Halcyon The Complete Trilogy (120 page)

Kemet – Fiction: The ancient Aegyptian name for Aegyptus. Fact: The ancient Egyptian name for Egypt, meaning
black land
(fertile). Note: The name
Egypt
is a foreign word derived from ancient Greek.

Kenan Agyeman – Fiction: A former Mazigh soldier, he transferred into the marshals, then into the Air Corps, and finally became a private detective in Tingis. Fact: The Biblical name Kenan means
possession
.

Khahesh mikonam – “You’re welcome” in Farsi (Persian / Eranian)

Khemisset – Fiction: A city in central Marrakesh. Fact: A real location in Morocco.

Kilima Njaro – Fiction: The tallest mountain in Ifrica. Fact: Mount Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, is the tallest mountain (and volcano) in Africa. One theory is that the name comes from the Swahili “Kilima Njaro” meaning
little white mountain
.

Kirumichi – Fiction: Large feline predators used by the Incans as hunters and weapons of war. Fact: Saber-toothed cats like Smilodon were the dominant predators of North and South America until they became extinct about 10,000 years ago.

La Seo – Fiction: A large cathedral in Zaragoza. Fact: A real location in Spain. Also known as the Cathedral of the Savior.

Lady Nerissa – Fiction: A Hellan princess and hereditary ruler of the city-state of Constantia. Fact: The Greek name Nerissa means
nymph
.

Landsick – Fiction: When travelers step off a ship after a long journey, the sudden stillness of the land after the gentle rocking of the ship may cause dizziness, queasiness, and other mild symptoms similar to motion sickness, which usually pass in a matter of minutes. Fact: Same.

Lixus – Fiction: A coastal town in Marrakesh, originally settled by the Phoenicians. Fact: A coastal town in Morocco, originally settled by the Phoenicians in the seventh century BC. Its ruins are located near Larache, Morocco.

Lorenzo Quesada de Gadir – Fiction: An Espani soldier, master fencer, and hidalgo. He was one of the few soldiers to survive the plague in the New World and he led the final retreat of the Espani survivors from the fort-town of Cartagena at the end of the war. In addition to his prowess with the sword, he is famous for his wife, an Incan princess, and her dangerous animal companions, as well as his discovery of the “skyfire stone,” an ancient Espani relic. Fact: None.

Lynx – Fiction: A large wild cat from España with long-haired ears. Fact: A real animal in western Europe.

Macuahuitl – Fiction: An Aztec weapon, the hardened wood club is studded with obsidian spikes to form a sword-like blade. A devastating weapon against bare flesh. Fact: Same.

Madrid – Fiction: A city in central España. Fact: A real location in Spain.

Malaga – Fiction: A city in southern España. Fact: A real location in Spain.

Mali – Fiction: One of the peoples (and nations) of West Ifrica conquered by the Songhai Empire. Fact: The Mali Empire existed from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century in regions of modern Mali and Mauritania.

Mallorca – Fiction: An island of the eastern coast of España. Fact: A real location in the Mediterranean Sea.

Mamnoon – “Thank you” in Farsi (Persian / Eranian)

Manco Inca – Fiction: The current ruler of the Incan Empire. Fact: Manco Inca was one of the last Incan emperors. A very young man, he initially welcomed the Spanish conquistadors (the Pizzaro brothers). But after the abuses of the Spanish became obvious, Manco led several unsuccessful campaigns against the Spanish before his death in 1544.

Marbella – Fiction: A city in southern España. Fact: A real location in Spain.

Marmarica – Fiction: A province of the Empire of Eran located in North Ifrica. Fact: An ancient Roman district on the border of modern Libya and Egypt.

Maroqez – Fiction: A city in southern Marrakesh. Fact: A real location in Morocco (the city of Marrakech).

Marrakesh – Fiction: A country on the western coast of North Ifrica. The most technologically advanced nation in the world. Originally a matriarchal society descended from the Kel Tamasheq, Marrakesh has been invaded and settled countless times by peoples from all over the Middle Sea region and is now home to many ethnic groups, languages, and sub-cultures. Fact: This location corresponds with the modern nation of Morocco, which is called “Marrakesh” in Persian and Urdu.

Master Jiro – Fiction: A senior leader of the Sons of Osiris from Nippon and the only person in Aegyptus who knows how to forge an aetherium sword. Fact: The Japanese name Jiro means
second son
.

Master Khai – Fiction: A senior leader of the Sons of Osiris from Aegyptus and First Knight of Osiris, placing him in command of the Temple’s warriors. Fact: There was an Egyptian scribe and director of soldiers named Khai. 

Master Rashaken – Fiction: The senior master of the Sons of Osiris in Alexandria. Fact: The Egyptian name Rashaken was the divine name of Osirtesen III.

Mazdan Temple – Fiction: The state religion of the Empire of Eran and many other nations. A monotheistic religion derived from numerous ancient texts and prophets, and strongly emphasizing the concept of Good (the creator God) versus Evil (the devil or destroyer God). Fact: The state religion of ancient Persia was Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic religion founded by the prophet Zoroaster about three thousand years ago. This religion recognized a supremely good creator God called Ahura Mazda and an evil force called Angra Mainyu. There are about two hundred thousand members of this religion today.

Mazigh – Fiction: A person from or the language of Marrakesh. Fact: The Amazigh people live in numerous North African countries today. They are also known as Berbers.

Medur Hamuy – Fiction: An ex-soldier and mercenary in Marrakesh working for Lady Sade. Fact: None.

Megathera – Fiction: A giant eight-ton sloth native to the New World and imported to Marrakesh to labor in factories that cannot afford mechanical engines. Fact: Giant ground sloths like the
Megatherium
lived in South America until they became extinct about 10,000 years ago.

Meknes – Fiction: A city in central Marrakesh. Fact: A real location in northern Morocco.

Menna Ohana – Fiction: Taziri Ohana’s daughter. Fact: None.

Merda – “Shit” in Italian.

Middle Sea – Fiction: A large body of water bordered by Europa to the north, Ifrica to the south, and Asia to the east. Fact: A real location, the Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean means “middle of the earth.”

Mirari Velasquez – Fiction: A woman from northern España. Tormented for her deformed ears and social difficulties, she spent several years living in an abandoned silver mine. Drinking the water in the mine turned her skin silver-blue. When wearing a mask to hide her natural features, she adopts the personality of a well-born Espani lady. Fact: Consuming large amounts of silver will permanently color your skin blue-gray, causing a condition called argyria. The Spanish name Mirari means
miracle
.

Monte – Fiction: An Espani card game. Fact: A Spanish card game, also called
monte bank
.

Mossi – Fiction: One of the peoples (and nations) of West Ifrica conquered by the Songhai Empire. Fact: The Mossi people today live in Burkina Faso and its neighboring nations.

Mother – Fiction: In the Roman and Constantian Churches, this is the aspect of God that embodies the concepts of life and creation. Fact: In the Christianity, the Mother figure is the Virgin Mary. Also, it has been suggested that the Jewish God originally had a female partner or aspect named Asherah, which was later demoted or erased from the religious texts.

Mother’s Shrine – Fiction: A Mazigh holy monument located between the Upper and Lower sections of Orossa, Marrakesh. Fact: There is a shrine to the Amazigh warrior queen Tin Hinan in the town of Abalessa, Algeria.

Nahiz – Fiction: A town in central Marrakesh. Fact: Corresponds with the town of Maaziz, Morocco.

Nahuatl – Fiction: The language of the Aztec people. Fact: Same.

Necropolis – Fiction: A city of the dead. A massive collection of elaborate tombs and graves in one location, such as the necropolis outside Port Chellah. Fact: There are many necropolises in the world, including a Phoenician one in ancient Chellah (modern Rabat, Morocco).

New World – Fiction: A term for the recently discovered continent ruled by the Incas. Fact: North and South America are sometimes referred to as the New World, while Europe, Africa, and Asia are referred to as the Old World. These labels are particularly used in scientific contexts, such as New World monkeys, or in commerce, such as Old World wines.

Nicola DeVelli – Fiction: An Italian military and political theorist and member of the Ten of War council. Fact: Niccolo Machiavelli was a fifteenth century Italian political theorist, diplomat, philosopher, writer, and member of the Ten of War council. His most famous political treatise is
The Prince
.

Nihani – “Secret” in Farsi (Persian / Eranian)

Nippon – Fiction: An island nation to the east of China. Fact: Same. Nippon is the formal Japanese name for Japan.

Nitroh – Fiction: An explosive chemical compound. Fact: Nitroglycerin was first created in the nineteenth century. It is not a toy.

Northern Air Corps – Fiction: A department of the Mazigh Transport Authority (Security Section 4). Fact: None.

Numidia – Fiction: A country on the northern coast of North Ifrica, with its capital at Carthage. A political and ethnic ally to Marrakesh. Fact: This free nation became a province of the Roman Empire two thousand years ago. Its borders fall within modern Algeria and Tunisia.

Omar Bakhoum – Fiction: A senior leader of the Sons of Osiris from Aegyptus, in charge of local affairs within the city of Alexandria. A trainer of assassins and operatives. A scholar searching for aetherium and information about aetherium. He disappeared several years ago while searching for new sources of aetherium. Fact: The Arabic name Omar means
long-lived.

Orichalcum – Fiction: A legendary golden metal from ancient España. Fact: A legendary metal mentioned in the writings of ancient Greek and Roman historians. It has been suggested that orichalcum was an alloy of gold, brass, tin, silver, and other metals. It is also mentioned in Plato’s description of the lost city of Atlantis.

Orossa – Fiction: The capital city of Marrakesh. Fact: None.

Osiris – Fiction: A man gifted with an aetherium soul-locket, granting him eternal life and youth, as well as other abilities. A member of a large family of similarly immortal men and women, he lives a generally secluded life in the undercity of Alexandria. Four thousand years ago, he and his family posed as high priests and living gods of the Aegyptian people, presiding over state and religious functions, such as funerals. His appearance is unique within his family, notably his green skin. Fact: The Egyptian god Osiris was the Lord of the Dead. He was depicted as a green-skinned pharaoh.

Palma – Fiction: A town on the island of Mallorca. Fact: Same.

Pastoralism – Fiction: A political movement in Marrakesh that opposes industrialization and seeks a return to pure agricultural societies. Members are known to resort to violent terror attacks against factories, railways, and mines. Fact: None.

Persia – Fiction: The former name of the Empire of Eran. Fact: The Persian Empire evolved over thousands of years through many names and dynasties centered around the modern nation of Iran, include the Achaemenid Empire, the Sassanid Empire, the Abbasid Caliphate, the Saffarid dynasty, and the Timurid dynasty.

Petrol – Fiction: A rare and expensive new type of fuel made from Songhai oil, which has more chemical energy than other known fuels. Fact: Petrol (also known as gasoline) is derived from oil, and is more volatile than other similar fuels like diesel.

Phoenician – Fiction: The Phoenicians were ancient sea traders and settlers who spread west across the Middle Sea, establishing towns throughout North Ifrica and España many centuries ago. Fact: The Phoenician civilization existed from the sixteenth to the fourth century BC. Many Phoenician cities survive to this day, but they often have new local names.

Pic Blanco – Fiction: A mountain in the Pyrenees. Fact: The name Pic Blanco means
White Peak
in Spanish.

Pic Verde – Fiction: A mountain in the Pyrenees. Fact: The name Pic Verde means
Green Peak
in Spanish.

Pizzaro brothers – Fiction: Four Espani brothers who led the disastrous invasion of the New World. All died in the war. Fact: The Pizzaros were four Spanish brothers who conquered the Incan Empire in the sixteenth century. Juan died during the siege of Cusco. Francisco was assassinated by a Spanish rival. Gonzalo was executed for rebelling against the king of Spain. Hernando died of old age in Spain.

Plasma torch – Fiction: A new electrical tool for cutting steel using high-temperature plasma, invented by Taziri Ohana. Fact: The plasma torch was invented in the 1980s, and works exactly as described in
The Bound Soul
(although it requires more powerful machines than the ones described in the book). The device produces a jet of gas or compressed air from a nozzle. One electrode is located inside the nozzle and the second electrode is connected to the metal sheet being cut. An electrical arc forms between the nozzle and the sheet, which ignites the gas or air stream into plasma. The plasma burns at 25,000 degrees C (45,000 degrees F).

Port Chellah – Fiction: A port city in western Marrakesh. Fact: Corresponds with modern Rabat, Morocco. “Chellah” was the city’s ancient Phoenician name.

Punt – Fiction: A nation on the eastern coast of Ifrica, to the south-east of Aegyptus. Fact: The ancient nation of Punt was an important trading partner of ancient Egypt. It may have been located on the Horn of Africa or on the Arabian Peninsula.

Pyrenees – Fiction: A mountain range at the northern border of España. Beyond it lies nothing but the endless glaciers of Europa. Fact: This mountain range lies along the border between Spain and France and is home to the Basques.

Qhora Yupanqui – Fiction: An Incan princess living in España with Don Lorenzo Quesada. Fact: The Quechua (Incan) name Qhora means
plant
or
herb
.