The Chorus

The Chorus represent minor characters used in dramaturgy to move the narrative forward. Some covens use the minor characters exclusively, preferring to avoid the complexity of the personae, instruments and thrones.

There is a lot of variation in the chorus; those listed here are merely the most common. They may help or hinter the protagonist, or offer insight, or represent the target of a ritual, or the forces that oppose a ritual. In theatrical performances, they often end up as clowns or entertainers whose japes serve to amuse the audience while a scene changes or the actors prepare themselves for new roles.

The Wise Councillor

Often played by the most senior member of the troupe, the Wise Councillor is usually costumed in dignified finery, with the trappings of age and status. If male, the player often dons a long white beard, and he usually walks supported by a staff or a walking stick.

The Wise Councillor is often a senior relative of one of the major characters, and his role is often to provide key information or help at a critical point in the narrative. Mentally alert but often played as physically frail, sometimes he can be the victim of the Mountebank or Beast.

The Ratcatcher

Dressed in foul clothing and carrying a stout stick, the Ratcatcher is an evil-looking character, often draped with the bodies of the rodents he has disposed of. Despite his demeanour, the Ratcatcher is a loyal servant entrusted with an onerous task, and strives to do his best despite frequently being misunderstood and vilified. The Ratcatcher is often secretly associated with the Bishop, Prince or other powerful Persona. By convention Ratcatchers are named after successful current inquisitors as a measure of respect.

The Apprentice

The apprentice usually appears in simple clothing of which the dominant colour is white. In some traditional troupes, the apprentice is played by the most junior member of the troupe. She is often enthusiastic, over-confident and brash, though is generally well-meaning, and by the end of the play her worst excesses are often corrected.

She represents innocence, childhood and potential as yet unfulfilled - performances where the Apprentice dies or is slain are considered particularly tragic as a result, and interactions between the Beast and the Apprentice can take an especially dark turn. In addition, when interacting with the troupe's Instruments onstage, they should be regarded literally - a chalice in the Apprentice's hands represents simply a drinking vessel - and as flawed or incomplete examples of their kind.

The Artisan

The Artisan usually appears mature, calm and confident, dressed simply in dark browns and greens. The character is calm, measured and well-spoken; he often accompanies the Apprentice as mentor and parent-figure, acting as a calming influence.

He represents maturity and fulflled potential. Items he handles should be regarded literally, and as a sublime example of their kind. The character is often involved in rituals involving magical or special items, and by convention should be the last to touch the special object before the ritual ends.

The Shadow

An ambiguous figure, often shown in close-fitting blue clothes, the Shadow rarely reveals herself to the character she wishes to aid. Instead, she acts as an unseen and generally altruistic assistant, removing obstacles from his path and ensuring that he is in the right place at the right time. In some plays, she also appears as a family member or lover of the hero; in such stories, donning the Cloak signifies her transition from one identity to the other. Although her actions are generally to the hero's benefit, the Shadow's motivations are not generally clear, and in some Night rituals she can be the focus of a late twist in the story.

The Squire

A straightforward, solid and reliable individual, the squire is the right-hand-man of the Persona. Loyal, utterly trustworthy and above reproach, he symbolises loyalty and the bonds of friendship and servitude. Usually soft-spoken and dressed in blue, he often appears alongside the Captain. In some plays, the Persona is duped into thinking that the Squire is working against them, with tragic consquences. Sometimes the Squire gives his loyalty to an unworthy individual, and while such tales are also often tragic, the object of the Squire's loyalty is usually redeemed by the transformative power of that virtue.

The Seamstress or Queen of All Threads

The Seamstress, more than any other Fortuna, represents fate and fortune. Often in the play she adopts the role of a simple seamstress, but is always more than she appears. Often her part in the play begins with a main character making a wish - she might help them towards their heart's desires but her help always comes at a high cost. Her assistance typically revolves around small, seemingly innocuous actions (ie, you place a flower on a window sill, it distracts your lover's cruel father as he crosses the road, and he ends up falling under a cart and dying.)

The Sailor

A generous spendthrift, the Sailor appears irregularly. He can't be relied on in the least, but he represents good times and trouble when he is in town. He often brings bequeathals or bounty, or signifies a short span of lavish entertainments. He also sometimes brings strange gifts, which are often more trouble than they are worth. The sailor is a blowhard and a braggart, and often starts trouble that he can't finish. He's also lusty, lazy, and given to taking more food and drink than is wise.

Death

Although dutiful, Death is the most sympathetic of the Fortunae. His presence is typically ignored by other players, although he may speak from time to time. When he lays hands upon another character, then their time has come. Sometimes he agrees to a contest or game to stave off a character's death, and in rituals of immortality he is sometimes vanquished or trapped.

The Gambler

A compulsive figure, the gambler has no sense of morality at all. He can happily bet ridiculous sums on the most trivial or insane things. However, he is very good at his profession, and seldom loses. He favours long wagers, that give the heroes time to either complete them or find payment. The Gambler has a macabre sense of humour, and usually wants something grisly rather than money in return for a lost wager.

The Runner

This messenger carries a missive from the ruling powers (sometimes the Synod, sometimes the Senate, sometimes the Emperor, etc.) The message turns high to low and advantage to disadvantage - once his message is delivered, all things are reversed. For this reason, some plays revolve around preventing the runner from delivering his message at all costs.

The Rival

A rather straightforward dark mirror of the hero of the play, the Rival is a direct and open enemy to the Persona. Unlike many of the other malefactors, he is honest and sporting, and while he desperately desires the destruction of his enemy, he is not willing to compromise his principles in order to do so. While often the story calls for his death it is generally done sympathetically and redemptively.

The rival is often dressed in a similar costume to the main character of the play, sometimes with a black shirt, especially if the Persona is wearing white.

The Servant with Two masters

The servant usually appears in pied or chequered clothing, or with a cloak split between two colours. At the play's beginning his clothes are immaculate but as it proceeds they become more and more disheveled. He appears miserable and harried, often mopping at his face with a handkerchief.

In public the Servant fawns upon his masters, but in secret he curses them both. He is convinced that his fate was unavoidable, and that others are to blame for his position. In fact he is the architect of his own fate, made so by casting off his honour. He rails against his lot in life, while sinking ever further into their treachery.

A popular superstition amongst league troupes suggests that a person with a guilty conscience will fidget when this character is onstage.

The Beast

Without subtlety, mercy or indeed any redeeming qualities, the Beast represents villainy in its most profound and horrifying form. Traditionally portrayed as an orc in many plays, this has fallen out of fashion in recent years, and now generally the beast appears as a human of monstrous appetites and unrestrained desires. There is little subtlety in this character, but the beast may appear not only as a cruel warrior, but as an abusive parent or spouse or a tyrannical overlord.

Some particularly tragic plays revolve around the interaction of the Beast and the Apprentice, symbolising the abuse of innocence by those holding power over them. Sometimes the Apprentice is rescued in time; other times the situation moves to a horrifying conclusion with far reaching consequences.

The Spurned Lover

Often, although not always female, the Spurned Lover is spiteful, vengeful and will stop at nothing to acheive revenge. While she can be superficially charming and disguise her intentions beneath a mask of indifference or forgiveness, she always works against whichever of the Persona has spurned her, and whichever character has replaced her in her former lover's affections.

Unlike the Beast or the Servant, she is not always portrayed as wholly evil, and in some plays when her schemes are unmasked she is truly repentant, and reveals that all of her wickedness stems from a profound unhappiness. When she holds the chalice, its meaning becomes 'poison'.

The Thief

Almost always dressed in black, often worn and patched, the Thief is a greedy and grasping villain, desperate to take what the heroes value most without paying. He is motivated by a desire to steal something from another character in the performance, whether it be an object, a position, a quality, or even some element of their identity. They might be a literal criminal such as a bandit or kidnapper, a greedy merchant, or a scheming politician with univirtuous motives, The Thief reverses the meaning of any item that he carries - the chalice becomes misery, the lantern becomes ignorance, the ring becomes isolation, the cloak becomes blindness, the blade becomes cowardice and the coin becomes poverty.

The Knave

A bully, a rogue and a scoundrel, the knave is nonetheless charming and can convince others that he is better than he seems. A dark reflection of the Mountebank, his mind is continually working on how best to turn a sitution to his advantage - he will use any tool and stoop as low as is required to achieve his ends. Often he tries to pursue a romance with the Persona's love interest. Sometimes he acts as the sidekick or factotum to the Beast; in such plays he is usually the direct enemy of the Squire, while the Persona and the Beast oppose each other directly.