The Black Jewels^[1] is a series of dark fantasy novels and short stories written by American writer Anne Bishop. The first three books were originally published individually and then together as a trilogy in a single omnibus collection. The series takes place in a world where those born with dark power/magic rule in a deeply matriarchal society.^[2]

Series

Plot

Characters

• Jaenelle Angelline is the main character, (though the story is never told from her point of view) the young witch destined to become Queen of the Darkness, aka "Witch". (Witch is Dreams Made Flesh—the incarnation of dreams heard and then woven into tangled webs by the Weaver of Dreams, or the Queen Weaver, a small spider found on Arachnia) She has 12 uncut Jewels, one of every color, for her Birthright, along with the 13 uncut Black Jewels. After her offering, that she offered only 6 of her black jewels, she came away with the Ebony Jewels. She lost most of her power after the war, but was granted another new Jewel: Twilight's Dawn. With Twilight's Dawn, she is able to do the simple craft that she was not able to do before like call in her own shoes.
• Daemon Sadi (SaDiablo) is the son of Saetan and the broken Black Widow, Tersa, and fiercely loves Jaenelle/Witch to whom he proclaims being destined to be Witch's lover. He, like his father and brother, is a Warlord Prince with Birthright Red Jewels. He later descended to Black Jewels after his offering to the Darkness. He and his father are the only known Black Widow males in history. His father became one through craft, while Daemon is the only natural Black Widow male in the history of the blood. He is also known as "the Sadist" for enjoyment and use of pain in the bedroom during his years as a pleasure slave in the courts of queens tainted by Dorothea and Dorothea herself. He is the strongest male in the history of the Blood.
• Saetan Daemon SaDiablo is the High Lord of Hell, High Priest of the Hourglass, and Warlord Prince of Dhemlan. He is Jaenelle's spiritual and adopted father. He received an uncut Birthright Red Jewel, and received an uncut Black Jewel after his Offering to the Darkness. He is the second strongest Male in all the realms, after his son, Daemon.
• Lucivar Yaslana (SaDiablo) is the son of Saetan and the Eyrien Luthvian. Lucivar, a half-Eyrien, has batlike wings, and has a strong brotherly love for Jaenelle. His Jewels are the birthright Red, then later descended to Ebon Gray. Like his brother, Daemon, he was enslaved as an adolescent and forced to serve in the courts of Dorothea and her followers. His explosive temper sent him to the salt mines of Pruul. He is the third strongest male in the Realms, after Sadi and Saetan.
• Surreal SaDiablo is a prostitute and assassin. Her Jewels are birthright Green, and later descended to Gray. She is the daughter of Titian, the result of her mother's rape by Kartane SaDiablo, making Surreal a Hayllian and Dea al Mon half-breed.
• Dorothea SaDiablo is the incestuous High Priestess of Hayll. She is a member of the Hourglass Black Widow coven. Birthright jewel Blood Opal/later descended to Red.
• Kartane SaDiablo is the son of Dorothea SaDiablo. He was also once a close friend of Daemon Sadi. He is also Surreal's father, having raped Titian. He was also one of Briarwood's "uncles." Birthright Blood Opal/descended to Red.
• Hekatah is the demon dead, self-proclaimed High Priestess of Hell, and the former wife of Saetan SaDiablo. She instigated the wars between Kaeleer and Terreille. Birthright jewel Blood Opal/descended to Red. Hayllian born, and died in the great war between Terreille and Kaeleer. She is also the mother of Mephis, Peyton and another son which she killed in order to manipulate Saetan SaDiablo. Hekatah also gave birth to Andulvar Yaslana's child, Ravenar. She is behind many of Dorothea's plots in an ultimate attempt to make herself ruler of all the Realms.
• Robert Benedict claims to be the father of Jaenelle Angeline. He participates as an 'uncle' of the hospital known as Briarwood, helping to fund it. There Blood males subject underage Blood females to perverse tortures, including rape. He is also an influential member of the male council in Chaillot, the goals of which undermine the power of the matriarchal system and thus his mother-in-law, the Queen of Chaillot. Birthright unknown descended to Yellow.
• Jarvis Jenkell is a newly discovered Blood male who attempts, in the novel Tangled Webs, to disclose his nature through his writing. When his semi-autobiographical "Landry Langston" novels are mocked by the Blood, he and three Black Widows, including an unwitting Tersa, create a haunted house intended to punish and ultimately kill members of the SaDiablo family and Blood who made a mockery of his book.

Jewels and Blood hierarchy/castes

There are two main, interconnected hierarchical systems among the Blood. The first is the Jewel system. In a society with a high tolerance for violence, Jewel ranking gives an immediate sense of innate power. The darker a person's Jewel, the more dangerous they are. They have greater Craft (magic) abilities and higher metabolisms, as well as significant political advantages over lighter Jeweled Blood. The Jewels themselves act as reservoirs of power. The Blood are able to use some Craft without tapping into their Jewels but the vast majority of their abilities require them. Using too much Craft and draining a reservoir can potentially shatter a Jewel and permanently render a person unable to access that power. Adult members of the Blood typically have two full sets of Jewels, a Birthright and the one they "wear". While Jewels are typically worn out in the open, the Blood are able to sense Jewel rank to a certain extent (multiple instances show that this ability is easy to confuse, especially if the bearer wears their Birthright instead of their actual Jewel).

Jewels fall into thirteen ranks with darker colors being stronger. They are: White, Yellow, Tiger Eye, Rose, Summer-sky, Purple Dusk, Opal,^{[lower-alpha 1]} Green, Sapphire, Red, Gray, Ebon-gray and Black.

Members of the Blood undergo two ceremonies to determine their innate strength. The darker the Jewel, the stronger the person is. During the Birthright Ceremony, which occurs in childhood, they may or may not walk away with a Jewel. It is unheard of to receive anything darker than Red as Birthright. The only known exception to this being Jaenelle Angelline. A second ceremony is done at the age of majority. Called the Offering to the Darkness, it lasts from sunset to sunrise. When making the Offering to the Darkness, a person can descend a maximum of three ranks from his/her Birthright Jewel. Example: Birthright White could descend to Rose. If a darker Jewel is received, both sets of Jewels are kept after the ceremony. The new Jewel is used as the day to day Jewel and becomes the person's rank, while the Birthright is kept as an additional reservoir. It is considered especially fortuitous for a person to receive an uncut Jewel (i.e., one never used before). Uncut Jewels are large enough to make a ring, a pendant, and shards, all of which are kept and used. In the case of a cut Jewel, the recipient will receive the same amount of Jewel.

It is possible for a person who did not receive a Jewel during the birthright ceremony to receive a White, Yellow, or Tiger-Eye Jewel during their offering to darkness ceremony, since they can 'descend' a maximum of three power ranks at this time. Rank can only decrease when a person has been "broken". When a person is broken, one or more of their Inner Webs are pierced and they are permanently separated from the power in their Jewels. This can be done either during a Virgin Night when a woman is especially vulnerable or through a blast of power. The former is far more common than the latter. Breaking a virgin is a widespread act used for profit and enjoyment and is part of the recurring theme of sexual violence in the series. Broken individuals are still able to use some Craft. If the woman conceives a child from the rape they still have the ability through craft to abort the child, but will be rendered infertile after they do. They do not lose their caste. The other layer of innate hierarchy among the Blood is the Blood Hierarchy/Castes.

Males

• Landen - non-Blood of any race
• Blood male - a general term for all males of the Blood; also refers to any Blood male who doesn't wear Jewels
• Warlord - a Jeweled male equal in status to a witch
• Prince - a Jeweled male equal in status to a Priestess or a Healer; also used as a form of address for Warlord Princes
• Warlord Prince - a dangerous, extremely aggressive Jeweled male; in status, slightly lower than a Queen

Females

• Landen - non-Blood of any race
• Blood female - a general term for all females of the Blood; mostly refers to any Blood female who doesn't wear Jewels
• Witch - a Blood female who wears Jewels but isn't one of the other hierarchical levels; also refers to any Jeweled female
• Healer - a witch who heals physical wounds and illnesses; equal in status to a Priestess and a Prince
• Priestess - a witch who cares for altars, Sanctuaries, and Dark Altars; witnesses handfasts and marriages; performs offering; equal in status to a Healer and a Prince
• Black Widow - a witch who heals the mind; weaves the tangled webs of dreams and visions; is trained in illusions and poisons; in extremely rare cases, may be male
• Queen - a witch who rules the Blood; is considered to be the land's heart and the Blood's moral center; as such, she is the focal point of their society

The basic unit of Blood society and government is a Queen and her Court. To create a Court, she must be at the age of majority and have twelve males who agree to be in her First Circle. While Queens are the rarest females, they are not uncommon and most Territories have a Territory Queen who rules over Province Queens, who in turn rule over District Queens. Warlords and Warlord Princes are occasionally appointed to act as rulers of small areas under the auspices of a Queen. It is highly unorthodox for a witch who is not a Queen to rule. The Blood possess some ability to sense and mask their psychic scent (the combination of their Jewel ranking, caste, and personal "scent"). It seems that darker Jewels are better able to both sense and mask psychic scents. Jewel rank is considered less important than overall caste. A low-ranking Queen in term of Jewels outranks a high-ranking witch and a low-ranking Warlord Prince outranks a Prince. Within caste, the higher ranking the Jewel, the higher ranking the person. A lighter Jeweled Queen is unlikely to become a Territory Queen if there are darker Jeweled Queens available. Within caste, males automatically defer to the darkest Jeweled male. In addition, the Blood are a matriarchal society. Males are supposed to defer to females. Because of physical and Jewel discrepancies in strength, Protocol is used to keep a precarious balance.

Notes

References

External links

• Official website
• Library of Congress online catalogue