The Sorcery Within
Page 32
Progenitor of the Zyraii.
Calinin
1. An ancient nation in the far west of the southern continent. 2. The empire that originated in Calinin, composed, at various times, of the countries of Calinin South, Aleoth, Cotan, Acalon, Tanjand, Agon, Neith, Tiandria, Serthe, Riannehn, Sirithrea, Numaron, Irigion, Rhida, Rhada, and Moin, as well as the motherland. 3. Those lands culturally and linguistically tied to the empire, including the countries above as well as Ranagara, Elandris, and Cilendrodel.
The Claw
The Dragon's elite cadre of assassins.
Dark Night
A sacred observance timed to coincide with one of the rare occasions when Achird, the Sister, Motherworld, and the major moons are below Tanagaran's horizon. Most “dark nights” are not truly dark, since one or another of the major celestial bodies is almost always shining, but partial dark nights occur regularly. One of the major preoccupations of early Tanagarese astronomers was the calculation of when dark nights would occur, and which of the year's candidates to designate as the ritual Dark Night.
drelb
A dwarfish people inhabiting the countries of Transilia, Intralia, Cisilia, Drelbhaven, and the Drelbmarch.
Ena
The second largest clan of the T'lil.
Faroc
The male of the pair of dragons that once ruled the Dragon Sea, slain by Alemar the Great.
Hab-no-ken
Healing sect of the ken, possessing no rank within the priesthood but endowed with considerable prerogatives. Green robes.
hada
A sect of the Zee-no-ken possessing the power of precognition, distinguished by their grey robes.
haiya
Honor. A heightening of the reputation of a tribe or individual Po-no-pha by virtue of noble deeds.
hai-Zyraii
A state conferred upon an individual Po-no-pha, through blood ritual, in recognition of deeds that greatly benefit the Zyraii nation.
Hattyre
1. An ancient Zyraii hero, killed in battle. 2. The hills dividing the western sections of T'lil and Buyul from their eastern sections, where Hattyre was killed.
hoeanaou
A tree found along the middle and lower reaches of the Ahloorm, ranging up to 300 feet high and nine feet in diameter.
hussa
A small, burrowing rodent, living communally in prominent mounds, found throughout the Eastern Deserts and the Ahirinar Steppes.
ju-moh-kai
l. Literally, the game of blades. 2. A duel fought with edged weapons.
ken
The priesthood of the Zyraii, consisting of four castes: Zee-no-ken, Bo-no-ken, Ah-no-ken, Hab-no-ken.
Miranda
Sister of Alemar Dragonslayer; inventor of the airmaker; cofounder of Elandris.
Motherworld
The gas giant planet around which Tanagaran revolves.
Menhir of T'lil
A stone monument, possibly a meteorite, at the Oasis of Shom. The most holy relic of the T'lil tribe.
niutap
Adoption of a foreigner into a Zyraii tribe, in order to replace a slain member of the tribe.
oeikani
(wah-kah-nee) A large, herbivorous mammal found throughout Tanagaran, used as a saddle and pack beast, and occasionally as a source of food. Plural: oeikani.
olom
A stash of coffee selected by a trader as being the best of his lot. May be any of the different coffees he is transporting, or a blend, entirely dependent on his mood and the quality of that particular cargo.
opsha
The military leader of all Zyraii.
opsib
1. Originally, the supreme religious leader of Zyraii. 2. Since the passing of Mhemet, great-grandson of Cadra, the term applies to the highest-ranked Bo-no-ken of each tribe.
Po-no-pha
(Po-no-fa) The warrior class among the Zyraii. Any adult male of property, capable of bearing arms, is automatically a Po-no-pha, regardless of other professions he may have, unless he enters the priesthood.
rashemi
A drug used to induce trance.
rythni
The fairy people of Cilendrodel, a reclusive, intelligent race rich in sorcery and worshipping tranquillity. Adults range from ten to twelve inches high. Females are winged during their reproductive years.
sagecrawler
A large, herbivorous lizard of the Eastern Deserts, prized for its highly edible flesh.
sand-runner
A moderately large, bipedal lizard common to the Ahloorm Basin.
Serpent Moon
A moon of Motherworld, original home of dragons and the serpent men.
The Sister
Achird's orange companion star, visible from Tanagaran even in daylight.
So-de'es
A great religious council called by Mhemet, great-grandson of Cadra, at which the holy laws of Zyraii were codified. Slightly appended to within the next few generations, the laws of the So-de'es became the inviolable moral canon for many centuries.
soul
An aspect of Man that is entirely immaterial.
Tanagaran
The world. Fifth moon of Motherworld.
T'krt
Largest clan of the T'lil.
T'lan
A minor clan of the T'lil.
T'lil
The second largest tribe of modern Zyraii, descended from Cadra's seventh son, Lil.
torovet
Raid. An attack by one Zyraii tribe upon another, governed by strict rules. Often used by Po-no-pha to increase their haiya.
Trance of the Listener
An altered state of consciousness, in which the awareness of the practitioner is heightened in order to receive psychic messages. Often used in conjunction with the Trance of the Speaker.
Trance of the Searcher
An altered state of consciousness, in which the awareness of the practitioner travels out of the body.
Trance of the Speaker
An altered state of consciousness, which a practitioner may use to send messages to other beings, particularly those in the Trance of the Listener.
Triss
The female of the pair of dragons that once ruled the Dragon Sea, slain by Polk (kill later credited to Alemar).
vartham
A transparent, incredibly strong substance created by Miranda and Alemar the Great, used to form the great domes that enclose the underwater cities. Like the airmakers, the secret of its creation was lost with the two great sorcerers.
The Worm
Royalist euphemism for Gloroc; a derogatory term.
Zee-no-ken
Monastic sect of the ken, uninvolved in political and social life, often hermits. Highest ranked of the ken, but possessing no secular authority. Most of the Zee-no-ken wear brown, the exceptions being the grey of the hada and the black of the High Scholar.
* * *
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I'm not the sort of writer who likes to work in a vacuum. The following people contributed comments on the manuscript-in-progress that ultimately sharpened and clarified the final version: Connie Willeford Smeds, Deborah L. Sweitzer, Lucy Buss, Bob Fleming, Paul Avellar, Rebecca Priest, Jim Musto, Shirley Johnston, Steve Swenston, Peter Fablé, Cherie Kushner, Margaret Silvestri, Brynn Craffey, Beth Egan, Jim Hershey, Diane Hershey, James Ellison, Yves de Cargouet, Dee Doyle, Brian Crist, Dinaan McClure, Teresa Bippert, Ben Pivnick, Ken Macklin, Coleeta Morris, Brett Morgan, Walter Sauers, Jonathan Sachs, Marian Gibbons.
I'm also not the type of writer who can work well without food on the table and a roof over my head. The following people contributed the financial and material support without which this novel might never have seen print: Connie Willeford Smeds, Alfred and Josephine Smeds, Bob Fleming and Cherie Kushner.
The map and many of the place names are adapted from original cartography by John Gast, with his kind permission.
Finally, I'd like to single out two of the professionals who played key roles i
n the destiny of this book: Terri Windling, its original acquisitions editor, who gave me the kick in the pants I needed by buying this sucker on the basis of sample chapters, and Orson Scott Card, whose idea it was that I should not wait forever to submit the manuscript, but send in a partial if that's all I had.
* * *
About the Author
Dave Smeds is a Nebula Award finalist. His short fiction has appeared in magazines, including Asimov's Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and anthologies, including In the Field of Fire, Full Spectrum IV, Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn, and the erotic fantasy anthology Sirens and Other Demon Lovers. His writing has been translated into more that a dozen languages. Dave holds a black belt in goju-ryu Karate, and when he's not writing he can often be found teaching martial arts. The Schemes of Dragons, sequel to The Sorcery Within, is forthcoming from Scorpius. The Sorcery Within is copyright © 1985, 2001, Dave Smeds. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by any means electronic or mechanical, without prior permission of the publisher, with the exception of brief passages quoted in reviews.
ISBN: 1-931305-25-0
Originally published by Ace Books, 1985
Scorpius Digital Publishing
PO Box 19423
Queen Anne Station
Seattle, WA 98109
www.scorpiusdigital.com
Cover Art and Design by Douglas Herring
* * *
Visit www.scorpiusdigital.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
* * *
eBook Info
Identifier:Smeds-Sorcery-Within
Title:The Sorcery Within
Creator:Dave Smeds
Publisher:Scorpius Digital Publishing
Rights:Copyright © 1985, 2001 by Dave Smeds
Description:Fantasy. 101541 words long. First published by Ace Books, 1985 Nebula Nominee, Locus Recommended Reading List, Locus Bestsellers
Language:English
Type:Novel
Format:text/xml
* * *