Orthodox—The name first taken by the Inrithi opponents of the Zaudunyani during the siege of Caraskand, before becoming the general term referring to all those who vied against Anas?rimbor Kellhus during the Unification Wars. The term is deceptive insofar as it suggests that all opponents of the Zaudunyani hewed to some common doctrine or dogma—an “orthodoxy”—when such was not the case. See Unification Wars.
Orthogonal—Quyan receptacle (typically a pouch or purse of some kind) capable of concealing the arcane (or anarcane) nature of its contents. Though prized in Far Antiquity, not one of the five Orthogonals originally fashioned by Emilidis has survived the ages. Legend claims that the Artisan fashioned them in the course of researching the “Uncreated Creation,” the artifact so perfectly wrought as to be indistinguishable from the issue of God.
Osbeus—A basalt quarry used in Near and Far Antiquity, located near the ruins of Mehtsonc.
Osfringa, N?kulk (4083—4118)—Orthodox Earl of Nangaelsa, famously blinded and chained by Anas?rimbor Kellhus for display beneath Meigeiri’s walls.
Osseoratha (c. 960—1021)—Far-Antique King of Trys? responsible for destroying the Cond capital of Saulya and overthrowing the Yoke. His liberation of Sauglish in 1004 is generally taken as the beginning of the so-called Gnostic Renaissance.
Osthwai Mountains—A major mountain range located in central E?rwa.
Oswenta—The administrative and commercial capital of Galeoth, located on the north coast of Lake Hu?si.
Other Voice—The name given to the “voice” used to communicate in all Cants of Calling.
Othrain, Eorcu (4060—4111)—Man-of-the-Tusk and the Tydonni Earl of Numaineiri, slain at Mengedda.
Ottma, Cwithar (4073—4121)—Man-of-the-Tusk, one of the Nascenti, formerly a Tydonni thane.
Outhrata (c. 1060—c. 1115)—Famed Sohonc metaphysician (and eventual Grandmaster) who became a central figure in the so-called Gnostic Renaissance.
Outside—That which lies beyond the World. Most commentators follow Ajencis’s so-called Dyadic Theory when characterizing the World and its relation to the Outside. In Meta-Analytics, Ajencis argues that it is the relation between subject and object, desire and reality, that underwrites the structure of existence. The World, he argues, is simply the point of maximal objectivity, the plane where the desires of individual souls are helpless before circumstance (because it is fixed by the desire of the God of Gods). The many regions of the Outside then represent diminishing levels of objectivity, where circumstances yield more and more to desire. This, he claims, is what defines the “spheres of dominance” of Gods and demons. As he writes, “the greater will commands.” The more powerful entities of the Outside dwell in “sub-realities” that conform to their desires. This is what makes piety and devotion so important: the more favour an individual can secure in the Outside (primarily through the worship of Gods and the honouring of ancestors), the greater the chance of finding bliss rather than torment in the afterlife.
Over-Standard—The sacred military standard of the Nansur Exalt-General, decorated with the disc-shaped breastplate of Kuxophus II, the last of the ancient Kyranean High Kings. Imperial Columnaries often refer to it as “the Concubine.”
P
Pa?ta (4062—4111)—A body-slave belonging to Krijates Xinemus, slain in Khemema.
Pa’bikru—“Warring Glimpse” (Invitic). Known as “Cage-carvings” in the Eastern Three Seas, Pa’bikru are the product of the peculiar spiritual sensibilities of Nilnamesh. In the twilight preceding the ruin of the Ceneian Empire, a nameless monk translated Memgowa’s Celestial Aphorisms into the Invitic dialect of Sheyic, thus inspiring the famed “screen sculpture” of Nilnamesh. The techniques evolved wildly over the centuries, but the premise was always the same: the sculptor would carve miniature scenes, many of them drawn from the Tusk that they then placed in a so-called “peering box” or behind some other obstruction. The original idea was to recreate Memgowa’s conception of the “Blind Beggar Soul.” Like Ajencis, the famed Zeumi sage was forever arguing the folly of Men, but unlike the famed Kyranean philosopher, he argued that it was the inability of the soul to know itself, and not the inability of intellect to grasp the World, that was the origin of the problem.
In Celestial Aphorisms, the Sage continually returned to the Rebuke of Angeshra?l in The Chronicle of the Tusk, the famed story where War, dread Gilga?l, upbraids the Prophet for “peering through cracks and describing skies.” He also uses the legend of Ilbaru, a Zeumi folk tale about a man who spies his wife through a cracked shutter, and confusing her attempt to save his wounded brother for an act of passion, murders her, and then must watch his brother die. His argument, refracted through the smoked glass of his aphoristic style, is that the soul is that which sees, and therefore can scarcely be seen.
Thus the aesthetic of screen sculpture: the creation of scenes that utterly contradicted the way they appeared when seen through some fixed aperture.
Historically, the most famous of these was Modhoraparta’s “Dance of the Demons,” where the face of the God of Gods viewed through the aperture became a group of demonic monstrosities viewed from all other angles. The rumour of the work so incensed Shriah Ekyannus IX that in 3682 he outlawed all art works that “blaspheme the Simple, the Pure, and the True with foul Complication.” At his trial in Invishi, Modhoraparta claimed that he wanted to show the how the myriad evils suffered by Men find themselves redeemed in the God of Gods. Indeed, all the sculptor’s acts, let alone his work and his claims, argued that he was as devout as any who would presume to judge him. He would be burned for impiety nonetheless: reason counts for naught in matters of outrage—truth even less so. In those days, the Thousand Temples was always eager to display its authority in Nilnamesh, where the scalding sun and indolent air seemed to engender heresy as regularly as harvests.
Padirajah—The traditional title of the ruler of Kian.
Painted Cities—Bardic epithet for the cities of the River Aumris.
Palaparrais—The massive palace of Sarothesser I (3317—3402) in Carythusal.
Palpothis—One of the famed Ziggurats of Shigek, named after Palpothis III (622—78), the Old Dynasty God-King who raised her.
Pansulla, Cutias (4088—4132)—The New Imperial Consul of Nansur, and political rival of Anas?rimbor Esmenet, imprisoned on the charge of treason in 4132.
Panteruth urs Mutkius (4075—4111)—A Scylvendi of the Munu?ti tribe.
Parrhae Plains—A region of fertile tablelands located in northwestern Galeoth.
Pasna—A town on the River Phayus, known for the quality of its olive oil.
Pausal—Antechamber to the Coffers beneath the Library of Sauglish.
peering—Sorcerous lanterns used by the Nonmen to illuminate their Mansions.
Pier Floor—The floor of the Great Entresol.
pembeditari—A common pejorative used for camp prostitutes, meaning “scratchers.”
pemembis—A wild bush prized for its fragrant blue blooms.
Penance—Zaudunyani purificatory rite where gathered penitents strip to the waist to be lashed by Judges three times for their complicity in the Sin of the Circumfixion.