The Gates of Night: The Dreaming Dark - Book 3 (43 page)

dream serpent:
Large snakes native to the continent of Xen’drik. The venom of the dream serpent causes its victim to fall into a deep slumber. The drow of Xen’drik often hunt dream serpents, both as a source of food and to harvest the potent venom of these creatures.

Dreaming Dark:
1) A secret order of psionic spies and assassins that serves as the eyes and hands of the quori in Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams. 2) The spiritual force that guides all of the quori; also known as
il-Lashtavar
, the Darkness that Dreams.

drow:
A humanoid race found on the continent of Xen’drik. There are many similarities between drow and elves, and the drow are often called “dark elves”—a reference to their pitch-black skin and their nocturnal tendencies.

dryad:
A fey wood-spirit. A dryad is bound to a specific tree, although she can usually venture out and travel a short distance. Dryads associated with darkwood trees—such as Lady Darkheart—are particularly powerful.

Eberron:
1) The world. 2) A mythical dragon said to have formed the world from her body in primordial times and to have given birth to natural life. Also known as “the Dragon Between.” See
Khyber, Siberys
.

Eidolon:
A gestalt entity formed from spirits of the dead that have somehow avoided Dolurrh. The religion of the Silver Flame holds that noble souls are drawn to the Flame after death. If true, this would make the Silver Flame an eidolon of immense age and power.

Eldeen Reaches:
Once this term was used to describe the vast stretches of woodland found on the west coast of Khorvaire, inhabited mostly by nomadic shifter tribes and druidic sects. In 958 YK the people of western Aundair broke ties with the Audairian crown and joined their lands to the Eldeen Reaches, vastly increasing the population of the nation and bringing it into the public eye.

eternal fire:
See cold fire.

everbright lantern:
A lantern infused with cold fire, creating a permanent light source. These items are used to provide illumination in most of the cities and larger communities of Khorvaire. An everbright lantern usually has a shutter allowing the light to be sealed off when darkness is desirable.

excoriate:
A person who has been expelled from a dragonmarked house. An excoriate is stripped of the family name and any property held by the house and is not welcome at house enclaves. Members and allies of the house are urged to shun excoriates. Prior to the foundation of Galifar, houses often flayed the victim’s dragonmark off of his body. While only temporary, this was a brutal and visible way of displaying the anger of the house. See
dragonmarked houses
.

Eye of Deneith:
Most of the dragonmark houses have two heraldic emblems—a magical beast associated with the history of the house and a simpler, iconic symbol. The three-headed chimera is the beast of Deneith, while its icon is a silver eye surrounded by the golden rays of the sun. This symbol is known as the Watchful Eye or the Eye of Deneith.

Fernia:
A plane of existence known as the Sea of Fire.

Ferric:
The innkeeper of the Crooked Tree. Ferric is a powerful fey in his own right, and he gains additional power from serving the Crooked Tree. A cunning trickster, Ferric is also a dedicated enemy of the Woodsman.

fey:
A term used to describe the natives of the plane of Thelanis. The fey—also known as faeries—are creatures of magic and mystery. Many fey have a close bond to nature, such as the dryad wood-spirit. In the lore of Eberron, fey are typically seen as tricksters.

Fifth:
Another name for the warforged Pierce, used by Talin and Aleisa d’Cannith.

Final Lands:
The afterlife of the Qaltiar. The Final Lands are said to be a series of tests for the fallen warrior. Those who succeed in these tests get to join the spirits of other triumphant heroes in an unending battle.

firebinding:
A technique taught to artificers. This art includes the creation of cold fire and true flame, allowing an artificer to produce a flaming sword or to slay an armored knight by boiling him in his armor.

Five Nations:
The five provinces of the Kingdom of Galifar—Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane.

“Flame!”:
A common oath derived from the divine force known as the Silver Flame.

Flamewind:
A sphinx residing in the city of Sharn, where she is respected for her oracular powers. She is an occasional agent of Thelania, and passed information to Daine, Lei, Jode, and Pierce on behalf of the Queen of Dusk.

’forged:
A slang term for the warforged.

forgehold:
A large facility designed to research and produce magical goods or techniques. Most of the forgeholds in Khorvaire belong to
House Cannith
.

Fourth:
Another name for the warforged now known as Harmattan.

Galifar:
1) A cunning warrior and skilled diplomat who forged five nations into a single kingdom that came to dominate the continent of Khorvaire. 2) The kingdom of Galifar I, which came to an end in 894 YK with the start of the Last War. 3) A golden coin minted by the kingdom, bearing the image of the first king. The golden galifar is still in use today and is worth ten sovereigns.

Gerrion:
A gambler and guide who made his home in
Stormreach
. Born of human and Sulatar parents, Gerrion lured Daine and Lakashtai into a trap. Gerrion was poisoned and left for dead in the plane of
Fernia
.

Ghallanda, House:
A dragonmarked house bearing the Mark of Hospitality.

ghulra:
The mark on the forehead of a warforged. Every warforged has a unique ghulra, much as humans have unique fingerprints.

glamerweave:
A general term used to describe clothing that has been magically altered for cosmetic purposes. A glamerweave outfit may enhance the appearance of the wearer—concealing blemishes, adding color to hair or eyes—or it may simply possess colors or patterns than could never be replicated with mundane fabrics. Glimmersilk is one form of glamerweave.

glyph:
A mystical symbol. Often used to refer to a
glyph of warding
, a magical security system that will unleash a spell on anyone who crosses the glyph without speaking the proper phrase.

gnome:
A race of small humanoids. Gnomes are found across Khorvaire but are concentrated in the nation of Zilargo.

goblinoid:
A general term encompassing three humanoid species—the small and cunning goblins, the warlike hobgoblins, and the large and powerful bugbears.

gorgon:
A large, bull-like creature with scales as hard as iron and breath that turns its enemies to stone. The gorgon is the heraldic symbol of House Cannith. The flesh of the gorgon is considered a delicacy in certain nations, in part because of the difficulty and danger involved in acquiring it.

half-orc:
When humans and orcs interbreed, the offspring typically possess characteristics of both races. These half-orcs are not as bestial in appearance as their orc forbears, but they are larger and stronger than most humans and usually possess a few orcish features, such as a gray skin tone or pronounced canine teeth. Half-orcs are most common in the Shadow Marches but can be found across Khorvaire.

Harmattan:
A charismatic warforged insurgent. Harmattan possesses unusual physical abilities.

High Walls:
A district in the Lower Tavick’s Landing ward of Sharn. During the Last War many foreign nationals living in the city were relocated to High Walls, and the majority of the Cyran refugees living in Sharn reside in this district.

Hul’drac:
One of the great spirits worshipped by the Qaltiar. Hul’drac is the spirit of the shifting panther. He is a cunning hunter who uses guile to avoid the enemy’s blows, and is second only to Vulkoor in the eyes of the Jalaq Qaltiar.

Hunter’s Moon:
One of the regions of Thelanis. The Hunter’s Moon is one of the realms of night, and it is ruled by the Huntsman.

Huntsman:
A faerie lord of Thelanis. The Huntsman is one of the Nine Brothers of Night, each of whom holds dominion over a realm in Thelanis. The Woodsman’s domain is known as the Hunter’s Moon.

Huwen:
A fey spirit who lives beneath the Deepwood Moon in Thelanis. Huwen takes the form of a crow. He has telepathic abilities and claims to feed on secrets.

Hydra:
1) A large reptilian creature with multiple heads. 2) An unusual warforged who serves Harmattan. Hydra’s consciousness is spread between multiple bodies. While Pierce destroyed a number of Hydra’s bodies, it is unknown how many more the warforged may possess.

Indigo:
A warforged assassin who serves
Harmattan
.

Inspired, the:
The lords of the land of Riedra. The subjects of the Inspired say that these nobles are guided by the wisest
spirits of the past. The
kalashtar
believe that the Inspired are conduits for quori spirits: the direct agents of the
Dreaming Dark
on Eberron.

ir’:
When attached to a family name, this prefix indicates one of the aristocratic lines of Galifar. The descendants of King Galifar I belong to the ir’ Wynarn line.

ir’Soras, Teral:
Once a councilor to the court of Cyre, Teral ir’Soras retired from politics to enjoy his middle years. This quiet life came to an end when the Mourning destroyed Cyre. The wounded counselor was found by
illithids
, and these alien creatures transformed him, granting him terrible power in exchange for his service. Teral organized an illithid cult in Sharn but was killed by
Pierce
.

Jalaq Qaltiar:
A particular tribe of the Qaltiar drow. Xu’sasar is the last surviving member of the Jalaq tribe.

Jholeg:
A goblin scout who served in the Cyran army under
Daine’s
command.

Jode:
A former companion of
Daine
. Jode was a halfling with the Mark of Healing, though he never admitted to having a tie to House Jorasco. In 988 YK he took up service in the Queen’s Guard of Cyre along with
Daine
. He served as a healer and occasional scout, using his dragonmark and quick wits to assist his friend. He died in 996 YK, though the circumstances of his death remain a mystery.

Jorasco, House:
A dragonmarked house bearing the Mark of Healing.

kalashtar:
The kalashtar are humans touched by the Dal Quor, the region of dreams. Every kalashtar has a bond to one of the rebellious quori spirits who opposed the
Dreaming Dark
and were forced to flee Dal Quor. By drawing on this bond, kalashtar are often able to develop significant mental powers. Kalashtar use the name of their quori spirit as a suffix. Thus, Lakashtai and Tetkashtai are both kalashtar of the lineage of
Kashtai
.

Karrn:
A citizen of Karrnath.

Karrnath:
One of the original Five Nations of Galifar. Karrnath is a cold, grim land whose people are renowned for their martial prowess. The current ruler of Karrnath is King Kaius ir’ Wynarn III.

Karul’tash:
An ancient forgehold built by the giants of Xen’drik.

Keldan Ridge:
A remote region of hills in southern Cyre. While passing along the ridge in 994, Daine’s soldiers encountered a heavily armed force of unknown nationality. This enemy scattered the Cyran forces. It was this forced retreat that pushed
Daine
, Lei, Pierce, and Jode outside the radius of the Mourning.

Kellan:
A hero of folklore, whose exploits are told to the children of the Five Nations. Kellan was said to have been a knight of Galifar, in the region that is now Aundair. He patrolled the edge of the great forest of the west, and in the process he fought many monsters and occasionally found himself in the plane of Thelanis, where he pitted both blade and cunning against the fey.

Kesht:
A shifter who served under
Daine’s
command during the Last War. He was killed in the battle of Keldan Ridge.

Khorvaire:
One of the continents of Eberron.

Khyber:
1) The underworld. 2) A mythical dragon, also known as “the Dragon Below.” After killing Siberys, Khyber was imprisoned by Eberron and transformed into the underworld. Khyber is said to have given birth to a host of demons and other unnatural creatures. See
Eberron, Siberys
.

Kin:
A changeling from the Eldeen Reaches, Kin was taken to Thelanis at a young age where he was adopted into the service of Thelania.

Ko’molaq:
A spirit known in the legends of the Qaltiar drow, Ko’molaq takes the form of an immense, two-headed serpent. His name translates to “the Keeper of Secrets,” and he is said to possess knowledge of many hidden things.
Krazhal: A dwarf siege engineer who served
Daine
during the Last War. He was killed in the battle of Keldan Ridge.

Kundarak, House:
A dragonmarked house bearing the Mark of Warding.

Kura’tra:
One of the great spirits worshipped by the Qaltiar drow. Kura’tra is the spirit of the tilxin bird, a clever creature who relies on speed and keen senses to outwit the deadly predators of Xen’drik. While the Qaltiar have more respect for predators than prey, Kura’tra is seen as a wise and cunning spirit, and the drow may call on her for inspiration or speed in battle.

Laraek ixen korth!:
A Draconic invocation, roughly translating to “Empowered weapon of fire!”