The Road to Hell # Hell's Gate 3

by Weber, David

  Republic of Faltharia—the oldest nation in New Ternath (North America), consisting of the eastern seaboard of North America from New York State to Florida and as far inland as the Mississippi River.

  Republic of Varnath—a republic in southern New Ternath consisting of the southern tip of Texas, all of Mexico south of Chihuahua, and all of Guatemala, or El Salvador, Honduras, and northern Nicaragua.

  Republic of West New Ternath—a republic in western New Ternath consisting of California, Nevada, most of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, roughly the southern half of Colorado, most of Texas, the Mexican states of Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Louisiana where it reaches the Gulf of Cordara.

  Republic of Ysar—a republic in New Farnalia consisting of Uruguay, the eastern two thirds of Paraguay, and southern Brazil to the line of the Paranaiba River.

  RHHE—the commonly used acronym for Ram’s Horn Heavy Equipment (see above).

  Ricathia—the Sharonian analog of Africa.

  Ricathian Buffalo—the Sharonian name for the Cape Buffalo, which are also referred to as “Devil Buffs” because of their uncertain temper and ferocity. Also the name of a powerful steam-powered bulldozer manufactured by the Ram’s Horn Heavy Equipment works for the Trans-temporal Express.

  Ricathian Desert—the Sharonian analog of the Libyan Desert.

  Rindor Ocean—the Sharonian analog of the Indian Ocean.

  Roantha—a republic in New Ternath (North America) consisting of roughly the area of the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, northern Nebraska, northeastern Colorado, Wyoming, southern Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and the western third of Washington.

  Roanthan Plains—the Sharonian analog of the Great Plains of North America.

  Rokhana—a nation of New Ternath on Sharona which occupies the western coast from what would be our own Oregon to just about the line of the Mexican border.

  Saint Taiyr—also called Taiyr of Estafel, the patron saint of the House of Calirath.

  Sand Rock River—the Sharonian analog of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo.

  Sankhar—Arpathian demon twin of Vaylar, patron of war. See also Vaylar. In many ways, Vaylar and Sankhar are the Arpathian analogs of Scylla and Charybdis.

  Saramash—the Shurkhali devil.

  Sarkolis crystal—the extremely strong, quartzlike “stone” (actually an artificially manufactured crystal) used as the matrices and storage components for Arcanan spell-based technology.

  Sarlayn River—the Sharonian analog of the Nile River.

  Sarthan Desert—the Sharonian analog of the Sahara Desert.

  Saylian—a Ransaran constitutional monarchy roughly analog to northern and central Mongolia.

  Scurlis Sea—the Sharonian analog of the Sea of Japan.

  Sea of Ibral—the Sharonian analog of the Sea of Marmara.

  Seadrake—an aquatic equivalent of a dragon created by Mythalan breeders.

  Seadrake Owners Association—a professional organization, based in the universe of New Mythal, supporting the efforts of breeders of seadrakes.

  Selkhara—Arcanan analog of Medina, Saudi Arabia.

  Selkhara Oasis—Arcanan analog of the Sadiqiyyah Oasis in Saudi Arabia.

  Septentrion—Most septs of Arpathia do not have a formal government outside the ruler of each tribe/clan-based sept. Their territories are somewhat fluid, particularly in the region of the Siberian plains. The septs banded together in the matter of trade, however, creating the Septentrion as a trade union that protects the financial interests of all the septs. The representatives of the septs who serve in the Septentrion deal with outside merchants and bargain the best prices for Arpathian goods, including the legendary work of Arpathian goldsmiths. The Septentrion established regional trade centers along the borders with Arpathia’s neighbors. The Septentrion also sends a delegate to serve as a director of the Portal Authority and assists septmen who want to join the PAAF as soldiers or to apply to the Portal Authority for training to explore the multiverse as members of a civilian survey crew.

  Septs—Arpathian clan-based social units, most of which are nomadic herders. Arpathian septs breed some of the finest horses in Sharona. Septs are mistrustful of outsiders, due to unscrupulous traders who sought to take advantage of “nomadic barbarians” and due to the tendency of other cultures to view them as primitive and make them the butt of unpleasant humor.

  Serikai—“City of Snow,” a lakeside city in Sharona, which is the equivalent of Buffalo, New York. Serikai is the capital city of the Republic of Faltharia.

  Serinach—the northernmost state of the Republic of Rendisphar, consisting of almost the entire state of Alaska.

  Serinach Peninsula—the Sharonian analog of Alaska.

  Serinach Strait—the Sharonian analog of the Bering Strait.

  Sethdona—the capital of the Sharonian Kingdom of Shurkhal. Located at the trans-temporal equivalent of Jiddah on the Arabian peninsula’s Red Sea shore.

  Shaisal Air Base—a major Union of Arcana air base located outside the city of Chemparas in the universe of Basilisk.

  Shakira—the magic-using caste which totally dominates and controls the culture of Mythal. These are the researchers, theoreticians, etc., and control virtually all of Mythal’s “white collar” occupations.

  Shalana—“Mother Shalana” is one of the Ternathian Double Triads and one of the most-revered and powerful deities of that Double Triad. Blue is her sacred color, which is why her Temple in Tajvana is covered with lapis lazuli and sapphires. She is also known as Shalana the Merciful. Her priestess-hood is one of the wealthiest in Sharona.

  Shaloma—The Arcanan analog of Western Europe.

  Shansir Mountains—the Arcanan analog of the Taurus Mountains.

  Shardon—a technical term, from the Old Andaran. It translates literally as “shieldling,” and indicates an individual under the protection of an Andaran warrior and his family. (See baranal, above.)

  Sharona—the home universe and Earth of the Ternathian Empire. Its physics are similar, but not identical, to our own, and its society is largely based upon highly developed psionic Talents.

  Sharonian days of the week—Vothday, Shaladay, Trygday, Marniday, Yahnday, Zymday, and Mariday. Vothday is the first day of the week.

  Sharskha—the battle at the end of the world in Arcanan mythology.

  Shartahk—the main Andaran religion’s devil.

  Shartha Highlands—high, rugged mountains in northwestern Shartha; the Sharonian analog of Ethiopia’s Eastern Highlands.

  Shartha—a kingdom in eastern Ricathia (see “Kingdom of Shartha,” above).

  Shdandifar—a small town in the Darylis Republic in New Farnalia located about 20 miles down the Rathynoka River (Orinoco River) from the location of Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela. The portal connecting Lashai to Resym lies a few miles outside Shdandifar.

  Shehsmair—Arcanan analog of India.

  Shendisfal—an Arcanan kingdom consisting of Turkmenistan, the northeastern corner of Iran, Uzbekistan, and the southwest corner of Kazakhstan. It is predominantly Ransaran but with a substantial minority population of Mythalans, especially in the southwest. This area has been a flash point between the Ransaran and Mythalan cultures for better than a thousand years.

  Sherayn’s River—the Sharonian analog of the Santa Clara River, Utah.

  Sherkaya—the ancient Mythalan word for “fire”; the release code which triggers a red dragon’s breath weapon.

  Shikowr—a breed of riding/cavalry horse developed in Ternathia over the space of several thousand years. The Shikowr resembles the Morgan horse in conformation and stance, but stands between sixteen and seventeen hands in height. The name is taken from a type of Shurkhali cavalry saber which was adopted by the Ternathian cavalry.

  Shosara—a seaport developed on the continent of New Ternath in the Traisum Universe to support extension of the Trans-temporal Express across Traisum to Kelsayr. It is on the site of Erkahlan, a major coastal city in the Republic of Faltharia
in Sharona’s home universe.

  Showma Falls—the Arcanan analog (in New Arcana) of Niagara Falls. Site of the Garth Showma Institute of Magic.

  Shurkhal—a Sharonian kingdom, roughly equivalent to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula. The Kingdom of Shurkhal is the largest of several “Shurkhalian” kingdoms, closely related culturally to Harkala, but clearly a distinct subculture, which dominates the area of Syria, Iraq, and most of Iran.

  Sifter—a Sharonian psionic whose Talent allows him to determine whether or not any statement is the truth or a lie.

  Simaryn—a moderate sized Sharonian city in the Kingdom of west New Ternath, approximately on the site of El Paso, Texas.

  Sky Blood Lode—the Sharonian name for the Comstock Lode.

  Sky Blood Mountains—the Sharonian name for the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

  Slide rail—also “slider.” The Arcanan equivalent of a railroad.

  Sniffer—another term for a “Tracer.” (See “Tracer,” below.)

  Snow Sapphire Lake—the Sharonian name for Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

  Snowbear—Sharonian term for polar bear.

  SOA—Seadrake Owners Organization (see above).

  South Uromathian Sea—Sharonian analog of the China Sea.

  Steam dray—Sharonian term for a wheeled, steam-powered truck or lorry.

  Steel Mule—the Halftrack, Mark 1 (also the Halftrack of 5050, sometimes referred to as the Halftrack 51), is an 8-ton Halftracked modification of Ram Horn’s Heavy Equipment’s standard 7.5-ton steam dray. Maximum payload is 3,400 pounds; maximum speed is about 45 mph; maximum unrefueled range on roads is about 300 miles; maximum unrefueled range on unimproved surfaces is about 200 miles.

  Stone Carve River—the Sharonian analog of the Colorado River.

  Strait of Bolakin—the Sharonian analog of the Strait of Gibraltar.

  Strait of Junkari—Sharonian analog of Straits of Malacca.

  Strait of Tears—the Sharonian analog of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

  Strike—an Arcanan Air Force formation consisting of three “flights,” for a total of twelve dragons.

  Strike-ball—the ball struck by the “striker” (equivalent of a cue stick) in the Sharonian game of pocket-ball.

  Striker—the equivalent of a cue stick used in the Sharonian game of pocket-ball.

  Stun bolt—a special arbalest bolt used for crowd control which can be fired even by un-Gifted personnel and carries a spell which renders its target instantly unconscious. The exact duration of the unconsciousness can be adjusted up to a maximum of 24 hours.

  Sunhold—the Uromathian feudal territory held by a “sunlord” (see below); roughly equivalent to a duchy or grand duchy.

  Sunlord—a Uromathian aristocratic title roughly equivalent to that of duke.

  SUNN—Sharona’s Universal News Network, the largest news organization in Sharona’s multiple-universe civilization, with both print and telepathic broadcast divisions.

  Synthara River—the Sharonian analog of the Willamette River.

  Syrana River—the Sharonian analog of the Walker River, Nevada.

  Syskhara—a republic in New Ternath (North America) which consists of Ontario, Quebec, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Nova Scotia.

  Tahlsar—a minor deity of Ternathia associated with nature and hunting.

  tahlsara suit—a camouflage garment, the Sharonian analog of a ghillie suit, developed in the mountains of Mulgethia and named after Tahlsar, a nature god native to Ternathia.

  Tairynak Mountains—the Sharonian analog of the Cascade Mountains.

  Tajvana—the capital of the First Ternathian Empire at its height; the Sharonian equivalent of Constantinople or Istanbul.

  Talon—an Arcanan Air Force formation consisting of three “strikes,” for a total of thirty-six dragons.

  Taniaport—a city in the Sharonian Republic of Rendisphar located approximately on the site of Anchorage, Alaska. Location of the portal between Kelsayr and Lashai.

  Tankara Gulf—Arcanan analog of the Persian Gulf.

  Taryka Valley—the Sharonian analog of Ralston Valley, Nevada.

  Tayrmek—an Arcanan city in the Kingdom of Shendisfal near the site of the city of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

  Temple of Saint Taiyr of Tajvana—a temple in Tajvana, commemorating Saint Taiyr of Estafel, built by Empress Wailyana I in 3016. Traditional site of Calirath coronations for almost two thousand years.

  Teramandor—a province of the Empire of Ternathia located in northwest Narhath; roughly analogous to Catalonia and western Aragon, Spain.

  Teramandor Mountains—the Sharonian analog of the Cataluna Mountains of Spain.

  Ternath Island—the ancient homeland of the Emperors of Ternathia; the Arcanan equivalent of Ireland.

  Ternathian Empire—the most ancient human polity known in any of the explored universes. The Ternathians established an effective world-state during the Copper and early Iron Age eras of Sharona, largely through the recognition, development and use of psionic talents. Originally located on Ternath Island (Ireland), it is the largest, oldest, most prestigious empire on Sharona. Its major component states include, besides Ternath Island: Alathia: Italy; Jerekhas: Sicily; Bernith Island: Britain (Scotland, England, Wales); Delkrathia: part of Spain; Ermandia: Austria; Karmalia: Hungary; Lugathia: France; Mulgethia: Germany/ Switzerland; Narhath: part of Spain; Nessia: Greece; Pairhys Island: Isle of Man; Teramandor: part of Spain.

  Terohma—the Sharonian analog of New Zealand.

  Tesmahn—a small Sharonian city/large town located near the site of Humestan, Iowa.

  Tharkan—a grand duchy in Shaloma, an imperial territory of the Kingdom of Elath located in the Arcanan analog of Poland where the first Arcanan trans-temporal portal was discovered.

  Theskair—a city in the Arcanan universe of New Ransar. Theskair is built at the portal between New Ransar and Basilisk, located approximately at Ulaambaatar in Basilisk and at Riyadh in New Ransar.

  Thunder-fluke—the Sharonian name for blue whales.

  Time of Conquest—the period of ancient Ternathia’s most sustained, militant expansion. Generally dated by Sharonian historians as extending from approximately 2025 to 3650.

  Tophyr—a Ransaran constitutional monarchy roughly equivalent to the coastal Chinese provinces of Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. This is the most powerful single Ransaran state, with a strong maritime and naval tradition which has led to several conflicts with Zyntahra. For the last two hundred years or so, however, the two states have been firm allies.

  Torakreg Mountains—the Sharonian analog of the Monitor Range Mountains, Nevada.

  Torkash—the chief deity of the ancient Manisthu pantheon in Arcana.

  Tosaria—an ancient Ransaran kingdom on Arcana. Its capital was located in the same approximate geographical spot as Shanghai. Tosaria had attained a high and sophisticated level of civilization while most of the rest of present day Ransara was still in a state of primitivism.

  Tracer—a Sharonian with the Tracer Talent. One who is sensitive to the current location, or at least direction to, another individual or object. They are also called “Sniffers.”