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Partial graphical representation of royal family tree
Main Characters | ||
| Name | Pronunciation | Role in book |
|---|---|---|
| Aenna | ay-EN-ah (ay as in pay) | Barmaid-turned-princess, narrator |
| Kurit | COOR-it | Prince of Keshaerlan, sole heir to throne, son of Tarken and Kasha |
| Jarik | JARE-ick | Kurit's cousin and best friend, orphaned son of Kasha's Champion and Tarken's sister, Aenna's Champion |
| Kasha | CASH-ah | Queen, Kurit's mother |
| Tarken | TAR-ken | King, Kurit's father |
| Leiset | leez-ET | Aenna's maidservant and confidant |
Current Lords and Ladies | ||
| Name | Pronunciation | Role in book |
|---|---|---|
| Kiene | KEEN | Lord of Asune |
| Fontden | FOND-en | Lord of Penklin |
| Mishkel | MISH-kel | Lord of Felean |
| Cael | KAY-el | Lord of Alesha |
| Tyella | TIE-el-ah | Lady of Alesha |
| Aelwin | ay-EL-win (ay as in pay) | Lady of Taeten |
| Daeren | DAY-ren | (deceased) Lord of Taeten |
| Kalren | CALL-ren | Lord of Estebek |
| Mardek | MAR-dek | Son of Kalren, friend of Kurit's driven away by Kasha |
| Maekol | MAY-coal | Lord of Taern |
| Oddotok | AW-dough-talk | Lord of Kresh |
| Bresh | BRESH | Lord of Odlok |
| Kren | KREN | Chancellor of Endren |
| Sashken | SASH-ken | Courtier in Endren palace, daughter of courtiers Sibek and Kayel, Kasha's choice to be Kurit's wife |
| Sibek | SIGH-bek | Wealthy courtier in Endren, Sashken's father |
| Kayel | ky-EL | Wealthy courtier in Endren, Sashken's mother |
| Staesh | STAYSH | Wealthy sea merchant from Penklin |
| Keshella | kesh-EL-ah | Kurit's first sexual partner, now married to a wealthy merchant named Sherston |
Wusul Lords and Ladies | ||
| Name | Pronunciation | Role in book |
|---|---|---|
| Ran Kei-Galu | KY GAL-oo | Lord for whom Aenna is bought as a concubine |
| Ras Mei-Risha-Galu | MY REE-sha GAL-oo | Kei-Galu's sister and head of his concubines |
| Ran Kei-Mosun | KY MOZE-un | Lord who doesn't like redheads as much |
Other People | ||
| Name | Pronunciation | Role in book |
|---|---|---|
| Raelik | RAY-lick | Aenna and Kurit's first son |
| Lyenta | lie-EN-tah | Raelik's nurse |
| Kaelinna | kay-LIN-ah | Aenna and Kurit's daughter |
| Jarik | JARE-ick | Aenna and Kurit's second son, named after cousin/Champion Jarik, main person to whom the story is narrated |
| Tash | TASH | Royal physician |
| Kordos | KOR-doze | Tutor/librarian/scholar in Endren's palace |
| Graek | GRAY-ek | Captain of Endren's guards |
| Jhin | JIN | Abbot of Endren's Temple |
| Zajen | ZAY-jen | Aenna's second Champion, relative of Kiene |
| Gilrin | GILL-rin | Kurit's manservant |
| Eyill | EYE-ill | Sashken's maidservant |
| Melly | MEL-lee | Mentally challenged undermaid |
| Gilaela | gil-LAY-la | Maid/caretaker at outpost |
| Mikel | mik-EL | Caretaker of summer cottage, husband of Pirine |
| Pirine | PEER-een | Caretaker of summer cottage, wife of Mikel |
| Zayel | zay-EL | Leiset's partner |
| Oana | oh-AN-ah | Peasant woman of Endren, helps plan rebuilding east section |
| Nikal | knee-CALL | Clothing merchant of Endren, helps plan rebuilding east section |
| Druin | DREW-in | Peasant leader of Endren, helps plan rebuilding east section |
| Raen of Daufrae | RAY-en | Pretender to the throne, exiled after threatening Tarken, headed plot to kill Kurit |
| Deggle | DAYG-el | Innkeeper in Mikilrun |
| Elaene | el-AY-en (ay as in pay) | Barmaid who worked at Traveller's Torch and was raped |
Historical People | ||
| Name | Pronunciation | Role in book |
|---|---|---|
| King Daen | DAY-ehn | King of Mael, Princess Raeneh's father |
| King Dirik | dur-RICK | King of Kyran, Prince Kol's father |
| Prince Kol | COAL | Prince of Kyran, married Raeneh of Mael to form Keshaerlan |
| Princess Raeneh | RAY-neh | Princess of Mael, married Kol of Kyran to form Keshaerlan |
| King Rueklin | ROO-klin | Ancient king, built Endren palace gardens for disabled daughter |
| King Rudik | RUDE-ick | Smuggled out of castle as infant to be safe from revolt, later took nation back and instituted King's Guard as it exists now |
| King Korreg | KOR-egg | Tarken's great-grandfather |
| Queen Shantakh | SHAN-tack | Korreg's wife |
| Reshtaen | resh-TAY-en | Raen's grandfather, supposedly illegitimate son of King Korreg |
| King Tursk | TERSK | Tarken's grandfather |
| Mei-Enkos | MY EN-kohs | Wusul Queen who introduced corsets to Keshaerlan |
| Lady Senseh of Asune | sehn-SE | First corset-wearer |
Kingdoms | ||
| Name | Pronunciation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Keshaerlan | kesh-AY-er-lan (ay as in pay) | Main kingdom of the novel, comprising of several united provinces |
| Wusul | woo-ZOOL | Nation north of Keshaerlan, off-and-on warring enemy of Keshaerlan, slavers, heavily patriarchal, people are typically blonde and pale |
| Mael | may-EL | Ancient kingdom consisting of provinces north of the Great Kal River (except Seaton in Penklin) and south of Wusul, now united with Kyran to form Keshaerlan, people are typically red-haired, naming traditions use the letter combination AE quite often, liberal tendencies with decent rights for women |
| Kyran | KY-ran | Ancient kingdom consisting of provinces south of the Great Kal River (also including Seaton in Penklin and the entire mouth area of the Great Kal), now united with Mael to form Keshaerlan, people are typically dark-haired, naming traditions use the letter K quite often, conservative and patriarchal tendencies |
Provinces and Cities of Keshaerlan | |||
| Province | Capital City | Other Cities of Note | Miscellaneous Info |
|---|---|---|---|
Asune | Saeles | Culturally somewhere between Mael and Wusul. Although Asune was part of Mael, its proximity to Wusul means the relatively rural people of Asune tend to pick up on the fashions of Wusul nobility. The most conservative of the Maellan provinces. | |
Penklin | Seaton | Coastal province that serves as the main source of seafaring and fishing technology/industry for Keshaerlan. Famously beautiful beaches are a favourite vacation spot of the wealthy. The bulk of the population is in the Seaton area and around the mouth of the Great Kal. Even though much of the land was part of Mael, since the populated area was part of Kyran, Penklin is politically considered a Kyran province. | |
Felean | Nealvenlan | A rural Maellan province. Some logging is done in Feleanwood, but the wood is not considered as high quality as that of Estenwood. | |
Alesha | Staelorn | Ashlen Daufrae | Home to Aenna. Fairly wealthy Maellan province, with most of the wealth coming from agriculture and livestock. Aleshans are very liberal and community-minded, believing that abject poverty is a blight upon civilization. As such, every child is given a basic education (including orphans), the ruling lord usually hires physicians to cater to those who could otherwise not afford medical treatment, and no one is left to starve in the streets. Aleshans demonstrate pride in their home and family by being very hospitable to guests of all walks of life. They deplore slavery, and since their citizens are occasionally subject to kidnapping to be sold as Wusul slaves, Aleshans tend to consider the Wusul as a barbaric people with an inferior culture. They consider conservative Kyrans as being sadly unenlightened about how to build a good society. |
Taeten | Maellorn | Maellorn was the seat of power for ancient Mael. Taeten's population is almost all located between Maellorn and the Great Kal river. Gold is panned in the river and mined in the mountains just to the south, which is the source of Taeten's wealth. Although far less populous than Alesha, Taeten shares most Aleshan culture and attitudes. However, since Taetens are far more subject to abduction by the Wusul, they are a bit more guarded and trained for war than Aleshans, with a stronger dislike for the Wusul (although escaped slaves of both Wusul and Keshaerlan descent are welcomed). Living north of Maellorn is considered risky because of the Wusul. The need to defend against slavery is dire enough that girls and boys are often equally trained in the use of weapons, meaning that some young women actually become guards and soldiers. As a result, Taetens tend to support many rights for women that would be unheard of elsewhere and commonly put women in positions of power. | |
Kydren | Endren | Mikilrun | Kydren was the ancient seat of power for Kyran, mostly because it controlled passage and trade along most of the Great Kal River and a portion of the valuable Estenwood. Kydren is well-populated, with people collected in small towns all over the province. The bulk of the population, however, lives in and around Endren, now the capital for all of Keshaerlan. Wealthy families from all over the kingdom send their children to act as courtiers in the palace in Endren. Since Kyrans prize knowledge, the library in the Endren palace is very extensive, and the young courtiers often are there to further their education. The high value placed on books and knowledge mean education is typically denied to the lower classes. Kydren is quite beholden to its class system, and the nobility in particular consider Maellan liberalism to be frivolous and unseemly. |
Estebek | Arkton | Estebek is a fairly wealthy province, based mostly on the logging industry in Estenwood. The wood itself is considered the premium stuff for furniture, building, etc. Furthermore, the province is home to skilled craftsmen who make things with the wood to be sold all over Keshaerlan and even into Wusul. The people are fairly conservative and since they live in very small towns in the woods, they are generally unwelcoming to outsiders. Those who live along the Westpath and Southpath are less xenophobic. | |
Taern | Pahrn | Taern was originally populated by Maellans migrating through the mountains from Taeten. This is why Taern shares naming traditions with Mael, and redheads are more common here than in any other Kyran province. Culturally, the area is much more typical of Kyran. Taern has a very small population, most of whom work in gem mines near Pahrn. There are two classes of people in Taern: mine workers and their families, mostly descendants of the Maellan settlers, and mine owners, mostly descendants of wealthy Kyran families who conquered the area during the many wars between ancient Kyran and Mael. | |
Kresh | Kosst | A deeply conservative and religious province with a highly rigid class structure, similar to feudalism. Peasants work the land for land-owning lords who in turn are expected to provide some degree of legal oversight and protection for the peasants. Peasants are free to leave the land of one lord and move to another, but this is socially frowned upon and seen as the behaviour of criminals and miscreants. Women are highly subjugated, considered the property of their father/husband. Because of this, the men of Kresh tend to consider the men of Taeten to be weak-willed and pathetic. Deep religious beliefs require a minimal level of charity to the poor, but in general the poor are considered to be lazy and worthless. The gods reward hard work with wealth; therefore, wealthy people are considered worthy in the eyes of the gods while the poor are clearly dirty sinners. | |
Odlok | Kordolos | Similar to Kresh, only less religious and more cynical. People incapable of supporting themselves, such as orphans or the disabled, are considered a drain on society and live as outcasts if they manage to survive at all. The people of Odlok consider everyone else in the world to be ignorant and misguided for bothering with things like charity. Odlok isn't a very wealthy province, and blames this on the sorry state of the kingdom since the inclusion of Mael. In reality, Odlok lacks wealth because it lacks significant natural resources, has poor quality soil for agriculture, and is filled with an uneducated, unskilled, peasant populace. | |
Thanks to my awesome editor, Karen Babcock, for helping me compile this list!
For those who have read the book and enjoyed it, here are some pages with extra information. These pages contain possible spoilers! Don't look unless you're okay with that or have already read the book!
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Page last updated December 4, 2003.
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