Rinara – Between Starfalls and Windward are both set in the land of Rinara, a land of mists. It’s a large island cut off from the rest of its world by strange natural phenomenon. Rinara is peopled by the Rinaryns, an agrarian race of humanoids built light and small with stone age technology. Some have wings, some have psionic powers, some have healing powers, and some have a combination.

Also living on Rinara are the Rinaran elves, a secretive people who keep much to themselves in the dense forests of the land, the Rinaran fae, who meddle in the affairs of the other races for their own purposes, and the Kamalti, a race of humanoids who live hidden underground in the mountain range known as the Holy Mountains. There are also the dragons, who view the other races as beneath them and prefer not to be bothered. Some select Rinaryns are chosen by the dragons to be bonded to them, to have access to all their vast knowledge and the might of their protection in return for taking care of small tasks.

Rinaryn – a primary people of the land of Rinara. The Rinaryns use an -yn suffix for themselves to denote themselves as belonging to the land, while they use an -an suffix for others (like the Rinaran fae and elves) to denote them as inhabiting the land. The dragonbonded in Windward are all Rinaryn.

Kamalti – a sentient people in Rinara who live only in the Holy Mountains. According to the ancient stories, they once lived on the land with the Rinaryns, in friendship with them. After the Great War, they left to make their homes underground, cutting off all contact with the Rinaryns. Many Rinaryns think they are no more than a legend telling of past folly.

Darks – an ancient enemy of the Rinaryns

Torkae – a small village in the region of Heartwood

Heartwood – a region in the northeast of Rinara

The Angels – a creature who hunts by song, paralyzing their prey so they can feed

The City of the Lost – an ancient city where the Rinaryns send their banished people

Codr – a Kamalti city, separated from Hadr by a great chasm.

Hadr – a Kamalti city, separated from Codr by a great chasm.

 

Rinaryn Terms

yah – the coming of age ritual of the Rinaryn people. Each child must spend a month on their own living off the land before they can claim the rights and responsibilities of an adult.

aeneshenate – winged Rinaryns

tserwora – a large, venomous lizard in Rinara

zeriy – a large canine in Rinara who prefers the grasslands. They have long legs and are known for speed. Sometimes tamed as pets.

toelfa – a large feline in Rinara who lives in the forests. They have a curled ruff around their necks and a long tail with a venomous barb at the end.

tailosae – a Rinaryn primate well known in the forests of Heartwood and Life Valley.

ehreideikae – priestess. Literally: one who watches/knows

shareil – lit: peace

nanovah – a Rinaryn word basically meaning “Forget about it”

Saimakae – lit: Great Mother. The highest ranking woman of a Rinaryn village.

Betah teimelei – a polite Rinaryn greeting, often shortened to simply “Betah”

acha’iyih – a term of endearment.

cha’atanahn – Taunos’s pet name for his sister, literally meaning “abundance of heart”