Read Mirror 04 The Way Between the Worlds Online
Authors: Ian Irvine
Glass: Colloquial term for the Mirror of Aachan.
Gothryme: Karan's impoverished manor near Tolryme in Bannador.
Great Betrayer: Rulke.
Great Library: Founded at Zile by the Zain in the time of the Empire of Zur.
The library was sacked when the Zain were exiled, but was subsequently
re-established. Its current librarian is Nadiril the Sage.
Great Mountains: The largest and highest belt of mountains on Santhenar,
enclosing the south-eastern part of the continent of Lauralin.
Great Project: A way sought by the Council to banish the Charon from Santh
forever.
Great Tales: The greatest stories from the Histories of Santhenar;
traditionally told at the Festival of Chanthed and on important ceremonial
occasions throughout Santhenar. A tale can become a Great Tale only by the
unanimous decision of the master chroniclers. In four thousand years only
twenty-two Great Tales have ever been made.
Grint: A copper coin of small value.
Gyllias: The Recorder.
Hakasha-ka-najisska: A forbidden potency (mind-blasting spell) developed by
the Aachim against the Charon. Zain carrying the Gift of Rulke are immune to
it.
Hallal: A Faellem woman, longtime rival to Faelamor.
Hana: Maigraith's teacher when she was a child.
Havissard: Yalkara's abandoned stronghold near Tar Gaarn. Faelamor found the
Aachim gold hidden there; also a book which she recognised as deadly to the
Faellem.
Histories, The: The vast collection of records which tell more than four
thousand years of recorded history on Santhenar. The Histories consist of
historical documents written or held by the chroniclers, as well as the tales,
songs, legends and lore of the peoples of Santhenar and the invading peoples
from the other worlds, told by the tellers. The culture of Santhenar is
interwoven with and inseparable from the Histories and the most vital longing
anyone can have is to be mentioned in them.
Hlune: The lanky people who rule the wharf city of Thurkad and control all
ship-borne commerce there.
Huling's Tower: The place where Shuthdar destroyed the golden flute and the
crippled girl was murdered.
Human species: There are four distinct human species: the Aachim of Aachan,
the Faellem of Tallallame, the old humans of Santhenar and the Charon who came
out of the void. All but old humans can be very long-lived. Matings between
the different species rarely produce children (see blending). Hundred, the:
The Charon who survived the taking of
Aachan. Rulke is the greatest of them all. Hythe: Mid-winter's day, the fourth
day of endre, mid-winter week. Hythe is a day of particular ill-omen.
Iagador: The land that lies between the mountains and the Sea of Thurkad.
Idlis: Formerly the least of the Whelm, also a healer and longtime hunter of
Karan and the Mirror. Karan spared his life three times, a debt that must be
repaid. He became Ghashad and served Rulke, though voting against him in the
telling competititon.
Jark-un: The leader of a band of the Whelm, once rival to
Vartila, but now a Ghashad. Unlike others of his kind, he
is short and stout. Jepperand: A province on the western side of the mountains
of Crandor. Home to the Zain; Llian's birthplace. Jevi (Jevander): Lilis's
father, taken by a press-gang seven
years ago.
Kandor: One of the three Charon who came to Santhenar.
He was killed after the end of the Clysm, the only Charon
to die on Santh. Karama Malama: The Sea of Mists, south of the Sea of
Thurkad. Karan: A woman of the house of Fyrn, but with blood of the
Aachim from her father, Galliad, and old human and
Faellem blood from her mother. This makes her triune.
She is also a sensitive and lives at Gothryme.
Lar: An honorific used in Thurkad.
Lasee: A pale-yellow brewed drink, mildly intoxicating, and
ubiquitous in Orist; fermented from the sweet sap of the
sard tree.
Lauralin: The continent east of the Sea of Thurkad. League: About 5000 paces,
three miles or five kilometres. Librarian: Nadiril the Sage. Lightglass: A
device made of crystal and metal that emits
light after being touched. Lilis: A street urchin in Thurkad, rescued by
Tallia and now
apprenticed to Nadiril. Link, linking; also talent of linking: A joining of
minds,
by which thoughts and feelings can be shared, and support
given. Sometimes used for domination. Llian: A Zain from Jepperand. He is a
master chronicler and
a teller. Banished from his college, he fell in with Karan.
He has an insatiable curiosity for the Histories. Lorrsk: An intelligent
creature living in the void, it is
humanoid in shape though massively built. Some are sensitives.
Magister: A mancer and chief of the Council. Mendark has been Magister for a
thousand years, save for a brief period when illegally overthrown by Thyllan.
After the disaster at Katazza he went to Havissard, where he nearly died and
had to renew his body.
Maigraith: An orphan brought up and trained by Faelamor for some unknown
purpose. She is a master of the Secret Art. After the Conclave she led Yggur's
army to war in Bannador. Subsequently Faelamor took control of her again.
Malien: An Aachim; Rael's mother; once consort of Tensor. After Tensor's
rebellion in Katazza she took over leadership of the Aachim.
Mancer: A wizard or sorcerer; someone who is a master of the Secret Art. Also
necromanter.
Master chronicler: One who has mastered the study of the Histories and
graduated with highest honour from the College.
Master of Chanthed: Currently Wistan; the Master of the College of the
Histories is also nominal leader of Chanthed.
Meldorin: The large island that lies to the immediate west of the Sea of
Thurkad and the continent of Lauralin.
Mendark: See Magister.
Mirror of Aachan: A device made by the Aachim in Aachan for seeing things at a
distance. In Santhenar it changed and twisted reality and so the Aachim hid it
away. It also developed a memory, retaining the imprints of things it had
seen. Stolen by Yalkara, the Mirror was used by her to find a warp in the
Forbidding and escape back to Aachan. After the Conclave, Tensor found in it
the secret of making gates. Shand now has it.
Moon: The moon revolves around Santhenar about every thirty days. However one
side (the dark face) is blotched
red and black by volcanic activity, and because the moon rotates on its axis
much more slowly, the dark face is fully turned towards Santh only every
couple of months. This rarely coincides with a full moon, but when it does it
is a time of ill-omen.
Nadiril: The head of the Great Library and a member of the Council.
Nanollet: A small musical instrument that every Faellem child learns how to
play. Made of wood and metal, it has a complexity of sounding boards and
resonating chambers.
Narne: A town and port at the navigable extremity of the Garr.
Nazhak tel Mardux. A book of Aachim tales that Llian committed to memory in
Shazmak. Also called Tales of the Aachim.
Nightland: A place, distant from the world of reality, wherein Rulke was kept
prisoner. In Katazza, Tensor made a gate into the Nightland to drag Rulke
forth and revenge himself upon him, but only succeeded in letting Rulke out.
Nilkerrand: A fortified city across the sea from Thurkad.
Old human: The original human species on Santhenar and
by far the most numerous. Osseion: The captain of Mendark's guard, a huge dark
man.
Pender: A masterly sailor who carried Karan and Llian from Narne to Sith, and
later to Thurkad. After the Conclave he helped Karan and Shand to escape from
Thurkad, and was subsequently hired by Mendark.
Perion, Empire of: Kandor's empire, which collapsed after the Sea of Perion
dried up.
Pitlis: A great Aachim of the distant past, whose folly betrayed the great
city of Tar Gaarn to Rulke and broke the power of the Aachim. The architect
who designed Tar Gaarn and Alcifer, he was slain by Rulke.
Portal: See gate.
Potency: An all-powerful, mind-breaking spell developed by the Aachim as a
weapon against the Charon, but effective against all but those Zain who bear
the Gift of Rulke.
Proscribed Experiments: Sorcerous procedures designed to find a flaw in the
Forbidding which could be used to banish Rulke forever. Hazardous because of
the risk of Rulke taking control of the experimenter.
Rachis: Karan's steward at Gothryme Manor.
Rael: An Aachim, half-cousin to Karan, son of Malien and Tensor. He was
drowned helping Karan to escape from Shazmak.
Recorder: The person who set down the tales of the four great battles of
Faelamor and Yalkara, among many other tales. He is thought to have taken the
Mirror (after Yalkara finally defeated Faelamor and fled Santh) and hidden it
against some future need. His name was Gyllias.
Renderer's Tablet: A semi-mythical key to the secret script of the Charon.
Rula: The Magister before Mendark. She was regarded as the greatest of all.
Rulke: A Charon of Aachan. He enticed Shuthdar to Aachan to make the golden
flute, and so began all the troubles. After the Clysm he was imprisoned in the
Nightland until a way could be found to banish him back to Aachan. When Tensor
opened a gate into the Nightland Rulke escaped, later occupying Shazmak and
Carcharon.
Santhenar, Santh: The least of the Three Worlds, home of the old human
peoples.
Sea of Thurkad: The long sea that divides Meldorin from the continent of
Lauralin.
Secret Art: The use of magical or sorcerous powers (mancing). An art that very
few can use and then only after extensive training. Notable mancers include
Mendark, Yggur, Mai-graith, Rulke, Tensor and Faelamor, though each has quite
different strengths and weaknesses. Tallia has considerable
skill but as yet insufficient training. Sending: A message, thoughts or
feelings sent from one
mind to another.
Sentinels: Devices that keep watch and sound an alarm. Shalah: A young Aachim
woman, twin to Xarah. Shand: An old man who works at the inn at Tullin and is
more than he seems. A friend of Karan's late father, Shand
rescued Karan from the Conclave, smuggled her out of
Thurkad and accompanied her on a trek all the way to
Katazza in the middle of the Dry Sea. Shazmak: The forgotten city of the
Aachim, in the mountains
west of Bannador. It was captured by the Ghashad, after
they were woken from their long years as Whelm. Shuthdar: An old human of
Santhenar, the maker of the
golden flute. After he destroyed the flute and himself,
the Forbidding came down, closing the Way between the
Worlds. Sith: A free city and trading nation built on an island in the
River Garr, in southern Iagador. Span: The distance spanned by the stretched
arms of a tall
man. About six feet, or slightly less than two metres. Stassor: A city of the
Aachim, in eastern Lauralin.
Tale of the Forbidding: Greatest of the Great Tales, it tells of the final
destruction of the flute by Shuthdar more than three thousand years ago, and
how the Forbidding sealed Santhenar off from the other two worlds.
Talent: A native skill or gift, usually honed by extensive training.
Tales of the Aachim: An ancient summary history of the Aachim, the Nazhak tel
Mardux, prepared soon after the founding of Shazmak. Llian read and memorised
it in Shazmak so he could translate it later.
Tallallame: One of the Three Worlds, the home of the Faellem. A beautiful,
mountainous world covered in forest.
Tallia bel Soon: Mendark's chief lieutenant. She is a mancer
and a master of combat with and without weapons. Tallia
comes from Crandor. Tar: A silver coin widely used in Meldorin. Enough to keep
a family for several weeks. Tar Gaarn: Principal city of the Aachim in the
time of the
Clysm; it was sacked by Rulke. Tell: A gold coin to the value of twenty silver
tars. Teller: One who has mastered the ritual telling of the tales
that form part of the Histories of Santhenar. Telling Competition: In
Carcharon, Llian challenged Rulke
to a telling. Llian won but was accused of cheating and
thrown out of Carcharon. Tensor: The leader of the Aachim. He saw it as his
destiny
to restore the Aachim and finally take their revenge on
Rulke, who betrayed and ruined them. He is proud to the
point of folly. Thandiwe: A student at the College in Chanthed and friend
of Llian: Thranx: A massive winged humanoid creature out of the
void. Highly intelligent and able to use the Secret Art. Three Worlds:
Santhenar, Aachan and Tallallame. Thurkad: An ancient, populous city on the
River Saboth and
the Sea of Thurkad, known for its wealth and corruption.
Seat of the Council and the Magister. Yggur's First Army
is now based there. Thyllan: Warlord of Iagador and member of the Council. He
intrigued against Mendark but was subsequently humiliated by Maigraith in
single combat. Tirthrax: The principal city of the Aachim, in the Great
Mountains. Tolryme: A town in northern Bannador, close to Karan's
family seat, Gothryme. Torgsted: One of Mendark's guard. A cheerful, reliable
fellow
now returned from spying on Thyllan. Triune: A double blending - one with the
blood of all Three
Worlds, three different human species. They are extremely rare and almost
always infertile. They may have remarkable abilities. Karan is one.
Tullin: A tiny village in the mountains south of Chanthed. Shand lives there.
Twisted Mirror: The Mirror of Aachan, made in Aachan and given to Tensor, who
smuggled it with him to Santhenar. Like all objects taken between the worlds,
it changed and became treacherous. So called because it does not always show
true.
Vanhe: Formerly one of Yggur's mid-ranking officers, he was
forced to take command after all of Yggur's generals were
killed. Later, after returning from Katazza to find Maigraith
gone, Yggur broke Vahne to private. Vartila: The leader of a band of the
Whelm. She remained
Whelm and served Yggur after most of her people reverted
to Ghashad. Voice: The ability of great tellers to move their audience to
any emotion they choose by the sheer power of their
words. Void, the: The spacesbetween the Three Worlds. A Darwinian
place where life is more brutal and fleeting than anywhere.
The void teems with the most exotic life imaginable, for
nothing survives there without remaking itself constantly. Void-leech: An
amorphous creature. Vuula Fyrn: Karan's mother, a lyrist. She committed
suicide
soon after Karan's father, Galliad, was killed.