Black Bead: Book One of the Black Bead Chronicles (15 page)

Glossary

Alpha:
A First. The dominant male or female in a group. The leader.
 

ambient:
The communal psychic cloud surrounding all things.
 

Battle Trail:
A sophisticated game of Dancing Molly, done in silence using fingersign. Used by the foray Packs and patrols.
 

Bear Under the Mountain:
The synergistic sentience of all life north of the Escarpment.
 

bennelk:
The smaller mountain cousin to the fenelk, these horned and tusked antelopes are the domes’ riding animals for patrols and battles.
 

bhotta:
Large, wingless lizard, dominant predator of the High Reaches.
 

Black Bead:
A failed Ear whose psi is suspect and whose gift is not to be trusted. They are forced to wear a black stone in their omeh to mark their status. Most are killed outright on their third birthday.
 

blackoak:
Wet-loving tree with black bark and large, serrated and lobed leaves.
 

bloodstone:
A gemstone prized by the domes for its range of colors, its hard crystalline structure, and its use as a psychic enhancer.
 

blue tag:
Permission tag given to Packs to foray outside the dome.
 

buzzer:
Large winged insect.
 

cedar:
Ancient old growth tree with shredded bark and primitive leaves similar in form to Terran cedars.
 

Central Plaza:
The plaza under the apex of the dome.
 

Choosingday:
The day three year old girls must prove their psi abilities. Presented with two
boxes, one containing something deadly, one containing a toy, the child must pick the correct one.
 

click:
The distance a human man can walk in an hour.
 

Coven:
The First Mother and all her wives.
 

croakers:
Tiny, ground dwelling lizards.
 

Dancing Molly:
Child’s game of follow the leader.
 

demi-Pack:
Provisional Packs. Experimental and sometimes temporary arrangements, they are the first packs formed by children over the age of eight.
 

dubeh leopard:
Large black cat-like predator.
 

Ear:
Female member of a Pack. A psi adept.
 

East Trail:
The road leading out the East Gate.
 

Elder:
Tribal member over the age of sixteen.
 

Escarpment:
The southern boundary of all tribal land.
 

fenelk:
The larger cousin of the bennelk, these horned and tusked antelope are from the southern forests and are largest herbivore north of the Escarpment. They are used as beasts of burden for the caravans that travel between domes.
 

fernhen:
Large ground nesting bird prized for its eggs. A seed eater.
 

First Mother:
The dominant Mother in the Dome hierarchy, ultimately responsible for all life in and around the Dome.
 

First Prime:
First Husband of the First Mother and her Coven. Dominant Father in the Dome hierarchy.
 

flutterflies:
Tiny, winged lizards.
 

foray form:
A detailed topographic map of the area around the dome updated daily by the Elders to include current threats. The Packs use them to plot out their intended routes and missions.
 

fuzzy gang:
Small, communal-minded predator as large as a child’s fist.
 

gaiters:
Leather thorn guards. Part of what is considered light armor.
 

glasslizard:
Glider lizard with transparent skin. Not a true flier.
 

gorgeberry:
Small fruit bush with golden berries.
 

grunter:
Herbivore about the size and weight of a man that lives in the needletree forests. Sharp tusks are used for digging up fungus balls and bulbs.
 

High Mother:
The leader of all the domes in the High Reaches, voted into office by the First Mothers of each dome.
 

hopper:
Small, ground-dwelling marsupial.
 

Little Father:
Formal title of boys who have not reached their majority.
 

Little Mother:
Formal title of girls who have not reached their majority.
 

longpine:
Giant needletree with extremely long needles.
 

Maker of the Living Thread:
Master Geneticist and Healer. Amabel, Mora’s Second wife, is the Maker for Windfall Dome.
 

Natalmother:
Mother who is impregnated by the Maker of the Living Thread and who bears the risk of gestating a child to full term.
 

needletree:
Dry-loving tree that grows on the lower slopes of the mountains.
 

Nestmother:
The Mother in charge of rearing a group of children between the ages of three and seven (if male), and three and eight (if female). After the age of seven boys are traded, and after the age of eight girls join Packs.
 

North Fork Trail:
Northern branch of the trail that splits from East Trail to run along the top of the cliffs and scree slopes above the bogs.
 

oldma:
A female who has retired from the politics of running the dome.
 

oldpa:
A male too old to ride patrol.
 

omeh:
The plasteel and bloodstone necklace containing the genetic map of the wearer worn by every human north of the Escarpment. A collar woven whole around the necks of every
child not long after their birth, the pattern of which is unique to each dome.
 

Orchard Road:
North road leading past the orchards into the north paddocks.
 

Orchard Trail:
Road leading out the North Gate.
 

Pack Hall:
Residence where the declared Packs live in their dorm rooms.
 

Pack:
A group formed by children. It is a requirement of any who want to leave the dome. To Pack is enter into a formal binding contract with a chosen few. Upon reaching majority, these ties become permanent, the members then considered Husbands and Wives.
 

Pantry:
The dome’s communal food storage.
 

piper:
Small, ground nesting bird that eats mostly insects.
 

plasteel:
A generic term used to refer to any form of extruded plastic. Made from plant material, it has the tensile strength of tungsten-enhanced steel.
 

psi:
S
hort for psionic. The genetically bred abilities of dome women to perceive the world using super-psychic means.
 

red tag:
Foray tag that grants permission for outside travel. Used to track all dome dwellers who have gone outside.
 

Son of the Flesh:
Boys born of the dome in which they reside.
 

Son of the Heart:
Boys traded in Trade Fairs as future Husbands to the Mothers of the recipient domes.
 

South Road:
The road that splits from the North Fork Trail and goes south and then east, to run along the southern edges of the bogs.
 

spidersilk:
This refers to the thread made from the silk of a small, golden spider and also to the fabric woven from this thread. Twice as strong as plasteel, weight for weight.
 

squeaker:
Small forest frog.
 

sugarsip:
Parasitic tree plant with sweet nectar in their flowers.
 

treebear:
G
iant, clawed marsupial standing man-tall at the shoulder. An opportunistic
feeder, it can digest bone and most plant fibers.
 

Truemother:
A term of deep respect and honor given to the Mother whose egg is used to conceive a child. Even after minor genetic manipulation, she is still considered the Truemother.
 

treehoppers:
Large, arboreal marsupial.
 

tubegrass:
Tall bamboo-like tree.
 

underager:
Children under the age of eight.
 

watercup:
Parasitic tree fungus.
 

Waterfall Trail:
Road leading out the South Gate.
 

wayfaring boots:
Sturdy hiking boots, not worn inside the dome.
 

Weapons Locker:
Building on the south side of the Central Plaza where the weapons and tools are stored.
 

Weapons Master:
Elder in charge of Weapons Locker, this is a post taken in shifts by the more dominant males.
 

West Road:
Road leading out the West Gate.
 

woolsey:
Spidersilk and wool fabric.
 

Rank & Dome Affiliation

Cheobawn:
Female born in Windfall Dome, Mora is her Truemother, Nestmother, and natalmother. Black Bead in Tam’s demi-Pack holding no rank. An Omega Ear.
 

Megan:
Female born in Windfall Dome. Amabel is her Truemother. Alpha Ear in Tam’s demi-Pack.
 

Tam:
Male born in Waterwall Dome. Alpha male.
 

Alain:
Male born in Firewalker Dome. Tam’s Second.
 

Connor:
Male born in Waterwall Dome, Tam’s Third, Tam’s Truebrother.
 

Phillius:
Hayrald’s Third. Husband to the Coven.
 

Sigrid:
Alpha male to Ramhorn Pack.
 

Hayrald:
First Prime. Mora’s Fist Husband. Husband to the Coven, titular head of the Fathers of Windfall Dome.
 

Mora:
First Mother to Windfall Dome. Alpha Ear of the Coven. High Mother to all the High Reach Domes. Truemother of Cheobawn.
 

Menolly:
High Priestess to Windfall Dome, Mora’s Fourth Wife.
 

Zeff:
Packless oldpa.
 

Amabel:
Mora’s Second wife and Master Maker of the Living Thread.
 

Cheobawn’s Adventure Continues in the Black Bead Chronicles:

Bhotta’s Tears: Book Two

Spider Wars: Book Three

Trade Fair: Book Four

Dunauken: Book Five

 

Now Available!

Bhotta’s Tears:

Book Two of the Black Bead Chronicles

Following their nearly disastrous first foray together outside the dome, the newly-formed Blackwind pack is just getting used to their new lives together, and their bonds continue to strengthen. But Cheobawn can feel something ominous about to happen, something that will put her entire village and everyone she loves in mortal danger. A creature has climbed the Escarpment and now wanders in the southern forests. She knows she must find it before the elders get wind of its presence and go hunting it with deadly intent.