Kellach

... I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man to depend simply upon himself.

Kellach lives. Many a road has he gone down since his days in Esalinus.      Many a day has passed since he last saw Jasscina or his beloved zemeanna. Gone, too, are the days of the caravansary along the road to the Sardar. But now, his travels done, he has come to Kailiauk, and made a new start, assuming the seat of Administrator of that frontier city.

Many years ago, he had served as en'sword in the House of a Lady of Ar, taking the place held before by his father. That post he held long and honorably, until the house came to ruin, and he traveled to Bazi, which was ruled by the mad Ubar Tarkanton, whose edicts soon emptied the city. From there, he went to Fort Haskins, near the Red Barrens, and served there until the imperial aspirations of the Stryms in Thentis put an end to freedom. Disgusted by the surrender of the powers there, he traveled to Koroba, the Towers of the Morning, to serve Weh Savage as en'Sword. He fought in the war against Treve when that city was sacked, and guarded Koroba and the Ubara Aeri when the attacks of the Fleer brought war. It was there that he met and Companioned Jasscina, a lovely free woman he had known since his youth.

Koroba's days of glory were past, but he stayed, and served. When Weh died, he departed, for his loyalty was to that great man, and he came to Esalinus, which he ruled for a time until Jasscina died. He retired from public life then, to a caravansary along the road to the Sardar, and then, after a time, traveled on, not to be seen for many a long year.

Now he makes his home in Kailiauk, on the frontier he came to love so long ago during his days at Fort Haskins. There he met a healer, Ariel Eagor, daughter of the physician Adeel.

Now they make their home there, within sight of the Ihanke, the Border, in the House Kell had built, and on their kaiila ranch, the Bar-Kef. It is an idyllic existence, or nearly so, there on the open plains as they work for peace with the Isbu and Dustlegs and the others. There, they do not think so much about living, or talk about it. They simply live.