The Knight Marshal (The Silk & Steel Saga) (40 page)

THE ORACLE PRIESTESS

Hidden in depths of the Great
Southern Swamps, the Isle of the Oracle is an ancient wellspring of Darkness, a
place of power where the Dark Lord reaches through the Veil to touch his
dedicates. The Isle is currently ruled by a Priestess endowed with special
gifts from the Dark Lord. At times of great prophecy, the Dark Lord releases
his priest or priestess into the kingdoms of Erdhe to work his will.

THE PRIESTESS,
the ruler
of the Isle of the Oracle, the priestess to the sacred well, wielder of the Eye
of the Oracle. She rarely uses her true name, but often goes by the name of
Lady Cereus, a name given to her by Prince Razzur. Beyond the Oracle Isle, she
takes the phases of the moon as her symbol, gold on a field of purple. After
the collapse of the Flame religion, she claims the southwest corner of Coronth
for her queendom, establishing a capital in the ancient city of Rhune. She assumes the name of Queen Selene, the Lady of the Moon. Silverspire is her
castle.

-her servants and soldiers:

GENERAL
TARMIN,
a major of the Flame Army, sworn to the service of the Priestess
and promoted to the general of her army,  he commands her forces in Rhune, a
lover to the Priestess

LORD STEFFAN,
formerly the Lord Raven of Coronth, goes by the title of the Lord of
Darkmoor, a dedicate to the Dark Lord, lover to the Priestess

BRAXUS,
a
captain serving the Priestess, a lover to the Priestess

HUGO,
captain of the guards,
a lover to the Priestess

LYDIA
,
dark-haired
handmaiden to the Priestess

TARA,
blonde-haired
handmaiden to the Priestess

MARIO,
a minstrel serving
the Priestess

SAMUEL,
a stable hand
serving in Silverspire

BISHOP TILDEN,
a fugitive,
formerly a bishop of the Flame in the fourth brigade of the Flame Army

HINTON,
a scullery lad in
Silverspire

GILL,
a pot boy in
Silverspire

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

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

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, he died in a public Test of Faith,
his ill-timed death spewed a ripple of chaos through all of Coronth

-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
, Counselor to the Pontifax, the leader of the Army of the Flame, his
personal symbol is a black raven on a blood-red field, fleeing from his defeat
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 desert-born conquerors, he
is the leader of House Razzur, his personal symbol is a black scorpion on 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 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

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

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, posing as
an apothecary

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

Other books by Karen L
Azinger

The Assassin’s Tear-
Explore the medieval kingdoms of
Erdhe, raid the tomb of the first emperor of China, and unravel the enigma of
Dark Space in this collection of fantasy and science fiction tales from the
author of
The Silk & Steel Saga.
The two signature stories,
Prophecy’s
Twist
and
The Assassin’s Tear,
are set in the fantasy realm of Erdhe
and are a prequel to
The Silk & Steel Saga
.
Prophecy’s Twist
discovers the dark deceit that started the War of Wizards, forever changing the
kingdoms of Erdhe.
The Assassin’s Tear
follows the exploits of a petty
thief whose ambition leads him to unravel the dark secret of the Mordant’s
Citadel.
The Emperor’s Shadow
is an international thriller in the style
of Indiana Jones, combining the power of superstition with
archaeology
in a
desperate attempt to end World War Three.
A Man’s World
is a
post-apocalyptic adventure set in Australia where coal miners discover all the
rules have changed.
Pieces of the Truth
is a time travel story where a
young physicist discovers a forgotten truth. In
Snakes and Ladders,
Lynn
Gallant sets out to shatter the glass ceiling by taking a walk to the dark side
of New Orleans. In
The God Planet,
universal dreams spark a religious
frenzy, summoning humanoid kind to the riddle of Dark Space.

ACKNOWEDGEMENTS

My dream of an epic fantasy
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 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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KAREN L. AZINGER
has always loved fantasy fiction, and always hoped that
someday she could give back to the genre a little of the joy that reading has
always given her. Ten years ago on a hike in the Columbia River Gorge she
realized she had enough original ideas to finally write an epic fantasy. She
started writing and never stopped.
The Steel Queen
was her first book,
born from that hike in the gorge. Before writing, Karen spent over twenty years
as an international business strategist, eventually becoming a vice-president
for one of the world's largest natural resource companies. She's worked on
developing the first gem-quality diamond mine in Canada's arctic, on coal seam
gas power projects in Australia, and on petroleum projects around the world.
Having lived in Australia for eight years she considers it to be her second
home. She's also lived in Canada and spent a lot of time in the Canadian
arctic. She lives with her husband in Portland Oregon, in a house perched on
the edge of the forest. She is hard at work on the sixth and final book of
The Silk & Steel Saga, The Battle Immortal,
estimated to be published
by October 2014 . You can learn more at her website,
www.karenlazinger.com
or at her Facebook page for The Steel Queen.