Characters of Book 1
Images of characters generated by AI and curated to depict the most faithful representations of the characters.
Lord Maximus
Protagonist, Ruler of Highgaria
The only surviving son of Malgaroth the Conqueror, known across the realm as the dark wizard of Highgate, famed and feared for his unparalleled mastery of dark arcane magic. Sequestered in his rune-etched citadel above the capital, Maximus cares for little beyond the solitary pursuit of magical perfection. Day-to-day rule of Highgaria and its glittering city below is left entirely to his trusted lieutenants: the formidable necromancer Evania and Captain Marco of the city guard. Cloaked in robes of deepest black, he wields flame, shadow, and raw force with instinctive, terrifying ease. To his people he is the promise of glory and conquest; to the world he is a looming threat. Yet when the story begins, he awakens with every personal memory erased, his past a void, his power and dread reputation the only things left intact. Coldly brilliant, ruthlessly self-preserving, and driven by an unquenchable hunger for truth, Maximus now conceals his vulnerability while he hunts for answers about the man he was… and the monster he may still be.
Lady Sophia
Blessed Dauther of the Sun
Golden-haired and soft-spoken, Lady Sophia is the priestess dispatched by the Church of the Sun to serve as Lord Maximus’s personal healer and the official bridge between the Church and the dark citadel. Robed in flowing white and gold that bear the radiant sunburst of her order, she channels the divine grace of the sun god Solaryon to close wounds and drive back death itself. She loathes what Maximus is, what his dark magic and his bloodline represent, yet she believes with quiet, unshakable faith that Solaryon has not abandoned him. In her heart she carries the conviction that the god of light can still pull even this shadowed soul from the abyss, and that her presence in the citadel is part of that greater purpose. Every visit is a trial. She heals him with flawless skill and perfect courtesy, but her eyes never hide the sorrow and the faint, stubborn hope she holds for the man beneath the darkness.
Gabriel
Blessed Son of Solaryon
Sir Gabriel is the blessed son of Solaryon, the sun god whose divine favor manifests in an aura of unyielding light and righteous strength. Introduced in the aftermath of Maximus’s awakening, he strides into the citadel as Lady Sophia’s steadfast companion, his presence a radiant counterpoint to the shadows that define Highgaria. Tall and chiseled, with sun-kissed skin, flowing golden hair, and eyes like forged steel tempered by holy fire, Gabriel embodies the pinnacle of heroic manhood, broad shouldered, commanding, and effortlessly noble. Clad in gleaming plate armor etched with solar runes that seem to glow with inner warmth, he carries a massive greatsword inscribed with verses of purification, its blade said to burn away corruption at a touch. Women and not a few men find themselves drawn inexorably to him, captivated by the quiet confidence and magnetic charisma that radiates from his every gesture. Working in close tandem with Lady Sophia to fulfill the Church’s uneasy alliance with the dark lord, Gabriel’s visits to the citadel are a source of profound irritation to Maximus, who senses in the paladin not just a rival influence, but a living rebuke to his shadowed existence. Yet Gabriel bears no malice; instead, he approaches the amnesiac sorcerer with patient compassion, offering himself as a spiritual guide. Through gentle counsel and unshakeable faith, he seeks to lead Maximus toward redemption, whispering of Solaryon’s boundless mercy and the possibility of light piercing even the deepest void. Humble yet formidable, Gabriel is a warrior-priest whose devotion to his god is matched only by his belief in the soul’s capacity for change a beacon of hope in a realm of conquest, forever striving to save the unsavable.
Sarah of Willowbrook
The Venomous Tarantula
A fifteen-year-old girl. Lord Maximus Accidental Travel Companion. Sarah is the youngest daughter of a modest farming family on the edge of Willowbrook village. Yet beneath that simple life lies a wound that never quite heals. Sarah grew up in the long shadow of her older sister Clara, breathtakingly beautiful Clara, the pride of the village, the one everyone noticed first, praised first, loved first. Sarah was always “Clara’s little shadow,” the afterthought. When tragedy struck and Clara was taken from them, the grief and guilt carved something raw and aching into Sarah’s heart. She still measures herself against the sister who shone so brightly, still wonders if anyone will ever truly see her instead of looking past her.
Grimweld
The Old Master
Mid-seventies, short and wiry, with a wild mane of ash-grey hair and a long beard to match. Once Maximus’s revered arcane teacher and master, now a permanent prisoner in a warded dungeon cell. Born on the Paradise Islands, he still wears the faded gray robes of neutrality. He discovered prime spells of staggering power and refused to share them, even with his greatest pupil. That refusal ended their bond and condemned him to lifelong captivity. Even locked away and forgotten, Grimweld remains one of the few living souls whose mastery of the arcane can still rival the dark lord he once taught.
Evania
Necromancer
Tall, blade-thin, and pale, Evania glides through the citadel like living frost. Long raven hair falls straight as a guillotine blade, framing a face of aristocratic severity: high cheekbones, bloodless lips, and winter-grey eyes that seem to measure how long every heartbeat has left to echo. Her flowing robes of midnight black ripple with faint silver sigils that hurt to stare at too closely, and the air around her always carries the faint scent of grave soil and old parchment. While Lord Maximus locks himself away for weeks pursuing the next horizon of arcane mastery, Evania is the one who actually keeps Highgaria breathing. She manages the citadel, oversees the capital’s darker affairs, and ensures the realm functions while its ruler forgets the world exists.
Marco
Captain of the City Guard of Highgate
Mid-thirties, average height, and built like a dancer who traded silk slippers for steel boots. Marco moves with smooth, effortless grace; every step light, every gesture precise, the kind of man who can weave through a tavern brawl or a formal reception without ever looking out of place. Dark hair, easy smile. He and Maximus grew up together, running wild in the citadel corridors long before either wore a title. That childhood bond never faded; even now Marco is one of the very few people who can tease the dark wizard and live to tell it. His men adore him. After a hard day of drills or street patrols, Marco is the first to break out a battered lute or spin a bawdy joke that has the whole barracks roaring. He sings with a warm, rolling baritone that can turn a marching cadence into a tavern anthem. When the ale flows at feast nights, Marco is at the center of it, juggling mugs, leading choruses, and pulling coins from behind ears like some cheerful street magician turned soldier.
