•
Tamwyn: A young man who has, for the majority of his lifetime, lived in the realm of Rahnawyn with his adopted brother, Scree. He has suspicions that he might be the Dark Child, as he is born in the Dark Year and seems to think there is a hidden darkness in him. His name means Dark Flame in the language of the flamelons, his mother's people. He is also very adventurous. •
Scree: An eagleboy, having the ability to change between human form and that of an eagle. After his mother was murdered, he was adopted by Tamwyn's mother, and raised by her until he was ten years old. As their mother attempted to teach the two the art of portalseeking, wherein the traveler is teleported through the vascular system of Avalon itself, she is killed by the assassin-like birds called ghoulacas. Later, visiting the portal, Tamwyn and Scree are attacked by the birds again; the two boys enter the portal to escape. Tamwyn is sent to Olanabram or Stoneroot, while Scree returns to Rahnawyn or Fireroot. The two then spend the next seven years in search of one another. •
Elliryana Lailoken/Elli: A young and newly minted priestess at the Society of the Whole. Her parents were killed in gnome raids; she was kept in slavery for the majority of her life, clinging to the only remnant of her parents: a harp made by her father, who was a priest in the Society of the Whole, that was later accidentally destroyed by Tamwyn the first day they met. After escaping, shortly before the events of this book took place, she went to the Drumadian compound to become a priestess, hoping to follow in her father's footsteps. Her memories continue to haunt her. •
Nuic: Elli's faithful maryth; one of the diverse creatures voluntarily bound in partnership to Drumadian priests and priestesses. He is an old creature, often referring to ancient events at which he was present. He is a small pinnacle sprite; a rotund mountain-dweller whose color changes according to his thoughts and emotions. He is often sarcastic and impatient, though he is wise and witty. •
Rhita Gawr: A shape-changing, immortal spirit who seeks to dominate all the worlds. He emerges slowly into physical form throughout the first two books. He is arrogant, cruel, egocentric, and prone to undervaluing all whom he meets. •
Olewyn: Though not named until
Shadows on the Stars, he is quite prominent in both books. Appearing several times, he is a mysterious
bard whose knowledge and power far exceeds that which he chooses to reveal. He is notable for his broad, white beard, his skills of music and poetry, and for a creature called a museo, which dwells in his hat. This creature possesses the most musical voice of all voices in Avalon. •
Kulwych: An evil sorcerer who desires to gain totalitarian control of Avalon. He especially hates Merlin, and wishes to rid Avalon of the
wizard's image. He is shown to be a servant of Rhita Gawr. Kulwych is known as White Hands, because he hides his battle-scarred body beneath a cloak, allowing only his perfectly white hands to show. His plan involves the creation of a dam by which to capture the water of
Geyser Crystillia, which has enough eláno to make a crystal. He then plans to corrupt the crystal, making it a thing of destruction, rather than creation. •
Brionna: A young elf from El Urien or Woodroot who is captured by White Hands's arms master, Harlech. She is forced to work on Kulwych's dam. Later, Kulwych blackmails her into stealing the staff Ohnyalei from Scree, who has been its keeper, by threatening the life of her grandfather Tressimir. Brionna obeys, fearing to lose her grandfather. She meets and befriends Shim, a
giant who has become
dwarf-sized under the influence of a curse. Brionna, having stolen Ohnyalei, is betrayed by Kulwych. She later abets the destruction of his dam. •
Henni: Henni is a hoolah; a mischievous, reckless, comical person who sees life as a game. He enjoys seeing people become frustrated or hot-tempered, because they are then excited and therefore appear absurd to him. He fulfills this liking by joining the travelling group consisting of Elli, Nuic, Llynia, Llynia's maryth Fairlyn, and Tamwyn, whom he teases relentlessly. Henni, for his part, becomes more sober as a result of his experiences of violence and danger. ==The supporting characters==