List of minor The Circle Opens characters
This is a list of minor characters who appear in The Circle Opens quartet by Tamora Pierce: Magic Steps, Street Magic, Cold Fire and Shatterglass. Other characters in the Emelan universe do not appear in these books, but appear in the Circle of Magic quartet or in The Will of the Empress.
Magic Steps
Pasco's family
Abbas Qais is Pasco’s maternal grandfather, a harrier (officer of Summersea law-enforcement).
Edoar Acalon is Pasco’s paternal grandfather, a harrier. He is involved with training the Acalon family children to become harriers themselves.
Haidaycie (Haiday) and Rehana are Pasco’s cousin (parentage and surnames unknown). Through an accidental magical working, Pasco causes them to become trapped three feet in the air, and has to run and fetch Sandry to fix his mistake, despite having previously refused her offer to become his teacher.
Halmaedy (Halmy) Acalon is Pasco’s elder sister, a harrier.
Captain Isman Qais is Pasco’s maternal uncle. He is the harrier who first discovers and reports the murder of Jamar Rokat, and also the officer who interviews Sandry after Wulfric Snaptrap's death.
Maccarin Acalon is Pasco's father, a harrier.
Vanido (Vani) is one of Pasco’s older male cousins, who beats him up during baton practice while his mother isn't watching, complains about him watching dancers in the market when he should be doing chores, and teases him about his interest in dancing, calling him "Tippy Feet". Along with Haidy and Rehana, he becomes trapped in midair when Pasco accidentally performs a spell on them that he cannot reverse, but unlike them, he remains surly and objectionable throughout the incident, going so far as to threaten Pasco. The threats distress Pasco to the point of revealing Vani's longtime bullying, bringing him under the sanction of the adults of the family.
Zahra Qais is Pasco's mother, a harrier and the family member in charge of training the family children in the skills necessary for a member of the Provost's Guard. She is initially dismayed at her son's choice of career, she is eventually convinced by Sandry that his continued magical education is necessary, and embraces his talent.
Provost's Guard
Behazin is a harrier-mage, ranking captain, and a member of Wulfric Snaptrap's team.
Guryil and Lebua are the guards appointed to Qasam Rokat by the Duke. During the attack on Qasam Rokat, Guryil is injured and touched by Unmagic.
Kwaben and Oama are the bodyguards who are assigned to watch Lady Sandrilene fa Toren when she moves into the Ducal Citadel, much to her ire.
Ulrina is a harrier-mage, ranking lieutenant, and a member of Wulfric Snaptrap's team.
Wulfric Snaptrap is a prominent and high-ranking harrier-mage who is assigned to investigate the Rokat murder spree. He gratefully accepts Sandry's help in the investigation and her expertise as an ambient mage, and marvels at the financial resources at her disposal, compared to the Provost's Guard's frugal bureaucracy. He is killed by Nurhar Dihanur in the course of the investigation, when he walks into the Dihanur assassins' hiding place without verifying its safety, first.
Rokat and Dihanur family
Alzena and Nurhar Dihanur are assassins on behalf of the Dihanur crime family. They rescue a young unmage from pirates, earning his gratitude, but later enslave him and use his Unmagic to break into houses undetected an assassinate members of the Rokat crime family. Both become gradually consumed by Unmagic and Dragonsalt, the fictional illegal drug they used to sedate the unmage.
Durshan Rokat is a Summersea resident of the Rokat crime family who volunteers for Wulfric Snaptrap's sting operation to catch the Dihanur assassins.
Fariji Rokat is a clerk for the Rokat family, murdered by the Dihanur assassins along with his wife and children.
Jamar Rokat is a myrrh trader, originally from Bihan, whose presence and business in Summersea Duke Vedris only tolerates because it excludes the illegal aspects of the Rokat crime family's business. The Duke makes his disdain known when Jamar greets him during one of his rides through Summersea. Later that day, Jamar becomes the first victim of a spree of assassinations by the rival Dihanur crime family; he is beheaded and his severed head nested, hanging from the ceiling, in his signature turban.
Palaq Dihanur is the patriarch of the Dihanur family. His murder at the hands of Jamaal Rokat over a marriage dispute triggers a wave of revenge killings by members of the Dihanur family. His severed head was displayed on the city walls.
Qasam Rokat is the brother of Jamar and Jamaal Rokat, an accountant for the Rokat family. After his brother's murder he is assigned a guard by the Duke, but is still murdered on the street, his head removed and displayed on the Market Square fountain, much to Duke Vedris's anger and frustration.
Emelanese nobility
Baron Erdogun fer Baigh is Duke Vedris's seneschal. Together with Sandry, he manages the affairs of the Ducal Citadel and emotionally blackmails the Duke to maintain his health and forsake his former workaholic habits.
Lord Frantsen fer Toren is Duke Vedris's son and heir. Baron Erdogun hols a very low opinion of him. Note: In The Will of the Empress the Duke's heir is referred to as Franzen, rather than Frantsen.
Duke Vedris IV is the ruler of Emelan and Sandry's great-uncle. Following a recent heart attack and continued bad health, he is partially under Sandry's care and encouraged by her to delegate some of his many duties, decrease his work-load and take better care of his health. When the Provost's Guard fails to prevent their continued assassination, he allows every member of the Rokat family in Summersea to be sheltered in his citadel under protective custody, of sorts.
Dancers
Thandi is a student in Yazmín Hebet’s dancing school.
Wamuko is another student in Yazmín Hebet’s dancing school.
Yazmín Hebet is a retired dancer, once renowned around the Pebbled Sea, now the owner and primary teacher of a dance school. Friends from youth with Dedicate Lark of Winding Circle, she is Lark's recommendation as Pasco Acalon's second teacher, since his primary teacher, Sandrilene fa Toren, is a mage, but not a dancer.
Other characters
Adesina a woman whose childbirth was reputedly eased when Pasco Acalon danced a luck dance for her. Prior to discovering his magic, Pasco maintains that his dance had nothing to do with the coincidental presence of a trained Winding Circle midwife in the neighborhood.
Comas is a Winding Circle novice and ambient thread mage who becomes Dedicate Lark's new student. Sandry volunteers to let him use her former bedroom in Discipline Cottage because of his debilitating shyness.
Osabo (Osa) Netmender is a friend of Pasco Acalon, the son of a Summersea fishing family. When Osa asks Pasco to dance a luck dance and help his family's daily takings, Pasco's magic is discovered by Sandrilene fa Toren, a young accredited mage who is henceforth committed to his education.
Dedicate Vetiver is the First Dedicate of the earth temple in Winding Circle, and Lark’s former teacher.
Street Magic
Vipers
Ikrum Fazhal is the tesku, or leader, of the Vipers when Lady Zenadia takes an interest in them. He is terrified of the lady but also slightly infatuated with her wealth and grace. He is killed when Evvy causes a ceiling in Lady Zenadia's mansion to collapse on him.
Orlana, a Viper who is allergic to roses. When she is sent by Ikrum to spy on Briar, he corners her on a roof with potted plants and uses his green magic to cause especially large roses to bloom right in her face, until she suffers an allergic reaction so severe that all her senses are impaired.
Sajiv is a Viper assaulted by the Camelguts when he infringes on their territory.
The Mute is a nameless servant of Lady Zenadia, apparently a eunuch. Acting as the lady's personal assassin, he sneaks up on people from behind and strangles them with a silk cord. The bodies of the victims are then used as fertilizer in the lady's garden.
Ubayid is Lady Zenadia's personal armsmaster, who protects her estate and provides the Vipers with clubs and other weapons at her behest.
Lady Zenadia doa Attaneh is a middle aged Chammuran noblewoman, widowed of her husband and her children grown, whose boredom leads her to adopt a failing street gang. Providing them with training, weapons, healing and other comforts, she becomes determined to see the Vipers as the most powerful gang in Chammur. For a long time she escapes prosectution, being the aunt of the Emir of Chammur, but eventually she comes under the City Guard's suspicion. When the Vipers discover the young stone mage Evumeimei Dingzai, Zenadia first attempts to adopt her legally, then orders the Vipers to kidnap her. She commits suicide when Evvy's absence is discovered by her teacher, Briar Moss, and he comes to the lady's mansion to retrieve her.
Other gang members
Ayasha, a Camelgut who flirts with Briar.
Douna, a Camelgut.
Hammit, a Camelgut who Briar treats for injuries, free of charge. He introduces Briar to his gang, asking for his help tending injuries when the Camelguts are attacked by the Vipers. When he dies, Briar puts copper coins on his eyes as a sign of respect.
Mai, a Camelgut who asks for Briar's professional help as a healer.
Chammuran officials
Jebilu Stoneslicer is the official ambient stone mage for the emir of Chammur, and the only stone mage in the city. When Briar approaches him to become Evvy's teacher, he reluctantly interviews her, and Briar observes that he appears to be nervous at the fact the Evvy's stone magic is stronger than his own. Evvy dislikes him instantly, awarding him the disparaging nickname "Jooba Hooba". His patronizing attitude at the idea of teaching a girl who grew up on the streets causes Evvy to refuse to become his student, which in turn forces Briar to teach her himself.
Mutabir Kemit doen Polumri is the commander of the Chammur City Watch. He interviews Briar with regards to Lady Zenadia and her suspected involvement with street gangs.
Pahan Turaba Guardsall is the Mutabir's mage, who questions Briar with him.
Other characters
Asa, Apricot, Ball, Monster, Mystery, and Ria' are six of Evvy's seven cats. While she is living in the caves of Chammur's Old Town, they live with her and she feeds them cheap scrap meat. When Evvy leaves Chammur with Briar Moss, he uses magically-enhanced catnip to lull them enough to get them into carry-baskets.
Nahim Zineer is a seller of semi-precious stones in Chammur's Grand Bazaar. He routinely pays Evvy small coins to polish gemstones at his stall, claiming that she ones she picks sell more quickly. He either doesn't know or suspects and deliberately ignores her ambient stone magic.
Qinling is an old Yanjingyi beggar in Chammur's Old Town. She knows Evvy and speaks Zhanzhou, her native language, with her.
Cold Fire
Bancanor household
Anyussa is the Bancanor family's cook. She teaches Jorality Bancanor how to cook before Jory's magic is discovered, and when Jory begins studying cooking magic, her new teacher commends Anyussa's cooking methods. She also has an affair with Dedicate Frostpine during his stay in Bancanor House.
Eidart Bancanor is the only son of the Bancanor family, five years old at the time of Cold Fire.
Kolborn (Kol) Bancanor is the head of the Kugisko Goldsmiths' Guild and Frostpine's former roommate when they were students. Belongs to a family of prosperous goldsmiths.
Matazidah (Matazi) Bancanor is Kol's wife, a former seamstress, who attended university with Frospine and Kol, and married Kol when they were both poor students. Upon her arrival at his home city of Kugisko, she was surprised to discover that her husband belonged to a family of wealthy goldsmiths. Matazi has become a prominent socialite and hostess, and a trend-setter for all of Kugisko's elite.
Peigi Bancanor is the younger daughter of the Bancanor family, eight years old at the time of Cold Fire.
Serg is the Bancanor family's sled driver. Daja, Nia and Jory spend a great deal of time with him when they are interviewing teachers.
Ladradun household
Bennat (Ben) Ladradun is a volunteer firefighter in Kugisko, the head of an operation that he developed and nurtured almost single-handedly after his wife and children died in a house fire. He befriends metal- and fire-mage Daja Kisubo during her stay in the city, and develops a sort of infatuation with her. When funding for his firefighting operation starts to fail, he takes to arson, deliberately setting fires of increasing scope and victims. His use of the fire-proof living metal gloves that Daja makes him eventually incriminates him, and he is tried, convicted and sentenced to be burnt at the stake.
Kofrinna Ladradun is Ben's dead wife. The skeleton of her hand, with the gold wedding ring fused to one finger-bone, survives the fire, and Ben keeps it as a reminder of her death, alongside trophies from fires he managed to contain.
Morrachane Ladradun is Ben's mother, the woman in charge of Ladradun House's estates. She is a stingy employer who refuses to heat her house and shops, claiming that employees turn out better work when they're cold. Abusive towards her son, verbally during his entire life and physically up until his marriage, she is eventually murdered by him in a manner that is not specified, although it causes Daja to turn away and vomit into a nearby vase. The only people Morrachane ever showed kindness to, and in abundance, are Jorality and Niamara Bancanor.
Mages
Arnen is an advanced student of carpentry-mage Camoc Oakburn. When he leaves Camoc's service to open his own business, he takes on Niamara Bancanor, who liked him instantly, as his apprentice.
Ashstaff is a Kugiskan wood mage. Daja Kisubo is advised against securing his teaching services for her student Nia on grounds that his health is weak and he suffers from heart attacks.
Beechbranch is a Kugiskan wood mage. Daja Kisubo is advised against securing his teaching services for her student Nia on grounds that he is an alcoholic and abusive when drunk.
Deliellen Stomwalker is a legendary staff-wielding mage from Kugisko. Nia and Jory Bancanor compare the magical use of her staff to Daja's Trader's staff.
Eoban is a member of the Kugisko Mages' Society who does not believe Daja when she says she's an accredited mage, due to her age.
Heluda Salt is a magistrate-mage in Kugisko. She initiates an investigation of gold coin forgery with Dedicate Frostpine, but moves on to investigate the arsons committed by Ben Ladradun, when a trace of magic he used leads her back to Daja.
Inagru and Valerian are cooking-mages in Kugisko that Daja forces Jory to meet, even though Jory has already set her mind on being taught by Olennika Potcracker.
Northice is the head of the Kugisko Mages' Society, who invited Frostpine to attend the society's gatherings.
Olennika Potcracker is a cooking-mage who runs Yorgiry's House, a volunteer-run hospital and soup kitchen. She was once the personal chef for the empress of Namorn, but quit her position and used her earnings to open and maintain Yorgiry's House. Jory insists on becoming her student, and eventually succeeds in convincing the demanding mage that she will live up to her high standards.
Pawel Godsforge is a famous fire-mage. Ben Ladradun studied with him prior to founding Kugisko's firefighting brigade.
Other characters
Chiora Jossaryk is the mistress of Alacut Councilman Romachko Skuretty. House Jossaryk is set on fire by Ben Ladradun as part revenge, part warning for the fact that Skuretty refuses Ben's firefighters additional funds.
Gruzha is a blind girl that is trapped in the orphanage fire. When Daja enters the burning orphanage to carry her out, Gruzha emerges crying for the fate of her trapped pet finches. Convinced, Daja returns to the burning building and brings out the cage of birds.
Olaksen Jossaryk is a member of House Jossaryk. When the house is torched, he dies while trying to extract people from the flames.
Shatterglass
Arurim
Demakos Nomasdina is a member of a notable family of Tharios's first caste and a young officer in the city's law-enforcement. His investigation of the Ghost, a serial killer who targets female yaskedasi entertainers, brings him in conflict with the Tharian priesthood; Tharian religion equates death with moral pollution, causing the scenes of the Ghost's murders to be quarantined and cleansed in lieu of any forensic investigation. This leads him to collaborate with Trisana Chandler and Kethlun Warder in using more distant methods to discover what happened in the crime scene: Tris's scrying for sounds and images on the wind and Keth's ability to blow globes of glass that contain images of the scenes of the murders.
Yaskedasi
Baoya the Golden is the most famous dancer in the Khapik entertainment district.
Farray, Nioki, Ophelika, Rhidassa, Stenatia and Zudana are victims of the Ghost. All of them were strangled, and their corpses left in increasingly public locations in Tharios city proper.
Ferouze is a former yaskedasu and the owner of a building in Khapik in which she rents low-cost rooms. She charges first Iralima, then Yali and Tris, money to care for Iralima's daughter, Glaki. She is a notorious gossiper and extremely greedy.
Iralima (Ira) is a Khapik dancer and mother to Glaki, of an unknown father. She's strangled by the Ghost and her body left in the Labrykas Square fountain. She loves magical things.
Poppy is a Khapik dancer, one of Ferouze's tenants and a neighbor of Keth's. She can be quite rude and even cruel, as shown when she slaps Iralima's daughter Glaki.
Xantha is a Khapik dancer and tumbler, one of Ferouze's tenants and a neighbor of Keth's.
Yali is a Khapik singer, Ira's neighbor and friend, who takes care of her daughter Glaki after her death. She has a brief romantic relationship with Keth before she's strangled by the Ghost and her body left beneath the statue of the last emperor.
Mages
Jumshida Dawnspeaker is the First Scholar of Mages' Hall, and Second Scholar of Heskalifos, the Tharian university. She hosts Niklaren Goldeye and his student Trisana Chandler while she and Niko both participate in the writing of an encyclopedia of sight-magic.
Vishaneh Amberglass is a glass-mage in Heskalifos. Tris approaches him about the problem of Keth's magic, and he determines that Keth does not have ambient glass magic, and therefore he cannot be his teacher.
Other characters
Aethra Papufos is the high priestess of the All-Seeing, devoted to keeping the taint of death away from the citizens of Tharios, especially those of the higher castes.
Antonou Tinos is the owner of a glass workshop in Tharios and a distant relative of Kethlun Warder's. He allows Keth to rent part of his workshop to recover his lost skills as a glass artisan. When he sees Keth's failed attempts to recreate the scene in a globe of glass, he offers to sell them as souvenirs and generate funds for Keth's continued education.
Eseben a.k.a. the Ghost, is the illegitimate son of a yaskedasu of the fifth caste and a member of Tharios' Assembly and the first caste. Because of his illegitimacy, he became a member of Tharios' lowest caste, the prathmuni, whose duties include disposing of daily waste and dead bodies. Driven by bitterness and rage against his parents, he became a murderer of yaskedasi women until he was eventually captured. The discovery of his crimes led to a backlash of murders against the prathmuni by the higher castes, which was shortly preceded by a mass exodus of prathmuni from the city proper, and eventually an impromptu strike action.