The Devil's Deuce (The Barrier War)
Page 61
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The Devil’s Deuce
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[1] - An excerpt from a paper found hidden on a shelf in the library of the Prismatic Order’s chapterhouse in Berilana. Both the author and the date of the writing are unknown (although it would seem to predate Ferrin Gephart’s coining the term “gravity”) – for obvious theological reasons, no one has ever claimed ownership of this document.
[2] - Obviously, the writing of this text also predates the return of Birch de’Valderat, the one known as the Gray paladin, who is (at the date of this writing) the only paladin of the White Facet to cross into Hell and return. For more details on his return, see Volume 1 of The Barrier War, Hunting The Three.
[3] - An account from Corporal Harold Jemke, human guardsman assigned to the Barrier, recorded one week after the paladin expeditionary force crossed into Hell in 1012 AM.
[4] - Capital city and home of the Prismatic Order. The name is derived from the dwarven word for “anvil”.
[5] - The immortal word for “vicious”.
[6] - See Volume 1 of The Barrier War, Hunting The Three.
[7] - In the immortal tongue, the word kythe means “to make known to,” as in sharing one’s thoughts.
[8] - A dwarven term for a member of a city’s police-guard. Most such units have officially adopted the term for themselves.
[9] - Formal name for the last three days of the standard week, from Octday through Decaday. Traditionally, these are days of rest. This period includes the primary day of worship, Niday.
[10] - A home in which a dwarf has died must be cleansed with fire before anyone may sleep under its roof. (This is rarely a hazard, as dwarven homes are almost universally made from stone.) A home where a dwarf died as a result of murder must be left vacant for a year and a day to allow the dwarf’s spirit to return to the earth, rather than being drawn to the inhabitants. A massacre on the order of what happened at Den-Furral would, in keeping with their beliefs, necessitate permanent abandonment of the location, lest any of the slain inhabitants’ souls be drawn back and denied eternal rest in the earth.
[11] - Innately, a dakkan can change between its flying form, which resembles a dragon and is large enough to easily carry several riders, and its runner form, which is wingless and only slightly larger than a horse. Dakkans can also assume one other animal form of their choice (e.g. a lion, drann, or hawk). Dakkans cannot change into the form of humans or demi-humans.
[12] - Using the prefix for an elf’s sect is customary when initially addressing him, but after the initial address it is no longer necessary.
[13] - An elven term used to denote a valued youth or protégé.
[14] - Elves are long-lived and will typically live for up to 250 years before dying naturally of old age.
[15] - A blind, dwarf-sized worm that chews through stone. Dwarves use them to create large passages rather than digging themselves. Dugger’s blood is thought to be poisonous.
[16] - Dwarven words for “The Harvest Month” and “The Vintage Month”. For more details on the Lokkan calendar, see Appendix A in Volume 1 of The Barrier War, Hunting The Three.
[17] - Merishank made three unsuccessful attempts to annex the smaller, mountainous country of Sella, beginning with the First Merishank War (as it’s known in Sella) in 852 AM. It is to the credit of the Sellan army that the country has remained free for centuries despite repeated assaults by the world’s largest and most militaristic nation.
[18] - A dwarven term for a city’s police-guard, which most units have officially adopted for themselves.
[19] - The literal translation is “Life Force”. The Elan’Vital are the elite warriors of the elven kingdom. They protect the royal family, carry out special missions, and are utterly devoted to the safety of the kingdom.
[20] - A fabolen is an elven custom dating back to the Age of Lords in which a guest relates a story to his host as a show of gratitude for his hospitality. A courteous host would then relate a story of his own. Story telling was a highly valued art among the elves, and many famous orators did little more than travel from home to home telling and collecting stories. Fabolens mostly fell out of style in the second century AM.
[21] - The seventh hour after midday is traditionally when night officially falls in elven thinking, no matter when the sun actually sets. Such a reference therefore carries double weight when considered in elven philosophy, as the seventh hour is synonymous with death.
[22] - The evening meal is never eaten until nightfall.
[23] - King Li’Gaerth Li’Hirin is the subject of several elven histories and scholarly papers.
[24] - The “Book of Light, Wood, Stone, and Shadow” – the elven holy book, written during the Dark Ages prior to the Epiphany and the Age of Lords.
[25] - A form of gauntlet worn with armor to protect the wrist and forearms.
[26] - Hellfire is water from the Dena-Fol (“River of Flame”) that has been cursed to increase its potency. It burns intensely and consumes its fuel so slowly it’s virtually inexhaustible. The liquid flame will ignite any substance (other than metal or stone) through simple contact. It cannot be doused by any means except holy intercession – such as a paladin’s prayer or holy water – although it will eventually expire without intervention. Demons are generally immune to its effects, but still most find it uncomfortable.
[27] - A breed of ants that remains active during the winter months and dormant during the summer.
[28] - Birch is apparently unaware of modern studies of dakkan breeding, no doubt due in part to his extended absence from Lokka. Dakkans have been shown to exert a considerable amount of control over their reproductive cycle and can hold a pregnancy in abeyance for months or even years if necessary, apparently placing the fetus into a type of stasis. The longest pregnancy on-record for a dakkan is seven years, six months, and eight days.
[29] - An immortal’s āyus is the very substance of their being and the measure of their strength and power. When we speak of a demon or angel being more or less powerful than another, it is a question of the strength of their āyus rather than physical strength.
[30] - Parsher’s Disease is a condition in which the afflicted’s skin dries and sloughs off in flakes. As the disease progresses, new skin cannot be generated quickly enough, and it slowly eats away the infected areas, causing other infections and complications that quickly lead to limb loss or death.
[31] - Oddly enough, there is no record of the name of the first paladin, nor to what Facet he belonged. It is possible the angels who took part in these events may still remember.
[32] - There are scattered references to elves assisting with the construction in some manner, but no credible source has been uncovered to definitively document their presence nor the manner of their assistance.
[33] - Trainees must be in sufficient physical condition to endure the rigors of the paladin training process, regardless of their age or infirmities. Few allowances are made for handicaps, and it is up to the individual to prove his own fitness for training. Boys who are considered too young to train are sometimes taken in as squires or messengers within a chapterhouse while they mature.
[34] - It should be noted that for the change to take effect, for a man to be truly accepted as a paladin, the cloak must be placed on his shoulders by a current member of the Prismatic Order. Many have tried stealing a blessed cloak in the hopes of imitating a paladin (or simply joining their ranks without undergoing the rigorous training process), but the cloak will not change without the willing hand of a paladin to bestow it.
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