Abengoni

by Charles R. Saunders

  Nama-kwah had no answers to those questions. She knew only that she could not fully sever her connection with the Beyond World, as had the other Jagasti. She could not be content to spend her eternal life in her Realm, with occasional sojourns in the Realms of the other Jagasti. The Beyond World was ever-changing in ways that were outside her power, unlike her Realm, where she controlled all and could change its entirety at a moment’s whim.

  She had done something small in the World Beyond ... something slight enough to fall beneath the notice of the other Jagasti, if they even deigned to direct their attention beyond the boundaries of their Realms.

  Nama-kwah had found a new Vessel.

  Never before had a Jagasti bonded with as unlikely a Vessel as the one into whose hands her Mask had fallen. This Vessel was not a trained Amiya, but a thief-girl who possessed no understanding of the significance of the object she had stolen. For a time, Nama-kwah would not even allow the girl, Kalisha, to don the Mask, for she was not certain the thief could comprehend what the wearing of the Mask would mean, and what it would require from her.

  As time passed, though, Nama-kwah sensed a quality in this Kalisha ... something much different from that of her previous Vessel, Tiyana, who had been born to be an Amiya and whose life had been set in that direction since her childhood. Yet in her own way, Kalisha, too, had been born to be an Amiya. But neither Nama-kwah nor Kalisha had been aware that she was so before disaster had struck the Matile, and the thief-girl had stolen the Mask.

  When she was satisfied concerning Kalisha’s capabilities, Nama-kwah had induced the girl to don the Mask and become her Vessel. And she had directed her new Vessel to find and free the Fidi-thief, for he, too, would play a part in the events that were unfolding in the Beyond World.

  Two thieves ... one destiny.

  Nama-kwah continued to swim in circles. She had done what she could; now, once again, the World Beyond would continue in its own way, separate from the workings of the Jagastis’ Realms.

  When the others discovered what she had done, they might well ostracize Nama-kwah in the same way they had isolated Legaba. And she well remembered that her own voice had been among those that had been raised against the Spider God. She had been convinced of the rightness of her cause then, and she was just as convinced now ... perhaps even more so.

  Abruptly, Nama-kwah swam in a straight line toward the center of her Realm, far away from the border with the Beyond World. For now, she had done what she could. What was to come would be in the hands of her new Vessel ... and her previous one.

  APPENDIX

  CHARACTERS

  Of the Matile:

  Dardar Alemeyu, the Emperor of Matile Mala.

  Issa, wife of Dardar Alemeyu and Empress of Matile Mala.

  Makah, Emperor Alemeyu’s pet cheetah.

  Jass Gebrem, the Leba, or High Priest, of the Matile Mala Empire.

  Membiri, deceased wife of Gebrem.

  Tiyana, the Amiya, or Vessel, of the Jagasti Sea Goddess Nama-kwah; daughter of Jass

  Gebrem and Membiri.

  Keshu, the Amiya of Halasha, the Jagasti God of iron and war.

  Yemeya, one of the double-twin sisters who sing during the First Calling ceremony, and

  friend to Tiyana.

  Jubiti, Tamala, and Zeudi, Yemeya’s double-twin sisters.

  Jass Eshana, the Dejezmek, or supreme commander, of the Matile military.

  Jass Kidan, commander of the Matile archers.

  Jass Kebessa, a minor member of the Degen Jassi.

  Jass Hirute, a rural Imba Jassi noblewoman.

  Jass Kassa, a member of the Imba Jassi, deceased husband of Jass Hirute.

  Jass Tsege, a member of the Imba Jassi.

  Jass Fetiwi, a member of the Imba Jassi.

  Jass Shebeshi, member of the Imba Jassi and ill-fated ruler of a Matile hinterland

  territory called Imbesh.

  Bekele, an officer in the Matile army.

  Keteme, an officer in the Matile army.

  Tewolo, a soldier.

  Asenafe, a place guard.

  Adisu, a leather-worker.

  Tamair, a widow.

  Eshetu, a peasant farmer from the hinterland.

  Sallamawit, the sister of Eshetu.

  Desta, a woman of the hinterland.

  Jass Mofo, leader of the Ashaki set, or gang, of tsotsi bandits.

  Kimbi, consort of Jass Mofo.

  Kalisha, a tsotsi, from Jass Mofo’s set, who infiltrated the House of Amiyas in the

  guise of a servant.

  Kece, a tsotsi of the Ashaki set.

  Jumu, a tsotsi of the Ashaki set.

  Kutu, a tsotsi of the Ashaki set.

  Jass Nunu, head of the Hafar set of tsotsis, rivals to the Ashaki.

  Etiya, a woman of ancient times whose singing first summoned the Jagasti.

  Jaussa, the first Matile to makes use of the magic called ashuma.

  Dardar Issuri, the first Emperor of the Matile Mala.

  Dardar Tesfaru, Emperor of the Matile at the time of the Storm Wars.

  Dardar Agaw, the Emperor of the Matile at the end of the Storm Wars.

  Dardar Birhi, an earlier Emperor of the Matile.

  Dardar Shumet, an ancient Empress of the Matile.

  Wolde, the drummer during Matile coronation ceremonies.

  Yekunu, the greatest of Matile sculptors of earlier times.

  Of the Fidi:

  Kyroun ni Channar, sorcerer and Seer of the Almovaad faith.

  Byallis ni Shalla, an Adept of the Almovaads.

  Ulrithana, an Adept of the Almovaads.

  Hara, an Adept of the Almovaads.

  Eimos, an Acolyte of the Almovaads.

  Ruk, an Acolyte of the Almovaads.

  Ferroun ni Tamiz, an Almovaad administrator who survived the sinking of the Swordfish.

  Niall, a survivor of the sinking of the Swordfish.

  Diamid, a survivor of the sinking of the Swordfish.

  Aeliel, an Elven woman who survived the sinking of the Swordfish.

  Pel Muldure, captain of the White Gull.

  Lyann, first mate of the White Gull, and lover of Pel Muldure.

  Athir Rin, a rogue sailor on the White Gull.

  Herrin Junn, a sailor on the White Gull.

  Hulett Jull, a Fidi merchant who travelled to Abengoni before the Storm Wars.

  Channar ni Abdu, father of Kyroun.

  Hulm Stonefist, a Fidi Dwarf.

  Of the Tokoloshe:

  Bulamalayo, the nominal head of the Tokoloshe Embassy in Khambawe.

  Rumundulu, the true head of the Tokoloshe Embassy.

  Mungulutu, the ruler of the Tokoloshe.

  Izindikwa, a Tokoloshe woman.

  Chiminuka, an elderly Tokoloshe woman.

  Humutungu, the first Tokoloshe child to be born in many years.

  Of The Uloans:

  Jass Imbiah, ruler of the Uloa Islands

  Bujiji, a Uloan warrior.

  Awiwi, lover of Bujiji.

  Sehaye, a Uloan spy among the Matile in Khambawe.

  Jawai, an elder.

  Of the Thabas:

  Tshakane, a chieftain who is uniting the Thaba tribes and menacing the rural population of the Matile Mala.

  RACES AND ETHNICITIES

  Matile, the dominant people of the northern part of the continent of Abengoni,

  founders of the Matile Mala Empire.

  Uloans, people of Matile descent who inhabit a chain of islands of the same name off the

  coast of Abengoni. An ancient feud has made the Uloans the arch-enemies of the Matile.

  Kipalende, a small-statured, peaceful people who preceded the Uloans in the islands.

  Tokoloshe, a secretive, dwarf-like race allied with the Matile.

  Thabas, a pastoral, tribal people who dwell in the hill country to the south of the Matile

  lands.

  Kidogo, a pygmy race that dwells in the forests south of the land of the Thabas.

&n
bsp; Bashombe, a full-sized people who live in the same forests as the Kidogo.

  Kwa’manga, diminutive, golden-brown desert-dwellers.

  Ole-kisongo, nomadic herders who live in the savanna south of the desert.

  Wakyambi, an Elven race that dwells in the savanna.

  Ikuya, the tall people who live at the southern tip of Abengoni.

  Changami, a hybrid people who live in the Gundagumu region in Abengoni’s northeast.

  Fidi, the people of the far-off continent of Cym Dinath. The name derives from the port

  city of Fiadol, from which many voyages to Abengoni set sail in the distant past.

  Yaghan, a community of sorcerers who dwell in the Rafja Mountains.

  Shadim, a secretive race from the east of Cym Dinath.

  Dwarvenkind, a short, stocky, long-lived people.

  Elven, an immortal, ethereal, aloof race.

  DEITIES AND OTHER SUPERNATURALS

  Ateti, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the Goddess of lakes and rivers.

  Akpema, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the God of the sun.

  Alamak, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the Goddess of the stars.

  Chaile, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the God of fortune both good and ill.

  Halasha, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the God of iron, the blacksmith’s craft, and war.

  Legaba, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the God of the Underworld.

  Metelit, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the Goddess of the Afterworld.

  Nama-kwah, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the Goddess of the Sea.

  Sama-wai, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the Goddess of illness and decay.

  Ufashwe, a Jagasti, known to the Matile as the God of the wind.

  Adwe, a world-spanning serpent that imprisoned the ancient ancestors of the people of Abengoni.

  Almovaar, a Fidi deity worshipped by the Almovaads.

  PLACES

  Abengoni, a vast, tropical continent separated from most of the rest of the known world by huge expanses of ocean, including the Sea of Storms.

  Matile Mala Empire, in times past, the mightiest polity ever known on Abengoni. Now reduced through war and catastrophe to a remnant clinging to its last stronghold on the shores of the Sea of Storms.

  Khambawe, the Jewel City, capital of the Matile Mala Empire.

  Gebbi Senafa, the royal palace of the Matile Emperors in Khambawe.

  Gebbi Zimballa, the Old Palace of the Matile Emperors.

  Beit-Amiya, the House of the Vessels of the Jagasti, a temple and dwelling place in

  Khambawe.

  The Maim, an extremely violent, crime-infested slum in Khambawe.

  Imbesh, a Matile hinterland territory recently overrun by the Thabas.

  Kembana, a rural territory.

  Aglada, a city in the Matile Mala Empire.

  Gondaba, a city in the Matile Mala Empire.

  Ibela, a city in the Matile Mala Empire.

  Jimmar, a city in the Matile Mala Empire.

  Tesseni, a city in the Matile Mala Empire.

  Nangi Kihunu, a devastated territory east of the Matile Mala, inhabited by beasts fearsomely altered by the uncontrolled sorcery of the Storm Wars.

  Uloa Islands, also called The Shattered Isles, an archipelago located to the northwest of the continent of Abengoni.

  Jayaya, the largest island of the Uloas.

  Ompong, the capital city of Jayaya.

  Makula, an island of the Uloas.

  Omanee, an island of the Uloas.

  Akara, a small island off the southwestern coast of Abengoni, not part of the Shattered Isles.

  Khumba Khourou, a desert located to the south of the Thaba country.

  Mbali-pana, a savanna south of the Khumba Khourou desert.

  Kiti ya Ngai, or Seat of the Gods, a towering mountain in the midst of the savanna.

  Mashambani-m’ti, a belt of tropical rain forest that stretches across the middle of Abengoni.

  Luango, the greatest river in the Mashambani-m’ti.

  Bashoga, a riverine kingdom in the Mashambani-m’ti.

  Mukondo, a riverine kingdom in the Mashambani-m’ti.

  Nyayembe, a riverine kingdom in the Mashambani-m’ti.

  Usisi, a riverine kingdom in the Mashambani-m’ti.

  Jhagga, an uninhabited, noxious swampland.

  Kashai, a rugged, semi-arid steppe at the southern tip of Abengoni.

  Gundagumu, a fertile plateau in the northeast of Abengoni.

  Chiminuhwa, a kingdom in the Gundagumu.

  Inyangana, a kingdom in the Gundagumu.

  Kadishwene, a kingdom in the Gundagumu.

  Mbiri, a kingdom in the Gundagumu.

  Vengaye, a kingdom in the Gundagumu.

  Itsekiri, an island continent of dark-skinned people to the east of Abengoni.

  Cym Dinath, a large continent to the far north of Abengoni, beyond the Sea of Storms.

  Fiadol, a seafaring nation in Cym Dinath.

  Angless, the chief seaport of Fiadol.

  Lumaron, an eastern kingdom in Cym Dinath, birthplace of Kyroun ni Channar.

  Ul-Enish, a city near Lumaron, birthplace of Byallis ni Shalla.

  Vakshma, Cym Dinath’s City of Thieves.

  Bashoob, a vast desert separating the east and west of Cym Dinath.

  Pashtar, an oasis kingdom in the Bashoob.

  Rafja Mountains, a distant range in the lands to the east of the Bashoob.

  GLOSSARY

  abi, a silver rod that focuses the sorcerous power of the High Priest of the Matile.

  aderash, estates and mansions that belong to the aristocracy of Khambawe.

  Almovaad, a follower of the Seer Kyroun, and Believer in the god Almovaar.

  Amiya, a human Vessel, or host, for the magical power channeled by the Jagasti, the pantheon of deities worshipped by the Matile.

  ashuma, the power that fuels Matile sorcery, channeled from the deities through the Vessels of the Jagasti.

  assegai, the stabbing-spear of the Thaba tribesmen.

  blankskin, an Uloan term of derision for the Matile who dwell in the Abengoni Mainland.

  chamma, a mantle-like garment worn by Matile men and women.

  Degen Jassi, the collective term for the urban aristocracy of the Matile, and also for their formal gatherings.

  Dejezmek, the title given to the supreme commander of the Matile military forces.

  gede, a sorcerous construct used by Uloan spies to send messages to their island homeland.

  gharri, a two-wheeled chariot used by the Matile for transportation and war.

  harai, a shoulder-shawl worn by men and women of the outlying, agricultural provinces of the Matile Empire.

  huangi, the master sorcerers of the Uloans.

  igikoko, eaters of carrion and corpses.

  injerra, flat disks of bread that are a staple food of the Matile.

  Imba Jassi, the aristocracy of the Matile agrarian hinterland.

  imbilta, a type of flute played during the Matiles’ First Calling ceremony.

  irimu, a legendary supernatural race that can shift shapes between human and animal.

  Ishimbi, a group of gigantic statues located at the waterfront of Khambawe.

  izingogo, humanoid quadrupeds that hunt in packs and hate all other living beings.

  Jagasti, the pantheon of gods and goddesses worshipped by the Matile. The Jagasti dwell in their own Realms: arcane dimensions that are repositories of magical power.

  Jass, the Matile equivalent to “Lord” or “Lady,” a title held by members of the Matile aristocracy.

  jhumbi, a clay-covered, walking Uloan corpse.

  kabbar, farmers in the hinterlands of the Imba Jassi.

  kef, a red fruit, the seeds of which are brewed into a strong drink of the same name.

  khat, a narcotic leaf chewed – and sold – by the tsotsi bandits.

  Leba, the title of the High Priest of the Matile, the One to Whom All God
s speak.

  makishi, malevolent giants that dwell in the most remote, desolate areas of the Nangi Kihunu.

  Mesfin, a title used when addressing the Emperor or Empress of the Matile, analogous to “Your Highness” or “Your Majesty.”

  munkimun, long-tailed lemurs that dwell in the Uloa Islands.

  Muvuli, shadow-assassins controlled by the Almovaads.

  mwiti, the semi-animate vegetation of the Uloan Islands.

  Negarit, an ancient drum used in Matile coronation ceremonies.

  quagga, a zebra-like animal used by the Matile as a mount and for pulling wheeled vehicles.

  senafil, decorated trousers worn by Matile men.

  shamasha, previously a designation for Thabas enslaved by the Matile, now a general term applied to Matile servants.

  talla, a grain beer popular among the Matile.

  talla-beit, a tavern.

  tirss, a spiked, mace-like weapon favored by the tsotsis.

  tsotsis, gangs of young thieves and brigands who control the less-prosperous sections of Khambawe.

  tukul, the round, conical-roofed dwellings of Matile farmers.

  wat, an extremely spicy stew eaten by the Matile.

  woira, a huge, thick-limbed tree found in the land of the Matile.

  * * *

  For me, the sheer power of this opening is in this last sentence of the ‘graph. You have an elegant, stately opening—but I am wondering if you don’t want to re-write the first line to be more direct and compelling

  Good

  Might think of another word to avoid close order repeat of the same phrase

  Beautiful description

  Charles—I know the goddess is a mystery, but this reader would like to see a bit more of her, please

  ??? waves—or is this a connection somehow with the dock?

  This markup is going to be a tough one. Ashuma is italicized within a thought—my first thought is to leave it as italics even if it is extramarked within the thought