Extraordinary Zoology (21 page)

Cygnar:
A southern kingdom ruled by King Leto Raelthorne and bearing the Cygnus on its flag. Generally considered the most prosperous and technologically advanced of the Iron Kingdoms.

Devourer Wurm:
An ancient and terrifying primal god of natural chaos, hunger, and predation that is described as the great ancient enemy of Menoth. Also called the Beast of Many Shapes, the Devourer is said to exist in every beast that hunts other living things as well as natural destructive phenomena such as lightning, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires. In some myths, the Wurm is seen as the male embodiment of nature, while Dhunia is the female embodiment. Viewed by Dhunian races as their divine father.

Dhunia:
The primal goddess of fertility, the seasons, and nature and thought by her adherents to be embodied by Caen itself. Her worshipers are primarily gobbers, ogrun, and trollkin but also include some wilderness races like the farrow. In some myths, Dhunia is seen as the female embodiment of nature, while the Devourer Wurm is the male embodiment. Viewed by Dhunian races as their divine mother.

dire troll:
Massive trolls that stand up to eighteen feet tall, with oversized fists, huge claws, and jutting tusks nearly two feet long. They possess incredible strength and resilience as well as a nearly insatiable hunger that drives them to eat almost anything they can catch. The hunger and violence of the dire trolls is feared even by other troll species. Only in recent memory have trollkin begun to befriend dire trolls and employ them in battle.

dracodile:
Vicious and powerful reptilian ambush predators that dwell in swamps and marshes.

dragon:
Immortal, unnatural, intelligent, and supremely powerful supernatural creatures spawned by Lord Toruk, the first and greatest of their number. Dragons are solitary and hostile to their progenitor and rarely notice the affairs of lesser beings.

farrow:
A boar-like race inhabiting the wild areas of Immoren, notable for high intelligence and sophisticated tool use as well as the capacity to learn the languages of other races. Scavenging and raiding are vital aspects of farrow culture, which has provoked frequent conflict with their neighbors.

fell caller:
Paragons of trollkin culture and pride, these sons and daughters of Bragg (the legendary progenitor of their bloodline) raise their powerful voices in song to rally their allies toward heroic efforts or shatter flesh and bone through the force of their sonic attacks.

fog drake:
A specific breed of drake, being large territorial reptiles unrelated to the dragons or dragonspawn they superficially resemble. Fog drakes dwell in swamps, lakes, and marshes and are reputed to be able to create fog to assist their hunts.

gatormen:
A bipedal, intelligent reptilian race resembling their namesake. They are among the most formidable warriors in western Immoren, as few can rival their raw killing power; even unarmed gatormen are fearsome due to their strong jaws and flesh-ripping teeth. They dwell in a variety of remote swamps, marshes, and riverbanks.

gobber:
A diminutive race of inquisitive, nimble, and entrepreneurial individuals that have adapted well to the cities of men. Most gobbers are around three feet tall. Gobbers are known to have undeniable aptitude for mechanikal devices and alchemy.

gorgandur:
Enormous monstrous serpents that dwell in deep subterranean burrows, venturing aboveground so rarely they are thought by many to be mythical. Their appearances are connected with tremendous destruction and mayhem.

Immoren:
The continent containing the Iron Kingdoms, Ios, Rhul, the Skorne Empire, and the lands between them. Much of Immoren remains unexplored, and its inhabitants have had limited contact with other continents.

Inquisition:
A Cygnaran political organization originally created to stamp out sorcery and gather intelligence but which earned notoriety during the reign of Vinter Raelthorne IV for its role in eliminating the king’s political enemies and enforcing obedience through terror. After the Lion’s Coup the organization was disbanded and declared illegal, its members arrested, pardoned, or gone into hiding. It has since served as a subversive group loyal to the exiled Vinter.

Ios/Iosan:
An isolationist nation east of Llael and north of the Bloodstone Marches, Ios was founded long before the nations of men by survivors of a destroyed empire called Lyoss. It is inhabited by a long-lived elven race that has suffered a long gradual decline and faces an imminent cosmological catastrophe.

kaelram:
Massive, tough-skinned herbivores with long, curving tusks. These powerful pachyderms have sometimes been used as beasts of burden by the Idrians on the fringes of the Protectorate of Menoth.

Khador:
The northernmost of the Iron Kingdoms, once a kingdom and now an empire. The Khadoran Empire is ruled by Empress Ayn Vanar.

kith:
A trollkin extended-family group within a larger kriel. Members of a kith are typically closely related by blood.

kithkar:
A war leader of the trollkin, occupying a role similar to that of an officer in a human army.

korune:
A lord who accepts the permanent service of an ogrun warrior. While korunes were originally themselves also ogrun, the concept has been extended to anyone to whom an ogrun has sworn, most commonly Rhulfolk.

kriel:
The most important divisions of trollkin culture and the equivalent of a trollkin tribe or clan, varying greatly in size but always comprising several affiliated kith. Members of the same kriel share the same
quitari
pattern on their clothing.

Lancer:
A rugged yet agile Cygnaran warjack developed with an emphasis on defense and survivability. Each is equipped with an arc node, a vital piece of technology that allows its warcaster to cast spells at a greater distance.

Lion’s Coup:
The Cygnaran coup in 594 AR led by Leto Raelthorne, who ousted his tyrannical brother Vinter IV to begin his reign. The coup was facilitated by Leto’s position as warmaster general of the Cygnaran Army, which allowed him to organize his loyal officers to assist in the palace revolt and to minimize the involvement of Vinter’s loyalists.

Llael:
Once the smallest and easternmost Iron Kingdom but largely conquered during the recent Llaelese War. Llael is presently divided between Khador, the Protectorate of Menoth, and the Llaelese Resistance.

Madrak Ironhide:
The foremost chieftain of the displaced trollkin kriels of the Thornwood Forest. Madrak eventually rises to become one of the key leaders of the “United Kriels.”

Menite/Menoth:
A worshiper of Menoth, the primal god credited by his worshipers with the creation of aspects of the world itself, including the division of the water from the land, the ordering of the seasons, and most importantly, the creation of humanity. Menoth’s gifts to humanity included fire, agriculture, masonry, and the written word in the form of the True Law, his divine commandments. The largest number of Menites are found in Khador and the Protectorate of Menoth; most humans consider Menoth their creator but are not necessarily Menites. Menite worship declined with the rise of the faith of Morrow.

Merywyn:
The former capital of Llael, presently the most important industrial city held in the Khadoran-occupied territory.

Molgur-Og:
The native language of ogrun across western Immoren, derived from the ancient Molgur tongue. Generally only spoken between ogrun.

Molgur-Trul:
The native language of the trollkin, derived from the ancient Molgur tongue.

Morrow:
One of the Twins, brother to Thamar, and a god who was once mortal but who ascended to divinity by achieving enlightenment. Also known as the Prophet, Morrow is a benevolent god who emphasizes self-sacrifice, good works, and honorable behavior. The organized religion of Morrow is the largest and most widespread faith in the Iron Kingdoms, the majority faith in Cygnar, Khador, Llael, and Ord. The Church of Morrow has considerable wealth and influence.
See also
Thamar.

ogrun:
A large and physically powerful race renowned for their great strength and honor. Most ogrun are citizens of Rhul, though they can be found throughout the Iron Kingdoms and are also present in the Scharde Isles serving Cryx.

Ord:
The kingdom on the western coast between Khador and Cygnar, largely neutral in the recent wars and seen as a haven for mercenary companies.

Orgoth:
A fearsome race of men from an unknown continent west across the Meredius who invaded and enslaved western Immoren for centuries. The Orgoth were driven out just over four hundred years ago.

quitari:
Traditional tartan patterns worn by each trollkin that usually represents the wearer’s home kriel. In recent times, some trollkin have created new patterns or adopted the
quitari
of the chieftain or war leader they serve, even if not originally from the same kriel.

Radcliffe carbine:
A long-range military rifle that utilizes a five-chambered ammo wheel.

Raelthorne, Vinter IV:
The deposed king of Cygnar. Vinter’s skill and ferocity in battle were exceeded only by his cruelty and paranoia. He is considered a tyrant but is also arguably the best swordsman in the history of Immoren.

Raelthorne, King Leto:
The current king of Cygnar, Leto Raelthorne seized the throne from his older brother Vinter IV during the Lion’s Coup of 594 AR.

Retribution (of Scyrah):
Once outlawed as dangerously radical, this militant Iosan religious sect seeks to avenge the imminent doom of their goddess Scyrah by killing human arcanists, whom they hold to blame.

Scarleforth Lake:
A large lake south of Ios and adjacent to the Glimmerwood within the Bloodstone Marches.

Scyrah:
Once one of eight gods within the Iosan Divine Court pantheon, representing Spring, Scyrah has become the primary goddess of Ios. She currently languishes in a state of slow death mirroring the steady decline of the elven race, but this is a matter not discussed with non-Iosans.

Seekers:
Members of an Iosan minority religious sect who actively search for the solution to the mysterious ailment that has afflicted the goddess Scyrah, which they believe likely exists outside the borders of Ios. This motivates some Seekers to cooperate with and form alliances with outsiders.

Skirov:
Ethnic majority of the Skirovnya volozk in northern Khador.

skorne:
A race originating from eastern Immoren that crossed the Bloodstone Desert and Marches to make war on the west. The product of a harsh and brutally strict culture, they seem bent on the conquest of the Iron Kingdoms. The Skorne Empire boasts a highly disciplined and versatile army that employs a variety of enslaved beasts to fight alongside their soldiers.

sons of Bragg:
See
fell caller.

steamjack:
A steam-powered mechanikal construct designed in a variety of configurations and sizes, used for both labor and warfare throughout the Iron Kingdoms, Cryx, and Rhul.

steamo:
An informal nickname used to refer to a member of Cygnar’s Steam & Iron Worker’s Union.

swamp gobbers:
Clever and hardy diminutive gobbers found in bogs and marshes, particularly in the eastern Thornwood and the Widower’s Wood outside Corvis. There is no physiological distinction between swamp gobbers and those dwelling in cities, so the term is cultural and descriptive.