The Burning White

by Brent Weeks

  Marissia: See ‘Rathcore, Marissia.’

  Miriam: High General Corvan Danavis’s attaché and lieutenant commander.

  Muazon, Aldib: The last academic to credibly study paryl.

  Muriel: The apothecary for the Order of the Broken Eye.

  Nabiros: One of the Two Hundred. Legendary spiritual being. Also known as Cerberos.

  Naheed, Quentin: A young luxiat, genius polymath, erstwhile assassin, now humble servant of Orholam and slave to the Iron White, Karris Guile. He wears rich clothing as a warning to other luxiats of what sins their vanity may lead them to.

  Nuqaba, the: The keeper of the oral histories of Parians, a figure of unique and tremendous power due to her ancient office as both religious leader to the Parians and guardian of the Great Library of Azûlay. Within her satrapy, she rivals both the satrap of Paria and the Prism in her influence.

  Nuri (Nuriel): An immortal, one of the elohim.

  Orholam: From the Old Abornean Or’holam, literally ‘Lord of Light/Lights.’ Referred to by His/Its titles rather than by a name as a sign of total respect. The deity of the monotheistic Seven Satrapies, also known as the Father of All. His worship was spread throughout the Seven Satrapies by Lucidonius four hundred years before the reign of Prism Gavin Guile.

  Orholam: A nickname for a pious slave rower on the Bitter Cob who claimed to have been a reluctant prophet of Orholam. Due to Captain Gunner’s superstitions, he was assigned to the seventh seat in the galley’s ranks.

  Pansy: Gunner’s first mate on the Golden Mean.

  Parsham, Vell: Freed by Gavin after the False Prism’s War.

  Pen, Ulgwar: Leader of the Eighth Stoa, scholar who wrote about shimmercloaks and invisibility.

  Pheronike: A spy handler for the White King and a sub-red drafter. It was discovered while he was being executed on Orholam’s Glare that he was hosting the immortal Nabiros.

  Polyphrastes: Religious scholar who wrote Dictions.

  Presser: A battle-scarred Blackguard.

  Proud Hart, Lady: A beloved artist and historian in Dúnbheo.

  Ptolos, Euterpe: Satrapah of Ruthgar.

  Pullawr, Orea: The White who preceded Karris Guile. A blue/green bichrome who refrained from drafting for decades in order to prolong her life. She served as the White for nearly thirty years before she was assassinated. She was married to Ulbear Rathcore before his death twenty years prior to her own.

  Ramir (Ram): A Rekton villager and a bully who was murdered when Rask Garadul destroyed the village.

  Rathcore, Marissia: Gavin Guile’s room slave, Orea Pullawr’s granddaughter. A red-haired Blood Forester who was captured by the Ruthgari during the Blood Wars, she served Gavin for more than ten years (since she was eighteen) as his room slave—secretly spying for her grandmother.

  Rathcore, Ulbear: The late husband of the White, he has been dead for twenty years. An adroit player of Nine Kings.

  Red Leaf, Bram: The rotund, rosy-cheeked ambassador to Satrap Willow Bough of Blood Forest; nobleman who holds land on the Blood Forest coast.

  Rhoda: Masseuse for the Blackguard and the White.

  Sadah Superviolet: The Parian representative, a superviolet drafter, often the swing vote on the Spectrum.

  Samite: One of Karris White Oak’s best friends. Now one-handed after a war wound, she has become a trainer for the Blackguard.

  Satish, Ravi: An unscrupulous banker and slaver involved with Aglaia Crassos, and a low-ranking member of the Order of the Broken Eye. From one of the families dispossessed and bankrupted during the False Prism’s War.

  Sayeh, Samila: A blue drafter for Gavin Guile’s army. She fought for him in the defense of Garriston.

  Seaborn, Phyros: A member of the Omnichrome’s army. He was seven feet tall and fought with two axes. Liv Danavis’s protector and guardian. His family was destroyed by the Guiles after his brother crossed Gavin Guile. Killed by Liv Danavis when he tried to enslave her for the White King.

  Shadowblinder, Karris (née Karris Atiriel): A desert princess. She became Karris Shadowblinder before she married Lucidonius, and succeeded him as the second Prism of the Seven Satrapies. She founded the Blackguard.

  Sharp, Murder (né Elijah ben-Kaleb): An assassin of the Order of the Broken Eye who has at times worked for Andross Guile when the Order endorsed the assignment.

  Shmuel, Rivvyn: A light-skinned Abornean Blackguard. A red drafter who fought particularly bravely in the Wight King’s War.

  Siluz, Aurea (Rea): Fourth undersecretary of the Chromeria library. She helps Kip once or twice.

  Siofra, Sibéal: A pygmy drafter of Shady Grove.

  Spreading Oak, Alexander: The Prism before Gavin Guile. Became a poppy addict shortly after becoming Prism. He spent most of his time hiding in his apartments. Son of Lord Bran Spreading Oak.

  Súil: A weak paryl drafter living in Dúnbheo recruited by the Mighty.

  Talim, Sayid: A former Prism. He nearly got himself named promachos to face the nonexistent armada he claimed waited beyond the Everdark Gates.

  Tallach: A giant grizzly partnered with Conn Ruadhán Arthur. His littermate, Lorcan, was paired with Ruadhán’s twin brother, Rónán.

  Tamerah: A Blackguard, a blue monochrome.

  Tana: A legacy Blackguard.

  Tawleb, High Luxiat: An important luxiat who was mentoring Quentin Naheed and directed him to assassinate Kip Guile. Once discovered, he was executed on Orholam’s Glare by the Iron White.

  Tep, Usef: A drafter who fought in the False Prism’s War and later against the Omnichrome’s armies at Garriston. He was also known as the Purple Bear because he was a disjunctive bichrome in red and blue. After the war, he and Samila Sayeh became lovers, despite having fought on opposite sides.

  Third Eye (née Polyhymnia): A gifted and powerful Seer, the leader of the original Seers Island inhabitants, and wife of Corvan Danavis before her assassination by Murder Sharp for the Order of the Broken Eye.

  Tlatig: One of the Blackguard’s most skilled Archers.

  Tzeddig: Blackguard trainer who mentored Samite and Karris’s cohort.

  Valor: A mirror slave and former Blackguard trainee.

  Vanzer: A Blackguard and a green drafter.

  Vecchini, Phineas: A cannon-caster, and retired cannoneer.

  Vecchio, Pash: The richest and most powerful of the pirate kings. His flagship was the Gargantua, the best-armed ship in history. Gavin and Kip Guile sank it. He is reputed to be less than happy about this.

  Vician: The last True Prism known to history.

  Web, Daimhin: A legendary hunter from deep in Blood Forest, famed for taking his prey with only a knife. Known in his native tongue as Sealgaire na Scian.

  White Oak, Karris (later Karris Guile): The newly appointed White of the Spectrum, also known as the Iron White. Former Blackguard and a red/green bichrome. Married to Gavin Guile.

  White Oak, Koios: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother of Karris White Oak. He disappeared after the disastrous fire that killed nearly all of his family and destroyed their estate; years later he emerged as the Color Prince in Tyrea. Now known as the White King, or the Wight King in the Chromeria’s propaganda.

  White Oak, Kolos: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother of Karris Guile.

  White Oak, Rissum: A luxlord, the father of Karris White Oak and her seven brothers; reputed to be hot tempered but a coward.

  White Oak, Rodin: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother of Karris Guile.

  White Oak, Tavos: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother of Karris Guile.

  Wight King, the: Aka the White King, the Color Prince, Lord Omnichrome, Crystal Prophet, Polychrome Master, and pejoratively, Lord Rainbow. Leader of a rebellion against the rule of the Chromeria. He has re-formed almost his entire body with luxin. Reputed to be a full-spectrum polychrome, he posits a faith in freedom and power, rather than in Lucidonius and Orholam. He was formerly Koios White Oak, one of Karris White Oak’s brothers. He was horribly bu
rned in the fire that triggered the False Prism’s War.

  Willow Bough, Briun: The satrap of Blood Forest.

  Winsen: A mountain Parian, and one of the Mighty. An unparalleled archer.

  Zelorn, Atevia: A respected wine merchant and secretly a priest of the Order of the Broken Eye.

  Glossary

  Aghbalu: A Parian dey, this inland region is mountainous, its inhabitants known for their height and blue drafting, as well as a fierce independence from the coastal Parian deys.

  Anat: Pagan goddess of wrath, associated with sub-red. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’

  Angar: A country beyond the Seven Satrapies and the Everdark Gates. The Angari are matrilineal, remarkable for their blond hair and fair skin, sailing skills, emphasis on hygiene, and brewing of an alcohol from honey.

  Ao River: A river on the border of Blood Forest and Atash.

  Apple Grove: A small town in the interior of Blood Forest, a part of the White Oak patrimony for generations.

  arrachtaigh: An ancient Blood Forest term meaning ‘monster.’

  Aslal: The capital city of Paria. The Eternal Flame, at the heart of the city, was lit by Lucidonius at his inauguration as Prism.

  ataghan: A narrow, slightly forward-curving sword with a single edge for most of its length.

  atasifusta: The widest tree in the world, believed extinct after the False Prism’s War. Its sap has properties similar to high-density 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 of its wood, burning, can keep a home warm for months. Its usefulness led to aggressive harvesting, and this, coupled with slow growth, caused its extinction.

  Atirat: Pagan god of lust, associated with green. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’

  auditarae: Scholars dedicated to the preservation of contemporary and ancient history. They memorize speeches and lectures using auditory cues and vocalizations of the speaker, writing annotated copy akin to a musical text, noting accents, rising or falling volume, pitch, speed, obvious sarcasm, physical movements, and other verbal flourishes or delivery idiosyncrasies.

  Azûlay: A beautiful coastal Parian city, where most of the satrapy’s trade happens. The satrapah and Nuqaba live there, making it the locus of religious and political power in Paria.

  Azuria Bay: A small coastal town on the Blood Forest coast, near the Ruthgar/Blood Forest border.

  balancing: The primary work of the Prism. When the Prism drafts at the top of the Chromeria, they can sense imbalances in magic and can draft enough of its complementary color to stop the imbalance from spiraling out of control.

  bane: Aka lightbane. An old Ptarsu term, which most likely referred to a temple or a holy place, though Lucidonius’s Parians believed they were abominations. The word is now used to refer to enormous concentrations of single colors of luxin, grown from a single luxin seed crystal, that extend control of that color far beyond its own boundaries. As temples to false gods, they are also called loci damnata.

  Bay, East, and Bay, West: The two bays on Little Jasper. Each is protected by a man-made seawall that keeps its waters calm.

  beakhead: The protruding part of the foremost section of a ship.

  Belphegor: Pagan god of sloth, associated with yellow. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’

  bich’hwa: A ‘scorpion,’ a weapon with a loop hilt and a narrow, undulating recurved blade. Sometimes made with a claw.

  Big Jasper (Island): The island on which the city of Big Jasper rests just opposite the Chromeria (which is on Little Jasper Island). Big Jasper is where the embassies of all the satrapies reside. Inhabited by the Ptarsu and enslaved pygmies before the Lucidonian expansion.

  Blackguard, the: An elite guard at the top echelon of the Chromeria. The Blackguard was instituted after Lucidonius with a unique dual purpose: to guard the Prism and to guard the Prism from him- or herself. They are commonly seen as bodyguards for the Prism (and other members of the Spectrum).

  Blinding Knife: Aka Knife of Surrender, Bonding Knife, Blinder’s Knife, Hellfang. Magical, mythical weapon used by Prisms and in the ceremony installing new Prisms.

  Blood Wars, the: A series of conflicts that began after Vician’s Sin tore apart the formerly close allies/sometimes united kingdoms of Blood Forest and Ruthgar. The war started and stopped repeatedly over nearly four hundred years, until Prism Guile put a decisive end to it following the False Prism’s War.

  Blue-Eyed Demons, The: A famed company of bandits whose leader attempted to set up a kingdom after the False Prism’s War. Put down single-handedly by Prism Gavin Guile.

  blunderbuss: A musket with a bell-shaped muzzle that can be loaded with nails, musket balls, chain, or even gravel. Devastating at short distances.

  Braxos: A legendary, now dead city thousands of years old, cut off from the Seven Satrapies by the Cracked Lands, which were reputed to have been formed with magic during the Ptarsu expansion centuries before Lucidonius.

  brightwater: Liquid yellow luxin. It is unstable and quickly releases its energy as light. Often used in lanterns.

  Brightwater Wall: Its building was a feat to match the legends. This wall was designed by Aheyyad Brightwater and built by Prism Gavin Guile at Garriston in mere days before and while the rebel King Garadul’s army approached.

  burnous: A long cloak with a hood, common in Paria and elsewhere.

  caleen (masc. calun): A diminutive term of address for a female (or male) slave, used regardless of the slave’s age.

  Cannon Island: A small island with a minimal garrison between Big Jasper and Little Jasper. It houses formidable artillery.

  Cerulean Sea, the: The great body of water circled by the Seven Satrapies.

  chirurgeon: One who stitches up the wounded and studies anatomy.

  chromaturgy: Literally ‘color working,’ it usually refers to drafting, but has been expanded to cover the study of luxins and will. See also Appendix, ‘On Luxin.’

  Chromeria, the: The ruling body of the Seven Satrapies; also a term for the academic institution where drafters are trained.

  Chromeria trained: Those who have or are studying 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.

  cocca: A type of merchant ship, usually small.

  Colors, the: The seven members of the Spectrum. Originally each represented a single color of the seven sacred colors; each could draft that color, and each satrapy had one representative. Since the founding of the Spectrum, that practice has deteriorated as satrapies have maneuvered for power. Thus a satrapy’s Color could be appointed to a color she doesn’t actually draft. Likewise, some of the satrapies might lose their representative, and others could have two or even three representatives on the Spectrum at a time, depending on the politics of the day. A Color’s term is for life. Impeachment is nearly impossible.

  Compelling Argument, The: The greatest masterpiece of famed cannon-caster Phineas Vecchini.

  conn (fem. banconn): A title for a mayor or leader of a village sometimes used in far-northern Atash, but more common in Blood Forest.

  Corbine Street: A street in Big Jasper that leads to the Great Fountain of Karris Shadowblinder.

  Cracked Lands, the: A region of broken land in the extreme west of Atash. Its treacherous terrain is crossed by only the most hardy and experienced traders.

  Crag Tooth: A fine whiskey with a sublime nose hinting at rose and cinnamon, made in distilleries at the edge of Blood Forest in the highlands above Green Haven. It evinces orange and raisin flavors under powerful chocolate.

  Crater Lake: A large lake in southern Tyrea where the former capital of Tyrea, Kelfing, sits. The area is famous for its forests and the production of yew.

  Crossroads, the: A kopi house, r
estaurant, and tavern, the highest-priced inn on the Jaspers, and downstairs a similarly priced brothel. Located near the Lily’s Stem, the Crossroads is housed in the former Tyrean embassy building, centrally located in the Embassies District for all the ambassadors, spies, and merchants trying to deal with various governments.

  culverin: A type of cannon, useful for firing long distances because of its heavily weighted cannonballs and long-bore tube.

  Cwn y Wawr: The ‘Dogs of Dawn,’ a Blood Forest martial company of archers, mastiff handlers, tree climbers, green drafters, and masters of camouflage. A semisecret society found in the deep parts of Blood Forest.

  dagger-pistols: Pistols with a blade attached, allowing the user to fire at distance and then use the blade at close range or if the weapon misfires.

  Dagnu: Pagan god of gluttony, associated with red. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’

  danar: The primary unit of currency in the Seven Satrapies. An average worker makes about a danar a day, while an unskilled laborer can expect to earn a half danar a day. The coins have a square hole in the middle and are often carried on square-cut sticks. They can be cut in half and still hold their value.

  tin danar: Worth eight regular danar coins. A stick of tin danars usually carries twenty-five coins—that is, two hundred danars.

  Deimachia, the: The War of/on the Gods. A theological term for Lucidonius’s battle for supremacy against the pagan gods of the old world.

  Demiurgos: Another term for a Mirror such as Janus Borig; literally ‘half creator.’

  dey (fem. deya): A Parian title. A near-absolute ruler over a city and its surrounding territory. (Equivalent to the Atashian/Tyrean ‘corregidor.’)

  Diakoptês: An ambiguous term. Literally ‘He who rends asunder,’ but a looser translation could be ‘Breaker.’ In Braxian belief, both the name and title of Lucidonius and the name or title of a similar figure, possibly a reincarnation of Lucidonius, who will come again to break or heal the Cracked Lands.

  discipulus (masc. pl. discipuli, fem. discipula, fem. and mixed gender pl. discipulae): Those who study both religious and magical arts, usually at the Chromeria.