Pirate Lords—When an interstellar war between mankind and the Eridani first stranded the genetic paleontologists on Anee, a political argument soon developed over how mankind should treat their creations—specifically the Neanderthals. Certain technicians believed that by conscripting Neanderthals for use as laborers, humans could be left free to build the plasma missiles they hoped could destroy the Eridani warships circling Anee. Others correctly believed the effort would be wasted. Those who favored enslaving the Neanderthal formed an independent colony upon the island of Bashevgo. After two centuries of building, the Lords finally attacked the Eridani drones. The Slave Lords and their colony were nearly decimated in a counterattack, yet the offspring of the Slave Lords of Bashevgo still survive both upon Bashevgo and in the nation of Craal, and the Slave Lords prey upon both the Neanderthal and their human cousins.
Pwi—Neanderthals who have never been enslaved by the Pirate Lords call themselves Pwi, the family. By the time that the first humans were forced to move to Anee, the original colony of Neanderthals had covered most of the Eastern half of the continent they called “Homeland,” and Neanderthals numbered about two million. Pwi dialects and customs were diverging, and they were on the verge of splintering into several large tribes. But as the Neanderthals found themselves battling a common enemy, they regained a sense of common identity and called themselves only “family.”
Red drones—Orbital warships piloted by artificial intelligences sent by the Eridani to patrol the skies above Anee. Their neutron cannons destroy any mechanical vessel or organic being that climbs over four kilometers into the air. Originally, four warship were stationed over Anee, but two were destroyed by the Pirate Lords.
Sabertooth lion—Smilodon fatalis—a large tawny lion with very long, serrated canines. The sabertooth lions live in prides in grassy and low, wet areas. Because of poor eyesight and teeth that are not adapted for small prey, the sabertooth primarily hunts large herd animals. Some of its favorite victims are the bison, giant sloth, the giant beaver (a semiaquatic water rat weighing up to 500 pounds), the mastodon, the hippo-like toxodonts, and the giant capybara. On Earth, the sabertooth was such a successful predator, that when it overpopulated in 8000 BC, over-predation coupled with climatic instability caused the extinction of over a hundred other species. With its food base destroyed, the sabertooth soon became extinct.
Scimitar cat—homotherium. A solitary but powerful lion with yellow and brown stripes. Because of its elongated front legs, it runs with a bouncing gait, much like a jackal. The scimitar cat inhabits mountainous areas and hunts large prey by pouncing from a tree or rock. A female scimitar cat will often kill a young mastodon weighing 600 pounds and then drag it two miles so she can feed her cubs.
Sea serpents—Giant eel-like carnivores created by the Starfarers to keep animals from migrating across the ocean from one continent to another. Sea serpents can vary their color to conform to background, can grow to a length of 380 feet, and can attack prey in two ways: by swallowing the prey whole, or by strangulation. Thorn-like protrusions on the serpent’s armored scales tend to slice prey open when the serpent attacks by strangulation.
Young serpents are less than a meter in length when they hatch in the spring. They feed on fish for the first several months, and in their feeding frenzy drive great schools of fish up the rivers. Within six weeks the serpents grow to a length of sixteen feet and head for open waters and larger prey. At the end of their first year, serpents often measure over a hundred feet in length.
Slave Lords—Humans who enslave Neanderthals and other humans. Shortly after the red drones forced the human Starfarers into exile on Anee, some of the paleontologists began enslaving Neanderthals for use as miners, field hands, and domestic servants. The human Starfarers believed that if they could concentrate on developing weaponry to fight the red drones, they could escape Anee within a few centuries. But when their efforts failed, most of the Starfarers were killed, and much of their technology died with them. The few degenerate descendants of these Starfarers set up the nation of Craal, based upon a slave economy, and became known as the Slave Lords.
Starfarers—The genetic paleontologists and their crew who first began the work of terraforming Anee. By 2816, mankind had been engaged in genetically and mechanically upgrading himself for so long, that the Starfarers were, in a sense, no longer human. The Starfarers had hairless bodies of various colors, depending upon the shade of the symbiote they chose for their skin; had total recall of all they saw and heard; with mechanical aid could achieve virtual immortality; and the Starfarers had a genetically transmitted “dictionary” that gave all members of their race a knowledge of English and mathematics. When the Eridani destroyed the Starfarer’s space station above Anee, the Starfarers lost the technology that would allow them to pass their extended lifespan on to their descendants, but some of their genetic upgrades remained.
Tantos—A powerful Slave Lord who rules the island of Bashevgo.
Terrazin Dragontamer—A Neanderthal psychic who used his powers to overthrow the island of Bashevgo.
Thrall—Any Neanderthal or human who is held as a slave. Generally, it refers to anyone who has spent years in slavery. Over generations, the Thralls developed a moral code and a society far different from that of the Pwi. In general, the Pwi consider the Thralls to be untrustworthy and brutal. Many tales tell of Thralls who practice cannibalism or who have become so accustomed to slavery that they themselves engage in it. Thralls who eventually escape their captors call themselves Okanjara, the Free Ones.
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About David Farland
David Farland is an award-winning, international best-selling author with over 50 novels in print. He has won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for “Best Novel in the English Language” for his science fiction novel On My Way to Paradise, the Whitney Award for “Best Novel of the Year” for his historical novel In the Company of Angels, and he has won over seven awards—including the International Book Award and the Hollywood Book Festival, Grand Prize—for his fantasy thriller Nightingale. He is best known, however, for his New York Times best-selling fantasy series The Runelords, which will soon be made into a graphic novel and, likely, a movie.
Farland has written for major franchises such as Star Wars and The Mummy. In the video game industry, he has been both a designer and a scripter and was the co-leader on the design team for StarCraft: Brood War.
As a writing instructor, Farland has mentored dozens who have gone on to staggering literary success, including such #1 New York Times Bestsellers as Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time), James Dashner (The Maze Runner) and Stephenie Meyer (Twilight).
Farland judges L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future, perhaps the largest worldwide writing competition for new fantasy and science fiction authors. He has worked in Hollywood greenlighting movies and doctoring scripts. He set the Guinness World Record for the largest single-author, single-book signing.
David Farland has been hailed as “The wizard of storytelling” and his work has been called “compelling,” “engrossing,” “powerful,” “profound,” and “ultimately life-changing.”
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Serpent Catch: Book Two of the Serpent Catch Series Page 27
