The motivations of the Sranc seem to be as base as possible, in that they seem to find sexual gratification in acts of violence. There are innumerable accounts of the indiscriminate rape of men, women, children, and even corpses. They seem to know nothing of mercy or honour, and though they do take prisoners, very few are known to have survived captivity, which is said to be savage beyond imagining.
They reproduce rapidly. Though no outward physical differences are readily visible, female Sranc seem to have roles identical to those of male Sranc. Apparently, a great number of Sranc in various stages of pregnancy were observed in battle over the course of the Apocalypse. Though generally inferior to Men in individual combat, they are ideal logistically, as they are able to live for sustained periods on little more than grubs and insects. Survivors recount tales of vast tracts of ground overturned and rooted by passing Sranc hordes. Under the command of the No-God they are utterly fearless, and seem to strike with unerring control and coordination.
Typically, Sranc stand no higher than the average caste-menial’s shoulder. Their skin is devoid of pigment, and despite the refined—to the point of repulsiveness—beauty of their faces, their physiognomy is bestial (though hairless), with pinched shoulders and deep, almond-shaped breasts. They are exceedingly fast across both open and broken terrain, and their sheer viciousness is said to compensate for their slight stature.
Mandate scholars are prone to make dire warnings about the present numbers of Sranc in E?rwa. Apparently the ancient Norsirai had reduced the Sranc, pressing them to the margins of E?rwa, and the No-God was still able to summon hosts that reportedly blackened the horizon. Now Sranc dominate half the continent.
Sranc Pits—The famed gladiatorial arena of Carythusal, where human slaves are typically pitted against Sranc. Though often likened to an inverted ziggurat, the tiers of the pit are so precariously arranged that spectators must rope and hook themselves to avoid tumbling to the killing floor. The spectacle of thousands hanging out over the carnage of the killing floor (or the “Purple Coin”), combined with several other curious customs (such as urinating in zurigants to cast upon the combatants below), has rendered the Sranc-Pits famous throughout the Three Seas, as well as a common literary figure.
Stajanas II (2338—2395)—The famed “Philosopher-Emperor” of Cenei, whose Ruminations has remained an important work in the Three Seas literary canon.
Stalker, the—A common epithet for Husyelt.
Starving—Alternate translation of the Nonman (Ihrims?) “tilis,” or “sky.”
Steppe, the—See Jiünati Steppe.
Stone Hags—Renegade scalper company notorious for attacking other companies.
Stump—Campsite frequented by scalpers passing through the Mop, consisting of a series of platforms raised across an enormous felled tree.
Subis—A once-fortified oasis in Khemema, frequented by caravans passing between Shigek and Eumarna.
Sudica—A province of the Nansur Empire, largely depopulated by 4111 but among the wealthiest districts of the Kyranae Plain during the ages of Kyraneas and the Ceneian Empire.
“suffer not a whore to live …”—The passage from Canticles 19:9, The Chronicle of the Tusk, condemning prostitution.
S?jara-nin (?— )—Injori Ishroi, a Dispossessed Son of Siol, famed for his exploits in the Three Seas, where he was known as the “Red Ghoul” given the crimson of his famous, ensorcelled armour, the Immaculate Rim.
Sumajil ut Hest (4093— )—Ordealman, Kianene Grandee of Mitirabis.
Summer Stair—See Insirinis.
summoning horns—The great horns of bronze used to signal the “prayer watches” to the Inrithi faithful.
Sumna—The site of the Tusk and the holiest city of Inrithism, located in Nansur.
Su?nirsi—Trading entrepot on the frontier of ancient Sheneor.
Suortagal (c. 1300—c. 1360)—Sauglian author of the Epimeditations.
Surmante, House—A former Nansur House of the Congregate, and the Empire’s ruling dynasty from 3619 to 3941.
Surmantic Gates—The great northern gate of Carythusal, whose construction was financed in 3639 by Surmante Xatantius I to commemorate the ill-fated Treaty of Kutapileth, a short-lived military pact between Nansur and High Ainon.
Sursa River—The river system that once formed the crucial frontier between Agongorea and A?rsi before the Apocalypse, and often referred to as the Harsunc, or “Fish Knife,” in Bardic literature.
Suskara—A vast region of broken plains and highlands between Atrithau and the Jiünati Steppe, inhabited by numerous tribes of Sranc, some of which are tributary to the so-called Sranc King of Urskugog.
S?thaugi—“Earthsnake” (?meri). Ancient K?niüric epithet for Dragons.
suthenti—The menial castes. See castes.
Sutis Sutadra—See Skauras ab Nalajan.
Swa River—The river that forms the northern frontier of Ce Tydonn.
Swaran?l—“Oath Tower” (?meri). Isolated hill in the ancient K?niüri province of Akirsu?l, crowned by the ruins of the Hiolis, a shrine commemorating the legendary and likely mythical Alotting, where the Gods allegedly apportioned lands to the different Chieftains of the High Norsirai tribes.
Swarjuka (4061—4112)—The Sapatishah-Governor of Jurisada.
Swayal Sisterhood—The first School of Witches, based in the fortress-complex of Orovelai in Holy Amoteu. Named after Swayal, the famed maiden who rebuked the amorous advances of Gilga?l and was condemned to live all eternity as a Golden Swan. The New Covenant declared by Anas?rimbor Kellhus in 4114 was widely thought to include two major revisions to traditional Inrithi dogma, the Rehabilitation of Sorcery, rescinding all Shrial and Tusk condemnations of sorcerous activity, and the Manumission of the Feminine, rescinding all traditional restrictions of female conduct. Several scholars have noted (with approval, in some cases) that for all the fundamental transformations wrought by the first, the latter possessed only a nominal effect on the lives of women in the New Empire—with the notable exception of the caste-nobility (because of the expansion of property rights) and most famously, witches. According to rumour, agents of the Aspect-Emperor had already begun recruiting witches in anticipation of the New Covenant. Their successes were only marginal at first: the horror of every mother was to discover her daughter possessed the Gift of the Few, and the practice of concealing the identities of those engaging in witchcraft was arguably as old as the Tusk’s condemnation of sorcery. Only when the first of the Swayali themselves began recruiting that their numbers began to swell. Within ten years, the last of the male Mandati teachers at Orovelai were sent back to Atyersus, and the Sisterhood became independent of all save Imperial concerns. By the time of the Great Ordeal, the Swayali Sisterhood was easily the match of any other Major School in the Three Seas, including the Mandate, whom they outnumbered almost two to one.
Though officially dedicated to teaching and researching the Gnosis, the Sisterhood is also committed to the preservation of the myriad “folk sorceries” developed by generations of witches across the Three Seas.