Character Glossary for Book 1
Main Characters
Our heroes, if such a term could apply to anyone in a world so broken.
Alken Hewer: Protagonist and main POV of the story. Once a member of the storied order known as the Knights of the Alder Table and champion to a petty queen, the treacherous actions of the Table and Alken's personal failings led to his disgrace and exile. After the Fall, he was offered a role as an executioner and punisher of other traitors by the ancient beings who rule Urn, becoming the Headsman of Seydis. A haunted man troubled by old loyalties and a complicated sense of honor.
Emma Orley: Scion of two accursed and fallen noble houses, Emma is Alken's unofficial squire and disciple. With dreams of climbing out from beneath the shadow of her ancestors, her cynical nature and ties to dark forces are a constant temptation to the left-hand path.
Catrin of Ergoth: A dhampir prostitute who works for a mysterious information broker. Alken's friend and confidant, her unique perspective on the world and rumor-mongering ways are a useful asset during many of his misadventures.
Karog: A war ogre from the continent. An enemy during the early parts of the story, his mercenary nature and strong sense of honor have led to his estrangement from darker interests. A dubious ally and a dangerous enemy, whose role often fluctuates between the two. He once served the Cambion, and has fought many strange wars in faraway lands.
Lisette of the Bairns: A young cleric who was apprenticed for a time to a vampire hunter after her cloister was destroyed in a raid. She later enters the service of the Empress of the Accord, placing her in a position of common interest with Alken and his other allies. An uncommonly skilled adept with a versatile magic.
Inhabitants of the Fane
Oria's Fane is a hidden Sidhe refuge in the heartlands of Urn, where a number of strange characters have congregated.
Maxim Braeve: An aged Alder Knight afflicted with a curse of madness from his broken oaths. Alken's senior knight and fellow survivor of the order's destruction.
Oraeka: A young Sidhe warrior who guards the Fane. Troubled by her people's decline and seeking ways to prove herself.