Coithus, House—The ruling dynasty of Galeoth.
Cojirani ab Houk (4078—4112)—The Grandee of Mizrai, famed for his enormous strength and size, slain by Prince Nersei Proyas at the Battle of Caraskand.
College of Luthymae—The College of the Thousand Temples responsible for spying and intelligence, unique in that it answers directly to the Shriah, and notorious for recruiting those of the Few who do not practice sorcery. Not surprisingly, no Collegians are more despised or feared by Schoolmen.
College of Marucee—A College of the Thousand Temples destroyed in the Sack of Shimeh in 3845.
College of Sare?t—A College of the Thousand Temples dedicated to the preservation of knowledge, destroyed in the Fall of Shigek in 3933.
Colleges—Organizations of priests directly subordinate to the Thousand Temples, with mandates ranging from caring for the poor and sick to the collection of intelligence.
come after, to—For the D?nyain, “to come after” means to be victimized by events over which one has no control. See D?nyain.
come before, to—For the D?nyain, “to come before” means to master the passage of events. See D?nyain.
Commerce of Souls, The—Ajencis’s classic treatise on politics. For Ajencis, famously, market vendors are the best exemplars of politics, which he famously called “the obscure art of deriving two favours for one.” More alarmingly, he extols slavery as the truest expression of political governance—a provocation that many have used to dismiss him over the centuries. These critics entirely overlook the satirical nature of the text, which argues, in sooth, that exploitation and coercion belong to the very logic of the political. As he famously puts it, “the coin stands as close to the lash as to the bread,” revealing the “commerce of souls” as a network of substitutions, all mediated by currency, all bound into a single system. This is why, “there is always bounty, be it bread or lash.” Where harvests fail, wars succeed.
This argument remains a perilous one. Even granted the ancient rite of “Protection,” Ajencis had to fear for the well-being of his (apparently large) extended family, and like so many great intellects, took care to disguise his words with subtlety.
Compendium, The—Heretical treatise written by Drusas Achamian, one-time Holy Tutor of Anas?rimbor Kellhus, following his exile from the Three Seas in 4112. Much has been made of the fact that Anas?rimbor Kellhus exempted Drusas Achamian from Excision (removal from all records), especially following the appearance of The Compendium in 4119. The book itself was criminalized, but since Drusas Achamian yet retained the status of Holy Tutor in the scriptural canon, it amounted to a perpetual scandal, and so was doomed to be shared and copied across the Three Seas (and beyond). Some argue that the Blessed Empress, a former lover of the apostate Schoolman, was responsible, but such accounts merely explain Drusas Achamian’s exemption from execution, not his exemption from Excision. This has led others to suspect that Anas?rimbor Kellhus I saw some advantage in the covert dissemination of The Compendium. The apparent absurdity of the charges leveled by the former Mandate Schoolman, coupled with the repudiation of the standard demonizations of the Aspect-Emperor, the argument contends, likely had the effect of confusing the Fanim and Orthodox Inrithi opposition.
Concavity—The immense, spherical throne-room of the Nonman King of Ishterebinth excavated by Nil’giccas, who had the history of his Race and Mansion engraved upon the walls to compensate for the Dolour.
Cond—Ancient High Norsirai pastoralists inhabiting the Istyuli Plains. The Cond first enter recorded history in c. 350, as the antagonist in a series of wars (the First Cond Wars) fought by all the greater cities of the Aumris against their barbaric cousins to the east. The destruction of Sauglish would galvanize the remaining cities under the leadership of ?merau, as opposed to Trys?, thus laying the groundwork for the eventual rise of the ?meri Empire. The Second Cond Wars would see the ?meri humiliated, forced to pay tribute for an entire generation. Finally, in 917, under the leadership of Aulyanau the Conqueror, the Cond sacked ?merau and became masters of the River Aumris and the age often referred to as Pseudo-?meri, given the degree to which the Cond were assimilated.
Condic—The language group of ancient pastoralists of the Near Istyuli Plains.
Conditioned, the—A term used to refer to the D?nyain.
Conditioning, the—Specifically, the arduous physical, emotional, and intellectual training undergone by D?nyain monks, though the term has more general and far-reaching connotations as well. The D?nyain believe that everything is conditioned in some way, but they draw a principled distinction between the arbitrary conditioning of the world and the rational conditioning of Men. Conditioning in the light of the Logos, they believe, allows more such conditioning, which in turn leverages more such conditioning, and so on. This virtuous circle, they believe, finds its apotheosis in the Absolute: the D?nyain believe that, using reason, they can condition themselves to the point of becoming unconditioned, a perfect, self-moving soul. See D?nyain.
Cond Yoke—Name given to the age following the Condic overthrow of ancient ?merau.
Confluence—In Neuropuncture, the structures of the brain most closely bound to the soul.
Congregate—In the Nansurium, the body of government expressing the legislative will of the great families of Nansur. In its New Imperial incarnation, the body of government tasked with informing and advising the Holy Aspect-Emperor.
Conphas, Ikurei (4084— )—Man-of-the-Tusk, nephew of Emperor Ikurei Xerius III and heir apparent to the Imperial Mantle.
Conriya—A pre-eminent Ketyai nation of the eastern Three Seas, located south of Ce Tydonn and north of High Ainon, founded in 3374 (after the collapse of the Eastern Ceneian Empire) around A?knyssus, the ancient capital of Shir. Of the four successor nations to the Shiradi Empire (Cengemis, Conriya, Ainon, and Sansor), none has worked so hard to reclaim and preserve its ancient traditions. Nowhere are the caste divisions more rigidly observed, and nowhere are the codes governing caste-noble behaviour more strict. Though many, particularly the Ainoni, scoff at what they consider the affectation of antique ways, there can be little doubt that the resulting social discipline has served the Conriyans well. Since gaining independence, Conriya has successfully weathered innumerable incursions, invasions, blockades, and embargoes, almost all of them due to the machinations of High Ainon.