The Flames of Shadam Khoreh (The Lays of Anuskaya)

by Bradley Beaulieu

  Behnda al Tib: the largest village of the Hratha in the islands to the south of the Grand Duchy.

  berdische axe: a tall axe which streltsi use to rest their muskets against for higher accuracy.

  Bersuq Wahad al Gatha: Soroush’s brother, second in command of the northern sect of the Maharraht.

  bichaq: slightly curved knife, used primarily in Yrstanla.

  Borund Zhabynov Vostroma: eldest child and only son of Zhabyn and Radia Vostroma.

  Brechan son of Gaelynd: King of Kings among the Haelish.

  Brunhald: a one-footed rook belonging to the Bolgravya family. Alesya Bolgravya assumed Brunhald shortly before assuming Atiana before the Battle of Uyadensk.

  cherkesska: long black coat worn by the streltsi of the Grand Duchy.

  Cyhir: one of the akhoz that aids Nasim.

  Datha: a stout Haelish warrior of Clan Eidihla.

  Devrim ül Mert: seneschal to the Kamarisi, Hakan ül Ayeşe.

  desyatnik: the lowest rank of officer in the Grand Duchy’s staaya, typically responsible for ten streltsi.

  dhoshahezhan: a spirit of life.

  dhoshaqiram: one who bonds with dhoshahezhan and draws upon their power to wield or alter life in the material world.

  dolman: a dress commonly worn by the women of northern Yrstanla, along the coast of the Sea of Tabriz.

  dousing rod: a rod with a circle at one end of it, made of iron, used to sap the ability of the Aramahn qiram to bond with the hezhan.

  drakhen: large amphibious lizards that sometimes make their home on the rocky beaches of the islands.

  Dyanko Kantinov Vostroma: the Boyar of Elykstava and the Posadnik of Skayil.

  Ebru: Bahett’s second wife, the woman second in power to Meryam.

  Edik: a soldier assigned to Styophan on his trip westward to Hael.

  Ekaterina Margeva Rhavanki: the Duchess of Rhavanki.

  Elean: the wife of Kürad, queen to the people of Clan Eidihla.

  Erahm: the physical world.

  Evochka: the capital and largest city in the Duchy of Volgorod. Situated near Palotza Galostina on the island of Kiravashya.

  eyrie: the place where windships are moored, typically built onto cliff faces with many perches available for windships.

  Fahroz Bashar al Lilliah: a former mahtar of the village of Iramanshah. The woman who taught Nasim after he was returned to himself in the ritual performed by Soroush.

  Galostina (Palotza Galostina): the seat of power for the Vostroman family.

  ghazi: the local militia in much of the southern and eastern reaches of Yrstanla.

  Ghayavand: the island that was once a place of learning for the Aramahn. It became a wasteland when the Al-Aqim attempted a ritual to bring about indaraqiram.

  Gaji: a large desert in the southwestern reaches of the Yrstanlan Empire.

  Galahesh: a semi-autonomous island that sits between the islands of the Grand Duchy and Yrstanla.

  goedrun: large sea creatures with squid-like tentacles that often prevent sea travel.

  Goeh: one of the Kohori, and the man who finds Nikandr and Atiana and leads them safely to Kohor.

  Gravlos Antinov: a shipwright. Oversaw the design and construction of the Gorovna.

  Grigory Stasayev Bolgravya: the fourth son of Stasa Bolgravya. Brother to the duke, Konstantin Bolgravya.

  Habram: the leader of the village of Kohor.

  Hael: the kingdom of the nomadic Haelish people, which lies to the west of Yrstanla. The Haelish have been locked in a bloody war with Yrstanla for decades.

  Hakan ül Ayeşe: the former Kamarisi of Yrstanla. Selim’s ül Hakan’s dead father.

  havahezhan: a spirit of wind.

  havaqiram: one who bonds with havahezhan and draws upon their power to wield or alter wind in the material world.

  helm: the helm of a windship contains a set of three levers. These levers alter the set of the rudder, allowing the keel to set itself against the ley lines and turn the ship freely along all three axes: roll, pitch, and yaw.

  Heodor Yaroslov Lhudansk: the Duke of Lhudansk.

  hezhan: souls or spirits in the world of Adhiya.

  Hratha: the southern sect of the Maharraht. They have largely focused on fighting the southern Duchies of Anuskaya.

  hussar: the cavalry of the Grand Duchy.

  Iaros Aleksov Khalakovo: the Duke of Khalakovo. Nikandr’s father.

  ilkadin: the first wife in a harem, which are common among the lords of Yrstanla. The ilkadin sit in a place of power in the household of an Yrstanlan lord.

  Inan: Yadhan’s mother. The one who instigated the push to cast a spell over the Atalayina and the island of Ghayavand.

  indaraqiram: the state that the Aramahn believe the world will one day reach when all its people become enlightened through individual vashaqiram.

  Irabahce (Kasir Irabahce): the imperial palace of Yrstanla, home to the Kamarisi.

  Iramanshah: an Aramahn village on the island of Uyadensk.

  Iriketa Alesyeva Bolgravya: daughter and youngest child of Stasa and Alesya Bolgravya.

  Isaak Ylafslov: the seneschal of Palotza Radiskoye.

  Ishkyna Radieva Vostroma: daughter of Zhabyn and Radia Vostroma. One of three triplets, sister to Atiana and Mileva Vostroma.

  Iyana Klarieva Dhalingrad: the duchess of Dhalingrad.

  Jahalan Atman al Mitra: Nikandr’s havaqiram (wind master).

  jalahezhan: a spirit of water.

  jalaqiram: one who bonds with jalahezhan and draws upon their power to wield or alter water in the material world.

  janissary: a soldier of Yrstanla.

  Jonis: a young windsman that joined Nikandr on the Yarost. He has sharp eyes and was often asked to keep watch.

  Kaleh: Sariya’s daughter, found by Nikandr on the island of Rafsuhan.

  Kalhani: an ancient language of the Aramahn. The precursor to Mahndi and many other languages of Yrstanla.

  Kamarisi: the supreme lord of Yrstanla. In essence, the Emperor.

  kasir: the term for palace in Yrstanla. The kasirs of the Empire tend to be much more ostentatious than the palotzas of the Grand Duchy.

  Katerina Vostroma: a Matra of Vostroma; Zhabyn Vostroma’s sister.

  kaymakam: a major lord under the Kamarisi. Bahett, who is the Lord of Galahesh, is a kaymakam, but there are many others who rule beneath the Kamarisi.

  keel: refers to the obsidian cores of the ship’s four mainmasts. Another length of obsidian is laid through the ship from stern to bow. The ley lines are captured by these three components of the keel, orienting the ship in a certain direction and allowing it to maintain that position as it sails forward like a waterborne ship through the sea.

  Khamal Cyphar al Maladhin: one of the three arqesh who lived on Ghayavand. Along with Muqallad and Sariya, Khamal caused the sundering three hundred years ago and had been trapped on the island.

  khanjar: curved daggers used by the Aramahn and Maharraht.

  khedive: the lord of a city in the Yrstanlan empire.

  kilij: blade with a distinct curve near the middle, used primarily in Yrstanla, especially by the janissaries.

  kindjal: the traditional knife of Anuskaya.

  Kiravashya: the largest island in the Duchy of Volgorod. Home to the capital city of Evochka and Palotza Galostina.

  Kirzan: the large building at the center of Baressa’s bazaar, the old seat of power on Galahesh, abandoned after the treaty was signed with Anuskaya after the War of Seven Seas.

  Kohor: the birthplace of Sariya, and the village where legend says the Atalayina was first found.

  kolpak: a tall rounded hat typically worn by the streltsi.

  Konstantin Stasayev Bolgravya: the Duke of Bolgravya. The first son of the former Grand Duke, Stasa Bolgravya.

  korobochki: brightly painted blocks.

  kozyol: goat, used as a curse, or a derogatory term.

  Kseniya Zoyeva Nodhvyansk: the Duchess of Nodhvyansk.

  kuadim: an Aramahn teach
er.

  Kürad son of Külesh: the King of Clan Eidihla, a tribe of the Haelish people.

  Kuvvatli Mountains: the mountains that separate Hael from the bulk of Yrstanla.

  Landed: a term that originally applied to those who held land in the Grand Duchy of Anuskaya. Over time, it came to mean anyone who hails from the Grand Duchy.

  Landless: a term used by the people of the Grand Duchy for the Aramahn. It refers to the way the Aramahn view land, that it is owned by no one, but also the way they move throughout the world, rarely staying in one place for long.

  landsman: a general term for the men who work the eyries, lading and unlading windships.

  landward: to the left while facing the fore of a ship, where the side windships tie up to a perch or a dock.

  Leonid Roaldov Dhalingrad: the Duke of Dhalingrad.

  ley lines: lines of power that run between islands. Windships harness the ley lines to orient their ships with their obsidian keels. The Matri use their abilities to groom the ley lines so that travel between the islands becomes easier.

  Maharraht: a splinter sect of the Aramahn who have forsaken their peaceful ways in order to drive the Landed from the islands they once had free reign over. Their ultimate goal is to regain control over the islands, but also to prevent the Grand Duchy from abusing and taking advantage of the Aramahn.

  Mahndi: the modern language of the Aramahn and Maharraht.

  Mahrik: a strelet of Khalakovo who travels with Nikandr.

  mahtar: an elder, a leader of the Aramahn villages.

  Majeed Bassam al Haffeh: a man close to Fahroz on the floating island of Mirashadal, one of the mahtar of the village.

  Malidhan: the mountain peak where Ahar, the most powerful of the Tashavir, is kept.

  Matra (plural: Matri): a woman who has the ability to submerge herself in ice-cold water to enter the aether, where she can communicate with other Matri and see ghostly images of the material world.

  Meryam: Bahett’s current ilkadin, his “first wife.”

  Mikhalai: a soldier assigned to Styophan on his trip westward to Hael.

  Mileva Radieva Vostroma: daughter of Zhabyn and Radia Vostroma. One of three triplets, sister to Atiana and Ishkyna Vostroma.

  Mirashadal: the floating village of the Aramahn. The place Fahroz takes Nasim after he was healed on the island of Duzol.

  Mount: the large hill that houses Kasir Yalidoz in the city of Baressa.

  Muqallad Bakshazhd al Dananir: one of the three arqesh who lived on Ghayavand. Along with Sariya and Khamal, Muqallad caused the sundering three hundred years ago and had been trapped on the island.

  Muwas Umar al Mariyah: a gifted jalaqiram.

  Nabide: one of the two wives who let Styophan and the others into the tower of wives in Kasir Irabahce.

  Nasim an Ashan: an orphan boy with strange powers.

  Nataliya Iyaneva Bolgravya: wife of Borund.

  Negesht: a fort in the wilds of western Yrstanla.

  Nikandr Iaroslov Khalakovo: youngest son of the Duke and Duchess of Khalakovo.

  palotza: a castle or palace, typically quite large, within the Grand Duchy.

  Polina Anayev Mirkotsk: the Duchess of Mirkotsk.

  polkovnik: the highest rank of officer in the Grand Duchy’s staaya.

  polupolkovnik: the second highest rank of officer in the Grand Duchy’s staaya, below only the polkovnik in the chain of command.

  privyet: Anuskayan for “hello” or “good day.”

  qiram: an Aramahn with the ability to bond with hezhan, giving them the elemental abilities of the spirit.

  Rabiah Wahid al Aahtel: one of Nasim’s disciples that he brings with him to Ghayavand.

  Radia Anastasiyeva Vostroma: the Duchess of Vostroma.

  Radiskoye (Palotza Radiskoye): the seat of power for the Khalakovan family.

  Rahid Umar al Gahana: one of the more powerful men from the southern sect of the Maharraht known as the Hratha.

  Ramina: the northern city on Galahesh, the one closest to Oramka and Yrstanla.

  Ranos Iaroslov Khalakovo: eldest son of Iaros Khalakovo. Became the Duke of Khalakovo on Iaros’s death.

  Rehada Ulan al Shineshka: an Aramahn woman. Nikandr’s former lover in Volgorod.

  Rodion Ledokov: Styophan’s cousin and one of the soldiers assigned on Styophan’s trip westward to Hael.

  Rosa Oriseva Lhudansk: the Duchess of Lhudansk.

  rudder: a complex set of obsidian cylinders at the center of the ship, the nexus where the four mainmasts meet the obsidian core that runs lengthwise through the ship. These three sets of cylinders are adjusted by the pilot at the helm.

  Safwah: an old woman and a powerful qiram from Kohor. Safwah is Goeh’s mother.

  Saphia Mishkeva Khalakovo: the Duchess of Khalakovo.

  Sariya Quljan al Vehayeh: one of the three arqesh who lived on Ghayavand. Along with Muqallad and Khamal, Sariya caused the sundering three hundred years ago and had been trapped on the island.

  Sea of Khurkhan: the sea south of Galahesh, northwest of Nodhvyansk, and southeast of Yrstanla.

  Sea of Tabriz: the sea between Yrstanla and Anuskaya, bounded by the empire to the west, Khalakovo to the east, and Volgorod to the south.

  seaward: downward, named so because the windships often fly above water.

  Selim ül Hakan: the new Kamarisi of Yrstanla. Hakan ül Ayesh’s eldest son. Although he holds the title of Kamarisi, Bahett ül Kirdhash has been appointed regent until Selim is old enough to rule the Empire at the age of fourteen.

  Serin: one of the two wives who let Styophan and the others into the tower of wives in Kasir Irabahce.

  Shadam Khoreh: the valley in the Gaji Desert where the Tashavir, the followers of Inan who trapped the Al-Aqim on the island of Ghayavand, reside.

  shamshir: a curved sword used primarily by the Maharraht.

  shashka: a lightly curved sword used primarily in the islands of the Grand Duchy.

  Shirvozeh: the Aramahn village to the east of Alayazhar, on the island of Ghayavand. It became the seat of Muqallad’s power when the three Al-Aqim became trapped on the island.

  Siafyan: a large village with massive trees and hanging walkways running between them on the island of Rafsuhan.

  Sihyaan: the tallest mountain on Ghayavand and the site of the ritual that caused the sundering.

  Sihaş ül Mehmed: an envoy who goes to treat with the Grand Duchy.

  siraj: Aramahn glowing stones used for illumination.

  Sitalyas: the mountain range to the west of Trevitze.

  Skolohalla: a formal meeting of the Haelish Kings and their nomadic tribes.

  Soroush Wahad al Gatha: leader of the northern sect of the Maharraht.

  sotni: a unit of one hundred soldiers.

  sotnik: an officer of the Grand Duchy, responsible for one hundred men.

  Spar: the large bridge built by Yrstanla over the Straits of Galahesh.

  spire: a tower of obsidian used by the Grand Duchy to control the ley lines between the islands. The Matri groom the ley lines using the spires and their abilities in the aether.

  starward: upward from the deck of a ship, toward the sky and stars.

  strelet (plural: streltsi): the military men of the Grand Duchy.

  szubka: hat worn by the women of the Grand Duchy.

  staaya: the ducal (Royal) air fleet of the Grand Duchy.

  Stasa Olegov Bolgravya: the former Grand Duke, killed on Khalakovo when a suurahezhan, a fire spirit, attacked his yacht as it docked at the eyrie of Radiskoye.

  Styophan Andrashayev: a trusted soldier, the sotnik of the streltsi who accompany Nikandr.

  Sukharam Hadir al Dahanan: one of Nasim’s disciples that he brings with him to Ghayavand.

  suurahezhan: a spirit of fire.

  suuraqiram: one who bonds with suurahezhan and draws upon their power to wield or alter fire in the material world.

  Svoya: the southern city on Galahesh, the one closest to the islands.

&nb
sp; Syemon: an old gull who serves on the ship, Strovya.

  taking breath (or, to take breath): the Aramahn act of meditating, where they try to become one with their surroundings, to understand more about themselves or the world.

  Tashavir: powerful and ancient qiram from the time of the sundering. Followers of Inan who trapped the Al-Aqim on the island of Ghayavand.

  Thabash Kaspar al Meliyah: the leader of the Hratha.

  Thirosh: the man who runs a winery in secret for King Brechan of Hael. An ally of the Haelish in Alekeşir.

  Tohrab: one of the Tashavir buried in the valley of Shadam Khoreh. Also Inan’s husband, the father of Yadhan.

  Trevitze: the city where Nasim finds Sukharam.

  Udra Amir al Rasa: Nikandr’s former dhoshaqiram (master of the stuff of life).

  Urdi Mountains: the mountains separating the Kohori Valley from the Valley of Shadam Khoreh.

  Ushai Kissath al Shahda: a woman of the Maharraht who travels with Soroush in search of Nasim.

  ushanka: squat woolen hat.

  Uyadensk: the largest island in the Duchy Khalakovo. Home to Palotza Radiskoye and the capital city of Volgorod.