Below is a list of fictional characters appearing in The Elenium and The Tamuli, fantasy series written by David Eddings.
For the various races, also read Major Races of Eosia and Tamul
Sparhawk is the main character in the Elenium and Tamuli series. He is a Pandion Knight and Champion of Queen Ehlana. He marries Queen Ehlana and they have a child called Danae, who is the child goddess Aphrael in human form.
Sephrenia is the Styric instructor of the spells of Styricum, also known as the "secrets", to the Pandion Knights. She is also the high priestess of Aphrael, the Child-Goddess, as well as being the older sister of one of Aphrael's incarnations, and a companion of Sparhawk. She is referred to as "Little Mother" by the generations of Pandion Knights she taught as well as various members of other orders that have come to revere her. She is illiterate by choice, implying that reading may somehow interfere with her magical abilities although it is later revealed that she knows how to read and write in Styric and she simply chooses not to learn Elene because she considered their handwriting "undignified". Throughout the Elenium it is hinted that she and Vanion are in love; this is stated as a fact rather than hinted at in The Tamuli, and at the end of The Hidden City (the third book in the Tamuli) she and Vanion get married. Upon their marriage the Bhelliom bestows upon them the gift of reversing their ages until both Sephrenia and Vanion look no older than their early twenties.
Mentored by Sparhawk since she was little, Queen Ehlana ascended the throne after the assassination of her father, Aldreas. Because of her time with Sparhawk, Ehlana developed a highly assertive personality. Because of this, Queen Ehlana was poisoned by the Primate Annias in his attempt to steal the throne of Elenia—with Darestim, the same poison with which he killed Aldreas. She was cured by the touch of Bhelliom, and shortly after her recovery, she married Sparhawk. At the end of The Elenium, Ehlana gives birth to Danae, who is revealed to be an incarnation of the Goddess Aphrael; however Ehlana is unaware of her daughter's true identity. It should also be noted that due to her poisoning, Ehlana was struck barren, although she herself was unaware of this fact. If not for Aphrael's "meddling" in the matter, Ehlana would never have conceived a child.
Aphrael is one of the Younger Gods of Styricum, and is known as the Child-Goddess, as her preferred form is that of a six-year-old girl with grass-stained feet, known to the knights as Flute. She has three known incarnations: Danae, the daughter of Sparhawk and Queen Ehlana; her true form, an adult woman; and the form of Flute, the six-year old girl, hardly different in appearance from Danae (she takes the form of a child, as people trust children more). Due to her habit of being reborn to a mortal follower, Aphrael's 'Flute' incarnation was a sister to Sephrenia. The fact that Flute is an incarnation of Aphrael is known to Styrics (it is unknown if they are previously aware of this identity or are able to guess it being more naturally attuned) but not revealed to Sparhawk until the end of The Ruby Knight. Only Sparhawk, Sephrenia, Vanion, and later Xanetia know Danae is also an incarnation. Berit also notices the similarity between the two girls, and has a conversation about it with Sparhawk's squire Khalad. He can never prove it, but he suspects. In all incarnations she is relatively similar- whimsical, childish, but incredibly wise and loving- love is the most important thing to her, and, as with all gods, the love of her worshipers sustains her powers. In all her incarnations she has shown great affection for Sparhawk and all her friends, but seems to have a romantic attachment to Talen, who she plans on marrying as Danae. Presumably the wedding will have her wearing simply grass stained feet.
Aphrael was instrumental in the recovery of Bhelliom, a magical blue sapphire crafted in the shape of a rose, and its delivery to Sparhawk in The Ruby Knight.
Bhelliom is a spirit that was "born" at the beginning of the universe. It traveled the universe, creating blue worlds. It is stated in The Shining Ones that it has made millions of worlds, and it thinks of them as its daughters. When it created the Earth, there was too much red dust (i.e. iron) in the mixture, which hurts Bhelliom, trapping it in the center of the Earth. Ghwerig, a deformed, outcast Troll, found Bhelliom as a solid sapphire gem and carved it into a beautiful rose. It is unknown how long this took; however, Ghwerig himself says it took ten years to carve one petal. It is revealed by the Troll Gods that Ghwerig will need to make rings out of Bhelliom itself to have the ability to command its immense power. After he finished the rings, Aphrael cleverly stole them. Later Adian, a Thalesian hero, ventured into Ghwerig's cave and stole Bhelliom. Bhelliom is passed down from Thalesian kings, and when King Sarak died in battle, Bhelliom was thrown into a lake, where it rests for half a millenium. When Sparhawk and company come across it, is believed to be merely an extremely powerful artifact. However, Bhelliom is shown to have a consciousness, even a personality and quirks. Bhelliom is revealed to be the creator of Sparhawk, who is really Anakha, the man whose destiny is not perceived by the gods. Bhelliom created Sparhawk to help free itself from the Earth. Even later in the Tamuli, it is revealed that Bhelliom does not just have power, but enough power to trap and kill gods, and that the rings are merely a show so that no one could know its true power. Sparhawk himself says that if all of the gods in all the worlds in the universe combined together, they still could not defeat Bhelliom.
The Hidden City reveals that Bhelliom has an eternal enemy, called Klæl, that constantly vies with it for the worlds Bhelliom creates. At the end of the Tamuli, after Klæl is defeated and banished, Bhelliom departs from the world, to continue its journey among the stars creating worlds, but not without a few parting gifts. When Vanion and Sephrenia are married, Bhelliom reverses their ages to their early twenties. Bhelliom also accelerates the evolution of Xanetia and the Delphae so that they may also depart and join the stars. Finally, at Sparhawk's request, all the powers of Anakha are removed from him, allowing him to resume a normal human life.
Sparhawk's squire in The Elenium. He is killed by Adus at the climax of The Sapphire Rose. Kurik has five sons: Khalad (the eldest), who serves Sparhawk in a similar role to his father after his death, and three un-named sons with his wife Aslade, and Talen, who is first encountered as a street-thief in The Diamond Throne, with his mistress, Elys.
Kurik acts as Sparhawk's 'right hand man,' and is much respected by all who know him (to the point that Martel, one of Sparhawk's greatest enemies, expresses deep regret to hear of his death). While many, especially Sparhawk himself, have expressed the opinion that Kurik would make an ideal Knight, the squire dismisses this out of hand due to his personal obligation to be Sparhawk's squire, a relationship that had begun many generations before between the families. Kurik is quite classist, not having a high opinion of the general intelligence of most nobles.
Sir Kalten is a tall blonde-haired, blue-eyed man, a Pandion Knight and one of the principal companions of Sparhawk. Kalten was taken in by Sparhawk's family after his parents were killed. While growing up together, Kalten and Sparhawk became close friends and were more like brothers than anything else. Unlike Sparhawk, Kalten has a very care-free nature and prefers charging into battle rather than thinking things through. Kalten was the one who gave Sparhawk his broken nose when they were, as Kalten says, 'just playing around' as young boys (something Aphrael nearly disassembled him for). Kalten was never good at speaking the Styric tongue and as such, never got the hang of magic, much to Sephrenia's disappointment — although it turns out he understands more Styric than he can pronounce. He also has a poor head for spelling, even misspelling every letter of his own name. While normally considered by his friends and enemies to be something of a simpleton, Kalten is much more than he appears. At times, he exhibits cleverness, bordering on brilliance. Still, his inability to grasp simple concepts is baffling at times, but Kalten shrugs it off — he knows he's not too bright, and he doesn't care. By the end of The Tamuli, he is engaged to Alean, one of Ehlana's maids. Originally he is not serious about her, but after being warned off by Mirtai he becomes very protective of her, even to the point where he does not consider a relationship with her, making her do all the seducing. Once he realizes she loves him (though he thinks for a while she is in love with Berit) he is still protective and wishes to marry her despite the class boundary. After she is kidnapped, he goes slightly crazy for a while, but she gets a title when she is rescued and the two are married.
Sir Tynian is an Alcione Knight and one of the principal companions of Sparhawk. Tynian, like Kalten, is carefree and often accuses Sparhawk of 'spoiling their fun' whenever Sparhawk choses an option that does not involve charging headfirst towards the enemy. Tynian is also a bit of a prankster, for example when he first meets Kalten, he shakes his hand with a dead mouse in it. Tynian has some skill at necromancy which becomes vital to Sparhawk and his companions during the events of The Ruby Knight. Sir Tynian is Champion of the Alcione Knights. Like his Alcione brothers, Tynian is known for wearing massive, heavy plate armor, which has the side effect of giving him a massive frame. One of Tynian's quirks is asking his friends if he could make a suggestion whenever he wants to suggest something, which is made into something of a running joke in the Sparhawk universe; when Bhelliom asks Sparhawk the same thing, Ulath accuses Tynian of 'talking to the poor stone in secret'. Tynian's explanation for his politeness is that he was taught to be respectful to his elders. He is a close friend of Kring and Ulath (although he and the latter would never admit to the depth of their friendship, which is pretty much brotherhood.)
Sir Ulath is a Genidian Knight of Thalesia and one of the principal companions of Sparhawk. He has long braided hair, but no beard, unlike most Thalesians. The Genidian comes from the north of the Elene continent, and they are known for wearing a chainmail in place of the plate armour the other knights wear; they normally wear a utilitarian chain shirt, but their formal armor is full set of chainmail. Ulath has a vast knowledge of trolls and ogres, creatures who plague his homeland of Thalesia, and can even speak the language of the trolls. Sir Ulath is the champion of the Genidian Knights. He claims to hate sieges (supposedly because it is part of Thalesia's national character), and he often complains about it when forced into a siege (ironically enough, he readily suggests sieges whenever the situation calls for it, typically by grunting the word 'forts'.) Overall, Ulath is known for not being very talkative, but having a very dry wit. He is known to be rather cryptic in his speech, providing sudden one-word answers to any problems that crop up, to the point where his companions couldn't understand what he meant until he provides the explanation; he explained that he often says the one-word solutions before he thinks about it, because the process of arriving at that conclusion usually isn't so interesting that it deserves being said step-by-step. Ulath is also in charge of determining whose turn it is to cook, using a system that baffles the others. (This system is eventually revealed to be Ulath telling whoever asks it is their turn to cook. If Ulath gets hungry enough and no-one asks, Ulath cooks the meal himself. When this becomes apparent, "Ulath has a lot of turns coming up"). In the first book of the second series, Ulath is introduced as an Earl.
Sir Bevier is a Cyrinic Knight and one of the principal companions of Sparhawk. He is notable for his devotion to the Elene religion. He has also received a university education, and has studied military history extensively, as well as participating in amateur dramatics at the university. In The Diamond Throne he mentions that he is a few months away from turning thirty years old. Bevier is a very innocent man who is continually shocked by the more relaxed behaviour of the other knights, though he does admit that he has a weakness for women, something he felt ashamed of until Sparhawk explained that Bevier's still fairly young, and it's only natural. When it comes to matters of the church or justice, Bevier can be very passionate and even a little rash. His weapon of choice is a Lochaber axe. Sir Bevier is The Champion of the Cyrinic Knights, and as such wears plate armour polished to a silvery sheen, and his cape and surcoat are white.
Berit is initially encountered as a trainee Pandion Knight who is of a similar size and build to Sparhawk—a fact used to disguise Berit as Sparhawk to deceive some of Sparhawk's enemies. During the events described in The Diamond Throne, Berit made it his personal mission to teach the young thief Talen about the history of Elenia. These lessons also helped Talen achieve a somewhat higher sense of humility as Berit met Talen's bad behavior and disrespect with a swift kick from his plated boots. In The Sapphire Rose he nurses a strong infatuation to the lovely Queen Ehlana, and spends a little time resenting Sparhawk for having married her. Sparhawk notices this and has a man-to-man talk with Berit to help smooth the matter over. After the events of The Sapphire Rose he is promoted to a full member of the Pandion order, though he shows a preference for axes over swords. In 'The Tamuli' he is chased by women of all races ("It's something about his eyelashes...") and in the end ends up in a relationship with the bare-breasted Empress Elysoun which only lasts a short period due to the fact she is a) married and b) a Valesian who practices free love, until she gets pregnant, which happens at the end of the Tamuli.
Mirtai is an Atan, a derivative race of the Tamuls. In ancient times, the Atans sought to make themselves a race of ultimate soldiers, so they bred for stature, strength, and aggression, helped along by the rugged, untamed wilderness of their homeland. Eventually, the program went too far, and Atans started turning violent towards each other. A wise Atan king voluntarily enslaved his race to the Tamuls; in return for their services, the Tamul government used their bureaucracy to keep the Atans from killing each other.
By the time of the Elenium, the Atans have long-standing traditions of physical training from childhood (similar in nature to the Spartan Agoge, but with equal respect for both genders), and Mirtai is among these training regimes when her camp was attacked, and she was forced into slavery (but Mirtai made them pay for it by killing two slavers in the process). For approximately the next ten years, her racial survival instincts and physical strength allowed her to survive against ill-mannered masters and to be of service to more beneficent ones. Eventually, she was transported to Cimmura and sold to Platime, head of the thieves of the city. Having trouble finding a role for her, when he becomes an advisor for Queen Ehlana, he immediately "gives" her to Ehlana as a bodyguard. Ehlana tries hard to coax Mirtai to act more human but refuses both her coaxings and her offers of emancipation, saying it is for everyone's own good that she be indentured or else she would turn uncontrollably homicidal.
Like all Atans, Mirtai is very tall (she stands about a hand taller than Sparhawk), very well-developed physically, and very beautiful, with bronze skin and braided black hair. She customarily wears a white full-sleeved blouse, a kilt, and a sword along with various daggers concealed among her person that she can employ with lethal efficiency. She speaks and acts very directly, even among royals and other important people, and she never uses titles. Her brusque manner makes her sometimes appear less the servant and more the mistress. The term "bully" is frequently used descriptively. Sparhawk himself notes that her slavery does nothing to stop her from "ruling the royal family with an iron fist".
In The Sapphire Rose, Mirtai accompanies Queen Ehlana to Chyrellos after the siege is broken, and she catches the eye of Kring, the Domi of the Peloi. But when Sparhawk conveys Kring's initial advances, she laughed. This actually angered Kring, driving him to more elaborate displays of affection which eventually make Mirtai take him more seriously. As is customary among Atans, she lets the courtship continue for a number of years and only agrees to betrothal in Domes of Fire. Her loyalty to the throne of Elenia is best shown early in The Hidden City; dismayed by her failure to protect Queen Ehlana, she is chained to the bed to keep her from harming herself and only convinced to continue to serve with some strong words from Princess Danae. By the end of the Tamuli, she finally releases herself from her service to Ehlana so she can marry Kring.
Kurik's illegitimate son, the result of his father's affair with a young Cimmuran girl, Elys. Talen is a master pickpocket and easily swipes money and possessions from commoners, nobles and knights on a regular basis- though usually simply to keep in practice. Talen initially works for the leader of Cimmura's criminal community, a fat man and former thief called Platime- who claims one day Talen will hold his position. Talen is a modest but skilled sketch artist, a talent he has used to help Sparhawk on more than one occasion. At the end of The Sapphire Rose Talen wounded Adus by stabbing him in the kidney from the back then from the front. Later, after Adus had fallen he and Sparhawk killed Adus by driving his own sword through his heart- throughout the series, though he makes light of his illegitimacy, he is very sensitive about it and is moved to tears when both Kurik and Aslade openly accept him. Princess Danae has decided that Talen shall be her husband (picking him as if he were a hair ribbon because she can beat him at draughts and they can't spend all their time in bed- though this sounds very cold and clinical she repeadly displays a very real affection for him) Every time someone mentions this he becomes rather panicked but has shown a soft spot for both Danae and Flute, and when it is directly stated she will marry him in "The Hidden City" he isn't so bothered about it. At the end of The Sapphire Rose Kurik's wife, Aslade, invited Talen and Elys to live on her farm, stating it is what Kurik would have wanted. By the time of The Tamuli, Talen has become a page in the palace of Cimmura in preparation for entering the Pandion novitiate. He accompanies Sparhawk and company to Daresia to provide both his skills and (along with fellow thief Stragen) his connections to the criminal underworld. More of Talen's talents emerge during the Tamuli; he helps create a misinformation campaign to send the forces against the Tamul Empire in wrong directions. He also overhears (and is able to recite word for word) a conversation that proves the key to finding the city of Cyrga in The Hidden City, proving he has an excellent memory. Talen is also a talented artist, and carried around a sketch pad and a pencil for much of the trip. The sketch pad was partly filled with depictions of people Talen had seen around, and his representations were more than accurate enough to be used to put faces on a crowd of illusions. He is incredibly intelligent, observant and quick thinking- probably one of the most intelligent people in the series, and is described once as "one of the most intelligent people" that the main characters will ever meet.
Kurik's eldest son, he took on his father's role immediately after Kurik's funeral. While Sparhawk insisted that this wasn't necessary, he was not able to dissuade the young man. On the other hand, Sparhawk has made Khalad a Pandion novice with the full intent of seeing him knighted. While Khalad excels he is resented by his fellow Pandion novices and he is not comfortable around the nobles of the order, nor are all of them accepting of him. Inheriting most of his father's skills, Khalad is notable for being something of a genius, especially in mathematics and the physics of engineering. He puts his abilities to good use in building long-range weapons, and is extremely accurate in the use of his crossbow. On one occasion in 'The Shining Ones', he killed off an enemy character using only one shot because he had calculated the required trajectory beforehand on paper, and thus didn't have to waste his crossbow bolts. Like his father, he is brusque and practical-minded. He treats Sparhawk like an equal, completely disregarding the Pandion Knight's nobility and his own peasant background to the point where he actually drily makes fun of Sparhawk at times. Vanion notes Khalad's wealth of skills in The Shining Ones and tells Sparhawk to take charge of Khalad's education, and see to it he receives instruction in diplomacy and Church law—skills that would prepare the talented young man for being the Preceptor.
Kring was the Domi (Chief, sort of; the actual translation is a lot longer and carries a lot of respect) of the Peloi, a tribe of savage horsemen on the eastern marches of Pelosia. He's somewhat unimpressive physically, being short, bowlegged from his extensive time on horses, and shaved bald, which shows the scars on his scalp. He is more impressive when one learns that only his fellow Peloi can match his skills on a horse, and that the scars came from a dispute with a now-deceased friend about who was qualified to lead; the shaven head is a cultural practice. The Church Knights encountered the Peloi in the Elenium, while they were on their quest to restore Queen Ehlana to her throne. Kring had his Peloi assist the Church Knights in various ways in the Elenium, and was a leading figure in the events of the Tamuli. He courts and is eventually engaged to the Atan woman, Mirtai, who at first finds his attentions ridiculous to the point of being funny, but grows to respect him more when she finds out that he's a mighty leader, savage warrior, rich man (from all the loot), and fair poet. Someone familiar with Atan culture advised Mirtai that even by the standards of the militaristic Atans, Kring was a good catch.
In the first trilogy, Vanion is the head of the Pandion Order. An older, but still vibrant man, he acts as equal parts father figure and drill sergeant for his Knights. Vanion held a deep affection for Sephrenia beyond the normal, a feeling quietly returned by the Styric teacher. While many knights saw this and knew that it was technically a violation of many rules against inter-religion/racial relations, none told out of devotion to their teachers. Vanion was nearly killed taking on Sephrenia's burden of a powerful spell she had cast to keep Queen Ehlana alive, one of the facts that shows he has deep feelings for her. At the end of the first trilogy , he disappears with her to be nursed back to health. Sephrenia badgers Aphrael and she agrees to cure him. During the second trilogy, though he insists he is no longer Preceptor and therefore has no authority, he quickly resumes his former position of giving orders, sharing the leadership with Sparhawk. At the end of the second trilogy, they are married with the full approval of their respective deities and Bhelliom gives them a parting gift- shedding years off their appearance so they both appear to be in their early twenties.
Something that is implied to be significant but is never fully explained, is that Bhelliom will always use Vanion to speak through if he is around- and even worked his power through him on one occasion when Aphrael was dying. This in itself is odd as Sparhawk, "Bhellioms Child" was there at the time- and it is implied to be very significant that he chose Vanion to work through instead of his own child.
First encountered in The Ruby Knight, Stragen is head of the thieves in Emsat with a very devious mind, Thalesia, holding a 'position' similar to that of Platime in Cimmura. He is the illegitimate son of a minor Thalesian nobleman, and is very touchy about his origins; possibly because of this, he prefers to be known amongst those who work for him as "Milord" - although, as he admits in The Sapphire Rose, it is at least partially an affectation. He killed his father and both his brothers when they disputed him for the title, and makes his illegitimacy one of the centres of his life-which earns him a lecture from Melidere, after which he mentions it less often. One of his peculiar attributes is that he is unrealistically polite for a thief, saying its only because he has a higher class of customers, and it helps get into the habit. He joins Queen Ehlana's court, probably for the same reason and despite having other duties in Emsat, and is a major character in The Tamuli. In the Tamuli he also got engaged to Baroness Melidere who blackmailed him into it by offering him great wealth although by the end of 'The Hidden City' he seemed to have softened towards her and was quite willing to marry her of his own free will. Stragen's manners are usually exquisite, and he can grow quite eloquent when the need arises—he once insulted the Styric government's ruling council in just about every way he could have in a masterful speech. He can also speak perfect Styric and learned several spells just by listening, since the spells are actually formalized prayers requesting the aid of a Styric deity.
An ex-Genidian Knight who now serves as a patriarch of the Elene church (equivalent to a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church), though Bergsten still keeps a chain shirt, an ogre-horned helmet, and a battle axe. As huge, brutish-looking man in the neighborhood of seven feet tall (tall enough that the six-foot-plus Sparkhawk has to look up at him), King Wargun explained his size: "He was an only child and didn't have to fight nine brothers and sisters for his supper every night." He could almost be called Wargun's advisor (or master would be more appropriate). His presence and manner can be intimidating to the point of other highly-trained warriors (including paragons of violence such as Sparhawk) expressing a definite desire to not get on Bergsten's bad side. He runs into Aphrael and her cousin Setras in The Hidden City shortly after being forced to lay aside his cassock and once again take up arms and command the Church Knight expedition into Cynesga. He has a little trouble accepting their existence, believing that his Elene god would be furious with him if he spoke with them. Bergsten was introduced as the Patriarch of Emsat [in Thalesia]; since it was revealed that the Preceptors of the Four Orders are technically Patriarchs of the Church, upon Dolmant assuming the role of Archprelate, Bergsten was made a kind of "over-Patriarch" to whom the Preceptors would report directly; they do not want to fight him, either.
The Patriarch of Ucera [in Arcium], Emban was the son of a tavern keeper. Jolly, short, and completely rotund, Emban is a very shrewd churchman with a gift of "Political Maneuvering". At the very forefront of the fight to keep Annias off the Archprelate's throne, Emban is promoted to First Secretary of the Elene Church upon Dolmant's elevation to the Archprelacy and later accompanies Sparhawk and company to Daresia in the Tamuli as representative of the Elene Church. Emban is quick to make a joke, and his heritage has made him sensitive to the moods of a crowd, including how to ensure a crowd feels what he wants them to. His devious manipulation of emotions—and, during the crisis in the Sapphire Rose, his theatrics designed to stampede the Hierocracy into what the anti-Annias camp wanted—showed he quickly evaluates a course of action's crowd appeal, and plans accordingly. After the attack upon the Church city of Chyrellos and during the hardship of its citizenry, he arranged for the Church food-stores to be opened after a thanksgiving service—the service was arranged so that the people could get used to seeing Ortzel, the anti-Annias camp's compromise candidate for the Archprelacy, in public, and the offer of a distribution of food afterwards would draw several thousand hungry people to attend the services, which Emban felt would impress the Hierocracy with the seriousness of the election of an archprelate—and feed hungry people. Emban's own appetite and bulk moves him to be compassionate to those who are truly hungry.
Ortzel was introduced as the Patriarch of Kadach [in Lamorkand], and brother to the Baron Alstrom. Originally very stern, unbending, and following the Elene doctrine to the letter, Ortzel was the opposing candidate (against Annias) for the Archprelacy. When Queen Ehlana summarily maneuvered Dolmant to the Archprelacy, Ortzel cast his vote for Dolmant. After Dolmant's election, Ortzel was made the head of the Elene College of Theologians. Living in Chyrellos has softened his demeanor, and in the Tamuli, he appears to have a much more worldly view than before, and seems to have grown to be a much more likable person.
Dolmant was introduced as the Patriarch of Demos [in Elenia]. He was vital in helping the Church Knights overcome the many stumbling blocks that Makova threw in their paths. Possibly the most worldly of the Hierocracy, it was revealed during the 'Crisis of the Faith' that Dolmant is a former Pandion Knight, and is therefore asked to chair the Hierocracy. When Queen Ehlana gave her impassioned speech before the election, she gave a performance that was described as 'inspired' and 'could have only come from God'. Her speech discreetly eliminated every possible candidate for the Archprelacy, save Dolmant. When the introductions and speeches were over, the Hierocracy elected Dolmant to the Archprelacy by way of chanting his name over and over again until he accepted, by acclaimation.
Alean is Queen Ehlana's personal maid and she joins the story in 'The Tamuli'. She is a shy, young maid who is actively pursued by Kalten for the first part of "Domes of Fire" but after being warned off her by Mirtai he becomes incredibly protective, temporarily losing control when he finds out she was raped as a young girl. She begins actively pursuing him, becoming very angry when he puts his life in danger but refusing his offer of marriage because she has no title and people would hate her. By the end of 'The Hidden City' after being kidnapped, they are engaged after she receives a title from Sarabian when she is rescued for assisting in the war effort. Alean is noted for her lovely singing voice, which is described as 'angelic' something she uses to great effect and there are often undertones in her singing (she once uses it to get a message to Kalten and to assist in seducing him.) As a young servant she was sent to serve a man who took advantage of her, repeatedly raping her, but after he "got bored" he gave her a good enough reference to serve the Queen (it is hinted that the man who does this is either killed by Kalten or Mirtai when they return home.) She is a shy young girl but has a surprising knowledge of a number of things who is always self-conscious of her servant rank amongst her more noble companions (even refusing Kalten's offer of marriage due to the class difference) and demeans herself by calling herself 'silly' whenever she actively participates in a discussion, though her suggestions are usually very useful and intelligent (although on occasion, she can be somewhat mistaken, such as the instance in "The Shining Ones" (Book Two of The Tamuli), when she refers to the Interior Ministry of Tamuli as the "Inferior Ministry". This causes much hilarity, and Ambassador Oscagne says he "likes it better her way".
Melidere is a blonde haired, blue eyed baroness who also accompanies Ehlana in the visit to Matherion. She appears to be wide eyed and dim witted but this is in fact a ploy that she has constructed to protect herself as people are intimidated by "pretty intelligent women." This ploy is particularly directed at Stragen as it amuses her, but eventually she drops it in front of all of them. Her father was not born a Baron but was in fact a simple blacksmith until he became rich after inventing tools that shave gold off coins, remill them so it's undetectable, and hiring them out - it is stated that no gold coin in Eosia is in fact its correct weight thanks to him! With her inheritance Melidere paid an old Baroness to step aside for her, she also used her father's invention to blackmail Stragen into a relationship with her by offering him the boundless riches that could be gained through the Daresian continent's untouched coins and if he doesn't agree she'll have him killed. Though the wedding she proposes seems incidental to the business plan she had been slowly seducing him as they travelled across the Tamul continent. By "The Hidden City" he seems to have fallen in love with her as well, as he becomes furious when he finds out Elron stabs her.
Emperor Sarabian is the Emperor of the Tamul Empire and is introduced in The Tamuli. Although his government believes him to be a complete incompetent, he is actually almost frightfully intelligent, and is able to speak Tamul, Elenic, Styric, and Tegan, among other languages. In The Shining Ones he overthrows his incompetent Prime Minister, Pondia Subat, places Tamul under martial law, and regains his power from his corrupt officials. He and Queen Ehlana become very good friends, and Ehlana teaches him everything she knows about ruling. He develops a preference for the Elenic costume of doublet and hose, and becomes fairly proficient with a rapier by the end of the series. He has nine wives, one from each subservient kingdom in the empire. Those with known names are: Cieronna, from Tamul proper, first wife and mother of the heir to the throne; Elysoun, from the Isle of Valesia, whose customary costume exposes her breasts (she is the closest to him out of all the wives, and it is implied somewhat that they are in love, even with her practicing free love); Liatris, an Atan; Gahenas, from the Isle of Tega; Chacole, from Cynesga; and Torellia, from Arjuna. In The Hidden City Chacole instigates a plot against him, but Elysoun, Liatris, and Gahennas, along with Sarabian himself, defeat the assassins she sends.
Kurik's wife, the mother of Khalad and his three full brothers. She is described as a plump, motherly woman who impartially mothers everyone to excess. She is dearly loved by Sparhawk and Sephrenia and adored by her husband. According to Kurik, Aslade was pursuing him from the time of her early teens, and took him into her father's hayloft to do some "serious persuading" to get him to marry her. Her love for him is extraordinarily giving; when she learned of Kurik's dalliance with young Elys, she went and met the girl to determine which of them would be better for him. She liked Elys, however, and fully accepted the existence of Talen. After Kurik's death, she invited both of them to live on the farm with her and her sons.
Faran is "a great roan horse", the mount of Sparhawk in the Elenium and The Tamuli series. Faran is infamous for his bad temper and a tendency to bite strangers (such that Sparhawk always has to warn handlers about it). In one of the later books, the child-goddess Aphrael tells Sparhawk that Faran only has a bad temper because he is trying to please Sparhawk by matching his personality. Much to Sparhawk's annoyance, Faran has a habit of prancing whenever Sparhawk rides him with his formal armour on. The horse is also remarked upon to be unusually intelligent, to the point of understanding Sparhawk's speech and having memorized the ritual entry into a Pandion Chapterhouse as well as Sparhawk has. He also stated to be part of the reason Sparhawk is so dangerous- he is bad enough on his own, but on Faran he is called "a natural disaster."
Kurik's mistress. He had an affair with her when she was just eighteen and was "like a spring morning"; this affair resulted in Talen. At the end of the Elenium, Aslade invited both Talen and Elys to live with her at Kurik's farm.
Sorgi is a grizzled Cammorian sea captain (commanding a similarly-grizzled ship) who possesses a voice "like a fog horn", he enters the story in The Diamond Throne by conveying Sparhawk and Sephrenia to Rendor. To disguise their identities and purpose from Martel's spies, Sparhawk introduces himself as "Master Cluff" and tells a fiction about being pursued by relatives of an ugly heiress. Sorgi learns the truth about Sparhawk in Domes of Fire, but he continues to address Sparhawk as "Master Cluff" for old time's sake. Later in The Tamuli, he offers his assistance to the Sparhawk and the Church Knights, first by being part of the convoy that carries a contingent of knights by sea to Matherion, capital of the Tamul Empire, and then by allowing Sparhawk, Stragen, and Talen to sneak away unnoticed from Matherion as part of his crew. The Tamuli ends with him taking Sparhawk and company back home to Eosia.
The Anarae (Princess, sort of) of the Delphae, a people derived from the Tamul race but changed by their god, Edaemus. Like Styrics, Delphae life cycles are extended compared to Elenes; she is noted as looking no more than 16 when she is in fact over 100 years old. She first appears in The Shining Ones (said title is another name by which the Delphae are called). When Sparhawk and company realize they are being herded by the Delphae, Xanetia offers herself up to them as a hostage to prove they mean no harm. She becomes the representative of their people and explains their situation and request. In return for their services in helping to stop Cyrgon, they wish Sparhawk to beseech Bhelliom to seal their city of Delphaeus from the outside world so none may enter or leave.
Xanetia's unique talents prove critical in the latter half of The Tamuli. Like all Delphae, her natural form is humanoid and Tamul in appearance but with a bright white aura coming from within (thus why Delphae are known as "Shining Ones"). Originally nothing more than that, when people turned against the Delphae in the distant past for reasons never stated, Edaemus turned the glow into a warning and a curse—her very touch can cause the immediate decay of any life form. In addition, Xanetia can manipulate both the light within (so as to disguise herself as a normal Tamul) and the light around her (to make herself nearly invisible). She can also, if necessary, alter her physical form; though most Delphae use this to create disguises, Xanetia uses this ability to morph into mist in The Hidden City. Most notably, she can read (what she calls "share") the thoughts of any person she sees. It is this latter that helps to unravel the conspiracy against the Tamul Empire as well as reveal Zalasta as a traitor. Also, because her magic power was made into a curse, her aura and magic have the peculiar ability to mask other magic, including that of Bhelliom itself.
At the end of the Tamuli, the Delphae's wish to seal their city becomes unnecessary. With help from Bhelliom, the evolution of Xanetia and the rest of the Delphae is accelerated, and they leave the world with Edaemus and journey to the stars.
The leader of Cimmura's criminal community. Many years before the stories take place, one of Sparhawk's relatives saved Platime from being executed. When in need of some help from the underground, Sparhahawk introduced himself to Platime and called in the favor. Platime, a fat, rather slovenly fellow was a great help to Sparhawk with his many underground connections, and eventually becomes one of Queen Ehlana's most trusted advisors. It was in Platime's den, when Sparhawk first met him to seek his aid that Talen is first introduced. He has a very sharp mind and shows a talent not just for criminal activity, but for politics as well, probably because, as Queen Ehlana points out, the two are often very closely related.
Primate Annias is a corrupt churchman who is under the influence of Azash in The Elenium which is finally revealed to be the mechanisms of Zalasta, as apparently, when he was younger, he was utterly devoted to the church, and was only corrupted by Styric interference. When he was the royal chamberlain, he slept with Princess Arissa, who seduced him. He decided to leave the priesthood and marry Arissa, however the loose moraled Princess Arissa did not agree; she liked her promiscuous lifestyle. However, he did make her pregnant, the result being Lycheas. He is responsible for the poisoning of Queen Ehlana, in an attempt to end her interference with his plans to ascend to the title of Archprelate, leader of the Elene church. Seeing the look of abject misery on the face of Annias when Sparhawk made the offhand mention of Dolmant's ascension to the position in Otha's palace, Sparhawk felt that at that moment, his revenge against Annias for all his sins was complete. He is killed by Azash at the end of The Sapphire Rose.
Arissa was one of the princesses of Elenia. The sister of Aldreas, the king of Elenia, she attempted to seduce and marry him, thus becoming queen. This plot was foiled by the elder Sparhawk and she was later sent to a nunnery. In the Elenium she attempts to put her bastard son Lycheas on the throne but fails. She then committed suicide using poison, much to the disappointment of Ulath. His disappointment was easied, to some extent, when Arissa was revealed to merely be dying extremely slowly and painfully
The illegitimate son of Primate Annias and Princess Arissa, he was Queen Ehlana's cousin and served as Prince Regent during Ehlana's illness. Known commonly as Lycheas the Bastard. A whiny dolt who was much despised by everyone except his parents, Lycheas met his end by way of Sir Ulath's axe in the Temple of Azash.
Baron Harparin was one of Primate Annias's staunchest allies. He was known as a notorious pederast. During Queen Ehlana's incapacitation, Harparin served as the head of the Royal Council of Elenia, where he was able to vote Annias all the bribe money he needed to buy Patriarchal votes. He also spearheaded the vote to legitimize Lycheas, so Lycheas would be allowed to be named King. Harparin met his demise when he met Sir Ulath's axe just as the Pandions took control of the Palace back from Annias's toadies.
A renegade Pandion Knight, Martel is a former friend of Sparhawk who is overcome with desire for power, partaking in forbidden Styric rituals and eventually siding with Azash. His participation in these forbidden rites leads to his expulsion from the Pandion Order. After numerous schemes designed to thwart Sparhawk and enable Annias' election as leader of the church, Martel and his band retreat to Zemoch, where he is eventually killed by Sparhawk in an honourable duel at the climax of The Sapphire Rose.
Martel's beliefs appear contradictory throughout The Elenium. He admits working only for money and proclaims he believes in "nothing", and yet is visibly disappointed and upset when Sephrenia refuses him her blessing. He also claims in the Sapphire Rose, that Sparhawk is a brilliant man, all "duty and honour and implacable resolve" and that he would sell his soul to be a man like him. Despite his obvious enmity with Sparhawk and his companions, as he is dying he proclaims it "almost like a formal deathbed. I get to die in the presence of the only two people I've ever really loved" (Sparhawk and Sephrenia). He also seems stricken when he finds out Kurik has been killed (asking Sparhawk to portray his regrets to Aslade), and hopes that the deaths of the Knights killed by Sephrenia's spell were not his fault.
Martel's most notable feature is his snow white hair which is uncommon for his age. He is described as intelligent and fast thinking, and it is a recurring theme that neither he nor Sparhawk know who's "best" at swordplay, but as he dies Martel tells him he never had any doubt who was best, leading Sparhawk to say "I did." He has contacts throughout Eosia, and his lack of morals makes him incredibly ruthless. This, coupled with his knowledge of Sparhawk, makes him a cunning tactician and formidable general. Martel also seems to enjoy committing atrocities to emotionally wound his enemies; when he rescued Princess Arissa and Lycheas from a nun's cloister where they were both imprisoned, he also took the time to ensure that all the nuns suffered from an untimely death and that the cloister caught fire. When he was laying siege to Chyrellos and Sparhawk and Vanion brought out a flag of truce, he used the white cape of a (presumably deceased) Cyrinic Knight as his own flag of truce.
Initially considered to be Martel's subordinate, Krager is behind many of the obstacles the heroes are forced to overcome. He is captured during the events of The Sapphire Rose but manages to convince his captors not to execute him by providing valuable information on the details of the plans of Martel and Annias. Krager returns in The Tamuli, this time as a servant to the renegade sorcerer Zalasta and the god Cyrgon. While very intelligent and crafty, Krager is also an alcoholic (with a marked preference for Arcian red wine), something that is hinted to be his final downfall (by the end of The Tamuli, he is noted to be suffering jaundice). It is hinted that he finally dies of liver failure and alcoholic dementia.
An unintelligent hired thug, Adus is Martel's muscle. He is described as "put armour on a gorilla and you've got him", and never washes, to the point where the knights joke about having to wash him before the bury him, otherwise "the earth would just spit him back out". He is killed by Talen (with help from Sparhawk) late in The Sapphire Rose. Kalten then severs Adus' head and coyly presents it to Martel in the temple to anger him—although Martel was grieved at learning Adus had slain Kurik.
Emperor of Zemoch, Otha is (surprisingly) so grossly obese that his own legs cannot support him anymore, and he must use a litter with a dozen men to move around. He has been in the service of Azash for centuries at the time of The Elenium. He is killed by Azash at the climax of The Sapphire Rose.
Makova, the Patriarch of Coombe [in Arcium], was the 'chairman' of the Hierocracy during the Archprelate Cluvonus's incapacitation. As he was Annias's primary "bought and paid for" supporter, Makova tirelessly 'championed' the Primate Annias. He is noted by Talen to be Annias' one true supporter: "Once somebody buys Makova, he stays bought—no matter how things turn out." When the Church declared a "Crisis of the Faith", Dolmant was asked to chair the deliberations. After Dolmant's assumption of the Archprelacy, it was mentioned that Makova was packed off to a monastery.
A Styric, initially his enmity towards the protagonists is not apparent. However, during the events of The Shining Ones, Zalasta is revealed to have been at the source of many of the troubles faced by Sparhawk and his companions. Zalasta was in love, or more accurately, lusted after Sephrenia from the time they were growing up together. Unfortunately, the arrival of Aphrael caused Zalasta's romantic hopes to be dashed as all of Sephrenia's attention was devoted to her goddess (although Queen Ehlana pointed out to him that this wasn't entirely rational, as Aphrael is usually quite reasonable, and things still might have worked out; Zalasta conceded the point but said it was too late to do anything about it now). By involving himself in the schemes of Azash and Cyrgon, Zalasta hoped to use Bhelliom to destroy Aphrael, thereby forcing Sephrenia to love him—although the latter was a secondary motive, as by that time his hate for Aphrael had escalated to a point where it eclipsed all else. His treachery is revealed by Xanetia in The Shining Ones, and he attempts to kill Sephrenia in The Hidden City after being persuaded to by Scarpa because she was "tainted by the touch of a Elene". After the destruction of Cyrgon at the climax of The Hidden City, Zalasta tries to interrupt Sephrenia and Vanion's wedding but is stopped by Sparhawk. He is then cursed by Khwaj, the Troll God of fire, to burn eternally. Although considered to be Styric of race and tradition, he does not worship one of the Thousand Younger Gods of Styricum, and is considered only "an advisor" to the Thousand of Styricum, instead worshipping, and gaining his power from, Cyrgon, god of the Cyrgai and Cynesgans.
One of the Elder Gods of Styricum, Azash is the god of the Zemochs. His shrine was discovered by Otha and Azash promised to reward him if Otha brought a sacrifice and surrendered his soul to him. He is the force behind the antagonists in The Elenium. Those who give their soul to Azash are given extraordinary powers but usually at the price of their sanity. Many of Azash's followers partake in disgusting demonic rituals of torture and even eat other humans while they still live. He claimed to be the father of Aphrael, but she insisted that the Thousand Younger Gods, including herself, willed themselves into existence via the strain caused by the discord of the Elder Gods. He is destroyed by Sparhawk and the Bhelliom at the climax of The Elenium.
Elron is brother-in-law to the Baron Kotyk, who offered Sparhawk's entourage shelter from a storm just inside the Daresian continent. Elron is a pompous, overly-dramatic, not very adept poet whose pride and joy is a poem called "Ode to Blue". In his spare time, Elron has paraded around as "Sabre", a masked and caped man who stirs up trouble amongst the serfs and the nobility. He is later involved in the plot to kidnap Queen Ehlana. It is implied that he is not long for the world, as he wounded Stragen's beloved Melidere in The Tamuli, and Stragen slew his father and his two half-brothers over his father's lack of attachment to his mother (a chambermaid in a house where the wife was ailing).
An arrogant, despicable man who is one of the lower-tier ringleaders of the Daresian plot, Baron Parok met his demise when the Troll-Gods Khwaj and Ghnomb set him on fire and put him in an eternal time-frame (the "Time that does not move"), where the fire will burn forever.
Zalasta's son, a certifiable, raving, frothing-at-the-mouth lunatic, and would-be emperor of the Tamul Empire should the Daresian plot succeed. Scarpa has an incredible hatred of women (as it has been hinted that he was abused by his mother and sisters), and therefore looks upon them as pure subservient objects. He demands total obedience of his orders, no matter how impossible or what the cost. Those unable to follow through meet with terrible endings. He is killed by a Shining One late in The Tamuli.
God of the (thought to be extinct) Cyrgai. Cyrgon wishes to rule the world, and needs to get his hands on Bhelliom. Old fashioned, proud, and a totally militaristic entity. Manipulated the Trolls to do his bidding on the Daresian continent. Sparhawk kills him in a duel much like Martel at the climax of The Tamuli.
A Lamork Baron introduced in the Elenium, Gerrich was manipulated (and his family killed) in a scheme designed by Martel to start a war between Gerrich and Baron Alstrom. In the Tamuli, Gerrich was the Eosian link to the plot to take over the Daresian continent, and was doing his part to get the Lamork serfs in an uproar. Though nothing is said specifically about his eventual fate, he is noted to have an assassination contract put on him by Stragen during the events of The Shining Ones.
Prince of Thalesia, Avin ran the kingdom after his father King Wargun became unable to serve his duties due to years of heavy drinking. Avin suffers from a Napoleon complex, and is fearful that other worldly leaders will overlook him. More of a dupe than a villain, Avin is simply attention starved. His need to be noticed, however, allows the Daresian conspirators to compromise him. Stragen puts a contract out on him more because he is such a bad ruler than for his connection to the plot. He is stuffed in a barrel of Arcian Red wine, the lid is nailed shut and he drowns, turning a purple color in the process. The people could not stop laughing at his funeral but "at least he was finally noticed". He can be considered a victim of circumstance and his own need for attention.
The Seeker is a giant insectoid creature created and controlled by Azash in The Elenium. It is roughly manlike and controls other creatures by hypnotizing them and biting them. It is finally defeated in "The Ruby Knight" by an accelerated metamorphosis.
Worshipped by Elenes across the world of the novels. He is referred to as "pale Elene-god" by the Troll Ghwerig, and Aphrael said she avoided going near the main altar of the Basilica of Chyrellos, as the Elene god expected her to say hello each time she passed by out of courtesy- he is repeatedly said to be very intent on formality. He is supposedly quite tedious and no fun at the gods' parties, though he does seem to love good people and those who serve him well- Flute states that in particular he loves Dolmant. His true name is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the Church, and it is quite possible he would work the way Styric gods do for the knights-by answering their spells, something not realised by the Church when the Knights are created. When this is mentioned Dolmant becomes very embarrassed, and it is hinted that he may be appealed to start doing so. Due to the sheer amount of worshippers he has, he is one of the most powerful God's in the world.
The Troll Gods are first encountered trapped within the Bhelliom. They are later released in The Shining Ones. The Troll Gods have such limited intellect and large amounts of suspicion towards each other that it requires the combined will of all of them to control the Bhelliom, whereas any other singular god can command it. On the other hand, it is said that the Troll gods are so powerful not even Azash would consider facing one and it took all the younger gods (1000 in total) just to overpower and defeat the five. The Troll Gods are:
One of Aphrael's cousins and a Younger God of Styricum. He appears briefly in The Shining Ones and The Hidden City, but is not otherwise of major significance to the plot. Setras is the Styric God to whom the Alcione Knights (of which Tynian is the Champion) submit their spells.
Setras appears to be an artist, continually working on creating "sunsets". While he is a deity, he appears to be of somewhat limited intellect and rather easily distracted and seems somewhat befuddled by mortals.
One of Aphrael's cousins and a Younger God of Styricum. He appears briefly in The Tamuli, but is not otherwise significant to the plot. Hanka is the Styric God to whom the Genidian Knights (of which Ulath is the Champion) submit their spells. He is also supposedly very short-tempered, as during the siege of Cyrga at the climax of the Tamuli, one of the characters mentions that Hanka is likely to "pick us up and throw us from here to Cyrga" if they don't hurry.
One of Aphrael's cousins and a Younger God of Styricum. He appears briefly in The Tamuli, but is not otherwise significant to the plot. Romalic is the Styric God to whom the Cyrinic Knights (of which Bevier is the Champion) submit their spells. He is supposed to fit the Cyrinic Knights perfectly due to his booming voice and overwhelming formality.
The first character to be introduced in the series, in the prologue to The Diamond Throne. A dwarfed troll who retrieved Bhelliom, a magical jewel, from its cave and sculpted it into the shape of a rose, infusing it with the spirits of the Troll Gods as he did so. Ghwerig is maddened by the loss of Bhelliom, and he devotes most of the rest of his life to searching for it. He eventually finds it, but is killed by Sparhawk and Kurik at the end of The Ruby Knight as they wrest it from him.
Bhlokw is a Troll, and serves as the High Priest of the Troll Gods. Introduced in the Tamuli, he was sent to assist Sparhawk and his friends, after Aphrael and the Troll-Gods realized that they must work together to defeat Klæl, he develops a taste for dog after being encouraged to try one by Ulath.
Adian was the mightiest and most crafty of the heroes of antiquity. An ancient Thalesian Hero, Aidan imperilled his soul twice, while consorting with the Troll Gods, once when asking for the location of Ghwerig and again to gain entrance to his cave. He stole Bhelliom from Ghwerig's Cave while Ghwerig was trying to retrieve the rings from Aphrael. When he returned to Emsat, he was promptly crowned King of Thalesia and mounted Bhelliom on the Royal Crown. The crown was lost once when King Sarak died and again when Ghwerig fell into the chasm in his cave at the end of The Ruby Knight.
Vanion is the Preceptor of the Order of Pandion Knights of the Church. After Vanion disappears at the end of the Elenium, Sparhawk takes up his responsibilities as the interim preceptor. In the Tamuli, seems to be sometimes willing to accept his questionable authority, and often unwilling, depending on which stance the situation will benefit from.
Abriel is the Preceptor of the Order of Cyrinic Knights of the Church, and is Sir Bevier's superior. Abriel is the eldest and longest-tenured of the Preceptors; therefore, the other Preceptors frequently defer to him. Killed by Klæl near the end of the Tamuli series.
Darrellon is the Preceptor of the Order of Alcione Knights of the Church, and is Sir Tynian's superior. Darrellon is a soft-spoken, rational, and thoughtful man, and his opinion is respected by virtue of his carefully thinking his way through everything.
Komier is the Preceptor of the Order of Genidian Knights of the Church, and is Sir Ulath's superior. He is a blunt, hard-charging man who prefers brawn over brains. Komier is well respected along the Genidians, as he was elected by the Genidian knights (The official process for the selection of a Preceptor is in the hands of the Hierocracy of the Elene Church. The orders send a panel of names in for consideration and review, but the Genidians hold an election as to the best qualified man in the Order then send only the winner's name to the Hierocracy, ensuring their chosen candidate ascends to Preceptor by default.)
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