Space Junque (18 page)

Hibernia

Spiderwork, Firebird

City-state in the new reality. In Firebird, Harold is the king. Has the charter on building airships.

ISS, Imperial Space Station

Space Junque

Administrative center of the Imperium, located in orbit.

Ithaca

Spiderwork, Firebird

City-state in the new reality. Has the charter on building ocean-going vessels.

Jack

Firebird

Chief carpenter of Allel.

Jake Ardri

Space Junque, Spiderwork

Pilot of the Space Junque. Son of Magda and the Emperor. Founder of Allel, lover of Char Meadowlark. Ardri means legendary high king.

Jasmine

Firebird

Proof-of-service female. Attendant on the
Blackbird
.

Jordana

Spiderwork, Firebird

An exotic and chalice. Daughter of Rani, second Emissary of Red City. Totem: mongoose.

Kairo

Firebird

Bleeder from Muskova. Natural born, of royal blood. Destined for greatness. Totem: peacock feather.

Khai of Luxor

Spiderwork

Scion and future King of Luxor. A musician.

Kim (Kimlel)

Firebird

A bleeder, member of Prime Hub.

King Harold

Firebird

King of Hibernia, lover of stout.

Kronos

Firebird

Nin’s white Maltese dog.

Lady Bron (Bronagh)

Firebird

Aristocrat of Garrick who “lets go of her name” to become counselor by special dispensation. Runs Garrick when King Garrick is indisposed.

Lady Drahan

Firebird

Mother of Claire. Lives in Allel. Social climber.

Lady Helen

Firebird

One of Mal’s Ladies of the Hours at Allel.

Lily

Firebird

A proof-of-service female befriended by Mal.

Magda Ardri

Space Junque, Spiderwork

The Emperor’s favorite consort and mother of Jake Ardri. First Matriarch of Red City. Owner of the Space Junque.

Mal (Mallory)

Firebird

Heroine of Firebird. A chalice. Mallory means bad luck. Totem: firebird.

Maribel

Space Junque, Spiderwork

One of the original nine chalices.

Matriarch

Series

The head administrator of Red City. The original matriarch was the headmistress of Durga’s school before the cataclysm. The first matriarch of Red City was Magda Ardri. Durga was the second.

Mike Augustine

Space Junque

Sky Meadowlark’s fiancé, governor of the Imperial Space Station.

Nin (Ninny, Ninshubur)

Firebird

Mal’s best friend at Red City. Her name means Inanna’s (Asherah’s) warrior maiden. Totem: a talaris (winged sandal)

Pala (Gopala)

Firebird

Mal’s best friend before going to Red City. Weapon is a longbow made of yew. Designed mechanical arrows that dispense poison strong enough to kill a raptor. Gopala means protector of cows.

Palada (Jarlvidar)

Firebird

Husband of Palama (Verdandi), father of Pala (Gopala). Named after his grandfather, the Imperial jeweler. Uses the same maker’s mark: seven pomegranate seeds. Jarlvidar means the chief who will avenge his father’s death in the end times.

Palama (Verdandi)

Firebird

Mother of Pala (Gopala), wife of Palada (Jarlvidar). Verdandi means becoming, happening; Verdandi was a Norse goddess of present time.

Prince Garrick (Firebird)

Firebird

Prince, then king, of Garrick during the events in Firebird. Tried to exploit the Mallory myth. Refused to return his dead sister’s dagger to her breeder.

Prince Garrick (Spiderwork)

Spiderwork

The first of the scions of Garrick to become a king under the new-world city-state structure. Wanted to control all scarce resources.

Ptery

Series

A bleeder/chalice with the pterygium mutation, a wing-like gauzy film that covers the eyes. Pteryi lose their longevity, but not their fertility. Red City removes the uterus of someone who “goes Ptery” so they can’t pass on the Ptery gene.

Queen Chiyo

Firebird

Queen of Nippon. First counselor to invoke The Queen Clause.

Queen Clause

Firebird

An obscure clause in the Concords, the new world’s governing document. It provides that, in the event that a counselor turns bleeder, she will become the monarch of her city and her brother will become counselor.

Quidel

Firebird

Operates the tattoo parlor in the arcade called The Tat Man.

Rani

Space Junque, Spiderwork

Daughter of Emperor. Jake’s half-sister, mother of Jordana. An exotic.

raptors

Series

Predatory birds mutated to gigantic size during the cataclysm. Found in the northern hemisphere.

Reynaldo

Space Junque

Co-founder of Red City (Sanguibahd) with Geraldo, his son.

Roh (Rohna)

Firebird

Chalice, member of Prime Hub. Totem: chaos star.

Samael

Series

Creator god. Emanation of Theletos, Sophia’s rejected mate. Created “the ten thousand things” (the material world) including human beings. The Empani adore him. Properly mated to Asherah, he pays no attention to her -- which pisses her off.

Sister Marin

Firebird

Former chalice, teacher in Red City. Expertise in special species. Totem, jackrabbit.

Sky (Scylla) Meadowlark

Series

Char Meadowlark’s twin sister. Their full names are Charybdis and Scylla. Their mother named them after monsters because she didn’t want to have children.

Space Junque

Space Junque

Shuttle owned by Magda Ardri, given to her by the Emperor, flown by her son Jake Ardri

special species

Series

Species which came into being at the end of the old reality and into the next. Some special species are: raptors, Empani, Ptery, exotics, ghosts.

Steve

Firebird

Allel’s head engineer

Talibanos Unidos

Space Junque

Pre-cataclysm terrorist group, more interested in religion than ecology. Destroyed the Los Angeles/San Diego zone.

Tesla

Series

Alternative energy source, derived from orbiting solar net. Developed by team that included Sky Meadowlark

The
Blackbird

Spiderwork, Firebird

Fabulous transport with all the bells and whistles. Belonged to Garrick, then Red City.

totem

Series

Symbol which signifies a chalice is ready to be consecrated, bestowed by Asherah. Says something about a chalice’s fundamental nature.

Tyler

Space Junque

Navigator of the Space Junque

Vacation Station

Space Junque

Orbiting space station. Vacation spot for the rich and well-connected.