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A Desert Torn Asunder

Page 46

by Bradley P. Beaulieu


  abaya: long-sleeved robe worn by women, often with a headscarf or veil

  açal: rattlewings, poisonous beetles

  adichara: thorned trees that only spread their flowers in moonlight; their petals grant heightened awareness and strength

  Adzin: a soothsayer, a “mouse of a man”

  agal: circlet of black cord used to keep a ghutrah in place

  Ahya (full name: Ahyanesh Ishaq’ava or Ahyanesh Allad’ava): Çeda’s mother

  akhala: rare breed of very large horse, “widely considered the finest in the desert”; “giants of the desert”

  Al’afwa Khadar: a/k/a the Moonless Host; men and women from Sharakhai or the desert wastes, sworn to fight the Kings

  Alamante: Ramahd’s second after Dana’il

  Al’Ambra: old set of laws the desert tribes had used for thousands of years; precedes the Kannan

  alangual: half of a whole (couple), meant to “hold hands in the farther fields”

  Alansal: Queen of Mirea

  alchemyst: one who works in the ways of chemicals, agents, and reagents to produce magical elixirs

  Aldouan shan Kalamir: king of Qaimir, Ramahd’s father-in-law

  Alize: one of Okan’s riders in the Traverse

  Almadan: capital city of Qaimir

  Altan: a collegia student collecting the names of the thirteenth tribe, sent to his death by the blood magi, Nebahat

  Amal: Çeda’s best dirt dog student

  Amalos: a master of the collegium

  the Amber City, Amber Jewel: where Çeda lives, a/k/a Sharakhai

  amberlark: a pretty bird with a lonesome call

  amphora/amphorae: narrow-necked bottle/bottles

  Anila: a necromancer who gained her powers when Davud used her as the source of a spell that went out of control

  Annam: one of the powerful elder gods who imprisoned Ashael

  Annam’s Crook: a peak in the Shangazi

  Annam’s Traverse: legendary horse race, held once every three years

  araba: a horse-drawn carriage

  araq: an intoxicating beverage with a strong smoky flavor

  Aríz: shaikh of Tribe Kadri, cousin of Mihir

  Armesh: husband of Şelal Ymine’ala al Rafik; “the man who’d done the most to shelter Leorah and Devorah after their parents had been killed”

  Ashael: an elder god, abandoned in the world of mortals when the other elders left for the farther fields

  ashwagandha: a healing herb

  Ashwandi: beautiful, dark-skinned woman, sister of Kesaea

  asir: individual asirim

  the asirim: the cursed, undying warriors of the Kings of Sharakhai, members of the thirteenth tribe

  Athel: carpetmonger, father of Havasham

  Austral Sea: a large sea to the south of Qaimir

  Avam: a cook with a food stall near the spice market

  Bagra: physic of Tribe Rafik

  Bakhi: god of harvest and death

  Bahri Al’sir: a legendary adventurer, musician, and poet; a common figure in mythic tales of the desert

  ballista/ballistae: a large crossbow for firing a spear

  Behlosh: a male ehrekh, one of the first made by Goezhen

  Beht Ihman: the night the Kings saved Sharakhai from the gathered tribes

  Beht Revahl: the night the Kings defeated the last of the wandering tribes

  Beht Tahlell: the holy day to commemorate when Nalamae created the River Haddah

  Beht Zha’ir: the night of the asirim, a holy night that comes every six weeks. “The night the twin moons, Tulathan and her sister, Rhia, rose together and lit the desert floor.”

  Bellu: one of the powerful elder gods who imprisoned Ashael

  Benan: son of Shaikh Şelal

  Bent Man Bridge: the oldest and bulkiest of Sharakhai’s bridges; crosses the dry remains of the River Haddah

  Beyaz: a former King of Qaimir

  Biting Shields: a nickname for the people of Tribe Rafik

  Black Lion of Kundhun: Djaga Akoyo

  black lotus: an addictive & debilitating narcotic

  the Black Veils: of Tribe Salmük

  the Black Wings: of Tribe Okan

  Blackfire Gate: one of the largest gates into the old city; also the name of one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city

  Blackthorn: Lord Blackthorn: pseudonym for Rümayesh as an opponent of Çeda’s in the pit

  Blade Maidens: the Kings’ personal bodyguards

  blazing blues: migratory birds that travel in great flocks, considered good luck

  Blood of the Desert: bright red mites no larger than a speck of dust

  Bloody Manes: a nickname for the people of Tribe Narazid

  Bloody Passage: a massacre in the desert in which Ramahd Amansir’s wife and child were killed

  the Blue Heron: Ramahd’s family yacht

  bone crushers: the large, rangy hyenas of the desert

  Brama Junayd’ava: a thief, Osman’s “second story man”

  breathstone: one of the three types of diaphanous stones; it needs blood. When forced down the throat of the dead, they are brought back to life for a short time.

  Brushing Wing: name of Kameyl’s sword

  Burhan: a caravan master

  the Burning Hands: a nickname for the people of Tribe Kadri

  burnoose: a hooded mantle or cloak

  burqa: loose garment covering the entire body, with a veiled opening for the eyes

  caravanserai: a small village or trading post built on caravan routes; provides food, water, and rest for ships and their crews

  caravel: sailing ship

  Cassandra: a collegia student collecting the names of the thirteenth tribe in various records

  Çeda (full name: Çedamihn Ahyanesh’ala): daughter of Ahyanesh, a fighter in the pits of Sharakhai, a member of the thirteenth tribe

  Coffer Street: See: The Wheel

  Corum: one of Ramahd’s men

  cressetwing: beautiful moth; also known as irindai (See also, gallows moth)

  Dana’il: first mate of Ramahd’s Blue Heron

  Dardzada: Çeda’s foster father, an apothecary

  Darius: one of the Moonless Host

  dasheen: edible roots

  Davud Mahzun’ava: one of Tehla’s (the baker’s) brothers

  Dayan: shaikh of Tribe Halarijan

  Derya Redknife: female rider for Tribe Rafik; “thrice Devorah’s age but also thrice the rider”

  Desert’s Amber Jewel: a common name for Sharakhai

  Devahndi: the fourth day of the week in the desert calendar

  Devorah: Leorah’s sister

  dhow: sailing vessel, generally lateen-rigged on two or three masts

  Dilara: a blood mage and member of the Enclave, sister to Esmeray

  dirt dog: someone who fights in the pits

  Djaga Akoyo: Çeda’s mentor in the pits; known as the Lion of Kundhun

  doudouk: musical instrument

  Duke Hektor I: the brother of King Aldouan, slain by Queen Meryam for treason

  Duke Hektor II: the son of Duke Hektor I and the rightful king of Qaimir

  Duyal: the shaikh of Tribe Okan

  Ebros: one of the tribes; a/k/a the Standing Stones

  Ehmel: was to have competed in Annam’s Traverse but broke his leg

  ehrekh: bestial creations of the god Goezhen

  Emir: the king of Malasan, son of Surrahdi the Mad King

  Emre Aykan’ava: Çeda’s roommate, her closest friend since childhood

  Enasia: see: Lady Enasia

  Esmeray: a blood mage who lost her ability to use magic when the Enclave’s inner circle burned it from her

  Esrin: a blood mage and member o
f the Enclave, brother to Esmeray

  falchion: short medieval sword

  fekkas: a hard biscuit, can be sweet or savory

  fetters: a length of tough, braided leather wrapped tightly around one of each fighter’s wrists, keeping them in close proximity

  the Five Kingdoms: a name used to indicate Sharakhai and the four kingdoms that surround the desert

  The Flame of Iri: a/k/a the Sunset Stone; a giant amethyst

  Floret Row: Where Dardzada’s apothecary shop is

  the Four Arrows: one of the oldest and most famous inns along the Trough

  Frail Lemi: a giant of a man; suffered a bad head injury when he was young; is sometimes aggressive, sometimes childlike

  Galadan: stone mason Emre sometimes works for

  galangal: aromatic, medicinal rhizome of the ginger plant

  gallows moth: beautiful moth; sign of imminent death but also, to those who know it as cressetwing or irindai, it is considered a sign of luck

  Ganahil: capital city of Kundhun

  Gelasira: Savior of Ishmantep; former wearer of Çeda’s sword

  ghee: clarified liquid butter

  Ghiza: elderly neighbor of Çeda & Emre

  ghutrah: a veil-like headpiece worn by men; an agal keeps it in place

  Goezhen the Wicked: god of chaos and vengeance, creator of the ehrekh and other dark creatures of the desert

  golden chalice of Bahri Al’sir: from Tribe Narazid to the winner of Annam’s Traverse

  Goldenhill: an affluent district of Sharakhai

  Gravemaker: the name of King Külaşan’s morning star

  greaves: plate armor for the leg, set between the knee and the ankle

  Guhldrathen: name of the ehrekh Meryam consults

  Haddad: a caravan owner from Malasan

  Haddah: the river that runs through Sharakhai, dry for most of the year

  Hajesh: Melis’s oldest sister

  hajib: term of respect (not to be confused with hijab)

  Halarijan: the tribe of Sim and Verda; a/k/a the White Trees

  Halim: Lord of the Burning Hands (of Tribe Kadri); the tribe’s shaikh

  Hall of Swords: where the Blade Maidens learn and train

  Hallowsgate: one of the twelve towers spaced along the city’s outer wall; is “due west of Tauriyat and the House of Kings, at the terminus of the street known as the Spear”

  Halond: a craftsman, wanders the desert looking for lightning strikes

  Haluk Emet’ava: a captain of the Silver Spears, “a tower of a man” a/k/a “the Oak of the Guard”

  Hamid Malahin’ava: one of Macide’s men and a childhood friend of Çeda & Emre

  Hamzakiir: son of Külaşan, the Wandering King

  a hand: a unit of five Blade Maidens

  hangman’s vine: a distillation that can make one lose one’s memories

  Hasenn: a Blade Maiden

  Hathahn: Djaga’s final opponent in the fighting pits before she retired

  hauberk: chainmail tunic

  Havasham: handsome son of Athel the carpetmonger

  Hazghad Road: See: The Wheel

  Hefaz: a cobbler

  Hefhi: carpet maker

  Hidi: one twin fathered by the trickster god, Onondu; brother is Makuo. Hidi is “the angry one”

  hijab: Islamic headscarf (not to be confused with hajib)

  the Hill: where the Kings live; a/k/a Tauriyat

  Hoav: driver who takes Ramahd to the inner docks

  House of Kings: a collective name for the House of Maidens and the thirteen palaces on Tauriyat, the home of the Kings of Sharakhai

  Hundi: the fifth day of the week in the desert calendar

  Ibrahim: old storyteller

  Ib’Saim: a stall owner from the bazaar

  ifin: an eyeless, bat-like creature with two sets of wings, a creation of Goezhen

  Irem: a spy for Hamid

  Irhüd’s Finger: a desert landmark; a tall standing stone

  Iri: an elder god, called three times before the sun awoke in the heavens

  Iri’s Four Sacred Stones: a/k/a the Tears of Tulathan (Result of the breaking of the Sunset Stone)

  irindai: beautiful moth; also known as a cressetwing, considered a sign of luck (But see also: gallows moth)

  Ishaq Kirhan’ava: Macide’s father and Çeda’s grandfather, one-time leader of the Moonless Host, Shaikh of the newly formed thirteenth tribe

  Ishmantep: a large caravanserai on the eastern route from Sharakhai to Malasan

  Iyesa Külaşan’ava al Masal: Külaşan’s dead daughter

  The Jackal’s Tail: smoke house known as a seedy place

  jalabiya: a loose-fitting hooded gown or robe

  Jalize: a Blade Maiden and one of Sümeya’s hand

  Jein: Mala’s sister

  Jenise: a Shieldwife

  Jewel of the Desert: Sharakhai

  Jherrok: shaikh of Tribe Narazid, a tall man

  Juvaan Xin-Lei: albino from Mirea and Mirea’s ambassador to Sharakhai

  Kadir: works for “a powerful woman,” i.e., Rümayesh

  Kadri: See “Tribe Kadri”

  kaftan: alternate spelling

  kahve: a bean, a stimulant when ground and brewed to make a hot drink

  Kameyl: a Blade Maiden and one of Sümeya’s hand

  Kannan: laws written by the Kings and based on the much older Al’Ambra, the laws of the desert tribes

  Kavi: a jeweler

  keffiyeh: a cotton headdress

  kefir: a milk drink

  Kenan: one of the tribes

  kenshar: a curved knife

  Kesaea: a princess of the thousand tribes, sister of Ashwandi

  ketch: small sailing ship

  khalat: a long-sleeved, Mirean silk outer robe

  khet: a copper coin

  Khyrn: see “Old Khyrn”

  kiai: a percussive sound used when striking an opponent

  King Azad: King of Thorns; makes mysterious draughts, never sleeps

  King Beşir: King of Shadows, can move between shadows

  King Cahil: the Confessor King, the King of Truth; known to be cruel

  King Husamettín: the King of Swords and Lord of the Blade Maidens

  King Ihsan: the Honey-tongued King, serves as Sharakhai’s chief ambassador, known to be plotting and conniving

  King Kiral: supreme among the Twelve Kings; “with burning eyes and pock-marked skin”

  King Külaşan: the Wandering King, the The Lost King

  King Mesut: the Jackal King, Lord of the Asirim

  King Onur: once known as the King of Spears, more often referred to as the Feasting King or the King of Sloth

  King Sukru: the Reaping King, controls the asirim through use of a magical whip

  King Yusam: the Jade-Eyed King; sees visions in a magical mere granted by the gods

  King Zeheb: the King of Whispers, rumored he can hear speech from far away, particularly when it relates to the Kings’ business

  King of Glittering Stone: appears in the poem; a cipher

  King’s Harbor: where Sharakhai’s war ships dock

  Kirhan: Macide’s grandfather

  the Knot: a district in Sharakhai; a “veritable maze of mudbrick”

  kufi: a hat

  Kundhun: a kingdom west of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert, a vast grassland

  Kundhunese: a people, a language

  Kundhuni: adjectival form

  Kydze: (f) one of the best fighters to come out of Kundhun since Çeda’s own mentor, Djaga

  Lady Enasia: Matron Zohra’s companion

  Lady Kialiss of Almadan: a dirt dog, one of Djaga’s opponents

  Lasdi: the sixth day of the week in the de
sert calendar

  lassi: a yogurt drink

  lateen: a rig with a triangular sail (lateen sail) bent to a yard hoisted to the head of a low mast

  Leorah Mikel’ava al Rafik: Devorah’s sister, Ihsaq’s mother, Çeda’s great-grandmother

  Lina: a girl in one of Çeda’s childhood memories

  Lord Veşdi: King Külaşan’s eldest living son; Master of Coin

  Macide Ishaq’ava: leader of the Moonless Host

  Mae: a qirin warrior in service to Queen Alansal of Mirea

  Makuo: one twin fathered by the trickster god, Onondu; brother is Hidi

  Malahndi: the second day of the week in the desert calendar

  Malasan: a kingdom east of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert

  Malasani: inhabitant of Malasan

  Masal: one of the tribes; a/k/a the Shining Spears

  Master Nezahum: a woman on the faculty of the collegium

  Matrons: healers and trainers from the House of Maidens

  Matron Zohra: an aging woman, owner of an estate in Sharakhai

  Mazandir: a large caravanserai on the southern route from Sharakhai to Qaimir

  Meiying: a powerful Mirean blood mage, one of the Enclave’s inner circle

  Melis: a Blade Maiden and one of Sümeya’s hand, daughter of King Yusam

  Meliz: former dirt dog, Djaga’s mentor

  Memma: like “mommy”

  Meryam: Queen of Qaimir; sister of the murdered Yasmine, aunt of the murdered Rehann; a powerful blood mage

  merlon: on a battlement, the solid part between two crenels

  Mihir Halim’ava al Kadri: son of the desert shaikh of the Kadri, Halim

  mind’s flight: one of the three types of diaphanous stones; is said to bestow the gift of mind-reading when swallowed, though the imbiber dies rather quickly

  Mirea: a kingdom north of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert

  Mirean: adjectival form

  the Moonless Host: a/k/a Al’afwa Khadar; men and women of the twelve tribes that once ruled the entirety of the Shangazi Desert; sworn to fight the Kings

  Mykal: Ramahd’s nephew and pageboy

  nahcolite: a carbonate mineral, naturally occurring sodium bicarbonate

  Nalamae: the goddess who created the River Haddah in the Great Shangazi desert, the youngest of the desert gods

  Narazid: a desert tribe; a/k/a the Bloody Manes

  Navakahm: captain of the Silver Spears, Lord of the Guard

  Nayyan: First Warden before Sümeya, daughter of King Azad, Sümeya’s one-time lover

 

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