Philo Sallas: a plump gourmand and eunuch of the Third Class who enjoys feminine wigs and flashy accoutrements. Philo works in the employ of the emperor, surveying his newly-gained territory in Balanganam, mapping roads and terrain for improvement and taxation
Pim Aalthoven: the Academy’s Wood Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist
Pinamuyoc: a realm populated by Bantayan people to the north of Balanganam, it has been a province of the Waarden Empire for three centuries
Plum: derogatory name for an Aklaa pretending to be Waarden. Dark on the outside, with a pale white heart
Potion: A liquid concoction created by a potioneer, or apothecary. All potions affect the emotional state of the drinker, a temporary effect lasting less than a day
Potioneer: a failed duelist of any rank (or none), whose magic has been stripped away. Potioneers wash out of the Academy for various reasons, including permanent physical injury—rendering them incapable of performing spell motions—mental strain, or emotional imbalance—such as falling in love and becoming incapable of achieving the void. They are generally dismissed as weak or incompetent, since they were unable to handle the stresses of the vaunted duelist training. Potioneers are monitored regularly by the empire, as they were when they were duelists or students, and they are not allowed to travel without permission. The only job the empire lets them perform is making potions with secret recipes.
Qisuk: a castrated prince of Aklaa, brother to Mitlik, cousin to Savitu and Qivinga
Qivinga (Tammaba) vooren Zeegat: the Last Starflower, and the Lost Starflower, Qivinga is Savitu’s sister and princess of Aklaa. Emperor Hedrick married her off to a sterile man deep within the empire, to prevent her from bearing rebel sons
Raqtaaq: a proud and independent culture, spread across two realms: Aklaa and Nunaa. Its people are characterized by dark copper skin, willowy height, and thick, curly black hair, as well as fierce pride and an unwillingness to bend to another’s will. Disparaged by their conquerors, the Raqtaaq are often called Ragtag.
Raqtaaq Wars: a series of violent clashes along the border between the Raqtaaq lands and the empire proper, from 1988 IC to 1992 IC. Emperor Hedrick, sensing distant movement among the lands of the Corona to the east, wished to acquire a buffer between that empire and his own. The Raqtaaq did not care for Hedrick’s plan and fought back viciously, but were ultimately defeated
Renallen: an old, walled city in Gherabellen, large enough to support more than one duel den
Revocation: a combination of sacred motions that close the duelist off from their magic, usually performed after a duel or a stint of practice in an Academy arena. During a trainee’s first semester on campus, it is performed only once, at the end of every day
Rina: a cute Waarden Meditation Instructor with curly brown hair
Saaniq: an indentured man in Qivinga’s service
Sacred motions: elemental spells are created by combining six different motions in various combinations. Each motion summons a different element.
Sanakit: an old farmhand on Bayan’s family farm
Sand Guides: a group of hardy, clever men who memorize and mark the changing, deadly sands at the broad mouth of the Mambajao for the purpose of safely guiding travelers from Pangusay to the far bank
Savantism: having the qualities of a Duelist Savant
Savitu Tammaba: a castrated prince of Aklaa, son of the Voice of Tilaa and brother to Qivinga, the Lost Starflower
Seals: three seals represent the three ranks of duelist. The first seal, for Elemental Duelists, is carved on the cliff above the Hall of Seals and set in a colorful mosaic outside its doors, as well as hanging on the wall within the hall. This symbol is generally accepted as the logo of the Academy, and of duelists in general. It is comprised of six narrow teardrops in six colors, representing the six elemental magics, surrounded by black and ringed in gold. Duelists receive the seal tattooed on their left hands once they pass their Elemental exams. The second seal, for Avatar Duelists, is a starburst in six colors against a field of black, and is tattooed on duelists’ right hands once they pass their Avatar exams. The third seal on the wall in the Hall of Seals is blank, a plain gray circle of iron. Whenever a Hexmagic Duelist enters the room, they are free to animate an image on the iron sheet as a sign of their ability. No tattoo is given for the rank of Hexmagic Duelist; such lucky students are expected to choose their own tattoo and reveal it upon their skin at will. There is no seal for Master Duelist, as the position is so rarely achieved, and any such duelist would have no need of tattoos to prove their ability.
Sebastiaan voorde Helderaard: older son of Emperor Jaap and heir to the Second Waarden Empire
Second: the second class of eunuchs, comprised of childless sons of rebellious men. After their fathers are executed, these sons are castrated and retrained to serve the Waarden Empire with a lifetime of penance for their sires’ misdeeds
Second Tuathi War: 1530-1580 IC, during which the Tuathi drove hard into the Dunfarroghan provinces and sacked both the Duelist Academy and Akkeraad itself, forcing the emperor to flee for his life. The Waarden finally won the war by allying with the Shawnash and reconstructing the Duelist Academy in its current location, replacing their lost duelists with new Shawnash recruits
Seerwine: a rare and much-desired drink among the imperials who can afford it. It is made from the sap of the seerwine pitcher plant, which grows only in the tropical forests of Balanganam. Raw seerwine sap is hallucinogenic in small doses and fatal in larger amounts
Shadow Canyons: a rough, hilly area at the southern end of the Shawnash’kote peninsula
Shawnash: term describing a person from the Shawnash’kote realms, Kemada, Wasemya and Byanneken
Shawnash’kote: a culture spread across three realms: Kemada, Wasemya, and Byanneken. Known for their coppery skin, height, and smooth black hair, as well as their patience and thoughtfulness, the Shawnash people are considered by the Waarden—and thus by all other cultures—as their only equals
Sigil flag: a small, square flag on a short pole, bearing a unique symbol or design chosen by a duelist upon achieving the rank of Elemental Duelist. They are borne into the dueling arena and jammed into the sand, or borne into battle flying from one’s back, as a means of identifying individual duelists. Should a duelist earn one or more battle pennants, they are attached to the stave directly above the flag
Silyik: one of Qivinga’s indentured handmaids
Singer: one who possesses song magic. Most singers dwell at the Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies or one of its outposts, one of which produces sung wine for the emperor’s cellars.
Sints: local gods, possessing the ability to perform small miracles in exchange for token gifts or tasks. Having the appearance of light, they do not communicate with words, only through actions and effects, sometimes making it difficult for their supplicants to understand their intent
Sint Baan’s Day: an early summer holiday on the Waarden calendar
Sint Esme: one of the sints who abide near the Academy campus. She likes gifts of flowers, especially honeysuckle
Sint Staas: one of the sints who abide near the Academy campus. Headmaster Langlaren consults him regarding the arrangement of hexes
Skill duel: a duel meant to display ability rather than determine whether a client is in the right or not. Often, duelists will modify the standard dueling rules to limit danger or to highlight a certain set of spells when they agree to a skill duel
Skycaller: A Balanganese spellcaster who lives isolated on a mountain and uses magic to tame dangerous weather or other natural phenomena
Solitary: a small gazebo-like structure built on a natural promontory, away from the Academy campus, where a disobedient or troubled student may be sent to meditate without distraction upon the Void. Over a dozen dot the rocky outcrops around the Academy
Starflower: popular name among the Aklaa for the oldest princess in the Aklaa royal family, and recipient of her people’s courtly love
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br /> Steel: a forbidden metal within the borders of the Waarden Empire
Steelwielders: Akrestan separatists who began the War of Steel, bringing a terrible new metal to bear against the empire’s duelists
Strider: a mythical rock-man of northern Balanganam, and Bayan’s first Earth avatar
Taban Solahan: a snarky, arrogant Dunfarroghan and a member of Braam’s hex
Takozen: the Academy’s Flame Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist
Talent Tournament: a three-day event allowing freshly ranked Elemental Duelists to exhibit their skills during duels. The students leave campus and duel each other in a duel den picked by the Duelism Office at the Kheerzaal. Talent Tournaments make for great entertainment, drawing crowds from nearby towns and villages, many of which have their own duel den, thus increasing a duelist’s likelihood of receiving a bid for assignment if he or she performs well. Many Elemental Duelists never advance to the next rank, so this showing of talent is their only opportunity to influence citizens to bid for the duelists’ placement. Duelists who reach the rank of Avatar Duelist get to attend another Talent Tournament, after which the bidding on duelists is significantly more cutthroat due to their larger skill set
Tallacht: capital of the Western Empire, sacked in 1539 IC, now historical ruins
Tammay: one of Bayan’s field workers
Tarin Hajellis: a passionate girl, part Akrestoi, part Dunfarroghan, with rare red hair, who joins Bayan’s hex
Tegen: term for the recipient of magical attacks during training workouts. Duelists are each other’s tegen
Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies: the enclave of the reclusive Singers, in the mountains of Pallithea
Teos: a duelist at the Muggenhem duel den
Teresseren Unification Day: an Waarden holiday in early summer, marking the day in 1710 IC that Pinamuyoc came under imperial rule for the first time, creating the sea power that was the Teresseren Empire
Theo Willemsen: Head Chanter at the Academy Chantery. Called Doc Theo by his patients and friends, he’s traveled the length and breadth of the empire during his long service as a chanter, spending time in Bayan’s homeland of Balanganam as well as serving at the front during the Raqtaaq Wars
Third: the third class of eunuchs, comprised of volunteers seeking safety and guaranteed employment in imperial service in exchange for any future children. Often, Thirds come from poor or large families or escape dire straits
Tilaa: the language of the Aklaa people, identical to that spoken in Nunaa, where it is merely called Raqtaaq. Tilaa is also the name for the Aklaa concept of speaking things into existence, for willing the world to change, or forcing fate. Their language is thus called Tilaa with the intent that the Aklaa people will be an unstoppable force in the world, and the rulers of Aklaa bore the title of Voice of Tilaa
Timbool: Bayan’s farm hound. Later, Bayan’s second Earth Avatar, formed to resemble his dog in large scale
Tjaard Staasen: the Academy’s Water Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist
Trade Duelist: a duelist of Avatar rank or higher who has served in duel dens for twenty years. They transition from using their magic in duels to using it in a trade of their choice, usually selected according to the duelist’s strongest element. Trade Duelists perform normally impossible tasks using their avatars, such as constructing a bridge across the previously uncrossable Mambajao River in Balanganam.
Trainees: unranked students at the Duelist Academy. They wear heavy iron bracelets and practice the six sacred motions, spell forms, and meditation daily for two seasons or so, before they’re ever allowed to cast magic
Tuathi: nomadic clans of horsemen who live in the hills west of the Maam Ardcath. Historically, they have clashed with the Waarden and their allies on numerous occasions, and once sacked Akkeraad, forcing the emperor to flee. The Dunfarroghan are their “domesticated” descendants. The Tuathi are known for their warlike ways, their disdain for the soft, settled lives of imperial farmers and merchants, and for the use of the unnatural and forbidden anima magic
Tuq: god of the Raqtaaq. His worship is forbidden now that the Waarden Empire has made the Raqtaaq lands into mere provinces. The sacred soil in which devout followers of Tuq kneel and pray is severely restricted, but certain powerful individuals can still smuggle some from its location on the old Aklaa palace grounds
Tuur Langlaren: Headmaster of the Duelist Academy and a Hexmagic Duelist
Twervel Sea: a southern sea between Shawnash’kote and Raqtaaq provinces
Uunaq: one of Qivinga’s indentured handmaids
Vagary: a roadside bandit, from the old empire term “vagaries of travel”
Villagers: specifically, the inhabitants of Peace Village. Also a general term used by duelists to refer to anyone who doesn’t possess magic
Voice of Tilaa: title borne by the rulers of Aklaa before the last king was deposed and executed
Void, the: a state of emotionless detachment. Duelist trainees are taught to embrace the Void long before they’re allowed to cast spells, since emotional outbursts make elemental magic go wild
Waarden: the ruling people of the Waarden Empire. Their blood type is dominant over all others. Sometimes nicknamed “wisp”
War of Steel: the shortest war in imperial history, between Karkhedon and the Teresseren Empire, due to the empire’s determination to wipe the forbidden metal from their lands, as well as all those who wielded it
Warmaster: the rank held by selected powerful duelists, and the Academy Headmaster, in times of war. The headmaster is responsible for marshaling the students and teachers into battle hexes, though such desperate circumstances haven’t occurred since the Second Tuathi War
Wateyo tes’Eshkin: one of the emperor’s Lord Ministers, and a wealthy, powerful nobleman in his own right, he controls the Ministry of Ways and employs Philo Sallas as his best surveyor. Married to Iyanu K’mokamo, father of Kiwani t’Eshkin
Wekshi: the Academy’s Wind Instructor, she holds the rank of Avatar Duelist
Wisnuk Bay: a bay in Kemada, surrounded by fertile land that is populated by wealthy families with long noble ancestries, like the Eshkin family
About the Author
Jasmine Giacomo writes from Washington State, where she lives with her husband and two children. She graduated last millennium with a degree in English Literature from a college built atop a volcano.
Though she's been writing since the age of four, she also enjoys geocaching, history, science and games, and holds a black belt in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu. She particularly enjoys reading and writing fight scenes.
Her current writing project is book three in the Seals of the Duelists series. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, G+, Amazon, and Worlds of Jasmine.
Table of Contents
Maps
Pronunciation Guide
Prologue
Skycaller
The Rule of Ten
Vagaries of Travel
Marked by Fire
The Duelist Academy
Mud and Maggots
Beneath the Ministry of Ways
Theory and Practice
An Accursed Magic
A Solitary Night
Steelwielders
Tests
Spoils of War
Hexlings
The Forbidden Metal
Water and Flame
A Dunfarroghan Point of Pride
Firedust
Duelist Savant
The Sway of a Potioneer
The Hex Breaks
Dangerous Choices
What the Crystal Knows
Bituin’s Feast
The Hexbird’s Prize
The Feast of Tuq
The Lost Starflower
The Forgotten Color
Luck of the Sints
The Talent Tournament
Bayan’s Choice
A Duelist’s Best Friend
The Impossible Enemy
Home
Epilog
ue
Glossary
Rebel Elements (Seals of the Duelists) Page 36
