Elantris

Ten years before the novel opens, an earthquake shook the southern lands of Arelon and a crevice called the Chasm opened. What caused the earthquake is unclear, though Raoden deduces that the Reod followed the chasm and not the other way around. Raoden also figures out that he needs to add a line to the Aons—completing an abstracted map of Elantris and its satellite cities—to represent the Chasm before their magic will work. Likewise, he needs to scrape a line representing the Chasm on the ground for Elantris to channel the Dor again.

A Derethi monastery where the monks are transformed into warriors, their bones warped and twisted to make them unnaturally strong. Hrathen was sent to Dakhor to be trained, but could not endure the torments. Dilaf is the gradget, or leader, of Dakhor, answerable only to Emperor Wyrn. Other Derethi monasteries train monks to be assassins, warriors, or spies.

This adjective describes the beliefs of the religion of Shu-Dereth, which branched from its parent religion of Shu-Keseg and follows the teachings of a different prophet. Derethi leadership follows a strict hierarchy: The gyorn is the highest, answerable only to the representative of Jaddeth himself, arteths are priests who serve in chapels, servants to priests are odivs, and their masters are hrodens. The religion also has secret monasteries. It is a tenet of Shu-Dereth that worshippers cannot speak to their god directly; only the Wyrn has that power.

The name for God in Shu-Korath. The term is sometimes used as an exclamation, as in “Merciful Domi!”

Duladel is a country that lies to the south of Arelon and is a frequent trading partner. The Dula people have dark skin; they are stereotyped as relaxed, friendly, easy-going, and hard to rile. Galloden is originally from Duladel. The religion practiced in Duladel before the revolution was Jesker.

Fjorden is an empire that lies to the east of Arelon on the continent of Scyla. The terms for its people and language are Fjordell. An earlier Fjorden Empire collapsed 300 years ago, but under the leadership of Wyrn Wulfden the Fourth, Fjordell armies have been conquering other countries and gaining strength. The political history of Fjorden has been rewritten to cast it as a champion of Shu-Dereth; Wyrn wants to unite all of Sycla under Shu-Dereth to fulfill the prophesy that once all people are united in belief, the god Jaddeth can arise from the underworld.

The Hoed are the most wretched Elantrians, those so overcome by their pain, fear, and hunger that they have lost what makes them human. When he forms New Elantris, Raoden collects the Hoed and cares for them in a great hall, trying to limit their suffering. They represent the weakest members of a population—in Raoden’s approach to government, they need to be fully supported by the community and thus retain some measure of their dignity.

Jesker is a religion outside the teachings of Shu-Keseg and its variants. While the practices of Jesker are not described in detail, Galloden was a follower and speaks of it as a peaceful religion. He also notes a distinction between Jesker and the rites known as the Mysteries—“a degenerate form of the Jesker religion common in rural areas” (250). The Mysteries mix primitive belief with taboo rituals, including ritual sacrifice and fertility rites; they are conducted at midnight ceremonies. Iadon resorts to the Mysteries when he feels his control of Kae slipping, especially after Sarene arrives.

This adjective describes the religion of Shu-Korath, a branch of Shu-Keseg that preaches love, acceptance, tolerance, and temperance. When people undergo the Shaod, Korathi priests prepare them in accordance with the customary death rites, giving them white shrouds to wear and offering baskets of dried meat, vegetables, wine, and seed corn. This is why when the newly afflicted enter Elantris, those already in the city look to them for food.

Also known as the Punishment, this is the term for the collapse of Elantris and its powers. People speak of the Reod as an event that marks time, for instance, “after the Reod.”

The Shu-Keseg religion originated with the JinDo people and taught a message of unity. Two prophets created a religious schism, breaking Shu-Keseg into Shu-Dereth and Shu-Korath, denominations that preach two different interpretations of the original: unity based on love, and unity based on control and obedience.

Called the Transformation, this is a mysterious process by which the Dor turns a normal Arelene (or someone closely associated with Arelon) into an Elantrian. Typically the Shaod occurs overnight. Before the Reod, the Shaod gave a person metallic bright skin, white hair, long life, and the power to practice AonDor. After the Reod, the Shaod turns someone into a living corpse, with blotched skin and no heartbeat. Those afflicted by the Shaod feel hunger they cannot slake with food; their bodies cannot heal injuries, leading to continuous extreme pain. The Shaod strikes regardless of age or station in life, and it happens randomly, sometimes to only one person a day, and sometimes several.

Teod is a country that lies north of Arelon, separated by a sea. Teod and Arelon share a similar cultural background and language; Teod’s main religion is also Shu-Korath. Teod is known for its naval military; also, Teod’s king maintains an active network of spies and ambassadors to other countries. After the Reod, King Eventeo distanced Teod from Arelon, fearing the same catastrophe might befall his country. Sarene suggested an alliance between Teod and Arelon to help preserve both countries against the advancing threat of Wyrn and the Fjordell Empire.