The Nightmare Man, the Bad-Luck Man, the Man of Many Skins… these names he bore, these faces he wore, all of these and countless more. He stopped short when he came to the crossing. He could see the easy way and the difficult, the steep way and the narrow, the paths of endless possibilities. Running through them all, binding them as the Web of Illindra bound all worlds to the heavens, was the Lonely Road.
The ways were shut to him, just as rest was denied him. The cares of a mortal life, the brief bright respite of death, none of these were for him, not until the end of all days.
His black-clad hand tightened on the haft of his great hammer, till the fell-iron glowed hot with rage and the air shimmered before his ruined eyes, his ruined face. The mask chafed, it burned, and he let go the hammer, reached up, and removed his mask. The Nightmare Man, the Trickster, the Shadow King turned his broken face up to a broken sun, daring the light to warm his skin, daring the wind to bring him relief.
The hare, sensing a danger more imminent and complete than any hawk, twitched her whiskers, looked up, and saw.
Instantly the heart in her little breast stopped beating.
Even so much as this, I am forbidden. He replaced the mask, and once more took up his hammer.
So be it.
APPENDICES
THE LANDS OF THE PEOPLE
From the Notes of Loremaster Rothfaust
ATUALON
The mightiest kingdom in the Near West, Atualon is the seat of Ka Atu, the Dragon King. Fabled to be built on the back of a sleeping dragon, Atualon is the wellspring of a deep and ancient magic.
This magic is known as atulfah, and is comprised of sa and ka, female and male, heart and spirit, the Song of Life. Only those born echovete—able to hear the magical song of creation—have the potential to manipulate this magic, and only an echovete child born and raised to the throne may be trained to wield it.
SINDAN
The Sindanese empire stretches from the pearl-choked waters of Nar Kabdaan in the Middle East, over the ice-tombed peaks of Mutai Gon-yu, to Nar Intihaan in the Far East: End of the Bitter Lands, End of the Great Salt Road, End of the Known World. The story of Sindan stretches far beyond written memory and into the misted memories of the First Men, before the thickening of the veil. The Daemon Emperor of Sindan rules absolutely from his throne in Khanbul, the Forbidden City, though his thoughts turn ever westward. He is covetous of atulfah, for its power is the only thing greater than his own.
QUARABALA
Once a place of beauty and art, high learning and gentle culture, the Quarabala was scorched clean of life and hope during the Sundering. Few now survive in the dead lands west of the Dibris. Occasionally a story will turn up in the slave-trading town of Min Yaarif, rumors of wicked beasts and wickeder men driven to desperate acts as they struggle to survive on the Edge of the Quarabala. Even more rarely an Illindrist, a shadowshifting sorcerer, will emerge from the smoking ruins, night-skinned and demon-eyed, leading a trader or three with packs full of the precious red salt and eyes full of waking nightmares.
THE ZEERA
A land of silk and honey, great warriors and greater predators, the Zeera is a vast golden desert and home to the desert prides. Once a proud and prosperous nation, the Zeeranim are now a remnant of their former glory. The Mothers live in mostly empty cities along the banks of the Dibris, the Ja’Sajani take census and record the final days of a dying people, and the Ja’Akari guard the people against enemies within and without the prides. Too few are born, too few survive, and too few are chosen to become Zeeravashani, bonded to the great saber-tusked cats with whom they are allied. The wardens write, the warriors fight, and the Mothers sing lullabies against the coming darkness, but their struggles are like the notes of a flute, lost and forgotten in the coming storm.
THE PEOPLE
From the Notes of Loremaster Rothfaust
Aadl (Istaz Aadl): Zeerani youthmaster
Aaraf (Loreman Aaraf): Zeerani storyteller and bard
Aasah (Aasah sud Layl): priest of Illindra, shadowmancer and advisor to Ka Atu
Adalia: Warrior of the Mah’zula
Ani (Istaza Ani): Zeerani youthmistress; also the last known Dzirani
Annila (Annila Ja’Akari): young Zeerani warrior, peer to Sulema and Hannei
Annubasta (see Hafsa Azeina)
Ashta: journeyman mantist studying under Loremaster Rothfaust
Askander (Askander Ja’Akarinu’i): First Warden of the Zeeranim
Bardu: Daechen prince
Bashaba: former concubine of Ka Atu; mother to Pythos (deceased), Mattu, and Matteira
Basta (cat): kima’a to Hafsa Azeina
Bellanca (Matreon Bellanca): Matreon of Atualon
Belzaleel the Liar: an ancient, wicked spirit, currently trapped in a dragonglass blade
Boraz (Boraz Ja’Sajani): Zeerani warder
Breama: the Huntress
Bretan Mer (Bretan Mer ne Ninianne il Mer): salt merchant and liaison from Salar Merraj to Atualon; son of Ninianne il Mer
Brygus: member of the Draiksguard
Char (Charon): Guardian of Eid Kalmut
Daeshen Baichen Pao: the first Daemon Emperor, ruler of Sindan
Daeshen Tiachu: the current Daemon Emperor, ruler of Sindan
Daru: young apprentice to Hafsa Azeina
Davidian: Imperator General of Atualon
Davvus: a legendary king of Men
Dennet: a daughter of Nurati
Devranae: legendary daughter of Zula Din; abducted by Davvus, king of Men
Deyenna: a young woman who seeks to escape Atualon
Douwa: bathhouse attendant in Atualon
Duadl (Duadl Ja’Sajani): Zeerani warden and churra-master
Eleni: attendant at the Grinning Mymyc in Bayyid Eidtein
Ezio: Atualonian Master of Coin
Fairussa (Fairussa Ja’Akari): warrior of the Zeeranim
Gai Khan: Daechen prince
Gavria (Gavria Ja’Akari): Zeerani warrior
Ginna: Atualonian maidservant
Hadid (Mastersmith Hadid): Zeerani mastersmith
Hafsa Azeina: dreamshifter of the prides and Queen Consort of Atualon. Rarely: Annubasta
Hannei (Hannei Ja’Akari): Sulema’s peer and good friend
Hapuata (Istaza Hapuata): Zeerani mentor to Theotara Ja’Akari
Hekates: Draiksguard of Atualon
Hyang: village boy from Bizhan
Ippos: Stablemaster of Atualon
Isara (Isara Ja’Akari): Zeerani warrior
Ishtaset: Mah’zula warrior
Ismai: Zeerani youth; son of Nurati
Istaza Ani (see Ani)
Jamandae: (deceased) youngest concubine of Serpentus, deposed Dragon King of Atualon
Jasin (Ja’Atanili’I Jasin): Zeerani youth and would-be warden
Jian (Daechen Jian, Tsun-ju Jian): young Daechen prince
Jinchua (fennec): kima’a to Sulema
Jorah: Zeerani craftsman
Kabila (Kabila Ja’Akari): Zeerani warrior
Kalani: Zeerani maiden
Karkash Dhwani: powerful Daechen prince, advisor to the emperor
Lavanya: Zeerani warrior and peer of Sulema
Leviathus (Leviathus ap Wyvernus ne Atu): Sulema’s half-brother, son of Ka Atu, Leviathus is surdus—a princeling without magic
Makil: Zeerani warden
Mardoni: Daechen prince
Marisa: maidservant in Atualon
Mariza: Renegade Ja’Akari. Once banished and declared Kha’Akari, she now rides with the Mah’zula
Matteira: daughter of Bashaba, a former concubine of Ka Atu. Twin sister to Mattu, and sister to Pythos (deceased)
Mattu (Mattu Halfmask): son of Bashaba, a former concubine of Ka Atu. Twin brother to Matteira, and brother to Pythos
Naruteo (Daechen Naruteo): Sindanese youth. Daeborn and yearmate to Jian
Neptara (Umm Neptara): daughter of Nurati
Ninianne il Mer: Lady of the Lake, matriarch o
f the clans of Salar Merraj, city of the salt merchants; mother of Bretan Mer, Soutan Mer
Nurati (Umm Nurati): First Mother of the Zeeranim; mother of Tammas, Neptara, Ismai, Dennet, Rudya, and an as-yet unnamed infant daughter
Perri: Sindanese youth; daeborn and yearmate to Jian
Pythos: (deceased) son of Serpentus, deposed Dragon King of Atualon
Rama (Rama Ja’Sajani): Zeerani warden and horsemaster from Aish Arak
Rheodus: young Atualonian man, member of Leviathus’s Draiksguard
Rothfaust (Loremaster Rothfaust): loremaster of Atualon, keeper of tomes and tales
Rudya: daughter of Nurati
Sammai: Zeerani child
Santorus (Master Healer Santorus): Atualonian patreon and master healer
Sareta (Sareta Ja’Akarinu’i): ranking warrior of the Zeeranim
Saskia (Saskia Ja’Akari): Zeerani warrior and peer of Sulema
Soutan Mer (Soutan Mer ne Ninianne il Mer): son of Ninianne il Mer
Sulema (Sulema Ja’Akari): Zeerani warrior, daughter of Hafsa Azeina and Wyvernus
Sunzi: Daechen prince
Tadeah: (deceased) daughter of Bashaba and Ka Atu
Talilla (Ja’Akari): Zeerani warrior
Talleh: young Zeerani boy
Tammas (Tammas Ja’Sajani): Zeerani warden, eldest son of Nurati
Teppei: Daechen prince
Theotara (Theotara Ja’Akari): honored Ja’Akari
Tiungpei (Tsun-ju Tiungpei): a Sindanese pearl diver who took a lover from among the Issuq; mother of Jian
Tsa-len: Yendaeshi to Naruteo
Umm Nurati (see Nurati)
Valri: warrior of the Mah’zula
Wyvernus: Ka Atu, the Dragon King of Atualon
Xienpei: Yendaeshi to Jian
Yaela: apprentice to Aasah
Yeshu: Atualonian weaver
Zula Din: trickster/warrior of legend, daughter of the First People
TERMS, PHRASES, AND PLACES OF INTEREST
From the Notes of Loremaster Rothfaust
Aish Kalumm (the City of Mothers): Zeerani river fortress
Akari (Akari Sun Dragon): according to legend, Akari is a draik (a male dragon) who flies across the sky bringing life and light to the world as he seeks to rouse his sleeping mate, Sajani the Earth Dragon
aklashi: a game played while on horseback. It involves a sheep’s head and quite a lot of noise
arachnist: a human mage, who worships and does the bidding of the Araids
Araid: massive, intelligent spiders that live deep in the abandoned cities of Quarabala
Atualon: a western kingdom founded upon the shores of Nar Bedayyan; home to the Dragon Kings
Atukos (City of Dreams, City of the Sleeping Dragon): dragonglass fortress of the Dragon King, named for the living mountain into which it is built
atulfah: sa and ka combined to create the song of creation
Ayyam Binat: a period of time in the spring during which young Zeerani women vie with one another for the sexual favors of men
Baidun Daiel (also known as the Sleepless, or Voiceless): warrior mages who serve Ka Atu
Baizhu: a religious order of Sindanese monks
Bayyid Eidtein: trading town near the mouth of the Dibris, a known den of miscreants and rogues. The southernmost trading post along Atualonian-maintained roads
Beit Usqut: the Youths’ Quarter in Aish Kalumm
bintshi: an intelligent flying animal with some natural affinity for psionic manipulation; carnivorous; considered kith
Bohica: patroness divine of soldiers
Bonelord: one of the greater predators, bonelords are massive carnivorous creatures that rely on camouflage, speed, and mind-magic to capture prey
bonesinger: Dzirani medicine man
Bones of Eth: an ill-reputed ruin or monument in the Zeera, formed of a rough circle of tall, twisted pillars of red and black stone
churra (pl. churrim): a hardy desert omnivore prized by the Zeerani as a pack animal, and seen as a suitable mount for outlanders
craftmistress/master: Zeerani women and men who have been trained in and work at their particular craft—blacksmithing, painting, building, weaving, etc.
Dae: a race of magically gifted people who reside in the Twilight Lands
daeborn: of dae descent
daemon: commonly used to describe any wicked thing (also daespawn)
Daechen: half-Dae, half-human Sindanese warrior caste (male)
Daeshen: half-Dae, half-human, member of the Sindanese imperial family
Daezhu: half-Dae, half-human Sindanese ruling class (female)
Delpha (Big Sister): one of two moons; has a twenty-eight-day cycle
Dibris: a river that runs through the Zeera, supporting a wide range of life
Didi (Little Sister): one of two moons; has a fourteen-day cycle
Dragon King: Ka Atu, the monarch of Atualon (currently Wyvernus)
Draiksguard: elite military unit assigned to guard members of the Atualonian royal family
Dreaming Lands: see Shehannam
dreamshifter: Zeerani shaman who can move through and manipulate Shehannam
Dzirani: wandering storytellers, healers, and merchants
Dziranim: a member of the Dzirani clan
echovete: one who can hear atulfah
ehuani: Zeerani word meaning “beauty in truth”
Eid Kalish: trading town, a stop on the Great Salt Road, known for its thriving black market and slave trade
Eth: Quarabalese destruction deity, he whose breath creates the darkness between stars
Great Salt Road: trade route that stretches from the edge of the Quarabala in the west to the easternmost cities of Sindan
Hajra-Khai: Zeerani spring festival
hayatani: a Zeerani girl’s first consort
hayyanah: Zeerani couples who are pledged to one another and remain more or less monogamous
herdmistress/master: responsible for the health and well-being of a pride’s horses and churrim
Illindra: Quarabalese creation deity, an enormous female spider who hangs the stars in her web of life
Issuq: twilight lords and ladies who have a clan affinity for the sea and can shapeshift into sea-bears
istaza/istaz: youthmistress/master of the Zeerani prides
Ja’Akari: Zeerani warrior, responsible for keeping all the pridelands safe from outside threats
Ja Akari: Zeerani phrase meaning “under the sun”; loosely translates to being completely open and honest, hiding nothing
Ja’Sajani: Zeerani warden, responsible for maintaining order and security within his local territory
Ja Sajani: Zeerani phrase meaning “upon the earth”; loosely translates to being present in the moment
Jehannim: a mythical hellish place of fire and brimstone; also the name of a mountain range west of the river Dibris and east of Quarabala
jiinberry: a water-loving berry that grows along the banks of the Dibris during the flooding season
ka: the male half of atulfah, known as the breath of spirit. It manifests to most as an expanded awareness of one’s surroundings
Ka Atu: the Dragon King of Atualon (currently Wyvernus)
Kaapua: a river in Sindan
Kha’Akari: Zeerani warrior who has been exiled from the sight of Akari
Khanbul (the Forbidden City): home of the Sindanese emperor
khutlani: Zeerani word meaning “forbidden”
kima’a: avatar spirit-beast in Shehannam
kin: intelligent creatures descended from the first races and considered relatives of dragons—vash’ai, wyverns, and mymyc are numbered among the kin
kith: term used to describe creatures that are more intelligent than beasts, but lack the awareness of kin or humans
kithren: Zeerani person bound to a vash’ai, and vice versa
Ladies/Lords of Twilight: Dae lords
lashai: modified half-human servants that wait upon the Daechen and yendaeshi
/> lionsnake: an enormous, venomous, two-legged plumed serpent that lives in the Zeera
the Lonely Road: in Zeerani mythology, the road traveled by the dead
Madraj: an arena and gathering place of the Zeeranim
Mah’zula: a society of Zeeranim who live a purely nomadic life and abide by the ancient ways of the desert, seeking to return to the glory days of the First Women
Min Yaarif: trading and slavers’ port on the western bank of the Dibris
Mutai Gon-yu (The Mountains that Tamed the Rains): mountain range in Sindan
mymyc: one of the kin, mymyc live and hunt in packs. From a distance, mymyc strongly resemble black horses
Nar Bedayyan: a sea to the west of Atualon
Nar Intihaan: a sea to the east of Sindan
Nar Kabdaan: a sea east of the Zeera and west of Sindan
ne Atu: member of the royal family of Atualon
Nian-da: a ten-day-long festival in Sindan. Any child born during this time is assumed to be fathered by a Dae man during Moonstide, and without exception is taken to Khanbul at the age of sixteen
Nisfi: Zeerani pride
outlanders: term used by the Zeerani to describe people not of the Zeera
parens: heads of the ruling families in Atualon
pride: Zeerani clan. Also used to describe all prides as a single entity
Quarabala (also known as the Seared Lands): a region so hot that humans live in cities far underground
Quarabalese: of Quarabala
reavers: insectoid humans that have been modified by the Araids. Their bite is envenomed
Riharr: Zeerani pride
russet ridgebacks: large (five-pound) spiders that live in underground colonies. Harmless unless they are disturbed. Their eggs are considered a delicacy in the Zeera.
sa: heart of the soul. An expanded sense of empathy and harmony
Sajani (Sajani Earth Dragon, the Sleeping Dragon): according to legend, Sajani is a diva (a female dragon) who sleeps beneath the crust of the world, waiting for the song of her mate Akari to wake her
Salar Merraj: city of the salt miners built upon the shores of a dead salt lake. The Mer family stronghold
Salarians: citizens of the salt-mining city Salar Merraj
sand-dae: shapes made of wind-driven sand
Shahad: Zeerani pride
Shehannam (the Dreaming Lands): the otherworld, a place of dreams and strange beings
The Forbidden City Page 49