D

Find below an alphabetical list of all the character names, places and objects beginning with the letter D in the World of Astrom. I shall add to this list as more of my works are published. If an entry is missing, leave a comment below and I shall fill it when I can.

Dácariel

Elven queen of Tol Ankil. Her name means ‘night-wing’, on account of the fact that her most common shapeshifting is into dark-feathered birds. She is the daughter of Carion and the niece of Carea, and shares some of her aunt’s warlike spirit and adventurousness, though she prefers to guard her borders rather than venture abroad. See also Tol Ankil, Carion & Carea.

Dagger’s Cove

A great swathe of water separating the provinces of eastern Maristonia from the rest of the country. It is a coastal arm of the Troizon Ocean; it’s western shores lap against Carinen Peninsula and its eastern side touches both Phirmar and Swordhilt Peninsula. A Maristonian ferry runs across it from Laston to Phirmar but the southern parts of the cove are contested between the Maristonia fleet and marauding corsairs. See also Phirmar, Laston, Carinen Peninsula & Corsairs.

Deàreg

A man of Aranar and a member of the Falcon Clan. He holds the rank of Clan Knight and hails from the south-eastern corner of Aranar. He is one of a number of representatives from other clans who accompany the Pegasus Jeantar Southilar II on the Quest of Oron Amular. See also Falcon Clan, Jeantar & Southilar.

Deep-elves

Formally known as the Irynthai, the deep-elves are so called because of their love of mining and willingness to spend large amounts of time underground. The deep-elves are among the finest smiths and craftsmen in Elvendom, hard-working, single-mindedly but less cheerful than the other kindreds. They share many passions with the dwarves, but they encountered each other rarely. See also Elvendom.

Delarom Pass

Delarom Pass is a narrow gap at the eastern end of the Carthaki Mountains where the Armist Road can pierce the great mountain range and allow passage between the Central Lands and the East-fold of Maristonia. It is a very strategic point for Maristonia, the focus of its eastern defences, and as such it is heavily fortified with multiple ramparts, watch-towers and a full legion permanently in garrison. See also Carthaki Mountains, Central Lands and East-fold.

Demon-slayers

A semi-legendary order of dwarves who were specially trained to destroy demons. It is the most exalted of several such orders, each of which focuses on a particular type of enemy. Other orders include Troll-slayers, Giant-slayers and Dragon-slayers. These orders are more like cults in dwarvish society, utterly focused on their given goal and completely detached from normal life. They have gruelling training and strange rituals. The orders performed most of their work in the secret confines beneath the Carthaki Mountains, and only very rarely were they witnessed above ground by others. See also Carthak.

Dencaril

A nobleman and great lord of Hendar, Dencaril is Duke of Nalator and uncle to the young King Adhanor. With his equally powerful brother, Rumoril, Duke of Malator, Dencaril dominated the reign of their elder but weaker-willed brother King Idunar, and seeks to impose himself no less on his nephew. Dencaril is austere, saturnine and aloof, a menacing and coldly-calculating figure who rules through fear and a formidable intelligence network. See also Adhanor, Idunar, Nalator and Rumoril.

Doorkeeper

An important office in the Carimir Palace in Mariston, charged with overseeing all comings and goings. With the help of the Royal Guards, the Doorkeeper maintains the defence of the palace’s entrances, and he also has authority to admit or deny visitors on his own authority. Only visitors bearing one of the Doorkeeper’s seal may move freely within the palace, and even then they will not be allowed to access the more private or sensitive areas. The Doorkeeper reports to the Captain of the Royal Guards, along with the officers responsible for security within the palace. See also Carimir & Royal Guards.

Dorzand

A vast upland area of wilderness in eastern Astrom between Aranar and Kalimar. The wide, rolling plains of Aranar end abruptly in the Dorzand Wall, a huge cliff system that runs hundreds of miles in a gigantic curve from the mountainous gates of Ciricen in the north to the foothills of the Black Mountains in the east. These cliffs mark the start of a huge plateau that runs all the way to the Kalimari border. Atop this plateau are barren plains, moors, tablelands, fells and haunted hills. Always a no-man’s land between the great nations all around, Dorzand’s inhospitable expanses have been peopled by a mix of goblins, hill-men and bold tribes of men who fight amongst themselves and live in perpetual hostility with the civilisations to west and east. See also Aranar and Kalimar.

Dubarnik

An armist of humble origins, Dubarnik dwelt in the foothills of the Carthaki Mountains in the upper Tribune Valley. A gifted conjuror, Dubarnik tried to find various ways of putting his unusual skills to good use, little knowing that a far greater gifting was bestowed on his son Roujeark. Dubarnik was murdered by neighbouring villagers after a tragic accident in which some children died as a result of Dubarnik’s experiments with the river. See also Roujeark and Tribune.

Duke of Welton

A noble office in Maristonia, the Duke of Welton is one of the greatest magnates of the realm. Based in the ducal palace in the city of Welton, the duke has authority over the entire East-fold as a viceroy of the king. Depending on the character of both the duke and the king, some dukes hold firm sway over the entire territory and some content themselves simply with affairs in the Phirmar. The Duke of Welton is often a relative of the ruling Harolin dynasty, as was the case for Duke Illyir, the duke at the time of Oron Amular, for he was a cousin of King Curillian. See also Welton, Phirmar, East-fold & Illyir.

Dwarves

Like the armists, the dwarves are children of the mountains and they awoke in the Carthaki Mountains at around the same time as the armists. But whereas the armists were befriended and tutored by the elves, becoming like them in their worldview and habits, the dwarves were set apart by long isolation in a remote part of Astrom. They had a different temperament, more secretive, more industrious, and preferring to live underground in excavated halls and caverns. With time they also built an overground civilisation and dwelt side by side with the elven kingdom of Alanmar. In this time of peace they sent forth colonists and delved halls in many of the far-flung mountains of Astrom, from which came many different breeds of their race, some noble and some less so. After the ruinous Carthaki Wars they shut themselves underground and forsook the outside world. For long centuries they were not heard from at all, but later on they did venture forth to participate in the great events of the world. The dwarves are short, rarely exceeding five feet, but incredibly strong. They are excellent craftsmen and ingenious artisans, working wonders in stone, wood, metal and minerals of all kinds. They are fearless tunnelers, hardy mountaineers and terrifying warriors who carry axes and mattocks into battle. They do not share the elven view of Prélan, but have their own conception of the divine and their own law-codes to govern their affairs. See also Armists, Carthak & Carthaki Wars.