Tamed Lightning is an independent County located Fremont between the Duchies of Shadowed Hills and Dreamer's Glass and primarily consists of the technology company ALH Computing, which is run by the current Countess of Tamed Lightning. It exists in a shallowing carved out between the mortal world and the Summerlands.
About[]
Title Holder[]
- January O'Leary — Countess of Tamed Lightning (deceased, resurrected as of 2012)
- April O'Leary - Countess of Tamed Lightning
Location[]
- Fremont, California
- Sandwiched between Shadowed Hills and Dreamer's Glass
Entrance[]
- The knowe is guarded by a massive portcullis and an Coblynau security system that zaps allies and does worse to enemies.
- Toby bypasses the system by saying, "Speak "Friend" and enter."
- In order to enter the knowe itself, it is necessary to use a back shipping door that crosses. The crossing into the Summerlands is disguised with freezing air conditioning intended to distract guests.
- The entrance features a plaque with the inscription, "And gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name. --William Shakespeare"
- Countless cats are scattered across the grounds, but they refuse to enter the building itself.
Interior and Grounds[]
- A stone arch spanned the driveway, supporting a portcullis that looked like it came from the set of Camelot. A fence stretched a full block, covered the grounds behind the fence that stretched a full block. The trees were all eucalyptus.
- Inside the gate there was a well-manicured lawn that surrounded the two buildings with a surrounding tangle of trees forming their own private forest. The buildings were red brick—taller building was five stories high; the smaller one was only two.
- Front entrance had a pea green carpet and was arctic cold.
- There was a large warehouse sized area with cubicles.
ALH Computing[]
A computer company founded by January O'Leary. It produces Summerlands-compatible computer and wiring systems and MP3 players. It considers marketing trends in order to target products toward different fae types. The company also conducted a project to attempt to digitize fae's minds for upload into a server, much in the way of April O'Leary, although their efforts failed under January's leadership.
April and Li Qin ran ALH Computing after January's temporary death, however returned ownership to January after they and Toby brought her and the other ALH employees back to life.
Characters[]
Current[]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| January O'Leary | Founder, former Countess (ressurrected) |
| April O'Leary | Countess, techno-Dryad and security/intercom system |
| Elliot | Seneschal, computer programmer |
| Alex Olsen | Computer programmer, day shift |
| Li Quin Zhou | Wife to January, mother to April |
Former[]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Gordan | Computer programmer (deceased) |
| Colin Dunne | Computer programmer, marketing specialist (ressurected) |
| Peter | Computer programmer, genealogist, historian (ressurected) |
| Terrie Olsen | Computer programmer, night shift (ressurected) |
| Barbara Lynch | Computer programmer, working on digitization project, Dreamer's Glass spy (ressurected) |
| Yui Hyouden | Software designer, alchemist (ressurected) |
| Unnamed raven-maid | Receptionist; resigned. Her feathers are used to summon the night-haunts. |
In the Series[]
A Local Habitation[]
Toby visits ALH Computing to check on January O'Leary on behalf of her uncle Sylvester Torquill. While there, Toby discovers employees being murdered and works to solve the case.
Ashes of Honor[]
As one of Chelsea Ames's teleporting locations, ALH Computing becomes a base of operations in trying to track Chelsea down. April O'Leary, Li Quin Zhou, and Elliott all lend their talents to Toby as she hunts down the fae who are chasing Chelsea.
Of Things Unknown[]
Toby and Quentin return to ALH Computing to assist April and Li Qin to resurrect the ALH employees whom Gordan murdered. They assist in bringing Yui, Peter, Colin, Terri, Barbara and January back to life.
References[]
External References[]
- "Speak 'friend' and enter" - Lord of the Rings - http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Doors_of_Durin