The Shadowed Sun (Dreamblood) (69 page)
Read The Shadowed Sun (Dreamblood) Online
Authors: N. K. Jemisin
Tags: #Fiction / Romance - Fantasy, #Fiction / Fantasy - Epic
Manuflection:
A gesture of respect offered only to those who bear the gods’ favor. The supplicant drops to one knee, crossing forearms
(palms outward) before the face. A lesser version of this (arms held parallel before the chest, palms down, with an included bow depending on the depth of respect shown) is offered as a routine greeting or gesture of apology in Gujaareh.
Mark-cords:
For Banbarra women, a decorative set of cords worn to mark the stages of life: menarche, loss of virginity, childbirth, menopause.
Merik:
One of the divine children of Dreaming Moon and Sun. Grinds down mountains and fills valleys.
Merik-ren-aferu:
A valley to the west and north of Gujaareh’s capital, on the edge of the Empty Thousand. Home to the Yusir-Banbarra tribe.
Midcaste:
A member of any of the castes in the middle of the Gujaareen social hierarchy. Includes merchants and artisans.
Military:
Like the Servants of Hananja, a branch of public service in Gujaareh, and a caste into which one may be born or inducted.
Mnedza:
One of the divine children of Dreaming Moon and Sun. Brings pleasure to women.
Mni-inh:
A Sharer of the Hetawa.
Moontear:
A flower found along the Goddess’s Blood that blooms only by the light of the Dreaming Moon. Sacred to the Hananjan faith.
Narcomancy:
The Gujaareen skills of sleepcasting, dream control, and the use of dream-humors. Colloquially called
dream magic
.
Nhefti:
A hardy, thick-trunked tree that grows near the mountains of the Blood river valley. Its wood is amber-white and pale when polished. Used only for holy objects.
Nijiri:
A Gatherer of Hananja. The blue lotus.
Northerners:
Collective term for members of the various tribes north of the Sea of Glory. Polite term for barbarians.
Numeratics:
Graphical/symbolic depictions used in mathematics, said to have their own magic.
Physical humors:
Blood, bile, ichor (plasma), and seed.
Pictorals:
The glyphic/symbolic written form of the Gujaareen language, based on written Kisuati. Used for formal requests, poetry, historical annotations, and religious writings.
Prince/Lord of the Sunset/Avatar of Hananja:
The ruler of Gujaareh in the waking realm. Upon death he is elevated to the throne of Ina-Karekh, where he rules at Hananja’s side until a new King comes (may he dwell in Her peace forever).
Protectors:
The council of elders that rules Kisua.
Rabbaneh:
A Gatherer of Hananja; the red poppy.
Reaper:
A narcomancer whose soul has been devoured by the lust for dreamblood. Possessed of great power, and great corruption. Abomination.
Sanfi:
A man of the shunha, father of Tiaanet.
Sentinels:
Those in one of the four paths to the Service of Hananja. They guard the Hetawa and all works of the Goddess.
Servant:
In Gujaareh, a member of the lowest social/vocational caste. Servants are not permitted to accumulate wealth and may select their own masters.
Servants of Hananja:
Priests sworn to the service of the Goddess.
Shadoun:
A desert tribe, once enemies of Gujaareh, now allied to the Kisuati.
Shadowlands:
The place in Ina-Karekh that is created by the nightmares of all dreamers. Those who die in distress are drawn here to dwell for eternity.
Sharers:
Those in one of the four paths to the Service of Hananja, responsible for the health of the city. They use narcomancy and occasionally surgery and herbalism.
Shunha:
One of the two branches of Gujaareen nobility, whose members claim to be descended from liaisons between mortals and Dreaming Moon’s children. Shunha maintain the customs and traditions of the motherland (Kisua).
Sisters of Hananja:
An order (independent of the Hetawa) consisting predominantly of women, who serve Hananja by collecting dreamseed in the city.
Skyrer:
Nocturnal birds of prey who hunt the Empty Thousand. It is an ill omen to see skyrers by day, or away from the desert outside of the rainy season.
Slave:
In Kisua, captive enemies, debtors, the indigent, undesirable foreigners, and criminals sentenced to involuntary servitude. Slavery is illegal in Gujaareh.
Sonha:
Kisuati nobility, who claim to be descended from liaisons between mortals and Dreaming Moon’s children.
Sonta-i:
A Gatherer of Hananja; the indigo nightshade.
Soulname:
Names given to Gujaareen children for protection in Ina-Karekh.
Southlands:
Collective name for the various tribes beyond the source of the Goddess’s Blood river, many of which are vassal-states of Kisua.
Sunandi Jeh Kalawe:
A woman of the Kisuati sonha, assigned to Gujaareh as governess and Voice of the Protectorate.
Sunset Lineage:
The royal family of Gujaareh, said to be descendants of the Sun.
Superior:
The administrative head of the Hetawa, whose decisions are made in conjunction with the Council of Paths and the Gatherers.
Surgery:
A dangerous but periodically necessary healing ritual, which only the most advanced apprentices and full Sharers of the path may invoke.
Teachers:
Those in one of the four paths to the Service of Hananja, responsible for education and the pursuit of knowledge.
Territories:
Collective name for the towns and tribes that have pledged allegiance to Gujaareh.
Tiaanet:
A maiden of the shunha, of Insurret’s lineage.
Timbalin:
A popular narcotic in Gujaareh. Allows uncontrolled dreaming.
Tithe:
A Gujaareen citizen’s due offering to Hananja.
Tithebearer:
One designated by the Hetawa to receive Hananja’s highest blessing, in return for a tithe of dream-humors.
True-seeing:
A dream-vision of the future or past.
Umblikeh:
The tether that binds soul to flesh and permits travel out of the body into other realms. When severed, death follows instantaneously.
Una-une:
A Gatherer of Hananja, recently deceased. Ehiru’s mentor.
Voice of Kisua:
An ambassador of Kisua. The proper title for a Voice is “Speaker.”
Waking Moon:
Younger sister of the Dreaming Moon. Visible only shortly before sunrise, and after sunset (until the Dreaming Moon appears).
Wanahomen:
A son of Eninket, heir to the Sunset Lineage.
Yanya-iyan:
The Prince’s main palace in the capital city, seat of Gujaareh’s government.
ContentsZhinha:
One of the two branches of nobility in Gujaareh, whose members claim to be descended from liaisons between mortals and Dreaming Moon’s children. Zhinha believe Gujaareh’s strength lies in its ability to adapt and change.
Chapter 17: The Negotiation of Steel
Chapter 18: The Negotiation of Silence
Chapter 23: The Negotiation of Magic
Chapter 25: The Negotiation of Pain
Chapter 43: The Battle of Flesh
Chapter 44: The Battle of Soul
Chapter 45: The Battle of Blood
Chapter 46: Prince of the Sunset
Chapter 47: A Servant of Peace
Praise for the Inheritance Trilogy
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2012 by N. K. Jemisin
Excerpt from
Cold Magic
copyright © 2010 by Katrina Elliott
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