Yardem Hane, his second in command
The bank’s guard, including:
Barth
Corisen Mout
Ahariel Akkabrian
Roach
Hart
Enen
Iderrigo Bellind Siden, Prime Governor of Porte Oliva
Qahuar Em, rival to the Medean bank and former lover of Cithrin
Arinn Costallin, his business acquaintance from Herez
Maestro Asanpur, a cafe owner
Capsen Gostermak, a poet and keeper of doves
Maceo Rinal, a pirate
Dar Cinlama, a hunter of ancient treasures and seeker of lost places
King Tracian
Komme Medean, head of the Medean bank
Lauro Medean, son of Komme
Chana Medean, daughter of Komme
Paerin Clark, husband of Chana
Magister Nison, voice of the Medean bank in Carse
King Lechan
Sir Darin Ashford, ambassador to Antea
Epetchi, a cook
Adasa Orsun, a sea captain
Feldin Maas, formerly Baron of Ebbingbaugh, killed for treason
Phelia Maas, his wife, dead at her husband’s hand
Magister Imaniel, voice of the Medean bank in Vanai and protector of Cithrin
also Cam, a housekeeper, and
Besel, a man of convenience, burned in the razing of Vanai
Alys, wife of Marcus Wester
also Merian, their daughter, burned to death as a tactic of intrigue
Lord Springmere, the Mayfly King, killed in vengeance
Morade, the last Dragon Emperor, said to have died from wounds
Inys, clutch-mate of Morade whose manner of death is not recorded
Asteril, clutch-mate of Morade, maker of the Timzinae, dead of poison
Drakkis Stormcrow, great human general of the last war of the dragons, dead of age
(From a manuscript attributed to Malasin Calvah, Taxonomist to Kleron Nuasti Cau, fifth of his name)
The ordering and arrangements of the thirteen races of humanity by blood, order of precedence, mating combination, or purpose is, by necessity, the study of a lifetime. It should occasion no concern that the finer points of the great and complex creation should seem sometimes confused and obscure. It is the intent of this essay to introduce the layman to the beautiful and fulfilling path which is taxonomy.
I shall begin with a brief guide to which the reader may refer.
The Firstblood are the feral, near-bestial form from which all humanity arose. Had there been no dragons to form the twelve crafted races from this base clay, humanity would have been exclusively of the Firstblood. Even now, they are the most populous of the races, showing the least difficulty in procreation, and spreading throughout the known world as a weed might spread through a rose garden. I intend no offense by the comparison, but truth knows no etiquette.
The oldest of the crafted races form the Eastern Triad: Jasuru, Yemmu, and Tralgu.
The Jasuru are often assumed to be the first of the higher races. They share the rough size and shape of the Firstblood, but with the metallic scales of lesser dragons. Most likely, they were created as a rough warrior caste, overseers to control the Firstblood slaves.
The Yemmu are clearly a later improvement. Their great size and massive tusks could only have been designed to intimidate the lesser races, but as with other examples of crafted races, the increase in size and strength has come at a cost. Of all the races, the Yemmu have the shortest natural lifespan.
The Tralgu are almost certainly the most recent of the Eastern Triad. They are taller than the Firstblood and with the fierce teeth and keen hearing of a natural carnivore, and common wisdom holds that they were bred for hunting more than formal battle. In the ages since the fall of dragons, it is likely only their difficulty in whelping that has kept them from forcible racial conquest.
As the Eastern Triad marks an age of war in which races were created as weapons of war, the western races delineate an age in which the dragons began to create more subtle tools. Cinnae, Dartinae, and Timzinae each show the marks of creation for specific uses.
The Cinnae, when compared to all other races, are thin and pale as sprouts growing under a bucket. However, they have a marked talent in the mental arts, though the truly deep insights have tended to escape them. As the Jasuru are a first attempt at a warrior caste, so the Cinnae may be considered as a rough outline of the races that follow them.
The Dartinae, while dating their creation from the same time, do not share in the Cinnae’s slightly better than
