Glossary 1.32 – The Book of Lost Wisdom
The Book of Lost Wisdom is a series with many characters, places, skills, items, and ideas to remember. This glossary is a quick way to restore the context the story expects you to have without retelling the book itself.
A word of warning: there will inevitably be spoilers here, so proceed with caution. Each entry gives the chapter by which it is safe to read. General Knowledge identifies ordinary facts of the world that its people would already know.
A
Adventurer's Guild, The (General Knowledge) - A worldwide organization that registers adventuring teams, issues contracts, and wields considerable political influence.
Aldes (Chapter 1.4) - A group of ancient scholars who devoted their lives to studying and teaching magic at a now-lost school.
Alexi, Prince of Melar (General Knowledge) - King Leonid's brother and the prince who governs Melar whenever Leonid is absent.
Amazing Strength (Chapter 1.10) - A combat skill that briefly provides exceptional strength, but has a long recharge time, particularly at lower levels.
Ambient Magic (Chapter 1.9) - Magic that leaks into the physical world from the Other Realm and can affect magically sensitive creatures.
Andara (General Knowledge) - A powerful nation known for its warriors and nomadic traditions; Mavros of Andara’s conquest of Lethe created Twyl.
Andeon Walsh (General Knowledge) - Guild master of the Adventurer's Guild chapter in Rish.
Angel Morrow (Chapter 1.4) - King Terrence's personal healer.
Aranya Freesh (General Knowledge) - Guild mistress of the Adventurer's Guild chapter in Pelaro.
Arimen (General Knowledge) - Sylinar's estranged immortal mate.
B
Battle Song (General Knowledge) - Twyl's annual holiday celebrating King Mavros's conquest of Rish and warning against underestimating an enemy.
Battle Song Eve (General Knowledge) - The night before Battle Song, when camps outside Rish reenact the Andaran army's arrival by lighting hundreds of fires of the plains north of the city.
Beast Master (Chapter 1.16) - The Tier 2 class into which a Hunter class can transform.
Book of Lost Wisdom, The (General Knowledge) – An relic from a parable told by parents about a book that contains all the wisdom of the world. Different groups of adventurers search for it, but never find it, though they do attain wisdom along the way. The idea is to teach children that wisdom comes from living, not books. Different countries have different stories, but they all reflect this central tenet.
Borin (Chapter 1.8) - A Level 5 salad Healer and member of the Misfits of Karmenon.
Brotherhood, The (Chapter 1.12) - An isolated people about whom little reliable information is known.
C
Chari, Princess (General Knowledge) - The sixteen-year-old daughter of King Leonid and Queen Rhea of Melar.
Chirkir (General Knowledge) - Ancient magical beings resembling raised stone ritual circles, able to transport people and goods for one to another.
Class (General Knowledge) - A magical role granted through a divine tether, allowing a person to gain levels and skills.
Cora (Chapter 1.4) - Dahr's widowed mother and the owner of an inn in Death's Doorstep.
D
Dahr (Chapter 1.1) - Prince Eric's young personal servant and closest friend, originally from Death's Doorstep.
Dancing Moth, The (Chapter 1.8) - A tavern in Tarlet that never closes and never quite empties.
Danny (Chapter 1.20) - The comatose boy whose body Eric seems to inhabit when he reaches a strange other world during sleep.
Death's Doorstep (General Knowledge) - A remote city-state bordering the Plains of Xarinos. The capital city also called Death’s Doorstep was destroyed in the Undead War, 15 years ago.
Deloshi (General Knowledge) - The god of deception.
Detect Evil (Chapter 1.4) - A diagnostic spell used to identify malevolent magical influence.
Detect Magic (Chapter 1.4) - A spell used to sense the presence of magic.
Dreek (Chapter 1.8) - A phase shifter and member of the Misfits of Karmenon.
Dual-Casting (Chapter 1.4) - A long-lost magical technique that allows a mage to cast two spells simultaneously.
Duran, King (General Knowledge) - The former king of Lethe, assassinated after traveling by chirkir.
E
Endurance (Chapter 1.16) - A passive skill that improves stamina and gives limited resistance to poison, mind control, and disease.
Eric, Prince (General Knowledge) - The sixteen-year-old heir to Twyl, Dahr's closest friend, and a devoted follower of Sheba.
F
Familiar (General Knowledge) - A sentient magical companion summoned by and bonded to a mortal. This is usually the purview of spell casters, but there are exceptional cases.
Far Andara (General Knowedge) - An Andaran territory south of Twyl.
Fast Forward (Chapter 1.8) - A skill that allows the user to reach extraordinary speeds.
Final Hope (General Knowledge) - A country bordering the Plains of Xarinos and Lorelei. Home to the World's Garrison.
Flamewing (Chapter 1.27) - The temporary name Dahr gives a flaming parrot that he summoned to impress an Adventurer’s Guild official.
Frenetic Defense (Chapter 1.9) - A skill that lets a user block rapidly and gain some protection against projectiles as they level.
Frenzy (Chapter 1.16) - A skill that lets a user greatly increase their attack speed.
G
Garne (Chapter 1.8) - A Level 6 human Warrior, Ressssen's second-in-command, and a member of the Misfits of Karmenon.
George (Chapter 1.6) - The name Telisian uses when speaking to Dahr to obscure his true identity.
Giant Scorpion (Chapter 1.7) - The creature Eric and Chari face during Chari's transition trial.
Glanx (General Knowledge) - The largest port city in Melar.
Gordic (Chapter 1.19) – A warrior who assists Guild Mistress Aranya Freesh with running the Pelaro branch of the Adventurer’s Guild.
H
Healing Potion (General Knowledge) - A common restorative potion; Lorelei is a major source of reliable healing potions.
Herrold, King (Chapter 1.1) - The former ruler of Lethe whose intrusion into Andara led to his kingdom's defeat.
Holy Shield (Chapter 1.4) - A projection of god’s will that manifests as a shield.
Horn, The (General Knowledge) - The mountain range separating the north part of Twyl from the southern port cities. From the air it looks like a horn. It was named back in the days when more humans had the ability to fly.
Human (General Knowledge) - The most populous sentient race in Thysandrika.
I
Iorana (General Knowledge) - The goddess of magic and firstborn of the sibling gods. As with all sibling gods Sylinar created Iorana from both her essence and Arimen’s combined.
J
Jericho, Captain (General Knowledge) - The officer responsible for the defense of Rish.
Jerish (Chapter 1.5) - A young servant in King Leonid's court.
Jesh Belor (Chapter 1.19) - A powerful mage and trusted aide to Aranya Freesh.
K
Kalutu (Chapter 1.3) - The were-owl familiar summoned by Dahr in the other realm and unexpectedly connected to both Dahr and Eric.
Karmenon (General Knowledge) - The Allied Kingdoms of Karmenon, a confederation of kingdoms in northern Aestra.
Kerren (Chapter 1.13) - An archer who fought beside Terrence during the Undead War. Later killed and returned as undead. Terrence killed him again and burned his body.
Kindred (General Knowledge) - A human subspecies native to the Brotherhood and known to possess unusual mental abilities.
Krell Milk (Chapter 1.9) - Milk from krell, a type of cattle, mostly consumed by nobles as it is too expensive for most people to drink regularly. It is thicker and richer than normal milk.
Kreve (Chapter 1.15) - A huge black canine predator with red eyes and a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth.
Kryst (General Knowledge) - The largest port city in Twyl.
L
Larish (Chapter 1.9) - A Twylian alchemist working in the palace whose experiments with krell milk caused a spate of miscarriages, stillbirths and cot deaths among the nobles of Rish for years. The grief it caused among Rish's noble families lingered for a generation. Larish took his own life before he could be held accountable, and whether his experiments were reckless or deliberate is a matter of debate to this day.
Leata (Chapter 1.11) - The chamberlain at the palace in Rish, responsible for its servants, organization, and much of the royal children's education.
Leonid, King (Chapter 1.5) - The king of Melar and Chari's father. Married to Queen Rhea.
Lethe, Kingdom of (General Knowledge) - The former kingdom defeated by Mavros over a century ago and renamed Twyl.
Lethen Armor (Chapter 1.1) - Replica armor worn during Battle Song Eve to represent the soldiers of Lethe.
Level (General Knowledge) - A measure of growth within a class; gaining levels strengthens existing abilities and may unlock new skills.
Level Flare (Chapter 1.9) - A visible manifestation of gaining a level, often appearing as a brief flare of light. Typically you have to be around Level 5 to see level flare, but this varies from person to person.
Lorelei (General Knowledge) - A reclusive nation that has had a secret trade agreement with the Undead King for over a century. Lorelei is known for its high quality healing potions. It sits on the southern border of The Plains of Xarinos.
Loresday (General Knowledge) - The fifth day of the week, honoring Mitra.
Lost Wisdom (General Knowledge) – See Book of Lost Wisdom, The.
M
Manamal (General Knowledge) - An animal made both sentient and humanoid by exposure to high levels of magic. This is a rare effect, not reproducible and not well understood.
Mark (Chapter 1.3) - An unseen designation placed by a god or other powerful being upon a mortal. Often used as a description of placing a tether. When a god marks someone they are in fact preparing to tether them. The marking and tethering almost always occur at the same time.
Mavros, King (General Knowledge) - The Andaran warrior who conquered Rish and founded the Kingdom of Twyl.
Maynor, Captain (General Knowledge) - Captain of King Terrence's guard and a trusted veteran soldier.
Merck Vanderoth (Chapter 1.8) - A Level 4 Swindler who attempts to cheat the Misfits of Karmenon by selling them fake healing potions. This event and the subsequent pursuit leads to unexpected consequences.
Misfits of Karmenon, The (Chapter 1.8) - An unconventional adventuring team led by a serpent lord named Ressssen; its inherited name predates every current member.
Mistmeer (Chapter 1.9) - A swamp near Tarlet containing the ruins of an old dungeon.
Mitra (General Knowledge) - The goddess of lore and learning.
Month of Learning (General Knowledge) - The sixth month of the Thysandrikan calendar.
Morlitz, Lord (Chapter 1.22) – A noble in Pelaro, who invites Striker and the Misfits to dine, in order to learn more about her.
Mrs. Bradsworth (Chapter 1.20) - Danny's mother, heard reading to her comatose son in the strange world Eric reaches during sleep.
N
Naysa Grilla (Chapter 1.18) - A senior guild official at the Adventurer's Guild headquarters in Pelaro.
Nexus (Chapter 1.6) - The unique class granted to Dahr, whose nature and purpose are unknown.
O
Ormund, Lord (Chapter 1.4) - A powerful palace mage obsessed with rediscovering the lost art of dual-casting.
Other Realm (General Knowledge) - The dreamlike magical realm where transition trials occur. This is a realm of pure probability, wandered by beings that no human has ever heard of, much less seen.
P
Pelaro (Chapter 1.12) - The capital of The Allied Kingdoms of Karmenon and home to a major Adventurer's Guild chapter. Importantly, Pelaro is an independent, neutral territory, not physically located in any one of the member kingdoms.
Phase Shifter (Chapter 1.8) - A shadowy people who exist partly in the other realm and can become incorporeal or corporeal at will. They can change shape but can not change their color which is always black, making them look like shadows.
Plains of Xarinos (General Knowledge) - The desolate land ruled by the Undead King, where those buried do not remain dead.
Priest (General Knowledge) - A class offered by almost every god, signifying one who represents that god’s law through teaching and sometimes, punishment, depending on the specific god.
Protector's Leap (Chapter 1.16) - A skill that lets a user reach someone who needs protection quickly.
Puncture (Chapter 1.7) - An armor piercing thrust skill, most often received by servants of Sheba or Sarith.
Pursuer's Advantage (Chapter 1.9) - A spell used to increase a party's speed while pursuing a target.
R
Radcliff 'Rat' (Chapter 1.6) - Chari's cousin, the son of Prince Alexi and an heir to Melar's throne. Only Chari calls him Rat.
Rat Wardens, The (Chapter 1.8) - An adventuring team whose request for rooms at the Dancing Moth ends in a tavern brawl with the Misfits.
Read Tether (Chapter 1.8) - A skill used to identify a target's class and level through their divine tether, as well as which god the target is tethered to.
Reflect Projectiles (Chapter 1.16) - A skill that allows a user to turn incoming projectiles away.
Ressssen (Chapter 1.8) - A Level 8 serpent lord Mage and leader of the Misfits of Karmenon.
Rhea, Queen (Chapter 1.5) - The queen of Melar and Chari's mother. Married to King Leonid.
Rish (General Knowledge) - The capital of Twyl, once the capital of Lethe.
S
Salad (Chapter 1.8) - A plant that becomes sentient and humanoid, due to prolonged magical exposure. This isn’t easily repeatable, and is not well understood. Salads are most often created by exposure to healing magic.
Sam (Chapter 1.28) – A manamal familiar in the form of a humanoid squirrel. A member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Familiars.
Sarith (General Knowledge) - The goddess of war, suffering and assassination. Sarithan assassins are some of the most feared beings in Thysandrika.
Segra (Chapter 1.12) - The second syllable of a spell (note: though it is called a syllable, it can be more than one syllable, sometimes much more) that opens and defines a doorway into another plane of existence.
Se Karn (General Knowledge) - The god of the dead.
Se Karn's Day (General Knowledge) - A somber Karmish holiday dedicated to the dead, also observed in Twyl.
Serpent Lords (General Knowledge) - A long-lived humanoid people with a snake’s head and neck and a strong affinity for magic. Females generally have longer necks than men. Called Serpent Lords (even the females) because of the misnomer that they can control snakes.
Sheba (General Knowledge) - The goddess of honor, combat, and the hunt.
Shield Bash (Chapter 1.2) - A skill that allows a user to channel divine power into a strike with a shield.
Shred (Chapter 1.16) - A skill that overlays a weapon with a ghostly barbed blade designed to tear an opponent.
Sizzle (General Knowledge) - An illegal narcotic derived from a rare plant. It is highly addictive, and affects judgment.
Skill (General Knowledge) - A specific ability granted by a god through a person's class and divine tether.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Familiars (Chapter 1.28) - An organization represented by Chetterfor Bex and his familiar, Sam dedicated to preventing familiar abuse.
Soul Journey (Chapter 1.4) - A rare magical event in which a living person's soul temporarily leaves their body, most often experienced during transition ceremonies.
Southern Plains (General Knowledge) - The broad plains south of central Andara.
Specialization (Chapter 1.16) - A more advanced class reached from an existing class; Striker's Hunter class specializes into Beast Master. This transition almost always occurs at ten level increments.
Stalker (Chapter 1.15) - A female kreve changed by contact with an unknown power and later bonded to Striker.
Striker (Chapter 1.8) - The name used by Trace, the Level 4 Hunter of the Misfits of Karmenon.
Suzanna (Chapter 1.20) - A woman in the strange other world Eric reaches during sleep, whose name feels familiar to him.
Sylinar (General Knowledge) - The goddess of healing and mother of all other gods. She is often called The Mother by humans.
T
Tank (Chapter 1.9) - The unique protective class, at least on Thysandrika, that Sheba grants Eric when he completes his transition.
Tarlet (Chapter 1.8) - A city in the south of Karmenon frequented by adventurers and merchants.
Taunt (Chapter 1.9) - A skill that compels an enemy to focus its attacks on the user.
Telisian (Chapter 1.1) - An ancient being who is older than the gods. Mysterious, powerful and mischievous, Telisian tether’s Dahr during Eric’s transition, a decision that is meant to provide chaos and amusement for centuries.
Temple District (General Knowledge) - The district of most major cities containing temples devoted to different gods. Smaller cities only have the major temples. Large cities include temples to some of the lesser gods as well.
Terrence, King (General Knowledge) - The king of Twyl and father of Prince Eric. Married to Queen Treya.
Terreth, Lord (Chapter 1.4) - A legendary mage from the time of the Empire and one of the few known dual-casters.
Tether (General Knowledge) - A divine connection to a mortal's soul through which a god grants class, levels, and skills.
Tharin (General Knowledge) - The god of thieves and charlatans.
The Bigger They Are (Chapter 1.2) - A passive skill that makes a user more effective against significantly larger foes.
Thysandrika (General Knowledge) - The world in which the story takes place.
Tier (General Knowledge) - A broad measure of advancement encompassing ten class levels.
Transition (General Knowledge) - The process by which a divine tether changes a person, granting a class and skills.
Trace – See Striker
Transition Day (General Knowledge) - A noble's coming-of-age ceremony, normally at sixteen, when they pledge to a deity and attempt to transition by completing a series of trials in the other realm.
Tremendous Leap (Chapter 1.16) - A skill that lets a user cross long distances in a single powerful leap.
Treya, Queen (General Knowledge) - The queen of the Kingdom of Twyl and Prince Eric's mother. Married to King Terrence
Trilsk (General Knowledge) - The capital city of Melar.
Twylish (General Knowledge) - The language spoken in Twyl.
Twyl, Kingdom of (General Knowledge) - The kingdom founded by Mavros after his conquest of Lethe.
U
Undead King (General Knowledge) - The ruler of the Plains of Xarinos.
Undead War, The (General Knowledge) - The war in which the Undead King's forces attacked Death’s Doorstep and fought the allied nations.
V
Veloran (Chapter 1.1) - The high priest of Sheba in Rish.
Vengeful Attack (Chapter 1.16) - A skill that gives a user a deadly response when failing to protect someone in their care.
Veresh (Chapter 1.1) - A potion used to ease a soul’s passage into the Other Realm used almost exclusively for transition.
W
Wanderer's Rest (Chapter 1.17) - The inn where the Misfits stay after arriving in Pelaro.
Warrior (General Knowledge) - A martial class focused on combat. Different gods can create warriors, and those warriors would behave differently depending on the god. A warrior of Sarith is a very different animal than a warrior of Sheba.
Were-Owl (General Knowledge) - A lycanthrope that is a cross between a man and an owl.
White Wolf (General Knowledge) - An animal used as Sheba’s symbol.
Wisita Roth (Chapter 1.12) - Tarlet's mayor, postmaster, and local Adventurer's Guild master.
World's Garrison (General Knowledge) - The garrison in Final Hope made up of soldiers from every civilized nation, formed in the aftermath of the Undead War to contain the undead threat.
Z
Zen (Chapter 1.6) - A fifteen-year-old palace page and friendly with Eric, though they are not close.