A
A’Mally, Padovan--author of The Scourge of the Hollows, a book about the long enmity between the ridgerunners and the people of the Green Hollows
Adeline the Poetess--one of Oskar's favorite poets
Aerwiar--the name of the world, a distortion of the first sentence spoken by the First Fellows, Dwayne and Gladys: "Here we are." According to the First Books, Aerwiar is a perfectly round hunk of earth and water that floats in an enormous black ocean. This is Plunibus of the Third Epoch's rendition of Aerwiar.
Aman Putan--a smuggler of cheese during the cheese prohibition of 239, Fourth Epoch
Anklejelly Manor--a mansion north of Glipwood, at the edge of the forest. It is unclear who built the house, but its most famous owner was Brimney Stupe, a lover of soup who's ghost was rumored to haunt the place
Anniera, the Shining Isle of--an island of mystery and renown, near the western coast of Dang. Many in Skree believe the island to be a myth
Armulyn the Bard--a songwriter and singer known throughout Skree for his soul-stirring songs about Anniera. He claimed to have been there once in his youth, and sang about it ever since. Armulyn was famous for his bare feet, his raspy voice, his kindness, his rascally disposition toward Fangs and opressors, and his sharp odor
Artham P. Wingfeather, Throne Warden of Anniera--brother to Esben Wingfeather, High King of Anniera. He disappeared for years after the Great War and little is known about what happened to him before he resurfaced in Glipwood under the name of Peet the Sock Man
Art of Itching, The--a book by Gimblebang of Rumbit, an expert on rashes and their abatement
B
B’funerous Hwerq--author of Ready, Set, Chube! A Life in Gamery
Baimington, Charney--a resident of Glipwood until its evacuation the night the Fangs invaded. Charney is one of the Torrboro Baimingtons, who prided themselves on having an ancestor who coined the phrase “Jouncey as a two-ton bog pie.” The Baimingtons were careful to insert the phrase into every conversation of which they were a part
Ballad of Lanric and Rube, the--a song sung by Armulyn the Bard at the Dragon Day festival. According to Tom Fenwick’s Comprehensive History of Sad, Sad Songs (Phute & Phute & Company), Lanric and Rube grew up closer than brothers but both fell in love with the same girl, a maiden named Illia. Armulyn sang of how they fought like bitter enemies for her hand in marriage before finally resolving to ride to her home in the green hills and ask her to choose which man she'd rather have. When they arrived they found her already wed to another man, and the brothers went away weeping at their folly
Bandy Impstead--a Skreean inventor from the Second Epoch. Responsible for the inventing the common knob. Before Bandy's contribution to civilization, many drawers and cupboards were difficult to open
Ban Rona--one of the chief cities of the Green Hollows
Bird, J.--the Glipwood town barber. Never married, quiet, and dependable. For several years J. Bird was the town's gravediggerbitties--Podo’s affectionate term for his grandchildren. Also his name for baby chickens
Black Carriage--a ghastly carriage used by the Fangs for the kidnapping of Skreeans, mainly children
Blaggus, Mayor--the mayor of Glipwood. After the Great War, Blaggus had few duties or power as mayor. A lover of process and recordkeeping, he maintained the town's printing press and worked closely (if unhappily) with Commander Gnorm to keep track of tools, schedules, and shipments. (See Tool Use Forms.) His two sons are longtime playmates of the Igiby boys
Blaggus boys, the--sons of Mayor Blaggus of Glipwood. Proficient at zibzy
Blapp, the River--Skree's most prominent river. Its source lies beyond the edges of the maps and is unknown (except perhaps by those who live beyond the edges of the maps), but it terminates at Fingap Falls, where it pours into the Dark Sea of Darkness
Blapp River Press--Skreean publishing house
Bloge, Rumpole--author of Taming the Creepiful Wood, a definitive history of the Rangers of Glipwood Forest
blueberry gooeyballs--a dessert sold at Skreean festivals, made of blueberries, dough, sugar, syrup, and candy
bog pie--as in "jouncy as a two ton bog pie". Though generations of Baimingtons have been asked repeatedly what a bog pie is, their answer is always mysterious: "jouncy thrump!"
bomnubbles--see Pembrick's Creaturepedia
Bonked!--a work of historical fiction by Phinksam Ponkbelly, about the great emigration of trolls from the Woes of Shreve to the Jungles of Plonts!
Bonifer Squoon--the Chief Advisor to Esben Wingfeather, High King of Anniera. The Igiby boys discovered one of his journals in a crate from Dang at Books and Crannies. He was known to travel often on what he called "tours of goodwill", leaving Anniera for months at a time
booger gruel--a meal of soupy--but sometimes crispy--consistency craved by Fangs
Books and Crannies--a bookstore in the Glipwood Township owned and operated by Oskar N. Reteep. After the Great War it was the most comprehensive archive of Skreean works of literature and curiosity
boozie--a word used by elite residents of Torrboro, meaning either "interesting", "how awful", or "fifteen", according to experts
Brak--one of Commander Gnorm's Fang soldiers
Brimney Stupe--prominent former resident of Anklejelly Manor. A bench in the manor's courtyard bears the inscription "Brimney Stupe enjoys his soup". Since Podo Helmer was a boy, the old abandoned house was rumored to be haunted by Stupe's ghost
Brivshap, the Sage of--person of wisdom and author of Intelligencia Magnifia, an autobiography
Brownman, Jonathid ChoonchBrume, Mr. Alep--a quiet man originally from Torrboro. He retired in Glipwood and fell in love with Ferinia Swapleton, though it wasn't until the sea dragon song after which the Igiby children were captured by the Fangs that he finally told her so
Brrz, Yakev--a famous Skreean animal trainer and hero of dogs
burble--an animal raised in the Plains of Palen Jabh-j for their fur. The beast is quite small of frame but its copious fur gives it a round, girthy appearance (see also burbleskin rug)
butterbread--a kind of bread so tasty that one need not butter it
Buzzard Willie--resident of Glipwood and childhood friend of Podo Helmer. A long, jovial rivalry existed between the two old men since they were boys because of Willie's wooing of Merna Swapleton, with whom Podo was infatuated
Bweesley the Leaf Thief--author of Takes Leaves and Leaves, an account of Bweesley's exploits in the Jungles of Plontst, where the fragrant leaf of the umgamot tree fetches a high price because of the tree's dangerous carnivorance
Byg'oal Forest--popular folk name for the large, unexplored forest north and east of the Killridge Mountains of Dang. Probably a distortion of a comment on the forest's size (see Aerwiar)
c
Carriage Black, the--(see Black Carriage, the)
carthorse--a squat, tough breed of horse originally bred in the Plains of Palen Jabh-j for farmwork. Danny the carthorse was Podo's favorite animal on the Igiby farm
Castle Rysen--the castle at the capital of Anniera, where the royal family resided before the fall of Anniera during the Great War
Castle Throg--the castle high in the Killridge Mountains, where Gnag the Nameless makes his home
cave blat--the presence of cave blats in Glipwood Forest may come as a surprise to the diligent reader, because of the usual lack of caves in a proper forest. Cave blats received their names because their large gray eyes and jowly countenances are so unpleasant to behold that it is common, upon seeing one, to think, “I wish that blat were in a cave somewhere, so that I might not have to look at it.”
Chonk--favorite author of Oskar N. Reteep. Chonk, whose full name is unknown, was a successful writer of mysteries featuring the indomitable character Harmon Beggly. Beggly Mysteries and their derivatives remain popular in Torrboro to this day
chorkney--a large, flightless bird native to the Ice Prairies. Kimerans domesticated them in ancient times and still use them for ploughing, riding, and food
Chorton, the Great--a Skreean actor and philosopher from the Third Epoch. Became famous for superior acting in stage plays, then believed himself to be an expert in politics, religion, and philosophy. His writings were empty of thought or research or imagination, but no one ever had the pluck to tell him so
Cobbler, Sara--a young girl from Torrboro taken by the Black Carriage. Janner met her at the Dragon Day festival
Commander Gnorm--the fattest and meanest Fang in Glipwood
Commander Plube--a Fang from the village of Ribbik, west and north of Torrboro
Comprehensive History of Sad, Sad Songs--a compendium by Ezak Fencher, featuring the complete texts of such standards as "The Ballad of Lanric and Rube", "The Legend of the Sunken Mountains", and "Spilt My Soup and Smeared My Blouse
"Creaturepedia, Pembrick’s--an exhaustive collection of Aerwiar's many creatures, compiled by Ollister Bahbert Pembrick.
D
daggerfish--lethal, pointy-nosed fish that live in the Mighty River Blapp. They typically grow no longer than the length of one's arm, though larger daggerfish have been seen near Fingap Falls in the autumn
Dang--the large continent east of the Dark Sea of Darkness. It contains a great diversity of climates and cultures, with the Green Hollows in the northwest, the Killridge Mountains in the central east, the Woes of Shreve west of the moutnains, and the Jungles of Plontst in the south. East of the Green Hollows and north of the mountains lies an ancient, dangerous forest said to be populated with monsters even more horrible than the many pictured in Pembrick's Creaturepedia. The far eastern lands of the continent have never been explored (except, it must be assumed, by whatever people groups already live there)
Danny the Carthorse--Podo's faithful steed for many years. Danny excelled at pulling carts and wagons on the Helmer farm, but proved himself dependable and brave when he bore Podo into Glipwood Forest to rescue Leeli when she was taken by Slarb the Fang
Dark Sea of Darkness, the--From Stawburn’s
The Wide Terrain: “The Dark Sea of Darkness was no darker than any other ocean I ever sailed over. So I’m not sure where it got its name, unless maybe it’s because of the feeling you get when you’re out there in the middle of it. You feel like you might be guzzled up by any one of giant critters what live beneath the surface. It could get its name from all the storms that whirl up out of it and kick you and your ship around like a kid with a ball. Every night there’s a fog that swallows up the stars and leaves you floating blind out there in the darkness. You get to feeling like you’ll never make it home, and that even your best mates on the ship don’t really know you or want to, like they’d never notice if you toppled over the gunnel and plopped right in. Come to think of it, maybe the water was darker than a normal ocean."
Dorminey--the city at the center of the Annieran kingdom
Doug--character from the Ballad of Lanric and Rube, who, in a fortunate (for him) twist of fate married Illia, making moot Lanric and Rube's battle for her hand
Dougan’s Reel--an ancient Hollish whistleharp tune about Dougan dol Rona of the Green Hollows. The Hollowsfolk are known primarily for two things: fruit and fighting. The Green Hollows is a country of rolling vales and vineyards, tended to with affection by its citizens. The fruit of the Hollows is fatter, juicier, and tastier than any in all of Aerwiar partly because the ground is so fertile and partly because of thousands of years of fruiting lore known only by the Hollowsfolk. The Green Hollows is also known for its annual festival of games, called the Fynneg Durga. The men of the Hollows are notoriously boisterous, willing to wrestle as soon as laugh, and consider a punching contest entertainment of the highest order, especially if it means a lost tooth or a broken nose. The women of the Hollows are famously beautiful and wise, which is probably the ancient cause for the culture of fighting among the men. Any outsider wishing to marry a woman of the Green Hollows was subjected to violent (but good-natured) ridicule and was obligated to participate in a specially brutal version of the games, the Banick Durga, to win the woman’s hand. Whether or not the contender passed the trial, he was awarded with copious fruit.Dougan dol Rona of Dorminey asked for the hand of Meirabel Lannerty of the Hollows and was forced to compete in the Banick Durga for her hand. Amazingly, he bested the men of the Hollows in all the ten bouts, but quite accidentally killed Meirabel’s brother in a boxing match with an ill-placed blow to the temple. The tune “Dougan’s Reel” (composer unknown) captures in song both Dougan’s sorrow that he would never marry Meirabel and the speed with which he ran for his life from the Hollows men.
Dragon Day Festival--the annual summer festival in Glipwood, when merchants and tourists invade the little town to witness the gathering and singing of the sea dragons
duckflower bush--a bush with no flowers and leaves shaped nothing like a duck. The source of the incongruous name is a mystery to botanists everywhere
Dugtown--the rough and tumble town on the banks of the Blapp River opposite affluent Torrboro. A city of thieves, taverns, adventurers, and mercenaries
Dunn’s Green--the wide lawn on the east side of Glipwood, where the games are played during the Dragon Day Festival
Dwayne--the first man created by the Maker in Aerwiar. He and his wife Gladys ruled the land in peace for years in a city called Ulambria.
E
Esben Wingfeather--father of the Igiby children, High King of Anniera. He was killed in the Great War when Janner was three, Kalmar was two, and Leeli was a newborn. Husband of Nia Igiby of the Green Hollows, brother of Artham P. Wingfeather.
Eezak Fencher--Skreean scholar (221-302). Fencher is best known for his Comprehensive History of Sad, Sad Songs
F
Fall of the First Epoch, The--a speculative history of the First Epoch, by Frobentine the Mumn. Little is known of what brought about the end of the kingdom of Dwayne and Gladys, the First Fellows. Many accounts exist, but few agree on the facts, and are believed to be mostly legend
Fangs of Dang--creatures that look exactly like humans, except for their green scales, poisonous venom, and tails. Fangs make up the bulk of Gnag the Nameless's army
fazzle dove--a bird found mainly in the coastal region of Skree. It is easy to catch and is quite tasty when cooked, but only yields three bites of meat so is seldom worth the trouble
Ferinia’s Flower Shop--florist in the Glipwood Township, owned and operated by Ferinia Swapleton
Ferinia Swapleton--proprietor of Ferinia's Flower Shop. Ferinia was born in Torrboro but her parents sold their estate and moved permanently to their summer cottage in Glipwood when she was an infant
Fingap Falls--the waterfall where the Mighty Blapp River empties into the Dark Sea of Darkness
Firebug--a summer insect whose wings glow yellow at dusk
First Books--ancient books of debatable origin. Some say they were written by the Maker and given to Dwayne and Gladys, the First Fellows, to aid in their governance of Aerwiar. Other scholars suggest they were books of wisdom and history written by the First Fellows
First Fellows, the--Dwayne and Gladys, husband and wife, king and queen of Aerwiar, the first two people created by the Maker. Their deaths and the ruin of their kingdom mark the end of the First Epoch
First Well, the--according to legend, the well placed by the Maker in the center of the city where Dwayne and Gladys ruled. It is said the Maker himself turned gold and light into water and poured it into the well, deep into the world, and that this water causes the seed to grow and the seasons to turn, and has the power to heal. Dwayne was charged with guarding the well and governing its use. But after the First Epoch the location of the First Well was lost. Peet the Sock Man claims to have discovered the well and gathered a vial of its water, though his reasons for not drinking it himself are unclear
Fisherman’s Elbow, The--a melody originating in the Green Hollows. One of Podo Helmer's favorite songs
Flabbit--a Skreean creature not much bigger than a meep
Fort Lamendron--a coastal fort constructed in the Second Epoch during the War of Whips. After the war the fort became a busy port town, and after the Great War became the largest Fang outpost in all of Skree. It is to Lamendron the Black Carriage bears its prisoners, where they are held until they are transported by ship to Dang
Fourth Epoch, the--the current epoch. Its beginning was marked by the domestication and training of carrier crows for communication over large distances. This development vastly increased the speed of information, changing the nature of commerce, battle, and travel
Frobentine the Mumn--author of the
Fall of the First Epoch. A Hollish scholar and translator of ancient texts
G
Gargle and Slurp, the--one of Dugtown’s famous fish entrail taverns popular with Fangs
General Khrak-- the most powerful Fang in all of Skree; one of Gnag the Nameless’s oldest servants. Khrak differs from ordinary Fangs in his quickness, in both mind and body. He is headquartered in the Castle Torr, in Torrboro.
Gladys--the first woman in Aerwiar. Gladys and Dwayne are known as the First Fellows, and legends about them abound. Though the stories come from different cultures and ages, Gladys is agreed to have been gracious and kind in all her dealings with the people and creatures of Aerwiar.
Glipfolk--citizens of the Glipwood Township
Glipwood Township, the--a small tourist town situated near the cliffs on the southeastern portion of Skree. Its citizens are farmers and merchants who spend much of their year preparing for the Dragon Day Festival, when people from all over the continent travel to Glipwood to watch the sea dragons dance by the light of the summer moon.
Glipwood Forest--a great forest on the eastern coast of Skree, north of the Glipwood Township. It is divided into northern and southern portions by the Mighty Blapp River. Most of the trees in the forest are, of course, glipwood oak, which live up to two-hundred years and can grow as fat as a small house. The forest was famously populated by terrible creatures (most notably toothy cows) and was thus avoided by people at all costs until rangers sent from Torrboro were sent to "clean up the forest". Many rangers lost life and limb before the worst of the creatures were either exterminated or driven across the Blapp to the northern forest, and the people of Skree were able at last to enjoy the mysterious beauty of Glipwood Forest. When the Fangs arrived, there was no one to keep the creatures in check. So in a matter of only a few months the toothy cows, horned hounds, gargan rockroaches, quill diggles, and sundry other formidable beasts returned to the forest and flourished again, almost as if they had never left.
Glipper--a fish common in the western and southern areas of the Dark Sea of Darkness, noted for its comparatively non-lethal demeanor (though its scales are razor sharp). The fossil pictured here was discovered in the vicinity of a fossilized fisherman whose fingers had been cleanly cut off.
Glipper Trail, the--a treacherous trail behind the Igiby Cottage. It leads through a stand of trees, along the cliffs above the Dark Sea of Darkness, to the green overlook where crowds gather to watch the sea dragons. Tradition has it that the trail was named after an old story about one of Podo Helmer's ancestors who fished for glippers by lowering a giant net over the cliff to the sea. From book one:
"The Glipper Trail had been there since long before Podo was born. Edd Helmer, Podo’s great-great-great-great-grandfather had planned to take advantage of the cottage’s nearness to the cliffs by doing his fishing from there. After carving out a path, he purchased a crate of fishing line from a merchant in Lamendron (later to become Fort Lamendron), tied a hook to the line, placed a horrified worm on the hook, and lowered the string down into the Dark Sea of Darkness. Just getting the hook down to the water took the better part of the morning, and, of course, Edd had no way of knowing from that great height whether or not the bait and hook were indeed submerged. Near dusk that evening, Edd felt a tug on his line and began hauling in his catch. Sometime after midnight Edd finally reeled in a small glipper fish. Yamsa wasn’t happy about being awakened by Edd’s cry of victory, or that in the dead of night he cleaned, cooked, and ate his little fish. Edd decided the next day that for all the trouble he had gone through for that one fish, he may as well have caught several. So he purchased a spool of rope from the same merchant in Lamendron, fastened it to a net, and once again spent all morning lowering the net into the sea. This time he fastened the line to a team of oxen and had them haul in the catch. By sundown the oxen were exhausted and the catch was only halfway up the face of the cliff. Edd tied off the rope and let it hang for the night. Early the next morning he set the oxen to work again. By noon, the net full of glippers, small sharks, pinchers, and squid was pulled over the edge and onto solid ground. Even Yamsa had to admit that it was a good catch, and they ate nothing but fish for the next three weeks. Fish and biscuits for breakfast, fish sandwiches for lunch, fried fish for dinner. They ate so many fish, in fact, that both Edd and Yamsa got sick, and they were never again able to eat fish without gagging. Edd never again fished from the cliffs, but the path by which his oxen pulled the heavy net remains."
Gnag the Nameless--the leader of the Fangs of Dang, who lives atop the Killridge Mountains in the Castle Throg, where he does evil things, probably with an evil laugh.
Gnorm, Commander--the fattest, meanest Fang in Glipwood
Gooeyballs (Blueberry)--a doughy dessert favored by Kalmar Igiby (and anyone else with functioning tastebuds), and sold by the hundreds at the Dragon Day Festival each year.
Great War, the--name given to the conflict between the people of Skree (and elsewhere) and the forces of Gnag the Nameless, most of which were Fangs of Dang. Historians argue whether this is a misnomer, however, because there wasn't even a single organized defense of Skree by the Skreean army. There were several skirmishes, but by and large the people of Skree were so terrified by the arrival of monsters in their country that they dropped their weapons (if they happened to have picked one up) and ran. Orthon Beanswallow, military strategist and food critic, suggested in his work
Call it What it Is that a more apt name for the conflict is either "The Great Collapse" or "The Great Nobody-Did-a-Blasted-Thing".
Green Hollows--on the continent of Dang, the country north and west of the Killridge Mountains. The Green Hollows is a land of lush hills and valleys where countless fruit orchards are tended by the Hollowsfolk. The men of the Hollows are famous for their muscle and toughness, while the women are fair and graceful and no less tough (though much less muscular). The Hollowsfolk take their gaming quite seriously and hold a yearly series of contests of strength and endurance called the
Banick Durga. The southeastern border of the Green Hollows is plagued by Ridgerunners, who never tire in their attempt to steal fruit.
H
holoré (see also, holoél)--one of the mysterious Stones of Power.
holoél (see also, holoré)--one of the mysterious Stones of Power.
Hollowsfolk--rambunctious, dog-loving, bibe-drinking inhabitants of the Green Hollows.
Hollish--(also, Old Hollish) the language once spoken by the people of the Green Hollows. A linguistic ancestor of the common tongue, it fell out of use somewhere near the middle of the Third Epoch.
Helmer, Podo--Born in the Glipwood Township, Skree, Podo Helmer is the father of Nia (Igiby) Wingfeather and the grandfather of Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli (Igiby) Wingfeather. After a rapscallious childhood in and around Glipwood, Podo ran away from home and wandered much of Skree before falling in with the Stranders of the East Bend, led at the time by Growlfist the Strander King. After that he spent several years sailing the Dark Sea of Darkness with the Pirates of Symia (during which time he lost his leg) before he met Wendolyn Igiby of Ban Rona and married. His daughter Nia married Esben, the king of Anniera, and Podo and Wendolyn moved there until the invasion by Gnag the Nameless near the end of the Fourth Epoch.
I
Ice Prairies--Cold. Very icy.
J
There are few words of importance that begin with the letter J, that is, of course, Janner Igiby, and you can read more about him here.
K
Kimera--A town in the Ice Prairies, hidden for epochs under the snow. Citizens raise chorkneys, resist tyranny, and avoid leaving home lest they become lost in the trackless and vast landscape.
L
Lothar Sweeb--A mediocre talent, but very prolific.
Legends of Aerwiar--The Legends of Aerwiar are a collection of stories about the Maker and the Beginnings of Things. The greeting of Dwayne and Gladys, the First Fellows, for examples, is well known in all the lands of Aerwiar. The legends also include the tragedy of “Will and the Lost Recipe,” “The Deep Holoré” (healing stones the Maker buried in the earth), and an early version of “The Fall of Yurgen.” The legends were once contained in old books said to have been written by the Maker himself and given to Dwayne for safekeeping, but the old books—along with the Holoré, Will’s famous cream of hen soup recipe, and Yurgen’s mountains—are lost.
M
McHiggins, Ronchy--The owner of The Roundish Widow, a popular watering hole in Dugtown, Ronchy is appreciated for his Sailor’s Pie, remarkable mustache, and attentive listening.
Morbidity, Fluidity, and Bile--A book of medical and deportment advice by Gumphrey Half-Toe. Written in an avuncular conversational style, the book chronicles Half-Toe’s half-century career as medician and novelist for the rowdy and reckless settlers of Crump, a lost town near Hooj. While the town did not survive (and may also have been fictional), Gumphrey’s good-natured and clever attempts to tame the settlers remain as guides for future pioneers, and are required reading in many finishing schools.
N
Nood, Boonta--An explorer in the early days of Bylome. He often explored alone and developed the habit of carrying everything he could anticipate needing, which left little to carry for others who from time to time joined him. This habit proved both handy, as in the many scenarios he recalled in his memoirs, and disastrous, such as the time his sidebag strap got caught on a branch and then pulled off his shoulder and down a rocky cleft, where it remained for six days while he returned to Bylome and came back with a long hook. In that time the party had nearly starved, having no means to catch or cook their own food.
o
Only Inn--Glipwood’s only inn.
Outer Vales--A remote region of the Green Hollows, peopled by Hollowsfolk of Clan Rugan and many who claim no clan. It is a well-watered and rich area and produces much juicy and succulent fruit, but its proximity to the Blackwood and the Killridges require constant patrolling. In the Second Epoch, ridge runners set fire to the Outer Vales, and a hundred miles of orchards burned. This tragedy changed the tide of Hollish political and defensive strategies, and is stirringly chronicled in The Wailing Orchards by Riggin Dagorma.
P
Pembrick, Ollister Bahbert--A consummate traveler and naturalist from Anniera, and President of the Occasional Greengrocer’s Alliance of Pennybridge. His vigorous writing style and tragic personal history (including many failed romances and uncountable instances of gobbling) are contained in his ten-volume Creaturepedia, which documents the discovery, habits, weaknesses, and taste of nearly every creature known to Aerwiar.
Pumpkin stew--In 3/562, Hollish cook Francie O’Dorman was faced with a bumper crop of pumpkins, in thanks partly to her dog, Lona, who had eaten several pumpkins the year before and left their seeds scattered in the garden. Francie rose to the challenge, however, and kept her neighbors supplied with many new pumpkin delicacies, from pancakes to juice blends to stew. To this day, Hollowsfolk love pumpkin in all forms, and the annual Pumpkin Stew Recipe Contest in Ban Rona is the most heated nonviolent competition in all of Dang. It is widely considered, however, that Elenna Yrsa of Ban Rona is currently unmatched in pumpkin cookery.
Q
Qweb, Jinto--A great explorer and literacy advocate.
Quarvue Cloodge--The author of several stirring animal escapade stories.
R
Rainwater, Alma--The nom de plume of an Annieran poet and friend of the court. Rainwater was part of a revolutionary advance in poetic art, although her work was just beginning to be known beyond the island when the sack of Anniera put an end to her work. It is rumored that she had been working on a long-form epic poem honoring the line of Throne Wardens.
Reteep, Oskar Noss--The squishy, knowledgable proprietor of Books and Crannies in Glipwood. His collection of books was unparalleled in the west, as most of Skree had been thoroughly destroyed and few books remained anywhere. Seeking to preserve the history and lore of pre-war Skree, Oskar traveled widely, salvaging what books he could find.
S
Shank Po--A Skreean writer best known for his dry humor and practical poems.
Squoon, Bonifer--Advisor to High Kings Ortham, Jru, and Esben, all of the Wingfeather dynasty. A man of letters, skilled in diplomacy and trade.
T
Trounce--A game enjoyed by the vigorous Hollowsfolk. Instructions: Trounce. If someone is hurt, the remaining players quickly yell for help, then move five or ten feet to the side and continue trouncing.
T.H.A.G.S.--Three Honored and Great Subjects (Word, Form, and Song), which all Annieran children learn.
Torrboro--Founded by the Torr Dynasty in the Second Epoch, fallen to Strangers and Fangs in the Fourth, Torrboro is the tidier and more kittenous twin to Dugtown.
Thorks--A woeful, oozy creature. Better to be avoided.
U
Ubinious the Whooned--Celebrated author of A Tale of Timiny and Thataway. Circumstances surrounding his unfortunate whooning remain a mystery.
V
Volage--from the Old Gullish “vullidge,” which means “symbol on a hero’s chest, for use of identification, propaganda, and marketing.”
Verbichude Yay--Famed art critic and hater of felines
Vilmette Oppenholm--passionate cupcake activist. Extremely prolific; was known to have written at least 300 essays and letters-to-the-editor during a two-year period. Historians suspect she was responsible for at least 78 anonymous and 41 pseudopigraphal screeds (written under the names Vilmopp Oltennhilm, Moltenn Holmvette, Mlohneppo Ettemliv, and Opphelle Vorp).
W
Woes of Shreve--An area in Dang south of the Killdridges and north of Plonst. The Woes were once a vast garden, but are now completely inhospitable (which is to say lethal) to humans, plants, and life in general.
X
There are no words worth knowing that begin with the letter “X.” Of course, that is, the word Xylophone, which does not exist in the land of Aewiar.
Y
Yimp--A fuzzy creature highly sensitive to non-disdain.
Z
Zibzy--a lawn game originally played with giant darts, a whacker, and three rocks. Modified in 4/372 due to Mothers and Aunts Against Death (MAAAD), the game enjoys renewed interest and several promising broom manufacturer endorsements.