looking" and wears a large gold earring. Olvar the Chaos Bringer - A chaos-worshipping barbarian warrior and friend of Tyutchev, Cassandra and Thaum. His death at Avenger's hands (after an unprovoked attack by Olvar) leads to the feud between Avenger and the chaos worshippers. Wears a magical headband that can fire lightning bolts, and feels no pain in combat due to his bloodlust. The Monks of the Scarlet Mantis - An order of evil monks who worship Vile, Kwon's evil brother. Like the followers of Kwon, the members of the Scarlet Mantis are consummate martial artists. Yaemon, the Grand Master of Flame - Head of the Monks of the Scarlet Mantis, an order of monks opposed to the monks who follow Kwon. At the beginning of the series he has been Grand Master for more than twenty summers. He slew Avenger's foster father Naijishi and stole the Scrolls of Kettsuin. Possibly the most deadly martial artist on Orb, Yaemon is allied to Manse the Deathmage and Honoric, the leader of the Legion of the Sword of Doom and in the first book, Avenger, your quest calls for you to defeat Yaemon and so avenge the death of your father. Aiguchi the Weaponmaster - A monk of the Scarlet Mantis and a master of weapons, he challenges Avenger to a duel in the Ring of Vasch-Ro to avenge the death of Yaemon. Expert with the bow, naginata and nunchaku. Mandrake, Guildmaster of Assassins - Worships Torremalku the Slayer, the patron god of assassins, and is the most deadly assassin on Orb. "No-one has ever survived his attention." Master of disguise and acting. Manse the Deathmage - An evil sorcerer and worshipper of Nemesis, Manse can cast many different spells, including the nearly always fatal "Finger of Death". Has been known to practice child sacrifice. In the prequel Ninja, he also appears as a behind-the-scenes antagonist, plaguing Avenger and his fellow contestants with his evil magic. Honoric, Grand Marshal of the Legion of the Sword of Doom - One of the most feared military commanders and most evil men on Orb. A peerless swordsman, it is said he once slew a storm giant singlehandedly. Wields Sorcerak, an intelligent magical sword forged by his patron deity that dispels magic, causes fear in its wielders opponents, and enables its wielder to fly. The Ninja of the Way of the Scorpion - A group of