Crossroads of Twilight

  cuendillar: A supposedly indestructible substance created during the Age of Legends Any known force used in an attempt to break it is absorbed, making cuendillar stronger Although the making of cuendillar has been thought lost forever, rumors of new objects made from it have surfaced It is also known as heartstone.

  currency: After many centuries of trade, the standard terms for coins are the same in every land crowns (the largest com in size), marks and pennies Crowns and marks can be minted of gold or silver, while pennies can be silver or copper, the last often called simply a copper In different lands, however, these coins can be of different sizes and weights Even in one nation, coins of different sizes and weights have been minted by different rulers Because of trade, the coins of many nations can be found almost anywhere For that reason, bankers, moneylenders and merchants all use scales to determine the value of any given com Even large numbers of coins are weighed for this reason The only paper currency is “letters-of-rights,” which are issued by bankers, guaranteeing to present a certain amount of gold or silver when the letter-of-nghts is presented Because of the long distances between cities, the length of time needed to travel from one to another, and the difficulties of transactions at long distance, a letter-of-nghts may be accepted at full value in a city near to the bank that issued it, but it may be accepted only at a lower value in a city far­ther away Generally, someone of means intending a long journey will carry one or more letters-of-nghts to exchange for coin when needed Letters-of-nghts are usually accepted only by bankers or merchants, and would never be used in shops.

  da’covale: (1) In the Old Tongue, this would be translated literally as ‘one who is owned,” or “person who is property “ (2) Among the Seanchan, the term often used, along with “property,” for slaves Slavery has a long and unusual history among the Seanchan, with slaves having the ability to rise to positions of great power and open authority, including over those who are free See also so’jhin.

  Darkhounds: Shadowspawn created from lupine stock corrupted by the Dark One While they resemble hounds in their basic shape, they are blacker than night and the size of ponies, weighing several hundred pounds each They usually run in packs of ten or twelve, although the tracks of a larger pack have been sighted They make no mark on soft ground, but leave prints in stone, and are frequently accompanied by the smell of burned sulphur They will not usually venture out into the ram, but once running ram fails to stop them. Once they are on the trail, they must be confronted and defeated or the victim’s death is inevitable. The only exception to this is when the victim can reach the other side of a river or stream, since Darkhounds will not cross flowing water. Or supposedly not. Their blood and saliva are poison, and if either touches the skin, the victim will die slowly and in great pain. See also Wild Hunt.

  Daughters of Silence, the: During the history of the White Tower (over three thousand years), various women who have been put out have been unwilling to accept their fates and have tried to band together. Such groups - most of them by far, at least - have been dispersed by the White Tower as soon as found and punished severely and publicly to make sure that the lesson is carried to everyone. The last group to be dispersed called themselves the Daughters of Silence (794 - 798 NE).

  The Daughters consisted of two Accepted who had been put out of the Tower and twenty-three women they had gathered and trained. All were carried back to Tar Valon and punished, and the twenty-three were enrolled in the novice book. Only one of those, Saerin Asnobar, managed to reach the shawl. See also Kin, the.

  Deathwatch Guards, the: The elite military formation of the Seanchan Empire, including both humans and Ogier. The human members of the Deathwatch Guard are all da’covale, born as property and chosen while young to serve the Empress, whose personal property they are. Fanati­cally loyal and fiercely proud, they often display the ravens tattooed on their shoulders, the mark of a da’covale of the Empress. The Ogier members are known as Gardeners, and they are not da’covale. The Gardeners are as fiercely loyal as the human Deathwatch Guards, though, and are even more feared. Human or Ogier, the Deathwatch Guards not only are ready to die for the Empress and the Imperial family, but believe that their lives are the property of the Empress, to be disposed of as she wishes. Their helmets and armor are lacquered in dark green and blood-red, their shields are lacquered black, and their spears and swords carry black tassels. See also da’covale.

  Defenders of the Stone, the: The elite military formation of Tear. The cur­rent Captain of the Stone (commander of the Defenders) is Rodrivar Tihera. Only Tairens are accepted into the Defenders, and officers are usually of noble birth, though often from minor Houses or minor branches of strong Houses. The Defenders are tasked to hold the great fortress called the Stone of Tear, in the city of Tear, to defend the city, and to provide police services in place of any City Watch or the like. Except in times of war, their duties seldom take them far from the city. Then, as with other elite formations, they are the core around which the army is formed. The uniform of the Defenders consists of a black coat with padded sleeves striped black-and-gold with black cuffs, a bur­nished breastplate, and a rimmed helmet with a faceguard of steel bars. The Captain of the Stone wears three short white plumes on his helmet, and on the cuffs of his coat three intertwined golden braids on a white band. Captains wear two white plumes and a single line of golden braid on white cuffs, lieutenants one white plume and a single line of black braid on white cuffs and under-lieutenants one short black plume and plain white cuffs. Bannermen have gold-colored cuffs on their coats, and squadmen have cuffs striped black and gold.

  Delving: (1) Using the One Power to diagnose physical condition and ill­ness. (2) Finding deposits of metal ores with the One Power. That this has long been a lost ability among Aes Sedai may account for the name becoming attached to another ability.

  Depository: A division of the Tower Library. There are twelve publicly known Depositories, each having books and records pertaining to a par­ticular subject, or to related subjects. A Thirteenth Depository, known only to Aes Sedai, contains secret documents, records and histories which may be accessed only by the Amyrlin Seat, the Keeper of the Chronicles, and the Sitters in the Hall of the Tower. And, of course, by the handful of librarians who maintain the Depository.

  der’morat: (1) In the Old Tongue, “master handler.” (2) Among the Seanchan, the prefix applied to indicate a senior and highly skilled handler of one of the exotics, one who trains others, as in der’morat’raken. Der’­morat can have a fairly high social status, the highest of all held by der’-sul’dam, the trainers of sul’dam, who rank with fairly high military officers. See also morat.

  Erith: Daughter of Iva daughter of Alar. An attractive young Ogier woman whom Loial intends to marry, although at present he is on the run from her.

  Fain, Padan: Former Darkfriend, now more and worse than a Darkfriend, and an enemy of the Forsaken as much as he is of Rand al’Thor, whom he hates with a passion. Last seen in Far Madding with Toram Riatin.

  Pel, Herid: The author of Reason and Unreason and other books Pel was a student (and teacher) of history and philosophy at the Academy of Cairhien He was discovered m his study torn limb from limb

  First Reasoner: The title given to the head of the White Ajah This position is currently held by Ferane Neheran in the White Tower Ferane Sedai is one of only two Ajah heads to sit in the Hall of the Tower at present

  First Weaver: The title given to the head of the Yellow Ajah This position is currently held by Suana Dragand in the White Tower Suana Sedai is one of only two Ajah heads to sit in the Hall of the Tower at present

  Fists of Heaven, the: Lightly armed and lightly armored Seanchan infantry carried into battle on the backs of the flying creatures called to’raken All are small men, or women, largely because of limits as to how much weight a to’raken can carry for any distance Considered to be among the toughest of soldiers, they are used primarily for raids, surprise assaults on positions at an enemy’s rear, and where s
peed in getting soldiers into place is of the essence

  Forerunners, the: See Hailene

  Forsaken, the: The name given to thirteen powerful Aes Sedai, men and women both, who went over to the Shadow during the Age of Legends and were trapped in the sealing of the Bore into the Dark One’s prison While it has long been believed that they alone abandoned the Light during the War of the Shadow, in fact others did as well, these thirteen were only the highest-ranking among them The Forsaken (who call themselves the Chosen) are somewhat reduced in number since their awakening in the present day Those thought to have survived are Demandred, Semirhage, Graendal, Mesaana, Moghedien, and two who were reincarnated in new bodies and given new names, Osan’gar and Aran’gar, although it seems possible that Osan’gar may also be dead The life of a Forsaken is always uncertain. Recently, a man calling himself Moridin has appeared, and seems to be yet another of the dead Forsaken brought back from the grave by the Dark One. The same may be possi­ble regarding the woman calling herself Cyndane, but since Aran’gar was a man brought back as a woman, speculation as to the original iden­tities of Moridin and Cyndane may prove futile until more is learned.

  Gregorin: Full name Gregorin Panar de Lushenos A member of the Coun­cil of Nine in Illian who presently serves as the Steward for the Dragon Reborn in Illian ,

  Hailene: In the Old Tongue, ‘Forerunners, or “Those Who Come Before ‘ The term applied by the Seanchan to the massive expeditionary force sent across the Aryth Ocean to scout out the lands where Artur Hawkwing once ruled Now under the command of the High Lady Suroth, its numbers swollen by recruits from conquered lands, the Hailene has gone far beyond its original goals, and has in fact been succeeded by the Return. See Return.

  Hanlon, Daved: A Darkfriend, formerly commander of the White Lions in service to the Forsaken Rahvin while he held Caemlyn using the name Lord Gaeblyn. From there, Hanlon took the White Lions to Cairhien under orders to further the rebellion against the Dragon Reborn The White Lions were destroyed by a “bubble of evil,” and Hanlon has been ordered back to Caemlyn and, under the name Doilen Mellar, has ingra­tiated himself with Elayne, the Daughter-Heir. According to rumor, he has done considerably more than ingratiate himself

  Head Clerk: The title given to the head of the Gray Ajah This position is currently held by Serancha Corvine, a woman of reputedly fastidious behavior, in the Tower.

  heart: The basic unit of organization in the Black Ajah In effect, a cell A heart consists of three sisters who know each other, each member of the heart knows one additional sister of the Black.

  Illuminators, Guild of: A society that held the secret of making fireworks It guarded this secret very closely, even to the extent of murder The Guild gained its name from the grand displays, called Illuminations, that it provided for rulers and sometimes for greater lords Lesser fire­works were sold for use by others, but with dire warnings of the disaster that could result from attempting to learn what was inside them The Guild once had chapter houses in Cairhien and Tanchico, but both are now destroyed In addition, the members of the Guild in Tanchico resisted the invasion by the Seanchan and the survivors were made da-covale, and the Guild as such no longer exists. However, individual Illuminators have escaped Seanchan rule, and perhaps more grand displays will be seen in the not-too-distant future. See also da’covale

  Ishara: The first Queen of Andor (circa FY 994-1020) At the death of Artur Hawkwing, Ishara convinced her husband, one of Hawkwing’s foremost generals, to raise the siege of Tar Valon and accompany her to Caemlyn with as many soldiers as he could break away from the army. Where others tried to seize the whole of Hawkwing’s empire and failed, Ishara took a firm hold on a small part and succeeded. Today, nearly every noble House in Andor contains some of Ishara’s blood, and the right to claim the Lion Throne depends both on direct descent from her and on the number of lines of connection to her that can be established.

  Kaensada: An area of Seanchan that is populated by less-than-civilized hill tribes These tribes fight a great deal among themselves, as do individ­ual families within the tribes. Each tribe has its own customs and taboos, the latter of which often make no sense to anyone outside that tribe Most of the tribesmen avoid the more civilized residents of Sean­chan.

  Katar. A city in Arad Doman known for its mines and forges Katar is wealthy enough that its Lords occasionally need reminding that they are part of Arad Doman

  Kin, the: Even during the Trolloc Wars, more than two thousand years ago (circa 1000 - 1350 AB), the White Tower continued to maintain its standards, putting out women who failed to measure up One group of these women, fearing to return home in the midst of the wars, fled to Barashta (near the present-day site of Ebou Dar), as far from the fight­ing as was possible to go at that time Calling themselves the Kin, and Kinswomen, they kept in hiding and offered a safe haven for others who had been put out In time, their approaches to women told to leave the Tower led to contacts with runaways, and while the exact reasons may never be known, the Kin began to accept runaways, as well They made great efforts to keep these girls from learning anything about the Kin until they were sure that Aes Sedai would not swoop down and retake them. After all, everyone knew that runaways were always caught sooner or later, and the Kin knew that unless they held themselves secret, they themselves would be punished severely. Unknown to the Kin, Aes Sedai in the Tower were aware of their existence almost from the very first, but prosecution of the wars left no time for dealing with them. By the end of the wars, the Tower realized that it might not be in their best interests to snuff out the Kin. Prior to that time, a majority of runaways actually had managed to escape, whatever the Towers propaganda, but once the Kin began helping them, the Tower knew exactly where any runaway was heading, and they began retaking nine out of ten Since Kinswomen moved in and out of Barashta (and later Ebou Dar) in an effort to hide their existence and their numbers, never staying more than ten years lest someone notice that they did not age at a normal speed, the Tower believed they were few, and they certainly were keeping themselves low In order to use the Kin as a trap for runaways, the Tower decided to leave them alone, unlike any other similar group in history, and to keep the very existence of the Kin a secret known only to full Aes Sedai. The Kin do not have laws, but rather rules (called the Rule ) based in part on the rules for novices and Accepted in the White Tower, and in part on the necessity of maintaining secrecy. As might be expected given the origins of the Kin, they maintain the Rule very firmly on all of their members. Recent open contacts between Aes Sedai and Kinswomen, while known only to a handful of sisters, have produced a number of shocks, including the facts that there are twice as many Kinswomen as Aes Sedai and that some have lived more than a hundred years longer than any Aes Sedai who has lived since before the Trolloc Wars. The effect of these revelations, both on Aes Sedai and on Kinswomen, is as yet a matter for speculation. See also Daughters of Silence, the, Knitting Circle

  , the.

  Knitting Circle, the: The leaders of the Kin. Since no member of the Kin has ever known how Aes Sedai arrange their own hierarchy - knowl­edge passed on only when an Accepted has passed her test for the shawl - they put no store in strength in the Power but give great weight to age, with the older woman always standing above the younger The Knitting Circle (a title chosen, like the Kin, because it is innocuous) thus consists of the thirteen oldest Kinswomen resident in Ebou Dar, with the oldest given the title of Eldest. By the rules, all will have to step down when it is time for them to move on, but so long as they are resident in Ebou Dar, they have supreme authority over the Kin, to a degree that any Amyrlin Seat would envy. See also Kin, the

  Lady of the Shadows: A Seanchan term for death

  Lance-Captain: In most lands, noblewomen do not personally lead their armsmen into battle under normal circumstances Instead, they hire a professional soldier, almost always a commoner, who is responsible for both training and leading their armsmen Depending on the land, this man can be called a Lance-Captain, Swo
rd-Captain, Master of the Horse, or Master of the Lances Rumors of closer relationships than lady and servant often spring up, perhaps inevitably. Sometimes they are true.

  Legion of the Dragon, the: A large military formation, all infantry, giving allegiance to the Dragon Reborn, trained by Davram Bashere along lines worked out by himself and Mat Cauthon, lines which depart sharply from the usual employment of foot. While many men simply walk in to volunteer, large numbers of the Legion are scooped up by recruiting parties from the Black Tower, who first gather all of the men in an area who are willing to follow the Dragon Reborn, and only after taking them through gateways near Caemlyn winnow out those who can be taught to channel. The remainder, by far the greater number, are sent to Bashere’s training camps.

  length, units of: 10 inches = 1 foot; 3 feet = 1 pace; 2 paces = 1 span; 1000 spans = 1 mile; 4 miles = 1 league.

  marath’damane: In the Old Tongue, “those who must be leashed,” and also “one who must be leashed.” The term applied by the Seanchan to any woman capable of channeling who has not been collared as a damane.

  Master of the Lances: See Lance-Captain.

  Master of the Horse: See Lance-Captain.

  Mera’din: In the Old Tongue, “the Brotherless.” The name adopted, as a society, by those Aiel who abandoned clan and sept and went to the Shaido because they could not accept Rand al’Thor, a wetlander, as the Car’a’carn, or because they refused to accept his revelations concerning the history and origins of the Aiel. Deserting clan and sept for any rea­son is anathema among the Aiel, therefore their own warrior societies among the Shaido were unwilling to take them in, and they formed this society, the Brotherless.