The Prince Deceiver (The Silk & Steel Saga Book 6) (37 page)

           
THE MIRAL
- Absolute ruler of the            MerChanters

           
LORD ASKAL -
A MerChanter Sea            Lord,
captain of the
Dark Fin

           
TORMUND
- First Mate of the       
Dark
Fin

           
BALTHAR-
a MerChanter raider     aboard
the
Shark

           
GALLWAX -
a MerChanter raider, First
Mate aboard the
Shark

           
CORWAY-
a MerChanter raider       aboard
the
Shark

THE DEEP GREEN

The Deep Green is an ancient
power reborn from the ashes of the War of Wizards. Rising from the ruins of a
great city, the forest grows with frightening speed. Trees at the heart of the
forest are giants, growing to more than thrice the height of normal trees,
while the dense tangle of underbrush forms a nearly impenetrable barrier. The
forest protects its own, a race of people with golden cat-eyes. Calling
themselves the Children of the Green, the cat-eyed people live within the
boundaries of the forest in a confederation of clans under the leadership of
the Treespeaker.

Outside of the forest, the
cat-eyed people are shunned as evil abominations, said to be born from the
perverse mating of man with animals. The cat-eyed people are persecuted across
the kingdoms of Erdhe, and often put to death by the ‘white-eyes’.

THE TREESPEAKER
, as old as the forest, she is a seer,
a witch, the embodiment

of the power of the Green. As the leader of the clans, she
wears a cloak of snow-white swan feathers.

-her clan leaders:

CENRIC
, leader of Clan
Hemlock,   he wears a cloak of peacock feathers,             volunteers to lead
a war party to            Pellanor

AGATHA
, leader of Clan
Aspen, she wears a cloak of blue jay feathers. She leads a faction that opposes
dealings with the white-eyes

BRAN
, leader of Clan Ash, he
wears a cloak of raven feathers

CAMILA
, leader of Clan
Maple, she wears a cloak of orange kestrel feathers and is a member of the
faction that opposes dealings with the white-eyes

DEREK
, leader of Clan
Redwood, he wears a cloak of red woodpecker feathers and is a member of the
faction that opposes dealing with the white-eyes

CONRAD
, leader of Clan
Spruce, he wears a cloak of brown thrush feathers

LANA
, leader of Clan Oak,
she wears a cloak of golden finch feathers

-her people:

JORAH  SILVENWOOD
, a ranger
of Clan Cedar, killed in the Mordant’s fire

RONAH
, a ranger of Clan
Hemlock

JENKS
, a patrol leader of
Clan Hemlock

MARTYN
, an attendant to the
Treespeaker

ALWIN,
a ranger of Clan
Hemlock

THE PAINTED PEOPLE

An ancient people, forgotten by
most of Erdhe, the Painted Warriors are the descendents of escaped slaves and
runaway soldiers. Living in the shadow of the Dark Citadel, the Painted People
have forged a fiercely independent warrior culture that spans a thousand years.
Outnumbered and poorly equipped, they strike back at the Pentacle in lightning
raids across the steppes, reaping steel and armor from their enemies. They make
their home in a secret labyrinth of caves hidden in the Ghost Hills. Deeply
spiritual, they invoke the power of nature by tattooing their faces with the
images of beasts and birds, a spiritual melding of man and animal. Divided into
dens depending on their tattoos, they are guided by the Ancestor, a shaman of
mystical memories, and lead by a Council of Leaders made up of representatives
from all the dens. A secret and forgotten people, few in the southern kingdoms
have ever heard of them.

THE ANCESTOR
- Also known as the Keeper of Memories,
the Old One. The Ancestor is always a woman, following a matriarchal line of
mystical seers that stretches back for nearly a thousand years. As the
spiritual leader of the painted people she is respected and revered but she
does not rule as a queen. Instead she serves as a guide to the council of
leaders.

VALDUR
- a Taishan of the mountain lions, lost on a
vision-hunter on a quest in the southern steppes. Attacked and left for dead by
soldiers of the Pentacle, a patrol of Octagon knights found him and took him to
Castlegard where he died in Kath’s arms.

THE SVALA -
After being tested in a trial by combat,
Kath of Castlegard is hailed as the Svala
,
the foretold war leader of
the Painted People.

ROYCE
- warrior leader of the mountain lions, leader
of the Council

THERA
- leader of the ravens, master healer

BRANT
- leader of the boars

FANGGOLD
- warrior leader of the wolves

RINGOL,
warrior leader of the foxes

MERRICK,
a raven-faced healer, second to Thera

CORWIN,
painted warrior, hunts with Blaine

TOMKIN,
painted warrior, hunts with Blaine

THE MAROON BAND

A brotherhood of painted warriors who
claim the honor of protecting the Svala. Survivors of the original eighty
warriors who witnessed Kath’s trial at the Gargoyle Gates and then formed the
vanguard for the attack on the Dark Citadel, they call themselves the Maroon
Band. Their symbol is a tattered strip of maroon cloak tied to their right
bicep. Their strips of maroon come from the extra length of Kath’s maroon
cloak, given to her by Blaine after the battle with the gorehounds. Led by Bear
and Boar, they have become the personal guard to the Svala.

BEAR
- a bear-faced warrior assigned to guard Kath,
he refuses to reveal his true name, adopts the name of Bear and becomes Kath’s
personal guard and friend, wields a sword

BOAR
- a boar-faced warrior assigned to Kath, refuses
to reveal his true name, adopts the name of Boar and becomes Kath’s personal
guard and friend, wields a mace

TORVEN
- eagle-faced warrior patrol leader

SIDHORN,
eagle-faced warrior

TINGOLD
- a wolf-faced scout, hunts with Blaine

GRENFIR
- an owl-faced warrior

RUTHGAR -
boar-faced warrior, hunts with Blaine

TANGOR
- a hawk-faced warrior

PREN,
a bear-faced warrior

CLEMIT
- a wolf-faced warrior

VIN
- an eagle-faced warrior

TARLY
- a boar-faced warrior

BRIN-
a wolf-faced warrior

BRINGOLD-
fox-faced warrior

GRIFF,
lion-faced warrior

TANGOR,
a badger-faced warrior

TORKIN
, a wolf-faced warrior

TANGAR,
a hawk-faced warrior

TOMLIN,
a wolf-faced warrior

TALBERT,
a badger-faced lad, son of a maroon band
warrior who died taking the Dark Citadel, he becomes a squire to Kath, adopted
by the maroon band

CONIT,
a badger-faced lad, son of a maroon band
warrior who died taking the Dark Citadel, he becomes a squire to Kath, adopted
by the maroon band

THE WOLF BAND

A band of wolf-faced warriors who have
formed a den and are sworn to protect Danya.

NEVEN
- the leader of the wolf band, a wolf-faced
warrior hand-fasted to Danya.

BALTHUS-
wolf-faced warrior

CORONTH

The kingdom of Coronth was long ruled by one of the oldest royal families in Erdhe. Tracing their lineage back
to before the War of Wizards, the Manfreds struggled to maintain their kingdom
despite the aftermath of chaos and famine caused by the magical war. Their
descendents ruled in an unbroken line for over a thousand years until a
preacher of the Flame God brought a new religion to the capitol city of Balor. Enthralling the crowds with the miracle of the Test of Faith, the Pontifax gained a
rabid following. In less than a year, the new religion consumed the kingdom,
making the Pontifax more powerful than the king. Ruling from the pulpit, the
Pontifax declared that only a true believer of the Flame God could wear the
crown of Coronth, forcing the king, his wife, and all of his children to submit
to the Test of Faith. When the searing flames consumed the royal house, the
Pontifax became the spiritual and secular ruler of Coronth.

The symbol of house Manfred was a
golden lion rearing on a field of blue. The new symbol of Coronth is a golden
flame on field of red, the symbol of the Flame God. The seat of power is the
capitol city of Balor.

THE PONTIFAX
, the supreme spiritual and secular ruler
of Coronth, also known

as the Enlightened One, beloved of the Flame God, died in a
test of faith

-his priests and counselors:

THE KEEPER OF THE FLAME
,
Senior priest of the Flame, leader of the Confessors of the Flame, he becomes
the ruler of Coronth and the leader of the faith after the death of the
Pontifax, he remains in Balor

LORD STEFFAN RAVEN
, was the Counselor
to the Pontifax, the leader of the Army of the Flame, the power behind the
Flame War, his personal symbol is a black raven on a blood-red field, after his
army is defeated in Pellanor he goes by the name of Steffan of Darkmoor.

RADAGAR

Over five hundred years ago,
fierce warriors from a distant desert kingdom followed the caravan route north
and invaded Erdhe, carving out a vast new kingdom named Radagar. The proud
conquerors maintained their desert culture, with the king and the royal houses
taking many wives. The harems spawned an abundance of royal princes, all
competing for the Cobra Throne. Treachery and poison became the tools of
succession. Over time, the royal in-fighting caused the once great kingdom to
dwindle in size and stature.  The kingdom is now a shadow of its former size
and strength. Radagar is known as a purveyor of mercenaries, poisons, and
aphrodisiacs.

The symbol of Radagar is a red
coiled cobra on a field of pea-green. Their seat of power is the capital city
of Salmythra. The king of Radagar is known as the ruler of the Cobra Throne.

KING RAZZUR
, the king of
Radagar, the ruler of the Cobra Throne, he attained the throne by assassinating
his half-brother King Cyrus. A proud descendent of the desert-born conquerors,
he is the leader of House Razzur, his personal symbol is a black scorpion a
sky-blue field. As king, his royal symbol becomes a red coiled cobra on a field
of pea green.

-his lords:

GENERAL XANOS,
general of
Radagar’s mercenary army

HAMID,
seneschal to King
Razzur

The Front Cover
artwork was done by the Australian artist, Greg Bridges.
Greg’s artwork has appeared on the book covers of many well-known fantasy
authors. Thanks to Greg for the front cover, the spine, and the fabulous
rendering of the Dark Sword used in the interior of the book. To see more of
his art or to contact Greg, visit his website at
http://www.gregbridges.com/

The Maps and the Back
Cover
blurb was done by a
graphic artist from Oregon, Peggy Lowe. Her illustration of the two maps helps
to bring the kingdoms of Erdhe to life. Peggy can be contacted at her e-mail
address,
[email protected]

The dragon used in the illuminated D was hand drawn by
Karen Azinger.

Look for
The
Battle Immortal
,
the seventh and final book in
The Silk
&
Steel Saga
to be published by October 2015
.

ACKNOWEDGEMENTS

Another giant step towards
finishing my epic saga! My dream of Erdhe continues, and like all my other
books, it takes a lot of people to make this saga come true. First and
foremost, to my husband Rick, who is always keen for the next adventure and
always believes no matter the odds. To my best friend and sword sister, Danae
Powers, who listened from the very first chapter. To my alpha and beta readers
who continue to cheer for my books, Mike, Nick, Bill, Peggy, Diane, Bob, Mary,
Christine, Ruthie and Gina, your enthusiasm means so much to me. To Greg
Bridges for the totally awesome front cover and the book spine. To Peggy Lowe,
graphic artist extraordinaire, for the back cover, the two maps and the logo,
well done! To Robert Owen Williams for corrections. To Deborah Sanders for the
eagle-eyed proof read. To all of my readers around the world who are eagerly
following the saga, I write for you. And to my mom, for everything, I so hope
you know.