The Hidden Queen, page 62
Couzi: A harsh, illegal liquor filtered with cinnamon. Because of its potency, couzi is served in tiny cups meant to be taken in one swallow.
Dal: Prefix meaning “honored.”
Dal’Sharum: The Krasian warrior caste, which includes the vast majority of the men. Dal’Sharum are broken into smaller units answerable to individual kai’Sharum. Dal’Sharum dress in black armored robes with a black turban helm and night veil. All are trained in hand-to-hand combat (sharusahk), as well as spear fighting and shield formations.
Dama: Clerical caste, which is above warrior. Dama are both religious and secular leaders. They wear white robes and eschew the spear in favor of alagai tail whips. All dama are masters of sharusahk, the Krasian hand-to-hand martial art, including secret techniques not given to the Sharum.
Damajah: Singular title for Inevera, the First Wife of Ahmann Jardir, the Shar’Dama Ka. The Damajah is both spiritual and secular leader of every woman in New Krasia.
Damaji: Male religious and secular leader of one of the twelve tribes of Krasia.
Damaji’ting: Female religious and secular leader of a tribe with dominion over its women.
Dama’ting: Female clerical caste, holy women who also serve as healers and midwives. Dama’ting hold the secrets of hora magic, including the power to foretell the future, and are held in fear and awe. Harming a dama’ting or hindering her in any way is punishable by death.
Desert Spear: Known in the North as Fort Krasia, an enormous fortress city built around the oasis and ancient Holy City of Sharik Hora.
Draki: Krasian unit of currency.
Drillmasters: Elite warriors who train nie’Sharum. Drillmasters wear standard dal’Sharum blacks, but their night veils are red.
Evejah, the: The holy book of Everam, written by Kaji, the first Deliverer, some three millennia past. The Evejah is separated into sections called Dunes. Each dama pens a copy of the Evejah in his own blood during his clerical training.
Evejan: Name of the Krasian religion, “those who follow the Evejah.”
Evejan law: Militant religious law imposed on general citizenry.
Everam: The Creator.
Everam’s Bounty: Formerly the Free City of Fort Rizon, it was conquered in 333 ar with its vast farmland and became the capital of New Krasia in the green lands.
Ginjaz: Turncoat, traitor.
Greenlander: One from the green lands. A less derogatory term than chin.
Green lands: Krasian name for Thesa (the lands north of the Krasian desert), a large swath of which has become New Krasia.
Hannu Pash: Literally “life’s path,” this represents both a ceremony and a period of training and religious indoctrination to determine a young Krasian’s vocation.
Hava: Spice to flavor and preserve food. Hava is foundational in Krasian cooking.
Heasah: Prostitute.
Hora magic: Any magic using demon body parts (bones, ichor, et cetera) as a battery to power spells.
Horn of Sharak: Ceremonial horn blown to begin and end alagai’sharak.
Inevera: (1) Krasian word meaning “Everam’s will” or “Everam willing.” (2) A common name for women in the Kaji tribe.
Jiwah/jiwan: Wife/husband.
Jiwah Ka: First Wife. The Jiwah Ka is the first and most honored of a Krasian man’s wives. She has veto power over subsequent marriages, and can command her sister-wives.
Jiwah Sen: Lesser wives, subservient to a man’s Jiwah Ka.
Jiwah’Sharum: Literally “wives of warriors,” these are women who live in Sharum harems during their fertile years. It is considered a great honor to serve. All warriors have access to their tribe’s Jiwah’Sharum, and are expected to keep them continually with child, adding warriors to the tribe.
Kai’Sharum: Krasian military captains. Kai’Sharum receive special training in Sharik Hora and lead individual units in alagai’sharak. Kai’Sharum wear dal’Sharum blacks, but their night veils are white.
Kaji: The name of the original Deliverer and patriarch of the Kaji tribe, also known as Shar’Dama Ka. More than three thousand years ago, Kaji united the known world in a war against the demons, ushering in millennia of peace.
Kamanj: A bowed string instrument similar to a fiddle that ends in a spike planted on the ground or a player’s leg to steady it.
Khaffit: Lowest male caste in Krasian society. Expelled from sharaj, khaffit are forced to dress in the tan clothes of children and shave their cheeks as a sign that they are not true men.
Lonely path: Krasian term for death. All warriors must walk the mist-shrouded road to Heaven, with temptations on the path to test their spirit and ensure that only the worthy stand before Everam to be judged. Spirits who venture off the path are lost.
Nie: (1) The name of the Uncreator, feminine opposite to Everam, and the goddess of night and demonkind. (2) Nothing, none, void, no, not. (3) Prefix for trainees in line for a vocation.
Nie’dama: Nie’Sharum selected for dama training.
Nie’dama’ting: Dama’ting-in-training. Also known as Betrothed, they are promised Brides of Everam. For a man to lay hands on them is punishable by death or loss of the offending limb.
Nie Ka: Literally “first of none,” a term for the head boy of a nie’Sharum class, who commands the other boys as sergeant to the dal’Sharum drillmasters.
Nie’s abyss: Also known as the Core. In Evejan scripture, it is the seven-layered underworld where alagai hide from the sun. Each layer is populated with a different breed of demon.
Nie’Sharum: Warriors-in-training.
Night veil: Veil worn by Sharum during alagai’sharak to hide their identities, showing that all men are equal allies in the night.
Oot: Dal’Sharum signal for “beware” or “demon approaching.”
Princes Unit: Olive and Chadan’s Sharum unit, composed of nie’Sharum of various castes blooded young due to crisis. Derided by older warriors as the “Princess” Unit, they top the kill counts almost every night, taking on the most dangerous missions.
Push’ting: Literal translation “false woman.” While Queer relationships are common in Krasia, Evejan law commands all those who are able to add people to the tribe. Push’ting is most commonly used in a derogatory sense toward those who refuse even a symbolic marriage for the purpose of children, but can be used affectionately between loved ones.
Scorpion: A giant crossbow using springs instead of a bowstring. It shoots thick spears with heavy heads (stingers) and can kill sand and wind demons outright at a thousand feet, even without wards.
Sharaj: Barracks for young boys in Hannu Pash, much like a military boarding school. The sharaji are organized by blood. Full blood for the sons and daughters of pure-blooded Majah warrior families. Half blood for the sons of dal’Sharum and chin women. Coward’s blood for the sons of khaffit. Green blood for the sons of chin.
Sharak Ka: The First War. The final battle of alagai’sharak, when the Deliverer will lead Everam’s armies to victory or defeat.
Sharak Sun: The Daylight War, during which humanity must be conquered and united into Everam’s army for Sharak Ka.
Shar’dama: Dama who fight alagai’sharak in defiance of Evejan law.
Shar’Dama Ka: First Warrior–Cleric. The Krasian term for the Deliverer, who will come to free mankind from the alagai.
Sharik Hora: The great temple in Krasia made out of the bones of fallen warriors. Having their bones lacquered and added to the temple is the highest honor that warriors can attain.
Sharukin: Warrior poses. Practiced series of movements for sharusahk.
Sharum: Warrior. The Sharum dress in black robes inlaid with pockets for fired clay armor plates.
Sharum Ka: First Warrior. A title for the secular leader of alagai’sharak. The Sharum Ka is appointed by the occupant of the Skull Throne, and all Sharum answer to him and him only from dusk until dawn. The Sharum Ka has his own palace at the head of the training grounds and sits on the Spear Throne. He wears dal’Sharum blacks, but his turban and night veil are white.
Sharum’ting: Female warriors, mostly serving as personal guards to the dama’ting.
Sharusahk: The Krasian art of unarmed combat. There are various schools of sharusahk depending on caste and tribe, but all consist of brutal, efficient moves designed to turn an opponent’s strength against them to stun, cripple, and kill.
Shield team: Small teams of two to five warriors subdividing Sharum units.
Skull Throne: The traditional seat of power for Krasia’s leader. Since the split with the Majah tribe, there are now two Skull Thrones. The one in New Krasia is the original—made from the skulls of deceased Sharum Ka and coated in electrum, the throne is powered by the skull of a mind demon, casting a forbiddance that prevents demons from entering the inner city of Everam’s Bounty. The one in old Krasia is newly made from the skulls of fallen warriors and sits in the holy temple of Sharik Hora.
Spears of the Desert: Sharum Ka Iraven’s elite bodyguard unit.
Spear Throne: The throne of the Sharum Ka, made from the broken spears of previous Sharum Kas.
Stinger: The ammunition for the scorpion ballistae. Stingers are giant spears with heavy iron heads that can punch through demon armor on a parabolic shot.
Tikka: Grandmother (informal term of affection).
’ting: Suffix meaning “woman.”
Tribes: Reference to the twelve tribes of Krasia—Anjha, Bajin, Halvas, Jama, Kaji, Khanjin, Krevakh, Majah, Mehnding, Nanji, Sharach, Shunjin.
Undercity: Huge honeycomb of warded caverns beneath Desert Spear where women, children, and khaffit are locked at night to keep them safe from demons while the men fight.
Vah: “Daughter” or “daughter of.” Often used as a suffix or prefix in a girl’s name.
Waning: Three-day monthly religious observance for Evejans occurring on the days directly before, on, and after the new moon. Attendance at Sharik Hora is mandatory, and families spend the days together, even pulling sons out of sharaj. Demons are said to be more powerful on Waning, when it is said Alagai Ka walks the surface.
Wardwork: Scrollwork on clothing or items consisting of ward patterns with real potency.
Watchers: Dal’Sharum, primarily of the Krevakh and Nanji tribes, trained in special weapons and tactics. They serve as scouts, spies, and assassins. Watchers carry and fight with iron-shod ladders six feet long as well as smaller, close-combat weapons. The ladders have interconnecting ends so they can be joined together. Watchers are so proficient they can run straight up a ladder without bracing it and balance at the top.
PROTECTION WARDS
Protection (defensive) wards Draw magic to form a barrier (forbiddance) through which demon corelings cannot pass. Wards are strongest when used against the specific demon type to which they are assigned, and are most commonly used in conjunction with other wards in circles of protection. When a circle activates, all coreflesh is forcibly banished from its line. A mixed group of demons is referred to as a host.
BANK DEMON
Description: Also called frog demons or froggies, these demons look much like common fly frogs, but they are large enough to swallow humans whole. They lie in wait in shallow water, springing only when prey comes within range. They lash out with long, powerful tongues, catching victims and dragging them into their wide maws. Bank demons will then return to the water, drowning their struggling prey. A group of bank demons is called an army.
CAVE DEMON
Description: Cave demons, also known as tunnel or spider demons, have eight segmented legs and can run at great speed. Cave demons excrete a sticky silk that is magic-dead—invisible to wardsight and immune to wards of protection. They will prepare traps and lie in wait for the unwary. These demons seldom rise to the surface unless summoned by a mind; they are more commonly found in deep caves and the tunnels of a demon hive. A group of cave demons is called a clutter.
CLAY DEMON
Description: Clay demons are native to the hard clay flats on the outskirts of the Krasian desert. They are perhaps three feet long, but heavy with compact muscle and thick, overlapping armor plates. Their short, hard talons allow them to cling to most any rock face, even hanging upside down. Their orange-brown armor can blend invisibly into an adobe wall or clay bed. The blunt head of a clay demon can smash through nearly anything, cracking stone and denting steel. A group of clay demons is known as a shattering.
FIELD DEMON
Description: Sleek and low to the ground, with long, powerful limbs and retractable claws, field demons are the fastest thing on four legs when they have open ground to run and can leap great distances. Tough scales on their limbs and back can turn aside most weapons, but their underbelly—if exposed—is more vulnerable. A group of field demons, also known as fieldies, is called a reap.
FLAME DEMON
Description: Flame demons have eyes, nostrils, and mouths that glow with a smoky orange light. They are the smallest demons, no larger than a cat. Like all demons, they have long, hooked claws and rows of razor-sharp teeth. Their armor consists of small, overlapping scales, sharp and hard. Flame demons can spit fire in brief bursts. Their sticky firespit burns intensely on contact with air and can set almost any substance alight, even metal and stone. A group of flame demons is known as a blaze.
LIGHTNING DEMON
Description: Though lightning demons are nearly indistinguishable from their wind demon cousins, their spit is charged with electricity that can paralyze a victim. They spit as they dive, snatching up their helpless victims to devour them alive. A group of lightning demons is known as a thundercloud.
MIMIC DEMON
Description: Mimics are the elite bodyguards to mind demons. Less vulnerable to light than their masters and more intelligent than the lesser breeds, mimics serve as lieutenants and are able to summon and exert their will upon coreling drones. Their natural form is unknown, but they are able to assume the form of nearly anything they encounter, from inanimate objects to creatures, clothing, and equipment. One of their favorite tricks is to learn the names of their prey and take the form of a friend, feigning distress and calling to their victims to convince them to leave the safety of their wards. A gathering of mimic demons is known as a troupe.
MIND DEMON
Description: Also known as coreling princes, mind demons are the generals of demonkind. The only male-sexed caste among demonkind, minds are physically weak and have little in the way of the natural defenses of the other corelings, but they have vast mental and magical powers. They can read and control minds, communicate telepathically, and implant permanent suggestions. They can draw wards in the air and power them with their own innate magic. Coreling drones follow their every mental command without hesitation, and will give their lives to protect them. Sensitive to even moonlight, mind demons only rise on the three-night period of the new moon cycle, in the hours when night is darkest. A gathering of mind demons is known as a court.
ROCK DEMON
Description: The largest of the coreling breeds, rock demons, also known as rockies, can range in height from six to twenty feet. Hulking masses of sinew and sharp edges, they have thick carapaces knobbed with bony protrusions, and their spiked tails can shatter stone. They stand hunched on two clawed feet, with long, gnarled arms ending in talons the size of butcher knives, and multiple rows of bladelike teeth. No known physical force can harm a rock demon. A group of rock demons is called a quake.
SAND DEMON
Description: Cousins to rock demons, sand demons are smaller and more nimble, but still among the strongest and best armored of the coreling breeds. They have small, sharp scales that are a dirty yellow almost indistinguishable from gritty sand. They run on all fours but can rise to two legs in combat. Their short snouts have rows of sharp teeth, with nostril slits just below large, lidless eyes. Thick horns curve upward and back, cutting through the scales. Sand demons hunt in packs known as storms.
SNOW DEMON
Description: Similar to flame demons in size and build, snow demons are native to frozen Northern climates and high mountain elevations. Their scales are such pure white, they scintillate with color if caught in the light. Snow demons are nearly invisible in the snow, and spit a liquid so cold it instantly freezes anything it touches. Steel struck with coldspit can become brittle enough to shatter. A group of snow demons is called a blizzard.
STONE DEMON
Description: Smaller cousins of rock demons—who form through faces of pure rock—stone demons feature armor with the mottled appearance of conglomerate rock. They tend to be squat and slow, but are among the strongest and most indestructible of demons. Requiring less specialized environments to rise, stone demons are more common than rock demons. A group of stone demons is called a conglomerate.
SUCCOR
Description: The succor ward is a general ward of protection taught to children. Not as powerful as wards keyed to individual breeds, succor wards create a general field of discomfort that is enough to drive most corelings away unless prey is in sight. Very large or powerful wards can form a forbiddance. The ward is used in the Thesan dice game Succor, as well as its Krasian variation, Sharak.
SWAMP DEMON
Description: Swamp demons are native to swamps and marshy areas, an amphibious form of wood demon at home both in the water and in the trees. Swamp demons are blotched green and brown to blend into their surroundings, and will often hide in trees, mud, or shallow water to spring on prey. They spit a thick, sticky slime that rots any organic material it comes in contact with. A group of swamp demons is called a muck.
