Aelfine: elfajn: All people are Aelfine. The elite rulers are more often referred to as the Aelfine. Context determines which is meant.

Aelif: elɪf: variant of elf. This world does not differentiate between light and dark elves. This given nation, though, is dominated by elves of a deep gray hue, with lighter hair. They tend to ignore proper names of places.

Aelifine: elɪfajn: having the qualities of an Aelif.

Alet-Aramor: ɔlɛtærəmɔr: nameof a bondmaid.

Alisen Greenlief: æləsən grinlif: Also goes by Justice, Tamar (temar). Thief and half-sister to Esme.

Althalos Fourthborn: ɔlθælos: All-of-Thalos, Son of Dervaine, fourthborn of King Octavian, and Vespeak. Right-hand to the Commander of the innner circle's guardsmen. Hero of story.

Anelle (ænɛl), Jalice (dʒæləs), Reilen (relɪn), Atama (ætamə): women that Rileus had shown an interest in, in the past.

Apothics: drugs: illegal, legal, nothing differentiates between the two but arbitrary laws.

Bacculuch: bakulək: bully Fane's Lady.

Benden's Tears: mid-southern city of the kingdom, named after it's founder, river-wrapped.

Bond: the impression-tie between bondmaid and bondswain. Mostly feeds from the bondmaid to the bondswain, except in the throes ofpassion.

Bond-mate: generic term for bondmaid or bondswain.

Bondmaid: part hive, part Aelif, they are heavily modified half-Queens under the Crystal Queen, the last effort for their survival in an Aelif-dominated world.

Bondswain: Aelif males that bond with Bondmaids.

Braw: brawny.

Butterflies: slang for bondsmaid.

Chelifire: tʃɛlɪfajər: city between North Horn and Hale, home to and named after a small primitive hominid that warrens like rabbits. Artificial warrens are left up in populated areas in an attempt to keep them from undermining the whole city. Known for having a slum. Also, the languge of the Chelifire.

Clan: sub-group of thieves, headed by a Master. Clans are differentiated by the tiny stones they wear in earrings.

Crystal Queen: last of the pureblood hive queens, much like a sentient wasp, bee, or ant, but still further alien in appearance. She is the most ancient living creature in their world, and up against the end of her life, modifying what remains of her people to better fit in with the Aelifs that nearly wiped her people out.

Crystal-South: name of the kingdom.

Dames: 'Skirts without a 'Skirthouse.

Deadrot's Grove: the last free-owned bar on the edge of the Shards

Dervaine Fourthborn: dərven: Fourth-born son of Octavian.

Dremlich: drɪmlɪtʃ: centralized city, in the shadow of a ruined Hive spindle, left to decay throughout most written history. Known for having a slum.

East Graceless: Benden's Tears street name, attaches to Graceless Street Node.

Elder: the oldest bondmaid in the given kingdom.

Eldersuite: small apartment in the main castle.

Esme: ɛsme: name of heroine, no definition of this name is used, and how she came to be named this is explained late in the novel. Also known as Haldraine: hɔldren.

Fane's Ladies: any person who works in Lady Fane's charity.

Festival of the Mountain's Shadow: midyear festival, where people confessed their secrets.

Fighting drone: male warriors of the Crystal Queen.

Flips: unsanctioned magic wielders.

Frostways: subspace of the world, with it's own mimicry of land. An opening is made in the "wall of the world" to travel it.

Grab-tails: sentient animals, non shape shifting. Keep a human servant, are known to hunt humans.

Graceless Street Node: What joins North Horn to Benden's Tears and Hale to South Tip.

Grimhold Praulx: prɔləks: Master, head, and father: of Esme's guild.

Hades: an erratic node in the Shards, joins Dremlich, South Tip, Chelifire, and Thwarposlaw in an inconsistent manner.

Hale: easternmost town of the kingdom, closest to the next kingdom over.

Half-Queen bride: another term for bondsmaid.

Head: a master's aide.

Hielfield: hajlfild: anotherAelif tormened by a bondmaid's refusal.

Hinters: bear-men, shape shifters. Rumored to hunt humans.

Hives: slang for the home of bondsmaids and Crystal Queen alike.

Seeded Wife: a seedling that mimics sentience, without being self-aware. The resulting tree is self-aware, but doesn't care to interact on a levelthat proves sentience.

Illes: ɪlɛz: Elder of Crystal-South.

Inner Circle: Elite guardsman of the city.

Jelly: as in Royal Jelly, the Crystal Queen makes a similar substance.

King Moreshull: mɔrʃəl: rivaling kingdom's ruler, father of Prince Heinlen.

King Octavian the Fifth: akteviən: Ruler of Crystal-South. Similarities between Althalos and King is marked.

Knackers: Dead collectors, they make products from dead bodies.

Lady Fane: patroness to the Shard's biggest women's charity. Aunt to Althalos and Rileus. Figuratively used for the head worker in Lady Fane's charity.

Leeches: plasma vampires that scratch your skin with their toothy fingers, then lick at the resulting abrasion.

Master: one who rules over a group of thieves.

North Horn: city to the north of the kingdom, a protusion of rock into a northerninner sea.

Neyler: najlər: Second son of Althalos and Esme.

Olivian Firstborn: olɪviən: Wife of Quintus Firstborn.

Patressin: patrɛsən: street name in both Hale and South Tip, attaches to Graceless Street Node.

Priests of Glenmoire: the religious caste that works solely in The Shards, considered to be thuggish brutes, but are respected in their community.

Prince Heinlen: hajnlɛn: Althalos' stalker.

Quintus Firstborn:  kwɪntəs: Firstson of King Octavian, father of Rileus.

Reedlings: quasi-druidic Aelfine that can produce Seeded Wife offspring. Strongest ones are of human descent.

Rileus Septimal Firstborn: rajləs sɛptəməl: firstborn son of King Octavian's firstborn son, Quintus, and his wife Olivian. Commander or Grand Marshall of the inner circle's guardsmen.

Rivalt: rajvɔlt: first name of King Octavian's wife.

Scurriers: The weak and under-protected of the Shards.

Shapers: assassins out of the Shards that may employ Seeded-wives.

Shopkeep: short for shopkeeper.

Sir Halut of Bittermore:  Aelif who attacked Althalos as a child. Tal-Anan ate him.

'Skirt: short for lightskirt, specifically used for tavern-based paid sexworkers, but generically used for any woman who sleeps around.

'Skirthouses: taverns which have lightskirts.

Sneak-thief: verb-noun combination derived from being a specific skill to learn: specifically, the level of ability it takes to sneak and spy through a crowd, going unnoticed.

South Graceless: North Horn street name, attaches to Graceless Street Node.

South Tip: western city of the kingdom, on the edge of where the inner sea meets the outer sea, on the south side of that barrier.

Succubi: old hags that are a nightmare to look at that will take you by force.

Tal-Anan: tælənan: Mother to Esme, rebellious bondmaid. names given to her: Ilari(ɪlari), Nameme (namɛmi), Peto (pɛto), Alianor (æliənɔr), Gwenlen (gwɛnlɛn).

Tar-Thatchers: anarchists who go aroud lighting buildings on fire. Implied that they are more than men, but not explained.

Tattered Folds: Shard's tavern that guild members go to.

Thalos: θælos: the land owned by the Fourthborn line.

The city: all the larger cities of the kingdom jammed on top of each other by Aelif magic.

The Shards: slums of 4 cities, tied together: Dremlich, South Tip, Chelifire, and Thwarposlaw.

Theremond Tenthborn: ðɛrəmand: Uncle to Althalos. Twin of Truebell.

Thieve's Guild: multiple guilds under 1 title, focused on theft.

Thwarposlaw: θwɔrposlɔ: city between South Tip and Benden's Tears, just to the east of an untamed area of the kingdom known as Thalos. Known for having a slum.

Toughs: street gangs of varying civility.

Truebell Tenthborn: trubəl: Uncle to Althalos. Twin of Theremond. Keeper of Tal-Anan.

Twillling(twɪlɪŋ), Falthame (falθem), and Beiroot (birrut): streets that no one goes on, save those who live there. Beiroot is where street apothics are made.

Vespeak Fourthborn: vɛspik: wife of Dervaine, mother of Althalos.