Who's who: Tara, Caleb, and Kai
Who are Tara Abernathy, Caleb Altemoc and Kai Pohala?
Although there are many POV characters in the Craft Sequence, Tara Abernathy, Caleb Altemoc, and Kai Pohala are often considered the protagonists of their respective books. The book summary revolves around them and their arcs; they play similar roles introducing readers to story, location, and a form of magic; they’re at similar points in their lives; and ultimately they play similar roles in their story plots.
All three work for part of the system, bolstering the status quo - and they believe wholeheartedly in what they do until they discover its flaws through their story and character arcs. They each essential windows into how the world works, and how different forms of magic work. And, ultimately, each one makes a difficult choice at the end of their first book to put a difficult, ethical good ahead of their own self-interest.
We’re working on much more in depth articles about each of these characters (and more), but for now here’s the basic introduction to Tara Abernathy, Caleb Altemoc, and Kai Pohala.
There are some minor spoilers here because there’s not really any other way to talk about characters, but I’ve kept them as minimal as possible.
Who is Tara Abernathy?
The main protagonist of Three Parts Dead and Four Roads Cross, Tara Abernathy starts the series as a 24-year-old recent graduate of the Hidden Schools (aka magic university).
Well, she starts the series being graduated with prejudice and literally thrown thousands of feet from the sky after she tries to destroy an unethical lab and fight her old professor. She survives, because Tara would never let someone kill her that easily.
She is hired by Elayne Kevarian, a partner in the necromancer-wizard-law firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, and thus the central mystery of Three Parts Dead begins.
But who is Tara as a person?
Tara Abernathy is Black, from Northern Kath (read: North America), the daughter of refugees who fled Alt Selene after the God Wars. She grew up in Edgemont, a small, rural town on the edge of the Badlands, where she was made very aware of her difference from other kids by being a) Black, and b) the daughter of refugees. An only child, she discovered her aptitude for the Craft at the age of 5 and her parents, fearful of what her aptitude could mean, made her keep her talents hidden.
Tara left home at 16 to teach herself the basics of the Craft and joined caravans crossing the Badlands for seven years. The Hidden Schools opened their doors / magic rainbow bridge to her, she passed the entry exams, and became a student.
Note: there is some missing time in here that I would love to discuss with the author. So, Max, on the highly unlikely chance you’re reading this - get in touch. I have Questions.
At the Hidden Schools, Tara worked hard and played hard. Becoming close friends with her roommate Daphne, she seems to have immersed herself in this new world of magic. She learned about magical-legal contracts, raising the dead, dissecting gods, and, well…controlling and remaking reality.
Her time at the Hidden Schools ended as described above - attempting to destroy said professor and his work, fighting the faculty, and being thrown thousands of feet to the Crack in the World. And surviving.
“This is not a woman who knows her limits.”
-Four Roads Cross, page 234
Tara is determined, stubborn, and desperate to prove herself. She has an immensely sharp mind which she realises she could turn to manipulation and nefarious deeds; a major turning point in her life is when she decides she doesn’t want to give into this urge, and instead work in collaboration not competition. It continues to come back to her, however – if you possessed the power to control people and turn them to your will, wouldn’t you sometimes want to just… do that no matter the morality?
Tara is willing to learn and change her mind, which sets her apart from many of her fellow Craftsfolk, as demonstrated in Four Roads Cross in particular. In the beginning she is blinded to the downside of the Craft and the dangers it poses. Part of her growth is understanding the good and bad points of both the Craft and of the gods, and working to bridge the two worlds.
Other characters associated with Tara: Elayne Kevarian; Abelard; Catherine Elle; Raz Pelham, Daphne Mains; Alexander Denovo; Shale
Places associated with Tara: Alt Coulumb, Edgemont, the Hidden Schools
Organisations associated with Tara: The Church of Kos; The Church of Seril; Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao; the Hidden Schools
Who is Caleb Altemoc?
The main protagonist of Two Serpents Rise, we meet Caleb in his early twenties as a risk manager for Red King Consolidated in Dresediel Lex. Unless you read in chronological order, in which case you meet Caleb in Last First Snow as the 10-year-old son of a revolutionary and an academic.
But who is Caleb as a person?
Caleb Altemoc is Quechal* – a race indigenous to Northern Kath, analogous to Central American indigenous peoples – and grew up in the metropolis of Dresediel Lex. His father, Temoc Almotil, is the last Eagle Knight who fought for the Quechal gods against the Red King and armies of Craft 60 years ago. Temoc wandered, lost, for years, eventually meeting and marrying Mina, an anthropologist studying one of the nomadic tribes he spent time with.
(Temoc is a major character in his own right and will be introduced properly in a later article. Mina is not so major but she deserves more attention so will also get a proper intro at some point).
Caleb’s childhood was fairly idyllic until the events of Last First Snow and the ill-fated Skittersill Rising. His father became a wanted fugitive, and left Caleb with magical scars that devote him to the Quechal gods and grant him some powers to act as a conduit between the gods’ powers and the Craft. He avoids using these powers, however, going through life as a normal non-Craft person.
His best (and only, really) friend is Teo Batan, who really should have been a co-POV character in Two Serpents Rise. Teo also works at RKC but in a different department, and earns way more money. Due his father’s notoriety, Caleb has spent most of his life being regularly interrogated by the local police (Wardens) whenever Temoc gets up to something.
“Four years ago you would have gone all in with two queens in hand and a third showing, rather than let yourself be bluffed out of the pot. You used to have fire, and you’ve got scared. You’re becoming a risk manager in truth as well as title.”
-Two Serpents Rise, page 44
At the time of Two Serpents Rise Caleb is a bit lost, going through the motions of his life but not really living it. He’s a good poker player and gambler, but his heart isn’t in it. He’s good at his job managing risk at RKC, but it’s hardly a passion. We only see a brief glimpse of Caleb post-Two Serpents Rise, but it seems that he finds his calling with the founding of the Two Serpents Group.
*Note: in the books Caleb is described as having darker skin than in the cover image used above
Other characters associated with Caleb: Teo Batan; Temoc Almotil; Mina Altemoc; Kopil / the King in Red; Mal Kekapania; Elayne Kevarian
Places associated with Caleb: Dresediel Lex; the Floating Collegium
Organisations associated with Caleb: Red King Consolidated; Two Serpents Group
Who is Kai Pohala?
The main protagonist of Full Fathom Five and Ruin of Angels, Kai Pohala is a priestess-slash-offshore-investment-banker on the island of Kavekana, where she builds idols (constructed gods) to store souls and grant grace to investors.
But who is Kai as a person?
Kai Pohala is Kavekanese – native Hawaiian** seems to be the best real-world analogy – and dedicated to her island home of Kavekana. Her father, a fisherman, died when she was young, and she was raised alongside her sister Ley by her mother. When we meet Kai in her twenties, she is devoted to her work and doesn’t see her mother or sister often; Ley is abroad, but her mother is nearby and still never hears from her.
Kai is a trans woman, and as part of her initiation into the Sacerdotal Order of Kavekana she was able to remake her body in the pool a volcano’s caldera, which is a gateway to the centre of the world. She is laser focused and incredibly competent. She’s known as being one of the best at her job, able to manipulate the pool better than any other priest, and when her mind is set on something nothing can get in her way.
“Kai’s a freight train in human form. Once you get her on a track, she’ll remake the world to fit that track. The hardest thing she’s ever had to do in life is admit she’s wrong.”
- Ruin of Angels
This single-mindedness can get her in trouble – which really sets of the plot of Full Fathom Five. It is both her biggest strength and her biggest flaw, blinding her to options and perspectives outwith her own worldview.
That’s her character arc through the books – opening to other perspectives and working with other people (particularly Izza) to fix both the problems she knew about and the ones she was blinded to.
**Note: much like Caleb, Kai is described as having darker skin than depicted in the book cover
Other characters associated with Kai: Jalai’iz / Izza Jalai; Jace Kol; Mara Ceyla; Teo Batan; Claude; Ley Pohala; Evangeline Fontaine; Elayne Kevarian; Twilling
Places associated with Kai: Kavekana
Organisations associated with Kai: The Sacerdotal Order of Kavekana; Church of the Blue Lady
More character intros coming soon - and a series looking in-depth at Tara, Caleb and Kai.
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