Dickon is the grand master or lord steward of the king's most honourable household. He oversees the royal palace and its staff, and looks after the general running of the place, including things like room assignments, paying suppliers, etc. Anyone who has ever had cause to stay in the palace is likely to have come across him: he has been in the position for sixty years, and shows no sign of wishing to relinquish his duties. He is a serious, stern man who takes his responsibilities very seriously, and won’t accept any nonsense from anyone – except, perhaps, the King. He is tall and thin, looks to be in his late-forties, and has thinning black hair and dark eyes.
Dorian is well known to any who have ever attended state functions within the palace. For something close to sixty years, he has been in charge of the formal side of court life: organising banquets and state occasions in co-ordination with the domestic staff, and making sure that the King and his court are shown in a good light to visiting dignitaries, in which duties he works closely with the Lord Chamberlain. He is also responsible for the sometimes thankless task of the courtly education of the younger members of the Royal family, and also the pages, squires and younger courtiers in areas such as manners, etiquette, dancing, etc.
A family man himself, Dorian will take no nonsense from any of the youngsters in his charge, up to and including the King’s children and grandchildren. Dorian is a tall man, slightly running to overweight, and is always immaculately dressed. He has short, straight brown hair and brown eyes. He is married to Cynthia, and has four children of his own who live in Sable City.
Humphrey is the palace butler in the orignal sense of the word: to whit as head male servant, with specific responsibility for looking after the Royal wine cellar - a task he does with great aplomb. He has worked in the palace for fifty years, and has been in his current position for twenty-five of those. In the structure of the domestic side of the palace, he is second only to Dickon in seniority within the palace staff. He is a genial chap, although like his superior, he takes his responsibilities seriously. He looks to be in his mid-forties, of medium build, and almost completely bald. His eyes are hazel.
Ruth is Humphrey's wife of thirty years, having met him when she first joined the palace staff as an assistant cook about thirty-five years ago. Her appointment as head cook paralleled her husband’s appointment as butler. She is a formidable woman in her own domain, and is both respected and feared among her staff. She runs the kitchens with the same attention to detail as an officer would his men, especially if there is a major function, and can be relied upon to do whatever she is called upon to do to the best of her ability. She expects nothing less of her people. Like all good cooks, she is a trifle overweight - call her stout. She also seems to be in her mid-forties, with brown hair peppered with grey, and brown eyes.
Lisle started off as a maid about forty years ago, and has worked her way up to her current position. She is very competent at what she does – making sure the palace is suitably clean and tidy - although she does bring something of her irrepressible sense of humour to her duties. The maids under her charge are devoted to her, and she can get them to do virtually anything. She is pleasant and easy going, and is one of the more popular members of the household staff. Lisle looks to be in her mid-twenties, with a very pretty face and a trim figure. She has long, blond hair and grey-blue eyes.
Alex first came to the palace as a page about thirty years ago, and as he got older he decided to stay around the palace rather than return to his family's merchant business. He became head footman about ten years ago. When on duty he is somewhat more serious than Lisle. However, off duty he is very friendly and is another one with a reputation for being easy going. He looks a little older than Lisle, more in his late-twenties, and has curly brown hair and light brown eyes. He and Lisle have been a couple for the last five years or so.
Major Vickers acts as a personal attendant and aide-de-camp to King Robert, working closely with the King's personal private secretary. He is in attendance on the King on a virtually daily basis. He served for some years with the Black Panthers, before he was injured in the line of duty and retired from active service. He has been the King's Chief Equerry for about twelve years, and is in charge of two other junior equerries who also serve the King and Queen. He looks to be in his early forties, with short cropped black hair, with a hint of silver around the temples, and blue eyes. He stands about 5'11", and is still reasonably well built, keeping himself fit and trim.
The stables are actually located on the City side of the light bridge, although they are nominally part of the palace organisation. Briscoe is a former soldier, who was attached to one of the mounted divisions of the army, but eventually tired of the service. A former sergeant, he runs the stables with military precision, keeping his team of grooms and stable boys well disciplined and efficient. At times they are heard to grumble about the way their boss works, but by far the majority of the grumbling is good natured. Briscoe looks to be in his mid-forties, with a weather-beaten face, salt and pepper grey hair, and brown eyes.
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Many other people live and work around the palace, of which notable individuals include:
Jack Howarth has been King Robert's private secretary for about as long as the King has reigned. He is a fairly serious man, and deals with organising Robert's engagements - both within the palace and for State visits - fending off persistent petitioners and so on with commendable efficiency. For all he has been around for as long as anyone remembers, he still looks to be in his early-thirties. He has short, black hair and deep blue eyes, and has been happily married for twenty years, with a family in the City. His brother Patrick is Lord President of the Council, within the Sable Government.
The Lord Chamberlain is the chief functionary of the court, and is generally responsible for organizing all court functions. Although the senior officer of the Royal Household on a daily basis is the Private Secretary to the Sovereign, Jack Howarth, the Lord Chamberlain exercises a major co-ordination role. Edward Villiers has held this position for the last thirty years. In appearance, he is a distinguished man in his fifties, with salt and pepper brown hair and steel-grey eyes.
The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Sovereign, and is responsible for organising transport and logistics for Royal visits, working closely with the King's personal private secretary. Alexander Verdun was appointed to the position after a distinguished career with the Sable Army, in the Logistics Corps, about ten years ago, and has since brought his style of discipline and organisation to the Royal Household. He looks to be about forty-five, with short blond hair and green eyes, and he still carries himself with all the bearing of a military commander.
Father Scott is the cousin of Colonel Anthony Coryn, head of the Episcopal Guard, and is a graduate of Sable Mage College of about forty years ago. He is the Church of Sable's representative in the Royal Palace, having been appointed as chaplain about five years ago, and takes services in the palace chapel, on the first floor of the public wing. He is also a former military man - army this time - who served faithfully as a soldier for ten years, before discovering his vocation and taking orders. Despite the time he has served the Church as a mere priest, he seems content to remain that way, rather than rise to the higher Church ranks.
Father Scott also looks to be in his early-thirties, and is quite fit, even if his previous military bearing has lapsed since he became a priest. His hair is dark brown, and he has hazel eyes. He is a pleasant, friendly sort, who gets on well with children and adults alike. He is also a very good rider, and on occasion has given Prince Adam - with whom he is firm friends - a run for his money in some of the latter's adventurous endeavours.
While His Majesty the King is known to be a fine artist, he treats painting as a hobby. In contrast, Anne-Marie is the "everyday" court artist – both for painting more traditional works of art, and for creating the Trumps which allow the King’s officers and agents to keep in contact with each other. She came to Sable about twenty years ago to teach art at Sable University. However, a couple of years later, she came to the King’s attention, and he invited her to join his staff. She agreed, although she does still teach for a couple of afternoons a week.
Anne-Marie is a stunning blond, blue-eyed woman who looks to be in her late-twenties. She was born in Rive, a Commonwealth Shadow known for the arts, and speaks English with something of a French accent. She is married to Gaspard de Salle, the Sable Foreign Secretary. When producing pictures for around the palace and Sable City, her style is somewhat formal, with her preferred medium being oils. For her own work, she adopts a slightly less formal style, often in charcoal and watercolours.
One of the very few regulars around the palace who actually appears to be old. He is the keeper of palace records of all descriptions, from plans, to official papers, to bills. His "lair" is below the public wing, and while it is somewhat empty just now, it has room for expansion. He knows more about the palace itself and the people in it than virtually anyone, except perhaps the King Robert and Dickon Graves. Peter is a fairly small man, say about 5'6" and lightly built. He is balding, with white hair and a white beard, and piercing blue eyes. His overall manner is rather stand-offish at first meeting, however once you break through the façade you find a friendly man who loves to tell stories.
In fact, jester is probably something of a misleading title. However, Harry fulfills the function closest to that within Sable palace. He is both a comedian and a talented musician, and among his other functions he organises entertainments both for the family, and for those State occasions where visitors might expect some kind of entertainment – from hiring the orchestra for a ball, to the string quartet for a more informal dinner. Harry is a short man, about 5'8", and somewhat on the skinny side. He has dirty blond hair and hazel eyes, and is fairly reserved when not being called upon to perform his duties.
Malcolm is another person who has been around the palace for as long as anyone remembers. Rumour has it that he was actually originally a friend of Quenn Claire’s, from before she and the King married, although this has never been confirmed. A mage healing specialist, Malcolm is a better physician than anyone else in Sable, bar the King and Queen and possibly his own wife. The infirmary itself is fairly small, with only a couple of beds, but it is staffed constantly by either Malcolm or one of the two nurses under his charge. The infirmary staff deal with the normal day-to-day ills and accidents around the palace, but are quite capable of coping in case of a major crisis.
Malcolm looks to be in his mid-thirties. He has curly black hair, brown eyes, and a neat beard and moustache, and is considered quite good looking by the female staff around the palace. However, some years ago he became involved with the Princess Marion, and they have been happily married for some time.
Isabella is a graduate from the Sable mage college, where she also took some specialism in healing. Ultimately, she is hoping to become a doctor, as the opportunity arises. She looks to be in her mid-twenties, with chestnut hair and dark green eyes.
Lynne is not Talented, but is a natural nurse and has worked hard to make herself an invaluable member of the infirmary team. She is a little older than Isabella, with brown hair slightly peppered with grey, and brown eyes.
Emiko has been responsible for overseeing the palace gardens for a very long time – upwards of fifty years. She is somewhat autonomous in what she does – and has her staff do – reporting directly to His Majesty, rather than to Dickon. She has worked hard to get the grounds of the island looking as they are now, and is still experimenting in places. She has the ageless face of so many Japanese, and could be anywhere from 35 to 50. She loves her work, but isn’t particularly forgiving if some careless visitor – or member of the Family - walks in the wrong places or damages the plants.
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