This comprehensive guide for the Fae and Alchemy series is a helpful resource after you finish Quicksilver and before you read Brimstone.

Includes info from Quicksilver so this guide is spoiler in nature.

If you want to hear our complete beat-by-beat coverage of Quicksilver please check out our podcast.

You can listen to Fantasy Fangirls on your favorite podcast platform, including Youtube.

Characters

Amelia Daianthus (deceased)

Previous Queen of Yvelia. Killed by Belikon. Mother to Carrion.

Archer

Fire Sprite. Head caretaker in Cahlish. Has taken care of Kingfisher since he was a boy.

Belikon

Fae. King of Yvelia. Part of the Triumvirate. Has been secretly working with Malcolm and Madra for a millenia. Everlayne’s father. Kingfisher’s step father.

Carrion Swift Daianthus

Fae. Former smuggler, secretly glamoured as a human for 1000 years in Zilvaren. Heir to the Yvelian Throne.

Danya

Fae. Member of the Lupo Proelia. Not the most joyful to be around.

Edina (deceased)

Fae. Oracle. Kingfishers mother. Edina of the Seven Towers, Lady of Cahlish. Killed by Belikon.

Elory

Human. Best Glass Maker in the Silver City. Saeris’s mentor. Lives in the third. Currently in Zilvaren and is going up to the Palace gates every day to demand to see Saeris.

Everlayne

Fae. Kingfisher’s half sister. Was bitten and nearly enthralled by Malcolm but saved at the final hour. Currently recovering in Cahlish with Renfis.

Finran (Supposedly deceased)

Fae. Kingfisher’s father. Previous owner of Solace. Supposedly dead in Zilvaren.

Foley (deceased)

Member of the Lupo Proelia. Died at the Battle of Ajun Gate.

Harron (Supposedly deceased)

Human. Overtaken by Quicksilver. Head of Madra’s Guard who she made immortal. Neck was snapped at the end of Quicksilver.

Hayden Fane

Human. Currently living in Zilvaren in the Seventh Ward as a store clerk. Known for his immaturity and gambling addiction. Saeris’s younger brother.

Iris Fane (deceased)

Human. Sex worker in the third. Worked with the rebels in Zilvaren. Killed by Guardians.

Iseabail

Witch. Granddaughter of the Balquhidder High Witch, Malina. Gifted Witch currently working with Te Léna.

Kingfisher

Fae. Lord of Cahlish. Quicksilver fused to his mind, but is lessened with help from Iseabail and Te Léna. God Bound Mate to Saeris.

Korrix

Member of the Lupo Proelia.

Lorreth

Fae. Newest member of the Lupo Proelia. Previous bard turned warrior thanks to Kingfisher sharing part of his soul.

Malcolm (deceased)

Vampire. King of the Vampires. First to be inflicted with the blood curse. Immortal and proud of it. Killed by Saeris Fane.

Malwae

Fae. Oracle. Member of Belikon’s Court. Close to Edina when she was alive.

Madra

Human, however, is miraculously immortal. Queen of Zilvaren. Part of the Triumvirate. Stilled the Quicksilver 1000 years ago.

Merelle (deceased)

Fae. Member of the Lupo Proelia. Died at the Battle of Ajun Gate. Renfis’s twin sister.

Onyx

Our favorite fox friend.

Orious

Fae. Member of Belikon’s court.

Orlena Parry (deceased)

Human. Woman who took care of Carrion Swift when he first came to Zilvaren. Previous slave of Madra.

Renfis Orithian

Fae. Member of the Lupo Proelia. Kingfisher’s best friend. Commander of the Yvelian Army.

Rurik Daianthus (deceased)

Former King of Yvelia. Killed by Belikon. Father to Carrion.

Saeris Fane

Previously human, now half-fae, half-vampire. Soon to be Queen of Sanasroth. Most powerful Alchemist in existence. God-bound Mate to Kingfisher.

Taladius

Vampire. Malcolm’s second. Extremely powerful. Secretly been working against Malcolm. Grew up being friends with Kingfisher.

Vashgidyan

Member of the Lupo Proelia.

Alchemy

Alchemy is a forgotten, long-dead, old magic form of magic; All alchemist are fae but not all fae are alchemist.

For someone to be an alchemist, they need to have fae blood, even if it’s the smallest drop.

There are 3 branches or types of Alchemists

Those who want to discover the path to immortality
Those who want to create and invent by transmuting various metals and ores
Those who want to cure illness and disease

What we know about Transmutation Alchemists

They are the only people who can manipulate the Quicksilver in a few different ways as long as there is at least five percent quicksilver, the exception being Saeris.

And even then, it is typical that they can only transmute the quicksilver from its solid to its liquid state so that it could be forged.

The ways we know they can transmute Quicksilver are…

Forging new weapons
Creating relics
Activating and Deactivating the quicksilver pools
Shattering weapons (but only the strongest Alchemists, like Saeris, can do this)
And while it’s not physically on the page we hear stories that they used to transmute compounds into precious metals into silver and gold to fill palace coffers

Aside from these different branches of alchemy, Alchemists are able to work with a specific element or elements. From our understanding the more elements an Alchemist can manipulate the stronger they are.

While we haven’t outright seen manipulation of any of these elements on the page, we do know, thanks to Kingfisher and Malcolm, a few of the different categories an Alchemist could manipulate are (this is NOT a comprehensive list)

Light
Dark
Silver
Steel
Earth
Air

Fire
Water
Salt
Brimstone
Quicksilver

Coincidentally, these are all of the elements that Saeris can manipulate according to her runes.

FUN FACT: Callie has informed us that we only know about 10% of Saeris’ powers so far!

Vampire Hierarchy

Hierarchy

Crown – Previously Malcolm, Now Saeris

Crown’s Lords – Also known as Malcolm’s Lords and Lords of Midnight (regardless of gender)

Lords are duty bound to serve the Crown’s interests and are mentally present.
They can drink and satisfy their thirst without killing.

Feeder – Sanasrothian foot soldiers

They are described as having gaunt cheeks spiderwebbed with black veins.
- Crooked fingers that end in poisoned claws
- A mouthful of fangs and no tongue
- Red eyes
- Their rotten skin in infested with maggots
They move jerkily which makes them unpredictable in a fight and more animal than person
They don’t seem to think for themselves, when one was killed the other goes over to lick the blood off the ground

Being Bitten

Malcolm

Malcolm only needs to bite someone once to create a thrall, his venom is so potent, only one drop is needed
Once his venom is inside someone, there are only 2 choices
- 1 – they drink from Malcolm and become something like one of his lords (enthralled to him)
- 2 – they refuse to drink from him or he refuses to let them and they die and return as a feeder

Vampire Lord

When one of his lords bites a victim, they can either drink and sate their thirst without killing OR if they bite the same human a number of times, eventually they become enthralled
- This means the victim becomes bound to the vampire who bit them
- They are mindlessly devoted to their needs
  - Inevitably, when their masters grow bored, they drain them, and then their victim dies.
  - Three days later, they rise and become the feeders
Taladaius is the exception, because he’s so powerful he only needs to bite someone once to begin the enthrallment process

Weaknesses

Silver, especially pure silver, is harmful to vampires.
- It burns them to the touch
The only way to kill them is to COMPLETELY take off their head

World

The Continent

The Continent is home to 4 distinct regions:

Yvelia

Yvelia is known for its winter and icy landscapes. It is ruled by King Belikon De Barra and is in an ongoing war with the neighboring southern kingdom of Sanasroth.

The Winter Palace – Capital of Yvelia

Home to the Yvelian royal family.
The Winter Palace has the largest pool of quicksilver ever documented.

Cahlish – Kingfishers family home

Cahlish is a small fiefdom on the edge of Yvelia.
The Cahlish estate has been in Kingfisher’s family for generations and was protected by his father with heavy wards, preventing Belikon or any of his supporters from crossing into Cahlish.

Omnamerrin Mountains – Dangerous mountain range south of Cahlish

Omnamerrin is the name of the tallest peak and means ‘sleeping giant’ in Old Fae.
These mountains separate Cahlish from the battlefront in Innìr.

Irrín – War Camp for the Yvelian side

A war camp on the frontlines, it sits between Cahlish and the Sanasrothian border.
There are 20,000 tents nestled between the snow-covered brush.
- The camp has been in the same location for so long that they’ve built permanent structures.

Gilaria

Gillethrye

Gillethrye was home to nearly 200,000 Fae

110 years ago Malcolm and his horde invaded the city and bitten or killed everyone and everything inside its walls.
- With everyone already dead or turning, Kingfisher burned the city to the ground instead of allowing any of the turned Fae to join Malcolm’s horde.
  - In retaliation, Malcolm turned Gillethrye into a maze as a way to torment Fisher.

Ballard

Ballard is a small village on the eastern side of Gilaria where Kingfisher’s mother would bring him here as a child.

The people of Ballard have a statue honoring Kingfisher’s mother in the square outside her old apartment.
- She’s holding a stone urn that a steady stream of water that pours at her feet.
  - At the base of her feet is a small brass plaque that reads “Edina of the Seven Towers. Lady of Cahlish.”
Kingfisher and his mother’s apartment is on the second floor and overlooks the statue of Edina.
- He doesn’t come here often and everything from the pictures on the walls to the furniture are covered in dust sheets.

Balquhidder Clan Lands

Home of the Balquhidder Witch Clan, Belikon has men marching on clan islands.

Sanasroth

Sanasroth is the Kingdom that borders Yvelia south, they are separated by a frozen river, The Darn, and at its narrowest only 50ft separate Yvelia and Sanasroth. Fae magic doesn’t work on Sanasrothian soil.

Ammontríeth

Ammontraíeth means “Hell’s teeth”
Vampire strong hold, made of obsidian on the bones of demons
- The peaks and spires are as sharp as a razor’s edge

Lìssia

Island of seafaring Fae to the south east, known to have a quicksilver pool located deep in a sea cave and is rumored to be almost as large as the Yvelian pool. It is regarded as the Lìssians most sacred place of worship.

Saoirse, Queen of the Lìssian Fae
- Has lived for over 3000 years, with her mother’s spirit chained to her, unable to move on, after she saved her life as a child.
- She has plans to live forever and takes tonics, elixirs, and is rumored to drink vampire blood to extend her life.

Zilvaren

Zilvaren is both the name of the human realm and the main city. It is a hot windy desert with 2 twin suns – Balea & Min, which dip low in the sky but never actually set.

Zilvaren City

Zilvaren City has several nicknames, including the Silver City and the Great and Shining Banner of the North. The city is set up in the shape of a wheel, with the hub in the center for Madra’s elite, and the outer spokes, or wards, are for the ‘lesser’ citizens.

Water in the city is strictly rationed, with some citizens only getting 6oz of dirty water a day that only has most of the solids filtered out.

The Third

The third ward is in some of the worst conditions, especially with the quarantine propaganda.
The streets are lined with crumbling sandstone houses and covered market stalls selling everything from stringy roasted meats and swaths of cloth to pungent herbal remedies from the north
The only way to survive the Third is by barter and trade… or by whispering secrets about a neighbor into a guardian’s ear
- Fresh food is impossible to find; children have been known to claw each other’s eyes out over a heel of stale bread

God Swords

God swords are weapons forged by the ancient Alchimists with the use of quicksilver.

When the gods left Yvelia, certain elements of the magic either died or waned over time. Most, but not all, of the god swords went dead when the quicksilver closed.

While they hold the name and prestige of their previous power, they are glorified paperweights at this point.

Only the person sealed to it can touch an active Alchimeran sword.

Known Godswords

Nimerelle – Kingfishers Sword. Black blade that gives off smoke when Kingfisher wields it. Used to shine silver but as the centuries passed, it has blackened and tarnished. Part of Mierelle’s (Ren’s late twin sister) soul lives in the sword
Solace – Saeris’s sword, previously Finran’s (Kingfisher’s father). Power officially unknown. However, it seemed to have stopped time and given foresight to Saeris during the battle at the darn. Pommel is embellished with a recent moon and has script written in old fae along the hilt.
Avisiéth – Lorreth’s sword. Has the power of Angel’s Breath. Previously Danya’s sword and yes, she’s pissed about losing it to Lorreth.
Simon* – Carrion’s sword. Loves a good joke. Power to be revealed.

*Unconfirmed

The Corcoran

The Seven Gods, the Corcoran, used to walk among the world until years ago, when they abandoned the world for unknown reasons.

The Gods

Styx – God of Shadows
Kurin – God of Secrets
Nicinnai – Goddess of Masks
Maleus – God of Dawn and New Beginnings
Balmithin – Twin goddesses of the Sky (Bal and Mithin)
Zareth – God of Chaos and Change

What We Learned from Zareth

The Tree

Represents the entire universe with each silver leaf being a realm and surrounding the tree is a moat of liquid Quicksilver. There’s a rot infiltrating the tree and as Zareth says, he’s been waiting a long time for an Alchemist who can reset the balance and make the rot go away.

The Catch

But there’s a catch, every time Zarath looked into his metaphorical crystal ball and saw Kingfisher and Saeris getting together, it sets off a series of events that end with the tree dying.

How Saeris will Save the Universe

Zarath has been medaling, reshaping fates and moving around pieces on the board in order to make it so that this chain of events doesn’t happen. All of other Gods want to throw in the towel and start over by replanting the tree.

Zareth has a proposition for Saeris:

She can either die and leave this world, basically saying no longer my problem.

Or he can bring her back to life, but she will officially be severed from Zareth’s protection.

He nor any other God will be able to mettle, save her, or anything else.

Which means he’s basically telling Saeris, you’re gonna figure out how to save the universe on your own without help. But in order for her to be severed, she has to come back as something new.

Because the universe cannot focus on and therefore mettle in what it does not recognize, Saeris returns as Half Fae, Half Vampire… something that has never seen before.

Historical Events

The Blood Curse

In simplest terms, the blood curse turned fae into vampires. Thousands of years ago, the fae were inflected with a blood curse.

Rumor is that the witches are the source of the blood curse, though at least the Balquhidder clan denies any involvement and feel they proved their innocence when they helped find the cure.

Malcolm was the VERY first to be affected by the curse thousands of years ago.

It elongated the fae’s teeth, so they could bite their victims and drain them and they needed to drink blood to maintain their immortality.

This is why there aren’t humans around here anymore – the Fae drained all the millions of humans in Yvelia, drinking them dry of their blood due to uncontrollable bloodlust.

The Cure

It was the last true king of Yvelia, Rurik Daianthus (Carrion’s father) who charged 5 witch families with the task of finding the cure to the curse.

Of these 5, the Balqquhidder clan was instrumental in breaking the curse. This is the same clan that Iseabail is heir to.

How they figured out how to break the curse, we aren’t sure.

BUT we do know one thing: Rurik’s blood was used to create the blood curse that allowed Malcolm to become a vampire. A vampire can’t drink from the living members of the bloodline that created them, nor can they enthrall them.

While Rurik’s blood was used to create the blood curse and he was also the one who sought how to find the cure.

Even with the curse lifted, all fae still have traces of their vampire fangs and they are still functional, but because fae don’t need blood to maintain immortality anymore, the use of those fangs has moved behind closed doors. It’s a sex thing!

It is also known that Finran, Fisher’s father, studied the blood curse for decades, though why and what he learned is still unknown.

When the cure was discovered, many of the Yvelian fae took it as they were horrified by the monsters they’d become, but not all of the fae did. There were those, like Malcolm who preferred being monsters, and chose to not take the cure and thus stay immortal with dark power

The Stilling of the Quicksilver

1000 years before Quicksilver began, Finran (Kingfishers Father) brought baby Carrion Daianthus to Zilvaren to save him from the usurper Belikon.

When Finran came through the Quicksilver to Zilvaren, Madra (a new Queen and 29 at the time) took Solace from Finran and plunged it into the Quicksilver pool. Thus stilling every Quicksilver Pathway throughout the universe.

Need More?

We’ve got 20+ hours of podcast episodes deep diving chapter by chapter of Fae & Alchemy series! Including segments from Callie Hart herself!

Quicksilver Comprehensive Guide