PORT-OF-LORDS: Port-of-Lords gets its name from the shipping lords, heads of the big corporations that control the sea routes and international commerce. The capital of Port Province, Port-of-Lords is the center of the shipping industry on the west coast, which is the most important coast in terms of trans-oceanic trade. The "lords" are conservative and jealous of any power that competes with theirs.
RIVERVIEW: Capital of Crescent Province and a river port, it is an old city with stately homes. It prides itself on gracious living and is noted for its cuisine, especially of seafood dishes. It is a favored vacation spot.
SHARPNESS: A farming town and commercial center on the Plains River in Plains Province
STANSBURY: The largest and wealthiest city of Arucadi, it is an ocean port with a fine harbor. The city is old, with a rich history. Its fine old houses are showplaces, known throughout the nation for their splendor.
TIRBAT: The nation's capital, a city on the Tiros River, Tirbat is located in Delta Province. It is well designed and beautiful, built in seven tiers with the majestic and imposing government buildings on its higher tiers, along with the splendid Temple to the Great Gods, the only such temple in all Arucadi. The temple is an architectural marvel, a major tourist attraction, and a repository of great art and sculpture. The top tier holds the Palace of Government, where the ruling Triumvirate live, have their offices, and hold court.
ARUCADIAN CALENDAR AND CLOCK
The planet’s year is 361 1/6 days long. Arucadi’s calendar has 20 18-day months (360 days) plus one extra day, the day of the new year. On this day a celebration is held honoring Dor and Dora. Every six years there are two extra days instead of only one. In this case the second extra day at the end of the year celebrates the history of Arucadi.
The months are divided into three six-day weeks, five workdays and one free day. The days are Oneday, Twoday, Threeday, Fourday, Fiveday, Freeday. There are a total of 54 weeks in the year. The extra day or days are not part of any month or week.
The day is divided into 18 80-minute hours. (The days are longer than earth days—the minutes are not the same length as earth minutes.) The day begins the hour before dawn.
FLORA AND FAUNA
In addition to the familiar domestic animals, such as cows, horses, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats, and the wild animals, such as wolves, bears, panthers, coyotes, and owls, there are animals exclusive to Arucadi. Noster Valley has several species of animals unknown elsewhere, but there are also plants and animals throughout Arucadi that are not known in our world.
ANIMALS
Arborbird – a small, long-tailed bird with a high, melodious song. Found in thick shrubs and low branches of trees.
Fellcats – large cats similar to tigers. Nocturnal.
Ferebeast – antelopelike herd animals. The males stand as tall as a person at their heavily muscled shoulders. Broader at the withers, the sleek body narrows to small haunches above which whips a wickedly barbed tail. At the opposite end a long, narrow head juts out on a sinewy neck. The glittering eyes sport a perpetual look of rage. Above small, tufted ears, sharp horns curve up, back, and forward like grappling hooks. Those horns are powerful weapons; no less ominous are the formidable jaws with large grinding teeth. The smaller females have straighter horns and lack the barbed tails, but they, like the males, can deliver deadly kicks with their cloven hooves, and they have the same crushing jaws.
Graufish — A freshwater game fish, abundant in the streams and rivers throughout Arucadi and often fished for with hand-thrown cast nets.
Shalkors – large predatory birds that can prey on small or newborn livestock as well as on wild creatures
Woolerees – burrow-dwelling mammals the size of a badger. Shy and non-aggressive, they do not hesitate to use their long claws and dorsal spines to protect their dens and their young against invaders. They’ve been known to disembowel large predators and walk away unharmed.
PLANTS
Babwood trees — trees grown for lumber. Their hard wood is used in building and prized for furniture making
Caronut trees — tall trees that produce a nutritious nut much favored for use in baking, cooking, roasting, and eating as snacks right off the tree. Animals love these nuts, so trees may attract bears and smaller mammals
Chirberry bush — a shrub with tasty berries that ripen throughout the summer
Fimble — a wild herb used in baking in former times, believed to have magical properties
Saddleberry bushes — low shrubs with berries loved by animals, both wild and domestic, but not used as food by people
Wistweed — a weed that grows along river banks and in marshland throughout northern Arucadi. Its small, delicate yellow flowers are sometimes gathered and used in making a tea believed by some to have medicinal powers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
E. Rose Sabin lives in Pinellas County, Florida, where for many years she taught Spanish and English to middle school students. During those years she used her summer vacations to travel extensively in Mexico, Spain, and other Spanish-speaking countries, but since retiring from teaching to become a professional writer of fantasy and science fiction, her travels are limited mainly to science fiction and fantasy conventions. She has had many short stories published, and her writing has won several awards, including, in 1992, Andre Norton’s Gryphon Award for the unpublished manuscript of A School for Sorcery, a novel inspired by her teaching career.
In addition to the Arucadi series of books, her published works include the science fiction Terrano Trilogy novels Shadow of a Demon, The Gift of the Trinde Tree, and Touch of Death, and stand-alone fantasy novels Seduction of the Scepter, Were House, A House Full of Dreams, Deathright, and The Twisted Towers, as well as a fantasy novel for young teens, To the Far Side of the Forest, and a children’s chapter book, Grandy’s Grand Inventions.
As the Arucadi books were originally published by different publishers and not in chronological order, they are currently being revised and published in chronological order under the Arucadi Enterprises imprint, with new volumes, never before published, being added to the series. To learn when new volumes appear, visit Ms. Sabin’s web site: http://www.erosesabin.com/ and sign up there to receive her newsletter?
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