Sorcerers of the Old Blood

"Sorcerers of the Old Blood" are characters in Melanie Rawn's fantasy novels of the Dragon Prince and Dragon Star trilogies.

These sorcerers use and accept their Old Blood. They do not belong to the Sunrunner hierarchy, nor do they hold Goddess Keep in high esteem.

For a list of "diarmadh'im" please see Known Sorcerers. For a complete list of characters see [http://www.melanierawn.com/dpcharacters.html Melanie Rawn's official site] .

Heroes

Aldiara

Dragon Prince character| name = Aldiara


bgcolor = silver
fgcolor = black
race = "diarmadhi"
birth = 722, Firon
colors = moonstone, diamond, pearl
rings =
dragon =
titles = a royal "diarmadhi"
princedom = Firon
In 722 "Aldiara" - or Aldiar as she was known to most - was born in the snowcovered mountains of Firon, descended from the "diarmadhi" royal line through her mother. Although she was Yarin of Snowcoves' distant cousin and had given him the gold, silver, and bronze corded rope of authority in the Circle of Ninety-Nine, her true loyalty lay with her family line, Prince Laric of Firon, and the High Prince. For most of her life, Aldiara had disguised herself as a lad named Aldiar and served Yarin in order to gather information for the still loyal - and hiding - "diarmadh'im". After Yarin had taken over Balarat, Firon's royal seat, she kept watch over Idalain and Tirel, Laric's squire and son, respectively. Idalian was ordered to train her in swordplay, which was something he greatly resented and did not endear either 'lad' to the other. When Idalain moved to escape the Keep, Aldiara secretly aided them, and then rescued Laric, Prince Arlis of Kierst-Isel, and Rohannon from a snowstorm. Idalain, who recognized 'Aldiar' as the lad in Yarin's service, urged the Princes not to trust her; however, they had little choice. Aldiara took the Princes to her relatives and told them of the loyal "diarmadhi" in Firon. For her services Laric made her his son's squire as she was bonded to Tirel through distant blood as well as his being her Prince.

It was Aldiara who discovered that Rohannon had become addicted to "dranath". She saw him adding the drug to his wine and confronted him in front of Arlis, who was horrified. The Prince asked if she could save his squire; she said she would try. Aldiara was familiar with "dranath" addiction as her older brother had succombed to it. She cared for Rohannon in a gruff, no-nonsense fashion. She told him about the effects of withdrawal, the pain, and his stupidity. She also told him about her past, the "diarmadh'im"s' history, and the Circle of Ninety-Nine. At first Rohannon immensely hated the 'lad', who seemed to revel in his pain and who showed no signs of sympathy at all. If he could have, he surely would have attacked the fellow, though he realized that without 'Aldiar' he would be dead - the 'lad' had had to administer a type of CPR to restart his heart. Once Rohannon had recovered enough to actually be coherent, he figured out Aldiara's disguise: the irritating 'lad' was really a girl his own age, and - as he discovered after the war - a very pretty one at that.

When Rohannon could move, Laric and Arlis traveled to Balarat to retake it from Yarin. , Although the others still didn't completely trust her, Aldiara acted as scout and 'Sunrunner'. Rohannon kept a close watch on her, during which he came to trust her and also discovered that she was afraid of horses. As they reached the gates of Balarat, Pol reached for Rohannon's strength to use in the "ros'salath" at Skybowl; the High Prince needed more minds and power to wrest the weaving from Andry's control. Neither he nor Rohannon could reach the hundreds of sorcerers within Balarat, but Aldiara could. With shining white, "diarmadhi" colors of pearl, moonstone, and diamond, Aldiara approached Pol and gave him the rebelling minds of Firon's sorcerers. This added strength was all Pol needed to seize control of the "ros'salath" and defeat the "Vellant'im".

After the war Aldiara was honored at Skybowl and was taken in by Rohannon's family. Tobin and Hollis treated her as a daughter - which was exactly what Tobin expected her to one day be in fact.

Riyan

Dragon Prince character| name = Lord Riyan of Skybowl


bgcolor = silver
fgcolor = blue
race = "diarmadhi"
birth = 699, Stronghold, The Desert
colors = garnet, pearl, and carnelian
rings = six
dragon = Sadalian
titles = Lord of Skybowl, Lord of Feruche, Lord of Elktrap Manor
princedom = The Desert

"Riyan, Lord of Skybowl, Lord of Feruche, and Lord of Elktrap Manor" , was born in 699 and was the only child of Ostvel and Camigwen. He was fostered out to Swalekeep for two years and then sent to Goddess Keep as he had been born with "diarmadhi" gifts, though he thought they were "faradhi". The split in his fostering was because Sunrunner Lords were new to the world; no one knew quite how to raise them. Maarken, Rohan and Sioned's nephew, had been the first such Lord. He finished his fostering and had been knighted before going to Goddess Keep. Riyan was next in line to test the training methods as everyone tried to find the best way to train Pol, Rohan's son and the first Sunrunner Prince. After staying four years at Goddess Keep, Riyan returned to Swalekeep to finish his fostering. While a squire for Prince Clutha of Meadowlord, he visited Waes, discovered a treasonous plot, and found evidence of Kleve's murder. Due in part to his discovery, Lady Kiele of Waes was convicted for being an accomplice to murder. Masul, the actual murderer and pretender to the throne of Princemarch, had already been killed. Riyan was knighted in 719 at the "Rialla" alongside Sorin of Radzyn Keep. Riyan also became the Lord of Skybowl and inherited the secret of the Desert's wealth: dragon's gold.

Over the next nine years, Riyan worked tirelessly as Lord and kept his Prince's secret gold. He also became very close friends with Sorin. When Sorin was killed in 728 by Ianthe's son, Marron, Riyan felt as though his own brother had died. He was devastated and enraged. He wanted revenge. He and others were sent to investigate Sorin's murder and to discover more information on the sudden dragon deaths. On his journey into the mountains, he came to Elktrap Manor, the home of Lord Garic and his granddaughter, the beautiful Ruala. Riyan found the two extremely suspicious, especially when he learned that they themselves possessed the "diarmadhi" gifts. He grew angry - something he honestly didn't do often. Part of his anger was because he had been drawn to Ruala and thought she had betrayed him. Ruala soon proved herself trustworthy and he apologized. She also revealed that he too was in truth a "diarmadhi". Before Riyan also asked her to marry him. She said yes.

While Riyan had been hunting for answers, Ruval, Ianthe's oldest son, had challenged Pol and the entire sorcerous plot to take the High throne was revealed - including how Sorin was killed. Riyan returned to the Desert in time to see Pol's duel for Princemarch and to kill Mireva, the "diarmadhi" who had raised and trained Ianthe's sons and who was partly responsible for Sorin's death. Due to Riyan and Sorin's closeness and the fact that Andry was Lord of Goddess Keep, Riyan was made Lord of Feruche. Two years later he became Lord of Elktrap Manor, inherited through Ruala.

During the "Vellanti" War Riyan played an integral part as Skybowl was the stage of High Prince Pol's - and the Continent's - last stand. Pol's forces won; they drove the "Vellant'im" from the Continent. After the war, all the Princes and Lords of the land gathered at Skybowl to celebrate, swear fealty to High Prince Pol, and to inherit Keeps and Princedoms, where the Lords and Princes had fallen, giving their lives to defend their people and their home.

Ruala

Dragon Prince character| name = Ruala of Elktrap Manor


bgcolor = silver
fgcolor = purple
race = "diarmadhi"
birth = 700, Elktrap Manor, Princemarch
colors =
rings =
dragon =
titles = Lady of Elktrap Manor, Lady of Feruche, Lady of Skybowl
princedom = Princemarch, The Desert

"Ruala of Elktrap Manor" was born in 700, and was the only heir of Garic, her grandfather and the Lord of Elktrap Manor. Her parents died of the plague in 701 and her twin sister named Rossana died in a climbing accident in 724. Ruala knew that she was a "diarmadhi", but hid what she was from the group of Desert Lords, who came to the Manor in 728 investigating the dragon kills. Her kind were long used to hiding what they were. Two members of the party, Pol, Prince of Princemarch, and Riyan, Lord of Skybowl, were also "diarmadh'im". Riyan could tell that she and her grandfather were hiding something; he was suspicious, partly because he felt himself drawn to Ruala. For her part, Ruala felt the same pull. When Riyan confronted her grandfather, Ruala stepped forward and told him what she was. She then explained that she could use an old mirror to conjure spells, though she was not actually trained in the "diarmadhi" arts. Ruala then helped Riyan and the others on their journey to discover who had been killing dragons. She and Riyan admitted their feelings for each other before he left. They were married later that year.

Ruala and Riyan had a daughter named Maara and were expecting another child, when the "Vellant'im" attacked the Continent. While Riyan fought the war by Pol's side, Ruala was crucial in the plot to convince the "Vellant'im" High Warlord that her husband had defected from the High Prince's side. She stood before the High Warlord and offered him Skybowl. At first the High Warlord treated her as beneath his notice - then he found out that she was pregnant. The change that overcame him astonished Ruala as well as the other women (Sioned "et al."), who were disguised as servants. The High Warlord ushered Ruala into a chair and saw to it that she was kept comfortable - after all she might be carrying her husband's son.

The Battle of Skybowl was High Prince Pol's final stand against the "Vellant'im". There he joined with Andry and his "Devr'im, "faradh'im", and diarmadh'im" from all over the Continent. He then proceeded to defeat the massive "Vellant'im" army without lifting another blade. The war was won. Skybowl was then the host of every Prince and Lord, come to swear their fealty to the High Prince.

Villains

*Yarin of Snowcoves: Born in 690, he was descended from the "diarmadhi" hiding in the ice-capped mountains of Firon. He was distantly related to Aldiara, the girl who 'nursed' Rohannon back to health. Yarin had taken Balarat over from Prince Laric and forced Tirel, Laric's heir into signing Firon over to him as the boy's uncle. As the "diarmadhi" within Balarat were tied to Pol's "ros'salath", the Keep was reclaimed by Laric without a fight.

Mireva

"Mireva" was born in 659, and a distant kinswoman of Lallante, Roelstra's only wife. She and her family had planned to rise to power through Lallante, but the High Princess forsook her heritage. Mireva bided her time and gave "dranath" to Roelstra's mistress in order to addict a Sunrunner. Years later she had Ianthe's three sons, Ruval, Marron, and Segev, rescued from the burning Feruche and taken to her in the mountains of Princemarch. She raised the boys to hate High Prince Rohan and his heir Pol. She told them that they were the descendants of High Prince Roestra and thus the true heirs of Princemarch. Mireva taught each boy the "diarmadhi" arts, and strived for them, and thus the "diarmadh'im", to once again rule the Continent.

In 719 she sent Segev to Goddess Keep to spy on Andrade, Lady of Goddess Keep, and to spy at the "Rialla". Segev failed retrieve the Star Scroll and was killed by Hollis, whom he had addicted to "dranath".

Nine years later, Mireva sent Ianthe's other two sons on a journey that she hoped would conclude in Ruval's defeating Pol in a "rabikor" for Princemarch. Along the way Mireva enspelled Princess Chiana of Meadowlord into attacking Pol's home of Dragon's Rest. Many things go wrong with Mireva's plans. Chiana's army was easily defeated; Andry, Lord of Goddess Keep, used a "ros'salath" to terrify Chiana's army before they even reached the gates of the palace. Marron, who was meant to stand in the "perath", challenged Pol for Feruche. He was killed by Andry. To replace Marron, Mireva captured Ruala, but the girl was rescued and Mireva herself captured. She managed to escape and offer Ruval some forbidden aid during the "rabikor", but was killed by Riyan, Lord of Skybowl and the recently made Lord of Feruche.

Ruval was defeated in the "rabikor"; a dragon killed him.