BACKGROUND -- Highborn Origins

 

Aryati -- one of the peoples of the original Creation, befriended by the god-race of Leur. The Aryati rose to extraordinary powers through technology but were arrogant and acquisitive; they ultimately destroyed their world. A remnant of the Aryati survived into the new Creation but most were slain and the survivors scattered following their defeat by the Highborn during the Gweroyen Wars. No pureblood Aryati survive but the strain persists in noble Staubaun lineages.

 

Leur – immortal beings that created the World. Leur magic built the Five Cities, each in a day, and, combined with Aryati technology, engineered the Rill. During the Devastation brought by the Aryati, the Leur race sacrificed itself to create the temporal disjunction that preserved the Creation. The lone Leur survivor merged his immortal bloodline with that of the Aryati clone-prince Amynas, with whom he gave the World three immortal sons known as the Three.

 

Malyrdeon -- descendants of Ergeiron, one of the three sons of the gods Amynas and Leur; Ergeiron settled in what is now Stauberg, where he created the Wall out his immortal body as a barricade against the Rift. The Wall exists throughout all Time. Some descendants of Ergeiron are able to “walk the Wall” and by that means can divine future events or reveal the truth or import of past events.

 

Sordaneon -- descendants of Derlon, second of the three sons of the gods Amynas and Leur. Derlon settled Sordan, home to one of the surviving Five Cities of Leur, from which he gave life to the Rill, a Leur creation, by melding his immortal body with that of the vast machine. The descendants of Derlon carry the potential to connect with and communicate with the Rill, giving them the potential to alter the god-machine's operation and physical structure.

 

 

BACKGROUND -- Human Races

 

Highborn -- males descended from the three immortal sons of Leur and the human Amynas. Only male offspring of Highborn males possess the Leur bloodline, and they must mate with human females to reproduce. For this reason, the adage is that the Highborn take the race of their mothers. Almost exclusively, the Highborn have chosen to reproduce using Staubaun lineages

 

Staubaun -- a people originally created by (and related to) the Aryati and still manifesting some of the gifts of the parent race. Tall, fair-skinned, brown or gold-eyed blondes, beardless (with little body hair), Staubauns are intelligent and long-lived. They seldom develop illnesses of any kind and have few bodily defects. They also, after generations of success and prosperity, tend to be rich and privileged. Staubauns have a nearly exclusive grip on the Triempery's ruling class, particularly in Mormantalorus and Essera.

 

Cjtali -- fierce, little-known people inhabiting the icy reaches of lands north of Lacenedon and Gweroyen. Probably, like the Khelds, a barbaric incursion during a time of Rift destabilization. Occasionally the Cjtali attempt to expand out of their territory into Essera, prompting short-lived wars. They don't play any part in this book.

 

Estol -- an amalgamation of races, the general population. Disdained as mongrels by Staubauns, Estols nonetheless rise to positions of influence and become minor nobility. Most are servants, laborers, soldiers and craftsmen. Because they are of mixed blood, Estols can have any human color of eyes, hair, or skin. Some pass as Staubaun. Most are shorter than Staubauns. They are also shorter-lived. Estols inhabit all lands and are the predominant population in border territories.

 

Kheld -- a barbaric people that entered Essera from the Old World during a period of instability in the Rift following the Gweroyen Wars. Khelds differ from every other race in the Triempery in that they generally have blue or green eyes. They also have dark hair, sturdy builds and are generally short. Adult males are usually bearded. Their language is completely separate, as are their ways of life. Kheld naming differs from the Staubaun, as does their system of inheritance. In exchange for a promise to prevent incursions through their lands, Khelds were granted the wilderness of Amallar by the Highborn King Erydon. The prolific Khelds later expanded into the adjacent territory of Neuberland, triggering conflict with powerful Staubaun landholders. 

 

Nemenor  -- one of the three surviving races of the original Creation (the others being the Staubauns and Aryati). Nemenors possess an affinity for the sea and form the ruling families of Ardaen, Callorn, Lahgael, and the Isles of Maskos. A marriage by treaty to one of the lesser sons of a Hierarch of Sordan instilled Ardaenan Nemenor blood into the lineage of the Highborn Sordaneons. The Nemenors are traditional enemies of the Triempery and have a long history of battles over control of lands abutting the Northseas and the Kolpos, or Bay of Mulsor.

 

 

BACKGROUND -- Non-human Races

 

Leur -- magical/god race, as explained above, creator of the original world and the tripartite Creation they fashioned to salvage it from destruction. Originally the Leur people inhabited the area now known as the Bogs, a marshy delta where the Dazun River flows into the sea. One of the two vanished Five Cities, Îs, presided over that junction. Sailors sometimes say they can see Îs under the light of a full moon. The last Leur was slain by the Devaryati and the race is now only legend.

 

Hen Kyon -- the Dog Men, created by the Aryati as hunters and servants, specifically to track down and kill the offspring of Amynas and Leur. Intelligent and reclusive, the Hen Kyon are bipedal, often with fur covering parts or all of their bodies. The most true-to-breed have long, wolfish faces with well-developed olfactory organs. They have incredible stamina and strength. The Hen Kyon can interbreed with humans, from which race they were originally fashioned. They must bring new blood into their community in order to keep their bloodline from degenerating. During the Gweroyen Wars, the Aryati imprisoned the Hen Kyon females and young to compel the males to commit atrocities. The Hen Kyon nearly eradicated the young Highborn race, reducing the Malyrdeons to but three members and slaying one of the sons of Derlon Sordaneon upon a Rill node, knowing the Rill would seek to absorb the man's poisoned flesh and blood. Even though they later repented their deeds, the Dog Men were abhorred and hunted nearly into extinction until the Malyrdeon King Emrysen cloaked them in obscurity and gave them the haunted wilds of the Kragh in which to live unmolested. They have since become feared and avoided.

 

Yrae -- little-known, seldom-seen inhabitants of that part of the new Creation not yet healed by the Entities, a realm of darkness and energy streams, visible to our world (and ours to them) only in the shadow-reality when dimensions converge. Yrae feed upon dark energy streams; their bodies are very thin and can appear boneless or wavering, with many appendages resembling those of jellyfish. In their more human manifestations, they have large, completely black within black eyes, thin nearly lipless mouths and very long limbs and fingers. They are cognizant of some structures, including the Wall, the Rill and the Five Cities. They are not malevolent but are drawn to and feed upon the souls of unwary humans. As their time in our world is brief and limited to places crossed by the Rift, few humans ever encounter an Yrae.

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BACKGROUND – Places

 

(Mena)trohjana -- The Second Creation. The present World that moves forward in Time.

 

(Mena)tantaureus -- Archived world/Past world, living remnant of the First Creation. Birthplace of Marc Frederick. 

 

Gsch -- The World of Fire. The moment of Devastation, forever happening, never completed. A single moment in Time that has both already occurred and will never occur.

 

Five Cities -- Eternal cities built in the First Creation by Leur and continuing in the Second Creation. Ys (vanished), Permephedon, Sordan, Mormantalorus, and Mulsor (destroyed). 

 

Mulsor -- Destroyed in the Devastation. Still eternal. A ghost city whose appearance portends doom.

 

Daln Barrier -- Created by Leur to separate the World in Time. Past World/Gsch/Current World.

 

The Rift -- Transient instabilities in the Daln Barrier that permit passage between the Past World and the Current World. The appearance of Mulsor is one such occurrence.

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ESSERA

 

Essera -- Kingdom of the Malydeons. Includes many Principalities and domains as well as some client states.

 

Stauberg -- Capital city of Essera. Home of the Malyrdeons. Major seaport. Site of the Wall. Site of a dormant Rill mount.

 

Asae Eranos -- Also known as the Malyrdeon Serat or Malyrdeon Tower. Royal palace in Stauberg.

 

Aidion  -- Heart of the Wall. Located under the Gate of Transformation, the original point from which Ergeiron transformed and created the Wall. Where gifted Malyrdeons walk the Wall.

 

Gate of Transformation  -- Original city gate of Stauberg. Transformed into part of the Wall by Ergeiron and now site of a shrine.

 

Eleutheron -- Domain also ruled by the Prince of Stauberg. Rich and deep in history.

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Gweroyen -- Domain in Essera, north of Stauberg. Former stronghold of the Aryati.

 

Iddolea -- Destroyed city in Gweroyen. Former capital of the Aryati.

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Permephedon -- City-State presided over by a neutral immortal. One of the three remaining Five Cities. Triemperal Seat and home of the Triemperal Archhalia. Northernmost Rill city.

 

High Citadel -- Principal Tower of Permephedon’s city core. Also called Marenthro’s Tower. The Leur Arcana and Harmonic Hall are here, as are the Archhalia Chambers.

 

Jewel Tower -- Malyrdeon tower. Floats above the Mirror in Permephedon’s city core. 

 

Sordaneon Tower -- Tower of the Sordaneons in Permephedon’s city core. Congruent with the Rill, which it is near.

 

Lacenedon -- Domain in Essera, north of Permephedon

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Serrain -- Domain in Essera, just west of Permephedon

 

Simelon -- Capital city of Serrain. Site of a dormant Rill mount.

 

Rannul -- Domain in Essera.

 

Dazunor -- Principality in Essera, holding of Essera’s Heir.

 

Dazunor-Rannuli -- Pre-eminent city in Essera due to its position on the Dazun River and presence of a major Rill mount. Home of the Seven Houses.

 

Dazun River -- Largest river north of the Telarkan Mountains. Major economic resource and highway. Has no known egress to the sea.

 

The Fan -- Egress of Dazun; fens, marshes and channels that go nowhere. No one knows how or where the Dazun empties into the sea (or even if it does).

 

Rillhome -- Sordaneon palace in Dazunor-Rannuli

 

Customhouse -- Seven Houses seat in Dazunor-Rannuli

 

Illystri Palace -- Malyrdeon palace in Dazunor-Rannuli, located on island in the Lago.

 

Lago -- Large lake in heart of Dazunor-Rannuli near the Rill mount.

 

Emrysen Palace -- Monarch’s residence in Dazunor-Rannuli, on the Upper Canal

 

Upper Canal -- Large canal north of the Rill mount and Lago, where the wealthy live.

 

Lower Canal -- Main canal of Dazunor-Rannuli. Largely commercial properties along it.

 

Beardfen -- Kheld neighborhood in Dazunor-Rannuli

 

Dannuth -- Principality in Essera, holding of the Dannutheon Princes. 

 

Kyrbasillon -- Capital city of Dannuth. Famous for its beauty and public places. Four gateways of Virtue: Arch of Mercy, Arch of Truth, Arch of Courage, Arch of Justice.

 

Tahlwent -- Principality in Essera. South of Stauberg and on the sea. Home to the Halasseon Princes. 

 

Aral -- Capital of Tahlwent. Major sea port.

 

Gustan -- Dazun River town in Dazunor.

 

Gustan Manor -- Marc Frederick’s personal residence, which he designed and built using materials from his home world.

 

Trulo -- Major city on Dazun River. Home of the Princes of Dazunor.

 

Golden Palace -- Highborn palace in Trulo.

 

Kragh -- Badlands of high hills and dangerous gorges. Home of the Hen Kyon. Near Trulo. Site of the destroyed Aryati city of Gygas.

 

The Maw -- Huge hill that is, unknown to most, a dormant major Rill mount.

 

Amallar -- Semi-autonomous domain of the Khelds. Considered part of Essera. At the time it was bestowed, a thinly populated wilderness of heavy forests and hills south of the Dazun River and north of the Telarkan Mountains. Now well-populated by Khelds but unimportant commercially or politically.

 

The Bogs -- Kheld term for The Fan; endless marshes of terminal Dazun River.

 

Rhodhur -- Capital of Amallar. Site of Rhodhur Hall.

 

Frendel River -- Tributary of Dazun. Rhodhur’s river.

 

Aurdollen -- Sanctuary near Rhodhur and site of school for girls.

 

Bellan Toregh -- Town on eastern edge of Amallar. Site of a dormant Rill mount.

 

Floh -- River that flows through Bellan Toregh. Tributary of Dazun River.

 

Orqho -- Mines in southern Amallar near Leseos.

 

Neuberland -- Esseran domain/protectorate. Mixed Kheld and Staubaun populations often in dispute over land.

 

Saemoregh -- Kheld town in Neuberland

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Gobba -- Frontier holding east of Neuberland, loosely affiliated with Essera.

 

Annech -- Frontier holding allied with Gobba, increasingly at odds with Essera.

 

Leseos -- Former Principality of Essera, now an autonomous Basarchate. Rill city. Located south of Amallar and west of Gignastha.

 

Gignastha -- Former Principality in Essera. Made a Crown Protectorate after its Highborn Princes were murdered by Kheld rebels.

 

Sar’Pryannis -- Poisoned lake in Gignastha. Gignastha built on cliffs overlooking this lake.

 

Vermilion Aqueduct -- Raised by Deben II Sordaneon to provide water to Gignastha and also power the locks of the impregnable Waterglit Palace. Broken by Delos Sordaneon during the Gignastha War.

 

Lower Neuberland -- Part of the Principality of Gignastha, south of Gignastha and bordering Randpory, the northernmost territory of Sordan.

 

Telarkan Mountains -- High mountain range separating Esseran domains from Sordan.

 

Maskos -- Client island kingdom northwest of Gweroyen. 

 

Pitiless Isles -- Archipelago near the edge of the Fallen Sea.

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SORDAN

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Sordan (broadly) -- Hierarchate of the Sordaneons. Includes numerous domains and client states. 

 

Sordan -- One of the three remaining Five Cities. Called the City of Light, City of Amynas. Site of the Inception, originating point of the Rill. Island city surrounded by a large and very deep lake.

 

Sordaneon Serat -- Palace of the Sordaneon Hierarchs, in Sordan. Portions of the palace are part of the immortal Citadel forming the core of the city.

 

Viridian River -- Man-made river contained within the Serat. Site of numerous features, including a waterfall over the Serat Walls.

 

Well of Birds -- Located in a courtyard of the Sordaneon Serat.

 

Va Haira -- First Creation underground passage connecting the Rill, Citadel, Serat and other pre-Return structures in Sordan’s city core.

 

The Inception -- Sordan’s Rill mount. Largest Rill complex, where Derlon’s presence has fully completed its transformation. Multiple levels, platforms, and unfinished crown of portals.

 

King’s House -- Palace near the Serat, connected to the Va Haira. Residence of the Malyrdeons.

 

Sar’kuan -- Lake surrounding Sordan.

 

Sorandruil -- River that flows from Sar’kuan to the sea.

 

Sansordan -- Domain of Sordan, attached to Hierarchate. Largely desert/wasteland. Western shore poisoned by destruction of Mulsor. 

 

Iridonos -- Fabled treasure city of the Aryati, rumored to lie in poisoned Sansordan.

 

Ilmar -- Domain of Sordan. Located at mouth of Sorandruil.

 

Kolpos -- Gulf between Sansordan and Ardaen. Also known as the Gulf of Mulsor.

 

Lahgael -- Kingdom of the Lahgai, a Nemenor-Estol people allied with Sordan. 

 

Ben-Aranath -- River port of Lahgael on the Sorandruil. 

 

Suddekar -- Principality in Sordan. Located on the southern shore of Sar’kuan. Borders Mormantaloran domain of Othgol. Home of the Suddekeon Princes.

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Tollech -- Principality of Sordan. Located north of Ildurria.

 

Randpory Crossing -- City-State. By agreement a free trade city because of its Rill mount.

​

Randpory River          Navigable river that is border between the Sordan Hierarchate and Trongor.

 

Anit-Rebir -- Domain of Sordan. North of Teremar. Mountainous.

 

Teremar -- Principality of Sordan. Located on eastern shore of Sar’kuan. Rich and powerful, home of the Teremareon Princes.

 

Askorras -- Capital of Teremar.

 

Tulamanta -- Palace at Askorras.

 

Hestya -- River port in Teremar. Home to a dormant Rill mount.

 

Tiris -- Estate on Sordan island given by Dorilian to Daimonaeris.

 

Rhondda -- Sordaneon estate on Sordan island. Personal estate of Dorilian.

 

Trongor -- Independent nation of sea folk and merchants located on Kolpos north of Sansordan, west of Randpory, and south of Amallar. Separated from latter by the Telarkan Mountains.

 

Ogarth -- Capital city of Trongor. Site of a dormant Rill mount.

 

Ardaen -- Monarchy located on large peninsula west of Trongor. Sea-farers. Known as the Sea Kings. Ardaen’s throne is passed down matrilineally.

 

Amroset -- Capital city of Ardaen.

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Caerdon -- Principality. Former region of Ardaen, ceded to the Sordaneon Hierarchate as part of a treaty and now included among the Hierarch’s title domains.

 

Merced  -- Island kingdom near Ardaen, loosely allied with Ardaen.

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MORMANTALORUS

​

Mormantalorus  -- Nuarchate of Mormantalorus. Home of the Cienorreon Nuarchs. One of the three remaining Five Cities. Sits on an active volcano and is livable only because the City itself creates an environment conducive to human habitation. The environment immediately outside the city’s bubble is toxic. 

 

Dzalarad -- The volcano.

 

Ilgaon -- Main tower of the Citadel of Mormantalorus, where Nammuor creates his arcane crystals and devices using the energy of the volcano.

 

Nuarch’s Tower          Residential tower of the Citadel of Mormantalorus.

 

Magistry                      Part of Ilgaon tower where mage work is done.

 

Orm                             Domain of Mormantalorus. Borders Suddekar. 

 

Othgol                         Domain of Mormantalorus. Borders Teremar.

 

Teleg                           Southernmost domain of Mormantalorus.

 

Nalapar                       Eastern domain of Mormantalous.

 

Xebbeth                      Large island west of Mormantalorus. Domain of Mormantalorus.

 

Ulan-Jana                    Mountainous domain south of Teremar and northeast of Mormantalorus. Gifted by Nammuor to Dorilian and Daimonaeris on their wedding.

 

 

CHARACTER SETS

 

 

MALYRDEONS -- Past

 

 

Ergeiron --  one of the Three, son of Leur and Amynas-Malyrdys, whose name his sons took for the dynasty he founded. After his brother Derlon gave life to the Rill, Ergeiron founded the Wall, sealing dangerous Time Rifts opened during the Gweroyen War, protecting the Malyrdeon stronghold at Stauberg, and serving as a means by which his descendants could discern past and future events through his being.

 

Cienorr -- son of Ergeiron and founder of the Mormantalorus Nuarchate. Father of Bassom the Fire Lord.

 

Telarion -- son of Ergeiron and founder of the Stauberg Principate, first Esseran king and ancestor of current Malyrdeons.

 

Emrysen -- Wall Lord and great-grandson of Ergeiron, who bestowed a conditional pardon on the Hen Kyon.

 

Erydon -- great-great grandson of Emrysen, who granted the Khelds the wilderness of Amallar for their homeland. Erydon was a Wall Lord, his decisions guided by visions of the future.

 

Endurin -- last true Wall Lord and last Malyrdeon to rule as King of Essera. His younger son died at sea enroute to wed the Queen of Ardaen's daughter to fulfill an article of truce between the two nations. Securing the truce then fell to one of the younger sons of the Hierarch of Sordan. Endurin's older son, Estevan, later died unexpectedly, leaving only an illegitimate daughter, who fled to sea and was caught in the Rift. Her son later returned to the world, Marc Frederick Stauberg-Randolph. Endurin's brother sired a daughter who wed Tarlon, Hierarch of Sordan; their grandson, Labran, held a claim to the Esseran Throne through that union.

 

Estevan -- Endurin's son who died while setting a flawed lyr crystal in an attempt to repair the array at Merath. His only child was a daughter born to his Kheldish lover. Grandfather of Marc Frederick.

 

Ariande -- Daughter of Estevan, granddaughter of Endurin. Mother of Marc Frederick.

 

 

MALYRDEONS -- Present

 

Apollonia  -- Queen of Essera (family name Halasseon); daughter of Elegiros, Prince of Tahlwent. Wife of Marc Frederick and mother of Jonthan. 

 

Austell -- Wall Lord, third cousin of Endurin and distaff cousin to Marc Frederick. Brother of Enreddon.

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Elegiros  -- Prince of Tahlwent (family name, Halasseon); third cousin to Endurin. Father of Apollonia.

 

Elhanan -- (family name Dannutheon); son of Rheger; Wall-gifted; one-time tutor of Stefan and Dorilian at Permephedon. 

 

Enreddon II  --  Prince of Stauberg; third cousin to Endurin and distaff cousin to Marc Frederick. Scholarly, but not Wall-gifted, Enreddon supported Endurin when the aged king named Marc Frederick to be his Heir. This infuriated the Sordaneons, who felt their claim more valid. Enreddon's three wives died in childbirth, failing to produce living sons.

 

Ionais  -- princess of Merrydn (family name Merrydeon); daughter of Regelon and betrothed of Jonthan Stauberg-Randolph.

 

Lakron IV -- Prince of Lacenedon; one of the Stauberg Malyrdeons. Father of Palaistea. His crown was used as an enhancer by Delos Sordaneon to end the siege at Gignastha. An occasionally renegade member of the family.

 

Ostemun -- Prince of Dannuth (family name, Dannutheon); distant cousin to the Stauberg Malyrdeons. Sired only daughters. Grandfather to Kerr. His brother, Rheger, is his Heir.

 

Palaistea  -- princess of Lacenedon; daughter of Lakron. Marries Enreddon. Mother to Eldon II and Enreddon III, Heirs to Stauberg and Lacenedon. 

 

Regelon -- Prince of Merrydn (family name, Merrydeon); cousin to the Stauberg and Dannuth Malyrdeons. Matrilineal cousin to Sebbord Teremareon. Father of Ionais, betrothed of Marc Frederick's son Jonthan.

 

Rheger -- Prince of Hespera (family name Dannutheon); brother to Ostemun and Heir to Dannuth. Father of Elhanan. Although not Wall-gifted, he possesses strong spatial ability and is one of few Malyrdeons who can use an enhancer for translocation.

 

Margarid  -- A princess of Gweroyen who weds Elhanan. Daughter of Kathanos. Sister to Estevan IV Niarchos.

 

 

SORDANEONS -- Past

 

Derlon  -- One of The Three, born of Amynas-Malyrdys and Leur; known as the Rill-Giver because he integrated his immortal body and spirit with the remnants of the Rill, facilitating its rebirth. According to Epoptean belief, his integration still directs the Rill's actions, though he has lost the ability to interact with other beings. Derlon took a common wife, Neryllia, the Lady of the Lilies, and sired seven sons.

 

Deben I/II/III -- grandson and great-grandsons of Derlon (collectively they are known as the Three Debens), ushered in a Golden Age of Rill expansion and Triemperal growth that secured the Sordaneon dynasty. Builder/creators of Leseos, Gignastha, and the Vermillion Aqueduct.

 

Peleor -- Son of Derlon; slain by the Aryati, who poisoned his blood and spilled it on the mount at Simelon to be absorbed by the Rill. His blood still stains the platform and Rill structures.

 

 

Tarlon -- Hierarch of Sordan during the Second War with Ardaenan. The youngest of his three sons wed an Ardaenan princess to secure the truce. Tarion was the last full Rill Lord, able to communicate with and influence the Entity. Opened the Rill node at Randpory Crossing. Later, although Essera prevailed upon him to open the Rill to Stauberg, he refused. His refusal created the first hard feelings in Essera against the Sordaneons.

 

 

SORDANEONS -- Present (and associated characters)

 

Daimonaeris --  Daughter of Camas, the late Highborn ruler of Mormantalorus; half-sister of the current ruler, Nammuor. Marries Dorilian.

 

Deben IV -- Sordan’s Heir and regent. Son of the captive Hierarch, Labran, and Ermenthalia, daughter of Mezentius, Prince of Suddekar. Deeply paranoid, he has not set foot outside of Sordan’s Serat in thirty-five years. Married Valyane, daughter of Sebbord Teremareon. Father of Dorilian and Levyathan.

 

Deleus -- son of the Heir to Suddekar, great-grandson, as Dorilian is, of Mezentius and grandson of Sebbord. Although a first cousin to Dorilian, Deleus is not Highborn. 

 

Delos -- Deben IV's twin brother. Son of Labran. Used the Lacenedon Crown to destroy the Vermilion Aqueduct and end the siege at Gignastha, which led to a slaughter of the Kheld defenders. Died after that deed from plasm shock.

 

Dorilian -- Son of Deben IV and Valyane, Heir to Sordan. Brother of Levyathan. At the age of seven, witnessed his mother’s murder. His precocious physical and emotional gifts allowed him to save his neonate brother. Determined to right wrongs done to his family. 

 

Ermenthalia  --  a princess of Suddekar. Daughter of Mezentius and a Mormantaloran princess. Wife of Labran, mother of Deben IV. Bears title of Gracious Hierarchessa. Inclined to favor alliance with Mormantalorus, from which her mother hailed. ]

 

Labran -- Hierarch of Sordan. Grandson of Tarlon; his mother was a princess of Ardaen, sister to the throne queen. He wed Ermenthalia, daughter of Mezentius, Bas of Suddekar, and is father of Deben IV and grandfather of Dorilian. He objected to Endurin Malyrdeon naming Marc Frederick as Heir to Essera and at Marc Frederick's coronation refused to acknowledge him as king. Labran fought his way into the Rill node at Permephedon and was able to command the Rill to stop running. Although Marenthro reversed that command, the incident sparked wide-spread panic and enduring fear. Taken captive by Marc Frederick and considered too dangerous to release, Labran continues to be held in Stauberg, far from any active Rill nodes.

 

Levyathan       Son of Deben IV and Valyane. Grandson to Labran and Sebbord. Brother to Dorilian. As a result of his mother being poisoned by enemies who wished her death, Levyathan was born months too soon to survive. Dorilian unexpectedly saved his life, but Levyathan developed abnormally and he suffers neurological deficits. 

 

Mezentius -- (family name Suddekeon); Prince of Suddekar. He wed a princess of Mormantalorus. His eldest daughter Ermenthalia wed Labran and gave birth to Deben IV. His grandson by a younger daughter wed the youngest daughter of Sebbord Teremareon. He is thereby great-grandfather to Dorilian, Levyathan and Deleus.

 

Sebbord -- (family name Teremareon), cousin to the hierarchal Sordaneons; Prince of Teremar. Although not chosen to be Rill-gifted, Sebbord trained as an Epopte and rose to the level of Archmage in service to the Rill. He wed twice and sired three daughters, the first on a mistress. One legitimate daughter wed the Heir to Sordan, the other the Heir to Suddekar. Grandfather of Dorilian, Levyathan, Deleus and Tiflan.

 

Tiflan  -- (family name Morevyen). A Sordaneon by distaff relation, Tiflan is not Highborn. Seven feet tall, he is Sebbord's grandchild through an illegitimate daughter and unknown father. Later adopted. Dorilian's first cousin and a loyal ally. 

 

Valyane  -- princess of Teremar. Sebbord's daughter, wife to Deben. Mother of Dorilian and Levyathan. 

 

Endelarin --(family name Nemenor) King of Ardaen, brother to the throne queen Lammalta, whose son will succeed him. Romantic and rumored to have one hundred wives. Cousin to the Sordaneons and fond of reminding them of it.

 

Legon -- (family name Rebiran) Son of Terveryen, Bas of Anit-Rebir. Youngest of six sons. Sent to Sebbord as a boy to enter Sordaneon service. Dorilian’s friend.

 

Tutto  -- (family name Rhunnard) An Estol serving as Sebbord’s sword-master. 

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Noemi  -- Wet nurse to the infant Levyathan, later his governess. Mother of Fahme. 

 

Heran  -- (family name Albos) Weds Noemi. Has secret ties to Daimonaeris and Nammuor. 

 

Fahme -- Noemi’s daughter by Heran.

 

Quirin -- (family name Chrysolemnos) Psilant, or leader, of the Brotherhood of Epoptes. 

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STAUBERG-RANDOLPH (and associated characters)

 

Marc Frederick -- King of Essera; great-grandson of Endurin Malyrdeon through his son Estevan and Brenna Almarresda, a Kheldwoman. Son of Ariande Malyrdeon and William Randolph. Considered a Malyrdeon in recognition of his relation to and support from them, but he is not Highborn. Marc Frederick first married Thora, a Kheld woman. After Thora died of a miscarriage, he wed the Highborn princess Apollonia as a condition to becoming Endurin's Heir. He has two children: Emyli, his daughter by Thora, and Jonthan, his son by Apollonia. 

 

Emyli -- Daughter of Marc Frederick and Thora; was betrothed to Deben IV Sordaneon but ran away at age 14 with charismatic Kheld rebel Erwan Cedrecson. The pair were subsequently made to marry by Marc Frederick and Emyli gave birth to Erwan's son, Stefan. Later, to save Erwan when he was captured and held in prison, Emyli helped Kheld rebels gain access to the stronghold of Gignastha, resulting in three Highborn deaths and the bloody siege of that city. She later gave birth to her second son, Handurin. Though she claims Erwan, who'd been freed in the revolt, fathered her son, many doubt her claim. 

 

Jonthan -- Son of Marc Frederick and Apollonia; grandson of Elegiros Halasseon. Betrothed to Ionais, princess of Merrydn. Prince of Dazunor and Heir to Essera. 

 

Stefan -- Son of Emyli and Erwan; grandson of Marc Frederick. Stefan has no inheritance of lands or titles but is considered a royal. 

 

Hans -- (full name Handurin) Son of Emyli, reputed son of Erwan. Grandson of Marc Frederick. Son of Emyli. Brother to Stefan.

 

Gareth --  (family name Morgan) Marc Frederick's steward, in charge of his household. 

 

Trevor  -- (family name Allen) Captain of King’s Guard. 

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Marenthro  -- Wizard of Permephedon; ageless and possibly immortal. No one knows much about him save that he is apparently benign and possesses both Wall and Rill affinity. He demonstrated his Rill affinity when he undid Labran’s stoppage of that Entity's movement. He was responsible for finding Marc Frederick for Endurin and bringing him back to this world.

 

 

MORMANTALORUS – and associated characters

 

Nammuor        (family name Varehos) Ruler of Mormantalorus, half-brother to Daimonaeris. Reputed to have Aryati blood and to dabble in forbidden arts. Has recovered the lost Diadem of the Devaryati and isn't afraid to use it. Very ambitious. 

 

Oarzas             Nammuor’s Chief Mage.

 

Coram             (family name Barzanes) Nammuor’s emissary to Stefan.

 

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SEVEN HOUSES – and associated characters

 

 

Chyralane -- (family name Rannuleon) Denizen of Phaer, most prominent of the Seven Houses. Daughter of a Highborn prince of Rannul and related by blood to that domain’s ruling house. Married the Denizen of Phaer and assumed his place upon his death. Opposed to any action that would lessen the cartel's control over the Rill. Very tall.

 

Rhynos -- Denizen of Koillos. Second in rank.

 

Iphithus -- Nephew to Chyralane (late husband’s brother’s son).

 

Philemon Leander -- Wealthy Staubaun merchant, not noble but aspiring to the nobility. His daughter married the Denizen of House Haralambdos.

 

 

 

ESSERAN STAUBAUNS -- and associated characters

 

Asphalladra  --  (family name Velos) Youngest daughter of the Enlad of Chennor; in love with Cullen Brodheson.

 

Jaron Velos -- Enlad of Chennor. Ambitious minor nobleman intent on arranging high-ranking mates for his three daughters.

 

Eldonus -- (family name Kastryon) Enlad of Velsitha; husband to Palimia. Very old friend of Marc Frederick. (S)

 

Erenor Tholeros -- Cousin to the Halasseon rulers of Tahlwent; grandson of an illegitimate daughter of Elegiros. Captain of Marc Frederick's cadets at Stauberg; friend of Stefan. 

 

Hebron -- (family name Ursenos). Cousin to Lakron, Prince of Lacenedon, and Palaistea. 

 

Kathanos -- (family name Niarchos) Friend of the Stauberg-Randolphs. Father of Estevan and Margarid.

 

Machon Epirosi          Archon of Penrhu. Breeder of bloodhorses.

 

Alban Eskeros -- Gignasthan lord whose lodge Dorilian uses during his rebellion. 

 

Palimia -- (family name Attora) Daughter of a high-ranking Sordani noble killed to facilitate confiscation of his estates. Forced to marry an Esseran lord. Later married Eldonus Kastryon. 

 

Phellan Illarion -- Bas of Serrain, married to Linne, one of Ostemun Dannutheon's daughters. Father of Lucien and Raphelon.

 

Sinon Kouranos -- Marc Frederick’s administrator in Sordan, and then Neuberland. 

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Jormar -- family name Gebren) Officer in charge of Stefan’s guard at mining camp. 

 

 

KHELDS -- and associated characters

 

 

Cullen Brodheson -- Cousin and best friend to Stefan.

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Erwan Cedrecson -- Son of Cedrec Aelfricson; ran off with young Emyli Stauberg-Randolph. She later bore his sons, Stefan and Hans. Died at Gignastha.

 

Tobold Forbasson  -- Thegnard (leader) of the Thegnkeld, the foremost clan of Amallar. 

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Cedrec Aelfricson -- Kheld representative to the Triemperal Archhalia. Father to Erwan. Grandfather to Stefan and Hans. Died at the Demise. (S)

 

Robdan Aelfricson -- Cedrec's youngest brother; a scribe. Uncle to Stefan and Hans. Brother to Wyneghan and uncle to Arne Anseldson. Has three daughters. Wife, Bridda, is deceased.

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Trahoc Caddenson -- Neuberland rebel whose son and brother died at Gignastha. He meets Stefan at the inn in Bellan Toregh. 

 

Krigan -- One of Trahoc's companions

 

Lorn -- Another of Trahoc's companions

 

Neddig Darronson -- One of Stefan's friends.                                     

 

Mahon Gormladson -- Another of Stefan's friends.

 

Reard Argllson -- Another of Stefan’s friends.

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Other Characters

 

Herberth  -- (family name Tamm) Elector of Trongor; head of the Trongorian Free Peoples.

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Baran Redharg -- Hen Kyon leader, Lord of Gloanneach. Looks nearly fully human.

 

 

DEVICES

 

Entity-Bound -- keyed to a Leur Entity wielding distinct powers.

 

The Leur’s Ring -- Fashioned from the body of The Leur as last living act. Rejects non-Leur flesh and can only be worn by the Highborn. Embraces truth and rejects falsehood of any kind. Used at coronations to identify the true king of Essera (Heir of Ergeiron). Manipulates real world/Leur’s Creation. Removes barriers. Opens doors. Reveals truth and restores Leur’s reality.

 

The Rill Stone -- Device created by Derlon, who encapsulated his immortal blood in Rill matrix (tullun). The Rill Stone will identify a Sordaneon who wears it by glowing green. The Rill recognizes Sordaneon wearers and will not arm itself or lock locations against them. Can be used to burn a permanent Eagle mark into human skin, or onto any other substance. The device also allows Sordaneon wearers to tap into Rill energy even when not in proximity to a Rill mount.

 

The Wall Stone -- Fashioned from the breastbone of Ergeiron and containing his immortal essence. The Wall Stone connects directly to the Wall, regardless of proximity, and must be used carefully by individuals open to its gifts. Allows wielder to peer into discreet temporal flows. The Wall Stone unlocks the Aidion, if the Wall is unthreatened, and provides access to the Archive, which it assists in revealing.

 

 

Other-Entity

 

The Diadem -- The Undying Crown; also known as Diadem of the Devaryati. Pre-Devastation device created in secret by the Aryati from the immortal core that remained of Vllyr after that god was destroyed by Amynas and the Leur. Generates and commands arcane forces. Vastly powerful when fully tapped into an immortal being. Retains vestige of Vllyr’s godhood. Malevolently self-aware and fixated on destroying that which destroyed Vllyr. Succeeded in corrupting the Aryati, destroying Mulsor and the First Creation.

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Greater Diadems     

Pre-Devastation devices used as enhancers by the Aryati. Played role in the Gweroyen War and currently worn as crowns of state.

 

Sordan Coronal           Also called Derlon’s Crown. Most powerful of the Greater Diadems. Now in possession of the Sordaneons. Green lr gems.

 

Stauberg Coronal        Also called the Star Crown of Ergeiron. Greater Diadem. Now in possession of the Malyrdeons. Blue lr gems.

 

Mormantalorus Coronal         Also called the Crown of Fire, Ciennor’s Crown. Greater Diadem. In possession of Mormantalorus and its ruler. Red lr gems.

 

Lacenedon Crown       Greater Diadem. Also called Ulnossi’s Bane. Currently in possession of Hebron. Used by Delos Sordaneon to break the Vermillion Aqueduct. White lr gems.

 

 

Lesser Diadems     

Less powerful than the Greater Diadems, but also Pre-Devastation enhancers.

 

Dazunor Crown -- State crown of Dazunor. 

 

Kyr Coronal -- Dannuth’s state crown. Rheger’s usual choice to translocate.

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Other Devices

 

Derlon’s Armor  -- Includes the fabled Eagle Breastplate, helm, gauntlets and greaves. Created by Derlon and worn by him in battle; since Derlon’s transformation worn ceremonially by the ruling Hierarch. Breastplate when activated sheaths the wearer’s torso and arms. Greaves, gauntlets and helm can be worn separately. Kinetic negation. Any blow to the armor is absorbed. Invincible to nearly all weapons. 

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The Sword of Amynas -- Also known as the Gweroyen Sword. Greatest of the tullun blades made from Vllyr’s skeleton. Crafted for and by Amynas Malyrdys as his own weapon. Fitted by Leur with arcane energy generation. Generated fields can deflect attacks or be directed as attacks against targets. Most effective when paired with more powerful enhancers. Became known as the Gweroyen Sword when a princess of Gweroyen, a grand-daughter of the slain king Telarion, gave it to Deben I Sordaneon on their wedding.

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