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Muscovites in general tend to be dark-haired and Slavic-looking. Non-descendants of Ivan from Moscow live for up to a hundred years or so; those from the Forest for sixty or seventy years. All men wear beards in the Muscovite realms. Even among the family of Ivan I, there is no regeneration of lost body parts, and people do scar. Only a Great Miracle can fix such damage.
In addition to the wives and the women with whom he has fathered children, Ivan II has had relationships with various other women too. It is thus entirely possible that he has any number of unknown children dotted about the Rus. A ' ' indicates a relationship; a ' ' indicates a child. Names in bold are alive; those in italics are dead or assumed to be so.
Many characters have the name of an Amberite associated with them. This is to give a general idea of how they fit into the scheme of things, and should not be taken as an accurate indication of what they are like. They are 'inspired by' that Amberite, not 'based on' them.
- Ivan Egorovitch Ferapont (Ivan I) ['Dworkin'] - the founder of Moscow as it is now, and the creator of the Maze of Trees and the Forest.
- Elena Prekracnaya - wife of Ivan I and, in her time, the most beautiful woman ever seen. She died of old age some fifty years after the creation of the Forest. Ivan I buried her body in the Maze of Trees. The Cathedral of Elena in the Moscow Kremlin was built by Ivan I as a memorial to her.
- Ivan Ivanovitch Ferapont (Ivan II) ['Oberon'], Tsar of Moscow and Ruler of all the Rus. Originally a fair, if harsh, ruler, over time he has become madder, and is now known (behind his back!) as Ivan the Terrible, or Ivan Grozny (Ivan the Dreaded). In the past he has displayed powerful Miracle-Working powers. However, he has not displayed these for a long time. Some speculate that he has lost them because of his actions against his father, the Chosen of the Firebird.
TSAR IVAN II
- Evdokia Vyshetavitch Vakhtina - the first wife of Ivan II, she was a Boyar woman from Moscow, and a descendant of one of the Princesses who was the captive of Koschei along with Elena Prekracnaya. Ivan married her for love. She died of old age long ago. Evdokia was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Yaroslav Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Benedict'] - a short, wiry man with a bushy beard and brown eyes, who moves with a cat-like grace. He has, from time to time, led the armies of Moscow against its enemies, and is considered the greatest general in its armies. He has never been a great scholar, as such. He is not a full-time soldier. Instead he spends a good deal of his time in the Church, and in the Forest. He tends to dress in a plain and rather archaic style.
- Yuri Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Osric'] - A dedicated scholar and soldier of great skill and erudition, he saw many flaws in the rule of Ivan, but was unsuccessful in having anything done about them by peaceful means. As such he grew dissatisfied with Ivan II's rule, and attempted to overthrow him with the aid of Nicholas. He failed, and was executed. For his crime of rebellion his body was buried in an unmarked paupers grave in one of the cemeteries used by the common folk of Moscow.
- Nicholas Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Finndo'] - A dedicated churchman and scholar who, along with Yuri, became dissatisfied with Ivan II's rule and helped him against Ivan. He too was executed. Like Yuri, for his crime of rebellion his body was buried in an unmarked paupers grave in one of the cemeteries used by the common folk of Moscow.
- Xenia Olegovitch Kogorshedova - the second wife of Ivan II, she was a noblewoman from the city of Suzdal. She passed on her less devout faith in the Firebird as well as her rather diminutive stature to her children. Ivan married her to cement a political alliance with that city during the early expansion of the Rus. She died of old age long ago. Xenia was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Grigori Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Eric'] - like Yuri a dedicated scholar-soldier, Grigori is a loyal servant of his father, and has led Muscovite armies on many occasions. He and Andrei have been rivals since birth, and do not get on. Grigori is quite short, with an athletic build and black hair, beard and eyes.
- Andrei Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Corwin'] - strong, passionate and highly skilled in poetry, song, Magics and the arts generally, but also a skilled soldier, he has led Muscovite armies on occasion. He and Grigori have been rivals since birth, and do not get on. He spends most of his time outside of Moscow, and has not been seen there in years. Like Grigori he is quite short, with an athletic build, and very dark hair, beard and eyes. He wields the enchanted sword Kladenets.
- Kachka Nabialokovitch Belousova - a serving maid from the Moscow Kremlin who fell in love with Andrei's heart and soul. Andrei abandoned her after the death of Yvgeni and she entered a nunnery, where she died of old age. On the orders of Andrei, Kachka was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Yvgeni Andreiovitch Ferapont - the only known son of Andrei, and indeed the first and only known grandchild of Ivan II. He was quite like his father. Feodor killed him after he was found in the Oprichnina and accused of spying there. Andrei has hated Feodor ever since this happened. At the insistence of Andrei his body was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Anastasia Ivanovitch Feraponta ['Deirdre'] - a great general, explorer, diplomat and merchant, she is short, muscular and beautiful, with dark hair and flashing dark eyes. Though less skilled in actual personal combat than many of her siblings, she is still formidable, and her insight and perceptive abilities are second to none. She is also highly skilled in Magic, speaks the languages of the animals, and excels at the leading of troops and so on through the Forest. Of all of the Family, she gets on best with Irina, but is also very close to Grigori and Andrei, and friendly with Ilyana.
- Sophia Iziaslavitch Konstaniia - a Boyar woman from Moscow, a descendant of one of the Princesses who was the captive of Koschei along with Elena Prekracnaya. However, Ivan never married her, making all of the children from the relationship bastards, though no-one would dare to say so directly.
- Ilyana Ivanovitch Feraponta ['Fiona'] - a devout follower of the Firebird, one of its priestesses in the White Clergy, and a dedicated student of all of the arts and sciences that can be learned. Tiny and stick-thin, with angular bird-like features, she nonetheless has great presence, and piercing dark eyes. She sponsors a number of schools and libraries in Moscow, and has accompanied exploration and trading missions far off through the Forest, sometimes in the company of Anastasia.
- Daniil Ivanovitch Ferapont - a peace-loving and quite devout son of Ivan who Ivan, for some reason, came to believe was plotting against him. This was perhaps related to his actions in attempting to enhance friendship and co-operation with the Mongols during the Mongol Occupation. Imprisoned and tortured, he continued to protest his innocence until he died. This was perhaps two hundred and fifty years ago. The tortured remains of his body were buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Of all of the Family he was closest to Avvakum.
- Aleksey Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Bleys'] - The second-greatest general in the armies of Moscow after Yaroslav, and their full-time leader. Despite this he is of only average height with dark hair, a neatly trimmed beard and a rather foppish air to him. He spends a good deal of time away from Moscow. He does not seem to like the Oprichnina, and gets on best with Ilyana and Avvakum. He wields the magical fire shield and fire spear.
- The Water Tsarina - lover of Ivan, but never his wife, she ruled, and still rules, the Underwater Realm.
- Irina Tsarinavitch Feraponta ['Llewella'] - a strange woman, she is half Rusalki and half human. She appears to be very young, perhaps fifteen, with very pale skin, green-tinged dark hair and green eyes. She usually wears the traditional Rusalki garb of a transparent green gown and is most often seen in the company of other Rusalki. She will not have anything to do with the Firebird. She seems to possess the Rusalki ability to sing songs that are entrancing to men, and allegedly also the ability to tickle them to death. She spends most of her time either in the Underwater Realm or in the Forest, and is seen in Moscow itself only rarely. Of the Family of Ivan II she gets on best with Anastasia.
- Sviatopolk - a Vodyanye, to whom Irina is married.
- Sophia Iziaslavitch Konstaniia (reconciled after Ivan's affair with the Water Tsarina)
- Emelian Ivanovitch Ferapont - A skilled soldier and devout priest in the Black Clergy, he led an uprising against the Mongols soon after they had taken control of Moscow, hoping to use the confusion then against them. Unfortunately unsuccessful, he was captured and brutally killed by them, along with all of his army. The tortured remains of his body were buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Paladia Svyatoslavitch Belyaeva - another lover of Ivan II, a servant girl from the Moscow Kremlin who caught his eye. He never married her, but treated her as if she were his wife. Then he became bored with her, and she 'voluntarily' entered a nunnery far from Moscow and became a member of the Black Clergy.
- Ekaterina Ivanovitch Feraponta - a devout follower of the Firebird, skilled in the creation of Icons of all kinds, she saw the Mongol occupation of the Muscovite Rus as an affront to the Firebird, and worked against it. Along with her younger brother Vladislav she led an uprising against the Mongols, but was killed in the process, and the uprising crushed. Her body was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Sophia Iziaslavitch Konstaniia (reconciled again after Ivan's affair with Paladia)
- Avvakum Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Brand'] - of average height and quite thin, with a mass of black beard and hair, piercing black eyes, a hawk-like nose and a fiery temperament. He is a devout follower of the Firebird, and a high-ranking priest in the White Clergy of the Church. He spends a great deal of time praying and meditating in the Forest. Very much a 'turbulent priest', a hard-liner in his beliefs, and wants reforms in Moscow. As such he often argues with Ilyana, who is much less of a hard-liner, and even with Ivan II himself.
- Paladia Svyatoslavitch Belyaeva - reconciled after Ivan II's return to Sophia, she came out of the nunnery to be with him again.
- Vladislav Ivanovitch Ferapont - also a devout follower of the Firebird, influenced by Ekaterina and Avvakum, but skilled more in Miracles than anything else, he worked with Ekaterina against the Mongols and was killed in the uprising they led. His body was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Anna Ivanovitch Feraponta - non-identical twin sister of Vladislav and devout follower of the Firebird, who disappeared while attempting to master the Maze of Trees. Her skeleton, overgrown with weeds, was found by Natalya when she mastered the Maze much later. Anna was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- [Sophia murdered Paladia at this point. Sophia was executed for the murder. Paladia was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. For her crime of murdering Paladia Svyatoslavitch Belyaeva, Sophia was not buried in the Moscow Kremlin. Instead she was given a unmarked paupers grave in one of the cemeteries used by the common folk of Moscow.]
- Agafia Mikhailovitch Nesterovna - the third wife of Ivan II, she was a nun of the Firebird and member of the Black Clergy who he met while wooing Paladia out of the nunnery, and whom Ivan basically corrupted into a relationship, and then married, apparently to help keep the church off his back. She died of old age centuries ago. Agafia was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Ludmilla Ivanovitch Feraponta - she was taken off to be the wife of the Mongol Khan during the Occupation and never seen again despite efforts to find her after the end of the Occupation. She was young, beautiful and a devout follower of the Firebird, skilled in the working of Miracles and the creation of Icons. With no body to be buried, Ludmilla has no grave. Instead there is a memorial chapel to her in the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Natalya Ivanovitch Feraponta ['Flora'] - the identical twin of Ludmilla, she used to be very devout. However, since Ludmilla's abduction her faith has lapsed, and she now spends much more time enjoying herself, and out of Moscow. Outgoing and sociable, Natalya has friends and lovers both current and former all across Moscow and throughout the Rus. Avvakum often berates her regarding this when they meet. Despite this her father also often puts her skills in this area to use in having her entertain visiting dignitaries when the occasion demands. She is tall and beautiful with reddish-brown hair.
- Maria Feodorovitch Savinova - the fourth wife of Ivan II, a Cossack woman and formidable rider and fighter in her own right. Ivan married her out of what seems to have been genuine love, as well as perhaps a desire to bind the Cossacks to him after the Mongols were driven out of Moscow. She died of old age after the end of the Mongol Occupation. Maria was buried in the crypt of the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Feodor Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Julian'] - a horseman, perhaps the most skilled in Moscow and the Rus. Short, muscular and slightly bow-legged, he is a high-ranking member of the Oprichniks. He spends a good deal of time out from Moscow, much of it ensuring the smooth running of the military aspects of the Oprichnina. He loves to hunt, and is a ruthless disciplinarian. He does not get on with Andrei since he killed his son, Yvgeni.
- Konstantin Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Gerard'] - a huge bear of a man, barrel-chested, massive-shouldered and almost as broad as he is tall, with a huge unkempt beard and a mass of dark hair. He is the foremost sailor of the Rus, the leader of the Muscovite river navy, and explores and battles Cossacks and other dangers up and down the Rivers that run through the Forest. He is good-natured and seems to get on with everyone, but is not a man to cross.
- Edouard Ivanovitch Ferapont - a younger brother of Konstantin and a similar man to him, he was close friends with his older brother, and in an attempt to emulate him attempted to master the Maze of Trees too early. He was never seen alive again, and his body has never been found. All that remains of him is a small memorial in the Great Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
- Pyotr Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Caine'] - a soldier, and another high-ranking member of the Oprichniks. Like Feodor, he spends a good deal of time out from Moscow, much of it ensuring the smooth running of the Oprichnina. However, unlike Feodor, who deals with the military side of things, he deals much more with spying and espionage. He is also quite a devout follower of the Firebird. He has quite a nondescript appearance.
- Olga Andreiovitch Adaliunda - the fifth wife of Ivan II; a Boyar woman from Moscow, a descendant of one of the Princesses who was the captive of Koschei along with Elena Prekracnaya. Ivan married her in an attempt to mollify the Boyars. Thus it is not exactly a love match. They have no children. She is currently in late middle age.
- Vysheslava Nikolaiovitch Tarsova - a Merchant's wife who caught Ivan's eye, and who he basically blackmailed into a relationship.
- Filaret Ivanovitch Ferapont ['Random'] - youngest son of Ivan II, and as such more than a little spoiled, he has only recently navigated the Maze of Trees. Although he has served with the military, he shows no signs of gravitating in that direction, being rather a lazy dilettante. He is bad-tempered, and subject to tantrums when he does not get his way. Still young in appearance, he is dark-haired, but with blue eyes.
After what happened to Yvgeni, Andrei's son, and with Ivan's increasing instability, there is some very quiet speculation that any others of his grandchildren - and most people believe that there are some - are being raised in secret by their parents somewhere off in the Forest.
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The Trump of Oberon which is used as a picture of Ivan II is by Wendi Strang-Frost. As such it is © 1993-2004 Wendi Strang-Frost, used with permission. One can see the Trump in context, along with lots of other fine artwork, at her site, www.sfpro.com. This picture was taken from The Trump Gallery.
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