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In the Shadow of the Dragons

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The Dragons' Child

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The Dragons' Lord

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Compendium of High Daelan Vocabulary

brheca – a rank of the Priesthood; one who commands a town’s regiment.

Cened – the female half of the Dnalla; headed by the High Priestess.

Cesa li – literally, ‘mighty one;’ a term of respect.

Children of Daela – Elementals of Earth; once fewer in number and more powerful, they are now a race of sorcerers living in a single nation, Taera, in the world of men.

Council of Lords – the ruling body of Taera; it is made up of the heads of the twenty-four First Families.

daemos – in any ritual or combat setting, a ring of usually priestesses who serve to provide a magical defense for other onlookers; the daemos may also have the role, as in elevation ceremonies for the High Priest, High Priestess or Dragon Lord, to kill any who fail the tests of the Guardians.

darmir – a barrier, or point of division, usually a magical one; a veil or curtain.

dier (li dier) – the last; when capitalized, it tends to be used alone in some prophecies, or in the phrase ‘the last of Them’.  Interpreters of prophecy disagree on whether the references are to a single person or two.

dnal – any member of the Dnalla; general term for priest or priestess.

dnalhin – the state of being in the Priesthood, or priestliness, not the institution.

Dnalla – the Priesthood; the Cened and the Kilith taken together.

dniyr – a First Familied knight; this rank has far more magical or religious training than the rank of gaanadael given to Second Families.

Draedishad – the long civil war that occurred in Taera between Ishadi and followers of the Dragons; literally meaning ‘gift of the Ishada’, it may also refer to any period of chaos or lawlessness.

Dragons – these are Elemental creatures formed from the Elementals of Fire and Air.  They were born after the birth of the Ishada in order to better stand against these upstart pretenders who coveted Their power and wished to destroy Them.

Dragonsword – a now almost mythical sword once carried by the Dragon Lords.  It disappeared with Lord Swayne in 3192 S.Rh. It is often referred to simply as the Sword.  It is coveted for its ability to help a Child of Daela access more of their Elemental powers.

Dragon Lord – considered the powerful sorcerer among the Children of Daela, with each generation a Challenge is held to determine who has earned the right to the title, however, since the beginning of Taera, only members of the Te Daelan Family have held the seat.

drav/dravi – in the elevation ceremony for High Priest, High Priestess, this role is played by the living High Priest or High Priestess, and they assist the tadratan, played by the Dragon Lord in the ritual; in the Dragon Lord’s elevation ceremony, the role is similar but may be filled by either living leader of the Dnalla.  Drav is the male role, dravi the female version.

dural – the role of the champion in a magical duel; or generally, the defensive position.

First Family – these comprise the highest ranks of the nobility in Taera and make up the majority of the priestly class as well; magically quite powerful, they rule Taera through the heads of their Families who sit on the Council of Lords.

gaanadael – a Second Familied knight; compared to the dniyr, their magical abilities are significantly less.

gashi – the Taeran equivalent of a mile measurement, though somewhat longer.

gethda-shi – in the ceremony to elevate a new High Priest or High Priestess, this is the role of the candidate.

Hellira – these are the Elementals of Air, one of the races of beings that merged to form the Dragons.

hundredyear – a century.

Ishada – a race of pseudo-Elemental beings who seek to destroy all the other Elementals and take their place.

Ishadi – followers of the Ishada among the Children of Daela.

jaejin – an official messenger of Taera; courier.

kalliad – one cycle of the moon Kallia (which appears as the largest in the sky), consisting of 26 days; there are 14 such cycles plus one day in the course of a year.

Kilith – the male half of the Dnalla; headed by the High Priest.

kirou – the challenger in a magical duel, or anyone on the offensive.

Krikar (li Krikar) – literally, the ‘Feared One.’

laerat – the Speaker; in certain rituals, candidates are not permitted to speak on their own behalf during the ceremony, and thus are linked through magic to one who will speak for them, but who is incapable of deception.

layrhdin – a healer-priest.

Lord Primary – the nominal head of the Taeran state, and leader of the Council of Lords.  The seat is hereditary and is passed down through the Taeradthin Family, considered, however, the second-most powerful Family Taera.  Early in Taeran history they were born of a split in the Te Daelan Family.

M’Lari – these are Elementals of Water; they created the Ishada who then turned on them and destroyed them.

Network – a network of priests in Temples throughout Taera who can be magically linked to help passes messages nearly instantaneously through the nation; the Network is only established during times of war and crisis because of its exceptional power drain on those linked through it.

perem – any assistant to magical practitioner in a magical rite.

phase – one quarter turn of the moon Kallia, or approximately six or seven days; two phases is considered thirteen days; roughly equivalent to our week.

psaergesa – the rank of the (female) in charge of all the Dnalla in a particular city; perhaps closest to that of an abbot, however, no position among the Dnalla is for life except that of the High Priest and High Priestess.

pseitrep – the Sentinel; one who may pass someone through a ritual circle; rarely, a guardsman of any kind.

Raemaca-Finnae – literally “Giver of Life,” the great Creator being who created the world, and its inhabitants;  the Creator disappeared after the Ishada wiped out the M’Lari and the Dragons were born; it is said that after death the soul of an Elemental goes on in search of the Creator.

Reshani – these are the Elementals of Fire, one of the Elemental races that merged to form the Dragons.

rudeh – one who rings bells, and is frequently used in rituals and official ceremonial functions to draw attention to certain facets of the event.

Second Family – members of this class comprise the lower nobility and most of the middle class of Taera; there are forty-eight Families; they have less magical ability than the First Families, but more than the minimal amount possessed by the peasant class.

tadratan – the leader of a ritual ceremony involving more than two participants; typically, however, reserved only for the Dragon Lord when elevating a new High Priest or High Priestess or the leader of the ceremony elevating the Dragon Lord.

traungesa – a rank of the Priesthood (specifically here the Cened though there is a male equivalent) who oversees the Temple in a particular city and has authority over its members in that city.

trasamn – ritual drummers, used in rituals and public events, similar to the rudeh.

tsensas – the candidate for Dragon Lord prior to the completion of his elevation ceremony.

Zal li ya – literally, ‘so it is’.  It is used as a ritual affirmation, or as a sign of acquiescence.

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