Dakyas-A semi-mountainous district of Nilnamesh.
Dameori Wilderness-A vast tract of forested, Sranc-infested wilderness extending from the Tydonni frontier in the south and running northeast of the Osthwai Mountains to the Sea of Cerish.
Dark Hunter, the-A common epithet for Husyelt, the G.o.d of the Hunt.
"[the] darkness which comes before"-A phrase used by the Dunyain to refer to the congenital blindness of individuals to the worldly causes that drive them, both historical and appet.i.tive. See Dunyain Dunyain.
Daskas, House-One of the Houses of the Congregate.
Daybreak-Achamian"s mule.
Dayrut-A small fortress in the Gedean interior, built by the Nansur after the fall of Shigek to the Fanim in 3933.
Dead-G.o.d, the-See Lokung Lokung.
Defence of the Arcane Arts, A-The famed sorcerous apologia of Zarathinius, which is as widely cited by philosophers as by sorcerers because of its pithy critiques not only of the Inrithi prohibition of sorcery but of Inrithism itself. The work has long been banned by the Thousand Temples.
Demua Mountains-An extensive range located in northwestern Earwa, forming the frontier between Injor-Niyas and what was once Kuniuri.
denotaries-In Gnostic sorcery, the "primer" Cants given to students to practise "dividing their voice," which is to say, saying and thinking two separate things.
Detnammi, Hirul (4081-4111)-The Palatine of the Ainoni province of Eshkalas, slain at Subis under dishonourable circ.u.mstances. (4081-4111)-The Palatine of the Ainoni province of Eshkalas, slain at Subis under dishonourable circ.u.mstances.
Dialogues of Inceruti, The-One of the most famous "missing works" of Far Antiquity, frequently referenced by Ajencis.
Dinchases (4074-4111)-A Captain of Attrempus and lifelong comrade-in-arms to Krijates Xinemus, slain at Iothiah. Also known as "b.l.o.o.d.y Dinch." (4074-4111)-A Captain of Attrempus and lifelong comrade-in-arms to Krijates Xinemus, slain at Iothiah. Also known as "b.l.o.o.d.y Dinch."
"Doff your sandals and shod the earth ..."-A common saying meant to remind listeners not to project their failings onto others.
Domyot-(Sheyic version of "Torumyan") Also known as the Black Iron City. The administrative capital of Zeum, famed for the cruelty of its rulers and for its iron-skirted walls. For most in the Three Seas, Domyot is as much a place of legend as Golgotterath.
Dragons-See Wracu Wracu.
Dreams, the-The nightmares experienced by Mandate Schoolmen of the Apocalypse as witnessed through Seswatha"s eyes.
Dunjoksha (4055- )-The Sapatishah-Governor of Holy Amoteu. (4055- )-The Sapatishah-Governor of Holy Amoteu.
Dunyain-A severe monastic sect that has repudiated history and animal appet.i.te in the name of finding enlightenment through the control of all desire and all circ.u.mstance. Though the origins of the Dunyain are obscure (many think them the descendants of the ecstatic sects that arose across the Ancient North in the days preceding the Apocalypse), their belief system is utterly unique, leading some to conclude their original inspiration had to be philosophical rather than religious in any traditional sense.
Much of Dunyain belief follows from their interpretation of what they consider their founding principles. The Empirical Priority Principle (sometimes referred to as the Principle of Before and After) a.s.serts that within the circle of the world, what comes before determines what comes after without exception. The Rational Priority Principle a.s.serts that Logos, or Reason, lies outside the circle of the world (though only in a formal and not an ontological sense). The Epistemological Principle a.s.serts that knowing what comes before (via the Logos) yields "control" of what comes after.
Given the Priority Principle, it follows that thought, which falls within the circuit of the before and after, is also determined by what comes before. The Dunyain therefore believe the will to be illusory, an artifact of the soul"s inability to perceive what comes before it. The soul, in the Dunyain world view, is part of the world, is part of the world, and therefore as much driven by prior events as anything else. (This stands in stark contrast to the dominant stream of Three Seas and Ancient North thought, where the soul is taken to be, in Ajencis"s words, "that which precedes everything.") and therefore as much driven by prior events as anything else. (This stands in stark contrast to the dominant stream of Three Seas and Ancient North thought, where the soul is taken to be, in Ajencis"s words, "that which precedes everything.") In other words, Men do not possess "self-moving souls." Far from a given, such a soul is an accomplishment accomplishment for the Dunyain. All souls, they claim, possess for the Dunyain. All souls, they claim, possess conatus, conatus, the natural striving to be self-moving, to escape the circle of before and after. They naturally seek to the natural striving to be self-moving, to escape the circle of before and after. They naturally seek to know know the world about them and so climb out of the circle. But a host of factors make outright escape impossible. The soul men are born with is too obtuse and clouded by animal pa.s.sions to be anything other than a slave of what comes before. The whole point of the Dunyain ethos is to overcome these limitations and so become a self-moving soul-to attain what they call the Absolute, or the Unconditioned Soul. the world about them and so climb out of the circle. But a host of factors make outright escape impossible. The soul men are born with is too obtuse and clouded by animal pa.s.sions to be anything other than a slave of what comes before. The whole point of the Dunyain ethos is to overcome these limitations and so become a self-moving soul-to attain what they call the Absolute, or the Unconditioned Soul.
But unlike those exotic Nilnameshi sects devoted to various other forms of "enlightenment," the Dunyain are not so naive as to think this can be attained within the course of a single lifetime. They think of this, rather, as a multi-generational process. Quite early on they recognized that the instrument itself, the soul, was flawed, so they inst.i.tuted a program of selective breeding for intellect and dispa.s.sion. In a sense the entire sect became a kind of experiment, isolated from the world to maintain control, with each prior generation training the next to the limit of their capabilities, the idea being that over the millennia they would produce souls that could climb further and further from the circle of before and after. The hope was that eventually they would produce a soul utterly transparent to Logos, a soul capable of apprehending all the darknesses that come before.
Dunyanic-The language of the Dunyain, which remains very close to the original Kuniuri from which it is derived.
E.
Eamnor-A lost White Norsirai nation of the Ancient North. The roots of Eamnor reach back to the days of Aulyanau the Conqueror and the Cond Yoke. In 927, Aulyanau conquered the fortress of Ara-Etrith ("New Etrith") and, struck by the anarcane characteristics of Mount Ankulakai, settled several Cond tribes in the vicinity. These tribes flourished, and under the influence of the nearby cities of the Aumris they quickly abandoned their pastoral ways. In fact the Cond were so effectively a.s.similated into Aumris culture that their White Norsirai cousins, the Scintya, took them for High Norsirai during the time of the Scintya Yoke (1228-1381).
Eamnor proper emerged from the Scintya Yoke as one of the pre-eminent nations of the Ancient North. Though laid waste in 2148, Eamnor could be considered the sole surviving nation of the Apocalypse, insofar as Atrithau survived. Due to the concentrations of Sranc, however, Atrithau has never been able to recover more than a fraction of the lands const.i.tuting historical Eamnor.
Eamnoric-The lost language of ancient Eamnor, a derivative of Condic.
Eanna-"[Land of the] Uplifted Sun" (Thoti-Eannorean) The traditional name of all the lands to the east of the Great Kayarsus.
Earwa-"[Land of the] Felled Sun" (Thoti-Eannorean) The traditional name of all the lands to the west of the Great Kayarsus.
Ebara-A small fortress in the Gedean interior, built by the Nansur after the fall of Shigek to the Fanim in 3933.
Ecosium Market-The main "wares market" of Sumna, located just south of the Hagerna.
Ej"ulkiyah-A Khirgwi name for the Carathay Desert meaning "Great Thirst."
Ekyannus I (2304-72)-The first "inst.i.tutional" Shriah of the Thousand Temples, and the author of the widely admired (2304-72)-The first "inst.i.tutional" Shriah of the Thousand Temples, and the author of the widely admired 44 Epistles 44 Epistles.
Ekyannus III, "the Golden" (2432-2516)-The Shriah of the Thousand Temples who converted Triamis the Great in 2505 and thus a.s.sured the predominance of Inrithism in the Three Seas. (2432-2516)-The Shriah of the Thousand Temples who converted Triamis the Great in 2505 and thus a.s.sured the predominance of Inrithism in the Three Seas.
Eleazaras, Hanamanu (4060- )-The Grandmaster of the Scarlet Spires. (4060- )-The Grandmaster of the Scarlet Spires.
Eleneot, Fields of-See Battle of Eleneot Fields Battle of Eleneot Fields.