The Foundling's Tale, Part Three: Factotum

by D M Cornish

  nuncheon any meal not had at the usual times of breakfast, middens/ lunch or mains/supper.

  nuntio(s) official messengers of the Emperor and his regents, and, when required, bearing the authority of the one who sent them. Their private counterparts—used by magnates and peers—are the sillards (sing. silas). Both are distinct from scopps and mercers in that they are especially engaged by individuals for their exclusive service, rather than being available for general hire.

  O

  obligantic ossatomy school of bone-setting practice advocating the use of tight bindings to “oblige” or immobilize and support a break. Its disadvantage—so its rival practice ferile ossatomy (which touts the use of splints and other supportive casings) holds—is that if the break is in a limb, it is not free to be used.

  obsequine also known as tweenies, flamboyaunts or fancyblands; lahzar “groupies,” true devotees of teratologists; what we would think of as “rabid fans,” writing letters to, finding and following, seeking the mark or discarded items of their chosen monster-slayer, finding and buying every skerrick of printed information on them. The more reasonable and mature will be allowed to be in the company of their favorite, and most obsequines—who, not appreciating the demeaning sound of the word, prefer to call themselves cathabrians or cathadulators—aspire to such an honor. Their greatest aspiration is indeed to be made into a factotum or other such body in service to their mighty hero.

  obtorpës powerful stupefactant; that is, a draught that sedates the recipient.

  obverse also known sometimes as a front room, comprising a main entry hall with a solid front door at one end and an equally solid inner door at the other, flanked by narrow passages on either hand perforated with thin, heavily gated loopholes from which defenders can fire upon who- or whatever is in the entry hall. A place of defense should a monster or other undesirable manage to make it through the front door, these are (and have always been) very necessary in dwellings out in rougher regions. With this universal approval and long-standing use, obverses are to be found in almost any building throughout the lands, even when these structures have ceased to need such defenses.

  Occidental the empire of Nenin and the kingdom of Sippon, among other realms of the great landmass across the western gurgis, whose cultures are what we would consider Oriental or Asian in character.

  occludile of lazarin one of the rare scripts employed by transmogrifers immediately upon inserting mimetic organs into a person to make them a lahzar. Its rarity is in part attributable to the illicit and very difficult-to-obtain parts in its constitution, and also the limits of its use. As any transmogrifer worth his fee will tell you that it also can serve as an aid for fortifying the memes (foreign organs) already within a lahzar’s body.

  olfactologue of similar basic construction to a sthenicon, an olfactologue does not have the sight-enhancing organs and mechanisms of the latter, but only augments the user’s sense of smell. Full sthenicon wearers hold that olfactologues are what we would call a “baby step” into the world of fully heightened senses, and lurksmen-in-training will often start with it before progressing to the full sensoria. True olfactologue wearers will claim that they are at far less risk of having the organs within trying to grow up into their faces with prolonged wear. Quite rightly too, for on its own the scent tissue of an olfactologue is far less aggressive than it is when combined with sight-enhancing organs inside a sthenicon.

  ol’ touchy also the touch, torch, ol’ torch or the gripes; a fiery beverage made from cacti juice, first drunk by the pirates of the Sin Tin. The drink is known among most vinegaroons even though almost all would have no idea what a cacti was, looked like or even that they existed, growing as they do almost exclusively in the northern parts of Parthia, that terrible land far beyond the Brigandine states. Torch (as it is most commonly called) is made almost exclusively by the pirate-kings of the Brigandine and exported to seaside drinkeries the world over.

  omilia habilistic and also natural philosophy term meaning the particular type of monster within a greater genis—or grouping of like types; what less learned folk might term a tribe.

  oppilative another word for a siccustrumn, that is, the group of potives involved in stopping blood flow and hastening the healing of open wounds.

  orator(s) “referee” of an oratory, who governs the course of arguments and makes sure certain passions do not rise to the point of ruining the debate.

  oratory debate or formally organized argument upon a set topic; properly meaning the lecturing and debating hall of an athenaeum, it has come to be an entertainment at higher-class fêtes, galas and other social events.

  Orchard Harriet meaning “home of the fruit grove,” a name given it by Gaspard Plume when he bought it twenty years ago from a local lord and leaseholder pressed by gambling debts who had—with certain additions—employed it as a barn. The core structure is an old fortalice, part of the defenses built to guard the ancient, now abandoned mines that riddle the hills about. Used variously since as a bogle haunt, a den of brigands, a family home, a storehouse and a barn, its accretion of space and rooms serves it well in its current role as the hideaway for disaffected, thoughtful and creative souls.

  orchestrato what we might call a chamber orchestra, that is, a small collection of players of orchestral instruments used in more intimate situations or where room and/or money are constrictions.

  ouranin ancient term monsters have for a rossamünderling.

  P

  packet ram any class of ram that has been radicaled, that is, had part of its lower decks cleared of guns and at least one of its masts unstepped (lowered or removed, making the vessel “short-masted”) to allow for the taking on of cargo and/or passengers. Such vessels are usually privately owned, the tariffs for loading and unloading and the fares being their owners’ income. Neither fighting vessel nor true cargo, nevertheless what a packet ram loses in carrying capacity it makes up for in firepower and—in the case of a converted frigate—speed.

  Page, the ~ amiable part of the world farmed for longer than Imperial charters record, with every little parish holding itself distinct from its neighbors as if each were a state to itself. The ancient locals are very proud of their ideal life, yet it is falling prey to the grasping greed of peers seeking seats in the state parliament.These city swells send ceaseless chains of lawyers and men-of-business to dispute the ancient uses of folkland and haggle the expansion of their franchises.

  pallet sleeping quarters for staff and servants, usually situated at the rear of a house closest to the working places; the domestic version of a billet.

  Pander Tar vulgar Soutland rendering of Pandataar—capital of the Principalitine far to the north beyond the Sinus Tintinabuline—a collective of princes ruled by the Peacock Throne found in Serringpahttam.

  Pantomime Lane found in many cities of the Soutlands and beyond; a Pantomime Lane—or Street or Walk, or its linguistic equivalent—is the district designated as the center of frivolous distractions, though only sometimes connected with the districts of high theater.

  panto-play(s) medley of many small shows, constituting intermedio that have become more popular than the full dramas (comedie a’manners or heldic tragedy); they originally supported and now collect into a single act, farces and mimes—short comic routines making sport of whoever it is currently fashionable to tease and made especially for the panto, interludes performed by normal folk seeking a moment of fame or fun, and even morality cycles done by well-meaning calendar claves or brave collectives of apostrophizers. Most popular of all are the arbitrarios—or doubles—romance comedies with set roles but ad lib scripts performed by concoctors, with simple, compact yet still gorgeous production so that doubles might be done as easily on small platforms as grand stages.

  paphron skirtlike apron usually of proofed leather, wrapping high about the stomach and flaring from the hips to just below the knees. Part of its manufacture is what we might call a “utility belt” plus pockets and slots for holding t
ools.

  paraductor master of the progress of a high-society event, with the production and timing of all the entertainments under his command, keeping with great tact and sensitivity all things in their right place and proceeding smoothly.

  parmister essentially a foreman in charge of the various workings and facets of a franchise. Whether it is the shepherds and their flocks, the hay wards and their herds, the swains and their farrows, the moilers and their fields, the pruners and their trees, the pickers and their vines or the garnerers and their stores, there is a parmister in charge of each, and a master-parmister in charge of all and answering only to the owning lord or his seniormost agent.

  Parvis Main main structures and public buildings built around the Florescende and a major part of the whole Brandendirk. It is here that common folk may come to deal and treat with the Archduke’s officials and various governing boards.

  patefract “revealer”; also sometimes called an index; courtly spies sometimes hiring themselves out to more vulgar folk to supplement income and better employ any downtime. In this capacity they become one of a class collectively known as “splints” or “sleuths,” and behave in the manner of a “private eye” in our own world, treading into the realms of the sleuths of the local constabulary and the freelancing, common street detinctives (detectives).

  Pater Maupin see Maupin, Pater Pontiflex.

  Patredike, the ~ corruption of an Etaine word meaning “shepherd’s mound”; the ancestral home of the Trottinotts, built by Grimspan Trottinott, who served with great distinction and almost unto death at the Battle of the Gates (see Book One) in HIR1397. Called the Trottinseat or Trotthall by the locals, the original dike (the high mound upon which the buildings are established) and the manor proper took seven years to complete, with additions being added by almost every generation ever since.

  Paucitine, the ~ eastern, least fertile region of the Idlewild, the seat of the now destroyed cothouse, Wormstool, where Rossamünd served for a bare few months. See Book Two.

  pauldrons proof-steel protection for the shoulders, upper arm and partly the chest, typically possessing ridges or flutes of steel near the neck to protect from inward-turning deflecting blows.

  Pauper Chïves see Chïves, Pauper.

  pavane slow dance of many couples in a kind of choreographed procession, unfashionable now in the cities but still stepped in rustic places.

  PDetC “Pro Dux et Civitas,” the motto of Brandenbrass; a Tutin phrase meaning “For duke and state.”

  Peacock Throne, the ~ oddly impersonal name for the actual person of the overlord of the Principalitine states far, far to the north.

  peltisade hiding place of significant size, large enough for a person to live in permanently, with space for staff and entertainments, often functioning as the dens of the ne’er-do-well set of folk with enough money and influence to create such havens. Such structures are more common in cities than authorities would care to ponder upon, yet as universal as they might be, they are little reckoned to exist by most folk, which is precisely the point.

  peltrymen though once used to mean trappers, this term is more and more coming to include venators—that is, hunters; indeed, it is becoming the catchall word for any woodsman. One of the notable historical details of peltrymen is that the ambuscadiers of armies of the Half-Continent model their own harness on the accoutrements of peltryfolk, a practice originating from the recruiting of skirmishing volunteers from the people best suited to skulking and ambushing: woodsmen and peltrymen.

  People of the Dogs “classical” designation for the folk of the city-state of Doggenbrass.

  percusor(s) also pnictor or sicarian; a part of the patefact set; professional murderer working for states and kings, possessing a near-legendary facility in delivering death at distance and by stealth. Almost every state, kingdom or realm employs them, the more civilized places simultaneously denying their existence.

  perfervid(s) antiquated term for vigorants. Despite its antiquity it is still used by many script-grinders, one of those strangely persistent linguistic relics.

  permanare per proscripta perpetually binding ruling, usually made in the sectioning of land by a regime intent on preserving its uses into the next generations, for example the sequestering of great stretches of land by Emperor Haacobin Conflans II in the early sixteenth century HIR with the infamous Survey Act for the growing of timber for the making of rams and cargoes. To break a proscription requires an act of Imperial will ratified by the necessary state(s) concerned.

  perruquier makers of wigs, often called skull-thatchers by less well-spoken folk, though such a term is used to refer more particularly to your less competent wig-stitcher.

  perto adversus meaning essentially “to face openly”; an innovation on the usually fixed positions—or first stances—that tradition dictates a fighter begins. Involving simply standing fully facing your adversary, it provides the practitioner flexibility in reaction by not restricting the hand and/or leg that can be first employed.

  petchinin(s) monster-lords most concerned with their own immediate needs and their own schemes, neither attacking nor defending everymen except as circumstances might dictate or if said everymen are encroaching upon a petchinin’s patch or plans. As such they are scorned—or at the very least, mistrusted—by both urchins and wretchins.

  petrailles part of a set of horse-proofing or shabraque, covering the main part of the body. See shabraques in Book Two.

  Philemon Plume see Plume, Philemon.

  physical of or pertaining to a physician and physics, their field of expertise; medicinal.

  pied daw large, heavy-billed relative of the crow, called a currawong in this real world of ours.

  pignone knitted cap of wool, ungaulded, most commonly worn by sailors and children. Its name is a corruption of a southern word for mushroom.

  pilot • person who knows well the lay and threats of a harbor or other body of water, who goes out to vessels, navigating their way through this water to show them the best path through, either by taking the wheel, standing beside the master or captain and instructing them or leading a vessel from the front in some smaller, more nimble craft—usually called pilot boats. • written description of the directions and landmarks to a desired location, often including salient notes on points of interest or danger.

  Piltdowners the Pilts, the people of the Piltdowns.

  Piltdowns, the ~ both the general region of the once-great nation of the Pilts and also the spreading range of hills along the northwestern coast of the Grume of which the Brandenfells (Wood Hole, the Dells, the Milchfold Leens, Twifold Rise, the Janeswolds—or Underdowns) and Witherfells are a part.

  Piltmen collective name of the once-tribal people of the northwest Grumid region. See Pilts, the.

  Pilts, the ~ proud, dignified yet rough-living people, the original people of the Grumid regions, driven into the hills by the Tutelarchs, partly conquered by the Burgundians and then the Tutins. They have a strong sense of the wider family, of the inviolate connections of extended kinship, and gathered in large familial groups, which collected into assemblies for protection (mostly against other assemblies).These eventually coagulated into three loose confederacies—or venes—that held (and still hold to this day) themselves distinct from each other yet were governed by a single king (or queen).This king was at first the strongest warlord among them all, but over time became a kind of detached judge and father figure. Their greatest and most tragic king was Oddvicar, who unified the fractious Pilts in their struggle against the Burgundian usurpers, only to finally lose to the princes of Burgundy at the Battle of Assembled Mile (the consequence of which was the resettling of his people in the Piltlaw, a region beyond the Page granted to the defeated foe). Unrecognized by the Haacobin emperors—or the Sceptics before them—the rank of Piltic king remains in Pilt society, obscure, often wretched fellows whose role for their people in current times has become much more one of cultural focus and wishful remembrance. Indeed, in the c
enturies of occupation, especially since the Tutins, it is common to find somewhat idealized, even maudlin images—usually a cheap etching copy of some proper painting—of their current exiled or reduced king hanging somewhere in a Pilt home. Now an obscure group, the pilts once roamed the whole land from the Grumid shores to Thisterland, from Hergoatenbosch to Haquetaine, and though their king is reduced to mere citizen of the Empire, they still hope one day to rise untrammeled again as their own people. They are reputed to have been monster-worshippers in times of yore, and this grim reputation clings to them still as a vague distrust in the conquering folk about them.

  Piltdowners the Pilts, the people of the Piltdowns.

  pipistrelle light onshore winds that make for good sailing of small-sailed vessels such as sloops or brigantines. Their presence is seen as a sign of favor by all seafaring folk, but they are known to be fickle benefactors, turning all too quickly into mortal tempests.

  pistoleroes dramatic name for pistoleers, originating from Seville.

  planquin-chair or just planquin; an open box set upon long poles to be carried by people or beasts, typically containing a plush seat screened from view by solid doors of wood or elegant drapes.The larger “model” has two seats facing each other and is carried by a larger complement of bearers.

  Plume, Gaspard mattern (historian), amateur philosopher and the owner of Orchard Harriet, he is responsible for a revealing and controversial book A Proper Reading of the Great Didic Descendancy, tracing the true lines of the heirs of Dido and Idaho, an exposition that cost several eminent families countenance and brought their standing into general and unwanted scrutiny. As such it caused Gaspard profound and unforeseen social exclusion, and after much distress he was forced to retreat from his high city life to his obscure hinterland abode, becoming in the process an unwitting beacon for other disaffected intellectuals.