Madam Opera see Opera, Madam.
Madam Opera’s Estimable Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls marine society run by Madam Opera. See marine society.
main-sovereign largest of all the rams, with a minimum of one hundred great-guns running down one broadside (not including lambasts or tormentums); enormous and slow and needing drudges to help them maneuver. See rams and Appendix 6.
manifest list of the cargoes carried by a vessel.
manse fortress or large fortresslike house that serves as the headquarters for lamplighters, and a place of final refuge should it be needed.
marches also called bounds, extents or parts (partitions), or the precincts of man. The division men have given to their domains, calling them rather grandly the Exculta Hominum Vita Partitio or “divisions of civilization.” They are based on the perceived safety of each region from monsters and the effects of threwd. There are five marches, starting with the safest or “quietest,” as it is commonly referred to: urbis (city) > paris (parish, canton or pagis) > scutis (soke or fenceland) > fossis (ditchland) > horridas terrestrum (the wilds).
The first four marches, from the city to the ditchlands, are known as the termina hominis, “the precincts of man,” and are seen as radiating out from each city in a series of expanding rings. The wilds remain the horridas terrestrum, “the rough (or frightening) lands,” and are all the wide, shapeless places beyond the four rings of the precincts, uncharted and untamed. Of them it can easily be said, “here be monsters.”
marine society institution established to teach children the rudiments of naval life and so prepare them for the ever-needful navy. In a typical marine society, life is divided up into watches, just as it is on a ram or cargo, and for several years, until they reach the age of work, each child is taught ropes and knots; watches and routines; signal sending and reading; hoisting flags; scrubbing, swabbing, holy-stoning and mucking (that is, cleaning); climbing ratlines; recognizing ranks, types of vessels and their descriptions (tabulation); letters (making a marine society child highly prized); simple cosmology (the positions of stars); and reading charts. Extra subjects peculiar to different marine societies might include bastinade (stick-fighting, of which harundo is a part); stowing and setting hammocks; rowing; matter (history); and generalities (geography). Marine societies are run by an owner, or someone appointed by the naval board of that realm. Typically they are staffed with semiretired vinegaroons seeing out the last of their days in continued service to their regent. It is one of the few pension options offered to sailors past their prime, and to get a position at a marine society is considered a great stroke of fortune or Providence.
Marrow, the ~ also called the Würtem-way, among many other names. Just above Clementine is a massive man-made gorge, a huge moat to keep all the terrors of the foul lands beyond from invading Clementine land. It represents the northernmost extent of the Empire, and was started in a time before it even existed. In its early days the Empire took up the work of finishing the Marrow, taking another two hundred years to do so. This required vaults of money and several thousand lives, with laborers lost to accidents, brutal punishments and attacks from the ever-present monsters. The Marrow runs west to east for 1,200 miles from the Foeder Cidës to the Pontus Cadmia (“yellow sea”). At the bottom of this gorge is a clogged, trickling stream that started in a swamp and flowed to nowhere, cutting a groove in the granite plateau. It was along this eroded waterway that the moat was begun, and now the waters of that stream flow from the swamp to the Spout, a collection of pipes protruding from the cliffs along the Pontus Cadmia far away to the east. All along the Marrow are giant fortresses known together as the Ortygometra (“land-rail”) linked by a conduit called the Geometra. These fortresses keep watch on the Empire’s northernmost border, while its pediteers march patrols along the Geometra. Though not very beautiful, the Marrow is recognized as one of civilization’s great wonders, a testament to man’s determination against the monsters, and seeing it is a part of the Grand Tour.
matter the subject in school we would call “history.”
Maudlin said “moord-lin”; a planet and one of the brightest lights in the night sky, having a distinct greenish tinge. The largest planet, it can be seen as a tiny yet definite disk. Away from city lights, you might also spot Maudlin’s largest moon, Jekyll, circling the planet in retrograde orbit (opposite to the direction of orbit of almost all the other planets and moons). Maudlin rises late and so is a mark of the passing of midnight and the approach of morning. She is said to be fleeing Faustus, who chases her each night across the cosmic dome, and so is held as the Signal Star of the suffering, the desired and the desirable.
Meesius said “mee-see-us”; one of Gauldsman Five’s many fitters and a retired vinegaroon who once fell foul of Fransitart and Craumpalin. In the solution of his predicament, Meesius found himself owing them a great debt they have never previously claimed.
mess-kid small wooden pail with high sides for eating food out of.
Messrs. Idby & Adby, Mercantile & Supercargo mercantile company which, having lost one too many oxcarts of goods on the Vestiweg, hired Europe to do her deadly work for it in the Brindleshaws.
Midwich the “middle watch.” See days of the week.
milt the depth of one’s self; the core of one’s soul and convictions, deeper even than the heart.
Misbegotten Schrewd, the ~ average-sized ettin said to haunt the Brindleshaws.
Mole, Battle of the ~ great naval battle near a small navigation island call the Mole. It was fought over thirty years ago between a collection of states including Brandenbrass called the Solemn League and the islands of the Wretchwater and their supporters, the mercenary state of Lombardy and a third mysterious ally. The conflict was one of many over the long-contested rights of use and passage of two bodies of water: the Gullet, the narrow strait between Coursing and the mainland; and the Quimpermeer, that part of the Grume northeast of the Gullet. Strangely, Quimperpund, the state these rights worked against most, though part of the Solemn League, did not send rams to the conflict. This was a profound betrayal, and though the Solemn League won the battle, it resented Quimperpund’s treachery and, so many years later, still do. Fransitart and Craumpalin were both present at the battle, serving on board the eighty-eight guns-broad main-ram, the NB (“Naufustica Branden”) Venerable, with Fransitart directing the fire from the first gun deck, while Craumpalin served at one of the guns and handed out restoratives when there was a lull or a desperate need. That was back in the time before they joined the Boschenberg navy. See the Surprise.
money most currencies of the Empire have three denominations: the billion—the biggest coin, representing the most amount of money; the dollion or dollar—the middle or secondary coin; and finally the common or comma, which is the smallest coin in size and worth. For example, the most used currency is that of the Soutlands, used in almost all interrealm and international transactions. It is divided into:sous (billion) > sequins (dollar) > guise (comma)
= 16 sequins = 20 guise
With the Imperial oscadril it works like this:oscadril (billion) > special (dollar) > commial (comma)
= 14 specials = 18 commials
There are many, many more currencies around the Half-Continent, some left over from pre-Imperial times and still used among locals, especially in more remote or rustic places. It can be very complicated, and money changers have made a very profitable industry out of unraveling the mysteries of currency exchange.
monitor(s) twenty-four to thirty-two guns-broad rivergoing vessels of war, similar to rams in that they have an enclosed gun deck, yet sitting lower in the water. They are ironclad and powered by gastrines. The heavy keel is much reduced in size and the vessels have a much shallower draft to allow for the shallower depths of rivers and shoreline waters. They handle poorly in stormy seas, although this does not prevent them being taken on patrols close to shore. With their shallow draft they can bring their guns to bear alarmingly close to lan
d.
monster(s) also called üntermen, nickers, bogles, beasties, bugaboos, baskets, sprigs, kraulschwimmen, nadderers, nasties and many other names; any creature not considered human or a dumb animal. The most basic division is into two:♦ Incolids: the natural, native monsters, which are thought of as forces of nature, a physical expression of nature defending itself.
♦ Homonculids: the man-made monsters (gudgeons), which are considered perversions of nature, certainly by monsters themselves, and by most people as well.
What distinguishes a monster from a person is that it is often more grotesque, bent, disproportioned (this is a human perspective, of course), possessing claws and fangs and spines and a murderous intent to kill people. What makes monsters different from the dumb animals that walk the earth is harder to define, although it is agreed by most scholars of the Half-Continent that clear rational intelligence and the capacity to speak (even the rudimentary gruntings of the dumbest ettin) are the most important difference. For nickers (land monsters) it is also agreed that a common difference is that many nickers walk about on two legs and have two (or more) arms. This is not absolute, however. For nadderers (or sea-monsters) it is generally their cleverness and cunning and their enormous size that distinguish them from the fishes, the sharks and the whales. No one knows where the monsters came from, but for as long as history records, humankind has been locked in a war with them—the Hyadthningarvig or Luctamens Immensum or the Immerwar—the Everlasting Struggle, not just in the Half-Continent but all the world over. As humans seek to expand their empire, their grip and control of the land, so the monsters resist them, plaguing and spoiling. Yet monsters find it hard to live where men have gained control, and the more people living in one place the fewer monsters there will be, although there are always some. This makes the cities the safest places for people to dwell, and from them everymen wage their side of the war. There are rumors of some realms that live in understanding or even cooperation with the monsters, but this is unthinkable for those dwelling in the Half-Continent; such a thing would be the act of vile sedorners (monster-lovers) and a crime against humankind. No one knows absolutely where monsters come from. Old histories say that there have been many—urchins, the false-gods, many nuglungs and kraulschwimmen—who have been in existence since before humankind. These they call the primmlings (“the first”). However, it is known too that new monsters keep appearing, made after this prehistoric time. Theories abound as to where they come from. Probably the most unusual is found in the Vadè Chemica, which suggests that they are knit together in mud and slime made fertile by threwd and the sun’s warmth. Habilists name this hot threwdish mud “gravidia lutumi” (“pregnant slime”) and theorize that the stronger the threwd is in a place and the muddier it is, the more likely that place is to spawn monsters. This whole process is known as spontaneous self-generation, and monsters who are born in such a way are called sprosslings (“born ones”). See nuglung, glamgorn, nicker, kraulschwimmen, bogle and gudgeon.
monster-blood tattoo also cruorpunxis; tattoos given to someone who has just slain a monster, and made with some of the siphoned blood of that same monster. Once pricked into the skin, the monster’s blood reacts strangely with everyman blood, causing a quickly festering, throbbing sore that eventually sloughs off its scab to reveal permanently port-red to blood-brown marks beneath. These tattoos are usually a highly stylized face based on the bogle the person slew. Those who make a profession of marking tattoos in monster blood and making spoors are called punctographists. The best punctographists—those who make the most impressive images and do it with the least pain—earn themselves a comfortable living. A decent cruorpunxis, say about two inches by two inches, will set you back about two sous. Punctographists are most likely to be found in busy rural centers where monsters haunt the lands about, and in cities where wealth and fashion keep them in demand. Saved monster blood (called cruor or sometimes ichor) will remain usable for a little over a day before congealing. Kept cool and hidden, it can last for almost three days. This gives the victorious pugnator a little time after slaying the nicker to bottle its blood and make for the nearest major town to get a tattoo.
monster-hunters those whose work it is to defend the realm of humans against the realm of monsters. See teratologists.
monster-lover being of such a disposition is a terrible crime. See sedorner.
months of the year there are 16 months in the Half-Continent year, most of 23 days, with 3 having 22 days. This means that there are 4 months in each season. For summer there is Calor (22 days), Estor (23 days), Prior (23) and Lux (23). For autumn there is Pilium (23), Cachrys (23), Lirium (23) and Pulchrys (23). For winter there is Brumis (22), Pulvis (23), Heimio (23) and Herse (23). For spring there is Orio (23), Unxis (23), Icteris (23) and Narcis (22). The year always ends with a day to spare, Lestwich, the last day of the year. This means that the new year always starts on a Newich, and therefore the dates of the year always fall on the same days year in, year out. Farmers, fishermen and other folk working by the seasons and the evolutions of the moon like this calendar a lot: its predictability makes their lives that little bit simpler. See days of the week and Appendix 1.
morbidity putrefaction or bacterial breakdown and decay.
Mortar, the ~ suburb in Boschenberg famous for its proofing.
mottle patterns and colors of allegiance shown on clothes, harness, flags, baldrics and other sashes and ribbons. Every state, realm or organization has its own mottle, a distinctive combination of two or more colors (or tinctures) arranged in immediately recognizable patterns. Tinctures have definite meanings and are used accordingly. For example, the colors of the Empire are rouge and cadmia with leuc (red and yellow with white), meaning “justice, honor, wisdom”; the mottle of Boschenberg ocher and sable (brown and black), meaning “hardiness and wisdom (shrewdness)”; Brandenbrass sable and leuc (black and white), meaning “wisdom and integrity.” The following list shows the colors used in mottle, their proper or technical name, positive meaning and negative meaning:♦ white: leuc, argent—wisdom, integrity, chastity, joy—death, fear
♦ yellow: cadmia, or—understanding, honor—cowardice, mendacity
♦ orange: orot, orange—courage, determination—betrayal, perfidy
♦ red: rouge, gules—eagerness, justice—blood, destruction
♦ pink:geranium,carman—merriness,humanity,ruth—fainthearted-ness, gluttony
♦ purple: orient, brawn—majesty, fortitude, discretion—false hope, madness
♦ deep blue: prüs, cobalt—steadfastness, constancy—oblivion, frustration
♦ light blue: celest, azure—peace, prudence—poison, confusion
♦ green: chloris, vert—freedom, hope, health—disease, jealousy
♦ brown: ocher, tan—nature, hardiness—excrement, dim-wittedness
♦ deep brown: mole, sepia—honesty, antiquity—irascibility, decay
♦ black: sable, nycht—mourning, wisdom, shrewdness—cunning, death.
When flying flags, negative meanings are shown by hoisting a pure black strip (the black rider) beneath them. For example, a fortress succumbing to the effects of threwd might fly an orient (purple) flag with a “black rider” to show that the place is overcome with madness. By using the same device, one could pass insults to an enemy across the field of war.You can say a lot with colors.
muck hill pile of poo.
mules square-heeled slipper with no heel piece or quarters; any flat-heeled, soft shoe that is fastened to the foot and leg with ribbons.
Mullhaven, the ~ harbor and roads (safe anchorage) before High Vesting. Its name is Hergott for “sandy harbor.”
musket see flintlock musket.
musketeer foot soldier or pediteer wearing half-harness of a weskit with platoon-coat and a thrice-high; his main weapon is the musket fixed with bayonet. Designated medium infantry. See pediteer and harness.
N
Naimes said “naymz”; moderately large Soutland city-state found i
n the southwestern corner of a fertile farming region known as the Villene (said “vill-enn”), a region inland of Frestonia. Naimes has grown rich on the trade of timber, meat and certain semiprecious metals and gems. Being pinched, however, between the great powers of Haquetaine, Maine, Westoverin and Castoria has limited its growth. Its regent, the Duchess of Naimes, has suffered no little embarrassment at the wayward behavior of her daughter, her only child and heiress.
nasties one of the many euphemisms for monsters.
nativity patent official document that declares the place and time of birth and bears an official seal and signatures. The record of all the places a person might live and any citizenship he or she might be granted is also recorded on a nativity patent.Without one, it is hard for a person to establish his or her identity and almost impossible to get decent work or even be allowed into most cities.
navy unlike standing armies, the states of the Empire are allowed to have navies as big as they can afford them to be, and so the states do just that. These standing navies are known as fleets-in-being and serving in them is the single most common occupation, with only the merchant marine coming anywhere near as close (after this comes serving the bureaucracies of the Empire). Navies are mostly made up of rams, which are massive ironclad vessels of war. These are employed for various integral tasks:♦ landguarde = coastal patrols and guarding the integrity of maritime boundaries.
♦ ward-marchant = protection of cargoes and the like, often in convoy.
♦ marquelin = privateering and execution of letters of marque (government-granted right to do the work of a pirate).
♦ line-of-fleet = operating in battle fleets and squadrons.
♦ kraultrekker = on the prowl for kraulschwimmen and other sea-monsters , to drive them away from ports and cargo lanes.
♦ main-surveyor = exploration, charting and reconnaissance: spying, basically.
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