GLOSSARY OF ESOTERICA

Army : The military fist of the Iron Empire. Trained at the Imperial Academy. Responsible for quelling foreign enemies. Made up of a Mage Corps (who wear blue uniforms) and a Cavalry Corps (who wear red uniforms).

Black Guards : The new police force of the Iron Empire. Responsible for hunting rogue mages and quelling domestic enemies. The long arm of the empress.

Black Tower: The palace in the heavens that waits mortal men and women after they die.

Bleed the Dragon : To imbibe an entire bottle of alcohol in one sitting.

By the Gods' _____ : Misappropriating the gods' holy body parts and excretions to manufacture crude epithets is the delight of the uncouth and lower classes everywhere. The bodies and bodily functions of the five major deities are sacrosanct and should not be used for verbal profanity.

Dragons : Ferocious, wild beasts with furnace breath, diamond scales, and razor claws. Tend to see large, armored forces as a territorial threat. Juveniles and adults exhibit different preferences for both dietary and habitat selections. Currently going extinct within the confines of the empire with some assistance from the army.

Dragon Shit: A horrible, nasty epithet because anything that emerges from a dragon's sulfurous, puckering asshole is worse than any shit imaginable.

Great War : The conflict 200 years past between the barbarian tribes and the then newly formed Iron Empire, which either caused or was caused by said formation. Mages were used on both sides. The war ended due to mutual prolonged attrition, leading to the creation of the Northern Territories as an independent client state.

Iron Empire: The empire is a cosmopolitan polity forged by welding five kingdoms behind a single, enterprising nobleman. Technology is the power that greases the imperial machine and keeps society running. Magic is tolerated, but held in suspicion.

Mage : A wizard, a sorcerer, someone with the ability to manipulate and store ethereal energies.

Magic : Ethereal energies, mysterious and dangerous.

Northern Road: The major trade route connecting the central hub of the Iron Empire with the Northern Territories. Merchant caravans travel south to peddle wares while missionaries travel north to peddle religion.

Northern Territories: A loose confederation of barbarian tribes who united behind one goal: death to the invaders. After a brutal stalemate war, the tribes agreed to become a nominal protectorate on the fringes of the empire. Magic is considered a religious calling.

Sign of the White Tower : The act of clasping one's hands and raising the trigger fingers to form an approximation of the White Tower while praying to the five gods. Otherwise known as steepling.

Squashed Beneath the Dragon : What invariably happens the morning after you bleed the dragon. Symptoms include an aversion to light and a splitting headache.

The Five : An abbreviated appellation for the collective five major deities.

White Tower : The palace in the heavens where the five gods and host of demigods watch over the world.