Demon in White

by Christopher Ruocchio

  —His daughter, SISTER EKATERIN, an intus and palatine bastard. Serves as the primate’s secretary.

  TOR GIBSON OF SYRACUSE, an archivist. Former tutor to House Marlowe of Delos and something of a father figure to Hadrian. Banished from Delos for abetting Hadrian’s escape from his father.

  —SISTER CARINA, a junior archivist.

  BROTHER VAN, a novice training to be a scholiast.

  TOR IMLARROS, a scholiast specializing in engineering tasked with the maintenance of the gates.

  {TOR ARAMINI}, ancient architect of the Great Library, the brother of Emperor Gabriel II.

  LEM, a fisherman. The eolderman of the village of Racha.

  HORIZON, a Mericanii artificial intelligence.

  ON BERENIKE

  The planet Berenike was first colonized by the Sollan Empire in ISD 13112 with the assistance of the Wong-Hopper Consortium. A tectonically dead world dominated by flatlands and shallow, algae-rich seas, the planet was an important mining colony and transit hub during the early phases of Sollan expansion into the Veil of Marinus, as well as a base of Legion operations during the wars of annexation between the empire and various freeholder territories. Due to its lack of mountains, enormous coriolis storms whip up around the equatorial regions, with winds reaching an excess of two hundred miles per hour quite regularly, forcing the planet’s settlements to be either underground or—in the case of Deira, the planet’s only major city—built into the planet’s largest canyon, the Valles Merguli. The so-called Valley of the Diver follows the track of the Mergo River from its headwaters down to the sea.

  Berenike was never given over to a nobile house and remains a holding of the Solar Throne, and as such is ruled by a governor-general appointed by the Imperial Council. It fell from prominence after the conquest of Marinus shifted Imperial focus in the region, but remains a well-trafficked port on the route from the inner empire to the frontier.

  LORD TITUS HAUPTMANN, Duke of Andernach and First Strategos of the Legions of Centaurus.

  —His counselor, TOR JEANNE, a scholiast.

  —LEONID BARTOSZ, Legate of the 437th Centaurine Legion.

  —BASSANDER LIN, a captain of the 437th Legion and former Commandant of the Red Company.

  —CORRAN, another Legion legate.

  BANCROFT, Commandant of the Berenike Orbital Defense Force.

  THE CIELCIN AND THEIR ALLIES

  Se Vattayu, the homeworld of the Cielcin, has never been found. The Pale are a nomadic race, long since having abandoned any attempts to settle other worlds. Preferring instead to live in migratory clusters of starships that move from system to system in their constant forage for meat and resources, they have never stopped for long. Each fleet is its own nation bound together by blood and absolute subservience to their clan chiefs, the Aeta. For centuries, these countless tribes have assailed human space and the Sollan Empire in particular, pillaging without plan.

  The Aeta Syriani Dorayaica was different. A keen student of human culture and strategy, the Aeta altered the face of the Cielcin Wars by making a series of calculated strategic attacks: crippling military production and fuel refineries, attacking supply lines, and making forays far deeper into Imperial space than any Cielcin clan previously. Imperial intelligence suggests the Aeta has gone to war with the other xenobite clans, and that it intends to make itself a king.

  Here follows a list of those Cielcin mentioned in this third volume of Lord Marlowe’s account:

  SYRIANI DORAYAICA, the Prophet of the Cielcin and Prince of Princes. Shiomu. Aeta-ba-Aetane. Blood of Elu. Blessed of Miudanar. Master of the Thirteen Tribes of Eue. Called the Scourge of Earth by the humans. A Cielcin conqueror responsible for the lion’s share of all Cielcin attacks on human and imperial space in the last several centuries, considered the greatest threat to the Empire.

  —Its generals, the IEDYR YEMANI:

  —IUBALU, the Four-Handed. One of Syriani’s vayadan, its servant and concubine, converted into a half-machine chimera with the aid of MINOS. Commander of the fleet at the Battle of the Beast.

  —BAHUDDE, the Giant. One of Syriani’s vayadan, its servant and concubine. Converted into a half-machine chimera with the aid of MINOS. Commander of the vanguard at the Battle of Berenike.

  —GORABA, a common soldier.

  —Its human allies:

  —URBAINE, a MINOS scientist.

  —SEVERINE, a MINOS scientist whom Hadrian Marlowe encountered on Arae.

  KOLERITAN and HASURUMN, the chieftain princes of two other clans.

  {ARANATA OTIOLO}, former Aeta of the Otiolo clan, killed by Hadrian Marlowe at the battle aboard the Demiurge.

  —Its child, {NOBUTA OTIOLO}, killed by Hadrian Marlowe at the battle aboard the Demiurge.

  —Its servants:

  —{CASANTORA TANARAN IAKATO}, a baetan, priest-historian of its clan.

  —{ITANA UVANARI AYATOMN}, ichakta, captain of the ill-fated Cielcin expedition to Emesh.

  {VENATIMN ULURANI}, former Aeta of the Ulurani clan, killed by Hadrian Marlowe in single combat at the Battle of Aptucca, allowing a nearly bloodless human victory.

  {ELU}, a mythical figure. According to legend, the Cielcin High King who first brought its tribe into space.

  THE WIDER WORLD

  Many persons appearing or referenced in this volume do not belong to any of the groups referenced above. These have been divided by location where possible, including the planets Vorgossos and Delos, the Principalities of Jadd, and the Kingdom of Latarra.

  Here follows a list of all those persons mentioned in this third volume of Lord Marlowe’s account not tied to the above locations:

  KHARN SAGARA, called the UNDYING, King of Vorgossos. Presumably the same Kharn Sagara from ancient legend, making him more than fifteen thousand years old. Last seen divided into two bodies.

  —His children: {SUZUHA} and {REN}, both clones. Dead; the mind and personality of Kharn Sagara has possessed both of their bodies.

  —BRETHREN, a Mericanii artificial intelligence composed of human tissue confined to the underground sea beneath Vorgossos.

  —CALVERT, Exalted magus in charge of the cloning program and body farms of Vorgossos.

  —His servant, YUME, a golem or android.

  LORD ALISTAIR DIOMEDES FRIEDRICH MARLOWE, Archon of Meidua Prefecture and Lord of Devil’s Rest, former Lord Executor of Delos System, and Butcher of Linon. Hadrian’s father.

  —His wife, LADY LILIANA KEPHALOS-MARLOWE, a celebrated librettist and filmmaker.

  —Their other children:

  —CRISPIN ORESTES MARLOWE, presumptive heir to Devil’s Rest.

  —SABINE DORYSSA MARLOWE, a daughter born to replace Hadrian after his exile.

  —His castellan, SIR FELIX MARTYN, Commander of the House Guard and Master-at-Arms in charge of instructing the Marlowe children.

  —His counselor, TOR ALCUIN, a scholiast.

  SIR OLORIN MILTA, a Jaddian Maeskolos of the Ninth Circle and the sulshawar protector of LADY KALIMA DI SAYYIPH.

  —His lieutenant, JINAN AZHAR, Hadrian Marlowe’s former lover.

  CALEN HARENDOTES, the so-called MONARCH of Latarra, an Extrasolarian warlord gathering power in the Veil of Marinus.

  EDOUARD ALBÉ, an Imperial intelligence officer.

  INDEX OF WORLDS

  HEREIN IS APPENDED A list of all those worlds mentioned in this third volume of Lord Marlowe’s account. The purpose of this list is simply to remind the reader which world is which. Detailed astrographic and geological documents—as well as economic and historical texts—may be found elsewhere in the library. What information I have provided is all that is necessary to understand Lord Marlowe’s text.

  —Tor Paulos of Nov Belgaer

  Algernon
r />   A Norman freehold world located very close to Marinus.

  Annica

  An airless world orbiting a red dwarf somewhere on the far side of the galactic core, apparently connected to the Quiet.

  Aptucca

  An Imperial colony in the Veil of Marinus in the Norma Arm, site of the defeat of the Cielcin Prince Ulurani in single combat by Hadrian Marlowe.

  Arae

  Site of a battle in the Cielcin Wars where Hadrian Marlowe discovered evidence of an alliance between the Cielcin and Extrasolarian humans.

  Aramis

  An Imperial agricultural colony in Sagittarius. Its star is dim, so it uses orbital mirrors to intensify the sunlight and make the planet livable.

  Arcturus

  A red giant star near to Old Earth. With no planets, it is nevertheless the home of the Wong-Hopper Consortium’s core space habitats and is their base of operation.

  Argissa

  Site of an early battle in the Cielcin Wars, an Imperial colony in the Veil of Marinus.

  Ashbless

  A minor colony in the Centaurine provinces most famous as the birthplace of Sir Cassian Powers.

  Atlanta

  An ancient Mericanii colony.

  Avalon

  One of the original human colonies, site of heavy European colonization by generation ark. Birthplace of the Sollan Empire.

  Baltimore

  An ancient Mericanii colony.

  Bargovrin

  An Imperial colony in the Centaurine provinces, site of a brutal defeat of humanity by the Cielcin in the Crusades.

  Belusha

  The most famous of the Imperial prison planets, the last destination of many political prisoners. A dismal, cold world.

  Berenike

  A former trading hub and mining colony on the Centaurine frontier on the border with the Veil of Marinus, site of a major battle in the Cielcin Wars.

  Cai Shen

  An ethnically Mandari world in the Imperium, famed for its Bashang Temple. It was ruled by House Min Chen up until ISD 16130, when it was destroyed by the Cielcin.

  Car-Tannae

  An Imperial colony on the outer rim of the galaxy in the Perseus Arm. Its gladiators are famous for fighting with nets and spears.

  Caritas

  The home of the New Vatican and central world of the Museum Catholic Church, windy and twilit.

  Cellas

  Site of a major battle during the Cielcin Wars.

  Centaurus Arm

  The innermost and farthest of the four arms of the galaxy colonized by the Sollan Empire, north of Sagittarius, Orion, and Perseus. Most Centaurine provinces are clustered near the heart of the galaxy, just south of the Veil of Marinus and the galactic core.

  Colchis

  The first Imperial colony in the Centaurus Arm, named for the garden at the end of the world, a moon of the gas giant Atlas. Never an important colony (it was eclipsed quickly by its neighbors), it is known for the massive scholiast athenaeum of Nov Belgaer.

  Cressgard

  A lost Imperial colony in the Veil of Marinus, site of the first contact with the Cielcin at the Battle of Cressgard in ISD 15792.

  Delos

  Birthplace of Hadrian Marlowe and seat of the Duchy of House Kephalos in the Spur of Orion, a temperate world with wan sunlight, famed for its uranium deposits, which made it extremely wealthy.

  Denver

  An ancient Mericanii colony.

  Dharan-Tun

  A Cielcin worldship larger than some moons, the seat of Prince Syriani Dorayaica.

  Dion Station

  An Imperial refueling outpost on the route from Gododdin across the gap between the Sagittarius and Centaurus Arms of the galaxy.

  Edda

  An arid, windy world in the Demarchy known for its canyons, sinkholes, and subterranean oceans. Its people are primarily ethnic Nordei and Travatskr.

  Emesh

  A watery world in the Veil of Marinus, seat of House Mataro. Home of the coloni Umandh and the subterranean ruins at Calagah. Originally a Norman colony.

  Forum

  The capital of the Sollan Empire. A gas giant with a breathable atmosphere in whose cloud belt are several flying palace cities that serve as the administrative hub of the Imperium.

  Gododdin

  A system between the Centaurus and Sagittarius Arms of the galaxy, famously destroyed by Hadrian Marlowe during the final battle in the Crusade.

  Hermonassa

  An Imperial world in the Sagittarine provinces, the site of a major Red Star Foundries Legion shipyard. Destroyed by Syriani Dorayaica in the Cielcin Wars.

  Jadd

  The planet of fire, sacred capital of the Jaddian Principalities, on whose soil none shall tread without the express permission of the High Prince.

  Judecca

  A frigid, mountainous world in the Sagittarius Arm. Famously the site of the Temple of Athten Var and birthplace of the Irchtani species. Site of Simeon the Red’s struggle against the mutineers, a famous story.

  Kandar

  An extremely wealthy agricultural world in the inner Empire, frequently considered the definitive source for luxury products, especially wine and genuine livestock. Seat of House Markarian.

  Lasaia

  An Imperial colony in the Orion provinces, the site of a major Red Star Foundries Legion shipyard, like Hermonassa.

  Lassira

  An old Imperial world in the Orion provinces, the seat of one branch of House Curzon.

  Latarra

  A former Norman Freehold in the Veil conquered by the Monarch, Calen Harendotes, an Extrasolarian warlord.

  Luin

  A planet famous for its xenobitic forests, considered something of a fantasy land. Known for the phasma vigrandi, a species of floating organism that glows like faerie lights.

  Marinus

  The first Norman Freehold seized by the Imperium and amongst their first colonies in the Expanse. The Imperial capital in the Veil of Marinus.

  Mars

  One of Old Earth’s sister planets and the site of the first major offworld colonial efforts during the Exodus but before the Peregrinations.

  Monmara

  A water world and a Norman freehold, known for the cheap mass production of starships.

  Nagapur

  A trading hub on the old core-roads from the Orion provinces out toward Centaurus and the Veil.

  Nagramma

  A Norman freehold settled primarily by Cid Arthurian r
eligious refugees.

  Nemavand

  An Imperial colony in Rammanu Province on the Centaurine frontier.

  Norman Expanse

  See VEIL OF MARINUS. The terms are used interchangeably, though the Veil moniker is more common in the Empire, while the Normans refer to it as the Expanse.

  Old Earth

  Birthplace of the human species. A nuclear ruin and victim of environmental collapse, she is protected by the Chantry Wardens and none may walk there.

  Olympia

  An ancient Mericanii colony.

  Orion Arm

  The first arm of the galaxy settled by humankind, site of Old Earth. North of Perseus, but south of Sagittarius and Centaurus. Comprises the core of the Sollan Empire, including Forum and Delos.

  Orlando

  An ancient Mericanii colony.

  Oxiana

  The site of a minor battle in the Cielcin Wars.

  Ozymandias

  Old Imperial colony in the Sagittarius Arm, arid. Known for being home to the extinct Arch-Builders, and for the massive stone arches they purportedly left behind.

  Pagus Minor