Ser Voyne is a celebrated former war hero who currently serves as the head of the king's guard in Aymar Castle. The prolonged siege heavily restricts her martial abilities, leaving her frustrated and feeling like an ornamental figure on a leash. Bound by strict vows of chivalry and loyalty to King Cardimir, she struggles with the moral compromises demanded by the desperate conditions. She reluctantly accepts a new assignment to act as a minder for the resident heretic, Phosyne.

Phosyne is a former member of the Priory who rejected canonical religious dogma in favor of intuitive magical experimentation and alchemy. Her unconventional methods led to her excommunication and branding as a heretic. Despite this isolation, she saved Aymar Castle by purifying its fouled water supply. She works in a secluded tower, attempting to magically generate food for the starving population while hiding her abilities from the religious authorities.

Treila is a former noblewoman who lost her title, wealth, and family after her father was accused of treason. Operating under the radar in Aymar Castle, she survives through fierce pragmatism and careful hoarding. She harbors a singular, consuming desire for revenge against the knight who executed her father. Her discovery of a crumbling mortar wall sets her on a path to find a subterranean escape route from the besieged fortress.

The False Lady is a powerful and enigmatic figure who infiltrates Aymar Castle during the height of the siege. Bearing an uncanny physical resemblance to the kingdom's central deity, she brings miraculously fresh food to the starving inhabitants. She uses her seductive presence and the offering of enchanted sustenance to bypass logical defenses, demanding absolute submission from those she feeds.

King Cardimir is the ruling monarch of Aymar Castle, tasked with leading nearly a thousand subjects trapped by the Etrebian siege. The prolonged starvation has eroded his judgment, pushing him to endorse extreme and grotesque survival measures. He desperately places his faith in Phosyne's heretical magic and later eagerly embraces the mysterious arrivals as divine salvation, prioritizing immediate relief over the autonomy of his people.

Ser Leodegardis is the main military commander of Aymar Castle and a fundamentally devoted leader. His extreme commitment to protecting his people defines his every action during the prolonged crisis. As the siege worsens, his noble intentions warp, leading him to rationalize horrifying sacrifices in the name of feeding the starving populace.

Prioress Jacynde is the head of the Priory, a religious order characterized by its rigid adherence to measurement and established ritual. She is highly skeptical of anything that falls outside canonical dogma, creating friction with those who practice unregulated magic. When the unearthly strangers arrive with inexplicable food, she stands as one of the few voices of reason willing to openly challenge their supposed divinity.

The Loving Saint is one of the three attendants accompanying the False Lady into Aymar Castle. He operates as a shapeshifting entity who perverts natural desires and affections. By assuming forms that his observers long for, he psychologically manipulates the castle's residents and distracts them from the horrific reality of the enchanted feasts.

The Warding Saint is an imposing physical presence who acts as a specialized extension of the False Lady's will. Clad in armor, he enforces compliance and uses physical intimidation to protect the magical rites occurring within the castle. His gaze can induce a trance-like state, quickly stripping victims of their will to fight back.

The Absolving Saint serves as a dark priest figure for the False Lady's macabre ceremonies. He facilitates the grotesque rituals within the castle, offering platters of enchanted food that bind the starving inhabitants to the Lady's will. He acts as the logistical executor of the castle's physical and moral decay.

This ancient, foundational entity resides in the subterranean waterways beneath Aymar Castle. Composed partially of iron, it operates strictly on transactional bargains, requiring painful physical tolls in exchange for granting passage through the stone walls. It views the newly arrived supernatural invaders with contempt due to their aversion to iron.

Ornuo is one of two magical serpentine creatures that reside secretly with Phosyne. Acting as a familiar and companion, Ornuo is invisible to the general populace but fiercely protective of Phosyne's isolated workspace.

Pneio is a magical serpentine creature conjured by Phosyne. Along with Ornuo, Pneio provides Phosyne with rare companionship in her isolated tower, completely detached from the orthodoxy of the Priory.

Theophrane is the head blacksmith of Aymar Castle. Years of working the forge have embedded iron filings permanently into his skin, granting him a unique, unintended immunity to the supernatural forces invading the fortress. He uses this knowledge to fashion a rudimentary defense against the shadow creatures.