A Most Refined Dragon

by Paul Chernoch

  emmaw – Kibotan word for mommy.

  extinctify – Intentionally make a species go extinct.

  Faithful River – River running north from Soulfish Lake along the eastern side of the mountains of Rampart until it reaches Four Rivers and empties into the Silverthorn.

  fan-fan – The tusked fan-fan is a common draught animal and relative of the triceratops.

  fandrel – The square area that a tusked fan-fan team can plough in one day. This is about two acres, unless the ploughman gets gored.

  Fenora – Lofty K'fuur's mate and mother of Melidessa, a Red Lissai living in Red Home.

  Fear – Shoroko's quagga.

  Fia – Jessnee's wife, former shop girl for Makri who lives near Agotaras Springs.

  firesilk – Fireproof silk spun by fireworms.

  fireworm – A silkworm whose silk is fireproof.

  First Hand – Leader of the Hands (humans).

  Four Rivers – The Hands' capital city, situated at the confluence of the Faithful, Bittersweet and Floodway.

  fractioning tower – Apparatus for refining oil into its fractions, such as kerosene, heating oil, and gasoline.

  gagglenuss – Plant with tasty berries that numb your vocal chords. Common remedy for dealing with snoring spouses, colicky babies and children with foul mouths.

  Ganstomp – Anspark's father, who gave his life holding the last pass to Red Home during a migration.

  Garden Isle – An island east of the mainland and home of the Silver Lissai, also the name of the Silvers' Klatch.

  Genereef – Green Lissai leading the Tongues of Silver.

  glip – A glyptodon, resembling an armadillo the size of a VW Beetle which mercifully does not breathe fire.

  glish – A large-headed grain or a porridge made from the same.

  glissond – An adolescent Claw.

  glissondra – The dragon-flower, which resembles a dandelion. Notoriously difficult to cultivate, this plant bestows unusual powers to those who eat its fruit.

  Glissy – Silver olissair and mate of Mirrorwing. She died in Nehenoth.

  grunadel – An evergreen tree.

  G'shoal – A Green Lissair of Seakeep.

  guardian fish – Large, shark-like, predatory fish found in Soulfish Lake, especially near the watery burial ground of the Lissa.

  Hammerside – Northwest quarter of Four Rivers, inhabited by the poor, the stonemasons and the metalworkers. Embassy Knoll rises from this quarter.

  Hands – Humans, as contrasted with the dragon-like Claws.

  Hexajurata – A judicial assembly that can try criminal and civil cases in which only humans are parties. It consists of six humans, chaired by the First Hand or his representative.

  hlissak – Leader of a klatch of Lissai, second only to the hlissosak.

  hlisskan – Immortal leader of a species of lower animals.

  hlisskanijunger – Machine and treatment that makes animals immortal.

  hlissosak – Leader of all Claws.

  homzhash – Large citrus fruit resembling pineapple.

  Honra Pearl – The White Lissai with vision so keen she was able to see the Earth and its animals in distress.

  Hornskoffle – A board game played by sliding unicoins around obstacles into pockets. See The Game of Hornskoffle. for full rules and jargon. This game is best played by charismatic people, since the coins take sides and are easily swayed by flattery.

  Intima Dating Service – This matchmaking service will find your soulmate any time, any planet. Return trips from travel to the future are guaranteed. Trips to the past are non-refundable. Adjustments made to your physical structure may be permanent. Why settle for intimate, when you can have intimidating?

  Isska – A moskat. The mate of Purrda.

  Jafiri – Jessnee's ailing daughter.

  jawmaxton – A riduculously huge dinosaur with big jaws, also called a jummax.

  Jessnee – A doctor from Earth and councilman on Kibota.

  Jinsay Ju Long Exploration Company – Oil company owned by Melissa's father whose cooperation with the Sudanese government is questionable.

  jiss – A tree as strong as iron whose sap may be used to petrify other wood.

  jiss-paste – Paste made from the sap of the jiss tree, used to petrify wood or heal broken bones and cartilage. Rumored to make a warrior nearly invincible.

  Jory – Shoroko's younger brother.

  judicartist – Interprets artwork made by a person accused of a crime to discover motive.

  Jumaar –The male hlisskan of the jawmaxtons, who considers the best use of his head is as a battering ram.

  jummax – Insulting name for a jawmaxton. Given that one is only a little smaller than a Dreadnoughtus schrani, the existence of this word is proof that Hands are insane.

  Kadisha – Wife of Makri, the proprietor of Makri's Materials.

  kamblinbriar – A thorny bush whose prick dulls pain, instead of doing the opposite. Its sap is used in making tranquilizer darts.

  kekelnut – The oil of the purple kekelnut when mixed with the skin of the fruit of the resh vine makes a marbelous perfume. However, violet kekelnut induces vomiting, and telling the two apart before they are fully ripe is impossible, and that is when they must be harvested. This is the seventh major cause for romances to turn sour.

  kellbriar – Resembling kamblinbriars, with shorter thorns and a sap that causes agony.

  Ker-cheek – A brave cricket from Earth who journeyed to Kibota with an urgent message.

  K'fuur – A Red Lissai and leader of Hlissak Anspark's guard.

  Kibby Sky – Legendary Blue Lissai whose compassion was so keen that she felt the suffering of the dinosaurs on Earth from half a galaxy away.

  Kibota – The planet where the Lissai live.

  Kiboteshk – Word for earthquake on Kibota.

  Kilgain – Flightless golden dragon and mate of Orokolga.

  kilolissta – Unit of distance that equals one thousand lissta, approximately five miles.

  klafe – A knife carved from either the tooth or claw of a Lissai. Those carved from teeth are stronger.

  klatch – A clan of Claws. In ancient times there were seven klatches, but those of the Blues and Blacks are no more, and the Silvers are nearly gone as well. Each klatch had a distinct gift. The Reds possess strength and engineering ability. The Whites can see distant worlds, past and future. The Browns communicate with animals. The Greens can outfly the wind and even influence the weather. The Blues were healers. The Blacks excelled at agriculture. The Silvers can smell the motives of the heart.

  K'marontail – Red Lissa with maroon hide and a short, thick tail who favors the tail-whip when attacking. Few know of his prowess on the drums.

  K'Naribo – A messianic title meaning “Of the Rainbow”.

  K'Olblu – Ancient Blue Lissai who discovered the cure for the smolders, in which the liosh sac ruptures and a Claw burns from the inside.

  Konfalgar – A Red Lissai whose impeccable control of flame can reduce a structure to rubble in a manner that depicts a masterpiece in the ashes.

  Kozi – American doctor who organized Melissa's mercy mission to tend to refugees in the Sudan.

  K’Pinkelek – This lightning-rod for trouble is the offspring of a Red and a White Lissai, but loyal to Blaze Klatch.

  lebyatan – Huge sea monster, leviathan.

  lektrissy – Kibotan word for electricity.

  lesker – Orange-furred creature halfway between a squirrel and a monkey that frequents swamps.

  Linfronor – Mate of Ganstomp and mother of Anspark who bravely perished defending Red Home from attack.

  liosh – Oily substance similar to crude oil that Claws drink in order to breath flame.

  Lissai – The dragons' name for themselves. They are also called Claws.

  lissair – A Lissai male, a dragon.

  Lissien – The modern language of the Lissai, as contrasted with Old Lissien.

  lissine – Having characte
ristics resembling the Lissai.

  lissta – A measure of distance equaling the average wingspan of a Lissai, approximately twenty-five feet.

  Lisstarion – Ancestor of White Talon trampled by tuskers.

  Lisstear Lake – Lake to the northeast near West Menagerie Heights, along the western edge of the Hearth Mountains.

  mahgrubs – Kibotan word for microbes.

  Makri – Shopkeeper who owns Makri's Materials.

  Marboskein – A brook flowing through Marbush east into the Faithful River south of Agatoras Springs.

  Marbush – Area of brush and light forest south of the swamps of Remenee bordered on the west by the Talon Mountains and on the east by the Faithful River.

  Maricova Gash – A line of cliffs and rocky barrens on the border between the Clawtill Plains and Marbush.

  mauw – Mother.

  Melidessa – Precocious daughter of Lofty K'fuur and Fenora.

  Melissa Long, MD. – Chinese-American resident of Boston and graduate of Harvard Medical School. Her father heads the the Jinsay Ju Long Oil Exploration Company.

  meloah – Rare plant with healing properties.

  memora worm – The caterpillar phase of the utter-fly. If you utter secrets to a memora worm before its transformation, as an utter-fly it will telepathically communicate your message to the next person it lands on. Great for party gags and love charms.

  Menagerie Klatch – The clan of the Brown Lissai, situated in the Hearth Mountains to the northeast.

  Metookonsen – First Hand, mayor of Four Rivers and uncle of Wall Marshsal Ecraveo.

  migrat – A seven-year period, the time between migrations. Plural migrata.

  Mirrorwing – A Silver Lissai.

  Mistfire – White Lissai that succeeded White Talon as hlissak of Rampart Klatch.

  monda-nut – Nut like an almond.

  Morave – A Hand of Four Rivers on the prowl for a husband.

  Morianbranch – White Talon's father.

  moroshticle – Carnivorous vine with many tentacles.

  moskat – Cross between a mouse and a cat engineered in a Cambridge biolab.

  Nalder – Hand of Skyport who runs the largest print shop on Kibota.

  Nehenoth – The place between worlds, NEither-HEre-NOr-THere. The way the locals pronounce it makes it sound like ‘Nahant’. The author one ended up there by mistake, which is a considerable feat.

  Nimrod – Mighty hunter who founded an ancient kingdom and supervised the construction of the tower of Babel. He was the first human transported to Kibota when a pair of animals he captured were teleported off-world by the Lissai.

  Octojurata – A judicial body consisting of eight jurors, including Hand and Claw representatives.

  olissair – A Lissai female, a dragon.

  oll – A dragon egg.

  ollhatch – A recently hatched dragon. Plural ollhatchi.

  Ollsurrodot – Sage old White Lissai nicknamed Patch who must not be trusted with beauty advice.

  Orjay – Another name for R.J., a biker from Massachusetts.

  Orokolga – Female golden dragon, mate of Kilgain.

  osh – Tarry substance, the thickest fraction of liosh. The largest source of osh is found in the Osh Pits of Remenee.

  oshtukamat – A portable oil refinery.

  palfrey – A small, gentle horse ridden by ladies.

  Parassam – White Lissai nicknamed Prism. Elector for Rampart during the election of the new hlissosak and diplomat in all talks with the other klatches.

  pawg – A pig with tusks and a temper.

  pawg-tails – Popular hairstyle for young girls.

  Pelegelek – Ancient Brown who was hlissosak at the time of the division, when Old Lissien was forgotten and the Claws lost their science.

  Pentown – Hand town at the eastern shore of Lisstear Lake, near the border of Menagerie Klatch.

  pieweed – Sweet, broadleaf vegetable similar to rhubarb.

  Poonrapi – Gem-encrusted hlissak of Seakeep Klatch, a Green Lissai fond of pedicures and Strauss waltzs. She possesses the largest collection of vinyl on Kibota.

  Purrda – A female moskat, mate of Isska.

  pyrotic – Portmanteau of pyrotechnic and erotic describing the sensual flames that Lissai spew when that feeling comes over them.

  quagga – Extinct African equine, half-horse and half-zebra. These skittish beasts are rapidly displacing tusked fan-fans in farming because they won't gore you.

  Quaggish – Language spoken by quaggas.

  rallis – Sweet flower commonly used in perfumes.

  Ramcanopa – Jungle east of the Talon Mountains and south of Marbush.

  Rampart Klatch – The clan of the White Lissai, situated in the Talon Mountains.

  Red Home – Capital of Blaze, home of the Red Lissai.

  Redbridge – Architectural wonder spanning the Silverthorn River constructed by the Red Lissai.

  reekacheek – Monkey-like creatures whose spray has a potent smell.

  reekacheek-rinse – A perfume made by briefly combusting the spray from a reekacheek. Its odor drives Claws wild with passion, but repels Hands.

  Remacaw – A brook southwest of Four Rivers known for good fishing.

  Remenee – Tar-covered, moroshticle infested swamp at the northeastern edge of the Rampart Mountains, southeast of the Seremarid Gap. A mysterious, unseen creature called the angel of the Remeneee inhabits its depths.

  Renifaw – The Kibotan pronunciation of Ren Fa, Chinese American biologist and trouble maker.

  rigrash – Deadly feline whose hide is prized because it is fireproof.

  Rivershim – Ancestor of White Talon.

  Rougelek – Red Lissai fond of stomping on things.

  rukh – A bird large enough (and hungry enough) to carry off a human. The male is called a rukhcock, and the female, a rukhen.

  Salisa – A female Hand and friend of Sooki adept at spying on wayward husbands.

  Samada – A Hand maid. If the olympics had an event for catching wedding bouquets, she would be disqualified as a pro.

  Samir – Black Sudanese rebel whose family's oil and mining operations were seized by white Sudanese.

  scaliburr – Large cockleburr whose spring-loaded prickles only stick to large creatures like Claws, not Hands. Tasty in a stew.

  Seabark Port – A coastal city northeast of the Census Stone that is attached to Menagerie.

  Seakeep Klatch – Home of the Green Lissai that is situated among the cliffs by the eastern sea.

  semsum weed – When smoked, this weed calms Claws' nerves but makes Hands dizzy and highly suggestible. Claws seldom lose an opportunity to make such suggestions, as Metookonsen learned after seeing his signature on treaties he couldn't remember ratifying.

  senzas – Flowers commonly used in making perfume, because they cloud the senses like semsum weed, but only affect males.

  Seremarid Gap – Gap between the Aliosha Mountains to the north and the Talon Mountains to the south. To the west it opens up into the Migrahliss Waste. To the east it ends at Wall Ridge.

  shaggas – Large, shaggy beasts worth fearing. No one knows what they look like under that hair, because if killed, they burst into flame and are consumed immediately.

  Scorching Shellbok – Smaller, faster and hotter than a scorching torby, with none of the endearing qualities. Its membrane is valued because it can separate oxygen from nitrogen.

  Shorassa – Shoroko's sister, and irrepressible dreamer, artist and mind-control afficionado engaged to Ecraveo and apprenticed to White Talon. Her name means 'Sister Moon'.

  Shoroko – Farmer and hunter, expert equestrian and archer, and brother to Shorassa. His name means 'Brother Moon'.

  Siglissik – Ancient sign language used by the Claws, originally developed by a mute Claw named Silvertongue.

  Silosh – Operates a distillery in the Hammerside district of Four Rivers.

  Silverthorn – Silver Lissai and mate of White Talon who was hlissosak ove
r all the klatches until his disappearance.

  Silverthorn River – The principal river flowing east from Four Rivers to the sea, namd after Lord Silverthorn following his disappearance.

  Silvertongue – The mute Claw that created the Claws' sign language.

  singewood – A wood burned for incense.

  Sister Moon – The smaller of Kibota's two moons. It disappeared long ago but is expected to return.

  skanak – A salamander-like creature that you don't want to eat.

  Skandik – Hand farmer, accomplished skoffler, village elder and husband of Sooki, accomplished complainer.

  Skatskut – White Lissai missing a tooth, fierce in battle and nicknamed Tusk.

  skoffle – To play the game of Hornskoffle, or to thwack something with your index finger.

  Skurry – What unicoins do when they get scared, especially in the context of a game of Hornskoffle.

  Skyport – Port city at the mouth of the Silverthorn River.

  Snow – One of the leading unicorns, so named by Shorassa.

  Snowfeig – A White olissair, one of White Talon's ancestors.

  Sooki – Wife of Skandik who takes a dim view of all forms of gambling.

  Soomani – A Green olissair from Seakeep privileged to have an MP3 player strapped to her arm. Sadly, the group Imagine Dragons would not form for another year so it is not found on her playlist.

  Soorararas – A White Lissai nicknamed Cirrus because he can outfly the clouds, he is the chief emissary running messages between Rampart and the other klatches.

  Soulfish Lake – Lake in the southeast corner of Rampart where the Lissai bury their dead.

  spike – A group of unicorns large enough to make a decision. Individually they can be indecisive, together – deadly. When a man is left at the altar, people say, “His wedding got spiked.” Few realize that it was the unicorns that originated the practice of making coins from their horns as a means of spying on Hands. By listening to reports from fragments of their old horns they can divine people's intentions. If a maiden is engaged to the wrong guy, a unicorn shows up the day before the wedding and carries the girl off until she learns some sense, thereby 'spiking' the wedding. With centuries of experience as matchmakers, many unicorns are employed by Intima Dating as facilitators.