Niel, Baya:
A green drafter and Blackguard.
Nuqaba, the:
Keeper of the oral histories of Parians, a figure of tremendous power. She resides in Azûlay.
Oakenshield, Zee:
Andross Guile’s great-great-grandmother, a green drafter. She was the founder of Guile house, despite the name coming from another side of the family.
Omnichrome, Lord (the Color Prince):
The leader of a rebellion against the rule of the Chromeria. His true identity is known by few, as he has re-formed almost his entire body with luxin. A full-spectrum polychrome, he posits a faith in freedom and power, rather than in Lucidonius and Orholam. Also known as the Color Prince, the Crystal Prophet, the Polychrome Master, the Eldritch Enlightened, and the Lord Rainbow. He was formerly Koios White Oak, one of Karris White Oak’s brothers. He was horribly burned in the fire that triggered the False Prism’s War.
One-Eye:
A mercenary with the Cloven Shield company.
Onesto, Prestor:
An Ilytian banker at Varig and Green.
Orholam:
The deity of the monotheistic Seven Satrapies, also known as the Father of All and the Lord of Light. His worship was spread throughout the Seven Satrapies by Lucidonius, four hundred years before the reign of Prism Gavin Guile.
Orlos, Maros:
A very religious Ruthgari drafter. He fought in both the False Prism’s War and as a defender of Garriston.
Or-mar-zel-atir:
One of the original Blackguards who served Lucidonius.
Oros brothers, the:
Two Blackguard scrubs.
Payam, Parshan:
A young drafter at the Chromeria who attempts to seduce Liv Danavis as part of a bet. He fails in spectacular fashion.
Pevarc:
He proved the world was round two hundred years before Gavin Guile, and he was later lynched for positing that light was the absence of darkness.
Philosopher, the:
A foundational figure in both moral and natural philosophy.
Phyros:
A member of the Omnichrome’s army. He is seven feet tall and fights with two axes.
Pip:
A Blackguard scrub.
Pots:
A Blackguard.
Presser:
A Blackguard.
Ptolos:
Satrapah of Ruthgar.
Pullawr, Orea:
See White, the.
Rados, Blessed Satrap:
A Ruthgari satrap who fought the Blood Foresters although he was outnumbered two to one. He was famous for burning the Rozanos Bridge behind his army to keep it from retreating.
Ramir (Ram):
A Rekton villager.
Rassad, Master Shayam:
Completely blind in the visible spectrum, he allegedly could navigate with sub-red and paryl; taught Marta Martaens’s teacher in paryl.
Rathcore, Ulbear:
The late husband of the White, he has been dead for twenty years. An adroit player of Nine Kings.
Rig:
A Blackguard legacy. He is a red/orange bichrome.
Rud:
A Blackguard scrub. He is a squat coastal Parian who wears the ghotra.
Running Wolf:
A general for Gavin during the False Prism’s war. He was thrice bested by smaller forces commanded by Corvan Danavis.
Sadah Superviolet:
The Parian representative, a superviolet drafter, often the swing vote on the Spectrum.
Samite:
One of Karris’s best friends. She is a Blackguard and a bodyguard for Kip, and one of the strongest female Blackguards.
Sanson:
A village boy from Rekton.
Satrap of Atash:
See Aravind, Lord.
Sayeh, Meena:
Cousin to Samila Sayeh. She was just seven years old when she was killed in Gad Delmarta’s purge of the royal family at Ru.
Sayeh, Samila:
A blue drafter for Gavin’s army. She fought in the defense of Garriston under Gavin Guile.
Selene, Lady:
A Tyrean blue/green bichrome. She is in charge of the greens in Garriston so that they can dredge the key irrigation canals.
Sendinas, the:
A Rekton family.
Shadowblinder, Karris:
Lucidonius’s wife and later widow. She was the second Prism. See also Atiriel, Karris.
Sharp, Master:
One of Andross Guile’s agents. He wears a necklace of human teeth.
Shayam, Lord:
One of the lords of the air, set to oversee redistribution of the city of Garriston by the Color Prince.
Shimmercloak, Gebalyn:
Vox Shimmercloak’s former partner. She seems to have died in a fire while on an assignment.
Shimmercloak, Niah:
An assassin. She is the partner of Vox and a lightsplitter.
Shimmercloak, Vox:
A green drafter and assassin. He was kicked out of the Chromeria at thirteen; he worships Atirat.
Shining Spear:
Originally called El-Anat. Once he converted to the Light, he became Forushalzmarish, then Shining Spear so the locals could pronounce it.
Siluz, Rea:
Fourth undersecretary of the Chromeria library and a weak yellow drafter. She knows Janus Borig and directs Kip to meet her.
Small Bear:
A huge archer with just one eye. He served Zee Oakenshield.
Spear:
A commander of the Blackguards when Gavin first became Prism.
Spreading Oak, Alexander:
The Prism before Gavin. Likely a poppy addict, he spent most of his time hiding in his apartments.
Stump:
A Parian Blackguard.
Sworrins, the:
A Rekton family.
Tala:
A drafter and warrior in the False Prism’s War. She was also a defender of Garriston. Her grandson is Aheyyad Brightwater, and her sister is Tayri.
Tala (the Younger):
A yellow/green bichrome. Named after the hero of the False Prism’s War, she is an excellent drafter, though not yet an excellent fighter.
Talim, Sayid:
A former Prism. He nearly got himself named promachos to face the nonexistent armada he claimed waited beyond the gates, forty-seven years ago.
Tamerah:
A Blackguard scrub, a blue monochrome.
Tana:
A Blackguard legacy, a scrub.
Tanner:
A Blackguard scrub.
Tarkian:
A polychrome drafter.
Tayri:
A Parian drafter and defender of Garriston. Her sister is Tala.
Tazerwalt:
A princess of the Tlaglanu tribe of Paria. She married Hanishu, the dey of Aghbalu.
Temnos, Dalos the Younger:
A drafter who fought in both the False Prism’s War and the defense of Garriston under Gavin Guile.
Tempus:
A Blackguard put in charge of greens during the battle at Ruic Head.
Tep, Usef:
A drafter who fought in the False Prism’s War. He is also known as the Purple Bear, because he is a discontiguous bichrome in red and blue. After the war, he and Samila Sayeh became lovers, despite having fought on opposite sides.
Third Eye, the:
A Seer, the leader of Seers Island.
Tiziri:
A student at the Chromeria. She has a birthmark over the left half of her face.
Tizrik:
The son of the dey of Aghbalu. He fails the Blackguard testing, though not before Kip breaks his nose for being a bully.
Tlatig:
One of the Blackguard’s most skilled archers.
Tolver, Jia:
The Yellow on the Spectrum. An Abornean drafter, she is a cousin of Arys Greenveil (the Sub-red).
Tremblefist:
A Blackguard. He is Ironfist’s younger brother, and was once the dey of Aghbalu.
Tristaem:
The author of
On the Fundaments of Reason
.
Tufayyur:
A Blackguard scrub.
Tugertent:
One of the Blackguard’s most skilled archers.
Ular:
A Blackguard scrub, Jun’s partner.
Usem the Wild:
A drafter and defender of Garriston.
Valor:
A Blackguard scrub. He partners with Pip during a Blackguard test. They fail when thugs stop them.
Vanzer:
A Blackguard and green drafter.
Varidos, Kerawon:
A superchromat, magister and head tester of the Chromeria. He drafts orange and red.
Varigari, Lord:
A gambler from the Varigari family, originally fishermen before they were raised in the Blood Wars. He lost the family fortune and lands to his habit.
Vecchio, Pash:
The most powerful of the pirate kings. His flagship is the
Gargantua
.
Vena:
Liv’s friend and fellow student at the Chromeria; a superviolet.
Verangheti, Lucretia:
Adrasteia’s sponsor at the Chromeria. She is from the Ilytian Smussato Veranghetis.
Vin, Taya:
A mercenary with the Cloven Shield company.
Wanderer, the:
A legendary figure, the subject of Gevison’s poem
The Wanderer’s Last Journey
.
White Oak, Karris:
A Blackguard; a red/green bichrome; the original cause of the False Prism’s War.
White Oak, Koios:
One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak.
White Oak, Kolos:
One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak.
White Oak, Rissum:
A luxlord, the father of Karris and her seven brothers; reputed to be hot-tempered, but a coward.
White Oak, Rodin:
One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak.
White Oak, Tavos:
One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak.
White, the:
The head of the Spectrum. She is a blue/green bichrome, but currently abstains from any drafting in order to prolong her life. Her name is Orea Pullawr, though it is rarely used. She was married to Ulbear Rathcore before his death.
Wil:
A green drafter, and a Blackguard.
Winsen:
A mountain Parian, and a Blackguard scrub.
Wit, Rondar:
A blue drafter who becomes a color wight.
Young Bull:
A blue drafter who fought with Zee Oakenshield.
Yugerten:
A gangly Blackguard scrub, blue drafter.
Zid:
Quartermaster of the Omnichrome’s army.
Ziri:
A Blackguard scrub.
Zymun:
A young drafter and member of the Omnichrome’s army.
For Kristi, who gets better all the time—and makes me want to do likewise,
and for Mom, who took a seven-year-old kid who hated reading and kindled a lifelong love.
The man who is content to live alone is either a beast or a god.