Colin Tabor - The Fall of Ossard

Kalraith Ruins, The – The ruined cities at the heart of the fallen Second Dominion. The area is now overgrown, lost to thick forests, and home to the mysterious gargoyle nation of Dorloth.

Kaumhurst – Sef Vaugen’s home village in Fletland, now destroyed.

Kave, The God of Battle – An ambiguous thing. Seen by some as a cult of honour in combat, while others see it as merely another face of the dark power of Terura or the Horned God.

Kinreda, The Five Faiths of – Five separate gods make up the Kinreda. They have a long history of fighting each other and have only been brought together through the Divine Promise of the Ansilsae. It is not unknown for them to still have disputes. Indeed, their own infighting has been instrumental in the first three dominions’ downfalls. All faiths are now head-quartered at Lae Bareth, the holy island (see Lae Bareth).

Krienta – The god and Creator of the middling or common Heletian people. This god of the Covenant is what the Church of Baimiopia is built around.

Kurgar, Heinz – The head of the Flet Guild.

Kurt Baden – See Baden, Kurt.

Lady Death – The head of the cult of Mortigi, the god of murder, in Ossard.

Lae – Velsanan word for new.

Lae Bareth – The holy city of the Five Faiths of the Kinreda. It’s found on a small island at the centre of a long gulf that runs along the south eastern coast of Wairanir. It’s named after Old Bareth, an ancient holy city that disappeared beneath the waves during the calamities that changed the face of the world during the fall of Jhae Dalin Cor, the Third Dominion.

Lae Corster – The head of the Lae Wair-Rae branch of the Cabal, and a close ally to the High King.

Lae Velsanan – The higher race of man. They are on average taller, leaner, and more fine in bone and features. Aside from a crown of rich hair on their heads, they are hairless, and often alluringly perfect. They are also long lived with intense minds and a slight point to their ears and noses. Amongst the other races, they are known for their arrogance, melodrama, and self-absorption.

Lae Wair-Rae – The Fifth and Final Dominion. Young and now rising, destined according to the Ansilsae Prophecy to be eternal. A sprawling nation of Lae Velsanans who follow the Five Faiths of the Kinreda and are now embarking upon a wide campaign of colonisation.

Library of Truth, The – The library of the Chronicle, currently based in Yamere.

Liberigo, Lady Angela – The First Lady of Ossard, wife of Lord Liberigo, and a middle-aged Heletian woman.

Liberigo, Lord Silva – The Lord of Ossard, and head of its most prosperous merchant house. Middle-aged, he is an astute Heletian man.

Liberigo, Pedro – The youngest son of three to the Lord and Lady of Ossard, and a troublesome playboy. Married to Juvela, and father to Maria.

Liberigo, Juvela (nee Van Leuwin) – See Van Leuwin, Juvela.

Loyalists – The name taken by the traditionalist followers of the Church of Baimiopia in Ossard, adversaries to the Reformers.

Lucera – A small island kingdom, and member of the Heletian League well to the south. It is plagued by pirates, and during the course of The Fall of Ossard is uneasily hosting the bulk of the Black Fleet of the Inquisition.

Magic – The power drawn from the next world or celestial into our own. There are three main branches of magic; heart, mind and soul.

Magic, Blood – This kind of magic takes its energy from the life force of blood, and any practitioner of magic can utilise it. In its most common form, it means that a caster offers their own blood by cutting themselves to augment their power in an effort to increase the chances of a casting’s success or its potency. This process delivers strong and raw power (drawn from the blood-linked soul) but can be fatal. It is not stable magic.

Its most reviled form is that practised by many renegades of the Cabal, the Sanjo Drajo. They gain their power by using the blood of others to cast. Such a practice is illegal in the Cabal, as it is immoral, and gives individuals access to great power.

Magic, Soul – The magic delivered through the soul and faith, given in the form of blessings or graces from the gods to their priests or followers.

Magic, Heart – The magic of the Cabal, derived through those naturally attuned to the celestial and strong enough to not need the patronage of a god (soul magic) or others (mind magic). They work very hard through learning, experimentation, and practise to expand their powers.

Magic, Mind – The magic of the Sisterhood. Some women are gifted with a sixth sense that enables them to network with others of similar talent to create a power well akin to that of a single cabalist. These cells can be connected so that they can further pool their power.

Malnobla, The – The seat of government in Ossard, and the lord of the city’s residence. It’s a grand building set on one side of the city’s main square (Market Square).

Malsano – The dark face of the Horned God that watches over poverty and pestilence. Often invoked to curse others. Also known by the names of Malssarcht and Tykarcht.

Man, The Three Branches of – High, middle (or common), and low. The distinction has been classed by the Lae Velsanans who consider themselves alone to be high (see Lae Velsanan). They are taller, leaner, and more long-lived.

There are many different nations of middling men (the Pagar, Flets, Heletians, Evorans, etc.) who are shorter, stouter, shorter-lived, and in Lae Velsanans eyes’, thought to be crude. The race of lower men is made up solely of the Saldaens, a short people who are the last of their kind. The three branches of man cannot successfully interbreed; while conception can occur, the babes born are always stillborn as they are soulless.

Manheim, Seig – The most senior priest of Kave in Ossard. The Flet warrior who has seen many campaigns in Fletland against raiders and other cultists.

Maran Sea – The sea spreading to the south west of the Maroklaran.

Marco Cerraro – See Cerraro, Marco.

Market Square – The main square of Ossard, large and able to hold well over fifteen thousand people. It is used as a market, and also for civil ceremonies.

Maro Fever – A seasonal malady that is common in Ossard. It weakens its victims, is viral, leaving them open to other illnesses through the summer. Most of its victims die from pneumonia.

Maroklaran Sea – The sea that winds through the heart of the Dormetian region.

Matriarch, The – The head of the forbidden organisation, the Sisterhood.

Mauricio Ciero – see Ciero, Mauricio.

Mind Voice – Heard only in the mind between people using celestial talents to commune.

Moonroot – A herbal that interferes with the use of celestial talents.

Mortigi – The dark face of the Horned God who celebrates murder. The followers of Mortigi revel in the hunt for victims and are both skilled assassins and fiends.

Naskae – The soul pearl is a physical embodiment of a Lae Velsanan’s soul. It is where two worlds – the real and the celestial – meet. It sits in the abdomen of every Lae Velsanan. About as big as a coin, these small blue glowing spheres are literally a chunk of magic that can be mined to power spell castings. Removing a naskae from a living Lae Velsanan will kill the owner. If the naskae is not harvested from a corpse, it will eventually deteriorate. When it has finally dissipated, the soul (now completely free, and no longer anchored to a physical form) is able to be reborn into our world.

Using a naskae to power magic castings draws on the energy of the linked soul in the celestial. To use all that power, to drain the soul completely, destroys it. That individual, in every sense of the word, is no more and will never be reborn. Oblivion.