People

Simon

4/6/2020

A protagonist in Divine Coregency.

Jin is an angel and Bai's most loyal servant of the White Temple.

As the guests are exploring the White Temple, they come across a great library. Bai finds them there. He claps his hands and at once a servant appears in the doorway to their right. It is not Yin or Yang this time but a much older man. Even so, he wears a similar white cloth and has the same symbol marked beneath his right ear. Master? Jin will not be needed. He will see to his guests himself. As he wishes, Master. And with a bow, Jin departs.

Jin escorts the group to the ship that transports them to the Black Temple.

Just before the group leave the White Temple, the women decide to explore the grounds. Several of the cloaked servants are down there, talking among themselves, but noticing the women up on the ledge, they fall silent and disperse, one of them heading directly towards them. He stops at the foot of the steps that leads down from the ledge. Can he help them, ladies? Thank you, but no, Corina says. They shall be leaving soon, and they merely wished to look around before they left. The man bows. Then let him be their guide. He is Jin. And what does he do, Jin? Ana asks, beginning to descend the steps. He coordinates the harvest. He pauses. Would they like to see the gardens? They go down, and, with Jin as their guide, walk through the gardens, impressed by what they see, especially Despina and Corina, who, coming from a horticultural world themselves, appreciate just how much work must have gone into this. The great gardens themselves are deceptive for they go down into the earth some way. They have glimpses of great stone stairways that snake down into the depths, and Jin explains to them about the varieties of flowers that are grown there. They walk on, out into great pens where hers of strangely docile beasts mill quietly, their moist, dark eyes following the three women as they pass by. All is neat and orderly. Not a vase is broken, not a flower out of place. Ana comments on this, and Jin bows, as if some great compliment has been made, and answers. It is their way. Here and there, Despina notices, there are what look like wells. Deep, square shafts in the ground with borders of finished stone. She glances down one as she passes and thinks she sees some small animal scuttle by beneath. And then it is time to return. Ana thanks Jin, but Jin merely bows and backs away, merging with the shadows. Corina frowns. It is their way, Despina says, grinning at her. Come, let’s get back.

When Jin fails to wake Bai during the pandemic, Bai angrily searches the temple for him but soon loses control of his mind and body as the virus sets in. Bai finds Jin slumped at the desk in the great library and believes him to be ignoring him when he doesn't respond to his calls. Bai shakes Jin angrily and Jin's body collapses to the floor, dead. Jin has succumbed to the virus and died silently at his desk.

Yang

28/5/2020

Yin and Yang are two angels and Bai's servants of the White Temple.

Two angels - smaller and more stickily built, discernibly different from Bai, and not merely in their physical attributes – enter the hall from a narrow doorway to the left and, hastening across, bow low before Bai. They wear long flowing cloaks of white cloth. Master? One of them asks. As he turns, Fabien notices he has a symbol scored beneath his ear.

Bai introduces Yin and Yang to his guests. They will take great care of them and see to all of their needs. Master! The two angels say as one, then step back, seeming almost to vanish as they slip into the shadows beside the columns.

After Bai has gone, the two angels [Yin and Yang] lead Fabien and his party through into a second, smaller hall where, once again, a meal has been laid out ready for them. As in the glad, a number of couches have been placed in a circle about the centre of the room, within easy reach of the endless delicacies that grace the central table. Having seen that they are comfortable, Yin and Yang step back, seeming to blend once more into the shadows of the walls.

It is late afternoon when finally Bai claps his hands and stands. Yin! Yang! Show the guests to their rooms! At once, his servants are at his back, waiting to do his bidding.

Yin

28/5/2020

Xi

28/5/2020

Xi ("Hope") is a protagonist in Divine Coregency V.

Qing, the only emperor to have compassion for these chthonic beings, leads Fabien and Lucina to the slave quarters where a demon boy, Xi, has been taken ill. The boy's sickness turns into a devastating pandemic with the demons, and the angels who control them, who flee the temples. Xi is the first citizen of Jianghu to succumb to the deadly Crown virus although he is also the first known person to survive it; thus becoming a glimmer of hope in the face of adversity.

Xi is an introvert, shy and reserved boy by nature, and constantly tries to hide himself, to remain unseen. However, Lucina and Despina, who have been nursing him, teach him the confidence to speak, form his own identity and assert his opinions on social matters. This proves successful. When a meeting is called to organise the slaves after the majority of the Jianghu have been wiped out by the deadly Crown Virus, Xi musters up the courage to speak out against Angie who wishes to eliminate the remaining Jianghu; telling her "you're wrong" and chanting a prophecy which is fulfilled by Fabien committing that act of kindness. Xi's selfless actions endear the Chthonian who revere him as a beacon of hope for the future of Jianghu.

During the ensuing wars, Xi is commandeered as a runner/messenger between the Consortium who base themselves in Mount Song and Angie's stronghold in Heng South. When Angie's bloodthirsty actions threaten to endanger everyone's safety and wellbeing, Xi sneaks up behind her and bludgeons her but she kills him as she's dying. Through his own sacrifice, Xi ends the war and saves millions of lives - although his death is the most tragic.

Xi is an important, tragic hero character who, pitched against the elderly Yan, represents the young, childhood innocence of Jianghu.

Wang, Yan

28/5/2020

Yan Wang is a protagonist in Divine Coregency V.

The original leader of the Chthonian, before Angie, Yan is introduced to Fabien and Lucina through Emperor Qing, as a blind demon, who has been secretly assisting the Yaoguai (Demons) behind the other emperors' backs. Yan feels a deep remorse for the cruel manner in which the demons are enslaved by the angels and archangels, and conspires to assist the Divine Coregency in curing the demons of the deadly Crown Virus, whose pandemic has swept across Jianghu.

Yan is the original representative of the demons and speaks for them at a council between himself, Qing, Fabien, Angie and the rest of the demons, who have formed an uprising and overthrown their masters. Yan becomes an important confidante and wise counsellor figure to Fabien in terms of helping him to build a better society in the ruins of Jianghu, which has been ravaged by war and pandemic. With his deep understanding of both the Jianghu and the Chthonian, and knowledge of the prophecies involving the apocalypse, Yan ultimately becomes an important force in the liberation of the Chthonian from Ouranian forces.

Yan accompanies Fabien to the Yellow Temple in Mount Song to cremate Huang, the last emperor of Jianghu, who is posthumously discovered to have had an ambivalent relationship to the Yaoguai (Demons). When they are notified of the imminent invasion of Elias and the Ouranian, Yan helps Fabien and Angie build an army to defeat them. When Angie's bloodthirsty nature and lust for power triggers a civil war, Yan also advises Fabien in overpowering her.

Yan (along with Qing and Rodrigo) becomes one of the three new sovereigns, and also succeeds Manu in becoming the new head of the Consortium after Manu's death at the hands of Angie.

Yan is an important counter-thesis character to Xi; Yan representing the old and Xi representing the young. However more significantly, Yan, in his blindness, symbolises that one doesn't need eyes in order to 'See'.

Qing

28/5/2020

Consorts: Despina Velásquez

Qing is a compassionate, benevolent emperor and a protagonist towards the end of Divine Coregency V.

Qing is portrayed a "sickly", frail emperor. As a child, a demon saved him from pneumonia and was sentenced to death by his masters for the impertinence of touching an archangel. Through this trauma, Qing developed a compassion for the demons in later life and opposes their enslavement by his people. However, he is forced to hide this allegiance from the other four emperors and their society, who believe that the demons are uncivilised beasts.

Qing meets the group at the Black Temple, during an evening's entertainment, where he is introduced to them through Hei. Having been described by Hei as being "unwell, as of late"; Qing, upon meeting the group, asks them if they liked the music (despite its technical complexities) and enquires where they came from. They tell them of the ruins to the west of Jianghu - ruins of which the emperors are unaware - and Qing takes to his bed, feeling unwell at the thought.

The group briefly stay at Qing's Blue-Green Temple in the east - the only temple not to involve feasting and some form of entertainment. There, they stay in relatively modest lodgings (compared to the other temples) and for once enjoy a lighter meal. However, Qing introduces the group to the three-dimensional lattice topiary maze, which Despina develops an aptitude for. Qing and Despina form a bond when Despina beats him in a race through the maze.

Qing accompanies the group to the Yellow Temple, and to their subsequent meetings with Huang and Bai, though he remains strangely withdrawn for no obvious reasons.

When the group is put in danger due to a disagreement Fabien has had with Bai concerning the nature of demonic blood, Qing quickly reveals to them that their society is built upon the dark design of slavery. Qing takes Fabien and Lucina to see the "Yaoguai" - a slave cast living within the walls of the temples, led by a demon called Yan. It is revealed that they are actually demons from the subterranean realm who have been enslaved by the Jianghu and have been trained to remain as invisible as possible. Qing, the only emperor to have compassion for these chthonic beings, leads Fabien and Lucina to the slave quarters where a demon boy, Xi, has been taken ill. There, he reveals that a demon saved him from pneumonia as a child and was killed for the impertinence of touching an archangel. Through this trauma, Qing developed a compassion for the demons, but was forced to hide it from the other emperors due to his status in society.

Qing - although succumbs to the virus - is (ironically) the only one of the five emperors to survive it, while the other four emperors - Bai, Hei, Hong and Huang - die one-by-one. However, the virus leaves him gravely ill and he is assigned to Despina, who nurses him back to health. Through this, Qing and Despina form a mutual attraction, although this largely happens behind-the-scenes and remains undocumented.

Qing attends a meeting with Fabien and the chthonic leaders, Yan and Angie, to discuss the future of the Chthonian, but is antagonised by Angie who is mistrustful of Qing, believing him wishing to reinstate his empire's cruel regime of slavery - despite Qing's assurances that he won't and that he despises those who were once his kin.

Qing assists Fabien and Yan both in the struggles against Elias and the Ouranian (who have returned from Siberia and seek to capture Jianghu) and in the struggles against Angie and the Chthonian who also wants to take over Jianghu. Qing offers his life and devotion to the Divine Coregency and the Consortium, feeling remorse for his people's greed and selfishness and wishing to repent from being part of such an establishment.

In the end, Qing persuades the Divine Coregency to settle permanently in New Jianghu (renamed "Zhongguo") because their people need governing. He marries Despina and retains his home at the Blue-Green Temple in the forest of Mount Tai where they live happily ever after.

Qing's element is Wood, and his astral body is Mercury.

Huang

28/5/2020

Siblings: Hong

Huang, the yellow emperor, is an anti-hero in Divine Coregency V. Initially aligned with the antagonistic emperors, Huang is posthumously revealed to be a sympathetic ally who has a somewhat ambivalent relationship to the Chthonian. He is the most powerful and prominent of the five emperors.

When the Divine Coregency accept Huang's invitation to visit them at his Yellow Temple in the centre of Jianghu, Fabien is greatly charmed and impressed by the yellow emperor and asks if he may bring his people to Jianghu. Huang is the only emperor who has knowledge of the apocalyptic prophecies. When he learns of Hellas' fall, he is relieved because the prophecies spoke of a civilisation being poisoned and they assumed it was their own. But he welcomes Fabien with open arms and promises him that his people will have a home in his land.

Huang is the fourth and final emperor to die after succumbing to the Crown Virus pandemic. Fabien, having taken a liking to the handsome emperor, is saddened by his death and accompanies Yan to the yellow temple so that they can honour his passage and cremate his body. There, Fabien discovers that Huang was the only emperor who was a closet gay, and suppressed a deep love for him. Fabien kisses the yellow emperor's lips in death and requites his love for him shortly before the cremation. He realises that the yellow emperor possessed knowledge of the prophecies that the other emperors didn't have, and almost predicted the pandemic, having discovered him clasping the book of prophecies to his chest in his moment of death.

Huang is also the brother of the red emperor, Hong. His element is Earth and his astral body is Saturn. His yellow temple becomes temporary headquarters for the Consortium and the Rebellion in their wartime struggles against both Elias' Ouranian and Angie's Chthonian.

Hong

28/5/2020

Siblings: Huang

Hong is one of the emperors appearing in Divine Coregency V, and sides with Bai in opposing the Chthonian / the Yaoguai ("Demons") enslaved by Jianghu who are freed by the Divine Coregency.

Hong arrives at the evening's entertainment at the Black Temple, where he is introduced to the Divine Coregency, and invites the group to stay at his temple in the south. The group travel south to the Red Temple with Hong where they are shown a great forge of giant Athanors, and are treated to some light refreshments, a lantern festival and a magnificent light show involving fireworks. The temple itself is bright vermillion and the soft lamp light makes the day seem a little longer there. Fabien and Lucina decide that they both want to settle in this 'land of eternal summers' There, Hong tells them of his brother, the fifth emperor - Huang - who has invited them to stay at his temple in the centre of Jianghu.

Hong is the third emperor to die after succumbing to the Crown Virus pandemic. He is discovered dead in the bath by Angie Velásquez who quickly takes advantage of his death, overthrowing his servants and transforming the Red Temple into the headquarters of the Chthonian.

Hong's element is Fire, and his astral body is Mars.

Hei

28/5/2020

Hei is one of the emperors appearing in Divine Coregency V, and sides with Bai in opposing the Chthonian / the Yaoguai ("Demons") enslaved by Jianghu who are freed by the Divine Coregency.

Hei, the black emperor, is the second emperor encountered by the group on their arrival in Jianghu. Closely affiliated with the white emperor, Bai, the black emperor is introduced to the group at the White Temple, and spends an afternoon explaining how the law and politics of their society works. Taking a liking to the group, he invites them north to his Black Temple in Heng North where he curates an evening of fine music, dancing and poetry for their entertainment.

Hei is slightly dismayed when the blue-green emperor, Qing, is taken ill during the evening's entertainment, but quickly introduces the group to the red Emperor, Hong.

Hei is the first emperor to die shortly after succumbing to the Crown Virus pandemic. His death isn't narrated, but merely mentioned by one of the other characters. Hei is perhaps the emperor we know least about although we do know that his element is Water, and his astral body is Jupiter.

Hei's Black Temple becomes the temporary base of Elias and the Ouranian, being in the north and in closest proximity to Siberia, in their invasion of Jianghu.

Bai

28/5/2020

Bai is a minor antagonist in Divine Coregency V.

Bai, the white emperor is the first of five great emperors encountered in Divine Coregency. The group encounter him on a canal, and he initially seems blind to their presence until they mention that they are from Europe. Bai welcomes the group to "Jianghu", land of rivers and lakes, and invites them to his home, a temple made of White Gold on Mount Hua in the west of the country. There, they dine and marvel at the intricate metalwork of the cutlery and crockery, and the way that every surface has been decorated. There, they stay in lavish rooms - rooms that are so large that they could house a small village. While Fabien and Lucina admire the view of the landscape from the large white balcony adjoining their room and speculate the nature of these people; Despina, Damien and Corina find a huge library, a conservatory and a gallery of paintings depicting the numbers of the royal dynasty through the ages.

On returning from a tour of the country to the White Temple, Fabien falls into a sharp disagreement with Bai when he tells them that Lucina's mother and maternal grandparents were demons - creatures that are shunned by the Jianghu especially Bai and two of his fellow emperors, Hei and Hong.

Bai is the second emperor (after Hei) to die having succumbed to the deadly Crown Virus - a pandemic that sweeps across Jianghu. Before his death, Bai's mental health deteriorates and he quickly loses all sense of who he is and what he's doing here. Qing eventually alleviates his suffering and escorts him to his death bed.

Bai, the white emperor, is associated with the element of Metal (his temple being made of White Gold), and his astral body is Venus. Out of the five emperors, he is the one who most strongly opposes the Chthonian, the race of Yaoguai (demons) who are enslaved by their country and eventually freed by the Divine Coregency.

Zac

2/4/2020

One of Fabien's classmates at the College Des Sirènes. He appears briefly in Divine Coregency V, when he brings a drink to Fabien.

Salvador

20/3/2020

Consorts: Sara Nicholson

Salvador dated Sara Nicholson in the early days of Seveness, circa 1998. Their favourite hobby together was "Dub-Linging". They sometimes did it on the beach back in Australia. However, their relationship never lasted because Sara ultimately wanted something deeper from a man whereas for him, she was just eye candy. It's not known what happened to Salvador afterwards but he is thought to have stayed in Australia, perhaps on the cast of Neighbours for a brief stint.

Dragon of the Threshold

19/3/2020

The Dragon of the Threshold was a great fire-snarling dragon – the ‘dragon of the threshold’ – standing between Ignacio and The Devil, who created a river of fire that Ignacio could not cross. Ignacio leapt up and – before the dragon had time to react – he ripped the ivory tusk out of the dragon’s head. He sucked the point of the tusk like a horn until it had consumed all of the dragon’s flames. He then turned towards the dragon, and he blew the tusk as hard as he could so that the flames engulfed the dragon, burning it to smithereens.