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                        overall
   Humans                  575,000
   Orcs                     15,000
   Half-Orcs                80,000
   Dark Elves                7,000
   Trolls                  unknown, probably 10,000 to 30,000

(city and major town populations will be added later)


Author
Categories South Hemisphere

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I got many of these terms from one book and modified the meanings to fit my game world. The rest are from my understanding of the books. The definitions of terms I have in this glossary may vary from my interpretation of the same terms.

The name of the book is: ‘The Castle Explorer’s Guide’ by Frank Bottomley published by Avenel Books.

True, its a castle guide. But the first 200 pages is a castle parts dictionary, with illustrations. I found it to be very useful. The castle guide part is a short paragraph on each castle listed taking up the last 50 pages.


Author
Categories Crest of a Star, glossary

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  1. Allure: The wall walk along the top of the curtain (qv) to aid in its defense. Access to the rampart walk could be by wooden or stone stair parallel to the wall. Access via the towers is also possible. It is unknown when the allure first came into use; however, Carden the Sage believes it has been in use for over 1,000 years.

  2. Arrow: of different designs according to their purpose. Long bow war arrows are of two lengths: flight arrows ( 37 inches) for high trajectory long-range fire; sturdier sheaf arrows ( 27 inches) for close-range pircing of mail armour and plate armour. The arrow shafts are made of ash and their fletchings of goose feathers.

  3. Astral: about or within the Astral Plane

  1. Bailey: A word meaning “palisaded enlosure”. Apparently first applied to the defended area of a summit of a motte (qv). later; Age 11 Year 5; used of the enclosure of a castle which gave additional space beyond that of the inner strongpoint, i.e. motte, mound, keep. Some baileys are so small as to be really an additional protection to the staircase of the mound e.g. keyhole plan. Larger ones defended the cattle and horses and later; Age 11 Year 100; provided additional accomidation for the lord and garrison, e.g. hall, kitchen, chapel, and workshops. More elaborate castles had outer and inner baileys; Age 11 Year 127; and large baileys were sometimes interrupted by a cross-wall whose purpose was to block the free circulation of troops who had invaded the area.

    The bailey could take a variety of shapes of which the most popular was a circle or oval. This was easier to lay out than a rectangular shape and obviated the problem of accumulated earth from the corners of the ditches. The ‘kidney’ shape is probably the most common form of bailey.

  2. Ballista: Artillary engine in the form of a very large bow which discharges heavy spears. First used by dwarves in Age 9 c. year 200. It fires a huge spear out to 320 yards.

  3. Barbican: exterior defence protecting an entrance. Besides increasing protection at this necessary weak point, they could shelter a large group of fighters who need to cover a retreat or make a quick assault or sortie outside the walls. The barbican also confined attackers producing a larger target and making it more difficult to bring all forces to bear on the defenders. This marks a shift from the castle to the curtain wall. This also could confuse an enemy, as did the prehistoric; Age 7 (?); earthwork entrances.

    Originally, they consisted of a simple wood palisade (qv); Age 4; or an earthwork and were usually circular or semi-circular. Some were larger or smaller portions of a circle. Usually depending on local or construction necessity. Later they were made of masonry and became a mostly rectangular form: Age 11 year 45.

  4. Bartizan (Crow’s Nest, castle version): Small turret or lookout point corbolled out at an angle on a tower or part of the curtain wall. These are the stone version of a wooden hoarding on a curtain wall.

  5. Battlement: One of the distinguishing features of a castle, i.e. a fortified residence. A license to crenel (qv) is required in many countries, especially the feudalistic nations. The first curtain walls; Age 11 Year 5; were not crennallated.

  6. Bolt: A short arrow fired from a crossbow. The head of varied which according to purpose: warfare, practice, bird-shooting, or game hunting. Battle bolts are of seasoned hardwood about 1/2 inch to one inch in diameter. At a fair range these sharply pointed bolts could pierce most armor except perhaps when striking a glancing blow on a curved surface. To obviate this weakness the quarrel (qv) was devised.

  7. Buttery: ‘Butter’ presided over by the ‘Bottler’. A small room between kitchen and hall. Where beer and wine is distributed to the diners during meals.

  8. Buttress: Thickening of a wall for strength and support, usually tapering towards the top. Also an additional strip of masonry to give additional strength and support. Sometimes clasping buttresses at the corner of great keeps are of such dimensions as to be able to house spiral staircases.


  • Campaign: general term refering to one referee’s adventures as a whole rather than indivudually. An on going series of games based upon a created millieu (qv).

  • Castle: A term applied to the fortified houses which developed in Age 9, year c. 300. The word ‘castle’ originally applied to the enclosure while the motte (qv) within it was applied to the ‘tower’.

  • Charm: a magical form of minor mind control.

  • Chivalry: The institute of knighthood, i.e. the qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, and honesty.

  • City-state: A country (state) comprised of an autonomous city and its surrounding territories.

  • Code of Chivalry: A code of conduct and rules. ( I’ll type up my campaign’s list of these later. )

  • Crestar: The name of my campaign planet, ‘Crest of a Star’, not a parallel Earth.

  • Crenel: The embrasure in a parapet between merlons (qv). To ‘crenelate’ means ‘to fortify’. A license is required before a residence can legally be crenellated.

  • Curtain ( wall): A stretch of wall between two towers, but often used of the whole wall including the towers. The cross-curtain divided the bailey (qv) into two wards.
  • Author
    Categories Crest of a Star, glossary

    Posted

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    1. Damage: The number of hit points inflicted on a person or structural damage points done to a structure.

    2. Ditch: Even the early palisades; Age 4(?); had a ditch around them. A ditch can be as much as 60 feet across and vary in shape from a sharp V to a more rounded U. Outworks (qv) of thorn-walls, or other obstacles, usually protected them.


    3. Earthworks: ( see also Motte and Ditch): The first “castles” basically relied for defense on mound (motte), ditches, and dirt ramparts. A low mound was used for a residence castle, while a motte was used for a garrison fortress or seige-castle.

    4. e.g. for example

    5. Erg: a sea of sand. The Great Erg and ‘the small erg’ are two on this game world.


    6. folowers: a loyal group of associates garnered by a character at a certain level, usually nineth.

    7. Fumble (house rule): Rolling a Natural 1 (qv) or a Natural 2 (qv), depending on the character’s level. ( Fumble procedure added later on ‘house rules’ page.)



    Author
    Categories Crest of a Star, glossary

    Posted

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    1. Gate: The main entrance gate to a castle usually had two leaves, with a wicket in one, closed by locks and bars which slid into slots. The gate is made of oak planks with thick cross-braces behind external planking to prevent axes from splitting the timber.

    2. ‘Gate’: A magical transport/teleport device that can send a character to anywhere/anytime. Some are trapped or are traps. Many sages and adventurers believe that The Little old man in Gray (qv) uses ‘gates’ to take adventurers he hires to the many places that could not possibly be in Crestar(qv).

    3. Gatehouse: As the entrance was the weakest part of a castle, its strengthening was a first priority and probably the first built in stone, date unknown; probably before Age 9. The word ‘gatehouse’ extends to a complex system of fortification which can include bridges, gates, barriers, and the defensive walls and towers which cover the entrance. many different versions and styles exist.

    4. Green Guild: A group of green-clad messengers. They take honest, truthful messages only. They deal harshly with anyone that falsely wears the clothing of the guild or has them carry messages that turn out to be lies. The first recorded instance of a Green Guild messenger is Age 10 c. year 500. They travel any distance, anywhere. Their base fee is 1,000 gold pieces, but they guarantee delivery. Many intelligent monsters will not stop a member of this guild from delivering a message. Ocean voyages add a base 1,000 gold pieces to the costs. (Note: I got this idea from a trilogy of books about the Towers of Tornor.)

    5. Helmets:
      my campaign names:  AC:  visual type:                       Earth history type:
        Arnan helm         4     conical metal                      Norman type
        Bartan helm        4     conical metal with nose guard      Norman type
        Celtan helm        3     helm with cheek pieces             Roman Legion
        Dartan helm        2     helm, enclosed                     Middle Ages Great helm
        Ertan              5     iron or leather cap                plain iron or leather cap
      

      Ertan first came about, probably, in Age 5, year and artisan unknown.

      Arnan probably Age 5 as well.

      Bartan probably Age 5.

      Celtan, named after its maker Chago Celtran. He lived sometime in Age 7.

      Dartan, named by its maker John Shoethumper. He lived in Age 9, and developed the habit of thumping shoes and feet during battle with his mace.

      Some Bartan helms have added cheek pieces.

      A nose guard with wire cage, or nose guard, was added to some Celtan helms in Age 10, Year 127 by armorer Yalno Tak-Nok.

      Drawn using CC3’s Character Artist.

    6. Henchman: A low-level non-player character whose loyalty is to one member of the party rather than the party itself..

    7. Hireling: A non-player character hired to accompany a party on an adventure, or employed for some purpose.

    8. i.e.: That is

    9. Inches: game scale of 10 feet on the indoor (dungeon) scale, and 10 yards on the outdoor scale, range only. For area of affect, it means feet.

    10. Identify: In my campaign the spell Identify doesn’t use a gold fish, and it only gives approximate pluses of a magic item. Few is +1 or +2; several is +3 or +4; many is +5 or +6. Most of the +6 items are Unique. Broken or gone, they are gone forever.



    Author
    Categories Crest of a Star, glossary


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