by Robin Furth
MARTIN, RAYMOND: President of MID-WORLD RAILWAY CO. III:141–42, III:143–46, III:255
MARTIN, SUSANNAH: Daughter of RAYMOND MARTIN. III:142, III:143–45, III:146
MID-WORLD RAILWAY CO.: Also See entry in PORTALS. III:139–46
CHAS
See ELURIA: CHARACTERS
CHASE, FRANKIE
See CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK: CALLAHAN’S HOME SHELTER ASSOCIATES
CHASSIT
See NINETEEN
CHEVIN OF CHAYVEN
See MUTANTS: CHILDREN OF RODERICK
CHILDREN OF RODERICK
See MUTANTS: CHILDREN OF RODERICK
CHIP
See MAINE CHARACTERS: McAVOY, CHIP
CHLOE
See GODS OF MID-WORLD
CHUMLEY
See NORTH CENTRAL POSITRONICS: NIGEL THE BUTLER
CHUMM, GREG
See CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK: CALLAHAN’S HIDDEN HIGHWAYS ASSOCIATES
CHUMM’S TRAVELING WONDER SHOW
See CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK: CALLAHAN’S HIDDEN HIGHWAYS ASSOCIATES: CHUMM, GREG
CHURCH OF THE WALK-INS
See WALK-INS and MAINE CHARACTERS: PETERSON, REVEREND; see also MAINE (STATE OF): STONEHAM: STONEHAM CORNERS: LOVELL-STONEHAM CHURCH OF THE WALK-INS, in OUR WORLD PLACES
CLAY, ANNIE
See SERENITY, SISTERS OF: FORTUNA
CLAYPOOL, FRANK
See HAMBRY CHARACTERS: SHERIFF’S OFFICE
CLEMENTS, JUSTIN (ARNOLD CLEMENTS)
Justin Clements (also known as Arnold Clements) owns CLEMENTS GUNS AND SPORTING GOODS, a shop which Roland visits in The Drawing of the Three. Clements also happens to be one of BALAZAR’s associates. (The police have been after him for years.) His brother-in-law, FAT JOHNNY HOLDEN, runs the shop for him.
II:343, II:347, II:348–49, II:376
CLEMMIE
See SERENITY, SISTERS OF
CODY, DR. JAMES
See CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK: ’SALEM’S LOT CHARACTERS
CODY, FATHER
See CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK: ’SALEM’S LOT CHARACTERS: CODY, DR. JAMES
COLLINS, FLORA
See DANDELO
COLLINS, FRED
See DANDELO
COLLINS, HENRY
See DANDELO
COLLINS, JOE
See DANDELO
COMPSON
See WARRIORS OF THE SCARLET EYE: CASSE ROI RUSSE: HUMANS: FEEMALO/FIMALO/FUMALO: FUMALO
CONROY
See CAN-TOI
CONSTABLE HOWARD
See TREE VILLAGE CHARACTERS: TASLEY, HOWARD
CONSTANT READER
STEPHEN KING’s Constant Readers. This means you and me, folks!
VI:406, VII:818
CONVEIGH, REVEREND
See MAINE CHARACTERS
COOGAN, LORETTA
See CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK: ’SALEM’S LOT CHARACTERS
COOKIE (CALLA BRYN STURGIS)
See CALLA BRYN STURGIS CHARACTERS: RANCHERS: EISENHART, VAUGHN
COOKIE (JEFFERSON RANCH, DEBARIA)
See SKIN-MAN: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS: JEFFERSON RANCH CHARACTERS
CÖOS, RHEA
See RHEA OF THE CÖOS
COPPERHEAD
See GRAYS: GRAY HIGH COMMAND
COQUINA, SISTER
See ELURIA, LITTLE SISTERS OF
CORCORAN, JOHN
See TOPEKA CHARACTERS
CORNWELL, AUSTIN
See WARRIORS OF THE SCARLET EYE: CASSE ROI RUSSE: HUMANS: FEEMALO/FIMALO/FUMALO: FIMALO (RANDO THOUGHTFUL)
CORT (CORTLAND ANDRUS)
Muscular, scarred Cortland Andrus was Roland Deschain’s mentor. Like his father FARDO before him, Cort trained generations of gunslingers in the art of war. Not only did Cort teach the apprentice gunslingers to battle with a variety of weapons, but he also taught them to navigate by the sun and stars, and to keep a clock ticking inside their heads. Described as a bald, squat man with bowlegs and a bulging belly of solid muscle, he was a violent carouser who frequented the brothels of GILEAD’s lower town. He also happened to be blind on one side—most likely the result of an ancient battle, brawling, or teaching injury. Cort called the apprentices “maggots.” Coming from him, it was an almost affectionate term. His job was to train young gunslingers as killers, and he was excellent at it. In The Gunslinger, we witness Roland’s coming-of-age battle with his teacher. If all gunslingers enter manhood with such a fierce fight, it is surprising that Cort has reached middle age at all. Throughout the Dark Tower series, Roland hears Cort’s cajoling, critical, and often observant voice inside his head. One of Cort’s sayings was “Never speak the worst aloud.” Another was “Always con your vantage.”
Evidently, Cort had a philosophical side. Roland believes that he often held palaver with the mystical MANNI. He was also Gilead’s finest riddler, though he was intolerant of cheaters. During one of the Fair-Day riddling contests, Cort stabbed a wandering singer and acrobat who had stolen the judge’s answers.
In The Drawing of the Three, we’re told that Roland’s ka-tel, or class of apprentice gunslingers, was Cort’s last group of students. On the day of the Presentation Ceremonies, Cort was too ill to attend, and so his final crop of pupils had to go to his cottage to kneel at his feet so that their teacher could load their guns for the first time. Nine weeks later, Cort was dead, probably of poison. Beautiful Gilead did not survive much longer. Two years after Cort’s death, In-World’s final bloody civil war had begun.
In The Wind Through the Keyhole, we learn that Cort had quite a different fate from the one we had previously suspected. Although in the revised version of The Gunslinger we’re told that Cort was in a coma for a week after Roland defeated him in GILEAD’s SQUARE YARD, in Wind Through the Keyhole we discover that Cort’s injuries in that coming-of-age battle were much more severe. According to Wind, Cort’s destruction of Roland’s hawk David was the old teacher’s last kill. Cort must have suffered brain damage during that final battle, since a full year after Roland won his guns Cort still had not regained his wits. (Wind begins after Roland’s return from MEJIS, and after his tragic matricide.) In the months after Roland’s mother’s death and before Roland traveled to DEBARIA, Roland spent much time in Cort’s hut, feeding him and changing his dirty clouts. (As Roland told his father, sometimes Cort couldn’t get to the jakes and sometimes he forgot he had to go.) Despite Roland’s almost constant attention, Cort only occasionally recognized his former student.
Although Roland claimed that he nursed Cort out of respect, STEVEN DESCHAIN believed that Roland was actually performing a self-imposed penance for murdering his mother, GABRIELLE DESCHAIN. We can’t help but wonder whether Steven sent his son to investigate the SKIN-MAN killings in Debaria to free Roland from his self-imposed responsibility to his old teacher. After Roland’s departure, Cort was cared for by the castle’s WHITE AMMIES.
I:65, I:86, I:95, I:96–100, I:104, I:107, I:108–9, I:110, I:124 (creation of mescaline), I:127, I:135, I:137, I:149, I:162–73 (Roland’s coming of age), I:213, II:16, II:28, II:36, II:66, II:104, II:166, II:167, II:174, II:177, II:180, II:249, II:250, II:251, II:304, II:309, II:361, II:383, III:11, III:13 (indirect), III:14, III:41, III:259, III:276, III:277, III:280, III:328, III:418–19, IV:8 (Gilead riddling), IV:9, IV:33–34 (knowledge of other worlds), IV:70, IV:107, IV:109, IV:110, IV:160 (described), IV:178 (his father lamed Jonas), IV:197, IV:286, IV:321, IV:325, IV:326, IV:344, IV:407 (see Cort’s father, Fardo), IV:436, IV:479, IV:523, IV:650, IV:664, E:163–64, V:78 (taught navigation and fighting), V:86, V:169, V:204, V:240, V:245, V:248, V:383, V:392, V:476, V:597, V:675, VI:203, VII:21, VII:34, VII:148, VII:247, VII:250, VII:473, VII:587, VII:589 (saying), VII:778 (always con yer vantage), VII:779, VII:801 (Cortland Andrus), VII:824, VII:829; W:35–38 (discussed), W:76, W:79, W:287–88
CORT’S ASSOCIATES:
FARDO: Like his son, Cort, Fardo taught generations of apprentice gunslingers how to fight, but he was also
responsible for sending many boys west in disgrace. During ELDRED JONAS’s test of manhood, Fardo had broken the boy’s leg with his ironwood club and had sent him, gunless, into exile. Like so many other failed gunslingers, Jonas eventually joined forces with Gilead’s great enemy, JOHN FARSON.
**MARK: In the 2003 version of The Gunslinger, we learn that Cort’s predecessor was named Mark. He died in the yard behind the GREAT HALL, stabbed to death by an overzealous student.
WANDERING SINGER AND ACROBAT: This man was cross-eyed and wore a cap of bells. Cort killed him for attempting to cheat in a riddling contest. III:277
COSINGTON, ADA
See TREE VILLAGE CHARACTERS:WOODSMEN: COSINGTON, PETER
COSINGTON, PETER
See TREE VILLAGE CHARACTERS: WOODSMEN
COTER, CHUGGY
See DEAN, EDDIE: EDDIE’S PAST ASSOCIATES
COUNCIL OF ELD
See GUNSLINGERS
COUNTESS JILLIAN OF UP’ARD KILLIAN
See HAMBRY CHARACTERS: TRAVELLERS’ REST
COVAY MOVERS
See CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK: CALLAHAN’S HIDDEN HIGHWAYS ASSOCIATES
COVENANT MAN
See WALTER: WALTER’S ALIASES
COWPUNCHERS ATTACKED BY SKINMAN
See SKIN-MAN: SKIN-MAN’S VICTIMS
CRAZY MARY’S
See CALIFORNIA (STATE OF): SACRAMENTO: CRAZY MARY’S, in OUR WORLD PLACES
CRESSIA CHARACTERS
In Wizard and Glass we learn that during Roland’s youth, the rebel JOHN FARSON attacked the Barony of Cressia and burned its Barony seat of INDRIE to the ground. Before leaving the area, he slaughtered hundreds of people and beheaded all of the Barony officials.
IV:163
CRESSIA’S BARONY GOVERNOR: Beheaded by FARSON. IV:163
HIGH SHERIFF: Beheaded by FARSON. IV:163
INDRIE’S MAYOR: Beheaded by FARSON. IV:163
**CRIMSON KING (THE RED KING, LORD OF THE SPIDERS, LOS THE RED, LORD OF DISCORDIA)
CONSTANT READERS are already familiar with the Lord of Chaos known as the Crimson King. We met him in one of STEPHEN KING’s other novels, namely Insomnia. If Roland is a soldier of the WHITE, then the Crimson King is his natural enemy. This prince of chaos is a shape-shifter whose true dual form vacillates between that of a satanic red-eyed Santa Claus and a scuttling spider.
In the 2003 version of The Gunslinger, SYLVIA PITTSTON claims that the Crimson King is the Antichrist who will lead men into the flaming bowels of perdition. He is behind every fleshly pleasure and is the wicked force that created the destructive machines imprinted with LaMERK FOUNDRY. However, despite her sermons, Sylvia Pittston has already been seduced by the Crimson King’s power. Believing that WALTER was the King’s angel, she let him impregnate her with his master’s demonic child. Roland removes the demon by inserting his gun into Pittston’s vagina and screwing her with it. The child dies, but in response, Pittston raises her congregation against Roland.
In the 2003 version of The Gunslinger, Walter tells Roland that the Red King already controls the DARK TOWER and that the Earth has been delivered into his hand. Although the Crimson King may turn his blazing red eyes toward the kingdoms of the mortal worlds, he is far from mortal himself. Roland has a larger and more powerful enemy than he ever imagined, and that enemy has opposed him from the beginning. Even FARSON, who bore the Red King’s sigul of the staring red eye, was but a pawn of this destructive monster.
In Song of Susannah we learn that our favorite kas-ka Gan has also had a long and involved history with this most unsavory of were-spiders. The first time Stephen King encountered Los the Red—in the form of tiny red spiders feeding on the intestines of dead chickens—King was seven years old and sawing wood in his aunt and uncle’s barn. The young King was saved from the spiders (and from their deadly bites, which would have turned him into a VAMPIRE) by CUTHBERT ALLGOOD and EDDIE DEAN. Needless to say, the Crimson King never forgave Stephen King for evading his clutches, or for converting to the cause of the White.
It is probably safe to assume that, like his half-son MORDRED, the Crimson King is able to transform his shape at will. He is also probably the BEAST and Keeper of the Tower that Walter spoke of in the original version of The Gunslinger. As the artist PATRICK DANVILLE realizes when he tries to draw him perched on a balcony of the Dark Tower, the Red King darkles and tincts like the AGELESS STRANGER, whom Walter also mentioned during his long palaver with Roland in the GOLGOTHA.
As was stated earlier, in his human form the Crimson King resembles a satanic Santa Claus, with a huge hooked nose, full red lips (overhung by a single tusk-like tooth), an enormous white beard, and long, snowy-white hair. Like Saint Nick, he wears a red robe, though Los’s is dotted with lightning bolts and kabbalistic symbols, not cuffed and trimmed with fur. Although in Wolves of the Calla we came to suspect that BLACK THIRTEEN, the nastiest ball of the WIZARD’S RAINBOW, was actually one of the Red King’s eyes, in The Dark Tower we learn that it isn’t. The Crimson King’s eyes are as red as the roses of CAN’-KA NO REY, and when Roland sees him shouting from a balcony of the Dark Tower, he is still in possession of both of them.
Not only is the Red King ugly, but he is also completely mad. Many years before our story began, he flooded THUNDERCLAP with poison gas, darkening the land and killing everything that lived there. Although he probably originally had an hourglass-shape on his back (a sigul which Mordred still has and which is the dan-tete’s key to the Dark Tower) somehow or other, the Red King managed to destroy his. Hence, he cannot enter the Tower proper without some sigul of the ELD—either his half-son’s mark or Roland’s guns.
Although the Red King is Roland’s nemesis, he is also Roland’s kinsman. According to Walter (the Crimson King’s prime minister), they are both descended from ARTHUR ELD. However, whereas Roland’s family branch is dedicated to the protection of the Tower, the Red King (always Gan’s crazy side) is focused on its destruction. It is he, the Lord of Chaos, who enslaves the BREAKERS and who forces them to destroy the BEAMS that hold the Tower in place.
Just as the gunslingers serve the White, the WARRIORS OF THE SCARLET EYE serve the Crimson King and the cause of the Outer Dark. These servants include the WOLVES, VAMPIRES, TAHEEN, and CAN-TOI (or LOW MEN) of END-WORLD. Companies such as NORTH CENTRAL POSITRONICS, the SOMBRA CORPORATION, and LaMERK INDUSTRIES (all existing in versions of our world) also owe allegiance to the Crimson King.
When Roland and SUSANNAH journey to LE CASSE ROI RUSSE (the Red King’s palace) on their way to the Dark Tower, they find out from AUSTIN CORNWELL that while they were battling the Wolves in CALLA BRYN STURGIS, the Red King foresaw their victory—both in the Calla and in the DEVAR-TOI—in one of MAERLYN’s magic seeing spheres. (Six of them were in his possession at the time.) Enraged, Los forced all but three of his castle servants to eat rat poison. After watching them die from his throne of skulls, he smashed the six globes of Wizard’s Rainbow and killed himself by swallowing a sharpened spoon. In his new undead form—which was safe even from Roland’s guns (the barrels of which were made from Arthur Eld’s sword EXCALIBUR)—he mounted his gray horse NIS and galloped for the Tower. Although he could not enter the Tower proper, he took up a position on one of its balconies. From there, he hoped to keep his fearsome enemy Roland at bay with his huge supply of sneetches. Luckily, the Crimson King was not destined to succeed.
Although the Red King may not have foreseen it, by the time Roland reaches his life’s goal, he no longer has a ka-tet but is in the company of the mute but magical artist Patrick Danville, whom the Red King was so eager to destroy in the novel Insomnia. Patrick’s pencils can change reality, so Roland has the younger man draw the Crimson King as he stands on the balcony of the Tower, complete with nose hair and snaggletooth. Once the picture has achieved the required verisimilitude (created by dabs of red for the eyes—pigment made from the petals of Can’-Ka No Rey mixed with Roland’s blood), Roland has Patrick erase his drawing, and in so doing, he erases t
he Red King himself. As Roland mounts the steps of the Tower, all that remains of his enemy are two enraged red eyes.
In The Wind Through the Keyhole, the wizard MAERLYN calls the Crimson King the Great One. According to Maerlyn, the COVENANT MAN (otherwise known as WALTER O’DIM and MARTEN BROADCLOAK) is only capable of a little magic and long life. The Tower-pent Red King is Walter’s true master, and when the Red King points his finger, the Broad Cloak scurries.
IV:91 (“WATCH FOR THE WALKIN’ DUDE”; “ALL HAIL THE CRIMSON KING”), IV:100 (Eddie’s bulldozer dream), IV:111 (creature that rules Farson and Marten), IV:632, IV:666, V:236, V:291, V:366 (Red King), V:413 (and the Dark Tower), V:452, V:456, V:463, V:465, V:468, V:470, V:539, V:549, V:550, VI:13, VI:22, VI:95, VI:102, VI:105, VI:110, VI:111, VI:120, VI:121, VI:169, VI:171, VI:199, VI:231, VI:232, VI:233, VI:238, VI:239, VI:244–55 (Walter and the Crimson King’s plans), VI:259 (as Devil), VI:269, VI:287, VI:293 (as Lord of Spiders; Tower-pent), VI:294 (Lord of Discordia), VI:295, VI:296, VI:318, VI:326, VI:328–31 (voice of Black Thirteen), VI:336, VI:337, VI:350, VI:374, VI:380 (Eye), VI:384, VI:407, VII:13, VII:25, VII:47, VII:62, VII:70 (King), VII:76 (Big Red Daddy), VII:89, VII:92, VII:111, VII:127, VII:133, VII:134, VII:141, VII:149, VII:150, VII:161, VII:173, VII:174, VII:175, VII:176, VII:177, VII:179, VII:188, VII:202, VII:210, VII:229, VII:238, VII:261, VII:262, VII:266, VII:281, VII:285, VII:298, VII:300, VII:301, VII:326–27, VII:406, VII:447, VII:498, VII:506, VII:512, VII:513, VII:514, VII:515–16, VII:539, VII:549–52 (red goblin), VII:559, VII:563, VII:578, VII:580, VII:581, VII:589, VII:591 (indirect), VII:593, VII:595, VII:603, VII:604 (Los), VII:605 (killed castle staff with rat poison; throne made of skulls; has six of the Wizard’s Glasses), VII:605–10, VII:612, VII:613, VII:614, VII:615, VII:617–18, VII:619, VII:620, VII:621, VII:622, VII:623, VII:626, VII:650 (mad guardian of the Tower), VII:670–71 (six months in Tower), VII:703, VII:711, VII:717, VII:721, VII:724, VII:725, VII:754, VII:755, VII:757 (indirect), VII:759, VII:766, VII:767–68, VII:770–71, VII:772, VII:781, VII:782–800, VII:819–20, VII:823, W:140 (Red King), W:148–49 (red eye behind Tim & Covenant Man), W: 250–51 (Great One), W:253
