A number of the book's characters are introduced in a symposion Chares attends early on, conducted by a group dubbed "The Seven Strangers," modeled on de Camp's own real-life social club the Trap Door Spiders.
A number of the book's characters are introduced at an early meeting that Chares attends, which is organized by a group called "The Seven Strangers" and is based on de Camp's own social club, the Trap Door Spiders.