Encyclopedia of Science and History
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

BACKOLNI is the trollish god of love; his symbol is phallic- shaped ram's horn filled with honey. He lent his name to a 9960's counter culture group in the Confederacy, the Backolnids.

BACKOLNIDS (9961-9969 or so) were a hedonistic group of neuromancers who sought to bring civilization back to its "roots and soil." They idolized the trolls, saying:

The trolls live an ideal, simple, passionate life. When they want to eat, they eat. When they want to make love, they make love. Our complex lives are built around denying our God-given wants and needs because society says we should be ashamed to be hungry, tired, or horny.

BAGOAS (6277-?) was an orcish magician and political intriguer. He had the first king of the First Orcish Republic, Artaxerxes I, assassinated in 6325, hoping to claim the throne on the basis of a religious omen. He underestimated the resentment of a regicide, however, and found himself permanently separated from both. He was exiled to an unknown island, which he occupied with his wife and personal militia. He never stopped scheming, though, and quickly built up a strong navy and well-trained guerilla force that tormented the southern orcs. After a peace was signed that handed over all rights to the western islands, including Yarmouth, Bagoas began the arduous task of building a naval empire. According to our records, he built, by 6350 a navy of 110 triremes and had over 6,000 soldiers on his payroll. Where his funds came from is unknown, but Artaxerxes II was forced to conclude a mutual defense treaty with him in 6352. The last verifiable observance of Bagoas was in 6362, at the funeral of his wife Cecilia. After this personal tragedy, he disappeared from the public sight; he may have died shortly thereafter. At any rate, the Kingdom of Bagoas began to disintegrate in 6370 and was destroyed by Artaxerxes III in 6400. The location of Bagoas' palaces, temples, and treasures, assuming their existence, has never been discovered. Various rumors have placed them on Persand, Shang Island, Guyl Island, Ilum Beta and even as far north as Ultima Thule.

BALKASH, LAKE was the original name by which the large freshwater (but diseased) lake between the Isthmi was known. The completion of the Kissing Dragon Pass in 9996 greatly expanded its size, after which it was known as "Kissing Dragon Lake" or "The Lake of the Republic.

BALLISTA CITY (pop 4,300) is a small city that has the distinction of being the largest city in the sparsely populated province of Agricolum. It was forced into changing its name to honor its major industry, the Acme Ballista Company, many years ago. Ballista City has been described in travel guides as, "a boring place."

BANNISAC is a mentally-addictive drug outlawed throughout the Confederacy, Iceland, the Republic and Pieschland. In these countries, both possession and commerce in the drug is illegal. Physically, the drug is a whitish powder that is ingested by wetting one's finger, touching some of it so it adheres to the skin, and then licking one's fingers. Less than two doses should be taken per hour. The drug supposedly improves creativity at the cost of dexterity and endurance while it is in effect. Long term effects of use are not known.

BATTLE OF, look under the specific word or phrase. For example, information on the Battle of Xanth is found at Xanth, Battle of.

BAUXITE (pop. 14,800) is a dwarvish mining town on Allotrope known for its output of aluminum. It is the site of the annual Metallurgist's Symposium, the most prestigious resources conference in the world. Bauxite was founded in 9425 and has steadily grown in importance since then. Bauxite is also the home of the famed Dwarvish Circus, a group of acrobats and actors world-renowned for their tricks and tragedies.

BEATTYDIDS (Coleoptera dagrus) are large creatures indigenous to the swamps of Vyrica. They resemble beetles in outward appearance but are far more intelligent and possess very differnt internal structures. Their saliva is mildly poisonous to humanoids. They are gregarious and will hunt in groups of from five to fifty. They are able to use basic tools and fire.

BEAUZEAU, Clementine (9929-9978) was a political scientist of the Confederacy. His most famous work is The New Politics, a treatise which describes a worldwide shift in political cultures and institutions toward freedom and tolerance, at the expense of industrial and economic efficiency, unity, and military strength. The conclusions of his book are eerily suggestive of the fall of the First Orcish Republic, the details of which were not known at the time of his book's publication (9960). Beauzeau argued that a similar pattern could be seen in modern human civilization and that within 100 to 150 years human society, despite its size, would be too weak and undisciplined to defend itself from the martial efficiency of other races, driven by thoughts of oppression. Human society would seek to include (assimilate) other races into its culture, an offer which would be refused, primarily by the leaders of the other races. War would ensue.

BEIGEBEARD (c. 9812- c. 9878) was a human pirate and soldier of fortune. He was named for his long, forked, beige beard, the ends of which he dyed distinctive colors to illustrate his mood, obviating the need for people to ask him "silly" questions or to allow them to keep out of his way when angered. Beigebeard's name currently finds itself in use as part of a modern idiom, "seeking Beigebeard's gold", indicating that the subject is fruitlessly searching for something unattainable or non-existent. Legend (and Richard Rouse, his biographer and sometime hagiographer) holds that Beigebeard's treasures were so vast that he could only store them by constructing huge underground hoards throughout the world. Popular legend tells that before Beigebeard died, he modified these hoards and manufactured clues to them so that sufficiently clever and able people would be able to "steal" his treasure. Beigebeard sailed mainly in the Western Oceans and is said to have had an interest in archaeology and history which he financed with his ill-gotten gains. Several books have been authored on his life and probably more gold than he ever had has been spent in hopeless quests to find his troves. Among the many tales of his life, includes the wooing of his wife, Vanessa Morse, a citizen of Forsythia and daughter of an admiral. Beigebeard captured a Dun Cess frigate and manned it with impersonators--himself taking the name of the captain-- sailed to Forsythia, took his accumulated shore leave, courted the lady for three months during which time the father learned the captain's history as an aggressive pirate hunter, gave his approval, and they were married. The father returned to his house to find the crew (and the original captain) feasting at Beigebeard's orders in celebration of the wedding. The father was furious, but powerless, so he had the captain arrested, even though he was technically his son-in-law. Following this, every year the father would be kidnapped and spirited away in order to see his daughter aboard Beigebeard's boat; the final time he was informed that his daughter was dying (9878) and he was allowed to be with her in her final minutes before he and the coffin were dropped off in Forsythia for burial in the great military cemetery. Nothing more was heard from Beigebeard following this death and it is assumed that he died shortly afterward. His real name, parentage and place of birth are unknown.

BENDING BRANCH BAY is a large bay located within the boundaries of the Confederacy. Forsythia and Jackson Bay are the largest towns on the bay, which is the location of the annual Dun Cess fishing competition; the bay is known for its varied fish and aquatic plant life and Chavis's tapping of off-shore oil.

BENDING BRANCH FOREST is the largest coniferous forest in the world. Owned by the Confederacy, it provides much of the lumber used in Ilico. It is a very dense forest--having little formal schooling--populated by all manner of trees, birds, and animals. The sanctity the forest is protected by the Bending Branch Rangers, a professional fighting and care-providing group. In 10004, a major diplomatic and magical fiasco occurred when a spy satellite, launched by the Confederacy, crashed in the forest en route to positioning over Symtheta. The mutational effects of the highly enchanted orb have not yet decayed, leading to large tracts of forest full of strange creatures and magically enchanted natural objects (stumps, stones, insects, etc.).

BENDING BRANCH RANGERS is a group of men and women sworn to protect the Bending Branch Forest from despoiling, deforestation, fires, and unlawful trespass. Rooted in a arborphilic religious cult, they have transformed into a secular group of professional fighter/naturalists. They were founded in 9655 and have steadily grown in membership, numbering almost 100 members today.

BERENSON, PETER (9935-9990) was a famous hunter and explorer who gave his name to the trail he recommended as the most advantageous to trade for caravans wishing to visit Iceland, Pieschland, and the Verteux. He was a personal friend of Maximus Thrax, the founder of the Ilican Trading Company, one of whose daughters he married in 9989, only a year before his accidental death in the mountains near Milton.

BERMUDA PARALLELEPIPED is a geographical area encompassing roughly 23,800 square miles with a parallelepiped defined by Trangle Island, Matest, Sectan, and Edirne. There are many recorded instances in the past sixty years of vessels sailing into the Parallelepiped and never being seen again. The ships, their cargoes, and crews simply disappear. The reasons and mechanisms of this annihilation are unknown, but it is speculated that the area is covered by magical fallout, not unlike that caused by the satellite crash in the Bending Branch Forest. This magical fallout would produce destructive, chaotic effects and could certainly be responsible for the destruction of humanoid vessels. All four insular vertices have been explored with an eye toward the cause of the Parallelepiped, but no evidence has been found to corroborate the fallout theory: no magic has been detected. Nevertheless, it remains the only reasonable, published theory. NETCo forbids its captains to sail into Parallelepiped, although such a warning is probably superfluous.

BEUGEL, GRINK (9980-) is the preeminent biologist and sociologist of the 101st century. He formulated the current version of the standard model after extensive archaeological work near Gravesend, Porte Darthur, Ankey, Slavale, and the Vyrican Mountains. He has written two books, Trials of the Fittest and Evolution: The Blooming, both of which together comprise the text of biology classes. In Evolution: The Blooming he writes:

    The wondrous multitude and variety of races within our world should comprise the most pressing question put to all scientists. How can such like conditions have evolved such different minds, souls, and bodies? Is not the answer to this thousands of years-old question worth more than the meager devotion of resources it now commands? The selection by nature of the most fit over the weaker is a stronger and more unbending power than any army ever wielded or any warlock ever cast.

Beugel is currently working on a new book, The Changing Heavens in which he says, "I will present conclusive evidence to prove the process of evolution for deities and semi-immortal beings." Grink was excommunicated within two weeks of his first press announcement. Beugel lives with his brother, Tilli, in Dun Cess.

BIGLEROOT is a bright yellow, stringy community of individual plants that grows in two known places; on Ilum Beta in the Western Ocean and in the tropical forests of Vyrica. It is considered a delicacy by the indigenous orcs, reducing its availability as the material component of Confusion.

BINK (slang) a hobbit. The origin of this term is unknown.

BIOCORPROMANCY This area of magic deals with biomantic spells whose results affect the bodies of anthropoid creatures; there is a hazy line between it and bioneuromancy. Common biocorpromantic spells include: blind, cure disease, cure poison, cure blindness, cure deafness, deafen, dexterity, endurance, fumble, heal, hearing, jump, longevity, protection from pyral damage, protection from psychral damage, protection from electrical damage, protection from thermal damage, protection from physical damage, quickness, regeneration, rejuvenation, slow disease, slow poison, slow metabolism, speed, strength, suspended animation, and vision.

BIOFLOROMANCY is a sub-division of biomancy whose spells deal with plant life in all of its forms.

BIOMANCY This area of sorcery deals with magic whose results and associated phenomena deal mainly with animal or plant life. Biomancy is further divided in bioneuromancy, biocorpromancy, biozoomancy, biofloromancy and biopsychemancy. Necromancy is also a division of biomancy, but, due to its illegal nature it is rarely classified as an equal with the other divisions.

BIONEUROMANCY This subdivision of biomancy deals with spells who object is the mind of living creatures. Common bioneuromantic spells include audial illusion, awaken, brainwash, charm person, clairaudience, clairvoyance, command, cure insanity, detect charm, drive mad, gustatory illusion, hearing, invisibility, istropy, judge distance, magic mouth, mathematic savant, mentality, mind read, mind blast, mind shield, olfactory illusion, paralyse, physical control, planar illusion, protection from mental attacks, reaction, recall, remove fear, restoration, sleep, spatial illusion, suspended animation, telekinesis (also requires physokinetomancy), telepathy, vision and will power.

BIOPSYCHEMANCY deals with magical spells that affect the soul of the target.

BIOZOOMANCY is the magic of spells that affect non-anthropoid animals. Common spells include animal empathy, charm mammal, control fish, control insect, find familiar, fish swim, kangaroo jump, ostrich run, repel fish, repel insect, snake charm, spider climb, gorilla whomp, summon fish, summon mammal, and summon insect.

BJORNMAN, SVANTE (9920-9982) was a drow elf spell theorist. Known for eccentricity and promiscuity, his contributions to magic theory lie in the areas of abjurmancy and biocorpromancy. He is most well known for the Strength spell, but also worked on Growth, Atrophy, and Change Skin Hue.

BJORNMAR TOADSTOOLS (Svante Bjornman, Drow Elf magic theorist) These brown fungi have a distinctive, objectionable odor. They have long provided food for UDC's hazing parties as well as various secret organization's torture methods. Their juice imparts a painful sting when exposed to flesh or internal organs. Bjornman, however, realized, "No pain, no gain," and discovered that the small mushrooms function as the material component of Strength. They are found mainly in the Trenines.

BLOODSHADE This incredibly rare plant was once though legendary; it was described in detail in Caelo's Flora, but Caelo makes it clear that he has never seen the plant himself though he attributes miracles of healing to its ingestion. The plant has been discovered in modern times, however. It has a lifespan of well over 200 years but germinates infrequently. The dark red ivy's structure and shadows suggested to its discoverers "a dark shade of blood, covering and obscuring the dying tree it grew upon." Bloodshade "sightings" have appeared all over the world. No academy or institution is willing to admit where they get their raw materials; one such rumor started the Bloodshade Rush of 10001 on Sioux Island. When discovered and processed, the plant is the material component of Longevity.

BLUE EARTH (pop. 70,200) is the capital of the Boatia province of the Confederacy. It was founded in 9861 by farmers, but quickly grew into an industrially oriented city due to its prime location on the (now defunct) Ilican Trading Company route. Today Blue Earth is a conglomeration of industrial companies' offices, factories, and workers. It is the third largest city in the Confederacy and the fifth largest in Ilico. Because its position near Jacketz--the commercial capital of the southern Confederacy- -made it invaluable to corporations, the local government was able to force anti-pollution regulations though, with the effect that Blue Earth, despite its name, retained its original sky and ground colors (as opposed to Dun Cess.)

BLUE ROSE This distinctive variety of the common flower has long been known to Biolinguists as one of a few species of plant which do not reflect ambient conversation in their growth patterns. It is logical, then, that this flower provides the material component of Protection from Mental Attacks. It is also known to grow to heights of six feet or more in the savannahs of the Republic.

BLUEPEACE is an environmental conservation group based in Jackson Bay. They uphold doctrines of moderation and cohabitation with mother nature, calling for an end to large scale nature-altering magic and major science/magic projects with the potential to irrevocably alter the world. They were officially founded in 9992 in response to increased logging in the Bending Branch Forest. Their leader, Dorian Quatsalt, wrote:

    I am not opposed to making use of natural resources, but the rate at which we are consuming trees, minerals, animals, and soil leads to me to predict that we will soon run out of all these precious elements. We are forcing the world to support luxurious desires for which she hasn't got the resources. We must limit our numbers and our needs for we are mortgaging our future to famine, plague, and poverty with our egregious loans for today.

BOATIA (BO-ah-tee-ah) is a southern province of the Confederacy of Dun Cess. It has the highest per capita income and net worth in the Confederacy, due to the fact that both the commercial center of Jacketz and the industrial center of Blue Earth fall within its borders. Boatia bears many scars of repeated invasions; its coast is a prime beachhead area for amphibious assaults.

BOOMDUST is an experimental powder first demonstrated by dwarves during mining operations in the Trenines. Industrial espionage led to its formulation and study at UDC. It is a highly explosive black powder that is closely guarded before, during, and after research. Says one UDC scientist, Bobbenheimer, "This may be the key to the ultimate weapon." Though available on the public market, applications beyond the military and mining seem limited.

BOTNIA is a large island in north-eastern corner of the eastern ocean. It is inhabited almost exclusively by surface gnomes. Surface gnomes first built civilizations on Botnia at least 4,000 years ago. However, in the ensuing period the island was held by goblins, dwarves, kobolds, and viking orcs. The present-day gnomish civilization has lasted since about 8900. The existing towns are thus very old. The gnomish population is also very conservative; they reject their brethren on Symtheta who have become very cosmopolitan and commercial in character. Many of the violent, historical gnomish gods (e.g. Pyatnitza) are still fervently worshipped and schoolchildren are taught of the inherent evil of dwarfdom. Botnia's foreign policy is direct by a Brobenic Council, which consist of 2 senators from each recognized town of under 5,000 population and 1 senator per 2,000 population for larger towns. Botnia is a loose confederate of cities, however, there have been no violent disagreements over the last 180 years; previously minor wars were frequent and forgettable.

BOTULISM was a short-lived art movement among gnomish populations in the middle of the 9900's. The style is based on a series of paintings by Georgi Botule, a Dendrizen teacher, who took to painting simple geometric shapes (squares) on monochromatic backgrounds, claiming the contrast in color was enough to convey an entire range of emotions, each following the last as the viewer's mind ingested the picture and his eyes oriented to the contrast. Further variations led to shading the squares, later including triangles, and cutting the frames to triangles as well. The movement may be construed as unconscious sarcasm of the geometrism sweeping other artists during this time period, but it was intensely disliked by conservative artists and politicians in gnomish areas: "It looks like too much human and orcish influence," said one critic after observing a gold triangle on a green square." Another added, "Botulism makes me sick and I want to throw up."

BOWING see Gypsy Elves

BOXES (6631-6662) was the last president of the First Orcish Republic. He was elected president in 6656 as a moderate candidate who would please all concerned parties. Unfortunately he was not strong enough to organize a Pacifistic nation's defense upon the sudden attack by gnomes, humans, and elves in 6660 in First War of Ilican Succession. Boxes was captured while personally leading a team of 15 commandos against an elvish position; he was tortured, beheaded, and left to rot outside his elvish camp.

BRASS is an alloy of zinc and copper used mainly for decorative work and utilitarian metal-working. Objects made of brass are correctly described as "brazen."

BRIANISM was a short-lived artistic movement among drow painters from 9900 to 9925. Brianistic pictures are superficially similar, using dark colors and a small collection of shapes: points, planes, tetrahedrons, and cylinders is a nearly exhaustive list. Despite the limited set of fundamental components, critics have lauded such works for their depth and emotion, attributes brought out by the arrangement, shading, and orientation. Brianistic paintings also have a darksome, mystical quality that capture the attention of viewer when completed, and often the attention of the artists during completion. It was not uncommon for Brianistic artists to ignore normal eating and resting habits for days on end as they labored to finish their canvasses. The most famous Brianistic painters were the group of seven who worked in Haamerlinna. As their interest and eyesight waned the style lost momentum and teachers. By 9935 Brianism had faded from the artistic scene.

BRIDS (avianus anthropoidus) are hideous mixtures of avian and anthropoid features. They resemble tall humans with six limbs: two arms, two legs, and two wings. Brids were considered to be mythical until 150 years ago. Previous to that date they had appeared only in ancient writings and drawings, though they did appear with some frequency. In 9880 a team of Mickelgarthian geologists investigating the Uchebnik peninsula were slaughtered by creatures matching the ancients' description. The incident was recorded by the tracking beeper carried by one of the team's paroled porters. It is thought that Brids are the result of a chaotic magical crossing of men and birds. Absolutely nothing is known about the creatures besides what can be inferred from the 9880 incident and the historic drawings: a fierce temper, superb physical characteristics, and the efficient use of both melee and missile weapons.

BRIDGE OF HUMILITY see HUMILITY, BRIDGE OF

BROBENE is an ancient word for gnomes. Its use has come to indicate great respect, or an attempt to restore gnomish civilization to its dominant position under Ghenjar or even earlier.

BRONZE is an alloy of tin and copper that was first smelted into useful tools and weapons about 4900, beginning the so-called Bronze Age. Bronze was the dominant metal for 1400 years until the advent of the iron age about 6300. Different races used different characteristic compositions of bronze.

BUDDRY is the name of the stuffed mascot of a fraternity of philosophy majors at CTSRP. The fraternity, which admits only members who do not believe in the existence of external criterion to judge human behavior, popularized the saying "Why ask why" as the title of a collective research paper in 10032. The population at large ignored the philosophic questions of the paper and applied the catchy title to irrelevant, unimportant, marginal questions relating to alcohol, sports, and relationships.

BULBOUS MUSHROOMS These fungi, named for their resemblance to the symbols used by cartoonists to indicate brilliant ideas, are found in mountain ranges all over the world. Their coloration scheme, orange dots on white, makes them easy to see at night, even though, ironically, they are the component for the spell Sleep.