The City of Ice
Page 54
The other tongues are startlingly diverse, and despite large numbers of loanwords, principally from Maceriyan (high and low), they remain very different. This diversity of speech within the Hundred has been largely preserved by the difficult geography of the continent.
Six main languages are in wide use across the Hundred today:
High Maceriyan – The language of the ancient Old Maceriyans, much influenced by the Morfaan. In this era it is primarily a language of learned discourse and high government, but is falling out of fashion.
Low Maceriyan – The modern language of Maceriya and Macer Lesser is the lingua franca of the Hundred, and used across the length and breadth of the continent, excepting the southeast.
Hethikan – The ancient language of the far north, another language of learning, also falling out of use.
Khusiacki – The sheer size of Khushashia means that Khusiacki is spoken in many places. The languages around it form a rare continuum and are mostly mutually intelligible with one another.
Mohacin – Used for over five hundred years as the administrative language of the Mohacin Imperium, it is this rather than Maceriyan that is used both as the lingua franca and language of learning in the southeast.
Karsarin – Owing to the rapid industrialisation of Karsa a century ago, and the export of expertise and huge amount of trade this engendered, Karsarin is increasingly heard in the mercantile hubs of the Hundred and beyond.
All languages have been rendered into English where spoken by individuals who can comprehend them. I have taken the liberty of altering the writing style slightly when Maceriyan is being spoken. Similarly, the retention of the likes of ‘Kressind/Kressinda’ is intended to indicate the highly inflected nature of Karsarin.
Khusiacki is the most often heard language spoken by one person but not understood by another. For this I have chosen a modified Slavic, although the true language little resembles it.
Similarly the names have been adapted. Zhinsky’s true name is not alone in being virtually impossible to transliterate into a Latin alphabet, and is similarly difficult to pronounce. Some names are close to the original, others have been invented for ease of rendition and to heighten regional contrasts that might not be obvious to speakers of English. You must therefore lay the blame for any inconsistency or error at my door, should you come across either.
As ‘the Earth’ is what the inhabitants of Ruthnia call their homeworld, that is what I have chosen to call it. There are other, high-speech words for it, but as we do not wander around calling our Earth ‘Terra’ (and indeed, Terra is only ‘Earth’ in Latin), neither do they do the equivalent. No confusion is intended; this is not our world.
On the Correct form of Address
IN KARSA, ONE addresses those of a high social rank as “Goodfellow” or “Goodlady” and those of a lower to you as “Goodman” or “Goodwife” for married women and those over thirty, and “Goodmaid” for unmarried women under thirty. The addition of “Good” to a person’s occupation, ie “Goodmage”, “Goodengineer” is suitable when dealing with someone who is of equal or slightly higher status than oneself, but whose profession or standing demands a higher level of respect. “Goodlady” and “Goodfellow” should always be used when dealing with the nobility.
Similar conventions exist across The Hundred, although the titles differ, and in some places there are numerous levels of degree and associated titles. For the sake of simplicity, I have stuck with the Karsan standard throughout.
On Dragons and Draconics
THERE ARE A number of varieties of what might be called ‘draconic’ creatures in Ruthnia, ie six-limbed, reptilian creatures, ranging from sparrow-sized up to an animal similar to our mythical dragon. In a few remote areas of the Hundred this clade of creatures dominates, in most they are increasingly rare. Only a few have been successfully domesticated by humanity and so prosper alongside them. Chief among these is the riding dragon or ‘dracon’, a medium, bipedal animal with a large fore pair of grasping limbs and a lesser middle pair. There are several sub-breeds of dracon, mainly distinguished by their size, colouring and the amount of feathers they bear.
Too dangerous for day-to-day use, dracons are employed exclusively by the armed forces in more civilised realms, although in wilder places they are utilised as a common riding beast. As the dracon is the draconic creature most commonly encountered by people in the Hundred, in Karsarin and Maceriyan, the term ‘dracon’ has come to be applied to all draconics excepting dragonlings and the dragons themselves.
Of course, the use of the word dracon in this English text is my conceit, intended to convey a sense of the beast in question.
Of the Tyn
WHO THE TYN are and where they come from are topics much speculated upon by the philosophs of the Hundred.
There are many, many kinds of Tyn, but the most noticeable divide is between the Lesser and the Greater Tyn. Lesser Tyn vary widely in individual appearance but tend to be between ten centimetres and (rarely) a metre in height. The majority of the ‘Wild Tyn’, meaning those that are innately dangerous or are antagonistic to humanity, are of this sort. The Greater Tyn are larger, and though they lack humanity’s homogeneity, their numerous clans and tribal groupings are far more easily reconcilable as stemming from the same stock. The vast majority of Greater Tyn dwell in Karsa. There are scattered populations—rumoured and genuine—of Lesser Tyn throughout the Hundred. In Karsa only do either sort dwell side by side with humans, albeit in circumstances little better than slavery.
THE WESTERN WORLD IS BURNING...
For Richard Hawkwood and his crew, a desperate venture to carry refugees to the uncharted land across the Great Western Ocean offers the only chance of escape from the Inceptines' pyres.
In the East, Lofantyr, Abeleyn and Mark - three of the five Ramusian Kings - have defied the cruel pontiff's purge and must fight to hold their thrones through excommunication, intrigue and civil war.
In the quiet monastery city of Charibon, two humble monks make a discovery that will change the whole world.
Aekir, the Holy City, has fallen and all now seems lost, but even on the eve of destruction the Faithful still war amongst themselves...
Hawkwood and the Kings collects Hawkwood's Voyage and The Heretic Kings, the first two books in Paul Kearney's spectacular The Monarchies of God cycle.
‘One of the best fantasy works in ages’
SFX Magazine
www.solarisbooks.com
Byren never wanted the throne. It was destined for Lence, his twin brother, older by seven minutes and the rightful heir to Rolencia. But the royal heir resents Byren’s growing popularity, and in the court of King Rolen, the shadows are thick with enemies plotting revolution.
Darkness stirs across Rolencia and untamed magic of the gods wells up from the earth’s heart, twisting the minds of men with terrible visions. The touched must learn to control their gift – or die. Disharmony stirs within Rolen’s household, and as magic, madness and political machinations threaten to tear Rolencia apart, King Rolen’s children must do all they can to restore their father’s kingdom...
“Pacy and full of action and intrigue.”
Trudi Canavan, author of the Black Magician trilogy
“The King’s Bastard is a fabulous, rollicking, High Fantasy adventure that will keep you up at night, desperate to find out what happens next.”
Jennifer Fallon, author of The Demon Child trilogy.”
www.solarisbooks.com