The Blinding Knife (111 page)

Authors: Brent Weeks

Tags: #Epic Fantasy

Sharazan Mountains, the:
Impassable mountains south of Tyrea.

shimmercloak:
A cloak that makes the wearer mostly invisible, except in sub-red and superviolet.

Skill, Will, Source, and Still/Movement:
The four essential elements for drafting.

Skill:
The most underrated of all the elements of drafting, acquired through practice. Includes knowing the properties and strengths of the luxin being drafted, being able to see and match precise wavelengths, etc.

Will:
By imposing will, a drafter can draft and even cover flawed drafting if her will is powerful enough.

Source:
Depending on what colors a drafter can use, she needs either that color of light or items that reflect that color of light in order to draft. Only a Prism can simply split white light within herself to draft any color.

Still:
An ironic usage. Drafting requires movement, though more skilled drafters can use less.

slow fuse:
A length of cord, often soaked in saltpeter, that can be lit to ignite the gunpowder of a weapon in the firing mechanism.

slow match:
Another term for a slow fuse.

spectrum:
A term for a range of light (for more information on the luxin spectrum, see the Appendix); or (capitalized) the council of the Chromeria that is one branch of the government of the Chromeria (see Colors, the).

spidersilk:
Another term for paryl.

spyglass:
A small telescope using curved, clear lenses to aid in sighting distant objects.

star-keepers:
Also known as tower monkeys, these are petite slaves (usually children) who work the ropes that control the mirrors of Big Jasper to reflect the light throughout the city for drafters’ use. Though well treated for slaves, they spend their days working in two-man teams from dawn till after dusk, frequently without reprieve except for switching with their partner.

subchromats:
Drafters who are color-blind, usually men. A subchromat can function without loss of ability—if his handicap is not in the colors he can draft. A red-green color-blind subchromat could be an excellent blue or yellow drafter. See Appendix.

Sun Day:
A holy day to followers of Orholam and pagans alike, the longest day of the year. For the Seven Satrapies, Sun Day is the day when the Prism Frees those drafters who are about to break the halo. The ceremonies usually take place on the Jaspers, when all of the Thousand Stars are trained onto the Prism, who can absorb and split the light, whereas other men burn or burst from drafting so much power.

Sun Day’s Eve:
An evening of festivities before the longest day of the year and the Freeing the next day.

Sundered Rock:
Twin mountains in Tyrea, opposite each other and so alike that they look as if they were once one huge rock cut down the middle.

Sundered Rock, Battle of:
The final battle between Gavin and Dazen near a small Tyrean town on the Umber River.

superchromats:
Extremely color-sensitive people. Luxin they seal will rarely fail. Far more common among female drafters.

tainted:
One who has broken the halo, also called a wight.

thobe:
An ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves.

Thorikos:
A town below the Laurion mines on the river to Idoss. Serves as the center for arriving and departing slaves, the bureaucracy necessary for thirty thousand slaves, and the center for the trade goods and supplies necessary, as well as the shipping of the silver ore down the river.

Thorn Conspiracies, the:
A series of intrigues that occurred after the False Prism’s War.

Thousand Stars, the:
The mirrors on Big Jasper Island that enable the light to reach into almost any part of the city for as long as possible during the day.

Threshing, the:
The initiation test for candidates to the Chromeria.

Threshing Chamber, the:
The room where candidates for the Chromeria are summoned to test for their abilities to draft.

Tiru, the:
A Parian tribe.

Tlaglanu, the:
A Parian tribe, hated by other Parians, from whom Hanishu, the dey of Aghbalu, chose his bride, Tazerwalt.

torch:
A red wight.

translucification, forced:
See willjacking.

Travertine Palace, the:
One of the wonders of the old world. Both a palace and a fortress, it is built of carved travertine (a mellow green stone) and white marble. Notable for its bulbous horseshoe arches, geometric wall patterns, Parian runes, and chessboard patterns on the floors. Its walls are incised with a crosshatched pattern to make the stone look woven rather than carved. The palace is a remnant of the days when half of Tyrea was a Parian province.

Tree People, the:
Tribesmen who live (lived?) deep in the forests of the Blood Forest satrapy. They use zoomorphic designs, and can apparently shape living wood. Possibly related to the pygmies.

Umber River, the:
The lifeblood of Tyrea. Its water allows the growth of every kind of plant in the hot climate; its locks fed trade throughout the country before the False Prism’s War. Often besieged by bandits.

Unchained, the:
A term for the followers of the Omnichrome, those drafters who choose to break the Pact and continue living even after breaking the halo.

Unification, the:
A term for Lucidonius’s and Karris Shadowblinder’s establishment of the Seven Satrapies four hundred years prior to Gavin Guile’s rule as Prism.

Ur, the:
A tribe that trapped Lucidonius in Hass Valley. He triumphed against great odds, primarily because of the heroics of El-Anat (who thereby became Forushalzmarish or Shining Spear) and Karris Atiriel.

urum:
A three-tined dining implement.

vambrace:
Plate armor to protect the forearm. Ceremonial versions made of cloth also exist.

Varig and Green:
A bank with a branch on Big Jasper.

vechevoral:
A sickle-shaped sword with a long handle like an ax and a crescent-moon-shaped blade at the end, with the inward bowl-shaped side being the cutting edge.

Verdant Plains, the:
The dominant geographical feature of Ruthgar. The Verdant Plains are favored by green drafters.

Vician’s Sin:
The event that marked the end of the close alliance between Ruthgar and Blood Forest.

Voril:
A small town two days from Ru.

warrior-drafters:
Drafters whose primary work is fighting for various satrapies or the Chromeria.

water markets:
Circular lakes connected to the Umber River at the center of the villages and cities of Tyrea, common throughout Tyrean towns. A water market is dredged routinely to maintain an even depth, allowing ships easy access to the interior of the city with their wares. The largest water market is in Garriston.

Weasel Rock:
A neighborhood in Big Jasper dominated by narrow alleys.

Weedling:
A small coastal village in Ru close to Ruic Head.

wheellock pistol:
A pistol that uses a rotating wheel mechanism to cause the spark that ignites the firearm; the first mechanical attempt to ignite gunpowder. Some few smiths’ versions are more
reliable than a flintlock and allow repeated attempts to fire. Most, however, are far less reliable than the already unreliable flintlocks.

Whiteguard, the:
The original term for the Omnichrome’s personal bodyguard.

widdershins:
A direction; counter-sunwise.

willjacking/will-breaking:
Once a drafter has contact with unsealed luxin that she is able to draft, she can use her will to break another drafter’s control over the luxin and take it for herself.