A great river flows from the rains of the Mountain, through the Valley, pools in the Lake, then sinks into the sands of dying Mars. Siye is the language of the valley, Ulok is the language of the mountain, and altogether different is the language of the Southern Men who tend the covered canals. Here are the chronicles of those languages, principally Siye, although the others may also appear.

The Simayamka, the speaker of Siye, live in the Valley, a complex of city-states, bound together by trade and deference to the Guild of Scholars who ensure the clarity of the language.