Crusader. Novel by Sara Douglass

West, King Zared of the North, Prince Yllgaine of Nor, Chief Sa’Domai of the

Ravensbund and FreeFall SunSoar, Talon of the Icarii. The delicate balance between these families

was greatly upset when Zared seized the throne of Achar.

FLULIA: one of the nine Icarii Star Gods, Flulia is the Goddess of Water.

FLURIA, The River: a minor river that flows through Aldeni into the River Nordra.

FORESTFLIGHT EVERSOAR: a member of the Lake Guard.

FORTHEART: one of the Alaunt, and mate to Sicarius.

FORTRESS RANGES: the mountains that run down Achar’s eastern boundary from the Icescarp Alps

to the Widowmaker Sea.

FREEFALL, Talon: son of BrightFeather and RavenCrest SunSoar, husband of EvenSong SunSoar.

They have no children.

GAPFEATHER: a member of the Lake Guard.

GATEKEEPER, The: the Keeper of the Gate of Death in the UnderWorld and mother of

Zeherah. Her task is to keep tally of the souls who pass through the Gate. She is one of

the Lesser immortals.

GHEMT: a game played with sticks and dice in a circle of diamond-shaped spaces.

GOLDMAN, JANNYMIRE: Master of the Guilds of Carlon. One of the most powerful non-noblemen

in Tencendor.

GORGRAEL: the Destroyer, half-brother to Axis, sharing the same father, StarDrifter. Axis

defeated him in a titanic struggle for control of Tencendor forty years before current events.

GORKENFORT: a major fort situated in Gorken Pass in northern Ichtar.

GORKEN PASS: the narrow pass sixty leagues long that provided the only way from Ravensbund into

Ichtar. It is bounded by the Icescarp Alps and the River Andakilsa.

GRAIL LAKE, The: a massive lake at the lower reaches of the River Nordra. Beneath its waters it

harboured the Maze, which has now risen and destroyed the Lake.

GREATER, The: the nine Star Gods.

GRYPHON: a legendary flying creature of Tencendor, intelligent, vicious and courageous.

Gorgrael recreated them to defeat Axis, but they were all destroyed by Azhure.

GUNDEALGA FORD: a wide shallow ford on the Nordra, just south of the Urqhart Hills.

GUSTUS: Captain of Zared’s militia.

GWENDYLYR: wife of Duke Theod of Aldeni, and mother of their twin sons.

HAGEN: once a Plough-Keeper in the (now destroyed) village of Smyrton who was husband to

Niah. He was accidentally killed by Azhure some forty-three years ago.

HANDSPAN: see ‘Distances’.

HERME, Earl of Avonsdale: son of Earl Jorge, mentor of Duke Theod of Aldeni and friend to King

Zared.

HORNED ONES: the almost divine and most sacred members of the Avar race. They live in the Sacred

Grove.

HSINGARD: a ruined town situated in central Ichtar.

ICARII, The: a race of winged people. They are sometimes referred to as the People of the Wing.

ICEBEAR COAST: the hundred-league-long coast that stretches from the DeadWood Forest in

north-western Ravensbund to the frozen Tundra above the Avarinheim. It is very remote, and very

beautiful.

ICESCARP ALPS, The: the great mountain range that stretches across most of northern Achar.

ICESCARP BARREN: a desolate tract of land situated in northern Ichtar between the Icescarp

Alps and the Urqhart Hills.

ICEWORMS: massive worms of ice and snow created by Gorgrael.

ICHTAR, DUKES of: once cruel lords of Ichtar, the line died with Borneheld.

ICHTAR, The Province of: the largest and richest of the provinces of Achar. Ichtar derives its wealth

from its extensive grazing herds and from its mineral and precious gem deposits. Ruled by Zared,

now also King of the Acharites.

ICHTAR, The River: a minor river that flows through Ichtar into the River Azle.

ILFRACOOMBE: the manor house of the Earl of Skarabost, the home where Faraday grew up.

ISABEAU: first wife of King Zared. She died in a hunting accident ten years before current events.

ISFRAEL: Mage-King of the Avar. Son of Axis and Faraday.

ISLAND OF MIST AND MEMORY: one of the sacred sites of the Icarii people, once known as

Pirate’s Nest. The Temple of the Stars and its complex are situated on a great plateau on

the island’s southern coast. JACK: senior among the Sentinels.

JERVOIS LANDING: the small town on Tailem Bend of the River Nordra. The gateway into Ichtar.

KASTALEON: one of the great Keeps of Achar, situated on the River Nordra in central Achar. It

was blown up by Theod under instructions from Zared, killing many thousands of

Caelum’s men.

KEEPS, The: the three great magical Keeps of Achar. See separate entries under Spiredore, Sigholt,

and Silent Woman Keep.

LAKE GUARD, The: a militia composed entirely of the men and women who SpikeFeather TrueSong

rescued from Talon Spike when it was threatened by Gryphon. They escaped via the

waterways, and were changed by their experience. The Lake Guard is dedicated to the service of

the StarSon.

LAKE OF LIFE, The: one of the sacred and magical lakes of Tencendor. It sat at the western

end of the HoldHard Pass in the Urqhart Hills and cradled Sigholt. Now a pit of pestilence.

LEAGH, Princess: sister to Askam, daughter of Belial and Cazna. Now wife of Zared.

LEAGUE: see ‘Distances’.

LESSER, The: a term given to creatures of such magic they approach god-like status.

They are not strictly immortal, although they will live indefinitely if not struck a death blow.

MAGARIZ, Prince: husband to Rivkah, Axis’ mother, and father to Zared. Now dead.

MAGIC: under the influence of the Seneschal all Artor-fearing Acharites feared and hated the use of

magic, although their fear is now as largely dead as the Seneschal.

MARRAT, Baron: Baron of Romsdale.

MAZE, The: a mysterious labyrinth that rose from Grail Lake.

MAZE GATE, The: the wooden gate into the Maze. Its stone archway is covered with

hieroglyphics.

MILITARY TERMS (for regular ground forces):

Squad:

a small group of fighters, normally under forty and usually archers.

Unit:

a group of one hundred men, either infantry,

archers, pikemen, or cavalry.

Cohort:

five units, so five hundred men.

See also ‘Wing’ and ‘Crest’ for the Icarii Strike Force.

MINARET PEAKS: the ancient name for the Bracken Ranges, named for the minarets of the Icarii

cities that spread over the entire mountain range.

MINSTRELSEA: the name Faraday gave to the forest she planted out below the Avarinheim.

MONTHS: (northern hemisphere seasons apply)

Wolf-month:

January

Raven-month:

February

Hungry-month:

March

Thaw-month:

April

Flower-month:

May

Rose-month:

June

Harvest-month:

July

Weed-month:

August

DeadLeaf-month:

September

Bone-month:

October

Frost-month:

November

Snow-month:

December

MOONWILDFLOWERS: extremely rare, delicate violet flowers that bloom only under the full moon.

Closely associated with Azhure.

MORNINGSTAR SUNSOAR: StarDrifter’s mother and a powerful Enchanter in her own right.

She was murdered by WolfStar SunSoar.

MORYSON: Brother of the Seneschal and a disguise used by WolfStar.

MOT: one of the TimeKeeper Demons. Mot is the Demon of dawn and of hunger.

MOTHER, The: either the Avar name for Fernbrake Lake, or an all-embracing term for nature which is

sometimes personified as an immortal woman.

MURKLE BAY: a huge bay off the western coast of Tencendor, its waters are filthy, polluted by

the tanneries along the Azle River.

MURKLE MOUNTAINS: a range of desolate mountains that run along the length of Murkle Bay. Once

extensively mined for opals, they are now abandoned.

MURMURWING: a young Icarii.

NARCIS: one of the nine Icarii Star Gods, Narcis is the God of the Sun.

NECKLET, The: a curious geological feature of Ravensbund.

NIAH: of the once baronial family of Nor. Mother to Azhure, Niah was seduced by

WolfStar SunSoar and murdered by Brother Hagen. Niah was the First Priestess of the Order

of the Stars. WolfStar promised her rebirth to be his lover for eternity, and her soul was born into

Zenith, youngest daughter of Axis and Azhure. In Sinner, Niah and Zenith battled for control of her

body and soul, with the result that Zenith forced the Niah-soul into a child she was carrying (fathered

by WolfStar), which she gave premature birth to and then killed. WolfStar then carried the corpse of

the Niah-infant about with him until it was seized by the Demons for their own purposes.

NINE, The: see the ‘Star Gods’. (‘The Nine’ can also occasionally refer to the nine Priestesses of the

Order of the Stars.)

NOR: once the southernmost of the provinces of Achar. Nor was controlled by Prince Yllgaine.

NORDMUTH: the port at the mouth of the River Nordra.

NORDRA, River: the great river that was the main lifeline of Achar. Rising in the Icescarp Alps, the

River Nordra flows through the Avarinheim before flowing through northern and central Achar.

OGDEN: one of the Sentinels, brother to Veremund.

ORDER OF THE STARS: the order of nine priestesses who once kept watch in the Temple of the

Stars.

ORR: the Charonite Ferryman. Now dead.

PACE: see ‘Distances’.

PIRATES’ NEST: for many centuries the common name of the Island of Mist and Memory. It was once

the haunt of pirates.

PIRATES’ TOWN: the town that sat by the northern harbour of Pirates’ Nest — or the Island of Mist

and Memory.

PLOUGH, The: under the rule of the Seneschal each Acharite village had a Plough, which not only

served to plough the fields, but was also the centre of their worship of the Way of the Plough.