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Illusion – One of the eight basic classes of magic in Telnori and Thularian philosophy. Illusion is focused on creating artificial sensory sensations in living minds, even to the point of causing physical damage. Invisibility and Fire Nerves are examples of this class of magic. The other basic classes of magic are: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Necromancy, and Transmutation. See also Arcane Symbols.
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il’Sarnia (EEL-sahr-NEE-ah) – The first half of the third month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning, considered part of winter.
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il’Turniki (EEL-tur-NEE-kee) – The first half of the eighth month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning, considered part of summer.
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Ilrionim (ill-ree-OHN-im) – One of the more populous tribal nations of northern Ysgareth, with 82 tribes of 60 to 300 members totalling over 25,000 folk. The nomadic Ilrionim graze their herds in the highlands in summer, and winter in the warmer lowalnds and valleys of the Blackmist and Sarajis Mountains. Descended from a Tarim people on the western coastal plains of Kildora some two thousand years ago, the proto-Ilrionim were forced south by the rise of Norgemic militarism. Adopting the horse from their Norgemi enemies, they learned the nomadic life from the Centaurs of the Plains. They ranged over what is now southern Kildora, Blackmoor, and northern Arushal and Darikaz, conquering some peoples, assimilating others, and breaking into separate groups. One such group migrated to the Sun Plains c.1200 SR and became the Garlini. The Ilrionim have seldom unified. One of the greatest of the Sta’ron (high chief) was Tohkta, following the Great War. Tohkta’s federation ravaged southern Kildora before its defeat at the gates of Delfarin by Voraloth in 2567. Tohkta was killed in the battle and his organization fell apart. A chieftain called Rala unified a few dozen tribes in the early 28th century and styled himself Sta’ron, but internal dissent led to his murder in 2760 and his alliances died.
The last great Sta’ron was Toran the Centauris, of the Oballa tribe, who united 90 tribes and invaded the lands south of the Blackmists in 2839, founding the modern Kingdom of Darikaz in 2845. Although some of his people assimilated into the lowland civilization they’d conquered, many more retreated back into the mountains on Toran’s death in 2888. As the civilized nations north and south of the Ilironim have expanded in the last several centuries, the tribal range has been split, leading to growing cultural differences. The Blackmist tribes’ larger range and gentler terrain has led to the adoption of a wheeled vehicle for moving possessions, and greater civilized trade; they are loosely allied with the Royal House of Arushal. The more rugged mountains of the Sarajis have kept the eastern tribes more isolated, and their more frequent interaction with the Centauri tribes has kept them more closely tied to their cultural roots.
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Ilthim Moot (EEL-theme) – Annual meeting place of the eastern and western branches of the Ilrionim tribal peoples, where their ranges overlap; located in the Ukarim Gap, in a deep valley of the foothills of Mt. Mürell.
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Ilvirhan (EEL-ver-haan) (Earth Elemental) – An earth elemental “burrows” in the earth, is able to disrupt, crush, compact or solidify earth, stone or mud. It typically has no direct effect on an opponent, but could conceivably turn the earth into something like quicksand. Even the smallest Ilvirhani can start a landslide.
Some Ilvirhan are able to animate their host masses into shapes which may resemble humanoid bodies (they are often mistaken for golems in such forms), but they rarely manifest above ground level at all. When Ilvirhani move through the earth, there may be a (usually small) rippling effect, like a wave, on the surface. This effect may disrupt buildings, but far more earthquakes are blamed on the Ilvirhani than they actually cause.
When Torazin mages summon an Ilvirhan, they usually do so without coercion. The relationship between mage and elemental is more akin to that between mage and familiar than one of servitude. Some pairs have reportedly become quite fond of each other; of all the elementals, the Ilvirhani come closest to having fully realized personalities and tend to take the greatest interest in the affairs of mortals.
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Immortals – The twenty eternal beings who watch over and guide the sentient species of the planet Novendo. Worshipped as gods and goddesses by many Umantari cultures, revered as mentors and guides by others (and by the Telnori and Khundari races), they have taken a less active role in day-to-day life in the last millennium or so, preferring to act indirectly. Which isn’t to say they haven’t manifested publicly and dramatically on certain occasions in the last few centuries, just that those occasions are increasingly rare.
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Indoni (in-DAWN-ee) – Apprentice, the lowest rank of T’ara Kul. They are laypersons adopted into a convocation and chantry by resident masters, having demonstrated some natural talent for manipulating T’ara. Each Indoni takes an oath to obey their convocation’s laws, conserve its secrets, and to serve and obey their master. The master agrees only to “teach what is deserved.” A Ko Vendari may take Indoni as private students for one year (the first year of training). After a year the Indoni must be sent to a Citadel or Chapter House of the Order for the remainder of their apprenticeship. Only Ko Vendari or higher may take such private pupils (in practice Yar Vendaz and Sur Vendaz seldom do so, however), and never for more than a year. Most Indoni are young, the most common age to begin training being 14 years old, but it is possible for a person of any age to become an apprentice. The later training is begun, however, the more difficult it generally is to master the T’ara. Indoni remain at this rank for anywhere from 5 to 10 years, depending on the rules of the Order, their own native talent and the will of their teacher(s). Seven years seems to be the average length of apprenticeship in most Orders.
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Ingarin (in-GAHR-een) – Native peoples of coastal NW Ysgareth and the western Ukali region, divided from the other survivors of Ingram who followed the Immortals to Oceania. Reabsored into the general Oceanian population over the centuries as their cousins returned as conquerors.
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Irasta River (eer-AZ-tah) – Tributary of the Darix River in ancient Kahir-Tamor; its confluence with the Darix and Alis was the location of the fabled city of Tritanus. Now drowned beneath the Hidden Sea.
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Iron Claw, Order of the – A Korönian fighting order established in 2921 under the sponsorship of the clerical Order of the Fiery Gate. After several decades of aimless pillage and poverty, the order swore fealty to Rokenis II of Darikaz in 2939, probably in the hope of being granted some lands. This grant took 40 years, but their patience was handsomely rewarded in 2979 when King Ulkor gave them the castles of Tulansol and Devok, and the keeps of Stonil and Tarin, all of them along Darikaz’s border with Arushal. The next year, the order used its new power to launch an attack on the Arushali keep at Demiten. This started a 15-year conflict between Darikaz and Arushal that came to be known as Zarikr’s War, named after the order’s grandmaster. The war proved to be disastrous for both Darikaz and the order. All of the order’s holdings except Tarin were captured and are still held today by Arushal. The Iron Claw has never recognized the Peace of Devok that ended Zarik’s War in 2995. It has continued to skirmish with Arushali units for the past 23 years, notably with those of the Order of the Bronze Shield.
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Iron Fist of Tarutha, Order of the (tar-OO-tha) – A Korönian fighting order sponsored by the clerical Order of the Seven Pillars. The order holds no lands, serving primarily as guards, gladiators, and beast and slave masters for its parent clerical order, which operates the Taruthani arenas in Darikaz and the Republic of Kildora. Most knights are skilled warriors; one of their principal tasks is to “recruit” suitable opponents for the games.
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Iron Maiden Inn – A moderately priced inn of good reputation in the castle town of Vandol, in eastern Arushal.
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Ishkala (eesh-KAH-la) – Largest of the three continents that make up Novendo’s Major Landmass. It lies primarily in the eastern hemisphere, and is connected to the central subcontinent of Xenoca by the Isthmus of Pagonia. Home to numerous Umantari cultures, from large imperial states to confederations of small city-states, as well as Khundari, Telnori and even more exotic cultures.
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Ishtori (eesh-TOR-ee) – Tribal peoples from central and western Ishkala who invaded Ysgareth during the Imperial Age, pushed out of their original homelands by migration pressures.
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Izballa (is-BAH-lah) – The Midwife; a constellation in the northern Novendo sky and the tenth sign of the northwestern zodiac (1 – 25 Novara). An Air sign, Izballa symbolizes the physical bringing the ethereal into realization, the manifestation of the higher principles through the lower planes, and of the female aspect of Nature. It is symbolic of the eternal renewal of life. It is mysterious and ephemeral, yet vastly potent; the essence of pure mind (or soul) seeking manifestation through physicality. It is the quest for truth through experience, guided by the hand of one who has gone before; the Midwife guiding the newborn towards his first breath.
Those born under this sign possess an insatiable curiosity and a desire to experience all that life can offer. They tend to be intellectually inclined, regarding knowledge as the greatest gift, and they are not shy about sharing knowledge that they have gained with others; Izballans make excellent teachers. Their intense interest in things unusual or esoteric, their pursuit of knowledge, may lead them to neglect important aspects of day to day life, and they may seem thoughtless of others. But in fact they are compassionate, with strong emotions often just under the surface. Though often knowledgeable, they may also be naive and trusting.
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Jara (JAH-rah)– The fourth planet of the Ziran system, Jara is a terrestrial type planet, half again as large as Novendo with almost twice the mass. It possesses a rocky mantle and molten iron-nickle core, giving it a strong magnetic field, and a fairly dense blue-green atmosphere. Its heavy cloud cover prevents direct telescopic observation of its surface, however, so it is unknown if Jara possesses any native lifeforms. Three small, rocky moons orbit the planet, though they are invisible to the naked eye.
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Jirala II (jeer-AHL-ah)– 2720-2816 – Last Empress of the Delfari Empire.
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Jordikath (jor-DEE-kath) – Novendo Hill Troll, a large, solitary creature of the caves, able to blend in with its stone-like skin, yet very flexible and able to contort its body into small and odd-shaped spaces.
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Judgement of Shala – The judgement agreed to by the Immortals at the end of the Age of Chaos, which bound the study and use of the T’ara, or magic, by mortals. It established the Strictures of Yana, by which mages are prevented from misusing their power on a scale that might again threatened the very foundation of the material world. Also known as the Judgement of Daishia
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Kahir-Tamor (ka-HEER-ta-MORE) Ancient land of northern Ysgareth, east of the Sarajis Mountains, home to the rival mageocracies of Thardol & Vorkin; destroyed in the T’aran Wars, when it’s central region sank beneath the waves, forming the Hidden Sea. The surviving northern lands are now called Varisea, and the southern surviving lands are known as Thalirdu.
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Kahar-ün-Tem (ka-HAR-oon-TEHM) – An ancient and secretive style of the martial arts practiced by the Khundari of the Western lands. Little more than a rumor and legend to most outsiders, it is said that the art’s practitioners are capable of great stealth, are able to become invisible, have blindingly fast reflexes, and are exquisitely skilled swordsmen. They are also famed for their skill with throwing stars and blow guns, and are believed to wield an arsenal of drugs and even poisons. The ancient, semi-legendary monastery of Areth-Mar is said to be the home of the Kalosian sect of dwarven monks who maintain the secrets of the art, and that they are extremely selective about who they take on as students. In general, non-Khundari need not apply, but legends persist of a few Umantari heroes who were trained at Areth-Mar, and even of a Telnori warrior so honored.
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Kalos (KAY-lows) – One of the Greater Immortals. The Shaper, Breath of Life, Lord of Infinite Diversity, The Mad God. Kalos is seen, even by his own adherents, as a capricious (to put it kindly) deity. Only outsiders, however, refer to him as the Mad God. His colors are yellow, orange and black, and the symbols of his cult include a stylized lamp with flame, a double helix, splitting in two, and a serpent devouring it’s own tail. No animals are sacred to Kalos, burt his adherents revere the Kalovai, his on-going experimental creations.
Prior to the Demon’s Fist Kalos had been the chief architect of animal life on Novendo. The Eldaran cults agree, at the command of Agara and Arial he had brought forth the Telnori, and at the request of Gheas had formed the Khundari. There is considerable debate, however, about his role in the creation of the Umantari – some say he sided with Drina in opposing a population of mortals, and refused Agara’s call to bring them forth, leaving it to his twin brother Köron; others maintain that he worked side by side with Korön and had an equal hand in the effort. Whatever the truth, after his brother attempted to pierce the mind of the great Demon King Naventhül and was driven to madness, Kalos became changed. He had bolstered Zelist’s effort to save Korön, and like her is believed to have been tainted by the demonic energies.
After the work of healing the devastated planet was done, Kalos withdrew from the other Immortals, and began pursuing his own agenda to ensure the continuation of life on Novendo. During the Age of Chaos he create a myriad of new races, races he believed better suited to survival in a hostile world of demons and uncontrolled magics – the Centaurs, the Merfolk, and the winged Avionis are claimed by his followers to be amongst his more successful creations (though the races involved don’t necessarily acknowledge Kalos’ involvement in their creation). The other Immortals did not wholly approve of his tampering, and many tried to convince him to return to the fold and cease his experimentation. For a time he refused to heed his peers, but when he saw the devastation that his brother’s creations, especially the Güruk-nai and the Great Dragons, brought into the world, he joined the other cults in forming the Eldaran Church.
Over time, however, the compulsion to create new life proved too strong, and he returned to his experimentation. After the Second Council of Avantir in 1552 SR he removed himself to two great fastness’ in the mortal lands, Nah-henu on the shores of Lake Everbrite, and Thamil-Kalom, in present-day Tolus. From the latter he began the creation of the Kalovai, and from the former he releases them into the world. In deference to the wishes (some say threats) of the other Immortals, he tends to make them genderless and sterile, or at least to limit their fertility. His often unique creations are quite popular in the Taruthani Games of the Kildoran Republic, Darikaz and Tür Kovan. He himself seems to care little what happens to his creations once they leave Nah-henu.
Unlike the other Immortals, who tend to maintain their human aspect, Kalos is a shapeshifter, taking whatever form suits him at the moment. His adherents believe a giant serpent is his most favored form, and serpentine motifs figure prominently in Kalosian religious art. Kalosian theology is dominated by the fact that their deity has an actual physical presence in the world. The line between laity and clergy is vague, with no real central authority save the god Himself, when He deigns to speak at all. The numbers three, five and eight have great theological significance in Kalosian rituals and myth. Popular mainly in the north of Ysgareth and amongst the Khundari, poorly organized and with little interest in secular matters, the cult wields little political influence in Umantari realms. Within the various sects organization can vary greatly, and often seem more economic communes than religious institutions. A common, if not universal, belief is that the highest goal in death is to be reborn as one of the Master’s kalovai, and many pilgrims enter the mazes of Nah-henu in hopes of being found worthy. As a result many Kalosians oppose the capture of such for use in the Games. Other sects actually make money by selling kalovai to the Games.
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Kalura (Kah-LOOR-ah) – One of the Greater Immortals. Goddess of Love & Beauty, Lady of Romantic Love, Faithfulness and Chivalry. Queen of Pleasure. Patron of lovers & artists, she is often seen as concerned only with physical beauty and sex, but the beauty and joys of the soul are just as important to her. Her husband is Brindar.
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Kasira (kah-SEER-ah) – One of the Greater Immortals. Goddess of Fortune, Immortal Lady of Luck, Herald of the Immortals, Misstress of Boundaries. Kasira reflects the Novendian belief in dulara, the apparently random and often ruinous turns of Fortune’s Wheel. Dulara holds that these turnings are in fact both inevitable and providential, and even the most coincidental events are part of the hidden plan of the All. Kasira is conceived of as the Immortal responsible for guiding and conducting the affairs of the world, holding the rudder of the Ship of Destiny, and in this aspect is considered one of the Avatars of Fate (along with Her brother Vandor and Her niece Xydona).
Kasira is most commonly depicted in one of two aspects: as an attractive woman of means, in rich silks, adorned with gold and gems, with a cornucopia, symbol of the plentiful gifts of fortune. A velvet pouch is secured around Her neck by a silken cord, and contains two golden coins. In Her other aspect, She is depicted as a poor, but hard-working woman of the lower classes, a barmaid or serving wench, holding a ball representing the varying chances of fortune – unsteady and capable of rolling in any direction. A leather pouch secured about Her waist contains two 10-sided dice. The accepted symbol of Kasira is a purple diamond (representing a table-top) with two gold circles (representing the two faces of a coin) on it, all within a circle of magenta (representing the All). In recent centuries portrayals of the Goddess herself have begun to emphasize Her duality and instability, such as two faces side by side, one face smiling the other frowning; half Her face white the other black; or She may be blindfolded but without scales, blind to justice. Her Wheel symbolizes that luck, good or bad, never lasts forever.
As Herald of the Immortals she is seen as a messenger from the gods to mortals, and an interpreter who bridges the boundaries between strangers, both mortal and immortal. Thus her sphere includes all boundaries, physical, mental and spiritual. In Her Warrior aspect, She is the guardian of national borders, defender of the balance of powers. She is the patron of heralds and the protector of travelers, particularly on land.
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Kasira’s left tit – A profane oath commonly used to express surprise or consternation at some bit of bad luck, or at a particularly unbelievable bit of coincidence or happenstance. Probably from the belief that the goddess Kasira dispenses bad luck with her left hand and good luck with her right, conflated with the cultural idea that chaos flows from the left breast of a nursing mother, and order from the right (which is why great care is taken to balance the feeding of nursing babes, so that one trait doesn’t dominate them as they grow older). Related to the folk saying that a person “suckled from the left/right teat” if they are especially disorganized or rowdy/neat or orderly.
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Kethim, Port – A port town on the island Oessa, which acts as an interface between the undersea princedom of the Tritani of Sha Hesim and the surface world.
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Ketora (khe-TOR-ah) – The fifth planet of the Ziran system, Ketora is the second largest planet in the system, a reddish-orange gas giant, with five known moons (none of which are visible to the naked eye). The planet is the second brightest object in the Novendian night sky, outshone only by Skorym.
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Khanaribus the Corruptor (ka-hana-REE-bus) – The greatest and most feared demon servant of the Necromancer, Pürshok Vindu, and architect of the Desolation of Serviana. Vindu created the demon’s physical form using forbidden artifacts and magics of the ancient world, imbuing it with a vile power not seen before, or thankfully since – the Corruption. He then captured an old and powerful demon currently bereft of a physical form, and placed it within this new shell. How the Necromancer controlled this thing of chaos and destruction is unknown, and some believe that he may indeed have quickly learned that he couldn’t, for once he had released it into the world, at the head of an army aimed at the heartland of Serviana, its Aura of Corruption grew larger and more powerful with every passing day. Some scholars believe that it was he himself who gave the Telnori mages of Xaranda and Yalura the knowledge they needed to eventually defeat and banish the monster, fearing that even he would be destroyed by it if it was allowed to continue. Still, half of Serviana was destroyed and made utterly lifeless before the great Telnori King Taharazod sacrificed himself to seal the demon in a prison dimension beyond our world. It is said that if ever Taharazod’s spirit fails, the seals will fail and the Corruptor will rise again to suck the life even from the very land itself, until the world is just a lifeless husk.
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Khundari (khoon-DAHR-ee) – One of the three major intelligent races of Novendo, also called the Delvers or Dwarves. Distinct from their Umantari and Telnori cousins, the Khundari are much shorter than either, thick and solid of build, immensely strong, and immune to a great many Umantari disease and illness. They are generally considered unlovely by the surface-dwelling races, though the range of attractiveness is actually about the same as for the Umantari. Their tendency to hirsuteness may contribute to this perception. They enjoy lifespans of between 200 and 250 years, longer than the Umantari, but much shorter than the Telnori. They prefer to build the greater part of their edifices underground, though it is a myth that they build exclusively so. Only a handful of modern Khundari cities are entirely subterranean,and even these have some ancillary surface holdings. They are the least adept race when it comes to wielding magics, though when that talent does appear amongst them it usually takes the form of an affinity for the Tykizu and Toraz Convocations. The are skillful miners, excellent builders, and brilliant artificers; the greatest mechanical devices and weapons are of Khundari manufacture, and there are some structures still in use today that where built by the Khundari over 3,000 years ago.
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Kildoran Republic – See Republic of Kildora.
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Kilta (KEEL-ta) – The seventh month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning. A summer month.
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Kobal, gül– (kho-BAHL, ghool), plural gül-Kobali (ghool-kho-BAHL-ee) – Also known as the Small or Streaked Gül, this sub-species represents about a third of Ysgareth’s Gülvini population. They are smaller and lighter than other Gülvini, averaging just over three feet in height, with tawny-streaked brown fur. Unlike other subspecies, they mostly dwell outdoors, in tribes of 40-240.
Kobali “nations” are made up of two or more tribes which range over several hundred square miles. Each nation will have at least one queen, and sometimes two or three. As a result, Kobali nations may have more than one king, with the predictable result of ongoing internal conflict. Tribes possessing a queen often attempt to achieve leadership of their nation, trading her favors and offspring for tribute. More often, however, demands for tribute are answered by raids from queenless bands seeking to steal a queen or princess.
Dwellings of the Kobali can be little more than crude huts and they sometimes sling “nests” in trees. Larger tribes build lodges by first excavating a large pit and then building a shored, earthen roof over the hole. A lodge will have several interlocking chambers, acquiring additional side tunnels as time passes. In rare cases they make take over a cave system abandoned by some other subterranean dweller, especially in an area where they feel particularly vulnerable.
Despite their small statures, the Kobali are among the most feared of nocturnal predators. They possess acute senses of hearing and smell, and keen nightvision. They make their own weapons, and, unique among Gülvini, employ shortbows. Some Kobali also use blowguns to fire poison darts. While they pose a great danger to the weak. solitary, or unwary, the Kobali will not attack a large and vigilant party unless driven by hunger. Most Kobali have great skill in Herblore and use this knowledge, along with their acute sense of smell, to communicate with each other. It is their practice to hang totems, essentially small leather bags stuffed with herb leaves, from high branches. Each herb has a specific meaning to the Kobali nose, such as “Good Hunt,” “Water Place,“ Bear Cave,” etc. Seen from the ground, the totems appear to be bird nests. Kobali tend to avoid the other Gülvini species whenever possible, but often find themselves enslaved by Hovgavui.
Weasel and feline genes seem to provide the dominant animal traits of this sub-species.
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Kolori (ko-low-REE) – Journeyman rank in the T’ara Kul. When Indoni reach a certain level of competence, generally after five to seven years of service, they are released from the bond of apprenticeship and sent into the world as one of the Kolori. It is hoped Kolori will test and refine their art by observing how magic manifests itself in the world outside a chantry. Kolori are also expected to gather treasures: items of value and esoteric interest to the chantry and its members. The prevailing custom is to submit three items of value and three “original arts,” meaning spells the former master does not know how to cast. If a Kolori fails to return, so be it; the custom is intended to weed out the weak and incompetent. Kolori who survive in the outside world for at least a year and a day (most actually take three to five years) and gift their chantry with the customary gifts & spells, then travel to the Citadel of their Order, there to be tested by a Council of Masters. If the Kolori passes the tests, the rank of Vendari is granted.
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Kolosür, Kar (cole-oh-SOOR) – A castle and town of the feudal Kingdom of Nolkior, and the seat of the Royal Clan Landsar. Located in the Ambaris Hundred of Daretshire, it is strategically positioned on the western bank of the Elsed River and guards the Landsar Bridge and the Fur Road linking Nolkior to the north.
The first stone fortification at Kolosür dates from 2526 SR. It survives as Sarno Tower, named for the founder of the Kingdom of Zurenov. The castle, built between 2677-2682 by King Tiraf, incorporated Sarno Tower into its large keep.
Kolosür has a population of about 900 that swells to thousands in the late spring when the Fur Road caravans arrive from the North, and again in summer for the annual Royal Bellanin Tournament, the second largest such event in Ysgareth. The monarch traditionally spends four months a year in Kolosür, arriving at Saridar, and returning to Shalara by the end of summer. In the monarch’s absence Kolosür is governed by the Sheriff of Daretshire, an office currently vacant since its last holder, Ser Maldan Harabor was elevated to the throne. He never had time to appoint an official successor before his untimely death, and his daughter, Queen Miralda, is currently considering the question.
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Koltorin (kohl-TOR-ehn) – Koltorin of Haversea was born in Delfarin in 2755, the son of a minor Imperial bureaucrat. Little of his early career is known, although he seems to have spent some time in the Shalaran Chantry of the Guild of Arcane Lore. Koltorin was heavily influenced by the astrologers of the Pethosian School, who argued that the planet Pethos, “the Sable Eye”, was the primary influence on Novendian astrology. Their confusing and morbid philosophy had long ago been discredited by the mage Talorin Silvereye, but Koltorin remained a believer. He returned to Delfarin in the fall of 2780, and managed to ingratiate himself with Jirala, one of the children of the Emperor. Koltorin’s specious astrological ravings convinced Jirala of her “destiny,” and when she succeeded to the Onyx Throne in 2785 as Jirala II, Koltorin became Court Astrologer. Within two years, he had become the powerful Imperial Chancellor.
As his influence over Jirella grew, Koltorin implemented increasingly bizarre policies. Many had religious overtones, including restrictions on the activities of the cults of Shala and Alea. He instituted the so-called “Simony Tithe” which required all cults to pay a tax to the Imperium on the appointment of any cleric to an administrative office in their cult. All cults resisted the measure in some way: Kalosians simply left official posts vacant, and the Aleans pleaded poverty. It created some unlikely alliances when the cults of Korön, Zelist, Cael, and Kalura jointly pressured the Empress to rescind the tithe. Although revoked, the Simony Tithe increased the hostility of the organized cults to the Imperium, and this well suited the hidden Naventhülian Cult.
In 2788, Koltorin created the Most Sacred Conclave of the Adepts of the Sable Eye to “study the passages of destiny and advise and guide her puissant Imperial Majesty”. In reality, the adepts were a scurrilous collection of renegade astrologers, mages, “prophets”, and assorted charlatans. To house them, and “focus the luminance of their genius”, Koltorin began the building of Nirokilon on Orikol Moor. The location was determined by “the heavenly portents of Pethos the Blessed”. Considerable Imperial resources were devoted to the project, and special taxes were imposed to pay for it. By 2796, Nirokilon was chartered as an Imperial town under the rule of Koltorin. Residents were restricted to Adepts of the Sable Eye and a selected company of Imperial legionnaires. Casual visitors were denied access, and it was a felony to enter without proper authorization.
During the forty years of Nirokilon’s occupation, the Adepts of the Sable Eye “studied” the heavens and did other research “for the greater good of the Imperium” and, after Koltorin seized power and declared the Second Mageocracy in 2816, “for the glory of Great Naventhül.” Most such work was entirely spurious, but was nonetheless used by Koltorin to justify his increasingly ludicrous policies. When his empire finally came apart in rebellion and civil war Koltorin was captured and “…planted in the earth of his folly (Niorokilon), head showing, interfering not with his viewing of the stars.” It is said that he took over two months to die from starvation. The new rulers also ordered the execution of the Adepts of the Sable Eye, and all that could be found were impaled. Nirokilon was allowed to stand “….as a reminder of the disease now cured…” But with no one to maintain the drainage system, it was slowly reinvaded by marsh and bog.
The Adepts of the Sable Eye spent considerable effort (and Imperial money) to explore the secrets of the Ancients, one of the reasons Koltorin built his city where he did – it overlay an underground complex of Ancient tunnels. Legend has it that they discovered one or more Ancient artifacts, which may still be hidden in the ruins; none were reported by the soldiers who raided the complex, and the evil reputation of the site has long kept most explores at bay. Of the few exceptions who have dared the ruins, few have ever returned.
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Korön (kor-OWN) – One of the Greater Immortals. God of Fire in its Destructive Aspect, the Chained God. He is the Master of Malice, Deceit and Insanity. Twister of Life. He is the fraternal twin brother of Kalos, former lover of Cael, husband of Zelist. While recognized as one of the 20 Greater Immortals, Korön is not worshipped in the Eldaran Church. Proscribed in most Ysgareth nations, his cult thrives underground in many places, and is the state cult of Darikaz. It is also tolerated, if not encouraged, in the realms of Kildora, Tür Kovan and Daishia.
Korön was, in the beginning, one of the greatest of the Immortals. He played a key role in the shaping of the living things of the world, along with his fraternal twin brother, Kalos. Both brothers were masters of the creative impulse, especially in biological artifice. They shared a friendly rivalry in the youth of the world, each striving to outdo the other in the creation of wondrous life forms or, with Gheas, of useful artifacts.
And when the Demon Wars came upon the Immortals, and they strove to retain mastery of the world, Korön showed himself to be a doughty warrior and master strategist, as well. He was often in the company of Cael, the Great Hunter, and the two became Shield Brothers, and lovers. Together they committed great deeds in the war against the forces of Chaos, and for a time the Demon Hordes were driven back, and held in check.
But eventually the war was resumed, and as the great army of Naventhül, the Demon King, moved towards the Plain of Summer and the final battle neared, all balanced on the edge of a knife. With victory far from assured, Korön proposed a risky gambit – that they should perform the Unification and attempt a great scrying, to see into the mind of the Beast, and learn his stratagems and plans. For a field of uncertainty always surrounds the Great Demons, making accurate prediction impossible.
But Agara and Arial mistrusted the idea, fearing what such direct contact with raw Chaos might do to the joined mind of the gods. Much debate was taken, and in the end only Zelist, his wife, and Cael, his Shield Brother, supported Korön’s plan. But when Agara ruled against it in the end, Cael obeyed and withdrew his support.
Then, feeling sure he was right, Korön undertook to pierce the mind of Naventhül himself, with only the help of his wife. And in a ritual of great power he succeeded, and the veils of uncertainty were pierced, and the heart of Chaos was revealed to him. But Arial had been right, and the ordered mind of Korön was overwhelmed and shattered in the face of Chaos, and if not for Zelist and his brother Kalos, he would have been drawn in completely – destroyed utterly or made a slave of the Demon King.
They managed to pull him back from the Void, back into his body, but Korön was changed, his mind distorted and bent. He now saw the world through a dark and twisted lens, and he blamed the others, especially Cael, for his failure, saying that had they been united, they would have succeeded. On the eve of the great battle he withdrew from his fellows, and Zelist followed him, although Kalos did not.
In the chaos and destruction that followed the battle, and the Demon’s Fist, while the other Immortals sought to heal the wounds of the world, Korön created a bastion for himself, and fashioned great weapons, and prepared to seize the world for himself, distrusting his former companions’ ability to ultimately defeat the Chaos he had witnessed. To that end he created the Güruk-nai, dragons, and many other monsters and fell beasts, which plague the world to this day.
Held in check by the other Immortals, often imprisoned in his fortress of Vaharkitor, he ever strives to thwart their plans for the world, often bringing death and destruction in his wake, until he can seize enough power to overthrow them and take the rulership of the world for himself – for only he has the knowledge, foresight and will to save the world from the destruction of the minions of Chaos.
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Koruik (kor-OO-eek) – The second largest continent of the three that make up Novendo’s Major Landmass. An equatorial continent, it is separated from the central subcontinent of Xenoca by the Chain Lakes and Arkirafar Mountains. The center of the continent is a vast and merciless dessert, while the coastal regions are mostly tropical to sub-tropical rainforest and jungle or wide savanna’s. To the residents of Ysgareth and Ishkala it is a remote and mysterious place, often called the Dark Continent, believed to be the home of any number of fantastical and amazing peoples, creatures and physical wonders.
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Ko Vendari (ko ven-DAR-EE) – Wandering Master rank in the T’ara Kul. Only the most accomplished Vendari achieve the rank of Ko Vendari. The way to reach this exalted rank is three-fold: the Vendari must know at least two spells from each of the his Convocation’s Secondary Convocations; he must make some major new contribution to the knowledge of his Order — a new spell (or a major variation or improvement on an old one), a new device or artifact, or some new insight into any of a dozen fields of arcane lore; and have earned the respect and recognition of six other Ko Vendari, two of whom must be from other Convocations. Such recognition is given in the form of a Petition of Excellence, signed by the six Ko Vendari and presented to the Yar Vendaz of the petitioner’s Order. The Grandmaster submits it to a vote of the Order’s Circle of Regents, and with their assent the Vendari is elevated to Ko Vendari in a solemn, but simple, ceremony. Masters who stay affiliated with a House (or the Citadel) generally have an easier time of the process, as they have access to all the literature and equipment of the Order, and the attention of their fellows. But it has often been the adventuresome mage or the solitary researcher who has achieved the most breathtaking breakthroughs.
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Kristala Va (kris-TAHL-ah VAH) – The intercalary High Celebration of Winter in the Salatasic Reckoning. It falls on the winter solstice, between the last day of Glacia and the first day of Novara. The holiday both ends the old year and begins the new. Its symbol is an unsheathed sword, pointing downward, and the colors of the festival are deep blue and silver (in practice more commonly blue and white).
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L’ara Kalia (le-AR-ah kah-LEE-ah) – An intercalary High Celebration leap day added to the Salatasic Reckoning once every ten years, to keep the calendar properly aligned with seasons. Also called the Day of Reckoning, it always follows Kistala Va, extending the winter celebration, and is a day of abandon and social inversion – the low rule the land and the high are brought low, masters wait on their servants, and so on. The colors of this decennial leap day are gray and violet, and it’s symbol is a silver bell.
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Lairial (la-EER-ee-AHL)– The chief mainland city and port of Serviar. An ancient settlement originally founded by the Telnori of Serviana, over 2000 years ago. Almost rom its beginning the city had a significant population of Umantari, and by the time of the Great War it was over 90% human. The city was essentially razed during in the Rape of Lairial by the armies of the Necromancer, and most of its population killed, after it refused to surrender. An allied fleet from Tur Kovan blockaded the seaward escape from the city – only seven ships filled with the children of Lairial and a handful of women and warriors managed to escape thanks to the arcane aid of the great mage Talorin Silvereye. He led the survivors far south into the Gulf of Dolshida, in what came to be called the Lairialian Odyssey, where they founded the city-state of Azdantür. After the Necromancer’s final defeat Lairial was eventually rebuilt and repopulated, although the Telnori had by then retired to the island of Iria, leaving the city to strictly human government. The Prince-Governor of Serviar keeps his court in the city, from which he rules the mainland holdings of the realm in the name of the Telnori King in Iria.
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Lairialian Odyssey (la-EER-ee-AHL-ee-ahn)– The name given to the last-minute escape of seven ships from the Rape of Lairial in the year 2508 SR. Led by the legendary mage Talorin Silvereye the ships, carrying most of the children of the city and a handful of others, managed to evade the Tur Kovani blockade of the port by virtue of a mysterious fog. Surviving storms, pirates, Tür Kovani fleets and other hardships, the survivors eventually founded the city of Azdantür on an island at the mouth of the mighty Greymist River, led by the teenage Prince Arogeth, son of the Prince of Lairial.
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Landsar, Kar (LAND-sahr)– Citadel of the walled city Shalara in the feudal kingdom of Nolkior, held by the Crown. When the King is not in residence, the fortress is held by a Constable.
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Landsar (LAND-sahr)– Current Royal Clan of the Kingdom of Nolkior, of whom the late King Garinalt was long the head. He was succeeded briefly by his acknowledged bastard son Maldan Harabor, who survived an assassination attempt shortly after taking the throne, only to die of complications of from his wounds a few months later. Maldan’s daughter Miralda currently sits on the throne, and is a very popular monarch with her people, if not with all of her nobles.
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Lequirna, Dor (leh-QUEER-nah)– A fortress of Noliokor, located in the Bredan Hundred of Thergashire, just a few kilometers northeast of Shalara. The Keep of Lequirna was built in 2938 SR by Haldan the Younger as a royal retreat close to the kingdom’s capital city and as a way to check the power of the Earls of Buran. Held by the Sheriff of Thergarshire (currently Ser Corwan Landsar, the late King Garinalt’s nephew and cousin to the current Queen, Miralda) the keep is the administrative center of half of the densely populated heartland of Nolkior. Lequirna controls travel on the busy Shalara-Tyendus road, a well-preserved remnant of the ancient Imperial Highway, and generates significant income from tolls and fees.
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Liska (Lee-skah) – One of the Greater Immortals. Goddess of the Lesser Waters. Mistress of Rivers & Lakes, and of Springs & Fountains. Lady of Sorrow & Forgetfulness. Guardian of the Well of Oblivion. Sister of Drina, wife of Tyvos.
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Lorethal, Dor (Door LOR-eh-thall)– A fortress of Noliokor, located in the Tokarn Hundred of Kinenshire, on the western side of the Orthun River, the kingdom’s eastern border with Tharkia. The shiremoot of Kinenshire, the keep of Lorethal was built in the 25th Century by the early Torokel kingdom of Arwan and rebuilt in 2650 SR. Lorethal has long been an important center of parchment and vellum manufacture, and the annual Lorethal Fair draws lexigraphers from across the kingdom and beyond. Wild horses and wild cattle roam the grassy Tokarn Flats to the south. Soapstone is quarried nearby.
Ser Tulath Kalafon was appointed sheriff two years ago, to the disappointment of many local nobles who felt better qualified. He is the unacknowledged youngest bastard son of the late King Garinalt by the mysterious Dame Erila Kalafon.
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Lothkir (lawth-KEER)– The capital city of the feudal Kingdom of Arushal. A walled city located near the mouth of the Arus River, at the head of Emyryn Bay, it is the largest settlement in the kingdom, with a population of 17,400. A chartered freetown, Lothkir governed by a council conisiting of a mayor and twelve aldermen proposed by the Mangai and appointed by the king. Military authority is shared by the royal constable of Laotkin Castle and the Sheriff of Irnayashire. There is also a town militia that is theoretically commanded by the mayor, but the custom has been for the mayor to surrender this authority to the constable.
There are no manors owing to Lothkir, but the city charter includes 12,000 acres of cropland, a legacy of the old Third Republic of Lothkir. This land is farmed by approximately 140 freeholders who pay taxes to the city. The city is the cultural center of Arushal. The Violet Mantle Palace of Arms is the second-best equipped and best managed college of heralds in northern Ysgareth. The Palace of the Masks is a highly-regarded center of drama and satire and home to one of the finest companies of thespians in the north. The College of Harpers, the largest in the north, boasts extensive collections of written music and rare instruments. Lothkir is also the thriving commercial heart of the kingdom.
Wool cloth, grain, preserved foods, and other goods produced in local surplus find a market here with seagoing mercantylers bound for the southern Ukali ports and beyond. In the five years since the start of the courtship of Prince Verdis Londar and Princess Arella, most goods from Valtira (including all Galean goods from the Great Fleet) come into northern Ysgareth through the port here. The increased trade has bolstered Lothkir’s prosperity and mercantile skill. Mayor Gavin Modapa is an honorable, hard-working and effective administrator. He is a progressive man who tries to ensure the poor of Lothkir are not forgotten in the prosperity that he and so many others enjoy.
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Maitia Lai (my-TEE-ah lah-EE) – The intercalary High Celebration of Summer in the Salatasic Reckoning. It falls on the summer solstice, between the last day of Agras and the first day of Emblio. The day is generally represented by three gold coins, although the number may vary on the whim of the celebrants or artist. Green and gold are the colors of the summer solstice.
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Mara (MAHR-ah) – One of the Greater Immortals. Goddess of Healing, Lady of Medicine and Tender of Healing Plants. She is also the patron of human fertility and of children, especially orphans. Daughter of Gheas and Alea, sister of Brindar.
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Margas (MAHR-gaz) – The second month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning. A late winter month.
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Medälk – A fortress town of the Kildoran Republic, a little more than half a day’s ride northwest of Delfarin, on the ancient Imperial Highway. It is situated in a fertile valley amongst the hills separating the plains of Kildora’s two great rivers, the Nelith to the north and the Molisan to the south.
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Meredragons – See Urve.
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Metisto (meh-TEEZ-toh) – The fourth month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning. A spring month.
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Morüa (more-OO-ah), plural Moruaz (more-OO-ahz) – The collective name for the Undead, encompassing both the Gülmoraz and Zamoraz
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Näalskelu (nah-AHWL-skeh-loo) – Island-continent of Novendo, laying north of the Oceanian Archipelago. Its northern-most reaches lie within the Arctic Circle. Home to several Umantari realms, a Khundari Princedom, and the largest Gyantari kingdom in the world.
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Nah-henu (NAW-hen-OO) – One of the mortal homes of the deity Kalos. Set on a the moors of a rocky headland jutting into Lake Everbrite, Nah-henu is an eight-sided spire of black basalt rising 100 meters from the top of a sheer cliff that bisects the peninsula. At the base of the cliff, beneath the tower, a natural cave has been shaped into a great shrine of basalt, obsidian and amber panels. At the back of the shrine are three great gates that lead into a vast maze, or series of mazes, that lay beneath the tower (some say they are actually in another dimension) and is known as the Triple Labyrinth.
From these gates, on no apparent schedule, will appear the Kalovai, the strange experimental lifeforms created by the Mad God in his pursuit, his adherents say, of the perfect life form. The priests of the Order of the Ochre Hand do not allow these creatures to be molested as long as they are within sight of the tower, and will not even defend themselves if attacked by one. Kalosian pilgrims enter the Triple Labyrinth by the same gates, if they wish to test their mettle and prove themselves worthy to be taken up by their god and used in his future creations, to be reborn as a Kalovai. Since most such postulants fail to return from the maze, and are assumed to have succeeded in their desire, the majority of pilgrims to Nah-henu content themselves with viewing the home of their god, praying at the shrine, and buying some of the beautiful ochre-glazed pottery the monk’s are famous for.
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Naventhül (NAH-vhen-THOOL) – The Demon King, greatest and most powerful of the demons released into the world about four thousand year ago. It commanded great armies against the Codominion civilization of the Golden Age, and was responsible for the Demon’s Fist, the asteroid which devastated the planet three thousand years ago. Naventhül was eventually destroyed in physical form, and its spirit imprisoned in a crystal chamber at the heart of Mount Anura. Its chief lieutenants, the Four Lords of Chaos, were also destroyed and their spirits locked into the great Artifacts used by the Demon King to control them. The Artifacts were hidden away by the Telnori, since they could not be destroyed without releasing the demons back into the world, and the Eternal Watch was set on Mount Anura, to ensure that no one would ever free Naventhül.
Humans who worship Naventhül are a lunatic fringe whose cults are proscribed officially in every land across Novendo. It exists underground in a few nations – in the north it is strongest in Darikaz, but it is in the south, in Tür Kovan, where the cults are most deeply rooted. Adherents tend to be focused on Mount Anura, where Naventhül itself is imprisoned by the Immortals. They also seek the Binding Artifacts of his four great minions, the Elemental Demon Lords, to free them all and so unleash another age of Chaos on the world.
The followers of Naventhül fall into two broad categories: the variously insane, and the cynically power-hungry. There is some occasional overlap, but it is generally the latter group who control what organization the cults possess. Fortunately for the world at large, the various sects of Naventhül area as often at war with one another as they are with the followers of other gods, which limits their large scale effectiveness.
Unfortunately, the very randomness of their Chaos-driven madness and/or ambition can make them extremely deadly on a smaller scale. Naventhülian assassins are even more feared than those of Zelist, although unlike the latter they are never hired out to others. The great fear of Eldaran and Tydakan ky’lorkia is that some strong leader, with less madness and more strategy than the usual run of Naventhülians, will rise to seize control of a majority of the sects. Should that happen, bloodshed and horror would be sure to overrun the lands.
The Naventhülian cults possess little in the way of lay followers – it is not a popular choice for people trying to live their day-to-day lives. Those who are attracted by the lures of chaos and power the demons promise tend to want the abilities that come with the higher Mysteries, and so move quickly out of the laity. Advancement is haphazard and dangerous, and at the higher levels of a sect is often achieved through murder and betrayal.
There are few areas of Ysgareth, even in the Archipelago, that are without some Naventhülian influence, although nowhere is the cult allowed to operate openly. Even in Tür Kovan, home to the largest and strongest Naventhülian sects, they are forced to operate underground, often quite literally – their temples tend to be in sewers, cellars or catacombs in urban areas, and in caverns in rural locales.
Naventhülians are not noted for their cooperation amongst themselves, much less with the other Dark Churches, but on occasion they have been known to ally with followers of Korön or Zelist, usually for a specific, short term goal. Even when they are allies, however, Naventhülians are never fully trusted by those of other faiths. Korönians in particular see them as disposable tools to be used (carefully) and discarded (quickly).
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Necromancy – One of the eight basic classes of magic in Telnori and Thularian philosophy. Necromancy is focused on summoning, raising, and /or controlling the dead, dealing with death, undeath, and the manipulation of life energies. Animate Dead, Verdant Hand and Akara’s Curse are examples of this class of magic. The other basic classes of magic are: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, and Transmutation. See also Arcane Symbols.
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Night People – A wandering folk, traveling the countryside in family groups of up to several dozen people in black wagons festooned with brightly colored flags and painted images. Known by many, understood by few, they are widely hated or feared by more settled folk. Despite this, their visits are usually tolerated, as they camp in fallow fields, trading with the villagers and hosting mad revels to the wild beat of their drums and haunting melodies of their fiddles… until the local authorities send them on their way.
The Night People are popularly known for their strange powers, and in truth there is almost always a seer among them, often their leader. They are great gamblers, dancers, and tellers of tales, which tends to offset the peculiar mix of fascination and loathing with which the common folk look upon them. Landless and unprotected, the Night People are the lowest of the low… yet they always have thrilling tales of the wider world and seem to possess strange powers… It is considered bad luck to kill one of them; the murderer is almost always found mysteriously dead within a short time.
Many Night People have dark hair and swarthy or olive skin tones, leading some to call them Southerners or Island People because of the belief that they originate from ancient Pagonia or the islands of the Galean Sea. Despite tending to darker complexions, eye color among the Night People is highly variable and sometimes quite striking.
As outsiders wherever they go, the Night People are generally distrusted and sometimes despised. It is not uncommon for a group of Night People to be blamed for local misfortunes; they are easy targets for uneducated and superstitious folk.
The Night People call themselves the Norja Duin (NOR-jha Doo-EEN) meaning “the Blessed People” in their native Old Pagonese-related tongue, Norjani. However, they rarely use this term in the company of outsiders, preferring to keep secret as much of their culture as they can.
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Nirokilon (neer-OH-kee-lohn) – The city built by Koltorin, the Mad Astrologer, in the last years of the Delfari Empire, and the seat of the Second Mageocracy. It was constructed on the lonely heathland of the Orikol Moor, his “city of the stars,” where he and his Adepts could study the heavens to learn the future. The great Observatory served as both a research center and the hub of government. Great pumps where required to keep the city from sinking into the marshy bog over which it was built, and when the Mageocracy fell in 2836 and the city abandoned, the bogs began to reclaim it. Today very little of the city, which was shoddily constructed to begin with, remains standing, and the site has an evil reputation. Although the two tracks that cross the moors meet just west of the ruins, travelers seldom venture in amongst them, and the of those who do, few return.The angry ghost of Koltorin is said to haunt the site, beside who knows what other fell creatures…
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Nitaran Gates (nee-TAR-ahn) – Natural portals between widely separate points on Novendo. Thousands of Nitaran Gates exist throughout the world, although the islands of the Shattered Sea have a particularly high concentration of them. They are sometimes marked by circles of standing stones, stone-carved sigils, or painted symbols, but are more often unmarked and undectable by most Umantari. The Telnori have the knack of sensing a Gate, and both mages and clerics can learn the secrets of detecting and using Gates for long distance travel.
Most Nitaran Gates are “free” – that is, they can be forced to link with (almost) any other Gate in the world, if the user knows a destination well (or has been taught its “pattern”) and is strong enough. A great many are “locked,” however, meaning they always connect the same two points in space. Others are “fluxing,” with their spatial end points drifting over time. The environment at each end of a Nitaran Gate is always survivable by a traveller, but not necessarily safe; that is, s/he won’t appear at the bottom of the ocean or the heart of a volcano, but might arrive in the midst of a band of slavering Gülvini, or inside the lair of a blue dragon… Gates never open into solid matter nor underwater.
Some Gates will occasionally open on their own, for minutes or even hours, then close just as spontaneously. Untrained humans have no way of detecting such portals, and have been known to unwittingly wander through them – a few return to tell wild tales of strange lands and peoples, but most are simply never seen again. This may account for the common plebeian superstitious fear and avoidance of standing stones, stone circles, etc., which often mark Nitaran Gates. Of course those who do wander through them may not realize for some time they have changed locations, if the two points are similar enough (or it’s dark).
Gate travel is a one-way trip, for each “forced” opening. That is, once you enter the “event horizon” of the portal, you are moved to the other side and there is no going back, even if the Gate remains open from the other side for others to come through. Once arrived, the only way to go back is to try and open the Gate from your current position (and hope you can connect with the point you just left). This also means no sticking a head through to see what’s on the other side – once any part of a body enters the Gate, the whole body does. It’s all or nothing.*
When arcane or religious students first learn of Gate travel, their first question is “why is it not used more widely?” If not for common commerce (and why would a merchant risk a sea voyage or a caravan through hostile lands, if he could move his goods by a Gate?), then at least by the arcane masters and high clerics of the world? There are several parts to the answer. First, high-level arcanists and clerics do use Gate travel more frequently than anyone else, but even they do so as sparingly as possible – because, second, it is draining, potentially exhausting, and for even the most powerful, uncertain.
The electromagnetic lines of force that criss-cross the planet are the pathways of the Nitaran Gate system, and they are constantly in flux. They can also be influenced by many other factors, from volcanic eruptions to ziran (solar) flares to major uses of the T’ara. It takes years (or a rare inborn talent) to learn to sense the “soft spot” that represents a Gate, and more importantly to grasp and manipulate the lines of force within it to take you where you wish to go. “Locked” gates are safer, but even they can occasionally send a traveller in an unexpected direction, including to the very rare unidirectional Gate, which only works “in-bound.” Even rarer are out-bound-only Gates, which always send a user to a random location, but cannot accept in-bound travel.
As for commercial uses, it’s just not practical. The Telnori simply aren’t interested, and there are only a few thousand Umantari who know the technique – and only a fraction of those are powerful and experienced enough to usually succeed (no mortal is successful 100% of the time). There might be a dozen men or women alive who possess the skill and the willingness to sell that skill for mere money… most arcanists are too deep into their studies to be bothered with mere commerce.
Aside from that bottleneck, there is also the problem of scale – only someone with a very powerful aura or some external aid (artifact or psionic boost, for instance) who can hold a Gate open for more than a few seconds. This is why travelers generally stand where the Gate “is” so that when it opens they are instantly transported. The practical area of most Gates is a circle of from one to ten meters in diameter (meaning at their largest Gates can move maybe a dozen mounted people, or a score on foot) and stay open for 2-12 seconds.
Even if held open for a minute or more, it would be impossible to get more than triple that number safely to the other side – increasing mass moving across a portal seems to cause them to close faster. This is one of the main reasons armies aren’t moved this way – that, and the fact that all strategically vital Gate locations are usually heavily guarded by whatever government is in charge, and/or have structures built around them.
Particularly powerful and skilled individuals can learn techniques to “teleport” themselves (but rarely more than one or two others). This ability, while handy in an emergency, is not as all-powerful as it sounds. What they are doing is summoning an “extrusion” from the nearest Gate to where they stand, and they have no control over their destination beyond a choice between relatively close Gates (i.e. if there are three Gates all within approximately 50 miles, s/he could choose which one to use). So they can teleport out of, but never into, a specific location.
Artifacts exist which can detect Gates, open them or both. In the hands of those already trained in Gate travel, they can increase the chance of successfully reaching a given destination; but in untrained hands, stepping through a “free” or “fluxing” Gate means a random destination. “Locked” Gates, however, may successfully be traversed by the layman using an artifact. Or at least with as success as any mortal is likely to attain.
In short, Nitaran Gate travel is physically and spiritually draining, uncertain and, for even the most skilled practitioners of the art, risky!
*NOTE: Most naturally opening gates are two-way – they seem to vibrate between the two points at a rate that allows free passage in either direction, as long as the Gate is open. Mages and clerics have been trying for millennia to recreate this phenomena artificially, but without success. Or at least no one is willing to admit to such success. And even with two-way Gates, it is still unwise to stick ones head through…
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Nolkior (NOWL-kee-or) – A feudal kingdom of the mid-northern Ukali Basin, with a population of approximately 185,000. Lying roughly between the Sarajis Mountains in the north and the Sea of Ukalus and Karac Mountains to the south, the natural vegetation is mostly mixed woodland and forest, with large tracts of cropland and pasture in the river valleys and coastal lowlands. Much of lowlands are alluvial plains but there are numerous hilly districts, notably the Kathela Hills and the Upper Sürkil. The northern, mountainous region of the kingdom includes Mt. Kurik and the dormant volcanic peak of Mt. Bowin.
Although the region is culturally dominated by the Kingdom of Nolkior, it is home to several tribal nations who range back and forth across the realm’s northern borders. Since its foundation in 2578, Nolkior has assimilated large numbers of tribesmen, but many of the lands claimed by the kings and nobility of Nolkior are actually controlled by the Ilrionim, Firalani, and Ethmoniri nations. By avoiding open battle, these hardy tribesmen have been able to withstand intermittent Nolkiori attempts at conquest. The lands to the north and northeast are lightly settled and administered as the military districts of Lakemarch and Kurikmarch. Ilrionim and Firalani lands are crossed by the Salt Route and include some fertile lake and river bottomland. Nolkior has a token presence at Troll’s Bridge Inn, but only because the Ethmoniri allow it to survive.
To the east lies small but rich Tharkia, a kingdom to which Nolkior occasionally asserts a claim, and the Umantari/Telnori Kingdom of Serviar. The Kildoran Republic touches Nolkior in the north, between Lake Aral and Lake Everbrite, across which lies the Khundari city-state of Dürkon. To the west is the feudal Kingdom of Arushal. While the kingdom is not entirely safe from her barbaric neighbors, pacification of surrounding land continues. Relations with the tribes are not always warlike; a few hardy miners, trappers, and explorers venture in the wilderness, and tribesmen are a common sight in border settlements.
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Noma, gül– (NHO-mah, ghool), plural gül-Nomai (ghool-nho-MY) – Also known as the Brown Gül, this sub-species represents about half of Ysgareth’s Gülvini population. Their fur ranges in color from black to auburn, and they average just under four feet in height. Small bands of queenless Nomai may be found dwelling in the manner of the Kobali, but they are most noted for their large cave complexes, typically containing one queen, a few dozen princesses, and between 1,000 and 2,000 males.
As mining engineers, Nomai are second only to the Khundari, with whom scholars believe they share an ancestry (the Khundari vehemently deny this, and mentioning it is a good way to start a fight). Chambers and passages in a Nomai cave complex tend to run in straight lines, although irregular natural caverns may be included. Numerous redoubts, blind-ways, pits, and other traps designed to foil intruders are common. Most complexes contain iron mines and armouries which can produce fairly good weapons, notably mangs and mankars. Nomai produce passable scale and mail armour, but most wear leather armour. They are also known for clever mechanical devices.
The Nomai keep livestock, mostly wild cattle, pigs and horses, as food animals in large external pens. These provide a significant portion of their diet, but rarely meet the entire needs of the complex. Nomai bands hunt a range extending up to 40 kilometers around the complex. The security provided by their intricate colonies, and their naturally high birthrate, make the Nomai the most likely of all Gülvini species to swarm.
Porcine traits dominate this genetic template, evidenced by small tusks, with Khundari genes also an apparently strong component.
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Norja Duin (NOR-jha Doo-EEN) – The true name by which the eternal outsiders, the wandering Night People (which see) call themselves. In their own Norjani tongue the phrase means “the Blessed People.”
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Norjani (nor-JHA-nee) – The language of the wandering Norja Duin, or Night People. It is the only living dialect of Old Pagonese, having more in common with that long-dead language than its modern descendants such as modern Pagonese or Sardalese. The Night People always speak whatever local tongue is current in the lands through which they travel, but keep Norjani as their first language. It is seldom spoken around, and even more rarely taught to, outsiders. Scholars of Old Pagonese might have some success at understanding Norjani, at least in a halting, fragmented way… but such people are very thin on the ground, especially in northern Ysgareth.
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Novara (no-VAR-ah) – The first month of the year in the Salatasic Reckoning. An early winter month.
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Novendo (noh-VEN-doh) – The third planet out from the star Zira, with a mean distance of 178,762,042 km. Novendo is a terrestrial planet very much like Earth, with an equatorial circumference of 40,056 km and a diameter of 12,749 km. The planet has a surface are of 313,583,510 km, of which approximately 23% is land. It possesses 9 continental land masses, 12 major islands and countless smaller islands. The atmosphere is nitrogen (77%), oxygen (22%), and neon (1%) with minute quantities of other gases. Mass, gravity and atmospheric pressure at sea level are all just slightly less than Earth’s. An axial tilt of 21° 43’ gives the planet Earth-like weather patterns and seasons, although the shorter year (316.77 Earth days) makes for shorter seasons. Because Zira is slightly cooler than Sol, the planet has a slightly smaller equatorial zone, and correspondingly larger temperate and arctic zones. A world map is to be found on the Atlas Novendo page.
Novendo has two moons, Aranda and Osal. The planet is subject to periodic meteor showers, but only two occur with regularity. The Solstice Meteor Shower occurs each year between 17 Glacia and 5 Novara, and is the smaller of the two. The larger shower is the Demon’s Rain, occuring between the 10th and 23rd of Kilta each year. For those thirteen days Novendo passes through what is belived by many scholars to be the remains of the Demon’s Fist, creating a spectacular display of shooting stars. Actual impacts are rare but not unheard of. The Khunduri in particular seek out such impacts to mine the iron, and possibly other metals, from these celestial visitors. The sword Faurang is said to be of such meteoric origin.
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Ocean Empire – One of the oldest human political divisions in existence on Novendo. Founded in 1131 SR by Arkahzan the Golden, the Empire has waxed and waned politically and militarily over the last 2,000 years, but has always reigned culturally supreme over much of Ysgareth and Näalskelu. Centered on Great Oceania, the largest island of the Oceanian Archipelago, the Empire currently includes all the archipelago, the Ysgareth mainland kingdom of Tor Andar and province of Montaris. It also claims the lands of the Wild Coast, but has yet to prove that claim by force of arms. The current Emperor is Gil-Garon, who ascended the Coral Throne in 3001, at the age of 26.
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Oceania – Referring variously to: to the geographic area of the islands of the Shattered Sea (the Oceanian Archipelago); the Ocean Empire; or the island of Great Oceania.
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Oceanian Archipelago – The collection of 133 significant (and hundreds of tiny) islands in the Shattered Sea off the northwest coast of the Ysgareth continent, created in the aftermath of the Demon’s Fist asteroid strike.
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Ochre Hand, Order of – A clerical order of the Cult of Kalos. The Ochre Hand exists primarily to maintain and oversee the shrine at Nah-henu.
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Olvânaal (ohl van-AHL) – A major Skavarian colony in Thalirdu, incorporating Skavarian invaders and Varkim natives. Effectively independent from the homeland for the last generation or so, Skavaria still claims sovereignty.
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Onyx Throne – The throne of the of the rulers of the Delrari Empire, created by the great Oceanian artisan Feridox of Elmos in 2624. It was carved from a single piece of onyx, brought from the jungles of the southern continent of Koruik by the adventurer Harin Keltonus. It disappeared after the fall of the Delari Empire, during the chaotic years of the Second Mageocracy.
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Orikol Moor (ohree-KHOL) – Also called Orikol Heath, this is an underexplored and underexploited region of the kingdom of Arushal. It is an inhospitable area of scrubby woodland, ponds and bogs of all sizes, and fire-scarred areas hundred of acres in extent. Uneven patchworks of stunted scabby scrub oaks and twisted pitch pines that seldom reach ten feet in height, useless as timber and of limited use to charcoalers dot the moors. Shrubs include a few varieties of blueberry, heather, and hardy azalea. Orikol’s sandy soil’s drier stretches are carpeted with tough blackberry, while pond shores and bogs support cranberry and wintergreen.
Thousands of small ponds dot the landscape, some transformed over the years into bogs. The sheltered lowland areas are humid and cool, supporting a wide variety of hanging and ground-mosses, carnivorous plants, and fungi. Trees seldom grow tall in the thin, infertile soil, and many areas are effectively impassable due to rotting fallen logs. Pockets of richer acid soils support white cedar, where hunters know to seek deer in the winter. There is incredible diversity in the heathlands, and some apothecaries and hired herbalists endure great hardship and privation to acquire the treasures growing here.
The heath is home to foxes, raccoons, mink and other small mammals. There are several species of turtles and snakes, especially in the dry uplands, but only the Heath Adder is poisonous. Frogs and salamanders are relatively few, their fertility diminished by the acid waters of the bogs, and their numbers checked by constant predation from herons, raccoons, turtles, snakes, and almost anything else that can catch them. The eagle is the king of the birds, a large realm that includes scores of migratory songbirds, wading birds, game birds, and shorebirds.
Moorside settlements acquire much of their fuel from cutting and drying peat from the older bogs. Only one road, running north to south, crosses the moor, but it is rough and barely deserving of the name. A second track runs east to west, but is in even worse condition, and is even less travelled. Only large parties tend to cross the moors, as lone travelers or small groups have a distressing tendency to simply vanish in heart of the region. Most blame the malign influence of the ruined city of Nirokilon, built two centuries ago by the Mad Astrologer Koltorin, and now slowly sinking into the bogs.
The Place of Bones, a notorious area of quicksand that has swallowed many an unwary traveller and animal, is so named because the bones of its victims often rise to the surface over time.
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Orivax (OR-ee-vax) (Metal Elemental) – Name applied to any of a variety of elementals whose basic element is metallic. Orivrin manifest in almost any type of metal including alloys such as pewter, brass or bronze. Because native (or manufactured) instances of appropriate host mass tend to be limited in size, only smaller, weaker Orivrin tend to be encountered on the corporeal planes.
Some scholars believe that each Orivax has an affinity for a particular type of metal. One might prefer gold, another silver, a third brass. Among Tykizu artificers, the Orivax is highly prized as a familiar, as a focus, or as the animus of major artifacts. They are, however, exceedingly difficult and dangerous to handle. Sometimes an Orivax will manifest of its own volition in an artifact; this is usually a mixed blessing at best. The artifact typically becomes far more powerful – and far less manageable.
Like most other elementals, the average Orivax takes little interest in the affairs of corporeal creatures, but when they do become hostile, they can be very dangerous. An Orivax is able to assume a hot molten form and in this state, its touch causes severe burns.
Most Orivrin are highly susceptible to Xavar’nain magic and/or psionic talents. When they are disrupted their host masses tend to be left in curious, twisted shapes. Some scholars collect former Orivax host masses for their scholarly interest, while some art-lovers collect them for their aesthetic appeal.
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Osal (OH-sahl) – The smaller of Novendo‘s two moons, the rose moon is 138 km in diameter, has a synodical period of 12 days, and orbits the planet at a distance of 78,247 km. It appears to be about one-third the size of Luna as seen from Earth. Due to what many scholars believe to be certain refractive properties of the moons’ surfaces Osal is usually a pale rose in colour, while the Greater Moon, Aranda, is a pale electric blue. Rarely their colours will deepen, Osal to a blood red and Aranda to a vivid purple. 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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Ozandin (oh-ZAN-din) – One of the Four Lords of Chaos. Ozandin is the Telnori / Umantari name given to the Elemental Demon Lord of Air; the Kundari know it as Ardek-mu. Known as the The Quencher of Souls and The Mover in the Deep, it is one of the four chief lieutenants of the Demon King. It is believed to be the Seneschal of the Undead. In the Age of Chaos it was Naventhül’s Grand Inquisitor. Its control artifact is said to be a diadem of steel inlaid with gold and set with 13 blue gemstones – 12 sapphires and one Matrix Crystal.
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Parim (pahr-EEM) – First Prophet of Korön, c. 400 SR. Parim had eight disciples who spread the cult across Ysgareth and Ishkala after his death.
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Paths of Gheas – Name given to the wormhole-like gates that the semi-mythical Fane of Gheas was said to open up for the Khundari priests of the Dha’ghean Khor sect, who kept not only the method secret but also the very location of the great artifact. It was said they could open a path between the Fane and any other point on, above or beneath the planet.
Later legends claimed the artifact could also open paths to other worlds, other dimensions, and even other times. But while historical evidence exists, however fragmented, about the reality of the Fane of Gheas and its use as a secret Khundari “highway” in ages past, there is nothing to suggest these latter claims are anything but fanciful embellishments of tale-tellers.
In modern times few non-Khundari have even heard of the Fane or the Paths, save for a few scholars of obscure arcana; indeed, few of the Khundari themselves believe they ever really existed. Most modern Dwarven scholars assume they were always only ever a metaphor for the Great Deepways, the subterranean highways that physically connected the old city-states of the Worldspine Mountains, sections of which exist to this day.
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Pelon Delta (pell-OHN) – The vast marshland that lies across the mouth of the Pelon River in SE Darikaz. An intricate maze of waterways, islands and bogs, hundreds of square miles in extent, it is home to a vast array of wildlife, tribal peoples, and pirates.
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Pethos – The sixth planet of the Ziran system, Pethos is the largest of the seven planets. Like Ketora, it is a gas giant, but 3.5 times larger than its sister. It has twelve known moons, none of which are visible to the naked eye (and only eight of them can be seen with the best Umantari telescopes; knowledge of the other four come from the Telnori). Called by some The Sable Eye, and considered by them to be the primary influence on Novendoan astrology.
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Queld (qweld) – Major island off the east coast of Ysgareth, generally considered part of the continent. Home of the Kingdom of Valtira. Also called the Wizard’s Isle. Culturally a mixture of ancient Oceanian and Daishian influences.
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Quindor (AN-zor) – The Phoenix; a constellation in the northern Novendo sky and the seventh sign of the northwestern zodiac (16 Emblio – 10 Kilta). A Fire sign, Quindor is one of the most complex signs in the heavens, symbolizing action, dynamics, conflict, destruction and resurrection. The Phoenix, rising from the ashes on wings of flame, represents the physical and ethereal aspects of fire as well as the heat of conflict. Beak and talons of bronze, feathers of copper, the Warrior Bird symbolizes maleness, light, strife, the glory of triumph that rises from the ashes of defeat. Symbolic of the creative aspects of fire, of controlled energy and of righteous conflict.
Those born under the influence of this sign tend to lead dynamic, action-oriented lives, constantly striving against something or someone, fighting for a cause or aiming for a goal. The quest is central to their lives, although the achievement may bring disappointment and restlessness. Quindori often possess an amazing ability to rise from almost any defeat They are direct, distaining subtlety, preferring force over guile. Many of the greatest rulers were born under the sign of the Phoenix.