The Edge of the World (69 page)

While he waited, servants set up a table for the food. Curiosity-seekers gathered in the doorways to listen. Criston slung
his pack off his shoulder and opened it to withdraw his detailed hand-carved models of new ship designs. He presented the
models to the king.

“I know of your Arkship project, Majesty. I come not only to offer you my story, but my services as well. I have already been
to the edge of the world. If that is where you need to go again, then I want to be part of the expedition.”

ABILAN one of the soldanates of Uraba.

ADREA wife of Criston Vora.

ADREALA first daughter of Adrea by Omra.

AIDEN one of the two brothers who sailed from Terravitae to discover the world. The descendants of his crew populated Tierra.

AIDEN’S LIGHTHOUSE a tall lighthouse on the western side of Ishalem.

AIDENIST follower of the Book of Aiden.

ALAMONT one of the five reaches of Tierra, rich agricultural land led by Destrar Shenro.

ALDO NA-CURIC young Saedran, chosen as a chartsman.

ALTIARA one of Istar’s handmaidens in the Olabar court.

ANDOUK soldan of Yuarej, father of Cliaparia.

ANJINE the daughter of King Korastine.

ARKSHIP ancient vessel wrecked in Ishalem, believed to be the original vessel belonging either to Aiden or Urec.

ARIKARA capital city of Missinia.

ASHA second wife of Soldan-Shah Imir, a lover of animals.

ASADDAN Nunghal refugee who crossed the Great Desert to Missinia.

ATTAR soldan of Outer Wahilir, cousin of Soldan Huttan.

BAINE prester-marshall of the Aidenist church; he called for further exploration of the world.

BARTHO father of Prester Hannes.

BIENTO NA-CURIC Saedran painter, Aldo’s father.

BOOK OF AIDEN Aidenist holy book.

BORA’S BASTION capital city of Alamont Reach.

BORNAN, EREO father of Mateo, a captain in the royal guard who died saving the king.

BORNAN, MATEO ward of King Korastine, raised in the castle after his father was killed in the line of duty.

BROECK destrar of Iboria Reach.

BURILO the son of the Missinia soldan, Xivir, Omra’s cousin.

CALAVIK capital city of Iboria Reach.

CALAY capital city of Tierra.

CAPTAIN’S COMPASS a compass that always points home.

CHARTSMAN a Saedran navigator possessing perfect memory.

CIARLO brother of Adrea, lame in one leg. He mends fishnets, and is studying to become a prester.

CINDON
Criston Vora’s small boat, named after his father.

CITHARA daughter of Cliaparia and Omra.

CLIAPARIA Omra’s second wife.

COMDAR leader of Tierran army and navy.

CORAG one of the five reaches of Tierra, a mountainous region led by Destrar Siescu.

CUAR
Uraban unit of currency.

DELNAS, COMDAR leader of the Tierran military.

DESTRAR the leader of one of the five Tierran reaches.

DIREC NA-TAYA Saedran candlemaker in Ishalem.

DOLICAR, YAL a confidence man willing to take on any job.

DOLPHIN’S WAKE
merchant ship.

EDICT LINE the boundary agreed to by the leaders of Tierra and Uraba, dividing the world in half.

ERIETTA one of the five reaches of Tierra, mainly rangeland, led by Destrar Unsul.

ERIMA ur-sikara from Lahjar, successor to Lukai.

EYE OF UREC symbol painted on the sails of Uraban ships.

FARPORT capital city of Soeland Reach.

FASHIA the wife of Urec.

FENNAN prester in the village of Windcatch.

FILLOK brother of the soldan of Outer Wahilir, killed in an ill-advised raid against a Tierran trading ship.

FISHHOOK
Tierran trading ship captained by Andon Shay.

FRANCOSI new captain of the
Dolphin’s Wake
.

FYIRI young sikara.

GILADEN Uraban ambassador who brokered the Edict.

GOLDEN FERN fern with mythic properties, supposedly planted by Urec before he became the Traveler. Anyone who finds the fern
is destined for greatness.

GREAT DESERT arid wasteland in the south of Uraba.

GREMURR secret Uraban mines on the northern coast of the Middlesea, in Tierran territory.

HANNES prester assigned to live among the Urecari to observe their culture.

HUTTAN soldan of Inner Wahilir, cousin of Soldan Attar.

IBORIA one of the five reaches of Tierra, the region to the far north, led by Destrar Broeck.

ILNA NA-CURIC younger sister of Aldo.

ILRIDA daughter of Destrar Broeck, second wife of King Korastine.

IMIR the soldan-shah of the Urabans, father of Omra.

INNER WAHILIR one of the soldanates of Uraba.

ISHALEM the holy city, site of the wrecked Arkship, considered the center of both the Aidenist and Urecari religions.

ISTALA second daughter of Adrea by Omra.

ISTAR young wife of Zarif Omra.

JERARD old prester serving aboard the
Luminara
.

JIKARIS khan of the Nunghal-Ari.

JORON the third son of Ondun, who remained behind in Terravitae when Aiden and Urec sailed away.

KEL rank of captain in the soldan-shah’s army.

KELPLILIES flowers on the migratory seaweed that drifts into the Windcatch harbor.

KEMM one of Anjine’s handmaidens.

KHENARA port city on the Oceansea coast of Uraba.

KIRACLE Korastine’s father, previous king of Tierra.

KIRK Aidenist church.

KJELNAR Iborian shipwright.

KORASTINE the king of Tierra, father of Anjine.

LAHJAR port city on Oceansea coast of Uraba, the farthest settlement south.

LANDING DAY Aidenist festival commemorating the landing of Aiden’s Arkship.

LEO NA-HADRA, SEN old Saedran scholar, adviser of King Korastine, teacher of Aldo na-Curic.

LIORAN, SEN chartsman aboard the
Dolphin’s Wake
.

LEVIATHAN terrible sea monster, possibly legendary.

LITHIO first wife of Soldan-Shah Imir, mother of Omra.

LOOM, THE a constellation.

LUKAI ur-sikara of the Urecari church.

LUMINARA
magnificent exploration vessel dispatched from Tierra to discover the world.

MAYVAR influential noble from Alamont, father of Queen Sena.

MIDDLESEA vast sea to the east of Ishalem.

MIROS nephew of an ancient rebellious destrar of Corag.

MISSINIA one of the soldanates of Uraba.

NAORI third wife of Soldan-Shah Omra.

NIKOL NA-FENDA, SEN Saedran chartsman on the
Luminara
.

NUNGHALA race inhabiting the Uraban continent to the south of the Great Desert. They are composed of two branches, the nomadic
Nunghal-Ari and the seafaring Nunghal-Su.

NUNGHAL-ARI nomadic branch of the Nunghals.

NUNGHAL-SU seafaring branch of the Nunghals.

OCEANSEA vast sea to the west of Ishalem.

OENAR former soldan-shah of Uraba, great-grandfather of Imir, the subject of a large bronze statue.

OLABAR capital city of Uraba.

OLACU rebellious Corag destrar in ancient feud.

OLBA turbanlike head covering, usually white, worn by Urecari men.

ONDUN the creator of the world, father of three sons: Aiden, Urec, and Joron.

ONDUN’S LIGHTNING
ship on which Aldo served as chartsman.

ORICO cook aboard the
Luminara
.

OSMUC captain of the
Dolphin’s Wake.

OUROUSSA port city on Oceansea coast of Uraba.

OUTER WAHILIR one of the soldanates of Uraba.

PELITON capital city of Erietta Reach.

PILGRIMS’ PATH processional path up the hill to the Arkship in Ishalem.

PRESTERAN Aidenist priest.

PRESTER-MARSHALL leader of the Aidenist church.

RAATHGIR name of the Iborian ice dragon.

RAGNAL Iborian treecutter.

RAVEN’S HEAD mountain peak in Corag.

RAVEN
small patrol ship on which Mateo served as first mate.

RA’VIR
Tierran children raised by Urecari to become spies and saboteurs, named after an opportunistic bird that lays its eggs in
other birds’ nests.

REEFSPUR Tierran coastal fishing village.

RENNERT, JAN captain of
Ondun’s Lightning
.

ROVIK the kel of the soldan-shah’s palace guards.

RUAD an outcast of the Nunghal-Su.

RUDIO old, conservative prester-marshall, successor to Baine.

SAAN son of Criston and Adrea.

SAEDRANS “Ondun’s Stepchildren,” independent people not descended from either Aiden or Urec. Saedrans serve as chartsmen,
engineers, doctors, apothecaries, and other scientific professions.

SAND DERVISHES desert demons that lure travelers into the sand.

SAPIER grandson of Aiden, founder of Aidenist church. In a legend, he caught a sea serpent with a fishhook and rode it to
safe waters.

SAZAR leader of a clan of rivermen; he calls himself the “river destrar.”

SEN term of respect and accomplishment for Saedrans.

SENA first wife of King Korastine, mother of Anjine; died of pneumonia.

SENTINEL mountain peak in Corag.

SHAY, CAPTAIN ANDON captain of the
Luminara
.

SHENRO destrar of Alamont Reach.

SHERUFA NA-OA, SEN Saedran scholar in Olabar.

SHIP’S PROW stone carving outside of Stoneholm.

SIESCU destrar of Corag Reach.

SIKARA priestess in the Urecari church.

SIOARA a port on the Middlesea, capital of Inner Wahilir.

SMOLLA one of Anjine’s handmaidens.

SOELAND one of the five reaches of Tierra, a group of islands led by Destrar Tavishel.

SOLDAN leader of one of the regions of Uraba.

SOLDAN-SHAH the soldan of soldans, leader of all Uraba.

STONEHOLM capital city of Corag Reach.

SUNSET TOWER westernmost tower in the Olabar palace.

TAVISHEL destrar of Soeland Reach.

TEACHER mysterious hooded figure in charge of Omra’s
ra’vir
program.

TENÉR port city on Oceansea coast of Uraba.

TERRAVITAE the original land where Ondun created his people, from which Aiden and Urec departed on their voyage.

THUNDER CRAG mountain peak in Corag.

TIERRA the northern continent, composed of five reaches; its population follows the Aidenist religion.

TRAVELER wandering old man who leaves tales of his travels, rumored to be either Aiden or Urec.

TRAWNA captain of the Tierran patrol ship
Raven
.

TYCHO kitten given to Anjine by Mateo.

UISHEL young woman from Soeland, Mateo’s first love.

UNSUL destrar of Erietta Reach.

UNWAR kel in the Uraban military, captain of the horse soldiers.

URABA the southern continent, composed of five reaches; its population follows the Urecari religion.

UREC one of the two brothers who sailed from Terravitae to discover the world. The descendants of his crew populated Uraba.

UREC’S LIGHTHOUSE a tall lighthouse on the eastern side of Ishalem.

UREC’S LOG Urecari holy book.

URECARI follower of Urec’s Log.

UR-SIKARA lead sikara of the Urecari church.

VILLIKI third wife of Soldan-Shah Imir, mother of Tukar.

VORA, CINDON father of Criston, a fisherman lost at sea.

VORA, CRISTON sailor, fisherman, who volunteered to join the
Luminara
expedition. Criston is married to Adrea.

VORA, TELHA mother of Criston.

WEN NA-CURIC younger brother of Aldo.

WILKA wife of Destrar Broeck, lost in a snowstorm.

WILLIN first mate on the
Luminara
.

WINDCATCH small Tierran fishing village on the Oceansea coast, home of Criston and Adrea.

XARIES
a Uraban board game similar to chess.

XIVIR soldan of Missinia.

YARADIN ancient Tierran king who faced a rebellion during his reign.

YUAREJ one of the soldanates of Uraba.

YURA NA-CURIC Aldo’s mother.

ZADAR work master in the Gremurr mines.

ZARIF Uraban title of prince.

ZAROUK kel in the Uraban military, veteran who served under Soldan-Shah Imir.

Are You Listening?

From the time I first began to write my fantastical novels and stories, I have been heavily influenced by the music I listen
to. In high school and college, my imagination was inspired by the progressive rock of Rush, Kansas, Pink Floyd, Styx, the
Alan Parsons Project—their songs provided (and continue to provide) the seeds for many works of fiction. Today, with the modern
resurgence of progressive rock, I have followed the work of Dream Theater, Lana Lane, Rocket Scientists, Tool, Coheed and
Cambria, Lacuna Coil, Powerman 5000, A Perfect Circle, and many others.

In my mind, there has always been a great cross-fertilization between fantastic fiction and music. Many progressive rock songs
are directly inspired by science fiction or fantasy, and vice versa. It has long been a dream of mine to marry the two, to
create a tandem project of a fantasy novel and rock CD, words and music developed together. As I began work on Terra Incognita,
the opportunity arose. I got to know Shawn Gordon, who owns the label ProgRock Records and is a fan of my Saga of Seven Suns.
When I suggested the idea of a joint novel/CD to him, he was as excited as I was. We could take one story line of
The Edge of the World,
adapt it, and write a CD around it at the same time as I wrote the draft of the book. Shawn put me in touch with the prolific
and talented composer and keyboardist Erik Norlander—I had already enjoyed his solo albums, his collaborations with his wife,
Lana Lane, and his band, Rocket Scientists. Erik was also a fan of my writing and he eagerly agreed to write the music for
the Terra Incognita CD, while my wife, Rebecca Moesta, and I would write the lyrics.

Los Angeles bassist/producer Kurt Barabas, founding member of Under the Sun, also joined our team in the early stages. Rebecca
and I took a short vacation to Carlsbad Caverns and Roswell, New Mexico, during which we mapped out the twelve tracks for
the CD. As a result, the six of us—Rebecca and I, Shawn Gordon, Erik Norlander, Lana Lane, and Kurt Barabas—decided to call
ourselves “Roswell Six.”