Glossary
The following terms are found throughout The Gap Series trilogy.
- Agear
- A big animal with a long, sloping face and large nostrils, nodes on its neck that relate to its age, with long, coarse hair that sprays out the top of the nodes, a broad back, four long legs, and strong haunches. Often very fast, and a favorite mode of transportation, although somewhat rare. Once domesticated, it is very loyal and lives an average of 50 years.
- Amee
- A small birdlike creature.
- Auneu
- A golden wine (mildly intoxicating in sufficient quantities) somewhat rare and used for special occasions or to show honor.
- Baru Juice
- A drink Iyms enjoy chilled.
- Cooset
- Bush: A blooming bush that has tasty berries.
- Wine: A fiery, alcoholic drink made from over-ripe, sun-dried Cooset berries. Best served chilled.
- Coutree
- An Aureffay-style bed lengthened for Joend's captive Iyms. It also serves as a sofa with soft, bright cushions for support.
- Chukey
- A large fowl with long, colorful feathers, very meaty.
- Cree
- A small, delicate birdlike creature, bright red with a long, sharp beak. It makes a whistling sound and loves enclosed gardens.
- Dreed
- A large, savage, flesh-eating beast with great jaws and sharp teeth; it averages 15 ft. tall.
- Drom
- Means "simpleton;" named by Luteria. Their bodies average six-feet long, not including end feathers or heads. Their wings span eight-to-ten feet, and they have large, sharp beaks and claw feet with dagger-like talons. They are only found in the outer-world.
- Dubu
- A tall, stalky plant with broad, green leaves that flowers bright orange and produces tiny, salty, edible yellow seeds.
- Durang
- A pig-like creature with some canine features. It emits a foul odor on a regular basis and is generally vicious.
- Gert
- A canine beast, meat-eater with sharp teeth, averages four feet from shoulder to ground.
- Hob
- A small, longhaired mammal.
- Invee
- A bony appendage growing from the head of a Kontu; light beige in color, twelve-to-twenty inches long, round and diminishing in size to a sharp point. Kontu have them. Ivnee is valued for making fine eating utensils.
- Ketet
- A small flesh-eating animal (resembling a half canine/half-feline creature); it can be domesticated and is often a pet used as a guard animal.
- Kontu
- A large flesh-eating beast with great muscle mass, an ivnee, and a nerve toxin that spews from a sack in the mouth. Kontu average fifteen feet tall and often fight with Dreed.
- Kusar Tree
- A tall, stately tree with fine, feathery leaves, two to three feet long, cascading from gnarly branches supported by giant trunks, reddish-black and very rough in texture.
- Kuton Berries
- Small, sweet, deep red berries. Very nourishing, somewhat rare.
- Kua
- A small, soft fruit bright green inside with a thin, dark skin covering the flesh.
- Liviton
- A huge, ferocious, winged creature with a colorful, leathery skin armoring the throat and extending to the edge of a mildly blunted snout. The beast's underside is smooth, but has small openings along each side of its sleek, trim belly; it emits puffs of a noxious-smelling gas from them. Its breath is rank. A sac in its mouth spews acid. The liviton has long, pointed, poison-filled claws on four feet, short legs, large eyes, and a long, powerful tail containing a poison-filled dirk-like growth. It can hover and levitate vertically or move in a circle. The beast is agile, although its movements are sometimes limited by its size. Its body averages fifteen feet long, exclusive of head, neck, and tail.
- Loftar
- A sweet prepared from nectar gathered by insects that feed upon the loffer flower, a lovely plant that grows in the low light of Darkwood Tangle. Crystallized, it is a favorite treat of Iyms, Ciams, Aureffays, and agears.
- Lorin
- A woodland creature similar to the Otee, but larger and with a very long neck and short pointed ears.
- Luro Leaves
- A green plant with large, flat leaves. They dry quickly when removed from the plant's stem. Once dried, the leaves can be used in healing salves and ointments and are also good for a healing tea.
- Mistlon
- A sweet reddish fruit with a thin rind. Both the flesh and the rind are quite tasty when fresh picked.
- Musulo trees
- A stand of fragrant trees on which tiny, red blossoms appear at the tops of dark green foliage gracing black trunks of smooth bark. The blossoms are straw-like with small compact centers that provide nectar to one of the few insects found on Iyms Island.
- Musu
- The small, flying insects that partially digest the nectar of blossoms of the Musulo and spin a soft, airy cone-shaped confection that it attaches to the lower branches of the tree.
- Musucone
- The confection made by the Musu insects; a taste treat like no other, it is highly sought after in season.
- Olee juice
- A light, slightly sweet juice made from the olee fruit.
- Omsu
- A tart sweet.
- Otee
- A tasty woodland creature with spindly legs, a dense, meaty trunk, and a small head with large eyes and long ears.
- Poduin
- A rich, bronze-colored metal capable of being highly polished.
- Resit
- A large rodent.
- Rocca Tree
- A large, strong tree that gives sap used to make healing salves.
- Rotero Root
- A large, fibrous root highly nutritious and filling.
- Selt
- A brilliant-colored metal similar to gold.
- Shrum
- A mushroom-like fungus that grows in the meadow but may only be gathered at night because their tops do not puff out until then. The shrum is a favorite treat of the Small Ones.
- Skuge
- Traitor, back-stabber, liar, etc.
- Sofoo
- A vine with large leaves and two-feet long trumpet-shaped brilliant orange blossoms that smell sweet like perfume. A particularly seductive perfume is made from it.
- Squani
- A small, furry rodent with a long pointed nose, a great bushy tail, and gourd green eyes. He makes a chattering sound and flips his tail to communicate with his kind.
- Sneeb
- A sweet, flaky white fish.
- Sutosh
- Porridge made from the deep green insides of a tall, stately plant (four-to-six inches in diameter when ready to harvest). It is usually served hot for first meal.
- Tacree
- A four-legged, hoofed beast with a small shapely head above a tall neck, large dark eyes, and a short, fluffy tail; a favored companion of the Iyms; food to the Aureffays and Effays.
- Taber Berries
- Large, orange berries, seedless and sweet -- only found on Iyms Island.
- Tarly Tree
- A very tall, stately tree with black bark; it has great girth and lush green leaves at the tops.
- Tagear
- A small beast of burden, named "tagear" because of features reminiscent of the agear and the tacree. About half as tall as an agear, it stands an average of twelve hands from hoof to the single node at the base of its long, sloping neck. Short, stocky legs support its barrel-shaped body. Its head is long and angular like an agear; its eyes large, soft, and dark like a tacree; it sports a fluffy puff of a tail.
- Tarlin
- A dark, oily fish.
- Territ Tree
- A medium-sized tree that grows near water. It has dark bark that is easily stripped from the trunk. The bark is pliable, tastes good, and nutritious. It is only found on Iyms Island.
- Tourow
- A small, rare invertebrate creature that secretes a substance spinners turn into exquisite fabric.
- Trekiya
- A large, ferocious, flesh-eating feline beast with long, pointed claws, smooth coat, and saber-like front teeth. The trekiya's claws (up to four inches long) release a burning poison capable of killing unless treatment is promptly administered.
- Triod
- A poison capable of killing Effays and Aureffays if ingested.
- Tularin
- A translucent, round fruit. Tularin grows only in the darkest areas -- such as Darkwood Tangle. The fruit is carefully cut in half, the bitter, mushy insides are removed, and the tasty tularin bowls are filled with soups, porridges, etc.
- Turcot
- Berries: Small, black berries that can be broken to neutralize airborne odors.
- Salve: Made from the turcot berries; when rubbed onto the skin, it darkens the skin and neutralizes the scent of the one to whose skin it is applied.
- Root: Used to make a slightly bitter drink that is non-alcoholic.
- Tureen
- A finely tooled, hand-beaten serving platter.
- Turey
- A time keeping device. Tureys are often used in the cab-like transport available on Iyms Island.
- Turkite
- A drink made by The Prince from the turcot root; it is a very strong alcoholic drink.
- Ulee
- A large, graceful waterfowl with spectacular flight and fishing skills.
- Zorin
- A poison capable of killing even the Effays and Aureffays.