The Shattered City (40 page)

Alexandrine Basilica
— the largest church in the known world, constructed by the fourth Duc d'Aufleur, mad old Ilexandros. His successor, Duc Giulio Gauget, declared the Basilica to be an unholy abomination and stripped its rich furnishings to ornament his own Palazzo. The hollowed-out and falling-down Basilica is now used as a marketplace, and a merchant's lot here is worth a small fortune.

Ammoria
— a principality once consisting of three duchies: Silano (capital city: Bazeppe), Lattorio (capital city: Aufleur) and Reyenna (capital city: Tierce). When the city of Tierce vanished, Reyenna became one of the baronies of Lattorio.

Animor
— the energy/power contained within the bodies of all full members of the Creature Court. Seers and sentinels do not hold animor, though they are touched/contaminated by it, which gives them a status between the nox and daylight worlds.

Ansouisette
— a fashionable cocktail of aniseed and lemon liqueur.

Arches, the
— ruined city that exists below Aufleur, where the city's inhabitants once lived after being forced underground during the old skywar. Now inhabited by the Creature Court. Also known as ‘the undercity'.

Artorio Xandelian
— former Ducomte d'Aufleur, son of Duc Ynescho Xandelian and Duchessa Givette Camellie.
Artorio refused to marry in his youth, but at age thirty-three was prevailed upon by his father to marry nineteen-year-old Eglantine in order to produce an heir. A year later Isangell was born. Artorio died of the Silent Sleep when his daughter was thirteen.

Ashiol Xandelian
— Ducomte d'Aufleur; son of Augusta and Bruges, stepson of Diamagne. Cousin to Isangell, Duchessa d'Aufleur. Member of the Creature Court; rank: King; creature: black cat.

Atulia
— region to the north of Ammoria.

Aufrey
— one of the twelve Great Families of Aufleur.

Aufleur
— capital city of the duchy of Lattorio in the principality of Ammoria. Ruled by Isangell, the daylight Duchessa.

Augusta Xandelian
— second child of Duc Ynescho Xandelian and Duchessa Givette Camellie. Married Bruges Lanouvre and had one son, Ashiol. A year after Bruges's death, Augusta married the Baronne di Diamagne and retired to his estate. She bore Diamagne four sons: Bryn, Keil, Jemmen and Zade, and then a daughter, Phage (Pip). Now widowed.

Avleurine
— one of the hill districts of Aufleur; location of the Temple of the Market Saints.

Bridescake
— ornate wedding cake traditionally covered in spring flowers.

Bruges Lanouvre
— late husband of Augusta Xandelian; father of Ashiol (died when Ashiol was seven years old).

Burnplague
— a spreading sky pattern of blisters that spit motes of light and acid.

Camellie
— one of the twelve Great Families of Aufleur.

Camoise
— country to the far east of Ammoria. One of many cultures that trades extensively with Aufleur. Providers of the exotic and expensive ‘real tea', the best of which is Camoisean leaf.

Carmentines
— bright scarlet flowers with long stems.

Cathedral of Ires
— place of worship dedicated to the Crone Ires, who is venerated by the Irean Priestesses. Place where wills are lodged for safekeeping. The priestesses guard the wills and provide public readings after the client's death.

Celeste
— former Lord of the Creature Court who left with Lysandor during the tyrannical reign of Garnet as Power and Majesty.

Centi opera stands
— portable stalls featuring puppet shows. Sometimes a young female performer, an ingénue, performs among the puppets.

Centrini
— affluent mercantile district in the centre of Aufleur.

Cheapside
— part of the market district of Tierce, where Velody's family own a bakery.

Chimaera
— a monstrous dark shadowy shape with claws, teeth and scales; an amalgam of every devil and forbidden creature imaginable. Only Creature Kings are able to take chimaera form; used in battle.

Church Bridge
— traditional starting point for festival parades; finishing point is the Forum. One of two city bridges across the River Verticordia, the other being the Marius Bridge.

Ciocolate
— a very expensive delicacy brought over from Nova Stella. Served as a fondant or as a hot, spicy drink called ciocolata.

City Fathers
— the members of the City Council, who meet in the Curia: this group is made up of the Duc's Ministers, a Proctor for each of the city districts, and the three senior priests who between them form the ruling body of the city, under the hand of the Duc or Duchessa. The three senior priests are the Matrona Irea of the Irean Priestesses (the only woman allowed to be a city father),
Brother Typhisus of the Silver Brethren, and the Master of Saints.

Clara
— member of the Creature Court; rank: courtesa to Warlord; creature: greymoon cat.

Coinage
— the coins of Aufleur are divided into gold ducs, silver ducs, copper shilleins and copper centi.

Courtesi (courteso: male; courtesa: female)
— the lowest rank of the Creature Court; must ally themselves with a particular Lord for protection. Too vulnerable to exist alone.

Crane
— youngest of the surviving sentinels. Weapons: blue-hilted daggers and swords.

Creature Court
— the courtesi, Lords and Kings who hold animor within their bodies, belong to the nox and have the ability to fight the sky. Ruled by the Power and Majesty, the highest ranked of their Kings. Peripheral members of the Court include the sentinels and the seer, but they often consider themselves separate from the Court.

Crossroads
— any part of the city where two streets meet is considered sacred to the protective spirits or household gods of Aufleur. Casual sacrifices (for example chickens or honey cakes) are often made here for greater effect.

Curia
— slope-roofed building in the Forum that houses meetings of the City Council.

Cyniver
— brother of Rhian and lover of Velody; lost when Tierce was swallowed by the sky.

Damascine Virgins
— an order of priestesses in service to Damascus the war-angel. They sacrifice to him on the eleventh day of Martial.

Dame
— appropriate form of address for a respectable matron, diminutive of ‘madame'.

Damson
— member of the Creature Court; rank: courtesa to Priest; creature: gull.

Delphine
— friend to Velody and Rhian; ribboner and garland-maker.

Demoiselle
— unmarried girl; ‘demme' for short.

Duc/Duchessa d'Aufleur
— ruler of the city of Aufleur.

Dhynar
— member of the Creature Court; rank: Lord; creature: ferax.

Diamagne
— farming and wine region south of Aufleur; part of Lattorio. Also the name of the Baronne di Diamagne (now deceased), who married Ducomtessa Augusta Xandelian (Ashiol's mother) a year after the death of her first husband, Bruges.

Donagan
— reputed to be the finest tailor in Aufleur, a master craftsman.

Dottores
— medical practitioners, mostly male. The only women allowed to practise in Aufleur as dottores are those registered as midwives, although many of them dispense other forms of medical advice on the side.

Edore
— region to the north of Ammoria and Atulia.

Farrier
— member of the Creature Court; rank: courteso to Dhynar; creature: slashcat.

Floralia
— six-day festival commemorating the glory of spring and the fertility of the coming summer. It begins in Aphrodal and ends in Floralis. Honours maidens, sweethearts, brides, household gods, passion and abundance, each on a different day. The first day (maidens) is celebrated with a public parade by the Spring Queen (the highest-ranking female in the city) and her Spring Consort, both dressed in pink and white.

Flame-and-gin
— common bar drink.

Florister
— artisan who works with plants and flowers; often works in conjunction with a ribboner or garland-maker to make festival garlands.

Fornacalia
— festival from the sixth to the seventeenth of
Lupercal in honour of the harvest saints, so that the baking of the corn is successful. Citizens wear ceremonial baking aprons for the rituals. Overlaps with the Parentalia, Quirinalia and Lupercalia.

Forum
— the public centre of Aufleur, a large area lined with temples and public buildings such as the Alexandrine Basilica and the Curia. The city market is held here every nine days, events such as the apprentice fairs are held here, and this is the traditional climax of most public parades and pageants. The Duchessa's Avenue connects the Forum to the Lake of Follies. Other cities, such as Tierce, also have a Forum, though the Forum of Aufleur is unusually large.

Gardens of Trajus Alysaundre
— large gardens covering one side of the Lucretine hill in the centre of Aufleur; built over the top of the decadent public baths established in honour of the third Duc d'Aufleur, Trajus Alysaundre. The gardens face on to the Lake of Follies and the Forum.

Garnet
— member of the Creature Court; rank: Power and Majesty; creature: gattopardo (mountain cat). He is the son of the cook and the groundskeeper on the Diamagne estate, and was Ashiol's boyhood friend.

Giacosa
— bustling merchant district at the southern end of Aufleur.

Giulio Gauget
— fifth Duc d'Aufleur. Known for excessive modesty and piety in contrast to his predecessor, mad old Ilexandros Alysaundre.

Givette Camellie
— the Old Duchessa, wife of Duc Ynescho, mother of Artorio and Augusta, grandmother of Isangell, Ashiol, Bryn, Keil, Jemmen, Zade and Phage. Became Regenta when her late husband was mentally incapacitated; pre-deceased him after a long illness.

Gleamspray
— a rare and lethal element of the skybattles
which is known for killing daylight folk; victims appear to succumb to the ‘Silent Sleep'.

Grago
— member of the Creature Court; rank: courteso to Dhynar; creature: stripecat.

Great Families
— the twelve Great Families of Aufleur: Xandelian (ducal), Leorgette, Lanouvre, Gauget, Paucini, Aufrey, Alysaundre, Vittorio, Giuliano, Camellie, Delgardie, Octaviano.

Halberk
— member of the Creature Court; courteso to Poet; creature: bear.

Haymarket
— located in the Arches. Formerly a packing and storage facility; now a large space where the Power and Majesty resides. A canal runs water from the River Verticordia right through the Haymarket and down through the Arches, emerging at the Lock in the side of the Lucretine hill, which is the main entrance to the Arches.

Heliora
— member of the Creature Court; rank: Seer. Joined Court as a sentinel; became Seer during Ortheus's reign as Power and Majesty.

Ilexandros Alysaundre
— fourth Duc d'Aufleur; also known as ‘mad old Ilexandros'. Built the Alexandrine Basilica, largest church in the known world, in the Forum of Aufleur.

Irean Priestesses
— powerful priestesses who venerate Ires the Crone, otherwise known as Saint Grandmere. The priestesses wear white and are said to have communion with the dead. Wills are lodged with them for safekeeping. Their chief priestess is the Matrona Irea, one of the three priests included in the City Fathers.

Ires
— the Crone, or Saint Grandmere, worshipped in the Cathedral of Ires and venerated by the Irean Priestesses.

Isangell
— Duchessa d'Aufleur (full name/title: Duchessa Isangell Xandelian d'Aufleur, First Lady of the Silver Seal); daughter of Artorio Xandelian and Eglantine;
granddaughter of previous Duc d'Aufleur, Ynescho Xandelian, and his Regenta, the Duchessa Givette.

Isharo
— an island country to the Far East, a trading partner with Aufleur, particularly for flowers and fabrics.

Janvier
— member of the Creature Court; courteso to Livilla; creature: raven.

Kelpie
— sentinel. Refers to her swords as her ‘Sisters' and her daggers as her ‘Nieces': hilts are wrapped in dark leather.

Lanouvre
— one of the twelve Great Families of Aufleur.

Lemuria
— festival during Floralis to placate the shades of dead ancestors and lost loves.

Lennoc
— member of the Creature Court; courteso to Dhynar (formerly courteso to Lief); creature: brighthound.

Leorgette
— one of the twelve Great Families of Aufleur.

Librarion
— Aufleur's city library.

Lictors
— honour guard that protects ranks of Duc, Duchessa, Ducomte or Ducomtessa, as well as select City Fathers, priests of high status and the Chief Minister. Lictors travel in multiples of three, carry ceremonial rods of state, are armed with axes and wear black and scarlet.

Lief
— deceased member of the Creature Court; rank: Lord; creature: greathound.

Livilla
— member of the Creature Court; rank: Lord; creature: wolf.

Lucian
— one of the districts of Aufleur, known as the theatre district.

Ludi
— as well as being the name of the first autumn month, this word means ‘games'.

Ludi Aufleuris
— fifteen-day series of games held during the first month of autumn, Ludi. Women traditionally wear scarlet shawls when attending these games and
wave the corners of the shawls to favoured gladiators and performers.