Earlmen, Earlwomen
Feudal lords and ladies of the Three Kingdoms.
E’blis (EH-bliss)
The Creator of Men. Also known as the Prince of Pain.
Enna (Ehn-NAH)
Sarah Bean’s guide through the Grassland Plains.
Erebus
The realm outside the realm of the dead.
Fallen, The
Generic term for servants of the Fallen One.
Fallen One, The
A malevolent being from a Space and Time outside of the Thirteen Worlds.
Fallen-born, The
Scions of the Fallen One itself that escaped from its tomb under the Shadowhorn mountain in the Nightlands.
Fellhorn
A colossal mountain in the Western Wastes where the Sword of Sighs rested before it was drawn from the stone by Sarah Bean.
Fellhounds
Undead hunting animals that serve the Fallen-born.
Fellspawn
Generic term for creations of the Fallen One.
Ferra (feh-RA)
Father to Venna and Jedda. A just and much-loved king who was murdered by Ianna.
Gorra (GOH-rah)
Gorra is the Father of Leaves and the spirit of the Wood Beneath the Worlds. He tends to the roots of all Thirteen Worlds.
Grah’na (GRA-narrh)
An area of swampland that must be crossed to reach the Mountains of Mourning. Molloi tribes reside here and the Phages.
Grassland Plains, The
A wilderness that was formally the shared land of humanity and the Kay’lo. It has been rendered even more inhospitable since the armies of the Fallen have marched across it.
Great Larvae, The
Gigantic invertebrates that share some form of heritage with the Mind-Reavers. They are also known as the Guardians of the Deep and feast on those who wander into their lairs unaware.
Great Tree, The
The magickal tree that all of Seythe originally grew from.
Herb-Sisters, The
An order of healers and carers in the Three Kingdoms. No man can become a healer because they were created by E’blis, the Father of Pain.
Highmount
The city-province situated in the one pass through the Northway Mountains. It has protected the Three Kingdoms of humanity since the last great war against the Fallen One.
Highmount Council
The advisors to the ruling family of Highmount.
Ianna (EYE-anna)
Step-mother to Jedda and Venna. Self-appointed Lady Warden to the throne of Highmount.
Iron Gods, The
The Iron Gods were created by the Molloi as guardians for their cities in the Mountains of Mourning. They were infected by an evil taint that drove them to conquer their own masters and begin a war that devastated the land surrounding the mountains.
Jedda (jed-DAH)
Heir to the throne of Highmount.
Ka’aron (KAH-aron)
The First Wayfarer. He sleeps in his tower, guarded by the fears of those who enter. He holds the Sceptre of Storms, which can only be released to a bearer of the Living Flame.
Witta’s Kay’lo lover.
Kay’lo (kay-LOW)
A race who once inhabited the Grassland Plains in harmony with humanity. The early stages of the last war against the Fallen One saw humans committing genocide against the Kay’lo to take their land. There has been enmity between them ever since. The Kay’lo now dwell in forest enclaves, the ruins of their cities and in underground burrow-towns.
Kella, General (KHEL-ah)
Commander of the Highmount defenders.
K’th (KIH-ith)
Giant spiders born in the Beginning after the Unicorns and the Dragons. They were driven from the mainland of Seythe and now they act as guardians of the tower where the First Wayfarer sleeps.
K’th’li’li (KIH-ith-LEE-LEE)
An island known as the Kingdom of Webs where the tower of the First Wayfarer is guarded by the K’th in their crystal caves.
Lands Beyond, The
The Lands Beyond are where all things that dwell on Seythe go after they die.
Lo’a’Pan (LOW-ah-PAN)
The secret underground city of the Kay’lo. No human has ever visited the city and come back alive.
Malus/Sula (MAL-uss/SOO-lah)
Sula was the king of the Dragons but he swore service to the Fallen One after seeing all of his kin slaughtered during the great war between the Flame and the Fallen.
Mind-Reavers, The
Invertebrate creations of the Fallen One that resemble bipedal jellyfish. They feed on the thoughts and memories of their victims and act as the inquisitors of the Fallen One. They share some suspected heritage with the Great Larvae and the Dionin.
Molloi (MUH-loy)
Once a proud race of engineers and architects, they built the Iron Gods to guard their cities. Following the war with their creations, they were made homeless and destitute, and subsequently degenerated into savages.
Morra (moh-RAH)
A former captain of the Highmount Guard.
Mountains of Mourning, The
A range of mountains separating the Grassland Plains and the swamps of Grah’na from the Western Wastes. They were fashioned into great cities by the First Wayfarer and the Molloi. Now, those cities are tombs after so many died in the war against the Iron Gods, which earned the mountains their title.
Mya (mee-YHA)
A barmaid at The Water Mark in Trepolpen.
Nightlands, The
A cold and desolate wasteland in the east of Seythe where perpetual night reigns. This is the domain of the Fallen One, His creations and those who follow Him.
Norn Valley, The
A valley between Highmount and the Three Kingdoms where farmers and peasantry reside.
Northway Mountains, The
The range of mountains that acts as a protective barrier between the Three Kingdoms and the Grassland Plains. The only clear path through is the Northway Pass, which is guarded by the city-province of Highmount.
Northway Pass, The
The one clear way through the Northway Mountains.
Orraea (OH-ray-EAH)
The daughter of Ossen.
Ossen (OH-sun)
Ossen was a Wayfarer well-known in the Three Kingdoms as a champion of humanity and a bringer of hope.
Oswald
A servant of The Doctors.
Phages (FEYE-gizz)
Soldiers thought to have been created by the civilisation that once existed in the Western Wastes. They are flesh-eaters and have also been known to use the body parts of their victims to replace their own rotting limbs.
Plainstown
The ‘poor’ half of Highmount that faces out onto the Grassland Plains. None of the nobility or Earlfolk live in this part of Highmount.
Ruth, Mistress
A Herb-Sister and close friend of Ossen.
A family of brewers and distillers in the Norn Valley.
Sceptre of Storms, The
The Sceptre of Storms was fashioned from the horn of Adraxis, the last of the Unicorns.
Seythe (SAY-thuh)
The Seventh of the Thirteen Worlds that make up the Cosmos.
Shadowhorn
A colossal mountain in the Nightlands that is the source of the Fallen One’s presence in Seythe.
Summernight
The main summer festival in the Three Kingdoms. Rules of propriety are waived in favour of merry-making, drinking and dancing.
Sword of Sighs, The
Also known as the Sword Without a Blade. It bears the soul of A’aron and uses the Living Flame itself as its blade. It is the only weapon known that can harm the Fallen One.
Sworn, The
A secretive order of trained warriors often hired for assassinations, mercenary duties and to protect travellers in the wildernesses of Seythe. Little is known of their practices a
nd rituals, but all Sworn warriors abandon their former identity upon joining – including name, sex and gender.
Taproots, The
A family of farmers in the Norn Valley and neighbours to Woran Bean.
Three Kingdoms, The
The Three Kingdoms of humanity were established on Seythe after the last war against the Fallen One. Before this time, humanity and the Kay’lo co-existed on what is now called the Grassland Plains.
Trotters, The
A family of pig farmers in the Norn Valley.
T’Yuua (teh-YOU-ah)
Chief Elder of the Kay’lo.
Venna (VEN-nah)
Sister to Jedda.
Watchers, The
Selected men and women of the Three Kingdoms who stand guard atop the outermost wall of Highmount, watching over the Grassland Plains. First sons and daughters of Earlmen and Earlwomen are often sent to train as Watchers.
Wayfarers, The
The Wayfarers are an ancient orders of male and female mages that can travel between the Thirteen Worlds using Paths. Which of the Worlds they originate from is not exactly known.
Western Wastes, The
A wasteland wracked by monsoons and ice storms where the Fellhorn mountain stands. Signs of civilisation have been discovered but no memory remains of what might have once been there.
Wintertide
The main winter festival in the Three Kingdoms where gifts of food and drink are exchanged to neighbours.
Witta (wih-TAH)
Sarah Bean’s scout in the Grassland Plains.
Wyrlsorn, Mikka (WEERL-sawn, MEE-kah)
An agent of the Fallen One.
Yagga (YAH-gah)
The witch who dwells in the Wood Beneath the Worlds. A being of rot, decay and poison.
Yrsyllor (ERR-sih-LAW)
One of the Three Kingdoms.
Table of Contents
The Stone of Sorrows
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Glossary