The City of Towers: The Dreaming Dark - Book I (52 page)

Darkhart Arms
: The home of
Jura Darkhart
, located in the Ocean-view district of Upper Tavick’s Landing.

Darkweave
: Minor enchantments woven into this cloth give it the appearance of solid shadow. Garments woven of darkweave allow the wearer to blend into darkness and are favored by thieves and spies.

Darkwood
: This rare lumber is named for its pitch-black coloration. It is as hard as oak, but it is remarkably light—almost half the weight of most types of lumber. It is often used in the creation of magical wands and staves.

Dassi
: A halfling whose family immigrated to Breland from the Talenta Plains. Dassi owns and maintains the Manticore Inn in the High Walls district of Sharn.

Daughters of Sora Kell
: The three hags that rule the nation of Droaam. The Daughters are figures of myth and legend, and possess impressive mystical and oracular abilities.

Dek
: A changeling gambler and bookmaker. Dek spends most of his time at the King of Fire in Hareth’s Folly.

Demon Wastes
: A barren land in the northwest of Khorvaire. The Demon Wastes are said to be filled with savage barbarians, deadly spirits, and ruins that predate human civilization by hundreds of thousands of years.

Deneith, House
: A dragonmark house bearing the Mark of Sentinel.

Den’iyas
: A district in the Upper Menthis ward of Sharn. Den’iyas is a prosperous area primarily inhabited by gnomes. It is sometimes known as “Little Zil.’”

Dolurrh
: The plane of the dead. When mortals die, their spirits are said to travel to Dolurrh and then slowly fade away, passing to whatever final fate awaits the dead.

Dolurrh’s Doorstep
: A dangerous and rundown tenement in the High Walls district of Sharn, inhabited by Cyran refugees.

Domo
: A warforged servant at the house of
Hadran d’Cannith
.

Donal
: A soldier in the Cyran army. Donal served under Daine at the battle in Keldan Ridge. He has not been seen since the Mourning.

Doraashka
: A Goblin term translating to “gray eater.” A name for the acidic oozes that inhabit the sewers of Sharn. Also known as eaters or gray ooze.

Doras
: This half-orc was the reeve of Cytal, a tiny village in the south of Cyre. He managed to escape the effects of the Mourning, but his village was destroyed and he has become twisted and bitter. He currently lives in Dolurrh’s Doorstep, a tenement in the High Walls district of Sharn and has built up a number of followers among the refugee community.

Dragon
: 1) A reptilian creature possessing great physical and mystical power. 2) A platinum coin bearing an image of a dragon on one face. The platinum dragon is the highest denomination of coin minted under the rule of Galifar.

Dragon Towers
: A district in the Middle Central ward of Sharn. Most of the dragonmarked families maintain enclaves in Dragon Towers, and it is the primary place to do business with these houses.

Dragonmark
: 1) A mystical mark that appears on the surface of the skin and grants mystical powers to its bearer. 2) A slang term for the bearer of a dragonmark.

Dragonmarked Houses
: One of the thirteen families whose bloodlines carry the potential to manifest a dragonmark. Many of the dragonmarked houses existed before the kingdom of Galifar, and they have used their mystical powers to gain considerable political and economic influence. The dragonmarked houses are described in detail. See
dragonmark, War of the Mark
.

Dragonshard
: A form of mineral with mystical properties, said to be a shard of one of the great progenitor dragons. There are three different types of shard, each with different properties. A shard has no abilities in and of itself, but an artificer or wizard can use a shard to create an object with useful effects.
Siberys shards
fall from the sky and have the potential to enhance the power of dragonmarks.
Eberron shards
are found in the soil and enhance traditional magic.
Khyber shards
are found deep below the surface of the world and are used as a focus binding mystical energy.

Dreamlily
: This powerful opiate comes from the continent of Sarlona. Brelish healers imported elixir of dreamlily for use during the Last War but discontinued use once they determined how addictive it was. It has since found a market as a recreational narcotic in Sharn, and use is spreading across Khorvaire.

Dreamsilk
: A form of glamerweave produced on the looms of Zilargo. Minor illusions are woven into the threads, producing stunning visual effect. Clebdecher’s Loom in Sharn is renowned for its sunset gowns, dreamsilk dresses that seem to glow with the orange-and-rose light of a Sharn sunset.

Droaam
: A nation on the west coast of Khorvaire. Once claimed by Breland, this region was never settled by humans and was known as a wild land filled with all manner of monsters and creatures who had been pushed back by the spreading power of Galifar. In 986 YK there was a movement to organize the creatures of Droaam into a coherent nation. While this has met with some success, the new nation has yet to be recognized by any other country.

Dura
: One of the five quarters of Sharn. Dura is the oldest quarter of the city and is home to the most impoverished inhabitants of Sharn.

Eaters
: See
doraashka
.

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
.

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.

Elymer
: An elderly Cyran blacksmith who became a refugee after his village was destroyed by the Mourning. Currently he lives in the High Walls district of Sharn. The hardship has sapped much of his strength, and he is beginning to go blind.

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.

Felmar Valley
: A stretch of land on the border between Breland and Cyre. Towards the end of the Last War, Daine and his fellow soldiers were assigned to hold the Felmar fort against the Brelish.

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

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.

Fireblossoms
: These rare flowers are found in the gnome lands of Zilargo. Ruby red in color, when properly tended they produce an inner radiance similar in nature to cold fire.

Firepine
: An exceedingly rare tree. Firepines can only grow in manifest zones linked to Fernia. The wood of the firepine does not burn; instead, it draws the fire into itself, absorbing the heat while still glowing cherry-red. Between the beauty, rarity, and practical value of the wood, it is one of the most expensive forms of lumber in Khorvaire.

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

Flamewind
: A mysterious sphinx from the distant land of Xen’drik. The Carradan Expedition found her in the ruins of a city of giants. Flamewind claimed to have been waiting for the explorers and declared her intention to accompany them back to Khorvaire. Fascinated, the explorers agreed and even provided her with a residence at Morgrave University. Flamewind has the body of a predatory cat, the wings of an eagle, and the head of an elf-maiden. She clearly possesses oracular powers, but her motivations remain an enigma.

Flameworms
: These parasites enter through the digestive tract and reside in the stomach, causing internal lesions and fever in the host. While uncomfortable, these symptoms are rarely lethal among adults, but children can easily die from a case of flameworms.

’forged
: A slang term for the warforged.

Foundling
: Dragonmarks are bound to the blood of a single family. Anyone who possesses the Mark of Making has some
tie to House Cannith. However, the marks have existed for thousands of years, and those families have grown and spread over that time. When someone develops a dragonmark but has no known link to the house that bears that mark, he is known as a foundling. The dragonmarked houses traditionally embrace foundlings in order to maintain control of the mark, but foundlings rarely rise far in the ranks of the house and cannot use the full house name. The child of a foundling and a full heir of the house can take the name of the house. See
dragonmark, dragonmarked houses
.

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.

Galt
: A young goblin from Malleon’s Gate.

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

Ghaal’dar
: A Goblin term that can be translated to “mighty people.” The goblinoids of Darguun use this word to describe the people of their nation, emphasizing their martial strength.

Ghostfish
: A large, freshwater fish similar to a trout, with one key difference: the ghostfish is invisible. This bizarre condition persists even after the fish is killed, and many diners relish ghostfish for the sheer experience of eating an invisible meal.

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. Cloudsilk and dreamsilk are two examples of glamerweave.

Glass House
: A restaurant and inn located in the Hareth’s Folly district of Sharn. The Glass House is based on the theme of invisibility; the walls are made from Riedran crystal, the staff wear translucent glamerweave garments, and the kitchen serves unusual dishes, such as Aundairian ghostfish.

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

Gold Wings
: A mounted unit of the Sharn Watch. The Gold Wings ride trained hippogriffs, and the unit monitors the upper towers and responds to aerial crimes.

Gorlan’tor
: A word from the language of the halflings of the Talenta Plains, roughly translating to “stampede.”

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 strong 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.

Halfstone Street
: One of the main streets of the Black Arch district in Sharn. Much of the commerce in the district is located on Halfstone.

Halodan Meal-worms
: These grubs are considered to be a delicacy in the Talenta Plains. Halfling traders brought the worms with them as they spread across Khorvaire, and while most humans find them repulsive, many gnomes and shifters enjoy these treats.

Hareth’s Folly
: A district in the Middle Dura ward of Sharn. Hareth’s Folly is an entertainment district, with a focus on gambling and aerial sports.

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.