Monday 12 April 2010

the best blog i hav seen yet im not saying that just 2 be nice its holey. it must hav taken ages 2 write. ADJM303


:):)?

Sunday 11 April 2010

Now thats all the charicters done.If you want me to change anything leave it as a coment and I will include it in the blog.
Darquesse


Darquesse is the evil sorcerer who is believed to destroy the world. In Dark Days Valkyrie sees a vision of Darquesse killing her parents, and an older image of herself doing nothing to stop it. At the end of the book Valkyrie uses a dream stick to see her nightmare. It was in the repositry as Skulduggery and Serpine fought. As the book of Names fall, Valkyrie sees her true name, Darquesse
Dreylan Scarab


Dreylan is a great sorcerer who returns to the earth from 200 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Scarab was freed from prison, thirsty for revenge against the Sanctuary and Thurid Guild, who framed him, by his son, Billy-Ray Sanguine. Scarab's Adept ability is with symbols
Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days
The Ancients


The first humans to learn magic, the Ancients were alive when the Faceless Ones ruled the Earth, thousands of years ago. They forged the Sceptre of the Ancients and used it to overthrow and banish the Faceless Ones, "a race of sadistic gods who loathe humanity", but they subsequently turned against each other and began fighting over the Sceptre. They all killed each other and the last one standing, disgusted at their actions, cast the Sceptre into the Earth. As a result of the Ancients murdering each other over it, the Sceptre was filled with hatred and as such it derived its power from the hate of whoever wielded it. When Skulduggery used it to destroy Serpine from a desire for revenge against Serpine for killing him, his wife and his child (and to save Stephanie, who was being attacked by Serpine with his dark magic at the time) it devoured its own hatred and was thus rendered impotent. The Sceptre of the Ancients makes no appearance in the second book, Playing with Fire, but in the third book Skulduggery Pleasant: the Faceless Ones it is fitted with another "black crystal", the source of its power. It kills a Faceless One but is destroyed by another, who smashes the black crystal, causing its "black lightning" to spill out and turn that Faceless One to dust.



It is generally implied that the Ancients have long-since died off, but Stephanie Edgley is confirmed to have Ancient blood in her veins
Lord Vile


One of Mevolent's Three Generals, Vile was a powerful Necromancer who also possessed the ability to manipulate darkness and shadows to suit his purposes. He had impregnable armour that rendered him virtually invincible which is the object of Baron Vengous's desires in Playing With Fire. Lord Vile died alone in a chamber, but it has not been revealed how. China Sorrows says that Vile was "remarkable" and "could have changed the world" while Baron Vengeous "wouldn't know where to begin". He was apparently extortionately powerful, and Baron Vengeous says "how could Vile ever have been beaten with power like this?". In The Faceless Ones, Ghastly says, "There was a rule we had back then. You don't go up against Vile alone. You wait until your army is gathered behind you, you all attack together and you pray someone gets in a lucky shot." It is suggested that Lord Vile is much more powerful than either Nefarian Serpine or Baron Vengeous, as Ghastly's mother defeats both of these but is killed by Vile. In Dark Days, it is revealed by Solomon Wreath that he may not actually be dead, but hiding in another part of the world. Vile was originally believed to be the saviour of the Necromancers, whom they called the "Death-Bringer", but since his apparent death Solomon Wreath at least believes that this may actually be Valkyrie Cain.
 Mevolent


A powerful evil sorcerer and cult leader who was responsible for a great war many centuries ago and bears similarities to Lord Voldemort of Harry Potter and Morgoth from The Silmarillion. It is possible his name comes from the word "malevolent". When describing Mevolent to Stephanie Skulduggery says that he was "worse than all the others" implying that he was the most evil sorcerer in the history of the world. His right-hand man, Serpine was responsible for Skulduggery's death. He was defeated soon after Skulduggery came back to life but how he was defeated and what became of Mevolent afterward has yet to be revealed. In the book there are two different kinds of mage; Elementals and Adepts. Mevolent, like Skulduggery, was an Elemental. Skulduggery remarks that is "rare for an Elemental to go so far down the dark path." Mevolent and his followers desired the return of the Faceless Ones and the main antagonists of all the books so far are former servants of Mevolent. They, like he, worship the Faceless Ones and seek their return
Batu


A man from a family of sorcerers with no magical powers who brings back the Diablerie after their destruction. He uses them to bring back the Faceless Ones by tattooing symbols onto their arms. He explains that these are for their protection, to mark them out as believers when the Faceless Ones come, but in fact they are invitations; when the Faceless Ones return they will inhabit their bodies and become invincible beings. Batu does this as not to waste the Faceless Ones' time searching for good hosts. He also offers himself as a host, so then he would finally have magic. He didn't know that it would completely wipe his personality, and his face. Batu reapers in the fourth book breifly as the body that the faceless ones use to torture Skulduggery.
The Diablerie


A mysterious secret society, akin to a terrorist organisation, the Diablerie were the ones responsible for the manipulation of Baron Vengeous in Playing With Fire. Sanguine was working for them and he meets their leader in secret in the penultimate chapter of the book. They seek the return of the Faceless Ones, a "race of sadistic gods who loathe humanity". As revealed in Skulduggery Pleasant: the Faceless Ones, China Sorrows started the Diablerie, and Baron Vengeous later took over. Their leader's plan was for the Grotesquery to die so that its dying scream would alert the Faceless Ones to the whereabouts of the Earth, meaning that all the Diablerie have to do now is let them in. In The Faceless Ones, the Diablerie are the main antagonists of the book, including a "huge man with silver hair" called Gruesome Krav and a mad swordswoman called Murder Rose, as well as a dark-haired man called Jaron Gallow. Jaron Gallow is believed by Solomon Wreath, a Necromancer, to be the Diablerie's leader, but this is later revealed to be Paddy Hanratty, who nicknames himself "Batu". Batu isn't a sorcerer and he wants the "Faceless Ones" to return so one of them can possess him and give him magic, although this would wipe out his personality. Gruesome Krav and Murder Rose are possessed by Faceless Ones and killed, although Jaron Gallow escapes this. Batu is also possessed by a Faceless One, but that Faceless One is pushed through the "portal between realities", away from "our reality". The word "Diablerie" is an apparent derivation of the Latin "diabolos" meaning "devil".
Mr. Bliss


In Playing with Fire, Thurid Guild, the new Grand Mage, begins to choose his Council of Elders. Mr Bliss is mentioned as 'the obvious choice' and in The Faceless Ones Thurid Guild only has a meeting with Skulduggery and Valkyrie 'out of respect for his fellow elder', Mr Bliss. In The Faceless Ones, Mr. Bliss was asked to become the next Grand Mage and finally accepted, as soon as the task before him (stopping the Diablerie) was completed. Unfortunately, due to his death, he was unable to actually become the Grand Mage
Thurid Guild


Introduced in Playing With Fire as the new Grand Mage of the Irish Council of Elders, he has yet to appoint any other Elders and so is by effect the dictator of the Sorcerer's Sanctuary of Ireland. He does not trust Skulduggery and holds Valkyrie in contempt. A somewhat grim and humourless character, Skulduggery speculates that he may be corrupt and thinks he was in league with the evil Diablerie in Book 2, but is proved wrong in Book 3, when "the Administrator", brought in by Guild, proves to be the traitor. In book four Guild Seems to have forgiven Skulduggery and helps the team, although this may be due to the fact Skulduggery knows it was him who actually killed Vanguard. At the end of the fourth book he is sentenced to 300 years in prison but isn't imprisoned due to the destruction of the Irish Sanctuary. His leg is disintegrated by the same explosion that destroyed the Sanctuary.
Sagacious Tome


Although a wise and powerful Elder himself, Sagacious Tome appears to have something of an inferiority complex and is somewhat paranoid believing that all the Magical Community believe him to be insignificant compared to Meritorious and Morwenna. Bitter at this, the very ambitious Sagacious joins forces with Serpine and tricks the other Elders enabling Serpine to destroy them in order to get the Great Book of Names. When the spell that Sagacious, Meritorious and Morwenna placed over the Book to protect it still doesn't disappear, Serpine destroys Sagacious as well, thereby enabling him to take the Book. Sagacious is a very haughty individual and is notable for being even more melodramatic than Serpine saying about the people who he believed were mocking him "The streets will run red with their blood" causing Serpine to wryly comment "How very dramatic". Also, in The Faceless Ones, he is mentioned to have been a Teleporter, as evidenced when he appeared and disappeared from the Christ Church in Book 1.
Morwenna Crow


A very beautiful sorceress, Morwenna was the wisest of the Elders. She was killed along with Meritorious by Serpine in Book 1. There is speculation as to Morwenna having been a Necromancer due to her method of appearance in Book 1- forming out of a black shadow[citation needed], much likes the ones described in connotation to other Necromancers in later books. However, this has never been confirmed in the books.
Eachan Meritorious


Once Grand Mage and leader of the Elders, Meritorious was one of the most powerful magicians in Europe. He was killed along with Morwenna by Serpine with the Sceptre of the Ancients in Skulduggery Pleasant
The Elders


The Elders are the three democratic leaders of the Sanctuary, the Sorcerer's Parliament. Every different country has a different Sanctuary which is hidden in an inconspicuous location. Sanctuaries usually have three elders. The main Elders seen in the series are based in Dublin and the representatives of Ireland where the majority of the story takes place. Other known Sanctuaries exist in London, New York, Berlin and Tokyo, respectively.
The Faceless Ones


Though not much is known about them, their physical being is completely impossible and hits anyone who glimpses it like a physical force, also exerting a powerful mental shake that can drive some insane. They are drawn to hosts by invitations that Batu inscribed on the Diablerie's arms. Their powers include being able to kill anyone just by looking at them. They seem to be resistant to any magical or non-magical attack . The only member of the Diablerie able to get away from being hosted by the invitations Batu inscribed on them was Jaron Gallow, who cut his own arm off.
Solomon Wreath


Solomon is a Necromancer who has some connection to Skulduggery's past, possibly an old partner like Valkyrie. He placed his power inside his cane, much like Lord Vile's armour, and is quite powerful. During the crisis, he forms a "Necromancer contingent", consisting of him, a Necromancer with his power forced into a flintlock pistol, a necromantress whose power has been manifested into a cape, and the White Cleaver, who they brought under their control. In the battle of Aranmore Farm, whilst trying to guide the final Faceless One through the gate, he throws his cane over to Valkyrie, who tries to use it to stop it from killing Skulduggery. The cane breaks, but Solomon creates another cane "identical to the first one", upon which Valkyrie remarks "How original of you". The book ends with Wreath telling Valkyrie that to get Skulduggery back from the realm of the Faceless Ones they will need Skulduggery's true head, which was stolen from him while he was meditating and won a new one in a game of poker, as an Isthmus Anchor, and to gain the power needed Valkyrie would have to change her profession from Elemental to an Adept Necromancer. During the year-long gap between the third and fourth books Wreath teaches necromancy to Valkyrie Cain.
Remus Crux


The incompetent replacement for Skulduggery as the lead detective for the Sanctuary. He is a fool and an idiot (China says in The Faceless Ones: "Oh my god..." China stared at him. "You are actually thicker than you look."), but knows a secret concerning China Sorrows about Skulduggery's rebirth, that, if he knew, would crush him, and frequently uses it to blackmail China into doing things for him. Crux says to China, "Do you think he knows what you did? What am I talking about? Of course he doesn't. If he knew, you'd be dead, am I right?" implying that China did something involving Skulduggery's resurrection that Skulduggery wouldn't have been pleased with. Crux arrests Valkyrie right after her parents leave for Paris, and tries to arrest her again during The Battle of Aranmore Farm, but ultimately fails. Also, during the Battle, his mind was broken as he looked up at a Faceless One as it passed over him searching for a "vessel". In the fourth book, he has began to worship the faceless ones, and he ends up joining the Revenge Club. He is a member of the revengers club, although slightly insane from the brief glimpse of the faceless one in book 3. China shoots him after he threatens telling other people about the secret, and he dies.
The Faceless Ones
Dusk


An enigmatic and powerful vampire, Dusk is a freelancer who works for Vengeous and Billy-Ray Sanguine. He is obviously highly treacherous as Vengeous was not surprised that he did not attempt to free him from prison and so did not take it upon himself to punish the vampire. Like all vampires Dusk is eerily elegant and graceful. Valkyrie describes him as "beautiful but inhuman." He possesses immense physical strength and superhuman agility and speed. He curbs his vampire nature through the use of a syringe. When Valkyrie knocks the syringe from his hand when he is about to inject himself with it he loses control and transforms into his monstrous form, earning a slash across the face from Billy-Ray Sanguine's razor, a wound which never healed. Dusk dedicated himself to punishing Valkyrie for this and later captured her and threatened to turn her into a vampire and set her loose on her parents while in her bloodlust. As he was transforming however Valkyrie stabbed him in the leg with his syringe which she had kept, leaving him trapped between human and vampire. Springheeled Jack later defeated him and threw him into the sea which knocked him unconscious. He was later taken into custody by Mr Bliss. He escapes prison in Russia in the fourth book and joins Billy-Ray Sanguine's Revengers' Club. He succeeds in biting Valkyrie Cain, but she is cured by Kenspeckle Grouse before she turns into a vampire.
Springheeled Jack


A demon of some description with an obsession with killing and named after the legendary London monster of the same name, Springheeled Jack is a hideous humanoid creature who is capable of leaping over great distances and haunts the roofs and streets of London at night looking for people to murder. He is apprehended by Tanith Low and imprisoned but is later freed by Billy-Ray Sanguine who asks him to kill a man working for the Sanctuary in London. Jack later learns that Sanguine was working for Vengeous who wanted to bring back the Faceless Ones. Knowing how dangerous the Faceless Ones are, Jack does not want them free and is furious at having been tricked. He then defeats Dusk, unknowingly aiding Tanith meanwhile saving Valkyrie and running off to Italy.



Jack appears again in the fourth book, as a member of the Revengers' Club. His aim is to kill Tanith Low.
The Torment


An ancient and enigmatic sorcerer, the Torment is a misanthropic recluse who lives in an underground building beneath the sordid village of Roarhaven. The building itself was intended to be a new Sanctuary by a group of dissenters in Roarhaven who attempted to overthrow the Elders. The plan failed and the building itself sank in decay. The Torment believes that sorcerers should rule over mortals and believes that his kind are weak to hide from humans when they should be conquering them. He fought against Mevolent in the war however as he reasoned that if the Faceless Ones came back, no-one would be safe, even him. He claims to despise the Ancients as much as the Faceless Ones however and because Valkyrie is a descendant of the Ancients he demands that Skulduggery destroy her in exchange for information on the whereabouts of the Grotesquery. Skulduggery pretends to kill her by shooting her reflection and when the Torment learns that Skulduggery tricked him he comes after the undead magician for revenge but is defeated by Skulduggery and Tanith Low.



The Torment is a Shapeshifter with an affinity for spiders and is capable of transforming into a giant three-eyed spider himself. He fights the Grotesquery as a spider, but is defeated (by being scalped). It is not known whether the Torment survived, as he is not mentioned in any of the subsequent books.
 Playing With Fire


For characters who as of yet have only appeared in the second book.
Skulduggery Pleasant


For characters who as of yet have only appeared in the first book.



[edit] Nefarian Serpine

An insane, power-crazed sorcerer intent on finding the sceptre of the ancients to gain access to the Book of Names and take over the world. He uses necromancy to first create the White Cleaver, then uses it to make himself invincible. However, he is destroyed by the Sceptre of the Ancients as it only works for its owner, and can only be used once its owner is killed, but Serpine effectively turned himself into a living, self-repairing corpse like The White Cleaver, meaning he couldn't truly live. Therefore, Skulduggery was able to use the Sceptre against him. Skulduggery was able to use the Sceptre because while he was dead, he did not die after gaining possession of the Sceptre, allowing him to keep possession of it.
I will also do a quick run through of the books.
Gordon Edgley


Stephanie's uncle, Gordon was a wealthy author of horror fiction who based his bestselling novels on adventures he had had with Skulduggery. Skulduggery describes Gordon as "sharp-tongued, strong-willed, intelligent, doesn't suffer fools gladly" traits Stephanie herself possesses. Gordon was a cultured and sophisticated gentleman with a childish playful demeanour who had a great fondness for Stephanie although he didn't have children of his own. He and Stephanie's mother dated for a while until she met Gordon's brother who later became Stephanie's father. Gordon chivalrously stepped aside and allowed his girlfriend to marry his brother although he later complained that he had never had anything more than a peck on the cheek. He did however go on to have numerous torrid affairs with many beautiful women. Gordon died whilst putting the finishing touches to his novel And the Darkness Rained Upon Them before being killed by Nefarian Serpine. Secretly he had the Sceptre of the Ancients concealed in a maze of catacombs beneath his mansion and left the Key to it (disguised as a brooch) to his greedy brother Fergus and his grasping wife Beryl. He left his fortune and mansion to Stephanie. A living image or "ghost" of Gordon is seen in an Echo-Stone in Playing With Fire. Stephanie found the stone in a secret room in Gordon's mansion and later took it to the family reunion with her in a pocket. When taking refuge from her disagreeable cousins in an adjourning room, Stephanie took the Echo-Stone out of her pocket and had a conversation with the living memory of Gordon. While being a separate entity from the real Gordon, the living memory in the Echo-Stone was essentially a perfect copy of the real Gordon. After learning that Gordon was dead, the "Echo-Gordon" had something of an existential crisis but did not lose his sense of humour, dryly remarking that being taken to the family reunion with Stephanie reminded him that he didn't miss his family at all. Gordon was once genuinely in love with China Sorrows and liked to think that she reciprocated his feelings.



Gordon played a very small role in The Faceless Ones, though he does assist Valkyrie in finding a new crystal to power the Scepter of the Ancients, and points her in the direction of Anathem Mire's house in the tunnels underneath his house. It is also revealed that Tanith Low is a fan of his books, and that Valkyrie is hesitant to tell her about the Echo-Stone
Billy-Ray Sanguine


A Texan assassin with the ability to melt into the ground and travel under it, Sanguine dresses like a stereotypical cowboy, giving him similarities to the Stephen King character, Randall Flagg. He has no eyes but is capable of sight and he can see very well in the dark. He covers his empty eye-sockets with a pair of sun-glasses. He is described as being rather attractive, through this was mentioned before it was revealed that he has no eyes. Skulduggery and Tanith Low speculate that he may be a clinical psychopath however he appears to be somewhat cowardly in contrast to the reckless fearlessness of most clinically diagnosed psychopaths (However, as demonstrated near the end of the climax, this could be simply an act). Nevertheless, Sanguine himself admits to being psychopathic and also exhibits misogynistic tendencies. He has an obsession with his razor (an enchanted blade, scars from which never heal) which he uses to commit his murders and becomes enraged when it is taken from him by Valkyrie Cain twice. Sanguine, like Springheeled Jack, has an obsession with killing people and, like Scapegrace, despises Valkyrie though for different reasons. Sanguine was the one who freed Baron Vengeous from prison with the help of a vampire called Dusk although he is actually working for Batu, the leader of the Diablerie. In The Faceless Ones Sanguine says "I been workin' for you for over a year now. Ain't it time we met, face to face?" Sanguine only appears in the second and third books, and near the end of the third book, he says to Valkyrie "Everybody bein' so eager to die...almost takes the fun outta killin' them!". Valkyrie then cuts his stomach and he shouts "What the hell have you done!" before disppearing into the ground. It does not mention if he is killed or not. Strangely enough, despite his reputation as a worldwide feared mercenary and murderer, Sanguine appears remarkably inept at his profession, he has never actually killed someone in the course of the books, and appears to only offer a physical threat to the surprised, the helpless and those without combat training, and is mainly used as a mode of transportation rather than a fighter by his employers. In the fourth book, his father is revealed to be Dreylan Scarab. With Scarab, he forms the Revenge Club, the main antagonists of Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days. The wound given him by Valkyrie Cain at the end of the third book is shown to seriously damage his magical powers in the fourth book
Kenspeckle Grouse


The Sanctuary's top scientist, Kenspeckle is a paranoid genius with a neurotic phobia of vampires. He appears to be a perfectionist and is entrusted with the task of dismembering the Grotesquery once Skulduggery and Valkyrie steal it, however the Grotesquery wakes up and kills two of Kenspeckle's assistants. Kenspeckle later bemoans their deaths saying "They were good lads." In the book it says that he had always had a soft spot for Valkyrie. He vehemently refuses to take part in any violence(though he did use some kind of magic to defend himself in an attack), and constantly admonishes Skulduggery for putting Stephanie/Valkyrie in danger with such alarming regularity. He seems to have the ability to take away or to give pain. Grouse only appears in the second,third and fourth books, although a reference is made to a "cantankerous old man" that heals wounds in the end of the first book, presumably Grouse. In the fourth book Grouse is kidnapped by the Revenge Club and possessed by an evil spirit called a Remnant. Whilst in Grouse's body, the Remnant tortures Tanith by nailing her to a chair. Tanith later states that though it was not Grouse who hurt her, she cannot help but hate him for it. Grouse is also shown to blame himself, though he in fact has no recollection of torturing Tanith at all.
The Grotesquery


An immensely powerful hybrid creature made from the remains of a Faceless One by Baron Vengeous who gave it the name Grotesquery. Because it was made from the remnants of a Faceless One along with various other monsters the Grotesquery is effectively part-god and Baron Vengeous worships it as such. It resembles a stereotypical Egyptian mummy and is similar to the Chimera of Greek mythology. The Grotesquery has powers of teleportation as well as unfathomable strength. A punch from Mr Bliss, the single strongest man on Earth did not phase it in the slightest yet it was able to incapacitate Bliss with a single blow. It does not seem particularly intelligent however. Given the fact that it was made from part of a Faceless One it is presumably immortal however it is not indestructible as it was overpowered and almost killed by a group of Cleavers. It eventually meets its demise after Valkyrie Cain stabs it through the heart with Tanith Low's sword. While Valkyrie stabbed the Grotesquery's heart, it emitted a death scream which alerted the Faceless Ones to the weakest point in our reality. It is a necessity for the ritual to open the portal for the Faceless Ones. Also to open the gate for the Faceless Ones in The Faceless Ones they had to use the Grotesquery's torso to open the gate to the realm of the Faceless Ones. The Grotesquery only appears in the second and third books.
Vaurien Scapegrace


An incompetent aspiring serial-killer, Scapegrace seeks to make a name for himself in the world by becoming the greatest murderer of all time, "The Killer Supreme" by the use of his to-be title, however he proves to be utterly inept at killing people. He is easily apprehended by Valkyrie and Skulduggery at the start of Book Two and imprisoned in the Sanctuary. He is later called upon by Skulduggery and Valkyrie who force him to assist in their investigation. Scapegrace appears to be emotionally immature. He is easily frightened and has a tendency to cry when he is hurt. He despises Skulduggery and Valkyrie for capturing him, the latter in particular but is more of a nuisance that a threat. Scapegrace only appears in the second(leading Skulduggery and Valkyrie to the Torment)and third books(He helps Valkyrie to escape from the sanctuary). In the fourth book he becomes a zombie
The White Cleaver


A Cleaver that was abducted by Serpine and turned invincible through the use of Necromancy, he was the cause of Ghastly Bespoke turning himself into a statue. He was about to kill Skulduggery, but suddenly left. At the time it was presumed that he had actually formed his own mind, and betrayed Serpine on his own initiative.



The White Cleaver reappears in The Faceless Ones, where it is revealed that the "Necromaner contingent" who "created" the White Cleaver dictated that, since he was created using their own Necromancy, he would obey any order from the Necromancers. Therefore, when he was about to kill Tanith, they ordered him to stop.



The White Cleaver aids the good guys along with the Necromancers in The Faceless Ones, The White Cleaver also attempts to kill a Faceless One but fails and the Faceless one punchs him in the chest, thus removing him from the battle. His whereabouts are unknown, but it is presumable that he is with the Necromancers again.



The White Cleaver is an extremely strong fighter, being able to heal any wounds immediately. He fights and defeats Tanith Low (nearly killing her by impaling her on his scythe), and even defeats Murder Rose in the third book. In the first book he proves more than a match for Skulduggery, Stephanie/Valkyrie, Tanith and Ghastly put together, and in the end they are forced to retreat from him. The White Cleaver does not appear in the fourth book.
Fletcher Renn


Fletcher is the newest and only living Teleporter after the Diablerie killed all the others. The Diablerie force Fletcher to open the gate to the Faceless Ones dimension. He is described as having "spiky and carefully, meticulously untamed" hair. He appears as a selfish, overconfident brat when first introduced, however he seems to grow as a person towards the end of the book. He seems to have growing likening to Valkyrie and they become friends, but when he first laid eyes on Tanith Low, he developed a crush on her which lasted throughout the third book. In the year between the third and fourth books, Fletcher's crush on Tanith dissipated and during the fourth book his affections move to Valkyrie which is displayed when he kisses her before she rescues Skulduggery, and is jealous when she cultivates a friendship with an attractive vampire. At the end of the fourth book they are officially a couple
Ghastly Bespoke


An immensely strong tailor who was born with hideous facial deformities (scars that are the result of a jinx cast on his mother while she was pregnant with him) but is nevertheless a perfectly pleasant and sociable individual who is an old friend of Skulduggery and expresses concern for Stephanie's safety much to her chagrin. He is apt at boxing which he learned from his mother and sewing which he learned from his father. Reasoning that he was ugly enough already without having to get his face damaged in a boxing ring, Ghastly went into sewing and became a tailor. His considerable physical strength and boxing skills come in handy when he assists Stephanie and Tanith in taking on Serpine. He is an Elemental. He is not seen in the second book as he harnessed the power of earth in the first book to turn himself into stone, thus protecting himself from being killed by The White Cleaver



Ghastly stayed in his stone form through the entirety of Playing with Fire, but became his human self again mid-way through The Faceless Ones. He then made Valkyrie/Stephanie a new suit, and progressed to help them in their battle later on.



When Valkryie/Stephanie asks Ghastly why he doesn't like her, he tells her his mother was a Sensitive (an Adept with powers similar to that of traditional psychics) that used to sometimes see visions, and that she once told him of a vision where Valkryie/Stephanie died a very painful death, and the world ended.
China Sorrows


An enchantingly beautiful but dangerous sorceress who has a charm on her that makes anyone who sees her fall in love with her, regardless of the age or gender, even affecting Stephanie (however, the effect wears down slightly every time one meets her). China Sorrows owns a library of rare magical devices which she collects by ruthless and somewhat corrupt means. As mysterious as her brother, Mr Bliss, she is a cunning and insidious character whom Skulduggery does not trust. The two of them do know each other well however and appear to have a mutual respect. It is also implied that they had a romantic relationship in the past. China attempts to control Stephanie using her name in the first book but after Stephanie adopts a new name (Valkyrie Cain) China loses this power over her. In the second book, Stephanie seems to still be in love with China after seeing her for the first time. In the second book the Echo Stone Gordon Edgley says he also loved her, saying our love was stronger and true. It is also revealed that China, along with Nefarian Serpine and Baron Vengeous, was once part of a cult that worshipped the Faceless Ones. Vengeous attempts to convince her to join him in Playing With Fire but when she rejects his offer, he vows to destroy her. She is also a formidable sorceress and quite a skilled fighter through the use of magical "Symbols" which appear in the form of tattoos on her body. These symbols also appear on most of her possessions, allowing her to magically manipulate them in various ways, e.g. sending all of the furniture flying at intruders to her home, or heating the kettle to boil the water inside.



In Dark Days, she is shot in the chest by a new Sanctuary Detective named Pennant. She heals herself, but is left injured in the rest of the book. Remus Crux reveals that she was involved in Skulduggery's families deaths, stating that "Everyone knows what you did. They're all whispering. China Sorrows, China Sorrows, she's the one, they're saying. She's the one. Nefarian Serpine killed Skulduggery Pleasant, but China Sorrows led his family into the trap." China subsequently shoots him in the chest, point blank, killing him. China also becomes less passive at the end of the third book and throughout the fourth, actively assisting Skulduggery and Valkyrie instead of merely passing information to them.



On an amusing sidenote China also states that she has attempted to kill her brother several times and failed, most likely due to their shared tendency to double-cross people.
Mr. Bliss


The strongest man on Earth, Mr. Bliss is a sinister and enigmatic man who works for the Elders. He later betrays them in favour of Serpine who he believes is too powerful to defeat. He is later revealed to be a double-agent for the Elders and assists in defeating Serpine. He is China Sorrows' brother. He and China were brought up to worship the Faceless Ones but neither worships them anymore although they continue to believe in their existence and so assist Skulduggery in preventing Serpine from resurrecting them in Book 1 and Baron Vengeous from doing so in Book 2 and Batu and the Diablerie in Book 3. Both he and China mistrust and apparently despise each other though in the third book after Gruesome Krav attempts to kill China he chases after him yelling "My sister? You tried to kill my sister? My sister is the only family I have left!" . In addition to his alarming strength, Mr. Bliss is also described as being very difficult to kill, with his sister admitting "I've tried to kill him several times already and he just won't stay down". He was killed by a Faceless One in the third book "Faceless Ones".
Tanith Low


A master swordswoman who is first introduced battling a troll in the first book, she does not work for the Elders (who are the leaders of the magical population of Europe) because she does not trust them. Instead she merely, as Springheeled Jack says in 'Playing With Fire', "deals out what she calls justice". Tanith Low's job is to apprehend or otherwise kill criminals and evil creatures who threaten national security. She befriends Valkyrie later in the novel. During a conversation with Stephanie, Tanith expresses a desire for a little sister and she and Stephanie develop an affectionate sisterly relationship. Stephanie refers to Tanith as being like a sister to her in the fourth book. Tanith is also known to have an elder brother whom she states she "loves to death." Despite her softer, warmer side, Tanith is a ruthlessly efficient agent for the magical government and an excellent fighter. She takes on Serpine's White Cleaver in combat in the first novel, and nearly wins, but the White Cleaver throws his scythe through her and she almost dies. She assists Skulduggery in defeating the Torment in the second book. She is an Adept who can run on walls, strengthen doors and unlock locks by touching them. In every book, she will have a near-death experience because, as Derek Landy commented, "she deserves it." This was because in the first draft of the story, he wrote her being killed off by the White Cleaver. But his agent said it was too depressing so Mr. Landy said that he would let her live on the condition that he would get to torture her every single book.



Her appearance is one of beauty as she is described as appearing in her early twenties with golden hair. Her actual age is around eighty. In Playing With Fire Springheeled Jack thinks to himself And such a pretty face. Jack hadn't seen a pretty face in many a year. and Stephanie has remarked that Tanith acts like a four year old despite her physical or actual age.



In Playing With Fire she comments that Stephanie/Valkyrie should spend more time with people her age.



In the third book, she is asked to protect Peregine, but fails and is injured by Murder Rose and Gruesome Krav in the process. In the end of the book, she loses to Murder Rose in a fight again.



In the fourth book, Tanith assists Valkyrie in finding Skullduggery's skull. She is arrested by the Sanctuary when she tries to assist in stealing Skullduggery's skull from the Sanctuary. She is later freed, and is kidnapped by the Revenge Club and tortured by a possesed Grouse.
 Stephanie Edgley/Valkyrie Cain


Stephanie Edgley is introduced at the start of the book when her wealthy uncle, Gordon Edgley, a writer of horror fiction, dies under mysterious circumstances. He leaves Stephanie (whom he was especially fond of) his mansion and his fortune in his will. Stephanie is depicted as an exceptionally mature and independent girl who possesses great confidence and self-esteem. Skulduggery says that she is much like her uncle whom he describes as "strong-willed, intelligent, sharp-tongued, doesn't suffer fools gladly." Stephanie proves herself to possess all these qualities in spades and she and Skulduggery frequently exchange witty banter. Although the two annoy each other considerably they do have a great respect and affection for one another. She is told by Solomon Wreath that she would have great potential as a necromancer at the end of the third book, and in the fourth book he says that she may even surpass Lord Vile, once the most powerful of the Necromancers.



Stephanie is extremely brave to the point of being fearless and possesses a great desire for adventure and discovering the unknown. She does not have many friends her age and laments the boredom of her dull ordinary life in the village in which she lives. Stephanie appears to possess considerable physical strength for a twelve year-old girl and exhibits aptitude in swimming, running and fighting. At the end of the first book she also displays magical powers, confirming that she is part of the ancient race of mages that banished the faceless ones. Stephanie is the last person to look inside the book of names before it was destroyed, and thus the only person who knows her own true name, which is Darquesse . In the second book of the series, Stephanie's fighting skills have improved but she seems somewhat more insecure than before. She is also much more passive. Throughout the book numerous adults ignore and patronise her and various characters (including her cousins) refer to her as a child, something which Valkyrie was established in the first book as hating. She says nothing however and does not even complain. She kills the Grotesquery (a hybrid form made by Baron Vengeous from the remains of a Faceless One) with Tanith Low's sword, and when she's surprised she and Skulduggery haven't died, Skulduggery says, "Of course not. I'm too clever to die and you're too pretty." In the third book she uses the Sceptre of the Ancients to kill a Faceless One and another Faceless One dies by destroying it. In the fourth book she travels into what Skulduggery calls hell, the dimension in which the Faceless Ones were trapped, in order to rescue Skulduggery. As of the fourth book she is in a relationship with teleporter Fletcher Renn.In the third book valkrie and Fletcher become friends but as soon as he see's Tanith he develops a chrush on her,but,Fletcher see's through the corse of the third book that Tanith hates him(it's ovious see'ed go out wiht me)and he tirns back to Valkrie and they share there first kiss befor she go to save Skulduggery.Then at the end of the forth book Valkrie can't help but snog him and tell everyone that they are now a couple(I wish I was with her). At the end of the fourth book a "Dream Whisperer" that Cassandra Pharos gave her is seen whispering a dream that reveals Valkyrie's true name is Darquesse, someone who is said to destroy the world.
Skulduggery Pleasant (AKA The Skeleton Detective)


Skulduggery Pleasant is a powerful magician who was killed in battle many years ago but came back to life as a skeleton. Many centuries ago according to Skulduggery an evil sorcerer named Mevolent gathered an army and tried to conquer the world but he was opposed by a resistance movement. Skulduggery was one of the leaders of this resistance movement but he fell victim to Mevolent's second-in-command, Nefarian Serpine who killed Skulduggery's wife and child and then attacked Skulduggery himself with a dagger. Skulduggery then grabbed it, and discovered that it was barbed with poison. Mevolent's minions then stuck Skulduggery's body on a pike and burnt it for all to see.



One by one the other leaders of the resistance fell but strangely Skulduggery's spirit did not move on. His bones had been placed in a bag and thrown in a river but Skulduggery somehow was able to go into the bag, re-enter his bones and quite literally pull himself together. He then returned, and with his help the resistance was able to defeat Mevolent whose minions were either imprisoned or rehabilitated, Nefarian Serpine included. Another of Mevolent's henchmen, Baron Vengeous, was personally tracked down by Skulduggery, who threw a stick of lit dynamite at him. A truce was signed between the Sanctuaries and the former followers of Mevolent and an uneasy peace ensued. After Mevolent's defeat, Skulduggery (now a skeleton) became a detective, but he never lost his hatred for and desire for revenge on Serpine.



Skulduggery, despite his bizarre appearance which he hides with a disguise in public, is something of a dapper gentleman. He has a polite, old-fashioned way of speech, and a velvety-smooth voice which enraptures Stephanie when they first meet. As well as a powerful sorcerer, commanding the four elements, he is particularly enthusiastic about detecting, always sleuthing for clues, much to Stephanie's and Tanith's chagrin. He is also a flamboyant egotist, vocally exalting his own plans and showing off his magical abilities to Stephanie, at one point walking on the ocean's surface after falling from a cliff.



Skulduggery is a clever strategist, usually forming the plan the team uses (when they indeed have a plan) and sharpening his wit on Stephanie's, taking pleasure in his own wisecracks. The two partners develop a relationship throughout the books. He reveals in Playing With Fire that he used to be great at motivational speeches, although he has obviously lost this talent, as his attempt to psyche up the party before they confront the Grotesquery ends with "I seem to have lost track of this speech, I'm not sure where it is going, but I know where it started and that's what I want you to remember. Has anyone seen my hat?"



Skulduggery's suave demeanor hides a desire for revenge. Because he died hating Serpine and his hatred brought him back, it forms part of his existence. At Stephanie's questioning, he describes his true nature as a "dark, twisted thing." Several characters throughout the series have commented about his legendary rage, though he has never displayed this in the books. Conversely, witnessing the murder of his family makes him sensitive to the loss of others. Although he accepts sacrifice of individuals as part of war, he is highly reluctant to allow this to happen. He protects Stephanie diligently throughout the novels; originally only about to arrest Serpine, he is forced to kill him when he attempts to kill Stephanie.



When the Faceless Ones returned to Earth, Skulduggery is sucked into the vortex along with them. He was trapped with them in a different universe.



On an interesting note, the head he is currently wearing is not his own, he won it in a poker game. His real head was stolen from him by goblins while he was asleep. At the end of The Faceless Ones a Necromancer called Solomon Wreath says his head is an Isthmus Anchor and says to Valkyrie: "But if you were to retrieve this missing head and give it to Mr. Renn, he would find that the link between the skeleton and his real skull is keeping the gateway from closing over".



In book four, he was rescued by Valkyrie. He also learns to fly, and use his fire powers like a flamethrower.
Premise of Novel


The premise of the novel is that magic is real and those with the ability to wield it live among us. Magic is split into many "Schools" or disciplines, the two main groups being Elementals (which concentrate on magic involving the classical elements of fire, earth, wind and water) and Adepts (which is split into many other disciplines, some more obscure than others, examples being Sensitives (similar to traditional psychics or mediums), Teleporters, Shapeshifters, Necromancers etc.). Many years ago an evil sorcerer named Mevolent attempted to conquer the world and was opposed by a resistance movement led by a powerful magician named Skulduggery Pleasant who was later killed by Mevolent's forces but came back to life as a living skeleton and then defeated Mevolent. In the book Skulduggery meets a strong-willed girl named Stephanie Edgley whose uncle, an old friend of Skulduggery has died under mysterious circumstances and together the two of them must defend the world from various evil beings who seek to destroy it. Stephanie subsequently adopts the name Valkyrie Cain which she retains for the rest of the series. She and Skulduggery have a good relationship

CHARICTERS

In this blog I will be doing a profile of all the charicters that I know anough about to do one of that includes.
 Premise of Novel


 Recurring characters

1 Skulduggery Pleasant (AKA The Skeleton Detective)

2 Stephanie Edgley/Valkyrie Cain

.3 Tanith Low

.4 Mr. Bliss

.5 China Sorrows

.6 Ghastly Bespoke

.7 Fletcher Renn

.8 The White Cleaver

.9 Vaurien Scapegrace

.10 The Grotesquery

.11 Kenspeckle Grouse

.12 Billy-Ray Sanguine

.13 Gordon Edgley

 Skulduggery Pleasant

.1 Nefarian Serpine

Playing With Fire

.1 The Torment

.2 Springheeled Jack

.3 Dusk

The Faceless Ones

5.1 Remus Crux

5.2 Solomon Wreath

5.3 The Faceless Ones

The Elders

.1 Eachan Meritorious

.2 Morwenna Crow

.3 Sagacious Tome

.4 Thurid Guild

.5 Mr. Bliss

The Diablerie

.1 Batu

.2 Mevolent

.3 Lord Vile

.4 The Ancients

 Skulduggery Pleasant: Dark Days

9 Dreylan Scarab

10 Darquesse

INTRO

This blogg is devoted to how amazing skulduggery Pleasnat is.The Skulduggery Pleasant books comprise of
Skulduggery Pleasant,
Skulduggery Pleasant playing with fire,
Skulduggery Pleasant The Faceless Ones,
Skulduggery Pleasant Dark Days
and I think that the fith book will be called
Skulduggery Pleasant Skulduggery Secret
(wich comes out in september 2010).