Tarnished Knight - By Bec McMaster Page 0,63
Casavian, the only female blue blood of the Echelon. Her father perished by some unknown illness many consider to be poison and in his dying moments infected his daughter. Lady Aramina has survived countless assassination attempts and is considered the weakest councillor. Her vote is rarely predictable and few know where her allegiances lie, or even if she has any. Some speculate the duchess is playing a deeper, far more dangerous game, but again her motives are shadowed. It is said that only the duchess knows her own heart, if she truly has one.
House of Goethe – Goethe is one of the more progressive dukes on the Council and rules with a fair and even hand. Whispers of his friendship with the Queen are slowly making the Court a dangerous place for him although he often votes with the Prince Consort if he agrees with his policy.
House of Lannister – The Duke of Lannister is reputed to be one of the most powerful men in the land and is considered an excellent duellist. Once the staunchest of the Prince Consort’s allies, now there are hints that he sees himself as a challenge to his Grace’s power.
House of Malloryn – Malloryn is the youngest duke and came into his power at the age of eighteen upon his father’s assassination. Despite that he is a dangerous and clever opponent who often votes against the Prince Consort. Once an ally of Barrons, the Duke of Caine’s heir, some falling out has since driven them into opposition, though few can say what it might be.
House of Morioch – The cadaverous Duke of Morioch is rarely seen, though his presence is often felt. Ruthless and manipulative, he owes the Prince Consort his allegiance, though he doesn’t always vote his way. Some say it is to remind the Prince Consort that Morioch is not the puppet Bleight or the Queen are.
Mechs – humans that have been forced by circumstances to replace one of their limbs or organs with a mech limb. Seen as less than human – with barely the rights of a human – they must often repay the debt of their limb in the Enclaves, where they work steel for the Echelon.
Metaljackets – the automaton army that protects the Echelon and patrols the streets. Several varieties include spitfires and earthshakers.
Nighthawks, Guild of – Formed by Sir Jasper Lynch, they are comprised of rogue blue bloods who work the streets of London as thief-takers and hunters.
Prince Consort – An increasingly erratic blue blood who served as regent for the young princess after overthrowing her father, the last human King. When Queen Alexandra came of age, he married her, thus cementing his power.
Queen Alexandra – Considered a puppet by many, the Queen grew up under the Prince Consort’s guidance and then became his wife. There were hopes that the intelligent young princess would assume the mantle of power upon coronation but those hopes were swiftly thwarted when it became apparent she is nothing but her husband’s tool. Her power is in name only now.
Rogue blue bloods – blue blood’s whose existence is not sanctioned, created entirely by accident and forced to serve the Echelon, usually as a Nighthawk or one of the Coldrush Guards. The one exception is the Devil of Whitechapel.
Slashers – The fear of everyone in the East End. Slasher gangs are formed by those degenerate enough to kidnap people from their beds or on the streets, where they steal them away and drain the blood from them until they are dead. The blood is then either sold to the draining factories (though the Council denies such a thing) or on the streets to blue bloods who have reason not to buy it through legitimate channels. Most slashers are required to maim themselves to prove their loyalty to their gangs and often replace their limbs with mech limbs. The sight of a mech limb is enough to cause fright in many parts of London, regardless of whether the owner is a slasher or simply a mech.
Thralls – a thrall is a person who accepts a contract with a blue blood. In exchange for their blood rights, the thrall is looked after and protected by the blue blood. It is the dream of every debutante to make a thrall contract with a blue blood. Some blue bloods may own more than one thrall. Thralls are a sign of status, especially if a lord may afford to keep more than one.
Vampire – the final stage of