They call it easing the Spring: it
is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
Which in our case we have not got;
Henry Reed, "Naming
of Parts"
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Cian, the Unmanned King
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Ruler of Alfar since the War of the Axle over 1000 years ago.
Cian had not been seen in person since the completion of his tower
in the year 230, and has only just re-emerged. It is said he was
injured in his battle with Lugh, the Golden Lion and sacrificed
much both to win that battle and to keep Alfar safe as the Sundering
passed over the realms. |
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Keepers of the Cards
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Arbrie of The Ash - a small, aged woman, olive-skinned
with slanted, dark eyes, Arbrie was a seer before taking her place
among the Keepers about 800 years ago. |
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Domnhall of The Beginning - tall but slight, with pale
skin and dark eyes and hair; Domnhall is known for his strong emotions
and changeable attitudes, and he is alternately praised for his
open-mindedness and cursed for his seemingly fickle nature. |
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Rionach of The Bracken - a stern, imposing, woman with
thick auburn hair, Rionach is strong and maintains her fitness with
running and riding. |
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Tuilelaith of the Coins - a singularly beautiful, tall,
womanly figure with long, wavy reddish hair and a rose-on-marble
complexion, Tuilelaith has a reputation of considered wisdom, skilled
in calming troubled political waters. |
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Niall of The Door - with Cierlagh of The Winds, one of
the original Keepers; Niall is a tow-headed, fair-skinned man who
appears to be in his early twenties; he always seems tousled. |
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Eister of The Green - slim, olive-skinned with greenish-blond
hair and golden eyes; a woodwalker, known to be easily distracted
and slow to engage, but sure and steadfast once convinced. |
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Raghnall of The Keep
- pensive and serious, Raghnall normally appears as a darkly tanned
boy with hair almost the same color as his skin. DECEASED. |
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Sareagh of The Lily - a quiet woman, pale and blond, of
youthful demeanor, her absences have become longer and longer until
she was declared missing by the council. MISSING. |
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Aodan of The Maid - heavyset and thickly bearded with fiery
red, curly hair, Aodan was a scout in the battles against the Line
of the Lion back before the formation of the King's Knights. |
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Cliodhna of The Serpent
- willowy and pale with white hair and an ageless, porcelain complexion,
Cliodhna is known to be a spirit walker; she was one of the first
Keepers selected as the council grew from the original two members,
Cierlagh and Niall. DECEASED. |
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Fioral of The Swords - a blond, blue-eyed ex-knight, called
to the Keepers relatively late in life, Fioral joined the order
and then was selected into the Keepers only 150 years ago; he fought
against the Lion in several key battles, and still retains his knight's
physique. |
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Cierlagh of The Winds - the oldest of the Keepers, and,
with Niall, the other original servant of Cian from before the construction
of King's Tower; Cierlagh appears as a large, broad-chested, silver-haired
man. |
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The House of The Ash
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Aileann - |
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Caolan - singer and woodcarver, short, dark-skinned,
fit man who looks to be in his late teens |
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Loravel
- ancestor of Deoradhan's line; a renowned beauty - DECEASED |
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Mathuin - knight of the joust |
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The House of The Beginning
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Aradain - Schoolmaster for the Keepers of the Cards; quite
old, black-haired, with the appearance of a tall, thin, pale poet |
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Brighid - dark-haired, brown-eyed girl with a soft face
and quick smile; a strong competitor in the staff events at tourney;
wife of Mathuin of Ash |
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Mikhos - young-seeming, black-haired, olive complected
man; an engineering and construction expert most familiar with the
structural layout of Alfar |
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Mulhain - King's Knight of the Joust and the Hunt; tall
and dark, and heavily built; currently in a union with Eabha of
The Bracken |
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Neassa - A Seeker of some fame; gold-haired over a pale
complexion, light, wide-set eyes; a current student of the Keepers
of the Cards |
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Niamh - tall and lithe, with hair and eyes of steel grey;
a student of human histories, whose art brings echoes of the past
into the present |
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Searlas - The youngest member of the House, Searlas is
a researcher of songs, though no bard himself, and has a few books
published on songs of warriors; he is a dark olive-skinned man,
a skilled dancer known to have many liaisons in the Inns and Knight's
Halls where he is often found; once married to Eseld of the Maid |
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The House of The Bracken
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The House of The Coins
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Ambrose - |
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Lorcas - silver-haired traveller, several times knight
of the sword and staff but never King's Knight; also a bard and
minor illusionist |
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Caillic - tall, tanned, blond, Caillic is mistress of minor
magicks of art and construction, and well-known around the city
for her work among the ruins. |
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The House of The Door
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Aisling - a young-looking, dark-haired and sultry woman
with bright blue eyes, Aisling is a well-known Seer, quite popular
in city society for her detailed and somewhat... personal talents;
mother of Muirne of The Door. |
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Edraig - |
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Killian - red-haired, youthful Elder of the Door; his Way
is to copy the arts of others |
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Liam - of the Word can almost taste the wind. He can track
a bird on the wing. He can see a mouse at thousands of yards. For
Liam, it is never too dark to see. |
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Torin - a pretty man, brown-haired and blue-eyed, with
a talent for the horse; he is young and seeks his first knighthood
in the joust |
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The House of The
Green
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The House of The Keep
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Almha - Belesama's mother, and clearly so; the same dark
hair, broad cheeks and slant of eyebrow but with green eyes give
her away; she is more than an artist with the whip; she teaches
the young in the House and other on request |
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Ardal - of the Word. He wears what seems a perpetual expression
of half disbelieving scorn. His hair is the bitter brown of walnut
hulls, his eyes green. His helm is of a mountain lion. |
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Arlen - |
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Bradaigh - junior blade instructor, House armorer with
great upper body strength; Belesama's father; a dancer of some renown
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Bronn - of the Word; a healer of some skill; his helm is
of a black bear's head; he is tanned and craggy with lighter hair |
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Eamonn - younger member of the House with long brown hair;
aspiring to be knighted in Horse and Joust |
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Eideard - |
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Eoghan - Leader of the Word; Deathmaker; a huge man and
ferocious warrior; brown skinned, brown haired, with lighter hazel
eyes; his helm is of a tremendous elk's head |
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Gerard - older cousin of Eamonn and Belesama; muscular;
two-time winner of the King's Tournament Grand Melee, starting as
King's Knight of the Joust and Sword, now King's Knight |
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Orran - of the Word; white-haired and steel-eyed, he is
an archer of great stealth and renown |
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Phelan - of the Word; a dark-tanned man, the Word's horsemaster
and a terrifying warrior from horseback |
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The House of The Lily
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Aurnia: golden-haired, golden-eyed, said to be descended
from the King's brother, Lugh; Aurnia is known for putting on extraordinary
feasts; she travels often seeking new tastes for her tables; mother
of Eseld of the Maid |
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Breannain: an extraordinary master of glamours specializing
in works that affect all the senses; appears as an impossibly
perfect man in his twenties; fair, lithe and strong; he has created
many public works; father of Eseld of the Maid
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Cadhla: tall, black-haired beauty with golden eyes; mother
of Verhain |
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Cuan: a tall, slim man with beautiful pale features and
dark hair; he has a deep open cut running from his scalp on the
left side all the way to his groin; a Seer; one of the elders
of the House
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Feidhelm: brown haired, dark-eyed man of cheerful demeanour;
a great player of all manner of stringed instruments; father of
Verhain |
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Gleannine: pale and white-haired with a womanly figure;
she is a mistress of the arts of seduction and often appears in
explicit clothing |
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Iris: young cousin of Nimairafel pursuing the art of costume;
Iris's works tend towards the ephemeral; the girl herself is silver
haired and blue eyed, but she is almost always enrobed in glamours |
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Rhuann: grandmother of Nimairafel; a beautiful, blond pixieish
woman |
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Uilleac: father of Muirne of The Door; a perpetually tousled,
smiling young man with fair hair and pale eyes; often throws intimate
parties and small gatherings designed to allow for many indulgences |
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Verhain: dark wavy hair and slanted amber eyes in a strong-jawed
face of fine proportion; one of the younger students of the Keepers
of the Cards at only about 40 years old; a knighted bowmaster |
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The House of The Maid
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Carmilla: willowy red-head, little seen in the light of
day; a mysterious woman of unknown talents |
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Cayden: an elder of the House with dark hair and eyes in
a youth's face, Cayden has not been much seen in Alfar; he has traveled
widely during his years, and is thought to be significantly older
than Alfar |
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Cullen: a nearly black-skinned, black-haired man, tall
and long-limbed; a bard of some fame, known to have travelled widely
beyond the Veil; husband to Liffey |
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Liffey: fair woman who tans readily and pales
again just as quickly, comely and tall, with a somewhat ropey build;
huntress and King's Knight of the Bow; wife to Cullen |
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Lonan:
blond-haired, blue-eyed man who appears about sixteen; while less
famous for finished creations, elder Lonan is well known for consulting
and guiding the development of the House's most extraordinary works;
does some costuming on commission; a master of glamour, seeming,
and conjury. DECEASED. |
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Maiev: human assistant to Ewen of the Serpent; a young,
extremely fit, dark haired woman who seems as much bodyguard as
servant to him |
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Tinnaeus: student of the Keepers of the Cards; 32 years
old with thick, brown straight hair and a serious expression never
quite banished |
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The House of The Sword
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(This image derived from Tom Tadfor Little's woodcut
tarot card, the 3 of spades. Check out http://www.telp.com/art/cartae_triumphorum/
for more of his woodcut designs.)
|
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Cathal - of the King's Word. A perpetual chill hangs around
him, as if he's just stepped in from a blizzard night and the cold
is still coming off his clothes. He has dark eyes and dark ragged
hair. He wears a raven helm. |
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Ceallagh: Master of the Lists; a huge man with a barrel
chest, thick silver hair and a grey beard; he has one hip and leg
twisted from an injury in the war |
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Ciaran - |
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Ciorsdan - |
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Donn: King's Knight of the Joust; relatively young, he
is still learning his arts, but has shown skill and had luck at
several of the small tournaments |
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Lafnir: of the King's Word; pale blond man, slight of build;
a flesh shaper; his helm is of a gold-furred wolf's head |
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Muirach: King's Knight of the Sword; Muirach is still seeking
his first win at the joust |
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Rian: |
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The House of The Winds
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Breanna: lovely, dusky woman, elder aunt to Muireann; a
huntress |
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Brennan: dark-haired, blue-eyed brother to Muireann; a
bit of a joker and womanizer, always seeming in good spirits; a
renowned hunter |
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Fionn: King's Knight of the Sword; said to look like the
King's father of legend, Finnvarr; he is blonde and blue-eyed, tall
and slim, fast with the blade; he famously took the favor of a grande
dame of the Lily and won with it in his first small tournament |
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Lilja: mother of Toireann of the Winds |
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Lufthair: tall and dark-eyed with smooth features
under brown hair; King's Knight of the Horse and Hunt; a great teacher
of equestrian skills; brother to Rory |
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Muireann: Dark-haired and blue-eyed, tall and fit; a mistress
of the bow and a seeker; mother of Blythe |
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Oisin: |
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Rory: Strong and broad, the red-haired, dark-eyed opposite
of his wife, Muireann; father of Blythe; King's Knight of the Horse;
absent from Alfar for near ten years; brother to Lufthair |
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Seanan: father of Toireann of the Winds |
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Shula: with blue eyes flecked gold like turquoise in a
tan face, dark blond hair, and a worker's physique; Shula is an
armorer and leatherworker known for her cunning artistry with natural
themes |
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Slevin - of the Word; a quiet tracker, stealthy as his
comrade Orran and as superb an archer |
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