Blackguard, the: An elite guard at the top echelon of the Chromeria. The Blackguard was instituted after Lucidonius with a unique dual purpose: to guard the Prism and to guard the Prism from him-or herself. They are commonly seen as bodyguards for the Prism (and other members of the Spectrum).
Blinding Knife: Aka Knife of Surrender, Bonding Knife, Blinder’s Knife, Hellfang. Magical, mythical weapon used by Prisms and in the ceremony installing new Prisms.
Blood Wars, the: A series of conflicts that began after Vician’s Sin tore apart the formerly close allies/sometimes united kingdoms of Blood Forest and Ruthgar. The war started and stopped repeatedly over nearly four hundred years, until Prism Guile put a decisive end to it following the False Prism’s War.
Blue-Eyed Demons, The: A famed company of bandits whose leader attempted to set up a kingdom after the False Prism’s War. Put down single-handedly by Prism Gavin Guile.
blunderbuss: A musket with a bell-shaped muzzle that can be loaded with nails, musket balls, chain, or even gravel. Devastating at short distances.
Braxos: A legendary, now dead city thousands of years old, cut off from the Seven Satrapies by the Cracked Lands, which were reputed to have been formed with magic during the Ptarsu expansion centuries before Lucidonius.
brightwater: Liquid yellow luxin. It is unstable and quickly releases its energy as light. Often used in lanterns.
Brightwater Wall: Its building was a feat to match the legends. This wall was designed by Aheyyad Brightwater and built by Prism Gavin Guile at Garriston in mere days before and while the rebel King Garadul’s army approached.
burnous: A long cloak with a hood, common in Paria and elsewhere.
caleen (masc. calun): A diminutive term of address for a female (or male) slave, used regardless of the slave’s age.
Cannon Island: A small island with a minimal garrison between Big Jasper and Little Jasper. It houses formidable artillery.
Cerulean Sea, the: The great body of water circled by the Seven Satrapies.
chirurgeon: One who stitches up the wounded and studies anatomy.
chromaturgy: Literally ‘color working,’ it usually refers to drafting, but has been expanded to cover the study of luxins and will. See also Appendix, ‘On Luxin.’
Chromeria, the: The ruling body of the Seven Satrapies; also a term for the academic institution where drafters are trained.
Chromeria trained: Those who have or are studying at the Chromeria school for drafting on Little Jasper Island in the Cerulean Sea. The Chromeria’s training system does not limit students based on age, but rather progresses them through each degree of training based on their ability and knowledge.
cocca: A type of merchant ship, usually small.
Colors, the: The seven members of the Spectrum. Originally each represented a single color of the seven sacred colors; each could draft that color, and each satrapy had one representative. Since the founding of the Spectrum, that practice has deteriorated as satrapies have maneuvered for power. Thus a satrapy’s Color could be appointed to a color she doesn’t actually draft. Likewise, some of the satrapies might lose their representative, and others could have two or even three representatives on the Spectrum at a time, depending on the politics of the day. A Color’s term is for life. Impeachment is nearly impossible.
Compelling Argument, The: The greatest masterpiece of famed cannon-caster Phineas Vecchini.
conn (fem. banconn): A title for a mayor or leader of a village sometimes used in far-northern Atash, but more common in Blood Forest.
Corbine Street: A street in Big Jasper that leads to the Great Fountain of Karris Shadowblinder.
Cracked Lands, the: A region of broken land in the extreme west of Atash. Its treacherous terrain is crossed by only the most hardy and experienced traders.
Crag Tooth: A fine whiskey with a sublime nose hinting at rose and cinnamon, made in distilleries at the edge of Blood Forest in the highlands above Green Haven. It evinces orange and raisin flavors under powerful chocolate.
Crater Lake: A large lake in southern Tyrea where the former capital of Tyrea, Kelfing, sits. The area is famous for its forests and the production of yew.
Crossroads, the: A kopi house, restaurant, and tavern, the highest-priced inn on the Jaspers, and downstairs a similarly priced brothel. Located near the Lily’s Stem, the Crossroads is housed in the former Tyrean embassy building, centrally located in the Embassies District for all the ambassadors, spies, and merchants trying to deal with various governments.
culverin: A type of cannon, useful for firing long distances because of its heavily weighted cannonballs and long-bore tube.
Cwn y Wawr: The ‘Dogs of Dawn,’ a Blood Forest martial company of archers, mastiff handlers, tree climbers, green drafters, and masters of camouflage. A semisecret society found in the deep parts of Blood Forest.
dagger-pistols: Pistols with a blade attached, allowing the user to fire at distance and then use the blade at close range or if the weapon misfires.
Dagnu: Pagan god of gluttony, associated with red. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’
danar: The primary unit of currency in the Seven Satrapies. An average worker makes about a danar a day, while an unskilled laborer can expect to earn a half danar a day. The coins have a square hole in the middle and are often carried on square-cut sticks. They can be cut in half and still hold their value.
tin danar: Worth eight regular danar coins. A stick of tin danars usually carries twenty-five coins—that is, two hundred danars.
Deimachia, the: The War of/on the Gods. A theological term for Lucidonius’s battle for supremacy against the pagan gods of the old world.
Demiurgos: Another term for a Mirror such as Janus Borig; literally
‘half creator.’
dey (fem. deya): A Parian title. A near-absolute ruler over a city and its surrounding territory. (Equivalent to the Atashian/Tyrean ‘corregidor.’)
Diakoptês: An ambiguous term. Literally ‘He who rends asunder,’ but a looser translation could be ‘Breaker.’ In Braxian belief, both the name and title of Lucidonius and the name or title of a similar figure, possibly a reincarnation of Lucidonius, who will come again to break or heal the Cracked Lands.
discipulus (masc. pl. discipuli, fem. discipula, fem. and mixed gender pl. discipulae): Those who study both religious and magical arts, usually at the Chromeria.
djinn (fem. jinni-yah): Immortals also known as the fallen, or elo-him, or gods, or the Two Hundred. Alternate spelling jinn. A fuzzy, much-debated religious and historical term, as the reality of such beings, much less their nature(s), is unknown.
drafter: One who can shape or harness light into physical form (luxin). See also Appendix, ‘On Luxin.’
Dúnbheo: Also known as the Floating City. Sits in the middle of Loch
Lána, the great lake in Blood Forest.
elohim: Immortals or gods (see entry for ‘djinn’), spiritual beings of some sort.
‘elrahee, elishama, eliada, eliphalet’: A Parian prayer meaning ‘[Orholam] sees, He hears, He cares, He saves.’
Embassies District: The Big Jasper neighborhood that is closest to the Lily’s Stem and thus is closest to the Chromeria itself. It also houses markets and kopi houses, taverns, and brothels.
Everdark Gates, the: The strait connecting the Cerulean Sea to the oceans beyond. It was supposedly closed by Lucidonius, but Angari ships have been known to make it through from time to time.