Wayfarer Redemption is the name of two trilogies that were released as a single six-book series in the U.S. by fantasy author Sara Douglass, and subdivided into two trilogies: the Axis trilogy, and the Wayfarer Redemption trilogy. This sequence is followed by the Darkglass Mountain trilogy.
Setting
The series is set in a fictitious land containing the lands of Tencendor, Coroleas, Escator and Isembaard.
Origin myths
The background of the series is quite extensive, and the events featured in the novels stem from a series of events that began thousands of years before the beginning of the first book.
The Timekeepers and the Enemy
The events of the Axis and Wayfarer Redemption trilogies transpired as a result of the actions of demons called Timekeepers who each spread plagues in accordance with the times of days when they were strongest.
- Mot ruled dawn, a time of hunger,
- Barzula ruled mid-morning, a time of tempest,
- Sheol ruled mid-afternoon, a time of despair,
- Raspu ruled dusk, a time of pestilence,
- Rox ruled night, a time of terror,
- Qeteb , was their leader. He ruled Mid-day, a time of destruction, and was considered to be the greatest demon.
In the historical events, the people under attack by the demons, the so-called "Enemy of the Timekeepers" (who from clues given in the novels are in fact the inhabitants of Earth), used 'reflective' spells to allow the people of Earth to send Qeteb's destruction back at him and dismember him into his lifeparts: warmth, breath, soul, and movement. They then sent four spaceships across the universe with Qeteb's lifeparts in order to lure the other demons away. Instead, the demons killed every person on the planet and followed after Qeteb.
The spacecraft traveled through the universe for many thousands of years and absorbed some of the magic of the stars. The spaceships eventually landed in a new world, creating the Star Gate in the process. The night when the spaceships crashed onto the new planet of Tencendor is remembered as fire night, when fire rained down from the heavens.
The four spacecrafts created craters when they landed, and each filled with water. Over time, they came to be called the Four Sacred Lakes. Each lake held some of the magic of the stars.
The sole survivor of the "Enemy" was a man named Devereaux, who later took the name "Noah", in honour of the 'arks' he commanded.
The Enchantress and the Children of Urbeth
The first recorded humanoid in Tencendor to wield the magic of the stars was referred to as "The Enchantress", the mother of the Icarii, who was known by the ring on her finger titled 'the Circle of Stars'. It is later discovered that the Enchantress is none other than Urbeth, the great bear of the Northern Wastes who birthed five children and consequently most of the peoples of Tencendor:
- the eldest son of Urbeth who was fathered by Noah, who went on to father the Acharites and rejected the magic of the stars.
- the middle son of Urbeth of an unknown father, who himself fathered the Charonites and discovered the secrets of the underworld
- the youngest son of Urbeth who was fathered by a sparrow, who in turn fathered the Icarii race and discovered the music of the stars
- twin daughters by an unknown father, who live as bears in the Northern Wastes and later engage the Timekeeper Demons in battle.
The races of Tencendor and neighboring countries
The Icarii
Sometimes referred to as the People of the Wing, the Icarii are descendants of the third son of Urbeth who was fathered by a sparrow, thus they possess aspects of both bird and human; brilliant wings, bright eyes and indescribable grace. The average lifespan of an Icarii is five hundred years, of which almost the entirety is spent in their physical prime. Conversely, they also find it much harder to reproduce than other races and thus they view all children as precious gifts.
During the course of the Wayfarer Redemption, the Icarii resided in the mountain range known as the Minaret Peaks, allowing them to soar on thermals at whim. It also served as a sanctuary when the Acharites initiated a war against them. Afterward during the course of Serpent Bride, the Icarii reside in scattered groups around Coroleas, Escator and neighbouring countries.
The ruling family of the Icarii are known as the Sunsoars, one of whom leads the race in a position referred to as the Talon. While they are the most powerful family of the Icarii race, they are also cursed by their ancestor, the sparrow; they may love no one who is not also of Sunsoar blood. Which means marriages between cousins, grandparents and grandchildren and the like are common within the family.
Many of the Icarii are also Enchanters, who wield a magic called the Star Dance which is manipulated through song and dance. Each Icarii Enchanter also incorporates the word 'Star' within their name. The Star Dance is the music the stars make in the heavens and is constantly present in an Enchanter's life, saturating every moment so that life is near meaningless without it. A counterpoint to the Star Dance also exists, known as the Dance of Death, which is the music made when stars miss their step and crash into each other, or swell up into red giants and implode. While the Star Dance cannot be used for directly violent purposes, the Dance of Death does very little but impart violence. Fortunately only a handful of Icarii have shown any ability to wield the latter.
The Icarii also have a relationship somewhere between worship and respect for nine beings who are known as the Star Gods; people who have united with the Star Dance itself and become immensely powerful and immortal. The Star Gods are honoured on the Island of Mist and Memory, which has been maintained by the people of Nor since the Icarii were driven from most of Tencendor by the Acharites. It has since been reclaimed by the Icarii.
The Star Dance and the Dance of Death are channeled through the Star Gate, a portal into the greater universe which was created when the Enemy of the Timekeepers crashed through the barrier between the universe and the world.
When the Timekeeper Demons eventually follow "the Enemy" to Tencendor they shatter the Star Gate upon arrival; destroying the magic of the Icarii and their gods. As a result, only those few Icarii with Acharite heritage who have died and been resurrected are capable of wielding enchantment of any sort.
The Lealfast
The Lealfast are a race of beings who reside far to the north of Tencendor and Escator in the Frozen Wastes with their lord Lister; who is the human manifestation of Light. They closely resemble the Icarii save for a paler, more ethereal appearance and the suggestion of frost about their persons.
It is theorised by both Axis and StarDrifter that the Lealfast are descendants of those Icarii who chose to flee from persecution by the Acharites in the fear that seclusion in their mountain cities would not be safe enough. They entered into the most northern parts of the Frozen Wastes and in order to continue as a people, Axis believes they were required to interbreed with the Skraelings. This theory is seemingly supported by BroadWing who reports ghostly Icarii flying within a storm accompanied by whispers normally associated with the Skraelings. They have also demonstrated the ability to use the Star Dance in some unknown fashion to create frost, fashion communication devices and travel long distances in an instant, despite the Timekeeper's destruction of the Star Gate.
It is shown in the second book in the Darkglass Mountain Trilogy that one of the original Icarii who fled North to escape the Acharites was raped by a skraeling. This rape resulted in the birth of over 500 children because skraelings only need to mate once per life to reproduce. These babies and their descendents became the Lealfast.
The Charonites
The Charonites are descendants of Urbeth's middle son of an unknown father. As a people they have been all but forgotten by the peoples of Tencendor and its neighbours. The Charon were a deep and reflective people who searched for the secrets hidden beneath the earth; living in and exploring the underground waterways that were connected to the Four Sacred Lakes. By using these waterways to create certain patterns, much like the Icarii create patterns with song and dance, the Charonites are able to wield the magic of the stars.
The race of the Charonites have tremendously long lifespans, but bear very few children. Eventually, their race was reduced to six people; the five Sentinels who died in the formation of the weapon required to defeat first Gorgrael and then Qeteb, and Orr the Ferryman who was killed by Dragonstar Sunsoar in the days before the Timekeeper Demons arrived on Tencendor. Now the sole legacy of the Charonites is Orr's Icarii apprentice SpikeFeather.
The Acharites
The Acharites are descended from Urbeth's eldest son who was fathered by Noah, the Enemy of the Timekeepers. As a people, the Acharites are stolid, sensible, loyal and courageous. They are a family oriented people who prefer predictability to change and adventure. They do well at cultivation and at trade, but rarely aspire to the scholarly arts. Few of them travel beyond the borders of the known, whether in a literal or metaphorica
SARA RETURNS TO DANCING - News - Country Weekly Magazine
Sara Evans is expected to return for the season finale of the ABC series Dancing With the Stars , Wednesday night, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. ET.
iVillage | Dancing with the Stars Sara Evans - iVillage
Country star, Sara Evans, who last week stunned fans with her sudden departure from Dancing With The Stars, has taped an interview for tomorrow nights show to expain why she quit.
Former 'Dancing' star Sara Evans says husband is stalling divorce ...
Country singer Sara Evans filed a motion in a Tennessee court accusing her estranged husband, Craig Schelske, of stalling in their divorce proceedings.
iVillage | Dancing with the Stars Sara Evans - iVillage
As seen on The Daily Blabber, Sara Evans has reportedly bowed out of the show! No word yet on how they'll handle the departure, but one can only imagine how this is going to affect ...
Dancing With The Stars Team Sara Evans and Tony Dovolani
See pictures and get to know Tucker Carlson and Elena Grinenko, Monique Coleman and Van Amstel, Sara Evans and Tony Dovonali, Willa Ford and Maksom Chmerkovskly, Vivica A. Fox and ...
Sara Evans quits ‘Dancing with the Stars’ - Dancing With the Stars ...
Country singer Sara Evans on Thursday announced she was filing for divorce and quitting the “Dancing With the Stars” television competition.
Sara Willcutt | Ascending Star Dance
About: I started Ascending Star Dance to connect and inform the dance community. With the help of interns, web designers, graphic artists, dancers, dance teachers ...
MySpace - Ascending Star Dance - 27 - Female - MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota ...
Ascending Star Dance 's Latest Blog Entry [Subscribe to this Blog] Open House: FREE ... hi Sara, the site looks great!! - Kate
Sara Evans Dancing With The Stars Photo Gallery
View photos of Sara Evans and Tony Dovolani having to do with their participation on 'Dancing With The Stars.'
Husband asks former 'Dancing' star Sara Evans to admit to affairs ...
By Christopher Rocchio, 09/08/2007 Craig Schelske, the estranged husband of former third-season Dancing with the Stars participant Sara Evans, has filed a 118-page court document ...