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

DANDELION, ORDER OF is a religious order of Universalist knights founded on Trangle Island in 10021 by Sir Richard Ferr, a previous member of the rejuvenated Order of Carnation. Sir Ferr said, "I've tried to bring a spirit of community-conscience to my knights; we do all that we can to improve the community God has chosen for us to inhabit. I must thank my old teacher, Sir Jerome Lee, of the Carnation for his wonderful attitude of love and compassion that he taught me." Sir Ferr directed the Order's affairs until 10029 when Sir Manship Vicks (formerly of the Order of the Rhododendron) took over by personal command of Pericles I. Sir Vicks transformed the order from one devoted to local, humanitarian projects to one whose goal was military strength and (according to some) political power on the island. Sir Vicks and several of his knights were killed in 10037 while fighting in one of the opening battles of the War of the Egyebrech. No successor was chosen and within a year the island had been overrun by the enemy and the Order destroyed. As of 10043, though the island had been cleared of enemy presence, no moves had been made toward restoring the Order or its building which, ironically, had returned to Sir Ferr's vision and was being used as a hospital and hotel.

DARIUS (6284-6300) was the eldest son of Artaxerxes I, the first ruler of the First Orcish Empire. he was killed in his hunting accident in 6300 allowing his younger brother, Artaxerxes, to become the second ruler of the Empire. The accidental nature of his death, though completely undisputed by contemporary historians, became the subject of the play The Hunting Accident which suggests that both Bagoas and his brother lay behind it.

DATTOWN (pop. 6,500) is an important port city on NETCo's trade routes on the western coast of the Confederacy. Dattown is a shady hangout for sailors, marines, and financiers who exist in an unstable equilibrium with the town's police force. Dattown was founded in 9659 by human colonists. The city is intensely racist, having endured periodic viking orc raids for 350 years.

DE MOIVRE, RASHALONNE (8215-8275) was the most famous epic poet of the 8000's. A hobbit, his parents had him trained by tutors of every religion to enhance his all-over knowledge and grind away prejudice and suspicion from his life. Rashalonne failed at drama before hitting his stride with his first work, an epic retelling of the destruction of the first Orcish Republic, comprising a hundred years in 10,000 lines. An excerpt follows:

    The sun's descent did dim the darkened hill
Where crippled men and nations strove to find
The strength to stay the night midst blood and limbs
Till guiding rays came o'er the fertile field.

DELMARUNTHA (pop. 10,500) is medium-sized, primarily human town on the eastern coast of Pavimentum. It is the current location of a village that was founded in 9300 and gradually moved about ten miles northward following a gentle shift in currents and fishing water. Delmaruntha is nestled in the center of a ring of hills which makes large-scale agriculture difficult. The town's major industries are ceramics and wooden manufactures, mainly attracted by proximity to good sailing currents for Ilico and low municipal taxes. By all accounts, Delmaruntha is an excellent place to live. The city is home to the City College of Delmaruntha, known for its industrial engineering and music departments. Delmaruntha has a small police force, fire department and sanitation department. There is also a public hospital which provides moderate healthcare to all citizens who have been on the workrolls for over two years. The town prides itself on its length of occupation, a fact confirmed again and again by archaeological work done in the hills and valleys surrounding the town. In 10038, the town's aldermen voted to fund an inspirational park; the resulting "Victory's Ground" opened in 10040 and features twenty marble statues of the greatest leaders of history.

DELTA FORCE is a semi-secret force of orcish commandoes associated with the Alliance of Northeastern Orcs. The total size of the team is thought to be less than forty. Speculation runs rampant where facts are scarce and few organizations are the source of more rumors than the Delta Force; it is thought that the team draws its members from all orcish civilizations at that in fact it is controlled by a supremacist cabal that transcends traditional orcish squabbling. The Force has been implicated in thefts of orcish artifacts from Gailinian and Confederate museums; massive fires at human and gnomish research sites; and assassinations of human, elvish and dwarvish figures. It is also said that the Delta Force spends a fair amount of time discovering and eliminating subversive elements of orcish society; exactly what is "subversive" is not known. There is also evidence that in recent years the Force has shifted from defensive and "justice" oriented activities toward terroristic and offensive strikes. No member of the Delta Force has ever been captured alive.

DENDRITE (pop. 8,000) is an important surface gnome trading center on the northern coast of Symtheta. It is fairly cosmopolitan and has relatively large numbers of non-gnomes living there. Dendrites ports were burned in 10008 in response to the gnome's destruction of a SETCo ship. An agreement was reached without further bloodshed in 10009 and the company and city have had no further problems. Residents of Dendrite are known as Dendrizens and Dendrizennes.

DEXTERITY is a measure of manual coordination. It is the relevant attribute where lock picking, pocket picking, piano playing, manual spell components, and archery are concerned.

DISTOWN was an important trading and cultural center on NETCo's trade route. It was burned in 10008 by viking orc marauders near the beginning of the Second War of Ilican Succession. The puritanical town was known for strict ordinances and heavy-handed punishments for citizens failing to conform to community standards. Despite, or perhaps because of these laws, Distown became a cultural showcase with two opera companies, two theaters, several amateur play houses, and the finest conservatory in the Confederacy.

DOMANE, JERBERT (9961-10022) was a prominent physician and epidemicist at the University of Dun Cess and in private practice. He is best known for investigating exotic diseases of Vyrica and Uchebnik and for his historical studies of the Great Plague Dun Cess which lasted from 9920 until 9921. He was dismissed from his university post in 10019

DORIAN ASSASSINS are a secret-sect of drow assassins thought to inhabit a fortified community within the inscrutable heights/depths of the Gailinian Range. Little is known but much is feared of them.

DRACOPHOBIA is an intense fear of dragons.

DRAGONS (family Draconis) are a race of advanced reptiles. Almost all species' members live solitary lives. Dragons are characterized by the ability to fly, extremely tough protective skin, incredible abilities, superb intelligence, a spartan lifestyle, and magical abilities. Dragons mate for life, though they rarely live together--the task of raising the young is traditionally the father's job. Female dragons often choose mates on the basis of material wealth; the reasoning behind this is not understood, and xenophobic tendencies of dragons have made further research difficult. Dragons are fearsome beasts in combat and have been known to destroy entire cities which earned their rage. Dragons lives for hundreds of years, but they reach full size in a little under thirty. Every period of history has had its set of myths and speculations about dragons, their motives, and their attitudes toward civilization, one writer, speaking from the 96th century wrote:

    Dragons, you see, are not like us. They are not interested in us. They are so far advanced, intellectually, physically, philosophically, and emotionally that we are of as little interest to them as ants are to us. They care nothing about what we do as long as we don't bother them. Their indifference is the ultimate insult....

DRAGON BALL is a recreational game played primarily in the Confederacy, but found throughout human-settled lands. Two teams of eight players compete at a time. The object is to get a 10-pound metal ball into a large basket, ten feet above the ground. Punching, kicking, elbowing, etc. are illegal, but tackling, tripping, and shoving are necessary to wrest the ball from the person carrying it (who is physically unable to fight.) Most game last three hours in which four to five points are scored.

DRUIDS are a secretive cult who claim to have existed for over 9,000 years. Believed to have no more than 400 members worldwide, they are known to have left worship circles of stone all over the world. One of these is a tourist attraction 10 miles east of Gravesend, another exists in the middle of the Northern Expanse. Most worship Malik, El-Hajj, or Shabazz, and most groups are considered belligerent and warlike. They are rumored to possess huge amounts of ancient knowledge, perhaps far more than they can understand.

DSL see Dwarven Supremacy League

DUKAS, ABRAHAM (9958 - 10030) was a distinguished officer in the Dun Cess Army, remembered primarily for the mysterious tomb he had constructed in the Forsythia Military Cemetery. The tomb, a marble cube in the shape of a standard die, bore an encrypted riddle which challenged passers-by to "search out the moiety of my fortune" in the name of the downtrodden and impoverished citizens of the world. Dukas was born in Urbandale, Iceland, and joined the Dun Cess Army at the age of 17. He had a brilliant career in counter-intelligence, particularly during the War of the Republican Secession, and retired in 9998 (with the rank of colonel) to enter local politics. He was unsuccessful politically, despite having amassed a substantial fortune by making shrewd investments in advance of the opening of Kissing Dragon Pass. He returned to active service in 10007 for the duration of the Second War of Ilican Succession, but retired afterward to focus on his charitable work in and around his adopted home of Forsythia. He died in 10030 and was buried in the puzzle-tomb he had had constructed. As of 10046 no "intrepid" adventurer had managed to outwit the deceased colonel and claim his hidden treasure, though is no shortage of visitors to his monumental mausoleum.

DUKEDOM OF FALWELL is a northern province of the Confederacy. Its income comes primarily from farming, but the largest trading company in the world, NETCo, has its headquarters in Malmo, the dukedom's capital. The current duke is Morris Falwell, a respected and intelligent human.

DUN CESS (founded 9786) Dun Cess is the largest city on the surface of the world with over 200,000 residents. It is also the political, economic, and social capital of the Confederacy of Dun Cess. Dun Cess is home to the prestigious University of Dun Cess as well as all of the colleges of magic theory. In 9886, as if to mark the city's 100th anniversary, the then mayor of Dun Cess, John Kennedy O'Toole, finally orchestrated a confederacy of the feudal fiefs which had existed since the 9600. Dun Cess is known for its high prices, excellent theater, stock exchange, superb philharmonic orchestra, banks, and first-of-its-kind solid/liquid waste disposal system ("In Dun Cess the cess is done.") Dun Cess sits on the magnificent Ophir river which is deep enough for medium-sized trading ships to use. Dun Cess is also visited by both NETCo and SETCo. The city proper is surrounded by a seven- sided wall; there are gates on five of the sides (named the water gate, the fire gate, the earth gate, the air gate, and the royal gate) and waterways on the other two. Outside the wall, 19 miles long, are most of the city's residents: farmers, shopkeepers, and factory workers who inhabit a total area of 200 square miles. The city council of Dun Cess has six members, two of whom are elected every three years. The council proposes legislation which is okayed by the mayor, though his veto may be overridden, and then passed on to the Neighborhood (always capitalized) which consists of one voting member from every sizable neighborhood within the city. Bills which pass the Neighborhood become municipal law.

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS is a very popular children's game throughout the world. It owes its universal appeal to allowing its players to act out their fantasies like being above average in every area, slaying dragons, and carrying as much as they can pick up without feeling encumbered.

DWARF are one of the major anthropoid races. Dwarves resemble humans in build, but in general are stockier and shorter. Dwarves of both sexes and all ages grow long facial hair, though they fastidiously keep their feet and hands clean shaven. Dwarves have never become socially linked with humans in any major way, though their skills at mining, jewelling, smithing, and mechanics have made trade an inescapable conclusion. Because of their social separation, dwarves speak a separate language, Deutsch ("dwarvish"), and subscribe to differing philosophies of life. Many dwarves are inclined toward stoicism and Sonne und Stahl thinking; like most who value self- mastery they tend to disdain humans, elves, and hobbits for their passionate emotions. Dwarves outperform all of the other races in mathematics and spatial relations. Universities sympathetic to dwarves (UIP, MCSU, for instance) often find their engineering classes to be half-dwarvish. Most terranean dwarves live on Allotrope and the surrounding isles. This is a small area, but dwarvish mines and cities run deep; it is unknown how far their subterranean cities extend underneath other civilizations. Dwarves are infrequently left-handed. Dwarves are moderately less agile and slower than humans, but their endurance is a full standard deviation better while they are moderately stronger. Other attributes show only small modifications. Dwarves are about 4'5".

DWARVEN SUPREMACY LEAGUE is a racist organization dedicated to Abatthor. Members advocate forcible overthrow of the prevailing land and subterranean distribution in order to enslave all other races. The DSL was founded in 10007 by Zomfir Ali and Schnozzel Hunter, two black sheep of respected dwarven families and exploded like a fireball in the minds of supremacist, greedy, and downtrodden dwarves throughout the world. It now claims almost 1,000 dues-paying members, including, rumor has it, Roland and Ruby Roundhead, down from 1,600 in 10025. The Dwarvish Supremacy League was never as well organized or supported by the intelligentsia as the Kendronic League; it has suffered recently from a lack of competent leadership.

DWARVISH CIVIL WAR (9720-9725) was a short war fought entirely by different dwarven races on Allotrope. After the War of the Southern Sprines all dwarves fled to Allotrope. The celtic dwarves, considered to be the best dwarven warriors, seized the best land and mines for themselves and made common practice of enslaving the other races. The situation persisted for 300 years until Randall Roundhead, a descendant of Richard Roundhead, led the surface dwarven militia of Galena in a well-planned attack against the celtic fortifications. Winning a desperate battle, Richard's courage became the impetus for a bloody war, culminating in the ouster of the celtic dwarves from Allotrope. They settled in Cimmeria. Relations between the two races have never been repaired and violent crimes committed on either continent, including a 10011 assassination attempt on Roland Roundhead, are blamed on the other island's race.

DWARVISH RENAISSANCE (9100-9300) was a period of history during which dwarven settlements, located mainly in the Sprines, the present-day Verteux, the Trenines, and Iceland flourished. The two most important figures in this artistic and technological rebirth were Korasmus, a dwarven scientist, and Tyoto, a poet of the first rank. The period was marked by a renewed interest in peaceful gods like Tiffan, Thoreau, and Forzman. The Dwarven Renaissance reached its zenith in 9225 with the finishing of a majestic Tiffanian temple in the Southern Sprines complete with all the magical and technological luxuries of the day. The temple, unfortunately, was destroyed during the War of the Southern Sprines; a recent expedition funded by the Archaeological Society of Dun Cess failed to report any sign of the legendary edifice. The renaissance declined in the 93rd century, a process coinciding with a general rise of living conditions. By 9300 the newly-built dwarven university was hard pressed for students and many young dwarves chose the military over the arts as a career, citing a rising feeling of dwarvish supremacy as reason to take up arms against neighbors.