Herb-Wife (Lord Alchemist Duology) (64 page)

Bynae
:
a maidservant in the Chemstone household, and later Kessa's dramsman.
Bynae is a "bleached barbarian," rendered blonde and
green-eyed via alchemy. She and Viam were lovers; she miscarried his
child, perhaps due to alchemical intervention, shortly after Iasen
(and thus his household) returned to Aeston.

catseye
ointment
: a paste that, applied to the eyes, allows vision in
low-light conditions – such as moonlight and starlight. It all
but eliminates color vision when active, and normal lighting is
blindingly bright.

Caeldra
Whiteriver
: an extremely talkative widow, from a cadet line of
Whiteriver counts, with at least three children. The eldest son
resides in Aeston, and the middle son lives in Cym.

Cem
:
a young watchman in Cym, often stuck with scutwork.

Ceren
Aeslird
: Prince Tegar's wife. Her brother is Earl Dhaenoc
.

Chiftia
:
a country herb-witch for a small settlement outside Aeston; believed
half-senile, and allegedly Kessa's teacher during Kessa's apprentice
years.

clae
:
an alchemical preparation in the form of sand-like powder, used to
remove impurities from air and water. It turns darker, the more
impurities it absorbs, till its purification ability is exhausted.

Clari
:
an apprentice herb-witch of Herbmaster Keli's.

Craym
:
Joniacae's buggy-driver.

the
Crimson Birch
: a brothel catering to men who enjoy bondage and
riding crops – either doing or receiving. More extreme than
the Emerald Cat, and with fewer costumes, it is owned and run by
Mistress Siphe.

Criz
:
the driver for the Chemstones' carriage (as opposed to Craym, who
drives Jonie's buggy). Criz is a very common name in Cymelia.

Coty
Balamea
: a master alchemist and guild officer in Aeston; he
wears gloves because his fingernails and toenails are tinted violet
as a side-effect of changing his eye-color similarly. His wife is
Zethi.

Cym
:
the capital city of Cymelia, where the Princeps lives. It is at the
point where the River Eath no longer becomes navigable.

the
Cym Mail
: the term for the stagecoaches owned by the crown, which
transport mail and passengers throughout Cymelia. Their hub is in
Cym.

Cymeli
:
the family name for the rulers of Cymelia.

Cymelia
:
the name of the country.

Daleus
Chemstone
: one of Iathor's maternal cousins, who lives in Cym. He
is married to Ietra, and is the father of Taleas and Talot. He is
Joniacae's brother.

Dareus
"Dar" Kymus
: Iathor and Kessa's second-born son.
Iontho's larger, younger fraternal twin.

Darul
Reus
: a "no-questions" moneylender with a habit of
extorting extra coin from his clients. Accidentally dis-minded by a
combination of potions. One of the potions was Kessa's; the other was
Lairn Ronan's.

Dayn
:
Iathor's dramsman bodyguard and footman.

Dels
:
a servant in the Chemstone household.

Deocris
:
Iathor's secretary. Deocris is
not
a dramsman.

Deukael's
ointment
: an Imperial preparation used to make women barren.

Dhaenoc
:
an earl in Aeston, whose lands are within Tegar's purview, and Ceren
Aeslird's brother. Ultimately, the city guard and the local army
troops report to Dhaenoc.

Dideu
:
a master alchemist and guild officer in Aeston; he is also extremely
eccentric, with long braided hair that often develops bells in around
festival times.

Didil
Jobonen
: a bonesetter in Aeston, specializing in pregnancies and
childbirth.

dramsman
:
someone who has taken the dramsman's draught. The term is
gender-neutral.

dramsman's
draught
: often known simply as "the draught," this
alchemical potion causes complete loyalty to the first person seen by
the drinker, and inability to defy that person's orders. There are
two versions; the more recent allows greater freedom of emotion,
though ultimate loyalty is equivalent.

dramswife
:
a woman, usually married to an important noble, whose fealty to her
husband has been assured with the draught.

dry
tea
: a contraceptive preparation for women. The "dry"
is an allusion to fields, infertile from drought; the actual tea is
steeped and drunk normally. An integral ingredient is maiden's blood;
the definition of "maiden" is very strict, for this
purpose.

Dulsia
Kimath
: Master Regeth's wife.

Eas
Cymeli
: the Princeps, ruler of Cymelia. Due to Vigeur, he is
still fairly lively despite being over a hundred.

Elera
Kymus
(formerly Chemstone): Iathor and Iasen's mother. Iaren's
wife. Died in a carriage accident.

the
Emerald Cat
: a brothel catering to men who favor role-play and/or
light bondage and pain-games. It is less extreme than the Crimson
Birch, and has a larger wardrobe for those who want to play "Caught
Thief and Inventive Noble" or "Emperor and Concubine."

Esten
:
general secretary for the offices of the Alchemists' Guild.

fagin
:
a person (usually male) who takes in stray children (often as babies
or toddlers) and raises them to be thieves and courtesans. Some are
kinder than others.

Fairfield
:
a count whose lands are within the Cym purview. He has at least two
daughters, one of whom has a bit of a crush on Iasen.

Fantho
:
a master alchemist and guild officer in Aeston. He is also a lesser
baron, with ties to mineral-seeking scouts.

Faro
Jobaenen
: a master alchemist in Cym, and the Lord Alchemist's
Cym syndic. Master Jobaenen's second daughter married a tribesman,
and a half-tribesman grandchild.

Fervefax
Stones
: alchemically prepared stones that give off heat; the
temperature varies with the preparation, and can range from minor
warmth to something hot enough to set fires.

Frigi
Stones
: alchemically prepared stones that give off cold in
defiance of physics. They can radiate mere coolth, or lower
temperature to at least freezing, depending on how well they are
prepared, and at what temperatures.

geometry
analyzer
: a device used for finding the "forms" of
alchemical metal-salts. Certain combinations indicate the result will
be explosive and should be avoided.

the
gray watch
: a term for a particular style of extortionist. "Nice
shop you've got here. Be a shame if someone broke into it."

the
green death
: an herb-witch preparation that, when swallowed,
causes the body's fluids to turn to acid. Potentially fatal even to
someone with alchemist's immunity.

Hele's
ointment
: a paste that speeds healing of wounds from days to
seconds.

herb-witchery
:
any preparation or process that does
not
include metal-salts.
Alchemists look down on herb-witches for being ill-trained.
Herb-witches disparage alchemists as pompous know-it-alls with no
common sense.

Heusmae
:
a judge in Aeston.

hornflower
paste
: an herb-witch preparation, that lessens menstrual cramps.
It requires careful dosing, as it can become toxic quickly. (Except
to the immune, of course.)

Iaren
Kymus
: the former Lord Alchemist, Iasen and Iathor's father and
Elera's husband. Deceased.

Iasen
Kymus
: Iathor's younger brother, a master alchemist in the guild,
known for spending his time at parties with noble youths, half his
age or younger. Never formally confirmed as having the alchemist's
immunity, but assumed (correctly) to be immune.

Iathor
Kymus
: the Lord Alchemist, Guild Master of the Alchemists' Guild.
One of two men known to have the alchemist's immunity, which is a
prerequisite for
being
the Lord Alchemist.

Ietra
Chemstone
: wife to Daleus Chemstone, mother of Taleas and Talot.
She doesn't approve of "barbarians."

Igni
Stone
: an alchemically-made Stone that reacts with an alchemical
oil to produce flame. Igni Stones are used to light fires, not to
create heat themselves.

Incandescens
Stone
: an alchemically-made object (traditionally a stone, but
other non-porous substances, such as glass, may work) that glows
without heat. They do not last indefinitely, and start dimming and
flickering as they age.

Iontho
Kymus
: Iathor and Kessa's firstborn son. Dareus' older, smaller
fraternal twin.

Irilye
:
an earl in Aeston, whose lands are within Tegar's purview.

Isio
:
a master alchemist and guild officer in Aeston.

Issny
Lenerus
: a clerk in the Aeston Alchemists' Guild.

Iste
Zertheluse
: a master alchemist and guild officer in Aeston.

Ital's
potion
: an Imperial recipe used to render women barren.

Jeck
:
Iathor's dramsman carriage driver.
He also keeps guard hounds
for the household.

Jonen
:
a master alchemist and guild officer in Aeston.

Jonae
Iontele
: Master Mathus' wife, and Baron Rhaus' daughter.

Joniacae
"Jonie" Dhaenoc
: one of Iathor's maternal cousins, who
lives in Cym. A widow, she returned to the house of her brother,
Daleus Chemstone, when her husband, a cousin of Earl Dhaenoc's, died.

Jontho
:
Kessa's foster-brother. A petty thief who spends more of his time
being a bodyguard for his full sister, Laita.

Kelen
:
one of Iasen's dramsmen, a groom. Originally with dark red hair, he
was subsequently "bleached" to strawberry blond with
alchemy.

Keli
Greenhands
: the Herbmaster, advocate for the herb-witches within
the Alchemists' Guild. A widow.

Kellisan
:
an alias for Kessa when she pretends to be a young man; often paired
with the sobriquet
Dog-eyes
in Kessa's youth.

Kessa
Herbsman
(later Kymus): a half-"barbarian" herb-witch
with a criminal past, and the only woman in Cymelia known to have the
alchemist's immunity.

Lairn
Ronan
: Iasen's journeyman; left alone while Iasen was in Cym,
Lairn amassed gambling debts, and one of his experiments rendered
Iasen's house uninhabitable. Kessa and Nicia discovered the
counteragent to the alchemical stench, and Kessa secretly mobilized
Tag's crèche to find where Lairn had hidden himself to avoid his
creditors.

Laita
:
Kessa's beloved foster-sister, beautiful, a courtesan (later Keli's
counter-girl), and sickly. Full sister to Jontho.

Lasiari
:
a tea-additive, and aphrodisiac. Mildly illegal. Also one of the
potions Lairn Ronan was making, and sending along to Iasen in Cym.

Lesant
:
a long-deceased alchemist who specialized in recording healing
recipes, and assigning a number to them rather than a descriptive
name.

Loria
:
Iathor's dramsman steward, and Tania's sister. A widow.

made-man
:
an Imperial legal term for a woman rendered barren by alchemy; they
have nearly all the social rights (and obligations) of a born man. It
is illegal to create made-men in Cymelia, without permission of the
Princeps.

Maern
:
a day officer for the Cym watch. His hair and beard are probably
alchemically-dyed blond.

Maila
:
an illegal Shadow alchemist/Shadow-witch, who took Kessa on as an
apprentice. Deceased.

Mara
:
a former cook in the Kymus household, dramsman to Iathor's father,
Iaren. Deceased.

Mathus
Iontele
: Iathor and Iasen's distant cousin, a master alchemist
and officer in the guild, and a descendent of the prior lineage of
Lord Alchemists. He retains the barony that is traditionally awarded
to Lord Alchemists who would otherwise be a bit too common.

men's
tea
: the male version of dry tea. Maiden's blood is still a key
ingredient.

Millwell
:
a property-owner in Cym who owns many waterfront warehouses and
boat-houses.

mindbright
elixir
: an alchemical preparation that allows near-eidetic memory
for a time. Though toxic before it's completely brewed, it has an
interesting effect if taken by someone with alchemist's immunity.

Nicia
Greenhands
: Keli's daughter, both an apprentice alchemist and
apprentice bone-setter.

Nico
Iontele
: a Lord Alchemist from the Iontele line, before the title
came to the Kymus family. Master Iontele adapted certain recipes to
create a potion that turned mud to extremely tough, glassy stone; the
recipe requires human blood, but the results will last centuries.