Post by Katty on May 26, 2009 22:53:09 GMT 10
A Summary of New Quasi-Canon
Tortall
General Tortall-verse
- In the Eastern Lands (the world Pierce has created), except for Scanra, and stopping at Maren's eastern border, Tortall, Galla, Tusaine, and Tyra--and supposedly Maren are the exception to views on slavery. Supposedly Maren because Maren's system of bond servitude on the big farms doesn't bear inspection. At any rate, these five countries are slave free because it's not economical. You need large farms to make slavery pay off, or a long-term slave economy.
- Men often are barred from the birth chamber since a lot of women tend to be Goddess worshippers, and birth is one of the Great Mysteries.
- The Scanran war continued over the next two years, a skirmish here, a clash there. Killing Blayce just got rid of the killing devices, but didn’t end the war. It ended finally in the spring of 464. It's nearly impossible to stage a huge, set-piece battle in mountain country--there are too many places to hide, and no clear lines of sight that extend far enough to do any good.
- The ability to hear the ghosts like Beka doesn't follow birth order. Thus, Thom may or may not inherit that Gift. Tammy says that she hasn't really had a chance to think about the boys' lives yet.
- God-sired children are rare because the births are hard on the mothers.
- Tammy has to do some quick stepping to keep Beka mostly alchohol-free, which would raise more ruction with adult authority figures than does all of her skull-cracking.
- She has established in other books that mages tend to keep away from alcohol for the most part, since only a minority can control the effects and their power.
- Twilsey is not a made up drink, though Tammy did had a ‘deuce of time finding what the medieval and Renaissance folk drank if they weren't drinking
Tortall General
- The Book of Gold begins 630 years before Alanna's time, when Tortall, a state of the fallen Thanic Empire that once covered all of the Eastern Lands, set itself up as a realm of its own, setting down the names of the ruling families in a parchment book with gilded letters and plates of gold for the front and back. Since the sheets of parchment were set it with no way to add unless the book was taken apart, the length of time and the number of families listed in it ran as long as there was space in the book. The Book of Silver began 170 years later, with the same construction, only in silver. Once that ran out of pages, 245 years later, The Book of Copper was begun, and they're still using that.
- The Chamber doesn't really judge the quality of a person's character. It tests each candidate for flexibility. If a candidate can bend, mentally, to face whatever the Chamber shows her/him, the Chamber lets her/him go. If that person cannot bend, cannot face her/his fear and get past it, that person either cracks, or dies. It's not about good or evil in there--each person must answer to the gods for that. The Chamber is all about whether a knight has the ability to survive.
- The Battle of Forgotten Well in Squire was based on the Battle of Little Round Top from the battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War
- The Nothing Man was based on France's greatest serial murderer of children (a marshal of France who once fought at the side of Joan of Arc)
- The Tortall-verse don't really have archaeology per se. They have history, and traffic in ancient artifacts, and some of it gets covered in magical studies, but what we recognize as the study of archaeology is very rudimentary.
- Artifacts are bought and sold, and mage-historians are paid to peg the date of the artifact for wealthy collectors. Kingdoms like to hang onto their own artifacts, but things get taken outside borders constantly.
- People are a lot more careful about poking items, though. Given the magical component, some items pack a wallop.
The Role of King's Champion
- The King’s Champion duty is to represent the Crown.
- When a serious issue of law comes up that must be settled in the same place and neither monarch can go, they send the Champion, who is permitted to speak the Crown's justice.
- If Alanna is present at a quarrel of some kind where people refuse to take the matter to court, or if they can't afford to take it to court and they don't want a village court to decide, they can agree to accept the Champion's ruling.
- In a situation where a noble is brought to court on a matter of law he insists on trial under the original laws of that kingdom – which is having the defendant's guilt or innocence revealed in trial by combat – then the defendant chooses his or her champion, and the Crown is always represented by the King's Champion.
- In the beginning of Jon and Thayet's reign, many nobles chose combat over accepting the new laws because they believed Alanna’s fighting reputation was exaggerated and that they could beat her easily.
- After six deaths, the monarchs and Alanna decided that maiming and handicapping her opponent would be preferable since it did not carry the romantic or noble notion of death in combat.
- The requests for trial by combat fell by three-quarters from those first four years.
- If Roald had to pick a King’s Champion, it would be one of the older knights, someone in their thirties who is in his or her prime.
- Jon picked Alanna because he had a point to make, and because he knew Alanna could withstand the challenges that would come her way.
- He also did it to keep her safe from those who hated her just for being a female knight asher position would protect her, because anyone who tried to kill the Champion risked the Crown's wrath.
- Roald wouldn't have those problems to consider or that kind of friend to protect, so he might well choose somebody big and beefy who's not one of his age-mates.
The Contes
- King Roger's first wife, Queen Alysy, died of cancer. Cancer is one of those things that, if it gets far enough along, all the healers can do is make the patient comfortable as it has an energy of its own.
- Alysy was a bit of a depressive who hid the fact she was ill from her healers until it was too late. She wasn't exactly happy in her marriage, so she busied herself in good works, and wouldn't let those go to get looked at.
- Alysy was a Gallan princess,
- Jessamine, as is mentioned in Mastiff, is from Barzun. By Alanna's time Barzun is the southern part of Tortall.
- Roald was 26 when he married Lianne, 19; Roald was 31 when Lianne had Jon. Lianne had problems with fertility and a couple of miscarriages, then her pregnancy was so rough, and she had so many health problems, that she was advised not to try again. She did anyway when Jon was three, because she knew her duty, but she nearly died, and after that she couldn't get pregnant again. That child was stillborn.
- There is a fifteen year age difference between Roger and Jon.
- Roger was Roald’s heir for fifteen years before Jon was born.
- Roger was not evil at first, but when it became obvious that Roald and Lianne would have no more children, Roger saw his opportunity to become king by only getting Jonathan and the queen out of the way. He knew Roald wouldn't remarry so he had time to kill him off later.
- Eight months of death and being buried made Roger become “apocalyptically crazy”. He had no guarantee that he'd be resurrected, and even when he was, he felt his people could have made it happen sooner. He decided to punish everyone involved in his trial and death, and he really didn't care if the world was destroyed with them.
- Jonathan and Thayet have six children:
- Roald is a year older than Kalasin. He’s studying rulership and training as a governor in one of the southern districts. He’s married to Shinkokami and they have a daughter named Lianokami.
- Kalasin is two years older than Liam. Kally is married to Kaddar and is now Empress of Carthak. She has followed in the footsteps of her mother and has developed schools on the estates, palace grounds and in Thak City, and she spends a good portion of the estate money on the servants and villagers. Kally often has conflict with her mother-in-law, who thinks Kally spends too much time in the stables, kitchens and local villages, forgets her veil too often, and rides astride her horse to travel too far outside the palace. However, Kaddar’s mother is appreciative when Kally does listen to her suggestions on what to wear to meetings with conservative Carthaki nobility or tribes. Kally and Kaddar have one son named Binur.
- Liam is a year older than Jasson and Jasson is a year older than Lianne. Both Liam and Jasson have become knights of the realm and Jonathan is looking for political marriages for both of them. Jon is thinking Scanra for Liam because he is better with weapons and Tyra for Jasson because he is clever.
- Lianne is a year older than Vania. Lianne and Vania ride and fight with the queen's ladies, and they are waiting for their marriages to be arranged. Jon and Thayet are planning diplomatic marriages for their two daughters, and Kally is looking in Carthak for possible candidates while George's agents are checking Marenite and Gallan princes (none available in Tusaine). Neither princess had any interest in knighthood. They appear to be both fine with diplomatic marriages.
- Jon and Thayet enjoy being grandparents (apart from feeling old) and they feel like they can spend more time with the grandchildren and buy them toys. Thayet and Onua are actually breeding a particular line of ponies for the grandchildren.
The Naxens
- Gary of Naxen is an only child.
- His father married Roanna of Irimor when he was in his 40s, and he spent his time soldiering until then.
- Gary’s duties as Prime Minister:
- Gary’s duties consist of sitting as governor (chair) of the Council of Nobles, the Grand Council (the combined Councils) and of the King's (private) Council.
- He reviews laws and issues currently under discussion by the Nobles and in the Council of Commons, deciding which warrant review by the monarchs.
- He meets with the Chancellors of the realm (Treasury, Magic, Law, etc.) to hear what matters require Their Majesties' attention and which can be handled by the original department, a combined committee from several departments, or by a particular council.
- Thayet or Jonathan is usually present during these meetings, so they can decide with him what they feel needs addition information before it comes to them for study. His chief job is to mediate between the monarchs and their legislatures and their appointed servants.
- Gary of Naxen has two boys and two girls.
- Sir Gilmyn is married to Dolsa of Rosemark.
- Zenoby, the next oldest, is married to Beltair haMinch.
- Jaquetta, the youngest girl, is a Daughter of the Goddess in Port Legann.
- Geoffrey, in the King's Own, is an unrepentant bachelor
Pirate’s Swoop/Olau
- Alanna’s mother’s name was Marinie of Tasride.
- Most likely, a Trebond married with a Tasride during the 200 years before Alanna was born to get the purple Gift in the Trebond line.
- George actually had to deliver their oldest Thom because he and Alanna were on a mission at the time.
- Thom, Alanna and George’s son, will inherit both Pirate’s Swoop and Olau, and Alan will be allowed to live there. Since he is a working knight, he will be housed by the Crown unless he is needed at home.
- The ability to hear the ghosts like Beka doesn't follow birth order. Thus, Thom may or may not inherit that Gift. Tammy says that she hasn't really had a chance to think about the boys' lives yet.
Trebond - Coram and Rispah
- Coram and Rispah turned Trebond into a supply depot and hospital during the Scanran War. Coram coordinated supplies and housed troops while Rispah worked in the hospital
- Coram and Rispah have ten children, six boys and four girls and they were heavily involved in the Scanran War:
- Jonthair, fought as a knight
- Alinna, rode with the Queen's Ladies to help keep the rest of the realm in order;
- Thomsen, was squire to Emeric of Legann, serving near the City of the Gods, and he will join the King's Own
- Mylec, was with the Queen's Riders, near Frasrlund
- Daran, Liam, Thayine, worked as scouts during the War, and Daran will eventually enter the King's Own and Liam will join the army.
Tirragen - Alex
- Alex's family wasn't evil, just ambitious. Alex was prideful; he hated being second to Alan.
- Then when Alex found out he had lost the name of best squire to a girl, Alex had wanted to kill Alanna, and Roger gave him the opportunity.
- It is not clear whether Alex's family were aware of what he was planning. It is possible that Alex had commanded his father's soldiers without his father's knowledge. Alex may have reasoned that if Roger won, his family would hold the new king's esteem. It never occurred to any of Roger's pawns that Roger didn't really care about winning, only about destruction.
Goldenlake - Raoul and Buri
- Buri rides with the Own now that she is married
- Technically she's not supposed to, and technically Raoul is supposed to step down now that he's married, but the men took a vote. (Note: this is inconsistent with what Flyndan says in Squire about Raoul being the only one able to marry in the Own and stay in)
- Sometimes she goes out with the Queen and her ladies instead, and she spends the summer helping to train the Riders. She doesn't want Raoul to get spoiled.
- Buri is in her late thirties at the end of the Trickster books. Thus, it won't be as easy for Buri as it is for younger women to get pregnant. And she won't want to do it while they're on the road as much as they are.
- She is also now Lady Buriram of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, having received the title upon her marriage to Raoul.
Faithful
- Faithful appears in Realms of the Gods as Tek, right by the Goddess's chair.
- Now he's back as Pounce in Terrier and Bloodhound, with a new girl hero to whip into shape.
Daine's Family
- When Daine became pregnant, the queen insisted on Daine’s own healers and midwives, since nobody could be certain that Daine could give birth on one of the great holidays so Sarra would help. Daine actually gave birth in the palace, where she'd spent the last two months in the queen's quarters, on bed rest.
- Sarra and Weiryn enjoy being grandparents since none of Weiryn's previous grandchildren were such a part of his life.
- Weiryn has had other children from other Beltane escapades, but the last one died 130 years ago.
The Riders
- Evin loves being Rider Commander and he has recruited more Players to introduce psychological warfare, aka messing with their heads, to the Riders.
Stone Mountain - Joren
- Joren died because could not bend, even a little. Alex could bend about plenty of things, just not about being beaten by a girl. Joren couldn't bend at all--there was nowhere he was flexible, nowhere he could make the adjustments to survive in the greater world.
- Burchard is indeed Joren's father.
- Joren was the heir, their bright star. There are other boys, but he was their prize.
Genlith - Vinson
- Vinson’s confession was actually an after-effect of the Ordeal. As far as the Chamber was concerned, Vinson had survived, but being forced to endure in his visions what his victims had endured made Vinson realize the horror of what he did. It tipped him over the edge mentally, so that he confessed publicly to his crimes and was imprisoned for it.
Kennan - Cleon
- Cleon is now Baron Sir Cleon of Kennan.
- He wasn't of age before, and thus couldn’t officially take the title
Cavall
- Wyldon’s sister Elasabenne was the baby of the family, and her brothers doted on her. It's amazing anyone got close enough to marry her.
- Elasabenne wasn't sure Lady Vivienne was good enough for her favorite brother, so they don't talk much.
- Lady Vivenne gave Lord Wyldon four daughters, and Wyldon never cared that he didn't have a son. He loves his girls.
- His daughters are Eiralys (oldest), Sunarine, Cathrea (a priestess of the Great Mother), and Margarry.
- Margarry and Owen will not be having children anytime soon.
Queenscove/Haryse
- Duke Baird's sister is pretty good with protective charms and lesser healing charms.
- Baird's sister married a male Masbolle, as Dom inherited the name.
- Their father was a healer, as was their their great-grandmother.
- Neal’s mother was from Haryse
- Neal's mother, Lady Roxanne, and Glaisdan are siblings
- Lady Roxanne was bony and plain. The sharp cheekbones, wide mouth, and pointy chin that make Neal's face so interesting doesn't work so well on someone with thin lips and sallow skin.
- However, she did have a substantial dowry as the oldest daughter, and made herself a decent marriage in 441 with Lord Martin of Meron. They have five children, two sons and three daughters, but as yet are unnamed.
- Yuki is most likely not Gifted. Or if she is, it's a minor Gift.
Mindelan
- Piers and Ilane’s children:
- Anders is the oldest. He and his wife Vorinna have five kids, of whom Lachren is the oldest. Lachren's now a page.
- Patricine is next of the siblings. She's married to Toshuro noh Akaneru and they have two kids and live in the Yamani Islands with his family.
- Inness and his wife Tilaine have three kids.
- Conal is an unmarried knight. Tammy likes to think that it’s his personality that keeps him single.
- Demadria recently married Gavin haMinch; they have one on the way.
- Adelia married Merovec of Nond; they have two, having “gotten started early”
- Oranie married Ortien of Hannalof.
- Avinar is a scholar/teacher at the City of the Gods.
- Kel is the youngest.
The Coopers - Beka
- Beka may only have a bit of magic, but she's very cautious. Since she doesn't really know where it comes from or what more she can do with it, she's a very cautious drinker. She's also a control freak. Getting drunk means she loses control, so she prefers to leave alcohol.
The Copper Isles
The Rittevons
- Tammy based Rubinyan and Bronau on the Seymour brothers in Tudor England
Aly/Nawat
- Aly and Nawat’s triplets will all have special powers, but they’re still too young for their parents to see exactly what kind of powers the triplets will possess.
- Aly demanded that Nawat be there for the birth of their triplets because Aly was terrified she was going to produce eggs. This is against the norm as men often are barred from the birth chamber since a lot of women tend to be Goddess worshippers, and birth is one of the Great Mysteries.
The Balitangs
- Dove is planning to give a cash payment to the slaves who pass a mage’s test that verifies that they participate in the rebellion so that they can use it to buy their own or another’s freedom.
- Dove isn't particularly against slavery.
- Petranne will play the part of a normal duchess in Dove’s reign, and she will not be considered a princess or an heir because of her luarin heritage.
- Petranne's husband will receive the title Duke, and until then it will belong to Winnamine, since there are no other male relatives close enough in Mequen's line to receive it.
Sarain
- About ten years ago Thayet's father was overthrown and executed by one of his nobles, who took the crown, made peace with the K'mir (and married a full K'mir), and has been trying to fix the realm after years of civil war.
Maren
- Maren tends to go for spicier foods and brighter colors in their architecture, interior design, and clothes than Tortall.
- The women's skirts are wider, and they wear their sleeves slit so their chemise sleeves show through. They also cut the necklines on their overdresses lower so their chemises show more on top, and they embroider their chemises a lot more than Tortallans do.
- The ladies are also experimenting with woven wire crescent-shaped headdresses into which they can put ribbons, feathers, and flowers--it holds sheer veils in place over their hair.
- The new fashion for ladies is making lotions and perfumes. Certain people's products are in great demand, either because they're good or because people want to curry favor with the lady making them. They have scent parties where they smell each other's concoctions and go looking for new scents.
- The men have a chemise-like undershirt they like to show off.
- Men are alsostarting to play with flat caps that they decorate with feathers and brooches.
Future Books
Mastiff
- The third book in the Provost’s Dog Trilogy is called Mastiff because in it she is on the hunt for truly dangerous, big prey. Terrier was because she wouldn't let go, and Bloodhound was because you couldn't shake her off the scent.
Numair: The Early Years
- We will see a younger Jonathon and Thayet at the beginning of their reign in the second Numair book as it is set shortly after Lioness Rampant.
Short Stories
- Kaddar, but not Kally, will appear in a short story called The Dragon's Tale. This short story is centered around Kitten and Numair's horse Spots, however Daine, and Numair also make guest appearances. The story will appear in Dragon Book, edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann, and is scheduled to be released in November.
Books after those scheduled to be released
- Tammy has confirmed that there are Tortall books being planned for after the release of the still-untitled Maura of Dunlath book in 2014.
- At present it appears that there will be one or two books about Kel after the Maura book is published. The story will pick up three years later at New Hope, where Kel and Neal continue to run the refugee camp, even though Kel desires an assignment elsewhere. Kel will have a squire, who is one of the three girls we see after the tournament in Squire.
- There are several other books in mind after the Kel ones, but there is no order planned.
- One of these is a story about Daine’s children, Sarralyn and Rikash, told from Rikash’s point of view.
- Another is a story about Neal’s daughter training for knighthood.
- Also on the cards are more books set in the Copper Isles, including one centred around Aly and Dove, and her choice of a consort and another about Aly’s children, particularly Ochobai, who is a Little Person.
Emelan
Will of the Empress
- Berenene was roughly based on Elizabeth I of England and Catherine the Great of Russia.
Future Emelan books
- The next book in Emelan, which is still to be titled, is about Briar, Evvy and Rosethorn in Yanjing, and will introduce Luvo. It is set before Will of the Empress and Melting Stones, and will show us the war mentioned in those books. Sandry will not appear in this book.
- Tammy also indicated that she feels she should do another book for Sandry and Daja in the vein of the upcoming Briar and Tris books.
- There are also other books being planned for the other students of the Circle. The next book after the Tris one is to be centered around Pasco, and like Melting Stones will be shorter in length. After that, there will most likely a book on either Nia and/or Jory , followed by one on Keth.
- She also says that she would like to do a story on a younger Niko or Gorse at some point, which may be a short story.
This summary is a compilation of the information given by Tammy on the Random Buzzers board. ~Ana and Isha.
Gives me sooooooooooo many plot bunnies. 
Saving the world again, eh?
What would Alanna say?
Maybe once we'd have seen it during Smackdown!