Foundling (44 page)

operasigis
pain-marks or grief-signs, said “oh-por-ah-sij-jiss”; another name for
spoors
.

Ormond
one of the
Signal Stars
; the fourth-brightest light in the night sky, preceded by the white planet Penelopë and followed by purple Hadës. Ormond rises even later than
Maudlin,
and its appearance shows that the night is old and dawn approaching.

oscadril
also oscar or owl; the largest coin of the
Empire
, made partly with gold and worth 1½
sous
. On one side is a relief of the Sagacious Owl (the symbol of
Clementine’s
mint) and on the other a Pillar or two Pillars entwined with a sash (a symbol of the
Empire
itself). If you were to toss a coin for a test of luck, you would say, “We’ll flip for it! You tell me—the Pillar or the Owl?” Various
Emperors
have tried over the centuries to make the oscar the standard currency throughout their domain.Yet somehow it has never worked and the
sou
remains the merchant, and therefore most common, coin.

Padderbeck, the ~
one of the many quays in
Boschenberg,
situated along the banks of the
Humour;
small quay built along a narrow canal called the Stoorn, coming off the main flow of the river to increase the access of trade. Other similar canals include the Humrig, Glastornis and Glachtig.

Padderbeck Stair, the ~
walkway about and steps leading down to the
Padderbeck
itself, though the two names are often used interchangeably.

pamphlets
large many-paged periodicals, a cross between what we would call “newspaper” and “magazine,” often filled with scandalous and fabulous stories of current politics and past events. The pamphlets that
Verline
kindly buys for the
marine society
are paid for by her sister the Lady
Praeline
, who has the money to afford them.

panniers
baskets or boxes with fastenable lids that are borne by animals or fixed to carriages for carrying stores and goods.

parlor maid
usually a maid-servant who waits at the meal table. In
Verline’s
case, however, though she is called a parlor maid, her responsibilities and chores involve much more than just serving
Madam Opera
meals.

Parts, the ~
or just lowercase: parts; all the
Elements
,
Sub-Elements
, chemicals and minerals and other ingredients that are used to make
scripts
.

patchouli water
water in which the petals of the patchouli flower have been soaked. The water is then strained to leave a pleasantly scented liquid for dabbing about oneself or dripped into a kerchief to be wafted about the room.

pediteer
said “ped-it-ear”; the common name for a foot soldier, as opposed to an
equiteer
or cavalryman.
Musketeers
,
haubardiers
and
troubardiers
are the three most common pediteers. Along with them are the ambuscadiers, frankarms and other light infantry.

peer(s)
the nobility, those considered or considering themselves to be of highborn blood: ancient kings and queens, dukes, duchesses and the rest. All of the regents of the states of the
Empire
are peers; indeed, you can never be a regent unless you are a peer.There are certain bloodlines within the peerage that are considered superior to others, such as the
Corvinius Arbours
of
Boschenberg
or the Saakrahennemus of
Brandenbrass
. Probably the most superior is a broadly scattered bloodline: those of a group called the Didodumese (said “dy-dod-dyoo-meez”), a lineage not reckoned in the person’s name but by their birth and nativity patent. The Didodumese are all those descended from
Dido,
the founding Queen of the
Empire
who ruled 1,600 years ago. There are even some without a peerage who belong to this illustrious set, scattered and squabbling across the whole
Half-Continent
and beyond. The current
Haacobin Emperor
is not one of the Didodumese, who hold that the supreme leader of
Dido’s
realm must be one of her descendants. He often contends with their political arm in the Imperial Parliament and their spies and assassins in the palaces.

peregrinat
almanac made hardwearing and even waterproof for use by
wayfarers
and other travelers.

Phoebë
the most common name for the moon, the governing orb of the night sky.

physic, physician
well liked and well respected, physicians train for four to six years at physacteries, spending a further year or two in a sanatorium (hospital) before being granted their full degree. With this they are allowed to be called “Doctor” and are free to practice their trade in the wide world. There they tend to all the aches and sprains of the ailing public, bleeding, balancing the humours, diagnosing and recommending
drafts
to be sought from
dispensurists
or procedures needed from
surgeons
. Physicians will even attempt a little surgery, which they are qualified to do, and folks are much happier to be under a physic’s knife than those butchers the
surgeons
. Physicians charge for each attendance and can earn about three hundred
sous
a year.

physics
the study and practice of caring for the sick and injured; what we would call “medicine.”

Pike, Mister ~
boatswain
of the
Hogshead
; a very quiet and obedient man who yet manages to control the crew set under him.

Pinsum, Master ~
the most bookishly learned of
Madam Opera’s
employees and master of
matter
,
habilistics
and
generalities
at the
foundlingery
. He has never been a sailor nor even seen the
vinegar seas
, but rather was a small-time actor before serious lumbago (chronic muscular pain in the legs) made it impossible for him to continue in a job that required so much standing up. Answering a petition of employment put out by
Madam Opera,
he began work at the foundlingery while
Rossamünd
was still a baby. He also teaches
letters
.

piped to bed
one of the many signals given by the masters of the foundlingery upon the
bosun’s whistle
to tell the children to go to bed. Once it is blown, the foundlings have fifteen minutes to be beneath their blankets. See
bosun’s whistle
.

Pirate-kings of the Brigandine, the ~
pirate-kings associated with the Brigandine Coast, northeast of the
Half-Continent,
beyond the
Liquor
. There are other pirate-kings sitting in their strongholds in other lands, but those of the Brigandine are the most infamous.

pith
also pluck or constitution; what we would call “metabolism.” It also means intestinal fortitude or “guts.”
plaudamentum
see
Cathar’s Treacle
.

Poéme
once-fashionable suburb in
Boschenberg,
now given over to factories and warehouses; where
Madam Opera’s Estimable Marine Society for Foundling Boys and Girls
is also found; now famous for not much at all.

pokeweed
or pockweed; a reedy plant that grows in swamps, and best in
threwdish
swamps, from whose stems is made a tough, durable fiber of the same name. It takes well to
gauld
and is prized as padding in
proofing
.

Pontoon Wigh, the ~
a main street in
High Vesting
that runs parallel to the coast. Clean and possessing a glorious square, it is an address much sought after by the best corporations and mercantiles.

Pontus Nubia
the “black sea,” whose acrid waters are quite literally black like ink.

poop
or poop deck; rearmost section of the upper deck of a
ram
, between the aft mast and the stern. Given that the decks of a
ram
are flush (that is, flat), the correct term for this part of the vessel is the aft deck. In the vernacular of the
vinegaroon,
however, the old term remains.

portable soup
flat, unappetizing-looking oblong slats of black material about the size of a man’s hand. They are made from a brothlike soup of beans that is strained, mixed with powdered bone and dried till it is hard. It is then etched with the manufacturer’s mark, wrapped in greased paper and shipped off to sell. Soaking one slat in hot water for about half an hour (or three hours for cold water) will cause it to dissolve into the black goop it was to begin with. Not very tasty, but light, nutritious and it takes up little room, making it an ideal
wayfood
. It can even be eaten as it is, though you would have to bite and chew very carefully or risk cutting up your mouth and tongue.

potive(s)
any concoction meant to have an effect externally, that is, not by swallowing or some other introduction into the body, as opposed to
drafts
, which need to be swallowed to work. Some potives still have to touch exposed skin to have an effect. See
scripts
.

Poundinch, Rivermaster ~
master of the
Hogshead
; he has served on many vessels on the
vinegar seas
and gained a lot of experience on the behavior and temperaments of both people and ships.

Praeline
or properly the Lady Praeline, said “pray-leen”; younger sister of
Verline
. Her locally famed beauty allowed her to marry well above her station, much to the shame of both families. His parents see her as a grasping upstart; her parents (now passed away) saw her as getting “hoity” and too big for her own boots. Her sister is just happy her husband treats her fairly.

prattling hackmillion
person who talks big but cannot back it up with action; “hackmillion” is a term used of someone who makes many swings and showy stabs at an opponent with a sword or other weapon but to little or no effect: all show and no results.

precincts of man, the ~
see
marches
.

prize(s), prize money
typically they are the capture of another
ram
or a
cargo,
or even a seaside town or city; the taking of some significant person worth ransoming; or the proven slaying of a sea-
monster
(the bigger it is, the better the reward). Prize money is paid as an incentive for heroic endeavors and is distributed to the whole crew of a
ram
by their government in amounts deemed appropriate for the deed accomplished. This distribution, however, is very uneven, with the captain of the vessel getting far and away the largest share, the rest trickling down till the lowest yonker (cabin boy) or
grummet
might receive barely more than an extra day’s pay. It really does depend on the quality of the prize taken. There have been occasions where the capture has been such a haul, like a fleet of treasure ships bound for Turkmantine, that the prize money earned by the entire crew is enough to set each one up for life. The smaller
rams
—the
frigates
and drag-maulers (see Appendix 6)—are more active, and on average their crews can expect to double their year’s pay with prize money. The
vinegaroons
of the larger
rams
—iron-doughts, main-
rams
and
main-sovereigns
(see Appendix 6)—will normally earn prize money equal to about half their annual pay. For a fee, naval or prize agents will take care of the tiresome and punctilious work involved in securing a crew’s prize money, and naval offices are bustling with them all year round. Prize money is also offered to landed folk for the killing of
monsters
or capture of criminals.

proofed
treated with
gauld
to turn into
proofing
. See
gauld, gaulder
.

proofing
any garment
proofed
, or treated with
gauld
, so that it has become sturdy cloth armor as good as, if not better than, any ancient metal suit. See
gauld, gaulder
.

Proud Sulking
also called Schmollenstolz; the major city of the farming region known as
Sulk,
situated on the east banks of the river
Humour
. A quiet rival of
Boschenberg
, it offers access to its ports and cheap land transport so that
barges
might discharge their cargoes and avoid the high tolls of the
Axles
. It is also becoming the preferred river-port for the taking in of produce from
Sulk
—grains, vegetables, cotton, flax, limestone—for export to the rest of the world. This was once Boschenberg
’s
monopoly.

prow
front, pointed part of a vessel forming part of the bow. On a
ram
the prow curves down and forward into a beak called a
ram
, from which these vessels take their name.

pugnator
said “pug-nay-tor”; a common, some consider vulgar, term for
monster-hunter
. See
teratologist
.

“Pullets and cockerels!”
exclamation of disgust or surprise or astonishment; it means, quite literally, “hens and roosters!”

quabard
said “kwe-bard” or “kay-bard”; a shorter version of a haubard; like a
weskit
only lined with
gaulded
-leather plates and fitting more tightly, fastened with buckles at the side or back rather than buttons. See
harness
.

quarto
also quarter; any body of soldiers significantly smaller than a platoon, which is roughly thirty men. Typically a quarto is around ten souls.

’quins
slang for
sequins
.

Rabbitt, Farmer ~
see
Farmer Rabbitt
.

Rakes, the ~
items on a menu considered to be common and unfashionable; food for rough and rustic folk to eat; the cheap part of the menu. See
Best Cuts
.