Heralds of Valdemar

the Heralds of Valdemar (original title Heralds off Valdemar ) is a cycle of stories being held on the same world (in English Velgarth) written by Mercedes Lackey. Only cycle of the author translated into French, it still counts volumes only published in English for the moment. This cycle is characterized by stories being in several times sometimes very distant, connected the ones to the others by certain basic elements of the universe of Velgarth.

books

(begun again article Mercedes Lackey)

Cycle Hérauts of Valdemar

(by chronological order, and not order of publication)

Trilogy of the War of the Magi

the black griffon
the white griffon
the money griffon

the Trilogy of the last Herald-Magus

the prey of the Magic
promises of the magic
the price of the magic

the legend of Lavan Firestorm

Brightly Burning (not translated)

Duologie of the oaths and the honor

Sisters of blood
the perjuries
Oathblood (not translated)

duology of the exile

Exile' S honor (not translated)
Exile' S valor (not translated)

the legend of Kerowyn

By iron

the childhood of Skiff

Take has Thief (not translated)

Trilogy of the Arrows

arrows of the queen
the take-off of the arrow
the fall of the arrow

Trilogy of the winds

winds of the destiny
winds of the change
furious winds

Trilogy of the Storms

advertisement of the storms
the arrival of the storms
In the middle of the storms

Trilogy The Owl Magus

Owlfight (not translated)
Owlsight (not translated)
Owlknight (not translated)

It should be noted that there exist also three collections of news based on the world of Velgarth: Sword off Ice , Sun in Glory and other bruise off Valdemar and Crossroads and other off bruise Valedemar all three not translated into French.

(sources Amazon.fr and mercedeslackey.com (English official site))

Magic

The world of Velgarth is a world inhabited by the magic, which is often separate in two categories, the magic " vraie" and the mental magic. Most of the cycle is based besides on this basic difference.

True magic

Is realized thanks to forces present naturally which are channeled and " settings in forme" by the magician, in general by the mental representation of the wished effect, sometimes supported by a specific incantation or gestures. The true magic makes it possible for example to influence meteorology, to communicate or to move at very important distances or to create illusions. A use of the true magic creates " remous" who can influence the real-world. A magic cataclysm fell down on Velgarth (trilogy of the griffon) and generated many changes, as well vegetable as animal, creating on a named part of the world Pelagirs of the hostile zones to the majority of the inhabitants. The magic also makes it possible to come into contact with parallel worlds, either by calling upon some the creatures, or by creating breaches between the real-world and desired dimension. The creatures of the other plans are often difficult to control and sometimes, to call upon them can appear dangerous. The various ones (?) Divinities of Velgarth can also intervene by magic in the real-world, continuation for example at the request of Shamans or large priests. Lastly, a type of magic perhaps used even by not very gifted magicians: magic of blood. The magic power in this case is provided there by the blood and/or the suffering of living beings. Often taboos, it is mainly used by beings malefic although in certain cases, the proper blood of the magician can be used at beneficial ends. The magic of blood leaves traces difficult to camouflage detectable by any person equipped with the gift of magic. She is taught of Master with disciple, but taking into account the general character of its users, the end of the formation is often marked by a confrontation between the apprentice and the Master.

Mental magic

Draw its power from the force even of that which has it. It exists in several forms and can have variable powers. The current gifts are:

the Telepathy, or faculty to communicate by the spirit, some can emit and to receive thoughts (at a more or less important distance), others can only receive or only emit.
the Telekinesis, where faculty to move objects by the force of the spirit. more the distance between the person and the object increases, more the effort is important. The weight of the object plays also a considerable part. Lastly, it is easier to transport objects than of the living beings, although most gifted can move people or themselves on short distances.
the remote vision which makes it possible to visualize an object, a person or a scene occurring out of the field of view " biologique" of the person.
the Empathie is faculty to feel the emotions of the people present and thus to know if their intentions are in correlations with their words. A powerful empathy can also make it possible to influence the emotions and the feelings of people, making it possible for example to cure phobias after traumatic episodes. This gift is the principal asset of the central figure of the trilogy of the arrows, the herald of the queen named Talia.
the Pyrokinésie makes it possible to ignite at distances the wanted target, object and even people. The holders of this capacity are often feared, partly by fear of seeing them putting fire " by accident".
the gift of cure is faculty to enter the human body, up to the level of the cell S, and to repair the damage of them. Although this gift is obviously invaluable, several meetings are in general necessary to cure a person, the range of the gift is indeed limited by the power and the personal force of the healer.
the gift of the bards S makes it possible to the musician to make feel with his public the music in a more intense way and to influence the frame of mind of the listener. One can regard it as a form of transmitting empathy.
the direction of the ground is a form of empathy directly dependant on a country. A sovereign equipped with this gift can feel the problems and the anomalies occurring on his territory, but it must for that be connected there, for example by introducing a ground pinch of each area at the time of a ceremony. Certain important disturbances can be detected by whoever has this gift.

A certain aptitude for the mental magic is pre necessary to hope to become one day a Herald. Honesty, the compassion and the capacity to make pass the good of the kingdom and the sovereign before his are other essential qualities.

Important countries and people

Valdemar

Valdemar is the name of a kingdom which is in the center of the majority of the accounts, it is the fatherland of the Heralds. This kingdom was created by the Baron éponyme who, fleeing a tyrannical king, found a territory safe from the influence of the known as king to found there a new kingdom based on peace and prosperity. Conscious of being a good sovereign, and sure that his son who would succeed it to him would be also, king Valdemar was nevertheless anxious for the generations to come. Magician, it then decided to ask of the protective assistance the spirits to ensure his kingdom a healthy future. Helped of his wife and her son, he lengthily called upon the spirits and in answer to its prayer horses of a pure white appeared, the companions. Those " choisirent" the king, his wife, her son as well as the herald of the king, who gave his name to the Heralds of Valdemar. Centuries later, Vanyel (trilogy of the last Herald-Magus) will banish the use of the true magic on all the territory of Valdemar. Because of its charm, the country will be not only private of magic, but the evocation of magic phenomena in other regions will not be taken with serious or immediately not forgotten.

Companions

They have the appearance of splendid horses to pure white peeling, the blue eyes and the silver plated shoes. Each Herald has his companion, but they are the companions who choose the worthy people to serve Valdemar. Equipped with some to be able, they are telepathic, although their capacity with speaking with their elected official is limited by the capacities of this one. Also intelligent (sometimes more) that their elected officials, the bond which plain is so strong for them that the death of an elected official involves that of his companion and vice versa. They can traverse important distances much more quickly than any horse, this speed often making it possible to save the life of their elected officials but also to be quickly present at the points of the kingdom where the presence of Heralds is necessary. Lastly, all the companions are involved with the battle, their shoes, their teeth and their size becomes frightening weapons then.

a companion is slightly different from the others, it is about the companion of the Herald of the king (or of the Queen). This one can be related to several Heralds during his life. It does not age but it can be killed. Often regarded as the leader of the companions, it belongs to the " born from the bosquet" , i.e. it was not born from a companion female but that, as for the first companions appeared following the prayer of Valdemar, it appears by magic in the crowned thicket, already adult and conscious of its duties and its functions.

In addition, the companions are the incarnations former Heralds of Valdemar. (For example, the Tantras companion)

Heralds

They are the force of Valdemar. During the appearance of the first companions, king Valdemar decided that in the future, very claiming with the throne should be a Herald, thus ensuring the probity of his successors. The king, or the queen, would be supported in her work by her personal Herald, this one having with load to protect it, to support it and sometimes to give it in the right way when the sovereign, subjected to the political pressures, would need some. The capacity thus balanced guarantees to Valdemar a policy healthy and always turned towards the good of the kingdom. The Heralds are thus with the service of the sovereign, serving messengers, guards, judges sometimes. Ensuring the protection of the borders, they can also replace war leader in the event of attack. Their incorruptibility and their equity ensure the good performance of the system and the respect of the great majority of the population is worth to them. Recognizable thanks to their white uniforms (in relation to the color of their companions), they are cement and the base of the Valdemarien system.

Karse

Historical enemy of Valdemar, Karse is a mountainous country whose political system is based on a theocracy, the worship of Vkandis. The existence of the magic and the mental magic is refuted, the people having a gift magic or mental are enlisted at once of force in the clergy, their interventions take the name of miracles then. Historically, the supreme priest of the worship was appointed by Vkandis itself and accompanied by a cat of fire, telepathic animal which, except its form and its color, is not without pointing out the companions. From the time of Vanyel and until the advent of Solaris, first woman large priestess (trilogy of the winds), the chiefs of the worship of Vkandis were chosen by their pars, causing with the wire of the decades a drift towards a cruel and totalitarian temporal power on behalf of the high clergy. The advent of Solaris is due to the intervention incarnated of Vkandis itself, thus making it possible the worship to find its form of origin, protective and altruistic.

Hardorn

Country bordering on Valdemar, it was the lasting ally of many years. Fallen with the hands from a heir without scruple, Ancar d' Hardorn (trilogy of the arrows), the entire country is weakened by the unreasoned use of its natural magic forces by its sovereign. It then becomes the ideal prey for the wills of extension of the Empire of the East.

Rethwellan

In this kingdom, it is a magic sword which chooses the sovereign. In Rethwellan, the use of the true magic is recognized and current. Many heroes of the cycle of Velgarth will pass there, in particular Tarma and Kethry (duology of the oaths and the honor) and Kerowyn (by iron). The links between Rethwellan and Valdemar are rather close, indeed, the first husband of the queen Selenay (trilogy of the arrow) and father of the princess Elspeth (trilogy of the arrow, trilogy of the winds, trilogy of the storms) is the brother of the Rethwellan sovereign. He will try to make assassinate Selenay to seize the power and will be killed at the time of his coup attempt of state. Later, at the time of a battle against the armies of Hardorn, Daren, second brother of the king, is chosen by a companion and meets Selenay. They will marry and Selenay will give rise to twins.

Kaled' a' in

At the time of the magic wars, Kaled' a' in are people of nomads which engaged in the rows of the magus of silence (trilogy of the griffon). Following the magic cataclysm which puts an end to the war, certain members of Kaled' a' in are separated from the different one. Later, a scission occurs in the remaining group.

the k' Leshya

The group of the k' Leshya, the clan of the spirit, is part of the people Kaled' a' in separated from the others by the use of a magic gate which moved away them from several thousands of kilometers of their starting point. Composed of human and several races thehuman ones, this clan formed already an entity with share within Kaled' a' in before even separation. Thanks to the contribution of the forces and specificities of all the races the component, the clan of the k' Leysha will found the town of Griffon Blanc and will thrive. Many centuries later, envoys of the k' Leysha will reconsider the spot of the magic wars.

Shin' a' in

The people of the plains were formed after certain clans, following the cataclysm which put an end to the magic wars, gave up the use of the true magic. The goddess their gave their country, the Dhorissa plains, in exchange of their devotion. No one should not penetrate in the plains without their assent. Moreover, if Shin' a' in watch a gift for the magic, it must either be exiled in their Tayledras cousins, or to become a Shaman, or still to see his magic potential destroys forever. They are dreaded warriors and famous stockbreeders. The horses of war Shin' a' in are the best in the world and are the main wealth of the clans. Tharma (duology of the oaths and the honor) is Shin' a' in clan Tale' sedrin which dedicated his life with the goddess.

Tayledras

Formed of the clans Kaled' a' in not having given up the magic, they were seen entrusting by the goddess the mission of removing the grounds infected by the magic put out of order of the dangerous creatures and the magic effects so that after their passage, any human or animal normal can come to settle there without danger. Once their achieved task, they must move and start again their mission in another dangerous area. In exchange, they received competences allowing them oversteers in these hostile regions lasting their cleansing, in particular the means of building valleys isolated by a kind of magic field of force. Large Masters of the true magic, they in particular were used instructors in Vanyel (trilogy of the last Herald-Magus) and for Elspeth of the decades later (trilogy of the winds and storms). Each Tayledras is accompanied by bird-liege, which is worth sometimes the nickname to them of brothers of the falcon. The birds-lyges can be several races but are different from the normal birds. Larger and more forts which their normal cousins, they have all the gift to bind with human and to communicate télépathiquement with him.

Iftel

Country bordering on Valdemar, it is characterized by a strange protection which prevents the Heralds or any other kind of soldiers to penetrate there. Only the merchants can pass the border from it but they are thereafter unable to speak about what they saw inside the country. Absolutely peaceful, Iftel forever sought to enter in war with its neighbors and even signed many peace treaties with them. At the time of an attempt at invasion by Ancar, king de Hardorn, this one see his army returning, bredouille and completely amnesic. The protection of the borders will become even visible in the shape of a luminous wall after the first magic upheavals of the return of cataclysm (the trilogy of the winds).

Empire of the East

Founded at the beginning by a lost company of the magus of silence at the end of the magic wars (trilogy of the griffon), it extends on very vast territories and its power enables him to live in a spirit of conquest rather than of defense. Entirely based on the use of the magic, including and especially for all the administration necessary to an important empire, it is controlled of an iron hand by an Emperor himself magician.

Not-human races

the races create by a magus

Let us scratch

Semi-birds of preys, semi-cat-like, let us scratch them are magic creatures which were create of any parts by the magus of silence, the most powerful magician that Velgarth knew (trilogy of the griffon). In spite of their magic origin, let us scratch them are able to reproduce and their people became independent of his creator thanks to the action of the one of them, the griffon black Skandranon. They are equipped with four legs, finished by greenhouses and of two wings of great scale. Their whole body is covered with feathers of colors and various sizes. As large but especially more massive as human, they are frightening warriors, their agility in flight and on ground as their muscular power make frightening adversaries of them. Equipped with a nozzle of raptor, they are nevertheless able to speak and their intelligence is at least equal if not higher than that of the human ones. Magic creatures par excellence, some of them have gifts of magicians enabling them to launch more or less complicated fates. There exist several types of scratch, dependant mainly on the type of birds used by the magus of silence. If the majority have as a model an eagle, some were create starting from falcons. They are then slightly smaller but also nimbler. In spite of their great qualities, the majority of let us scratch need the assistance for human or hertasis to carry out certain tasks. In particular when it is about fire, the feather being an excellent fuel.

Hertasis

Left lizards humanoïdes of small size, they in common have with the reptiles a certain cold intolerance. Intelligent and débrouillards, they are invaluable assistances for the human ones and let us scratch them. Their fingers griffus do not prevent a great manual ability and the objects which they create are always great quality. Perhaps following a fate (trilogy of the griffon), their people with for vocation to serve others, which does not decrease of anything their independence of mind and they are attracted by ostentation and the power at their " maîtres". They are often the producers of food (culture, breeding, fishing) and do not like anything as long as to prepare this one for all kinds of occasions. In winter, their life cycle slows down and they remain for the majority with the heat in their dens to make various objects, jewels or clothing. Some hertasis can have mental gifts and even magic gifts, a hertasi would be even the founder of an university of magic, the white winds.

Kyrees

Their race has a morphology more or less similar to the wolves, although they are larger and more solid masses. Quadrupeds, they do not have a great ability with the objects, but their intelligence can often compensate for this fact. Telepathic, they do not state that with people that they consider some worthy. They often have fun to be taken for wolves or large dogs without intelligence. Another of their characteristic is due to the fact that their race comprises three kinds: masculine, female and neutral. The neutral individuals are most widespread, also the kyree are rare and not very widespread. Certains Kyree has magic capacities and some borrow ways close to the shamanism to guide their people. As they do not have the possibility of writing, their history is transmitted by storytellers to the particularly reliable memory. They thus have their legends and their heroes, like Warrl, Kyree which was the friend and the companion of Tarma Tale' sedrin (duology of the oaths)

races known as natural

Dyhelis

the dyhelis are a race of the deer tribe type, they live in the territories of the pelagirs and rather often agree to join will tayledras (see britha " the monture" of flammechant in the trilogy of the winds), as the kyrees they have the possibility of communicating mentally and some can be magi. On the other hand there does not seem to be of third " kind; neutre" in their rows. One knows sure source (trilogy of the griffon: money griffon) that they existed already time of cataclysm and had not been create by a magus.

Tervardis

kinds of man-birds, not having the word, but mentally communicating, they live as will tayledras them in ekeles, of constitution rather fragile and manners closer to the raptors than of the men they are like the dyhelis allies of those Ci although more reserved and more' savage' that the other species.

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