The Mountain
Osrakum is often referred to as “the Mountain”, particularly by the barbarians and the subject peoples of the Commonwealth
Leftways
Every raised road of the Guarded Land has a wall running along one side that carries a leftway: a road that is exclusively used by couriers and other important messengers. Leftways are under the control of the Wise. The walls upon which the leftways run divided the Guarded Land into provinces and are a security measure to seal one province from another
the Ringwall
Every raised road of the Guarded Land has a wall running along one side that carries a leftway. In the case of the raised road that forms a closed loop around the edge of the Guarded Land, this wall runs on the outside, thus forming a wall that faces out towards the lands of the barbarians. This wall is called the Ringwall
the Brotherhood of the Wheel
The Brotherhood of the Wheel are a band of criminals whose power base is the City at the Gates. They have named themselves after the vast marketplace, the Wheel, that is located at the centre of the City. Each bears a tattoo, on the neck, symbolising the five roads of the Wheel
the Quyans
The Quyans, from whom the Chosen inherited their language and much of their culture, were a people who preceded them
the Blood Convention
Ichor is the fiery substance that runs as blood in the veins of the Gods. The Chosen believe that through the ritual of an Apotheosis, the blood of a God Emperor is transmuted into ichor, the purity of which They pass on to their offspring. The Chosen minutely calculate and tabulate how much ichor burns in their blood because this is the basis on which they determine status
the Chosen
Though the Chosen refer to themselves as ‘the Chosen’, throughout the Commonwealth, and particularly to a speaker of Vulgate, they are referred to as ‘the Masters’
The Masters
Though the Chosen refer to themselves as ‘the Chosen’, throughout the Commonwealth, and particularly to a speaker of Vulgate, they are referred to as ‘the Masters’
Legions and Legionaries
The legions constitute the primary military power of the Masters. A legion consists of two arms: the dragon ruhuimur and the aquar-mounted auxiliaries. Apart from their Chosen commanders, legionaries consist of either marumaga or mercenaries recruited from among the barbarians. All recruits are forged into collars of brass that only the Chosen know how to remove