by Brent Weeks
Little Piper: An orange/yellow bichrome Blackguard.
Lucia: A Blackguard scrub. She is the prettiest girl in the class and is Cruxer’s partner. They have a close friendship.
Lucidonius: The legendary founder of the Seven Satrapies and the Chromeria, the first Prism. He was married to Karris Shadowblinder and founded the Blackguards.
Lunna Green: The Green on the Spectrum. She is Ruthgari, a cousin of Jia Tolver. Her brothers killed Arys Greenveil’s parents during the war.
Lytos: A Blackguard, a lanky Ilytian eunuch.
Malargos, Aristocles: Uncle of Eirene and Tisis Malargos; didn’t come back from the wars.
Malargos, Dervani: A Ruthgari nobleman, Tisis Malargos’s father, a friend and supporter of Dazen during the False Prism’s War. He is a green drafter who was lost in the wilds of Tyrea for years. When he tried to return home, Felia Guile hired pirates to kill him so that he wouldn’t reveal Gavin’s secrets.
Malargos, Eirene (Prism): A matriarch, the Prism before Alexander Spreading Oak (who preceded Gavin Guile). She lasted fourteen years, though Gavin has only the barest memory of her from Sun Day rituals in his youth.
Malargos, Eirene (the Younger): The older sister of Tisis Malargos. She took over the family’s financial affairs when her father and uncle didn’t come back from the war.
Malargos, Tisis: A stunningly beautiful Ruthgari green drafter. Her father and uncle fought for Dazen. Her older sister is Eirene Malargos, from whom she will likely inherit the wealth of a great trading empire.
Marissia: Gavin’s room slave. A red-haired Blood Forester who was captured by the Ruthgari during Dazen’s war, she has been with Gavin for ten years, since she was eighteen.
Marta, Adan: An inhabitant of Rekton.
Martaens, Marta: A magister at the Chromeria. She is one of only a handful of living paryl drafters, and she instructs Teia.
Mori: A soldier in the Omnichrome’s army.
Mossbeard: The conn of a village on the Blood Forest coast near Ruic Bay.
Naheed: Satrapah of Atash. She was murdered by General Gad Delmarta during the False Prism’s War.
Nassos: A Ruthgari count in western Ruthgar. Liv Danavis’s cousin serves him.
Navid, Payam: A good-looking magister at the Chromeria; Phips Navid is his cousin.
Navid, Phips: Cousin to Payam Navid. He grew up in Ru, and later joined the Omnichrome’s army. His father and older brothers were all hanged after the False Prism’s War when he was just twelve years old. He wants vengeance on Lord Aravind.
Nerra: A Blackguard who designs great explosive disks for sinking ships.
Niel, Baya: A green drafter and Blackguard.
Nuqaba, the: Keeper of the oral histories of Parians, a figure of tremendous power. She resides in Azûlay.
Oakenshield, Zee: Andross Guile’s great-great-grandmother, a green drafter. She was the founder of Guile house, despite the name coming from another side of the family.
Omnichrome, Lord (the Color Prince): The leader of a rebellion against the rule of the Chromeria. His true identity is known by few, as he has re-formed almost his entire body with luxin. A full-spectrum polychrome, he posits a faith in freedom and power, rather than in Lucidonius and Orholam. Also known as the Color Prince, the Crystal Prophet, the Polychrome Master, the Eldritch Enlightened, and the Lord Rainbow. He was formerly Koios White Oak, one of Karris White Oak’s brothers. He was horribly burned in the fire that triggered the False Prism’s War.
One-Eye: A mercenary with the Cloven Shield company.
Onesto, Prestor: An Ilytian banker at Varig and Green.
Orholam: The deity of the monotheistic Seven Satrapies, also known as the Father of All and the Lord of Light. His worship was spread throughout the Seven Satrapies by Lucidonius, four hundred years before the reign of Prism Gavin Guile.
Orlos, Maros: A very religious Ruthgari drafter. He fought in both the False Prism’s War and as a defender of Garriston.
Or-mar-zel-atir: One of the original Blackguards who served Lucidonius.
Oros brothers, the: Two Blackguard scrubs.
Payam, Parshan: A young drafter at the Chromeria who attempts to seduce Liv Danavis as part of a bet. He fails in spectacular fashion.
Pevarc: He proved the world was round two hundred years before Gavin Guile, and he was later lynched for positing that light was the absence of darkness.
Philosopher, the: A foundational figure in both moral and natural philosophy.
Phyros: A member of the Omnichrome’s army. He is seven feet tall and fights with two axes.
Pip: A Blackguard scrub.
Pots: A Blackguard.
Presser: A Blackguard.
Ptolos: Satrapah of Ruthgar.
Pullawr, Orea: See White, the.
Rados, Blessed Satrap: A Ruthgari satrap who fought the Blood Foresters although he was outnumbered two to one. He was famous for burning the Rozanos Bridge behind his army to keep it from retreating.
Ramir (Ram): A Rekton villager.
Rassad, Master Shayam: Completely blind in the visible spectrum, he allegedly could navigate with sub-red and paryl; taught Marta Martaens’s teacher in paryl.
Rathcore, Ulbear: The late husband of the White, he has been dead for twenty years. An adroit player of Nine Kings.
Rig: A Blackguard legacy. He is a red/orange bichrome.
Rud: A Blackguard scrub. He is a squat coastal Parian who wears the ghotra.
Running Wolf: A general for Gavin during the False Prism’s war. He was thrice bested by smaller forces commanded by Corvan Danavis.
Sadah Superviolet: The Parian representative, a superviolet drafter, often the swing vote on the Spectrum.
Samite: One of Karris’s best friends. She is a Blackguard and a bodyguard for Kip, and one of the strongest female Blackguards.
Sanson: A village boy from Rekton.
Satrap of Atash: See Aravind, Lord.
Sayeh, Meena: Cousin to Samila Sayeh. She was just seven years old when she was killed in Gad Delmarta’s purge of the royal family at Ru.
Sayeh, Samila: A blue drafter for Gavin’s army. She fought in the defense of Garriston under Gavin Guile.
Selene, Lady: A Tyrean blue/green bichrome. She is in charge of the greens in Garriston so that they can dredge the key irrigation canals.
Sendinas, the: A Rekton family.
Shadowblinder, Karris: Lucidonius’s wife and later widow. She was the second Prism. See also Atiriel, Karris.
Sharp, Master: One of Andross Guile’s agents. He wears a necklace of human teeth.
Shayam, Lord: One of the lords of the air, set to oversee redistribution of the city of Garriston by the Color Prince.
Shimmercloak, Gebalyn: Vox Shimmercloak’s former partner. She seems to have died in a fire while on an assignment.
Shimmercloak, Niah: An assassin. She is the partner of Vox and a lightsplitter.
Shimmercloak, Vox: A green drafter and assassin. He was kicked out of the Chromeria at thirteen; he worships Atirat.
Shining Spear: Originally called El-Anat. Once he converted to the Light, he became Forushalzmarish, then Shining Spear so the locals could pronounce it.
Siluz, Rea: Fourth undersecretary of the Chromeria library and a weak yellow drafter. She knows Janus Borig and directs Kip to meet her.
Small Bear: A huge archer with just one eye. He served Zee Oakenshield.
Spear: A commander of the Blackguards when Gavin first became Prism.
Spreading Oak, Alexander: The Prism before Gavin. Likely a poppy addict, he spent most of his time hiding in his apartments.
Stump: A Parian Blackguard.
Sworrins, the: A Rekton family.
Tala: A drafter and warrior in the False Prism’s War. She was also a defender of Garriston. Her grandson is Aheyyad Brightwater, and her sister is Tayri.
Tala (the Younger): A yellow/green bichrome. Named after the hero of the False Prism’s War, she is an excellent drafter, though not yet an excellent
fighter.
Talim, Sayid: A former Prism. He nearly got himself named promachos to face the nonexistent armada he claimed waited beyond the gates, forty-seven years ago.
Tamerah: A Blackguard scrub, a blue monochrome.
Tana: A Blackguard legacy, a scrub.
Tanner: A Blackguard scrub.
Tarkian: A polychrome drafter.
Tayri: A Parian drafter and defender of Garriston. Her sister is Tala.
Tazerwalt: A princess of the Tlaglanu tribe of Paria. She married Hanishu, the dey of Aghbalu.
Temnos, Dalos the Younger: A drafter who fought in both the False Prism’s War and the defense of Garriston under Gavin Guile.
Tempus: A Blackguard put in charge of greens during the battle at Ruic Head.
Tep, Usef: A drafter who fought in the False Prism’s War. He is also known as the Purple Bear, because he is a discontiguous bichrome in red and blue. After the war, he and Samila Sayeh became lovers, despite having fought on opposite sides.
Third Eye, the: A Seer, the leader of Seers Island.
Tiziri: A student at the Chromeria. She has a birthmark over the left half of her face.
Tizrik: The son of the dey of Aghbalu. He fails the Blackguard testing, though not before Kip breaks his nose for being a bully.
Tlatig: One of the Blackguard’s most skilled archers.
Tolver, Jia: The Yellow on the Spectrum. An Abornean drafter, she is a cousin of Arys Greenveil (the Sub-red).
Tremblefist: A Blackguard. He is Ironfist’s younger brother, and was once the dey of Aghbalu.
Tristaem: The author of On the Fundaments of Reason.
Tufayyur: A Blackguard scrub.
Tugertent: One of the Blackguard’s most skilled archers.
Ular: A Blackguard scrub, Jun’s partner.
Usem the Wild: A drafter and defender of Garriston.
Valor: A Blackguard scrub. He partners with Pip during a Blackguard test. They fail when thugs stop them.
Vanzer: A Blackguard and green drafter.
Varidos, Kerawon: A superchromat, magister and head tester of the Chromeria. He drafts orange and red.
Varigari, Lord: A gambler from the Varigari family, originally fishermen before they were raised in the Blood Wars. He lost the family fortune and lands to his habit.
Vecchio, Pash: The most powerful of the pirate kings. His flagship is the Gargantua.
Vena: Liv’s friend and fellow student at the Chromeria; a superviolet.
Verangheti, Lucretia: Adrasteia’s sponsor at the Chromeria. She is from the Ilytian Smussato Veranghetis.
Vin, Taya: A mercenary with the Cloven Shield company.
Wanderer, the: A legendary figure, the subject of Gevison’s poem The Wanderer’s Last Journey.
White Oak, Karris: A Blackguard; a red/green bichrome; the original cause of the False Prism’s War.
White Oak, Koios: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak.
White Oak, Kolos: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak.
White Oak, Rissum: A luxlord, the father of Karris and her seven brothers; reputed to be hot-tempered, but a coward.
White Oak, Rodin: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak.
White Oak, Tavos: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak.
White, the: The head of the Spectrum. She is a blue/green bichrome, but currently abstains from any drafting in order to prolong her life. Her name is Orea Pullawr, though it is rarely used. She was married to Ulbear Rathcore before his death.
Wil: A green drafter, and a Blackguard.
Winsen: A mountain Parian, and a Blackguard scrub.
Wit, Rondar: A blue drafter who becomes a color wight.
Young Bull: A blue drafter who fought with Zee Oakenshield.
Yugerten: A gangly Blackguard scrub, blue drafter.
Zid: Quartermaster of the Omnichrome’s army.
Ziri: A Blackguard scrub.
Zymun: A young drafter and member of the Omnichrome’s army.
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. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”
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. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”
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.
Azûlay: 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. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”
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 Fa
lse 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 Ptaru 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.