Annotated Empire of Gold

This edition of The Empire of Gold was hand-annotated by the author, S. A. Chakraborty, as part of a charity auction for the 2020 Authors for Black Voices event.

## Description

A US hardcover edition of The Empire of Gold was annotated with historical/cultural references, character and plot insights, and other notes by the author. The auction also included other items like the Alternative Epilogue to the Empire of Gold, a 24-page story following Zaynab's pov post-Empire of Gold that will be published with the Extra scenes collection in Fall 2021. The auction also included two posters, a postcard, a signed bookplate, and a Daevabad Tribal Sigils pin set.

The silent auction took place in August 2020 and was hosted by Authors for Black Voices to "raise money for racial-justice non-profits in the publishing, education, and literacy arenas." The auction was won by a Daevabad fan and posted photos of the annotations on Twitter in December 2020. They've been organized and posted below.

## Introduction/Prologue

Shows the locations for Bir Nabat (in northwestern Am Gezira) and Shefala (in southeastern Ta Ntry), and a translation note for Bet il Tiamat: "The mouth or abode of Tiamat""The circular design is a nod to the original Baghdad, which is based off earlier Persian designs."Prologue, pg 1: "I have always thought Manizheh a tragedy on par with Dara. She might have been a visionary in the healing arts and although her choices are abominable, her childhood must have been hell."Prologue, pg 5: "Anahid, Aeshma, and Vizaresh are all based on early Mesopotemian deities."

## Part 1

### Chapter 1

Chapter 1, pg 13: "Many things changed during the writing of this trilogy, but Nahri returning home to Egypt was there from the start." and: "Kan wa ma kan - the traditional way of beginning tales."Chapter 1, pg 20: "This was meant to be Mishmish, sensing Suleiman's Seal in the presence of a Nahid, but dragged back by the peris."Chapter 1, pg 21: "This indeed is an echo of what Dara does to her in CoB."Chapter 1, pg 27: "And it always ended with Yaqub. I love writing him and his relationship with Nahri."
### Chapter 2

Chapter 2, pg 28: "This scene was a brutal scene to write, but I wanted to make sure from the very beginning, readers remembered the true cost of the invasion."Chapter 2, pg 34: "I love Dara but I do think what he does in CoB is close to unforgivable."
### Chapter 3

Chapter 3, pg 43: "This is all meant to be a reaction to the removal of magic. Yaqub shouldn't normally be able to see Ali."Chapter 3, pg 47: "Indeed this is when the Europeans begin plundering Egypt, taking the Rosetta Stone, along with countless other treasures."Chapter 3, pg 49: "I will confess that after years of being told my novels take place in the Middle East, I took the chance to name Central Asia directly."
### Chapter 4

Chapter 4, pg 52: "Oh, this was such a delicious chapter to set up. Three personalities you know are like adding gasoline to a fire."Chapter 4, pg 53: "We'll see some of this in the extra scenes."Chapter 4, pg 57: "Muntadhir is clever but he's swallowed more of his father's propoganda than he realizes."Chapter 4, pg 60: "I think Muntadhir truly believes Ali and Nahri are already dead. It's why he reacts more forcefully about Zaynab and Jamshid."
### Chapter 5

Chapter 5, pg 67: "It gutted me to write this chapter. It's a difficult thing to portray but in truth, I think this grief would have paralyzed him for far longer."Chapter 5, pg 74: "Qahtan is a reference to the ancient kings from this region. Ali's ancestors are the djinn servants Suleiman was said to have gifted to the Queen of Sheba."Chapter 5, pg 76: "This is the Ibn Tulun mosque, the oldest in Egypt."Chapter 5, pg 79: "It was always very important to me to show that Ali respects Nahri's agency."Chapter 5, pg 81: "For someone so careful and deliberate, Nahri often reacts without thinking to Ali, the only person who affects her this way."
### Chapter 6

Chapter 6, pg 84: "Nisreen's death was the most tragic part of KoC for me, and I loved her, but she too was deceiving Nahri."
### Chapter 7

Chapter 7, pg 90: "I know he's bad but I love writing Vizaresh."Chapter 7, pg 93: "This is the way Ghassan ruled... and a way Manizheh has completely internalized."Chapter 7, pg 95: "It is my everlasting regret that I couldn't find a way to fit in Zaynab's pov as she worked to secure the city."Chapter 7, pg 105: "The peris may claim they don't interfere but they clearly don't like someone gaining the kind of powers they enjoy."Chapter 7, pg 107: "It means an ice blade to the heart, Dara!"
### Chapter 8

Chapter 8, pg 109: "We know who this is now..."Chapter 8, pg 111: "I loved writing these quiet, caring moments between them. (Nahri and Ali)Chapter 8, pg 117: "I had a brain surgeon edit this scene!"Chapter 8, pg 118: "I suspect many thought this trilogy would end with Nahri in charge, but to me, she wanted to be a doctor, first and foremost."Chapter 8, pg 121: "I got a lot of pushback but there were female healers!"
### Chapter 9

Chapter 9, pg 123: "This chapter was SO LONG originally. I could write about Ali in the human world for pages and pages."
### Chapter 10

Chapter 10, pg 134: "I think Nahri unconsciously pushes her feelings away for Ali the more they grow. She's already been so betrayed."Chapter 10, pg 138: "I always meant for Dara's betrayal of her to rock Nahri at a far deeper level than a love turned sour. This is the first person she ever trusted, her introduction to an entire world."
### Chapter 11

Chapter 11, pg 142: "Muntadhir truly had deep ties among the Daevas, even before Nahri. There's an argument to be made that they may have made decent rulers."Chapter 11, pg 148: "If it isn't clear, Dara's father refuses the order to destroy Qui-zi himself, so they force his child into doing it."Chapter 11, pg 152: "We built our entire civilization off theirs, and now we act as if the greatest contamination in our world is a drop of their blood."Chapter 11, pg 154: "It was always important to me to show that Dara and Ali hold no jealousy towards each other when it comes to Nahri. Both respect her and love is not anyone's primary motivater."Chapter 11, pg 158: "Throughout this encounter, Manizheh only refers to Zaynab as "Ghassan's daughter," while Aqisa calls her by name."Chapter 11, pg 161: "Manizheh may be awful but I think she's right to counsel patience here."
### Chapter 12

Chapter 12, pg 164: "Oh, Nahri."Chapter 12, pg 166: "You know she was enjoying this."Chapter 12, pg 177: "And yet to me this is the message of the trilogy: doing the right thing even when you don't see a way out."
### Chapter 13

Chapter 13, pg 187: "Dara is undoubtedly a villain here, no matter how much he may have suffered, and I wanted him to terrify."Chapter 13, pg 189: "I knew from the moment I started writing her character, that Subha would one day be the one to shoot him."Chapter 13, pg 195: "And this is how nahri, Rustam's daughter, is the one who calls him." (in City of Brass)Chapter 13, pg 196: "You know Issa had the worst trip home..."

## Part 2

### Chapter 14

Chapter 14, pg 207: "Doctors really do practice on fruit. My husband used to suture banana skins while I was writing the first book!"Chapter 14, pg 209: "Oh, could he?"Chapter 14, pg 210: "This was meant as a nod to Sobek's actual temple in Kom Omba."Chapter 14, pg 211: "I meant the Seal not to have bonded properly not only because of Nahri's presence but because they left Daevabad."Chapter 14, pg 217: "She's from another legend, but I wrote this as a nod to El Naddaha, a Nile water spirit who sings to lure men close and then drowns them." (Qandisha)
### Chapter 15

Chapter 15, pg 227: "He probably wouldn't like to be called out on it, but Sobek finally intervenes to save Ali, not Nahri. He cares no matter what he says."Chapter 15, pg 229: "I'm a believer in the stories of Aisha Qandisha being linked to the older Qatesh."Chapter 15, pg 233: "Sobek knows the moment he sees Ali that this is his descendent, and for him, I wanted this undercurrent to run through the whole scene. His longing to save him and teach him magic and marid history versus his forced indifference."Chapter 15, pg 237: "This was my favorite imagery to write in the entire book."Chapter 15, pg 239: "I wonder how Sobek must have felt to learn he still has family."Chapter 15, pg 247: "Ali doesn't realize this is Sobek trying to protect him."
### Chapter 16

Chapter 16, pg 252: "Another message of the trilogy."Chapter 16, pg 253: "I do believe redemption can be found, but it should be hard work, equivalent of the crime."
### Chapter 17

Chapter 17, pg 256: "I think this chapter is more of a turning point for Nahri than anything else in the book. She truly breaks down, and when she lifts herself back up, there is no selfish motive. This is for her people."Chapter 17, pg 258: "My specialty should be having my life destroyed and then being forced to rebuild from nothing."Chapter 17, pg 258: "This is equally important. Nahri doesn't let people in like this."Chapter 17, pg 259: "Uh, oh."Chapter 17, pg 262: "Showing Nahri and Ali find comfort in their respective faiths and share them with another was a scene I always wanted."Chapter 17, pg 263: "It was extremely important to me that Ali reckon with this."Chapter 17, pg 267: "Maybe like one in particular."Chapter 17, pg 268: "I wanted nearly losing Ali to rock Nahri back. From this point on, she's struggling to come to terms with her growing affection and dependence on him."Chapter 17, pg 271: "And Nahri was suddenly back on the roof of the palace as Ali cut through Daevas, on the burning boat as Dara cut through djinn. It was obvious these people meant the two of them harm, but Nahri had a sudden and irrational urge to grab the zulfiqar from Ali's hands, to keep the man who'd held her as she fell apart on the beach from taking another life."
### Chapter 18

Chapter 18, pg 274: "Al Mudhib is a true djinn from older tales."Chapter 18, pg 277: "I like to think Ali was getting better at holding his tongue until he loses it spectacularly here!"Chapter 18, pg 280: "I cannot put into words how enjoyable this scene was to write!"Chapter 18, pg 285: "Always inscrutable when she needs to be!"Chapter 18, pg 291: "Ali does a lot of rash things, but I think what happens here is largely Sobek's poor warning. Essentially Tiamat and the marid of the sea take notice of him when he enters their realm and try to tempt him into joining them so they can commune and learn what he is. Should have picked your words more carefully, Nile lord!"
### Chapter 19

Chapter 19, pg 292: "This was my favorite character interaction to write in the entire book!"Chapter 19, pg 296: "There is a warning here that Dara does not pick up on."Chapter 19, pg 297: "And this never changes. He truly never means to help them." (Muntadhir)Chapter 19, pg 299: "Dara is revealing Manizheh's weaknesses with the other Daevas without even realizing it-- and telling Muntadhir exactly how to take her down."Chapter 19, pg 303: "That Ali was also quietly denied the education and experience that might have given him more social power also says a lot."
### Chapter 20

Chapter 20, pg 307: "I wanted to show Nahri's feelings for Ali in her protectiveness-- she doesn't get this way for anyone else."Chapter 20, pg 311: "I believe these two probably became very good friends in the years to come."
### Chapter 21

Chapter 21, pg 314: "Someone is starting to get it!"Chapter 21, pg 324: "Oh but I wanted readers to feel such dread here!"Chapter 21, pg 327: "This is the true Muntadhir."Chapter 21, pg 333: "Of course... this is entirely reversed. Manizheh wanted to sacrifice Rustam's child. And telling it this way is quite cold."Chapter 21, pg 337: "Manizheh is beginning to unravel here. I think like a lot of people who are savants in their particular field, the idea of not excelling at something else is unkown. The idea that ruling might be beyond her --that it's something she isn't simply owed-- doesn't hit until it's too late."
### Chapter 22

Chapter 22, pg 342: "I knew he'd be back!" (Musa)Chapter 22, pg 343: "Djinn are said to haunt ruins and I thought it would be neat to show this." and "As the first mosques were." (open-air)
### Chapter 23

Chapter 23, pg 357: "This is awful and I wanted to show that it truly did radically change Jamshid's view of Ali."Chapter 23, pg 362: "I think Jamshid's own story would be very interesting to write. He grows up being crushed by the djinn only to fall in love with one \*and\* he learns he's a Nahid, but unlike Nahri, he knows the true historical, cultural, and religious weight of that."
### Chapter 24

Chapter 24, pg 366: "Was that how it started, Abba? Had his father felt like this as a young king, so scared and uncertain how to rule that he'd simply crushed anything he feared might hurt him? That act Ghassan had put on in the court, the act Muntadhir had had to perfect his whole life-- when saddled with that kind of responsibility, how else did you respond if you knew a mistake would doom everyone you cared for?"Chapter 24, pg 369: "This must just be such a nightmare for Hatset, and I can't blame her for doing anything to keep Ali safe in Ta Ntry."
### Chapter 25

Chapter 25, pg 371: "She totally knows!"Chapter 25, pg 377: "It's supposed to be the mark of a wise leader, right? The willingness to make sacrifices for a greater good? But nobody ever asks those 'sacrifices' if they're willing-- they get no say in whether or not their kids die for some supposed greater good. And I come from people like that. From a country that's been fought over by foreigners for centuries. We die, and we bleed, and it's a debt the powerful never repay. I don't want to be part of that."Chapter 25, pg 380: "I always wanted to show how gray things were. And I truly don't think anyone could blame Ali and Nahri if they chose this path: there is pragmatism in it."Chapter 25, pg 383: "I think Nahri has developed an almost pathological instinct to push away what she desires."Chapter 25, pg 385: "I'm not unaware of the love triangle argument people made about these books, but for me, Nahri was never choosing between these men. She was choosing herself."
### Chapter 26

Chapter 26, pg 392: "This would have been centuries after Armah's death, when his descendents in Daevabad would have long forgotten their family origins."Chapter 26, pg 393: "There's a recipe for these in the KoC paperback." (date fritters)Chapter 26, pg 405: "I think the "traditional" end of a story like this would be with Nahri and Ali as king and queen. But it wasn't what they wanted or what their city needed."
### Chapter 27

Chapter 27, pg 417: "You're in trouble when Dara has to play peacemaker!"Chapter 27, pg 424: "And this is it. Muntadhir has never seen a way out of this except to take down the people who've killed and threaten his own."
### Chapter 30

Chapter 30, pg 442: "It is such an added cruelty that she feels this at this moment."Chapter 30, pg 456: "We cycle into true horror starting at this point in the book and I wanted to begin with something that felt so vicious and personal, ripping open so many secrets the characters had worked to keep hidden."
### Chapter 31

Chapter 31, pg 460: "We all knew the Nahids in the crypt were coming back!"Chapter 31, pg 463: "A look Dara had never seen from the mocking, haughty ifrit leader crossed Aeshma's face. It was... hunger. The anticipation of something more ancient and longed for than Dara could even imagine. As if Aeshma could scent the despair and horror radiating off Dara and wanted to taste it, to rip his teeth into them all. And then it was gone."Chapter 31, pg 465: "so Muntadhir had struck back, planning their destruction the best way he knew how and smiling the entire time."
### Chapter 32

Chapter 32, pg 468: "It's so twisted in a way that Hatset has tried so hard to protect Ali from threats rooted in Daevabad only to have the worst come from her home."Chapter 32, pg 480: "I rewrote this scene SO MANY times! I knew I wanted to get them to this moment but that it would have to be a really tumultuous one for them both to drop their guard and kiss."
### Chapter 33

Chapter 33, pg 489: "Nahri doesn't act like this around anyone else which is why losing him to Tiamat is nearly the last straw."Chapter 33, pg 494: "They're both avoiding discussion of the future here. The "proper" way being courtship and marriage. Returning to Daevabad to build a life together. And Nahri is too traumatized to even say it."Chapter 33, pg 495: "Always listen to Nahri!" and "I also wanted to show how quietly tender Nahri is here, a side of her we don't see often. She makes sure not to frighten him further. She lies to give him as much peace possible before he faces this awful thing."
### Chapter 34

Chapter 34, pg 498: "I wanted this to feel old school myth here: the noble king setting off with offerings to battle a beast."Chapter 34, pg 501: "It was important for me to show that the shafit don't need a savior."
### Chapter 35

Chapter 35, pg 503: "I had to delete a lot of scenes that took place outside the city walls but snuck a glimpse in here!"Chapter 35, pg 508: "I'm sure it's comforting for you to believe that. What a relief after you'd already plotted the slaughter of my people to learn you had a new justification to cling to."Chapter 35, pg 512: "It doesn't minimize his responsibility, but I wanted to show that Dara was raised a true believer and it takes a LOT for him to break away from Manizheh. His entire worldview has been twisted."Chapter 35, pg 515: "I think to think this was due to some residual guilt no matter how she justifies her actions." and "Vizaresh totally knows what's coming."Chapter 35, pg 516: "Oh, Dara. You needed to do this just a bit earlier."Chapter 35, pg 518: "Always knew this would be back too!" (Dara's arrow)Chapter 35, pg 521: "And this is meant as an echo of his conversation with Zaynab. He cannot fathom that she is capable of this."
### Chapter 36

Chapter 36, pg 526: "Everything I build gets broken."Chapter 36, pg 527: "Just like Hatset, Jamshid has seen enough to know how Nahri feels about Ali."Chapter 36, pg 529: "Jamshid wasn't the quiet Daeva courtier who'd had to keep his head down lest he attract the wrath of the wrong djinn. He was the last Baga Nahid, a warrior, scholar, and healer-in-training."Chapter 36, pg 535: "I think the Daevas looking to have their own bigotry emboldened would have been quietly relieved to see Manizheh replace Nahri."Chapter 36, pg 537: "I can't blame her!" (Hatset)Chapter 36, pg 538: "This was always meant to be peris" (what Seif hears)Chapter 36, pg 541: "Hi Mishmish!"
### Chapter 37

Chapter 37, pg : "Tiamat is a Babylonian goddess: an extremely old figure believed to be the primordial spirit of the sea and chaos, whose slaying (note the scars in my description) helps create the world. Echoing regional tales of the Flood (and the true pre-historical flooding of the Persian Gulf) I wanted this to feel like an early, drowned human city."Chapter 37, pg 545: "I have been trying to find a spot for my favorite medieval trope --murder statues-- for three books!"Chapter 37, pg 545: "We're going proper Mesopotamian chimera demons!"Chapter 37, pg 547: "In tradition, Sobek is also a healer."Chapter 37, pg 550: "How do you depict a primordial chaos demon said to be the sea herself?"Chapter 37, pg 559: "I think a lot of readers missed that Ali did win their duel at first!"Chapter 37, pg 561: "Sobek does show a moment of mercy here."Chapter 37, pg 562: "...but stoking political dissent in the name of justice? They were playing his game now."Chapter 37, pg 564: "Like Nahri later reclaims her name, I also wanted Ali t orepeat his name declaration from the first book, this time his choice."Chapter 37, pg 565: "Always nice to find a copy error. :("Chapter 37, pg 566: "Duriya!"Chapter 37, pg 567: "And I think this is the kind of marid Ali becomes for his river and Daevabad." (protectors, not hunters, content with seeing to the tiny aquatic creatures who called their realms home and urging their life-giving waters to sate the surrounding lands and make them flourish.)Chapter 37, pg 568: "As terrible as the loss of his djinn magic is, I almost can't blame the marid for only trusting him once he's transformed. For creatures who cannot lie to one another, the djinn's ability to deceive must be frightening. And in a way, this opens up endless worlds for Ali to explore."
### Chapter 38

Chapter 38, pg 569: "This was the most brutal chapter I've written. Violence always has a cost and Dara sees what his actions have wrought --from his soldier's indoctrination to the destruction of his home-- with his own eyes."Chapter 38, pg 577: "They aren't the family that ruined yours. That family still rules you."
### Chapter 39

Chapter 39, pg 581: "I wanted to show how the elements might play with their creatures: the daeva being as angry as fire, the marid join like water, and the peris being all high and mighty."Chapter 39, pg 584: "Another lesson of the books: the powerful will always find a way to justify their actions and ambitions."
### Chapter 40

Chapter 40, pg 595: "Again, I didn't want to justify Sobek's violence but show how truly alien he is in a way."Chapter 40, pg 596: "If you read again, Ali sees the memory of the lake marid who tries to fight Dara in this way in KoC."
### Chapter 41

Chapter 41, pg 605: "I think this is probably the worst thing Nahri does in the trilogy. She's hit the absolute bottom and sees no other way to protect the one person she has left. But it isn't the right action because it is cruel and Jamshid might have been an asset."

## Part 3

### Chapter 42

Chapter 42, pg 612: "Not gonna lie-- I dreamed of this scene for years and cried when I finally wrote it."Chapter 42, pg 614-615: "I wish this in particular was only fiction." (How did one make sense of entire neighborhoods, long-standing places with history and roots and community, simply being erased? Ground up. Homes and schools, tea shops and gardens; the lives and stories they'd contained, the hard work and dreams that kept them standing. All gone now. Pulverized.)Chapter 42, pg 617: "For me the driving conflict was Nahri vs Dara over Ali vs Dara. This man who introduced her to the magical world, who she loved and then who betrayed her so completely."Chapter 42, pg 620: "And this --that there's a point where you draw a line-- is what makes them different."Chapter 42, pg 620: "From Dara's pov, this must be so awful."Chapter 42, pg 623: "I do love that Nahri is already protective of Mishmish."Chapter 42, pg 625: "Part of Dara must want her to kill him and end this. He knows Manizheh needs him to fight and killing him will give Nahri a better chance." and "Nahri is still a hero and a healer first."Chapter 42, pg 629: "I don't think Nahri would have been driven to the same violence. She's a better person."Chapter 42, pg 632: "I do think Manizheh genuinely would have rather kept Nahri on her side and alive, a small way to make up for killing Rustam."
### Chapter 43

Chapter 43, pg 646: "He's not wrong!" (that Dara wants to kill him) and "The repeat of Nahri's sentiment is purposeful. They've spent a lot of time rubbing off on each other!"Chapter 43, pg 655: "Ali truly making peace with his marid side to bring an army of mixed peoples, elements, faiths, and tribes to save Daevabad was a fitting end to his arc for me."
### Chapter 44

Chapter 44, pg 657: "Manizheh's end results in such devastation that we only get glimpses."Chapter 44, pg 658: "Vizaresh does hail from this belief." (a murmured name, a creature of spells and shadowy bridges.)Chapter 44, pg 659: "In a way this is a mirror of Nahri's own story: he's going to be a difficult enemy."Chapter 44, pg 663: "I love Aqisa's deadpan reaction to this."Chapter 44, pg 669: "Despite his trauma and biases, Jamshid is a good man at heart."Chapter 44, pg 671: "It was important to me that his spark be the loss of one of his soldiers: these many warriors who follow his tragic path."Chapter 44, pg 671: "He's spinning this to deceive Manizheh, but there must be a bitter kernal of truth that lets him sell it."Chapter 44, pg 674: "Interestingly enough I don't think Ali could have done this. Ghassan called him true, and he couldn't have hurt Nahri to save Daevabad. But Dara knows the cost of Manizheh's violence in a deeper way."Chapter 44, pg 675: "I always knew it needed to be Dara who did this. This is his fight."Chapter 44, pg 684: "There were only two people in Daevabad that Nahri hadn't needed to restore power to, the two men whose paths had tangled with hers even as they each went their own way, claimed by opposing factions and families, by the elements themselves. Water and fire and earth. Held in check. Balanced." and "I wanted to show the poetry in this: Ali's river and Nahri's city cradling each other."Chapter 44, pg 685: "From the very beginning, I wanted Nahri's story to take precedence at the end. She is the one who saves Daevabad, by pulling on the human con artist of Cairo."

## Part 4

### Chapter 45

Chapter 45, pg 697: "We will see this in the extra scenes!" (Nahri and Muntadhir burning their marriage contract over tea)
### Chapter 46

Chapter 46, pg 715: "These birds have a lot of meaning in Islamic and Persian folklore." (hoopoe birds)Chapter 46, pg 720: "I think some people read this as a love scene, but for me, this was the break-up conversation and closure they both need to move on --and they want to move on. You can love a person and know you're not good for each other, or recognize they hurt you in a way there's no coming back from-- that's what makes love so messy and powerful."
### Chapter 47

Chapter 47, pg 732: "Ali at peace with his siblings, ready to build a better city and holding on to his faith was the end I wanted for him."
### Chapter 48

Chapter 48, pg 746-747: "I CRIED SO MUCH WRITING THESE TWO PAGES!!!"Chapter 48, pg 748: "I know a lot of readers wanted Ali and Nahri to end up together more obviously, but for me, they were at the beginning of their journey together. And to support one another like this while rebuilding their world while allowing space to heal was more than a second kiss would mean. But I think they have a deep and steady love that will only grow."

### Epilogue

Epilogue, pg 752: "I knew from the beginning of The City of Brass that I would end the trilogy with this line!"
## References

1. ↑ Shannon/S.A. Chakraborty, Twitter - November 1, 2019
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Authors For Black Voices - official website
3. ↑ LeafyJade on Twitter - December 21, 2020