Glossary for the world of Ulterra
This glossary is intended to be a supplement to the story in case a reader forgets a term or would like more information about a specific item. It is placed at the start of each story so that the reader knows it is available to them, but all terms and expressions that occur in the story, are explained in the book itself.
ala — An ancient being that can shift into a massive raven and wield large hail. Destructive and dangerous and guards the junction at the Shaking Mountain.
azhdaya — A two headed, wingless serpent. Lives on mountain tops and covets land. Tries to kill anyone that enters its territory.
bauk — An ogre like creature with tusks in the lower jaw and leathery skin. Smart and more difficult to kill than goblins. Like dark places and possessive over their hiding holes. Eat humans but more interested in feeding off those with magic. They keep them alive and drain them over and over to fuel their own brief bursts of magic. Can only be killed by a blow behind the knees, under the armpits, and under the ears.
brownie — Immortals about four feet tall that live in usually already occupied homes. If the owner of the home has offered them milk or other treats brownies love, they will usually willingly take care of the home and help those that live there.
Bodec Mountains — Jagged mountains in the northern section of the Kuls, outside the vae border.
cepl — A bladed weapon that is worn like brass knuckles. The blade comes up over the knuckles so when a punch is thrown, it bites. It can also be used in a slashing motion to slice.
chort — A clever variety of spawn that covets things like money and possessions. Resembles humans in appearance and will join villages to blend in. They prey on human greed and other vices.
cockatrice — Called the vultures of Peklo because they like to eat the dead. Resemble a cross between a rooster and lizard. Can fly and attack with their claws. About the size of a horse.
Coromesto — the main city of Trulo and magic is weaved openly into daily living.
crullock — A monster in Peklo that resembles a crab but about the size of a donkey.
Cursed (the) — All the immortals punished to leave Ulterra and live in Peklo forever.
Demi-Immortals — Non-immortals who live long lives (can be many many centuries).
Divoky Forest — The wild forest west of the Wide River.
dolya — A wish-maker. If trapped, they will give their captor three wishes.
Druk — Thunder dragon. An ancient line and an ancient word most don’t remember or recognize.
enchanter — Can enchant objects, create draughts, and possibly influence humans and animals to do their bidding. (A class of magicwielder).
fenix demon — Demons with the power of scorch. Their society consists of two kinds of demon:
- mudri class—the intellectuals. During testing, they show a lot of skill controlling their scorch ability. Only the mudri rule as king and queen and only the mudri are on the Council.
- warrior class—Larger, and always with wings, they have great scorch power, but their control is usually much less. They are kept roaming their territory, keeping their enemies away.
frior — The vulk term for someone who is their ally or under their protection.
gloson — A swine-like beast standing ten feet high at the shoulder with a blue spine along its back and four eyes. The males have four tusks in the lower jaw.
goblin — Four-foot-tall spawn of the underworld with long hair. They like to live in the forest and prey upon unsuspecting passersby. Not usually very intelligent and competitive with other spawn.
heat (in) — The time when a female demi-immortal or immortal is fertile. It occurs rarely. A female must be in heat to conceive.
- *Vulk related note: Vulk can only get wolf peltwalkers, or zorzye (lightwielders) pregnant.
Herskala Academy — The school for all magic-wielders in Trulo kingdom.
hzievda — A star.
Immortals — Those whose lifespan can go on for eternity. Includes the vae, vulk, ancient gods, demons, and many others. If an immortal bonds with a non-immortal, their mate achieves immortality as well.
incubus — Male variety of demon who can gain more energy and power through sexual activity.
jedak — An amphibian resembling a massive frog with long vines on its head. It disguises itself by sinking into the mud of the bog so the vines look harmless, but then it preys on passersby.
junctions — The crossing places between Peklo and Ulterra. There are only a few known crossing places, and each is guarded. No one may exit Peklo unless they allow it.
kon — A large variety of horse with wider hooves to manage the treacherous Ryba Mountains where they are native.
Krol — King of the vulk. A krol wears golden armbands on their biceps and has enhanced senses and strength. They are able to walk between Ulterra and Peklo and into the realms of the afterlife.
Kuls — All the way to the east, it covers all the land east of the Wide River.
lalee — the vulk word for sweetheart.
landvaettir — A guardian of a specific location, usually a portion of land. They remain tied to their location and cannot leave for as long as their bond with the spot exists.
leshak — Fifteen-foot-tall beings with an elk skull for a head and large elk antlers. They kill by consuming souls.
Lightwielder — See zorzye as well. (Zorzye and lightwielder are the same). A species of human-looking supernatural beings with the ability to wield light. The bloodline has almost died out, but dormant lightwielder blood can come to the surface and reveal itself.
magicwielders — Usually humans, although on occasion a peltwalker is born with magical abilities. Almost always the gift is passed along genetically which has created strong magic families and alliances. A human with this ability has a longer life span. Magicwielders gain their magic from the light of second sun of Ulterra. The light does not flow through them, they must tap into it, causing a chemical reaction that smells like sulfur.
There are three castes:
- sorcerer
- spellcaster
- enchanter
Necromancers are not their own separate caste, they are any magicwielder who has chosen to perform magic that taps into death.
mtwt — [Pronounced mahtoot]. A word in one of the ancient languages meaning both semen and venom.
necromancer — Dark magic practitioner with a connection to death/shuwt. They were all magicwielders and could be any caste of expertise (sorcerer, spellcaster or enchanter) but usually they are not powerful.
Non-Immortals — Ulterrans who do not have eternal life, although some may have very long lifespans. Includes humans, magicwielders (long life span) and peltwalkers (long lifespan).
obol — A gold coin that makes up the main monetary system in Ulterra. It weighs 25 grams and shavings of gold can be combined to equal an obol when they weigh 25 grams.
Peklo — The underworld which resides below Ulterra. While physically below Ulterra, it is another realm and is separated by a barrier. Only set crossing points (junctions) allow crossing between Ulterra and Peklo, although the two realms sometimes shift against each other and pockets form which allows denizens of the underworld to break through.
peltwalker — Demi immortals who can shift into an animal at will after they receive the specialized gifted pelt/feather of that animal. They are more animal than human when in their shifted form. Some known types are:
- lionwalkers
- wolfwalkers
- eaglewalkers
Piesok — The main city of Stok kingdom.
ravec — Giant insectoid creature that lives in Peklo and rarely leaves its dark holes. Spits bile to incapacitate its prey and pre-cook them.
Rohant — The eastern kingdom.
rut — When a male demi-immortal or immortal becomes overcome with desire. Eyes turn solidly black. A female in heat will often cause a rut response.
- *Vae related note: Vae males go into a rut when they are fertile. This is the only time the vae can conceive. An unmated vae must find a willing partner, or a battle, or he may die.
Ryba – A fishing village up in the north.
sarzila — A Vulk slang word meaning someone is bossy. Usually said in a joking way.
sorcerer — Innate magic users that can cast magic without using spells or a medium of any kind. (One of the types of magicwielders).
shuwt — The life essence of a person encompassing their soul, their personality, and their vitality. It can be freely bound to another person. Those who lived their lives in darkness, when they die, their shuwt roams the underworld. Others can ascend to the afterlife.
spawn — A group of creatures banned to the underworld that try to escape to prey upon humans. Refers to several different species — goblins, bauk, and dokkaebi.
spellcaster — Always have to use a spell or a medium like a crystal, rock or chalk diagram to cast magic. (One of the types of magicwielder).
Stok — The southern kingdom.
succubus — Female variety of demon who can gain more energy and power through sexual activity.
thrall — A person who has given away their shuwt to another and is in servitude to them.
Trulo — The western kingdom.
uit — Vulk swear word.
Ulterra — The upperworld consisting of one large landmass, several islands, and a surrounding sea.
vae — Immortals that live in the Kuls, looks mostly human, and have magic abilities. They all access the light of the second sun of Ulterra like a prism. One “color” of the light connects with them and concentrates through them. The different colors of light determine the type of magic the vae will have the most mastery over. (Ex: Red for warrior magic). Vae magic has a slight odor of ozone when used.
vedogon — A dangerous and rare fish that is difficult to catch and has lethal spines along its back.
vodnik — Water demon. Enemy of the fenix demon.
Vieska — The smallest village inside Rohant.
vulk — Werewolves. Vulk live a part of their time in the vulk den, and a part of their time alone in their homebase den scattered throughout Ulterra. Their creed is to protect Ulterra against the spawn of Peklo (the underworld). There are two established pack dens: one near the gorge dividing western Ulterra from the Kuls, and one in the Rohant mountains near Hans’s original den.
Current pack members are:
- Hans
- Juri
- Kyril
- Ayren
- Thane
- Danyr (Dan)
- Troyan (Troy)
- Blazh
- Finn
- Zann
Wailing Trail — The only known way in and out of Rohant. A treacherous path through the mountains.
wyrdstaaves — The practice of runic magic
wyvern — Dragon-like serpent with the ability to fly.
zmey — Sea-dragon.
zorzye — (See also lightwielder. The two are the same). A species of human-looking supernatural beings with the ability to wield light. The bloodline has almost died out, but dormant lightwielder blood can come to the surface and reveal itself.
Zuby Mountains — The high mountains of the southern Kuls.