The Blinding Knife (Lightbringer)

by Brent Weeks

  • beams: Fourth-year students.

  cocca: A type of merchant ship, usually small.

  Colors, the: The seven members of the Spectrum. Each originally represented a single color of the seven sacred colors, and could draft that color, and each satrapy had one representative on the Spectrum. Since the founding of the Spectrum, that practice has deteriorated as satrapies have maneuvered for power. Thus a satrapy’s representative, though usually appointed to a color corresponding to his abilities, could be appointed as Luxlord Green, but not actually draft green himself. 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. The term is for life.

  color matchers: A term for full-spectrum superchromats. Sometimes employed as satraps’ gardeners.

  color-sensitive: See superchromat.

  color wight: A drafter who has broken the halo. They frequently remake their bodies with pure luxin, rejecting the Pact between drafter and society.

  conn: A title for a mayor or leader of a village in far northern Atash; more common in Blood Forest.

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

  corregidor: A Tyrean term for a chief magistrate; from when Tyrea encompassed eastern Atash.

  Counselor to Kings, The: A manuscript, noted for its advocating ruthless treatment of opponents.

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

  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 longbows.

  Crossroads, the: A kopi house, restaurant, tavern, the highest-priced inn on the Jaspers, and downstairs, allegedly, 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.

  cubit: A unit of volume. One cubit is one foot high, one foot wide, and one foot deep.

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

  dagger-pistols: Flintlock 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: God of gluttony, associated with red. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”

  danar: The currency of the Seven Satrapies. One danar at an expensive inn on Jasper Island buys a cup of kopi. The 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 cut 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.

  silver quintar: Worth twenty danars, slightly wider than the tin danar, but only half as thick. A stick of silver quintars usually carries fifty coins, that is, one thousand danars.

  den: One-tenth of a danar.

  darks: See Chromeria trained.

  Dark Forest: A region within Blood Forest where pygmies reside. Decimated by the diseases brought by invaders, their numbers have never recovered, and they remain insular and often hostile.

  darklight: Another term for paryl.

  dawat: A Parian martial art.

  Dazen’s War: An alternate name of the False Prism’s War, used by the victors.

  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; a half-creator.

  dey/deya: A Parian title, male and female respectively. A near-absolute ruler over a city and its surrounding territory.

  dims: See Chromeria trained.

  discipulae: The feminine plural term (also applying to groups of mixed gender) for those who study both religious and magical arts.

  drafter: One who can shape or harness light into physical form (luxin).

  drafter-tailor: A profession that disappeared overnight during the Guile brothers’ childhood. These tailors could, with enough will, craft luxin flexible enough to be fashioned as clothing and seal it.

  Elrahee, elishama, eliada, eliphalet: A Parian prayer.

  Embassies District: The Big Jasper neighborhood that is closest to the Lily’s Stem, and thus is closest to the Chromeria itself. It also houses markets and kopi houses, taverns, and brothels.

  epha: A unit of measurement for grain, approximately thirty-three liters.

  Ergion: An Atashian walled city a day’s travel from Idoss.

  Everdark Gates, the: The strait connecting the Cerulean Sea to the oceans beyond. It was supposedly closed by Lucidonius, but Angari ships have been known to make it through from time to time.

  evernight: Often a curse word, it refers to death and hell. A metaphysical or teleological reality, rather than a physical one, it represents that which will forever embrace and be embraced by void, full darkness, night in its purest, most evil form.

  eye caps: A specialized kind of spectacles. These colored lenses fit directly over the eye sockets, glued to the skin. Like other spectacles, they enable a drafter to see through their preferred color, allowing them to draft more easily.

  False Prism, the: Another term for Dazen Guile, who claimed to be a Prism even after his older brother Gavin had already been rightly chosen by Orholam and installed as Prism.

  False Prism’s War, the: A common term for the war between Gavin and Dazen Guile.

  Fealty to One: The Danavis motto.

  Ferrilux: God of pride, associated with superviolet. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”

  firecrystal: A term for sustainable sub-red, though a firecrystal doesn’t last long when exposed to air.

  firefriend: A term sub-red drafters use for each other.

  Flame of Erebos, the: The pin all Blackguards receive, it symbolizes sacrifice and service.

  flashbomb: A weapon crafted by yellow drafters. It doesn’t harm so much as dazzle and distract its victims by the blinding light of evaporating yellow luxin.

  flechette: A tiny projectile (sometimes made of luxin), with a pointed end and a vaned tail to achieve stable flight.

  foot: Once a varying measure based on the current Prism’s foot length. Later standarized to twelve thumbs (the length of Prism Sayid Talim’s foot).

  Free, the: Those drafters who reject the Pact of the Chromeria to join the Omnichrome’s army, choosing to eventually break the halo and become wights. Also called the Unchained.

  Freed, the: Those drafters who accept the Pact of the Chromeria and choose to be ritually killed before they break the halo and go mad. (The closeness of this term with “the Free” is part of the linguistic war between the pagans and the Chromeria, with the pagans trying to seize terms that had long had other, perverted, they thought, meanings.)

  Freeing: The ritual release of those about to break the halo from incipient madness; performed by the Prism every year on Sun Day.

  frizzen: On flintlocks, the L-shaped piece of metal against which the flint scrapes. The metal is on a hinge that opens upon firing to allow the sparks to reach the black powder.

  gada: A ball game that involves kicking and passing a ball of wrapped leather.

  galleass: A large merchant ship powered by both oar and sail. The term later referred to ships modified for military purposes, which included adding castles at bow and stern and cannons that fire in all directions.

  gaoler: One in charge of a prison or dungeon.

  Gargantua, the: Pirate king Pash Vecchio’s flagship.

  Garriston: The former commercial capital of Tyrea at the mouth of the Umber River on
the Cerulean Sea. Prism Gavin Guile built Brightwater Wall to defend the city, but his defense failed, and the city was claimed by Lord Omnichrome, Koios White Oak.

  Gatu, the: A Parian tribe, despised by other Parians for how they integrate their old religious customs into the worship of Orholam. Technically, their beliefs are heresy, but the Chromeria has never moved to put the heresy down with anything more than harsh words.

  gemshorn: A musical instrument made from the tusk of a javelina, with finger-holes drilled into it to allow different notes to be produced.

  ghotra: A Parian headscarf, used by many Parian men to demonstrate their reverence for Orholam. Most wear it while the sun is up, but some wear it even at nighttime.

  giist: A colloquial name for a blue wight.

  gladius: A short double-edged sword, useful for cutting or stabbing at close range.

  Glass Lily, the: Another term for Little Jasper, or for the whole of the Chromeria as a collection of buildings.

  gleams: See Chromeria trained.

  glims: See Chromeria trained.

  gold standard: The literal standard weights and measures, made of gold, against which all measures are judged. The originals are kept at the Chromeria, and certified copies are kept in every capital and major city for the adjudication of disputes. Merchants found using short measures and inaccurate weights are punished severely.

  Great Chain (of being), the: A theological term for the order of creation. The first link is Orholam himself, and all the other links (creation) derive from him.

  Great Desert, the: Another term for the Badlands of Tyrea.

  great hall of the Chromeria, the: Located under the Prism’s Tower, it is converted once a week into a place of worship, at which time mirrors from the other towers are turned to shine light in. It includes pillars of white marble and the largest display of stained glass in the world. Most of the time it is filled with clerks, ambassadors, and those who have business with the Chromeria.

  great hall of the Travertine Palace, the: The wonder of the great hall is its eight great pillars set in a star shape around the hall, all made of extinct atasifusta wood. Said to be the gift of an Atashian king, these trees were the widest in the world, and their sap allows fires to burn continually, even five hundred years after they were cut.

  Great River, the: The river between Ruthgar and Blood Forest, the scene of many pitched battles between the two countries.

  great yard, the: The yard at the base of the towers of the Chromeria.

  Green Bridge: Less than a league upstream from Rekton, drafted by Gavin Guile in seconds while on his way to battle his brother at Sundered Rock.

  green flash: A rare flash seen at the setting of the sun; its meaning is debated. Some believe it has theological significance. The White calls it Orholam’s wink.

  Green Forest: A collective term for Blood Forest and Ruthgar during the hundred years of peace between the two countries, before Vician’s Sin ended it.

  Green Haven: The capital of Blood Forest.

  grenado: A flagon full of black powder with a piece of wood shoved into the top, with a rag and bit of black powder as a fuse.

  grenado, luxin: An explosive made of luxin that can be hurled at the enemy along an arc of luxin or in a cannon. Often filled with shot/shrapnel, depending on the type of grenado used. Smaller grenadoes are sometimes carried in bandoliers.

  Guardian, the: A colossus that stands astride the entrance to Garriston’s bay. She holds a spear in one hand and a torch in the other. A yellow drafter keeps the torch lit with yellow luxin, allowing it to dissolve slowly back into light, acting as a kind of lighthouse. See also Ladies, the.

  Guile palace: The Guile family palace on Big Jasper. Andross Guile rarely visits his home in the time Gavin is Prism, preferring to reside at the Chromeria. The Guile palace was one of the few buildings allowed to be constructed without regard to the working of the Thousand Stars.

  habia: A long man’s garment.

  Hag, the: An enormous statue that comprises Garriston’s west gate. She is crowned and leans heavily on a staff; the crown and staff are also towers from which archers can shoot at invaders. See also Ladies, the.

  Hag’s Crown, the: A tower over the west gate into Garriston.

  Hag’s Staff, the: A tower over the west gate into Garriston.

  Harbinger: Corvan Danavis’s sword, inherited when his elder brothers died.

  Hass Valley: Where the Ur trapped Lucidonius.

  haze: A mind-altering drug. Often smoked with a pipe, it produces a sickly sweet odor.

  Hellfang: A mysterious blade, also known as Marrow Sucker and the Blinder’s Knife. It is white veined with black and bears seven colorless gems in its blade.

  hellhounds: Dogs infused with red luxin and enough will to make them run at enemies, and then lit on fire.

  hellstone: A superstitious term for obsidian, which is rarer than diamonds or rubies as few know where the extant obsidian in the world is created or mined. Obsidian is the only stone that can draw luxin directly out of a drafter if it touches her blood directly.

  hullwrecker: A luxin disk filled with shrapnel. It has a fuse and a sticky side so that it will adhere to a ship’s hull and explode once the soldiers have gotten away from the ship.

  hurricano: A waterspout.

  Idoss: An Atashian city, ruled by a council of city mothers and a corregidor.

  incarnitive: A term for incorporating luxin directly into one’s body.

  Inura, Mount: A mountain on Seers Island, at the base of which the Third Eye resides.

  ironbeaks: A term for luxin- and will-infused birds, used to attack opponents at distance and then explode.

  Ivor’s Ridge, Battle of: A battle during the False Prism’s War, which Dazen won primarily because of Corvan Danavis’s brilliance.

  jambu: A tree that produces pink fruit. Found on Seers Island.

  Jasper Islands/the Jaspers: Islands in the Cerulean Sea that hold the Chromeria.

  Jasperites: Residents of Big Jasper.

  javelinas: Animals, good for hunting. Giant javelinas are rare. Both species have tusks and hooves and are nocturnal.

  ka: A sequence of fighting moves to train balance and flexibility and control. Frequently uses combinations of movements that might be used together in combat. A form of focusing exercise or meditation.

  Karsos Mountains, the: Tyrean mountains that line the Cerulean Sea.

  katar: A blade that instead of a hilt uses a cross-grip while the hilt extends up on either side of the hand and forearm. With its reinforced tip and allowance for the fist shape of the hand, it is extremely useful for punching through armor.

  Kazakdoon: A legendary city/land in the distant east, beyond the Everdark Gates.

  Kelfing: The former capital of Tyrea, on the shores of Crater Lake.

  khat: An addictive stimulant, a leaf that stains the teeth after chewing, used especially in Paria.

  kiyah: A yell used while fighting to expel the breath and empower the body’s movement.

  kopi: An addictive stimulant, a popular beverage. Bitter, dark-colored, and served hot.

  kris: A wavy Parian blade.

  Ladies, the: Four statues that comprise the gates into the city of Garriston. They are built into the wall, made of rare Parian marble and sealed in nearly invisible yellow luxin. They are thought to depict aspects of the goddess Anat and were spared by Lucidonius, who believed them to depict something true. They are the Hag, the Lover, the Mother, and the Guardian.

  Laurion: A region in eastern Atash known for its silver ore and massive slave mines. Life expectancy for the enslaved miners is short, and the threat of being sent to the mines is used to keep slaves in line.

  league: A unit of measurement, six thousand and seventy-six paces.

  lightbane: See bane.

  lightsickness: The aftereffects of too much drafting. Only the Prism never gets lightsick.

  lightwells: Holes in the Chromeria’s towers that are positioned to allow light,
with the use of mirrors, to reach into the interior of the towers late in the day or on the dark side of the towers.

  Lily’s Stem, the: The luxin bridge between Big and Little Jasper. It is composed of blue and yellow luxin so that it appears green. Set below the high-water mark, it is remarkable for its endurance against the waves and storms that wash over it.

  linstock: A staff for holding a slow match at one end. Used in lighting cannons, allowing the cannoneer to stand out of the range of the cannon’s recoil.

  Little Jasper: The island on which the Chromeria resides.

  Little Jasper Bay: A bay off Little Jasper Island. It is protected by a seawall that keeps its waters calm.

  loci damnata: A temple to the false gods. The bane. Believed to have magical powers, especially over drafters.

  longbow: A weapon that allows for the efficient (in speed, distance, and force) firing of arrows. Its construction and its user must both be extremely strong. The yew forests of Crater Lake provide the best wood available for longbows.

  Lord Prism: A term of address for the Prism.

  lords of the air: A term used by the Omnichrome for his most trusted blue-drafting officers.

  Lover, the: A statue that comprises the eastern river gate at Garriston. She is depicted in her thirties, lying on her back arched over the river with her feet planted, her knees forming a tower on one bank, hands entwined in her hair, elbows rising to form a tower on the other bank. She is clad only in veils. Before the Prisms’ War, a portcullis could be lowered from her arched body into the river, its iron and steel hammered into shape so that it looked like a continuation of her veils. She glows like bronze when the sun sets, and the entrance to the city comes through another gate in her hair.

  luxiat: A priest of Orholam. A luxiat wears black as an acknowledgment that he needs Orholam’s light most of all; thus he is commonly called a blackrobe.

  luxin: A material created by drafting from light. See Appendix.

  luxlord: A term for a member of the ruling Spectrum.

  Luxlords’ Ball, the: An annual event on the open roof of the Prism’s Tower.

  luxors: Officials empowered by the Chromeria to bring the light of Orholam by almost any means necessary. They have at various times pursued paryl drafters and lightsplitter heretics, among others. Their theological rigidity and their prerogative to kill and torture have been hotly debated by followers of Orholam and dissidents alike.