by Lou Anders
minotaur (MIN-uh-tohr): A half-human, half-animal creature, minotaurs have the body of a human and the head and tail of a bull. They are proud, stubborn, fond of mazes, but somewhat skeptical about pancakes, which they see as a waste of good wheat.
Noe (NOH-ay): The Thican goddess of the hunt, childbirth, archery, the moons, and animals. In some stories, she is the mother of the empusas. There is a temple to Noe at the summit of Caldera.
pelta (PELL-tuh): A distinctive crescent-shaped half shield that marks Calderan soldiers. The Calderans have a saying, “either with your shield or on it,” which means they are expected to carry the pelta home from battle in triumph or be carried home upon the pelta in death. A barrel of laughs, those Calderans.
perioikoi (PEER-ee-uh-koy): Free noncitizens who serve as a military reserve, skilled craftsmen, and agents of foreign trade. The majority of perioikoi are dactyl dwarves and are employed to craft and repair weapons and armor. The Calderans take them for granted and may not realize just how many perioikoi there are underfoot.
phoreion (FOR-ee-own): A sort of curtained litter or palanquin that is carried, usually on poles by people but occasionally on ropes by wyvern.
Pogos (POH-gohs): A little boy in Ithonea who just might grow up to wear pants. What a rebel!
Sanctuary of Empyria (em-PEER-ee-uh): Once home to the Empyric Games, the sanctuary is now a ruin of its former self. Few travelers visit the sanctuary these days, and it’s truly a riddle why so few that do return.
satyr (SAY-tur): A race of beings native to Thica with the body of humans but the ears, tail, horns, and legs of a goat. Satyrs are fun at parties, but be careful that they don’t eat the serving utensils along with the food.
Sestia (SESS-tee ah): The goddess of war, martial strategy, and combat. There is a temple to Sestia at the summit of Caldera.
Sirena (sigh-REE-nuh): The cousin of both the Land Queen and the former Keras Keeper, Sirena was on the fast track to be Queen Melantha’s heir when she was drafted to be Keras Keeper instead. She’s fiercely proud of her city and her heritage but harbors a deep resentment for a certain half frost giant for messing up her career path.
spanakopita (spah-nah-KAH-pee-tah): A traditional Thican dish, spanakopita is a rich savory pie filled with spinach, feta cheese, onions, and other ingredients. Authorities differ on whether the dwarves of Caldera or the kobalos of the Sanctuary of Empyria make the better spanakopita, but one could get quite plump and happy during a taste test.
sphinx (sfingks): A creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human, sphinxes have a fondness for games and riddles. Unlike their cousins across the Sparkle Sea in Neteru, Thican sphinxes are wingless. They might not fly, but they have plenty of other ways to amuse themselves.
Talos (TAY-loss): Talos-10,051 is an automaton, an artificial person crafted of bronze. It is one of a race of such who dwell in the city of Mereon. The first of the Talosians was constructed by the god Cratus the Smith to be his companion. There are never more than three hundred Talosians in the world at any one time. As they are all called Talos, that’s probably enough.
Teshub (TESH-oob): God of sky and storm but not one of the Twelve Empyreans, Teshub is worshiped by the minotaurs and no one else in Thica. Thunder is said to be the sound of his hoofs as he races across the sky. Whether this is so or not, debating the point with a minotaur would be a most foolish thing to do.
Thica (THEE-kuh): Thica is an enormous island-continent off the eastern coast of the larger continent of Katernia. Originally a vast land of independent city-states, it was united by Timandra the Magnificent during the Era of Empires then conquered by the Gordion Empire. After the fall of the Gordion Empire, Thica was exploited by raiding neighbors for a time, until Timandra II formed the Second Thican Empire in 920 AG.
Twelve Empyreans (em-PEER-ee-unz): The chief Thican gods and goddesses. They aren’t the only gods of Thica, but they are the most important ones. Just ask them.
Xalthea (ZAL-thee-uh): One of the two co-monarchs who rule the Thican Empire, Xalthea is Sky Queen. Her forces ride the wyverns that give the city of Caldera supreme mastery of the air. She assumed the throne when she defeated her own mother at a live game of Queen’s Champion, and there’s nothing she won’t do to make sure she never loses it.
The game of Queen’s Champion dates all the way back to the Era of Empires, at a time when Thica was a series of independent city-states that occasionally warred with each other. At that time, it was called King’s Champion. The name was changed after the rise of Timandra the Magnificent and the establishment of the first Thican Empire.
Queen’s Champion is played by two players on a board of eight-by-eight squares and represents a conflict between two armies.
A popular game in many cities across the island-continent, in the city of Caldera it is played on a life-sized board with living contestants, a rather deadly expression of the traditional pastime.
OBJECT OF THE GAME
The object of the game is to defeat the opponent’s Queen, or, failing that, to eliminate all of the Queen’s forces from play.
STARTING THE GAME
Each player begins the game with their forces arranged in a row along opposing sides of the board. The playing pieces include one Queen, one Champion, and six Soldiers. These begin play placed from left to right: Soldier, Soldier, Soldier, Queen, Champion, Soldier, Soldier, Soldier.
Turn order is determined randomly or by roll of a die. Pieces may move two spaces forward as they leave the line. Afterward all pieces move one space at a time in any direction, although a player may not return to a space they have just vacated. This prevents the same move from being repeated over and over.
CHALLENGES
When a piece lands in a square orthogonally adjacent to an opposing piece (not diagonally), it may challenge. Note that challenge is not mandatory. When a challenge is declared, the two pieces engage in combat.
One six-sided die is rolled by each piece (see the Champion exception).
The challenging player gets to add +1 to their roll.
The highest number wins.
The defeated player is removed from play. The winning player then occupies the square of the defeated player.
In the event of a tie, both pieces remain in play. Either player may choose to challenge again on their next turn or ignore their opponent and make another move.
THE CHAMPION
The Champion is a special piece that may roll two six-sided dice and choose the higher result (to reflect their greater strength). However, the Champion gains no +1 bonus for attacking.
QUEEN’S PREROGATIVE
If the Queen comes under attack, before the dice are rolled the player may exercise the Queen’s Prerogative. The Champion may substitute for the Queen and the two pieces exchange their positions. If the Champion has been removed from play, the Queen plays like any other piece.
WINNING THE GAME
The game ends when the Queen is defeated or when all other playing pieces other than the Queen are defeated and she stands alone.
OPTIONAL SETUP
In some places in Thica, particularly the cities of Naparta and Dodotara, this alternative setup is used for play:
DA: THE DAWN AGE
EE: ERA OF EMPIRES
AG: AFTER GORDION
? to 4000 DA: Gods and monsters roam the world.
3367 EE: The Bronze Age, when Early Thican cultures start to emerge. On the mainland of Katernia, a Light Elf empire rules much of the known world.
1967 EE: The great Dragon King civilization is founded when Osius of Talsathia forges the three horns (and many other legendary artifacts).
1912 EE to 1565 EE: The War of the Dragon King vs. the Light Elves.
1565 EE: The destruction of Talsathia (later immortalized by the great poetess Hemesa). Many Talsathian refugees—particularly dactyl dwarves—immigrate to Thica.
1517 EE to 1217 EE: Development of the first Thican alphabet, taught to humans by dactyl dwarves. (The T
alsathians used a system of runes and numbers, unlike the Thican alphabet.)
1243 EE: The First Empyric Games are staged.
1220 EE: On the continent of Katernia, the city of Gordion is founded by Gordius and Gordilla.
1217 EE: Thicans establish a colony on the island of Jalta and at Setrai (present-day Syrium).
1217 EE to 1167 EE: Hemesa writes The Talsathiad at the behest of the goddess Helenyx. The cycle of epic poems is written in hexameter and consists of twelve books to honor the Twelve Empyreans.
1197 to 1177 EE: The First Lassathonian War; the Calderans conquer southern Thica.
1138 EE: Ambracia is founded by dactyl dwarves in a period of Thican colonial expansion.
1088 EE: Megreon’s code of law is introduced.
1067 EE: Thican coin currency is introduced.
967 EE to 90 EE: The Thican Classical Period. The game of King’s Champion is thought to date from this time.
972 EE: Chrolos introduces democracy in Pymonia.
957 EE: Start of the Thican/Ljósálfarans Wars. Jalta falls under Ljósálfarans rule.
942 EE: The Thicans defeat the Ljósálfarans at Setrai (Syrium). Jalta is abandoned but remains independent.
935 EE: Adaeus writes his first tragedy.
928 EE to 913 EE: The Pymonian Wars begins between Caldera and Pymonia.
916 EE to 899 EE: Construction of the Akronaos in Pymonia (akros means summit; naos means temple).
908 EE: Lanera writes her first tragedy.
897 EE: Outbreak of plague in Pymonia.
898 EE: Second of the Pymonian Wars between Caldera and Pymonia.
866 EE: The philosopher Leonasus is executed.
853 EE: Leonasus’s protégé Metarchus founds the Association.
823 EE: Timandra the Magnificent is born. (It is at this time that the god Krobus is said to have been supplanted by his queen, Casteria.)
800 EE: Timandra the Magnificent defeats the Gordions and is ceded the right to march on Neteru. The Horn of Osius factors in tales of her exploits.
799 EE: The Last Empyric Games are staged. Timandra the Magnificent conquers Neteru.
798 EE: Timandra the Magnificent founds the city of Timandria in Neteru.
795 EE: Timandra the Magnificent invades Naga Rajya but is convinced to return to Thica after her army mutinies and refuses to march farther east. However, the Naga rulers are frightened of the Horn of Osius and so, despite their defeat of Thican forces, decide not to expand their influence to the west.
790 EE: Timandra the Magnificent dies. Around this time the game of King’s Champion comes to be called Queen’s Champion. However, the Horn of Osius is lost, signifying an end of Thican dominance.
779 EE: Timandra’s former general Althara seizes control of Neteru, declaring it an independent power.
739 EE: The Thican colony of Ambracia surrenders to the Gordion Empire and soon all the remaining Thican colonies of southern Nomerosa follow suit. (Setrai is renamed Syrium.)
691 EE: An earthquake destroys the Kolossos of Empyria. This same year Creos is menaced by a hydra.
681 EE: War machines designed by Thican mathematician and dactyl dwarf Damnameneus save the city of Zapyrna from a Gordion naval attack. The Claw of Damnameneus is instrumental in this victory. But this is the first time the Gordion Empire has threatened continental Thica.
679 EE: The first of the giant parabolic mirrors, designed by Damnameneus, are created along the eastern coastline to protect against Naga Rajya invasion. Unfortunately, the Naga have no designs on Thica. The coming Gordion war might have gone differently had they built the mirrors upon the west coast.
667 to 663 EE: The first Gordion victory over Thica. Queen Arosa V loses to the Gordion Empire.
638 EE: The Third Gordion/Thican War begins.
634 EE: At the end of the Third Gordion/Thican War the Gordions divide western Thica into four republics.
620 EE: Hostilities resume between Gordion and Thica.
616 EE: Gordion troops destroy the city of Pythira. Subsequently the Gordion general Otrarius captures the city of Pymonia. Thica becomes a province of Gordion.
613 EE: The Great Chain stretching from Gordasha to the Fortress of Atros across the Thican Straits is forged by dactyl dwarves out of orichalcum.
606 EE: Slaves revolt in Ithonea, resulting in the crucifixion of 4,500 slaves.
604 EE: Second slave revolt in Ithonea.
571 EE: Third slave revolt in Ithonea.
568 EE: Gordion troops massacre Ithonean rebels.
389 EE: Acmon the Anvil, a Gordion conscript from Thica, discovers one of the three Horns of Osius. He and the dragon Orma lead a rebellion against the Gordion Empire in Ambracia.
386 EE: Acmon and Orma are turned to stone by the Gordion Empire. The great dragon Orm flees to Sardeth on the border of Norrøngard.
200 EE: Turmanic tribes from Herzeria raid the Thican cities.
198 EE: Turmanic tribes raid the Thican cities for a second time but are defeated by Gordion emperor Ogdius II.
174 EE: The Rosnians overrun Thica.
3 AG: Official end of the Gordion Empire. The collapse of trade routes will have a negative impact, and the withdrawal of Gordion forces will leave Thica vulnerable to other powers.
69 AG: A seemingly global climate event causes crop failures and famine in Thica.
143 AG to 400 AG: Thica is attacked both by old enemies (Turmanic tribes, Rosnians) as well as by new ones, appearing for the first time in Thican history (chief among them, the Cormeerians).
380 AG: Thica becomes Thican again after long period of foreign invasion.
630 AG: Significant growth and prosperity.
632 AG: The start of antagonisms between Thicans and the Sacred Gordion Supremacy Crusaders. During this period, large-scale construction begins on the ancient Damnameneus parabolic mirrors around the entire Thican coast.
881 AG: The Obsidian Fever ravages western Katernia. An estimated one-third of the population is thought to have perished within the first year. Thica’s western and northern coasts are hit the hardest, while its southern and eastern coasts are least affected. This has the unfortunate outcome of strengthening Caldera’s relative power among the city-states.
920 AG: The Thican Straits fall fully under the rule of the Sacred Gordion Supremacy, but non-Thicans are expelled from Thica. The Great Chain between Gordasha and the Fortress of Atros is covered by treaty. However, as the chain is raised and lowered on the Gordashan side, there is little for the fortress to do but leave it alone. Timandra II rises to power in Caldera. A period of Thican isolationism begins. Thican ambassadors are recalled from continental Katernia. Another Horn of Osius is rediscovered and is instrumental in the establishment of a single unified Thican Empire. The Calderans set out to conquer Creos, Dodotara, Eronos, Harmos, Ithonea, Labyrinthia, Lassathonia, Naparta, Pymonia, Starissa, and Zapyrna. The last of the parabolic mirrors of Damnameneus is completed.
952 AG: A rebellion at Labyrinthia is severely put down.
968 AG: Xalthea becomes Sky Queen after defeating the previous queen, her own mother, in a deadly game of Queen’s Champion.
972 AG: Talaria steals the Horn of Osius and flees Thica.
985 AG: The events of the novel Frostborn.
986 AG: The events of the novels Nightborn and Skyborn.
2 pounds of fresh spinach, chopped small
1 teaspoon of salt (or maybe 2)
1 pound of crumbly goat cheese, crumble crumble
1 small onion, chopped in little bits
4 eggs, beaten but not bruised
Salt and pepper, or pepper and salt
2 teaspoons of olive oil (or more)
15 sheets of phyllo dough
½ pound of butter, melted over hot magma (simple fire works too)
1 pound of uncut diamonds (optional)
Begin by washing your spinach thoroughly in an underground spring or washing basin. Then invoke your ancestors’ blessings with a loud war cry
and chop that vegetable very fine with your sharpest ax. Next, sprinkle it with a spoon of salt. Now walk away and allow it to stand for a quarter of an hour while you do kingly things elsewhere. Next, return to your spinach and squeeze it in your mighty fists until it has well and truly surrendered and given up all of its moisture. Place this defeated spinach in a bowl. Again invoke your ancestors’ blessings as you add chopped onions, goat cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix this while showing off the muscles of your arms. Careful not to catch your beard as you stir! (That’s messy.)
Now grease a ten-inch by fifteen-inch pan. Lay nine of the phyllo dough sheets across the pan, and then pour the spinach filling atop it. Next, call one of your many servants to do the boring bit. Have them lay out six phyllo dough sheets, one at a time, brushing each with copious helpings of melted butter as they do. Threaten them with your mighty fists if they tear a sheet! Now push them aside—this is your pie—and pinch down the edges to seal in the filling!
Place the pan in a cool cavern or other area where it can chill until firm. Now take your sharpest ax and cut through the top layers to mark out triangular pieces. Take your uncut diamonds and push one gemstone into the middle of each triangle.* Now place the pan on a lava-heated stone (or in an oven) and cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown (usually three-quarters of an hour or more). Let cool to room temperature for five to ten minutes.
This is the king’s way to enjoy spanakopita!
*Optional for humans and others with soft teeth
Thanks as ever to my tremendous beta readers: Justin Anders, Judith Anderson, Logan Ertel, J. F. Lewis, Janet Lewis, James M. L. Parker, and Cindi Stehr, as well as my wife and son.
For help with my geology, specifically working out the feasibility of freshwater springs occurring on a cinder cone rising out of a saltwater lake in a caldera, I am indebted to Janet Freeman-Daily, Rich Howard, Sean Patrick Kelley, Geoffrey A. Landis, Chip Nyman, Kimberly Unger, and most especially James Howard.
Thanks again to Trond-Atle Farestveit for continued help with my Norrønian pronunciation. And to RPG Gamer Dad and his family for lifting my spirits with their boundless enthusiasm and Karn cosplay during the cold winter throughout which I wrote the first draft of this manuscript. Thanks to John Picacio for talking me off the ledge by pointing out the mountain yet to be climbed.