Janny Wurts - The Curse of the Mistwraith

In the lightless shaft of Rockfell, sealed behind triple rings of wards, the Mistwraith that once blocked sunlight from Athera languishes in confinement; and if it knows that its grand curse to destroy two half-brothers has once been tested and thwarted, it endures in unquiet hatred…

Glossary

ADON – statue of centaur king, one of the twins who founded the Ilitharis Paravian royal line in the First Age. The carving forms one side of the arch of Standing Gate on the road leading east into the Pass of Orlan, Camris, Tysan.pronounced: a-don, rhymes with ‘hay don’root meaning: daon – gold

ALATHWYR TOWER – one of five towers built by Paravians in the middle of the First Age at Ithamon, principality of Daon Ramon, Rathain. Its stonework of white alabaster is warded by the virtue, Wisdom. It stands North, of the four towers that remain standing in the Third Age; hence the common name used by men, being Compass Point Towers, or Sun Towers.pronounced: ah-lath-weer (a’s to rhyme with as) emphasis on middle syllableroot meaning: wisdom: alath – to know; wyr – all, sum

ALITHIEL – one of twelve Blades of Isaer, forged by centaur Ffereton s’Darian in the Second Age from metal taken from a meteorite. Passed through Paravian possession, acquired the secondary name Dael Farenn, or Kingmaker, since its owners tended to succeed the end of a royal line. Eventually was awarded to Kamridian s’Ffalenn for his valour in defence of the princess Taliennse, early Third Age.pronounced: ah-lith-ee-elroot meaning: alith – star; iel – light/ray

ALTHAIN TOWER – spire built at the edge of the Bittern Desert, beginning of the Second Age, to house records of Paravian histories. Third Age, became repository for the archives of all five royal houses of men after rebellion, overseen by Sethvir, Warden of Althain and Fellowship sorcerer.pronounced: al like all, thain to rhyme with mainroot meaning: alt – last; them – tower, sanctuaryoriginal Paravian pronunciation: alt-thein (thein as in ‘the end’)

AMROTH – kingdom on West Gate splinter world, Dascen Elur, ruled by s’Ilessid descendants of the prince exiled through the Worldsend Gate at the time of the rebellion, Third Age just after the Mistwraith’s conquest.pronounced: am-roth (rhyme with sloth)root meaning: am – state of being; roth – brother ‘brotherhood’

ANGLEFEN – swampland located in Deshir, Rathain. Town of same name at the river mouth with port to Stormwell Gulf. One of the six port towns that link sea trade-routes with Etarra.pronounced: angle-fenroot meaning is not Paravian

ARAETHURA-grass plains in southwest Rathain; principality of the same name in that location. Largely inhabited by Riathan Paravians in the Second Age. Third Age, used as pastureland by widely scattered nomadic shepherds.pronounced: ar-eye-thoo-rahroot meaning: araeth – grass; era – place, land

ARAITHE – plain to the north of the trade city of Etarra, principality of Fallowmere, Rathain. First Age, among the sites used by the Paravians to renew the mysteries and channel fifth lane energies. The standing stones erected are linked to the power focus at Ithamon and Methisle Keep.pronounced: araithe, rhymes with ‘a wraith’root meaning: araithe to disperse, to send; refers to the properties of the standing stones with relationship to the fifth lane forces

ARITHON – son of Avar, prince of Rathain, 1,504th Teir’s’Ffalenn after founder of the line, Torbrand in Third Age year 1. Also Master of Shadow, and the Bane of Desh-thiere.pronounced: ar-i-thon – almost rhymes with ‘marathon’root meaning: arithon – fate-forger; one who is visionary

ASANDIR – Fellowship sorcerer. Secondary name, Kingmaker, since his hand crowned every high king of Men to rule in the Age of Men (Third Age.) After the Mistwraith’s conquest, he acted as field agent for the Fellowship’s doings across the continent. Also called Fiend-Quencher, for his reputation for quelling iyats; Storm-breaker, and Change-bringer for past actions when Men asked to settle upon Athera.pronounced: ah-san-deerroot meaning: asan – heart; dir – stone ‘heartrock’

ATAINIA – Northeastern principality of Tysanpronounced: ah-tay-nee-ahroot meaning: itain – the third, ia suffix for ‘third domain’ original Paravian, itainia

ATH CREATOR – prime vibration, force behind all life.pronounced: ath to rhyme with ‘math’root meaning: ath – prime, first (as opposed to an , one)

ATHERA – name for the continent which holds the Five High Kingdoms; one of two major landmasses on the planet.pronounced: ath-air-ahroot meaning: ath – prime force; era – place ‘Ath’s world’

ATHLIEN PARAVIANS – Sunchildren. Small race of semi-mortals, pixie-like, but possessed of great wisdom/keepers of the grand mystery.pronounced: ath-lee-enroot meaning: ath prime force; lien to love ‘Athbeloved’

ATHLIERIA-equivalent of heaven/actually a dimension removed from physical life, inhabited by spirit after deathpronounced: ath-lee-air-ee-ahroot meaning: Ath – prime force, li’era – exalted place, or land in harmony/li – exalted in harmony

AVAR s’FFALENN – Pirate king of Karthan, isle on splinter world Dascen Elur, through West Gate. Father of Arithon; also Teir’s’Ffalenn 1,503rd in descent from Torbrand who founded the s’Ffalenn royal line in Third Age year 1.pronounced: ah-var, to rhyme with ‘far’root meaning: avai – past thought/memory

BRIANE – name of the warship that was crippled in the engagement against the brigantine in command of Avar of Karthan; the vessel later took Arithon s’Ffalenn captive and bore him to South Isle, and thence to Port Royal on the splinter world of Dascen Elur.pronounced: bry-anna to rhyme with ‘fry anna’root meaning: brianne – gull

BWIN EVOC s’LORNMEIN – founder of the line that became high kings of Havish since Third Age year 1. The attribute he passed on by means of the Fellowship’s geas, was temperance.pronounced: bwin to rhyme with ‘twin’, ee-vahk as in ‘evocative’, lorn as in English equivalent, mein rhymes with ‘main’root meaning: bwin – firm; evoc – choice

CAILCALLOW – herb that grows in marshes, used to ease feverspronounced: rhymes with ‘kale-tallow’root meaning: cail – leaf; calliew – balm

CAITH-AL-CAEN – vale where Riathan Paravians (unicorns) celebrated equinox and solstice to renew the athael , or life-destiny of the world. Also the place where the Ilitharis Paravians first Named the winter stars – or encompassed their vibrational essence into language. Corrupted by the end of the Third Age to Castlecain.pronounced: cay-ith-al-cay-en musical lilt, emphasis on second and last syllables; rising note on first two, falling note on last two.root meaning: caith – shadow; al – over; caen – vale ‘vale of shadow’

CAITHDEIN – Paravian name for a high king’s first counsellor; also, the one who would stand as regent, or steward, in the absence of the crowned ruler.pronounced: kay-ith-day-inroot meaning: caith – shadow; d’ein – behind the chair ‘shadow behind the throne’

CAITHWOOD – forest located in Taerlin, southeast principality of Tysan.pronounced: kay-ith-woodroot meaning: caith – shadow; ‘shadowed wood’

CASTLECAIN – corrupted name for Caith-al-Caen, Vale of Shadows, see entry above.pronounced: castle-cane

CASTLE POINT – port city at the western terminus of the Great West Road, located in the principality of Atainia, Tysan.