by Davis Ashura
Li-Dox: A young Jut ordered west from Continent Catalyst.
Li-Grist: Sarpan from Continent Catalyst who Mother Lienna (Suwraith) orders west, along with his Dread, to join with the Eastern Plague of Continent Ember.
Li-Quill: A young Jut of the Eastern Plague of Continent Ember.
Li-Reg: SarpanKi to Li-Dirge and his crèche brother. Killed by Suwraith when She discovered Her betrayal at the hands of the Baels.
Li-Shard: Young SarpanKum of the Western Plague of Continent Catalyst. Later he is ordered by Mother Lienna (Suwraith) to take command of the Eastern Plague.
Li-Torq: Crèche brother to Li-Boil. Later on becomes SarpanKi of the Eastern Plague upon the deaths of Li-Shard and Li-Brind.
Lighted Candle, the: Sentya academy given over entirely to the study of finance and accounting.
Lin'El Kumma: Caste Kumma. Born into House Therbal on AF 1980. Completed six Trials and retired at age thirty-four. Elected as the Arbiter of the Chamber of Lords on AF 2051, and thereafter took the surname 'Kumma'.
Lure Grey: OutCaste. Born AF 2044 to Sateesh and Crena Grey. Warrior of the Stronghold Home Army and once a member of the Silversun Scouts. He was killed by Kesarins.
MalDin: The Servants of the Voice. The leaders of the Sil Lor Kum. Along with the SuDin, the six MalDin comprise the Council of Rule.
Mavayya: Father-in-law.
Mesa Reed: Caste Cherid. Born AF 2017. She is one of the wealthiest women in the city, having earned her money through a combination of inheritance from her deceased husband and her own investments. She was executed for her role as a MalDin of the Sil Lor Kum.
Mira Terrell: Caste Kumma. House Shektan. Born AF 2042 to Janos and Sophy Terrell. She exposed Hal'El Wrestiva as the SuDin of the Sil Lor Kum and was murdered by him.
Moon Quarter: Area of wharves, docks, and factories. By law, all manufacturing or industry, which might result in malodorous pollution, must be placed in the Moon Quarter. As such, it is an undesirable residential area.
Moke Urn: Caste Sentya. Born AF 2020. He was born in relative poverty and obscurity but is brilliant when it comes to finances. He was given an opportunity to demonstrate his skills as a member of the Sil Lor Kum. He rose to the rank of MalDin before his execution.
Mon Peace: OutCaste. Born AF 2000. Governor-General of Stronghold at the time of the city's destruction.
Nape Pile: OutCaste. Born AF 2014. Major West of the Home Army of Stronghold at the time of the city's destruction.
Night of Sorrows: The night when Suwraith was born and killed nearly half of all people living at the time.
Nine Hills of Ashoka: Mount Creolite
Mount Walnut
Mount Channel
Mount Crone
Mount Cyan
Mount Bright
Mount Auburn
Mount Equine
Mount Style
Oasis: A powerful manifestation, supposedly of Jivatma, which appeared suddenly and unexpectedly around certain cities of the First World just prior to Suwraith's arrival. Over the ensuing two millennia, they have proven nearly impervious to Suwraith's power. Rahails maintain the Oasis of a city through their Talent of Sharing, but how they manage this is a mystery even to them.
Peddamma: Aunt as father or mother's older brother's wife or father or mother's older sister.
Peddananna: Uncle as father or mother's older brother or father or mother's older sister's husband.
Pera Obbe: Caste Duriah. Born AF 2018. She is stupid, yet she was clever enough to rise to the rank of MalDin of the Sil Lor Kum. Hated by Hal'El Wrestiva.
Plaza of the Martyr: The largest public plaza in Ashoka. Also known as the 'Heart of Ashoka'. It is famous for the Union Fountain.
Plaza of Toll and Toil: The large plaza into which the Magisterium opens. Historically, it was where the contracts of indentured servants were auctioned.
Poque Belt: Caste Sentya. Born AF 2018. He founded a forensic accounting service. Rumor has it he was elected Magistrate for his Caste simply so he could no longer audit the work of other Sentyas.
Rector Bryce: Caste Kumma. House Shektan. Born AF 2029 to Garnet and Maris Bryce. His parents divorced when he was twelve. Completed four Trials before retiring at age thirty-two. Member of Ashokan Guard as a lieutenant of the Fifth Platoon, Third Company, Second Brigade, Third Legion, and also a lieutenant in the City Watch.
Ronin: A Kumma warrior expelled from his House. Other than being found Unworthy or given the Slash of Iniquity, nothing is more shameful.
Rose and the Thorn, the: One of the schools of song in Ashoka. Open only to Sentyas.
Rukh Shektan: Caste Kumma. House Shektan. Born AF 2041 to Dar'El and Satha Shektan. He was twenty-one years old at the time of his first Trial. He is the first Virgin to win the Tournament of Hume. Married to Jessira Shektan.
Sarath, the: Rahail academy in Ashoka. Students are instructed in both the maintenance of the Oasis and also trained as warriors.
Sateesh Grey: OutCaste. Born AF 2008. Married to Crena Grey and nanna to Kart, Cedar, Jessira, and Lure. Adopted Court and Sign Deep. Died during the destruction of Stronghold.
Satha Shektan: Caste Kumma. House Shektan. Born AF 2019 to Mira and Rukh Aybar of House Shektan. Married Darjuth Sulle (later to be Dar'El) in AF 2039. She is as responsible for House Shektan's rise in wealth and prestige as her husband. She is admired and loathed in equal measure by the other ruling 'Els.
School of Water, the: All-female Kumma academy in Ashoka. Established AF 153.
Semaphore Walk: Ashoka's theater district.
Shield, the: Rahail academy in Ashoka. Focus is on the training of those sufficiently gifted to maintain the Oasis.
Shir'Fen, the: Rahail military academy in Ashoka. Rigorous admission standards and instructors are a mix of Kummas and Rahails.
Shon: A tawny-coated Kesarin. Bonded to Jessira Shektan.
Shoke: A wooden blade used in training and tournaments. It is blunted and possesses properties that allow it to produce as true a representation as possible of the damage inflicted by an edged weapon without actually causing permanent injury or death.
Shylows: The great cats of the Hunters Flats. They grow to be over seven feet in height and twenty-five feet from nose-to-tail. They are feared for their great speed, power, and ability to see through Blends. The cats are extremely territorial and hunt in glarings, packs of forty-to-fifty. They name themselves the Kesarins.
Shur Rainfall: Caste Muran. Born AF 2012 in the city of Arjun. Completed one Trial. He is the leader of the Virtuous.
Sil Lor Kum: The Hidden Hand of Justice. They are the Human agents of Suwraith and are universally hated and despised. Many consider their existence to be a myth, although inexplicable setbacks are often attributed to the Sil Lor Kum.
Sign Deep: OutCaste. Born AF 2042. Sister to Court Deep and cousin to Kart, Cedar, Jessira Grey.
Slash of Iniquity: A judgment by the Kumma Chamber of Lords in which an individual is found to be deviant and traitorous. Such an individual is either executed with his remains left on the Isle of the Crows or in some instances, merely banished forthwith.
Slayer, the: Leader of a glaring of Shylows. Also known as the Kezin.
Society of Rajan: Legendary society originally founded by Raja, a Cherid in Hammer who discovered The Book of First Movement. The Society has come to believe that The Book is the key to defeating Suwraith. Though the Society has failed in its mission of learning the secrets they claim is in The Book, nevertheless, they have spread to all the other cities of Arisa, where their influence and reputation is greater than their actual numbers. The Society in each city is comprised of twenty-one active members: three from each Caste with an Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master. Since the Society members are chosen after they have proven their worth as influential and moral members of their Castes, they are generally in their thirties before they are first brought into the Society as Apprentices. Some Rajans do resign or retire, but this is rare, and such individuals are n
o longer allowed to vote on Society business.
Current members:
Caste Kumma:
Master: Silma Thoran
Journeyman: Dar'El Shektan
Apprentice: Bravun Silan
Caste Sentya:
Master: Thrivel Nonel
Journeyman: Krane
Apprentice: Chima Plast
Caste Duriah:
Master: Jaka Moth
Journeyman: Anian Elim
Apprentice: Bove Moth
Caste Rahail:
Master: Grain Jola
Journeyman: Lesur Mint
Apprentice: Olin Treave
Caste Shiyen:
Master: Gren Vos
Journeyman: Rassin Chin
Apprentice: Nisin Mercus
Caste Muran:
Master: Ular Sathin
Journeyman: Walid Greenvole
Apprentice: Alms Soildrew
Caste Cherid:
Master: Sim Chilmore
Journeyman: Diffel Karekin
Apprentice: Minet Jorian
Sophy Terrell: Caste Kumma. House Shektan. Born AF 2014 to Kolt and Versana Drathe of House Primase. Married Odonis Terrell of House Shektan in AF 2035. Once a member of the Shektan House Council and murdered by Hal'El Wrestiva.
Sorrows of Hume, the: Aphorisms attributed to Hume Telrest.
Spidergrass: A type of plant that grows best in temperate climates. It is used in the fashioning of items once made with metal. Duriah smiths claim it has tensile properties identical to the finest steel.
Stone Cavern: A neighborhood of craft shops and manufacturing. It is where most Duriahs live.
Stronghold: City of OutCastes founded in AF 1753 by the fifty-five survivors of Hammer's Fall. The city was hidden in the Privation Mountains, deep within Mount Fort before its destruction by Suwraith.
Stronghold Government: The city was divided into ten Croftholds. Each Crofthold had its own Home Council. Within each Crofthold, the Home Councils had wide discretion in governance. The Home Senate was responsible for citywide issues, such as management of the Croft and defense.
Additionally, each Council chose a Senator to represent their interests in the Home Senate. There were ten Senators.
The Governor-General was the highest elected official, and he was elected every five years in a citywide election.
Stryd Bosna: Caste Kumma. House Andthra. Born AF 2032 to Darjuth and Selese Bosna. Completed four Trials. He is the Captain of the caravan to Nestle that was destroyed by Li-Dirge.
SuDin: The Voice Who Commands. The leader of the Sil Lor Kum. Most recently was Hal'El Wrestiva.
Suge Wrestiva: Caste Kumma. House Wrestiva. Born AF 2040 to Hal'El and Kilwen Wrestiva. He had yet to be chosen for his first Trial at the time of his death when he was killed in a duel by Jaresh Shektan. Known snowblood addict.
Sunpalm Orchard: A wealthy, quiet neighborhood of stately townhomes and small craft shops. It is home to many Shiyens.
Suwraith: A murderous being of wind and storm who suddenly exploded into existence two thousand years ago. Her only desire seems to be the extinction of Humanity. Her origin is a mystery, although the Baels claim that She was the Daughter of the First Mother and the First Father, murdering them on the Night of Sorrows. The Fan Lor Kum name Her Mother Lienna. Humanity also names her the Bringer of Sorrows or the Queen of Madness.
Talents: Skills possessed by individuals of various Castes, each one unique to a Caste.
Tanner's School of Animal Husbandry: Shiyen school of veterinary medicine.
Teerma Shole: Caste Kumma. Born AF 2012. Widow. Recently appointed as a member of the Shektan House Council.
Thrum: A russet-coated Kesarin. Bonded to Jaresh Shektan.
Trial: The holy duty in which warriors leave the safety of an Oasis and enter the Wildness in order to defend a caravan, even if it costs them their lives.
Trell Rue: A fashionable neighborhood of artisan shops and restaurants.
Triumph Court: Plaza surrounding the Glory Stadium.
Ular Sathin: Caste Muran. Clan Balm. Born AF 1989. Completed two Trials before retiring at age twenty-eight. He was a well-to-do farmer before selling his property to other members of his Clan. He was a MalDin of the Sil Lor Kum. After his death, he provided Dar'El Shektan with a journal that exposed nearly all the members and activities of the Sil Lor Kum.
Unworthy: A designation by which a Kumma is felt to be a coward and/or morally compromised. Such an individual is banished from the city.
Upanayana ceremony: Ceremony that consecrates a boy to his duties as a man. It involves two days and two nights of fasting and praying in solitude and silence. In the case of Kummas and other warriors, it is followed by the granting of the Insufi blade at dawn.
Vadina: Sister-in-law (older brother's wife or husband to an older sister).
Van Jinnu: Caste Rahail. Born AF 2018. Completed two Trials. Widower. Murdered by Hal'El Wrestiva with the Withering Knife.
Varesea Apter: Caste Rahail. Born AF 2019. Widowed. Married to Slathtril Apter. MalDin of the Sil Lor Kum and was killed by Mira Terrell.
Verchow College of Medicine: One of the two Shiyen medical colleges in Ashoka.
Virtuous, the: A large group of Ashokans who believe all the OutCastes should be killed. They are led by Shur Rainfall and the Heavenly Council of the Virtuous.
Well: The place within an individual wherein Jivatma resides. Some believe the Well is simply another word for consciousness, and from consciousness, Jivatma springs forth.
Wildness, the: The vast area beyond the borders of the cities and their Oases.
Withering Knife, the: A black blade rumored to steal Jivatma from those it murders.
Word and the Deed, the: Author unknown. It is a sacred text written prior to the fall of the First World. Over time, it has supplanted The Book of All Souls as the main source of religious scripture within the world.
Yuthero Gaste: Caste Shiyen. Born AF 2025. He is one of the youngest professors of Surgery at Alminius School of Medicine. He was also a MalDin of the Sil Lor Kum and was executed.
About the author
Davis Ashura is a legend . . . in his own mind. He resides in North Carolina, sharing a house with his wonderful wife who somehow overlooked Davis' eccentricities and married him anyway. As proper recompense for her sacrifice, Davis then unwittingly turned his wonderful wife into a nerd-girl. To her sad and utter humiliation, she knows exactly what is meant by 'Kronos'. Living with them are their two rambunctious boys, both of whom have at various times helped turn Davis' once lustrous, raven-black hair prematurely white (it sure sounds prettier than the dirty gray it actually is). And of course, there are the obligatory strange, strays cats (all authors have cats—it's required by the union). They are fluffy and black with terribly bad breath. When not working—nay laboring—in the creation of works of fiction so grand that hardly anyone has read a single word of them, Davis practices medicine, but only when the insurance companies tell him he can.
Visit him at www.DavisAshura.com and be appalled by the banality of a writer's life.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Maps
The Trial So Far
Prologue
Chapter 1: Return to Ashoka
Chapter 2: Magisterial Choices
Chapter 3: Months and Days
Chapter 4: An Eventual Life
Chapter 5: What Has Passed
Chapter 6: Challenges
Chapter 7: Discoveries
Chapter 8: Needed Decisions
Chapter 9: A Turmoiled Trial
Chapter 10: The Near Wildness
Chapter 11: The Cost of Hate
Chapter 12: Race the Storm
Chapter 13: Intercessions
Chapter 14: Choice of Sacrifice
Chapter 15: Interlude Ended
Chapter 16: A Trial of a Different Sort
Chapter 17: Blurred Margins
Chapter 18: Confusion and Weariness
Chapter 19: Strike a Blow
Chapter 20: Opportunity and Endings
Chapter 21: Breaking Fire
Chapter 22: Disparate Measures
Chapter 23: Consuming Consequences
Chapter 24: Farewell to Home
Chapter 25: Fallow Hopes
Chapter 26: Revelations and Loss
Epilogue
Glossary
About the author
