Glossary

Port escalation track used by Concord officials in Nauthica. Public magic incidents, forged scrip, or relic mishandling increase “Heat,” tightening inspections and restricting movement across the harbour.

After-dusk stalls in alleys off Anchor Quay. Buyers for oddities, sulphur-glass, and whisper-work gather here; quietly watched by Veil Wardens who prefer to observe rather than intervene.

Deity of decay, renewal, and flame. Fire understood as transformation, not ruin. Honoured in agricultural communities and among those who work with forge and foundry.

The brittle centuries of dragon exile and slow rebuilding that followed the War of Dragons. Ended with the Sundershock at Pestraval roughly 150 years ago.

Eldreis-leaning network of auditors, contract sorcerers, and oath-enforcers. Operate in ports and courts, enforcing contracts with quiet authority. Their field officers are called Veil Wardens.

Deity of oaths, memory, and chains. Invoked in soul-binding rites and lawful contracts. The most solemn promises in Scalethorn are made in the Binder’s name.

Preservationist coalition sheltering dragonkin and maintaining consulates across the continent. Maintains consulates in major port cities.

Glyph stamped on dockside crates indicating a warehouse-row runner route. Used in Anchorage’s quay districts to track shipments — and to trace where they’ve been.

Chalked or tin tag naming berth, bell, or tender. Useful for tracing shipments through Warehouse Row.

Paper or lacquered-cloth receipts used for fees, taxes, and permits. Concord scrip often smells of tar and peppermint; repeating serials are a sign of forgery.

An archaic war-era instrument used to channel draconic will. Remnants of these devices occasionally surface in old ruins.

Saltspire-ruled archipelago of reefs and drowned ruins where contracts are sung and stamped. Known for prize courts, coin-law, and a fleet that enforces sea law by its own interpretation.

Ledger entry used to mask illicit cargo movements near nightfall. A recurring piece of evidence in Anchorage investigations — the legitimate name concealing something that isn’t.

Architect of the War of Dragons and evangelist of the Singular Aegis. Escaped binding at the Sundering Accord and retreated into the long dark. The Brass Veil works toward his return.

Apocalyptic cult that worships transformation by flame. Active in Zhann’Kai and scattered across wild regions. They believe the world must burn before it can become what it should be.

The present day (Year 1024). Old tensions resurface, factions reposition, and the choices that will define the next age are beginning to loom.

Three-day waterfront celebration in Anchorage that “pays the tide forward.” Includes games, a Lantern Walk along the sea-wall, boat parades, and fireworks launched from barges.

Bonded, time-limited permit required to handle old-war relics at Nauthica ports. Costs 50 gold pieces, requires both Guildhouse and Consulate signatures, and is valid for ten days.

Mercenary-economy syndicate controlling trade logistics and the grey market. Profit is their doctrine; they sell muscle, maps, and discretion to whoever pays.

Local attention level (rated 0–6) used by the Concord and city authorities in Nauthica. Higher values trigger inspections, curfews, and crackdowns. Drops gradually after quiet periods.

The Saltspire Compact’s war fleet and storm-singers. Enforce sea law by the Chain’s interpretation of what sea law is.

Dusk procession along Anchorage’s sea-wall during the Festival of Tide. Participants tie wishes in blue ribbon to lantern cords and release them as the tide turns.

Auroral interference near the Pestraval crater. Warps ranged magical attacks and echo-effects. Navigating it requires care; ignoring it causes unpredictable results.

An early arcane order who bound thought like metal and arose in the shadow of dragon rule. Most of what survives of their knowledge is kept in ruins or locked vaults.

Sea spire off Nauthica’s coast that glows only during storms, shifting hue unpredictably. A key navigational bearing, and a bad omen when it changes colour without warning.

Storm-bitten coastal realm where governance is a three-way negotiation between guild law, sea rites, and Concord diplomacy. Home to Anchorage, the continent’s busiest harbour-city.

Holy inquisitors who sanctify or destroy dangerous arcana and relics. They view most old-war remnants as wounds, not weapons, and they move quietly.

The “ring” created when oaths, old power, places, and people align. Can amplify spellwork, attract surges, or trip wards. Old sites that have witnessed many oaths tend to hum at the edges of perception.

Brittle, translucent beads found after intense arcane events or dragonfire contact with salt haze. Alchemical evidence — valuable to appraisers and dangerous to handle without care.

Tide-blessing faithful who keep sea rites and lantern hours. Their presence at festivals is expected; their absence is read as an omen.

Pirate-merchant oligarchy ruling the Drowned Chain by coin-law, fleet, and convenient silence. Contracts are their religion; the fleet is their clergy.

Arcane isolationists who hoard ley crystals and quarantine old-war sites against further disruption. They believe certain things should not be touched — by anyone, for any reason.

Eldreis’s doctrine of absolute order, enforced with oath-magic and storm-binding. Its central argument: that all draconic power must answer to a single will — Eldreis’s.

The rite that ended the War of Dragons roughly 900 years ago. The moment the world exhaled, then held its breath.

A catastrophic arcane event at Pestraval roughly 150 years ago. The crater it left still warps magic in the area.

Deity of truth, sacrifice, and light. Worshipped by those who believe truth costs something worth paying.

Subtle cultic power of secrets and influence, operating through dreams and debts. Favours appear; favours are owed. It rarely announces itself.

Song-bound maritime contracts sealed with salted coin and oath-ropes in the Drowned Chain. Lies told near registered buoys ring bells. Considered among the most binding forms of agreement in Scalethorn.

Trench said to swallow ships that “forget to pay” the sea. Whether literal or metaphorical depends on who you ask — and whether you’re currently at sea.

Deep-water treaty wardens who arbitrate submerged routes and rites. Their rulings are final beneath the waterline. Above it, they extend professional courtesy to those who don’t waste their time.

Ancient mortal alliance that forced an uneasy armistice with dragon factions roughly 2,000 years ago. The ancestor of the modern Concord institutions.

Brass Veil field officer responsible for keeping magic civil in crowds, auditing scrip, and locking down piers when Heat rises. They smile professionally and remember everything.

Sea-voice in the Saltspire Compact’s drowned quarter. Makes binding bargains and delivers ultimatums that tend to prove accurate.

The cataclysmic conflict roughly 1,000–900 years ago, ignited by Eldreis and ended at the Sundering Accord. Its ruins are everywhere. Its debts are still being paid.

Counting-houses and sealed alcoves inland from Anchorage’s quay. Courier marks and dusk tariffs originate here — and evidence tends to be stored in the same place as the secrets it documents.

Civil peacekeeper in Nauthica’s cities — distinct from Veil Wardens. Armed with whistles, batons, and paperwork. First to respond during festival incidents.