Palmroy

Palmroy is Alexi's nephew and squire.  After the boy's father died in Alexi's service, the House Father took Palmroy under his wing in an attempt to undo the pampering his sister had rendered.  However, Palmroy's taste for luxury and soft living could not be rooted out.  When the story begins, Alexi can barely tolerate his nephew, and Palmroy hates his uncle.  Both would gladly be rid of the other, but the Fates have something else in mind.

Alexi Keirnan

Alexi Keirnan is the main character of The Heretic's Quest. He's the House Father of the most powerful noble house within the Sarveki Empire, and he's also the Hand of the Emperor, which means he’s the commander-in-chief of the entire Imperial military. He's the second-most powerful man in the entire Empire, and probably the most fearsome living warrior of his people.

He’s about 6’ tall, and he has blue eyes. He’s 38 years old. He’s got big bones, a big frame, and big muscles. He wears heavy plate armor and carries his family’s ax, which is a two-handed, double-bladed weapon. His armor is simple and formed close to his body, with no frills or decorations to get in his way. When it comes to battle, Alexi favors function over appearance.

Alexi is a man of opposites. He has a mind of cold logic and a heart of fiery passion. He can be intelligent and wise, the consummate diplomat at times, but at other times he can be a man of very direct and lethal action. Above all things, he cherishes his family, both his immediate blood relations and the members of his House. As long as they are safe and prosperous, nothing else matters. As the book progresses, his priorities shift away from his family, but you’ll have to read the story to see how that affects him and his world.

Mary Keirnan

Mary Keirnan is a scout in Alexi’s witch-hunting party. She has straight blond hair and brown eyes. Her hair comes to her shoulders when it’s down, but she usually has it pulled up into a knot to keep it out of her way. She’s twenty-four years old. She’s 5’ 4” tall and petite. Her facial features are lean and sharp. She’s attractive, but not a stunning beauty.

She wears leather armor that offers light, full body protection, but it doesn’t have any tassels or decorations to dangle and get caught as she stalks through the woods. Her armor also doesn’t accentuate her feminine form. In fact, it actually subdues her curves to the point where she can pass as a man if she has her hair up and her helmet on. She carries a long sword across her back, twin short swords on each hip, hung from cross-slung belts, and two daggers on the same belts that hold her short swords.

Mary is a woman caught in a man’s world. Lord Keirnan is the only commander who allows women to fight in his House forces, and when Mary is among those forces, she’s a valued and respected warrior. Unfortunately, she quickly finds herself alone in her world and society, and many times her life would be easier if she could swing her hips and flirt as skillfully as she swings a sword and bashes skulls, but she does the best she can.

Somewhere, under the armor and scars, a sensual woman exists behind the gruff soldier exterior she must always show the world. Sometimes her femininity is buried so far inside that she has trouble finding it. Most days Mary doesn’t even pause to consider or miss the life she might have led, had she picked up a butter churn or loom instead of a sword and crossbow, but sometimes, just sometimes, her skin longs to wear silk dresses instead of leather armor. Her hands wish to comb her hair instead of sharpening her sword. Unfortunately, her problem is not that she’s forgotten how to indulge her softer side; she never learned how.

The Sentinel

James Casteel is a small, frail man with bony, hawkish features, an indomitable will, and infinite ambition. He serves as the Emperor’s Sentinel, the head priest of the Empire’s only sanctioned religion. He’s tied with Alexi as the second-most powerful man in their country. Vast numbers of clergy, healers, and militant Templars wait for his command, eager to do their god’s will as decreed from Casteel’s mouth.

Casteel hated Alexi’s father, and tried to have him convicted of heresy, but his animosity apparently died with Alistar when the senior Keirnan fell to a cave bear in the Pass of Elmek. Since Alexi assumed the mantle of House Father, Casteel has bore no ill will towards him. In fact, it’s a modern legend, a tale told again and again in taverns across the realm, of how Casteel favored Alexi with a powerful blessing to protect him from Strogan magic. This ward from the Prophet allows Alexi to survive magical attacks that often kill men to his left and right.

In this way, Casteel has united forces with Alexi; the Sanctuary and the military are joined together to do the Prophet’s will and ensure the Emperor’s word is taught and enforced across the land.

At least, that’s the story Casteel has his Serene mentors teach to the masses during their holy services…

The Warlock

The Warlock doesn't appear often or for long in The Warlock's Wake, but as the novel's name suggests, he accomplishes more and sets more events into motion with a few simple words and actions than some people can do in a lifetime.

No matter how old, wise, or practiced a mage may be, all spell slingers have a finite amount of power. Certain things simply cannot be done. For example, no mage in history has ever bee able to truly fly. Even Bane, with all of his power and skill, is bound by these mortal limits.

The Warlock is not. His power has no apparent limits. He is ageless and timeless. He was old when the Prophet yet walked the earth as a mortal man. Shrouded in a cloak of living shadow-fire, the tangible manifestation of chaos and entropy, the Warlock does whatever he wants, because none have the power to stop him.

His existence is not common knowledge in the Sarveki Empire. The tale of the Warlock is a Strogun legend not often told outside of the clan fire circles. Sometimes he isn't seen for generations, and then he appears. He's started wars and ended them. He's saved entire towns from certain doom and slaughtered innocents by the hundreds. Most believe he's insane. Others say his actions follow rhyme and reason, and it all fits a grand scheme, but not one that a mere mortal can understand, because human lives and memories are too short.

Alexi meets the source of the stories without ever knowing of the legends. Had he known something of the tales, perhaps events would have transpired differently.

But then, had that been the case, there would be no tale to tell. Hate the warlock if you wish. Fear him, or respect him, or idolize him, as you desire, but be sure to thank him. If it were not for him and his actions, none of this would exist. There would be no book, no story, no website.

The Shadow Bane

It is unclear if Bane is even human. He's shaped like a man, but he’s over seven feet tall, and no one knows what he looks like. In every encounter, his body and face are always totally concealed by clothing or armor. He favors black steel armor with very thick plates on his shins and forearms, which he uses to block attacks in battle. He carries no shield or weapons, and bears no standard. His eyes are made of crimson fire, and his body often glows with magical golden light.

Many characters in Heretic have mysterious pasts, but Bane is a total mystery. No one knows from whence he came or what he plans to do, but his apparent agenda seems to involve waging and winning a war against the Serene.

The New Prophets have uncovered unknown prophecies that seem to foretell the arrival of a new champion, the cleaning of the existing order, and the dawn of a new age.

Bane is the self-proclaimed champion of that prophesy. He wields powerful magic as easily as most men breathe. He has no equal in battle, despite his lack of weapons. He knows secrets and forgotten lore that no living man could possibly know.

At every turn, he uses knowledge or force to bind others to his cause, but no one really knows if he speaks true or not. Perhaps he does intend to overthrow the Serene. Perhaps he has another less blatant agenda. Only Bane knows for sure.