Unlocked 8.5 (Keeper of the Lost Cities)

by Shannon Messenger

  RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ELVES:

  The original ogre-elvin treaty was somewhat of a farce, since it was drafted while the king of the ogres was threatening the gnomes. After the ogres stole Serenvale and burned down the Panakes trees, they discovered the drakostomes—a deadly plague of nematodes that could wipe out the gnomish species in one go. As a result, the elves were forced to make certain concessions—and those concessions allowed the ogres to restrict the elves from entering Ravagog (except in very rare circumstances), and to cause problems for many of the other intelligent species (particularly the goblins and trolls). Humans further complicated the situation, fueling the ogres’ drive for more land and power. So when the Neverseen approached King Dimitar with a cruel plan to finally unleash the drakostomes and force the gnomes into servitude in Ravagog (simultaneously gaining a workforce and dealing a blow to the Lost Cities), the ogre king jumped at the opportunity—and the plan would have succeeded if Sophie Foster and her friends hadn’t infiltrated Ravagog and learned how to find a cure. Half the ogre capital was destroyed when King Dimitar tried to prevent them from escaping. And with his army depleted (and the plague no longer a threat), Dimitar was forced into a new round of treaty negotiations. He seemed somewhat humbled in those meetings—even agreed to everyone’s demands and asked only for his people to be left alone (particularly by the elves). Even more surprising: When Keefe Sencen visited Ravagog and challenged King Dimitar to a sparring match—and won—Dimitar assigned his daughter (Princess Romhilda) to move to the Lost Cities to serve as Keefe’s bodyguard. And while Ro has strong opinions about much of elvin culture, she’s actually formed several friendships and seems to be a true elvin ally. Even the Neverseen’s vicious attack on the ogre princess in Atlantis didn’t reignite tensions between the elves and the ogres—and some of the ogres who’d defected to the Neverseen temporarily cooperated with Sophie and her friends during the battle at Everglen with the newborn trolls. All of which could be a turning point for both species.

  OGRE BODYGUARDS

  Princess Romhilda (Ro)

  ASSIGNMENT: Bodyguard to Keefe Sencen

  QUALIFICATIONS: Ro has been training for battle since she was a month old—and being the princess meant she had to fight harder than everyone to prove she belonged. She bears a deep scar down the center of her back from her father’s sword—the mark of a leader, and proof that she’s held her own against the king.

  KNOWN FOR: Colorful hair and painted claws, her snarky personality, brutal honesty, and hatred of anything that sparkles (despite the tattoo on her wrist declaring, Sparkles Rule!—all that tattoo proves is that Ro is never one to say no to a bet).

  NOTES: Ro despises her full name, and anyone who calls her Romhilda does so at their own peril. She also seems intent on playing matchmaker—assuming she doesn’t end up strangling Keefe first. Her ex-boyfriend (Cadfael) is one of the ogres who defected to the Neverseen. And she’s (somewhat secretly) married to Botros. Her father arranged the marriage in the hope that it would prevent his two greatest warriors from slaughtering each other when it came time to claim his throne. Unfortunately, it seems like the marriage may simply make Bo and Ro try to kill each other much earlier.

  Botros (Bo)

  ASSIGNMENT: Bodyguard to Sophie Foster

  QUALIFICATIONS: Bo is one of King Dimitar’s best Mercadirs and has been preparing for battle his entire life.

  KNOWN FOR: His less-than-cuddly personality and aversion to sentiment (and hugs!). Bo believes that warriors are meant to be fearsome, ruthless, cunning, and merciless, and he doesn’t want to get close to Sophie, so he can better protect her.

  NOTES: Like his wife, Bo prefers to be called by his nickname—and he’s not exactly thrilled about his marriage. Nor is he excited to be serving in the Lost Cities—with a goblin as his supervisor. But he’s loyal to his king. And he seems to be slowly growing to appreciate the elves, even agreeing to protect Linh Song—and now her brother, Tam, as well.

  GNOMES

  CAPITAL CITY:

  Their original homeland was Serenvale—but it was stolen by the ogres, and the gnomes now live scattered throughout the Lost Cities (or the Neutral Territories).

  RULED BY:

  The elvin Council

  (At times, the gnomes may assign one or several of their own to speak for them—like Thales the Sower. But primarily, they defer to the Councillors.)

  CULTURE:

  Gnomes are incredibly industrious creatures, requiring almost no sleep (only about ten minutes a day). They also draw their nourishment from the sun and only eat when it’s something worthwhile (like starkflower stew!). Gnomes can live for thousands of years—and when the last of their energy finally fades, they shift into trees. But if they choose to shift early (when life still remains within them), they become Panakes trees (also known as “the Brave Ones”), and their sacrificed energy makes the Panakes bloom with special healing blossoms. Given how plantlike gnomes are, it’s no surprise that their culture revolves around nature: Their language sounds like rustling leaves; their clothes are woven from different grasses, flowers, leaves, and barks; and their medicine relies entirely on plants or nature songs. The majority of their time is also spent caring for forests and gardens, singing soothing songs, and tending to the plants’ various needs. As a result, gnomes are responsible for growing all the foods eaten in the Lost Cities. They’re also happy to help the elves with numerous other tasks and chores. But the gnomes definitely aren’t servants—and would never cooperate if they felt unappreciated or forced. They simply prefer to keep themselves busy. Gnomes can be tremendously productive and can accomplish more in a few hours than most elves can in days. They’re also able to see elvin Vanishers by detecting the glints of pollen that cling to them. When gnomes need to travel somewhere, they’re able to sing to the roots of the nearby trees, creating a tunnel underground and coaxing the roots to pull them through at rapid speeds, heading anywhere they’d like—except Ravagog. The ogres destroyed the root system to prevent the gnomes from visiting their former homeland.

  RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ELVES:

  The gnomes have an incredibly strong alliance with the elves, given that they live with them—but they also came tremendously close to a full-fledged rebellion. The Ancient Councillors hid the truth about the drakostomes, as well as the truth about what happened to the original Panakes trees, and the truth about the gnomish leaders who lost their lives and became the Four Seasons Tree. So when the Neverseen convinced the ogres to unleash the plague, the gnomes blamed the Council for not warning them. They even organized a strike and a protest—until the Councillors finally told them everything, including the fact that the Ancient gnomish leaders had made them promise to keep the plague secret, fearing the knowledge would put the gnomes in greater danger. If Sophie Foster and her friends—along with Calla—hadn’t infiltrated Ravagog and discovered how to create a new Panakes, the gnomes might’ve been forced to live as slaves for the ogres in Ravagog—or perished. And after everything settled (and everyone suffering from the plague had been cured), the Council offered to help the gnomes establish their own homeland. But the majority of the gnomes chose to remain in the Lost Cities. Some still roam free in the Neutral Territories, but most stay close to Havenfield, to be near their beloved Panakes.

  GNOMISH BODYGUARDS

  Calla

  ASSIGNMENT: Calla wasn’t a bodyguard—but as a member of the Black Swan (and a part of Project Moonlark from the very beginning), she often played the role of Sophie’s protector.

  QUALIFICATIONS: Calla was an expert on plant hybridization, which made her incredibly valuable to the Black Swan’s genetic experiment.

  KNOWN FOR: Her grandmotherly ways, gentle songs, brilliantly designed reveriebells, and delicious starkflower stew.

  NOTES: One of Calla’s many roles in Project Moonlark was to keep the Black Swan grounded and ensure they never strayed away from what was natural, or lost sight of the fact that they were sparking the life of an innoc
ent girl. She lived to be four thousand, three hundred, and twenty-nine years old before she sacrificed herself by turning into a Panakes tree to cure the plague. Her Panakes stands on its own hill at Havenfield and has long, sweeping branches (similar to those of a weeping willow); braided bark; star-shaped leaves; and an abundance of pinkish, purplish, bluish flowers. Her tree is cared for by many, but particularly by her moonlark, who often pours bowls of starkflower stew into the ground for her roots and sleeps under her branches, soaking up her soothing songs.

  Flori

  ASSIGNMENT: Bodyguard to Sophie Foster

  EXPERIENCE: Her great-great-grandaunt Calla trained Flori personally in many valuable ways.

  KNOWN FOR: Her eager spirit, loyal heart, fierce fighting, and healing songs.

  NOTES: Flori believes that everyone has a song within them—even if they don’t think of it as music—and that each life has a rhythm of breaths and a heartbeat, creating a melody that can be drawn on for strength, healing, and comfort. She created the song that finally calmed Sophie’s echoes from the Neverseen’s shadowflux attack by carefully drawing inspiration from vesperlace, dimmetines, respitillis, and hushspurs. The Panakes tree is also believed to sprout twice as many blossoms whenever Flori sings to it.

  TROLLS

  CAPITAL CITY:

  Weeriiduulooaa

  (translates to Marintrylla in the Enlightened Language)

  RULED BY:

  Empress Pernille

  CULTURE:

  Trolls age in reverse, meaning their bodies shrink with time instead of growing—which is only possible because they develop more like marsupials. Babies are born before they’ve fully developed and are then implanted into a hive to gestate further, finally hatching when there’s an eclipse. The trollish birthing process isn’t a secret, but the location of their hives is, since other species (the ogres in particular) have proven to be deadly to the unborn babies. Trolls have seven distinct stages throughout the course of their lives, all of which have different physical and mental attributes. Newborns are the strongest physically, the weakest mentally, and the most ferocious and deadly. And as the trolls pass from stage to stage, their strength fades and their mental capacity enhances. As a result, Stage Four is considered the Prime Stage—the stage when a troll’s mental and physical strength are nearly even (which makes them less useful as warriors and ideally fit for diplomatic assignments). By their final stages, trolls are small, strange creatures with slower minds—though their years of experience often make them the most qualified to lead. (Empress Pernille is a Stage Six.) The trolls are a battle-focused species (like goblins and ogres) and have an incredibly strong army (most of which are Stage Two trolls). Part of their training involves naming their weapons, to give them meaning and significance.

  RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ELVES:

  Until recently, the trolls had a neutral relationship with the elves, neither particularly friendly nor notably hostile. Empress Pernille made herself available whenever the Council called upon her (and even sent Tarina to be one of Sophie’s interspeciesial bodyguards) but rarely—if ever—invited any elves to Marintrylla. The Council used to assume this was because the trolls simply preferred to keep to themselves. But it turned out that the trolls had been relying on secret alliances. Through Tarina, Empress Pernille formed such an alliance with Sophie Foster (which allowed Sophie to save the prematurely born alicorns by incubating them in a specially built troll hive). And a previous empress formed a similar alliance with Luzia Vacker, after seeing how little the elvin Council had done for the Ancient gnomes. Luzia had created many of the illusions that keep the Lost Cities hidden, and the trolls needed Luzia to help them hide their hives after a brutal ogre attack. Luzia hid one hive at Everglen (her first property) and another at Dawnheath after she moved—and Luzia claims she thought the hive at Everglen had been sealed and abandoned. But it was later discovered that the trolls continued to use the hive for genetic experiments, trying to design an even deadlier newborn army. This shocking truth was exposed by the Neverseen while everyone in the Lost Cities watched—right before the mutant newborns broke free, causing a bloody battle. Sophie and her friends fought bravely along with their bodyguards (including Tarina) and managed to stop the newborns from escaping. But the Council has been left in a tricky situation. The trolls’ experiments violated their treaty. But the trolls also played a vital role in resetting the Timeline to Extinction by helping the baby alicorns. Plus, no one wants another Peace Summit to renegotiate the trolls’ treaty while the Neverseen are free (after what happened in Lumenaria). So for the moment, no punishments have been enacted—though Tarina has returned to Marintrylla indefinitely.

  TROLLISH BODYGUARD

  Tarina

  ASSIGNMENT: Bodyguard to Sophie Foster

  QUALIFICATIONS: As a Stage Four troll, Tarina has had an abundance of battle and weapons training, but she also has the mental capacity to work with the other bodyguards without any problems (particularly since one of them is an ogre).

  KNOWN FOR: Creating an alliance with Sophie (and helping save the baby alicorns).

  NOTES: Tarina has amazing reflexes, often moving as if her bones are made of rubber, and she’s an equally impressive fighter. Her weapon of choice (a cross between a scythe and an ax, with a sharp point on the end of the pole for stabbing) is named Long Shot, as a reminder that even when all hope feels lost, she can continue fighting.

  DWARVES

  CAPITAL CITY:

  Nymtyranyth

  (translates to Loamnore in the Enlightened Language)

  RULED BY:

  Queen Nubiti (though her appointment is incredibly recent)

  CULTURE:

  Dwarves are rarely seen aboveground, since the light is too bright for their sensitive eyes—and with their pointed noses and lengthy claws, they’re much better suited for tunneling. Clothing and adornments are often minimal for their species, since their bodies are covered in thick fur—though the former dwarven king wore a pair of white, furry pants (since it was considered a sign of power and strength for King Enki to be waxed bare). The dwarves’ new queen has yet to continue this practice, and it’s unclear whether or not she will, or whether King Enki’s betrayal proves the need for a fresh tradition. Dwarven hearing is incredibly powerful, allowing them to monitor conversations both above and below ground simultaneously—and if someone on the surface needs a dwarf’s help, all they have to do is stomp in a prearranged pattern. The dwarves are also incredibly talented at mining. In fact, they’re the only creatures capable of mining magsidian (an exceedingly rare onyxlike stone, apparently made from shadowflux). As a result, the dwarves use magsidian much like the ogres use their Markchains. Visitors are only welcome in Loamnore if magsidian is detected, and the dwarves severely limit who they give pendants to. Magsidian can also serve a variety of other purposes, depending on how it’s carved. For example, a magsidian flask will refill itself by drawing water from the air, and a small piece can also change which direction a compass points, or be used for light leaping (though the leap won’t be pleasant). The dwarves also mine ethertine (believed to be made of quintessence), which is almost as rare as magsidian but less useful and therefore less valuable. King Enki had an ethertine crown (in addition to his traditional crown, made from tredgeon carapace) and chose to sacrifice the crown as part of his betrayal. The dwarves spend less time on battle training than other species do, since they rely on their natural defenses more than weapons. (When threatened, dwarves can form deep cracks in the earth by stomping and can control which direction the crack spreads.) As a result, there’s an abundance of dwarven art, songs, poems, writings, and numerous other creations—some of which may seem a bit strange, but all are remarkable in their own way.

  RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ELVES:

  The dwarves have teamed up with elves many times throughout history, like when they helped hollow out the Himalayas to build the Sanctuary, or when they designed and constructed Exile. The elves have trusted them impli
citly, even putting the dwarves in charge of Exile’s security. And any time the Neverseen caused destruction in the Lost Cities, the Council turned to the dwarves for help. King Enki even assigned Nubiti to be one of Sophie’s bodyguards (and four other dwarves were assigned to Tam and Linh). Over time, though—and mostly without the Councillors realizing—the Council lost their dwarven support, with a number of dwarves even joining the Neverseen. King Enki first turned his support to the Black Swan, providing them with supplies and dwarves to assist with their projects. But when the Black Swan’s moonlark failed to achieve the level of victory King Enki had been hoping for, he turned to an alliance with the Neverseen, even going so far as to help the rebels hold several members of the Council hostage and sacrificing his magsidian throne—and his ethertine crown—for Lady Gisela’s mysterious “stellarlune” project. But the battle turned against him, with many dwarves remining loyal to the elves, and King Enki was captured by Nubiti before he could get away. He is now serving a life sentence in Exile’s somnatorium, and Queen Nubiti (who earned the title as the one who overthrew the king) is now the dwarves’ leader. Many hope that her rule will bring forth positive change, and a new era of peace between the elves and the dwarves.