Abellino family, the (A-buh-LEEN-oe): A family in good standing in Malac’s Cross.

Ada (AY-duh): The eldest son.

Agerro (ah-JAIR-roe): The middle son, soon to be betrothed to Kalthia.

Antoni (AN-toe-nee): The youngest son.

 

Adaronos (A-du-ROE-noess): A servant of Shadowmonger. Presumed from Akharet, Ash Mora, or Luxia.

 

Aelle Morhena (AL-ul morr-HEHN-uh): A waiting realm; where those who may yet absolve themselves of sin go once entering the afterlife, but before their final judgement. Legends say those who enter Aelle Morhena often waste away there unless journeying on a divine quest at the heart of the world.

 

Aeshenamir (AY-u-SHEH-na-mirr): A Tharandorian city at the far west of the Broken Sea. Home to the Grand

Chapel of Maeron and common stop for pilgrims.

​

Age of Creation: First age of the mortal realm, born from the Dawnmother’s grace with the creation of the Apostles and the Divine Order. Man was created towards the end of this age, and through Gilean were responsible for its ultimate demise.

 

Age of Cycles: Second age of the mortal realm, forged four millennia ago with the leaving of the Apostles and the yielding of the mortal realm to man and the Divine Order. Marked by intermittent cycles of Harvest, where rains are abundant and Wells make landfall. In the time between Harvests (commonly called “Cycles”), crops fail, droughts and plagues are rampant, and warring is common. These Cycles can last anywhere from months to centuries. The last many Cycles were uncharacteristically short and forgiving, featuring clement weather, mild rains, and relative peace. Scholars speculate what this may mean.

 

Akharet (ahkh-huh-REHT): Kingdom to the north of the Broken Sea and one of the first kingdoms of man created by the Apostles. The heraldry is a white, four-pointed star against a ruddy field.

 

Apostle (Also called “Talethi” (TU-leh-thii)): Original Children of the Dawnmother. Apostles were unlike both man and beast and creators of life at the Dawnmother’s behest. Maker of men and thus their first rulers, they guided the Age of Creation until Gilean’s betrayal. The subsequent breaking of the mortal realm claimed their lives.

Aarth (AARTH): Third child of the Dawnmother. Revered in Luxia.

Dadovah (DA-doe-vuh): Sixth child of the Dawnmother. God-king of ancient Tharandor.

Gilean (GIH-lee-in) (Also called “The Fallen” and “Deceiver of Men”): Thirteenth child of the Dawnmother. Consumed by greed for the power the Dawnmother possessed, Gilean fled east across the ocean to forge his own world. Only to fall further and attempt to claim the realm from whence he was created and came. Betrayer of Apostles and man. Father to Maeron the Great.

Horonias (huh-ROE-nee-uhs): Eleventh child of the Dawnmother. Revered in Sarcassi.

Ir (EER): Ninth child of the Dawnmother. God-queen of ancient Tirnossa.

Kalathiel (ku-LA-thee-ul): First child of the Dawnmother. High King of ancient Akharet. Revered across the mortal realm.

Lail (LAY-ul): Eighth child of the Dawnmother. Revered in Vilmathe.

Meleas (MEH-LEE-ahss): Twelfth child of the Dawnmother. Father to the first Body. Revered in Mir Taleth, the Kingdom of the Thrice Born Hand, and Sarcassi.

Naravais (NAIR-uh-VAY-us): Seventh child of the Dawnmother. Revered in the Sunkissed Isles.

Pospisil (PAH-SPU-sihl): Tenth child of the Dawnmother. High Emperor of ancient Peridor.

Rileal (RIH-lee-ul): Fifth child of the Dawnmother. God-queen of ancient Goal.

Silah (SIH-luh): Fourth child of the Dawnmother. Revered in Ash Mora.

Taberius (tah-BAIR-ee-us): Twelfth child of the Dawnmother. Revered across the mortal realm.

 

Arquebus: Long gun first invented in Khara. A wheellock mechanism is used to generate friction which ignites a pan of gunpowder, firing a lead bullet out of an iron barrel.

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Arquebusier: Wielder of an arquebus.

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Ash Mora (ash MORR-uh): Kingdom between the Broken Sea, the Talons, and the Plains of Granmere. The heraldry is a flag with four vertical stripes: white, green, gold, and red.

 

Attercop: A monstrous, horse-sized spider found only in the Divine Wilds. They produce a silk coveted for its ability to minimize Wellpowder-derived explosions.

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Aziza (uh-ZEE-zuh): Baby tiger born from a brood within the Great Pyramid of Aarth. Said to be a descendant of one of the Divine Order.

 

Benjin Blackfyre: A slave aboard the Leviathan’s Kiss.

 

Blood Moon of Illid: Full moon with a deep red hue, occurring once every few years. Said to be the time in which the veil between the mortal realm and Illid is at its thinnest.

 

Bloomwater: River with headwaters in the Talons that runs through Ash Mora.

 

Body, the (also known as “the Tether”): Leaders of the Faith, the church, and extensions of the Dawnmother. The Body rules from the Godstower in the Holy City, and are said to possess an innate power not seen since the Age of Creation. Their identities are shrouded.

Ear, the: Hears whispers from the Dawnmother and the Apostles.

Eye, the: Sees visions from the Dawnmother and the Apostles.

Hand, the: Acts on behalf of the Dawnmother and the Apostles.

Mouth, the: Speaks on behalf of the Dawnmother and the Apostles.

Organ, the: Feels desires of the Dawnmother and the Apostles.

 

Brighthaven: Greatest of the Free Cities in the west of the Broken Sea. Known for its Tower of Cognates, home to the school and study of the Cognitars, highest scholars of the mortal realm and masters of all eleven dominions of knowledge. A Well once surfaced near the city that is extensively visited and studied.

 

Broken Sea: Inland sea of the mortal realm, named for its common tremendous storms.

 

Captain Kyrnen (KEER-nuhn): Captain of the slaving vessel Leviathan’s Kiss.

 

Celestide: A festival held in Malac’s Cross every twelve years in honor of the Dawnmother and her twelve Apostles. The festivities last thirteen days, one for each of the Apostles and the last for the Dawnmother.

 

Children: A common way for the Faithful to refer to themselves.

 

Courser: A type of riding horse, known for its swiftness.

 

Cycles: Times between Harvests, often consumed by drought, plague, and much warring.

 

Cyrene (seye-REEN): A great seaport and trade hub on the Golden Coast and capital of the kingdom of Sarcassi.

 

Dawnmother, the (Also called “She Above”, “the Creator”, “Mother”, “Her”): The Creator of the mortal realm and all its inhabitants. Leader of hearts and guider of souls. Through Her, all is possible, and all shall ever be possible. From Her man was borne and to Her they return. It is rumored that the dying, just before passing unto the Golden Skies, see Her incomprehensible form ushering them from the mortal realm to beyond.

 

Dawn prayer: A common prayer of the Faithful. The Dawn prayer speaks of the Age of Creation, but much has been lost to time and translation. What was lost has been replaced by local teachings (and much postulating).

 

Divine Order (Also called “Seldari” (sel-DAH-ree) and “Wardens”): Children of the Dawnmother born after the Apostles, in the form of mythical creatures. Through Her will they created the beasts of the mortal realm. Eighteen there were originally, now there are believed to only be five. The Divine Order guard the far places of the world; the Divine Wilds.

 

Divine Wilds (Also called “the Frontier”): Realm not beholden to man and guarded by the Divine Order and their lesser offspring. The only known inhabitants of the Divine Wilds are the nomadic sects venturing north of the Dreaming Mountains, though they never interact with the realms about the Broken Sea.

 

Dome of the Ancients, the; Stained glass dome above Q'adr’s Royale Palace. Said to be forged at the beginning of the Age of Cycles.

 

Drought (Also sometimes called “Cycles”): The time between Harvests.

 

Dry Quarter, the: District of Q'adr where alcohol and drugs are expressly prohibited. Responsible for the majority of Q'adr’s illicit substance production, consumption, and trade.

 

Dusk (Also called “Hells”): The afterlife for sinners and non-believers, divided into tiers based on the severity of one’s fall from grace.

 

Emperor Naal (nahl): Emperor of Luxia and the Midderlands. Rules from Q'adr. Currently targeted by Shadowmonger and Varre for assassination. His late daughter was married to and had children by King Olivyr of Vilmathe.

 

Esobel: A nun from Rellor in the Church of Saint Lybris

 

Faelle Mar: Largest of the Free Cities of the Broken Sea. Home to the Witch-Surgeons Guild, and known for the occult.

 

Faith: Belief in the Dawnmother and the following of her ways, as dictated by the Apostles and their prophets.. The dominant faith in the mortal realm, save the folk religions found near the Divine Wilds.

 

Faithful: Believers of the Faith.

 

Fallen, the: (1) Common way to refer to the Fallen Apostle Gilean. (2) In Malac’s Cross, the person to be hanged on the thirteenth day of Celestide as proxy for the Fallen Apostle Gilean. Commonly dressed in poorly painted metal and clothing covered in pigs blood, the Fallen have a set of wings stapled to their back.

 

First Landing: A great seaport in the north of Sarcassi where Maeron the Great first landed in the mortal realm at the Fallen Apostle Gilean’s behest. A common stop for pilgrims.

 

Flutterwine: A wine made from a combination of fermented grapes and silverwing butterfly extract. The addition of the silverwing extract gives the wine a hallucinogenic effect when consumed in large quantities.

 

Frontier kingdoms (Also called “the Frontier”): Kingdoms to the west comprising Tharandor, Caerdhel, Asvarel, and Mir Taleth. In near constant warring with the beasts of the Divine Wilds. Expansion westward has been attempted numerous times since the dawn of the Age of Cycles but has never once succeeded.

 

Gaol (gahl): A kingdom south of the Talons. The heraldry is a hand plough atop a green field.

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Golden Skies (Also called “Heavens”): The afterlife for the devout followers of the Faith.

 

Grand Chapel of Maeron (MAY-ron): A chapel in Âeshenamir dedicated to Maeron the Great’s with the ending of the Age of Creation, forged by his own hand. The most visited holy place outside of the Holy City in Mir Taleth.

 

Great Pyramid of Aarth (AARTH): A pyramid in Q'adr created by the Apostle Aarth as a reminder to the lives lost in the battle against Maeron the Great’s hordes.

 

Harvest: Times during Cycles when Wells come to the mortal realm, accompanied by rains, fair weather, and bountiful harvests. The recent Harvests have been uncharacteristically giving, and the stores of most Wellwrights and granaries are high. Also sometimes referred to as Spring or Summer. Times between Harvests are called “Cycles” and are uncharacteristic of any season, save to the north where it is called Winter, and in the deserts where it is called Drought.

 

High Priest Sefu (seh-foo): High Priest of the Great Pyramid of Aarth in Q'adr. Connected to Shadowmonger indirectly.

 

High Road, the: A road travelling the length of the mortal realm. It begins in Sarcassi’s capital Cyrene, travels around the Broken Sea, and ends in Khara’s capital Guojing. Commonly patrolled by nearby lords and errant knights.

 

Holy Book, the: The word of the Dawnmother as communicated to the Apostles and then to man regarding the creation of the world, its keeping, and the ways of life and the afterlife. No book is more important for the Faith, and its scripture is read in every church and known even to the common man that knows not their letters.

 

Holy City, the: The largest city in the mortal realm, home to the Body, and capital of Mir Taleth. A common stop for pilgrims.

 

House Averil (AY-verr-ill): See King Claudius Averil. Their heraldry is a white sun against a golden sky.

 

House Blegan (BLAY-gin): Ruling House of Lusyne in Sarcassi. Their heraldry is an arquebus and a sword crossed over a red shield.

Lord Finlas (FIN-las): Head of House Blegan and lord of Lusyne. Now one of the wealthiest men in Sarcassi due to the discovery of sulfur deposits and mines on his land.

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House Cidaris (sih-DARR-ihs): Ruling House of Rellor in Asvarel. Their heraldry is the wings of Apostles ringed by twelve golden eyes.

Lord Tybalt: Head of House Cidaris and lord of Rellor. Supposedly a distant relation to the crown of the Kingdom of the Thrice Borne hand. Legitimacy of his blood is questionable.

Lord Varrilax (VAIR-ih-lacks): Late head of House Cidaris. Killed by Varre, along with the rest of his family.

 

House de Corrino (dee koe-REE-noe): Ruling House of Malac’s Cross in Sarcassi. Their heraldry is three white peaks against a field of green.

Lord Marco: Head of House de Corrino and lord of Malac’s Cross. A benevolent man respected by his people for the relative peace and good fortune seen in Malac’s Cross for the past many decades.

 

House Toria (TORR-ee-uh): Ruling House of Tirh in Tirnossa. Their heraldry is a marlin spitted by a harpoon on a blue field.

 

Illid: Believed to be a middle realm between the mortal one and the afterlife, which at times seeps into the waking world and corrupts it. Also used to refer to the land from which the Maerendar came, of which there is no name.

 

Kalthia (KAL-thee-uh): Varre’s closest friend from Malac’s Cross.

 

Keragon (KEH-ru-GAHN): A city in Peridor’s Sleeping Forest along the Mad Ocean’s northern coast. At the end of the Salt Road.

 

Khara (KAH-rah): A kingdom south of the Broken Sea and east of the Thorn Peaks. The only kingdom where the Faith is not a widely recognized or practiced religion. The heraldry is a white, wingless dragon flying against a purple sky.

 

King Claudius Averil (KLAH-dee-us AY-verr-ill): King of Sarcassi and direct descendant of Maeron the Great. Rules from Cyrene with his House’s ancestral home in Sunport.

 

Kingdom of the Thrice Born Hand, the: Realm running along the southwestern edge of the Broken Sea. A union of the three kingdoms created by the second, third, and fourth born children of the Apostle Meleas. The heraldry is a handshake consisting of three hands against a blue field.

Asvarel (AZ-vuh-rehl): The center of the three kingdoms, host to the seat of power, Rellor. Named after Aesvar, second child of Meleas. The heraldry is the eye of a storm against a gold field.

Caerdhel (CAYRD-hehl): The north of the three kingdoms. Named after Caerdas, third child of Meleas. The heraldry is a great red oak tree on a field of silver.

Orrimel (ORR-ih-mehl): The east of the three kingdoms. Named after Oromea (also the name of the capital city), fourth child of Meleas. The heraldry is a golden galley against a field of navy blue.

 

Lady Raia (RAY-uh): A pregnant lady-in-waiting in Q'adr’s Royale Palace.

 

Laywater: Water not from a Well, which, when consumed, curses the drinker to take on salt and eventually die.

 

Leviathan’s Kiss: A slaver’s ship with its port of call in Rellor.

 

Longship: A card game surmised to be first invented in Tirnossa. Each turn, a card is drawn and one of the five cards in the player’s hand is put in the discard pile. One player must draw five cards with the suit oar, with four of them being numbered cards and one of them a face card. The other player does the same, but with the suit of cannons. A common game amongst derelicts, and largely a game of luck.

 

Luxia (LUHKS-ee-uh): A kingdom north of the Broken Sea sat atop the Plains of Granmere and the Creeping Sands. The heraldry is a ruby red sun setting over dunes against a black sky.

 

Mad Ocean: The eastern ocean from which Maeron the Great’s hordes sailed forth. It is said that any crossing made takes man from the mortal realm to a place beyond. However, once ships have travelled a ways from shore, storms begin unending, star charts and compasses become unreadable, and the Divine Order guarding the waters attack without respite. Since the dawn of the Age of Cycles four thousand years passed, no man has ventured into the Mad Ocean and returned.

 

Maeron the Great (Called Maeron the Destroyer in Khara) (MAY-ron): Son of the Fallen Apostle Gilean. Conqueror of the mortal realm, breaker of the Age of Creation, and slayer of the Fallen. Revered by most as the prophet of the Faith and the deliverer to a new age. His reign was responsible for tremendous advancements in society's technological capabilities.

 

Maerendar (MAY-REHN-dahr): (1) Direct descendants of Maeron the Great, typically referring to the royal line of Sarcassi and Akharet. (2) Sometimes a way to refer to Sarcassites in general. (3) Most often, those of Maeron the Great’s blood that did not venture across the ancient oceans to the mortal realm. Presumed dead many millennia passed.

 

Maerendrial (MAY-REHN-dree-uhl): A relic from the beginning of the Age of Cycles. Rumors suggest the ruins and objects scattered across the mortal realm were once devices of great power, though their uses have since been lost to time.

 

Magick: A rumored power, typically referred to as belonging to the Dusk, the Shadow, and the Apostle Gilean. Considered evil by the Church.

 

Malac’s Cross (Also called “the Cross”) (ma-LAKHS KROSS): A small town in Sarcassi along the Talons. Varre’s home.

 

Mandrake: A toxic root common in fairy stories and popular amongst tobacco smokers. Its effects vary depending on the person, but typically lead to prolonged euphoric highs followed by feelings of detachment.

 

Marksmen: A card game first invented in Khara. The cards consist of five suits; swordsmen, sailors, gunmen, shieldbearers, and cavalrymen. A player starts with seven cards in their hand, one of each suit plus two additional random cards. Each turn they may either draw a card or challenge the opponent to a duel. If a duel is declared, both players put forth a random card and the winner is dictated by the suit played, based on the order explained above, where swordsmen beat sailors, etc…all the way to cavalrymen beating swordsmen. The winner of the duel must pick up both cards, and the game is won when a player reaches seventeen cards.

 

Maypole: A tall, decorated pole about which people dance. Typically during holidays.

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Midderlands, the: Countryside of Luxia between the cities of man and the Divine Wilds.

 

Mir Taleth (Also called the “Holy Kingdom”) (MEER ta-LEHTH): Southernmost kingdom of the mortal realm to the west and home to the Body, direct descendent of the Apostle Meleas’ firstborn child, Mira. The heraldry is a golden hand reaching upwards against a field of black

 

Old City, the: District of Q'adr where the Royale Palace and much of the nobility is.

 

Old Country, the: Region of the mortal realm first settled by Maeron the Great and built in his glory, far advancing the technological marvels of the men living there before his coming. Now littered with ruins of a bygone age.

 

Penelope: Planned identity of Varre during and afterwards the assassination of Emperor Naal. From Aeshenamir in Tharandor and journeying across the mortal realm in pilgrimage.

 

Peridor (PEH-rih-DOR): A kingdom far to the north, where Cycles are marked by Winters. The heraldry is a flag of white with a black diamond in the center.

 

Q’adr (kuh-DEER): A city along the River Iphtar and capital of Luxia. A common stop for pilgrims.

 

Rake Family, the: A family of lesser ranking noblemen with a large estate east of Malac’s Cross.

Cascius (CASH-ee-uhs): Younger brother of Cavillaris. Found not guilty of all charges.

Cavillaris (CAH-vi-LAR-uhs): Found guilty of kidnapping and enslaving.

 

Reeve: A local figure of high standing, typically a wealthy landowner.

 

Rellor (REH-lorr): A port city at the mouth of the River Heavens and capital of Asvarel.

 

Roseberry: A small red berry commonly found near wild rose bushes. It has a sweet taste not dissimilar to cherries.

 

River Heavens, the: A long river with its headwaters in the Divine Wilds. Runs through Mir Taleth and the Kingdom of the Thrice Borne Hand all the way to the Broken Sea.

 

River Kang, the (KAHNG): A large river with its headwaters in the Divine Wilds. Runs through Khara’s Drakewood all the way to the Broken Sea.

 

Royale Palace, the: Keep in Q'adr’s Old City from which the emperors of Luxia have ruled for millennia. Now inhabited by Emperor Naal.

 

Rising Dawn of Apostle Taberius, the: A book detailing the creation, existence, and death of the Apostle Taberius, as supposed by mortals long after his death.

 

Saint Lybris (LIE-briss): Saint of the Faith, and Patron of Harvest of rains. Has a dedicated church in Rellor in which Varre stayed and Esobel lived.

 

Saint Malac: Saint of the Faith. Founder of Malac’s Cross two thousand years ago, when the Dawnmother supposedly came down to grace him with a vision of a mountain pass. Before the discovery, journey from Sarcassi to Gaol could only be done by sea.

 

Salt, the: A common phrase used to refer to the growths of salty crystals on people’s skin when they go too long without Wellwater, or when they attempt to drink water not of a Well. Can also be used as a curse.

 

Salt Road, the: Common trade route between the Broken Sea at Saltmarsh and distant Keragon.

 

Saltire: A diagonal cross.

 

Saltmarsh: A bustling port city in Luxia and the beginning of the Salt Road.

 

Samlas (SAM-lass): Varre’s friend from Malac’s cross. Son of the town baker.

 

Sand Rat: A long, burrowing snake found in deserts. The venom is strong enough to kill a man with a single bite, and there is no known cure. Due to their over abundance and fondness for the rotten and dying, they are considered pests and most folk refuse to eat them.

 

Sarcassi (sarr-KA-see): Kingdom to the north and east of the Broken Sea. Inheritors to much of Maeron the Great’s line and blessings. The heraldry is a golden sun eclipsing a blue ocean against a white sky.

 

Ser Lancell the Stout (LAN-sull): An old knight from Malac’s Cross with a lazy eye.

 

Shadow: Reference to the Dawnmother’s Dusk and the powers to be there. The antithesis to God and all that is good in the mortal realm. A corruption of her power. Presumed to be what drove the Apostle Gilean mad, or what was borne from his greed.

 

Shadow of Rellor, the: A nickname Varre has accrued for her deeds in Rellor.

 

Shadowmonger: Varre’s master. A shrouded man about which little is known save his desire to rule the entirety of the mortal realm.

 

Shrake: One of Shadowmonger’s underlings. Disappeared a while ago.

 

Sister Lucille (loo-SEELL): A Sister at the chapel of Malac’s Cross.

 

Sister Mara (MARR-uh): Abbess of the Convent of Sister Mara a short ride away from the Whitewater in Sarcassi.

 

Spawn of Illid: 1) One of the Divine Order; a fiendish, winged creation said to be borne in Illid, known to inhabit the northern mountains of Peridor. They are the least revered of the Dawnmother’s Children, and are associated with black magick, Illid, and the occult. Sometimes referred to as Vhai’thar, from the ancient tongue. 2) A common way to curse someone.

 

Swift: Bird used for carrying messages. Fastest level flight bird in the mortal realm.

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Talons, the: Mountain range separating Sarcassi, Gaol, and Vilmathe. Named for its shape and famous for the large beasts prowling the peaks and surrounding forests.

 

Tenets of the Dawnmother, the: the coda by which the Faithful must live.

Purity, the First Tenet; thou shalt commit no sin on thy fellow woman in the eyes of thine Mother, except to enact her own Justice on the Damned.

Fidelity, the Second Tenet; thou shalt hold strong to thine promises amidst disorder and the allure of the Dark.

Forgiveness, the Third Tenet; thou shalt regard thine sisters as true in all that they do, and reserve judgement for thine Mother.

Alms, the Fourth Tenet: thou shalt give to those who need where thou want, who cry where thou smile, who beg where thou waste.

Belief, the Fifth Tenet; thou shalt trust wholly in all that thou do, and in all that is done in the name of thine Mother.

Diligence, the Sixth Tenet; thou shalt hold to your Faith at all times, and pray to thine Mother with coming of the day as well as it’s leaving.

Humility, the Seventh Tenet; thou shalt lower thyself in all that thou do, and find joy in living as those less fortunate than thou.

Penance, the Eighth Tenet; thou shalt atone when thou sin, thou shalt repent when thou err, and thou shalt accept gladly the punishment of thine actions.

Harmony, the Ninth Tenet; thou shalt find peace in all thine pursuits, and create it in those that have been tainted by Darkness.

Chivalry, the Tenth Tenet; thou shalt act with kindness in all that thou do, and treat strangers as thine closest of kin.

Temperance, the Eleventh Tenet; thou shalt refrain from unholy deeds except under the grace of thine Mother.

Sacrifice, the Twelfth Tenet; thou shalt give thine life to thine Mother, for life to be born anew amidst the Dark.

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Tenth Decree of Averus the Just, the: A decree made two thousand years ago by Sarcassi’s then king, Averus the Just, outlawing slavery in all its forms on Sarcassite lands or in Sarcassite waters.

 

Tideborn: Children of Malac’s Cross born during Celestide, often considered blessed and lucky. Varre is one such child.

 

Tharandor (THAIR-an-door): A kingdom to the far north of the Broken Sea near the Dreaming Mountains and the Greywood. The heraldry is a grey castle atop a field of sky-blue and white diagonal stripes.

 

Tirh (TEERH): A middling port city in eastern Tirnossa.

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Twelve Golden Eyes of Aesvar, the: Twelve golden fires that shine atop columns on Rellor’s high hill. Believed to be burning since the beginning of the Age of Cycles, whereby the Dawnmother may peer into the mortal realm.

 

Varre (varr): Born in Malac’s Cross, now serves Shadowmonger as an assassin.

 

Vilmathe (VIHL-math): A kingdom to the southwest of the Talons. The heraldry is a flag of cream on which bucks a brown ox.

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Waters of Life: A common way to refer to Wellwater.

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Ways of Faith, the: A tome written by the first mortals on how to properly adhere to the teachings of the Dawnmother and Her Apostles.

 

Well: A large spring of fresh, drinking water that appears with the coming of Harvest. Each Well arrives in a different place across the mortal realm, and many sink with the end of Harvest. Those that remain have been investigated extensively though no bottoms have been found to date. Each Well is used to supply drinking water for the entire mortal realm for many years. Sometimes generations.

 

Wellheart: An intricate, metallic device used to record one’s allotment of Wellwater. Cannot be understood by anyone that is not a Wellwright. Each child is granted one at the age of twelve. Once lost, they can never be found. To be caught having stolen one is punishable by death.

 

Wellpowder: Gunpowder steeped in Wellwater and dried in the open sun for twelve days, and afterwards sanctified by a priest. Generates a hundred times more power as regular gunpowder, and fires borne from it can burn anything, even blood.

 

Wellwater: Water from a Well. No other water is safe for human consumption.

 

Wellwright: Keeper of a city or town’s Wellwater. Assesses the stores available to their people and determines the available allotment for extended periods of time. The most important and coveted position in the mortal realm aside from kings and queens. Typically a member of the nobility in high standing with relations to royal families.

 

Wellwright’s well: Place where Wellwright’s keep their Wellwater. Through ancient and closely guarded knowledge, no others can access the well.

 

Whitewater, the: A fast-running river with its headwaters in the Talons. Runs through Sarcassi before letting out into the Mad Ocean in Cyrene.

 

Witch-Engineer: Fabled architects of Maeron the Great’s empire following his settling of the mortal realm. Said to be the creators of maerendrial and harbingers of great progress washed away after the first many Cycles.

 

Witch-Surgeons of Faelle Mar: Rumored practitioners of black magick capable of healing the ailed and injured. Have an armistice with each kingdom of the mortal realm to travel freely and dispense aid where needed, but only during times of severe draught is the skill of Witch-Surgeons are coveted. Otherwise, most are scorned and unwelcome save to mercenaries and the desperate.

 

Zaiid: A thug in Q'adr.