Epilogue 2
Gavin woke, facedown, cold, naked, lying on a hard floor. His missing eye was professionally bandaged, but he had new bruises everywhere. He couldn’t remember how he’d gotten here. Wherever here was. He rolled over, wincing at the many voices of pain singing like a Sun Day chorus, and opened his eye.
It was a small room, curving around him in a circle, shaped like a flattened ball. There was a hole above for bread to be dropped in, and a hole below for his waste. He couldn’t see the color, but the winking crystalline facets told him he was in the very blue cell he’d made for his brother.
It had been repaired.
In the peaceful perfection of the passionless prison, Gavin felt a horror and revulsion unlike any he had ever known. Pain stabbed through his chest. Tight. Breathless, fighting for little gasps of air. His secrets were out, all at once, in front of the last person he loved and the one person he knew could never understand.
Those repairs meant his father was his captor. If he’d found this cell, he’d found them all. That meant he knew everything: the false victory at Sundered Rock, Dazen’s imposture of Gavin, and finally his murder of Andross Guile’s eldest and favorite son in the yellow cell.
It meant Andross planned to make him pay for it.
Stripped bare of clothes, and titles, and privileges, and power, and vision, and freedom, and stripped now of even his false name, Dazen stared at the grim reflection in the shining wall. It looked like a dead man.
Acknowledgments
The problem with standards is living up to them. Acknowledgments are usually as tedious but necessary as a EULA. Where can I scroll and hit Accept already? Then you hit Accept, and it forces you to perjure yourself by averring that YES, I DID READ all that tiny print that I just didn’t read. What, you don’t believe my 12,000-words-per-minute pace? I tell you, I’m Harriet Klausner, and I read every last word of the contracts I review. ACCEPT!
I had a standard. I thought, acknowledgments are boring. I shall make my acknowledgments un-boring. Acknowledgments shall be a new genre of creative nonfiction, to which readers shall flock! New readers shall buy my books with no intent of reading the fantasy herein, no, even dyed-in-the-wool octogenarian mystery readers who actually do wear wool that has been dyed—natty sweaters mostly—will buy my books solely in the hope of seeing my witticitudes. (That being, of course, my witticisms about the vicissitudes of the publishing business. The mystery readers already sussed that out. Sharp lot. You fantasy folk have been put on notice.)
But. And isn’t there always a “but”? And inasmuch as I have been enjoined not to begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction until I can spell “coordinating conjunction” [Note to proofreader: Have a double look at this, will you? Would be terribly embarrasing to misspell in the middle of a witticitude.], [yeah, and check that punctuation, too, always get hung up on by what marks to put around nested clauses!] every so often in life, a sentence must needs start with an And But Yet Or For Nor.
Amirite? (Octogenarian mysteriods, the fantasy folks sussed that neologism instantly. You’ve been put on notice.)
But. But after writing acknowledgments for six books now, I’m beginning to see how the grind has worn down souls greater than I. Truth is, at some point, adding witty lines to computer code as an amuse-bouche for that one other programmer who actually reads lines 3.5 million to 3.6 million is dust in the wind. Dust. Wind. Dude. Because the list of people to be thanked only adds names. And do you know who gets to add drama to reading a list of names? Let’s ask the cast of the Grammy-winning Bible Experience, which features a who’s who of African American actors reading the entirety of the Bible. Of course Samuel L. Jackson gets to read Ezekiel 25:17—hopefully the real verse this time, not the one from the Gospel of Quentin—but who “gets” to read the begats?
Like success, a novel has many fathers. Here are my co-begetters:
Thank you to my wife, Kristi. For believing in the beginning, and for believing still. Thank you to my daughter, who did her best to hold back being born until daddy could finish the first draft, and then slept well so that daddy could edit this behemoth.
Thank you to my editorial assistant, E. dub, for enduring interminable nicknames: Monie, CAPSLOCK, and others too good to be shared. Your goat’s leash is over here. Seriously, even though you do cruel things like, well, make me work, having you around has been an enormous help. Our life is better—and so is my writing—because of the work you do.
Thank you to Devi (fierce friend and peerless provocatrix of production peeps), Anne, Alex, Tim, Susan, Ellen, Lauren, Laura, James, and Rose of Orbit Books US and UK. Thank you to Don Maass, Cameron McClure, and the rest of the staff at Donald Maass Literary Agency. I know this is kind of what we do, but you make the work part of this work rewarding and as smooth as possible—and you make the art of it better than anything of mine has any right to be.
A special thank-you to my beta readers: Mary Robinette Kowal, Heather, Andrew, Tim, Jacob, and John. I still kind of hate you right now, but my gratitude will grow as the memory of the pains you inflicted on me fades. And double thanks to Tim and John for diving back into the word trenches a second time.
Thanks to Aristotle for ideas so big that I couldn’t escape them even in a secondary-world fantasy.
Thank you to Dr. J. Klein, former roommate, for my continuing work-ethic inferiority complex and for last-second translations. Any abuses of philosophy or translation herein are the ones I either didn’t ask him about, or ignored his sterling advice about. If he’s your prof, ask about swimming the Hellespont and scaling the tower. Or at least about his Bruce Lee impression.
Thank you to Stephen R. Lawhead, who showed me that there was fantasy after Tolkien. Much of my writing is an attempt to make others feel how I felt after reading Taliesin and Merlin. Quentin is for you.
And last, thank you to my readers. Thank you for sharing these worlds with me, for your encouragement, and for sharing me with other readers. It is a gift and a privilege to get to do what I love for a living. Thank you.
—Brent Weeks
Glossary
Aghbalu: A Parian city.
alcaldesa: A Tyrean term, akin to village mayor or chief.
Am, Children of: Archaic term for the people of the Seven Satrapies.
Anat: God of wrath, associated with sub-red.
Angar: A country beyond the Seven Satrapies and the Everdark Gates. Its skilled sailors occasionally shoot the Everdark Gates to enter the Cerulean Sea.
aristeia: A concept encompassing genius, purpose, and excellence.
Aslal: The capital city of Paria.
ataghan: A narrow, slightly forward-curving sword with a single edge for most of its length.
Atan’s Teeth: Mountains to the east of Tyrea.
atasifusta: The widest tree in the world, believed extinct after the False Prism’s War. Its sap has properties like concentrated red luxin, which, when allowed to drain slowly, can keep a flame lit for hundreds of years if the tree is large enough. The wood itself is ivory white, and when the trees are immature, a small amount can keep a home warm for months.
Atirat: God of lust, associated with green.
Aved Barayah: A legendary ship. Its name means The Fire Breather.
aventail: Usually made of chain mail, it is attached to the helmet and drapes over the neck, shoulders, and upper chest.
Az?lay: A coastal city in Paria; the Nuqaba lives there.
balance: The primary work of the Prism. When the Prism drafts at the top of the Chromeria, he alone can sense all the world’s imbalances in magic and can draft enough of its opposite (i.e., balancing) color to stop the imbalance from getting any worse and leading to catastrophe. Frequent imbalances occurred throughout the world’s history before Lucidonius came, and the resulting disasters of fire, famine, and sword killed thousands if not millions. Superviolet balances sub-red, blue balances red, and green balances orange. Yellow seems to exist in balance naturally.
bane: An old Ptarsu term, could be either singular or plural. It may have meant a temple or holy place, though Lucidonius’s Parians believed they were abominations. The Parians acquired the word from the Ptarsu.
beakhead: The protruding part of the foremost section of the ship.
beams: See Chromeria trained.
Belphegor: God of sloth, associated with yellow.
belt-flange: A flattened hook attached to a pistol so it can be tucked securely into a belt.
belt knife: A blade small enough to be tucked in a man’s belt, commonly used for eating, rarely for defense.
bich’hwa: A “scorpion,” a dagger with a loop hilt and a narrow, undulating recurved blade. Sometimes made with a claw.
bichrome: A drafter who can draft two different colors.
Big Jasper (Island): The island on which the city of Big Jasper rests just opposite the Chromeria, and where the embassies of all the satrapies reside.
binocle: A double-barreled spyglass that allows the use of both eyes for viewing objects at a distance.
Blackguard, the: The White’s bodyguard. The Blackguard was also instituted by Lucidonius both to prevent the Prism’s overreaching power and to guard the Prism from external threats.
blindage: A screen for the open deck of a ship during battle.
Blood Plains, the: An older collective term for Ruthgar and Blood Forest, so called since Vician’s Sin caused the Blood War between them.
Blood War, the: A series of battles that began after Vician’s Sin tore apart the formerly close allies of Blood Forest and Ruthgar. The war was seemingly interminable, often starting and stopping, until Gavin Guile put an end to it following the False Prism’s War. It seems there will be no further hostilities. Also known as the Blood Wars among some scholars who differentiate between the various campaigns.
Blue-Eyed Demons, the: A famed company of bandits whose king Gavin Guile killed after the False Prism’s War.
blunderbuss: A short musket with a bell-shaped muzzle that can be loaded with shrapnel. Useful at short distances only, such as against mobs.
brightwater: Liquid yellow luxin.
Brightwater Wall: Its building was an epic feat. This wall was designed by Aheyyad Brightwater and built by Prism Guile at Garriston in just days before and while the Omnichrome’s army attacked.
Broken Man, the: A statue in a Tyrean orange grove. A Ptarsu relic?
caleen: A diminutive term of address for a girl or female slave, like “girl” but used regardless of the slave’s age.
Cannon Island: A small island with a minimal garrison between Big Jasper and Little Jasper.
cavendish: Tobacco-like fruit leather.
Cerulean Sea, the: The sea at the center of the Seven Satrapies.
cherry glims: Slang for red-drafting second-year students.
chirurgeon: One who stitches up the wounded and studies anatomy.
Chosen, Orholam’s: Another term for the Prism.
Chromeria, the: The ruling body of the Seven Satrapies; also a term for the school where drafters are trained.
Chromeria trained: Those who have or are training 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. So a thirteen-year-old who is extremely proficient in drafting might well be a gleam, or third-year student, while an eighteen-year-old who is just beginning work on her drafting could be a dim.
darks: Technically known as “the supplicants,” these are would-be drafters who have yet to be tested for their abilities at the Chromeria or allowed admission to the school.
dims: The first-year (and therefore lowest) rank of the Chromeria’s students.
glims: Second-year students.
gleams: Third-year students who are fairly advanced.
beams: Fourth-year students.
cocca: A type of merchant ship, usually small.
Colors, the: The seven members of the Spectrum. Each originally represented a single color of the seven sacred colors, and could draft that color, and each satrapy had one representative on the Spectrum. Since the founding of the Spectrum, that practice has deteriorated as satrapies have maneuvered for power. Thus a satrapy’s representative, though usually appointed to a color corresponding to his abilities, could be appointed as Luxlord Green, but not actually draft green himself. 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. The term is for life.
color matchers: A term for full-spectrum superchromats. Sometimes employed as satraps’ gardeners.
color-sensitive: See superchromat.
color wight: A drafter who has broken the halo. They frequently remake their bodies with pure luxin, rejecting the Pact between drafter and society.
conn: A title for a mayor or leader of a village in far northern Atash; more common in Blood Forest.
Corbine Street: A street in Big Jasper that leads up to the Great Fountain of Karris Shadowblinder.
corregidor: A Tyrean term for a chief magistrate; from when Tyrea encompassed eastern Atash.
Counselor to Kings, The: A manuscript, noted for advocating ruthless treatment of opponents.
Cracked Lands, the: A region of broken land in the extreme west of Atash. Its treacherous terrain is only crossed by the most hardy and experienced traders.
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 longbows.
Crossroads, the: A kopi house, restaurant, tavern, the highest-priced inn on the Jaspers, and downstairs, allegedly, 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.
cubit: A unit of volume. One cubit is one foot high, one foot wide, and one foot deep.
culverin: A type of cannon, useful for firing long distances because of its heavily weighted cannonballs and long-bore tube.
dagger-pistols: Flintlock 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: God of gluttony, associated with red.
danar: The currency of the Seven Satrapies. One danar at an expensive inn on Jasper Island buys a cup of kopi. The 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 cut 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.
silver quintar: Worth twenty danars, slightly wider than the tin danar, but only half as thick. A stick of silver quintars usually carries fifty coins, that is, one thousand danars.
den: One-tenth of a danar.
darks: See Chromeria trained.
Dark Forest: A region within Blood Forest where pygmies reside. Decimated by the diseases brought by invaders, their numbers have never recovered, and they remain insular and often hostile.
darklight: Another term for paryl.
dawat: A Parian martial art.
Dazen’s War: An alternate name of the False Prism’s War, used by the victors.
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; a half-creator.
dey/deya: A Parian title, male and female respectively. A near-absolute ruler over a city and its surrounding territory.
dims: See Chromeria trained.
discipulae: The feminine plural term (also applying to groups of mixed gender) for those who study both religious and magical arts.
drafter: One who can shape or harness light into physical form (luxin).
drafter-tailor: A profession that disappeared overnight during the Guile brothers’ childhood. These tailors could, with enough will, craft luxin flexible enough to be fashioned as clothing and seal it.
Elrahee, elishama, eliada, eliphalet: A Parian prayer.
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.
epha: A unit of measurement for grain, approximately thirty-three liters.
Ergion: An Atashian walled city a day’s travel from Idoss.
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.
evernight: Often a curse word, it refers to death and hell. A metaphysical or teleological reality, rather than a physical one, it represents that which will forever embrace and be embraced by void, full darkness, night in its purest, most evil form.
eye caps: A specialized kind of spectacles. These colored lenses fit directly over the eye sockets, glued to the skin. Like other spectacles, they enable a drafter to see through their preferred color, allowing them to draft more easily.
False Prism, the: Another term for Dazen Guile, who claimed to be a Prism even after his older brother Gavin had already been rightly chosen by Orholam and installed as Prism.
False Prism’s War, the: A common term for the war between Gavin and Dazen Guile.
Fealty to One: The Danavis motto.
Ferrilux: God of pride, associated with superviolet.
firecrystal: A term for sustainable sub-red, though a firecrystal doesn’t last long when exposed to air.
firefriend: A term sub-red drafters use for each other.
Flame of Erebos, the: The pin all Blackguards receive, it symbolizes sacrifice and service.
flashbomb: A weapon crafted by yellow drafters. It doesn’t harm so much as dazzle and distract its victims by the blinding light of evaporating yellow luxin.
flechette: A tiny projectile (sometimes made of luxin), with a pointed end and a vaned tail to achieve stable flight.
foot: Once a varying measure based on the current Prism’s foot length. Later standarized to twelve thumbs (the length of Prism Sayid Talim’s foot).
Free, the: Those drafters who reject the Pact of the Chromeria to join the Omnichrome’s army, choosing to eventually break the halo and become wights. Also called the Unchained.
Freed, the: Those drafters who accept the Pact of the Chromeria and choose to be ritually killed before they break the halo and go mad. (The closeness of this term with “the Free” is part of the linguistic war between the pagans and the Chromeria, with the pagans trying to seize terms that had long had other, perverted, they thought, meanings.)
Freeing: The ritual release of those about to break the halo from incipient madness; performed by the Prism every year on Sun Day.
frizzen: On flintlocks, the L-shaped piece of metal against which the flint scrapes. The metal is on a hinge that opens upon firing to allow the sparks to reach the black powder.
gada: A ball game that involves kicking and passing a ball of wrapped leather.
galleass: A large merchant ship powered by both oar and sail. The term later referred to ships modified for military purposes, which included adding castles at bow and stern and cannons that fire in all directions.
gaoler: One in charge of a prison or dungeon.
Gargantua, the: Pirate king Pash Vecchio’s flagship.
Garriston: The former commercial capital of Tyrea at the mouth of the Umber River on the Cerulean Sea. Prism Gavin Guile built Brightwater Wall to defend the city, but his defense failed, and the city was claimed by Lord Omnichrome, Koios White Oak.
Gatu, the: A Parian tribe, despised by other Parians for how they integrate their old religious customs into the worship of Orholam. Technically, their beliefs are heresy, but the Chromeria has never moved to put the heresy down with anything more than harsh words.
gemshorn: A musical instrument made from the tusk of a javelina, with finger-holes drilled into it to allow different notes to be produced.
ghotra: A Parian headscarf, used by many Parian men to demonstrate their reverence for Orholam. Most wear it while the sun is up, but some wear it even at nighttime.
giist: A colloquial name for a blue wight.
gladius: A short double-edged sword, useful for cutting or stabbing at close range.
Glass Lily, the: Another term for Little Jasper, or for the whole of the Chromeria as a collection of buildings.
gleams: See Chromeria trained.
glims: See Chromeria trained.
gold standard: The literal standard weights and measures, made of gold, against which all measures are judged. The originals are kept at the Chromeria, and certified copies are kept in every capital and major city for the adjudication of disputes. Merchants found using short measures and inaccurate weights are punished severely.
Great Chain (of being), the: A theological term for the order of creation. The first link is Orholam himself, and all the other links (creation) derive from him.
Great Desert, the: Another term for the Badlands of Tyrea.
great hall of the Chromeria, the: Located under the Prism’s Tower, it is converted once a week into a place of worship, at which time mirrors from the other towers are turned to shine light in. It includes pillars of white marble and the largest display of stained glass in the world. Most of the time it is filled with clerks, ambassadors, and those who have business with the Chromeria.
great hall of the Travertine Palace, the: The wonder of the great hall is its eight great pillars set in a star shape around the hall, all made of extinct atasifusta wood. Said to be the gift of an Atashian king, these trees were the widest in the world, and their sap allows fires to burn continually, even five hundred years after they were cut.
Great River, the: The river between Ruthgar and Blood Forest, the scene of many pitched battles between the two countries.
great yard, the: The yard at the base of the towers of the Chromeria.
Green Bridge: Less than a league upstream from Rekton, drafted by Gavin Guile in seconds while on his way to battle his brother at Sundered Rock.
green flash: A rare flash seen at the setting of the sun; its meaning is debated. Some believe it has theological significance. The White calls it Orholam’s wink.
Green Forest: A collective term for Blood Forest and Ruthgar during the hundred years of peace between the two countries, before Vician’s Sin ended it.
Green Haven: The capital of Blood Forest.
grenado: A flagon full of black powder with a piece of wood shoved into the top, with a rag and bit of black powder as a fuse.
grenado, luxin: An explosive made of luxin that can be hurled at the enemy along an arc of luxin or in a cannon. Often filled with shot/shrapnel, depending on the type of grenado used. Smaller grenadoes are sometimes carried in bandoliers.
Guardian, the: A colossus that stands astride the entrance to Garriston’s bay. She holds a spear in one hand and a torch in the other. A yellow drafter keeps the torch lit with yellow luxin, allowing it to dissolve slowly back into light, acting as a kind of lighthouse. See also Ladies, the.
Guile palace: The Guile family palace on Big Jasper. Andross Guile rarely visits his home in the time Gavin is Prism, preferring to reside at the Chromeria. The Guile palace was one of the few buildings allowed to be constructed without regard to the working of the Thousand Stars.
habia: A long man’s garment.
Hag, the: An enormous statue that comprises Garriston’s west gate. She is crowned and leans heavily on a staff; the crown and staff are also towers from which archers can shoot at invaders. See also Ladies, the.
Hag’s Crown, the: A tower over the west gate into Garriston.
Hag’s Staff, the: A tower over the west gate into Garriston.
Harbinger: Corvan Danavis’s sword, inherited when his elder brothers died.
Hass Valley: Where the Ur trapped Lucidonius.
haze: A mind-altering drug. Often smoked with a pipe, it produces a sickly sweet odor.
Hellfang: A mysterious blade, also known as Marrow Sucker and the Blinder’s Knife. It is white veined with black and bears seven colorless gems in its blade.
hellhounds: Dogs infused with red luxin and enough will to make them run at enemies, and then lit on fire.
hellstone: A superstitious term for obsidian, which is rarer than diamonds or rubies as few know where the extant obsidian in the world is created or mined. Obsidian is the only stone that can draw luxin directly out of a drafter if it touches her blood directly.
hullwrecker: A luxin disk filled with shrapnel. It has a fuse and a sticky side so that it will adhere to a ship’s hull and explode once the soldiers have gotten away from the ship.
hurricano: A waterspout.
Idoss: An Atashian city, ruled by a council of city mothers and a corregidor.
incarnitive: A term for incorporating luxin directly into one’s body.
Inura, Mount: A mountain on Seers Island, at the base of which the Third Eye resides.
ironbeaks: A term for luxin- and will-infused birds, used to attack opponents at distance and then explode.
Ivor’s Ridge, Battle of: A battle during the False Prism’s War, which Dazen won primarily because of Corvan Danavis’s brilliance.
jambu: A tree that produces pink fruit. Found on Seers Island.
Jasper Islands/the Jaspers: Islands in the Cerulean Sea that hold the Chromeria.
Jasperites: Residents of Big Jasper.
javelinas: Animals, good for hunting. Giant javelinas are rare. Both species have tusks and hooves and are nocturnal.
ka: A sequence of fighting moves to train balance and flexibility and control. Frequently uses combinations of movements that might be used together in combat. A form of focusing exercise or meditation.
Karsos Mountains, the: Tyrean mountains that line the Cerulean Sea.
katar: A blade that instead of a hilt uses a cross-grip while the hilt extends up on either side of the hand and forearm. With its reinforced tip and allowance for the fist shape of the hand, it is extremely useful for punching through armor.
Kazakdoon: A legendary city/land in the distant east, beyond the Everdark Gates.
Kelfing: The former capital of Tyrea, on the shores of Crater Lake.
khat: An addictive stimulant, a leaf that stains the teeth after chewing, used especially in Paria.
kiyah: A yell used while fighting to expel the breath and empower the body’s movement.
kopi: An addictive stimulant, a popular beverage. Bitter, dark-colored, and served hot.
kris: A wavy Parian blade.
Ladies, the: Four statues that comprise the gates into the city of Garriston. They are built into the wall, made of rare Parian marble and sealed in nearly invisible yellow luxin. They are thought to depict aspects of the goddess Anat and were spared by Lucidonius, who believed them to depict something true. They are the Hag, the Lover, the Mother, and the Guardian.
Laurion: A region in eastern Atash known for its silver ore and massive slave mines. Life expectancy for the enslaved miners is short, and the threat of being sent to the mines is used to keep slaves in line.
league: A unit of measurement, six thousand and seventy-six paces.
lightbane: See bane.
lightsickness: The aftereffects of too much drafting. Only the Prism never gets lightsick.
lightwells: Holes in the Chromeria’s towers that are positioned to allow light, with the use of mirrors, to reach into the interior of the towers late in the day or on the dark side of the towers.
Lily’s Stem, the: The luxin bridge between Big and Little Jasper. It is composed of blue and yellow luxin so that it appears green. Set below the high-water mark, it is remarkable for its endurance against the waves and storms that wash over it.
linstock: A staff for holding a slow match at one end. Used in lighting cannons, allowing the cannoneer to stand out of the range of the cannon’s recoil.
Little Jasper: The island on which the Chromeria resides.
Little Jasper Bay: A bay off Little Jasper Island. It is protected by a seawall that keeps its waters calm.
loci damnata: A temple to the false gods. The bane. Believed to have magical powers, especially over drafters.
longbow: A weapon that allows for the efficient (in speed, distance, and force) firing of arrows. Its construction and its user must both be extremely strong. The yew forests of Crater Lake provide the best wood available for longbows.
Lord Prism: A term of address for the Prism.
lords of the air: A term used by the Omnichrome for his most trusted blue-drafting officers.
Lover, the: A statue that comprises the eastern river gate at Garriston. She is depicted in her thirties, lying on her back arched over the river with her feet planted, her knees forming a tower on one bank, hands entwined in her hair, elbows rising to form a tower on the other bank. She is clad only in veils. Before the Prisms’ War, a portcullis could be lowered from her arched body into the river, its iron and steel hammered into shape so that it looked like a continuation of her veils. She glows like bronze when the sun sets, and an entrance to the city comes through another gate in her hair.
luxiat: A priest of Orholam. A luxiat wears black as an acknowledgment that he needs Orholam’s light most of all; thus he is commonly called a blackrobe.
luxin: A material created by drafting from light.
luxlord: A term for a member of the ruling Spectrum.
Luxlords’ Ball, the: An annual event on the open roof of the Prism’s Tower.
luxors: Officials empowered by the Chromeria to bring the light of Orholam by almost any means necessary. They have at various times pursued paryl drafters and lightsplitter heretics, among others. Their theological rigidity and their prerogative to kill and torture have been hotly debated by followers of Orholam and dissidents alike.
magister: The term for a teacher of drafting and religion at the Chromeria.
mag torch: Often used by drafters to allow them access to light at night, it burns with a full spectrum of colors. Colored mag torches are also made at great expense, and when made correctly give a drafter her exact spectrum of light, allowing her to eschew spectacles and draft instantly.
match-holder: The piece on a matchlock musket to which a slow match is affixed.
matchlock musket: A firearm that works by snapping a lit slow match into the flash pan, which ignites the gunpowder in the breech of the firearm, whose explosion propels a rock or lead ball out of the barrel at high speed. Matchlocks are accurate to fifty or a hundred paces, depending greatly on the smith who made them and the ammunition used.
matériel: A military term for equipment or supplies.
merlon: The upraised portion of a parapet or battlement that protects soldiers from fire.
Midsummer: Another term for Sun Day, the longest day of the year.
Midsummer’s Dance: A rural version of the Sun Day celebration.
Mirrormen: Soldiers in King Garadul’s army who wear mirrored armor to protect themselves against luxin. The mirrors cause luxin to disintegrate when it comes in contact with them.
Molokh: God of greed, associated with orange.
monochromes: Drafters who can only draft one color.
Mot: God of envy, associated with blue.
Mother, the: A statue that guards the south gate into Garriston. She is depicted as a teenager, heavily pregnant, with a dagger bared in one hand and a spear in the other.
mund: A person who cannot draft. Insulting.
murder hole: A hole in the ceiling of a passageway that allows soldiers to fire, drop, or throw weapons, projectiles, luxin, or fuel. Common in castles and city walls.
nao: A small vessel with a three-masted rig.
Narrows, the: A strait of the Cerulean Sea between Abornea and the Ruthgari mainland. Aborneans strangle trade between the Narrows by charging high toll fees to merchants attempting to sail the silk route, or simply between Paria and Ruthgar.
near-polychrome: One who can draft three colors, but can’t stabilize the third color sufficiently to be a true polychrome.
non-drafter: One who cannot draft.
norm: Another term for a non-drafter. Insulting.
nunk: A half-derogatory term for a Blackguard inductee.
Odess: A city in Abornea that sits at the head of the Narrows.
old world: The world before Lucidonius united the Seven Satrapies and abolished worship of the pagan gods.
oralam: Another term for paryl, meaning hidden light.
Order of the Broken Eye, the: A reputed guild of assassins. They specialize in killing drafters and have been rooted out and destroyed at least three times. They are thought to have re-formed each time with no connection to the previous incarnation of the Order. Some say paryl drafters worked with the Order hundreds of years earlier. Shimmercloaks were the pride of the Order, always working in pairs.
Overhill: A neighborhood in Big Jasper.
Pact, the: Since Lucidonius, the Pact has governed the Seven Satrapies. Its essence is that drafters agree to serve their community and receive all the benefits of status and sometimes wealth in exchange for their service and eventual choice to die just before or after breaking the halo.
parry-stick: A primarily defensive weapon that blocks bladed attacks. It sometimes includes a punching dagger at the center of the stick to follow up on a deflected blow.
petasos: A broad-brimmed Ruthgari hat, usually made of straw, meant to keep the sun off the face.
pilum: A weighted throwing spear whose shank bends after it pierces a shield, preventing the opponent from reusing the weapon against the user and encumbering the shield greatly. They are becoming more rare and ceremonial.
polychrome: A drafter who can draft more than two colors.
portmaster: A city official in charge of collecting tariffs and the organized exit and entrance of ships into his harbor.
Prism: There is only one Prism a generation. She senses the balance of the world’s magic, can balance the magic, and can split light within herself. Her role is largely ceremonial and religious, not political, except for her balancing the world’s magic so that wights and catastrophes don’t result.
Prism’s Tower, the: The central tower in the Chromeria. It houses the Prism, the White, and superviolets (as they are not numerous enough to require their own tower). The great hall lies below the tower, and the top holds a great crystal for the Prism’s use while he balances the colors of the world. The annual Luxlords’ Ball is held there.
promachia: The institution of a person named to the office of promachos. It gives great, nearly absolute powers during wartime.
promachos: A title given the Prism during war. It allows for his absolute rule and can only be instituted by order of the entire Spectrum. Among other powers, the promachos has the right to command armies, seize property, and elevate commoners to the nobility. It is an ancient term meaning He Who Fights Before Us.
Providence: A belief in the care of Orholam over the Seven Satrapies and its people.
psantria: A stringed musical instrument.
pyrejelly: Red luxin that, once set alight, will engulf whatever object it adheres to.
raka: A heavy insult, with the implication of both moral and intellectual idiocy.
Raptors of Kazakdoon, the: Flying reptiles from Angari myth.
Rath: The capital of Ruthgar, set on the confluence of the Great River and its delta into the Cerulean Sea.
Rathcaeson: A mythical city, on the drawings of which Gavin Guile based his Brightwater Wall design.
ratweed: A toxic plant whose leaves are often smoked for their strong stimulant properties. Addictive.
Red Cliff Uprising, the: A rebellion in Atash after the end of the False Prism’s War. Without the support of the royal family (who had been purged), it was short-lived.
Rekton: A small Tyrean town on the Umber River, near the site of the Battle of Sundered Rock. An important trading post before the False Prism’s War.
Rozanos Bridge, the: A bridge on the Great River between Ruthgar and the Blood Forest that Blessed Satrap Rados burned.
Ru: The capital of Atash, once famous for its castle, still famous for its Great Pyramid.
Ru, Castle of: Once the pride of Ru, it was destroyed by fire during General Gad Delmarta’s purge of the royal family in the Prisms’ War.
Ruic Head: A peninsula dominated by towering cliffs that overlooks the Atashian city of Ru and its bay. A fort atop the peninsula’s cliffs guards against invading armies.
runt: An affably derogatory term for a new Blackguard inductee.
Salve: A common greeting, originally meaning “Be of good health!”
Sapphire Bay: A bay off Little Jasper.
satrap/satrapah: The title of a ruler of one of the seven satrapies.
sev: A unit of measurement for weight, equal to one-seventh of a seven.
seven: A unit of measurement for weight, equal to a cubit of water’s weight.
Sharazan Mountains, the: Impassable mountains south of Tyrea.
shimmercloak: A cloak that makes the wearer mostly invisible, except in sub-red and superviolet.
Skill, Will, Source, and Still/Movement: The four essential elements for drafting.
Skill: The most underrated of all the elements of drafting, acquired through practice. Includes knowing the properties and strengths of the luxin being drafted, being able to see and match precise wavelengths, etc.
Will: By imposing will, a drafter can draft and even cover flawed drafting if her will is powerful enough.
Source: Depending on what colors a drafter can use, she needs either that color of light or items that reflect that color of light in order to draft. Only a Prism can simply split white light within herself to draft any color.
Still: An ironic usage. Drafting requires movement, though more skilled drafters can use less.
slow fuse: A length of cord, often soaked in saltpeter, that can be lit to ignite the gunpowder of a weapon in the firing mechanism.
slow match: Another term for a slow fuse.
spectrum: A term for a range of light; or (capitalized) the council of the Chromeria that is one branch of the government of the Chromeria (see Colors, the).
spidersilk: Another term for paryl.
spyglass: A small telescope using curved, clear lenses to aid in sighting distant objects.
star-keepers: Also known as tower monkeys, these are petite slaves (usually children) who work the ropes that control the mirrors of Big Jasper to reflect the light throughout the city for drafters’ use. Though well treated for slaves, they spend their days working in two-man teams from dawn till after dusk, frequently without reprieve except for switching with their partner.
subchromats: Drafters who are color-blind, usually men. A subchromat can function without loss of ability—if his handicap is not in the colors he can draft. A red-green color-blind subchromat could be an excellent blue or yellow drafter.
Sun Day: A holy day to followers of Orholam and pagans alike, the longest day of the year. For the Seven Satrapies, Sun Day is the day when the Prism Frees those drafters who are about to break the halo. The ceremonies usually take place on the Jaspers, when all of the Thousand Stars are trained onto the Prism, who can absorb and split the light, whereas other men burn or burst from drafting so much power.
Sun Day’s Eve: An evening of festivities before the longest day of the year and the Freeing the next day.
Sundered Rock: Twin mountains in Tyrea, opposite each other and so alike that they look as if they were once one huge rock cut down the middle.
Sundered Rock, Battle of: The final battle between Gavin and Dazen near a small Tyrean town on the Umber River.
superchromats: Extremely color-sensitive people. Luxin they seal will rarely fail. Far more common among female drafters.
tainted: One who has broken the halo, also called a wight.
thobe: An ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves.
Thorikos: A town below the Laurion mines on the river to Idoss. Serves as the center for arriving and departing slaves, the bureaucracy necessary for thirty thousand slaves, and the center for the trade goods and supplies necessary, as well as the shipping of the silver ore down the river.
Thorn Conspiracies, the: A series of intrigues that occurred after the False Prism’s War.
Thousand Stars, the: The mirrors on Big Jasper Island that enable the light to reach into almost any part of the city for as long as possible during the day.
Threshing, the: The initiation test for candidates to the Chromeria.
Threshing Chamber, the: The room where candidates for the Chromeria are summoned to test for their abilities to draft.
Tiru, the: A Parian tribe.
Tlaglanu, the: A Parian tribe, hated by other Parians, from whom Hanishu, the dey of Aghbalu, chose his bride, Tazerwalt.
torch: A red wight.
translucification, forced: See willjacking.
Travertine Palace, the: One of the wonders of the old world. Both a palace and a fortress, it is built of carved travertine (a mellow green stone) and white marble. Notable for its bulbous horseshoe arches, geometric wall patterns, Parian runes, and chessboard patterns on the floors. Its walls are incised with a crosshatched pattern to make the stone look woven rather than carved. The palace is a remnant of the days when half of Tyrea was a Parian province.
Tree People, the: Tribesmen who live (lived?) deep in the forests of the Blood Forest satrapy. They use zoomorphic designs, and can apparently shape living wood. Possibly related to the pygmies.
Umber River, the: The lifeblood of Tyrea. Its water allows the growth of every kind of plant in the hot climate; its locks fed trade throughout the country before the False Prism’s War. Often besieged by bandits.
Unchained, the: A term for the followers of the Omnichrome, those drafters who choose to break the Pact and continue living even after breaking the halo.
Unification, the: A term for Lucidonius’s and Karris Shadowblinder’s establishment of the Seven Satrapies four hundred years prior to Gavin Guile’s rule as Prism.
Ur, the: A tribe that trapped Lucidonius in Hass Valley. He triumphed against great odds, primarily because of the heroics of El-Anat (who thereby became Forushalzmarish or Shining Spear) and Karris Atiriel.
urum: A three-tined dining implement.
vambrace: Plate armor to protect the forearm. Ceremonial versions made of cloth also exist.
Varig and Green: A bank with a branch on Big Jasper.
vechevoral: A sickle-shaped sword with a long handle like an ax and a crescent-moon-shaped blade at the end, with the inward bowl-shaped side being the cutting edge.
Verdant Plains, the: The dominant geographical feature of Ruthgar. The Verdant Plains are favored by green drafters.
Vician’s Sin: The event that marked the end of the close alliance between Ruthgar and Blood Forest.
Voril: A small town two days from Ru.
warrior-drafters: Drafters whose primary work is fighting for various satrapies or the Chromeria.
water markets: Circular lakes connected to the Umber River at the center of the villages and cities of Tyrea, common throughout Tyrean towns. A water market is dredged routinely to maintain an even depth, allowing ships easy access to the interior of the city with their wares. The largest water market is in Garriston.
Weasel Rock: A neighborhood in Big Jasper dominated by narrow alleys.
Weedling: A small coastal village in Ru close to Ruic Head.
wheellock pistol: A pistol that uses a rotating wheel mechanism to cause the spark that ignites the firearm; the first mechanical attempt to ignite gunpowder. Some few smiths’ versions are more reliable than a flintlock and allow repeated attempts to fire. Most, however, are far less reliable than the already unreliable flintlocks.
Whiteguard, the: The original term for the Omnichrome’s personal bodyguard.
widdershins: A direction; counter-sunwise.
willjacking/will-breaking: Once a drafter has contact with unsealed luxin that she is able to draft, she can use her will to break another drafter’s control over the luxin and take it for herself.
Wiwurgh: A Parian town that hosts many Blood Forest refugees from the Blood War.
wob: A term for a Blackguard inductee.
zigarro: Rolled tobacco, a form useful for smoking. Ratweed is sometimes used as a wrapping to hold the loose tobacco.