Glossary¶
A reference guide to the terms, places, characters, and concepts in The Witchglass Covenant.
Category
Ethnicity
Characters
- Adranaya Parsevgi
- A young Sarmalan aristocrat, residing in Thelenza after being cast out by her family.
- Anashi (plural: Anashim)
- A once-powerful people who ruled the world with storm-magic, now a tenuous diaspora. Worshippers of Grandmother, a being the Anashi see as a goddess and the rest of the world sees as a demon.
- Belosveka
- A Dzharian spymaster posing as a merchant.
- Binhoça
- A Cantereian middleman and smuggler.
- Captain Havja
- A respected officer of the Sihiri.
- Careidu
- Headman of the village of Valdeia.
- Dalanat Kenem
- The Vorkyrda, Empress of Sarmala and head of The Helix.
- Eiadane
- Teira's second-in-command and lover.
- Etibo
- A night manager in the Hall of Vapors; Vaye's supervisor.
- Gadalão Relotea voa Sendaora
- One of Gadarien's fathers, an importer and merchant.
- Gadarien Relotea voa Gadalão
- A young Cantereian spy on a secret mission in Thelenza.
- Habsa Ravásie
- Leader of the Tementeira, a radical Cantereian religious sect.
- Hainzu Dranavan
- An aristocratic Sarmalan novitiate at the School.
- Işen
- Adranaya's mentally-ill aunt, used by her family as a cautionary example.
- Jovadão Beion voa Audién
- A Cantereian defector, now a high-ranking commander of the Sihiri and a Preceptor at the School.
- Kuchum
- A self-righteous docent at the School.
- Ladrana Karanoya
- A Dzharian novitiate at the School.
- Liade
- Adranaya's deceased Cantereian lover.
- Nashara Keshesai
- Vaye's deceased mother, a washerwoman.
- Pizlik
- Adranaya's family priest.
- Ruelso
- A Feiçeira spy in the Thelenza cell.
- Sumidáne
- A former Feiçeira now in the employ of the Ouvintero.
- Tadevi Kenem
- The Healer, second-in-command of The Helix, and brother of the Vorkyrda.
- Teira
- Leader (Guiasa) of the Thelenza cell of Feiçeira separatists.
- Umbo Faisal
- A wealthy, populist Cantereian merchant-turned-politician.
- Vaye (Vayeliyah) Keshesai
- A young Anashi orphan residing in Thelenza.
- Vorkyrda
- The leader of the Helix, currently Dalanat Kenem.
- Yobaza
- Head Preceptor of the School of the Storm
- Ypanti
- A particularly old and boring Preceptor
Places
- Baranaath | Baranaathi
- A backwater nation within the Sarmalan sphere of influence. Known for unusual cuisine containing animal flesh.
- Cantereian Market
- A large bazaar in the Cantereian quarter of Thelenza.
- Chrysalis, The
- A nickname for Irkeset, the lost capitol of Anash.
- Daybreak Yard
- A large plaza in central Thelenza near the Cantereian Market.
- Ewederi
- The small Dzharian mountain village where Vaye grew up.
- Eyewall, The
- A colossal, perpetual storm surrounding Thelenza. Primary source of Sarmalan control over their sphere of influence.
- Falpassoa, The
- A large river system separating Sarmala from Cantereia.
- Far Ooris
- A distant nation.
- Foucanta, The
- A powerful flowspring beneath the Sagradhão in Rilão.
- Hall of Vapors, The
- A large chamber built atop a volcano, where steam from the Nadrali river is used both to generate the Eyewall and to refine witchglass.
- Hoshin
- A powerful nation on the far side of Cantereia.
- House of Breezes, The
- An infamous prison and interrogation site. Primary office of the Healer.
- Irkeset
- The lost Anashi capitol, once known as The Chrysalis, and now referred to as the City of Broken Glass.
- Kizdesh
- A mid-sized Sarmalan city in the lake district. Adranaya's hometown.
- Lietna
- The capital city of Dzhar and Belosveka's home base.
- Madrafar
- The powerful flowspring beneath Thelenza that powers the Eyewall.
- Nadrali
- A river that flows through Thelenza, passing beneath the Eyewall and partially-diverted to provide steam to the Hall of Vapors.
- Oblashada
- A valley in Cantereia, site of a great victory prophesied in The Canticle.
- Odravitza
- A mid-sized Dzharian city; Ladrana's hometown.
- Rilão
- The cultural center of Cantereia, birthplace of the Feiçeira and location of the Sagradhão.
- Rogaleão
- A mountain pass between Sarmala and Dzhar, often used by the Feiçeira.
- Sagradhão, The
- An important temple, administrative center, and cultural touchstone in Rilão.
- Sarmala
- An empire ruled by the Vorkyrda, currently the greatest power in Telua.
- School of the Storm, The
- An elite school for future Sihiri
- Sobração
- The Cantereian-made city of tunnels beneath the streets of Thelenza.
- Street of Sighs, The
- Thelenza's historic red-light district, now a popular entertainment area.
- Telua
- The known world, from the cliffs of Old Tisuul to the poisoned shores of Far Ooris.
- Thelenza
- Capital city of Sarmala and seat of the Vorkyrda. Surrounded by The Eyewall.
- Tine, The
- A mountain peak in Anash, considered sacred by multiple cultures.
- Tisuul
- A nation bordering Dzhar and Cantereia. Once a powerful empire, but no longer.
- Tower of the Tempest, The
- A colossal structure in Thelenza that serves as the official residence of the Vorkyrda.
- Valdeia
- A Cantereian village near the Sarmalan border.
- Velhade
- The rarefied hilltop neighborhood of Thelenza enclosing the Tower of the Tempest and the School of the Storm.
- Yolshikyrda
- The main road through Thelenza (The Vorkyrda's Way)
Things
- Apogee
- A sorcerer with once-in-a-generation talent, able to channel almost unlimited amounts of flowstream without going insane.
- Ashadah
- A power bestowed by Grandmother, known as the Gift of Sympathy.
- Aurei
- The highest-value Sarmalan currency, made of witchglass and gold.
- Aurunda
- A fruiting bush that grows in Cantereia.
- Book of Shedach, The
- One of the lost Anashi scriptures, which encode spells in their structure.
- Canticle, The
- A book of apocalyptic Cantereian scripture.
- Circamo
- The forbidden act of group love, punished with death by cynosure.
- Conflagration, The
- A wave of genocidal massacres of Anashi, and the destruction of most Anashi temples.
- Cynosure
- A brutal Sarmalan execution method involving concentrated sunlight.
- Deucanta, The
- The Cantereian pantheon of giants, said to have sung the world into being.
- Dozenal
- A person's twelfth birthday, considered an in important transition from childhood to adulthood.
- Dozenday
- The last day of the standard twelve-day calendar interval.
- Dreamroot
- A powerful sedative herb.
- Failure, The
- The collapse of the previous civilization, known as The Undone. Blamed on Grandmother and the Anashi.
- Feast of Dunvirmak
- A Sarmalan holiday involving flaming lanterns, celebrating the overthrow of Grandmother.
- Feiçeira
- A much-feared order of Cantereian singer-sorcerers, currently operating as underground insurgents.
- Finêa, The
- The apocalypse predicted in The Canticle, in which The Deucanta bring the world into Harmony, ending individual existence.
- Fireglass
- Spikes of obsidian formed from the soil by the intense temperatures at the heart of a Teshkasir.
- Flowsick
- An illness caused by drawing too much from the flowstream. Can be fatal.
- Flowspring
- A powerful geographic source of magic, Where multiple flowstreams intersect.
- Flowstream
- Lines of raw magical information that traverse the landscape.
- Flowtree
- The standard Sarmalan hierarchy of sorcerers used to generate large works of magic.
- Glassroots
- Tiny root-like filaments that anchor thorns into the flesh
- Glassworm
- Small, glowing worms that cling to the roofs of caves and excrete raw witchglass.
- Guiasa
- A Cantereian term of high respect, used as a title for a military commander.
- Halvash
- An Anashi pastry stuffed with nuts, raisins, poppy seeds, and spices.
- Helix, The
- The governing body of Sarmala, headed by the Vorkyrda.
- High Anashic
- The archaic scriptural language of Anash, in which meaning is derived from both words and their physical relationships on the page.
- Holy Harmonies
- The holy Song of the Deucanta. Also a somewhat blasphemous Cantereian swear word.
- Ilahin
- The Sarmalan ancestral pantheon who sacrificed themselves to overthrow Grandmother, imprisoning her in ice.
- Katsarrim
- The Anashi word for Grandchildren; translates to "harvesters"
- Kravadi
- A secretive Anashi martial art form integrating language and dance.
- Kurukemyi
- An important meridian crossing near the tailbone.
- Lady of the Thousand Eyes, The
- One of Grandmother's many honorifics.
- Lancoãda
- A fearsome sectioned spear-like weapon of the Feiçeira.
- Mal'kalah ve Rashum (Queen of Mercy)
- One of Grandmother's many Holy Names.
- Mishihah
- A power bestowed by Grandmother, known as the Gift of Attraction.
- Oruma (plural: Orumir)
- A mysterious order of former novitiates critical to the maintenance of the Eyewall.
- Ouvintero, The
- Archaic title for a Cantereian warlord, the last of whom was overthrown by the Feiçeira in favor of collective rule.
- Peljak (plural: Peljaki)
- Witchglass half-capes that can become razor-sharp or reflective for use in light-based magic. Weapon and garment of the Sihiri.
- Pepperbush
- A popular Cantereian spice with mouth-numbing qualities.
- Preceptor
- An instructor at the School of the Storm.
- Quartertrial
- An important exam at the School, administered one-fourth of the way through a novitiate's training.
- Rivercarver
- The Dzharian term for a sorcerer.
- Riyadah
- A power bestowed by Grandmother, known as The Gift of Resonance.
- Sandfingers
- Unpredictable, highly-destructive whirlwinds that give the Whirling Wastes their name.
- Sarmalic
- The Sarmalan language.
- Sihir (plural: Sihiri)
- Elite Sarmalan sorcerer-soldiers who form the Vorkyrda's personal guard.
- Sisters of the Sun
- Vargashic nuns, responsible for various religious ceremonies throughout Sarmala.
- Sky Mother
- The Sarmalan sun deity, composed of three aspects known as the Refractions: Dawn, Day, and Dusk.
- Stonewood
- A dense, slow-growing hardwood tree, sacred to Cantereians.
- Sussura
- A secret language of melody and rhythm exclusive to the Feiçeira.
- Tashiya
- An Anashi word for resurrection.
- Taspara
- A ribbon-like Dzharian whip-sword made of flexible, razor-sharp witchglass.
- Tava'at
- The Anashi word for a Gyre.
- Tementeira
- Cantereian religious fundamentalists who believe magic should only be used for prayer. Enemies of the Feiçeira.
- Teshkasir
- A towering, spinning inferno used by the first Vorkyrda to conquer large swaths of Telua.
- Thorn
- A small witchglass implant that allows sorcerers to channel flowstream more efficiently.
- Tirgehem
- A power bestowed by Grandmother, known as the Gift of Understanding.
- Tzash | Tzashim
- Anashi ritual weapons consisting of curved daggers at the ends of long, woven witchglass tethers.
- Ujulo
- A hollow tree with thorns on the inside, often appearing in Cantereian folklore.
- Undone, The
- A vanished civilization that left behind many mysterious ruins.
- Vargashi
- The official Sarmalan faith, representing order over chaos.
- Viriyeshet
- An Anashi word for the mysterious glimmering lines of the flowstream, only visible to those with significant magical ability.
- Witchglass
- A valuable magical substance that can change shape, texture, or other properties in response to a sorcerer's will.
- Yellowrush
- A laxative herb that smells like what it does.
- Yetzirah
- A power bestowed by Grandmother, known as The Gift of Creation.