Domestication characters

Appears from the start

A 27-year-old mage and discharged soldier who comes to Fairford to claim a neglected homestead. After ten years of war, he wants the farm to provide a quiet retirement, although his painful mana practice and extraordinary strength mark him as far from an ordinary farmer.

Appears from the start

Fairford's village leader and successor to his late father in the post. He verifies John's deed to the former Burrows homestead while cautioning that the neglected property and the assets listed with it may no longer match the official record.

Appears from the start

An armed hunter guarding the mountain approach to Fairford. He challenges John on arrival, questioning his identity and purpose before allowing him onward, then directs the newly discharged soldier to Holden, the village leader.

Appears from the start

The deceased former owner of the homestead granted to John by deed.

First appears in chapter 2

A young caretaker living at the disputed homestead with Ben. When John arrives, Wale and his companions are pressuring her to leave with them on behalf of an unnamed boss.

First appears in chapter 2

Ellie’s younger brother and a fellow caretaker living at the disputed homestead. He is there when Wale’s group pressures Ellie to leave with them.

First appears in chapter 2

Wale commands the men who are trying to make Ellie leave the homestead for an employer whose name is not disclosed. John arrives during the confrontation.

First appears in chapter 2

A breeding bull included among the cattle listed in John’s deed but missing when he takes possession of the homestead.

First appears in chapter 5

The Red Coral Adventuring Team's herbalist. She carries a staff, healing supplies, a hand crossbow, and other practical equipment. She presents the experienced group's presence near John's farm as part of a search for a noble family's lost heirloom.

First appears in chapter 5

The large and forceful leader of the five-member Red Coral Adventuring Team. He speaks for the armed group when it approaches John's land and claims the team is seeking a noble family's heirloom in an unconfirmed ruined site somewhere in the valley.

First appears in chapter 6

A ranger with the Red Coral Adventuring Team. Physical contact with John ends in a swift rebuff and convinces him that the new farmer has the strength of a powerful classholder, making John's abilities a subject of concern for the whole team.

First appears in chapter 6

A rogue in the Red Coral Adventuring Team. After her companions conclude that John is probably a powerful classholder, she is assigned to watch him while the rest of the group continues its concealed search for a tower in the valley.

Also known as the Wolf King

First appears in chapter 7

The reported leader of Wolf Den, a mountain bandit stronghold at the far end of the valley. He is a titled tamer who specializes in wolves.

First appears in chapter 8

A huge barbarian classholder aligned with Wale at Wolf Den. His body is reinforced by mana, and Wale summons him as the outpost's principal means of physical intimidation when John arrives alone to reclaim the stolen cattle.

First appears in chapter 15

The farm's recovered bull, newly named after showing unusual cunning. Rewards of mana help train him for plowing, while a mana-seeking vine he secretly tends may be increasing his intelligence.

First appears in chapter 17

A historical mage who led a valley tower devoted to magical plant research. His journal describes attacks on the project and the transfer of essential work to the concealed Shadow Tower.

First appears in chapter 17

Fairford's innkeeper and a local contact for the regular supply caravans. When John needs equipment that village craftspeople cannot readily provide, Sven explains how to reach the outside merchants who can carry a forge and other farm goods into the valley.

First appears in chapter 20

A caravan master and merchant who immediately recognizes the identity John is hiding from Fairford. Under John's orders, he agrees to behave as an ordinary supplier, keep that knowledge secret, obtain goods from outside the valley, and explore selling the farm's cheese.

First appears in chapter 22

A swift rogue serving under Haver. She ignores his instruction to remain with the main force, scouts ahead toward Sutton Farm, and attacks John alone with thrown knives and paired curved blades, relying on rapid changes of position.

Also known as the Laughing Blade

First appears in chapter 34

At the expedition briefing, Rosalee is identified as the rogue known as the Laughing Blade and as one of the fighters hired alongside Haver and John.

Also known as the rooster

First appears in chapter 26

An unusually large rooster purchased with eleven hens and their coop for Sutton Farm. His formidable claws, aggressive confidence, and defiant response to being handled distinguish him immediately from the rest of the newly acquired flock.

First appears in chapter 28

A dairy farmer trying to leave the valley because of the unresolved killings along its roads. John finds him travelling with 23 neglected cows, and Keller agrees to sell the entire herd for one gold coin per animal if John also helps him depart safely.

First appears in chapter 32

John's former military adjutant and a skilled duelist with a mana-powered prosthetic arm. He has saved John's life before, recognizes his concealed identity, and accepts work on the farm.

First appears in chapter 33

A young farmworker recommended through Sven and hired full-time to help milk Sutton Farm's enlarged herd. His arrival adds a regular worker to the household's rotation as dairy production grows beyond what Ellie, John, and Thomas can manage alone.

First appears in chapter 33

A monk travelling as a member of Reese's Red Coral team on the expedition to the mountain ruins.

First appears in chapter 42

One of Haver's bonded wolves. Tag sacrifices his own spirit to heal Haver, who explains that their twin-wolf bond allows Tag to be bonded again eventually.

First appears in chapter 42

One of Haver's bonded wolves. Haver distinguishes Zeke from Tag by confirming that Zeke is permanently gone.

First appears in chapter 43

The noble employer behind Red Coral's tower expedition. Catherine identifies him only after John overtakes her, explaining that Vosik's ancestor secretly retained an extra tower token and that the earl has the means to open the retrieved ornate box.