loon: a mentally disturbed person
loon herder: an orderly at an asylum
loonhouse: asylum for the mentally disturbed
Lost Timers: brigades of English and Italian soldiers who became lost in the Brecheliant forest and were there possessed by Aramanthan spirits
lungfever: slang for influenza
mage: magic practitioner
magis, magistrate: judge
maiden night: the first time a virginal woman has sex with her husband; term often used for betting purposes by men who want to break an engagement
mariners: sailors
matchit: a disposable, one-use lighter
mate: friend
mech: a mechanic; anything mechanical
mechworks: mechanical rooms
mercantile: a shop selling some variety of merchandise
Middleway: industrial Torian city located on the Great Lakes; also called Middy
mixpot: mixing bowl
mole: city underground worker
nappy: diaper, women’s panties
navyman: a current or former member of H.M.’s naval forces
necktwister: assassin
negli: negligee
netherside: the spirit world, invisible to ordinary mortals; the source of magic power
new industry: the beginning of the industrial age in Toriana
New Parliament: governing body of Torian officials who petition the Crown and enforce the Queen’s legislation; the Torian version of Congress
nightstone: a semiprecious mineral used to contain the spirits of long-dead mages and Aramanthan wizards
Nihon: Japan, Japanese
nits: head lice
nobber: private security guard hired by Hill residents to patrol their streets and keep out any undesirables
Norders: people from the North of England
nozzer: nose; a face mask used with a portable oxygen tank
nudie: a flesh-colored garment worn to give the illusion of nudity under a semitransparent gown or overgarment
Occupancy, the: a period of thirty years after the Rebellion failed during which Toriana was occupied by English troops and governed by martial law
on the stroll: working on the streets (said of prostitutes)
pain powder: a mild opiate or analgesic
partymage: a magic practitioner who uses his power to entertain
pasturelands: farm lands
penders: suspenders
physick: doctor
piesafe: kitchen cabinet where food is stored
piper: plumber
pong: stink
portents: predictions or signs of future events
portints: portraits made from ambrotype photographs that are hand-painted to colorize
posh, posher: wealthy aristocrat
poxbox: diseased prostitute
prayerhouses: the Fleers’ religious gathering places
privy: restroom
prodder: iron fireplace poker
prommy: the promenade in the city’s central park used by horseback riders and carris
pyre: crematorium
queensland, the: England
questioning: police interrogation at New Scotland Yard
rasher: strip of bacon
red joy, ruddy joy: opium
redcoats: English militia
redstone: brick
reticule: purse
rondella: an automated carousel-type apparatus
rounder: a rubber carri tire
rub: massage
Rumsen: major city on the west coast of Toriana, roughly equivalent to San Francisco in the United States
satchel: tote bag carried by women
scrabbler: a person who makes a living by scavenging
scram: salvage
seeing: an act by a fortune-teller of predicting a client’s future
seeking: an act by a fortune-teller of finding someone or something
Settle: Seattle
shaman: a native Torian holy man
shopkeep: shop proprietor
short sheet: a hastily printed, illegal daily list of horse races and other events for the purpose of placing bets
silverblack: chemicals used to etch photographed images on ambrotype plates
skip: boat
Skirmish, the: a recent, brief naval conflict between England and Spain
slaterow: a row house with slate shingles
snuff: kill
snuffballs: hollow glass spheres filled with magically enhanced poisons like bloodbane that kill on contact, used like grenades
snuffmages: mage assassins who generally work in teams of two
Son, the: Jesus Christ
soother: chamomile herbal infusion, usually added to tea, to relax, relieve stress, and help with insomnia
Southern Church: a Baptist version of Church of England, begun in the southern provinces of Toriana, tolerated by traditionalists
sparkglass: a substance made of various minerals such as mica, galena, and silica that have been ground to a fine dust and mixed with exterior paint in order to create sparkle
spellcraft: the methods and materials used by magic practitioners to cast spells
