Abban am’Haman am’Kaji: Wealthy khaffit merchant, friend to both Jardir and Arlen, crippled during his warrior training.
Acha: Exclamation meaning “Heads up!”
Ahmanjah: Book Jardir is penning about his life. It will be to him what the Evejah was to Kaji.
Ahmann asu Hoshkamin am’Jardir am’Kaji: Ahmann, son of Hoshkamin, of the line of Jardir, of the tribe Kaji. See also: Shar’Dama Ka.
Ajin’pal (“blood brother”): Name for the bond that forms on a boy’s first night fighting in the Maze, when he is tethered to a dal’Sharum warrior to keep him from running when the demons first come at them. An ajin’pal is considered a blood relative thereafter.
Ala: The perfect world created by Everam.
Alagai: The Krasian word for corelings (demons). Direct translation is “Plague of Ala.”
Alagai hora: Demon bones used by dama’ting to create magic items, such as the warded dice they use to tell the future. Alagai hora burst into flame if exposed to sunlight.
Alagai Ka: Ancient Krasian name for the consort to Alagai’ting Ka, the Mother of Demons. Alagai Ka and his sons were said to be the most powerful of the demon lords, generals, and captains of Nie’s forces.
Alagai’sharak: Holy War against demonkind.
Alagai Tail: A whip consisting of three strips of braided leather ending in sharp barbs meant to cut deeply into a victim’s flesh. Used by dama as an instrument of punishment.
Alagai’ting Ka: The Mother of All Demons, the demon queen of Krasian myth.
Aleverak, Damaji: Leader of the Majah tribe in Krasia.
Amadeveram, Damaji: Leader of the Kaji tribe in Krasia before Jardir comes to power.
Amanvah: Jardir’s second daughter by Inevera, Amanvah is dama’ting in her own right. Offered to Rojer as a bride along with her cousin Sikvah.
Amkaji: Krevakh Watcher assigned to Jardir’s unit as kai’Sharum.
Andrah: Krasian secular and religious dictator.
Anjha: One of the lesser tribes of Krasia.
Anoch Sun: Lost city that was once the seat of power for Kaji, the Shar’Dama Ka. It is believed to have been claimed by the sands; no one has seen or heard of the city in centuries. People and artifacts called Sunian.
Ashan, Damaji: Son of Dama Khevat and closest friend of Jardir’s during his training in Sharik Hora, Ashan is leader of the Kaji tribe and part of Jardir’s inner circle. Married to Jardir’s eldest sister, Imisandre.
Asome, Dama: Jardir’s second son by Inevera.
Asu: Son, or “son of.” Used as a prefix in formal names, as in Ahmann asu Hoshkamin am’Jardir am’Kaji.
Asukaji, Dama: Ashan’s eldest son by Jardir’s sister Imisandre. Literally “son of Kaji.”
Baha kad’Everam: Extinct Krasian khaffit village whose name translates as “Bowl of Everam.” The village was renowned for its pottery, but its people vanished in 306 AR. Inhabitants were known as Bahavans.
Bazaar, Great: The largest merchant area in Krasia, located right inside the main gates. It is run entirely by women and khaffit.
Belina: Jardir’s dama’ting wife from the Majah tribe.
Bido: Loincloth, most commonly the white nie’Sharum cloth boys are given after they are taken from their mothers and stripped of their tans.
Chin: Outsider/infidel. This word is also considered an insult, meaning that a person is a coward.
Coliv: Krevakh Watcher assigned to Jardir’s unit as kai’Sharum.
Couzi: A harsh, illegal Krasian liquor flavored with cinnamon. Because of its potency, it is served in tiny cups meant to be taken in one swallow.
Dal: Prefix meaning “honored.”
Dal’Sharum: The Krasian warrior caste, which includes eighty-five percent of the men. Dal’Sharum are broken into tribes controlled by the Damaji, and smaller units answerable to a dama and a kai’Sharum. Dal’Sharum dress in black robes with a black turban and night veil. All are trained in hand-to-hand combat (sharusahk), as well as spear fighting and shield formations.
Dal’ting: Fertile married women, or older women who have given birth.
Dama: A Krasian Holy Man. Dama are both religious and secular leaders. They wear white robes and carry no weapons. All dama are masters of sharusahk, the Krasian hand-to-hand martial art.
Damajah: Singular title for the first wife of the Shar’Dama Ka.
Damaji: The twelve Damaji are the religious and secular leaders of their individual tribes, and serve the Andrah as ministers and advisors.
Damaji’ting: The tribal leaders of the dama’ting, and the most powerful women in Krasia.
Dama’ting: Krasian Holy Women who also serve as healers and midwives. Dama’ting hold the secrets of hora magic, including the power to foretell the future, and are held in fear and awe. Harming a dama’ting in any way is punishable by death.
Daylight War, the: Also known as Sharak Sun. Ancient war during which Kaji conquered the known world, uniting them for Sharak Ka.
Desert Spear, the: The Krasians’ term for their city. Known in the north as Fort Krasia.
Dravazi, Master: Famous khaffit potter from Baha kad’Everam. When inhabitants of Baha vanished in 306 AR, his already expensive pottery became priceless.
Drillmasters: Elite warriors who train nie’Sharum. Drillmasters wear standard dal’Sharum blacks, but their night veils are red.
Dune: The Evejah is separated into sections known as Dunes.
Enkaji: Damaji of the powerful Mehnding tribe.
Esam: Nie’Sharum who challenges Jurim in the gruel line and is defeated. Later becomes one of Jardir’s elite dal’Sharum, the Spears of the Deliverer.
Evakh: Kai’Sharum of the Sharach tribe.
Evejah, the: The holy book of Everam, written by Kaji, the first Deliverer, some thirty-five hundred years past. The Evejah is separated into sections called Dunes. Each dama pens a copy of the Evejah in his own blood during his clerical training.
Evejan: Name of the Krasian religion, “those who follow the Evejah.”
Evejan Law: The militant religious law the Krasians impose on chin, meant to force nonbelievers to follow the Evejah under threat rather than belief.
Everal, Dama: Eldest son of the Andrah, killed when Jardir comes to power.
Everalia: Jardir’s third Kaji wife.
Everam: The Creator.
Everam’s Bounty: After Fort Rizon was taken with its vast farmland in 333 AR, the city-state was renamed Everam’s Bounty to honor the Creator. It is the Krasian foothold in the green lands.
Gai: Plague.
Greenlander: One from the green lands.
Green lands: Krasian name for Thesa (the lands north of the Krasian desert).
Halvan, Dama: Friend of Jardir and Ashan during Jardir’s training in Sharik Hora. Halvan is advisor to Damaji Ashan.
Hannu Pash: Literally “life’s path,” this represents the period of a boy’s life after he has been taken from his mother but before his caste (dal’Sharum, dama, or khaffit) is set. It is a period of intense and brutal physical training, along with religious indoctrination.
Hanya: Jardir’s youngest sister, four years younger than he. Married to Hasik, mother to Sikvah.
Hasik: Nie’Sharum boy who insults and bullies Jardir. Called Whistler because his missing tooth causes his s’s to whistle. Later becomes one of the Spears of the Deliverer and Jardir’s bodyguard.
Horn of Sharak: Ceremonial horn blown to begin and end alagai’sharak.
Hoshkamin Jardir: Father of Ahmann Jardir; deceased.
Hoshvah: Jardir’s middle sister, three years younger than he. Married to Shanjat.
Ichach, Damaji: Leader of the Khanjin tribe. Kicked out of the Palace of Mirrors in Rizon/Everam’s Bounty in favor of Leesha.
Imisandre: Jardir’s eldest sister, one year younger than he. Married to Ashan. Mother of Asukaji.
Inevera: (1) Jardir’s powerful dama’ting first wife. Kaji tribe. Also known as the Damajah. (2) Krasian word meaning “Everam’s will,” or “Everam willing.”
Jama: Lesser Krasian tribe. Enemies of the Khanjin.
Jardir: The seventh son of Kaji, the Deliverer. Once a great house, the line of Jardir lasted more than three thousand years, slowly dwindling in number and glory until its last son, Ahmann Jardir, restored the line to glory.
Jayan: Jardir’s first Sharum son by Inevera. Later appointed Sharum Ka.
Jesan: An older Kaji warrior, in his forties when Jardir is a nie’Sharum.
Jiwah: Wife.
Jiwah Ka: First wife. The Jiwah Ka is the first and most honored of a Krasian man’s wives. She has veto power over subsequent marriages, and can command the lesser wives.
Jiwah Sen: Lesser wives, subservient to a man’s Jiwah Ka.
Jiwah’Sharum: Literally “wives of warriors,” these are women purchased for the great harem of the Sharum during their fertile years. It is considered a great honor to serve. All warriors have access to their tribe’s jiwah’Sharum, and are expected to keep them continually pregnant, adding warriors to the tribe.
Jurim: Dal’Sharum who trained with Jardir. Kaji tribe. Later one of the Spears of the Deliverer.
Kad’: Prefix meaning “of.”
Kai’Sharum: Krasian military captains, the kai’Sharum receive special training in Sharik Hora and lead individual units in alagai’sharak. The number of kai’Sharum in a tribe depends on its number of warriors. Some tribes have many, some just one. Kai’Sharum wear dal’Sharum blacks, but their night veils are white.
Kaji: The name of the original Deliverer and patriarch of the Kaji tribe, also known as Shar’Dama Ka, the Spear of Everam, and various other titles. Kaji united the known world in war against demons some thirty-five hundred years past. His seat of power was the lost city of Anoch Sun, but he also founded Fort Krasia.
Kaji had three artifacts for which he was famous: (1) The Spear of Kaji—the metal spear he used to slay alagai by the thousand. (2) The Crown of Kaji—bejeweled and molded in the shape of powerful wards. (3) The Robe of Kaji—a robe that made him invisible to demons, so he could walk freely in the night.
Kaji’sharaj: Training barracks for boys of the Kaji tribe.
Kajivah Jardir: Mother of Ahmann Jardir and his three sisters, Imisandre, Hoshvah, and Hanya. Widow of Hoshkamin Jardir. Once considered cursed for bearing three daughters in a row.
Kaval, Drillmaster: Gavram asu Chenin am’Kaval am’Kaji. Kaji tribe. One of Jardir’s dal’Sharum instructors during his Hannu Pash.
Kevera, Damaji: Damaji of the Sharach tribe.
Khaffit: A man who takes up a craft instead of becoming a Holy Man or warrior. Lowest male station in Krasian society. Expelled from Hannu Pash, khaffit are forced to dress in the tan clothes of children and shave their cheeks as a sign that they are not men.
Khaffit’sharaj: Training camps set up by each tribe for the kha’Sharum. They become ghettos for khaffit and their women in general, but still represent a better life than many khaffit had before.
Khanjin: Lesser Krasian tribe. Enemies of the Jama.
Kha’Sharum: Able-bodied khaffit Jardir has made into low-skill infantry. Kha’Sharum wear tan robes, turbans, and night veils to show their khaffit status.
Khevat, Dama: Kaji dama who trains Jardir in his youth. Father of Ashan.
Lonely road: Krasian term for death. Each warrior must walk the lonely road to Heaven, with temptations on the path to test their spirit and ensure only the worthy make it to stand before Everam to be judged. Spirits who venture off the path are lost.
Loremaster: Dama who have dedicated themselves to the study of ancient texts. Researchers and career academicians, they stay out of politics for the most part, teaching nie’dama their basic lessons.
Maji: Jardir’s second Majah son, a nie’dama who will have to fight Aleverak’s heir for the Majah Damaji throne.
Manik: Dal’Sharum who insults Jardir on his first night in the Maze.
Mehnding tribe: The largest and most powerful tribe after the Majah, the Mehnding devote themselves wholly to the art of ranged weapons. They build the catapults, slings, and scorpions used in sharak, quarry and haul the stones for ammunition, make the scorpion bolts, etc.
Moshkama: Dal’Sharum crippled during Jardir’s first alagai’sharak, who asks Jardir to kill him so he may die with honor rather than live as a cripple.
Nie: (1) The name of the Uncreator, feminine opposite to Everam, and the goddess of night and demonkind. (2) Nothing, none, void, no, not. (3) The lowest rank in Krasian society.
Nie’dama: Nie’Sharum selected for dama training.
Nie’dama’ting: Krasian girl who is in dama’ting training but is too young to take her veil. Nie’dama’ting are given great respect by men and women alike, unlike nie’Sharum, who are less than khaffit until they complete the Hannu Pash.
Nie Ka: Literally “First of None,” a term for the head boy of a nie’Sharum class, who commands the other boys as lieutenant to the dal’Sharum drillmasters.
Nie’s Abyss: Also known as the Core. The seven-layered underworld where alagai hide from the sun. Each layer is populated with a different breed of demon.
Nie’Sharum: Literally “not warriors,” name for boys who have gone to the training grounds to be judged and set on the path to dal’Sharum, dama, or khaffit.
Nie’ting: Barren women.
Night veil: Veil worn by dal’Sharum during alagai’sharak to hide their identities, showing that all men are equal allies in the night.
Omara: Abban’s widowed Kaji mother, considered cursed for bearing several daughters in a row, until the birth of Abban, her youngest.
Oot: Dal’Sharum signal for “beware” or “demon approaching.”
Par’chin: “Brave outsider”; singular title for Arlen Bales.
Pig-eater: Krasian insult meaning khaffit. Only khaffit eat pig, as it is considered unclean.
Push’ting: Literally “false woman,” Krasian insult for homosexual men who shun women altogether. Homosexuality is tolerated in Krasia only so long as the men also impregnate women and add to their tribe.
Qasha: Jardir’s Sharach dama’ting wife.
Qavan, Dama: Mehnding dama who tries to assassinate Jardir.
Qeran, Drillmaster: One of Jardir’s Kaji dal’Sharum instructors during his Hannu Pash.
Rajin, Dama: Mehnding Dama who burns Rizonan granaries, causing Jardir to tear the white robe from him and cast him down as a khaffit.
Restavi: One of the Spears of the Deliverer. Injured in battle at Everam’s Bounty and healed by Leesha.
Savas: Jardir’s Mehnding dama son.
Scorpion: A Krasian ballista; the scorpion is a giant crossbow using springs instead of a bowstring. It shoots thick spears with heavy heads (stingers) and can kill sand and wind demons outright at a thousand feet, even without wards.
Shamavah: Abban’s Jiwah Ka. She speaks fluent Thesan and is assigned to care for Leesha and her escort in Everam’s Bounty.
Shanjat: Kaji dal’Sharum who trained with Jardir. Leader of the Spears of the Deliverer and wed to Jardir’s middle sister, Hoshvah.
Shannah vah Krevakh: Kaji’s fifteenth wife. It is said her father stole shadows to make her hair, and from her womb came the first Watchers.
Sharach: The smallest tribe in Krasia, with less than two dozen warriors at one point, they were rescued from extinction by Jardir.
Sharaj: Barrack for young boys in Hannu Pash, much like a military boarding school. The sharaj are located around the training grounds, and there is one for each tribe. The name of the tribe is a prefix, followed by an apostrophe, so the sharaj for the Kaji tribe is known as the Kaji’sharaj. Plural is sharaji.
Sharak Ka: Literally “the First War,” the great war against demonkind the Deliverer will begin upon completion of Sharak Sun.
Sharak Sun: Literally “the Daylight War,” during which Kaji conquered the known world, uniting it in Sharak Ka. It is believed that Jardir must do the same if he is to win Sharak Ka.
Shar’Dama Ka: Literally “First Warrior Cleric,” this is the Krasian term for the Deliverer, who will come to free mankind from the alagai.
Sharik Hora: Literally “Heroes’ Bones,” the name for the great temple in Krasia made out of the bones of fallen warriors. Having one’s bones lacquered and added to the temple is the highest honor a warrior can attain.
Sharukin: Literally “warrior poses,” practiced series of movements for sharusahk.
Sharum: Warrior. The Sharum dress in robes often inlaid with fired clay plates as armor.
Sharum Ka: Literally “First Warrior,” a title in Krasia for the secular leader of alagai’sharak. The Sharum Ka is appointed by the Andrah, and the kai’Sharum of all tribes answer to him and him only from dusk until dawn. The Sharum Ka has his own palace and sits on the Spear Throne. He wears dal’Sharum blacks, but his turban and night veil are white.
Sharum’ting: Female warrior. Wonda Cutter is the first recognized by Evejans.
Sharusahk: The Krasian art of unarmed combat. There are various schools of sharusahk depending on caste and tribe, but all consist of brutal, efficient moves designed to stun, cripple, and kill.
Shevali, Dama: Friend of Jardir and Ashan during Jardir’s training in Sharik Hora, Shevali is advisor to Damaji Ashan.
Sikvah: Hasik’s daughter by Jardir’s sister Hanya, and Amanvah’s personal servant. Offered to Rojer as a second bride.
Spears of the Deliverer: The elite personal bodyguard to Ahmann Jardir, made up mostly of the Sharum from his old Maze unit.
Spear Throne: The throne of the Sharum Ka, made from the spears of previous Sharum Kas.
Stinger: The ammunition for the scorpion ballistae. Stingers are giant spears with heavy iron heads than can punch through sand demon armor on a parabolic shot.
Sunian: Artifacts from the city of Anoch Sun. Also the name of its people.
Thalaja: Jardir’s second Kaji wife.
Ting: Suffix meaning “woman.”
Tribes: Anjha, Bajin, Jama, Kaji, Khanjin, Majah, Sharach, Krevakh, Nanji, Shunjin, Mehnding, Halvas. The prefix “am’ ” is used to denote both family and tribe, as in Ahmann asu Hoshkamin am’Jardir am’Kaji.
Umshala: One of Jardir’s dama’ting wives.
Undercity: Huge honeycomb of warded caverns beneath Fort Krasia where women, children, and khaffit are locked at night to keep them safe from corelings while the men fight.
Vah: Literally “daughter” or “daughter of.” Used as a suffix when a girl is named after her mother or father, as in Amanvah, or as a prefix in a full name, as in Amanvah vah Ahmann am’Jardir am’Kaji.
Waning: Three-day monthly religious observance for Evejans occurring on the days before, after, and of the new moon. Attendance at Sharik Hora is mandatory, and families spend the days together, even pulling sons out of sharaj. Demons are supposedly stronger these nights, when it is said Alagai Ka walks the surface.
Watchers: Watchers are the dal’Sharum of the Krevakh and Nanji tribes. They are trained in special weapons and tactics, and serve as scouts, spies, and assassins. In alagai’sharak, they report on demon positions in the Maze to the Sharum Ka and their kai’Sharum. Each Watcher carries an iron-shod ladder about twelve feet long and a short stabbing spear. The ladders are light, flexible, and strong. They have interconnecting ends (male/top, female/bottom), and so many ladders can be joined together. Watchers are so proficient they can run straight up a ladder without bracing it and balance at the top.