Empire of Silence
Book summary from Goodreads:
Hadrian Marlowe, a man revered as a hero and despised as a murderer, chronicles his tale in the galaxy-spanning debut of the Sun Eater series, merging the best of space opera and epic fantasy.
It was not his war.
On the wrong planet, at the right time, for the best reasons, Hadrian Marlowe started down a path that could only end in fire. The galaxy remembers him as a hero: the man who burned every last alien Cielcin from the sky. They remember him as a monster: the devil who destroyed a sun, casually annihilating four billion human lives—even the Emperor himself—against Imperial orders.
But Hadrian was not a hero. He was not a monster. He was not even a soldier.
Fleeing his father and a future as a torturer, Hadrian finds himself stranded on a strange, backwater world. Forced to fight as a gladiator and navigate the intrigues of a foreign planetary court, he will find himself fighting a war he did not start, for an Empire he does not love, against an enemy he will never understand.
- Lexicon
- Publications (Empire of Silence)
- Chapter Summaries (Empire of Silence)
- Revisions to Diamond Edition
Lexicon
A Note on Translation
THERE WAS SOME DIFFICULTY rendering this text into Classical English from the Anglo-Hindi of Galactic Standard, as there exist many words in Galstani whose coinages postdate the death of English as a living language. Several of these, such as sakradaas (anagnost) and hauviros (centurion), I have elected to render in words borrowed from ancient Greek and Latin. To the English-speaking ear, these are steeped in a tradition comparable to that which these terms—themselves steeped in seventeen thousand years of Imperial tradition—enjoy for those reading Lord Marlowe’s alleged autobiography in its original form. In other cases, such as with groundcar and cryoburn, I have cobbled together portmanteaus in Classical English which I feel approximate the looser feel of these more contemporary, plebeian terms. The names of certain living creatures—many of which were undiscovered or unmade during the Classical English period—I have substituted for mythic coinages or for names derived from scientific nomenclature (e.g. azhdarch and congrid respectively).Proper names, such as the names of persons or planets, I have maintained exactly as Lord Marlowe recorded them, including those of the Cielcin xenobites. However, I should note that these names were transliterated using Marlowe’s own system and not the systems codified by the Petersonian Order or the Legion Intelligence Office. As such, these spellings may differ from official spellings found both in scholiastic and official records.
References made to ancient, classical, and contemporary literature are precisely as written in the original and have not been modified to better communicate symbolic connections for a modern audience. Lord Marlowe has an especial fondness for the Late Golden Age writings of the second and third millennium, old calendar, for which we must credit our brother Tor Gibson of Nov Acor, a classicist by all accounts.
Please find appended a list of the special terms relevant to this first volume of Lord Marlowe’s account. I am deeply grateful to those of my brothers and sisters who have aided in my exploration of this text and pray that in time we may be sure of its authenticity.
—Tor Paulos of Nov Belgaer
Glossary
adamant: Any of the various long-chain carbon materials used for starship hulls and body armor.
adorator: A member of any antique religious cult maintained by the Empire and tolerated by the Chantry.
aeta: A Cielcin prince-chieftain with ownership rights over its subjects and their property.
alchemist: A heavily regulated device used to transmute chemical elements using nuclear processes. Alternatively, a technician trained to use such a device.
alienage: In the Sollan Empire, a ghetto or reservation intended for the isolation of a xenobite population.
alumglass: A transparent ceramic form of aluminum, stronger than glass, commonly used in windows, particularly in starships.
anagnost: An initiate in the Chantry clergy.
androgyn: A homunculus exhibiting no sex characteristics or those of both males and females.
apatheia: The emotionless state pursued by the scholiasts to facilitate their computational function. Has roots in classical stoicism.
Arch-Builders: Extinct species of xenobite native to the planet Ozymandias. So called for the massive structures they built above the plains of their home.
archduke/archduchess: Highest rank of the palatine nobility. Rules over a planetary demesne. Title may be inherited.
archon: Lowest rank of the Imperial noble hierarchy, ruling over a planetary prefecture. Either a posted or inherited position.
Arma: A constellation visible in the night sky on Delos, shaped like a medieval shield.
Assumption of Earth: In the Chantry religion, the departure of Mother Earth following her destruction. It is said she will return when men are worthy.
athenaeum: A research compound/monastery of the scholiastic orders.
atomics: Atomic weapons. Legal for nobile houses to own under the Great Charters but illegal to use.
auctor: Appointed by the Emperor to serve as his proxy when he cannot be present.
Autotrans: A machine that automatically translates between languages in real time. Illegal in the Imperium.
azhdarch: A xenobite predator common in the Colosso. Similar to a lizard with a long neck open from top to bottom in a fanged mouth.
backspace: Territory within Imperial space not formally colonized by the Empire. Often a refuge for the Extrasolarians.
badonna: A Jaddian honorific applied to eali women.
baetan: In Cielcin culture, a sort of priest-historian of the scianda.
baron/baroness: Lowest rank of the Imperial palatine nobility that may rule an entire planet, above archon but below viscount. Rules a planetary demesne. Title may be passed on through inheritance.
bastille: Chantry judicial and penal center, usually attached to a temple sanctum.
Battle of Cressgard: First battle against the Cielcin. Fought in ISD 15792.
Battle of Linon: Battle fought in ISD 15863 between House Marlowe and the rebellious Exsuls of the Delos system.
Battle of Wodan: Battle with the Cielcin fought in ISD 16129 above the planet Wodan.
bit: Steel coin used among the Imperial peasant classes. One hundred and forty-four bits equals one kapsum. Different printed denominations exist.
Boedromion: The eighth month of the Delian local calendar, which marks the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere.
bonecutter: A black-market genetics surgeon not sanctioned by the High College.
Book of the Mind: An anthology of several texts compiled or composed by the Scholiast Imore. Forms the basis of their philosophy.
bouillir: A class of spicy red wines made on several worlds, most famously by House Markarian’s vintners on Kandar.
brass whale: A large, air-breathing sea creature brought to the oceans of Delos from offworld.
Cantos: The Chantry holy book, a collection of songs, laws, and parables.
castellan: The chief military officer on a nobile estate, tasked with the defense of the castle and holdings. Usually a knight.
cathar: A surgeon-torturer of the Holy Terran Chantry.
Cavaraad: Species of giant xenobite native to Sadal Suud. Humanoid, averaging twenty to thirty feet tall. Approximately Paleolithic level of development.
Centaurus Arm: One of the five arms of the galaxy settled by humankind. Lies between Sagittarius and Norma, comprising mostly Imperial colonies.
centurion: A rank in the Imperial Legions, commands a century.
century: In the Imperial Legions, a unit comprising ten decades under the command of a centurion and optio.
chanter: The average priest or priestess of the Chantry religion.
Chantry: See Holy Terran Chantry.
chimera: Any genetically altered or artificially created animal, usually achieved by blending the genetic codes of two or more animals.
Cielcin: Spacefaring alien species. Humanoid and carnivorous. The principal enemy of humankind during the Crusade.
cingulum: A belt worn by legionnaires and other soldiers in the Sollan Empire.
clan: In Tavrosi culture, all members of a kin group drawing their genes from the same gene bank. Analogous to an Imperial constellation.
Classical English: The ancient language of both the Mericanii and the early Imperial settlers on Avalon, still used by the scholiasts.
cloister: A scholiast’s living quarters, kept clean of all technological devices.
coloni: Intelligent, preindustrial races of xenobites on human-occupied worlds, particularly in the Sollan Empire.
Colosso: A series of sporting events held in a coliseum involving professional gladiators, slave myrmidons, animals, races, and more.
congrid: An eel-like creature native to Emesh, considered a delicacy.
constellation: Among the palatine, a supergroup of interrelated families, usually possessed of certain signifying features and traits.
corrective: Medical device used to treat physical trauma from accidents or combat.
count/countess: A title in the Imperial palatine nobility. Rules a planetary demesne. Title may be inherited.
crèche: A cryonic storage pod for transporting people on long interstellar journeys.
Criminal Response Division: The subdivision of law enforcement in each local prefecture tasked with responding to and investigating crimes.
Crusade: The Imperial war against the Cielcin.
cryoburn: A burn incurred from improper cryonic freezing.
Cult of Earth: See Holy Terran Chantry.
daimon: An artificial intelligence. Sometimes erroneously applied to non-intelligent computer systems.
Dark/Outer Dark: Space. In the Chantry religion, a place of desolation and torment.
datasphere: Any planetary data network. In the Empire, access is strictly restricted to the patrician and palatine castes.
decade: In the Imperial Legions, a unit of ten soldiers comprising three groups of three and their decurion.
decurion: A rank in the Imperial Legions. Commands a decade.
Demarchy of Tavros: A small interstellar polity found in the Wisp. Radically open to technology. The people vote on all measures using neural lace implants.
demesne: An Imperial territory held by a palatine. May be passed on at the ruler’s discretion.
demoniac: A person who has incorporated machines into his or her body, particularly with the intent of altering cognitive processes.
diyugatsayu: In Cielcin culture, the concept of freedom, of not being owned by another Cielcin. Heavily stigmatized.
dom/domi: A Jaddian honorific usually applied to eali men.
douleter: A slave overseer or trader.
drone: Any subintelligent machine operated by simple programming or human control.
duke/duchess: A title in the Imperial palatine nobility. Rules a planetary demesne. Title may be inherited.
Durantine Republic: An interstellar republic of some three thousand worlds. Pays tribute to the Empire.
eali: The Jaddian ruling caste, product of intense eugenic development. Practically superhuman.
Elegy for Earth: The Chantry call to prayer performed at sundown each day. A funeral hymn for Mother Earth.
Emperor: The supreme ruler of the Sollan Empire, considered a god and the reincarnation of his/her predecessor. Holds absolute power.
energy lance: A bladed spear with a high-energy laser built into the shaft. Used as formal weapons by guards, especially in the Imperium.
entoptics: Augmented reality device that projects images directly onto the retina.
eolderman: The elected head of a plebeian community. Typically seen in more rural regions on Imperial planets.
ephebe: A young man or woman between the ages of eleven and twenty-one standard years.
Ephebeia: A celebration held on a boy’s or girl’s twenty-first birthday to celebrate his or her ascension to adulthood.
Eudoran: Any of the spacefaring bands claiming descent from the failed colony on Europa in Old Earth’s system. An ethnic group known for their interstellar wanderings.
Exalted: A faction among the Extrasolarians noted for their extreme cybernetic augmentations.
executor: An official appointed by a palatine lord tasked with the management of that lord’s estate and holdings in his absence.
Exodus: The expansionist period following the environmental collapse of Earth. The peregrinations from Old Earth System before the Foundation War.
Expeditionary Corps: Branch of the Imperial Legions tasked with exploring the galaxy and laying the groundwork for colonization.
exsul: Any palatine lord not based on a habitable world. Can also refer to his/her entire household.
Extrasolarian: Any barbarian living outside Imperial control, often possessing illegal praxis.
factionarius: The chief officer of a trade guild.
fief: An Imperial territory granted a palatine or patrician by appointment. May not be passed on through inheritance.
Fire School: Famous monastery and academy on Jadd where the Maeskoloi are trained.
flier: A flying vehicle about the size of a groundcar, used for in-atmosphere flight and rapid travel.
foederatus: A mercenary.
Foundation War: The war between the early Empire and the Mericanii, in which the Mericanii were destroyed and the Sollan Empire was founded.
Four Cardinals: In the Chantry religion, the four most important icona: Justice, Fortitude, Prudence, and Temperance.
Free Traders Union: A coalition of smaller trading companies and independent merchanter vessels that lobbies for shipping privileges and dock space on planets.
Freeholders: A citizen of any of the Norman Freeholds or of any planetary or multiplanetary government not associated with one of the great interstellar powers.
fugue: The state of cryonic suspension induced to ensure that humans and other living creatures survive long journeys between suns.
Galactic Standard: The common language of the Sollan Empire, descended from Classical English with heavy Hindi and Franco-Germanic influences.
Galstani: See Galactic Standard.
genestock: In terraforming, the genetic base material, both terranic and otherwise, used to establish civilized ecologies.
Giants: See Cavaraad.
gladiator: Professional fighting athletes in the Colosso.
glowsphere: A bright spherical light source floating on Royse repulsors. Powered chemically or with batteries.
gods: See icona.
Golden Age of Earth: The mythic epoch leading up to the Exodus, culminating in the Assumption of Earth and the colonization of the solar system.
gravitometer: A device for measuring the density and structure of matter by examining the distortions of gravity.
Gray Rot: An offworld plague brought to Emesh in the seventeenth millennium ISD. Wiped out eighteen percent of the population.
Great Charters: Ancient collection of legal codes imposed on the Empire by a coalition of the houses palatine. Maintains the balance between the houses and the Emperor.
groundcar: An automobile, usually powered by solar energy or internal combustion.
guild: Any professional organization with legal approval to perform its trade. A trade union beholden to a planet’s lord.
guilder: Any member of a guild.
haqiph: A Jaddian caste term meaning “untouchable” or “base.” Refers to homunculi and others considered subhuman.
high chancellor: The chief appointed official in a palatine lord’s civil service. A prime minister.
High College: Imperial political office tasked with reviewing palatine requests for children and overseeing those pregnancies. Prevents mutations.
High Litany: In the Chantry religion, a weekly ritual held to commemorate the destruction of Earth and to pray for a better future for humankind.
highmatter: A form of exotic matter produced by alchemists. Used to make the swords of Imperial knights, which can cut almost anything.
holograph: Any three-dimensional light image projected by scanning lasers. Used for entertainment, advertisement, communication, etc.
Holy Terran Chantry: State religion of the Empire. Functions as the judicial arm of the state, especially where the use of forbidden technology is involved.
homunculus: Any artificial human or near-human, grown for a task or for aesthetic purposes.
hoplite: A shielded foot soldier. Heavy infantry.
hoplon: An antique-style round shield used in the Colosso.
hudr: A Jaddian word for scholiast, literally “green.”
hurasam: Gilded coin used among the Imperial peasant classes, worth their mark-weight in gold. Print notes for various denominations exist.
hypogeum: The underground maintenance complex beneath a coliseum. More generally, any underground complex.
ichakta: A Cielcin title referring to the captain of a ship.
icona: In the Chantry religion, a spirit or god embodying an ideal, virtue, or natural law such as Fortitude, Evolution, or Time.
Imperial mark: Digital currency of the Sollan Empire and Mandari corporations. Highly competitive, unlike the hurasam and other hard coinage.
Imperial Office: The Emperor’s administration—those ministries and civil services, including the palace staff, that comprise the Imperial central government.
Imperial Presence: The formal personage of the Sollan Emperor and the area about his person.
Imperial Star Date: The standard calendar. Months and weeks correspond to Old Earth’s Gregorian calendar. The year is reckoned from the coronation of the first Emperor.
Imperium: See Sollan Empire.
Index: The catalog of punishments—monetary, corporal, and capital—maintained by the Chantry and enforced by the Inquisition.
inmane: An offensive slur meaning someone less than human. Literally impure.
Inquisition: The judicial branch of the Imperial Chantry, primarily concerned with the use of illegal technologies.
inquisitor: A Chantry official tasked with conducting judicial investigations and overseeing the torture of criminals.
intus: A palatine born outside the oversight of the High College, usually possessing several physical or psychological defects. A bastard.
Irchtani: Species of xenobite native to the planet Judecca. Birdlike with massive wings. Considered an exemplar of coloni assimilation.
Izumo Group: A Nipponese interstellar corporation specializing in the heavy metal trade.
Jaddian: The official language of the Principalities of Jadd, a patois of ancient Romance and Semitic languages with some Greek influences.
jubala: A powerful and popular offworld narcotic. Can be inhaled or ingested in a kind of tea.
kaspum: Silver-plated coin used among the Imperial peasant classes. Twelve kaspums make one gold hurasam. Print notes for various denominations exist.
knife-missile: A kind of drone, little more than a remote-controlled flying knife. A favorite of assassins.
knight: Sollan military honor conferred by the nobility for services rendered. Usually includes a small fief. May carry highmatter weapons.
lance: See energy-lance.
Law of the Fishes: A philosophical precept that the world is a wilderness and that survival is the highest virtue. The law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest.
Legion Intelligence Office: The Empire’s military intelligence, espionage, and foreign intervention agency.
legionnaire: Any soldier in the Imperial Legions, especially a common foot soldier.
Legions: The military branch of the Sollan Empire, loyal to the Emperor and Imperial house. Comprises naval and ground forces.
lictor: A bodyguard for a nobile or other dignitary. Usually a knight.
lieutenant: Junior naval officer in the Legions, beneath commander but above the crewmen.
lighter: Any starship small enough to make landfall on a planet.
logothete: A minister in any of the governmental agencies of a palatine house. Used colloquially for any civil servant.
logothete pluripotentis: A logothete whose office oversees the transfer of land and other titled holdings between palatines and patricians.
Lothriad: See Lothrian Commonwealth.
Lothrian: The spoken language of the Lothriad.
Lothrian Commonwealth: The second-largest human polity in the galaxy, a totalitarian collectivist state. Longtime antagonist of the Empire.
Lowtown: The poor seaside district of the city of Meidua on Delos.
Maeskolos: A legendary swordmaster of Jadd drawn exclusively from the eali caste. Credited with superhuman speed and skill.
magister: A lay judge who tries plebeian cases.
magus: An intellectual, especially a scientist or natural philosopher.
mamluk: Any homunculus slave-soldier of the Jaddian Principalities.
Mandar: The language of the Mandari trade corporations.
Mandari: An ethnic group semidetached from Imperial society, most commonly found staffing the massive interstellar trading corporations.
mandyas: Traditional garment of the Maeskoloi. Half robe cinched at the waist with one flowing sleeve worn over the left shoulder.
Mathuran Campaigns: A series of battles between the Tavrosi clans with Imperial aid. Reached an armistice shortly after the appearance of the Cielcin.
medica: A hospital, typically aboard a starship.
Meidua: A port city on Delos, seat of the Meidua prefecture and ancestral demesne of House Marlowe.
merchanter: A salesperson or businessman, usually plebeian.
meretrix: The madame of a brothel or, more often, a palatine lord’s harem.
Mericanii: The ancient first interstellar colonists. A hyperadvanced technologic civilization run by artificial intelligences. Destroyed by the Empire.
messer/madame: Polite address in the Empire, used for anyone without a formal title.
Mother Earth: The deified homeworld of humanity and principal god of the Chantry religion.
mute: Slang. Short for “mutant.” Refers to a homunculus or to an intus.
myrmidon: In the Colosso, any contract or slave fighter who is not a professionally trained gladiator.
nanocarbon: A fabric made of carbon nanotubes. Related to adamant.
ndaktu: In Cielcin philosophy, the weight of moral responsibility placed upon an individual whose actions directly or inadvertently led another to suffer.
neg: A worthless person. Emeshi slang.
neural lace: A semiorganic computer implanted in a host’s brain. Illegal in the Empire.
Ninety-Nine Wonders of the Universe: Ninety-nine of the greatest structures, both human and alien, in the known universe.
Nipponese: The descendants of the Japanese colonists who fled Old Earth system in the Third Peregrination.
nobile: Blanket term referring to any member of the palatine or patrician caste in the Sollan Empire.
Nordei: The principal language of the Demarchy. A patois of Nordic and Thai with some Slavic influences.
Norman United Fellowship: The former Norman democratic government on the planet Emesh prior to Imperial annexation.
opera: Any scripted narrative entertainment, whether musical, dramatic, or serial, interactive or otherwise.
optio: The second-in-command to a centurion in the Imperial Legions.
Orbital Defense Force: The fleet maintained by any palatine lord for the defense of his or her planet or system.
Orion Arm: One of the five arms of the galaxy settled by humankind. See Spur of Orion.
ornithon: A flying feathered snake native to Emesh. Nonvenomous, eats primarily sea life.
Outer Perseus: The expansion region along the end of the Perseus Arm. A colonial frontier.
palatinate: Any demesne or fief comprising an entire planet.
palatine: The Imperial aristocracy, descended from those free humans who opposed the Mericanii. Genetically enhanced, they may live for several centuries.
Pale: The Cielcin. Slang, considered offensive by xenophiles.
panegyrist: A Chantry priest tasked with performing the call to prayer at sundown.
Panthai: A Tavrosi language developed by the Thai-, Lao-, and Khmer-speaking peoples who settled the Wisp alongside the Nordei.
patrician: Any plebeian or plutocrat awarded genetic augmentations at the behest of the palatine caste as a reward for services rendered.
peerage: Palatine constellation comprising the Imperial family and its relatives. Members are all in line for the throne.
peltast: An unshielded foot soldier. Light infantry.
Peregrination: Any of the historical evacuations from Earth’s system for the extrasolar colonies.
Perseus Arm: One of the five arms of the galaxy settled by humankind. Lies beyond Orion at the outer rim. Contains the Principalities, Durantine Republic, and Imperial colonies.
phase disruptor: A sort of firearm that attacks the nervous system. Can stun on lower settings.
phasma vigrandi: Luminescent, floating creatures native to the forests of Luin, sometimes called fairies.
phylactery: An ampule in which genetic samples are kept, especially for use in reproduction.
planetbound: In Imperial law, any plebeian not permitted to travel offworld. A serf.
planeted lord: Any nobile who has acquired or may pass down his or her planetary demesne within the family. A landed nobleman.
plasma burner: A firearm that uses a strong loop of magnetic force to project an arc of superheated plasma across short-to-moderate distances.
plebeian: The Imperial peasantry, descended from unaltered human stock seeded on the oldest colony ships. Forbidden to use high technology.
plutocrat: Any plebeian who has earned enough money to buy expensive genetic augmentations. Effectively patrician.
poine: A structured, small-scale war between imperial palatine houses. Subject to the scrutiny of the Inquisition.
Praetorian: Any member of the Sollan Emperor’s Praetorian Guard, drawn from the best of the Imperial Legion.
praxis: High technology, usually of the sort forbidden by Chantry law.
prefect: A law enforcement officer.
prefecture: In the Empire, any administrative district ruled by an archon.
primarch: The chief Imperial viceroy in each arm of the galaxy: Orion, Sagittarius, Perseus, and Centaurus. Essentially co-Emperors.
primarchate: Region of the Empire ruled by a primarch, comprising several provinces.
primate: The highest administrative office of a scholiasts’ athenaeum, akin to a university chancellor.
Principalities of Jadd: Nation of eighty former Imperial provinces in Perseus that revolted over palatine reproductive rights. Heavily militaristic and caste-driven.
prior: In the Chantry clergy, the chief cleric in a prefecture.
prudence shield: A form of Royse field used for security, especially in coliseums and starship hangars. Traps air and fast-moving objects.
QET/quantum telegraph: A device that uses entangled quantum particles to communicate instantly over vast distances.
Quiet: The hypothetical first civilization in the galaxy, allegedly responsible for several ancient sites including those on Emesh, Judecca, Sadal Suud, and Ozymandias.
repulsor: A device that makes use of the Royse Effect to allow objects to float without disturbing the air or environment.
Rothsbank: An ancient, privately owned banking house tracing its roots back to the Golden Age of Earth.
Royse Effect: A method discovered by Caelan Royse for manipulating the electroweak force. Allows for the existence of force fields and repulsors.
Royse field: Any force field making use of the Royse Effect to stop high-velocity objects from penetrating an energy curtain.
rus: A young man. Emeshi slang.
Sagittarius Arm: One of the five arms of the galaxy settled by humankind. Lies between Orion and Centaurus, comprises the bulk of Imperial colonies as well as the Lothriad.
satrap: A planetary governor in the Principalities of Jadd, subordinate to one of the regional princes.
scholiast: Any member of the monastic order of researchers, academics, and theoreticians tracing their origins to the Mericanii scientists captured at the end of the Foundation War.
scianda: The Cielcin term for one of their migratory starship clusters. A fleet.
seed stock: See genestock.
serf: Any Imperial plebeian forbidden by birth to travel away from the planet of his or her birth except in the case of Legion military service.
servitor: A menial laborer.
shield-belt: A self-defense device worn about the waist. Uses a Royse field to stop bullets, plasma, and other high-energy weapons.
shock-stick: A nonlethal weapon primarily employed in crowd suppression. Little more than an electrified stave.
sign of the sun disc: A gesture of benediction made by circling thumb and forefinger and touching forehead and lips before holding the hand up to the sky.
signet ring: A device worn on a palatine’s finger containing his or her genetic information, financial accounts, and land holdings.
sire: An honorific used to refer to one’s social superiors, usually males and usually patricians or palatines.
sirrah: An honorific used to refer to one’s social inferiors, usually males.
Solar Throne: The Imperial throne. Carved from a single piece of citrine quartz. Sometimes used as a synonym for the Imperial Presence or Office.
Sollan Empire: The largest and oldest single polity in human-controlled space, comprising some half-billion habitable planets.
spinship: Any starship that uses centripetal force to generate the illusion of gravity.
Spur of Orion: The oldest of the Empire’s four primarchates, comprising the oldest parts of the Empire and Old Earth System.
Standard Registry: An index kept by the Imperial High College of all the houses palatine along with blood samples of all their constituents.
static field: A highly permeable variant of the Royse field used to keep conditioned air inside buildings.
strategos: An admiral in the Imperial Legions, responsible for the command of an entire fleet, comprising several legions.
stunner: A low-power phase disruptor used to cause temporary paralysis or loss of consciousness. Weapon favored by law enforcement personnel.
Sullen Gulf: The huge gap of empty space between the Norma and Centaurus Arms of the galaxy.
Summerfair: A midsummer holiday celebrated throughout the Imperium. Its date varies from world to world, depending on local calendars.
swordmaster: See Maeskolos.
Synarch: The highest ecclesiastic office of the Imperial Chantry. Their most important function is the coronation of new Emperors.
Synod: The ruling body of the Holy Terran Chantry; a college of archpriors presided over by the Synarch.
Tavrosi: Any of the languages from the Demarchy of Tavros. Most often refers to Nordei.
terminal: A telecommunications device that accesses a planet’s datasphere, usually worn on the wrist.
terranic: In terraforming and ecology, refers to any organism of Old Earth extraction. Not extraterrestrial.
Travatsk: A Tavrosi language named for the Travatskr ethnic group, recognizable by its lack of vowel reduction.
tribune: A Legion officer in command of a cohort, four of which make up a legion. Commands both ground forces and naval officers.
triumph: A parade held to celebrate victory in war. Usually the vanquished is marched out in chains for execution.
troglodyte: A human being without higher brain functions either voluntarily for personal or religious reasons, or as the result of an accident.
Twelve Abominations: The twelve most grievous sins according to the Chantry’s Index. Legal privileges do not apply in such cases.
udaritanu: A complex, nonlinear writing system used by the Cielcin.
Umandh: A coloni species native to the planet Emesh. Amphibious and tripedal, they have an intelligence comparable to that of dolphins.
vate: Any preacher or holy man who is not formally a part of the Chantry clergy.
Veil of Marinus: Territory contested between the Empire and Norman Freeholds. Comprises most of the front in the Crusade against the Cielcin.
verrox: A powerful pseudoamphetamine derived from the leaves of the verroca plant. It is taken by ingesting the leaves, which are usually candied.
verrox toxemia: A chronic medical condition brought on by verrox abuse. Includes muscle tremors and eventual atrophy.
viceroy/vicereine: The ruler of an Imperial province appointed by the Emperor. The title is typically heritable but is not always so.
vilicus: The head of a team of douleters; chief overseer.
warden: Any member of the Chantry’s private armies used to defend holy sites from unwanted incursions and pillaging.
wave: To contact someone by radio or telegraph. Alternately the communications device itself. Slang.
White Sword: A ceramic greatsword used by Chantry cathars for formal executions, especially of the nobility.
The Wisp: The thin string of stars housing the Demarchy of Tavros located above the galactic ecliptic, far from the Imperium.
Wong-Hopper Consortium: The largest of the Mandari trading corporations, holding several government contracts, especially in the terraforming industry.
worldship: Any of the massive Cielcin vessels—some as large as moons—that make up the cores of their fleets.
Writ: The Chantry’s legal and moral code, enforced by the Inquisition and the Index.
writ of disavowal: In Imperial jurisprudence, a formal document wherein a nobile lord disowns one or more members of his or her family.
xenobite: Any life form not originating from terranic or human stock, especially those which are considered intelligent. An alien.
Yamato Interstellar: An interstellar manufacturing company owned by House Yamato and based out of Nichibotsu.
Your Excellency: Form of polite address used for ruling nobiles above the rank of archon.
Your Grace: Form of polite address used for viceroys, vicereines, and primarchs of the Sollan Empire.
Your Radiance: Form of polite address reserved exclusively for the Emperor.
Your Reverence: Form of polite address for members of the Chantry clergy, particularly priors.
yukajjimn: The Cielcin word for humanity. Shares etymological connections to their word for vermin.
zvanya: A cinnamon-flavored distilled alcohol popular in Jadd.
Publications (Empire of Silence)
- ISBNs:
- 9780756413002 (US HC ISBN-13)
- 0756413001 (US HC ISBN-10)
- Publisher: DAW Books
- Cover Artist: Sam Weber
- Notes:
- 1st editions will feature a full number line, i.e. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
- 1st edition, 2nd printings (1st/2nd) issued AD 2024
- Changes to this edition include revised pricing to interior dust jacket flap
Empire of Silence, UK Edition (AD 2018)
- ISBNs:
- 978147322427 (UK HC ISBN-13)
- 1473224276 (UK HC ISBN-10)
- Publisher: Gollancz
- Cover Artist: Patrick Knowles
- Notes:
- 1st editions will feature a full number line, i.e. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
- Small print run, approximately 1,000 to 3,000 in circulation
- No hardcover reprints of this edition as of AD 2024
Imperium Ciszy, Polish Edition (AD 2019)
- Translation by Jerzy Moderski
- ISBNs:
- 9788380625068 (Polish PB ISBN-13)
- 8380625064 (Polish PB ISBN-10)
- Publisher: Dom Wydawniczy Rebis
- Cover Artist: uncredited
Empire of Silence, Diamond Edition (AD 2024)
- ISBNs:
- 9781962871006 - Signed Limited Edition (HC ISBN-13)
- 9781962871013 - Signed Lettered Edition (HC ISBN-13)
- Publisher: Steve Diamond
- Cover Artist: James L. Cook
- Interior Artist: Taran Fiddler
- Notes:
- Limited Kickstarter Edition, 1,000 Copies
- 952 Numbered Copies, $125 USD
- 48 Lettered Copies, $400 USD
- Features include:faux leather with foil stamp by Kieran Yanner, wraparound cover art, Novellete featuring Bassander Lin, illustrated endpapers, premium stock paper, sprayed edges, galaxy map, and more. Additional details contained in the original Kickstarter.
- Limited Kickstarter Edition, 1,000 Copies
Empire of Silence, Broken Binding Edition (AD 2024)
- ISBNs:
- TBD (HC ISBN-13)
- Publisher: The Broken Binding in Assc. w/ Gollancz
- Cover Artist: Rene Aigner
- Reversible Cover Artist: Peng Lu
- Endpaper Artist: Rene Aigner
- PLC Board Artistt: Peng Lu
- Notes:
- Limited Numbered Edition, First Print 3,000 Signed Copies
- Features include: Wraparound dust jacket art, reversible dust jacket art, illustrated PLC boards, illustrated endpapers, sprayed edges with thematic motif, cover typography by Jeff Brown
- Potential for a second print run via Broken Binding
Publications Quick Links:
- Next Book: Publications (Howling Dark)
Chapter Summaries (Empire of Silence)
Spoilers ahead, proceed with caution
Locations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest
Plot Summary
Locations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 3: ConsortiumLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 4: The Devil and the LadyLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 5: Tigers and LambsLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 6: Truth without BeautyLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > ColossoPlot Summary
Chapter 7: MeiduaLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > LowtownPlot Summary
Chapter 8: GibsonLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 9: Bread and CircusesLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Capitol BuildingPlot Summary
Chapter 10: The Law of Birds and FishesLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Shoreline outside of Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 11: At What CostLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Delian Miners Guild Hall OfficeSpur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > House Marlowe Family Penthouse
Plot Summary
Chapter 12: The Ugliness of the WorldLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 13: The Scourging at the PillarLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 14: Fear is a PoisonLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Airfield outside of Devil's RestPlot Summary
Chapter 15: The Summer PalaceLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Haspida > House Kephalos Summer PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 16: MotherLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Haspida > House Kephalos Summer PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 17: ValedictoryLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Haspida > Landing Field at the House Kephalos Summer PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 18: Rage is BlindnessLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Haspida > House Kephalos Summer PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 19: The Edge of the WorldLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Karch (Island City) > Wine Sink near the DocksPlot Summary
Chapter 20: Off the MapLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Karch (Island City) > On Board the Starship EurynasirPlot Summary
Chapter 21: The Outer DarkLocations
Spur of Orion > Delos > Orbit Shipping Lanes > On Board the Starship EurynasirPlot Summary
Chapter 22: Marlowe AloneLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > City ClinicPlot Summary
Chapter 23: Resurrection in DeathLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Starport TerminalPlot Summary
Chapter 24: Those Mindless DaysLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > BelowsPlot Summary
Chapter 25: Poverty and PunishmentLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Storm Drain between the Belows and the White DistrictPlot Summary
Chapter 26: CatLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > BelowsPlot Summary
Chapter 27: Forsaken
Locations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > White DistrictPlot Summary
Chapter 28: Wrong
Locations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > White DistrictPlot Summary
Chapter 29: Less Wings to Fly
Locations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > BelowsPlot Summary
Chapter 30: The Umandh
Locations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Southern Docks / Fishery WarehousesPlot Summary
Chapter 31: Less Wings to FlyLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Storm Drain beneath the stock exchanges on High StreetPlot Summary
Chapter 32: Stand ClearLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Rooftop above a Corner StorePlot Summary
Chapter 33: To Make a MyrmidonLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Examination RoomPlot Summary
Chapter 34: Men of Grosser BloodLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Training FieldPlot Summary
Chapter 35: Proper MenLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Showers (Hypogeum)Plot Summary
Chapter 36: Teach Them How to WarLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso ArenaPlot Summary
Chapter 37: Might Never DieLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Bar Hopping in the White DistrictPlot Summary
Chapter 38: Blood Like WaxLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Outside the Colosso DormitoriesPlot Summary
Chapter 39: A Kingdom for a HorseLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Starship Salvage Yard in the BelowsPlot Summary
Chapter 40: A Monopoly on SufferingLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > BelowsPlot Summary
Chapter 41: FriendsLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Training FieldPlot Summary
Chapter 42: Speak Like a ChildLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso HypogeumPlot Summary
Chapter 43: The Count and His LordLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > House Mataro PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 44: Anaïs and DorianLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle ChambersPlot Summary
Chapter 45: Lose the StarsLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Lord Mataro's Seat Box at ColossoPlot Summary
Chapter 46: The DoctorLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > House Mataro PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 47: The CageLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle ChambersPlot Summary
Chapter 48: The TriumphLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Lord Mataro's Seat Box at ColossoPlot Summary
Chapter 49: Brothers in ArmsLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > House Mataro PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 50: Without PretenseLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > ???? Prefecture > Ulakiel (island) > Umandh AlienagePlot Summary
Chapter 51: FamiliarLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle CourtyardPlot Summary
Chapter 52: Little TalksLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Diplomatic Apartments at the House Mataro PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 53: A Game of Snake and MongooseLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Great HallPlot Summary
Chapter 54: GaslightLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle ChambersPlot Summary
Chapter 55: The QuietLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Diplomatic Apartments at the House Mataro PalacePlot Summary
Chapter 56: Witches and DemonsLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Emeshi Fishers Guild Main HallPlot Summary
Chapter 57: SecondLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso HypogeumPlot Summary
Chapter 58: BarbariansLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle GardenPlot Summary
Chapter 59: On the Eve of ExecutionLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle ChambersPlot Summary
Chapter 60: The Sword, Our OratorLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle GardenPlot Summary
Chapter 61: A Kind of ExileLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Lord Mataro's OfficePlot Summary
Chapter 62: A Guilded CageLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle ChambersPlot Summary
Chapter 63: CalagahLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Archaeological SitePlot Summary
Chapter 64: The Larger WorldLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Research Camp at CalagahPlot Summary
Chapter 65: I Dare Not Meet in DreamsLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah TunnelsPlot Summary
Chapter 66: The Satrap and the SwordmasterLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Archaeological SitePlot Summary
Chapter 67: Lost TimeLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Archaeological SitePlot Summary
Chapter 68: HelpLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Archaeological SitePlot Summary
Chapter 69: Of MonstersLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Cielcin ShipwreckVeil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Tunnels
Plot Summary
Chapter 70: Demon-TonguedLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah TunnelsPlot Summary
Chapter 71: InquisitionLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Council ChamberPlot Summary
Chapter 72: Pale BloodLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Interrogation Chambers beneath the Chantry BastillePlot Summary
Chapter 73: Ten Thousand EyesLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > City Suite owned by House MataroPlot Summary
Chapter 74: The LabyrinthLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Interrogation Chambers beneath the Chantry BastillePlot Summary
Chapter 75: Mercy IsLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle ChambersVeil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Interrogation Chambers beneath the Chantry Bastille
Plot Summary
Chapter 76: Deathbed ConversionsLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Interrogation Chambers beneath the Chantry BastillePlot Summary
Chapter 77: A Rare ThingLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Council ChamberPlot Summary
Chapter 78: QualityLocations
Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Private Airfield on the Edge of the CityPlot Summary
Dramatis Personae:
Index of Worlds: A Note on AstrographyLexicon: A Note on Translation
Revisions to Diamond Edition
Spoilers ahead, proceed with caution