Kallyr Starbrow: ancestry

The reference material for Kallyr's ancestry is all in "King of Sartar":

the declaration of her ancestry on page 154
the family tree on page 48
the list of Terasarin's and Jarolar's families on page 43

On her father's side, she is the daughter of Loricon, son of Rastoron, son of Jarolar, Prince of Sartar.
On her mother's side, she is the daughter of Enerin Ironeye, daughter of Ferena the Herbalist.

First point: Kallyr is spoken of throughout as a member of the Kheldon tribe. All her mother's family are Kheldon. Loricon is of the Sartar royal house, which does not make him a member of the Kheldon. If Kallyr joined her mother's tribe rather than her father's, either they were not married at all (unlikely), it was a year-marriage, with Loricon not wanting to claim the offspring (also unlikely) or the marriage had Enerin as the dominant partner.

Loricon(s)

Who was Loricon? The son of Rastoron, yes, but KoS43 shows a son of Terasarin with the same name. Could they be the same person? Rastoron died with his father at Dwarf Ford in 1565. His son would have been very young, perhaps not even born. His wife would almost certainly have re-married. If her new husband was Terasarin (the right age, and Rastoron's cousin), Loricon would have been brought up as his (eldest) son. We even have a name for the lady: Terasarin's wife was called Hindala.

What little we know of Terasarin is not encouraging. He "would not relinquish, and his heart turned to stone" (KoS43). He sold one of his sons in marriage to a Tovtaros chieftain to cement a deal. "During his reign many members of his kinfolk deserted the lands and refused aid to their family." (KoS140). The impression given is of a competent and respected leader who was disliked by the relatives he used as pawns. We know that at his death none of his children were considered for the throne, despite the considerable difficulties Salinarg experienced in getting crowned: true, primogeniture is not a strong Sartarite custom, but given the omens Salinarg got, almost any other candidate should have been preferable. Terasarin's children must have been totally unsuitable not to have been considered.

Date of birth

We can deduce a little about Kallyr's date of birth from her activities later: in 1613 she is king of her tribe and leader of other tribal kings. In her early thirties, perhaps, giving a DoB around 1580. She is still leading armies and fighting her own duels in 1630: following on from the 1613 date puts her around 50 by now, which seems reasonable. Minaryth Blue mentions that she marries "at last", so this all sounds reasonable, if a little vague. Her father was born in 1566 at the absolute latest: a few years earlier would fit better, as this makes him only 14 in 1580. If we put his DoB back to 1562 (so he was three when his own father died), we can have her born in 1582, when he was 20. A little cramped, but possible. This makes her 31 at the time of the rebellion, and I really don't see her being any younger.

People and arguments

At this point I run out of evidence and start inventing facts to fit the (deduced) personalities. Suppose Loricon was, far from being the warrior Terasarin wanted, the most pacific member of the dynasty (except the founder???) and a dedicated Healer? This would explain why he was not considered for the throne at a time when a strong war lord was needed. It would also mean that Terasarin's step-son was not competition for his own children. Suppose Loricon went for training to, among others, Ferena the Herbalist, and fell in love with her daughter? For Enerin to get the nickname "Iron-eye" she must have been a strong-willed young woman: I see her as a Vingan myself, though retiring from full warrior status to try for children. Loricon marrying into his wife's clan rather than vice versa sounds entirely reasonable under the circumstances.

How would Terasarin react to all this? In 1582 he was rescued from Grizzly Peak, where his father died. As I understand the character, his main motivation thereafter was (unjustified) guilt at having failed to defend his father. He would be driven, obsessive, determined to make up for his "failure" and win all battles thereafter. Also, I see him as being the delightful type who only respects people he's proved he can't bully. If Loricon was a healer, he would have taken the "turn the other cheek" approach, which Terasarin would totally fail to understand. He probably regarded Loricon as a coward for refusing to be a warrior at a time when he felt more warriors in the royal house were desperately needed. Grudging respect for Enerin, perhaps, which would not be returned. Once Kallyr came along his interest might return: Hindala would certainly want to fuss over her first grandchild. I can just see Terasarin criticising Loricon in front of Kallyr and wondering why she didn't like it: and being challenged to a duel by a furious six-year-old defending her beloved father?

The clan?

If Enerin had held any position in the tribe I think it would have been mentioned, but she could have been chief of her clan. Whatever clan that is: Kallyr's clan is never mentioned for some reason. A possible theory as to why is that in 1602 the Lunars had a purge of all the Sartar royalty they could find. Presumably Kallyr wasn't around to be purged (IMG she's adventuring in Prax). But her father would be a potential purgee: and killing healers makes you really popular with Orlanthi! The rest of the clan would have rallied to defend him: and been wiped out. When the Lunars start killing people they don't mess around. An assassin at first, perhaps, who was caught and executed with extreme prejudice, then a troop (of Char-Un?) to avenge the assassin. This would explain why Kallyr's clan is never mentioned: it no longer exists. It also explains why, according to the Wyrms Footprints article, in 1613 she was divided between attacking the Lunars and protecting her tribe: having seen her clan destroyed, she wouldn't want the same thing to happen at tribal level.

Siblings?

No siblings of Kallyr's are ever mentioned. With a Vingan mother, I could believe that she was an only child, but the existence of siblings (or half-siblings, previously unknown) can be regarded as dependant on the needs of the plot for each person's game. I see it as a useful "in" for a PC joining in late, myself, giving a new character sufficient influence to join in with a high-level party.

The legal situation

In the High Council article, Kallyr's claim to the throne by blood is described as "slender", and reference is made to what happens if a "legitimate" heir is found. Let's take a quick look at the legal side of her position, remembering that there are many types of marriage under Orlanthi law.

Rastoron was the elder son of Jarolar. But, he was "a son by his waterkeeper", whereas the younger Jarosar was "a son by his love-wife, Vininna". "Water-keeper" is not, as far as I'm aware, a form of marriage. So Rastoron, while acknowledged by his father, was not a legitimate son. Normally a child born outside marraige would be brought up by the mother: but in this case, it seems Rastoron's unnamed mother was a part of Jarolar's household.

We don't know the status of Rastoron's marriage to Hindala, but since Rastoron himself was not legally a member of the Royal House, his son would not be, either. However, when the young Loricon was adopted by Terasarin, he did legally become a member of the Royal House by adoption. He is listed as a son of Terasarin: tradition would seem to be that the husband is responsible for his wife's children, no matter who their father was.

But, when Loricon married Enerin, he became her sub-husband, marrying out of the Royal House. Kallyr joined her mother's clan, not her father's. She, therefore, is not legally a member of the Royal House by either route.

This study has been looking almost entirely at her father's side of the family: the House of Sartar. I cover her mother's family in my study of Kallyr's relations with her clan and tribe.

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