MISCELLANEOUS

Amir Sands - A proverbial amir or war leader of the Khalq Assemblage, he represents the forbidding landscape of the wasteland which has defeated invading armies all on its own. Ash’s Folly - A game of chance played with placards shaped similar to gold dieties.  Cards have value associated with the image printed upon them and are separated into thematic groups such as Birds and Beasts.  Higher value cards are independent from groups, but may modify the value of lower cards.  These independent cards may represent gods or heroic archetypes.  Featured cards include Owl, Falcon, Ibis, Sunrise Queen, Rumiany, Duelist, Teacher, General, and Fallen.  The cycle of the game represents securing the Wellspring of Life on Geb’s body. Camp Cough - This virulent disease first appeared during the Gate War and is believed to have been brought to Geb by the soldati.  Its symptoms are wet, wracking coughs which eventually produce bloody phlegm.  Severe cases can be fatal. Cerednite - Sometimes called Geb’s Veins, this oily green mineral gives off intense heat when burned, and produces a green flame.  Metal forged using it can have a greenish tinge. Deepleaf - A type of seaweed which, when the fronds are bruised or crushed, emits a cloud of particles with a mild calming effect.  With increased travel and trade on the surface, it was found to have an even stronger effect when the fronds were dried and burned.  The apkallu have cultivated it as a crop for the length of their recorded history. Dvojka - The language of the ozrut.  It means “pair,” alluding to the rumiany and markotny populations.  Rumiany and markotny speak identifiably different dialects, but can easily understand each other. Ekstaticalia - secretive rituals involving hedonism, debauchery, and drunkenness on the part of celebrants.  Once heavily frowned upon and forced to be practiced in secret places such as tombs.  Now shorn of most ritual trappings, these are commonplace among the wealthy of the Suzerainty. Felhan ‘82 - A famed vintage from a vineyard in Polto that was destroyed in the Gate War. Forstil - Baltine state bordering Polto and the Keizai range.  Full of broken foothills, it is known for its mines. Gillermoi - A large, flightless bird which stands around six and a half feet tall and sports coarse, quill-like feathers and a large, dangerously strong beak.  Most breeds are hardy and desert-adapted, with broad feet suited to running on sand and the ability to go for long periods between food and water.  Gillermoi in the wild are scavengers, but are known to attack prey with their beaks as well.  Domesticated, they are not suitable for riding, but are used to draw wagons. Hathore - Brothels, fronted by dancers.  The practice originated from rituals of iaret hierodules. Lodestone - An alloy with magnetic properties created through an alchemical process.  It has similar characteristics to steel, and a dark blue color when forged. Moonstone Fever - Also known as “Ash’s Curse” or more properly as “lycanthropy” this disease seemed to originate in the Jewel City it takes its name from.  Persistent rumor ascribes it as the product of a rogue alchemist who was variously said to be attempting to enhance soldiers, isolate the baser nature of mortals, or “cure” beastkin.  During the Gate War and Spasm, it was used as a biological weapon, leading to its spread.  Beastkin are immune to this disease. Muruch Tears - A drug extracted from certain organs of a reef-dwelling fish found in the Wandering Islands.  This pearlescent liquid is extremely salty to the taste and amplifies emotion in users.  It is known to be addictive and withdrawal is marked by dulling of the senses and unabating deep muscle pain. Mutu - Baleful undead, usually referring to those arising “naturally” from improper burial or traumatic death. Nepenthe - Distilled from the petals of a blue flower which grows under certain circumstances in the deep jungle, this substance has had ritual use in iaret society for thousands of years.  In low doses, it mutes emotion completely, leading to a feeling of relative bliss especially in those troubled.  In more concentrated doses, it causes amnesia. Nudiflots - Brightly colored slugs capable of flight via gauzy wings.  These invertebrates are highly diverse in coloration and treated as a nuisance to agriculture. Old Hierophant - A spiced rum distilled in the Tide Kingdoms. Roeddec - A species of large lepus with curling horns known to inhabit rocky and mountainous terrain. Saar - The enormous mobile cities of the Khalq Assemblage.  Covering acres on the move, and swaying over a hundred feet high, they are powered by a variety of methods ranging from steam boilers to megafauna.  They double as war machines, as each is armed and fortified. Sarandoy - The organization which enforces the law within the Khalq Assemblage.  They are empowered to summarily punish thought and action which is counter to the Will of the Masses. Selenops - A non-web-spinning winged arachnid that sustains itself via hunting.  That’s right, flying spiders, don’t ask. Soldatacier - Purple-tinged alloy that is more dense and heavy than steel.  There is no known source on Geb and it can only be found in soldati stockpiles and supply caches. Spindle-Spring - An engine powered by a large wound spring.  The necessity of re-winding springs and the complex alchemical metallurgy required for their construction keeps this engine rare. Spite - A venomous concoction which induces convulsions.  The sensation caused is described as the user’s blood being on fire, along with feelings of boundless energy, euphoria, and diminished judgment. Strong Arms - Also known as the Suzerain’s Bullies. A small group of soldiers charged with the protection of the Dynastic Family and carrying out the personal orders of the Suzerain.  The modern Strong Arms are much larger than the original elite group, and considered of low general quality and loyalty. During the last millennium they have been implicated in the assassination of a number of Dynasts and have been reformed with only limited success multiple times. Water Silk - Spun from the excretion of a type of sea slug, this fabric is open weave and somewhat gauzy.  It is worn by apkallu for its near-weightlessness in water. Wind-Sail - Any sail powered primarily by enchantment, such as permanent or long-term wind production or bound elemental.  More commonly used for land conveyance. Almanac Years are 365 days long and composed of 4 seasons, each containing 3 months of 30 days.  The remaining 5 days comprise a New Year’s festival which celebrates the gods and begs their blessing on the coming year.  Days are composed of 24 hours. Years are numbered from the date the apkallu taught the iaret engineering and mathematics.  While iaret civilization predates the year 0, they mark that as the true start of their history. The seasons are Grota, when the the air is cold and Ranute hurries across the sky eager to be back in Geb’s embrace, Las, when the snow thaws and Ash dresses himself in green to go courting, Dolina, when the sky is bright and both faces of Neath grow warm and ruddy, and Stok, when the wind blows in warning and the Horizon Walker goes abroad to trick those unprepared for the coming snow. The months of each season are simply called Early, Mid, and Late. Notably, the seasons use ozrut titles, adopted by the iaret to better describe the seasons throughout their vast domain.  The ozrut words depict their own yearly cycles:  wintering in high mountain caves, descending into the forest in the thaw, farming in the valley while the sun shines, and ascending the hills again when the weather turns cold once more.