Stavira (sta-vir-AY)—one of the four quadrants, or marches, dividing Jorat.
Stone of Shackles, the—one of the eight Cornerstones, ancient artifacts of unknown origin.
Suless (SEW-less)—god-queen of Yor, associated with witchcraft, deception, treachery, and betrayal; also associated with hyenas.
T
Taja (TAJ-ah)—one of the Eight Immortals, Goddess of Luck.
Talea (tal-E-ah)—a former slave.
talisman—an otherwise normal object whose tenyé has been modified to vibrate in sympathy with the owner, thus reinforcing the owner’s tenyé against enemies who might use magic to change it into a different form. This also means it’s extremely dangerous to allow one’s talismans to fall into enemy hands. Since talismans interfere with magical power, every talisman worn weakens the effectiveness of the wearer’s spellcasting.
tamarane (tam-a-RAN-ee)—a system of Joratese cooking with eight specific styles of heating.
Tamin (TAY-min)—Baron of Barsine Banner.
Tanner—one of Ninavis’s crew.
tenyé (ten-AY)—the true essence of an object, vital to all magic.
Teraeth (ter-RATHE)—hunter of Thaena; a Manol vané assassin and member of the Black Brotherhood; son of Khaemezra.
Thaena (thane-AY)—one of the Eight Immortals, Goddess of Death.
Theranon (ther-a-NON)—a noble family from Jorat.
Frena (fren-AY)—Janel’s mother, who died during the Lonezh Hellmarch.
Janel (jan-EL)—a demon-tainted noblewoman from Jorat. Nicknamed “Danorak” because of the widespread belief that she’d outrun the Lonezh Hellmarch as a child in order to warn Emperor Sandus of the invasion.
Jarak (jar-AK)—Janel’s father, who died during the Lonezh Hellmarch.
Jarin (JAIR-in)—deceased Count of Tolamer, Janel’s grandfather.
thorra (THOR-ah)—Joratese term for a person who abuses idorrá privileges; bully or tyrant, lit. “a stallion who is not safe to leave with other horses.”
Three Sisters, the—either Taja, Tya, and Thaena, or Galava, Tya, and Thaena, depending on local beliefs; also, the three moons in the night sky.
thudajé (thu-DAJ-ay)—Joratese term of respect, humility, and submission; thudajé is considered an essential and positive Joratese trait. No matter how high in idorrá someone is, the Joratese believe there will always be someone to whom they owe thudajé.
Tiga Pass (tie-GAY)—a pass allowing physical travel between the Great Steppes and the Grazings.
Tolamer (TOL-a-mear)—a canton in northeastern Jorat, ruled by the Theranon family for almost five hundred years.
tournaments—regular contests of skill, usually involving horses in some fashion, which take place as often as possible in various regions of Jorat. Joratese spectators can be passionate about teams they support.
tumai (TU-mai)—Yoran word for knight.
Twin Worlds, the—name for the combination of the Living World and Afterlife, when referring to both realms as part of a larger whole.
Tya (tie-ah)—a.k.a. Irisia (IR-is-EE-ah), one of the Eight Immortals, the Goddess of Magic.
Tya’s Veil—an aurora borealis effect visible in the night sky.
Tyentso (tie-EN-so)—formerly Raverí D’Lorus, now the emperor of Quur; the first woman to ever be emperor.
U
upishiarral (U-pish-e-ar-AL)—a traditional Joratese dish of vegetables and rice.
Urthaenriel (UR-thane-re-EL)—Godslayer, the Ruin of Kings, the Emperor’s Sword. A powerful artifact that is believed to make its wielder completely immune to magic and thus is capable of killing gods.
V
Valathea (val-a-THE-a)—a harp passed through the Milligreest family; also, a deceased queen of the Kirpis vané.
vané (van-EH)—a.k.a. vorfelane, an immortal, magically gifted race known for their exceptional beauty.
vanoizi (vah-NWA-zi)—a style of Eamithonian cooking.
Var, Relos (VAR, REL-os)—a powerful wizard, believed responsible for the ritual that created the Eight Immortals, and also the ritual that created both the dragons and Vol Karoth.
Veixizhau (vex-e-SHAU)—one of Azhen Kaen’s younger wives.
Vidan (VID-an)—one of Ninavis’s crew.
Visallía (viz-ALL-e-ah)—a march in Jorat.
Vishai Mysteries, the (vish-AY)—a religion popular in parts of Eamithon, Jorat, and Marakor; little is known about their inner workings, but their religion seems to principally center around a solar deity; usually pacifistic; members of the faith will often obtain licenses from House D’Mon to legally practice healing.
Vol Karoth (VOL ka-ROTH)—a.k.a. War Child or Warchild, a demon offspring crafted by demons to counter the Eight Immortals; alternately a corrupted remnant of the sacrificed god of the sun, S’arric; possibly both.
voramer (vor-a-MEER)—a.k.a. vormer, an extinct water-dwelling race believed to be the progenitors of the morgage and the ithlakor; of the two, only the ithlakor still live in water.
voras (vor-AS)—a.k.a. vorarras, an extinct race believed to have been the progenitors of humanity, who lost their immortality when Karolaen was destroyed.
vordreth (vor-DRETH)—a.k.a. vordredd, dreth, dredd, dwarves, an underground-dwelling race known for their strength and intelligence; despite their nickname, not short. Believed to have been wiped out when Atrin Kandor conquered Raenena.
W
Warmonger—a Cornerstone.
Wilavir, Sivat (wil-a-VIR, SIV-at)—author of Siege Tactics of the Yoran Invasion.
witch—anyone using magic who hasn’t received formal, official training and licensing; although technically gender neutral, usually only applied to women; in Jorat, anyone using magic who isn’t Blood of Joras is considered a witch.
Worldhearth—a Cornerstone.
Wyrga (WIR-ga)—an animal trainer in the service of Duke Kaen.
X
Xaloma (ZAL-o-may)—a dragon.
Xaltorath (zal-tor-OTH)—a demon prince who can only be summoned through the sacrifice of a family member; self-associated with lust and war.
Xun, Foran (CHUN, FOR-an)—Duke of Jorat; Xun gained the throne at a young age when his father was slain during the Lonezh Hellmarch.
Y
Ynis (YIN-is)—a deceased god-king.
Yor (yor)—one of Quur’s dominions, the most recently added and the least acclimated to imperial rule.
Z
Zaibur (ZAI-bur)—1. the major river running from Demon Falls and Lake Jorat all the way to the ocean, dividing Jorat from Marakor; 2. a strategy game.
Zaibur, the City-States of—archaic name for the collection of divided city-states that populated Marakor prior to being conquered by the Quuros.
Zajhera, Father (zah-JER-ah)—leader of the Vishai Faith / Vishai Mysteries. Personally exorcised the demon Xaltorath, who possessed Janel Theranon when she was a child.