GLOSSARY
ALLSAINTS—all the Saints in Heaven, invoked as a unit. Not a deity, exactly; more like a collective
APSE—part of a cathedral behind the quire and altar (and Golden House, in Goreddi cathedrals), often with radiating chapels
ARD—Mootya for “order, correctness”; may also denote a battalion of dragons
ARDMAGAR—title held by the Ieader of dragonkind; translates roughly to “supreme general”
AUROCHS—large, wild cattlebeast; extinct in our world, bur existed in Europe until the Renaissance
BLNOU—type of bagpipe, used in traditional Breton music in our world
CLOISTER—peaceful garden surrounded by a colonnade, where monks may engage in peripatetic meditation
COMONOT’S TREATY—agreement that established peace between Goredd and dragonkind
DAANITE—homosexual; named for St. Daan, who was martyred for that particular quality, along with his lover, St. Masha
DAGGED—deep scalloping, as of houppelande sleeves
DRACOMACHIA—martial art developed specifically for fighting dragons; according to legend, it was invented by St. Ogdo
GOLDEN HOUSE—model of Heaven found in the center of Goreddi cathedrals and larger churches
GOLDEN PLAYS—dramas depicting the lives of the Saints, put on by the guilds of Lavondaville during Golden Week
GOLDEN WEEK—cluster of Saints’ days at midwinter, bookended by Speculus and Treaty Eve. It is traditional to see the Golden Plays, walk circuits around the Golden House, hang Speculus lanterns, throw parties, give gifts to friends and charities, and make grandiose pronouncements for the coming year.
GOREDD—Seraphina’s homeland (adjective form: GOREDDI)
HEAVEN—Goreddis don’t believe in a singular deity, but they believe in an afterlife, the dwelling of Allsaints
HOUPPELANDE—robe of rich material with voluminous sleeves, usually worn belted; women’s are floor length; a man’s might be cut at the knee
ITYASAARI—Porphyrian for “half-dragon”
KER—council of dragon generals that advises the Ardmagar
LAVONDAVILLE—Seraphina’s hometown and the largest city in Goredd, named for Quecn Lavonda
MOOTYA—language of dragons, rendered in sounds a human voice can make
NAVE—main body of a cathedral, where the congregation gathers for services
NEWSKIN—dragon who is inexperienced at taking human form and living among humans
NINYS—Country southeast of Goredd (adjective form: NINYSH)
OUD—lutelike instrument, common in Middle Eastern music in our world, often played with a pick, or plectrum
PORPHYRY—small country, almost a city-state, northwest of the Southlands; originally a colony of dark-skinned people from even farther north
PSALTER—book of devotional poetry, usually illustrated; in Goreddi psalters, there’s a poem for each of the major Saints
PYGEGYRIA—Porphyrian for “bum-waggling”; an acrobatic variation of belly dancing
PYRIA—sticky, flammable substance used in dracomachia for setting dragons on fire; also called St. Ogdo’s fire
QUIGHOLE—dragon and quigutl ghetto in Lavondaville
QUIGUTL—subspecies of dragon, which can’t transform. They are flightless; they have an extra set of arms and terrible breath. Often shortened to “QUIG.”
QUIRE—enclosed area behind the altar of a cathedral (or behind the Golden House in a Goreddi cathedral), where the choir and clergy sit facing each other on benches
SAAR—Porphyrian for “dragon”; often used by Goreddis as a short form of “saarantras”
SAARABNTRAS—Porphyrian for “dragon in human form” (plural form: SAARANTRAI)
SACKBUT—medieval ancestor of the trombone
ST. BERT’S COLLEGIUM—once ST. JOBERTUS’S CHURCH, now a school in Quighole where saarantrai scholars teach mathematics, science, and medicine to those brave enough to attend
ST. CAPITI—patroness of scholars; carries her head on a plate
ST. CLARE—patroness of the perceptive
ST. GOBNAIT’S—cathedral in Lavondaville; St. Gobnait is patroness to the diligent and persistent. Her symbol is the bee, hence the skep in her cathedral.
ST. IDA’S—music conservatory in Lavondaville; St. Ida is the patroness of musicians and performers
ST. MASHA AND ST. DAAN—the lovers; often invoked in anger, perhaps because it’s safe—it’s hard to imagine paragons of romantic love actually smiting anyone
ST. OGDO—founder of dracomachia; patron of knights and of all Goredd
ST. VITT—champion of the faith; this one will smite people, particularly unbelievers
ST. WILLIBALD’S—covered market in Lavondaville; St. ‘Willibald is the patron of marketplaces and news
ST. YIRTRUDIS—the heretic; it’s an open question how there can be a heretical Saint
SAMSAM—country south of Goredd (adjective form: SAMSAMESE)
SHAWM—medieval instrument similar to an oboe
SKEP—old-fashioned beehive made of woven straw
SOUTHLANDS—three nations clustered together at the southern end of the world: Goredd, Ninys, and Samsam
SPECULUS—Goreddi holiday on the winter solstice, intended to be a long night of reflection
TANAMOOT—dragons’ country
TRANSEPT—wings of a cathedral built perpendicular to the nave
TREATY EVE—celebration commemorating the signing of Comonot’s Treaty, concurrent with New Year’s Eve
ZIZIBA—very distant land indeed, far to the north; home to many strange beasts such as crocodiles and camelopards (adjective form: ZIBOU).