Bear Knight, page 33
The Clefts of Semajin – A network of clefts northeast of the academy. The colossal main fissure of these clefts on the upper slopes of the Celestial Peaks looks narrow because of its great height, but its base is far wider than the whole of Lightraider Academy. The interior shadow of this fissure hides a network of smaller clefts and caves. It is in the highest of these caves, in windswept caverns open to the interior of the clefts, that pale blue snowflowers grow—a powerful medicinal gift from the Rescuer. Some say that ancient ice-breathing lashoroth (paradragons) guard these flowers.
Dayspring Highlands – The high terrain from the foothills at the southern base of the Celestial Peaks stretching south to the rolling hills and dells on the northern border of the Central Plain. Dayspring Forest covers the northern half of the Dayspring Highlands.
“The five vales” – A colloquial term for the valley towns in the southern portion of the Dayspring Highlands. Spread among the grassy hills north of the Central Plain, the five vales are shepherding and farming villages. Pleasanton is the most populous town in the vales, and the region’s center of trade, but it is by no means the largest in size in terms of land.
Harbor Joy – A coastal town on the northeast coast of Keledev. Harbor Joy spreads along a broad harbor protected by a narrow chain of islands and sandbars. It is not densely populated, but it is the main coastal Keledan town on the Gulf of Vows.
Lin Kelan (Lin KĔ-lən) – A coastal town on the northwest coast of Keledev. Resting at the mouth of the Ruames River, Lin Kelan is the primary coastal Keledan town on the Gulf of Stars. The fishing folk of Lin Kelan are known to rub red paste in their hair to keep the water from soaking their heads when swimming or diving in their daily work. In the Elder Tongue, Lin Kelan means Candle Sound. The town draws its name from sea candles—saltwater plants that shine with their own light. The Gulf of Stars is filled with huge sea candles, but the smaller plants dotting the protected sound of Lin Kelan glow brighter.
Orvyn’s Vow (OHR-vin) – The easternmost outpost in Keledev’s northern foothills. Orvyn’s Vow and its fjord towers guard the eastern slopes of the Celestial Peaks where the mountain runoff enters the Gulf of Vows. A series of structures joined by wood, stone, steel, and talanium roads, bridges, lifts, and ferries, Orvyn’s Vow is by far the largest of the highland outposts.
Pellion’s Flow – Broad “rivers” of solid ice broken by small ridges and rock islands on the upper slopes of the Celestial Peaks. The flow sits well north of the academy, but not so far north as the Clefts of Semajin.
Pleasanton – The largest town in the five vales, positioned on the Anamturas River in the southern portion of the Dayspring Highlands. Pleasanton’s water clock—powered by a large wheel that dips into the Anamturas—may not impress city dwellers from the capital at Sky Harbor, but for the shepherds and farmers in the five vales it is a sight worth seeing.
Ras Telesar (Rahss Tĕl-ĕ-SAHR) – The former Aropha worship and administration center that is now the jumbled fortress of Lightraider Academy. Translated as The Hill of the Fountain. This ancient structure was much transformed by the rising of the Celestial Peaks. Once it was a hilltop temple with four concentric walls, many towers, and a fountain chapel as its central jewel. During the rising of the peaks, those walls and towers shifted and jumbled to become the stepped, labyrinthian ramparts and passages of Lightraider Academy. Only the Rescuer could have taken them apart and put them back together again in this way as a new creation with new purpose. The original fountain chapel Nevethav still stands on an outcropping that forms the fifth level of the academy fortress.
Ravencrest – The second outpost from the east in Keledev’s northern foothills. Connecting barracks on both sides of the Anamturas, the Black Feather outpost inn bridges a waterfall that pours down into Dayspring Forest. Thanks to its position as the closest outpost to Ras Telesar, Ravencrest serves as an important link between the academy and the rest of Keledev.
The Second Hall of the Assembly – The seat of government in Keledev’s capital of Sky Harbor. This circular building with its great blue dome and high stained glass windows graces Sky Harbor’s waterfront plaza. It is interesting to note that the first government hall built in the early days of Keledev, much smaller and made of timber and wattle, was also called the Second Hall.
Sky Harbor – The capital of Keledev. The Keledan built Sky Harbor at the mouth of the Anamturas where the river empties into Val Ratavel, the Sea of Goodness. The tranquil but busy harbor is sheltered by a crescent ridge extending into the sea from the White Ridge Mountains.
Stonyvale – One of the five vales. Stonyvale is a small shepherding town on the southern edge of Dayspring Forest between Pleasanton and Harbor Joy.
Thousand Falls – The westernmost outpost in Keledev’s northern foothills. Perched on the sheer western cliffs of the Celestial Peaks, Thousand Falls houses its company of watchmen in long timber barracks. These are joined by wooden walkways with a central platform overlooking the Gulf of Stars. New recruits often think the outpost’s name comes from the many cliff waterfalls visible from the platform, all pouring into the wind to feed the Storm Mists. They are wrong.
The Vales of the Passage Lakes – Long mountain valleys of portal lakes east and west of the academy. There are seven passage lakes in all, divided between the Eastern Vale and the Western Vale. These are the primary means by which the Rescuer chooses to send his lightraiders on missions through the barrier and into Tanelethar. The Vales of the Passage Lakes should not be confused with the five vales.
Val Pera (Văl PEHR-ah) – The largest farming town in Keledev. Val Pera means Sea of Bread, an apt name for this sprawling farming town positioned on the Anamturas River at the intersection of the Central Plain, the White Ridge Mountains, and the Eastern Hills. The farmers of Val Pera like to claim that without their fields, the Liberated Land would starve.
The Windhold – The second outpost from the west in Keledev’s northern foothills. The Windhold outpost houses its watchmen in a series of caves above a crystal-clear lake. The Windhold is a natural water catch that snatches moisture from the wind blowing over the steep domed rim. Air blowing upward across the southern wall carved the honeycomb of caves that became the barracks for the company of watchmen. Most in Windhold Company describe the low tones of the wind blowing through the caves as the Rescuer’s own music.
TANELETHAR (TĂ-NĔL-Ĕ-THAHR)
Barihav (BAHR-ē-hăv) – A village ruin in the Bezik Hills, all but lost to time. Barihav’s history bears no great significance other than having been the home of a particular magician-thief who irked Heleyor early in his reign.
Bezik Hills (BĔ-zik) – The region between the Tagamoor and Sil Shadath, also known as the Bleak Hills. The Bezik Hills are shrouded in perpetual mist due to the vapors seeping out from the Tagamoor.
Darkling Shade – A narrow forest west of Sil Shadath and the Upland Wilds. Darkling Shade was once part of Sil Shadath, but shrank and became separated due to heavy logging in the early days of dragon rule.
Emen Kar (EH-mĕn Kahr) – An Aropha ruin on the southern edge of Sil Shadath. Emen Kar may have been a way station for the Aropha who roamed Talania before the dragon scourge.
The Fading Mountains – A mountain range on the east coast of Tanelethar, also known as the Muddled Mountains. This range seems to be constantly fading due to a clinging fog created by the vapors seeping from the Tagamoor.
Gloamwood – A dying forest in the central east of Tanelethar. Once the beautiful forest of Sil Belomar (Sil BEH-lō-mahr), meaning the Forest of Tranquility, Gloamwood has fallen to decay and rot under dragon rule. It lies southwest of the Tagamoor and northeast of the Tarlan Plains.
Grenton – A village on the northern edge of Gloamwood. The residents of Grenton may have been the first to begin calling the Tagamoor the Ghost Moor.
Highland Forest – A Taneletharian forest region north of the Celestial Peaks, bounded on either side by small mountain ranges known as The Eastlings and the Westlings.
Ras Heval (Rahss Hĕ-VAHL) – An Aropha temple ruin in eastern Tanelethar, at the northern extent of the Fading Mountains. Translated as The Hill of Grace. Though much smaller, the concentric walls surrounding Ras Heval’s small chapel ruin offer a glimpse of what Ras Telesar may have looked like in the ancient days.
Ras Pyras (Rahss PEYE-rəss) – The former Aropha worship and administration center that became the seat of Heleyor’s power. Translated as The Hill of the Flame. This ancient Aropha temple still stands, but it no longer glorifies the Creator. The hill of Ras Pyras is crowned by four icy concentric walls and supported by many towers. A pillar of fire sprouting from the volcanic underbelly of the northern Frost Isles burns constantly in what was once the central chapel. Heleyor, the Great Red Dragon, made that chapel his throne room.
Sil Shadath (Sil SHĂ-dăth) – A dark forest in eastern Tanelethar. In the Common Tongue, its name means the Black Forest. Sil Shadath is the home of Valshadox, a dragon lord. Ever since the ancient battle between House Suvor and the dragons, its shaggy black pines have held a heavy gray-green mist. Terrible creatures both large and small make their home there, and strange lights wander and flash in the mists. The Aladoth call it the Forest of Horrors.
Tagamar (TĂG-ə-mahr) – A forgotten city in the Tagamoor, on the Phantom River. The ruin of the once great city of Tagamar is a reminder that dragons cannot be trusted. The Suvoroth kings who lived there learned this the hard way. Gray-green vapors seep from the surrounding canyon moor and billow from a broken dome in the city center to cover the whole region in a shroud.
The Tagamoor – A moor canyon in eastern Tanelethar. This canyon moor was the ancient home of House Suvor who were said to fly in battle. Others live there now—creatures that move silently in the mist.
Trader’s Knoll – A hilltop village in the Highland Forest. Trader’s Knoll became the adopted home of Faelin Enarian during his long, self-imposed exile in Tanelethar. We are not yet certain why, but we believe it has something to do with Kara Orso.
TERMS
Aropha – Also known as the Elder Folk. The Aropha walked Talania before the dragon scourge, serving the High One by caring for and protecting his creations and acting as arbiters between the great houses. In those days, no one in Talania starved or thirsted. The peoples of the Aropha are the Rapha servants, the Lisropha warriors and arbiters, and the tiny Dynapha worshipers. Their artistry is visible in the smooth walls of Ras Telesar, the stairways of Sil Elamar, and in the jeweled trees at the southern gate of Vy Asterlas.
The Aropha and the Dragon Scourge – Heleyor, chief among the Lisropha, betrayed the High One and took many followers of his own kind with him, stealing and corrupting the form of the lashoroth into monstrous dragons. He took Ras Pyras as his throne—a fiery crown at the northern tip of the continent. Over time, most of the great human houses fell to Heleyor’s deceptions, increasing the size of his armies. Although the High One’s victory against Heleyor was never in question, a war between Ras Pyras and the remaining Aropha would surely have destroyed Talania. The Aropha withdrew and have not been seen since.
The Assembly – The government of Keledev. Councilors from all over Keledev meet and debate at the Second Hall in Sky Harbor to decide the laws of the land. The Assembly is overseen by members of the Prime Council who prayerfully seek the will of the High One.
Colloquial family terms – Talanians in much of Keledev and Tanelethar use these terms, though not as much in the cities or wealthier households.
• Behlna – Daughter
• Brehna – Brother
• Mamehma – Grandmother
• Mehma – Mother
• Patehpa – Grandfather
• Sehna – Son
• Shessa – Sister
• Tehpa – Father
Councilor – A member of the Assembly. Councilors serve their cities and villages by representing their hopes and concerns at the seat of government in Sky Harbor.
The Five Quests – Cadet missions that serve as the tests required for promotion from cadet stalwart to cadet scout. Most cadets endure these quests as a class, working together like a lightraider raid party. Each of the Five Quests is named for and overseen by one of the five lightraider spheres.
Dark Creatures – Monsters cobbled together from corrupted natural elements and animated by the dragons. Some dark creatures use “song sorcery,” a form of rhythmic music from within their bodies, to charm their victims. Messages unique to the victim are often heard in the undertones. Many dark creatures employ poisons or infections.
• Apparition/Ghost – a dragon corruption formed from rot and mist, designed to deceive mankind into believing they are the risen dead.
• Giant – A huge dark creature formed using elements from its environment. Sand giants are blocky creatures of sandstone and desert foliage. Forest giants appear as beings of twisted roots, vines, and clay. Giants may be eight times the height of a man or more and are known to employ song sorcery. Once a giant links itself to a human or group of humans, it demands more and more of them and can be extremely difficult to get rid of. A common jest among lightraiders states that “Giants make terrible houseguests.”
• Goblin – Goblins come in many forms and sizes. Frost goblins are formed of northern lichen. Cave goblins appear to have flesh formed from cave fungus. Spore goblins are terrifyingly small and toothy and known to inhabit Taneletharian deserts. All goblins are vindictive and delight in torturing humans and animals in many ways.
• Golmog – A foul-smelling dark creature a little taller and much heavier than a grown man. Fat and lumbering, golmogs serve the dragons most in manual labor but can be terrible foes in battle.
• Granog – A winged dark creature that looks like it shares dragon and human heritage, a littler larger than a grown man. The appearance of granogs is a dragon deception and likely a poor attempt at making creatures that look like the ancient Lisropha warriors. Granogs serve as dragon administrators in Tanelethar.
• Mudslinger/Muk – A slimy mud creature found in Taneletharian swamps and wetlands. Muks are known to moan at their victims, luring them into a sense of despair. Spines may grow from their bodies and fling poisonous slime that burns through clothing.
• Orcs – “Ore creatures” formed from various minerals. Iron orcs and coal orcs are the most common. Quicksilver orcs are considered the most dangerous, able to shift form at will. The dragons filled their orcs with burning rage, often exhibited by fire blazing behind their eyes, within their joints, and from the runes carved into their hides.
• Rime Runner – a long black worm found in ice tunnels where frost goblins live. Rime runners attack in great numbers and attempt to burrow into their victims’ flesh.
• Spider – Giant arachnids used to terrorize and deceive mankind. They are known to share the influence of the same dragons that control giants. Where giants are found, the caves and burrows are usually infested with spiders.
• Sprite – A creature formed to mimic the ancient Dynapha, which many remember today as faeries. Sprites employ insect-like stings that inject their poisons. As with goblins, there are several forms.
• Troll – Four forms of troll are currently known in Tanelenthar—wood troll (mocktree), water or river troll (rattlefish), stone troll (rumblefoot), and north troll (iceblade). Trolls are known to employ both song sorcery and infections/poisons.
• Wanderer – A wan and withering human-like thing designed, like ghosts, to deceive mankind into believing it is a form of lingering dead. Wanderers carry lanterns and are known to roam Sil Shadath and Gloamwood.
• Wraith – Although this term may be used throughout Talania to describe different and often imagined creatures, an actual wraith is a specific form of orc made in the ancient days from Suvoroth ore by the dragon lord Valshadox. They may be found in Sil Shadath, where they float on the mists flowing from the Tagamoor.
Lightraider Academy (Ras Telesar) – The seat of the Lightraider Order and the fortress where they live and train, including training new recruits.
Lightraider Order – A knightly order in Keledev, commissioned for service by the Rescuer himself when he appeared to his people after he raised the Celestial Peaks and the Storm Mists.
Lightraider Spheres – The primary divisions of the Lightraider Order. The five spheres include the Navigators’ Sphere, the Tinkers’ Sphere, the Rangers’ Sphere, the Comforters’ Sphere, and the Vanguard. Members of each sphere may choose additional specialties such as becoming a knight of his creatures, a renewer, or even a lightraider bard. Some specialties are unique to certain spheres, but not all.
Manykit – A leather harness with many pouches, buckles, and sheaths for carrying kit and weapons. Lightraiders prefer to wear manykit in place of carrying packs. Manykit harnesses come in a number of forms, with broad and narrow bands of pouches and sheaths that may strap to the chest, waist, arms, legs, or any combination thereof. Large lightraiders like Dagram Kaivos may wear manykit with spikes on the shoulders. These look imposing in battle, but they are designed as hooks from which to hang additional satchels filled with supplies for the party.
Queensblood – A Taneletharian term for a member of the matriarchal Arkelian bloodline. House Arkelon never bowed to the dragons, and was decimated. A queensblood will often have identifying traits like hair so silver it appears blue and blue freckles that form flourishes on her arms, feet, wrists, or face. The granogs fueled hatred of queensbloods in Tanelethar with the rumor that their ancestors invaded from Arkelia, a separate continent, to become one of the prominent houses of Talania.
Starlot – A jewel formed from crystalized dragon fire. Starlots are the tokens of the Lightraider Order, symbolizing a lightraider’s willingness to venture north of the barrier on missions to rescue the Aladoth. Starlots formed when the dragons blasted their fire against freezing winds at the start of the Great Rescue, amid the rising of the Celestial Peaks.
