by Mike Shel
Ilanda Padivale – Countess of Beyenfort, daughter of the Count of Sallymont, a confidante of the queen.
Irlena – A servant of Lady Hannah Dyre in Daurhim.
Jahl – A senior Syraeic League agent, expert in legal matters.
Jalla – A Syraeic League novice who cut himself on the Besh Relic, setting off a contagion.
Jonathon – Aged prior at St. Besh thirty-three years ago, at the time of the first Syraeic expedition into the Djao temple beneath it. A priest of Marcator. Deceased.
Kedrech Reges – Crown Prince of Hanifax, Geneviva I’s great-great-grandson.
Kelig – A Syraeic League agent, sorcerer.
King Coryth the Revelator – Born Coryth Angana, first monarch of the Kingdom of Hanifax. Known as the Revelator for his role in bringing the pantheon of gods to the nation, sometimes called Blessed Coryth.
Larl Harkingmas – A Syraeic League agent, sorcerer.
Larso, Midshipman – A junior Royal Navy officer, Duke Yaryx.
Lawrence Padivale, Count – Count of Beyenfort, husband of Ilanda.
Lenda Hathspry – Syraeic League agent, swordswoman. Deceased.
Lessyr, Captain – Captain in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy, in command of the warship Courage.
Logan, Duke – Last Duke of Valya, executed for treason. His family was bitter rivals of the Montcalmes of Kelse.
Lopaas – Current high priest of Timilis in Boudun.
Lugo – Belech’s horse.
Lucullum – A famous Hanifaxan military historian and tactician.
Lumari – A Syraeic League agent, alchemist.
Maisalle the Hammer – Rare female warrior-priest of Vanic.
Margaret – Auric’s hunting dog, a hound.
Marno, Brother – A priest of Chaeres at the White Priory of St. Besh.
Mastro, Commandant – Commander of the marine detachment aboard Duke Yaryx.
Maura Versalli – A senior agent of the Syraeic League.
Melic – A Syraeic League lictor, deceased.
Mercele – A mercenary aeromancer, Duke Yaryx.
Meric – A priest of Belu, seconded to the Syraeic League. Deceased.
Messine – A mercenary, resident in Serekirk.
Morso Khinny – Chief alchemist to Her Majesty. Official title is “Chemical Advisor at the Queen’s Court.”
Mound – Pennyman’s sheepdog.
Narlen, Brother – Sub-prior at the White Priory of St. Besh, a priest of Mercator.
Olbach of Lakebader – A senior agent of the Syraeic League.
Olliah, Sister – Senior priest of Belu at the White Priory of St. Besh, following the death of its prior.
Olsyn – An assistant to Hanasi Welka at the Counting House in Serekirk.
Orin, Duke – Duke of Harkeny, based in Caird.
Oslen, Brother – A priest of Mictilin at the White Priory of St. Besh.
Ozrin – A Syraeic League lictor, deceased.
Padrig Dyre – Baron of Daurhim, deceased husband of Lady Hannah Dyre.
Padrig Reges – Son of Edmund IV, killed in the Azkayan War.
Pala – Auric’s cook at his manor home in Daurhim.
Palca – High Priest of Timilis in Boudun during the Gray Plague.
Pallas Rae – A Syraeic League lictor.
Pennyman – Owner/proprietor of Pennyman’s Respite, a simple tavern in Serekirk.
Polor, Lieutenant – A Royal Navy officer, Duke Yaryx.
Polosander – Syraeic League officer, Master of Sorcerers at the Citadel, deceased.
Quintus Valec – A priest of Belu, frequently seconded to the Syraeic League, and member of the first expedition into the Djao temple beneath the White Priory of St. Besh. Resigned priesthood. Whereabouts and status unknown.
Raimund – A priest of Belu, tending to Agnes Manteo at the Citadel.
Rallard, Duke – Duke of Bannerbraeke, based in Wolmuthe.
Rencis, Brother – A young priest of Belu at the White Priory of St. Besh.
Respar, Duke – Former Duke of Bannerbraeke, father of Rallard. Deceased.
Revelator, The – See King Coryth the Revelator.
Rolphe Sallymont – Eldest son of the Count of Sallymont, brother of Ilanda Padivale.
Ruby – Maidservant of Countess Ilanda Padivale.
Sellah Reges – Elder sister of Geneviva I, drowned with the queen-mother when the Hammer of Warwede sank in a storm on its way to the Duchy of Kelse.
Shurima Dowe – A Syraeic League agent, swordswoman.
Sidis Yaro – A soldier in Her Majesty’s Pearly Regiment, AKA Basher. A mace-man.
Sira Edjani – A priest of Belu, based at the Blue Cathedral in Boudun.
Sula the Fisherman – A Syraeic League agent.
Syraea, Lord – Wealthy aristocrat and member of the Triumvirate in Boudun. Funded Coryth Angana’s expedition to the Barrowlands. Namesake of the Syraeic League.
Taumlen, Brother – A priest of Velcan at the White Priory of St. Besh.
Teelu, Sister – A priest of Lalu at the White Priory of St. Besh.
Tenic – An able seaman, Duke Yaryx.
Thad – A bandit, posing as a royal patrol member in the Barrowlands.
Thennis, Earl – Ruler of the island earldom of Tessy. Known to have fathered numerous unacknowledged bastards.
Torvale, Viscount – Viscount of Seathrift in the Duchy of Bannerbraeke, recently killed by townsfolk in an uprising.
Ulberta Montcalme – A Syraeic League agent around 224, of the family that eventually came to rule the Duchy of Kelse.
Ursula – A Syraeic League agent. Deceased.
Wallach Bessemer – A former Syraeic League agent, warrior-priest of Vanic, and member of the first expedition into the Djao temple beneath the White Priory of St. Besh. Resigned commission. Whereabouts and status unknown.
Willa Montcalme, Duchess – Former Duchess of Kelse, wife of Duke Gromas, mother of the present duke, Emberto II. Deceased
Willem, Duke – Duke of Marburand, based in Bennybrooke.
Yaryx, Duke – Legendary admiral who commanded Geneviva I’s Royal Navy fleet in the last major war against the Azkayans. Deceased.
Yolen – A Syraeic League agent, alchemist.
* * *
1. Includes all named persons in the novel
APPENDIX B2
Places, Creatures,
Organizations, Gods,
Saints, etc.
Abendi – A tribe of the Korsa nomads.
Abjuration – Form of magic focused on protection and wards against harm.
Abjurer – Sorcerer specializing in abjuration magic.
Aelbrinth – Major port city in the Duchy of Marburand.
Aem’al’ai’esh – Ruins in the Barrowlands where the gods of Hanifax revealed themselves to Coryth the Revelator. AKA the Forbidden Pantheon. Access to the site has been restricted since the last ill-fated expedition in 738.
Aeromancer – Elementalist sorcerer specializing in summoning spirits of air and controlling the winds.
Aethaali Chain – Group of remote, storm-wracked islands deep in the Cradle Sea used for sentences of exile by the rulers of Hanifax for centuries.
Afterlands of Honey and Song – A peasant representation of the happy afterlife. Heaven.
Ainsley – Free city in the Duchy of the Karnes.
Albemarr – Free city, more-or-less in league with the western corsairs. Once part of the Duchy of Valya.
All-Mother – A title of the god Belu.
Aquamancer – Elementalist sorcerer specializing in summoning spirits of water and controlling liquids.
Asomatous Annihilation – Extraordinarily rare occurrence in which a disembodied spirit expends it very existence in order to lash out at the
living.
Aulkirk – Major port city on the main island of Hanifax, under the jurisdiction of an aristocratic family.
Azkaya – Eastern empire shrouded in mystery and suspicion, historically antagonistic to Hanifax.
Azkayan’s Daughter, The – An inn in the port city of Kalimander.
Azkayan War – Years-long conflict started by Edmund IV with the sprawling empire east of the lands of Hanifax. Nothing was gained by the confrontation, and it resulted in the loss of some territory and disrupted shipping in the Sea of Azkaya and northern stretches of the Southryn Ocean until Geneviva I reclaimed both territory and dominance of the seas. While there have been many wars with the Empire of Azkaya over the life of Hanifax, this most recent is the only one known simply as the Azkayan War.
Babaloc – Sea god of the Hanifaxan pantheon, thought to crew his underwater fleet with the drowned dead.
Bald Pete – Pirate ship plaguing the western Cradle Sea.
Bannerbraeke, Duchy of – Duchy nearest the main islands of Hanifax, ruled by Duke Rallard from the ducal seat of Wolmuthe.
Barrow Sound – Major inlet on the coast of the Barrowlands.
Barrowlands, The – blasted land in the north, access to which is tightly controlled by the ruler of Hanifax due to the riches and artifacts in its many ruins.
Basilisk – Dangerous reptilian beast whose saliva contains a virulent paralytic agent.
Battle of Balan Fields – Decisive battle northeast of Ainsley in the Duchy of the Karnes in the war between Hanifax and the Azkayans early in the reign of Queen Geneviva I. Famous for the effectiveness of the Hanifaxan cavalry counterattack, which literally drove the Azkayan infantry into the Ironspur River.
Belu – Major deity of Hanifax Pantheon; goddess of healing and renewal, AKA the All-Mother, Blue Belu, Great Mother, Blue Mother, Blue Queen of Heaven Blessed Mother.
Belu’s Blue Nightie – Mild curse used to indicate incredulity or frustration.
Bennybrooke – Major port city, ducal seat of the Duchy of Marburand.
Besh – Sainted companion of King Coryth the Revelator. Founded a priory later named after him in the wilderness of the Barrowlands.
Besh Relic – Gem recovered from the temple ruin beneath the White Priory of St. Besh by a team of Syraeic adventurers in 745.
Beyenfort – Walled frontier city on the Selvey River in the north of the Duchy of Harkeny. Under jurisdiction of the Padivale family.
Binding Jewel – A faceted, precious gemstone set in the forehead of sorcerers and ensorcelled to constrain their use of magic (known as royal binding). Its color is tied to the schools of magic in which they are most intimately versed.
Birth of Lalu – A warship in Her Majesty’s Royal Fleet.
Bishop’s Blend – a combination of weeds known to herbalists and healers to slow the spread of poison when the juices produced by chewing them is swallowed.
Blessed Mother – A title of the goddess Belu.
Blue Cathedral – Great temple of the god Belu in Boudun.
Blue Lady – Guiding spirit that led Coryth Angana to the Barrowlands and Aem’ai’al’esh. Believed to be the goddess Belu.
Blue Mother – A title of the goddess Belu.
Blue Straits – Sea between the main isle of Hanifax and Leath, to its southeast.
Book of Marcator’s Glory – Part of the Divine Codex, dedicated to the god of justice.
Boudun – Capital of the Kingdom of Hanifax and its empire, located on its main island.
Brae – An island earldom of the main Hanifax chain, under the jurisdiction of an aristocratic family ruling from Braekirk.
Braekirk – A large port city, seat of the Earldom of Brae.
Bright Promise – One of three carracks outfitted by Lord Syraea for his Northward Expedition.
Busker Kings – Innumerable petty rulers who held sway over parts of what is now the Empire of Hanifax (portions of the isles of the kingdom, as well as the Duchies of Bannerbraeke, Warwede, the Karnes, and Marburand), a thousand years before the coming of Coryth Angana, but long after the fall of the Djao.
Caird – Major port city, ducal seat of the Duchy of Harkeny.
Calamity – Pirate ship plaguing the western Cradle Sea.
Cantrip – a minor, elementary spell.
Chaeres – Major deity of Hanifax Pantheon; goddess of the harvest and childbirth.
Cherusa – A tribe of the Korsa nomads.
Citadel, The – Headquarters of the Syraeic League, located in Boudun.
College of Divinity – Conclave of the various cults in the Hanifaxan pantheon charged with advising the crown on religious matters.
College of Intercessors – Ecumenical council overseeing the granting of sainthood and liturgy for the veneration of those so elevated, based in Boudun.
Contemplation’s Soothing Trajectory – An evocation spell which employs a great invisible force to move objects through space.
Corpse Grinder of Unkirk – Nefarious renegade alchemist who employed forbidden ingredients in his formulae.
Corsair’s Run – Western coastal waters of the Cradle Sea, named for the pirates who plague the region.
Counting House – Syraeic agency based in Serekirk whose foremost purpose is to act as a final check on those agents entering and exiting the Barrowlands. Staffed primarily by League sorcerers, including a considerable number of diviners.
Courage – A warship in Her Majesty’s Royal Fleet, under the command of Captain Lessyr.
Cradle Sea – Large inland sea dominated by Hanifax; known for its violent storms.
Crown – Name of the silver coin minted by the Royal Treasury.
Culver – Port city in the Duchy of Bannerbraeke.
Darcy Road Tavern – Popular tavern in the town of Daurhim.
Dark Promise – Pirate ship plaguing the western Cradle Sea.
Daurhim – Minor town about fifty miles west of Boudun, under jurisdiction of Baroness Hannah Dyre.
Discord – Notorious pirate ship plaguing the western Cradle Sea, captained by Black Erin.
Divination – Form of magic employed to seek prophecy and reveal hidden information.
Divine Codex – Chief holy text of the Hanifaxan religion, comprised of several separate books, dedicated to various deities and saints or penned by the latter.
Divine Fury – A sacred frenzy entered by warrior-priests of Vanic, during which they are capable of martial feats beyond normal human capabilities.
Diviner – Sorcerer specializing in divination magic.
Djao – Ancient, powerful civilization destroyed over 10,000 years ago, presumably peopled by humans who are thought to have worshiped cruel gods and demons that demanded human sacrifice. The remains of their kingdom, known as the Barrowlands, is littered with the ruins of their temples, tombs, and other monuments.
Djao, Gutter – A simplified form of the Djao language developed by the Syraeic League. It is employed primarily in contemporary scholarly writing or for secret messages. Its purpose is to keep certain information from the hands of the uninitiated.
Djao, Higher – A separate pictographic writing system of the Djao, to date never successfully translated. Most often found in religious structures in Djao ruins.
Djao, Lesser – Most common form of the Djao language, gleaned from texts and inscriptions found in Djao ruins.
Djao, Middle – The language of sorcery; known for its extremely confusing and difficult pronunciation and syntax.
Djem’ohd’caat – Large complex of Djao ruins in the Barrowlands.
Duke Yaryx – A warship in Her Majesty’s Royal Fleet, presently captained by Hironimus Hraea.
Dyrekeep – Castle-keep of the Dyre Clan, hereditary rulers of Daurhim.
Elemental – Beings native to strange planes of existence comprised entirely
of their particular element: fire, water, air, or earth.
Elementalist – A sorcerer focusing on command of one of the four elements: fire, water, air, or earth.
Eret – Intercessory saint of the Hanifaxan religion.
Erinsea – Free port city, owing fealty to the Duke of the Karnes.
Erinsea Lad – Merchant carrack.
Estagard – Walled port city, easternmost major settlement in the Duchy of Warwede.
Euvorix – Dog-sized mammal known for its aggression and the toxicity of its bite/claws.
Evocation – A form of magic involving the calling forth and control of energies.
Expedition of Discovery – Title given Geneviva I’s order to circumnavigate the globe in Year of Empire 724—a full two thirds of the ships of the Royal Navy were dispatched by way of the unexplored southern continent, never to return; the navy has not yet recovered from the loss of ships and personnel.
Falmuthe – Major port city south of Boudun, on the main island of Hanifax.
‘Faxer – See Hanifaxer.
Fire Drake – A mythological reptile capable of spitting gouts of flame from its mouth.
First Pillar of Verity – The lowest level a devotee of Tolwe must achieve to function as a truth-speaker.
Five Flagons, The – Tavern in the city of Tessy.
Forbidden Pantheon – Another name for the Djao ruins of Aem’al’ai’esh.
Forest of Kelse – Enormous wooded region of the Duchy of Kelse and beyond, its lumber being the source of much of the duchy’s wealth.
Forest of Merrick – Large wooded region of the main island of Hanifax, west of Boudun.
Fortha – Large, unsettling carrion bird found in the Barrowlands.
Ghenna – A tribe of the Korsa nomads.
Goatherd’s Bane – Toxic weedy growth.
Golden Egg – Container constructed to hold the Besh Relic, ensorcelled to shield people from its malevolence.
Gray Plague – A disease that afflicted many during the fortieth year of the reign of Geneviva I.
Great Mother – A title of the god Belu.
Guild of Jewelers – Professional organization of artisans working in precious metals and gems in the city of Boudun. Many such organizations for various trades and professions are recognized throughout Boudun and the other major cities of the empire.