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80 KiB
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2017 lines
80 KiB
Plaintext
Path: uuwest!control.spies.com!spies!sgiblab!spool.mu.edu!think.com!rpi!bu.edu!dartvax!Alexx
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From: Alexx@world.std.com (Alexx S Kay)
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Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info
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Subject: The Cerebus Concordance *DRAFT* 1.2
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Message-ID: <Bx27H8.Fuo@world.std.com>
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Date: 1 Nov 92 22:51:08 GMT
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Sender: news@dartvax.dartmouth.edu (The News Manager)
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Followup-To: rec.arts.comics.misc
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Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
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Lines: 2004
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Approved: hades@dartmouth.edu
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Any one who isn't *real* interested in Cerebus, *please* hit "n"
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now, or maybe even "k". This sucker is *huge*.
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Welcome to version 1.2 of the Cerebus Concordance. This document
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is intended to index the people, places, items and groups in the
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Cerebus stories. Although it should be of interest in various regards,
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this is not* a timeline, a checklist of publications, an annotation,
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or a dangler list. Those are my other* big Cerebus projects :)
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Comments and correction are welcomed, of course. I expect to be
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keeping this up-to-date for my own pleasure, but not posting updates
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very often (there just isn't enough room on my account). If anyone
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wants to take responsibility for distributing the latest posted
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version, go for it. Permission is hereby granted to freely distribute
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this, as long as you don't charge for it. Just about every person,
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place and thing mentioned here is Copyright 1992 Dave Sim.
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Most entries are followed by references to the issue and page
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where I got the dating information from. Unless otherwise noted, all
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issue numbers refer to Cerebus. Lengthier explanations are included
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where I felt them necessary.
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This is a *draft* release. It (hopefully) completely covers
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issues 1-25 and 151-163. In several places I have inserted issue
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references as "xxx", which is shorthand for "I haven't gotten around to
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annotating that issue yet, and I'll fill it in later."
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The Cerebus Concordance 1.2
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AARDVARKIAN AGE
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See MAPS.
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AARDVARKS
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Aardvarks are also called "earth-pigs" colloquially.
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The PIGTS had an aardvark god-king a thousand years ago (5,
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p.16).
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...
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CEREBUS has never met another aardvark.
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AGERDEN, Duke of
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Appears in issue 19.
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An old friend of Cerebus', formerly a shady operator, now a
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(mostly) legitimate Duke.
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AKSHUN CROSSING
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Located in PALNU, between Palnu city and FLUROC.
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ALANNE
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Mentioned in issue 13.
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A milk-maid whose pregnancy was blamed on NECROSS HAHAHA THE MAD and
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was forced to marry GUMS, the village idiot.
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ALBATROSS
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First mentioned in issue 29, p. 12 as "...a DAM statchoo of a DAM
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DUCK!" The Albatross plot in High Society bears a great deal of
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similarity to The Maltese Falcon (see ASTORIA).
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ALEXANDRA
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Appears in issues 154-155.
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A young woman living in Lower Iest.
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ALFRED
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See SUENTEUS PO THE SECOND
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AMSTANAT
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A country located to the southeast of the lands of KHAIDOGE THE
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UNGOVERNABLE and LISHYAN. Capital is SAN-FONIL.
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It is ruled by a god-king, for whom the BLACK BLOSSOM LOTUS was
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created. Went through some religious wars circa 1361. (10, pgs.5,7).
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ANDRENA, GREAT
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Mentioned in issue 160.
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Ruler of the CIRINISTS of the Upper City in IEST during the time
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of SUENTEUS PO III.
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APOCALYPSE BEAST
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A magical creation of great power. They are controlled by the a
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phrase of the form "All who know ____ shall burn at the touch of the
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beast...", where the blank may be filled in with any word the creator
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chooses. Examples include SUMP THING and WOMAN-THING.
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ARNOLD THE ISSHURIAN
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ARTEMIS STRONG
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A personality of the COCKROACH.
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"ARTIST"
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Appears in issue 25.
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An unnamed artist who owns a castle not far from IEST.
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He posesses a number of unusual artifacts, including his castle (a
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relic of the Black Tower Period), SUMP-THING, and the ALBATROSS.
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He may very well be the "good" magician who stands in opposition
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to CLAREMONT (see MAGIC).
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He may also be an ILLUSIONIST. He is skilled at symbolist
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painting (25, pgs.8-9) and at the use of subliminal messages (xxx).
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ASHEM SOGGOT RA
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A god/demon? Possibly the name of the sorcerer from "The Flame
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Jewel" (1, p.18).
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ASHTOTH
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A god some sort. Frequently used as an oath: "Ashtoth take me!"
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(3, p.7), "Ashtoth preserve me" (5, p.6), "Ashtoth's visage!" (5,
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p.11), "By Ashtoth!" (13, p.18).
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ASTORIA
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Appears in issue 155, 159, 161, 163.
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Cameos/Mentions in issues 157-158, 160, 162.
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Born in LOWER FELDA (163, p.2).
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Originally conceived of as a "Mary Astor character" (HS
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notebooks, p.2). Clearly she is based on the Brigid O'Shaughnessy
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character Astor played in the 1941 version of "The Maltese Falcon".
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She is Lord JULIUS' ex-wife. This led to her station as Duchess
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of Parmoc.
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"... I believe in state-owned prostitution, pharmaceutically-
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assisted miscarriages, ownership of men, guaranteed minimum incomes
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for women over the age of fifteen and the inalienable right to self-
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determination within those parameters... "
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Author of KEVILLIST ORIGINS and, presumably, many other tracts.
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AVERS
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A satellite city of PALNU, in the CI'NUFINN district.
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BACCHUS
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A cameo of Eddie Campbell's Bacchus character appear in issue
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152, p.15.
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BASKIN
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Appears in issues 15, 151, 162.
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LORD JULIUS's stenographer and assistant. Holds the title
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Minister for Executive Planning "in honor of his paying two hundred
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pieces a month".
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BAY OF SUNSHEE
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The sea immeiately around PALNU (18, map).
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BEDUIN
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Capital city of LOWER FELDA (45, p.10).
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BEHN RHIADOR
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Southwest district of PALNU, containing the city of STEHLIS (18,
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map).
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BETH
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An artists model. Appears in issues 153-154.
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BLACK BLOSSOM LOTUS
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Appears in issues 10, 11 and 152.
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A powerful magic talisman created by the wizard HERCES for the
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god-king of AMSTANAT. It is lost on or about 1361, and doesn't
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reappear until 1411 (issue 10), but is soon lost again (11, p.xxx)
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Reappears in issue 152, undergoing a strange transformation.
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BLACK SUN CULT
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Appears in issues 6 and 7.
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Cameo in Issue 16.
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A mysterious cult of death worshippers from the HSIFAN KHANATE.
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They are "centuries" old. The "Black Sun" may be synonymous with
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Death. They have a sacred symbol of a circle with two lines
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descending from it, similar to a mirrored "Q". They are popularly
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known to possess a great deal of treasure, and to be utterly
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ruthless.
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Their leader is referred to as "the Dark Majesty".
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They had at least one major temple in the mountains to the north
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of the Hsifan Khanate. In the center of this temple is a huge pit,
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inhabited by a giant spider-like creature, apparently identified by
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the priesthood with their god. It consumes souls, and is apparently
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destroyed (along with the temple) while trying to consume CEREBUS'.
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One of their ancient gods ("The Nameless Ones") has a close
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resembalance to CEREBUS.
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There is allegedly a "Festival of the Black Sun in early winter
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(7, p.4).
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There is a drink popularly known as a "Black Sun Cocktail"
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consisting of dark ale, apricot brandy and BOREALAN whiskey (7, p.4).
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BLACK TOWER
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BLAKELY, HARMON
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Appears in issues xxx.
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Cameos/Mentions in issues 156-157.
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BLOOD WARS
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A series of conflicts going on in and around Boreala around 1411
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(2, p.1).
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BLOSSOM
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Appears in issues 162-163.
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An IESTan prostitute of Oriental appearance. I don't believe we
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have seen anyone else in the series to date who appeared Oriental. The
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COCKROACH falls in love with her.
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BOOK OF STOTH
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A book quoted in issue 7 that contains some small information on
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the temple of the BLACK SUN.
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BOREALA
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A country to the north of the SEPRAN EMPIRE.
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Involved in the BLOOD WARS around 1411 (2, p.1).
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Major cities include TEMZA, GURANN, TANSUBAL, and BRANPUR(?).
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The government gets much of its income from gold mines, which are
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running dry in 1411 (3, p.1; 9, p.1).
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BRAN MAK MUFIN
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Appears in issues 5, 161
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Mentioned in issue 156.
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Character originated as a parody of Robert E. Howard's celtic
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barbarian chieftain character Bran Mak Morn, a king of the Picts.
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Leader of the Pigts.
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BRANPUR
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A city in BOREALA, about a day and a half walking distance from
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TANSUBAL. On the Aardvarkian Age map, it is mistakenly listed as
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"Brahpur".
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BRUGEL ARMS TAVERN
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A tavern in TOGITH. "HORTNE" had an apartment in the cellar.
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BRYAN
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Appears in issues 152-153. First Iestan to recognise CEREBUS as
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the former Pope, and to cheer him on against the Cirinists.
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Presumably dies in 153.
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BUZ
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A narcotic compound invented by K'COR. It is one hundred percent
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addictive, and contains all the food value needed by an adult for one
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day. Exact formula is onlyknown by K'COR and SEDRA.
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CALENDAR
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"Shrove Teusday" (4, p.19).
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The High Holy Days observed by the Eastern Church of Tarim
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(possibly the Western as well) last "from midwinter to Concordance
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Eve... No priest is allowed to eat salted nuts... comment on the
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weather... or *leave* his place of meditation" (17, p.11). From various
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internal evidence, the High Holy Days must be at least 20 days long.
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Concordance Eve is the "festival of spring's arrival" (21, p.2).
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Possibly the spring Equinox?
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CAPTAIN COCKROACH
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A personality of the COCKROACH.
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CEREBUS
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Appears in issues 1-24,...151-163.
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First printed appearance is issue 1, page 1.
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He often refers to himself in the third person, a barbaric
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northern custom.
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CEREBUS appears to have no soul (2, p.19; 7, p.20), though what
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the implications of this are in his world is unclear. Conversely, he
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may have a soul, of a nature that that trying to consume it results in
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the consumer's destruction.
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CEREBUS has a great fondness for apricot brandy. He is first
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seen drinking it in issue 4.
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Though small, CEREBUS is deceptively strong. He is capable of
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breaking sturdy chains (4, p.18). He has developed quite a lot of
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muscle in his oversized snout and tail, and is capable of using them
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as fighting limbs. (2, p.7; 6, p.7; 8, p.3; 14, p.19, etc.).
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CEREBUS' fur smells truly awful when wet.
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CEREBUS seems to disdain the use of armor (except for an
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occasional helmet) probably relying on his speed, skill, and small
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size to protect him (9, p.4). He is one of the very few right-handed
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swordsmen in ESTARCION, which may also help to explain his success.
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CEREBUS' theology is well indicated in issue 5 with his thoughts
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"Tarim, Ashtoth, these were gods... They brougt war, pain, they killed
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without reason or apology" (p.19). CEREBUS is himself bloodthirsty
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towards his enemies, and vindictive when he can get away with it.
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CEREBUS is an expert con man, and skilled at quickly making up
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mostly-plausible "facts" to support his schemes.
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CEREBUS is often plagued by curiosity, and will frequently enter
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situations that he *knows* will get him into trouble because of it.
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...
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On the letters page of issue 26, Sim discusses CEREBUS' "complete
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lack of expertise" in warfare, and his gradual realisation of this
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fact. "He is learning to not trust his instincts when it comes to
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picking an army to fight with. His instincts in that area are not
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particularly good."
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He is the number 6 crossbowman in ESTARCION (27, p.9).
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CEREBUS studied for three years with Magus Doran in his youth.
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CEREBUS has good night vision. (30, p.2)
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Places CEREBUS has been:
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"Flame Jewel" city
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Boreala
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Tansubal
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Temza
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Branpur
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Sepran Empire
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Serrea
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Red Marches
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Demonhorn Mountain
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Pigt Tunnels
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Hsifan Khanate
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Iest
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Imesh
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Places CEREBUS has not(?) been:
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T'Capmin Kingdoms
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Wall of Tsi
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Smina
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CHARISSE
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Appears in issue 163.
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One of CIRIN's aides.
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CHEEN, GENERAL
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Mentioned in issue 22.
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A member of the military tribunal ruling LOWER FELDA.
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CHENEA
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A city in ONLIU.
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CI'NUFINN
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The western province of PALNU. Contains the cities of AVERS and
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CIHNU.
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CIHNU
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A city in the CI'NUFINN province of PALNU.
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CIRIN
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Appears in 100, 151-152, 154-156, 159-160, 162-163.
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Cameos/Mentions in 20, 161.
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Spiritual and Political head of the Cirinists. She is also an
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aardvark, though not a dwarfish one; if anything, she may be suffering
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from giantism. Author of THE NEW MATRIARCHY, "Dualism as Fallacy", and
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presumably other works.
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This name is also that of the founder of Cirinism, but they are
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different characters, unless this one is *much* older than is obvious
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(or is a reincarnation of the original).
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She has a very bad temper when she gets annoyed.
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She is very strong, and has an excellent sense of smell (162,
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p.5).
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CIRINISTS
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Appear (as a group) in issues 20, xxx, 151-161.
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...
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From the letters page of issue 26: "The Cirinists are the most
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recent incarnation of the original matriarchal society that once
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dominated Estarcion." It is also mentioned here that the Cirinists
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have control of UPPER FELDA since the revolution, but are a minority
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and/or persecuted underground elsewhere.
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Cirin has been staging revolutions and infiltrating populaces
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throughout the world. (28, pgs. 6-7) She has purged her own inner
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circle three times since the revolution. (28, p.18)
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..
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It was revealed in issues 150-151 that Cirinists are telepathic
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with one another, and that any harm to one of them causes all others
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in the vicinity to "swarm" the attacker.
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Cirinists (at least Cirinist soldiers) are deadly fighters.
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Citizenship in a Cirinist-run government is detrmined by
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childbirth, only mothers are citizens. Infertile women are of very
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low status, and abortion and birth control are outlawed.
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CLAREMONT, PROFESSOR CHARLES X.
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Appears in issue 23-25.
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Disguised for most of issues 23-24 as "Madame DuFort", of "Madame
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DuFort's School for Gifted Debutantes".
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A parody of both the Marvel Comics character Professor Charles
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Xavier, and of his principal writer during this period, Chris Claremont
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(who also wrote the Man-Thing comic book for a time). Professor Xavier
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was the dean of "Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters",
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secretly the students were the mutant heroes known as the X-Men.
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"I decided to do a tongue-in-cheek treatment of Chris Claremont's
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X-men series. Having read (and heard) so often at this time that Chris,
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when faced with developing a new character in the series, would ask,
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sometimes rhetorically but more often not, "Is there any reason this
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character can't be a woman?" [...] Marvel was also on a kick at this
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time about protecting their trademark on major characters by doing
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female versions of them. They ended up doing two around the same time -
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- Spider-Woman and She-Hulk. The implication of this move, at least in
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my mind, was that any publisher doing a female version of a Marvel
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character that wasn't Spider-Woman or She-Hulk would have free rein to
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use those characters -- Thingette, The Woman Torch. So taking the bull
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by the horns, I decided to do Woman-Thing." (_Swords_of_Cerebus_,
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volume six, Introduction to issues 23-25).
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CLARINDA
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Appears in issues 151, 153-154, 161.
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A CIRINIST, and aide to CIRIN and MRS. THATCHER.
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CLOVIS
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Presumably a god of some sort. Frequently used as an oath: "By
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Clovis' beard!" (1, p.5; 2, pgs.5, 17), "Clovis' beads!" (2, p.14; 3,
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p.10; 4, p.15, etc.), "Clovis' blood!" (2, p.16; 3, p.7), "By Clovis'
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teeth!" (2, p.18), "Clovis' molars!" (3, p.11), "Clovis' ears!" (3,
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p.15), "by Clovis" (3, p.16), "Clovis' teeth and tankard!" (4, p.4),
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"Clovis' orbs" (4, p.21), "Clovis' tonsils!" (8, p.9), "Clovis'
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instep!" (9, p.5), "by Clovis' rack and irons..." (12, p.5), "Clovis'
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burial mound!" (14, p.11), "Clovis' lobotomy scar..." (20, p.16).
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COCK AND BULL TAVERN
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A tavern in BEDUIN. Appears in issue 12.
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COCKROACH
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Appears in issues 11-12, 21-22, 154-155, 158-163.
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Cameos/Mentions in issues 13, 156-157.
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His first incarnation is that of The Cockroach, a parody of
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Batman, in issues 11-12. He is a multiple personality, a facet of
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many of his later "incarnations". By day, he is an (unnamed)
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merchant, who used to be a sorcerer, but now destroys magic objects
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because they are "bad for business". By night, he is The Cockroach, a
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masked avenger, who continually pummels passers-by on the mistaken
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assumption that they had something to do with the death of his
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parents. He is about 50 years old when Cerebus meets him.
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Cerebus often refers to him as "the bug" or "cootie".
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In his second appearance (issues 21-22), he has been molded
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bypresidentWEISSHAUPT into "Captain Cockroach", a Captain America
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parody.
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...
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The notebook pages in "High Society" issue 1 have a picture of a
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"Corn Roach" character. Never used in the story, he "eventually
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became the Moon Roach."
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In the letters page of issue 27, Sim say that he is still "making
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sure that the drapes don't eat the house plants."
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In issue 30, he returns as the "Moon Roach", a parody of Marvel
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Comics Moon Knight character. Moon Knight was considered by many to
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be a rip-off of Batman, whom the original Cockroach parodied.
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Kevitch, the new sub-personality of the Moon Roach, may be named
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after Bill Sienkiewicz (pronounced 'sin-kevitch'), Moon Knight's most
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famous artist. There may also be an element of "kvetch" a Yiddish(?)
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word meaning someone who comments abusively on things.(?)
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He is now under ASTORIA's control, she having seduced him. She
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has implanted his new-found interest in economics. She has created a
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new personality, Artemis Strong. Astoria alleges that he came up with
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the Moon Roach personality himself, but Michelle later contradicts
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this.
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..
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normalroach
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A parody of normalman
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..
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normalroach reappears in issue 154, in which he seems to be
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|
integrating his personalities into a more coherent (or at least self-
|
|
aware) whole. These are led by a new identity, the Punisheroach.
|
|
Punisheroach is a parody of the Marvel Comic's character "The
|
|
Punisher", a vigilante who goes after drug dealers with large caliber
|
|
weapons and extreme predjudice.
|
|
The Roach is now exhibiting clear telepathic/mystical powers, and
|
|
a much clearer picture of the world than he normally has, though still
|
|
far from completely sane.
|
|
|
|
CONCORDANCE EVE
|
|
A major religious holiday, celebrating the arrival of spring (21,
|
|
p.2) Probably also used to mark the new year.
|
|
|
|
CONNIPTINS
|
|
Appear in issues 8-9.
|
|
Various nomadic northern tribes that are gradually encroaching
|
|
into the RED MARCHES. They have more advanced medicine than CEREBUS
|
|
is familiar with (8, p.11). Their war cry is "Might makes Right!
|
|
Might for Right! Might for Might! Right for Might! Fight! Fight!
|
|
Fight!"
|
|
Once ruled Iest (8, p.12)
|
|
Apparently subject to the HSIFAN KHANATE (8, p.19)?
|
|
On the letters page of issue 26, Sim says that they never had any
|
|
real chance.
|
|
|
|
COOTIE
|
|
CEREBUS' nickname for the COCKROACH.
|
|
|
|
MRS. COPPS
|
|
Appears in issues 155, 158.
|
|
Cameos/Mentions in issues 156-157.
|
|
An Iestan Cirinist, in charge of heading CIRIN's project to
|
|
construct a huge GOLD SPHERE.
|
|
|
|
CRAWLER
|
|
"A creature from the dawn of time, a creature of sorcery" (4,
|
|
p.6) which "DEATH" sends to attack CEREBUS.
|
|
|
|
CROMAGS MAC MILC
|
|
A PIGT from issue 5.
|
|
|
|
DARNIER PRISON
|
|
A prison in BEDUIN. The COCKROACH was imprisoned there in issue 12.
|
|
|
|
DEADALBINO
|
|
See ELROD.
|
|
|
|
"DEATH"
|
|
Appears in issues 8, 151.
|
|
Allegedly a demon who assumed the identity of "Death" 7000 years
|
|
ago, but was then devoured by suucubi.
|
|
In issue 153, page 7, a cameo of Neil Gaiman's version of Death
|
|
from Sandman appears in the lower right-hand corner.
|
|
|
|
DEIDRE
|
|
Appears only in issue 11. A city guard in BEDUIN.
|
|
|
|
DEGUIN
|
|
Appears only in issue 11. A city guard in BEDUIN.
|
|
|
|
DEHRSION
|
|
A southern city state. Part of the SEPRAN EMPIRE? Has had a
|
|
CIRINIST-supported rebellion. Located on the SOFIM River.
|
|
Under attack by the PIGTS (5, p.13).
|
|
They manufacture champagne (10, p.6).
|
|
|
|
DESHEN, SECOND GENERAL
|
|
Appears (sort of) in issue 22.
|
|
A member of the military tribunal ruling LOWER FELDA, and a parody
|
|
of President Richard Nixon.
|
|
|
|
DESPUESS
|
|
Appears in issue 13. A THEYR villager.
|
|
|
|
DIAMONDBACK
|
|
A popular card game, with numerous variations. The word is also
|
|
used to describe the deck of cards, which are usually printed with a
|
|
diamond pattern on their backs. First mentioned in issue 4.
|
|
The rules for Match Diamondback are laid out in issue 27, p.11.
|
|
A Diamondback deck contains 1 magician, 2 priestesses, 3 queens, 4
|
|
kings, and 5 priests. For games with more than 2 players, multiple
|
|
decks are used, but with extra magicians removed so that
|
|
only one remains in the deck.
|
|
It is interesting to note that, with the exception of the
|
|
magician, female cards are higher ranking than their male equivalents.
|
|
Dave Sim produced and sold Diamondback decks for a short while.
|
|
|
|
D'MITRI
|
|
Appears in issue 13. A THEYR villager.
|
|
|
|
DORAN
|
|
The wizard CEREBUS studied with in his youth. (28, p.3) Lived in
|
|
IMESH (Introduction to issue 9, _Swords_of_Cerebus_, Volume Three).
|
|
Unknown what happened to him when K'COR took over the city. Creator
|
|
of the ENERGY GLOBES OF IMESH (9, p.13).
|
|
|
|
DUFORT, MADAME
|
|
See CLAREMONT.
|
|
|
|
EASTERN CHURCH OF TARIM
|
|
|
|
EIGHTH SPHERE
|
|
Appears in issues 28, 156-157.
|
|
SUENTEUS PO THE FIRST claimed to have meditated for 72 years in
|
|
order to attain the Eighth Sphere (28, p.1).
|
|
The Eighth Sphere would appear to be a general term for any of a
|
|
number of areas on the "borders" of the SEVENTH SPHERE, with
|
|
particular curious properties. The Eighth Sphere is malleable, and
|
|
its structure can be manipulated by the minds of those within it. In
|
|
parts of it, the past and future may be experienced.
|
|
|
|
E'LASS
|
|
A schemer and con artist. Appears in issues 6, 16. Usually works
|
|
with a bruiser named TURG.
|
|
|
|
ELF, REGENCY
|
|
Appears in issues 29, 155-156, 161.
|
|
Cameos/Mentions in issues 157, 162.
|
|
The "Fake" Regency Elf is implied to have been an aspect of
|
|
SUENTEUS PO THE FIRST (156, pgs.5, 8, 19).
|
|
Cerebus mentions a "wood faerie" in issue 14 (p.16), but the
|
|
context makes it difficult to tell if he is referring to a mythical
|
|
creature or not.
|
|
|
|
ELROD OF MELVINBONE
|
|
Appears in issues 4, 7, 12, 21-22, 155, 159-163.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issues 8, 157.
|
|
Elrod is a parody of Elric, a swords and sorcery character
|
|
created by Michael Moorcock. More specifically, he is a parody of
|
|
Elric's appearances in the Conan comic books by Roy Thomas and Barry
|
|
Smith (issues 14 and 15), which in turn were visually based on the
|
|
covers to paperback Elric novels painted by Jack Gaughan. Dave Sim,
|
|
at least as of 1981, has never read an Elric story (other than the
|
|
ones that appeared in the Conan comics) (Introduction to issue 4,
|
|
_Swords_of_Cerebus_, Volume 1).
|
|
His speech patterns are based on those of the Warner Brothers
|
|
cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn, which were in turn based on a once-
|
|
famous radio character named Senator Claghorn (played by?).
|
|
He claims to be a wanderer, and the last ruler of a dying race, a
|
|
sorcerer and slayer of his kin, much as Elric does, but there is no
|
|
evidence that any of this is more than a figment of his imagination.
|
|
His country's name is MELVINBONE, which is a take-off on Elric's
|
|
country of Melnibone. Elric also has a black sword, though his isn't
|
|
that way from rust.
|
|
"He always pops up, seemingly from nowhere, with no explanation
|
|
of how he got out of the fix we left him in (Aha! You hadn't noticed
|
|
had you) and an entirely new vision of the best direction for his life
|
|
to take." (Introduction to issue 4, _Swords_of_Cerebus_, Volume 1).
|
|
In issue 22, Elrod is "killed", but remains an animate spirit,
|
|
able to possess living bodies as "Deadalbino". This is a parody of a
|
|
late sixties DC comic book character, "Deadman", who was similarly able
|
|
to possess living people. At the end of the issue Elrod returns to his
|
|
own body, which returns to life.
|
|
"You might be wondering *why* this would happen to Elrod when he
|
|
got killed, but that goes back to why everyone is watching Cerebus all
|
|
the time and wondering what he's up to. So that's for me to know and
|
|
for you to read about.
|
|
I should be getting to it around isssue 175."
|
|
(_Swords_of_Cerebus_, volume six, Introduction to issues 21-22).
|
|
...
|
|
In High Society, he is revealed as quite a popular figure. The
|
|
public actually believes his claims about himself even more than he
|
|
does.
|
|
..
|
|
In issue 155 he reappears in a smaller version of his earlier
|
|
"roach" costume, claiming to be a new member of the Legion of Six-
|
|
Foot-Telepathic-Cockroaches.
|
|
|
|
ENERGY GLOBES OF IMESH
|
|
A series of magical spheres of energy, apparently used as either
|
|
guardians, or as a gauntlet to test one's skill. They can send out
|
|
beams of energy at opponents, but these may be absorbed by metal.
|
|
They are not intelligent. They flare brightly just before striking,
|
|
and take several seconds to recharge.
|
|
|
|
ENIATH
|
|
A satellite city of PALNU, in the VESSARIAT district, on the
|
|
NEMETH RIVER (18, map).
|
|
|
|
ENOTHAS
|
|
A southern city state. Part of the SEPRAN EMPIRE? Has had a
|
|
CIRINIST-supported rebellion.
|
|
|
|
EOGHAN
|
|
A country to the northwest of BOREALA. Only appears in the
|
|
Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
ESHNOSOPUR
|
|
A southern city state. Possibly part of the SEPRAN EMPIRE? Has
|
|
had a (short-lived) CIRINIST-supported rebellion.
|
|
The toxin PENTAZIN can be found there (14, p.7).
|
|
|
|
ESHTAHNIN WILDERNESS
|
|
Located far to the southeast. A cinnamon exporter (14, p.5).
|
|
|
|
ESTARCION
|
|
The name of the world that CEREBUS is set on. See MAPS.
|
|
|
|
EYE IN THE PYRAMID
|
|
Appears in issues 14-16, 160-161.
|
|
A conspiracy to topple LORD JULIUS from power. In their first
|
|
appearances, only male members are shown. In _mothers_&_daughters_, we
|
|
see only *female* members, and it is implied that ASTORIA is their
|
|
leader.
|
|
CEREBUS uses their name in his "kidnapping" (27, p.7).
|
|
The symbol of an eye in a pyramid dates back at least to ancient
|
|
Egypt, and can be seen on the American dollar bill to this day. It has
|
|
often been associated with secret societies, most notably the
|
|
Illuminati.
|
|
|
|
EYE OF TERIM
|
|
"The Eye of Terim, gold and shining prize -- no mortal shall
|
|
wrest this gem ... from crimson claw of demon Khem" (2, p.14). "Most
|
|
precious" of the five SPHERES OF THE GODS (2, p.16). After KHEM's
|
|
spell is broken, it appears to be a "tarnished iron sphere", implying
|
|
that it may not have been the *actual* Eye of Terim in the first
|
|
place.
|
|
|
|
FELD RIVER
|
|
The Feld River runs south from the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS past UNSHIB,
|
|
turning west at MORESH, then passing BEDUIN before turning south again
|
|
at IEST to make it's way to the coast of ONLIU.
|
|
|
|
FELDWAR STATES
|
|
PALNU(?), IEST, ONLIU, LOWER FELDA,...
|
|
See also UNITED FELDWAR STATES
|
|
|
|
FERAS, TANES
|
|
Appears in issue 3. A fellow who lived in BRANPUR until he
|
|
besmirched Red SOPHIA's honor and was forced to marry her. He expired
|
|
soon after.
|
|
|
|
FINAL ASCENSION
|
|
|
|
FLAME JEWEL
|
|
Said to be flawless and worth a king's ransom (1, p.4). The one
|
|
that CEREBUS finds is actually an illusion-enhanced walnut (1, pgs.21-
|
|
22).
|
|
|
|
FLUROC
|
|
A city to the north of PALNU.
|
|
|
|
FRET MAC MURY
|
|
Appears in issues 5, 156.
|
|
Cameos/Mentions in issues 67, 157.
|
|
A PIGT. His name is an obvious parody of actor Fred MacMurray.
|
|
|
|
FROG AND DUCK
|
|
A tavern in PALNU (14, p.4).
|
|
|
|
GARSK
|
|
Captain of the guards in IMESH in CEREBUS' youth (9, p.5).
|
|
|
|
GASTON
|
|
Prime Minister of IEST before CEREBUS. First mentioned in 27,
|
|
first appeared in 30, name first mentioned in ...
|
|
|
|
GEET-A
|
|
Appears in issue 19.
|
|
"I decided to do a parody of Frank Thorne's Ghita because while I
|
|
wouldn't say I was fond of 1994 the magazine, nor a particular advocate
|
|
of the kind of stories Frank was doing, I was very fond of the way
|
|
Frank's artwork made such great strides when he switched to black and
|
|
white from colour comics. I conceived the whole story in a short space
|
|
of time, my major concern being to produce one good silly self-contained
|
|
issue before I went off on this complicated political piece ov over-
|
|
lapping and inter-locking factions." (_Swords_of_Cerebus_, volume 5,
|
|
introduction to issue 19).
|
|
|
|
GERBIES
|
|
Typically used as magician's pets, these creatures feed on violent
|
|
emotions (19, p.17). The nameis probably a reference to Steve Gerber,
|
|
who created the Marvel Comics character "Man-Thing", who was empathic,
|
|
and reacted strongly to the emotions of those around him.
|
|
|
|
GERRIK, SIR
|
|
Mentioned in 163.
|
|
CIRIN's (adopted?) son.
|
|
|
|
GHETTY'S POINT
|
|
Mentioned in issue 17.
|
|
A PALNAN army camp, run at one time by Commander KRULL.
|
|
|
|
GIEPIE
|
|
Appears in issue 14.
|
|
An importer in PALNU who worked with THE EYE IN THE PYRAMID.
|
|
|
|
GITAN RIVER
|
|
Forms the western and northwestern borders of PALNU, then extends
|
|
into T'GITA (18, map).
|
|
|
|
THE GODS' FENCE
|
|
A mountain range north of the SEPRAN EMPIRE. Only appears in the
|
|
Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
GOLD SPHERE
|
|
A sphere of pure gold is said to be one of the elements required
|
|
to make the FINAL ASCENSION.
|
|
|
|
GORCE, Lord
|
|
Appears in issues 18-19.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 22.
|
|
Governor of the VESSARIAT district of PALNU.
|
|
"Lord Gorce was created ... to establish what would appear to be a
|
|
major threat to Lord Julius' control of Palnu." (_Swords_of_Cerebus_,
|
|
volume 5, introduction to issue 19).
|
|
|
|
GORT
|
|
Mentioned in issue 20.
|
|
An ILLUSIONIST in TOGITH. One of the few people who can reach the
|
|
SEVENTH SPHERE (20, p.3).
|
|
|
|
GRAUS
|
|
A T'GITAN warrior. Appears in issues 18, 19.
|
|
|
|
GREER
|
|
Appears in issue 156.
|
|
A CIRINIST General.
|
|
|
|
GRIMES
|
|
Appears in issues 17.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 18.
|
|
Assistant, biographer (and later jailer) to Commander KRULL.
|
|
|
|
GRISELDA
|
|
Appears in issue 19.
|
|
One of HENROT's GERBIES.
|
|
|
|
GUDRE
|
|
Appears in issue 17-18.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 19.
|
|
A T'GITAN leader, father of STROMM.
|
|
|
|
GUMS.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 13. See entry on ALANNE for details.
|
|
|
|
GURANN
|
|
A city in BOREALA. Apparently a large city where one might
|
|
expect to find a freak show (2, p.4) and marketplace (2, p.16).
|
|
SOPHIA knows "Gurranian tonsil kissing".
|
|
|
|
HAMMEL
|
|
Mentioned in issue 18.
|
|
A FLUROC spice merchant, killed in the T'GITAN assault.
|
|
|
|
HAMMOND
|
|
Appears in issues 155-156, 161.
|
|
An IESTAN engineer, working with the CIRINISTS to construct a
|
|
GOLD SPHERE.
|
|
Probably a member of the construction firm Hammond and Son
|
|
Associates (156, p.6).
|
|
|
|
HARKER
|
|
Appears in issues 18-19.
|
|
Lord GORCE's assistant.
|
|
|
|
HENROT
|
|
Appears in issues 3, 19.
|
|
A powerful wizard. Father of Red SOPHIA, creator of GEET-A, ex-
|
|
husband of Mrs. HENROT-GUTCH.
|
|
|
|
HENROT-GUTCH, Mrs.
|
|
Appears in issue 163.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issues 19,.
|
|
|
|
HEZZRETH
|
|
A king of a CONNIPTIN tribe (8, p.16).
|
|
|
|
HIGH HOLY DAYS
|
|
See CALENDAR.
|
|
|
|
HIVAT
|
|
A city on the NEMETH RIVER, in the VESSSARIAT province of PALNU
|
|
(18, map).
|
|
|
|
HOLLAND M. HADDEN
|
|
First appears in issue 26. Leading member of the Hadden, Hadden
|
|
and Dipp corporation, which is trying to interest Palnu in gold-plated
|
|
streetlamps. Killed by MOON ROACH in issue 30 after signing away the
|
|
money his company is owed by the government.
|
|
|
|
HORTNE
|
|
Alias of HENROT
|
|
|
|
HSIFAN KHANATE
|
|
A powerful nomadic tribe that currently controls much of the RED
|
|
MARCHES. North of TOGITH.
|
|
Referred to in a derogatory manner as "Hsiffies".
|
|
"They're yellow-skinned, their eyes look funny and they're
|
|
*nomads*" (21, p.12). Basically, a Mongol phenotype.
|
|
|
|
IANAG
|
|
A small country to the west of PALNU (18, map). Ruled by Prince
|
|
SHOMBER (19, p.5).
|
|
|
|
IEST
|
|
Pronounced "Ee-est".
|
|
|
|
IEST - GEOGRAPHY
|
|
Iest is located on the FELD River, and is central to the FELDWAR
|
|
STATES.
|
|
The city of Iest is divided into two sections, lower Iest, and
|
|
"upper" or "greater Iest". Greater Iest is located on a flat plain on
|
|
the top of a conical mountain. This mountain is the remains of the
|
|
BLACK TOWER of anciant times. The upper and lower cities are
|
|
connected both by a spiral roadway, and by several long staircases.
|
|
One of these staircases is over 1324 steps high. (27, p.1)
|
|
The mountain is carved with skulls and demon heads, which are
|
|
first seen in issue 31, p.15.
|
|
|
|
Iest is somewhat decadent. SOPHIA speaks of "selling her old
|
|
chain mail bikinis to perverts in Iest..." (10, p.15).
|
|
|
|
ILLUSIONISTS
|
|
Mentioned in issues 20, 28, xxx, 159-160.
|
|
Founded by SUENTEUS PO THE SECOND, their primary tenet is that
|
|
"All Life was an Illusion," (159, p.9).
|
|
Judging by his tactics, the wizard in issue 1 is an illusionist.
|
|
...
|
|
Their meditation techniques allow them to live extremely long
|
|
lives. (28, p.2)
|
|
They may have high government positions. (28, p.8)
|
|
|
|
IMESH
|
|
A small port city on the SOFIM River (8, p.19). Before being
|
|
taken over by K'COR, it featured such sights as the Ram and Peacock
|
|
Tavern and the Red Crescent Quarter (9, p.5). Magus Doran lived here
|
|
(Introduction to issue 9, _Swords_of_Cerebus_, Volume Three).
|
|
Referred to as a "northern" city in the introduction to issue 9
|
|
in _Swords_of_Cerebus_, Volume Three, though that is inconsistent with
|
|
the above description.
|
|
Ruled by Hsifan in CEREBUS' youth (9, p.2).
|
|
[Remember to deal with positional problems]
|
|
|
|
INNEC STARYM
|
|
...
|
|
Kidnapped from the REGENCY HOTEL in 1244. (29, p.4)
|
|
|
|
INQUISITION
|
|
First mentioned in issue 30.
|
|
The letters column in issue 36 says that they are "on the ropes."
|
|
|
|
IRONCAT, DR.
|
|
Appears in issue 163.
|
|
Author of "My Mother, My Husband, My pain".
|
|
A parody of cat yronwode, Editor-in-Chief of Eclipse Comics.
|
|
|
|
ISSHURIAN LANDS
|
|
Located to the north of the SEPRAN EMPIRE. Presumably the
|
|
birthplace of ARNOLD THE ISSHURIAN.
|
|
|
|
JAKA
|
|
Appears in issues 6.
|
|
Cameos/Mentions in issues 16, 157.
|
|
The love of CEREBUS' life.
|
|
When first seen, she is a exotic tavern dancer in Iest.
|
|
...
|
|
In issue 36, she returns CEREBUS' sword which he lost in the
|
|
second Cockroach episode when the boat bottom fell through.
|
|
|
|
JANETTE
|
|
Appears in issues 23-24.
|
|
A student at MADAME DUFORT's School for Gifted Debutantes.
|
|
|
|
THE JUDGE
|
|
Appears in issues 155-156, 161.
|
|
Cameos/Mentions in issue 157-158.
|
|
Based on the Judge character from Jules Feieffer's play (and
|
|
movie) "Little Murders".
|
|
|
|
JULIUS, LORD
|
|
Appears in issues 14-19, 151, 160-162.
|
|
Cameos/Mentions in issues 157.
|
|
Lord Julius is based on Julius (better know as Groucho) Marx, most
|
|
especially as he appeared in "Duck Soup", as the ruler of a small
|
|
European country. He has risen to be Grandlord of PALNU through a
|
|
combination of thouroughly confusing his opponents, and outright bribery
|
|
on a mass scale.
|
|
"Lord Julius does not permit his employees to speak to each other
|
|
except through him... He believes that it causes much dissatisfaction
|
|
in the city..." "How does anything get done?" This is a *bureaucracy*,
|
|
sir... nothing is supposed to get done." (15, p.5).
|
|
Lord Julius has almost eliminated crime in PALNU, largely by
|
|
having a Board of Justice "renowned for their wisdom, experience... and
|
|
unblemished record of three thousand two hundred and eighty-one
|
|
convictions in three thousand two hundred and eighty-one trials..." (16,
|
|
p.8)
|
|
"I wanted to show that Lord Julius (like Elrod) always lands on
|
|
his feet and that (unlike Elrod) it is as a result of his own sense of
|
|
political timing and manipulation of the resources at hand, even if
|
|
that's just his own imagination (as seen by [issue 19] page twelve). It
|
|
was my way of indicating that he was to be taken seriously by the reader
|
|
even though his earlier appearances painted him as an incompetent.
|
|
After all, a leader who is perceived as incompetent is more likely to be
|
|
under-estimated by potential rivals. The impact of his endless
|
|
successes, domestically and in other parts of Estarcion can be seen in
|
|
"High Society". "Nothing succeeds like success" as the saying goes."
|
|
(_Swords_of_Cerebus_, volume 5, introduction to issue 19).
|
|
On the letters page of issue 26, Sim describes Julius as being
|
|
at the head of the rising merchant class in ESTARCION. Since he pays
|
|
his people so well (and controls *all* of them), Lord GORCE's chances
|
|
were "slim and nil."
|
|
|
|
"JULIUS' SOCIAL SECRETARY"
|
|
Appears in issues 14-16, but is never actually named. Leader of
|
|
the EYE IN THE PYRAMID, until his death in issue 16.
|
|
|
|
JYLCEW
|
|
A satellite city of PALNU.
|
|
|
|
KATRINA
|
|
Appears in issue 23-24.
|
|
A student at MADAME DUFORT's School for Gifted Debutantes.
|
|
She is a neice of LORD JULIUS, and probably a sister to JAKA (24,
|
|
p.8).
|
|
|
|
K'COR
|
|
Appears in issues 9, 155-156, 158-159.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in 1ssue 161.
|
|
King of Imesh. He conquered the city through the use of
|
|
subterfuge, economics and narcotics (BUZ). He considers himself a
|
|
demi-god, and has mobilized the city of IMESH against an imagined
|
|
invasion from Venus. He is a good swordsman (9, p.19).
|
|
...
|
|
Later shows up in High Society during Petuniacon.
|
|
In _mothers_&_daughters_, he appears in the CHESS game as the
|
|
Black King's Pawn.
|
|
|
|
KEVILLISTS
|
|
Described by SEUNTEUS PO THE FIRST as "A rebellious faction
|
|
that's only recently come to light in Upper Felda -- in Cirin's own
|
|
government. ... A fanatic's fanatic." (28, p.5)
|
|
|
|
KEVILLIST ORIGINS
|
|
A book by ASTORIA. Excerpts follow:
|
|
"The penis is an organ without scruple, without humanity, without
|
|
common sense. Those women who understand this fact and make use of it
|
|
have at their command all the resources of the modern world. I first
|
|
had sexual congress at the age of fourteen with a high-placed government
|
|
official in my native Lower Felda. He had pursued me, despite (or,
|
|
rather, I suspect because of) my extreme youth for a period of several
|
|
months. I was drawn very much to the power that he wielded within that
|
|
government. I was attracted, however, not as a would-be lifemate,
|
|
potential concubine or wife-to-be. Rather, I was drawn as someone who
|
|
desired that same power for herself, as a means of instituting societal
|
|
change for my own betterment and for the betterment of those elements of
|
|
female society with which I was (and am) sympathetic. I presented my
|
|
decision to him in the form of a bargain. He would answer all of the
|
|
questions that I had about acheiving, maintaining and using power and in
|
|
exchange (once I was satisfied with his answers), his unscrupulous organ
|
|
would be free to do with me as it would. We had a series of five
|
|
meetings, each of several hours duration. I took meticulous notes,
|
|
asked for clarification where I lacked understanding of the subject
|
|
matter and began to get the first sketchy impressions of the parameters
|
|
and dimensions of the task which lay before me. Once satisfied that I
|
|
had learned all that this particular individual had to teach me, I then
|
|
fulfilled my half of the bargain. The act itself took only slightly
|
|
longer than eight minutes. I cleaned myself thoroughly, dressed and
|
|
left his apartments. I had retained may of his letters of earnest
|
|
entreaty and when (as I knew he would) he attempted to renew our
|
|
relationship, I threatened him with exposure as a pederast. He ceased
|
|
his unwanted attentions and I began my political career." (163, p.2).
|
|
"The great flaw of any matriarchy is that it limits political
|
|
power to those individuals who are the least concerned with progress and
|
|
achievement. While any society must see the safety of its children as a
|
|
priority; it must not, should not and can not be that socity's first
|
|
priority. Advancement in the quality of female lives, advancement in
|
|
the sciences, in medicine, in exploration, in the arts; the conquest of
|
|
new territories, the expansion of borders in all areas of endeavour,
|
|
both physical and mental, is critical to the health of empire. An
|
|
empire which contents itself to build layers of insulation, both
|
|
physical and mental, around itself and its citizenry, will soon find
|
|
itself atrophying and falling swiftly into decay; easy prey for the
|
|
competitors for whom aggression, whether between individuals, geographic
|
|
regions or empires, stands as the foremost characteristic of their
|
|
governing body. Where aggression is the primary characteristic
|
|
ofempire, it soon makes hsort work of those competitors who are
|
|
quiescent, complacent and passive. The nation-state which is not
|
|
prepared to consume its neighbors, will, inevitably, be consumed by
|
|
those neighbors." (163, p.10).
|
|
"Most of the matriarchy's rhetoric centers on the family (or,
|
|
rather, the Family); they are obsessive regarding childrens' needs for
|
|
caring and nurturing and they hold in the greatest contempt those who
|
|
hold any viewpoint contrary to this. The bond between mother and child
|
|
is their most sacred totem and their universal rallying cry. It is,
|
|
therefore, curious to note that at the upper levels of Cirin's
|
|
government (and, in fact, at most levels of her bureaucracy) the
|
|
children of her officials are cared for by nannies and governesses until
|
|
the age of five when they are unceremoniously shipped off to government-
|
|
run boarding schools. Cirin's own son, Gerrik told me that he did not
|
|
spend a full day in his mother's company until he was nearly sixteen;
|
|
and then it was merely to observe her working day so that he might have
|
|
a fuller appreciation of the complexities of governing Upper Felda."
|
|
(163, p.18)
|
|
|
|
KEVITCH
|
|
A sub-personality of the Moon Roach. See COCKROACH.
|
|
|
|
KHAIDOGE THE UNGOVERNABLE
|
|
A nomad barbarian lord whose lands are east of the FELDWAR STATES
|
|
and south of the WALL OF TSI and the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS. Frequently
|
|
makes attacks against the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS.
|
|
|
|
KHAIVEN
|
|
A subject of KHAIDOGE THE UNGOVERNABLE.
|
|
|
|
KHEM
|
|
Appears in issues 2, 151.
|
|
A demon/succubus CEREBUS encounters in issue 2. Allegedly the
|
|
gaurdian of the EYE OF TERIM, though this may not be true. It feeds
|
|
on souls, and uses the captured bodies as sorcerous warriors. When
|
|
CEREBUS somehow breaks its spell, the captive souls are freed and
|
|
their bodies reduced to skeletons.
|
|
It is first referenced as possessing a "crimson claw" (2, p.14)
|
|
which may have something to do with the Red Claw terrorists that keep
|
|
popping up in the COCKROACH's origins.
|
|
At the time of the "Great Change", itrealizes the purposelessness
|
|
of its existence (now that its spell has been broken by CEREBUS) and
|
|
apparently self-destructs (151, p.7).
|
|
|
|
KLOG
|
|
A Northern barbarian CEREBUS kills in issue 2.
|
|
|
|
KOIN TRIBES
|
|
Located to the south of the desert of NESHFALNIN. Only appears
|
|
in the Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
KOREM
|
|
King of PANROVY. Apparently missing (9, p.15)?
|
|
|
|
KOSHEM
|
|
A PANROVIAN Lord, in the service of King K'COR in issue 9.
|
|
|
|
KOTA MOUNTAINS
|
|
A mountain range to the south of the SEPRAN EMPIRE. Possibly its
|
|
southern border.
|
|
|
|
KRAUFTIG
|
|
A T'GITAN warrior. Appears in issue 18.
|
|
|
|
KRULL, Commander
|
|
Appears in issue 17.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 18.
|
|
A very famous army commander of PALNU.
|
|
"The Commander Krull character was, on the one hand, my version of
|
|
Conan the King. He was also patterned on Colonel Flagg from M*A*S*H.
|
|
.. [He is] the first of my characters to be living his own
|
|
autobiography. ... I have come to think that most 'heroes' are
|
|
primarily 'legends in their own minds'. That is to say, while they
|
|
protest endlessly that they're just doing their jobs and that any grand
|
|
motivations ascribed to them are strictly the problem of certain
|
|
individuals who don't know them very well, most of them actually keep
|
|
careful track of their 'image' on a day-to-day basis, basing their
|
|
decisions, at least in part, on how it will appear in the 'Legend of Me,
|
|
Book Seven.' These individuals can usually be picked out in a crowd by
|
|
the presence of their 'official biographer.' This is a chap who usually
|
|
doesn't get much attention until the hero is dead, at which time
|
|
everyone, (somewhat naively) decides that he holds some degree of
|
|
'truth' about the deceased.
|
|
In the case of the Moon Roach, the official biographer is a
|
|
disassociated personality, and consequently rather more difficult to
|
|
control (rather like William Manchester travelling around inside Robert
|
|
Kennedy's head, privy to too many un-heroic thoughts and impulses). In
|
|
the case of Krull, the biographer [GRIMES] is really little more than a
|
|
stenographer. Anyone who thinks that this is a radical rather than a
|
|
minor caricaturing of the official biographer's role should read a few
|
|
official biographies and compare them with a few unofficial ones."
|
|
(_Swords_of_Cerebus_, volume 5, Introduction to issue 17.)
|
|
|
|
LAFORT, EXECUTIVE COMMANDER
|
|
Appears (sort of) in issue 22.
|
|
A member of the military tribunal ruling LOWER FELDA, and a parody
|
|
of President Jimmy Carter.
|
|
|
|
DUKE LEONARDI
|
|
Appears in issue 153.
|
|
|
|
LIEBSCHAFT
|
|
A T'GITAN warrior. Appears in issue 18.
|
|
|
|
LINDAS
|
|
A small country to the southwest of PALNU (18, map).
|
|
|
|
LISHYAN
|
|
Country to the south of KHAIDOGE THE UNGOVERNABLE. Only appears
|
|
in the Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
LOWER FELDA
|
|
The country just to the west of IEST. The capital city is BEDUIN.
|
|
The local language is represented in Cerebus by French.
|
|
Government is by a five-man military tribunal, although
|
|
"president" WEISSHAUPT made an unsuccessful takeover attempt.
|
|
There was a KEVILLIST rebellion in Lower Felda in 1408 (22, p.12).
|
|
|
|
LYRAN THE DEATH-DEALER
|
|
Executioner/assassin for the BLACK SUN. Appears in issue 7.
|
|
|
|
MAGIC
|
|
Good (?) Evil (?)
|
|
Wizard from "Flame Jewel" ?
|
|
"Magiking" Wizard Necross HaHaHa The Mad
|
|
"Artist Chap" Claremont
|
|
|
|
MAGGIE'S
|
|
Appears in issues 161-163.
|
|
Mentioned in issue xxx.
|
|
A brothel in IEST, frequented by the COCKROACH, ELROD, and the
|
|
MCGREW BROTHERS.
|
|
|
|
MAPS
|
|
Several maps appear in the course of the series. Two early ones
|
|
appear as supplemental material in the back of issues, and later ones
|
|
are actually worked into the storyline. The two early ones are rather
|
|
rough, and open to interpretation.
|
|
"The Aardvarkian Age"
|
|
A map of Estarcion which appears in issue 3.
|
|
Designed by Michael Loubert (Deni's brother), who created all the
|
|
place names as well.
|
|
"Palnu"
|
|
A map of Palnu appeared in "the arrdvarkian age" column of issue 18.
|
|
|
|
MCGREW BROTHERS
|
|
Appear in issues 27, 160-161.
|
|
Dirty Fleagle and his baby brother Dirty Drew first appear in
|
|
issue 27. Moderately skilled fighters, but no match for CEREBUS.
|
|
|
|
MEALC
|
|
A small island in the SEA OF THE SOUTH. Capital is Mealca.
|
|
|
|
MEIRGEN
|
|
The son of a jeweller who possessed the BLACK BLOSSOM LOTUS for
|
|
many years. A native of RESS. Appeared in issue 10.
|
|
|
|
MELVINBONE
|
|
A far-off (quite possibly imaginary) country, of which ELROD is
|
|
the king.
|
|
|
|
MINON, GENERAL
|
|
Mentioned in issue 22.
|
|
A member of the military tribunal ruling LOWER FELDA.
|
|
|
|
MISSY
|
|
Appears in issues 151-157.
|
|
Jaka's doll when she was a child. carried around for some time
|
|
by Cerebus after _Jaka's_Story_.
|
|
|
|
MIT
|
|
A priest of the BLACK SUN. Presumably found a new profession
|
|
after the events of issue 7.
|
|
|
|
MONEY
|
|
In 1411, 20 gold pieces are enough for "a few months of
|
|
comfortable living" (10, p.8) at Cerebus' wastrel life style in a
|
|
major city. "In Tcapmin one could live for three years as a king!"
|
|
(10, p.12).
|
|
Some TCAPMIN mercenaries are sen gambling with triangular coins.
|
|
These may be triangular wedges of larger denomination round coins.
|
|
..
|
|
The earliest dated coins were "minted more than fourteen
|
|
centuries before" (152, p.14). Quite likely these were the ones first
|
|
invented by "Tarim" (91, p.xxx). This further implies that the failed
|
|
ascension on that occasion is when the current calendar begins.
|
|
|
|
MOON ROACH
|
|
A personality of the COCKROACH.
|
|
|
|
MORESH
|
|
A city on the FELD River, just south of the WALL OF TSI.
|
|
Possibly pasrt of the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS.
|
|
|
|
NAMA LOTUS
|
|
A hallucinogenic flower, used as a weapon by the Illusionist in
|
|
issue 1.
|
|
|
|
NEAFON THE GREAT
|
|
Known only for his "saying" (quoted by LORD JULIUS) "If at first
|
|
you don't succeed... you better start looking for a new employer..."
|
|
(14, p.9).
|
|
|
|
NECROSS HAHAHA THE MAD
|
|
Appears in issues 13, xxx.
|
|
An evil wizard, who, upon the death of his physical body, placed
|
|
his life force into a sixteen-foot stone statue he had created, named
|
|
THRUNK.
|
|
From an Introduction in _Swords_of_Cerebus_, Volume 4: "As for
|
|
Necross the (ha ha ha) Mad. He was cut from whole cloth; Exidor from
|
|
'Mork and Mindy' (did anybody at *all* watch the second and third
|
|
seasons?) He was a very bouncy character, which I hadn't realized
|
|
until I had a few pages done. Much like the Moon Roach would later,
|
|
he led me to develop almost a completely different style in order to
|
|
capture the kind of broad gestures and body movements of a real
|
|
nutbar."
|
|
|
|
NEDECA
|
|
The souteast district of PALNU (18, map). It appears not to
|
|
contain any large cities.
|
|
|
|
NEMETH RIVER
|
|
Flows through the VESSARIAT province of PALNU. The cities of
|
|
ENIATH and HIVAT are located upon it (18, map).
|
|
|
|
NERAK
|
|
Appears in issue 22.
|
|
An Agenda Secretary for the military tribunal which rules LOWER
|
|
FELDA.
|
|
|
|
NEW MATRIARCHY, THE
|
|
A book by Cirin. Excerps follow:
|
|
"The mother Terim directs, and we, her priestesses obey. We seek
|
|
the divine inspiration within us and we spread the word our mother. As
|
|
we learn to face toward the hub of the wheel, it is incumbent upon us
|
|
all to show the path of reason, of love, and of obedience to those who
|
|
are unable to perceive the symmetry of mother, child and the true path.
|
|
It is our goal not only to find our own illumination, but to give
|
|
illumination to others. For some we need only point the way. Others we
|
|
must lead. Still others we must push. Above all, we cannot dismiss any
|
|
soul as extraneous. All originate within the mother and all must be
|
|
instructed in her ways..." (20, p.1).
|
|
"Great tolerance must be exercised when dealing with daughters.
|
|
It is very difficult for a mother to recall that confused and turbulent
|
|
time in her life when existence is profoundly unfocussed and a girl
|
|
feels very strongly all the myriad forces which exert themselves upon
|
|
her; both external forces and, more perniciously, her own tendency to
|
|
submit herself and her will to that which is transient, attractive,
|
|
compelling and ill-advised. Childbirth is the Goddess' greatest gift to
|
|
womankind wherein an ordered mind supplants a disordered one; reality
|
|
breaks through the thin membrane of interwoven and convoluted illusion
|
|
which is a girl's consciousness to that point. Suddenly genuine purpose
|
|
and True Womanhood make of her a contributing member of society, where
|
|
previously she had been merely a discordant and willful obstruction to
|
|
all that is ordered and healthy. The birth of a child takes the mother
|
|
out of her own limited and self-absorbed vanity and shows her, clearly
|
|
and in a way which will brook no denial, what the Goddess' purpose for
|
|
her is. The irrational rage of the young girl who is reminded of this
|
|
fact is proof positive that within her, at the core of her essential
|
|
being, a True Voice is speaking always to her; reminding her that it is
|
|
her destiny to bring forth new life; to care for it and to nurture it.
|
|
When a daughter rails against this nature, the wise mother is silent and
|
|
leaves it to the True Voice within the daughter to work its sweet magic
|
|
on its own timetable, as it surely will. Time is always on the side of
|
|
that True Voice." (163, p.3).
|
|
"The principle reason that we allow only mothers to govern and to
|
|
decide the large issues of government in Upper Felda is that they are
|
|
the only individuals with a genuine stake in the future of our country.
|
|
If, as many advocate, we extended the voting franchise to daughters once
|
|
they have reached an arbitrarily chosen age of majority, we would be
|
|
submitting the fate of our grand and noble experiment to the caprice and
|
|
whim of individuals who are seeking to escape their own nature. To give
|
|
them such an outlet would provide an alternative to the following of
|
|
their True Voice, the dictates of the Goddess Herself and would result
|
|
in universal madness of the first water. Why have we forbidden men a
|
|
role in the affairs of state? Because men seek to escape the fact of
|
|
their expendability (once they have fertilized the egg which becomes new
|
|
life) with incautious adventurism. Aware that nothing will remain of
|
|
them to mark their passing, they inevitably seek to make their mark
|
|
through destruction of peace and order. The young girl's unreasonable
|
|
fear of childbirth will find outlets in exactly this kind of
|
|
destructiveness. To open the flood-gates even fractionally; allowing
|
|
daughters to wield political power; is to invite swift and chaotic
|
|
inundation." (163, p.11).
|
|
"Those daughters who attempt to achieve political power without
|
|
first having the benefit of childbirth are not nearly so trouble-some as
|
|
one might be led to believe. In a majority of cases, their seeking
|
|
after power and influence is largely a means of attracting male
|
|
attentions. Once a suitable mate presents himself, they will continue
|
|
to go through the motions of climbing the ladder of success for a time;
|
|
but soon, they are married and shortly thereafter they are with child.
|
|
In those situations where the cart is before the horse; where career
|
|
comes before childbirth; it is interesting to note that few daughters
|
|
ever return to that career. In those situations where the career comes
|
|
after childbirth, career is kept in its proper place as an ancillary
|
|
interest to the fuller and more important task of child-rearing." (163,
|
|
p.19).
|
|
|
|
NESHFALNIN
|
|
A desert to the east of the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS and the PIMINA
|
|
MOUNTAINS. Only appears in the Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
N'GAMIN
|
|
One of the T'CAPMIN KINGDOMS.
|
|
|
|
NINTH SPHERE
|
|
|
|
NO MAN'S SEA
|
|
A far northern sea. Only appears in the Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
normalroach
|
|
A personality of the COCKROACH.
|
|
|
|
NORMINA SWARTSKOF
|
|
Appears in issues 152-155.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 156.
|
|
Obviously named after Norman Schwarzkopf, hero of the Gulf War.
|
|
Apparently highly ranked (the top?) of Cirin's military forces.
|
|
Led the conquest of Iest.
|
|
Killed by PUNISHEROACH in issue 155.
|
|
|
|
NYMIN BARBARIANS
|
|
Located to the south of AMSTANAT. Only appear in the Aardvarkian
|
|
Age map.
|
|
|
|
OATHS, MISCELLANEOUS
|
|
"Tauran's blood!" (1, p.19).
|
|
"By the five spheres!" (4, p.5), A probable reference to the
|
|
SPHERES OF THE GODS.
|
|
"Ishtar take us all!" (5, p.3).
|
|
"By Gilash's third eye" (9, p.8).
|
|
|
|
OCEAN SEA
|
|
Sea to the west of the SEPRAN EMPIRE. Only appears in the
|
|
Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
ONLIU
|
|
Located to the east-northeast of PALNU and east of the FELD River.
|
|
Native accent is very like the Warner Brother's cartoon character
|
|
Yosemite Sam.
|
|
Contains the cities of CHENEA and SHAWATO (18, map).
|
|
Onliu soldiers like to play Match Diamondback (27, p.11).
|
|
One of their major native industries appears to be piracy (14,
|
|
p.1, xxx).
|
|
|
|
OSCAR (1)
|
|
Appears in issues xxx,160.
|
|
Based on the nineteenth century literary figure, Oscar Wilde.
|
|
|
|
OSCAR (2)
|
|
|
|
OSIRIS RIVER
|
|
Eastern border of the SEPRAN EMPIRE and the Western Church of
|
|
Tarim's influence. Presumably this is the river on the map that is
|
|
just east of PANROVY.
|
|
|
|
PALNU
|
|
The wealthiest city-state in ESTARCION, partially due to having
|
|
been missed by the recent years crop failures. Currently ruled by
|
|
LORD JULIUS.
|
|
The city-state of Palnu is divided into six districts: Old Palnu,
|
|
the area immediately around the city of Palnu; PARMOC to the northwest,
|
|
containing the city of FLUROC; VESSARIAT to the northeast, containing
|
|
the cities of HIVAT and ENIATH; CI'NUFINN to the west, containing the
|
|
cities of AVERS and CIHNU; BEHN RHIADOR to the southwest, containing the
|
|
city of STEHLIS; and NEDECA to the southeast. Palnu is bodrerd on the
|
|
east and south by the BAY OF SUNSHEE, and on the west and northwest by
|
|
the GITAN RIVER. Palnu and STEHLIS are located on the SEN BIR RIVER,
|
|
while ENIATH and HIVAT are on the NEMETH RIVER.
|
|
From issue 14: "The aristocracy had all but vanished in Palnu!
|
|
Bound as they were to their enormous estates, they were no competition
|
|
for the thriving merchant class whose assets now generated undreamt of
|
|
income. There were five dominant merchant "houses" within the city
|
|
walls. These houses employed "clients," each citizen of voting age
|
|
being a client, their living expenses paid by the house "lord" in
|
|
exchange for their vote! The lord, by paying for these votes, assured
|
|
himself a place on the "Grand Council of Palnu." The lord who owned
|
|
the most clients, and, hence, votes was made 'grandlord' of the city
|
|
and its surrounding territory! At the moment, this was Lord Julius!
|
|
The wrinkle that Julius had added to this idea was the selling of
|
|
titles for additional revenue! The lords of the nouveau-riche
|
|
merchant houses, having, some time before, run out of things to buy,
|
|
now filled Julius' cofffers in exchange for the title of their choice!
|
|
These they handed out like party favours to concubines, family
|
|
bodyguards, accountants, nieces, nephews and, of course, themselves."
|
|
(14, p.4).
|
|
Palnan architecture is very ornate, and easily climbable (14,
|
|
p.14).
|
|
"...the first lords of Palnu untapped mysteries of the ancient
|
|
world! There were rumours of strange unholy experiments... alchemy and
|
|
other forbidden disciplines... For a time, the Church of Tarim struck
|
|
Palnu from their maps, and allowed no priest to venture within a half-
|
|
mile of it. And then... about a century ago... an earthquake swallowed
|
|
up the city; a gift from the infinite mercies of the living Tarim...
|
|
Thousands died, virtually in the blinking of an eye! Fully ninety
|
|
percent of the city disappeared beneath the surface. Even today, many
|
|
of the old streets lie intact beneath the city... It is these passage-
|
|
ways which are called... the Pits! Though most regard them as an
|
|
amusing bit of folklore, populated by mythical beasts, dreamed up to
|
|
frighten children. They are unaware that much evil manifested in the
|
|
old city yet lives in those dark caverns." (15, p.7). Charts of much,
|
|
if not all of the Pits are available. THE EYE IN THE PYRAMID initially
|
|
operated out of the Pits.
|
|
|
|
PANROVY
|
|
A southern city state. Their king (KOREM) appears to be missing
|
|
(9, p.15). They seem to have a proud ruling class, if not
|
|
particularly bright.
|
|
Panrovians have a stylized dueling form with sword and dagger (3,
|
|
p.5).
|
|
Panrovian monks are not known for their sanity (5, p.13).
|
|
|
|
PARMOC
|
|
The northwestern district of PALNU, containing the city of FLUROC.
|
|
|
|
PARTHA QUA NON
|
|
A PIGT from issue 5.
|
|
|
|
PENTAZIN
|
|
A swift, flavorless toxin native to ESHNOSPUR (14, p.7).
|
|
|
|
PERCE
|
|
Appears in issues 19-20.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issue 21.
|
|
"... As I was to decide with Astoria later on, I decided to draw
|
|
Perce as a real-real person (for reference, I class Cerebus as fantasy-
|
|
fantasy, Elrod as fantasy-real, Lord Julius as real-fantasy, Filgate as
|
|
real-fantasy, The Moon Roach as fantasy-real. Get the idea?)
|
|
So I decided Perce had to be real-real, about nineteen or twenty
|
|
years old and that she would have the distinction of being a Cirinist
|
|
pretending to be a Kevillist pretending to be a Cirinist. That's Togith
|
|
for you.
|
|
So I decided to be like the REAL cartoonists (Hal Foster springs
|
|
readily to mind) and draw a real person as Perce. I decided on Deni's
|
|
sister, Karen for a number of reasons. Wehad pictures of her, she was
|
|
the right age, (she was the person who suggested "Aardvark Press"
|
|
leading to the decision to do an aardvark mascot) and (ho, ho, ho) she
|
|
would be easy to draw. I never made that mistake again. If I draw real
|
|
people in the strip now, I always make them caricatures. It's not that
|
|
the results were all that bad, but it took an awful lot of effort to
|
|
make the pictures barely adequate.
|
|
But the discipline required in learning how to draw a real person
|
|
in cartoon form meant that I had a lot of time to contemplate the
|
|
Kevillists and the Cirinists (since Togith is a major center for both
|
|
groups). The more I worked on getting the pictures right, the more
|
|
complicated the Cirinists and the Kevillists got and the more
|
|
complicated the story line I was working on got.
|
|
...
|
|
Anyway, I started building the cornerstones for all this intruige
|
|
in this issue with Perce (she's not really a prostitute, but I won't go
|
|
into that now)." (_Swords_of_Cerebus_, Volume 5, Introduction to issue
|
|
19.)
|
|
|
|
PERNANN
|
|
A region of TOGITH? (18, map).
|
|
|
|
PIEUREU
|
|
Appears inissue 13. A native of THEYR.
|
|
|
|
PIGTS
|
|
Appear (as a group) in issues 151, 155-156, 158-159, 161-162.
|
|
Cameos/Mentions in issues 157.
|
|
To some extent these are a parody of the Picts, as written by
|
|
Robert E. Howard.
|
|
A race of warriors that live in underground catacombs in the RED
|
|
MARCHES. We are a private people and find the privacy comforting" (5,
|
|
p.9).
|
|
They are fond of drinking fermented goat's blood (5, p.12).
|
|
They speak a dialect of CONNIPTIN (5, p.12), and may be an
|
|
offshoot of them, or vice-versa.
|
|
"We exist only to *topple* the empire" Among those they claim to
|
|
have toppled are the Redeemer Dynasty, the Eastern Monoliths and the
|
|
BLACK TOWER EMPIRE (5, p.12). Only the last has been heard of
|
|
elsewhere, but the other two sound as if they might well be similar.
|
|
When CEREBUS meets them, they are trying to topple the DEHRSION
|
|
monarchy, but hope to get to the BOREALANS within the decade. These
|
|
plans may well have been put on hold due to CEREBUS' presence.
|
|
Their leader is BRAN MAK MUFIN, and he commands an elite group of
|
|
fifty warriors (5, p.13). They are very good, though, and a force to
|
|
be reckoned with.
|
|
They worship an idol of an aardvark, who looks very much like
|
|
CEREBUS. Their name seems to derive from "sons of the pig", referring
|
|
to the common name for aardvarks of "earth-pig".
|
|
At their height, the Pigts had great cities and an impressive
|
|
system of roads (28, p.13)
|
|
They allegedly caused the Mystic Cataclysm that ended the Black
|
|
Tower empire. (28, p.14) I presume that this must have involved their
|
|
original aardvark "god", in events similar to those of Church & State.
|
|
They marchin units twelve men deep and twelve men abreast (159,
|
|
p.16).
|
|
|
|
PIMINA MOUNTAINS
|
|
Eastern boundary of the lands of KHAIDOGE THE UNGOVERNABLE.
|
|
|
|
PITS, THE
|
|
See PALNU.
|
|
|
|
PLAINS DWELLERS
|
|
Apparently, inhabitants of the RED MARCHES who burn skunks
|
|
ceremonially. (5, p.6).
|
|
|
|
POSEY, ARCHBISHOP
|
|
Appears in issues xxx,160.
|
|
An Archbishop of the EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF TARIM.
|
|
|
|
PRESTON, SEARGENT
|
|
A personality of the COCKROACH.
|
|
|
|
PUNISHEROACH
|
|
A personality of the COCKROACH.
|
|
|
|
RACHINNE
|
|
A location of some sort (probably near the border between IEST and
|
|
LOWER FELDA) where a select group of alchemists (once including
|
|
CLAREMONT) work.
|
|
|
|
RAM'S LORDS TAVERN
|
|
A dive in Lower Iest. First appears in issue 26.
|
|
|
|
RASHAZAR, PRINCE
|
|
Mentioned in issue 24.
|
|
Prince of ESHNOSPUR, at least until the rebellion (24, p.3).
|
|
|
|
RED CLAW CULT
|
|
Mentioned in issues 11-12.
|
|
Probably followers of KHEM, who is said to have a "crimson claw"
|
|
(2, p.14).
|
|
The COCKROACH believes that Red Claw cultists killed his parents.
|
|
|
|
RED MARCHES
|
|
Located between the SEPRAN EMPIRE to the west, the TCAPMIN
|
|
KINGDOMS to the east, and the FELDWAR STATES and the KOTA MOUNTAINS to
|
|
the south.
|
|
Once solely owned by the PIGTS, now occupied by their remnants
|
|
along with several other scattered tribes, including CONNIPTINS, and
|
|
the HSIFAN KHANATE.
|
|
|
|
REGENCY DESK CLERK
|
|
First appears in issue 26.
|
|
|
|
REGENCY HOTEL
|
|
First appears in issue 26 as "Iest's oldest and most lavish
|
|
hotel!"
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issues 159.
|
|
See also REGENCY DESK CLERK and REGENCY ELF
|
|
|
|
RESS
|
|
A city (kingdom?) in the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS.
|
|
|
|
RIVERSHIRE PROVINCE
|
|
A province of IEST.
|
|
The site of SUENTEUS PO THE FIRST's second birth (159, p.9)
|
|
|
|
SAN-FONIL
|
|
Capital of AMSTANAT. Only appears in the Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
SAN TREMAIN
|
|
A city in LOWER FELDA. Suffered an earthquake, allegedly caused by
|
|
NECROSS HAHAHA THE MAD.
|
|
|
|
SARTE
|
|
Appears in issue 19.
|
|
Commander of SEAF's military government.
|
|
|
|
SCHWAGERIN
|
|
A T'GITAN warrior. Mentioned in issue 18.
|
|
|
|
SCORZ
|
|
First appears in issue 26. Leading member of Scorz, Scorz and
|
|
sons. Trying to interest Palnu in underground sewage pipes. Has a
|
|
strange accent (Beduin? Serrea?).
|
|
|
|
SEA OF TANCHYA
|
|
Located to the east of the desert of NESHFALNIN. Only appears in
|
|
the Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
SEA OF THE SOUTH
|
|
Only appears in the Aardvarkian Age map.
|
|
|
|
SEAF
|
|
A small country to the northof PALNU and TOGITH. Their military
|
|
government is headed by Commander SARTE.
|
|
|
|
SEDRA
|
|
Appears in issue 9.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issue 159, 161.
|
|
K'COR's mistress.
|
|
|
|
SEN BIR RIVER
|
|
A river going throughthe center of PALNU. The cities of PALNU and
|
|
STEHLIS are located upon it (18, map).
|
|
|
|
SENNACHIN
|
|
A city (in TOGITH?) (18, map).
|
|
|
|
SEPRAN EMPIRE
|
|
A "loosely knit and militant empire" (4, p.2).
|
|
The SOFIM River is generally considered to be its eastern border,
|
|
though the lands immediately beyond it (the RED MARCHES) are not
|
|
strongly held (or desired) by any one group. Its capital city is
|
|
SERREA, located on the SOFIM river.
|
|
SEPRANS (and NEW SEPRANS) speak in a "mock-Italian" accent.
|
|
SEUNTEUS PO THE ILLUSIONIST describes it's Golden age as
|
|
"...quite nearly Vanaheim on Earth. The greatest freedom for the
|
|
greatest number, government control so decentralized as to be almost
|
|
non-existent." (158, p.7).
|
|
|
|
SERET, FORMER EXECUTIVE COMMANDER
|
|
Mentioned in issue 22.
|
|
A member of the military tribunal ruling LOWER FELDA.
|
|
|
|
SERREA
|
|
Capital city of the SEPRAN EMPIRE, located on the SOFIM
|
|
River.
|
|
|
|
SET
|
|
A god or demon of some sort. Frequently used as an oath: "for
|
|
Set's sake!" (3, p.11).
|
|
Various other Egyptian-style names may imply that Set is the god
|
|
of Death and the Underworld. This might make him the same "DEATH"
|
|
that appeared in issue 4.
|
|
|
|
SETH
|
|
Appears in issues 153-154.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 157.
|
|
An artist.
|
|
|
|
SEVENTH SPHERE
|
|
Appears in issues 154-156.
|
|
A mystical plane of existence, in shades of gray and black. See
|
|
also EIGHTH SPHERE and NINTH SPHERE.
|
|
|
|
SHADOW-CRAWLER
|
|
Appears in issue 15.
|
|
A semi-mythical cave-snake, of prodigious size
|
|
|
|
SHAWATO
|
|
A city in ONLIU (18, map).
|
|
|
|
SHEA
|
|
Mentioned in issue 20.
|
|
An ILLUSIONIST in TOGITH. Possibly named after Robert Shea, co-
|
|
author of the _Illuminatus!_ trilogy.
|
|
|
|
SHEN STEPPES
|
|
Lands located to the north of the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS.
|
|
|
|
SHOMBER, Prince
|
|
Mentioned in issue 19.
|
|
Ruler of IANAG.
|
|
|
|
SINANON HILLS
|
|
Located in the CI'NUFINN province of PALNU.
|
|
|
|
SMINA
|
|
A city in the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS.
|
|
Has a central bank with an Iest office and secret accounts (27,
|
|
pgs.7,17).
|
|
|
|
SOFIM RIVER
|
|
Runs through the southwestern part of the SEPRAN EMPIRE.
|
|
Generally considered to be a border of the empire. The capital city,
|
|
SERREA is located on it, as is DEHRSION.
|
|
|
|
SOPAI ASSASSINS
|
|
Highly trained assassins from the HSIFAN KHANATE. They
|
|
customarily employ brass throwing discs called "yan-su".
|
|
|
|
SOPHIA, RED
|
|
Appears in issues 3, 10, xxx-xxx, 163.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issues 19,.
|
|
Daughter of HENROT and MRS. HENROT-GUTCH.
|
|
Red Sophia is a parody of Red Sonja, a character from the Conan
|
|
books and comics. She had her own comic book series for a while,
|
|
which was drawn by Frank Thorne. The name Henrot is an anagram of
|
|
Thorne, and Henrot is drawn to look like Frank Thorne. She was also
|
|
partially a tribute to Wendy Pini's portrayal of Red Sonja at science
|
|
fiction conventions (with Frank Thorne as a wizard). Wendy didn't
|
|
really like Red Sophia, which was part of why she didn't appear
|
|
between issues 10 and xxx.
|
|
|
|
SOUTHERN CITY STATES
|
|
ENOTHAS, DEHRSION, ESHNOSPUR, PANROVY, and possibly PALNU. The
|
|
city states located on the western coast of the SEA OF THE SOUTH,
|
|
south of the SEPRAN EMPIRE. Some or all of these are under the
|
|
influence or control of the SEPRAN EMPIRE (PALNU definitely isn't).
|
|
They have been experiencing droughts and low crop yields since at
|
|
least 1410, possibly several years more than that (8, p.13, etc.)
|
|
|
|
SOUTHGATE PRISON
|
|
A prison in SERREA where CEREBUS and ELROD were held captive
|
|
once. It's alleged to have cells thousands of meters underground (4,
|
|
p.19).
|
|
|
|
SPHERES OF THE GODS
|
|
The most precious of these is allegedly the EYE OF TERIM. They
|
|
contain knowedge of great use to wizards (2, p.16).
|
|
HENROT is said to draw power from two of them (3, p.1).
|
|
|
|
STEHLIS
|
|
A city in the BEHN RHIADOR district of PALNU (18, map).
|
|
|
|
STEMSON
|
|
Mentioned in issue 18.
|
|
A FLUROC exporter, killed in the T'GITAN attack.
|
|
|
|
STROMM
|
|
Appears in issue 17.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 18.
|
|
A T'GITAN warrior who is passed off by his father, GUDRE, as "God
|
|
of Thunder". He is mute, due to having had his tongue cut out by
|
|
Commander KRULL.
|
|
|
|
SUENTEUS PO
|
|
The major problem with this character is that there are at
|
|
*least* three people in the storyline with this name, probably more.
|
|
The notebook pages for issue 47 refer to "...the nearly infinite
|
|
number of Suenteus Po's". See following entries for details.
|
|
|
|
SUENTEUS PO, MISCELLANEOUS
|
|
One of the SUENTEUS PO's wrote a book of children's fales some
|
|
time around 1312 which "were in fact allegories for complex spells and
|
|
incantations" (24, p.16), including that for the creation of the
|
|
APOCALYPSE BEAST.
|
|
|
|
SUENTEUS PO THE ANARCHO-ROMANTIC
|
|
|
|
SUENTEUS PO THE FIRST
|
|
Appears in issue 20, 28, 155-161.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issue 21.
|
|
One of the three currently living aardvarks. Has never been seen
|
|
in his physical body, only mental manifestations on the SEVENTH,
|
|
EIGHTH, and NINTH SPHERES.
|
|
In his first appearance (in issue 20), Suenteus Po seems (or at
|
|
least *acts*) like an only semi-competent leader of a small quasi-
|
|
religious group of drug users, the Illusionists. He claims to have no
|
|
knowledge of CIRINIST "plans", and to be helping Cerebus "for fun".
|
|
Probably, very little of this is true.
|
|
..
|
|
According to the Suenteus Po who appears in issues 158-161:
|
|
Actually not the *first* person of this name, since he took the
|
|
name after a "great historian who had led the Sepran Empire away from
|
|
the pitfall of centralized government several hundred years before."
|
|
(158, p.7)
|
|
He claims to have lived through a number of different
|
|
incarnations over the centuries.
|
|
His first incarnation was that of a great warrior/statesman (see
|
|
xxx; 160).
|
|
His second incarnation was a gold-smith, who carved religious
|
|
images into coins, and was executed by the Cirinists as a heretic (see
|
|
issue 160).
|
|
He claims to havelived the rest of his incarnations to date as a
|
|
humble ascetic (160, p.10).
|
|
|
|
SUENTEUS PO THE SECOND
|
|
Mentions in issues xxx, 158-160.
|
|
Originally named Alfred, son of SEUNTEUS PO THE FIRST.
|
|
Upon his father's death, he assumed the name Suenteus Po, and led
|
|
the army that conquered IEST. IEST had a brief Golden Age, which was
|
|
destroyed through internal friction, incompetence, and natural
|
|
disasters.
|
|
In his final years, he embraced myticism, and founded the
|
|
ILLUSIONISTS. He granted his name to his followers, and it has been
|
|
used by many (if not most) ILLUSIONISTS ever since.
|
|
|
|
SUENTEUS PO III
|
|
Mentioned in issue 160.
|
|
"a bloated caricature of his father" (160, p.9).
|
|
|
|
SUMP THING
|
|
Appears in issue 25.
|
|
An APOCALYPSE BEAST created by Lord Roth-Sump (possibly a phonetic
|
|
pun on "Wrightson", the artist who created Swamp Thing). Also known as
|
|
"Filbert", and later "Fred". Since this is the first beast, it's "burn-
|
|
word" is "nothing" (25, p.2).
|
|
See WOMAN-THING for more details.
|
|
|
|
TANSUBAL
|
|
A city/province of BOREALA. (See MAPS: "The Aardvarkian Age".)
|
|
|
|
TARIM
|
|
First mentioned in issue 1.
|
|
A male god, worshipped by both the WESTERN and EASTERN CHURCHES
|
|
OF TARIM.
|
|
Frequently used as an oath: "Tarim!" (1, p.7; 2, p.16; 3, p.7,
|
|
etc.), "Tarim's blood!" (3, p.1; 5, p.2), "Tarim be with you," (3,
|
|
p.3), "Tarim's teeth!" (3, p.8), "Tarim take me for a vagrant!" (3,
|
|
p.10), "thank Tarim" (3, p.11), "in Tarim's name" (3, p.11; 8,
|
|
pgs.14,16, etc.), "may Tarim be merciful" (4, p.1), "Tarim's teeth and
|
|
toothpicks!" (6, p.9), "Tarim be praised!" (9, p.15), "Praise Tarim
|
|
and his infinite mercy" (13, p.6)
|
|
The name Tarim was also used to swear by in Conan comic books
|
|
(and original stories?).
|
|
|
|
T'CAPMIN KINGDOMS
|
|
Include N'GAMIN, SMINA, UNSHIB, and RESS. Southern boundary is
|
|
the WALL
|
|
OF TSI.
|
|
Special decorations are given to men who man the WALL OF TSI for
|
|
twenty years against the invasions of KHAIDOGE THE UNGOVERNABLE.
|
|
|
|
T'CHAISRATSA
|
|
A small country to the northwest of TOGITH (18, map).
|
|
|
|
TEMZA
|
|
A coastal city in BOREALA. Only mentioned in issue 3, but
|
|
appears in the map of the Aardvarkian Age.
|
|
|
|
TERIM
|
|
First mentioned in issue 2.
|
|
A female god, worshipped most recently by the Cirinists.
|
|
|
|
TECHOT THAL
|
|
Tries to pull CEREBUS' tail and gets his hand cut off. (1, p.2)
|
|
|
|
TERIM
|
|
|
|
T'GITANS
|
|
Appear (as a group) in issues 17-18.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issues 19, 21-22.
|
|
Common name for several barbarian tribes located in the forests to
|
|
the northeast of PALNU. They speak with a Germanic accent (because Dave
|
|
Sim was watching a lot of Hogan's Heroes at the time of their creation
|
|
(_Swords_of_Cerebus_, volume Four, Introduction to Issue 17)).
|
|
"The T'Gitans were originally Borealans, from up north. They were
|
|
a mercenary band, with camp followers and other hangers-on. Wandering
|
|
about the Feldwor states, they settled in Seaf for awhile, but left to
|
|
avoid the civil war that broke out there. Togith allowed them in." (19,
|
|
the aardvarkian age).
|
|
On the letters page of issue 26, Sim says that the T'Gitans only
|
|
ever had the slimmest possible chance of taking Palnu, and none once
|
|
Lord GORCE was introduced.
|
|
|
|
THATCHER, MRS.
|
|
Appears in issues 153-154, 156, 158, 161-162.
|
|
Cameos/Mentions in issues 157.
|
|
A CIRINIST. Parody of Margeret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of
|
|
Britain.
|
|
|
|
THERESA
|
|
Appears in issues 23-24.
|
|
A student at MADAME DUFORT's School for Gifted Debutantes.
|
|
|
|
THEYR
|
|
A village in LOWER FELDA, downstream from BEDUIN. Presumably named
|
|
after the historical character Theyr (circa ~1100) who is mentioned in
|
|
"the aardvarkian age" in issue 16.
|
|
|
|
THROGO
|
|
A TCAPMIN mercenary and "twenty-year" man. Appears in issue 10.
|
|
|
|
THRUNK
|
|
See NECROSS HAHAHA THE MAD.
|
|
|
|
THUGG THE UNSEEMLY
|
|
Appears in issue 3. As his name would indicate, an ugly thug.
|
|
Gets beaten up by CEREBUS and Sophia.
|
|
|
|
TIBERIUS
|
|
Appears in issue 23.
|
|
A soldier in the SEPRAN army. Served with CEREBUS in the RED
|
|
MARCHES.
|
|
|
|
TOGITH
|
|
The city-state directly to the north of PALNU. Includes the
|
|
satellite city Sennachin (18, map).
|
|
Togith has a death penalty for theft (19, p.5)
|
|
"By Cerebus' time, the Principality of Togith had become the main
|
|
clearing house for Feldan mercenaries. The Prince had become a
|
|
figurehead, and the real power was wielded by various Barons who had
|
|
become involved in trade (mercenary and otherwise). They had originally
|
|
been rather enterprising, lawless types who had pushed out west, but
|
|
they eventually settled down and organized." (19, the aardvarkian age).
|
|
Togith is a major center for both the CIRINISTS and the KEVILLISTS
|
|
(_Swords_of_Cerebus_, volume five, Introduction to issue 19). The
|
|
ILLUSIONISTS also have a fairly significant presence there.
|
|
|
|
TURAN GENN
|
|
a mercenary captain who CEREBUS served under in the RED MARCHES
|
|
(5, p.1).
|
|
|
|
TURG
|
|
Also called "Turg the unduly tall". Appears in issues 6, 16.
|
|
Large,
|
|
not too bright muscleman, working for the con artist E'LASS.
|
|
|
|
TURL
|
|
A captain of the CONNIPTIN armies in issue 8.
|
|
|
|
UNSHIB
|
|
A city in the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS.
|
|
|
|
UPPER FELDA
|
|
Currently controlled by a CIRINIST government, after a
|
|
revolution.
|
|
|
|
VESSARIAT
|
|
The northeastern district of the city-state of PALNU.
|
|
|
|
WALL OF TSI
|
|
A famous sight on the FELD RIVER, north of MORESH, south of
|
|
UNSHIB. Southern boundary of the TCAPMIN KINGDOMS.
|
|
|
|
WEISSHAUPT, PRESIDENT ADAM
|
|
Appears in issues 21, 22.
|
|
Weisshaupt is partially based on the historical figure Adam
|
|
Weisshaupt, fouder of the Bavarian Illuminati, and partially on the
|
|
portrayal of the historical figure in the _Illuminatus!_ trilogy (in
|
|
which, among other things, it is alleged that Adam Weisshaupt replaced
|
|
George Washington and served as the first President of the United
|
|
States). The wig he wears is in the eighteenth-century style.
|
|
"As for Weisshaupt himself, I had decided with these two issues
|
|
[21-22] to do a parody of Captain America, patriotism, xenophobia,
|
|
revolution, literacy, "publish or perish", Bucky Barnes (Captain
|
|
America's sidekick), Deadman, the "can-do" presidency (a la FDR and
|
|
JFK), the aristocracy and mass appeal. Central to this story-line would
|
|
be the most aristocratic, unorthodox, indefatigable obnoxiously self-
|
|
confident and creatively schizophrenic individual in all of the Feldwar
|
|
Valley.
|
|
As long as we're on the topic of my relentless quest to piss all
|
|
of you, extremely, off, more than one fan has criticized the fact that
|
|
Weisshaupt escapes his fate at the end of issue 22 and reappears some
|
|
thirty issues hence with his plan for the United Feldwar States intact
|
|
and nearing fruition (something of a mixed metaphor, but you get the
|
|
idea). I even asserted something to that effect in Aardvark Comment
|
|
when someone asked if Weisshaupt would be coming back and I replied that
|
|
he would undoubtedly end up on the gallows for crimes against Lower
|
|
Felda's military tribunal.
|
|
It was one of those times when I tried to move the storyline in a
|
|
direction it wouldn't follow. Why? Beacuse Weisshaupt is too smooth,
|
|
too self-assured, too aware, ... too Weisshaupt, to just accept a
|
|
verdict and start writing his will.
|
|
He sold out.
|
|
You have to read between the lines to pick up on that, but then
|
|
Weisshaupt is hardly the type to reappear and announce "Guess what? I
|
|
abandoned all of my previous convictions and now I'm cooperating with
|
|
the authorities because I've discovered it's an easier way to get what I
|
|
want".
|
|
Notice how in this storyline he isn't talking about the peasants
|
|
and the livestock? No disparaging of the common people. Quite the
|
|
contrary. He's using the people against the established order. He's
|
|
fighting a guerilla war with established banking institutions, adopting
|
|
a common, grass-roots perception of current events and offering it as an
|
|
alternative to the present government. Then he got caught.
|
|
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
|
|
His success in the more recent issues [circa _Church_&_State_,
|
|
volume I] stems from aligning himself with the vanishing aristocracy,
|
|
the new merchant class (not so new by this point) and, basically, anyone
|
|
with enough money and influence to help him move things along. And
|
|
guess which previous allies he had to desert to achieve this goal? No.
|
|
No hints.
|
|
..
|
|
The point I wanted to get across was that the Captain America-style
|
|
character steeped in patriotism, thinking with his muscles and
|
|
xenophobic as a son-of-a-bitch ... plays right into the hands of a
|
|
ruthless schemer and opportunist like Weisshaupt. The presidential use
|
|
of xenophobia as a means of unifying widely-differing factions behind a
|
|
single leader was central to the story line." (_Swords_of_Cerebus_,
|
|
volume six, Introduction to issues 21-22).
|
|
...
|
|
On the letters page of issue 26, Sim implies that he was executed
|
|
after the events in issue 22.
|
|
|
|
WENDA, MOTHER
|
|
Appears in issue 20.
|
|
Cameos/mentions in issue 21.
|
|
A CIRINIST operating in TOGITH. She must not be very high in the
|
|
CIRINIST ranks as she has never met CIRIN (she thinks Cerebus is a
|
|
"unique creature" (20, p.1)).
|
|
|
|
WESTERN CHURCH OF TARIM
|
|
|
|
WOMAN-THING
|
|
Appears in issues 24-25.
|
|
An APOCALYPSE BEAST created by CLAREMONT.
|
|
"I decided to mix in a parody of two muck monsters that had been
|
|
published simultaneously and, by all reports, coincidentally, by Marvel
|
|
and DC. Marvel had a series called Man-Thing about a large shambling
|
|
green monster who burned people to death if they showed any fear. Sort
|
|
of a double-bind considering that there is only one natural reaction to
|
|
seeing a ten foot green monster coming towards you. DC published Swamp
|
|
thing, a wonderful mixture of Frankenstein and The Creature from The
|
|
Black Lagoon. Marvel was also on a kick at this time about protecting
|
|
their trademark on major characters by doing female versions of them.
|
|
They ended up doing two around the same time -- Spider-Woman and She-
|
|
Hulk. The implication of this move, at least in my mind, was that any
|
|
publisher doing a female version of a Marvel character that wasn't
|
|
Spider-Woman or She-Hulk would have free rein to use those characters --
|
|
Thingette, The Woman Torch. So taking the bull by the horns, I decided
|
|
to do Woman-Thing." (_Swords_of_Cerebus_, volume six, Introduction to
|
|
issues 23-25).
|
|
|
|
WYNDMEL-SMYTH, LADY ARISTONNIA and LORD LUCIUS
|
|
Appear in issue 16.
|
|
Mentioned in issue 156.
|
|
|
|
ZAWIL
|
|
A small country to the nothwest of PALNU (18, map).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
-Hades (Brian V. Hughes)
|
|
"No sir, I didn't like it."
|