experienced human in dealing with the Twelve Swords of Power, with the possible exception of the blacksmith Jord. He initially believes himself to be Jord's son, but later learns that he is one of the many illegitimate children of the Emperor. This gives him several mystical powers in addition to his considerable mundane ones. Jord is one of the conscripted smiths that aided Vulcan in forging the Swords, losing his arm in the process. Jord received Townsaver as "payment" for his services. Ben is Mark's steadfast friend throughout the series. Ben starts as a heavily built, powerful, extremely plain boy with aspirations of becoming a minstrel while lacking the necessary aptitudes. He grows over the course of the series into a stalwart and dependable man. Since Mark is a paragon of virtue and heroism, Ben plays the role of a more believable and emotionally developed character for the reader to identify with. Barbara is a member of the Dragon Hunting team with Ben. She takes on leadership of the team after Nestor's disappearance. After the successful raid on the Blue Temple hoard makes Ben wealthy enough to support her, they marry. Ariane is the daughter of the Emperor and Queen Yambu, who is chosen by Wayfinder as integral to their planned robbery of the Blue Temple hoard. It is Ariane who first banishes a demon using the Emperor's name, prompting Mark to later use this power. The Emperor is the most powerful individual in the Swords universe. He is extremely mysterious, and in fact is seen as nothing more than a fairy-tale character by many. He is a magician, and seemingly immune to magic himself. There is some question as to whether he is immune to the Swords. Demons fear and obey him. He acts in ways that are hard for characters and the reader to comprehend. The Emperor has begotten many illegitimate children, to the point where "Emperor's child" is a common colloquialism for any urchin, orphan, or bastard. True descendants of the Emperor (like Mark and Ariane) have a measure of his power over demons, though they are often unaware they possess it. Queen Yambu is first introduced as another major antagonist. When she was a teen, without power and in mortal danger, the Emperor was her friend, ally, and lover; she is the mother of Ariane. However, on attaining her throne, the two became estranged for many