A.S.: After the Shattering (used in dates). (See also: Shattering, The)

Achoite: A spice made from the the seeds of the Achoite cactus, which is found only on the shard Oriolis. It's incredibly expensive to obtain and is very popular among rich Oramians. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Oriolis)

Airship: See Windrigger.

Alliance, The: See Kusaran Alliance.

Ancients, The: The pre-Shattering peoples of Oramis. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The)

B.S.: Before the Shattering (used in dates). (See also: Shattering, The)

Cabal, The: A group of rogue wizards who study the art of necromancy. They have banded together for the sole purpose of self-preservation, and are believed to have a covert shard base hidden somewhere. The name of this shard and its location are kept secret by members of the Cabal. They believe that the Restoration is a hopeless goal, a fool's errand, and are more interested in their own studies and goals - primarily the destruction of RASAMA. (See also: RASAMA; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard)

Circle, The: A group of rogue wizards (mostly demonists, diabolists, wild mages, and necromancers) who believe in the goals of RASAMA, but believe that the solution to the problem of the Restoration lies within the forbidden schools of magic (since the Guild has obviously had no luck using the more widely accepted schools). This group desires a shard-key to study in order to unlock its secrets in the hope of achieving this goal, and will pay HANDSOMELY to get their hands on one. (See also: Demonist; Diabolist; RASAMA; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard-Key; Wizards' Guild)

Compass: A portable magical device which can be used to locate nearly any given shard from anywhere in the world. They are very expensive. (See also: Shard)

Darkfall: Oramian term for the brief periods of twilight-like semi-darkness resulting from one shard passing between another shard and the sun, temporarily casting its shadow on the other shard. Darkfall may also occur when an individual shard’s rotation causes it to briefly turn away from the sun. Darkfall can last anywhere from a few minutes to several days, depending on many factors. At least one shard, the shard called Dark Haven, is known to remain in darkness all of the time because it is somehow linked to another, larger shard, which always blocks it from receiving sunlight. (See The Gazetteer of Shards: Dark Haven. See also: Shard)

Death Vision: When an elf dies, any elf who has shared communion with him will receive a death vision. That is, when dying an elf can by some means project his or her final thoughts unto another elf. It is a traumatic blow unto the recipient, for elves are immortal, and for one to die means that a virtually unthinkable event has occurred to a loved one. A death vision is the final message of the dying elf, and it often contains visions as well as the elf's last words. (See: Races of Oramis: Elves and Half-Elves)

Demonist: A type of Thaumaturgist who specializes in the summoning of demons. Demon conjuring is considered a forbidden art, and all such conjurers are considered rogue wizards. (See also: Rogue Wizard)

Destroyer, The: See Unraveller, The.

Diabolist: A type of Thaumaturgist who specializes in the summoning of devils. Devil conjuring is considered a forbidden art, and all such conjurers are considered rogue wizards. (See also: Rogue Wizard)

Dragon: Dragons of the Shattered World are vastly different from those of other worlds. Dragon females give birth to large clutches of eggs which the mother then abandons. As the young dragons begin to hatch from their eggs, those which are quicker and stronger begin to break the other eggs and eat their siblings. As the survivors grow, they leave the nest and begin to congregate with other immature grays in flocks. At this stage, grays have a sonic blast ability which can be quite destructive. Flocks of grays (so-called because their hide has not yet developed a color and appears as a neutral gray) are a common sight. At this point they have no more than animal intelligence. When they reach adulthood, their hide begins to take on its color, intelligence begins to develop, and the sonic ability is replaced with a breath weapon. At the mature adult stage all Oramian dragons gain the ability to polymorph self into humanoid form at will. The dragons of Oramis do not follow the same patterns of those of other worlds. Skin color is NOT indicative of alignment or of breath weapon! It is entirely possible to have a chaotic evil gold dragon with a flame breath weapon! Each mature Oramian dragons is unique and, as such, these regal creatures will NEVER be found as random encounters! (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge, and as such it should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. In the Shattered World, dragons are the primary components used in the manufacture of windskiffs and windriggers. Thus dragons are heavily hunted and can bring high profits on the black market.) (See Dragons of Oramis. See also: Windrigger; Windskiff)

Dragon Lancers: Windrigger crews who actively hunt dragons to sell to the Ship Builders’ Guild. It is unknown what purpose these creatures are used to accomplish. (See also: Dragon; Ship Builders’ Guild; Windrigger)

Dragon Lords: An ancient, powerful, and mysterious race that has now vanished from the world. Ruins of Dragon Lord cities as well as monoliths and stone circles which they erected have been found on several shards. The Dragon Lords were not native to Oramis, though where they came from and where they have now gone is not known. This is a topic of much discussion and debate amongst Oramian sages, mages, and scholars. Also of particular interest to scholars is the fact that the Dragon Lords were last seen only a month prior to the arrival of the Unraveller, the evil being who sparked the Shattering. Another topic for much debate is whether or not the Dragon Lords will ever return to Oramis. Elves and dragons were introduced to Oramis by these beings. (See Races of Oramis: Elves and Half-Elves. See Dragons of Oramis. See also: Oramis; Shard; Shattering, The; Unraveller, The)

Dragoneers: Special windrigger crew members who specialize in protecting windriggers from dragon attacks. They often use special harpoons and lances especially enchanted for this purpose. Unlike Dragon Lancers, Dragoneers are only concerned with the protection of the windrigger they are currently working on, not with the capturing of dragons. (See Dragons of Oramis. See also: Dragon Lancers; Windrigger)

Dwarven Breeding Experiments: As a result of the Dwarven Plague which ran through the dwarven clans in the year 497 A.S, dwarves were in danger of dying out as a race. In an attempt to undo the damage done by the plague, the dwarves began experimenting with the possibility of cross-breeding with the other species of Oramis. The experiments, which officially began in the year 512 A.S., had mixed results. (See Races of Oramis: Dwarves. See also: Dwarven Plague; Oramis)

Dwarven Dirigible: Along with the Gnomish Clockwork Ships, Dwarven Dirigibles are one of the greatest challengers to the windriger for superiority of the Wind Ways. Utilizing a system of hot air and dwarf-driven propellers, these ships are a wonder to behold. (See also: Gnomish Clockwork Ship; Wind Ways; Windrigger)

Dwarven Plague: A devastating plague that ran through the dwarven clans in the year 497 A.S. Unfortunately the disease proved fatal. Even worse, it only affected dwarven females. As a result, today only 1/4 of all dwarves are female. (See Races of Oramis: Dwarves)

Edge Monster: Oramian myth. Mothers on many shards threaten their children with this creature in order to frighten them into staying away from the shard-edge. For example, a commonly overheard saying is: "If you stray to close to the edge, the edge monster will get you!" While the creature does not actually exist, the legend does serve as a useful means of deterring children from straying to close to the shard-edge from whence one could easily fall off the shard to be lost in the Wind Ways.(See also: Shard; Shard-edge; Wind Ways)

Fey: There are no drow in the Shattered World, only the fey - elves every bit as evil as the drow, but not restricted to darkness. The fey have powerful necromancers, and seek to conquer the world. Fey elves do not have the black skin and white hair common among the drow of other worlds. A fey is indistinguishable from other elves - at least by non-elven eyes. An elf can easily spot a fey. Despite the obvious fact that the fey are brothers of the elves, elves will not tolerate anyone of any race remarking on the fact. Elves become angry, even violent, if the relationship is mentioned, even in a casual way. The fey are not ever discussed amongst the elves themselves. (See: Races of Oramis: Elves and Half-Elves)

Followers of the Way: A militant organization composed of extremist Lawful members who are fanatically driven to further their own alignment. They use inquisition-like tactics to find and convert those who are not Lawful to their own system of beliefs. It is rumored that the radical group called the Witch Hunters is in some way connected to this organization, since the Followers condemn mages and all things magical in nature. Based on the shard called Altwaal. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Altwaal. See also: Shard; Witch Hunters)

Fragments: There are seven of these shards which are actually almost large enough to be called continents. One of these is even large enough to enclose a large inland sea. (See also: Shard)

Globe: A difficult puzzle/game popular with Oramian children. A three-dimensional glass ball which, when disassembled, becomes miniature models of all of the shards. Curiously, when the ball is reassembled, it is hollow. Magical versions of this game have been created which can be used as oracular devices. To use one the holder simply drops the solid ball on a semi-hard surface. The pattern the pieces land in is said to be able to predict future events. However, with ten thousand pieces, the possible permutations are endless. It is nearly impossible to use an oracular globe without first consulting a Pattern Book. (See also: Pattern Book; Shard)

Gnomish Clockwork Ships: Along with the Dwarven Dirigibles, Gnomish Clockwork Ships are one of the greatest challengers to the windrigger for superiority of the Wind Ways. These massive ships use clockwork mechanisms to provide thrust, enabling them to traverse the 'Ways. They have no gravity, however, so the gnomes have invented special boots which prevent the wearer from being lost. (See also: Dwarven Dirigible; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger)

Gnomish Migration: Gnomes were born as a result of the Dwarven Breeding Experiments. A result of dwarven/elven cross-breeding, the first gnomes were raised among the dwarven clans. However being that gnomes are hyper-fertile, they soon began to overrun the dwarven holds. In the year 710 A.S. the gnomes, with the help of the dwarves, left in search of an uninhabited shard to call their own. This new shard was called Shinnsa by the gnomes. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Shinnsa. See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves, Gnomes. See also: Dwarven Breeding Experiments; Shard)

Governor: See Shard Lord.

Gray: A young dragon. (See: Dragons of Oramis)

Guild, The: See Wizards’ Guild.

Guild Mages: The general public is fearful of mages. As a result, the Wizards’ Guild has had to become an underground organization. Even so, the Wizards’ Guild is a powerful organization. One of the main purposes of the Guild is to seek out new mages and try to convince them to join the Guild. There are two main reasons for this. First and foremost, it allows the Guild to keep tabs on all Guild mages. If these mages do anything to jeopardize the Guild or any of its members or goals (by the open use of magic, following forbidden schools of magic, etc.), they may be dealt with by the Guild. Second, in return for joining the Guild, a mage gets certain benefits. He has a place to go to get supplies and training if they become needed. He may recruit other mages to help in an adventure or other endeavor. He is welcome to use the Guild’s laboratories and libraries to further his own studies (as long as these do not interfere with the Guild’s objectives). One of the conditions of joining the Wizards' Guild is that the mage must agree under a binding oath that he will not create any new spells or magic items without the expressed approval of the Guild. Also, any magic items found by the mage must be viewed and approved by the Guild before they may become anyone's personal property (thus the Guild may weed out any items deemed too powerful or dangerous for use). Any mage who refuses to join the Guild is branded a rogue wizard, and is actively hunted by Guild mages. The term "The Wizards’ Guild" is somewhat misleading. It is actually just another name for RASAMA. It is rumored that the Guild will sometimes sell information pertaining to particularly dangerous wizards to the Witch Hunters. (See also: RASAMA; Rogue Wizard; Shattering, The; Witch Hunters; Wizards’ Guild)

Half Blood: A common term referring to a half-dwarf. (See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves)

Halfling: A name which refers to anyone of the Twyll race. Twyll find this term to be highly degrading and insulting, and take great offense at its usage. (See: Races of Oramis: Twyll)

He Who Has No Name: See Unraveller, The.

High Magus: The leader of RASAMA. The current High Magus is a female human named Salandra Norfressa. (See: Who’s Who in the Shattered World: Salandra Norfressa. See also: RASAMA)

Holy Order of the Skywyrm Riders: An order of paladins who are dedicated to the protection of the mages of RASAMA. These men and women believe in the possibility of the Restoration and have dedicated their lives to ensuring that the mages have the opportunity to continue work that the Order believes is vital to the survival of Oramis. Each Skywyrm Rider is chosen at dedication by a dragon and spends all of his or her training time with that wyrm. By the time the Rider is ready to join the Order, the two have developed a telepathic bond. The greatest threats facing RASAMA today include (but are not limited to): The Cabal, The Followers of the Way, The Circle, the Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den, and the Witch-Hunters. (See: Dragons of Oramis. See also: Cabal, The; Followers of the Way; Circle, The; Oramis; RASAMA; Restoration, The; Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den; Skywyrm; Witch-Hunters)

Incomprehensible One, The: See Unraveller, The.

Key: See Shard-Key.

Key-Holder: See Shard Lord.

Keystone: See Shard-Key.

Kusaran Alliance: An alliance of four shards: Kusara, Carbuncle, Sheranda, and Tartassos. Guild mages from RASAMA have found a way to magically bind these four shards together so that they are always near each other. The four shards that make up the alliance are probably the most accepting of mages of all of the shards. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Carbuncle, Kusara, Sheranda, Tartassos. See also: Guild Mages; RASAMA; Shard)

Library at Tartassos, The: The legendary Library at Tartassos is a mysterious place. It is large beyond belief and so old that it is believed to predate even the Dragon Lords. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Dragon Lords)

Lost Ones: See Wind Wraith.

Mad Ship: A windrigger whose captain has died without appointing a second. When a captain purchases a windrigger, the shipstone is magically bonded to him. The death of the captain is the only known way to end this bond. If this happens, however, and the captain has not appointed a second for any reason, the ship becomes uncontrolled (a mad ship) and often rebels against those creatures which are currently inhabiting its body, intentionally trying to kill those aboard. A mage from the Ship Builders' Guild will be needed to bring the ship back under control and bond it with a new captain. (See also: Second; Ship Builders' Guild; Shipstone; Windrigger)

Mageslayers: See Witch Hunters.

Masladh: A dwarven term term implying shaming and disgrace that is often associated with traitors. A male dwarf who kills another dwarf without just cause is branded masladh. Such criminals can be slain on sight by any dwarf. Female dwarves branded masladh are not slain, but are shunned and treated as prisoners. (See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves)

Moon: Before the Shattering, Oramis - like many other worlds - had a moon called Selene. It is theorized that when the world "exploded," the sudden loss of gravity and the force of the explosion hurled it into space, leaving Oramis moonless. If this is true, then it becomes difficult to explain why the priestesses of Selene still revere the moon and - mysteriously - still retain their spell-casting ability and other granted powers! Some sages have theorized that this can be explained in one of two ways. First, perhaps some other power has adopted the moon’s portfolio and has "adopted" the priesthood as its own under the guise of Selene. Second, perhaps the moon was not lost at all, it just isn’t visible now because of the fact that there is no longer a true night. (See Deities and Myths of Oramis: Selene. See also: Oramis; Shattering, The)

Mundane: Wizard slang for anyone who is unable to harness the power of magic.

Nameless One, The: See Unraveller, The.

Navigator: Navigators are strange and mysterious beings who are present on all windriggers. No one seems to know exactly who or what they are. It has been rumored that navigators are diviners, using their magic to know exactly where any given shard is located at any given time. Navigators appear as faceless humanoids wearing midnight-blue hooded robes and have never been known to speak. (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge, and as such it should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. Navigators do not really exist. They are merely illusions projected by the ships themselves. Unknown to the general public, windriggers are actually living sentient beings - young gray dragons - magically shaped by mages into the forms of ships. Somehow, possibly through a natural homing instinct or a natural magical ability, they are aware at all times of exactly where each shard is at any given moment and whether or not there are any other shards blocking a given route. The "navigator" illusion is used simply so that windrigger captains may have somewhere to direct their orders for destinations. Please note that a ship's navigator can only help with direction. It is up to the captain and crew to operate the sails.) (See also: Dragon; Shard; Windrigger)

Night: A pre-Shattering myth. Supposedly when the world was solid, it would undergo periods of complete darkness, resulting from the world turning away from the sun. Sages say that such a thing is possible, but it is difficult for most Oramians to imagine such a concept. (See also: Shattering, The)

Ocean: A pre-Shattering myth. According to legends, much of the world was once covered with great bodies of water which were only separated by areas of land. These bodies of water were referred to as oceans. Supposedly, the bodies were so large that one could travel for days, even weeks before encountering dry land. (See also: Shattering, The)

Oramis: Setting for the Shattered World campaign. Once a solid world, Oramis was blown apart as the result of an attack from a previously unknown, ultra-powerful being known as the Unraveller. Due to divine interference, as well as a great deal of foresight and Foresight by diviners of the Wizards’ Guild, Oramis was saved but forever changed. Today, Oramis is composed of ten thousand floating islands (called shards) suspended within an envelope of air, called the Sky Sphere, which revolves around the Oramian sun in approximately the same position formerly occupied by the pre-Shattering world. True night is now unknown in the shards, though some shards experience brief twilight-like hours of semi-darkness (known as darkfall). Unfortunately, the moon is believed to have been blown from its orbit and is now nothing more than a fondly-remembered legend. (See also: Darkfall; Moon; Shard; Shattering, The; Sky Sphere, The; Unraveller, The; Wizards' Guild)

Ostoria: Lost capitol city of the dwarves. Before the Shattering, Ostoria was the greatest of the underground dwarven cities, well-known for its beauty and finery. When the Shattering occurred Ostoria was ripped apart. With their caverns and tunnels collapsing all around them, the dwarves were forced to retreat to the surface. Dwarves have been searching for Ostoria since the Shattering, but its current location has not yet been discovered. (See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves. See also: Shattering, The)

Pattern Book: Used in combination with a globe to predict the future. (See also: Globe)

Proxy: A person who temporarily fills the role of Shard Lord should a Shard Lord ever need to leave his shard. Without appointing a proxy, a Shard Lord cannot leave his shard. Both Shard Lord and Shard-Key must approve of a proxy before he can receive charge of its care. (See also: Shard ; Shard-Key; Shard Lord)

RASAMA: An acronym which stands for The Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystical Arts. This is the formal name of the Wizards’ Guild. The Guild formally and openly receives the endorsement of the shards comprising the Kusaran Alliance, since its main goal is the Restoration of the world to its former solid shape. Branches of RASAMA, also known less commonly as the Wizards’ Guild, are known (at least to mages) to exist on many shards, however most -except for the University on Tartassos - exist in secret owing to the paranoia most mundanes feel toward mages. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Kusaran Alliance; Mundane; Restoration, The; Shard; University on Tartassos; Wizards’ Guild)

Restoration, The: The name applied by Guild Mages to the major goal of RASAMA - the restoration of Oramis into a solid whole. (See also: Guild Mages; Oramis; RASAMA)

Rogue Wizard: A wizard who has refused to join the Wizards’ Guild. Such mages are hunted by Guild mages. It is rumored that the Wizards’ Guild sometimes sells information concerning known rogue wizards to the radical organization known as the Witch Hunters. Certain types of magic are also forbidden and those who practice them are automatically considered rogue mages. The forbidden types of mage are: Necromancers, Wild Mages, Demonists and Diabolists. (See also: Demonist; Diabolist; Guild Mages; Witch Hunters; Wizards’ Guild)

Seas: The seas of Oramis have changed, as has the rest of the world. When the Shattering occurred, seas and lakes which were not land-bound flooded off the shards into the Wind Ways. Today, the seas (and there are seven of these) resemble large, free-floating, amorphous globs of fluid. There are also several fresh water "lakes." Some aquatic life still remains in the seas of Oramis, supported at its most basic level by plankton. Seas appear bluish-green from a distance, while lakes are blue. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The; Wind Ways, The)

Second: A navigator will only obey the commands of a windrigger's captain. However there may be times when the captain needs to be off-ship or becomes incapacitated by some mishap (including death) and is unable to issue commands. For this reason, a windrigger captain may appoint up to two seconds - persons whom the ship recognizes as “next in command” and whose orders the ship will obey. A captain's bond with his ship can only be permanently severed by the captain's death, so once he is able to resume command, the ship will cease to respond to the second. Sometimes a ship captain will not appoint seconds - a very effective means of discouraging mutiny since without a Second, an uncaptained ship will go mad and attempt to kill all aboard. (See also: Mad Ship; Navigator; Windrigger)

Selene: See Moon.

Shard: Any of the ten thousand floating remnants of what was once the world of Oramis, resembling free-floating islands. They are composed of three parts: topside, shard-edge, and shard-root. A shard’s stability, atmosphere, climate, weather, and gravity are all maintained by magical devices known as shard-keys - the existence of which is a closely kept secret. Windriggers must approach a shard at the shard-edge. Otherwise, the shard’s gravity could possibly pull them down and result in shipwrecks. Due to the lack of a large, solid world to block the sun’s rays, there is no true night on Oramis. Most shards will occasionally experience temporary periods of twilight-like darkness (called "darkfall") as another shard’s path prevents it from receiving the sun’s rays, or, if the shard rotates, it may turn "upside-down" away from the sun. Otherwise, the shard-world is stuck in a perpetual state of never-ending day. Obviously telling time is much more difficult here than on other worlds. Luckily, all of the inhabitants of the world of shards have developed strong internal clocks which lets everyone know when it is time to sleep. How this works is unknown, but it may be a side-effect of the same magic which provides each shard with its gravity and atmosphere. Magic varies from shard to shard. Some shards have normal magic, some have wild magic areas, and still others have dead magic areas, all of which are residual effects from the unleashing of the powerful magicks which caused the Shattering. Pre-Shattering national borders have - for the most part - been forgotten, and are treated as little more than footnotes in the history of the world. After 1,000 years, such things seem really unimportant to Oramians. The people living on a shard cannot remember a time when they were ever a part of another nation. All that they are aware of is their current situation, and generally regard the edges of their shard as being the borders of their nation. (See also: Darkfall; Night; Oramis, Shard-Edge; Shard-Key; Shard-Root; Topside; Windrigger)

Shard-Edge: The rim of a shard; the point from which - if one continues walking - one will fall off the shard into the Wind Ways. (See also: Shard; Wind Ways, The)

Shard-Key: Magical devices which exist on each and every shard. These devices maintain a shard’s gravity, climate, atmosphere, weather and stability. If a key is ever destroyed or removed from the shard it was designed to maintain, the shard will become unstable and could pose a threat to other shards as it becomes uncontrolled and uncontrollable. No two shards’ keys are exactly alike, their forms being disguised so that you would not know what you were looking at even if you saw one. On shards which have ruling families, it is usual that this family will have the shard-key under its protection, since the possession of a key would basically give the holder complete control over the shard and its inhabitants. (An old Oramian proverb says, "He who holds the ability to destroy a thing controls a thing.") In the hands of a tyrant or other person with less than pure motives, the possession of a shard-key would be equivalent to holding the entire shard - and everyone on it - hostage, since simply by breaking it he would be sentencing everyone and everything on the shard to death. Also known as "keystones," or simply as "keys." (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. Shard-keys are actually sentient, intelligent artifacts that bond with their owners. They will not bond with anyone of chaotic or evil alignment. If such a person gains possession of a shard-key, the key will attempt to take over the mind of its new owner. If this fails, it will attempt to change the person’s alignment to something more fitting. It is up to the DM to decide what powers each individual key possesses, but each should have powers designed to prevent them from falling into the hands of the wrong person, as well as defensive powers in case they do. As a sentient artifact, a shard-key's sole purpose is to maintain a shard as closely as possible to it's pre-Shattering state. It can cast certain spells as needed to insure the preservation of the shard, such as Control Weather to summon rain if needed. A shard-key can operate independently of its owner to ensure a shard's safety) (See also: Shard)

Shard Lord: The holder of a shard-key. The Shard Lord, quite often, is the ruler of a shard. Shard Lords are immune to spells which affect the shard for which they hold the key, (Hide Shard, Obscure Shard and Close Borders), and can break these spells as well as shard-affecting spells (such as Bind Shards and Move Shard) if they did not cast them. Typically, a Shard Lord cannot leave his shard. However should the need to leave ever arise, he may appoint a proxy who will serve as temporary Shard Lord in his absence, and will assume the role of Shard Lord should something happen to him while he is gone. A proxy must be approved by both the Shard Lord and the Shard Key. Sometimes referred to as a Key-Holder or Governor. (See also: Proxy; Shard; Shard-key)

Shard-Root: The underside of a shard which hangs down much like the root of a tooth. Shard-roots are popular nesting spots for dragons. (See: Dragons of Oramis. See also: Dragon; Shard)

Shattered World, The: See Oramis.

Shattering, The: The event which shattered the world of Oramis into ten thousand pieces called shards. (See also: Oramis; Shard)

Ship Builders’ Guild: The group which is now responsible for the creation and sale of windriggers. This Guild is rumored to be a branch of RASAMA. The Guild is completely neutral, and will sell windriggers to most anyone who has enough money to buy one. (See also: RASAMA; Windrigger)

Shipkey: See Shipstone.

Shipstone: A shipstone is a smaller, much less powerful version of a shard-key. It is this object which provides a windrigger with gravity. Navigators recognize the holder of a shipstone as captain and will obey only the holder's commands. Also called "shipkeys." (See also: Navigator; Shard-Key; Windrigger)

Siesta: See Slumber.

Sky Merchants' Guild: Guild of merchants responsible for most inter-shard commerce. (See also: Shard)

Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den: Plague of the Wind Ways, they are known to harry caravans of the Sky Merchant’s Guild. It is believed that one of the Guild mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is now helping the sky-pirates to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Gao-Den. See also: Guild Mages; Rogue Mage; Sky Merchants’ Guild; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger)

Sky Sphere: The large air envelope which the True Gods erected to surround the Shattered World and keep its atmosphere intact. Shards cannot run into or pass through the sky sphere, as the sphere gently repels errant shards, nudging them away from its borders. The sky sphere is not clear, it is opaque. (See also: Shard)

Skyship: Alternate name for a windrigger. (See also: Windrigger)

Skywyrm: Oramian term for a dragon. (See also: Dragon)

Slumber: Oramian term for the periods in which the peoples of Oramis simultaneously begin to feel the need to rest. Slumber is universally agreed upon as the dividing period between Oramian days. The slumber period lasts eight hours of each 24 hour day, and is regulated by the shard-keys. Sometimes referred to as siesta. (See also: Oramis; Shard-Key)

Stars: A pre-Shattering myth. Supposedly, when the world was still sold, the sky would periodically go completely dark, a condition the ancients referred to as night. During these periods of night, it is said that one could see small sparkling objects in the sky which were referred to as stars. (See also: Ancients; Night; Shattering, The)

Three, The: According to Oramian myth, the Three are the goddesses who are believed to have been responsible for the creation of the the world. They are also believed to have been the Creators of the gods. (See: Deities and Myths of Oramis: Creation; Three, The)

Topside: The upper portion of a shard. (See also: Shard)

True Blood: A common term referring to a dwarf with no human blood in his ancestry. (See: Races of Oramis: Dwarves)

University on Tartassos: Home of RASAMA. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Tartassos. See also: RASAMA)

Unraveller, The: According to Oramian history, the Unraveller was an ultra-powerful being whose attack on the world of Oramis ultimately resulted in the devastating event referred to today as the Shattering. According to Oramian myth, this being was a deity of equal status to the Three. Whether or not he was actually destroyed is a topic of much debate amongst theological scholars, as is the possibility of his return. Sometimes referred to by other names, such as He Who Has No Name, The Nameless One, The Incomprehensible One, and The Destroyer. (See: Deities and Myths of Oramis: Creation; Three, The)

Voice: See Voice of the Lady.

Voice of the Lady: Leader of the Church of Selene. Sometimes referred to simply as Voice. The current Voice is Serena Tarsellis. (See Who's Who in the Shattered World: Serena Tarsellis. See also Deities and Myths of Oramis: Selene)

Ways, The: See Wind Ways, The.

Wind Ways, The: The space that exists between the shards. A chaotic, wind-filled area dominated by strong air currents and buffeting winds. Sometimes referred to as simply as "the ‘Ways." There is no gravity in the ‘Ways, so anything which falls into the ‘Ways without some means of self-propulsion will be buffeted haphazardly by the winds. It is nearly impossible to determine time and direction in the ‘Ways unaided. (See also: Shard)

Wind Wraith: It IS possible to fall off the edge of a shard. Doing this is a terrible way to die. Unless one is rescued by a windrigger or other benevolent inhabitant of the Wind Ways, crash-lands on a shard, is devoured by dragons, or meets his demise in some other way, one drifts aimlessly about the ‘Ways with no control over direction or speed. One simply floats about until one dies of thirst or starvation. Many of those who die in this fashion become Wind Wraiths. These horrid undead creatures have no fear of the sun. Being formless entities like ghosts or common wraiths, they are immaterial, and can pass through the walls of a windrigger. They are most often identified by their terrible moaning which is often mistaken for the sound of the wind blowing. Sometimes called "Lost Ones." (See also: Dragon; Shard; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger)

Windrigger: Magical conveyances which resemble normal ships but have the ability to fly, allowing travel from shard to shard. Most windriggers may also land on water. All windriggers have a mysterious figure known simply as the Navigator on-board. Creation and sale of windriggers are controlled and regulated by the Ship Builders’ Guild. Rumor has it, however, that one of the mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is helping the Sky Pirates of Gao-Den to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. Windriggers are magically constructed from the living bodies of young dragons called Grays.) (See Dragons of Oramis. See also: Dragon; Navigator; Rogue Wizard; Shard; Ship Builders’ Guild; Shipstone; Sky Pirates of Gao-Den; Wind Ways, The)

Windsailor: Sailors who are trained in the operation of windriggers.(See also: Windrigger)

Windship: See Windrigger.

Windskiff: A windskiff is a small flying boat designed to accommodate no more than six people. Unlike windriggers, a windskiff is a man-made vessel. Because of this, it has no navigator, and therefore the pilot is on his own when determining direction, routes, etc. A compass is a necessity. (See also: Compass; Navigator; Windrigger)

Windtamer: Windtamers are a special type of mage which can often be found on Windriggers. They have focused their abilities into harnessing and taming the Wind Ways, making travel therein much easier. (See also: Wind Ways; Windrigger)

Witch Hunters: Because of the suspicion with which the general public views wizards, Witch Hunters have become very popular. These men and women seek out and slay known mages, even Guild mages if they can do so without getting caught. Witch Hunters have an innate magic sense which they use to track down and slay wizards. It is known that the Wizards’ Guild often sells information about particularly dangerous rogue wizards to the Witch Hunters. It is rumored that the Witch Hunters are a branch of the Followers of the Way. Also referred to as Mageslayers. (See also: Followers of the Way; Guild Mages; Rogue Wizard; Wizards’ Guild)

Wizards’ Guild: Unlike the guilds of most worlds, the Wizards’ Guild is a secret organization. Because of their disappearance during the Shattering, the general public is suspicious of wizards. As a result, all wizards MUST be Guild mages. Those who are not are branded rogues and are hunted down by Guild mages. The primary goal of the Guild is to find a way to reunite the shards back into a solid, whole world once again, and thus regain the confidence of the general public (referred to as "the Restoration"). The term "Wizards’ Guild" is misleading. The Wizards’ Guilds are actually local branches of RASAMA, a magical university based on the shard Tartassos, a member-shard of the Kusaran Alliance. It is believed that the Wizards' Guild sometimes sells information pertaining to particularly dangerous rogue wizards to the Witch Hunters. (See: The Gazetteer of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Guild Mages; Kusaran Alliance; Oramis; RASAMA; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard; Shattering, The; University on Tartassos; Witch Hunters)

Wyrm: See Dragon.