Reawakening

by Amy Rae Durreson

  Barrett—A spice merchant and writer who travelled in Sethan Lattimar’s caravan. Barrett’s autobiographical Travels Under the Dragon’s Wing is a major source for historians of the Reawakening Era. He was among those who travelled south with Tarnamell in 1024.

  Book of the Dragon—An ancient manual of military strategy dating to the Dragon Wars. Its authorship is unclear, but it is generally attributed to the Dragon King Tarnamell.

  Cayl Lattimar—For such a significant figure of the Reawakening Era, surprisingly little is known about Cayl Lattimar’s early life. In 1004, his name is included in a list of the Prince of Shara’s bodyguards. By 1009, he was serving as a lawman in the village of Deiral, in the Asturan Mountains, where he was a witness to the rising of the nixie prince Seilast, one of the first elementals to return. In 1023, he was present at the Council of Shara, alongside his husband Sethan. He was one of those who travelled south with the Dragon King Tarnamell in 1024, and was present at Tarnamell’s confrontation with the Shadow in Tiallat.

  Even the place of Cayl’s burial is unknown, although his husband Sethan is buried in Hirah. A life-sized statue of Cayl stands over his husband’s grave, and is the only known memorial to this often-overlooked man.

  Court of Shells, The—Originally built on the seabed of the Gulf of Gardalor for the king of the sea. Myrtilis is supposed to have won it from him after the Fall of Eyr, when her own homeland had been flooded. Myrtiline legends claimed that their queen still lived in this secret stronghold in the desert, training young heroes and offering a refuge to any woman who sought her out.

  Dark God’s Children, The—The Tiallatai resistance movement, which was still loyal to the Dual God. Their leader was named Iskandir, although later events cast doubt on whether this was his true name or merely a pseudonym. Famous members of the resistance include Raif Suheylazad.

  Daughters of Myrtilis—A clerical order of female scholar-warriors, founded in memory of Battle Queen Myrtilis after her disappearance from the field after the Fall of Eyr. Myrtiline sisters train in cloisters, most notably the motherhouse at Shara, but few remain in these houses beyond their novitiate. Most Myrtilines seek work that suits their martial aptitude while allowing them a certain degree of independence. They are often found working as caravan guards, security officers, court historians, or, in the modern world, in the courts of dragons. Despite their scattered locale, it has long been thought that the Myrtiline sisters maintained a close and efficient information-gathering network during the pre-Awakening era.

  Dittan Quickblade—A caravan guard in the employ of Sethan Lattimar. He was among those who travelled south with Tarnamell in 1024.

  Dragons—Given this handbook is designed for the common reader, who may not have met any of the dragon lords of the west, I shall deign to try to describe and categorize the nature of a dragon. Firstly, a dragon, despite appearances, is no beast, but merely the mortal shell of the oldest and greatest of spirit lords. In his natural form, the dragon resembles a winged lizard of vast proportions, with the slightest of their number being no smaller than a row of fifteen houses of four stories, with the span of each wing that length again. The legends and epics of the Golden Age typically refer to dragon kings as resembling the side or peak of a mountain, and this, I may say with absolute confidence, is no exaggeration. I have many times observed the Dragon King Tarnamell flying over Aliann on his way to parley with Lord Arden and can attest his size from my own observations. His shadow does indeed obscure the sun.

  Many dragons choose to spend the majority of their days in the form of men, although this too is but a shell. In this form, they possess prodigious strength and command over fire, although few chose to submit themselves to the indignity of guild certification. Dragons are swift of mind, with a facility for languages. As might be expected, they are of a choleric disposition, often proud, warlike, and implacable. They are known for the depth of their passions, and their devotion to the well-being and happiness of their hoards [see hoard]. Dragons are among the most ancient spirits. Their origins are not known, but they significantly predate the rise of man. [This author advises the reader never to ask a dragon about the early days of humanity, as they tend to remark that we were much more entertaining as a species before we climbed down from the trees.]

  Dragon Wars—The wars between the dragon lords of the north and the alliance of demon kings that marked the end of the Golden Age. The wars culminated in the dragon lords and their allies raising their hoards and followers against the Shadow in thirty years of outright war. The final battle took place on the field of Astalor, below the Shadow’s stronghold in Eyr, where the dragons and their allies wrought enough damage on the Shadow’s army that the Shadow and the demon kings were forced out of their towers and into direct combat with the dragons. In this battle, the Shadow was cast down and did not reemerge until around 1000AFE, when it is thought to have started its corruption of the Savattin in the southwestern Emirate.

  In the final battle, as the chronicler Ganta records, the elementals and spirit lords on both sides of the war drew so heavily upon the regions and powers that had spawned them, that “the mountains fell into the valleys, oceans ran dry, and the plains were raised up unto the highest mountains, for three thousand miles from Eyr in every direction, nigh unto the equator and the pole.” [See Ala Sea, Alagard Desert, Rulat, Tiallat].

  Drake Clan—The descendants of the human hoards of the dragon lords of the Golden Age. The term is misleading insofar as it encompasses the hoards of numerous dragons and their descendants in various locations. Drake Clan was rumored to have survived in the mountains of High Amel for many centuries after the Fall of Eyr.

  Dual God, The—The patron god of Tiallat. The worship of the Dual God emerged during the later years of the Zoraia Empire and is believed to have begun among the descendants of the Rulat steppes horsemen who then dwelled on the central plateau of Tiallat. It spread rapidly across the region, and following the fall of the Zoraia Empire, the Dual God emerged from the plateau to take charge of the newly emerged nation of Tiallat.

  The Dual God wears two faces: that of the Bright Lord, patron of art, trade, weddings, and births, and the Dark God, who watches over thieves, poets and madman, funerals, and the dead. The Dual God’s worship is moralistic, with much emphasis on the various routes to virtue and the value of enduring suffering.

  Durul Parlapour—A physician in the army of the Fist of God, brother-in-law of Akel Oyazad. An admirer of Namik Shan’s poetry.

  Echta—A hill lord of prehistoric Amel. I can say no more about him because no records remain to prove whether he existed. I only know his name because King Tarnamell insisted I include him in this handbook. If any future historian wishes to interrogate the dragon king for more information, they are braver than I.

  Elementals—A term used broadly for the spirit lords and immortal creatures of the earth. The term encompasses spirit creatures of varied origins and so can cause confusion in the inexpert reader. This historian has long argued for the introduction of more precise and categorical terms, but is aware that he fights a lone battle against the tides of common language. Here I will attempt to introduce some distinguishing terms.

  i) Nature Guardians—These are the true elementals, spirits that arise out of nature. The majority of these spirits never enter the human record. Think of the dryad guarding her own tree or the nixie who never leaves her stream. The source of their power is simply the land they guard and the low instinctive emotions of the creatures who dwell in it. They are relatively weak, although most will use the power they have hoarded cunningly if roused to defend their ground.

  From time to time, a more powerful spirit arises from their ranks: a lord not merely of one tree, but of a forest. How these greater spirits are generated is a mystery. I have heard it suggested that they represent the last survivor of a region of clashing elementals, that they are the amalgam of numerous small and near-mindless minor spirits, or that they are generated out of moments of great disr
uption or distress such as floods, earthquakes, and devastating storms.

  These greater nature elementals can pose more danger to humankind, simply because they are more likely to encounter us. Some react against us by retreating further into nature, becoming less thinking and gathering their power purely from nature. Think of the nameless spirit that makes the forests of northern Jorunn so dim and dangerous. Others see humanity as an opportunity and follow the example of dragons in taking a human form and interacting with us, in curiosity, mischief, or tenderness. This point, where nature elementals gather the regard of humans, is the point where their power grows. All elementals, no matter their origin, draw strength from the emotions of their followers, whether it be fear or loving loyalty. A thinking creature gives more strength to an elemental than an animal reacting on instinct alone. The greater the number of human followers, the closer an elemental draws to becoming a god. The foremost example of this, of course, is the Desert God of Alagard.

  ii) Immortal Heroes—The second genus of elementals arises from an entirely different origin. There are certain humans in every generation, who, through some quirk of inheritance, possess the potential to outlive death. The more beloved these rare souls are, and the greater number of their fellow humans who admire and follow them, the more chance they have of surviving each successive brush with death. Some die at the third death, others at the sixth, but a few outlast death and become impossible to kill, whether by sudden violence or by the creeping touch of age.

  I am assured that some among this number walk apart from mankind and live out eternity in quiet contemplation. Others, like their nature guardian peers, gather followers. These immortals begin with little power of their own, at least compared to the control over nature their fellow elementals own, but the love of their people can fill them with more strength than any human frame can hold, and soon they must utilize it. Often they slip into the role of god-kings or patrons of abstract qualities such as law, justice, or dreams, and so direct their power accordingly. Others may take up the roles of withered or vanquished nature guardians. I know of one immortal who arose out of the Reawakening Era who has now become the patron spirit of a place.

  iii) Dragons—No one knows quite what genus of spirit dragons belong to, since they seem to predate all other spirits. Dragons were certainly the first to form hierarchical collections of followers that included not merely their own followers, but lesser elementals and their followers too. [Why, we were born of star seed, little historian, before the world grew cold. We were the first of guardians, who watched the mountains form and the first curious life crawl from the ocean. We were the nightmares of the thunder lizards and the sleepers under the great ice. We are old, human, older than you can imagine, and we are glad that we have lived to see this age, because we are fonder of humans than of any of the brief wanderers who passed before our eyes in eons now forgotten. Does that answer any of your incessant questions, or must we invite you to dine with us yet again? It is lucky my consort likes you, because if you beat me to the last honey tart again, I might really eat you. A]

  Ellia—A caravan guard in the employ of Sethan Lattimar. She and her lover Jancis were among those who travelled south with Tarnamell in 1024.

  Emala, Plain of—Steppes plateau that stood to the east of what was then the Gulf of Gardalor and north of the Rulat steppes. The plateau was cast down during the seismic upheavals following the Fall of Eyr, and subsequently flooded. The traditional home of the warmaids of Ema, who joined Tarnamell’s hoard during the Dragon Wars under the leadership of Battle Queen Myrtilis.

  Emirate of Mirul—A wealthy realm to the north and east of Tiallat, lying on the southern branch of the Silk Road, south of the Ala Sea.

  Enis—High Priest of Alagard and keeper of his temple. Father of Esen. Enis was one of Alagard’s mortal consorts before his marriage.

  Eryl—A caravan guard in the employ of Sethan Lattimar. He was among those who travelled south with Tarnamell in 1024.

  Esen—A priestess of Alagard, daughter of Enis. Alagard regarded her as his foster daughter.

  Essam—A port town on the Ala Sea, where the River Rasha meets the sea. Essam lies just within the Alagard Desert. It is famous for its singing sands, a region just inland of the town where the sand dunes let out regular low groans. Although some trade ships travel between Essam and the Ala Isles, it is not a major port due to the difficulty of negotiating safe passage through the isles and the reefs along the Storm Coast of northern Tiallat.

  Evadne—A warmaid of the Court of Shells.

  Eyr—The citadel of the Shadow in the Dragon Wars, then located above the field of Astalor. The ruins of the towers of Eyr still stand at the head of Hurcombe Dale in the foothills of the Amel Range. Like many scholars of our ancient past, I have visited the ruins of Eyr. No hint remains of its fearsome past: the towers are overgrown with ivy, and the fields at their feet are renowned for wildflowers. I indulged in a particularly delicious picnic lunch there, enjoying the quiet hum of the bees and the views across the unspoilt farmland to the grassed-over mounds that lie along the ridge. To nonhistorians, the region is best known for its excellent cheese and ale.

  Gam—The hippopotamus god of the Rasha estuary, patron of thieves and bookkeepers.

  Gardalor, Gulf of—A sea that once marked the southern extent of the lands under the dragons’ sway. After the Fall of Eyr, the gulf drained into the freshly formed basin of Amala to create the Ala Sea. The newly exposed land was left in the rain shadow of the newly risen Illiat Mountains, and rapidly became a desert.

  Golden Age—The period lasting from approximately 1500 BFE to the Fall of Eyr, when dragons ruled the lands west of the mountains and north of the Gulf of Gardalor. At this time, negotiations with the free elementals of the earth led to the creation of the Laws of Amel, which governed the interaction of spirits and mortals and were enforced by draconic lawkeepers under the command of the dragon Arden.

  Guild of Mages—A trade organization offering certification and training of mages. Many governments restricted the hiring of magic users to guild mages only.

  Hadallah—A caravan guard in the employ of Sethan Lattimar. Hadallah served as the caravan’s carpenter and wheelwright. She was among those who travelled south with Tarnamell in 1024.

  Halsarr—A dragon, renowned for his medical knowledge. Halsarr is reputed to have been the founder of the medical school at Alswater. His texts on human anatomy are still widely used by medical practitioners throughout the west.

  High Amel—The high mountain valleys of the Amel Range. Characterized by cold winters with heavy snowfall and wet, chilly summers, the area is best suited to sheep and goats, and has become steadily depopulated as southern trade routes and cities have been established over the last millennium. High Amel has traditionally been identified as the home region of the Dragon King Tarnamell and the home of the semimythical Drake Clan. The steady emergence of reawoken dragons from High Amel in the 11th century brought the region back to the attention of those who regarded it as simply the home of yokels and barbarians.

  Hirah—A trade city on the River Rasha, two hundred miles north of the Alagard Desert.

  Hireth—A merchant who travelled in Sethan Lattimar’s caravan. Together with his sister Jirell, he designed and sold instruments. He was among those who travelled south with Tarnamell in 1024.

  Hoard—All dragons collect hoards, which they protect with a fierce devotion that can seem irrational to a human observer. Contrary to popular belief, a dragon’s hoard need not consist of priceless items, but merely things that have been loved and prized (see, for example, the collection of baby teeth and children’s toys in the Museum of Shara, retrieved from the remains of the hoard of the dragon Sharnyn). Dragons also refer to their human followers as their hoard, and protect them with the same devotion, which does not always sit well with some of those human followers. [I still maintain that there was absolutely no reason for a certain patron of mine to forbid me from excavating the ancient
plague pits under the Temple of Gam in Aliann, some three centuries after the last major outbreak of plague arose at the time of the Reawakening in an entirely different country.]

  Ianthe Battlewitch—A Daughter of Myrtilis, of the Tassaki sept. Ianthe’s memoirs of the Reawakening era provide an account of the first known reawakening of a Golden Age elemental, that of the nixie prince Seilast, as well as recording much of the history of Tarnamell’s awakening. She served as the Myrtiline representative at the Council of Shara in 1023AFE. Before and after the council, she worked as guard captain for Sethan Lattimar’s caravan. Ianthe was among those who travelled south with Tarnamell in 1024.

  Illiat Mountains—A mountain range that separates the Alagard Desert from Tiallat. Between the third and fifth centuries AFE, this region was part of the Zoraia Empire, and Zoraia roads and fortifications can still be seen in the passes through the Illiats.

  Istel—A town in the Alagard Desert, along the trade route to Tiallat. Istel is built around its three oases. As well as being a thriving trade post, Istel is the center of the worship of the Desert God Alagard and contains his only temple. The town is frequently visited by the nomadic Selar tribes of the desert, who gather there three times a year to celebrate their feast days. Istel has a reputation for licentious behavior, as well as being renowned for its music and dance. It contains numerous dance halls, including the Whalebone, which is reputedly built within the ribcage of a giant whale.

  Jancis—A caravan guard in the employ of Sethan Lattimar. She and her lover Ellia were among those who travelled south with Tarnamell in 1024. Jancis was born in Tarenburg.