Amontillado

• A pale, medium-dry sherry from Spain.

• An unlikely reason to die a horrible death.

Carnival, Motley• Carnival: A

celebration period that climaxes on Mardi Gras, the day before the Lenten fast.

• Motley: a garment of different colors combined; parti-colored. The traditional clothing of a jester.

Palazzo• Italian; a large splendid residence or public building, such as a palace or museum.

• Some wealthy European families have lived in these palaces for generations, sometimes continuously since the Middle Ages.

Catacombs• Underground cemeteries, especially ones consisting of tunnels and rooms with recesses dug out for coffins and tombs.

More about Catacombs• The use of catacombs dates back to

the Middle Ages, when most cities and churches used them to bury the dead.

• Many wealthy families had their own catacombs located in the basements of their estates.

• Some of these family catacombs are still in use.

• When the catacombs get full, the old skeletons are removed from their resting places and piled in a separate room to make space for fresh corpses.

• The foul gasses emitted by decomposing bodies can be deadly to anyone entering a sealed catacomb.

Nitre• Spelled “Niter” in Modern English

• A white, gray, or colorless mineral of potassium nitrate, KNO3, used in making gunpowder. Also called saltpeter.

• Often grows in damp, dark places such as caves or catacombs.

• Can be toxic if inhaled in its powder form.

Cask, Puncheon, Trowel, Mortar

• Cask or Puncheon: a barrel for storing liquid.

• Trowel: any of various tools having a flat blade with a handle, used for depositing and working mortar, plaster, etc.

• Mortar: a mixture of lime or cement or a combination of both with sand and water, used as a bonding agent between bricks, stones, etc.

More Vocab• Unredressed: adj. never having been made right; not atoned for.

• Impunity: noun exemption from punishment.

• Virtuoso: noun a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field.

• Gesticulation: noun an animated or excited gesture.

• Flambeaux: noun a lighted torch or large ornamental candlestick

Immolation• To kill or destroy by burning alive.

• Obviously, I’m not going to show you a picture.

• Used SYMBOLICALLY in this story; in other words, some unlucky person is about to go Down In Flames!