Adventurer: Any individual who embarks upon dangerous travels in search of plunder and fame. Adventurers who reach celebrity status for their accomplishments often become Heroes. Adventurers play an important role in frontier economies, purchasing supplies for their travels at outfitters and sometimes returning with new wealth to spend on local services ranging from taverns to brothels. More metropolitan settlements tend to consider adventurers unclean vagrants rather than sources of revenue.

Afterworld: The rumored parallel world that serves as the domain for the gods and souls of the dead. Theologians regard the afterworld as divided into eight seperate realms, each characterized by the god that calls it home.

Apprenticeship: A period in which aspiring adventurers graduate from basic training, becoming apprenticed to established Heroes to learn from their mentors in the field. Apprentices typically travel with their mentors for several years before being declared experienced enough to set out on their own. Mortality rate among apprentices is somewhat high, but Heroes consider it weeding out the weak and unfit.

Arfyap: The language of the wolfkin. Indistinguishable from typical barking.

Asha: One of the eight Gods, the Evil Aspect of the Scythe. Asha is the goddess of lust and desire, most often venerated by courtesans, politicians, artists, and anyone who places personal desires above all else. Associated with the darker side of femininity, Asha promotes indulgence over restraint and solving problems through clever manipulation rather than brute force. Veneration of Asha is commonly associated with opulent midnight feasts, reckless orgies, and extravagant or revealing styles of dress. Clergy dress provocatively and spread their goddess' influence through wiles and seduction.

Ashen Shadow: A volcanic territory on the northern tip of Crucible Island, infertile and blanketed by ash belched from the Vomiting Peaks.

Artifact: Artifacts are items of unusual power and mysterious origin. Some insist their seemingly magical properties are otherworldly in origin, crafted by the gods and delivered to their followers through mystical means. Others believe them to be relics of the lost Undying Empire. Examples of artifacts include the telepathic amulets the Overlord uses to keep in contact with his minions.

Azure Isles: A trio of islands in Blue Cove offshore of Crucible Island, known for the vague blueish tint to the sand of their beaches. Sometimes called the blue sisters.

Bard: Traditionally bards were minstrels and lorekeepers, chronicling the great events of their time in lyrics and prose. Modern bards still practice the musical arts of their forebears, but they are not entertainers so much as public relations specialists. Bards sell their services to up-and-coming Heroes, composing propaganda in song and story to further the fame of their clients. Bards are typically freelance, but the most accomplished Heroes employ their own personal bards to embellish their victories and belittle their rivals.

Baron Cestus: A former noble of Valorlin who renounced his family name and estate to become a prominant captain in the Freesail fleet. A well traveled seaman, the Baron has amassed a fortune in rare artifacts and obscure items in his home within the Port Abandon lighthouse. Retiring from sea after a volatile falling out with his mistress Captain Sarna, Baron Cestus became increasingly isolated, admitting few visitors and apparently awaiting reconciliation with his lost love.

Barrenvow: A prosperous independent city in the northern reaches of the midlands on Crucible Island. Once called Barrowville, a betrayal in the city's past lead to a change of name and renounced allegiance to the Valorlin crown. Stubbornly neutral in all political conflicts, Barrenvow pays no taxes or tithe to the Overlord or Valorlin but welcomes subjects of both.

Barrier Island: A tall wind-ravaged island just off the western coast of Crucible Island, amid the Flotsam Isles.

Bastion: One of the eight Gods, the Good Aspect of the Sword. Bastion is the god of self sacrifice and defense, most often venerated by fathers, soldiers, Heroes, physicians, and guards. Associated with paternal instinct, Bastion promotes sheltering the weak and unyielding opposition of evil. Veneration of Bastion is commonly associated with candlelit meditation within stone walls, physical fitness, and generous charity. Clergy dress in full panoply and commonly serve as guards and soldiers.

BB&W: 'Beers, Beds, and Wenches,' a popular tavern, inn, and brothel in the city of Barrenvow.

Beekwood Forest: A grove of rare beekwood trees just north of the Portelchop River on the western coast of Crucible Island.

Bernavius: A former spy for the Overlord, Bernavius turned traitor to serve Captain Sarna and the Freesail Mariners.

Blue Cove: A small cove in southeastern Crucible Island, known for both the striking blue waters and the vague bluish tint of the sand on its beaches.

Brinemaiden: Cunning oceanic predators with the body of a shark and the upper torso of a lithe woman. They often save sailors from drowning...by eating them. Rumors abound about the reproductive cycles of the brinemaiden. Experts in marine ecology insist they reproduce in the same fashion as sharks, but many sailors believe they copulate with male victims and deposit infant daughters ashore to be raised by humans. Sailors raise brinemaidens in the belief it will render them immune to the deadly predators in the future when their adopted daughters reach puberty and return to the sea. Legends are told of mute girls with souless black eyes wandering listlessly by the seashore before vanishing with the tide.

Casterlin: A well established city on the southeastern peninsula of Crucible Island, famous for its extensive libraries and museums. Formerly a military fort in the early days of the island's colonization, it has since become a haven for scholars and intellectuals.

Cat Herder: Monklike nomadic shepherds who drive their flocks of cats from town to town, paid in alms for blessing the settlements where they stay with feline good luck and rat catching services.

Master Chorris: A retired adventurer and trainer of aspiring Heroes at his School of Noble Blades in Loamfurrow.

Cloudfall: A mysterious village shrouded in perpetual fog on the northern shore of Crucible Island, deep within the Ashen Shadow.

Coldsea: The northernmost ocean, aptly named for its frigid temperatures.

Crucible Island: A large landmass in the southern reaches of the Coldwater Sea, named for its turbulent volcanic youth. The geothermal forces have since cooled in all but the northernmost part of the island, and the vast lava flows have been replaced by temperate grasslands and deciduous forests. Crucible Island, or simply "The Crucible" as it is more commonly known, is split between the domain of the Overlord in the north and the kingdom of Valorlin in the south, both locked in perpetual conflict.

Dolnar: Uncouth barbarian and famous Hero. There are rumors surrounding Dolnar's unethical tactics, but few have the courage to confront him with accusations.

Dragon: Large winged predatory reptiles. Due to their tendency to eat domesticated farm animals, dragons are often hunted relentlessly by Heroes on behalf of ranchers and herdsmen, making the majestic creatures an endangered species. Dragonslaying was once a benchmark in the rise of a Hero, but now due to the scarcity of the creatures the number of Heroes who boast dragon trophies is in decline.

Dram: A unit of currency. Drams are typically circular coins made of lead covered in a thin coating of gold. The term describes the currency's exchange rate: one coin purchases one refill of an ale tankard, or "dram" of ale. Money may not be the root of all Evil, but it's definitely the cause of most lead poisoning.

Elves: Do not exist.

Emberlin: A well established city just south of the Portelchop River, the only allied city of Valorlin with a prosperous criminal underworld thanks in large part to the legendary incompetence of the city watch.

Evil: One of two primal influences, associated with darkness, chaos, and destruction. Advocates of Evil promote the primacy of the self, claiming nothing should supercede fulfilment of personal needs and desires.

Faithful: An ancient coalition of religious devotees who banded together under alleged guidance of their respective deities to depose the secular Undying Empire. Details of the war are few, but it is known that the Faithful eventually prevailed.

Flotsam Isles: Numerous fractured islands at the western mouth of the Portelchop River just offshore of Crucible Island. Old legends tell of a dramatic confrontation on an island that was sundered into a thousand fragments in the fury of combat, but the details have been obscured by time.

Fort Vigil: A large military installation south of the Portelchop River on Crucible Island, housing soldiers who patrol the roads and countryside of Valorlin. Fort Vigil was initially established as an outpost to resist goblin invasions, but the days of front line battles at the fort have receeded with the goblins who fled further and further north.

Freesail Mariners: Freesail Mariners, or 'Freesailors,' refer to a legendary fleet of pirates that operate throughout every sea and ocean. With no central leadership the Freesailors are commanded by a loose association of captains and governed under the simple rule of "Never sink a ship that flies the Freesail flag." Although they tend to be ruthless on the high seas, the Freesail Mariners have created a reputation for generosity among the poor, who cheer their sinking of wealthy merchant ships and benefit from donations of ill-gotten gold. Thus the Freesailors are called either noble mariners or vile seadogs, depending on the economic background of whom you ask.

Gavin: The younger son of a powerful warlord. When his father retired and his elder brother took over the legions Gavin was deemed a threat and exiled. He later joined with Ruby and Runt to become freelance minions.

Goblins: The term "Goblin" is assigned to any number of green-skinned humanoid species. Common goblins are diminutive and ignorant creatures with voracious appetites and an extremely rapid rate of breeding. Reckless and aggressive, they make ideal footsoldiers. Other goblin species differ in height and intellectual capability but share verdant complexion and common ancestry with their short and stupid kin.

Gods: The most prominant religion venerates a pantheon of eight Gods and four Aspects. Each Aspect represents an archetype: The Sword, for martial prowess, The Scythe, for agriculture and harvest, The Sceptre, for rulership, and The Scales, for mercantilism and trade. Each Aspect is associated with two Gods, one Good and the other Evil.

Good: One of two primal influences, associated with light, order, and creation. Advocates of Good promote the abdication of the self, placing the needs of all others before your own.

Gristlemire Swamp: A vile, fetid swamp on the southern shore of the Yawning Bay on Crucible Island. Known to be home to dangerous creatures.

Hero: Any adventurer who has achieved celebrity status, typically through the murder of dangerous people or animals and subsequent public display of related trophies and acquisitions.

Humans: An aggressive and prolific people who have settled most of the world, bringing both their culture and diseases with them to share generously with the natives. Human society is based around a perverse sort of celebrity worship: In place of deities, most humans venerate larger than life heroes who distinguish themselves with superficial feats of bravery and barbarity.

Ida: One of the eight Gods, the Good Aspect of the Scythe. Ida is the goddess of love and fertility, venerated by mothers, farmers, poets, musicians, and lovers of nature. Associated with quintessential motherhood, Ida preaches the importance of family and the promise of birth and renewal. Veneration of Ida includes spring festivals, harvest feasts, and lively dances. Ida's clergy is comprised mostly of priestesses who dress demurely in white vestments and serve as nursemaids, midwives, healers, matchmakers, and presiders over weddings and birthing ceremonies. Compared to other faiths the cult of Ida is the most mainstream, still recognized even in largely atheistic communities.

Jack: An aspiring Hero, Jack is unaware that he is the bastard son of the Overlord and heir to his evil empire. Apprenticed to the dubious Dolnar, Jack is learning a somewhat cynical slant on the trade of Hero. Seemingly an ordinary young man, Jack is the subject of the ambitions of several evil villains and somehow completely unaware of it.

Jillian: Jack's childhood friend, love interest, and fellow aspiring Hero. More worldly and level-headed than her idealistic counterpart, Jillian is determined to keep Jack from succumbing to the temptations of evil.

Knave: Knaves are former thieves and pickpockets who abandon the life of crime for more legitimate employment. Heroes hire knaves as scouts and trapspringers, often for very low fees, exploiting the knave's dependency on their employer for protection from former criminal associates seeking to punish the turncoat and potential informer. Few knaves ever truly disavow their criminal tendencies, often using their new profession as a front to cover for illicit activities on the sly.

Loamfurrow: A small farming village south of Parsim on Crucible Island, famous as the home of Master Chorris' School of Noble Blades.

Long Walk, The: A road that spans nearly the entire length of Crucible Island, from Road's End in the north to Parsim in the south.

Mabe: An independant town just west of the Long Walk Road, north of the Portelchop River.

Magic: The common term for the art of channeling the mystic energies of one's soul. All Magic is either Good or Evil, deriving power from the alignment of the caster's soul. For example, an Evil practitioner of magic can unleash devastating Evil spells, whereas their Good spells would be weak or fail altogether. Whether magic is a genuine mystical power or the clever illusions of charlatans is open to debate.

Marionette, The : The flagship of Captain Sarna, a prominant pirate captain of the Freesail Mariners.

Minion: Any employee of an evil organization, faction, or leader. Typically works for low pay with high risk. High turnover rate, often considered expendable.

Northport: Both a small isle off the northern coast of Crucible Island, and the seaport that shares its name, notable only as the northernmost port in the region.

Overlord, The: Formerly a famous Hero, the Overlord has embraced darkness and Evil and become an egomaniacal tyrant. Commanding goblin legions and other minions, the Overlord aspires to claim all of Crucible Island under his banner. Most evil dictators desire world conquest, but you have to start somewhere.

Parsim: The capital city of the kingdom of Valorlin, Parsim is a wealthy trading post and home to many of the kingdom's most accomplished Heroes.

Port Abandon: Pirate haven and black market trading post. Serves as the headquarters for the Freesail Mariners on Crucible Island. Once one of the first settlements on Crucible Island, the port was ravaged by an unknown tragedy, blackened and twisted and now haunted by the ghosts of nameless victims. The actual port consists of retired ships lashed together amid docks, often called ‘The Floating Port.'

Portelchop River: A river that divides the island, serving as the border between the kingdom of Valorlin in the south and the independant cities of the midlands.

Port Haven: The kingdom of Valorlin's primary seaport.

Priest: Priests are devotees of one of the eight gods, furthering the agendas of their respective faiths through word and deed. In times past priests were respected members of the community, supported by alms and donations and dwelling in lavish churches and temples devoted to their god. With the decline of religious devotion priests are increasingly seen as cultists and fanatics, forced to take other jobs to support themselves and losing much of the authority and influence they once had.

-

Ranger: Itinerant woodsmen who shun civilization and harbor a religious devotion to nature. Whether rangers are unaffiliated individuals or members of a larger cult or order is unknown.

Razor Coast: A jagged stretch of coastline on the northwestern shore of Crucible Island, famous for butchering ships blown off course in storms. Known locally as Vorl's Teeth.

Road's End: A small community at the northern end of the Long Walk Road, just south of the Ashen Shadow.

Ruby: The daughter of a mining family, Ruby escaped the poverty of her youth with unrestrained avarice, doing whatever it took to fill her coinpurse with no regard for risk or wrongdoing. Joining with Gavin and Runt, Ruby now works as a minion for the highest bidder.

Runt: A squat, rotund goblin. Runt isn't terribly bright, but he is loyal to his fellow minions Ruby and Gavin.

Sablin: A small port and fishing village just south of the Gristlemire Swamp on Crucible Island.

Sarna: Captain of the Marionette and prominant leader of the Freesail Mariners.

School of Noble Blades, The: A school located in Loamfurrow and lead by Master Chorris, dedicated to training prospective adventurers and future Heroes.

Shambler: Deceased corpses in various states of decay, shamblers are still somehow animated, and typically hostile to anything they encounter in their blind aimless wandering.

Sharkwaters: The frigid waters off the north shore of Crucible Island, oddly named as there are no actual sharks there.

Soul: The inward-self, a spiritual reflection of the Good or Evil nature of a sentient creature. Religious scholars theorize that upon death souls are released from their mortal bodies and transported to the Afterworld, where they serve the deity most closly associated with their moral choices in life. Others promote rumors that there exists an ancient alchemical means of binding the soul inexorably to the body, extending life indefinitely.

Three Blades: A common euphemism for banditry, referencing the three typical armaments of a highwayman – The shortsword, the dirk, and the bootknife. The shortsword is the primary weapon used in combat, the dirk is a backup or offhand blade, and the bootknife is a weapon of last resort.

Throne of Darkness: An impenetrable obsidian fortress and the seat of the Overlord's power on Crucible Island, located in the bowels of the Ashen Shadow on the island's northern reaches. Home to the goblin legions.

Undying: A mythical race of immortal humans who cheated death through magical or alchemical means. Legend tells of their advanced technology and vast libraries of knowledge as well as their eventual defeat at the hands of the Faithful, theological devotees opposed to immortality as an affront to to the gods. Crumbling ruins throughout the world are attributed to the Undying Empire, and some even believe the rotting shamblers are the remnants of this ancient culture.

Vacant Throne: The Vacant Throne refers to the monarchy of the kingdom of Valorlin, absent for generations after the last king died without an hier. A council of magistrates rules in place of a monarch, and the throne is left empty in honor of the lost bloodline of the kingdom's former rulers.

Vomiting Peaks: Several volcanoes in the Ashen Shadow on Crucible Island, consistently belching fumes and ash and drooling streams of molten lava.

Vorl: One of the eight Gods, the Evil Aspect of the Sword. Vorl is the god of war and conquest, most often venerated by soldiers, dictators, politicians, thugs, assassins, and anyone who seeks to fulfill personal ambitions through strife. Associated with murder and war, Vorl preaches the unsurpassed power of force. Veneration of Vorl is commonly associated with ritual combat, blood sacrifice, and contests of strength. Clergy dress in dark spiked armor and practice what their god preaches as bandits, mercenaries, murderers, and thugs.

Wolfkin: Wolflike Munchkins, or Wolfkin, are short hairy people with absolutely nothing to distinguish themselves other than an occasional proclivity for cannibalism.

-

Yawning Bay: A large bay circled by steep cliffs, serving as the eastern mouth of the Portelchop River on Crucible Island.

Yellowsnow Mountains: A mountain range on the eastern coast of Crucible Island, with frigid peaks famous for the Yeti who dwell there.

Yeti: Large bipedal hairy creatures who favor cold climates and live on a diet of meat. Females are sexually aggressive when in heat.

-