| PRIMARY |
| Misha |
(MEE-shah) Uruna’s childhood name |
| Uruna Kumta |
(oo-ROO-nuh KOOM-tuh) Empath, healer, child prodigy, seeker of prophecy; Nippur’s intended queen (entu). Kumta is her personal god but she heeds Enshiggu most of all. |
| Gudamma |
(goo-DAH-muh) Aged mystic who brings Uruna out of the Zagros mountains to Nippur, enabling Uruna to become a prophet. Uruna’s adopted grandmother, or Nana. |
| Ashur |
(ASH-er) Elamite hunter who adopts Uruna as a foster daughter and teaches her to hunt. |
| Nebur |
(NEE-ber) Vagabond scalawag, a thief and highwayman until he meets Misha. |
| Kinar |
(ki-NAHR) Uruna’s priestess mentor and protector |
| Arn-Gar |
(a.k.a. Gar) Nord blacksmith and Uruna’s devoted bodyguard |
| Memet |
(mem-MET) Uruna’s cobra companion and spiritual channel |
| Mena Ramush |
(MAY-nuh rah-MOOSH) Sitting queen (entu) on Uruna’s arrival; devoted mentor and guide |
| Niccaba |
(NICK-uh-buh) Temple power broker whose strong belief in the need for prophecy pushes her into strange alliances. Top ranking priestess and minister, a one-time queen, now adjutant and chancellor. |
| Suba |
(SOO-buh) Uruna’s first love and mate, her half-Nord consort and would-be husband, a loyal defender and protector throughout. |
| Lubna Seddua |
(LUB-nuh SED-oo-ah) Temple bureaucrat who sees Uruna as a threat to her personal advancement. Truly wicked and devious, capable of lethal recourse when pressed far enough. The major obstacle to Uruna’s own career and path to prophecy. |
| SUPPORTING ROLES |
| Anu |
(AH-noo) Heganna’s sole male heir; elusive, rebellious, a legend among his peers. The consort intended for Uruna but too rebellious. |
| Heganna |
(hay-GAH-nuh) Richest woman in Sumer. Head of clan Hanza, powerful influence at court. Three grown daughters in places of power, renegade son Anu. |
| Jebbut |
(JEB-but) Heganna’s houseman of Egyptian heritage. |
| Khufu Mahut |
(KOO-foo mah-HOOT) Visiting Egyptian royal selected by the temple elite to be Uruna’s first consort. |
| Nabi Gahn |
(NAH-bee GAHN) Iconoclastic master hunter and combatant who runs a camp to turn boys into soldiers. Perhaps also a killer for hire? |
| Nashi |
Uruna’s wise mentor from the plantations, an aging advisor who will figure in several future developments. The first to foretell Uruna’s ascension to power. |
| Retha |
(RETH-uh) Daughter born to Gar and his wife Milsah as Uruna returns from her life in Nippur’s Trades sector. A key figure in Uruna’s life with significant roles later on. |
| Zug |
(Zoog) Uruna’s close advisor and fellow civic leader at Mada Ghin. |
| PLACES |
| Nippur |
(ni-POOR) Sumerian sacred city, home to gods and Goddess Inanna. |
| Ekur |
(ee-KOOR) Inanna temple in Nippur. |
| Aniginna |
(ah-ni-GHINN-uh) Immense government complex inside the Nippur environs. |
| Uruk |
(OO-ruck) Larger rival city further south on Euphrates. |
| Eanna |
(ee-AH-nuh) Uruk’s temple. |
| Mada Ghin |
(mah-dah-GHEEN) Frontier town Uruna establishes for planter refugees. Her success there enhances her career at temple. |
| Enshiggu |
(en-SHIG-oo) Deity behind Uruna’s ascension to prophecy. Her spiritual guide and advisor. The being to whom she turns in her darkest hour. |
| Kissura |
(KISS-er-uh) A city on Euphrates. |
| Euphrates |
(yoo-FRAY-teez) Greek name for the main river dividing the Fertile Crescent. |
