Louin (loo-een): Lit. translation: honored representative. Largely used during transitional periods, when a newcomer has not yet taken his new station but must be granted some formal title for the sake of status.
Loremaster: Combination historian, genealogist, and researcher; as a group, one of the major political forces behind the scenes in the southlands. Every Family has (or is supposed to have) a group of loremasters resident.
Mocker: The lead figure in a southern drum line; usually female. She finds anything and everything to make fun of during a procession, then creates songs (called mokoi) afterward and spreads them far and wide.
N’sion (nn-sigh-on): The supreme leader of the Northern Church; previously referred to the head of the Bright Bay branch of the church. Since the banishment of all Northern Church priests from Bright Bay, a new n’sion has yet to be selected.
Nu-s’e (noo-ss-^eh): Honored man of the south (female is nu-s’a); generic honorific in the absence of specific indicators.
Numaina (noo-main-ah); plural numainiae (noo-main-ay): Proper title for a Scratha Family ruler.
Oamver (ohm-vehr): Rough translation: negotiation table. Ceremonial item of furniture, brought to all southland meetings; what is on the table at the beginning of the meeting has tremendous symbolic value. (During Scratha Conclave, the central table served as the oamver, and the fact that it was empty reflected a state of temporary truce among those normally at odds).
Oiu (ooh-ee-ooh): 1. The number four (southern). 2. A complex, and usually rather large, four-pipe instrument common to the southlands. Like alli and bene, it is normally made of wood.
Pahenna (pah-hen-nah): Rough translation: Stay out of my business, I know what I’m doing.
Payti (pay-tee): One of the Four Gods of the Northern Church pantheon; represents Fire. Payti’s “kind” incarnation is usually pictured as a short, plump man, with ruddy cheeks and a contagious cheeriness. In Payti’s “dark” incarnation, the form is that of a tall, beautiful woman with a seductive gaze that bewitches all men who gaze upon her to their destruction. Payti’s strength is that of the sun and the flame.
Peh-tenez (pay-tehn-ehz): A negotiation ceremony held over tea in which only truth may be spoken and the conversation may not be disclosed to those not a part of it. Largely a teyanain protocol, but some other Families use it when they wish to seem very serious about a political arrangement. Only the teyanain, ironically, can be fully trusted to hold to the original, sacred nature of the ceremony; to outsiders, it’s largely a show, but teyanain will be absolutely honest during a true peh-tenez, and consider any deceit or breach of protocol a killing offense.
Protector: Not all fortresses are protected by full ha’reye any longer; some are occupied by first or second generation ha’ra’hain. Those aware of the distinction tend to use the term ‘protector’ to refer to those lesser ha’ra’hain bound to serve a particular Fortress.
Qisani (key-sahn-nee): A rocky cavern complex in the southern desert, which was given, under a Conclave decision, to the Callen of Ishrai many years ago as a haven of their own. All the desert Families contribute to supporting the Qisani. The followers of Datda and Comos also have central havens, but they are more secretive about the locations. Blood trials conducted at any of the havens are considered the hardest of all possible.
Ravann (rah-van; alt., rah-vahn): Similar to lavender in appearance and scent, but tends towards a darker leaf color, white flowers, and a slightly more acrid odor; only found south of Water’s End, largely around the Aerthraim Fortress lands. Adapted for desert living, very hardy, but does not transplant well.
Reeven (ree-vehn): A ghost that seeks to possess living humans whenever possible; most dangerous during the dark of the moon, and generally driven away by (regional variances in the tale) the scent of lavender, rosemary, or pine. Usually strong-willed people, especially women, are seen as potential reeven after their death; the theory being that such people are be more likely to fight off the final journey into the afterlife, so as not to lose their earthly power.
S’a / S’e / S’ieas / S’ii: Respectful address designators, analogous to sir and madam; specific to gender, and frequently parts of complex and highly specific expressions of relationship between the speaker and the person being addressed.
S’a (ss-^ah): feminine
S’e (ss-^eh): masculine
S’ieas (ss-^eh-ahs): a group of mixed gender
S’ii (ss-^ee): neuter; generally used to address a eunuch.
Sa’ad hii (sah^had hee): Rough translation: blood hunt. Indicates that the one hunting will not be turned aside except by his or her own death, and that the prey will likely not survive being found.
S’e-kath (ss^eh kahth): Personal servant to the lord of a fortress; the best are highly trained in scholarship, politics, and combat. Extremely well respected and dangerous.
S’iope (s-^igh-o-pay): Lit. translation: beloved of the gods; implications of being neuter, all energy devoted to the gods. Term used to refer to the priests of the Northern Church. Disrespectful nickname: soapy.
Saishe-pais (say-shh-paws; alt. say-she-pays): An expression of heartfelt gratitude, indicating that the one so addressed has shown great honor in his/her actions.
Sanahair (sahn-ah-hair): Lit. translation: shit boy. The word ties into an obscure southern joke about kicking the person ranked just below you until there’s only the chamberpot contents left to kick.
Sannio (san-nee-yo): A novice of the Northern Church.
Sayek-teth (say-hek-tehth): Rough translation: Blood oath. A term unique to the teyanain. Means an agreement which, once sworn, gives an outsider limited claim to be treated as a teyanain himself, including gaining the absolute protection of the teyanain—for as long as he continues to protect/serve the terms of the agreement.
Sessii ta-karne, I shha (Sessy tah-carney, ee shh-ha): rough translation: You noxious, useless (castrated) little prick!
Setaka, senaca (seht-tah-kah, sehn-nah-khah): Lit. translation: Like father, like son.
Shabaca (shah-bah-kah): A large dried gourd or cactus filled with pebbles or dried beans to make a rattle; common musical instrument in the southlands.
Shall (shawl): A temporary, portable desert shelter.
Shaska (shass-kahh): A large kettledrum, occasionally used in processionals, but mostly placed on tripod stands for in-place use. Also called a jacau-drum; only experts make a distinction between the two styles.
Shassen (shass-sen): Chabi game piece representing goods. Cubic in shape, the shassen moves one to three spaces in a straight line; it may never move diagonally or jump another piece, with the singular exception of unlocking the furun.
Shay-nin (shay-neen): Rough translation: honored master spy. Used to indicate a person who has achieved remarkable skill in the various arts of subterfuge, assassination, and intelligence-gathering, and who may be trusted to act with the highest personal and professional honor at all times.
Shennth: Rough translation: domain. Used to indicate the sphere of influence/power of a specific individual.
Sheth-hinn (shethh-hnn): Assassin.
Shivii (shee-vee): Formal wear for many southern men; resembles an ankle-length skirt, usually silk, slit on each side up to just above the knee.
Sio (see-oh): The familiar address for a full priest of the Northern Church. Outsiders (non-priests) should use s’iope.
Siolle (sigh-oh-lay): The familiar address for a junior priest of the Northern Church. Outsiders (non-priests) should use s’iope.
Sionno (see-oh-noh): Respectful term for a priest of the Northern Church, generally used by fellow priests or devotees, rather than the s’iope that “outsiders” use.
Split, The: A time of great chaos and dissension, during which humanity and the ha’reye renegotiated the Agreement and much knowledge was lost.
Stibik (stih-bic): A substance developed by the ketarches that temporarily weakens ha’ra’hain and ha’reye. Usually found in the form of a white powder, but sometimes as a
concentrated, corrosive oil. It is illegal to bring stibik onto the land of an active ha’rethe; an even greater offense to use against a ha’ra’ha. Stibik was banned and ordered completely destroyed years ago; the ketarches, ever independent-minded, disobeyed the order.
Su-s’a (sue-ss-^ah): Northern lady.
Syrta (seer-tah): One of the Four Gods of the Northern Church pantheon; represents Earth. In his “good” incarnation, he is described as a leafy tree in spring or summer; when provoked to evil, he takes the form of a twisted, winter-stripped tree. He is credited with creating mankind and placing them in dominion over all beasts and growing things.
Ta (tah): Prefix implying masculine aspects; usually involved in insults (see ta’karne).
Ta feth kii (tah fethh key): Rough translation: stop shitting around; cut the crap. Reference to bodily functions is a particularly effective insult against the teyanain, who consider something like this a far worse insult than being called, for instance, bastards. (Especially since most of them know their lineage six generations back on both sides.)
Ta-karne (tah-carn-ay): Insult. Rough translation: asshole.
Talloi (tah-loy): Flamboyant southern dance in which the dancer’s shoes contain a small “clacker”, making for a noisy and attention-getting performance.
Ta-neka (tah-neek-ah): Insult; female version of ta-karne.
Tas-shadata (tahz-shah-dah-ta): Rough translation: fool, coward, idiot.
Taska (task-ah; alt. tah-skah): Courier and guide.
Tath-shinn: Rough translation: ghost of a female madwoman/assassin/murderer; implies that a woman who would kill is insane, overly male, and impossible to handle even after death. Probably originated in the lower southwestern coastline region, among the Shakain. In the upper northlands, a similar creature is called a shia-banse: the ghost of a woman who died while under the influence of evil.
Te (teh): Prefix indicating formality and honor; no gender.
Telabat-nia-tabalet (tehl-lah-baht nee-yah tahb-ah-leht): Rough translation: Play the game that is on the table. Like many southern sayings, it involves a play on words; in this case, telabat, the game one is playing at the moment, and tabalet, the table one at which is currently sitting. Nia is a linking verb that has no real definition in and of itself; it simply puts the words to either side of it into harness, as it were.
Telle (tel-lay): teyanain word for “holy” or “sacred”.
Teth-kavit (tehth-kah-vitt): Lit. translation: Gods hold you, and blessings to your strength.
Teuthin (too-thin): Rough translation: meeting place. Any agreed-upon neutral ground where all are seen as equal and violence is forbidden. Generally implies the presence of nobles of some rank.
Tewi va neesa (tuey vah knee-sah): Teyanin saying; loose translation: you spit into the wind/you attempt something pointless.
Teyanin (tay-ah-nin); plural: teyanain (tay-ah-nayn): A very old, small tribe which retreated to the mountains of the Horn after the Split. Originally the judges and law determiners of the desert, they’re now considered the guardians of the Horn.
Tey-b’tibik (tey-bah-^ktih-bick): Rough translation: binding powder. A long-banned formula for a substance that significantly weakens ha’ra’hain and seriously injures ha’reye.
Teyhataerth (tey-hat-aerth): Literal translation: Child of Earth and Air: The mad ha’ra’ha controlled by Rosin Weatherweaver who resided under Bright Bay during the Purge.
Teyn-shatha hadinn (teyn-shah-thah hah-dinn): Lit. translation: justice’s cold bite. Specifically refers to the teyanain preference for serving up revenge long after the offending party has forgotten the insult.
Tharr (thahrr): Rough translation: the invisible ones. A derogatory term used by the ha’reye and ha’ra’hain to indicate those humans who do not directly “serve” them (in essence, everyone but desert lords).
Thass (tass; alt. thass): A person with great status, beyond even noble rank.
That in it: Street-slang for involved; politically, not personally.
Thio (thee-oh): Status.
Thopuh (thoh-poo): Lit. translation: blood of victory. Also the name of a style of tea production currently monopolized by F’Heing. Thopuh tea grows stronger, more complexly flavored, and more valuable with proper aging.
Tibi (tee-bee): a shallow oval bowl usually carried by travelers in the south; food is scooped from a communal bowl into one’s own tibi.
Tine (tyne): Rough translation: whore’s child; implication of dishonor.
Toi, te hoethra (toy, teh hoe-thrah): Lit. translation: I swear to you I am speaking truth.
Tvit (tvhit): Typical Stone Islands parting; derived from teth-kavit.
Tvith (tvitth): Rough translation: circumcised; often used, in some of the rougher areas of the southlands, as an insult to a man’s masculinity.
Ugren (oo-ghren): a very rare universal bonding mixture; also used in the southlands to imply unbreakable permanence in an arrangement or situation.
Va (vah): a rigid frame covered with a thick, stretched hide, partially filled with grit or sand; a va is generally held in the hands and rocked back and forth to produce an ocean wave-like, shhhhing sound.
Vaa ha’inn-va ne (vah-ah high-inn-vah neh): Rough translation: Master, I am yours. Formal phrase of total submission from a very old version of the southern tongue. Almost entirely forgotten in the modern era.
Wae (way): One of the Four Gods of the Northern Church pantheon; represents Water. Wae can take any form; in his kindly incarnation he is often drawn as a great, wavering blue horse made from the coldest water of the deeps. His dark side is depicted in forms with a dark, shiny surface, like treacherous black ice—often a snake is drawn for this. Wae’s strength is that of the waters, both still and quick, and the mountain glaciers.
Wailer: Street-slang for the tath-shinn.
Ways, the: A series of passages linking areas with an active ha’reye or ha’ra’hain presence. Travel through these passages generally requires the active cooperation of a ha’rethe or ha’ra’ha, and is essentially instantaneous regardless of intervening distance.
Yin: Rough translation: unbreakable commitment, cage, or permanence of spirit. Teyanain word; its meaning changes depending on context.
About the Author
Leona Wisoker writes speculative fiction that usually involves coffee but rarely involves Arthurian legend. She also teaches, edits, reviews, and blogs about her journey from amateur to professional writer. Visit Leona Wisoker’s website: www.leonawisoker.com for behind the scenes information, background, upcoming appearances and new releases. Her blog is at leonawisoker.wordpress.com. You can also follow Leona on Facebook: facebook.com/wisokerwriting and on Twitter: @leonawisoker
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Bells of the Kingdom (Children of the Desert Book 3) Page 52