Questers for Kuranes: Two Tales of Hero and Eldin

by Brian Lumley

  Temple of the Elder Ones. Located in Ulthar. Site of the one known complete surviving copy of the Pnakotic Manuscripts.

  Theem’hdra. The primal continent of earth which existed at the dawn of time, when all the land masses were connected together. Theem’hdra is the locale of its own story cycle: House of Cthulhu and Other Tales of the Primal Land, The Compleat Khash I: Never a Backward Glance, and The Compleat Khash II: Sorcery in Shad.

  time-clock. Crow’s term for an odd-looking device, something like a weird “grandfather’s clock,” which is actually an instrument of the Elder Gods. It can carry one through time, space, and even into realms beyond ordinary time and space, including the Drearnlands. (See Crow, Titus, and de Marigny, Henri).

  tonds. The principal coinage of southeastern Dreamland. A tond is a triangular piece of gold.

  Ulthar. A famous city in Dreamland. It lies near the banks of the river Skai. Located here is the famous (in Dreamland) Temple of the Elder Ones. In Ulthar it is unlawful for any man to kill a cat.

  Zin. The vaults of Zin are home to (ugh!) ghasts.

  zoogs. Weird-eyed brown creatures, secretive and furtive, who dwell in burrows or hollow tree trunks in the Enchanted Forest. They usually dine on mushrooms but also have a taste for other kinds of flesh.

  Terms Used Initially in Hero of Dreams

  Ariz, Aminza. Stolen from Ilek-Vad by a night-gaunt, this attractive young woman was a captive of Thinistor Udd . . . and later became Eldin’s betrothed.

  Borak, Brain’. An outcast of the Ossaran Steppes, formerly a waking-worlder, now a wealthy schemer with a proposition for Hero and Eldin.

  Cathuria. A splendid city that lies beyond the Basalt Pillars of the West.

  Ell, Ardatha. A white wizard, last of his people from primal Pu-Tha. He is a “Chosen One” of the Elder Gods. Ardatha Ell found the race of Great Trees dying as their world froze and rescued a few of their life-leaves.

  The First Ones. The original settlers of Theem’hdra. Certain of these powerful and mysterious beings are trapped in Dreamland.

  The Great Bleak Mountains, aka The Great Bleak Range. Rumor had it that these are merely the foothills of that evil plateau, Kadath in the Cold Waste; but Hero and Eldin doubt this.

  Hero of Dreams. David Hero’s name in Dreamland, earned in this volume.

  Hritta and Nythlar. Thinistor Udd’s snow leopards, used as watchdogs by the wizard. They were killed when they attacked Hero and Eldin.

  Inman, ZaZa (Miss). A somewhat mysterious young woman, thought to be a part-time worker with a visiting repertory company at the Edinburgh Festival.

  Inquanok. A cold twilight land said to be close to unpleasant Leng. Onyx mines furnish the material of which cities and streets are built, and the natives show the unmistakable features of the gods of earth. (See Mount Ngranek.)

  Klarek-Yam. A First One deranged by contact with Cthulhu; it was KlarekYam who originally stole the Wands of the First Ones.

  Keep of the First Ones. A titanic monolith, in the form of a vast stone block, set in the Great Bleak Mountains.

  The Keeper. He, or it, is left in charge of the Keep of the First Ones, while nine of the latter hibernate.

  Lathi (aka “the Eidolon Lathi”). Apparently a beauteous woman, this Queen of Thalarion is as much termite as she is human.

  life-leaf. A seedling of a Great Tree. Ardatha Ell planted a life-leaf in Earth’s Dreamland.

  Nyrass. Wizard with a walled and high-turreted castle on the outskirts of Theelys.

  The Other Gods. Also known as the Gods of Earth. Not to be confused with the powerful and evil Old Ones nor with the Elder Gods. The Other Gods are rather powerless beings who like to frolic atop mountains and sometimes come to Earth and mate with dream-humans. Do not confuse them, either, with the gods worshipped in major religions of the waking world (e.g., YWHW, Jesus, Allah, Brahma, Zeus). Perhaps they include the strange deities to be found in the books of Clark Ashton Smith and Lord Dunsany, but that is debatable.

  Schrach, Gerhard. A philosopher/dreamer who had written on the reality of dreams as quoted in House of Dreams. He was ever at a loss to know which were more real: his dreams or his waking existence.

  The Seer with Invisible Eyes. In Bahama, he predicted Eldin’s first meeting with David Hero.

  Soomus the Seventh of the Seventh. Distant ancestor of Nyrass; the greatest wizard of all the Dreamlands then and now.

  spider-hounds. Monstrous, poisonous, six-legged insect-like predators about the size of a hound. They run in packs and woe betide any lone traveler whom they attack.

  ter-men. Also written termen. These are the so-called men of Lathi’s brood, who inhabit Thalarion. As much termites as men, perhaps.

  Thalarion. In demon-cursed Thalarion, the Eidolon Lathi rules a monstrous hive of horror.

  Udd, Thinistor. Ancient wizard-priest to Yibb-Tstll, he has discovered a wand of the first ones and hopes to gain great power and youth. A cousin to Nyrass.

  Wand (of Thinistor Udd). One of the wands of the First Ones, found by Thinister Udd in the caverns of Yibb-Tstll’s temple. It possesses strange and mighty powers.

  Wands of the First Ones. The three Wands of Power are used in powering and directing the flight of the Keep of the Old Ones (which is really a kind of space-time vehicle not unlike the time-clock used by Crow and de Marigny). It was one such wand that gave Thinistor Udd much of his immense wizardly prowess.

  Yath-Lhi. A legendary evil princess. (See Iced On Aran.)

  Yibb-Tstll. (At least once written as Yib Tstll.) Yibb-Tstll is a dark god (one of the Great Old Ones), with a temple high in the Great Bleak Mountains. He is sometimes known as “Lord of Gaunts.”

  Terms Used Primarily in Ship of Dreams

  air baths. Pools of weightless, swirling vapour, in which a weightless person may experience something Eldin calls a “free-fall sauna.”

  Andahad. A small, wealthy seaport on the Isle of Oriab; hometown of Ula and Una.

  Carter, Randolph. This Dreamland King of Ilek-Vad was a great dreamer, whose exploits have been recorded by H. P. Lovecraft (see, “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.”) Some say Carter is Lovecraft.

  The Curator. Curator of the Museum on the sky-island. Made of metal, he is vaguely man-like: thin, tall, spiky, lumpy, shiny, and tough-looking, with many arms (to foil thieves, perhaps) and odd crystal eyes. He always seems to know when a theft is attempted.

  dholes. Blind and apparently deaf, these monstrous creatures hunt their prey in the darkness of Pnoth by scent alone. The flea-like pests that infest them are the size of rats.

  firestones. No, they are not rubber tires. They are similar to flints for striking sparks to ignite a fire. Think of them as primitive cigarette lighters.

  flotation compartments or chambers. These gigantic underground chambers contain the Essence which provides buoyancy for the sky-island. Much smaller flotation compartments are used in the sky-armadas.

  flotation essence. The antigravity gas which provides buoyance for the skyships and for the sky-island of Serannian. It is nullified by Zura’s green gas.

  Gidduf, Ham. Father of Ula and Una, a wealthy and influential man from Bahama. He is far from happy to learn that they have been kidnapped (or so it seemed) by Hero and Eldin.

  Gidduf, Ula. One of twin maidens, she preferred Hero to her intended spouse.

  Gidduf, Una. One of twin maidens, she preferred Eldin to her intended spouse.

  green gas. Its anti-anti-gravity effect nullifies the properties of Essence, destroying its buoyancy.

  grim. Just as we have a pod of whales, a gaggle of geese, etc., so do we have a grim of gaunts.

  Imniss, Gytherik. Nephew of that evil wizard, and priest of Yibb-Tstll: Thinistor Udd.

  Imniss, Irik. Grandfather of Gytherik, father of Mathur.

  Imniss, Mathur. Father of Gytherik and half-brother of Thinistor Udd. Not a wizard at all.

  Isharra, Dukes of. Perhaps Byharrid-Imon Isharra and Gathnod-Natz’ill Isharra are not tr
ue royalty; nevertheless, they do own a gold mine in Isharra. These twin dukes of Isharra were betrothed to Ula and Una.

  Isharra. Supposedly a backward land, inhabited by people who are reputed to be “ugly as hell,” to use Eldin’s terminology.

  Iztar-Iln. Ancient land in the Dreamworld, known primarily for its liqueurs and brandies.

  Lythta, Messid. Serannian Councillor in charge of Services and Amenities, including the city’s work force.

  Merrinay, Allain. Serannian Councillor in charge of security.

  Misha. Arkim Sallai’s daughter, who is no better than she should be, especially when Hero of Dreams appears.

  The Museum. A circular structure which perches high on a promontory at the eastern end of the sky island. There is only one means of access, which discourages thieves.

  Nard, Garess. Betrothed to Misha.

  Nith, Leewas. High Magistrate of Celephais.

  Oormell, Ulphar. Harbormaster at Serannian’s sky harbour.

  Peaks of Throk. The topmost pillars of mountains whose roots are supposed to extend to the pits at the earth’s core.

  Priests of Zura. Gray-robed, cowled, bearing a fetid odor.

  ray-projectors. Used on Kuranes’ warships, they emit brilliant beams of light that are effective against all manner of evil and nightmarish life in the Dreamlands. (Zombies, however, are not alive.)

  The Running Thing. From the depths of his waking-world memory, Eldin identifies it as oniscus porcellion, a wood louse! But this is no ordinary wood louse. It’s a gigantic version, of which even the dholes are fearful. Luckily, it is a music lover, and Hero has a good singing voice.

  Sallai, Arkim. Owner of a worm-eaten tavern in Celephais; father of Misha.

  shewstone. Also known as the “show stone.” A kind of crystal used by wizards for observing events distant in time or space.

  Smith, Chelos. Serannian Councillor and consultant on crime and crime prevention.

  The Stickistuff Sea. If you have ever dreamed you were running through molasses and monstrous things were chasing you, and you could scarcely make progress through the viscous tarry stuff, then you have already visited Dreamland’s Stickistuff Sea. If you are reading this, you must have awakened just in time.

  Sub-Serannian. A pun used by Hero to mean the subterranean engine rooms which supply the flotation chambers of the sky-island with gravity-defying essence.

  Thagweed. For those Dreamlanders who like smoking a pipe, this is what they will like smoking. A mild narcotic similar to marijuana.

  The Tilt. The sky-city, Serannian, is not perfectly horizontal. As it floats, it tilts by a small angle and gradually changes direction like a precessing top. It completes one tilt-rotation in a period of six hours. If the Tilt is aimed right, one may coast on a bicycle (without pedals) to one’s destination.

  Vale of Pnoth. Deep underground caverns littered with piles of bones licked clean by the hungry dholes.

  Zura the Land. A forbidden region of the Dreamlands that lies beyond Thalanion. References to the mysterious place include “The Charnel Gardens of Zura,” “Zura’s Dead Legions,” and “The Land of Pleasures Unattained.” All who die in horror and loathing rise from their graves eventually to end as zombies in Zura the Land.

  Zura of Zura. A living woman who (as a result of potent sorcery) rules in Zura the Land. She is variously known as “Queen of the Land of Zura,” “Mistress of Death,” “Princess of Death and Disaster,” etc.

  Terms Used Primarily in Mad Moon of Dreams

  Aarl. A moon-moth youth, life-mate of Eeth.

  Coppos, Arra. Councillor to King Carter of Ilek-Vad.

  Cumulus. A ship of Ilek-Vad, one of the sky-fleet under the command of Admiral Limnar Dass.

  de Marigny, Etienne-Laurent. Father of Henri Laurent de Marigny, a close friend of Titus Crow. De Marigny fils was one of the greatest Dreamers, and he has gone dreaming far beyond Earth’s own Dreamland into hitherto unknown realms.

  dome. Often used to refer to a dome of force surrounding Ilek-Vad, general protection against most marauding evildoers. But it is permeable to light, even the light of the Mad Moon.

  Dymnai. Governor of the city of Dylath-Leen.

  Eeth. A moon-maid. She is a moon-moth, a species indigenous to the moon of Dreamland. Moon-moths are natural prey to the moonbeasts, who find them very tasty. Even in her chrysalis, Eeth possesses telepathic abilities and can converse with humans and even with a Great Tree.

  E’tan. Captain of King Carter’s “Royal Yacht” of Ilek-Vad.

  gaunt-master. Master of a grim of gaunts; Yibb-Tstll might be so designated, but the term is more often used in reference to Gytherik.

  Gleeth. The smiling serene god of the full moon, often worshipped in Theem’hdra. Blind and deaf, he is an elemental god of that primitive land, but he is not evil.

  Gnorri II. Successor to Captain Limnar Dass’s man-o-war, Gnorri, lost in the battle at Serannian against the black ships from Zura.

  The Great Sleep. Also known as Dreams in Dreams. While asleep in Dreamland anyone can, of course, dream. But accomplished waking-world dreamers like Randolph Carter and Etienne-Laurent de Marigny can go further than this: They can enter the “Great Sleep,” while in Earth’s Dreamland, to pass beyond to other realms . . . perhaps never to return.

  Gulfstream of Air. So termed by Eldin, this is a vast region of warmish winds flowing from Earth to Moon (in the Dreamlands, of course). Thus the skyflotillas of earth can sail to the moon and back.

  High Priest of Oorn. A lumpish, cloaked figure, he communicates with his acolyte by blowing weird pipings on a black flute-like instrument. Almost certainly he is a moonbeast.

  homo ephemerans. Eldin’s term for the native-born people of Dreamland who are generally smaller and less forceful in personality than the waking-worlders adventuring in Dream. Or so it is said.

  horned ones. Man-like beings from Leng. These “almost-humans” often pose as traders, with their heads wrapped in oddly-shaped turbans, and indeed they oft times have sailed to Dylath-Leen to trade giant rubies for gold and Pargan slaves.

  Hrill. Captain of a black galley from Leng. One of the horned-ones, he is unfortunate enough to encounter Hero and Eldin.

  Killik, Jahn. A friend of Arra Coppos of Ilek-Vad. A metallurgist.

  Mnomquah. Not to be confused with Gleeth, he is also worshipped as a god of the moon. Actually he is a lizard-like entity, one of the Great Old Ones imprisoned by the Elder Gods within the moon of Earth’s Dreamland.

  Moon. A much different orb than the moon of the waking world. Its inhabitants are definitely unsavory, as Randolph Carter once found. (See “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.”) Suddenly, in the third Dreamlands book, it becomes even worse: a “mad” moon . . . or a moon of madness.

  Moontree. A Great Tree, rooted on the moon of Earth’s Dreamland. One of the few survivors of the original home world of the Great Trees.

  moonbeasts. The toad-like, tentacled moonbeasts are inhabitants of the moon of Earth’s Dreamland, as their very name suggests. They are the true masters of the horned-ones. They themselves worship Mnomquah and serve as his wizard-priests.

  Oorn. One of the Great Old Ones, imprisoned in a deep pit in the primal city of Sarkomand, located in Earth’s Dreamland. She awaits rescue by her mate, Mnomquah.

  Place of the Pit. Also known as Place of the Priest or Place of Propitiation. These terms refer to primal Sarkomand. Here is the ancient temple of Oorn. Here, in a deep shaft or pit, languishes Oorn herself, who was imprisoned there by the Elder Gods.

  Shantak birds. Enormously huge fliers indigenous to such places as Leng and the moon; often ridden and controlled by beings of ill omen such as moonbeasts.

  Sniffer. A night-gaunt. Gytherik named two of his gaunts Sniffer and Biffer. The former can follow trails and scents like an airborne bloodhound (though gaunts do not have faces, let alone noses). The latter possesses an un-gaunt-like aggressiveness (that is, he is a fighter).

  Tu, Eeril. Master of t
he Dome surrounding Ilek-Vad, he became a hero in his own right when the Moonbeam struck.

  Ubboth, Black Lake of. Mnomquah’s sanctuary (and former prison) at the heart of the Mad Moon.

  wand-snakes. Twisting tendrils of magic which search the moon-caves for Hero and Eldin. They are formed using the magic wands of Mnomquah’s moonbeast-wizards. In Hero of Dreams, Thinistor Udd used a similar kind of wand for a similar purpose. The wand-snakes of the moonbeasts can turn whole skyships into stone, and they can have a similar effect on living beings.

  Terms Used Primarily In Iced On Aran

  Note that the book Iced On Aran is not a novel but a collection of five stories. Three are relatively short; the other two are quite long. The stories are: “Iced On Aran,” “Augeren,” “A Day In the Life . . .,” “A-Mazed in Oriab,” and “Tale’s Tail,” in that order. Items listed below are not identified by individual story.

  “Ancient Dreamlands.” A term that refers to the primal language (and its written script) of the Dreamlands. Eldin, who had been a professor in the waking world, is one of the few men who can still decipher it.

  Augeren. A vampire-like creature who sucks the marrow from the bones of the living.

  Barba, aka Buxom Barba. Proprietress of The Quayside Quaress in Bahama. She is known (among other things) for the ability to drink up to five sailors under the table (seriatim).

  The Craven Lobster. Lippy Unth’s place, a low tavern in Bahama, serving the worst drinks in Bahama to the sleaziest crowd in Bahama.

  Cuff. A fisherman who had grown old in Celephais (where most Dreamlanders stay young). He disappeared, and was presumed drowned.

  D’harsis. One of Dreamland’s greatest mages, ere his daemonic demise.

  Downs of D’haz. Located beneath Luz, it is here that the halflings dwell.

  Druff, Zubda. A slave-master collaborating with Raffis Can on an archeological project near Lake Yath.

  Fourth Book of D’harsis. Only Atal has deciphered this ancient volume, which predicts the demise of all the dreamlands, among other events.

  Gan, Raffis. Son of Tellis Gan, he has succeeded his father as Lord Regulator.

  Gan, Tellis. The former Lord Regulator of Bahama, honest and greatly admired by all.