The childish King of Cymberia who forces his court to play games and solve riddles. He impulsively uses Trurl's personality transformer to steal his body, followed by a sailor's, and then the Commissioner's, before finally being trapped in a cuckoo clock.

A venerable member of the King's privy council who was dismissed from his post for failing to answer what was the darkest place in outer space.

Confounded by the King's riddle about antimatter and antimacassars during a coronation.

Sent into exile for using a concealed crib beneath his cuirass during the King's puzzle games.

A famous constructor who brings a personality transformer to the King. His body is abruptly stolen by Balerion, leading his own royal guards to lock him up as a madman.

Trurl's prudent companion who tracks down Balerion and orchestrates a clever ruse involving a fake wealthy foreigner to trick the King and recover the stolen device.

A colossal police chief whose body is hijacked by the King during a harbor brawl. He eventually receives the mind of a cuckoo clock and continues to function flawlessly.

A simple mariner who tries to help the fallen Trurl (Balerion) but has his body stolen. He is ultimately rewarded by being crowned the new King of Cymberia.

A widower whose legs had rusted through, who moves on wheels and witnessed the sailor snatching the horns from the fallen constructor's head.

The owner of a merchant fleet who recognizes his crewman acting wildly in the harbor and is struck with a stick for remonstrating with him.