TWOLAS - 08 - Stormed Fortress

  pronounced: tal quar-in

  root meaning: tal - branch; quorin - canyons

  TALITH—Etarran princess; former wife of Lysaer s'Ilessid, estranged from him and incarcerated on charges of consorting with the Master of Shadow. Eventually

  murdered by a conspiracy of Avenor's crown council, when an arranged accident caused her fall from Avenor's tower of state in Third Age 5653.

  pronounced: tal-ith - to rhyme with 'gal with'

  root meaning: tal - branch; lith - to keep'nurture

  TALVISH—a clanborn retainer in armed service to s'Brydion at Alestron who was sworn as liegeman to the Prince Arithon as a point of honour.

  pronounced: tall-vish

  root meaning: talvesh - reed

  TEIDWAR—Biedar dialect for outland strange person who fares through another's place, kinless.

  pronounced: tide-war

  root meaning: tiedwar - a traveller who does not belong to the tribe

  TEIR—masculine form of a title fixed to a name denoting heirship,

  pronounced: tayer

  root meaning: teir's - successor to power

  TEIREN—feminine form of Teir.

  TEIVE—first mate of the merchant brig Evenstar and father of Feylind's two children.

  pronounced: tee-ev

  root meaning: tierve - reliable

  TELMANDIR—seat of the High Kings of Havish in Lithmere, Havish. Ruined during the uprising in Third Age Year 5018, rebuilt by High King Eldir s'Lornmein after his coronation in Third Age Year 5643.

  pronounced: tel-man-deer

  root meaning: telman'en - leaning; dir - rock

  TELZEN—town on the eastshore of Alland, Shand.

  pronounced: tell-zen

  root meaning: tielsen - to saw wood

  THARIDOR—trade city on the shores of the Bay of Eltair in Melhalla.

  pronounced: thar-i-door

  root meaning: tier'i'dur - keep of stone

  THARRICK—former captain of the guard in the city of Alestron assigned charge of the duke's secret armoury; now married to Jinesse and working as a gentleman mercenary guard at Innish.

  pronounced: thar-rick

  root meaning: thierik - unkind twist of fate

  THIRDMARK—port town located on the eastshore of Rockbay Harbor, Shand.

  TIASSA—wife of Parrien s'Brydion of Alestron.

  pronounced: tee-ass-ah

  root meaning: tias's'a - a woman of wealth or means

  TIENELLE—high-altitude herb valued by mages for its rnind-expanding properties. Highly toxic. No antidote. The leaves, dried and smoked, are most potent. To weaken its powerful side effects and allow safer access to its vision, Koriani enchantresses boil the flowers, then soak tobacco leaves with the brew.

  pronounced: tee-an-ell-e ('e' mostly subliminal)

  root meaning: tien - dream; iel - light'ray

  TIRANS—trade town located on the East Halla peninsula in Melhalla, also a Second Age ruin, seat of the High Kings of Melhalla, sacked during the uprising in Third Age Year 5018. Site of a Paravian focus circle.

  pronounced: tee-rans

  root meaning: tier - to hold fast, to keep, or to covet

  TIRIACS—mountain range to the north of Mirthlvain Swamp, in Midhalla, Melhalla.

  pronounced: tie-ree-axe

  root meaning: tieriach - alloy of metals

  TORBRAND s'FFALENN—founder of the s'Ffalenn line appointed by the Fellowship of Seven to rule the High Kingdom of Rathain in Third Age Year One.

  pronounced: tor-brand

  root meaning: tor - sharp, keen; brand - temper

  TORNIR PEAKS—mountain range on western border in Camris, Tysan. Northern half is actively volcanic, and there the last surviving packs of Khadrim are kept under ward.

  pronounced: tor-neer

  root meaning: tor - sharp, keen; nier - tooth

  TRAITHE—Sorcerer of the Fellowship of Seven. Solely responsible for the closing of South Gate to deny further entry to the Mistwraith. Traithe lost most of his faculties in the process and was left with a limp. Since it is not known whether he can make the transfer into discorporate existence with his powers impaired, he has retained his physical body.

  pronounced: tray-the

  root meaning: traithe - gentleness

  TYSAN—one of the Five High Kingdoms of Athera as defined by the charters of the Fellowship of Seven. Ruled by the s'Ilessid royal line. Device: gold star on blue field.

  pronounced: tie-san

  root meaning: tiasen - rich

  VALDIE—widow of a Hanshire lancer who was lost in the Korias grimward in Third Age 5653.

  pronounced: val-dee

  root meaning: val - straight; die - pretty object - colloquial for faithfully fair

  VARENS—trade town on the shore of Eltair Bay in East Halla, Melhalla.

  pronounced: var-ens

  root meaning: var'uens - keep safe, or lock

  VASTMARK—principality located in south-western Shand. Highly mountainous and not served by trade-roads. Its coasts are renowned for shipwrecks. Inhabited by nomadic shepherds and wyverns, non-fire-breathing, smaller relatives of Khadrim. Site of the grand massacre of Lysaer's war host in Third Age 5647.

  pronounced: vast-mark

  root meaning: vhast - bare; mheark - valley

  VASTSTRAJT—narrows linking the Cildein Ocean with the Bay of Eltair on the eastshore-line.

  pronounced: vast-straight

  root meaning: vhast - bare

  VERRAIN—master spellbinder, trained by Luhaine; stood as Guardian of Mirthlvain when the Fellowship of Seven was left short-handed after the conquest of the Mistwraith.

  pronounced: ver-rain

  root meaning: ver - keep; ria - touch; an - one original Paravian: verria'an

  VHALZEEN—city located in West Shand, shore of Rockbay Harbor on the border by Havish. Famed for shell-inlaid lacquer furnishings.

  pronounced: val-zeen

  root meaning: from Drakish, vhchalsckeen - white sands

  VHANDON—a renowned clanborn war-captain of Duke Bransian s'Brydion of Alestron, assigned to Prince Arithon's service as a point of honour in Third Age Year 5654.

  pronounced: van-done

  root meaning: vhandon - steadfast

  WARDEN OF ALTHAIN—alternative title for the Fellowship Sorcerer, Sethvir, who received custody of Althain Tower and the powers of the earth link from the last centaur guardian to leave the continent of Paravia in Third Age Year 5100.

  WAYSTONE—spherical-cut amethyst used by the Koriathain to channel the full power of all enchantresses in their order, lost during the great rebellion that threw down the rule of the high kings, and recovered from Fellowship custody by Lirenda in Third Age Year 5647. Currently useless to the order, due to Arithon's arranged sabotage, which has infiltrated a stray iyat into the stone's matrix.

  WESTWOOD—forest located north of the Great West Road in Camris, Tysan.

  WERPOINT—fishing town and outpost on the north-east coast of Fallowmere, Rathain.

  pronounced: were-point

  root meaning: wyr - all, sum as in numerical total.

  WEST HALLA—principality located in Kingdom of Melhalla.

  pronounced: west hall-ah

  root meaning: hal'lia - white light

  WHTTEHOLD—city located on the shore of Eltair Bay, Kingdom of Melhalla. WILLOWBROOK—stream feeding into the River Lienriel in Selkwood, located in Alland in Shand.

  WYNTOK GATE—upper gate in the citadel of Alestron, opening onto the suspended wooden bridge that crosses the tidal moat to the Mathiell Gate.

  pronounced: win-tock

  root meaning: wuinn - vulture; Hoik - roost

  Appendix

  Blood Heritage of the Royal Families

  The five royal lines of Athera were originally selected by the Paravians, with each of the original founders chosen for a dominant gift of character.

  Torbrand s'Ffalenn, High King of Rathain - Compassion

  Halduin
s'Ilessid, High King of Tysan - Justice

  Cindra s'Ahelas, High Queen of Shand - Farsight

  Bwin Evoc s'Lornmein, High King of Havish - Temperance

  Rondeil s'Ellestrion, High King of Melhalla - Wisdom

  Each of these individuals gave their willing consent to accept the directive to rule, both for themselves, and for all of their future offspring, for as long as their lineage should survive in participation with Athera's destiny. No distinction was made between matrilineal or patrilineal lines of descent; both were equally favoured. The Fellowship Sorcerers used the initiate magic acquired from the dragons to fix these traits of character as an imperative geas, transferable through all subsequent issue. The prominence of this endowment was not passed on in a linear fashion. The gifts manifest in a 'spread' that seeks outlet through all available blood descendents of the original forebear. Heritability does not pass in equal measure, but flows forward like water, seeking the easiest channel for expression. Descendents who display a natural leaning in character will 'inherit' - or more correctly enact - the gift more intensely than others whose personalities bend in opposing directions. The wider the pool of descendents, the more 'choice' of channel the royal gift will have to seek outlet. For this reason, direct blood descent is never the determinant factor, but rather, which descendant portrays the most emphatic stamp of the progenitor's qualities.

  The more descendents there are, the less predetermined the course of the inheritance. Some individuals may show predominance. Others might show little trace, or even none, although all living offspring within the lineage will carry the latent range of the geas' fullest potential.

  Where a lineage is sparse, or only one descendent remains, the full force of the royal gift will flow through that individual, and be expressed with indelible emphasis.

  This is why the line of descent varies, and may move freely between cousins, or skip generations, and why, without exception, the Fellowship Sorcerers are charged to Name and sanction each crown successor.

  To conclude, the degree to which a royal gift expresses is twofold: inherited potency (how many descendents are living to 'carry' the trait) combined with the factor of personal choice that arises as personal character: how each individual is inclined toward their particular forebear's gift in the first place.

  In the case of a lone descendent born with a personality not favourably inclined, the gift must still express. That individual would struggle, at odds with the inborn drive, and threshed by internal conflict. For this reason, many offspring and a wide extended family became an imperative preference for royal lines.

  The High Kings who ruled during Paravian times had shorter reigns, provided there were sufficient progeny to support an early retirement. Crown office was extremely rigorous - many died young. Some reigned only a month or a year or two - others for a matter of days. A few hardy individuals held the throne for several decades, all dependent on how well, or how many times, they sustained the call to enact a direct liaison with the Paravians. Their perceptions were often dramatically altered after such encounter(s). The strength by which each individual king could surmount the changes varied widely.

  Succession of Crown Candidates and Caithdeinen

  By terms of the compact, the Fellowship of Seven must Name a crown candidate. Any one Sorcerer's innate perception is deep enough, and wide enough, to make such an assessment based upon probability. The task is most often handled by Asandir, as his natural aptitude for executive action makes him the preeminent Sorcerer to serve in the field.

  The Crown Prince's appointment is never automatic, and does not pass by direct descent. Nor do kings or any other office decreed by crown charter hold their seats until death - (Unlike town mayors, who are elected or selected by town council, but then rule for life term.) Royal lineages are not replaceable.

  They cannot be transplanted from another kingdom's bound line of descent, as the Paravians matched each forebear in resonant accord with the needs of the specific crown territories.

  Provided that there are multiple blood relations, including cousins, to select from, the choice follows two factors: first, individual strength of character; and second, the quality of 'natural calling' — this being any candidate (without bias toward male or female) - who displays the best aptitude for the post. Thus, if Arithon s'Ffalenn had possessed more than one relative, he may have passed the character requirement, but his natural calling as musician and initiate master may not have been deemed harmonious to the post. A cousin or relation of strong character, but who displayed more aptitude for the throne (by personal preference finding fulfilment and contentment in the position of arbitration) may have been chosen instead.

  The heritable traits of Athera's crown lineages do not ever transfer to caithdeinen if a last royal line-bearer should die without issue. Caithdeinen do administer crown justice in the absence of the king, and this may be an ongoing responsibility if crown rule has passed into a permanent state of stewardship. In this novel's historical setting, this only occurred in Melhalla since the last s'Ellestrion heir died childless. In such a case, succession of that realm's caithdeinen will now become Fellowship chosen.

  Caithdeinen, or crown stewards, who stand behind a living royal heir, are selected for character and for the ability to think independently. In times of peace, under a crowned High King, they would have been selected from a picked lineage, which could change with times and circumstance. The candidate would be suited to know their crown ruler well, and have the courage to draw clear and honest conclusions. This post would not suit a sycophantic personality, for example.

  Proposed successors for caithdeinen and other charter seats are usually 'designate.' This term denotes a conditional appointment, bestowed by a council of elders. (Kyrialt sTaleyn was designate for Shand, as Ianfar s'Gannley now is to Tysan.) An heir designate will inherit unless the choice is overruled upon proven grounds of incapacity. The appointment also can be upset by either a crowned High King (who would possess the requisite power of insight acquired through four attuned initiations) or a Fellowship Sorcerer's direct word. Such a ruling would occur prior to or during the ceremony of investiture, where such an authority would be present. An heir chosen by Fellowship auspice automatically becomes invested without question. The investment ceremony then becomes a formality, wherein oath is sworn to uphold the post. Jeynsa s'Valerient, therefore, owns the power of her office by default - she has but to claim the responsibility.

  A Fellowship Sorcerer only executes the selection of a caithdein if the existing royal lineage should be actively threatened. In this manner, if the crown succession fails, that caithdein would stand steward for the throne in fact.

  Particulars of Clan Heritage

  All old blood lineages were determined by the Paravians at the time Mankind accepted the terms of the compact, yet the 'system' was not closed, and not every family assumed the same function. Some lineages stood for land rule -these guarded the interface between humanity and the Paravians. These individuals possessed Sighted vision or natural talent enough to be charged with protection and preservation of the boundaries of the free wilds.

  Other family lines were selected for adamant traits of character. These generally governed a town-based seat, and administered directly to human affairs in those areas where Mankind was free to live with least oversight. Sometimes land rule and town governance were held as dual functions. Checks and balances within the charter system were designed to thwart private concerns and blind ambition from degrading the compact's intent: to hold Athera's great mysteries, which are essential to Paravian survival, in balance with human activity.

  Clan seats held solely for governance would rule from a keep town without a focus circle - these were not located within the designate bounds of the free wilds, and were the backbone of charter law before the uprising incited by Davien. They administered the king's justice in accord with those lineages holding the land rule.

  The crown was the voice of land rule, and governance, un
der the charter written by the Fellowship Sorcerers. The sanctioned High Kings enacted the first-hand liaison with the Paravians, and were the protectorate for the free wilds. They presented the petitions to the Centaur guardians, then executed the final arbitration, as the agents of the Fellowship's compact. They appealed, and enacted, Paravian decree, concerning what could and could not be altered to preserve the overall harmony of the land's mysteries.

  Each child born into clan lineage was subject to testing at each generation through the trial of Paravian presence. This testing could be refused, in which case, the candidate would revoke his charge to interact with the free wilds. A town-born individual could undergo the same test by free will choice. In rare cases this would occur, and a new lineage might arise from one candidate -just as an older, established lineage might become degraded, weaken and fail. Lacking Paravian presence, in recent generations the determinant factor has blurred. By the time of this novel's setting, the range of human talent cannot be identified with such definitive accuracy. Those individuals with latent or weakened talent are no longer able to prove out the direct function of heritable lineage. Thus, a 'talent deaf town born will see no apparent reason why the free wilds should not be considered another ripe acre of earth, ready for exploitation. Nor would such a person recognize why the old blood traits were not arbitrary politics.