- Persephone, the Dungeon Core: A woman of our Earth, transmigrated to another world as a dungeon core. Unhappy with her isekai experience and ready to make it everyone else’s problem.
- The Goblins
- Nar-shesh: Angry at humanity, grieving the deaths of his family and friends, doing his best to do the right thing. He/him. Minion (first wave). First floor boss.
- Teekas: The second volunteer minion. Decisive and pragmatic, but with no stomach for violence. Childhood friend of Nar-shesh. She/her. Minion (first wave).
- Sarsu: Teekas’ father. Fussy, concerned with matters of status and propriety. He/him. Minion (second wave).
- Malik: Nar-shesh’s best friend. Emotionally intelligent, with a distinct sense of humor. Has a number of congenital disabilities. He/him.
- Ergiza: A young mother. Flint-knapper, occultist, bearer of private sorrows older than her tribe’s current misfortunes. She/her.
- Her infant child, as-yet unnamed.
- Immir-shesh: Ergiza’s cousin. Basket-weaver, occultist, self-important jerk. He/him.
- Enshunna: Immir-shesh’s younger sister. Struggles to step out of her brother’s shadow. She/her.
- Ninkur: Immir-shesh and Enshunna’s mother. Dotes on her son, which is probably a contributing factor to his dislikable personality. She/her.
- Kizurra: A teenager with a chip on his shoulder and a loaded crossbow. He/him. Minion (second wave).
- Harig: The looming, phlegmatic “straight man” half of a comedy duo with their younger sibling, Enlil-itu. Bearer of the stonefoot mutation, known to the goblins as an omen of leadership and martial prowess. They/them. Minion (second wave).
- Enlil-itu: A frenetic little scamp (by goblin standards, which is saying something). The “banana man” half of a comedy duo with their older sibling, Harig. Youngest of the goblins (except for the baby). They/them.
- Neraru: Very autistic about bugs, surprisingly brutal in a fight. Makes her first close friend in Persephone. She/her. Minion (second wave).
- Abzu: An enigmatic elder, deeply initiated into the goblin mystery cults. He/him.
- Other Residents of the Dungeon
- Striga: A mutated owl. Persephone’s first experiment with radical flesh-shaping. A bit cocky, a lot violent, still learning to navigate personhood. She/her.
- Camazotz: A giant corpse-eater bat. Persephone's second experiment with radical flesh-shaping, and her second-floor boss. He/him.
- Pacifica Blackwater: A human girl from the town of Planter's Bend. The dungeon offers her a refuge from her abusive parents, but she struggles with the realities of life among the monsters and with Persephone's plans for worldwide revolution. [Villager]. She/her.
- Chompy: A giant cave lamprey. Eventual third floor boss. Gender indeterminate.
The Town of Planter's Bend
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- Karlus Presdjees: Mayor of and wealthiest man in Planter's Bend. He/him.
- Temperance Blackwater: A callous, self-centered woman embittered by the death of childhood dreams. Mother of Pacifica, wife of James. [Mage]. She/her.
- James Blackwater: Small-scale pipeleaf planter. Short-tempered and violent. Father of Pacifica, husband of Temperance. [Villager]. He/him.
- Old Thomas: An experienced [Hunter] and veteran of the brush wars between humans and goblins that pushed the goblin tribes out of the lowlands. He/him.
The Town of Nikolai’s Ford
- A Mysterious Woman: Fleeing equally-mysterious enemies, injured beyond the capacity of most to survive, and fallen further down the Chain than most will ever climb, she recently crash-landed near Nikolai’s Ford. She/her.