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

FALWELL, JACK (9993- ) is the current ruler of the Dukedom of Falwell. He assumed the ruler at the death of his father, Morris Falwell in 10023. Jack graduated from UDC with a double major in political science and history. His tenure as duke has been peaceful, if rather bland. He and his wife, Andreas Smithson Falwell, were blessed with a son, Andrew, in 10025 and another son, Peter, in 10028.

FALWELL, MORRIS (9963-10023 ) was a ruler of the the Dukedom of Falwell. He assumed the dukedom upon the death of his father, Monx Falwell, in 9998 at the age of 35. His administration was marked by an abrupt increase in the integration of secular and religions life within the Dukedom. Religious rites are required at educational and entertainment activities, and church membership is a prerequisite for civil service jobs. Morris was a highly respected and religious man, known for charity and intelligence. Morris was succeeded by his eldest son, Jack Falwell upon his death in 10023.

FAMILIARS are animals that are mentally and magically bound to a spell caster for certain periods, usually longer than the animal's life, for the purpose of servitude. For the mental and emotional bond to be successful and permanent, the familiar must be much less intelligent and less willful than the master. Occasionally familiars are released from service after they have gotten old or have performed some remarkable task. Familiars serve loyally if summoned correctly and proper practice can allow the master and servant to communicate almost instantaneously and with near-perfect accuracy.

FEDERATION FOR AGNOSTICISM AND ANARCHY is a radical student organization founded in Dun Cess by Geoffrey von Burger (9994- 10035). Upon von Burger's death, the leadership of the organization passed smoothly to his protege, Eric von B'rito (10010 - ). Eric Hoffer's Frustration and Prosetylization provides the group's manifesto. They seek to establish a better world through the use of mass movements that replace patriotism, religion, and careers in the minds of their followers. Von Burger left the organization sometime in the early 10020's to pursue his avocation, Vyrican ornithology. Notable quotables from their text include: "Self-denial gives one the right to deny things to others," and "All leaders come to rend father from son and mother from daughter and to strike asunder all those bonds which sap the fiercesome strength of a dedicated man."

FELIX I (7240-7295, r. 7288-7295) was a powerful emperor of the Orcish Empire in Vyrica. He ascended to the throne after being adopted by the then emperor Androxes III in 7280. He ruled for seven years and focused on the development of agriculture in the poor soils of central Vyrica. He also established the first public grain dole in the emperor with an edict reading "Full minds need full stomachs." Felix died of an unknown fever in 7295 and was deeply mourned by all. Almost all surviving contemporary accounts praise his reign. He was succeeded by his son, Felix II (The Lucky).

FELIX II (7280-7392, r. 7295-7392), known as "The Lucky", was one of the strongest and most favored rulers in the history of the world. He was the fifth emperor of the Orcish Empire in Vyrica. He came to the throne upon the death of his father, Felix I, in 7295 at the age of 15. He was a precocious youth, fascinated by the fall of the First Orcish Republic six hundred years before and by the technological changes that had occured since then. He fervently believed, as he wrote in his Commentary:

    With the changes that have occurred in technology and magic, especially psychology and neuromancy, it is entirely possible for an empire to stand forever through the efforts of a single man, its emperor. For with the new means of communication and transportation messages of unrest and discomfort can come quickly to the fore and be dealt with as their severity demands. What's more, judicious use of neuromancy can induce angry rebels to become calm and listen to rational reason rather than riotous rigamarole. The lives of many lakhs of citizens can be steered within the useful and the good by a man intelligent enough to recognize the uses of the tools at his disposal. Boxes did not, but if there is one thing I will accomplish in my reign, I will rule to show all future rulers how technology and magic can control people as surely and as easily as dams and hydromancy can control the floor of millions of tons of water.

Felix II reigned almost one hundred years during which time he acquired the nickname "The Lucky", for his unfailing success. On his deathbed, though, he wrote in a quivering hand: "I have not been lucky; I have acted with forethought and intelligence. It is merely to people for whom these are foreign I appear lucky." Felix II picked his successor who ruled as Scipio I (r. 7392-7443) after having served at Felix's side for the previous ten years.

FERRUM MIRABILIS or "miraculous iron" was the name given by metallurgist Hamilton Cassidy to a newly purified iron-like metal in 9975. That metal was renamed titanium in 9982 by the dwavish metallurgist and encyclopedist Randal Kroll who also developed a simpler and more efficient purification process; by the turn of the century, Kroll's name had prevailed.

FEVEL BERRIES are red, fleshy berries shaped vaguely like doughnuts that grow near ample water sources in Ilico, Pavimentum, Gailinia, and Vyrica. They are considered a delicacy by dwarves, who import thousands of bushels every year to Allotrope. They are widely regarded as winoberries in Ilico, although one social commentator remarks: "If Roland Roundhead said they tasted like trilk, the Supreme Prelate would be eating them the next day."

FIRE DWARVES are an anthropoid race asssumed to have split off from the archaic "dwarven" race in the Standard Model of Evolution. Though little evidence is available concerning their past, present-day facts are (fairly) well-known. Almost all fire dwarves live in the mountains of Allotrope or in isolated clans in the Southern Sprines. They are a historically hardy people with a great love of natural beauty (especially gemstones), drinking, and ferocious games and battle. Most fire dwarven communities are ruled by one strong (male) leader who claims descent from Solon himself. Most estimates put the total population of fire dwarves at somewhere around 245,000. Fire dwarves refer to themselves as pyrakendren. Most fire dwarves worship either Tiffan or Abatthor, although Saphur claims nearly a seventh of their population. Fire dwarves celebrate three great festivals during the year: one is the Feast of the Jewels, a week-long drinking party in early February; the second is a celebration of the third three-moon night, whenever it occurs; and the third is Chomuko, a public thanksgiving in November for life and spirit.

FLANCH, AUGUST see Tiresias

FLANDERS FIELD is the local name of a livestock meadow that become synonymous with terror in 10013. On [10013 October 28], thousands of people descended on Flanders Field, near Gravesend on Pavimentum, apparently searching for a powerful artifact. Very little information has been published on the eerie battle which raged for several hours and was punctuated by demonic magic, divine intervention, dragons, abjurmancy, and earthquakes. Over 600 fighters died leaving countable bodies; the number who died irrecognizably will never be known. This power struggle of the world's elite contributed to the rash of government interventions (10014) to curb the public dissemination of magical information, especially on conservative Pavimentum. Said one surviving eyewitness, "It was like an eerie game; bloody ghosts struggling with each other for a reward no one could describe, nor really wanted. It happened and it will happen again in this crazed world."

FLEDGER, CHRISTIAN (9262-9312) was the most famous dwarven (surface) bowyer/fletcher of all recorded history. His non-magical arrows routinely sell for thousands, partly due to their historical value, but mainly because of their incredible quality; they possess legendary endurance. His magical arrows--legend supposes them to consist of a set of 64 (17 are known to exist)-- fetch tens of thousands. His bows are considered priceless antiques.

FLEVO ISLAND is the name by which Trangle Island is known on Pavimentum. It is the name given to a 9564 treaty negotiation on that island between representatives of the Duke of Porte Darthur and of the Sudibin Emperor.

FLEVO, PEACE OF was a 9564 treaty negotiated by representatives of Porte Darthur and the Sudibin Empire that attempted to bring an end to the undeclared naval war that had existed between those entities since the early 9520s. The conflict evolved out of retaliation by both sides against pirates into an open battle for control of the open sea and the attendant power to tax ongoing trade. Among the provisions of the treaty were division of the water between the powers, the exchange of prisoners, the fixing of prices on several goods (including lumber, cotton, and sugar), and the erection of the Bridge of Lions in Porte Darthur by the Imperial engineers of the House of Komori. The motivation of the final point is unknown, but it turned out to be the only enduring result of the treaty. The peace lasted approximately five years before hostilities broke out again. In 9576 Porte Darthur began opening supporting the rebellion of the House of Ishikawa, which eventually ousted the House of Komori in 9588. Unlike the Komori clan, the House of Ishikawa looked eastward, to the interior of Vyrica, and relinquished control of the seas to Porte Darthur. At no point after 9600 were the Sudibin people reckoned as a force on the high seas.

FINLEY, KANTLE (dwarvish magic-user, 9955-10020) was well-known for his advocacy of the use of scrolls in everyday life. Within magical and academic circles he is known for the development of Kantling, a method of indicating exact pronunciations using diacritical marks on scrolls to increase casting accuracy. On his push for scrolls to be sold in "common" or "big" markets, he wrote (from Public Response to Lauferson, number 512):

    Potions are a dead end. If we teach the population to consume potions for its every need there will be no need for youngsters to enter the necessary and wonderful profession of magic and continue doing research. Without a need to know how they work, people will be unable learn the intricacies of potions and how they work...the invisibility enchantment is a good example; how will they be able to determine what becomes invisible and what does not? Having a universal knowledge of magic is essential for the next step of civilization (see Toffler, et. al, The Fourth Wave) and the use of scrolls requires that knowledge. I do not apologize for an elitist view; where would we be today if every Neanderthal who did not learn to read and write in 3000 was coddled by society's placing a "speaker" by every book and sign? 'Potion people' are the ballast that retard the flight of civilization's balloon!

FORM MAGICS is the generic title for physomantic/corpromantic spells which change the form of anthropoid bodies into a solid, liquid or gaseous form. Solid form (SVM, sculptured marble in form desired) has the effect of transforming the body (not clothes or accoutrements) into a marble-like substance in the pose desired for one minute per level of training. The body becomes very hard, yet brittle, and damage done to the form manifests itself upon retransformation. The transformation itself takes about five seconds. During the effect of spell the caster can do nothing physically and, users report, has no ability to perform any mental activity. Liquid form (SVM, " cube of hydrargyrum) transforms the body to a dense, silvery liquid which quickly collapses into a puddle for a duration of one minute/level (or less, if the caster desires). The wizard has the ability to give his new form an impetus to move in a certain direction. The puddle will slide with little friction in this direction until barriers or other obstructions intervene to change its motion. After transformation the caster has no control over his movement and cannot perform any mental or physical activities. Clothes and inventories are not transformed. The transformation process takes about two seconds. The liquid is quite cohesive and resists attempts to separate, though successful separation will kill the spellcaster upon retransformation. Gaseous form (SVM, small vial of methane) transforms the caster into a lighter-than-air cloud of gas (which may be given an initial impetus as well) which quickly disperses. This tends to make the spell less useful than the others as wide disperal means death upon retransformation, but clever application has proved useful. The time for transformation is about three seconds and the duration is one minute per level of training. Retransformation inside an object is usually fatal if the object cannot expand or shatter quickly. As with the other spells, the caster has no consciousness or ability to effect any action while transformed. The solid form spell was developed independently by dwarvish wizards during the Dwarvish Renaissance and drow elf warlocks in the 9300's. The final form is an amalgamation of the components which was finalized in the early years in 9990 by Hamlet Sargent-Welch at the Physomancy Foundation and Cogent Spectale at the Biotechnic. Liquid form was developed by hydromancers and biomancers at the Ecole- Hydromantique in Carthage in 10005. Gaseous form was recently developed by the precocious eighteen year-old Ramonochadwicka, a feat which earned him the Mailog Moment in Magic award for 10028.

FORSYTHIA is a medium-sized (pop. 9,200) port city on Bending Branch Bay. It is the primary export city for the coal mined in Chinmin province. Forsythia has long been a cultural leader, it's said that during a seige by the dwarvish army in the Second War of Ilican Succession, the town fell because all of the generals were attending a performance of Batch's Fourth Symphony when the attack was made. The city is home to the Confederate Museum of Culture and Tradition, a fantastic Zoological gardens (established by a private citizen), the knightly Order of the Carnation and the Confederate Naval Graveyard of Honor. Forsythia was the object of an attack from a clan of fire dwarves from the Trenines in 10014; thanks to the efforts of a brave band of men, the town was saved and the fire dwarves evicted from their mountain fortress.

FORSYTHIA ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN (established 9996)

FORT DODGE (pop. 8,500) is a port city on the northwestern border of the Confederacy of Dun Cess. Visitors are especially encouraged to check out the fabulous cathedral in the town square. Fort Dodge had long been an important military port since its founding in 9602 as a pirate haven. Only recently, with the establishment of NETCo, has it become an important economic location. Pechman Techau, the erstwhile executive director of NETCo hails from Fort Dodge and was an important contributor to the new library and secondary school of Fort Dodge.

FORZMAN is a multi-racial god of literature, history, and learning. He is symbolized by a golden thread entwined around a blue quill. His temples are often indistinguishable from libraries, with the altar doubling as the check-out desk.

FROST FROGS provide culinary luxuries for the rich. Though the species is native to the land and and islands near the Glacial Wall, they can be captured and used as biological refrigerating units in the north. Frost Frogs weight about 50 pounds and can be vicious when hungry and cold. As they heat up they become more and more docile. Frost Frogs are commonly kept in "ice- boxes," small pantries below the kitchen which are too deep for the frogs to escape from. Frost Frogs are closely related to rimey ribbiters and icy icthi.

FUBEAST is an annoying mammal found in great abundance in the forests and mountains of Vyrica. It resembles an armadillo, but also possesses a bell-shaped mustache and a two-foot tail with a heavy ball of bone on the end, which serves the Fubeast well as a flail-type weapon. They are known for collecting shiny objects, which they secret in their caves to be used as mating bribes.