Glossary for Prism
The importance of light and its various colors are of great importance in this novella. There are two different types of light in this story:
Stonelight: is light that is contained in or is generated by quartz crystals or other stones. This includes Lightshards, prisms, and even the Heartshard. The basic spectrum of colors of stonelight is essentially the same as ours, but each color has a different pronounced effect. Additionally, some colors have associated geometrical shapes. All such properties are detailed, as follows:
--White: all colors of light whose properties cancel each other out so that white stonelight does nothing.
--Red: is very hot; associated with the tetrahedron
--Orange: is warm.
--Yellow: is cold; associated with the hexahedron (cube)
--Green: provides nourishment analogous to regular food for humans; associated with the octahedron
--Blue: provides liquid-like nourishment analogous to regular drink for humans; associated with the icosahedron
--Indigo: generates sound; associated with the dodecahedron.
--Violet: euphoric pleasure, like a drug; even causes temporary distortions in quartz
--Deathlight (ultraviolet): invisible, kills quartzians, injures Light-eaters, and shapes physical quartz.
Additional colors are associated with different geometric shapes in numbers too numerous to provide.
Lifelight: is light that is contained in or is generated by living beings like quartzians. The basic spectrum of colors of lifelight is essentially the same as ours, but each color has a different pronounced effect and associated emotion, as follows:
--White: all colors of light whose properties cancel each other out so that white lifelight does nothing.
--Red: anger
--Orange: bewilderment
--Yellow: humor
--Green: excitement and curiousity
--Blue: sadness
--Indigo: mild pleasure
--Violet: sensuality and sexuality
--Deathlight (ultraviolet): generally not found as lifelight.
Additional colors are associated with even more emotions and psychological affectations:
----pink: love
----deep maroon: pain
----gold: joy
----grey: doubt
----iron-grey: stern
----purple-grey: deep thought
----purple: concern
----black: fear
----pale green: surprise
----pale green-yellow: contentment, peace
----deep dark green: sleepy
Measurements of Time:
--Day: a complete twenty-four hour period spanning twelve hours of daylight (from Lightshards) --and twelve hours of Dimlight.
--Cycle: twelve complete days.
--Great Cycle: three cycles or thirty-six days.
--Grand Cycle: twelve complete Great Cycles or thirty-six cycles or four hundred thirty two days.
Miscellaneous:
--quartzflesh: the bodies or physical “flesh”-equivalent for quartzians.
--quartzians: the inhabitants of the Cavern
--quarzings: sluggish worm-like creatures that feed on quartz and grow to a size as large as six feet in length
--yenshi: a root that grows in and around quartz and is often used in weaving; it has many varied uses from clothes to armour to what-have-you.
Prism Page 10