Destiny’s Conflict: Book Two of Sword of the Canon (The Wars of Light and Shadow, Book 10)

by Janny Wurts

  pronounced: i-li-thar-is

  root meaning: i’lith’earis – the keeper/preserver of mystery

  IMARN ADAER—Paravian master gem cutters from the city of Mearth, creators of the crown jewels for the Five Kingdoms of Athera, which are attuned to the land’s flux and lane forces.

  pronounced: i-marn a-day-er

  root meaning: imarn – crystal; e’daer – to cut smaller

  INNISH—city located on the southcoast of Shand at the delta of the River Ippash. Formerly known as “the Jewel of Shand”, this was the site of the High King’s winter court, prior to the time of the uprising.

  pronounced: in-ish

  root meaning: inniesh – a jewel with a pastel tint

  INSTRELL BAY—waters off the Gulf of Stormwell between Atainia, Tysan and Deshir, Rathain.

  pronounced: in-strell

  root meaning: arin’streal – strong wind

  ISAER—power focus built in the First Age in Atainia, Tysan, by the Ilitharis Paravians, to source the defence works of the Paravian keep of the same name.

  pronounced: i-say-er

  root meaning: i’saer – the circle

  ISSING—river and ravine, located in Havistock, Havish, arises in the Storlain Mountains and flows south to Redburn at Rockbay Harbour.

  pronounced: i-sing

  root meaning: yssing – spindrift

  ITHAMON—royal seat of the s’Ffalenn High Kings, built at an intersection of flux lines on the Fifth Lane in Daon Ramon Barrens. Originally a Paravian keep, site of the Compass Point Towers, or Sun Towers. Site of the Mistwraith’s defeat by Lysaer s’Ilessid and Arithon s’Ffalenn in Third Age 5638.

  pronounced: ith-a-mon

  root meaning: itha – five; mon – needle, spire

  ITHISH—city located at the edge of the principality of Vastmark, on the southcoast of Shand. Where the Vastmark shepherds ship their wool fleeces.

  pronounced: ith-ish

  root meaning: ithish – fleece or fluffy

  IYAT—energy sprite, and minor drake spawn inhabiting Athera, not visible to the eye, manifests in a poltergeist fashion by taking temporary possession of objects. Feeds upon natural energy sources: fire, breaking waves, lightning, and excess emotion where humans gather.

  pronounced: ee-at

  root meaning: iyat – to break

  IYAT-THOS—clan dialect name for Tarens.

  pronounced: ee-at thoss

  root meaning: iyat – broken; thos – nose

  JAELOT—city located on the coast of Eltair Bay at the southern border of the Kingdom of Rathain. Once a Second Age power site, with a focus circle. Now a merchant city renowned for extreme snobbery and bad taste. Also the site where Arithon s’Ffalenn played his eulogy for Halliron Masterbard, which raised the powers of the Paravian focus circle beneath the mayor’s palace. The forces of the mysteries and resonant harmonics caused damage to city buildings, watch keeps, and walls, which has since been repaired.

  pronounced: jay-lot

  root meaning: jielot – affectation

  JALIENNE—wife of Cosach s’Valerient, Caithdein of Rathain. Mother of Esfand and Cordaya.

  pronounced: jah-lee-en

  root meaning: jia – binding, tie together, intertwine; lien – to love

  JESSIAN OATHKEEPER—historical sister of the Koriathain, prior to settlement on Athera, when the order was a secret society, sent to the planet Scathac to treat with the Biedar, and witnessed the tribal rite that preserved the planet from Calum Kincaid’s Great Weapon. Subsequently came to trial and imprisonment when she kept her sworn promise to the Biedar matriarch never to reveal what she had seen. Her secret was kept until she was executed, but her silence launched the Koriani Order on a search that resulted in coercive disclosure and theft of the ancient Biedar knowledge.

  pronounced: jess-ee-an

  JEYNSA s’VALERIENT—daughter of Jieret s’Valerient and Feithan, born Third Age 5653; appointed successor for her father’s title, Caithdein of Rathain. Married Sevrand s’Brydion, and Khadrien’s forebear.

  pronounced: jay-in-sa

  root meaning: jieyensa – garnet

  JIERET s’VALERIENT—former Earl of the North, clan chief of Deshir; Caithdein of Rathain, sworn liegeman of Prince Arithon s’Ffalenn. Also son and heir of Lord Steiven. Blood pacted to Arithon by sorcerer’s oath prior to the battle of Strakewood Forest, and known by head-hunters as Jieret Red-beard. Father of Jeynsa and Barach. Husband to Feithan. Died by Lysaer s’Ilessid’s hand in Daon Ramon Barrens, Third Age 5670. Bequeathed his memories to Iyat-thos Tarens in 5923.

  pronounced: jeer-et sval-er-ee-ent

  root meaning: jieret – thorn; val – straight; erient – spear

  KADARION—Ilitharis Paravian, or centaur guardian, living brother of Kadierach.

  pronounced: kad-ar-ee-on

  root meaning: kad’i’ria’en – to quicken etherically, to blossom under the masterful touch of refined awareness

  KADIERACH—Ilitharis Paravian, or centaur guardian who was called forward by High Earl Jieret’s transcendence. Also appeared to Arithon s’Ffalenn during his passage through Kewar’s Maze in Third Age 5670.

  pronounced: kad-ee-er-ack

  root meaning: kad’i – to quicken etherically, or bring to blossom through refined awareness; era – place; ch – suffix for attached to or rooted to a site

  KAMRIDIAN s’FFALENN—crowned High King of Rathain, first bearer of the Paravian sword Alithiel, tragically died from the effects of his conscience in Davien’s Maze in Kewar Tunnel.

  pronounced: kam-rid-ee-en sfall-en

  root meaning: kaim’riadien – thread cut short; ffael – dark, an – one

  KARMAK—plain located in Camris, Tysan.

  pronounced: car-mack

  root meaning: karmak – wolf

  KATHTAIRR—barren land-mass in the southern ocean, across the world from Paravia.

  pronounced: kath-tear

  root meaning: kait-th’era – empty place

  KELSING—town located south of Erdane on the trade-road in Camris, Tysan.

  pronounced: kel-sing

  root meaning: kel – hidden; seng – cave

  KEWAR TUNNEL—cavern built beneath the Mathorn Mountains by Davien the Betrayer; contains the maze of conscience, which caused High King Kamridian s’Ffalenn’s death. Arithon Teir’s’Ffalenn successfully completed the challenge in Third Age 5670.

  pronounced: key-wahr

  root meaning: kewiar – a weighing of conscience

  KHADRIEN s’VALERIENT—clanborn second cousin to Esfand s’Valerient, friend of Siantra s’Idir, descendant of Jeynsa s’Valerient and Sevrand s’Brydion.

  pronounced: cad-ree-en sval-er-ee-ent

  root meaning: khadrien – mercurial; val – straight; erient – spear

  KHADRIM—flying, fire-breathing drake spawn, intelligent, vicious, and a scourge that slaughtered Paravians. By the Third Age, confined to a warded preserve in the volcanic mountains near Teal’s Gap in north Tysan.

  pronounced: kaa-drim

  root meaning: khadrim – dragon

  KHARADMON—Sorcerer of the Fellowship of Seven; discorporate since rise of Khadrim and Seardluin levelled the Paravian stronghold at Ithamon in Second Age 3651. It was by Kharadmon’s intervention that survivors of the attack were sent to safety by means of transfer from the Fifth Lane power focus.

  pronounced: kah-rad-mun

  root meaning: kar’riad en mon – phrase translates to mean “twisted thread on the needle” or colloquialism for “a knot in the works”

  KHETIENN—spotted wildcat found in the wilds of Rathain, also on the High King’s blazon.

  pronounced: ket-yen

  root meaning: kietienn – small leopard

  KIEL’D’MAERANIENT—Paravian word for anathema.

  pronounced: keld-may-er-an-ee-ent

  root meaning: kiel’d’maeranient – to be without pity, raised to the emphatic form

  KORIANI—possessive and singul
ar form of the word “Koriathain”; see entry.

  pronounced: kor-ee-ah-nee

  KORIATHAIN—order of enchantresses ruled by a circle of Seniors, under the power of one Prime Enchantress. They draw their talent from the orphaned children they raise, or from daughters dedicated to service by their parents. Initiation rite involves a vow of consent that ties the spirit to a power crystal keyed to the Prime’s control.

  pronounced: kor-ee-ah-thain – to rhyme with “main”

  root meaning: koriath – order; ain – belonging to

  KRALOVIR—term for a sect of necromancers, also called the grey cult, destroyed by Arithon s’Ffalenn in Third Age 5671.

  pronounced: kray-low-veer

  root meaning: krial – name for the rune of crossing; oveir – abomination

  KYRIALT s’TALEYN—once heir apparent to the Lord Erlien, caithdein of Shand, his service awarded to Arithon s’Ffalenn to balance a slight of honour in Third Age 5671, stood as liegeman when Arithon ventured the King’s Grove to break Desh-thiere’s curse, served until his valiant death in defence of Parrien s’Brydion’s treachery.

  pronounced: key-ree-alt stall-ayne

  root meaning: kyrialt – word for the rune of crossing with the suffix for “last,” which is the name of the rune of ending. Tal – branch; an – one/first of the branch

  LAITHEN s’IDIR—clanborn woman from Fallowmere, descended from Sidir’s lineage, mother of Siantra s’Idir.

  pronounced: lay-then see-deer

  root meaning: laere – grace; thein – tower; laerethien – pillar of grace; s’ – of the lineage; i’id’ier – almost lost

  LANSHIRE—northernmost principality in the Kingdom of Havish. Name taken from the wastes at Scarpdale, site of First Age battles with Seardluin that blasted the soil to slag.

  pronounced: lahn-sheer-e

  root meaning: lan’hansh’era – place of hot sands

  LASSIVER—ancient Biedar lineage, from the time before their settlement on Athera.

  pronounced: lass-ee-ver

  root meaning: lassiver – from Biedar language, honour

  LAW OF THE MAJOR BALANCE—founding order of the powers of the Fellowship of Seven, as taught by the Paravians. The primary tenet is that no force of nature should be used without consent, or against the will of another consciousness.

  LEYNSGAP—narrow pass in the Mathorn Mountains, Rathain, famed site of Braggen’s stand, where the clan Companion single-handedly fought and held off a troop of Sunwheel soldiers in pursuit of Arithon Teir’s’Ffalenn.

  pronounced: lay-ens-gap

  root meaning: liyond – corridor

  LIESS—laundress in The Hatchet’s war host.

  pronounced: liss

  root meaning: lios – to write

  LIFFSEY RIVER—flows from the Plain of Araithe to the northern coast of Rathain.

  pronounced: liff-see

  root meaning: lieffesi – to laugh

  LIRENDA—former First Senior Enchantress to the Prime, Koriani Order; failed in her assignment to capture Arithon s’Ffalenn for the sisterhood’s purposes. Held as a passive servant under the Prime Matriarch’s sentence of punishment since Third Age 5670.

  pronounced: leer-end-ah

  root meaning: lyron – singer; di-ia – a dissonance – the hyphen denotes a glottal stop

  LITHMARIN—glacial lake located between Lanshire and Gent in Havish.

  pronounced: lith-mar-in

  root meaning: lieth – flow; mieren – mirror

  LORN—town on the northcoast of Atainia, Tysan.

  pronounced: lorn

  root meaning: loern – an Atheran fish.

  LOS LIER—archipelago in the Cildein Ocean

  pronounced: loss lee-er

  root meaning: lios – to designate, scribe or write l’iera – exalted place

  LUHAINE—Sorcerer of the Fellowship of Seven—discorporate since the fall of Telmandir in Third Age 5018. Luhaine’s body was pulled down by the mob while he was in ward trance, covering the escape of the royal heir to Havish.

  pronounced: loo-hay-ne

  root meaning: luirhainon – defender

  LYRANTHE—instrument played by the bards of Athera. Strung with fourteen strings, tuned to seven tones (doubled). Two courses are “drone strings” set to octaves. Five are melody strings, the lower three courses being octaves, the upper two, in unison.

  pronounced: leer-anth-e (last “e” being nearly subliminal)

  root meaning: lyr – song, anthe – box

  LYSAER s’ILESSID—prince of Tysan, 1497th in succession after Halduin, founder of the line in Third Age Year One. Gifted at birth with control of Light, and Bane of Desh-thiere. Also known as Blessed Prince since he declared himself avatar for the following known as the Alliance of Light. Elected Mayor of Etarra in 5667. Declared apostate to the Light at the Great Schism in 5683; retired to his seat at Etarra, signed Treaty of Law with Rathain’s clans in 5688.

  pronounced: lie-say-er sill-ess-id

  root meaning: lia – blond, yellow or light, saer – circle; liessiad – balance

  MADRAEGA—woman from the Ettin cabal, overseer of tasks.

  pronounced: mad-ray-ga

  root meaning: madri – firm; raetga – buzzard

  MANDA—kitchen scullion from East Bransing.

  pronounced: man-daa

  MARAK—splinter world, cut off beyond South Gate, left lifeless after creation of the Mistwraith. The original inhabitants were men exiled by the Fellowship from Athera for practices that were incompatible with the compact sworn between the Sorcerers and the Paravian races, which permitted human settlement on Athera. Source of the Mistwraith, Desh-thiere, and the free wraiths that threaten Athera.

  pronounced: maer-ak

  root meaning: m’era’ki — a place held separate

  MATHORN MOUNTAINS—range that bisects the Kingdom of Rathain east to west.

  pronounced: math-orn

  root meaning: mathien – massive

  MATHORN ROAD— trade-road running just south of the Mathorn Mountains.

  pronounced: math-orn

  root meaning: mathien – massive

  MEARTH—ruin in the Red Desert, world of Rasinne Pasy, beyond the west Worldsend Gate. Destroyed when Davien was rendered discorporate, which caused the elemental working that protected his Five Centuries Fountain to escape from containment. Called the Shadows of Mearth, they continue to haunt the site, inflicting a geas upon the mind on encounter, which continuously repeats the worst experience held in memory until the victim surmounts the challenge of achieving release or succumbs to madness.

  pronounced: me-arth

  root meaning: mearth – empty

  MEIGLIN s’DIENEVAL—the legitimate daughter born to the widow of Egan s’Dieneval in Third Age 5019, just after his death in the slaughter of the rebellion. Heart’s love of the last High King of Shand for one night, just prior to his demise while fighting the Mistwraith. A weaving by the Biedar of Sanpashir, done at the behest of the last centaur guardian, ensured the union would bring conception, and the birth of Dari s’Ahelas. Also named Anshlien’ya in desert dialect, as the dawn of hope.

  pronounced: mee-glin s-dee-in-ee-vahl

  root meaning: meiglin – passion; dien – large; eval – endowment, gifted talent

  MELHALLA—High Kingdom once ruled by s’Ellestrion lineage, held by the steward’s line of s’Callient after the last of the royal line perished in the Red Desert past Westgate.

  pronounced: mel-hal-la

  root meaning: maelhallia – grand meadows, or open space.

  MERIOR—fishing village located on Scimlade Tip in Alland, Shand, site of Arithon’s temporary shipworks in Third Age 5644.

  pronounced: mare-ee-or

  root meaning: merioren – cottages

  MIRALT—port town located at Miralt Head, on the north shore of Camris, Tysan. Revered by the True Sect as the site where the Light’s Avatar first unveiled his divine nature in Third Age 5652.


  pronounced: meer-alt

  root meaning: m’ier –shore; alt – last

  MIRTHLVAIN—bog with an ancient Paravian stronghold, located in Midhalla, Melhalla; infested with methurien, or Meth Spawn, dangerous cross-breeds of drake spawn, guarded and watched by the Master Spellbinder, Verrain.

  pronounced: mirth-el-vain

  root meaning: myrthl – noxious; vain – bog

  MISTWRAITH—see Desh-thiere.

  MORRIEL—Prime Matriarch of the Koriathain, invested in Third Age 4212. Upset the planetary electromagnetic lanes to conceal her covert possession of novice initiate Selidie’s body in 5667; the death of her flesh created an irregular succession.

  pronounced: more-real

  root meaning: moar – greed; riel – silver

  MORVAIN—city located in the principality of Araethura, Rathain, on the west coast of Instrell Bay. Elaira’s birthplace.

  pronounced: mor-vain

  root meaning: morvain – swindler’s market

  MYRKAVIA—southcoastal island located in Rockbay Harbour, south of Havistock, Havish.

  pronounced: meer-kay-vee-a

  root meaning: miere – reflection; kavia – spruce tree

  NARMS—city on the coast of Instrell Bay, built as a craft centre by Men in the early Third Age. Best known for dye works.

  pronounced: narms

  root meaning: narms – colour

  NORTHGATE—Worldsend gate located above the Ruins of Penstair in Deshir, Rathain, leads to the world designated as the domain of the dragons who did not agree to the abdication of Athera to the Paravians, Chaimistarizog is the Gatekeeper.

  OLD TIRANS—site of a Paravian focus circle, and Second Age ruin in East Halla, Melhalla; crown seat of the s’Ellestrion High Kings until it was sacked in the rebellion, Third Age 5018.

  pronounced: tee-rans

  root meaning: tier – to hold fast, to keep

  ORLAN—pass in the Thaldein Mountains in Tysan where the clan seat has a hidden outpost.

  pronounced: or-lan

  root meaning: irlan – ledge

  ORVANDIR—principality located in north-eastern Shand.

  pronounced: or-van-deer

  root meaning: orvein – crumbled; dir – stone

  PARAVIA—name for the continent inhabited by the Paravians, and locale of the Five Kingdoms.