Alderode: The northernmost country on the Kasslyne continent, Alderode is a bitheocracy - that is to say it is run equally by a two-branched government of Gefendur and Iocan clerics. It is a "closed country" meaning that all movement into and out of it by those initially conceived (in the womb) within its borders is recognised and monitored by a central network of mages and managers. With this vast magic network, Alderode is nearly impervious to invasion, able to focus enormous attacks savagely and instantaneously on any and all unwanted intruders within its borders. This network - called the Dammakhert - and continental stereotyping of its citizens as arrogant and cerebral have earned Alderode a reputation for isolationism, extremism, and brutality.

Amniote: Spectral remains that have been given physical form through manipulation of residual emotions of loss, pain, and anger, either directly by a necromancer or other dark mage, or gradually forming on their own. However they come about, the creaturess possess a driving will to consume blood. Amniotes literally draw the liquid to themselves, pulling the life-giving fluid directly through a victim’s skin. Death by amniote is explosive and bloody. These monsters have been known to form in Hanghorse, but the Eye of Redemption is usually able to stop them before they take a physical form, or at least destroy them if they do reach a corporal state. Anamorphous blobs, they often take the form of wobbling, worm-like monsters made of half-congealed blood, spectral faces bobbing to their gory surface then sinking again into the mire.

Apia: Is a type of tuber commonly eaten by the poor. Prolific in the wild, it can be cheaply grown in a personal garden. Commonly peeled before eaten it is a distinctive yellow color. Its taste is bland and usually spices and beef or chicken stock are used to give it some flavour. Boiled, fried, dried, or raw, the Apia is an all-purpose, inexpensive source of food.

Arvul: Fairytale shapeshifters. Some crackpot mages believe these creatures actually exist, but most agree they are merely the make-believe villains of many Sharteshanian bedtime stories.

Black Powder: An explosive, ignited by fire, or sparks. Used in demolition, as well as mining. Those who handle it roughly have stained fingers for days. It has been known to burn holes in the lungs of those who work and breathe around it.

Blood Tongue: During some summers in some years, Hanghorse's reef is assaulted by a red tide. It poisons shellfish and severely impacts the strong fishing economy. While it is actually an explosion of red plankton in the water that multiply because of the bounteous explosion of phytoplankton whipped into copious amounts because of a clashing of warm and cold water from undercurrents, many superstitious people still believe that it is the wrathful spirit of the dead city. Others say it is the blood of those that died in the catastrophe. Whatever the case may be, it has a strange effect on the lambence resovoirs deep in the earth, and can potentially taint them crimson as well. Records show it has happened before. But will it happen again?

Broken Blood: Derogatory term used to describe those of elven race who have been cast out of elven society.

Dark Regions: The world has yet to be truly discovered. History will reveal itself. It is up to you to find the world beyond the world. Dark Regions refer to any part of the known world yet to be explored, or any part of the world yet to be discovered by Sharteshane.

Deathknight: A warrior-necromancer or practioner of the dark arts. These can include honor-bound creatures animated post-mortem by necromantic or magical means, maintaining some measure of their past scruples; or merely devoted, wicked servants, undead or otherwise, of some greater dark power.

Drip: Usually signifies a nereid, undine, or water elemental; can also mean a loose or profligate woman. "That street belongs to the drips, sirrah, and if one of them snares you you'll soon see why we call 'em that."

Drooler: A very stupid person.

Eyeball: Derogatory term used when speaking of the Eye of Redemption. “No surprises with them; but the Eyeball... you just never know where ya stand with an Eyeball.”

fête Cheval: One night out of the year the inhabitants of the Cove get together and celebrate the gory history behind Hanghorse’s name. On that night a prize stallion, brushed to a gloss and hung with garlands, is paraded through the streets of the Cove. Everyone dresses in masks and costumes to heighten the air of celebration.There is much music, drinking, debauchery, gambling, and fighting. At least, more then the normal amount one can find on any given day in the Cove. The truly unique part of this celebration is that the lawful citizens of Hanghorse will don masks as well, and venture down into the unlawful place to celebrate with the rougher element. This is a new occurrence for the festival, and is considered a daring good time by those that usually lead far safer lives. For the most part, the seedy residences leave these partygoers alone, but it’s never wise to separate from your group and try to wander the streets. The culmination of the night occurs around a raging fire. With much dancing and inebriation, the horse is killed, and then hung on a scaffolding to rot.

Four-toes: The pair of islands off Sharteshane's coast are rife with a yellow-skinned race of people that, for centuries, have been enslaved by the more enlightened denizens of the mainland. The enslaved are never allowed shoes and have their smallest toes chopped off to show that they're claimed. Though slavery is a dying industry and most slaves used only for mining, one still will see the occasional four-toe on the street, filling his master's grocery list. It's unseemly for unclaimed four-toes to walk cities without purpose however, and freed slaves are usually shipped right back to the islands. Seen as subhuman by the Gefendur, they really hold no interest for the Eye.

Gefendur: The religion of Sharteshane which worships the four Twins and a host of Saints. There is a Gefendur temple in each of Sharteshane's largest cities, including Hanghorse. Services are Sundays and Mondays at dawn. The Eye of Redemption is a zealous, militant sect of the Gefendur faith, concentrating their worship on Tirna. Gefendur means "Givers" in the old tongue as the very first Gefendur clergy were known for their generosity towards the poor and infirm.

Ghoul: "Aye, to be killed by a ghoul is nasty enough, but 'tis worse to be bitten by one, and live; for anyone who survives a ghoul-bite eventually becomes one himself, and that is a fate worse than death." A particularly gruesome undead creature with a never-ending, insatiable craving for organic material - especially flesh.

Hanghorse: The city born atop the ruins of collapsed Tawhoque, the former Gefendur capitol of Sharteshane. Its weird name comes the Hanghorse clan, pyrates who frequented the collapsed port in its earliest days. They were known for stringing horse corpses below their bowsprits until birds and the sun beached them into terrifying, skeletal figureheads.

Horse Dwarves: The exact origin of the "Horse Dwarves" myth is, sadly, lost to the passage of time; however, an account of a reputable historian tells that, back in the days before Tawhoque fell, a passing kender snuck into the grand ball rooms of the Celestial Manse and, acquiring a menu for that night's Formal Ball, so badly butchered the pronunciation of the word hors d'oeuvres that the bastardization quickly entered the common patois. Whatever the case, over time, many households--mostly poor and rural--came to associate the word "Horse Dwarves" with invisible, mischevious spirits that would cause great misfortune to those who displayed a dearth of generosity or compassion. Similar to the Brownies or Fairies of other worlds, the Horse Dwarves would accept small offerings--a glass of milk, a small biscuit, or a scone--and, in return, would bless the house with increased luck for the following year. Additionally, a horseshoe nailed over the casement would also pacify the Horse Dwarves, although legend does not explain why. Curiously, the concept of the Horse Dwarves does not seem to conflict with the Gefendur religion, and there are many devout faithful who also earnestly believe in the equine spirits.

Hotbox: Wood is a valuable resource in Sharteshane - far too valuable to burn. Hotboxes are cheap contraptions that convert thaumaturgical energy to heat energy in varying degrees of efficiency. Most rooms in a household have at least one and the expensive hotboxes of nobles boast a variety of features.

Hoodooink: Tattooed runes or glyphs. A term used to indicate the practice of tattooing magical symbols on the body to augment power or enchantment.

Iocan: A monotheistic religion practised primarily in the northern country of Alderode. Iocans believe that a mortal philosopher/saint named Iocus gathered an army of dissatisfied dead in heaven and overthrew the Gefendur Twins, claiming their power as his own and in essence becoming the One God of all Creation. Needless to say, Iocans and Gefendur rarely get along. Note: Please do not attempt to play an Iocan without PMing GlassShard first and submitting to a long lecture and history lesson.

Ire Yak: Large bovines. These shaggy, thickly hide-bound oxen migrated down the Kasslyne continent long before man had even begun to kindle fires. Though still similar to their ancestors, the Ire Yak of today has been augmented through generations of shrewd, selective breeding to serve their new human stewards. Boasting one of the highest muscle-to-fat ratio of any cattle breed on the continent, as well as a thick, valuable wool, the Ire Yak was the original boon that brought security and wealth to Sharteshane in the first place. Though usually calm, docile animals, during their winter rut the males become aggressive and charge any annoyance. Both males and females grow sturdy horns, but only the females molt them and grow new ones every winter. Both breeds shed their heavy coats in the summer.

Krrf: Krrf is a metallic blue powder, which can be placed under the tongue and absorbed, or melted into a liquid for a more concentrated form and ingested. It is highly hallucigenic, and extremely addictive; unsubstantiated rumours persist that it boosts one's innate magical abilities as well. Once addicted, victims become highly dependent on the substance; withdrawal is painful and tends to, in more severe cases, induce homidical rages. The Customs Office has declared krrf illegal within the limits of Hanghorse and punishable by imprisonment and/or fines; The Eye of Redemption has declared it an Abomination as well.

Lambence: One of the hallmarks of Hanghorse, 'Lambence' is the colloquial name for the unique, illuminated water that wells from springs located deep under the city's foundations. Potable and unexplainable, it serves as both illumination for the underground sections of the city and as a source of study for a specialised branch of scholars who have been working to extract the energy from it. Tawhoque, which Hanghorse was built upon, had most of its lambence springs tainted by the great cataclysm that destroyed the city 125 years ago. The waters that flow in the Underground ruins are now tainted red as blood though pure lambence is still available to the citizens from springs outside the city walls. Lambence comes in a variety of yellows and whites, but the vast majority of it glows a subtle, beautiful blue.

Lambent Clepsydras: A timepiece powered by both the light and movement of Lambence. These clocks work on the same principle as a hotbox, converting the thaumaturgical energy of Lambence into energy. The movement of water in the device is used for aesthetic purposes, since water-based clocks keep poor time. Clepsydras have come into popularity just within the last decade as a beautiful novelty. Often these clocks are large and elaborate affairs, the water directed to flow through the timepiece like veins in a leaf or the soldered seams of stained glass. Lambence of different colors is highly-prized; lambence from Tawhoque most of all for its unique red glow.

Lich Lord: An old legend persists that the underground ruins of Tawhoque are ruled by an insane Lich, miles below the surface. He holds court in the basement of the old Spike, the sunken tower of Towhoque's elite mages, and surrounds himself with his equally insane family, all killed in the city's collapse and raised by the Lich. No one's ever really seen any of these monsters, but they're a favourite rumour of schoolchildren and the paranoid.

The Long Haul: Colloquialism. Refers to the nameless path that leads through Old Tawhoque to both the Eye of Redemption HQ, as well as The Sharteshane Asylum. Also known as Cherry-Plum Row.

Mezzoreth: Drowish-elvish amalgamation: Literally, medium rare.

Mort’s Treasure: Whalers are often surprised when they cut open the beasts they hunt, finding inside a multitude of objects that might have swallowed before it was pulled from the sea. The most memorable of these occurrences happened one stormy night when a crew struggled for over an hour to bring in one of the biggest bulls they’d ever seen. When at last the beast was cut open they found inside the remains of a man sitting in a dingy. He had a peg leg, which under closer examination was carved with the word Mort. Now the extraordinary thing wasn’t that they found a man in the whale’s belly, it was the fact that in his decaying pocket, they found a sapphire the size of a lemon. In fact, each of his pockets was reputed to hold a treasure more fantastical then the last. Or at least that’s how the story goes. To this day whalers will make claims that they’ve struck a “Mort’s Treasure” when they want to brag about a practically good catch or spin a tall tale to their mates.

Mnemonic Law: Some plots of land in Hanghorse fall under the protection of the Mnemonic Law. Early on in the history of the town, some areas were deemed hallowed. They were not allowed to be disturbed for rebuilding. The Eye decided these plots should be free of human inhabitation as a kind of reminder. It is also hypothesized that these sites sit over some of the more active areas of spectral activity in Tawhoque below. Local superstition holds that they are haunted or cursed. Whatever the actual reason, these "hot spots", as they are known, do cause a shiver to race down a person's spine. There have been claims of ghosts or unnatural noises. Squatters still reside in these off limit areas but the law tries to keep them clear. It is hoped that one day these areas will be cleansed.

moulten: Of the thirteen countries of the Kasslyne continent upon which Sharteshane is located, only Alderode, to the very north, worships Iocus, the god-killer. Purportedly he and an army of dissident dead rose up and destroyed the Twins, claiming they had forgotten how to love their children and were unfit to remain in their thrones. Iocus took their power for himself and became the One God. Because worshippers of Iocus have effectively shed, or moulted, worship and responsibilities of the Twins, they're derisively called moulten throughout the Gefendur church. It's not a very nice word and many Iocans will take umbrage.

Nereid: Related to undines, nereids share with them the designation of water elemental though nereids are completely solid and never break down into water as undines do. Exclusively female, nereids most closely resemble human women despite a pair of powerful gills to either side of their lungs and skin pigment that darkens from flesh to blue to camoflauge them in the waters. Nereids almost never leave the water but when they do they're dangerous to mortals in close quarters, having the ability to manipulate running blood and fill the lungs with fluid. Never-aging but decidedly vulnerable, nereids are easier to kill than most imagine. However, they'll regenerate quickly when returned to the ocean.

Old District: The affluent section of town, site of the Governor's mansion, a few posh businesses, and the city's more elaborate residences. While most of Hanghorse is built atop Tawhoque's ruins, the Old District is the only section of the old city that wasn't destroyed. The buildings are of an antiquitous style, grandiose and richly constructed.

Puff: Depending on the context, this can refer to a sylph or air elemental, or possibly a foppish and vapid male.

Quadraglypt (commonly 'glypt): The most popular Gefendur holy symbol, often worn by the faithful as a ward against harm. The top loop represents Yerta, the bottom Tirna. The straight lines simplify Riv and Baelar. (Beautifully designed by Remiel)

Quillcats: Quillcats are a special breed of feline, used by rat catchers for their size, agility, and strength, and collected by the wealthy as exotic pets. They originated in the forests of Sharteshane. Their domestication is fairly recent, later then the domestication of housecats. They are twice the size of a normal house cat and have short tails similar to a lynx's. Their name comes from the sharp quills that cover their entire dorsal area, including their tail. Small, stubby horns adorned their head at the inside corner of each tufted ear. Weirdest of all are their paws. On each front foot the thumb is longer then a normal cat’s and jointed. They are deadly hunters, loyal, and intelligent.

Sea Mushroom: An aquatic plant-like animal, distantly related to the sea anemone. Commonly found on the ocean floor next to underwater volcanos and continental fissures, they can grow anywhere from three feet to ten feet in height. Somewhat phallic in appearance, the Sea Mushroom feeds on algae and decaying plant and animal detritus. The flat pink "head" of the Mushroom is pressure-sensitive, and is dormant until a fish or other marine animal brushes up against it, upon which dozens of tentacles are released. The tentacles are the main feeding organs of the mushroom, and strip the passing fish of dead scales and other parasites. Thus it has acquired a symbiotic relationship with many bottom-feeders, much like remoras and sharks. Rumours of nereids using the Sea Mushroom for recreational activities are as yet unsubstantiated.

Shadows: Known more accurately as "Shadow Steppers" by those that study Sharteshane's wildlife, these nasty little buggers are rare. Completely incorporeal in pitch blackness, they upgrade to mere invisibility in simple shadow. They're almost never seen in direct light but if you're fortunate to catch a glimpse, they solidify as humanoid creatures, five feet tall when fully grown, skin black and bubbly like tar with lean, wirey musculature. Possessed of avian bones, hollow and slight, hands like talons, and small, sharp teeth, they make up for lack of strength with speed and cunning. Children and the frail are their favourite prey. Wards are unable to keep these intelligent creatures out of the cities of men, but they naturally detest the bright lights of civilisation, preferring rural villages, highways, and bogs. There hasn't been a Shadow reported in Hanghorse in years but more than a few travellers' children have been lost to hungry Shadows on the road to town.

Sharteshane: The easternmost country on the Kasslyne continent made up mostly of volcanic rock, vast quarries, and known for its tarnet and lambence. Sharteshane city, its capitol, is located to the north. Hanghorse is on top of old Tawhoque, positioned right around the country's navel. Sharteshane is a monarchy and the same family has ruled it since its inception.

Skull Pilot: Most commonly, this refers to a necromancer, witch, or voodoo doctor; anyone who is capable of creating and controlling zombies. Derogatory slang.

Skull Puppet: Conversely, this usually means a zombie, although it can also refer to someone who is naive, gullible, or easily led.

Smoke Eels: These magickal beasts hide themselves in mist and fog. With bodies made up completely of smoke, they particularly adore secreting themselves in the torches of travellers and darting their bony heads out at the back of the unaware bearer's neck, tearing out the jugular in one swift, clean movement. They resemble electric eels in their solid form, with sharp, bony ridges along their spines, excellent eyesight, jaws prickling with three rows of sharp teeth, and powerful crushing and asphyxiating strength. They are immune to physical attacks, weapons merely passing through their insubstantial forms, but if you're quick enough to catch them with wind magicks, you might disperse the creatures and make a hasty get away before they've reformed. They're kept out of the city proper by wards, but they frequent Hanghorse Cove, the Bay, and the areas outside Hanghorse itself.

Sortilege Office: Each major Sharteshane city hosts a branch of the Sortilege Office, housing members of the Royal Department of Sortilege and Divination (RDSD). These agents monitor mystical and spectral activity in their jurisdiction, using innate or learned powers to - quite simply - try and predict the future for the King and the local government.

Sucker: In smuggling terms it refers to a person who hides goods by swallowing them. Some Suckers even tie a string to the item, pulling it out of their stomach so they don’t have to deal with the more unpleasant means of retrieval associated with the act.

Sylph: Air elementals. Sharteshane sylphs are androgynous unseens. They're mischievious, misbehaving imps, continuously forming and unforming as cold winds buffet hot. Storms are birthed from their couplings with nereids and undines, their sisters. Because of this, during crucial periods in the history of Hanghorse harbour, nereids and undines have been captured and even killed simply to keep the weather calm.

Tarnet: Hanghorse is surrounded on two sides by dense forests of petrified tarnet trees. Their stone trunks and canvas woven from flax found in their broad, stiff leaves, are used extensively throughout the city as building material. The stone has an odd but beautiful grey "grain" that lends it the quality of an otherworldly marble, and it's become a desireable material among furniture crafters and masons, one of the city's main exports.

Tarnet Dryads: The native tree spirits of Sharteshane are a tragic lot. Linked to the tarnet woodlands, they are withered and weakened from the magic that warps the trees in which they reside. The curse leaves these creatures smaller and frailer then normal dryads. They also have far less power then their Undine, Sylph, or Nereid cousins. In appearance, they generally resemble their trees: bark-colored skin, feet with twiggy toes, and hair that ends in stalk-like limbs complete with leaves. Tarnet dryads are shy and paranoid around others. The older they become the less their grip on reality - as a tree in Sharteshane petrifies, so does its dryad go mad.

Tarnet Paper: A special writing medium made from a mixture of tarnet leaves and linen pulp. Durable and difficult to tear, it is the perfect medium for books on magic and other subjects that require a more tenacious page for tricky manuscripts. A dull gray in color, ink does not bleed on it.

Tarnet wolves: Stalking the vast wilderness of the petrified woods, these massive canines have adapted themselves to a harsh existence, hunting the great three-tusks of the forests (powerful but lumbering beasts that resemble woolly mammoths bred with rhinoceri) in pack formation. When humans become their intended suppers, they attack with great skill, surprise, and subtlety, surrounding the victim from all sides before closing in for the kill. A ruddy reddish-brown, these creatures are three times the size of common timber wolves with sky-blue eyes and great, powerful jaws. Their saliva contains a mild nerve toxin that induces seizures and unconsciousness. By night, they can often be heard carefully grooming their claws, coating them with this violent venom in preparation for the next day's hunting. Fierce, lethal, intelligent as goblins with a primitive language of tonal yaps and barks, the tarnet wolves are the most feared beasts in the immediate area. They're kept out of the city proper by wards, but they frequent Hanghorse Cove, the Bay, and the areas outside Hanghorse itself.

Teshamlooms: A particular fungus that grows in the lichen fields in the southwest portion of Sharteshane's continent. Mainly eaten as the staple diet of the native cattle. They are hearty in nutrients and, surprisingly, rich in minerals. By adapting their physiology to the petrifying properties of the Sharteshane soil, they yield an astounding amount of both protien, iron, and a cornocopia of other vitamins. However, as a side effect, as they are broken down, they release prodigious amounts of hemotoxin; an apparent side effect of their unique biology. Only the Ire Yak that thrive on the fungus are able to digest it because of a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in their gut that convert the poison to vinegar, and then to sugar.

Twin’s Road: It was believed once that roads that crossed multiple times were blessed by the twins. Some cities and towns would go out of their way to create pathways that intersected again and again. This contributed to towns with twisted, labyrinth layouts, where streets looped back and around themselves, creating multiple intersections. The practice didn’t last long though; it died out due to the cost and impracticality of this kind of construction. One of the most famous examples is the Twin’s Octi. Two roads, one going northeast to southwest, and the other from the southeast to northwest, interweave eight times, like two vines intertwining, as they go through Sharteshane. At each point of intersection is a statue of a twin facing in the direction of its counter part at the next intersection. Yerta’s fawn stands in the exact center of the construct surrounded by the town of Fawn's Rest. (You can call a location by the twin. Lower South Yerta. Lower South Riv. Middle South Tirna. Middle South Baeler. Yertas stand at the edge. Then Rivs. Then Baelars. The Tirnas are the inner most intersections.)

Twin Toggery (aka Twin’s Togs, Clothed in the Twins, or Twin's Scribble): Is the act of tattooing Scripture and images of the Twins onto the body. It is thought that the presence of these tattoos will increase the holiness of a person, their intimacy, and their ability to communicate with divine beings. It is also used to show devoutness to the Twins.

Two-way Parchment (aka t'way): Books can be enchanted identical, the one magically striving to copy the other, so that no matter how one is changed the other will similarly adapt to it. This concept is used in the formation of two-ways, matched books that allow for written communication over immense distances. Pubs and government offices often have an assortment of two-ways connecting with major cities and will allow messages to be sent for a fee. Encrypted two-ways are the primary method of communication for local offices - both municipal and sortilogical - with the capitol. T'wayers are mages specializing in the difficult task of enchanting these books for private customers. Private t'ways are very expensive, but infinitely useful.

Undead hounds: Very much what their name suggests, these are the patrolling pets of the liches and zombies that haunt Tawhoque's ruins. Mainly mastiffs and great danes, in death they retain their slobbering chompers with preternatural speed, strength, and unnerving intelligence added to their arsonals. Silver weapons, Holy magicks, and fire of course are the most effective means of combatting them, but these one-minded, faithful hounds will take one hell of a licking in the name of their distant manipulators. They're kept out of the city proper by wards, but they frequent Hanghorse Cove, the Bay, and the areas outside Hanghorse itself.

Undines: The truest sort of water elementals, these woman-shaped nymphs move easily from flesh to liquid and are nearly invulnerable, boasting effortless control over water. They don't tend to be the brightest of things.

Vaws: From the avian family. Carnivorious. Native to Sharteshane. Very similar to ducks, but fanged, with completely black plumage and smouldering red eyes. Likes to congregate in ponds, canals, and the Fountain, and can be convinced to eat breadcrumbs instead of children.