Glossary

Aeridome (AIR-ih-dohm):

Public training floor within the Volya Spire where packs run drills and demos.

Anya, Speaker (AHN-yah):

Council voice for optics and order during Perebor operations.

Anton (AHN-ton):

Trainee in Sofija’s orbit; part of pack work and drills.

Bellmaker’s Ledge:

Named ledge near the bell foundry; a known approach and staging spot.

Bogatyr (boh-gah-TEER):

“Giants” (humans) whose indifferent movements shape the world; their realm is the Bogatyr’s Domain, and their steps and machinery cause Drozh (tremors).

Bogatyr’s Domain:

The human world (farm, structures, yards) as experienced at miniature scale; source of Drozh, Boloto, Voda-Potop.

Boloto (bo-LO-to):

Rainbow-slick viscous spill (oil/paint/syrup, etc.) that behaves like a lethal bog at small scale; escape requires aerial tactics or temporary bridges.

Cadet:

Trainee status in Council frameworks; below full assignment.

Chernobog (cher-NO-bog):

Barn swallow, revered mount of the Lastochka Riders; considered a living conduit to the sky. Bonds with Riders via the fading Pesnya Chernobog (“the Song”).

Chernobog Song, Pesnya Chernobog:

Mystical empathic bond enabling Rider–swallow sync; now faint in most Riders due to history and suppression.

Chernobog’s ear:

Small carved talisman (often bone) carried for luck and remembrance; non-instrument.

Clean stories:

Council-favored, tidy metrics and narratives used to rate a day’s “success” on the board.

Council (Knyaz Council):

Civil authority enforcing Perebor, metrics, and compliance through Inspectors and Enforcers.

Draft token:

Stamped token pulled in the Perebor; a blue cheek mark shows selection.

Drozh (drozh):

Citywide shiver or structural tremor; a low, rolling weight-shift that loosens dust and tests seams.

Elder Viktor:

Senior Council figure aligned with discipline and image management.

Enforcer:

Council security corps logging “incidents,” backing Inspectors, and managing crowds.

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Gallery, drain:

Service and drainage corridors under and through the Spire complex.

Gray, gray shadow:

Early-selected trainees who begin shadow instruction while still holding prior duties.

Harmon:

Old “tuning” system for listening to structures and time.

• Harmon thread: Fine wire or thread that hums when a frame sings.

• Harmon ladder: Ladder wired to “hear” load and vibration.

• Harmon glass: Sand timer used to clock passes and drills.

Inspector:

Council official who fronts “clarity,” orders demos, and praises discipline in public.

Iron Fields:

Rust plains of dead farm machinery in the yard and fields around the Spire; scavenging ground with knife-sharp wind.

Kazimir (kah-zee-MEER):

Instructor with chalk under his nails and a hard eye for rig discipline.

Knyaz Council (knyahz):

Central governing body of elders/lineages; arbiters of law, resources, Perebor.

Komandir (ko-mahn-DEER):

Field commander whose words set tempo and stakes; keeps the real ledger of costs and returns.

Kompas-Svet (KOM-pahs SVYET):

Focused light (sun/bioluminescence) for signaling and reading routes, especially in Mrak.

Lastochka Rider (LAH-stoch-kah):

Piskarevo aerial cadre (Chernobog riders), primary military/scout force.

Ledger, leaders’ sense:

The account of lives, bodies, and returns that matters more than chalked numbers.

Lyudki; Lyudka (LYOOD-kee; LYOOD-kah):

Endonym for Sofija’s species (“little folk”); everyday self-name used by Piskarevo.

Malenki Narod (mah-LYEN-kee nah-ROHD):

Formal/archival term for Lyudki used in Council records and old texts.

Mila (MEE-lah):

Trainee and close peer to Sofija; performs line work and fast decisions in drills.

Moss ring (glyph):

Tight lichen ring used as a quiet message; trimming a wedge can steer meaning.

Mrak (mrak):

Zones of deep, oppressive darkness (cupboards, foundations, machine recesses), often home to sightless predators; navigation relies on touch and Kompas-Svet.

Ni’ho (NEE-ho):

Fierce, near-wild Chernobog that resists conventional bonding; responds best to felt images like temperature and shade.

Old Rail:

Named walkway and observation run used by leaders, handlers, and onlookers during demos.

Pack:

Small trainee team assigned to drills and missions (e.g., Pack Three).

Perebor (peh-reh-BOR):

Citywide draft that feeds the training corps; presented as a “fair sorting” into necessary work.

Perebor Code:

Field doctrine for decision-making and pattern sense.

• Three beats: stop, angle, choose (spend them like breath, once)

• Numbers are witnesses, not truth

• A pattern that repeats three times is intent

• Field tokens hum at resonance: once = weather, twice = warning, three = a hand

Prokhod (pro-KHOD):

Command or drill phase meaning “passage/run through” a route within a time window.

Rafter blind (blindfold drill):

Rim-walking drill run “on the Komandir’s hand,” with no mid-run fixes.

Red (status):

Standard assignment color while shadowing/awaiting orders. (Not the same as red variance penalty.)

Rim:

Upper walkway edge encircling the Aeridome; used for blind runs and staging.

Sofija Volkova (so-FEE-ya VOHL-koff):

Sixteen; cartographer turned trainee; quick on ladders and maps.

Soot Stair:

Soot-coated stair run marking a known turning point in flight and line drills.

Spire; Volya Spire (VOHL-ya):

The vertical city of beams, braces, and catwalks; home to markets, galleries, and the Aeridome.

Spring-tong(s):

Coiled metal component scavenged from thresher carcasses; needed by the harness shop.

Tenyeviki (ten-yeh-VEE-kee):

“Quiet folk” who speak with lichen glyphs; their rings can invert in meaning for outsiders.

Thresher, carcass:

Large, dead machine hulk; its dark Mrak interior holds salvage like spring-tongs.

Timor (TEE-more):

Trainee operating under watch; often a barometer for pack tempo and nerves.

Volkov (VOL-koff):

See Komandir.

Volya Spire (VOHL-ya):

Capital aerie of the Piskarevo and seat of the Knyaz Council; the tallest, most defensible hub with access to the sky.

Voda-Potop (VOH-dah poh-TOP):

Sudden flood event (burst pipe, downpour, spill) that can sweep away entire aeries; evacuation routes and diversions are critical.

Vyazal’shchiki (vya-ZAL-shchi-kee):

Tie crew/riggers who maintain seams, rungs, and fixings; consulted when cracks grow.

Zarya (zar-YAH):

Exacting team lead whose priority is survivability and clean rigging; “lead keeps the ledger.”

Zarya-Fragments:

Dangerous energy remnants from human tech; weaponized by Volkov’s faction.