The Inheritance Almanac

by Michael Macauley

  Goddess of the Urgals, referred to as “mother of us all,” hailed as the inventor of weaving and farming. It is said that in primordial days, when fleeing a great dragon, Rahna raised the mighty Beor Mountains. Also known by the title She of the Gilded Horns.

  SEE MAGHARA.

  A tribesman who, with Naako, attends the leader Fadawar.

  The Ra’zac are the size of men but have the physical characteristics of insects and are considered the most evil race in Alagaësia. It is believed the Ra’zac not only followed the first humans who migrated to Alagaësia but were the reason humans fled their native land. As the elven Rider Oromis once said of them to Eragon: “They are the monsters in the dark, the dripping nightmares that haunt your race.” Following the Fall of the Riders, the Ra’zac made an alliance with Galbatorix and served as assassins for the dark king. Two Ra’zac were the agents who first came to Carvahall in search of the dragon egg that the elf princess Arya had magically transported and that had been discovered by young Eragon. The creatures killed Eragon’s uncle, Garrow; it was to avenge his uncle’s death that Eragon left Palancar Valley with Brom. And it was the Ra’zac who killed Brom, furthering Eragon’s desire to pursue and eliminate them.

  A Ra’zac has a beak and fist-sized black eyes; its breath is foul, its back is humped. The Ra’zac keep themselves cloaked when among humans. Ra’zac are in a pupal state until, on the first full moon of their twentieth year, they burst out of their exoskeleton as winged creatures ready to feed on any living being. The mature creatures are called Lethrblaka and have an intelligence far superior to that of their offspring; Oromis has likened their intelligence to that of a “cruel, vicious, and twisted dragon.” The Lethrblaka serve as mounts for their offspring. When Ra’zac first began haunting the land, the elves attempted to eradicate them and were nearly successful, but two Lethrblaka escaped with their pupae to continue the species.

  Ra’zac cannot harness the ancient language and thus are unable to practice magic, although they can block a spellcaster’s mental attacks. Because of their sensitivity to light, they favor fighting at night and do so in packs, using stealth to gain an advantage. They track by scent and can see through the darkness of a cloudy night, but they fear water, as they cannot swim. It is dangerous to come within a few feet of a Ra’zac, for its poisonous breath will stun and immobilize its potential victim.

  Their numbers dwindled until only two Ra’zac (plus two Lethrblaka) lived within a hidden series of tunnels and chambers at Helgrind. Now, following the battle in which Eragon fulfilled his vow to take revenge against the creatures, they are believed to be extinct. Before the last Ra’zac died, however, it cryptically told Eragon that Galbatorix had almost “found the name” It also cursed Eragon, saying, “May you leave Alagaësia and never return,” echoing Angela’s fortune-telling in Teirm.

  SEE LETHRBLAKA.

  THE RA’ZAC ARE BASED ON JERUSALEM CRICKETS.

  The southernmost coastal city of Surda and a major port. Reavstone is also another key entry point for goods smuggled between the Varden and the Empire.

  One of the three barges that Roran and the villagers of Carvahall took from Narda.

  The greatest smith of the elves, said to have been taught the ancient art by the fabled Fûthark. Rhunön forged all the Dragon Rider swords that exist today using brightsteel, a metal smelted from ore extracted from fragments of a falling star. Upon the Fall of the Riders, Rhunön swore an oath to never craft another Rider sword. Even Brom, who had lost his original sword and was forced to use Zar’roc, begged for a new sword, but Rhunön stuck to her vow. Also, she had run out of brightsteel. For Eragon, who with Saphira collected brightsteel from the roots of the Menoa tree, she relented, circumventing her oath by guiding Eragon’s hands from within his mind so that technically he was the creator of the great blue sword—Brisingr.

  A series of elven exercise techniques, also known as the Dance of Snake and Crane, involving stretching into and maintaining strenuous positions. Originally conceived for elven Dragon Riders, Rimgar has since become the favored exercise program for all elves.

  THE RIMGAR IS SIMILAR TO A SEQUENCE OF YOGA ASANAS (POSES)

  The dwarf responsible for leading the investigation into the attempted assassination of Eragon that occurred during his meeting with the dwarves’ new king. Rimmar and his team eventually implicated Grimstborith Vermûnd in both the assassination attempt and the death of Kvîstor.

  The governor of Teirm and resident of that city’s great citadel. It is believed that Lord Rishart swore fealty to Galbatorix in the ancient language and that he personally orchestrated the mysterious attacks on trading ships suspected of supplying the Varden.

  SEE UTGARD MOUNTAIN.

  A mysterious landmark, mentioned in the werecat Solembum’s advice to Eragon in Teirm.

  Jeod Longshanks’s butler.

  The son of Garrow and Marian, cousin of Eragon, and husband of Katrina. When Roran was two, Garrow and Marian adopted Garrow’s nephew Eragon, the son of Brom and Selena, and raised him like a son, whereby he became like a brother to Roran. After Marian’s death, Roran lived with Garrow and Eragon on a farm ten miles from Carvahall in Palancar Valley. Upon falling in love with Katrina, Roran left home to become a miller’s apprentice in Therinsford so that he could have a trade and marry. Thus, he was away when the Ra’zac killed Garrow and ravaged the farm and when Eragon left Palancar Valley. Brom sent word to Roran, though, and Roran returned to Carvahall, living with Horst and Elain.

  When Carvahall came under siege from the Empire, Roran emerged as leader of the refugees during the escape to refuge with the Varden. Roran, inspired by the legendary warrior Gerand, took as his weapon of choice a hammer, which earned Roran the name of Stronghammer. It was with his hammer that Roran slew the traitorous Twins during the Battle of the Burning Plains. It was just before that battle that Roran arrived on the Jiet River in the ship Dragon Wing, bearing Jeod Longshanks and others. Though Roran was embittered after having learned from Jeod that Garrow’s death was precipitated by the Empire’s desire to capture his cousin, Eragon, the two met and Roran forgave Eragon. Eragon then vowed to help Roran rescue his true love, Katrina.

  Katrina was captured by the Ra’zac during the Empire’s siege of the village after Katrina’s father, Sloan—angry about Roran and Katrina’s decision to marry against his will—betrayed Roran to the Ra’zac. Roran, Eragon, and Saphira rescued Katrina from Helgrind and the clutches of the Ra’zac after the Battle of the Burning Plains. Eragon discovered Sloan alive in Helgrind but lied to Roran, telling him Sloan was dead; Roran, believing Eragon, conveyed the news to Katrina. Katrina was pregnant with Roran’s child and, once the two were safely in the Varden’s camp in Surda following the Battle of the Burning Plains, a hurried wedding was arranged. Eragon blessed the bride and groom.

  Roran has served under such able Varden commanders as Martland Redbeard. During this time, he had an unnerving encounter with Galbatorix’s seemingly deathless enchanted soldiers, battering them with his hammer until their faces were nothing but pulp even as they kept advancing, streaming blood and emitting their ghoulish giggles. He also saw Redbeard lose his hand to the sword of one of the enchanted soldiers.

  Roran defied the command of Varden captain Edric, who had ordered what Roran felt was a virtual suicide mission. On his own terms, Roran led eighty-one warriors who chose to stand with him into battle and only lost nine men, while Edric had already lost some hundred and fifty men before he was rescued. Despite being vindicated—even Nasuada admitted that if Roran hadn’t defied Edric’s command, no one might have survived—he had disobeyed an order from a commanding officer. As discipline was vital to maintain order, Nasuada regretfully ordered he receive fifty lashes, which Roran stoically accepted—the thought of Katrina and their unborn child bolstered Roran’s spirit in the midst of his ordeal. The Varden leader ordered Angela the herbalist and the sorceress Trianna to use their powers to heal his wounds in time to lead the Siege of Feinster.


  Although a natural leader, Roran has made enemies and has had his leadership contested. Carvahall villager Birgit blamed him for the death of her husband and vowed revenge. When leading a war party of Bolvek Urgals, Roran was challenged to hand-to-hand combat by the Urgal Yarbog, but Roran used his strength and wits to defeat the Urgal and retain command.

  SEE GERAND, KATRINA, MARTLAND REDBEARD, AND SOLDIERS WHO CANNOT FEEL PAIN.

  A character serving as a letter in an alphabet. The Dwarvish alphabet is composed of runes, and they have three such methods of writing. The oldest is called both Hruthmundvik, after Hruthmund, whom the goddess Sindri gave the knowledge of writing, and Gnostvik, after the first five letters of the alphabet. While the old alphabet is suited to chisels, Thrangvik, the second mode of writing, is a “soft” variation of Hruthmundvik that is designed for brushes and quills. The third system, Mahlvikn, contains the secret letters that compose virtually a second language. It is used by the Quan clan for writing the holy texts of the race.

  SEE DWARF CLANS IN THE APPENDIX.

  An elf game. The dwarf Orik enjoys playing Runes in Ellesméra.

  A rough translation of a Dwarvish word for those who regularly inspect the ancient tunnels of Farthen Dûr and the Beor Mountains, looking for cave-ins or other disturbances.

  SEE COUNCIL OF ELDERS.

  A family of the wandering tribe into which the warlord Fadawar was born.

  A Varden warrior.

  The dragon who hatched under the watchful eye of Eragon. Her sire was Iormúngr and her dam Vervada. Saphira’s egg, one of the three known dragon eggs in existence, was in the possession of the elf princess Arya when the Shade Durza and his Urgal agents almost recaptured it in an ambush. Arya succeeded in magically transporting the precious egg to a wild area of the Spine, where Eragon, alone on a hunting expedition, discovered it. Eragon had trouble naming his blue-scaled dragon until he realized that the hatchling was female; as he went through the names the storyteller Brom suggested, the dragon herself indicated her name: Saphira.

  As with all dragons and Riders, Saphira and Eragon communicate telepathically and their bond is a deep and everlasting one. Saphira carries the wisdom of her race, and Eragon often turns to her for guidance and comfort.

  Saphira and Eragon, along with Brom, left Carvahall to seek out the Varden, learning from the old storyteller along the way. When he perished at the hands of the Ra’zac, Saphira used magic to create a diamond tomb for Brom. Eragon later learned that before Brom died, he had entrusted Saphira with the secret of Eragon’s parentage.

  Together, the dragon and Rider have played a major role in all of the recent great battles against the Empire—the Battle of Farthen Dûr, the Battle of the Burning Plains, and the Siege of Feinster. During the Battle of Farthen Dûr, the revered Isidar Mithrim jewel of Trojheim was shattered by Saphira and the elven princess Arya to distract Durza, who was locked in mortal combat with Eragon. A painstaking restoration effort ended when the thousands of shattered fragments were collected, pieced together by the dwarves, and magically repaired by Saphira.

  When Eragon and Saphira first arrived in Ellesméra for formal training, the dragon Glaedr took charge of the young blue dragon. Saphira became infatuated with Glaedr during their training together, but the older dragon rebuffed her and firmly kept her focused on the more important tasks at hand. Glaedr’s Rider, Oromis, said of Saphira, “I’ve rarely seen a dragon so naturally suited to the sky.”

  After the Varden’s victory on the Burning Plains, Eragon and Saphira undertook a rescue mission of Katrina with Roran. They confronted the Ra’zac at Helgrind, where Katrina was being held, and Saphira killed both Lethrblaka.

  Eragon and Saphira sometimes faced painful periods of separation, such as when Eragon had to attend the dwarf clanmeet in Farthen Dûr.

  Saphira is known by the ancient language title Bjartskular (which means “Brightscales”) and the Urgal name Flametongue.

  One time, Saphira, sensing Eragon’s unease and uncertainty about the future, shared her own dark premonitions and hopes: The world is stretched thin, Eragon. Soon it will snap and madness will burst forth. What you feel is what we dragons feel and what the elves feel—the inexorable march of grim fate as the end of our age approaches. Weep for those who will die in the chaos that shall consume Alagaësia. And hope that we may win a brighter future by the strength of your sword and shield and my fangs and talons.

  SEE BROM AND DRAGONS.

  THE NAME SAPHIRA IS A PLAY ON SAPPHIRE.

  SAPHIRA’S BLUE-TINTED VISION WAS INSPIRED BY PAOLINI’S OWN COLOR BLINDNESS.

  The magical act of conjuring up an image of a person, place, or thing by speaking the ancient language over a pool of water, a mirror, or other reflective surface. As with most magic, there are rules and limits to what a spellcaster can do when scrying. If the caster has never before encountered the desired person, place, or thing, he or she will be unable to successfully conjure the image. Also, if the caster has encountered the target but does not know the surroundings, only the target will become visible. Eragon, for some unknown reason, was able to scry the elf princess Arya, imprisoned in Gil’ead, after having seen her only in a dream and without knowing who she was.

  SEE SEEING GLASS.

  A magical device created by the elves to enhance a magician’s scrying powers and enable communication between two scrying pools.

  A Varden swordsman wounded during the Battle of the Burning Plains.

  The Seithr plant is endemic to a small island off the northwestern coast of Alagaësia and highly prized by jewelers for the oil extracted from its petals, which is a natural preservative for pearls. Seithr oil is rare, given the perilous waters of the North Sea that must be crossed in order to obtain the plant. A blood sacrifice plus certain spoken words can transform the protective oil into a noxious acidlike substance that can eat away flesh while leaving everything else untouched. Torturers and assassins particularly favor Seithr oil.

  The mother of Eragon and Murtagh, sister of Garrow, daughter of Cadoc, consort of Morzan, and lover of Brom. Selena met Morzan, her first love, and became his devoted—some would say slavish—companion, his personal Black Hand. Morzan trained her in dark magic, armed combat, and mental defense against psychic attack. In her first test, she used only a healing spell and a knife to dispatch twelve warriors, slitting their throats in the process. Selena became such an effective servant that Morzan’s enemies in the Forsworn sought to use her against him.

  When Selena became pregnant, Morzan hid her within the castle, where she gave birth to Murtagh. The baby was spirited away and raised by a nurse. Selena witnessed Morzan’s cruel treatment of her son, which led to their estrangement. After meeting the Dragon Rider Brom, Selena changed from her dark ways and the two fell in love. Thus began Morzan’s downfall and his ultimate death at the hands of Brom. It is said Morzan’s fatal error was believing Selena would always remain in his power. Apologists for Selena assert she had been blinded to her husband’s true nature. Brom once described her to Eragon as “full of dignity and pride” and added: “She always helped the poor and less fortunate, no matter what her situation.” She became an invaluable Varden informant, supplying inside information on Galbatorix, Morzan, and the Empire. Although Brom and Selena never married, they were a devoted couple and considered themselves spiritually bound as husband and wife. When she found herself pregnant with Brom’s child, she returned to Carvahall and lived there for five months until the baby, whom she named Eragon, was born. She then disappeared the next day. Eragon, on his second visit to Ellesméra, learned from Oromis that Selena returned to Gil’ead, but the journey left her ill, and she died before she could be reunited with Brom.

  SEE BROM, GARROW, MORZAN, AND MURTAGH.

  A playing piece in the elves’ Runes game.

  A tavern in Carvahall.

  SEE MORN.

  A sorcerer who becomes possessed by the spirits he or she has conjured.

  SEE DURZA AND S
ORCERY.

  The title given to anyone who manages the rare feat of killing a Shade.

  SEE ARYA, ERAGON, IRNSTAD, AND LAETRÍ.

  A small island off the western coast of Alagaësia and southwest of the port city of Teirm. Its name is inspired by its shape.

  SEE RAHNA.

  One of the five animals unique to the Beor Mountains (plural Shrrgn). These gigantic wolves have razor-sharp fangs and claws.

  THE SHRRG IS BASED ON THE TIMBER WOLF. CHRISTOPHER INVENTED THE WORD AFTER THINKING ABOUT THE SOUND OF A DOG’S GROWL.

  One of the guards for the dwarf clan chief Ûndin.

  The dragon that hatched from the egg that Galbatorix stole from Castle Ilirea to replace Jarnunvösk, whom he lost when the dragon was pierced through the heart by an Urgal’s arrow.

  SEE DRAGONS, DU NAMAR AURBODA, GALBATORIX, AND ILIREA.