Traitor Savant (Second Seal of the Duelists)
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Mindo: Bayan’s only brother, aged eight
Mitlik: a castrated prince of Aklaa, brother to Qisuk, cousin to Savitu and Qivinga
Muckling: insulting term for a person from Balanganam
Muggenhem: a resort town for the Waarden nobility. The only town of note along the narrow strip of coastline Helderaard has along the Gyre. Due to the winter storm season, most families only visit Muggenhem during the summer months, despite owning permanent residences there
Muted steel: steel enclosed in one of the three heavy elements. Used during the First Tuathi War by the Waarden duelists in battle
Nambulay: Tala’s seaside home town in Balanganam
Neutral Pitch: the voice pitch with which an individual chanter casts healing magic. Neutral pitch varies from chanter to chanter. A chanter finds his or her personal neutral pitch by murmuring aloud without consciously choosing any pitch
Newnik: general term for Academy trainees, who haven’t learned to cast magic or been assigned to hexes yet
Nic: one of Philo’s assistants and guards, often driving Philo’s carriage
Nine Empires, the: the nine iterations of imperial Waarden rule, spanning more than two millennia
North Keenaght: the district of Renallen that supports the duel den where Calder was brought for healing on his way to the Academy
Nunaa: a Raqtaaq realm on the eastern border of the Waarden Empire, conquered some twenty years past
Octet: the advisory committee to the First Singer at the Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies. All members must be of choralist rank
Odjin: see Diogenes Essendorp
Okatin: a business manager in the employ of Lord Eshkin, at his Wisnuk Bay estate. Kiwani’s birth father
Opposition Duelist: term for one’s opponent within a duel den arena. The official version of tegen
Pangusay: Bayan’s home town, located on the Mambajao River at the southern tip of Balanganam
Peace Village: a village that shares the top of the mountain with the Duelist Academy. The Academy’s support staff live there, as do dozens of non-duelist students. It receives mail packets separately from the campus and has its own mayor
Periorion: the restricted section of the library at the Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies, holding their oldest, most fragile documents
Philo Sallas: a plump gourmand and eunuch of the Third Class who enjoys feminine wigs and flashy accoutrements. For his efforts to uncover an Aklaa assassination plot, Philo has been promoted from Imperial Surveyor to Minister of Information
Pim Aalthoven: the Academy’s Wood Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist
Pinamuyoc: a realm populated by Bantayan people to the north of Balanganam, it has been a province of the Waarden Empire for three centuries
Plum: derogatory name for an Aklaa pretending to be Waarden. Dark on the outside, with a pale white heart
Portal: a magical passageway from one physical location to another, created by Trio level song magic. Portals open in front of the singer, and close when the crystals lose their resonance. Locations are targeted as portal endpoints with various destination sequences. Individuals are located with unique combinations of notes
Potion: A liquid concoction created by a potioneer, or apothecary. All potions affect the emotional state of the drinker, a temporary effect lasting less than a day
Potioneer: a failed duelist of any rank (or none), whose magic has been stripped away. Potioneers wash out of the Academy for various reasons, including permanent physical injury—rendering them incapable of performing spell motions—mental strain, or emotional imbalance—such as falling in love and becoming incapable of achieving the void. They are generally dismissed as weak or incompetent since they were unable to handle the stresses of the vaunted duelist training. Potioneers are monitored regularly by the empire, as they were when they were duelists or students, and they are not allowed to travel without permission. The only job the empire lets them perform is making potions with secret recipes.
Primumo:: the choralist who leads the First Singer’s Octet
Qisuk: a castrated prince of Aklaa, brother to Mitlik, cousin to Savitu and Qivinga
Qivinga (Tammaba) vooren Zeegat: the Last Starflower, and the Lost Starflower. Princess Qivinga was Savitu’s sister, and it was in her name that he swore to bring down the Waarden Empire
Raqtaaq: a proud and independent culture, spread across two realms: Aklaa and Nunaa. Its people are characterized by dark copper skin, willowy height, and thick, curly black hair, as well as fierce pride and an unwillingness to bend to another’s will. Disparaged by their conquerors, the Raqtaaq are often called Ragtag.
Raqtaaq Wars: a series of violent clashes along the border between the Raqtaaq lands and the empire proper, from 1988 IC to 1992 IC. Emperor Hedrick, sensing distant movement among the lands of the Corona to the east, wished to acquire a buffer between that empire and his own. The Raqtaaq did not care for Hedrick’s plan and fought back viciously, but were ultimately defeated
Renallen: an old, walled city in Gherabellen, large enough to support more than one duel den
Revocation: a combination of sacred motions that close the duelist off from their magic, usually performed after a duel or a stint of practice in an Academy arena. During a trainee’s first semester on campus, it is performed only once, at the end of every day
Rina: a cute Waarden Meditation Instructor with curly brown hair
Saaniq: an indentured man who was in service to, and colluding with, the mad princess Qivinga
Sacred motions: elemental spells are created by combining six different motions in various combinations. Each motion summons a different element.
Sanakit: an old farmhand on Bayan’s family farm
Sand Guides: a group of hardy, clever men who memorize and mark the changing, deadly sands at the broad mouth of the Mambajao for the purpose of safely guiding travelers from Pangusay to the far bank
Savantism: having the qualities of a Duelist Savant
Savantism forcing: the act of consciously bonding one’s elemental magic to a specific emotion in order to become a Savant
Savitu Tammaba: a castrated prince of Aklaa, son of the Voice of Tilaa and brother to Qivinga, the Lost Starflower. He swore to avenge his father’s death, his sister’s capture, and the humiliation of his people by killing the emperor of the Waarden
Seals: three seals represent the three ranks of duelist. The first seal, for Elemental Duelists, is carved on the cliff above the Hall of Seals and set in a colorful mosaic outside its doors, as well as hanging on the wall within the hall. This symbol is generally accepted as the logo of the Academy, and of duelists in general. It is comprised of six narrow teardrops in six colors, representing the six elemental magics, surrounded by black and ringed in gold. Duelists receive the seal tattooed on their left hands once they pass their Elemental exams. The second seal, for Avatar Duelists, is a starburst in six colors against a field of black, and is tattooed on duelists’ right hands once they pass their Avatar exams. The third seal on the wall in the Hall of Seals is blank, a plain gray circle of iron. Whenever a Hexmagic Duelist enters the room, they are free to animate an image on the iron sheet as a sign of their ability. No tattoo is given for the rank of Hexmagic Duelist; such lucky students are expected to choose their own tattoo and reveal it upon their skin at will. There is no seal for Master Duelist, as the position is so rarely achieved, and any such duelist would have no need of tattoos to prove their ability.
Sebastiaan voorde Helderaard: older son of Emperor Jaap and heir to the Second Waarden Empire
Second: the second class of eunuchs, comprised of childless sons of rebellious men. After their fathers are executed, these sons are castrated and retrained to serve the Waarden Empire with a lifetime of penance for their sires’ misdeeds
Second Tuathi War: 1530-1580 IC, during which the Tuathi drove hard into the Dunfarroghan provinces and sacked both the Duelist Academy and Akkeraad itself, forcing the emperor to fle
e for his life. The Waarden finally won the war by allying with the Shawnash and reconstructing the Duelist Academy in its current location, replacing their lost duelists with new Shawnash recruits
Seer: traditionally, a Balanganese wise man who performed Tellings on feastdays. In recent imperial history, it has become customary for a seer to hail from any culture. They are particularly favored among the rich
Seerpool: a metal tub used by a seer to determine the future, using a Telling
Seerwine: a rare and much-desired drink among the imperials who can afford it. It is made from the sap of the seerwine pitcher plant, which grows only in the tropical forests of Balanganam. Raw seerwine sap is hallucinogenic in small doses and fatal in larger amounts
Shadow Canyons: a rough, hilly area at the southern end of the Shawnash’kote peninsula
Shawnash: term describing a person from the Shawnash’kote realms, Kemada, Wasemya and Byanneken
Shawnash’kote: a culture spread across three realms: Kemada, Wasemya, and Byanneken. Known for their coppery skin, height, and smooth black hair, as well as their patience and thoughtfulness, the Shawnash people are considered by the Waarden—and thus by all other cultures—as their only equals
Sigil flag: a small, square flag on a short pole, bearing a unique symbol or design chosen by a duelist upon achieving the rank of Elemental Duelist. They are borne into the dueling arena and jammed into the sand, or borne into battle flying from one’s back, as a means of identifying individual duelists. Should a duelist earn one or more battle pennants, they are attached to the stave directly above the flag
Silyik: an indentured handmaid who was in service to, and colluding with, the mad princess Qivinga
Singer: a person of any ability or rank who possesses song magic. Most singers dwell at the Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies or one of its outposts, one of which produces sung wine for the emperor’s cellars.
Sints: local gods, possessing the ability to perform small miracles in exchange for token gifts or tasks. Having the appearance of light, they do not communicate with words, only through actions and effects, sometimes making it difficult for their supplicants to understand their intent
Sint Baan’s Day: an early summer holiday on the Waarden calendar
Sint Esme: one of the sints who abide near the Academy campus. She likes gifts of flowers, especially honeysuckle
Sint Koos: a sint who abides in a forest near the Academy campus
Sint Rolf’s Day: an early autumn holiday on the Waarden calendar
Sint Staas: one of the sints who abide near the Academy campus. Headmaster Langlaren consults him regarding the arrangement of hexes
Sivutma Ila: an opportunistic Nunaa girl saved from her father’s murderous wrath and sent to the Duelist Academy to develop her elemental magic
Skill duel: a duel meant to display ability rather than determine whether a client is in the right or not. Often, duelists will modify the standard dueling rules to limit danger or to highlight a certain set of spells when they agree to a skill duel
Skycaller: A Balanganese spellcaster who lives isolated on a mountain and uses magic to tame dangerous weather or other natural phenomena
Solitary: a small gazebo-like structure built on a natural promontory, away from the Academy campus, where a disobedient or troubled student may be sent to meditate without distraction upon the Void. Over a dozen dot the rocky outcrops around the Academy
Song Magic: the ability to manipulate the world through complex, arcane patterns of sound. Song magic uses six different musical scales. Each affects a different aspect of reality. Spells cast with a single human voice are solo spells, and students learning melodies for the individual are called Solo students. In addition to the human voice, long slender crystals are used as substitutes for singing partners during song spells. Certain notes of complex songs are sung directly at the crystal, which resonates with that note in harmony with the next portion of the song. Duet magic is so called because it involves one singer’s voice and one crystal. Trio magic employs the voice and two crystals. The singer population has always been small compared to that of the duelists, and learning to sing with crystals instead of partners allows the singers a much wider variety of personal spells. The only songs sung with other singers are choir songs. They require too many harmonies to be practical for a single singer. Choir songs require a choralist’s directing skills.
Songwork: the casting of song magic
Sopranoi: Temple singers with the highest voice range
Spineforest: a mountain range characterized by spiky towers. Home to the Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies
Steel: a forbidden metal within the borders of the Waarden Empire
Steelwielders: Akrestan separatists who began the War of Steel, bringing a terrible new metal to bear against the empire’s duelists
Strider: a mythical rock-man of northern Balanganam, and Bayan’s first Earth avatar
Taban Solahan: a snarky, arrogant Dunfarroghan and a member of Braam’s hex
Tagisaa: Sivutma’s home village in Nunaa
Takozen: the Academy’s Flame Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist
Tala: a half-Waarden, half-Balanganese singer at the Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies. Though she possesses perfect pitch and a skill for remembering songs, she suffers crippling performance anxiety in the form of hiccups. She fears her inability to sing any magic will force her to become a chanter instead
Talent Tournament: a three-day event allowing freshly ranked Elemental Duelists to exhibit their skills during duels. The students leave campus and duel each other in a duel den picked by the Duelism Office at the Kheerzaal. Talent Tournaments make for great entertainment, drawing crowds from nearby towns and villages, many of which have their own duel den, thus increasing a duelist’s likelihood of receiving a bid for assignment if he or she performs well. Many Elemental Duelists never advance to the next rank, so this showing of talent is their only opportunity to influence citizens to bid for the duelists’ placement. Duelists who reach the rank of Avatar Duelist get to attend another Talent Tournament, after which the bidding on duelists is significantly more cutthroat due to their larger skill set
Tallacht: capital of the Western Empire, sacked in 1539 IC, now historical ruins
Tammay: a field worker back on Bayan’s family farm
Tarin Hajellis: a passionate girl, part Akrestoi, part Dunfarroghan, with rare red hair, who joins Bayan’s hex
Tegen: term for the recipient of magical attacks during training workouts. Duelists are each other’s tegen
Telling: a Balanganese feastday tradition, involving a seerpool and seerwine. The seer fasts for a day, then consumes a large quantity of seerwine. He or she enters an altered state and observes reflected ripples from the surface of a seerpool and uses them to predict the future. Tellings are considered parlor tricks among the Balanganese, but the more superstitious among the Waarden believe them to be accurate foretellings
Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies: the enclave of the reclusive Singers, in the mountains of Pallithea. Located in the mountains near the Godsmaw, it is comprised of towers and underground structures set in and around a perfect hemisphere of stone, which amplifies the singers’ song magic to epic proportions
Teos: a duelist at the Muggenhem duel den
Teresseren Unification Day: an Waarden holiday in early summer, marking the day in 1710 IC that Pinamuyoc came under imperial rule for the first time, creating the sea power that was the Teresseren Empire
Tetbese: a bustling market town near Wisnuk Bay
Theo Willemsen: Head Chanter at the Academy Chantery. Called Doc Theo by his patients and friends, he’s traveled the length and breadth of the empire during his long service as a chanter, spending time in Bayan’s homeland of Balanganam as well as serving at the front during the Raqtaaq Wars
Third: the third class of eunuchs, comprised of volunteers seeking safety and guaranteed employment in imperial service in exchange for any future
children. Often, Thirds come from poor or large families or escape dire straits
Tilaa: the language of the Raqtaaq people. Tilaa is also the name for the Aklaa concept of speaking things into existence, for willing the world to change, or forcing fate. The rulers of Aklaa bore the title of Voice of Tilaa
Timbool: Bayan’s farm hound. Later, Bayan’s second Earth Avatar, formed to resemble his dog in large scale
Tjaard Staasen: the Academy’s Water Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist
Trade Duelist: a duelist of Avatar rank or higher who has served in duel dens for twenty years. They transition from using their magic in duels to using it in a trade of their choice, usually selected according to the duelist’s strongest element. Trade Duelists perform normally impossible tasks using their avatars, such as constructing a bridge across the previously uncrossable Mambajao River in Balanganam.