Ulldart

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Ulldart is the title of a series of fantasy novels by the German writer Markus Heitz , the volumes of which have been published since 2002.

Markus Heitz created an extensive fictional world that is based on the background of the 17th and 18th centuries. The center of this world is the continent Ulldart , which is also the title of the series. At the heart of the plot is a prophecy that says that in the event of the Prince of Tarpol's death, the so-called Dark Era will return. The world still lives in peace, but there are problems with the interpretation of whether it means “at the death of the prince” or “if the death of the prince does not occur”.

From this, an interwoven storyline with numerous modified allusions to motifs from classic novels and modern fantasy literature as well as corresponding computer role-playing games is developed, which increasingly branches out and steadily introduces further secondary scenes and new people of various kinds. The main character Lodrik Bardri ¢ develops in the course of the first six volumes from a spoiled, chubby prince who loves biscuits above all else to the good-natured, beloved ruler of the entire continent. According to the author, it represents “ the motive of the fat, youthful failure who gradually matures and tries everything to abolish existing injustice and to create justice ” and “ the motive of being guilty because the main character at some point or another because of external pressure no longer knows how to help and reaches for the dark, others literally drive him into the arms of evil ”,“ which appears once in brutal form, another time with perfect friendliness and unscrupulous cunning ”.

The first novel in the series, Ulldart - Die dunkle Zeit 1 , received the German Fantasy Prize 2003 in the category Best Novel Debut National .

Edition history

The first five consecutive volumes in the series were published by Heyne Verlag under the title " Ulldart - The Dark Time " . Due to extensive text abbreviations and the merging of the fifth and sixth volumes by Heyne Verlag, Heitz switched to Munich-based Piper Verlag , where all six volumes have now appeared in a new design and full length.

A second series, " Ulldart - The Time of the New ", is also published by Piper Verlag and continues the story of Ulldart. So far, three novels with the titles " Ulldart - Trügerischer Friede ", " Ulldart - Burning Continents " and " Ulldart - Fatal Legacy " have been published in this series. The author reserves the right to continue.

Four edited volumes have also been published by Piper. Volumes one to three each contain two volumes from the first row “The Dark Time”. The fourth volume contains the three volumes of the second series “The time of the new”.

Since 2006, three playbooks have also been published by Pegasus Press in which the reader can interactively assume the role of the hero. They are titled “ Messenger of Death ”, “ Escape from Rogogard ” and “ Perdors Untergan ”.

content

Dark time

The novel cycle begins with a journey by the spoiled, plump “cookie prince” Lodrik Bardri ¢ , who is sent to a distant province by his father, the ruler, called Kabcar of Tarpol , to gain political experience as governor. His true identity is kept secret, only his companions, the servant Stoiko Gijuschka and his bodyguard Valyakov know them. During his stay in the province , the prince, with the help of his two confidants, develops into a slim and politically educated young man. With his orders he made life easier for the provincial population, but created enemies among the nobility . During this time Lodrik turns from Ulldrael the Righteous , the main god Ulldart, and Tzulan, the burned god . This gives him magical abilities without being immediately aware of it. In the provinces, Lodrik met his friend Ijuscha Miklanowo and through him his future lover Norina Miklanowo .

After the death of his father, Lodrik takes his place as Kabcar of Tarpol and reforms the country with the aim of improving the living conditions of the common people. His friends Stoiko, Valyakov and Norina help him with this. His measures anger the nobility and the Brojak population , who suffer a loss of power as a result. At the same time he involuntarily provokes the peoples of his neighboring countries. He survived an assassination attempt and got to know, among others, Nerestro from Kuraschka and Brother Matuc , a monk of the god Ulldrael . Due to a clause in his father's will, Lodrik is forced to marry his hated cousin Aljascha Radka Bardri ¢ . Although she becomes his rightful wife, Lodrik only loves Norina, with whom he wants to change his kingdom together. A kind of civil war is brewing in Tarpol when Mortva Nesreca appears, a strange man who poses as Lodrik's cousin and who allegedly wants to stand by him. As a consultant at Lodrik's side, he displaces Stoiko's place and teaches the Kabcar how to use magic, which he is now aware of. In the battle of Dujulev Lodrik receives unexpected help from the Burned God himself, who sends him his faithful servant Sinured the animal . This generally hated figure has returned from the sea after 400 years to support Lodrik in the fight against the Borasgotans. Because of his new warrior, Lodrik becomes enemies with the entire continent. He no longer heeded the advice of his closest friends. His adviser Nesreca drives out or destroys Lodrik's loyal friends one after the other and persuades him that his beloved Norina is pregnant with the bodyguard's child, who actually came from Lodrik himself. She escapes with him and gives birth to her son with the help of the fateful woman Fatja on stormy seas, but is soon separated from him. On the distant continent of Kalistron , pirates sell her as a slave and lose her memory. Lodrik's scheming advisor, on the other hand, joins the Kabcara , Lodrik's wife. He raises the couple's triplets at his discretion and incites them against the father. Meanwhile, Lodrik continues to expand his empire, but now intends to help the continent to become a democracy.

Meanwhile, the son of Lodrik and Norina is growing up on Kalistron . He is brought up by brother Matuc and the fateful seer Fatja , who many years ago foresaw the fate of the former Tadc Lodrik and also predicted that Lorin, the son, would one day save the fate of Ulldart. Lodrik's former bodyguard Waljakov found his way to them and from then on taught the son of his former protégé just as he did his father.

In the south of the continent of Ulldart, the last enemies of the Kabcar are gathering and fighting as a confederation against Lodrik. One of the opponents, King Perdór of Ilfaris , retreats with his court jester Fiorell to Kensustria , the last stand against Lodrik. A water barrier prevents any contact with the realm. Lodrik's armies close around the mysterious Kensustrians, and Lodrik, who has finally come to his senses again, wants to get rid of the troublemaker on Ulldart and sends his wife Aljascha into exile. When he wants to eliminate Nesreca and other opponents, he is instead sneakily murdered by his son Govan, one of the triplets. He then ascends the throne and becomes ruler of all of Ulldart. He decides to make one last campaign against Kensustria with the aim of conquering the whole world. His last opponent, his half-brother Lorin, is stuck on the continent of Kalisstron .

Little by little, Govan revokes all reforms of his popular father and sets Tzulan in place of Ulldrael as the official god of his kingdom. Driven by megalomania , he wants to be crowned Carije , Emperor Ulldarts. The people, again forced into serfdom , hate him for it. The conquest of Kensustria proves difficult, but Govan manages to get rid of his last enemies within his realm. This includes above all the Order of the High Swords under Nerestro von Kuraschka. Nesreca, who believed that he had his young pupil under control, soon discovered that he was superior to him and therefore mimed the obedient adviser while intriguing against him . Meanwhile, Govan not only wants to gain even more power, but also desires his sister, to whose possession he believes as God he has a right.

After a few branches in the further course of the plot it turns out that Govan's father Lodrik escaped the realm of the dead despite his murder and became a necromancer . With an army of ghosts he moves to Kensustria, where he is forgiven for all his previous deeds. He also manages to get the Tarpol troops, whose kabcar he was once, to turn away from Govan. The last opponents of his son join forces with him to attack him and eradicate the evil of Ulldart. On the level where Sinured's army was once defeated, they face the seemingly overwhelming enemy. Together, the Kensustrians, Ilfarites, Tarpolers, Lodrik with their spirits, Stoiko and the survivors from the continent of Kalisstron can weaken the enemy. Lodrik kills Nesreca, Sinured dies, Govan is defeated by Lorin and Tokaro von Kuraschka - the adopted son of Nerestro -, who turn out to be half-brothers in the course of the story, and only Zvatochna manages to escape, but is pursued and killed by Lodrik's ghosts. The Tzulandrian troops surrender and it ultimately looks as if all evil has been wiped out from Ulldart.

Time for the new

After the successful battle against the insane Carije Govan, Ulldart is back to everyday life. The rich have common goals and hope for a peaceful future. Norina becomes Kabcara of Tarpol, and sensible rulers terrified by war begin a new beginning in the other realms as well. As a mediator, King Perdór of Ilfaris keeps the empires together and continues to control - but now more precisely - with his spies the peace on the continent. But soon new terrifying events are looming. In the midst of intrigues, the new Kabcar Raspot the first of Borasgotan begins his office and in Granburg the scheming and malicious former Kabcara Aljascha is already forging her plans for a renewed takeover of power in Tarpol. In Ammtàra, too, events come thick and fast. During a visit by a delegation of Kensustrians, it turns out that Belkala had such an influence on the construction of the city that its name and layout border on heresy. The priests threaten to destroy the city if it is not rebuilt and renamed. When this delegation was murdered in the middle of Ammtára, everything got out of hand. The chairman of the meeting of the True Pashtak , Belkala's daughter Estra , Tokaro von Kuraschka and the “ insatiable ” Gán set out for Kensustria to negotiate a peaceful settlement. The Kensustrians are only willing to find a peaceful solution if Estra, the daughter of the heretic, stays with them, which the amorous knight Tokaro does not want to allow, which is why he kidnaps her. With that he seems to have sealed the fate of Ammtára, but unexpectedly a force of green hair appears and destroys the entire army of the Kensustrians. It turns out that they are residents of a distant continent, called Nicti , who are looking for Kensustria and want to wipe the land out completely. They venerate the dead Belkala as a saint and see Ammtára as their work and sanctuary. Aljascha raises her and Nesreca's son Vahidin in Granburg and with the help of the Tzulani who are left on Ulldart, who worship Vahidin as their "silver god", she manages to regain the throne of her old barony Kostromo. Meanwhile, in Borasgotan, after the grotesque murder of the Kabcar, his wife, the mysterious Elenja, whose face has not yet been seen because of a veil, has taken control. While she is on a state visit to Tarpol, she is identified as a necromancer by Soscha Zabranskoi , a “magic seer”. Before Sosha can warn anyone, Elenja kills her. However, her soul manages to stay in the world and she can tell Lodrik Bardri ¢ of her discovery. Despite her hatred of the former Kabcar, she follows him to avenge her death on Elenja. On the hunt for the necromancer, who turns out to be Lodrik's daughter Zvatochna, who is thought to be dead, the two meet Stoiko and Waljakov, who continue to accompany them. Zvatochna succeeds in luring Norina to Borasgotan and at the same time inviting her mother Aljascha with her son Vahidin. The insidious necromancer kills her mother and weakens her half-brother Vahidin. Only the timely arrival of Lodrik, Stoiko and Valjakov prevents her from killing Norina and she escapes. Lodrik pursues her north, where she wipes out all Tzulandrians in a port city and recruits them to her army of souls, with whom she then flees across the sea. Lodrik goes to Ilfaris to tell Perdór about it.

In the south, another problem has come across the sea to Ulldart: Alana II, ruler of Tersion, has returned after the war to claim her throne again. She and her husband, the emperor of the Angor continent , are killed by murderers. The brother Nech Fark Nars'anamm takes over the place as emperor and at the same time the rule in Tersion. The situation comes to a head when the Nicti, who are still looking for Kensustria, join forces with the Emperor Angors, which worries Ulldart. Perdór sends Fiorell to Angor to see what is going on there. There Fiorell finds out that Nech is not the legitimate emperor, but his older twin brother Farkon. With the help of the rightful emperor it is possible to drive Nech out of Tersion, from where he flees to Ilfaris. Meanwhile Tokaro and Estra in Tokaros Castle Angoraja fled, where after some time appears a totally exhausted Lorin. He has come from Kalisstron to get his half-brother to help against a dangerous predator plague , so-called Qwor , because Tokaro has the ability to absorb the magic of the beings. First, however, they go to Ammtára, where Estra is venerated as a saint by the Nicti. She can negotiate a truce against Kensustria, but has to go with them as queen and demigoddess on her continent. It does not come to that, however, because Gán, meanwhile servant of Angor, steals half of her powerful amulet and Tokaro's Aldoreelian blade in order to lure the two of them to Kalisstron and help Lorin's home there. Vahidin, nursed back by Jengorians, decides to use their ability to speak to spirits and to control them to defeat Zvatochna. To do this, he quartered himself in a small village and, with the help of the Tzulani, kept everyone in his power: he had the Aldoreel blades forged, impregnated many women in order to form an army from his own dangerous offspring, and learned from a Jengorian woman which he took with him. In the meantime, Lodrik and Soscha are back in Borasgotan on the hunt for Zvatochna, where the goddess Vintera appears to him and releases him from his curse. Lodrik Bardri ¢ becomes a human again, but now as Vintera's high priest he is supposed to proclaim her faith and is given the gift of being able to heal the doomed. He feels pain again and also seems to develop morally back to being human, but he no longer has any power over the dead and is powerless against Zvatochna. The goddess of death in Ulldart also heralds the resurrection of the “black sickle”.

On the other hand, on Kalisstron, Tokaro succeeds with Gán and Lorin's help in destroying the two Qwors. In Estra, despite the reconciliation with Tokaro, her inner beast, which Belkala also ruled, takes power over the inquisitor and Estra returns to Ulldart alone with her amulet. Since Tokaro swore not to let her down, he follows her, but takes two Qwor boys with him to have a secret weapon against the Nicti. Lorin stays behind to rebuild his home and run the city as mayor. Nech has made himself comfortable in Ilfaris and decides to occupy the country. After a successful fight against the army from Ulldartern, however, the Nicti break their pact with him and erase all Angorjans in Ilfaris at the behest of their queen. However, Estra agrees to start new negotiations with the Kensustrians. It doesn't look any better in the north: Zvatochna dies when she loses all her blood in an accident, but her soul rises and is now looking for a dignified body that she needs to be able to pay for the souls. In the south she finally finds what she is looking for in the new leader of the Nicti and takes possession of her body, which is half dead. Lodrik manages to kill Vahidin's children, and he finally manages to almost annihilate the demigod as well. To use his Jengorian power against Zvatochna, he revives him with the gift of Vintera. Now he has a demigod, the black sickle and the Modrak on his side, who once again change sides and want to betray Vahidin.

Negotiations in the south fail when it turns out that the "Most High" - as Estra is called - has already started the attack on Kensustria. It all boils down to a final battle in which Ulldart's new United Army stands by the Kensustrians against the threat. Lodrik, Vahidin, Soscha, the Order of the High Swords under the direction of the returned Tokaro and the Black Sickle are responsible for eliminating Zvatochna, who has taken possession of Estra. The united army should then destroy the Nicti. Arriving at Estra, Lodrik manages to heal her from her “half-death”, which is why Zvatochna has to leave her body. Vahidin then banishes the soul of his half-sister once and for all, and when he wants to take power over the souls, Tokaro kills him with his Aldoreelian blade. The two Qwor eat up the demigod's body completely. During the battle, the totally disturbed Brahim Fidostoi , necromancer from Ilfaris' Magic University, orders all "green hairs" to be destroyed. This wrong wording causes both Nicti and Kensustrians to be killed.

The battle is over. Ulldart was able to fight all threats and ultimately turns to a peaceful time. The kingdoms decide to build a line of defense around the continent. Kensustria is to be divided up, only the area where all the corpses of the battle lie is not wanted, so it is awarded to Lodrik, who bury the fallen in the name of Vintera. Norina accepts the fate of her husband and looks forward to the moment when he can return to her. Estra and Tokaro can finally live together, as Estra is finally cured of her curse.

main characters

Lodrik Bardri [

Lodrik is the main character in the Ulldart epic. In the course of the plot he develops from a prince of the Tarpol empire on the Ulldart continent, who is still arrested in childish behavior, to the ruler of this empire, who tries to act strictly but justly. As a Kabcar, he is negatively influenced by his advisor Nesreca . So he betrays his once closest confidante and rashly plunges his beloved people into a devastating war. When he realizes his mistakes, it is too late to turn the tide because events are too advanced. Lodrik is married to Aljascha Radka Bardri ¢ and the father of their triplets. He has a lover named Norina Miklanowo and with her fathered another son who was named Lorin . He also has a son with a palace maid, Tokaro Balasy. He has a total of five children (after conception: Lorin, Tokaro, Govan, Zvatochna, Krutor). Lodrik has strong magical abilities, but is later murdered by his - then adult - son Govan (one of the triplets). This takes over the rule with the support of evil forces and has the goal to conquer the world. Lodrik does not die completely, however, but returns as a necromancer to prevent his son from spreading the evil further in the form of the "Dark Time". With his help it finally succeeds in freeing the continent from Nesreca and his helpers.

In the second cycle, however, the evil is not yet banished and Lodrik has to go on the hunt for his evil daughter Zvatochna, who also became a necromancer and as Kabcara of Borasgotan wants to use her souls to seize power again. In the end, with the help of Vahidin, he succeeds in banishing his daughter from the world, the son of Mortva Nesreca. Lodrik is made human again by Vintera, but no physical pain can be inflicted on him. In addition, he now has power over life and death. As the high priest of Vintera, he is supposed to spread their faith on Ulldart.

Stoiko Gijuschka

Stoiko 's servants and closest confidant Lodriks . He shapes the young man into a "worthy" ruler and advises him until he is forced out of his office by Nesreca and imprisoned for alleged treason. In the "Lost Hope", the largest prison in Tarpol, he meets Sosha, who is searching for magic. He takes on the role of father for the girl and teaches her almost everything a girl of her age needs to know. After 11 years, with the help of Fiorell, he manages to escape together with Soscha, whereupon he joins the opposition to Lodrik and supports them in the fight without losing hope that his former protégé could still remember. When he finally meets him again after his supposed death, he is overjoyed that Lodrik has come to his senses and forgives him for his mistakes. In the second cycle he becomes the advisor to Norina, who becomes the new regent of Tarpol. He later also took on the role of Chancellor of Tarpol when Norina went to Borasgotan to keep order there. He also represents Norina at large meetings.

Valjakov

Valjakov is a descendant of Sinureds, a so-called K'Tar Tur, but gives nothing to his origin. He once fled from his tribe and became a skirmisher in Tarpol, where he met the young Tadc Lodrik. Waljakov and Stoiko are initially one of Lodrik's best friends and his bodyguard, who teaches him how to fight. Later he becomes a victim of the intrigues surrounding Lodrik and has to flee together with his lover Norina because he is suspected by Lodrik's advisor Nesreca of having cheated on his ruler with her. On the continent of Kalisstron, he later instructs Lorin , Lodrik's and Norina's son in combat, just like his father once did. Then he accompanies him back to Ulldart to save the continent from the return of the "dark time".

In the second cycle, Valyakov is Minister of Defense for Tarpol and has a son with his wife Hantra, whom he wants to have blessed by Lodrik, the priest of the Vintera.

Norina Miklanowo

Norina comes from the Brojaks and gets to know Lodrik while he is in the province of Granburg for training purposes . Without her knowing where he was, the couple fell in love. After Lodrik becomes ruler, he brings Norina into the palace as his lover and advisor, although he is married to Aljascha . When his adviser Nesreca Lodrik later persuades that Norina is pregnant with the child of his bodyguard Valyakov , although this comes from Lodrik himself, Norina has to flee with the bodyguard. She gives birth to her son with the help of the fate seer Fatja on stormy seas, but is soon separated from him. On the continent of Kalisstron she is sold as a slave by pirates and loses her memory. She finally regains it on Ulldart when she meets Lodrik. After the war she is only resuscitated by Vintera's grace and is declared by Lodrik to be the new Kabcara Tarpols. After the escape from Elenja (alias Zvatochna) she also takes on the role of Kabcara Borasgotans, where she is also loved by the people.

Aljascha Radka Bardri ¢

She is Lodrik's haughty but beautiful cousin. As Vasruca (baroness) of the Kostromo Barony , she has great wealth but not much power. It is therefore very convenient for her that Lodrik is forced, for political reasons and by his father's will, to marry her and thus to do the Kabcara of Tarpol. She becomes the mother of the triplets fathered by Lodrik. A few years later she had an affair with Nesreca and had his son Vahidin while in exile in Granburg . She hopes through him to regain power, which she succeeds with with the help of the Tzulani. Shortly afterwards, however, she is poisoned by her daughter Zvatochna and dies.

Torben Rudgass

Torben comes from the island kingdom of Rogogard and, like the majority of the population there, is a pirate; he calls himself a "privateer". Torben saves the life of young Lodrik and becomes his friend. He continues to sail the seas as a pirate. When Lodrik begins to abuse his power, Torben helps bring the bodyguard Valyakov and Lodrik's lover Norina to safety in Rogogard. When his ship is sunk on this voyage, Torben is rescued by Varla, a privateer from another origin. From then on, the two fight as a couple and try to fight Lodrik. Torben later finds Norina again and he can also successfully bring the other survivors back to Ulldart. In the second cycle he hunts together with the Palestinian Sotinos Puaggi Zvatochna to get revenge on her because she killed his lover Varla and used it as a puppet to torture him. Torben loses his will to live and retires to Rogogard, where at the end of the cycle, however, he sets off on a new journey into unknown waters.

Hetrál

Hetrál is a long-range weapon master from Tûris. He is initially hired by Kolskoi to kill Lodrik, but the latter recruits him as a teacher. Hetrál has a specially designed bow, but he is silent and uses sign language to communicate. Later he holds the fortress Windtrutz with one of Perdór's Aldoreelic blades and some soldiers, but this is later destroyed by Govan and he is buried under the rubble. However, through an alliance with Vintera, he remains alive and leads the Black Sickle , a union of murderers in honor of Vintera, who guards the rulers in Ulldart and protects them from seizures of power. At the end of the cycle, the Black Sickle, together with Vintera's covenant, must join Lodrik as high priest against Hétral's will in order to spread the faith of the goddess of life and death.

Sosha

Sosha is a girl who lived in Ulsar. At the age of 10 she had taken the amulet from Lodrik with which he could summon the Modrak . Her special ability is to see magic. The magic makes itself visible to them in a kind of colored aura around magically gifted people or magical objects. Lodrik finds his amulet that he had lost and locks little Sosha in "Lost Hope" as a punishment for the theft where she meets Stoiko. He becomes like a foster father for her and teaches her to read and write. After the liberation, she is appointed a scientist of magic by King Perdór and searches the whole kingdom for magically gifted people. She finds a miner and tries to train him. He in turn deliberately passes his magic on to Sosha and dies afterwards. Sosha, with the help of Lorin, manages to defeat Govan and loses most of her magic, but retains her ability to see magic. She detests Lodrik because he stole her childhood. In the second cycle, she is murdered by the necromancer Zvatochna and since then she has been pulling by Lodrik's side as a soul to put an end to the necromancer. She vows to destroy Lodrik afterwards, but refrains from her revenge and goes back to Ilfaris to teach the magicians at Perdór's University.

Nerestro of Kuraschka

Nerestro is an Angor believer and Knight of the Order of the High Swords . Nerestro and Belkala have been a couple for a long time and continue to love each other even after their unhappy separation. After the extinction of the order by Lodrik, the order is re-established with Nerestro as grand master to guard the Aldoreelian blades until Govan as the new kabcar accuses both the order and the grand master of treason and has all members killed. Only Nerestro's adopted son, Tokaro von Kuraschka, survives and swears vengeance.

Belkala

She is a Kensustrian high priestess of the god Lakastra. She was expelled from Kensustria for alleged iniquity against her god . In Tarpol she meets Nerestro from Kuraschka and is his companion for a short time. After Nerestro rejects her, she goes to Amtarra . She gives the city this name and claims that it means "friendship" in her language, which turns out to be wrong in "Zeit des Neues 1" . There she also raises her and Nerestro's daughter Estra .

Brother Matuc

Matuc is a monk of Ulldrael , who is the traditional main god of Ulldart. Matuc is supposed to kill Lodrik because of a prophecy, but he does not succeed. Later he meets the "fate seer " Fatja and takes her in like a daughter. Soon afterwards, he and Lodrik's lover Norina and his bodyguard Valjakov have to flee to the continent of Kalistron . There he brings up Lorin, the son of Lodrik and Norina, together with Fatja. He brings the belief in Ulldrael, "the righteous", to that land, in which until now only the pale goddess Kalisstra has been worshiped. He eventually returns to Ulldart to bring back the true faith.

Fatja

Fatja is a " fate seer " from the Ulldart realm of Borasgotan . She foresees the fate of Lodrik and the entire continent, whose future Lodrik's son Lorin must save. Together with the monk Matuc she raises Lorin like a sister on the continent of Kalisstron and marries the storyteller Anarvaten there . When the time comes to return to Ulldart, she does so to help in the decisive battle, but then goes back to Kalisstron, where she continues to live with her husband Arnarvaten.

Perdór, King of Ilfaris

Perdór is the ruler of Ilfaris. He has several informers in all of Ulldart's countries, who always collect the latest information for him. Together with his court jester Fiorell, he evaluates this information and how he can best use it, e.g. B. to spin intrigues or to save the continent from harm. Since his jester sometimes makes him angry with his jokes, he often says that one day he will have him beheaded. Since pralines are one of his favorite delicacies, Fiorell often calls him "the praline". After the war against Govan's army, he took on mediating functions between the kingdoms on the continent and controlled the peace on Ulldart with the help of his spies. He is informed immediately in the event of problems or dangers. The occupation by the troops of the Angorjan emperors makes him difficult because he is put under "lock arrest".

Fiorell

Fiorell is Perdór's confidante and court jester, he helps him evaluate information. He is very skilled, e.g. B. He can juggle several things or do a handstand with one hand. Often he teases the king or makes fun of him behind his back and eventually has to run away from him to avoid the threatening blows. So he says z. For example, when he is sent as ambassador to Ulsar, to Lodrik: "My Lord, His Majesty Perdór the Pralinige, King of Ilfaris, conqueror of countless goodies and feasts, cakes, cakes and confectionery, offers his most honest, sincere greeting." He later helps Stoiko and Valyakov by disguising himself as a woman named "Hulalia". After the battle for Tamoreel he gave up his job as a court jester and Perdór only serves as a confidante, although he has by no means lost his funny manner.

Pashtak

Pashtak is one of the swamp creatures created by Tzulan. He is later one of the presidents of the Assembly of the True in the Forbidden City (later Ammtara). As the inquisitor, he solves some mysterious murders and later finds one of the two most powerful Aldoreelic blades ever created, which he later gives to Tokaro to stop Sinured. His clothes consist of a robe, which, however, is always damaged by his research, which his wife Shui does not like at all. In the second cycle he becomes chairman of the True Congregation and cares for the city, which is in great danger from the Kensustrians and then the Nicti.

Estra

Estra is the daughter of Belkala and Nerestro. She grew up at Belkala and later lived with Pashtak's family. Pashtak is later elected leader of the city and hands over his office as inquisitor. She later travels to Kensustria with Tokaro and Pashtak to prevent the priestly caste from destroying Ammtara. There she meets her aunt and, on an order from the gods, is supposed to stay here, but is kidnapped by Tokaro. It turns out that the Kensustrians want to kill her and the Nicti want to revere her as saints and take her with them as a queen on their continent. When Gán, a swamp creature and follower of Angor, steals half of her amulet and disappears to Kalistron, she follows him and, on the one hand, makes up with Tokaro, but flees shortly afterwards when the same malevolent creature awakens in her that once destroyed her mother . At the end of the cycle, Lodrik succeeds in destroying the evil half within her, which was ruled by Zvatochna, and she can lead a happy life with Tokaro.

Lodrik's children

Lorin Seskahin Bardri ¢

Lorin is the son of the ruler Lodrik and his lover Norina . He grew up on the continent of Kalisstron, far from his birthplace Ulldart. Raised by the monk Matuc and Fatja, taught how to handle weapons by the former bodyguard Valyakov , he grows up to be a young man. Despite Matuc's upbringing, he is not particularly attracted to any religion, but prays to several deities. When it is revealed to him that it is his fate to save his homeland Ulldart, he sees no reason to save a continent to which he has never felt connected, especially since he lives happily with his lover Jarevrån on Kalisstron. But when the "dark time" threatens to have an impact on Kalisstron, he and his friends set out to put a stop to his half-brother Govan . In the second cycle he comes to Ulldart to get Tokaro to help when the vicious Qwor, giant predators, are up to mischief on Kalistron. When he returns, his city has been destroyed and all residents have fled. After the Qwor are defeated, he finds his friends again and stays on Kalisstron as mayor to rebuild the city.

Tokaro (Balasy) by Kuraschka

Tokaro is the illegitimate son of Lodrik Bardri ¢ and Dorja Balasy, a maid at the court of Kabcar. In a phase of the ruler, when he slept his way through half the palace, the future racing rider of the Kabcar was created, whose father is unknown. Accused by Nesreca and Zvatochna of theft, he is branded and allegedly killed as a robber by Nerestro von Kuraschka, but actually the Grand Master of the High Swords takes care of the boy, makes him his squire and ultimately even his son. Before his death, Nerestro bequeathed him the last Aldoreelian blade and in the decisive battle for the fate of Ulldart, he leads it together with Lorin against the enemy and half-brother Govan. In the second cycle he accompanies his lover Estra, the daughter of Nerestro and Belkala. He wants to protect her, but he comes into conflict with himself when the monster in Estra wakes up. He swears, however, that he will never give up on her, no matter what, and so in the end, with the help of his father, he manages to save Estra and destroy the monster in her. He takes two Qwor with him from Kalistron, which he tames and trains, and it is he who ultimately kills Vahidin.

Govan

Govan is one of the triplets of the ruler Lodrik and, like his father, is skilled in magic. Except for his appearance he has nothing in common with him, he loves to use his magic specifically to destroy. He later insidiously murders Lodrik when he tries to destroy Sinured and Nesreca, absorbs almost all of his magic and becomes ruler of the entire continent of Ulldart. His half-brother Lorin stands in the way of his goal, the rule and spread of the "dark time" over the whole world . Hungry for power, Govan even wants to become god. He steals an Aldoreelian blade from Morta's collection and uses it to kill Paktaï and Hemeròc. He loves his sister Zvatochna and wants to marry her later. His initial mentor, Nesreca , fails to moderate him. Driven by megalomania, the illegitimate Kabcar Tarpols finally falls in the final battle. When he tries to absorb the magic of Soscha and Lorin, his forced magic fights against that of Lorin and he is locked in a glass sarcophagus. Some Tzulani later kidnap him, free the blade and throw him into a river. Lodrik later finds the glass sarcophagus and sees that his son survived. He tells Lodrik about the monster that lives under the cathedral in Ulsar and asks him to free him from the glass prison, from which he cannot escape himself. He tries to deprive Lodrik of the magic, but then gets his own deprived, his soul is then destroyed by Lodrik.

Zvatochna

Govan's younger triple sister . She is also gifted with magic. She is also unearthly beautiful and casts a spell over all men, which makes it easier for her to intrigue against her brother. She is also by far the smartest of the triplets, which is why she becomes the strategist for all battles. Just like her mother Aljascha, she can play things well for her surrounding people. B. Nesreca and Govan, when this one killed Lodrik, that his death was very close to her before she laughingly asked if they had really fallen for it now. After her brother Govan lost the war, she found Lodrik's sword, which he had recently lost. She took it, but was immediately killed by the souls that live in it and rose again as a necromancer. In the second cycle she drives her mischief as Elenja, Kabcara by Borasgotan, and kills several people in order to create an army of souls with which she wants to usurp Ulldart. She kills her mother Alyasha and flees. However, when she can no longer pay for all souls with her blood, she dies and remains as a soul on Ulldart. She takes possession of Estra's body and commands the Nictis in the war against the United Army. Finally her father chases her out of Estra's body and Vahidin destroys her in revenge.

Krutor

He's the youngest of the triplets. Although he is a cripple and mentally "retarded", he has enormous stature and equally enormous strength. In contrast to his siblings Govan and Zvatochna, he absolutely loves his father Lodrik and is the only one of the three who has a good heart. That is why he faces his siblings in the final and decisive battle at Taromeel . After the battle he stands by Norina as ruler and, as always, tackles wherever he can. He is extremely popular with the people and is very worried about his father, who is increasingly withdrawing as a necromancer.

Tzulan's servant

Mortva Nesreca

As an advisor, Mortva Nesreca sneaks the trust of the ruler Lodrik and his wife Aljascha and intrigues against Lodrik's former confidante. He helps Lodrik and later Govan use magic. Later he helps his son and murderer Govan to enable the evil burned god Tzulan to get to earth and thus to seal the rule of the "dark time". It turns out that he is one of the Second Gods created by Tzulan , named Ischozar . The second gods Hemeròc and Paktaï are at his side as helpers . Eventually Govan will think about his former mentor, so that he begins to fear him. Therefore, Nesreca later concentrates his intrigues on Govan's sister Zvatochna , which does not help him, however, since he is killed in the last battle of Lodrik, against whose necromancy he is helpless.

Hemeròc

Hemeròc is a subordinate of Mortva Nesreca, from whom he receives many assignments. Like his master, he is one of the second gods, and no weapon can injure him except the Aldoreelic blades. Nerestro realizes this in a fight with him in which he almost dies. In the last volume of the first cycle, Hemeròc gets the order to bring the Aldoreelian blade to Govan, he kills Nerestro, but fails to get the Aldoreelian blade, whereupon he is killed by Govan during a hard fight and his energy is absorbed.

Paktaï

Paktaï is a subordinate of Mortva Nesreca, who, like her brother Hemeròc, is a second goddess. After Hemeròc failed, Nesreca gave her many orders. On the Grazie she meets Valjakov and Torben, among others. Valjakov fights with her, but succumbs to her martial arts. When she wants to give Valyakov the fatal blow, Torben Rudgass nails her to a mast with the help of a spear thrower, where she sinks together with the grace into the waters. Years later, however, she surprisingly reappears at Mortva Nesreca. Govan later kills her with an Aldoreelic blade and absorbs her energy.

Sinured, the beast

Sinured is a legendary warlord and loyal servant of Tzulan who brought the Dark Ages over 400 years ago and was eventually sunk. Tzulan's power made him a huge fighter. He is three times the size of a normal person, he wears huge armor, uses a huge drawbar and a shield the size of a millstone, his body is completely black, only his hair is white. He returns in AD 444 (see calendar) to serve his God one more time. He can eventually be killed at the Battle of Tammarel before the Dark Age completely falls again.

Osbin Leod Varèsz

Osbin Leod Varèsz is Sinured's strategist and does most of the brain work for him. He fights with a two-handed sword. Later, at the battle of Windtrutz, shortly after he took his Aldoreelian blade from Hetrál, he was beheaded by Nerestro.

Vahidin

Vahidin is the son of Mortva Nesreca and Aljascha Radka Bardri ¢ and thus both a Bardri ¢ and a descendant of a Second God. He is very similar to his father, both in appearance with his silver hair and magenta three-slit eyes, and in the manner that is thoroughly vicious and ruthless. Aljascha raises him alone in Granburg in exile and raises him to malice and at the same time secures her return to Kostromo with him, since the Tzulani who remain on Ulldart see him as their "silver god" and ally with her. When his mother is killed by his half-sister Zvatochna, Vahidin is able to flee with the help of the Modrak who now serve him and swears revenge on his sister. He gets to know a Jengorian woman who can contact the spirit world and since he can only harm Zvatochna on this level, he uses the Jengorian woman by teaching him her skills. Vahidin also has the Aldoreel blades melted down by his father forged new powerful weapons and impregnates many different women in order to secure an army of invincible beasts with his descendants. His children are all killed by Lodrik and Vahidin almost dies in this attack, but Lodrik heals him with his new gift and wants to use him to wipe out Zvatochna's soul once and for all. When Vahidin becomes apostate, Tokaro von Kuraschka finally kills him with his Aldoreelian blade and lets his tamed Qwors devour him.

The continents

Kalistron

To the west of the continent of Ulldart is the continent of Kalisstron , which, according to legend , was created by the pale goddess Kalisstra . The Kalisrones worship the goddess Kalisstra. Fur and fishing operations are most common on the cold continent. Class differences are alien to the continent. It is divided into areas that belong to a city, from which a mayor, usually a Cerêler, ensures law and order. Kalisstra is considered to be the patroness of the beings that rule healing magic. Your gift will be made available to anyone who needs it. The storytellers are also superseded on Kalisstron, especially in the cold winter months. The defense of the cities is carried out by the respective militia, which is financed by taxes. Due to historical circumstances, enemies of the Kalis thrones are the Rogogarders , whereby the free cities of the east coast are also enemies with their own pirates, the Lijoki . There are two peculiarities of the Kalisstri. They generally reject alcohol, instead they have their herbal drink called Njoss , which is similarly intoxicating. In addition, loud laughter and screaming are not popular and people are generally very polite, especially towards the elderly. The only exception is the annual festival in honor of the pale goddess, which is celebrated lively, regardless of etiquette.

Angor

The neighboring continent in the south is named after the god of war, combat, hunting and honesty. Little is known about the hot land in the south, as Uldartian merchants only know the northern parts of the continent. In any case, we know that the continent is inhumanly hot. The main population of the empire consists of the mostly light brown to black colored Angorjans. The empire, which is almost twice as big as Ulldart, is ruled by Emperor Ibassi Che Nars'anamm . His 34 sons manage the huge empire in his name, and there is uncertainty about the heir to the throne after the death of the old emperor. The third eldest son of the emperor, Lubshá Nars'anamm , has been married to the regent of the southern kingdom of Tersion on the continent Ulldart, Alana II . That is why Tersion always receives support in the event of danger from that rich and powerful continent of warriors.

Sena & Tzulandria

The siblings Senera and Tzulan had to share a continent when they were created. When this continent was torn in two by the hot-blooded Tzulan during a dispute between the two, each worked on his own part: Senera called her continent Sena , Tzulan its Tzulandria . Even less is known about these two continents than about Angor, as they are both far from the continent Ulldart, around which the epic mainly revolves. All we know about the people of Sena is that they worship the creator of their world, Senera. In her honor, artist associations, brothels, thieves 'and traders' guilds were formed, since she is considered the goddess of love, but also of art, ambition, success and aspiration, which does not always tend to be honest. Tzulandria is permeated with a number of evil beings of its creator, who instead of peace-loving people almost only created monsters and beasts. His followers, the Tzulandrians, rule the continent. The dark Second Gods Hemeròc, Paktaï, Ischozar, Kantrill, Nedror and Jebarro also originated there.

Vinteras Islands

Vintera, the goddess of death, was not assigned to a continent and did not join any of her siblings, so she dealt with the numerous islands of the world that she formed, gave life to and where her creatures worshiped her.

Rich on Ulldart

The great empires

Tarpol

Tarpol is one of the greatest empires in Ulldart. It is divided into nine districts, each named after their capitals. There are the provinces of Ulsar, Juron, Granburg, Karet, Berfor, Worlac, Restyr, Sora and Ker which are headed by the respective governors. The Kabcar appoints the governors who are responsible for judiciary, police and taxes in their province. In addition, they are above the country nobles, as they are considered royal representatives. The once rather unimportant large farmers were able to expand their power over the centuries, which was mainly possible through the debts of numerous weak Kabcare. They now count as an important factor in Tarpol's politics, although they have not been able to expand their power since 307 AC. The Kabcare rule out of the capital Ulsar. A tarpoler can usually be recognized by its long hair, which is a status symbol. Unfree people wear short hair as a symbol of their lower class.

Borasgotan

Borasgotan is far less organized than the neighboring kingdom of Tarpol, but relies on a similar class system, which is also presided over by a Kabcar. Governors try to control the areas, but this is very difficult because the great empire is criss-crossed by swamps and dense forests. The four large wetlands make life in Borasgotan very difficult, which is why it is only sparsely populated. The cold does its part. The Jengorian people , who are not subordinate to the Kabcar, are at home in the great coniferous forests of the south . The south of the realm is home to the realm's wildest swamp monsters, but also its greatest treasures. The Kabcar Arrulskhán IV was known as a madman who, when there was no game to hunt, would put his subjects in costumes to hunt them down.

Aldoreel

Aldoreel is also a large empire and is centrally located. It is known for its rich granaries, its abundance of game, its honey and its beer. Aldoreel is a fairly wealthy country in which the nobility only has a police function and a relaxed class system prevails. Ever since the swamp beasts helped the villagers extinguish the fire after a conflagration in 271 AC, there has been a ceasefire agreement between humans and beasts. This makes Aldoreel the only country that lives peacefully with the beings of Tzulan. This is in contrast to the neighboring kingdom of Tûris, which is particularly hostile to the beings.

Hustraban
Serusia

The seafaring empires

Palestan

Southern Palestan is primarily characterized by maritime trade , as the merchant state relies on its precise nautical charts and robust one- and two-masters, but above all on the maritime trade monopoly that the empire shares with Agarsia. Although it is a kingdom by name, the merchants' council heads the country and the king only serves as a representative. The population enjoys great freedom. The Palestinian people are known for their passion for deceiving, bluffing and haggling, especially in negotiations. The merchants have been at war with the tough Rogogardeners for ages and have suffered greatly from the raids of the privateers. They also show a certain hostility towards agarsia. Palestans are also known for their penchant for pomp and show.

Agarsia

The kingdom of Agarsia , which is also to the south, relies mainly on sea trade, like its opponent Palestan. The Agarsiener make up for the disadvantage of their poorer maps with a sophisticated navigation system with which they can even navigate at night. At the head of the state there is also a king with only representative tasks, he is appointed year after year from the merchant assembly, which consists of 400 members of the merchants' guild and decides on laws and other things, but has no royal rights. The nobility only has protective tasks and hardly any privileges. For example, he has to take care of the control of the relatively tame swamp beasts.

Rogogard

The island kingdom of Rogogard in the northwest of the continent consists of many individual islands. Everyone takes care of themselves, stalls are unknown, so-called hetmen ensure order. The empire consists mainly of privateers who attack the hated Palestans in particular. There have also been disputes with Kalistron in the past. The island fortresses are considered impregnable.

The Southern Confederation

Tersion

A strict monarchy still rules in Tersion , the regent rules the land and controls all mines, trade treaties and agreements. Tersion has secured the trade monopoly on all mineral resources vis-à-vis the Ontarians , Agarsia and Palestan; large sums are required for the granting of a trade license. Tersion is the only realm in Ulldart where slaves are still kept. These work under the supervision of the nobles for the benefit of the regent in the mines. Thanks to the rich natural resources, Tersion is considered the wealthiest of the Ulldart countries, but the empire has almost no arable land. Because of the wealth, the population only has to pay low taxes. The regent maintains diplomatic contacts with the neighboring continent Angor. The defense is provided by an Angor fleet and a mercenary army led by 20 K'Tar Tur.

Ilfaris

Ilfaris is best known for two things: the excellent cuisine, which is appreciated everywhere, and the perfectly sophisticated espionage. The royal family usually knows how to enjoy good cuisine. Espionage has found its master in the Ilfarites. A tenth of the population are said to be spies who sit all over the continent and collect information for the king so that he is always the first to know about everything. It was not uncommon for Ilfaris to be used to conclude secret contracts, conduct negotiations or spin intrigues. In Ilfaris even training in courtly espionage and intrigue is offered. There is a loose class system and a travel royalty, which among other things ensures that the kings are served a varied menu. The kings reside in the country's numerous pleasure palaces, which the nobles are allowed to build against taxes. A swampless area allows the Ilfarites a carefree life, so that the empire also received the reputation of the most peaceful people.

Kensustria

Kensustria's population does not consist of indigenous people from Ulldart, but only came to the continent in AD 66, from where is unknown. They drained the swampy area and soon built their wonderful cities there. The swamp creatures were given the choice of either living there peacefully or they were killed. The connection to another continent is evident, especially through the Kensustrian navy, which consists of five galleys . Known as the Black Fleet , the Armada sails to Ulldart every five years, using unknown advanced weapons to defend its maritime rights over Agarsia and Palestan. The population is divided into three castes : warriors, clergy, scholars and artisans and farmers. At the time of the novel, the warriors are at the forefront. Kensustrians have angular facial features, beige-sand-colored skin, golden eyes, extremely sharp teeth and dark green hair, which vary in length depending on the caste. In the northern realms of the continent, the Kensustrians are seen as vampires and feared by many. The country's diverse inventions are completely unknown to the rest of the continent. Thanks to skilful blacksmiths, inventors and engineers, the green hairs have the best war equipment, construction machinery and other technical developments. They are also well advanced in the sciences such as mathematics and astronomy.

The smaller realms

Rundopâl

Rundopâl is one of the smaller kingdoms of Ulldart in the north-west of the continent, where it lies directly on sea currents rich in fish. That is why the largest fish processing areas in Ulldart are mainly on the islands off the coast of the empire. Ruled by the king, the empire has a class system like its neighbor Tarpol.

Tûris

Also Turis is like Rundopâl a small country, covering both arable land, as well as with large wetlands full of swamp beasts. The king offers head premiums for these beings. Dense moors have formed around the "Forbidden City", Sinured's former seat of power, and entry into the city is prohibited. The hostility towards the beings of Tzulan is openly shown, and the descendants of Sinureds, the K'Tar Tur, are also distrusted. The empire was once called Barkis . The Forbidden City was called Sinurestan under Sinured's rule . Now the country is named after the Rogogardener Tûris, who sent the animal to the seabed. The Forbidden City was later named Ammtára . Paradoxically, the beings of Tzulan are more interested in peaceful coexistence than in the return of the dark times. After Lodrik has obtained a hunting ban and equal rights, they try everything to be recognized as legitimate citizens of Ulldart.

Culture

Time calculation

The calendar on Ulldart runs from the year Sinured the beast fell. In the year 0 AD (= after Sinured) the Rogogard privateer Tûris sank the monster of the burned god ; Tzulan's army perished when Ulldrael the Just rushed to the aid of his people. Since then, the years of peaceful time have been counted, which followed the so-called Dark Time under Sinured.

The Prophecy

A prophecy says: Whenever three numbers in the order of the year count are the same, the danger that the disaster will come back to Ulldart is greatest. As the years 111, 222 and 333 approached, prayers were spread across the continent and the Dark Age was given no opportunity to return. People went back to their habits; Wars were fought, kingdoms and empires formed and fell again, but evil was never strong enough to return. When the prayers to Ulldrael finally came only out of habit and more and more irregularly, the evil loomed again and Ulldrael the Just sent another prophecy through a visionary in a monastery in AD 436 , which however was mutilated by Tzulan believers. It was about young Tadc , his death and the Dark Ages. Two different interpretations of the prophecy came into circulation: 1. "The Tadc must die so that the Dark Ages can be saved from returning." and "The Tadc must not die, otherwise the dark ages will return." The latter was the most widespread and so the Tadc Lodrik Bardri ¢ was guarded and protected from harm.

The novel begins as the year 444 AD approaches. Later in the course of the action it turns out that sometime in 301 a calculation error was committed in the time counting, and so the year 443 AD, which was actually the year of the decisions - i.e. 444 - was overslept.

mythology

Taralea family of gods

Taralea

Taralea is the mother of all gods. She created the known world and six gods. Tzulan was kept in the fire for too long and disfigured, while Kalisstra received too little and remained pale. They should make the world in honor of their mother. Everyone got a continent, Tzulan and Senera shared one and Vintera was content with the many large islands. Quarrel broke out between the siblings, above all the angry Tzulan, who attacked the creations of his siblings and wanted to bring the other continents under his rule. Taralea finally fought with her son, killed him and set his eyes as stars in the firmament . Taralea can appear in all conceivable forms and shapes and is also worshiped by all beings in the world as the highest of the gods.

Ulldrael the Righteous

Ulldrael is the traditional god Ulldart and appears rather simply, for example as a wanderer. It stands for the ripe grain and is responsible for theoretical knowledge such as mathematics, reading and writing. His followers are supposed to prevent the weaker against violence and pray continuously. In the fight against his brother Tzulan, he once fought together with his supporters on Ulldart to save them from the tyrant. Since then he has only interfered in what is happening in the world through a single prophecy, as had been agreed with the other gods. The so-called Ulldrael Order was formed on Ulldart and is led by a secret council. The Order often interferes in politics as it represents Ulldrael on the continent.

Tzulan the burned

Tzulan was kept in the fire for too long when Taralea was created and is thus disfigured. He also owes his fiery and greedy temperament to fire. He is hypocritical and sadistic, the only thing that counts for him is strength. Tzulan stands for through and through evil, for destruction and for the pursuit of infinite power. He demands human sacrifice and cruelty. His followers, the Tzulandrians , who mainly come from his continent Tzulandria, which he once shared with Senera, are mostly ruthless. He also has some Ulldart-born followers called Tzulani . In the war against his siblings, he created the swamp beasts, led by Sinured, Tzulan's loyal warlord, who fought against the people of Ulldart. Since then his religion is only allowed in Tzulandria and his beings are persecuted and hated everywhere. Killed by his mother, his two eyes, Arkas and Tulm , stand in the firmament and stare down at people with hatred, only to return one day and destroy everything.

The second gods
In the war against his siblings, Tzulan created 6 ghastly gods, the so-called second gods . Their names are Ischozar, Paktaï, Hemeròc, Jebarro, Kantrill and Nedror. Their destructive power was enormous, but they were defeated by the First Gods.
They stand for Tzulan's ideals such as blind violence, destruction and the devastating pursuit of infinite power. Like their father Tzulan, they too are venerated by the Tzulani. They cannot be killed by humans because they have magic and are invulnerable. Only the Aldoreelic blades made by Angor can injure and kill them. Mortva Nesreca, the scheming advisor to Kabcar since 443 AD, is actually the Second God Ischozar, who commands his siblings Paktaï and Hemeròc to bring their father back to Ulldart.
Kalisstra, the pale one

Kalisstra was held in the fire too short by Taralea and is therefore pale. Hence her nickname Pale Goddess . She is considered the goddess of winter and the cold, but also the sea and rain goddess. Her manifestations are either a woman carved out of ice or snowstorms, snowdrifts, waves or whirlpools. It is said to be numb, cold and merciless when angry. Their punishments are flood disasters, floods and torrential rain, hail and snow. She is mainly worshiped on Kalistron and the Cerêler were created by her. Cerêler are short beings who have mastered healing magic. On Ulldart they are the only known magical beings up to the accession of Kabcar Lodrik Bardri ¢. Both the beginning and the end of winter are celebrated in her honor.

Angor, god of war

Angor is considered to be the god of battle and war, honesty, hunting and decency. Oaths are usually kept on him. It appears to people mostly in the form of large, noble predators or gigantic, powerful warriors and followed by a lot of thunder, lightning, swank and a large retinue. He is venerated on his continent Angor and by three great orders on Ulldart: the Order of the High Swords (led for a time by Nerestro von Kuraschka), the Order of the Silver Axes and Angor's Sons . The knights live by his rules and organize tournaments in his honor. They are known as the guardians of the 21 Aldoreelic blades, which the god created to defend against evil.

Death goddess Vintera

Vintera is the goddess of death, disease and agony, murder, fear and shadows. In the cycle "Time of the New", the life-giving and healing aspect is still assigned to it. Few choose to follow their teachings. She usually appears as a thin old woman with a black sickle and a bundle of ears. Two orders are known: "Vinteras Bund" and the "Black Sickle".

Goddess of love Senera

Senera is the goddess of love, art, ambition, success and aspiration. In creating the world, she had to share a continent with the Tzulanders, where her temperament and zest for life come from, which however has nothing in common with Tzulan's essence. She usually appears as a beautiful, naked woman with ankle-length red hair, but sometimes also as a hot spring or shimmering heat. She forgives small lies and enjoys tricks and likes games with false bottom, as long as they get by without brute force. That is why many artist associations, brothels, merchants 'guilds and thieves' guilds have written their names on the flag and they honor their teaching. However, there is no recognized order anywhere in Ulldart.

Heaven of Gods Kensustrias

In Kensustria , the southernmost of the realms of Ulldart, which was not founded by the Ulldartian natives, over 100 different deities, demigods or divine beings are worshiped. The world of gods is similar to that of Hinduism . Despite the diversity of the Kenyan gods, there are around 20 gods who are worshiped by majorities. The four most important were brought to Ulldart; Little is known about the rest. Like the gods from Greek mythology, each of the divine beings has its own assigned area and special powers that it can have at its disposal. The four main deities of Kensustria are: Tares , the god of swords and lances and the god of war and combat (roughly equivalent to Angor), Illara , a sexless god being who rules light and darkness, Lakastra , the god of knowledge and technology to whom the Kensustrians owe their advanced weapon technology and Eolatár , the god of love.

Stand title in Ulldart

Kingdoms of Aldoreel, Tûris, Palestan, Ilfaris, Agarsia and Serusia

Here the emperor has the highest rank , who is not represented on the continent. The head of the kingdoms is the respective king ; in Palestan and Agarsia, however, only formally, as the merchants' councils there control the country and its decisions. In the above-mentioned realms, with the exception of Tûris, there is a rather relaxed class system . The heir to the throne of these kingdoms are simply referred to as princes or princesses , the eldest son inherits the throne . The nobility in the form of princes , barons , dukes , counts and margraves take on important or less important tasks in the empires in this ranking. They manage lands in the name of the kings, and the princes and barons also often perform more important tasks, such as governors .

Kingdoms of Round Opal, Hustraban, Borasgotan, Tarpol & the Baronies

In these countries of the continent Ulldart and the Kabcar is equivalent to the function of a king. The Kabcar is at the head of his empire and has sole power over it. When he dies, his eldest son takes over. Tadc is the name given to a prince's rank in these realms. When a kabcar dies, the country's oldest tadc becomes the new kabcar. The princesses of the empires are called Tadca . The harac corresponds to the status of a duke. The noble Haracs usually take on important duties, for example that of governor. Duchesses are known as Haracja . The Skaguc equals the status of a prince . The Skaguc also belong to the nobility and take on similarly important tasks as the Haracs. They mostly manage land and have great wealth. The female representatives are called Skaguca . The Vasruc is comparable to a baron. The Vasrucs are especially belonging to Tarpol and Hustraban baronies of great importance since they prevail here on the areas where, although they are subject to their Kabcar, but their laws may specify. Female regents of the baronies of Jarzewo, Kazan, Kostromo, Bijolomorsk, Serinka and Ucholowo are called Vasruca . A term for the rank of the large farmer is there the brojak . Large farmers usually have a lot of land, serfs and small tenants with whom they cultivate the land loaned by the Kabcar. Over the centuries, however, they expanded their power more and more and were able to buy more and more influence at the court through the debts of the Kabcar, whereby they now outperform most of the real nobles in terms of wealth and influence.

Kingdom Tersion

In Tersion there is a strict monarchy, headed by the regent or regent are in the country. He controls with an iron hand all treaties, agreements and mines in the country and stands above everything else. The class system is even stricter than, for example, in Tarpol . The nobility in Tersion consists of princes , barons , counts and dukes in descending order who are responsible for the administration of the numerous mines in the kingdom and who rule over their lands on behalf of the regents. Slaves are still kept in Tersion and the unfree have no rights against the nobility.

Rogogard island kingdom

There is no class system or nobility in the Rogogard island kingdom. In a meeting of the so-called hetmen , laws and the government are discussed and voted on. The chairmen are subject to the Hetmännern and have functions similar to those of a mayor.

Kensustria

There is a caste system in Kensustria . The stands there are largely unknown. We only know that there are three different castes: the warrior caste , the caste of priests, scholars and craftsmen and the caste of farmers . At the bottom are the unfree who do not belong to any caste. In the first part of the novel of the novel, the warrior caste is at the top and eighteen warriors rule the country more or less as leaders of the warrior caste. Later the priestly and scholarly caste took over the government. The caste members differ in their outward appearance and in their various rights.

literature

First row:

Second row:

  • Ulldart - Time of the New 1. Deceptive Peace. (2005), Piper Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 3-492-26578-2 .
  • Ulldart - Time of the New 2nd Burning Continents. (2006), Piper Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 3-492-26585-5 .
  • Ulldart - Time of the New 3rd Fatal Legacy. (June 2007), Piper Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 978-3-492-26612-3 .

Edited volumes:

  • Ulldart I (contains shadows about Ulldart and The Order of the Swords), (2011), Piper Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 978-3-492-26808-0 .
  • Ulldart II (contains The Sign of the Dark God and Under Tzulan's Eyes), (2011), Piper Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 978-3-492-26809-7 .
  • Ulldart III (contains The Magic of the Ruler and The Sources of Evil), (2011), Piper Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 978-3-492-26810-3 .
  • Ulldart IV (contains Deceptive Peace, Burning Continents and Fatal Legacy), (2011), Piper Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 978-3-492-26811-0 .

Audiobooks:

  • Markus Heitz: The Dark Time 1 - Shadows over Ulldart , read by Johannes Steck, audio book Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-89903-482-0 .
  • Markus Heitz: The Dark Time 2 - The Order of the Swords , read by Johannes Steck, audio book Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-89903-483-7 .
  • Markus Heitz: The Dark Time 3 - The Sign of the Dark God , read by Johannes Steck, Audiobook Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-8449-0793-3 .
  • Markus Heitz: The Dark Time 4 - Under Tzulan's Eyes , read by Johannes Steck, Audiobook Hamburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-8449-1755-0 .
  • Markus Heitz: The Dark Time 5 - The Magic of the Ruler , read by Johannes Steck, Audiobook Hamburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-8449-1756-7 .
  • Markus Heitz: The Dark Time 6 - The Sources of Evil , read by Johannes Steck, Audiobook Hamburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-8449-1757-4 .

Game books:

Sources as individual references

  1. ↑ http://www.mahet.de/ulldart/ Subpage "The Idea"
  2. ↑ see 1.
  3. ↑ The Ulldart series at txtbank.de

Web links