Five Great Charters
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The Five Great Charters are the five entities in Garth Nix's Old Kingdom books, which are sources and bastions of Charter Magic. They include the bloodlines of the royal family of the Old Kingdom, the Abhorsens, and the Clayr, as well as the Wallmakers and the Great Stones.
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[edit] Royal Family
The first Great Charter is the Royal Family of the Old Kingdom; this is the most visible of the Five Great Charters, in their rule over the Old Kingdom. They rule from the capital of Belisaere. Their skills lie in diplomacy and Charter Magic. When Prince Rogir attacked the other members of the Royal Family, most died out. However, Prince Torrigan was sealed away as the figurehead of a boat in the Royal Harbor. For 200 years, in a period known as the "Interregnum," there was no royal family ruling over the Old Kingdom. This allowed necromancers and the Dead to run rampant. At the end of the book Sabriel, Torrigan (who called himself Touchstone) was established as King of the Old Kingdom, with Sabriel as the Queen. They would go on to have two children: Prince Sameth and Princess Ellimere.
This bloodline's symbol is the tower.
[edit] Abhorsens
The Abhorsen, a highly respected (and even feared) figure in the Old Kingdom, protects its citizens and the like from the Dead that may be raised by necromancers and Free Magic sorcerers. Only those of the Abhorsen blood, among the three great bloodlines of the Charter, are able to use both Free and Charter Magic, as well as travel to Death. They are easily able to travel into Death (in spirit only) and utilize special Necromantic bells that balance Free Magic with the Charter. These bells allow them to control the Dead like a necromancer, except in ways that benefit the Old Kingdom.
Those of this bloodline generally have pale skin and dark hair and eyes. Their symbol is the silver key.
[edit] Known Abhorsens
It is implied that there have been 53 Abhorsens (not counting Lirael, Abhorsen-in-Waiting), but only a handful are known.
- Kalliel - the 12th Abhorsen. He was very untrusting of Mogget, and kept him locked up for years. He supposedly had the well outside the Abhorsen's House dug. When he disappeared, his grandson (who released Mogget) inherited his bells. In the beginning of Abhorsen, Lirael, Sameth, Mogget and the Disreputable Dog find the remains of Kalliel's bones and bells in the bottom of the well.
- Jerizael - the 48th Abhorsen. Before her reign, Mogget had at least one other form he could take, which was that of a short man with snow-white skin and hair -- an albino. However, Jerizael forbade that form to Mogget in the presence of an Abhorsen or Abhorsen-in-Waiting without prior permission.
- Terciel - the 52nd Abhorsen. For all of Sabriel, his name is unknown, and Sabriel only knows him by the name of "Abhorsen." This confuses her when others refer to her by her title. It is only in Lirael that his name is revealed. It seemed that he let Mogget take his human form often.
- Sabriel - the 53rd Abhorsen. She didn't let Mogget take on his human form, and in Sabriel, Mogget seems the most servile.
- Chlorr - was once an Abhorsen; as implied by Mogget, in passing, in Abhorsen.
- Alliel[1] - an Abhorsen who possibly donated texts to the Clayr library, notably the journal of Idrach the Lesser Necromancer, which tells about the gates and precincts of death. It is not sure when he serves as Abhorsen, although it could be assumed that it was he who slew Idrach while he was an Abhorsen-in-Waiting and obtained the text.
[edit] The Great Stones
The Great Stones sit in a reservoir in Belisaere, under the palace, where it is protected by the Royal Family. During Sabriel, some of the stones were broken and caused the decay and corruption of the Charter throughout the Old Kingdom. These stones, unlike the lesser Charter stones, may only be broken by the Blood of the Royal Family or the Blood of an Abhorsen, which Prince Rogirek carried out. However, before he could break all the stones, he was stopped by the Abhorsen of that time and the unbound Mogget.
After the final binding of Kerrigor, Touchstone sought to fix the Great Stones again, which may be done only through his own blood as well, finishing only after many difficult months.
[edit] Clayr
The Clayr are a bloodline of over a thousand seers who live in a mountainous glacier, known as the Clayr's Glacier, where they look into the future through the ice, and prophesy what they see. The Sight, which usually comes in bits and pieces, is enhanced when the Clayr focus in their Observatory. This job is usually done by the Nine Day Watch, a group of Clayrs strong in the sight (the actual "members" change regularly, although there are those who are almost always called to the Nine Day Watch). The more Clayrs who watch, the stronger (clearer/longer) and quicker the vision is.
Lirael was half-descended from the Clayr, and raised by them until her heritage as Remembrancer and Abhorsen was revealed at the Abhorsen's House with Prince Sameth. A Rememberancer is one who is half Abhorsen and half Clayr and can use a Dark Mirror in Death to view the past.
Clayr usually have blond hair, light blue or green eyes, usually tanned due to their home, and are almost always female. Their emblem is a seven-pointed star.
[edit] The Wallmakers/Wall
The Wallmakers were highly skilled craftsmen from a Great Charter family who created the magical wall dividing Ancelstierre from the Old Kingdom. In addition to the Wall, they also created various weaponry to aid the fight against Free Magic and the Dead, such as swords; Touchstone's double swords, the Abhorsen's, and the Remembrancer's (Nehima) were all created by the Wallmakers. What the other were are not known.
Afraid of their power being diluted if kept in the blood -- as was the case for the other bloodlines -- they transferred their magic into the Wall. The only known Wallmaker during the period of the series is Prince Sameth, son and second child of Sabriel and Touchstone. Their symbol is the trowel.
[edit] References
- ^ Gates & Precincts of Death (Flash). AbhorsenTrilogy.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
| Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series | |
|---|---|
| Novels | Sabriel • Lirael • Abhorsen • Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories |
| Characters | Chlorr of the Mask • Disreputable Dog • Kerrigor • Lirael • Mogget • Orannis • Sabriel • Terciel • Touchstone |
| Magic | The Charter • Five Great Charters • Free Magic • Nine Bright Shiners |
| Places | Ancelstierre • Death • Old Kingdom |
| Magical objects | Necromantic bells • Nehima • Paperwing |
