in the affections of her lover. If she kills the lynx, she
will overcome her rival.
[ 10,000 Dreams Interpreted, by Gustavus Hindman Miller ]
+~*sceptre of might
+mace
+sceptre
+ Originally a club armed with iron, and used in war; now a staff
+ of office pertaining to certain dignitaries, as the Speaker of
+ the House of Commons, Lord Mayors, Mayors etc. Both sword and
+ mace are symbols of dignity, suited to the times when men went
+ about in armour, and sovereigns needed champions to vindicate
+ their rights.
+ [ Brewer's Concise Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ]
magic marker
The pen is mightier than the sword.
[ Richelieu, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton ]
# For-thy it round and hollow shaped was,
# Like the world itself, and seemed a world of glass.
[ The Faerie Queene, by Edmund Spencer ]
+magicbane
+ A highly enchanted athame said to hold the power to channel
+ and direct magical energy.
mail d*emon
It is rumoured that these strange creatures can be harmed by
domesticated canines only.
god of the sea, beneath which he lived in Tir na nOc, the
underworld.
manes
+ Manes or Di Manes ("good ones") is the euphemistic description
+ of the souls of the deceased, worshipped as divinities. The
+ formula D.M. (= Dis Manibus; "dedicated to the Manes-gods")
+ can often be found on tombstones. Manes also means
+ metaphorically 'underworld' or 'realm of death'. Festivals
+ in honor of the dead were the Parentalia and the Feralia,
+ celebrated in February.
+ [ Encyclopedia Mythica, ed. M.F. Lindemans ]
+
The gnats of the dungeon, these swarming monsters are rarely
seen alone.
marduk
conical projections on the molar teeth.
[ Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary
of the English Language ]
+*mattock
+ A mattock is an agricultural tool similar to a mining pick.
+ It is distinguished by the head terminating in a broader blade
+ rather than a narrow spike, which makes it particularly suitable
+ for breaking up moderately hard ground. ... During the Middle
+ Ages of Europe, the mattock served as an improvised shafted
+ weapon for the poorer classes.
+ [ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]
meat*
huge chunk of meat
Some hae meat and canna eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.
[ Grace Before Meat, by Robert Burns ]
medusa
+perseus
Medusa, one of the three Gorgons or Graeae, is the only one
of her sisters to have assumed mortal form and inhabited the
dungeon world.
the mind flayer will slowly drain it of all intelligence,
eventually killing its victim.
mine*
+gnomish mines
Made by Dwarfs. The Rule here is that the Mine is either long
deserted or at most is inhabited by a few survivors who will
make confused claims to have been driven out/decimated by humans/
Norse mythologies Mjollnir is considered to represent Thor's
governance over the entire cycle of life - fertility, birth,
destruction, and resurrection.
+mog
+ Mog is known as the Spider God. Mog resembles a four-limbed
+ spider with a handsome, if not entirely human, face.
~slime mold
*mold
Mold, multicellular organism of the division Fungi, typified
where the monkeys drink; we do not go where the monkeys go;
we do not hunt where they hunt; we do not die where they die...."
[ The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling ]
+morning star
+ The morning star was a medieval weapon resembling a mace, but
+ with a large spike on the end and smaller spikes around the
+ circumference. It was also known as the goedendag (from the
+ Dutch word for "good day") and the holy water sprinkler (from
+ its resemblance to the aspergillum sometimes used in the
+ Catholic Mass). It was used by both cavalry and infantry;
+ the horseman's weapon typically had a shorter haft than the
+ footman's, which might be up to six feet long. It came into
+ use in the beginning of the 14th century.
+ The name "morning star" is often erroneously applied to the
+ military flail (also known as the therscol), a similar weapon,
+ but with the head attached by a short chain.
+ [ Dictionary of Medieval Knighthood and Chivalry,
+ by Bradford Broughton ]
mumak*
... the Mumak of Harad was indeed a beast of vast bulk, and
the like of him does not walk now in Middle-Earth; his kin
Nations by Herbert Spencer Robinson and Knox
Wilson ]
nunchaku
- A Japanese flail.
+ A nunchaku is two sections of wood (or metal in modern
+ incarnations) connected by a cord or chain. There is much
+ controversy over its origins; some say it was originally a
+ Chinese weapon, others say it evolved from a threshing flail;
+ one theory purports that it was developed from a horse's bit.
+ Chinese nunchaku tend to be rounded, whereas Japanese are
+ octagonal, and they were originally linked by horse hair.
+ There are many variations on the nunchaku, ranging from the
+ three sectional staff (san-setsu-kon nunchaku), to smaller
+ multi-section nunchaku. The nunchaku was popularized by
+ Bruce Lee in a number of films, made in both Hollywood and
+ Hong Kong.
+ [ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ]
*nymph
+naiad
A female creature from Roman and Greek mythology, the nymph
occupied rivers, forests, ponds, etc. A nymph's beauty is
beyond words: an ever-young woman with sleek figure and
long robe glows, hemmed with golden threads and embroidered
with rainbow hues of unearthly magnificence. A nymph's
demeanour is graceful and charming, her mind quick and witty.
+ []
- "Theseus felt her voice pulling him down into fathoms of
+ Theseus felt her voice pulling him down into fathoms of
sleep. The song was the skeleton of his dream, and the dream
was full of terror. Demon girls were after him, and a bull-
man was goring him. Everywhere there was blood. There was
made him see everything differently. The boy, who was to
become a hero, suddenly knew then what most heroes learn
later -- and some too late -- that joy blots suffering and
- that the road to nymphs is beset by monsters."
- [ The Minotaur, by Bernard Evslin ]
+ that the road to nymphs is beset by monsters.
+ [ The Minotaur, by Bernard Evslin ]
+obsidian*
+ A volcanic glass, homogeneous in texture and having a low water
+ content, with a vitreous luster and a conchoidal fracture. The
+ color is commonly black, but may be some shade of red or brown,
+ and cut sections sometimes appear to be green. Like other
+ volcanic glasses, obsidian is a lava that has cooled too quickly
+ for the contained minerals to crystallize. In chemical
+ composition it is rich in silica and similar to granite. It is
+ favored by primitive peoples for knives, arrowheads, spearheads,
+ and other weapons and tools.
+ [ The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition ]
odin
Also called Sigtyr (god of Victory), Val-father (father of
the slain), One-Eyed, Hanga-god (god of the hanged), Farma-
carried, it grants ESP, limits damage done by spells, and
protects the carrier from magic missiles. When invoked it
allows the carrier to become invisible.
-orb of fate
+*orb of fate
Some say that Odin himself created this ancient crystal ball,
although others argue that Loki created it and forged Odin's
signature on the bottom. In any case, it is a powerful
the name might already suggest, owlbears are a cross between
a giant owl and a bear. They are covered with fur and
feathers.
+page
+ A male servant or attendant; specifically, in chivalry,
+ a lad or young man in training for knighthood, or a youth
+ of gentle parentage attending a royal or princely personage.
+ [ Webster's Comprehensive International Dictionary
+ of the English Language ]
+*pall
+ _Pallium._ The Roman name for a square woollen cloak worn
+ by men in ancient Greece, especially by philosophers and
+ courtesans, corresponding to the Roman toga. Hence the
+ Greeks called themselves _gens palliata,_ and the Romans
+ called themselves _gens togata._
+ [ Brewer's Concise Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ]
panther
And lo! almost where the ascent began,
A panther light and swift exceedingly,
That many times I to return had turned.
[ Dante's Inferno, as translated
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ]
+*paper
+ Some players, who unconsciously perceive Paper as weak or a
+ sign of surrender, will shy away from using it entirely or
+ drop it from their game when they are falling behind. On the
+ other hand, Paper also connects with a player's perceptions
+ about writing. There is a quiet power in the printed word.
+ It has the ability to lay off thousands of employees, declare
+ war against nations, spread scandal or confess love. Paper,
+ in short, has power over masses. The fate of the entire world
+ is determined by print. As such, some players perceive Paper
+ as a subtle attack, the victory of modern culture over barbarism.
+ Such players may use Paper to assert their superiority and dignity.
+ [ The Official Rock Paper Scissors Strategy Guide,
+ by Douglas and Graham Walker ]
pelias
Conan cried out sharply and recoiled, thrusting his companion
back. Before them rose the great shimmering white form of Satha,
soul."
[ Conan the Usurper, by Robert E. Howard and L. Sprague de Camp ]
pick*ax*
+broad pick
The mine is full of holes;
With the wound of pickaxes.
But look at the goldsmith's store.
powerful ruler, every inch a king.
[ The Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends of All
Nations, by Herbert Robinson and Knox Wilson ]
+~*sleeping
+~*booze
*potion*
POTABLE, n. Suitable for drinking. Water is said to be
potable; indeed, some declare it our natural beverage,
preservative instinct of the race is to be unscientific --
and without science we are as the snakes and toads.
[ The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce ]
+pray*
+ Whatever a man prays for, he prays for a miracle. Every
+ prayer reduces itself to this: Great God, grant that twice
+ two be not four.
+ [ Fathers and Sons, by Ivan Turgenev ]
priest*
* priest*
acolyte
from my pack. I tossed it to the ground, and quickly retreated
back, around that corner, desperately striving to get out of
its sight.
+python
+ A monstrous serpent in Greek mythology, and the child of Gaia,
+ the goddess earth. It was produced from the slime and mud
+ that was left on the earth by the great flood of Deucalion.
+ It lived in a cave and guarded the oracle of Delphi on mount
+ Parnassus.
+
+ No man dared to approach the beast and the people asked Apollo
+ for help. He came down from Mount Olympus with his silver bow
+ and golden arrows. With using only one arrow he killed the
+ serpent and claimed the oracle for himself. ... The old name of
+ Delphi, Pytho, refers to the serpent.
+ [ Encyclopedia Mythica, ed. M.F. Lindemans ]
quadruped
The woodlands and other regions are inhabited by multitudes
of four-legged creatures which cannot be simply classified.
quantum mechanic
These creatures are not native to this universe; they seem
to have strangely derived powers, and unknown motives.
+ []
+
+ _Uncertainty Principle_ The principle that it is not possible
+ to know with unlimited accuracy both the position and momentum
+ of a particle. ... An explanation of the uncertainty is that
+ in order to locate a particle exactly, an observer must be
+ able to bounce off it a photon of radiation; this act of
+ location itself alters the position of the particle
+ in an unpredictable way. To locate the position accurately,
+ photons of short wavelength would have to be used. The high
+ momentum of such photons would cause a large effect on the
+ position. On the other hand, using photons of lower momenta
+ would have less effect on the particle's position, but would
+ be less accurate because of the lower wavelength.
+ [ A Concise Dictionary of Physics ]
quasit
Quasits are small, evil creatures, related to imps. Their
talons release a very toxic poison when used in an attack.
-quest
+*quest
Many, possibly most, Tours are organized as a Quest. This
is like a large-scale treasure hunt, with clues scattered
all over the continent, a few false leads, Mystical Masters
written by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi ]
raijin
raiden
- The god of thunder.
+ The Japanese god of thunder (rai) and lightning (den). He
+ prevented the Mongols from invading Japan in 1274. Sitting on
+ a cloud he sent forth a shower of lightning arrows upon the
+ invading fleet. Only three men escaped. Raiden is portrayed
+ as a red demon with sharp claws, carrying a large drum. He is
+ fond of eating human navels. The only protection against him
+ is to hide under a mosquito net.
+ [ Encyclopedia Mythica, ed. M.F. Lindemans ]
ranger
* ranger
"Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters -- but hunters
On the morrow *he* will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, 'Nevermore.'
[ The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe ]
+~*invisibility
ring
* ring
ring of *
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
[ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ]
+ring of invisibility
+ "When time came for the shepherds to hold their customary
+ assembly in order to prepare their monthly report to the king
+ about the state of the flocks, he came too, wearing this ring.
+ While he was sitting with the others, it chanced that he moved
+ the collet of the ring around toward himself into the inside of
+ his hand; having done this, he disappeared from the sight of
+ those who were sitting beside him, and they discussed of him as
+ of someone who had left. And he wondered and once again feeling
+ for the ring, he turned the collet outwards and, by turning it,
+ reappeared. Reflecting upon this, he put the ring to the test
+ to see if it indeed had such power, and he came to this
+ conclusion that, by turning the collet inwards, he became
+ invisible, outwards, visible. Having perceived this, he at
+ once managed for himself to become one of the envoys to the
+ king; upon arrival, having seduced his wife, with her help,
+ he laid a hand on the king, murdered him and took hold of the
+ leadership."
+ [ The Republic, by Plato, translated by James Adam ]
robe
Robes are the only garments, apart from Shirts, ever to have
sleeves. They have three uses:
projects / nethack / commitdiff