All Pathfinder Tales novels are set in the rich and vibrant world of the Pathfinder campaign setting. Below are explanations of several key terms used in this book. For more information on the world of Golarion and the strange monsters, people, and deities that make it their home, see The Inner Sea World Guide, or dive into the game and begin playing your own adventures with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook or the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box, all available at paizo.com.
Absalom: Largest city in the Inner Sea region, located on the Isle of Kortos in the middle of the Inner Sea.
Alamein Peninsula: Coastal region in northern Osirion.
Almas: Capital city of Andoran.
Andoran: Democratic and freedom-loving nation. Formerly controlled by the Chelish Empire, and before that by the Taldan Empire.
Andoren: Of or pertaining to Andoran; someone from Andoran.
Arch of Aroden: Enormous viaduct that once connected the continents of Avistan and Garund across the Hespereth Strait. Currently broken.
Aroden: The god of humanity, who died mysteriously a hundred years ago.
Asmodeus: Devil-god of tyranny, slavery, pride, and contracts; lord of Hell and current patron deity of Cheliax.
Augustana: Port city in Andoran known for its shipyards.
Avistan: The continent north of the Inner Sea, on which Cheliax, Andoran, and many other nations lie.
Azir: Port capital of Rahadoum, an atheistic nation south of the Inner Sea.
Bretheda: Gas giant planet in Golarion’s solar system.
Brevoy: Frigid northern nation famous for its duelists.
Calistria: Also known as the Savored Sting; the goddess of trickery, lust, and revenge.
Castrovel: Lush, inhabited planet in Golarion’s solar system.
Cecaelia: Aquatic monsters with the upper bodies of humans and the lower bodies of octopuses.
Charybdis: Massive sea monster that can create its own whirlpools.
Cheliax: Powerful, devil-worshiping nation north of the Inner Sea.
Chelish: Of or relating to the nation of Cheliax.
Cleric: A religious spellcaster whose magical powers are granted by his or her god.
Coast of Graves: Treacherous stretch of coast north of Osirion.
Corentyn: Port city located at Cheliax’s southernmost point, from which the nation can restrict passage between the Inner Sea and the Arcadian Ocean.
Cosmic Caravan: Series of constellations important to astrologers.
Cynosure: Golarion’s pole star, believed to be a residence of Desna.
Desna: Good-natured goddess of dreams, stars, travelers, and luck.
Devils: Fiendish occupants of Hell who seek to corrupt mortals in order to claim their souls.
Djedefar: Stepped tower on the Osirian coast, home to a community of Irori-worshiping monks.
Drowning Devils: Four-eyed, serpentine devils usually devoted to guarding Hell’s waterways.
Dryads: Fey creatures that resemble human women and bond with trees.
Dwarves: Short, stocky humanoids who excel at physical labor, mining, and craftsmanship.
Egorian: Capital of Cheliax.
Elves: Long-lived, beautiful humanoids identifiable by pointed ears, lithe bodies, and pupils so large their eyes appear to be one color.
Familiar: Small creature that assists a wizard, witch, or sorcerer, often developing greater powers and intelligence than normal members of its kind.
Fey: Creatures deeply tied to the natural world, such as dryads or pixies.
Fiends: Creatures native to the evil planes of the multiverse, such as demons, devils, and daemons, among others.
Garund: Continent south of the Inner Sea, renowned for its deserts and jungles.
Gillmen: Race of amphibious humanoids descended from an empire that sank into the sea.
Gnomes: Small humanoids related to the fey, with strange mindsets, big eyes, and often wildly colored hair.
Golarion: The planet on which the Pathfinder campaign setting focuses.
Gozreh: God of nature, the sea, and weather. Depicted as a dual deity, with both male and female aspects.
Gray Corsairs: Naval division of the Steel Falcons, a branch of the Andoren military organization known as the Eagle Knights, primarily focused on combating slavery.
Half-Elves: Children of unions between elves and humans. Taller, longer-lived, and generally more graceful and attractive than the average human, yet not nearly so much so as their elven kin. Often regarded as having the best qualities of both races, yet still see a certain amount of prejudice, particularly from their pure elven relations.
Half-Orcs: Children of unions between humans and orcs, usually distinguished by green or gray skin, brutish appearances, and short tempers. Mistrusted and mistreated in many societies.
Halflings: Race of humanoids known for their tiny stature, deft hands, and mischievous personalities.
Hell: Plane of evil and tyrannical order ruled by devils, where many evil souls go after they die.
Hor-Aha: Lighthouse on the northern coast of Osirion.
Imps: Relatively weak devils resembling tiny, winged humanoids with fiendish features. The most commonly found devils on the Material Plane. Often used as familiars.
Inner Sea: The vast inland sea whose northern continent, Avistan, and southern continent, Garund, as well as the seas and nearby lands, are the primary focus of the Pathfinder campaign setting.
Irori: God of history, knowledge, self-perfection, and enlightenment. Popular with monks.
Katapesh: Mighty trade nation south of the Inner Sea. Also the name of its capital city.
Kellids: Nomadic human ethnicity from the northern reaches of the Inner Sea region, traditionally viewed as violent and uncivilized by southern cultures.
Kortos: Island upon which Absalom is located.
Lunar Nagas: Race of nagas obsessed with the stars and astrology.
Nagas: Intelligent, magical creatures with the heads of humans and the bodies of snakes.
Ogres: Hulking, brutal, and half-witted humanoid monsters with violent tendencies, repulsive lusts, and an enormous capacity for cruelty.
Okeno: Island port city controlled by Katapesh; major hub of the slave trade in the Inner Sea region.
Orcs: Race of aggressive humanoids from deep underground who now roam the surface in barbaric bands, recognized by their green or gray skin, protruding tusks, and warlike tendencies. Almost universally hated and feared by other humanoids.
Osirian: Of or relating to the region of Osirion, or a resident of Osirion.
Osirion: Ancient nation south of the Inner Sea renowned for its deserts, pharaohs, and pyramids.
Ostenso: Port city in Cheliax.
Pesh: Narcotic drug made from a type of cactus.
Qadira: Desert nation on the eastern side of the Inner Sea.
Scarab (currency): Gold coin from Katapesh.
Sail (currency): Gold coin from Andoran.
Scroll: Magical document in which a spell is recorded so that it can be released when read, even if the reader doesn’t know how to cast that spell. Destroyed as part of the casting process.
Sorcerer: Someone who casts spells through natural ability rather than faith or study.
Squib: To refit a ship for the purposes of disguising it.
Taldan: Of or pertaining to Taldor; a citizen of Taldor.
Taldane: The common trade language of Golarion’s Inner Sea region.
Thuvia: Desert nation on the Inner Sea, famous for the production of a magical elixir which grants immortality.
Twilight Talons: Top-secret espionage division of Andoran’s Eagle Knights, thought by many to be merely a legend.
Verces: Rocky, inhabited planet in Golarion’s solar system.
Witch: Spellcaster who draws magic from a pact made with an otherworldly power, using a familiar as a conduit.
Wizard: Someone who casts spells through careful study and rigorous scientific methods rather than faith or innate talent, recording the necessary incantations in a spellbook.