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  Hruun. Hrangan slaverace often used in combat during the Double War. The Hruun were more intelligent than most other Hrangan slaves. Their homeworld was a heavy-gravity planet by human standards, so the Hruun were warriors of immense strength. Among their other attributes was an ability to see well into the infrared that made them especially suited for nocturnal combat.

  Hub. See Fat Satan.

  interregnum. Historical period between the collapse and the resumption of starflight. By its very nature, the interregnum is difficult to date precisely. Some worlds experienced the collapse early, some late; some lost starflight for five years, some for fifty, some for five hundred; some—like Avalon, Baldur, Newholme, and Old Earth—were never really isolated from the rest of mankind, while others perhaps have still not been rediscovered. It is commonly said that the interregnum lasted a “generation”; this is workable enough as a rough approximation, if only the major human worlds are considered.

  Ironjade Gathering. One of the four modern holdfast-coalitions of High Kavalaan. The Ironjade Gathering is one of the two most progressive Kavalar holdfasts.

  jambles. Wolfman slang, now common parlance in the outworlds, for the area of space between the Fringe and the highly civilized worlds around Old Earth. The Hrangan Empire occupied a large portion of what is now called the jambles, and it was there that the most terrible actions of the Double War took place, leaving many planets ruined and many civilizations broken and “jumbled,” from which word the term derived. Notable human worlds in the jambles include Avalon, Bastion, Prometheus, and Jamison’s World.

  Jamison’s World. Human world in the jambles, settled chiefly from Old Poseidon. Jamies live on the planet’s lush islands and archipelagoes; the one large continent is largely unexplored. Jamison’s World is a regional center for industry and trade, and is a commercial rival of Avalon.

  Kavalar. Native of High Kavalaan.

  Kenn. Extinct Kavalar holdfast-coalition.

  keth, kethi. Kavalar term for the males of any holdfast or holdfast-coalition; literally, holdfast-brother(s).

  Kimdiss. Human world of the Fringe, settled by a group of religious pacifists, now the major outworld commercial power. Kimdissi are traditionally nonviolent, and consequently hostile to the code duello of High Kavalaan.

  Kimdissi. Natives of Kimdiss.

  korariel. Kavalar term, literally protected property. Originally used by individuals and holdfasts to designate certain mockmen or groups of mockmen as private game; poachers were subject to challenge and duel. Later used by the more progressive holdfasts to protect primitives from extermination at the hands of traditional Kavalar hunters. Properly, the term cannot be applied to a real human, only to a mockman or animal.

  Kryne Lamiya. Festival city built on Worlorn by Darkdawn. Often called the Siren City, Kryne Lamiya was designed so that its towers made music of the controlled mountain winds, thus playing over and over a symphony by Darkdawn’s leading composer, the nihilist Lamiya-Bailis.

  Larteyn. Festival city built into the mountainwall of Worlorn by High Kavalaan. Larteyn, literally, means bonded-to-the-sky, or sky-teyn. The city was fashioned to a great extent of glowstone, and thus was often called the Firefort.

  Letheland. One common name for a primitive human colony in the Fringe. Also known as the Forgotten Colony, or the Lost Colony. All of these terms are offworld in origin; the Lostfolk themselves call their planet Earth. Letheland is the oldest human world beyond the Tempter’s Veil, so old that all details of its settlement have been lost, and only conjecture remains. Its people are largely fisherfolk, with no interest in any way of life besides their own.

  Musquel-by-the-Sea. Festival city patterned on those of Letheland, erected on Worlorn by a coalition of outworlders for the Forgotten Colony, which did not have the technology to build it so quickly. A weathered port of multicolored brick and wood, Musquel proved one of the Festival’s most popular attractions.

  Newholme. First interstellar human colony; an urbanized, overcrowded, highly technological world only 4.3 light-years from Old Earth. Since the interregnum and the isolation of Old Earth, Newholme is commonly regarded as the most advanced human world, and the center of commercial traffic between the stars. Newholme is also the nominal capital of the so-called Union of Humanity, a political unit that claims jurisdiction over mankind everywhere. Only three worlds beyond Newholme acknowledge this authority, however, so the Union is essentially a fiction.

  not-men. Human beings who have evolved or mutated so far that they are no longer interfertile with the rest of the race.

  Old Earth. Homeworld of the human race, formerly the capital of the Federal Empire. During the interregnum, and after the revolt of sizable portions of its armed forces, Old Earth recalled the remainder of its military and sealed itself off from the rest of humanity. The embargo remains in effect, with only a few exceptions. There are many legends and much conjecture about life on Old Earth today, but few facts. Also known as Earth, Terra, Home.

  Old Hranga. Homeworld of the Hrangan race, and one of the few places where Hrangan Minds survive in numbers.

  Old Poseidon. Third generation human world settled early in the Federal period. A planet of turbulent seas and untold riches, Old Poseidon soon became an important trading center and a sector capital. After less than a century, the Poseidonites themselves were building starships and exporting colonists; they settled more than twenty other planets, including Jamison’s World.

  outworlds. Collective term for all the worlds of the Fringe; i.e., those fourteen human colonies between the Tempter’s Veil and the Great Black Sea. Natives of any of these planets were commonly called outworlders by humans within the Veil.

  Prometheus. Human world in the jambles, colonized by a military arm of the Federal Empire called the Ecological Warfare Corps during the Double War. Located deep within the war zone and the Hrangan sphere of influence, Prometheus was the headquarters for the biowar ships that spread disease, insects, and plant and animal pests among the Hrangans. After the collapse, Prometheus recovered starflight quickly, and also retained and developed techniques of cloning and genetic manipulation that had been closely guarded secrets of the Federal Empire. One of the most powerful human worlds of the jambles, Prometheus is de facto ruler of its closest neighbors, Rhiannon and Thisrock, and strongly influential on a number of other planets. See also Altered Men.

  Redsteel. One of the four modern holdfast-coalitions of High Kavalaan. Redsteel is considered one of the two most progressive of the four. Also, any member of holdfast Redsteel.

  Rhiannon. Human world in the jambles, colonized by Deirdre during the middle period of the Federal Empire. A rich pastoral world, Rhiannon today is ruled by Prometheus in all but name, and has no starships of its own.

  Rogue’s Hope. Human world in the Celian cluster, formerly a sector capital.

  Rommel. Cold heavy-gravity planet colonized directly from Earth very early in the Federal period. Rommel and Wellington, its sister planet in the same system, began as unpleasant prison planets for incorrigibles from Earth, but during the Double War the two became the so-called War Worlds from which the Earth Imperials drew most of their assault squads. War Worlders, as troopers from Rommel and Wellington were called collectively, lived all their lives under a rigid military discipline, and were given drugs and special reaction training to enhance their fighting prowess. Ultimately, genetic alterations turned the War Worlds into not-men, unable to interbreed with other humans. Rommel lost starflight during the collapse and has never regained it. Traders avoid the world; Rommelans are considered inhuman and dangerous.

  Satan’s Children. See Hellcrown.

  Shanagate Holding. One of the four modern holdfast-coalitions of High Kavalaan.

  Son of the Dreamer. Religious leader who lived on Deirdre in the middle Federal period. The Son of the Dreamer preached a creed of physical pacifism and psychological aggression, and told his followers to resist their enemies with wit instead of force. Today his teachings
are influential on Kimdiss, Kayan, Tamber, and several other worlds.

  soulsuck. See githyanki.

  standard. Monetary unit widely used in interstellar commerce, and on almost all of the most important human worlds. Also the language of such commerce and most star-traveling humans, also called Terran, Standard Terran, Earthic, Common. Also used as an adjective to denote units of time corresponding with those of Old Earth. Thus, standard hour, standard day, standard year, etc.

  Steel Angels. Popular nickname for members of a powerful and widespread military-religious movement that developed among Federal Empire soldiers during the Double War, and has persisted and grown since. The Steel Angels believe that only humans (the seed of Earth) have souls, that race survival is the ultimate imperative, that strength is the only true virtue. Today, from their capital on Bastion, the Angels rule a dozen planets and have colonies, missions, and footholds on hundreds more. The members of the cult call themselves the Children of Bakkalon. Exact origins of the movement are in dispute. The Angels have had two major schisms and have conducted numerous wars, chiefly against non-human sentients.

  Stormjones. Primitive planet in the Celian cluster named after the religious leader Erika Stormjones. See also Erikan.

  Taal. Extinct holdfast-coalition of High Kavalaan.

  Tara. Human world near the Tempter’s Veil, on the outermost edge of the jambles. Tara was colonized at least five times by migrations from quite disparate worlds, and was also raided repeatedly during the Double War, so today it is home to many strange splinter cultures. The dominant influences, however, are both rooted in the first settlement: the Irish-Roman Reformed Catholic Church, and the hereditary warrior-ruler called the Cuchulainn.

  Tempter’s Veil. Cloud of interstellar dust and gas near the top of the galactic lens that blocks the Wheel of Fire and other outworld stars from view; the boundary between the Fringe and the jambles.

  teyn. Kavalar term for a man bonded to another man, usually for life, in a co-equal relationship; the closest possible relationship between Kavalars; literally, my-bond or close-bond or hold-close.

  Thisrock. Artificial world between Prometheus and Rhiannon created by the Federal Empire for use as a naval strikebase during the Double War. Thisrock is located in deep space, orbits no star, and is quite small, in some ways more like a large stationary starship than a real world. Today dominated by Prometheus.

  Tober-in-the-Veil. Human world on the outer edge of the Tempter’s Veil, generally considered to be part of the Fringe. Tober was discovered and settled during the Collapse by the Avalon-based 17th Human Fleet, in rebellion against the Federal Empire. The Toberians are the most technologically advanced of the outworld cultures, and have developed energy shielding and pseudomatter past even Federal levels. Tober maintains a strong military arm, and is influential on several of the more primitive Fringe planets.

  tree-spook. A small predatory rodent native to Kimdiss, so called because it sheds its skin several times before maturity, and leaves the transparent husk around its nest to frighten away enemies.

  Trojan Suns. See Hellcrown.

  Twelfth Dream. Festival city built on Worlorn by Kimdiss. Twelfth Dream was considered by sophisticates to be the most aesthetic of the fourteen cities erected for the Festival of the Fringe. Its name derives from Kimdissi religion; the universe and all that is in it is believed to have been created by the Dreamer, whose twelfth dream was Beauty Unsurpassed.

  Wellington. Warm heavy-gravity world colonized directly from Earth early in the Federal period as a penal colony. Wellington and its sister planet, Rommel, later became the War Worlds that supplied the fierce assault squad troopers of the Federal Empire. See also Rommel. All life on Wellington was destroyed late in the Double War, when the 13th Human Fleet under Stephen Cobalt Northstar rebelled against the Federal Empire. The event is often cited as the beginning of the collapse.

  Wheel of Fire. Collective name for the seven-sun multiple-star system located in the Fringe, behind the Tempter’s Veil. The Wheel is considered by some to be an artificial monument to a vanished race of superbeings. See also Fat Satan, Hellcrown.

  whisperjewel. A crystal that has been psionically “etched” to retain certain emotions or thoughts, which are thereafter perceptible when the crystal is held by “resonant” or sympathetic minds. Any type of crystal may be fashioned into a whisperjewel, but certain kinds of gemstones retain the patterns far better than others. The strength and clarity of a whisperjewel may also vary with time, and with the degree of skill of the etching esper. The whisperjewels of Avalon are highly esteemed; Avalon has both a suitable base-crystal and a number of potent Talents. Some less developed worlds are reputed to produce even finer whisperjewels, but their products seldom find their way onto the interstellar market.

  Wolfheim. Human world in the Fringe, settled during the collapse by refugees from Fenris. Wolfheim culture is considered dynamic and volatile; the planet is a strong economic rival to Kimdiss, and militarily second only to Tober among the outworlds.

  Wolfman. A native of Wolfheim.

  World of the Blackwine Ocean. Human world on the Fringe, settled in ai-137 from Old Poseidon.

  Worlorn. Rogue planet first discovered by Celia Marcyan; site of the Festival of the Fringe, ai-589 to ai-599, while passing near to the Wheel of Fire.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  George R. R. Martin sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally ever since. He has written fantasy, horror, and science fiction, and for his sins spent ten years in Hollywood as a writer/producer, working on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the mid ’90s he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he’s allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Paris and two cats named Augustus and Caligula who think they run the place.

  BY GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

  A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE:

  Book One: A Game of Thrones

  Book Two: A Clash of Kings

  Book Three: A Storm of Swords

  Dying of the Light

  Windhaven (with Lisa Tuttle)

  Fevre Dream

  The Armageddon Rag

  Dead Man’s Hand (with John J. Miller)

  SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS:

  A Song for Lya and Other Stories

  Songs of Stars and Shadows

  Sandkings

  Songs the Dead Men Sing

  Nightflyers

  Tuf Voyaging

  Portraits of His Children

  Edited by George R. R. Martin

  New Voices in Science Fiction, Volumes 1–4

  The Science Fiction Weight-Loss Book

  (with Isaac Asimov and Martin Harry Greenberg)

  The John W. Campbell Awards, Volume 5

  Night Visions 3

  Wild Cards I–XV

  Praise for the Early Novels of George R. R. Martin:

  FEVRE DREAM

  “Reads more like a strongly themed historical novel than gothic horror . . . far more engaging and meaningful than the usual flip-page violence that passes for horror fiction nowadays.”

  —Washington Post Book World

  “Fevre Dream shines among the current glut of pseudo-spooky novels like moonlight on the Mississippi. Grace, suspense, and just good old-fashioned knockout storytelling make it the kind of chiller one reads with unabated enthusiasm . . . and rereads with the rare commitment accorded only the best tale-spinners. . . . An adventure into the heart of darkness that transcends even the most inventive vampire novels . . . The milieu is arresting, the pace hell-bent, the characters vibrant. . . . Martin’s tale is splendid, and then some. Fevre Dream runs red with original, high adventure.” —Los Angeles Herald Examiner

  “Martin tells a real story, not a fill-in-the-blanks standard thriller, and the twists and turns are rugged. It moves
along crisply and well, with plot, characters, and color all pulling together and forbearing to wander off or to signal ahead. A common problem with stories is setting up a problem or situation too intensely and powerfully drawn to be resolved adequately at the end. I am delighted to report that Martin has no such trouble. Fevre Dream starts on time, and steams without an unprofitable landing into Armageddon. . . . Buy. Read. Rejoice. And shiver more than a little along the way.”

  —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

  “A chilling vampire novel that will have those little hairs on the back of your neck standing at constant attention. A five star beauty [and one of] the best two books of the season.” —Boston News Digest

  “The vampire novel is one of the most difficult forms of horror literature to write well. . . . [Here] solid characters, vivid descriptions of an opulent world, a plausible explanation of vampirism and some genuinely chilling scenes create one of the best. . . . The most satisfying and frightening novel of its kind since Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.”

  —Roanoke Times & World Herald

  “Spectacular, simply one of the best frighteners to appear in years . . . inventive, lucid and genuinely scary—I’d recommend this to anyone who scoffs at genre writing.” —Time Out

  “Moves crisply from sensation to sensation to reach a chilling climax among the bayous of the river’s delta.” —Derby Evening Telegraph (UK)