counselor
Firebird
Female, the unnamed first born of a Triune Contract. She serves as advisor to her brother when he becomes king.
counselor’s dagger
Spiderwork, Firebird
The symbol of a counselor’s position, the dagger is a gift from her breeder. The hilt jewel represents the breeder’s totem.
Delilah
Firebird
Kairo’s black Maltese dog.
Dix
Firebird
Architect of Allel. A ghost who fights the condition. Lover of Steve.
DOGs
Samael’s Fire
Defenders of Gaia. Ecological terrorists bent on destroying all polluting entities.
Durga
Series
The Chosen One. Asherah’s favored person. Marked by Asherah with blood-red hair. A chalice. Totem: black widow spider. Durga means unattainable, twelve-armed warrior.
Edmund
Firebird
King of Allel.
Emissary
Spiderwork, Firebird
Representative of Red City who collects bleeders from around the world. Durga was the first Emissary, Jordana the second.
Empani
Series
A special species. Not human. Shapeshifters who take form according to human desires. They avoid humans and stay in “nests” in nonpopulated areas. Nobody knows what they want.
exotic
Series
Human being, mutant. Hairless, extraordinarily tall, irises change color according to their mood. At first shunned like ghosts and Pteryi, but coveted after the Emperor acknowledged their beauty.
Faina
Spiderwork
A chalice. Totem: lotus flower
Father Jesse
Firebird
Priest of Samael with special powers.
Garrick (city, corporation)
Series
At the time of the cataclysm, the world’s most powerful corporation. Later, the world’s most powerful city-state. Worst polluter on the planet, yet the city survived the cataclysm intact. Samael’s favored city.
Geraldo
Samael’s Fire, Spiderwork
Son of Reynaldo. Co-founder of Red City.
Gerhold
Firebird
Blade master of Red City. Gerhold means ruler of the spear.
ghosts
Series
Human beings. The “ghosting” gene is a mutation caused by excessive buildup of toxins. The gene is triggered by a critical level of stress. Symptoms: loss of all body hair, loss of much muscle mass, extreme apathy. No will to eat, play, make love. At first thought fatal, later found to be treatable.
Great Chain of Being
Spiderwork, Firebird
Concept of hierarchy imposed by goddess Asherah. From the top down: Emperor, king, aristocrat, citizen, citadeller, settlement worker, the soulless, wildlings. Chalices and proof-of-service children are independent of the chain.
Spiderwork
Allel’s Master of hydroponics.
Harriet
Firebird
Physician of Red City. Lover of blood oranges.
Hibernia
Spiderwork, Firebird
City-state in the new reality. In Firebird, Harold is the king. Has the charter on building airships.
ISS, Imperial Space Station
Samael’s Fire
Administrative center of the Imperium, located in orbit.
Ithaca
Spiderwork, Firebird
City-state in the new reality. Has the charter on building ocean-going vessels.
Jack
Firebird
Chief carpenter of Allel.
Jake Ardri
Samael’s Fire, Spiderwork
Pilot of the Space Junque. Son of Magda and the Emperor. Founder of Allel, lover of Char Meadowlark. Ardri means legendary high king.
Jasmine
Firebird
Proof-of-service female. Attendant on the Blackbird.
Jordana
Spiderwork, Firebird
An exotic and chalice. Daughter of Rani, second Emissary of Red City. Totem: mongoose.
Kairo
Firebird
Bleeder from Muskova. Natural born, of royal blood. Destined for greatness. Totem: peacock feather.
Khai of Luxor
Spiderwork
Scion and future King of Luxor. A musician.
Kim (Kimlel)
Firebird
A bleeder, member of Prime Hub.
King Harold
Firebird
King of Hibernia, lover of stout.
Kronos
Firebird
Nin’s white Maltese dog.
Lady Bron (Bronagh)
Firebird
Aristocrat of Garrick who “lets go of her name” to become counselor by special dispensation. Runs Garrick when King Garrick is indisposed.
Lady Drahan
Firebird
Mother of Claire. Lives in Allel. Social climber.
Lady Helen
Firebird
One of Mal’s Ladies of the Hours at Allel.
Firebird
A proof-of-service female befriended by Mal.
Magda Ardri
Samael’s Fire, Spiderwork
The Emperor’s favorite consort and mother of Jake Ardri. First Matriarch of Red City. Owner of the Space Junque.
Mal (Mallory)
Firebird
Heroine of Firebird. A chalice. Mallory means bad luck. Totem: firebird.
Maribel
Samael’s Fire, Spiderwork
One of the original nine chalices.
Matriarch
Series
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
Samael’s Fire
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. I
t 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
Samael’s Fire, 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
Samael’s Fire
Co-founder of Red City (Sanguibahd) with Geraldo, his son.
Roh (Rohna)
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
Samael’s Fire
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
Samael’s Fire
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
Samael’s Fire
Navigator of the Space Junque
Vacation Station
Samael’s Fire
Orbiting space station. Vacation spot for the rich and well-connected.