merlon: one of the solid stone pieces between the crenels (notches) of a crenelated wall.
Midwinter Festival: a seven-day holiday centering around the longest night of the year and the sun"s rebirth afterward. It is the beginning of the new year. Gifts are exchanged and feasts held.
Mithros: the chief G.o.d in the Tortallan pantheon, G.o.d of war and the law; his symbol is the sun.
naginata: the Yamani term for the glaive used by Kel.
obi: a wide, stiff sash or band that secures a kimono around the waist. Yamanis wear ornaments on obis and tuck items such as fans into them.
ogre: an immortal with aqua-colored skin, shaped like a human, from ten to twelve feet in height.
Olorun River: its main sources are Lake Naxen and Lake Tirragen in the eastern part of Tortall; it flows through the capital, Corus, and into the Emerald Ocean at Port Caynn.
pauldron: a piece of armor that protects the shoulder.
pole arm: any weapon consisting of a long wooden staff or pole capped by a sharp blade of some kind, including spears, glaives, and pikes.
poleyn: a curved piece of armor that protects the knee.
Queen"s ladies: term used to refer to fifteen or so young, active women of n.o.ble birth who can ride and use a bow as well as dance and converse with all manner of people. Queen Thayet takes them to small, isolated fiefs or to meetings when there is a possibility of danger. They handle emergencies that may arise.
Queen"s Riders: a cavalry/police group charged with protecting Tortallans who live in hard-to-reach parts of the country. They enforce the law and teach local residents to defend themselves. The basic unit is a Rider Group, with eight to nine members. Rank in a Group is simply that of commander and second-in-command; the head of the Riders is the Commander. They accept both women and men in their ranks, unlike the army, the navy, and the King"s Own. Their headquarters lies between the palace and the Royal Forest. Buriram Tourakom is now the Commander; Queen Thayet was the Commander but has since pa.s.sed the t.i.tle to Buri.
quintain: a dummy with a shield mounted on a post. One outstretched "arm" is weighted with a sandbag, while the other is covered by the shield. The object in tilting at a quintain is to strike the shield precisely, causing the dummy to pivot 180 degrees. The jouster can then ride by safely. Striking the dummy anywhere but the target circle on the shield causes the dummy to swing 360 degrees, so the sandbag wallops the pa.s.sing rider.
remount: a rider s second horse, to ride when the primary horse gets tired. In the case of knights and the King"s Own, remounts are often warhorses, heavier mounts trained to fight.
rowel: a star-shaped piece on a spur, which cuts into a horse to get it to pick up its speed.
Sakuyo: Yamani trickster G.o.d, who loves jokes.
Scanra: the country to the north of Tortall, wild, rocky, and cold, with very little land that can be farmed. Scanrans are masters of the sea and are feared anywhere there is a coastline. They also frequently raid over land. Their government is a loose one, consisting of a figurehead king and a Great Council (formerly the Council of Ten, expanded in the disruptions following the Immortals War) made up of the heads of the clans. Recently some clans have been uniting to follow a new warlord, Maggur Rathhausak.
Shang: an order of warriors, mostly commoners, whose princ.i.p.al school is in northern Maren. They specialize in hand-to-hand combat.
shukusen: Yamani "lady fan," silk on steel ribs that are often engraved or pierced with a design. The outer ends of the ribs are very sharp, acting as a thrusting weapon when the fan is closed and as a slashing weapon when it is opened. Traditionally carried by Yamani ladies when they don"t wish to be seen with a weapon.
Southern Lands: another name for the Carthaki Empire, which has conquered all of the independent nations that once were part of the continent south of the Inland Sea.
spidren: an immortal whose body is that of a furred spider four to five feet in height; its head is that of a human with sharp, silvery teeth. Spidrens can use weapons. They also use their webs as weapons and ropes. Spidren web is gray-green in color and it glows after dark. Their blood is black and burns like acid. Their favorite food is human blood.
squad: ten soldiers commanded by a sergeant and two corporals.
standard-bearer: young man or boy who carries the company flag.
stockade: wall made of whole logs, the upper ends cut into rough points.
Stormwing: an immortal with a human head and chest and bird legs and wings, with steel feathers and claws. Stormwings have sharp teeth, but use them only to add to the terror of their presence by tearing apart bodies. They live on human fear and have their own magic; their special province is the desecration of battlefield dead.
strategy: planning for a battle or war from a distance, working out the movements of armies and setting goals for them.
string: a group or train of horses on a lead rein.
tactics: planning for a battle at short range, as it happens.
tauros: a seven-foot-tall immortal, male only, that has a bull-like head with large teeth and eyes that point forward (the mark of a predator). It is reddish brown, human-like from the neck down, with a bull"s splayed hooves and tail. It preys on women and girls.
Temple District: the religious quarter of Corus, between the city proper and the royal palace, where the city"s largest temples are located.
Tortall: the chief kingdom in which the Alanna, Daine, and Keladry books take place, between the Inland Sea and Scanra.
Tusame: a small country tucked between Tortall and Maren. Tortall went to war with Tusaine in the years Alanna the Lioness was a squire and Jonathan was crown prince; Tusaine lost.
Tyra: a merchant republic on the Inland Sea between Tortall and Maren. Tyra is mostly swamp, and its people rely on trade and banking for an income. Numair Salmalin was born there.
warhorse: a large horse or greathorse, trained for combat - the mount of an armored knight.
Wave Walker: sea G.o.ddess, the G.o.ddess of sailors, storms, and shipwrecks.
wildmage: a mage who deals in wild magic, the kind of magic that is part of nature. Daine Sarrasri is often called the Wildmage for her ability to communicate with animals, heal them, and shapeshift.
wild magic: the magic that is part of the natural world. Unlike the human Gift, it cannot be drained or done away with; it is always present.
Yama: chief G.o.ddess of the Yamani pantheon, G.o.ddess of fire, who created the Yamanis and their islands.
Yamani Islands: island nation to the north and west of Tortall and the west of Scanra, ruled by an ancient line of emperors, whose claim to their throne comes from the G.o.ddess Yama. The country is beautiful and mountainous. Its vulnerability to pirate raids means that most Yamanis, including the women, get some training in combat arts. Keladry of Mindelan lived there for six years while her father was the Tortallan amba.s.sador.