A Court of Devils: The first Dark Undermaster book by Larry C.C. Weis, published in the late Eighties. It follows Garland growing up as part of the Rose family before their betrayal by the Poppys and the death of Lord Rose as well as the family's scattering.
Akoa: The former capital city of Ledziania and where the Old King used to hold his court. It is presently under the dominion of the Mad Queen.
Alchemist Stone: The most common form of alchemy aside from potions. You swallow a stone, and it provides magical effects for as long as it remains undigested.
Alignment: A sign of whether you are allied with White, Grey, or Black magical forces. Contrary to expectation, these don't precisely line to Good/Neutral/Evil. White is inherently lawful and self-righteous while Black is chaotic as well as vengeful. Grey is prone to empathy and balance.
Arcane Fire: A magical effect of where a wizard summons raw mystical force to use against enemies. It is almost useless against other wizards who tend to just absorb the energy but highly damaging to other beings.
Baba Yaga: The legendary crone and monster of Slavic mythology. She is the daughter of Veles and Mat Zemlya in the Dark Undermaster universe. She is the goddess of witchcraft and mother of the hag as well as ogre races. Her hideousness is possibly a curse from her father or mother or both. She alone is free of the Old Gods from Veles influence, ironically.
Bald Mountain: The headquarters of Veles and where his grand temple is located. It is the pilgrimage site of all evil witches once per year on the Fall Equinox. It is also where the Scholomance is located. It is in the Death Mountains and protected by a magical barrier that no one of good heart can pierce.
The Bastard Knight: Jorg von Piast-Jagiellon, the illegitimate son of the Old King and leader of the Mad Queen's forces. He has supposedly killed six dragons, a dozen Dark Undermasters, and a demigod.
Belobog: Chernabog's brother and the god of good fortune. He was corrupted by Veles and is now the guardian of the Elemental Temple of Fire.
Białowieża Forest: An immense forest bordering Poland and Belarus. Supposedly, the country of Ledziania exists somewhere within its borders. The forest is the only place on Earth where you can follow paths to Mokosh.
The Black Cat: Maelor's extremely opulent brothel, casino, and tavern. It is far too nice for Crossroad.
The Black Rose: The nickname of the legendary Dark Undermaster, Garland of Nowhere.
Chernabog: Belobog's brother, the god of ill fortune and "The Black God." He was corrupted by Veles and is now the guardian of the Elemental Temple of Earth.
Crossroad: The long-suffering village built around Dragon Keep. It is a farming community that is on the verge of becoming a small city if it can just avoid being invaded by the undead.
Cyber Dragons 2080: A non-fantasy game produced by Epic DungoneeringTM. It was a bug ridden mess set in a post-apocalypse cyberpunk future.
Dark Undermasters: An organization of monster hunters and knights established by Triglav and Mokosh during the Great Darkness to battle the Chaos Gods in 900 AD. They have a writ from the Ledzianian king allowing them to use dark magic and whatever means necessary to protect humanity.
The Dark Undermaster Saga: The incredibly successful fantasy franchise by Larry C.C. Weiss. It has sold over a hundred million copies and been adapted across multiple mediums. It is generally viewed as painfully derivative of other popular franchises, even though it was technically written first.
The Dark Undermaster (Games): A series of three games that adapt the first three books of the Dark Undermaster Saga: A Court of Devils, Dead Gods, and Princes of Sorrow. The fourth book, Lords of Dragon Keep, has been delayed for almost ten years. This has infuriated the video game developers.
The Dark Undermaster (Series): A five season television series on the FANT channel that heavily involved nudity, sex, and adding more grimdark. It is wildly considered to have gone down in quality once they passed Weis' books.
Dead Gods: The second book of the Dark Undermaster Saga dealing with Garland's career as a monster-hunter, Ania learning to be an assassin, and Agata trying to survive in Akoa's courts. It also deals with the mythology of Perun's death at Veles' hands.
Death Lords: Totally not liches.
Death Mountains: A massive barrier between Ledziania and the Turqish Wastes brought about via a death battle between Perun and Velen in the late 1980s. It is populated by the undead, goblins, and cultists now.
Dragon Keep: An ancient castle established by the Rose family back when they were a legendary clan of dragon tamers. After their betrayal by the Mad Queen and Poppy Family, it was given to the Dark Undermasters to be their new headquarters.
Dragon Queen: The nickname of Celestyne von Piast-Jagiellon, who was cursed by her sister into becoming a dragon. She had that curse (mostly) broken by Garland of Nowhere and now seeks to reclaim her throne while promising populist reforms for the world's nonhumans.
Dwarves: One of the five great races of Mokosh. They are the children of Svavorg and live underground. Oddly, they're more stout than short. The ones who live on the surface primarily handle banking and financial jobs in addition to skilled labor.
Eldritch Ring: Another video game produced by Epic DungoneeeringTM that is a Soulslike. It incorporates some of the crazier elements of Weis' mythology played down by the books. The goal of the game is to kill Veles and ascend to become Perun's replacement.
The Eldritch Tree: A sacred tree to Mokosh and Perun both where they supposedly copulated for the first time. It is a mile tall and one of the greatest sources of magic in the world. It is also connected to the Earth and Poland. The Rus worship it as Ysgardril.
Elves: One of the five great races. Elves have eternal youth until they reach 120 and promptly drop dead. They are the Children of Mokosh and live anarchic nature-loving lives with communal romances as well as hedonistic behavior. They are also all ruthless killers.
Elemental Temples: Four temples devoted to Mokosh that channel immense amounts of magical might into the natural world and keep it in balance. They also allow magical creatures to live and sorcery to function. They are all considered Grand Temples of Mokosh.
The Emperor: Constantine the Black is the revered demigod figure of the Empire who, in actuality, is a prisoner of the constant in-fighting of the Senate and Church of Mythras. He also struggles to avoid being a puppet of the Lord Centurions. His wars of conquest against the East are built around occupying his political enemies with foreign quarrels. Veles serves as his court astrologer but makes the infighting less severe.
The Empire: Also known as the Eastern Empire and Holy Mythran Empire, it was settled by the so-called "Lost Legion" of Rome in 120 AD. It has a Senate, Emperor, and established religion ruled by the Holy Father. The Empire has entered a conservative period with women's rights and religious freedoms being severely curtailed as it seeks to expand eastward. Its symbol is the bull, and its god is Mythras.
Epic DungeoneeringTM: The world's largest video game manufacturer despite its relative lack of product due to buying up many smaller studios with their seemingly unlimited amounts of money. They also have a surprising number of deals with arms manufacturing, lumber, and other satellite companies.
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Garland of Nowhere: AKA The Black Rose. The bastard son of Perun and Lilandra Rose, born shortly before the god's death. He was a legendary swordsman, womanizer, gambler, and sorcerer who achieved countless great deeds as a Dark Undermaster. Unfortunately, these caused him to suffer severe untreated PTSD and when he was betrayed by his fellow Undermasters, he opted against resurrection.
Five Great Races: Humans, Dwarves, Goblins, Ratkin, and Elves are the most common species encountered in Mokosh.
Goblins: A tribal race of green and olive-skinned humanoids. Contrary to their reputation as ruthless monsters, they are quite honorable, clannish, and serve Veles only because he is their creator.
Gods: A race of beings that came from the Primordial Chaos and brought order to the universe. Many of the ones worshiped on Earth are real, but not all, and a lot of what people know about them is nonsense. They can draw on faith and prayers for sustenance, but it is not the sole source of their power.
Grand Temple: The highest temple that any god has and the base of their religion. The Elemental Temples of Mokosh have been occupied by the Old Gods.
Great Darkness(es): The wars of against the Twisted. The last one was supernatural invasion of Mokosh in 1939 by a Waffen-SS battalion after the Twisted were freed by the Black Sun cult. (Lt) Colonel Helmuth Krieger recruited a rebellious Empire general and unleashed the Scarlet Death to aid his efforts. Perun and Veles put aside their animosity to fight it back. It and events on Earth caused Veles to believe all life had to be purged (so it could be ruled by him safely post-mortem).
Great Forest: The home nation of the elves. It's a forest with a lot of tree cities in it.
Hags: The female descendants of Baba Yaga. Ogres are the male ones.
High Grecian Empire: The once grand democratic state that has since fallen into disrepair, disunity, and casual corruption. The High Grecian Empire is a vassal state of the Empire but has mostly kept its autonomy. They worship the Olympians but combine the Ledzianian gods with their own.
Kalizov: The largest and richest city in Ledziania as well as the biggest supporter of the Dragon Queen.
Knights of Veles: Knights sworn to the God of Evil who are infused with the power of undeath without being undead themselves.
Ledziania: The former nation compromising all the Southern Kingdoms and "Fantasy Poland." It has been divided since the death of the Old King and is presently caught in the middle of a civil war, invasion by the Empire, and uprising of the dead.
Lesser Ledziania: The "heartland" of Ledziania that Crossroad is in and the most contested spot of the Southern Kingdoms. It is a breadbasket that has been fought over ruthlessly.
Lord Centurions: A not-so-secret society of high-ranking aristocrats and officers that wield vast authority in the Empire. They are trained in both magic as well as warfare. They are known for their ostentatious golden armor.
Lords of Dragon Keep: The fourth book of the Dark Undermaster Saga that fans have been waiting on for decades.
Mad Queen: Apollonia von Piast-Jagiellon, the twin sister of Celestyne. The most accomplished sorceress of her age, she is strongly disliked for allying with the Empire. Her son, Cesare, is believed to be the son of the Emperor, but possibly the son of Veles. Is not at all mad, just a bit testy.
Magyar: A now defunct kingdom formerly bordering Ledziania that were its historical rivals. The Hellmaster dynasty turned to black magic and Veles worship before being overthrown by the populace. The Empire proceeded to invade but the Magyar negotiated a surrender deal that kept most of their culture and autonomy.
Mal'bork: A land of rivers, fords, and trade between Ledzianians. It has tried, unsuccessfully, to remain neutral.
Mana: Raw magic stuff. The energy that powers sorcery.
Mark of the Champion: Magical bracelets made from river gold infused with the essence of Perun. The Wise Man was able to manufacture fifteen of them in total. For whatever bizarre reason, they primarily give a person abilities equivalent to Dungeons and Dragons-esque leveling. This includes rapid advancement in personal power and durability.
Mat Zemalya: Both the planet Earth and its mother goddess. She is the twin of Mokosh and the two are linked via Ledziania. Reckless abuse by her many children gods resulted in magic becoming scarce and most being either killed or forced into slumber. She appears as a seven-headed dragon and is the “mean Gaia” of Greek and Babylonian mythology.
Mokosh: The sister planet and goddess to Earth where magic remains abundant. It has so far only shown to have one continent. It is far less technologically advanced than Earth but more advanced in science (via magic) than it appears.
Mythas: The Sun God of the mostly monotheistic faith of the Empire. He is a warrior and protector of the innocent. In practice, his church has fallen into corruption with heavy elements of misogyny and racism against nonhumans. Mythras, himself, has largely abandoned the religion and only patronizes good-hearted warriors. He is a jealous god, though.
Old King: Frederick von Piast-Jagiellon, the grandfather of the Mad Queen and Dragon Queen. He outlived all his sons and left the kingdom divided due to his policy of playing noble houses against one another. He spent his final years obsessed with prophecies about the end of the world.
Old Gods: The name for the Ledzianian Gods before Mythras attempted to push his way in.
Perun: The sky god of the Ledzianian pantheon, creator of humanity, and god of good. He is the protector of mankind and very-very dead. Looks a great deal like Dolph Lundgren's He-Man and has the personality of Marvel's Thor except hornier. He expended most of his power destroying the Twisted summoned by Nazis from Earth and was defeated by his brother in a death fight decades later. Mythras, defying stereotype, answers quite a few of Perun's priests' prayers in honor of the sky god's sacrifice.
Poznan: One of the oldest settlements in Ledziania and presently occupied by the Empire. Its citizens are on the verge of open revolt as they refuse to convert to the New God or impose the Empire's social laws.
The Princes of Sorrow: The third Dark Undermaster novel following the romance between Garland and Celestyne, Ania losing her lover to the Bastard Knight, and Agata's torment as the bride of Radu the Impaler. Apollonia invites the Empire to occupy Ledziania once she begins losing the war with her sister.
Pwiffle: A card game created by the Wise Man and the favorite of the gods after a board game from Earth involving dungeons.
Ratkin: A race created by Veles as cannon fodder and slaves for his goblins that was later given gifts by Svavog out of pity. They are still ill-treated by many other races.
Runes: Writing infused with magic. It is how magical items are created, generally.
Rus Kingdoms: Danish raiders had a history of getting transported to Mokosh due to their gods, the Aesir, hoping they'd conquer the place. Instead, they interbred with some of the Slavic folk to create the Rus kingdoms. They are a constantly feuding set of principalities and jarldoms that regularly try to invade Ledziania and Magyar. They occupy the North of the Southern Kingdoms, peculiar as that may be and still worship the Aesir but acknowledge the Ledzianian gods as real.
Sisters of Mokosh: A religious order of female sorceresses and priestesses who preach a philosophy of nature worship. Because of teaching sexual freedom and the equality of women, it is considered heresy by women.
Southern Kingdoms: The former state of Ledziania that has been broken up into smaller states after the death of the Old King. Confusingly, the Southern Kingdoms is also the name of the entire continent that once had another continent above it in ancient times. No one has any idea what happened to that.
Strigoi: The local name for vampires that come in greater and lesser varieties. The greater vampires, known as nobles, are intelligent conversational undead. The lesser vampires are feral zombie-like monsters.
Svarog: One of the three creator gods of Ledziania, he is the god of blacksmiths and creation. He has absolutely no time for any of his brothers' shit and is worshiped by dwarves as well as ratkin. He is the creator of both Mat Zemlya and Mokosh. Looks like John Rhys Davis with Arnold Schwarzenegger's body.
The Thirteen: Veles' death lord lieutenants and generals.
Triglav: The Divine Voltron. Triglav is a combination of Perun, Svarog, and Veles as well as an overgod AKA the most powerful beings even among the gods. The three can't combine without Perun and are now greatly weakened.
Turqish Wastes: Once known as the Turqish Empire, it was almost destroyed in a horrifying series of natural disasters following the battle of Perun with Veles. The remaining city states are still rebuilding but are more interested in trade than conquest. They are the only power that uses gunpowder, but this means less with magic. They worship Ahura Mazda and Mythras but reject the Empire as blasphemers.
The Twisted Gods: Beings that are even worse than Veles and defeated by the creator gods at the start of creation. They're a little Lovecraft, a little Clive Barker, and a little "Oh my god, what the hell is that thing?" Veles works to keep them in the Underworld's Pit. They are also known as the Ungods, the Neverwere, the Curseborn and several other epitaphs.
Underworld: Veles' domain and where all mortals go when they die. Strangely, he's quite fair and the only mortals who go unpunished for their crimes are his followers but even they don't go to the same place as heroes or the innocent.
Veles: The God of the Underworld, Death, Evil, and Wealth. Veles is a malevolent but congenial god that has decided that mortals must go. As a creator deity, he is one of the most powerful beings in the universe but limited by the fact he's stronger than almost all other gods individually but not all of them together. He looks like Peter Stormare from Bad Boys dressed as a Sith Lord.
Vukodlak: The local name for werewolves. They turn humans into huge hairy individuals even when not undead.
Westerlands: The lands beyond the Empire.
Zoryas: Twin goddesses who are the gods of Dawn and Night. They are lovers with both their brothers as well as each other. It is believed Mokosh can combine with to form her own entity capable of standing against Veles.
Zmei: The local name for dragons.