Ancient Dreams is a dark fantasy trilogy, which is somewhat inspired by 'dungeon core' stories, but the primary focus to me is on the romance between several characters, and dealing with the threats surrounding them. There's a primarily human nation called Kelvanis which is using magical slavery as they've been conquering two elven nations adjacent to them. I should note that this picture is set after the end of the series, so I don't dare give too many details because of spoilers.



In the center is Sistina, who's the main protagonist of the series. She was originally a demon (it's more complex than that, but it isn't applicable) that merged with the seed of a tree and became the core of a genius loci, which are considered 'dungeons' in this world. She's actually the tree in the back of the picture, and created the body which she meanders about in as a sort of 'puppet', which is why I say she's kind of a dryad.



Princess Phynis, originally of the elven kingdom of Sifaren, is the pink-haired woman to the right of Sistina. She was kidnapped by Kelvanis and magically enslaved, but was rescued before they could do much. She had a chance encounter with Sistina, and they realized that Sistina might be able to help turn the tides of the war (which the elves were losing).



The remainder are collectively called the Jewels, and from left to right are Ruby, Opal (fire opal), Topaz, Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, and Amethyst. All were priestesses of a goddess named Medaea, but were captured by Kelvanis and given their current appearances and names as part of a magical experiment the kingdom was performing. Diamond was their high priestess and leader in particular, but each is a unique person with their own traits, some of which you can see in their attitudes. They were rescued by Sistina, but the circumstances are enough of spoilers that I won't say more.