Characters of the Tales of the One.

CENTRAL CHARACTERS
The One: The central character and protagonist of the Tales of the One, as well as the central figure of the One Faith. Whilst he evokes a mixture of Christ and various other Earth deities in the Holy texts, in the Tales he is more of a mix of Br'er Rabbit, Hercules, Buddha and other folkloric figures. Good natured and kind, the One does all that he can to ensure the well-being and safety of all the things in the world, and despises those who would seek to bring harm. He is capable of taking on many forms in order to solve different problems, each one emphasizing a particular aspect of his personality - kindness, mischievousness, wrath or wisdom. He is occasionally called Gein-Kirr by such characters as Lord Stag, Dragonus and Old Bruin.

Dragonus: The Maker of the World in One Faith scripture, Dragonus is occasionally called the Great Dragon. For the majority of the Tales he is asleep beneath the Great Mountains, but on some occasions he has spoken to the One in his dreams, giving him guidance or aid whenever the situation calls for it. Like the One, he is a kind-hearted soul who wishes for nothing more than the well-being of his creations, but feels that he cannot interfere in the same way due to the need to conserve his great powers. He is usually never shown in illustrations.

Lord Stag: A recurring figure in the Tales, Lord Stag is as his name implies - the king of all deer and mammals in the Old World. The interesting thing about Lord Stag is that his status changes depending on the story - in some tales he is a friend and ally to the One, but in others he is a rival constantly exasperated by the Swift's pranks and seeking to keep him in line. This suggests that the name of Lord Stag is most likely a title, with each appearance of the character being a different member of the family line. The majority of the time, however, he helps the One in his adventures and occasionally has a few himself! He is usually portrayed as being white in color with golden antlers.

OTHER CHARACTERS
Old Bruin: An elderly bear who appears in a few of the Tales. Unlike Lord Stag, Old Bruin is perhaps the same character again and again, as Orvancian Bears are far more long-lived than their Earth brethren. He functions as a mentor for the One, giving him advice on how to solve tricky problems. An example of this is the Tale of the King's Orchard, in which he taught the One how to help King Mazda gather his harvest in before the locust swarms could devour it. In illustrations he is often portrayed as having a grey muzzle or a beard.

The Council of the Owls: Side characters that do not appear often in the Tales. They consist of a group of four to five owls of different species, most often lead by a large tawny owl. Although they are a council and claim to be wise, their near-constant bickering amongst each other casts major doubts upon this claim. They once advised the One on how to trick the river monster Tarrasque, but any other achievements on their part are relatively minor.

Death: A shadowy figure who resides in the Nether, and serves as the Grim Reaper of Dragonian culture. Although the One Faith usually avoids any depictions of evil deities, Death is not exactly an ally, either - capricious and willful, he does as he pleases regardless of what Dragonus or the One think. He features as the central "obstacle" of the Tale of the One and Death, where he challenges the One to create something he cannot destroy in exchange for taking away a plague that is sweeping across the land. He is portrayed as being faceless and carrying a sword.

King Mazda: King Mazda is based on the real-life monarch of early Orvancian civilization, also known as Mazda the Superstitious due to his unusual beliefs. Although a just leader and steady of character, Mazda is something of a perennial worrier who is the first to panic whenever trouble strikes his kingdom. Nevertheless he is a good friend to the One, who often helps to save his people from the troubles. He has a beautiful daughter named Shinta, who features in one or two of the tales and is technically the fiance of the One, although he is too embarrassed to admit it. She is most likely a character invented for the stories, as the real King Mazda left no daughters as descendants.

The Seasons: Four elemental spirits born from the earth itself. They are Spring, a satyr; Summer, a Long Dragon; Autumn, a handsome goblin; and Winter, a direwulf. Whilst Spring is kind and meek, the others are proud, vain and arrogant, and get into constant arguments over who of them is the strongest. They are the central characters of the Tale of the Race, where the One makes the four perform a great race to determine who is the greatest of them all, but tricks Summer, Winter and Autumn in order to punish them. Their tale forms the legend behind the forming of the Seasons in the Dragonus Calendar.

ENEMIES
Azgoth: The Mad Troll who lived upon the moon, based loosely on the mythological figure of Orc cultures. Azgoth is a ruthless, stupid and strength-obsessed brute who considers himself the most powerful thing in the world, and spends his time fighting and causing a general ruckus. In a moment of arrogance he kidnapped Shinta, the daughter of King Mazda, to make into his bride, which resulted in a terrific contest of strength between him and the Wrathful. Needless to say, Azgoth was quite soundly defeated and killed.

Tarrasque: A water monster who, coincidentally, shares his name with a creature of Earth lore. Tarrasque is described as having six finned legs, a lion-like mane and a long, clubbed tail - a fanciful combination of animals similar to a Chimera. A ravenous creature constantly seeking food to appease his hunger, he moved out of the ocean into the river in a gluttonous bid to devour Prince Kouta, destroying the bridges and terrorizing the townsfolk until his demand was met. The One, in the guise of the Swift, eventually got the better of Tarrasque, breaking all his teeth so he could only eat very small things from then on.