Instrumentalities of the Night
From Glen Cook Wiki
A series including so far:
Known Religions
Pagans: worship the Instrumentalities of the Night, supernatural creatures
Dainshau: Believe in a harsh God, who in the words of the author "He was a punisher, the Punisher, the source of all misfortune, and would happily do you in because He did not like your haircut"
Devedians: Believe that God rewards or punishes those who deserve it, not just because He wants to. Equivalent to Judaism. Descendent of Dainshau
Chaldarean: Equivalent of Christianity, with the following known strains
- Arianist: unknown if still in use, early version of Chaldareanism by the Founders, although they still considered themselves Devedians
- Episcopal: Equivalent to Catholic Christianity, with Brothe as the center of the Patriarchy, with an Anti-Patriarch in Vincesment. Believe in Hell, unlike earlier incarnations
- Seekers After Light (A.K.A. Maysalean Heresy): Believe that the 'God' that visited earlier Chaldareans was actually the Adversary and that the Adversary won the War in Heaven. Also have a belief in a Wheel of Life, believing that if you can walk the Path of Perfection, ridding yourself of worldly wants that you can ascend to heaven.
- Eastern Empire faith: Not much is known other than they don't follow Brothe
Al-Prama (The Faith): Islamic equivalent, pretty much the same as Chaldareans, but claiming that the Founding Family should be credited with the revelations, not the Founders.
Geography
Veterans of Cook's work will not be surprised to find that he provides no map of the locations used in the Instrumentalities series. But they might be frustrated because there is a great deal of travel, and the plot is heavy on interstate politics. One can get a general idea of the geography from reading, but as many have observed a map would have been an invaluable addition.
Anyone with a passing familiarity with Medieval Europe will quickly begin to recognize places from history, and eventually it becomes clear that he simply took a map of the Mediterranean world from 12th or 13th Century and changed all the names. Some of the places are modified a bit, and some states and other institutions may have been displaced through time a bit (see below). Cook's places are listed in alphabetical order, with their real-world equivalents given next to them. Uncertain identifications are indicated with a question mark.
- Alameddine – Apulia
- Andesqueluz – somewhere in the Holy Land?
- Antieux – Béziers
- Aparion – unknown Italian maritime republic
- Arnhand – France
- Artecipia - Corsica? Sardinia?
- Brothe – Rome
- Calzir – Muslim kingdom in Sicily and southwestern Italy
- Connec – Aquitaine
- Dateon – unknown Italian maritime republic?
- Direcia – Spain
- Dreanger – Egypt
- Duarenia –
- Empire of Rhun – Byzantine Empire
- End of Connec – Languedoc (eastern Acquitaine)
- Firaldia – Italy
- Gharlicean Empire – Iran?
- the Grail Empire – the Holy Roman Empire
- al-Halambra – Syria?
- the Holy Land – the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine)
- Hu'n-tai At – Mongols of the Golden Horde?
- Hypraxium – Constantinople?
- the Idiam (somewhere in the Holy Land) – ?
- Kaifate of al-Minphet – Fatimid Caliphate (Cairo Caliphate)
- Kaifate of Qasr al-Zed – Abbasid Caliphate (Baghdad Caliphate)
- Khaurene – Poitiers
- Lucidia – Common name for Qasr al-Zed, geographic origin unclear (Iraq? Baghdad?)
- Navaya – Navarre
- Platadura – Barcelona?
- Plemenza – ?
- al-Qarn – Cairo
- Rhun Empire – Byzantine Empire
- Runch/Staklirhod – Malta? Cyprus?
- Santerin – England
- Sheavenalle - Narbonne
- Shippen – Sicily
- Shirne River – the Nile
- Sonsa – Genoa
- St. Jeules ande Neuis (cities in Connec) – ?
- Tramaine – Normandy? Seems to refer to English possessions in France
- Verses Mountains – Pyrenees Mountains
- Viscesment – Avignon
- Wells of Ihrian – the area around Jerusalem, in southern Israel?*Ormienden-Germanic
