Foreigner

by Robert J. Sawyer

  Oro (Pod-Oro): (7067-7128) male; aide to Governor Dy-Rodlox of Edz’toolar, killed by Sal-Afsan in the mass dagamant of 7128. [2]

  Osbkay volcano: a volcano near Pack Gelbo. [1]

  Osfik (Var-Osfik): a female Quintaglio holding the post of Arbiter of the Sequence. [2]

  Others: a species of carnosaur closely related to Quintaglios but smaller in stature and with yellow skin and eyes, living on an archipelago north of the equator on the nearside hemisphere of the Quintaglio moon. [3]

  Otok: a port town in Fra’toolar. [2]

  pace: standard Quintaglio unit of linear measure, used for both length and height. Approximately equal to one meter. [1]

  Pack: the principal Quintaglio social group. Also pack, a hunting party. [1]

  Pador: the sculptor who made the statue of Larsk in the central square of Capital City. [1]

  Pakta tannery: a large facility for tanning hides located near Yabool’s home in Capital City. [2]

  Paldook: a mate aboard the Dasheter. [1]

  Palsab (Gerth-Palsab): a pious, illiterate female citizen of Capital City who engages Sal-Afsan in an argument about his worldview. [1]

  Parnood: a coastal mining town; the ill-fated sailing ship Galadoreter was blown back to shore near it. [1]

  Passalat sandstones: the finest grained sandstones in all of Land, known for their magnificent fossils (including bird fossils). [2]

  Patpel: the second planet of the Quintaglio sun, small and rocky. [1]

  Paturn: a young male Quintaglio nurse working at the imperial surgery. [1]

  Pettit: Sal-Afsan’s female apprentice. [3]

  pheromones: airborne chemicals secreted by Quintaglios that elicit behavioral responses in other members of that race. [1]

  pilgrimage: ritual retracing of Larsk’s ocean voyage of kiloday 6959 in which he first sighted the Face of God. A Quintaglio must be at least ten kilodays old to take the pilgrimage; a pilgrimage ship holds station beneath the Face for ten even-days and ten odd-days, during which thirty-seven penances are performed and the nine sacred scrolls devoted to Larsk’s journey are studied. [1]

  Pilgrimage Guild: founded by Larsk, an organization certifying sailors to perform pilgrimages; all mariners of note belong to it. [1]

  Pironto (Dem-Pironto): a deceased imperial hunt leader, gored by a triple hornface; succeeded by Jal-Tetex. [1]

  pistaral: a type of plant thunderbeasts like to eat. [3]

  planets: the planets of the Quintaglio sun, in order out from it, are Carpel, Patpel, Davpel (all rocky worlds), Kevpel (a ringed gas giant), the Face of God (a gas giant), Bripel (another ringed gas giant), and the rocky worlds of Gefpel and Apripel. [1]

  Polemic on Battles: a famous writing by Keladax; it says that the most important thing you can have on your side is being right in the eyes of God. [3]

  Porgon: individual in charge of palace protocol. [3]

  Pradak (Gan-Pradak): the chief palace engineer. [2]

  praenomen syllable: a component of an adult Quintaglio’s name; a prefix chosen by the bearer upon completing the rites of passage. It is usually the first syllable of the name of the individual’s patron or of an admired historical figure. Examples include Det-, a common praenomen for priests, derived from Detoon the Righteous, and Mek-, frequently chosen by bloodpriests, in honor of Mekt. Sal-Afsan’s praenomen is in honor of Tak-Saleed, his teaching master; Saleed’s commemorates Takood, the first scholar; Var-Keenir’s is in honor of Varkev, the first explorer; and Kee-Toroca’s is in honor of Keenir himself. Provincial governors always take a praenomen in honor of the current Emperor or Empress (as in Len-Haktood and Dy-Rodlox), whereas the head of state always takes a praenomen in honor of himself or herself (as in Len-Lends and Dy-Dybo). [1]

  Prath: funereal site a half-day’s march southwest of Capital City; a basalt field where bodies are laid out for predators to claim. [2]

  prayer neckband: a leather band worn during prayer by those who haven’t yet received the two tattoos marking completion of the rites of passage. [1]

  Prophet: name given to Larsk; also, for a time, the constellation of the Hunter was renamed this in honor of him. [1]

  provinces: the provinces of Land, as apportioned by the Hahat Golarda, are Jam’toolar, Fra’toolar, Arj’toolar. Chu’toolar, Mar’toolar, Edz’toolar, Kev’toolar, and Capital. [1]

  Punood: a hunter who was killed by a slap from a thunderbeast’s tail during Sal-Afsan’s first hunt. [1]

  Quebelmo, Pack: one of three Packs in Fra’toolar that periodically occupy stone buildings near the edge of the cliff exposing the Bookmark layer. [2]

  Quelban (Len-Quelban): (7080- ) the governor of Fra’toolar. [1]

  Quetik: ( -7131) the female pilot of the rebuilt glider Tak-Saleed. [3]

  Quintaglios: an intelligent species of tyrannosaur, derived from the Earth genus Nanotyrannus; the name means “The People of Land.” [1]

  Quintaglio world: the twenty-seventh world seeded by The Watcher. A tectonically active globe mostly covered a single ocean, it has one large continent and two polar ice caps. Originally the third of fourteen moons of the Face of God, chaotic orbital dynamics made it the innermost moon. Mass: approximately the same as Earth’s. Diameter: 12,000 kilopaces. By the time of the Afsanian revolution, its center orbits at a mean distance of 162,600 kilopaces from the center of the Face of God (2.71 times the Face’s radius). [1]

  raladaja: a type of tree. [1]

  raloodoo: a delicacy from Chu’toolar province, consisting of shovelmouth eyes dipped in the rich, sugary sap of a raladaja tree. [1]

  Reegree (Ter-Reegree): Dy-Dybo’s father (deceased). [1]

  Reestee (Gar-Reestee): a male charioteer in Capital City whose hornface accidentally kicks Sal-Afsan in the head. [3]

  Regbo (Dar-Regbo): a Lubalite hunter who participates in the battle with the palace loyal in 7110. [1]

  Retlas: (7112- ) a female member of Capital Pack, creche-mate of Bos-Karshirl. [3]

  Rewdan and the Vine: a children’s story from Mar’toolar. Rewdan planted some magic seeds and from them a vine grew up into the sky. Rewdan climbed the vine and was attacked by a giant blackdeath living at the top, but he managed to escape with a wingfinger that laid eggs of gold. [3]

  Rikgot: a female, fourth of seven apprentices to Tak-Saleed. [3]

  River: ancient name for the vast, world-spanning ocean covering almost all of the Quintaglio world. [1]

  robe: clothing worn by priests and, on ceremonial occasions, by the Emperor. Until the Afsanian revolution, normal priests wore banded ones imitative of the Face of God’s clouds; junior priests wore red and black ones; bloodpriests wore purple ones. After the revolution, all priests wear simple white robes, except for bloodpriests, who continue to wear purple. [1]

  Rockscape: just north of Capital City, ninety-four granite boulders arranged in geometric shapes; the oldest known evidence of a Quintaglio settlement. [2]

  Rodlox (Dy-Rodlox): (7098-7128) male governor from Edz’toolar who challenged Dy-Dybo for the Emperorship. [2]

  royal marble quarry: near the Nunard rift, famed for its pristine white stones; closed after a series of landquakes. [1]

  runningbeast: stocky ornithomimid dinosaur with a round body, stiff tail, legs built for great strides, long neck, tiny head, and giant eyes. Several species exist; the fastest can run at speeds up to sixty-five kilopaces per daytenth, and can carry a single Quintaglio rider. [1]

  sacred scroll, 1st: written two thousand kilodays ago, it tells of the origin of the world. [2]

  sacred scroll, 4th: tells of Mekt killing an armorback. [3]

  sacred scroll, 11th: talks about working together to rebuild, and says that God sends landquakes not out of spite or anger, but to give Quintaglios a reason to hold their instincts at bay and cooperate. [1]

  sacred scroll, 17th: discusses Mekt’s repudiation of being a bloodpriest and the establishment of the all-male bloodpriest order. [3].

  sacred scroll, 18th: forbids discussion of dis
patched hatchlings and declares that “children are the children of the Pack.” [2]

  sacred scroll, 23rd: also called the Scroll of the Hunt, it defines the hunt as the ritual through which emotions of hate and violence are purged; the endeavor through which Quintaglios gain self-sufficiency; the activity that brings them together in camaraderie and cooperation. It implies that in heaven Quintaglios will no longer feel territoriality. This scroll also forbids the killing of animals that will not be eaten, as well as the use of weapons in hunting. “That which is at hand is there by the grace of God: use it if need be, but take not a weapon with you on the hunt, for that is the coward’s way.” [1]

  sacred scroll, 50th: tells the story of the Tower of Howlee. [3]

  sacred scroll, 111th: declares “for there is grace in all Quintaglios, but none more so than the skilled hunter.” [1]

  Sacred Scroll of the Hunt: another name for the twenty-third sacred scroll. [1]

  Sacred Scrolls of Jostark: a series of scrolls setting out the religious rituals devoted to various crafts. [3]

  Sacred Scrolls of the Prophet: the final nine sacred scrolls, describing the life of Larsk. [1]

  salabaja: a type of tree. [2]

  Saleed (Tak-Saleed): (7047-7110) male court astrologer under Emperor Len-Lends; Sal-Afsan’s teaching master; a creche-mate of Var-Keenir. Author of Dancing the Night Away and the eighteen volumes of the Treatise on the Planets. [1]

  Sardon (Sar-Sardon): Quintaglio Empress prior to Len-Lends; Dy-Dybo’s grandmother. She visited Pack Carno briefly on 7096/6/19. [1]

  sash: the only clothing normally worn by a Quintaglio, often adorned by insignia indicating one’s profession. Blood-red sashes are reserved for members of The Family; gray for master mariners; the combination of orange and blue for imperial staff; and green and black for members of the exodus project. Prior to the Afsanian revolution, senior priests, when not wearing robes, wore sashes with swirling, colorful patterns imitative of the cloud banks on the Face of God. [1]

  scooter: a wingfinger-derived reptile indigenous to the south pole that shoots across the ice on its belly, kicking its powerful hind feet for propulsion. [2]

  Seenuk (Mar-Seenuk): one of the hunters comprising Belbar’s original Pack of ten; founded the Pack that Carno is descended from. [1]

  semi-ten: a Quintaglio term for “five.” [1]

  Sequence: the order of knowledge; since the Quintaglios don’t have an alphabet, they have no concept of alphabetical order; all knowledge instead is organized into this linear progression. The Arbiter of the Sequence is responsible for determining the order. [1]

  Serkob (Rej-Serkob): from Pack Carno, an individual Sal-Afsan thought might have been his father. [1]

  Shanpin foothills: an inhospitable land of scorched ground and basalt. [2]

  shawl: a wingfinger-derived reptile indigenous to the south pole; tall and thin, shawls wrap themselves in their thick rubbery wings to keep warm. [2]

  ship’s call: a distinctive pattern of drumbeats and bells used to identify a ship; when a ship is at rest at sea, the part of its call normally done by drumbeats is done with bells, and vice versa. [1]

  Shoveler’s Inlet: a passage leading inland on the border between Fra’toolar and Mar’toolar, at the north end of the Bay of Vatastor. [3]

  shovelmouth: duckbilled dinosaur (hadrosaur), herbivorous and docile. Despite having stringy meat, they are a staple of the Quintaglio diet. [1]

  sinner’s doorway: portal in a Hall of Worship, outlined by a black basalt arch, set perpendicular to the channel of holy water. Through here, penitents enter and perform the sinner’s march. [1]

  sinner’s march: ritual walk through holy water in a Hall of Worship. [1]

  skimmer: a wingfinger-derived gliding reptile indigenous to the south pole. [2]

  Skull of Katoon: a constellation on the ecliptic. [1]

  Slowpoke: the outermost of the Face of God’s fourteen moons. [1]

  small-seer: microscope, invented by Bor-Vanbelk of Pack Brampto in Arj’toolar. [3]

  Sor-Denkal: one of the five Quintaglio gliders used in the battle against the Others. [3]

  south pole: southern ice pack; Kee-Toroca led an expedition there in 7127. [2]

  Spalton (Gan-Spalton): (7197- ) a male member of the Geological Survey of Land, known for his sly sense of humor. [2]

  Spenress: (7098- ) female apprentice governor from Chu’toolar, and, later, a worker in the new creche in Capital City. [2]

  spikefrill: styracosaur ceratopsian; an herbivorous dinosaur. [1]

  Spires of the Original Five: at the Temple of Lubal west of Capital City, five giant stone columns representing the upward-stretched fingers of the hand of God from which the original five hunters were formed. [2]

  Spooltar: ancient female religious philosopher who said, “A true belief is stronger than the mightiest hunter, for nothing can bring it down.” She proposed the existence of an Egg of God. [1]

  Sprinter: one of the Face of God’s fourteen moons. [1]

  Stardeter: a small sailboat used by Sal-Afsan and Kee-Toroca on their peace mission to the Others. [3]

  Stark (Kad-Stark): a deceased imperial hunt leader. [1]

  starweed: common plant with orange flowers. [3]

  stilt: giant reptile indigenous to the south pole, derived from wingfinger stock. [2]

  Sun/Swift-Runner/4: technical designation for Sal-Afsan’s rock at Rockscape. [2]

  superposition: theory developed by Irb-Falpom stating that the lower rocks in a sedimentary sequence are the older ones. [2]

  Swift Runner: one of the Face of God’s fourteen moons. [1]

  Table, Pack: a Pack on the outskirts of Edz’toolar. [2]

  Tagleeb (Gat-Tagleeb): fantasist; a contemporary of Sal-Afsan. [1]

  Takood: one of the five original male mates; the first scholar. [2]

  Tak-Saleed: the first Quintaglio glider, originally dubbed “Novato’s folly.” First flown in 7128; rebuilt and used again in the battle against the Others in 7131. [2]

  Taksan: (7131- ) a male Other child, adopted by Kee-Toroca. [3]

  talking cure: a psychological therapy technique resembling psychoanalysis developed by Nav-Mokleb. [3]

  Tapestries of the Prophet: famous paintings on leather by Hel-Vleetnav that depict Larsk’s voyage; they are kept behind sheets of thin glass in the basement of the palace office building in Capital City. [1]

  Tardlo (Bog-Tardlo): a mate aboard the Dasheter. [1]

  Tasnik: a female, first of seven apprentices to Tak-Saleed. [3]

  tattoo of the hunt: a purple-black tattoo located above the left earhole, received upon successful completion of one’s first hunt. [1]

  tattoo of the pilgrimage: a tattoo received upon completion of one’s first pilgrimage. [1]

  Teevio (Pog-Teevio): Sal-Afsan’s predecessor as Tak-Saleed’s apprentice. From Chu’toolar, he lasted only thirty days before he was sent back home, [1]

  telaja: a type of tree with red wood. [1]

  Tendron (Hoo-Tendron): a merchant in Pack Vando, dealing in gemstones and fossils; Wab-Babnol’s teaching master. [2]

  Terdog (Tep-Terdog): an old member of Pack Carno, no relation to Sal-Afsan. [1]

  terrorclaw: a Deinonychus-like carnivorous dinosaur that hunts in packs. [1]

  Tetex (Jal-Tetex): imperial hunt leader at the time Sal-Afsan took his first hunt; a Lubalite. She eventually died during a hunt and was succeeded by Lub-Galpook. [1]

  thunderbeast: sauropod; giant herbivorous dinosaur. Their oil is often burned in lamps. [1]

  Tilk: an animated character on the Jijaki children’s television program Kijititatak Gikta. [2]

  Tipna (Tol-Tipna): a deceased imperial hunt leader. [1]

  Toroca (Kee-Toroca): (7110- ) a male Quintaglio, one of Sal-Afsan’s children. Toroca became leader of the Geological Survey of Land at the age of sixteen kilodays. He lacks the instinct for territoriality. In kiloday 7128, he was named putative head of the bloodpriests, following the deat
h of Mek-Maliden. [1]

  Toron (Val-Toron): a hunter from Pack Gelbo who loaned Dy-Dybo her mount. [1]

  Tower: space elevator extending from equatorial Fra’toolar to the L3 point, 13,000 kilopaces above the Quintaglio moon, built in 7130 by Jijaki nanotechnology. [3]

  Tralen: a member of the Geological Survey of Land who wears a blue sash. [2]

  traveler’s crystal: a six-sided deep red crystal that serves as a good-luck charm for travelers. [1]

  Treatise on the Planets: a scholarly work in eighteen volumes (three per planet); the most famous work by Tak-Saleed. [1]

  twist-saw: a saw used for amputations. [1]

  uprock: igneous rock. [2]

  Vanbelk (Bor-Vanbelk): inventor of the small-seer. [3]

  Vando, Pack: a Pack in Arj’toolar, home of Wab-Babnol. [2]

  Varkev: one of the five original male mates; the first explorer. [2]

  Vatastor, Bay of: the large bay between the capes of Mekt and Belbar; the cliffs exposing the Bookmark layer are on its western shore. [2]

  Vleetnav (Hel-Vleetnav): ancient artist who painted the Tapestries of the Prophet. [1]

  vocational exams: administered at the age of ten or eleven; used to determine the profession one will be assigned. [1]

  Voyage of Larsk, The: a ballad telling of Larsk’s discovery of the Face of God. [1]

  Watcher, The: a god-like entity whose consciousness has survived from the previous cycle of creation; responsible for seeding lifeforms from Earth around the galaxy. [2]

  water serpent: plesiosaur. [1]

  waterweed: seaweed. [2]

  Wendest: (7098-7128) the female apprentice governor from Fra’toolar. [2]

  wingfinger: pterosaur; flying carnivorous reptile. [1]

  Wingfingers of Land, The: a book of paintings by Pal-Noltark. [3]

  Withool: a junior palace page. [2]

  writing leather: although the Quintaglios have paper, it is rare; thin sheets of leather are more commonly used for writing. [1]

  Yabool: (7110-7126) a male Quintaglio, one of Sal-Afsan’s children; a mathematician and naturalist. Murdered. [1]