Table Of ContentUNEASY ALLIANCES
CONTENTS
Dramatis Personae, Lynn Abbey
Introduction, Lynn Abbey
Slave Trade, Robert Lynn Asprin
The Best of Friends, C. J. Cherryh
The Power of Kings, Jon DeCles
Red Light, Love Light, Chris Morris
A Sticky Business, C. 5: Williams
The Promise of Heaven, Robin Wayne Bailey
The Vision of Lalo, Diana L. Paxson
UNEASY ALLIANCES
Dramatis Personae
The Townspeople
AHDIOVIZUN; AHDIOMER viz; AHDIO-Proprietor of Sly's Place, a
legendary dive within the Maze.
THRODE-An employee at Sly's Place.
CLEYA; JODEERA-The woman Ahdio loves, and who works for him at Sly's
Place. Since she is far too beautiful to travel safely through the Maze, Ahdio has
arranged for her to be protected by a disguise of ugliness.
LALO THE LIMNER-Street artist gifted with magic he does not fully
understand.
GILLA-His indomitable wife.
GANNER-Their middle son, slain during the False Plague Riots of the previous
winter which signaled the end of severe civil unrest in Sanctuary.
VANDA-Their daughter, employed as nursemaid to the Beysib at the palace.
WEDEMIR-Their eldest child and son. A member of Walegrin's guard patrol.
LATILLA-Their youngest daughter.
ALFI-Their infant son.
HAKIEM-Storyteller and confidant extraordinaire.
HORT-Son of a fisherman and Hakiem's apprentice.
JUBAL-Prematurely aged former gladiator. Once he openly ran Sanctuary's
most visible criminal organization, the Hawkmasks, now he works behind the
scenes.
SALIMAN-His aide and only friend.
MORIA-Once one ofJubal's Hawkmasks, then a servant of Ischade. She was
MORIA-Once one ofJubal's Hawkmasks, then a servant of Ischade. She was
physically transformed into a Rankan noblewoman before the magic died, and
the transformation endures. She is in hiding with Stilcho.
MYRTIS-Madam of the Aphrodisia House.
SNAPPER JO-A fiend who survived the destruction of magic in Sanctuary.
Once employed as a bartender in the Vulgar Unicorn.
STILCHO-Once one oflschade's resurrected minions. He was "cured" of death
when magic was purged from Sanctuary.
zip-Sitter young terrorist. Leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Sanctuary (PELS). Now he and his remaining fighters have been designated as
officials responsible for peace in the city.
The S'danzo
ILLYRA-Half-blood S'danzo seeress with True Sight. Wounded by PELS in the
False Plague Riots.
DUBRO-Bazaar blacksmith and husband to Illyra.
THE TERMAGANT-Oldest of the S'danzo women practicing her craft in
Sanctuary.
The Magicians
ILSIGI MAGES:
MARKMOR-A powerful, ambitious, youthful wizard.
MARYPE-His arrogant, yet blundering, apprentice.
MIZRAITH-Marype's father, slain by Markmor shortly after the Prince arrived
in Sanctuary.
RANKAN HAZARDS DWELLING AT THE MAGEGUILD;
RANDAL; WITCHY-EARS-The only mage ever admitted into the Sacred Band
of Stepsons or trusted by them. Now a teacher at the Mageguild.
Those who adhere to no hierarchy or discipline but their own:
ENAS YORL-Quasi-immortal mage cursed with eternal life and a constantly
changing physical form.
ISCHADE-Necromancer and thief. Her curse is passed to her lovers who die
from it. Since the diminution of magic in Sanctuary, she has been in isolation at
her house on the White Foal River.
STRICK;TORAZELAN STRICK TIFIRAQA-White Mage who has made
Sanctuary his home. He will help anyone who comes to him, but there is always
a Price, sometimes trivial and sometimes not, for his aid.
Visitors in Sanctuary
THE SHEPHERD-A figure of considerable mystery. By his panoply he might be
an Ilsigi warrior-but all such men have been dead for years.
The Rankans Living in Sanctuary
CHENAYA; DAUGHTER OF THE sw-A beautiful and powerful young
woman, the Prince's cousin, who is fated never to lose a fight. In her arrogance
and innocence she made more enemies in Sanctuary than even fate could handle
and has left town until her reputation repairs itself.
DAYRNE-Her companion and trainer.
LEYN, QUIJEN, DISMAS AND GESTUS-Her friends and gladiators at her
father's school.
DAPHNE-Rankan noblewoman and first wife of Prince Kadakithis. Ostensibly
sent to safety before the arrival of the Beysib, she was actually kidnapped and
sold into slavery on Scavenger's Island where Chenaya rescued her. She is
estranged from her husband.
PRINCE KADAKITHIS-Charismatic but somewhat naive halfbrother of the
assassinated Emperor, Abakithis.
LOWAN VIGELES-Half-brother ofMolin Torchholder, father of Chenaya. A
wealthy aristocrat self-exiled to Sanctuary and hoping to return to the Rankan
capital in triumph someday. He operates a gladiator school at his Land's End
estate and has built a small, temporary arena there.
MOLIN TORCHHOLDER; TORCH-Archpriest of Sanctuary's wargod
(whichever deity that is at the moment). Architect for the rebuilt walls of
Sanctuary, Supreme bureaucratic administrator of the city.
RASHAN; THE EYE OF SAVANKALA-Priest and Judge of Savankala.
Highest ranking Rankan in Sanctuary prior to the arrival of the Prince, now
allied with Chenaya's disaffected Rankans at Land's End.
STEPSONS; SACRED BANDERS-members of a mercenary unit loyal to
Tempus. Their years in Sanctuary were among the worst in their history and all
but a few of them have gratefully left town.
CRITIAS;CRIT-Longtime mercenary in the company. Tempus left him in
CRITIAS;CRIT-Longtime mercenary in the company. Tempus left him in
charge of peace-keeping in Sanctuary when everyone else left. Also the partner
of Straton, though that pairing has been in disarray for some time now.
STRATON; STRAT; ACE-Partner ofCritias. Injured by the PELS at the start of
the False Plague Riots. He has been Ischade's lover and though her curse has not
killed him, most of his former associates count him among Sanctuary's damned.
WALEGRIN-Rankan army officer assigned to the Sanctuary garrison where his
father had been slain by the S'danzo many years before. He is now one of three
officers responsible for the peace in Sanctuary. He is also Illyra 's halfbrother.
