Aquaintences

Aquaintences

Adder
Aeric's second younger sibling, who page-turned in O.P. XXIIs. Adder comes from a large family who are currently enjoying political asylum after fleeing their home kingdom of Wiltshire. Wiltshire was taken over by a hostile government and renamed Greenwood. The early months of Adder's life as a squire have been plagued by Greenwood bounty hunters.

Aelfred Penceworthy
The aged steward who served Aeric when he was castellan of Ahrothen. Aelfred did an impressive job of managing the province while Aeric was away, even so far as to direct the troops during the Ork War. Aeric found himself confiding a lot in the old man, who became a sort of grandfather-figure to him. When Aeric stepped down as castellan of Ahrothen, Aelfred retired as well, going to live with his daughter and her family.

Ahrothen, the Province of
A mountainous and fairly inhospitible region in the northn of Warwick, which Aeric controlled as Castellan for almost three years. In addition to the peasantry and hard-living highlanders, Ahrothen boasted a large population of dragons, as well as a fair number of orks and tiger nomads. The lair of the immortal demon-dragon Shadowcast also fell within the borders of the province. As a result, the province always had a well-maintained military force, something which proved crucial during the Ork War.
Aeric stepped down as castellan in the fall of O.P. XX, when king Galchauren appointed him as ambassador to the Client Kingdom of Lyonesse. Ownership of Ahrothen returned to the thane of Clan Caerna, Countess Ambernathia, who shortly thereafter gifted it to the fledgling Clan Dragonsbane.

Alexandros Drachritter
Aeric's first younger sibling. Page-turned in XXIIb.

Amon DeChevalier
The oldest of Aeric's three older half-brothers, Amon was an arrogant, bullying, self-centered man. He was also the heir to the DeChevalier barony, and was given a sizable fief in the northern half of the province until his succession. He took as his bride the daughter of a neighboring lord, in the hopes of settling a long dispute between his father and hers. The girl, Katejina Atropos, was closer to Aeric's age than Amon's, and the two met by chance and fell in love on the eve of her marriage to Amon. Nothing could be done to stop it, however.
When news of his father's murder reached his ears, Amon sought out his bastard half-brother to avenge his death. By that time, Aeric was a canny and ruthless fighter, while Amon was a drunk and arrogant land-lord. Aeric got word of his brother's approach and bribed a few of his fellow soldiers to help him ambush and kill the knight. Amon easily fell victim to the ambush, and was personally killed by Aeric himself.

Antares, Markus
The former captain of Aeric's household guard in Ahrothen as well as his loyal cohort. Antares was known to perform many errands and duties for his lord, and his loyalty was unshakable. A young and fairly idealistic man, Markus neverthless found no fault with his dark, brooding master and views him as a fine example of honor and chivalric behavior. Markus quit the army soon after Aeric stepped down as landowner of Ahrothen, and sought honor and adventure abroad as an adventurer for a time. He is currently the head of the Free Company, an army unit comprised mainly of ex-Ahrothen soldiers like himself. Markus remains as loyal as ever to his old master, and occassionally performs tasks for him in the lands.

Anthraziel
Also known as Evil Galchauren, Anthraziel is a powerful demon. He earned his nickname during his first appearence in Warwick, when he masqueraded as Paladin Galchauren for a number of weeks. The demon seems to have more of an interest in Aeric than in Galchauren, however, and is especially interested in luring Aeric back to the Darkness.

BOAKYAG
A roiling black cloud of negative energy which seemingly existed to consume all evil in the universe, primarily demons and devils. It was frighteningly successful in this, and seriously threatened to destroy the universe by throwing it out of balance. Aeric and several other Companions quested to destroy BOAKYAG, a quest which became complicated when it was revealed that BOAKYAG was, in fact, the spirit of Mollari. Mollari had been slain by a demonic minion of Pazuziel several months prior to BOAKYAG's appearance, and his desire for revenge against his slayers was magnified until it became the demon-consuming cloud.
     Fortunately for everyone, a fragment of the soul had been trapped in a rare Soul Crystal, and with the help of Thor's hammer and the magic of the High Druin, Aeric and the Companions were able to return Mollari's soul to it's original form. Unfortunately, that meant the release of all the demons BOAKYAG had consumed onto this plane, including Aeric's nemesis Pazuziel. Aeric was forced to imprision the demon prince within his own subconscious using a rare and powerful form of magic, while Mollari's soul was placed into the recently-deceased body of Privateer Bob.

Blyth, the Kingdom of
Blyth is a nation of jesters and entertainers which exists in a magically-protected pocket dimension. It is also the homeland of Iluminatrix Karissa, Aeric's ex-wife. Karissa's sister Tiggeria was the heir to the throne of Blyth, but that responsibilty fell to Karissa when her sister was killed by a dragon. Karissa is currently High Queen of Blyth.

Brimstone
A destrier of considerable size and intelligence, Brimstone has been Aeric's faithful steed and companion since his days as the Deathlord of Lyonesse. Brimstone was thought to be dead when a Lutionist took control of Aeric and accidentally rode the horse to death, but the enigmatic creature was alive and well, waiting for Aeric when he returned from the mountains where BOAKYAG was destroyed.

Catalyn Lauralansa Dragonsbane
Catalyn was the thane of Clan Caerna when Aeric was brought into the clan, and it was she who gave him castellanship of Ahrothen. Shortly thereafter, she came to Aeric with a curious proposition: she wished him to be the surrogate father of her child! She approached him with this request without telling her wife, Merenia Shae Caerna; Shadowcast, eternal enemy of all Caernas, took advantage of the situation to hurt all three of them. He placed a mind-clouding spell on both Aeric and Catalyn, so that instead of merely asking Aeric to father her child, she proceeded to couple with him that very night. Neither of them had any idea they had been enchanted, and so they were wracked with guilt. Matters were made worse when Catalyn was found to be with child.
     Merenia somehow learned of Catalyn's visit to Aeric, and took her revenge by interfering with Aeric's rite of passage into Clan Caerna. It was eventually revealed that the child was, in fact, Merenia's, conceived through the use of a potion taken shortly before Catalyn's fateful visit to Aeric's abode. It was also revealed that they were both under Shadowcast's influence when they made love, but things were never the same between the two, nor did Merenia ever truly forgive Aeric.

Castle Ahrothen
Aeric's home for the three years he was castellan of Ahrothen. The squat, brooding fortress seemed more like a stronghold than the palace of a ruler, but it suited both the pragmatic nature of the land as well as its lord. In the later years, Aeric had added some amenities to the fortress, most notable of which was the rose garden in the central foyer of the main keep.

Cedric DeChevalier
The youngest of Aeric's three older half-brothers, Cedric was by far the most sympathetic to his plight. Cedric was sent away to a monastery to be trained as a priest; when he learned that his father and brothers had been murdered by Aeric, he lost his mind. Cedric took up arms and sought out his treacherous half-brother. He was no match for him, of course, and was slain out of hand.

Celfina DeChevalier
Aeric's twin sister and the only sibling with whom he got along, Celfina and her mother were sent to a nunnery by Amon after he took over the barony. They lived in happy seclusion there for many years, until the Death Corps came to destroy the convent as punishment for tax evasion. Aeric believed his sister was slain in the attack, the guilt over which ended his career in the Death Corps and eventually led to his becoming a Companion.
     Aeric discovered that his sister was alive when he ventured into Shadowcast's lair in search of his Caerna Dagger. By that point she had completly succumbed to Darkness, entering into the dragon's service as his general. Over the course of the next year Aeric tried in vain to turn her off the path of evil, but to no avail.
     It wasn't until she was sent by Shadowcast to murder Aeric with a specially poisoned dagger during the exorcism of Pazuziel from his subconscious that she was able to break the dragon's spell over her. Celfina quickly set about to right the wrongs she had committed while in Shadow-
cast's service, starting with the sullying of Aeric's name in Lyonesse. She was killed by her former master's minions shortly thereafter, as she was no longer of any use to him.

Chalice of Thoth, the
A magical artifact used by General Draal to create his army of super-orks as a precursor to his invasion of Ahrothen. By drinking from the chalice as part of a special ritual, the orks were gifted with human intelligence and cunning. The Companions Paladin Galchauren and Countess Ambernathia were able to slip a special potion (created for the Court by Myshella) into the chalice, thereby cancelling its enchanted properties.

Clan Caerna, the
The oldest and arguably most influential clan in the Eleven Lands. The Caerna philosophy is "the ends justify the means," and its members are charicterized by a pragmatic nature and willingness to eschew personal honor for the greater good. Society as a whole views Caernas as being honorless and treacherous, and in a way, this is true. One of the things Clan Caerna does is work to ensure the unity of the Court of Light, and they have in the past engineered schemes which forced the disparate Companions to come together and cooperate against a common threat. Most Companions cannot see past the surface of the infamous "Caerna Plot," unfortunately, and therefore distrust and often villify the clan and it's members.
Aeric was inducted into Clan Caerna the same night he was dubbed a knight, about six months after he became a Companion.

Clone, the
See Simulacrum, below.

Dark Cloud, the
A nimbus of negative energy not unlike BOAKYAG, the Dark Cloud seems to be the source of the Dark Warriors (see below) which were first spotted in Catseye and later in the Valley of the Sun and Maglion. It made its first appearance in Warwick during the Aquitanian War, and was later reported to be following the Dark Fleet around at sea, so it was surmised that Mollari had control of the cloud. This has yet to be confirmed or denied.

Dark Fleet, the
A flotilla of various pirate ships under the command of the rogue admiral Mollari. The Dark Fleet disbanded after Mollari's capture, but the individual ships of the fleet still haunt the Warwickian sea lanes, wreaking havok.

Dark Star, the Order of the
A clandestine organization of supernatural researchers and vampire hunters, Dark Star was founded by Sir Marduk. There is a standing invitation for Aeric to join the ranks of the order, but he has always refused, stating that "in order to battle the darkness in others, you first have to defeat the darkness within."

Dark Warriors, the
A group of demonic warriors that seemingly issue forth from the Dark Cloud to kill, being absorbed by it upon their deaths or upon completion of their mission. They were used by both the enemy of Catseye and Maglion as super shock troops.

Dargon DeChevalier
The middle of Aeric's three older half-brothers, Dargon was a shiftless rogue, more suited for a gambling hall or a smokey tavern than a knight's castle. He still had his ambition, however, if not the willingness to work for it. Dargon was destined to be a minor knight serving his brother Amon when their father passed the barony to him, a fact which irked him greatly. As Cedric was away at the monestary, the only other person whom Dargon could vent his rage upon was Aeric. He bullied his younger brother mercilessly all throught their childhood, and when he learned of his father and Amon's death, Dargon was all too eager to hunt down their murderer, if only to prove his worth as the baron of Chevalier. Aeric was more than ready for him, however, and Dargon fell beneath his sword as well.

Death Corps, the
The Death Corps was the personal brute squad of King Osric of Lyonesse. It was composed primarily of hardened criminals, madmen, and completely amoral mercenaries, all of whom were kept in line by their powerful and intimidating leader, Deathlord Leonedes.
     The Death Corps disbanded almost immediately after the disappearance of the Deathlord. Its members had been kept in line only by his powerful personality; once he was gone, they scattered to the four winds. Aeric encountered a few during the Lyonessean rebellion against Queen Melicinde, but they were a pale shadow of what they had been under his leadership and were quickly dispatched by their former master.

Draal, General
A warlord from the barbarian kingdom of Golgotha in the north. He and his horde would routinely sweep down from the frozen tundra and terrorize the civilized lands, raping, pillaging, and destroying as he went. The once-proud Empire of Ynessia, homeland of Lucerne McQuillon, fell victim to one such rampage. Under the direction of his dark demon god, Draal contacted a particularly mercenary-minded young sorceress named Myshella who helped him find an artifact called the Chalice of Thoth. The Chalice imbued upon those who drank from it great intelligence. Draal used the Chalice to create an army of orks who were both resilient and canny.
     General Draal used this army to invade Warwick, starting with the Province of Ahrothen. Unfortunately, Aeric was out of the lands at the time, on a quest with Dona Karissa to save his page sister Panthra from the clutches of the demon Anthraziel. When they returned, they snuck through enemy lines, rescuing Premier Marduk from an orkish prison as they did so.
      King Mus forbade Aeric from taking the field in Ahrothen, worried that Shadowcast might control him again (see Catalyn, above). Aeric obeyed outwardly, but in true Caerna style, secretly led his troops disguised as his lieutenant, Markus Antares. Several Companions worked in concert to sabotage the army, reversing the effects of the Chalice and throwing the orks into chaos. The Ahrothen army was then able to drive the disorganized horde out of the province.
     General Draal was slain by Lucerne when the latter journeyed to Golgotha in search of Princess Rachel of Ynessia, who had been enslaved there along with many of her subjects. His soul was consumed by his demon-god who, it was revealed, was actually the demon Anthraziel.

Dragon Extract
The only known substance able to permanently wound or kill any Companion, even the normally toxic-resistant Caernas. The extract was discovered to be the fossilized feces of the dragon Shadowcast, and while it could be forged into weapons, it was most commonly used by the anti-government group HARQ in its liquid form. The liquid was applied to the edge of a blade, temporarily rendering it lethal to Companions. The liquid form evaporated quickly when exposed to air, however, limiting its usefulness. Fortunately for the Companions, the majority of the extract was captured during a raid on the HARQ facility in the Tar Plains where they were mining and refining it. What little remained of the extract was tracked down and captured shortly thereafter by Masters Shadowclaw and Alexandros Drachritter.
It was during the raid on the HARQ facility that Aeric learned firsthand just how lethal the extract could be, losing his right eye in the process.

Earth (Sword)
A wakazashi (Japanese short-sword) personally forged by Aeric to commemorate his acheiving of first-level Percival. It was created to match the masterwork katana (long-sword) that was made for him by the inscrutable swordsmith Masamune.

Eloise DeChevalier
Aeric's mother and the wife of Baron Randal DeChevalier. The victim of a loveless and often abusive arranged marriage, she was a broken shell of a woman by the time her first son, Amon, was born.
    After Aeric murdered her husband and fled, Amon took over the barony. Eloise and Celfina were sent away to an isolated nunnery, where they lived happy, peaceful lives of isolation until the Death Corps came. Eloise's last act upon this plane was to forgive her son of all his sins, even as his men brutally killed her amidst the burning wreckage of the convent.

Evil Galchauren
See Anthraziel, above.

Free Company, the
A special regiment of skirmishers and outriders within the Warwick regular army. The Free Company was formed by Aeric shortly after stepping down as castellan of Ahrothen, and it is comprised primarily of former Ahrothen guardsmen who resigned at about the same time. Commanded by Captain Markus Antares, Aeric's former lieutenant, the Free Company is a free-floating regiment. Unbound to any one land, the Company is assigned to bolster troops wherever needed.
The Free Company proved a valuable asset in a raid on a HARQ compound that was mining Dragon Extract in the Tar Plains, and more recently in the retaking of Pern from the forces of Lacon Vox.

Galchauren Dragonsbane
A close friend of Aeric's who joined the Court of Light shortly after he did, Galchauren was made an honorary Page In Black after his Page Turning.   He was also the only Companion to live in Ahrothen during Aeric's reign. A devoted Michaelite, it was Galchauren who first introduced Aeric to the philosophies of the temple. Aeric admires and is inspired by the younger Companion's dedication to the Light.
     A combination of accessing Pazuzu's memories and researching an ancient book of doomsday prophicies found on a recent quest have led Aeric to the disturbing conclusion that his friend is actually the human half of a cambion destined to lead the armies of hell against heaven. Exactly how such a being became split is unknown, but Aeric is confident that Anthraziel, a demon often masquerading as Galchauren, is the demon half of the creature.
     Even more recently, the book revealed that the cambion was divided into three separate entities, not two as was previously believed. The nature and whereabouts of the third entity are a mystery, but Moira's theory is that it is the being known simply as Messenger.

Gawaine, the Noble Order of Prince
The knighthood of those dedicated to the fighting arts, Gawaine is the second order Aeric pursued. Once, Aeric's dream was to live the rest of his life in peaceful contemplation, but events conspired to return him to a life of violence. As he was sworn to the service of the Light, he decided that the best way for him to do so was to become the best warrior he could be.

Happy Little Elves, the
An entire kingdom of fae who had decided to immigrate to the Eleven Lands at the height of the ork raids which followed the Ork War in Ahrothen. Lost within the ork-haunted province, the HLE inundated the Court, and Aeric in particular, with written pleas for help. Unfortunately, there was no way to find the elves or to communicate back to them, and they were unable to provide any indication of where they might actually be. The situation continued unchanged for almost an entire year, until finally they were found and brought to safety by Aeric and Baron Ptolomei.

HARQ
A terrorist organization whose roots lie in the Province of Cumbria, HARQ was originally founded to support to election of Healer Moira, then-ruler of Cumbria, to the throne of all Warwick. Shortly after Moira was elected queen, HARQ changed it's tune, becoming an anti-government group opposed to Companion rule. It was later revealed that HARQ felt it was instrumental in getting Moira elected, and should therefore be rewarded by a grateful queen.
A major victory was won by the Companions over HARQ when Masters Shadowclaw and Alexandros Drachritter killed one of their three ringleaders, thus throwing the organization into chaos for a time.

Heaven (Sword)
A masterwork katana (Japanese longsword) forged for Aeric by the reclusive swordsmith Masamune Kotetsu. Along with Earth, Heaven served as Aeric's knighting sword for first level Percival.

Hell
An infernal realm, home to a multitude of demons and devils and the souls of the damned. Hell has played a major role in Aeric's life; he spent many years in the service of one of its more powerful princes (Pazuzu), and in doing so became something of a household name among the unholy host. Aeric actually travelled to hell once, when he was tricked by Pazuzu into believing Mollari's soul was trapped there. Once Aeric was trapped himself, he was put on trial for his crimes and testified against by all of his victims. Fortunately for Aeric, BOAKYAG interrupted the proceedings and consumed Pazuzu and all the demons present before judgement could be made. Who knows what fate Aeric's soul could have met if BOAKYAG hadn't interfered...?

Irallom
The immortal fleshy progentior-god of the Lutionist race. Irallom is believed to be the twin brother of the legendary Blue Aquitanian, the predecessor of the Aquitanian race. Irallom shares a hive mind with all of its people, and can speak through any of them at will.

Junctioning
An ancient and forbidden magic, whereby the magician summons a devil, demon, or similar evil spirit and merges its psyche with his own. Aeric first learned of this magic while researching the demon warriors invading Panthra's homeland, and he later used it to trap the demon Pazuzu in his own psyche after it was released from the newly-destroyed BOAKYAG. After Aeric and other Companions managed to take Pazuzu and imprison him in a soul crystal, Aeric found himself able to draw upon the demon's power to a lesser degree with little side effect to himself.

Karissa D'Arminian Blyth
Aeric's ex-wife and the High Queen of the Kingdom of Blyth, Karissa is a powerful druin and a master of oneiromancy (dream magic) to boot. It was this mastery of dream magic that allowed her to maintain her relationship with her husband while he was still in Warwick, as the two would see each other every night in their dreams.
Aeric and Karissa's courtship, which lasted close to two years, was fraught with perils and difficulties, as Aeric's many enemies sought to use his feelings for the druin against him. During this time, Karissa was attacked, possessed, impersonated, and caused to lose her memory. Between the manipulations of Aeric's enemies and Karissa's own conflict between her duties and her feelings for Aeric, it is a wonder that the two of them ended up together at all. In the end, however, it was simply not meant to be, for while Karissa's quest for the Light was finished, his had just begun. At the end of Beltane O.P. XXII, Aeric took his leave of Blyth and its queen forever.

Kestral
A member of the mysterious Waywood Circle, a cabal of sorceresses associated with Merenia and Catalyn, the latter of whom is an honorary member. Together with her counterpart, Persona, she has interacted with Aeric on several occassions; they guided him during his quest for his Caerna Dagger, and later stepped in to help him find it in the lair of Shadowcast. They were also the ones who took Catalyn's daughter Runa into their care shortly after she was born, to protect her from the influence of Shadowcast. Due to Aeric's involvement with the baby's conception and birth, neither sorceress has any affection for the knight. Aeric, in turn, resents their meddling and has little love for them, either.

Katejina Atropos
The only daughter of Baron Randal's aggressive neighbor, Katejina was Aeric's first love. Unfortunately, they met the night before she was to be married to Aeric's half-brother, Lord Amon, as part of a non-agression pact between the two. After a brief and abusive marriage, Katejina and her son died in childbirth.

Le Acier Rose
Meaning "The Steel Rose," this was Aeric's nom de guerre during his stint as leader of the rebels in Lyonesse during the short reign of Queen Melicinde.

Leonedes Thorne (DeChevalier)
Aeric's real name. He changed it when he came to Warwick, at first to hide his identity from his many enemies in Lyonesse, but later to symbolize his fresh start on life. He commonly refers to Leonedes as a different person than himself, a man who is no longer in existence.

Lorath Hawksmoor Zandofar
The current thane of Clan Zandofar. Aeric and Lorath have clashed more than once over the younger man's irreverent attitude, but despite the difference in their personalities, their methods in service to the Light are similar enough that they find themselves working together quite often.

Lucerne McQuillon
Aeric's page brother and best friend. Lucerne came to Warwick at the same time Aeric did, after his homeland of Ynessia was destroyed by General Draal. Lucerne and Aeric shared many adventures together; Aeric was his best man at his wedding to Scarlette. After destroying Draal and rescuing Princess Rachel and their people from his slave pits, Lucerne returned to Ynessia with his wife to rebuild his homeland.

Lumina
Aeric's consecrated mace, created as a requirement for second-level Michael.

Lutionists, the
A curious race of amphibious creatures resembling giant mudskippers. The Lutionists are cousins to the Aquitanians, who split off due to rivalries between their ancestors (Irallom and the Blue Aquitanian). The Lutionists believe in survival of the fittest; Aeric first became aware of their existence when they tried to keep him and other Companions from saving Mollari from dehydration when he was stuck in the mud of Aquitania during the dry season.
     Lutionists have the ability to forcibly evolve themselves within a generation, by consciously shaping the form of their offspring to better suit specific tasks. When he went to Irallom to ask for help in defeating BOAKYAG, he was fitted with a type of symbiote Lutionist which controlled his body. There has also been an instance of a Lutionist with a form resembling a human.

Lyonesse, the Client Kingdom of
Aeric's land of origin and the cause for much political strife in Warwick. During Aeric's page-turning, Lyonesse was on the brink of war with Warwick; only through his page class' valiant rescue of Master Farqhuar, their bailiff and ambassador to Lyonesse, was the Elven Lands able to keep the peace.
     Shortly before King Osric's murder, the Lyonessian high admiralty conceived of a plan to gain their independence from Warwick by sinking several of their own ships and blaming it on the fleet of a Companion, Earl Mus Machias. The ruse was quickly uncovered, however, and the already paranoid Princess Melicinde (who was effectively running the country by that point) cracked down on any who might oppose her.
     Once her father succumbed to the poison she had been feeding him, Melicinde ascended the throne of Lyonesse and transformed the already oppressive kingdom into a brutal police state. All communication with the outside world was magically cut off, and the borders were sealed. Aeric, who was in Lyonesse on personal business, found himself trapped in the kingdom when this happened. He made the best of a bad situation and, under an alias, organized a rebellion. Between this rebellion and the appearance of BOAKYAG in the material world, Melicinde and her supporters were defeated.
     After the overthrow of Queen Melicinde, Lyonesse was in chaos for a while. The various members of the Council of Lords waged secret wars to determine the next ruler. During this time, King Galchauren requested that Aeric act as Warwick's envoy to Lyonesse and attempt to clean things up there. Aeric surrendered castellanship of Ahrothen and devoted all his energies to this new position until he left the lands with his new bride, High Queen Karissa of Blyth.

Magnaroth Rom Caerna
Once known as the Caerna Dragon, Magnaroth is a relatively-young dragon that lives in the Province of Ahrothen. It shares a special bond with Catalyn and acted as a mentor to many Caernas (including Aeric) during her time in that clan.

Marduk
Fellow Companion and good friend to Aeric. Marduk is blessed with the ability to fight vampires and their spawn on equal terms, and is the head/creator of the Dark Star, a guild of supernatural investigators and monster-hunters like himself.

Masamune Kotetsu
An ancient master swordsmith who lives a hermit's existence in the mountains of Ahrothen. His weapons are nearly supernatural in their sharpness and durability, having no equals in the Elven Lands. Aeric commissioned all of his personal weapons from the old man, even after he left Ahrothen.

Melicinde
The only child of King Osric of Lyonesse, Princess Melicinde was even more violent and paranoid than her father. Leonedes found favor as her lover during his time as Deathlord of Lyonesse. She succeeded as queen when her father fell victim to a mysterious wasting disease which was later revealed to be the effects of a poison she fed him in small doses. She was a paranoid, brutal dictator during her short reign as queen, finally being brought low by the efforts of Aeric and a band of rebels he had assembled. In the end, she was consumed by BOAKYAG before she could be brought to justice. Assuming she was returned to life upon the cloud entity's dispersal, her whereabouts are unknown.

Messenger
A mysterious, seemingly mute entity clad in all-concealing black robes, Messenger has visited the Court of Light on several occasions to deliver messages, thereby earning his nickname. Previously thought of as little more than one of the many odd characters frequenting the Eleven Lands, a disturbing revelation recently linked Messenger with Galchauren and Anthraziel as three halves of a creature (a cambion) prophesied to lead the armies of hell against heaven.

Michael, the Order of Sacred
An order of holy warriors who combine the martial prowess of Gawaine with the sacred philosophies of Eld Magnil. Even before joining the order, Aeric spent many an hour in the Temple, discussing theology and tactics with the monks there.

Moira Monange Rosaleen Dhu McQuillon
One of Aeric's page sisters, a down-to-earth yet optimistic young woman. Moira often finds herself playing the role of moral cheerleader for Aeric, as well as the one who twists his arm when he's about to give up. She is as stubborn as she is devoted to the Light.

Mollari
Aeric's estranged older sibling, an Aquitanian who found himself living among land-dwellers in neighboring Warwick. Mollari was elected premier shortly before Aeric's arrival in the lands. In an increasingly terrible chain of events, Aeric found himself responsible for the death--and reincarnation--of the Aquitanian, an experience which altered both Mollairi's body and soul. He found himself on the wrong side of the law when he nearly wiped out his own people in a war between Warwick and Aquitania, and became a fugitive on the high seas, the head of the villainous Black Fleet. He was returned to Warwick in chains (Aeric himself had a role in the capture) after seemingly swearing obedience to Darkness itself. In time, however, Mollari revealed his true purpose--to masquerade as a servant of Darkness in order to get close to some terrible evil force and destroy it from within. Mollari was sentenced to life in the prisons of Gaul, but he escaped in Saveign XXII. Current whereabouts are unknown.

Mordecaii Dragonsbane
Grand Knight of Gawaine and fighter par excellance, Mordecaii was killed when he foolishly entered the Dark Cloud in Maglion, leading him to the far-off land of Golgotha and a death at the hands of the demons awaiting there. Despite his apparent death, Mordecaii's spirit lingered on, aiding in Dragonsbane rituals and testing Aeric's worth as his successor in Gawaine.

Morganse of Alexia, Queen (Deceased)
The name adopted by Lady Merenia Shae after her bizarre transformation into a being of living water.

Myshella
A Lyonessian sorceress, Myshella was one of Aeric's lovers when he was leader of the Death Corps. She first became involved with the Court of Light when Moira and Karissa went seeking her help in sabotaging the ork army invading Ahrothen. Some time afterwards, Aeric himself sought her out for assistance in freeing Mollari's spirit from the underworld. At about the same time, Queen Melicinde began her reign of terror, ordering all magic-users to be rounded up and imprisoned. Myshella and Aeric found themselves on the run, the latter trapped in a foreign country with no way to communicate with the sovereign in Warwick. When Aeric ingratiated himself with the local rebellion, Myshella reluctantly allowed herself to be involved as well. After the assimilation of the queen and her royal cabinet by BOAKYAG, Myshella left Lyonesse and eventually found employment in the small northern kingdom of Alexandria as Court Magician.

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Osric, King
Also known as Osric the Usurper, the violent and paranoid (late) king of Lyonesse. As a young man, Aeric served his own boundless ambition by entering the service of King Osric, who was easily manipulated into giving Aeric everything he asked for in return for some semblence of security. The Death Corps was founded by Osric, and it was in his name that they terrorized noble and peasant alike.
     In time, Osric fell victim to the machinations of his own daughter, Melicinde, who poisoned him and took over as ruler of Lyonesse for a brief time.

Pages In Black, the
Aeric's page class, so named for its members' propensity to wear black--at least on the night the name was picked.

Panthra Ambra Lynnth Tre Zandofar
Aeric's page sister, and the first person he met when coming to Warwick. Aeric and Panthra met by chance in the woods of Elven, and began travelling together after he defended her against a pack of ravenous gypsies. Panthra reminded Aeric of his late sister, and from that point onward, he swore himself to defending her life. Shortly thereafter, he met the rest of his future page-siblings and joined the Court of Light.
     Aeric spent several years tying to keep his promise to himself, chasing after Panthra as she got herself into (and out of) trouble again and again. Finally he resigned himself to the fact that she could take care of herself. At last report, Panthra was trapped in Faerie.

Pazuzu
An ancient and powerful demon prince, also known as the Pazuziel or the Prince of the Upper Air. Pazuzu was Aeric's patron for many years, providing magical power in return for loyal service. Pazuzu swore to make Aeric's life miserable after he left the Death Corps, causing Aeric to avoid making any personal attachments for fear of hurting anyone. Aeric was finally able to overcome his former master, first by forcibly junctioning him and then by trapping the vast majority of his psyche in a soul crystal of unusual strength. It was during the junctioning of Pazuzu's spirit that Aeric first learned of Galchauren's sinister origins, in the form of the demon prince's own memories.
     Later, Aeric transferred Pazuzu's complete spirit into the empty body of the Simulacrum, allowing him to escape in order to lead Aeric to the demon Anthraziel. Aeric caught up with Pazuzu in the ruined remains of Golgotha, destroying him once and for all, but Anthraziel was nowhere to be found.

Percival, the Honorable Order of Prince
The first knighthood Aeric pursued after becoming a squire of Warwick. Percival is an order of painters, poets, and other artists, and Aeric felt that he could best leave his past behind him by taking up such peaceful pursuits. He quickly found that he was mistaken, however, and picked up a sword again for the first time in years when he declared for the first level of Gawaine.

Persona
A member of the mysterious Waywood Circle, a cabal of sorceresses associated with Merenia and Catalyn, the latter of whom is an honorary member. Together with her counterpart, Kestral, she has interacted with Aeric on several occassions; they guided him during his quest for his Caerna Dagger, and later stepped in to help him find it in the lair of Shadowcast. They were also the ones who took Catalyn's daughter Runa into their care shortly after she was born, to protect her from the influence of Shadowcast. Due to Aeric's involvement with the baby's conception and birth, neither sorceress has any affection for the knight. Aeric, in turn, resents their meddling and has little love for them, either.

Privateer Bob
A pirate captain who became associated with the Court of Light and even began working in their interests during the failed coup d'etat in Lyonesse. Bob met his end when he accompanied Aeric and several other Companions on a quest to destroy BOAKYAG; his body was used by Aeric and Baron Ptolomei to house the spirit of Mollari, effectively bringing the Companion back to life. There are many in the Court who believe that the spirit currently inhabiting Bob's body is not truly Mollari, which would explain his slow but inexorable descent into darkness.

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Rachel, Princess
The ruler of Ynessia and the sworn sovereign of Aeric's page brother, Lucerne McQuillon.

Redeemer
A consecrated sword created by Aeric as a requirement for the first level of the Order of Sacred Michael.

Sarabrande, Vareze
A black magician native to Lyonesse, Sarabrande (his first name is not commonly known) is the second son of an old and honorable family in that realm.   Demonstrating a talent for magic at an early age, Sarabrande was tutored by the best wizards money could buy. When he was old enough, Sarabrande was packed off to the Philosopher's School in the capital of Lyonesse. It was here that Sarabrande, bored with the curriculum and already on the dark path to quick and easy power, first made the aquaintence of Captain Leonedes of the Lyonessian Guard. The captain was at the school in search of a similar quick fix, and the two became mutually beneficial allies. In return for his tutlage in the arts, Leonedes helped Sarabrande become the heir to his family's land and titles.
     After some titanic blunder on the wizard's part, House Sarabrande was destroyed, forcing Sarabrande himself to look elsewhere for power. At first, he tried joining the Court of Light as a Companion, but Sir Farquhar saw his true colors and sent him away before ever becoming a page. Years later, Sarabrande got his revenge by forcing the knight to help him aquire immortality via the Holy Grail. From that point onward, Sarabrande has worked behind the scenes to make the Companions look like fools and, when necessary, to help them protect the land he wants to rule.
     In a recent misadventure, Sarabrande sought to gain ultimate power over life and death by stealing it from Death itself. His plan backfired, however, and Sarabrande found himself taking the place of the grim reaper for a little more than a year.   Thanks to the efforts of his loyal minions, he was able to return to Warwick.

Scarlette Tuatha de Daanan Zandofar
One of Aeric's page-sisters. A faerie goddess from the ancient past, Scarlette quickly learned to adapt to the modern world. A side-effect of her travel through time is that she sees things as they were in her time; a special pair of enchanted spectacles were created to solve this problem. Shortly after their page turning, Scarlette and Lucerne were wed at Mollari's estate in Windsor. The couple currently resides in the Kingdom of Ynessia.

Schwartzvald
A mad wizard previously of the Mages' Tower. The man responsible for the creation--and destruction--of the Simulacrum (see below). Hunted down and captured by Aeric's men, Schwartzvald was "convinced" to aid in the destruction of his creation in return for his continued freedom.

Shadowcast
A malefic, immortal being (half-dragon, half-demon) which lives, trapped, beneath Kel Redgaard de Koros in Ahrothen. Shadowcast has taken it upon himself to make the lives of the Caernas as miserable as possible, a game which he amuses himself with in his captivity. Aeric first encountered the demon-dragon on his Night of Grand Questing, in an alternate future where Shadowcast had escaped his prison and ruled Warwick. Aeric became the focal point of Shadowcast's game when he became castellan of Ahrothen; he enchanted Aeric and Catalyn, forcing them to sleep together and thereby driving a wedge between the three Caernas (Aeric, Catalyn, and Merenia). His tiger nomad minions stole Aeric's Caerna Dagger from Merenia, caused Karissa to lose a year of her memory when she helped Aeric retreive said dagger, and finally, tricked Aeric's long-lost sister Celfina into his dark service and killed her when she came to her senses.
     About a month after Celfina's murder, Aeric was able to gain some small revenge on Shadowcast by collapsing an escape tunnel his minons had been digging for the past several years.

Simulacrum, the
More commonly known as "the clone," a magical duplicate of Aeric which was created during the Ork War in Ahrothen. Aeric was bailiff at the time, and found himself recalled to Ahrothen to defend his castle from siege at the hands of the ork horde. Not wishing to leave Baron Ptolomei (the seneschal at the time) without an aide, Aeric commisioned a copy of himself from an eccentric wizard named Schwartzvald who worked at the Mages' Tower. What Aeric didn't know at the time was that the magic needed to create such a copy was declared illegal by the Mages. Aeric had arranged for the simulacrum to return to the tower before Aeric himself returned to his position as bailiff, but unknown to all, Swartzvald's deeds had been discovered by the Mages and Swartzvald himself had fled.
     The simulacrum, completely in the dark as to its nature, attempted to "return" to Ahrothen, where he was quickly captured by the ork army. The Horde was routed before Draal had a chance to ransom his captive, however, and the simulacrum escaped in the chaos of the withdraw. The simulacrum was found by soldiers of the Ahrothen Guard, who believed it to be their lord returned from Lyonesse. As the real Aeric was still trapped in Lyonesse, the simulacrum took the role of the original, having no idea that he was anything but the original. After several months, Aeric was able to return to Warwick, only to find the simulacrum in his place. Secretly, he contacted those closest to him in Ahrothen: Captain Antares and Aelfred, his steward. He told them to learn what they could about the impostor and report back to him. Aeric himself returned to the Court of Light disguised as a wizard named Platinum, the better to observe the impostor. In time, it was discovered that the impostor was indeed the simulacrum that should have been destroyed a long time ago. Unfortunately, the simulacrum learned of its true nature by reading one of Aeric's journals, which was penned during the siege of the castle. The revelation that it was a simulacrum caused it to go mad, and it managed to escape before Aeric or his men could kill it.
     About a year later, Antares and his company of freebooters, acting on standing orders from their former master, found the simulacrum living feral in the wilds of Ahrothen. Through contacts in Lankhmar, they were also able to locate and apprehend the rogue wizard Schwartzvald, who revealed a shocking truth about the Simulacrum to Aeric--its consciousness was actually a fragment of his own soul! Angered at the deception, Aeric was ready to kill the wizard and the clone, but Schwartzvald warned him that to do so would have dire consequences for Aeric himself. Months of fruitless research revealed that Schwartzvald was the only one who knew how to reverse the process and safely return the fragment of Aeric's soul to him. Schwartzvald wanted a full pardon in exchange for this information, to which Aeric (and the king) grudgingly agreed.
     When it came time to destroy the simulacrum, Aeric decided that he would kill two birds with one stone; by inserting the spirit of the demon Pazuzu into the empty shell of the clone once his own soul fragment was removed, he would destroy the shell and the demon prince all in one blow. Once Pazuzu was inside the clone body, however, he proved too powerful for the Court's restrictive spells and escaped. Later on, Aeric confessed to the Companions that he had planned it that way from the beginning, and that he was going to use Pazuzu to guide him to an even greater threat--the demon Anthraziel, who had been revealed as an agent of the Apocalypse during a recent adventure of Aeric's.
     In the end, Pazuzu and the clone were finally destroyed, but Aeric was admonished for deceiving the Court and forbidden from practicing demonic magics ever again.

Smith, Mister
A special agent and member of Aeric's spy network. Nothing is known about his past, but his loyalty and ability in the field are both impeccable.

Soul Crystals
Crystals which, when properly prepared, can serve as vessels for a disembodied soul or spirit. Some rare varieties can actually do so without magical preparation, and are often found housing the unfortunate spirits of those who died nearby.
Mollari's spirit was retrieved from BOAKYAG by the use of a soul crystal, and Aeric also used a specially-prepared crystal to imprison the spirit of Pazuzu, which up until that point had been contained within Aeric's subconscious.

Super-orks, the
The common term for those orks granted higher-than-normal intelligence by General Draal and his Chalice of Thoth. The super-orks were the main body of troops in General Draal's horde, and many of them were left behind in Ahrothen when the army was routed by the efforts of the Companions. Aeric spent two years hunting down and destroying these stragglers, and the rest either killed each other off or were devoured by dragons.

Thorne
A badge of shame in Lyonesse, given to all bastards in that realm in lieu of a legitimate family name. The name is indicitive of the bastard as a thorn in the side of his noble father. Leonedes was given the name shortly after his true identity was discovered, during his time in the Lyonessean military.

Thorn
Aeric's sword. Thorn is not any one individual sword, but is the name given to whatever blade he is using at the time, unless that blade has another name of it's own.

Usurper, the
A common nickname for King Osric of Lyonesse, who murdered his brother in cold blood in order to gain the throne for himself. Ironically enough, Osric himself was murdered by his own offspring for the sake of the throne.

Valorius (family name unknown)
Aeric's birth father, the identity of whom was revealed to him in a letter found on a dying templar knight in Shadowcast's lair on his second Caerna Quest. According to the letter, Valorious had come to the DeChevallier castle one night on his way to joining the Templars. Baron Randal was away fighting with his greedy neighbor's troops at the border, and the baroness offered the knight hospitality in his stead. The two fell in love and conceived the twins (Leonedes and Celfina) that very night.
Valorious left the castle before the sun rose the next morning, while Eloise was still asleep. She never heard from him again, and Valorious himself only learned of his bastard offspring long after her death. It is unknown whether or not Valorious still lives, and Aeric, who blames him for everything that went wrong in his life, has no desire to find out.

Waywood Circle, the
A mysterious cabal of female druids and magic-users. Aeric's first encounter with the Circle was in the form of two of it's members, Persona and Kestral (see above). Both Catalyn and Merenia had ties to the Waywood Circle, and when their daughter was born, she was given to the Circle for protection from Shadowcast.

No entries yet.

Ynessia, the Kingdom of
The homeland of Aeric's page-brother and best friend, Lucerne McQuillon. Lucerne came to Warwick after Ynessia had been destroyed and its inhabitants enslaved, but he returned there with his wife and page-sister, Scarlette Tuatha de Danaan, to help the newly freed queen and people of Ynessia rebuild their home. Aeric would visit his page-siblings in Ynessia frequently during his own marriage to Queen Karissa of Blythe, for their realm lay between it and Warwick.

Zhuge Liang
Aeric's third younger sibling, who page-turned in O.P. XXIIIb.

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