Tempt the Devil (The Devil of Ponong series #3)

by Jill Braden

  QuiTai – Former actress. Former prostitute. Former mistress of the King of Houltan and at least one ambassador. Scourge of Levapur. Formerly the Devil’s Concubine, and now the Devil. She rules the criminal underworld of Levapur.

  QuiZhun – QuiTai and Jezereet’s daughter, killed by Petrof for Cuulon and Turyat, who were following Ravidian orders.

  Rhi

  The Rhi are from Cay Rhi, a small island off the west coast of Ponong. Their sarongs are prized for the vivid colors and botanical prints. The Rhi mostly make their living from the sea, although some worked at the small aqua plantation on the far side of the island. Before the time of peace, the Rhi’s warriors regularly raided the coastal villages of Ponong and were feared for their brutality.

  RhiFa – A man who escaped from Cay Rhi with QuiTai and RhiHanya.

  RhiHanya – Helped QuiTai and others escape from slavery on Cay Rhi in the bioweapons aqua plantation taken over by the Ravidians. Later became one of QuiTai’s lieutenants.

  RhiLan – RhiHanya’s cousin. Kyam Zul’s neighbor. She hid QuiTai in her apartment from the colonial militia following the escape from Cay Rhi and helped nurse her back to health.

  RhiLiet – RhiLan’s eldest son.

  RhiNyam – Died on Cay Rhi at the bioweapons aqua plantation.

  RhiTeek – RhiLan’s daughter.

  Pha

  Levapur sits on the ancestral lands of the Pha clan, which are bordered on the north by the Sea of Erykoli and the south by the Pha River. They agreed to allow the Thampurians to settle on their lands, which led to the entire archipelago being claimed as a colony by Theram Zul for the King of Thampur. The rest of the Ponongese will never forgive them for this.

  PhaJut – Brothel owner in the Quarter of Delights. Former employer of QuiTai and LiHoun.

  PhaSun – Sex worker at the Red Happiness.

  PhaNyan – QuiTai’s lieutenant. Killed on Cay Rhi by Ravidians.

  PhaChiu – Her stall in the marketplace is known for the best tamtuk dipping sauce in Levapur. Don’t even ask what’s in it; her burly sons will escort you out of the town square.

  Members of other clans from the interior or coasts of Ponong

  SunYan – A professional dominatrix and worker at PhaJut’s brothel.

  SungHi – QuiTai’s lieutenant, tortured and mutilated by a radical faction of the colonial militia under orders of Colonel Hurust.

  ChiHui – QuiTai’s lieutenant, tortured and mutilated by a radical colonial militia under orders of Colonel Hurust.

  FalLoun – While PhaChiu may make the best dipping sauce for tamtuks, FalLoun’s fillings could make the gods weep with joy. If she catches you buying a tamtuk from PhaChiu’s stall, she will never let you eat another of hers.

  Thampurians

  Thampurians are one of the fully shifting races, from a human form to a sea dragon form. Like most fully shifting races, they consider their human form to be superior to the shiftless races. Despite being strong swimmers in sea dragon form, they built an impressive fleet of merchant ships (junks), which brought wealth and power to the small country.

  House of Zul

  Kyam Zul – Grandson of Theram Zul, Governor of the Crown Colony.

  Hadre Zul – Grandson of Theram Zul, cousin to Kyam, commander of the Golden Barracuda, pride of the Zul family fleet.

  Grandfather Zul (Theram) – The richest and most powerful head of the Thirteen Families of Thampur, cousin of the king.

  Liragme Zul – Kyam’s mother.

  Nashruu Zul – Kyam’s wife and cousin.

  Khyram Zul – Nashruu’s son.

  Malk Zul – Captain of the Winged Dragon, and for seven glorious months, the Golden Barracuda.

  Virham Voorus – Captain in the colonial militia. Exiled to Ponong eight years ago. Kyam’s secret half-brother.

  Other Thampurians

  Cuulon – Chief Justice of the Colonial Government. Turyat’s best friend. Former police captain in Thampur, exiled to Ponong for arresting and brutally beating two sons of the House of Turul.

  Turyat – Governor of the Crown Colony after Theram Zul returned to Thampur. Ruled for forty years. Forced out of office after the rice riots.

  Mityam Muul – The finest legal mind in Thampur, often called the nation’s sage uncle.

  Simarn – Nashruu Zul’s personal maid.

  Colonel Hurust – Commander of the colonial militia. Family connections barely saved him from execution after he was caught dealing black lotus in Thampur. After he executed all the Rujicks in Levapur (except Petrof) he decided to take over their black lotus business.

  Major Rheagus – Colonel Hurust’s secretary.

  Ma’am Thun – A school teacher exiled to Ponong after her husband’s senseless death by drowning.

  Hirun – A captain noted for his persecution complex and lack of friends.

  Korours – A plantation owner on Cay Rhi who married a Ponongese woman. He, his wife, and children were tortured and then killed by the Ravidians, who took over their remote aqua plantation to convert it into a bioweapons facility.

  Ingosolians

  Ingosolians are often called the ultimate shifters. They can shift anywhere along a continuum between male and female genders, but are always “human.” The Ingosolians are also known for their love of inventions and the arts.

  Jezereet Karula – QuiTai’s spouse and business partner, retired actress, and sire of QuiZhun.

  Lizzriat – Owner of the Dagon Pearl, a casino.

  Inattra – Madam of the Red Happiness after Jezereet’s death.

  Evoreet Karula – Jezereet’s sibling.

  Ikoreet Orsuna – A great philosopher from antiquity, renowned across the continent. Founded the first university on the continent. Set forth the first rules of scientific methodology and logic that are still taught as the basis of critical thinking.

  Gernert – An actor in Jezereet and QuiTai’s former troupe.

  Inaza – An actor Jezereet and QuiTai worked with.

  Lisudtan Islanders (also known as Li Islanders)

  Li Islanders are a shiftless race with the hearing and sight of a jungle cat; thus referred to as cat-men. They are stealthy, secretive, and excellent climbers.

  LiHoun - On his native island, he is simply known as Houn. As a member of a religious minority, he was unable to find steady work at home. His fate wasn’t any better in Ponong, but he never had enough money to return home. His lung worm infection is incurable.

  LiHoun’s wives and children – These sisters are a racial minority in their homeland because they have spots down their spines while the majority race have rosette dots. They fled to Ponong at the same time as LiHoun, but not with him. Similarly marooned, they formed a clan with him. They work for the funicular company as rail inspectors.

  Ravidians

  A “shiftless” race with pale skin and white-blond hair. They have a prominent bony neck ruff that protects their necks from attack. They also have a sharp dewclaw on both feet that can gut prey. Much is said about their savagery, but how much of it is true is unknown. They are second only to the Ingosolians in their scientific advances.

  Rujicks

  From the northernmost lands of the continent, where the males and females live apart. Commonly known as werewolves, they are tall and muscular. While they are often referred to as hairy barbarians, they have a tradition of poetry and music unrivaled on the continent.

  Petrof – Forcibly evicted from his home keep in the stark fjords of northern Rujick, he wandered the continent for several years. Despite being small for a Rujick, he worked as muscle for several criminal enterprises in Houltan, Ingosol, and Chimit before finding his way to Ponong on a smuggler’s ship. There, he worked on plantations sporadically but made most of his money in the criminal underworld, mostly in contract killings and black lotus. He was hired by Cuulon and Turyat to kill all the Qui on the island. He only missed one, a mistake that came back to haunt him. The rest of his pack found his fascination with QuiTai puzzling, but
he admired her fearlessness. After she made him the mysterious Devil, he secretly understood she was the key to his power. As such, she could take it away as easily as she gave it to him. He feared her for that. He also desired her more because of that danger she posed to him.

  Casmir – The model for heroic statues in Rujick, this tall, muscular, gravel-voiced werewolf was most often chosen by Petrof to keep watch on QuiTai, as well as sometimes serving as her maid. He was one of the few werewolves to witness the mob in the marketplace tearing his fellow countrymen apart limb by limb after QuiTai paralyzed them and handed them to the mob in retaliation for the Full Moon Massacre, so his hatred and fear of her are greater than the rest of the pack.

  Ivitch – The bloom of youth was still on his cheeks when he came to Ponong. He grew older on the island but never grew up. Stupid and evil is a bad combination, and he was plenty of both.

  Houltans

  Houltan is one of the biggest countries on the continent, but much of the land is artic desert. It shares a long border with Rujick that is mostly unpopulated. Many Houltans are still nomadic herdsmen with the great migrating ruminant herds of the northern tundra. The only known race with three shifting forms- person, dog, and fire. One of the ethnic minorities in their easternmost province take the form of firebirds rather than as open flame. Houltans are known for their ribald sense of humor, love of theater, and vast repertoire of drinking songs. If a Houltan ever pours a tiny glass of Furskvaszer for you, sit down and grab hold of the table before you drink it. Also, don’t have any plans for the next two days.

  Names of Places

  Ponong

  Dragon Bridge – a small stone bridge over a ravine that separates the toniest Thampurian neighborhood where exiled thirees live from the Quarter of Delights

  Dragon Pearl – a casino and black lotus den owned by the Ingosolian information broker Lizzriat

  fortress, the – A round building on the end of a breakwater at the sea edge of the harbor. It is a prison, but also a place of refuge for Thampurians, should the Ponongese ever revolt against their occupation.

  government building, the – Sits on the southern side of the town square. The entire colonial government, except the militia, is run from this massive three-story building with a center atrium.

  Jupoli Gorge – A deep gorge cut by the Pha River. It separates the north shore from the majority of the island of Ponong.

  Jupoli Gorge Bridge – A stone bridge over the Jupoli Gorge built by the Thampurians to help bring jellyfish from the upslope aqua plantations down to the harbor. One hundred seven Ponongese died during construction.

  Levapur – Capital of the colonial government on Ponong. Home to about 1800 Thampurians and 8000 or more Ponongese, as well as a several thousand people from the continent. It sits on cliffs high above the harbor, which can be reached by a winding road or funicular. While it is the largest town on Ponong, it occupies only a small fraction of the island. Other than the coastal and mountain plantations, few Thampurians dare wander far from this outpost.

  marketplace, the – The most democratic place on the island, where all races and castes mix together to buy and sell goods. As most Ponongese are not allowed in Thampurian shops, it is the only place they can buy many goods, and the only place they are allowed to gather to sell theirs.

  Old Levapur – The hillside slums where the Pha clan live after letting the Thampurians take their lands.

  Petrof’s Lair – A remote house cantilevered over the edge of the southern rim of the Jupoli Gorge. It served as the den for the werewolves, who preferred to live in the jungle where they could run rather than in Levapur.

  Pha River – A river that begins in a wide inland valley. By the time it reaches the Jupoli Gorge, it is a fast moving torrent.

  PhaJut’s – A brothel. Known for its Ponongese workers.

  Pink Orchid – A brothel in the Quarter of Delights owned by a Houltan emigre It also has a small casino for low-stakes tile games.

  Ponong is the largest island in the Ponong Archipelago. The north side has a large protected natural harbor.

  Ponongese Quarter – Far upslope on the outskirts of Levapur, bordering on the Jupoli Gorge. This area is extremely steep. At its highest point, it sits five hundred feet above the town square.

  Quarter of Delights – casinos, bars, brothels, cafés, and black lotus dens are concentrated in this section of Levapur, although others exist outside it

  Quarter of the Guests – A mixed neighborhood with a high concentration of exiles from the continent.

  Quarter of the Unclean – A neighborhood of lowest caste Thampurians on the backside of the hill the Quarter of Delights is on.

  Quinong – The true home of the Qui. An island thought to be uninhabited. QuiTai’s estate is hidden on this island.

  QuiYalin Province – A place that exists only in folktales, said to be the homeland of the Qui clan.

  Red Happiness – the brothel Jezereet and QuiTai built when they retired from the stage and moved to Levapur with their daughter. This pink building is ringed by verandas on both stories. It is popular with people from the continent.

  Suin’s Pâtisserie – The best Thampurian-style bakery in Levapur.

  Thampurian Quarter – The posh neighborhoods built on the only flat land in Levapur.

  The Home Port – A Thampurian bar in Levapur that tries very hard to pretend it’s in Thampur.

  town square, the – The center of life in Levapur. The marketplace is held here every day. The northern edge is a cliff that drops several hundred feet to the Sea of Erykoli. The southern edge is the government building. The bank and shops line the eastern edge. Site of the Rice Riot, and the mob dismemberment of the werewolves thought to be guilty of the Full Moon Massacre.

  West Levapur – A cluster of apartment buildings past Old Levapur where middle class Thampurians live if they can’t afford to get into the posher neighborhoods.

  The Continent

  Great Malisium Desert – Separates Ravidia from most of the other countries on the continent. It is brutally hot and arid, with alkaline sands that can burn human skin.

  Ingosol – A country on the continent. Ingosol is known for its culture, arts, and love of technology.

  Lirhumet Canal – A high-end shopping area in Surrayya.

  Rantuum – The capital of Ingosol.

  Salt Plains of Ravidia – The driest, most desolate section of the Great Malisium Desert.

  Surrayya – The capital of Thampur. This city is built on thousands of tiny islands connected by canals and bridges. Some islands are as small as a family compound. Others are much larger. It is a cold, windy port on the northern shore of the Sea of Erykoli.

  Suvat Park – A park between the palace and the Lirhumet Canal, popular with wealthy Thampurians as a place to stroll.

  Thyrinmun – Thampur’s elite military academy.

  Oceans and Islands

  Cay Rhi – An island off the eastern coast of Ponong.

  Li Islands (formally known as the Lisudtan Islands) – This cluster of volcanic islands sit several thousand miles south east of Ponong in the middle of the Te’Am Ocean. This island group was also claimed by Thampur. It is home to the Li people, and the only source of juam nut oil.

  Ponong Archipelago – A long chain of tropical islands that separates the Sea of Erykoli from the Te’Am Ocean.

  Ponong Fangs – The only deep water passage between islands (Ponong and Quinong) in the Ponong Archipelago. This treacherous passage features rapidly shifting currents where the Sea of Erykoli and Te’Am Oceans meet, as well as many submerged monolith stones.

  Te’Am Ocean – This ocean separates “the continent” from the southern continent. It lies south of the Ponong Archipelago.

  Sea of Erykoli – This sea is separated from the Te’Am Ocean by the Ponong Archipelago. The northern and eastern borders are “The Continent,” which is more correctly called the northern continent. Thampur, Ingosol, and Ravidia, as well as several smaller nat
ions, border this sea on the north and west. It is named after the Goddess Erykoli.

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