Mr Jarvis’ Book of the Dead | The Oaken Throne

Gravestones at Whitby abbey
In this post we record for posterity and remembrance the names of all those who have fallen to the fatal stroke of Mr Jarvis’ pen. Hero, villain, or neither, we honour their sacrifice for the greater myth of the story.

The deceased of The Oaken Throne are as follows: 

THE STARWIFE   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 1)  The Handmaiden of Orion who ruled wisely over all Greenreach and the squirrel realms was cruelly put to death by her former handmaiden, Morwenna. Though the Starwife’s forces were slaughtered by the armies of Hrethel and the sacred hill taken, she succeeded in passing on her symbol of office before her demise. Orion shines for her.

THE UNNAMED PEREGRINE LORD   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 1 – The Oaken Throne | Ch 2)  This most courageous example of his kind gave his life in the service of the Starwife. It was he who bore the silver to the realm of Coll Regalis, and his valiant deed shall be remembered in the tapestry of history.

HEGYLR   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 3)  Knight of the Moon and warrior under Rohgar, Heglyr took his own life when he was captured by the forces of Coll Regalis. He chose to die rather than betray his brethren, and though his sacrifice was ultimately in vain, he will be missed by his kin.

THE LADY NINNIA [CALLED ‘THE WISE’]   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 2 – The Oaken Throne| Ch 4)  Queen of the Hazel Realm, Ninnia, mother of Ysabelle, gave her life to ensure that the future Starwife was able begin her journey to Greenreach in safety. Ninnia served her people with selfless grace for most of her life, and all the realms weep for her loss.

THE LORD CYLLINUS   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 2 – The Oaken Throne | Ch 4)  Consort of Ninnia and loving father of Ysabelle, Cyllinus sacrificed himself along with his wife so that their daughter might live. He was slain when the forces of Rohgar assailed Coll Regalis, and is remembered as a kind and noble soul.

THE FOLK OF COLL REGALIS [INCLUDING: BERGIL MUIN, AND THE FAMILY OF WARDEN MUGWORT – PENDA, SORREL, AND BELLINIA, AS WELL AS MANY UNNAMED]     (The Oaken Throne | Ch 4)  Left defenceless in accordance with Ninnia’s dire but necessary decree, many folk of the Hazel Realm perished to the fire-eggs of the bats on the night of Ysabelle’s departure. They join the countless other innocents who lost their lives in the bat-squirrel wars, and may the peace of the Green be with them all.

ULRIC   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 4)  Brave sentry of the Hazel Realm, Ulric was one of the first to be slain on the night of the Hobber raid upon Ysabelle’s host.

ORNUS   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 4)  Another sentry who lost his life when the Children of the Raith Sidhe attacked, Ornus is remembered alongside Ulric following a lifetime of service to the Hazel Realm.

GWYDION   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 5)  The first of Ysabelle’s force to be sacrificed in the Ring of Banbha. Slain in the unholy name of Hobb, this unfortunate sentry’s fate is eternal suffering in the unlit regions of the Pit.

 WARDEN FELAGO   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 5)  The second sentry to be sacrificed to Hobb on the terrible Night of Elderfire. In his blood was the silver acorn tempered, and though he died dedicating himself to the Hazel Realm, his fate was ultimately the same as Gwydion’s.

SAMUEL MUIN   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 5)  One of the most stalwart members of Ysabelle’s escort, this squirrel warrior fell defending his Queen and her adviser from the Children of the Raith Sidhe. Slain by the arrow, he has joined his family in the Green.

GODFREY GELENOS   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 2 – The Oaken Throne Ch 5)  Scholar and lore-master of Coll Regalis, adviser to the Lady Ninnia, Godfrey was Ysabelle’s tutor and later her royal councillor. He died undertaking what may have been the bravest act of his life – wresting the silver acorn from the claws of the High Priest of Hobb as the Ring of Banbha burned around him. Godfrey gave his life so that Ysabelle might flee with the symbol of the Starwifeship, bearing it to safety, and his sacrifice shall be forever honoured along with that of the Lady Ninnia and Lord Cyllinus. May the Green bless and keep him.

POUNTFREY AND MAHTILD   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 8)  This mouse couple lived near the holy Well of Ruis all their lives. Forswearing to join the armed resistance against the Children of the Raith Sidhe, their well-intentioned pursuit of peace was rewarded with a grisly execution at the claws of the cult.

TYSLE SYMKYN   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 6 – The Oaken Throne Ch 12)  Most doughty and stout-hearted of shrews, Tysle spent the latter part of his life on pilgrimage to the land of Greenreach with his master and companion, the mole Giraldus. Lamentably, Tysle never reached his destination – he was murdered by Wendel Maculatum for discovering the truth of that fiend’s identity as High Priest of Hobb. Tysle was mourned by all who knew and loved him, but most grievously by Giraldus. Today, the memory of this humble but valiant pilgrim is honoured by the shrews on Tysle Day, and Tysle himself is said among them to be the only creature ever to pass into the Green despite being slain in the name of Hobb.

GIRALDUS   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 6 – The Oaken Throne | Ch 12)  A devout disciple of the Green and one of the most revered and beloved pilgrims in history, Giraldus sought the land of Greenreach in the hope that entering its sacred environs might cure him of his leprosy. He never completed his quest, choosing instead to sacrifice his life to defeat the High Priest of Hobb. Among the moles, it is said that the spirit of his guide and companion, Tysle, appeared at the hour of Giraldus’ demise to guide him unto the Green hereafter. It is due to the legacy of Tysle and Giraldus that the shrews and moles have the accord that they do today.

WENDEL MACULATUM [HIGH PRIEST OF HOBB]   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 2 – The Oaken Throne | Ch 12)  In the guise of a travelling jester, Wendel inveigled his way into the affections of the Lady Ysabelle and her party, and so attempted to lead them to their doom. His true goal was attainment of the silver acorn for the glory of his diabolic master, but after numerous acts of perfidy and deceit, he was slain by the mole Giraldus as vengeance for the death of Tysle. Born in the Sign of the Bloodybones, Wendel was ever meant for Hobb, and by that Lord’s decree was he raised high. In death he fulfilled the curse he had laid upon the Moonrider Vespertilio, and through grief for her beloved was the Lady Ysabelle bound to the Starwifeship once and for all. By the Children of the Raith Sidhe, Wendel is murmured of as the Ruis King; he who brings their damned souls before the Three Thrones for judgement. A dread figure of mystery and myth, his name is rarely invoked even by the current priesthood.

WARDEN MUGWORT   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 14)  Most renowned warrior of Coll Regalis, Warden Mugwort took the leadership of Ysabelle’s army upon himself following the loss of his sovereign to the wild wood. He was among the countless creatures who died in the final confrontation between the forces of the Lady and the Green against the Children of the Raith Sidhe. May peace find him, and all those who were slain on that hellish night.

THE LADY MORWENNA [HIGH PRIESTESS OF MABB]   (The Oaken Throne | Ch 1 – The Oaken Throne Ch 14)  Arch-traitor to the Starwife and her realms, Morwenna’s name remains unspoken and accursed by the folk of Greenreach. By the power of the silver acorn did she seek to raise again the Three Thrones, and by that power was she thwarted. Though she was vanquished in the fires of Hobb’s arising, her’s is a place of honour under the Lady Mabb, and it is said that she, like Wendel, remains unfettered by the bonds of Death.

VESPERTILIO [KNIGHT OF THE MOON]   (The Oaken Throne | Prologue – The Oaken Throne | Epilogue)  Along with the Lady Ysabelle, Vespertilio, bravest of Moonriders, was immortalised in legend for uniting the forces of bat and squirrel against the unholy legions of the Raith Sidhe. The love of the young bat and the squirrel maiden brought an end to the terrible wars of their kin, but, in accordance with the curse laid upon him by the High Priest of Hobb, it was Vespertilio’s fate to perish while still in the summer of his youth. Denied a lifetime of happiness with her beloved, Ysabelle acceded the Oaken Throne and reigned as Starwife for many ages, and though she grew wise she was never again seen to smile.

One thought on “Mr Jarvis’ Book of the Dead | The Oaken Throne

  1. Wow – I think this may be the longest list of dead Robin Jarvis characters yet! This book truly was a tragedy in Shakespearean style. Barely anyone was left alive.

    Oh, poor Gwydion and Felago! Their fate is dreadful! :O

    As I recall there was one other (unnamed) sentry murdered at the Ring of Banbha, but he is only mentioned briefly and is easy to miss in between Gwydion’s hysterics and Felago’s stoicism in the face of death.

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