The Ships of Merior

by Janny Wurts

  pronounced: mind-earl

  root meaning: minderl- anvil

  MIRALT - port city in northern Camris, Tysan.

  pronounced: meer-alt

  root meaning: m’ier - shore; alt - last

  MIRTHLVAIN SWAMP - boglands filled with dangerous crossbreeds, located south of the Tiriac Mountains in principality of Midhalla, Melhalla. Never left unwatched. Since conquest of the Mistwraith, the appointed guardian was the spellbinder, Verrain.

  pronounced: mirth-el-vain

  root meaning: myrthl - noxious; vain - bog/mud

  MORFETT - Lord Governor Supreme of Etarra at the time the Fellowship sought to restore Rathain’s monarchy following the captivity of the Mistwraith, and during the muster for the war host against Arithon.

  pronounced: more-fet

  no root meaning from the Paravian

  MORRIEL - Prime Enchantress of the Koriathain since the Third Age Year 4212.

  pronounced: more-real

  root meaning: moar - greed; riel - silver

  MORVAIN - city located in the principality of Araethura, Rathain, on the coast of Instrell Bay. Elaira’s birthplace.

  pronounced: more-vain

  root meaning: morvain - swindlers’ market

  NARMS - city on the coast of Instrell Bay, built as a craft centre by men in the early Third Age. Best known for dyeworks.

  pronounced: narms, to rhyme with ‘charms'

  root meaning: narms - colour

  ORLAN - pass through the Thaldein Mountains, also location of the Camris clans’ west outpost, in Camris, Tysan. Known for barbarian raids.

  pronounced: or-lan

  root meaning: irlan - ledge

  ORVANDIR - principality located in northeastern Shand.

  pronounced: or-van-deer

  root meaning: orvein - crumbled; dir - stone

  OSTERMERE - harbour and trade city, once smugglers’ haven, located in Carythwyr, Havish; current seat of Eldir, King of Havish.

  pronounced: os-tur-mere

  root meaning: ostier - brick; miere - reflection

  PARAVIAN - name for the three old races that inhabited Athera before Men. Including the centaurs, the sunchildren, and the unicorns, these races never die unless mishap befalls them; they are the world’s channel, or direct connection to Ath Creator.

  pronounced: par-ai-vee-ans

  root meaning: para - great; i’on - fate or ‘great mystery'

  PARRIEN s’BRYDION - second youngest brother of Duke Bransian of Alestron; older brother of Mearn, younger brother of Keldmar.

  pronounced: par-ee-en

  root meaning: para - great; ient - dart

  PASYVIER - meadows in Korias, Tysan, where clan-blood drifters raise horses.

  pronounced: pass-ee-vee-er

  root meaning: pas’e'vier - hidden little vale

  PERLORN - city in Fallowmere, Rathain on the trade road midway between Etarra and Werpoint.

  pronounced: pur-lorn

  root meaning: perlorn - midpoint

  PESQUIL - Mayor of the Northern League of Head-hunters, at the time of the battle of Strakewood Forest. His strategies cause the Deshir clans the most punishing losses.

  pronounced: pes-quil, like ‘pest quill'

  root meaning not from the Paravian

  PRANDEY - Shandian term for gelded pleasure boy.

  pronounced: pran-dee

  meaning not from the Paravian

  QUAID - trade city in Carithwyr, Tysan; inland along the trade road from Losmar to Redburn. Famous for fired clay and brick.

  pronounced: quaid, to rhyme with ‘staid'

  root meaning: cruaid - a specific form of clay used for brickmaking

  RADMOORE DOWNS - meadowlands in Midhalla, Melhalla.

  pronounced: rad-more

  root meaning: riad - thread; mour - carpet, rug

  RATHAIN - High Kingdom of Athera ruled by descendants of Torbrand s’Ffalenn since Third Age Year One. Sigil: black and silver leopard on green field.

  pronounced: rath-ayn

  root meaning: roth - brother; them - tower, sanctuary

  RAUVEN TOWER- home of the s’Ahelas mages who brought up Arithon s’Ffalenn and trained him to the ways of power. Located on the splinter world, Dascen Elur, through West Gate.

  pronounced: raw-ven

  root meaning: rauven - invocation

  RENWORT - plant native to Athera. A poisonous mash can be brewed from the berries.

  pronounced: ren-wart

  root meaning: renwarin - poison

  RIATHAN PARAVIANS - unicorns, the purest and most direct connection to Ath Creator; the prime vibration channels directly through the horn.

  pronounced: ree-ah-than

  root meaning: ria - to touch; ath - prime life-force; ri’athon - one who touches divinity

  ROCKFELL PIT - deep shaft cut into Rockfell Peak, used to imprison harmful entities throughout all three ages. Located in the principality of West Halla, Melhalla; became the warded prison for Desh-thiere.

  pronounced: rock-fell

  root meaning not from the Paravian

  ROCKFELL VALE - valley below Rockfell Peak, located in principality of West Halla, Melhalla.

  pronounced: rockfell vale

  root meaning not from the Paravian

  s’AHELAS - family name for the royal line appointed by the Fellowship sorcerers in Third Age Year One to rule the High Kingdom of Shand. Gifted geas: farsight.

  pronounced: s’ah-hell-as

  root meaning: ahelas - mage-gifted

  SANPASHIR - desert waste on the southcoast of Shand.

  pronounced: sahn-pash-eer

  root meaning: son - black or dark; pash’era - place of grit or gravel

  SAVRID - merchant brig chartered to transport armed men from Minderl Bay to Merior.

  pronounced: sahv-rid

  root meaning: savrid - thrifty

  s’BRYDION - ruling line of the Dukes of Alestron. The only old blood clansmen to maintain rule of their city through the uprising that defeated the rule of the high kings.

  pronounced: s’bride-ee-on

  root meaning: baridien - tenacity

  SCIMLADE TIP - peninsula at the southeast corner of Alland, Shand.

  pronounced: skim-laid

  root meaning: scimlait - curved knife or scythe

  SEARDLUIN - drake-spawned, vicious, intelligent cat-like predators that roved in packs whose hierarchy was arranged for ruthless and efficient slaughter of other living things. By the middle of the Second Age, they had been battled to extinction.

  pronounced: seerd-lwin

  root meaning: seard - bearded; luin - feline

  SECOND AGE - Marked by the arrival of the Fellowship of Seven at Crater Lake, their called purpose to fight the drake spawn.

  SETHVIR - Sorcerer of the Fellowship of Seven, served as Warden of Althain since the disappearance of the Paravians in the Third Age after the Mistwraith’s conquest.

  pronounced: seth-veer

  root meaning: seth - fact; vaer - keep

  SELKWOOD - forest located in Alland, Shand.

  pronounced: sellk-wood

  root meaning: selk - pattern

  SEVERNIR- river that once ran across the central part of Daon Ramon Barrens, Rathain. Diverted at the source after the Mistwraith’s conquest, to run east into Eltair Bay.

  pronounced: se-ver-neer

  root meaning: sevaer - to travel; nil - south

  s’FFALENN- family name for the royal line appointed by the Fellowship sorcerers in Third Age Year One to rule the High Kingdom of Rathain. Gifted geas: compassion/empathy.

  pronounced: fal-en

  root meaning: ffael - dark, an - one

  s’GANNLEY family name for the line of Earls of the West, who stood as caithdein and stewards for the Kings of Tysan.

  pronounced: gan-lee

  root meaning: gaen - to guide; li - exalted, or in harmony

  SHADDORN - trade city located on the Scimlade peninsula in Alland, Shand.
/>   pronounced: shad-dorn

  root meaning: shaddiern - a type of sea turtle

  SHAND - High Kingdom on the southeast corner of the Paravian continent, originally ruled by the line of s’Ahelas. Device is falcon on a crescent moon, backed by purple and gold chevrons.

  pronounced: shand, as in ‘hand'

  root meaning: shiand - two/pair

  SHANDIAN - refers to nationality, being of the Kingdom of Shand.

  pronounced: shand-ee-an

  root meaning: shand - two

  SHIP’S PORT- town on the coast of Eltair Bay located in West Halla, Melhalla.

  SICKLE BAY - body of water located inside the Scimlade Peninsula in Alland, Shand.

  S’ILESSID - family name for the royal line appointed by the Fellowship sorcerers in Third Age Year One to rule the High Kingdom of Tysan. Gifted geas: justice.

  pronounced: s-ill-ess-id

  root meaning: liessiad - balance

  SITHAER - mythological equivalent of hell, halls of Dharkaron Avenger’s judgement; according to Ath’s adepts, that state of being where the prime vibration is not recognized.

  pronounced: sith-air

  root meaning: sid - lost; thiere - wraith/spirit

  SKYRON FOCUS - large aquamarine focus-stone, used by the Koriani Senior Circle for their major magic after the loss of the Great Waystone during the rebellion.

  pronounced: sky-run

  root meaning: skyron - colloquialism for shackle; s’kyr’i'on - literally ‘sorrowful fate'

  SKYSHIEL - mountain range that runs north to south along the eastern coast of Rathain.

  pronounced: sky-shee-el

  root meaning: skyshia - to pierce through; iel - light/ray

  s’LORNMEIN - family name for the royal line appointed by the Fellowship sorcerers in Third Age Year One to rule the High Kingdom of Havish. Gifted geas: temperance.

  pronounced: s-lorn-main

  root meaning: liernmein - to centre, or restrain, or bring into balance

  SORCERERS’ PRESERVE- warded territory located by Teal’s Gap in Tornir Peaks in Tysan where the Khadrim are kept confined by Fellowship magic.

  STEIVEN - Earl of the North, caithdein and regent to the Kingdom of Rathain at the time of Arithon Teir’s'Ffalenn’s return. Chieftain of the Deshans until his death in the battle of Strakewood Forest. Jieret Red-beard’s father.

  pronounced: stay-vin

  root meaning: striven - stag

  STORM WELL - Gulf of Stormwell, body of water off the northcoast of Tysan.

  STRAKEWOOD - forest in the principality of Deshir, Rathain; site of the battle of Strakewood Forest.

  pronounced: strayk-wood, similar to ‘stray wood'

  root meaning: streik - to quicken, to seed

  SUNCHILDREN - translated term for Athlien Paravians.

  SUN TOWERS - translated term for the Paravian keeps still standing on the site of the ruins of Ithamon in Daon Ramon Barrens, Rathain. See Ithamon.

  s’VALERIENT - family name for the Earls of the North, regents and caithdein for the High Kings of Rathain.

  pronounced: val-er-ee-ent

  root meaning: val - straight; erient - spear

  TAERLIN - southwestern principality of Kingdom of Tysan. Also a lake of that name, Taerlin Waters in the southern spur of Tornir Peaks. Halliron teaches Arithon a ballad of that name, which is of Paravian origin, and which commemorates the First Age slaughter of unicorn herd by Khadrim.

  pronounced: tay-er-lin

  root meaning: taer - calm; lien - to love

  TAERNOND - forest in Ithilt, Rathain.

  pronounced: tear-nond

  root meaning: taer - calm; nond - thicket, copse

  TAL QUORIN - river formed by the confluence of watershed on the southern side of Strakewood, principality of Deshir, Rathain, where traps were laid for Etarra’s army in the battle of Strakewood Forest.

  pronounced: tal quar-in

  root meaning: tal - branch; quorin - canyons

  TAL’S CROSSING - town at the branch in the trade road that leads to Etarra and south, and northeastward to North Ward.

  pronounced: tal to rhyme with ‘pal'

  root meaning: tal - branch

  TALERA s’AHELAS - princess wed to the King of Amroth on the splinter world of Dascen Elur. Mother of Lysaer s’Ilessid, by her husband; mother of Arithon, through her adulterous liaison with the Pirate King of Karthan, Avar s’Ffalenn.

  pronounced: tal-er-a

  root meaning: taleza — branch or fork in a path

  TALITH - Lord Diegan’s sister; betrothed lady of Lysaer s’Ilessid.

  pronounced: tal-ith to rhyme with ‘gal with'

  root meaning: tal - branch; lith - to keep/nurture

  TALLIARTHE - name given to Arithon’s pleasure sloop by Feylind; in Paravian myth, a sea sprite who spirits away maidens who stray too near to the tide mark at twilight.

  pronounced: tal-ee-arth

  root meaning: tal - branch; li - exalted, in harmony; araithe - to disperse or to send

  TASHAN - Elder on Maenalle’s clan council, present at the raid on the Pass of Orlan.

  pronounced: tash-an

  root meaning: tash - swift, quick; an - one

  TEAL’s GAP - pass in the northern spur of Tornir Peaks in Tysan, which passes through the Sorcerers’ Preserve.

  pronounced: teel’s gap

  root meaning: tielle - ravine

  TEIR - title fixed to a name denoting heirship.

  pronounced: tay-er

  root meaning: teir’s - ‘successor to power'

  TELMANDIR - mined city that once was the seat of the High Kings of Havish. Located in the principality of Lithmere, Havish.

  pronounced: tell-man-deer

  root meaning: telman’en - leaning; dir- rock

  TELZEN - city on the coast of Alland, Shand, renowned for its lumber and saw millworks.

  pronounced: tell-zen

  root meaning: tielsen - to saw wood

  THALDEINS - mountain range that borders the principality of Camris, Tysan, to the east. Site of the Camris clans’ west outpost. Site of the raid at the Pass of Orlan.

  pronounced: thall-dayn

  root meaning: thal - head; dein - bird

  THARIDOR - trade city on the shores of Instrell Bay in Melhalla.

  pronounced: thar-i-door

  root meaning: tier’i'dur - keep of stone

  THARRICK - captain of the guard in the city of Alestron assigned charge of the duke’s secret armoury.

  pronounced: thar-rick

  root meaning: thierik - unkind twist of fate

  THIRD AGE - marked by the Fellowship’s sealing of the compact with the Paravian races, and the arrival of Men to Athera.

  TIENELLE - high altitude herb valued by mages for its mind-expanding properties. Highly toxic. No antidote. The leaves, dried and smoked, are most potent. To weaken its powerful side effects and allow safer access to its vision, Koriani enchantresses boil the flowers then soak tobacco leaves with the brew.

  pronounced: tee-an-ell-e ('e’ mostly subliminal)

  root meaning: tien - dream; iel - light/ray

  TIRANS - trade city in East Halla, Melhalla.

  pronounced: tee-rans

  root meaning: tier - to hold fast, to keep, to covet

  TIRIACS - mountain range to the north of Mirthlvain Swamp, located in the principality of Midhalla, Kingdom of Melhalla.

  pronounced: tie-ree-axe

  root meaning: tieriach - alloy of metals

  TORBRAND s’FFALENN - founder of the s’Ffalenn line appointed by the Fellowship of Seven to rule the High Kingdom of Rathain in Third Age Year One.

  pronounced: tor-brand

  root meaning: tor - sharp, keen; brand - temper

  TORNIR PEAKS - mountain range on western border of the principality of Camris, Tysan. Northern half is actively volcanic, and there the last surviving packs of Khadrim are kept under ward.

  pronounced: tor-neer.

  root mea
ning: tor - sharp, keen; nier - tooth

  TRAITHE - Sorcerer of the Fellowship of Seven. Solely responsible for the closing of South Gate to deny further entry to the Mistwraith. Traithe lost most of his faculties in the process, and was left with a limp. Since it is not known whether he can make the transfer into discorporate existence with his powers impaired, he has retained his physical body.

  pronounced: tray-the

  root meaning: traithe - gentleness

  TYSAN - one of the Five High Kingdoms of Athera, as defined by the charters of the Fellowship of Seven. Ruled by the s’Ilessid royal line. Sigil: gold star on blue field.

  pronounced: tie-san

  root meaning: tiasen - rich

  VALENDALE - river arising in the Pass of Orlan in the Thaldein Mountains, in the principality of Atainia, Tysan.

  pronounced: val-en-dale

  root meaning: valen - braided; dale - foam

  VALENFORD - a city located in Taerlin, Tysan.

  pronounced: val-en-ford

  root meaning: valen - braided

  VALLEYGAP - pass on the trade road between Etarra and Perlorn in the Kingdom of Rathain known for shale slides and raids.

  VALSTEYN - river which springs from the Mathorn Mountains in Rathain, and which crosses the Plain of Araithe.

  pronounced: val-stain

  root meaning: valsteyne - to meander

  VASTMARK - principality located in southwestern Shand. Highly mountainous and not served by trade roads. Its coasts are renowned for shipwrecks. Inhabited by nomadic shepherds and wyverns, non-firebreathing, smaller relatives of Khadrim.