Advantage — Gaining Advantage means you get to roll twice where normally you'd only get a single roll. Take and use the better of the two rolls. The three most common cases in which one may gain Advantage are to-hit rolls, saving throws, and skill checks.

Adrian Armage — A cleric of St. Ygg believed lost in the Barrowmaze — lost as in dead. He's not reported in to Mordicar Justhand since late April, PR 204.

Adrastus Thorn — a lich devoted to Asmodeus.

AD&D — an acronym for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, a roleplaying game that has become a cultural phenomenon.

Stigrix — The southwestern quadrant of the nation of Westmark, once ruled by Stigrix Vandenheim during the Age of Renewal.

Duchy of Aerik, The — an area in southeastern Stigrix that extends from The Greenlands in the south to just north of the re-built ruins of Ironguard Motte in the north, and from the River Isenduin in the east to the River Merisc to the west. This duchy lies to the west of Middenmark.

Slaytonthorpe — A subregion in the northern quadrant of Southeastern Stigrix on the northeastern border of the Duchy of Aerik. Slaytonthorpe is famous for its Baron of Mutton inn and tavern. It is said to have the best mutton and beef brisket in the known world. Slaytonthorpe is also famous as the region in which a group of heroes famously recaptured Tornspire Keep in 25 PR.

skill-check — Heroes are capable of any of the ordinary feats and exertions to be expected of an intrepid adventurer, but there are times when the outcome is not so clear. Any hero worthy of the name can cross a slippery log or ride a horse, but can they leap a flaming chasm or force a plow horse into the thick of a screaming melee? When the outcome is uncertain, a GM can call for a check.

To make a check, the player rolls 2d8 and adds their most relevant attribute modifier and their most relevant trait. If multiple traits apply to the situation, apply only the highest of the traits. If the total is equal or higher than the difficulty of the check, the hero succeeds. If it’s lower, then something goes wrong. Heroes rarely outright fail in their efforts, but they often suffer new complications or strokes of bad luck. An unmodified roll of 2 on the 2d8 dice is always a failure and a roll of 16 is always a success, assuming success is possible.

Sometimes two opponents are trying to accomplish mutually contradictory ends, such as a thief trying to sneak past a guard as the guard tries to notice any intruders. In such cases both characters make a check with the usual modifiers and the higher one wins. Ties are rerolled if necessary.

Magic — Many of the smartest people alive today disagree as to the specific nature and definition of magic. A consensus among a sizable minority of sages holds that magic is the application of extremely advanced technology that was gifted to Earth during the Visitation. The belief is that this technology (or, perhaps, these technologies) enable the marshaling of geomantic forces to bend and sometimes alter reality.

Spell — a spell is a pattern of magical energy held in readiness, akin to the potential energy of a boulder at the top of an incline. A spell is not only this pattern but also acts as the trigger to release that potential energy into reality-altering kinetic magical energy.