The White Dragon (111 page)
Authors: Laura Resnick
The Beyah-Olvari:
a mysterious, legendary race who were the original inhabitants of Sileria
The city-dwellers:
the inhabitants of Sileria's cities and larger towns
The Guardians:
a Silerian religious sect which communicates with the Otherworld via fire magic
The Honored Society:
the waterlords and assassins of the Society achieve power through extortion, violence, and control of Sileria's water supply
The lowlanders:
peasants living and working on Sileria's agricultural plains
The Outlookers:
the gray-clad Valdani occupying force in Sileria; different from the Valdani armies on the mainland
The sea-born folk:
bearing intricate indigo tattoos on their arms, they live mostly aboard their boats along Sileria's coasts
The
shallaheen
:
mountain peasants; the largest and poorest faction in Sileria
The Sisterhood:
usually Silerian widows or young women with a calling, the Sisters are pacifists and healers, and they provide Sanctuary for people in danger
The
zanareen
:
a fanatical Silerian sect living atop Mount Darshon, awaiting the coming of the Firebringer
Place Names
Abayara:
the first moon
Adalian:
Sileria's southern port city, famous for its Temple Market
Alizar:
Sileria's rich diamond mines
Amalidar Mountains:
a western mountain chain which includes many sites where the
shallah
rebels are active
Belitar:
Baran's home
Britar:
a
shallah
village; there's a Valdani fortress north of Britar
Cavasar:
Sileria's western port city
Chandar:
the village nearest to the sacred caves of Dalishar
Dalishar Caves:
a remote, sacred site on Mount Dalishar in western Sileria, the caves become a rebel base
Mount Darshon:
this massive, snow-capped, active volcano in eastern Sileria is the home of Dar, the destroyer goddess
Ejara:
the second moon
Emeldar:
Josarian's native village, in western Sileria
Gamalan:
Tansen's native village, in eastern Sileria
Garabar:
a mountain and also the name of a town in western Sileria
Golnar:
a village in western Sileria
Great Northern Desert:
north of Valdania
Idalar River:
this river, which is the primary water supply for Shaljir, has been fought over for years by Kiloran and Baran
Illan:
a town on the Idalar River
Islanar:
a town in western Sileria
Lake Kandahar:
the site of Kiloran's home—which has long been a closely guarded secret
Kashala:
a Kintish port city
Kintish Kingdoms:
a loose association of states on the mainland east of Sileria
Kinto:
the founding state of the Kintish Kingdoms, and the state in which the Palace of Heaven is located
Liron:
Sileria's eastern coastal city, perched on the sacred rainbow-chalk cliffs of Liron
Malthenar:
a western
shallah
village which became infamous as the site of a massacre
Marendar:
a village in the east; home of Jagodan, leader of the Lironi clan
Middle Sea:
the inland sea that surrounds Sileria
Mount Niran:
Guardians camp in ancient painted caves above the gossamer forests on this mountain in western Sileria
Moorlands:
a large mainland region inhabited by perpetually warring tribes, located west of Sileria
Mount Orlenar:
Josarian's uncle stables some sheep in an abandoned Kintish shrine here; this is where Tansen and Josarian meet for the first time
Orban Pass:
a hard day's ride from Cavasar, this where Josarian first killed Outlookers and became an outlaw; the pass leads from the coast to the Amalidar Mountains
Otherworld:
the place of the afterlife in traditional Silerian religion
Palace of Heaven:
the central seat of power in the Kintish Kingdoms, home of the Kintish High King
Santorell Palace:
located in Shaljir, this is the seat of power in Sileria
Santorell Square:
a public square in Shaljir, overlooked by Santorell Palace
Shaljir:
the capital of Sileria
Sileria:
a mountainous island nation in the Middle Sea; conquered 1,000 years ago by the Moorlanders; invaded eight centuries ago by the Kintish Kingdoms when the Moorlanders pulled out; seized from the Kints two centuries ago by the expanding Empire of Valda in their wars of conquest, and now still ruled by the Valdani
Sirinakara River:
the vast mainland river that flows north into the Middle Sea
Sirkara:
"heart of the world," an ancient name for the Middle Sea
Lake Ursan:
located in western Sileria
Valda/Valdania:
capital city/empire, on the mainland north of Sileria
Zilar:
wealthy town in northern Sileria, home of a famous gold-tiled Kintish temple
Zilar River:
a tributary of the Shaljir River
About the Author
Laura Resnick is the author of many books, short stories, articles, and columns. Her Esther Diamond urban fantasy series, which features the supernatural misadventures of a struggling actress in New York, has received enthusiastic praise from
Library Journal
and
Publishers Weekly
. The author's epic fantasy novels include
In Legend Born
,
The White Dragon
, which made several "Year's Best" lists, and
The Destroyer Goddess
, which
Publishers Weekly
describes as "a marvel of storytelling."
Before she began writing fantasy, Resnick was the award-wining author of fourteen contemporary romance novels (which she wrote under the pseudonym Laura Leone). Her romance novel
Fallen From Grace
was a Rita Award finalist and has been listed by DearAuthor.com as one of the best 100 novels in the genre.
A longtime opinion columnist, Resnick's book
Rejection, Romance, and Royalties: The Wacky World of a Working Writer
is a collection of her previous essays about the writing life and the publishing industry.
You can find her on the Web at:
www.LauraResnick.com
.
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