RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ELVES:

Until recently, the trolls had a neutral relationship with the elves, neither particularly friendly nor notably hostile. Empress Pernille made herself available whenever the Council called upon her (and even sent Tarina to be one of Sophie’s interspeciesial bodyguards) but rarely—if ever—invited any elves to Marintrylla. The Council used to assume this was because the trolls simply preferred to keep to themselves. But it turned out that the trolls had been relying on secret alliances. Through Tarina, Empress Pernille formed such an alliance with Sophie Foster (which allowed Sophie to save the prematurely born alicorns by incubating them in a specially built troll hive). And a previous empress formed a similar alliance with Luzia Vacker, after seeing how little the elvin Council had done for the Ancient gnomes. Luzia had created many of the illusions that keep the Lost Cities hidden, and the trolls needed Luzia to help them hide their hives after a brutal ogre attack. Luzia hid one hive at Everglen (her first property) and another at Dawnheath after she moved—and Luzia claims she thought the hive at Everglen had been sealed and abandoned. But it was later discovered that the trolls continued to use the hive for genetic experiments, trying to design an even deadlier newborn army. This shocking truth was exposed by the Neverseen while everyone in the Lost Cities watched—right before the mutant newborns broke free, causing a bloody battle. Sophie and her friends fought bravely along with their bodyguards (including Tarina) and managed to stop the newborns from escaping. But the Council has been left in a tricky situation. The trolls’ experiments violated their treaty. But the trolls also played a vital role in resetting the Timeline to Extinction by helping the baby alicorns. Plus, no one wants another Peace Summit to renegotiate the trolls’ treaty while the Neverseen are free (after what happened in Lumenaria). So for the moment, no punishments have been enacted—though Tarina has returned to Marintrylla indefinitely.

TROLLISH BODYGUARD

Tarina

ASSIGNMENT: Bodyguard to Sophie Foster

QUALIFICATIONS: As a Stage Four troll, Tarina has had an abundance of battle and weapons training, but she also has the mental capacity to work with the other bodyguards without any problems (particularly since one of them is an ogre).

KNOWN FOR: Creating an alliance with Sophie (and helping save the baby alicorns).

NOTES: Tarina has amazing reflexes, often moving as if her bones are made of rubber, and she’s an equally impressive fighter. Her weapon of choice (a cross between a scythe and an ax, with a sharp point on the end of the pole for stabbing) is named Long Shot, as a reminder that even when all hope feels lost, she can continue fighting.

DWARVES

CAPITAL CITY:

Nymtyranyth

(translates to Loamnore in the Enlightened Language)

RULED BY:

Queen Nubiti (though her appointment is incredibly recent)

CULTURE:

Dwarves are rarely seen aboveground, since the light is too bright for their sensitive eyes—and with their pointed noses and lengthy claws, they’re much better suited for tunneling. Clothing and adornments are often minimal for their species, since their bodies are covered in thick fur—though the former dwarven king wore a pair of white, furry pants (since it was considered a sign of power and strength for King Enki to be waxed bare). The dwarves’ new queen has yet to continue this practice, and it’s unclear whether or not she will, or whether King Enki’s betrayal proves the need for a fresh tradition. Dwarven hearing is incredibly powerful, allowing them to monitor conversations both above and below ground simultaneously—and if someone on the surface needs a dwarf’s help, all they have to do is stomp in a prearranged pattern. The dwarves are also incredibly talented at mining. In fact, they’re the only creatures capable of mining magsidian (an exceedingly rare onyxlike stone, apparently made from shadowflux). As a result, the dwarves use magsidian much like the ogres use their Markchains. Visitors are only welcome in Loamnore if magsidian is detected, and the dwarves severely limit who they give pendants to. Magsidian can also serve a variety of other purposes, depending on how it’s carved. For example, a magsidian flask will refill itself by drawing water from the air, and a small piece can also change which direction a compass points, or be used for light leaping (though the leap won’t be pleasant). The dwarves also mine ethertine (believed to be made of quintessence), which is almost as rare as magsidian but less useful and therefore less valuable. King Enki had an ethertine crown (in addition to his traditional crown, made from tredgeon carapace) and chose to sacrifice the crown as part of his betrayal. The dwarves spend less time on battle training than other species do, since they rely on their natural defenses more than weapons. (When threatened, dwarves can form deep cracks in the earth by stomping and can control which direction the crack spreads.) As a result, there’s an abundance of dwarven art, songs, poems, writings, and numerous other creations—some of which may seem a bit strange, but all are remarkable in their own way.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ELVES:

The dwarves have teamed up with elves many times throughout history, like when they helped hollow out the Himalayas to build the Sanctuary, or when they designed and constructed Exile. The elves have trusted them implicitly, even putting the dwarves in charge of Exile’s security. And any time the Neverseen caused destruction in the Lost Cities, the Council turned to the dwarves for help. King Enki even assigned Nubiti to be one of Sophie’s bodyguards (and four other dwarves were assigned to Tam and Linh). Over time, though—and mostly without the Councillors realizing—the Council lost their dwarven support, with a number of dwarves even joining the Neverseen. King Enki first turned his support to the Black Swan, providing them with supplies and dwarves to assist with their projects. But when the Black Swan’s moonlark failed to achieve the level of victory King Enki had been hoping for, he turned to an alliance with the Neverseen, even going so far as to help the rebels hold several members of the Council hostage and sacrificing his magsidian throne—and his ethertine crown—for Lady Gisela’s mysterious “stellarlune” project. But the battle turned against him, with many dwarves remining loyal to the elves, and King Enki was captured by Nubiti before he could get away. He is now serving a life sentence in Exile’s somnatorium, and Queen Nubiti (who earned the title as the one who overthrew the king) is now the dwarves’ leader. Many hope that her rule will bring forth positive change, and a new era of peace between the elves and the dwarves.

DWARVEN BODYGUARDS

Queen Nubiti

ASSIGNMENT: Previously a bodyguard to Sophie Foster

EXPERIENCE: Nubiti is both a fierce fighter and a tremendously quick thinker, both of which serve her well in battle.

KNOWN FOR: Overthrowing King Enki and becoming the new queen of the dwarves.

NOTE: Nubiti has yet to assign Sophie a replacement dwarven bodyguard, likely because she’s still rooting out the traitors from the dwarven world and determining who she can trust.

NOTE: Tam and Linh are also protected by Elidyr, Opher, Timur, and Urre, but these four dwarves remain primarily underground and have not shared anything about themselves with their charges.