The Long War 01 - The Black Guard (78 page)

Bromvy Black Guard of Canarn (Brom)
– errant lord and son of Duke Hector

Bronwyn of Canarn
– daughter of Duke Hector, twin sister to Bromvy

Haake of Canarn
– Duke Hector’s household guard

The house of Tiris – descended from High King Dashell Tiris

Sebastian Tiris
– scion of the house of Tiris and king of Tor Funweir

Lady Alexandra
– wife of King Sabastian

Bartholomew Tiris
– the king’s father –
deceased

Christophe Tiris
– son to King Sebastian, prince of Tor Funweir –
deceased

Clerics of the One God

Mobius of the Falls of Arnon
– Cardinal of the Purple

Severen of Voy
– Cardinal of the Purple

Brother Jakan of Tiris –
Purple cleric of the sword, protector to King Sebastian Tiris

Brother Torian of Arnon
– Purple cleric of the quest –
deceased

Animustus of Voy
– Gold cleric

Brother Lanry
– Brown cleric, confessor to Duke Hector

Brother Utha the Ghost
– Black cleric and old-blood of the Shadow Giants

Brother Roderick of the Falls of Arnon
– Black cleric

Knights and nobles

Mortimer Rillion
– Knight Commander of the Red army –
deceased

Nathan of Du Ban
– Knight Captain of the Red, adjutant to Knight Commander Rillion –
deceased

Rashabald of Haran
– executioner and knight of the Red –
deceased

William of Verellian
– Knight Captain of the Red

Fallon of Leith –
Knight Lieutenant of the Red and the army’s finest swordsman
,
adjutant to Knight Captain Verellian

Tristram of Hunter’s Cross
– Knight Commander of the Red

Hallam Pevain
– mercenary knight

Castus
of Weir –
bound man and gaoler
–
deceased

Leon Great Claw –
a knight, first master to Randall of Darkwald –
deceased

Lyam of Weir
– Duke of Ro Weir

Common folk

Bracha
– old knight sergeant

Callis
– sergeant in the Red army

Clement of Chase
– watch sergeant of Ro Tiris

Elyot of the Tor
– watchman of Ro Tiris

Fulton
of Canarn
– tavern keeper

Kale Glenwood (formerly Glen Ward)
– forger, resident in Ro Tiris

Lorkesh
– guardsman

Lux
– watch sergeant of Ro Tiris

Lyssa
– child in the Brown chapel

Mott
– a bandit

Randall of Darkwald
– squire to, in succession: Sir Leon Great Claw, Brother Torian of Arnon, and Brother Utha the Ghost

Robin of Tiris
– watchmen of Ro Tiris

Rodgar
– child in the Brown chapel

Tobin of Cozz
– blacksmith and fixer

T
HE
P
EOPLE OF
R
OWANOCO

The Ranen of Fjorlan

The high lords of Fjorlan have, since the first, sought to keep their names alive through their children. Those of minor houses are afforded no such honour and many deliberately strike their father’s name due to dishonourable actions.

The house of Teardrop – named for Alguin Teardrop, the first high thain of Fjorlan.

Ragnar Teardrop Larsson
– father to Magnus Forkbeard Ragnarsson and Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson –
deceased

Magnus Forkbeard Ragnarsson
– younger brother to Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson, priest of the Order of the Hammer, friend to Lord Bromvy –
deceased

Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson
– high thain of Ranen, elder brother to Magnus Forkbeard Ragnarsson –
deceased

Ingrid Teardrop Algedottir
– daughter to Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson

Alahan Teardrop Algesson
– son to Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson

Wulfrick the Enraged
– axe-master of Fredericksand

Thorfin Axe Hailer
– lore-master of Fredericksand

Samson the Liar
– old-blood of the Ice Giants

The house of Summer Wolf – an ancient and respected house, named for Kalall Summer Wolf

Aleph Summer Wolf Kallsson
– thain of Tiergarten –
deceased

Halla Summer Wolf Alephsdottir
– daughter to Aleph Summer Wolf, axe-maiden

Borrin Iron Beard
– axe-master of Tiergarten –
deceased

The house of Ursa – A new house with no honourable lineage, they name as they see fit

Rulag Ursa Bear Tamer
– thain of Jarvik, father to Kalag Ursa

Rodgar
– child in the Brown chapel

Kalag Ursa Rulagsson
– lordling of Jarvik

Lyssa
– child in the Brown chapel

Jalek Blood –
axe-master of Jarvik

Survivors of the dragon fleet

Rexel Falling Cloud
– axe-master of Hammerfall

Oleff Hard Head
– chain-master of Fredericksand

The Ranen of the south lands

The Free Companies are common folk who earn their honour names and have never sought nobility or family names.

Wraith Company – protectors of the Grass Sea

Horrock Green Blade
– captain of Wraith Company, commander of Ro Hail

Haffen Red Face
– axe-master of Ro Hail

Freya Cold Eyes
– wise-woman of Ro Hail

Micah Stone Dog
– young axe-man of Ro Hail

Darron Moon Eye
– priest –
deceased

Johan Long Shadow
– commander at South Warden

T
HE
P
EOPLE OF
K
ARESIA

The Seven Sisters – enchantresses, formerly of Jaa, now of Shub-Nillurath

Saara the Mistress of Pain
– leader of the order of the Seven Sisters, bears no mark

Ameira the Lady of Spiders
– a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a spider’s web –
deceased

Katja the Hand of Despair
– a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a howling wolf

Sasha the Illusionist
– a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a flowering rose

Lillian the Lady of Death
– a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a hand

Shilpa the Shadow of Lies
– a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of birds in flight

Isabel the Seductress
– a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a coiled snake

The Wind Claws – men who give their life to Jaa

Dalian Thief Taker
– greatest of the wind claws

Larix the Traveller
– a wind claw –
deceased

The Hounds – criminals serving as the Karesian army

Izra Sabal
– whip-mistress of the Hounds

Turve Ramhe
– whip-master of the Hounds

Common folk

Al-Hasim, prince of the wastes
– exile and thief, friend to the house of Canarn

Emaniz Kabrizzi
– book dealer of Ro Weir

Jenner of Rikara
– Karesian smuggler, brother to Kohli

Kohli of Rikara
– Karesian smuggler, brother to Jenner

Voon of Rikara
– exemplar of Jaa, missing somewhere in Karesia

T
HE
G
ODLESS

Kirin – a mongrel race, neither Ro nor Karesian

Rham Jas Rami
– assassin, dark-blood and friend to Bromvy, Black Guard of Canarn

Zeldantor
– son to Rham Jas Rami, slave to Saara the Mistress of Pain

The Dokkalfar – an ancient race of non-human forest-dwellers.

Tyr Nanon the Shape Taker
– warrior of the Heart

Tyr Rafn
– warrior of the Heart –
deceased

Tyr Sigurd
– warrior of the Heart

Tyr Vasir
– a forest-dweller held captive by the men of Ro

Vithar Joror –
shaman of the Heart

Vithar Jofn
– shaman of the Heart

I would like to thank the following people for more help, support and love than can be adequately expressed. You all contributed to this and I really hope you enjoy it.

Simon Hall, Mark Allen, Tony Carew, Martin Cubberley, Carrie Hall, Benjamin Hesford, Marcus Holland, Paolo Trepiccione, Alex Wallis, Karl Wustrau and my mum (who thinks the swearing a little unnecessary, but read the first three chapters anyway).

The city of Ro Canarn burns. With their father’s blood fresh upon the headsman’s sword, Lord Bromvy and Lady Bronwyn, the last scions of the house of Canarn, face fugitive exile or death. By royal decree, their noble line is now reviled, named Black Guard, and struck from past and future histories throughout the lands of Ro.

In the court of Ro Tiris, men fear to speak their minds. The Army of the Red is marching upon the North. Those who oppose its advance risk the bloody fate of house Canarn, for strange accidents befall those who dare question the King’s new advisors… Those foolish enough to speak their names call them the Seven Sisters: witches of the fire god; each as beautiful and as dangerous as a flame.

And, called from the long ages of deep time by war and sacrifice, the children of a dead god are waking with a pitiless cry—

All that was dead will rise.

All that now lives will fall…

A. J. SMITH has been devising the worlds, histories and characters of the Long War chronicles for more than a decade. He was born in Birmingham and works in secondary education.

A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

We hope you enjoyed this book. We are an independent publisher dedicated to discovering brilliant books, new authors and great storytelling. Please join us at
www.headofzeus.com
and become part of our community of book-lovers.

We will keep you up to date with our latest books, author blogs, special previews, tempting offers, chances to win signed editions and much more.

If you have any questions, feedback or just want to say hi, please drop us a line on
[email protected]

   
@HoZ_Books