The Prince Deceiver (The Silk & Steel Saga Book 6) (36 page)

The youngest kingdom of Erdhe, Navarre was founded less than four hundred years ago by a daring adventurer,
Alaric Navarre, who rescued the youngest daughter of the king of Coronth from a
band of sea pirates infesting the Orcnoth Islands. Gaining the king’s
confidence, and his daughter’s hand in marriage, Alaric earned a freehold of
land running along the Western Ocean where he later established his kingdom.
His domain includes the Orcnoth Islands. 

While defeating the nest of
pirates, Alaric discovered a long-forgotten focus. The magic of the focus
renders the royal house very fecund, enabling the queens to bear six to ten
children in a single pregnancy. After using the magic, both the king and the
queen become sterile. The focus is the secret strength of the royal house of Navarre, the bedrock for the succession to the throne. Alaric abandoned the convention of
primogeniture, declaring that all of the tuplets have an equal chance to the
throne. He instituted the practice of Wayfaring, a type of fostering where the
heirs develop their greatest interests, striving to become excellent at a
skill, a knowledge, or a trade, so that they can bring this knowledge back to
Navarre and thus enrich the kingdom. After the Wayfaring, the King, together
with the royal council, chooses the successor to the throne based on the
talents, skills, and temperament that best fit the needs of the kingdom at the
time. Navarre is well known for its uncommonly wise rulers…but with every great
boon there is also a cost, the hidden focus brings with it the Curse of the
Vowels. 

The symbol of Navarre is a white osprey soaring on a checkered field of red and blue. The seat of their
power is Castle Seamount, perched on a rocky outcrop on the edge of the Western Ocean. Navarre has always had close ties to the sea.

KING IVOR NAVARRE
, the eighth ruler of the kingdom of Navarre

            -his siblings:

PRINCE IRWIN
, died of
poison, believed to be a victim of the Curse of the Vowels

PRINCESS INGRID
, fell from
the rigging of a ship and died, believed to be a victim of the Curse of the
Vowels

PRINCESS IRIS
, accused of
murdering her two siblings, exiled to the Orcnoth Islands, she murdered her
guards and then disappeared

PRINCE ISADOR
, Commander of
the Army of Navarre, advisor to the king, nearly fell victim to the Curse of
the Vowels, murdered at the poison feast

PRINCESS IGRAINE
, Counselor
to the king, court historian, tutor to the Royal Js, murdered at the poison
feast

PRINCE IAN
, Royal Bowyer,
advisor to the king, murdered at the poison feast

PRINCESS IVY
, Captain of a
royal merchant vessel of Navarre

-his wife,
QUEEN MEGAN
, a princess of Tubor

-their children known as the Royal Js:

PRINCESS JEMMA
, Wayfaring
with the Queen of Lanverness to learn the way of multiplying coins

PRINCE JUSTIN
, Sent wayfaring
to become a bard, he receives permission from the King and Council to travel to
Coronth to try and overthrow the Pontifax, also known as the Dark Harper

PRINCESS JORDAN
, Sent wayfaring
with the Kiralynn monks to learn the art of war, she is felled by the treachery
of the Mordant. Healed by the monk’s magic, she gains visions of prophecy and
returns to Navarre. She is the sword sister to Kath of Castlegard

PRINCE JARED
, Sent wayfaring
with the Octagon Knights to learn the way of the sword, he is murdered by
loyalists to the Flame

PRINCESS JULIANA
, Wayfaring
with Navarre’s merchant fleet to learn the way of the sea, merchant captain of
the
Sea Sprite

PRINCE JAMES
, Wayfaring in
Tubor to learn to become a vintner

PRINCE JAYSON
, Wayfaring in
the Delta to learn the secrets of a new water wheels

his retainers:

MARY,
Prince Ian’s wife,
murdered at the poison feast

GARTH
, Princess Ivy’s
husband

SIR LEON,
an older knight,
serves the queen on market days

MATILDA,
a wise woman, an
herbalist, a midwife, and a fortuneteller, a friend to Queen Megan

MASTER SIMMONS
, the royal
healer

CREW
OF THE
SEA SPRITE

JULIANA,
Princess
of Navarre, a Royal J, captain of the
Sea Sprite

MARCUS,
First
Mate

SOOTHBY,
Second
Mate

WREN,
lookout

JANGO,
a
sailor

THE
ARMY OF NAVARRE

MAJOR COLSON,
veteran major
of the Army of Navarre

RAFE,
a monk of the Kiralynn
Order, a friend and advisor to Princess Jordan

CAPTAIN VARNICK
, captain of
the pike men

CAPTAIN CYRIL
, captain of
the archers

CASTLEGARD

Three hundred years after the War
of Wizards decimated the kingdoms of Erdhe, a group of knights banded together
to protect the southern kingdoms from the ravages of the north. They claimed
Castlegard, the great mage-stone castle left empty after the War of Wizards, as
the seat of their power. Adopting the shape of the great castle as their
symbol, they became known as the Octagon Knights.

To bolster their cause, the
knights were ceded land running along the length of the Dragon Spine Mountains. Stretching from Castlegard all the way to the Western Ocean, this land became
known as the Domain. A series of castles, keeps, and walls were built along the
Dragon Spines, allowing the knights to control the mountain passes and deny
access to the southern kingdoms. The Domain also includes the only iron ore
mine in all of Erdhe to yield blue ore, the rare ore required to forge the
knights’ fabled blue steel swords.

As a sworn brotherhood of elite
knights, the candidates forsake their lineage and their past when they win
their maroon cloaks. Their symbol is a maroon octagon emblazoned on a silver
shield.

KING URSUS ANVRIL
, King of Castlegard and the Knights
of the Octagon, Lord of the Domain, bearer of a great blue sword named
Honor’s
Edge.

-his wife,
QUEEN PHYLA
, died
giving birth to their only daughter

            -their children:

PRINCE ULRICH
, First-born
son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, former commander of the wall at Raven Pass, bearer of a great blue sword named
Mordbane
, slain at Raven Pass

PRINCE GRIFFIN
, Second-born
son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, former commander of Dymtower,
murdered at Raven Pass

PRINCE GODFREY
, Third-born
son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, former commander of Shieldhold,
murdered at Raven Pass

PRINCE TRISTAN
, Fourth-born
son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, slain while leading a patrol
into the steppes

PRINCE LIONEL
, Fifth-born
son of the king, a sworn knight of the maroon, former commander of Cragnoth
Keep, murdered at Cragnoth Keep

PRINCESS KATHERINE
, Sixth
child of the king, also known as the Imp or Little Sister or Kath. As a female,
the Octagon symbol of Castlegard is forbidden to her. Instead she uses the
Anvril’s ancient heraldic symbol of a red hawk attacking with talons
outstretched on a field of white. The wielder of the crystal dagger, Kath
travels into the far north with a small band of companions, seeking to slay the
Mordant. After being tested in a trial by combat, Kath is hailed as the
Svala,
the war leader of the Painted People.

KATH’S
COMPANIONS

DUNCAN TRELOCH -
a master
archer with ties to the Deep Green and Navarre

SIR BLAINE -
a knight of the
Octagon who wields a blue steel great sword named
Stonecutter
by the
Painted People

SIR TYRONE-
a veteran knight
of the Octagon with skin the color of ebony, often referred to as the ‘black
knight’, a hero slain at the battle of Cragnoth Keep

ZITH -
a master monk of the
Kiralynn Order, father of Bryce, loses his left forearm to the gorehounds

DANYA -
a young woman who
sought sanctuary in the Kiralynn Monastery with her mountain wolf,
BRYX,
she
is called a ‘Beastmaster’ by the monks and a ‘Beastspeaker’ by the Painted
People. She is locked in a healing coma after expending her magic to help take
the Dark Citadel. 

ARMY OF THE
OCTAGON KNIGHTS

SIR OSBOURNE
,
The Knight
Marshal
of the Octagon, right hand of the King, a one-eyed man with a
scar-crossed face, he wields a saber as his weapon of first choice, but then
takes up Sir Tyrone’s great sword from the signal tower of Cragnoth Keep.

SIR LOTHAR
, knight-captain
of the Salt Tower, wields a battleaxe, close friend to the knight marshal

SIR ABRAX
, knight of the
maroon, champion of the sword, guard to King Ursus, he wields a blue steel
sword named
Protector,
slain

SIR RANNOCK
, knight of the
maroon, champion of the morning star

SIR BLAZE
, knight of the
maroon, champion of the mace

SIR BORIS
, knight-captain of
Holdfast Keep, slain

SIR VARLIN
, knight-captain
of Dymntower

SIR KRISMIR,
knight-captain
of Shieldhold

SIR KILGAR,
knight-captain
of Cragnoth Keep, wounded

SIR DALT
, knight-captain of Ice Tower, slain

SIR GRAVIS
, knight-captain
of Sword Keep

SIR ODIS
, knight of the
maroon, champion of the lance, slain

SIR ADLEMAR
, knight of the
maroon, champion of the claymore, wields a blue steel claymore named
Stalwart

SIR TRASK
, knight of the
maroon, champion of the battleaxe, assigned to Cragnoth Keep as a punishment
posting, slain at the battle of Cragnoth Keep

SIR TYRONE
, knight of the
maroon with skin the color of ebony, often referred to as the ‘black knight’, a
companion to Princess Katherine, he was slain at the battle of Cragnoth Keep

SIR RAYMOND
, branded as an
unmade-knight of the Octagon, exiled from the Domain of Castlegard on penalty
of death, sworn to serve the Mordant, slain

SIR BROCK,
wounded knight

SIR KEIFER,
wounded knight

SIR ZAKERY,
maroon knight

SIR TRADON,
maroon knight

SIR MALVOY
, a fresh-sworn
knight of the maroon

SIR DEVLAN,
a fresh-sworn
knight of the maroon, died of battle wounds

SIR SPARLIN,
maroon knight
died of battle wounds

SIR CORBIN,
a slain knight
of the maroon

SIR TANCIL,
a slain knight
of the maroon

SIR MARIN
, a knight of the
maroon

SIR AMBROSE
, a knight of the
maroon

SIR WINTON,
a knight of the
maroon

SIR VARDINE
, a knight of the
maroon

SIR MELLOT,
a knight of the
maroon

SIR TOWLIN,
a slain knight
of the maroon

HADRIAN
, master archer of
the maroon, slain at Raven Pass

BENFORD,
master archer of
the maroon

BALDWIN
, senior squire of
the maroon, squire to King Ursus

MARTYN,
squire to the knight
marshal

TARGIN,
a scout of the
maroon

BARTLET,
a scout of the
maroon

BRANNOCK,
master scout of
the maroon

JAMES
, squire to Sir Lothar

ORRIN SUREHAMMER,
legendary
Master Swordsmith of the maroon, first forger of blue steel blades, some
believe he forged magical abilities into his blue steel blades making them
destine for the hands of heroes

OTTO
, the current Master
Swordsmith of Castlegard’s forge, responsible for the forging of all blue steel
weapons

QUINTUS
, the master healer
of Castlegard

ELISE
, scullery maid turned
assistant to healer Quintus

THE KIRALYNN MONKS

Founded over two thousand years
ago by a group of scholars, knights, and wizards, the Kiralynn Order has always
presented an enigmatic face to the world, a face that is open yet closed. One
hundred years before the start of the War of Wizards the monks withdrew from
the southern kingdoms, retreating to their monastery hidden deep in the
Southern Mountains. As if erased from the minds of men, the monastery’s
location disappeared from the maps of Erdhe. The memory of the Kiralynn monks
has slowly faded, becoming little more than legend and myth. Yet select rulers
of the southern kingdoms still receive scrolls sealed with the symbol of the
Order. History has proven that these scrolls contain an uncanny prescience.
Kings ignore the advice of the Order at their own peril.

The symbol of the Kiralynn monks
is a Seeing Eye in the palm of an Open Hand. Their seat of power is their
mountain monastery. The motto of the Order is “Seek Knowledge, Protect
Knowledge, Share Knowledge”.

THE GRAND MASTER
, the leader of the Kiralynn Order,
his/her identity is a closely guarded secret

-monks and initiates of the Order:

MASTER RIZEL
, a Master of
the Order

MASTER GARTH
, a Master
Healer of the Order

BRYCE
, an initiate of the
Order, he studied to take his vows to become a monk and a healer but was
subsumed by the Mordant’s Awakening, becoming a prisoner in his own mind

MASTER AEROTH
, an ambassador
monk sent to the kingdoms of Erdhe

MASTER ZITH
, a Master of the
Order, accompanies Kath as one of her companions, he is the father of Bryce, he
lost his left forearm in the battle with the gorehounds

RAFE,
a sworn monk of the
Order, he has worn the blue for five years, sent with Princess Jordan of Navarre

MASTER YARL,
a master of the
Order, an expert with a quarterstaff, sent with Princess Jordan of Navarre

MISTRESS ELLIS,
a master of
the Order

MISTRESS LENORE,
a master of
the Order

MASTER ADELBART
, master of
calligraphy, teaches acolytes in the scriptorium

MASTER TOLK
, the Chronicler
of the Order, a venerable elder

MASTER CARLISLE
, half-blind
master, a venerable elder

MASTER FELIX
, a member of
the seclusionists

MASTER NORMATH
, a member of
the seclusionists

MASTER GRIMSHAW
, scholar of
ancient prophecies, friend to Master Rizel

MISTRESS LURINDA
, scholar of
lore

MASTER RUGAR
, scholar

MASTER VERNIUS
, the
loremaster for the Order, a venerable elder

MASTER JULIAN
, dead master
to Vernius

MASTER AMBROSE
, friend to
Master Rizel

MASTER CALEB
, decodes
messages from the mews

MASTER ALTHAR
, friend of
Master Caleb

MASTER
FINTAN,
an emissary from the Kiralynn Monks sent to the Rose Court,
mysteriously murdered in the queen’s castle

MASTER NUMAR,
a master of
the Order serving as a hidden Wanderer in Pellanor, a skilled herbalist posing
as an apothecary, he owns the White Unicorn apothecary shop

SIMON
, a hidden monk serving
Master Numar in Pellanor

GIDEON
, a hidden monk
serving Master Numar in Pellanor

GILBERT,
a monk of the Order
serving as a hidden Wanderer in Pellanor

ASTER
, a monk of the Order
serving as a hidden Wanderer in Pellanor

NIMERIA HARPSINGER
, sixteen
years old, golden-robed acolyte studying under Master Adelbart in the
scriptorium, longs to be an Illuminator

ALRIC,
a golden-robed
acolyte serving in the mews

THE ZWARD

The Zward are sons and daughters of Kiralynn monks who
choose to serve by the sword instead of the scroll. An ancient and secret
order, they serve the will of the Grand Master. Their symbol is a small silver
ring emblazoned with a fist holding an upright sword.

THADDEUS TOKHEART,
also
known as Thad, a captain of the Zward

DONAL,
a sworn member of the
Zward

BENJIN,
a sworn member of
the Zward

MARCUS,
a sworn member of
the Zward