Liturgy of Blood, by Charles Matthias

Story name: Liturgy of Blood
Author: Charles Matthias
Publication date: October 15, 1999 - December 4, 1999 (on TSA-Talk)

Date: October 12-30, 706 CR
Location: Metamor Keep, Metamor Valley, Ellcaran, Bozojo, Ava-shavåis

Overview

Patriarch Akabaieth, with an entourage of priests and soldiers, visits Metamor Keep.

+ Story info - Spoilers!

Summary

Due to the length of the story, the summary has been split into 3 separate pages, each with their own notes on individual chapters and events.

• Liturgy of Blood, chapters 1–7
• Liturgy of Blood, chapters 8–14
• Liturgy of Blood, chapters 15–epilogue

What follows is an abridged summary of the entire story.

Abridged Summary

One October day, the population of Metamor Keep is surprised to hear that the Patriarch, leader of the Ecclesian faith, is visiting today and for the next couple days. Despite apprehensions by the Keep's Lothanasi, Patriarch Akabaieth turns out to be a friendly and humble old man who desires only peace and unity between Followers and Lothanasi throughout the world.

Among those excited to see him is Charles Matthias, who catches the eye of Kashin, one of Akabaieth's four loyal Yeshuel, bodyguards with special powers to protect the Patriarch. Kashin demonstrates these powers when he privately identifies Charles as a Sondecki, and defeats him in a friendly sparring contest. After demonstrating his respect and admiration for the Sondecki, Charles comes to see him as a friend.

Among Akabaieth's retinue are two knights, Sir Albert Bryonoth and Sir Yacoub Egland, who become friends with Metamor knights Sir Andre Maugnard and Sir Erick Saulius, and spend the next few days enjoying each others' company, including a ride in the country, and a violin solo by Sir Egland in the Deaf Mule, soon joined the Keep's resident minstrel Dream Serpent for an improvised duet.

Also among Akabaieth's loyal attendants is a middle-aged priest named Vinsah, who is dismayed and horrified by Akabaieth's interest in magic and the Lothanasi, particularly after his visits with Murikeer the skunk mage, and with Raven the Lothanasi priestess. On the second night, Vinsah is visited by a strange woman in his dreams, who tells him that his future is to remain at Metamor Keep, and that death awaits him if he leaves.

Though Akabaieth's visit is pleasant for most at the Keep, something sinister lurks in the forest, unseen but felt by those who wander too close. Among these witnesses is Wessex, who believes that it is Zagrosek, watching him for some sinister purpose. Believing Zagrosek is after him, he takes leaves infected by Zagrosek's magic from the forest and performs an augury on them, though it is not until Akabaieth and his entourage have left that Wessex learns the horrible truth. Zagrosek is here to attack not Wessex, but Akabaieth.

The night of Akabaieith's departure is a stormy one. Vinsah is ultimately too afraid of the Keep's magic to stay, and leaves with Akabaieth. As most of the camp sleeps, Kashin and fellow Yeshuel Iosef meet Zagrosek in the forest, who performs a powerful spell that kills Iosef and takes off Kashin's arm, causing him to pass out. Vinsah is again visited in his dreams by the woman, who tells him to stick a metal dinner plate beneath his robes. Soon after he's done so, Zagrosek enters and crushes the chests of all his fellow priests — Vinsah alone survives but passes out from the pain.

The camp is on full alert, but Zagrosek is too strong. Most who attack him are killed. When all is calm, he enters Akabaieth's carriage, but finds it empty. He calls on his partner Agathe to help him track the fleeing Patriarch, and stabs him with a Sathmore dagger. They find one survivor, Sir Bryonoth, but something about him intrigues Zagrosek, and he instead decides to kidnap him. The three escape into a dark dream-like realm, where no one can follow them.

Wessex managed to alert the Duke and attempt a telepathy spell, but Agathe caught him and trapped him before he could warn the scouts. The scouts, which include Charles and Murikeer, are instead alerted by Gornul, who leads the other dragons overhead. They race to the camp, and arrive just after the massacre, as Kashin is searching the camp for survivors. Besides him and Vinsah, only Sir Egland survived, his legs crushed. The largest dragon flies the three of them and Charles back to Metamor.

The situation is grim. All magical investigation of the camp reveals no leads. Raven and Thomas, among others, worry about the political and religious fallout of the murder. Kashin carries the Sathmore dagger that killed Akabaieth, but insists on keeping it. As the only of the Patriarch's Yeshuel to survive, he has been dishonored, and his only way to regain his honor is to find and kill the murderer. The next day, he leaves the Keep for Ellcaran; Vinsah and Egland are too injured to join him.

In a week's time, Vinsah wakes up to find his face has the markings of a raccoon, and his body has been dramatically de-aged. He asks Coe not to tell anyone he has awoken, until he is ready. Egland, meanwhile, is turning into an deer, and his only comfort are his two friends and his horses which also survived. At Ellcaran, Kashin is visited by an Åelf, who was sent by his master to find him. He tells him there is more to his quest than a single murderer, and to visit him in Bozojo if he wishes to learn more.

Among the wishes Akabaieth expressed in his visit was his desire to be given a naval officer's burial at sea for Whales, as was his childhood dream. Phil grants him this final wish in the epilogue, buried and enrolled under his old name of Apadares.

Characters

Main characters:

• Akabaieth: The Patriarch of the Ecclesia and Pontiff of the Followers of the Way, or simply the Patriarch. He arrives at Metamor after a seemingly secret journey and spends 3 days there. The day after he leaves, he is killed by Zagrosek, who somehow knew of his journey and plotted his death.
  • He was nearly 90 years old, born circa 618 CR. His hair was white, with a bald spot. He had pale gray-blue eyes and a friendly wrinkled face.
  • He was born in Whales. His lifelong dream was to become a captain of the Whalish navy.
    • As a young boy, his elder kinsman (perhaps a friend in Whales, or possibly a family member) would play pranks on him. One time, he tried to escape by hiding in an old log. A skunk had been living inside, and sprayed Akabaieth. Akabaieth would tell later this story during his time as a mediator, as an example of respecting others' space.
    • When he was a boy, his family moved to Breckaris. He spent most of the voyage locked below deck on his father's orders to study treaties, though he instead taught himself how to master basic knots and sailing calls and techniques. He would never see Whales again after this voyage.
      • He was as deeply agnostic as a boy as his father.
    • When he came of Academy age, he filled out an application and forged his father's signature. His father found it and made him burn it.
    • When his father told him about the diplomatic position he had arranged for him, Apadares took up the Ecclesian faith to spite his father. His father, infuriated, threw him out of the house. Apadares became a priest soon after, changing his name to Akabaieth.
    • For a long time since, he channeled his hatred of his father into his work, becoming bellicose, hateful, and persecutory. He encouraged several Pyralian cities to forceably convert Sathmoran cities and kill those who refused.
    • According to Vinsah's dream, around 681 CR, Akabaieth and Breckaris forces invaded Sathmore to convert or kill them. It was here, after killing a child before her family, that he realized what he'd become and was filled with remorse.
    • In 688 CR, Akabaieth was elevated to be Patriarch. He has since worked to repair the damage his past self created, and hopes that Vinsah will continue his legacy.
  • Several months ago, he made plans to spread a message of peace to the Midlands, Sathmore, and Pyralis. He began his journey by crossing the Midlands straight to Metamor, so that no one could stop his journey. He travelled in the wildnerness, bringing a large force with him to deter bandits, while only sending a small group out to not raise attention.
    • He stayed in private rooms from Thalberg.
    • He planned after Metamor to spend the next few months visiting every parish of the Midlands, as well as a few Lothanasi, to tell them about his vision for peace between the faiths.
  • On his entry to Metamor, he wore white robes and a dalmatic speckled with gold. Notably, he did not wear a hat.
  • There were some hints that he has some innate magic ability:
    • He feels a "groaning" of the world, as if a premonition of things to come. However, this could be a subconscious observation of his homeland's unease.
  • Though he adhered to his public persona as Pontiff, he was a deeply troubled soul who did not feel deserving of the role. He asked the royal court not to use titles amongst him.
    • He believed that most prominent people do not care for titles, and those that do, love their titles more than their duties. He also explains this is due to his age and experience, and that he has come to value a genuine smile over ceremonial respect.
• Vinsah: Bishop of Abaef, a good friend to Akabaeith and one of the few he trusts completely. Akabaieth saw him as his most likely successor to the Patriarchy, despite his fear of magic. On the night of October 13th, he had a dream to accept magic and remain at Metamor, all while a strange woman addressed him as Elvmere. Though pressured to accept, Vinsah ultimately chooses to leave with Akabaieth. The woman visits him again in dream on the night of October 15th, giving him a warning that saves his life. His ribs are crushed, and he spends 2 weeks unconscious at the Keep, finding himself changing into a much younger raccoon morph. He asks Coe not to tell anyone he is awake, until he is ready.
  • He is about 50 years old (born circa 655 CR).
    • He was born and raised in the hills of Yesulam.
    • When he was 25 years old, he became the priest of a small parish just outside Abaef.
  • Aside from his age, Vinsah has no physical description from before his change.
    • One of his lungs was punctured in the attack, resulting in much blood loss. His survival was uncertain. Though he woke up a week later, Vinsah asked that Coe not reveal his recovery.
    • He is last seen in the first stages of his change. He has a mostly human face, aged down to about 25, but with a raccoon's black fur around his slightly green eyes.
  • He puts Akabaieth's wishes first, Akabaieth's safety second, and his own desires to avoid Lothanasi and magic third.
    • He shows constant concern for Akabaieth's well-being. He has a habit of correcting people who address the Patriarch as anything but "Eminence".
    • He has a natural distrust of all magic, and blames it for the Curse.
    • Vinsah feels a strange calling to the Lothanasi stories. Akabaieth seemed confident that one day, he would accept all peoples of all faiths, even Lothanasi, as his own.
• Charles Matthias: A rat morph, former Headmaster of the Writer's Guild, a Long Scout-in-training, and secretly a Sondeckis of the black. As an Ecclesian, he is excited to see the Patriarch enter. While practicing his taur form, he receives a surprise visit from Kashin, who can see he is a Sondeckis and wanted a private meeting. Charles shows him around the Keep and has a physical bout with him; both are impressed by the other's skills. He also has an intimate evening with Kimberly and makes friends with Dream Serpent. He is assigned a patrol to the south for the night of October 15th, and thus is one of the first to hear the Patriarch is in danger. Though too late to help, he rides back with the survivors to inform the Keep.
  • • He is initially assigned to patrol north of the Keep on the 3rd day of Akabaieth's visit; his assignment is apparently changed in response to reports of activity in the south forest.
  • As a rat morph, his far-distance vision is weaker than a human's.
    • In taur form, his lower half is as long as his chest. When lying down, he is the same height as his morph form, at 4 feet. When standing, he is over 5 feet tall. Compared to his morph form, he has broader shoulders, more muscle, longer claws and thicker toes in his paws, with forepaws like hands.
    • His original human self stood at over 5 feet tall. Today, he can barely imagine his human self. He had never had a portrait of himself done.
  • He wears tan trousers when he meets the Patriarch and spends the evening with Kimberly. At the Deaf Mule, he wears his Long uniform, a light green brocade with the neck turned down on his tunic.
    • In his own bed, he sleeps in the nude.
  • His Calm when using the Sondecki in morph form consists of white sandy dunes in the deserts near Sondeshara on a cloudless night.
    • He is still trying to find his Calm in taur form, but for the moment consists of the campsite to a glacier in the Metamor mountains, surrounded by loam and large boulders.
  • He has a noticeably roundabout way of speaking, and he says he prefers using words to their fullest, to curb those who might understand him.
  • His name is somewhat well-known in Yesulam as a writer.
    • Among the stories he's written was a story of a father and his rebellious son. It was written for a friend.
  • It had been barely a year after the Battle of Three Gates that Charles fled to Metamor to escape the Sondeckis. He presented himself as a homeless storyteller. He was one of the first rats at Metamor Keep.
    • It took only a few months after his change to dream of himself as a rat instead of a human.
    • Charles says that, up until 706 CR, he has led a secluded existence at the Keep, aside from the Writer's Guild, to explain why he hasn't met Dream Serpent before. He also doesn't know Finbar well.
      • His seclusion seems to be exaggerated, though, given his regular visits to the rats, the Gnawers, the shopkeepers, and the Deaf Mule.
• Kashin: A Yeshuel. He notices Charles is a Sondeckis early on, and makes a point to visit him on the second day. He wins a duel against Charles's Sondecki, and earns his trust and respect. On the night of October 15th, he is the first to confront Zagrosek. Caught off-guard by Zagrosek's spell, he loses his arm and passes out. He awakens to find most of the camp dead, including the other Yeshuel and the Patriarch. Feeling dishonored, he vows revenge on the assassin and leaves Metamor Keep the next day. In Ellcaran, he meets Andares and is told there is a greater conspiracy involved, and to meet him in Bozojo if he wants to learn more.
  • He appears to be in his 30s. He stands a bit taller than Charles's taur form. He has a chiselled majestic face and large hands. He speaks with a strange accent and odd lisp. A lock of gray hair perpetually dangles from his forehead.
    • Zagrosek took off his left arm just above the elbow. The wound is fully cauterized by the time he regains consciousness. A week later, he still feels a burning sensation there.
    • By story's end, he only wears one outfit, a completely black unadorned tunic and breeches, which he bought on entering Ellcaran.
  • He has only known Akabaieth during his time as a Patriarch, but aside from his lifelong duty to protect the Patriarch, he sees Akabaieth a hope for something greater.
  • He is always seen wearing his Yeshuel uniform: a woolen green tunic with a white crucifix.
    • After Akabaieth's death, he tears off his sewn-on white crucifix. Once he buys his black outfit, he refuses to wear his old uniform.
  • He is very skilled in physical combat, and proves more than an equal match to Charles's Sondeckis.
  • He seems to have a mischievous personality; he sneaks up on Finbar early on, and is first to mention the reproductive cycle of amphibians at a formal dinner. He shows curiosity in Charles's and Garigan's training room, but politely yields when it is forbidden from him.
    • He blames himself completely for failing to do his duty and protect Akabaieth, refusing to believe there was nothing he could do. He keeps everyone away from him with menacing looks and stories about his failure. He commits himself to avenging Akabaieth against the murderer, until Andares hints at a conspiracy of several against Akabaieth.

Supporting characters:

• Murikeer: A teenage skunk morph, a journeyman mage. He spent years in the north, and only recently returned to Metamor. He fears humans, especially Ecclesians, and initially refuses to meet the Patriarch. The Patriarch finds him in the library and has a pleasantly open discussion of magic with him. Realizing how special the Patriarch is, Murikeer joins a patrol to the south on the night he leaves. He is thus one of the first to hear the Patriarch and his men are in danger, but he is too late to aid them. He helps magically investigate the scene, but not even the nature spirits can tell what happened. He later attends the Patriarch's funeral in Whales so that he can show Metamor the funeral via illusion.
  • Having lived in the wild for years, he prefers not wearing clothes when alone. At Llyn's insistence, he wears a pair of brown leggings in the library.
  • He planned to stay in the far alcove of the Keep library, reading histories of magic in Metamor Keep and the northern kingdoms. He is found at a table piled with books.
  • Before his change, he felt more comfortable around Lothanasi priests.
  • He does not recognize Arla; he does recognize Allart. It takes him a moment to recognize Charles, as they haven't spoken much.
• Thomas: A horse morph, the Duke of Metamor Keep. He is nervous about the Patriarch's arrival, but finds in him a kindred spirit, uncomfortable by the chains of power. He is distraught both by Akabaieth's death, and by Wessex's and Phil's hiding of information from him; he learns more fully of Wessex's concerns for Charles, and the likely motivations behind Zagrosek's actions.
  • He has a bright blue brocade surcoat that he only wears for formal occasions. Frills hang from every loose end. Thomas feels uncomfortable and ostentatious while wearing it; Malisa suggests he tailor a new coat.
    • He also wears gold anklets with a figure in the front, most likely his ducal crest of a stallion.
  • His favorite drink is apple cider.
  • Thomas values nobles who demonstrate nobility, i.e. honor. Among his view of honor is the ability to acknowledge one's servants.
  • What he learns here (after his last intelligence from Busy Schedule and Diplomacy):
    • Charles and Zagrosek were best friends in the same clan, Sondeckis. Zagrosek used to be good, but turned to evil.
    • Zagrosek's partner is a Runecaster, a Southern clan normally unrelated to the Sondeckis. She likely taught Zagrosek and Loriod the runes he needed for his schemes.
    • Among other things, Zagrosek is trying to make Wessex re-open the room with the censer (in addition to trying to manipulate Loriod to take over Metamor Keep, and killing the Patriarch). His superiors' ultimate goal is likely to cause chaos and unrest through Metamor and its few allies, destablizing it, possibly to allow Nasoj to invade. This does not necessarily make them allies with Nasoj.
• Phil: A rabbit morph, Protector of Lorland and Crown Prince of Whales. Finding a kindred spirit in Akabaieth, Phil promises a Whalesian ship for Akabaieth to visit, and a few ways to expedite his journey. On the third day, he decides to grant Akabaieth his wish to be buried at sea in the same way as a Whales officer.
  • He seems to be in his early 40s; he notes that Akabaieth is well over 40 years older. He has a high-pitched voice, due to his size.
  • Though he is still a Headmaster of the Writer's Guild, he is only able to devote 1 to 2 hours a day to it, since he was raised to Protector of Lorland. Thomas wonders how long until he quits.
    • Thomas was the one who had insisted Phil join as a headmaster.
  • Though Phil and Thomas are very close friends (see Keeping the Lamp Lit), he is quick to agree with his friend Wessex not to tell Thomas about Zagrosek's presence in the woods, lest Thomas send unprepared guards out to their deaths. Despite this, there are guards who enter the woods 2 days later and emerge unharmed, yet Phil still does not inform Thomas. If Phil did believe that Wessex was the target, he also took no steps to ensure Wessex's safety. Perhaps the best explanation was that his rabbit instincts took over, and he said nothing out of terror.
  • He is very agnostic, open to the possibility of gods but prefers assuming only what is known. He calls the Ecclesian theory on the Underworld's creation "superstition".
• Wessex: A child morph, a mage, haunted by nightmares of Zagrosek. He takes leaves from the forests south of Metamor, sensing that Zagrosek was nearby. He discovers, after Akabaieth has left, that Zagrosek intends to kill him. He warns Thomas and Phil, and tries to warn Akabaieth and his men, but is stopped by Agathe.
  • His default age is 10 years old.
  • He has a narrow magic staff, with runes inscribed in its surface, that he uses for spells — here, for augury.
  • He is not a religious person, and views both the notion of gods creating worlds, and the worship of gods who demand service, ridiculous. He doesn't distinguish between the Lothanasi or Follower faiths. He dislikes entering religious debates with Hough.
  • He knows of Murikeer and his power by reputation.
• Sir Yacoub Egland: A knight of Yesulam. He spends most of his time at Metamor with his friend Albert, and with the Metamor knights Saulius and Andre. He is one of four to survive the slaughter, though with broken legs. Too injured to leave Metamor, he becomes a deer morph.
  • As a human, he has light brown hair. He is slender.
    • His legs are broken in the fight; he is stuck on wooden crutches for the next few weeks.
    • In his early stages of the change, his nails are darkening. There are sore spots on the sides of his head where antlers will grow.
  • He is the son of a minor Pyralian noble; Dream speculates the 3rd or 4th son, who became a knight for his family's honor. He is about the same age as Albert, barely 20, and is a good friend of Albert. Unlike most Pyralian nobles, he feels more comfortable in the wilderness atop a horse than in a city.
    • He had regularly seen snow in the Pyralian highlands, and rarely seen snow elsewhere. His family would celebrate when they received snow.
  • He plays the viola, and is almost talented enough to be a minstrel. Though he waits until the last day to perform, he enjoys the attention and the chance to perform a duet.
    • His viola is found damaged after the massacre. Even if it is repaired, it is not known if Egland will be able to play it.
  • He is heavily implied to be sexually attracted to men, and somewhat ashamed of it — in particular, towards tough, hairy, strong men.
  • He is a devout Ecclesian, and sees his religion at least as important as his knightly duties.
  • His horse's name is Galadan.
• Krenek Zagrosek: A black Sondeckis, Wessex's enemy. He first appears briefly in chapter 1 as a dark cloaked figure, unnoticed by either the Long Scouts, or by Kashin. Wessex notices his presence in chapter 6, and several other people feel uneasy in the woods. He finally appears in chapter 17, where he kills all but 4 of the Patriarch's men, including the Patriarch himself with a Sathmore dagger. He and Agathe then kidnap Albert for some unknown purpose.
  • • The earth spirits surrounding Metamor have promised not to let him return to Metamor.
  • He has black hair and hairy arms. He wears thick black garments. He carries a sword and a jeweled ceremonial dagger.
    • The sword splits in two in the battle, but Zagrosek continues to use it to the end.
    • The jeweled dagger is left behind with the Patriarch; Kashin takes it, and vows to kill the assassin with it. It has finely carved jewels in its hilt.
    • He receives a broken rib and sprained legs in the slaughter, though Agathe's runes can temporarily heal them.
  • Wessex believes he must know a lot about Metamor's curse to be able to induce it on Macaban, but is unconnected to Nasoj, instead aligned with southern enemies.
  • He justifies his murders by saying that Akabaieth and his men interfere with his and his allies' greater plans.
• Misha: A fox morph, head of the Long Scouts. He puts his Long Scouts on patrol during Akabaieth's visit for his safety. After Akabaieth's massacre, he personally visits the campsite to determine himself what happened; he is frustrated to learn no more than Murikeer.
  • • When asked if he manages the Long House, Misha says he thinks of himself as its tenant until its true master returns.
  • He has gray eyes.
• Sir Andre Maugnard: A wolverine morph, a knight of Metamor. He befriends Albert and Egland, and spends the next few days with them. After Egland is trapped at the Keep, he promises to remain friends.
  • He has human-like hands, though with claws half as long as his fingers, and thick pads that are still thinner than an animal's.
  • He dislikes crowds.
  • His heraldic crest is of a dragon standing before a series of low mountains.
  • He was born in the Outer Midlands.
    • He has spent the last 10 years (since ~696 CR) as a knight in Metamor.
• Sir Albert Bryonoth: A knight of Yesulam, originally from the Flatlands. A lover of horses, he daydreams on arrival about breaking the Duke into his herd. He befriends Andre and Saulius, and with Egland spends the next few days with them. He survives the slaughter, but is kidnapped by Zagrosek and Agathe, who had read his mind and were amused by it.
  • He is barely 20 years old.
  • He agrees with Saulius that duty and honor are more important than religion. He dislikes crowds.
  • He was born as Algor of the Bryonoth clan. His early years were spent in the north plains of the western Flatlands. Like most Flatlander children, he was raised in the saddle, riding a pony as soon as he was able, and later one of his father's chargers.
    • He had a younger brother, born 1 or 2 years after him. His brother died at age 3.
    • When he was young, his family settled in Beleth after his father's injury.
    • Early on, Algor became fascinated by cities and boats. He grew up hearing stories of the knights of Pyralis. By the time he was 8 years old, he'd decided to become a knight of Pyralis.
    • When he was 15, his father allowed him to become a Pyralian knight, bringing with him his choice of one of his horses. Algor sailed south down the Athasca River and across the sea to Yesulam. It is not stated why specifically he joined the Yesulam knights.
  • He rides one of his father's roan chargers named Povunoth. Povunoth had been barely a year old when he left Beleth, but was already the strongest and fastest of its herd. Povunoth is 16 hands tall, not very large; but he has a spirited self-assuredness. Albert always brushes Povunoth every evening to relax his horse's muscles.
• Raven: A wolf morph, the Lothanasa high priestess of Metamor Keep. Also "daughter of Elric". She meets Akabaieth on October 13th; he shares his dream of peace with her, while she shares the Starchild Prophecy with him, and both share concern for corruption in their churches. After Akabaieth's death, she immediately learns all she can, and consults with Angernil, before giving her report to the Lothanasi High Council.
  • • Specifically, she is advised to describe to the Council the man and his powers, but not mention the name of his clan. She can describe his seal, because although he wasn't wearing it tonight, he wore it on occasions Wessex saw him.
    • She writes a private letter to Lycias to inform him of the news before the Council learns.
  • She is average-sized. She has blue eyes.
  • She has been a priest since the Battle of Three Gates.
  • Though she publicly affirms unity of the faiths with the Patriarch's death, in private she believes the opposite, that the faiths will now be more deeply divided than ever (though in particular outside Metamor).
  • Currently, the only people she knows who know of the Sondeckis are Thomas, Phil, Wessex, and Charles; likely to know are Malisa, Zhypar, and Rickkter. (Note that she doesn't include Misha or Oren.)
• Finbar: A ferret morph, a Long Scout. He is the first to see the Patriarch's carriage, and is surprised when Kashin sneaks up on him. He patrols the south woods with Charles in the early morning of October 14th, and in the late evening with Charles, Llyn, and Murikeer.
• Francis Hough: A child morph, the Keep's Ecclesian priest. He is one of Akabaieth's first visitors. They discuss the politics of Yesulam and its bishops, while he tells him about the Keep and shows him its cathedral.
  • His apparent age is somewhere between 10 and 12.
  • He fully believes the church doctrine on the Patriarch's legitimacy, and naively assumed the bishops of Yesulam were united behind him.
  • When meeting the Patriarch, he wears an ornate dalmatic over his usual alb. It is likely this dalmatic is the finest thing he owns.
• A mysterious woman in Vinsah's dreams. She calls him Elvmere and asks him to stay in Metamor, or else face death and darkness outside. She sings a song to him in an unknown language that comforts him, a song repeated during his third dream of her. In his second dream, she instructs him to protect himself with his dinner plate, an action that saves his life.
  • She is tall and slender. She has black shoulder-length hair, slightly glowing skin, and soft deep gray eyes. She wears a modest shining white gown.
  • She is implied to be the same as Mosha from Dream's dreams.
• Dream Serpent: A pine marten morph, a skilled minstrel who plays the flute. He is first seen playing at the feast for Akabaieth. He is told by Mosha to walk through the Keep wearing a mask. He also plays a duet with Egland.
  • During the night of October 13th, he wears a masquerade mask and a blue traveling cloak.
  • Among the songs he knows is a Pyralian hymn he has not played in years.
  • He has a carefree personality: he dances and sings to himself while wandering aimlessly down the halls.
• Sir Erick Saulius: A rat morph, a knight of Metamor. After years of madness in the cellars under the Keep, he seems to finally be at peace with being a rat. He and Andre befriend Albert and Egland and spend their time together. After Egland awakes, they promise to remain friends.
  • He is a Flatlander, from the south part of the Flatlands, south of the Sylvan Mountains.
  • He is neither Ecclesian nor a Lothanasi; he believes that duty and honor are more important than religion.
  • As demonstrated at the Summer joust, he is fast and skilled in sword and lance.
  • His heraldic colors are red and gold. His crest is of an arching rat holding a bundle of wheat.
  • His horse's name is Armivest.
  • It is implied that he hid in the dungeons out of shame of being vermin, rather than to protect himself.

Minor characters:

• Gornul: A blue dragonette. He is called on to lead the dragons to the Patriarch's camp; the heavy storm tires him quickly, but he manages to reach Charles's scouting party and warn them. He tells the dragons to land after he is carried to the Patriarch's camp, too late to help.
• Andares: Qan-af-årael's student, an Åelf. He was sent to find Kashin months ago, his fate and destiny having been foretold. On the way, he makes an ally in Benlan Rais at Bozojo. He meets Kashin in Ellcaran and tells him that there is more to the assassination that it seems, and to meet him in Bozojo to learn more.
  • He is tall and lithe, with angular cheeks, tight lips, a triangular jaw, and a smooth narrow chin. Hidden under his hood are features that mark him as an Åelf: angular golden eyes like a hawk, with lobes that form a point beneath his thick eyebrows; a straight slender hooked nose; long-tipped earlobes partially hidden under his hair. His hair, long and black and oddly seeming to glow, touches his cheeks and hides his eartips. He sometimes keeps it in a ponytail. He has long slender flexible fingers with pearl-grey skin. He speaks with a firm yet dulcet-like tone, though he rarely speaks to strangers. He wears gloves and a black tightly woven exotic-looking cloak. There is a sense of power and danger from him, not to be trifled with. He seems to glide as he walks.
• Angernil: The Lothanasa of the Dragons. He lives deep in the Dragon Mountains, within a day's flight to Metamor, and Raven has called on him before. He has little involvement with the Council, but Raven thinks he is incorruptible and trusts him.
  • He has reddish brown scales with brass tinted tips and a long serpentine head.
  • He has read everything that the Order has written, including Silvinia's prophecies, though it takes time to remember.
• Llyn: A mink morph, a Long Scout and Murikeer's lover. A devout Follower, she is excited by the Patriarch's arrival and attends his entry in the town square.
• Thalberg: An alligator morph, the Duke's chief steward. He rides the palanquin with Thomas and Akabaieth, and organizes the feast.
  • He is one of the oldest members in Thomas's court. He is older than Vinsah's 50+ years; only Akabaieth is older. He has yellow eyes.
  • When meeting the Patriarch, he wears a traditional crimson robe over several vests, each a deeper red than the one above, the deepest being a dark maroon.
  • He is Lothanasi.
  • He is always looking out for the safety of his guests. When Akabaieth acts uncharacteristically candid, he suspects his food was poison.
• Greylin: A swashbuckler. He drunkenly harasses Andares, who promptly knocks him out.
  • He wears bright garish clothes. He carries a long slender sword strapped to his buckler. He has a conceited personality and is a known trouble-maker.
• Michael: A plaid-colored beaver morph, a timberman. He and the other timberman repair and paint houses for the Patriarch's arrival.
• Lindsey: A male gendermorph, a timberman. He and the other timberman repair and paint houses for the Patriarch's arrival.
  • He has thick red hair on his chest. While whitewashing houses, he wears an undershirt without his plaid shirt.
• Larssen: A giraffe morph, one of Yonson's guards.
  • Due to his height, he is almost always bending over. Most halls and rooms in the Keep are too low.
• Lance: A moose morph, a timberman. He and the other timberman repair and paint houses for the Patriarch's arrival.
  • While whitewashing, he is not wearing a shirt.
  • He is a Lothanasi.
• Gregor: A capybara morph, the talented Keep baker. He appears in chapter 1 cleaning the bakery with Brennar, and in chapter 4 selling bread to Charles and Kimberly.
  • He has a slight paunch, and normally walks in a slow waddle.
  • He is a very devout Lothanasi, and normally wants nothing to do with Followers. He is happy to engage them in business, however, and addresses his Follower customers as such. Charles finds it charming, though Kimberly is initially uncomfortable.
• Brennar: A tabby cat morph, Gregor's apprentice. He is still learning to cook, but is making progress. He appears in chapters 1 and 4, first cleaning the bakery, then meeting Charles and Kimberly in the bakery.
  • He has green-flecked eyes.
  • He is friends with Charles Matthias.
  • He is happy to hear Kimberly enjoyed his last batch of raisin bread.
• Jessica: A hawk morph, Wessex's apprentice. On October 14th, before she attends Akabaieth's speech, Wessex promotes her to journeyman.
• Benlan Rais: The innkeeper of the Lake's Head Inn, and secretly a dealer in information. Andares asks him for information, and later gives Kashin information on contacting him.
  • He is a short and balding man in his early 30s.
  • As a young man, he lived in Kelewair working in expensive inns. From listening to its patrons there, he learned a great deal about the world before he moved to Bozojo.
    • His first master had big hounds that barked loudly when he approached. He was scared of feeding them.
• Akin: A recently hired serving boy at the Lake's Head Inn. Benlan tells him to water down the ale for Greylin, but Akin had already done so, so Benlan tells him to water it down again.
  • He has short blond hair. He also tends the horses. He is quick to please his master, and seems to be a fast, observant learner.
  • His father recently drowned near the Bozojo docks.
• Qan-af-årael: An elder Åelf of Ava-shavåis. He watches the stars on the night of October 15th, just before his prediction of the Patriarch's death and Kashin's wound is fulfilled.
• Kimberly: A rat morph, a kitchen servant, Charles's beloved. She helps prepare the feast for Akabaieth on the first night. She shares a couple romantic hours with Charles before the feast. At the feast, she is directly addressed by Akabaieth and offered some hot cider, astounding the rest of the court.
  • She has light tan fur.
  • She longs to attend another state dinner, but is still uncomfortable from the time she and Charles ate in Loriod's company.
  • She has an inexpensive velvet dress that she bought a few days before October 12th. It is a billowing skirt with a V-cut neck, and long sleeves with filigreed cuffs. It is a lilac violet color with a bluish hem.
    • She wears this dress on her date with Charles on October 12th, along with a silver necklace.
• Rupert: A gorilla morph, Phil's mute bodyguard. He is always by Phil's side. He carries Wessex to and from his laboratory for a spell to contact the scouts. He is also present when Wessex tells Thomas his fears of Zagrosek and the Sondeckis.
• Weyden: Captain of Yonson's guard.
  • He appears to Akabaieth's entry as fully dressed as he can.
  • He is a proud Follower.
• Malqure: A middle-aged ibis morph, the Keep archivist. He is seen fussing over the antique decorations of the Keep, and always just before one inevitably breaks.
  • He has more use of his hands than most bird morphs, though still to a limited extent. He is always seen wearing a gray-liveried suit, with enough room to fold his wings behind his back.
    • Soon after his change, he broke one of Sedgwick's Elvquellin plates with his long beak by accident. He has never forgiven himself for it.
• A pale green dragon with glowing yellow eyes. He flies to the Patriarch's camp, and carries the wagon with Kashin, Vinsah, Egland, and Akabaieth's remains, along with a taur-form Charles, back to Metamor Keep.
  • He is the largest of the 4 dragons to fly to the Patriarch's camp. He has a deep voice like an organ.
  • He carries the wagon in his front paws, while Charles rides on his foot.
• Kee: A coyote morph, a Keep messenger. He is described as young and spritely.
• Agathe: A Runecaster of purple rank, Zagrosek's companion and possibly lover. She is in the woods with Zagrosek, but stays even better hidden than him. She stops Wessex from alerting Murikeer, and ties him up in threads of magic. She then casts a rune to help Zagrosek find where Akabaieth ran. She finds one survivor, Albert Bryonoth, but allows Zagrosek to kidnap him instead. After escaping, she and Zagrosek have a moment of passion.
  • She has waist-length black hair, and cold hard bloodshot eyes. She has smooth flawless skin thanks to her magic, without any harsh angles. She wears purple robes with the symbol on her breast and sleeves of a drawing hand, and nothing underneath. She speaks with a frosty voice, and has a crisp laugh.
  • She despises men, calling them boorish, posturing, pompous, and melodramatic. She claims women have always had the true power. Despite this, she lets Zagrosek carry out the entire massacre.
  • She has an unnatural source of magic, a true source, which easily overwhelms Wessex.
• Zhypar Habakkuk: A kangaroo morph, chief headmaster of the Writer's Guild. He initially refuses to see the Patriarch, until Thomas orders him. At the feast, he mostly speaks in whispers to the Barnhardts and only occasionally smiles.
  • During his initial appearance, he is uncombed and unkempt, and seems to have lost sleep.
  • He keeps his desk neatly stacked with papers and stories. He also has some parchment and a few papers out, which he'd been unhappily writing when Thomas entered.
  • He is a Follower. He has reasons for not seeing the Patriarch, but he claims they are too hard to explain.
• Malisa: A female gendermorph, Duke Thomas's adopted daughter, and Prime Minister of Metamor Keep. She dresses Thomas up before Akabaieth's entry, and rides with them in the palanquin.
  • She wears a light blue dress with an oversized varicolored epaulet mantle halfway down to her elbow — presumably owned from before she became a gendermorph.
• Rickkter: A raccoon morph, a battle mage. He asks Akabaieth to pray for a dead friend of his, Sir Donovan of Thorn, known to him as Egan.
  • He is 6 feet tall. He wears a black outfit with a cloak, like an assassin. He speaks with a strange soft rasp.
  • There are dark secrets in his soul, which Kashin says are best left unspoken.
• Iosef: A Yeshuel. He is the first, with Kashin, to meet Zagrosek outside the Patriarch's camp. He is split in two by Zagrosek's magic, the first casualty of his massacre.
  • He is the first to comment how beautiful the Keep chapel is.
• Yonson: A Weathermonger and diplomat from the Chateau Marzac. He appears for the Patriarch's entry, riding Larssen.
  • He has 6 guards total, 2 of whom are now female gendermorphs.
• Merai: A priestess in the Lothanasi temple. She receives Akabaieth and his men, and gives Vinsah, Lakaesh, and Alfais a tour of the temple and tells stories of her faith.
  • She has brown hair.
  • She is believed by Raven to be the Starchild of Silvinia's prophecy, though she herself does not know this.
• Coe: A raccoon morph, the Keep's physician. He tends to Kashin's wounds, but focuses more on Egland and especially Vinsah. He appears in chapter 19, checking on the newly-awakened Vinsah.
  • He is smartly dressed in a tunic and breeches.
• Bernadette: A mouse morph, a kitchen worker and Kimberly's friend. She is seen briefly in chapter 1, cooking for the Patriarch's feast.
• Garigan: A ferret morph from Glen Avery, Charles's Sondecki pupil. He is currently a Yellow, the lowest rank, though Charles is considering testing him to become a Green. He spends most of the day training, briefly emerging after Charles's fight with Kashin.
  • Like Charles, he sleeps in the nude in his own bed.
• Lothar: The current priest of Ellcaran. He arrives early in Metamor to see the Patriarch, alerting Metamor to his arrival. He takes Kashin with him to Ellcaran when they leave.
• Lakaesh & Alfais: Two Yeshuel. They try to bind Zagrosek, but they are both killed in the middle of Zagrosek's assault.

Cameo:

• Tathom: A bull morph, chief of the Timber Crew.
• Robern Barnhardt: A newt morph, ruler of Barnhardt castle. He attends the feast with Akabaieth, looking nervous.
  • Robern has slick wet splotchy-green skin and bulbous eyes. He wears a jade brocade over a dark green doublet and hose at the feast.
  • At least once a day he has to spend an hour immersed in water to keep his skin from drying out and cracking.
  • He and his wife are the only nobles of Metamor who are Followers.
• Lady Barnhardt: A male gendermorph, Robern's spouse, referred to as "wife".
• Maud: A female gendermorph, one of Yonson's guards.
  • She has taken a liking to being a woman.
• Lisa Ringe: A child morph, a Long Scout. She is the second southernmost Long watching Akabaieth's approach to Metamor.
• The mayor of Euper. He attends the Patriarch's feast with Thomas.
• The mayor of Mycransburg. He attends the Patriarch's feast with Thomas.
• Elsie: A young girl, seen in Vinsah's dream of a younger Akabaieth. She is killed circa 681 CR for not converting to the Ecclesia.
• Elsie's father. He is murdered for refusing to let his family convert to the Ecclesia.
• Elsie's mother. In Vinsah's dream, she curses a younger Akabaieth for his hypocrisy.
• Elsie's brother. In Vinsah's dream, he huddles with his mother while Akabaieth kills his sister Elsie.
  • He is at most 8 years old (ie born not long after 674 CR), slightly older than Elsie.
• Donny: The bartender of the Deaf Mule.
• A cat guard, armed with a spear, seen by Albert patroling the Keep walls.
• A child morph, berating a tall badger morph, seen by Egland.
• A tall badger morph, being berated by a child morph, seen by Egland.
• A female dog morph. She is seen crying in the Keep chapel. Lothar comforts her. By instinct, she licks his ear.
• Dan D'Alimonte: A grasshopper morph, the Keep gardener, who gives Charles some roses on the evening of October 12th.
• Clover: A rabbit morph from Barnhardt, Phil's betrothed. She attends the dinner with Akabaieth on October 12th.
• Captain Argoson: Captain of the Iros, present at Akabaieth's funeral.
  • When he salutes Phil, he does so formally with an old-fashioned salute.
• First officer Peter, first mate of the Iros, present at Akabaieth's funeral.
• Arla: A collie morph, a Long Scout. She is guarding the Long House in the early hours of October 15th.
• Allart: A child morph, a Long Scout. He is guarding the Long House in the early hours of October 15th.
• Caroline: An otter morph, a Long Scout, Misha's girlfriend. She is seen helping clean the Long House before the Patriarch arrives.
  • Her physical injuries have fully healed. She has not expressed any desire to return to patrol, nor does Misha have any desire to send her on patrol.
• A broad-chested man, seen standing guard outside Thomas's chambers, in the evening of October 15th.

Important Mention:

• Macaban: The Steward of Lorland. He was recently turned into a full donkey by a leftover curse from Loriod. Phil and Wessex had successfully restored him just before they left for Metamor on October 12th.
• Elric: Raven's father, the previous Lightbringer of the Keep. He had a great deal of influence with the Lothanasi High Council, unlike Raven.
• Egan: An old friend of Rickkter's. Rickkter asks Akabaieth to pray for him.
  • He was officially Sir Donovan of the Knights of Thorn. He was unjustly exiled for an unknown crime. Rickkter knew him for 5 years, but only as Egan.
  • He was a devout Ecclesian, and practiced his beliefs even when inconvenient.
  • He died when he sacrificed his life for a friend's.
• Artela: Aedra goddess of the hunt and wilderness. Millennia ago, she selected the forests around Metamor Keep as the focus of her attentions. She currently also focuses her attention to the forests north of the Giant's Dike, where Lilith is causing trouble.
• Lilith: The Daedra goddess of lust and predation. She and Artela share dominion over the woods, but Lilith dominates the Giantdowns. She has been helping the Lutin tribes so that they can conquer the lands of Metamor and beyond.
• Marquis du Tournemire: The ruler of Chateau Marzac after an exorcism took place there. Thomas, having been warned of him in Diplomacy, asks Akabaieth about him. Only Vinsah knows of him, but not much.
  • He has one son. His wife and another son died in childbirth several years ago.
  • Despite his proximity, he was not involved in either of the 2 bloody wars that affected western Pyralis.
• Albert's father. Roughly 12 years ago, he was corralling horses in Beleth when his horse tripped and fell onto his legs. Though he could still ride, he could not endure the long journeys Flatlanders make, and so they stayed in Beleth. He wanted his son Algor to return to the steppes, but acquiesced when he saw Algor's determination.
• Madog: A mechanical fox automaton who speaks with Kyia and is a good friend of Hough's. Akabaieth is intrigued by the possibility of him having a soul.
• Lycias: The Lothanasa of Whales. He was a good friend of Raven's father, and is one of two people she trusts. Raven sends him a letter through Phil.
• Kyia: The spirit of Metamor Keep.
  • No one knows her true nature, but Followers and Lightbringers both claim her as one of their own.
• Mosha: Dream's lover, who lives in the Dreamlands and appears only in his dreams. She appeared to him on the night of October 13th as a raptor, with the odd request to wear a masquerade mask and wander the halls.
  • It is implied that she or Kyia is the same woman from Vinsah's dream, arranging the Keep so that he meets the freshly-awoken Vinsah.
• Juthay: A bishop of Yesulam. He is the only priest living in Yesulam whom Akabaieth trusts.
• Geshter: A cardinal of Pyralis. It has been years since Akabaieth has seen him, but he has been useful in the past in calming tensions between Pyralis and Sathmore.
• Akabaieth's father: A diplomat from Whales to Breckaris. He was a typical man of Whales, who looked down upon mystical and theological interests, and also upon military service. He wanted young Apadares to be a diplomat like him; he made Apadares burn his own application to the Whalish navy. He found a diplomatic position for Apadares to occupy; in response, Apadares became an Ecclesian priest, and his father disowned him.
• Nasoj: The sorcerer north of Metamor Keep. The Keep has made sure that he never regained the power he had at the Battle.
  • He never dabbles with the Underworld, unlike the activities done by Zagrosek in Keeping the Lamp Lit.
• Altera Loriod: The former lord of Lorland. He had a deep unknown connection to Zagrosek and his plans. Last spring, he had plans to implement his cruel policies over all of Metamor, throwing them into chaos so that he could take power; among his plans were runes cast throughout Metamor and blackmail on Charles. He either did not know or care that Zagrosek was using him solely so that Nasoj could easily defeat Metamor, and from there invade the continent.
• George: The Keep's patrol master. He handles both scouting patrols, and the Keep's garrison. Here, he is among the first asked about the Patriarch's visit, and a report is given to him regarding activity in the forest. Murikeer wanted to ask him for a patrol, but it was too early in the morning.
  • He usually doesn't wake up until 4 AM.
• The Duke of Marilyth. Last year he was visited by Akabaieth; when Akabaieth had asked for a servant's name, the servant was too embarrassed to speak it, and no one at the table knew his name. A few months later, on a second visit, the Duke had learned every servant's name.

Referenced:

• Anderosha: A mage who lived before 100 CR. Murikeer mentions him as an example of someone mistaken about magic. His deeds are included in the Book of Twelve Rings.
• Antrepides: A former king of Whales, who ruled circa 630 CR, and likely a long time before then. King Tenomides is his grandson.
• Cerulean: A dragon. Due to unusual circumstances at the Battle of Three Gates, he turns into a morph at night.
• Craig: A deceased prairie dog morph. A Long Scout, he had been Caroline's partner on his last patrol. Lutins ambushed them, killing him and assaulting Caroline.
• Dvalin: Aedra god of weather. He is one of the few Aedra that Flatlanders worship.
• The former white of the Sondeckis, whose corruption of the Sondeckis's goal was secretly why Charles ran from the Sondeckis.
• Fox Cutter: A fox morph, the Keep librarian. He was mentioned as briefly showing Akabaieth around the library, particularly to the Metamor histories and the Writer's Guild stories.
• Eli: The one Follower god.
• Grimshori: A cave spirit, one of Murikeer's only friends when he lived in the north.
• Hargrove: A collie morph, captain of the guard at Lorland. Wessex told him to let Macaban rest for the next few days, following his restoration to morph form.
• A healer whom Akabaieth visited before his journey. She healed his joints with magic, though Vinsah hopes it was an herbal remedy.
• Jerome Krabbe: An friend of Charles from his Sondeckis days.
• Kammoloth: The king of the Aedra gods.
• Keletikt: A Lutin shaman, one of Murikeer's only friends when he lived in the north.
• Kindilkane: A former Lothanasa, who wrote a treatise on Artela, Lilith, their shared interest in the forests, and Artela's interest in Metamor Valley.
• Laniard: The author of the Book of Twelve Rings. He lived circa 100 CR in a place called the Sands.
• Mark van Sciver: A child morph, one of Metamor Keep's best diplomats, presumed dead after his carriage in the south was attacked by bandits.
• Oren: An otter morph. He belongs to a unique sect of the Followers. He doesn't attend Hough's services.
  • It is implied that he does not attend the Patriarch's entry.
• Saroth: A dragon morph. He is recovering from some injuries at the time Akabaieth leaves the Keep.
• Sedgewick: A former Duke of Metamor, who lived over a generation ago.
• Silvinia: The Oracle of Samekkh. In 242 CR, she wrote the Starchild Prophecy. Among Lothanasi, she is considered the most reliable seeress in the last 1000 years.
• Tenomides: The king of Whales, Phil's adopted father.
• Varnal: One of Nasoj's mages, whose spell first triggered Misha's taur form.
• Wvelkim: Aedra god of the sea.
• Yahshua: Believed by Followers to be the Son of Eli.
• Yajiit: Aedra goddess of fire and the sun. She is called "Anarbereth" by Silvinia.

Akabaieth and his men

• Akabaieth's entourage has a total of 28 men: 12 footmen; 8 knights, including Sir Albert Bryonoth and Sir Yacoub Egland; 3 priests to serve as personal aides, including Vinsah; and 4 Yeshuel: Kashin, Iosef, Alfais, and Lakaesh.
  • The footmen are armed with spears and swords.
  • The Patriarch's knights were white crucifixes on their green tunics. When arriving, they carry banners.
  • Vinsah is the oldest of the priests.
  • The Yeshuel wear white crucifixes on their woolen green tunics, a slightly deeper green than the knights. They do not carry weapons, but have special fighting abilities to compensate.

Locations

Metamor

• The Keep is said not to change all the time, only when needed. Charles does state that others have different experiences than him; whereas he mostly takes the same route every day, others are said to have never taken the same path twice.
  • The Lothanasi temple is on the opposite side of the Keep from Thomas's quarters.
• The Keep kitchens have many rare expensive ingredients saved up, on Thalberg's orders, for grand feasts.
• The hallways are decorated for the Patriarch:
  • One hallway has banners and warm satin draperies, without carpeting.
• The Patriarch's private chambers:
  • The audience room has carpets and mahogany furniture. There is a fireplace with marble decorations. Doors here connect to bedrooms.
  • Vinsah's bedroom has a window with shutters and silken drapes.
  • The Yeshuel sleep in pairs, apparently; Iosef and Kashin are awake while Alfais and Lakaesh sleep.
• Thomas's private chambers are well-furnished, with rich maroon carpeting covering a tiled floor. He has a large table in the center, and ancestral chairs with colonnades. A desk sits to one side, where Thomas keeps his notes and messages.
  • He has a personal washbasin, a 2 meter wide heated pool with marble tiling. It is surrounded by thick wool carpet. A mahogany cabinet sits beside it.
  • One section of his chambers is relatively clear of furniture, with only a bookcase.
• Phil's quarters have a couch, mainly used for guests. Phil's jitters sometimes ruin the couch, and last year alone it has needed to be reupholstered twice.
• The Keep chapel has a vaulted ceiling and a tiled stone floor. Stained glass windows over the clerestory are in familiar styles to Akabaieth, though all of the human figures are animal morphs, except for the crucifix.
  • The door is made of thick strong oak with hickory crossbeams. There is a lock that Hough has never used yet.
• The Long House is a training area for the scouts and a stronghold in case of invasion.
  • There are storage areas with goods, fresh supplies, and rainwater cisterns.
  • The Long House has a deep green carpet, matching the Long Scout's green heraldry, that is normally kept in the Long House's storeroom, being too ornate and unwieldy. It is temporarily put out in the Long Hall to celebrate the visit.
• The Keep's greenhouse has flowers throughout the year. Most of the garden flowers are moved here during the winter.
• Charles's and Garigan's quarters are joined but separate rooms. Charles has a bed with winter quilts, a water bowl for cleaning his tail, a nearby lantern, a dresser with his clothes and a washcloth, a comb and brush, a mirror, a stool, and candles for lighting. Nothing is too elaborate.
  • Garigan's room has a bed with winter quilts, a rug over the stone floor, and a latched closet of yellow Sondeckis robes.
• Kimberly's bed in her quarters now has winter quilts.
• The Writer's Guild Hall has a tiled roof and a painted heraldic emblem of a quill. These have been cleaned up and freshly painted for the Patriarch.
  • The largest of its 3 offices goes to the chief headmaster.
• The Ivy Causeway leads from "the castle" and towards "the town". The castle probably refers to the Inner Keep, and "the town" is Keeptown.
  • It has a marble entabluture.
• The front doors of the Keep Lothanasi temple are gold-panelled with a marble transom.
  • Inside is a long corridor with a low ceiling tiled with murals and paintings, the walls carved in relief with ancient writings in glyphs.
  • At the end of the corridor is another set of double doors to the main hall. At the far end is an apse with a large semicircle window, through which the sky is visible.
    • The direction of the window seems to be northward, as the sky is visible but the sun is not, but this is not confirmed; it might be a special view provided by the Keep.
  • Adjoining the main hall is an ornate door to Raven's office. On one side is a desk with two linen-lined feather-cushioned chairs embroidered with Raven's family crest. Against a wall is a large bookcase and various clerical decorations.
    • Raven has a pitcher and a brass tumbler for guests. She keeps milk in the one shown here, though it is not known how often or if just for Akabaieth's visit.
  • There is a hallway past the apse, leading presumably to the acolyte rooms; it is the only other place that Merai shows Vinsah and the Yeshuel in their tour of the temple.
  • The Lightbringer Archives have many ancient works, some long forgotten by the Lightbringer Order.
• The Keep towers have narrow windows. Braziers hang along the inner walls. The steps are well-worn with use
• The Killing Fields are just outside the city of Keeptown, though it also serves as a town square (perhaps for Euper?).
• The Western Garden has a large stone beween two deciduous trees, looking west towards the mountain conifers.
• Gregor's bakery has hard wooden tiled floor.
  • Among the foods available are cinnamon rolls, apple croissants, and fresh bread. The cinnamon rolls are priced at half a silver each.
• A prominent Keep stable is a long building near a grain silo against the Keep walls. There are other stables in the Keep along the walls, but this one is set aside for the entourage's horses.
  • It has a slanted tile roof, double doors, and wooden walls. In 705 CR, sections of the wall were replaced with hickory. Rain cisterns sit below the roof.
• The hills the 4 knights ride through are on the west side of the valley near the mountains.
• The road south of Metamor is very hilly and forested for its first 10 miles. The road is kept clear on 20 meters on each side to discourage banditry. There are more hills further south, but the forest thins out into copses along the rivers that cross the road.
  • The region where Murikeer and Charles patrol about 10 hours from Metamor Keep (they are said to arrive in the early afternoon if they leave at 3 in the morning). It lays north of the Patriarch's campsite in open fields, with some trees for cover and a view of the Metamor road.
    • This seems to contradict "Ward", where the Baron Grenier's castle was several days' ride from Metamor. Perhaps they have taken control of a new castle?
  • The Patriarch's final campsite was in the hills, a days' walk from Metamor Keep and a few hours from Castle Grenier. The forest was separated from the camp by 10 metres. The road lay 10 metres west of the campsite. The tents of the camp, each holding 6 men, were laid out in a spiral, with the Patriarch's wagon in the center. There were various campfires and two paddocks as well.

The Continent

The Midlands

• Menth has a Proctor from Whales, as part of its alliance with Metamor Keep. It seems his duties involve overseeing the ships that arrive from Whales.
  • A rider from Metamor Keep can arrive in Menth within a day.
• Ellcaran is the largest trading town in the Southern Midlands. It has one of the most remote Follower churches, just south of Metamor.
  • Ellcaran's chapel is large. Its high clerestories have stained-glass windows. Along the walls of its sanctuary are statues and columns. On the inner wall of the chapel are bright colorful lofty murals. It has wooden pews, carpetted aisles, and a crucifix over the altar. It has temple guards in each corner to ensure people's safety.
• Landon is a city north of Bozojo.
• Bozojo is a city in the west part of the southern Midlands, near the border to the Outer Midlands. It sits on the northwest shore of Bozojo Lake, the most important lake in the Southern Midlands. It is about a week's journey from Ellcaran. The 2nd largest trading town in the Southern Midlands, it lies on several trade routes, from Kelewair to Landon or to Whales or to Sathmore, and from Sathmore to the Outer Midlands. Near the wharfs and ferries to the Lake are a trader's district and a market, including a tailor.
  • The Lake's Head Inn is a modest inn in the trader's district, popular with merchants and travelers.
    • The dining hall is two-storied: the upper floor has private dining lofts than the lower floor, and sticks out partially overhead. Stairs, with two nearby sconces, connect the floors; the space beneath the stairs is the most seclusive of these tables. The hall ceiling is decorated with animal trophies, braziers, and a single chandelier.
• The Outer Midlands lay to the north of the Flatlands.
  • Wolverines are native to the Midlands and to northern Sathmore.
• Salinon is a city, implied to have more Lothanasi presence than Metamor.
• The Åelfwood is a mysterious place. Little is known, even to someone as worldly as Benlan Rais.
  • The Aelves of Ava-Shavais have a festival on the night of October 15th.

Sathmore

• Lothanasi dominate Sathmore, where Akabaieth is very unpopular.
  • Along Sathmore's border with Pyralis, tensions and hostilities between the two religions are very deep.

Pyralis and the Flatlands

• Pyralis borders the Flatlands to the north by hills, and to the east the Athasca River.
  • The Pyralian Confederation has suffered a great deal of recent unrest. In the western regions of Pyralis, nobles vie for power and inheritance. On the northern border with the Midlands, as in the Midlands, fanatics have risen up for unknown reasons. At least some are a reaction to the Keepers, or perhaps to Nasoj's armies. The border between Pyralis and Sathmore has been peaceful for years.
  • There are some cities in the south that are too dry for a sewer system; as a result, the stench is overwhelming.
  • The nobles of Pyralis seem culturally connected to the Southlands; unrest in the South has affected them.
  • There is a common saying in Pyralis. Paraphrased, it says that when stabbed in the flesh, an enemy will retaliate; when stabbed in the hand, an enemy will retaliate later; but when stabbed in the heart, an enemy will never retaliate.
  • The knightly orders of Pyralis only allow people 15 or older, and Followers, to join.
  • The Pyralis navy does not allow non-native Pyralians to join (or they did 60 years ago).
  • Pyralian music is typified by frequent modal changes and a lively mood.
• Breckaris is a city on the south shore of Pyralis. It has had diplomatic relations with Whales for at least 80 years.
  • It takes 2 weeks for a ship to sail from Whales to Breckaris.
• Marilyth is a city with a duke whom Akabaieth visited last year — and likely lies inside Pyralis.
• Kelewair is a city famous for its cloth.
  • In the 400s CR, it produced narrow-handled saucers. Metamor has some for special occasions.
• The Flatlands largely consists of steppes, with many rivers. Trees are only found along the rivers. It borders Pyralis to the south by hills and to the west by the Athasca River, and the Outer Midlands to the north with forests and the Sylvan Mountains. Most of the Flatlands' few permanent settlements is along these two borders.
  • Beleth is a small settlement on the Athasca River, bordering Pyralis and the Flatlands. It is mostly populated by farmers near the river. A ferry-gondola crosses the river every day with livestock (mostly horses and oxen) and passengers. Some of the buildings have two stories; the Lord Constable's house has three. It is a popular destination for Pyralian merchants.
  • The Sylvan Mountains is a mountain range in the northern Flatlands, forming a natural boundary with the Outer Midlands.
  • The Flatlands have been famous for its exceptional horsemen for eons. A popular legend says that Flatlanders have horse blood in them. Many Flatlanders leave their homeland to become knights.
    • Flatlanders are organized by tribes. Some tribes are able to ride horses bareback. They migrate annually between settlements, but most only know each other by local proximity.
    • Most children ride horses as soon as they are able. Boys are considered men very early in their lives, likely as soon as they are able to ride unassisted.
  • Most Flatlanders are Lothanasi, and aware of the gods, though only Dvalin and Artela are worshipped devoutly.
  • Flatlanders share an unusual speech pattern that uses archaic pronouns such as "thou" and "ye".
• The Athasca River flows along the border between Pyralis and the Flatlands. It is the widest, fastest, and deepest river of the Flatlands. It flows into the Splitting Sea.
• Yesulam is a city accessible by ship in the deserts of the Holy Land. Its only neighbors are the Flatlands to the north, deserts to the east. It has a warm climate with dry winters, the only time that trees lose their leaves. It sits on a hill. It has a population 5 to 10 times that of Metamor. It gets some of its food from local irrigated farms; the rest through trade.
  • The Great Temple lies in the center of the city. Centuries ago, it was merely a size of Metamor Keep's chapel. Over time, it has gotten enough money to expand and hold its parishioners. It is a very prestigious church.
    • It is also where the Bishop blesses young knights of Yesulam before they begin their training.
  • The library of Yesulam has domed ceilings and stained glass windows. It is brightly lit. Its books are constantly tended to by priests and scribes. It has a handsome collection of ancient texts.
  • Other features of Yesulam are shining streets, tall spires inlaid with gold, and crowded citadels.
  • All of Yesulam's population, except for foreign diplomats, are Ecclesians, and attend Ecclesian services at least once a week. The Patriarch sometimes visits, but always unannounced.
  • According to Kashin, "disreputable establishments" are unheard of in Yesulam. Whether this refers to brothels, alehouses, drug houses, or any of them is not specified.
    • Crime does exist, but very little of it is organized.
    • Corruption also exists, particularly among foreign dignitaries, but the last few Patriarchs have apparently kept most of their own people free of corruption.
  • Yesulam shares most of its trade and culture with the Southlands, especially through Eavey.
  • Yesulam has a large but inactive standing army.
  • The heraldry of the knights of Yesulam (as Albert and Yacoub are) consists of a green cross with a diagonal band from upper right to lower left through it. The cross represents the Ecclesia, as does the color green. The diagonal band represents the flow of Eli's gifts from above.
    • The knights of Yesulam carry their shields on their left.
• Abaef is a city 30 leagues from Yesulam. Like Yesulam, it has a hot climate. It has clay houses with mud-thatched roofs. The people are not wealthy but live comfortably.
  • The Cathedral of Abaef is Vinsah worked.
• The deserts east of Yesulam are populated by wandering nomads.
• The Splitting Sea is a deep sea bordering the Holy Land.

Other

• The Sands is an unknown location where Laniard penned the Book of Twelve Rings, circa 100 CR.

Off-Continent

• From Whales, it takes a ship 2 weeks to sail to Breckaris.
  • Whales has traditionally been a secular society. Despite this, there is a Lothanasi and Ecclesian presence in Whales, and both religions seem to be respected.
  • The king of Whales has not had an adopted heir in several centuries before Phil.
  • Travel from Menth to Whales via courier ship takes 5 or 6 days.
  • The flag of Whales is purple and white and red. In the center is the royal seal of Tenomides.
  • The flag of the Master of Fire is flame-orange.
• The Southlands:
  • Eavey is a city in the eastern continent in the Southlands, on its north coast. They trade with Yesulam.
  • The Kitch Steppe lies in the Southlands's west shores.
  • In the south, sovereignty is called «fin halaes morada», "The Prison Unsought".
  • The Southlands are currently in unrest. Southlanders of the east continent do not explain to Northerners, though they supposedly spit to the west.
    • This is possibly related to Sondeckis / Kankoran upheavals, seen in Dialogues and The Three Sides of Truth.
    • Where to the west are they spitting? To the western Southland continent? To Pyralis? To Sathmore?

The Cosmos

• The Underworld is a little-known place of great evil. It doesn't match any of the hells described by the Lightbringers, or hell by the Ecclesian.
  • The Underworld is where Shriekers come from.
  • There is a possible reference to the Underworld in Ecclesian lore: after Eli created all that was, he had to pull back from the world to create something of Him (presumably mankind). This "pulling back" left behind something entirely not of Eli.
• The Shadow realm is where Zagrosek and Agathe retreat to. It is a realm where thoughts can be seen and accessed, even from an adjacent realm. It is safe from detection by magic users and earth spirits. Portals can be opened to it via Zagrosek's and Agathe's shadow magic.
  • There is a section of ground here, in a remote hill near the camp, that appears to constantly change, from stone to wood to sand. This could be a property of the realm, or it could be a special space used by Zagrosek and Agathe.
• People's thoughts reside in a realm adjacent to the Shadow realm — apparently, existing even after they have been thought. Through this realm, one can also access others' minds. This realm is easiest to reach at night.
• The realm where Wessex travels out-of-body may or may be distinct from the Shadow realm, or the adjacent realm above; in any case, it is easily accessed by Agathe, who is able to see Wessex's movements even as those in the physical realm cannot.
  • Time is oddly distorted when travelling at near-instant speeds. Few have studied these effects, as many who travel at such speeds never return to their bodies.
    • This is very reminiscent of relativistic travel. In the real world, travel at near-light-speed feels instantaneous for the traveller, while they would witness time progressing faster outside their reference frame. In this realm, Wessex instantly travels from the camp to the Keep, only a minute or so faster than the dragon, suggesting that a dragon's flight is roughly the maximum speed one can travel in this realm.
• The eye of the Hunter is a blue star. Its normal brightness, compared to the other stars, is unknown.

Society

Religion

Lothanasi

• The Lothanasi High Council is the Lothanasi's highest authority body, made up of the 9 Lothanasas (high priests and priestess) of various regions or peoples, called chapters.
  • Whales is the southern-most chapter. Lycias is their Lothanasa. Despite Whales's widespread agnosticism, this chapter has had good relations with Metamor Keep.
  • The Dragons have their own chapter. Angernil is their Lothanasa. They have little influence on the Council, however.
• Metamor Keep has for years been the head of the Lothanasi faith, in spite of its curses. However, Lothanasi dignitaries rarely visit the Keep anymore due to the curse, and Metamor has lost the influence it once had since then.
• The traditional farewell among Lightbringers is "cuialye lothan", Old Tongue for "Live in the light".

Ecclesian

• Ecclesians believe the Patriarch was given ultimate authority over the Church by Yahshua himself.
  • No Patriarch had ever visited a pagan temple after their elevation before Akabaieth.
  • Traditionally, when a Patriarch dies, he is buried under the floor of his first church.
• A common portrayal of the Pontiff is a man appointed by Heaven to do as he pleases. Though Akabaieth did not recently carry himself as such, he did in his younger days, forceably converting Lothanasi and killing mages.
  • There is sometimes argument that the Pontiff is a "false Patriarch", or otherwise illegitimate.
• Yesulam has a Council of Bishops, apparently originally to advise the Patriarch, but which has risen in power and influence over the Patriarch, especially over the last hundred years. For instance, all declarations by the Patriarch must first be approved by the Council of Bishops.
• Some on the Council of Bishops want to eliminate all Lothanasi and all magic, though they do not say so openly. They work quietly to spread dissent.
• Ecclesian churches are owned by the clergy, though some will say that they belong to no one but Eli. Weapons are banned from all Ecclesian churches.
• Ecclesian priests are not allowed to marry or have intimate relations.
  • Many Ecclesians believe that dreams are temptations, though a minority believes they are messages from Eli.
• Among the prayers of the Ecclesian:
  • The First Penance, a lengthy liturgy;
• Egland compares Saulius's clever defeat of Andre to a tale of Dawoud and Giant, said to be an Ecclesian tale of humility (likely a reference to David and Goliath).
• The penant of the Ecclesia is bright green.
• The Church is divided on many issues, but few are open about them, except for Metamor:
  • Most bishops in Yesulam (and elsewhere) believe Metamor is now the home of demons, and decry any Ecclesian presence there. They argued that no priest had ever come to Metamor and suffered the curse. Hough's curse has relaxed hatred of Metamor, but led to mixed reaction — some say it proves Hough's legitimacy, as he avoided the truly contentious "animal" and "woman" curses; others argue that children also cannot be priests.
  • Akabaieth and a few other bishops do not believe these opinions.
  • Metamor is largely ignored by bishops in the Southlands.
  • The divided opinion of Metamor is kept secret from Metamor, for fear of causing unrest and despair.
• Barely one fifth of Metamor Keep's population are Followers. Having a parish gives Metamor's Followers hope of venturing outside Metamor.
  • The Followers of Metamor have good relations with the Lothanasi, especially after an agreement for Hough not to convert Lothanasi, although Hough has converted certain Follower sects to Ecclesia.

Military

• For the Patriarch's army's fight against Zagrosek, see here.
• There seems to be an overlap between the regular scouts and Long Scouts. Misha, head of the Long Scouts, tells Murikeer that he is better off asking the Long Scouts for a patrol instead of George.
• Metamor Keep has a handful of dragons.
  • Cerulean is inactive at night — though a natural-born dragon, he has a particular manifestation of the curse that randomly takes effect at night.
  • Saroth is a dragon morph, able to shift to a full dragon — but he is also prone to injury, such as seen here.
  • Gornul is a dragonette, a miniature variety of dragon. Note that, by this point, Gornul's family of dragonettes also lives in Metamor, though it seems only Gornul is sent on dangerous missions.
  • There are 4 other dragons, who all fly to aid the Patriach. The largest of these is pale green.
• Two of the Duke's guards stand outside his door at all times. Another two stand outside when he is inside. These two join him when he leaves, joined by another two.

The Whalish Navy

• For a Whalish military burial at sea, see here.
• Officers in the Fleet of Whales, and Brothers of the Guild of Fire, are both buried at sea. They are returned to the sea and to the fire. It is a great honor in Whales to receive. Only 2 non-members in Whales's history have received a similar burial, both by serving Whales in battle, but even then with great reluctance.
• The Medallion of Fire is the symbol of the Guild of Fire. Unused medallions are normally kept in royally sealed containers.
• The Roll of the Brotherhood lists every member of the Whalish Navy by name and any honors they received.
• The quinquireme Iros is the ceremonial flagship of Whales. It is propelled by oars, 5 men to each oar, hence the term "quinquireme". It is too slow and clumsy to sail against the wind for combat, and so its main use is for ceremonies. It rarely leaves port. Its hull is painted in green, gold, and orange. It is armed with a Fire Projector.
  • A great drum keeps its rowers in rhythm; a trumpet signals the drummers to stop.
• On sailing vessels in Whales, fire spells are strictly banned.
  • Scout vessels and courier ships (unlike other Whales ships, it is implied) do not carry Fire projectors, both because of their small size and their great quantity. The sailors are well-trained in close combat against pirates.
• Fire Projectors are placed on the bows of a ship. There is a brass barrel for sighting, and lanyard to pull for firing. While starting up, they whistle. They must be fired when the whistle hits the right note, requiring a strong sense of timing among the operators. It casts a flame bigger than the rest of the ship.
• A holystone is used to scrub and whiten the decks of the Whalish navy.

Magic

• Some magic is generally believed to be learnable by anyone, even if only a few can master it and become true mages. A minority opinion says that most people cannot learn any magic, and only a few have potential to learn.
  • Some people have an involuntary leaning towards magic. In places where magic is forbidden and unspoken about, this can be harmful to natural magic users. Some can find an outlet that can use magic discreetly, such as preaching Abba's word in Yesulam; many others, however, go mad.
• Mages are ranked by skill. Among Sathmore magic users, a journeyman is not considered a mage; mastery and power must be demonstrated for a journeyman to become a mage proper.
• Hands are popular in heraldic symbols, especially for mage clans, as a symbol for their power. Examples include the Sondeckis and the Runecasters.
• Southland mage clans (including the Sondeckis and Runecasters) are very loyal to each other.
• Murikeer's magic is spoken in the "progenitor language" of the Yeshuel.
• Raven has magic on both seals to her letter to Lycias. They activate if anyone tries to tamper with the seals, or open the letter in any way other than physically breaking the seals. The spell will incinerate the letter, and is carefully designed not to incinerate anything else.
• Raven is capable of a vision spell to communicate with people from afar, but it could be covertly overheard by enemies.

Prophecies

• Raven implies that prophecies show what the gods intend.
• The Starchild Prophecy was written in 242 CR by Silvinia. Though it has been forgotten by Lightbringers, a copy of the Starchild prophecy, written many years later, is today in an ancient book with yellowed crumbling pages, written in a archaic Common dialect and script, found only deep within the Lightbringer archives.
  • The first 4 stanza describe a time of coming darkness, when two evils unite to wage war against the guardians of Light; about holy councils corrupt with traitors, about "light and light" drawn to battle, and great atrocities committed.
  • The next stanza describes a woman "Elenin" (meaning Starchild) who will come to act like Yahshua, though with distinct differences. She will destroy the alliance of evil, cleanse the holy councils of corruption, renew old broken friendships, and replace hatred with love.
    • Raven believes the imitation is intentional, as the Aedra are well-known to be jealous of Yahshua's following.

The Curse

• Most bird morphs at the Keep, like Jessica, can barely use their hands. Malqure is an exception, though not by much.
• Very few can attain the taur form, apparently. A few other Long Scouts have tried it, but failed. It is not known why some morphs can, and others can't.

Sondecki

• For a fight between Charles and a Yeshuel opponent, see here.
• The Sondeckis symbol is said to represent their dedication to combat and their desire to protect others.
• Charles's Sondeck is drawn to the Yeshuel.
• The Sondeckis are not known to leave their calling easily.
• Sondeckis magic relies heavily on projecting physical force, and is best used against unwielding opponents.
  • Force projection works best when it can contain an entire physical body; the Longfugos technique is one of its best examples. It is capable of destroying entire spells. It is unleashed by moving both arms from back to front in a V-shaped motion. However, Kashin demonstrates an ability to "separate" this wall of force with his hands, possibly with his Yeshuel abilities.

Runecasters

• For Agathe's duel against Wessex, see here.
• The symbol of the Runecasters is a drawing hand.
• Among the runes they can cast:
  • A rune placed on magical threads that tightens them when physical force is applied;
  • A rune on an object to show where a person has gone. It is cast as a flaring blue cloud and leaves a glowing blue trail.

Yeshuel

• For a fight between Kashin and a Sondeckis opponent, see here.
• Little is publicly known of the Yeshuel outside of being the Patriarch's trusted bodyguards. Akabaieth and Kashin tell Thomas's court about them:
  • Every 1000th conception in Yesulam is blessed personally by the Patriarch with a duty to become a Yeshuel. It is emphasized that this is a gift, not a mandate, and that some choose not to become Yeshuel; however, being a Yeshuel is a great honor, and most do accept.
    • It is not explained how conceptions are monitored in Yesulam, or whether this is an exact number or an estimate.
  • In the centuries of their existence, Yeshuel have always been born male. Ecclesian priests have debated this, and in fact much of Ecclesian theology relies upon there being no female Yeshuel.
  • Some Yeshuel do not survive birth or childhood. Those who do are bonded completely to the Patriarch, whoever he is — though this might be figurative.
  • At the age of around 7, Yeshuel move to a monastery where other Yeshuel live.
    • The monastery is richly decorated with gifts from Followers. A relatively new practice (within the last 50 years) is for, on feast days, each Yeshuel to take one article from the monastery, sell it for money, and spend that money providing a feast for a poorer family.
  • The mission of Yeshuel is to protect the sanctity of Eli's priesthood. Besides that, they are the few friends the Patriarch has.
• Note that the Yeshuel do not seem to be universally trusted as the Patriarch's bodyguards — Kashin says that, for outliving the Patriarch, he thinks the Bishops of Yesulam will accuse him of helping the assassin. This is uncertain, though.
• The Yeshuel are aware of every action done to the Patriarch's person, even those of his close friends.
• In combat, the Yeshuel rely on flexibility, rather than force. They are able to resist Sondeckis force powers, and shows an ability to manipulate Sondeckis force with his bare hands.
• Yeshuel have secret abilities to read the hearts of others, including their magic abilities, their combat abilities, and their intent — even before the magic is cast. They can see a soul brighten or darken with their thoughts.
  • Kashin is able to sense both Charles and Zagrosek are Sondeckis. No other Yeshuel shows interest.
  • Kashin experiences a dry scraping in his heart when Zagrosek is near — possibly related to Zagrosek's magic (see below).
• How the Yeshuel appear in magic sight is unknown — Murikeer is deterred by Vinsah's cold look.

Zagrosek's magic

• For Zagrosek's fight against the Patriarch's army, see here.
• Zagrosek has a form of magic different from the Sondeckis, that manifests as a shadow that can pool in his hand. It is said to originate from a world of shadows — possibly the shadow realm. Among the powers he can use it for:
  • He can fire it en masse, disintegrating whatever touches it, such as rain, wood, and flesh.
  • He can cloak himself with it, and disappear into the shadows in the physical world.
• Zagrosek's magic appears to come from nowhere, even to a Yeshuel. It leaves no trace behind to be seen by magic sight.
  • Murikeer's magic sight detects twisted purple energies after Zagrosek uses his magic in battle, though this could be Sondeckis magic, or an effect of mass slaughter.
• Zagrosek's mind is both guarded and coated by the same force that guarded Loriod's censer — a thick black muck, felt before it is seen. Charging too quickly through it gives an electric-like shock.
  • It also seems able to foil Kashin's Yeshuel abilities, and the spirits of the earth.
• Zagrosek and Agathe both share an ability to read and speak in each other's minds, and to some extent read the minds of others, like Albert. They also allude to an ability to cause people to fixate on images in their heads.
• Zagrosek and Agathe both have an ability to hide in the forest, and nobody is quite able to catch a glimpse of them, though a few come close. This seems related to Zagrosek's ability to hide in the shadows.
  • Various people who get within their vicinity have different experiences:
    • Finbar, Saulius, and Albert's horse Povunoth feel a wrongness in the area. Andre possibly also feels a wrongness.
    • Wessex feels terrified, and after persistent looking sees Charles's and Zagrosek's faces. Phil does not feel terror until Wessex mentions it.
    • Yacoub hears a laugh and sees a handsome face in the woods, and feels a sudden desire and fear to go into the woods.
    • Albert gets a distant look in his eyes, as if listening to someone far away.
    • Charles, notably, feels nothing, even when Finbar points it out.
    • At the very beginning, Kashin, Lisa Ringe, and Finbar do not notice Zagrosek at all.

Agathe's magic

• Aside from casting runes and trapping Wessex with his own magic, the only magic Agathe is seen doing is opening a portal into the Shadow realm. Murikeer is able to see dark magic in her footprints, just before she enters the portal. The earth spirits he speaks to say only that she went "into the shadow".

Wessex's augury

• The purpose of the augury is to find images captured within objects that had been in the presence of magic.
  • At most 64 individual items can have a single augury cast at once.
  • The spell is performed on a large slate surface. A chalk circle is drawn around each individual item, and a large circle is drawn to encompass all of them. Multiple different-colored dusts have to be sprinkled over each individual item while the mage chants. The dust is rather caustic when magic flows through it; if the magic is cut off too suddenly, it may disintegrate the item.
    • The last such color of dust is yellow. After sprinkling it, Wessex places his staff in the exact center of the circle while he finishes the chant. The staff has runes engraved in it filled with yellow dust — whether these runes are particular for this spell, or a part of the staff, are unclear, but the dust is almost certainly particular to the augury.
    • When successfully cast, the dust in the staff turns blue and scatters out into a cloud over the whole circle. The spell can now be focused on anything that appears within the scene — the less its presence within the individual items, the hazier it appears in the vision. Individual items can be cut off to sharpen the vision, though this can trigger the above disintegration.

Wessex's mind-reading spell

• The purpose of the mind-reading spell is to find mental images captured by objects that had been close to powerful thoughts.
• Similar to the augury spell, a circle of chalk and dusts is drawn around each object, with a large circle around all of them. Around this large circle is a multi-faceted hexagon, connected by dust to smaller hexagons for a mage to place their hands.
  • Upon successfully activating it via incantation, the dust sparkles and nearby light sources dim. Images similar to those attained by augury arise. By focusing on and expanding the image of a person's eye, the mage can travel into a realm close to the person's inner thoughts.

Wessex's telepathy spell

• In contrast to his other spells, his telepathy spell is able to be set up and performed in minutes, requiring less precise methods of preparation.
• First, a circle is drawn with bright yellow sparkling sand. Wessex does this by spinning a funnel around in a long-practiced gesture.
  • He then draws chalk lines around the circle in a radial pattern. He then sprinkles colored dusts on each line.
  • He applies a white paste to his forehead, both sides of his chest, and the base of his sternum.
  • He lays down in the circle, and asks someone to pour a blue paint-like gleaming liquid over him. The liquid reacts with the paste, giving a burning sensation that goes through and into him. Both the paste on his chest and the outer circle glow red like fire, though the paste on his head remains dormant.
  • Once all the liquid has been poured, the paste silently turns black. Every sensation in Wessex's body vanishes, replaced with an out-of-body vision, with an additional magic sight.

Åelf

• The Åelf keep to themselves on account of the past acts of mortals like humans. Some Åelfs are still bitter about them.
  • This also implies that the Åelf are immortal, or at least have much longer lifespans than humans.
• Qan-af-årael's starwatching is part of an ancient ceremony that's been done for centuries. At specific hours, and specific time intervals between them, the clouds cover the constellations or highlight certain stars to foretell the future — at least from Ava-shavåis's perspective.
• When Andares greets Kashin with respect, he brings his hand to his heart and tightens it into a fist.

Culture

• For Metamor's standard treatment for a visiting dignitary, both the procession and the formal dinner, see here.
• Metamor Keep's mysterious and ancient nature was well-known throughout the continent even before the curse.
• Metamor Keep's chief trade is its books. Its stories and its authors are famous throughout the continent, including authors from the Writer's Guild of Metamor Keep such as Charles.
  • Its books are expensive, and discouraged reading for many Ecclesians. Thus, only nobles are able to afford them.
• Akabaieth notes that Metamor is different from most places in that the nobles of Metamor do not emphasize ceremony, and do not ignore their servants.
  • "A long time" ago, a visiting dignitary to Metamor addressed a servant as an equal, making a favorable impression on Thomas. Thomas hints that Phil, or Whales in general, was involved.
• There are Madrigals at Metamor Keep, who perform at masquerades or private serenades.
• For Dream's and Egland's flute and viola duet, see here.
• Metamor has various expensive articles brought out for special occasions:
  • 200-year-old narrow-handled saucers from Kelewair;
  • Brass pitchers;
  • A goblet for Duke Thomas, made of polished silver with sapphires around the base;
  • Less ornate brass goblets for guests;
• Among the books found in Metamor's library:
  • Stories from the Writer's Guild;
  • Books comparing religions;
  • Books on the Lothanasi gods, including:
    • Kindilkane's treatise on Artela and Lilith, and their focus on the woods around Metamor Keep.
    • The Book of Twelve Rings, written in the Sands 600 years ago by Laniard, about Anderosha and the binding of magic. It takes the unusual position that only a select few have magic talent.

Other

• For a description of Wessex's nightmare, see here.
• For a description of Vinsah's dreams, see here and here.
• Thomas tells Akabaieth that Metamor Keep only occasionally receives news of world affairs from its close ally Whales.
  • Relations with Sathmore and Pyralis have always been tense.
• An "ancient gesture of brotherhood" is performed between Raven and Akabaieth — arms extended with palms up, responded to by placing one's arms over them. It is not clear where this gesture originates — whether it is Lothanasi, Ecclesian, Midlands, Suielman, or somewhere else.

Chronology

• No human being in several millennia has lived past 100 — does this exclude wizards?
• In 242 CR, Silvinia wrote the Starchild prophecy. Though it eventually fell into obscurity, a copy written years later would eventually end up in Metamor Keep's Lightbringer Archives.
• By 700 CR, news of the Keep's curse had reached the northern Flatlands.
  • Metamor Keep was still scarred and burned from the Battle by this time.
• Around 618 CR, Akabaieth was born.
• Around 630 CR, Antrepides was king of Whales.
• In the mid 650s CR, Vinsah was born.
• In the mid 660s CR, Phil was born.
• About 681 CR, Akabaieth lead an invasion of Breckaris into Sathmore, converting or killing its population. Akabaieth supposedly stopped afterwards.
• Within the last 3 years, 2 short but bloody wars have broken out throughout the western Pyralian kingdoms between nobles.
• Wessex remarks that many events related to Zagrosek have happened in the last 8 months — back to February, presumably when the first signs of bad weather were noticed.
• Keeping the Lamp Lit happens in March and April, setting up Wessex's and Zagrosek's conflict; Diplomacy sets up Wessex's distrust of Charles.
• A few months ago, shortly before Akabaieth and his entourage left, a ballad from the west shores of the Kitch Steppe became popular.
• 2 months ago, Akabaieth and his men left Yesulam.
  • Along the way, they met robbers and rogues; one band had tried to sneak past, but were discovered.
• The last major Lutin activity was a raid on Mycransburg a couple months ago.
• Duke Hassan had known of Akabaieth's arrival for over a month, which he did some time after Intersecting Correspondence.
• The last minor Lutin activity occurred a month ago.
• The events of Legacies took place several weeks ago in September.
• The events of Four-by-Four took place a few weeks ago.
• During the Autumn Equinox Festival, Murikeer and Llyn went to Glen Avery.
• Andares was sent on his journey (from Libraries 2 weeks ago.
• The date of Akabaieth's visit to Metamor Keep is a matter of some debate. Liturgy of Blood explicitly says Akabaieth arrives just over a week since the Autumnal Equinox Festival, which takes place from September 22 to 24th, which would put his arrival in very early October. However, Ryx's stories, particularly Dream's Aria: In the Shadows of Knight and Dream's Aria: Dark Interlude, put the date of Akabaieth's death on the night of October 15th, and therefore his arrival on October 12th.
  • The magical investigation into Llyn's sword is known to Wessex, which establishes that the first day takes place after October 8th at the earliest (see Llyn's Tribulations).
  • On the other hand, Llyn's level of freedom contradicts the ending of Llyn's Tribulations, where she is to be kept imprisoned for a month after her possession by her sword. Here, she is seen walking freely to the library and in the town square, and is on the patrol that finds the remains of the Patriarch's entourage.
• The first day is clear with a light wind.
  • Wessex arrived at Metamor with Phil in the evening. His students were waiting for him, but he dismissed them and locked his doors so he could start work auguring the leaves.
• The second day of their visit is chilly with a mostly clear sky.
  • The Long Scouts patrol the Keep in pairs. Misha recalls the Longs who are Followers so that they can attend.
  • Akabaieth tours many places in the Metamor Keep, though they are not explicitly listed. He visits the Keep library in the morning, and the Lothanasi temple late in the afternoon.
  • Kashin tours the Keep with Charles, seeing the cellars, the battlements, and Long House.
  • Garigan spends most of the day practicing in the Shrine.
  • Akabaieth has a private dinner in his rooms with Vinsah. Later, an hour after dusk, Akabaieth gives an Ecclesian Service that night, with Vinsah as deacon, and Hough and Lothar joining Akabaieth's priests. Even non-Ecclesian Followers attend the Service.
    • Charles attended the Service. It is implied Garigan did not attend, but spent the time practicing in the Shrine.
  • Wessex spends the whole day going through a set of 64 leaves, but finds nothing.
• The third day, a storm approaches.
  • Vinsah and Akabaieth have a breakfast of eggs and melon.
  • In the morning, Wessex goes through another set of 64 leaves, again finding nothing.
  • That afternoon, the Patriarch gives a speech. Among those who attend are Jessica, Weyden. Among those not in attendance are Wessex.
    • The speech itself is not shown, but it is said to describe Akabaieth's dream of world peace. It is carefully written to have a mix of serious, funny, sad, gentle, and demanding moments.
• The fourth day is overcast all day, with a storm in the evening.
  • At 3 AM, Charles is meeting with Misha for an assignment. Murikeer arrives to be assigned a patrol; he is given the same patrol as Llyn, Finbar, and Charles for later tonight.
  • The Patriarch and his guard pass Charles's and Llyn's patrols late in the afternoon.
• The storm passes several hours after later, before daybreak.
  • A courier ship bound for Whales leaves today. Phil is sending information to his father, King Tenomides, likely concerning Akabaieth's death. Raven also asks to deliver a message from her to Lycias, Lothanas of Whales.
  • Raven consults with Angernil about what to tell the Lothanasi High Council.
• At an unspecified day (some day between the 18th and the 22nd), funeral services for Akabaieth are held in the Ellcaran chapel. Kashin does not attend.
  • The day after, Andares speaks to Kashin.
• Just over a week after October 15th (circa October 23rd), Vinsah awakes from his coma, but asks Coe not to tell anyone.
  • Galadan and Povunoth, Egland's and Albert's horses, are found and brought to the stables.
• About one-and-a-half or two weeks after October 15th, Akabaieth is buried at sea by the Whalish navy. Attending are Phil, Rupert, Hough, and Murikeer.

Points of Interest

• At the Deaf Mule, the four knights drink wine, while Dream and Charles drink apple cider.
• The Patriarch's carriage is able to convert to a one-man bed with a side table.

< Second Cycle	Matthias's Third Cycle	Fourth Cycle >
Stories	Stories in yellow are not part of the cycle proper, but give important context for other stories.
	False Winds · Stepping Up to Destiny · Fingers in the Weave · Four on the Floor · Fireside · Hunt · Intercessor · Intersecting Correspondence · Jormugand · The Three Sides of Truth · Lawbreakers · Casualties of War · Killing Time · Legacies · Libraries · Four by Four · Liturgy of Blood · Longing · Nuptials · Relic · Wandering the Keep · Winter's First Chill · The Winter Assault
Major Characters	Charles Matthias · Garigan · Kimberly · Misha Brightleaf · Rickkter Akabaieth · Caroline · Gornul · Father Hough · Jessica · Kashin · Phil · Saulius · Thalberg · Duke Thomas · Vinsah · Wessex · Yonson · Zagrosek · Zhypar Habakkuk