DECEASED AND HISTORICAL PERSONS OF VIRTUDOM
Antor Dale: A knight who wed Rosarian I of Inys after he played a public game of love with her. Her father, Isalarico IV of Yscalin, gave special permission for the marriage to proceed, since it was popular with the people. Sir Antor embodies the ideals of chivalry.
Brilda Glade: Chief Gentlewoman of the Bedchamber to Sabran VII of Inys, who eventually became her companion.
Carnelian I (the Flower of Ascalon): Fourth queen of the House of Berethnet.
Carnelian III: Twenty-fifth queen of the House of Berethnet. She caused a stir when she refused to hire a milk nurse for her daughter, Princess Marian. She fell in love with Lord Rothurt Beck, but was unable to marry him.
Carnelian V (the Mourning Dove): Thirty-third queen of the House of Berethnet, famed for her beautiful voice and periods of sadness. Great-grandmother of Sabran IX of Inys.
Edrig of Arondine: Trusted friend of Sir Galian Berethnet, who served as his knight. When Galian was crowned King of Inys, Edrig was named Keeper of the Leas and given the family name Beck.
Edvart II: High Prince of the Free State of Mentendon. Edvart and his infant daughter died not long after Jannart utt Zeedeur during the Brygstad Terror, when half the Mentish court died of the sweating sickness. He was succeeded by his uncle, Leovart.
Galian Berethnet (the Saint or Galian the Deceiver): The first King of Inys. Galian was born in the Inyscan village of Goldenbirch, but rose to squire for Edrig of Arondine. The religion of the Virtues of Knighthood, which Galian based on the knightly code, professes that he vanquished the Nameless One in Lasia, married Princess Cleolind of the House of Onjonyu, and with her founded the House of Berethnet. Worshipped in Virtudom, but reviled in many parts of the South, Galian is thought by his followers to rule in Halgalant, the heavenly court, where he awaits the righteous at the Great Table.
Glorian II (Glorian Hartbane): Tenth queen of the House of Berethnet. A gifted hunter. Her marriage to Isalarico IV of Yscalin brought his country into Virtudom.
Glorian III (Glorian Shieldheart): Twentieth queen of the House of Berethnet, arguably its best-known and most beloved monarch. She led Inys during the Grief of Ages and famously took her newborn daughter, Sabran VII, on to the battlefield. This action inspired her soldiers to fight to the end.
Haynrick Vatten: Steward-in-Waiting to Mentendon during the Grief of Ages. He was betrothed to the future Sabran VII of Inys when he was four years old. The Vatten, who ruled Mentendon for centuries on behalf of the House of Hraustr, were eventually overthrown and exiled back to Hróth, but their descendants still wielded power in Mentendon.
Isalarico IV (the Benevolent): King of Yscalin and prince consort of Inys. He pledged his country to Virtudom upon his marriage to Glorian II of Inys.
Jannart utt Zeedeur: The late Duke of Zeedeur, previously Marquess of Zeedeur. He was a close friend to Edvart II of Mentendon, the secret lover of Niclays Roos, and companion to Lady Aleidine Teldan utt Kantmarkt. Jannart was a passionate historian.
Jillian VI: Thirty-fourth queen of the House of Berethnet. Maternal grandmother to Sabran IX of Inys. Jillian was musically gifted, religiously tolerant, and argued for closer ties between Virtudom and the rest of the world.
Leovart I: High Prince of the Free State of Mentendon. He was not supposed to sit on the throne, but persuaded the Privy Council to let him hold it for his grand-nephew, Aubrecht, who Leovart declared was too gentle and inexperienced to rule. He was notorious for proposing to countless noble and royal women.
Lorain Crest: One of the six members of the Holy Retinue, friend to Sir Galian Berethnet. Dame Lorain is remembered in Inys as the Knight of Justice.
Never Queen: The sobriquet of Princess Sabran of Inys, daughter of Marian IV. She was the twenty-fourth royal woman of the House of Berethnet, but died giving birth to the future Rosarian II before she could be crowned.
Rosarian I (the Apple of All Eyes): Eleventh queen of the House of Berethnet. Her popular reign integrated traditions from Yscalin—the kingdom of her father, Isalarico IV.
Rosarian II (the Architect of Inys): Twenty-fourth queen of the House of Berethnet. She was a gifted architect who traveled extensively in her youth, while she was still a princess. Rosarian personally designed many buildings in Inys, including the marble-faced clock tower of Ascalon Palace.
Rosarian IV (the Merrow Queen): Thirty-fifth queen of the House of Berethnet, mother to Sabran IX of Inys. She was assassinated by means of a poisoned gown.
Rothurt Beck: An earl of Goldenbirch. Carnelian III of Inys fell in love with him, but he was already wed.
Sabran V: Sixteenth queen of the House of Berethnet. Her reign marked the beginning of the Century of Discontent, which saw three unpopular queens in a row. She was notorious for her cruelty and extravagant lifestyle.
Sabran VI (the Ambitious): Nineteenth queen of the House of Berethnet. Most famous for bringing Hróth into Virtudom through her love marriage to Bardholt Hraustr. Her coronation ended the Century of Discontent. Sabran and Bardholt were slain by Fyredel, leaving their daughter, Glorian III, to weather the Grief of Ages.
Sabran VII: Twenty-first queen of the House of Berethnet. Daughter of Glorian III of Inys. She was betrothed to Haynrick Vatten, Steward-in-Waiting to Mentendon, on the day she was born. After his death, and her own abdication, Sabran wed her principal Lady of the Bedchamber, Lady Brilda Glade.
Sahar Taumargam: A princess of the Ersyr who became queen consort of Yscalin upon her marriage to Sigoso III. Sister of Jantar I of the Ersyr. She died under suspicious circumstances.
Wulf Glenn: Friend and bodyguard of Glorian III of Inys. One of the most famous knights in Inysh history, an ideal of courage and gallantry. He is an ancestor of Lady Arbella Glenn.
NONHUMAN CHARACTERS
Aralaq: An ichneumon, raised in the Priory of the Orange Tree by Eadaz and Jondu uq-Nāra.
Orsul: One of the five High Westerns that led the Draconic Army during the Grief of Ages.
Fyredel: Leader of the Draconic Army, loyal to the Nameless One and known as his right wing. He led a ruthless campaign against humankind in 511 CE. Some say he emerged from the Dreadmount at the same time as the Nameless One, while others believe he emerged at the same time as his siblings, during the Second Great Eruption.
Valeysa: One of the five High Westerns that led the Draconic Army during the Grief of Ages.
Imperial Dragon: Leader of all Lacustrine dragons, elected by arcane means. The current Imperial Dragon is a female who was hatched in the Lake of Golden Leaves in CE 209. The Imperial Dragon traditionally councils the human royal family of the Empire of the Twelve Lakes and chooses which of its heirs will inherit the throne.
Kwiriki: Believed by the Seiikinese to have been the first dragon to take a human rider, worshipped as a deity. He carved the Rainbow Throne—now destroyed—out of his horn. The Seiikinese believe Kwiriki left for the celestial plane, and that he sent the comet that ended the Great Sorrow. Butterflies are his messengers.
The Nameless One: An enormous red wyrm, created from a proliferation of siden in the core of the world. He is thought to have been the first creature to emerge from the Dreadmount and is the overlord of the Draconic Army, which was created for him by Fyredel. Little is known about the Nameless One, but it is assumed that his ultimate goal was to sow chaos and conquer humankind. His confrontation with Cleolind Onjenyu and Galian Berethnet in Lasia in BCE 2 became a fundament of religion and legend the world over.
Nayimathun of the Deep Snows: A Lacustrine dragon who fought in the Great Sorrow. A wanderer by nature, she is now a member of the High Sea Guard of Seiiki.
Norumo: A Seiikinese dragon and a member of the High Sea Guard of Seiiki.
Parspa: The last known hawiz—a species of giant, plant-eating bird, native to the South. She answers only to Chassar uq-Ispad, who tamed her.
Sarsun: A sand eagle. Friend of Chassar uq-Ispad and messenger to the Priory of the Orange Tree.
Tukupa (the Silver): A Seiikinese elder dragon descended from Kwiriki. Traditionally, the Sea General of Seiiki is her rider, but she may also carry the Warlord of Seiiki and members of his family.
Glossary
Attifet: A headdress worn by women in the northern provinces of Inys. It dips in the middle, lending it a heartlike shape.
Baldachin: An ornate canopy that stands over the boss of a sanctuary.
Barding: Horse armor.
Bodmin: A wildcat, known to roam the moors of Inys. Its fur is warm and, due to its rarity, expensive.
Boss: The raised center of a shield. In Inys, this name is given to the platform at the heart of a sanctuary, where the sanctarian preaches and ceremonies take place.
Buckler: A small shield.
Carcanet: A jeweled chain or necklace.