When I first started writing Ten Thousand Gods, I had to picture the characters. At the time I was quite enamored of the beautiful, long haired boys of the heavy metal bands of the 1980’s and used many of their faces as inspiration. (Kudos to those of you who can figure out who I based on whom, because I’m not telling.) The name Rasong came to me whole out of the air; most of the rest of the names were distillations and reconfigurations (i.e., I wrote down an interesting sound and moved the letters around until I got something I liked). This was all pre-internet days and I have since discovered that Lalloure is actually a French name, which is interesting because when it came to me, I thought it sounded rather French.
Rasong
RASONG of DARCLONEN
(rah SONG)
Born 981 ac. near the village of Sweetwell in the Darclonen Province.
Human aliases: Rhoz Lallan, Rasonne Nindir
Personality: Rasong is an average Lalloure with average telepathic abilities. It has shown to be human-oriented to the point of seeking out human companionship where other Lalloure might shun the same. Rasong is gentle and kind and goes out of its way not to hurt anyone else, emotionally or physically, even if as a result it might wind up being hurt itself. Rasong is unassuming and never boastful, yet is not self-depreciating either. It only exhibits Lallourean aloofness around humans it does not know. Rasong has difficulty expressing grief and anger, yet it has a keen, sympathetic understanding of the emotions and problems of others.
Physical appearance: 6 feet tall, 145 lbs. Fair complexion; pale, glass blue eyes; medium brown straight hair with gold highlights.
Background: Rasong was born to a farming couple, Kaketre and Triesher Rede on the Shennen River ten miles south of the town of Sweetwell, (about 25 miles east of Darclonen.) Rasong has an older brother, Achleren, who was born in 975 ac., and a younger sister, Sislane, born in 984 ac. Triesher Rede died in 1001 ac. and Kaketre in 1019 ac.
Rasong lived in Darclonen’s creche until it was 17. At age 16, Rasong and its crechemate, 16-year-old Jesselle, initiated one another and became firstloves. Rasong and Jesselle were a couple for over a year, unusual for young adult Lalloure, and did not form pleasure circles until they left the creche. While both had other lovers during that time, they were, for all intents and purposes, practically exclusive. A very long firsthralls!
At age 17, Rasong began its apprenticeship in the silk dying shops under the tutelage of Ashinol. It was through its work in the dying shops Rasong learned to know one of the head clothiers, a diminutive blond Lalloure named D’lyr. D’lyr fell in love with Rasong immediately but they did not wind up pleasuring until Rasong was 24. At that point, Rasong was mature enough to understand there was something else underlying D’lyr’s mothering nature.
In 1001 ac. at age 20, Rasong went on its first pilgrimage in the company of an experienced Lalloure. Rasong’s first solo pilgrimage took place in 1006, also the year Rhninen came to Darclonen. Rasong and Rhninen were drawn to one another like magnets, but Rasong avoided Rhninen for five years. Rasong and Rhninen finally admitted their love for one another in 1011 ac. and began a stormy love affair. Rhninen asked Rasong to share the binding rite three years into their relationship, and they became kamatae in 1014 ac. In 1020 ac. after one of their fights, Rasong left Rhninen to travel on a year-long pilgrimage. During the time Rasong was gone, Rhninen turned to very self-destructive behavior. This is the state of their relationship at the beginning of Book One of Tales of the Lalloure, Ten Thousand Gods.
(rah SONG)
Born 981 ac. near the village of Sweetwell in the Darclonen Province.
Human aliases: Rhoz Lallan, Rasonne Nindir
Personality: Rasong is an average Lalloure with average telepathic abilities. It has shown to be human-oriented to the point of seeking out human companionship where other Lalloure might shun the same. Rasong is gentle and kind and goes out of its way not to hurt anyone else, emotionally or physically, even if as a result it might wind up being hurt itself. Rasong is unassuming and never boastful, yet is not self-depreciating either. It only exhibits Lallourean aloofness around humans it does not know. Rasong has difficulty expressing grief and anger, yet it has a keen, sympathetic understanding of the emotions and problems of others.
Physical appearance: 6 feet tall, 145 lbs. Fair complexion; pale, glass blue eyes; medium brown straight hair with gold highlights.
Background: Rasong was born to a farming couple, Kaketre and Triesher Rede on the Shennen River ten miles south of the town of Sweetwell, (about 25 miles east of Darclonen.) Rasong has an older brother, Achleren, who was born in 975 ac., and a younger sister, Sislane, born in 984 ac. Triesher Rede died in 1001 ac. and Kaketre in 1019 ac.
Rasong lived in Darclonen’s creche until it was 17. At age 16, Rasong and its crechemate, 16-year-old Jesselle, initiated one another and became firstloves. Rasong and Jesselle were a couple for over a year, unusual for young adult Lalloure, and did not form pleasure circles until they left the creche. While both had other lovers during that time, they were, for all intents and purposes, practically exclusive. A very long firsthralls!
At age 17, Rasong began its apprenticeship in the silk dying shops under the tutelage of Ashinol. It was through its work in the dying shops Rasong learned to know one of the head clothiers, a diminutive blond Lalloure named D’lyr. D’lyr fell in love with Rasong immediately but they did not wind up pleasuring until Rasong was 24. At that point, Rasong was mature enough to understand there was something else underlying D’lyr’s mothering nature.
In 1001 ac. at age 20, Rasong went on its first pilgrimage in the company of an experienced Lalloure. Rasong’s first solo pilgrimage took place in 1006, also the year Rhninen came to Darclonen. Rasong and Rhninen were drawn to one another like magnets, but Rasong avoided Rhninen for five years. Rasong and Rhninen finally admitted their love for one another in 1011 ac. and began a stormy love affair. Rhninen asked Rasong to share the binding rite three years into their relationship, and they became kamatae in 1014 ac. In 1020 ac. after one of their fights, Rasong left Rhninen to travel on a year-long pilgrimage. During the time Rasong was gone, Rhninen turned to very self-destructive behavior. This is the state of their relationship at the beginning of Book One of Tales of the Lalloure, Ten Thousand Gods.
Vilian
VILIAN KALAENA KHERLYNDIR
as human
(vah LIE an kah LAY nah kair LIN der)
Nicknamed “Little Lion,” which tells you how her name sounds—va LION.
VALONILYR as Lalloure
(vah LON ih lir)
Born 1015 ac. to Sashenna and Claas Kherlyndir on a farm near the border of the Darclonen Province.
Personality: Vilian started life as a human girl and was raised until age eighteen with human morals. As such, her personality was shaped by having a human beginning even though she lives most of her life as a Lalloure. Vilian is confident in most aspects as she believes in herself and in her ability to make decisions and choices. She accepts responsibility for herself and her actions. She is headstrong and can be outspoken. She is also impatient and has a low tolerance for complaining and excuses from others. Vilian is intensely loyal and expects the same from those in whom she invests her loyalty.
Physical appearance: 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 125 lbs. Very fair complexion, dark brown eyes, full honey blond hair with lighter highlights. When Rasong met her the second time at age eighteen, Vilian appeared female, though with wide shoulders, slim hips and small breasts. Later examinations by Lallourean amendae monitors revealed she had only one centrally positioned ovary and no uterus, thus she never menstruated when she reached puberty. Like a Lalloure, Vilian has no body hair below her head.
Background: The winter Vilian was six, the Lalloure Rasong visited her family’s farm. When the Lalloure touched her hand the first time, it awakened her latent telepathic abilities and she mindtouched with it. After Rasong left, Vilian began to sense the emotions of others around her and discovered she had limited healing abilities. When she was older she also found that she could pain-send.
Vilian grew up in a farming community surrounded by cousins and friends. She was raised as a farm girl with chores and responsibilities from a young age. Her family was neither wealthy nor poor, and every member worked hard. Vilian is the youngest child of the Kherlyndir family. Her oldest brother Kett, twelve years older than Vilian, left the family when he was 22 to marry and work for a large farming conglomerate in the eastern part of the Darclonen Province. Her other brother, Greyen, eight years older than Vilian, left the family at 16 to apprentice at Talanae Poth’s artist studio in Paderbyrn.
Vilian is on her way to Paderbryn at the beginning of Part Two of Ten Thousand Gods.
as human
(vah LIE an kah LAY nah kair LIN der)
Nicknamed “Little Lion,” which tells you how her name sounds—va LION.
VALONILYR as Lalloure
(vah LON ih lir)
Born 1015 ac. to Sashenna and Claas Kherlyndir on a farm near the border of the Darclonen Province.
Personality: Vilian started life as a human girl and was raised until age eighteen with human morals. As such, her personality was shaped by having a human beginning even though she lives most of her life as a Lalloure. Vilian is confident in most aspects as she believes in herself and in her ability to make decisions and choices. She accepts responsibility for herself and her actions. She is headstrong and can be outspoken. She is also impatient and has a low tolerance for complaining and excuses from others. Vilian is intensely loyal and expects the same from those in whom she invests her loyalty.
Physical appearance: 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 125 lbs. Very fair complexion, dark brown eyes, full honey blond hair with lighter highlights. When Rasong met her the second time at age eighteen, Vilian appeared female, though with wide shoulders, slim hips and small breasts. Later examinations by Lallourean amendae monitors revealed she had only one centrally positioned ovary and no uterus, thus she never menstruated when she reached puberty. Like a Lalloure, Vilian has no body hair below her head.
Background: The winter Vilian was six, the Lalloure Rasong visited her family’s farm. When the Lalloure touched her hand the first time, it awakened her latent telepathic abilities and she mindtouched with it. After Rasong left, Vilian began to sense the emotions of others around her and discovered she had limited healing abilities. When she was older she also found that she could pain-send.
Vilian grew up in a farming community surrounded by cousins and friends. She was raised as a farm girl with chores and responsibilities from a young age. Her family was neither wealthy nor poor, and every member worked hard. Vilian is the youngest child of the Kherlyndir family. Her oldest brother Kett, twelve years older than Vilian, left the family when he was 22 to marry and work for a large farming conglomerate in the eastern part of the Darclonen Province. Her other brother, Greyen, eight years older than Vilian, left the family at 16 to apprentice at Talanae Poth’s artist studio in Paderbyrn.
Vilian is on her way to Paderbryn at the beginning of Part Two of Ten Thousand Gods.
Bredes
BREDES of JASCLARION
(BRAY dees)
Born 1005 ac. in a flyer near the outpost, a Shethlandran Company settlement on Ertaetha.
Human alias: Bredin Brikker
Personality: Bredes is outgoing, talkative and enjoys being around people, human and Lalloure. Bredes is lively and usually optimistic, very seldom exhibiting depression or melancholy. Even though Bredes was raised as a human until age 15, it had relatively few problems adjusting to a Lallourean lifestyle once it entered the citadels. Bredes always retains a more urgent approach toward life. It is more goal-oriented and more easily frustrated than a typical Lalloure in the same situation.
Physical appearance: 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 135 lbs. Fair complexion, dark brown eyes. Dark brown straight hair. Bredes’ face is often described as “gentle.”
Background: Bredes was born in a flyer on the way to Shethlandran’s outpost on Ertaetha. Its parents had been prospecting in the northern Kerrakkin Mountains where its father, Benbe Klicaron, was accidentally killed in a landslide. Sare Klicaron was injured in the same landslide but was found by Company scouts who happened to be in the area. Sare went into premature labor from the shock of her injuries and her baby was born before the flyer reached the outpost. Sare was kept unconscious for several days while her injuries were tended. It was not certain at first if she would live. The baby’s prematurity was of more concern to the outpost doctor than its lack of sex organs, but after two days in a make-shift incubator, the baby was strong and lusty enough to be cared for as a full-term infant. When the three-day-old baby was presented to Sare, she was told she had given birth to a girl. But when Sare examined the infant, she cried. At first the doctor and medics did not understand what Sare was trying to tell them, then they realized the infant was not a deformed girl but a Lalloure.
As Lalloure always appeared within several days of a Loray’s birth, Sare did not understand why they never came. After her Loray’s third birthday, she decided the Lalloure were never coming. She thought perhaps since Loray had been born in the air and not on the ground, the Lalloure had not sensed its presence. In actuality, the Loray had been born too far from any citadel for its birthscream to be heard. At that point the baby (simply called “Loray”) was given the name Bredes, a neuter name Sare created from Bredin and Bradis, popular names for boys and girls at the time.
Bredes’ mother was adamant that the child be referred to with the neuter pronoun and that it be treated neither as a boy nor a girl. This met with much resistance from the outpost personnel. They eventually adopted the use of “it” for Bredes but had more difficulty treating it as a neuter. Bredes grew up knowing it was special, not especially because it was neuter, but because it was the only child at the outpost. Despite the lavishment of attention, Bredes did not become spoiled but instead learned to be very people-oriented and extroverted. Sare allowed the child’s hair to grown long, as she knew Lalloure universally wore their hair long. She often braided it in many tiny plaits giving rise to Bredes’ nickname of “Braids.”
Bredes proved itself extremely intelligent and was given an extensive technological education. But even before it could walk or talk, Bredes preferred animals, especially thorsses and cats. The child spent long hours riding through the northern wilderness. Even though it was physically Lalloure, Bredes did not exhibit overt Lallourean telepathic abilities. There was, of course, no one it could send to and thus the rumored mindtouch abilities of the Lalloure remained an intriguing theory. Bredes was naturally interested in everything the outpost scouts learned about the Lalloure and read their reports voraciously. Lallourean healing powers were well-documented but, having not been trained, Bredes was not able to utilize its own to any extent. It could, however, always tell what people were truly feeling, another known Lallourean ability. The fact that Bredes’ childhood bumps and scrapes healed more quickly than the average human was noted. However, the Lallourean technique of pain-sending was never successfully tested with Bredes. Raised in a protected atmosphere, Bredes learned trust and was never threatened enough to react with the self-protective mental assault.
Bredes was not permitted to venture from the outpost area (except for flyer lessons) until the spring it was 14. By that point the outpost had been on Ertaetha for 15 years and still had precious little information on the Lalloure. Shethlandran was demanding more and though they were very reluctant to put Bredes at risk, the outpost personnel realized they had to let Bredes interact with others of its kind. Consequently in the summer of 1019, Bredes met other Lalloure for the first time at Aklivor’s summer courtesy. The entire encounter was rehearsed and choreographed with Bredes in disguise as a boy. Naturally it did not turn out as planned. The first Lalloure who touched Bredes knew what it was and Bredes was barely able to get away before it revealed too much.
Bredes was fascinated by and drawn to the Lalloure and wanted to try living among them, both because of its own needs and desires and to gain information for the outpost. After a year of planning, Bredes entered Jasclarion on the 16th of Fifth Month, 1020 ac. The narrative of Book One of Tales of the Lalloure, Ten Thousand Gods, begins at this point.
(BRAY dees)
Born 1005 ac. in a flyer near the outpost, a Shethlandran Company settlement on Ertaetha.
Human alias: Bredin Brikker
Personality: Bredes is outgoing, talkative and enjoys being around people, human and Lalloure. Bredes is lively and usually optimistic, very seldom exhibiting depression or melancholy. Even though Bredes was raised as a human until age 15, it had relatively few problems adjusting to a Lallourean lifestyle once it entered the citadels. Bredes always retains a more urgent approach toward life. It is more goal-oriented and more easily frustrated than a typical Lalloure in the same situation.
Physical appearance: 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 135 lbs. Fair complexion, dark brown eyes. Dark brown straight hair. Bredes’ face is often described as “gentle.”
Background: Bredes was born in a flyer on the way to Shethlandran’s outpost on Ertaetha. Its parents had been prospecting in the northern Kerrakkin Mountains where its father, Benbe Klicaron, was accidentally killed in a landslide. Sare Klicaron was injured in the same landslide but was found by Company scouts who happened to be in the area. Sare went into premature labor from the shock of her injuries and her baby was born before the flyer reached the outpost. Sare was kept unconscious for several days while her injuries were tended. It was not certain at first if she would live. The baby’s prematurity was of more concern to the outpost doctor than its lack of sex organs, but after two days in a make-shift incubator, the baby was strong and lusty enough to be cared for as a full-term infant. When the three-day-old baby was presented to Sare, she was told she had given birth to a girl. But when Sare examined the infant, she cried. At first the doctor and medics did not understand what Sare was trying to tell them, then they realized the infant was not a deformed girl but a Lalloure.
As Lalloure always appeared within several days of a Loray’s birth, Sare did not understand why they never came. After her Loray’s third birthday, she decided the Lalloure were never coming. She thought perhaps since Loray had been born in the air and not on the ground, the Lalloure had not sensed its presence. In actuality, the Loray had been born too far from any citadel for its birthscream to be heard. At that point the baby (simply called “Loray”) was given the name Bredes, a neuter name Sare created from Bredin and Bradis, popular names for boys and girls at the time.
Bredes’ mother was adamant that the child be referred to with the neuter pronoun and that it be treated neither as a boy nor a girl. This met with much resistance from the outpost personnel. They eventually adopted the use of “it” for Bredes but had more difficulty treating it as a neuter. Bredes grew up knowing it was special, not especially because it was neuter, but because it was the only child at the outpost. Despite the lavishment of attention, Bredes did not become spoiled but instead learned to be very people-oriented and extroverted. Sare allowed the child’s hair to grown long, as she knew Lalloure universally wore their hair long. She often braided it in many tiny plaits giving rise to Bredes’ nickname of “Braids.”
Bredes proved itself extremely intelligent and was given an extensive technological education. But even before it could walk or talk, Bredes preferred animals, especially thorsses and cats. The child spent long hours riding through the northern wilderness. Even though it was physically Lalloure, Bredes did not exhibit overt Lallourean telepathic abilities. There was, of course, no one it could send to and thus the rumored mindtouch abilities of the Lalloure remained an intriguing theory. Bredes was naturally interested in everything the outpost scouts learned about the Lalloure and read their reports voraciously. Lallourean healing powers were well-documented but, having not been trained, Bredes was not able to utilize its own to any extent. It could, however, always tell what people were truly feeling, another known Lallourean ability. The fact that Bredes’ childhood bumps and scrapes healed more quickly than the average human was noted. However, the Lallourean technique of pain-sending was never successfully tested with Bredes. Raised in a protected atmosphere, Bredes learned trust and was never threatened enough to react with the self-protective mental assault.
Bredes was not permitted to venture from the outpost area (except for flyer lessons) until the spring it was 14. By that point the outpost had been on Ertaetha for 15 years and still had precious little information on the Lalloure. Shethlandran was demanding more and though they were very reluctant to put Bredes at risk, the outpost personnel realized they had to let Bredes interact with others of its kind. Consequently in the summer of 1019, Bredes met other Lalloure for the first time at Aklivor’s summer courtesy. The entire encounter was rehearsed and choreographed with Bredes in disguise as a boy. Naturally it did not turn out as planned. The first Lalloure who touched Bredes knew what it was and Bredes was barely able to get away before it revealed too much.
Bredes was fascinated by and drawn to the Lalloure and wanted to try living among them, both because of its own needs and desires and to gain information for the outpost. After a year of planning, Bredes entered Jasclarion on the 16th of Fifth Month, 1020 ac. The narrative of Book One of Tales of the Lalloure, Ten Thousand Gods, begins at this point.
Rhninen
RHNINEN of K’KESSINAIR
(RIN in nin)
Think Rin Tin Tin and take out the t’s.
Born 891 ac. near K’kessinair.
Personality: Rhninen is a hot-tempered, arrogant Lalloure with an overly developed libido. When tired, it can be cross, irrational and resort to hitting or slapping others in frustration. Rhninen also occasionally exhibits jealousy. But Rhninen is also vulnerable and can be incredibly supportive and protective. Its pleasuring techniques are so skillful and so fulfilling to its lovers that Rhninen is an extremely popular Lalloure wherever it goes. Rhninen projects a charismatic aura of sexuality and confidence which attracts others to it.
Physical appearance: Six feet tall, 150 lbs. Fair complexion, full lips, deep blue eyes, red hair (often described as copper-colored.) Rhninen is stronger both physically and mentally than it appears to be.
Background: Rhninen was born about fifty miles to the north of K’kessinair to a farming family in 891 ac. When its guardians arrived a day after its birth, the father met them on the porch of the farm house and thrust the day-old Loray at them, saying they did not want a useless child for a year. The family already had eight children and a baby who would drain their resources and never contribute to the family was perceived as a burden, even with the Lallourean birthing gifts. The guardians took the red-headed Loray and gave the father birth money which he pocketed without a word. So it would have a year with humans like all Lorays, Rhninen was fostered with a family at K’kessinair’s clearinghouse in Donimus and welcomed into the citadel on its first birthday. When Rhninen was old enough to understand, it was told a softened story of its parents’ rejection. When Rhninen was 14, it secretly journeyed to its birthplace and covertly watched its parents and brothers and sisters. Rhninen was drawn back numerous times over the next several years, and when it was 17, finally felt bold enough to meet its family.
Konder K’lessin was a hard-working, hard-drinking, short-tempered farmer and his wife Haethe was a no-nonsense farm wife who had birthed thirteen children, eleven of whom had lived. Their farm was moderately successful. The K’lessins weren’t starving or poor, but there was little room in their life for frivolities. And a Lallourean child had been considered a frivolity. When Rhninen appeared at their door one spring morning, they thought it was a Lalloure on pilgrimage and welcomed it gladly. Then Rhninen revealed who it actually was and the atmosphere changed. Things were suddenly uncomfortable, cool and strangely resentful. Having expected to be welcomed as a lost member of the family, the teenage Rhninen was very hurt. Konder offered Rhninen money and, insulted and stung, Rhninen left.
Rhninen thought its family had rejected and hated it for not being human and it never forgot the rebuff. Psychologically, Rhninen was permanently scarred and held a fear of rejection its entire life. This was masked with anger (the tendency for which Rhninen inherited from its father) and an overly-developed libido which Rhninen used in search of love and acceptance.
Rhninen lived at several citadels during its first century, including Sohninor and Rhil Hetre. In 1006 ac. Rhninen moved to Darclonen as a lab supervisor. At Darclonen, Rhninen became aware of a beautiful, gentle Lalloure by the name of Rasong and knew from the moment their eyes met that this was the Lalloure it had been searching for all its life. But Rasong was put off by Rhninen’s flamboyance and avoided Rhninen for five years.
In 1011 ac. Rhninen was finally able to touch Rasong and get past its mental barriers and they began a stormy love relationship. Rhninen asked Rasong to be its kamatae in 1014 ac. and Rasong accepted. They held the ceremony late one night in Fairforest Hall where they had first met. But the scarred part of Rhninen’s psyche couldn’t believe Rasong actually loved it and Rhninen would often lash out at Rasong with mental and physical abuse. Yet no matter how often or severely Rhninen hurt Rasong, Rasong always took it back.
After one of Rhninen’s jealous rages in 1020 ac., Rasong left on a pilgrimage which lasted a year. During that time Rhninen decided to slowly destroy itself. This is the state of their relationship at the beginning of Book One of Tales of the Lalloure, Ten Thousand Gods.
(RIN in nin)
Think Rin Tin Tin and take out the t’s.
Born 891 ac. near K’kessinair.
Personality: Rhninen is a hot-tempered, arrogant Lalloure with an overly developed libido. When tired, it can be cross, irrational and resort to hitting or slapping others in frustration. Rhninen also occasionally exhibits jealousy. But Rhninen is also vulnerable and can be incredibly supportive and protective. Its pleasuring techniques are so skillful and so fulfilling to its lovers that Rhninen is an extremely popular Lalloure wherever it goes. Rhninen projects a charismatic aura of sexuality and confidence which attracts others to it.
Physical appearance: Six feet tall, 150 lbs. Fair complexion, full lips, deep blue eyes, red hair (often described as copper-colored.) Rhninen is stronger both physically and mentally than it appears to be.
Background: Rhninen was born about fifty miles to the north of K’kessinair to a farming family in 891 ac. When its guardians arrived a day after its birth, the father met them on the porch of the farm house and thrust the day-old Loray at them, saying they did not want a useless child for a year. The family already had eight children and a baby who would drain their resources and never contribute to the family was perceived as a burden, even with the Lallourean birthing gifts. The guardians took the red-headed Loray and gave the father birth money which he pocketed without a word. So it would have a year with humans like all Lorays, Rhninen was fostered with a family at K’kessinair’s clearinghouse in Donimus and welcomed into the citadel on its first birthday. When Rhninen was old enough to understand, it was told a softened story of its parents’ rejection. When Rhninen was 14, it secretly journeyed to its birthplace and covertly watched its parents and brothers and sisters. Rhninen was drawn back numerous times over the next several years, and when it was 17, finally felt bold enough to meet its family.
Konder K’lessin was a hard-working, hard-drinking, short-tempered farmer and his wife Haethe was a no-nonsense farm wife who had birthed thirteen children, eleven of whom had lived. Their farm was moderately successful. The K’lessins weren’t starving or poor, but there was little room in their life for frivolities. And a Lallourean child had been considered a frivolity. When Rhninen appeared at their door one spring morning, they thought it was a Lalloure on pilgrimage and welcomed it gladly. Then Rhninen revealed who it actually was and the atmosphere changed. Things were suddenly uncomfortable, cool and strangely resentful. Having expected to be welcomed as a lost member of the family, the teenage Rhninen was very hurt. Konder offered Rhninen money and, insulted and stung, Rhninen left.
Rhninen thought its family had rejected and hated it for not being human and it never forgot the rebuff. Psychologically, Rhninen was permanently scarred and held a fear of rejection its entire life. This was masked with anger (the tendency for which Rhninen inherited from its father) and an overly-developed libido which Rhninen used in search of love and acceptance.
Rhninen lived at several citadels during its first century, including Sohninor and Rhil Hetre. In 1006 ac. Rhninen moved to Darclonen as a lab supervisor. At Darclonen, Rhninen became aware of a beautiful, gentle Lalloure by the name of Rasong and knew from the moment their eyes met that this was the Lalloure it had been searching for all its life. But Rasong was put off by Rhninen’s flamboyance and avoided Rhninen for five years.
In 1011 ac. Rhninen was finally able to touch Rasong and get past its mental barriers and they began a stormy love relationship. Rhninen asked Rasong to be its kamatae in 1014 ac. and Rasong accepted. They held the ceremony late one night in Fairforest Hall where they had first met. But the scarred part of Rhninen’s psyche couldn’t believe Rasong actually loved it and Rhninen would often lash out at Rasong with mental and physical abuse. Yet no matter how often or severely Rhninen hurt Rasong, Rasong always took it back.
After one of Rhninen’s jealous rages in 1020 ac., Rasong left on a pilgrimage which lasted a year. During that time Rhninen decided to slowly destroy itself. This is the state of their relationship at the beginning of Book One of Tales of the Lalloure, Ten Thousand Gods.
M’pelanae H’non
M’PELANAE H’NON of BIR HALAKE
(mah PEL an ay)
Born 976 ac. near Bir Halake.
Personality: M’pelanae was just an average Lalloure before it was discovered to possess the Talent. In the first thirty years of its life, M’pelanae exhibited no particular artistic talents and not much ambition. M’pelanae did adequate work on its assigned jobs, but little more. While not lazy, M’pelanae approached to life was rather lackadaisical.
Once it became a H’non however, M’pelanae’s personality changed. M’pelanae began to admire itself and became self-centered and narcissistic. M’pelanae also began reveling in material and bodily luxuries—fine clothing, beautiful surroundings, pleasuries, parties.
Given the opportunity and the means to rise above average, M’pelanae became sophisticated and sensual. As it was catered to and revered, M’pelanae came to believe all Lalloure should be so treated.
Physical appearance: 6 feet, 2 inches tall, 160 lbs. Very fair complexion, violet eyes. M’pelanae’s hair is pale blond, very thick and at the longest, dragged on the floor behind it.
Background: M’pelanae was born in 976 ac., the only child of an older couple who lived in the Kerrakkin Mountains twenty miles north of Bir Halake. Derivae and Willer Hedmerk were both in their forties when the Loray was born and it was very hard on them to let the baby go when its first year was past. When M’pelanae was in its twenties, the Lalloure moved its parents to Netpinny, five miles from Bir Halake, and visited them often.
The first thirty-five years of M’pelanae’s life were uneventful. The young Lalloure left the crèche at age sixteen and began mining and grading crystal. M’pelanae also learned some carpentry and worked as a planter and harvester during the summer months.
In 1011 ac. when M’pelanae was in its mid-thirties, it began to notice a slight ache behind its eyes after being released from the collective, but this only happened occasionally and M’pelanae thought little of it. One morning, Bir Halake’s H’non, M’kiria, began leading the collective and sensed a spot of resistance, a “bump,” in the collected mind. As this sometimes occurred when a Lalloure was not paying attention, M’kiria pulled at it to bring it into the collective.
But when M’kiria pulled, M’pelanae screamed, clutched its head and fainted, classic signs of the beginnings of the Talent. When M’kiria learned M’pelanae’s age of only thirty-five, the H’non was shocked for, other than the First Lalloure, no New Talent had ever manifested under the age of 100. M’pelanae trained under M’kiria H’non for seven years. In 1018 ac., M’kiria passed the Bir Halake Collective to M’pelanae during its Sedence ceremony and M’pelanae was named H’non. As M’pelanae was considered much too young to run the citadel, Bir Halake’s administrative duties were handled by Noenlen, one of M’kiria’s former aides. Instead M’pelanae took on the much more pleasant role of citadel social director.
Having developed the Talent and taken on the role of H’non at such a young age, M’pelanae often felt overwhelmed, stifled and even resentful that its youth had been curtailed. M’pelanae was not permitted to leave Bir Halake except under special circumstances and then only in the company of at least one or two others. H’nons were too rare and precious to go trotting about the countryside on pilgrimage or just on a whim.
M’pelanae took to walking Bir Halake’s caverns at night because of their comforting familiarity. During one of these walks M’pelanae discovered an old passageway to the nearby Church of the Child, the local gathering place of humans who worshiped the Lalloure. Occasionally M’pelanae hid itself and listened to services. The H’non found the human adoration a logical extension of the reverence it received from its own people and wondered why the Lalloure had always ignored the Church of the Child for so long.
M’pelanae asked Noenlen and the curia of elders why the Lalloure were not more involved with the Church. Here was a group of humans who revered the Lalloure on a high level. Was there not some way the Lalloure could help them and, in turn, benefit from their worship?
M’pelanae was not the first young Lalloure to have these questions. The elders explained these humans worshipped an unreal, idealistic idea of Lalloure which no Lalloure could live up to. When Lalloure and humans first began working out how they would interact with one another in the first century, the Lalloure quickly determined that to become “gods” of the humans would lead to exploitation on the part of both races. Eventually the Lalloure saw that because of their inherent mental differences and disparaging lifespans, it was more beneficial for the two races to live apart and only interact with one another in specific situations.
M’pelanae was not convinced, decided it would prove the curia wrong and started to think about ways it could become involved in the Church of the Child and also use their worship to benefit the Lalloure. But Lalloure often take years on projects and M’pelanae was no exception, especially given its already leisurely approach to life.
As the second book in the Tales of the Lalloure, Gods of Crystal, Gods of Dreams, opens, M’pelanae is pondering how to become the god incarnate of this group of Lalloure worshipers.
(mah PEL an ay)
Born 976 ac. near Bir Halake.
Personality: M’pelanae was just an average Lalloure before it was discovered to possess the Talent. In the first thirty years of its life, M’pelanae exhibited no particular artistic talents and not much ambition. M’pelanae did adequate work on its assigned jobs, but little more. While not lazy, M’pelanae approached to life was rather lackadaisical.
Once it became a H’non however, M’pelanae’s personality changed. M’pelanae began to admire itself and became self-centered and narcissistic. M’pelanae also began reveling in material and bodily luxuries—fine clothing, beautiful surroundings, pleasuries, parties.
Given the opportunity and the means to rise above average, M’pelanae became sophisticated and sensual. As it was catered to and revered, M’pelanae came to believe all Lalloure should be so treated.
Physical appearance: 6 feet, 2 inches tall, 160 lbs. Very fair complexion, violet eyes. M’pelanae’s hair is pale blond, very thick and at the longest, dragged on the floor behind it.
Background: M’pelanae was born in 976 ac., the only child of an older couple who lived in the Kerrakkin Mountains twenty miles north of Bir Halake. Derivae and Willer Hedmerk were both in their forties when the Loray was born and it was very hard on them to let the baby go when its first year was past. When M’pelanae was in its twenties, the Lalloure moved its parents to Netpinny, five miles from Bir Halake, and visited them often.
The first thirty-five years of M’pelanae’s life were uneventful. The young Lalloure left the crèche at age sixteen and began mining and grading crystal. M’pelanae also learned some carpentry and worked as a planter and harvester during the summer months.
In 1011 ac. when M’pelanae was in its mid-thirties, it began to notice a slight ache behind its eyes after being released from the collective, but this only happened occasionally and M’pelanae thought little of it. One morning, Bir Halake’s H’non, M’kiria, began leading the collective and sensed a spot of resistance, a “bump,” in the collected mind. As this sometimes occurred when a Lalloure was not paying attention, M’kiria pulled at it to bring it into the collective.
But when M’kiria pulled, M’pelanae screamed, clutched its head and fainted, classic signs of the beginnings of the Talent. When M’kiria learned M’pelanae’s age of only thirty-five, the H’non was shocked for, other than the First Lalloure, no New Talent had ever manifested under the age of 100. M’pelanae trained under M’kiria H’non for seven years. In 1018 ac., M’kiria passed the Bir Halake Collective to M’pelanae during its Sedence ceremony and M’pelanae was named H’non. As M’pelanae was considered much too young to run the citadel, Bir Halake’s administrative duties were handled by Noenlen, one of M’kiria’s former aides. Instead M’pelanae took on the much more pleasant role of citadel social director.
Having developed the Talent and taken on the role of H’non at such a young age, M’pelanae often felt overwhelmed, stifled and even resentful that its youth had been curtailed. M’pelanae was not permitted to leave Bir Halake except under special circumstances and then only in the company of at least one or two others. H’nons were too rare and precious to go trotting about the countryside on pilgrimage or just on a whim.
M’pelanae took to walking Bir Halake’s caverns at night because of their comforting familiarity. During one of these walks M’pelanae discovered an old passageway to the nearby Church of the Child, the local gathering place of humans who worshiped the Lalloure. Occasionally M’pelanae hid itself and listened to services. The H’non found the human adoration a logical extension of the reverence it received from its own people and wondered why the Lalloure had always ignored the Church of the Child for so long.
M’pelanae asked Noenlen and the curia of elders why the Lalloure were not more involved with the Church. Here was a group of humans who revered the Lalloure on a high level. Was there not some way the Lalloure could help them and, in turn, benefit from their worship?
M’pelanae was not the first young Lalloure to have these questions. The elders explained these humans worshipped an unreal, idealistic idea of Lalloure which no Lalloure could live up to. When Lalloure and humans first began working out how they would interact with one another in the first century, the Lalloure quickly determined that to become “gods” of the humans would lead to exploitation on the part of both races. Eventually the Lalloure saw that because of their inherent mental differences and disparaging lifespans, it was more beneficial for the two races to live apart and only interact with one another in specific situations.
M’pelanae was not convinced, decided it would prove the curia wrong and started to think about ways it could become involved in the Church of the Child and also use their worship to benefit the Lalloure. But Lalloure often take years on projects and M’pelanae was no exception, especially given its already leisurely approach to life.
As the second book in the Tales of the Lalloure, Gods of Crystal, Gods of Dreams, opens, M’pelanae is pondering how to become the god incarnate of this group of Lalloure worshipers.
L’loren
L’LOREN
The First Lalloure
(lah LORE en)
Born 1 ac. near what is now the citadel of Fialonshir.
This is the portrait Vilian finds in L’loren’s Veil, a shrine to The First Lalloure at Bir Halake. The accompanying plaque explains that the portrait is a copy of the original which hangs in Phladrienne Hall at Fialonshir, the first citadel L’loren had established. In the painting L’loren is depicted with long, dark blond, sun-streaked hair and deep brown eyes, similar to Vilian’s coloring.
L’loren, first neuter human mutant born on Ertaetha, was instrumental in finding and establishing communications with other telepaths and reorganizing Ertaetha after the accident. These telepaths eventually named themselves Lalloure—“L’loren’s People”—to honor L’loren.
The First Lalloure
(lah LORE en)
Born 1 ac. near what is now the citadel of Fialonshir.
This is the portrait Vilian finds in L’loren’s Veil, a shrine to The First Lalloure at Bir Halake. The accompanying plaque explains that the portrait is a copy of the original which hangs in Phladrienne Hall at Fialonshir, the first citadel L’loren had established. In the painting L’loren is depicted with long, dark blond, sun-streaked hair and deep brown eyes, similar to Vilian’s coloring.
L’loren, first neuter human mutant born on Ertaetha, was instrumental in finding and establishing communications with other telepaths and reorganizing Ertaetha after the accident. These telepaths eventually named themselves Lalloure—“L’loren’s People”—to honor L’loren.
Chennen
CHENNEN
One of the First Lalloure
(CHEN nen)
Born 3 ac. near what is now the citadel of Fialonshir.
One of the original Lalloure. Lover, “husband” and kamatae of L’loren, the First Lalloure. Chennen grew up in a house full of brothers and was raised as a boy. Chennen was a garrulous and lighthearted Lalloure, with a quirky, lopsided smile as though it was always laughing at itself.
In this portrait, Chennen’s brown hair is cut in the masculine style of the time, short on the top and over the ears, shoulder length on the sides and back.
One of the First Lalloure
(CHEN nen)
Born 3 ac. near what is now the citadel of Fialonshir.
One of the original Lalloure. Lover, “husband” and kamatae of L’loren, the First Lalloure. Chennen grew up in a house full of brothers and was raised as a boy. Chennen was a garrulous and lighthearted Lalloure, with a quirky, lopsided smile as though it was always laughing at itself.
In this portrait, Chennen’s brown hair is cut in the masculine style of the time, short on the top and over the ears, shoulder length on the sides and back.