The Water Phoenix King

Warning: contains spoilers! Make sure you are caught up on the comic before reading this page!

The minor characters, in order of appearance…

Reshma Ha’Durok, a human

A Zaiapani smith who saw reserve action in the war, Reshma had a son with a Vasgollan baroness. The resulting scandal forced him to flee before he could receive commendation from Chancellor Jarjuna, and he and his young son laid low for years, Reshma working odd jobs as a smith, porter, or bodyguard, before fate brought them to Arduna’s inn. Reshma now travels with his son, Gheen.

Count Arduna Pathlo, a human

A soldier of the Fourth Legion of the Shadow Tail Army that opposed Lord Yamra, Arduna abandoned his job as a butcher to join Jaruna’s war against the Water Phoenix King. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Othwald Castle, and for his bravery, Chancellor Jarjuna rewarded him with the land around a long-abandoned crossroads fort. Arduna opened the Inn of Silver Leaves and has since earned the rank of count.

Arcoan, a bokkminn

Arcoan’s people, the bokkminns, dwell close to the Circle of Fixed Stars, flying astral dragonflies from world to world. Once the greatest dragonfly-breaker of his clan, Arcoan now finds himself employed at the Inn of Silver Leaves as an ostler (though he is too small to manage bicorns or zebras) and a busboy, in a world largely devoid of astral dragonflies. He will probably be eaten by the inn’s cats, who have confused him with some kind of large and delicious insect.

Lady Keilindi Flavich, a human

The daughter of a Hadrakahn bogatyr and a slave, Keilindi escaped her family in the north and fled south to Vasgol, where she worked a series of odd and abusive jobs before reaching the Inn of Silver Leaves. While not the cleverest young woman, she is a gifted soprano and dreams of singing in one of the great opera houses on The Moon, which seems unlikely given her new rank and the constant lunar invasions.

Shreyas Akku, a human

Shreyas was born into a wealthy Vasgollan landholding family that fell into disgrace when her father was accused of spying for Yamra. These charges may have been trumped up by rivals, but regardless, her father was executed, her mother committed suicide, and a young Shreyas fled to Nammathar, where she attempted, unsuccessfully, to attach herself to a succession of wealthy men. Rebuffed because of her…difficult…personality, she drifted to the Inn of Silver Leaves. She now travels with Dosh as the young aristocrat seeks his destiny.

Viscountess Meyra Sho-Batt, a human

One of the thousands of Zaiapani refugees who traveled to Vasgol in the Gray Water Exodus after the collapse of Gasatri’s provisional government, Meyra lost her family to Ngapp raids somewhere on the Baltoo. Beginning as a working girl at the Inn of Silver Leaves, her fortunes have improved as the inn’s have, and she is now an influential land-owner in Vasgol.

Corinno, a pleroma of Gurahl

Once radiant and terrible in service of the Water Phoenix King, Corinno’s armor is now tarnished, his sword lusterless. Corinno, like Barabbon, hungers for a return to Hadrakah’s glory days. He is the most committed of the three to ideals of Hadrakahn restoration. A fierce warrior, he once viewed himself as a mere instrument for Lord Yamra’s wrath; now, he has transferred his abandoned sense of agency to Barabbon.

Mixabokes, a pleroma of Zeth Kahl

Mixabokes lost his body in a struggle against Vish, and now squats in the body of an imp-like creature of uncertain provenance. As he was once considered the most beautiful and magnificent of Lord Yamra’s servants, this low fate infuriates him, and he constantly schemes to restore his own station. This is a greater concern to him than restoring the glory of Hadrakah, putting him occasionally at odds with Barabbon and Corinno.

Countess Milat Pathlo, a human

Milat, scion of a long line of herbalists and healers, served in Jarjuna’s healing-tents during the war after her three brothers died fighting Yamra’s armies. There she met and fell in love with Arduna Pathlo. After the war they were married, and despite initial difficulty in adapting to her new life, she has gained the title of countess and enough assistants not to have to cook anymore.

Chancellor Jarjuna, a human

Current ruler of the human nation of Vasgol, Jarjuna began as an artisan’s son. When the Water Phoenix King’s armies expanded into northern Vasgol, he struck back and became an outlaw, then a rallying-point, then the leader of a full-blown insurrection. With the gods themselves on his side, he struck down the Water Phoenix King, then found himself struggling to control his disjointed nation. Nominally supported by seven electors, a parliament, and a scholastic-magisterial organization called the Kepteriad, Chancellor Jarjuna struggles with inefficiency, corruption, and endless attempts by foreign powers to conquer or destroy Vasgol.

Captain Rasho Scopi, a human

The bastard son of Lord Rham of Chaldanga, Captain Rasho missed the war against Yamra but distinguished himself on the Thin Trail, helping surviving bokkminns return home after the Violation of Horns. Rasho commanded the Bison Guard with mixed success until his sergeant, Deemo, assassinated and supplanted him during the Battle of Kebra’s Tower.

Captain Deemo Napanari, a human

The son of two well-established merchant houses, Deemo found himself a poor student, a belligerent shopkeeper, and (when ordination was considered) an indifferent theologian. When his younger sister, Demiya, demonstrated an affinity for trade and joined her father in the marketplaces, Deemo found himself suddenly ignored. Furious, he signed up with the Nammathar militia. His violent treatment of witnesses in the Cadama Export Strife earned him a punishment-via-promotion to the Bison Guards, closing off the possibility of further advancement in Nammathar proper. Encouraged by Maresh, Deemo assassinated the Bison Guards’ previous captain and took his place. After Prince Thrale’s death, he vanished.

Nasker Wont, a human

One of the eight regular soldiers under Captain Rasho’s command, Nasker was a typical specimen of the Bison Guards: a member of Nammathar’s insular, anxious, and occasionally fanatical lower-merchant class, Nasker joined the Bison Guards to gain a taste of power and authority, to grind down the “porting classes” (whose potential organization terrifies most Vasgollan urbanites), and to get as close to war as possible by hunting bandits through the hills. Anthem killed Nasker when he threatened to arrest her and drag her before Prince Thrale.

Lieutenant Poggle, a bokkminn

Born on Channaxi, the World Under the Sword, in the days before bokkminn/maklak hostilities led to the Violation of Horns and other atrocities, Poggle settled with the wyrds amidst the lesser moons for a time before descending to Chalt. There, bereft of wealth and influence, he presented himself as a dancer in the court of Princess Ismene of Esgavi, then fled political harassment to join the Bison Guards as a mistreated squire. He has since risen to the rank of lieutenant at the Inn of Silver Leaves.

Gheen Ha’Reshma, a human

The young son of Reshma Ha’Durok and Baroness Ipani Sagresse (heiress to the Sagresse silver mines), who died shortly after the scandalous affair (poisoned, rumors say), Gheen spent most of his life moving from one city to another as his father sought work. He made few friends, but has picked up more odd skills than many grown men: he is a passable smith, cooper, ostler, tailor, and cook. Newly revealed as the Inceptor of the Yiggish Science, which allows for the transformation of an object’s solidity, he travels with Kawunei and his father.

Naksuanan with Eleven Rings, a maheti

Naksuanan has been a wholesaler, an arms dealer, and a jewel merchant, and spent a few years as an item seller at the Inn of Silver Leaves. When he traveled with Kawunei and Vish to the legendary alchemist Urume, he elected to become Urume’s herald. His intricate houka suit, necessary since the King of the Maklaks dissolved the skin of every maheti after they betrayed him, can replace physical pain with a gentle narcotic haze controllable through dials on his wrist, but unlike many of his fellows, Naksuanan keeps it dialed down to maintain his keen wits.

Ezheis Ai-Nacova, the Blue Knight, a human

Once an honored bogatyr of the Water Phoenix King, one of the elite warriors of the godly human kingdom of Hadrakah, Lord Ezheis lost everything when the war ended. Reduced to banditry, he soon gathered a company of former Hadrakahn soldiers around him. Maresh killed the Blue Knight with the Boreal Scepter when the Blue Knight split with Lord Kebra and attacked the Inn of Silver Leaves.

Captain Corva Bleks, a human

Corva worked with her brother, Carthi, to protect the Hadrakahn refugees that stream south from that ruined land. She hid them in an abandoned wyrdish base, then joined Gilgam guarding the roads around the inn. But when the Yamric priest Maresh exposed her past as a slaver, she fled and joined the crew of a solar ship. She has since become the captain of the Scorn-of-Spiders. Frustrated by her family’s cruel and distant god, she has become a priestess of Okidesha, the imprisoned goddess who may have the power to overthrow Tamantha.

Prince-Elector Thrale Turbala of Nammathar, a human

Forced to live under his warrior father’s shadow, Prince Thrale was imprisoned during much of the war, and when he emerged he was a changed and broken man. An unstable, violent ruler, Thrale spent several years hamstringing Nammathar’s parliament, accusing them of Hadrakahn sympathies and liquidating their wealth, using that money to create a personal guard. Vish killed Thrale when he imprisoned Princess Ismene and an unstable coalition government has replaced his insane rule.

Turvin M’Oxo, an Ulenite

Turvin’s origins are murky, especially for a race so dedicated to record-keeping as the Ulenites. He claims descent from Lord Oxo, though most scholars agree that “Lord Oxo” is merely a pseudonym of one or more Ulenite expansionists. Better-known than his origins is Turvin’s status as a Skinbreaker, a Min-Tin art proscribed after the Cloud Wars and thought lost centuries ago. He appeared with this unique weapon to help the expansionists secure Esgavi, and has served as an enforcer (and assassin, if human rumors are to be believed) in that city ever since.

Consular Esca M’Rodius, an Ulenite

Consular Esca made a name for himself as a demagogue hardliner championing Ulenite control of Esgavi. While his faction was suppressed under Basileus Arkame, he secured a position with Ambassador Phindus. Despite the xenophobic traits typical of his faction, Consular Esca spoke seven languages fluently and studied legal theory under the Wyrds of Unapta-Hudai. Commito killed him in the melee following the Ulenites’ failed assassination of Prince Thrale.

Ambassador Phindus M’Irinian, an Ulenite

One of the leading supporters of the mysterious “Lord Oxo,” Ambassador Phindus pushed aggressively for an Ulenite return to the terrestrial realm, and was one of the first to establish an Ulenite presence in Esgavi toward the end of the last war. Phindus gained vast power under Lord Oxo, as his plan to abduct and enslave the demon Soatli-Myde allowed the Ulenites to claim Esgavi, but his victory was short-lived: Rosie the rose-weasel killed him as part of Anthem’s plan to drive the Ulenites away.

Princess-Elector Ismene Zelah of Esgavi, a rat-ugezi

The original Princess Ismene died by her own hand when Yamra’s bogatyrs overran Esgavi during the Night of Open Throats. A common rat, brought to the cusp of awareness by its sorrow at the princess’ death and its awe at Prince Thrale’s defiance of the bogatyrs, took her form and some of her essence. With Prince Thrale insane, and subsequently killed, Ismene grew close to the angel Vish. This awakening of her humanity led to her death when the demon Soatli-Myde destroyed the human population of Esgavi.

Sir Commito Ai-Chalse, a human

When the nation of Hadrakah rose, under Yamra’s banner, to reconquer the estranged human lands of Vasgol, Zaiapan, and Chaldanga-Vasgol, four armigerous families opposed them, including the House of Chalse. Commito, like his elder brother the Lord of Chalse, became a Paladin of Esgavi and fought to stop the bogatyrs. After the war, Commito, his brother, and their two sons protected Ismene until all but Commito were killed in an attack. Committo subsequently died in Nammathar, trying to carry a message from the princess to Anthem and Vish.

Carthi Hool, a human

Elder brother of Commander Corva Bleks, Carthi Hool feels abandoned by her sister and unable to protect his people. His family’s god, Nacmathorex, taught him sorcery, and for a time he believed himself the Inceptor of the Yiggish Science and nearly killed Dosh. The young aristocrat defeated him and spared his life, and now Carthi and his people wait for Dosh’s return.

Angassi Kebra, a yig

Angassi Kebra came from an unassuming house and could not gain the attention of the Unfathomable Emperor. Instead he penned treatises on conjuring and lithomancy read by humanity’s sorcerers but ignored by his own people. When the Angassi clan swore fealty to the Water Phoenix King in exchange for lands that they would conquer, Kebra went to war, his sorcerous transgressions ignored due to his usefulness. But when the war ended and the families that made up the Ngapp were declared traitors, Kebra found himself abandoned. He remained isolated for years, penning more sorcerous treatises, before rage at his low state inspired him to gather the Ngapp around him. He swore fealty to Darumatha, but the Demon-Dragon’s magic could not save him when a combined human and yiggish force led by Momba Kawunei stormed his fortress.

Rosie, a rose-weasel mwendo

Mortals and animals can abandon the paths laid out for them by Tamantha, becoming sorcerers and shapeshifters, respectively, but Vasgol does not see many plants that do the same. “Rosie” began life as a rose bush but abandoned her sedentary existence, and now roams the world as a blood-drinking plant creature that resembles a weasel with a rose at the end of her tail. After a harsh winter nearly spelled her death, Gilgam adopted her, and she now travels with the wyrd.

Momba Tusu, a yig

A gifted archer, Momba Tusu was too young to fight in the war against the Water Phoenix King, and grew up on stories of his cousin Momba Kawunei’s brave battles against the Hadrakahn forces. The youngest son of a cadet branch of the house, Tusu sees his best bet of a bright future in attaching himself to Kawunei, though he has recently grown frustrated that Kawunei will not let him seize glory in open battle.

Hokta Threng, a yig

The last heir to Hokta Chuul, the undead swordmaster of that venerable house, Hokta Threng was fiercely loyal to Dreadlord Yoth and a scholar of all dueling arts. He reluctantly joined Momba Kawunei’s quest to hunt down Ngapp bandits, but chafed under the upstart warlord’s command. When he offended Kawunei before his men at the Inn of Silver Leaves, Kawunei challenged him to a duel and killed him with the Three Element Sword.

Dendi Mbako, a yig ghoul

Dendi Mbako served alongside Gilgam and Kawunei against the Water Phoenix King, years before the yiggish government formally declared a side in the war. Gilgam, Kawunei, and Mbako were captured by Yamra’s forces, imprisoned, and tortured. Only Kawunei and Gilgam successfully escaped, but Mbako returned as a nearly-headless ghoul and dedicated himself to the study of alchemy so he could restore himself. Mbako planned to use Kawunei’s Three Element Sword to cut through a falling comet that was actually a fragment of the Dead God, bathing himself in the god’s radiance so he would live again. To further his plot, he temporarily aligned himself with the Ngapp leader Kebra before betraying the Ngapp, capturing his old allies, and subsequently dying again at their hands.

Gurra, a yig

One of millions of landless serfs native to Yig, Gurra was trained as a warrior-servant and prepared for the day when he would march off to war in one of Yig’s endless border disputes. Momba Kawunei, in need of warm bodies to make his Ngapp-fighting squad seem more impressive, purchased Gurra. The warrior-servant survived a battle with the ghoul Mbako and learned of Kawunei’s imprisonment during the war, for which Kawunei tried to kill him. Vish protected Gurra from Kawunei’s vengeance, and he is currently employed at the inn guarding the inn’s treasury.

Lyca, a chuni

Lyca remembers little of her life in Echune. Kebra, the Ngapp sorcerer, bound her as a familiar spirit and tormented her for years before his death freed her. Now she travels with Anthem and her other rescuers. Recently she recovered her mask and has re-asserted her ancient power. She has also learned that her mother let Kebra capture her, but she has no way of reaching the far stars to seek restitution.

Yuon, a creature of unfamiliar origin

Yuon is a three-headed, floating creature that serves Araku Eskamushi as secretary and bodyguard. Her true nature is unclear.

Araku Eskamushi, a wyrd

Gilgam’s father is a gifted sorcerer and electrical researcher who dwells in a part of the wyrdish Lightning Dream called the Tower of the Eskamushi. He originally accepted his government’s ruling on Vasgol–that Ulenite “conquest” of the human nation was merely bringing order to chaos–but after seeing the extent of the Ulenites’ cruelty, he agreed to help his son oppose the Ulenites. His political work has prevented Lord Oxo from gaining a foothold in the human lands outside of Esgavi.

Urume, a maklak

Ages ago, Urume helped the maheti race develop their own Science. Further, he laid the groundwork for the yiggish Science, burying the secret in a special weapon–Kawunei’s Three Element Sword–that would unleash the Yiggish science when its wielder had rejected everything that would prevent the yigs from using their Science honorably. But Urume used forbidden techniques that accidentally bound the lava goddess Okidesha, and now she can only be freed if the yiggish Science emerges. Exhausted by this labor, Urume let his body disintegrate and now exists as a sprawling series of tubes and valves overseen by maheti technicians.

Querquisite, a salamander-ugezi

Gifted with sentience when Darumatha awoke, Querquisite realized soon that she and those like her would eventually lose their newfound intelligence. Her group agreed to help Darumatha’s cultists kidnap Gheen in order to save themselves, but she turned against her people when she realized the extent of Darumatha’s wickedness. Lord Fers, another ugezi, killed her rather than let her suffer the agony of mental regression.

Lord Fers, a jackal-ugezi

Fers gained sentience along with Querquisite and many others. He hatched the plan to kidnap Gheen and nearly killed Anthem when she tried to rescue him. But when Anthem told Fers who she was–that she had freed Darumatha–the ugezi turned on Darumatha’s cultists and allowed Anthem and Vish to free Gheen.

Hicoresh, a human

One of Darumatha’s most powerful servants, Hicoresh is a Zaiapani woman who swore herself to the Demon-Dragon even before his awakening. She bears the Carapace of Acah-Shace and other demonic enhancements. Vish and Lyca cast her into a pool of caustic soul-stuff, but Darumatha reconstructed her with grafted demon-parts.

Unarké the Unstoppable, a divine beast

When danger threatened Momba Kawunei’s village, the priests there turned to an ancient ritual of protection: they would raise up a youth, a maiden, and a white bull, then sacrifice all three to ensure the protection of the gods. Kawunei, the youth, fled his fate, resulting in the village’s destruction. Only the white bull, Unarké, remained, driven mad by the loss of his purpose. When Kawunei returned home, Unarké sought to destroy him, but was killed when Gheen, the Inceptor of the Yiggish Science, deploys the science to skewer him on bamboo stakes.

The Pirate-Pope of Jex-Nala, a human

A fallen priest of Okidesha the Lava Goddess, the self-proclaimed and otherwise nameless Pirate-Pope of Jex-Nala arose from obscurity, one of many soul-dealing sorcerers who plied their wares before the war against the Water Phoenix King, to command a vast necromantic network from his fortress on the Sun. He worked with Darumatha, transporting souls for the Demon-Dragon, and died when Corva gave the souls he had stolen over to the goddess Okidesha. The resulting blast from Okidesha’s awakened psyche annihilated him and spelled the end of his soul-trading organization.

Woshka the Threefold Angel, a demon

A comparatively minor angelic functionary of Xoxumoshtli, northern god of medicine, justice, and battle, Woshka bolstered his importance with stolen souls, until eventually most cult-idols of “Father Xoxu” resembled his three-headed, canine form. When Xoxumoshtli learned of Woshka, he banished the demon-angel, who settled into Othwald Castle to study the dimensions. He met his end in that ancient castle, destroyed by Varaxunax, whose soul he partly owned, and Maresh, who sought to reclaim the castle as a base of operations for Dosh.

Queydoxx the Archimandrite, a demon

A demon of blood and secrets, Queydoxx was a major soul-trader, rivaling even Darumatha in sheer number of thralls, if not quality. He favored the exchange of simple gifts in exchange for fractional souls, collecting the eventual damned souls from other demons at the end of the diabolists’ lives. Despite his vast trading empire, he lacked the personal power to withstanding Maresh, who used the Boreal Scepter to imprison him in the form of a stone idol.