Pathfinder Tales: Lord of Runes (44 page)

Half-Elves
: The children of unions between elves and humans. Taller, longer-lived, and generally more graceful and attractive than the average human, yet not nearly so much so as their full elven kin.

Half-Orcs
: Born from unions between humans and orcs, members of this race have green or gray skin, brutish appearances, and short tempers, and are mistrusted by many societies.

Halflings
: Race of humanoids known for their tiny stature, deft hands, and mischievous personalities.

Hall of Whispers
: College of necromancy at the Acadamae.

Harrow Deck
: Deck of illustrated cards sometimes used to divine the future. Favored by Varisians.

Harrower
: Fortune-teller who uses a harrow deck to tell the future—or pretends to.

Hell
: Plane of evil and tyrannical order ruled by devils, where many evil souls go after they die.

Hellknights
: Organization of hardened law enforcers whose tactics are often seen as harsh and intimidating, and who bind devils to their will. Based in Cheliax.

Hellspawn
: Someone with fiendish blood, such as from ancestral interbreeding with devils or demons. Often recognizable by their horns, hooves, or other devilish features. Rarely popular in civilized society.

Hemotheurgy
: The magical practices of bloatmages.

Highside Stacks
: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

Hold of Belkzen
: A region populated primarily by savage orc tribes. For more information, see
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Hordes.

Horser
: Derogatory Korvosan term for Shoanti.

Hospice
: One of the Core districts in Kaer Maga.

House Drakes
: Slang term for the tiny, intelligent cousins of true dragons commonly found in the rooftops of Korvosa, where they feed on lesser vermin and combat the imps that infest the city.

House of Thrune
: Current ruling house of Cheliax, which took power following Aroden’s death by making compacts with the devils of Hell. Often called the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune.

Imp
: Weakest of the true devils, resembling a tiny, winged humanoid with fiendish features. The most commonly found devil on the Material Plane. Often used as a familiar.

Inner Sea
: The vast inland sea whose northern continent, Avistan, and southern continent, Garund, as well as the seas and nearby lands, are the primary focus of the Pathfinder campaign setting. Formed by the impact of the Starstone during Earthfall.

Iomedae
: Goddess of valor, rulership, justice, and honor, who in life helped lead the Shining Crusade against the Whispering Tyrant before attaining godhood.

Janderhoff
: Dwarven city in southeastern Varisia.

Kaer Maga
: Legendary city of refugees, outcasts, and criminals situated inside the walls of a giant stone monument. For more information, see
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: City of Strangers
.

Karzoug
: Runelord of Greed; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

Keleshite
: Of or relating to the Empire of Kelesh, far to the east of the Inner Sea region.

Kellids
: Human ethnicity from the northern reaches of the Inner Sea region, traditionally characterized as violent and uncivilized by southerners.

King Xin
: The founder of the Thassilonian Empire and creator of the runelords.

Korvosa
: Largest city in Varisia and outpost of former Chelish loyalists, now self-governed. For more information, see
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Guide to Korvosa
.

Krune
: Runelord of Sloth; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

Kyonin
: Elven forest-kingdom largely forbidden to non-elven travelers.

Lady Luck
: Desna.

Lady of Graves
: Pharasma.

Lastwall
: Nation dedicated to keeping the Whispering Tyrant locked away beneath Gallowspire, as well as keeping the orcs of Belkzen and the monsters of Ustalav in check.

Liches
: Spellcasters who manage to extend their existence by magically transforming themselves into powerful undead creatures.

Lissala
: Mostly forgotten goddess of rune magic; popular in ancient Thassilon.

Magnimar
: Port city in southwestern Varisia, best known for its many monuments, including the enormous bridge called the Irespan.

Mendev
: Cold, northern crusader nation that provides the primary force defending the rest of the Inner Sea region from the demonic infestation of the Worldwound.

Mendevian
: Of or pertaining to Mendev.

Necromancy
: School of magic devoted to manipulating the power of life and death, as well as the creation of undead creatures.

Orc
: Bestial, warlike race of savage humanoids from deep underground who now roam the surface in barbaric bands. Possess green or gray skin and protruding tusks. Almost universally hated by more civilized races.

Oriat
: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

Paladin
: A good and lawful holy warrior. Ruled by a strict code of conduct and granted special magical powers by his or her deity.

Pathfinder
: A member of the Pathfinder Society.

Pathfinder Chronicles
: Books published by the Pathfinder Society detailing the most interesting and educational discoveries of their members.

Pathfinder Lodge
: Meeting house where members of the Pathfinder Society can buy provisions and swap stories.

Pathfinder Society
: Organization of traveling scholars and adventurers who seek to document the world’s wonders. Based out of Absalom and run by a mysterious and masked group called the Decemvirate.

Pharasma
: The goddess of birth, death, and prophecy, who judges mortal souls after their deaths and sends them on to the appropriate afterlife; also known as the Lady of Graves.

Pharasma’s Spire
: The plane on which Pharasma’s realm is found.

Pharasmin
: Of or relating to Pharasma or her worshipers.

Phylactery
: Magical item that holds a lich’s life force, keeping him or her from being killed until the object is destroyed.

Plane
: Realm of existence, such as Heaven, Hell, or the mortal world of the Material Plane.

Quain
: Nation far to the east of the Inner Sea region, in Tian Xia.

Realm of the Mammoth Lords
: Cold and relatively uncivilized land at the far northern end of the Inner Sea region, inhabited by loosely confederated tribes of Kellids.

Riddleport
: Notorious Varisian port city full of mercenaries, thieves, bandits, and pirates.

Riffle Scroll
: Magical scroll shaped like a flipbook, which is activated by flipping the pages rapidly.

River of Souls
: Procession of recently deceased souls traveling from the mortal world to Pharasma’s Boneyard for judgment.

Runelord
: One of seven evil wizards who ruled ancient Thassilon.

Sable Company
: Elite Korvosan military unit.

Sargava
: Former Chelish colony, now independent.

Sarkoris
: Northern nation destroyed by the Worldwound.

Scroll
: Magical document in which a spell is recorded so that it can be released when read, even if the reader doesn’t know how to cast that spell. Destroyed as part of the casting process.

Sczarni
: A subgroup of the Varisian ethnicity known for being wandering thieves and criminals, and contributing greatly to prejudice against Varisians as a whole by other cultures. Often pass themselves off as non-Sczarni Varisians while attempting to avoid detection.

Shadow
: Insubstantial undead spirits that take the form of shadowy silhouettes, and can’t be injured by normal weapons

Shelyn
: The goddess of beauty, art, love, and music.

Shingles
: Slang term for the network of rooftop pathways and dwellings in the Korvosa’s older and poorer section.

Shining Crusade
: The organization responsible for defeating the Whispering Tyrant and his minions a thousand years ago.

Shoanti
: Indigenous peoples of the Storval Plateau in Varisia.

Sihedron
: Seven-pointed star representing the seven runelords of ancient Thassilon as well as the seven sins or schools of magic.

Skentok
: Derogatory Shoanti term for someone who is damaged but still useful.

Skymetal
: Metal that falls to Golarion as meteorites and has exceptional (and sometimes magical) qualities.

Sleeper
: Monument in central Belkzen in which an enormous stone dragon statue coils around a crag.

Slip
: Racial slur referring to a halfling, used primarily in Cheliax.

Sorcerer
: Someone who casts spells through natural ability rather than faith or study.

Sorshen
: Runelord of Lust; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

Spellbook
: Tome in which a wizard transcribes the arcane formulae necessary to cast spells. Without a spellbook, wizards can cast only those few spells held in their mind at any given time.

Starstone
: Stone that fell from the sky ten thousand years ago, creating an enormous dust cloud that blotted out the sun and began the Age of Darkness, wiping out most preexisting civilizations. Eventually raised up from the ocean floor by Aroden and housed in the Cathedral of the Starstone in Absalom, where those who can pass its mysterious and deadly tests can ascend to godhood.

Storval Plateau
: High, rocky badlands making up the eastern portion of Varisia.

Sun Orchid Elixir
: Extremely rare potion produced only in Thuvia, capable of temporarily reversing the effects of aging and prolonging one’s life.

Taldane
: The common trade language of the Inner Sea region.

Taldor
: A formerly glorious nation that has lost many of its holdings in recent years to neglect and decadence.

Tar-Baphon
: The Whispering Tyrant’s mortal name.

Tarheel Promenade
: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

Ten
: Slang term for the Decemvirate.

Tender of Dreams
: Desna.

Thassilon
: Ancient empire located in northwestern Avistan and ruled by seven runelords. Destroyed by the fall of the Starstone.

Thassilonian
: Of or relating to ancient Thassilon, as well as the name of its language.

Thrune
: Relating to the House of Thrune, Cheliax’s ruling family.

Thuvia
: Desert nation on the Inner Sea, famous for the production of a magical elixir which grants immortality.

Tian
: Someone or something from Tian Xia.

Tian Xia
: Continent on the opposite side of the world from the Inner Sea region.

Tines
: Raised fork on which Chelish criminals are sometimes impaled. Also the name of a rude hand gesture from Cheliax.

Torag
: Stoic and serious dwarven god of the forge, protection, and strategy. Viewed by dwarves as the Father of Creation.

Towers (game)
: Gambling game using a harrow deck.

Transmutation
: School of magic devoted to changing the properties of a creature, condition, or thing, such as changing its shape or transforming one thing into another.

Tshamek
: Derogatory Shoanti term for outsiders.

Ulfen
: A race of warlike humans from the cold nations of the north, particularly the Lands of the Linnorm Kings.

Ulfen Guard
: Famous all-Ulfen military unit maintained as bodyguards by Taldor’s grand prince.

Undead
: Unnatural creatures made or spawned magically via necromancy, often by animating the corpses of living things.

Undeath
: Magical life granted through necromancy, breaking the usual cycle of souls.

Undercity
: The dangerous and unexplored passages and caverns beneath Kaer Maga.

Ustalav
: Fog-shrouded gothic nation of the Inner Sea region.

Ustalavic
: Of or relating to the nation of Ustalav.

Varisia
: Frontier region at the northwestern edge of the Inner Sea lands, of which Korvosa is the largest city.

Varisian
: Of or relating to the region of the frontier region of Varisia, or a resident of that region. Ethnic Varisians tend to organize in clans and wander in caravans, acting as tinkers, musicians, dancers, and performers. Often have strong family ties and are maligned as thieves and swindlers.

Venture-Captain
: A rank in the Pathfinder Society above that of a standard field agent but below the Decemvirate. In charge of directing and assisting lesser agents.

Vigil
: Capital city of Lastwall.

Vudra
: Exotic continent far to the east of the Inner Sea.

Vudrani
: Someone or something from the exotic continent of Vudra, far to the east of the Inner Sea.

Wargs
: Monstrous and oversized intelligent wolves.

Warren
: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

Watchknights
: Knights devoted to keeping order in Vigil.

Westcrown
: Former capital of Cheliax.