The Gates of Night: The Dreaming Dark - Book 3 (42 page)

L
ei opened her eyes.

Did it work?
Even as her spirit was being torn from the crystal orb, she’d found the proper thread and sent the command. Had she acted in time?

She forced herself to her feet and staggered toward the nearest opening. Her chest ached with phantom pain, but there was no blood on her skin, no broken bones. She was awake, back in the Riedran monolith.

She reached the arch and peered out into the night. The moons had barely moved. It seemed that time passed more quickly in Dal Quor than it did on Eberron. She searched the sky, looking …

There!
The dark orb was still in the sky, just barely visible. The thirteenth moon. Her heart sank.

Then the moon simply faded away.

We did it
. There was no doubt in her mind. She knew the power that lay in the crystal orb. She’d felt it, merged with it. If the moon was pulled away, Dal Quor was trapped once more. Now they just had to return to Thelanis and find a gateway that would take them back to Khorvaire. With the help of the Dusk Queen, they could be home by morning.

Lei. Return. There is danger
. Pierce’s thoughts flowed into her mind, and his concern shattered her sense of elation. She turned, and walked over to Pierce … and stopped short in surprise.

Xu’sasar was sprawled on the ground.

“What happened?” Lei said.

“I do not know. She is alive, but unconscious. Kin is nowhere to be seen.”

“What about … Shira?”

Pierce looked away. “Shira is no more. We have other concerns. Look to Daine.”

Lei’s heart raced. She looked across the floor and saw him still stretched out on the ground. Panic rose as she moved to his side, but she could see his chest rising and falling. He was alive.

Then Lei saw what Pierce was talking about. There was a circle around Daine, a pattern painted in silver and gold. It was a summoning circle, designed to aid in the conjuring or binding of spirits. Then Lei noticed something else. Daine’s sword … his scabbard had been replaced, and his sword now rested in the jeweled sheath Daine had taken from the Bier of the Sleeper.

Daine stirred. His eyes opened and he sat up with a start, glancing about wildly. Lei reached out to him, and he seized her hand as if it were a rope that might pull him from a stormy sea. Then he took a deep breath and smiled at her.

“It’s good to be home,” he said.

aberrant dragonmark:
There are twelve
dragonmarks
, but stories say that when dragonmarked bloodlines mingle, they can produce warped marks. Like the true dragonmarks, these bestow magical powers, but these powers are dark and dangerous and said to take a terrible toll on the mind and body of the bearer.

adamantine:
An alloy of astonishing strength, adamantine can only be forged through the use of magic. Adamantine weapons are virtually indestructible and can cut through any lesser material.

Alina Lorridan Lyrris:
A gnome wizard with considerable wealth and influence. Whether she is a true criminal or simply amoral, Alina is a dangerous woman who usually works in the shadows. Once she lived in the city of Metrol, where she employed
Daine
. Currently she resides in the Den’iyas district of Sharn.

Argonnessen:
A large continent to the southeast of Khorvaire, said to be the home of dragons.

artificer:
A spellworker who channels magical energy through objects, creating temporary or permanent tools and weapons.

Aureon:
The Sovereign of Law and Lore, the source of order and knowledge. Followers of the Sovereign Host say that Aureon gives guidance to rulers and those who pass judgment, guides the scribe and the student, and is said to have devised the principles wizards use to work their spells. Aureon is occasionally depicted as a noble blue dragon.

Balinor:
The Sovereign of Horn and Hunt. Followers of the Sovereign Host say that Balinor guides anyone who must interact with the animal world, both hunter and farmer. A common oath is
Balinor’s bow!

Blacklion:
A forgehold of House Cannith. During the Last War, Aleisa and Talin d’Cannith worked on warforged at the Blacklion Forgehold.

“breather”:
A derogatory term used by the warforged to describe non-construct creatures, i.e., elves, humans, halflings.

Breland:
The largest of the original Five Nations of Galifar, Breland is a center of heavy industry. The current ruler of Breland is King Boranel ir’Wynarn.

Broken Oath:
See
Qaltiar
.

Cannith, House:
The dragonmarked House of Making.

Casalon:
A fortified city in Cyre, destroyed by the Mourning.

changeling:
Members of the changeling race possess a limited ability to change face and form, allowing a changeling to disguise itself as a member of another race or to impersonate an individual. Changelings are said to be the offspring of humans and doppelgangers. They are relatively few in number and have no lands or culture of their own but are scattered across Khorvaire.

Colchyn:
A mighty boar found beneath the Hunter’s Moon of Thelanis.

cold fire:
Magical flame that produces no heat and does not burn. Cold fire is used to provide light in most cities of Khorvaire.

Corvagura:
One of the largest provinces in the nation of Riedra. Corvagura is a realm of fertile plains and rain forests.

Crooked Tree:
An inn found beneath the Deepwood Moon of Thelanis. Despite being in the dominion of the Woodsman, the Crooked Tree is a free house that stands outside the Woodsman’s rule.

crown:
The copper crown is the lowest denomination of coin minted under the rule of Galifar.

Cyre:
One of the original Five Nations of Galifar, known for its fine arts and crafts. The governor of Cyre was traditionally raised to the throne of Galifar, but in 894 YK, Kaius of Karrnath, Wroann of Breland, and Thalin of Thrane
rebelled against Mishann of Cyre. During the war, Cyre lost significant amounts of territory to elf and goblin mercenaries, creating the nations of Valenar and Darguun. In 994 YK, Cyre was devastated by a disaster of unknown origin that transformed the nation into a hostile wasteland populated by deadly monsters. Breland offered sanctuary to the survivors of the Mourning, and most of the Cyran refugees have taken advantage of this amnesty.

Cyran dusksinger:
A nocturnal songbird once native to the nation of Cyre, the dusksinger is most likely extinct in the wake of the Mourning. Cyran commandos often use the calls of the dusksinger as recognition signals.

d’Cannith, Aaren:
Dragonmarked artificer, one-time baron of Metrol, and member of the Cannith Council based in Cyre. The official records of the house credit Aaren with the mystical breakthrough that gave true sentience to the warforged. Aaren was fascinated by the mysterious continent of Xen’drik, and some say his work was based on ancient secrets recovered there. Aaren passed away in 984 YK. He is survived by his son
Merrix d’Cannith
.

d’Cannith, Aleisa:
A dragonmarked artificer of House Cannith and mother of
Lei d’Cannith
. Aleisa was involved with the development of the warforged, but all records of her work were lost in the war. She is believed to have died in Cyre on the Day of Mourning.

d’Cannith, Banon:
An artificer stationed at the forgehold of Blacklion.

d’Cannith, Hadran:
A dragonmarked heir. Hadran’s ancestors were one of the first branches of House Cannith to set roots in Sharn, and he possesses considerable wealth and influence. A widower with no children, Hadran arranged a betrothal with
Lei d’Cannith
.

d’Cannith, Lei:
A dragonmarked heir, daughter of
Aleisa
d’Cannith
. Lei studied the mystical arts in Sharn and Metrol. Like many young artificers, she chose to serve in the Cannith support corps during the war. She served with the military
forces of the Five Nations to maintain the warforged soldiers and other weapons each nation had purchased from Cannith. In 993 YK, her parents arranged for her betrothal to
Hadran d’Cannith
, but Lei’s father insisted that she serve a term in the military before her marriage. Lei was assigned to the Southern Command of Cyre, where she served with
Daine, Pierce
, and
Jode
. In 996 YK, she was excoriated from House Cannith (see
City of Towers)
, the reasons for this remain a mystery.

d’Cannith, Merrix:
As a baron of House Cannith, Merrix oversees house activities in the vicinity of Sharn. Son of
Aaren d’Cannith
, Merrix is a skilled artificer who has spent a decade working on new warforged designs. In the wake of the Last War he has shown shrewd political instincts and has moved to take advantage of the chaos created by the destruction of the House Council. He is the most influential Cannith baron in Breland, and many believe that he hopes to seize control of the House itself.

d’Deneith, Morim:
A soldier of House Deneith. A cruel man, he served as one of Alina Lorridan Lyrris’s household guards during the Last War.

Daine:
A soldier and one-time mercenary, Daine was once an heir of House Deneith. Born in Cyre, he is known to have worked for
Alina Lorridan Lyrris
for an extended period of time. In 988 YK he left House Deneith, forsaking his birthright in order to serve with the Queen’s Guard of Cyre, ultimately rising to the rank of captain in the Southern Command. Following the
Mourning
and the destruction of Cyre, he has led the survivors of his troop to Sharn.

Dal Quor:
One of the outer planes of existence, also known as the region of dreams. Thousands of years ago, the inhabitants of Dal Quor invaded the land of Xen’drik, fighting the giants that lived there. The giants fought back with powerful magic that completely severed the connection between the two planes. While physical travel between the planes is difficult, mortal spirits still travel to Dal Quor when they dream.

Darkhart, Jura:
Born Jura d’Cannith, this dragonmarked aristocrat was expelled from House Cannith after marrying
a dryad. He remained in Sharn even after being condemned as an excoriate. His wife died in 995 YK.

Darkheart, Lady:
The youngest of the Darkwood Daughters, this faerie is also known as the Heart of the Darkwood Grove. A powerful wood spirit, she was betrothed to Torenas the Woodsman but sought to escape this fate. The Lady Thelania helped her escape to Eberron, but there she was bound in marriage to Jura Darkhart. Ultimately her spirit was trapped in a darkwood staff, where it remains to this day.

Dark Six:
The six malevolent deities of the Sovereign Host, whose true names are not known.

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

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

Deepwood Moon:
One of the many regions of Thelanis. The Deepwood Moon is one of the realms of night, and is under the rule of the Woodsman.

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.

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.

Dorn Plateau:
A large plateau on Dorn Peak.

“Dorn’s Teeth!”:
A mild oath invoking Dol Dorn, the Sovereign Lord of War.

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.

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. 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 dragonshard 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.