Characters
Beck Blackstone: Bully of Thale Feldrast.
Josiah Canopus: Favored knight of Lord Riomed Koravin.
Armond Feldrast: Current Count of the Realm of Northwind and father of Thale Feldrast.
Bernadetta Feldrast: Younger sister of Thale Feldrast.
Merrick Feldrast: Brother of Thale Feldrast.
Solana Feldrast: Older sister of Thale Feldrast.
Tabitha Sellack Feldrast: Mother of Thale Feldrast and wife of Count Armond Feldrast.
Thale Feldrast: The protagonist and point-of-view character of the Heir Apparent.
Walter Goldshod: Favored knight of Count Armond Feldrast.
Nina Koravin: Only daughter of Lord Riomed Koravin.
Riomed Koravin: Current Lord of Sableton.
Melissa Thorn: Maid within the Feldrast household.
Eadric Vanta: Knight of Count Armond Feldrast.
Places
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Barren Wastes: The frozen wasteland to the north of the Northern Realms. The outlanders, a group of largely non-aligned tribal barbarians, live in the Barren Wastes. In years of particularly cold winters, the outlanders are forced by factors outside of their control to raid and pillage settlements in the Kingdom of Etronia.
Kingdom of Etronia: The kingdom that dominates the northern half of the continent of Rubigo. The Northern Realms are a collection of fiefdoms within Etronia. Power is maintained in this kingdom by various congenital Talents that are passed down by blood. [Hellfire] is the congenital Talent that allows the Feldrasts and other noble families within the Northern Realms to maintain their power base.
Northern Realms: The collection of fiefs in the Kingdom of Etronia that border the Barren Wastes. These realms bear the responsibility of protecting the rest of Etronia from outlander incursions. The people of these realms rely on the [Hellfire] Talent for warmth in the winter and protection when it is necessary. The Northern Realms are relatively poor compared to the rest of the Kingdom of Etronia due to the short growing season and dangerous surroundings.
Realm of Northwind: The realm governed by House Feldrast. The capital city, Northwind, is a frequently used pit stop for those who wish to venture into the Barren Wastes. There are only three settlements worth mentioning in the Realm of Northwind: Sableton, Cairnhollow, and Northwind. About forty thousand people live in the Realm of Northwind, and more than half of them live in the three major settlements. The rest live in small unnamed communities that dot the roads between the three cities.
Town of Sableton: A small town within the Realm of Northwind. The town is officially governed by Lord Riomed Koravin, though his role is mostly advisory in practice due to the fact that the current Count of Northwind permanently resides in Sableton.
City of Etron: The capital city of the Kingdom of Etronia. This city is named after the great hero Etron, who fought to save the world of Ferrum during the Great Calamity more than six hundred years ago. The royal family of Etronia are descendants of this hero, and their congenital Talent was inherited from him. It is said that the Talent commanded by the royal family is the only Noble Talent stronger than [Hellfire].