by Kat Ross
Ecclesia. The popular assembly of Delphi. Open to all male citizens over the age of twenty. Elects the Archons and votes on matters of law and justice.
Elemental magic. The direct manipulation of earth, air or water. Fire is the fourth element, but has unstable properties that cannot be worked by most daēvas.
Empire. A land reached through gates in the Dominion, it is a mirror world of Solis and Nocturne in many ways. Nazafareen and Darius come from the Empire. It is the setting of the Fourth Element Trilogy.
Faravahar. The symbol of the Prophet, revered by the Persians. Its form is an eagle with outstretched wings.
Gale. The impassable line of storms created to imprison the Avas Vatras in the Kiln.
Gate. A permanent passage into the Dominion. Temporary gates can also be opened with a talisman.
Gorgon-e Gaz. The prison on the shore of the Salenian Sea where the oldest daēvas were held by the Empire. Victor Dessarian spent two centuries within its walls before escaping.
Great Green. What the Marakai call the collective oceans.
Hammu. A giant carp that causes undersea earthquakes and tsunamis. Worshipped by the Jengu Marakai.
Infirmity. Called the Druj Curse in the Empire, it is the physical disability caused to daēvas by the bonding process.
Khaf-hor. Giant fanged eel with slimy, viscous skin. Worshipped by the Nyx Marakai.
Kiln. The vast, trackless desert beyond the Gale where the sun sits at high noon. The prison of the Avas Vatras.
Lacuna. The period of true night that descends when all three of Nocturne’s moons are hidden. The timing of the lacuna varies from seconds to an hour or more depending on the lunar cycle.
Maenads. Followers of the Cult of Dionysius. They fight with staffs and are impervious to fire.
Magi. Persian priests who follow the Way of the Flame.
Moons. Selene, Hecate and Artemis. Selene is the brightest, Hecate the smallest, and Artemis has the longest orbit, taking a full year to complete. The passage of time in both Solis and Nocturne is judged by the moons since they’re the only large celestial bodies that move through the sky.
Matrium. The seven female heads of the Avas Danai houses.
Nahresi. Skeletal horses that gallop across the waves. Worshipped by the Khepresh Marakai.
Negatory magic. A rare talent that involves the working of all four elements. Those who can wield it are known as Alchemists or Breakers. Negatory magic can obliterate both elemental and talismanic magic. The price of negatory magic is rage and emotional turmoil. It derives from the Breaker's own temperament and is separate from the Nexus, which is the source of all elemental magic.
Nocturne. The dark side of the world.
Parthenoi. Virgin warriors. See Maenads.
Polemarch. The head of the armed forces of Delphi.
Sat-bu. Like the mythological monster Charybdis, she makes a whirlpool in the deep ocean that sucks ships down. Tentacled and faceless, she is worshipped by the Sheut Marakai.
Shadowlands. See Dominion.
Shepherds. Hounds of the Dominion, they herd the dead to their final destination at the Cold Sea. Extremely hostile to anything living, and to necromancers in particular.
Shields of Apollo. The elite unit of Greek soldiers that hunts and captures daēvas.
Solis. The sunlit side of the world.
Spell Dust. A sparkling powder; when combined with spoken words, it works like a talisman to accomplish any number of things. Only trained alchemists are fluent in the language of spell dust. Extremely addictive when consumed directly. Source unknown (except to the Persian merchant and dust dealer Izad Asabana).
Stygians. Mortals who dwell in the Isles of the Marakai. They’re the only humans to live in the darklands, surviving by fishing and diving for pearls. The Stygians worship a giant oyster named Babana.
Talismanic magic. The use of elemental magic to imbue power in a material object, word or phrase. Generally, the object will perform a single function, i.e. lumen crystals, daēva cuffs or Talismans of Folding.
Talismans (three daēvas). They ended the war with the Vatras by creating the Gale and sundering Nocturne into light and dark. Their power is believed to have passed on through the generations.
Umbra. The twilight realm between Solis and Nocturne.
Water Dogs. Paramilitary force of bonded pairs (human and daēva) that kept order in the distant satrapies of the Empire and hunted Undead Druj along the borders.
Way of the Flame. The official religion of the Empire, and also of Samarqand and Susa. Preaches good thoughts, good words and good deeds. Embodied by the magi, who view the world as locked in an eternal struggle between good and evil. Fire is considered the holiest element, followed by water.
Wight. A Druj Undead with the ability to take over a human body and mimic the host to a certain degree. Must be beheaded.
Wind Ship. A conveyance similar to a hot air balloon, but with a wooden ship rather than a basket. Powered either by burners or spell magic.
About the Author
Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She's the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day, the Fourth Element fantasy series (The Midnight Sea, Blood of the Prophet, Queen of Chaos), the Dominion Mysteries and the new Fourth Talisman series. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.
www.katrossbooks.com
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Also by Kat Ross
The Fourth Element Trilogy
The Midnight Sea
Blood of the Prophet
Queen of Chaos
The Fourth Element Trilogy Boxed Set
The Dominion Mysteries
The Daemoniac
The Thirteenth Gate
The Fourth Talisman Series
Nocturne
Solis
Monstrum
Some Fine Day