Ten

The number ten is considered bad luck by many kin in Landfall. To avoid saying "ten," some people will say "odd nine" instead. This superstition follows from the idea that nine is a well-balanced, lucky number. Thus, ten is perceived as inherently imbalanced. A superstitious person would believe that when an action is repeated ten times, the tenth outcome will be, in some way, unfortunate.

Examples of Unfortunate Tens

 * The year after each new equiarium is considered a tumultuous, difficult year in a person's life, during which the person will undergo dramatic, often painful growth and changes. The equiaria are at ages 9, 18, and 27.  Thus, age 10 is believed to be a difficult year of transition from childhood to adolescence.
 * Emperor Cadeus X (in other words, Cadeus the Tenth) was the last known Green Blood Emperor of the Jeceau Empire. He disappeared in the forest of Clairefore without an heir, triggering the Jeceau Civil War and likely dooming the Empire.
 * In Book 1, Fiorah laments, "These are old stories, Princess.  If there was ever any truth to them, it was probably lost in the tenth retelling." This is noteworthy because Fiorah, like many ville solant, consistently uses "nine" as her preferred euphemism for "many" and will say "odd nine" and "double-odd nine" as substitutes for "ten" and "eleven."  This is the only time she says "ten."  By her choice of words, she is underlining the unfortunate loss.