Glossary of Avaria

Abaya - A cloak, mantle, or wrapper worn by women of the Sirdabi Caliphate. It can be plain colored, in dark or light hues, or it may be brightly colored and patterned, or feature trim and braid. It may be worn wrapped around the shoulders or, for greater modesty, draped from the crown.

Barracan - A thick, strong wool made from camel hair.

Bisht - A simple cloak or mantle, generally worn by men of the Sirdabi Caliphate.

Bruul - A gnu-like ungulate revered among the Amunati and roundly despised everywhere else. Nevertheless widely raised for meat, milk, and hide.

Burnoose - A long hooded robe commonly worn in northern Idiri.

Griot - A bard of the Bissenke peoples of northwestern Idiri, whose influential social role is a combination of musician, storyteller, historian, and genealogist.

Jembe - A skin-covered goblet drum of northwestern Idiri, tuned with ropes and played with the hands.

Kaftan - A full-length, collarless tunic shaped lightly to the body, worn by both men and women.

Kemenche - A bowed string instrument with three strings and a pear- or paddle-shaped body. Usually played resting upright on the musician's knee, or sometimes on the ground. Particularly popular in Irzal.

Khuffs - Soft leather slipper-shoes.

Kora - A complex hybrid string instrument with characteristics of both lute and harp, plucked with the fingers. It features a large body made from cowhide stretched over a calabash, and 22 strings on a long hardwood neck. It is the characteristic instrument of the Bissenke griot.

Mizmar - A conical-bore, double-reed woodwind instrument especially popular in northern Idiri.

Mizuda - A small leather or woven pouch or bag, decorated with beads, shells, tassels, applique, or other adornments, used for storing a variety of small objects from money to herbs. Used by both men and women.

Ney - An end-blown flute widely played throughout the Sirdabi Caliphate. It may have either five or six holes in the front, and a single thumb hole in back. It can be made from a reed or from various types of wood.

Olliwag - A cat-sized omnivore with large dark eyes, tufted ears, and a long banded tail. It makes its home in cliffsides, amidst boulders, or in stony hills, and has a marked propensity to steal stray objects and hoard them in its den. Different species are found around the Adelantean basin.

Oud - A short-necked, fretless lute of Sirdabi lands. It most typically has eleven strings grouped in six courses, and it is played using a wooden plectrum.

Rebab - A bowed string instrument with a long neck and small rounded body, often with a spike at the bottom so that it may easily be played upright and resting on the ground. It may have one, two, or three strings, and has a very limited but haunting range. Simple versions are popular among the nomadic tribes of Rahoum.

Sirwaal - Capacious long pants with a sash to draw in the waistline, worn by both men and women. Generally synonymous with pantaloons.

Thawb - For men, a calf- or ankle-length shirt-like garment with long sleeves and a standing collar. For women, a capacious overdress usually featuring full flowing sleeves.