Hooded
Page 29
Church of the Hand: a form of ancestor-worship that has become the main religious denomination in Delasir, popular among the settlers. Also called the Church of Elders, it represents the five ‘fingers’ of a person’s foundation (father, mother, maternal grandparents, paternal grandparents, and self, represented by the thumb). Its members believe that the dead go to the City of Souls and that each individual is protected not only by their deceased family but also by their loyalty and accomplishments in life.
Collectors: the men assigned by the Delasir magistrate to bring back Ferrenese women of child-bearing age to produce half-Ferrenese magic-users for the Order of the Hood.
Commercant Bay: the main port of trade used by the Delarese settlers, leading into Tuleaux.
Convent of Others: an underground monastery of sorts, located inside the Tuleaux cliffs, where the captured Ferrenese women are kept and forced to bear the children who will one day become hoods.
Delasir: a far-north kingdom on the continent, known for its bleak weather and poor soil. In order to support a growing population, the people of this nation struck out to claim more resources, originally to fuel their factories and then to fuel their effort to steal territory from their southern neighbor, Nurkaij. With several established settlements and a long history on Ferren, they believe themselves to have successfully colonized the island.
Durchemin (also called the Iron Road): a cage-like hanging road that traverses the mountains between Jemelle and Tuleaux. Supported by thick iron bars nailed into the obsidian rock of the Shadow Peaks and carefully fenced in to protect against animals and rebels alike, it is the safest way to travel through the heartland of Ferren. Overlooks the Giant’s Wood.
Ebonal Tribe, the: the northernmost people of Ferren who live in and above the main mountain range, often feared for their brutality, ruthlessness, and proficiency with magic. Known to ride Mountain Stags, they are believed to be the most powerful of the Ferrenese tribes because of their proximity to the Shadow Peaks.
Enhabitation (to enhabit): the magic possessed only by the island people of Ferren that allows them, using the power of their minds, to control the bodies of other living creatures. Since it is highly dependent on touch and sight, this power can be impeded almost entirely using blindfolds and wrapping the user’s hands. This is why hoods are mandated to wear gloves unless instructed by a supervisor to use their magic, and also the purpose of Iron Gloves (see below).
Faclan Islands: an archipelago connected to the tropical jungle occupying the southwest of the island, occupied by the Faclan tribe.
Faclan Tribe: a group of people living in the southwest of Ferren, commonly known for their blue tattoos, facial piercings, and familiarity with poisons.
Featherhands, the: a group of pirates/warriors led by the Ceillan queen, famous for destroying Delarese and Nuri ships alike in their mission to protect the island of Ferren. Every member is marked with tattooed feathers on each of their fingers.
Ferren: the mysterious island first colonized for its abundance in iron and then claimed for the magical power displayed by the island people.
Fethidi: also called forest spiders, these are the large, venomous arachnids who live in the Giant’s Wood.
Feur: capital of the Raebus clans, located on the east side of the island.
Furix: one who can enhabit an Amonoux.
Gaulday: the biggest festival in Tuleaux, designed to celebrate Micros Gaul who originally discovered Ferren. Often a time for official events such as the testing and appointment of new hoods, showcasing royal visitors, and celebrating notable achievements.
Geldrue: the high cliff plateau that overlooks the city of Tuleaux, home to the wealthiest settlers and the Magistrate’s fortress.
Giant’s Wood, the: a forested area filled with enormous Goddeau trees and the main homeland of the Moian tribe. Often feared for the size of the creatures living there.
Goddeau trees: the trees of the Giant’s Wood, famous for their size and red-tinted wood. The sap of these trees is toxic and can cause severe infections if it gets into a human’s bloodstream.
Great Forest, the: the Moian afterlife.
Guerison: a hospital of sorts, run by the Church of Elders and located in Tuleaux. Doctors, healers, and Skin Smiths are trained here
Hasach, the: also called the Endless Sands, homeland of the Sibilese people located in the southeast corner of Ferren.
Haute Sea, the: the ocean surrounding Ferren, made dangerous by Nuri Stormriders and Ceillan pirates.
Haya Sahar: capital of the Sibilese people. Translates roughly to ‘life city’.
Howl: the tavern halfway between Jemelle and Tuleaux, built into the mountain. A common place for travelers on Durchemin to stop for a meal.
Hyba: the second of the two tallest mountains in the Shadow Peaks and the Ebonal goddess of death.
Ice Plains, the: homeland of the Ebonal people.
Iron Gloves: metal contraptions that encase a prisoner’s whole fist, blocking off the magic of enhabitation. When paired with a blindfold, these will effectively neutralize Ferrenese magic.
Iron Road, the: see Durchemin.
Jemelle: a fortress located in the Shadow Peaks and main base/school for the Order of the Hood. A common waypoint for traders on their way through the mountains via the Wandering Pass.
Kammunuk: a Nuri city close to the border of Delasir that was famously razed in the war between the two nations. It is now a wasteland that is intermittently won or lost by either side.
Kamora: a large Nuri district in the south, recently conquered by the emperor and notoriously difficult to cross due to insurgent activity.
King’s Axe, the: an elite group of hoods, led by a non-magical commander called the Woodsman. They are often sent to the front lines of battle and invited to royal events, despite Delasir’s general bias against Ferrenese people.
Lumach: also called rock lizards, these are the long, sinuous reptiles who live in the Endless Sands, often used by the Sibilese people in battle or for long journeys.
Mioux: also called the Weave, translates to ‘everything’ or ‘the energy that holds the world together’.
Moian Tribe, the: a forest people who live in the Giant’s Wood, specifically the Hanging City. Known to ride Sionach into battle.
Mountain Stags: the favored mounts of the Ebonal tribe, these are large, carnivorous mammals with long fangs and multi-pronged horns. Violent, territorial, and difficult to enhabit, they are rarely used outside the Shadow Peaks.
Narrows, the: colloquial term for the war zone located between Nurkaij and Delasir. Known for its inhospitable cliffs, lifeless landscape, and unpredictable storms, it’s generally considered to be one of the most brutal environments known to man. Because it is difficult to traverse without the assistance of animals, airships, or raptors, it only became crossable after Delasir discovered Ferren and began to use hoods in battle.
Nathair: see Snow Snakes.
Norjay: a songbird native to the Giant’s Wood, roughly the size of a human toddler, with a needle-sharp beak used to fish large insects out of cracked bark. Common prey of forest spiders and sionach.
Nurkaij: home of the Nuri people and most dangerous enemy of Delasir. Ruled by an emperor, they are known for their travel via hot air balloons (see Stormriders) and using elephants in war.
Oeil Tower: a school of Jemelle also known as the Tower of the Eye, this is the main dorm of yellow hoods who enhabit birds and flying creatures.
Order of the Hood: an organization formed by the Delarese Magistrate designed to train half-Ferrenese children in the practice of enhabitation, specifically for the purpose of fighting in the war against Nurkaij.
Prederaux: also known as red hoods, these are the members of the Order trained to enhabit predators.
Raebus Clans, the: a group of people who live in the Wihach Plains on the east side of the island, known for their red hair and peaceful temperament. They tend to live in ground dwellings dug out of the hills.
Raptors: also called death birds, these are the huge, hawk-like, flying creatures who hunt the skies around Ferren. The adult birds are used by the Ceillan people to pull their flying sky chariots (see below). As juveniles, they are often used as individual mounts to either defend the Ceillan convoys or fight against invaders.
Requin Tower: a school of Jemelle also known as the Tower of the Shark, this is the main dorm of blue hoods who enhabit ocean-dwelling creatures.
Revinburg: also known as the Bladed City, where the King of Delasir resides with his closest advisors.
Riders of Hyba: a once-sacred group of Ebonal warriors who protected the mountains and then the rebel-leader Voka. All were killed in, or executed soon after, her final stand against Tuleaux.
Scara Tower: a school of Jemelle also known as the Tower of the Eye, this is the main dorm of black hoods who enhabit insects.
Sibilese People, the: inhabitants of the desert lands in the southeast of Ferren, mostly nomadic and known for their black hair, tan skin, and proficiency with spears. Often seen riding the large and venomous rock lizards.
Sionach: also called flying foxes, these are large mammals with webbing between their front and back limbs that allows them to glide between the tress of the Giant’s Wood. Often used as mounts for the Sibilese people, they are also the favorite food of forest spiders.
Shadow Peaks, the: also called the Ombramont, this is the main mountain range that breaks up the island of Ferren. Commonly believed by the island’s inhabitants to be the source of their magic, it is also rich in iron and therefore run through with many abandoned mines.
Skin Smiths: half-Ferrenese practitioners of magic who are trained to enhabit humans for the purposes of torture and coercion. They are the most feared and reviled of the hoods. Sometimes called a silver hood.
Sky Chariots: the flying ships used by the Ceillans, pulled by trained, often-enhabited raptors. The ships are believed to be made of a lightweight wood that only grows on the Ceillan Isles and has magical buoyant properties.
Slants, the: slang term for the poor, crowded residential area in Tuleaux between the docks and the cliffs. Popular area for sailors to find food and entertainment.
Snow Snakes (also called Nathair by the Ebonal tribe): rarely seen, these are warm-blooded reptiles who live beneath the deep snow of the Shadow Peaks. They are known for having extremely poisonous spines that paralyze their prey and cause terrifying hallucinations. Their white, lustrous skin has lately come into fashion in Delasir, driving hunters to seek out these dangerous creatures.
Steppingstone: the only bar and tavern in Jemelle, notorious for the unsavory quality of its clientele.
Stormriders: Nuri battalions of hot air balloons, often armed with flamethrowers. The highest rank in the Nuri military, also called the air corps.
Tierre Tower: a school of Jemelle also known as the Tower of the Ground, this is the main dorm of green hoods who enhabit creatures of the forest, excepting predators.
Tuleaux: the main Delarese settlement in Ferren, home of the island’s Magistrate and most of its settlers. Surrounded by high walls and protected on one side by natural cliffs, it is generally accepted to be the safest place for colonists to live.
Wandering Pass, the: the main route through the Shadow Peaks, connecting Tuleaux and the Wihach Plains. Often traveled by scouts, traders, or the Collectors who bring back Ferrenese captives to breed hoods.
Weave, the: see Mioux.
Wihach Plains: home of the Raebus people, known for its rolling green hills and lack of trees. A generally peaceful land.
Woodsman, the: a title given to the current leader of the King’s Axe. The position is royally appointed and considered a great honor, although most nobles don’t see it as such due to the social prejudice against hoods.
Vaijan: capital and main trade port of Nurkaij. Also the location of the Ziggurat.
Voka: an infamous rebel who led the most successful attack against Tuleaux that almost resulted in the destruction of the city. She was the last known Furix, famous for riding an Amonoux into battle, and was defeated only when one of her closest warriors betrayed her, leading to her capture and subsequent execution.
Zanbur: a specific kind of airship used by Nuri Stormriders, known for being small and swift. Can’t travel far without the support of a larger ship, but nimble enough to navigate mountains and Goddeau trees.
Ziggurat, the: where the emperor of Nurkaij lives, along with his most esteemed nobles and advisors.
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A. A. Woods is a Boston-based writer of science fiction and fantasy. She's lived in Montana, Costa Rica, Vermont, and Scotland, which has given her a soul-deep wanderlust that she treats by exploring her own imagination. Her deepest ambition is to make people think.
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Vagabonds Teaser
Chapter One
Life at Meru
If there’s a hell, I bet Meru Academy could give it a run for its money, Eliza thought as she made her way across campus, shouldering her backpack and glaring at the intricate Latin that decorated the arch of the Liberal Arts building. She rolled her eyes at the pretentiousness of it.
A Liberal Arts building for a high school? Please.
But after the fourth time Eliza had gotten into a fight at school, her parents had made up their minds. There had been no discussion, no bargaining, just a sit-down at their mahogany dinner table and a stern command.
You’re going to boarding school, Elizabeth Mason, and that’s final.
Now, with a frustrated sigh, Eliza waited on the steps beneath the inscribed Latin as she watched the other students milling through the double doors, all on their way to homeroom or gym or advisor meetings or the parking lot behind the athletic facility where they could get high while cutting class.
No one so much as looked at her.
Guess that’s what I get when the most popular girl in school hates my guts.
“Howdy,” came a familiar voice from behind her.
Eliza’s brooding scowl cracked down the middle as one side of her mouth twitched up.
“Joe, you can’t say howdy and not expect to have your head shoved in a toilet.”
“Aw, come on, that’s old-school stuff. No one does that anymore.” Joe leapt up the final stair. “Besides, who would hit a kid with glasses?”
Eliza couldn’t help but chuckle as her best friend in the world—well, her only friend really—stood beside her, those very same glasses winking in the morning sun. Joe Fagan was cursed with an endlessly entertaining last name, coke-bottle glasses, and skin so pale that it looked almost translucent, except for the spattering of freckles. It didn’t matter that he was tall and handsome in a rangy sort of way. He was a nerd who read books older than their headmaster and watched more Marvel movies than was good for him. If it weren’t for the fact that his parents ran the most successful news outlet in the United States—Hermes News Network, HNN for short—he would have spent his days shoved in lockers and picking his lunch off the cafeteria floor.
Which meant that he and Eliza basically had to be friends.
Eliza opened her mouth to greet him when a burly hockey player knocked into Joe from behind.
“Watch where you’re walking, queer.”
Joe grabbed Eliza’s shoulder with one arm as she made to lunge after the jock, ready to tackle him from behind.
“Let me go,” Eliza snarled, but Joe just adjusted his glasses with his free hand.
“That dumb Neanderthal didn’t even get it right,” Joe said with a half-smile. “My l
ast name is similar to faggot,” he shouted into the swinging doors. “At least insult me correctly.”
Eliza took a deep breath, glaring into the bustling entrance hall.
“Why do you always have to be such a pacifist?” she said, shrugging off his hand.
“What can I say, the sight of blood makes me queasy. Come on, Rambo, let’s get to homeroom.”
Eliza followed Joe inside. She was already seething and it was only eight o’clock. And the heady atmosphere of a school on Friday was only making it worse. Everyone was talking about the parties and dances they were going to that weekend, some driving as far as Boston to spend their parent’s money and make bad choices. But of course, Eliza and Joe would be here. Him because he had no interest in being a proper teenager. And her because her parents had cut her off, taking the car and the credit card away to ‘ensure good behavior’.