A

Find below an alphabetical list of all the character names, places and objects beginning with the letter A 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.

Acil

A man of Aranar and member of the powerful Hawk Clan. Acil was one of the most senior Clan Knights and a member of Southilar’s entourage on the Quest of Oron Amular. Although proud and proficient in the saddle, out of it Acil had something of a bumbling reputation. See also Southilar and Aranar.

Adhanor

The young King of Hendar, Adhanor had only barely inherited the throne from his late father, King Idunar, before plunging into the Quest of Oron Amular. Aged 43 at the time of his succession, and therefore reckoned a very young man for one of royal blood, Adhanor was stocky, blond-haired and full of self-confidence. Nevertheless he was under the heavy influence and long shadow of his formidable uncles, Dencaril of Nalator and Rumoril of Malator. It was in an attempt to counter this influence that he raised up his young friends and favourites to positions of power. See also Dencaril, Rumoril, Idunar and Hendar.

Aiiyosha

Chieftain of the Snow-elves who dwell in the southern Black Mountains. An elusive and secretive folk, they live a mysterious life and are well adapted to survive at high altitudes. They are friendly to other elven kindreds, but are seldom seen, even by them. They live in perpetual animosity to the Harracks who dwell in nearby Stonad. See also Black Mountains, Snow-elves & Stonad.

Alanai

A large market town in the East-fold of Maristonia, situated astride the Armist Road. It is a major regional hub and centre of commerce, and the closest armist town of any size to the Kalimari border. See also Armist Road.

An armist warrior and member of the Third Cohort of the Royal Guards of Mariston. Aleinus was carefree and light-hearted, a joker who made his comrades smile, but was also recklessly brave when the occasion called for it. See also Royal Guards.

Alkala

A large town and regional capital in southern Kalimar. It is located not far off the Armist Road and the biggest elven settlement close to the Maristonian border. See also Armist Road.

Amthan

A rank within the League of Wizardry, equating to the Third Circle. The Amthaen, or warrior-wizards, were junior mages who had passed their noviciates and were the foot-soldiers and primary agents of Oron Amular. An Amthan could expect to be assigned a more senior wizard to continue his training in the arts of magic, and perhaps one day advance to the rank of Kenapayn in the Second Circle. The Amthaen played a key role in the First and Second Wars of Kurundar and were a regular sight on the battlefield, but few were left by the dawn of the Fourth Chapter. The last of them died in a fateful encounter between Kurundar and Kulothiel in the frozen north, fighting on either side. See also Kenapayn, Kurundar & League of Wizardry.

Amulir

A river which takes its name from Oron Amular and flows down from the ice-packs on the mountain. Meaning ‘Magic Water’, it is a mysterious river which winds through the most secretive parts of Kalimar, right through the enchanted forest of Therenmar before emptying into the Troizon Ocean on the northern coast of Kalimar. See also Kalimar, Therenmar and Troizon Ocean.

Amulira

An Amulira was one of the most senior mages in the League of Wizardry, the greatest and most learned Mage-Lords. They comprised the exalted First Circle, an exclusive small conclave who embodied the pinnacle of magical lore and ability. The Head of the League of Wizardry was generally chosen from among their number, and they in turn were his closest advisors and subalterns. They were never many in number, and usually immortal, for it took more than many lives of men to acquire this degree of learning and skill. See also First Circle & League of Wizardry.

Amuyar

A secret language of power, known only to members of the League of Wizardry, by which a practitioner of magic could communicate with valiroen, the unseen particles that underpin all magic. Junior wizards had only a rudimentary grasp of this language and consequently the scope of their abilities was limited, but the great Mage-Lords were fluent and as such commanded wide and terrifying powers. Lesser mages were more reliant on their staves, which drew power from the Pool of High Magic, but this reliance decreased as their mastery of Amuyar increased. See also League of Wizardry, Pool of High Magic & Valiron.

Andil

An armist warrior and member of the Third Cohort of the Royal Guards of Mariston. Originally from the wine-trading port of Remiton on the Carinen Peninsula, Andil served a short stint with the army in a local garrison before winning a promotion and transfer to the royal bodyguard in the capital. Andil is a skilled archer and knowledgeable about the coast. He is tall, strong and affable, quick to make friends and easy-going in manner. See also Royal Guards.

Anrhus

A man of Ciricen and one of the household warriors of Earl Culdon of Centaur. See also Culdon and Centaur.

Antaya

An armist and member of the Third Cohort of the Royal Guards of Mariston. Antaya accompanied Curillian on the early stages of the Quest of Oron Amular and was known as a devout armist of faith amongst his companions. See also Curillian and Royal Guards.

Anthab the UnDubbed

A man of Aranar and a disgraced former knight. For crimes against his lord, the leader of the Falcon Clan, Anthab was subjected to the ultimate shame for a knight of Aranar: he was undubbed. He lost his status and his spurs and was expelled from the clan, doomed to wander the land as an exile. He was one of many such outlaws in Aranar, wild men forced to live off the land however they could. Anthab eluded the clutches of bounty-hunters in a mercenary career, but unlike many outlawed knights he kept his moral code, if not his honour. He was one of many free-riders coming to Oron Amular, but where others sought only fame and riches, his was a quest for redemption. See also Aranar & Falcon Clan.

Antruphan

An armist architect of high repute, dwelling in Mariston and famous for winning several mysterious building projects in the Carimir, the royal palace. He is one of few living souls to know all about the network of secret passages in the palace. See also Carimir.

Aramist

An armist prince and member of the ruling Harolin dynasty. He was the son of King Mirkan and younger brother of Crown Prince Curillian, but he tragically died young of an illness not long after a traumatic riverine accident. See also Curillian, Harolin and Mirkan.

Aranar

One of the great realms of Astrom, Aranar is a broad country situated in the very heart of the continent. To the north lie Hendar and Ciricen, to the east is Kalimar, to the south is Maristonia and it shares its western border with Ithrill. Although home to thick forests and high mountains, Aranar is most famous for its rolling downs and wide plains, which have made it famous horse-breeding country. It is home to a fervently equine culture, where numerous different clans compete in horsemanship at the Hamid Tournament to elect their ruler, the Jeantar. See also Hamid Tournament & Jeantar.

Aravell

A medium-sized river in central Kalimar, but strategically situated as the southern border of the Avatar heartland, Avarianmar. It is a tributary of the larger River Beurell, which it meets at the south-eastern tip of Avarianmar. Its source is in the foothills of the Black Mountains above the ancient city of Aramar. See also Aramar & Aravell Bridge.

Aravell Bridge

A beautiful and famous bridge by which its namesake river is crossed. This bridge bears the Armist Road into Avarianmar through the latter’s encircling forest, Tol Erest, on its way to the Kalimari capital of Paeyeir. See also Aravell and Paeyeir.

Ardir

A mysterious personage who represents Prélan, the elven God. Elven religious opinion is hotly divided between those who believe that Ardir is just an angelic spirit and those who believe he is actually Prélan incarnate. See also Prélan.

Arimaya

A famous Harolin king, father of Mirkan and grandfather of Curillian. He was the first wielder of the Sword of Maristonia and a famous warrior. It is from him, and not his father, that Curillian inherits his wanderlust and love of questing, for Arimaya was famous for his diverse deeds abroad. Of most renown was the Quest of Kalator where he was instrumental in slaying the dragon Baranzar who had laid waste the Hendarian capital, though tragically he died on the return journey, thrown from his horse. See also Mirkan, Curillian and Sword of Maristonia.

Arket

A prosperous and fortified market-town in eastern Maristonia. After Markest and Aldia it is the third largest town in the East-fold and a centre of the important local grain trade. See also Armist Road and Aldia.

Armanor

A distant ancestor of Curillian, the first Faladir, that is, Lord of Armists, and the first progenitor of the Harolin dynasty. See also Harolin & Curillian.

Armist

A hardy mountain race originally from the foothills of the Carthaki Mountains. Fostered and taught by the elves, they moved into the lowlands and slowly spread across Maristonia, which in the passing of time became their own kingdom. They are a species apart, sharing some features with their elven and mortal neighbours but being quite unlike them in others. As a rule they are short and stickily-built, are adaptable and persevere well in difficult tasks. They have a reputation for valour and stubbornness. See also Carthaki Mountains & Maristonia.

Armist Road

A long and important road linking Maristonia and Kalimar, so called because it led ancient elvish traders to where the armists dwelt. Nominally it starts in Mariston itself, but the most famous stretch is beyond Delarom Pass where it navigates the entire breadth of the East-fold through to the elven border. Many prosperous market-towns are located along its course, including Arket and Aldia. The road carries on into Kalimar itself, as far as Paeyeir, but there it is known by other names. See also Aldia, Arket and Kalimar.

Arton

A city in central Maristonia, perched in the foothills of the Carthaki Mountains. It is the ancestral home of the armists, lying close to where they first awoke in the mountains long ago. Although since surpassed by the capital Maristonia further south in the lowlands, it remains an important city, a centre of pilgrimage and upland trade. Its duke is the seniormost magnate in the realm, second only to the king. See also Cardanor, Carthaki Mountains.

Arvarion

An elf and prince of Kalimar. Arvarion was of the Avatar kindred and the royal house, being the fourth son of Arvaya and thus one of the great grandsons of Avatar himself. Although initially overshadowed by his older brothers, Arvarion shot to fame by leading an ambitious expedition southward in the later First Chapter. This expedition led to the foundation of the realm of Alanmar (future Maristonia), with Arvarion as its first king. Arvarion ruled over this realm in peace for thousands of years before his growing animosity with the dwarves helped lead to the ruinous Carthaki Wars. Arvarion was slain near the end of that conflict, and being childless and his people demoralised, the crown passed to the armist Harolin dynasty. See also Maristonia, Harolin and Carthaki Wars.

Astacar

An elf of Ithrill and one of the three ambassadors sent by King Lancearon to the Tournament of Oron Amular along with Elrinde and Linvion. Astacar is a fearsome warrior but also a trusted courtier of Lancearon and one of his closest advisors. See also Elrinde, Lancearon & Linvion.

Astrom

The great continent in which Oron Amular is set. Roughly diamond-shaped, it runs over 4,000 miles in length north-to-south from the frozen wastes of Urunmar to the burning deserts of Lurallan, and over 1,700 miles from the Golden Finger of Kalimar in the east to the rocky capes of Ithrill in the west. It is home to elves, humans, armists, dwarves and many fell races and beasts. It has been fought over all of its long history and the tides of time have shaped many realms and cultures across its mountains, forests, plains and coasts.

Atellia

A red-haired serving girl in the palace of the Duke of Welton. A talented masseuse, she is an acquaintance of Sir Lancoir from his previous visits to the city. See also Welton and Lancoir.

Athrick

A man of Hendar serving as squire to King Adhanor. Little more than a boy, Athrick comes from a noble house and accompanied the new young king to Oron Amular, serving as his personal attendant and armour-bearer. See also Adhanor & Hendar.

Avamar

A prosperous lowland region of Kalimar, lying in the south of the country near Tol Ankil and the Maristonian border. The Armist Road runs through Avamar between Aldia and Paeyeir. See also Kalimar, Tol Ankil and Armist Road.

Avalar

An Avatar prince and erstwhile High King of Kalimar. Avalar was the sixth and youngest son of King Arvaya, and thus a great grandson of Avatar himself, the Elder King. When all his brothers perished in the Carthaki Wars, Avalar unexpectedly ascended to the throne of Kalimar. His death in an inauspicious ambush in the White Hills in the Third Chapter was a catastrophe for the Free Peoples. His son, Avallonë, succeeded him as High King, and his grandson, Lithan, is High King at the time of Oron Amular. See also Avallonë, Lithan, Avatar, Arvaya and Carthaki Wars.

Avallonë

An Avatar prince and former High King of Kalimar. From the ruling house of Avatar, Avallonë took up the rulership after the assassination of his father, Avalar, and reigned until the Second War of Kurundar, when he died defending the city of Aramar from a host of enemies. The vacant throne was left to his son, Lithan. See also Avalar, Avatar and Lithan.

Avarianmar

A region of Kalimar in which is situated the capital city, Paeyeir. Avarianmar is all the hill of Arasanfell within the tree-line of Tol-Erest, a wide and beautiful region in the heartland of Kalimar. As well as the capital city it is also home to several other lesser Avatar settlements. Key roads run through Avarianmar – it is the terminus of the Armist Road coming from the south and also the start of the Forest Road going north into Therenmar. See also Paeyeir, Kalimar and Armist Road.

Avarone

An elf and royal prince of the Avatar dynasty. Avarone is one of the oldest living elves, the son and heir of Avatar, the Elder King. He earned his reputation as a warrior and a mage-lord in the Great Wars of the ancient world, but when the crown came to him, it was not long before he too chose to abdicate and pass it to another. Leaving the High Kingship in the hands of his son, Arvaya, Avarone retired to the Inner Isles, ruling the Sphoran Isles from his citadel at Avanator. Lithan, the current High King of the elves, is his great-great-grandson. See also Avatar, Great Wars & Lithan.

Avatar

The first and eldest elf, the original king of the Avatar kindred and High King of Kalimar. With his spouse, Mírianna, Avatar was the first elf to awaken on Astrom, right back at the beginning of the First Chapter. Until the culmination of the Great Wars he ruled his people and then removed to the Inner Isles, leaving the kingship to his son, Avarone.

Avatar is also the eponymous name given to the kindred related to and ruled by Avatar. Also known as the High Elves, the Avatar are the most senior of the elven kindreds, and also the most populous and worldly. They are great scholars, warriors and craftsmen, preferring to live in cities or in the open country. See also Kalimar, Mírianna, Aramar and Avarone.