Characters in The Echorium Sequence facts for kids

This is a list of characters from The Echorium Sequence, a fantasy book series written by Katherine Roberts. The stories are about a special group of people called Singers who use powerful songs to keep the world in balance. They often face challenges from dark magic and dangerous enemies.

Major Characters

Frazhin: The Main Villain

Frazhin is the main bad guy in the series. He appears in Song Quest, Crystal Mask, and Dark Quetzal. He tries to destroy the Echorium, the Singers' home, using a powerful, dark crystal called khiz. He seems to have a special connection to this crystal.

In Song Quest, Frazhin is a khizpriest (a priest who uses khiz). He poisons the Karchlord Azri to weaken him. Frazhin uses a spear made of khiz crystal to force people to tell the truth. He kidnaps Rialle and uses her special songs to attack the Isle, the Singers' home. Everyone thinks he dies at the end of the book, attacked by wild quetzal birds.

In Crystal Mask, Frazhin is badly hurt from the quetzal attack. He tries to build a huge palace out of khiz crystal. He gets help from Lady Yashra, who is his partner, and her tribe of Harai horselords. These horselords are controlled by the khiz. Frazhin also forces young centaurs to dig for khiz. He even uses khiz to control street children. He captures Kherron and threatens to hurt Renn, who he thinks is Kherron's son. He wants Kherron to teach the children Echorium songs. When his khiz palace is destroyed, Frazhin runs away and is pulled underwater by mysterious creatures called naga.

In Dark Quetzal, Frazhin now calls himself Starmaker. He has enslaved many Half Creatures using the khiz, and they worship him like a god. He kidnaps Rialle again and makes her tell him secrets about Yashra and his daughter, Kyarra, whom he has also kidnapped. He plans to use the quetzal's special memory place to change history and destroy the Singers. He enters a deep "Memory Trance" to do this. But he discovers a shocking truth: he was born in the Echorium! His father was a Singer, and his mother was from the Forest People. He was raised there until it was clear he couldn't be controlled by the Songs. Then, his memories of training were erased, and he was sent away. This discovery confuses him long enough for the Singers to free him from the crystal Fane where he was trapped. Even though his body is fused with crystal, he resists the powerful healing song called Yehn. Finally, he is shot with a poisoned arrow by Night Plume, wounded by Jilian, and then finished off by angry Horselords and Karchholders.

Singer Kherron: The Hot-Headed Singer

Kherron is a major character in Song Quest, Crystal Mask, and Dark Quetzal.

In Song Quest, Kherron is a young student who is often angry. He doesn't like the strict life at the Echorium, but he still wants to become a Singer. He is jealous of Rialle's amazing singing. He runs away from the Isle with help from Cadzi and some merlee hunters. He travels to the Karch lands. During his journey, he has a bad encounter with a man named Metz, which ends in Metz's death. Kherron accidentally helps Frazhin capture Rialle. But then, he helps heal the Karchlord Azri and leads a rescue team to save the Echorium. On the way, he finds he can talk to quetzal birds and gets their help. At the end of the book, he becomes a Singer and helps to sing Challa to Frenn.

In Crystal Mask, Kherron is now the Second Singer of the Echorium. He is known for his fierce temper. He never believed Frazhin died in Song Quest and still holds a grudge. He travels to the mainland with Shaiala and Renn. He tracks Shaiala using her crystal when she runs away, sometimes getting help from Renn. He is still good friends with Lazim and, to some extent, with Frenn. He starts to respect Renn's potential as a Singer. In the Pass of Silence, Frazhin's men capture him and put a khiz crystal in his throat. This makes him unable to sing. Near the end of the book, Kherron suggests he might be Renn's father, which explains why he's so proud of Renn. But he also thinks Frenn might be a more likely father.

In Dark Quetzal, Kherron is still unable to sing, and he is very resentful. He is short-tempered with most people, but he listens to Renn's advice and seems quite close to him. He is very suspicious of Night Plume when he first arrives. Kherron is focused on getting revenge on Frazhin, but he gets sidetracked by the idea of a cure for his voice. By the end of the book, his voice is healed, but he doesn't return to his old job as Second Singer.

Singer Rialle: The Merlee Friend

Rialle is a major character in Song Quest and a smaller character in Crystal Mask and Dark Quetzal. She is introduced as a very talented student who can hear the merlee (magical sea creatures). She is close friends with Frenn and Chissar, but Kherron is jealous of her. She is upset by cruelty to Half Creatures and helps the Singers stop merlee hunting. However, Frazhin captures her and keeps her in a cage for months. She is then taken to the Isle when she sings to Azri. She struggles mentally during her captivity, but she keeps fighting Frazhin. The merlee rescue her when she falls overboard. Her injuries are healed, and she becomes a Singer soon after the book ends.

In Crystal Mask, Rialle appears briefly as Renn's mother. She understands Shaiala's feelings. She can still talk to merlee and lives in a cave by the coast to be near them. She has severe claustrophobia (fear of small spaces) after being imprisoned, so she cannot live in the Echorium. She also no longer sings on the Pentangle, the Singers' special platform.

In Dark Quetzal, Frazhin captures Rialle again. Even though she can't help but tell him what he wants to know, she uses her Songs to free Night Plume. She asks him to fly to the Isle for help. She is freed when Frazhin's temple collapses. At the end of the book, she moves to a mainland cave to be close to Kyarra.

Frenn: The Loyal Friend

Frenn is a major character in Song Quest and a minor character in Crystal Mask. In Song Quest, he is a student and a close friend of Rialle. He is not chosen to be a Singer. He runs away from his training to travel with Rialle. He is almost killed in an avalanche that destroys the rest of the Singer group, and he is left paralyzed on one side of his body. Despite this, he travels with the Karchlord's war party, though he still doesn't trust Kherron. At the end of the book, he returns to training, partly healed by the Echorium Songs, but he still walks with a limp. In Crystal Mask, Frenn is part of a group of five orderlies protecting Kherron, Renn, and Shaiala. He is killed in the Pass of Silence while protecting Renn. Later, it is revealed that he was Rialle's partner and likely Renn's father.

Singer Renn: The Quiet Hero

Renn is a major character in Crystal Mask and Dark Quetzal. In Crystal Mask, he is an Eighth Year student. He has been able to hear Half Creatures for years but hides this ability because he fears people will think he's crazy. His classmates often bully him because he is small but has an unusually good singing voice. At first, he is very selfish. He refuses to help Shaiala and avoids Rialle because he doesn't want to seem different. He is often unfriendly towards Shaiala because he resents her for revealing his ability to hear Half Creatures.

In the Pass of Silence, Renn accidentally causes an avalanche that kills Frenn, which makes him feel very guilty. However, he manages to save the other orderlies from being crushed. Then, he helps attack the Khizalace. Although Yashra captures him, he refuses to cooperate and finds a way to escape. At the end of the book, he teams up with Shaiala to help defeat Frazhin and win her herdstone. They become friends after their earlier disagreements. He also develops a close relationship with Kherron, who might be his father. He also makes up with Rialle and the merlee.

In Dark Quetzal, Renn is the newly appointed Second Singer. He is sent to find the kidnapped Kyarra. He shows himself to be very open and trusting of Night Plume when he first arrives. It is suggested that he has remained friends with Shaiala.

Shaiala: The Centaur Girl

Shaiala is a major character in Crystal Mask and Dark Quetzal. Centaurs adopted her when she was young, and she considers herself one of them. She seems wild to other humans and finds it hard to trust them. She often hurts them with powerful centaur kicks. At first, she can only speak centaur language, and Renn has to translate for her, but she gradually learns human speech. Before the book begins, Yashra's crystal mask erases her memories. She can only remember the night she was captured and how the other centaur foals were enslaved. She is sent to the Echorium for treatment, where she begins to trust the Singers. She has a hot temper and often argues with Renn.

When the Wavesong ship reaches the Mainland, she runs away to find the centaurs. But Yashra kidnaps her again. Shaiala remembers Yashra from her capture and immediately hates her. While captive, she becomes friends with Erihan and the other street children. With Erihan's help, she escapes and finds the centaur herd. They give her the herdstones needed to free the captured foals. At the end of the book, she joins forces with Renn to defeat Frazhin and find her own herdstone, which would allow her to fully join the centaur tribe. Instead, she decides to accept her human side and join the Kaleri, Erihan's tribe.

In Dark Quetzal, Shaiala is married to Erihan. She is still friends with the centaur herd and carries her herdstone. She follows Kyarra when Kyarra runs away from the Horselord camp. Shaiala feels guilty for kicking Yashra's stomach when Yashra was pregnant. She also fights with the centaurs to destroy Frazhin's temple.

Erihan: The Horselord Leader

Erihan is a major character in Crystal Mask and a minor character in Dark Quetzal. Erihan is the favorite son of Lord Nahar, leader of the Kaleri tribe of Horselords. In Crystal Mask, he travels to Rivermeet to find his missing mother. But he is mistaken for a street child and captured by Lady Yashra's men. While captive, he becomes friends with Shaiala, though he is unsure about her claims of centaurs. They escape together and find the centaur herd while Erihan is looking for the Kaleri. Together, they rescue the captured children. At the end of the book, his mother returns, and Shaiala joins the Kaleri. In Dark Quetzal, he is married to Shaiala. He takes over leadership of the tribe when his father steps down. He leads the attack on Frazhin's temple.

Yashra: The Khiz-Controlled Lady

Yashra is a major character in Crystal Mask and Dark Quetzal. In Crystal Mask, she is Frazhin's partner and helps him build the Khizalace. She enslaves centaurs and kidnaps street children. She is also the leader of the Harai tribe of Horselords, whom she orders to help Frazhin. She often travels to places Frazhin cannot go because of his injuries. During these times, she stays in touch with him through a khiz crystal mask. She cares for Frazhin and hates the Echorium for hurting him so badly. As the leader of the Harai tribe, she is called 'Lady Yashra'. She also calls herself 'Aunt Yashra' to trick kidnapped street children. In this book, she is pregnant with Frazhin's child. When captured, she chooses to endure the powerful song Yehn to save her child, rather than be executed.

In Dark Quetzal, Yashra is very unwell and can only follow simple orders after the Yehn. Despite this, Kyarra forms a strong bond with her when they are both kidnapped. Kyarra's wish to cure her mother becomes a main reason for her actions. When Yashra is captured, the Harai agree to care for her. This is their way of making up for obeying her orders in Crystal Mask. At the end of the book, the Forest People's special potions heal her. She decides to live a better life and care for her daughter, who has also just recovered from Yehn. She has rejoined the Harai and wants to stay close to Kyarra.

Kyarra: The Singer Princess

Kyarra is a major character in Dark Quetzal. She is the daughter of Yashra and Frazhin. She has been raised in the Echorium as a Singer child and shows great promise. In Dark Quetzal, she is eleven years old and taking her final year exams early. She learns that her mother is "ill" and wants to see her. She sneaks out of the Echorium with her friend Caell. She is shocked to see Yashra in such a bad state. At first, she refuses to believe her parents are not Singers. But Kyarra starts to care deeply for Yashra when Frazhin kidnaps them both. She wants to cure her mother. She also becomes friends with Jilian, the daughter of the pirate who kidnapped her.

Kyarra cares deeply for her friends. She risks a lot to help Jilian and her mother. She eventually travels to Frazhin's temple and enters the Memory Trance with him. She hopes to cure her mother's condition. Kyarra receives Yehn while in the Fane. She doesn't wake up for five years. During this time, Yashra is healed and decides to care for her daughter. At the end of Dark Quetzal, Kyarra wants to embrace both her Singer heritage and her role as a Harai princess. She hopes to become the first female Second Singer one day.

Caell: The Merlee Listener

Caell is a major character in Dark Quetzal. Caell is Kyarra's close friend in the Echorium. He discovers he can talk to merlee. He passes on a message from them that Kyarra's mother is ill. This leads to Kyarra's kidnapping and his own near-drowning by Frazhin's merlee. He feels very guilty for the pain he caused her, and she believes he is dead. He travels with Renn and Kherron to the Mainland to search for her. On the journey, he becomes close friends with Night Plume. He sees Night Plume as a changed character, even though Renn and Kherron have doubts. At the end of the book, he is horrified when he must help sing Yehn to Kyarra to save her life. He waits on the mainland for her to recover later.

Night Plume: The Rebellious Quetzal

Night Plume is a major character in Dark Quetzal. He is a dark-colored quetzal bird. He was born into Frazhin's flock and raised under the control of the khiz. He is the leader of the young quetzal when he is brought to see Rialle. Rialle uses her Songs to free his mind and asks him to fly to the Isle for help. When sent to get Kyarra and Yashra, Night Plume takes his chance and reaches the Wavesong ship, where he contacts Caell.

The Singers, especially Kherron, view him with suspicion. But Night Plume completely rejects Frazhin. He tries his hardest to help the Singers find Rialle and Kyarra and defeat Frazhin for good. This decision causes him much pain. His close friend Sky Swooper is killed for Night Plume's disobedience. The rest of his flock, led by his friend Sun Glimmer, reject him. At the end of the book, Night Plume helps free Frazhin's quetzal using wild speech. Then, he shoots Frazhin with a poisoned arrow to try and kill him.

Jilian: The Pirate's Daughter

Jilian is a major character in Dark Quetzal. Jilian is the daughter of a famous pirate, Asil. She helps him kidnap Kyarra. She acts as Kyarra and Yashra's guard during the journey. She is very hot-tempered and brags about her fighting skills. But she gradually becomes friends with Kyarra. When Kyarra is captured, Jilian is captured too. The Horselords plan to use her as bait for her father. Kyarra helps her escape. At the end of the book, Jilian stabs Frazhin to stop him from hurting Kyarra. This leads the attack that kills him. She then convinces her father to stop being a pirate. She is waiting for Kyarra when she wakes up.

Minor Characters

Recurring Characters

• Singer Graia - Appears in Song Quest, Crystal Mask, and Dark Quetzal. In Song Quest, she teaches Rialle and Kherron's class. By the end of that book, she becomes the First Singer and stays in that role throughout the series.
• Lord Azri - Appears in Song Quest and Dark Quetzal. In Song Quest, he was a young Karchlord thought to be behind merlee hunting. Kherron found out Frazhin was controlling him with poisoned merlee eggs. Rialle tried to heal him, but Kherron's song healed his seizures instead. He then led a war party to stop Frazhin and made a new peace treaty with the Singers. In Dark Quetzal, he and his men join the Horselords to get revenge on Frazhin.
• Lazim - Appears in Song Quest, Crystal Mask, and Dark Quetzal. Lazim is Cadzi's son and grew up with horses. He becomes friends with Kherron when Kherron arrives in the Karch. He helps Kherron heal Azri. At the end of Song Quest, he joins the Echorium as an orderly. In later books, he travels with the Singers. He remains close friends with Kherron.
• Lord Nahar - Appears in Crystal Mask and Dark Quetzal. Lord Nahar is Erihan's father and the leader of the Kaleri tribe of Horselords. He steps down as leader in favor of Erihan in Dark Quetzal. He is very protective of his son and respected by all Horselord tribes. He sometimes calls tribal meetings. In Crystal Mask, he leads the Horselord army in their attack on the Khizalace.
• Rafiz Longshadow - Appears in Crystal Mask and Dark Quetzal. Rafiz Longshadow is a dark-coated centaur. He is close friends with Shaiala Two Hoof and Kamara Silvermane. In Crystal Mask, he is kidnapped with other young centaurs and forced to mine khiz for Frazhin. Shaiala brings him a herdstone to help him turn invisible. He stays close to Shaiala after she leaves the herd. He helps her capture Kyarra and Jilian in Dark Quetzal. Later, he tracks the girls when the forest people take them. Finally, he joins the attack on Frazhin's temple.
• Kamara Silvermane - Appears in Crystal Mask and Dark Quetzal. Kamara Silvermane is a very pale-coated centaur foal. She is close friends with Shaiala Two Hoof and Rafiz Longshadow. She is the first to be kidnapped by the Harai because of her bright coat. She works in the khiz mines for Frazhin with the other foals. When Shaiala brings herdstones, Kamara leads the female foals in a well-planned attack on the Khizalace, rescuing the more impulsive male foals. Kamara stays close to Shaiala after she leaves the herd. She helps her capture Kyarra and Jilian in Dark Quetzal. Later, she tracks the girls when the forest people take them. Finally, she joins the attack on Frazhin's temple.

Characters Appearing Only in Song Quest

• Singer Toharo - The Second Singer of the Echorium. He leads the group sent to investigate merlee hunting and find Kherron. He dies in an avalanche with the rest of the Singer group.
• Singer Eliya - The First Singer of the Echorium. She is very old and dies from exhaustion after singing Yehn to Frazhin.
• Lord Javelly - A noble who owns a castle. He helps Frazhin's merlee hunters. He is sung Yehn at the end of the book for breaking the Half Creature treaty.
• Chissar - A friend of Rialle and Frenn's in their Echorium class. He doesn't trust Kherron and remains unfriendly towards him.
• Gilli - A classmate of Rialle, Frenn, and Kherron. She struggles with singing and is sent to orderly training with Frenn.
• Cadzi - A Karchholder and merlee hunter who helps Kherron escape the Isle. He is Lazim's father.
• Metz - The captain of the merlee hunting ship. He doesn't trust Kherron. He is killed when he attacks Kherron, though it's unclear if Kherron caused his death on purpose.

Characters Appearing Only in Crystal Mask

• Imara - A young street child kidnapped by Yashra and taken to the Khizalace. She is Laphie's younger sister.
• Laphie - A street child captured by Yashra and taken to the Khizalace. She is Imara's older sister.
• Teggi - A confident street child rejected by Yashra. He helps Shaiala and Erihan plan an escape.
• Alaira - An Echorium classmate of Renn's who bullies him for being able to hear merlee. She is friends with Geran.
• Geran - An Echorium classmate of Renn's who bullies him for being able to hear merlee. He is friends with Alaira.
• Ollaron - An old history teacher at the Echorium. He is mentioned in other books but only appears in Crystal Mask.
• The Pentad - A group of five orderlies who protect the Singer delegation. In Crystal Mask, all members are named: Frenn, Lazim, Anyan, Verris, and Durall. Frenn and Durall die in an ambush.

Characters Appearing Only in Dark Quetzal

• Xiancotl - A holy man of the forest people. He enters the quetzal Memoryplace to predict the future.
• Speaks Many Tongues - A translator for the forest people. He tells the Horselords about Xiancotl's prophecy, causing panic. He later brings Kyarra, Jilian, and Shaiala to Xiancotl to join the Memory Trance.
• Hunts Like a Spider - Speaks Many Tongues' son. He travels with his father and later tracks Shaiala, Kyarra, and Jilian when they escape the forest people.
• Lord Zorahan - Leader of the Harai tribe. He offers to care for Lady Yashra as a way to make up for obeying her orders in the Sunless Valley.
• Asil - Jilian's father and the leader of the pirates who kidnap Kyarra. He and his crew wear khiz crystal stars to resist Songs. He later stops being a pirate because Jilian asks him to.
• Blackbeard - One of Asil's crew. He attacks a helpless Yashra on the ship. Kyarra sings a powerful song called Shi to him as punishment, which makes the other pirates respect her Songs more.
• Lianne - A student at the Echorium who bullies Kyarra. She later feels guilty and helps with Kyarra's treatment for Yehn.
• Sky Swooper - One of Frazhin's quetzal, and a close friend of Night Plume. She is killed because of Night Plume's disobedience.
• Sun Glimmer - One of Frazhin's quetzal and Night Plume's second-in-command. He takes over the flock, rejecting Night Plume for leaving Frazhin. But he is convinced Night Plume is right by Wild Speech during the Memory Trance.