MARLA, a serving wench at the Brass Rose tavern
THE ROSE ARMY
PRINCE STEWART, heir to the Rose Throne, General of the Rose Army, wields a blue steel sword
-his officers and soldiers:
LORD DANE, eldest son of the Duke of Kardiff, fostered to the Rose Court at a young age, a sword brother to Prince Stewart, second in command of the Rose Army, the symbol of the Dukes of Kardiff is a rearing griffin
KELSO, serves as one of Prince Stewart’s commanders
MATHIS, serves as one of Prince Stewart’s commanders
MAJOR BATTON, a commander of the Rose Army
OWEN, a soldier captured by the Flame, becomes a royal guard to Prince Stewart
CROCKER, a scout captured by the Flame, becomes a royal guard to Prince Stewart
CRISPIN, a soldier captured by the Flame, becomes a royal guard to Prince Stewart
LINGARD
Lingard is a fortress citadel, the second greatest fortress in Lanverness. The heraldic seat of the Rognalds, staunch supports and loyal lords serving Queen Liandra. Their symbol is an iron fist on a field of yellow-gold.
BARON ROGNALD, a peer of the realm of Lanverness, a friend and staunch supporter of Queen Liandra, the ruler of Lingard, he is slain by treachery
-his officers, soldiers, and servants:
LORD RONALD ROGNALD, eldest son of Baron Rognald, commander of the south gate of Lingard, heir to Lingard
CAPTAIN LEONARD VENGAR, captain of the guard for Lingard
DASCHEL, seneschal to Baron Rognald
KURT, a soldier sworn to the baron, friend of Vengar
SANDRA, a whore in Lingard, friend of Vengar
THE MORDANT
With over a thousand years of life, the Mordant is the oldest of the harlequins. Imbued with Dark power, he is the god-king of the north, the ruler of the Dark Citadel. He wields the Staff of Pain, an iron scepter with a red crystal at the top.
The Mordant's time-worn seat of power is Dark Citadel, a forbidding fortress-city in the far north. Perched atop three hundred foot cliffs that overlook the Western Ocean, it is built upon a huge monolithic boulder. The tiered city has nine layers spiraling upward around the central stone monolith. Each layer holds a distinct class of people, with the poorest at the bottom and the palace of the Mordant at the summit. The stone monolith contains steps leading to a cave that underlies the Dark Citadel, an ancient sanctum to the Dark God, a source of Dark power.
The Mordant’s domain also includes the steppes, a vast sea of grass that serves as a desolate greensward for the Dark Citadel, a barren killing field that becomes the anvil of winter. The northern steppes are divided from the south by a dark wall studded with ten Gargoyle Gates.
The domain also includes the Pit, a massive crater with near vertical glass-sheer walls. Slaves live within the Pit, toiling within the Mordant’s iron mines. Female slaves are forced to serve as whores for the Mordant’s army. Residual magic in the Pit results in the massive abnormalities of newborns. Two new sub-races have been born and bred in the Pit; the Taals, an ogre-like sub-race with massive strength and limited intellect, and the Duegar, also called the Hounds of the Mordant, dwarves with the ability to scent magic.
The symbol of the Dark Citadel is a gold pentacle emblazoned on a field of black. The Darkflamme is the Mordant’s personal battle banner, twelve feet of black silk ending in two silken tails of bright red flecked with gold, creating the illusion of darkness on fire
SERVANTS OF THE MORDANT
BISHOP BORGAN, a bishop of the Pentacle serving as the seneschal to the Mordant, a master forger
MAJOR TARQ, commander of the Eighth Fist, a cadre of elite guards from the Dark Citadel, sent south to serve the Mordant
DOLF, a master assassin of the Ninth Rank, posing as a manservant to the Mordant
ROLO, a senior snargon to the duegars
FREDERINKO, formerly a chained servant of UR, the eunuch was kidnapped by MerChanters and then turned to Darkness by the Mordant, he serves as an emissary to the Rose Court
DOMINIC, an assassin disguised as a jester, gifted to Queen Liandra by Frederinko
CASTOR, a duegar disguised as a jester, gifted to Queen Liandra by Frederinko
TOKAR, a snargon of the duegars
SORKON, a snargon of the duegars, Tokar's brother
KRUGAR, an assassin
CLAVIS, an assassin
BARRY, an assassin
GRON, a torturer
HOLDOR, a master assassin of the Ninth Rank
CAPTAIN GARVER, a guard captain from the Dark Citadel sent south to serve the Mordant
CORLIN, a master assassin of the Ninth Rank
CRIMSON, a concubine from the Dark Citadel
AMBER, a concubine from the Dark Citadel
SABLE, a concubine from the Dark Citadel
ARMY OF THE PENTACLE
GENERAL HAITH- High General of the Army of the Pentacle, witness to the beheading of the Mordant in his prior life
GENERAL MARRIS- General of the Army of the Pentacle
TRANTOR, a snargon of the duegars, serves General Haith as his personal snargon
MAJOR RUGGAR, military aide to General Haith
COMMANDER CRULL, second to General Marris
CAPTAIN JOHNSON, aid to General Marris
COMMANDER ANDRIUS, second to Commander Crull
MAJOR BARKER, serves under General Marris
COMMANDER TROVIS, serves under General Haith
CENTURIAN HASTINGS
VOLTRAN, chief handler of the gorehounds
BRUTHUS, Master Torturer
THE ORACLE PRIESTESS
The Priestess is the ruler of the Isle of the Oracle, the guardian of the sacred well, the wielder of the Eye of the Oracle. She rarely uses her true name, but often goes by the name of Lady Cereus, a name given to her by Prince Razzur of Coronth. Beyond the Oracle Isle, she takes the phases of the moon as her symbol, gold on a field of purple. After the collapse of the Flame religion, she claims the southwest corner of Coronth for her queendom, establishing a capital in the ancient city of Rhune. She assumes the name of Queen Selene, the Lady of the Moon. Silverspire is her castle.
Hidden in depths of the Great Southern Swamps, the Isle of the Oracle is an ancient wellspring of Darkness, a place of power where the Dark Lord reaches through the Veil to touch his dedicates. At times of great prophecy, the Dark Lord releases his priest or priestess into the kingdoms of Erdhe to participate in the Great Dark Dance.
-her servants and soldiers:
GENERAL TARMIN, a major of the Flame Army, sworn to the service of the Priestess and promoted to the general of her army, he commands her forces in Rhune, a lover to the Priestess
LORD STEFFAN, formerly the Lord Raven of Coronth, goes by the title of the Lord of Darkmoor, a dedicate to the Dark Lord, lover to the Priestess
BRAXUS, a lover to the Priestess, serves as her seneschal, also a skilled sword
HUGO, captain of the guards, a lover to the Priestess
LYDIA, dark-haired handmaiden to the Priestess
TARA, blonde-haired handmaiden to the Priestess
LORD STEFFAN, formerly known as Lord Steffan Raven of Coronth, the true power behind the Flame War, a dedicate of the Dark Lord with the power of dice. After the defeat of his army at Pellanor he travels to Rhune to reunite with the Priestess. Once again he becomes her lover and ally, scheming with the Priestess to regain a position of power in Erdhe.
-his servants and soldiers:
BISHOP TILDEN, a former Bishop of the Flame, a refugee from the war, he leads a band of solders turned mercenaries, he secretly takes serves with Lord Steffan
CAPTAIN DONKLIN, a former captain of the 4th Brigade of the Flame Army, a veteran of Lingard and Pellanor, a leader of Bishop Tilden's band of mercenaries
CAPTAIN MARKS, a former captain of the Flame Army
TANDON, a former soldier of the Flame, expert with the halberd
SCOBE, a former soldier of the Flame
NAVARRE
The youngest kingdom of Erdhe, Navarre was founded less than four hundred years ago by a daring adventurer, Alaric Navarre, who rescued the youngest daughter of the king of Coronth from a band of sea pirates infesting the Orcnoth Islands. Gaining the king’s confidence, and his daughter’s hand in marriage, Alaric earned a freehold of land running along the Western Ocean where he later established his kingdom. His domain includes the Orcnoth Islands.
While defeating the nest of pirates, Alaric discovered a long-forgotten focus. The magic of the focus renders the royal house very fecund, enabling the queens to bear six to ten children in a single pregnancy. After using the magic, both the king and the queen become sterile. The focus is the secret strength of the royal house of Navarre, the bedrock for the succession to the throne. Alaric abandoned the convention of primogeniture, declaring that all of the tuplets have an equal chance to the throne. He instituted the practice of Wayfaring, a type of fostering where the heirs develop their greatest interests, striving to become excellent at a skill, a knowledge, or a trade, so that they can bring this knowledge back to Navarre and thus enrich the kingdom. After the Wayfaring, the King, together with the royal council, chooses the successor to the throne based on the talents, skills, and temperament that best fit the needs of the kingdom at the time. Navarre is well known for its uncommonly wise rulers…but with every great boon there is also a cost, the hidden focus brings with it the Curse of the Vowels.
The symbol of Navarre is a white osprey soaring on a checkered field of red and blue. The seat of their power is Castle Seamount, perched on a rocky outcrop on the edge of the Western Ocean. Navarre has always had close ties to the sea.
KING IVOR NAVARRE, the eighth ruler of the kingdom of Navarre
-his siblings:
PRINCE IRWIN, died of poison, believed to be a victim of the Curse of the Vowels
PRINCESS INGRID, fell from the rigging of a ship and died, believed to be a victim of the Curse of the Vowels
PRINCESS IRIS, accused of murdering her two siblings, exiled to the Orcnoth Islands, she murdered her guards and then disappeared
PRINCE ISADOR, Commander of the Army of Navarre, advisor to the king, nearly fell victim to the Curse of the Vowels, murdered at the poison feast
PRINCESS IGRAINE, Counselor to the king, court historian, tutor to the Royal Js, murdered at the poison feast
PRINCE IAN, Royal Bowyer, advisor to the king, murdered at the poison feast
PRINCESS IVY, Captain of a royal merchant vessel of Navarre
-his wife, QUEEN MEGAN, a princess of Tubor
-their children known as the Royal Js:
PRINCESS JEMMA, Wayfaring with the Queen of Lanverness to learn the way of multiplying coins
PRINCE JUSTIN, Sent wayfaring to become a bard, he receives permission from the King and Council to travel to Coronth to try and overthrow the Pontifax, also known as the Dark Harper
PRINCESS JORDAN, Sent wayfaring with the Kiralynn monks to learn the art of war, she is felled by the treachery of the Mordant. Healed by the monk’s magic, she gains visions of prophecy and returns to Navarre. She is the sword sister to Kath of Castlegard
PRINCE JARED, Sent wayfaring with the Octagon Knights to learn the way of the sword, he is murdered by loyalists to the Flame
PRINCESS JULIANA, Wayfaring with Navarre’s merchant fleet to learn the way of the sea, merchant captain of the Sea Sprite
PRINCE JAMES, Wayfaring in Tubor to learn to become a vintner
PRINCE JAYSON, Wayfaring in the Delta to learn the secrets of a new water wheels
his retainers:
MARY, Prince Ian’s wife, murdered at the poison feast
GARTH, Princess Ivy’s husband
SIR LEON, an older knight, serves the queen on market days
MATILDA, a wise woman, an herbalist, a midwife, and a fortuneteller, a friend to Queen Megan
MASTER SIMMONS, the royal healer
CREW OF THE SEA SPRITE
JULIANA, Princess of Navarre, a Royal J, captain of the Sea Sprite
MARCUS, First Mate
SOOTHBY, Second Mate
WREN, lookout
JANGO, a sailor
THE ARMY OF NAVARRE
MAJOR COLSON, veteran major of the Army of Navarre
RAFE, a monk of the Kiralynn Order, a friend and advisor to Princess Jordan
CAPTAIN VARNICK, captain of the pike men
CAPTAIN CYRIL, captain of the archers
CASTLEGARD
Three hundred years after the War of Wizards decimated the kingdoms of Erdhe, a group of knights banded together to protect the southern kingdoms from the ravages of the north. They claimed Castlegard, the great mage-stone castle left empty after the War of Wizards, as the seat of their power. Adopting the shape of the great castle as their symbol, they became known as the Octagon Knights.
To bolster their cause, the knights were ceded land running along the length of the Dragon Spine Mountains. Stretching from Castlegard all the way to the Western Ocean, this land became known as the Domain. A series of castles, keeps, and walls were built along the Dragon Spines, allowing the knights to control the mountain passes and deny access to the southern kingdoms. The Domain also includes the only iron ore mine in all of Erdhe to yield blue ore, the rare ore required to forge the knights’ fabled blue steel swords.
As a sworn brotherhood of elite knights, the candidates forsake their lineage and their past when they win their maroon cloaks. Their symbol is a maroon octagon emblazoned on a silver shield.
KING URSUS ANVRIL, King of Castlegard and the Knights of the Octagon, Lord of the Domain, bearer of a great blue sword named Honor’s Edge.
-his wife, QUEEN PHYLA, died giving birth to their only daughter
-their children:
PRINCE ULRICH, First-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, former commander of the wall at Raven Pass, bearer of a great blue sword named Mordbane, slain at Raven Pass
PRINCE GRIFFIN, Second-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, former commander of Dymtower, murdered at Raven Pass
PRINCE GODFREY, Third-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, former commander of Shieldhold, murdered at Raven Pass
PRINCE TRISTAN, Fourth-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, slain while leading a patrol into the steppes
PRINCE LIONEL, Fifth-born son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, former commander of Cragnoth Keep, murdered at Cragnoth Keep
PRINCESS KATHERINE, Sixth child of the king, also known as the Imp or Little Sister or Kath. As a female, the Octagon symbol of Castlegard is forbidden to her. Instead she uses the Anvril’s ancient heraldic symbol of a red hawk attacking with talons outstretched on a field of white. The wielder of the crystal dagger, Kath travels into the far north with a small band of companions, seeking to slay the Mordant. After being tested in a trial by combat, Kath is hailed as the Svala, the war leader of the Painted People.
KATH’S COMPANIONS
DUNCAN TRELOCH - a master archer with ties to the Deep Green and Navarre
SIR BLAINE - a knight of the Octagon who wields a blue steel great sword named Stonecutter by the Painted People
SIR TYRONE- a veteran knight of the Octagon with skin the color of ebony, often referred to as the ‘black knight’, a hero slain at the battle of Cragnoth Keep
ZITH - a master monk of the Kiralynn Order, father of Bryce, loses his left forearm to the gorehounds
DANYA - a young woman who sought sanctuary in the Kiralynn Monastery with her mountain wolf, BRYX, she is called a ‘Beastmaster’ by the monks and a ‘Beastspeaker’ by the Painted People. She is locked in a healing coma after expending her magic to help take the Dark Citadel.
ARMY OF THE OCTAGON KNIGHTS
SIR OSBOURNE, The Knight Marshal of the Octagon, right hand of the King, a one-eyed man with a scar-crossed face, he wields a saber as his weapon of first choic
e, but then takes up Sir Tyrone’s great sword from the signal tower of Cragnoth Keep.
SIR LOTHAR, knight-captain of the Salt Tower, wields a battleaxe, close friend to the knight marshal
SIR ABRAX, knight of the maroon, champion of the sword, guard to King Ursus, he wields a blue steel sword named Protector, slain
SIR RANNOCK, knight of the maroon, champion of the morning star
SIR BLAZE, knight of the maroon, champion of the mace
SIR BORIS, knight-captain of Holdfast Keep, slain
SIR VARLIN, knight-captain of Dymntower
SIR KRISMIR, knight-captain of Shieldhold
SIR KILGAR, knight-captain of Cragnoth Keep, wounded
SIR DALT, knight-captain of Ice Tower, slain
SIR GRAVIS, knight-captain of Sword Keep
SIR ODIS, knight of the maroon, champion of the lance, slain
SIR ADLEMAR, knight of the maroon, champion of the claymore, wields a blue steel claymore named Stalwart
SIR TRASK, knight of the maroon, champion of the battleaxe, assigned to Cragnoth Keep as a punishment posting, slain at the battle of Cragnoth Keep
SIR TYRONE, knight of the maroon with skin the color of ebony, often referred to as the ‘black knight’, a companion to Princess Katherine, he was slain at the battle of Cragnoth Keep
SIR RAYMOND, branded as an unmade-knight of the Octagon, exiled from the Domain of Castlegard on penalty of death, sworn to serve the Mordant, slain
SIR BROCK, wounded knight
SIR KEIFER, wounded knight
SIR ZAKERY, maroon knight
SIR TRADON, maroon knight
The Prince Deceiver (The Silk & Steel Saga Book 6) Page 35