Meet the Characters --
Dark of the Elvenwood
and visit the Art Gallery to see various artists' images.
Handsome and cultured, educated and strongly
talented, this silver-haired and velvet-voiced elfmage has done well for
himself in the years since he said farewell to Cat Sabledrake. He is the
Lord High Librarian of Thanis' Great Library, a job in which his only displeasure
is his ambitious and blackmailing assistant, Vondra. He has continued studying
magic under the tutelage of the Archmage Talus Yor, and the two have become
good friends.
Most important of all, Arien is living a dream
he once never even dared to hope for. The lovely Alinora has been reunited
with him. With all of this, he should be happy, should not be tormented
by thoughts of what might have been. Yet he comes to realize that the love
of a century pales in comparison with that he knew only seven short
years and a heart's eternity ago.
When Greyquin and Alhonse come to his door
with an offer of adventure, Arien is quick to accept. Not because it means
seeing more of the world, or using his magic, or righting wrongs. He accepts
for one reason and one reason alone -- because it means a chance to see
Cat Sabledrake again.
Or, as he is less-better known, Darkfire Dragonwing Sharptooth Quickflight Weasel's-Bane Clevermind Windshadow Swan-chaser Snow-Hater Timeskimmer Nightmoon Blackgleam Whiptail Sweetsfond -- his name goes on and on, this small but canny drake familiar of Arien's.
Although the bond between wizard and familiar is strong as ever, letting them share each other's thoughts and emotions, there is a sore spot in their relationship. Darkfire has yet to forgive Arien for choosing Alinora over Cat, and is sure to mention it at every opportunity.
From thieves to nobles ... the line seems awfully thin. But Cat's father Tahm, one-time master thief of the Northlands, is now a close advisor to the Duke of Gamelin. Cat may never be used to Tradersport, a bustling coastal trade city, but she is happy and content, having swapped the alleyways of Thanis and the extended family of the Nightsiders for a new life with her parents.
But when adventure calls, Cat knows that her necessity as a leader outweighs the responsibilities she leaves behind. And for her, too, a chance to travel once again with Arien is a lure too tempting to resist. Until, that is, the shocking disclosure of a long-kept secret threatens to tear them apart once and for all.
And for Cat, elfkin child of a human man and an elven woman, this journey may prove most dangerous of all. She ventures not only into the Emerin, where her kind is hated, but into the dark and extreme Morvalan lands ... where her kind is truly considered abhorrent.
The Temple of Steel couldn't be happier, with a priest like Alphonse. He is huge and thick with muscle, ready-willing-able to fight any battle that comes along, and tough enough to make ground sausage out of a full-grown mountain ogre. But there is one foe that the massive warrior cannot best. One part of him that is unarmored and soft, and vulnerable. That part is his heart.
For seven years, Alphonse has made a regular yearly visit to Tradersport, becoming almost a member of Cat's family. She is dearer to sister than him, and he will do anything to protect her. But he cannot protect her from her own wistful heart, and knows that the one battle he most dearly wishes to fight is one he cannot, for her sake.
A little older, a little greyer, but no less merry. That's this hardy fellow, who still hails from Gnome Keep though it has been over twenty years since he's visited that tunnel-raddled rocky butte. Greyquin is the one responsible for gathering the information vital to convincing his friends that this quest must be done, and his adventures in the elven lands would make for a book of their own (and someday, probably will).
One touch of sadness has come to Greyquin's life -- his faithful war-dog Bear died bravely defending his master and has been replaced by a realcitrant pony that even panics at the sight of a dragon. Of course, given that the dragon is the size of ten wagons placed end-to-end, breathing fire, and coming right at them ... well, even Greyquin himself isn't above panic in an event like that!
As the story begins, these two former companions of Cat and Arien are unable to joint he quest because the arrival of a bundle of joy is very imminent. Rayke even, to the bemusement of others given Sybil's devout Talopean observances, firmly insists that the child is his.
The scarred, burly, red-haired mercenary and the voluptuous blonde priestess of the Goddess of a Thousand Pleasures don't seem like a good match. But they've been together seven years, and when they learn of the evil going on in their city, they make a bargain that no one who knows Sybil would ever believe -- if they get out of this alive, she'll marry him.
Dungeon Master's Evil Twin is no more. The once crippled gnome of a necromancer now occupies the impressive body of a minotaur (the one-time Bostitch, whose soul now resides somewhere only known to Solarrin). He is now the master of Castle Selbon, with armies of orcs at his disposal and incredible sorceries his to command.
His alliance with the Morvalan is not an easy one, neither faction fully trusting the other. When he becomes dissatisfied with their typically slow elven progress, Solarrin elects to take matters into his own hands. His goal is simple -- complete domination of the Northlands. Starting with Thanis, starting with the title of Archmage.
Quick to inspire fear, not caring if he inspires loyalty, Solarrin's minions include Zorak the orc, Donnell the demented elflord, and the easily-swayed Jarrell Farleigh.
The beloved and charismatic Archmage of Thanis, Talus Yor claims a lifespan of close to two hundred years. An amazing feat for a human ... but he also claims to have been raised and tutored by the mythic Avantari, assistants to the gods at the creation of the earth. For all of his might and power, Talus Yor has an all-too-human fondness for the joys of life. His list of conquests is staggering, his love of good food and fine wine and entertainment would bankrupt a lesser man.
His most constant and faithful companion is Ilgilean, a petite red drake. She is his familiar, and also the paramour of Darkfire, which has contributed to the friendship between Talus and Arien.
Her beauty is the elven ideal -- skin of pearl, hair of platinum, eyes of softest new-leaf green. She is the daughter of a count, raised to be a lady of quality before being doomed to an untimely fate by an ancient curse. Now, a century later, she is stranded in a land and time not her own, believed by her family to be dead, and bound by an old promise of betrothal to a man who has become a stranger to her.
Although she commands respectable amounts of magic, Alinora is not accustomed to taking the reins of her life into her own hands. Thus, when Arien leaves her to go off on his quest (worst of all, goes off to meet an elfkin!), Alinora is alone, afraid, and confused. Easy prey, in other words, for falling into the bad company of someone like Solarrin.
The Highlord of Thanis for the past fifty years, Duncan is everything a king should be. Strong, noble, well-loved, fair and just, he rules with wisdom and compassion but also with a firm hand when needed. He and three friends -- the Four Heroes of Thanis -- were responsible for ending years of strife and civil war, and restoring prosperity to the Northlands. The ties between these old allies remain close. Duncan's wife Karina died, their second unborn child with her, and despite numerous offers, he has remained forever true to her memory.
The son is nothing like the illustrious father. And Jarrell knows it. Having lived all his life in Duncan's shadow, he is very intensely keenly aware of it. He's not called "The Brat" for nothing, being selfish and spoiled and petulent. Prone to softness around the middle, an undershot chin, and a pasty complexion, he is jealous of everyone around him and takes it out in mean and petty ways.
When Duncan finally begins to wonder about Jarrell's suitability to succeed him, it is no surprise that Jarrell would do anything, even take up with the likes of Solarrin, to hold on to his inheritance.
This unlikely trio is left in charge of the Great Library while Arien is away, and it will frankly be a miracle if it's still standing when he returns. Senior Librarian Haleric was granted the post of Acting Lord High Librarian based on seniority, an oversight on Arien's part for not understanding that humans don't generally get along so well when they've reached such advanced years. Junior Librarian Pellander, once Arien's apprentice and still loyal to a fault, means well but can't help tripping over his own feet in all ways -- physically, verbally, and emotionally. And Vondra, with a chip on her shoulder the size of the city, has it in for all things male and all persons she perceives as slighting her.
Among the so-called 'dark elves,' two in particular stand out. These are the sorceress Marona and her partner, the sinister Kai Terindor. Marona's magic is integral in seeing Solarrin's plot carried out, and her striking beauty is enough to impress even Greyquin and Alphonse. Kai Terindor is another matter altogether. He is a Rhunvala, which translates literally as 'blood elf,' and is a warrior-priest in the service of the unspeakable god Kaledhol.
An interesting minor character who will come into her own eventually is Tilanne, a young girl handed an amazing destiny one violent and wild night.
Dark of the Elvenwood features five very special characters, based on actual people who won an auction to have their names and likenesses or those of a person of their choice used in the book. They are island queen Jae'elae (by Jennifer Anderson), twin scribes Joseph and Meghann of Bonura (by Shari Bonura), Mariah the midwife (by Patti Poblette), and Michael of the Royal Guard (by Jan Miller).
