Celcha is a young ganar, a furry, intelligent being about half the size of a human. Born into enslavement at a harsh settlement, she works daily excavating an underground city for her sabber overseers. She is deeply protective of her younger brother and remains highly skeptical of the social hierarchy around her.

Evar is a young adult canith, a large species with wolf-like physical characteristics. Having spent his entire life trapped within a single chamber of the massive library with his siblings, he now explores the wider, dangerous spaces beyond it. He seeks to reunite with Livira, a human girl he fell in love with across time and space.

Livira is a human author and librarian currently separated from her physical body. She firmly believes in the library's mission to make knowledge accessible to all. Her past actions, specifically writing and inserting her own stories into the library, have caused unexpected consequences that she must now address.

Arpix is a human librarian who fled Crath City four years earlier following a devastating attack. He leads a small band of human survivors in the desolate Dust, growing jarra beans and scavenging the buried city to survive. He acts as a voice of reason and compassion, attempting to bridge the deep-seated prejudices between humans and canith.

Hellet is Celcha's younger brother, physically large for a ganar and unusually capable of reading. He carries deep physical and emotional scars from the brutal punishments inflicted by his enslavers. After being brought to the library in Crath City, he begins reading extensively, harboring a growing desire to overturn the social order.

Clovis is a fierce canith warrior and one of Evar's siblings. She has spent her life trapped in a library chamber and is now thrust into a hostile outside world filled with deadly skeer. She harbors intense resentment toward humans due to the tragedy that befell her birth family.

Yute is a deputy librarian and one of the immortal, marble-like assistants who manage the massive library. He tries to negotiate a middle ground between the library's founding ideals and its destructive potential. He guides the protagonists and possesses a vast, eternal perspective on the shifting civilizations outside.

King Oanold is the deposed human ruler of Crath City. He uses extreme and brutal measures to keep himself and his loyal soldiers alive after fleeing a canith attack. He remains obsessed with regaining his throne and views the library's resources purely as tools for his own power.

Kerrol is a canith who grew up in the library chambers with his siblings. He possesses a philosophical mind and takes a deep interest in psychology and the motivations behind conflicts. He offers analytical insights to his siblings as they traverse the dangerous terrain outside their home.

Mayland is one of Evar's canith brothers. He holds a deep interest in history, using his knowledge to form strong opinions about the rise and fall of civilizations. He firmly believes that the library is a burden on progress and advocates for its destruction so new societies can start fresh.

Starval is a canith and brother to Evar, known as a master of stealth. He aligns closely with Mayland's belief that the library acts as an anchor of memory dragging down society. He operates quietly and efficiently to achieve their shared goals.

Malar is a seasoned soldier who serves as Livira's steadfast companion. He operates on gut instinct and loyalty rather than complex ideological arguments. When conflicts arise, he readily fights to protect the people he considers family.

Lutna is an eleven-year-old human girl who belongs to the royal family of Crath City. She is placed into training at the library and attempts to build a friendship with Celcha. She remains largely oblivious to the deep systemic inequalities that define the ganar's existence.

Irad is the ancient founder of the library. He holds an idealistic belief that the institution should serve as a universal memory for all species. He argues that preserving knowledge across time and space is a fundamental virtue capable of transforming societies.

Jaspeth is the brother of the library's founder. He takes a deeply cynical view of knowledge, believing that accumulated memory acts as an obstacle to true freedom. He advocates for civilizations to start with a blank slate rather than bearing the burdens of the past.

Myles Carstar is the strict and unforgiving sabber overseer of the camp where Celcha and Hellet are enslaved. He enforces obedience through official cruelties and fully believes that the ganar are spiritually and functionally inferior beings.

Sellna is an older human librarian tasked with retrieving books from the newly discovered buried chamber. She commands surprising authority and brings Celcha and Hellet to the city so they can assist in the library's specialized rooms.

Salamonda is a human survivor living in the Dust. She assists Arpix in managing their small community and is vocal about her opinions regarding their safety. She helps manage the group's interactions with the enigmatic cat, Wentworth.

Jella is a human survivor who fled the destruction of Crath City. She works alongside Arpix to maintain the camp and questions the harsh realities of their environment, including the behavior of the deadly skeer.

Yolanda is Yute's daughter who understands the complex magical rules of the library. She aligns herself with Irad's vision for preserving the library and warns the protagonists about the structural damage threatening the massive repository.

Wentworth is an enigmatic cat belonging to Yute. He operates as a guide through the treacherous library chambers and the Dust, possessing unusual abilities that help protect the human survivors from deadly creatures.

Lord Algar is a nobleman and surviving member of King Oanold's desperate party. He observes the physical degradation of the library and questions the bizarre phenomena occurring within the ancient structure.