by Robert Ryan
Harakgar: Leth. “The three sisters.” Creatures of magic brought into being by the Letharn. Their purpose is to protect the tombs of their creators from robbery.
Hrokhar: A word of power. It signifies warmth.
Immortals: See Halathrin.
Jareck: Etymology obscure. A trader, storyteller and tinker. Was once a lòhren, but is so no more. Yet he remains a trusted friend of Aranloth.
Kareste: Hal. “Ice unlocking – the spring thaw.” A lòhren of mysterious origin. Friend to Aranloth, but usually more active farther north in Alithoras than Faladir.
Kasellah: Leth. “The follower who learns – a disciple.” A student of an Osahka.
Kingshield Knights: An order of knights founded by King Conduil. Their sacred task is to guard the indestructible Morleth Stone from theft and use by the evil forces of the world. They are more than great warriors, being trained in philosophy and the arts also. In addition to their prime function as guards, they travel the land at whiles dispensing justice and offering of their wisdom and council.
Lady of the Land: The spirit of the land. It is she whom lòhrens serve, though her existence is seldom discussed.
Lanrik: Leader of the Raithlin organization of scouts. A hero of great renown in Alithoras.
Lembath: Hal. “Flight of a dove.” A member of Faladir royalty and a Kingshield Knight of several hundred years ago. Famed also as a poet, and his ballads in honor of his friend Aranloth are still recited throughout the kingdom, and beyond.
Letharn: Hal. “Stone raisers. Builders.” A race of people that in antiquity conquered most of Alithoras. Now, only faint traces of their civilization endure.
Lindercroft: Cam. “Rising mountain crashes – a wave rolling into the seashore.” A Kingshield Knight. Youngest of the order.
Lòhren: Hal. Prn. Ler-ren. “Knowledge giver – a counselor.” Other terms used by various nations include wizard, druid and sage.
Lòhren-fire: A defensive manifestation of lòhrengai. The color of the flame varies according to the skill and temperament of the lòhren.
Lòhrengai: Hal. Prn. Ler-ren-guy. “Lòhren force.” Enchantment, spell or use of mystic power. A manipulation and transformation of the natural energy inherent in all things. Each use takes something from the user. Likewise, some part of the transformed energy infuses them. Lòhrens use it sparingly, elùgroths indiscriminately.
Magic: Mystic power. See lòhrengai and elùgai.
Morleth Stone: Hal. “Round stone.” The name signifies that such a stone is not natural. It is formed by elùgai for sorcerous purposes. The stone is strengthened by arcane power to act as a receptacle of enormous force. Little is known of their making and uses except that they are rare and that elùgroths perish during their construction. The stone guarded by the Kingshield Knights in Faladir is said to be the most powerful of all that were created. And to be sentient.
Nuatha: Cam. “Silver wanderer – a stream.” A vagabond healer who travels widely throughout Faladir.
Nurthil Wood: Cam. “Dark secrets.” A great forest north of Faladir. Home to outlaws and disaffected from the wide lands all around. Once a stronghold of the forces of darkness, but cleansed by succeeding kings of Faladir.
Olek-nas: Leth. “The third eye.” An energy point on the body between the eyebrows. Maintained to be a center of rationality and calm. Once a practitioner of the meditative arts “opens” this energy center, they are said to be able to look upon the world and see it for what it is with emotional detachment. Used in both the mystic and the warrior arts.
Osahka: Leth. “The guide – specifically a spiritual or moral guide.” A title of enormous reverence and respect. Applied to Aranloth for his role as spiritual leader of the Kingshield Knights.
Raithlin: Hal. “Range and report people.” A scouting and saboteur organization. Famed for their skills.
Savanest: Cam. “Subtle skill.” A Kingshield Knight.
Shadowed Wars: See Elù-haraken.
Sorcerer: See Elùgroth.
Sorcery: See elùgai.
Tallach-far: The ancient city at the heart of the Letharn empire.
Three sisters, the: See harakgar.
Tower of the Stone: The tower King Conduil caused to be built to serve as the guarding structure of the Morleth Stone. Some claim his sarcophagus rests upon its pinnacle, as it was the custom of some ancient Camar royalty to be interred on a high place where the lights of the sun, moon and stars still lit their long sleep.
Traveling: A feat of lòhrengai of the highest order. It enables movement of the physical body from one location to another via entry to the void in one place and exit in a different. Only the greatest wizards are capable of it, but it is never used. The risk of death is too high. But use of specially constructed rings of standing stones makes it safer.
Ùhrengai: Hal. “Original force.” The primordial force that existed before substance or time.
Way of the Sword: The martial aspect of the training of a Kingshield Knight.
Wizard: See lòhren.
About the author
I’m a man born in the wrong era. My heart yearns for faraway places and even further afield times. Tolkien had me at the beginning of The Hobbit when he said, “. . . one morning long ago in the quiet of the world . . .”
Sometimes I imagine myself in a Viking mead-hall. The long winter night presses in, but the shimmering embers of a log in the hearth hold back both cold and dark. The chieftain calls for a story, and I take a sip from my drinking horn and stand up . . .
Or maybe the desert stars shine bright and clear, obscured occasionally by wisps of smoke from burning camel dung. A dry gust of wind marches sand grains across our lonely campsite, and the wayfarers about me stir restlessly. I sip cool water and begin to speak.
I’m a storyteller. A man to paint a picture by the slow music of words. I like to bring faraway places and times to life, to make hearts yearn for something they can never have, unless for a passing moment.