Other Characters


	The Guru Master Tulku of the Buddhist Tantric Sect

		The Kizil-Caves have long been a secret “Power Place” where monks and artists have carved hundreds of meditation cells and shrines adorned with statues and paintings of the Buddha and other sacred images. The caves are also the site of the special veneration ceremony of the “Lotus Festival.”

Once every seven years the Guru Master selects a special spiritual consort at the Lotus Festival. The lost waif Nala is one of those tested in the rituals of the Tantra held within the secret caves. The Master is also guardian of a great secret that is revealed to Nala after a long and arduous journey through the desert.

The figure of the Guru Master carries the dynamic religious elements that were beginning to transform Tibetan society as the Mayhayana and Tantric Buddhist canons rooted themselves in the region. He is reminiscent of the great holy man Padmasambhava who is also mentioned in the story, and figures prominently in the sequel Khan Tengri.


	Locca The Trader

	Tando sets his night camp east of Miran with Locca, the amiable trader of pelts out of Kara Kum. Later, Drekk meets up with Locca again as he flees north with Nala. An untimely fate awaits when they are overtaken by the “Buran,” a fierce desert storm.

Gor & Kabo

Tando’s Caravan


	Gor, the Chief of Porters and security is shown here on the right with Kabo, Tando’s chief Cameleer on the left. Gor assists Tando in deflecting the threat posed by the Amban of Charkhalik, while Kabo, a very minor character, has only brief mention in the novel. The images depict typical dress of the time.


		Keemah First Counsel

	Keemah is the trusted “First Counsel” to the Tibetan General Rana Tenpai. A life long friend, he is ever at Rana’s side. While a minor character, Keemah is often used as a translator or ‘mouthpiece’ when Rana interacts with other characters in key scenes of the novel.