Chronicles of Gilderam: Book One: Sunset (43 page)

Abiding, the:
Another term for the Elves of Avladia. See: “Exodus of the Fourth Tribe.”

Aelmuligo:
[ælmuligo] 1) Gresadian for “heaven,” the House of the Gods, and 2) the further of two planets orbiting a star called Cor. Every 22 years its orbit brings it very near to the other planet, Vuora.

Aelmuligo Hymn:
An Elvish song sung to the House of the Gods when it achieves its perigee in the sky.

Agnari:
[ɑgnɑʁi] Valan, a tribal elder.

Almarad:
[ɑlmɑɾɑd] One of the twelve gods, son of Geithoron, patron of the earth, agriculture and farming. His symbols are the plow and scythe.

Ancabria teiumni:
[ɑnkɑbɾiɑ tɛjumni] A Gresadian toast. Literally, “long life to you all!”

Anthiath:
[ɑ
n
i
ɑ
] One of the twelve gods, son of Geithoron, patron of fire, rock and smithery. His symbols are flame and anvil.

Aiango vlith:
[ɑiɑngo vl
ɪ
] Gresadian for “Elvish trash.”

Atrac Ainené, CH:
[ɑtɾɑk ɑinɛne] 1) Gresadian for “Sword of Light,” and 2) one of the Imperial Navy’s three first rate battleships, under the command of Admiral Marmod.

Avladia:
[ɑvlɑdiɑ], [ævlædiɑ] A peninsular nation rich in varride deposits, causing its landmass to climb into the air from natural buoyancy. It’s located near Geldr’thal and Divar, in the south of Vuora. Among Elves they are known as “the Abiding.”

Bacar:
[bɑkɑɾ] A harsh Gresadian expletive.

Baeno Leir
: [bæno lɛjɾ] Gresadian for “Windy Ocean.” The body of water between Gresadia (to the south), and the Zuniran archipelago (to the north).

Baethes voth:
[b
æ
ɛs v
o
] Gresadian for “unending wind,” denoting the perpetual wind that sailors encounter along voyages. 

Bluesteel:
A recently discovered iron alloy that is much lighter and stronger than previous varieties of metal, used most famously to armor the newest class of Gresadian battleships.

Bluwhris:
[bluwɾɪs] One of the twelve gods, son of Thuldarus, patron of war, ambition and aggression. His symbols are the sword and shield.

Bolestrion:
[bolɛstɾion] The capital of Zunir.

Bolifar:
[bolifɑɾ] The capital of Saria.

Borgan:
[boɾgɑn] The eastern province of Gresadia.

Bri Bulen:
[bɾi bulɛn] Gresadian for “New City,” denoting the newer areas of historic cities. By contrast, the older parts are sometimes referred to as
Evogo Bulen
.

Calar Te Vama I:
[kɑlɑɾ tɛ vɑmɑ] (575–641 A4) The first of the Te Vama dynasty, Calar took the Dontian Empire by force from Dontu’s son amidst the turmoil created by decades of war. With hostile enemies on every front, Calar employed an incredibly effective network of assassins, spies and saboteurs to derail the other city-states. Before long, with their leaders killed and their economies destroyed, the remaining city-states were annexed into the Empire.

Called Upon, the:
Another term for the Elves of Divar. See: “Exodus of the Fourth Tribe.”

Cam:
[kɑm] 1) Gresadian for “arm,” or 2) a unit of length measurement equal to 1/12
th
of an
entil
.

CH, Catega Hirtho:
[kɑtɛgɑ hɪ
ɾ
o] Gresadian for “Royal Vessel,” a title for Imperial Gresadian Navy warships.

Catega Relacorbren:
[kɑtɛgɑ ɾɛlɑkoɾbɾɛn] The “Royal Clothing Store” in New Gresad, located on the Royal Promenade.

Cen Vath
: [kɛn v
ɑ
] Vuora’s longest road, beginning in Morvana, in western Gresadia, and winding all the way across the country, ending ultimately at the gates of Wralland Castle, the capital of Wralland.

Cengan:
[kɛngɑn] The central province of Gresadia.

Ceshgan:
[kɛʃgɑn] A nearly uninhabitable rock-covered land in the southeast corner of Vuora. According to Terical myth, it is the legendary home of the Dwarves, where they are still said to live, hidden deep underground. It is presently a Gresadian penal colony, where her most egregious criminals are sent to work in gulags mining for precious stones and metals.

Cizeeth:
[kɪz
i
] The most offensive Gresadian expletive.

Cor:
[koɾ] Gresadian for “sun.”

Cordj:
[koɾdʒ] A long, heavy broadsword with a flat head forming two stubby spikes at its end.

Corebin’s Decree
: Corebin was governor of the province Pothogan, in southern Gresadia, in the latter half of the 18
th
Century of the Fourth Age. In his Decree of 1797, he vested controlling rights of the Memdian Marches, a thin strip of land along the border of the forest, to one of the Divaran Houses for an indeterminate length of time. The House later turned over control of the area to the Divaran national government, who has considered it the legitimate property of Divar ever since.

Corthac:
[ko
ɾ
ɑk] A small, desert-dwelling rodent known for its especially flavorful and tender meat. While a staple of the Valan diet, in Gresadia it is considered a rare and expensive delicacy.

Cratal
: [kɾɑtɑl] Gresadian exclamation of surprise and disbelief.

Cezil:
[kɛzɪl] A Gresadian city in the northern province of Lorugan.

Crothus Te Vama:
[cɾ
o
us tɛ vɑmɑ] (641–692 A4) Often viewed appropriately as the Father of Gresadia, Crothus inherited the Dontian Empire from his father, Calar I, in a state of notable might and security. When war with Divar broke out in 662 of the Fourth Age, Crothus fostered Gresadia’s now-trademarked hatred for Elves and, more generally, non-humans of every kind. That war would define his reign, and the strife he began between Humans and Elves has never truly ended since. He went so far as to rename the country “Gresadia,” meaning, “pure land,” and was the first to banish all non-humans.

Darkwood:
The hardest variety of timber, second in strength only to Divaran lumber, used in construction and shipbuilding. It is also extremely heavy, whereas Divaran wood is quite light for its durability.

Diadem of Rathideus:
A mythical relic in Terical lore, the Diadem is a simple crown said to have been handed down to Ravalin from Geithoron in heaven. It was to be a symbol of Mankind’s triumph over himself, and of his newfound reign over Vuora. The Diadem supposedly granted magical powers to its wearer, such as invulnerability and incredible strength, but it disappeared with Ravalin’s son, Rathideus, in year 42 of the Fourth Age.

Divar:
[divɑɾ] The most powerful and populous Elvish nation, located in south-central Vuora. Also the largest forest on the continent, Divar is covered with trees, many of which are the oldest and largest trees living on the planet. Though generally quite peaceful, Divar has had to defend herself from Gresadian hostility for centuries. Among Elves they are known as “the Called Upon.”

Disciples of Votoc:
A monastic order of warrior-priests devoted to the service of the god Votoc. Throughout their millennial existence their skill in battle has become legendary.

Dolus:
[dolus] One of the twelve gods, daughter of Thuldarus, patroness of wickedness, spite and cruelty. Her symbols are eyes and a dagger.

Dontia:
[dontiɑ] The empire named after Dontu Lamarius when he conquered and unified many of the Gresadian city-states. Roughly a hundred years later, Crothus Te Vama would re-name it Gresadia.

Dontu Lamarius:
[dontu lɑmɑɾius] King of Zarothus in the 6
th
Century of the Fourth Age. A life-long warrior and cunning tactician, he led his city-state to conquer a majority of the proto-Gresadian peoples, laying the foundation for what would later become the Gresadian Empire.

Dreinas Avenue:
[dɾɛjnɑs] One of the oldest paved roads in Gresadia, in the Evogo Bulen of Zarothus.

Drindam:
[dɾɪndɑm] Gresadian for “idiot.”
Drindamum
, plural.

Dwarf:
A mythical race of humanoids noted for their short stature, rotund features, as well as physical and mental willpower. According to Terical myth, they were created by the god Anthiath, and their ancestral home is present-day Ceshgan.

Elf:
A race of humanoids known for their mental acuity, height, physical prowess, proficiency in magic, and extremely long life spans. According to Terical myth, all Elves were created by the god Votoc, but have diverged into four separate tribes. See: “Exodus of the Fourth Tribe.” 

Entil:
[ɛntɪl] A unit of length measurement equal to 1/144
th
of an
itth
, or 6.94 meters.
Entilum
, plural.

Erand:
[ɛɾɑnd] A prosperous Gresadian river town built around the Vulc Muri in Cengan. It is a major stop along the Cen Vath as well.

Esh Imlan:
[ɛʃ ɪmlɑn] Valan for “people of the crags.”

Esh Wura:
[ɛʃ wuʁɑ] Valan for “people of the dunes.”

Evogo Bulen:
[ɛvogo bulɛn] Gresadian for “First City,” denoting the historic districts of modern cities. By contrast, the newer parts are sometimes referred to as
Bri Bulen
.

Exodus of the Fourth Tribe:
According to Terical myth, the god Votoc created the race of Elves, which were divided into four tribes. One tribe, “the Called Upon,” would occupy the forest of Divar. Another, known as “the Hidden,” moved to the ice-covered land of Zunir in the north. “The Abiding” inhabited the floating islands of Avladia in the south, and the fourth tribe, called “the Roving,” are said to have left the continent of Vuora entirely. Unable to find a suitable homeland, they built 144 great ships and sailed southwest to the fabled “land beyond the sea,” called Teresia. Adventurers who left in search of them have either failed, or were never heard from again.

Eyar Ai:
[ejɑɾ ɑi] The capital of Avladia.

Faltilus:
[fɑltɪlus] One of the twelve gods, son of Thuldarus, patron of music, drunkenness, gluttony and fun. His symbols are the chalice and harp.

Feirishi:
[fɛjɾiʃi] Gresadian for “little girl.”
Feirishum
, plural.

Feth:
[f
ɛ
] According to Terical myth, Feth was the most powerful sorcerer in the world when he was petitioned by the followers of Thuldarus to help them free the evil god from his netherprison in the Second Age. He did, and so earned the eternal hatred of Geithoron and his children. Once Thuldarus was defeated and re-imprisoned, Feth’s soul was entombed in the desert of Val. It is prophesized in the Book of Teric that he will be resurrected, that he will liberate Thuldarus once more, and thereby bring about the “End of Days,” or Armageddon.

Garilough:
[gɛɾɪloʁ] A town in the south of Wralland, in county Soth Waestshier, which surrounds a lake of the same name.

Garnosh:
[gɑɾnoʃ] Gresadian for “the Pit.” A deep hole in the underground dungeons of Zarothus originally used for disposing of political enemies of the Empire, but later for enemies of the Tricorns.

Geithoron:
[gɛ
ɪ
oɾon, ge
i
oɾon] King of the twelve gods, brother of Thuldarus, patron of power, wealth and greed. His symbols are the scepter and crown.

Geldr’thal:
[gɛld
ɾ
ɑl] 1) The Fifth Guardian of Underearth. 2) Geldran for “Hands that Serve,” denoting a peninsular strip of land extending southward from the mountains of Saria, sharing one side of a vast fjord with Avladia, and its peoples, who are made up of several distinct, yet barbaric, cultures. According to Terical myth, Geldr’thal is the ancestral home of the evil creatures invented by the god Thuldarus, and his children Bluwhris, Dolus and Nomari.

Giant:
A mythical race of humanoids known for their colossal size and strength. According to Terical myth, they were created by the god Gorog and originated in the deepest reaches of the Sarian mountains.

Gilderam:
[gɪldɛɾɑm] Gresadian for “Voice of the Earth,” and the latest prototype airship from the Ranaloc Shipyard and Machinery Works Company.
Gilderam
is built with a new generation of nexane-combustion technology that emits virtually no exhaust, and is capable of faster acceleration and a much higher top speed than previous engines.

Gorog:
[goɾog] One of the twelve gods, son of Geithoron, patron of strength, discipline, moderation and diligence. His symbol is a hammer held in a fist.