SHAN – a young Elfling, the central figure of the story. He grew up in Draydin, a village on the eastern side of the Forest of Draydin. He is running for his life as he is chased by all manner of fell creatures.
ALTYRIAN – a tall, mercenary warrior Shan encounters in the forest. He is desperately searching the forest for an unknown person. He stops to rescue the Elfling from one of his sticky predicaments, before rushing off on his own quest.
ARAK LAZARD – a pirate captain. He is self-styled lord of Suul’Kar, a long lost city being reclaimed by swamps. From the ruined city he sends out his men to raid the villages and any water traffic along the great Tanalorn River. He captures the boys with several others and attempts to enlist them in his cause.
ARATHUR – an Elf, one of Lord Janerron’s wise councilors. He helps the Clanlord decide how best to handle the delicate matter of the Elfling’s presence in Avalar.
ARMIG – a young dark-haired dwarf who journeys with Gurvin to protect the Elfling from danger.
BINDAR – one of two soldiers sent along with Weeson to protect Shan on his trek through the forest.
BOHANNON – the elven captain of the Border Watch of Avalar. He is sent along with Shan by Janerron to help the boy reach the ferry crossing at Akthis.
CELINA – a young serving maid working in Draydin’s kitchens. She has a curious fascination with Shan because he’s different than all other boys in the village.
DAG – one of Arak Lazard’s lieutenants. His helps the prate captain steal food and goods with the use of his small fleet of pirate vessels.
DOORNIG – a very intense young man from Branby. His red-hair and skeptical nature make him especially quick-tempered. He hates to be outdone by others, but must overcome his own fears to accompany the other boys from Branby.
GORIAN – a sandy-haired friend of Kilgar. He is extremely competitive with others, especially Doornig, his red-haired friend. The boy is quick to jump into the adventure set before them.
GRUNDEL – a hideous-looking hunchback in the employ of Silas Gravelle. His misshapen form gives him the unusual appearance of two different beings somehow cruelly merged together into one body.
GURVIN – a dwarf lord. He commands a troop of fierce dwarf fighters patrolling the eastern stretches of the Tanalorn for wandering gorguls. He lives in Minthia, also known as the Iron City. He suspects there’s something more to the Elfling than meets the eye, yet agrees to accompany him for a time.
HEFFY – a second young dwarf who accompanies Lord Gurvin on his extra journey. He has red-hair and a bushy red beard.
IRION – a second soldier from Draydin accompanying the Elfling on his initial flight through the forest.
JADEETHA – Arak Lazard’s woman.
JANERRON – Clanlord of Avalar and leader of House Torrano, one of the seven Noble Houses of the Elves. He counsels Shan in his time of need in the elven city of Avalar. He is instrumental in speeding the Elfling and his friends along their way, supplying them with the finest elven weapons.
KALANDAN – another one of Janerron’s councilors in Avalar.
KEO – one of Shan’s close friends in the village of Draydin.
KILGAR – one of Shan’s distant friends. He is the natural leader of a small group of boys from the village of Branby, a neighboring village in the forest west of Draydin. He vows to assist the Elfling on his desperate journey, even in the face of great danger. He is Rimmy’s older brother.
LAITH – a young forest worker in Draydin. One of Shan’s two closest friends in the village.
MELANDRIC – one of Janerron’s wise councilors. He advocates for the protection of Avalar above assisting the Elfling in his quest.
MIRITHIA – a beautiful elven woman who cooks for the boys one night in Avalar. She is the wife of Janerron and the mother of Solonika.
REKKI – another of Lazard’s trusted men. He helps to feed the boys while they’re in captivity in the ruined city of Suul’Kar.
RIMMY – Kilgar’s younger brother. He looks like a smaller copy of his dark-haired, dark-eyed brother.
SILAS GRAVELLE – a traveling tinker and bard with an unnatural interest in Shan. His uncouth appearance is matched only by his sinister schemes. He entertains the villagers of Draydin with tales of adventure during their Mid-Summer celebration.
SOLONIKA – a beautiful young elven maiden with golden hair and incredibly blue eyes. She is the daughter of Janerron, the Clanlord of Avalar, and she also serves in the Border Watch of Darkwood.
TINORIAN – a wise Elf. He is the fourth councilor to confer with Janerron regarding the fate of Shan and his friends while they rest in Avalar.
TOBBIN – another of Lazard’s men. He is instrumental in bringing the boys to their hideout in Suul’Kar by towing their drifting ferry.
ULFIIR – an old man living in Draydin. He is Shan’s guardian, yet the frail old man seems to possess a mysterious side to his personality the Elfling has never seem before.
VARIAN – a second elven warrior sent by the Clanlord to accompany Shan and his friends to their rendezvous with Donnor’s Ferry.
WEESON – the young captain of the guards in Draydin village. He is entrusted with Shan’s safety on the first leg of the Elfling’s journey through the forest.