Battleaxe

by Sara Douglass

FESTIVALS of the Avar and the Icarii: Yuletide: the winter solstice, in the last week of Snow-month. Beltide: the spring Festival, the first day of Flower-month. Fire-Night: the summer solstice, in the last week of Rose-month.

  FINGUS: a previous BattleAxe. Now dead.

  FIRE-NIGHT, The: see “Festivals”.

  FLEAT: an Avar woman.

  FLURIA, River: a minor river that flows through Aldeni into the River Nordra.

  FORBIDDEN, The: the two races, the Icarii and the Avar, that the Seneschal teaches are evil creatures who use magic and sorcery to enslave humans. During the Wars of the Axe, a thousand years before the events of the Prophecy of the Destroyer, the Acharites pushed the Forbidden back beyond the Fortress Ranges into the Shadowsward and the Icescarp Alps. It is part of Acharite legend that one day the Forbidden will try to reclaim their old lands.

  FORBIDDEN TERRITORIES, The: the lands of the Forbidden, the Shadowsward and the Icescarp Alps.

  FORBIDDEN VALLEY, The: the only known entrance into the Shadowsward from Achar. It is where the River Nordra escapes the Shadowsward and flows into Achar.

  FOREST, concept of: the Seneschal teaches that all forests are bad because they harbour dark demons who plot the overthrow of mankind, thus most Acharites have a terrible fear of forests and their dark interiors. Almost all of the ancient forest that once covered Achar has been destroyed. The only trees grown in Achar are fruit trees and plantation trees for timber.

  FORTRESS RANGES: the mountains that run down Achar’s eastern boundary from the Icescarp Alps to the Widowmaker Sea. The Forbidden are penned behind these ranges.

  FRANCIS: an elderly Brother from the Retreat in Gorkentown.

  FREEFALL: an Icarii male.

  FULKE, Baron: lord of Romsdale.

  “FURROW WIDE, FURROW DEEP”: an all-embracing Acharite phrase which can be used as a benediction, as a protection against evil, or as a term of greeting.

  GANELON, LORD: lord of Tare, once husband to Embeth, Lady of Tare. Now dead.

  GARDEN, The: the Garden of the Mother.

  GARLAND, GOODMAN: Goodman of Smyrton.

  GAUTIER: lieutenant to Borneheld, Duke of Ichtar.

  GHOSTMEN: another term for Skraelings.

  GHOSTTREE CLAN: one of the Avar Clans, headed by Grindle.

  GILBERT: Brother of the Seneschal and assistant and adviser to the Brother-Leader.

  GOLDFEATHER: an Icarii woman.

  GORGRAEL: the Destroyer, an evil lord of the north who, according to the Prophecy of the Destroyer, will threaten Achar.

  GORKENFORT: the major fort situated in Gorken Pass in northern Ichtar.

  GORKEN PASS: the narrow pass that provides the only way from Ravensbund into Ichtar. It is bounded by the Icescarp Alps and the River Andakilsa.

  GORKENTOWN: the town that huddles about the walls of Gorkenfort.

  GRAIL LAKE: a massive lake at the lower reaches of the River Nordra. On its shores are Carlon and the Tower of the Seneschal.

  GREVILLE, BARON: lord of Tarantaise.

  GRINDLE: an Avar man, head of the GhostTree Clan.

  HAGEN: Plough-Keeper of Smyrton.

  HANDSPAN: see “Distances”.

  HELM: a young Avar male.

  HOGNI: a young Avar female.

  HORDLEY, GOODMAN: Goodman of Smyrton.

  HORNED ONES: the almost divine and most sacred members of the Avar race. They live in the Sacred Grove.

  HOVEREYE BLACKWING: an Icarii Crest-Leader.

  HSINGARD: the large town situated in central Ichtar, seat of the Dukes of Ichtar.

  ICARII, The: one of the races of the Forbidden, living in the Icescarp Alps. They are sometimes referred to as the People of the Wing.

  ICESCARP ALPS, The: the great mountain range that stretches across most of northern Achar. It is home to the Icarii, one of the Forbidden races.

  ICESCARP BARREN: a desolate tract of land situated in northern Ichtar between the Icescarp Alps and the Urqhart Hills.

  ICHTAR, DUKE of: the lord of Ichtar, currently Borneheld.

  ICHTAR, The Province of: the largest and richest of the provinces of Achar. Ichtar derives its wealth from its extensive grazing herds and from its mineral and precious gem mines.

  ICHTAR, River: a minor river that flows through Ichtar into the River Azle.

  ISEND, EARL: lord of Skarabost, a darkly handsome but somewhat dandified lord.

  ISLAND OF MIST AND MEMORY: one of the sacred sites of the Icarii people, long lost to them after the Wars of the Axe.

  JACK THE PIG BOY or JACK SIMPLE: pig herder of Arcness.

  JAYME: Brother-Leader of the Seneschal.

  JERVOIS LANDING: the small town on Tailem Bend of the River Nordra. The gateway into Ichtar.

  JORGE, Earl: Earl of Avonsdale, and one of the most experienced military campaigners in Achar.

  JUDITH: Queen of Achar, wife to Priam.

  KAREL: old king of Achar, father to Priam and Rivkah. Now dead.

  KASTALEON: one of the great Keeps of Achar, situated on the River Nordra in central Achar. Of recent construction.

  KEEPS, The: the three main Keeps of Achar. See separate entries under Kastaleon, Sigholt, and Silent Woman Keep.

  LEAGUE: see “Distances”.

  LORD OF SORROW KRAK: the highest mountain in the Icescarp Alps. According to Acharite legend, it is the home of the King of the Forbidden, the Lord of Sorrow himself. (Also see “Talon Spike”.)

  MAGARIZ, LORD: commander of Gorkenfort.

  MAGIC: the Seneschal teaches that all magic, enchantments or sorcery are evil and the province only of the Forbidden races who will use magic to enslave the Acharites if they can. Consequently all Artor-fearing Acharites fear and hate the use of magic.

  MAGIC LAKES: the ancient land of Tencendor had a number of magical lakes whose powers are now mostly forgotten. Also known as the Sacred Lakes.

  MALFARI: the tuber that the Avar depend on to produce their bread.

  MASCEN, BARON: Lord of Rhaetia.

  MERLION, LADY: wife to Earl Isend of Skarabost and mother to Faraday.

  MILITARY TERMS—Acharite (for both regular army and the Axe-Wielders): Squad: a group of thirty-six men, generally archers. Unit: a group of one hundred men, either infantry, pikemen, or cavalry. Cohort: five units, so five hundred men.

  MIRBOLT: a Bane of the Avar people.

  MONTHS: (northern hemisphere seasons apply) Wolf-month: January Raven-month: February Hungry-month: March Thaw-month: April Flower-month: May Rose-month: June Harvest-month: July Weed-month: August DeadLeaf-month: September Bone-month: October Frost-month: November Snow-month: December

  MORYSON: Brother of the Seneschal and friend and chief assistant and adviser to the Brother-Leader.

  MOTHER: either the Avar name for Fernbrake Lake, or an all-embracing term for nature which is sometimes personified as an immortal woman.

  NEVELON: lieutenant to Duke Roland of Aldeni.

  NOR: the southernmost of the provinces of Achar. Nors people are darker and more exotic than the rest of the Acharites. Nor is controlled by Baron Ysgryff.

  NORDMUTH: the port at the mouth of the River Nordra.

  NORDRA, River: the great river that is the main life line of Achar. Rising in the Icescarp Alps, the River Nordra flows through the Shadowsward before flowing through northern and central Achar. It is used for irrigation, transport and fishing.

  OGDEN: Brother of the Seneschal attached to the Silent Woman Keep.

  PACE: see “Distances”.

  PEASE: an Avar woman.

  PIRATES’ NEST: a large island off the coast of Nor and close to Ysbadd and the haunt of pirates. Some say the pirates are protected by Baron Ysgryff himself.

  PLOUGH, The: each Acharite village has a Plough, which not only serves to plough the fields, but is also the centre of their worship of the Way of the Plough. The Plough was the implement given by Artor the Ploughman to enable mankind to civilise themselves. Use of the Plough distinguishes the Acharites from the Forbidden; neither the
Icarii nor the Avar practise cultivation.

  PLOUGH-KEEPERS: the Seneschal assigns a brother to each village in Achar, and these men are often known as Plough-Keepers. They are literally the guardians of the Plough in each village, but they are also the directors of the Way of the Plough and guardians of the villagers’ souls.

  PRIAM: King of Achar and uncle to Borneheld, brother to Rivkah.

  PRIVY CHAMBER: the large chamber in the royal palace in Carlon where the king’s Privy Council meet.

  PRIVY COUNCIL: the council of advisers to the King of Achar, normally the lords of the major provinces.

  PROPHECY OF THE DESTROYER: an ancient Prophecy that tells of the rise of Gorgrael in the north and the StarMan who can stop him. No-one knows who wrote it.

  RAINBOW SCEPTRE: a weapon mentioned in the Prophecy of the Destroyer.

  RAUM: a Bane of the Avar people.

  RAVENCREST SUNSOAR: current Talon of the Icarii.

  RAVENSBUND: the extreme northern province of Achar, although it is rarely administered by the Acharite monarchy.

  RAVENSBUNDMEN: the inhabitants of Ravensbund, generally loathed by the Acharites as barbarous and cruel.

  REINALD: retired chief cook of Sigholt, undercook when Rivkah lived there.

  RENKIN, GoodPeople: farming couple of northern Arcness.

  RETREATS: many brothers of the Seneschal prefer the contemplative life to the active life, and the Seneschal has various retreats about Achar where these brothers live in peace in order to contemplate the mysteries of Artor the Ploughman.

  RHAETIA: small area of Achar situated in the western Bracken Ranges. It is controlled by Baron Mascen.

  RIVKAH: Princess of Achar, sister to King Priam and mother to Borneheld, Duke of Ichtar, and Axis, BattleAxe. It is said that she died in Axis’ birth.

  ROLAND, Duke: also known as “The Walker” because he is too fat to ride. Duke of Aldeni and one of the major military commanders of Achar. He is commander of the Keep of Kastaleon.

  ROMSDALE: a province to the south-west of Carlon that mainly produces wine. It is administered by Baron Fulke.

  SACRED GROVE, The: the most sacred spot of the Avar people, the Sacred Grove is rarely visited by ordinary mortals. Normally the Banes are the only members of the Avar race who can find the paths to reach the Grove.

  SEAGRASS PLAINS: the vast grain plains that form most of Skarabost.

  SEARLAS: previous Duke of Ichtar and father of Borneheld. Once married to the Princess Rivkah. Now dead.

  SENESCHAL, The: the religious organisation of Achar. The Religious Brotherhood of the Seneschal, known individually as brothers, direct the religious lives of all the Acharites. The Seneschal is extremely powerful and plays a major role, not only in everyday life, but also in the political life of the nation. It teaches obedience to the one god, Artor the Ploughman, and the Way of the Plough.

  SENESCHAL, TOWER of the: the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Seneschal. The Tower of the Seneschal is a massive pure white seven-sided tower that sits on the opposite side of the Grail Lake to Carlon. It is very old.

  SENTINELS: magical creatures of the Prophecy of the Destroyer.

  SHADOWSWARD, The: the great forest that stretches north behind the Fortress Ranges. It is home to the Forbidden. See “Avarinheim”.

  SHRA: a young Avar child.

  SIGHOLT: one of the great Keeps of Achar, situated in HoldHard Pass in the Urqhart Hills in Ichtar. One of the main residences of the Dukes of Ichtar.

  SILENT WOMAN KEEP: the Seneschal houses a few of its brothers in the Silent Woman Keep to study the records left from the Wars of the Axe. The Silent Woman Keep lies in the centre of the Silent Woman Woods.

  SILENT WOMAN WOODS: the dark and impenetrable woods in southern Arcness that house the Silent Woman Keep.

  SONG OF CREATION: a Song which can, according to Icarii and Avar legend, actually create life itself.

  SONG OF RECREATION: one of the most powerful Icarii spells which can literally recreate life in the dying. It cannot, however, make the dead rise again. Only the most powerful Enchanters can sing this Song.

  SKALI: a young Avar female.

  SKARABOST: large eastern province of Achar which grows much of the kingdom’s grain supplies. It is administered by Earl Isend.

  SKRAEBOLDS: leaders of the Skraelings.

  SKRAEFEAR: senior of the SkraeBolds.

  SKRAELINGS: (also wraiths) insubstantial creatures of the northern wastes who feed off fear and blood.

  SMYRTON: a large village in northern Skarabost, virtually at the entrance to the Forbidden Valley.

  STARMAN, The: the man who, according to the Prophecy of the Destroyer, is the only one who can defeat Gorgrael.

  SORCERY: see “Magic”.

  SPIKEFEATHER TRUESONG: an Icarii Wing-Leader.

  STAR DANCE, The: the source from which the Icarii Enchanters derive their power.

  STARDRIFTER: an Icarii Enchanter.

  STAR GATE: one of the sacred sites of the Icarii people, long lost to them after the Wars of the Axe.

  STRAUM ISLAND: a large island off the coast of Ichtar and inhabited by sealers.

  STRIKE FORCE: the military wing of the Icarii.

  SUNSOAR, House of: the ruling House of the Icarii for many thousands of years.

  TAILEM BEND: the great bend in the River Nordra where it turns from its westerly direction and flows south towards Nordmuth and the Sea of Tyrre.

  TALON, The: the hereditary ruler of the Icarii people (and, once, over all of the peoples of Tencendor); from the House of SunSoar for over six thousand years.

  TALON SPIKE: highest mountain in the Icescarp Alps, the home of the Icarii people. (See “Lord of Sorrow Krak”.)

  TARANTAISE: a rather poor southern province of Achar. Relies on trade for its income. It is administered by Baron Greville.

  TARE: small trading town in northern Tarantaise. Home to Embeth, Lady of Tare.

  TARE, PLAINS of: the plains that lie between Tare and Grail Lake.

  TENCENDOR: the ancient name for the continent of Achar before the Wars of the Axe. A name now forgotten by all except the Forbidden.

  THREE BROTHERS LAKES: three minor lakes in southern Aldeni.

  TIME OF THE PROPHECY OF THE DESTROYER, The: the time that begins with the birth of the Destroyer and the StarMan and that will end when one destroys the other.

  TIMOZEL: son of Embeth and Ganelon of Tare, and a member of the Axe-Wielders.

  TREE FRIEND: in Avar legend Tree Friend will be the person who will lead them back to their traditional homes south of the Fortress Ranges. Tree Friend is also the person who will bring the Avarinheim behind the StarMan.

  TREE SONG: whatever Song the trees choose to sing you. Many times they will Sing the future, other times they will Sing love and protection. The trees can also Sing death.

  TYRRE, Sea of: the ocean off the south west coast of Achar.

  UNIT: see “Military Terms”.

  URQHART HILLS: a minor crescent-shaped range of mountains in central Ichtar.

  VEREMUND: Brother of the Seneschal attached to the Silent Woman Keep.

  WARLORD: title given to Borneheld, Duke of Ichtar, by King Priam in acknowledgement of Borneheld’s de facto command of the armies of Achar.

  WARS OF THE AXE, The: the wars during which the Acharites, under the direction of the Seneschal and the Axe-Wielders, drove the Icarii and the Avar from the land of Tencendor and penned them behind the Fortress Ranges. Lasting several decades, the wars were extraordinarily violent and bloody. They took place some thousand years before the time of the Prophecy of the Destroyer.

  WAY OF THE HORN, The: a general term sometimes used to describe the lifestyle of the Avar people.

  WAY OF THE PLOUGH, The: the religious obedience and way of life as taught by the Seneschal according to the tenets of the Book of Field and Furrow. The Way of the Plough is centred about the Plough and cultivation of the land. Its major tenets teach that as the land is cleared and ploughed in stra
ight furrows, so the mind and the heart are similarly cleared of misbeliefs and evil thoughts and can consequently cultivate true thoughts. Natural and untamed landscape is evil; thus forests and mountains are considered evil because they represent nature out of control and because they cannot be cultivated. According to the Way of the Plough, then, mountains and forests must either be destroyed or subdued, and if that is not possible, then they must be shunned as the habitats of evil creatures. Only tamed landscape, cultivated landscape, is good, because it has been subjected to mankind. The Way of the Plough is all about order, and about the earth and nature subjected to the order of mankind.