fine whiskey with a sublime nose hinting at rose and cinnamon, made in distilleries at the edge of Blood Forest in the highlands above Green Haven. It evinces orange and raisin flavors under powerful chocolate.
Crater Lake: A large lake in southern Tyrea where the former capital of Tyrea, Kelfing, sits. The area is famous for its forests and the production of yew.
Crossroads, the: A kopi house, restaurant, and tavern, the highest-priced inn on the Jaspers, and downstairs a similarly priced brothel. Located near the Lily’s Stem, the Crossroads is housed in the former Tyrean embassy building, centrally located in the Embassies District for all the ambassadors, spies, and merchants trying to deal with various governments.
culverin: A type of cannon, useful for firing long distances because of its heavily weighted cannonballs and long-bore tube.
Cwn y Wawr: The ‘Dogs of Dawn,’ a Blood Forest martial company of archers, mastiff handlers, tree climbers, green drafters, and masters of camouflage. A semisecret society found in the deep parts of Blood Forest.
dagger-pistols: Pistols with a blade attached, allowing the user to fire at distance and then use the blade at close range or if the weapon misfires.
Dagnu: Pagan god of gluttony, associated with red. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’
danar: The primary unit of currency in the Seven Satrapies. An average worker makes about a danar a day, while an unskilled laborer can expect to earn a half danar a day. The coins have a square hole in the middle and are often carried on square-cut sticks. They can be cut in half and still hold their value.
tin danar: Worth eight regular danar coins. A stick of tin danars usually carries twenty-five coins—that is, two hundred danars.
Deimachia, the: The War of/on the Gods. A theological term for Lucidonius’s battle for supremacy against the pagan gods of the old world.
Demiurgos: Another term for a Mirror such as Janus Borig; literally
‘half creator.’
dey (fem. deya): A Parian title. A near-absolute ruler over a city and its surrounding territory. (Equivalent to the Atashian/Tyrean ‘corregidor.’)
Diakoptês: An ambiguous term. Literally ‘He who rends asunder,’ but a looser translation could be ‘Breaker.’ In Braxian belief, both the name and title of Lucidonius and the name or title of a similar figure, possibly a reincarnation of Lucidonius, who will come again to break or heal the Cracked Lands.
discipulus (masc. pl. discipuli, fem. discipula, fem. and mixed gender pl. discipulae): Those who study both religious and magical arts, usually at the Chromeria.
djinn (fem. jinni-yah): Immortals also known as the fallen, or elo-him, or gods, or the Two Hundred. Alternate spelling jinn. A fuzzy, much-debated religious and historical term, as the reality of such beings, much less their nature(s), is unknown.
drafter: One who can shape or harness light into physical form (luxin). See also Appendix, ‘On Luxin.’
Dúnbheo: Also known as the Floating City. Sits in the middle of Loch
Lána, the great lake in Blood Forest.
elohim: Immortals or gods (see entry for ‘djinn’), spiritual beings of some sort.
‘elrahee, elishama, eliada, eliphalet’: A Parian prayer meaning ‘[Orholam] sees, He hears, He cares, He saves.’
Embassies District: The Big Jasper neighborhood that is closest to the Lily’s Stem and thus is closest to the Chromeria itself. It also houses markets and kopi houses, taverns, and brothels.
Everdark Gates, the: The strait connecting the Cerulean Sea to the oceans beyond. It was supposedly closed by Lucidonius, but Angari ships have been known to make it through from time to time.
evernight: Often a curse word, it refers to death and/or hell. A metaphysical or teleological reality, rather than a physical one, it represents that which will forever embrace and be embraced by void, full darkness, night in its purest and most evil form.
eye caps: A specialized kind of spectacles. These colored lenses fit directly over the eye sockets, glued to the skin. Like other spectacles, they enable a drafter to draft her color more easily.
False Prism’s War, the: A common term for the brief but violent war between Gavin and Dazen Guile. The ‘False Prism’ is a reference to Dazen, who claimed to be a Prism even after his older brother had already been chosen and installed.
Ferrilux: Pagan god of pride, associated with superviolet. See Appendix, ‘On the Old Gods.’
flashbomb: A weapon crafted by yellow drafters. It doesn’t harm so much as dazzle and distract its victims with the blinding light of suddenly evaporating yellow luxin.
flying pulpit: Skimmers used for scouting, designed by Ben-hadad. These boats dispense with the weight of a deck entirely. They are held from the waves by only