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REALMS

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The Kyrían (Ki-RI-an) Empire: The center of the known world. United by the Founder, Kyríos, the empire was once a collection of disparate tribes and city-states that is now a beating heart of trade, culture, technology, and luxury. A melting pot of cultures, languages, and customs. The current ruler is Emperor Leontes, who has ruled for sixty years.

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Hazária (Ha-ZAH-ria): Chiefdoms of horse nomads united under a king and a common goal: to resist Kyrían incursions into their wide steppelands. Ruled by Shar Ashina.

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Vóagria (VOH-agh-ria): A tributary state to the horselords of Hazária.

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Kassania (Kasa-nia): A place of sand and rock, and gold. The gold mines of Kassania are famed for their wealth. An exarchate of the Empire that was subsumed when Emperor Valentinos, the last emperor, seized the Kingdom of Kassania for himself.

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CHARACTERS

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Verína Kalonou Kyrína (Veh-RI-na Ka-lo-KNOW Ki-RE-na): augusta and granddaughter of Emperor Leontes

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Andréssa Leontou Kyrína (Anh-trEH-sah Lee-on-tow Ki-RE-na): augusta and daughter of Emperor Leontes, dowager lady of Sarníca, in exile from Sarníca

 

Leontes ‘Leo’ Valentinides Kyrídes (Lee-on-tehs Val-en-tin-id-is Ki-RE-dis): Emperor of the Kyrían Empire

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Constántius Arkhippós (Kon-STAN-tea-uhs Ark-ipp-OS)  – First Strategos and head of the Arkhippoi family, Leo’s nephew

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Léto Giannides (LEE-tow Yan-knee-dis) – apprentice potter

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Vassilís Giannides (Va-sill-IS Yan-knee-dis) – apprentice potter and Léto's brother

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A NOTE ON PRONOUNCIATION

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For the assistance to those whom such things are of importance, it is worth noting that the language of the Empire in the novels is pronounced according to the conventions of Modern/Demotic Greek. For example, all ‘g’s are soft-g’s, sounding much like a ‘y’ or a Spanish ‘y’. Soft c’s do not exist (ç). All c’s are hard c’s, making a ‘k’ sound. All a’s are unrounded, such as in car, or ball. Pitch accents ´ emphasize the syllable. ‘r’s are rolled: like a Spanish ‘r’ but rolled more. ‘Ch’s for the most part are pronounced as a ‘h’. Intonations and diphthongs exist as well, but these are too numerous to list and there exist several exceptions to each rule. If it helps, try to sound out the letters phonetically. This is what the language of the Empire sounds like, most of the time.

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A NOTE ON NAMING

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All people of the empire, barring eunuchs, bastards, and orphans who are unable to trace their parentage, have two names: a forename and a patronymic second name, if male always in the form of -ides taking the place of the last vowel, meaning son of. If female, always in the form of -ou, meaning daughter of. For example, Leontes Valentinides is the son of Valentinos. A third name is sometimes taken, and usually denotes their ancestral heritage, i.e., their house, and has some link to their occupation. For example, Angeioplastis means ‘potter’, and was the original name for one of the three potter brothers that all potters in the Empire are descended from today. Members of the twelve Great Houses, also known as the Eudaímon, and the Imperial Family, always have three names. In classic Imperial complexity, because of the transformation of naming conventions over time, if the descendant of a Eudaímon is female, the family name takes the form -ina. Therefore, Thanetou Iatrína is a physician of the Iatran house, while Priscius Iatros is a soldier of the same house. Plurals and demonyms take the form -oi. A singular member of the Iatran house is Iatros, or Iatrína, if female. Two or more members of the Iatran house are Iatroi. A singular protector of the Imperial Family is a Hetari, while a squad of them are Hetaroi.

 

Bastards, eunuchs, and orphans only take a first name. This goes for a man who was born within wedlock who then became a eunuch (which is often the case in exchange for prestige and/or service to the Empire’s Eudaímon, a custom in that case). These men drop their second and third names. Note that this practice has only become a custom in the last few hundred years. Any subjects of histories written about events more than a few hundred years ago may have had second and third names, but all (such as Kyríos or Sigouros) are known by their forenames exclusively.

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