Planet of the Damned · Character

Winner Ihjel

A grotesquely fat former Winner who bullies his way past doctors and locked doors, carrying secrets so heavy they make a planet's games seem like dust motes.

major

Also known as Ihjel, II Ihjel, Poor Ihjel

First appearance: Planet of the Damned

As a major figure in Planet of the Damned, Winner Ihjel is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Recruits Brion and guides him on the mission to Dis.

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Ihjel was once Anvhar's champion, but the man who forces his way into Brion's hospital room is draped in soft fat, an impossibility on a world of athletes — only his burning eyes still hold the strength that won the games. He recruits Brion for a mission he treats as more important than rank, doctors, or the Twenties themselves, and his urgency is so absolute that Brion's insults slide off him unnoticed. Whatever Ihjel knows, he carries it like a man already spending his last days, and he needs a new Winner because he can no longer be one.

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Character Web

15 connections

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Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Mission leaders and recruiters
Protagonist
Disan natives and allies

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point

In this excerpt, the emotional and psychological peak occurs as Brion and Lea confront the aftermath of the co…

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Relationships

Brion Brandd
professional · positive
Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent. How this plays out →
Lea Morees
professional · positive
Brion Brandd
professional · positive
Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent. How this plays out →
Brion Brandd
professional · positive
Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent. How this plays out →
Lea Morees
professional · positive
Lea Morees
professional · positive

Brion Brandd
Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent.
Lea Morees
Lea works with Winner Ihjel as part of the same organization, sharing intelligence and resources.
Brion Brandd
Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent.
Brion Brandd
Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent.
Lea Morees
Lea works with Winner Ihjel as part of the same organization, sharing intelligence and resources.
Lea Morees
Lea works with Winner Ihjel as part of the same organization, sharing intelligence and resources.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Winner Ihjel in Planet of the Damned

In the story

Winner Ihjel appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Planet of the Damned
Recruits Brion and guides him on the mission to Dis.
I
Implied as the intruder who tried to see Brion the night before, speaking with urgency and authority.
II
A former Winner now offworld, Ihjel is determined to recruit Brion for a mission to save seven million lives, using forceful persuasion.
III
Ihjel admits to planting thoughts in Brion's mind and explains the true origins of the Twenties, recruiting Brion for a mission to save a threatened planet.
IV
Piloting the ship, managing the mission logistics, and using applied psychology to handle Lea's anger.
V
Briefs Brion and Lea on the crisis, reveals the Foundation's secret role, and expresses willingness to bomb Dis himself to protect Nyjord's nonviolent culture.
VI
Killed instantly by an ion rifle discharge during the ambush. His death leaves Brion and Lea stranded.
VIII
Mentioned as the previous Anvharian Winner; Brion feels a debt of loyalty to him.

Chapter companion notes

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See Winner Ihjel in Planet of the Damned