Adrian x Isolde
Main Characters
Princess Isolde de Lara is the daughter of King Henri. Her mother, who was from the Atoll of Nalani, died giving birth. Isolde trained as a warrior and is seen as wild and spirited by her people. She is afraid of fire. She is called “Issi” by those closest to her with the exception of Adria her “Sparrow.”
King Adrian Aleksandr Va of Revekka is the Blood K
It is said that he angered the goddess Dis, who cursed him with craving blood, making him a vampire. He has ruled Revekka for 150 years. He can vanish like mist, read minds when emotions are high, and control the mind of any vampire he has turned when he stands before them. His father was an alcoholic who returned from one of Dragos’s wars angry and violent. His mother also drank and whored herself to keep buying alcohol instead of feeding him. She was killed and later, Adrian killed her murderer. He fled to Keziah where he trained and returned to join Dragos’s guard with the intention of killing him in revenge. His plans are hindered when he falls in love.
The truth of Adrian’s vampiric nature is that, when Dragos killed the witches, he asked Dis to let him live and take revenge, and she turned him into a vampire. Dis has the ability to take control of Adrian.
Vampires
Lady Ana Maria is Adrian’s cousin, turned by him. She has medical training and was one of the first vampires.
Sorin is a scout for Adrian who can shape-shift into a falcon. He is Daroc’s lover who he was changed by years ago, and often guards Isolde. Daroc Zbirak is Adrian’s general and second-in-command.
Mortals
Commander Alec Killian is Isolde’s escort, former lover, and captain of the Royal Guard of Lara. He took the position when his father died three years prior.
Nadia is Isolde’s maid and has been with her since she was born. She is devoutly religious and a follower of Asha. She urges Isolde to kill Adrian.
Violeta is a mortal and Isolde’s ladyin-waiting at the Red Palace. She is a descendant of Evanora, a member of High Coven.
Vesna is Isolde’s lady-in-waiting and a singer.
Her father offered her as a concubine to Adrian at the age of 16.
Lothian is a librarian and Zann’s vassal and lover.
Safira was Adrian’s vassal.
Solaris is a witch hunter. He has a shrunken hand (a hand of glory) that can freeze mortals and resurrect the dead. Solaris considers the hand to be a curse and has tried to cut it off, but the limb grows back.
Glossary
Bloodletting: The practice of offering blood to vampires.
The act is considered treasonous by The Nine Houses and is punishable by an automatic death sentence. The term is also used among vampires to describe the act of taking blood from a mortal.
The Blood Plague: A plague vampires can spread which causes mortals to bleed from every orifice of their body until death. It is believed to be a result of the Crimson Mist.
The Book of Dis: a book of dark magic
The Burning Rites: An occasion when the people of Revekka recognize the execution of High Coven. Every village participates by lighting a great pyre which burns for a week.
The Crimson Mist: A mist that crystalizes the blood. When it doesn’t work right, it flays the skin, it is for this reason it is believed to be a spell early in King of Battle and Blood.
The Dark Era: Considered to have started after the Burning when Adrian was turned by Dis into a vampire. It was a time of great fear when new vampires were being born quickly. Unable to control their hunger, many mortals were preyed upon.
The Elite Guard: This was Dragos’s guard, Adrian was a member before the Burning.
The Great Hunt: event during the Burning Rites,
people hunt monsters for sport, prize is place beside the king at feast on last night.
The High Council: in Revekka, Adrian’s advisors, composed of his noblesse
The High Coven: governed magic in Cordova two hundred years ago. Their initial hope was to ensure the practice of magic remained peaceful, realizing mortals would see their power as a threat. They had thirteen members, each with a different specialty (e.g., healing, necromancy, binding, bilocation, prophecy). Their leader assigned a witch to each kingdom as a bridge between the king, the people, and the land until Dragos decided to use them as weapons.
The witches refused and as a result, Dragos led a campaign that killed thousands of innocent women. This became known as the Burning. In the aftermath, Dis cursed Cordova with monsters, including Adrian as the first vampire. This started the Dark Era.
The King’s Tournament: competition held by Dragos to help him choose his Elite Guard.
Midwinter: usually the end of the worst winter weather. In Revekka, people celebrate by hosting a ball, decorating with holly and pine, and exchanging gifts. In Lara, it is considered a time of worship and sacrifice for the goddess, Asha, when they must fast and pray. Isolde hated it.
The Nine Houses of Cordova (Elin, Eris, Hela, Jola, Lara, Lita, Siva, Thea, Vela): were formed as an alliance against Revekka after Adrian killed Dragos and took his throne. At the start of King of Battle and Blood, Adrian has claimed Elin, Jola, Lita, and Siva.
Noblesse: A title given to those of royal birth in Revekka. Noblesse are responsible for the health and wellbeing of villages across Revekka. The Reaping Feast: a celebration of the harvest in Lara.
The Red Palace: Adrian’s palace in Revekka; the former palace of King Dragos.
Sanctuary of Dis: just inside the diplomat’s gate in High City of Lara, crumbling, made of volcanic rock from the Islands of St. Amand.
Sanctuary of Asha: just inside the diplomat’s gate in High City of Lara, towering, white stone, hand-painted stained glass.
Spirit: Dis’s realm, where one goes when one dies. Later, it will also be acknowledged as a form of the Aufhocker.
Vampires: creation of Dis to punish mortals for the decimation of her creation, witches. They can control minds, heal themselves, and some
can shape-shift. Vampires cannot go out into the daylight with the exception of Adrian, and they cannot reproduce. Adrian only turns mortals into vampires if they are useful to him. Vampires who go rogue and change others without his permission are destroyed.
Vassal: A mortal who agrees to serve at Adrian’s court as a bloodletter. They are richly compensated.
Winter’s Eve: night when all evil in the world gains control, with vampires and vârcolaci being the most powerful; celebrated in Revekka but quiet and fearful night in The Nine Houses.
Witches: creation of Dis; only females who are born not made.
Types of Monsters
Alp: a creature that can morph into different sizes, demon-like face, large features, drawn to horses
Aufhocker, pl. Aufhockers: can present in different forms, usually as a grim (large black dog), but also as “spirit” or ailing elders; drawn to life and driven to end it, created by Asha as response to creation of Adrian. They usually only go out at night and their bite turns victims into aufhockers too.
Hexe: a witch whose soul can leave its body.
Iara: a creature that lures men, hypnotizes them, and drains them of blood and semen.
Ker: a monster created by Asha who wears red robes, has large black wings, fangs and long nails.
Koldum: creature that can kill cattle and destroy crops.
Lamia: creature who devours children.
Leyah: creature that can kill cattle and destroy crops.
Revenant: vampire with no humanity, created if a vampire body is not burned after decapitation, thirst endlessly for blood, created by Asha. Rusalka: creature that can kill cattle and destroy crops.
Strzyga: human who died from the blood plague and rose from the dead, little intellect, desire to eat human flesh, smells like death, desiccated, skeletal face, elongated teeth. They have to be decapitated and then burned to be truly dead, created by Asha.
Vârcolac, pl. Vârcolaci: werewolves. Virika: creature that makes rattling sound,
impossible to see in the shadows until they show their bloodred teeth, hunger makes them stupid, created by Asha.
Wight: creature born of death, attracted to heartbeats.
Gods
Asha: goddess of life who created monsters to counter Dis’s vampires. Dragos said it was her will to destroy evil and used that as reason for killing anyone suspected of having the ability to use magic.
Dis: goddess of spirit, responsible for witches and their magic; when witches were burned for treason, she cursed Cordova with a plague of mortal fears, including vampires and other monsters.
Kismet: goddess of fate and fortune.
Rae: goddess of sun and stars.
Yara: goddess of forests and truth.
Salam: goddess of peace.
High Coven
Yesenia of Aroth: member of High Coven, Dragos’s court advisor and a seer, Dragos blamed her for their insubordination, so he raped her and forced her to watch the rest of the coven being burned before she was, Adrian’s lover, Isolde is her reincarnation, mother’s name was Cora, wrote The Book of Dis, a book of dark magic; violet-blue eyes, thick dark hair, warm brown skin. Ravena: Dragos’s witch, excommunicated from High Coven for her support of Dragos’s agenda, escaped after his death and has never been found. Her magic is based on portals.
She is suspected to be behind the magical attacks on villages in quest to create an army. She only appears in physical form once in King of Battle and Blood, but briefly. Usually only visible in reflective surfaces. She has ginger hair, light olive skin with freckles across cheeks and nose, green eyes.
Karmina: leader of High Coven at time of the Burning (only mentioned).
Specializes in manifestation and illusion casting.
Vada: elder, made the decision to send witches across Cordova to serve kings in their courts because she wanted power, died in the Burning (only mentioned).
She controlled energy, specifically as a healer. She was High Coven adjacent. Her status as an elder meant her advice was considered wise.
Evanora: member of High Coven, sent to Keziah to serve King Jirecek. She specialized in binding magic; essentially the magic of controlling mortals. She is the ancestor of Violeta, died in the Burning; dark hair, bright blue eyes (only mentioned).
Ginerva: member of High Coven, healer, died in the Burning (only mentioned); specialized in healing magic.
Odessa: member of High Coven, necromancer, died in the Burning (only mentioned).
Gwendolyn: specialized in kinetic magic (earth magic).
Arcana: specialized in mediumship (clairaudience, clairvoyant, and clairsentience).
Briar: specialized in reality manipulation.
Ziva: specialized in shapeshifting and transfiguration.
Ofelia: specialized in time manipulation.
Collette: specialized in bilocation.
Adrian’s Noblesse
·Gesalec
·Dracul
·Razan
·Anatoly
·Iosif
·Julian
·Vlad
·Iker
·Ciro
Nine Houses of Cordova
Lara: ruled by King Henri; house symbol is a lark.
Vela: ruled by King Gheorghe; house symbol is a hawk.
Elin: ruled by King Phillippe; house symbol is a wyvern.
Hela: ruled by King Alaric; house symbol is a raven.
Siva: ruled by King Anghel; house symbol is a fox.
Eris: ruled by King Nicene; house symbol is a cornucopia.
Thea: ruled by King Malaka; house symbol is an oak tree.
Jola: ruled by King Theodoric; house symbol is a boar.
Lita: ruled by King Fredrich; house symbol is an antelope.
Locations
The Atoll of Nalani: a kingdom rich in pearls and gems, where Isolde’s mother was from. The people are mariners, weavers, and horticulturalists and believe in fate and destiny.
Cel Ceredi: a town that formed around the Red Palace in Revekka.
High City of Lara: built at the start of the Dark Era, High City is encircled by stone walls and a complex system of forts, bastions, and towers. There are four gates: one for trade which leads to heart of city; one for diplomats which leads to castle; one for Asha and one for Dis. The gate for Dis always remains sealed.
Lara: one of the Nine Houses of Cordova and Isolde’s home. Their house emblem is a lark, and their country is known for colorful textiles, sweet wines, lively culture, rolling hills.
Revekka: the Empire of the Vampire, Adrian’s Kingdom and the former Kingdom of Dragos. The country has a red sky that allows vampires to go out during the day, rolling plains, mostly treeless; and an army that is 150,000 strong (mortals led by vampires).
The Starless Forest: in Revekka, a wood where witches were hung during King Dragos’s reign. It is said that the trees sprang from blood and have scorched black bark, barre former name was Feeric, b renamed it after Yesenia’s symbolize the end of her li