The Grieving Tree: The Dragon Below Book II (52 page)

chuul
: Monstrous creatures larger than a man, resembling huge crayfish with four powerful legs and enormous claws. The tentacles surrounding a chuul’s mouth are capable of paralyzing its prey.

Chuut
: An ogre among the troops of Tzaryan Keep, lieutenant to the General.

Cira
: A beautiful woman with some skill in magic.

cross
: A card game based on bluffing.

crysteel
: An alloy created from iron and a rare crystalline substance. Crysteel is used to make weapons favored by those skilled in psionics.

d’Deneith, Robrand
: A dragonmarked heir of House Deneith, once leader of the Frostbrand company of the Blademarks, disgraced after the Massacre at Narath.

d’Deneith, Toller
: A dragonmarked heir of House Deneith, nephew to Robrand d’Deneith. Killed in the defense of Bull Hollow.

d’Lyrandar, Marolis
: A dragonmarked half-elf of House Lyrandar. The junior officer on
Lightning on Water
.

d’Lyrandar, Vennet
: A dragonmarked half-elf of House Lyrandar, captain of
Lightning on Water
and secretly a follower of the Cults of the Dragon Below.

daelkyr
: Powerful lords of Xoriat, the daelkyr are madness and corruption personified. After the Daelkyr War, surviving daelkyr on Eberron were bound in the depths of Khyber by Gatekeeper druids.

Daelkyr War
: An invasion of Eberron by creatures from Xoriat, led by the daelkyr, approximately nine thousand years before the present. Centered around the Shadow Marches, it ended with the defeat of the daelkyr by the united forces of the orcs of the Shadow Marches and the hobgoblins of the Empire of Dhakaan, but left both races decimated.

Da ga shek erat
: An orc expression of rage, not fit for translation.

dagga
: An orc expression of affirmation commonly used by folk of Zarash’ak. A more intense version,
Kuv dagga!
is akin to swearing a minor oath.

Dah’mir
: A shapechanging dragon and a priest of the Dragon Below. Once leader of the Bonetree clan.

dahr
: An Adaran expression for something or someone vile; pl.
dahri
.

Dal Quor
: Another plane of existence, the Region of Dreams. Mortal spirits are said to journey to Dal Quor when they dream. Kalashtar are the descendants of refugee spirits from Dal Quor who bonded with human hosts in order to enter Eberron.

Dandra
: Superficially a kalashtar, Dandra is actually the consciousness of a psicrystal inhabiting the body of her creator, Tetkashtai. She wears a yellow-green crystal containing Tetkashtai, wields a spear forged from crysteel, and specializes in whitefire, augmented by her skill with
vayhatana
.

Darguun
: A nation of goblinoids, founded in 969 YK when a hobgoblin leader named Haruuc formed an alliance among the goblinoid mercenaries and annexed a section of southern Cyre. Breland recognized this new nation in exchange for a peaceful border and an ally against Cyre. Few people trust the people of Darguun, but their soldiers remain a force to be reckoned with.

dashoor
: A goblinoid artificer, especially one from the time of the Empire of Dhakaan. The secret knowledge of the
dashoor
has largely vanished, but at one time they were capable of creating wonders. Most
dashoor
were male.

Deneith, House
: A dragonmark house bearing the Mark of Sentinel. House Deneith operates services offering various forms of protection, including the mercenary companies of the Blademarks and the law enforcement services of the Sentinel Marshals.

Dhakaani Empire
:
see Empire of Dhakaan
.

Do hiffi eche?
: Azhani phrase: “Do you smell that?”

Dol Arrah turn away!
: An expression of righteous violence.

dolgaunt
: Horrid creatures created by the daelkyr from hobgoblins during the Daelkyr War, dolgaunts have long, powerful tentacles springing from their shoulders. They have no eyes but perceive their surroundings through sensitive cilia that cover their skin.

dolgrim
: Foot soldiers in the armies of the daelkyr, dolgrims were created by the daelkyr from goblins. A dolgrim has four arms and two mouths and resembles two goblins crushed together.

Dragon Below, The
:
see Khyber

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.

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.

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 that 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.

d’Tharashk, Chain
: A dragonmarked bounty hunter of House Tharashk.

duur’kala
: Among the goblinoid tribes that consider themselves heirs to the lost Empire of Dhakaan,
duur’kala
preserve the history and knowledge of past ages. Their music is the most common form of magic among the tribes.
Duur’kala
means “dirge singers.” Because the magical power manifest mostly in females,
duur’kala
are sometimes refered to as “daughters of the dirge.”

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
.

Ekhaas
: A hobgoblin woman and a
duur’kala
of the Kech Volaar. Self-declared guardian of the Dhakaani ruins in the vicinity of Tzaryan Keep and Vralkek.

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. Inhabitants are known as Reachers. Among themselves, Reachers refer to their homeland as “the Eldeen.”

Empire of Dhakaan
: An ancient empire ruled by hobgoblins, the Empire of Dhakaan stretched across southern Khorvaire millennia before the arrival of humans. Dhakaan was weaked by the Daelkyr War and collapsed about six thousand years before the present.

Fat Tusk
: A tribe of orcs living in the Shadow Marches.

Feita
: A pompous gnome woman.

Frostbrand
: A Blademarks company of House Deneith, commanded by Robrand d’Deneith, specializing in wilderness and winter operations. It was disbanded after the Massacre at Narath.

gaeth’ad
: An orcish herbal tea that can be brewed with a variety of effects. Popular in the Shadow Marches and among members of House Tharashk. Generally brewed and served by the master of a
gaeth’ad
house.

Gatekeepers
: A sect of druids, originators of the druidic tradition in the Shadow Marches and the Eldeen Reaches. Originally formed to defend Eberron from invasion by Xoriat during the Daelkyr War, they watch over the seals that bind the daelkyr in Khyber.

General, the
: A myserious veteran of the Last War, hired by Tzaryan Rrac to train and command his ogre troops.

Geth
: A shifter veteran of the Last War, he served with the Frostbrand until the Massacre at Narath. He wields a magewrought gauntlet that is both shield and weapon and an ancient Dhakaani byeshk blade recovered from Jhegesh Dol.

Ghaash’nena
: A legendary orc spirit, the ghostly protector of lost children.

goblinoid
: Common term for a member of one of the three goblin races—goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears.

Graywall
: A city in Droaam at the border with Breland, considered the gateway to the kingdom of monsters.

hiff
: Azhani for “to smell.”

Hruucan
: A dolgaunt in the service of Dah’mir, he was killed by Singe’s fire magic but has been reborn as a fiery undead creature driven by his need for revenge.

illithid
: An abomination from Xoriat, the plane of madness. An illithid is roughly the same size and shape as a human but possesses a squidlike head with tentacles arrayed around a fanged maw. Illithids feed on the brains of sentient creatures and possess the ability to paralyze or manipulate the minds of lesser creatures. Illithids are more commonly known as mind flayers.

il-Yannah
: A word from the Quor tongue, translating to “the Great Light.” This mystical force is the focus of the religion of the kalashtar.

Itaa!
: A goblin war-command equivalent to “Attack!”

itanchi
: Azhani for a spire or other tall, narrow structure.

Jhegesh Dol
: A stretch of haunted swamp in the Shadow Marches, once the site of a daelkyr stronghold during the Daelkyr War.

Jorasco, House
: A dragonmarked house bearing the Mark of Healing. House Jorasco dominates the healing arts in Khorvaire.

Kagishi
: A gnoll guide operating out of Vralkek.

kalashtar
: The kalashtar are an offshoot of humanity. Stories say that the kalashtar are humans touched by spirits from another plane of existence and that they possess strange mental powers.

Karrlakton
: A large city in Karrnath. Location of the headquarters of House Deneith.

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’Wyrnarn III.

Karth
: A sailor on
Lightning on Water
.

Kech Volar
: A clan among the goblinoids of Darguun dedicated to the preservation of the lore of the Dhakaani Empire. Their name means “Wordbearers.”

kesh
: a kalashtar term for the telepathic mindlink all kalashtar can create with other beings.

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
.

Kirvakri
: An alias adopted by Dandra.

koa
: Azhani for “a great place,” especially a large, permanent structure but also a place of magical power.

Krepis
: An orc of the Fat Tusk tribe and a druid of the Gatekeeper sect. A student of Batul.

kraat
: Goblin for “a smithy.”

Kuun, Duulan
: A hero of the Dhakaani Empire, first warlord of the name Kuun and a friend of Taruuzh.

Kuun, Rakari
: A hero of the Dhakaani Empire, slayer of the daelkyr lord of Jhegesh Dol.

lanan
: Azhani for “to remember.” An archaic form.

Last War, The
: This conflict began in 894 YK with the death of King Jarot ir’Wyrnarn, the last king of Galifar. Following Jarot’s death, three of his five children refused to follow the ancient traditions of succession, and the kingdom split. The war lasted over a hundred years, and it took the utter destruction of Cyre to bring the other nations to the negotiating table. No one has admitted defeat, but no one wants to risk being the next victim of the Mourning. The chronicles are calling the conflict “the Last War,” hoping that the bloodshed might have finally slaked humanity’s thirst for battle. Only time will tell if this hope is in vain.

lhesh
: A Goblin term for a warlord.

Lhesh shaarat
: Goblin expression for “a warlord’s sword.”
Lhesh shaarat
are swords of high quality and distinctive design and are often magical.

Lightning on Water:
A House Lyrandar elemental galleon. Instead of sails, an elemental galleon uses a bound air elemental for propulsion.

long step
: A kalashtar term for psionic teleportation.

Lor
: An ogre torturer in the dungeon of Tzaryan Keep.

Lyrandar, House
: A dragonmarked house bearing the Mark of Storm. House Lyrandar has economic control of shipping in Khorvaire.

Marg
: A goblin
daashor
, apprentice to Taruuzh.

Medalashana
: A kalashtar. Once a companion of Tetkashtai and Virikhad, she was later driven mad by Dah’mir, turned to his service, and renamed Medala. She was destroyed in a psionic battle with Virikhad after Dandra forced his psicrystal into her hand. She specialized in the art of telepathy.