Timoken ( The Red King )

Timoken
Born	???
Family	Unnamed parents Zobayda (sister) Berenice (wife) Borlath, Amadis, Lilith, Cafal, Olga, Guanhamara, Petrello, Tolemeo, Wyborn, Amoret (children)
Hair colour	Black
Eye colour	Brown
Endowment (if a child of the Red King)	N/A
Affiliation	The Red Castle
Ancestor (if a child of the Red King)	N/A
Department (current or past)	N/A
Gender	Male

The very origin of the story. This man is the one who started it all. The Red King. He was born Timoken, the surviving prince of a magical kingdom in Africa.

The Red King is known by this name because of his red cloak and the blazing sun on his shield. He was a magician-king from Africa, who traveled through the world, accompanied by his three loyal leopards (and camel). He built a castle in the city, married Queen Berenice, and had ten children.

All of his children inherited, in part, some of his power, which resulted in each of them possessing an incredible endowment. These powers were passed down through his children's descendants, and those who inherited the endowments were known as the Endowed or the Children of the Red King. After that, he went to the forest and transformed into a tree with the help of Mathonwy, a Welsh magician and his good friend.

History

The Secret Kingdom

Timoken was born in the Secret Kingdom in Africa, to its king and queen. Shortly before his birth, his parents were visited by a forest-jinni, who gifted them with a moon-spider's web and silk to give to their children. Under the jinni's instructions, the queen wrapped Timoken in the moon-spider's web as soon as he was born and did not unwrap him until he smiled for the first time. Due to this act Timoken was gifted with the powers of a magician, and would ever have one foot in the realm of echantments.

As he grew Timoken seemed like any other boy, except that he could watch rain falling for hours at a time, was entranced by dew-filled leaves, touched creatures of the forest with reverence and listened to birdsong with a rapturous expression. When Timoken turned nine his father gave him a pearl-handled knife, which Timoken liked to use to carve drawings on rocks, as well as to protect himself. Timoken easily made friends, but he preferred the company of his sister Zobayda.

When Timoken was eleven years old, his home was invaded by a bloodthirsty human tribe from the East who were helped by the evil viridees. Timoken and Zobayda were forced to flee for their lives, but not before witnessing their father's beheading. They took with them the jinni's ring and the moon spider's web. For more than a century the siblings travelled together across Africa, using their new-found magical powers to make sure they were never in need of anything. At one point they were joined by a camel named Gabar, who Timoken came to view as a part of his family. The camel and Timoken became very close as Timoken could understand the language of animals and could talk to it.

At one point, Timoken was introduced to Charlie Bone, a picture-traveller from the distant future, when he attempted to draw his own story onto the walls of a cave. Soon after this, Zobayda disappeared and was presumed dead, lured away by the viridees who sought to steal the magical ring that sat on her finger. Timoken grieved deeply for her, and wanted to stay in the forest for the customary mourning period, but was persuaded otherwise by Gabar, who wanted to leave.

After Zobayda's disappearance Timoken travelled alone with Gabar. In the forest he stumbled upon a dead leopard and her three orphaned cubs. Timoken took pity upon them and chose to adopt them, stealing a caracass for them to feed on. At night he cloaked them in the moon-spider's cloak, which enchanted them and changed them, giving them powers beyond that of normal leopards. Timoken  called them Sun Cat, Flame Chin and Star, after the appearance of their leopard markings. As the leopards grew they saved Timoken many a time from enemies, and he viewed them as a part of his family, like Gabar.

Throughout his journey into Europe, Timoken was visited by Charlie Bone, when he began to draw images of his adventures. He told Charlie of his life of the past hundred years, but when he asked about his future he didn't receive an answer.

In Europe Timoken rescued a group of children from slavers. Those children later became his close friends, and he set out with them to return them to their homes. Some of these children accompanied Timoken to Castile, where they found themselves fighting for their lives against Harken and his viridees. Timoken managed to defeat Harken and the viridee army, and was reunited with his sister Zobayda, who he was surprised and overjoyed to find living in the city. Together with her, Beri, Edern, Mabon and Gereint Timoken went across the sea to England and settled in Castle Melyntha where Edern's uncle Prince Griffith was lord.

Stones of Ravenglass

Soon after they arrived at the castle, Prince Griffith went away to war and was presumed killed. Osbern D'Ark began to take over the castle, separating Timoken and his friends. Timoken was framed for the murder of his friend Mabon the archer, and was thrown into the dungeons. There, he met the wizard Eri, who he escaped Castle Melyntha with on Gabar. Eventually, they met a group of wild children, who stayed with them as Timoken searched for a place in which to make a home.

Eventually, Timoken found a place and created the Red Castle, with help from his spirit ancestors. His friends and sister, who were left behind in Castle Melyntha, managed to escape and join him there. They all soon settled and made a home there.

Leopards' Gold

As the years passed, Timoken realised that he was in love with Beri and married her. Around twenty years after their escape from Melyntha, they had nine children: Borlath, Amadis, Lilith, Cafal, Olga, Guanhamara, Petrello, Tolemeo and Wyborn. At one point, not long before Amoret was conceived, the Seeing Crystal was stolen and Timoken was in danger from the Damzel of Decay. His children Petrello and Tolemeo managed to save him from the Damzel's trap, and Beri and Amadis recovered the Crystal. Borlath was discovered to be a traitor and was banished by Timoken.

Beri died giving birth to their tenth child, Amoret. Timoken went to grieve for her in the forest, as was the custom. He left his children in the care of nurses and guardians in the castle. As the King was coming back to his castle, he saw that the world was a wicked place and needed his help. For many years, he fought thieves, wrongdoers and assassins as the legendary Red Knight.

When Timoken finally reached his castle, he saw that Count Harken Badlock had turned five of his children to wickedness, and they were wreaking havoc on the countryside, using their powers for murder and torture. The other five children had fled their father’s castle forever. Unable to fight his own children, the King went back to the forest.

The King asked his friend Mathowny, a magician, to turn him into a tree in the forest, for he feared if he did it himself the change would not be permanent. He told his leopards and Mathonwy to look after and take care of the descendants of his children, specifically the descendants of the good ones: Amadis , Guanhamara, Petrello, Tomeleo, and Amoret . He gave his leopards new coats and turned them into the three cats known as the Flames (Leo, Aries and Sagittarius). The Red King’s tree form was re-woken in the fifth book by the good endowed children at Bloor’s, as well as Naren Bloor and Una Onimous. He helped defeat the Shadow (Count Harken Badlock), and waken Charlie’s father, Lyell Bone. He seemed fine, or rather did nothing to stop, Lyell from taking on the title of the Red Knight, who rides the horse that is actually Queen Berenice. He also seemed fine that Lyell borrowed his Red Cape.

Abilities

Timoken has been endowed with all the magical abilities all his descendants possess.

Timoken has a hobby in the arts, mainly painting.

Relationships

Friends

Charlie Bone

Timoken's distant descendant and secret time-traveling friend whom he encountered throughout his life. Charlie's encounter with Timoken enabled the lonely youth to have a human friend close to his age to whom he can confide his secrets and to obtain counseling along his journey and life. With Charlie, Timoken does not need to be a king, husband, magician or father, but a pure human youth. As Timoken matured into an adult, he became aware why Charlie restricted from speaking about the future and accepted it without seeking the knowledge. Only Timoken's son Petrello knew of this friendship.

Charlie's "travels" can only be permitted from Timoken's causitive actions: painting.

Children

Bad: *Borlath: The Red King’s eldest child, he was described as a cruel tyrant, whose favorite sport was to torture. He was the black-browed ancestor of the Bloors. His endowment was fire-bringing. He was one of the wicked children who followed Count Harken Badlock and stayed in the palace, using their endowments for evil deeds. The Bloors are descended from Borlath. The Yewbeams also are decended from Borlath because a his descendant Grace Bloor had married into the family.

Good *Amadis: The Red King's second son. Amadis was an albino and kind, with the endowment of the ability to communicate with animals. He fled the Red King's castle along with his younger sister Amoret, married, and built a beautiful castle on the Island of a Thousand Blues (The castle was known as the Castle of Mirrors). He had four sons, one of which was an albino, Owain. Owain was the only son who inherited his father's endowment. The Crowquills and the Ravens are descended from Amadis, as are Cook and Naren Bloor. as are the Bones as Montague was the great grandson of Daniel Raven, whose daughter Ita married Simon Bone, Eamon Bone's father, Clara Bone's father-in-law, and Monty's paternal grandfather. Thus Lyell Bone and Charlie Bone are descended from Amadis and related to the Ravens.

Bad: *Lilith: She was the eldest daughter of the Red King. Her endowment was bewitching others with clothing or armor. She was one of the wicked children who stayed behind in the Red King's castle, and she married Count Harken Badlock. Lilith is the ancestor of the Tilpins, the Looms and also Ashkelan Kapaldi. Little else is known about her.

Good: *Guanhamara: A gentle girl with a favor for pranks, Guanhamara was a mind-reader and illusionist and a witch who cared for all that was living. She helped the tortured Blue Boa by placing it in a jar with a dead bird, hoping that it would grow peaceful. However, it grew feathers and lost its ability to kill, but it was replaced by the ability to turn others invisible. Guanhamara fled to Italy, taking the Red King's cloak with her, an object that was passed down through the generations of her family. Guanhamara married an Italian prince and had seven daughters, every single one of them a witch. She is the ancestor to the Silks, the Sages and the Vertigos.

Good: *Petrello: The fifth child of the Red King. He was endowed with control of the weather, including the tides, fog and storms. He is the ancestor of the Torssons, the Saltweathers and Lord Grimwald's family. Petrello is described as bright by his father. Through a meeting with Charlie Bone and his father, he obtained the hint to own endowment. He was one of the good children, but it is unknown to where he fled - possibly the north (where Dagbert Endless, who can control tides, hails) or the Scandinavian countries (Tancred Torsson has an ancestor who was Scandinavian).

Bad: *Olga: She was one of the wicked children and her endowment was telekinesis. Little is known about her, but the Brankos and the Dobinskis are descended from her.

Bad: *Wyborn: One of the wicked children who stayed in the Red King's castle. Wyborn was a shape-shifter.The Shellhorns and the Sparks are his descendants. The Yewbeams could possibly have mixed into this bloodline at one point too considering there were many Yewbeam shapeshifters.

Good: *Tolemeo : Clever. Tolemeo's endowment was flight, but he was one of the good children, and fled the castle with his other four siblings. He inherited his maternal bloodline's talent in swordsmanship and was the personal disciple of his mother Berenice. His magic artifact is a cloak of avian feathers. He is also possibly the ancestor of the Tollys, as their names are both based on Toledo who was his grandfather. Mrs Kettle and Senor Alvaro are his descendants.

Bad (but later good): *Carfal : Known as Carfal the Changer. His name was sometimes mentioned as Cafal as well. He was originally one of the wicked children, but as he was changeable, he turned good and fled his father’s castle. He came to settle in the Meromalls’ land, where the Meromalls, nonhuman creatures, lived. He took a Meromall bride, and a son was born to them. Their son was a changer, too, but he was unlike his mother: he was a boy by day, beast by night. This started a long line of changers who were half-human, half-beast, who were changeable in humor and mind too, like Cafal. Eventually, one of Cafal’s descendants, Asa Pike, came back to the city to study at Bloor’s. Cafal is the ancestor of the Pikes and the Onimouses.

Good: *Amoret: Youngest daughter of the Red King. She was a picture traveler (she was able to travel to places she saw in pictures, paintings, magic items, etc.) and possibly clairvoyant, as many of her descendants possess this gift. Her father made her a beautiful mirror before her birth, which she would use to aid her travels. Once a person looks in the mirror, they see the person or place they desired most in the present period. Amoret, as a traveler, was able to travel to the place she saw in the mirror. The Red King gave the mirror to Amadis so he could pass it on to Amoret. This mirror became known as the Mirror of Amoret. Charlie Bone and the Yewbeam family are Amoret's descendants.