Anasûrimbor Kellhus
A Dûnyain monk sent from Ishuäl to assassinate his father in Shimeh. His ability to read and manipulate people makes him appear compassionate, prophetic, or divine to those he conditions.
Drusas Achamian
A sorcerer and field spy of the School of Mandate. He relives Seswatha's memories of the First Apocalypse and becomes the emotional center of the Consult investigation.
Esmenet
A prostitute in Sumna and Achamian's former lover. Intelligent, perceptive, and socially vulnerable, she sees the consequences of power from below.
Cnaiür urs Skiötha
A violent Scylvendi chieftain haunted by his youthful relationship with Moënghus. He understands Dûnyain manipulation better than anyone around Kellhus but cannot escape it.
Serwë
A young Nymbricani woman rescued from captivity by Cnaiür and Kellhus. Her suffering and desire for meaning make Kellhus's manufactured compassion irresistible to her.
Ikurei Xerius III
Emperor of Nansur, who tries to convert the Holy War into an instrument for restoring his empire's lost territory.
Ikurei Conphas
Xerius's nephew and a gifted, narcissistic general. His victory over the Scylvendi at Kiyuth makes him the emperor's preferred commander for the Holy War.
Maithanet
The enigmatic Shriah of the Thousand Temples. His call for a Holy War unites the Inrithi world and overturns the political balance around the Nansur Empire.
Nersei Proyas
Prince of Conriya, devout leader of the Holy War, former student of Achamian, and friend of Marshal Xinemus.
Krijates Xinemus
Marshal of Attrempus and Achamian's closest friend. His loyalty gives Achamian access to Proyas and the Holy War's leadership.
Inrau
Achamian's former student, who abandoned sorcery for the priesthood. Achamian recruits him to investigate Maithanet, with fatal consequences.
Skeaös
Xerius's trusted imperial adviser. Kellhus's inability to read him exposes the disguise of a Consult skin-spy.
Sarcellus
A Knight of the Tusk who rescues Esmenet during her journey to Momemn. His apparent kindness places her close to the Holy War and its hidden dangers.
Spoiler Warning
The summaries below reveal every major event, including Inrau's death, Kellhus's manipulation of Cnaiür and Serwë, Skeaös's true nature, and the final confirmation that the Consult survives. Chapter headings follow the location-based structure of the original English text.
Prologue — The Wastes of Kûniüri.
In 2147 Year-of-the-Tusk, the Anasûrimbor dynasty dies at Ishuäl while the First Apocalypse destroys the surrounding world. A nameless royal bastard survives the plague and the violence of the refuge. Dûnyain refugees later discover the hidden citadel and take the boy into their new community. Over the next two thousand years, the sect seals Ishuäl from history and devotes itself to conditioning human beings who can apprehend the causes of thought.