Nochet

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 16:57:21 +1300


Joerg Baumgartner:

>For hobby linguistics, the last syllable reminds me of Seshnegi
>(originally Pendali) -ket, meaning city (as in Orphalsket, the city of
>the Grey Age Basmoli king Orphal). We know of a Malkioni presence in
>Nochet. Could the name have been something like Nova Sogsket, or even
>longer?

If -ket is a Pendali word then it can't be used as a Malkioni word for any settlements that predate the Seshnegi assimilation of the Pendali (or at least their territory), a post-dawn occurence at any rate. The walls of Nochet are known to exist in the time of Vogarth the Big Man who lived two hundred years before the Dawn (cf Morden Defends the Camp). At the start of the Darkness, the place was known to be the site of Alkana, where Esrola's favourite temple was, which suggests Orlanthi origins rather than Malkioni.

Furthermore it would have to posit that the Seshnegi (or Basmoli) founded Nochet rather than the Waertagi who would have not used -ket. I think the Malkioni presence at Nochet stems from the eastern voyage of Boltror the Traveller which would have established the alliance with the local triolini and the trading posts on the Mirrorsea.

The Waertagi were around before this in the time of the Big Man but since one of his feats is to have thrown their dragonship (and the Waertagi only had 50-odd at the dawn) onto the Shadow Plateau where the trolls ate it, I think this counts as a major strategic defeat for the Waertagi then.

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