by Dan Brigman
Erbesten (ER-best-en): known far and wide as a city dweller who play on the feelings of the generous to receive charity.
Five-Year Peace: a true peace implemented by Alterators and officers who had ended The Blighters’ War. Due to a misaligned fear of Alteration and mistrust of some officers, the Peace has been remembered as an attempt for Alterators to take over the province of Sacclon rather than their attempt to restore its harmony and stability and the neighboring provinces.
Gorgian Amant: the current leader of the Xavad Guardians, who are based out of the capitol city of Tolsont in the province of Sacclon.
Graying: a physiological process in which a human’s skin slowly fades to gray. Rarely does anyone survive throughout the transition’s final steps. The cause of the disease is unknown.
Great Dread War: occurred nearly 2000 years ago. A war which is believed to have unleashed blighting in its current state upon the world.
Heritage: inherited power(s) wrought through a bloodline of the Originators. An Inheritor is considered an Originator’s descendant. Scholars theorize that all human beings have at least one Originator’s genetic material due to the long passage of time.
Horselord: common name for a Horselord of Hust, who is a high-ranking member of the Olst clan. A Horselord is exceptionally skilled at maintaining and training horses for battle.
Hust: means “the people” in the Hustian language, which is many thousands of years old—most modern languages are dialects of this primary language. Many modern words derive from Hustian.
Hustian steed: such a mount is considered the finest and generally sells for massive sums. Their average lifespans are usually double that of a normal horse. They are faster, stronger, and more intelligent than normal horses due to the training of the Horselords.
Inheritor: someone who is thought to be a genetic descendant of one Originator through a Heritage. They are largely feared due the supposed power other Inheritors have wielded in the past.
Jaken Holst: a veteran of The Blighters’ War. Since serving as a Sergeant in the war, he has served as a hired road guard, bodyguard, and mercenary.
Jonathon Stoutheart: a general in The Blighters’ War. His sword of choice is Lighteater.
Kirian Hestos (KIR-e-an HEST-os): a veteran of The Blighters’ War. He is a childhood friend of Einar Amakiir and Saen Lorst. After serving as a combat medic, Kirian has scouted the provinces of Thuin for nearly 20 years.
locata: this plant’s leaves contain healing properties which also have a calming effect. The rare leaves are found most commonly in the hills of Molston and only grow in certain times of the year.
Loken Mastian: a minor Horselord of Hust from the Olst clan. Works primarily as a scout guarding the borders of the province of Molston with Melek Lothar.
Lord Chancellor: the elected leader of a province who resides in its capitol; has served as Lord Mayor for at least four terms and cannot serve past the age of seventy.
Lord Mayor: the elected leader of each major city who serves six-year terms.
Malkari (Mal-KAR-e): majordomo for the Olst’s clan leader. He also serves as the Olst’s primary Alterator.
The Mark: a distinguishing feature marking an Inheritor. Emblazoned upon their skin like a tattoo in the form of a rune representing their Heritage.
Melek Lothar (MEL-ek LO-thar): a major Horselord of Hust from the Olst clan. Works primarily as a scout guarding the borders of the province of Molston. Is exceptionally gifted with horses and similar mounts.
Molston: capitol city of the province of Molston.
Olst: one of eight major clans living throughout Thuin.
physicar: generic name for a medical, legal, and/or psychological professional in Thuin. Many physicars work throughout Thuin. Along with Ter Sa’un, three other common types are below. All physicars can and do work in tandem depending upon the situation.
In order to prove their abilities, Lord Mayors and Chancellors call upon them to agree to a rune vow.
Ter Thuin: a general practitioner of the arts. Well-versed in common maladies and seen in larger towns.
Ter Raan: a practitioner of faith combining a belief in the gods with the healing properties of natural remedies. They can perform surgeries on nearly any type of malady.
Ter Triel: a practitioner of knowledge and a seeker of justice. Usually serves as a coroner, lawyer, or judge.
The Plains of the Fallen: a vast set of open plains and rolling low hills east of the Vespow River. It gained its name due to the many fallen soldiers who fought to protect its resources. The vast Forgon Forest to the east had once stretched to the banks of the Vespow.
Province: a geopolitical entity throughout the continent of Thuin. Between 10 and 15 provinces exist at any given time. The number of provinces is dependent on the state of each province’s peace, war, treaty, or trade status.
Quint Stoutheart: a provincial scout serving numerous provinces of Thuin.
races: humanity’s evolution shifted naturally into three physical variations over the last 6000 years. The most common is a human being, or Ohnerben (OH-ner-ben), which has neither been affected by Alteration, nor Blighting. Ohnerben is a rarely-used Hustian word. Less common are Blight-ripped, which were a product of human interaction with the blight. The same can be said of the very rare Altaran (AL-tar-en), whom are a product of humans interacting with altered humans. Subsets of Blight-ripped and Altarans are dependent on how they were formed—through birth or infusion of the respective force later in life.
rastic: an exceptionally malleable metal originally created during the Age of Jiir, nearly 6000 years ago. The process to make the metal took humans approximately 1000 years of experimentation. Some blacksmiths with Alteration training have been recorded to use rastic metallurgy in order to create modern wonders.
ripper: a particularly nasty flashflood, seen mostly in the Molston Hills.
Runeoath: an oath taken by Olst clansfolk to protect their other clan members.
Runeminer: a person constantly seeking more knowledge related to Alteration and/or Blighting.
rune vow: a temporary vow taken by physicars to prove their ability and to justify their decisions.
Runic: a game of strategy between two players; it has simple design and mechanics, yet most people who play it recognize that a lifetime of play is required to master it. Alterators are required to master the game before graduation is a possibility.
Runic guardian: another name for an Alterator, specifically tied to someone who has protected a province in battle.
Saen Lorst: (SAH-en) a successful innkeeper in Durik’s Pass and long-time friend of the Amakiir family.
sacc: a highly evolved grain, resistant to drought, herbicide, insects; it provides a highly-efficient food source. One bag of sacc is equivalent in the dietary needs of four bags of any other similar domesticated grain. Many people theorize the grain had been altered in previous eras in order to sustain human life.
Sacclon: a large province with its namesake based on the primary grain it produces.
sanctuary: a roadside stop along most major thoroughfares, highways, and roads between towns and cities. Each sanctuary was created following the War of Sa’unic Heritage for reasons unknown to most modern people. It is a place of rest for travelers approximately every ten miles.
Sol: the singular star which forms the solar system.
Solis: one of several planets orbiting Sol.
The Source: the starting point of any rune formed by an Alterator or Blighter. It is theorized to hold the most energy of a rune.
Ter Sa’un (ter SAH-un): a practitioner of the healing arts. Well-versed in the natural world, and some are known to also be Alterators. Most cities, towns, and villages have at least one Ter Sa’un who can perform minor surgeries.
Thuin: one of six and most populous continents upon Solis.
Tolsont: capitol city of the Sacclon Province. Its monopoly of the sacc grain has led the province to develop a strong defensive military.
University of Lyceum: Thuin’s primary university of Alteration located in the capitol city of Tloffia. It is one of the main universities in which one may become a physicar.
the war: the common name for The Blighters’ War.
War of Sa’unic Heritage: a continent-wide war enveloping Thuin’s peoples for nearly 25 years. The war started in 5000 RR (Runic Reckoning).
The Writ: an altered disease common to those who interact with Alterators. Death is rare, yet minor disfigurement is a common side effect.
Xavad Guardians: a military force created by Gorgian Amant within the province of Sacclon following the Five-Year Peace. For years, they were considered a small, yet elite force of provincial guardians who scouted into neighboring provinces to protect the borders, particularly near Tolsont.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I thank my wife, Meg, for her support, patience, and feedback throughout the entire writing process. Without her careful eye, I could have never completed this book.
My son, Caleb, and my daughter, Kylie, have also been exceedingly supportive and patient during the process.
Thanks to Jessica Sommerkamp for providing fantastic illustrations for the cover, map, and chapter symbols.
Thanks to Ben Berrey for offering clarifying edits.
A final round of appreciation goes to my beta readers and members of the Writers of Warrensburg group, who took the time to offer feedback.
About the Author
Dan Brigman has lived in Missouri his entire life and resides near the town of Knob Noster. Fantasy and science fiction are his focus, yet he has published in the field of history. He loves writing stories which speak to humanity’s essential relationship with nature. Throughout his adventures, magic, technology, and intellect are used to overcome challenges, unite devastated nations, or to restore separated families.
When Dan is not writing he serves as a State Park Superintendent. He holds a 3rd Degree blackbelt in the art of Okinawa Shorin Ryu Karate Do. He furthers the art by teaching.
He hikes, plays games, and travels with his family as often as possible.
Please visit www.danbrigman.com or “Dan Brigman, Author” on Facebook for more information about his current projects and upcoming books.