The Thousandfold Thought (The Prince of Nothing, Book 3) (90 page)
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Authors: R. Scott Bakker
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BOOK: The Thousandfold Thought (The Prince of Nothing, Book 3)
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Mongilea
—A governorate of Kian and former province of the Nansur Empire, located along the coasts adjacent to the River Sweki. Long a tributary land, Mongilea has exchanged masters many times. As the original conquest of Fan’oukarji I (3759), it has become the “Green Homeland” of the Kianene, and a famed producer of horses.
—A governorate of Kian and former province of the Nansur Empire, located along the coasts adjacent to the River Sweki. Long a tributary land, Mongilea has exchanged masters many times. As the original conquest of Fan’oukarji I (3759), it has become the “Green Homeland” of the Kianene, and a famed producer of horses.
Moraör
—“Hall of Kings” (Old Meoric) The famed palace complex of Galeoth’s rulers, located in Oswenta.
—“Hall of Kings” (Old Meoric) The famed palace complex of Galeoth’s rulers, located in Oswenta.
Morghund, House
—The ruling dynasty of Atrithau since 3817.
—The ruling dynasty of Atrithau since 3817.
Moserothu
—An Ainoni city located in the heart of the populous Secharib Plains.
—An Ainoni city located in the heart of the populous Secharib Plains.
Mother-of-Cities
—See
Trysë
.
—See
Trysë
.
Mount Eshki
—The legendary “Mountain of Revelation” where, according to
The Chronicle of the Tusk,
the Prophet Angeshraël received the call to lead the Tribes of Men into Eärwa.
—The legendary “Mountain of Revelation” where, according to
The Chronicle of the Tusk,
the Prophet Angeshraël received the call to lead the Tribes of Men into Eärwa.
Mount Kinsureah
—The legendary “Mountain of Summoning” where, according to
The Chronicle of the Tusk,
the Prophet Angeshraël sacrificed Oresh, the youngest of his sons by Esmenet, to demonstrate his conviction to the Tribes of Men.
—The legendary “Mountain of Summoning” where, according to
The Chronicle of the Tusk,
the Prophet Angeshraël sacrificed Oresh, the youngest of his sons by Esmenet, to demonstrate his conviction to the Tribes of Men.
Mouth-of-the-Worm
—A Yatwerian temple in Carythusal, so named because of its proximity to the slums commonly called the Worm.
—A Yatwerian temple in Carythusal, so named because of its proximity to the slums commonly called the Worm.
Munuäti
—A powerful Scylvendi tribe from the interior of the Jiünati Steppe.
—A powerful Scylvendi tribe from the interior of the Jiünati Steppe.
Muretetis
(2789-2864)—An ancient Ceneian scholar-slave famed for his
Axioms and Theorems,
the founding text of Three Seas geometry.
(2789-2864)—An ancient Ceneian scholar-slave famed for his
Axioms and Theorems,
the founding text of Three Seas geometry.
Mursiris
—“Wicked North” (Ham-Kheremic) The ancient Shiradi name for the No-God, so named because his presence was for so long sensed only as an intimation of doom on the northern horizon.
—“Wicked North” (Ham-Kheremic) The ancient Shiradi name for the No-God, so named because his presence was for so long sensed only as an intimation of doom on the northern horizon.
Myclai
—The ancient administrative and commercial capital of Akksersia, destroyed in 2149 during the Apocalypse.
—The ancient administrative and commercial capital of Akksersia, destroyed in 2149 during the Apocalypse.
Mygella, Anasûrimbor
(2065-2111)—The famed Hero-King of Aörsi, whose deeds are recounted in
The Sagas
.
(2065-2111)—The famed Hero-King of Aörsi, whose deeds are recounted in
The Sagas
.
Mysunsai
—“The Bond of Three” (Vaparsi) The self-proclaimed “mercenary School,” which sells its sorcerous services across the Three Seas. Perhaps the largest of the Anagogic Schools, though far from the most powerful, the Mysunsai are a commercial result of the 3804 defensive amalgamation of three minor Schools during the Scholastic Wars: the Mikka Council from Cironji, the Oaranat from Nilnamesh, and the (Cengemic) Nilitar Compact from Ce Tydonn. Under the terms of the infamous Psailian Concession during the Scholastic Wars, the Mysunsai assisted the Inrithi in their Ainoni campaigns, an act for which the School was never forgiven, though it did much to confirm the School’s exclusive commercial interests to its customers.
N—“The Bond of Three” (Vaparsi) The self-proclaimed “mercenary School,” which sells its sorcerous services across the Three Seas. Perhaps the largest of the Anagogic Schools, though far from the most powerful, the Mysunsai are a commercial result of the 3804 defensive amalgamation of three minor Schools during the Scholastic Wars: the Mikka Council from Cironji, the Oaranat from Nilnamesh, and the (Cengemic) Nilitar Compact from Ce Tydonn. Under the terms of the infamous Psailian Concession during the Scholastic Wars, the Mysunsai assisted the Inrithi in their Ainoni campaigns, an act for which the School was never forgiven, though it did much to confirm the School’s exclusive commercial interests to its customers.
Nabathra
—A mid-sized town in the province of Anserca, whose markets control the regional distribution of wool, the province’s primary commodity.
—A mid-sized town in the province of Anserca, whose markets control the regional distribution of wool, the province’s primary commodity.
Nagogris
—A large New Dynasty city on the upper River Sempis, famed for her red sandstone fortifications.
—A large New Dynasty city on the upper River Sempis, famed for her red sandstone fortifications.
nahat
—See
castes
.
—See
castes
.
Nail of Heaven
—The northern star that, aside from being the brightest in the night sky (it is sometimes visible in daylight), provides the axis from which all other stars revolve.
—The northern star that, aside from being the brightest in the night sky (it is sometimes visible in daylight), provides the axis from which all other stars revolve.
Naïn
(4071-4111)—A sorcerer of rank in the Scarlet Spires, slain by Chorae at Anwurat.
(4071-4111)—A sorcerer of rank in the Scarlet Spires, slain by Chorae at Anwurat.
Nangael
—A fiefdom of Ce Tydonn, located along the Swa Marches. Nangael warriors can be readily identified by their tattooed cheeks.
—A fiefdom of Ce Tydonn, located along the Swa Marches. Nangael warriors can be readily identified by their tattooed cheeks.
Nanor-Ukkerja I
(1378-1556)—“Hammer of Heaven” (Kûniüric from Umeritic
nanar hukisha
) The first Anasûrimbor High King, whose defeat of the Scintya in 1408 would lead to the founding of Kûniüri and begin what most scholars regard as the longest-reigning dynasty in recorded history.
(1378-1556)—“Hammer of Heaven” (Kûniüric from Umeritic
nanar hukisha
) The first Anasûrimbor High King, whose defeat of the Scintya in 1408 would lead to the founding of Kûniüri and begin what most scholars regard as the longest-reigning dynasty in recorded history.
Nansur
—See
Nansur Empire
.
—See
Nansur Empire
.
Nansur Empire
—A nation of the Three Seas and self-proclaimed inheritor to the Ceneian Empire. At the height of its power the Nansur Empire extended from Galeoth to Nilnamesh, but it has been much reduced by centuries of warfare against the Fanim Kianene.
—A nation of the Three Seas and self-proclaimed inheritor to the Ceneian Empire. At the height of its power the Nansur Empire extended from Galeoth to Nilnamesh, but it has been much reduced by centuries of warfare against the Fanim Kianene.
Though the Nansur Empire has witnessed its fair share of usurpers, palace revolts, and short-lived military dictatorships, it has enjoyed a remarkable degree of dynastic stability. It was under the Trimus Emperors (3411-3508) that the “Nansur” (the traditional name for the district surrounding Momemn) emerged from the chaos following Cenei’s destruction to unify the Kyranae plains. But true Imperial expansion did not occur until the Zerxei Dynasty (3511-3619), which, under the rule of successive and short-lived Emperors, managed to conquer Shigek (3539), Enathpaneah (3569), and the Sacred Lands (3574).
Under the Surmante Emperors (3619-3941), the Nansurium enjoyed its greatest period of growth and military ascendancy, culminating in the rule of Surmante Xatantius I (3644-93), who subdued the Cepaloran tribes as far north as the Vindauga River, and who even managed to capture the ancient Nilnameshi capital of Invishi, thus very nearly restoring all the so-called Western Empire that had once belonged to Cenei. But his practice of debasing the talent in order to finance his endless wars fairly wrecked the empire’s economy. By the time Fan’oukarji I embarked on his White Jihad in 3743, the empire still had not recovered from Xatantius’s excesses. His Surmante descendants found themselves embroiled in never-ending wars they could ill afford, let alone win. Scarce resources and an intransigent commitment to the Ceneian model of warfare, which seemed incapable of coping with Kianene tactics, conspired to render the empire’s decline an inevitability.
The dynasty of the most recent claimants to the Imperial Mantle, the Ikurei, arose as the result of a coup brought about by the turmoil following the loss of Shigek to the Kianene in 3933 (in the so-called Dagger Jihad of Fan’oukarji III). A former Exalt-General, Ikurei Sorius I reorganized both the Imperial Army and the empire, changes that allowed him and his descendants to defeat no fewer than three full-scale Fanim invasions. The Nansur Empire has enjoyed a precarious stability ever since, though it remains continually fearful of the prospect that the Scylvendi tribes might unite once again.
Nansurium
—See
Nansur Empire
.
—See
Nansur Empire
.
Narradha, Hringa
(4093-4111)—The youngest brother of Prince Hringa Skaiyelt, slain at Mengedda.
(4093-4111)—The youngest brother of Prince Hringa Skaiyelt, slain at Mengedda.
Nascenti
—The nine primary disciples of Anasûrimbor Kellhus, the so-called “Thanes of the Warrior-Prophet.”
—The nine primary disciples of Anasûrimbor Kellhus, the so-called “Thanes of the Warrior-Prophet.”
Nasueret Column
—Also known as the “Ninth Column.” A Column of the Nansur Imperial Army, traditionally stationed on the Kianene frontier. Their device is the Black Imperial Sun halved by an eagle’s wing.
—Also known as the “Ninth Column.” A Column of the Nansur Imperial Army, traditionally stationed on the Kianene frontier. Their device is the Black Imperial Sun halved by an eagle’s wing.
Nau-Cayûti
(2119-40)—“Blessed Son” (Umeritic) The youngest son of Celmomas II and the famed “scourge of Golgotterath.” Nau-Cayûti is famed for his heroism and martial brilliance during the dark days after the fall of Aörsi (2136), when Kûniüri stood alone against Golgotterath. Many of his exploits, such as the Slaying of Tanhafut the Red and the Theft of the Heron Spear, are recounted in
The Sagas
.
(2119-40)—“Blessed Son” (Umeritic) The youngest son of Celmomas II and the famed “scourge of Golgotterath.” Nau-Cayûti is famed for his heroism and martial brilliance during the dark days after the fall of Aörsi (2136), when Kûniüri stood alone against Golgotterath. Many of his exploits, such as the Slaying of Tanhafut the Red and the Theft of the Heron Spear, are recounted in
The Sagas
.
Naures River
—An important river system in eastern Nilnamesh.
—An important river system in eastern Nilnamesh.
Nautzera, Seidru
(4038- )—A senior member of the Mandate Quorum. See
Mandate, School of
.
(4038- )—A senior member of the Mandate Quorum. See
Mandate, School of
.
Near Antiquity
—Sometimes called the Ceneian Age. The historical period beginning in 2155 (the end of the Apocalypse) and ending with the Sack of Cenei in 3351. See
Far Antiquity
.
—Sometimes called the Ceneian Age. The historical period beginning in 2155 (the end of the Apocalypse) and ending with the Sack of Cenei in 3351. See
Far Antiquity
.
Neleöst Sea
—A large inland sea located in northwestern Eärwa that formed the traditional northern frontier for those nations arising from the Aumris River Valley.
—A large inland sea located in northwestern Eärwa that formed the traditional northern frontier for those nations arising from the Aumris River Valley.
Nenciphon
—The administrative capital of Kian, and one of the great cities of the Three Seas, founded by Fan’oukarji I in 3752.
—The administrative capital of Kian, and one of the great cities of the Three Seas, founded by Fan’oukarji I in 3752.
Nergaöta
—A semi-mountainous fiefdom in northwestern Galeoth, renowned for the quality of its wool.
—A semi-mountainous fiefdom in northwestern Galeoth, renowned for the quality of its wool.
Nersei, House
—The ruling House of Conriya since the Aöknyssian Uprisings of 3942, which saw the entire line of King Nejata Medekki murdered. The Black Eagle on White is their device.
—The ruling House of Conriya since the Aöknyssian Uprisings of 3942, which saw the entire line of King Nejata Medekki murdered. The Black Eagle on White is their device.
Nerum
—A minor port city and the administrative capital of Jurisada, located on the coast just south of Amoteu.
—A minor port city and the administrative capital of Jurisada, located on the coast just south of Amoteu.
Neuropuncture
—The Dûnyain art of producing various behaviours by probing the exposed brain with fine needles.
—The Dûnyain art of producing various behaviours by probing the exposed brain with fine needles.
Ngarau
(4062- )—The Grand Seneschal to Ikurei Xerius III.
(4062- )—The Grand Seneschal to Ikurei Xerius III.
Nil’giccas
(?- )—The Nonman King of Ishterebinth.
(?- )—The Nonman King of Ishterebinth.
Nilnamesh
—A populous Ketyai nation on the extreme southwest edge of the Three Seas, famed for its ceramics, spices, and stubborn refusal to relinquish its exotic versions of Kiünnat either to Inrithism or to Fanimry. Primarily for geographical reasons, the fertile plains to the south of the Hinayati Mountains have long enjoyed cultural and political independence from the Three Seas. Casidas was the first to remark that the Nilnameshi were an “inward people,” both in the sense of their obsession with the plight of their souls and in their utter disdain for outland Princes. Only two periods in their history cut against this tendency. The first is the Old Invishi period (1023-1572), when Nilnamesh was united under a series of aggressively expansionist Kings based in Invishi, which is now the traditional spiritual capital of Nilnamesh. In 1322 and then again in 1326, Anzumarapata II inflicted crushing defeats on the Shigeki, and for some thirty years compelled tribute from the proud river kingdom. Then, in 2483, Sarnagiri V, leading a coalition of Princes, was routed by Triamis the Great, and Nilnamesh found itself a province (albeit an unruly one) for more than a thousand years.
—A populous Ketyai nation on the extreme southwest edge of the Three Seas, famed for its ceramics, spices, and stubborn refusal to relinquish its exotic versions of Kiünnat either to Inrithism or to Fanimry. Primarily for geographical reasons, the fertile plains to the south of the Hinayati Mountains have long enjoyed cultural and political independence from the Three Seas. Casidas was the first to remark that the Nilnameshi were an “inward people,” both in the sense of their obsession with the plight of their souls and in their utter disdain for outland Princes. Only two periods in their history cut against this tendency. The first is the Old Invishi period (1023-1572), when Nilnamesh was united under a series of aggressively expansionist Kings based in Invishi, which is now the traditional spiritual capital of Nilnamesh. In 1322 and then again in 1326, Anzumarapata II inflicted crushing defeats on the Shigeki, and for some thirty years compelled tribute from the proud river kingdom. Then, in 2483, Sarnagiri V, leading a coalition of Princes, was routed by Triamis the Great, and Nilnamesh found itself a province (albeit an unruly one) for more than a thousand years.
The era following the collapse of the Ceneian Empire is commonly called the New Invishi period, though none of the ancient city’s Kings has been able to hold more than a fraction of Nilnamesh for more than a generation.
Nimeric, Anasûrimbor
(2092-2135)—The High King of ancient Aörsi before its destruction in the Apocalypse. See
Apocalypse
.
(2092-2135)—The High King of ancient Aörsi before its destruction in the Apocalypse. See
Apocalypse
.
nimil
—The Nonmen steel forged in the sorcerous furnaces of Ishterebinth.
—The Nonmen steel forged in the sorcerous furnaces of Ishterebinth.
Nincaerû-Telesser
(
c.
549-642)—The fourth God-King of the Umeri Empire, and famed patron of the ancient Gnostic Schools.
(
c.
549-642)—The fourth God-King of the Umeri Empire, and famed patron of the ancient Gnostic Schools.
Nin-Ciljiras
(?- )—The last surviving Nonman King.
(?- )—The last surviving Nonman King.
Nine Great Gates
—The epithet given to the main gates of Sumna.
—The epithet given to the main gates of Sumna.
Nirsodic
—The language group of ancient Norsirai pastoralists ranging from the Sea of Cerish to the Sea of Jorua.
—The language group of ancient Norsirai pastoralists ranging from the Sea of Cerish to the Sea of Jorua.
No-God
—Also known as Mog-Pharau, Tsurumah, and Mursiris. The entity summoned by the Consult to bring about the Apocalypse. Very little is known about the No-God, save that he utterly lacks remorse or compassion and possesses terrible power, including the ability to control Sranc, Bashrag, and Wracu as extensions of his own will. Because of his armour (the so-called Carapace), which eyewitnesses describe as an iron sarcophagus suspended in the heart of a mountainous whirlwind, it is not even known whether he is a creature of flesh or of spirit. According to Mandate scholars, the Inchoroi worship him as their saviour, as do—according to some—the Scylvendi.
—Also known as Mog-Pharau, Tsurumah, and Mursiris. The entity summoned by the Consult to bring about the Apocalypse. Very little is known about the No-God, save that he utterly lacks remorse or compassion and possesses terrible power, including the ability to control Sranc, Bashrag, and Wracu as extensions of his own will. Because of his armour (the so-called Carapace), which eyewitnesses describe as an iron sarcophagus suspended in the heart of a mountainous whirlwind, it is not even known whether he is a creature of flesh or of spirit. According to Mandate scholars, the Inchoroi worship him as their saviour, as do—according to some—the Scylvendi.
Somehow, his mere existence is antithetical to human life: during the entirety of the Apocalypse, not one infant drew breath—all were stillborn. He is apparently immune to sorcery (according to legend, eleven Chorae are embedded in the Carapace). The Heron Spear is the only known weapon that can harm him.
See
Apocalypse
.
Apocalypse
.
Nomur
(?-?)—One of the Chieftain-Kings named in the Tusk.
(?-?)—One of the Chieftain-Kings named in the Tusk.
Nonman King
—The poetic name of Cu’jara Cinmoi in the High Norsirai bardic tradition.
—The poetic name of Cu’jara Cinmoi in the High Norsirai bardic tradition.
Nonmen
—At one time the pre-eminent race of Eärwa, but now much reduced. The Nonmen call themselves
ji’cûnû roi
, “the People of Dawn,” for reasons they can no longer remember. (They call Men
j’ala roi,
“the People of Summer,” because they burn so hot and pass so quickly.)
The Chronicle of the Tusk,
which records the coming of Men to Eärwa, generally refers to Nonmen as Oserukki, the “Not Us.” In the Book of Tribes, the Prophet Angeshraël alternately refers to them as “the Accursed Ones” and “the sodomite Kings of Eärwa,” and he incites the Four Nations of Men to embark on a holy war of extermination. Even after four millennia, this xenocidal mission remains part of the Inrithi canon. According to the Tusk, the Nonmen are anathema:
—At one time the pre-eminent race of Eärwa, but now much reduced. The Nonmen call themselves
ji’cûnû roi
, “the People of Dawn,” for reasons they can no longer remember. (They call Men
j’ala roi,
“the People of Summer,” because they burn so hot and pass so quickly.)
The Chronicle of the Tusk,
which records the coming of Men to Eärwa, generally refers to Nonmen as Oserukki, the “Not Us.” In the Book of Tribes, the Prophet Angeshraël alternately refers to them as “the Accursed Ones” and “the sodomite Kings of Eärwa,” and he incites the Four Nations of Men to embark on a holy war of extermination. Even after four millennia, this xenocidal mission remains part of the Inrithi canon. According to the Tusk, the Nonmen are anathema:
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