Jessica Whitwell, Minister of Security, Nathaniel's boss Quentin Makepeace, a British magician playwright Julius Tallow, Minister of Internal Affairs Harlequin, a British government spy stationed in Prague Kavka, a master Czech magician in Prague, creator of the golem Organisations and unnamed characters The benefactor (aka Quentin Makepeace) to the Resistance The Resistance, an organisation attempting to overthrow the magicians' government Magician's Council, the city council of London Night Police (werewolves), the main law enforcers of the city Magical objects, spells and places Seven planes, somewhat like 'dimensions': the first plane is that of earthly existence, in which all humans dwell. The higher planes may be inhabited by spirits only, and only spirits can normally see into them. The more powerful the spirit, the higher the plane on which it can exist, and see into. Magicians can see into the first few planes using special devices. Staff of Gladstone, casts lightning bolts upon incantation; can destroy even very powerful spirits Golem's eye, clay in the form of an eye which when inserted into the forehead of a golem, allows one to see through the eyes of the golem, and control it Other place, a kind of dimension invisible and inaccessible to humans, where spirits normally dwell when not enslaved to a magician Animation parchment – placed in golem's mouth, in conjunction with a golem's eye, animates a golem Golem, a large homunculus made of clay and animated by means of a parchment (spell) and golem's eye. While not strictly a magical object, a golem is created by magic and immune to magical attack. Any such attempt is likely to result in a backlash that injures or kills the attacker Amulet of Samarkand, a magical amulet named for the ancient city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which makes the wearer invulnerable to magical attack Vigilance spheres, eyes in the sky used for tracking and spying, though it isn't clear whether these are magical or mechanical objects Black Tumbler, a spell that covers victim with smoke and flames, leaving him/her maimed or disfigured Seven-League Boots, boots that allow the wearer to take seven-league strides, thereby attaining great speed Alternate history The stories (of which this is one of four sequential episodes) are set in an alternate history, the universe for the stories. The events take place in London, England, and Prague, Czechoslovakia. Magic has partly displaced technology as a means of social progress. In an