"Relic: An item imbued with mana from a god as a result of its proximity to that god, whether that proximity is from an isolated incident, or is regular. In modern times, the vast majority of the power wielded by priests and other heavenly-minded characters comes from their use of relics. In most cases, relics come from the time of the crusades, when the gods supposedly walked regularly among mortals. A few rare relics appear to come from the time before the Migrations, though explanations of that seem to differ widely depending on the source. Members of various priesthoods claim that there are new relics today, though there is little empirical evidence to support such a claim."

It is clear where the sympathies of the author of this dictionary lie. I wonder if he even tried to temper his opinions of the god-fearing, or if he simply let his feelings loose. I suspect the former, since not every entry dealing with the gods is as acidic as this one. I wonder how a lexicon from the other side would read.

"Mana: An individual's personal authority. In all but a few legendary cases, the only individuals with mana powerful enough to manipulate the world around them are the gods themselves, who are able to bestow their authority on those who serve them Thus, priests referring to their own mana are almost always referring to the way in which they direct the mana of their god."

A few legenary cases. Interesting.

"Mage (Iskandra), or Magus (Souther Rim, Freebelt); pl. Magi: Practitioners who combine a mastery of the elemental tongue with physical and spiritual manipulations of the manifestations of the four faces of the elements in order to create effects. Magi use the structure and grammar of the elemental language as a guide to the relationship of objects and ideas. True magi are commonly acknowledged as the wisest and most powerful of all wizards, though in truth, true magi are actually quite rare, as their arts are difficult, time comsuming, and dangerous, since much of it requires the acquisition of knowledge from Azho-Eochaid."

There is much to say about the elemental tongue. I have worked long to master it and still feel as though I am a novice at it. In essense, the twenty-eight concepts that make up the four faces of the elements are the basis of the tongue, though there are countless other levels beneath each concept, and obviously grammatical issues as well. It is fascinating, though obvious once one understands, that anyone would find a map in the tongue that would lead to supernatural effects. I've heard that gipsies use something similar in their witchcraft, but it seems to be much more instinctive, rather than rational.

Azho-Eochaid: The Sundered Realm, a common term for the nations that inhabited the world in the ancient past, long before the Migrations. The exact fate of these nations is still unclear, as is their relationship to the gipsies, but they were, in the days of the Merchant's League, a constant source of curiosity, treasure and lost knowledge, and danger, since the ruins of that lost place often seemed to attract the Netherwild.

"Apothecary: Students of the mortal body and of the effects of various combinations of substances found in the natural, and in some cases, the supernatural world. Apothecaries are not, in an of themselves, wizards, but they are often very well versed in the various theories and methods of other practitioners, and so are often considered a wizard cult. Apothecaries are generally associated with guilds."

There are various opinions of the apothecaries found in various records. They are almost always associated with some kind of healing, whether it is through elixers and potions, or through brutal surgery, but there is also a tradition of their association with poisons, durgs, the underworld, and various other darker thoughts. Since most ordinary people had very little contact with so-called wizards, apothecaries took on a reputation as sort of witch-doctors, or spiritual leaders, though in a more urban setting. There are many stories of people who, when there was no where else to turn, sought the help of a local apothecary, who was able to bring to bear any of a variety of bizarre resources.

[I included these out of order simply because the note on the thaumatic entry had relevance to other entries throughout. I must have seen references to "faces" and such enough in earlier entries that I decided to finally define it. From here forward, I will keep them in the order they follow in the glossary.]:

"Alchemist: A member, or in some cases an associate, of the secret society known publically as the Balefialu. Alchemists believe that the elements as they exist in mortality are impure and corrupt. They seek to coax out and manipulate pure forms of the elements in an attempt to perfect themselves. For the most part, alchemists deal with the mask and on the symbolic relationships between the various faces, especially the mask as a symbol for the true face."

If I remember correctly, balefialu means "purifiers." I had not realized that alchemy was so closely tied to that secret society. Ultimately, surely, they were separate.

[I have found my interest in history waning a bit, and so thought I would begin on tomes of various other sorts. I will return to Merkado and his Golden Horn in the future, as my notes and comments on his work are, obviously, quite extensive.

The following comes from an untitled glossary I found many years ago discussing the history of magic]:

"Thaumatic (also thaumaturge, thaumaturgist, thaumatist): a practitioner whose interest is in the relationship between the various elemental faces, specifically the true face and the mask. Thaumatics strive to unify the true face and the mask using signs, substances, and occasionally magic words. The science of thautaticism builds on the sympathies inherent between the various elemental faces and seeks to blur the lines between them in order to create various effects."

I have seen the words "elemental faces" too often in this book not to inspire curiosity. The following is from Maven's The Art of the Thief:

"The mortal world is made up of seven elements, [or Materials?]. Each of these seven elements have four faces: a true face, a hidden face or mask, a dynamic face or force, and a fundamental face. The true face and the fundamental face are represented by the mortal body and spirit, respectively, while the mask and the force are seen in the physical world. Although the four faces are each part of the same element, they have different attributes, manifestations, and purposes. [The diagram below shows the four faces of each of the seven elements. Generally, the true face is considered the primary representation of an element].

True Face Hidden Face (Mask) Dynamic Face (Force) Fundamental Face
Eye Sun Violation Perception
Sinew Metal Destruction Emotion
Fat Dust Creation Hierarchy
Breath Wind Motion Self
Blood Rain Rest Deception
Bone Wood Protection Connection
Hair Snow Decay Isolation

[My other duties have distracted me for too long. When men speak of priorities, they ofttimes ignore certain responsibilities--to family, to the Illuminator, and so forth--which exist in a realm beyond the level of priority. To the honest, just man, they cannot be ignored. They are a payment that must be made, else all else we build is reduced to dust.

But to the task at hand. My notes on the Netherwild leave off here, but as it is a topic which is sure to resurface, I am content with that. And thus we move on with The Golden Horn:]

"There is something in the personality of the Cilanese that sets them apart from all other inhabitants of the realm, and seems to support the gipsy-interbreeding theory. The descendents of the other Immigrant races, for example, live in abject terror of the sudden and unannounced infestation of the Netherwild. Thousands of stories, legends, and pieces of folklore exist to attest to this. Indeed, the very existence of organizations such as the Merchant's League, and more appropriately, the so-called Paper Knights, attests that the vast majority of the world believes in the danger of this strange, supernatural phenomenon.

"On the other hand, and equally as well attested, is the indifference of the gipsies, who ignore or revere the Netherwild, depending on the source. In this, the most obvious evidence is again a mercantile one. That much of the legendary wealth of the gipsies was cultivated through the creation and sale of azhedul, or stain-oil, is a documented, historical fact.

"But the Cilanese seem truly to take from both of these traditions. Indeed, in Cilan one can find those who fear the Wild as most men do, but on the whole, they simply consider it another aspect of the climate, much as the harsh snows that occasion the mountains, or the flooding of the river. They do not ignore it, nor do they love it, but they possess a stubbornness about it that, when combined with their reputation as demon-worshippers, has contributed much to the prevailing and popular attitudes of this day concerning the Cilanese."

Perhaps he discusses this later, but this seems to be a religious trait. The original Narti were ancestor and spirit worshippers, at least as my research indicates, and they always held ties with the various spirits of nature. To them, an resurgance of the Netherwild must have seemed like some sort of message from the divinities they saw all around them. This must have led in some part to the demon issue, as demons are and were always wont to imitate and connive in their attempts for reassimilation in the stream of the holy one.