• Airenthenon: Although the Forest Throne and the Door predate it, the Airenthenon is the oldest building in Estramnadon. The domed and pillared structure where the Aquila holds meetings.

• Alon Rhist: Fourth fane of the Fhrey, who died during the Dherg War. He was replaced by Fenelyus. One of the outposts on the border between Rhulyn and Avrlyn bears his name.

• Alysin: One of the three realms of the afterlife. A paradise where brave warriors go after death.

• Aquila: Literally “the place of choosing.” Originally created as a formalization and public recognition of the group of Fhrey who had been assisting Gylindora Fane for more than a century. Leaders of each of the tribes act as general counsels, making suggestions and assisting in the overall administration of the empire. Council members are elected by their tribes. The Aquila holds no direct power, as the fane’s authority is as absolute as Ferrol Himself. However, the Aquila does wield great influence over the succession of power. It is the Curator and Conservator who determine who has access to the Horn of Gylindora.

• Arion (Fhrey, Miralyith): Tutor to Prince Mawyndulë, daughter of Nyree and Era, former student of Fenelyus, who bestowed the nickname Cenzlyor.

• Art, the: Magic that allows the caster to tap the forces of nature. In Fhrey society, it’s practiced by members of the Miralyith tribe. Goblins who wield this power are known as oberdaza.

• Artist: A practitioner of the Art.

• Asendwayr: Fhrey tribe whose members specialize in hunting. A few are stationed on the frontier to provide meat for the Instarya.

• Asica: A long Fhrey garment similar to a robe. Its numerous wraps and ties allow it to be worn in a number of configurations.

• Avempartha: Fhrey tower created by Fenelyus atop a great waterfall on the Nidwalden River. It can tap the force of rushing water to amplify the use of the Art.

• Avrlyn: “Land of Green,” the Fhrey frontier bordered on the north by Hentlyn and Belgreig to the south. Avrlyn is separated from Rhulyn by the east and south branches of the Bern River.

• Battle of Grandford: First battle in the war between Rhunes and Fhrey.

• Belgric War: A war between the Fhrey and Dherg. Also referred to as the Dherg War.

• Bendigo: Evil spirit capable of possessing people and animals.

• Bern: A river that runs north–south and delineates the borders between Rhulyn and Avrlyn. Rhunes are forbidden from crossing to the west side of this river.

• Book of Brin: First known written work chronicling the history of the Rhune people. Its origin dates back to the time of the first war between Rhunes and Fhrey.

• Breckon mor: The female version of the leigh mor. A versatile piece of cloth that can be wrapped in a number of ways.

• Brideeth: Fhrey profanity. A term of extreme insult.

• Brin (Rhune, Rhen): Daughter of Sarah and Delwin, mentored by Maeve; creator of the famed Book of Brin.

• Brown, The: A ferocious bear that lives in the Crescent Forest. She has been responsible for the deaths of many residents of Dahl Rhen. To Suri and Tura she is known as Grin or Grin the Brown.

• Caratacus (Fhrey): Famed sage adviser to the first fane. A legendary figure who brought Ferrol’s horn to Gylindora Fane. Creator of the Forest Throne.

• Card or carding: The step that comes between shearing and spinning wool. Combs are used to detangle, clean, and intermix fibers to produce a continuous web of aligned fibers.

• Carfreign Arena: A large open-air field where contests and spectacles are held. A building where sports and entertainments are performed.

• Cenzlyor: In the Fhrey language it means “swift of mind.” A title of endearment bestowed by Fane Fenelyus onto Arion, indicating her proficiency in the Art.

• Clempton: A small village of Dureya, home of Raithe.

• Cleve: A simple and practical type of short sword, favored by the Instarya tribe of the Fhrey.

• Conservator of the Aquila: One of the two people responsible for administering the process of succession. Together with the Curator, the Conservator determines who has the right to blow the Horn of Gylindora.

• Crescent Forest: A large forest that forms a half circle around Dahl Rhen.

• Crimbal: A fairy creature that lives in the land of Nog. Crimbals travel to the world of Elan through doors in the trunks of trees. They are known to steal children.

• Cul: Rhunic profanity often used for a despicable person.

• Culina brideeth: Fhrey profanity that suggests an inappropriate relationship with one’s mother.

• Curator of the Aquila: Vice fane. Keeper of the horn. One of the six councilors of the Aquila, elected by a vote of senior councilors. Leads meetings of the Aquila in absence of the fane. Chairs the Challenge Council, which decides who gets the right to blow the Horn of Gylindora. Together the Conservator and the Curator determine the process of succession and judge the challenge process.

• Dahl (hill or mound): A Rhune settlement that is the capital city of a given clan and is characterized by its position on top of a man-made hill. Dahls are usually surrounded by some form of wall or fortification. Each has a central lodge where the clan’s chieftain lives, along with a series of roundhouses that house the other villagers.

• Dherg: One of the five humanoid races of Elan. Long-lived, skilled craftsmen, they have been all but banned from most places aboveground. They are exceptional builders and weaponsmiths.

• Didan (Rhune, Dureya): Raithe’s brother.

• Door, the: A portal in the Garden of Estramnadon that legend holds is the gateway to where The First Tree grows.

• Drome: God of the Dherg.

• Dureya: A barren highland region in the north of Rhulyn, home to the Rhune clan of the same name.

• Dureyan: A member of the warrior clan of Rhunes.

• Eilywin: Fhrey architects and craftsmen who design and create buildings. Elan: The Grand Mother of All. God of the land.

• Enarmes: Straps attached to the back of a shield. Used for gripping or to slide an arm through to attach to a person’s forearm.

• Era (Fhrey, Umalyn): Father of Arion, husband of Nyree.

• Eres (Fhrey, Instarya): A member of the Galantians. His main prowess is with spears.

• Erivan: Homeland of the Fhrey.

• Ervanon: Northernmost outpost of the Fhrey.

• Estramnadon: Capital city of the Fhrey in the forests of Erivan.

• Eton: God of the sky.

• Fane: Ruler of the Fhrey, whose term of office extends to death or to three thousand years after ascension, whichever comes first.

• Fenelyus (Fhrey, Miralyith): Fifth fane of the Fhrey. First of the Miralyith, who saved the Fhrey from annihilation in the Belgric War.

• Ferrol: God of the Fhrey.

• Ferrol’s Law: The irrefutable prohibition against Fhrey killing other Fhrey. Exceptions can be made by the fane (or a person the fane designates) in extreme situations. Breaking Ferrol’s Law will eject a Fhrey from society and bar the perpetrator from the afterlife. Since it is the Fhrey’s god that will pass judgment, no one can circumvent Ferrol’s Law by committing murder in secret or without witnesses.

• Fhrey: One of the five major races of Elan. Fhrey are long-lived, technically advanced, and organized into tribes based on profession.

• First Chair: Honorific for the chieftain of a dahl.

• Five Major Races of Elan: Rhunes, Fhrey, Dherg, ghazel, and Grenmorians.

• Florella Plaza: A large public square with an elaborate fountain outside the Airenthenon in Estramnadon.

• Forest Throne: Seat of the fane, located in the Talwara in the capital city of Estramnadon.

• Galantians: The Instarya patrol led by Nyphron and famed for legendary exploits of valor and bravery.

• Garden, the: One of the most sacred places in Fhrey society, which is used for meditation and reflection. The Garden is in the center of Estramnadon and surrounds the Door.

• Gath (Rhune): The first keenig, who united all the clans during the Great Flood.

• Ghazel: “Goblin” in the Dherg language.

• Ghika (Fhrey): Third fane of the Fhrey, who refused to grant King Mideon (of the Dherg) access to The First Tree, thus starting the Belgric War in which Ghika was killed.

• Gifford (Rhune, Rhen): Incredibly talented potter of Dahl Rhen. His mother died during his birth; due to his extensive deformities, he wasn’t expected to live more than a few years.

• Goblin: A grotesque race feared and shunned by all in Elan. Known to be fierce warriors, the most dangerous of their kind are oberdazas, who can harness the power of elements through magic. In the Dherg language, they are called ghazel.

• Grandford: A stone bridge over the narrow river gorge of the Bern River that separates Dureya from Alon Rhist.

• Grantheum Art Tournament: A yearly event held to determine the Miralyith who is the most skilled at using the Art.

• Green Field Guides: Fhrey who travel into the wilds outside of Estramnadon.

• Grenmorians: The race of giants who live in Elan.

• Grin: The name Suri and Tura gave to “The Brown,” a ferocious bear of the Crescent Forest.

• Gryndal (Fhrey, Miralyith): First Minister to Fane Lothian. Respected as one of the most skilled practitioners of the Art.

• Gula-Rhunes: A northern three-clan alliance of Rhunes who have a longstanding feud with the seven southern Rhune clans. Historically the Fhrey have pitted these sides against each other and fostered their mutual animosity.

• Gwydry: One of the seven tribes of Fhrey. This one is for the farmers who are responsible for raising crops and livestock.

• Gylindora Fane (Fhrey): The first leader of the Fhrey. Her name became synonymous with “ruler.”

• Hentlyn (land of mountains): Area to the north of Avrlyn, generally inhabited by Grenmorians.

• Herkimer (Rhune, Dureya): Father of Raithe, killed by Shegon.

• Hiemdal (Rhune, Dureya): Father of Herkimer and grandfather to Raithe.

• High Spear Valley: Home of the three clans of the Gula-Rhunes.

• Horn of Gylindora: A ceremonial horn kept by the Aquila that was originally bestowed to Gylindora Fane by the legendary Caratacus. The horn is used to challenge for leadership of the Fhrey. It can only be blown upon the death of a fane or every three thousand years during the Uli Vermar. When blown at the death of a fane, it’s the fane’s heir that is challenged. If the fane has no heir, then the horn can be blown twice, providing for two contestants.

• Imaly (Fhrey, Nilyndd): Descendant of Gylindora Fane, leader of the Nilyndd tribe, and Curator of the Aquila.

• Instarya: One of the seven tribes of the Fhrey. Instarya are the warrior class, stationed on the frontier in outposts along the Avrlyn border.

• Jerydd (Fhrey, Miralyith): The kel of Avempartha.

• Keeper of Ways: The person who learns the customs and traditions of a community and is the authority in such matters. Keepers pass down their knowledge through the oral tradition.

• Kel: Administrator or governor of a prestigious institution.

• Knots: Known to disrupt the natural flow of the Art, often creating difficulty in communication and preventing consensus building. Once a knot is unraveled, so, too, are arguments unknotted, leading to eventual agreement.

• Konniger (Rhune, Rhen): Shield to Chieftain Reglan of Dahl Rhen; became chieftain after Reglan’s death; married to Tressa.

• Leigh mor: Great cloak. A versatile piece of fabric used by Rhune men that can be draped in a number of ways, usually belted. A leigh mor can also be used as a sling to carry items or as a blanket. Usually, they’re woven with the pattern of a particular clan. The female version, known as a breckon mor, is longer, with an angled cut.

• Leshie: One of a multitude of mischievous wood sprites that inhabit forests. Leshies delight in leading travelers astray.

• Lothian, Fane (Fhrey, Miralyith): Supreme ruler of the Fhrey, father to Mawyndulë, son of Fenelyus.

• Maccus (Rhune, Rhen): Dahl chieftain and the great-great-grandfather of Reglan. He ruled the dahl from about a hundred years before the reign of Reglan.

• Maeve (Rhune, Rhen): Keeper of Ways for Dahl Rhen.

• Magda: The oldest tree in the Crescent Forest; an ancient oak.

• Mahn (Rhune, Rhen): Son of Persephone and Reglan. Killed by a ferocious bear known as The Brown.

• Malcolm (Rhune, no clan affiliation): A slave living in Alon Rhist.

• Malkin: A child taken by crimbals who later escapes Nog to return to the world of Elan. Malkins usually reappear at the age of fourteen, although they might have been gone for much longer, since time doesn’t pass at the same rate in Nog as in the world of Elan.

• Manes: Ghosts of the dead who live deep in the earth and emerge through a deep shaft, cave, or chasm. Manes seek out the living members of their family and torment them for any misdeeds (real or imagined) that the manes feel were perpetrated on them in life.

• Math (Rhune, Rhen): Founder of Dahl Rhen and grandson of Gath.

• Mawyndulë (Fhrey, Miralyith): Prince of the Fhrey realm. Son of Fane Lothian and grandson of Fane Fenelyus.

• Medak (Fhrey, Instarya): A member of the Galantians, skilled at throwing knives.

• Menahan: A Rhune dahl known for its wool.

• Mideon, King (Dherg): A key player in the Belgric War between the Dherg and the Fhrey.

• Minna: A wolf that travels with Suri.

• Miralyith: Fhrey tribe of “Artists.” People who use the Art to channel natural forces to work magic.

• Morvyn: Evil spirit capable of possessing animals and humans. When taking over humans, it has the ability to transform into an animal while maintaining near-human intelligence.

• Mynogan: Battle, Honor, and Death. The three gods of war worshipped by the Dureyans.

• Mystic: Individuals capable of tapping into the essence of the natural world and understanding the will of gods and spirits.

• Nadak: A region in the north of Rhulyn that is home to the Rhune clan of the same name.

• Nagon: The name of one of Sebek’s two swords. The word is Fhrey for “lightning.”

• Naraspur: Name of the horse that takes Arion to Alon Rhist.

• Nidwalden: Mighty river that separates the land of the Fhrey (Ervanon) from Rhulyn.

• Nifrel: Below Rel. The most dismal and unpleasant of the three regions of the afterlife.

• Nilyndd: Fhrey tribe of craftsmen.

• Nog: Home of the crimbals, where time moves at a different rate than in Elan.

• Nyphron (Fhrey, Instarya): Son of Zephyron and leader of the famed Galantians.

• Nyree (Fhrey, Umalyn): Mother of Arion and former wife of Era.

• Padera (Rhune, Rhen): Farmer’s wife and oldest resident of Dahl Rhen.

• Parthaloren Falls: Largest waterfall in the known world, it drops the Nidwalden River thousands of feet. At the top of these falls stands the great Fhrey tower of Avempartha.

• Persephone (Rhune, Rhen): Wife of Reglan and Second Chair of Dahl Rhen.

• Pontifex: Name of Nyphron’s sword. One of the Fhrey names for the wind.

• Raithe (Rhune, Dureya): Son of Herkimer, also known as the God Killer.

• Raow: A feared predator that eats its prey starting with the face. Raow sleep on a bed of bones and must add another set before going to sleep. A single raow can decimate an entire region.

• Reglan (Rhune, Rhen): Chieftain of Dahl Rhen and husband to Persephone.

• Rel: One of the three regions in the Rhune afterlife.

• Rhen: A wooded region in the west of Rhulyn that is home to the Rhune clan of the same name.

• Rhulyn: “Land of the Rhunes” bordered by the Fhrey’s native lands of Erivan to the east and the Fhrey outposts in Avrlyn to the west.

• Rhune: One of the five major races of Elan, the race of humans. The word is Fhrey for “primitive,” and for some, it is seen as derogatory. This race is technologically challenged, superstitious, and polytheistic. They live in clusters of small villages, and each clan is governed by a chieftain. There are two major groups of Rhunes, the Gula-Rhunes from the north and the southern Rhulyn-Rhunes. The two factions have warred for centuries.

• Rhunic: The language spoken by the humans who live in Rhulyn.

• Roan (Rhune, Rhen): Ex-slave of Iver the Carver.

• Sackett (Rhune, Rhen): The new Shield of the chieftain of Dahl Rhen under the leadership of Konniger.

• Salifan: Fragrant wild plant with multiple uses.

• Season pillars: Twelve pillars inside a lodge that surround the dais of the First and Second Chairs. They are arranged in sets of three, the groups representing spring (west), summer (south), fall (east), and winter (north).

• Sebek (Fhrey, Instarya): Best warrior of the Galantians.

• Second Chair: Honorific position held by the wife of the chieftain.

• Shegon (Fhrey, Asendwayr): A hunter of Alon Rhist who provides the warrior tribe with fresh meat; killed by Raithe.

• Shield: Also known as “Shield to the chieftain” or “chieftain’s Shield,” the chieftain’s personal bodyguard, and generally the finest warrior on the dahl.

• Standing stone: A monolith or part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably, but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering toward the top.

• Suri (Rhune, no clan affiliation): Young mystic raised by Tura. She’s always accompanied by a white wolf named Minna.

• Tabor: A woodland spirit that pushes people off cliffs or drowns them in rivers or lakes.

• Talwara: The official name of the Fhrey’s palace where the fane resides and rules.

• Tet: A swear word derived from Tetlin Witch. Over the years it’s been perverted to mean “excrement,” as in, “You don’t know tet.”

• Tetlin Witch: An immortal being thought to be the source of all disease, pestilence, and evil in the world.

• Thym (Fhrey, Umalyn): Priest of Ferrol who ministers to the Instarya each summer.

• Tibor: The name of one of Sebek’s two swords; the word is Fhrey for “thunder.”

• Tirre: A region in the south of Rhulyn that is home to the Rhune clan of the same name.

• Torc: A rigid circular necklace that is open at the front.

• Tressa (Rhune, Rhen): Wife of Chieftain Konniger of Dahl Rhen.

• Trilos (Fhrey, unknown tribal affiliation): A person obsessed with the Door in the Garden.

• Tura (Rhune, no clan affiliation): An ancient mystic who lived in the Crescent Forest near Dahl Rhen; mentor to Suri. She predicted the coming of the Great Famine.

• Uli Vermar: An event that occurs three thousand years after the crowning of a fane, when other Fhrey can challenge the sitting ruler. This is done by petitioning the Aquila and being presented with the Horn of Gylindora.

• Umalyn: The Fhrey tribe of priests and priestesses who concern themselves with spiritual matters and the worship of Ferrol.

• Urum River: A north-south Avrlyn river west of the Bern.

• Vellor: A stringed musical instrument created by the Fhrey.

• Wogan: Chief woodland spirit, who serves as guardian of forests.

• Yakkus: A demon of disease that can assume the form of any animal, including humans.

• Zephyron (Fhrey, Instarya): Father of Nyphron, killed by Lothian during the leadership challenge after the death of Fane Fenelyus.