From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Obsidian Trilogy
The Obsidian Trilogy
The Obsidian Trilogy is a three-novel fantasy series, chron- Magick is Banished, their Magegift (their ability to
icling the journey of Kellen Tavadon in relation to the use High Magick) is "burned out", however, this is
third war between the Light and the Endarkened, co- not the case with Cilarnen whose Magegift remains
written by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. The se- intact so that Anigrel may use him as a weapon to
ries began with The Outstretched Shadow, released in 2002, murder Kellen later on. Even though Cilarnen is
continued in 2004 with To Light a Candle and reached its (unjustly) Banished from the City, Cilarnen always
conclusion in 2006 with When Darkness Falls. considers Armethalieh his one and only home.
Vestakia
Characters The daughter of a Wildmage and the Prince of the
Kellen Tavadon Endarkened, Vestakia has the appearance of a
The protagonist of the trilogy, Kellen is the first Demon, but has a kindly human soul thanks to her
living Knight-Mage in a thousand years. Born in mothers wildmagic. She is a skilled healer and
the mage-city of Armethalieh, he was raised in the Kellen’s love interest.
restrictive atmosphere of the Mageborn elite; his
father, Lycaelon, (currently the Arch-Mage of the Shalkan
City), felt his son was a disgrace. After discovering A unicorn and Kellen’s best friend , he rescued
his Three Books of Wildmagery, Kellen is Banished Kellen from the Outlaw Hunt, as long as Kellen
from the City of a Thousand Bells -- a veiled death agrees to pay the Mageprice of remaining chaste
sentence as told by Lycaelon in the seventh and celibate for a year and a day. He is always
chapter. However, he is spirited away by a unicorn, nearby to make sure Kellen doesn’t get into
Shalkan. With Shalkans help and his own budding trouble.
Knight-Mage skills he barely escapes the ’Outlaw
Redhelwar
Hunt’ with his life.
The general of the Elven army, Redhelwar regards
Idalia Tavadon Kellen’s Knight-Mage judgment as highly as any.
Idalia is Kellen’s older sister, a Wildmage-Healer, He places great trust in Kellen.
(also Banished from Armethalieh). After Kellen
Queen Savilla
escapes the Outlaw Hunt, he is brought to Idalia’s
The leader of the Endarkened and the main
cabin by Shalkan in the Wildwood outside the
antagonist of the trilogy. Her goal is to bring He
Bounds of the lands owned by the City. There she
Who Is (the Demon’s Creator) back into the world of
heals him of his wounds given him by the Outlaw
light, allowing her to become supreme ruler of the
Hunt and the terrain of the forest. Idalia begins
world. Savilla, like all the Endarkened, takes
Kellen’s training in the Wild Magic.
pleasure in torturing mortals and using them as
Jermayan sacrifices in her Dark Magery.
An Elven-Knight (chosen to accompany Kellen on
Chired Anigrel
his journey to destroy the Black Cairn), and Idalia’s
One of Savilla’s agents, Anigrel is a Darkmage
lover. Jermayan is the first Elven Mage in
concealed at first as Lycaelon’s personal secretary
thousands of years; this is made possible through
and then as a High Mage living in Armethalieh as
his Bond with the dragon, Ancaladar. Thus
the Arch-Mage’s newly adopted son. He essentially
allowing Jermayan to manipulate the world around
controls the workings of the City, convincing the
him a way that users of the High Magick and
High Mages that the Wildmages and the "Lesser
Wildmagic cannot.
Races" (unicorns, Elves, centaurs etc.) are the
Cilarnen Volpiril Enemy and responsible for the horror and
Cilarnen is a Mageborn Citizen of the City of a atrocities committed by the Endarkened.
Thousand Bells who is Banished from Armathalieh
under the charges of treason. Eventually, he
becomes the Allied Army’s only High Mage.
Normally when one with the ability to use the High
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Obsidian Trilogy
Other characters ruler of Armethalieh is Arch-Mage Lycaelon Tavadon. A
notable difference between the city and other locations
• - King of the Elves, he resides in the city of
in the Obsidian Trilogy world is that it is solely inhabited
Sentarshadeen. he is more open to change than
by humans, and in fact, people of the "Lesser Races" are
other elves are
persecuted and disallowed entry to the city.
• - present head of house Tavadon, and the Arch-Mage
The name, City of a Thousand Bells is derived from
of Armethalieh. The Father of Kellen and Idalia
Armethalieh’s extensive magically linked network of
• - the Prince of the Endarkened, Savilla’s son and
bells. At intervals of 15 minutes and 2 hours, the bells
lover, and Vestakia’s father.
chime on different levels to mark what time it is. Ad-
• - the Queen of the Elves.
ditional bells toll to mark dawn - notably rung several
• - the young Prince of the Elves, Sandalon is very
hours after the actual rising of the sun - and noontide,
active, playing games with the other Elven children.
and evening. The bells toll together in perfect harmony.
He has great respect for Kellen.
• - a Centaur Wildmage, friends with Cilarnen.
• - Jermayan’s Bonded dragon, he has remained in
Delfier Valley
hiding for thousands of years to escape the fate of The Delfier Valley is the lush forested farmland sur-
his brethren who Bonded Mages and thus were rounding the Mage city of Armethalieh. Consisting of
forced to fight and kill their own kin in the last war many scattered villages, less than a day’s ride separated
between the Endarkened and the Light. from each other.
Geography Cultures
The Elven Lands Armethaliehan
As suggested by the name, this is the land in which Elves The high mages in Armethalieh are the government and
reside. The Elven Lands lie to the east of the continent. the law. Ambitious mages rise to the top of the social lad-
There are nine major cities in the Elven lands: der through corruption and treachery, and the govern-
• Sentarshadeen ment is self-elected, maintaining a dictatorship over both
• Deskethomaynel mages and commoners. All goods and culture are cen-
• Ondoladeshiron sored, with many being rejected from the city as too new
• Realthataladon or different. The mages are obsessed with maintaining
• Thultafoniseen the pretence that all the work they do is "for the good of
• Valwendigorean the city".
• Ysterialpoerin The high mages control and maintain the city wards
• Windalorianan that keep enemies (and any non-humans) from entering
• Lerkalpoldara the city, in addition to maintaining fine, clear weather.
The latter three cities are located to the north of the The mages also wipe people’s memories and magical abil-
Mystrals mountain range which separates Ondoladeshi- ities at their convenience. This is often done in females,
ron from Ysterialpoerin, with the rest lying to the south. who are Forbidden to practice the high magic.
Sentarshadeen is the political centre of the Elven The mage college in Armethalieh teaches male
lands, housing the King of the Elves. Lerkalpoldara is the youths who show any skill in the art magickal. As they
northernmost city, surrounded by mountains, and acces- continue their studies, based on their performance, the
sible only by a single mountain pass. The Elven lands students rise through the ranks of Student, Apprentice,
are home to other locations of interest, including the Journeyman, Undermage, Mage, High Mage, and, if they
Fortress of the Crowned Horns of the Moon, a safe-haven have sufficient skill, Arch-Mage.
for the Elven women and children during wartime, and Armethalieh is also home to many commoners who
the Jeweled Caverns of Halacira, an Elven jewel mine- do not possess magical ability. Most of the commoners’
turned-fortress between Sentarshadeen and Ondoladesh- district is slums; however there are some wealthier areas
iron. and a bustling outdoor market.
Their government is that of a utopia based on Plato’s
Armethalieh utopian theory of rule of the elite.
Armethalieh, also known as The Golden City and City of a
Thousand Bells is the home to the High Mages. It lies to the
The Elves
west of the continent, built on the western sea, surround- The Elves are the oldest race alive in the Obsidian Trilogy
ed by the Delfier Valley. Armethalieh relies on the "Home world, predating even the Endarkened. They live very
Farms" in the surrounding valley to feed its people. The long lives of a thousand years, have very explicit formal-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Obsidian Trilogy
ities and insist on tea ceremonies at every meeting. Elves that have been used in the past like sennight.[1] Units dif-
tend to be obsessed with crafts and small details and have fer even further in Armethalieh and may have been based
a very discerning eye; Kellen meets a potter who shows on archaic naval terms.
him a room full of pottery that would sell for thousands • A is equal to one(1) week. The word is a
on the human market...and the master potter describes nights.
concatenation of seven and nights
them as failures. Everything is perfectly suited to its sur- • A is equal to two(2) weeks. The word is a
roundings, and anything inharmonious to the eye must nights.
concatenation of fourteen and nights
be corrected immediately; making the choice of clothes • A is roughly the same as one(1) month. It is
for the day a very important matter. equivalent to one cycle of the moon, which is
It also is considered rude to ask a direct question, no roughly 27 days.
matter how mundane: ’How is the weather?’ would be
considered somewhat brutish. ’One might wonder when In Armethalieh
it will rain next’ would be used instead in civilized con- Armethaliehan time is the same as the above, but instead
versation. Allowances are made for times of war when of using seconds, minutes and hours, they use a "bell-
soldiers may ask each other direct questions; this is based" system, attributed to the many bells found in
known as War Manners, and is part of the Elves’ Knightly every district of the city.
training. It’s mentioned in the sequel trilogy, The Endur- • A is equal to fifteen minutes.
ing Flame Trilogy, that "To ask a direct question is to de- • A is equal to two hours.
mand it be answered", explaining why the Elves, who fa-
vor ease and calm, would consider direct questions offen-
sive.
References
[1] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sennight
Time measurement
In the Obsidian Trilogy world, time is measured in differ-
ent units to the real world, even though many are units
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Categories:
• Fantasy novel trilogies
• High fantasy novels
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