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Fantasy Dictionar
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Fantasy Dictionar
Fantasy Dictionary
Writing a fantasy story often involves world-building: creating the setting in which your story takes place. Physical location is an important part of this phase—the house, cavern, mountain, forest, town, ship, island, or any other space your characters inhabit. But it is more than just a place. Building a world may mean thinking about the history, art, music, language, clothing, and customs of the story’s people—how they earn a living, what they do on holidays, and what everyday objects they use.
Of course a writer can’t design every aspect of a culture. If you did that, you’d never get around to writing the story! But here is the key: you want to think carefully enough about these things so that the reader believes your fantasy world goes on beyond the edges of your story. You want this imaginary world to feel real. And you do that with some well-placed, clear, creative details.
So let’s do some world-building! Please come up with objects, places, words ... any ideas for a fantasy story’s world. Tools, animals, types of clothing, dwellings—any of these and more may become necessary elements in our story! You may suggest as many as you like, or even post a strange word and let others suggest meanings. If you want, you can also write a sentence using the word or describing the fantasy place. Here are two examples:
haloris – a lantern that gives off both light and a pleasant scent. It is used by people who live near the swamps to counter the odors of mud and decay.
“Quill’s boots sank into the moss, deeper at each step, and ahead she could see a swamp, moonbeams glittering on pools that lapped around the tree roots. Catching the stench of stagnant water, she pulled the haloris lamp from her pack and set it alight.”
gnawk – a large, black bird with a raucous cry and uneven feathers that always look ruffled and untidy. Gnawks have a fondness for pecking and chewing on rope, and they are notorious for setting free dogs and farm animals tied with ropes. They unmoor boats tied to docks, and have been known to free certain fortunate prisoners.
Can you see how story ideas practically ooze from your Fantasy Dictionary, once you get your imagination going?
submitted by Fred Durbin
(April 23, 2014 - 10:11 am)
(April 23, 2014 - 10:11 am)
Here are my ideas:
Zalton -- a giant tree that reaches out and seizes animals from up to 20 ft away. It then throws its victim up to 10 km away!
Albonite -- a 5-inch-high robot that is equipped with giant claws, which can cut through an iron wall or slice a zalton in up to 300 1 in slices! It can retract the claws and if you hit its stomach with a steel rod, it will expand, open a drawer in its stomach and gold will be there! Take out the gold you want, take the rod, hit the drawer, and it shuts!
(May 14, 2014 - 3:52 pm)
This sounds really cool!
niburd: something very creative and imaginative
sequinis: a potion that makes things sparkly!
acuis: a device that can detect lies, thieves, and mischief. Used by guards to detect escapers.
(May 15, 2014 - 11:49 pm)
The acuis sounds really cool! What would it look like?
(July 8, 2014 - 7:49 pm)
Toshto - Popular cuisine with dragons. It is a stew that consists of meat (usually rabbit), carrots, and a bittersweet-tasting broth. Similar human word: Stew / beef stew
Closmir - The mythical deity that created all the dragons in the world. Also known as The Great Dragon or The Great One. Similar human word: God
Soclam - An evil society of dragon priests that worships Guttron, which is basically the complete opposite of Closmir. Similar human word: (can't think of one)
Gutton - A demented, heartless dragon with a twisted mind. He created all of the evil in the world, including all the dragons who do bad deeds on a daily basis. Similar human word: any evil deity (not going to get into a religious debate here)
I can only think of those right now.
I got waaaaaaaaaaay too religious with this didn't I?
ah, who cares?
(May 16, 2014 - 6:40 am)
(shiver)
I'd hate to be caught by Gutton.
(September 14, 2014 - 1:11 pm)
kekeb -- a strange bird that appears to be a raven, but when ruffling its feathers, shimmers radiant colors. Not much is known about it. . . .
raox -- a red bear.
mæque -- a delicious treat, served like Napolean, except it tastes what the taster will think it tastes like.
juyn -- a berry, like a mix of a blackberry and raspberry.
Hope you like these! I haven't been able to keep up with the Heroes and Heroines . . . so I think I'm going to catch up with the Dictionair first.
(May 17, 2014 - 10:41 am)
stellandria (pl stellandrae) -- a faceted rock that can summon the creatures/people in constellations. More than one stellandria can exist per constellation.
stellum -- a summoned constellation. Stellums appear in the scale of only one color (e.g. a stellum wil be all blue, but different shades) and can phase through other stellums but are tangible to human touch. Although direct contact with a stellum can have dangerous consequences.
(May 18, 2014 - 2:54 am)
rittchha -- a healing medicine that is often plesently warm in your throat. Often taken with candy because of the terrible taste.
(May 18, 2014 - 9:13 pm)
drenira – (noun) Light, typically sunlight, condensed through any manner of
means into a powder or liquid. Used in remedies and high-quality lanterns or
baubles. “The vial cracked, spilling powdered drenira that glowed softly as it
began to melt away.”
sarian pod – (noun) A reddish-brown seed pod with
a warm and nutty taste. Its multitude of channels and flutings allow it to be
crafted into a fine instrument. “The sarian pod was cracked open to be ground,
exposing the inner labyrinthine grooves and notches.”
darmael – (noun) Squat and round earthenware
furnaces primarily used for particularly buttery breads. Highly resistant to
both oil and magic. “ The flatbread was placed in the darmael to cook”
piaura – (noun) A windborn cluster of petals,
leaves, or buds, typically caused by or consisting of some manner of fae. “The
fairies took to the air, forming a dancing piaura of flowers.”
(May 19, 2014 - 4:39 pm)
salaire, [Elven sal "value, worth"], n., a city official who is in charge of trade rates, management of currency, etc.
laent, [halfling dialect of Common laet "happy"], n., magically contrived hyena/dog hybrid used by halflings as a watch animal; emits an unnerving cackle when threatened
marsh eskrine, [Orc eskar "venomous snake"], n., (Crotalus sacharii paludis) an extremely venomous type of rattlesnake that lives in the swamps south of the Stonemarch. Paludis is the only marsh-dwelling subspecies of C. sacharii, and in accordance with camouflage, the distinctive green spots are a muted olive rather than emerald (C. sacharii truncatis) or bright lime (C. sacharii eremus or C. sacharii prato).
kjorr, [Dwarven kjot "to make noise"], vb., to yell on a street in order to advertise oneself (as a street hawker)
(May 19, 2014 - 5:16 pm)
salaire: "The salaire peered over his pressed-together fingertips, green eyes glittering with shrewd malice. 'And what makes you think I will give you that money?'"
laent: "Euphemia groaned sleepily. 'Huh?...Jumper?...What are you cackling about?' She wished, for at least the hundredth time since she'd gotten him, that she had a nice watch hound instead of a hyperactive laent."
marsh eskrine: "A high-pitched hiss followed by a buzzing rattle resounded through the swamp, and the scaly, greenish-brown mound raised its head, clearly furious. As usual, Prex was the first one to take action. 'It's a marsh eskrine! Jenevier! Run!!' he bellowed, already brandishing his adamantine-edged rapier."
kjorr: "It was only one of many things Number 235-6 hated about urban life. This was the second morning in a row that she'd been woken by the street vendors beneath the bakery attic window, kjorring and ringing their cheap copper bells like their lives depended on it."
(June 2, 2014 - 8:13 pm)
Redtree- A species of tree. It is very tall and very thick, and branches only grow on the uppermost part of the tree.
(May 20, 2014 - 9:18 am)
Shokira- an elvish coin, about the size of a quarter, but as thin as your thumbnail, with an imprint of a leaf on one side. In our currency, it would equal about $10.00.
'Wrenn paid the clerk three shokira in exchange for the supplies.'
Grendalin- an flute-like instrument, made only by the dwarves, and even then, it must be made from the bone of a stag. It is said that it sounds like the whisper of the willow leaves, the rushing of the river, the song of the sparrow, and the flutter of a fairy's wings.
'The sound of the grendalin lulled Astrid to sleep.'
Soleil- a white deer, born at dawn on the first day of the year. It is said that who ever can capture this swift beast will become immortal, but nobody knows, because the feat has never been done.
'Creston chased in hot pursuit after the swift-moving Soleil.'
Well, that's all for now!
(May 23, 2014 - 2:34 pm)
Myrta: A ghostly mist that can make one invisible. It can only be found in griffin's eggs, incubated by flying tortoises.
The Khyte: A clear crystal with magical properties that can talk and is found at the bottom of the sea. It holds the secret to everything.
Seeri: Microscopic 'death parasites' that float around in the air, sucking the life out of the old and sick.
Mavallion: Little butterflies released by the Khyte that bring color to everything that they touch.
Xythoplasborgs: Evil creatures trying to destroy the Khyte.
The Xythoplasm: An evil spirit force that controls the Xythoplasborgs. Its main goal is to destroy the Kythe so it can kill all and rule, bringing terror to the world.
(May 27, 2014 - 3:28 pm)
Could you put an entry in the Villains thread for the Xythoplasm? This is a great idea!
(June 6, 2014 - 5:28 pm)