Among Bright Stars... (33 page)

Johjalic:
A tiny genetically
engineered apple-like fruit known for its sweetness.

Kajra Re:
“Laden with Kohl”.
Kohl-lined eyes, though in Falcanian culture it has come to refer
to a special woman considered to be less than a wife (T’Krin), but
more than a concubine. The intricacies of Falcanian sexual politics
have assigned an important standing to such non-wives who usually
are in line to become T’Krin themselves. The expression may have
taken on its meaning among Falcanians due to the popularity of an
early 21st Century Bollywood song.

Kala:
Cunning connected with “Kali” to
cut, “cut metal”.

Kaliburn:
The calligraphic script used
for more formal writing. Literally, “cut metal”.

Kalitas Rann:
A whole and original
DataStream created by the AI Telchar and given a fleshy shell by
means of the Rashalon Engine. The Falcanian not born of a Falcanian
would be the Telchar’s first attempt to broach the gap between the
confines of their cybernetic world and that of the corporeal. In
his life, he served as a Drakorian Guard and gave his life at the
incident which sparked off the Kashmir Campaign. It is theorized
that Kalitas was a test by the Telchar to see how the Falcanians
would welcome their own manifestation.

Karaseer:
Harbinger.

Katar:
Sword.

Kaurin:
Princess

Kefir:
Fermented yogurt drink which
originated in the Caucasus region.

Keshla:
Skora, expletive “fuck”. Again
the word carries more than the crass meaning as it also refers to
the sexual act and is utilized in both senses.

Khabuss:
The female genitalia.

Khai:
Wind. Drakonis yacht is called
the ‘Wind-Blade’.

Khan:
Title that was held by Kulcarin
Khan in the Shanral and adopted by Arntiraas Drakonis after the
leader of the Atlaar tribe became one of his most devout followers.
Falcanian tradition has the Shotar adopt the term Khan as a part of
his ruling name.

Khshathra:
Governor.

Kieka:
Slang for a beautiful
female.

Kiral:
Shine/shimmer.

Kitana:
Dove.

Kra:
Claw/talon.

Krada:
Wrath, commonly “avenger”,
related to krath rage or fury.

Kraris:
“Claw-blade”, the Falcanian
sacred long-knife. Approximately fifteen inches in length with a
forward curved blade which resembles a velociraptor’s slashing
claw. In Falcanian myth, the Rai Falcania forged the Kraris from
three broken blades which once belonged to fallen kings.

Kredha:
Chancellor. Selected by the
Darr-Varth, the Kredha officiates over the Falcanian Dreikatha and
is responsible for all legalism within the government. Usually it
falls upon the Chancellor to act as referee between the castes as
the Shotar takes a more removed stance from his fellow Clan
Lords.

Kroi:
No.

Kulcarin:
“Thunder-Star” a poetic term
for lightning. In the Telchar Shanral, Kulcarin Khan had been a
warrior who came to learn about the Kraris and Phoenix shards from
the Star-King Arntiraas. The Great Khan of the Atlaar tribe was
adopted into the Shotar’s Tharrin and took the name Drakonis.

Kulsharr Jirga:
The jirga presided
over by the governor of Vorkrür City is a remnant of the original
Falcanian system as founded by Sharr and his first generation of
Falcanians. Some view it as a House of Commons, though its
membership is composed of Falcanian Tharrin Lords (Darr-Varth). The
jirga has within its power the ability to compose law but not pass
it, which is the exclusive right of the Dreikatha.

Kuras:
The continental capital of the
Falcanian Khanate, province located at the foot of the Himalayan
range.

Kval:
Evening.

Lakolish:
Genetically engineered fish
that resembles a red catfish. Its meat is savored for its
similarity to a highly fatty tuna. Falcanians consider lakolish
best served thinly sliced after searing with a dab of hot sauce and
scallion between a flaky pastry.

Lehnga:
Drawstring skirt, usually worn
with a Choli.

Lords of Char:
Any of the Telchar who
rule from the “Mountain of Flame” within the Falcanian cybernetic
afterlife. Counted amongst them are Atlaar, Irkrath, Ch’Kran,
Zarhur-Rao, Falcania and her twin sister.

Lysul:
Human. It has taken on a
derogatory meaning amongst Falcanians in regard to their human
cousins, notable use amongst the Skatha. The term is specific to
Earth humans.

Maharani:
Queen. Borrowed into Skora
from the Hindi.

Mandir:
Temple, a term borrowed from
Hinduism. Queen Nadia refers to her own personal temple as a Puja
pandal being of partial Bengali origin.

Morningstar:
A biorobotic life form
grown from a protomass called Radiun90. Morningstars are robots in
the original sense of the word, as coined by Karel Čapek in his
play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) where they are depicted as
artificial humans.

Nadezhda (Nay-Dee-Edge-Dah):
Russian
for “hope”.

Najiino:
Hot drink which consists of a
concentrated bergamot tea (often the Imperial Blend) and vanilla.
This beverage is a favorite of Sharr Khan. Also known as a “London
Fog”.

Nar:
Reptile.

Naran, Charkath, and Kalitas:
First of
the Falcanians were known as the Naran. They were the original
genetic templates and it is the Naran who conceived of the Phoenix
Project. In Skora, Naran means “Children of the Narshin” their
offspring and the majority of the Falcanian peoples are Charkath
(“Halls of Ascension”) all those born from the coupling of the
first altered humans. Out of the Phoenix Heart, through the doorway
of the Rashalon Engine, born from the raw genetic plans they had
been programmed to watch over the Tivar, those AI’s, that inhabit
the Falcanian virtual afterlife, gave life to the Kalitas. To be
born Kalitas is to be from the “Mountain of Flame” itself and have
the Tivar as parents, there are very (few) Kalitas and it is
theorized that it is by this means that the twenty-four Lords Of
Char would manifest themselves in the physical world.

Narshin Thryak:
“Fortress of the
Dragon”, the Royal residence on Vanguard Island.

Narshin:
“Dragon” or more accurately
Phoenix. The Falcanian Imperial symbol, in the Telchar Shanral, the
creature is a form of the Rai Falcania herself. It is depicted as a
blood red feathered and scaled winged reptilian bird, which can
immolate itself in fire and be reborn. As the Narshin is a sign of
primal fury, Queen T'Kara has likened the creature to Sharr’s true
form which she has seen with her telepathic abilities. Later a
class of organic warship developed by the Khanate.

Nasihal:
“Excuse me, my pardons.”

Niraka:
Realm of Ch’Kran and
Shierkala. Commonly “Hell”, H’kilos is a part of it.

Nishala:
“Complete objectiveness”. A
concept amongst Tarik Fordonists - That state of mind when one is
able to look at the whole universe as if standing atop a mountain
peak. Simply it is the ability to see all sides of an issue.
However, the brain is unable to maintain this state for long
periods of time and to protect it closes out opposing views.

Nodor:
Harem. Enclosure of the Oskien,
those who bring delight.

Nodorii:
Distinguished from Oskien to
mean any women intended for sex or pleasure. Crudely, whore or
prostitute.

OM:
The sacred syllable, both
followers of the Tarik and Ziral Falcanian religions call “The
Source” OM and acknowledge it as the ultimate, unknowable
godhead.

Oskien:
Songbird. Metaphorically, the
females of a tierkel’s harem who are regarded as prized
possessions.

Phoenix Project:
Code name given to
the genetic project conceived of by the first Falcanians. It was a
far spanning social/political and genetic undertaking intended to
construct a culture from scratch. First mentioned by Sharr to
Shuriken Kra in 1985 when the two stood atop a Colonial era
stonewall near Sharr’s New England home.

Rachiko:
gremlins. A word for a
mischievous child. Lemur like creatures found on the world that the
Falcanians would come to settle upon.

Rahona:
“Cloud-menace” borrowed into
Skora from Malagasy.

Rai:
Any child born from a Telchar and
a mortal. The most famous of the Falcanian Rais are of course
Falcania & Serinda.

Railkir:
Fire/flame.

Rakja:
Approximates the word
“husband’, yet carries with it as so many other words in Skora do a
more primal significance. In this case it is better translated as
“rooster” along with the related sexual sub-text implied of a cock
guarding a hen house.

Rashalon:
Reformatting, the Falcanian
“willed-self”.

Reboot:
A clone that has recorded
memories of the original donor.

Rhva:
Saffron tea.

Ribhus:
Artisan or craftsman.

Rukh:
A roc, the white bird of the
sun.

Rumbler:
Drakorian sidearm, developed
by Grenadier Firearms INC.

Sangral:
Human or the state of
personhood. The concept of Sangral is important to both Falcanian
faiths and is used to distinguish rational man [in this instance:
Falcanians, including their cousin humans and self-determining
AI’s] from the “animal kingdom”. Sangral is defined by the ability
to “Desire more than one needs to survive and be capable to reflect
on how to make it so.” To be Sangral “one also must have the
capacity to override instinct in favor of moral reflection and make
art for its own sake.”

Serinda:
Falcania's warrior twin, who
carries a bow and quiver like her father Irkrath.

Shakra:
From Sanskrit chakra,
Wheel/Ring or globe. Shakra also has the meaning of a closed or
gripping talon.

Shanral (The):
Primary religious text
of the Falcanian people. It contains the nine basic myths which
outline Falcanian society and customs. The central figure of The
Shanral is Arntiraas Drakonis. Within the codex itself The Shanral
is an artifact which enables the hero to bring about his final
transmutation which allows for Arntiraas to take a seat among the
Tivar.

Sharilhar (Shar-Ril-Har):
Assembly
place and stronghold of the Telchar built upon Charkal.

Sharr:
A hawk

Shier:
Dark.

Shierkala Rao (Lord):
A Tivar, Chief
of the Skatha Horde. Half-brother to Zarhur, The Dark Lord who is
forever fair in form, Shierkala is depicted as enrobed in garments
of gold. A warrior and scientist, Lord Rao thought to unseat his
half-brother as head of the Counsel of Telchar and be honored above
all other Telchar before being exiled to the land of Narika. In
Skora his name means “Swift/Cunning Shadow”.

Shikar:
Hunt, hunter.

Shinra:
Bird.

Shinras:
“Menace from the
clouds-bird.”

Shira:
Blade.

Shotar:
“Star-King”. The title
inherited by the Darr-Varth of the Tharrin of Drakonis.

Shrai-Aliran T’Shaak-Katar:
Imperial
Strato-General [ISG]. Highest rank in the Falcanian military.

Shrai-Bashir:
Imperial Colonel.

Shrai:
Imperial.

Shyr’la:
Child/ren, hatchling.

Skar:
The Horned Owl. It’s considered
an animal of vigilance and duty among Falcanians.

Skarin:
The Primordial Atlaar’s
Centurions who guarded his Floating City of Skarasis, they were
called such in honor of Zarhur-Rao whom the Horned Owl is a sign
of. Thought to have been sentient automatons.

Skatha:
Shadow.

Skora:
Literally Skora means “to
speak”. The word has come to be the proper name for the Falcanian
language.

T'krin:
Wife, but translated literally
would mean “she who bears eggs”. Commonly, “Protectress of the
aerie or clutch”.

T'Saar:
A salute used both as a
greeting and a farewell. "T'Saar" originated during the many
discussions that Kvaltar Vron and Sharr Khan used to have when they
came to realize that they needed a proper means to end a telephone
conversation.

T’Shaak-Katar:
General.
“Commanding Sword”.

Tahru:
Druid oak/tree. The priestly
class of the Falcanian religion known as Tarik.

Taikara:
“Hope” though it actually
refers to “That moment between despair and oblivion where you
choose either to continue or fall to the darkness”. It is the
moment of desperation, which drives a person or society forward
even when the odds tell them that all is lost. Sometimes referred
to as the driving force. The proper name “T’Kara” is of course
derived from it.

Tair:
Blood.

Tairjof:
Blood-sausage.

Talai:
Sphere

Talis:
Acclaimed.

Tan:
Free, liberty.

Teilani:
Paradise. An ironic word to
be sure. In the Falcanian religion of Tarikism, Paradise exists
only as a hypothetical construct, one which can only be achieved by
a mortals hands and then it is inherently flawed.

Telaach:
Half-circular dumplings of
unleavened dough, often fried and filled with meat either eaten as
street food and very often at breakfast. A common filling is
sprakzir-pig mixed with mashed peas.

Telchar:
People of The Lamp, shepherds
of Char. There are twenty-four Lords of Char in all. Nine sit in
assembly within the palace Sharilhar. Counted amongst them are
Irkrath (The only Tivar who can face the OM itself) Zarhur-Rao
chief of the Telchar and called the “Most Wise”, Ch’Kran Irkrath’s
brother the keeper of the dead and Atlaar Lord of Technology who
built many things for his people. Originally created as cybernetic
bosses for the virtual world Char.