novelxo Chapter A Day of Fallen Night: Glossary
Banewort: Deadly nightshade. Despite its toxicity, it is often used as a surgical anaesthetic in Inys.
Commendation: The formal introduction of an Inysh noble into society, held at any point between their fifteenth and sixteenth birthday.
Cutter: A type of ornate Ersyri sailing ship. They are mostly used as coasting vessels, but are capable of sea travel.
Dróterning: A Hróthi term meaning little queen.
Drape: A loose sleeveless garment, made of silk or linen, which fastens at the nape.
Edin: A continent of unknown extent. Its northernmost regions are divided into the Ersyr, Lasia, Mentendon, the Serene Republic of Carmentum, and Yscalin.
Eke name: Nickname or epithet.
Faith of Dwyn: An ancient religion originating from the continent of Edin, which advocates for a state of perfect balance in all things. It is the predominant religion of the Ersyr.
Feather death: Death from old age (on a featherbed), feared by most Hróthi.
Godsinger: A position in certain mountain temples of Seiiki. Among their duties, godsingers perform rituals and prayers intended to wake dragonkind from the Long Slumber.
Herigald: A garment worn by sanctarians in Inys, usually made of green and white cloth. Apprentice sanctarians wear brown.
Ice helm: A Hróthi name for a glacier.
Ichneumon: A quadrupedal mammal native to the continent of Edin, once considered sacred in some parts of the South, particularly the Taano people of Lasia. Ichneumons have been hunted for their pelts and strong bones throughout history. Wild ichneumons now largely dwell in mountainous regions to avoid human contact, but some have formed an age-old alliance with the Priory. Each postulant bonds with an ichneumon by weaning it with its first meat, which causes the pup to imprint on her for life
Lerath: A tree native to the Northern Plain. They have thick boughs and black needles, and their sap can be drunk.
Lith: An organisational unit for housecarls (armed retainers) in the service of the King of Hróth. Each lith has seven members to mirror the Saint and the Holy Retinue. Bardholt I has twelve liths, largely headed by relatives of his wartime allies.
Mage: Someone who has eaten the fruit of a siden tree and absorbed its terrene magic. Mages can conjure and deflect fire, and may exhibit a range of other abilities, such as heightened vision and hearing, resistance to cold, or an aptitude for metalworking.
Mirrorfolk: A word referring collectively to teachers, followers and scholars of the Faith of Dwyn.
Munguna: Approximately translating to favoured sister in the Yikalese dialect of Old Lasian, this title is bestowed on the woman the incumbent Prioress wishes to succeed her.
Needletooth: A carnivorous Southern fish. They are scavengers by nature, but may swarm in large numbers if they sense blood or thrashing prey.
Orchard of Divinities: The afterlife in the dominant polytheistic religion of Lasia; also, a collective term for its pantheon of gods.
Óthling: The preferred heir to the Hróthi throne. It was previously used for individual chieftains’ heirs.
Palanquin: An enclosed litter.
Pearl mantle: Nacre
Sax: A large Hróthi hunting knife.
Sheepsbane: A tickborne illness, common in the Fells of Inys.
Siden: Also known as terrene magic. A power that stems from the core of the world, the Womb of Fire, and can be absorbed by anyone who eats the fruit of a siden tree.
Skin fighting: A Hróthi term for unarmed combat.
Sorrower: A black Seiikinese bird with a call like a grizzling infant. Legend has it that an Empress of Seiiki was driven insane by its cry. Some say sorrowers are possessed by the spirits of stillborn children, while others believe their song can bring on a miscarriage. This superstition has resulted in them being hunted sporadically throughout Seiikinese history.
Sterren: Also known as sidereal magic, this mysterious power comes from the Long-Haired Star.
Sun folly: A mood disorder common during the months of the midnight sun, when true darkness never falls in the North. Its main symptom is insomnia, occasionally leading to poor judgement, irritability and erratic behaviour.
Sunset Years: A later Seiikinese term for the years preceding the Great Sorrow. CE 509, specifically, is called the Twilight Year.
Salt warrior: A Hróthi raider.
Taano State: One of the Five States of Lasia before their union into a single domain. Taano is now the most widely spoken dialect of Lasian, closely followed by Libir.
Throttle: An Inysh name for inflammation of the tonsils; also used more broadly for any illness that causes a sore throat.
Winter gripe: An Inysh name for an illness similar to influenza.
Womb of Fire: The fiery core of the world, and the cradle of siden. The Nameless One is thought to have been formed in the Womb of Fire.
Woodfall: Wood that has lain on the seabed. If this occurs in Eastern waters, where dragons once swum, there is a chance the wood will burn with a clean, sweet scent. Coastal villagers can often make a living from selling woodfall to temples.