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Xenolith

Page 90

by A. Sparrow


  Life is a river,

  Earth, a conduit

  sluicing its flotsam

  of mayflies fallen,

  never taken wing;

  tumbling toward

  oblivion's sea.

  - From the works of Gennadi Kovalev

  (Translated from the original Russian)

  Glossary

  Alar

  Governor of Venep’o occupied lands.

  Articles of Protocol

  The democratic constitution of Sesei.

  Bolovo

  An herbal drug used in Sesei to inspire visions, induce sleep and calm the heart.

  Cadre

  The elite leadership force of the Sesep’o military, with dominion over provincial militias.

  Convergence

  A periodic astronomical event that opens temporary portals between xenoliths in each world.

  Cra

  One of the three brother gods. Lord of Death, Disease and Pestilence.

  Cra Supremacist

  Sinkor follower of a monotheistic sect that elevates the importance of Cra above the other gods.

  Crasac

  A Venep’o infantryman, proficient with crossbow and short sword.

  Croega

  Provincial capital of Suul.

  Cuasar

  A Venep’o cavalryman, proficient with crossbow and saber.

  Cuerti

  The elite heavy cavalry and honor guard of the Sinkor clergy.

  Diomet

  One of the fallen provinces of Sesei and the first to be invaded. Notorious for its abundance of Sinkor followers and Venep’o sympathizers.

  Fanhalahun

  One of the three brother gods. Lord of Wealth and Plenty.

  Gi

  An occupied wilderness nation beyond the frontiers of Venen, inhabited by clannish subsistence farmers and herdsmen.

  Giep’o

  The people and language of Gi.

  Hiloru

  A warrior priest of the Sinkor faith.

  Ijinji

  A multi-island nation noted for its traders and warrior pirates.

  Inner Quorum

  The ruling executive council of Sesei.

  Likica

  A Sinkor temple.

  Mercomar

  A mirror-based heliograph station used by the Venep’o to flash and relay messages over long distances.

  Nalki

  A Giep’o rebel.

  Ortezei

  A fallen province of Sesei, inland from Diomet and neighbor to Suul.

  Pasemani

  One of the three brother gods. Lord of Health and Mercy.

  Peregrin

  A foreign exile from Ur.

  Philosopher

  A member of the Academy, with dominion over xenoliths and the Travelers who tend them.

  Piliar

  A stoutly defended island province of Sesei, home to the Academy.

  Polu

  A Sinkor convert in Venep’o occupied lands, staple of militias and constabularies.

  Raacevo

  A trading center in Gi at the head of Siklaa Gorge, the gateway to Venen.

  Sesei

  A secular and democratic nation under siege by Venen.

  Sesep’o

  The people and language of Sesei.

  Sinkor Natadi

  The Venep’o faith of the three brother deities: Cra, Pasemani and Fanhalahun.

  Suul

  A Venep’o-conquered province bordering Ubabaor.

  Tabulator

  A device specific to each xenolith used to calculate the timing, strength and duration of convergences.

  Traveler

  One of the agents who tend the network of xenoliths across worlds.

  Ubabaor

  The capital of Sesei and the only province besides Piliar still free of Venep’o rule.

  Ur

  The Sesep’o word for our Earth.

  Urep’o

  The people and languages of Earth.

  Venen

  A nation of religious extremists with a rigid caste system, dependent on conquest and slave labor for sustenance. Across the ocean from Sesei, separated from Gi by mountains.

  Venep’o

  The people and language of Venen.

  Venenendera

  The supreme ruler of Venen and its conquered lands.

  Xenolith

  Stones foreign to each parallel world they reside in, sensitive to astronomical convergences, and capable of opening short-lived windows between worlds.

 


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