The Black Amulet
Page 24
Imagining Book A rare item that allows the person using it to create a real version of whatever they are imagining and drawing on a page. Usually these books are the size of a notebook, meaning that only small items can be drawn and made real. A page can only be used once so the owner of an Imagining Book should use it sparingly in order to make it last.
Jump ´em Juice A tart-tasting liquid that turns any person who drinks it invisible immediately for a certain period of time, depending on its strength. Not only will it affect the individual but anything they are holding or touching too.
Learning Book A notebook commonly kept by apprentice Badlanders. It is a simple way of way keeping notes about the things they learn that are useful and important to know.
Léasspellung (-e) (ANGLO-SAXON) Translates as ‘empty talk’.
Ley Line Lines of magical energy that run deep through the land, they hold a deep significance for Badlanders (See Magic).
Limitless Pockets Any coat, jacket or pair of trousers a Badlander wears will usually be charmed to have limitless pockets, meaning that many objects can be carried around. To retrieve what a Badlander wants from a pocket all they need to do is insert their hand and imagine what they require. Bags can be charmed to be limitless too.
Magic The most important tool in a Badlander’s armoury for tackling monsters, magic is fundamental to surviving the Badlands. It is also vitally important because it allows for the creation of charms that make everyday life easier for Badlanders, given the lifestyle restrictions placed on them by the Ordnung (see separate entry), allowing them to co-exist in the modern world alongside ordinary people. The gift of magic is granted at Commencement and becomes ‘fused’ with the apprentice receiving it.
Magic is a natural element that Badlanders have managed to control through ancient means, drawing it from the heart of the land and forcing it to work for them. Therefore, magic is always looking for a way to release itself from being controlled by the Badlander Order. This means magic can be fickle and unpredictable, attempting to lead Badlanders astray if they are not disciplined in how they use it. As a result, Badlanders are taught to treat magic with great respect at all times.
Mearcung (-e, -a for plural) (ANGLO-SAXON) Translates as ‘marking’, ‘branding’ or ‘characteristic’. The formal name given to the mark that a Badlander makes after killing and disposing of a creature to make it clear to other Badlanders what has happened in a particular location. It is also a way for Badlanders to show others how successful they have been in the Badlands and promote their legacy.
Memory Leech Memory leeches are used to remove the memories of people, when required, by literally sucking them out of the brain. To do this they must be inserted into the head of the subject, usually through the ear canal. They are very clean and efficient removers of memories. Leeches work according to the amount of time they are instructed to remove from a person’s memory so they are most commonly used to remove only very recent memories. Various rare sub species of leeches can work to remove older memories if they are given precise instructions about the date and time of the exact memories to be eliminated. After deleting memories, leeches will excrete a hallucinogenic substance that causes a false memory to be created, accounting for the missing time in a person’s memory.
Moon Globe Moon Globes are very rare, with only a handful thought to be in existence. How they came to exist is mired in mystery. They are spherical as the name suggests and about the size of a small apple. The glow that a Moon Globe emits is akin to the pearlescent light of the moon, hence the name. Quite what makes them glow is not known given that the scarcity of the objects makes study almost impossible. However, various Badlanders have postulated theories about them. The most detailed studies on Moon Globes were carried out in the early 20th century by Piers van Anhelm who came to the conclusion that they are fashioned from fragments of meteors that have landed on earth. Very few Badlanders have ever used a Moon Globe and their owners tend to be very secretive about them because of their great value. The reason they are so valued is they can often be the only way to open certain concealed doors or entrances, meaning that something extremely valuable can be locked away securely.
Nædl (-e) (ANGLO-SAXON) Translates as ‘needle’.
One Eye A One Eye is one of the very few creatures the Ordnung allows Badlanders to use to help them on their hunts, having the skill for sensing magical as well as unnatural and dangerous things. They are akin to a sprite or fairy (ælf or puca in Anglo-Saxon), having wings and a diminutive stature. However, there are two key characteristics that differentiate a One Eye from these types of creatures: the big single eye in the centre of the forehead and a set of large, sharp teeth, which only come to prominence when bared. The colour of the eye is used to define the various types of One Eye that exist. In the wild the creatures are aggressive and have to be tamed by Badlanders using a four-leaf clover. Over time, One Eyes can be trained to become obedient and willing servants to their owners.
Ordnung (German) A German word, meaning ‘order’, ‘discipline’, ‘rule’ or ‘system’, Ordnung is used by Badlanders to describe the strict code of rules their Order must follow. It was a term adopted by Badlanders in the early 15th century when new rules for the Order were established.
Rosemary and Salt A common mixture of two substances that Badlanders use as an all-purpose weapon against many creatures. It can cause burns on a variety of monsters. If sprinkled on the ground around the user it can also form a protective ring that repels many different creatures.
St Crosse College, Oxford St Crosse College, founded in 1450, is one of the colleges that make up the University of Oxford, one of the oldest universities in the world. The college admits undergraduate and graduate students. It has groomed four prime ministers as well as numerous lords, clergymen and scholars. What is not written in the guidebooks of the college (available for four pounds and fifty pence from the black wire shelves inside the main gate) is the legacy of its Badlander scholarship.
Ever since the foundation of the college a Badlander research fellowship has always existed. The Badlander holding the position of ‘resident research fellow’ is entrusted with the primary aim of researching rare creatures, studying the combat techniques, weapons and magic that might be most effective against them.
No questions are ever asked about the fellowship on account of a generous and anonymously run trust that funds the position. The trust also donates generously to the college, and even the university, whenever there is a need. The research fellow is resident for three years at the college and is required to be discreet at all times about Badlander affairs given that he is living amongst ordinary people. He is allowed to participate fully in normal life as required, however most keep themselves to themselves.
The position of research fellow, despite being highly regarded is considered by some to be a ‘poisoned chalice’ (a direct quote from Getting Cross with St Crosse by A.J. Heap) because adaptation back to life as a Badlander after living amongst ordinary people can prove difficult and there is a history of mental health issues associated with fellows in later life. The Badlander research fellow also has the difficult duty of looking after Charles Du Clement, a Lich (See Charles Du Clement).
Scrying Scrying is the act of observing a person or location. It is an ancient skill that is largely vocational, meaning those Badlanders with a natural talent for scrying are drawn to trying it, usually through feeling an urge to hold a scrying object that is nearby. However, scrying still requires a great deal of practice and years of learning to perfect it. A person may only scry on a person they have met before or on a place they have visited previously.
Undersyrc (ANGLO-SAXON) Translates as ‘undershirt’. An item of clothing a bit like a ‘hair shirt’ worn by some Badlanders to remind them of the perils of magic.
Seolfor (ANGLO-SAXON) Translates as ‘silver’.
Slap Dust Slap Dust is a way of travelling from one place to another instantaneously. After a small amount of dust ha
s been placed in the palm of one hand, all the user has to do is announce where they want to go, then slap their hands together, and they will travel to their desired location. The dust originated from a combination of charms that were mixed together by early Badlanders in the late 9th century and has been used ever since. There are many different grades and strengths of Slap Dust available to purchase.
Although the dust offers a lightning-fast and efficient mode of transport it does have its problems. Common issues are judging the right amount of dust required for a particular journey; materializing in too confined a space; lack of secrecy, since the user must announce where they are going (although some rarer forms of dust only require thought) and being seen by ordinary people by accident. There is also some evidence to suggest that using the dust has an unhealthy effect on the body if used too often (A good source of information on this subject is Why Dust Might be Bad for You by J. Heaslip).
þurhfarennes (pronounced th-urck-farennes) (-se) (ANGLO-SAXON) Translates as ‘inner chamber’.
Tonic Different types of tonic are available for Badlanders to drink, enabling them to suppress any feelings of extreme tiredness. Given that a lot of work in the Badlands is done at night, tonics can be extremely useful although overdependence on them is not considered to be very healthy.
Vamp Venom A poisonous toxin used to eliminate Vampires. To be successful the venom must be delivered directly to a creature’s heart. It is not considered to be a particularly effective method of killing a Vampire because of how close a Badlander must get to use it (See separate entry for fengnett).
Wælmist (ANGLO-SAXON) Translates as ‘death mist’. Wælmist is a way of fatally cursing another person and to do so to another Badlander is considered a very ‘low’ act by the Order. To use Wælmist a Badlander must whisper to it the name of the person they want cursed and, then, once released from its container it will, without fail, cause death to that particular individual.
Wibba (-n plural) (ANGLO-SAXON) Translates as ‘beetle’. If bitten by a creature with a toxic bite some Badlanders will use a handful of wibban to neutralize the poison. The small beetles will burrow down into the wound and clean it before secreting a fluid that enables fast healing. As the wound heals, the wibban will crawl out and hide in a safe, dark space where they will build cocoons and eventually hatch out of these as small brown moths.
Wyrd (pronounced like the common English word ‘weird’) (ANGLO-SAXON) Wyrd is the name in Anglo-Saxon given to the concept of fate or personal destiny, which cannot be resisted. It is a noun formed from the verb weorþan (pronounced we-or-than) which means ‘to come to pass’, ‘to become’, or ‘to happen’.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to everyone who has prodded, cajoled and edited this book into existence. And special thanks to those who made the tea and coffee.
You all know who you are . . .
ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR
Tales From The Badlands
The Boy With One Name
Young Adult novels
The Dark Inside
All Sorts of Possible
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
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Copyright © 2018 Rupert Wallis
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