Bondsfungi characters

Also known as Jake, Bartolo Ein of Fythe

Appears from the start

A returning traveler from Earth, gravity soulcrafter, and ally of House Blacksilver. Now a ruler, he is constructing an exacting soul home while preparing for war and seeking a secure route toward authority.

Appears from the start

A Tatian staff fighter, ward, and natural-material soulcrafter who travels with Theo and Fiyu. She enters this volume as a ruler burdened by severe damage to her soul home.

Appears from the start

An Ichil light soulcrafter, scout, and companion of Theo and Nauda. Her stealth and senses protect the group, but she has postponed a major stage of soulcrafting while she waits for an absent relative.

Appears from the start

An Arbai stone shaper, researcher, and trusted ally. He collaborates closely with Theo and Fiyu on technical work, bringing unusual skill with shaped stone and intricate mechanisms.

Appears from the start

A House Crimson authority with a coercive interest in Nauda and ambitions entangled with his house's politics. His motives remain difficult to read, making him a dangerous figure even when his aims overlap with hers.

Appears from the start

Theo's powerful enemy from an earlier interworld crisis. He is tied to the vault disaster that shaped the companions' present danger, and Theo continues to regard him as a threat requiring much greater strength to confront.

First appears in chapter 2

A House Blacksilver recovery specialist who treats Nauda's damaged soul home. His own advancement ended after a failed ascension.

First appears in chapter 7

A House of Coin representative who supplies Theo with historical information and offers to serve as a liaison with House Blacksilver. The representative also offers access to merchants dealing in rare plants.

First appears in chapter 7

A lavishly funded newcomer to Norro Yorthin who appears to have come from Earth. Theo avoids contact, suspecting that the stranger may be another target or product of the offworld manipulation that endangered earlier travelers.

First appears in chapter 16

An authority-level traveler from Ichil searching for Fiyu. A disturbing archived message has led him to believe House Blacksilver may be controlling or altering her, though he has not yet been able to reach Norro Yorthin and verify the warning.

First appears in chapter 18

A wounded House Crimson authority who shields Nauda and another authority during the conflict with the Wild Tribes.

First appears in chapter 18

A House Crimson stronghold who rejects an enemy authority's duel, destroys her and much of a mountain, and later breaks a weir key during the wider clash.

First appears in chapter 18

A merchant-house ruler who joins the Wild Tribes expedition. She fights with paired swords, using one for attack and the other for defense.

First appears in chapter 22

A humanoid insect archcrafter and regional hive scout who surrenders after an attack on Theo's camp. Retained as the travelers' only local informant, she recognizes the merchant-house ruler as a queen.

First appears in chapter 24

A Wild Tribes leader stranded on Celeste with a true soul fortress and a growing band of coerced followers. He kills those who resist his rule, gathers materials and recruits, and weighs whether Theo's party is more useful as an ally or a target.

First appears in chapter 24

A displaced Sleskin soldier traveling with Theo and Cathina on Celeste. Her colony-trained obedience is rigid, and she helps the outsiders navigate local dangers.

First appears in chapter 26

The queen of the powerful Blue-Red-Blue Sleskin colony. With eight ruler-tier guards, a large population, and a new authority-level consort, she is preparing to press her advantage over the rival Grey-Blue-Gold colony.

First appears in chapter 27

The queen of the outnumbered Grey-Blue-Gold Sleskin colony. Her missing queen egg is vital to her colony's future, and its recovery is at the center of the covert struggle against Queen Ayona's stronger forces.

First appears in chapter 34

An authority who oppresses Nukoko and a future target of Nauda's liberation plans. As her condition worsens on Celeste, she names him while asking Theo to carry on the struggle if she cannot do so herself.

First appears in chapter 24

A House of Coin ruler traveling with Theo on Celeste. She supports his party while they assess local dangers and competing forces.