CITADEL: A fortress that protects a town
COLNORA: Largest, wealthiest city in Avryn, merchant-based city, grew from a rest stop at a central crossroads of various major trade routes
CROWN TOWER: Home of the Patriarch and center of the Nyphron Church
DAGASTAN: Major and easternmost trade port of Calis
DANBURY BLACKWATER: Father of Hadrian Blackwater
DANCER: Name of Hadrian Blackwater’s horse
DANIEL: Wealthy merchant of Vernes; husband of Vivian
DARIUS SERET: Founder of the Seret Knights
DELGOS: One of the four nations of Apeladorn. The only republic in a world of monarchies, Delgos revolted against the Steward’s Empire after Glenmorgan III was murdered and after surviving a goblin attack with no aid from the empire.
DIXON TAFT: Carter operating out of Medford
DOUGAN: Proprietor of a tavern in Iberton along the banks of Lake Morgan
DRUMINDOR: Tall, dual-tower, dwarven-built fortress located in southern Delgos
DUNMORE: Youngest and least sophisticated kingdom
DUSTER: Person (or persons) responsible for a gruesome set of murders one summer in the city of Colnora
EASTERN STAR: Large sailing vessel transporting passengers and freight between Vernes and Dagastan
EDMUND HALL: Professor of geometry at Sheridan University, declared a heretic by the Nyphron Church, rumored to have found the lost city of Percepliquis
EDMUND HALL’S JOURNAL: Heretical document, one of the treasures kept in the Crown Tower
ELAN: The world
EREBUS: Father of the gods Ferrol (god of the elves), Drome (god of the dwarves), Maribor (god of men), Muriel (goddess of nature), and Uberlin (god of darkness)
ERVANON: City in northern Ghent, seat of the Nyphron Church, once the capital of the Steward’s Empire as established by Glenmorgan
ESSENDON: Royal family of Melengar
ESSENDON CASTLE: Home of the ruling monarchs of Melengar
ETHAN: Sheriff in the Lower Quarter of Medford
ETTA: Least attractive prostitute at The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse in the Lower Quarter of Medford
EUGENE: Young jewelry merchant who is traveling to set up a new shop in Colnora, nephew of Sebastian
FALLON MIRE: City where Merton prevented the spread of a terrible disease
FARLAN: Steersman in the employ of Billy Bennett’s barge service
FROCKS: Derogatory term used to refer to priests of the Nyphron Church
GALEWYR RIVER: Marks the southern border of Melengar and the northern border of Warric and reaches the sea near the fishing village of Roe
GENTRY QUARTER: The geographic region of Medford where the wealthiest (usually noble or rich merchants) reside
GHENT: Ecclesiastical holding of the Nyphron Church
GLENMORGAN: Historical figure and a native of Ghent who reunited the four nations of Apeladorn 326 years after the fall of the Novronian Empire. He initiated the new Steward’s Empire, founded Sheridan University, created the great north–south road, and built the Ervanon palace (of which only the Crown Tower remains).
GRETCHEN: Hadrian’s childhood pet chicken
GUR EM: Thickest part of the jungle in Calis, as it butts up against the eastern tip of Calis
GWEN DELANCY: Calian prostitute who leaves The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse to build her own brothel, Medford House
GWENDOLYN: Given name of Gwen DeLancy
HADRIAN BLACKWATER: Originally from Hintindar, he left home at fifteen, spent two years as a soldier (with multiple armies) and three years as an arena fighter in Calis
HARDING: Priest of the Nyphron Church, stationed in Iberton
HEAD, THE: Nickname for The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse
HIDEOUS HEAD TAVERN AND ALEHOUSE: Brothel and tavern run by Raynor Grue in the Lower Quarter of Medford
HILDA: Ex-prostitute of The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse in the Lower Quarter of Medford who was killed after leaving to make it on her own
HINTINDAR: Small manorial village in Rhenydd, home of Hadrian Blackwater
HOBART: Soldier in the command of Sir Holvin
HOLVIN, SIR: Seret Knight operating in Ghent
HOUSE, THE: Nickname used for Medford House
IBERTON: Small fishing village in Ghent near Ervanon
ILLIA DELANCY: Fortune-telling mother of Gwen DeLancy
JOLLIN: Prostitute of the Lower Quarter working at The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse
KEFFIYEH: A head covering made from wrapping a square piece of light material, usually worn in the east
LADY BANSHEE: Large fishing boat operating out of Medford
LAKE MORGAN: Lake in Ghent renowned for its fishing
LERWICK, BARON: Baron from Ghent who is on good terms with the Nyphron Church
LOWER QUARTER: The geographic region of Medford where most of the impoverished reside
LUCKY HAT: A moderately priced tavern in the city of Vernes
MAE: Prostitute of the Lower Quarter working at The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse
MALET: Sheriff in Colnora
MANDALIN: A city in Calis, once the capital of the Eastern Empire
MANZANT: Infamous prison and salt mine, located in Manzar, Maranon
MARANON: Kingdom in Avryn, rich in farmland and known for breeding the best horses
MARBURY, LORD: Honorific noble of Ghent who can trace his family history to Glenmorgan
MARES CATHEDRAL: Center of the Nyphron Church in Melengar
MARIBOR: God of men, third son of Erebus
MEDFORD: Capital city of Melengar. The town is divided into four distinct quarters: Artisan, Merchant, Gentry, and Lower.
MEDFORD HOUSE: Brothel in the Lower Quarter of Medford started by prostitutes who once worked at The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse
MELENGAR: Small but old and respected kingdom of Avryn ruled by King Amrath
MERCHANT QUARTER: The geographic region of Medford where most of the goods are sold
MERRICK MARIUS: Former best friend of Royce Melborn, known for his strategic thinking
MERTON: Pious priest of Nyphron Church reputed to have stopped a plague
MONTEMORCEY: Excellent wine imported through the Vandon Spice Company
MURIEL: Goddess of nature, only daughter of Erebus
NIDWALDEN RIVER: Marks the eastern border of Avryn and the start of the elven realm
NOVRON: Savior of mankind, demigod, son of Maribor, defeated the elven army in the Great Elven Wars, founder of the Novronian Empire
NYPHRON CHURCH: Predominant church of mankind. Worshipers of Novron and Maribor.
OWANDA: Ancestral Tenkin tribe in Calis of Illia and Gwen DeLancy
PACKER THE RED: Tinker of Avryn who was one of the few visitors to Hintindar
PATRIARCH: Head of the Nyphron Church, lives in the Crown Tower of Ervanon
PERCEPLIQUIS: Ancient city and capital of the Novronian Empire, destroyed and lost during the collapse of the Old Empire
PICKLES: Street urchin from Vernes
PRESS-GANG: Hired thugs in the employ of sea merchants who force men into naval service
RATIBOR: Impoverished capital of the kingdom of Rhenydd, home of Royce Melborn
RAYNOR GRUE: Proprietor of The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse in the Lower Quarter of Medford
REGINALD LAMPWICK: Assessor for the Lower Quarter of Medford
REHN: Employee of Arcadias
RHENYDD: Poorest of the kingdoms of Avryn
ROSE: Prostitute of the Lower Quarter working at The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse
ROYAL PERMIT: Legal paperwork allowing a proprietor to operate a business
ROYCE MELBORN: Thief, assassin, and former inmate at Manzant Prison
SAMUEL: Jewelry merchant from Vernes, cousin of Sebastian
SEBASTIAN: Successful jewelry merchant from Vernes
SENTINEL: Inquisitor generals of the Nyphron Church, charged with rooting out heresy and f
inding the lost Heir of Novron
SERET: The Knights of Nyphron. The military arm of the church, first formed by Lord Darius Seret, commanded by sentinels.
SHERIDAN UNIVERSITY: Prestigious institution of learning, located in Ghent
SIGHT, THE: Ability usually possessed by Calian women to see the future
SPADONE: Long two-handed sword with a tapering blade and an extended flange ahead of the hilt allowing for an extended variety of fighting maneuvers. Due to the length of the handgrip and the flange, which provides its own barbed hilt, the sword provides a number of additional hand placements, permitting the sword to be used similarly to a quarterstaff and as a powerful cleaving weapon. The spadone is the traditional weapon of a skilled knight.
SQUIRE: Errand runner or servant of a knight
STANE: Net hauler for the Lady Banshee
TENENT: Most common form of semi-standard international currency. Coins of gold, silver, and copper stamped with the likeness of the king of the realm where the coin was minted: 1 gold = 100 silver; 1 silver = 100 copper.
TENKIN: Most mysterious of the people of Calis, living in the deep jungles. It is rumored that they are a cross between man and goblin.
THAWB: A long garment, similar to a robe, worn in the east
TILINER: Superior side sword, used frequently by mercenaries in Avryn
TOM THE FEATHER: Farmer and former archer for Lord Marbury
TRENT: Northern mountainous kingdoms of Apeladorn, generally remote and isolated
TRIBIAN DEVOLE: Easterner hired by Arcadius to locate Hadrian Blackwater in Calis
VERNES: Port city at the mouth of the Bernum River
VIVIAN: Wife of wealthy merchant Daniel from Vernes
WARRIC: Most powerful of the kingdoms of Avryn, ruled by King Ethelred
WAYWARD INN: A defunct establishment that used to reside at the end of Wayward Street in the Lower Quarter of Medford
WAYWARD STREET: Road leading to the most impoverished section of the Lower Quarter in Medford
WILLARD: Bartender at The Hideous Head Tavern and Alehouse in the Lower Quarter of Medford
WILLY: Shepherd in Iberton
WINDHAM: Small village on the banks of the Galewyr River
WINTERTIDE: Chief holiday, held in midwinter, celebrated with feasts and games of skill
WOLVES: Ratibor street gang of children
ZEPHYR: Name of Tom the Feather’s bow
Interview
Will there be a sequel to The Riyria Revelations?
It’s possible that there will be more stories going past the events that ended in Revelations, but probably not in the way that most would like to see. I get quite a bit of feedback from readers who would like to see the story pick up directly after (or just a few years later) from where Revelations ended. My propensity would be to go far into the future, when most of the people and events have evolved into myth and legend.
Revelations lives up to its name and as such has a lot of … well … mysteries revealed. It would be impossible to write any series using existing characters that starts after the Revelations timeline without introducing spoilers for the Revelations series. This would violate my first rule, which is to ensure each series exists without prerequisites and doesn’t impact other books. Because the series was carefully designed to end where it did, I feel that “tacking on” to it would tarnish what I consider to be the perfect ending.
Will there be more Royce and Hadrian stories?
I would like there to be, but I’m also very protective of the series as a whole and I don’t want to ruin it by overstaying the welcome. For me there are two factors to consider. First, I must have a compelling story to tell. We’ve all seen series that kept putting out books (or television episodes) long after the magic is gone. I won’t jump the shark and would rather leave money on the table than tarnish something that I’m very proud of. Fortunately, I don’t see this as being an issue, as I already have several story lines that I find compelling. As I’ve said before, my own internal barometer is usually a pretty good gauge.
The second component is demand, and I have no control over this. I wrote The Riyria Chronicles because there were a lot of people who still wanted more even after 685,000 words. For years we lived off my wife’s income, and now I’m glad to repay the favor. I’ll never write a book “just for the money,” but I also can’t afford to write a book that no one will buy. So I’ll be keeping an ear to the ground as Chronicles roll out, and if people want more, then I have plenty of material to draw from.
After finishing a project, do you have problems starting or coming up with the next one?
I’m always amazed when I hear authors say it’s difficult to get them to put their butts in the chair and write. For me, it’s like being asked to play my favorite game, and I wake up every morning excited to get to the keyboard. I have many more tales waiting in the wings than I’ll ever be able to write in my remaining lifetime, so as soon as I’m done with one, I’m happy to jump right into the next. I don’t feel a need to decompress after finishing a novel. In fact, the process being what it is means I’ve usually been doing a lot of editing, and I’m generally champing at the bit to write something new.
How do you decide what to write next?
It really depends. Recently I finished the draft for a science-fiction novel titled Hollow World. The idea came from out of the blue. It wasn’t on my long list of pending projects and ended up bumping some other titles. It started because of a short story I wrote for an anthology. Because of word count limitations, I could only lightly touch on the world and themes in that piece, but the story was so well received by my wife and fellow authors that telling the whole tale became overwhelmingly attractive. I find everything works best when I write books that I want to read, and I really wanted to read this story.
The other factor that comes into play is what the fans want to read. I hadn’t really anticipated writing any more books in the Riyria universe, but I got so many e-mails and saw posts from people who were saddened that it was over that I decided to write some more Royce and Hadrian stories. It was fun to revisit with these old friends and it certainly made me a hero with my wife, who is the series’ number one fan.
Riyria is fantasy; Hollow World is science fiction. Do you plan on writing in any other genres?
A lot of people think of me as a “fantasy author” but that’s really just because it was my fantasy books that were published first. I’ve actually written in a wide range of styles, including literary fiction, suspense, horror, mystery, coming-of-age, and so on. Going back to my long list of projects, those titles on the waitlist are pretty diverse. I would love to continue to put out titles in different genres, since I’m motivated by challenging myself to break new ground. It’s probably not the smart move (as it means building a fresh audience from scratch with each release), but I’ve certainly never been accused of doing things the easy way. Challenging myself keeps me excited about what I’m doing, forces the writing to get better, and ultimately results in a better experience for my readers.
Do you prefer to write series or stand-alone novels?
In many ways series are more interesting because of the opportunity to weave overarching plot threads across several volumes. It’s fun to drop hints and plant some seeds that won’t be fully realized until a future book. Also, it gives me more room for world building and character development, because I can sprinkle a bit of each across several books instead of crowding everything into a single volume.
The problem with a series is it represents a much higher risk. I’ve been fortunate so far in that I’ve been able to write both series in their entirety before submitting/publishing any of them. This allows me to adjust earlier books as new ideas come up later on. Writing three or more books all at once means an extended amount of time with nothing new released, and there is always the possibility that upon completion I could discover that the work is no good and should be scrapped. In theory I could write the way many other
authors do, and release each book as written, but then … no, I really couldn’t do that. So I prefer to write series because of the bigger canvas on which to create, but I will do that only if I can finish the story before publishing. If I have to write and publish in quick succession, then stand-alone books will be the only way for me to accomplish that.
What book would you say was the most difficult book to write and why?
The most difficult book was probably my literary fiction novel, A Burden to the Earth. It’s not that I found literary fiction harder to write than genre fiction. I just didn’t find it particularly interesting except as an exercise in craft. Literary writing requires a scaled-back plot with emphasis placed on prose, complex characters, and multiple themes. And while I enjoyed the challenge and learned a lot, such books don’t thrill me as much. In this particular work, my protagonist is a flawed and disagreeable character that, quite frankly, I wouldn’t like to spend time with. His personality is absolutely necessary for the story being told, but it also means that I’m not as drawn to this book as I am to my other titles. Burden is a marked departure from my other work, and remains the best novel I’ve ever written, but because I could not in good conscience recommend it to anyone, it remains unpublished.
What book would you say was the easiest to write and why?
The last book of The Riyria Revelations, Percepliquis, was simply a joy to write. The entire series had been building during my decade hiatus, and when I finally sat down to write it, the story just spilled forth effortlessly. By the time I got to the final book, I had all my dominoes lined up and it was just a matter of toppling the first one, then watching everything fall into place. I did have a few “alternate endings” and it took me a while to reach the right conclusion—but once the idea came to me, I knew this was the ending I was waiting for … that it was the perfect fit. Pushing back after writing the last lines of that book was extremely satisfying. I actually said to myself, “Damn, that was good.” To be honest, I was a little concerned that I would never feel like that again, given the long buildup that went into that series. To my great surprise I felt similarly when finishing Hollow World, even though that was a stand-alone story.
The Crown Tower: Book 1 of The Riyria Chronicles Page 35