Sheri Tepper - Wizard’s Eleven

1. Dorn, Necromancer Talent: Deadraising

2. Trandilar, Ruler Talent: Beguilement

3. Shattnir, Sorcerer Talent: Power Holding

4. Wafnor, Tragamor Talent: Moving

5. Didir, Demon Talent: Mind Reading

6. Dealpas, Healer Talent: Healing

7. Tamor, Armiger Talent: Flying

8. Hafnor, Elator Talent: Traveling

9. Buinel, Sentinel Talent: Firestarting

10. Sorah, Seer Talent: Seeing the Future

11. Thandbar, Shifter Talent: Shapechanging

In addition, the Immutables were reckoned to have Talent Twelve, andPeter was found to have Talent Thirteen. The Talent of Wizards is neverspecified. Strange are the Talents of Wizards.

The animals, birds, and water creatures originally native to the worldof the True Game lack a backbone and have evolved from a vaguelystarfishshaped creature. The basic skeleton is in the form of a jointedpentacle, or star, often elongated, with the limbs and head at thepoints of the star. Despite this very different evolutionary pattern,the bioengineers among the magicians succeeded in meshing the geneticmaterial of the new world and that from which they came. Among thecreatures now native to the world of the True Game are:

BUNWITS: Any of a variety of herbivorous animals with long hind legs andflat, surprised-looking faces under erect, triangular ears. Like allanimals native to the world, bunwits are tailless. They eat younggrasses and the leaves of webwillows.

FLITCHHAWKS: Swift, high-flying birds which prey mostly upon bunwits ofthe smaller varieties. Noted for their keen eyes.

FUSTIGARS: Pack-hunting predators, some varieties of which have beenextensively inbred and domesticated.

GNARLIBARS: A huge animal which lives in the high wastes below theDorbor Range. It feeds upon anything it can catch, including old orailing krylobos. The gnarlibar has a ground-shaking roar which hasearned it the name of avalanche animal. Gnarlibars always pack infours, two females and two males; females always bear twins, one maleand one female. A set of Gnarlibars is called a leat or crossroads,because of their invariable habit of attacking from four directions atonce. It is thought that the gnarlibar is the descendant of aprehistoric race of animals so prodigious in size as to be consideredmythical.

GROLE: A long, blind, legless animal with multiple rows of teeth whichlives by burrowing into soil, stone, or other inorganic materials,utilizing the light metals in its metabolism. The teeth are of adamantand can be used as grinding tools. The so-called sausage groles arenot related to rockeater groles but are smaller creatures of similarconfiguration which eat only organic materials, notably the meat of theground nut.

KRYLOBOS: A giant, flightless bird with well-developed wing fingers,capable of very high running speeds. The krylobos dance contests areamong the most exciting of spectacles for adventurous zoologists, as thebirds are extremely agile and powerful.

POMBIS: Carnivores distinguished by clawed feet and the ability to climbtall trees or nest in virtually inaccessible locations. Pombis areirritable and have a reputation for unprovoked belligerence.

THRISPAT: A small omnivore which bears its young alive, lives in treesor upon precipitous mountain slopes, and mimics the calls of otheranimals and the human voice. Small thrispats are favorite pets in thejungle cities where breeders vie in extending the vocabularies of theiranimals. A good thrispat can speak up to a hundred words and phraseswith some indication of understanding their meaning. Thrispats areparticularly fond of ripe thrilps, whence the name.

WARNETS: A stinging, flying insect of minuscule size and legendary badtemper, which lives in hordes. Called saber-tail by some. It is saidthat krylobos will take warnet nests and drop them into the nests ofgnarlibars during territorial disputes.

At least two peoples are known to occupy the lands around the area ofthe True Game.

SHADOWPEOPLE: Small, carnivorous (omnivorous when necessary) nocturnalpeople delighting in music and song. They are extremely fond offestivals, dance contests, song contests and the like and have been seento assemble by hundreds within sound of the annual contests at theMinchery in Learner. While Shadowpeople eat bunwits of any size, it isnotable that they do not attack krylobos and are not attacked by pombis,gnarlibars, or warnets.

EESTIES: A people said by some to be aloof and withdrawn, by others tobe friendly and helpful. Seen most often as solitary individuals. Nativelanguage unknown. Habits unknown. In appearance, star-shaped, moving asArmigers do or rolling upon the extremities.

MAVIN MANYSHAPED, my mother, had told me that when a Shapeshifter is notShifting that is, when he is not involved in a Game it is consideredpolite for the Shifter to wear real clothing and act, insofar as ispossible, like any normal Demon or Necromancer or Tragamor. I like tohumor Mavin when I can. The proper dress of a Shifter includes abeast-head helm and a fur cloak, so I had had a pombi-head helm made up,all lolloping red tongue and glittering eyes, with huge jowls andears fake, of course. A real pombi head would have weighed like lead. Myfur mantle was real enough, however, and welcome for warmth on the chillday which found me midway between the Bright Demesne and the town ofXammer. I was mounted on a tall black horse I had picked for myself fromHimaggerys stables, and Chance sulked along behind on something lessostentatious. We were on our way to visit Silkhands the Healer, not ather invitation and not because of any idea of mine.

Chance was sulking because he had recently learned of a large exoticbeast said to live in the far Northern Lands, and he wanted me to Shiftinto one so that he might ride me through the town of Thisp near theBright Demesne. It seemed there was a widow there

I had said no, no, too undignified, and wasnt Chance the one who hadalways urged me to be inconspicuous? To which he had made a bad-temperedreply to do with ungrateful brats.

If she had seen you mounted on a gnarlibar, Chance, she would neverhave let you in her house again. She would have felt you too proud, toopuissant for a plumpish widow.

Twould not be too warlike for that one, Peter. Shes widow of anArmiger and daughter of another. Great high ones, too, from the tellingof it.

But she has no Talent, Chance.

Well. Thats as may be. Boys dont know everything. And he went backto his sulks.

Whoops, Peter, I said to myself. Chance is in love and you have beenuncooperative. Thinking upon the bouncy widow, I could imagine whatTalents she might have which Chance would value. I sighed. My ownhistory, brief though it was, was mainly of love unrequited. I resolvedto make it up to him. Somehow. Later. Certainly not before I found outwhat a gnarlibar might look like. This rumination was interrupted bymore muttering from Chance to the effect that he couldnt see why wewere going to Xammer anyhow, there being nothing whatever in Xammer ofany interest.