To make matters worse, the lords did not realize that a horde of antediluvian horrors had lain trapped beneath the land so long they had vanished from memory. Every use of the Bloodforges weakened the mystical bonds of their prison, and the creatures soon began to overrun the Five Kingdoms. Eventually, the lords realized their folly and struck a bargain not to use the terrible war machines but the damage had already been done. According to rumor the land had been filled with slime-smeared monsters and slithering horrors ever since. "Ysdar is one of the Forgotten Ones?"

Rishi nodded. "The King of the Forgotten Ones, if the myths are to be believed." He glanced away, then added more quietly, "It is said his face is so ugly that anyone who looks upon it goes mad… though this is in no way a reflection on your honored person."

"Of course it is," Atreus replied, trying to keep the bitter-ness out of his voice. "Edenvale is no different than my own home. When people see ugly, they think evil."

The golden faces and black hair of the Mar began to give way to the creamier visages of the Ffolk, who stood conversing quietly in small groups of three and four. In many ways, the Ffolk still resembled their conquering ancestors.

They were larger than the Mar and lighter of complexion, with pale eyes and square, western jaws. Though they had long ago exchanged the heavy furs and dreary wool of the Moonshae Isles for the bright cotton and colorful silks more suited to the Utter East's sweltering climate, they still preferred tight trousers and snug tunics to the billowing fashions of the Mar.

At the far end of the chamber stood a large enclosure surrounded by red velvet drapes, through which the Royal warden was ushering a sporadic stream of haughty-looking supplicants, Ffolk and Mar alike. More often than not, the petitioners looked content as they departed, a sign that the queen considered herself duty bound to serve her people as much as they served her. Atreus hoped her sense of fairness would extend to foreigners.