Cohort

Members
Annarion
Eddorian
Fallessian
Karian
Mandoran
Sedarias
Serralyn
Teela
Terrano
Torrisant
Valliant

A group of 12 Barrani children that were sent to a Regalia that was manipulated by Teela's father in an attempt to grant them superior magical abilities and turn the tide of the second Draco-Barrani war. Though their families gained prestige by having their children selected for this experiment, the children themselves resented the risk to their lives, and form an exceptionally tight bond around their shared resentment. In an unprecedented move among the intriguing all-against-all Barrani, they all share their True Names with each other, gaining access to each other's memories and thoughts.

When it became clear that the misguided ceremony was going to either obliterate or shadow-possess the children, Teela's mother Vivienne intervened, freeing Teela and imprisoning the other 11 alive within Hallionne Alsanis at the cost of her own life, and many other Barrani lords in the ensuing violence.

Centuries later, Kaylin is able to free ten of them from their imprisonment. (Teela was never imprisoned, and Terrano had so altered his True Name he had freed himself, but at the cost of shared experience and some of his identity.) This forms much of the plot of Cast in Sorrow.

All but Mandoran and Annarion remain within Alsanis for some time, but eventually conclude they must reintegrate with Barrani society, and decide to travel to the High Halls in Elantra to take the Test of Names. As many of the 12 are now the senior members of their families, entrenched interests at court move to stop them, employing shadow magic to trapping them in the Outlands between Hallionne portals. Kaylin again rescues them, with a great deal of help from Lirienne, Bellusdeo, Winston, and Spike who she frees along the way. She guides them to the portal to reenter the world at Hallionne Kariastos, but realizes that the Consort intends to capture them until the threat they pose to the court can be determined. Instead, she guides them to the edge of Ravellon, and through the edge of that shadow-possessed fief to re-enter the world at Tara, and then shelter within Helen. This comprises the plot of Cast in Deception.

Within Helen, they often fight and argue, but this is not always obviously as it often happens telepathically. When extremely upset, they lose physical coherence and have to spend hours reforming in this reality, or be confined to the basement sparring room which doubles as confinement for transdimensional beings.

The following book, Cast in Oblivion, is primarily concerned with their attempts to thwart the conspirators at court with the open support of the Consort (who is threatened by the same forces). The usurping cabal is led by Sedarias' brother Coravante, who has been possessed by Adversary, the shadow beneath the High Halls but clearly not the only one. They help Kaylin awaken the sentience of the High Halls and free Adversary from the compulsion of Ravellon, clearing the way to kill Coravante and arrest the rest of the rebels.

Serralyn and Valliant decide to matriculate at the Academia after it reopens, but the other members want to claim the uncaptained Tower of Candallar as their headquarters after his death. Sedarias continues to face attempted assassination when she visits the High Halls, so a safe place is necessary. However, Bellusdeo wants it herself, as both a bastion against shadow and possibly the safest possible place to lay a clutch of inevitable dragon eggs, and their argument becomes so heated the usually placid dragon Emmerian burns down part of Helen.