A little while later he was knocking on another door in the men’s side of the compound. The door opened and a tired looking Jeff stood there.
“We have to escape this place,” said Gerard without greeting.
“Well it’s about time ol’ friend. I thought you were goin’ all soft on me.”
Glossary
Adrianna Gullansworth — Wife of Jeff Gullansworth. Brutally killed by the orc invaders of the Black Skull tribe.
Aleri — The Mother world. An ancient world abandoned during the times of the dragons wrath.
Angus, Duke — Duke of Arthea and the surrounding area. King Cassien’s cousin.
Arkadi — Human god of death. It is believed that the dead return to Arkadi to be judged and given a new life based on that judgement.
Arthea — A frontier city in the kingdom of Lertia. It borders the Untamed Lands to the south.
Azos — God of the gods. Maintains balance between the gods.
Bertraud — Door warden and attendant to Duke Angus.
Black Skull Tribe — A tribe of large, intelligent orcs on the world of Ki’arantha. The name stemmed from the punishment of fire they once gave to wrongdoers and enemies of the tribe. They would be burned alive and their blackened skulls would be displayed on pikes as a reminder and a warning to the living.
Burr — A dwarven soldier in the Goldfist clan. Captured by the Black Skull.
Buster, King — Dwarven king of the Goldfist clan.
Cali, Mistress — The only female wizard in Arthea.
Cassien, King — King of the Lertian kingdom.
Chakun — Capital city of the Ta’zu tribe
Corwyn — A great dwarven city in the Jasper Ranges. The only dwarven city on Ka’ton.
Cressida, Priestess — Master Pilk’s sister and a powerful healer.
Dator Farenway — A human Diamond Necromancer in the Ta’zu tribe.
Decker, Master Ranger — A skilful ranger in Arthea. Deadly accurate with the bow.
Elly Etkins — Wife of Gerard Etkins. Brutally killed by the orc invaders of the Black Skull tribe.
El Rasa — A small town between Fort Lowmount and Arthea with its primary production being the stone cut from Stonecutters Defile. The town was burnt to ashes by the united orc tribes of the Ki’hara Mountains.
Elsima — Human goddess of love. Encourages love and lust among humans. Also grants healing powers to her clerics.
Estermere — Capital city of Lertia.
Faoura — The land of the elves on Ka’ton.
Fa’rasha, Chief — Leader of the Blood Council — the ruling council for the combined orc tribes of the Ki’hara Mountains.
Feygrus, Scoutmaster — Scoutmaster in the Black Skull tribe
Fort Lowmount — A Lertian fortification at the base of the Aleppo Ranges used to keep orc numbers under control and to stop them harassing the nearby town of El Rasa. It was captured by the united orc tribes of the Ki’hara Mountains with the help of the Black Skull orcs.
Gerard Etkins — Once a captain in the Arthean army he was arguably one of the best swordfighters the army had ever seen. He left that life for Elly and a life of a farmer. His best friend and neighbour is Jeff Gullansworth.
Gilkan, Fierce One — The leader of the Black Skull tribe.
Gnash — The capital city of the Black Skull tribe.
Goldfist Clan — The name of the dwarven clan on Ka’ton.
Grenth — Forward fortification for the Black Skull tribe used for alerting the city of Quinik about incoming attacks from the Red Axe tribe.
Gr'guck — God of the orcs. Mostly a violent god inciting war and conflict among orcs. Grants magical powers to select orc shamans.
Hillsworth, Major — A major in the Arthean army. Promoted from captain after his deeds in defending Arthea from the orcs.
Isak, Major — A major in the Arthean army. Captured by the Black Skull tribe and taken to Ki’arantha.
Jak'ho, General — An orc general in the Ta’zu tribe.
Jaz — Cressida’s daughter and apprentice cleric.
Jeff Gullansworth — Once a sergeant in the Arthean army working under his best friend Gerard. He left the army after a serious injury and started a sheep farm with his wife Adrianna.
Jerzy — A dwarven soldier in the Goldfist clan and elected leader among the dwarf captives.
Jethro, Squad Leader — A young squad leader in the Arthean army sent to investigate the Gate and was captured by the Black Skull orcs.
Kade — A selfless soldier in the Arthean army. One of the few to return from the initial investigation of the Gate.
Ka'ton — A world dominated by humans. Humans were sent to this world when fleeing Aleri.
Ka'tonian Common — The common language for humans on Ka’ton.
Kehar, General — The general in the Arthean army. He was seriously wounded when defending Arthea against the orcs.
Ki'arantha — An orc dominated world. Orcs were sent to this world when fleeing Aleri.
Koren — A cleric and good friend of Decker.
Krak'too, General — An orc general for the Black Skull tribe. He was sent to Ka’ton to gather human captives for the fierce one.
Lertia — One of the main human kingdoms of Ka’ton.
Ludko, General — The youngest dwarven general. He was sent by King Buster to help defend Arthea against the orcs.
Marley Etkins — Daughter of Gerard Etkins. Brutally killed by the orc invaders of the Black Skull tribe.
Mezz — Master Pilks dog – a Great Dane.
Narva, Chief — Second in command of the Blood Council — the ruling council for the combined orc tribes of the Ki’hara Mountains.
Necromancy — A dark magic enhanced by live sacrifices. Once thought to be a lesser magic as only animal sacrifices were permitted, Sylestra unleashed its full potential by sacrificing intelligent races. She instituted seven levels of necromancy. Starting as a necrolyte, students of the dark art could work their way up the ranks. The ranks are as follows: 1. Necrolyte 2. Black Necrolyte 3. Topaz Necromancer 4. Ruby Necromancer 5. Emerald Necromancer 6. Diamond Necromancer 7. Blood Diamond Necromancer
Nefari — Goddess of Darkness. Grants her loyal worshippers dark magical powers in exchange for sacrifices.
Nuri — A dwarven soldier in the Goldfist clan. Captured by the Black Skull.
O'hark, General — A general in the Black Skull tribe defending the northern city of Quinik.
O'tukka, Great Shaman — The most powerful shaman in the Black Skull tribe. Can render weak minded beings powerless with his gaze of hopelessness. The initiator of the Gate.
Pilk, Master — A scatterbrained little human wizard with a deep love of his home city, Arthea. The head master wizard in the Arthean army. Not widely liked or respected among the order of wizards due to his reckless handling of magic.
Quinby — The fastest messenger in Arthea. Excellent rider, fast runner but poor swordsman. He saved Major Isak’s life while defending Fort Lowmount and was captured along with many others by the Black Skull tribe.
Qunik — The northern-most city of the Black Skull tribe positioned near the Red Axe border.
Raziya — The neighbouring human kingdom to Lertia. A war-like kingdom with a deep hatred of the Lertians.
Red Axe Tribe — The Black Skulls major enemy positioned along their northern border.
Reibeck, Grand Master — Master Pilk’s mentor and good friend. An elderly wizard and the only one willing to train Pilk during the final six years of his apprenticeship.
Riyad, Captain — A short-tempered captain in the Arthean army. His temper continually held him back from further promotions in the army as he was one of the finest swordsmen around.
Rotager, Grand Master — Head grand master at the Academy of Mystics. A self-important wizard.
Sarai — A clothier slave in the capital compounds of the Ta’zu tribe.
Sarkis, Major — A cavalry major in the Arthean army. Captured by the Black Skull t
ribe and taken to Ki’arantha.
Shardae — Human goddess of luck. Heavily worshipped by gamblers, and also often despised by them.
Sylestra, Supreme Mistress — The leader of the mixed race Ta’zu tribe. Centuries old thanks to the power of Nefari and her dark magic. Nefari’s principal worshipper and without equal in the dark arts.
Ta'zu — A mix raced tribe on Ki’arantha positioned to the west of the Black Skull tribe. One of the smallest of the seven tribes of Ki’arantha it is strongest due to their powerful and deadly magic.
The Times of the Dragons Wrath — As a result of Sylestra reanimating the corpses of dragons she invoked their wrath. They awoke with a fury to seek vengeance on the race that would so dishonour their dead and any of their allies. This included human, dwarf and orc. In order to preserve these races the god’s created great gates to take them to other worlds.
Trent Gullansworth — Jeff Gullansworth’s son. Together with his best friend Vik he was the first to discover the Gate. With his mother dead and his father feared dead he was adopted by Pilk.
Tybressa — Goddess of magic. Grants magical powers to her faithful wizards.
Vala — Dwarven god. A god of great healing and powerful enchantments. Grants his loyal followers with a natural resistance to harmful magic’s.
Vik Etkins — Gerard Etkin’s son. He was the first to discover the Gate with his best friend Trent. Like Trent, he was adopted by Pilk when his mother and sister were murdered and his father was feared dead.
Zaydok — Sylestra’s wyvern which she controls by means of a heavily enchanted emerald crystal. A magical whistle can summon the black wyvern wherever he is.
Zulma — Human god of war. He gives strength and courage to his warriors in battle.
Zyneste — Human goddess of nature. Watches over, protects and maintains balance in nature. Grants special powers and abilities to her special rangers.
About the Author
Brett Crandell was born in the city of Bendigo, Victoria, in 1978. Besides a ten year period of living in Melbourne he has lived in Bendigo all his life.
Brett is a regular gamer with a preference to fantasy and strategy games and is passionate about writing, so it was only natural that he’d combine the two. He is a member of the Bendigo Writers’ Council and is always eager to see thriving new writers. He worked as a boilermaker for ten years before becoming a small business owner in the cleaning industry.
www.bncrandell.com
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