Maps and some other things you won't see in A DARK SACRIFICE

[Teresa Edgerton]

Here you will find a number of things that don't appear in the published version of A Dark Sacrifice.

I meant to include uncolorized versions of the maps in the book, but the department in charge of that sort of thing at HarperCollins was not encouraging. They said things about Photoshop, which I don't have, and layers (which they wrote out most dauntingly in capital letters: L-A-Y-E-R-S) that I didn't understand ... so, well, I took the course of least resistance, and decided to post maps online. Which also means that I get to offer them in color, which I take a certain childish joy in doing.

Other things were taken out by my editor, for reasons which were not explained. Presumably, she didn't think they would be of interest. But here they are in case they are.

One item is something I recently found in my notes that I hadn't sent in. Maybe they would have published it, maybe they wouldn't.

All of the copyrighted material in this thread may be reprinted for use with the book. In fact, as far as the maps and the pronunciation guide are concerned I recommend it.

The first map, which will be in the next message, represents part of the journey of some of the characters. There will be a more comprehensive map of the known world at the time of the story a bit further on. If you don't care for that one, I've already posted a different version of the world map here:

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/11114-the-map-for-the-hidden-stars.html

First, and before I go on to more interesting things, I wish to correct an error in the Chronology (which I was dismayed to discover that neither I nor the copy editor had spotted) --

The dates in this entry are incorrect in the book; this is how it should read:

5110-5111 in a desperate attempt to regain the upper hand, the Emperor of Otöi throws more and more of his magicians into the battle; to counter this, Alluinn sends an army including several hundred of his own wizards to invade Otöi; in a tremendous (and ill-advised) battle of magics, the wizards of Alluinn quickly gain the advantage, but not before the Otöwan mages summon up forces that neither side can control; approximately 600 mages and 400 wizards are killed almost simultaneously; their deaths send such a shock through the world of matter that the path of the moon is altered, and there are earthquakes, floods, and other disasters in every land of the known world; the destruction is worst in Otöi, but much of Alluinn is levelled as well, and what remains descends into a state of anarchy; Tirhéne becomes a desert wasteland.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

© 2007 Teresa Edgerton


This map, and the other one that disappeared, can be found further down the page, in messages #10 and #11.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

A NOTE ON THE NAMES AND LANGUAGES​

At the time of the story, most of the world from Phaôrax in the south to Skyrra in the north spoke mutually intelligible dialects of the same language. This was the language of the Empire of Alluinn, a tongue descended from Niadhélen, the Old Tongue, believed to be the first language. While this was also true of most other tongues, the common speech of Alluinn was considered to be the least corrupted of living languages.

Although many of the names in this account are based on the Allunian language, many others arose from more localized tongues, which had fallen into disuse long before. Some of these had been spoken languages only, and though scholars in other lands had recorded a smattering of their words, for the most part these languages were lost. In general, then, names based on these languages (in particular, names in Skyrra, Arkenfell, and Mistlewald) are incapable of translation. It is just possible that the anonymous chronicler who wrote this account, between fifty and a hundred years after the events, knew a few of these meanings,which had been handed down as part of an oral tradition. If so, he must have assumed that his readers knew them, too, for he did not bother to record them.

There were also names in pure (or nearly pure) Niadhélen. Names of this kind were generally given to children born to the wizards on Leal -- such children were often born with magical gifts and went on to study wizardry themselves. And it was also the case that some wizards born elsewhere took Niadhélen names when they were first entered as students at the Scholia. However, this was neither mandatory nor expected, and many chose to retain birth names based on localized tongues.

A GUIDE TO PRONOUNCING THE NAMES OF SOME PRINCIPLE CHARACTERS AND PLACES​

Alluinn (al-oo-WIN)

Anerüian (an-eh-ROO-yon)

Apharos (af-FAY-rows)

Camhóinhann (cah-VHOYN-ahn)

Cuillioc (QWILL-ee-ahch)

Dyonas (dye-OH-nahs)

Éireamhóine (AIR-ah-voyhn)

Faolein (FAY-oh-LINE)

Furiádhin (FOO-ree-AHD-in)

Guenloie (gwen-LOW-ee)

Iobhar (EYE-oh-vhar)

Kivik (KIV-ick)

Leal (leel)

Maelor (MAY-lore)

Mistlewald (MIST-el-vahld)

Mirizandi (meer-ah-ZAHN-dee)

Ouriána (oh-ree-ON-ah)

Phaôrax (FAY-oh-racks)

Ristil (RIZ-till)

Ruan (rune)

Sindérian (sin-DAY-ree-on)

Skerry (rhymes with ferry)

Thäerie (THAY-ree)

Xanthipei (zahn-thip-EYE)





©2007 Teresa Edgerton

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

SOME TRANSLATIONS FROM THE NIADHELEN
​

Another brief note on the language, particularly appropriate to the spells: the syllable “nach” at the end of a verb is an intensifier, generally used to give that verb the force of a command and to lend a sense of urgency to the entire sentence -- its effect the same as an exclamation mark, although perhaps a little stronger.


THE HIDDEN STARS


(Faolein’s fire spell)

Hanemh féalen, perifehlim éma üli

Spirit of fire, ignite these ashes


(Sindérian’s lullaby)

Shenana, beichlin
Shenana, beich ilthanen
Shenana, beich-sin
Shenanar uiléthani sillüer

Sleep, little one
Sleep, little halfling
Sleep, little daughter
Under the moon all things are sleeping


(Éireamhóine’s lledrion)

Nésadach anadi duidon
Nésadach anadi galadon
Nésadach ôni anadi ellidon ei odeidon,
Ei deinach ôni uilé rhioladem Éireamhóinen

Come winds of the south!
Come winds of the north!
Come you western and eastern winds,
And do you all Éireamhóine’s bidding!


(the counterspell)

Anadi omach nad
Emiras deinna né nelo navüs, bas oma nad.

Winds be still!
Do us no harm, but be still



(Sindérian’s spell at Saer)

Almalüranach séo crüanh
Almalüranach séo lledrion
Anésadach rhiod dioha Sindérian

Break the circle!
Break the spell!
Let Sindérian go free!



(Sindérian’s summoning)

Breider-anadan, halësar néa Sindérian
Asi éma nésada esora
Néma omar né Faolein

Brother of the wind, Sindérian greets you
Come to me now
If you be Faolein





A DARK SACRIFICE


(Sindérian’s charm of blessing)

Dioho nélo ani ashladi anäellen dénes nadath
Dioho ansiansé althëonad angen
Mûr de deinnar dioho dir aldeinad ran

Let no bad dreams disturb their peace
Let ill-fortune be turned aside
As they do, let them be done by



(from Sindérian’s healing charm)

Omaro gürdath maren, oma gürdath onés
Diohach séo güwelan nésoma

Let my strength, be your strength
Let the healing begin!



(Sindérian’s spell on the knife)

Cyllig tinar domha
Tinarach llathan

Knife strike deep
Strike to kill!



(Camhóinhann’s spell at the Doors of Adamant)

Améroda, clüid boédhen na briénhani
Néas dennath émi yllathos
Émiras denna esora gondhal

Open, gate of the tomb of kings
We have given you a death
Now give us entry



(Dyonas’s spell at the Doors of Corundum)

Érodach, érodach
Riholar ém néma -- érodach

Open, open!
I bid you -- open!





©2007 Teresa Edgerton

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

©2007 Teresa Edgerton

For this map, see message #10 below.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

And finally, the part from my notes that I didn't send in:

A word of caution, the following may contain ... well, not spoilers exactly, but information that may aid those who are particularly adept at putting clues together to form a more accurate idea of what is going on than they may wish to obtain at this particular moment. If you want to test your guesses against more background information this may be of interest, otherwise, you might want to wait to read it.

MORE ON MAGIC​

There are three great forces at work in the world:

Order/evolution (servants of the Light)
Chaos/semi-sentient nature
Degeneration/entropy/devolution (creatures and servants of the Greater Darkness)​

Order and Chaos are both essentially creative, but while Order works toward the spiritual elevation of all life forms, Chaos expresses itself through cycles of destruction and regeneration. Order consciously attempts to maintain balance and harmony; Chaos operates instinctively and more like a pendulum, achieving a more dynamic (and sometimes violent) form of equilibrium by a series of equal and opposite reactions.

Degeneration/entropy/devolution on the other hand, is purely destructive; it creates nothing, and has the ultimate goal of Unmaking, undoing, or degrading everything the other two try to create or maintain. However, it is extremely opportunistic, and has shown itself as adept at the seduction of the more extreme, conservative, and restrictive proponents of Order, as it is at finding ways to infect and make use of the wilder and more destructive elemental powers (see below) of Chaos.

Wizardry is more than the learning and working of spells, it is an intellectual discipline, strongly allied with Order, though generally respectful toward nature. Above all, wizards attempt to establish and maintain Order amidst Chaos, while remaining sufficiently aware of their own limitations that they understand the dangers of meddling too much with natural processes. However, those like Sindérian, who are seers and/or healers, are also in touch with a more instinctive world.

Magicians, witches, hedge-wizards, and all the array of ordinary healers, fortunetellers, and spellcasters, use the magical forces within nature for their own ends or to serve their own communities. Their goals may be altruistic, or purely selfish. But whatever their motives, the danger lies in not fully understanding the forces they invoke; as a result, they frequently end by serving where they seek to control.

The “Old Earth Magics” are those spells which invoke or make use of certain elemental powers or semi-sentient entities existing within nature -- which are typically the most unpredictable, potentially the most destructive, also those most likely to contain some taint or infection of Darkness.

The durathagi, commonly called the “Old Earth Powers” are the most sentient of these chaotic entities. By nature incorporeal, they can become strongly linked to places, objects, or individuals. They are also able to shape bodies for themselves out of the material elements, taking on the form of immense creatures. When this occurs, they lapse into “mortal time” (instead of the vast epochs with which they usually concern themselves) and wreak much havoc in the world by attempting to accomplish over a brief period what ought to be the work of eons. In this state they have sometimes been worshipped as gods, tyrannizing over their followers at the same time that they become more and more entangled in the material world -- so much so that many lose the will to return to their natural incorporeal state. They may also, under these circumstances, form an especially powerful linkage to a particular nation or to an individual human host, which is the most disastrous of all, as the ruthless amorality of the elemental is joined to human ambition and human frailty. Worse, this corporate entity exists in such a state of ambiguity that it becomes highly vulnerable to the persuasions of the Dark.

Sorcerers can be either magicians or wizards, who, knowingly or unknowingly, have been seduced or corrupted into serving the forces of Degeneration/devolution. As stated above, those who deal most closely with the Old Earth Magics have proven to be the most susceptible to this kind of corruption. Nevertheless, there are many ordinary magicians and spellcasters working elemental magic who are able to shake off these temptations and who never lapse into sorcery. Here, the original motivation of the magician is probably the determining factor. Yet those who are directly enslaved by a durathagh bound to the material world may be so entirely in thrall that even a strong will and excellent intentions are powerless to resist.


As for the mages of Otöi, their history is somewhat clouded. It appears that at one time they practiced a discipline similar in intention if not in form to that of wizardry, until a change came over them at about the same time that the Sorcerer-Kings rose to power. Existing circles of magicians were disbanded, and new ones formed under royal patronage; this was apparently linked to mass (and almost certainly coerced) conversions to a new religion. It is therefore likely that those of the mages who refused to convert were persecuted as heretics. These new circles were devoted to the practice of the Old Earth Magics, yet as time passed, they began to explore more sophisticated (and dangerous) sorceries. By the time the Otöwan Empire reached its greatest power and extent, most if not all of its mages had become unashamed votaries of the Dark.



©2007 Teresa Edgerton

 

[dustinzgirl]

Very cool stuff. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Erin99]

Yes, I agree! You've gone to such depth that it seems a shame not to share it. This type of stuff always fascinates me.

Thank you.

 

[Pyar]

Thank you!! I kept wanting to look at a map while reading the book so that I could keep track of where everyone was geographically. Now I can picture what everything looks like.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Since the other attachments went away at some point when Brian was updating the software, or the site was going through some other process, I will upload the maps again, and hope for the best.

This map copyright Teresa Edgerton 2007

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

That worked! I'll try another.

This map copyright Teresa Edgerton 2007

 

[AlcubierreWarp]

Hey Teresa!

Sorry for bringing back a thread from a while back - I try to avoid necromancy as much as possible - but I thought I could offer my services (for free, of course).

Just to let you know - in the future if you DO want to have a map printed in your book, I'm a fair hand at photoshop and understand layers, vectors, etc. All I would need to do is know what the art/map department requires, names of any fonts you used (as trying to match them by looking at them is daunting, but doable), and a picture of the map you want layered and/or vectorized.

If you're asking why I would do it free, it's honestly cause I enjoy photoshop, and new tasks/challenges that have meaning. I think helping to enhance a book offering is definitely worthy of my time.

Cheers,
Tom