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Araneae Nation Glossary

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Warning: The information below contains some spoilers.

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• Above, The – The Salticidae equivalent of Heaven.
• Adeline – A Mimetidae female with a fondess for Lleu. She is the cook at Cathis.
• Akash – A strong, sweet wine mixed with just enough venom to make imbibing dangerous.
• Araneae – “ah-RAIN-eee” – Araneaeans are people with spider-like characteristics.
• Araneae Nation – The collective group of Araneaeans, all clans, all classes.
• Araneidae – “ah-RAIN-KNEE-id-dee”– The wealthiest clan in the Araneae Nation. They spin silk ten times the strength of any known metal. The armor they weave is a luxury few can afford.
• Armand – As the second born child of Reine and Ennis of the Araneidae, he is brother to Lourdes, Henri, Pascale, and Channing. He is Lourdes’s heir until she bears children of her own.
• Asher – A Mimetidae swordsman captured by Torrance and later rescued by Vaughn.
• Aura – The energy, the glow, surrounding a person.
• Aural Crystaliers – A class of Segestriidae craftsman that creates objects from crystal that amplify specific sounds.
• Banish – To dispel a spirit, sending it into the spiritlands for its eternal rest.
• Below, The – The Salticidae equivalent of Hell.
• Beltania – The Salticidae clan home.
• Bethesda – She spoke with Armand at his stall about commissioning a piece of jewelry.
• Black Coast – The seaside near Fortunia.
• Braden – Mimetidae warrior stationed in Erania and killed by Lailah.
• Bram – A Theridiidae male who bargained with Lourdes for her freedom…in exchange for a hefty annuity. He is an Araneidae loyalist.
• Breda – Known as “The Eye”, she was a weak seer belonging to the Mimetidae clan.
• Brun – A brown ursus owned by the Araneidae clan. He was Ennis’s favorite mount.
• Brynmor – Former Paladin of the Mimetidae. Wed to Isolde. Father of Vaughn. After his death, Brynmor chose to remain in the in-between. He was given the ability to manifest when Mana completed a ceremony and failed to discard the ashes of her offering. He is soul-bound to the canis alpha, Errol, and can take the form of a canis or an Araneaean. Old Father refers to him in canis form as Brother Canis.
• Calum – Deceased – A Theridiidae male who served under Tyrone and was killed during the skirmish to seize Erania.
• Canid – Domestic canids are descended from wild canis. They are often kept as pets, to herd livestock, or as hunting companions.
• Canis – Similar in size and demeanor to wolves, canis live and hunt in packs.
• Cathis – The Mimetidae clan home.
• Channing – As the fifth born child of Reine and Ennis of the Araneidae, he is the youngest brother of Lourdes, Armand, Henri and Pascale.
• Chinedu – Paladin of the Salticidae. Wed to Sikyakookyang of the Salticidae. His birth clan is the Deinopidae. Niall and Rahdi are his brothers.
• Cleit – A Mimetidae herbologist who left his niece, Nerys, to treat the females infected by the plague.
• Colleen – Maven of the Theridiidae. She is Kellen’s mother.
• Conovia – The Ctenidae clan home.
• Covey – A harbinger and its fledglings form a covey.
• Crystin – A Mimetidae youth born with underdeveloped legs. She is Nerys’s niece and her ward.
• Ctenidae – “TEN-id-dee” – Although Ctenidae produce the deadliest venom of any Araneae clan, they are a peaceful people. They are scholars and educators, gifted teachers and loyal friends, unless those they love are threatened. If provoked, a Ctenidae will kill, though they will regret their actions afterward.
• Daraja – A Deinopidae female who set out to seek her fortune and found an earthbound spirit, Brynmor, and his canis host, Errol, instead.
• Dayflower – Dayflowers are small plants with blue, fragrant blossoms that are grown along the river near the city of Beltania. They are cultivated by the spirit walkers of the Salticidae clan and have a variety of uses such as soaps, dyes, and perfumes. Their antibiotic properties have been proven to cure those infected with the plague.
• Deinopidae – “day-NOPE-id-dee” – Hunters born and bred, Deinopidae weave the finest nets and carve the finest spears. They earn their living controlling wildlife overpopulation in areas without sufficient resources to sustain them. They also hunt rogue animals…for a price.
• Deverell – A Mimetidae guardsman whose wife, Dianna, succumbed to the plague. His throat was ripped out by Brynmor, while Brynmor was in the form of a canis.
• Dianna – A Mimetidae female who succumbed to the plague. Her husband was Deverell.
• Dragon’s Blood – The strongest herb used for banishing spirits.
• Duncan – A Mimetidae guardsman. Ervin’s son.
• Edan – Born to enslaved parents, Edan murdered his master to gain his freedom. He is beholden unto Henri. His sister is Marne.
• Elder Celso – An elder on the Araneidae council.
• Elder Darcel – An elder on the Araneidae council.
• Elder Jean – An elder on the Araneidae council.
• Ennis – Deceased – Former Paladin of the Araneidae. Wed to Reine. Father to Lourdes, Armand, Henri, Pascale and Channing. His birth clan is the Theridiidae. Reine was poisoned by Pascale’s lover, Kellen of the Theridiidae. His life threads were tied to his wife’s, and he died after Reine passed.
• Erania – The Araneidae clan home.
• Errol – The alpha of the canis pack living in the forest outside of Cathis.
• Ervin – A Mimetidae guardsman. Duncan’s father.
• Farrow – The reddish-brown ursus Zuri rented to escort Lailah into Erania.
• Falco – Similar to falcons, falcos are birds of prey that can be trained to hunt for a master.
• Fortunia – The Thomisidae clan’s seaside home.
• Fringillas – Similar to finches, fringillas eat both insects and seeds and range in colors from blue to browns, blacks, grays, and whites.
• Fynn – A Deinopidae huntsman turned mercenary. The second eldest of five brothers. He has a younger sister. His siblings are Kaleb, Tau, Malik, Ghedi and Zuri. He swore a vow of silence on the day he was outcast from his clan for a crime he did not commit.
• Ghedi – A Deinopidae huntsman turned mercenary. The youngest of five brothers. He has a younger sister. His siblings are Kaleb, Tau, Fynn, Malik and Zuri. He seeks redemption for his brothers and wants to clear their names of the heinous act they were accused of committing.
• Ghubari – A Segestriidae craftsman. He is an aural crystalier and Kaidi’s uncle.
• Glyn – A member of the Mimetidae clan, he ate a male’s finger after Lourdes’s and Rhys’s binding ceremony.
• Gris – Asher’s ursus.
• Gods’ Web – A curse phrase referencing the web of stars where the two gods reside.
• Grotto – The Mimetidae prison located beneath Cathis.
• Gwallter – A Mimetidae hunter Errol killed in the forests outside Cathis.
• Halcidia – The Deinopidae clan home.
• Harbingers – Araneaeans infected by the plague. They are transformed into otherworldly creatures with four wasp-like wings and pearlescent claws. They have total control over the risers they call to them.
• Hatch – A cover or barrier covering an opening.
• Hawser – A very thick rope used in mooring or towing a ship. Though simple, it is Lleu’s preferred weapon.
• Henri – Third born child and second son of Reine and Ennis. He is a herbologist who often acts as physician for his clan although he has not been formally trained. His siblings are Lourdes, Armand, Pascale and Channing.
• Hishima – The former Segestriidae paladin. He was betrothed to Kaidi. His mother, Lailah, was transformed by the plague into a harbinger. He kept her imprisoned until the day she killed him.
• Host – An Araneaean chosen by harbinger to be given a sigil and join her covey.
• Hunt Master – A Theridiidae male who kept a hunting pack comprised of domesticated canis.
• Idra – Mother of her people, origin of the sigils, she is the Necrita queen.
• In–Between – A dreamlike plane existing between the Above and the Below.
• Isolde – Former maven of the Mimetidae. Wife to Brynmor. Lover to Kowatsi of the Salticidae. She gave birth to two sons. Vaughn is Brynmor’s heir. Rhys is Kowatsi’s son.
• Jana – The canis pup Daraja rescues after her dam, Karenna, and sire, Scipio, are killed.
• Jérôme – A distant cousin of Lourdes, Armand, Henri, Pascale, and Channing’s. He married a Salticidae woman who opened a baking stand inside the Araneidae nest.
• Kaidi – A former aural crystalier tradeswoman. She was betrothed to the Segestriidae paladin, Hishima. Upon his death, she became the Segestriidae maven. She wed Murdoch of the Mimetidae.
• Kaleb – A Deinopidae huntsman turned mercenary. The eldest of five brothers. He has a younger sister. His siblings are Tau, Fynn, Malik, Ghedi and Zuri. He swore a vow of silence on the day he was outcast from his clan for a crime he did not commit.
• Karenna – Deceased – The female canis who was Scipio’s mate and Jana’s dam. She was killed by hunters, and parts of her body were used as charms to ward against the plague.
• Kellen – Deceased – Firstborn son of Colleen of the Theridiidae. He was the Theridiidae heir. He was Pascale’s lover. He murdered Reine and Ennis of the Araneidae.
• Kokyangwmana – “koh-kyahng-mahn-ah” — Mana’s full name. It means “spider maiden”.
• Kokyangwuti – “koh-kyang-woo-tee” – The Salticidae goddess, also known as Spider Woman. She is married to Tawa.
• Kookyangwhoya – “koh-kyahn-hoy-ah” — Rhys’s Salticidae name. It means “gray spider”.
• Kowatsi – Deceased – A Salticidae farmer. He was Isoldes lover, and was killed by her husband, Brynmor of the Mimetidae. He was the father of Rhys the Cold. He was Sikyakookyang’s brother and Kokyangwmana’s uncle.
• Kwaku Ananse – The trickster god of the Deinopidae people.
• Lailah – The former Segestriidae maven. She was infected with the plague and transformed into a harbinger. Her son, Hishima, imprisoned her, and she later killed him.
• Leona – A Deinopidae chieftain’s daughter. She was Tau’s wife, and her murder was the reason he and his brothers were exiled from their clan home in Halcidia.
• Lepus – Similar to rabbits, lepus vary in color from white to shades of brown and black depending on their habitat and the season.
• Lleu – A Mimetidae warrior and Vaughn’s childhood friend. His mother was Mimetidae, but his father is a bit of a mystery.
• Lourdes – Maven of the Araneidae and wed to Rhys the Cold. She is the eldest daughter of Reine and Ennis of the Araneidae. Her siblings are Armand, Henri, Pascale and Channing.
• Maier – A Segestriidae female. She was Kaidi’s favorite cousin and died from the plague. She was the first riser Kaidi encountered.
• Maisy – d
• Malik – A Deinopidae huntsman turned mercenary. The fourth eldest of five brothers. He has a younger sister. His siblings are Kaleb, Tau, Fynn, Ghedi and Zuri. He swore a vow of silence on the day he was outcast from his clan for a crime he did not commit.
• Mana – Maven of the Mimetidae. She is a spirit walker. Her birth clan is Salticidae. Her full name is Kokyangwmana. She is wed to Vaughn, the Mimetidae paladin. She is Rhys’s favorite cousin.
• Marne – Born to enslaved parents, Marne was captured by a harbinger and infected by a sigil. Though she has mostly recovered from her ordeal, she still bears a harbinger’s wings and still hears the Necrita queen, Idra, in her head. Her brother is Edan.
• Marron – A red-brown ursus owned by the Araneidae clan. She was Reine’s favorite mount.
• Masikookyang – “mah-see-koh-kyahng” – Old Father’s full name. It means “gray spider”.
• Maven – The female ruler of a clan.
• Mimetidae – “mime-ETT-id-dee” – A clan of mercenaries known as much for their skill with a blade as their taste for the flesh of fellow Araneaeans. Do not accept their dinner invitations lightly.
• Mkono – The sign language taught to Deinopidae males as a rite of passage.
• Mount Ereac – The largest mountain in the range skirting Erania to the west.
• Murdoch – A former Mimetidae guardsman Vaughn charged with locating the missing males in Cathis after the plague ravaged the city. He is now wed to Kaidi and has become the Segestriidae paladin.
• Necrita, The – A parasitic race that preys on Araneaeans.
• Nerys – A Mimetidae female in training to become a herbologist. She is under Mana’s tutelage. She is Crystin’s aunt and caretaker. She is also credited with discovering that dayflower oil’s antibiotic properties can heal those infected by the plague.
• Nest – An Araneaean term meaning “home”. Clans who live underground often refer to their clan homes as nests.
• Nested Pair – A married couple, whose life threads may or may not be tied.
• Niall – A Deinopidae huntsman in service to Chinedu. Rahdi and Chinedu are his brothers.
• Nicolette – A Maratus assassin born in Erania to Araneidae/Salticidae parents. Her family left Erania in shame because she was found in bed with Armand. She was later sent to assassinate his sister, Pascale, by the Theridiidae maven. They have a daughter together, Maisy.
• Noir – An ill-tempered black ursus. Vaughn’s trusted mount given to him by the Araneidae.
• Old Father – An elder of the Salticidae clan, he is a spirit walker. His birth name is Masikookyang. His apprentice is Mana.
• Owain – A Mimetidae guardsman who resides in Cathis. His great niece was Dianna.
• Padraig – Former head of the guards in Erania. He was a Theridiidae male. Ennis was his heir.
• Paladin – The male ruler of a clan.
• Partisan – A male or female who is betrothed to a ruling paladin or maven.
• Pascale – Fourth born child and youngest daughter of Reine and Ennis of the Araneidae. Her siblings are Lourdes, Armand, Henri and Channing. Her lover, Kellen, killed her parents. For her part in his crime, she was sent to the Salticidae to serve two years of indentured servitude.
• Pearce – A Mimetidae guardsman who resides in Cathis.
• Pecora – Similar to deer, pecora are medium-sized animals with hooves and antlers that are hunted for their meat. They flourish in the southlands, but the farther north you venture the fewer and smaller pecora become.
• Plague, The – An illness first identified as affecting residents of the southlands. It infects females, causing fever, nausea, vomiting, and eventual death. Its effects on males are debatable. In cities struck by the plague, bodies of the infected females are few or missing all together. By contrast, males seem unaffected by the symptoms, but are found en masse with their necks snapped. This leads some to speculate the plague itself is a cover for a particularly ambitious political coupe. Maven Lourdes of the Araneidae has launched an investigation into the matter.
• Prue – Former maven of the Araneidae. She was wed to Tole of the Theridiidae. Their only child was their daughter, Reine. Tole was sustained an injury in battle and died two years later. Their life threads were tied, and she passed shortly afterward.
• Rahdi – A Deinopidae huntsman in service to Chinedu. Chinedu and Niall are his brothers.
• Reine – Deceased – Former Maven of the Araneidae. Wed to Ennis, formerly of the Theridiidae. Her children are Lourdes, Armand, Henri, Pascale, and Channing. She was poisoned by Pascale’s lover, Kellen of the Theridiidae. Her life threads were tied to her husband’s, and Ennis died shortly after her.
• Rhys the Cold – A legendary sword for hire, Rhys is the bastard son of Isolde of the Mimetidae and her Salticidae lover, Kowatsi. He is wed to Maven Lourdes of the Araneidae. His half-brother is Vaughn, the Mimetidae paladin. He is Mana’s cousin. The name given to him by his father’s people is Kookyangwhoya. They call him Hoya for short.
• Risers – Araneaeans who died from the plague. Their corpses are reanimated by a harbinger’s song.
• Sakwa – Mana’s pet varanus.
• Salmo – Slender fish with a single row of sharp teeth, similar to salmon.
• Salticidae – “sal-TISS-id-dee” – An agricultural clan known for their superior produce and their ardent spirituality. More than strict vegans, members of this clan cannot digest meat.
• Siciia – The Theridiidae clan home.
• Sigil – A living mark that harbingers place on a host of their choosing. It transforms the host into a fledgling harbinger, and that fledgling is added to the original harbinger’s covey.
• Scipio – Deceased – Errol’s second in command. He is Karenna’s mate and Jana’s sire. He was killed by hunters, and parts of his body were used as charms to ward against the plague.
• Segestriidae – “SEE-jess-TREE-id-dee” – Renowned for the crystal art, this clan crafts healing crystals to singing bowls to jewelry from quartz, their area’s largest natural resource.
• Sikyakookyang – “See-kee-ah-koh-kyahng” — Sikya’s full name. It means “yellow spider”. She is the Salticidae maven and is wed to Chinedu of the Deinopidae. She is Mana’s aunt. Kowatsi was her brother.
• Silk – A fine, lustrous fiber produced by the spinnerets on the fingertips of an Araneaean.
• Spawn – What a harbinger calls a host infected with her sigil.
• Spinnerets – A silk-spinning organ located in the fingertips of every Araneaean.
• Spirit Walker – A member of the Salticidae clan that can heal sickness and injury from the spiritual plane. They walk between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
• Sunkanmi – A Deinopidae huntsman in service to Chinedu.
• Tau – A Deinopidae huntsman turned mercenary. The third eldest of five brothers. He has a younger sister. His siblings are Kaleb, Fynn, Malik, Ghedi and Zuri. He swore a vow of silence on the day he was outcast from his clan for a crime he did not commit, the murder of his wife, Leona.
• Tawa – The Salticidae sun god. He is married to Kokyangwuti.
• Teilo – A Theridiidae mercenary.
• Theridiidae – “THAIR-rid-DEE-id-dee” – A clan of mercenaries known for their potent venom, and, more recently, their lack of honor. Theirs will be a long road to redemption. Their weapons of choice are blow darts and venom-tipped arrows.
• Thomisidae – “TOH-moss-id-dee” – An albino clan bred by southland aristocrats as servants. They have developed several specialized skills, including the ability to change their hair, eye and skin color to adapt to those around them.
• Thread Binding – More than a marriage, thread binding is a true mating of the soul. When one partner dies, the other will soon follow.
• Tiah – A white falco owned by Nicolette, whose feathers are often dyed to match the color of her master’s hair.
• Titania – The Segestriidae clan home.
• Tole – Former paladin of the Araneidae. His birth clan was Theridiidae. He was wed to Prue, the Araneidae maven. Their only child was their daughter, Reine. He was injured in battle and died from complications two years later. Prue’s life threads were tied to his. She also died.
• Torrance – A Theridiidae emissary who captured Mana and Vaughn in the forest outside of Erania.
• Trajer’s Meadow – A meadow outside of Siciia where Theridiidae hunt. It was Paladin Ennis’s favorite place as a boy.
• Trefor – A member of the Mimetidae clan, he was executed by Rhys for attempting to murder and cannibalize Lourdes.
• Tristan – He is the advocate who defended Pascale. He belongs to the Araneidae clan.
• Tyrone – Once captain of the guardians of the wall at Erania, he was a Theridiidae killed during the skirmish to seize the city.
• Ulrich – A Ctenidae male living among the Araneidae who tutors their children.
• Unnamed guardsmen – Three Mimetidae warriors sacrificed their lives to save Kaidi, Murdoch, and Bram in the first battle against the Necrita, in the Segestriidae foothills.
• Unnamed hunter – Referred to as “the hunter.” He was a Mimetidae warrior Errol killed in the forests outside Cathis.
• Urien – A Theridiidae mercenary.
• Ursus Arctos – Larger than most of their ursine cousins, this breed prefers northern climes.
• Ursus – A bulky animal with thick fur, sharp teeth and vicious claws, similar to a bear.
• Varanus – Reptilian creatures roughly the size of draft horses. Their strong backs make them ideal for agricultural work. They are bred for plowing fields and transportation, as well as for their meat in the southlands. Some called them dragons, but they resemble monitor lizards.
• Veil, The –Some believe the veil is a mystical remnant from when the two gods forged this world. Others say the northland’s winter was too fierce a creature for mere seasons to contain, and afraid their creations may perish in their cold, the gods divided the Araneae Nation into perpetual winter and summer to strike a balance. It’s also whispered that not all those who attempt to cross the veil survive. Some cross its borders and are never seen again.
• Wendelin – The Ctenidae paladin. Nicolette claimed he sent her to Erania as a gift for Lourdes and Rhys. In truth, the Theridiidae maven, Colleen, in an effort to exact revenge for her son Kellen’s death, hired Nicolette to assassinate his killer, Lourdes’s sister, Pascale.
• Wishövi – “wee-shurr-vee” – A Salticidae youth, a relative of Mana’s, who assists Old Father. Wishövi’s name means “spiderweb”.
• Wynn – The assassin sent to ensure Nicolette fulfilled her duties to Maven Colleen.
• Yellow Death, The – A name for the plague that comes from the yellow puss found in the bodies of its victims.
• Zuri – A Deinopidae huntswoman turned mercenary. She is the leader of a mercenary band comprised of her five brothers. Her siblings are Kaleb, Tau, Fynn, Malik and Ghedi. She is wed to Henri of the Araneidae.

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Special thanks to Kari McWest of the American Tarantula Society and Laura Redish of Native

Languages of the Americas for answering my questions. All mistakes in this guide are my own.

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Have a question about a character, a talent or a location you don’t see listed?

Contact me! I’ll be glad to add it to the glossary.