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the Academy:

The school of advanced learning in Hellenas. The Academy was originally started by the philosopher Plato during the Hellenic Golden Age. Over the centuries, this school has become the premier university of learning in this hemisphere of Oerth. Teachers unparalleled conduct courses in a wide range of subjects, from mathematics to the laws of magick to history to philosophy to biology and more. Even the fine scholars from the Caliph's Great Library will never pass an opportunity to study at the Academy.

Adamantine:

A very rare and valuable metal. This dull black metal is used to create weapons and other goods that are virtually indestructable. Weapons constructed using adamantine are at least as sturdy as the best steel blades, yet they are noticeably lighter and quicker in use. The largest known source of adamantine is found near the dwarven Citadel Altspire in Clemendeev. This source accounts for 99% of the adamantine goods found in the world. The majority of the remainder come from a small island off the coast of Karasimi. A veritable handful of weapons that can not be traced to either source have turned up in Avillonia over the last one thousand years. Some of them are kept in the Royal Armories in Londoun; the rest reside in the Church's University of Kells.

al-Rhayidh:

A nation of Tervasflam. For more information, refer to the Atlas of Oerth.

Albion:

The region between Eiresud and Itala. It was once the western extreme of the Five Crowns' Alliance. In the time before the Golden Era, this was a Kelltic nation. It is now unoccupied, save ruins and wildlife.

Ans:

Old Tongue: Years.

Asylphar:

The elemental jewel of air, formed at the summits of the highest mountains by the mixture of cold air with the aurorae. This small, clear, ice blue stone will scintillate in the violets, blues, and other colors of the aurorae if properly cut.

Avillonia:

The continent once ruled by the Five Crowns' Alliance. The Vasmar, the gigantic fresh-water sea, occupies most of the northern region of Avillonia. Valles Marineris empties the Vasmar into the Tammar. Most of the Kelltic regions of Avillonia are cooler, damper climates [Northern European]. The extreme northern and northwestern ends of Avillonia, along the north shores of the Vasmar, are rugged mountains, including the Heaven's Comb Mountains, some of which top 40,000 feet. Long, rolling steppes cover the northeastern part of Avillonia, home of the Steppe Nomads. The region of Avillonia due east of the Vasmar is another mountainous region, through which Valles Marineris winds. South of this region, a long, wide stretch of rolling hills and vast plains projects south-by-southeast, separating the Brythomar from the Tammar.

Azir:

The continent on the western end of the Azirmar. Karasimi and several other Oriental nations make this continent home.

the Azirmar:

The vast ocean west of Avillonia and Tervasflam. It is at least 5,000 miles wide at Eiresud's latitude. The distant and strange nation of Karasimi spans a long island chain on the far side of the Azirmar, near the coast of Azir.

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Baraka:

See Heka.

the Brythomar:

The sea separating Avillonia and Tervasflam. It is bounded on the north and east by Avillonia, and to the south and west by Tervasflam. The Gates of Heracles form a rocky breakwater across the ocean between the two continents of the western end of the Brythomar, and the Turkic Straits connect the southeastern end of the Brythomar with the Tammar.

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Caledonia:

One of the original member nations of the Five Crowns' Alliance. For details, see the Atlas of Oerth.

Camelough:

The capitol city of the Five Crowns' Alliance. The Sun King, Uther Paendroeg, ruled most of Avillonia from this city during the sixteen years of the Golden Era. His castle in the city was also called Camelough, although it also was called the Silver Towers in reference to the bright, almost shiny granite used to build the dizzying towers of the castle.

Church of Kells:

The official Church of the Kelltic nations. Its influence has waned over the centuries as the demands of the Church hierarchy increased. Nowdays, most Kellts worship individually, ignoring the Church and Her representatives. There are some places where the organized Church still holds sway (the City of Kells is a notable example). Still, the power of the Church should not be dismissed, for the Church's Knights of Kells are a powerful military Order.

Clemendeev:

The kingdom of dwarves, nestled in the Heaven's Comb Range in the northwestern extremes of Avillonia. For more information, refer to the Atlas of Oerth.

Clydesdale:

A region of Caledonia on the eastern coastal highlands. This region is the home to some of the finest heavy draft horses (who bear the region's name) as well as prized destriers.

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the Dales:

A confederation of cities in the Great Forest. For more information, refer to the Atlas of Oerth.

the Dark One:

The being referred to in the legends of the Golden Age of Camelough who destroyed Uther Paendroeg, the Five Crowns' Alliance, and the city of Camelough. Modern scholars debate exactly what or who the Dark One was, but they have been able to agree on a few facts: the Dark One's home was in a once-lush land south of the Vulcan's Furnaces mountain range on Tervasflam and the Dark One employed vast hordes of humanoid monsters, such as orcs, the remains of which still plague the continent of Avillonia today. Regarding the nature of the Dark One, scholars have several conflicting theories:

• An agent or avatar of a malevolent Entital being trying to weaken the forces of Good on this world.
• A Preternatural entity directly intervening with Avillonia and the Sun King.
• An extremely powerful, Full Practitioner dweomercraefter/priest furthering his or her own selfish goals of domination and ruination.
• Least popularly, a parable of human weakness and imperfection that has, over the course of two millenia of retelling, turned into an individual being in the stories.

Drow:

A race of elves in Phaeree. The drow are a dark race, malevolent to the core, whose skin is as dark as their hearts.

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Eiresud:

One of the original members of the Five Crowns' Alliance. For more information, see the Atlas of Oerth.

Elemental Jewels:

The collective name applied to the five pure gemstone quality elemental minerals found on Oerth. All elemental jewels are very valuable (more so than the finest diamonds of Oerth), and rare beyond belief -- there are only a few hundred of each of these stones larger than one carat weight. The four more common jewels are Asylphar, Empyrium, Mahydrol, and Terriond. The fifth stone, that essence of Heka, is literally priceless, for it is an invisible crystal of pure Heka found only in the metal Hekalite.

Elf:

The Phaeree race that visits Oerth the most. Elves look like humans, although they are thinner as a race and have pointed ears. Elves, like all creatures from Phaeree, are fickle. They rarely inhabit human lands, preferring isolated locales where they can keep their privacy. Most elves on Avillonia live in the Elven Forest, although a number also can be found in the largest of cities. Caution must always be exercised when dealing with elves, for their mood can shift in a blink of an eye, and they will often act on impulses that humans would suppress.

Empyrium:

The elemental jewel of fire, formed in the bowels of great volcanoes. A properly cut empyrium is red of color, though a much richer shade than that found in the finest rubies. In low light conditions, the Empyrium will shimmer and flicker as if flame burns within.

Endless Swamp:

A vast swamp between Hellenas and (un named) on the coast of the Brythomar. The swamp extends over two hundred miles inshore. It is rumored to be home to a variety of monsters. Travel through the swamps has almost never been successful, and merchants invariably opt to travel along the coasts, far enough out that primitive lizardmen who supposedly inhabit the swamp are unable to endanger their travels.

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Five Crowns' Alliance:

The Five Crowns' Alliance marked the Golden Era of Avillonia. Uther Paendroeg, the Sun King, unified the nations of Albion, Caledonia, Cymru, Hibernia, and Eiresud. This mighty force conquered most of the continent of Avillonia, from the mighty Heaven's Comb Mountains to the Endless Swamp, from the Azirmar to the Tammar. This mighty king reigned for over fifteen years before the Dark One and his hordes of evil minions killed the Sun King and destroyed the kingdom.

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Gates of Heracles:

The rocky island chain connecting Avillonia and Tervasflam. It earned its name because most of the islands are steep mountaintops, and, from a distance, they appear to be the tops of pillars.

the Great Forest:

A vast forest covering thousands of square miles on the south western shore of the Vasmar.

Great Library:

The largest known collection of books, tomes, scrolls, and tablets in the world. The Caliph of al-Rhayidh "owns" the library, but scholars the world over are invited to visit this impressive collection to research a wide range of topics. The Great Library is in the coastal capitol city of al-Qayir.

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the Heaven's Comb Mountains:

The tallest mountain range on Oerth. Some of the tallest of these mountains peak over 40,000 feet above sea level. The mountains are distinguishable not only by their height, but by their almost unreal steepness. Sharply increasing slopes give these mountains an odd appearance. From a distance, the range does appear to be a gigantic comb. The dwarven kingdom of Clemendeev claims this range as their own.

Hegenilb:

A man-like being of giant proportions (18' tall) that is found in the Vulcan's Furnace mountain range. These hostile beings appear to be resistant to heat and fire.

Heka:

The name natural philosophers gave to the quintessence, the source of power that enables magick. A user of Heka draws the power through their body in one of two common ways and one less common way. Those trained in the use of Magick and Dweomercraeft can tap the quintessence directly. Persons of Faith use their knowledge of Religion and Priestcraeft to draw Heka granted by their respective deities. Some rare individuals who have training in neither but still are able to use Castings can tap power from the natural reserves of Heka found throughout nature. The natural philosophers of magick call this latter source Baraka. Some believe that certain animals make use of Baraka for their own purposes.

Heka can be stored in various objects properly prepared to accept the power. For instance, the four Great Pyramids of Duzai, in al-Rhayidh, are the largest Heka reservoirs in the world.

People who can channel Heka fall into two categories: Partial Practitioners and Full Practitioners. A Partial Practitioner is anyone who can channel Heka, although it is more appropriate to use the name for those who practice dweomercraeft or priestcraeft. A Full Practitioner is an extremely rare individual who is capable of channeling Heka in volumes that dwarf the Partial Practitioner. These powerful individuals can handle as much Heka as any ten Partial Practitioners. Such individuals are very rare. There are no Full Practitioner dweomercraefters in Avillonia, and few in al-Rhayidh (the Caliph refuses to disclose exact numbers, but it is believed to be under one hundred). There are perhaps three dozen Full Practitioner priests in Avillonia (one third of whom are in the Eiresud city of Kells). There are a number of them believed to support the Caliph in al-Rhayidh, but, again, the exact number is unknown.

Hekalite:

An elemental metal infused with natural Heka (Baraka) that makes some of the best pentacles. Some rare samples of hekalite have been found with pure elemental Heka crystals. These very rare examples of elemental jewels are priceless.

Hellenas:

One of the oldest nations on Avillonia. Refer to the Atlas of Oerth for more information.

Hibernia:

The region east of Caledonia that was the eastern extreme of the Five Crowns' Alliance. In the time before the Golden Era, this was a Kelltic nation. It is now unoccupied, save ruins and wildlife.

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Iberia:

A nation on the western extremes of Avillonia. Refer to the Atlas of Oerth for more information.

Inquisitor:

The name taken by a faction of Sun Knights who have made it their personal mission to rid Avillonia of all dweomercraefters in order to avoid the risk of the Dark One's taint on magick. They use the premise that the Order's mission grants them authority to pursue dweomercraefters at any cost.

Itala:

A nation on the Brythomar. Refer to the Atlas of Oerth for more information.

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Jarldom of Javik:

A northern kingdom of warlike peoples. Refer to the Atlas of Oerth for more information.

Javik Range:

The range of mountains forming the north-central end of Avillonia. The Jarldom of Javik claims this mountain range as their own, although numerous humanoid beasts live in this range also.

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Karasimi:

A nation of the Orient, on the western end of the Azirmar. For more infomation, refer to the Atlas of Oerth.

Kellt:

A person of the Kelltic regions of Avillonia. The Kelltic regions encompass the modern nations of the Kingdom of the Five Crowns, Eiresud, the Dales, and Caledonia. The name derives itself from the Church of Kells, founded in the City of Kells, over two thousand years ago. It is a testament to the influence of the Church over the millenia.

Kelpie:

A breed of sea-dwelling creatures once found in great numbers along the Caledonian shores of the Vasmar. These creatures appear to all accounts to be large, fine horses, the type ideal for draft horse or heavy warhorse duty. They inhabited coastal regions, hunting fish. On occasion, a kelpie would go to shore and stand alone in a field grazing on grass. Humans would come along and try to ride the "horse". The kelpie would allow the foolish human onto its back, then fix the human there through some form of magickal effect. The human could not get off of the horse no matter what. The kelpie would then race back into the sea, below the waves, to drown the human.

On occasion, kelpies would mate with ordinary horses. These kelpie-equine offspring invariably were powerful horses with their kelpie kin's penchant for meat and fine swimming ability. The carnivorous nature of these crossbreeds made them a natural choice for warhorses.

King Uther Paendroeg ordered kelpies hunted to extinction during his reign, but some are rumored to exist still.

Kingdom of the Five Crowns:

The kingdom that arose in the middle region of what was once the Five Crowns' Alliance. Refer to the Atlas of Oerth for more information.

Knight:

A member of a Military Order of Knights. There are two major Orders in the Kelltic lands: the Knights of Kells (Church Knights) and the Knights of the Sun (Sun Knights). An Order is a warrior society organized around a specific goal or mission. Unlike some cultures in which a Knight is a minor noble, in the Kelltic lands one does not need to be a member of nobility to be a member of an Order, and members of an Order are not automatically nobility. All members of an Order are addressed with the honorific "Sir" or "Sir Knight" (women use the honorific "Dame"). An Order is not an awarded rank -- kings may not make someone a Knight of Kells, for instance. Instead, the king may recommend someone to the Order. Similarly, any person may approach an Order to join.

Those low-order nobles who would be considered "knights" in other cultures are instead referred to as "lords" and "ladies" in Kelltic lands.

The proper formal address for a noble who is also a member of an Order is by his noble honorific first, followed by "Sir" and his name, such as "Lord Sir Kasey Bittrand of Sulster" or "Lady Dame Meridaun Byddir".

Knights of Kells:

The Order of church knights in Avillonia. They are occasionally called "The Shield of the Church". This order was organized centuries ago to defend the Church of Kells and Her lands from enemies. Since there have been few threats to the church for several generations, the Order tends to be reclusive. The Knights are most visible at major church functions, where they line the corridors in their distinctive dwarven-smithed plate armor. In spite of their primary use, the Knights of Kells are not just for show. The commanders of the Order maintain a strong military regimen, with only the noble-born members chosen to serve in dress positions at the major Church functions. These knights normally carry an ornate dagger identifying themselves as members of the Order at all times. This dagger can be recognized by the ornate six-pointed star knotwork engraved on its pommel.

Knights of the Sun:

A secular Order of knights, the Knights of the Sun maintain an ever-present vigil against the remnants of the Dark One's armies. These knights patrol uninhabited and sparsely inhabited lands, hunting down orcs and other descendants of the Dark One's armies that still live on Avillonia. Their motto is "Keep the edge sharp, the armor ready, the eyes alert".

Kolrie:

Another of the non-human minions of the Dark One. The kolrie is a short bipedal creature, usually slightly under one and a half paces tall. It has somewhat large, pointed ears that project outwards from a round, gray-skinned head. The kolrie usually has black, greasy hair on the top of its head. The kolrie was often used to harrass underdefended regions, or to help operate the large supply caravans that kept the Dark One's armies fighting.

As a rule, the kolrie uses shorter spears in combat, but a few have wielded short swords and daggers, as well. The kolrie is rarely encountered, since they were unable to fare well against the much larger humans once the Dark One's armies collapsed into anarchy.

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Magick:

In common use, "magick" refers to the art of channeling supernatural powers to affect the world. All magicks use Heka to power Castings.

In a more precise sense, "magick" refers to the study and understanding of Heka drawn directly by the user. Dweomercraefters study magick to enable them to channel Heka directly to enable their Castings. Due to the taint of the Dark One on the True Source of Heka in Ans 0 ACF, many people in the Kelltic lands are strongly biased against individuals who channel Heka directly. On the other hand, those individuals who are granted their Heka ability by a deity or deities were not affected by the taint, for the deity filters the Heka. There are two major metaschools of magick, Dweomercraeft and Priestcraeft. The former channels Heka directly; their studies of the sources of Heka are called "Magick". The latter channels Heka passed from a deity; their studies of the sources of Heka are called "Religion". A third metaschool of magick encompasses those numerous minor disciplines, such as Fortune Telling, Astrology, Herbalism, et al.

Mahydrol:

The elemental jewel of water. This crystal forms in the same environs as the Empyrium, but it is the rarer of the two, for it is the infusion of water in the elemental heat of the bowels of undersea volcanoes. A good Mahydrol, cut and polished for jewelry, will have the rich azure of tropical coastal waters; the center of such stones will glow slightly, shifting from oceanic blues to greens.

Mythus:

An advanced fantasy role-playing game. It was the first installment of the Dangerous Journeys Multigenre Role-Playing Game, released by Game Designers' Workshop ca. 1992. Gary Gygax, the creator of TSR's Dungeons & Dragons FRPG, created Mythus. In my opinion, it is a far superior game for experienced gamers. It is not a good choice for beginners, due to the somewhat daunting task of building a Heroic Persona. Unfortunately, TSR found the game threatening to its own FRPG line and sued GDW, claiming copyright infringements (because, for instance, both games had "elves" and had attributes like "strength", although using different names in the latter case, for which one had to roll dice). Incredibly, the judge sided with TSR, and forced GDW to cease publication and give TSR ownership of the Dangerous Journeys line. The cost of the lawsuit and the weakness of the RPG market (thanks, in good part, to the collectable card game fad) caused GDW to close.

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Old Tongue:

An ancient language that predates High Avillonian by (some believe) centuries. The language appears to be the predecessor of most of the tongues spoken in modern Avillonia. Attempts to translate the language magickally have been of limited success, but crypto-linguists have been able to translate some of the fragments found. There are fewer than a half dozen modern scholars able to read the language. All of them are located at either the Great Library or the Academy.

Orc:

Orcs were the foot troops of the Dark One's armies. Tens or hundreds of thousands of these humanoid beasts invaded Avillonia during the final months of the Five Crowns' Alliance. These minions were abandoned in Avillonia when the Dark One left. They continued to wreak havoc in the human lands for centuries before finally being driven further from civilization by the Knights of the Sun.

Orcs are six to eight feet tall, with gray to dark brown skin and mottled patches of fur or hair. Their faces are almost human in shape, were it not for the tusked porcine snout. Orc warriors wear plate armor and usually wield bastard swords in combat. It used to be believed that orcs rarely used any sort of ranged weapon, but more recent reports show that they wield a long bow similar to the feared Dalesian longbow. Other reports describe a thrown weapon similar to a long, bent knife used as the orcs closed for melee battle.

Orcs are still occasionally encountered in the Kelltic lands, especially near the Middle Range and some isolated areas in the Dales.

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Pentacles:

A receptacle for storing Heka. Many materials may be used for creating a pentacle, but adamatine and hekalite are the best metals.

Phaeree:

A world in a universe parallel to Oerth's. This universe seems to be much more strongly infused with Heka, for the world of Phaeree is much more chaotic than Oerth. This world touches Oerth in a way not well understood, and some of the races of Phaeree have visited Oerth. Most visitors stay for a brief while at best, but some visitors have settled -- notably the large colony of elves in the Elven Court and the even larger nation of dwarves in the northern kingdom of Clemendeev. Visitors from Phaeree have occasionally found natural "gates" from their world to ours, but others have used Castings of a type unknown to Oerth's dweomercraefters to create a temporary gate. There are rumors of additional means of crossing between the worlds, but none have been identified.

Phaeree Gems:

Four gems are found only on Phaeree. They have no equivalent on Oerth, and are highly prized on both worlds. The four gems are Astarlite (a clear crystal of at least three carat weight that twinkles like distant stars at night), Gagates (a russet-to-black translucent stone that glows in soft radiance, such as candle light), Lucidia (a tiny gem formed by dewdrops exposed to natural Heka; it is silver in color by day, translucent and glowing by night), and Sunorb (also formed from dewdrops; dazzling amber-gold by day, as liquid fire by night).

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Shadow Kindred:

Shadow Kindred are foul beasts that fight for the Dark One. They are roughly man-sized and man-shaped, with oversized hairless heads and large, black eyes. Shadow Kindred wear hooded black robes and black scale armor that conceals their pale grayish skin.

Three aspects of the Shadow Kindred make them particularly dangerous opponents. First, the Shadow Kindred is supernaturally fast. It is quicker than all but the fastest men or women in combat. Second, the Shadow Kindred does not seem to exist in a normal sense. These things always appear to be many, perhaps dozens, of creatures co-existing in the same place, but positioned slightly offset from one another (hence the reason even one of these beasts is called a "Shadow Kindred"). The few people who have heard a Shadow Kindred speak say that its voice is a maddening, hissed whisper that likewise sounds like it comes from many mouths at once. The third reason a Shadow Kindred is so deadly is its accursed darkblade. This curved, single-edged sword is similar in size to an al-Rhayidhian scimitar, but it possesses a deadly magick that causes any wound it makes to fester, never healing, until it destroys its victim. There is no known cure for this type of wound.

Shroeganus Balsil:

The Shroeganus Balsil is a collection of (presumably) related passages in the Old Tongue. The collection was named after the Sage Shroeganus in Ans 988 ACF. Sage Shroeganus found some ancient text fragments in the Great Library that were similar to some found in the Academy. They appear to be parts of a prophecy, but too much is missing to form a meaningful translation.

A partial collection of recovered fragments is available for perusal

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the Tammar:

The ocean east of Avillonia.

Terriond:

Like the Asylphar, the Terriond is formed on the highest mountains. This crystal of elemental earth is formed when lightning strikes upon the peaks of great mountains on nights when the aurora shines brightly. A Terriond appears to be a fine, scintillating diamond during the day, but it cannot be mistaken for a diamond at night, when it appears as a black star sapphire with flashes of light from the central star.

Tervasflam:

The continent south of the Brythomar. Al-Rhayidh and the Wasted Lands occupy this continent.

Tonkari:

A near-legendary beast inhabiting the Nomad Steppes. People who have claimed to see this creature describe it as a tall quadruped with a long snout and great ears, all covered in a thick pelt of dark brown to black fur. Some nomad tribes hunt the tonkari, bringing pelts and salted meats to the coastal trading towns of the Steppes.

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Valles Marineris:

The lengthy, wide valley-river winding through the (mountain) range from the Vasmar to the Tammar. The so-called Valley of the Mariner earned its name because sea-going vessels are able to sail from the Tammar to the Vasmar almost year-round.

the Vasmar:

A vast fresh-water sea filling the northern extent of the Avillonian Continent. Most of the water comes from the northern polar ice cap, through the Heaven's Comb and Javik Range. The Vasmar empties through the deep, winding Valles Marineris.

Via Avillonia:

The name given to the large stone roadways built during the Golden Era of the Five Crowns' Alliance. Some of these roadways are carefully maintained and still in use, such as the Llwelyn Highway that follows the river whose name it shares. Others have fallen into disuse and disrepair.

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Wasted Lands:

The location of the Dark One's prison. See the Atlas of Oerth for more information.

Witch:

The common name given to those people who have given their souls to the Dark One. Women are sometimes more poetically called "the Dark One's Concubines" in reference to certain rites conducted to show their subservience to the Dark One. Men are occasionally called "warlocks", although "witch" is just as correct to use for these foul sources of evil. Little is known about how these people gain their powers from the Dark One, who has been imprisoned for over two thousand years. What is known is that there is a Pact between the witch and the Dark One that gives the witch certain powers and Heka channelling ability in exchange for witch's soul.

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This page was last updated 18 July 2002

Contact for this page: JourneyMaster@BabylonByCandlelight.com

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