Rebel Elements (Seals of the Duelists) (48 page)

Marco:
a false name adopted by Caspar voorde Helderaard during his years in Karkhedon

Marilag:
Lady Caolan’s efficient assistant

Master Duelist:
the highest rank a duelist may achieve, though it happens so rarely that those who achieve this rank reach near-mythical status. No one is sure of the full range of abilities a Master Duelist gains, but the test for Master Duelist requires the ability to cast magic and summon avatars without using the sacred motions, and the ability to perform the actions of six Hexmagic students at once

Mindo:
Bayan’s only brother, aged seven

Mitlik:
a castrated prince of Aklaa, brother to Qisuk, cousin to Savitu and Qivinga

Muckling:
insulting term for a person from Balanganam

Muggenhem:
a resort town for the Waarden nobility. The only town of note along the narrow strip of coastline Helderaard has along the Gyre. Due to the winter storm season, most families only visit Muggenhem during the summer months, despite owning permanent residences there

Newnik:
general term for Academy trainees, who haven’t learned to cast magic or been assigned to hexes yet

Nic:
one of Philo’s assistants and guards, often driving Philo’s carriage

Nine Empires, the:
the nine iterations of imperial Waarden rule, spanning more than two millennia

North Keenaght:
the district of Renallen that supports the duel den where Calder was brought for healing

Nunaa:
a Raqtaaq realm on the eastern border of the Waarden Empire, conquered some twenty years past

Odjin:
see Diogenes Essendorp

Okatin:
a business manager in the employ of Lord Eshkin, at his Wisnuk Bay estate

Pangusay:
Bayan’s home town, located on the Mambajao River at the southern tip of Balanganam

Peace Village:
a village that shares the top of the mountain with the Duelist Academy. The Academy’s support staff live there, as do dozens of non-duelist students. It receives mail packets separately from the campus and has its own mayor

Philo Sallas:
a plump gourmand and eunuch of the Third Class who enjoys feminine wigs and flashy accoutrements. Philo works in the employ of the emperor, surveying his newly-gained territory in Balanganam, mapping roads and terrain for improvement and taxation

Pim Aalthoven:
the Academy’s Wood Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist

Pinamuyoc:
a realm populated by Bantayan people to the north of Balanganam, it has been a province of the Waarden Empire for three centuries

Plum:
derogatory name for an Aklaa pretending to be Waarden. Dark on the outside, with a pale white heart

Potion:
A liquid concoction created by a potioneer, or apothecary. All potions affect the emotional state of the drinker, a temporary effect lasting less than a day

Potioneer:
a failed duelist of any rank (or none), whose magic has been stripped away. Potioneers wash out of the Academy for various reasons, including permanent physical injury—rendering them incapable of performing spell motions—mental strain, or emotional imbalance—such as falling in love and becoming incapable of achieving the void. They are generally dismissed as weak or incompetent, since they were unable to handle the stresses of the vaunted duelist training. Potioneers are monitored regularly by the empire, as they were when they were duelists or students, and they are not allowed to travel without permission. The only job the empire lets them perform is making potions with secret recipes.

Qisuk:
a castrated prince of Aklaa, brother to Mitlik, cousin to Savitu and Qivinga

Qivinga (Tammaba) vooren Zeegat:
the Last Starflower, and the Lost Starflower, Qivinga is Savitu’s sister and princess of Aklaa. Emperor Hedrick married her off to a sterile man deep within the empire, to prevent her from bearing rebel sons

Raqtaaq:
a proud and independent culture, spread across two realms: Aklaa and Nunaa. Its people are characterized by dark copper skin, willowy height, and thick, curly black hair, as well as fierce pride and an unwillingness to bend to another’s will. Disparaged by their conquerors, the Raqtaaq are often called Ragtag.

Raqtaaq Wars:
a series of violent clashes along the border between the Raqtaaq lands and the empire proper, from 1988 IC to 1992 IC. Emperor Hedrick, sensing distant movement among the lands of the Corona to the east, wished to acquire a buffer between that empire and his own. The Raqtaaq did not care for Hedrick’s plan and fought back viciously, but were ultimately defeated

Renallen:
an old, walled city in Gherabellen, large enough to support more than one duel den

Revocation:
a combination of sacred motions that close the duelist off from their magic, usually performed after a duel or a stint of practice in an Academy arena. During a trainee’s first semester on campus, it is performed only once, at the end of every day

Rina:
a cute Waarden Meditation Instructor with curly brown hair

Saaniq:
an indentured man in Qivinga’s service

Sacred motions:
elemental spells are created by combining six different motions in various combinations. Each motion summons a different element.

Sanakit:
an old farmhand on Bayan’s family farm

Sand Guides:
a group of hardy, clever men who memorize and mark the changing, deadly sands at the broad mouth of the Mambajao for the purpose of safely guiding travelers from Pangusay to the far bank

Savantism:
having the qualities of a Duelist Savant

Savitu Tammaba:
a castrated prince of Aklaa, son of the Voice of Tilaa and brother to Qivinga, the Lost Starflower

Seals:
three seals represent the three ranks of duelist. The first seal, for Elemental Duelists, is carved on the cliff above the Hall of Seals and set in a colorful mosaic outside its doors, as well as hanging on the wall within the hall. This symbol is generally accepted as the logo of the Academy, and of duelists in general. It is comprised of six narrow teardrops in six colors, representing the six elemental magics, surrounded by black and ringed in gold. Duelists receive the seal tattooed on their left hands once they pass their Elemental exams. The second seal, for Avatar Duelists, is a starburst in six colors against a field of black, and is tattooed on duelists’ right hands once they pass their Avatar exams. The third seal on the wall in the Hall of Seals is blank, a plain gray circle of iron. Whenever a Hexmagic Duelist enters the room, they are free to animate an image on the iron sheet as a sign of their ability. No tattoo is given for the rank of Hexmagic Duelist; such lucky students are expected to choose their own tattoo and reveal it upon their skin at will. There is no seal for Master Duelist, as the position is so rarely achieved, and any such duelist would have no need of tattoos to prove their ability.

Sebastiaan voorde Helderaard:
older son of Emperor Jaap and heir to the Second Waarden Empire

Second:
the second class of eunuchs, comprised of childless sons of rebellious men. After their fathers are executed, these sons are castrated and retrained to serve the Waarden Empire with a lifetime of penance for their sires’ misdeeds

Second Tuathi War:
1530-1580 IC, during which the Tuathi drove hard into the Dunfarroghan provinces and sacked both the Duelist Academy and Akkeraad itself, forcing the emperor to flee for his life. The Waarden finally won the war by allying with the Shawnash and reconstructing the Duelist Academy in its current location, replacing their lost duelists with new Shawnash recruits

Seerwine:
a rare and much-desired drink among the imperials who can afford it. It is made from the sap of the seerwine pitcher plant, which grows only in the tropical forests of Balanganam. Raw seerwine sap is hallucinogenic in small doses and fatal in larger amounts

Shadow Canyons:
a rough, hilly area at the southern end of the Shawnash’kote peninsula

Shawnash:
term describing a person from the Shawnash’kote realms, Kemada, Wasemya and Byanneken

Shawnash’kote:
a culture spread across three realms: Kemada, Wasemya, and Byanneken. Known for their coppery skin, height, and smooth black hair, as well as their patience and thoughtfulness, the Shawnash people are considered by the Waarden—and thus by all other cultures—as their only equals

Sigil flag:
a small, square flag on a short pole, bearing a unique symbol or design chosen by a duelist upon achieving the rank of Elemental Duelist. They are borne into the dueling arena and jammed into the sand, or borne into battle flying from one’s back, as a means of identifying individual duelists. Should a duelist earn one or more battle pennants, they are attached to the stave directly above the flag

Silyik:
one of Qivinga’s indentured handmaids

Singer:
one who possesses song magic. Most singers dwell at the Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies or one of its outposts, one of which produces sung wine for the emperor’s cellars.

Sints:
local gods, possessing the ability to perform small miracles in exchange for token gifts or tasks. Having the appearance of light, they do not communicate with words, only through actions and effects, sometimes making it difficult for their supplicants to understand their intent

Sint Baan’s Day:
an early summer holiday on the Waarden calendar

Sint Esme:
one of the sints who abide near the Academy campus. She likes gifts of flowers, especially honeysuckle

Sint Staas:
one of the sints who abide near the Academy campus. Headmaster Langlaren consults him regarding the arrangement of hexes

Skill duel:
a duel meant to display ability rather than determine whether a client is in the right or not. Often, duelists will modify the standard dueling rules to limit danger or to highlight a certain set of spells when they agree to a skill duel

Skycaller:
A Balanganese spellcaster who lives isolated on a mountain and uses magic to tame dangerous weather or other natural phenomena

Solitary:
a small gazebo-like structure built on a natural promontory, away from the Academy campus, where a disobedient or troubled student may be sent to meditate without distraction upon the Void. Over a dozen dot the rocky outcrops around the Academy

Starflower:
popular name among the Aklaa for the oldest princess in the Aklaa royal family, and recipient of her people’s courtly love

Steel:
a forbidden metal within the borders of the Waarden Empire

Steelwielders:
Akrestan separatists who began the War of Steel, bringing a terrible new metal to bear against the empire’s duelists

Strider:
a mythical rock-man of northern Balanganam, and Bayan’s first Earth avatar

Taban Solahan:
a snarky, arrogant Dunfarroghan and a member of Braam’s hex

Takozen:
the Academy’s Flame Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist

Talent Tournament:
a three-day event allowing freshly ranked Elemental Duelists to exhibit their skills during duels. The students leave campus and duel each other in a duel den picked by the Duelism Office at the Kheerzaal. Talent Tournaments make for great entertainment, drawing crowds from nearby towns and villages, many of which have their own duel den, thus increasing a duelist’s likelihood of receiving a bid for assignment if he or she performs well. Many Elemental Duelists never advance to the next rank, so this showing of talent is their only opportunity to influence citizens to bid for the duelists’ placement. Duelists who reach the rank of Avatar Duelist get to attend another Talent Tournament, after which the bidding on duelists is significantly more cutthroat due to their larger skill set

Tallacht:
capital of the Western Empire, sacked in 1539 IC, now historical ruins

Tammay:
one of Bayan’s field workers

Tarin Hajellis:
a passionate girl, part Akrestoi, part Dunfarroghan, with rare red hair, who joins Bayan’s hex

Tegen:
term for the recipient of magical attacks during training workouts. Duelists are each other’s tegen

Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies:
the enclave of the reclusive Singers, in the mountains of Pallithea

Teos:
a duelist at the Muggenhem duel den

Teresseren Unification Day:
an Waarden holiday in early summer, marking the day in 1710 IC that Pinamuyoc came under imperial rule for the first time, creating the sea power that was the Teresseren Empire

Theo Willemsen:
Head Chanter at the Academy Chantery. Called Doc Theo by his patients and friends, he’s traveled the length and breadth of the empire during his long service as a chanter, spending time in Bayan’s homeland of Balanganam as well as serving at the front during the Raqtaaq Wars