The Ossard Series (Books 1-3): The Fall of Ossard, Ossard's Hope, and Ossard's Shadow.

by Colin Taber

  Grenbanden, Iris – The last priest of Schoperde to serve Ossard. She fled during the Inquisition campaign that led to the Burnings. She was forced to flee after her identity became known to the Church of Baimiopia, and thus the Inquisition. It is rumoured that someone in the tight-knit Flet community divulged her name and true calling.

  Heinz Kurgar – See Kurgar, Heinz.

  Heletian – The middling race of man who populate the Heletian League, and after the Lae Velsanans, the most widespread of peoples in Dormetia.

  Heletian League, The – The grouping of eight Heletian nations, with all sharing a common language, culture, ancestry, and faith (the Church of Baimiopia).

  Heletite – A monk of the order of missionaries from within the Church of Baimiopia.

  High King Caemarou Quor Budasa – Ruler of the Fifth and Final Dominion of Lae Wair-Rae. He is married to High Queen Caree and has eleven sons – including the youngest, Prince Jusbudere.

  High Queen Caree Quor Budasa (nee Jenn) – Wife to the ruler of the Fifth and Final Dominion. She is mother to eleven princes, and also the aunt of Felmaradis Jenn (through her brother, Rajis Jenn, current head of House Jenn).

  Horned God, The – The term the middle race of men use for the many faces of the dark powers that try and corrupt man. The Lae Velsanans know the same power as Terura of the Terura Kala.

  Inger Van Leuwin (nee Van Blomstein) – See Van Leuwin, Inger.

  Iris Grenbanden – See Grenbanden, Iris

  Isabella Van Leuwin – See Van Leuwin, Isabella.

  Jenn, Felmaradis – First General of Prince Jusbudere. He is a nephew of the High Queen, and son of Rajis Jenn. His mother is unknown.

  Jenn, Rajis – Father of Felmaradis, elder brother to the High Queen, and a powerful cabalist. He is reclusive, long ago widowed, and lives in Milcama. He has seventeen children, sixteen to his deceased wife, and the youngest, Felmaradis, to a mystery lover rumoured to live on his estates. All his children now govern their own estates in the colonies (many on the west coast of Kalraith), adding to their House's wealth. His heir, Jae Banadis, is governor of the Kalraith colonies.

  Jenn, Una – The Flet woman who raised Felmaradis on the family estates in Milcama.

  Jericho – The trusted personal attendant of the Lord and Lady Liberigo.

  Jusbudere, Prince – See Prince Jusbudere Quor Budasa.

  Juvela Van Leuwin – See Van Leuwin, Juvela.

  Kalraith Island – The large island between the island of Wairanir and the mainland of Dormetia. It is the site of the old core of the Second Dominion, and now split between Lae Velsanan colonies, the Flets of Fletland, and the gargoyle nation at its wild heart. For more information regarding the gargoyles, see also; Dorloth, Kalraith Ruins, Quersic Quor, and Troiths.

  Kalraith Ruins, The – The ruined cities at the heart of the fallen Second Dominion. The area is now overgrown, lost to thick forests, and home to the mysterious gargoyle nation of Dorloth.

  Kaumhurst – Sef Vaugen’s home village in Fletland, now destroyed.

  Kave, The God of Battle – An ambiguous thing. Seen by some as a cult of honour in combat, while others see it as merely another face of the dark power of Terura or the Horned God.

  Kinreda, The Five Faiths of – Five separate gods make up the Kinreda. They have a long history of fighting each other and have only been brought together through the Divine Promise of the Ansilsae. It is not unknown for them to still have disputes. Indeed, their own infighting has been instrumental in the first three dominions’ downfalls. All faiths are now head-quartered at Lae Bareth, the holy island (see Lae Bareth).

  Krienta – The god and Creator of the middling or common Heletian people. This god of the Covenant is what the Church of Baimiopia is built around.

  Kurgar, Heinz – The head of the Flet Guild.

  Kurt Baden – See Baden, Kurt.

  Lady Death – The head of the cult of Mortigi, the god of murder, in Ossard.

  Lae – Velsanan word for new.

  Lae Bareth – The holy city of the Five Faiths of the Kinreda. It’s found on a small island at the centre of a long gulf that runs along the south eastern coast of Wairanir. It’s named after Old Bareth, an ancient holy city that disappeared beneath the waves during the calamities that changed the face of the world during the fall of Jhae Dalin Cor, the Third Dominion.

  Lae Corster – The head of the Lae Wair-Rae branch of the Cabal, and a close ally to the High King.

  Lae Velsanan – The higher race of man. They are on average taller, leaner, and more fine in bone and features. Aside from a crown of rich hair on their heads, they are hairless, and often alluringly perfect. They are also long lived with intense minds and a slight point to their ears and noses. Amongst the other races, they are known for their arrogance, melodrama, and self-absorption.

  Lae Wair-Rae – The Fifth and Final Dominion. Young and now rising, destined according to the Ansilsae Prophecy to be eternal. A sprawling nation of Lae Velsanans who follow the Five Faiths of the Kinreda and are now embarking upon a wide campaign of colonisation.

  Library of Truth, The – The library of the Chronicle, currently based in Yamere.

  Liberigo, Lady Angela – The First Lady of Ossard, wife of Lord Liberigo, and a middle-aged Heletian woman.

  Liberigo, Lord Silva – The Lord of Ossard, and head of its most prosperous merchant house. Middle-aged, he is an astute Heletian man.

  Liberigo, Pedro – The youngest son of three to the Lord and Lady of Ossard, and a troublesome playboy. Married to Juvela, and father to Maria.

  Liberigo, Juvela (nee Van Leuwin) – See Van Leuwin, Juvela.

  Loyalists – The name taken by the traditionalist followers of the Church of Baimiopia in Ossard, adversaries to the Reformers.

  Lucera – A small island kingdom, and member of the Heletian League well to the south. It is plagued by pirates, and during the course of The Fall of Ossard is uneasily hosting the bulk of the Black Fleet of the Inquisition.

  Magic – The power drawn from the next world or celestial into our own. There are three main branches of magic; heart, mind and soul.

  Magic, Blood – This kind of magic takes its energy from the life force of blood, and any practitioner of magic can utilise it. In its most common form, it means that a caster offers their own blood by cutting themselves to augment their power in an effort to increase the chances of a casting’s success or its potency. This process delivers strong and raw power (drawn from the blood-linked soul) but can be fatal. It is not stable magic.

  Its most reviled form is that practised by many renegades of the Cabal, the Sanjo Drajo. They gain their power by using the blood of others to cast. Such a practice is illegal in the Cabal, as it is immoral, and gives individuals access to great power.

  Magic, Soul – The magic delivered through the soul and faith, given in the form of blessings or graces from the gods to their priests or followers.

  Magic, Heart – The magic of the Cabal, derived through those naturally attuned to the celestial and strong enough to not need the patronage of a god (soul magic) or others (mind magic). They work very hard through learning, experimentation, and practise to expand their powers.

  Magic, Mind – The magic of the Sisterhood. Some women are gifted with a sixth sense that enables them to network with others of similar talent to create a power well akin to that of a single cabalist. These cells can be connected so that they can further pool their power.

  Malnobla, The – The seat of government in Ossard, and the lord of the city’s residence. It’s a grand building set on one side of the city’s main square (Market Square).

  Malsano – The dark face of the Horned God that watches over poverty and pestilence. Often invoked to curse others. Also known by the names of Malssarcht and Tykarcht.

  Man, The Three Branches of – High, middle (or common), and low. The distinction has been classed by the Lae Velsanans who consider themselves alone to be high (see Lae Velsanan). They are taller, leaner, and more
long-lived.

  There are many different nations of middling men (the Pagar, Flets, Heletians, Evorans, etc.) who are shorter, stouter, shorter-lived, and in Lae Velsanans eyes’, thought to be crude. The race of lower men is made up solely of the Saldaens, a short people who are the last of their kind. The three branches of man cannot successfully inter-breed; while conception can occur, the babes born are always stillborn as they are soulless.

  Manheim, Seig – The most senior priest of Kave in Ossard. The Flet warrior who has seen many campaigns in Fletland against raiders and other cultists.

  Maran Sea – The sea spreading to the south west of the Maroklaran.

  Marco Cerraro – See Cerraro, Marco.

  Market Square – The main square of Ossard, large and able to hold well over fifteen thousand people. It is used as a market, and also for civil ceremonies.

  Maro Fever – A seasonal malady that is common in Ossard. It weakens its victims, is viral, leaving them open to other illnesses through the summer. Most of its victims die from pneumonia.

  Maroklaran Sea – The sea that winds through the heart of the Dormetian region.

  Matriarch, The – The head of the forbidden organisation, the Sisterhood.

  Mauricio Ciero – see Ciero, Mauricio.

  Mind Voice – Heard only in the mind between people using celestial talents to commune.

  Moonroot – A herbal that interferes with the use of celestial talents.

  Mortigi – The dark face of the Horned God who celebrates murder. The followers of Mortigi revel in the hunt for victims and are both skilled assassins and fiends.

  Naskae – The soul pearl is a physical embodiment of a Lae Velsanan's soul. It is where two worlds – the real and the celestial – meet. It sits in the abdomen of every Lae Velsanan. About as big as a coin, these small blue glowing spheres are literally a chunk of magic that can be mined to power spell castings. Removing a naskae from a living Lae Velsanan will kill the owner. If the naskae is not harvested from a corpse, it will eventually deteriorate. When it has finally dissipated, the soul (now completely free, and no longer anchored to a physical form) is able to be reborn into our world.

  Using a naskae to power magic castings draws on the energy of the linked soul in the celestial. To use all that power, to drain the soul completely, destroys it. That individual, in every sense of the word, is no more and will never be reborn. Oblivion.

  New Moon's Night – The night of rioting against the Flet slaves in the Core that marked the fall of the Fourth Dominion over two hundred years ago (see Def Turtung). Known to the Lae Velsanans as Lae Lunis Pors.

  Newbank – The main Flet district of Ossard, and found on the south east side of the Cassaro River. It is very poor, mostly unsewered, crime-ridden, and crowded.

  Northern Sea – The chill and grey sea between Ossard and Fletland.

  Northcountry – The rugged and steep valleys about Ossard that are farmed to feed the city, and through the rich city-state’s history have been mined for valuable metals to pay for its rise to power and influence.

  Oblivion – The fourth world, a place of nothingness, and a place where souls that are drained or used send their shadows. There is no chance for rebirth or regeneration for any soul lost to oblivion.

  Old Wair-Rae – The Fourth Dominion, which fell during the upheavals caused by the revolt of the Flet slaves triggered by the bloody riots in Yamere on New Moon's Night (known to the Flets as Def Turtung – the Killing).

  Oleander – A wild bush that grows to twice the height of a middling man, has toxic sap and leaves, and is extremely hardy. It grows out from its core, is roughly round, generally not thick in its greenery, with long and thin leaves. It has flowers of pink or white that appear in bunches, but wilt when cut. Its canes are now Ossard’s most commonly used timber.

  Ossard – A city-state of just under a million people, and member of the Heletian League. A large minority of the population of Ossard (a wealthy city of merchant princes) are Flets, although they have largely missed out on their share of the city’s wealth. The wealth of the city is controlled by the Heletian majority. A third of the city-state’s population reside within the walls of the city, the rest across farming settlements in the Northcountry.

  Pedro Liberigo – See Liberigo, Pedro.

  Pillar-cities – The cities of the Lae Velsanans, named as such for their builders’ penchant for summoning pillar-towers to crown their cities. Notable pillar cities of Lae Wair-Rae are; Yamere, Lae Bareth, Akermanis, Rumaza, Milcama, Markae, Jor Jamilla, and Andrin Lae.

  Pits, The – The name given to the hellish underworld that doomed spirits are sent to by unforgiving gods according to most middling folklore and theology.

  Praagerdam, The – The lost land of the Flets, an autonomous district of Old Wair-Rae, the Fourth Dominion of the Lae Velsanans. It was overrun and razed during Def Turtung.

  Prince Jusbudere – The eleventh son of High King Caemarou. Despite his youth, already famed as an exceptional warrior, commander and leader.

  Quersic Quor – Centre of the gargoyle nation, and nesting place of Dorloth. Formerly the capital of the fallen Second Dominion, Kalraith.

  Quorin – The common language used across Dormetia, particularly as a trading tongue. It has Lae Velsanan roots.

  Quor – A colony of the Lae Velsanans’ Fifth and Final Dominion of Lae Wair-Rae. It is also the closest Dominion territory to Ossard

  Rabisto – One of the many faces of the Horned God. He is the patron of the lucky, of the risk takers, and thieves and bandits. He is also known by the names of Tabiro and Ranndolf.

  Rajis Jenn – See Jenn, Rajis.

  Reformers – The followers of the new saints.

  Renegade – A mage who uses heart magic and refuses to join the Cabal and follow its rules. Many renegades are necromancers or sanjo drajos (blood drinkers).

  Rosa Sorrenta’s – The establishment visited for Juvela’s Mint Lady outing.

  Rose Tree – The now extinct symbol of Ossard. This small tree used to cover much of the Northcounty, but was wiped out by blight and the need for timber by the booming mines and the growing city. It grew to three times the height of man, and each spring and autumn would come to flower with generous white rose-like blooms.

  Saint Baimio – Son of Krienta, and leader of the Heletians in the Heletian-Ogre wars of five centuries ago. He was elevated into godhood and the celestial after defeating the Ogres at Ba-Mora and razing the mountain city.

  Saint Marco – The patron saint of travellers in the Church of Baimiopia. He lived four hundred years ago in the Kramer Confederation to the south. St Marco’s church and square were built opposite Newbank to appeal to the recently arrived Flet refugees two hundred years ago.

  Saldaens – The low race of man. These short and squat people live a longer life than that of the middling races, and one denoted by contentment. They have a close affinity for nature. They can only be found in numbers in New Saldae and Heletian Saldae.

  Sanjana – Southern Heletian word for blood.

  Sanjo – Northern and standard Heletian word for blood.

  Sanjo Drajo – Renegade sorcerers who almost exclusively base their power on blood magic, by harvesting it from others.

  Sankto Glavos – The holy knights of the Inquisition.

  Santana – One of the new saints, proclaimed by the Heletites as the saint of children. Also the Burvois word for blood.

  Schoperde – The Flet name for the goddess, Life.

  Sef Vaugen – See Vaugen, Sef.

  Seig Manheim – See Manheim, Seig.

  Serhaem – The most south-eastern colony of the Lae Velsanans’ Fifth and Final Dominion. It is a city-state positioned strategically between the two Heletian League states of the Kramer Confederation and Greater Baimiopia.

  Sisterhood, The – A secretive and forbidden organisation that governs the exclusively female wielders of mind magic. Local cells or covens communicate through the celestial mind-to-mind, and are able to l
ink their cell-minds with others to create networks that augment their power. They owe their allegiance to no body, nation, or god.

  Because of their secretive and single-minded nature they are outlawed and distrusted.

  Soul-Eater – A slang term for a powerful being (soul) that uses others for strength by feeding. This feeding can be done unconsciously in the way of receiving loyalty or faith, or by the outright consumption of the souls of the dying.

  Soul Harvest – A time of soul gathering, when gods come to claim their followers back. Usually marked by catastrophe and calamity.

  Spirit Guide – The prophesied mentor for the coming saviour of the Flet people.

  Tampanna Sea – The sea to the east of the Ossard’s Northcountry.

  Terura Kala – The term the highest race of man, the Lae Velsanans, uses for the cults of the dark powers that try and corrupt. The middling races of man know the same groups as the followers of the Horned God.

  Troiths – The climbing towers that rise from the ruins of the Second Dominion’s cities in Kalraith. They’re said to be built from stone and bone, and stand as parodies of the Lae Velsanans' pillar-towers. They are the homes of the emerging gargoyle race.

  True Name – The key to a soul.

  Una Jenn – See Jenn, Una.

  Unae – The name given to the mortal world.

  Van Blomstein, Vilma – The sorceress burnt at the stake by the Inquisition, and who helped trigger the riots that saw the Black Fleet forced from Ossard (The Burnings). Mother to Inger Van Leuwin, and grandmother to Juvela Van Leuwin.

  Van Leuwin, Inger – Daughter of the witch, Vilma Van Blomstein, and mother of Juvela Van Leuwin. Also wife to Josef Van Leuwin.

  Van Leuwin, Isabella – Wife to Juvela’s second cousin, her chaperone for her Mint Lady Outing.

  Van Leuwin, Juvela – Daughter of Inger and Josef Van Leuwin, wife to Pedro Liberigo, and mother to Maria Liberigo.

  Vangre – The wealthiest city-state of the Heletian League member, the Kramer Confederation, far to the south.

  Vaugen, Anja – Sef’s wife, now deceased.