The Burning White

by Brent Weeks

  djinn (fem. jinni-yah): Immortals also known as the fallen, or elohim, or gods, or the Two Hundred. Alternate spelling jinn. A fuzzy, much-debated religious and historical term, as the reality of such beings, much less their nature(s), is unknown.

  drafter: One who can shape or harness light into physical form (luxin). See also Appendix, ‘On Luxin.’

  Dúnbheo: Also known as the Floating City. Sits in the middle of Loch Lána, the great lake in Blood Forest.

  elohim: Immortals or gods (see entry for ‘djinn’), spiritual beings of some sort.

  ‘elrahee, elishama, eliada, eliphalet’: A Parian prayer meaning ‘[Orholam] 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.

  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/or 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’s War, the: A common term for the brief but violent war between Gavin and Dazen Guile. The ‘False Prism’ is a reference to Dazen, who claimed to be a Prism even after his older brother had already been chosen and installed.

  Ferrilux: Pagan god of pride, associated with superviolet. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’

  flashbomb: A weapon crafted by yellow drafters. It doesn’t harm so much as dazzle and distract its victims with the blinding light of suddenly evaporating yellow luxin.

  flying pulpit: Skimmers used for scouting, designed by Ben-hadad. These boats dispense with the weight of a deck entirely. They are held from the waves by only a narrow horizontal foil giving lift and the drafter’s vertical reeds, which also provide propulsion. Though they require great muscular and magical strength and endurance, they are the lightest and fastest skimmers in existence.

  Four Festivals, the: Seasonal celebrations in the Seven Satrapies.

  Sun Day: Summer solstice, the longest day of the year; aka the Braxian Feast of Dying Light.

  Feast of Light & Darkness, or Waning Light: Autumnal equinox.

  Feast of the Longest Night: Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year; the Luxlord’s Ball is also on this night.

  Feast of Waxing Light: Spring equinox.

  Free, the (see disambiguation with ‘Freed, the’ below): Those drafters who reject the Pact of the Chromeria to join the White King’s army, choosing to intentionally break the halo to become wights. Also called the Unchained. (Similarities between ‘Free’ and ‘the Freed’ are deliberate; the White King’s pagans use it to appropriate the Chromeria term.)

  Freed, the (see disambiguation with ‘Free, the’ above): Those drafters who accept the Pact of the Chromeria and chose to be ritually killed in the Freeing (see entry below).

  Freeing: The ritual death of a drafter immediately before or after they break their halos. Performed by the Prism every year as the culmination of the Sun Day rituals. A sensitive and holy time, it is accompanied by both mourning and celebration. Each drafter meets personally with the Prism for their Freeing. Many refer to it as the holiest day of their lives; pagans take a different view.

  frizzen: On a flintlock, the L-shaped piece of metal against which the flint scrapes. The metal is on a hinge that opens upon firing to allow the sparks to reach the black powder in the chamber.

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

  galleass: Originally a large merchant ship powered by both oar and sail. Later, the term referred to ships with modifications for military purposes, which include castles at bow and stern and cannons that fire in all directions.

  Gargantua, the: A veritable floating castle, it was Ilytian pirate king Pash Vecchio’s flagship, with one hundred and forty-one light guns and forty-three heavy cannons. Sunk by Kip and Gavin Guile.

  Garriston: The former commercial capital of Tyrea, at the mouth of the Umber River on the Cerulean Sea. Prism Gavin Guile built Brightwater Wall in an attempt to defend the city from Koios White Oak, and very nearly completed it before the pagans took Garriston.

  gciorcal: A traditional dance of the Blood Forest pygmies involving paired, spinning dancers.

  ghotra: A Parian head scarf, used by many Parian men to demonstrate their reverence for Orholam. In Old Parian tradition, a man’s hair is a sign of his virility and dominance and thereby his glory. Most wear it only while the sun is up, but some sects wear it even at nighttime.

  Golden Mean, the: The finest ship to ever sail the Cerulean Sea. An Ilytian galleass, white teak with a brightwater sheen to its hull; it has forty guns on tracks and a masterpiece culverin on the forecastle named The Compelling Argument.

  Great Chain (of Being), the: A theological term for the order of creation. The first link is Orholam Himself, and all the other links below (creation) derive from Him.

  great hall, the: Located under the Prism’s Tower, a revered space in the Chromeria that is converted once a week into a place of worship, at which time mirrors from the other towers are turned to shine light in. It includes pillars of white marble and the largest display of stained glass in the world. Most of the satrapies have a great hall in their respective capitols, but none parallel the hall beneath the Prism’s Tower.

  Great Library of Azûlay: An ancient library in Paria, the building itself is more than eight hundred years old and is built on the foundations of another library at least two hundred years older.

  Great Mirror(s): A set of enormous mirrors, spread out among the entire Seven Satrapies.

  Great River, the: The river between Ruthgar and Blood Forest, the scene of many pitched battles between the two countries.

  great yard, the: The training yard at the base of the towers of the Chromeria, used primarily by the Blackguard.

  green flash: A rare flash of color seen at the setting of the sun; its meaning is debated. Some believe it has theological significance, citing Karris Atiriel’s sighting of it the evening before the battle in Hass Valley. The previous White, Orea Pullawr, called it Orholam’s wink.

  Green Forest: A collective term for Blood Forest and Ruthgar during the years of peace and unity between the two territories—in contrast to when the same territory was called the Blood Plains, after Vician’s Sin incited the Blood Wars.

  Green Haven: The capital of Blood Forest, on the far side of Lach Lána.

  Greenwall: The massive, living, defensive wall surrounding Dúnbheo, still known to outsiders as the Floating City, though it long ago adjoined the shores of Lach Lána.

  grenado: An explosive clay flagon full of black powder with a piece of wood shoved into the top, with a rag and bit of black powder as a fuse. Can also be made with luxin and can be hurled at an enemy along an arc of luxin or in a cannon. Often filled with shot/shrapnel, depending on the type used.

  Guile palace: Family palace on Big Jasper, distinct from their residence on Jaks Hill in Rath. The Guile palace was one of the few buildings allowed to be constructed without regard to the working of the Thousand Stars, its height cutting off some of the light paths.

  Harbinger: Corvan Danavis’s sword, inherited when his elder brothers died.

  haze: A narcotic. Often smoked with a pipe, it produces a sickly-sweet odor.

  hellhounds: Dogs infused with red luxin and enough will to make them run at enemies while lit on fire.

  Hellmount: A snow-capped peak far to the southwest, near the Atashian border.

  hellstone: A superstitious term for obsidian, which is
rarer than diamonds or rubies, as few know where the extant obsidian in the world is created or mined. Obsidian is the only stone that can draw luxin out of a drafter if it touches her blood directly.

  hippodrome: A large oval stadium, dedicated primarily to races among horses, chariots, or athletes. Often serves as a public gathering place for executions and other important state functions. They are most common in Ruthgar and Paria.

  hullwrecker: A luxin disk filled with shrapnel, designed by Blackguard Nerra. It has a sticky side so that it will adhere to a ship’s hull and a fuse to allow the attackers to flee before it explodes, punching a hole in the ship’s hull and spraying shrapnel in toward the crew.

  Idoss: An Atashian city, now under the control of the White King’s armies.

  incarnitive luxin: A term for luxin when it is incorporated directly into one’s body. See also Appendix, ‘On Luxin.’

  Jaks Hill: A large hill in the city of Rath overlooking the Great River, notable for its wealthy estates. Castle Guile dominates the area.

  Jaspers, the: Two small islands in the northwestern corner of the Cerulean Sea. The Chromeria is on Little Jasper. Legend has it that the Jaspers were chosen for the Chromeria by Karris Shadowblinder after the death of Lucidonius because they were part of no satrapy, and therefore could be for all satrapies.

  javelinas: Nocturnal animals in the pig family, often hunted. Giant javelinas are rare but can reach the size of a cow. Extremely dangerous and destructive, giant javelinas have been hunted to extinction in all satrapies except Tyrea.

  ka: A sequence of movements to train balance and flexibility and control in the martial arts. A form of focusing exercise or meditation.

  Keffel’s Variant: A set of rules for Nine Kings to make the game especially quick.

  Kelfing: The former capital of Tyrea, on the shores of Crater Lake in the southern end of the satrapy.

  khat: An addictive stimulant, a leaf that stains the teeth when it is chewed, used especially in Paria.

  kopi: A mild, addictive stimulant, a popular beverage. Bitter, dark, and served hot.

  lacrimae sanguinis: A mysterious and singularly deadly Braxian poison.

  Ladies, the: Four statues that compose the gates into the city of Garriston. They are built into the wall, made of rare Parian marble and sealed in nearly invisible yellow luxin. They are thought to depict aspects of the goddess Anat, and were spared by Lucidonius, who believed them to depict something true. They are the Hag, the Lover, the Mother, and the Guardian.

  Laurion: A region in eastern Atash known for its silver ore and massive slave mines. Life expectancy for the enslaved miners is short and conditions brutal. The threat of being sent to the mines is used throughout the satrapies to keep slaves obedient and docile.

  league: A unit of measurement, six thousand and seventy-six paces.

  Lightbringer, the: A controversial figure in prophecy and mythology. Attributes that most agree on are that he is (will be? was?) male, will slay or has slain gods and kings, is of mysterious birth, is a genius of magic, a warrior who will sweep, or has swept, all before him, a champion of the poor and downtrodden, great from his youth, He Who Shatters. That most of the prophecies were in Old Parian and the meanings have changed in ways that are difficult to trace hasn’t helped. There are three basic camps: those who believe that the Lightbringer has yet to come; those who believe that the Lightbringer has already come and was Lucidonius (a view the Chromeria now holds, though it didn’t always); and, among some academics, those who believe that the Lightbringer is a metaphor for what is best in all of us.

  Lightguard, the: Andross Guile’s personal army, nominally established to defend the Jaspers, answering only to him. Mercenaries, ruffians, veterans, and any others willing to fight for the Red. Primarily washed-up Blackguards and the sons of poor nobles. Their clothing is in contrast to the Blackguards’, white jackets with garish brass buttons and medals.

  lightsickness: The aftereffects of too much drafting. Only the Prism never gets lightsick.

  lightwells: Holes positioned to allow light, with the use of mirrors, to reach the interiors of towers or sections of streets.

  Lily’s Stem, the: The luxin bridge between Big and Little Jasper. It is composed of blue and yellow luxin so that it appears green. Set on the high-water mark, it is remarkable for its endurance against the waves and storms that wash over it. Ahhana the Dextrous was responsible for designing it and engineering its creation.

  linstock: A staff for holding a slow match. Used in lighting cannons, it allows the cannoneer to stand out of the range of the cannon’s recoil.

  Little Jasper (Island): The island on which the Chromeria resides.

  longbow: A weapon that allows for the efficient (in speed, distance, and force) firing of arrows. Its construction and its user must both be extremely strong. The yew forests of Crater Lake provide the best wood available for longbows.

  Lord Prism: A respectful term of address for a male Prism.

  Lords of the Air: A term used by the White King for his most trusted blue-drafting officers.

  Luíseach: A Blood Forest term for the Lightbringer.

  luxiat: A priest of Orholam. A luxiat wears black as an acknowledgment that they need Orholam’s light most of all; thus they are sometimes called a blackrobe.

  luxin: A material created by drafting from light. See Appendix, ‘On Luxin.’

  luxlord: A term for a member of the ruling Spectrum.

  luxors: Magisterial officials empowered by the Chromeria at various points in its history to bring the Light of Orholam by almost any means necessary. They have at various times hunted paryl drafters and lightsplitter heretics, among others. Their theological rigidity and their prerogative to kill and torture have been hotly debated by followers of Orholam and dissidents alike.

  magister: The term for a teacher of drafting, history, and religion at the Chromeria. It always retains its masculine ending: magister, regardless of the instructor’s gender. This is a relic from when all teachers were male, female drafters being considered too valuable for teaching.

  mag torch: Used by drafters to allow them access to light at night, it burns with a full spectrum of colors. Colored mag torches are also made at great expense, and give a drafter her spectrum of useful light, allowing her to eschew spectacles and draft instantly.

  Malleus Haereticorum: ‘Hammer of Heretics.’ The title for a luxor commissioned to destroy heresy.

  match-holder: The piece on a matchlock musket to which a slow match is affixed.

  matchlock musket: A firearm that works by snapping a burning slow match into the flashpan, which ignites the gunpowder in the breech of the firearm, whose explosion propels a rock or lead ball out of the barrel at high speed. Matchlocks are accurate to fifty or a hundred paces, depending on the smith who made them and the ammunition used.

  millennial cypress: A tree known for its immense age and ability to grow in damp conditions.

  mirror slaves: Also known as star-keepers, they are highly trained and educated slaves who manage and maintain the Thousand Stars on the Jaspers. The star-keepers are usually petite children who work the ropes that control the Thousand Stars. Though well treated (for slaves), they spend their days working in two-person teams from dawn till after dusk, frequently without reprieve except for switching with their partners.

  Molokh: Pagan god of greed, associated with orange. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’

  Mot: Pagan god of envy, associated with blue. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’

  mund: Mild pejorative for a person who cannot draft.

  murder hole: A hole in the ceiling of a passageway that allows soldiers to fire, drop, or throw weapons, projectiles, luxin, or fuel. Common in castles and city walls.

  Narrows, the: A strait of the Cerulean Sea between Abornea and the Ruthgari mainland. Aborneans charge high tolls on merchants sailing the silk route, or simply between Paria and Ruthgar.

  Nekril, the: Will-casting coven that laid si
ege to Aghbalu before being destroyed by Gwafa, a legendary Blackguard.

  norm: Another term for a non-drafter, a person who cannot create luxin. Pejorative.

  nunk: A half-derogatory term for a Blackguard inductee. Most nunks will eventually become full Blackguards. (Cf. ‘scrubs,’ those who are trying out to become inductees. Most scrubs will not become nunks but will ‘scrub out.’)

  Odess: A city in Abornea that sits at the head of the Narrows.

  old world: The world before Lucidonius united the Seven Satrapies and abolished worship of the pagan gods.

  ora’lem Or’holam: Old Parian phrase loosely translated to ‘hidden light of God’ or ‘the hidden Lord of Light(s).’

  Order of the Broken Eye, the: A secret guild of assassins and conspirators, originally from the old city/kingdom of Braxos now beyond the Cracked Lands in western Atash. They specialize in killing drafters and have been rooted out and destroyed at least three times. The pride of the Order is the Shimmercloaks, or Shadows, pairs of purportedly invisible, unstoppable assassins.

  Orholam’s Glare: A giant mirror on Big Jasper, set on a platform before the gate to the Lily’s Stem. Used to execute drafters convicted of the most serious crimes.

  Overhill: A neighborhood in Big Jasper.

  Ox Ford: A town at a crossing of the Ao River on the Atash/Blood Forest border. Recently the site of a disastrous battle in the Wight King’s War.

  Pact, the: Since Lucidonius, the Pact has governed all those trained by the Chromeria in the Seven Satrapies. Its essence is that drafters agree to serve their satrapy and receive all the benefits of status and sometimes wealth—in exchange for their service and eventual death before they break the halo.

  Palace of the Divines: The ancient residence and meeting place of Dúnbheo’s Council of the Divines, in Blood Forest.

  Pericol: A city on the coast of Ilyta.

  petasos: A broad-brimmed Ruthgari hat, usually made of straw, meant to keep the sun off the face, head, and neck.

  Philoctean Games: Novennial celebration of athleticism in the Great Hippodrome of Aslal in Paria.