The head administrator of Red City. The original matriarch was the headmistress of Durga’s school before the cataclysm. The first matriarch of Red City was Magda Ardri. Durga was the second.
Mike Augustine
Space Junque
Sky Meadowlark’s fiancé, governor of the Imperial Space Station.
Nin (Ninny, Ninshubur)
Firebird
Mal’s best friend at Red City. Her name means Inanna’s (Asherah’s) warrior maiden. Totem: a talaris (winged sandal)
Pala (Gopala)
Firebird
Mal’s best friend before going to Red City. Weapon is a longbow made of yew. Designed mechanical arrows that dispense poison strong enough to kill a raptor. Gopala means protector of cows.
Palada (Jarlvidar)
Firebird
Husband of Palama (Verdandi), father of Pala (Gopala). Named after his grandfather, the Imperial jeweler. Uses the same maker’s mark: seven pomegranate seeds. Jarlvidar means the chief who will avenge his father’s death in the end times.
Palama (Verdandi)
Firebird
Mother of Pala (Gopala), wife of Palada (Jarlvidar). Verdandi means becoming, happening; Verdandi was a Norse goddess of present time.
Prince Garrick (Firebird)
Firebird
Prince, then king, of Garrick during the events in Firebird. Tried to exploit the Mallory myth. Refused to return his dead sister’s dagger to her breeder.
Prince Garrick (Spiderwork)
Spiderwork
The first of the scions of Garrick to become a king under the new-world city-state structure. Wanted to control all scarce resources.
Ptery
Series
A bleeder/chalice with the pterygium mutation, a wing-like gauzy film that covers the eyes. Pteryi lose their longevity, but not their fertility. Red City removes the uterus of someone who “goes Ptery” so they can’t pass on the Ptery gene.
Queen Chiyo
Firebird
Queen of Nippon. First counselor to invoke The Queen Clause.
Queen Clause
Firebird
An obscure clause in the Concords, the new world’s governing document. It provides that, in the event that a counselor turns bleeder, she will become the monarch of her city and her brother will become counselor.
Quidel
Firebird
Operates the tattoo parlor in the arcade called The Tat Man.
Rani
Space Junque, Spiderwork
Daughter of Emperor. Jake’s half-sister, mother of Jordana. An exotic.
raptors
Series
Predatory birds mutated to gigantic size during the cataclysm. Found in the northern hemisphere.
Reynaldo
Space Junque
Co-founder of Red City (Sanguibahd) with Geraldo, his son.
Firebird
Chalice, member of Prime Hub. Totem: chaos star.
Samael
Series
Creator god. Emanation of Theletos, Sophia’s rejected mate. Created “the ten thousand things” (the material world) including human beings. The Empani adore him. Properly mated to Asherah, he pays no attention to her -- which pisses her off.
Sister Marin
Firebird
Former chalice, teacher in Red City. Expertise in special species. Totem, jackrabbit.
Sky (Scylla) Meadowlark
Series
Char Meadowlark’s twin sister. Their full names are Charybdis and Scylla. Their mother named them after monsters because she didn’t want to have children.
Space Junque
Space Junque
Shuttle owned by Magda Ardri, given to her by the Emperor, flown by her son Jake Ardri
special species
Series
Species which came into being at the end of the old reality and into the next. Some special species are: raptors, Empani, Ptery, exotics, ghosts.
Steve
Firebird
Allel’s head engineer
Talibanos Unidos
Space Junque
Pre-cataclysm terrorist group, more interested in religion than ecology. Destroyed the Los Angeles/San Diego zone.
Tesla
Series
Alternative energy source, derived from orbiting solar net. Developed by team that included Sky Meadowlark
The Blackbird
Spiderwork, Firebird
Fabulous transport with all the bells and whistles. Belonged to Garrick, then Red City.
totem
Series
Symbol which signifies a chalice is ready to be consecrated, bestowed by Asherah. Says something about a chalice’s fundamental nature.
Tyler
Space Junque
Navigator of the Space Junque
Vacation Station
Space Junque
Orbiting space station. Vacation spot for the rich and well-connected.