GLOSSARY

  PEOPLE (includes birth and death Yarres if applicable):

  

  
• Alistair – Aynglican – Raghnall’s understudy. A young man who shares Raghnall’s passion for history. 738-


  
• Anika – Kerathi – perhaps the prettiest girl in Harsbrukke. 752-


  
• Anthea – Aurean/Kerathi – a young girl with the powers of a Kerathi Flower-Enchantress but the Aurean weakness of darkness. 754-


  
• Argus – Kerathi – One of three Sammenkomst Observers to ever die during his duties. He was burned to death in a home that was set afire during a raid. His state of alcohol-induced unconsciousness would not permit him to flee the building. 481-503 A.E.


  
• Ayman – Elegian – One of Ife’s attendants. 729-


  
• Bedros – Ox-Man – servant to the household of Orestes and appointed bodyguard of Anthea. He has been bred to have greater intelligence and a more human appearance than the average Ox-Man, due to the aesthetic needs of the Aurean people. As of yet he is unmated. 757-


  
• Beljd – Kerathi – Lamont’s father, and the second husband of Rolf’s mother. He cares little for Rolf and would like to see Lamont inherit Rolf’s home. 728-


  
• Cerelia – Aurean – Wife to Genero, Guardian Captain. 722-


  
• Corydon – Aurean – A friend to Orestes in the past, but possibly his betrayer when Orestes tried to flee Cenalium. 683-


  
• Cybele – Kerathi – A girl from Rolf’s village who suffered a traumatic head wound as a child. It resulted in her being cross-eyed, mute, and of lowered mental capacity. 746-


  
• Davin – Kerathi – One of Lamont’s friends, a troublemaker with scars to show for it. 751-768 A.E.


  
• Dorjan the Seer – Rumani – A famous heretic, who claimed to be the messenger of Uman, that was executed by Elegian forces that briefly occupied Rummas during the time of the Empire. Ultimately, it was the backlash from his execution that caused the Elegians to back out from their brief and tenuous hold on the trio of islands. During his short life, he left a collection of prophecies and writings. 1074–1096 Y.E.


  
• Edvard Farsail – Aynglican/Rumani – A famous sailor of mixed heritage. His last name was a nickname given to him by the Mueran people. He made it his life’s work to study the various vessels constructed by the peoples of Elegia. He traveled to every corner of the Broken Crown, sailing for a time with Elegian Cutters in the Hundred Isles, with an Aynglican Merchant fleet, with a whaling ship out of Rummas, and with a Mueran Oceanwalker. His greatest disappointment was that he was never allowed to crew a Kerathi longship because of the long history of bad blood between his father’s Aynglican race and the Kerathi. 628-701 A.E.


  
• Egil – Kerathi – The first Kerathi. He could kill any animal and walk through fire. He fathered thousands with his wife Elin, who he made from the bones of his prey. ? B.T.


  
• Elin – Kerathi- – -The wife of Egil and also the mother of the Kerathi people. ? B.T.


  
• Esben – Kerathi – The Hersker or chieftain of Harsbrukke. He’s a fierce warrior with many scars and trophies to his name. 719-768 A.E.


  
• Femi IX – Elegian – An Empress known as ‘the Builder’ who tried to restore some of the Empire’s former glory by retaking the islands that bordered Elegius. She also set about rebuilding many of the destroyed or damaged temples and cities on Elegius and the islands it bordered. 169-254 A.E.


  
• Genero – Aurean – A Guardian Captain assigned to investigate Orestes and Anthea’s disappearance. His wife is named Cerelia. 718-


  
• Grand Helion – Aurean – The leader of all the Aurean people. He resides in Aetheline, except when he is on his Tournea Observatori. In 760 A.E. he was elected to his post, surrendering ties to his family and his name until the time of his death, whenever that may be. 704-


  
• Greater Helion – Aurean – The political leader of Cenalium. The current Greater Helion assumed the title in 717 A.E. He, and all before him, surrendered their birth names for this title upon receiving it. 691-


  
• Hilde of Norsakke – Kerathi – An infamous Kerathi Thaumaturge. She was considered mentally unbalanced even before she poisoned the settlers on the island of Fogreate and had the weakened survivors put to death. She died of mysterious circumstances shortly after the end of the war. 708-733 A.E.


  
• Iago – Aurean – The trusted advisor of the Grand Helion in Aetheline. 685-


  
• Ife – Elegian- – Sagira’s employer and a merchant of some small renown in Miniya, though he is not as rich or as powerful as he often pretends to be. 735-


  
• Ilario – Aurean – an infamous Greater Helion who seized a chance at becoming Grand Helion when false rumors of the Grand Helion’s death reached him. When the real Grand Helion surprised him by showing up in Cenalium, Ilario had him arrested. Ilario died shortly after his coup came to a violent end and the Grand Helion was rescued and upheld. 240-319 A.E.


  
• Illias – Aurean – The leader of Corydon’s specially trained squad of Guardians. He speaks High and Low Elegian. 726-


  
• Ince – Rumani – An elderly salesman and modest painter/craftsman with an eye for younger girls. He’s also a source of many rumors and information for the right price. 708-


  
• Keagan – Aynglican – The captain of the Seacrest. 727-


  
• Kiersten – Kerathi – Mother of Rolf, and second wife of Beljd, who is the father of Lamont, Rolf’s antagonist in the village of Harsbrukke. 732-


  
• King Brant III – Aynglican – A king who brought an ill-fated war to the Kerathi during a conflict known as the War of Sixteen Islands. He died in a coup staged as part of the political backlash from the loss of the war. 698-733 A.E.


  
• Jendayi IV – Elegian – A particularly strong Empress who had no qualms about executing her own kin to maintain her hold on the throne. 984-1063 Y.E.


  
• Kort – Kerathi – Another friend of Lamont, a pretty boy who is deadly with his hand pistols. 751-768 A.E.


  
• Lamont – Kerathi – A giant man, only a Yarre Rolf’s elder even if his size makes him look much older. 751-768 A.E.


  
• Latham – Kerathi – A common man with no ambition to fight. Yet the mistreatment of the Halbe M?nner, or non-warrior men and women among the Kerathi prompted him to lead his famous Latham’s Strike on the unassailable fortress Schevode. 692-757 A.E.


  
• Leander – Aurean – Another of Corydon’s specially trained Guardians. He also speaks both High and Low Elegian, so he’s the backup translator/interrogator for the squad in case Illias dies or isn’t present. 729-


  
• Linnea – Kerathi – deceased wife of Orestes and mother of Anthea. She died under suspicious circumstances that Orestes was never able to solve. She taught what she knew of Kerathi thaumaturgy to her daughter. 734-760 A.E. ?


  
• Makan – Mueran – A proud warrior with a silent strength that runs deep. He speaks usually only when he has something worth saying. He is steadfast and dependable in a way most people cannot be, because he doesn’t expect life to give him anything easily. 732-


  
• Marcellus the Just – Aurean – The first Grand Helion. He was elected in 212 A.E. and he reigned until his death. 127–284 A.E.


  
• Neith II – Elegian – The Empress who ended the slaughter of Ox-Men for sport or any other reason within the Empire. Her peacemaking with Silverhorns, the leader of the last herd on Elegius is famous. 340-395 Y.E.


  
• Nishan – Rumani – a Rumani male with strong appetites in the way of women and alcohol. He’s been gifted with strong senses and quick wits. He has a dark sense of humor and is prone to deep contemplation about his purpose in life. 748-


  
• Olin – Kerathi – Another man who is something of a neutral party in the feud between Lamont and Rolf. He’s a lumberjack by trade and built in a way that shows it. 751-


  
• One-Ear – Ox-Man – The leader of the herd of Ox-Men on The Vale. He is head of their shamans. 742-


  
• Orestes – Aurean – father of Anthea, and a disgraced and fallen warrior now being hunted as a fugitive. 704-


  
• Paiva – Kerathi – A famous Kerathi Thaumaturge from the Fall of the Empire era. She was famous for helping to drive the Elegian forces out of Kerathi lands, though she died before she saw the last of them retreat from clan islands. 1110-1129 Y.E.


  
• Placido – Aurean- - A famous Grand Helion. His most notable accomplishments were the establishment of the Guardians and his efforts to codify and standardize the laws of the Aurean people. 245-386 A.E.


  
• Raghnall – Aynglican/Kerathi – A historian of some renown. He has studied the Kerathi in depth and has been a guest of the Kerathi Sammenkomst on numerous occasions. He is also one of the few outsiders to be allowed into Aurean cities. 700-


  
• Ramessef – Elegian – A researcher and historian who sought to explain his people and the downfall of the empire. Raghnall called him his greatest inspiration and the reason why he became a historian as well. 458-513 A.E.


  
• Rolf – Kerathi – a young man with misfortune in his past and a chip on his shoulder. He alternates between being kind and being fierce and abrasive. He’s not in control of his passions. 752-


  
• Sagira – Elegian – A disgraced female warrior captain (as all Elegian officers are female) with unpopular ideas about her role in the military, which ultimately led to her choice to disobey orders in order to save lives. 747-


  
• Sanura II – Elegian – The current Empress-in-Waiting of the Elegian Empire. She is currently ruling Miniya with an iron fist. She’s known for her bigotry and mistrust of other races. 742-


  
• Shani I – Elegian – The first Empress. She consolidated the power of the three major city-states at the time and proclaimed herself Empress. She reined 47 Yarres before dying and leaving her daughter to take her place. ? B.T.-47 Y.E.


  
• Silverhorns – Ox-Man – A famous Ox-Man, and perhaps the only one whose name is widely known by other races. He and Empress Neith II reached a peaceful accord that ended the slaughter of Ox-Men on Elegius. He was also possibly the longest-lived Ox-Man in history, dying at 49, having outlived the Empress who spared his life. 348-397 Y.E.


  
• Tahirah III – Elegian – The current Empress of the Elegian Empire. She’s known for her moderate and conservative policies. 702-


  
• Torgny – Kerathi – An outspoken and unsympathetic Kerathi warrior of some Yarres that Rolf encounters and curses on Rummas. 722-


  
• Vitalis – Aurean – A relatively young – for an Aurean – Guardian who tries to stop Orestes and his family from fleeing. 736-


  
• White-Hoof – Ox-Man – The leader of the herd of Ox-Men on Lesser Aynglica. He is head of their shamans. 744-


  

  PLACES:

  

  
• Aetheline – Aurean – the Aurean settlement that Orestes chose as the place to flee to from Cenalium. It’s also the home of the Grand Helion. This city was founded in 212 A.E. This is the southernmost of the Grancittas and perhaps the most beautiful. It was the seventh to be built.


  
• Aisle of Silk – Rumani – A famous street in Rummas known for its seamstresses and clothing that is modeled by beautiful Rumani women.


  
• Aviaries of Aaren – Aurean – The famed aviaries of Aetheline which hold the widest and largest collection of birds assembled anywhere in the Broken Crown.


  
• Aynglica – Aynglican- – The name for the islands that comprise the Aynglican kingdoms. It is sometimes dissected into the three major provinces of Greater Aynglica, Lesser Aynglica, and Outer Aynglica which is made up of three major islands and a few minor ones. While these kingdoms may share a name, that is about all they share. The rulers of Aynglica are a jealous lot, and the feuds among them are many.


  
• Aynglican Gap – An opening in the Northern Fringe that allows some storms to sweep down onto Outer Aynglica.


  
• Bay of Seals – Elegian – A bay formed on the south side of the isthmus that connects the Empress’ Arm to the mainland of Elegius. The rocky islets along the Empress’ Arm side of the bay make it popular mating grounds for seals.


  
• Broken Crown – The term for the circle of islands and landmasses that make up the known lands of Elegia. There are a few outlying islands, but they are generally considered to be part of the Broken Crown. Mueran Deepcrossers speak of lands that lie beyond known maps and of the strange peoples that inhabit them, but there is little or no solid proof of their existence.


  
• Cashelle – Aynglican – An Aynglican island that lies on a key trade route. It’s famous fortress, Schevode, was the site of Latham’s Strike during the War of Sixteen Islands.


  
• Cenalium – Aurean – The largest Aurean city and the center of Aurean life. It was also the first one built after they had to leave the lowlands. It was finished in 32 A.E. It is situated on top of the mountain in the center of the Kerathi controlled island of Maethlin.


  
• Choraeyn – Aurean – One of the Aurean Grancittas. It was the fourth built. It was finished in 68 A.E. It was also the first Grancitta built in a mountain over Elegian territories.


  
• Clan Islands – Kerathi -– The collective name for the group of Kerathi inhabited islands. There are dozens of islands with even more Clans on them. The interrelations between clans can be confusing, even to them. As a result, it’s sometimes hard to tell who will be fighting alongside who and why.


  
• Colonnadi Dignitae – Aurean – The central tower in Aetheline, and therefore the greatest and tallest one. It’s also the home of the Grand Helion.


  
• Crooked Ridge – A long island that makes up the southwestern border of the Broken Crown. Other than Aetheline it is almost entirely uninhabited, as there is no arable land to grow food on and it tends to get rather cold. Seal and Whale hunters sometimes camp in the shallows north of the Crooked Ridge.


  
• Daughter’s Palace – Elegian – Also known as the Palace of Future Empresses, it is the house, center of commerce and government, and largest temple in Miniya all wrapped into one artistically rendered building. It is nothing compared to some of the greater buildings and palaces of mainland Elegius though.


  
• Drylands – Elegian – The name for the deserts that make up the southern half of Elegius.


  
• Durenia – Aurean – One of the Aurean Grancittas. It was the sixth built. It was finished in 125 A.E. This was the second one built in a mountain overlooking Elegian lands.


  
• Elegia – The world. Not to be confused with Elegians, who are a race that named themselves after the world, or vice versa. No one remembers which.


  
• Elegian Gap – A gap in the Broken Crown between the Empress’ Arm and the Northern Fringe.


  
• Elegius – Elegian – The mainland and heart of the Elegian Empire, which is now in a much-diminished state compared to its former glory.


  
• Empress’ Arm – Elegian – A mountainous peninsula of Elegius that protects most of the landmass from the storms coming through the Elegian Gap.


  
• Empress’ Bounty – Elegian – The name for not only the large river that nearly splits Elegius in two from east to west, but also for all of its tributaries. While this collective name for quite an extensive river system can be confusing, the Empresses insist on keeping the name.


  
• Eye of Tulis – A maelstrom of trapped storms and currents between islands at the end of Greveth’s Mercy.


  
• Far Muera – Mueran – A collection of isles beyond the Broken Crown. It lies unprotected from the elements and is often battered by the storms of the Outer Seas. It is home to the most remote and xenophobic Muerans.


  
• Fjorlen – Kerathi – a coastal city on the island of Maethlin, which also holds the cities of Harsbrukke and Norsjalde.


  
• Fogreate – Kerathi – An island once held by the Aynglicans before the ruthless Thaumaturge Hilde of Norsakke poisoned and killed all the inhabitants. Presently, a small clan of Kerathi who are distantly related to Hilde holds the island.


  
• Forsaken Isles – A trio of volcanic islands that lie to the west of the Broken Crown. They are home to exiles, the mad, the Deepcrossers, and other people who wish not to be found. Because of their remoteness, the Elegian Empire never conquered them.


  
• Gap of Storms – The southeastern quarter of the Broken Crown. The Mueran Belt lies in this quarter, where there are no mountainous islands to break the storms of the Outer Seas.


  
• Gap of Winds – An opening in the Broken Crown between the Crooked Ridge and the Empress’ Arm. The winds are very violent in this Gap and laden with moisture that they have robbed from Elegius, which results in the Drylands.


  
• Gevaud – Aurean – One of the Aurean Grancittas. It was the second built. It was finished in 37 A.E. and it marked the first expansion of Aurean culture after so many died making the transition from lowland life to mountain living.


  
• Gnat Marshes – The name for a region on the island of Zaraig, which lies north of the Crooked Ridge. It has been a territory of both the Elegian Empire and of the Aynglicans, but the spread of the unpleasant and very buggy marshes for which it is named have rendered it all but uninhabitable. Only the heartiest and most stubborn settlers or those who don’t wish to be found live there now. This makes it a popular place for brigands to hide.


  
• Grancittas – Aurean – The collective term for the major cities of the Aurean people. They are in order of founding: Cenalium (32 A.E.), Gevaud (37 A.E.), Tibusin (51 A.E.), Choraeyn (68 A.E.), Reselhine (97 A.E.), Durenia (125 A.E.), Aetheline (212 A.E.), and Muralius (232 A.E.).


  
• Greater Aynglica – Aynglica – The main kingdom of Aynglica, where the noblest and purest of blood reside.


  
• Greveth’s Mercy – A long island, hundreds of Kilomes long that protects Aynglica from the ravaging storms of the Outer Seas. It forms the eastern and northeastern portion of the Broken Crown. It terminates at the Eye of Tulis.


  
• Harsbrukke – Kerathi – Rolf’s home clan village, also on the island of Maethlin, just like Norsjalde and Fjorlen.


  
• Hill of a Thousand Eyes – Rumani – a cliff on the north side of the main island of Rummas that is riddled with caves sea birds nest in. It’s a famous sight.


  
• Hundred Isles – Elegian – The name for what is actually a bit less than a hundred isles that lie at the mouth of the Empress’ Bounty. Many are little more than glorified sandbars, but a few of them have small fishing settlements and trading ports on them. Because they form the entrance to the inner lands of Elegius, the Elegian navy heavily patrols them.


  
• Inner Seas – A collective term for dozens of smaller seas that make up the waters between the major known landmasses of Elegia (The Broken Crown), which form something of a ringed barrier against the harsh weather of the Outer Seas.


  
• Kerathi Gap – An opening in the Northern Fringe that allows some storms to sweep down onto the Clan Islands.


  
• Lake of Grey – Elegian – The Lake that splits the Vale from Elegius. It’s named such because the reflections of the mountains that surround most of it give its waters a grey color.


  
• Lesser Aynglica – Aynglican – A smaller province of Aynglica, as well as a separate island. It is home to the lesser nobles and is split into a series of small duchies.


  
• Lower Cenalium – Aurean – Corydon’s hidden settlement within the mountain that Cenalium rests atop. There is where the dark-resistant Aureans are being bred.


  
• Lowlands – An Aurean term that refers to anywhere not populated by Aureans, who only live on top of mountains.


  
• Maethlin – Kerathi – The Island on which the cities of Fjorlen, Harsbrukke, and Norsjalde are located.


  
• Mehitte – Mueran – A western island in the Mueran Belt that is the starting and ending point of their once a Yarre 4000 Kilome race called the Tauwhawhai.


  
• Menocittas – Aurean – The collective term for the minor cities of the Aurean people. Sometimes these are so small that they do not even have a proper Lesser Helion. Dozens of these settlements pepper the mountaintops around the Broken Crown.


  
• Miniya – Elegian – An island city just east of the Empress’ Arm. It’s presently a place for disgraced soldiers, servants, and other people who have displeased the Empress in some way, though it used to have a more dignified purpose before The Fall of the Empire.


  
• Mueran Belt – Mueran – An archipelago of islands in the southeastern portion of the Broken Crown. They lie on the Gap of Storms, and the weather there can be exceedingly harsh and stormy.


  
• Muralius – Aurean – One of the Aurean Grancittas. It was the eighth built and last to be built. It was finished in 232 A.E. It lies overlooking the Eye of Tulis, and more distantly Lesser Aynglica.


  
• New Rummil – Rumani – A legendary kingdom that is forthcoming. They believe that there will be one of their kind who will help them build a new kingdom. There have been many who claimed to be the one sent by Uman who would lead them back into prosperity, but all have met with failure. Some blame this on their kind becoming too accustomed to wander and not wanting to settle down again.


  
• Norsjalde – Kerathi – a coastal city on the island of Maethlin, which also holds the cities of Harsbrukke and Fjorlen.


  
• Norsakke – Kerathi – The ancestral home of Hilde. It was one of the islands involved in the War of Sixteen Islands.


  
• Northern Fringe – A row of thin, mountainous islands that serve as a storm barrier that protects the Kerathi Clan Islands and Aynglica from most of the harsh weather of the Outer Seas. Miners, exiles, Rumani, and other people who wish to avoid more civilized and lawful regions settled on some of these islands.


  
• Outer Aynglica – Aynglican- – This is a series of smaller holdings and the islands other than Greater and Lesser Aynglica. The lowest nobles, titled lords, and faithful servants of the highest nobility of Greater Aynglica might be gifted with a small fief on one of these islands.


  
• Outer Seas – These might be more truly named as the oceans of Elegia, which dominate the greater part of the known world. With few sparse islands to break the storms of the open seas, there is little to keep the storms in check. The Outer Seas are treacherous and are tread upon only in times of great need, except by the braver of the Mueran, who are fearless on any body of water.


  
• Qinor – Elegian – A heavily defended settlement and naval grounds on an island northwest of The Vale.


  
• Reselhine – Aurean – One of the Aurean Grancittas. It was the fifth built. It was finished in 97 A.E. after a forty Yarre period of slowing expansion. This one was the first built over what is usually considered Aynglican territory.


  
• Rihyas – The lone settlement on Zaraig of any size, the only others being the encampments of rebels and raiders living within the Gnat Marshes. It is independent from the greater governments of any race, and its population is a diverse mix of misfits and folk to stubborn to give up on what everyone else deems a failing settlement. It’s been destroyed many times in various proportions, but never so bad as in 532 A.E. when pirates burned it and ended Aynglican occupation.


  
• Rummas – Rumani – A trio of islands that some believe are all that is left of Rummil. It’s the largest gathering of Rumani on Elegia, and also very lawless. All the other Rumani are scattered to the edges of the world. It exists independently because of its position on a trading route between Aynglica and Elegius, and because it’s remote enough that ruling it would be a hassle for any empire.


  
• Rummil – Rumani – The lost kingdom of the Rumani. No one knows where it existed, and there are half a dozen sites where it supposedly was. Treasure hunters and historians still seek it.


  
• Schevode – Aynglican – A key fortress during the War of Sixteen Islands. It was captured during Latham’s Strike. It was reclaimed for a large sum of money and a few small islands after the war was over.


  
• Tibusin – Aurean – One of the Aurean Grancittas. It was the third built. It was finished in 51 A.E. It lies on the North Fringe overlooking Kerathi clan lands.


  
• Vale, The – Elegian/Ox-Men – An open stretch of grassy lands between two mountain groupings on an island to the north of Elegius. The island is also known by this name. It’s home to one of the largest gatherings of Ox-Men on Elegia, as well as a few small Elegian defensive settlements, as negotiated by Empress Femi IX.


  
• West Lane – Elegian – The name of a broad and important thoroughfare that runs through the city of Miniya. The West Market lays along this road.


  
• Zaraig – A presently unclaimed island that lies north of the Crooked Ridge and east of Elegius. It is still policed by the Elegian Empire, but not frequently. They usually send a force to clean up brigands when complaints of attacks reach the ears of the Empress. This can be rather seldom.


  

  THINGS:

  

  
• *A.E. – After Empire or sometimes referred to as After Elegia by those who have a less than favorable opinion of the Elegians. The current calendar system on Elegia was instated following the collapse of the Elegian Empire, after which a dark age known as The Godless Yarres occurred. The Aurean people arrived then and helped the peoples of Elegia rebuild their broken nations and gave them their own calendar system. Prior to A.E., Y.E. was used to number the Yarres.


  
• Arc-Lance – Aurean – A spear-like weapon with a curved handle that can give off light and expend arcs of electrical current to shock and incapacitate enemies.


  
• Arc-Sword – Aurean – A roughly broadsword-shaped weapon with a curved handle that can give off light and expend arcs of electrical current to shock and incapacitate enemies.


  
• Aurean Calendar – Aurean- – While it is Aurean in origin, all peoples of the Broken Crown use this calendar. The exception is the Ox-Men, who use no known method for keeping track of the passage of time.


  
• Aureans – see Appendix B for race description and info.


  
• Aynglicans – see Appendix B for race description and info.


  
• *Beforetimes – The Yarres before the Elegian Empire was established. This term describes an unknown number of Yarres preceding both the Yarres A.E. and Y.E.


  
• *B. – Short for Beforetimes.


  
• Bosoms of Yenis – Uleaut – The name they chose, honoring their favorite Goddess, for the flowers that grow among the ice fields that offer bulbs full of milky fluid. The Uleaut people feed this milk to their young and ill, as it is full of nourishment.


  
• Butcher’s Accord – Elegian/Ox-Men – The agreement worked out by Silverhorns and Empress Neith II that ended the slaughter of Ox-Men and gave them the grazing lands of the Vale as their own. 382 Y.E.


  
• Crystal Pods – Aurean – similar to a light bulb. It expends collected energy to give off light in houses and buildings in Aurean cities, projecting constant light in times that would otherwise be dark.


  
• Dark Aureans – Aurean – The name Orestes gave to the Aureans changed by their blood transfusion project that allowed them to withstand the dark.


  
• Dark Pair, The – A term referring to the Dark God Porceth and his wife, the Dark Goddess, Wainseth. This term is used to avoid mentioning either of them by name, which is considered an ill omen.


  
• Dark Poisoning – Aurean – The progressively more serious and eventually lethal condition by which the lack of light begins to make an Aurean feel physically ill, then delirious, and finally deathly ill.


  
• Darksight Outlooks – Aurean – The name some give to the modified Farsight Outlooks that act as weapons instead of instruments of spying and reconnaissance.


  
• Darkwatchers – Aurean – a type of priest that oversees the dead of the Aurean race. They wait a full Dee in a dark chamber for Nelius to claim the dead. They are allowed to have only a single small source of light within the dark room as they hold their vigil. Some also consider them servants of Kaneitha, the Goddess of Darkness and Shadows.


  
• Death of Brothers – Aurean – see Fratello Muerte.


  
• Deepcrossers – Mueran – Mueran Oceanwalkers who attempt to cross the outer seas, circle the world, and reach the Forsaken Islands. They usually leave from Far Muera, the most remote of Mueran holdings.


  
• Ehrenschuld – Kerathi – The Kerathi word for debt of honor.


  
• Elegian Empire – Elegian – The expansion of the Elegian culture to near total dominion over most of the peoples of Elegia and most of the islands within the Broken Crown. The Fall of the Empire is arguably the most significant event in the history of Elegia. Only the arrival of the Aureans and the Godless Yarres can compare.


  
• Elegians – see Appendix B for race description and info.


  
• Empresses – Elegian – The name for Elegian currency, which have depictions of past and present Elegian Empresses on them. They come in three shapes/denominations: round golden coins, triangular silver coins, and the pentagonal bronze coins. Promissory notes are often used between regular business partners instead of ferrying large piles of coins back and forth.


  
• Fall, The – Elegian – Anytime someone mentions The Fall they refer to the violent end of the Elegian Empire’s occupations of most of the lands of the Broken Crown. Following the bloody wars that resulted in the Empire’s collapse back to Elegius and a few minor holdings, The Godless Yarres set in. It also marks the shift from calendar Yarres from Y.E. to the A.E. scale delineated by the Aurean Calendar. 0 A.E.


  
• Familienheime – Kerathi – family homes of the Kerathi. They are arrayed around the Stammheim of the settlement, which is the clan house that doubles as a sort of fortress.


  
• Farsight Outlooks – Aurean – An Aurean observation post situated in the mountains. They use a series of precisely ground crystal lenses set in a tube to watch the world below. Often, fog and clouds obscure their line of sight. The first was reportedly built in 39 A.E.


  
• Fear, The – Aurean – A theory and Corydon’s term for the psychological condition by which Aureans were made dependent on light.


  
• Flextainers – Aurean – elastic Aurean beverage containers. They’re practically indestructible unless exposed to severe heat.


  
• Flower Enchanter – Kerathi – see Kerathi Thaumaturge.


  
• Fourth Chance, The – Mueran – A Mueran ship bought in Rihyas to carry Anthea and her companions to Aetheline. Initially it was named The Chance, but with some graffiti, Rolf made the name into a joke about Makan’s sailing abilities.


  
• Fratello Muerte – Aurean - The bloody battle in Cenalium that occurred when loyalists to Grand Helion Placido confronted the usurping forces of Greater Helion Ilario. This is sometimes referred to as The Death of Brothers or The Kinslaying as well, though the proper name is most widely recognized and used. 319 A.E.


  
• God’s Storm – Mueran – The term the Muerans use for when a storm of the Outer Seas meets a storm of the Inner Seas, or when the vastly differing air currents of both bodies of water meet and cause a horrible storm.


  
• Godless Yarres, The – Thirty Yarres of plague, bloody war, and anarchy that followed the collapse of the Elegian Empire. This is seen as a time when the Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses turned their faces from Elegia and let the people fall into darkness. Some claim it was punishment for overthrowing their chosen race, the Elegians. The Aurean people arrived then, from no one knows where, built their cities, and helped the races of Elegia put aside their feuds and rebuild. The thirty Dees of Faestivuls in each Yarre of the new calendar system commemorate these thirty Yarres. 1-31 A.E.


  
• Grand Helion – Aurean – Arguably the most important person in Aurean society, though it depends on how strong the person holding this title is. There are often times when the Voice of the Firmament is considered to be the greatest person of Aurean society. The Grand Helion tours every major Aurean city each Yarre in a custom-made Guardian Flier. His home is Aetheline.


  
• Greater Helion – Aurean – The third most important person in Aurean society. He is in charge of Cenalium but is expected to answer to the Grand Helion and the Voice of the Firmament.


  
• Guardians – Aurean – Aurean warriors and defenders.


  
• Guardian Fliers – Aurean – a flying vessel powered by the sun and driven by powerful fans that allows the vessel to fly, if slowly. They are so costly to make that they are almost impossible to replace. They tend to come in three sizes: recon, incursion, and force. They hold approximately 3, 8, and 20 passengers, respectively.


  
• Halbe M?nner – Kerathi – A term once used as an insult aimed toward men among the Kerathi who would not openly fight but rather chose more peaceful ways to support a war, such as providing food, making weapons, and other non-combat roles. After Latham’s Strike, it was a term used only in reverence to those who aid war from off the battlefield.


  
• Hersker – Kerathi – A term meaning Ruler in the Kerathi dialect of Low Elegian. This title is used to refer to clan chieftains.


  
• High Elegian – various – The tongue of Elegian nobility. Also adapted for use by the Aureans.


  
• Ice-Walkers – Aurean -– The term Aureans use for the Uleaut people.


  
• Kerambits – Mueran – Hooked Mueran knives with holes in them to slide fingers through. They function like talons at the end of a fist, and it’s almost impossible to disarm someone with them.


  
• Kerathi – see Appendix B for race description and info.


  
• Kerathi Thaumaturge – Kerathi – A woman of the Kerathi race that is able to perform feats of magick with the use of flowers and chanting.


  
• Kriegegesetze – Kerathi – The Kerathi laws set by the Sammenkomst that describe how a war between clans may be carried out. There are severe consequences for deviating from these laws.


  
• Landbound – Mueran – A Mueran term for those among their kind that live most of their time on the islands rather than living the typical life of a Mueran on a boat. The reasons for doing this vary, so this is a collective term. Some use it as an insult, especially the more traditional-minded elders among the Mueran.


  
• Landdeaf – Ox-Men – The term the Ox-Men use for all other races.


  
• Latham’s Strike – Kerathi – The famous attack on Schevode fortress during the War of Sixteen Islands. Latham led a civilian army, and through the use of unconventional tactics, he captured the fortress where the Kerathi armies had failed siege attempts three times before. 729 A.E.


  
• Lesser Helion – Aurean – An Aurean governor in charge of a settlement or city.


  
• Longrunner Galleys – Kerathi – A Kerathi war galley, some of which are converted over into cargo ships during times of peace. These ships have the most range of any Kerathi ship, and they’re most likely to be seen in places far from the Clan Islands, as the other ships can’t always make the sea crossings.


  
• Loss of Home – Rumani -– The name for the event by which the Rumani were deprived of their kingdom. There is still no definitive evidence whether it happened by the destruction of their cities or a natural calamity that caused their island to sink into the seas. Many theories exist about the event and the location of the kingdom. 145 Y.E.


  
• Lost Ones – unknown – unknown group or legend known by the Gods.


  
• Low Elegian – various – A tongue used by the common folk in the Elegian empire, as well as the tongue of the subjugated peoples ruled over by the Elegian Nobility. Aynglicans, Kerathi, Rumani, and the Mueran now use it as their prime languages, although each race has made certain adaptations in the centuries since the fall of the Elegian Empire.


  
• Mueran – see Appendix B for race description and info.


  
• Oceanwalker – Mueran – A title of respect gifted onto a Mueran by a tribal loremaster. It is a title given only to the greatest of sailors among the tribe, sailors who have ranged far and wide on the inner and outer seas.


  
• Our Place Before – Aurean – The Aurean term for their unknown and greatly debated place of origin.


  
• Ox-Men – see Appendix B for race description and info.


  
• Peacekeepers – Rumani – The law enforcement team on Rummas. It started as a joke name, for while they may keep the peace, they do it in such a savage way that those who had a taste for such humor found such a name funny. The nickname stuck. Founded 582 A.E.


  
• Pictoimage – Aurean – An engraved and shaded image created by machines in an Aurean city. They’re expensive to do, but nearly indestructible. Many rich lovers exchange them.


  
• Racheneid – Kerathi – An oath of vengeance that may be declared by a Kerathi before an altar of Cainel. Until the vengeance is taken, the oath taker is clanless. If he fails, his name is erased from clan records, but if he succeeds, he may rejoin his clan.


  
• Rumani – see Appendix B for race description and info.


  
• Rumman – Rumani – The language of the Rumani, which they only speak to others of their race, never to outsiders.


  
• Sammenkomst – Kerathi – The Kerathi Council of Chieftains that makes laws for all clans to follow. They also send observers to preside over inter-clan wars. They meet once a Yarre, or more if needed. This practice started in 108 A.E.


  
• Sandcat – Elegian – A yellowish-brown large predatory cat of the Drylands. Their kind likes to lie in the sands and let the winds cover them up, all but their eyes and mouth. They lie in wait for prey to come by. They’re fearless when faced with prey that is larger than them.


  
• Seacrest – Rumani – The name of a vessel out of Aynglica that Nishan had supposedly arranged passage out of Rummas on.


  
• Seaskins – Mueran – The name for Mueran clothing. Each man assembles and tailors his own set of clothes from animals and fish they kill. Because of their nature of the skins they take to make them, the clothes are resistant to water, insulate well, and do not bind or restrict movement. There are some who believe that they even grant powers to the wearers, dependant on the animals used to create the clothing, and the wearer’s personality.


  
• Stammheim – Kerathi – Kerathi fortresses that double as the meeting hall for the clan. They often have palisades of heavy logs and ramparts of rock and earth. On larger Stammheim, there are also towers built for sharpshooters.


  
• Taitoatanga – Mueran – This is the proper name for the trials of manhood a Mueran male must go through. They consist of constructing a boat and living alone for a Yarre on the seas.


  
• Tauwhawhai – Mueran – The once a Yarre Mueran 4000 Kilome race that starts at Mehitte and circles Far Muera before returning to Mehitte. It’s a dangerous race that many don’t survive. The first one occurred in 458 A.E.


  
• Thuraish’s Lapses – An abnormally long Saysuhn or a shift in the Saysuhns by more than a Wayke. These tend to happen once per Hectoyarre. The most recent two were in 614 and 701 A.E.


  
• Tournea Observatori – Aurean- – The annual trip of the Grand Helion to visit all the Grancittas. Typically, the Grand Helion will stay a Munth in each of the Grancittas, but two Munths in Cenalium. The first took place during 214 A.E.


  
• Ula – Aynglican – A whaling ship out of an Aynglican port, though its crew is less than half Aynglican.


  
• Uleauts – see Appendix B for race description and info.


  
• Uleaun – Uleaut – The throaty language of the Uleauts. It shares nothing in common with Elegian, which they rarely use.


  
• Venutia Deguidina – Aurean – The coronation of the first Grand Helion following the completion of Aetheline. The term also means ‘The Coming of a Guide,’ referring to the common direction the Grand Helion would bring to the Aurean people. 214 A.E.


  
• Voice of the Firmament – Aurean – The head priest of Maletos and Haestos in Aurean culture, and therefore the human figurehead of all religion of the Aurean nation regardless of which mountaintop they call home.


  
• War of Sixteen Islands – Aynglican/Kerathi – A conflict that united the clans of the Kerathi to drive out an Aynglican armada sent by King Brant III. This was the bloodiest conflict to date between the Aynglicans and the Kerathi. There have been many other smaller conflicts though, both before and since. 716-732 A.E.


  
• Whale Swimmers – Mueran – A term and honorary title referring to Mueran divers with the ability to stay underwater for extended periods of time on a single breath of air. The longest recorded dive time is over thirty Mynettes.


  
• Yataghan – Elegian – Curved Elegian knives a little less than 1/3 of a Mayter long (10-12 inches).


  
• *Y.E. – Before the A.E. scale of time was used, Yarres were labeled as Y.E., which meant Yarre of the Empire. The empire lasted centuries. The Empire fell in the Yarre 1132 Y.E. Note that their dominance over the other lands of Elegia was a comparatively short segment of those 1132 Yarres. Time before the Elegian Empire, which is the oldest known civilization on Elegia, is known as the Beforetimes.


  

  SOURCES:

  

  
• ‘A Chronicle of Elegius’ – A text on the Elegian Empire, from its early beginnings to its fall, as well as its return to a lesser glory following the Godless Yarres written by Ramessef.


  
• ‘A Study of the Mountain Folk’ – A text on the Aurean people written by Raghnall.


  
• ‘Destiny of the Forgotten, The’ – A collection of prophetical rants and imagery by Dorjan the Seer, a Rumani who claimed to have been sent by Uman, who was executed publicly by Elegian occupation forces before the fall of the Empire.


  
• ‘History of Thaumaturges, The’ – A text on Kerathi Thaumaturges or Flower Enchanters written by Alistair.


  
• ‘History of the Kerathi’ – A text on the Kerathi people written by Raghnall.


  
• ‘Musings about Gods and Goddesses’ – A text of random thoughts and theories that Raghnall had about the Pantheon and about all that has happened on Elegia in recorded history.


  
• ‘Of the Ocean People’ – A collected series of essays by Raghnall’s understudy Alistair on the Mueran culture and rumors surrounding their people.


  
• ‘Ports and Vessels of the Broken Crown’ – A compiled collection of essays, anecdotes, and sailing research written by the famous sailor Edvard Farsail.


  
• ‘Uncovered Truths’ – The title given by Corydon to his collection of essays, ranting, and thoughts, mostly in reference to the nature of world politics and the origins of Aureans.


  
• ‘Way of Things, The’ – A book of quotations and general musings on the way life works by the researcher Ramessef. It offers snippets of his wisdom and hints at his brilliance. It’s studied by many of the well-educated on Elegia.


  

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  APPENDIX A – Timeline of the Broken Crown

  NOTES:

  Much of this timeline is a bit vague. It’s a little thin and will be filled in more with subsequent volumes of the series. I put in the dates of many of the more important events and the most important historical figures births and deaths so far.

  TIMELINE:

  A.E. (After Empire)

  738 A.E. – Alistair, apprentice and understudy of Raghnall, is born.

  732 A.E. – The War of Sixteen Islands ends between the Aynglicans and the Kerathi.

  729 A.E. – Latham’s Strike on Schevode.

  716 A.E. – The War of Sixteen Islands starts between the Aynglicans and the Kerathi.

  701 A.E. – The famous sailor of mixed Aynglican and Rumani descent, Edvard Farsail, dies in the harsh Saysuhn of White.

  701 A.E. – Thuraish has another lapse, and the Saysuhn of White is nearly twice as long as it should have been.

  700 A.E. – Raghnall, famed chronicler of Aynglican and Kerathi descent, is born.

  628 A.E. – The famous sailor of mixed Aynglican and Rumani descent, Edvard Farsail, is born.

  614 A.E. – Thuraish has a lapse that results in a massive drought that sweeps the Broken Crown.

  582 A.E. – The Rummas Peacekeepers are formed.

  532 A.E. – Aynglican occupation of Zaraig ends with the burning of Rihyas by pirates.

  513 A.E. – The famed Elegian chronicler Ramessef dies, possibly poisoned.

  494 A.E. – Aynglican occupation of Zaraig begins.

  458 A.E. – The famed Elegian chronicler Ramessef is born.

  458 A.E. – The first Mueran Taitoatanga race.

  386 A.E. – Grand Helion Placido dies of old age, ending his long Yarres of reform and restructuring of the Aurean nation.

  319 A.E. – The Aurean Guardians are Formed.

  319 A.E. – The Aurean Fratello Muerte.

  284 A.E. – Marcellus the Just, first Aurean Grand Helion, dies of old age.

  245 A.E. – Grand Helion Placido born.

  232 A.E. – The Aurean city of Muralius, the last Grancitta, is built.

  214 A.E. – The first Tournea Observatori for the Grand Helion of the Aureans.

  214 A.E. – The Aurean Venutia Deguidina elects Marcellus the Just as first ever Grand Helion.

  212 A.E. – The Aurean Capital, Aetheline, is built on the Broken Ridge.

  127 A.E. – Marcellus the Just, the first Aurean Grand Helion, is born.

  125 A.E. – The Aurean city of Durenia is built.

  108 A.E. – The first Kerathi Sammenkomst.

  97 A.E. – The Aurean city of Reselhine is built.

  68 A.E. – The Aurean city of Choraeyn is built.

  51 A.E. – The Aurean city of Tibusin is built.

  39 A.E. – The first Aurean Farsight Outlook is built.

  37 A.E. – The Aurean city of Gevaud is built.

  32 A.E. – The first Aurean Grancitta, Cenalium, is built.

  31 A.E. – The Aureans retreat to the mountains.

  31 A.E. – The end of the Godless Yarres for the Broken Crown.

  20 A.E. – The coming of the Aureans to the Broken Crown.

  1 A.E. – The beginning of the Godless Yarres for the Broken Crown.

  0 A.E. – The beginning of the New After Empire scale as later denoted by the Aurean calendar.

  Y.E. (Year of the Empire)

  1132 Y.E. – The official Fall of the Elegian Empire.

  1129 Y.E. – Paiva, Kerathi Thaumaturge, dies in battle. Before she dies, she completes a campaign that drives the Elegians out of a dozen islands.

  1110 Y.E. – Paiva, Kerathi Thaumaturge, is born.

  1096 Y.E. – Dorjan the Seer, famous Rumani prophet, is executed.

  1074 Y.E. – Dorjan the Seer, famous Rumani prophet, is born.

  397 Y.E. – The famous Ox-Man Silverhorns dies at 49, the oldest Ox-Man ever recorded.

  395 Y.E. – Empress Neith II dies.

  382 Y.E. – The Butcher’s Accord between the Elegians and the Ox-Men. Orchestrated by Empress Neith II and the Ox-Man Silverhorns.

  348 Y.E. – The Ox-Man Silverhorns is born on Elegius.

  340 Y.E. – Empress Neith II born.

  145 Y.E – The Rumani Loss of Home.

  47 Y.E. – Shani I, the first Empress of the Empire dies. Her daughter takes over.

  1 Y.E. – The first Yarre of the Empire, as denoted by the beginning of the enlightened rule of the first Empress, Shani I.

  B.T. (Beforetimes)

  Beforetimes. There is no set number of Yarres that occurred during these times since they occurred before written records were taken, though many believe it to be a great deal of time. During this time the races of the Broken Crown were born.

  APPENDIX B – Races

  AUREANS:

  

  
• Physical - They need light to survive. Long periods without light cause them to become weak, then ill, and it is finally lethal. As a people, they are a tall and thin people who are light haired and have eyes every color of the rainbow. They average 1.8-2.0 Mayters (5’10”-6’6”) in height, though their very slender bodies often make them look taller. They have nearly twice the lifespan of any of the other races, sometimes reaching 200 Yarres of age.


  
• Regions – Mountain folk who live on a few scattered settlements on mountains. Their largest settlements are called Grancittas, and their smaller ones are called Menocittas.


  
• Language – Aureans speak High Elegian, a dialect they adapted from the Elegians.


  
• Culture – They are a very advanced people compared to the others. They’ve developed, or in some cases brought with them from another place, ways to prolong and capture the Dee’s light so that their mountaintop cities are always lit up. They keep apart from the lowland folk usually, though sometimes they use them as slaves who can go into dark places they cannot, or as ambassadors to the lowlanders. They worship Aaren, Haestos, and Maletos. While they do not worship Kaneitha, they do respect her and offer her gifts to keep her and her darkness away.


  
• Origins – Little is known of their existence before they appeared in the Broken Crown around the era of the Godless Yarres. Their sharing of medicine and other ideas saved many lives even if their motives for doing so were unclear. Then, inexplicably, they disappeared into the mountains when they could no longer tolerate the dark of the lowlands.


  

  AYNGLICANS:

  

  
• Physical – They’re fair-skinned with blue or green eyes, never brown. They grow light beards that are usually trimmed back fashionably and never allowed to get shaggy and large like those of the Kerathi. They are of lighter builds than the Kerathi, though they are larger than the Elegians. They are perhaps the most flexible of all the races in terms of adaptability to their situations and environments. They average 1.7-1.9 Mayters (5’6”-6’2”) in height. The average Aynglican lives to a ripe age of about 65, though the peasant class has a life expectancy closer to 55 Yarres.


  
• Regions – Temperate regions, usually coastal cities and agricultural lands. Most of their people are united under a monarchy with loose allegiances to the central throne, but there are some outlying settlements that refuse to swear fealty to the monarch and remain independent. The three major sections of Aynglica are Greater Aynglica, Lesser Aynglica, and Outer Aynglica. It is common for each section to act independently and even make war on the others. Each region has certain geographic and historical traits that make full integration as one nation difficult.


  
• Language – Aynglicans speak Low Elegian, the dialect of commoners in the old Empire. They have added many new terms in relation to commerce, art, and architecture, which are their favored fields of study.


  
• Culture – A race of craftsmen, builders, and discoverers of things both cartographic and scientific. Many say that they have taken Elegian concepts and have improved upon them, learning from the mistakes of the greatest empire ever seen on Elegia. Their engineers build the best cities and public works. They’re not a particularly warlike people, preferring to live in excess and luxury, but the Aynglican dedication to invention, medicine, and science has made them able killers. They use the most advanced firearms, with the exception of those of the Aureans, in the known world. Fortunately, they’d rather trade than fight. They worship Braccen, Chaveaoux, Deneurs, and Ocel.


  
• Origins – The Aynglicans believe that they were an improvement on a flawed formula used to make the other peoples of the Broken Crown. They look upon the Muerans and Uleaut people with strong disdain, and find the Kerathi, Rumani, and Elegians to be wanting in many aspects. They feel that they were given a greater mind for artistry, invention, and commerce than the more brutish and warlike Kerathi and the more hedonistic and dishonest Rumani. The fact that the Elegian Empire fell only proved, in the minds of the Aynglicans at least, that they were not to be the ones who were destined to rule over the Broken Crown. They think themselves a peaceful folk who have dedicated themselves to achieving greater understanding of the world through invention, art, science, medicine, and commerce.


  

  ELEGIANS:

  

  
• Physical – These men and women are noticeably darker than even the Mueran. Males of their race shave their entire bodies unless they are of the working caste, in which case they are required to wear their hair long. Women are somewhat opposite in that they wear their hair long, but they may only have long hair if they are of the royal caste. The lower they are on the social hierarchy, the shorter their hair must be. The Elegians are a modestly proportioned race. Their women are trimly built, and their men are not known to grow large and overly muscled. They average about 1.7 Mayters (5’6”) in height for both men and women. They are perhaps the longest-lived of the lowland peoples, though the Aynglicans are not far behind. They have records of a rare man and woman reaching ages in excess of 100 Yarres, but the average is closer to 70.


  
• Regions – The massive land of Elegius, and a few sandy isles in the subtropics, all that is left of a formerly widespread Empire.


  
• Language – Elegians speak both High Elegian, which is the tongue of royalty, and Low Elegian, which is the tongue of the commoners and merchants. Both languages have undergone modification in the Yarres since The Fall of the Empire.


  
• Culture – The Elegian Empire has been and always will be a Matriarchal Society. Despite their failures in the past, they still hold to the old ways and insist that the way of things is as it should be. Elegians are often accused of dwelling too much in the past, and many of their great cities of marble, sandstone, and mudbrick have been forgotten by time. They build great effigies to their dead heroes, empresses, and artists, but they make no new legends. Their civilization peaked long ago and is on the far end of a downfall. They claim to be the first people of Elegia, hence their name. They are also very fond of animals, especially dangerous ones. They see them as an allegory of their own darker nature. They worship Furestus, Juria, and Nelius, and Rishalt. Rishalt’s shrines pepper their lands, designated by effigies of mostly predatory animals.


  
• Origins – The Elegians claim to have been the first people, the children of the Gods and Goddesses who were set free in the Broken Crown. It is this divine ancestry that many felt justified their rule over the other peoples of the islands during the Yarres of the Empire. This kind of thinking had to be forced rethought after the Empire fell, and a number of conflicting theories still exist as to the reason for the Elegian peoples’ presence in the world.


  

  KERATHI:

  

  
• Physical – As a people, they are a broadly built and large breed of dark haired and dark eyed men and women. They are the tallest of the lowland races, averaging 1.9-2.1 Mayters in height (6’2”-6’10”). Other than the Ox-Men, who are not human, they are the largest race in terms of height and weight in the lowlands. The men are heavily bearded and fierce, and the women are also hearty and strong. They tend to wear leather and furs. The Kerathi are warlike, so many of them die young, but in times of general peace – for they are always at war with each other if someone else is not at war with them – they can expect to live 50 to 60 Yarres. The women, since they are not warriors, tend to live an average of 10 Yarres longer than their male counterparts.


  
• Regions – Rugged settlements on clan islands. They’re at home in forests as well as on the sea. They’re also accomplished miners and metalworkers, though these talents they use mostly for making war.


  
• Language – Kerathi speak a rugged dialect of Elegian, really a branch of Low Elegian that has been adapted and changed. Pronunciations are heavier on the consonants than regular Low Elegian. They also have a large vocabulary of their own words that they have added to the language.


  
• Culture – a tribe of warriors and traders. They place great stock in battle prowess and how many kills or victories a man has. What they can’t make themselves, they often go to war for, but they believe in bartering when that is an option. They live in clans on many of the isles in great longhouses. Their ships are sleek and fast, but not built for long ocean trips, hugging the shores instead. They’re accounted as savages by many of the other races, and they tend to be resistant to accepting new discoveries until it is necessary. Instead, they rest their trust in the traditional magick of their female thaumaturgists. They worship Cainel, Comrain, Greveth, and Nelius.


  
• Origins – They believe that when Cainel and Comrain wrestled over Greveth’s hands, the blood they spilled mixed with the fiery tears of Greveth to form the first Kerathi. Supposedly, the first Kerathi was named Egil. He could kill any animal with his bare hands and walk through fire. He even shaped his own bride out of the bones of the animals he’d killed. The offspring he had with his wife, Elin, were a fractious lot who loved to squabble. Supposedly each of Egil’s many male offspring formed their own clan.


  

  MUERANS:

  

  
• Physical – Mueran men and women alike are quite dark-skinned, as well as dark of hair and eyes. They are very stout, with broad shoulders and great round stomachs. Men and women are of like heights, usually about 1.7 Mayters (5’6”). Men do not grow beards. They wear clothing fashioned from reeds and from skins of fish and other marine animals called Seaskins. They also use the feathers of seabirds as decorative pieces for their costumes. They are considerably long-lived despite their hard lifestyles on the open seas. They live an average of 45-50 Yarres, with a few elders among their kind approaching 80 Yarres of age.


  
• Regions – They are islanders and seafarers, usually in a tropical or subtropical climate. They live among the Mueran Belt and in Far Muera, but due to their seafaring ways, they are often found away from their home islands.


  
• Language – The Mueran speak Low Elegian, though like the Kerathi, they have long since adapted the language to include many of their traditional words. Their original tongue was lost during the time they lived under Elegian rule. Very few people have any knowledge of that lost language, and they are only the much-revered loremasters of the Mueran.


  
• Culture – Their rickety-looking, but surprisingly sturdy craft ply the oceans and Outer Seas for long periods of time. A young male will take a Mueran boat they have constructed out onto the seas, either by himself or with other young males, and he will not return for a Yarre. This is part of the trials of manhood that each of them must go through. The formal name for these trials is the taitoatanga. While they are not a war-like people, they have a reputation for the voracity in which they defend their own people and islands. Before war, they will create a war costume out of teeth, scales, skins, bones, feathers, and other parts of animals they have hunted. The result is often quite fearsome or grotesque, if not distracting to the enemy in battle. This practice has resulted in many legends of Muerans who can become animals in battle. They are a hard-working bunch. They worship Fallu, Holeitha, Marceaupo, and Tulis.


  
• Origins: They believe Fallu, the father and king of all whales, carried them on his back until they were old enough and wise enough to survive on the land. They missed the sea so much that they never truly settled. Most of them live on boats even thousands of Yarres later. Because of their ties to Fallu, they will not hunt or kill whales even in the direst of circumstances. Any foreigners who are seen doing this might even be met with open hostility for their actions.


  

  OX-MEN:

  

  
• Physical – a humanoid species that is much apart from the other races. They stand at an imposing 2.5-3 Mayters tall (8’2”-9’8” ft), each with a massive, oversized head that resembles a bison or an Ox, depending on whom you ask. Their males have curved horns, while their females do not. The females look little different from the males, other than the absence of horns and slighter builds. The thick body hair continues down most of the body, thinning a bit around the waist to expose their genitals, which they cover with modest loincloths. They also have a small tail. Their legs are relatively bare of hair. They have large hooved feet. The average Ox-Man has a lifespan of about 40 Yarres. They’re adult at 5 and considered elderly at 35. The oldest known one, Silverhorns, was 49 when he died.


  
• Regions – grassland dwellers, though they have no country of their own. Some live among the other races. Ox-Men don’t build cities of their own, preferring to live under the skies on the open range.


  
• Language – Because of the shape of their mouths, they cannot speak any human tongues. Instead, they have a complex language of gestures, grunts, and body language. They can, however, write human words, if clumsily, and they can understand human languages if taught to do so. There is also evidence of the sharing of memories or ideas between members of different social groups, but the mechanism for doing such is not understood.


  
• Culture – Most are less intelligent than your average human, but they are powerful, tireless, and steadfast, which is why many of them are hired or occasionally enslaved as workers by other races. Strangely, breeding often makes them dumber, as their mind switches to a breeding gear that is nearly irreversible once engaged. They will breed incessantly until they die. They worship no known gods, though they do have shamans or leaders who are evident by their ritualistic tattooing, which no one has ever discerned a purpose for.


  
• Origins – If the Ox-Men have any stories of their origins, they are unknown. They do not speak of their beginnings.


  

  RUMANI:

  

  
• Physical – Male and female alike, they’re gifted with sculpted looks, luxurious swathes of wavy hair, and notoriously deft hands around money. The women are seductively curvy, and the men are dashing and handsome in a masculine way. They tend to be slender with long, lithe limbs. Their average heights are about 1.8 Mayters for the females and 1.9 for the males (5’10” & 6’2” respectively). Their life expectancies are somewhat lower than Aynglicans, Kerathi, or Elegians, due to their lifestyles. Many of the Rumani die at 35-40 Yarres of age, often due to dangerous trades or excesses of drink and other pleasures. The more conservative Rumani, and there are few, have been known to live in excess of 70 Yarres.


  
• Regions – The Rumani are a scattered folk. They once had a land of their own named Rummil, which they supposedly squandered the wealth of, until their enemies fell upon them to collect debts owed to them, and destroyed the kingdom, forever scattering the Rumani to the ends of the world. Strangely, the actual location of their lost kingdom is unknown. Some believe that it sank beneath the sea, but no one knows why or how. They wait for the coming of one who will lead them to a new kingdom, the legendary New Rummil.


  
• Language – The Rumani speak Low Elegian and Rumman, which is a language they only use amongst each other. They will not speak it in the presence of outsiders.


  
• Culture – Presently, they are an often-reviled group of entertainers, singers, prostitutes, and thieves. A few of them also work as diviners and fortune tellers, calling on the God Elecin to grant them sight into things beyond what their mere eyes can see. Where you find one Rumani, you often find a small family group of them operating in various jobs or functions both legal and illegal to support each other. Family, and especially marriage is of utmost importance to them. They worship Elecin, Gandahar, Sellae, Vorcinth, Uman, and all the others in some way, shape, or form if it is seen as beneficial at the time.


  
• Origins – They believe that Uman dreamt of them during his long slumber. His dreams took shape and form, resulting in the first Rumani people. Because they were dreams, they feel that they best appreciate life for what it is, living it to its fullest because they can still feel the vibrancy of their origins.


  

  ULEAUTS:

  

  
• Physical – They wear heavy furs and whale skin. They are surprisingly dark colored for as little sun sees much more than their faces and hands. They tend to be around 1.5-1.7 Mayters tall (4’10”-5’6”). Also, after they reach five or six Yarres of age, they become color blind as a result of their exposure to the bright light of the sun reflecting off the ice. They see in very sharp distinctions of grays, whites, and blacks and their range of sight is quite long. Curiously, young children who have moved south before losing the ability to see color usually lose most of their color sight. In such a harsh climate, for an Uleaut to live past the age of 30 is considered a privilege and a blessing from Yenis.


  
• Regions – The hearty folk of the Polar Regions, mostly far to the south of the Broken Crown. They live on the ice nearly Yarre round, following packs of seals, walruses, and whales.


  
• Language – The Uleauts live in lands that were never part of the Elegian Empire, therefore they have never been conquered and forced to take the language of the Elegians. Some still speak it for purposes of trade, but most speak Uleaut, which has a lot of clicks and throaty guttural noises. They have over 100 words for various shades of white, grey, and black because of their color-blindness.


  
• Culture –They travel in hunting packs that they have organized in a very hierarchal social pattern. They use their long kayaks to ply the shifting seas of ice and dark polar seas. They do not distinguish between males and females socially. Each person is only worth what they contribute to the hunting party. If one person is deemed not worth keeping around, they banish them from the group to seek their fortune elsewhere, though this is usually in effect a death sentence. The exception to this is the young, which they have many of to make up for the many that die of such a hard life. Yenis is their favored Goddess, and they believe that she offers their children sustenance from her teats, through the flowers known as the Bosoms of Yenis. They worship Aaren, Fallu, Thuraish, and Yenis.


  
• Origins – They believe that they were the result of Yenis’ icy tears caught in Aaren’s winds. The wind kept the tears aloft until they gained consciousness. The tears fell to the ice floes in human form. There, they found the flowers that came to be known as the Bosoms of Yenis. They drank the nourishment they offered and learned the ways of the lands that loved their mother best.


  

  THE PANTHEON:

  While there are some on Elegia that do not believe in any of the gods, or who have turned their back on religion, they are in the minority. Most people, of all races on Elegia, have at least a small token of favor blessed by priests of a God or Goddess their people favor, if not their own small shrine or statuette in their home. Of course, even among a particular race, each settlement may favor one God over another, depending on the particular history and situation in that locale. Also, being that most of the races on Elegia have splintered factions and are not a unified people of any singular nation of that race, the religious customs of each kingdom can vary, sometimes significantly.

  The most common belief in terms of where the Gods came from is that they were greater beings that lived beyond the confines of the world, formless and drifting in the vacuum of the void beyond the world. It was the people of Elegia that gave them form and purpose, and in return for their worship, the Gods began to perform miracles and deeds for those who they favored most. However, as time passed and the population of Elegia grew, it became harder for the Gods and Goddesses to choose whom they favored, for there were so many that worshipped them. Therefore, their interventions grew fewer and fewer, and they began to act only in the direst of situations when prayed to by the most earnest of worshippers. On these rare occasions when one of the Pantheon did interfere with the affairs of Elegia, the effect was often great, to the extent that it left no doubt that there had been some sort of divine intervention.

  The exceptions to this belief are the Goddess Wainseth and the God Porceth, who are collectively known as The Dark Pair. This pair, with the children they have bore or will bear, forms the duality that is believed responsible for all that goes wrong in Elegia, even if they are never directly blamed. It’s believed that saying the name of either is to curse both the speaker and the target of the utterance. It’s also believed that these two never need worshipping, as they feed on misfortune, ill chance, defeat, ruin, and most other negative twists of fate and fortune. Seeing how these things are always in good supply, they never go without their choice of ‘sustenance.’ On rare occasions over history, there have been cults or groups that have worshipped Wainseth and Porceth, each for their own reasons, but they have always met with disaster of human or divine causes.

  DEITIES:

  

  
• Aaren – God of the Skies, Winds, and Birds – Aaren is shown in images as a very scrawny man in a voluminous cloak that billows in his winds like wings.


  
• Aphelia – Goddess of Hatred and Fear – She is the first offspring of Porceth and Wainseth. She was born sickly and malformed and was cast aside by them upon seeing her. She survived and hated them for it, but she fears the coming of her brother, Efficeth.


  
• Braccen – God of Commerce and Greed – A lesser God who is depicted usually as a fat man counting his money. On the positive side, he represents prosperity, but he can also represent greed.


  
• Cainel – God of the Battle – He is the elder brother of Comrain. He is easily angered and is always looking for a way to prove himself.


  
• Chaveaoux – Goddess of Invention and Ingenuity – She is sometimes known as the Tinkerer Wizardess. She’s usually represented as a woman poring over books and experiments.


  
• Comrain – God of the Hunt - He is the younger brother of Cainel. He has an interesting relationship with Rishalt in that they both need each other. Comrain strengthens the beasts of Rishalt through hunting, which culls the weaker animals. It in turn provides a better hunt for Comrain’s followers when the strong and crafty survive to breed.


  
• Deneurs – God of Builders and Craftsmen – He is also known as the Builder.


  
• Efficeth – God of World’s End – He is the yet unborn child of Porceth and Wainseth, one rarely known about or mentioned. It is believed that the day he is born the world will end.


  
• Elecin – God of the Future and of Diviners – Elecin is depicted as a man in robes with a looking glass for the future and a divining glass to discern the present.


  
• Fallu – King of the Whales – He is Maletos’ pet. The first whale, and the father of all whales after him. He is said to be the size of an island, and the Mueran were raised on his back until they were old enough to live on their own. Many on Elegia revere whales, because Elegia is mostly water, and because the whales of Elegia grow to be of great size.


  
• Furestus – The God of Laborers and Peasants – Furestes is depicted in images by a collection of the tools of laborers that form a greater being, and never a humanoid form. It is a metaphor for how one man cannot do the work of many, and many can move mountains.


  
• Gandahar – God of Fortune and Chance – He is the husband of Sellae and brother of Vorcinth. Dice and cards usually represent him.


  
• Greveth – Goddess of Earth, Mountains, and Fire – Greveth is the elder sister of Marceaupo and Tulis, though she ignores their struggle. She has a fierce temper that boils slowly before exploding, much like the volcanoes that she is Goddess over.


  
• Haestos – God of the Moon and Firmament – He is the husband of Maletos and is sometimes called the King of the Gods. Juria jealously regards his union to Maletos, feeling slighted that she was not picked to be at his side.


  
• Holeitha – Goddess of the Homestead and of Children – The matron. She is depicted in many houses of most of the races across Elegia.


  
• Ithilia – Goddess of Love -and Seduction- – Ithilia, and her counterpart Solmin, are considered lesser Gods, but they are widely worshipped by all the human races of the Broken Crown. She is usually portrayed as a rather voluptuous woman, often to the point of being overweight, attired in scandalous clothes and with heavily rouged lips and cheeks.


  
• Juria – Goddess of Royalty, Empires, and Beauty – Perhaps the most beautiful Goddess of the Pantheon, she is sometimes honored by young women who wish to be seen by others as more beautiful, and many things are sold that are said to have her blessing in granting beauty. There are, however, stories of her competing jealously with Maletos for Haestos, who is rather taken with beautiful women.


  
• Kaneitha – Goddess of Darkness and Shadow – She is the sister of Maletos. Where Maletos is bright, kind, and open, Kaneitha is dark, mysterious, and brooding.


  
• Maletos – Goddess of the Sun – She is the beautiful wife of Haestos. Often referred to as the Queen of the Gods. It’s important to note that she is considered to be of higher status than her husband Haestos. While most societies on Elegia are not matriarchal, each honors the ability of women to bring life into the world, especially the Aurean people.


  
• Marceaupo – Goddess of the Outer Seas – She is unforgiving to those who pay her less respect than she is due. She is the proud and sometimes arrogant older sister of Tulis, but younger sister to Greveth.


  
• Nelius – God of Death and the Afterlife – He is a trickster that steals life from the unwary at inopportune times. In representations his face is always shrouded. Sometimes he is considered to be the third of the ‘evil gods’ with Porceth and Wainseth.


  
• Ocel – God of Flocks and Agriculture – He is usually denoted by an image of a shepherd. He is a God of Peace and friend of Rishalt, acknowledging the cycle of predator and prey.


  
• Oria – Goddess of Peace and Cooperation – She is a lesser Goddess, one who is rarely mentioned except at times of war and during peace talks between nations.


  
• Porceth – God of Illness, Misfortune, and Ruin – He is the brother and enemy of Haestos. He, with his wife Wainseth rule over all that is wrong with the world. His name is rarely if ever invoked in fear that it will draw ill attention from him. He is one half of The Dark Pair.


  
• Rishalt – God of the Beasts – He is often considered a lesser God, and images of him always show a humanoid being with the mixed features of many animals as well as some human features. He is a friend of Ocel, though they must sometimes compete because of their natures.


  
• Sellae – Goddess of Luck and Gambling – She is the wife of Gandahar. Illustrations of her are in nearly every reputable and disreputable gaming house in the Broken Crown.


  
• Solmin – God of Love and Romance - As the act of love requires a partner, Solmin is Ithilia’s counterpart and partner. He and she are lesser gods. He is usually depicted as a rather well endowed man of fair looks. The two of them are rarely shown apart, as it’s an omen of ended love and relationships.


  
• Thuraish – God of Time and the Saysuhns – He’s always represented as a series of five images, one for each season: a baby, a toddler, a young adult, a full-grown man, and finally an old man. It is said he lives in a hall filled with clocks, and the he winds one for each person in the world. When a person’s clock stops, the person dies.


  
• Tulis – God of the Inner Seas – He jealously guards his own waters, which is supposedly why the places where the Inner Seas meet with the Outer Seas are so rough. He is the younger brother of Marceaupo and Greveth.


  
• Uman – God of the Forsaken and Dreams – This is a god that many people claim was ‘made up’ as something for the downtrodden Rumani to whisper to about their many trials and their poor lot in life. Those other than the Rumani never speak of Uman except with disregard. The Rumani believe him to be the culmination of the spirits of their dead and all of their Yarres of suffering and prayer. One Dee he will arise and forge them a new island from the sea to live upon as their own. Because of this, he is also known as the Earthmaker, and according to the Rumani he is to be the mate of Greveth. They also believe that he will send one before his coming to ready them for receiving their new kingdom. Many have claimed to be this person, but rarely are they believed.


  
• Vorcinth – God of Trickery, Deceit, and Entertainers – Brother to Gandahar, he is often designated by a jester or a clown. While he is not an evil God, he is not one that honest people often want to attract the attention of.


  
• Wainseth – Goddess of Defeat, Failure, and Loss – She is the sister and enemy of Maletos. She, with her husband Porceth rule over all that is wrong with the world. Her name is rarely if ever invoked in fear that it will draw ill attention from her. She is one half of The Dark Pair.


  
• Yenis – Goddess of Ice, Rain, and Snow – Also known as the Frozen Queen. She is beloved of the Uleaut people and is said to nurse their young from her icy teats. This is really just a metaphor for a flower-like plant that grows in the icy wastelands, supposedly a boon from her. The flowers, named The Bosoms of Yenis, grow many bulbs of milky fluid that Uleaut mothers feed their young.


  

  HIERARCHY:

  While the actual strengths of the Gods and Goddesses among the Pantheon are debated endlessly among scholars and theologians among the peoples of the Broken Crown, none can accurately know the inner workings of the greater beings. Following is a generalized list of the most accepted rankings of the Gods and Goddesses according to power and/or importance. They have been ordered in pairs or groupings as best makes sense according to their category of powers.

  

  
1. Upper Tier – The Celestial Bodies and Major Forces
   
     
   
   
     
   1. Maletos (Sun) and Haestos (Moon and the Firmament)
   
   
     
   2. Thuraish (Time and Saysuhns), Elecin (Diviners and the Future), and Nelius (Death and the Afterlife)
   
   
     
   
   
     


  
2. Middle Tier – The Elements and Lesser Forces
   
     
   
   
     
   1. Kaneitha (Shadows and Darkness) and Juria (Royalty, Empires, and Beauty)
   
   
     
   2. Gandahar (Fortune and Chance) and Sellae (Luck and Gambling)
   
   
     
   3. Cainel (Battle) and Comrain (Hunt)
   
   
     
   4. Aaren (Skies, Winds, and Birds), Greveth (Earth, Mountains, and Fire), Yenis (Ice, Rain, and Snow), Marceaupo (Outer Seas), and Tulis (Inner Seas)
   
   
     
   
   
     


  
3. Lower Tier – Animals, Domestics, and The Traits
   
     
   
   
     
   1. Holeitha (Homesteads and Children), Deneurs (Builders and Craftsmen), Furestus (Peasants and Laborers), and Braccen (Commerce and Greed)
   
   
     
   2. Oria (Peace and Cooperation), Solmin (Love and Romance), Ithilia (Seduction and Romance), Chaveaoux (Invention and Ingenuity), and Vorcinth (Trickery, Deceit, and Entertainers)
   
   
     
   3. Ocel (Flocks and Agriculture), Rishalt (Beasts), and Fallu (Whales)
   
   
     
   
   
     


  
4. Others – unknown abilities or Dark Gods and their offspring
   
     
   
   
     
   1. Uman (the Forsaken and Dreams)
   
   
     
   2. Wainseth (Defeat, Failure, and Loss) and Porceth (Illness, Misfortune, and Ruin)
   
   
     
   3. Aphelia (Hatred and Fear) and Efficeth (World’s End)
   
   
     
   
   
     


  

  ORIGINS:

  All the peoples of Elegia use this calendar system. Some say that this calendar system was brought with the Aureans from ‘elsewhere,’ but most believe that the Aureans developed it after Yarres of studying the stars. They gifted it to the lowland people during a period of greater cooperation between them and the lowland races. The system has basically gone without modification since then, as it is a rather accurate system.

  Because the early Aurean settlers worked most closely with the Kerathi, the names of the days (Dees) took on a Kerathi flavor. Their interaction with the other races, sometimes on the behalf of the Aureans, spread the Calendar system further.

  Prior to this current system, which measures Yarres in A.E. (after Empire), there was the Y.E. (Year of the Empire) scale using the Elegian Calendar, which has since been discarded. Before that, there was only Beforetimes, but there was no specific number of Yarres in the B.T. scale.

  CONVERSIONS:

  1 Saycund = 1 Seconds

  1 Mynette = 1.67 Minutes

  1 Ouer = 2.78 Hours

  1 Dee = 1.15 Days

  1 Wayke = 11.5 Days

  1 Munth = 34.5 Days

  1 Yarre = 379.5 Days

  1 Decayarre = ~10.4 Years

  1 Hectoyarre = ~104 Years

  A YARRE:

  There are five Saysuhns in every Yarre, with two Munths and a Faestivul in every Saysuhn. Saysuhns are named after the color associated with each. Each Yarre has ten Munths, each of which has three Waykes, which is thirty Dees. There are ten Dees in each Wayke. This makes for a total of 330 Dees [300 (from 30 Waykes x 10 Dees each) + 30 Faestivul Dees]. The exception to this is every 10 Yarres, where they have extra 5 Dees during the Faestivul of Renewal. In a Yarre, there are also five Faestivuls. There are five Dees for each Faestivul, except the Faestivul of Renewal, which has ten Dees.

  5 Saysuhns  10 Munths  5 Faestivuls (5 Dees Each*)

  1. BROWN

  

  
1. 
   
     
   
   
     
   1. 
      
        
      
      
        
      1. Thawing
      
      
        
      2. Mud
         
           
         
         
           
         1. 
            
              
            
            
              
            1. Faestivul of Coming Growth (THEMES: birth and family)
            
            
              
            
            
              
         
         
           
         
         
           
      
      
        
      
      
        
   
   
     
   
   
     


  

  2. GREEN

  

  
1. 
   
     
   
   
     
   1. 
      
        
      
      
        
      1. Greening
      
      
        
      2. Planting
         
           
         
         
           
         1. 
            
              
            
            
              
            1. Faestivul of Coming Heat (THEMES: fire and industry)
            
            
              
            
            
              
         
         
           
         
         
           
      
      
        
      
      
        
   
   
     
   
   
     


  

  3. RED

  

  
1. 
   
     
   
   
     
   1. 
      
        
      
      
        
      1. Growing
      
      
        
      2. Heat
         
           
         
         
           
         1. 
            
              
            
            
              
            1. Faestivul of Coming Plenty (THEMES: harvest and flocks)
            
            
              
            
            
              
         
         
           
         
         
           
      
      
        
      
      
        
   
   
     
   
   
     


  

  4. ORANGE

  

  
1. 
   
     
   
   
     
   1. 
      
        
      
      
        
      1. Harvest
      
      
        
      2. Falling
         
           
         
         
           
         1. 
            
              
            
            
              
            1. Faestivul of Coming Cold (THEMES: ice and snow.)
            
            
              
            
            
              
         
         
           
         
         
           
      
      
        
      
      
        
   
   
     
   
   
     


  

  5. WHITE

  

  
1. 
   
     
   
   
     
   1. 
      
        
      
      
        
      1. Frost
      
      
        
      2. Snowing
         
           
         
         
           
         1. 
            
              
            
            
              
            1. Faestivul of Renewal. (THEMES: beginnings/ends and light/dark)
               
                 *(10 Dees, 15 every 5th Yarre)
            
            
              
            
            
              
         
         
           
         
         
           
      
      
        
      
      
        
   
   
     
   
   
     


  

  THE DEES:

  There are 10 Ouers in each Dee. There are 1,000 Mynettes in the Dee, 100 per Ouer. There are 100,000 Saycunds in the Dee, 10,000 per Ouer, 100 per Mynette. Also note that the terms holidee, somedee, todee, nextdee, yesterdee, and middee are used instead of holiday, someday, today, tomorrow, yesterday, and midday.

  

  
1. Einsdee


  
2. Tewsdee


  
3. Thraysdee


  
4. Fohrsdee


  
5. Fyvesdee


  
6. Sechsdee


  
7. Sayvensdee


  
8. Aytesdee


  
9. Noinsdee


  
10. Zehnsdee


  

  APPENDIX E – Measurement

  ORIGINS:

  All the peoples of Elegia use this measurement system. This was another gift of the Aureans to the people of Elegia. It was one of the many things the Aureans shared with the lowlanders during an era of cooperation and enlightenment. Because the other races adopted this system, even the Elegians chose to use the system to be able to ease commerce between their people and the others. And, because it was based on sets of 10, they saw it as superior to their own existing system that had a series of complicated conversions when changing from one unit to the next smaller or larger unit.

  UNITS:

  I.  Distance/Length

  Kilome(s) – 1000 Mayters; compare to kilometers

  Mayter(s) – compare to meters

  Deci(s) – 1/10 Mayter; compare to decimeters

  Centi(s) – 1/100 Mayter; compare to centimeters

  II.  Weight

  Tunne(s) – 1000 Kees; compare to tons.

  Kee(s) – compare to kilograms.

  Haykee – ? Kee.

  III.  Capacity

  Layter(s) – compare to liters. All measurements of volume are based on multiples or fractions of this unit of measure.

  APPENDIX F – Flower Enchanting

  THAUMATURGES:

  Thaumaturges are unique to Kerathi culture. With a combination of an utterance, a flower, and a focused will, they are able to perform deeds that sometimes border on the miraculous. Their powers are inborn, and most Kerathi who exhibit a strong interest in horticulture or the tending of plants are tested for ability. The Kerathi greatly respect their Thaumaturges, even if they choose a path in life that is often less violent and forceful than is typical for their warlike people.

  The more contact a Thaumaturge has with the plant they use in their enchanting, the more powerful the effect. For best results, a Thaumaturge has to plant, tend, pick, and preserve each of their flowers. If they pick it, their abilities are diminished significantly, and if they try to use a flower that is handed to them by another, only the most meager enchantments can be created.

  Because of the usefulness of a good Thaumaturge, the Kerathi often went to war to possess them. This often caused the Thaumaturges to refuse to help their captors or to enchant in ways counter to what their captors would want. Of course, this would anger the captors, and they’d end up killing the Thaumaturge. This led to a Sammenkomst ban on all such activities, as well as the declaration that not only may a Thaumaturge in no way be retained or held against their will, but also that they are effectively members of no clan, or clanless.

  This declaration is at once both the freedom and the misery of the Thaumaturges. While they may roam free, they never quite feel at home, and have been alienated to the point where most are hermits or drifters. A few still take up residence with their old clansmen or in a place they feel possesses many kindred spirits with whom they can be comfortable.

  ANTHEA’S FLOWERS:

  Note that I left most names of plants and flowers the same for the purposes of the story. I felt that if I came up with a new name for each, as I did with units of time and measure, it would detract too much from the story. You’d almost have to read the whole glossary and all of the appendices to be able to follow along.

  

  
• Acorn – Chapter 8 – a germinated oak acorn used to heal Bedros’ wounds.


  
• Angel’s Trumpet – Chapter 25 – a pink-tinged-white flower shaped much like the instrument it is named after. Anthea used it to look on Harsbrukke from afar.


  
• Anthea’s Orchid – Prologue – a special purple orchid crossbred and tended by her. She used it to draw clouds around a Guardian Flier to aid in their escape.


  
• Edelweiss – Chapter 36 – A whitish blade-leafed flower that grows in high altitudes sometimes. Anthea used it to kill the Guardians that threatened her in the passes on the way to Aetheline and partially heal her companions.


  
• Heather – Chapter 29 – Reddish-purple bell-shaped flowers that Anthea used in conjunction with Lotus to drive away the Peacekeepers in Rummas.


  
• Lotus – Chapter 29 – a pinkish set of concentric rings of petals around a white stigma and green anther stalks used in conjunction with Heather to drive away the Peacekeepers in Rummas.


  
• Master of the Woods – Chapter 15 – a four-petaled white flower used to drive away Genero, Leander, and the Guardians.


  
• Orange Mock – Chapter 16 – A whitish flower with orange highlights that Anthea used to speed Makan’s decoy boat away from Norsjalde. She also made illusions of her, Rolf, and Bedros to appear on the boat to further the illusion that they were escaping.


  
• Parsley – Chapter 2 – a green herb used for finding/tracking.


  
• Snowdrop – Chapter 2 – a light bulb shaped blossom that opens into a white flower used for purifying water.


  
• Sunflower – Chapter 19 (recollection) – A large, seeded flower with yellow petals she used to disguise the boat they escaped in from the Aureans.