KANNISH

The common tongue of the southern Free Lands and the Delarquan Federation, closely related to Rathiri, the language of the Rirorni tribes from which all these cities were originally populated.

KARRAGIT

Small, slight, semi-aquatic humanoids with webbed fingers and toes. Also known as swamp folk. They have long thick black hair tinged with green. Males are often bearded. Pure blooded Karragit are covered with a soft blue/green coat, much like seal fur, which acts as an insulating coat. Karragit have been hunted for pelts. Other special aquatic adaptations include internal nose and ear flaps and a second clear eye covering. Karragit are excellent swimmers and are able to stay underwater for over a quarter of an hour. Although somewhat alien in appearance, Karragit are not unattractive and seem willing, almost eager, to interbreed with humans. Half-breed karragit, called swavants, are much larger then their parents.

Karragit are magical and highly telepathic. Their shamans have great control over the swamp environment and attacking them in their home turf is extremely dangerous. Many a confident general has set off to teach the little swamp rats a lesson never to be heard from again.

Karragit produce little in the way of durable goods save for intricate pottery and woven items such as baskets. They have little use for most metal items as such things are quickly destroyed in the swamp environment. They shun armor and weapons, carrying only small bows and poisoned darts for hunting. The karragit are very non-aggressive, preferring to flee or parlay rather than fight. There is some evidence that at one time a variety of larger and more powerful karragit existed. These warlike relatives developed the quarterstaff and maul as war weapons.

Karragit appear to have little use for human culture and keep to themselves as much as possible. They live in a communal fashion, individual tribes communicating telepathically to quickly solve problems. While karragit tribes have no real leader, shamans play important roles as focal points for group consciousness. Karragit imprisoned alone for any length of time die.

Karragit worship no known gods. They are extremely secretive on the issue of religion. They believe in equality and greater purpose among all things, and view themselves as merely cogs in some great wheel. They believe all things are alive; even mud, water, and rocks. They have no concept of an afterlife.

Several karragit tribes live across Alastari, the largest being the Ansark Karragit around Aljafir, Willaf and Stormcrowe, and the misnamed Kelari Karragit of the Syrinwald.

KEEL WOODHAVEN

Originally from the Van Empire, Keel is of mixed human and Shewish blood. Around seven feet tall and very well-built. Originally blue-eyed and blond, he currently has one blue eye and one silver, and hair streaked with grey and silver (really silver, not just white hair) as the result of his long stay in a Chaos Gate. A warrior in the army with which Sheila Greywand drove back the hordes of Chaos five hundred years ago, Keel was one of those chosen to remain inside the gates and see that they remained closed. Unfortunately, as things turned out, the Chaos Gates remained closed on the Alastari side for centuries. When Sheila finally reopened them, most of the guardians were dead or insane. Keel was alive, and, just barely, sane; when a party of Lord Protectors finally arrived to relieve him, he managed to foil an attempt by the creatures on the other side of the Gate to trick the Lord Protectors into letting them through into Alastari. The Gate itself was destroyed in the process, and Keel rescued barely in time.

Keel is not insane, but he isn't exactly stable, either. His speech is sometimes fractured and bizarre. He is an intelligent man, though he prefers a crude dumb-jock warrior image. He is often reckless. He is an honorary Lord Protector, and a Primus-quality warrior by today's standards. He is still catching up on the five hundred years that passed while he was in the Gate. He was, before his involuntary exile, romantically attached to Sheila Greywand, and is extremely bitter at her (as he sees it) abandonment of him and the other original Gate wardens. Sheila apparently feels some amount of responsibility for him, but does not seem inclined to re-open their old relationship.

KRISTINA

Kristina Trollup was a former spy mistress of the Free Blades Arena. She disappeared from the Isle some time ago.

KUGHAS

1. Any one of thousands of varieties of hanging moss native to the Syrinwald. The most well known of the kughases include red kughas, tea moss, maiden hair and dodder moss.

2. A drug, which is extracted from red kughas. Kughas is an addictive stimulant which causes increased alertness and faster reaction time. In large doses, it triggers an adrenal surge in the blood stream, increasing strength and aggressiveness. Long term use will lead to physical dependency, mood swings, and eventual nerve and heart damage. The drug is a viscous red liquid and is often taken orally. The drug can also be laced with tobacco or some other substance and smoked or chewed. Kughas is illegal in most of Alastari and totally banned in arena fights.

KYMARRIS, Lake

A large lake on the River Selwin. Trocar is built upon its western shore.