She turned and left.
With a tinkling clatter of beads, Meiran walked out into the crisp, cold darkness of night. She closed her eyes, breathing in the foul stench of coal smoke and ash. Overhead, turbulent clouds raced across the vast expanse of sky, lights flickering deep within their depths.
This was the Black Lands.
Not her lands.
She owed these people nothing.
THE END
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Glossary
acolyte: apprentice mage who has passed the Trial of Consideration and sworn the Acolyte’s Oath.
Acolyte’s Oath: first vow taken by every acolyte of Aerysius to serve the land and its people, symbolized by a chain-like marking on the left wrist.
Aerysius: ancient city where the Masters of Aerysius once dwelt. Destroyed when Aiden Lauchlin unsealed the Well of Tears.
Alt: God of the Wilds.
Amani: daughter of Zavier Renquist and wife of Braden Reis who was executed for treason against the Assembly of the Lyceum. (deceased)
Amberlie: town in the Vale below Aerysius.
Anassis, Myria: ancient Querer of the Lyceum, now a Servant of Xerys.
Archer, Gilroy: son of Kyel and Amelia Archer.
Archer, Kyel: sixth tier grand master of the Order of Sentinels.
Arman, Nashir: ancient Battlemage and Servant of Xerys.
Arms Guild: institution for the study of blademastery. Also called the School of Arms.
artifact: heirloom of power that has been imbued with magical characters or properties.
Asyaadi Clan: group of kinsfolk who live in the village of Qul in the Black Lands.
Athera: Goddess of Magic.
Athera’s Crescent: Mysterious and ancient artifact on the Isle of Titherry.
Atrament: the realm of Death, ruled by the goddess Isap.
Auberdale: capital city of Chamsbrey.
Azár ni Suam: Lightweaver of the Asyaadi Clan.
Battle of Meridan: infamous battle in which the Enemy was turned back in large part due to the efforts of the Sentinels.
Battlemage: ancient order of mages who accompanied armies into battle before the Oath of Harmony.
Black Lands: what was once Caladorn, now the desecrated home of the Enemy.
blademaster: title awarded to graduates of the School of Arms, or Arms Guild.
Black Solstice: The battle that ended the Fifth Invasion, when Darien Lauchlin destroyed the legions of the Enemy.
Bloodquest: ancient rite of vengeance condoned by the goddess Isap for righteous causes.
Bluecloaks: slang for the Rothscard City Guard.
Book of the Dead: ancient text wherein the Strictures of Death are inscribed.
Bound: describes a mage who has sworn the Oath of Harmony.
Bryn Calazar: ancient capital of Caladorn.
Cadmus: Voice of the High Priest of Wisdom.
Caladorn: fallen nation to the north, now known as the Black Lands.
caravansary: in the Black Lands, a large courtyard with attached rooms built for the purposes of accommodating caravans resting overnight.
Catacombs: place of burial that exists partly in the Atrament.
Cerulian Plains: large grassland region in the North of the Rhen.
Chamsbrey: Northern kingdom ruled by Godfrey Faukravar.
Chapel of Nimrue: A temple in Glen Farquist where the Conclave of Temples meets.
Circles of Convergence: ancient foci of magic designed to draw on the vast power of a vortex.
clan: in the Black Lands, a kin-based group of close, interrelated families.
Clemley, Sephana: ancient Prime Warden of Aerysius and lover of Braden Reis. (deceased)
Conclave: Council formed by the vicars of the Holy Temples that decides religious policy.
Connel, Byron: ancient Battlemage of the Lyceum, now a Servant of Xerys.
Craghorns: mountains that border the Vale of Amberlie.
Craig, Devlin: Force Commander of Greystone Keep.
Curse, the: term used to describe the darkening of the skies and earth of the Black Lands, as well as for the unusual weather patterns and electrical storms experienced in the region.
dampen: to shield a mage from sensing the magic field.
damper: an object that has the ability to dampen a mage from sensing the magic field.
darkmage: a mage who has abandoned moral principles.
Death’s Passage: see Catacombs.
Desecration, the: the apocalyptic event that destroyed Caladorn by blackening the skies and the earth.
Deshari: Goddess of Grief.
Desmond, Carol: priest of Death.
Dreia: Goddess of the Vine.
Eight, the: the Eight Servants of Xerys.
Emmery: Northern kingdom of the Rhen.
Emmery Palace: the queen’s palace in Rothscard.
Enana: Goddess of the Hearth.
Enemy, the: collective name for the inhabitants of the Black Lands.
Esvir: wife of Haleem.
eye: area at the heart of a vortex where the lines of the magic field run almost parallel.
Fareen son of Mohsen: man of the village of Qul, cousin of Azár.
Faukravar, Godfrey: King of Chamsbrey.
field lines: currents of the magic field.
First Sentinel, the: see Braden Reis.
Front, the: area bordering the Black Lands.
gateway: portal to the Netherworld.
Ghost Waste, the: desert in the Black Lands where the Spirits of the Wild are said to roam. Formerly known as the Dhural Uplands.
Glen Farquist: holy city in the Valley of the Gods.
Goddess of the Eternal Requiem: statue of an aspect of the Goddess of Death; her face of Righteous Vengeance.
Grand Master: any Master of the forth tier or higher.
Great Schism: separation between the Assemblies of mages and the ruling bodies of the temples.
Greystone Keep: legendary fortress in the Pass of Lor-Gamorth that fell during the Fifth Invasion.
Haleem: caravan master in the Black Lands.
Hall of the Watchers: Fallen stronghold of the mages of Aerysius, where existed Aerysius’s Circle of Convergence.
Hannah, Arden: ancient Querer and former Servant of Xerys. (deceased)
Hellpower: see Onslaught.
High Priest: title of the religious leader of one of the ten Holy Temples.
Ironguard Pass: passage from the Black Lands into the Rhen created by Aiden Lauchlin.
Ibri: port village on the River Nym in the Black Lands.
Isap: Goddess of Death.
Ishara: border town in the Black Lands, in the region once known as Skara.
Jenn: nomadic people of the Cerulian Plains, remnants of an ancient Caladornian horse culture.
Kateem, Khoresh: infamous Emperor who united all of Caladorn under a singular rule before the Desecration.
Khazahar Desert: arid region in the Black Lands that was once an expansive grassland.
Krane, Cyrus: ancient Prime Warden of Aerysius, now a Servant of Xerys.
Lauchlin, Aidan: firstborn son of Gerald and Emelda Lauchlin who unsealed the Well of Tears. Brother of Darien Lauchlin. (deceased)
; Lauchlin, Darien: former eighth-tier Sentinel and Prime Warden of Aerysius, now a Servant of Xerys.
Lauchlin, Emelda: former Prime Warden of Aerysius. (deceased)
Lauchlin, Gerald: father of Aidan and Darien Lauchlin, forth tier Grand Master of the Order of Sentinels. Executed by ritual immolation during the Battle of Meridan. (deceased)
lightfields: in the Black Lands, places where food is grown using light produced by mages called Lightweavers.
Lightweaver: in the Black Lands, mages who have the ability to produce a color of magelight that mimics the full spectrum of the sun.
Lyceum: ancient stronghold of the Masters of Bryn Calazar.
Mage’s Oath: see Oath of Harmony.
magelight: magical illumination that can be summoned by a mage that takes on the signature color of the mage’s magical legacy.
magic field: source of magical energy that runs in lines of power over the earth.
Maidenclaw: one of the two mountains that mark the entrance to the Black Lands.
Malikar: modern name of the nation that was once Caladorn.
Master: any mage; more specifically, a mage of the first through third tiers.
Meridan: see Battle of Meridan.
nach’tier: Venthic word for darkmage.
Natural Law: law that governs the workings of the universe that can be strained by the application of magic, but never broken.
necrator: demonic creature that renders a mage powerless in its presence.
Netherworld: realm of Xerys, God of Chaos.
node: place where the lines of the magic field come together in parallel direction but opposite in energy and cancel out.
Norengail, Romana: Queen of Emmery.
North, the: the Northern kingdoms of the Rhen, including Emmery, Chamsbrey and Lynnley.
Nym: ancient river in the Black Lands once considered sacred.
Oath of Harmony: oath taken by every Master of Aerysius to do no harm, symbolized by a chain-like marking on the right wrist.
Oblivion: outcome for a soul who is denied entry into both the Atrament and the Netherworld, which results in the complete destruction of that soul and the denial of eternity.
Om: God of Wisdom.
Onslaught: the corrupt power of the Netherworld, also known as the Hellfire.
orders: different schools of magic among the Masters of Aerysius and the Lyceum of Bryn Calazar.
Orguleth: one of the two mountains that mark the entrance to the Black Lands. Also called the Spire of Orguleth.
Orien Oathbreaker: infamous Grand Master who used the Circle of Convergence on Orien’s Finger to turn back the Third Invasion almost single-handedly.
Orien’s Finger: crag on the edge of the Cerulian Plains where Orien Oathbreaker made his stand and where Darien Lauchlin turned back the Fifth Invasion. Formerly known as Xerys’s Pedestal.
Pass of Lor-Gamorth: pass through the Shadowspear Mountains that guards the border of the Black Lands.
Penthos, Luther: High Priest of the Temple of Death.
potential: the ability in a person to sense the magic field.
prime warden: leaders of the Assembly of the Hall of either Aerysius or the Lyceum.
Proctor, Garret: legendary Force Commander of Greystone Keep (deceased)
Qadir, Sareen: ancient Querer and one the Eight Servants of Xerys.
Querers: order of mages chartered with applying the various theories of the magic field, its laws and principles.
Qul: village in the Khazahar Desert in the Black Lands, home of Azár.
Raising: Rite of Transference, during which an acolyte inherits the legacy of power from another mage.
Reis, Braden: ancient Caladornian Battlemage who was executed for treason against the Assembly of the Lyceum. Founder of the Oath of Harmony and the Order of Sentinels. (deceased)
Reis, Quinlan: ancient Arcanist and brother of Braden Reis. One of the Eight Servants of Xerys.
Renquist, Zavier: ancient prime warden of the Lyceum, now a Servant of Xerys.
Rhen: name of the collective kingdoms south of the Black Lands.
Rhenic: common language spoken throughout the kingdoms of the Rhen.
Rothscard: capital city of Emmery.
sakeem: lethal sandstorms that spawn in the deserts of the Black Lands, fomented by the Curse.
School of Arms: see Arms Guild.
Safiye, Katarya: apprentice of Nashir Arman.
Sarik: grand vizier of Bryn Calazar.
Sayeed son of Alborz: Zakai of the Tanisar corps at Tokashi Palace, Chamberlain of Armorers.
Seleni, Naia: former priestess of Death, now a third-tier Master of the Order of Querers.
sensitive: ability in some people to detect the emotions of others. Not dependent on the magic field, and not limited to mages.
Sentinels: order of mages chartered with the defense of the Rhen.
Shadowspears: mountains that separate the Black Lands from the Rhen.
saturation: Battlemage tactic of overloading with magical power in anticipation of creating an enormous discharge of force.
sharaq: ancient system of honor code of the Black Lands.
Silver Star: symbol of the Masters of Aerysius and the Lyceum, indicative of the focus lines of the Circles of Convergence.
Soulstone: ancient artifact created by Quinlan Reis as a storage receptacle for a dying mage’s legacy.
South, the: Southern kingdoms of the Rhen, including Creston, Gandrish, and Farley.
Strictures of Death: laws of Death.
sufan: a type of small satchel or bag common among the clans of Malikar.
Swain, Nigel: prince consort of Emmery, husband of Queen Romana and Guild blademaster.
Tanisar corps: legions of highly disciplined elite infantry units of the Khazahar.
temples: various sects of worship. Each temple is devoted to a particular deity of the pantheon.
thanacryst: demonic creature that feeds off a mage’s legacy.
Thar’gon: magical talisman carried by Byron Connel that is the symbol of the Warden of Battlemages of the Lyceum.
thar’tier: word for Battlemage in Venthic, the language of the Enemy.
tier: additive progression of levels of power among Masters. The higher a Master’s tier, the greater that person’s ability to strain the limits of Natural Law.
Tokashi Palace: fortress in the north of the Black Lands.
transfer portal: ancient system of artifacts capable of transferring a person to various locations.
Transference: process by which an acolyte inherits the legacy of power from another mage, resulting in the death of the Master who gives up his or her ability.
Unbinding: the act of forswearing the Oath of Harmony.
Vale of Amberlie: long, narrow valley in the North of the Rhen.
Valley of the Gods: valley where exists the holy city of Glen Farquist.
Venthic: the language of the Enemy.
Vintgar: ancient ice fortress and source of the River Nym.
vortex: cyclone of power where the lines of the magic field superimpose and become vastly intense.
Well of Tears: well that unlocks the gateway to the Netherworld.
Withersby, Meiran: Prime Warden of Aerysius.
Wolden: town in the Kingdom of Emmery.
Xerys: God of Chaos and Lord of the Netherworld.
Zamir: Lightweaver of the Asyaadi.
Zakai: officers of the Tanisar corps that formed their own distinctive social class.
Zanikar: magical sword and artifact created by Quinlan Reis.
Zephia: Goddess of the Winds.
The Eight Orders of Mages
Order of Arcanists: order of mages chartered with the study and creation of artifacts and heirlooms of power.
Order of Architects: order of mages chartered with the construction of magical infrastructure.
Order of Chancellors: order of mages chartered with the governance of the Assembly.
Order of Empiricists: orde
r of mages chartered with the theoretical study of the magic field, its laws and principles.
Order of Harbingers: order of mages chartered with maintaining watch over Athera’s Crescent.
Order of Naturalists: order of mages chartered with the study of Natural Law.
Order of Querers: order of mages chartered with practical applications of the magic field.
Order of Sentinels: order of mages chartered with watching over and protecting the Rhen in a manner consistent with the Oath of Harmony.
Preview of
DARKRISE
Book Four of
The Rhenwars Saga
Chapter One
Darkening Dawn
The Pass of Lor-Gamorth, The Front
THERE’s A KIND OF PROMISE the dark makes. Kyel Archer thought he remembered it well enough.
He stared up at the ink-black slopes of the Shadowspears, at the ghostly lights that flickered in the rushing clouds. Kyel’s memories of this place were vivid with shadow. The darkness whispered at him from the gullies and ridges, echoed off the high mountain passes. Unfurled before him in the storm-tossed sky. Its vast emptiness raked dread into his heart, feeding his soul with trepidation.
The dark that encased the Shadowspears promised only a legacy of sorrow. After a thousand years of conflict, that’s all it had to give.
Kyel glanced at the gray-cloaked sentries warding the long stair ahead. It was not the same stair he remembered, just as Greystone Keep wasn’t the same fortress. It had evolved. The Pass of Lor-Gamorth had changed a great deal in the past two years.
Below, he could make out the ruins of the old keep, now just a shattered and scorched foundation. The new stronghold lay farther up the ridge, perched high on the cliff. The new keep made better use of the natural defenses of the slopes, half-built and half-carved out of the mountainside itself.
The stairs to the keep were narrow, zig-zagging up the ridge. Kyel felt short of breath before their party was even halfway up; he wasn’t used to the elevation. Or the exercise. At his side, a weary Cadmus panted and gasped, grappling his considerable weight up the treacherous stair. Kyel felt sorry for the layman. Cadmus hadn’t journeyed a step outside the Valley of the Gods in decades.
It took their party long minutes and hundreds of steps to gain the entrance of the fortress: a narrow arch formed from hewn granite that opened up into darkness. A tunnel leading straight back into the heart of the mountain itself.
Darklands (The Rhenwars Saga Book 3) Page 33