The Ascended by Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox centers on twins Thais and Thatcher Morvaren, the necromancer prince Xül, and a divine court built on secrets: Olinthar, King of the Gods, is not entirely who he appears to be, and several of the gods around him are playing longer games than the twins realize. This guide covers every major character, how they relate to each other, what powers or roles they hold, and what happens to them by the end of the book.
This is a spoiler-heavy guide. If you want the full story in order first, our The Ascended Summary walks through the entire plot chronologically.
Who Are the Main Characters in The Ascended?
The main characters are Thais Morvaren, a woman hiding divine Starpower, and her twin brother Thatcher Morvaren, both forced into the Trials of Ascension. Xül, a necromancer prince, serves as Thais’s mentor and later her love interest. Olinthar, King of the Gods, is the twins’ biological father, and Moros, an ancient Primordial, is secretly controlling his body. Supporting characters include Chavore (Thatcher’s mentor and secret half-brother), Marx (a close ally), and Nyvora (Xül’s politically arranged fiancée).
The Ascended Characters at a Glance
| Character | Role | Key Relationship | Power / Importance | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thais Morvaren | Protagonist | Thatcher’s twin, Xül’s love interest, Olinthar’s daughter | Starpower (weapons and light from starlight) | Survives, kills Olinthar, inherits his divine power |
| Thatcher Morvaren | Co-protagonist | Thais’s twin, Chavore’s half-brother | Rare, Primordial-adjacent destructive power | Survives, taken into the abyss, becomes Aether |
| Xül | Thais’s mentor and love interest | Son of Morthus, engaged to Nyvora | Necromancy, commands the undead | Survives, marries Nyvora; political standing strengthened |
| Olinthar | King of the Gods | Father of Thais and Thatcher | Formerly possessed by Moros | Killed by Thais |
| Moros | Primordial of Endings | Possessed Olinthar’s body | Ancient, pre-pantheon power | Forced out of Olinthar; escapes into the abyss, vows to return |
| Morthus | God of death, Xül’s father | Political rival to Olinthar | Political and divine authority | Survives; brokers the deal behind Xül and Nyvora’s marriage |
| Chavore | Thatcher’s mentor | Thatcher’s half-brother (son of Olinthar) | One of the Legends | Survives |
| Marx | Contestant, ally | Close friend to Thais and Thatcher | Unspecified divine power, ascends | Survives, becomes a god |
| Nyvora | Xül’s political fiancée, later wife | Rival/obstacle to Thais and Xül | Political standing tied to Morthus’s court | Survives, marries Xül |
| Elysia | Chavore’s partner turned Moros’s ally | Tied to Olinthar and Moros’s plans | Manipulated by Moros | Defeated by Thais and Thatcher |
This table reflects what the available source material establishes. A few secondary characters and finer plot mechanics could not be independently confirmed across multiple sources and are noted as such further down.
Thais Morvaren
Thais Morvaren is the protagonist of The Ascended. She grows up in the fishing village of Saltcrest with her twin brother, Thatcher, and their adoptive father, Sulien, hiding a divine ability called Starpower that lets her create weapons and light from starlight. That power comes from her biological father, Olinthar, King of the Gods, who assaulted her mother.
When priests discover her power, Thais is forced into the Trials of Ascension along with Thatcher, and Sulien is killed for having hidden them. From there, her arc is driven by two overlapping goals: protecting her brother and getting close enough to Olinthar to kill him for what he did to her mother.
Her relationship with Xül starts as a forced, resentful pairing (he’s assigned as her mentor after being denied Thatcher, the mentee he wanted) and develops into the book’s central romance, complicated by his political engagement to Nyvora. Her relationship with Olinthar is more fraught: for most of the book she believes she’s dealing with her actual father, only to learn near the end that his body has been controlled by the Primordial Moros.
By the book’s end, Thais kills Olinthar and inherits his divine power, along with a position of authority she didn’t seek and isn’t fully prepared for, especially while grieving the loss of Thatcher to the abyss. For the full breakdown of how that plays out, see our The Ascended Ending Explained.
Thatcher Morvaren
Thatcher is Thais’s twin brother. Unlike her, he shows no visible power at first, which is part of why he’s initially assumed to be safe from the priests, until his own rare ability awakens under torture at the hands of the god Drakor.
His power turns out to closely mirror an ability the Primordials once had, one the current gods believed had died out. That rarity makes him valuable to multiple factions at once, including Olinthar and, later, Moros. During the Trials, Thatcher is mentored by Chavore, whom he later learns is his half-brother through Olinthar. He’s also forced to kill on Olinthar’s orders, which pulls him into the orbit of a resistance movement working against the throne, and he enters a blood pact with Xül’s family, agreeing to spy on Olinthar from the inside.
Thatcher survives the book, but not unchanged. In the final battle, Moros attempts to transfer into his body as a new host; Thatcher, woken by his twin bond with Thais, helps force Moros out of Olinthar, but Moros drags him into an abyss between realms as retaliation. There, he loses his memories entirely and resurfaces under the name Aether, a connection covered in more detail below and in our ending-explained coverage.
Xül
Xül is a necromancer prince and one of the Legends, assigned as Thais’s mentor at the Choosing Ceremony after his first choice, Thatcher, is claimed by Chavore instead. He initially withholds real training from Thais, apparently intending to let her die in the Trials rather than shape her into a weapon that could later be used against him. She forces his hand, and he ends up training her seriously, showing her his ability to command an army of the undead in the process.
Xül’s political situation complicates his relationship with Thais almost immediately: his father, Morthus, the god of death, arranges his marriage to Nyvora, and Xül initially agrees to it before their relationship deepens. He’s also secretly part of a resistance working against Olinthar, a fact Thais discovers only after finding out Xül and his allies had planned to have Thatcher killed for being too dangerous to let ascend.
By the end, Xül and Thais have reconciled and he’s told her he loves her, but the political reality doesn’t disappear: to protect Thais after she inherits Olinthar’s power, Xül goes through with his marriage to Nyvora, a move that strengthens his political standing within the divine court and leaves the romance unresolved rather than concluded. See The Ascended Ending Explained for the full sequence.
Olinthar
Olinthar is King of the Gods and the biological father of Thais and Thatcher. Most of the book treats him as a straightforward, if distant and dangerous, antagonist: the man responsible for the twins’ mother’s death, and the ruler whose Trials of Ascension put them through years of danger.
The twist is that Olinthar’s body has secretly been controlled for years by Moros, the Primordial of Endings, one of the ancient beings the current gods believed they had destroyed generations ago. That means much of what the twins interpret as their father’s choices, including his unsettling interest in Thatcher, is arguably Moros operating from inside him.
Olinthar is killed by Thais near the end of the book, in the same confrontation where Thatcher forces Moros out of his body. In a brief moment of clarity just before his death, he calls her “daughter” one last time.
Moros
Moros is a Primordial of Endings, one of the beings the current pantheon of gods believed they had wiped out during the Primordial War. He has been possessing Olinthar’s body for an unspecified length of time, using his authority while working toward a longer-term plan: securing a new, stronger host.
That host is Thatcher. Moros wants him specifically because Thatcher’s power closely resembles the kind the Primordials once wielded. When Thais and Thatcher interrupt the transfer ritual and force him out of Olinthar’s body, Moros doesn’t simply disappear. He tears open a rift resembling an abyss between realms and is pulled through it, dragging Thatcher along with him and vowing to return. See The Ascended Ending Explained for the full final-battle sequence.
Morthus
Morthus is the god of death and Xül’s father, a political figure described as both revolutionary and ruler, which puts him in a morally complicated position within the divine court. He arranges Xül’s marriage to Nyvora for political reasons tied to the wider tensions between reformist and traditionalist factions among the gods.
Chavore
Chavore is one of the Legends and Thatcher’s mentor during the Trials. Partway through the book, Thatcher learns that Chavore is actually his half-brother, another child of Olinthar. That revelation adds weight to their mentor relationship, and Thatcher later insists Chavore be spared from the resistance’s plans against Olinthar’s court, a loyalty that stands out given how much distrust runs through the rest of the divine cast.
Marx
Marx is a fellow contestant who becomes a close ally to both Thais and Thatcher, training alongside Thais and fighting beside the twins during the first trial’s reversal, when the hunters become the hunted. He’s one of the survivors who makes it through the Trials to the end, ascending alongside Thais and Thatcher.
Nyvora
Nyvora is politically positioned as Xül’s fiancée and, later, his wife, in a marriage arranged by his father Morthus for reasons tied to court politics rather than affection. She and Xül share a tense history going back to childhood. The marriage ties her family’s standing to Morthus’s political interests, and it directly complicates Xül’s relationship with Thais even after he tells her his feelings for her haven’t changed.
Elysia
Elysia is introduced as Chavore’s partner, outwardly polished and supportive of Olinthar’s rule. As the book progresses, she’s revealed to be working with Moros, whose plans exploit her ambition and her feeling of being overlooked within the divine court. She confronts Thais directly late in the book and is defeated by Thais and Thatcher together during the final battle.
Other Important The Ascended Characters
Sulien is Thais and Thatcher’s adoptive father in Saltcrest, who has protected Thais’s secret for years. He’s killed by priests early in the book when he tries to shield the twins, an event that sets the entire plot in motion.
Marel is Thais’s on-again companion from Saltcrest. An unguarded moment with him is what first causes her Starpower to become visible, indirectly leading to her discovery.
Aelix is a Legend who trains Thais and Marx ahead of the first trial and comes across as friendlier than most of the other gods. He’s also tied to the resistance working against Olinthar and is involved in restraining Thais when she discovers the plan against Thatcher, making him a character with divided loyalties rather than a simple ally.
Lyralei is described as a Dreamweaver who styles Thais throughout the Trials. She works within a corrupt system but uses her position to reduce harm where she can, including intervening during the third trial when Thais is targeted with a spiked drink.
Heron is a blind seer who warns Thais about the limits on her connection to Thatcher going forward. Some sources describe Heron as connected to the God of Fate, though the exact nature of that connection isn’t consistently confirmed across available material.
Kyren is a fellow contestant and part of Thais and Thatcher’s circle during the Trials. Available source material indicates Kyren does not survive the Trials, though the exact circumstances are not consistently detailed across sources and should be treated as not fully confirmed.
The Ascended Character Relationships Explained
Thais and Thatcher
Thais and Thatcher share a twin bond, a psychic and emotional connection strong enough that Thais feels Thatcher’s pain when he’s tortured early in the book, and strong enough to survive even after Moros pulls him into another realm. Their loyalty to each other drives most of the plot’s early decisions, including their shared pact to kill Olinthar no matter the cost.
Thais and Xül
What begins as a forced mentor-mentee pairing, one Xül initially resents, develops into the book’s central romance. It’s complicated throughout by Xül’s political engagement to Nyvora, his secret ties to the resistance, and eventually by the fact that Thais inherits divine power that reshapes both their positions. Their relationship is left emotionally unresolved at the end.
Thais and Olinthar
Thais spends most of the book believing she’s confronting her biological father directly, driven by the fact that his assault caused her mother’s death. The revelation that Olinthar’s body has been controlled by Moros complicates that framing without erasing it. She still kills him, and he still, briefly, acknowledges her as his daughter before he dies.
Thatcher and Chavore
Thatcher’s mentor turns out to be his half-brother, a discovery that adds a layer of trust to a relationship that starts as a standard Trials pairing. It’s significant enough that Thatcher protects Chavore’s position even after joining a resistance working against Olinthar’s court.
Olinthar and Moros
Olinthar and Moros aren’t the same being. Moros, a Primordial of Endings believed destroyed generations ago, has been possessing Olinthar’s body, using his identity and authority as cover while working toward taking a stronger host in Thatcher.
Xül and Nyvora
Xül and Nyvora’s engagement, and later marriage, is arranged by Xül’s father Morthus for political reasons connected to the balance of power among the gods. It isn’t framed as a love match on either side, and it directly complicates Xül’s relationship with Thais even after he tells her his feelings for her haven’t changed.
The Ascended Characters and Their Powers
| Character | Ability | How It Works | Importance to the Story |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thais Morvaren | Starpower | Forges weapons and light from starlight | Inherited from Olinthar; rare enough to shock the gods when it resurfaces |
| Thatcher Morvaren | Primordial-adjacent power | Destructive ability that awakens under extreme stress | Mirrors a power thought extinct since the Primordial War; makes him a target for Moros |
| Xül | Necromancy | Raises and commands an army of the undead | Used both in training Thais and in the wider conflict with Olinthar’s court |
| Moros | Primordial power | Ancient, pre-pantheon ability tied to endings | Powerful enough to possess a god’s body for years undetected |
The book doesn’t present a formal power hierarchy or confirm that any one character is objectively the strongest; abilities are shown through what they do in specific scenes rather than ranked against each other.
What Happens to the Characters in The Ascended?
Spoiler section. This covers character fates at a high level. For the full sequence of events, see The Ascended Ending Explained.
- Thais survives, kills Olinthar, and inherits his divine power and authority.
- Thatcher survives physically but is taken into an abyss between realms, where he loses his memories.
- Xül survives and marries Nyvora, strengthening his political position within the divine court.
- Olinthar is killed by Thais once Moros is forced out of his body.
- Moros is expelled from Olinthar’s body and escapes into the abyss, vowing to return.
- Marx survives the Trials and ascends alongside Thais and Thatcher.
- Elysia is defeated by Thais and Thatcher during the final confrontation.
- Chavore, Nyvora, and Morthus all survive the events of the book.
Who Survives The Ascended?
Thais, Thatcher, Xül, Marx, Chavore, Nyvora, and Morthus all survive the events of the book. Olinthar is killed by Thais. Elysia is defeated during the final battle. Sulien is killed early in the story by priests, and Kyren does not appear to survive the Trials, based on available source material.
Is Thatcher Aether?
Yes. Aether is the name given to Thatcher after Moros strips his memories in the abyss between realms. He has no memory of who he was, so a queen from an unfamiliar realm gives him a new identity. For the full sequence of how this happens, see The Ascended Ending Explained.
This connects directly to Grenwich and Lennox’s earlier Espirithe trilogy (Riftborne and Duskbound), where a character named Aether already appears without a known origin. The Ascended functions as the explanation for who Aether is and how he got there. The precise extent of what Aether does afterward, including his role and relationships within Duskbound itself, isn’t something The Ascended spells out on its own, so readers wanting that full picture should look to the Espirithe trilogy directly rather than assuming everything is resolved within this book.
The Ascended Character FAQ
Who are the main characters in The Ascended? The central characters are Thais Morvaren, her twin brother Thatcher Morvaren, and Xül, the necromancer prince who mentors and later falls for Thais. Olinthar, King of the Gods, and Moros, the Primordial possessing his body, drive the central conflict.
Who is Thais in The Ascended? Thais Morvaren is the protagonist, a woman with hidden Starpower inherited from her biological father, Olinthar. She’s forced into the Trials of Ascension alongside her twin brother and ultimately kills Olinthar, inheriting his divine power.
Who is Xül in The Ascended? Xül is a necromancer prince and one of the Legends, assigned as Thais’s mentor during the Trials. He commands an army of the undead, secretly works against Olinthar through a resistance movement, and becomes Thais’s love interest.
Is Olinthar Moros? Not exactly. Olinthar’s body was secretly possessed by Moros, the Primordial of Endings, for years. They’re distinct beings; Moros was operating from inside Olinthar rather than being Olinthar himself.
Is Thatcher Aether? Yes. After Moros pulls Thatcher into an abyss between realms and erases his memories, a queen in another realm renames him Aether, connecting him to a previously unexplained character from Grenwich and Lennox’s earlier Espirithe trilogy.
What powers does Thais have? Thais has Starpower, the ability to forge weapons and light out of starlight, inherited from her father, Olinthar.
What powers does Thatcher have? Thatcher has a rare, destructive power that mirrors an ability the Primordials once had, one the current gods believed had gone extinct.
Who does Thais end up with? Thais’s relationship with Xül is left unresolved at the end of the book. He marries Nyvora for political reasons tied to protecting Thais’s new position, though he maintains his feelings for her haven’t changed.
Which characters survive The Ascended? Thais, Thatcher, Xül, Marx, Chavore, Nyvora, and Morthus all survive. Olinthar is killed, and Sulien is killed earlier in the book.
What is the relationship between Thais and Thatcher? They’re twins who share a psychic and emotional bond strong enough to survive even Thatcher’s disappearance into another realm. Their loyalty to each other drives most of the book’s major decisions.
More The Ascended Guides
- The Ascended Summary: Full chronological plot recap.
- The Ascended Ending Explained: The final battle, Olinthar and Moros, Thatcher, and Aether.
- The Ascended Trials Explained: Coming soon.
- The Ascended Magic System Explained: Coming soon.
Hi, I’m Nisbah – a blogger with over 2 years of experience creating content and a fantasy enthusiast who loves exploring magical worlds, fantasy books, captivating stories, and unforgettable characters. I share book recommendations, reviews, fantasy insights, and story discussions and creating guides to help readers discover their next great adventure.
