The Immortals (series)
Encyclopedia
The Immortals quartet, by Tamora Pierce
, is the story of Veralidaine Sarrasri (known as Daine), an orphan with an unusual talent: she can speak with animals.
Cloud from her birthcountry of Galla to the kingdom of Tortall. Here she finds a new life and a new family, and learns that she has the magical ability to talk to animals. She makes friends with a lineup of chacters and creatures, among others the black-robe mage Numair Salmalin, a young dragon named Skysong (nicknamed Kitten), the legendary Lioness, Alanna of Trebond, King Jonathan and Queen Thayet of Tortall.
Daine (along other characters of the series) also appears briefly in the Protector of the Small
and Daughter of the Lioness
series.
Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce is an author of fantasy literature for young adults. She is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania. Best known for writing stories involving young heroines, she made a name for herself with her first quartet The Song of the Lioness, which followed the main character Alanna...
, is the story of Veralidaine Sarrasri (known as Daine), an orphan with an unusual talent: she can speak with animals.
Plot Summary
The orphan Daine applies for a job that takes her and her trusty ponyPony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
Cloud from her birthcountry of Galla to the kingdom of Tortall. Here she finds a new life and a new family, and learns that she has the magical ability to talk to animals. She makes friends with a lineup of chacters and creatures, among others the black-robe mage Numair Salmalin, a young dragon named Skysong (nicknamed Kitten), the legendary Lioness, Alanna of Trebond, King Jonathan and Queen Thayet of Tortall.
Main
- Veralidaine "Daine" Sarrasri: The main character of the quartet, she is a young woman possessing "wild magic," and has the power to speak to, heal, and shapeshiftShapeshiftingShapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
into animals. Born in the village of Snowsdale in Galla, her father is Weiryn, a minor god of the hunt who fell in love with Daine's mother, Sarra. Despite her original fear of her wild magic overpowering her, she learns to control her power. She is shown to hate Stormwings, magical creatures who prey on fear and warfare, in the first books, but later changes her mind when she realizes that Stormwings are simply what they are. She even develops a tentative friendship with a Stormwing named Rikash.
Daine (along other characters of the series) also appears briefly in the Protector of the Small
Protector of the Small
The Protector of the Small quartet is a series of books written by Tamora Pierce that tells the story of Keladry of Mindelan, a heroine in the fictional kingdom of Tortall.-First Test:...
and Daughter of the Lioness
Daughter of the Lioness
The Daughter of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce is a duology set in the Tortall universe. It is centered on Alianne of Pirate's Swoop, the sixteen-year old daughter of Tortall's legendary lady knight, Alanna the Lioness, who was the subject of The Song of the Lioness quartet...
series.
- Numair Salmalin: A very tall, very powerful mage with the ability to shape shift. He is one of the only "black-robe" mages in the world, and though is usually mild-mannered and awkward, can be extremely emotional at times. This is shown when he turns a mage gone bad into a tree after he, (the bad mage) tries to hurt Daine. In "Emperor Mage," he is hinted to have been Emperor Ozorne's friend once, but they are now enemies. He is Daine's teacher and eventual love interest; they are married shortly before the events of Trickster's Choice and have two children, Rikash and Sara. Despite being extremely powerful and mature, he has been known to have many affairs with women at court (before he meets Daine).
- Onua Chamtong: A trader and horse mistress for the Queen's Riders. She hires Daine as her assistant in Wild MagicWild MagicWild Magic is a fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, the first in a series of four books, The Immortals. It details the emergence of the powers of Veralidaine Sarrasri as a wild mage and her coming to Tortall.-Plot introduction:...
. It is revealed that she was physically abused by her husband and left for dead before joining the Riders. She has a very affectionate dog, Tahoi (meaning "ox") and possesses the Gift. A friend of Numair and Alanna, Onua is gifted with the ability to hide things with her magic. She uses the bow well.
- Ozorne: Emperor of Carthak, until the end of Emperor MageEmperor MageEmperor Mage is a fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, the third in a series of four books, The Immortals. It details the peace delegation sent by Tortall to Carthak which Daine joins, to save the emperor's birds.-Plot introduction:...
, when he is tricked into turning into a Stormwing. He is ruthless and loves power, though he is shown as having a soft side for birds and other animals, especially immortals. He and Numair do not get along and he is said to have banished his old friend before. An extremely powerful mage, Ozorne made the mistake of believing himself invincible.
- Kaddar: The prince of Carthak, becoming emperor at the end of Emperor MageEmperor MageEmperor Mage is a fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, the third in a series of four books, The Immortals. It details the peace delegation sent by Tortall to Carthak which Daine joins, to save the emperor's birds.-Plot introduction:...
. Friend of Daine because he was her guide during her visit to Carthak. Though at first he acts a bit stiff, he is really kind at heart and finally defies his uncle while simultaneously saving his life from the enraged Daine, who had shape-shifted into a hyena.
Immortals
- Skysong (nicknamed Kitten): A baby dragon whose mother died in the battle at Pirate's Swoop. Skysong was initially dead in the womb before Daine inadvertently healed her, and afterwards Daine becomes her guardian for the rest of the series. It is shown that despite her love for Daine, Skysong needed "discipline" from her own kind and that she would later return to the dragon's home in the Divine Realms. She is shown to be highly advanced and can whistle locks open, sense invisibility spells, and detect magic used for spying.
- Tkaa: A basiliskBasiliskIn European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance...
who found Daine in Dunlath and became a friend. He also appears as an envoyEnvoy (title)In diplomacy, an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary is, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, a diplomat of the second class, ranking between an Ambassador and a Minister Resident....
to the Copper Isles in Daughter of the LionessDaughter of the LionessThe Daughter of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce is a duology set in the Tortall universe. It is centered on Alianne of Pirate's Swoop, the sixteen-year old daughter of Tortall's legendary lady knight, Alanna the Lioness, who was the subject of The Song of the Lioness quartet...
and as the teacher of the immortals class in Protector of the SmallProtector of the SmallThe Protector of the Small quartet is a series of books written by Tamora Pierce that tells the story of Keladry of Mindelan, a heroine in the fictional kingdom of Tortall.-First Test:...
. His first encounter with Numair showed his power. Though he meant him no harm, he threw magic at Numair and he turned him into a rock as self-defense. He broke out of the rock in a few minutes, paused, and asked if Tkaa would do it again so he could see if he could break out of the rock a second time. He refused, but the two became good friends. Tkaa is said to have skin like solid gray drops which darken and lighten in patterns across his skin.
- Rikash Moonsword: A Stormwing introduced during Wolf-SpeakerWolf-SpeakerWolf-Speaker is a fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, the second in a series of four books, The Immortals.This book details the journey of Veralidaine Sarrasri as she learns more about her wild magic and her journey to Dunlath to help the wolves, only to find there is a bigger and more dangerous plot...
, who eventually becomes Daine's friend and ally. Daine is shown to have named her son Rikash in Trickster's Queen. He is always insulting and teasing her, but shows rare kindnesses, like awkwardly comforting her when she believed Numair was dead. In "Wolf-Speaker," he is shown to have a soft spot for Maura of Dunlath, his ward.
- Barzha Razorwing: A Stormwing queen, who with her consort Hebekah is imprisoned by Ozorne in Carthak. They are released at the end of Emperor MageEmperor MageEmperor Mage is a fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, the third in a series of four books, The Immortals. It details the peace delegation sent by Tortall to Carthak which Daine joins, to save the emperor's birds.-Plot introduction:...
and become Daine's allies. Daine accidentally informs Rikash of their whereabouts, startling the Stormwing because he and his kind were told that they had been killed in a fair fight.
Animals
- Cloud: A pony that Daine has had since before the series started. She is quite stubborn, but is very loyal to Daine. It was partly through her ability to speak with Cloud that Daine learned of her wild magic. She refers to Numair as "Stork Man". Cloud's mind was changed after repeatedly biting Daine and getting some of Daine's wild magic inadvertently transferred into her, and she can reason and think like a human. At the end of "Wild Magic," she transferred her energy into Daine, so the girl could kill a Stormwing Queen, Zhaneh Bitterclaws.
- Tahoi: A large dog (his name means "ox") that works with Onua and Daine on the trails with the horses, he saved Onua's life when her husband had beaten her and left her for dead. He is a "one woman dog," but takes to Daine anyways. He is an expert at guarding the ponies and avoiding being kicked by them.
- Zekoi: A pygmy marmoset that Daine befriends after saving it from crocodiles in the River Zekoi during the events in Emperor MageEmperor MageEmperor Mage is a fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, the third in a series of four books, The Immortals. It details the peace delegation sent by Tortall to Carthak which Daine joins, to save the emperor's birds.-Plot introduction:...
. He is said to have a family back in the wild and has a fascination with keys. After he was captured, he learned about keys, and then vowed to have keys from then on. He later frees Daine from Ozorne's prison with a set of keys.
Others
- Sarra Beneksri: Daine's mother, who is killed in the events preceding Wild MagicWild MagicWild Magic is a fantasy novel by Tamora Pierce, the first in a series of four books, The Immortals. It details the emergence of the powers of Veralidaine Sarrasri as a wild mage and her coming to Tortall.-Plot introduction:...
. It is discovered as the series progresses that she has become The Green Lady, a minor goddess of women and childbirth. She was a midwife before she was killed, and possessed the Gift.
- Weiryn: Daine's father, and a minor god of the hunt. He is mostly human in appearance, though with brown and olive tints in his skin and a pair of antlers. Resigned to the fact that Daine, his child, won't eat game, Weiryn nevertheless provides her with a beautiful bow and a magical staff for Numair to aid them on their journey in "The Realms of the Gods."