The Blood Mirror

by Brent Weeks

Weir, Dravus: A spy with connections to the Blood Forest ambassador.

  White Oak, Breck: Nobleman, city leader of Dúnbheo, third cousin of Karris White Oak.

  White Oak, Karris: Former Blackguard; a red/green bichrome; the original cause of the False Prism’s War. As the newly appointed White, she is now perhaps the most powerful woman in the world.

  White Oak, Koios: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris White Oak. Though not originally believed to be a polychrome, after the disastrous fire that killed the majority of his family on the Jaspers, he disappeared and years later emerged as the Omnichrome in Tyrea. Now known as the White King.

  White Oak, Kolos: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris Guile.

  White Oak, Rissum: A luxlord, the father of Karris White Oak and her seven brothers; reputed to be hot tempered, but a coward.

  White Oak, Rodin: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris Guile.

  White Oak, Tavos: One of the seven White Oak brothers, brother to Karris Guile.

  White, the: The head of the Chromeria and the Spectrum. She (a strong majority of Whites have been women, though it isn’t a requirement) is in charge of all magical and historical education at the Chromeria (as opposed to purely religious instruction, which is the demesne of the High Luxiats). She is in charge of all discipulae, and matters political and social regarding the Chromeria (where the Black is in charge of matters mundane, practical, and martial, and is subordinate to her). She presides over the Chromeria, though her power is limited to casting tiebreaking votes—a rarity, as the Spectrum gives one vote to each of its seven Colors (the Black having no vote ever, though he is allowed to speak and attends meetings).

  Wil: A green drafter, and a Blackguard.

  Willow Bough, Briun: The satrap of Blood Forest.

  Willow Bough, Culin: A nobleman and leader of Dúnbheo.

  Winsen: A mountain Parian, and one of the Mighty. An incredible archer.

  Wit, Rondar: A blue drafter who becomes a color wight.

  Wood, Deoradhán: A veteran of the Blood Wars.

  Young Bull: A blue drafter who fought alongside Zee Oakenshield.

  Yugerten: A gangly Blackguard scrub, blue drafter.

  Zid: Quartermaster of the Omnichrome’s army.

  Ziri: A Blackguard scrub.

  Glossary

  abaya: A robe-like dress, common in Paria.

  Aghbalu: Both a Parian dey (city-state) and its capital city, this inland region is mountainous, its inhabitants known for their height and blue drafting, as well as a fierce independence from the coastal Parian deys.

  adar qassis gwardjan: A green drafter-warrior-priest and servant of the green goddess/god Atirat.

  Akomi Nero: A river in Blood Forest that originates in the Ruthgari Highlands.

  alcaldesa: A Tyrean term, akin to ‘village mayor’ or ‘chief.’

  Amalu and Adini’s: Chirurgeons’ clinic on Big Jasper. Amalu and Adini are famous for making a fortune treating nobles and Colors for two decades, then freeing their slaves and taking a religious oath to treat the poor.

  Am, Children of: Archaic term for the people of the Seven Satrapies.

  Amitton: An Atashian city north of Sitara’s Wells.

  Anat: God of wrath, associated with sub-red. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”

  Angar: A country beyond the Seven Satrapies and the Everdark Gates. Its skilled sailors occasionally enter the Cerulean Sea. The Angari are matrilineal, remarkable for their blond hair and fair skin, sailing skills, emphasis on hygiene, and brewing of an alcohol from honey.

  Ao River: A river on the border of Blood Forest and Atash.

  Apple Grove: A small town in the interior of Blood Forest, a part of the White Oak patrimony for generations.

  aristeia: A concept encompassing genius, purpose, and excellence, and often the demonstration thereof.

  Aslal: The capital city of Paria. The Eternal Flame, at the heart of the city, was lit by Lucidonius at his inauguration as Prism.

  ataghan: A narrow, slightly forward-curving sword with a single edge for most of its length.

  Atan’s Teeth: Mountains to the east of Tyrea.

  Atan’s Town: An extinct village on the coast of what is now Tyrea. Legend holds that it was wiped out in a storm of fire. Some scholars believe this to be a symbolic interpretation of a massacre after Atan’s Town resisted Lucidonius’s forces. Others believe it was a literal magical storm.

  atasifusta: The widest tree in the world, believed extinct after the False Prism’s War. Its sap has properties like concentrated red luxin, which, when allowed to drain slowly, can keep a flame lit for hundreds of years if the tree is large enough. The wood itself is ivory white, and when the trees are immature, a small amount of its wood, burning, can keep a home warm for months. Its usefulness led to aggressive harvesting, and this, coupled with slow growth, caused its extinction.

  Atirat: God of lust, associated with green. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”

  Aved Barayah: A legendary ship. Its name means ‘the fire breather.’ Gunner was its cannoneer for a time in his youth. It was during his service here that he is said to have killed a sea demon with a miraculous shot.

  aventail: Usually made of chain mail, it is attached to the helmet and drapes over the neck, shoulders, and upper chest.

  Azûlay: The capital city of Paria; the satrapah and Nuqaba live there.

  balance: The primary work of the Prism. When the Prism drafts at the top of the Chromeria, he alone can sense all the world’s imbalances in magic and can draft enough of its opposite (i.e., balancing) color to stop the imbalance from getting any worse and leading to catastrophe. Frequent imbalances occurred throughout the world’s history before Lucidonius came, and the resulting disasters of fire (see ‘Atan’s Town’), famine, and sword killed thousands if not millions. Superviolet balances sub-red, blue balances red, and green balances orange. Yellow seems to exist in balance naturally.

  bane: An old Ptarsu term, can be either singular or plural. It may have referred to a temple or holy place, though Lucidonius’s Parians believed they were abominations. The Parians acquired the word from the Ptarsu.

  Barrenmoor: An expensive whisky. Distilled by the same process as Crag Tooth, its rival, Barrenmoor evinces a smoky, medicinal, seaweedy nose with flavors of peat and salt.

  beakhead: The protruding part of the foremost section of a ship.

  beams: See ‘Chromeria trained.’

  Belphegor: God of sloth, associated with yellow. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”

  belt-flange: A flattened hook attached to a pistol so it can be tucked securely into a belt.

  belt knife: A blade small enough to be tucked in a belt, commonly used for eating, rarely for defense.

  bich’hwa: A ‘scorpion,’ a weapon with a loop hilt and a narrow, undulating recurved blade. Sometimes made with a claw.

  bichrome: A drafter who can draft two different colors.

  Big Jasper (Island): The island on which the city of Big Jasper rests just opposite the Chromeria, and where the embassies of all the satrapies reside. At the time of the Lucidonian expansion, inhabited by the Ptarsu and enslaved pygmies.

  binocle: A double-barreled spyglass that allows the use of both eyes for viewing objects at a distance.

  Blackguard, the: An elite guard at the top echelon of the Chromeria. The Blackguard was instituted after Lucidonius with a unique dual purpose: to guard the Prism, and to guard the Prism from him- or herself. Though they are commonly seen as bodyguards for the Prism (and at times the White, and at other times all of the Colors), the exact nature and extent of their duties is little known.

  Black River: A tributary of the Great River.

  blindage: A screen for the open deck of a ship during battle.

  Blood Plains, the: An older collective term for Ruthgar and Blood Forest, so called since Vician’s Sin caused the Blood War between them.

  Blood War, the: A series of battles that
began after Vician’s Sin tore apart the formerly close allies of Blood Forest and Ruthgar. The war was seemingly interminable, often starting and stopping, until Gavin Guile put a decisive end to it following the False Prism’s War. It seems there will be no further hostilities. Also known as the Blood Wars among those who differentiate between the various chapters and campaigns of the long struggle.

  Blue-Eyed Demons, the: A famed company of bandits whose king Gavin Guile killed after the False Prism’s War.

  blunderbuss: A musket with a bell-shaped muzzle that can be loaded with nails, musket balls, chain, or even gravel. Devastating at short distances.

  Braxos: A legendary city thousands of years old, cut off from the Seven Satrapies by the Cracked Lands, which were reputed to have been formed with magic during the Ptarsu expansion centuries before Lucidonius.

  brightwater: Liquid yellow luxin. It is unstable and quickly releases its energy as light. Often used in lanterns.

  Brightwater Wall: Its building was a feat to match the legends. This wall was designed by Aheyyad Brightwater and built by Prism Gavin Guile at Garriston in just days before and while the Omnichrome’s army attacked.

  Briseid, the: An epic of Blood Forest.

  Broken Man, the: A statue in a Tyrean orange grove. Likely a Ptarsu relic.

  burnous: A long Parian cloak with hood.

  caleen/calun: A diminutive term of address for a girl or female slave/boy or male slave, used regardless of the slave’s age.

  Cannon Island: A small island with a minimal garrison between Big Jasper and Little Jasper. It houses artillery and, it’s rumored, magical defenses.

  Cerulean Sea, the: The sea the Seven Satrapies circle.

  cherry glims: Slang for red-drafting second-year students.

  chirurgeon: One who stitches up the wounded and studies anatomy.

  Chosen, Orholam’s: Another term for the Prism.

  chromaturgy: Literally ‘color working,’ it usually refers to drafting, but technically also covers the study of luxins and will.

  Chromeria, the: The ruling body of the Seven Satrapies; also a term for the school where drafters are trained.

  Chromeria trained: Those who have trained or are training at the Chromeria school for drafting on Little Jasper Island in the Cerulean Sea. The Chromeria’s training system does not limit students based on age, but rather progresses them through each degree of training based on their ability and knowledge. So a thirteen-year-old who is extremely proficient in drafting might well be a gleam, or third-year student, while an eighteen-year-old who is just beginning work on her drafting could be a dim.

  darks: Technically known as ‘supplicants,’ these are would-be drafters who have yet to be tested for their abilities at the Chromeria or allowed full admission to the school.

  dims: The first-year (and therefore lowest) rank of the Chromeria’s students.

  glims: Second-year students.

  gleams: Third-year students.

  beams: Fourth-year students.

  cocca: A type of merchant ship, usually small.

  Colors, the: The seven members of the Spectrum. Originally each represented a single color of the seven sacred colors; each could draft that color, and each satrapy had one representative. Since the founding of the Spectrum, that practice has deteriorated as satrapies have maneuvered for power. Thus a satrapy’s Color could be appointed to a color she doesn’t actually draft. Likewise, some of the satrapies might lose their representative, and others could have two or even three representatives on the Spectrum at a time, depending on the politics of the day. A Color’s term is for life. Impeachment is nearly impossible.

  color matchers: A term for superchromats. Sometimes employed as satraps’ gardeners.

  color-sensitive: See ‘superchromat.’

  color wight: A drafter who has broken the halo. They often remake their bodies with pure luxin, rejecting the Pact between drafter and society that is a foundation of all training at the Chromeria.

  conn: A title for a mayor or leader of a village sometimes used in far-northern Atash, but more common in Blood Forest.

  Corrath Springs: A small port city on the coast of Ruthgar.

  Corbine Street: A street in Big Jasper that leads to the Great Fountain of Karris Shadowblinder.

  corregidor: A Tyrean term for a chief magistrate; from when Tyrea encompassed eastern Atash. Now used for regional governors or even the leaders of larger cities.

  corso: A title for the drummer on a galley.

  Counselor to Kings, The: A manuscript noted for advocating ruthless treatment of opponents.

  Cracked Lands, the: A region of broken land in the extreme west of Atash. Its treacherous terrain is crossed by only the most hardy and experienced traders.

  Crag Tooth: A fine whisky with a sublime nose hinting at rose and cinnamon, made in distilleries at the edge of Blood Forest in the highlands above Green Haven. It evinces orange and raisin flavors under powerful chocolate.

  Crater Lake: A large lake in southern Tyrea where the former capital of Tyrea, Kelfing, sits. The area is famous for its forests and the production of yew.

  Crossroads, the: A kopi house, restaurant, and tavern, the highest-priced inn on the Jaspers, and downstairs a similarly priced brothel. Located near the Lily’s Stem, the Crossroads is housed in the former Tyrean embassy building, centrally located in the Embassies District for all the ambassadors, spies, and merchants trying to deal with various governments.

  cubit: A unit of volume. One cubit is one foot high, one foot wide, and one foot deep.

  culverin: A type of cannon, useful for firing long distances because of its heavily weighted cannonballs and long-bore tube.

  Cwn y Wawr: The ‘Dogs of Dawn,’ a Blood Forest martial company of archers, tree climbers, green drafters, and masters of camouflage. A semisecret society found in the deep parts of Blood Forest.

  dagger-pistols: Pistols with a blade attached, allowing the user to fire at distance and then use the blade at close range or if the weapon misfires.

  Dagnu: God of gluttony, associated with red. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”

  danar: The currency of the Seven Satrapies. The average worker makes about a danar a day, while an unskilled laborer can expect to earn a half danar a day. The coins have a square hole in the middle, and are often carried on square-cut sticks. They can be cut in half and still hold their value.

  tin danar: Worth eight regular danar coins. A stick of tin danars usually carries twenty-five coins—that is, two hundred danars.

  silver quintar: Worth twenty danars, slightly wider than the tin danar, but only half as thick. A stick of silver quintars usually carries fifty coins—that is, one thousand danars.

  den: One-tenth of a danar.

  darks: See ‘Chromeria trained.’

  Dark Forest/Deep Forest: A region within Blood Forest where pygmies reside. Decimated by the diseases brought by invaders, their numbers have never recovered, and they remain insular and often hostile. Few Chromeria drafters have ever returned from trips to the Dark Forest.

  darklight: Another term for paryl.

  dawat: A Parian martial art: ‘circling strike.’

  Dazen’s War: Another name for the False Prism’s War, used by the victors. Dazen Guile’s defeated armies and disinterested observers sometimes call it simply the Prisms’ War.

  Deimachia, the: The War of/on the Gods. A theological term for Lucidonius’s battle for supremacy against the pagan gods of the old world.

  Demiurgos: Another term for a Mirror; literally ‘half creator.’

  Deora Neamh: ‘Heaven’s Tears’—a waterfall in Blood Forest.

  dey/deya: A Parian title, male and female respectively. A near-absolute ruler over a city and its surrounding territory. (Equivalent to the Atashian/Tyrean ‘corregidor.’)

  dims: See ‘Chromeria trained.’

  discipulae: The feminine plural term (also applying to groups of mixed genders) for those who study both religious and magical
arts, usually at the Chromeria.

  drafter: One who can shape or harness light into physical form (luxin).

  Dúnbheo: Also known as the Floating City.

  Elrahee, elishama, eliada, eliphalet: A Parian prayer meaning ‘He sees, he hears, he cares, he saves.’

  Embassies District: The Big Jasper neighborhood that is closest to the Lily’s Stem, and thus is closest to the Chromeria itself. It also houses markets and kopi houses, taverns, and brothels.

  epha: A unit of measurement for grain. (Approximately thirty-three liters.)

  Ergion: An Atashian walled city a day’s travel east of Idoss.

  Eshed Notzetz: The tallest waterfall in the Seven Satrapies.

  Everdark Gates, the: The strait connecting the Cerulean Sea to the oceans beyond. It was supposedly closed by Lucidonius, but Angari ships have been known to make it through from time to time.

  evernight: Often a curse word, it refers to death and hell. A metaphysical or teleological reality, rather than a physical one, it represents that which will forever embrace and be embraced by void, full darkness, night in its purest and most evil form.

  eye caps: A specialized kind of spectacles. These colored lenses fit directly over the eye sockets, glued to the skin. Like other spectacles, they enable a drafter to draft her color more easily.

  False Prism, the: Another term for Dazen Guile, who claimed to be a Prism even after his older brother Gavin had already been rightly chosen by Orholam and installed as Prism.

  False Prism’s War, the: A common term for the war between Gavin and Dazen Guile, where ‘False Prism’ refers to Dazen.

  Fásann Ár Gciorcal: The Greenveil family motto, meaning ‘Our Circle Grows.’

  Fealty to One: The Danavis motto.

  Feast of Light and Darkness, the: A celebration of the equinox, when light and dark war over who will own the sky. Because the religious calendar is tied to the lunar calendar, the feast is sometimes as much as a month off the solar date of the equinox.

  Fechín Island: An island in Blood Forest at the Black River confluence.

  Ferrilux: God of pride, associated with superviolet. See Appendix, “On the Old Gods.”

  firecrystal: A term for sustainable sub-red, though a firecrystal doesn’t last long when exposed to air.