Like many of you I thoroughly enjoy reading the Pantheon lore, I think Justin Gerhart (Istuulamae), Lore Master and Lead Writer, has done an excellent job and I applaud him. The lore's intricacy is part of its allure but also the reason I found myself reading in circles more than once, so in an effort to help myself understand I set about making a glossary.
As something of a spoiler alert I would urge you to read the lore itself and only use this glossary as an aide. The definitions here are obviously my opinions based on reading the lore, I'm happy to hear any corrections.
Timeline
the reign of Rok'Nhilthamos - "thousands of years before the arrival of the Sacred Six"
The Dragon Accord - "shortly before the First Collisions...mystical agreement that was struck by Rok'Nhilthamos and another power of unknown origin"
The Age of Isolation(0-22) - Dwarves(7), Elves(9), Ogres(12)
The Age of Seclusion(23-457) - Ginto(450)
The Age of Chaos(458-485) - Dark Myr(458), Archai(458), Humans(459)
The Frail Age(486-987(Current)) - Halflings(620), Skar(621), Gnomes(622)
Glossary
-A-
Aellos - an elven god that bestowed a two-fold prophecy declaring the Heartseed would be planted anew in foreign lands and warned of a third inferno for the elven race
Aevozul - mentioned only once, possibly a duplicate name for Nhystyrrok
Amberfaet - mentioned only once in the lore, from the Age of Seclusion - "The Dwarves fractured from the failed underground kingdom of Amberfaet, but the rule of Khadassa itself remained stable under Khazas’ noble hand"
Amensol - human king, killed by Ossari during the Deicide War
Amenthiel, 'The Lady King' - a true blood heir of Avendyr
Aoeyn - the Archai were originally created from another race of pure magical energy called the Aoeyn
Archanos - gnomes on Stormona who gained powers and abilities far beyond any warrior or mage by wielding Elos Fire
assassins of the Red Raven - group that assisted the humans/elves during the Deicide War
Ashen Elves - the Deicide War affected the elves so strongly the race was split into 2 distinct groups, the Ashen Elves "steward Faerthale from within, eternally vigilant in watch and guard", *see the Ember
Avendyr - heir to Amensol, great orator, founded Thronefast, died in 525
Avendyr's Pass - a zone in Kingsreach
Aza'gn - name of the skar before their god punished them - "the bones in their face and skull would be pushed through the skin, marked as heinously as the death they sowed across the realms. The Nine God renamed the Aza'gn the Skar, sealing the wound of their sins for all time."
-B-
Baq-Noi - a female Khägan slave stolen from Skargol by the elves in an attempt to learn about the Skar
Black Rose - a guerilla force of expert criminals and military refugees founded by E’mani Karos
the Broken Maw - capital of the Ogres, in Reignfall
the Burning Sanctum - constructed in the Petrified Forest of Ka’Kelhar circa 475 by the ogre and dark myr as a shelter for the upcoming Deicide War, a zone in Reignfall
-C-
Celestial Boundary - created by the Dragon Accord, brought about two things, 1: a reduction in the ability of gods to engage with their devotees (this ability was further reduced after the Deicide War), and 2: 'Descension' - the ability for gods to descend to High Mortals, allowing them to engage their devotees
Coldark Steel - a peerless material in strength and beauty, unbreakable yet able to be cut thin enough to wear as fabric, crafted from ice and stone by dwarves
-D-
Dark Sun - one of the seven ogre clans
the Dead Vault - a zone in Reignfall
Descension - ethereal transfiguration of a god into a High Mortal allowing interaction with mortals, made available by the Dragon Accord via the Celestial Boundary
Deicide War - in the Age of Chaos, building up from 470 (the Year of the Outbreak) and culminating circa 481/485, the Deicide War was led by the Ravaging Lord, involved all six of the Sacred Six races, all 3 known continents, the WarWizards, native races, the dragon king Rok'Nhilthamos, and Terminus' unknown benefactor who stopped Rok'Nhilthamos in his tracks
The Dragon Accord - an agreement struck between Rok'Nhilthamos and another power of unknown origin that changed the name of the planet to Terminus, put in place the Celestial Boundary, led to three eras of collisions, and brought 10 new races to Terminus
Dragonkind - the dragon race, it's numbers may be great enough to fill 3 volumes - The Keeper
Drak’Elrin - signet-tongue of the Dragon King
Drak’Fane - a dragon tongue
Drak’Seun - tongue of the Reignborn
D’Shath, aka the Nine God - the skar's lone deity consisting of "nine personalities at once or perhaps nine separate beings in one accord"
D’shoth - original homeworld of the Skar
Dythiir - an elven god that pulled the Heartseed of Lumos from the desecrated tree and gave it to the Ashen Elves
-E-
Edict of Balance - forbade any contest within the dwarven pantheon, neither good destroying evil or evil destroying good
Elos - a star inside the gnome homeworld of Stormona that emitted ethereal power/arcane energy
Elos Fire - the arcane energy emitted by Elos, absorbed by the mineral Resivore and drawn back out into the body of a gnome granting them powers and abilities beyond any warrior or mage
Elvonnen Giants - native giants of Nhystyrrok
E’mani Karos - a previous Thronefastian officer, caught in some act of treason, fled and founded Black Rose, a guerilla force of expert criminals and military refugees
the Esqap - one of three distinct but not segregated branches of halflings
the Ember - the Deicide War affected the elves so strongly the race was split into 2 distinct groups, the Ember "cast an aggressive eye toward the surrounding lands, rooting out evil where it resides", *see Ashen Elves
Ermos - the 'creature' that hovered in the sky, watched as the Nythirian Red killed Syronai, and then departed without a word. "That is why “Curse Ermos” is our hail, and “Ermos be cursed” our depart"
-F-
Faerthale - capital of the Elves, in Kingsreach
Festus of High Brace - friend and former colleague of The Keeper, seemingly corrupted by money
First Era of Collisions - first of 3 eras of collisions, assumably referring to the arrival of the 10 new races, their timelines are not distinctly laid out - "some time shortly before the First Era of Collisions (as they are oft called, though few were especially violent), the Reignborn left their lands of sovereignty"
the Frozen Sanctum - built in the storm drifts of Tenebrous Tundra circa 475 by the dwarves and archai as a shelter for the upcoming Deicide War, a zone in Whitethaw
Fs'sok - a race on the previous skar homeworld of D'shoth that enslaved the skar, "This name endures among the Skar as something of a harsh slur or profane rebuke, invoking immediate retribution and bloodshed"
-G-
the Gate - a zone in Kingsreach, "ancient halls of the Withered"
Ghorrok - previous home world of the ogres
Ginavi, the Bride Queen of the Union - Ginavi sacrificed herself to imbue the few remaining undefiled Ginto with her power, transforming them into a second new race (the Remnant), immune to the effects of the Ravaging Lord and his Revenant
Ginto - race brought to Terminus in 450, turned into 2 new races shortly thereafter, the Remnant & the Revenant
Graven Hold - deities of the ogres
the Grovegrass - a zone in Kingsreach, "One cannot gain entry to or leave Wild’s End without passing through the Grovegrass, a formidable labyrinth of paths enclosed by dense, bamboo-like foliage."
-H-
Haethus-Kevgrejl, aka the “Dead Heiress” - previous archai god talked into Descension by the Ravaging Lord, led the assault on Whitethaw during the Deicide War, fled once the WarWizards arrived
Havensong - human city destroyed and razed during the Deicide War by Ossari
High Mortal - a previous god changed into a powerful mortal half-god thru Descension
Hiryth - original homeworld of the Halflings
-I-
'IH' - Ithosbrun Hjilen, new designation of time created by the Tholen of Itholis after dragonkind vanished from Terminus
The Ill Watcher - mentioned in the 3rd letter of the Keepings of Castigue
Infinite Union - pantheon of the Ginto race
Issul - previous homeworld of the Myr
Ittero, The Husband King of the Union - god of the ginto race, see Ravaging Lord
-J-
-K-
Kaolyen Greyborne - recipient/author of 'The Keepings of Castigue' letters, member of the elven council
Keep Leon - the Black Daggers fortress
The Keeper - Terminus historian / lore delivery vehicle
the Keepings of Castigue - three letters, written in 473/474, between Narian Castigue and Kaolyen Greyborne that chronicle Narian's efforts to decipher a copy of the Dragon Accord written in dragon tongue
the Keeping of Things - introduction of The Keeper and revelation of the 3 letters referred to as the Keepings of Castigue
Khadassa - capital of the Dwarves, in Whitethaw
Khäga Sands - a zone in Reignfall
Khägans - native race of Nhystyrrok
Khazas - first and only dwarven king, previously a god, created the dwarven race then Descended to High Mortal to rule among them, has ruled for over 900 years, a notable figure in the 3rd letter of the Keepings of Castigue, aka the mountain shaper
Kingsreach - one of 3 known continents on Terminus
Kiri - a once nomadic people of “full” stature, cursed by Molsth to diminish in physical maturity over ten generations eventually being born only as souls, the curse was stopped halfway by Lyone, the Kiri are now known as halflings
-L-
Lockehnhammur aka Lock, Ehn, and Hammur - ruling pantheon of the dwarves
Lucent, the Third Light - cultivated by the elves in the Age of Seclusion via the Heartseed, it's predecessor 'Lumos, the Second Dawn' was destroyed by the Tohr'mentirii on S’iolaen
Lyone - a descendant of Marthus (a Kiri leader), she won a wager with Molsth that halted the curse of the Kiri halfway thru and gave Molsth's laughter to the halflings
-M-
the Mad Moor - a zone in Kingsreach, "The Mad Moor is a sprawling region of Wild’s End that is home to a wide array of treacherous creatures"
Madjen Kii - earth mages that allied with the Ravaging Lord in 473 during the Deicide War
the Maidyn Clan - one of three distinct but not segregated branches of halflings
Maq'esh - a gnomish garment woven from Resivore - "we were able to repossess our souls into the Resivore cloth called Maq'esh"
Molsth, the Laughing Wraith, King of Specters - cursed the Kiri with "a birthright affliction that would diminish their physical maturity of the next ten generations", the curse was later stopped halfway thru when Molsth lost a wager against Lyone, Molsth is now known as the Silent Wraith
Mos Cag warriors - group that assisted the humans/elves during the Deicide War
-N-
Narian Castigue - namesake and author/recipient of 'The Keepings of Castigue' letters
Nhystyrrok - original name of Terminus, ruled by an order of Dragonkind known as the Reignborn
the Nothi - one of three distinct but not segregated branches of halflings
Nythir - myr god of battle, sacrificed himself in vein in an effort to save the myr on Terminus
Nythirian Red/Dread Myr - myr warriors who participated in the slaying of Syronai, disappeared into the sea, searching for the means to return to true myr form
-O-
Oldassa - previous homeworld of the dwarves
Ossari, aka “He Who Rages” - previous human god talked into Descension by the Ravaging Lord, led the assault on Kingsreach in the Deicide War, halted his attack on the Silent Sanctum for 3 days while he ordered Havensong to be dismantled and thrown off a cliff, later killed by the WarWizards at Havensong
-P-
Pillar Ka - Reignfall pillar. These Pillars are believed to be the signifier of Reignborn authority on each continent, for there is one to each major realm
the Prophain - a splinter of gnomes on Stormona that wanted to restrict the use of Elos Fire who were imprisoned, escaped, and eventually came to inhabit Terminus
-Q-
-R-
the Ravaging Lord - the once glorious and benevolent 'Ittero, The Husband King of the Union', Descended by his 'Bride Queen of the Union, Ginavi' upon arriving to Terminus in an effort to save him from an etheral wound sickness, became a gross and twisted half god that corrupted much of the ginto race into the Revenant. Led the assault on Reignfall during the Deicide War, killed by Rok'Nhilthamos
Reignborn - an order of dragonkind/princes of the Dragon King that ruled Nhystyrrok
Reignfall - one of 3 known continents on Terminus
Rel-Cirin - archai general, notable figure in the 3rd letter of Keepings of Castigue, slain in 484 during the Deicide War
the Remnant - previously the remaining undefiled Ginto, transformed by Ginavi into zealous, pious warriors of exceptional abilities, with an unyielding appetite to exterminate the Revenant
the Revenant - previously Ginto, transformed by the Ravaging Lord to wage a 'war of Endless Night that would consume all realms'
Resivore - mineral from the gnomish homeworld that could absorb the arcane power known as Elos Fire which could then be drawn back out into the body of a gnome
Rhazik the Rageful - previously a god, Descended by the Dwarven godhead of Lockehnhammur, set on the destruction of all dwarves but imprisoned, circa 7, for 1k years in the furious winter of Tenebrous Tundra
Rhy’Kafiros - Reignborn dragon killed by the Ravaging Lord near the end of the Deicide War
Rhy'Vulrene - dragons of the air, led by Rok'Nhilthamos
Roa - previous home of the archai
the Roans - zone where the Silent Sanctum is located / a mountain range, in Kingsreach
Rok'Nhilthamos/Dragon King - ruler of the Reignborn and all Dragonkind, killed his father Rok'Tsolfyensire thousands of years before the arrival of the Sacred Six. Killed the Ravaging Lord ending the Deicide War
Rok’Mydrozphael - a dragon mentioned in the 3rd letter of the Keepings of Castigue
Rok'Tsolfyensire/Rok’Tsuntyensire - Rok'Nhilthamos's father, the first dragon king
Rothuk - previous clan lord of the Black Moon tribe who killed the other 6 ogre clan lords, proclaimed himself the Black Moon King, and vanished in 23IH with all 7 ogre tomes
Ru'Lun(port) - a zone in Kingsreach
-S-
Sacred Six/the Six - original 6 player races to arrive on Terminus, dwarves/elves/ogres/archai/darkmyr/humans, aka a blanket term to encompass all new arrivals
Sanctums - shelters built by the Sacred Six to survive the Revenant onslaught
the Second Era of Collisions - lore dates conflict with the third era of collisions - "With the Second Era of Collisions starting in the Spring of 458, the Age of Chaos officially began"
the Sect of Peryth - cult of dragonseekers bent on finding/serving the vanished dragonkind
Semina - High Priest of the Infinite Union, last of the ginto
the Seven Locked Door - a zone in Kingsreach bound by seven locks, the first three provided by the elves
Sidryth Vespers - force that allied with the Ravaging Lord in 472 during the Deicide War
the Silent Plains - a zone in Kingsreach
the Silent Sanctum - built behind a natural chokepoint in the Roan Mountains circa 475 by the humans and elves as a shelter for the upcoming Deicide War, a zone in Kingsreach
S’iolaen - previous home planet of the elves
Skargol - capital of the Skar, in Reignfall
Skyhold - a floating ship, capital of the Gnomes, in Whitethaw
Sol'Kromane - dragons of the sea, initially ruled by Rok'Tsolfyensire's brother who was slain by Rok'Nhilthamos
Sorhiryth - elevated capital city of the Halfings, in Kingsreach, "a winding, vertical and peculiar city built amidst the massive Tower Oaks of Wild’s End"
Steppes of Ru'Lun - a zone in Kingsreach
Stormona - original homeworld of the gnomes
Su’Roa - wildly diverse island realm, current home of the archai, in Whitethaw
Suns of Terminus - see WarWizards
Syn’Vhaerulythe - a dragon mentioned in the 3rd letter of the Keepings of Castigue
Syronai - blessed by the spirit of Issul with one gift Syronai created the Myr who restored peace to Issul's oceans, her beloved myr faced with poison waters on Terminus Syronai Descended into a High Mortal in a bargain that gave the myr a lung and legs to escape the poison oceans, and for this the myr killed her
Syronai's Rest - capital of the Dark Myr, in Reignfall
-T-
Tasrin's Gaze - a zone in Reignfall
Tel’Nharssis - a notable figure in the 3rd letter of the Keepings of Castigue, aka The Snow Dragon, an outcast of sorts
Terminus - the world Pantheon takes place on
the Third Era of Collisions - lore date conflicts with second era of collisions - "In 450 IH, the Third Era of Collisions began"
the Tholen of Itholis - native peoples of Nhystyrrok, created the current time designation Ithosbrun Hjilen, abbreviated as “IH”.
Tohr'mentirii - a once subset of elves on their previous homeworld S'iolaen that unified with the demonic Beasts of Tohr and marched upon their brothers without mercy
Tower of the Reckless Magician - a zone in Kingsreach
Thronefast (Avendyr's Seat) - capital of the humans, in Kingsreach
Triumvirate of Three - the dwarven pantheon of Lockehnhammur aka Lock, Ehn, and Hammur and previously Khazas & Rhazik
True Birth - a devout childhood ceremony where archai choose water, fire, wind or any mineral and graft/acclimate their body to those inherent properties
-U-
Union of Shadow - began around the time of the Deicide War
-V-
the Vae Wood - a zone in Kingsreach
Valley of the Watchmen - a zone in Reignfall
Vas Demith - previous home of the humans
Veil of Azeris - a zone in Kingsreach
Vesu/Summit on Vesu - in 475 the leader of each of the Sacred Six, brought together and forewarned by the Ginto, all agreed on the Sanctum Edict and began constructing 3 Sanctums to weather the storm of the Revenant - The Burning Sanctum(ogre/dark myr), the Silent Sanctum(humans/elves), and the Frozen Sanctum(archai/dwarves) - (halflings, skar, and gnomes had not yet arrived)
-W-
War Wizards/Suns of Terminus - warriors of godlike power in physical might and arcane discipline, one each from the Sacred Six (dwarves, elves, ogres, dark myr, archai and humans - halflings, skar, and gnomes arrived later) that Descended during the Deicide War to fight the Ravaging Lord & the Revenant, after successfully pushing back the Revenant one of them died at the Ravaging Lord's hand, the remaining five vanished after the Deicide War ended
the Wellpond - a zone in Kingsreach, "The first area a starting Halfling will likely venture to once outside the safety of Sorhiryth is the Wellpond."
the Whispering Lands - a zone in Reignfall
Whitethaw - one of 3 known continents on Terminus
Wild's End - a zone in Kingsreach
Wos Che - native race of Nhystyrrok, wars with the ogres
-X-
-Y-
-Z-
Great work! I too find the lore intriguing, but sometimes hard to follow. This makes it much easier to understand, which gets me excited to dig into it more :)
minor format typos (cause I'm OCD like that lol):
Not trying to be petty lol. I just notice things like that ;P
I also think it might be easier to navigate the glossary if you capitalize and bold any terms within definitions that also have their own definition elsewhere in the glossary
Anyway, I'm very impressed. Must have taken you a long time! :)
Thanks Bazgrim, I fixed 3 of the 4, I didn't underline 'the Rageful' because he isn't always referred to with that title and since he's imprisoned for at least another 20 years he won't be complaining anytime soon.
Nice work Coach but it is only half finished, I was mousing over them and they were not links...haha I kid I kid :D
I have gone ahead and made this a sticky so others can find it easily :)
Coach! This is amazing. I'm honored you've taken the time to sift through everything to compile this. Took great effort.
Two things I want to speak to from my first look over:
1. The Black Daggers will soon be called 'Black Rose'. Story is the same, save for one detail, but the name is being changed in the near future. Don't think we've released that info publicly, but there you go
2. The Union of Shadow is not part of the Revenant. I will say they began around the time of the Deicide War, but they are not a vestige of the Revenant, though the Revenant will have some presence on the planet.
If I notice anything else I'll chime in. Otherwise, fantastic work!
Bazgrim said:Istuulamae said:1. The Black Daggers will soon be called 'Black Rose'. Story is the same, save for one detail, but the name is being changed in the near future. Don't think we've released that info publicly, but there you go
*gasp* Plot twist!
This had me giddied like a child on christmas morning.
I would like a better explanation of the Collisions..:) I was thinking worlds colliding due to force exerted by the Gods, but I am not clear on that. :) And thank you very much, Coach for all that hard work piecing this together...very much appreciate what you've done. :)
Thank you very much Canadina for your question. I've been in a motivational rut for the last few days on what to write about for this forum, and your question has compelled me. While I am not a VR member (and as such am not privy to secure information), I submit to you my Primer and Observations posts and hope I can give you a similar sourced answer. Shouldn't take long.
Jimmayus said:Thank you very much Canadina for your question. I've been in a motivational rut for the last few days on what to write about for this forum, and your question has compelled me. While I am not a VR member (and as such am not privy to secure information), I submit to you my Primer and Observations posts and hope I can give you a similar sourced answer. Shouldn't take long.
Very cool @Jimmayus. I have very much appreciated your contributions since joining the forums. You provide great analysis and I enjoy your work. I look forward to this next synopsis.
Jimmayus said:Thank you very much Canadina for your question. I've been in a motivational rut for the last few days on what to write about for this forum, and your question has compelled me. While I am not a VR member (and as such am not privy to secure information), I submit to you my Primer and Observations posts and hope I can give you a similar sourced answer. Shouldn't take long.
Thank you Jimmayus looking forward to it. :)
