bargained with it for the crystal

Cressitina is a Fae rebel leader who asks Hendrix to help overthrow Queen Sorshana and calls him King of the Blight. She reports that a human woman riding a giant serpent spirit is murdering people in outer villages, gives Ferris a map, and later leads the group to a hidden tunnel toward the palace. She charges off to distract guards with Nelly and later kills the blonde Fae maintaining the palace barrier.

Arc: She moves from supplicant rebel to active guide and fighter in the uprising, helping Ferris and Hendrix reach the palace.

• Hendrix Bane — rebel ally who calls him King of the Blight
• Nelly — her companion and fellow rebel
• Ferris Creed — rebel ally and contact
• Queen Sorshana — the queen she wants overthrown

Nelly is a Fae rebel with Cressitina who brings a gift box to Hendrix, describes the tunnel route in detail, and screams when the Wolf appears. He runs at Cressitina's heels and sings a strange battle song with her during the distraction.

Arc: He remains a loyal member of Cressitina's rebel group, aiding the tunnel plan and the distraction.

• Cressitina — his companion and rebel leader
• Hendrix Bane — rebel ally
• Ferris Creed — rebel ally

Mother is Hendrix's undead mother, calm and rational despite cracked skin and a missing hand, and she is the voice of reason in the household. She tells Hendrix that Amelda told them everything and points him to a marked book about lost spirits, and she soothes him about Ferris's power.

Arc: She remains a steady, guiding presence in the cursed family, urging Hendrix to focus on Ferris's training and reassuring him of the spirits' favor.

• Hendrix Bane — her son
• Father — her husband
• Amelda — her daughter
• Kashton — her son
• Baldrick — her brother

Father is Hendrix's undead father, distant and vacant for much of the story, and he does not always seem to recognize Hendrix. He briefly surfaces from his daze to recognize the Phoenix as a spirit of old, order his sons to speak kindly, and declare that Ferris must survive and the Last King is not their concern.

Arc: He remains mostly lost to his daze, but his brief lucid moments reveal his concern for his sons and for Ferris.

• Hendrix Bane — his son, whom he tells to do what is best for Ferris
• Mother — his wife
• Amelda — his daughter
• Kashton — his son, whom he rebukes

Grandma is Hendrix's grandmother, resurrected too long after death, who lurks as the creature in the castle walls and attacks Ferris. Amelda unleashes her from the wriggling backpack in battle, where she kills Dorkin Rikes and Farlan Blackwall and rips through Coterie members. When the curse breaks, clarity returns to her eyes and she flees with Kashton, Amelda, and Baldrick.

Arc: She moves from a mindless wall creature to a devastating family weapon and then to a freed undead woman fleeing the feral Hollows.

• Amelda — her granddaughter who unleashes her
• Kashton — her grandson
• Baldrick — family member
• Hendrix Bane — family member
• Dorkin Rikes — kills him in battle
• Farlan Blackwall — kills him in battle

The Boar is a spirit ally of Ferris who agrees to ask living things for news of Rissa and the Serpent and later keeps Hendrix away from the barnag fight. Ferris also secretly uses the Boar to find the Last King's crown before Hendrix digs it up.

Arc: It remains a reliable spirit ally for tracking, finding hidden things, and keeping Hendrix at a distance when Ferris needs to act alone.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally she calls for help
• Hendrix Bane — meant to be kept away from the barnag fight

The Unicorn is a spirit ally of Ferris who agrees to find her parents and leave a message in flowers assuring them she is safe, while accepting her decision not to tell them about Rissa. It later distracts the guards with flowers and pollen so Ferris and Hendrix can enter Rivenspire.

Arc: It serves as a comforting and practical spirit ally, helping Ferris protect her parents and enter the Fae city.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally she calls for comfort and aid

The Wolf is a spirit ally of Ferris who carries her through Rivenspire in shadow, leaps over the city wall, and runs ahead of the three Fae warriors on the road. It stops when bright sunlight blocks its path and leaves her to continue alone, and it later carries Ferris and Hendrix to the palace.

Arc: It remains a swift, shadowy ally who helps Ferris travel and escape, though it cannot go into sunlight.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally who lets her ride on its back
• Hendrix Bane — carries him with Ferris toward the palace

The Stag is a spirit ally of Ferris who suggests using direborn mushrooms to poison the warriors and tells her to ask the little spirits where to find them. It later carries Ferris and attacks the barnag's flanks with its antlers, opens a chasm and tunnel to save her, and carries her up Mount Dracus.

Arc: It remains a tactical and physical spirit ally, helping Ferris kill the warriors, survive the barnag, and climb the mountain.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally she rides and follows

The Tiger is a spirit ally of Ferris who summons animals to attack the barnag. It is bitten and thrown into a tree, then fades away.

Arc: It appears as a brief but brave ally in the barnag fight, sacrificing itself to help Ferris.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally who fights the barnag for her

The Rat is a spirit ally of Ferris who sends blue butterflies to track the warriors and later swarms Hendrix with insects to block his pursuit of her. It returns Ferris's lost dagger during the barnag fight and its insect spies locate Cressitina and the rebels.

Arc: It remains a resourceful ally for tracking, distraction, and recovering lost things.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally she calls for aid
• Hendrix Bane — swarms him to block his pursuit

The Fox is a spirit ally of Ferris who causes an explosion of flames in the tavern fireplace as a distraction so Ferris can escape. It later lights a dim passage, whimpers when the walls groan, shields kneeling Fae with a ring of fire, warms Ferris on Mount Dracus, and awakens carved symbols in the Queen's quarters.

Arc: It remains a fiery, nimble ally for distraction, light, warmth, and revealing hidden magic.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally she calls for aid

The Bear is a spirit ally of Ferris who is meant to help keep Hendrix away from the barnag fight and later arrives with him after Ferris kills the barnag, cleaning her. It stirs the water vortex trapping Azbeth, and it tries but fails to lift the spirit-born mist on Mount Dracus.

Arc: It remains a strong but limited ally, capable of aiding Ferris in battle and captivity but unable to overcome spirit-born obstacles.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally she calls for help
• Hendrix Bane — meant to be kept away from the barnag fight
• Azbeth — helps stir the water vortex that traps her

The Carp is a minor water spirit ally of Ferris who briefly appears with water splashing from its fins before being snatched away again.

Arc: It appears only briefly as one of Ferris's linked spirits.

• Ferris Creed — a spirit ally linked by a golden chord