Loar Standard

Loar Standard is the common language spoken by all who live in the Islands. While many kinds keep their own languages and dialects, they are rarely used outside of the home. Loar Standard is believed to be the language humans used before the Sundering. It's capacity to incorporate new words, especially from already existing languages, made it the perfect language for communication in the years following the great cataclysm. It has since supplanted the normal use of every other language except those used by wizards, elemancers, and monks.

Unfamiliar Terms - Definitions
ARC (Atmosphere Resonance Crystal) – A fancy name for the crystal shaped by geomancers to help aeromancers generate and maintain atmosphere for the Islands. The resonance portion of the name comes from the fact that the crystals set up an arcane harmonic resonance wave within itself from the aeromancer spells and amplifies the magic. The ARC is used in a ceremony called “the Ritual of Breath” once a week

A.S. (After Sundering) – calendar referenced only by scholars in Loar as there is much dispute about its accuracy. Contains the entire Historical Era (H.E.) and the just over three hundred years before it all the way back to the Sundering. This three hundred year period is where many of the major events in Loar’s history took place including the War of Wind and Fire, the construction of the pulons, and both Optrinicus and Lower Atalicon disappeared. The scant few records left from before the Sundering are labeled as B.S. (Before Sundering) and are only available to less than ten people in all of Loar.

Coftea – drink mixed by boiling water and stirring in dried leaves

Evangiel – an ancient race of winged humanoids from legend. They battled for the deity Amats’el against evil. Though very few in number, they were said to be so fierce in battle that their arrival to fight for a particular side heralded victory for that side.

Fall of Camedon – a popular tragedy told by bards about the death of a mighty armoragon named Camedon

guitolin – small stringed instrument usually made of whatever is at hand

gwyitar - (pronounced gwee' - it - ar): large stringed instrument made mostly of wood. It has a hollow center for better acoustics.

H.E. (Historical Era) – for the first few centuries after the Sundering, sentient beings did not have the wherewithal to keep historical records. Once things stabilized enough, the monks began keeping meticulous public records of events. This is called the Historical Era and is the common calendar used throughout Loar. The other timeline only used by scholars is the A.S. (After Sundering) timeline.

Incarnate – a state of power highly sought by all types of elemental sorcerers. The Incarnate state transitions the sorcerers physical body from mortal to pure elemental allowing greater control and freedom over their element. It also slows aging to an almost imperceptible level. Very few sorcerers ever reach this level of power, especially in recent centuries. Those that have done so have been greatly respected in Loar

kitatica – tinikean word for saliva and gift, though it also refers to art as a verb and noun

kradok – strategy board game made for a minimum of three players but can have up to six

loarin – the fiat monetary unit in Loar. Originally the loarin was worth one arguril (silver), but with all fiat money systems, the value has deflated somewhat since its inception nearly twenty years prior to present time

Maelstrom War – ancient name for the War of Wind and Fire

mindfog – general term used by clansmen for spells and magical abilities used to cloud the mind during combat

Ritual of Breath – ritual performed by aeromancers of the Council of Wind on their respective Islands in conjunction with an ARC to renew the atmosphere of that Island Rite of Noe – ancient name for the Ritual of Breath

Sanitorium, The – a prison on Xamador that is magically enchanted and able to hold even the most powerful of magical criminals

Tan-Akkabiysh – his name means “dragon spider” in the Lashown Chartom; he dwells in the temple of Cedijok on the Theosian Peninsula on Bethairia in the central chamber of the first floor.

Theosian Peninsula – jutting out from Bethairia is a spur of land that contains temples to all nine of the pre-Sundering gods. The temples are all highly magical, retaining the largest remnants of the god’s power left in Loar. Most of the temples are said to be bigger inside than out and fantastic tales have trickled down through the ages of things found there. The Peninsula is said to be guarded by a deadly guardian. Though other temples exist throughout Loar to most of the gods, those on the Peninsula are said to be the most holy and magical.

Units of Measurement –

Distance (ancient):

Distance (modern): Time:
 * five etzba’(fingers) = 1 tefach (palm)
 * four tefach = 1 amah (cubit)
 * three amah = 1 ell
 * one thousand ell = 1 kilias
 * The modern system in Loar is akin to the modern English system (inches, foot, cubit, mile) and translated so in the novels
 * 50 seconds = 1 minute
 * 50 minutes = 1 hour
 * 26 hours = 1 day
 * 30 days = 1 month
 * 14 months = 1 year

Veil of Niaaca – a magical shroud surrounding Loar to prevent magical transportation onto Loar from other worlds or planes of existence as well as off of Loar to the same. The Veil was the last gift of the goddess Niaaca, hence its name

Void – emptiness, space, the limitless expanse beyond the edge of the Islands and in which the Islands hang

Voidwrought – terms used for ‘undead’ on Maarathgaal; encompasses skeletons, zombies, vampyres, and other similar creatures, but does not necessarily include the Voidmancers who create and control the voidwrought

World Shards – when the world was Sundered, the elemental sorcerers channeled vast quantities of magic to preserve the Islands. One of the side effects of this great volume of magical energy was the formation of numerous crystalline caches of raw magical energy. Each shard formed has the ability to enhance the power of one kind of elemental magic: hydroshards, aeroshards, geoshards, and pyroshards. (A number of shards have been found that have no known use and no elemental sorcerer has been able to tap into them or understand what kind of magic formed them. They are categorized as void shards because they are as useless as the Void)

Whisperwane - actually a corrupted form of magic using the common language of Loar. It is a command word used to activate a wand of whisper de-summoning called a Whisper Rod.