The Hidden Keystone, page 32
Roustan shuddered at the mention of the demon. Freedom from Gamaliel was more precious than anything Guillaume could offer. Roustan clutched the leather satchel to his chest. “Yes, messire. I won’t fail you.”
“I know you won’t, Roustan.” Guillaume sat on the bed and patted the dead girl’s flaccid rump. “The Lords of Severity have little patience with those who fail to please.”
The Salt Lines duology concludes with The Final Shroud.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
THE HOLY LAND, 1099
Hugues’ five sacred points:
Achambaud de St. Amand
A knight and bodyguard to Godefroi de Bouillon.
Etienne de Champagne
An engineer and designer of Godefroi’s siege tower.
Godefroi de Bouillon
Duke of Lower Lorraine and one of the principal nobles commanding the siege of Jerusalem.
Godwera de Bouillon
Former wife of Baldwin de Bouillon. Believed to have died while travelling south from Constantinople. Disguised as a monk called ‘Gondemar’.
Hugues de Payens
Chaplain to Godefroi de Bouillon.
The Christian Nobility:
Baldwin de Bouillon
Younger, ambitious brother of Godefroi de Bouillon.
Diederic
A Flemish knight appointed to act as Godefroi’s bodyguard during the siege of Jerusalem.
Gaston de Bearn
A minor noble charged with the responsibility of overseeing the construction of Godefroi’s siege tower.
Raymond de Toulouse
Born Raymond St Gilles, now the Count of Toulouse. Godefroi’s fiercest adversary in the struggle to rule Jerusalem.
Robert de Normandy
Duke of Normandy and cousin to Robert of Flanders. One of Godefroi’s most important supporters.
Robert de Flanders
Duke of Flanders and cousin to Robert of Normandy. One of Godefroi’s most important supporters.
The Christian Clergy:
Arnulf de Chocques
Chaplain to the Duke of Normandy.
Peter Desiderius
A priest who claimed to have divine visions. Supporter of Count Raymond.
Peter de Narbonne
One of the most senior ranking clerics. Made Bishop of Albara by Count Raymond in September 1098.
Umayr’s Arabic Cabal:
ālim Sharif
An elderly Saracen warrior whose title translates roughly to “learned noble”.
Firyal
An elderly Saracen woman known to her people as The Seer.
Jalāl
An old Saracen man known to his people as The Alchemyst.
Tahīr
An old Saracen man known to his people as The Physick.
Umayr
A mysterious Saracen known to his people as the Qādī, which translates as a combination of “judge” and “master of the law”.
France, 1307
The Templar Commanderie:
Arnaud
A senior knight or chevalier.
Bertrand de Châtillon-sur-Seine
A newly made knight. Third, and much maligned, son of the Baron of Châtillon-sur-Seine.
Everard de Chaumont
Preceptor (i.e. commander) of the Templar Commanderie in Brienne-le-Château.
Laurent
A Chaplain at the Templar Commanderie in Brienne-le-Château.
Rémi
A sergeant and lifelong mentor to Bertrand.
Roland
A senior knight or chevalier.
Thibauld
Everard de Chaumont’s Seneschal.
Characters in France:
Guillaume de Nogaret
Keeper of the Seals for King Philippe and the king’s principal adviser.
Guillot
Abbot of a Cistercian Abbey.
Huon
A gamekeeper for Justine de Fontette.
Justine de Fontette
Former lover of Bertrand and widowed ruler of the estate at Fontette. Justine’s deceased husband was a vassal of Bertrand’s father, the Baron of Châtillon-sur-Seine.
King Philippe le Bel
Philippe the Fair, King of France, and fourth of that name.
Roard
A large knight and bodyguard to Salome.
Roustan de Toulouse
A ruthless agent of Guillaume de Nogaret.
Salome
A mysterious woman protected by Roard and Everard de Chaumont.
Mercy and Severity
The Lords of Mercy and Severity:
Gabriel
One of the five Lords of Mercy. Leads the angelic choir of the Cherubim.
Gamaliel
One of the five Lords of Severity. Opposes the archangel Gabriel.
Haniel
One of the five Lords of Mercy. Leads the angelic choir of the Elohim.
Lilith
One of the five Lords of Severity. Opposes the archangel Sandalphon.
Michael
One of the five Lords of Mercy. Leads the angelic choir of the Malachim.
Orev Zarak
One of the five Lords of Severity. Opposes the archangel Haniel.
Raphael
One of the five Lords of Mercy. Leads the angelic choir of the Beni Elohim.
Sammael
One of the five Lords of Severity. Opposes the archangel Raphael.
Sandalphon
One of the five Lords of Mercy. Leads the angelic choir of the Ishim.
Tagiriron
One of the five Lords of Severity. Opposes the archangel Michael.
GLOSSARY
Abaddon
Prison for the bodies of the Lords of Severity. Located in the seventh, and deepest, layer of Hell.
Adonai Melech
The divine name used to invoke the power of the tenth Sephirah called Malkuth.
Aloah v’Daat
The divine name used to invoke the power of the sixth Sephirah called Tipheret.
Baphomet
A mysterious term with a range of possible meanings, all of which derive their root from the ancient word for “wisdom”.
Bascinet
A helmet, typically worn over the top of a chainmail hood. The knight would usually wear a leather cap to protect his skull from chafing.
Bliaut
An over-gown worn by men and women during the Middle Ages. Typically, the men’s version was shorter in the hem, while women wore theirs to ankle length.
Ceinture
A thick belt worn around the waist, often with a bliaut.
Chevalier
“Knight” in French.
Compline
The evening devotion, usually held around nine in the evening. Forms part of the Liturgy of the Hours and is observed by monks and brothers of the Templar Order.
Elohim Tzabaoth
The divine name used to invoke the power of the eighth Sephirah called Hod.
Ein Sof
Translates roughly as “God the Unknowable”—that is, the aspect of God that is beyond human comprehension.
Franj
A collective term used by the Saracens to refer to all Franks and other Christian invaders.
Hod
Translates from Hebrew as “Glory” or “Splendour”. Hod is the eighth Sephirah in the Tree of Life and corresponds to reason, abstraction, logic and communication.
Holy Sepulchre
Located in Jerusalem, this is the most common name for the church built over the sites of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
Jehovah Tzabaoth
The divine name used to invoke the power of the seventh Sephirah called Netzach.
Kabbalah
The word “Kabbalah” literally means “to receive or accept”. Historians disagree over the timing of the emergence of the Kabbalah, but most agree that it derives its origins from rabbinic Judaism. Over time, the Kabbalah has been incorporated into Western mysticism.
Lords of Mercy
Five archangels who cleave to the Pillar of Mercy and fight for the restoration of the unity between Ein Sof and all His children.
Lords of Severity
Five archangels who cleave to the Pillar of Severity. Responsible for the expulsion of humanity from the Garden of Eden.
Malkuth
Translates from Hebrew as “the Kingdom”. Malkuth is the tenth Sephirah in the Tree of Life and corresponds to the material world, practicality and stability.
Matins
The morning devotion held at dawn. Forms part of the Liturgy of the Hours and is observed by monks and brothers of the Templar Order.
Menhir
An upright stone often with carved markings. Menhirs were used in ancient times as markers for sacred sites or meeting points.
Messire
From Old French, translating roughly as “My sir” or “sire”.
Milites
A Roman term the Franks borrowed to describe professionally trained infantry.
Netzach
Translates from Hebrew as “Victory” or “Endurance”. Netzach is the seventh Sephirah in the Tree of Life and corresponds to intuition, emotion and sensitivity.
Pedites
A Roman term the Franks borrowed to describe foot soldiers. Typically, poorly equipped compared to chevaliers and milites.
Pillar of Mercy
The right Pillar of Mercy belongs to the Tree of Knowledge that Adam and Eve ate from. It represents life, purity, and abundance.
Pillar of Severity
The left Pillar of Severity belongs to the Tree of Knowledge that Adam and Eve ate from. It represents death, corruption, and absence.
Pillar of Unity
The middle Pillar of Unity is an aspect of the Holy Shechinah and represents the one true path to God.
Saracen
A term used by Christians during the First Crusade to refer to all Moslems.
Seneschal
A senior official, or servant, in charge of a noble’s household.
Sephirah
Singular usage of Sephirot.
Sephirot
The Ten Sephirot are manifestations of God, often represented by medieval Kabbalists as spheres emanating outwards from Him through the Tree of Life. The Ten Sephirot are the source of life in the universe, moving from the abstract concept of Ein Sof that humanity cannot comprehend to the physical matter comprising our existence.
Shaddai el Chai
The divine name used to invoke the power of the ninth Sephirah Yesod.
Shechinah
The Holy Shechinah is the manifestation of God in the lower worlds separated from His direct presence, symbolised by the Pillar of Unity. In Christianity, the Holy Shechinah might correspond to the Holy Spirit.
Tafurs
Vicious peasants who participated in the armed pilgrimage to take Jerusalem from the Saracens.
Tipheret
Translates from Hebrew as “Beauty” or “Compassion”. Tipheret is the sixth Sephirah in the Tree of Life and corresponds to individuality, personality and the mind.
Tree of Life
The Tree of Life is a pictorial representation of the Ten Sephirot, showing the process of Creation. The Tree of Life is divided into three pillars: the left Pillar of Severity, the right Pillar of Mercy, and the middle Pillar of Unity.
Vespers
Devotion held at sunset. Forms part of the Liturgy of the Hours and is observed by monks and brothers of the Templar Order.
Yesod
Translates from Hebrew as “Foundation”. Yesod is the ninth Sephirah in the Tree of Life and corresponds to imagination, dreams and instinct.
Nathan Burrage, The Hidden Keystone
