The Trial

Glossary

A'vril: Female Guadel from the L'ea Bloodline. A'vril is married to Jas'on and is currently serving as the Goddess' Heart.

Ah'bi: A Guadel from the H'il Bloodline. Married to Fi'lin.

Al'ice: A female Guadel who currently leads the Glor Bloodline with the help of her husband Va'ma. Al'ice currently has two sister-wives, Tani and Verona.

Alir: Male Guard trainee in charge of teaching weapons skills to second year Guard trainees at the Capital.

Arching Crystal Village: One of the villages most recently established by the People.

Allen: Headman of Arching Crystal Village.

Ba'loc: A male Guadel from the Stephens Bloodline who is married to Pavir.

Ba'tier: A formalized type of dueling in which the object is not to kill one's opponent, but to humiliate him by demonstrating a decisive superiority without causing serious injury. Of particular popularity with some younger members of the Guard.

Bac'tra: Master Miner of Screaming Wind Village.

Bay'del: A female Guadel from the Stephen's Bloodline. Piter's wife.

Be'ter: Guadel candidate sponsored by a pair of Guadel from the Klein Bloodline.

Betreec: A middle-aged member of the secretive Guadel. Eldest wife to I'rone and sister-wife to Jasmin.

Bitter Rocks Village: One of the villages first established when the People began expanding out of the Capital. Because of the village's age, and a progression of stronger than average healers, Bitter Rocks is one of the few villages which does not need to import food from the lowlands by way of the Capital. Notable personages include Ma'del, the village headman, and Sara, the village healer.

Bloodlines, Guadel: Little hard information is known by those living outside the Capital regarding Guadel bloodlines, but common belief is that the Guadel are segregated into different groups based on their powers or possibly their personalities. Some argument exists as to whether only the worst Guadel bloodline is allowed out of the Capital, or whether there is a much more terrifying bloodline which never leaves the concealment of the deepest caves there.

Branar: Male arms master at the Capital in charge of training all Guard trainees.

Callan: Stable Master at the Capital. Callan walks with a slight limp most likely received during the time he served as a member of the Guard.

Candidate, Guadel: Passing references to 'candidates' made by the Guadel have resulted in more than a little speculation as to their purpose or roles. Much like the Daughters, little is known about candidates or their purposes other than passing references in the Teachings, and verbal histories which have been steadily fading away now for centuries.

Capital, the: The largest city populated by the People, who historical tradition maintains were led there by the Goddess. The Capital is located in the upper reaches of a mountain in the White Spike range, and consists of a series of natural and man-made caves which are heated by an extensive array of hot springs.

Capital, the Layout of: The growth of the Capital largely followed ancient mining cuts which were expanded out to form large corridors with suites of rooms branching off of smaller cross tunnels. The large amount of trade gems required to pay for imported lowland food has resulted in a massive underground complex that is many times the size required for current population levels. Each craftsman guild has a separate district assigned to it, with the Guadel and Guard sharing a district which is physically located near the entrance to the Capital.

Council, the: Nominally the ruling body of the People, the Council is located in the Capital, and is responsible among other things, for all trade with the lowlanders. The Council by and large allows the village headmen to pursue their own agendas, but there have been several times during the history of the People when a headman has been forcibly removed from office by the Guadel at the Council's orders.

Daughters, the: Occasionally healers or Guadel make reference to the Daughters. Little if any hard knowledge concerning the Daughters has survived among the villagers to the present day, but ancient stories, and a few vague passages from the Teachings seems to indicate some type of connection between the Daughters, the candidates, and the Guadel. Some individuals speculate that the Daughters may represent the sacrifices rumored to chain the Guadel to the service of the People.

Exodus, the: 1. Referring to the People's journey from the lowlands to the White Spike mountain range. 2. Referring to the period of time in which the journey to the White Spike mountain range took place.

Fi'lin: The Guadel arms master at the Capital. He is a member of the H'il Bloodline, and married to Guadel Ah'bi.

Gia'to: A male Guadel from the Glor Bloodline.

Guadel: A poorly understood, but extremely deadly group whose responsibilities seem to include aiding the Guard in protecting the villages and Capital. For all that they are largely reluctant to share information about themselves or their purpose, Guadel as a whole seem quite concerned with protecting tradition and historical precedent inside each village. Rumor has it that the Guadel also can be appealed to as a court of last resort, but relatively few villagers would be willing to do so because of their reputation for sudden, lethal violence. The practical duties which the Guadel fulfill, such as escorting food caravans from the Capital, are largely overlooked because of the abundance of legend and mystery surrounding them. The Guadel hold a unique role as both the heroes and villains in the mythology of the People, and for every tale where a Guadel pair, or trio saves an innocent, there is another in which they cut down a well-loved headman for violating the shadowy traditions that constrain them. Travel between villages is heavily restricted, but on those infrequent occasions where villagers meet without the supervision of a Guadel, it isn't unusual for on side or the other to refuse to speak about their shadowy guardians.

Guard, the: The organization largely responsible for the policing and physical protection of the various villages and the Capital. The Guard is made up of residents from the village sponsoring the Guard unit. There is no central, directing authority for the individual Guard units, and no real cooperation or dialog between units sponsored by different villages. It is not uncommon for the relationship between the Guard of a given village, and the Guadel who happen to pass through, to be very strained.

Gurra: A long-legged domestic animal highly prized by the People for it's utility as a pack animal, and its ability to survive temperature extremes which would kill most other animals. Gurra are covered with a very fine, fast-growing wool that serves as excellent insulation when sheared from the animal and woven into cloth. The highest concentration of gurra is found at the Capital, but most villages have at least a few of the animals so as not to be forced to import raw wool or clothes from the Capital, which is viewed with varying levels of distrust by most of the villages. Female gurra can be milked, but gurra milk is so scarce that most villagers go years without being able to obtain any.

Goddess, the: The individual responsible for the Exodus, and leading the People to their mountain homes when war threatened to destroy all that they'd known. Believed to have been possessed of incredible powers, the Goddess is said to have spent nearly a decade with the People, ensuring their ability to survive in the extreme environment of their new home before disappearing leaving in some manner. The Goddess is allegedly responsible for the content of the oral histories which went into the creation of the Teachings, but it is unclear whether she ever explicitly proclaimed her divinity, or whether it was assumed by later generations.

Goddess Touched: 1. Referring to someone possessed of blond hair, which is the color of hair the Goddess is traditionally believed to have had during her time among the People. 2. Referring to those women possessed of the spark necessary to wield magic. Among the People all healers are possessed of this spark, and on very formal occasions may be referred to as being Goddess touched.

Goddess' Arm: The husband to the elected leader of the Council, who is also referred to as the Goddess' Heart. The Goddess' Arm is responsible for the physical security of all council meetings.

Goddess' Heart: The elected leader of the Council, who serves more as a first among equals and tie breaker than a dictator. The husband to the Goddess' Heart always serves as the Goddess' Arm.

Guardsman: A member of the Guard.

He'lo: Village headman of Screaming Wind Village.

Headman: See Village Headman.

Hom'ly: Female Guadel married to Ja'dir. Hom'ly serves as co-Head of the Klein Bloodline.

I'rone: A middle-aged member of the secretive Guadel. Married to Betreec and Jasmin. Part of the Stephens Bloodline.

Ja'dir: Male Guadel married to Hom'ly. Ja'dir is currently serving as the co-Head of the Klein Bloodline.

Ja'mi: The Arching Crystal Village healer.

Jas'on: A male Guadel from the L'ea Bloodline. Currently serving as the Goddess' Arm due to his marriage to A'vril.

Javin: A male Guadel who is co-Head of the Stephens Bloodline. Married to On'li and Mar'li.

Jain: One of the Daughters currently in the last two years of her training at the Capital.

Jas'per: Ma'del's son. Currently a Guard trainee in the expanding Bitter Rocks Guard, he is granted latitude similar to what is received by a full guardsman, largely due to his father's position as village headman.

Jasmin: A member of the secretive Guadel. Second wife to I'rone and sister wife to Betreec.

Lowlands: Name by which the People refer to the geography surrounding the White Spike mountains.

Lowlanders: 1. Name used by the People to refer to the inhabitants of the lands surrounding the White Spike mountain range. 2. Mild insult used to convey the belief that one is not worthy of being one of the People.

Ma'del: Village headman of the Bitter Rocks Village. Father to Jas'per. In a tradition breaking move has recently eliminated the position of Captain of the Guard in Bitter Rocks. The Guard now reports directly to Ma'del.

Mali: One of the Daughters currently completing her last two years of training at the Capital.

Mar'li: Female Guadel married to Javin as his second wife. Mar'li is sister-wife to On'li, and a member of the Stephens Bloodline.

Mich'a: A male Guadel from the H'il Bloodline. One of Fi'lin's assistants.

On'li: Female Guadel, co-Head of the Stephens Bloodline. On'li is Javin's Eldest wife, and Mar'li's sister-wife.

Pa'chi: A 16 year-old young woman from Bitter Rocks Village. Pa'chi's father tends the small heard of gurra at Bitter Rocks, and has transferred his dislike of Va'del's late parents to Va'del. Despite this, Pa'chi has become Va'del's only real friend.

Pati: One of the healers serving the portion of Capital assigned to the Guadel.

Pa'tric: Male Guadel from the Klein Bloodline.

Para'de: Guardsman at Screaming Wind Village.

Pavir: A female Guadel from the Stephens Bloodline. Currently married to Ba'loc.

People, the: Name by which the small nation of individuals living in the top of the White Spike mountain range refers to itself.

People, the, History of: The People remember relatively little of how they came to live in the White Spike mountain range. Tradition claims that a group of several thousand people were led into the mountains by Goddess in order to save them from a catastrophic war raging in the lowlands. During the time immediately following the Exodus to the mountains the People faced a near-constant fight against of starvation and freezing. As a result, information from the time directly after the Exodus remains only as half-understood traditions and fragmented oral histories.

People, the, Appearance of: The People are generally pale-skinned with dark hair. There are very few exceptions, typically involving children born with blond hair, who are referred to as Goddess touched. Eye color is quite varied among the People, often involving jewel-like colors not found in other parts of the world.

Per'ce: Male Guadel from the H'il Bloodline.

Piter: A male Guadel in the Stephens Bloodline. Married to Guadel Bay'del.

Sara: Healer of Bitter Rocks Village. Originally from the Capital, she arrived at Bitter Rocks several years ago, but is still largely treated as an outsider. She has spent most of her time at Bitter Rocks trying to stop Ma'del from assuming powers beyond those traditionally granted a village headman.

Sister-Wife: Occasionally one of the female members of a trio of Guadel have been heard to refer to the other female in the group as her sister-wife. All indications are that to whatever extent the Guadel practice marriage, that they also permit polygamy, which is oftentimes held up as yet more evidence of their inhumanity and unnatural natures.

Screaming Wind Village: A relatively-old village geographically located between Bitter Rocks and Arching Crystal villages.

Ta'lor: The Captain of the Guard at Black Rocks Village.

Tani: A female Guadel married to Va'ma as his Second Wife. Tani is part of the Glor Bloodline, and is sister-wife to Al'ice and Verona.

Teachings, the: Although no written records survive from the time immediately following the Exodus, a large collection of verbal history surrounding the Goddess and her instructions to the People was later codified into a book of scriptures which is referred to as the Teachings, or the Teachings of the Light.

Va'del: A 17 year-old ward of the Bitter Rocks Village, whose parents died while he was still very young.

Va'ma: A male Guadel co-Head of the Glor Bloodline. Married to Al'ice, Tani and Verona.

Verona: A female Guadel who is part of the Glor Bloodline. Verona is the youngest of Va'ma's three wives, and is sister-wife to Tani and Al'ice.

Village Headman: The individual elected to a long term as the leader of a particular village. The range of power granted to village headmen varies largely from village to village based on tradition and historic precedent, but they all at the very least serve in a judiciary capacity.

White Spike Mountain Range: A very rugged and steep mountain range located in the northern hemisphere, which is home to the People. The People popularly believe that the White Spikes are the tallest mountains in the world, and that their Capital is located in the tallest of the peaks in the range, but they have no real proof of that fact. The mountain range covers such a large area, that even the People have not explored the western-most peaks.