GLOSSARY

Amara (ä´-mä-rä)

Continent surrounded by ocean on three sides.

armagot (är´-muh-got)

National tree, purple blue leaves in the fall.

ballyhoo bird (bimagel´-le-hōō)

An insect-eating bird with dappled brown feathers. It is rarely seen, but its distinctive ballyhoo call is frequently heard in all types of woodland.

beater frog (bimage´-ter frôg)

Tailless, semiaquatic amphibian having a smooth, moist skin, webbed feet, and long hind legs. Shades of green; no bigger than a child’s fist; capable of making loud, resounding boom.

benders

A game played with a deck of cards.

bentleaf tree

Deciduous tree having long, slender, drooping branches and narrow leaves.

bisonbecks (bimage-sen-beks)

Most intelligent of the seven low races. They comprise most of Risto’s army.

blattig fish (blat´-tig)

Freshwater fish often growing to a length of two to three feet, voraciously carnivorous, known to attack and devour living animals.

blimmets (blim´-mets)

One of the seven low races, burrowing creatures that swarm out of the ground for periodic feeding frenzies.

bodoggin (bō´-dimageg-n)

A breed of short-haired dog with a large head, short bowed legs, stocky body. Strong jaws with dewlaps, useful on farms for curtailing vermin.

Bogs, The

Made up of four swamplands with indistinct borders; located in southwest Amara.

borling treee (bôr´-ling)

Having dark brown wood and a deeply furrowed nut enclosed in a globose, aromatic husk.

bornut (bôr´-nimaget)

Nut from borling tree.

brillum (bril´-lum)

A brewed ale that none of the seven high races will consume. Smells like skunkwater, stains like black bornut juice. Mariones use it to spray around their fields to keep insects from infesting their crops.

broer (brôr)

A substance secreted by female dragons through glands in the mouth. Used for nest building, it hardens into a rocklike substance resembling gray meringue.

chukkajoop (chuk´-kuh-joop)

A favorite o’rant stew made from beets, onions, and carrots.

cygnot tree (si´-not)

A tropical tree growing in extremely wet ground or shallow water. The branches come out of the trunk like spokes from a wheel hub and often interlace with neighboring trees.

deckit powder

Yellow crystalline compound used for explosives.

doneel (dō´-nimagel)

One of the seven high races. These people are furry with bulging eyes, thin black lips, and ears at the top and front of their skulls. A flap of skin covers the ears and twitches in response to the doneel’s mood. They are small in stature, rarely over three feet tall. Generally musical and given to wearing flamboyant clothing.

Dormanscz Range (dôr-manz´)

Volcanic mountain range in southeast Amara.

druddums (drud´-dums)

Weasel-like animal that lives deep in mountains. These creatures are thieves and will steal anything to horde. Of course they like to get food, but they are also attracted to bright things and things that have an unusual texture.

drummerbug

Small brown beetle that makes a loud snapping sound with its wings when not in flight.

eberbark tea (imageb´-er-bark)

Tea made of dried root bark from the eberbark tree, a deciduous having irregularly lobed leaves and aromatic bark, leaves, and branches. Contains a volatile oil used as flavoring and for medicinal purposes.

emerlindians (image´-mer-lin´-d image-ins)

One of the seven high races, emerlindians are born pale with white hair and pale gray eyes. As they age, they darken. One group of emerlindians is slight in stature, the tallest being five feet. Another distinct group is between six and six and a half feet tall.

ernst

An evergreen shrub, flowering in late fall. The tiny, starlike, pale yellow flowers give off a fragrance similar to cinnamon.

ersatz (er-zäts´)

Imitation, substitute, artificial, and inferior to the real thing.

Fairren Forest (fair´-ren)

A massive forest of mostly deciduous trees in southwest Amara.

fire dragons

Emerged from the volcanoes in ancient days; these dragons breathe fire and are most likely to serve evil forces.

fortaleen (for´-tuh-leen)

Bush with two-inch long thorns.

gaperlot (gā-per-lot)

One who stares rudely.

glean band (gleen)

A bracelet delicately woven by kimens out of vines from the glean plant. It wards off wasps and other stinging insects, as well as poisonous reptiles.

glommytucks (glimagem´-me-timageks)

Large aquatic birds with a long slender neck and shorter, rounder bills than ducks. Lay large clutches of eggs and are wonderful birds for roasting.

grand emerlindian

Grands are close to a thousand years old and are black.

grannny emerlindian

Grannies are both male and female, said to be five hundred years old or older, and have darkened to a brown complexion with dark brown hair and eyes.

grawligs (graw´-ligs)

One of seven low races, mountain ogres.

greater dragon

Largest of the dragons, able to carry many men or cargo.

gum tree

Tree with sticky leaves and yellow, rayed flower heads, the center of which may be plucked and chewed.

hadwig (ad´-wig)

A sling-type weapon with a spiked ball at the end.

halfnack bird

Brightly colored, medium-sized bird.

heirnot tree (âr´-nimaget)

Slender, white-barked, pole-like trunks with light green, round leaves attached by a flattened stem, which causes them to rustle in the slightest breeze. People often say the trees whisper or chatter.

jimmin (jimagem-mimagen)

Any young animal used for meat. We would say veal, lamb, or spring chicken.

kimens (kimagem´-ens)

The smallest of the seven high races; elusive, tiny, and fast; under two feet tall.

lightrocks

Any of the quartzlike rocks giving off a glow.

major dragon

Elephant-sized dragon most often used for personal transportation.

marioness (mer´-image-owns)

One of the seven high races. Mariones are excellent farmers and warriors. They are short and broad, usually musclebound rather than corpulent.

meech dragon

The most intelligent of the dragons, capable of speech.

minor dragon

Smallest of the dragons—the size of a kitten. The different types of minor dragons have different abilities.

moerston bark (môr´-stun)

When chewed, it soothes hunger and freshens the mouth; bumpy, brown and thin.

moonbeam plant

A three-to four-foot plant having large shiny leaves and round flowers resembling a full moon. The stems are fibrous and used for making cloth.

Morchainn Range

Mountains running north and south through the middle of Amara.

mordakleeps

One of the low races, a shadowy creature with a long tail.

mordat (mōr-dăt)

A tree that produces sap, out of which a sweet syrup is made.

mullins (mimagel´-limagens)

Fried doughnut sticks.

mumfers (mimagem´-fers)

A plant cultivated as ornamentals for their showy flower heads of profuse petals and brilliant colors.

ninny-nap-conder (nimagen´-image-năp-cimagen-der)

A type of con artist who uses the appearance of naiveté to dupe his victims.

nordy rolls

Whole-grain, sweet, nutty bread.

o’rants

One of the high races. Five to six feet tall.

parnot (pâr´-nimaget)

Green fruit like a pear.

pnard potatoes (puh-nard´)

Starchy, edible tuber with pale pink flesh.

Pomandando River (pó-man-dan´-do)

River running along the eastern side of Vendela.

quiss (kwuh´-iss)

One of the seven low races. These creatures have an enormous appetite. Every three years they develop the capacity to breathe air for six weeks and forage along the sea coast, creating havoc. They are extremely slippery.

razterberry (ras´-ter-bâr-ee)

Small red berries that grow in clusters somewhat like grapes on the sides of mountains. The vines are useful for climbing.

River Away

Marione village in eastern Amara.

rock pine

Evergreen tree with prickly cones that are as heavy as stones.

rootup tree

Appears to be upside down. A dense bush surrounds the base. In the center, leafless branches intertwine tightly. From a distance, they appear to be a solid trunk. At the top, these limbs spread apart, looking just like a root system.

ropmas (rōp´-muhs)

One of the seven low races. These half men, half animals are useful in herding and caring for beasts.

scarphlit (scar´-flit)

An oily substance used in medicinal potions.

schoergs (skôrgz)

One of seven low races, much like grawligs; shorter, less playful.

Sheridan

A household servant, armed and designated protector of the family and property.

Torsk Tower

One of three towers at The Hall. Four clocks adorn the top. It is rumored that a gateway through time exists in the tower.

trang-a-nog tree (trăng´-image-nimageg)

Smooth, olive green bark.

Trell Tower

One of three towers at The Hall. This one houses gateways.

tumanhofers (toó-mun-hoff-ers)

One of the seven high races; short, squat, powerful fighter, though for the most part they prefer to use their great intellect.

tumpgrass

A tall grass that grows in a clump, making its own hillock.

urohms (ū-romes´)

Largest of the seven high races; gentle giants; well proportioned and very intelligent.

Vendela (vin-del´-luh)

Capital city of the province of Wynd.

Wittoom (wit-toom´)

Region populated by doneels in northwest Amara.