The Keeper (37 page)

inficio \in-′fēs-ē-ō\

A large fiendish beast indigenous to the Quag that can expel poisonous smoke potent enough to kill any creature that breathes it. The inficio has two massive legs with clawed feet; a long, scaly torso with powerful webbed wings; a serpentlike neck and a small head with venomous eyes and razor-sharp fangs.

jabbit \′ja-bit\

A massive serpent with over two hundred and fifty heads growing out of the full length of its body. Although jabbits rarely leave the Quag, little can halt their attack once they are on the blood scent. Jabbits can easily overtake Wugs and have fangs in each head full of enough poison to drop a creta.

Learning \′l
r-ning\

The institution youngs attend until the age of twelve sessions. It is at Learning that youngs gain skills necessary for work in Wormwood.

light \′līt\

The time of sunlight between one night and the next.

Loons, the \′loons\

A boardinghouse on the High Street.

lycan \′lī-kin\

A beast of the Quag covered in long, straight hair, whose bite turns its victims into its own kind. The tall, powerfully built lycan walks on two legs and wields its sharp fangs and claws to attack its prey.

Maladon \′mal-
-dän\

From the Wugish word for “terrible death,” an ancient race whose highest calling is to inflict terrible death on others. A sessions-long war between the Maladons and Wugmorts forced the Wugs to found the village of Wormwood, around which they conjured the Quag for protection.

maniack \′mā-nē-ak\

An evil spirit that can attach to a body and mind, driving a Wug irreversibly mad with every fear he or she has ever had.

manticore \′man-t
-k
r\

A swift, treacherous beast indigenous to the Quag with the head of a lion, the tail of a serpent and the body of a goat. Over twice the height of an average Wug and three times the width, the manticore’s most formidable features are its abilities to read minds and breathe fire.

Mill, the \′mil\

A place of work in Wormwood where flour and other grains are refined.

morta \′m
r-t
\

A long- or short-barreled metal projectile weapon.

Noc \′näk\

The large, round, milky-white object in the heavens that shines at night.

Outlier \′aut-lī-
r\

A threatening two-legged creature that lives in the Quag and can pass as a Wugmort. Outliers are believed to be able to control the minds of Wugs and make them do their bidding.

Quag, the \′kwäg\

A forest that encircles Wormwood and is home to all manner of fierce creatures and Outliers. It is widely believed among Wugmorts that nothing exists beyond the Quag.

remnant \′rem-n
nt\

A collection of memories from an assortment of Wugs; an embodied record of their remembrances.

Seer-See \′sē-ir ′sē\

A prophetical instrument used by sorcerers to view other places. The Seer-See consists of sand thrown into a pewter cup of flaming liquid, the contents of which are then poured onto a table to display a moving picture of a distant location.

session \′se-sh
n\

A unit of time equal to three hundred and sixty-five lights.

slep \′slep\

A magnificent Wormwood creature characterized by its noble head, long tail, six legs and beautiful coat. It is said that sleps were once able to fly, and that the slight indentations noticeable on their withers now mark the spot from which their wings grew.

sliver \′sli-v
r\

A small unit or brief period of time.

Stacks \′staks\

A large brick building in Wormwood where items for trade and consumption are produced.

Steeples \′stē-p
ls\