Game of the Ancients Vol I: Appendix

[masterghandalf]

Appendix: Eberron Glossary

This is a glossary of terms from the Eberron setting that are directly relevant in some way to Game of the Ancients: Part I.

Age of Demons: Time period early in Eberron’s history, when the world was ruled by the Overlords and their fiendish servants. It followed the Age of Dragons, and preceded the Age of Giants.

Adar: Small, mountainous nation in southern Sarlona, homeland of the kalashtar.

Aerenal: An island continent inhabited by elves; also the name of the nation which is located there.

Arcane Magic: Form of magic that directly manipulates the energies of Eberron and the planes, typically mastered by either long study or innate ability. Wizards and sorcerers use this power.

Argonessen: Continent, homeland of the dragons. Little known to the people of the Five Nations.

Ashtakala: City in the Demon Wastes, headquarters of the Lords of Dust.

Aundair: One of the Five Nations of Khorvaire, ruled by Queen Aurala. Notable for its advances in the research of arcane magic.

Aureon: A deity of the Sovereign Host, associated with law, civilization, and arcane magic.

Blood of Vol: The third-largest religious movement in Khorvaire, commonly practiced in Karrnath. It views all life as a struggle against death and is concerned with the pursuit of immortality.

Breland: One of the Five Nations of Khorvaire, ruled by King Boranel. A cosmopolitan land home to the great city of Sharn.

Cannith: Human Dragonmarked House which created a variety of magical constructs, including the warforged.

Chamber, the: An organization of dragons who seek to use the Prophecy to guide the fate of Eberron.

Changeling: A race of humanoids with the power to change their appearance, distrusted and persecuted in most of Khorvaire.

Church of the Silver Flame: Religious movement founded in Thrane by Tira Miron, chiefly concerned with the struggle of good against evil. The second-largest religion in Khorvaire.

Cleric: A priest of one of a number of religions to be found across Khorvaire, who channels divine magic based on their devotion to a deity, force, or concept.

Crimson Covenant: The ruling council of the Order of the Emerald Claw.

Cyre: Formerly one of the Five Nations of Khorvaire and the heartland of the old Kingdom of Galifar. It was destroyed in a magical cataclysm at the end of the Last War and is now known as the Mournland.

Daelkyr: Race of powerful fiends native to the Realm of Madness; they invaded Eberron millennia ago and were repulsed by the druids.

Dal Quor: The Realm of Dreams, and home of the Quori. Unlike the other planes it cannot be visited physically, only in dream.

Darguun: Goblinoid nation in southern Khorvaire, ruled by the hobgoblin Lhesh Haruuc.

Deathless: Someone who has transcended mortality by drawing on positive energy and the faith of others; the members of the Undying Court are deathless.

Demon Wastes: Desolate region on the northwest coast of Khorvaire, home to fiends of various types and their mortal servants. Seat of the Lords of Dust.

Deneith: Human Dragonmarked House which fields large private armies, whose services are sold as mercenaries and peacekeepers.

Dhakaani Empire: Ancient goblinoid empire that controlled most of Khorvaire millennia ago, before the arrival of humans.

Divine Magic: Form of magic that derives from a profound commitment to a god, higher power, or philosophy. Clerics, druids, and paladins use this power.

Dol Arrah: A deity of the Sovereign Host and the sister of Dol Dorn, associated with virtue, sacrifice, and just war.

Dol Dorn: A deity of the Sovereign Host and the brother of Dol Arrah, associated with war, conflict, and competition.

Dolurrh: The Realm of the Dead.

Dragon: Long-lived race of winged, reptilian creatures native to Argonessen, known for their physical power, keen intellect, and mastery of arcane magic. Most have little to do with the day-to-day affairs of other races.

Dragonmark: Mystical sigils which appear on the skins of certain bloodlines, conferring various abilities. The bloodlines which carry these marks are organized as the Dragonmarked Houses.

Dragonmarked Houses: Organizations based around the bloodlines that carry dragonmarks; officially neutral in the conflict between nations, they offer a variety of services to the highest bidder.

Dragonshard: A crystal with various magical uses; they come in three varieties based on where they are found, named for the three Progenitor Dragons.

Druid: A priest of one of a number of religious sects commonly found in the Eldeen Reaches, who wields divine magic derived from communion with nature.

Durastoran the Wyrmbreaker: A rakshasa, considered by some to be the most powerful of the Lords of Dust.

Eberron: The earth; also one of the Progenitor Dragons, the Dragon Between.

Eldeen Reaches: A loose nation in northwest Khorvaire, consisting largely of untamed wilderness. Many druidic sects are based here.

Elf: A race of ethereal, long-lived humanoids native to Xen’drik, but who currently inhabit Aerenal and can be found across Khorvaire.

Fiend: Umbrella term for malign, immortal spirits.

Five Nations: The five core provinces of the kingdom of Galifar which fell to civil war and declared independence a century ago; they are Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane.

Flamekeep: The capital of Thrane and seat of the Church of the Silver Flame.

Galifar: Powerful kingdom which once controlled most of Khorvaire. Collapsed into civil war a century ago.

Galifar I: Historical king who first unified the Five Nations and the founder of the Kingdom of Galifar, from whom it took its name.

Giant: Race of towering humanoids who once ruled an empire in Xen’drik and kept elves as slaves. Their empire was destroyed by the dragons and they fell to a savagery from which they never recovered.

Goblinoid: A race of bestial humanoids who once ruled the Dhakaani Empire before humans came to Khorvaire. Self-divided into three races based on size – goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears, in increasing order.

Half-elf: A person of mixed human and elf blood.

Half-orc: A person of mixed human and orc blood.

Human: The most common race across most of Eberron, originating in Sarlona but now spread across the world.

Kalashtar: An offshoot of humanity that have great skill in the psionic arts, native to Adar.

Inspired: The enigmatic ruling class of Riedra. Though revered as living gods by their followers, they have a long-standing enmity with the kalashtar.

Ir: Prefix appended to the surname of a person with noble blood across the Five Nations.

Kaius ir’Wynarn III: King of Karrnath, known as a man of peace abroad but enforces his rule at home with draconian means. Nurses a private but intense hatred for the Order of the Emerald Claw.

Karrlakton: A city in Karrnath.

Karrn the Conqueror: Legendary warlord considered the founding father of the realm of Karrnath.

Karrnath: One of the Five Nations of Khorvaire, ruled by King Kaius III. A grim, militaristic land that supplemented its troops with undead soldiers during the Last War.

Keeper of the Flame: The leader of the Church of the Silver Flame and de facto ruler of Thrane.

Khyber: The underworld, home of fiends; also one of the Progenitor Dragons, the Dragon Below.

Khorvaire: Continent home to the Five Nations and site of the Last War, currently experiencing an uneasy peace.

Korth: The capital of Karrnath.

Last War, The: Bloody war of succession that tore the Kingdom of Galifar apart into the Five Nations and lasted the better part of a century; ended by the Mourning, but tensions endure.

Lich: An arcane spellcaster who has attained immortality by transforming themselves into an undead creature.

Lightning Rail: A swift mode of transportation which resembles a magically-powered train line. Created and operated by House Orien.

Lycanthrope: Humanoids cursed to become beasts during the full moons, largely wiped out by the Church of the Silver Flame centuries ago. The descendants of a lycanthrope and a regular humanoid are shifters.

Lords of Dust: An organization of rakshasas and other fiends who seek to use the Prophecy to release the Overlords and bring about a new Age of Demons.

Lyrandar: Half-elf Dragonmarked House which operates ocean and river vessels and airships.

Morgrave University: Prestigious university in Sharn known for the fields of history and archaeology, though its faculty have been accused of dubious practices in these areas.

Mourning, The: The magical cataclysm that destroyed Cyre and ended the Last War; its origins remain unknown.

Mournland: The blasted wasteland that was once Cyre.

Necromancer: A wizard who practices necromancy, the branch of arcane magic dealing with death and the undead; regarded with distaste in most of Khorvaire, but honored by the followers of the Blood of Vol.

Orc: A race of humanoids native to western Khorvaire, stereotyped as bestial but possessing a rich druidic culture.

Order of the Emerald Claw: A Karrn nationalist organization which practices an extreme form of the Blood of Vol; considered a terrorist organization in most of Khorvaire.

Orien: Human Dragonmarked House which owns and operates the Lightning Rail.

Overlords: Also called Rajahs; malevolent beings of godlike power who ruled Eberron during the Age of Demons. Currently bound by the Silver Flame and powerless.

Paladin: A holy warrior who augments their martial skills with divine magic; many paladins serve the Silver Flame or Dol Arrah.

Path of Light: A religious and philosophical system practiced by kalashtar and some humans.

Phiarlan: Elf Dragonmarked House whose members serve as entertainers and, more covertly, spies and assassins.

Planes: Alternate realities that correspond to different aspects of the universe; thirteen are known to exist.

Progenitor Dragons: Three cosmic beings, characterized as great dragons, from whose bodies the cosmos was born – Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber.

Prophecy, The: Or Draconic Prophecy. Not a singular foretelling, but a means of reading the future as written across the fabric of Eberron, expressed as a vastly complex web of if-then scenarios.

Psionics: Form of magic based on mental discipline and strength of will. Psions use this power.

Psion: Someone who achieves magical abilities through intense mental discipline. Though common in Sarlona, psions are rare and poorly understood in Khorvaire.

Queen of Death, The: A lich, and the mysterious true leader of the Order of the Emerald Claw. Believed to have been an elf in her mortal life.

Quori: Various forms of spirit native to Dal Quor. Most contemporary Quori are malevolent and counted as fiends, save those bonded to the kalashtar.

Rakshasa: Race of immortal, shapeshifting fiends native to Eberron; once the foremost servants of the Overlords, many long for a return to the Age of Demons.

Rekkenmark: A city in Karrnath.

Riedra: Vast, insular empire that controls most of the continent of Sarlona, governed by a mysterious ruling class known as the Inspired.

Sarlona: Continent where humans originated, now largely under the control of the monolithic empire of Riedra.

Siberys: The heavens; also one of the Progenitor Dragons, the Dragon Above, who was slain by his sister Khyber.

Shadow in the Flame, The: Personal title of one of the Overlords of the Age of Demons, temporarily freed a millennium ago but bound once again by Tira Miron.

Sharn: The largest city in Khorvaire, located in Breland. Also called the City of Towers because of its distinctive architecture.

Shifter: A race of humanoids descended from humans and lycanthropes; they have a somewhat bestial appearance and can take on certain animalistic traits at will.

Silver Flame: A magical force that has the power to bind evil spirits; venerated as divine by the Church of the Silver Flame.

Sorcerer: Spellcaster who has an innate ability to use arcane magic; sorcery is inherited through the bloodline and often hints towards a distant ancestor who was some form of magical being.

Sovereign Host and Dark Six: The pantheon of gods most commonly worshipped in Khorvaire, divided into two groups. The Sovereign Host are positive or constructive powers, and the Dark Six negative or destructive ones.

Tashana Tundra: Arctic wasteland in Sarlona, located north of Riedra.

Tira Miron: A paladin, the founder and prophet of the Church of the Silver Flame.

Thrane: One of the Five Nations of Khorvaire, officially ruled by Queen Diani but effectively controlled by the Church of the Silver Flame. The homeland of the Church and considered a hotbed of religious fanaticism among the other nations.

Thaliost: A city that was once controlled by Aundair and now belongs to Thrane.

Thuranni: Elf Dragonmarked House, a splinter group of House Phiarlan.

Traveler, The: A shapeshifting trickster god and one of the Dark Six. Venerated by criminals, con artists, and changelings.

Undead: Someone who has transcended mortality by drawing on negative energy, often by feeding parasitically on the living. Though most undead are mindless, the more powerful, including vampires and liches, retain their memories and personalities.

Undying Court, The: Organization based on Aerenal, consisting of the magically preserved ancestors of the Aereni people. Though they do not directly rule Aerenal, their wisdom and longevity is greatly respected and they are worshipped as patrons, guides, and protectors by their living descendants.

Valenar: Militaristic elven nation in southern Khorvaire, traditional rivals of Darguun; also the name of the elvish culture that inhabits it.

Warforged: Artificial race of mechanical humanoids created by House Cannith during the Last War, used as shock troops by most of the Five Nations. Officially emancipated at the end of the war.

Wizard: Spellcaster who uses arcane magic derived from years of study and practice.

Xen’drik: Continent that still bears the scars of some ancient, magical conflict. Original homeland of the couatl, giants, and elves.

Xoriat: The Realm of Madness, home of the Daelkyr.