The Dragon's Back Trilogy

by Robert Dennis Wilson

   Dragonshead: the tallest point in all Dragonsback, it consists of two areas: the Lower Plateau or Muzzle is tree-covered (except at its extreme southern tip where there are two smoking volcano peaks) and the Upper or Dilemma Plateau which is barren and windswept except for one huge natural Column or Horn and the shattered remains of another.

   Dragon's Mouth: a huge horizontal fissure partway up the southern face of Dragonshead from which flows the Falls. The Source of the River.

   Dreammaker: see "Imagemaker".

   Eagles: the winged servants and messengers of the Gryphon, protectors of His children, and mortal enemies to the dragons.

   Falls, the: (1) In the Gryphonsland—a part of the first garden wherein the Gryphon placed the first man and woman. (2) On Dragonsback—the Source of the River from where it flows from the great horizontal fissure knows as the Dragon's Mouth.

   Family Crest: the heraldic seal of a family worn on their individual waterskins. See "Crest".

   Festive Purple: the wedding garments of a bride.

   Finger's Width, a: the smallest practical linear measurement of the land, about three-fourths of an inch. The next smaller measurement is the "coree", taken from the narrowest width of the tiny flat seeds which produce the large coree trees that grow in the highlands.

   First Swim: a rite of those who follow the Gryphon's Son, it is a public demonstration of a new convert's ability to rest in the arms of the Unseen.

   Fisher of Men: a term used by the Swimmers referring to their attempt to lead others to a knowledge of the Gryphon and His Son.

   Fishermen: providers of seafood and the bounty of the Sea to all of Dragonsback. Besides the mariner priests, the fishermen are the only other population to regularly sail on the sea. Their boats are smaller than those of the priests and do not have an outrigger to get in the way of their nets. For the most part, the fishermen and their families are humble followers of the Swimmer-Son of the Gryphon.

   Four-year Games: Contests held near the Source of the River to determine the Champions of the Heartland.

   Glow, the: an ecstatic sensual blessing caused by the touch of the Queen of the Dragonmen on her faithful subjects.

   Golden Crest, the: the emblem of a golden Gryphon with Its wings extended in flight placed on a circular field of navy blue.

   Great Archipelago, the: another name for the Islands of the Tail.

   Great Eagle, the: co-equal with the Gryphon and His Swimmer-Son, He actively seeks to draw all the inhabitants of Dragonsback toward the Gryphon. He imparts wisdom and strength to all Swimmers and is the Power that enables them to swim.

   Great Ocean: The eternally bottomless body of water that surrounds Dragonsback, separating it from the Gryphonsland.

   Great Shell: a huge half shell located on the beach of the Sacred Cove of the Fishermen, used by the fisherfolk of the village of Haven to perform the Swimmers’ rite of Sharing.

   Gryphon, the Great: the Creator of all. A Gryphon has the head and wings of an eagle and the body and legs of a lion.

   Gryphon's Breath or Gryphonsbreath: the life-giving quickening that fills all who become Swimmers. The Power of the Great Eagle at work in and through followers of the Gryphon's Son.

   Gryphon’s Land or Gryphonsland, the: Home of the Great Gryphon, His Son, and the host of golden eagles, place of eternal reward for all Swimmers.

   Gryphonskin: a waterskin or "Bag of Adoption" marked with the golden crest of the Gryphon with Its wings spread in flight. A person carrying one of these is identifying him or herself as a Swimmer, a follower of the Gryphon's Son. It is the Swimmers' belief that they should never fill this waterskin with River water, but rather only with the Dew of the Morning.

   Gryphonsong: the oral tradition of the Word of the Gryphon set to music.

   Gryphon’s Tracks: indicators or subtle signs left by the Gryphon to His followers indicating the directions He wants them to take; the sometimes hidden will of the Great Gryphon.

   Guild: The levels of required skill of any particular craft were set by its crafthall or guild. In Dragonsback the type of craft of an individual can be discerned by the color and style of their tunic or robe and the color of the ribbons on their sleeve. The width and color of bands sewn as rings around the tunic's right sleeve indicated the guild rank of the wearer: A single thread indicates a novice, a single band marked an apprentice; two bands a journeyman; and three marked the wearer as a master. A thin gold thread above three bands indicates a guildmaster.

   Guildmaster: The top-ranking individual in any guild. Their right sleeves are marked with a thin gold band above their three master stripes.

   Handbreadth (sing.), Handsbreadth (plur.): lengths measured by the width of the hand (approx. 4 to 4.5 inches)

   Handworth (sing.), Handsworth (plur.): counts in multiples of five.

   Hear the Gryphon Roar: (1) In order for someone to hear this physical sound they would have to remain alive until the Gryphon's Son returns to Dragonsback. (2) Have personal (internal) contact with the Creator.

   Heartland: geographically the central nation of Dragonsback, bordered by Dragonshead and Pascal on the north and the Hinterland to the south. Also known as the "Breadbasket of Dragonsback" because of its wide and fertile River Valley.

   Heartlander: a native of the Heartland, the middlemost nation of Dragonsback. Most are easily recognized because of their thick brogue.

   Hinterland: the southernmost empire of Dragonsback, having as its northern border a line that dissects the Dragon above Claw Cove on the East and Hindfoot on the West.

   Hopewell Bridge: see "Bridge" #1 and "Mann's Pointe".

   Horns of the Dragon: see "Column".

   Imagemaker, Dreammaker: a small piece of moldable moss (usually fist-sized or smaller) from the caves of Dragonsback that, when moistened with River water and fashioned into an image of fantasy, can be "tasted" to experience the pleasures the image represents.

   Icthus: The largest of all the fish of Dragonsback: its length can exceed that of the boats of the teams of fishermen who work together to catch it. It has a long saw-like protrusion from its nose that (along with its very strong bones) is prized for the making of Swimmers’ swords.

   Island Cities: independent city-states each located on a separate island in the Great Archipelago of the Dragon's Tail.

   Islands of the Tail: the Great Archipelago of the Dragon's Tail formed where the Long Mountains merge into a single chain and descend into the Great Ocean.

   Lake LaCou: a bottomless inland sea in the North of Dragonsback said to be formed by the Dragon's long neck circling back around so that his head can rest where he can watch over all that transpires on his back. The homeland of the Pascal priests.

   Law of the Bard: a rule throughout Dragonsback that all bards are honor-bound to "sing for their supper." Also known by some as "Bard's Rights".

   Long Mountains: the twin mountain ranges that run the length of Dragonsback, forming the outer boundaries of the Great River Valley and descending, on their outer sides, to the waters of the Bay or the Great Sea. Also called the Spines of the Dragon.

   Nest of Dragons: the Word of the Gryphon teaches that when any individual accumulates either spent or unbattled thorns in their pack that these thorns attract the presence of invisible dragons who feed off of the open wounds caused by all thorns. See also "Unbattled Thorn", "Spent Thorn", "Thorn Conflict".

   Mainland: the body of the Dragon; all of Dragonsback apart from the Islands of the Tail.

   Manheights: a vertical measurement of approximately five feet six inches.

   Man-lengths: a linear measurement of approximately five feet six inches.

   Mann's Pointe: the main port town linking the Heartland of Dragonsback with the Islands of the Tail is located on the peninsula that makes up the right or eastern foreleg of the Dragon. The town is also the location o
f the one-sided Hopewell Bridge and the colossal tower that supports it. The Cove, now covered by a floating shantytown, is said to be the location where the First Parents of all the inhabitants of Dragonsback first landed after they were banished from the Gryphonsland.

   Mariner Priest: a man trained in the city of Pasca on the shores of Lake LaCou in northern Dragonsback. They are the ferrymen over the dark and infinite waters of the Bay. They can be identified by their heavy black hooded robes and live under a vow of silence, using instead elaborate swordsign or rarely a tapping code to communicate.

   Master Bard: the top, guild-certified rank of itinerate minstrel/news-carriers, identified by four wide sky-blue bands on the loose right fore-sleeve of their off-white or cream-colored tunics.

   Master Carver: the top, guild-certified rank of craftsmen or craftswomen who carve wood, bone, ivory, and sometimes scaline [though most scaline work is done by smelters or jewelers]. They are identified by ivory-colored tunics having four brown bands on tight-fittings sleeves.

   Mid-term Games: National contests held every four years, exactly two years after the Greater Games are held.

   Mouth of the Dragon: see "Dragon's Mouth."

   Muzzle of the Dragon: The long tree-covered lower escarpment or plateau of Dragonshead, which contains the Twin Volcanoes—or Nostrils of the Dragon—and, on its southern edge, the great fissure known as "the Mouth of the Dragon."

   Named Thorns: thorns of revenge taken up for use against a particular individual.

   Original Swim, the Law of: rite decreed by the Gryphon whereby every newborn child is dipped into the water of the River and their private waterskin is filled for the first and only time.

   Outer Lands: any portion of the Mainland outside of the River Valley and on the outer edges of Long Mountains. Though mostly rugged and tree-covered, these territories also contain some notable cities, such as Mann's Pointe, Scalina, and Dragonchain, as well as many small fishing villages along the coast.

   Pack: everyone on Dragonsback wears strong leather packs of varying sizes in which they store their most personal possessions, be they treasures or thorns.

   Pasca: walled capital city on the southern shores of Lake LaCou in northern Dragonsback, known for its domed roofs and the tall spires of its worship sites. Within this city is located the seminary that trains the Mariner Priests.

   Pascal: (1) the northern-most state of Dragonsback or pertaining to its citizens or its capital city of Pasca. (2) the mariner priests who come from that region.

   Pillars Below the Falls; rocks emerging from the River floor at its narrowest point near the base of the Falls, which is its source. Location of both the execution of criminals as they are chained there to drown in the flood and of the Greater and Lesser Games, which determine the political course of the Heartland.

   Place of Dispute; is a place besides in a thornhouse where thorn challenges take place; usually, a ring marked off near a large patch of thorntrees.

   Pleasure Dock: any of a variety of structures built out into the River in order to gain access to stronger and more potent water with intoxicating properties.

   Poison of the Dragon: see "River Water".

   Poled into Place: poling is a part of the physical contest of the Greater Games which are held every four years near the Source of the River.

   Pure Water: see "Dew".

   Queen of the Dragonmen, Queen of the Night: The seductive ruler of the Society of Dragonmen.

   Referee: a wise person selected to be an arbitrator at the official thorn challenges or contests held in the thornhouses. [A Judge.]

   Reflection, Reflecting: A rite that Swimmers practice using a shellbowl filled with the Dew of the Morning in which they communicate with the Gryphon and Great Eagle brings clarity, guidance, and insights into their lives.

   River Valley: the great fertile plain sitting between Long Mountains, that extends the length of Dragonsback from the Falls in the North to the Delta in the south, where the River empties into the sea.

   River Water: a mystical liquid that will fill everything that attempts to contain it. Coming in varying strengths, with different properties, in its weakest form it is used as a thirst-quencher; if slightly stronger as an addicting intoxicant; or, at its worse, it is an extremely caustic toxin, which can cause severe burns. A child's waterskin is filled with it one time only in a ceremony held shortly after their birthing day. Swimmers and a few other groups call the water of the River "the Venom of the Dragon" and try to avoid its use.

   River, the: the only source of flowing water in all of Dragonsback, its beginning is a falls flowing out of the cliff face of Dragonshead's lower plateau in the north. It travels a meandering course between the Long Mountains, through the Great Valley of the Heartland, though the Hinterlands, past the Delta to empty itself into the Sea near the southern tip of the Mainland. See “Mouth of the Dragon.”

   Riverwatcher, Riverwatcher Priest, Guardian: these graduates of Arden Nox College, identified by their knee-length blue-green tunics, with yellow guild rank markings, police the ever-changing course of the River, marking off safe and dangerous areas, testing the strength of the current and its toxicity, and endeavor to educate the public on River safety.

   Sacred Cove of the Fishermen: a small indentation or wrinkle in the eastern edge of the Dagon located near the village of Haven, which has long ago filled with sediment to form a natural amphitheater of solid ground. It is here where the fishermen and women gather to worship and honor the Gryphon and His Son. It is also the location of the Great Shell using in the ceremony of Sharing.

   Sailboats, Outriggered: The small dark single-masted ships used by the mariner priests of Pascal are all equipped with a single outrigger that gives the boats extra stability and extra storage in their hollowed compartments.

   Sash of the Single, Wide: the single are identified by the wide flat bands of cloth they wear tied around the waist of their tunics as belts. The married have either smaller bands or wide bands twisted to make them smaller (a proposal of marriage is accepted when the male rolls his band and places it around the female). An unbelted tunic is usually an indication that the wearer is a widow or widower.

   Scalina (also called "the Armpit of the World"): an elaborate city carved into the side of Dragonsback where the right front foreleg meets with the bulk of the body. One of the main sources of polished scaline chains, cable for bridges, and ceremonial swords.

   Scaline Sword, Ceremonial Sword: a usually unsharpened sword made of scaline metal, used primarily is swordsign communication between individuals.

   Scaline, Polished Scaline, Cut Scaline, Crystal Scaline: all of the combined rock and minerals of Dragonsback are called by the generic word, "scaline". The term was originally derived from the fact that just below the dirt surface of Dragonsback are found huge "Scales", flat diamond-shaped plates of rock, much larger than a house and close-fitted together in overlapping patterns that can be clearly seen anywhere the land is exposed. There are several grades: "rough" or "common" scaline is the ordinary rock that is used everywhere on the Mainland for building purposes; "crystal" or "cut" scaline is glass-like in various colors and comes from the slopes of the Volcanoes on Dragonshead; "polished" scaline is mined from the depths in subterranean cities located below Dragonshead and is an extremely hard and heavy material with a silvery metallic sheen, which can be forged and molded into tools, mirrors, chains, and weapons.

   Scrimshaw: carvings, usually in the form of elaborate pictures, made in bone or ivory.

   Sea Priest: see "Mariner Priest".

   Sharing, the: a communal ritual practiced by the followers of the Gryphon’s Son in which they, as a united body, share co-mingled Dew and reflect on their relationship to Him and to each other.

   Sharpened Blade: a scaline shortsword which, contrary to accepted custom, has been deliberately turned into a deadly weapon.


   Shellbowl, Shell, Golden Shell: this shell of the common sea scallop, known as "the badge of a pilgrim," is carried by Swimmers to serve not only as a bowl, cup, and spoon during their travels but also as a constant reminder of their link to the One who swam the sea. It is also used in their rite of reflection.

   Shortsword: an unsharpened ceremonial blade approximately as long as a man's forearm and hand, used in conducting swordsign.

   'Skin of Adoption: a secondary waterskin bearing the crest of a family different than the one an individual was born into, usually as a sign that you have been adopted by that other family. Swimmers carry a second waterskin marked with Golden Crest of the Gryphon, signifying their identification with the Gryphon's Son.

   Society of Dragonmen, the: both powerful and united, this secret sect of Dragon followers lives hidden in city caves, deep within the mountains of Dragonsback. From there they wield financial and political influence over the affairs of all the kingdoms of Dragonsback. Their only easily recognizable outward presence is in those known as "blackrobes," who are trained as soldiers and cunning spies. Although they are called "Dragonmen," this pluralistic Society equally encompasses those of both genders, of all races, and all ages.

   Source of the River: the Falls out of Dragons Mouth. See “Falls".

   Spent Thorn: a thorn or barb that has been used in a conflict against another is considered "spent" because its poison has been released into the wounded individual. The attacker then usually leaves the spent thorn with their victim, who may either keep it as a permanent reminder of the attack or discard it. See "Nest of Dragons".

   Stream, the: another name for the great River that flows through the length of Dragonsback.

   Subverzia: the capital city of the dragonmen, hidden in a cave system deep within the mountainous spines of the Dragon.

   Sun-bleached Blade: see "Swimmer's sword."