Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations #1-2)

RIONILLION: \ri-on-ill-lon\ Name of the city that first stood on the site of Aquesta but was destroyed during the civil wars that occurred after the fall of the Novronian Empire



RIYRIA: \rye-ear-ah\ Elvish for two, a team or a bond



RONDEL: Common type of stiff-bladed dagger with a round handgrip



ROSE AND THORN, THE: Tavern in Medford run by Gwen DeLancy, used as a base by Riyria



ROSWORT, KING: Ruler of Dunmore



ROYCE MELBORN: Thief, one-half of Riyria



RUFUS, LORD: Ruthless northern warlord, respected by the south



RUSSELL BOTHWICK: Farmer in Dahlgren, husband of Lena



SALIFAN: \sal-eh-fan\ Fragrant wild plant used in incense



SAULY: Nickname of Maurice Saldur, used by those closest to him



SENON UPLAND: Highland plateau overlooking Chadwick



SENTINEL: Inquisitor generals of the Nyphron Church, charged with rooting out heresy and finding the lost Heir of Novron



SERET: \sir-ett\ Knights of Nyphron. The military arm of the church first formed by Lord Darius Seret, who was charged with finding the Heir of Novron.



SHERIDAN UNIVERSITY: Prestigious institution of learning, located in Ghent



SPADONE: Long two-handed sword with a tapering blade and an extended flange ahead of the hilt allowing for an extended variety of fighting maneuvers. Due to the length of the handgrip and the flange, which provides its own barbed hilt, the sword provides a number of additional hand placements, permitting the sword to be used similarly to a quarterstaff, as well as a powerful cleaving weapon. The spadone is the traditional weapon of a skilled knight.



SUMMERSRULE: Popular midsummer holiday celebrated with picnics, dances, feasts, and jousting tournaments



TABARD: A tunic worn over armor usually emblazoned with a coat of arms



TEK’CHIN: Single fighting discipline of the Teshlor Knights that was preserved by the Knights of the Fauld and handed down to the Pickerings



TENENT: Most common form of semi-standard international currency. Coins of gold, silver, and copper stamped with the likeness of the king of the realm where the coin was minted.



TERLANDO BAY: Harbor of Tur Del Fur



TESHLORS: Legendary knights of the Novronian Empire, greatest warriors ever to have lived



THERON WOOD: Father of Thrace Wood, farmer of Dahlgren



THRACE WOOD: Daughter of Theron and Addie



TILINER: Superior side sword used frequently by mercenaries in Avryn



TOBIS RENTINUAL: History professor at Sheridan University



TOLIN ESSENDON: Son of Brodric, who moved the capital to Medford and built Essendon Castle



TOMAS, DEACON: Priest of Dahlgren village



TORSONIC: Torque-producing, as in the cable used in crossbows



TRENT: Northern mountainous kingdoms



TRUMBUL, BARON: Mercenary



TUR: Small legendary village believed to have once been in Delgos, site of the first recorded visit of Kile, mythical source of great weapons



TUR DEL FUR: Coastal city in Delgos, on Terlando Bay, originally built by dwarves



UBERLIN: The god of the Dacca and the Ghazel, son of Erebus and his daughter, Muriel



URITH, KING: Ruler of Ratibor



VALIN, LORD: Elderly knight of Melengar known for his valor and courage but lacking strategic skills



VANDON: Port city of Delgos, home to the Vandom Spice Company, which began as a pirate haven until Delgos became a republic, when it became a legitimate business



VENLIN, PATRIARCH: Head of the Nyphron Church during the fall of the Novronian Empire



VERNES: Port city at the mouth of the Bernum River



VILLEIN: Person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord



VINCE GRIFFIN: Dahlgren village founder



WARRIC: Kingdom of Avryn, ruled by Ethelred



WESBADEN: Major trade port city of Calis



WESTBANK: Newly formed province of Dunmore



WESTERLANDS: Unknown frontier to the west



WICEND: \why-send\ Farmer in Melengar who lends his name to the ford that crosses the Galewyr into Glouston



WINDS ABBEY: Monastery of the Monks of Maribor near Lake Windermere in western Melengar



WINTERTIDE: Chief holiday, held in midwinter, celebrated by feasts and jousts



WYATT DEMINTHAL: Onetime ship captain, father of Allie



WYLIN: \why-lynn\ Master-at-arms at Essendon Castle





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about the author


After finding a manual typewriter in the basement of a friend’s house, Michael J. Sullivan inserted a blank piece of paper and typed It was a dark and stormy night, and a shot rang out. He was just eight. Still, the desire to fill the blank page and see where the keys would take him next wouldn’t let go. As an adult, Michael spent ten years developing his craft by reading and studying authors such as Stephen King, Ayn Rand, and John Steinbeck, to name just a few. He wrote ten novels, and after finding no traction in publishing, he quit, vowing never to write creatively again.

Michael discovered forever is a very long time and ended his writing hiatus ten years later. The itch returned when he decided to write books for his then thirteen-year-old daughter, who was struggling in school because of dyslexia. Intrigued by the idea of a series with an overarching story line, yet told through individual, self-contained episodes, he created the Riyria Revelations. He wrote the series with no intention of publishing it. After presenting his book in manuscript form to his daughter, she declared that it had to be a “real book,” in order for her to be able to read it.

So began his second adventure on the road to publication, which included drafting his wife to be his business manager, signing with a small independent press, and creating a publishing company. He sold more than sixty thousand books as a self-published author and leveraged this success to achieve mainstream publication through Orbit (the fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group) as well as foreign translation rights including French, Spanish, Russian, German, Polish, and Czech.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Michael presently lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with his wife and three children. He continues to fill the blank pages with three projects under development: a modern fantasy, which explores the relationship between good and evil; a literary fiction piece, profiling a man’s descent into madness; and a medieval fantasy, which will be a prequel to his best-selling Riyria Revelations series.

Find out more about Michael J. Sullivan and other Orbit authors by registering for the free monthly newsletter at www.orbitbooks.net





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