by Tim Pratt
He lives in Berkeley, California with his wife Heather Shaw and son River, and works as a senior editor and occasional book reviewer at Locus, the Magazine of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Field. He blogs intermittently at www.timpratt.org.
Thanks to my editor, James Sutter, for giving me an opportunity to write the buddy scoundrel road story I've always dreamed about; to my wife Heather Shaw for helping me carve out the time to get it done (and for providing other supports, tangible and in-); and of course to the late great Fritz Leiber, whose stories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser inspired the whole thing.
Glossary
All Pathfinder Tales novels are set in the rich and vibrant world of the Pathfinder campaign setting. Below are explanations of several key terms used in this book. For more information on the world of Golarion and the strange monsters, people, and deities that make it their home, see the Inner Sea World Guide, or dive into the game and begin playing your own adventures with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook or the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box, all available at paizo.com. Fans of Rodrick and Hrym's adventures through Tymon and the other River Kingdoms may particularly want to check out the Pathfinder campaign setting supplement Guide to the River Kingdoms.
Absalom: Largest city in the Inner Sea region.
Abyss: Plane of evil and chaos inhabited by demons, where many evil souls go after they die.
Aklo: Language of bizarre monsters, often ancient or subterranean.
Alchemist: A spellcaster whose magic takes the form of potions, explosives, and strange mutagens that modify his own physiology.
Aldori Swordlord: Elite duelist from Brevoy trained in the techniques of legendary swordsman Sirian Aldori.
Andoran: Democratic nation south of the River Kingdoms.
Andoren: Of or pertaining to Andoran; someone from Andoran.
Aroden: Last hero of the Azlanti and God of Humanity, who raised the Starstone from the depths of the Inner Sea and founded the city of Absalom, becoming a living god in the process. Died mysteriously a hundred years ago, causing widespread chaos.
Azlant: The first human empire, which sank beneath the waves long ago in the cataclysm following the fall of the Starstone.
Azlanti: Of or pertaining to Azlant; someone from Azlant.
Brevoy: A frigid northern nation famous for its swordsmen.
Brightness: A form of enlightenment sometimes sought by elves that is believed to be unique to each individual. Often searched for through interpretation of signs and portents.
Brightness Seeker: An elf actively striving to discover his or her Brightness.
Bunyip: Ferocious creature resembling a combination of shark and seal.
Cheliax: Devil-worshiping nation.
Chelish: Of or relating to the nation of Cheliax.
Cleric: A religious spellcaster whose magical powers are granted by his or her god.
Coven: A group of at least three hags or witches, capable of working greater magic together than its individual members could alone.
Daggermark: The largest city in the River Kingdoms, infamous for its poisoners' and assassins' guilds.
Demons: Evil denizens of the Abyss who seek only to maim, ruin, and feed.
Demon Lord: A particularly powerful demon capable of granting magical powers to its followers. One of the rulers of the Abyss.
Deskari: The principle demon lord responsible for the demonic invasion through the Worldwound.
Devils: Fiendish occupants of Hell who seek to corrupt mortals in order to claim their souls.
Devilfish: A semi-intelligent, seven-armed octopuslike creature with hook-lined tentacles, believed to have originated in the Abyss.
Druid: Someone who reveres nature and draws magical power from the natural world.
Dwarves: Short, stocky humanoids who excel at physical labor, mining, and craftsmanship.
Earthfall: Event thousands of years ago, in which a great meteorite called the Starstone fell to earth in a fiery cataclysm, sending up a dust cloud which blocked out the sun and ushered in an age of darkness.
Elves: Race of long-lived and beautiful humanoids. Identifiable by their pointed ears, lithe bodies, and pupils so large their eyes appear to be one color.
Fey: Fairies, magical creatures of the natural world.
Geas: A spell that compels the subject to undertake a specific service or refrain from a particular task.
Gillmen: Race of amphibious humanoids descended from the Azlanti after that empire sank into the sea.
Goblins: Race of small and maniacal humanoids who live to burn, pillage, and sift through the refuse of more civilized races.
Goblin Dog: Disgusting doglike rodents used as mounts by goblins.
Golarion: The planet on which the Pathfinder campaign setting focuses.
Gozreh: God of nature, the sea, and weather. Depicted as a dual deity, with both male and female aspects.
Gronzi Forest: Woodlands in Brevoy extending from the highlands of the Icerime Peaks to New Stetven.
Hags: Evil, monstrous crones who practice dark magic and prey on humanoids.
Half-Elves: The children of unions between elves and humans. Taller, longer-lived, and generally more graceful and attractive than the average human, yet not nearly so much so as their full elven kin.
Halflings: Race of humanoids known for their tiny stature, deft hands, and mischievous personalities.
Heibarr: A ghost-inhabited ruin in the northern region of the River Kingdoms.
Hell: Plane of evil and tyrannical order ruled by devils, where many evil souls go after they die.
Inner Sea: Heavily traveled body of water separating the continents of Avistan and Garund, formed by the impact of the Starstone during Earthfall.
Inner Sea Region: The heart of the Pathfinder campaign setting, centered around the eponymous inland sea. Includes the continents of Avistan and Garund, as well as the seas and other nearby lands.
Iomedae: Goddess of valor, rulership, justice, and honor.
Issia: One of the two former nations that, along with Rostland, were joined together to create Brevoy.
Kellids: Traditionally uncivilized and violent human ethnicity from northwest of the River Kingdoms.
Lake of Mists and Veils: Vast lake that defines Brevoy's northern border.
Lands of the Linnorm Kings: Coastal northern kingdoms ruled by the Linnorm Kings. Famous for their viking raiders.
Last Azlanti: Aroden.
Lich: A spellcaster who manages to extend his existence by magically transforming himself into a powerful undead creature.
Linnorms: Immense, snake-like dragons with two forward legs and rudimentary wings.
Locust Lord: Deskari
Lord of the Locust Host: Deskari.
Loric Fells: A gloomy, troll-haunted wilderness of dense forests and rocky canyons in the River Kingdoms.
Low Azlanti: Derogatory term for gillmen.
Mendev: Cold, northern crusader nation that provides the primary force defending the rest of the Inner Sea region from the demonic infestation of the Worldwound.
Mwangi Expanse: Massive jungle region south of the Inner Sea.
New Stetven: Bustling trade city and rough-and-tumble capital of Brevoy.
Numeria: Land of barbarians and strange alien technology harvested from a crashed starship near the nation's capital.
Ogres: Hulking and brutal humanoids with little intelligence and an enormous capacity for cruelty.
Orcs: A bestial, warlike race of humanoids originally hailing from deep underground, who now roam the surface in barbaric bands. Almost universally hated.
Oread: Humans with a stonelike appearance whose ancestry includes an elemental being of earth.
Osirion: Desert kingdom south of the Inner Sea, ruled by pharaohs.
Outsea: A sprawling, half-submerged town in the River Kingdoms founded by aquatic creatures from the ocean that were trapped inland long ago.
Paladin: A holy warrior in the service of a go
od and lawful god, granted special magical powers by his or her deity.
Phylactery: Magical item that holds a lich's life force, keeping him or her from being killed until the object is destroyed.
Pitax: A River Kingdom ruled by a megalomaniacal king fond of supporting the arts.
Plane: One of the realms of existence, such as the mortal world, Heaven, Hell, the Abyss, and many others.
Port Ice: Icebound former capital of Issia, now the seat of House Surtova in Brevoy.
Ranger: A specialized tracker, scout, or hunter.
Razmiran: Nation bordering the southwestern River Kingdoms, ruled by a self-proclaimed living god.
River Freedoms: Six universal laws that apply to all River Kingdoms.
River Kingdoms: A region of tiny, feuding fiefdoms and bandit strongholds, where borders change frequently.
Rostland: Former nation that was forcibly combined with Issia to form the nation of Brevoy.
Sellen River: Major river that runs from the Inner Sea all the way up to the Lake of Mists and Veils.
Sevenarches: River Kingdoms nation run by druids.
Shory: Ancient empire, now long since fallen to obscurity, which was most famed for its flying cities.
Silver Mount: A great vessel from another world that crashed down from the sky long ago and landed in Numeria, forming a huge metal mountain that leaks strange ichors. Explorers sometimes breach its inner chambers and retrieve strange technological artifacts.
Skywatch: City in the Icerime Peaks built around a massive, magically preserved and maintained observatory.
Sorcerer: Spellcaster who draws power from a supernatural ancestor or other mysterious source, and does not need to study to cast spells.
Starstone: A magical stone that fell from the sky and was later raised from the ocean floor by the god Aroden. Has the power to turn mortals into gods.
Stolen Lands: Large swath of uncontrolled land that serves as a buffer between Brevoy and the River Kingdoms.
Taldan: Of or pertaining to Taldor; a citizen of Taldor.
Taldor: A formerly glorious nation south of the River Kingdoms, now fallen into self-indulgence, ruled by immature aristocrats and overly complicated bureaucracy.
Tymon: City-state in the southwestern River Kingdoms, home to a famed gladiatorial college and arena.
Will-o'-wisp: Ghostly beings that trick travelers into meeting dire fates in order to consume their fear.
Wizard: Someone who casts magical spells through research of arcane secrets and the constant study of spells, which he or she records in a spellbook.
Worldwound: Constantly expanding region overrun by demons a century ago. Held at bay by the efforts of the Mendevian crusaders.
Yeti: Towering and mysterious white-furred humanoid creatures that inhabit the loneliest and tallest mountain regions of Golarion.
