Red World Trilogy

by V. A. Jeffrey

  Eternal Fires (also called dark fires) - Once a place of holy ground during the Veiled Time, it is now mainly a rubbish heap where garbage and the bodies of criminals are thrown after execution. It still retains some religious significance and in many places it has become a source of superstitious tales; mostly it is a place that strikes fear into the hearts of men. The eternal fires never go out and were originally created by the First Pillar. The first spark of eternal fires came from the Holy Mountain or the Mountain of God, and at rare times used to wreak supernatural vengeance upon corrupt cities.

  F

  Funda - A kingdom of the South Lands situated in the verdant cloud forests/jungles near the southern part of the continent.

  G

  Galieh – A northern city in Hybron known for its great craftsmen, expert metallurgy, iron works, iron ore and mines.

  Gamina - A fortress town between Hybron and Zapulia where the sisters of the desert live, a separate Aishanna-La community of women. The fortress itself, called a citadel, is a holy enclave for women who devote thier lives to the worship of Airend-Ur, the Supreme deity of the universe. They are part of the Aishanna-La. It borders the two lands but is a part of Hybron. Gamina is a relatively safe haven for the Aishanna-La. It is surrounded by wide, grassy plains and a few trees. There are some lakes and ponds from underground water sources.

  Gaspa Sea - The largest body of water separating Zapulia and Hybron from the South Lands continent. It runs into the South Ocean which in turn runs to the Dakanar Sea which is off the coast of part of the South Lands continent.

  Gorokjebu – A large town in western Egi.

  Golden Road – Major gold trade route between the South Land kingdoms and the Middle World kingdoms where gold and other precious metals are bought and traded.

  Great Ridge – A huge landmass within the great valley of the planet. A land of deep rivers and vast, dark forests and numerous kingdoms, towns and cities. Much strange, outlawed technology comes from these land. Several rivers from these lands flow into the Llordis Sea.

  Grunhold - A major town in southern Dyrland.

  H

  Habad Mountains – a mountain range in northern Hybron just north of Galieh. See Soudan Mountains

  Haiga – A city southwest of Rhuctium. The first city in Hybron one reaches after passing the towns and villages on the southern coastline. A port city right on the Zazor.

  Hevan – A village south of Jhis and south of Rhuctium, later one of the few havens in Hybron for the Aishanna-La.

  Hidush - A land east of Zapulia, closer to the Far East of Chialis. The first known creation and use of steel came from this land.

  Hilda River - Upper Black River, above Ceaga Falls. Below the falls it runs into the Black River in Dyrland. Hilda is one of the main rivers in Icyt.

  Hunatep – Gilphaen tribal god of cattle and hunting. His consort is Tasi, the goddess of childbirth and the hearth.

  Hybron - the central largest and most powerful kingdom of the “Middle World” where most of the events happen, the heart "place" of the world.

  I

  Iron Road – Trade route from Galieh to the north to farther north and west where mostly iron is bought and traded.

  J

  Jhis – Established as a major city of the ancient and long vanished Red Kingdom it remains a major city of trade and is the newest capital and seat of power of the new, barbarian king, King Khalit of the Karig tribe. After the destruction of Assenna, the ancient capital of Hybron, Jhis and a number of other cities in Hybron, became a city-state, ruled by the nobility and a Kushigyar, the supreme ruler of a city. There is a large patch of land behind the city wall that mysteriously burns, eternally, called the Eternal Fires, presently used as a garbage dump. Jhis is surrounded by dry, desert-like land with patches of vegetation. Further in, there are some trees and there used to be a few farms but most food is imported from other cities and from other lands into Jhis. Most water into this city comes from wells and cisterns fed by an underground river.

  Jura - A kingdom in the South Lands ruled by King Kufun and later his son Kufun II, a wealthy and powerful kingdom. It is off the coast of the Dakanar Sea which leads into the South Ocean which feeds into the Gaspa Sea. Inland and by the sea there are fertile lands but it is mostly a desert-like land.

  Juranni – The capital city of the kingdom of Jura, where King Kufun resides most of the year. It is deeper south than Murka.

  Jutu - A small island in the Gaspa Sea.

  K

  Kesel or Kesil – The constellation known on Earth as Orion. Called: "the hope of the strong one" in Alharan.

  Kimah – What is known on Earth as The Pleiades.

  Kingdoms (worlds and lands) - The world of Chialis is separated into continents and lands as they relate the the Middle World or the Middle Kingdoms - Hybron, Egi and Zapulia and a few other kingdoms east of Zapulia. To the south, separated by the South Ocean is the South Lands continent where the South Land Kingdoms exist. To the east of the South Lands continent are little islands - the larger ones are populated. These are the South Ocean island Kingdoms, known as the Sea Isles. To the North of the Middle World Kingdoms are the North Lands, divided by the Habad/Soudan mountains, not actually a separate continent. To the west are a few Western Kingdoms such as Pallinona and Nal but the majority of those kingdoms that make up the West are within the Great Ridge continent. They are called the Great Ridge Lands and this is separated from the Middle World by the great North Ocean which is bigger than the South Ocean. The Great Ridge is what is known on Earth as Valles Marinaris. To the Far East are the Eastern Lands or Eastern Kingdoms. The Middle Lands or Middle Land Kingdoms are also called the Middle World Kingdoms because, naturally, these peoples think of their lands as the center of the world from which all other races and groups have migrated away and this middle-centric thinking also has its basis in historical and anthropological fact on Chialis.

  Kukuma – The major port in the city of Murka.

  L

  Llordis – A very large sea in the northwestern hemisphere of Chialis. Many tributaries from the Great Ridge lands lead to the Llordis.

  Lullinlod - A large tributary stream that flows into the Black River

  M

  Mowret – A major river that flows east to west through Egi and through the northern part of Hybron and through Zapulia. It is a major tributary of the Gaspa Sea/ South Ocean.

  Murinecci - One of the powerful and wealthy hill towns in Pallinona. The Pallinonian seat of education and learning, it is the town that boasts the most schools and colleges.

  Murka – A major port city of the southern kingdom of Jura, ruled by King Kufun. The second largest port city in the southern hemisphere besides Yallas-by-the-Sea.

  N

  Nebur – Older, more ancient name for the kingdom of Jura, when it was a smaller kingdom.

  Nirpa-Jatu Plain - In the northern desert of Hybron. The Nirpa-Jatu plain is close to the ruins of Assenna.

  O

  Ol – the Earth's moon, seen as a tiny white star on Chialis.

  P

  Pallinona – A land northwest of Egi. Pallinona is not part of the Middle World kingdoms but there has been trade between this land and the lands of the Middle World Kingdoms for centuries. Pallinona is separated from the Middle World by the Llordis Sea. North of Pallinona is the great North Ocean.

  Plain of the White Bones - A large plain with a very wide, shallow sink in the desert beyond northern Hybron. It is called so because of its striking feature of the ancient bone corpses of two massive yaryebu bulls (mammoths) that once battled to the death and both died there. Their bones remain there on the plains and it became a holy place and a pilgrimage site to the tribals people in and around Hybron. Great religious meetings, holy rites and momentous decisions that affect more than one tribe are held there. It is considered the holiest place in the world to tribes who still serve the First Pillar.

  Q

  Qutan - A mountain kingdom in the Far East.
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  R

  Rhe - A small desert town in Western Hybron, just over one week’s travel from the ruins of Ancient Assenna. Many of the people who live there are related to the wild desert tribe of the Raea.

  Rhuctium – A major city in Hybron south of Jhis. It is an important city of learning and is well known for its plays and theaters and the arts.

  Rurriana - The lands and cultures of the Rur, or the Rurriana peoples. The Rurrian people have the oldest culture in the region. Encompasses more than the khaganate of Rurria. Kingdoms or khaganates of the steppes. Where the ideas of governing Kushigyars came from. Ruthenia is the most powerful kingdom and the capital of Rurria. All lands under this most powerful khaganate are considered under the Rurriana.

  S

  Senetta’s House – A brothel for genetically changed or enhanced people or freaks owned and by Senetta, the madam of Yilphaeus

  Sidunna – A stretch of desert that encompasses the salt basin south of Jura. From time to time there are fights over control over this basin. Salt is very valuable in many parts of this world and is used as ladre (money) when there is no coin.

  Soudan Mountains (See Habad) – A large mountain range that stretches from beyond north-western Egi through northern Hybron. In Hybron the same mountains are known as the Habad Mountains.

  South Lands – Lands and kingdoms south of the Middle World. Also refers to the southernmost continent of Chialis.

  Stafa - A village in Dyrland destroyed by giants.

  Susamon - A northern Hybronain city in the Habad Mountains.

  T

  Tarkal –A large island fortress city built by King Kufun on the largest island in the Gaspa Sea and under the dominion of Jura. The islets are large formations along the sea coast of Dakanar and through the South Ocean and the Gaspa Sea towards the southern coast of Hybron. Kufun has built military towns on a few of these islets. On the largest one he built Tarkal, a base for his navy.

  U

  Uzimor – A village southwest of Jhis within a cedar and poplar forest. Has olive groves.

  V

  Velkov River - A major River in Rurria.

  W, X

  Waters of Mabellus (or Mabelat) – The great cistern in Yilphaeus.

  Wyllahen - A town in Dyrland destroyed by giants.

  Y

  Yilphaeus - A major city in central Egi.

  Z

  Zapulia - Once known as Ellah under the era of the Red Kings, it is a kingdom just east of Hybron. It was once part of Hybron and was invaded one hundred years ago by a king from the Far East and annexed as part of his own kingdom. King Kili, a warlord and the grandfather of King Temez came up from his homeland of the South Ocean islands with a great fleet of ships and overtook the kingdom of Ellah, defeating the ruling king from the Far East and then began a series of expansions west. King Temez's father, King Zapul, continued the western expansions and warred with the inhabitants of land of Ellah and the city-state of Jhis in an effort to expand his domain westward. Renaming the land Zapulia, he captured the three large and prosperous cities, Yallas-by-the-Sea, Yallas-of-the-Valley and Yallasa (capital of ancient Ellah) and declared them as being part of the Zapulian kingdom. The Gaspa Sea is off its southern coast. It is characterized by very fertile farming land, forests and grassy steppes in the eastern parts of the land.

  Zazor – A smaller river (than the Mowret) that runs north to south along the Hybronian border, intersects with the Mowret in northern Egi. It flows from the Llordis Sea and flows into the Gaspa.

  Zikiluwai Islands – A series of islands in the South Ocean (South Ocean islands), the largest one being Zikiluwai. These islands are home to the Jilianite peoples.

  ***

  Tribes, People, Places and Languages

  Most tribes people live in the desert around Hybron or outlying areas in other lands. They are nomadic. Some settle in towns or villages around the perimeters of Hybron, Egi or other kingdoms for part of the year but still retain most of their wild roots in the desert. The exception are the Strabians of Egi who took over the city and rule it. They are no longer "wild" people any longer but have retained their tribal affiliations and religion and this influence is felt and seen everywhere in Egi, especially Egium. Most tribal people, especially those around Hybron are of the Aishanna-La religion. The difference is that they use teraphim (mainly for legal or business issues) while the Aishanna-La in the large cities do not. Tribal worship is also less formalized. All peoples of the planet originally descended from a tribe, somewhere. Some city people can trace which tribe(s) they descended from even if they differ greatly from their wilder counterparts. Some tribes no longer exist but most original tribes still exist, presently. There were originally twenty-four chiefs, the first men, and from these twenty-four chiefs and their wives came twenty-four tribes. Eight of these tribes have died out centuries ago or became assimilated into the other tribal groups or into the cities.

  Aishanna-La - Once the principal religious and cultural group that created the original culture, kingdom and society in Hybron. They remain one of the main religious groups in Hybron. The Aishanna-La, like all people on Chialis, are ethnic descendents of the tribal people. The Aishanna-La retained the religion and deity of their tribal ancestors. The Karig, Raea, Makebites, Elapu, Arvadites and other tribes also worship Airend-Ur but tribal worship is less formal than is the worship of the Aishanna-La, who have become "civilized" through living in large cities over the centuries. Theirs is a monotheistic religion based around temple services such as animal sacrifices on holy days, and readings of the Law and the Writings, and accounts of the holy men in the past,all written in their holy book, called the Aishanna. They worship the Father-god deity, also called the First Pillar, named Airend-Ur.

  Aju (House of Aju) - The noble family defeated by Juta family.

  Alharan – Universal tongue of the planet. Also it is the official tongue in Hybron. Also known as Alhar.

  Arvadites - A southern desert tribe in Hybron, they still call Hybron the Land of Arvad. Fierce and war-like, in the past they warred with the Karigites and the Raea.

  Corelian - Pallinonians who live in the city of Corela. Pallinona is a land of villages and large, powerful hill towns. The largest hill towns are sometimes referred to as cities, of which the northern town of Corela is the most powerful. Its largest rivals are Tidua, Murrinecci and Lavuso. Lavuso is a coastal town but by it having the most important port in Pallinona it is counted as one of the most influential "hill" towns.

  Dach - One of the Great Ridge Lands. Land of the Dachish people.

  Dyrfridain - A southern Dyrland family and tribal name. Elfic, one of the Dyrlander mercenaries who joins with Rapheth is of this family and tribe.

  Dyrland - A land of the Great Ridge. A land bridge appears every seven years and connects it with Pallinona. It is a land of dark, vast forests and a mysterious mountain range of three mountains: Blacry, home of the Ohdrifrid, enemies of the Dyrlanders, Rain Mist and Fog Head.

  Egian – Main tongue of Egi.

  Elapu - A South Land tribe, they travel to and from the South Lands into Hybron and Egi by way of the Golden Road for trade. They live and travel around the Sidunna and it is in the Sidunna that the best quality salt in the world is found. The Elapu tribe mainly trades salt. The Elapu are a very wealthy tribe and powerful and often clash with the king of Jura over control of the Sidunna Basin.

  Eostur - The family and tribal name of Uwain.

  Futu (Futites) - A South Land tribe that lives and travels in the jungles of Funda.

  Gilphaens - A tribe that lives in the high deserts of Egi. They do not worship the First Pillar. Some work as mercenaries for the Egian kingdom or as slave traders. They are synonymous with the word: ruthless.

  Harushian - A tribe that lives on the grassy plains in and around Rur. Fierce and savage they often war and fight with the Rurrians and the surrounding peoples, are involved in the slave trade and pillage and carry off women from surrounding villages and towns.
r />   Hidushian - The peoples and culture of the land of Hidush, in the Far East.

  Icyt - A land of the Great Ridge, neighboring Dyrland on its eastern border.

  Ific - Land of the Ificthians. One of the Eastern Lands.

  Jili – Tongue spoken by the people of the Zikiluwai islands and the surrounding isles. Tongue spoken by the Jilianites.

  Juta (House of Juta) - The ruling family of Jura.

  Karig (Karigites) - An eastern tribe, one of the largest and most powerful tribes in the Middle World region. One of the tribes that carries the Reshain bloodline.

  Latinuum - The mother tongue and main language spoken in Pallinona.

  Makebe (Makebites) - A major tribe of the South Lands, they mainly travel and live in the great deserts beyond Jura. They refer to their places of residence as the Makebe.

  Nacharites (See Ostrites) – Also known as Sons of the Mountain or Domites. Some of them live in the mountain village of Nachar during the fall and winter seasons and are nomadic tribes of the northern mountains.-

  Nalian - A western people, who originated from Nal, a small island kingdom west of Pallinona. There is much trade and cultural exchange between Nal and Pallinona but Nal is far older than Pallinona and some of the ideas and culture and language of Pallinona were influenced by ancient Nalian culture. Some migrated to Egi and Hybron and settled mostly in Egium and Rhuctium, respectively, bringing with them an entertainment called 'theater'. Nalian theater is different from Rurrian theater in that they do not use shadow puppets and most of their plays deal with larger than life characters such as gods, great tragedies and heroic figures. Coming to Hybron, their own theater culture becomes influenced by the Rurrians' theater style and there came to be a mix of influences.

  Oshen - One of the Great Ridge Lands. Land of the Oshenish.

  Ostra (Ostrites) - One of the tribes that live in the North Lands, on the icy, snowy plains. A group that broke from this tribe and migrated south to the Habad Mountains are called the Sons of the Mountain, they originally came from the icy northern plains of the North Lands as well. The forefather of the Sons of the Mountain became part of the Aishanna-La and moved his people south. Thus they became known as the Sons of the Mountain.