Sitanni of the House of Voorlan bears the awesome titles of Prince of Nectar, Warmaster of the Western Lowlands, Lord of the Six Canals, Grandmaster of the Guilds, Keeper of the Locks, Guardian of the Scared Skull, and Protector of the Skies. Many who have met him dismiss the prince as mere libertine, a beast of pleasure devoted to his own appetites. First impressions can be deceiving. In fact, Sitanni is a very effective ruler with a keen intelligence and ruthless will. His enormous personal charisma makes people follow him without question and serves him well in diplomatic contests.
As prince of Nectar, Sitanni's chief goal is to preserve his city's security and prosperity. By skillful diplomacy he has avoided war. He is well aware that his army is still inexperienced and poorly armed. To encourage trade, he has adopted a policy of tolerance towards Terrans. His promotion of newfangled ideas has earned him many enemies, but so far his successes keep them at bay.
Sitanni chief personal problem is his lack of offspring. Though he has a wife and five concubines, the prince has not been able to sire any children. This is not a problem yet, but Sitanni fears what might happen if he should die with an infant heir or no heir at all. The city would be torn apart by factions trying to seize power and might well fall to Tossia or the Belgians.
Sitanni is a large, bear like Martian with a full beard. He seems bored and decadent, but that is only an act. With people he trusts, Sitanni is cleaver and energetic. He loves food, wine, women, and conversation. Strangers visiting Nectar may find themselves invited to the palace if they have anything interesting to say.
Jatshaar is the prince's personal secretary and advisor. He has grown wealthy over the years by collecting bribes from everyone who sees the prince. Jatshaar is loyal to Sitanni were deposed. The secretary is a famous miser, who goes to ridiculous extremes to save money. This trait carries over to his conduct of official business, which has earned him Sitanni's gratitude. Jatshaar only spends money on one thing - each week he visits a small private club in the Entertainment Sector, famous for catering to those with very unusual tastes.
Jatshaar is a small, pale Martian who wears simple, old-fashioned clothing in need of mending. He speaks little and listens a lot. For protection he keeps a dagger hidden in one sleeve.
Loshir is leader of the council of traders. He is from one of Nectar's oldest trading families. As a youth he was sent to the city of Melas to oversee his family's interest there. In Melas he married a local girl and prospered. The Belgian conquest ruined his business and his wife was killed in the bombardment of the city. Loshir fled with his infant daughter to Nectar and took his family's seat on the council. He is now the most powerful man in the city after Sitanni.
Loshir hates Terrans, hates modern technology and hates Prince Sitanni for tolerating the aliens. He constantly works to undermine the prince's reforms and would love to march back to Melas with an army, slaughtering every Terran in the way. Loshir has struck an alliance with the Tossian ambassador, hoping that with Nectar under the Empire's thumb, his dreams might come true.
Personally, Loshir is old, grim Martian. He wears with riches clothing possible, to show his wealth and status. At meetings and in public he can be cordial and polite, but in private is subject to violent rages. He is always accompanied by his personal guards.
Ashatoor commands the First Infantry Legion in the Nectarian Army. During the reign of Prince Faath, Ashatoor used some of his own funds to keep his Legion properly equipped and trained. Ashatoor is especially fond of gunnery and often personally fires the cannon signaling the closing of the gates. He is totally loyal to Nectar and the Prince, although he personally disagrees with Sitanni on almost every issue. The tow of them have long, friendly arguments and the Prince sometimes call Ashatoor "my sparring-partner."
Marchmaster Ashatoor has worn his ceremonial armor for so long that he is scarcely comfortable without it. His ramrod-straight posture and military bearing hide the fact that he is ill and aging rapidly. He is gruff but friendly to others and shows a great interest in the military affairs of other cities.
Boranni is Sitanni's younger half-brother and as such is next in line for the throne. He commands the Cavalry Legion and runs it like a private club for noblemen. When not drinking for hunting, he can be found gambling in the Entertainment Sector. Boranni is in lover with the Lady D'aara, Loshir's only daughter. The two of them have so far concealed their love, for neither family would approve of such a match.
Boranni looks like a younger, thinner version of Sitanni. He wears loud, expensive clothes and is horribly arrogant. Only when D'aara is around does Boranni behave. He has a great natural gift for making speeches and can get applause with even the most stupid ideas.
D'aara is the young and beautiful daughter of Loshir. She is a kind and generous woman, who hates all the restrictions and rituals that surround a Martian noblewoman. She dreams of adventure and escape. Now she is torn between the love for Boranni and the love for her father. D'aara loves the outdoors and is a great rider and hunter.
Zhaar Ashkhath is the most relentless of Nectar's Investigating Magistrates. He was blinded six years ago when a suspect tried to kill him with a bomb. Though sightless and half crippled, his drive to mete out justice is stronger than ever. Zhaar has gradually adopted the attitude that everyone is guilty of something. In person he is terrifying: a blind, crippled Martian in black, with incredible powers of deduction and no mercy at all.
Sergeant Sforza was cashiered from the Italian Army for theft. Disgraced, he left Earth to seek his fortune on Mars. In Nectar, he has found a home as the Swordmaster of the Prince's Marine Guard. Sforza is a brave man, eager to redeem his reputation. He is loyal to the Prince and respects him. The Sergeant is a large man with elaborate mustaches and a ready smile. He wears a Martian officer's helmet and breastplate with European-style trousers and boots. He is armed with a revolver and a sword and is an expert shot.
Mr. Pryne is the American Consul in Nectar. He is an earnest young man, who his living as a liftwood buyer for the U.S. Navy. As Consul, Pryne is responsible for protecting American citizens and interests in Nectar. He is ambitious and hopes to make a name for himself and enter politics. Mr. Pryne can be very stubborn once he has made up his mind. For recreation he enjoys mountaineering and hops to someday tackle Mons Olympus. He is very tall, with a long face and a pointed chin. His hair is cut short stands up straight.
Monsieur Noir is the Belgian Minister to Nectar. He is the highest-ranking Terran diplomat in the city, though a mere Minister he ranks behind all the Martian ambassadors in precedence. His job in Nectar is to halt the flow of arms to the Coprates Valley and neutralize rebel supporters in the city. Noir is a boastful spendthrift, impressed with his own importance and determined to let everyone know about it. But he is not a complete fool and is willing to use any means necessary to accomplish his task. He has a large number of spies and assassins on his payroll. Noir is a keen amateur botanist and has a large collection of Martian plants growing in the Ministry garden.
Doctor Pamplemouse is the French Consul in Nectar. He is a young many for the job and took the position chiefly from a desire to see someplace exotic. He is also the chief physician for the Terran community in Nectar. As French Consul, his job is to preserve the status quo. French interests would certainly suffer is any changes came to Nectar. Nevertheless, Pamplemouse has a great belief in justice and fairness and the reports from the Coprates make his conscience uneasy. Auguste Pamplemouse is a very powerfully-built man and quite a dandy. He spends most of him time at the front table in the Cafe' Francais.
Ambassador Khaarshok is the representative of the Tossian Empire in Nectar. He is well aware that he represents the greatest Empire on Mars and doesn't ley anyone forget it, either. Frequently he acts almost like a viceroy or governor in his dealings with Prince Sitanni. Behind every kind word he says, the thirty-three legions of the Tossian Army and the hundred ships of the Imperial Navy loom. He is a deadly shot with a bow and occasionally brings down birds in the Embassy courtyard. Ambassador Khaarshok is protected by his own private force of guards. There are sixteen Tossian Imperial Marines at the embassy and all are formidable soldiers.
Dr. Armitage is the president of the American University of Nectar. He is both a scientist and a missionary and at times his two callings interfere with each other. Dr. Armitage is a devout Methodist who fervently believes in his mission to bring Christ to the Martians. On the other hand, he is a leading archaeologist, fascinated by Martian antiquities. At home in Massachusetts he was an avid sailor and has learned to handle the ships that soar through the skies of Mars. He runs the school with great care and economy, and is well-liked by the faculty. Dr. Armitage is a well-fed man with gray hair and bushy sideburns.
Big Jack Slade is a powerfully-built, sun-bronzed Australian. He is alway very cheerful and glad to meet new or old friends. Big Jack always has some scheme afoot to make him and everyone involved fantastically rich. It just requires a little money, a smidgen of risk and a teeny bit of illegality to work. Big Jack Slade is not precisely a coward - certainly it requires some kind of courage to get into the incredibly dangerous situations he does. But when actual combat is threatened, Jack usually finds someplace else to be. The only thing he learned during a short stint in the army was how to blow up buildings.
Big Jack has found a publisher willing to pay for his adventures. He sends off highly imaginative retellings of his various escapades, which are rewritten by a pack of hack writers in New York and published as paperback dime novels for boys. Adventurers who get involved with Big Jack may be startled to find themselves turning up as characters in the next Big Jack Slade book.
Sheerala is a courtesan in the Entertainment Sector. She is skilled in music, dance, poetry, and all the arts of seduction. Sheerala is a breathtakingly beautiful Martian woman. Her Hill Martian blood shows in her reddish hair and deep gold skin. She is secretly in love with John Pryne, the American Consul; they met when she accompanied a wealthy merchant to a reception at the Consulate. Sheerala is a proud woman and has not told Pryne of her love because she fears he would look down on her as a "fallen woman." She is also a shrewd business woman, who is investing wisely for her later years.
Dakhaat commands the Hesperian Free Legion, a mercenary outfit hired by Prince Sitanni. Dakhaat is loyal to his employer and so far nobody has been able to offer him a large enough bribe to make him betray the Prince. He is quite extravagant with his own money and frequently blows huge sums at the gambling-houses. His debts may someday get him into trouble. Dakhaat is a master of unarmed combat, particularly the Martian art of Gha-faa.
Monsieur Leblanc is the publisher of Le Matin. He is a caustic, cynical man with a wicked sense of humor. He was forced to leave the French colony at Ideaus Fons after killing a man in a duel. Leblanc is very headstrong and hard to intimidate. He conceals an idealistic streak behind a world-weary facade. Monsieur Leblanc has a great interest in Martian antiquities and often spends long hours with Dr. Armitage discussing recent finds. Ever since some thugs hired by Loshir threatened him, Leblanc carries a pistol in his coat pocket. Monsieur Leblanc is a small, bald man with a neatly-waxed mustache and beard.
Mme. Kerensky, known to one and all as "Madame," operates the Cafe' Francais in the Residential Sector. The Cafe' is the center of social life for the Terran community in Nectar and Madame revels in her role of den mother for expatriates. Madame is vague about her past, but she has been married at least twice. As she readily admits, Mme. Kerensky has a terrible weakness for handsome men - among the Terrans she is notorious for her love affairs. She is generous and warmhearted, often advancing money to customers who are in need of funds.
Mme. Kerensky is an attractive middle-aged woman about five feet tall, with dyed red hair and a slight Russian accent. She wears Martian style gowns and smokes small cigars. Madame is a crack shot with a rifle and keeps a Winchester hidden in the Cafe' for emergencies.
Jabaal was once Captain of the Guard in the city of Melas Lacus (now Copratia). He was captured during the Belgian conquest and sent to the Gumme plantations. After escaping to Nectar he discovered that he was infected with the horrible disease Che'peech and was banished to the Mortuary Sector. There among the dead and the dying, he built a criminal empire. From his lair in the ruins Jabaal now controls much of Nectar's underworld. He hates almost everyone: Belgians, Terrans in general, the healthy Martians who drove him into hiding and the pathetic creatures who follow him. His hatred keeps Jabaal going, despite constant pain. He is a born leader and a tactical genius. Jabaal is still fairly strong, though his features are rotting away. He carries a knife and often uses it.
Mi'inda claims to be the only surviving member of the ruling house of Melas. (Though some who knew the Princess Mi'inda dispute that, for she would now be only in her teens.) She arrived in Nectar a few years ago with an entourage of adventurers and a mysterious supply of gold. Mi'inda formed an alliance with some American businessmen looking for a Martian partner and is now the local director of the American Cargo and Mechanical Equipment Company. Under her management, the company has prospered, particularly in the area of arms sales. She is a staunch supporter of Prince Sitanni and a bitter foe of the Belgians. When the auction seat on the Council of Traders comes up for bid next, Mi'inda plans to buy it.
Mi'inda is a tall woman, graceful though not beautiful. She is a superb public speaker. Mi'inda keeps houses in both the Residential Sector and the Mercantile Sector. She always goes about with a bodyguard and keeps a gun and a knife hidden on her person.
Ukhaarti is an operator. He gets things done. He makes things happen. He guarantees results. Ukhaarti specializes in obtaining permits and documents through a combination of theft, bribery, and forgery. He knows how to navigate the currents of Nectarian society, dealing with bureaucrats, merchants and criminals alike. His services always require a fee, of course. Ukhaarti is a small, oily Martian who smokes incessantly. His face wears a melancholy expression unless money is visible. Return to Top
©1995, 1998 The Familiar, LTD. Illustrations are ©1995, 1998 David Flora. All Rights Reserved.