Sword of the Gods III: Agents of Ki

The Chess Pieces (Cast of Characters)

The Chess Pieces (Cast of Characters)

Abaddon - Supreme Commander-General Abaddon is the commander in chief of first the Angelic Air Force, and since Lucifer's rebellion all four branches of the Alliance fleet. He serves upon the command carrier Jehoshaphat, whose name means 'Judgment of God. ‘ Shay'tan, himself nicknamed Abaddon 'The Destroyer'. He is married to the human female Sarvenaz and has a daughter on the way.

Aigiarn - is the deceased human wife of Centauri General Kunopegos. She died when their foal proved to be too much for her tiny human body to carry. When given the choice to abort the foal or risk death, Aigiarn chose to risk continuing the pregnancy.

Alalah - is an older woman who is one of Mikhail’s archers. She is one of two older women who is often put in charge of training the other villagers to use a bow.

Apausha - is a Lieutenant in the Sata’an Merchant Marine (a thinly veiled title for what would otherwise be considered state-sponsored smugglers). Apausha became increasingly concerned about the well-being of the human females transported to Lucifer and tried to report it to Shay'tan. He was captured, tortured, and forced to give the location of Earth to Lucifer.

Asherah - Asherah died when her son Lucifer was only 15 years old. She was the daughter of a now-deceased Seraphim princess who married a 'shipboard' Angelic, Zuriel under a hint of scandal which has never been fully revealed. As a half-Seraphim, she was exempt from the Emperor's 'breeding program.' She married the Eternal Emperor's nemesis, Shemijaza, but then fled the Third Empire and sought sanctuary in the Eternal Palace for reasons which have yet to be revealed.

Aturdokht - Aturdokht is the green-eyed fiery young widow of the neighboring 'people of the desert' (i.e., Halifian) tribe. She is one of Shaykh Marwan's daughters. When her deceased husband's tribe disgraced her by first sending her back to her father's tent-group, and then attempting to force her back again for a Levirite marriage, she refused and declared she would marry whichever man could avenge her husband by bringing her 'the winged demon's heart.' Jamin has sworn he will bring her this and marry her. When Jamin's last attempt to kill Mikhail failed, she sold him into slavery rather than let her former father-in-law kill him. Her full-brother is Nusrat and her slain husband was named Roshan.

Babajidas - is a captured human male who now resides on the Leonid battle-cruiser Beylan. He is father of numerous Leonid cubs, but favors Major Orias's daughter, Habibas.

Ba'al Zebub - ‘Lord’ Zebub is the Sata’anic political equivalent of the Alliance Prime Minister. He was one of Shay'tan's most trusted public servants until the old dragon found out Ba'al Zebub went behind his back and brokered the sale of hundreds of human females to Lucifer. He is currently wanted for treason.

Behnam - Behnam is an elderly man of Assur and also one of the members of the Tribunal. He is one of Mikhail’s eight original archers and, despite his age, is a damned good shot. Mikhail often uses him as a sounding board for advice.

Bishamonten - Bishamonten is the Cherubim god of war. When invoked, he allows his novitiates access to a certain wavelength of the Song of Creation which most people perceive as 'the blue ray of truth' or 'the killing dance.' Anybody who misuses his energy is promptly smote.

Dadbeh - is a warrior of Assur and one of Jamin's elite warriors. He has a small, wiry build and has mismatched eyes. He is a bit of a prankster and often pairs up with Firouz to act out hilarious little skits. He is in love with Shahla and hoped to marry her.

Dephar - is the Eternal Emperor’s most trusted political advisor and also his chief geneticist. He is a Muqqibat 'dragon' which is not a true dragon, but in human terms might be described as something similar to a 'Chinese dragon.'

Dirar - Dirar was a Halifian mercenary and the younger half-brother of Yazan. He wished to get back in his brother's good graces by marrying his slain nephew's wife, Aturdokht, but she did not wish to marry him because he was a cruel man. Aturdokht's brother Roshan engineered Dirar's death at the hands of Mikhail to spare his sister from a disasterous forced marriage.

Dierdre - is the name given to Kunopegos and Aigiarn's foal. She was born months premature and it is not certain whether she will live.

Ebad - As the son of a potter, Ebad was a rather incompetent warrior until Mikhail assigned him to study under Pareesa as part of her 'B-Team.' He has a hopeless crush on Pareesa.

Eligor - A former mercenary, Eligor is an Angelic stationed upon the ‘Prince of Tyre.’ When Lucifer was arrested, Eligor put into action a plan to have Parliament subpoena Lucifer before them on a Writ of Habaes Corpus to free him. While on the surface he appears to be a coarse mercenary, Eligor is a lot smarter than he lets on and has begun to notice there's something not quite right about Lucifer.

Firouz - is one of Jamin's elite warriors. He is best friends with Dadbeh and together the two team up to provide much comic relief.

Furcas - is one of Lucifer’s two personal bodyguards. The other Angelics describe him as a ‘goon.’

Gita - you would never know this timid, black-eyed girl is Ninsianna's cousin except for the similar shape of their otherwise different-colored eyes. Her father is the bitter, drunken brother of Immanu and this has made Gita an outcast. She secretly shadows Mikhail because she has a crush on him and, because of this, joined his warrior training. Gita is quite good with a spear and has the ability to remain unnoticed in the shados. She is best friends with both Shahla and, so long as she doesn't embarrass him by expecting him to acknowledge it, also friends with Jamin.

Gisou - is one of Mikhail’s archers. She is around the same age as Ninsianna and is best friends with Homa.

Glicki - Major (now Colonel) Glicki is a Mantoid stationed on Raphael's command carrier, the ‘Light Emerging.’ She is Raphael’s second-in-command and also one of his closest friends.

Habbibas - is a Leonid lioness stationed on the Beylan who has been experiencing fertility problems. She favors the human male Babajidas, who sired her cubs.

Hadraniel - is a Lieutenant stationed on the ‘Eternal Light.’ He is the ATO responsible for handling Jophiel's living ‘needle’ ships.

Halpas - is a doctor stationed on the ‘Prince of Tyre’

Harakhti - Leonid General Re Harakhti is in charge of the Leonid Multi-Purpose Forces, which in modern human terms might be considered a similar branch of military as the Marines.

Hashem - the Eternal Emperor Hashem is ruler of the Alliance and also an ascended being (aka a god). He fell in love with Lucifer's mother Asherah, but that love was never returned. He was devastated when she died and retreated into the upper realms for 200 years, leaving Lucifer to run his empire.

He-who’s-not - also nicknamed The Dark Lord or Lord of Chaos, He-who's-not is the guardian of She-who-is. He is comprised of primordial chaos and will destroy anything which might potentially threaten his mate. While a fearsome and destructive god, HE is not inherently evil.

Homa - is one of Mikhail’s archers. She is around the same age as Ninsianna and best friends with Gisou.

Hudhafah - General Hudhafah is the general in charge of overseeing the Sata’anic annexation of Earth.

Immanu - is a powerful shaman in his own right, though not as powerful as his Chosen daughter Ninsianna. He is the second highest ranking man in the village after Chief Kiyan and 'adopted' Mikhail as his son. He is married to Needa.

Jamin - is Chief Kiyan’s son and Ninsianna’s ex-fiancé. He was in charge of Assur’s elite warriors until his rivalry against Mikhail caused him to betray his village to the Halifians. He was banished from Assur after he beat Shahla and caused her to miscarry her baby, an action he now regrets. He is obsessed with proving that Mikhail is really their enemy and not some 'angel' who has fallen from the heavens to help them.

Jiljab - is Chief of the neighboring village of Gasur, which is where Ninsianna's mother Needa is originally from. The village of Gasur is one of Assur's staunchest allies.

Jingu - Empress Jingu is queen of the Cherubim.

Jophiel - is Supreme Commander-General of all four branches of the Alliance fleet. She is mother to Uriel and eleven other Angelic offspring, a birth rate which is unprecedented for the dying species. She is secretly mated to Raphael, Uriel's father.

Kasib - Lieutenant Kasib is the chief Logistics Officer for Sata'anic General Hudhafah and an obedient, loyal servant of Shay'tan. He secretly helped a poor blind human woman, Taram, avoid likely death at the hands of the Amorite slavers by having her officially listed as 'deceased' after she was rejected as suitable 'bride' material and has stashed her amongst the nearby human village until he can figure out a way to get her home.

Ki - is the mysterious Mother-goddess of She-who-is and all universes. It was Ki who stripped Moloch of his ability to assume a physical form or manipulate physical matter directly, leaving him a disembodied wraith who can only act through others.

Kiarash - is an older warrior of Assur and one of the Chief's personal guards. Technically he is one of Jamin's elite warriors, but really, he only serves in that capacity to keep an eye on him for the Chief.

Kiana - is one of Mikhail’s archers. She is a few years older than Ninsianna.

Kiyan - Chief Kiyan rules the village of Assur. He is Jamin’s father and also a widower. After his only son betrayed their village, Kiyan had no choice but to bring Jamin before the Tribunal, but he prevented them from issueing a sentence of death and only banished his son.

Klik'rr - Major (now-Colonel) Klik'rr is Jophiel's second in command on the ‘Eternal Light.’ He is a Mantoid.

Kudursin - is leader of the Amorite slave traders.

Kunopegos - General Kunopegos is in charge of the Centauri Cavalry. He commands the carrier Syracusia and threw his support behind Lucifer due to infertility and the bribe of Aigiarn, a human female. When faced with the choice to abort their foal, his wife refused and later died. Kunopegos turned back to the Emperor to help him keep their foal alive, but it is not known whether or not Dierdre will live.

Lerajie - is an Angelic stationed on the ‘Prince of Tyre’. He is Eligor's sidekick, whether Eligor wants to have a sidekick or not. Lerajie is often described as having 'pink wings' due to the reddish speckles throughout his feathers, but really this is more of a derogatory snipe about Lerajie's idealistic nature.

Lubaid - is a younger son of Marwan, the shayhk of the nearby rival Halifian tribe. He bears Jamin some ill will because Jamin once disarmed him and took away his knife.

Lucifer - is Prime Minister of the Alliance and the Eternal Emperor Hashem’s adopted son. His mother, Asherah, died when he was only fifteen years old and left him in Hashem's care. He has been experiencing migraines and blackouts lately. The last of his bloodline, Lucifer was obsessed with finding a solution to hybrid infertility, even if that solution involved selling humans as breeding stock, and engineered a breathtaking coup d'etat to seize power from his immortal adopted Eternal Emperor father. He now has seventeen human wives and counting, all carrying his offspring.

Marbas - is the flight commander of the ‘Prince of Tyre.’

Marwan - is Shaykh of the nearest rival Halifian tent settlement. He is a wily old coot, with a terrible scar that runs from his mouth all the way to one ear. He has many wives and offspring, including Aturdokht, Nusrat and Lubaid.

Merariy - is Immanu’s bitter, drunken brother and also Gita's father. When Gita was a little girl, he accused her mother of adultery and smashed in her head with a rock. He and Immanu do not speak.

Mikhail - Colonel Mikhail Mannuki’ili currently serves in the Angelic Special Forces. After his entire Seraphim sub-species was wiped out by unknown assailants, he was sent to train with the Cherubim. They taught him to harness the energies of the Cherubim and he is a terrifyingly good fighter, but for some reason they also taught him to suppress his emotions. Mikhail currently suffers from almost near-total memory loss caused by injuries sustained during the crash of his scout ship on Earth. He is now married to Ninsianna and they have a child on the way.

Needa - is Ninsianna’s mother and also a gifted healer. She is married to Immanu, the village shaman. She 'adopted' Mikhail as her son prior to his marriage to her daughter. Unlike most women in Assur, Needa 'wears the kilt' in the family and doesn't put up with any guff from anyone.

Ninsianna - saved Mikhail's life after his ship crashed and she is now married to him with a baby on the way. She is a gifted healer. She also has a known jealous streak. She is thrilled to be She-who-is' Chosen One and loves spending time traveling the Dreamtime to pull secret information out of the ethers. She is obsessed with getting Mikhail to train their village to stave off the invasion She-who-is has shown her will someday level their village.

Namhu - is Pareesa's little brother. He's almost as good with a bow as she is and just as precocious.

Nusrat - is a man of a nearby Halifian tribe. He is Shaykh Marwan's son and Aturdokht's only full-brother, although he has many half-siblings by Marwan's other wives. He engineered Dirar's death at Mikhail's hands rather than allow his sister to be forced int marriage to the brutish mercenary.

Orias - Leonid Major Orias commands the Beylan. She is mother to Habbibas, an infertile lioness who now carries the human Babajidas' cubs.

Orkedeh - is an older woman who is one of Mikhail’s archers. She is one of two archers who is often put in charge of training the other villagers to use this new weapon (the other being Alalah).

Pareesa - is Mikhail’s littlest archer, and also his most talented one despite her young age. He saved her from being kidnapped, and she, in turn, saved him for an arrow in the back. Her name means ‘Little Fairy.’ Mikhail has fondly dubbed her his çok puan mızrak [spear with many points] which is the closest he can come in the Ubaid language to calling her his "little weapon of mass destruction."

Peyman - Doctor Payman is a physician stationed on the Sata’an base on Earth. He helped Lieutenant Kasib save a blind woman from being turned out into the desert by slavers to die by listing her as officially 'dead.'

Pharzuphel - is a Major on the Jehoshaphat. She is Abaddon's second-in-command.

Pravuil - is one of Lucifer's legislative aides. She is 'as plain as dirt.' She disappeared after Lucifer tasked her with looking into her past.

Pruflas - is one of Lucifer’s two personal bodyguards. A ‘goon.’

Raphael - Brigadier-General Raphael Israfa is commander of the ‘Light Emerging.’ He is Mikhail’s best friend as they went through basic training together and has been put in charge of searching for his missing-in-action friend. He father to Uriel and now secretly mated to Supreme Commander-General Jophiel.

Roshan - was Aturdokht's slain husband. He was Yazan's son and a member of the rival Halifian tribe.

Sachiel - Sergeant Sachiel is an Angelic stationed on Raphael's command carrier, the 'Light Emerging.'

Sarvenaz - is the human wife to Angelic Air Force General Abaddon. She gave a breathtaking speech before Parliament, imploring them to let her husband 'kick the lizard people off of Earth.'

Shahla - is a beautiful, but promiscuous young woman of Assur. Her attempt to blackmail the chief's son, Jamin, into marrying her because she was pregnant backfired and he beat her so badly she miscarried the baby. She is best friends with Ninsianna's black-eyed cousin, Gita.

Shay'tan - is the emperor of the rival Sata'an Empire. He is an old dragon and an ascended being (aka an ‘old god’).

Shemijaza - was Lucifer's biological father (now deceased) and ruler of the now-defunct Third Empire. He had silver eyes just like his son.

She-who-is - is the Architect of All-That-Is and the highest goddess in this universe. She has 'Chosen' Ninsianna for a great task.

Shzzkt - is a Mantoid lieutenant-commander on the Jehoshaphat under Abaddon. He is also their communications officer.

Siamek - is a warrior of Assur and one of Jamin's former (now Mikhail's) elite warriors. Mikhail has named him his 'lieutenant' even though he does not trust him due to his former status as Jamin's best friend.

Taram - is a kidnapped young blind woman and sister to Sarvenaz. She was saved from being turned out into the desert to die by the Amorite slavers by Lieutenant Kasib. She now currently resides in the village adjacent to the Sata'an Forward Operating Base.

Tirdard - is a young warrior of Assur and one of Jamin's elite warriors. He is now married to Yadidatum, one of Mikhail's eight original archers.

Utbah - is the Sata'an Assistant Minister of Agriculture.

Valac - is a weapons officer on the Jehoshaphat under Abaddon.

Varshab - is an older warrior and Chief Kiyan's main 'enforcer.' People refer to him as 'the Chief's man.'

Yadiditum - is one of Mikhail’s eight original archers, though she is a rather incompetent archer who keeps on trying. She is now married to Tirdard, one of the warriors. (fka Niyoosha)

Yalda - is the eldest woman in Assur and the chief legislate of the Tribunal. Her younger sister is Zhila. The two widow-sisters have become surrogate 'grandmothers' for Mikhail. The two survive by baking bread and brewing beer.

Yazan - is a shaykh of a far-distant Halifian tribe. His now-deceased son Nusrat was married to Aturdokht, Marwan's daughter.

Yoritomo - Master Yoritomo is the highest ranking Cherubim master, second only to Queen Jingu, and the Eternal Emperor's most trusted personal guardian.

Zakiti - is Pareesa's precocious little sister. Only five summers old, she's a delightfully mercenary little imp.

Zepar - is Lucifer’s Chief of Staff.

Zhila - is the second-eldest woman in Assur and sister to Yalda. She and her sister have taken Mikhail under their 'wings.' She is a talented brewer of beer.

Zzzler - Ensign Zzzler serves on the ‘Light Emerging.’ He is a Mantoid.