The Desert Prince

by Peter V. Brett

  Sharak Sun: The Daylight War, during which humanity must be conquered and united into Everam’s army for Sharak Ka.

  Shar’dama: Dama who fight alagai’sharak in defiance of Evejan law.

  Shar’Dama Ka: First Warrior–Cleric. The Krasian term for the Deliverer, who will come to free mankind from the alagai.

  Sharik Hora: The great temple in Krasia made out of the bones of fallen warriors. Having their bones lacquered and added to the temple is the highest honor that warriors can attain.

  Sharukin: Warrior poses. Practiced series of movements for sharusahk.

  Sharum: Warrior. The Sharum dress in black robes inlaid with pockets for fired clay armor plates.

  Sharum Ka: First Warrior. A title for the secular leader of alagai’sharak. The Sharum Ka is appointed by the occupant of the Skull Throne, and all Sharum answer to him and him only from dusk until dawn. The Sharum Ka has his own palace at the head of the training grounds and sits on the Spear Throne. He wears dal’Sharum blacks, but his turban and night veil are white.

  Sharum’ting: Female warriors, mostly serving as personal guards to the dama’ting.

  Sharusahk: The Krasian art of unarmed combat. There are various schools of sharusahk depending on caste and tribe, but all consist of brutal, efficient moves designed to turn an opponent’s strength against them to stun, cripple, and kill.

  Shield team: Small teams of two to five warriors subdividing Sharum units.

  Skull Throne: The traditional seat of power for Krasia’s leader. Since the split with the Majah tribe, there are now two Skull Thrones. The one in New Krasia is the original—made from the skulls of deceased Sharum Ka and coated in electrum, the throne is powered by the skull of a mind demon, casting a forbiddance that prevents demons from entering the inner city of Everam’s Bounty. The one in old Krasia is newly made from the skulls of fallen warriors and sits in the holy temple of Sharik Hora.

  Spears of the Desert: Sharum Ka Iraven’s elite bodyguard unit.

  Spear Throne: The throne of the Sharum Ka, made from the broken spears of previous Sharum Kas.

  Stinger: The ammunition for the scorpion ballistae. Stingers are giant spears with heavy iron heads that can punch through demon armor on a parabolic shot.

  Tikka: Grandmother (informal term of affection).

  ’ting: Suffix meaning “woman.”

  Tribes: Reference to the twelve tribes of Krasia—Anjha, Bajin, Halvas, Jama, Kaji, Khanjin, Krevakh, Majah, Mehnding, Nanji, Sharach, Shunjin.

  Undercity: Huge honeycomb of warded caverns beneath Desert Spear where women, children, and khaffit are locked at night to keep them safe from demons while the men fight.

  Vah: “Daughter” or “daughter of.” Often used as a suffix or prefix in a girl’s name.

  Waning: (1) Three-day monthly religious observance for Evejans occurring on the days directly before, on, and after the new moon. Attendance at Sharik Hora is mandatory, and families spend the days together, even pulling sons out of sharaj. Demons are said to be more powerful on Waning, when it is said Alagai Ka walks the surface.

  Wardwork: Scrollwork on clothing or items consisting of ward patterns with real potency.

  Watchers: Watchers are dal’Sharum, primarily of the Krevakh and Nanji tribes, trained in special weapons and tactics. They serve as scouts, spies, and assassins. Watchers carry and fight with iron-shod ladders six feet long as well as smaller, close-combat weapons. The ladders have interconnecting ends so they can be joined together. Watchers are so proficient they can run straight up a ladder without bracing it and balance at the top.

  WARD GRIMOIRE

  PROTECTION WARDS

  Protection (defensive) wards Draw magic to form a barrier (forbiddance) through which demon corelings cannot pass. Wards are strongest when used against the specific demon type to which they are assigned, and are most commonly used in conjunction with other wards in circles of protection. When a circle activates, all coreflesh is forcibly banished from its line. A mixed group of demons is referred to as a host.

  BANK DEMON

  Description: Also called frog demons or froggies, these demons appear much like common fly frogs, but they are large enough to swallow humans whole. They lie in wait in shallow water, springing only when prey comes within range. They lash out with long, powerful tongues, catching victims and dragging them into their wide maws. Bank demons will then return to the water, drowning their struggling prey. A group of bank demons is called an army.

  CAVE DEMON

  Description: Cave demons, also known as tunnel or spider demons, have eight segmented legs and can run at great speed. Cave demons excrete a sticky silk that is magic-dead—invisible to wardsight and immune to wards of protection. They will prepare traps and lie in wait for the unwary. These demons seldom rise to the surface unless summoned by a mind; they are more commonly found in deep caves and the tunnels of a demon hive. A group of cave demons is called a clutter.

  CLAY DEMON

  Description: Clay demons are native to the hard clay flats on the outskirts of the Krasian desert. They are perhaps three feet long, but heavy with compact muscle and thick, overlapping armor plates. Their short, hard talons allow them to cling to most any rock face, even hanging upside down. Their orange-brown armor can blend invisibly into an adobe wall or clay bed. The blunt head of a clay demon can smash through nearly anything, cracking stone and denting steel. A group of clay demons is known as a shattering.

  FIELD DEMON

  Description: Sleek and low to the ground, with long, powerful limbs and retractable claws, field demons are the fastest thing on four legs when they have open ground to run and can leap great distances. Tough scales on their limbs and back can turn aside most weapons, but their underbelly—if exposed—is more vulnerable. A group of field demons, also known as fieldies, is called a reap.

  FLAME DEMON

  Description: Flame demons have eyes, nostrils, and mouths that glow with a smoky orange light. They are the smallest demons, no larger than a cat. Like all demons, they have long, hooked claws and rows of razor-sharp teeth. Their armor consists of small, overlapping scales, sharp and hard. Flame demons can spit fire in brief bursts. Their sticky firespit burns intensely on contact with air and can set almost any substance alight, even metal and stone. A group of flame demons is known as a blaze.

  LIGHTNING DEMON

  Description: Though lightning demons are nearly indistinguishable from their wind demon cousins, their spit is charged with electricity that can paralyze a victim. They spit as they dive, snatching up their helpless victims to devour them alive. A group of lightning demons is known as a thundercloud.

  MIMIC DEMON

  Description: Mimics are the elite bodyguards to mind demons. Less vulnerable to light than their masters and more intelligent than the lesser breeds, mimics serve as lieutenants and are able to summon and exert their will upon coreling drones. Their natural form is unknown, but they are able to assume the form of nearly anything they encounter, from inanimate objects to creatures, clothing, and equipment. One of their favorite tricks is to learn the names of their prey and take the form of a friend, feigning distress and calling to their victims to convince them to leave the safety of their wards. A gathering of mimic demons is known as a troupe.

  MIND DEMON

  Description: Also known as coreling princes, mind demons are the generals of demonkind. The only male-sexed caste among demonkind, minds are physically weak and have little in the way of the natural defenses of the other corelings, but they have vast mental and magical powers. They can read and control minds, communicate telepathically, and implant permanent suggestions. They can draw wards in the air and power them with their own innate magic. Coreling drones follow their every mental command without hesitation, and will give their lives to protect them. Sensitive to even moonlight, mind demons only rise on the three-night
period of the new moon cycle, in the hours when night is darkest. A gathering of mind demons is known as a court.

  ROCK DEMON

  Description: The largest of the coreling breeds, rock demons, also known as rockies, can range in height from six to twenty feet. Hulking masses of sinew and sharp edges, they have thick carapaces knobbed with bony protrusions, and their spiked tails can shatter stone. They stand hunched on two clawed feet, with long, gnarled arms ending in talons the size of butcher knives, and multiple rows of bladelike teeth. No known physical force can harm a rock demon. A group of rock demons is called a quake.

  SAND DEMON

  Description: Cousins to rock demons, sand demons are smaller and more nimble, but still among the strongest and best armored of the coreling breeds. They have small, sharp scales that are a dirty yellow almost indistinguishable from gritty sand. They run on all fours but can rise to two legs in combat. Their short snouts have rows of sharp teeth, with nostril slits just below large, lidless eyes. Thick horns curve upward and back, cutting through the scales. Sand demons hunt in packs known as storms.

  SNOW DEMON

  Description: Similar to flame demons in size and build, snow demons are native to frozen Northern climates and high mountain elevations. Their scales are such pure white, they scintillate with color if caught in the light. Snow demons are nearly invisible in the snow, and spit a liquid so cold it instantly freezes anything it touches. Steel struck with coldspit can become brittle enough to shatter. A group of snow demons is called a blizzard.

  STONE DEMON

  Description: Smaller cousins of rock demons—who form through faces of pure rock—stone demons feature armor with the mottled appearance of conglomerate rock. They tend to be squat and slow, but are among the strongest and most indestructible of demons. Requiring less specialized environments to rise, stone demons are more common than rock demons. A group of stone demons is called a conglomerate.

  SUCCOR

  Description: The succor ward is a general ward of protection taught to children. Not as powerful as wards keyed to individual breeds, succor wards create a general field of discomfort that is enough to drive most corelings away unless prey is in sight. Very large or powerful wards can form a forbiddance. The ward is used in the Thesan dice game Succor, as well as its Krasian variation, Sharak.

  SWAMP DEMON

  Description: Swamp demons are native to swamps and marshy areas, an amphibious form of wood demon at home both in the water and in the trees. Swamp demons are blotched green and brown to blend into their surroundings, and will often hide in trees, mud, or shallow water to spring on prey. They spit a thick, sticky slime that rots any organic material it comes in contact with. A group of swamp demons is called a muck.

  WATER DEMON

  Description: Water demons are seldom seen. They come in various forms and sizes. Some are man-sized, sleek and scaly, with webbed hands and feet, tipped with sharp talons. Others are large enough to pull ships beneath the surface with their thick, horned tentacles. Others are bigger still, leviathans able to leap above the water and splash down to create tremendous waves. Water demons can only breathe underwater, though they can surface for a short time. A group of water demons is called a wave.

  WIND DEMON

  Description: Wind demons stand as tall as humans at the shoulder, but have head fins that rise much higher, topping eight or nine feet. Their sharp-edged beaks hide rows of teeth. Their skin is a tough, flexible armor that can turn most any spearpoint or arrowhead. It stretches out from their sides and along the underside of their arms to form the tough membrane of their wings, which can span three times their height. Clumsy and slow on land, wind demons have tremendous power in the sky. The thin wing bones are jointed with wicked hooked talons. Their preferred attack is a silent dive, opening their wings with a great snap just before impact, severing a victim’s head before grabbing the body in their hind talons and flying off. A group of wind demons is called a flight.

  WOOD DEMON

  Description: Wood demons, also called woodies, are native to forests. Next to rock demons, they are the largest and most powerful demons, averaging from five to fifteen feet tall when standing on their hind legs, the smallest sometimes referred to as stump demons. Wood demons have short, powerful hindquarters and long, sinewy arms, perfect for climbing trees and leaping from branch to branch. Their claws are short, hard points, designed for gripping trees. Wood demons’ armor is barklike in color and texture, and they have large black eyes. Wood demons cannot be harmed by normal fire, but will burn readily if brought into contact with hotter fires, such as firespit or liquid demonfire. Wood demons will kill flame demons on sight, and hunt in groups called copses.

  COMBAT WARDS

  Combat wards repurpose magic for offensive effects. Some Draw power directly from the demon they strike, while others are powered by batteries such as demonbone, also known as hora.

  COLD

  Description: Cold wards reduce thermal energy, rapidly dropping the temperature of their target area to below freezing. Powerful cold wards can shatter steel or even rock demon armor.

  CUTTING

  Description: Cutting wards, when etched along the length of a blade, siphon power from demons as they strike, weakening armor, strengthening the weapon, and sharpening the blade down to a near-molecular level, allowing the weapon to cut through even coreling armor and flesh.

  FIRESPIT/COLDSPIT

  Description: These wards are used as defense against flame demons, turning their firespit into a cool breeze. When drawn in reverse, they turn the coldspit of a snow demon into a warm breeze.

  GLASS

  Description: When etched on glass and charged with magic, these wards effect a permanent change, making glass harder than diamond and stronger than steel without changing its weight or appearance. Warded glass is widely used to create near-indestructible windows, vials, weapons, and armor.

  HEAT

  Description: Heat wards increase thermal energy, converting magic directly to heat. Objects painted with heat wards are consumed when the wards activate unless highly resistant to extreme temperatures.

  IMPACT

  Description: These wards turn magic into concussive force. They can be used alone, or to augment the blow of a blunt weapon. When used to strike a demon, they siphon magic like cutting wards, weakening armor even as they multiply force. The stronger the original impact, the more power is generated.

  LECTRIC

  Description: These wards convert magic directly into electricity that can be directed at an object or creature. The wards can also be linked to form circuits.

  MAGNETIC

  Description: Magnetic wards charge their target area, drawing ferrous materials like a powerful magnet. They are sometimes used to increase the accuracy of iron cannonballs.

  MOISTURE

  Description: Moisture wards attract moisture from the air or nearby bodies of water. They can be used to ensure that plants get the necessary water without human care, to fill a small reservoir, or to quench a flame demon. Powerful moisture wards can drown or, if reversed, dehydrate a victim.

  PIERCING

  Description: Piercing wards Draw from the point of impact on a demon’s body, weakening coreling armor even as they focus magic into a weapon’s point for maximum penetrative power.

  PRESSURE

  Description: Pressure wards exert a crushing force that builds in heat and intensity the longer they remain in contact with a demon.

  PERCEPTION WARDS

  Perception wards create magical effects that can alter the senses of demons and sometimes humans.

  BLENDING

  Description: Blending wards pull from their surroundings to camouflage their target area. Unlike unsight wards, which only work on demons, blending wards can hide things from human senses, as well. Sudden or quick movement can negate a blending ward’s power.

  CONFU
SION

  Description: Confusion wards radiate a field of disorientation that can cause creatures to become dizzy and lose their sense of direction. Unless prey is in sight, affected coreling drones will often forget what they are doing, wandering away harmlessly.

  LIGHT

  Description: Light wards convert magic to pure white light. Depending on the power source, the light can be anything from a soft glow to a blinding glare.

  PROPHECY

  Description: Carved into the alagai hora of the dama’ting, prophecy wards read the currents of magic to make predictions about the future. Their magic pulls the demonbone dice out of their natural trajectories to answer questions spoken in prayer to Everam. The processes used both to make the dice and to read them are closely guarded secrets of the Krasian priestesses—it is death to share them with outsiders.