Vlad Taltos
Assassin · boss
A short Easterner (human) in his twenties, wiry, with dark hair, a pointed clever face, and a thin mustache he is a little too proud of. Olive-pale skin, dark eyes that narrate. He wears black Jhereg-cut clothes that try to look Dragaeran and don’t quite. A rapier. On his left shoulder: Loiosh, a small green-brown winged jhereg. Vlad looks like the shortest dangerous man in a city of giants.
Funny, vengeful, unexpectedly ethical, talks to the reader. Bonded to Loiosh; married to Cawti; tangled with Aliera and Morrolan; the Organization is family until it isn’t.
Loiosh
Jhereg familiar
A small flying reptile the size of a large cat, with a snaky neck, bat-membrane wings, and mottled green-brown scales. Intelligent gold-green eyes, a mouthful of needle teeth that still manage sarcasm. He perches with possessive claws. Not cute-chibi; a venomous familiar with personality. When portrayed alone, still clearly a jhereg, not a dragon.
Insolent, loyal, the better half of Vlad’s courage. Vlad’s familiar and chorus; tolerates Cawti; unimpressed by Dragonlords.
Cawti
Assassin · wife
A human woman of Vlad’s world, lean and precise, with dark hair, a still face, and the posture of someone who has killed professionally. She is not costumed as a seductress; she wears practical black, hair often tied. Brown eyes that go flat in a fight and warm in a kitchen. Easterner height—short beside Dragaerans. A faint scar is allowed, not required. Hands are quick.
Political, deadly, trying to be a person as well as a blade. Vlad’s wife and equal; Loiosh’s second favorite human; the Empire’s Houses are a problem she takes personally.
Aliera e'Kieron
Dragonlord · sorceress
A Dragaeran woman: taller than a human man, fine-boned, with the slightly alien long-lived face of her species—high cheekbones, elegant jaw, hair a true black with a green-black Dragon sheen. Green eyes, often angry. She dresses in House Dragon colors, martial and courtly at once. A Morganti greatsword is part of her silhouette. She looks like she could step on Vlad by accident and apologize later, maybe.
Aristocratic, explosive, brilliant, allergic to being managed. Cousin-complex with Morrolan; fascinates and terrifies Vlad; Cawti is a peer she did not expect.
Morrolan e'Drien
Dragonlord
A very tall Dragaeran lord with long black hair, a pale, hawklike face, and an air of floating slightly above the conversation. High cheekbones, dark eyes, a mouth that does dry wit. He wears black and silver, a cloak, and the suggestion of a keep that exists sideways to the world. Taller than Aliera. He should look like a wizard-prince who also fences.
Courteous, dangerous, collects interesting people like Vlad. Aliera’s cousin and foil; Vlad’s unlikely friend; Loiosh steals his dignity; Cawti reads him correctly.
