Extraordinary Zoology Part 14

gobber: A diminutive race of inquisitive, nimble, and entrepreneurial individuals that have adapted well to the cities of men. Most gobbers are around three feet tall. Gobbers are known to have undeniable apt.i.tude for mechanikal devices and alchemy.

gorgandur: Enormous monstrous serpents that dwell in deep subterranean burrows, venturing aboveground so rarely they are thought by many to be mythical. Their appearances are connected with tremendous destruction and mayhem.

Immoren: The continent containing the Iron Kingdoms, Ios, Rhul, the Skorne Empire, and the lands between them. Much of Immoren remains unexplored, and its inhabitants have had limited contact with other continents.

Inquisition: A Cygnaran political organization originally created to stamp out sorcery and gather intelligence but which earned notoriety during the reign of Vinter Raelthorne IV for its role in eliminating the king's political enemies and enforcing obedience through terror. After the Lion's Coup the organization was disbanded and declared illegal, its members arrested, pardoned, or gone into hiding. It has since served as a subversive group loyal to the exiled Vinter.

Ios/Iosan: An isolationist nation east of Llael and north of the Bloodstone Marches, Ios was founded long before the nations of men by survivors of a destroyed empire called Lyoss. It is inhabited by a long-lived elven race that has suffered a long gradual decline and faces an imminent cosmological catastrophe.

kaelram: Ma.s.sive, tough-skinned herbivores with long, curving tusks. These powerful pachyderms have sometimes been used as beasts of burden by the Idrians on the fringes of the Protectorate of Menoth.

Khador: The northernmost of the Iron Kingdoms, once a kingdom and now an empire. The Khadoran Empire is ruled by Empress Ayn Vanar.

kith: A trollkin extended-family group within a larger kriel. Members of a kith are typically closely related by blood.

kithkar: A war leader of the trollkin, occupying a role similar to that of an officer in a human army.

korune: A lord who accepts the permanent service of an ogrun warrior. While korunes were originally themselves also ogrun, the concept has been extended to anyone to whom an ogrun has sworn, most commonly Rhulfolk.

kriel: The most important divisions of trollkin culture and the equivalent of a trollkin tribe or clan, varying greatly in size but always comprising several affiliated kith. Members of the same kriel share the same quitari pattern on their clothing.

Lancer: A rugged yet agile Cygnaran warjack developed with an emphasis on defense and survivability. Each is equipped with an arc node, a vital piece of technology that allows its warcaster to cast spells at a greater distance.

Lion's Coup: The Cygnaran coup in 594 AR led by Leto Raelthorne, who ousted his tyrannical brother Vinter IV to begin his reign. The coup was facilitated by Leto's position as warmaster general of the Cygnaran Army, which allowed him to organize his loyal officers to a.s.sist in the palace revolt and to minimize the involvement of Vinter's loyalists.

Llael: Once the smallest and easternmost Iron Kingdom but largely conquered during the recent Llaelese War. Llael is presently divided between Khador, the Protectorate of Menoth, and the Llaelese Resistance.

Madrak Ironhide: The foremost chieftain of the displaced trollkin kriels of the Thornwood Forest. Madrak eventually rises to become one of the key leaders of the "United Kriels."

Menite/Menoth: A worshiper of Menoth, the primal G.o.d credited by his worshipers with the creation of aspects of the world itself, including the division of the water from the land, the ordering of the seasons, and most importantly, the creation of humanity. Menoth's gifts to humanity included fire, agriculture, masonry, and the written word in the form of the True Law, his divine commandments. The largest number of Menites are found in Khador and the Protectorate of Menoth; most humans consider Menoth their creator but are not necessarily Menites. Menite worship declined with the rise of the faith of Morrow.

Merywyn: The former capital of Llael, presently the most important industrial city held in the Khadoran-occupied territory.

Molgur-Og: The native language of ogrun across western Immoren, derived from the ancient Molgur tongue. Generally only spoken between ogrun.

Molgur-Trul: The native language of the trollkin, derived from the ancient Molgur tongue.

Morrow: One of the Twins, brother to Thamar, and a G.o.d who was once mortal but who ascended to divinity by achieving enlightenment. Also known as the Prophet, Morrow is a benevolent G.o.d who emphasizes self-sacrifice, good works, and honorable behavior. The organized religion of Morrow is the largest and most widespread faith in the Iron Kingdoms, the majority faith in Cygnar, Khador, Llael, and Ord. The Church of Morrow has considerable wealth and influence. See also Thamar.

ogrun: A large and physically powerful race renowned for their great strength and honor. Most ogrun are citizens of Rhul, though they can be found throughout the Iron Kingdoms and are also present in the Scharde Isles serving Cryx.

Ord: The kingdom on the western coast between Khador and Cygnar, largely neutral in the recent wars and seen as a haven for mercenary companies.

Orgoth: A fearsome race of men from an unknown continent west across the Meredius who invaded and enslaved western Immoren for centuries. The Orgoth were driven out just over four hundred years ago.

quitari: Traditional tartan patterns worn by each trollkin that usually represents the wearer's home kriel. In recent times, some trollkin have created new patterns or adopted the quitari of the chieftain or war leader they serve, even if not originally from the same kriel.

Radcliffe carbine: A long-range military rifle that utilizes a five-chambered ammo wheel.

Raelthorne, Vinter IV: The deposed king of Cygnar. Vinter's skill and ferocity in battle were exceeded only by his cruelty and paranoia. He is considered a tyrant but is also arguably the best swordsman in the history of Immoren.

Raelthorne, King Leto: The current king of Cygnar, Leto Raelthorne seized the throne from his older brother Vinter IV during the Lion's Coup of 594 AR.

Retribution (of Scyrah): Once outlawed as dangerously radical, this militant Iosan religious sect seeks to avenge the imminent doom of their G.o.ddess Scyrah by killing human arcanists, whom they hold to blame.

Scarleforth Lake: A large lake south of Ios and adjacent to the Glimmerwood within the Bloodstone Marches.

Scyrah: Once one of eight G.o.ds within the Iosan Divine Court pantheon, representing Spring, Scyrah has become the primary G.o.ddess of Ios. She currently languishes in a state of slow death mirroring the steady decline of the elven race, but this is a matter not discussed with non-Iosans.

Seekers: Members of an Iosan minority religious sect who actively search for the solution to the mysterious ailment that has afflicted the G.o.ddess Scyrah, which they believe likely exists outside the borders of Ios. This motivates some Seekers to cooperate with and form alliances with outsiders.

Skirov: Ethnic majority of the Skirovnya volozk in northern Khador.

skorne: A race originating from eastern Immoren that crossed the Bloodstone Desert and Marches to make war on the west. The product of a harsh and brutally strict culture, they seem bent on the conquest of the Iron Kingdoms. The Skorne Empire boasts a highly disciplined and versatile army that employs a variety of enslaved beasts to fight alongside their soldiers.

sons of Bragg: See fell caller.

steamjack: A steam-powered mechanikal construct designed in a variety of configurations and sizes, used for both labor and warfare throughout the Iron Kingdoms, Cryx, and Rhul.

steamo: An informal nickname used to refer to a member of Cygnar's Steam & Iron Worker's Union.

swamp gobbers: Clever and hardy diminutive gobbers found in bogs and marshes, particularly in the eastern Thornwood and the Widower's Wood outside Corvis. There is no physiological distinction between swamp gobbers and those dwelling in cities, so the term is cultural and descriptive.

swampies: A swamp-dwelling people, usually of Morridane or Arjun ancestry, most commonly found in Cygnar and eastern Ord. Swampies do not consider the term pejorative but these people are frequently subject to prejudice by city-dwellers who regard them as unsophisticated and ignorant.

tatzylwurms: Snake-like predators notorious for their ability to leap great distances. A versatile species with various sub-breeds, some of which can climb surprisingly well while others are at home in aquatic environments.

Tharn: Savage, man-eating humanoid tribesmen who inhabit the depths of the Thornwood and are feared for their ferocity and their ability to transform into a b.e.s.t.i.a.l form as a blessing of the Devourer Wurm. While legend holds that they were once human, they are no longer viewed as such, nor do they identify themselves as such.

Thornwood mauler: Fierce and powerful predators that are found in wooded areas, maulers are known for their incredible sense of smell.

Thornwood: A large forest that was originally part of the northern territories of Cygnar. It was recently occupied by Khador before being beset by a large number of Cryxian forces. It remains a contested territory and the site of many recent battles.

troll: A large, brutish species possessing limited language and inclined toward violence motivated by hunger. They are widely considered by humanity to be monsters, since trolls eat humans without hesitation. They are sometimes referred to as "full-blood trolls" to differentiate them from their trollkin cousins.

trollkin: A hardy and intelligent race that live both in their own communities in the wilderness and within cities of man. They possess a complex and rich culture, including their own written language. Most trollkin worship the G.o.ddess Dhunia.

Urcaen: A mysterious cosmological realm that is the spiritual counterpart of Caen. Most of the G.o.ds reside here, and this is also where most souls spend the afterlife. Urcaen is divided between protected divine domains and the h.e.l.lish wilds stalked by the Devourer Wurm.

vektiss: Intelligent, insect-like creatures that hunt in packs and paralyze their prey with poisonous bites.

warbeast: Casually, any powerful beast employed in war. More technically, any supernatural beast capable of bonding to a warlock and manifesting an animus. This term is not widely used in western Immoren but is employed by the skorne, whose armies make heavy use of enslaved beasts. Other groups employing warbeasts include the Circle Orboros, the Legion of Everblight, trollkin, gatormen, and farrow. Most warlocks require an affinity to specific types of warbeasts to bond to them.

warjack: A highly advanced and well-armed steamjack created or modified for war. Some warjacks use power sources other than steam and are not technically steamjacks but are still referred to as such as a matter of custom.

warlock: An arcanist with the ability to bond to and mentally control savage or enslaved beasts.

Widower's Wood: A dark and marsh-filled forest that surrounds the city of Corvis in northern Cygnar and extends north of the city and beyond Cygnar's borders to the east into the edges of the Bloodstone Marches.

wilding: A spontaneous manifestation of druidic power in humans that usually occurs at an early age and is often mistaken for madness. The Circle Orboros is scrupulous about collecting those who manifest the wilding, although their means of detecting this are unknown.

Wyrmwall Mountains: The largest mountain range in southwestern Immoren, taking up a sizable portion of the kingdom of Cygnar. This expanse is divided into a number of lesser mountain ranges, including the Upper Wyrmwall, the Watcher Peaks, and Helmsreach.

About the Author.

Howard Tayler writes and ill.u.s.trates Schlock Mercenary (schlockmercenary.com), co-hosts the Writing Excuses podcast with Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, and Mary Robinette Kowal (writingexcuses.com), and writes fantasy, horror, and science fiction in such free time as remains. He lives with his wife (and business partner, and fellow writer) Sandra and their four children in Orem, Utah.

He plays Trollbloods, Circle, Minions, Mercenaries, and Cygnar, but not nearly so often as he would like. This novella was carved at great personal sacrifice from what used to be his painting time.

Extraordinary Zoology.

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