The Shattered Land: The Dreaming Dark - Book 2 (54 page)

BOOK: The Shattered Land: The Dreaming Dark - Book 2
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d’Cannith, Dasei:
A dragonmarked heir residing in Sharn. Dasei studied the mystical arts with her cousin
Lei d’Cannith
, but she has accomplished far more as a socialite than as an artificer.

d’Cannith, Hadran:
A dragonmarked heir. Hadran’s ancestors were one of the first branches of House Cannith to set roots in Sharn, and he possesses considerable wealth and influence. A widower with no children, Hadran arranged a betrothal with
Lei d’Cannith
, but was killed before the wedding.

d’Cannith, Halea:
The administrator of House Cannith’s Whitehearth forgehold, where she crossed paths with Daine and his companions.

d’Cannith, Kharizal:
A one-armed researcher at the Whitehearth forgehold. Kharizal was involved in forbidden experiments involving mind control and the merging of flesh and metal.

d’Cannith, Lei:
A dragonmarked heir, daughter of
Aleisa
and
Talin d’Cannith
. Lei studied the mystical arts in Sharn and Metrol. Like many young artificers, she chose to serve in the Cannith support corps during the war. She served with the military forces of the Five Nations to maintain the warforged soldiers and other weapons each nation had purchased from Cannith. In 993 YK, her parents arranged for her betrothal to Hadran d’Cannith, but Lei’s father insisted that she serve a term in the military before her marriage. Lei was assigned to the Southern Command of Cyre, where she served with
Daine, Pierce
, and
Jode
. In 996 YK, she was excoriated from House Cannith; the reasons for this remain a mystery.

d’Cannith, Merrix:
As a baron of House Cannith, Merrix oversees house activities in the vicinity of Sharn. Son of
Aaren d’Cannith
, Merrix is a skilled artificer who has spent a decade working on new warforged designs. In the wake of the Last War he has shown shrewd political instincts and has moved to take advantage of the chaos created by the destruction of the House Council. He is the most influential Cannith baron in Breland, and many believe that he hopes to seize control of the house itself.

d’Cannith, Tannic:
An artificer involved in the development of the warforged. Tannic worked with the assassin Indigo, and was eventually killed by her.

d’Cannith, Talin:
A dragonmarked artificer of House Cannith and father of
Lei d’Cannith
. He is believed to have died in Cyre on the Day of Mourning.

Dagger River:
One of the largest rivers in Khorvaire, the Dagger runs south through Breland into the Thunder Sea.

Dailan:
The grandfather of Daine. Dailan was a master swordsman and taught Daine to wield a blade. He passed away in 984 YK, passing his heirloom sword to his grandson.

Daine:
A soldier and one-time mercenary, Daine was once an heir of House Deneith. Born in Cyre, he is known to have worked for
Alina Lorridan Lyrris
for an extended period of time. In 988 YK he left House Deneith, forsaking his birthright in order to serve with the Queen’s Guard of Cyre, ultimately rising to the rank of captain in the Southern Command. Following the Mourning and the destruction of Cyre, he has led the survivors of his troop to Sharn.

“Dak ru’sen Karul’tash. Hasken ul tul’kas.”:
In the language of the giants, “You have come to Karul’tash. Provide words of passage.”

Dal Quor:
Another plane of existence. Mortal spirits are said to travel to Dal Quor when they dream.

Darguul:
Common name for someone or something from Darguun.

Darguun:
A nation of goblinoids, founded in 969 YK when a hobgoblin leader named Haruuc formed an alliance among the goblinoid mercenaries and annexed a section of southern Cyre. Breland recognized this new nation in exchange for a peaceful border and an ally against Cyre. Few people trust the people of Darguun, but their soldiers remain a force to be reckoned with.

Darkhart, Jura:
Born Jura d’Cannith, this dragonmarked aristocrat was expelled from House Cannith after marrying a dryad. He remained in Sharn even after being condemned as an excoriate. His wife died in 995 YK.

Dark Six:
The six malevolent deities of the Sovereign Host, whose true names are not known.

Darkwood:
This rare lumber is named for its pitch-black coloration. It is as hard as oak, but it is remarkably light—almost half the weight of most types of lumber. It is often used in the creation of magical wands and staves.

Dasei:
A homunculus created by Lei d’Cannith. Named after Dasei d’Cannith.

Dek:
A changeling sailor on the Kraken’s Wake.

Demon Wastes:
A barren land in the northwest of Khorvaire. The Demon Wastes are said to be filled with savage barbarians, deadly spirits, and ruins that predate human civilization by hundreds of thousands of years.

Deneith, House:
A dragonmark house bearing the Mark of Sentinel.

Densewood:
A form of lumber that has the durability of stone. Densewood comes from the elven nation of Aerenal, and is typically used by elf architects.

Devourer:
One of the deities of the Dark Six, the Devourer represents the destructive power of nature. He is strongly tied to the sea and the mystery of the deep waters, but earthquakes, avalanches, and tornadoes are all his children.

Displacer beast:
A magical predator found in Xen’drik and western Khorvaire. The displacer beast appears to be a few feet away from its true position, making it difficult to fight.

Dolurrh:
The plane of the dead. When mortals die, their spirits are said to travel to Dolurrh and then slowly fade away, passing to whatever final fate awaits the dead.

Donal:
A soldier in the Cyran army. Donal served under Daine at the battle in Keldan Ridge. He has not been seen since the Mourning.

Dorn Peak:
A mountain on the border between Breland and Cyre.

Dorn plateau:
A large plateau on Dorn Peak.

“Dorn’s Teeth!”:
A mild oath invoking Dol Dorn, the Sovereign Lord of war.

Draconists:
A variant sect of the religion of the Sovereign Host. The faithful claim that the Sovereigns are ancient ascended dragons.

Dragon:
1) A reptilian creature possessing great physical and mystical power. 2) A platinum coin bearing an image of a
dragon on one face. The platinum dragon is the highest denomination of coin minted under the rule of Galifar.

Dragonmark:
1) A mystical mark that appears on the surface of the skin and grants mystical powers to its bearer. 2) A slang term for the bearer of a dragonmark.

Dragonmarked Houses:
One of the thirteen families whose bloodlines carry the potential to manifest a dragonmark. Many of the dragonmarked houses existed before the kingdom of Galifar, and they have used their mystical powers to gain considerable political and economic influence. See
dragonmark, War of the Mark
.

Dragonshard:
A form of mineral with mystical properties, said to be a shard of one of the great progenitor dragons. There are three different types of shard, each with different properties. A shard has no abilities in and of itself, but an artificer or wizard can use a shard to create an object with useful effects.
Siberys shards
fall from the sky and have the potential to enhance the power of dragonmarks.
Eberron shards
are found in the soil and enhance traditional magic.
Khyber shards
are found deep below the surface of the world and are used as a focus binding mystical energy.

Dreaming Dark:
1) A secret order of psionic spies and assassins that serves as the eyes and hands of the quori in Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams. 2) The spiritual force that guides all of the quori; also known as il-Lashtavar, “the Darkness that Dreams.”

Drow:
A humanoid race found on the continent of Xen’drik. There are many similarities between drow and elves, and the drow are often called “dark elves”—a reference to their pitch-black skin and their nocturnal tendencies.

“Drukil esul ul siltash”:
In the language of the giants, “Open the gate and let fall the wards.”
Siltash’un
is a stronger form: “Open now!”

Eberron:
1) The world. 2) A mythical dragon said to have formed the world from her body in primordial times and to
have given birth to natural life. Also known as “The Dragon Between.” See
Khyber, Siberys
.

Eldeen Reaches:
Once this term was used to describe the vast stretches of woodland found on the west coast of Khorvaire, inhabited mostly by nomadic shifter tribes and druidic sects. In 958 YK the people of western Aundair broke ties with the Aundairian crown and joined their lands to the Eldeen Reaches, vastly increasing the population of the nation and bringing it into the public eye.

Eternal Fire:
See cold fire.

Everbright Lantern:
A lantern infused with cold fire, creating a permanent light source. These items are used to provide illumination in most of the cities and larger communities of Khorvaire. An everbright lantern usually has a shutter allowing the light to be sealed off when darkness is desirable.

Excoriate:
1) A person who has been expelled from a dragonmarked house. An excoriate is stripped of the family name and any property held by the house and is not welcome at house enclaves. Members and allies of the house are urged to shun excoriates. Prior to the foundation of Galifar, houses often flayed the victim’s dragonmark off of his body. While only temporary, this was a brutal and visible way of displaying the anger of the house. See
dragonmarked houses
.

Eye of Deneith:
Most of the dragonmarked houses have two heraldic emblems—a magical beast associated with the history of the house and a simpler, iconic symbol. The three-headed chimera is the beast of Deneith, while its icon is a silver eye surrounded by the golden rays of the sun. This symbol is known as the Watchful Eye or the Eye of Deneith.

Fairhaven:
The capital city of the nation of Aundair.

Felmar Valley:
A stretch of land on the border between Breland and Cyre. Toward the end of the Last War, Daine and his fellow soldiers were assigned to hold the Felmar fort against the Brelish.

Fernia:
A plane of existence known as the Sea of Fire.

Fin:
A sailor on the Kraken’s Wake.

Firebinding:
A technique taught to artificers. This art includes the creation of cold fire and true flame, allowing an artificer to produce a flaming sword or to slay an armored knight by boiling him in his armor.

Five Nations:
The five provinces of the Kingdom of Galifar—Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane.

“Flame!”:
A common oath derived from the divine force known as the Silver Flame.

‘Forged:
A slang term for the warforged.

Forgehold:
A large facility designed to research and produce magical goods or techniques. Most of the forgeholds in Khorvaire belong to House Cannith.

Foundling:
Dragonmarks are bound to the blood of a single family. Anyone who possesses the Mark of Making has some tie to House Cannith. However, the marks have existed for thousands of years, and those families have grown and spread over that time. When someone develops a dragonmark but has no known link to the house that bears that mark, he is known as a foundling. The dragonmarked houses traditionally embrace foundlings in order to maintain control of the mark, but foundlings rarely rise far in the ranks of the house and cannot use the full house name. The child of a foundling and a full heir of the house can take the name of the house. See
dragonmark, dragonmarked houses
.

Frigid Shore:
A region on the Xen’drik coast south of Stormreach. The temperature in this region fluctuates dramatically; sometimes the water is frozen, sometimes it is tropical and warm.

Galifar:
1) A cunning warrior and skilled diplomat who forged five nations into a single kingdom that came to dominate the continent of Khorvaire. 2) The kingdom of Galifar I, which came to an end in 894 YK with the start of the Last War. 3) A golden coin minted by the kingdom, bearing the image of the
first king. The golden galifar is still in use today and is worth ten sovereigns.

Gerrion:
A gambler and guide who makes his home in Stormreach. His gray skin and elven features suggest that he is the offspring of human and drow parents.

Ghallanda, House:
A dragonmarked house bearing the Mark of Hospitality.

Ghulra:
The mark on the forehead of a warforged. Every warforged has a unique ghulra, much as humans have unique fingerprints.

Glamerweave:
A general term used to describe clothing that has been magically altered for cosmetic purposes. A glamerweave outfit may enhance the appearance of the wearer—concealing blemishes, adding color to hair or eyes—or it may simply possess colors or patterns than could never be replicated with mundane fabrics. Glimmersilk is one form of glamerweave.

Glimmersilk:
A form of glamerweave, glimmersilk holds colors that are far more vivid than would be possible with normal cloth. A pattern of flames painted on glimmersilk actually seems to burn.

Glyph:
A mystical symbol. Often used to refer to a glyph of warding, a magical security system that will unleash a spell on anyone who crosses the glyph without speaking the proper phrase.

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