• Anael
  • Companion of Elua
  • Founder of L’Agnace
  • Scions give off an apple scent
  • Taught husbandry to Terre d’Ange
  • “Star of Love”
• Asmodel
  • A courtier of hell under Kushiel
• Azza
  • Companion of Elua
  • Founder of Azzalle
  • Invented the sextant
  • Committed the sin of pride
• Camael
  • Companion of Elua
  • Founder of Camlach
  • Warrior
• Cassiel
  • Companion of Elua
  • Not a founder of a specific part of Terre d’Ange
  • The “Perfect Companion”
  • Sole companion of Elua who didn’t turn away from the One God
  • Priests pledge to serve and protect the scions of Elua; they also
    take a vow of celibacy
  • Called an “apostate” by the Yeshuites
• Eisheth
  • Companion of Elua
  • Founder of Eisande
  • Patroness of actors (gave D’Angelines music and story)
  • Known for gentleness
  • Taught D’Angelines how to lie
  • Scions skilled at storytelling and healing
• Elua
  • Founder of Terre d’Ange
  • Born when the blood of Yeshua (son of God) mixed with the Magdelene’s
    tears and then quickened by Mother Earth
  • Espoused the precept “Love as thou wilt.”
  • Scions are the royalty of Terre d’Ange
• Kushiel
  • Companion of Elua
  • Founder of Kusheth
  • The angel of punishment
  • His symbol is three keys (for the portals to Hell)
  • Marked Phèdre as his own
• Mara
  • Daughter of Naamah and a condemned man
  • Handmaiden of Kushiel
  • Cursed and always veils her eyes
• Mikael
  • Commander-in-Chief of the One God’s Host
  • Took the book of Raziel from Lilit, and cast it into the ocean
• Naamah
  • Companion of Elua
  • Founder of Namarre
  • Patron-goddess of the Night Court
  • Lay with strangers for money to support Elua
• Rahab
  • Angel of the One God, fallen and punished for disobedience
  • Father of the Master of the Straits
  • “Prince of the Sea” — by Yeshuites
  • “Lord of the Deep” — by sailors
• Sammael
  • Angel of the One God
  • Took the book of Raziel from Edom, and threw it into the waters
• Shemhazai
  • Companion of Elua
  • Founder of Siovale
  • Gave the written word to the D’Angelines
  • Treasured knowledge and learning

The strict hierarchy of the clansmen (nobility) in the Terreans of the Dominion of Annagar takes a bit of getting used to upon first encountering it in the Sun Sword books.

Power, a major theme throughout the books, is defined by these ranks or perhaps one can say the ranks define power.

The issue of power becomes extremely subtle amongst the Serras of the clans.

Annagarian Ranks ~~

Male:

• Tyr’agar – the ruler of the Dominion (sun of 10 rays)
• Tyr’agnate – ruler of one of the 5 Terreans (sun of 8 rays)
  • Tyr – title of the Tyr’agar or one of the Tyr’agnate
  • Tyran – personal bodyguard/oathguard of a Tyr
• Tor’agar – a noble clansmen who serves a Tyr (sun of 6 rays)
• Tor’agnate – a clansmen who serves a Tor’agar (sun of 4 rays)
  
  • Tor – title of a Tor’agar or Tor’agnate
  • Toran – personal bodyguard/oathguard of a Tor
• Ser – a clansman
• Kai el’Sol – ruler of the Radann (sun of 10 rays)

• kai - first in line to or holder of the clan title
• par – brother of the kai; direct son of the title holder

Female:

• Serra – primary or first wife of a clansman; the legitimate daughters of a clansman

Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series is set in a rather skewed Renaissance-type world loosely modeled on our own as you can see by looking at the map and at the place names.

For example, Hellas would be Greece, Alba is Great Britain, Menekhet is Egypt, etc.

Terre d’Ange, of course, is France.

This doesn’t detract from the story (from what I’ve experienced), and tends to give an exotic flavor to places we’re already familiar with. *s*

The list of lands are, in alphabetical order (with Terre d’Ange last — but never least!):

• Alba
  • Bryn Gorrydum
  • Clunderry
  • Dobria
  • Innisclan
  • Three Sisters
• Aragonia
  • Amilcar
  • New Carthage
• Bhodistan
• Caerdicca Unitas
  • La Serenissima
  • Lucca
  • Milazza
  • Tiberium
• Carthage
• Ch’in
• The Chowat
• Cythera
• Drujan
  • Darsãnga
• Eire
• Empire of the Sun
• Ephesium
• Euskerria
• The Flatlands
• Gotland
• Hanzu
• Hazaran
• Hellas
• Illyria
  • Epidauro
• Jebe-Barkal
  • Debeho
  • Meroë
• Khebel-im-Akkad
  • Nineveh
  • Tyre
• Kriti
  • Phaistos
  • The Temenos
• Menekhet
  • Iskandria
• Nubia
• Saba
  • Tisaar
• Skaldia
  • Maarten’s Crossing
  • Norstock
• Tatar Territory
• Terra Nova
• The Umaiyyat
• Vralia
  • Miroslas
  • Tarkov
  • Vralgrad
• Terre d’Ange

{Note: to be edited as needed.}

One of the major countries in Michelle West’s Sun Sword sextet is the Dominion of Annagar. Located in the south, it is bounded on the east by ocean and on the west by forest. (To the north, separated by the Tiagra mountain chain, lies their enemy, the Empire of Essalieyan.)

The Dominion consists of 5 regions (or Terreans) and their local cities, overseen by a ruling clan:

• Averda
  • Callesta
  • Essla
  • Irreno
  • Russo
  • Valente
• Mancorvo
  • Amar
  • Marano
• Oerta
  • Ardania
• Raverra
  • Tor Leonne (seat of the Dominion’s ruler, the Tyragar)
• Sorgassa
  • Allars

Also within the Dominion is the Desert of Sorrows (or Sea of Sorrows). The buried Cities of Man, where once lived the ancestors of the Voyani, lie within this area.

{Note: to be edited as needed.}

• Cunaxa — orange
  • Merida ~ brown/yellow
• The Desert — blue (banner ~ gold dragon on blue field)
  • Tuath — desert blue/orange
  • Tiglath — desert blue/golden yellow
  • Skybowl — desert blue/brown
  • Feruche — desert blue/black
  • Elktrap Manor — desert blue/green
  • Remagev — desert blue/white
  • Radzyn Keep — red/white (banner ~ red field bound in white, silver sword on red field-entire thing bound in desert blue)
• Dorval — pale blue (banner ~ white ship on blue field)
• Fessenden — sea green (banner ~ silver fleece on green field)
• Firon — black (banner ~ red seashell edged in gold on black field)
  • Snowcoves — white/pale yellow
• Gilad — blushing pink (banner ~ 3 silver moons on pink field)
• Goddess Keep — white
• Grib — red (banner ~ white candle on red field)
  • River Ussh — red/brown
  • Waes — red/yellow
• Kierst / Isel — scarlet/yellow (banner ~ scarlet bordered in yellow with silver flasks outlined in black)
• Meadowlord — light green (banner ~ leaping black deer on green field)
• Ossetia — dark green (banner ~ golden wheat sheaf on green field)
• Princemarch — violet (banner ~ violet bordered in gold with leaping brown deer)
  • Dragon’s Rest — violet/white (banner ~ white wreath on violet field)
  • Castle Crag — violet/blue
  • Einar — orange/yellow
• Syr — turquoise (banner ~ silver apple on turquoise field)

The Continent is the main setting of the Dragon Prince/Dragon Star series by Melanie Rawn. Divided into thirteen princedoms, the Continent is ruled by the High Prince from the princedom of Princemarch (during the time of High Prince Rohan it was ruled from the Desert keep of Stronghold). The princedoms are ruled by individual princes, who have the responsibility of ruling their own Athr’im (or Lords). The nobility of the keeps and cities ensures the prosperity, security and well-being of their peoples. Once every three years, they meet at a conference known as the Rialla. During the Rialla treaties, trade agreements, and marriages are made in order to keep peace, deepen alliances and familial ties, and to fulfill their obligations as the rulers of the continent.

The 13 princedoms, in alphabetical order, are:

• Cunaxa
• The Desert
• Dorval
• Fessenden
• Firon
• Gilad
• Grib
• Isel
• Kierst
• Meadowlord
• Ossetia
• Princemarch
• Syr

Integral to Melanie Rawn’s world is Goddess Keep, the home of the Sunrunners and ruled by the Lord or Lady of Goddess Keep, which is located in Ossetia (though it doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of Ossetia’s rule). It is held of the High Prince.

{Map by Marty Siegrist}

from the back cover ~

With her widely acclaimed fantasy trilogy, DRAGON PRINCE, Melanie Rawn opened an enchanted gateway to a spellbinding universe of Sunrunner’s magic and sorcerous evil, telling the tale of one man’s crusade to bring peace to a land divided into often warring kingdoms. In the first two novels of the best-selling DRAGON STAR trilogy, the peaceful reign of High Prince Rohan was shattered by a mysterious invasion force which began a devastating campaign against the people of the Desert and the Sunrunners. And now, SKYBOWL brings this magnificent epic work of fantasy to its dramatic close.

With High Prince Pol’s wife Meiglan held prisoner by the Warlord of the enemy, and Skybowl keep purposefully abandoned to this deadly foe, Pol’s mother Sioned leads a daring mission into the castle, using all her years of experience as High Princess in a cunning attempt to strike at the heart of the invasion force. And even as Sioned carries out this perilous plan, Pol and his cousin Andry, Lord of the Sunrunners of Goddess Keep, are forced into an uneasy alliance. For only if they can overcome their longtime rivalry and suspicions of one another and draw upon their combined powers of Sunrunning and Sorcery, do they stand any chance of defeating the invaders who have sworn to destroy the people of the Desert–down to the last newborn child….

First Printing: 1993

Cover art by Michael Whelan

from the back cover ~

A Time To Fight–

With her best-selling fantasy trilogy, DRAGON PRINCE, Melanie Rawn introduced us to Sunrunner’s magic and sorcerous evil, to a ruler striving to bring peace to warring kingdoms–and to her magnificent dragons.

In STRONGHOLD, the first novel in Melanie’s DRAGON STAR trilogy, the peace won by High Prince Rohan is shattered when a mysterious invasion force begins a devastating campaign against the people of the Desert.

Now, in THE DRAGON TOKEN, the time for retreat has come to an end as Rohan’s son and heir, Pol, rallies his forces in a desperate bid to halt the advance of the invaders. But ancient rivalries begin to weaken his alliance and only time will tell whether those loyal to the High Prince can defeat both the foreign invaders and the betrayers in their own ranks.

And even as Pol leads his troops forth, Andry, the Sunrunner Lord of Goddess Keep, is also determined to take the attack to this enemy force which has sworn to slay all workers of magic.

Yet the invaders have their own agenda of conquest, and they are even now readying to strike at the very heart of the Desert, stealing treasures which Pol and Andry would pay any price to reclaim–even if the price should prove to be their own lives….

First Printing: 1992

Cover art by Michael Whelan

from the back cover ~

I had spoken the truth but it was a cruel, harsh truth, and not one I welcomed. Love came at a price. If Terre d’Ange was not to bear the cost of it, I would have to do it. The deed that had been left unspoken.

Having learned a lesson about thwarting the gods, Imriel and the royal heir Sidonie confess their affair, only to see the nation boil over in turmoil as a result. Many cannot forget the betrayals of Imriel’s mother, who plunged their country into war.

According to the Queen’s decree, the only way the lovers can be together is if Imriel performs an act of faith: search the world for his infamous mother and bring her home to be executed for treason.

But just as he and Sidonie prepare for another long separation, a dark, foreign force casts a shadow over Terre d’Ange. With their world suddenly turned upside down, alliances of the unlikeliest kind are made, and Imriel and Sidonie learn that the god Elua always puts hearts together apurpose.

First Printing: 2008

Cover art by John Jude Palencar