Daniel Abraham - The King's Blood

“Have you just told me that you don’t know where this place is?”

“I do. It’s on the north shore of Lyoneia,” Kit said. “Probably.”

Marcus closed his eyes.

“You don’t know.”

“I could be more precise, but I think I’d be less accurate,” Kit said. “I believe there’s a word for reliquaries that are easily found and commonly known.”

“Is the word empty ?”

“All words are empty, until a living will fills them,” Kit said. “But yes. I’d been thinking more of looted .”

“You could have told me before.”

“Would it have made a difference?”

“Yes,” Marcus said, and they both knew he was lying.

The Royal Family

King Simeon, Emperor of Antea

Aster, his son and heir

House Palliako

Lehrer Palliako, Viscount of Rivenhalm

Geder Palliako, his son. Also Baron of Ebbingbaugh and Protector of the Prince

House Kalliam

Dawson Kalliam, Baron of Osterling Fells

Clara Kalliam, his wife

Barriath

Vicarian, and

Jorey; their sons

also various servants and slaves, including

Andrash rol Estalan, door slave to House Kalliam

Vincen Coe, huntsman in the service of House Kalliam

Abatha Coe, his cousin

House Skestinin

Lord Skestinin, master of the Imperial Navy

Lady Skestinin, his wife

Sabiha, their somewhat disgraced daughter

her illegitimate son

House Annerin

Elisia Annerin (formerly Kalliam), daughter of Clara and Dawson

Gorman Annerin, son and heir of Lord Annerin and husband of Elisia

Corl, their son

House Daskellin

Canl Daskellin, Baron of Watermarch and Ambassador to Northcoast

Sanna, one of his daughters

Also, various lords and members of the court, including

Lord Ternigan, Lord Marshal to King Simeon

Sodai Carvenallin, his secretary

Sir Curtin Issandrian

Sir Alan Klin

Sir Gospey Allintot

Sir Lauren Essian

Sir Soluz Veren

Sir Sesil Veren

Fallon Broot, Baron of Suderling Heights

Daved Broot, his son

Lord Bannien of Estinford

Count Odderd Mastellin

Estin Cersillian, Earl of Masonhalm

Mirkus Shoat, Earl of Rivencourt

and also Houses Flor, Estinford, Faskellan, Emming, Tilliakin, Mastellin, Mecilli, Caot, and Pyrellin, among others

The Players

Kitap rol Keshmet, called Master Kit, apostate of the spider goddess

Cary

Hornet

Smit

Charlit Soon

Mikel

Sandr

Basrahip, minister of the spider goddess and counselor to Geder Palliako

also some dozen priests

The Medean bank in Porte Oliva

Cithrin bel Sarcour, voice of the Medean bank in Porte Oliva

Pyk Usterhall, her notary

Marcus Wester, her guard captain. Also the hero of Gradis and Wodford

Yardem Hane, his second in command

The bank’s guard, including:

Barth

Corisen Mout

Ahariel Akkabrian

Roach

Hart

Enen

Iderrigo Bellind Siden, Prime Governor of Porte Oliva

Qahuar Em, rival to the Medean bank and former lover of Cithrin

Arinn Costallin, his business acquaintance from Herez

Maestro Asanpur, a café owner

Capsen Gostermak, a poet and keeper of doves

Maceo Rinál, a pirate

Dar Cinlama, a hunter of ancient treasures and seeker of lost places

King Tracian

The Medean bank in Carse

Komme Medean, head of the Medean bank

Lauro Medean, son of Komme

Chana Medean, daughter of Komme

Paerin Clark, husband of Chana

Magister Nison, voice of the Medean bank in Carse

King Lechan

Sir Darin Ashford, ambassador to Antea

Epetchi, a cook

Adasa Orsun, a sea captain

Feldin Maas, formerly Baron of Ebbingbaugh, killed for treason

Phelia Maas, his wife, dead at her husband’s hand

Magister Imaniel, voice of the Medean bank in Vanai and protector of Cithrin

also Cam, a housekeeper, and

Besel, a man of convenience, burned in the razing of Vanai

Alys, wife of Marcus Wester

also Merian, their daughter, burned to death as a tactic of intrigue

Lord Springmere, the Mayfly King, killed in vengeance

Morade, the last Dragon Emperor, said to have died from wounds

Inys, clutch-mate of Morade whose manner of death is not recorded

Asteril, clutch-mate of Morade, maker of the Timzinae, dead of poison

Drakkis Stormcrow, great human general of the last war of the dragons, dead of age

(From a manuscript attributed to Malasin Calvah, Taxonomist to Kleron Nuasti Cau, fifth of his name)

The ordering and arrangements of the thirteen races of humanity by blood, order of precedence, mating combination, or purpose is, by necessity, the study of a lifetime. It should occasion no concern that the finer points of the great and complex creation should seem sometimes confused and obscure. It is the intent of this essay to introduce the layman to the beautiful and fulfilling path which is taxonomy.

I shall begin with a brief guide to which the reader may refer.

Firstblood

The Firstblood are the feral, near-bestial form from which all humanity arose. Had there been no dragons to form the twelve crafted races from this base clay, humanity would have been exclusively of the Firstblood. Even now, they are the most populous of the races, showing the least difficulty in procreation, and spreading throughout the known world as a weed might spread through a rose garden. I intend no offense by the comparison, but truth knows no etiquette.

The Eastern Triad

The oldest of the crafted races form the Eastern Triad: Jasuru, Yemmu, and Tralgu.

The Jasuru are often assumed to be the first of the higher races. They share the rough size and shape of the Firstblood, but with the metallic scales of lesser dragons. Most likely, they were created as a rough warrior caste, overseers to control the Firstblood slaves.

The Yemmu are clearly a later improvement. Their great size and massive tusks could only have been designed to intimidate the lesser races, but as with other examples of crafted races, the increase in size and strength has come at a cost. Of all the races, the Yemmu have the shortest natural lifespan.

The Tralgu are almost certainly the most recent of the Eastern Triad. They are taller than the Firstblood and with the fierce teeth and keen hearing of a natural carnivore, and common wisdom holds that they were bred for hunting more than formal battle. In the ages since the fall of dragons, it is likely only their difficulty in whelping that has kept them from forcible racial conquest.

The Western Triad

As the Eastern Triad marks an age of war in which races were created as weapons of war, the western races delineate an age in which the dragons began to create more subtle tools. Cinnae, Dartinae, and Timzinae each show the marks of creation for specific uses.

The Cinnae, when compared to all other races, are thin and pale as sprouts growing under a bucket. However, they have a marked talent in the mental arts, though the truly deep insights have tended to escape them. As the Jasuru are a first attempt at a warrior caste, so the Cinnae may be considered as a rough outline of the races that follow them.