Starman

by Sara Douglass

  BALDWIN, SOL: commander of the garrison at Sigholt.

  BANES: the religious leaders of the Avar people. They wield magic, although it is usually of the minor variety.

  BARROWS, The Ancient: burial places of the ancient Enchanter-Talons of the Icarii people. Located in southern Arcness.

  BARSARBE: senior Bane of the Avar people.

  BATTLEAXE, The: once the leader of the Axe-Wielders, he was appointed by the Brother-Leader for his loyalty to the Seneschal, his devotion to Artor the Ploughman and the Way of the Plough, and his skills as a military commander. The post of BattleAxe was last held by Axis. See ‘Axe-Wielders’.

  BEDWYR FORT: a fort that sits on the lower reaches of the River Nordra and guards the entrance to Grail Lake from Nordmuth. It was the site of the major battle between Axis and Borneheld.

  BELAGUEZ: Axis’ war horse.

  BELIAL: lieutenant and second-in-command in Axis’ army. Long-time friend and supporter of Axis SunSoar, now Prince Belial of the territories of western Tencendor. Married to Cazna, daughter of Prince Ysgryff.

  BELTIDE: see ‘Festivals’.

  BLUEWING EVERSOAR: an Icarii farflight scout in the Strike Force.

  BOGLE MARSH: a large and inhospitable marsh in eastern Arcness. Strange creatures are said to live in the Marsh.

  BOOK OF FIELD AND FURROW: the religious text of the Seneschal, who taught that Artor himself wrote it and presented it to mankind.

  BORNEHELD: Duke of Ichtar and King of Achar. Son of the Princess Rivkah and her husband, Duke Searlas, half-brother to Axis, and husband of Faraday of Skarabost. After murdering his uncle, Priam, Borneheld assumed the throne of Achar. Now dead.

  BOROLEAS: an elderly Brother within the Seneschal. Now exiled.

  BRACKEN RANGES, The: a low and narrow mountain range that divides Arcness and Skarabost.

  BRACKEN, River: the river that rises in the Bracken Ranges and which, dividing the provinces of Skarabost and Arcness, flows into the Widowmaker Sea.

  BRADOKE: a senior lieutenant within Axis’ forces.

  BRIGHTFEATHER: wife to RavenCrest SunSoar, Talon of the Icarii.

  BRIGHT SOULS: creatures mentioned by the Prophecy of the Destroyer.

  BRIGHTSTAR FEATHERNEST: an Icarii Enchanter.

  BRODE: an Avar man, Clan Leader of the SilentWalk Clan.

  BROTHER-LEADER: the supreme leader of the Brotherhood of the Seneschal. Usually elected by the senior Brothers, the Office of Brother-Leader was for life. He was a powerful man, controlling not only the Brotherhood and all its riches, but the Axe-Wielders as well. The last Brother-Leader of the Seneschal was Jayme.

  BURDEL, EARL: one-time lord of Arcness and friend to Borneheld, Duke of Ichtar and King of Achar. Executed by Axis for crimes against the people of Skarabost.

  CAELUM: eldest son of Axis and Azhure, born at Yuletide. Caelum is an ancient word meaning ‘Stars in Heaven’.

  CARLON: main city of Tencendor and one-time residence of the kings of Achar. Situated on Grail Lake.

  CAULDRON LAKE: the lake at the centre of the Silent Woman Woods.

  CAZNA: daughter of Prince Ysgryff of Nor, cousin of Azhure, and wife to Belial.

  CHAMBER OF THE MOONS: chief audience and sometime banquet chamber of the royal palace in Carlon.

  CHAMPION, A: occasionally an Acharite warrior will pledge himself as a noble lady’s Champion. The relationship is purely platonic and is one of protection and support. The pledge of a Champion can be broken only by his death or by the express wish of his lady.

  CHARONITES: a little-known race of Tencendor, they now inhabit the UnderWorld.

  CHATTERLINGS, The: curious creatures found in the Murkle Mountain mines.

  CIRCLE OF STARS, The: see ‘Enchantress’ Ring’.

  CLANS, The: the Avar tend to segregate into Clan groups, roughly equivalent to family groups.

  CLOUDBURST SUNSOAR: younger brother and assassin of WolfStar SunSoar.

  COHORT: see ‘Military Terms’.

  COROLEAS: the great empire to the south of Tencendor. Relations between the two countries are usually cordial.

  CREST: Icarii military unit composed of twelve Wings.

  CRIAH: an Avar woman from the FlatRock Clan.

  CRIMSONCREST: an Icarii male.

  CREST-LEADER: commander of an Icarii Crest.

  CULPEPPER FENWICKE: mayor of the city of Arcen in Arcness.

  DANCE OF DEATH, The: dark star music that is the counterpoint to the Star Dance. It is the music made when stars miss their step and crash into each other, or swell up into red giants and implode. Very few Enchanters can wield this Dark Music—the Dark Man can, as can Gorgrael and, on occasion, Azhure.

  DARK MAN, The: Gorgrael’s mentor. Also known as Dear Man.

  DEAR MAN: see Dark Man.

  DESTROYER, The: another term for Gorgrael.

  DEWES, SYMONDS: a sheeptrader from Arcen.

  DISTANCES:

  League: roughly seven kilometres, or four and a half miles.

  Pace: roughly one metre or one yard.

  Handspan: roughly twenty centimetres or eight inches.

  DOBO: a Ravensbund warrior. Now dead.

  DOME OF THE MOON: a sacred dome dedicated to the Moon on Temple Mount of the Island of Mist and Memory. Only the First Priestess has access to it, and it was in this Dome that Niah conceived Azhure.

  DRAGONSTAR SUNSOAR: second son of Axis and Azhure. Twin brother to RiverStar. (Also known as Drago.)

  DRIFTSTAR SUNSOAR: grandmother to StarDrifter, mother of MorningStar. An Enchanter and a SunSoar in her own right and wife to the SunSoar Talon. She died three hundred years before the events of the Prophecy of the Destroyer.

  DRU-BEORH: a merchant.

  EARTH TREE: a sacred tree to both the Icarii and the Avar.

  EARTH TREE GROVE: the grove holding the Earth Tree in the northern Avarinheim where it borders the Icescarp Alps. It is the most important of the Avarinheim groves and is where the Avar (sometimes in concert with the Icarii) hold their gatherings and religious rites.

  EDOWES: a soldier from Arne’s unit in Axis’ force.

  EGERLEY: a young man from Smyrton.

  ELIEN: an Avar woman from the FlatRock Clan.

  EMBETH, Lady of Tare: the widow of Ganelon of Tare, mother of Timozel, and good friend and once lover to Axis.

  ENCHANTRESS, The: the first of the Icarii Enchanters, the first Icarii to discover the way to use the power of the Star Dance. The Icarii revere her memory. This title is now occasionally given to Azhure.

  ENCHANTRESS’ RING, The: an ancient ring once in the possession of the Enchantress, now worn by Azhure. Its proper name is the Circle of Stars, and it is intimately connected with the Star Gods.

  ENCHANTERS: the magicians of the Icarii people. Many of them are very powerful. All Enchanters have the word ‘Star’ somewhere in their names.

  ENCHANTER-TALONS: Talons of the Icarii people who are also Enchanters.

  EVENSONG: daughter of Rivkah and StarDrifter SunSoar, sister to Axis and wife to FreeFall SunSoar.

  FAIREYE: an Icarii birdwoman, a member of the Strike Force.

  FARADAY: daughter of Earl Isend of Skarabost and his wife, Lady Merlion. Once wife to Borneheld and Queen of Achar, Faraday now wanders as Tree Friend.

  FARSIGHT CUTSPUR: the senior Crest-Leader of the Icarii StrikeForce.

  FEATHERFLIGHT BRIGHTWING: a Wing-Leader in the Icarii Strike Force.

  FERNBRAKE LAKE: the large lake in the centre of the Bracken Ranges. Also known by both the Avar and the Icarii as the Mother.

  FERRYMAN, The: the Charonite who plies the ferry of the UnderWorld. His name is Orr. Orr is one of the Lesser.

  FESTIVALS of the Avar and the Icarii:

  Yuletide: winter solstice, in the last week of Snow-month.

  Beltide: spring Festival, the first day of Flower-month. Fire-Night: summer solstice, in the last week of Rose-month.

  FINGUS: a previous BattleAxe. Now dead.

  FINNIS: a displac
ed Plough-Keeper.

  FIRE-NIGHT, The: see ‘Festivals’.

  FIRST, The: First Priestess of the Order of the Stars, the order of nine priestesses on Temple Mount. The First, like all priestesses of the Order, gave up her name on taking her vows. Niah of Nor once held this office.

  FIVE FAMILIES, The First: the leading families of the newly created Tencendor: led, in turn, by Prince Belial, Prince Magariz, Prince Ysgryff, Chief Ho’Demi of the Ravensbund people and FreeFall SunSoar.

  FLEAT: an Avar woman.

  FLEURIAN: Baroness of Tarantaise, wife to Greville. She is his second wife, and much younger than him.

  FLULIA: one of the nine Icarii Star Gods, Flulia is the Goddess of Water.

  FLURIA, River: a minor river that flows through Aldeni into the River Nordra.

  FORBIDDEN, The: name the Seneschal gave to the Avar and the Icarii. The Seneschal taught that the Forbidden were evil creatures who used magic and sorcery to enslave humans. During the Wars of the Axe, a thousand years before the events of the Prophecy of the Destroyer, the Acharites pushed the Forbidden back beyond the Fortress Ranges into the Shadowsward and the Icescarp Alps. Now the name has largely fallen into disuse.

  FORBIDDEN TERRITORIES, The: the lands of the Forbidden, the Avarinheim and the Icescarp Alps.

  FORBIDDEN VALLEY, The: the only above-ground entrance into the Avarinheim from the plains of Tencendor. It is where the River Nordra escapes the Avarinheim and flows into Achar.

  FOREST, concept of: the Seneschal taught that all forests were bad because they harboured dark demons who plotted the overthrow of mankind, thus most Acharites had (and some still have) a terrible fear of forests and their dark interiors. Almost all of the ancient forest that once covered Achar has been destroyed. The only trees grown in Achar are fruit trees and plantation trees for timber.

  FORTRESS RANGES: the mountains that run down Achar’s eastern boundary from the Icescarp Alps to the Widowmaker Sea. The Avar were penned behind these ranges by the Seneschal and the Axe-Wielders.

  FRANCIS: an elderly Brother from the Retreat in Gorkentown.

  FREEFALL: son of BrightFeather and RavenCrest SunSoar and heir to the Talon throne, husband of EvenSong SunSoar.

  FULBRIGHT: an Acharite engineer in Axis’ force.

  FULKE, BARON: lord of Romsdale under the overlordship of Prince Belial.

  FUNADO: a Ravensbund warrior.

  ‘FURROW WIDE, FURROW DEEP’: an all-embracing Acharite phrase which can be used as a benediction, as a protection against evil, or as a term of greeting. Largely fallen into disuse with the demise of the Seneschal and the Way of the Plough.

  GANELON, LORD: Lord of Tare, once husband to Embeth, Lady of Tare. Now dead.

  GARDEN, The: Garden of the Mother.

  GARLAND, GOODMAN: Goodman of Smyrton.

  GATEKEEPER, The: Keeper of the Gate of Death in the UnderWorld and mother of Zeherah. Her task is to keep tally of the souls who pass through the Gate. She is one of the Lesser.

  GAUTIER: once lieutenant to Borneheld. Now dead.

  GHOSTMEN: a term used for the Skraelings in the Prophecy of the Destroyer.

  GHOSTTREE CLAN: one of the Avar Clans, headed by Grindle.

  GILBERT: Brother of the Seneschal; once assistant and adviser to the Brother-Leader.

  GOLDFEATHER: the name that Rivkah adopted when she joined the Icarii after Axis’ supposed death at birth. She abandoned the adopted name of GoldFeather and resumed her birth-name at the request of Orr, the Charonite Ferryman.

  GOVERNOR OF THE EAST: a position created by Axis when he reforged Tencendor and given to Azhure. The Governor of the East is a somewhat temporary office, necessitated by the fact that the old lords of eastern Achar died or were exiled during Axis’ march south.

  GORGRAEL: the Destroyer, half-brother to Axis, sharing the same father, StarDrifter. Gorgrael seeks to conquer the southern lands. He is a proficient wielder of the Dance of Death, the Dark Music that is the counterpoint to the Star Dance.

  GORKENFORT: the major fort situated in Gorken Pass in northern Ichtar. Now deserted.

  GORKEN PASS: the narrow pass sixty leagues long that provides the only way from Ravensbund into Ichtar. It is bounded by the Icescarp Alps and the River Andakilsa.

  GORKENTOWN: the town that huddles about the walls of Gorkenfort. Destroyed during the initial invasion of the Skraeling army.

  GRAIL LAKE: a massive lake at the lower reaches of the River Nordra. On its shores are Carlon and the Tower of the Seneschal.

  GREATER, The: the nine Star Gods.

  GREVILLE, BARON: lord of Tarantaise.

  GRINDLE: an Avar man, head of the GhostTree Clan.

  GRYPHON: a legendary flying creature of Tencendor, intelligent, vicious and courageous. They were particularly deadly to the Icarii and it took the Icarii many hundreds of years to exterminate them. Now recreated by the Dark Man and Gorgrael. Such was the dark magic worked into their creation that they are born pregnant, and whelp nine pups some four months after birth. All their pups are born pregnant…and so on.

  GUNDEALGA FORD: a wide shallow ford on the Nordra, just south of the Urqhart Hills.

  HAGEN: once Plough-Keeper of Smyrton, husband to Niah, and stepfather to Azhure. Hagen died during a struggle with Azhure.

  HANDSPAN: see ‘Distances’.

  HANORI: a Ravensbund elder.

  HELM: a young Avar male.

  HESKETH: captain of the palace guard in Carlon. Lover to Yr.

  HO’DEMI: the Chief of the Ravensbund people.

  HOGNI: a young Avar female.

  HORDLEY, GOODMAN: Goodman of Smyrton, senior man of the village.

  HORNED ONES: the almost divine and most sacred members of the Avar race. They live in the Sacred Grove.

  HOVEREYE BLACKWING: an Icarii Crest-Leader.

  HSINGARD: the large town situated in central Ichtar, once seat of the Dukes of Ichtar, now totally destroyed by Skraelings.

  ICARII, The: a race of winged people, living in the Icescarp Alps. They are sometimes referred to as the People of the Wing.

  ICEBEAR COAST: the hundred-league-long coast that stretches from the DeadWood Forest in north-western Ravensbund to the frozen Tundra above the Avarinheim. It is very remote, and very beautiful.

  ICESCARP ALPS: the great mountain range that stretches across most of northern Achar. It is home to the Icarii.

  ICESCARP BARREN: a desolate tract of land situated in northern Ichtar between the Icescarp Alps and the Urqhart Hills.

  ICEWORMS: potent creations of Gorgrael. Fashioned from ice and snow and shaped somewhat like worms, from whence they got their names, these massive creatures carry Skraelings in their bellies. Rising twenty or thirty paces above men or walls, the IceWorms can then vomit their cargo behind both lines and walls. They were instrumental in the downfall of Gorkentown.

  ICHTAR, DUKES of: once cruel lords of Ichtar, the line died with Borneheld.

  ICHTAR, The Province of: the largest and richest of the provinces of Achar. Ichtar derives its wealth from its extensive grazing herds and from its mineral and precious gem mines. Now given to Prince Magariz by Axis.

  ICHTAR, River: a minor river that flows through Ichtar into the River Azle.

  IGREN FENWICKE: wife to the mayor of Arcen, Culpepper Fenwicke.

  ILFRACOOMBE: the manor house of the Earl of Skarabost, the home where Faraday grew up.

  IMIBE: a Ravensbundwoman, sometime nurse to Caelum.

  INARI: a Ravensbund warrior.

  IN’MARI: a Ravensbund woman, daughter of Ho’Demi and Sa’Kuya, and married to Izanagi.

  ISEND, EARL: once lord of Skarabost, a darkly handsome but somewhat dandified lord. Father to Faraday. Isend now lives in exile.

  ISFRAEL: a baby boy, a gift.

  ISLAND OF MIST AND MEMORY: one of the sacred sites of the Icarii people, once known as Pirate’s Nest.

  IZANAGI: a Ravensbund warrior, married to Ho’Demi’s daughter In’Mari.

  JACK: senior among the Senti
nels.

  JAYME: one-time Brother-Leader of the Seneschal.

  JERVOIS LANDING: the small town on Tailem Bend of the River Nordra. The gateway into Ichtar.

  JORGE, EARL: Earl of Avonsdale, and one of the most experienced military campaigners in Achar.