Farida: Child saved by the Hunter (in Life for a Life), sold flowers, slain by the demon in Darkblade Assassin (Chapter 4)
Bardin: former Illusionist Cleric, homeless madman, very bald, slain by the demon Toramin in Darkblade Outcast (Chapter 4)
Master Eldor: former trainer of the Hunter, Elivasti, well-respected, pawn of the Sage, slain by the Hunter in Darkblade Seeker (Chapter 4)
Arudan: albino Bucelarii, bald, former Secret Keeper, not fully right in the head (Chapter 5)
Graeme: alchemist, lover of erotic poems and romances, member of the information-collecting Hidden Circle, the Hunter’s only “friend” in Voramis (Chapter 5—see Darkblade Assassin)
Jaia: the Hunter and Taiana’s daughter, locked away in the Chambers of Sustenance, very much alive somewhere on Einan (Chapter 7)
Garnos: Elivasti Elder working with Taiana against the Sage, an honorable man, slain by his own kind (Chapter 11)
Setin and Ardem: Elivasti guards in the Pit, vicious bastards, slain by the Hunter (Chapter 14)
Sir Danna Esgrimon: Knight of the Order of Piety in service to the Beggar God in Malandria, redhead, Cambionari priest, seeking vengeance for the death of her apprentice, slain by the Stone Guardians in Darkblade Slayer (Chapter 14)
Ryat: prisoner in the Pit, spent his entire life in captivity, waiting to die, natural-born leader (Chapter 14)
Ryken: Detrarch of the Blood Sentinenls, slain, a suitable disguise to get the Hunter into the Pit (Chapter 26)
Toramin: demon in human flesh, murderer, slain by the Hunter in Darkblade Outcast (Chapter 27)
Rothia: Garnos’ wife, chief gardener of the Terrace of the Sun and Moon, skilled with a trowel, sharp-tongued (Chapter 28)
Engen and Iyadar: Elivasti guards in the Pit, slain by the Hunter (Chapter 29)
Kharna: not a god, last of the surviving Serenii, bound to the Illumina to defend Einan against the Devourer of Worlds (Chapter 36)
Athid: freed prisoner, the Hunter’s escort through the mob (Chapter 49)
Evren: pickpocket and clever thief from Darkblade Slayer, knows more about the Master’s Temple than he lets on, hiding dark secrets, recruited to the Hunter’s mission of feeding Kharna (Epilogue)
Nizaa
Nizaa means "defeat" in the tongue of the Serenii.
Objective:
Nizaa is a game played between two opponents on opposite sides of a board 8 squares wide and 14 squares long.
Each player has:
12 pieces representing the 12 Gods of Einan (excluding the Long Keeper)
8 Serfs
The goal of the game is to defeat the other player by:
Eliminating all the Serfs from the board ("The Long Keeper takes all.")
Eliminate the Master ("The Gods have fallen."). This occurs when the Master is in a position to be captured by another god and cannot escape.
At this point, the winner declares "Nizaa"
Game Setup
The 12 pieces representing the gods occupy the first two rows. There is no specific arrangement of the pieces. This accommodates each player's unique strategies for capturing pieces and defeating their opponents.
The 8 Serfs occupy the empty spaces of the third and fourth rows. They CANNOT occupy either the Mountains or the Stronghold.
= Enarium, the Stronghold
= Mountains of Pellean
= Chasm of the Lost
Advantages:
"From mighty Enarium and the Mountains of Pellean, even mere mortals can challenge the gods."
Serfs occupying the Mountains or Stronghold can defeat a god's piece.
"Only in the Chasm of the Lost are humans safe from almighty wrath."
Serfs placed in the Chasm of the Lost cannot be attacked by the gods, thus forcing the opponent to attack using their own serfs.
Serfs can remain in the Chasm of the Lost indefinitely to force a stalemate ("deny the Long Keeper his due") or a defeat of the Master.
The Pieces:
Each piece has its own unique movement:
The Serf
Lowly, humble, frail in his mortality.
Movement:
One square forward or to either side. Cannot move backward, except to occupy the Mountains, Stronghold, or Chasm of the Lost.
Abilities:
None
Garridos, the Apprentice
God of Enterprise, patron deity of the merchant.
Movement:
Two squares in any direction.
Abilities:
Proximity to the Apprentice (within one space) allows Serfs to move backward even if not entering Chasm of the Lost, Stronghold, or Mountain.
The Beggar God
Despised by all but the destitute and downtrodden.
Movement:
One square in any direction.
Abilities:
When the Swordsman is eliminated, the Beggar can move across the board in any direction: up, down, to the sides, and diagonally.
The Bloody Minstrel
God of plague, disease, and horrible music
Movement:
Three squares in any direction: forward, backward, to either side, diagonally, or any combination.
Abilities:
If any piece remains in the Bloody Minstrel's "aura of disease" (one square in any direction) for more than one turn, that piece is automatically eliminated.
The Bright Lady
Goddess of healing
Movement:
One square in any direction: forward, backward, laterally, diagonally.
Abilities:
Once per game, at any time, can return ONE piece to the game as long as she is still in play.
Derelana
Lady of Vengeance
Movement:
Half-way across the board in any direction: forward, backward, laterally, and diagonally.
Abilities:
Can move over Serfs.
The Illusionist
God of coin and success, delights in spreading madness among his followers.
Movement:
Three squares diagonally
Abilities:
When attacked, he has the ability to retreat one space. Only a clever mind can trap the Illusionist.
The Lonely Goddess
Goddess of orphans and broken hearts.
Movement:
Can only move one square in the direction of the Beggar
Abilities:
If only one Serf remains and the Lonely Goddess is still in play, the Serf's movement triples (three squares in any direction).
Kiro, the Master
God of nobility and virtue
Movement:
Up to four spaces in any direction: forward, backward, laterally, diagonally.
Abilities:
None
The Maiden
Goddess of purity and devotion; patron of festivities
Movement:
Two spaces in any direction: forward, backward, to either side, diagonally, or a combination.
Abilities:
Serfs within one square of the Maiden double their movement (two squares in any direction, including backward).
The Swordsman
God of war and heroism; patron of smiths and metalworkers
Movement:
Can cross the entire board forward, backward, to either side, or a combination.
Abilities:
None
The Watcher in the Dark
God of law, order, justice, and righteous vengeance; ruler of the night
Movement:
Three spaces in any direction: forward, backward, laterally, or diagonally.
Abilities:
If the Master is threatened, he can combine directional (forward + lateral, sideways + diagonal, etc.) movements to eliminate the threatening piece.
The Mistress
Goddess of secret trysts and whispered truths; patron of alchemists
Movement:
Can only move TWICE in the entire
game, but can cross the board in any direction: forward, backward, laterally, or diagonally.
Abilities:
None
"To the Long Keeper"
Any time a piece is captured, it is given to the Long Keeper. Only the Bright Lady can bring a piece back from the Long Keeper's embrace, and only once per game.
If all of a player's serfs are captured, death has claimed all of humanity, and the world of Einan is lost forever. The game is over.
Rules for Play:
Gods cannot pass over the Chasm of the Lost, Enarium, or the Mountains of Pellean. They must go around the obstacles.
Gods can travel from Mountain to Stronghold (on the same side of the board). This counts as one movement.
Gods must use one movement to enter or exit the Mountain or Stronghold.
Gods cannot attack Serfs in the Chasm of the Lost. Only other Serfs can.
Neither Gods nor Serfs can attack through the walls of a Stronghold. Gods can attack from atop the Mountains to the land below, but Serfs cannot. They can only attack other pieces in the Stronghold or Mountains with them.
To overwhelm a Stronghold, three pieces must surround it. Only then can one of the Gods attack the Serf or God holding the fortress.
To cross hemispheres (from Mountain to Stronghold or vice versa), at least one of the two spaces must be free.
Darkblade Guardian Page 148