The Wheel of Time Companion
Page 27
Cowinde. A blue-eyed Maiden of the Spear who was taken gai’shain. Cowinde served Melaine, though she did not accompany her to Caemlyn. She frequently served Egwene when she was with the Aiel, and she came to Egwene’s tent in Rhuidean. She was one who refused to put off the white; Melaine sent her to search a pile of sand for a particular red grain in an attempt to make her shed the gai’shain white robes and resume being a Maiden.
Cowlin, Lord. The Lord of So Habor, Altara. He fled the village before Perrin’s party arrived. He was haunted by his wife’s ghost; there was some question as to how she died.
Coy. A bandit leader in Kandor. He had grizzled, greasy hair, a narrow, unshaven face and a gap-toothed grin. He and his band made the mistake of trying to rob Moiraine and her traveling companions, Lan, Bukama and Ryne. Moiraine drove him and his band off using the One Power.
Craeb, Melli. See Melli Craeb
Craft Town. Part of the Black Tower, located outside of Caemlyn. Craft Town was a large area where all the craftsfolk plied their trade, making everything needed by the Black Tower.
Crawe, Bandry (Ban). See Bandry Crawe
Crawe, Samel. See Samel Crawe
Creator, the. The being who made the world and put in place the Wheel of Time.
Creed of the Asha’man. A statement of beliefs recited every morning at the Black Tower before Morning Directives.
Creedin. A captain in Ituralde’s army involved in defensive actions at Maradon. Ituralde sent him word to watch for a Trolloc assault on the ford.
Crimson, Master. An alias used by Mat while seeking information in taverns in Caemlyn.
crimsonthorn. A plant whose white root shavings were sweet and used in a tea. Used in small amounts, it acted as a painkiller; in larger amounts, it paralyzed and killed. The plant was found far from the sea.
Cristol, First Lord. A ruler of Essenia, one of the Ten Nations, and one of the signers of the Compact of the Ten Nations.
Croi Makin. One of Myrelle Berengari’s Warders, an Andoran. He was a yellow-haired young splinter of stone with a fine profile. He was the only of Myrelle’s Warders who had not been bonded to another Aes Sedai. Rumor said that Myrelle was married to her first three Warders: Croi Makin, Nuhel Dromand and Avar Hachami.
Crossin, Mycal. See Mycal Crossin
Crown and Lion, The. An inn in Caemlyn on the other side of the New City from The Queen’s Blessing. Rand told Elaida that he was staying there so that Master Gill at The Queen’s Blessing would not be put in danger.
Crown and Staff of the Tree. The insignia of the Panarch in Tanchico.
Crown High Council. A governmental body in the monarchy of Ghealdan. It was composed of nobles. This council was of varying size, depending on what party or group had control, and of varying power in the land. The Council had a strong say in who would ascend to the throne, though ascent was usually hereditary. By law, no one could sit on the Crown High Council if they were in the line of succession, and stepping from the Council to the throne was also against the law. Attempts to do so in the past had caused outbreaks of violence—a civil war in at least one case—and never succeeded. However, upon occasion, the Council deposed a sitting monarch, changed the succession or had someone other than the “rightful” successor crowned. In other periods they were under the ruler’s thumb to one degree or another. Alliandre was somewhat under the Crown High Council’s collective thumb, for they had removed her predecessors in one way or another, correctly as they saw it, and put her on the throne. They stood aside for a time because she handled the Prophet well, or at least kept his depredations to a minimum.
Crown of Maredo, The. A modest inn in Far Madding where Rand and his group (Min, Lan, Nynaeve and Alivia) stayed upon arrival in the city. Mistress Nalhera was the innkeeper. They roomed there while Rand attempted to track down the Asha’man who had tried to kill him in Cairhien.
Crown of Roses, The. Caemlyn’s best inn, three stories high and built of white stone. Mistress Cinchonine was the innkeeper. The embassy led by Merana from the rebel Aes Sedai wishing to meet with Rand stayed at this inn and met with Alanna and Verin there.
Crown of Swords. See Laurel Crown of Illian
Crowning Stone, the. A stone used in the election of a Malkieri king; the Great Lords would place colored rods on it to indicate their choice.
Crystal Throne. The seat of the Empress at the Court of the Nine Moons in Seanchan. It was a great ter’angreal that caused anyone who approached it to feel immense awe and wonder. Of course, only the reigning monarch was ever allowed to use it. Its disposition was unknown after the chaos in Seanchan. The term could also be used for any throne on which the Empress sat.
Cuaindaigh Fords. The site of a battle in the Trolloc Wars, from Mat’s enhanced memory.
Cuale. The innkeeper at The Defender of the Dragonwall in Cairhien, where Rand, Loial and Hurin stayed. He was plump and unctuous, and at first thought that Rand was an Aiel. He was very excited about all the invitations that Rand received, especially the last two.
Cuallin Dhen, Battle of. A famous battle in which Queen Modrellein of Andor established her bravery against the Tairens, seven hundred years before the Last Battle.
cuande, tight bands of. Moghedien’s description of what she felt around her chest while she was in the vacuole.
Cuebiyarsande. An Ogier-built city in Aramaelle, one of the Ten Nations after the Breaking.
Cuellar. A man who sharpened knives at the Black Tower.
cuendillar (heartstone). A supposedly indestructible substance created during the Age of Legends. Any known force used in an attempt to break it, including the One Power, was absorbed, making cuendillar stronger. The method for making of cuendillar was lost for centuries, but was rediscovered shortly before the Last Battle.
cueran. A building material from the Age of Legends that made for spotless white, gleaming, sleek and sterile environments.
Cuhan, Culan. See Culan Cuhan
Culain. An Aldeshar general defeated by Artur Hawkwing. Mat remembered Hawkwing standing over him as Culain, saying that he fought well, and asking Culain to live with him in peace. Culain laughed in Hawkwing’s face and died.
Culain’s Hound. An average inn in the New City in Caemlyn where Verin, Alanna and the young women from the Two Rivers with channeling potential stayed. It was three-storied stone with a red tile roof, and Master Dilham was the innkeeper. Rand visited the two Aes Sedai there, and was bonded involuntarily by Alanna; his explosive response frightened the Two Rivers girls.
Culan Cuhan. A person or place that wept when Sammael unleashed the Shadow and earned his title as “Destroyer of Hope.”
Culen, Lord. A Murandian nobleman who was a Hunter of the Horn. Culen spoke with a Mindean accent, and the Mindeans boasted that they had the worst tempers in Murandy. He was in Maerone with Lord Paers. Olver sat on Paers’ horse, and Paers intended to punish Olver, which Culen found amusing. Mat disabled Paers with a shot to the groin with the butt of his spear, and when Culen attempted to draw his sword, Mat knocked Culen out and ordered their servant Padry to get them out of town.
Culhan Carand. An Andoran nobleman and husband of the High Seat, Lady Aemlyn. He was about 5'10" tall, and square-faced. Arathelle, Pelivar, Aemlyn and Culhan were among the nobles who confronted the rebel Aes Sedai on the ice near the Andor-Murandy border.
Cullen’s Crossing. A place in Andor ten miles outside of Caemlyn. Adeleas had taken Ispan to a hut in Cullen’s Crossing for questioning, and they were both murdered there.
Cully, Old. The feared leader of a circle of Darkfriends who worked for Jaichim Carridin. He was a gnarled beggar with one eye, no teeth and a habit of bathing only once in the year, whether he needed it or not.
Cumbar Hills. Hills somewhat south of Lugard. Egwene’s rebel Aes Sedai passed this area on the way from Salidar to Tar Valon.
Cumere Powys. One of the Counsels of Far Madding. Pretty and serious, she stood 5'5½" tall. Along with Narvais, she escorted Cadsuane, Shalon and Harine
to the palace while the others remained with Aleis to question Verin.
Cup, the. A constellation.
currency. After many centuries of trade, the standard terms for coins were the same in every land: crowns (the largest coin in size), marks and pennies. Crowns and marks could be minted of gold or silver, while pennies could be silver or copper, the last penny often called simply a copper. In different lands, however, these coins were of different sizes and weights. Even in one nation, coins of different sizes and weights were minted by different rulers. Because of trade, the coins of many nations could be found almost anywhere, and for that reason, bankers, moneylenders and merchants all used scales to determine the value of any given coin or coins.
The heaviest coins came from Andor and Tar Valon, and in those two places the relative values were: 10 copper pennies = 1 silver penny; 100 silver pennies = 1 silver mark; 10 silver marks = 1 silver crown; 10 silver crowns = 1 gold mark; 10 gold marks = 1 gold crown. By contrast, in Altara, where the larger coins contain less gold or silver, the relative values were: 10 copper pennies = 1 silver penny; 21 silver pennies = 1 silver mark; 20 silver marks = 1 silver crown; 20 silver crowns = 1 gold mark; 20 gold marks = 1 gold crown.
The only paper currency was “letters-of-rights,” issued by bankers and guaranteeing to present a certain amount of gold or silver when the letter-of-rights was presented. Because of the long distances between cities, the length of time needed to travel from one to another, and the difficulties of transactions at long distance, a letter-of-rights might have been accepted at full value in a city near to the bank which issued it, but it might only have been accepted at a lower value in a city farther away. Generally, someone intending to be traveling for a long time would have carried one or more letters-of-rights to exchange for coin when needed. Letters-of-rights were usually accepted only by bankers or merchants, and would never have been used in shops.
Cutaris. A member of Ituralde’s forces in Saldaea. He was a sturdy, long-limbed Domani who acted as a messenger between Ituralde and Durhem.
Cutren, Alamindra. See Alamindra Cutren
Cutter of the Shadow. In the Old Tongue, Shadar Nor; it was the name given to Latra Posae, the Aes Sedai who was the founder of the Fateful Concord that prevented any women from helping Lews Therin place the seals on the Dark One’s prison.
cutworm. A pest found in the Two Rivers that attacked crops in the field.
Cycle of the Dragon, The. Charal Drianaan te Calamon, author unknown, from the Fourth Age.
Cynd. A slender Tairen woman who fought in the Last Battle. Mat, giving a demonstration of how to shape stakes for the palisade they were constructing on the Field of Merrilor, handed his axe to Cynd and told her to keep the stakes in line.
Cyndane. The Old Tongue word for “Last Chance.” Cyndane had been Lanfear, but Moridin rescued her from the land of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn by killing her so the Dark One could transfer her to a new body, the name showing his displeasure and giving a reminder that it really was her last chance—a chance she might not have received had there been stronger women among the Black Ajah. Cyndane’s physical appearance was very much at odds with Lanfear’s, as if deliberately changed. Where she had been tall and slim, she became short and a bit on the voluptuous side. She had large eyes of deep sky blue, and waves of blond hair that was almost silver. She was still beautiful, but her face was quite different, with high cheekbones and chiseled features; she had the look of an ice-goddess, except that there was more than a hint of banked fires in her eyes. Her voice had become husky, throaty and sultry, in stark contrast to her ice-maiden appearance. Her body truly was young—mid-twenties at the oldest—not needing the Mask of Mirrors Lanfear had used to hide her matured ripeness. She was reduced in strength to 2/+11 by her experiences during captivity on the other side of the doorframe ter’angreal before being retrieved by Moridin; this reduction was sufficient to put anyone who thought she was Lanfear off the scent. She still loved Rand, but since he had failed her, she was more than willing to break him or kill him. Unfortunately for her, Moridin held her mindtrap, and she was on a tight leash. She did attempt to engage Rand’s sympathies, but was unsuccessful. She then set her sights on Perrin, and helped him remove the dreamspike at the Black Tower. She later Compelled him to murder Moiraine, but Perrin was able to resist and instead killed Cyndane. See also Lanfear
Cyprien Melchor. One of the Counsels of Far Madding who met with Cadsuane’s party when they arrived. She had protruding teeth.
Cyrendemar’naille. An Ogier-built city in Aridhol, one of the Ten Nations after the Breaking.
Cyril Wynn. The son of Murandians Susa and Jac Wynn. He was one of the children Moiraine investigated while looking for the infant Dragon Reborn.
D
Da’concion. The term Suroth used to refer to the Forsaken.
da’covale. A Seanchan term meaning “person who is owned,” used to refer to their slaves. Being da’covale was hereditary; a child born to covale parents was itself da’covale, including the child of a mother who was da’covale and a father who was not da’covale—which was the reason most men did not lie with da’covale or used birth control if they did. If the father was da’covale and the mother not—a highly unusual circumstance—the child was free, since condition always followed that of the mother in Seanchan society. Da’covale could not own property of any sort, or have anything of their own, though owners would sometimes let them keep gifts or money. Anyone could own da’covale, not just the Blood. They could be bought and sold like horses. Manumission was possible, and in fact it was customary under some circumstances to manumit da’covale in one’s will if he or she had served long or in a close capacity, in much the manner someone might leave a few trinkets or a sum of money to a longtime servant. This was not always done, nor necessarily desired by the da’covale, because the complexities of Seanchan life could mean that being freed brought a reduction in social standing. By law, one was required to make provision for the future of any da’covale freed, either by establishing a trust, or by seeing that the former da’covale had a way to earn a living, and to support a family if he or she had one. It was possible to be reduced to da’covale as well, by judicial sentence. Both flogging—and various other corporal punishments—and being made da’covale were punishments short of execution for various crimes. Many preferred execution to being made da’covale. Prisoners of war and those captured in rebellion were usually made da’covale. To a large degree, da’covale shared somewhat in the standing of their master or mistress, modified by his or her position with the household. A lesser lord or lady might defer to a high-ranking da’covale within the household of a High Lord or Lady, at least to a so’jhin, and that High Lord or Lady would show at least a degree of respect, and possibly deference, to a high-ranking da’covale of the Imperial household.
Da’shain Aiel. Old Tongue for “those dedicated to peace” and the name given to a pacifistic people in the Age of Legends sworn to a covenant that bound them to serve the Aes Sedai and uphold the “Way of the Leaf,” a pacifistic code of honor. The Da’shain Aiel wore their hair short except for a tail in the back and usually dressed in a plain coat, breeches and soft, laced boots, usually in shades of brown or gray. During the War of Power and the Breaking, they did not betray their code by fighting. The Aes Sedai realized that the Da’shain would be slaughtered uselessly if they remained in the cities. They devised a great task worthy of the Da’shain: They were given precious angreal and ter’angreal and told to take them all to a place of safety, far away from Paaran Disen. With insane male Aes Sedai rampaging through the world, it was important to keep these powerful objects of the One Power out of their reach. The Da’shain Aiel set out, and after many tribulations and divisions among their ranks, founded Rhuidean in the Waste and evolved into what simply became known as the Aiel. See also Aiel, Jenn Aiel and Tuatha’an
da’tsang. Old Tongue for “despised one”; it was the name given to criminals among the Aiel. See also Aiel law
Dacan, Clan. An Atha’an Miere clan.
Dacan, Zerah. See Zerah Dacan
Dachen, Nisao. See Nisao Dachen
dactolk. A Seanchan game.
Dael al’Taron. A young Two Rivers man who joined Perrin’s band battling Trollocs in the Two Rivers. He was killed in a Trolloc ambush.
Daelvin, Mistress. The innkeeper at The Golden Stag in Maerone, Cairhien. She was small and round, with gray hair worn in a wispy bun. She kept a cudgel under her skirts to use on men who were behaving badly.
Daera, Sallie. A code expression for Salidar.
Daerid Ondin. A Cairhienin soldier who had fought Andorans and brigands, as well as in the civil war. He was pale and slender with hard eyes, an oft-broken nose and three white scars crisscrossing his face. He joined the Band of the Red Hand, commanded the foot and was promoted to lieutenant-general. In the Last Battle, he fought alongside Talmanes, using the dragons.
Daerilla Raened. An Andoran noblewoman who was High Seat of House Raened. Her sigil was the Five Silver Stars. Plump and giggly, she opposed Morgase in the Succession, but was given a pardon. Daerilla was one of Gaebril’s sycophants. Rand made use of her temporarily as a political tool. Daerilla fled after Rand reached an accommodation with Dyelin, and later supported Naean for the throne.
Daes Dae’mar. The Great Game, also known as the Game of Houses. It involved the use of misdirection and hidden meanings and motives, in word and deed, to gain power and status. Great value was given to subtlety, to aiming at one thing while seeming to aim at another, and to achieving ends with the least visible effort. It was developed by Cairhienin nobility, adapted from Aes Sedai intrigue, and spread throughout the southern nations.