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Abjuration – One of the eight basic classes of magic in Telnori and Thularian philosophy. Abjuration is focused on protective spells, creating physical or magical barriers, and negating magical and/or physical abilities. Dispel and Warding are examples of this class of magic. The other basic classes of magic are: Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation. See also Arcane Symbols.

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Age of Chaos – (1 SR – 1017 SR) The millennium following the Demon’s Fist, during which new civilizations struggled to rise from the ruins of the ancient world. The second half of the Age saw the rise of the great mage-kingdoms, which eventually led to the T’aran Wars and a second near-apocalypse. The Age is considered to have ended with the Judgement of Shala, shortly after the Great Cataclysm.

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Agara (ah-GAHR-ah) – One of the Greater Immortals. King of the Immortals, God of the Sun. Lord of Summer. His spheres include Rulership, Justice and Law. Also known as the Law Giver, he his husband to Arial and father to Tanar and Shala.

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Agras (AH-graz) – The fifth month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning. A late spring month.

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Akazdarön (ah-KHAZ-dah-RHONE) – Ancient Khundari kingdom of the central Sarajis Mountains, founded c.400 SR and considered one of the greatest Dwarven realms since the abandonment of the Eight Cities. Her craftsmen and artisans were much sought after throughout the North by Umantari rulers, and even the Telnori. Its northern lands were lost in the destruction of Kahir-Tomar; the southern lands, renamed Akaztamyr, continued as a Dwarven realm until the 26th Century, when it fell to the Necromancer. Now an abandoned and haunted ruin, only  a few of its far-flung outposts remain living Khundari settlements today.

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Akaztamyr (ah-KHAZ-tah-MEER) – “Akaz Reborn, “ name of the surving southern half of the ancient Khundari kingdom of Akazdarön. Founded in the century after the end of the Age of Chaos, it endured for many centuries, until the coming of the Necromancer in the 26th Century. Then all but a few small outposts, and the southern city of Dürkon, perished, bringing a final end to the greatest Khundari realm of northern Ysgareth.

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Alea (ah-LEE-ah) – One of the Greater Immortals. Goddess of Agriculture, Lady of Summer. Mistress of Weather (especially rain), and animal and plant fertility. She is the patron of farmers and others who work the land. She is also a patron of the healing arts, especially of mental or spiritual ills. Wife of Gheas, mother of Mara & Brindar.

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Alfaic (ahl-FEY-ik) – Script common to the languages of Ysgareth.

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Alkimar Chantry – The largest chapter house, and also the Citadel, of the Avokori Order of the Emerald Depths. Located on the southwestern shore of Morgos Island, in the Ocean Empire.

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Alkir’ka (AHL-keer-KA) – Korön’s demonic servants.

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Alura – Slang in northern Ysgareth for a street prostitute, one not associated with a house of courtesans or a Temple of Kalura. Derived from the title Sa- (or Ra-)Alura, Daughter (or Son) of Kalura that is used for holy prostitutes of the Immortal Lay of Love and Beauty in her temples. Not exactly derogatory, it doesn’t evoke images of class or refinement to most people.

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Ancients, The – A sentient, non-human race which lived on Novendo in the distant past, and destroyed the world that was (and presumably themselves), leaving behind only a few mysterious structures and artifacts on a sterile planet.

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Anzor (AN-zor) – The Shield; a constellation in the northern Novendo sky and the sixth sign of the northwestern zodiac (21 Agras – 15 Emblio). A Metal sign, Anzor symbolizes Man’s ability to wrest what he will from Nature, to create for himself what Nature does not provide. It symbolizes both his power to manipulate Nature and his ability to protect himself from Her. This is the sign of forging and tempering, the ordeal that ultimately creates strength. It is a symbol of transformation, the potential of Man to dominate and transform Nature, turning Her raw materials into artifacts of Man. It is the promise of Spring coming to fruition in the heat of Summer.

Those born under this sign tend to be manipulative, a trait that is useful as their lives tend to be turbulent and their path filled with obstacles. They seem to go from one ordeal to the next, but from each one they gain something; if they learn to cast aside their failures and move on they are ultimately the stronger. They make good craftsmen and artisans, and enjoy working with their hands. The world is never good enough “as-it-is” for the Anzorian— he must try to improve it. This can lead to bucking great odds, but his will is indomitable; he may be defeated, but he is seldom destroyed.

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Aramos (ah-RAH-moz) – The Prisim; a constellation in the northern Novendo sky and the twelfth sign of the northwestern zodiac (21 Glacia – 15 Novara). A Spirit sign, Aramos symbolizes the most intangible qualities of Power. Often used to represent the pure aspects of magic, it also stands for the soul or mind, the ultimate intangibility. It may also represent the intangible power of wealth. The Prism takes in light and may either focus or diffuse it – the person who learns its secrets may command its power. It symbolizes the ability to achieve great results with seemingly slight action. It is also symbolic of confinement and bondage, of intangibilities held in check by the tangible, as the soul is contained in the body. It is the most ethereal and esoteric of signs.

Those born under this sign rarely approach problems directly, preferring to come at them from an oblique angle. They tend to think in gestalts, to perceive patterns and relationships in intuitive leaps. This often confuses more linear-minded thinkers and can make the Aramosian seem possessed of almost miraculous powers of the mind. They are constantly seeking knowledge, and appreciate the various forms of power that it can bring. They also tend to procrastinate and may take more time to reach a goal than is really necessary. Patience and perseverance are strong in those of this sign, which can make them dangerous enemies as well as great wizards, scholars or artists.

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Aran, House of (ARE-ahn) – The Royal House of the Kingdom of Arushal, currently lead by King Dorikon IV.

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Aranda (are-AHN-dah) – The larger of Novendo’s two moons, the blue moon  is 2,993 km in diameter, with a synodical period of 26 days, and appears slightly larger than Luna does from Earth. It orbits Novendo at a distance of 334,646 km. Due to what many scholars believe to be certain refractive properties of the moons’ surfaces Aranda is usually a pale electric blue in colour, while the Lesser Moon, Osal, is a pale rose. Rarely their colours will deepen, Aranda to a vivid purple and Osal to a blood red. No pattern has been discovered to these changes, and they are seen as events of great astrological significance, portending great events in the affairs of men and gods.

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Arcane Symbols – The most common set of symbols used to work great feats of magic, representing the eight basic types of arcane power: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation. These symbols are the traditional Telnori patterns, and the most commonly seen in contemporary workings of the T’ara, but variations are not unusual and range from the subtle to the significant. Other philosophies of magic use quite different symbol sets, ands even define the categories of magic differently. Click on the image to the left so see it enlarged.

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Areth (AHR-eth) – The legendary original home world of the Immortals, which they are said to have left just prior to its destruction. Said to have been a beautiful world once, over time its people, squandering their gifts as Children of the First Gods, are said to have sunk into war and the wanton destruction of land and air and sea. Seeing no hope for their ancient home, and having no desire to die with it, a handful of those who still held to the old ways of peace and unity gathered together and crafted great ships that could sail between the stars. Then, dividing into five groups, they set out to find new worlds to make their own. What the fate of the other four great star ships might be, not even the Immortals of Novendo know…

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Areth-Mar (ar-eth-MAHR) – Ancient, semi-legendary Khundari monastery, located somewhere in the Sarijis Mountains of northern Ysgareth. It is said to be the home of a Kalosian sect of dwarven monks who maintain the secrets of the martial art known as Kahar-ün-Tem. Secretive and reclusive, they are extremely selective about who they take on as students – usually only the most promising of Khundari supplicants who manage to find their way to the monastery. But legends persist of a few Umantari heroes who were trained in the art at Areth-Mar, and even of a Telnori warrior so honored. Generally translated in Esparic as “Memory of Areth” or possibly “Shadow of Areth,” referring to the legendary lost home world of the Immortals.

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Arial (are-ee-AHL) – One of the Greater immortals. Queen of the Immortals, Goddess of the Stars. Lady of Spring. Her spheres include Wisdom, Compassion and Motherhood. Wife to Agara and mother to Tanar and Shala. Greatly revered as Lady of the Telnori.

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Ariala (ahr-ee-ALLAH) – The Azure Bowl; a constellation in the northern Novendo sky and the third sign of the northwestern zodiac (6 – 30 Sarnia). A Metal sign, Ariala symbolizes the ability of liquid to combine multiple elements into a new, harmonious whole. Arial is a goddess of the Upper Airs, her Bowl a symbol of Water; together they represent the transformation of diversity into harmony through knowledge and compassion. By knowing what to blend (and, often more importantly, what not to blend) in the waters of the Bowl, the future may be glimpsed, knowledge gained, a new reality given life. It is symbolic of transformation brought about by learning and love, of all things joined in harmony.

Those born under this sign tend to possess strong intellects; they are governed by emotion, but recognize this, and so tend to avoid the worst of emotional excesses. They have a great capacity to enjoy life and to make those around them enjoy it. They listen and empathize, often able to see solutions where others see only problems. The Arialian is able to learn from whatever life hands them. They enjoy experimentation, although the results may not always be what they expected, and they often limit themselves in this area by their compassion. They tend to have strong family ties and to appreciate tradition.

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Arus River (ARE-us)– Major river of central Arushal, rising in the western foothills between Mt. Mürell and Mt. Riodor and emptying into the Sea of Ukalus. The city of Lothkir sits on the river near its mouth. A center of early Umantari civilization after the Demon’s Fist.

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Arushal (are-oo-SHAL)– A feudal kingdom in northern Ysgareth, with a population of approximately 165,000. Founded in 2837 after the collapse of the Delfari Empire, Arushal is ruled by the House of Aran. King Dorikon IV keeps his seat at Kelym. He is a very learned ruler but is perceived by many of his nobles to be weak and dominated by his father, the Earl of Savartim. The city of Lothkir is the largest settlement in the realm, and the official capital. The kingdom is roughly bounded by the Blackmist and Sarajis Mountains in the north, the Sea of Ukalus to the south, the Ulbo River to the east, and the Pelon River/Vindus Swamp in the west.

The name Arushal derives from the name of its central river, the Arus. The region has been known variously as Laot’kira, Lothkira, and Lothkiris in the past. Modern Arushal is bordered in the east by the kingdom of Nolkior, to the west/northwest by the kingdom of Darikaz, and to the north/northeast by the Republic of Kildora. Arushal has a tradition of enlightened and peaceful government, but foreign relations are another matter. The kingdom has been involved in three major wars over the past 60 years. The current king dislikes war, but has been unable to halt the ongoing bloody skirmishes between the orders of the Bronze Shield and the Iron Claw along the Darikazi border.

This conflict stems from Zarik’s War (2980-95) when Arushal defeated Darikaz and seized significant territory from the Korönian order. The rise to power of King Farlox III of Darikaz may herald the onset of another full scale war with Arushal. To complicate matters, Arushal recently suffered defeat during the Somkari War (3010-11) at the hands of the Kildoran Republic. King Dorikon’s greatest fear is an alliance between his northern and western rivals. A map of Arushal  can be found on the Atlas Novendo page.

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Assassin’s Moon  – One of the names given to the lesser moon, Osal, on the rare occasions when it appears blood red instead of a pale rose color. It is popularly believed to be a portent of death, within the month, for someone of power or fame. Given that someone who can be made to fit that description, however elastically, is likely to die in any given month, it is not surprising that most people feel they’ve seen “proof” of the saying’s truth.

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Atalvinar (ah-TALL-vin-AHR) – The legendary castle and seat of power of Cael, the Immortal Paladin, Huntsman of the Gods.

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Aunari (ow-NAHR-ee) – Common name given to those born of half-Umantari and half-Telnori blood. Aunari are relatively rare in most regions of Novendo, except where the Telnori are found in some concentration. In those regions they are merely uncommon. Such children tend to be raised in the culture of the mother, although this is not invariable. But Umantari or Telnori, whichever culture such children are primarily raised in, they often have difficulties fitting in, if for differing reasons.

Aunari tend to live about twice as long as the average Umantari, about 200-220 years, a good span but a far cry from the Telnori life expectancy of 800-1000 years. They are often born with very strong Aura’s and can make great mages; legend has it that Talorin Silvereye was Aunari, though no definitive proof of the claim is known to exist.

Avantir  (ah-van-TEER) –  Island city, capital of the Ocean Empire. Founded in 355 SR, it is one of the oldest living cities on Novendo, and currently her greatest. Known by many names, including the Eternal City, the City of Bridges, the City of Canals, and the City of Light, she is the cultural heart of the western world. Set at the heart of the ancient volcanic caldera that makes up its home island of Keldonar, the City is a set of concentric walled circles, each surrounded by a wide canal. Lesser canals divide the metropolis into hundreds of small islands, connected by hundreds of bridges, both great and small. At the center of it all is the Imperial Compound, housing the Imperial Palace, the Tower of the Sun and the Towers of the Moons, the Chancellory and the Imperial Senate House.

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Avikor (AH-ve-kor) / Avikorin (AH-va-kor-EEN) – One of the six Elemental Convocations of the Thularian philosophy of the T’ara Kul, crudely known as the element of Water. Avikor is the magic of slow, cool darkness, moisture; it is the opposite of fire and action. Avikorin mages study and manipulate water, ice, darkness, and cold to achieve their ends. They also make use of Ethereal Water, the counterpart of Ethereal Fire. Avikorin mages incorporate water, snow, or ice in their foci, was well s clear, blue or blue-green crystals and gems. It’s diametric convocation in the Thularian Hexagram is Yalva. It’s color is blue.

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Avishan (ah-vee-SHAWN) (Air Elemental) – “Creatures” of primal air which, when they manifest on the corporeal plane, are able to manipulate meteorological phenomena, including anything from a light breeze, heat haze or “dust devil” to storms of tremendous destructive power.

When Avishani manifest, their presence may be indistinguishable from the air within which they animate. Their boundaries are amorphous, and they are able to increase and decrease the density and volume of the air they occupy.

Avishani are not generally hostile to corporeal entities, to whom they rarely pay any notice, but there are exceptions, typically when they are summoned and manipulated. One Avishan, named Jazaka, takes the form of a mighty storm and is the terror of Seruin Gulf in the Hidden Sea. Stories about Jazaka seem to indicate that, while sentient, it is insane. If true, part of the reason for this may be that he is somehow trapped (perhaps by a deity he offended) in the vicinity of Mount Ossüak.

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Avokisu (ah-vo-KEE-soo) – An arcanist name for water elementals. See also Shuind’or.

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Awengu (ah-WHEN-goo) – The north polar continent.

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Axe of Arghün (ARE-goon) – A Great Artifact, created by the master Khundari weapon crafter Kharat Ironbinder in the years after the Great War. Commissioned by the first Ruling Prince of the city-state of Dürkon, its blade was fashioned in the likeness of the face of Arghün Gülsbane, a great warrior of the Kingdom of Akaztamyr, to commemorate his defense before the gates of Zakiruth. When the Gulvini armies of the Necromancer swept out of the mountains and overwhelmed the Dwarven realm, Arghün lead his men to repulse three waves of blood-maddened gül-Hovgavu. Although he later died of his injuries, and the city eventually fell, his heroism allowed countless women and children to escape the Carnage of Zakiruth.

The weapon created in his honor and his image is said to cause an overwhelming feeling of dread in any who would attack its wielder; but in the hands of a Khundari warrior, wielded against Gülvini foes, it causes an all-consuming fear in the Deathspawn, from which they flee in terror.

Lost for many decades, it was recently found to be in the possession of a female gül-Hovgavu warrior named Khana, and has since been returned to the treasure room of Prince Rhoghûn of Dürkon.

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Azurgis (ah-zoor-GREE) – A solid, waxy substance found in the digestive systems of the kraken. Ranging from a brilliant royal blue color (the most valuable), to a more muted blue-gray (still more valuable than gold), the substance is used by alchemists, perfume makers, and T’ara Kul for its various strange abilities and arcane properties. One of the most valuable substances on Novendo by weight, not least because it is so difficult and so very dangerous to obtain.

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Balar-Zal (bah-LAR-ZAHL) – [2764-2856 SR] – Brilliant Garlini war-chieftain who united the fractious tribes of the Sun Plains and swept north into the rich civilized lands of the Ukali Basin in 2785. By 2796 he had conquered everything between the Starwind Mountains and the Gulf of Dolshida north to the Sea of Ukalus, and had himself crowned Emperor of the Garlini Empire. Died at the age of 91 in a fall from a horse, and within six years his empire had collapsed into warring factions.

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Kar Bankir (ban-KEER) – A major fortress and large town of Nolkior, located on the western bank of the Sürkil River in the Miona Hundred of Buranshire.It commands the Bankir Bridge, one of the three spans crossing the powerful river.

Bankir was founded around 2555 SR as a frontier post of Firada, then given to the Earl of Gostrial in 2578 SR after Nolkior was founded. It became a keep circa 2600 SR, and was the site of the final battle of the Nolkioric Civil War in 2675SR, after which it was granted to Clan Artelkes. The current castle was built between 2903 and 2951 SR, and in 3000 SR, construction began on a town wall, as yet unfinished. Bankir is the seat of Lord Torad Artelkes, the Earl of Buran.

From the 9th to the 12th of Va’Sarnia, the town comes alive with the annual Feast of Saint Griseld. Doorways and windows are festooned with woven wreaths of spring flowers and bundles of wheat. It is great fun for the peasants, with much dancing and matchmaking. The festival includes mock combat and jousting by men mounted on the backs of other men, armed with sheaves of wheat. The storytelling contest draws some of the best storytellers in the kingdom. On the night of the eleventh the Earl hosts a grand feast and a bonfire for all his serfs within walking distance.
Another highlight of the festival is the longbow contest sponsored by the Earl. Participation is by invitation only and is limited to yeomen. The Earl awards the grand prize of 120 sp and a Valtiran longbow.

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Barasina Island (bahr-ah-SEEN-ah) – An island in the northern Iria Channel, between the Ysgareth mainland portion of the Telnori Kingdom of Serviar and the offshore portion of the realm, on Iria Island. It is rumored in popular Umantari legend to be haunted by the spirits of the ancient race of the Dark Telnori, the Ur-Tel’naru, and is avoided by all mariners as a place of certain death. Indeed, the few adventurers that have dared the island have never returned, and the High King of Serviar has decreed the island forbidden to all, of whatever race or station or degree.

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Belhir’az (bell-heer-AHZ) (Fire Elemental) – Some scholars believe that it is the interaction of Belhir’azi with earth and rock that produces molten lava. Some believe that the realm of the Belhir’azi lies beneath the earth and it is the efforts of Belhir’azi to break free of their subterranean prison that causes the formation of volcanoes. Most scholars believe, however, that while some volcanic activity may be due to the action of Belhir’azi, most are due to “natural” or “mundane” processes beneath the earth.

It is not clear whether Belhir’azi actually consume fuel, or whether mundane fire is a by-product of their presence. Regardless, a Belhir’az loose in the forest will burn many trees. If it is true that Belhir’azi can exist only within their element (fire) then they are likely the most limited of the elementals. But there is some evidence that some Belhir’azi are able to live in a state of slow burn even without mundane fuel, perhaps by burning the air itself. A Belhir’az cannot (or will not) exist long on the mundane plane without its element, although it can create its element if there is fuel available.

The free-willed variety is often called a salamander and is falsely believed to sometimes assume the form of a small lizard. Elementals rarely stay long in the material world since they tend to quickly run out of fuel. Like other elementals, the Belhir’azi usually take little interest in corporeal creatures.

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Dor Belthin (door bell-THEEN) – A fortress of Nolkior, located in Tarial Hundred in Seroshire, on the western bank of the Sürkil River. Built in 2818 SR, the keep is held by Baron is Dawyn Korathin from the Earl of Yorma, Lord Kleftin of Urkonis. It commands the recently-improved bridge that connects Buranshire to Seroshire over the Sürkil. Much of the surrounding area is not only rich farming land, but also excellent pasture. Horses are raised for combat, cattle for work and hides, swine for meat, and in the hills, sheep for wool and parchment.

Rye, barley, apples, and pears are the most common crops. The nearby Eldaran Abbey of Tarial produces excellent barley ales, potent ciders, and a fine strong, sweet perry. The lands around Belthin are quiet and peaceful, and most of the fiefs are well-maintained and rich.

The annual Belthin Fair features an important horse auction that is attended by many nobles and breeders. There is also a tourney popular with younger knights and the local maidens who watch them. Ser Dawyn is a paternal figure and enjoys the commotion.

Belthin is the site of a small chantry of arcane lore, founded by Ser Dawyn in memory of his sister Mirim, a Maran High Cantor and gifted healer. The chantry was once a Kalosan abbey, long abandoned and still under renovation. The lorists are quietly amassing a significant library of healing lore augmented by Nolkiori, Tharkian, and Arushali history. With the exception of Old Dulie, a Xavar’na Master from Lairial, there are no known T’ara Kul in the area.

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Berülones (bear-oo-LONE-ehz) – Chain of islands off the Nuram coast of northern Tarisea, home to the Berükin Robuli tribal peoples.

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Besina, Lake (beh-SEEN-ah) – The largest lake on the Imperial City home island of Keldonar. At the foot of the northwestern caldera ring-wall, the lake has two major peninsulas which extend out into it – one, connected by a narrow, rocky arm reaching out from the cliff, is home to the Unseen Library; the other, on the southern shore, is broader and less rocky and contains the grounds of the Imperial Oceanian University. Aside from the town that has grown up over the centuries around the University, a few scattered villas dot other areas of the lake shore, but for the most part public use of its waters is discouraged by both the Library and the University.

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Biralkir’ka (beer-AHL-keer-kah) – The fabled catalog of the demonic servants of the Chained God, Korön.

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The Blasted March – A desolate wasteland that was once the ancient heartland of the Telnori/Umantari kingdom of Serviana (now called Serviar), poisoned by the Corruption of the Demon Khanaribus the Corruptor during the Great War. Once fertile grasslands and light woodlands, nothing now lives within the thousands of square kilometers of the March, and the land itself is dead beyond recovery, covered in a gray dust of surpassing fineness. This dust can, in those susceptible to it, cause the demon fever if inhaled for any length of time. Likewise the groundwater, where it can still be found at all, is tainted and foul, and will certainly bring on the demon fever. Only the waters of the River Asamira, which runs through the heart of the desolation, including the ruins of the former capital city of Yalura, are relatively untainted, though few would drink from it except at great need. To enter the March is forbidden to all without the consent of King Kelabin, who seldom gives it. Telnori warriors regularly patrol the edges of the area,and it is rumored that wards set on the land alert them to trespassers. But such are rare, despite the legends of great treasures buried in the dead city of Yalura, for the spirit of the Corruptor still strives to break the Seals that hold it beyond the world, and its malign influence infects all who walk those dead lands.

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Blackmist Mountains – One of the ranges that make up the great, continent-dividing World Spine Mountains. Unlike most of the World Spine, which divides Ysgareth running north-to-south, the Blackmists run generally west-to-east, from the Andara Gap to the Ukarim Gap. Generally less high and rugged than other parts of the great range.

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Bogaba, gül– (BOH-gah-bah, ghool), plural gül-Bogabai (ghool-BOH-gah-BYE) – Also known as the Red Güls, averaging 5’4” in height, they are the second largest of the Gülvini species. Their fur is auburn to dark red in color, and thicker than the Black Güls’, more like a bear’s. Bogabai prefer to dwell in cave complexes, in a manner similar to the Nomai, but have a slower birthrate, smaller communities (of 700-1,200), and swarm less frequently than their smaller, more numerous cousins.

Bogabai are the most cannibalistic of Gülvini species. Ritual eating of elderly Bogabai is a form of ancestor worship. Those who die heroically are also eaten to honor that courage and to share it among others of the tribe. Conversely, enemies who show weakness or cowardice are usually killed and mutilated, but rarely eaten.

They are second only to the formidable Hovgavui in aggressiveness. They are, in fact, much too aggressive to submit to Hovgavui enslavement. Relations between these Gülvini is always violent, unless both are dominated by a superior (non-Gülvini) leader. Human travelers have reported seeing, from a safe distance, fights to the death between groups of Hovgavui and Bogabai. The Hovgavui do not always win.

Bogabai favor handaxes over mankars, but use both, and are particularly skilled with the dagger. Their racial memory includes an instinct for expert throat-cutting. Their DNA seems to have a strong ursine component, giving them their distinctive bear-like looks and movements.

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Bolnik (BOWL-neek) – A fortress of Nolkior, located in Tirfala Hundred in Yormashire, on the eastern bank of the Sürkil river, near its confluence with the Igant River. The keep was built by Alakor IV in 2726 SR, replacing an ancient stone tower of Khundari origin. Clan Tirfall acquired the keep and barony in 2739 SR. The Tirfalls held land in the area before Vindu’s time and claim the oldest noble bloodline in Nolkior. They like to call themselves Barons of Balni, the ancient name of the region. The current Baron is Orsin Tirfall, who is also the Lord Marshal of Kurikmarch. He commands some of Nolkior’s best-trained soldiers to secure the northern frontier against the Firalani and other barbarians.

Baron Orsin has twice petitioned the old king to establish a keep at Sürkilbridge. Both petitions have been denied. The Baron suspects the Mangai is responsible for the king’s reaction –the Mercantylers’ Guild has a seasonal trading post at Sürkilbridge, and its own ambitions – it has already begun construction of a fortified manor like Trollbridge Inn. The Baron has hopes that the new Queen and the current conflict with the northern gives and Tharkia will increase the likelihood of him receiving a crenellation license for Sürkilbridge.

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Bremkin, Dör (BREHM-kin) – Once a keep belonging to the Republic of Kildora, it was seized by the Korönian fighting order The Red Hand of Pain out of Darikaz in 3006, and has been a political hot potato between the two nations ever since. At the climax of a theological and political dispute in 3012, a faction of the Order of the Searing Mace, the Red Hand of Pain’s sponsoring clerical order, split off to form the rival Order of the Burning Blood. The dispute resulted in a new fighting order as well, the Order of the Fist of Shangtor, who took Bremkin from the Red Hand of Pain in 3012.

The Order of the Burning Blood is headquartered in Olarin and holds lands in the Republic in addition to those around Bremkin. The manors in Gerdel Hundred are divided between the priestly Order of the Burning Blood and the military Fist of Shangtor. All taxes are paid to Bremkin but are not passed on to Delfarin or to Ashtaru. The Fist of Shangtor have not sworn fealty to Farlox III and may intend to return Bremkin to the Kildoran Republic if certain conditions are satisfied.

Karin Delvano, Deputy Grandmistress of the clerical order, holds Gerdel Manor from Bremkin and is rumored to see a future for herself as a senator or in another important position in the Republic. Crasel Merbed, the Grandmaster of the Fist of Shangtor and lord of Bremkin Keep, is ambitious himself, and follows Karin’s direction. The Grandmistress of the Burning Blood, Merele Kantal, is said to support her subordinates plans, and if so her influence and the persuasion of the Senate may help ensure the return of Bremkin to the Republic, a result most citizens devoutly (if secretly) hope for… although they may be disappointed if they think that would mean the removal of the Fist of Shangtor.

The conflicts of the past 12 years have reduced the hundred’s population considerably. Many fields lie fallow for lack of peasants to work the land. The income from the many mines and quarries on the lands controlled by the orders is spent on keeping the fighting order equipped. Bremkin groans under the demands of the Fist of Shangtor. One company garrisons the keep, while eight companies guard the manors in Gerdel Hundred. Two companies are active at all times; patrolling against incursions from Kildora, but also warily watching the southern and western border. The companies rotate every three months. The Fist of Shangtor suspect the yeomen in their formerly Kildoran manors of plotting rebellion and have disarmed them all. The King Faxlox III has refused to support the order until they swear fealty.

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Brindar (BRIN-dahr) – One of the Greater Immortals. Lord of the Upper Airs, God of Inspiration. Patron of Music, Poetry and Art, he is also the Sender of True Dreams. He is the brother of Mara and husband of Kalura.

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Brinthor (BRIN-thor) – Ancient city founded by the Telnori at the end of the Age of Chaos on the site of modern Shalara; razed by the Necromancer during the Great War, and on whose ruins he began to build his own city, Vindus-Anol.

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Bürkon (BOOR-khan) – A fortress of Nolkior.

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Burning Blood, Order of the – A female Korönian clerical order, infamous for the sexual torture, mutilation, and sacrifice of male captives brought to them by its sponsored fighting order, the Order of the Fist of Shangtor. The order was established in 3012 when it split from another order, the Order of the Searing Mace. The order’s mother house is in Zhatrik; other temples are located in Delfarin and Izmirk.

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Burning Tower, Order of the – A Korönian clerical order that sponsors the Companions of Burning Destiny fighting order. In 3015, the order’s only temple, with most of the members inside, was razed during a “misunderstanding” with the Korönian primate, Kheradas Vorkulin. No more than a few dozen priests of the order survived, and those only by fleeing. Their “temple” now moves secretly from one place to another. Priests of the order never reveal their allegiance to outsiders and will attempt to kill anyone who learns of their identity or the temple’s current location. The order intends to assassinate the primate at the first opportunity. It is generally accepted that the order, like other Korönian sects, was plotting to seize the primacy when it was purged. Their sponsored fighting order have not shown a high degree of loyalty since the crisis.

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Cael (kai-EL)– One of the Greater Immortals. God of the Hunt, Immortal Paladin. Master of Righteous Combat & Chivalry, Lord of the Greater Moon, and Binder of Demons. Lord of Autumn. Once lover, now bane, of Korön.

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Caelaz (KALE-ez) – The Hunter; a constellation in the northern Novendo sky and the fourth sign of the northwestern zodiac (1 – 25 Metisto). An Earth sign, Caelaz symbolizes the hidden life within, the potential of all things to nourish life, even in death. It is the symbol of Man in harmony with Nature. Man hunts, taking what he needs to survive from Nature, but on Natures terms. In death the hunted provides new life for the hunter, and so the endless cycle continues. This is a symbol of transition and the universal cycles that touch us all.

Those born under this sign are vital, energetic, with a joy of living unmatched by most. They also recognize that death is a vital part of life. They have an affinity with nature, feeling that they are a part of the whole. They are often family oriented, seeing in their children the next turning of the Eternal Wheel. They are reliable and possess a kind of wisdom that can lend strength in troubled times. The Caelazian is generally strong of body and will. Their pragmatism may sometimes be seen as a lack of compassion, but this is seldom true. A tendency towards fatalism must be guarded against, however.

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Cape Raupin – (RAOO-peen) – The southernmost point of the Trolyn Princedom on the island of Oceania, known for its windswept headland and the strong currents and rip-tides around it.

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Carisa of Tiat (kah-REES-ah of TEE-aht) – Student of the great 27th Century mage Talorin Silvereye, and author of the famed Concordance of his writings, which every T’ara Kül and other arcane scholar has read and studied.

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Codominion, Age of the – The Second Age of the World, from approximately 4,000 before the present, to 3,000 ago. Also known as the Golden Age, it was a time when Telnori, Umantari and Khundari lived in unity in a joint culture that celebrated the best of each race, presided over by the benevolent guidance of the Immortals. It spanned the globe in a veritable utopia of green technology and ecological harmony, and ended in the catastrophe of the Demon’s Fist, which destroyed the ancient world.
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Companions of Burning Destiny – A Korönian fighting order  sponsored by the clerical Order of the Burning Tower. The order was established in 2844 during the Interregnum and helped Toran the Centauris establish the Kingdom of Darikaz. The order’s house is at Arketh, where knights of the order sally forth to commit acts of brutality and intimidation. Darikazi kings have traditionally employed them to “lean on trouble-makers,” enchanted, no doubt, by their efficiency. The order is also at home on the waves, and their fleet of red-sailed ships vies with the ships of the Earl of Gormilioth for control of Warthym Bay.

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Conjuration – One of the eight basic classes of magic in Telnori and Thularian philosophy. Conjuration is focused on the manifestation of energy and objects as well as summoning minor entities such as familiars. Orb of Vorol and Summon Familiar are examples of this class of magic. The other basic classes of magic are: Abjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation. See also Arcane Symbols.

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Coral Throne – The Imperial throne of the Ocean Empire, carved from gold coral by the legendary artist Sunalovir in 1130-31, for the coronation of Arkahzan the Golden.

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Crimson Veil, Order of – Zelistian female clerical order, infamous for its skilled assassins; closely allied with the Cult of Korön in Darikaz and the Kildoran Republic.

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The Corruption – A vile and horrifying essence created by the Necromancer, Pürshok Vindu, and unleashed by him during the Great War in the form of the Demon Khanaribus the Corruptor. It is unknown exactly how he created the power, but many scholars believe that Talorin Silvereye’s theory is the most likely – that the Necromancer acquired a sliver of the Torzhalo-ka, the Shadow of Naventhül which imbues the undead with animation, and from this distilled his essence of corruption. Whatever the origin of the power, the results were horrifying beyond belief. Any living thing touched by even the aura of the Corruption died – plants and microscopic life instantly, animals within minutes or at the most hours. All life withered into a gray dust, and even the very land was drained of its life energy. Creatures strong enough to survive the initial touch, however briefly, were driven mad as they felt the life being drained from them, and often ran amok, spreading the Corruption to all they touched as well until they crumbled away. Even the energy of the Nitaran vortices were not immune to the Corruption, which is why none exist to this day anywhere in the Blasted March, that doomed land that the Demon Khanaribus destroyed before being defeated and imprisoned beyond the world. Given that the Aura of Corruption seemed to grow exponentially with every life the demon stole (it was 15 kilometers in diameter when the creature was defeated by King Taharazod’s sacrifice), no one has since tried to recreate it, and all known texts of the Necromancer’s relating to it are believed to have been destroyed after his own defeat.

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Darhelim (dar-hel-EEM) – A noble house of Nolkior. The current clan head is Lord Clarin Darhelim, the Earl of Kinen.

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Darikaz (dahr-ee KAHZ) – A feudal kingdom in northern Ysgareth, with a population of approximately 122,000. It is bounded by the Sea of Ukalis to the south, the wilderness of the Blackmist Mountains to the north and west, and the Pelon and Revis Rivers in the east. The natural vegetation is mostly mixed woodland in the coastal lowlands and evergreen forest in the mountains, with large tracts of heath and marsh. The kingdom claims, but only lightly controls, both the rugged highlands of the northern mountains and the vast wetlands of the Pelon River Delta in the southeast. Both are home to tribal peoples, and pirates as well as millions of sea birds, snakes and swamp dragons, populate the Delta. The northern and western forests are rich in timber and furs and the abundant minerals of the mountains have been extensively mined since Imperial times. The fertile river valleys of the lowlands have long been densely populated, supporting historically strong economic life.

Darikaz is bordered to the east by the feudal Kingdom of Arushal, to the northeast by the Republic of Kildora, to the north by the Principality of Blackmoor, and to the west by Tor Andar, the principal mainland province of the Ocean Empire. With its long history of violence, a rulership built on cunning and strength, and its shaky political structure, Darikaz is viewed warily by its neighbors. Since the foundation of the realm in 2845, by the Ilrionim war chief Toran the Centauris, there have been wars and skirmishes with both Arushal and Kildora, and while an uneasy peace currently holds, any incident could provoke a renewal of hostilities. The rugged western escarpments of the Blackmists buffer the kingdom from too-frequent contact with the Ocean Empire, of which their lands were once a province. The kings of Darikaz have long felt that Blackmoor is a natural part of their realm, and it is only the alliance of the Mage-Princes of Hawkstone with the Empire that have kept them from invading.

The gentler northern slopes and foothills of the Blackmists are home to the Ilrionim tribal nation, a fierce and numerous people. The Kingdom of Darikaz was created by the conquests of an Ilrionim chieftain, something that neither the tribesmen, nor the Darikazi, are likely to forget. The Ilrionim influence is still significant in the kingdom, and most Darikazi nobility are of Ilrionim descent, although it is not currently fashionable to admit to it.

Darikaz’s tenth and current ruler, King Farlox III, is not the product of a long and respected dynasty, his clan having seized the throne a mere 40 years ago. Farlox III has constructed a network of allegiances that relies upon the careful placement of kin and the manipulation of competing loyalties that he himself may not fully command. Farlox often uses the threat of invasion from the kingdom’s neighbors to keep his rivals off guard. Farlox III keeps the royal seat at Ashtaru and prefers to spend little time at the royal castle in Izmirk where his wife lives. Farlox is aware that six of Darikaz’s nine monarchs have died violently. Few expect the current uneasy bout of peace in Darikaz to last long. If he can live long enough and unite his chronically rebellious kingdom, it is likely he will again attack hated Arushal. Farlox is more secure and shrewd than his predecessors, but suspicion of his many rivals may cripple his state-building efforts.

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Darix River (DAR-ix) – Main river of the ancient Kahir-Tamor region, fed by many tributaries; now drowned beneath the Hidden Sea.

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Darkfire Chronicles – The “holy” scripture of the Cult of Korön, attibuted to Lirinal a Fifth Century follower of Parim, First Prophet of Korön.

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Deepways, The – The series of underground highways, great and small, that once linked all of the Khundari realms of the Worldspine Mouintains. It was said that a Dwarf could walk from the southernmost of the original Eights Cities, deep in the Demonstorch Range, all the way to Akazdarön in the Sarajis Mountains of the far north, without once seeing the sun. The Deepways allowed the Khundari to move their armies secretly and at great speed, even in winter, which often proved of incalculable strategic value in times of crisis and war.

With the destruction of so many of the great Khundari realms over the centuries, the system is today fractured and greatly decayed – large portions have been destroyed, others abandoned and sealed off, a few taken by Gülvini or other enemies. The largest section of the Deepways still in common use is the one that connects the City-state of Dürkon, in the southern Sarajis to the Princedom of Ychur, in the Greatsone Range.

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Delfarin (del-FAHR-en) – The capital city of the Kildoran Republic, and the most populous city of northern Ysgareth.

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Demon’s Fist – The name given to the massive  asteroid that struck the northwestern portion of Ysgareth over 3,0000 years ago, wreaking geologic and ecological havoc over the whole planet, destroying the advanced Immortal/Telnori/Umantari/Khundari Codominion civilization, and leading to an age of barbarism and chaos. Among its many results was the creation of the Oceanian Archipelago.

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Demon’s Rain – The larger of the two major regular meteor showers that light the skies of Novendo each year between 1o and 23 Kilta as the planet passes through what is believed to be the remains of the Demon’s Fist, creating a spectacular display of shooting stars. It is considered an auspicious time to undertake dangerous or war-like enterprises, especially by worshippers of Korön, whose Cult holds major religious ceremonies during these thirteen days.

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Dha’ghean Khor (dah-GAY-en core) – An ancient and highly secretive sect of the Khundarian priesthood of the Immortal Gheas, the Great God of the Dwarves, now long extinct. They were said to have arisen during the Age of the Codominion, during the building of the Eight Cities. With the aid of their deity they supposedly built a great artifact, a true wonder of the world, which they named the Fane of Gheas.

Where exactly this wonder was constructed, and how precisely it operated, were jealously guarded secrets of the sect, and died with them. In its day, it was said that the priests could open as many as four gates at once, to any spot on, above, or below the world. These gateways were apparently unrelated to the naturally occurring Nitaran portals, and did not share their limitations. The Dha’ghean Khor were said to act as ferrymen and guides to those they deemed worthy of passage, moving individuals and even small armies from one point to another in the blink of an eye.

After the abandonment of the last of the Eight Cities the sect was headquartered in the great northern realm of Akazdarön. Most of their number died in the destruction of that city at the end of the Age of Chaos, although a few were said to survive in Akaztamyr, more secretive and isolated than ever. When that realm was destroyed by the Necromancer during the Great War, it was said that he sought to capture any Dha’ghean Khor he could so as to wrest the secrets of the Fane of Gheas from them. Legend has it that the last of the sect died by suicide rather than be taken alive, once the treason of Kordäth Trueheart became known.

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Divination – One of the eight basic classes of magic in Telnori and Thularian philosophy. Divination is focused on acquiring information. Read Magic and Scrying are examples of this class of magic. The other basic classes of magic are: Abjuration, Conjuration, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation. See also Arcane Symbols.

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Dor (DORE) – Esparic word for “keep,” evolved from the ancient Khundari suffix “-dür,” meaning “stronghold” (the modern Khundari suffix is simply “-ür”).

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Dür, Dor (Doowr) – A keep in northeastern Nolkior, owing to the Earl of Buran and held for him by a constable. The site was originally a mining outpost of the Khundari during the period of the late Co-dominion, abandoned after the Demon’s Fist. The later Khundari Kingdom of Akazdurön reoccupied the site and built an underground fort to guard the newly reopened mines. When the northern part of the kingdom was destroyed near the end of the Age of Chaos the site was agin abandoned, but only temporarily. In the late 12th Century the current tower was built atop the older underground fort, and was called Kolan-dür. It was abandoned by the Khundari in the 26th Century, during the Great War of the Necromancer, and remained unoccupied for over a century, until the Umantari moved in and took over. Over the years the name was shortened to simply Dür in human usage. The current outer works and walls surrounding the Khundari tower are of (inferior) Umantari construction, dating to the 29th Century.

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Dorma (DHOR-mah) – The Pool; a constellation in the northern Novendo sky and the second sign of the northwestern zodiac (6 – 30 Sarnia). A Water sign, Dorma symbolizes mystery, love and pleasure. It is representative of the cool darkness and mystery of the depths. It represents femaleness, security, emotion. The Pool is the opposite of the Spear, enfolding whereas the Spear penetrates. Dorma is symbolic of life, motherhood and fertility, but also of Death in its benificent aspect.

Those born under this sign tend toward moodiness and may often be fickle. They are mercurial of temperament, one moment calm or happy, the next restless or wildly emotional. Tenacity is a strong trait of this sign – like moving water the Dormai will wear down obstacles over time. They also have a strong sense of what, in human terms, is really important, and are capable of a love so deep and strong that it can be shared endlessly. But they can also hold a grudge forever, and their cold hatred can be frightening in its intensity.

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Drina (DREE-nah) – One of the Greater Immortals. Goddess of Nature, Lady of the Wilds. Protector of the wild places of the world, but most especially of its forests. Also known as the Queen of Solitude. Sister of Liska. Guiding patron of the Telnori Druids. Drina is one of the two Immortals most closely associated with the Telnori (Arial being the other). She holds the preservation of the natural world to be the highest responsibility of sentience, and teaches the fragility and inter-connectedness of all life on Novendo. She is a patient deity, perhaps the most patient of all the Immortals, and the least affected by time. While others may have changed over the centuries, she has remained true to her wisdom and calling – this is why she removed herself from the official cults of the Church of the Eldari, despite being an early leader of the Immortals in the sowing of life on the planet.

She does not dislike the Umantari, but she was opposed to the Immortal’s plan to bring them forth early in the Age of the Codominion. She thought the Telnori, bred for long lives and low fertility, where the preferred way to populate the world, and feared the shorter-lived races (including the Khundari) would eventually over populate and destroy the delicate ecological balance the Immortals had created. But the decision went against her, and she strove to teach the younger races her wisdom and inculcate a love of nature in them. For more than six centuries, it seemed her fears had been unfounded.

Then came the Demon’s Fist.

In the aftermath of that great cataclysm, with all life threatened by extinction, she led the efforts of the Great Mind (all the Immortals joined in Unification), to heal and restore the world. When the worst of the immediate damage had been contained, she formed many of the surviving Telnori into a corps of ecological guardians, a role they had long played before, but which now took on critical importance. Over time, Umantari where brought in and taught the mysteries of “terraforming,” and the Cult of Drina, also called the Cult of the Druids, was born.

When the Eldaran Church was formed from the myriad cults after the Age of Chaos, Drina allowed her Druids to become part of it, if with some reluctance. But as the years passed, and Umantari civilization grew and expanded, becoming increasingly urban, the Druids found themselves more and more in conflict with many of the goals of the other cults. At the Second Council of Avantir, in 1552, the Druids officially separated themselves from the Church, and renewed themselves in the effort to maintain the natural balance of the world, most especially the wilderness. The cult remains on generally good terms with the Eldari, however, and will ally with them in times of need.

Today the Druids maintain their “temples” outside the urbanized areas of the world, in sacred groves of trees similar to the Lau’anir of the Telnori, and strive to inculcate values of stewardship and balance in both the common folk and their noble masters. They also maintain a small number of hostels and “houses” in various places across the globe. There is little structure in the worship of Drina; it is a very individual faith. Perhaps the most organized element is the Talim Nar, active primarily in northern and central Ysgareth.

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Dürkon, Principality of (door-KAHN) – Formerly a minor outpost of the vast, ancient Khundari Kingdom of Akazdurön, then a satellite principality of the reduced Kingdom of Akaztamyr, now an independent Khundari city-state on the northwestern shore of Lake Everbite, beneath the slopes of Mt. Ratonkül. It lies on the northern borders of both the Kildoran Republic and the Kingdom of Nolkior, with the wild lands of the Sarajis Mountains to the north. It is a trading partner of both realms, and maintains ties with the great Khundari confederation of city-states known as the  United Realms of Karac, south of Nolkior. Prince Jorkôd Stonefist passed away last year, and has been succeeded by his son, Rhogûn the Young. A very conservative culture, Dürkon has been scandalized by some of the reforms their new prince has begun, and many older folk mutter darkly about the dangers of innovation and sudden change.

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Doritar, Clan (dor-eh-TAR) – A Kildoran clan long famous for its scholars, sages and philosophers.

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Edokar, Zarik (eh-doe-KHAR, ZAH-rick) – 2935-2996 – Grandmaster of the Korönian Order of the Iron Claw in Darikaz who, in 2980, started the war between Darikaz and Arushal that bears his name. It lasted 15 years, saw thousands dead, including four monarchs, and while the Iron Claw emerged ultimately stronger than it had started, it left Darikaz on the verge of civil war. In the aftermath of defeat and disgrace he was assassinated on the order of King Farlox I.

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Ekoro, Satirnus (eh-KOR-oh, sah-TEER-nus) – Full clan name of the Kildoran Marshal and Magistrate Satirnus, although he is generally referred to only by his first name, which see. Single most powerful man in the Republic, whom many fear aspires to an Imperial mantle.

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Eldar [plural Eldari] (ELL-dahr, ell-DAHR-ee) – The collective name given to the sixteen Greater Immortals who are worshipped by most Umantari in Ysgareth and western Ishkala. It is also the common name of the Unified Cults of the Eldari, or Eldaran Church. The four Greater Immortals not considered part of the Eldari are Korön, his twin brother Kalos, Korön’s wife Zelist, and the Lady of the Wilds, Drina. The cults of Drina and Kalos are generally tolerated by the Eldaran Church, and sometimes allied with them in opposition to the cults of Korön, Zelist, and the Demon-King Naventhül.

The primary structure of the modern Church consists of the cults of 16 of the 20 Greater Immortals, interlaced with the cults of many demi-deities and heros that vary across time and place. Like most Novendoan religions, the Eldaran Church does not claim that its beliefs invalidate those of other faiths, a policy made easier by the doctrine that most other pantheons are merely distorted versions of the True Gods. Which is, mostly, generally true. Within the Church there is a great variety of forms and structures of worship, each cult being fairly autonomous within the larger framework.

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Eldora Abbey (el-DOR-ah) – A prosperous Caelite abbey held by the Order of Harez from the Kleros of Savartim’al, Laret Kalarin. Located in  the southern foothills of the Sarajis Mountains, in northeastern Arushal, the abbey has approximately 2,670 acres, including an attached village of the same name. The village has a population of 205, while the abbey itself supports 31 monks and cantors. The current High Cantor, Lisbil Kalarin, is the sister of the Kleros of Savartim’al, who appointed her in 3016, to the dismay of Clan Demalian, members of which had held the post for the past 150 years. Founded in 2507, the abbey resisted the Necromancer for two years before being taken during the Great War. After the fall of the Necromancer the desecrated buildings were razed, and a new abbey was built, and was reconsecrated in 2730. Now a wealthy abbey with ambitious plans for expansion, it suffered a series of grisly murders in the winter of 3018, which were solved by three snowbound travelers.

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Elemental  – One of six broad classifications of ethereal beings who possess a strong affinity for air, fire, metal, earth, water, or spirit (the six Thularian elements). Like the grouping of principles into the six Thularian elements, the grouping of entities into six elementary classes may seem arbitrary, but this is true of most classification systems. The six broad types of elementals are: Avishan (Air), Belhir’az (Fire), Ilvirhan (Earth), Orivax (Metal), Shuind’or (Water), and Xavir’ask (Spirit). See Ethereals for more information on elemental creation, history, evolution, and relationships to other non-physical beings.

Elementals vary a great deal in terms of size and power. Some will “fit in one’s hand”, while others may occupy several cubic leagues. Like most ethereal beings, how they think and what they think about remain complete mysteries to mortal scholars. Few elementals have good memories or fully realized personalities. While there are certainly sentient elementals, their personalities could not really be recognized as “human.” Communication may be possible; empathy and understanding are not.

One reason for this may be that (at least some) elementals experience time at different scales than mortals, even the Telnori. An earth elemental may lie quiet in the ground for centuries, for example, but at other times it may move hills or dam rivers in seconds.

Each convocation of the T’ara Kul has developed spells to summon elementals, and they work with varying success – none are perfect. In general, only smaller, weaker elementals can be summoned; great ones usually lie beyond the scope of mortal mages (unless the entity wishes to be summoned).

Elementals may be conjured/summoned into a sufficient volume of their “element,” which they then animate. Elementals have no mass or size of their own, but they do have volume. If the available volume of the host element is less than this, they may not be conjured. The summoner of an elemental must test Spirit to control it. If they fail, the elemental will follow its own inclinations. In some regions, a “controlled” elemental may be called a jinn or efreet.

Elementals have some skill in “natural” magics related to their specific element, although they do not cast “spells,” as such. They are generally vulnerable only to magic, artifacts or the effects of the diametrically opposed element. Such vulnerabilities depend on the nature of the material. While an Avishani (air elemental) may be “vulnerable” to earth, the effect of throwing dirt in at it will not be to inflict injuries, but merely to make it uncomfortable. An object does not become a weapon just because it is used on the appropriate elemental.

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Elf’s Mound – Common name for barrow mounds, or other smallish hills, that are believed by locals to be of Telnori origin. Most of these are nothing of the kind, being simple hillocks or Umantari burial mounds of past cultures or peoples. A few, however, are actually  related in some way to the Telnori, and may be the focus of strange phenomena or eerie happenings. Actual such sites are often associated with a Nitarin Vortex, such as the mound outside of Dür, in Nolkior.

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Elmorial (ell-more-ee-AHL) – Lost Telnori city of the Age of Chaos. Maps claiming to reveal the location of its ruins pop up periodically, particularly in northern Ysgareth; all have been hoaxes, yet hope springs eternal in the minds of the treasure hunters and adventurers who buy them.

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Elvenwood – Common name given to woodlands, particularly in northern Ysgareth, that were once, or are believed to have once been, the site of a Telnori Sacred Grove. Some such woods were actually ancient sites of the Star Folk, and retain some power; most are simply particularly beautiful woods. One wood, located in Nolkior, near Dor Dür is also the locus of a Nitaran Vortex, and was most likely actually a Sacred Grove in the distant past.

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Emblio (ehm-BLEE-oh) – The sixth month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning. An early summer month.

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Emerald Depths, Order of – An Avokori Order of the T’ara Kul, based in the Ocean Empire. It has several small chapter houses throughout the Archipelago and one in Tor Andar, but it’s best known chantry is  the Alkimar Chantry on Morgos Island. Alkimar is also the Citadel of the Order, housing it Yar Vendaz, administrative staff, and central library and sanctum.

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Enchantment – One of the eight basic classes of magic in Telnori and Thularian philosophy. Enchantment is focused on compulsion and charm, effecting the minds of living beings. Alvid’s Mote and Wallflower are examples of this class of magic, and such rituals as Abon’s Authority. The other basic classes of magic are: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation. See also Arcane Symbols.

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Ethereals [as explained in the following excerpts from On the Invisible World, by Talorin Silvereye] – “A class of sentient and semi-sentient beings not native to this plane of reality, which includes Elementals, Demons and certain Divine Servants. Ghosts are often mistakenly included in this category – even sometimes by scholars who should know better – but being native to this plane, such non-corporeal beings are more accurately referred to as “astral entities.” True ethereal entities originate in what is generally, and rather luridly, called the Realms of Chaos – more prosaically, merely a dimension completely separate from, and alien to, our own. What form intelligence may take in this realm, if anything that we would recognize as intelligence is even possible there, we can never know. But when entities, or at least collections of energy, from that dimension are set free in this one, they begin to take on certain aspects of recognizable sentience…

“… and in their “natural” state Ethereals cannot interact with the material world in any significant way. But when they come into contact with inanimate matter, that matter may begin to bring order to their native chaotic… “structure,” for want of a better word… and then they start to take on  the qualities of that matter, becoming entangled with it… in essence, giving inanimate matter a “soul” of a sort… and once infected by the organizing pattern of a specific element, an Ethereal will thereafter be attracted to that element again… the more it “possesses” the element, the stronger the affinity becomes, and eventually an Elemental is born…

“…the proof that the natives of the chaotic dimension (or dimensions, as some would have it) possess their own type of sentience is evidenced by the way matter “possessed” by an Ethereal behaves – while it is often seemingly random from our human perspective, it is clearly random in a way that natural elements never are. Water does not spontaneously take on the shape of a tree or rock, for instance, nor flow uphill; fire does not naturally move against the wind nor burn without consuming… This intelligence is not human, however, nor anything like it. And while there are recorded instances of Elementals helping people, this seems to be random chance – more often than not these beings prove inimical to mortal life – again, by chance and not intent, as they simply do not understand us…

“…a strong mind, however, can compel an Elemental to act in certain ways that may benefit mortal needs. This control is most effective when the actions commanded are in line with the nature of the creature’s elemental affinity – it is easier to command a Fire Elemental to burn down a specific building, or even to absorb some existing flame, than it is to command it to build a bridge… and it was noted early on that as an Elemental had more contact with human (or Telnori or Khundari) minds, it would begin to not only take on a more humanoid appearance, but a more human mind-set as well… Thus can we tell the approximate age of an Elemental – if it is small and relatively unformed, taking on only random shapes from the material world around it, then we may assume that it is young, or at least has had no contact with mortal beings; but if it has a humanoid shape, and is capable of human speech, then we know it has interacted with mortal intelligences many times before…

“Some older Elementals have even taken names of their own, and have seemingly developed emotional attachments to certain mortal beings … but make no mistake! However articulate or human-like or caring an Elemental may seem, at its core it is still an alien mind firmly rooted in chaos and disorder. It is my belief that the more human-like an Elemental becomes, the more dangerous it becomes to humans it comes in contact with… for in its younger state, it is rooted in its element, and has no desire, or ability, to possess another living mind… but as it “matures” it can come to desire true free-will, and is powerful enough to attempt possession. This, I believe, is how the Elemental Demon Lords began, during the Demon Wars…

“… when, however, an Ethereal entity comes in contact with sentient, animate matter, we have a very different situation indeed – the seed is sown for the formation of a Demon. Animate matter, be it plant or animal, has some level of sentience and therefore impacts the shape of reality in ways inanimate matter cannot. When an Ethereal initially anchors itself into a living being it takes over that beings mind in a way that usually destroys it very quickly – if the native soul is not lucky enough to simply be ejected at once, the absolute chaos of the Ethereal simply blows its mind apart, madness ensues, with death close behind – usually by the random disruption of bodily functions. The Ethereal survives the death of its victim, of course, but it is now itself infected with a template of organized behavior, however fragmented. The next host it possesses does not die as quickly, nor is the madness quite as absolute (though this is little consolation to the victim). Each subsequent possession of a living being imposes more order and understanding on the Ethereal, until it can at last possess a living body without destroying it too quickly. At this point it may also be able to absorb the victim’s soul – thoughts, memories and skills – incorporating the host’s essence into itself, rather than ejecting it. This changes the Ethereal, too, of course, but being still at root a creature of chaos it is unlikely to have any attachment to any particular sense of “self.” Thus is a Demon born… a Lesser Demon, if it develops within animal forms, or a Greater Demon if it manages to possess a sapient being… and the lesser can grow into the greater if they ever manage to possess a sapient or three…

“… when the living form an Ethereal initially possess is a plant, however, very little of consequence ensues. Like Elementals, once a particular form of matter is imprinted, the proto-Demon is attracted to similar forms, and as it adapts a Plant Demon is formed. In and of themselves, they are relatively harmless, as plants have little agency in the material world compared to animals and humans. They just tend to become food for other, more animate Demons – Demons are quite as capable of “consuming,” or absorbing the essence of, other Demons as of human or animal souls. Indeed, that is how many grew in the early years of the demonic infestation – the ones lucky enough to have possessed animals consuming the ones unfortunate enough to have possessed, say alfalfa…

“… the problem, of course, comes when a human being ingests a demonically infected plant (infected animals are less of a problem, as Demons tend to jump away from a dead host immediately, and we are unlikely to eat an animal the instant it’s killed). Vegetable-based Demons seem to be more sluggish when it comes to moving on to new host plants, and may linger for days in a harvested host’s form. If an animal eats such fodder, the Demon will then try to possess the animal, and if successful leading to some odd behavior in the new host, behavior not always recognized as possession. And now it has begun its climb up the demonic evolutionary ladder…

“… even worse is when a human being eats such demonic plant matter – for the Demon has already adapted to the organized world of matter, so it will not instantly burn out the host’s mind, and has the slow patience of plants, but no real sentience. Thus, it can grow in the mind of its new host, slowly absorbing his or her soul and learning how to be not-plant. Of course this type of possession can lead to some odd behavior in the victim, but since it will tend to be slow, sluggish sorts of behaviors it is unlikely to be immediately recognized as demonic possession. The victim will usually die within a month or so of ingesting the Demon, due to the difficulty of trying to balance plant and animal body processes. But by then the Demon has a taste for the active life, and it will almost certainly seek out another human host… of course, this is not an absolute, which may explain the seemingly universal legends of talking trees and bushes…

“… possession of a human or other sapient being is the most dangerous form a Demon can attain, from our point of view. Plant Demons are more nuisance than real threat, and Demonic Animals, while dangerous to individuals, are no more of a threat than any number of natural wild animals… indeed, some have found possessed horses to be quite useful in battle… The threat to civilization however, and to life itself on Novendo, comes from the Greater Demons. These creatures possess the intelligence, cunning and knowledge of every human, Telnori and Khundari soul they have ever consumed, giving them a kind of concatenation-immortallity we can never achieve – but driven by the madness and the compulsion to consume that seems to infect these chaotic entities in a world of ordered matter as they gain sapience…

“… some have argued that a strong enough mind, or enough of them, absorbed by a Demon could “tame” its chaotic impulses and retain human sanity… but in four thousand years we have seen no evidence of this, and much to disprove it. The case of the Madness of Korön would seem argument enough – a powerful Immortal, indeed one of the most powerful, who came into mental conflict with the mind of Naventhül, the most powerful of the Demons, and who came away from it himself irrevocably tainted with madness. A madness that seems even to have infected, to some extent, the minds of his wife and brother, who sought to pull him back and were touched, if lightly, themselves by the Chaos.

“But most damning to this foolish argument for the possible evolution of a “good” Demon is, I believe, the likely origin of the Demon King himself. I have spent long years researching the matter, and it seems beyond doubt that it was one of the Immortals who breached the barriers between dimensions, and became the first victim of demonic possession. This Immortal’s name has been so thoroughly scrubbed from history that even I can find no mention, no hint of it… but the fact of his (or her) existence cannot be so easily expunged… Several ancient sources list 21 beings who first came to this world and brought life forth on it, although only 20 are ever named… and the sheer cunning, intelligence and mastery that Naventhül demonstrated almost from the moment of its advent on this world belies a normal demonic evolution – it takes generations of absorbing sapients for a truly intelligent Demon to evolve, and even then they are seldom capable of cooperation or coordinated effort. Yet Naventhül forged an army of Demons, and held them more-or-less together for centuries.

“I feel certain, though I cannot prove it, that Naventhül is a fusion of the first Demon through the gate between worlds with a brilliant and powerful Immortal, and with the souls of that Immortal’s students, Zheawan of the Telnori, Edergal of the Khundari, and two Umantari whose names have been lost to time. And if even such as they could not dominate the power of Chaos Incarnate, than what hope has any mortal?

“… of course, to play demon’s advocate, as I am won’t to do, I must juxtapose my argument against the possibility of “good” Demons with the existence of a number of Divine Servants of some of the Greater Immortals. The origins of these beings are steeped in myth and legend, and it has proved difficult to pin point the truth of the matter with any certainty – very few of the Immortals were willing to grant me interviews on the subject…

“… but pulling all of their stories together, a pattern emerges… most of these Divine Servants seem to have begun as simple Elementals, but at some point, and I think early on, they became fused with Umantari, Telnori or Khundari souls… fusions that led not to one entity dominating and subsuming the other, but to a true balance of personalities and of Order and Chaos. Thus, these beings have a greater understanding of mortals and our world, and share some of our emotions and desires… while yet remaining at some fundamental level inhuman. But the key here is the harmonious union of the chaotic and the ordered, guided by a powerful Immortal mind – conditions that “naturally” occurring Demons are unlikely to encounter even by chance… and so I reaffirm my belief there will never emerge a “good” Demon… ”

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Ethmoniri (ehth-mohn-EER-ee) – A tribal people of northern Ysgareth, survivors of lands destroyed during the great battles at the end of the Age of Chaos. Their homeland is the rugged and densely forested Erodath Highlands of the southeastern Sarajin Mountains. There are about 7,000 Ethmoniri, divided among 68 tribes which seldom exceed more than 100 in number. They are a semi-nomadic people. At their spring moot on the shores of Lake Everbrite each tribe is allotted a region of Erodath for the coming year. The winter moot is held near the sacred site of Maru-tel, where the tribes renew the Sha, so the world may be born anew in the spring.

The Ethmoniri have little contact with outsiders. Though the western part of their range overlaps that of the Firalani, they avoid and are ignored by them. They usually notice hostile interlopers in their range well before they present a threat. Relations between the Ethmoniri and the Gorath Gül-Bogaba in the north of the range are poor. The Ethmoniri loathe the beastmen and try to avoid them, The Gülvini display their unpleasant nature when they encounter small groups of wandering Ethmoniri, but seldom raid villages. The Ethmoniri’s most frequent contact with outsiders is with travellers on the Nah-henu Trail, which cuts through the SW portion of their range. These contacts often occur around the time of the spring moot when many Ethmoniri tribes are in the region. They trade bear and wolf pelts and rare herbs for pottery, cloth, and alcohol, as well as non-metal tools and artifacts, but never for weapons. They ignore travellers on the trail, although such persons are kept under observation.

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Everbrite, Lake – The largest lake in the northern Ukali region, located in the western Sarajis Mountains. For many centuries known as Darl Lake, it was renamed in the early 21st Century by Hain, the first king of Gostrial, in honor of his favorite mistress, Loryn the Everbrite. It is nestled between three great peaks: Mt. Ratonkül to the northwest, beneath which lies the Khundari realm of Dürkon; the dormant volcanic peak of Mt. Bowin to the southeast; and the active volcano Mt. Terminkül to the southwest. The lake’s watershed includes the densely forested Valdrun, the ruins of the ancient kingdom of Valen, and the extensive Torvin Marsh, rumored to be home to a colony of reclusive meredragons.

The lake and its tributaries form a bountiful environment, home to a variety of plants and animals, some found nowhere else on Ysgareth. The lake is a natural habitat for waterfowl and fish. Many rare herbs can be found in the forests and marshes around the lake, a valuable treasure for those willing to venture into the wilds. Recently, gold grains and nuggets have been discovered along the Grevas River, bringing an influx of prospectors searching for the mother lode. The potential rewards come with great risks, however. Much of the region falls within the range of both the savage Firalani and the slightly less-fierce Ethmoniri nomads. Several groups of Gülvini can be encountered here as well, with the Gül-Nomai of Felgoth to the southeast and the nomadic Ruthuba tribes of Gül-Kobali to the northeast. The extensive marshlands on the northeast shore of the lake are said to be home to a colony of the strange race of intelligent meredragons known as the Urve, while fearsome beasts are said to dwell in the depths of the lake itself. Few people willingly venture into the wilderness around the lake after hearing stories of the fey folk, dragons, and other monsters said to be found there.

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Evocation – One of the eight basic classes of magic in Telnori and Thularian philosophy. Evocation is focused on summoning, controlling and/or seeking the aid of powerful non-corporeal beings such as demons, divine servants and elementals. Summon Elemental and Banish are examples of this class of magic. The other basic classes of magic are: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation. See also Arcane Symbols.

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Fächnor (FATCH-nor) – An ancient Khundari mining colony in the southern Sarajis Mountains, overrun by the gülvini in the aftermath of the defeat of their master, the Necromancer, at the end of the Great War. For over five hundred years repeated Khundari attempts to retake the mine have failed, often in disaster. The Dwarves believe that the gül-Bogabai which infest the colony possess some supernatural aid, probably a powerful artifact. In the autumn of 3019 the Hand of Fortune proved this claim to be true, successfully infiltrating the colony, killing the gulvini king, and recovering the fabled Horn of Korgis; this allowed the latest Khundari assault to succeed, and Prince Rhoghûn of Dürokon reclaimed the mine and colony for his people.

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Fane of Gheas (fain of GHAY-az) – A semi-mythical artifact supposedly built by a sect of Khundari priests during the Age of the Codominion, either during or just after the founding of the Eight Cities. Located in a vast, spherical cavern buried deep a place known only to the original eight founders of the sect, it was said to be a great circle of stone that floated in the center of the space. Four smaller stone circles were said to circle above it closely, connected to it by stairs and to one another by a great circular path of glowing moonstone.

The Eight Founders were said to have been great mage-priests, and to have had the aid of the Great God Gheas Himself in the construction of the artifact, which could open portals of light to connect the Fane to any point on, above, or below the planet. Each of the smaller stone circles housed a portal-opening device, and the whole was controlled from a ward, or series of wards, of immense power at the center of the central circle.

A sect of priests, who came to be called the Dha’ghean Khor, was formed to guard the secrets of the Fane and to see that it was used only for the greater good of the Khundari race… and the enrichment of the sect, some cynics would later claim. Four portals could be opened at one time, to any location on Novendo – unlike the Nitaran Gates, which were limited to fixed locals, generally.

Over time the Dha’ghean Khor became ferrymen and guides along the Paths of Gheas for those they deemed worthy of their gift; although, once the last of the Founders died, no one save the god Himself knew where the Fane was physically located in the world. The sect became wealthy and powerful… but they never revealed the secrets of the artifact, and it was never taken by force, though that was attempted at least twice.

Legend says the sect mostly died out during the T’aran Wars that ended the Age of Chaos and those few who survived became even more secretive and elusive. The last of the Dha’ghean Khor was believed to have died during the Great War of the 26th Century, and with them went all knowledge of how to find or use the Fane of Gheas.

Most modern Khundari scholars believe the Fane and its Paths of Gheas were only metaphors for the Deepways, the great series of subterranean highways that once connected all the dwarven realms of the Worldspine Mountains, and of which only scattered pieces remain today. Very few non-Khundari have even heard the legends, much less the historical truths, and know nothing of the Fane of Gheas at all.

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Firilani (feer-eh-LAWN-ee) – A tribal people of northern Ysgareth, of uncertain origin. Their homeland is the rugged southern mountains and highlands of Sarajis Range. A primitive and wild people, there are about 60 tribes, each of 40-150 people, with a total population of less than 6,000. The Firilani (sometimes spelled Firalani)are slowly being exterminated in a genocidal crusade waged by the Tanarian knights of the Order of the Crimson Sword, with the approval of certain factions within the Republic of Kildora. Increasing numbers of reports of atrocities are beginning to leak out of the cult of Tanar and the Senate, and opposition within the Republic is growing.

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Fhorgîn Sect (for-GEYE-en) – A Khundari religious sect espousing dwarven superiority over all other races, declaring the supremacy of Gheas over all other Immortals, and promoting the goal of Khundari hegemony over Novendo. Supposedly founded in the century after destruction of the last of the Eight Cities, it’s true origins are shrouded in mystery. What is certain is that it was an active sect from the 15th to the 26th Centuries, although never a popular or generally powerful one in most Khundari realms. It’s fortunes rose and fell over the years, and it suffered suppression in many times and places. It rose to perhaps its greatest prominence in northern Ysgareth in the 24th Century, contemporaneous with the rise of the Necromancer, when it grew increasingly extreme, militant and violent. It was finally, and bloodily, suppressed in the late 26th Century.

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Fiery Gate, Order of the – A Korönian clerical order that sponsors the fighting Order of the Iron Claw. The Fiery Gate’s only major temple is in Izmirk. Since Zarik’s War (2980-95), both the clerical order and its fighting order have been in steady decline. The Izmirk temple holds about a dozen priests and perhaps the same number of knights of the fighting order, although the Iron Claw still controls Dor Tarin, a vital fortress of eastern Darikaz.

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Fist of Shangtor, Order of the (shang-TOR)– A Korönian fighting order based at Dor Bremkin, sponsored by the female clerical Order of the Burning Blood. The full name of the order is the Fist of Shangtor, Vice-Regent of Flame, but their formal title is seldom used. Interestingly, the sponsoring clerical order is restricted to women while the fighting order is open only to males. Originally only a subsect, the Fist of Shangtor split from the Order of the Red Hand of Pain in 3012 at the climax of a theological/political dispute. Knights of the order are known to bring captives to the tender mercies of their parent clerical order in Izmirk, Delfarin, and Zhatirk. They carry red-tipped maces as a favorite weapon, the Torkonu being the symbolic flaming mace of Korön.

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Flames Court Market – A small market area near the Flames Court cul-de-sac in the New District of Shalara. Its shops and stalls range from middling to high-end in terms of quality and prices.

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Four Lords of Chaos – The chief demonic lieutenants of Naventhül, the Demon King. Each one is a master of one of the four primary elements, Earth, Water, Fire and Air, and are thus also known as the Elemental Demon Lords. Naventhül itself is considered the Lord of Spirit, or Mind, and scholars have long debated the rumors of a Demon Lord of Metal, or Matter – some believe Naventhül claimed that title for itself as well, others that the final defeat came before the new Lord could be birthed. The names of the Elemental Demon Lords are:
Shazirka, called by the Khundari Zhiztok – Elemental Lord of Fire, the Flaming Sword of Naventhül, Commander of the Demonic Horde.
Ozandin, known to the Khundari as Ardek-mu – Elemental Lord of Water, Quencher of Souls, Mover in the Deep, Grand Inquisitor of Naventhül.
Haranol, called by the Kundari Sakal-ur – Elemental Lord of Air, the Eye of Naventhül, the Unseen Flayer, Master of Spies.
Rogorkel, named by hte Khundari Lahud-cha – Elemental Lord of Earth, the Hammer of the Void, the Burrowing Death, Artificer of Naventhül.

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Garakath (gara-KATH) – Known popularly as a Rock Troll, it is a large, very strong creature with stone-like skin and a bad temper. One of the less uncommon Kalovai.

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Garlini (gar-LEE-nee) – A tribal people of the Sun Plains known for their warlike nature and great skill on horseback. In the 28th Century, led by the billiant and charismatic Balar-Zal, they swept out of the plains to conquer most of central Ysgareth from the Sea of Storms to the Sea of Ukalus.

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Garlini Empire (gar-LEE-ne) – Empire created by the brilliant Garlini chieftain Balar-Zal, c.28-29th Centuries. Stretching form the south shore of the Sea of Ukalus to the Sun Plains, and from the Worldspine Mountains to the Gulf of Dolshida, it lasted only 88 years before collapsing in internicine strife shortly after its founder’s death.

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Garas (GHAR-us)– The seventh and most distant planet of the Ziran system, Garas’ orbit is highly eccentric, at 19° off the plane of the ecliptic, and its axial tilt is 90°, putting its rotation perpendicular to the plane of the other planets and leaving its north pole continually facing the distant sun. It is a terrestrial planet and is believed to possess a small molten core, which accounts for the extensive vulcanism that constantly rends and melts portions of the kilometers-thick ice sheet that covers its surface. The ice has a very high albedo, and it is this that makes it barely visible to the unaided eye on Novendo. Because it is so difficult to see from Novendo it is often called the Lost Sister.

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Gelivek (ghel-ee-VHEK) – A mysterious site of Ancient ruins.

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Gendor’s Comet (GHEN-dhor) – Comet named for the Pagonian mage/astronomer who established its 165 year cycle in 2359 SR. Large and spectacular as seen from the northern hemisphere of Novendo, more than most comets it is considered the harbinger of great, often dire, change. It’s last appearance, in 2854 SR, heralded the beginning of the Red Death, a devastating plague that ravaged Ysgareth from 2854-2863. The comet’s next visit will be in 3019 SR.

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Gheas (GHAY-az) – One of the Greater Immortals. God of the Earth, Lord of the Mountains, Ores & Gems. Master of Technology and Artifice, the Craftsman of the Gods. Also the Great God of the Khundari. Tyvos is his brother. Married to Alea, his children are Mara and Brindar.

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Glacia (glah-SEE-ah) – The tenth month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning. A late autumn month.

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Glowstone – A common artifact of the Khundari, glowstones are used primarily as underground light sources. Made of clear or yellow crystal, variously carved or faceted, and of varying sizes depending on the requirements of the area to be lit, they give off a moderate golden glow (brighter if clear crystal is used). They will give off this level of illumination for centuries without renewal, if they are embedded in living rock, from which they pull geothermal energy.

If taken from their stone fixtures the light will last anywhere from a day to a month, depending on the age of the glowstone, but will eventually fade. Even when left in place, the simple spell that drives them will dissipate over time, and the illumination grow slowly dimmer, unless renewed by one skilled in the art of their creation and maintenance. Colored crystals are sometimes used for special purposes, to give off a colored light; red, purple and blue are the most common, green rare outside of certain religious sects.

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Gohan-Tor (g0-hahn-TOR) – Ancient land of the Gyantari (giants) c.600, in the lands now known as Blackmoor and northern Darikaz. Gradually pushed south into the Greatsone Mountains by Umantari expansion after the K’taran Wars.

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Golmortha (gohl-MORE-tha) – Cultural and political heart of the Ukali Basin region from the 25th to 29th Centuries. Capital of several kingdoms and an Imperial province. Renamed Ka’Balar in 2774 when it became the capital of the Garlini Empire; renamed Kabola in 2862 when it became the capital of the Theocracy of the Faith.

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Gordol (ghor-DOLE) – The Eagle; a constellation in the northern Novendo sky and the eleventh sign of the northwestern zodiac (26 Vento – 20 Glacia). An Air sign, Gordol symbolizes the unrestrained freedom of the human spirit. The Eagle soars free in skies that others may not even be able to see. He cannot be constrained, and, like him, the soaring thought of the human spirit can see solutions to the greatest problems from on high and will swoop in for the kill. Symbolic of strength and majesty, this sign has much in common with Syrada.

Although they share common bonds with Syradians, those born under the sign of the Eagle tend to be more precise, their efforts less diffuse, with solutions following rapid flurries of intense activity, either physical or mental. The Gordolian flies high in the quest for knowledge and power, but he may also crash; failure can be particularly damaging to those of this sign. They may resent authority, especially if it tries to constrain their soaring flights, but they may not openly oppose it. If chaffed by restraint or confinement their thoughts are of escape rather than vengeance. Often intelligent, they can be detached and merciless, watching events as if from on high, and only when the moment best suits, swooping down to take action.

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Grafirim (grah-feer-EEM) – The arcanist name for the hippogriff, a Kalovai that is part horse and part eagle. Very rare.

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Gramlin, gül– (grom-LEEN, ghool), plural gül-Bogabai (ghool-grom-LEE-nee) – Also known as the White Güls, this sub-species average 3’ 10” in height and are the second smallest of the Gülvini. Their fur ranges in color from white to a tawny brown. Although Gramlini sometimes roam in nomadic woodland bands like the Kobali, they more often build cave complexes in high alpine ravines or glaciers. Tribes range from 200 to 1,200 in size.

The Gramlini have the highest sense of identification to the tribe, and exercise more ritualism in their social arrangements, than other Gülvini. These rituals are mostly concerned with their “code of honor,” which centers around the survival of the tribe; individuals are of lesser importance. When food supplies run low, elderly Gramlini are expected to leave the tribe to face almost certain death by starvation.

The Gramlini honor courage and abhor cowardice. Leadership of the tribe is decided by mortal combat, but the fight begins only after a formal challenge, never with a knife in the back. Most complexes have a “loyal guard,” an elite fighting unit of the highest honor, whose primary duty is to cover escape of the tribe even if this means certain death.

The Gramlini keep dogs and wolves as pets, and they actually treat them fairly well. They also produce finer artifacts than other Gülvini. They are particularly creative with silver, a metal they treasure above all else. They will engage in trade with non-Gülvini, especially if silver is offered, which they will exchange for an equal weight of gold!

Although the Gramlini, like all Gülvini, have an evil reputation, veteran wilderness travelers know them to be the least prone to violence. Their sense of honor and respect for courage has allowed many a human to survive a Gramlini encounter, even to the extent of being aided and escorted to safety. However, the Gramlini consider a slow and painful death the only appropriate punishment for those who show cowardice or dishonor. Those who anger the Gramlini soon begin to beg for a quicker death.

Canine and vulpine traits play a strong role in Gramlini genetics.

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Great Cataclysm, The – The common name of the vast destruction wrought by the mage-armies of Thardol and Vorkin, in the culminating battles of the Age of Chaos. The entire heartland of the region known as Kahir-Tomar was shattered and sank beneath the waves, creating the Hidden Sea of modern times, uplifting some lands and breaking others – the northern portion of the great ancient Khundari Kingdom of Akazdurön, located in the Sarajis Mountains west of Kahir-Tomar, was destroyed in the resultant volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The disaster set of a chain reaction of earthquakes and tsunami across the northern hemisphere, forcing the Immortals to take an active hand in calming and repairing the geologic damage, and leading to the Judgement of Shala.

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Great Oceania – The largest island of the Oceanian Archipelago, heartland of the Ocean Empire. The “great” is used to differentiate the specific island from the common name of the empire and island chain to which it belongs.

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Great War – [2504-2510 SR] The massive conflict that engulfed northern Ysgareth when the Umantari mage Vindus Pürshok, better known to history as the Necromancer, unleashed hordes of barbarians, Gülvini, dragons, trolls, and other fell creatures in an attempt to create an empire that could be used to free the Chained God, Korön. Scholars remain uncertain if freeing the imprisoned Immortal was truly his goal, or merely the pretext for making himself a powerful ruler. Certainly the goal was necessary for him to control the Güruk-nai, monstrous warriors originally created by Korön and genetically loyal only to him – and the lynchpin of the Necromancer’s early successes. The war ravaged the northern lands of the Ukali Basin, depopulating whole areas, and led to, among other atrocities, the Desolation of Serviana and the Lirilarian Odyssey. It also broke the Ocean Empire’s hold on the region and, despite their ultimate victory, led to the Empire withdrawing west of the Worldspine Mountains in the following decades. The war ended at the Battle of Harkathir [18-20 Emblio 2510], with the death of the Necromancer and the destruction of his armies, although the impact of the conflict is felt to this day. The most long-lasting effect has no doubt been the infestation of the northern mountains with the fast-breeding Gülvini, which plague the modern nations of the region to this day.

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Gülmora (ghool-MORE-ah), plural Gülmoraz (ghool-MORE-ahz) – The Gray Undead. They are the most powerful of the undead creatures created by contact with the Shadow of Torzhalo. Unlike the zamoraz, a gülmora retains all attributes, skills and knowledge it possessed in life, aside from his or her aura (or soul), which is replaced by the Shadow. As long as they consume enough aura from living beings each month, the gülmora can “live” for centuries; but failure to consume sufficient aura results, over a period of time, in their gradual deterioration into a zamora, with irrevocable loss of all knowledge, abilities and self.

The gülmora differ from the zamora in other, and more fearsome, ways – most especially in the fact that their Shadow is not confined within the physical body, but is exuded in a radius that increases with age. Thus, they do not need to touch their victims to drain the life from them, but can engage in Shadow Conflict from up to 12 feet away. A victim who is drained of all aura dies, and is faced with the choice of becoming a gülmora in turn. That fate can be denied, and the soul survives to pass on – but his or her body then becomes a zamora under the control of the gülmora who killed them. The gray undead have the ability to confine the Shadow within their physical forms, however, and can thus pass among the living. While not harmed by sunlight, the undead tend to be increasingly photophobic as the years progress. Gülmoraz do not suffer injuries like mortal creatures. They are immune to shock caused by physical trauma, and they do not tire. They accumulate injuries, and are “killed” when those are great enough.

But even if destroyed by fire, the gülmora will eventually reform in it’s resting place, an unholy spot consecrated to Naventhül, with its wounds fully healed (unless they were caused by consecrated holy weapons). How long this reformation takes is uncertain, but experience has shown it can occur in as little as a half-day, or take as long as a year. Each gülmora has only one resting place, usually underground and well-hidden; if it is destroyed the body cannot reform and the remaining life-force of the creature is consumed by the Shadow. According to demonic doctrine this “reincarnation” can occur 13 times before the gülmora is then finally consumed by Naventhül, although scholars of the Eldari cults believe the actual number of so-called “half-lives” to be more random. Some gülmoraz, especially older and more experienced ones, may wield Torzhalo-ka Blades or possess other Shadow-emanating artifacts such as rings, staves or armour. Any of these will extend the radius and increase the strength of the wielder’s Shadow. Thankfully most of these item are very rare, although the Blades are the ones most likely to be encountered.

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Gülvini (ghool-VEE-nee) – Literally,  Soulless Beastmen. A hybrid race of malevolent, intelligent humanoids, also known as deathspawn, güls, beastmen and goblins. Divided into five known sub-species, the Gülvini are considered the most aggressive and barbaric of the intelligent, culture-forming species on Novendo. They are also dramatically distinct from most other races in their origin, biology, and society. While the sub-species are unable to interbreed, they are unfortunately capable of cross-breeding with both the Umantari and the Khundari, as countless rapes have confirmed. A Telnori half-breed might be possible, but that race is able to control their biology to such an extent that it would have to be a willing interbreeding, a very unlikely event. Most Umantari, and all Khundari, cultures believe the Gül have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and in general both fear and hate them. The feeling is mutual.

The Gülvini first appeared on Ysgareth in the mid-25th Century during the Tyranny of the Necromancer Vindus Pürshok, a renegade mage who sought to use his considerable arcane powers to build an empire with the goal of freeing Korön, the Chained God, from his confinement. They quickly became Pürshok’s primary tool for subjugating his enemies, and their ferocity and depravity became feared throughout the continent, earning their lord the sobriquet “Pürshok the Deathspawner.” Colonies have since found their way to Ishkala and Koruik, though they remain small in number and generally isolated there.

Where they came from and how Pürshok gained control of the Gülvini is one of the great mysteries of history. The Necromancer claimed to have created them entirely from “scratch,” as it were, but few experts believe this. The great scholar and mage Talorin Silvereye believed they were descended, in part, from the ancient Güruk-nai (also called the Orukeshi) monstrous soldiers the Immortal Korön created during the Age of Chaos. Thought extinct for a millennia, Pürshok was known to have found a surviving tribe, using them as shock troops and cohort leaders in his armies. But they were few in number, and reproduced little faster than Umantari, and it is thought that Pürshok bred them in an unholy union of Umantari, Telnori, Khundari and animal genetic material, creating the five distinct, and much faster breeding, sub-species known to exist today: the gül-Hovgavui, gül-Bogabai, gül-Nomai, gül-Gramlini, and gül-Kobali.

See the Common Knowledge article Lore of the Deathspawn for full details on both current popular belief concerning the Gülvini, and the facts known to modern scholars.

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Güruk-nai (ghoor-ek-NEYE) – Also called the Orukeshi, they were the monstrous soldiers of the Immortal Korön, created by him during the Age of Chaos and his wars against the other Immortals. Believed to be corrupted hybrids of Umantari and Telnori, infused with animal genetics, they were generally tall, massively built, and highly intelligent – but genetically bonded to their creator, making them utterly loyal. After Korön’s ultimate defeat and imprisonment, the eradication of the species was a major goal of the early Eldaran Church and the emperors of the Ocean Empire, a task of centuries. It was long believed that the last tribe of wild Güruk-nai were exterminated in the Berülones Islands in 1521 SR. But sometime in the 25th Century the Umantari mage Vindus Pürshok found a hidden colony deep in the Savage Mountains and spent decades seducing them to his cause (freeing their creator) and training them. It is thought by many scholars that he also spent those years interbreeding them with Umantari and Khundari captives, and melding more animal genetics into the mixes, to create the much faster-breeding Gülvini. When Pürshok burst onto the world stage as the Necromancer, igniting the Great War, the Güruk-nai were the shock troops and officer cadre of his armies of Gülvini and barbarians, sweeping across northern Ysgareth. After his defeat, the Güruk-nai were again hunted into extinction, although rumors persist that at least one of Pürshok’s hidden breeding grounds was never discovered and destroyed. In any case, none of the species has been seen in almost 500 years.

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Gyantari (geh-yawn-TAR-ee) – One of the minor sentient, culture-forming races of Novendo. The Gyantari are a race of humanoid giants ranging in height from 3.6 – 5.5 meters (12-18 feet). They are generally a peaceful people by nature, disinclined to conflict, but can be tremendously fierce when finally aroused to action. They rarely travel  outside their own lands, which tend to be in remote, mountainous regions, but usually welcome peaceful visitors.

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Hand of Fortune – A band of adventurers who have recently rocketed to some fame in the northern Ukali Basin kingdoms of northern Ysgareth. Associate agents of the mysterious and secretive Star Council, under cover of their individual professions they undertake investigations into the uncanny, the dangerous and the unexplained, providing intelligence and/or tactical support to the Council. Their unofficial name was coined  in reference to the group’s close relationship to the mercenary company Hand of Vengeance.

The group began to form by chance on Kristala Va 3017, in the northern Arushali castle town of Kolhurn, when Vulk Elida, a cantor of Kasira just beginning his mendicant year, and his friend Drake Bartoff, a former mercenary/temple guard, met the young T’ara Kul, Mariala Teryne, who was several months into her own journeyman year. Traveling together for safety on the winter roads of the mountainous north, they were snowbound at Eldora Abbey, where they became embroiled in, and forced to solve, a shocking series of murders. Realizing they made a good team, they continued on, and over the next several months they were joined by the warrior fire-mage Devrik Askalan and the former Legionaire / gladiator / pirate Erol Doritar, both from the Kildoran Republic.

Their entourage has grown  to include Drake’s youthful retainer Cris, Devrik’s wife Raven, and his brother-in-law Black Hawk,  Kemis the mule, Brann the wolfhound, and Grover the war ferret. Their mentors, and sole connections to the Council, are Ser Owain Hanorn and Magister Kiril Vetaris. A recent addition to the group is the water-mage Korwin Seaborn, of the Ocean Empire. His arrival coincided with Drake’s decision to retire from active adventuring, to focus on his alchemical and apothecary researches. Drake has settled down in his childhood home of Dür, in Nolkior, but maintains his close ties to both the Hand of Fortune and the Hand of Vengeance. The most recent member is Toran Quickhand, a Khundari Shadow Warrior from Dürkon. He is on detached duty with the group to act as the eyes and ears of his ruler, Prince Rhogûn.

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Hand of Vengeance – A mercenary company operating in the northern Ukali Basin region of northern Ysgareth. Captained for many years by Colith One-eye, the leadership has recently passed to Marik Canatori. A long-time member of the company, he accepted the captaincy when Colith, under his real name of Alakor Bartyne, was knighted and appointed the new Constable of Dür. The company is loosely associated, through blood and shared battles, with the group of adventurers known as the Hand of Fortune.

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Haranol (har-ahn-NOLL) – One of the Four Lords of Chaos. Haranol is the Umantari / Telnori  name given to the Elemental Demon Lord of Air; the Kundari know it as Sakal-ur. Known as the The Eye of Naventhül and The Unseen Flayer, it is one of the four chief lieutenants of the Demon King. In the Age of Chaos it was Naventhül’s Master of Spies. Its control artifact is said to be a very large Matrix Crystal, red of hue and unusual of cut, fixed in a setting of carved platinum and hung from a massive chain of the same metal.

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Harkathir, Battle of  (har-kah-THEER) – Final major battle of the Great War, that saw the defeat of the Necromancer.

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Heliakar (hel-EE-ah-kar) A peninsula of NW Varisea, and the highlands therein. Home to the Nolokani tribal nation.

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Hellstorch Mountains  – Massive mountain range on the west central portion of Novendo’s Major Landmass, containing the highest peaks on the planet. Almost impassable north-to-south, only two surface routes are known east-to-west. It was once home to the original Eight Cities of the Khundari, but today is a highly active volcanic range; all of the ancient realms of the Dwarves there lie in ruin and are abandoned. Only certain ascetic orders of guardian monks remain, dedicated to keeping out all those who would plunder the tombs of their ancestors.

The range is considered to be part of the Ysgareth continent, although technically it occupies the northwest end of the Xenoca subcontinent. It is the major source of the powerful weather patterns that give the Sea of Storms, on the range’s eastern flank, its name.

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Höl Kopia (hole-koh-PEE-ah) – The intercalary High Celebration of Autumn in the Salatasic Reckoning. It falls on the autumnal equinox, in the middle of the second tenday of Turniki, between the 15th and 16th. A harvest festival, the day is represented symbolically by a wand of wood, often twined with ribbons in fall colors, most often red and orange, and occasionally brown and yellow.

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Homunculus – An artificial life form created via magic by powerful mages. The are the preferred familiars of many arcane practitioners, being generally more intelligent than most animal familiars and, with opposable thumbs, much more capable of a variety of tasks. Their creation is a long and complex process, involving many disciplines, and each homunculus is in many ways unique. The can be almost any size or shape, but most conform to the standard humanoid layout, often with the addition of wings for increased mobility and utility, and tend to be between 15 and 30 cm tall. While always able to understand the native speech of their creators, and able to communicate via writing, only about 10% of homunculi are capable of actual vocal speech. Experts have long argued over the reason for this, with the prevailing opinion it is a possibly unconscious bias of the creators themselves – mages tend to be solitary sorts, even misanthropic, and might well not want any backchat from their familiars.

No mage has ever managed to create a second homunculi while a first one lives – probably due to the strong psychic connection that is required in the creatures formation. All attempts simply fail, leaving an inert lump of non-living matter in the laboratory table. While a mage can certain outlive the death or destruction of their homunculus, the reverse is not true – on the death of their creator a homunculus quickly and inevitably fades and follows them into death, within hours if not minutes.

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Horn of Korgis – An artifact of considerable power, created by the great mage Talorin Silvereye in the waning days of the Great War. It is a hunting trumpet made from the horn of an aurochs, it’s cream and brown exterior polished to a high gloss, rimmed and banded with bronze, with a mouthpiece of ivory, and a baldric of tooled aurochs leather. When blown in battle the wielder’s allies within hearing (about 200 meters) gain perfect morale, their hearts and spirits are lifted, and they are filled with renewed purpose; conversely, the wielder’s enemies are stricken with fear and doubt, heart and hope fail, and they are filled with despair. It is believed the Horn of Korgis played a pivotal role at the Battle of Harkathir, although a few historians dispute this. The fate of the Horn after the war is uncertain; some maintain that Talorin kept it for himself, while others claimed he passed it on to one of the Allied leaders (accounts vary as to which one). In her unpublished notes Talorin’s own biographer seemed to be of the belief that he gave the Horn to one of his old students, a Khundari mage of considerable skill and power (rare in that race), whom, sadly, she fails to name. Whatever the truth, the Horn of Korgis has not been seen or heard in over five centuries, and has become an almost forgotten bit of lore known only to the most dedicated scholars of arcane history.

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Hovgavu, gül– (HOVE-gah-VOO, ghool), plural gül-Hovgavui (ghool-HOVE-gah-VOO-ee) – Also known as the Black or Great Güls, at an average height of 5’6”, they are the largest and most murderous of the Gülvini. Their fur is black or dark brown, and short, laying flat on the skin as with a horse or cow. They regard themselves as the “warrior elite” of the Gülvini. Strong even for their size, a Hovgavu has little fear of humans; they are the most likely Gülvini to mount raids on human settlements. Fortunately for the rest of the world, the Hovgavui breed less rapidly, and kill each other far more readily, than any other sub-species. With these checks on their population, Hovgavui are the least likely of all Gülvini to swarm.

Hovgavui are not great builders. Groups are sometimes found dwelling alone in a cave complex, but are most often found as the ruling elite in a hybrid culture with Kobali and/or Nomai slaves. If they find themselves without a home, they attempt to conquer a Nomai or Kobali colony as soon as possible. A party of Hovgavui wandering the wilderness in search of a new home, or rounding up Kobali or Nomai slaves, is not uncommon. Such groups of Hovgavui are particularly aggressive and encountering them can be extremely dangerous.

Hovgavui prefer to fight with mangs or handaxes. When faced with death, these willful fighters are more likely to become berserk than flee. Surrender to a Hovgavui party is suicidal, as they kill and eat prisoners without hesitation, or put out the eyes of their captives and drag them home for later eating.

Aurochs and Boar genetic material seems to be the dominant animal traits in the Hovgavui makeup, and because of this they are the only sub-species to sometimes sport horns, of various configurations, as well as the tusks common to some other sub-species.