#	SCCS Id: @(#)data.base	3.4	2003/07/23
#	    $Id: data.base,v 1.14.2.2 2006/04/17 11:14:04 prousu Exp $
#   Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
#   Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
#   Copyright (c) 2002 by the Slash'EM Development Team
#   NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details.
#
# This is the data.base for SLASH'EM
#
# This is the source file for the "data" file generated by `makedefs -d'.
# A line starting with a # is a comment and is ignored by makedefs.
# Any other line not starting with whitespace is a creature or an item.
#
# Each entry should be comprised of:
# the thing/person being described on a line by itself, in lowercase;
# on each succeeding line a <TAB> description.
#
# If the first character of a key field is "~", then anything which matches
# the rest of that key will be treated as if it did not match any of the
# following keys for that entry.  For instance, `~orc ??m*' preceding `orc*'
# prevents "orc mummy" and "orc zombie" from matching.
#
#   The demons are all listed first because makedefs used to have to give
#   them special handling for #ifndef INFERNO; it doesn't matter any more.
abbathor
	Abbathor is the sole evil dwarven god, the great master of the
	greed and avarice that plagues so many of that otherwise noble
	race. He is a hunched, twisted creature, warped by his own
	greeds, jealousies, and desires. Like many other deities, his
	name is often invoked by followers of other gods to keep him away
	from one's treasure.
abbot
	For it had been long apparent to Count Landulf that nothing
	could be done with his seventh son Thomas, except to make him
	an Abbot or something of that kind.  Born in 1226, he had from
	childhood a mysterious objection to becoming a predatory eagle,
	or even to taking an ordinary interest in falconry or tilting
	or any other gentlemanly pursuits.  He was a large and heavy and
	quiet boy, and phenomenally silent, scarcely opening his mouth
	except to say suddenly to his schoolmaster in an explosive
	manner, "What is God?"  The answer is not recorded but it is
	probable that the asker went on worrying out answers for himself.
		[ The Runaway Abbot, by G. K. Chesterton ]
aerdrie faenya
	Aerdrie  Faenya is the elven goddess of air and weather. As a rain-
	bringer, she is revered as a source of fertility.  She is, however,
	perceived as a somewhat distant  goddess, and the fact that she  is
	also revered by some aarakocra slightly diminishes the  strength of
	elven  devotion to  her (as does  her definite  neutral tendency in
	alignment). The goddess  herself takes  delight in  the freedom  of
	the skies, the music  of wind instruments,  and (sometimes)  fairly
	severe and  violent thunderstorms. She is  friendly to all  avians,
	aarakocra, ki-rin, and lammasu.
					 [ Monster Mythology, by TSR inc. ]
aclys
aklys
	A short studded or spiked club attached to a cord allowing
	it to be drawn back to the wielder after having been thrown.
	It should not be confused with the atlatl, which is a device
	used to throw spears for longer distances.
*leax
	An Aleax,  according to the  AD&D Fiend Folio,  is a  creature that
	looks exactly  like the character, and  is sent  by the character's
	god to  punish alignment violations. Obviously  - and  luckily - in
	Nethack this is not the case.
*altar
	Altars are of three types:
	1.  In Temples.  These are for Sacrifices [...].  The stone
	top will have grooves for blood, and the whole will be covered
	with _dry brown stains of a troubling kind_ from former
	Sacrifices.
	[ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ]

	To every man upon this earth
	Death cometh soon or late;
	And how can man die better
	Than facing fearful odds
	For the ashes of his fathers
	And the temples of his gods?
		[ Lays of Ancient Rome, by Thomas B. Macaulay ]
amat*rasu *
	The Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu Omikami is the central
	figure of Shintoism and the ancestral deity of the imperial
	house.  One of the daughters of the primordial god Izanagi
	and said to be his favourite offspring, she was born from
	his left eye.
		[ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ]
amber*
	"Tree sap," Wu explained, "often flows over insects and traps
	them.  The insects are then perfectly preserved within the
	fossil.  One finds all kinds of insects in amber - including
	biting insects that have sucked blood from larger animals."
		[ Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton ]
*amnesia
maud
	Get thee hence, nor come again,
	Mix not memory with doubt,
	Pass, thou deathlike type of pain,
	Pass and cease to move about!
	'Tis the blot upon the brain
	That will show itself without.
		...
	For, Maud, so tender and true,
	As long as my life endures
	I feel I shall owe you a debt,
	That I never can hope to pay;
	And if ever I should forget
	That I owe this debt to you
	And for your sweet sake to yours;
	O then, what then shall I say? -
	If ever I should forget,
	May God make me more wretched
	Than ever I have been yet!
		[ Maud, And Other Poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson ]
~amulet of yendor
*amulet
amulet of *
	"The complete Amulet can keep off all the things that make
	people unhappy -- jealousy, bad temper, pride, disagreeableness,
	greediness, selfishness, laziness.  Evil spirits, people called
	them when the Amulet was made.  Don't you think it would be nice
	to have it?"
	"Very," said the children, quite without enthusiasm.
	"And it can give you strength and courage."
	"That's better," said Cyril.
	"And virtue."
	"I suppose it's nice to have that," said Jane, but not with much
	interest.
	"And it can give you your heart's desire."
	"Now you're talking," said Robert.
		[ The Story of the Amulet, by Edith Nesbit ]
amulet of yendor
	This mysterious talisman is the object of your quest.  It is
	said to possess powers which mere mortals can scarcely
	comprehend, let alone utilize.  The gods will grant the gift of
	immortality to the adventurer who can deliver it from the
	depths of Moloch's Sanctum and offer it on the appropriate high
	altar on the Astral Plane.
angel*
	He answered and said unto them, he that soweth the good seed
	is the Son of man; the field is the world, and the good seed
	are the children of the kingdom; but the weeds are the
	children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the
	devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers
	are the angels.  As therefore the weeds are gathered and
	burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
	[...]  So shall it be at the end of the world; the angels
	shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
	and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be
	wailing and gnashing of teeth.
		[ The Gospel According to Matthew, 13:37-42, 49-50 ]
anhur
	An Egyptian god of war and a great hunter, few gods can match
	his fury.  Unlike many gods of war, he is a force for good.
	The wrath of Anhur is slow to come, but it is inescapable
	once earned.  Anhur is a mighty figure with four arms.  He
	is often seen with a powerful lance that requires both of
	his right arms to wield and which is tipped with a fragment
	of the sun.  He is married to Mehut, a lion-headed goddess.
ankh-morpork
	The twin city of Ankh-Morpork, foremost of all the cities
	bounding the Circle Sea, was as a matter of course the home
	of a large number of gangs, thieves' guilds, syndicates and
	similar organisations.  This was one of the reasons for its
	wealth.  Most of the humbler folk on the widdershin side of
	the river, in Morpork's mazy alleys, supplemented their
	meagre incomes by filling some small role for one or other
	of the competing gangs.
		[ The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett ]
anshar
	A primordial Babylonian-Akkadian deity, Anshar is mentioned
	in the Babylonian creation epic _Enuma Elish_ as one of a
	pair of offspring (with Kishar) of Lahmu and Lahamu.  Anshar
	is linked with heaven while Kishar is identified with earth.
		[ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ]
ant
* ant
	This giant variety of the ordinary ant will fight just as
	fiercely as its small, distant cousin.  Various varieties
	exist, and they are known and feared for their relentless
	persecution of their victims.
anu
	Anu was the Babylonian god of the heavens, the monarch of
	the north star.  He was the oldest of the Babylonian gods,
	the father of all gods, and the ruler of heaven and destiny.
	Anu features strongly in the _atiku_ festival in
	Babylon, Uruk and other cities.
ape
* ape
	The most highly evolved of all the primates, as shown by
	all their anatomical characters and particularly the
	development of the brain.  Both arboreal and terrestrial,
	the apes have the forelimbs much better developed than
	the hind limbs.  Tail entirely absent.  Growth is slow
	and sexual maturity reached at quite an advanced age.
	[ A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa by Dorst ]

	Aldo the gorilla had a plan.  It was a good plan.  It was
	right.  He knew it.  He smacked his lips in anticipation as
	he thought of it.  Yes.  Apes should be strong.  Apes should
	be masters.  Apes should be proud.  Apes should make the
	Earth shake when they walked.  Apes should _rule_ the Earth.
		[ Battle for the Planet of the Apes,
			by David Gerrold ]
	Four-handed, tailless,  mammal of  the  order of  Primates, of  the
	sub-order  of _Anthropoidea_,  which of  all  mammals most  closely
	resembles man (both in appearance and in behaviour).
			  [ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ]
apple
	NEWTONIAN, adj.  Pertaining to a philosophy of the universe
	invented by Newton, who discovered that an apple will fall
	to the ground, but was unable to say why.  His successors
	and disciples have advanced so far as to be able to say
	when.
		[ The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce ]
archeologist
* archeologist
	Archeology is the search for fact, not truth. [...] 
	So forget any ideas you've got about lost cities, exotic travel, 
	and digging up the world. We do not follow maps to buried 
	treasure, and X never, ever, marks the spot.
		[ Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ]
archon
	Archons are the predominant inhabitants of the heavens.
	However unusual their appearance, they are not generally
	evil.  They are beings at peace with themselves and their
	surroundings.

	Archons are the primary  inhabitants of the Seven Heavens. The five
	varieties of archon (Lantern, Hound,  Warden, Sword, and Tome) have
	wholly different appearances.  The various types look like  spheres
	of  light,   dog-faced  humanoids,   bear-like  humanoids,   winged
	humanoids,  and hawk-like humanoids respectively. Although there is
	a distinct  hierarchy among the varieties,  there is  no rivalry or
	jealousy  there.  Each  has  his   role  to  fulfil  and   that  is
	recognition enough for an archon.
	However strange  and frightening  their  appearance, archons  never
	seem evil. Rather, they appear  as beings at peace  with themselves
	and their environment.
					[ Monstrous Compendium 8, by TSR inc. ]
arioch
	Arioch, the patron demon of Elric's ancestors; one of the most
	powerful of all the Dukes of Hell, who was called Knight of
	the Swords, Lord of the Seven Darks, Lord of the Higher Hell
	and many more names besides.
		[ Elric of Melnibone, by Michael Moorcock ]
*arrow
	I shot an arrow into the air,
	It fell to earth, I knew not where;
	For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
	Could not follow it in its flight.

	I breathed a song into the air,
	It fell to earth, I knew not where;
	For who has sight so keen and strong
	That it can follow the flight of song?

	Long, long afterward, in an oak
	I found the arrow still unbroke;
	And the song, from beginning to end,
	I found again in the heart of a friend.
		[ The Arrow and the Song,
		  by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ]
arkenstone
	Arkenstone, Heart of the Mountain, property of the King
	under the Mountain, is the most valued jewel that the
	dwarves possess. It shines white light that can guide
	your steps in the darkness, and carrying it is said
	to increase your carrying capacity. When invoked it
	will reveal the gold around you.
*shikaga *akauji
	Ashikaga Takauji was a daimyo of the Minamoto clan who
	joined forces with the Go-Daigo to defeat the Hojo armies.
	Later when Go-Daigo attempted to reduce the powers of the
	samurai clans he rebelled against him.  He defeated Go-
	Daigo and established the emperor Komyo on the throne.
	Go-Daigo eventually escaped and established another
	government in the town of Yoshino.  This period of dual
	governments was known as the Nambokucho.
	[ Samurai - The Story of a Warrior Tradition, by Cook ]
	On July 8, 1336,  he and his samurai entered Kyoto, forced Go-Daigo
	to retire,  after which  he seized  power himself  and installed  a
	puppet prince on the throne  (the current Japanese  imperial family
	are  the   descendants  of  this   puppet  emperor  that   Ashikaga
	installed).

	Go-Daigo escaped,  though, wouldn't  admit to  have been  defeated,
	and  opened a new "capital"  in Yoshino (south of  Kyoto), where he
	and few  of his  descendants claimed  to be  running a  government,
	known as  the "Southern Court". The  period between  1337 and 1392,
	when Japan was ruled by two courts, is known as the Nambokucho.

	That "government" disappeared, naturally, after a  few generations,
	and Ashikaga's  Muromachi regime lasted for  a long  time. The last
	Ashikaga daimyo in power was the 14th descendant of Takauji.
asphynx
	This small,  inoffensive-looking snake shares the feared power
	of petrification with its distant relatives the cockatrice and
	basilisk. Just one touch from its blunt snout  can render  one
	motionless for all eternity.
		[ The New Bestiary, Wizard Endlebrook ]
athol
	In 1927, zoologist Ernst Bartels was in his home near the 
	Tjidjenkol River in Java when he heard a strange cry louder than 
	the other night sounds, a cry like "a-hool."
	Bartels heard the sound twice more before the origin of the cries 
	moved off into the night. Bartels soon remembered a local legend 
	of the ahool or athol, a type of huge bat reputed to live in 
	the area.

	Locals described the bat as the size of a small child, with 
	an 11-12 foot wingspan. The athol was supposedly covered in 
	grayish fur and had a face similar to that of a monkey or a man. 
	At times, it was seen sitting on the forest floor, with its wings 
	folded beside it; it was also reputed to have feet which pointed
	backwards. During the day (like all bats, it was nocturnal), the 
	athol's refuge was supposedly a cave somewhere near a waterfall, 
	although at night it would fly over the river's surface in
	search of fish.

		[ "A Belfry of Crypto-bats." by Shuker, Dr. Karl P.N. 
		Fortean Studies 1, pp. 235-245. ]
asmodeus
	It is said that Asmodeus is the overlord over all  of  hell.
	His  appearance,  unlike  many  other  demons and devils, is
	human apart from his horns and tail.  He  can  freeze  flesh
	with a touch.
athame
	The consecrated ritual knife of a Wiccan initiate (one of
	four basic tools, together with the wand, chalice and
	pentacle).  Traditionally, the athame is a double-edged,
	black-handled, cross-hilted dagger of between six and
	eighteen inches length.
athen*
	Athene was the offspring of Zeus, and without a mother.  She
	sprang forth from his head completely armed.  Her favourite
	bird was the owl, and the plant sacred to her is the olive.
		[ Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch ]
	Athena, the  Greek goddess of war and peace, the peaceful arts, and
	wisdom.  Patron defender of many Greek cities, Athens in particular
	(then called Pallas Athena),  she is a major  goddess of the  Greek
	pantheon  and, according to Hesiod, the daughter  of Metis (Wisdom)
	and Zeus, born fully  armed from his head. A goddess of  battle and
	allegedly  a snake  goddess,  she is  a deity  who also  stands for
	discipline against  the more unruly conduct  of such  as Hermes and
	Poseidon.
	Her  symbol is the Aegis,  the skin of  a sacrificial  goat. She is
	also associated with ship-building and domestic crafts.
			  [ after the Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ]
axolotl
	A mundane salamander, harmless.
bag
bag of *
sack
	"Now, this third handkerchief," Mein Herr proceeded, "has also
	four edges, which you can trace continuously round and round:
	all you need do is to join its four edges to the four edges of
	the opening.  The Purse is then complete, and its outer
	surface--"
	"I see!" Lady Muriel eagerly interrupted.  "Its outer surface
	will be continuous with its inner surface!  But it will take
	time. I'll sew it up after tea."  She laid aside the bag, and
	resumed her cup of tea.  "But why do you call it Fortunatus's
	Purse, Mein Herr?"
	The dear old man beamed upon her, with a jolly smile, looking
	more exactly like the Professor than ever.  "Don't you see,
	my child--I should say Miladi?  Whatever is inside that Purse,
	is outside it; and whatever is outside it, is inside it.  So
	you have all the wealth of the world in that leetle Purse!"
		[ Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, by Lewis Carroll ]
b*lzebub
	The "lord of the flies" is a translation of the Hebrew
	Ba'alzevuv (Beelzebub in Greek).  It has been suggested that
	it was a mistranslation of a mistransliterated word which
	gave us this pungent and suggestive name of the Devil, a
	devil whose name suggests that he is devoted to decay,
	destruction, demoralization, hysteria and panic...
		[ Notes on _Lord of the Flies_, by E. L. Epstein ]
balrog
	...  It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as
	if a cloud had bent over it.  Then with a rush it leaped
	the fissure.  The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed
	about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air.  Its streaming
	mane kindled, and blazed behind it.  In its right hand
	was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it
	held a whip of many thongs.
	'Ai, ai!' wailed Legolas.  'A Balrog!  A Balrog is come!'
		   [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ]
baluchitherium
titanothere
	Extinct rhinos include a variety of forms, the most
	spectacular being _Baluchitherium_ from the Oligocene of
	Asia, which is the largest known land mammal.  Its body, 18
	feet high at the shoulder and carried on massive limbs,
	allowed the 4-foot-long head to browse on the higher branches
	of trees.  Though not as enormous, the titanotheres of the
	early Tertiary were also large perissodactyls, _Brontotherium_
	of the Oligocene being 8 feet high at the shoulder.
		[ Prehistoric Animals, by Barry Cox ]
banana
	He took another step and she cocked her right wrist in
	viciously.  She heard the spring click.  Weight slapped into
	her hand.
	"Here!" she shrieked hysterically, and brought her arm up in
	a hard sweep, meaning to gut him, leaving him to blunder
	around the room with his intestines hanging out in steaming
	loops.  Instead he roared laughter, hands on his hips,
	flaming face cocked back, squeezing and contorting with great
	good humor.
	"Oh, my dear!" he cried, and went off into another gale of
	laughter.
	She looked stupidly down at her hand.  It held a firm yellow
	banana with a blue and white Chiquita sticker on it.  She
	dropped it, horrified, to the carpet, where it became a
	sickly yellow grin, miming Flagg's own.
	"You'll tell," he whispered.  "Oh yes indeed you will."
	And Dayna knew he was right.
		[ The Stand, by Stephen King ]
barbarian
* barbarian
	They dressed alike -- in buckskin boots, leathern breeks and
	deerskin shirts, with broad girdles that held axes and short
	swords; and they were all gaunt and scarred and hard-eyed;
	sinewy and taciturn.
	They were wild men, of a sort, yet there was still a wide
	gulf between them and the Cimmerian.  They were sons of
	civilization, reverted to a semi-barbarism.  He was a
	barbarian of a thousand generations of barbarians.  They had
	acquired stealth and craft, but he had been born to these
	things.  He excelled them even in lithe economy of motion.
	They were wolves, but he was a tiger.
		[ Conan - The Warrior, by Robert E. Howard ]
	Hrun the  Barbarian crept  soundlessly along  the corridors,  which
	were lit  with a  light so  violet that  it was  almost black.  his
	earlier  confusion was  gone. This was obviously  a magical temple,
	and that explained everything.
	   ...
	Observe Hrun,  as he leaps  cat-footed across  a suspicious  tunnel
	mouth. Even in this violet light his skin gleams  coppery. There is
	much  gold about his person, in  the form of anklets and wristlets,
	but otherwise  he is naked except  for a  leopardskin loincloth. He
	took  that in the  steaming forests  of Howondaland,  after killing
	its owner with his teeth.
	In his right hand  he carried the magical black sword  Kring, which
	was  forged  from a  thunderbolt  and has  a  soul  but suffers  no
	scabbard. Hrun  had  stolen it  only  three  days before  from  the
	impregnable  palace  of the  Archmandrite of  B'Ituni,  and  he was
	already regretting it. It was beginning to get on his nerves.
	"I tell you  it went down that last  passage on the  right," hissed
	Kring in a voice like the scrape of a blade over stone.
	"Be silent!"
	"All I said was -"
	"Shut up!"
				[ The colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ]
barbed devil
	Barbed devils lack any real special abilities, though they
	are quite difficult to kill.
~mongbat
~vampire bat
~wombat
*bat
	A bat, flitting in the darkness outside, took the wrong turn
	as it made its nightly rounds and came in through the window
	which had been left healthfully open.  It then proceeded to
	circle the room in the aimless fat-headed fashion habitual
	with bats, who are notoriously among the less intellectually
	gifted of God's creatures.  Show me a bat, says the old
	proverb, and I will show you something that ought to be in
	some kind of a home.
		[ A Pelican at Blandings, by P. G. Wodehouse ]
*boot*
	In Fantasyland these are remarkable in that they seldom or
	never wear out and are suitable for riding or walking in
	without the need of Socks.  Boots never pinch, rub, or get
	stones in them; nor do nails stick upwards into the feet from
	the soles.  They are customarily mid-calf length or knee-high,
	slip on and off easily and never smell of feet.  Unfortunately,
	the formula for making this splendid footwear is a closely
	guarded secret, possibly derived from nonhumans (see Dwarfs,
	Elves, and Gnomes).
	[ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ]
boulder
	I worked the lever well under, and stretched my back; the end
	of the stone rose up, and I kicked the fulcrum under.  Then,
	when I was going to bear down, I remembered there was
	something to get out from below; when I let go of the lever,
	the stone would fall again.  I sat down to think, on the root
	of the oak tree; and, seeing it stand about the ground, I saw
	my way.  It was lucky I had brought a longer lever.  It would
	just reach to wedge under the oak root.
	Bearing it down so far would have been easy for a heavy man,
	but was a hard fight for me.  But this time I meant to do it
	if it killed me, because I knew it could be done.  Twice I
	got it nearly there, and twice the weight bore it up again;
	but when I flung myself on it the third time, I heard in my
	ears the sea-sound of Poseidon.  Then I knew this time I
	would do it; and so I did.
		[ The King Must Die, by Mary Renault ]
~*longbow of diana
bow
* bow
	"Stand to it, my hearts of gold," said the old bowman as he
	passed from knot to knot.  "By my hilt! we are in luck this
	journey.  Bear in mind the old saying of the Company."
	"What is that, Aylward?" cried several, leaning on their bows
	and laughing at him.
	"'Tis the master-bowyer's rede: 'Every bow well bent.  Every
	shaft well sent.  Every stave well nocked.  Every string well
	locked.'  There, with that jingle in his head, a bracer on
	his left hand, a shooting glove on his right, and a
	farthing's-worth of wax in his girdle, what more doth a
	bowman need?"
	"It would not be amiss," said Hordle John, "if under his
	girdle he had four farthings'-worth of wine."
		[ The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ]
bec de corbin
	A peasant pole-arm, the bec de corbin's crow-beak blade 
	was designed to puncture the heavy plate armor common to 
	upper-class warriors. In this weapon the beak is the major 
	feature. This is backed by a flat hammer head or clawed head, 
	with a short and bladelike spike at the opposite end.

*bee
	This giant variety of its useful normal cousin normally
	appears in small groups, looking for raw material to produce
	the royal jelly needed to feed their queen.  On rare
	occasions, one may stumble upon a bee-hive, in which the
	queen bee is being well provided for, and guarded against
	intruders.
*beetle
	[ The Creator ] has an inordinate fondness for beetles.
		[ attributed to biologist J.B.S. Haldane ]

	The common name for the insects with wings shaped like
	shields (_Coleoptera_), one of the ten sub-species into
	which the insects are divided.  They are characterized by
	the shields (the front pair of wings) under which the back
	wings are folded.
		[ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ]
beholder
	The beholder (A.K.A the eye tyrant, the sphere of many eyes) 
	is most frequently found deep underground, although infrequently 
	it will lair in desolate wilderness.  The globular body of this 
	monster is supported by levitation, and it floats slowly about 
	as it wills.  Atop the sphere are ten eyestalks, while in its 
	central area are a great eleventh eye and a large mouth filled 
	with pointed teeth.  Each of the eyes is said to have a different
	magical property, all of which are deadly or malicious.  The 
	beholder is hateful, tricky, and avaricious and is known to have 
	a fondness for both traps and artifacts.
		[ Adapted by Ben Lehman from Monstrous Manual, by TSR, Inc. ]
bell of opening
	"A bell, book and candle job."
	The Bursar sighed.  "We tried that, Archchancellor."
	The Archchancellor leaned towards him.
	"Eh?" he said.
	"I _said_, we tried that Archchancellor," said the Bursar loudly,
	directing his voice at the old man's ear.  "After dinner, you
	remember?  We used Humptemper's _Names of the Ants_ and rang Old
	Tom."*
	"Did we, indeed.  Worked, did it?"
	"_No_, Archchancellor."

	* Old Tom was the single cracked bronze bell in the University
	bell tower.
		[ Eric, by Terry Pratchett ]
blindfold
	The blindfolding was performed by binding a piece of the
	yellowish linen whereof those of the Amahagger who condescended
	to wear anything in particular made their dresses tightly round
	the eyes.  This linen I afterwards discovered was taken from the
	tombs, and was not, as I had first supposed, of native
	manufacture.  The bandage was then knotted at the back of the
	head, and finally brought down again and the ends bound under
	the chin to prevent its slipping.  Ustane was, by the way, also
	blindfolded, I do not know why, unless it was from fear that she
	should impart the secrets of the route to us.
		[ She, by H. Rider Haggard ]
blind io
	On this particular day Blind Io, by dint of constant vigilance
	the chief of the gods, sat with his chin on his hand
	and looked at the gaming board on the red marble table in
	front of him.  Blind Io had got his name because, where his
	eye sockets should have been, there were nothing but two
	areas of blank skin.  His eyes, of which he had an impressively
	large number, led a semi-independent life of their
	own.  Several were currently hovering above the table.
		[ The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett ]
* blob
gelatinous cube
ooze
* ooze
* slime
	These giant amoeboid creatures look like nothing more than
	puddles of slime, but they both live and move, feeding on
	metal or wood as well as the occasional dungeon explorer to
	supplement their diet.

	But we were not on a station platform.  We were on the track ahead
	as the nightmare, plastic column of fetid black iridescence oozed
	tightly onward through its fifteen-foot sinus, gathering unholy
	speed and driving before it a spiral, re-thickening cloud of the
	pallid abyss vapor.  It was a terrible, indescribable thing vaster
	than any subway train -- a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic
	bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes
	forming and unforming as pustules of greenish light all over the
	tunnel-filling front that bore down upon us, crushing the frantic
	penguins and slithering over the glistening floor that it and its
	kind had swept so evilly free of all litter.
		[ At the Mountains of Madness, by H.P. Lovecraft ]
*pudding
	   " It's all very fine," said the Puddin' gloomily, " singing about
	the joys of being penguins and pirates, but how'd you like to be a
	Puddin' and be eaten all day long? "
	   And in a very gruff voice he sang as follows :--
	      " O, who would be a puddin',
		  A puddin' in a pot,
		A puddin' which is stood on
		  A fire which is hot ?
		O sad indeed the lot
		Of puddin's in a pot.
	...
	      " But as I am a puddin',
		  A puddin' in a pot,
		I hope you get the stomachache
		  For eatin' me a lot.
		I hope you get it hot,
		  You puddin'-eatin' lot ! "
	   " Very well sung, Albert," said Bill encouragingly, " though you're
	a trifle husky in your undertones, which is no doubt due to the gravy
	in your innards.  However, as a reward for bein' a bright little
	feller we shall have a slice of you all round before turnin' in for
	the night."
	[ The Magic Pudding: The Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum. Norman Lindsay ]
bone devil
	Bone devils attack with weapons and with a great hooked tail
	which causes a loss of strength to those they sting.
book of the dead
candelabrum*
*candle
	Faustus: Come on Mephistopheles.  What shall we do?
	Mephistopheles: Nay, I know not.  We shall be cursed with bell,
	book, and candle.
	Faustus: How?  Bell, book, and candle, candle, book, and bell,
	Forward and backward, to curse Faustus to hell.
	Anon you shall hear a hog grunt, a calf bleat, and an ass bray,
	Because it is Saint Peter's holy day.
	(Enter all the Friars to sing the dirge)
		[ Doctor Faustus and Other Plays, by Christopher Marlowe ]
bottle
* bottle
	For half a buck, a vial of luck
		Or a bottle of nifty breaks
	Or a flask of joy, or Myrna Loy
		For luncheon with sirloin steaks.
	
	Pour out a mug from this old jug,
		And you'll never get wet in rains.
	I've bottles of grins and racetrack wins
		And lotions to ease your pains.
	
	Here's bottles of imps and wet-pack shrimps
		From a sea unknown to man,
	And an elixir to banish fear,
		And the sap from the pipes of Pan.
	
	With the powdered horn of the unicorn
		You can win yourself a mate;
	With the rish hobnob; or get a job --
		It's yours at a lowered rate.
		[ Shottle Bop, by Theodore Sturgeon ]
brigit
	Brigit (Brigid, Bride, Banfile), which means the Exalted One,
	was the Celtic (continental European and Irish) fertility
	goddess.  She was originally celebrated on February first in
	the festival of Imbolc, which coincided with the beginning
	of lactation in ewes and was regarded in Scotland as the date
	on which Brigit deposed the blue-faced hag of winter.  The
	Christian calendar adopted the same date for the Feast of St.
	Brigit.  There is no record that a Christian saint ever
	actually existed, but in Irish mythology she became the
	midwife to the Virgin Mary.
		[ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ]
~stormbringer
*broadsword
	Bring me my broadsword
	And clear understanding.
	Bring me my cross of gold,
	As a talisman.
		[ "Broadsword" (refrain) by Ian Anderson ]
bugbear
	Bugbears are relatives of goblins, although they tend to be
	larger and more hairy.  They are aggressive carnivores and
	sometimes kill just for the treasure their victims may be
	carrying.

	Bugbears are giant, hairy  cousins of goblins who frequent the same
	areas  as  their smaller  relatives.  Bugbears are  large and  very
	muscular, standing 7' tall.  Their hides range from light yellow to
	yellow brown  and their  thick coarse  hair varies  in colour  from
	brown  to  brick  red.  Though  vaguely   humanoid  in  appearance,
	bugbears seem to contain the  blood of some large  carnivore. Their
	eyes recall  those of  some savage  bestial animal, being  greenish
	white with  red pupils, while their  ears are  wedge shaped, rising
	from the  top of  their heads. A  bugbear's mouth  is full of  long
	sharp fangs.
	Bugbears have two main goals  in life: survival and  treasure. They
	are  superb  carnivores,  winnowing  out  the   weak  and  careless
	adventurer, monster, and animal. Goblins  are always on  their toes
	when  bugbears are present, for  the weak or  stupid quickly end up
	in the stewpot.
		[ Monstrous Manual, by TSR, Inc. ]
bugle
	'I read you by your bugle horn
	And by your palfrey good,
	I read you for a Ranger sworn
	To keep the King's green-wood.'
	'A Ranger, Lady, winds his horn,
	And 'tis at peep of light;
	His blast is heard at merry morn,
	And mine at dead of night.'
		[ Brignall Banks, by Sir Walter Scott ]
byakhee
	A creature of the stars, this bat like being can be summoned
	across the vast interstellar gulfs to serve magicians and
	dark powers.  It is said that they will seize those who 
	summon them and cannot best them and carry them off to whatever
	terrible fate awaits them on other worlds.
*camaxtli
	A classical Mesoamerican Aztec god, also known as Mixcoatl-
	Camaxtli (the Cloud Serpent), Camaxtli is the god of war.  He
	is also a deity of hunting and fire who received human
	sacrifice of captured prisoners.  According to tradition, the
	sun god Tezcatlipoca transformed himself into Mixcoatl-Camaxtli
	to make fire by twirling the sacred fire sticks.
		[ Encyclopedia of Gods, by Michael Jordan ]
candy bar
	Only once a year, on his birthday, did Charlie Bucket ever
	get to taste a bit of chocolate.  The whole family saved up
	their money for that special occasion, and when the great
	day arrived, Charlie was always presented with one small
	chocolate bar to eat all by himself.  And each time he
	received it, on those marvelous birthday mornings, he would
	place it carefully in a small wooden box that he owned, and
	treasure it as though it were a bar of solid gold; and for
	the next few days, he would allow himself only to look at it,
	but never to touch it.  Then at last, when he could stand it
	no longer, he would peel back a tiny bit of the paper
	wrapping at one corner to expose a tiny bit of chocolate, and
	then he would take a tiny nibble - just enough to allow the
	lovely sweet taste to spread out slowly over his tongue.  The
	next day, he would take another tiny nibble, and so on, and
	so on.  And in this way, Charlie would make his ten-cent bar
	of birthday chocolate last him for more than a month.
		[ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl ]
s*d*g*r* cat
	Imagine a sealed container, so perfectly constructed that no
	physical influence can pass either inwards or outwards across its
	walls.  Imagine that inside the container is a cat, and also a
	device that can be triggered by some quantum event.  If that event
	takes place, then the device smashes a phial containing cyanide and
	the cat is killed.  If the event does not take place, the cat lives
	on.  In Schroedinger's original version, the quantum event was the
	decay of a radioactive atom.  ...  To the outside observer, the cat
	is indeed in a linear combination of being alive and dead, and only
	when the container is finally opened would the cat's state vector
	collapse into one or the other.  On the other hand, to a (suitably
	protected) observer inside the container, the cat's state-vector
	would have collapsed much earlier, and the outside observer's
	linear combination has no relevance.
		[ The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose ]
*cat
kitten
	Well-known quadruped domestic animal from the family of
	predatory felines (_Felis ochreata domestica_), with a thick,
	soft pelt; often kept as a pet.  Various folklores have the
	cat associated with magic and the gods of ancient Egypt.

	So Ulthar went to sleep in vain anger; and when the people
	awakened at dawn - behold!  Every cat was back at his
	accustomed hearth!  Large and small, black, grey, striped,
	yellow and white, none was missing.  Very sleek and fat did
	the cats appear, and sonorous with purring content.
		[ The Cats of Ulthar, by H.P. Lovecraft ]
# this one doesn't work very well for dwarven and gnomish cavemen
cave*man
human cave*man
	Now it was light enough to leave.  Moon-Watcher picked up
	the shriveled corpse and dragged it after him as he bent
	under the low overhang of the cave.  Once outside, he
	threw the body over his shoulder and stood upright - the
	only animal in all this world able to do so.
	Among his kind, Moon-Watcher was almost a giant.  He was
	nearly five feet high, and though badly undernourished
	weighed over a hundred pounds.  His hairy, muscular body
	was halfway between ape and man, but his head was already
	much nearer to man than ape.  The forehead was low, and
	there were ridges over the eye sockets, yet he unmistakably
	held in his genes the promise of humanity.
		[ 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke ]
*centaur
	Of all the monsters put together by the Greek imagination
	the Centaurs (Kentauroi) constituted a class in themselves.
	Despite a strong streak of sensuality, in their make-up,
	their normal behaviour was moral, and they took a kindly
	thought of man's welfare.  The attempted outrage of Nessos on
	Deianeira, and that of the whole tribe of Centaurs on the
	Lapith women, are more than offset by the hospitality of
	Pholos and by the wisdom of Cheiron, physician, prophet,
	lyrist, and the instructor of Achilles.  Further, the
	Centaurs were peculiar in that their nature, which united the
	body of a horse with the trunk and head of a man, involved
	an unthinkable duplication of vital organs and important
	members.  So grotesque a combination seems almost un-Greek.
	These strange creatures were said to live in the caves and
	clefts of the mountains, myths associating them especially
	with the hills of Thessaly and the range of Erymanthos.
		 [ Mythology of all races, Vol. 1, pp. 270-271 ]
centipede
	I observed here, what I had often seen before, that certain
	districts abound in centipedes.  Here they have light
	reddish bodies and blue legs; great myriapedes are seen
	crawling every where.  Although they do no harm, they excite
	in man a feeling of loathing.  Perhaps our appearance
	produces a similar feeling in the elephant and other large
	animals.  Where they have been much disturbed, they
	certainly look upon us with great distrust, as the horrid
	biped that ruins their peace.
		[ Travels and Researches in South Africa,
			by Dr. David Livingstone ]
*erberus
kerberos
	Cerberus, (or Kerberos in Greek), was the three-headed dog
	that guarded the Gates of Hell.  He allowed any dead to enter,
	and likewise prevented them all from ever leaving.  He was
	bested only twice:  once when Orpheus put him to sleep by
	playing bewitching music on his lyre, and the other time when
	Hercules confronted him and took him to the world of the
	living (as his twelfth and last labor).
chameleon
	Name of a family (_Chameleonidae_) and race (_Chameleo_) of
	scaly lizards, especially the _Chameleo vulgaris_ species,
	with a short neck, claws, a grasping tail, a long, extendible
	tongue and mutually independent moving eyes.  When it is
	scared or angry, it inflates itself and its transparent skin
	shows its blood:  the skin first appears greenish, then
	gradually changes color until it is a spotted red.  The final
	color depends on the background color as well, hence the
	(figurative) implication of unreliability.  [Capitalized:]
	a constellation of the southern hemisphere (Chameleo).
		[ Van Dale's Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal ]
*haro*n
	When an ancient Greek died, his soul went to the nether world:
	the Hades.  To reach the nether world, the souls had to cross
	the river Styx, the river that separated the living from the
	dead.  The Styx could be crossed by ferry, whose shabby ferry-
	man, advanced in age, was called Charon.  The deceased's next-
	of-kin would place a coin under his tongue, to pay the ferry-
	man.
chest
large box
	Dantes rapidly cleared away the earth around the chest.  Soon
	the center lock appeared, then the handles at each end, all
	delicately wrought in the manner of that period when art made
	precious even the basest of metals.  He took the chest by the
	two handles and tried to lift it, but it was impossible.  He
	tried to open it; it was locked.  He inserted the sharp end
	of his pickaxe between the chest and the lid and pushed down
	on the handle.  The lid creaked, then flew open.
	Dantes was seized with a sort of giddy fever.  He cocked his
	gun and placed it beside him.  The he closed his eyes like a
	child, opened them and stood dumbfounded.
	The chest was divided into three compartments.  In the first
	were shining gold coins.  In the second, unpolished gold
	ingots packed in orderly stacks.  From the third compartment,
	which was half full, Dantes picked up handfuls of diamonds,
	pearls and rubies.  As they fell through his fingers in a
	glittering cascade, they gave forth the sound of hail beating
	against the windowpanes.
		[ The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas ]
chih*sung*tzu
	A Chinese rain god.
*hromatic *ragon
tiamat
	Tiamat is said to be the mother of evil dragonkind.  She is
	extremely vain.
	Avaricious,  supremely vain,  and  profoundly Lawful  Evil,  Tiamat
	proclaims  herself  the   creator  of  all  evil  dragonkind,   and
	certainly many evil dragons  revere her as their creator and patron
	deity.  She  infests the  uppermost  of  the  Nine  Hells with  her
	consorts,  each a  Great Wyrm  of different  colour -  one red, one
	white, one green, one blue, and one black.
	Tiamat's Avatar appears  as a gigantic five-headed dragon with  one
	head of  each of  the chromatic  (evil) dragon  types. Each  head's
	colour  runs the length  of the  neck and into  the forepart of het
	body  as stripes,  gradually blending  to  three  stripes of  grey,
	blue-green,  and  purple  over her  back  and  hind-quarters,  then
	merging into a muddy dark  brown tail. Her underbelly and  legs are
	greenish white fading into her upper body colours.
		 [ Monster Mythology, by TSR inc. ]
~elven cloak
~oilskin cloak
*cloak*
	Cloaks are the universal outer garb of everyone who is not a
	Barbarian.  It is hard to see why.  They are open in front
	and require you at most times to use one hand to hold them
	shut.  On horseback they leave the shirt-sleeved arms and
	most of the torso exposed to wind and Weather.  The OMTs
	[ Official Management Terms ] for Cloaks well express their
	difficulties.  They are constantly _swirling and dripping_
	and becoming _heavy with water_ in rainy Weather, _entangling
	with trees_ or _swords_, or needing to be _pulled close
	around her/his shivering body_.  This seems to suggest they
	are less than practical for anyone on an arduous Tour.
		[ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ]
cloud*
	I wandered lonely as a cloud
	That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
	When all at once I saw a crowd,
	A host, of golden daffodils;
	Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
	Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
		[ I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth ]
cobra
	Darzee and his wife only cowered down in the nest without
	answering, for from the thick grass at the foot of the bush
	there came a low hiss -- a horrid cold sound that made
	Rikki-tikki jump back two clear feet.  Then inch by inch out of
	the grass rose up the head and spread hood of Nag, the big
	black cobra, and he was five feet long from tongue to tail.
	When he had lifted one-third of himself clear of the ground,
	he stayed balancing to and fro exactly as a dandelion-tuft
	balances in the wind, and he looked at Rikki-tikki with the
	wicked snake's eyes that never change their expression,
	whatever the snake may be thinking of.
	'Who is Nag?' said he.  '_I_ am Nag.  The great God Brahm put
	his mark upon all our people, when the first cobra spread his
	hood to keep the sun off Brahm as he slept.  Look, and be
	afraid!'
		[ Rikki-tikki-tavi, by Rudyard Kipling ]
cockatrice
basilisk
	Once in a great while, when the positions of the stars are
	just right, a seven-year-old rooster will lay an egg.  Then,
	along will come a snake, to coil around the egg, or a toad,
	to squat upon the egg, keeping it warm and helping it to
	hatch.  When it hatches, out comes a creature called basilisk,
	or cockatrice, the most deadly of all creatures.  A single
	glance from its yellow, piercing toad's eyes will kill both
	man and beast.  Its power of destruction is said to be so
	great that sometimes simply to hear its hiss can prove fatal.
	Its breath is so venomous that it causes all vegetation
	to wither.

	There is, however, one creature which can withstand the
	basilisk's deadly gaze, and this is the weasel.  No one knows
	why this is so, but although the fierce weasel can slay the
	basilisk, it will itself be killed in the struggle.  Perhaps
	the weasel knows the basilisk's fatal weakness:  if it ever
	sees its own reflection in a mirror it will perish instantly.
	But even a dead basilisk is dangerous, for it is said that
	merely touching its lifeless body can cause a person to
	sicken and die.
		[ Mythical Beasts by Deirdre Headon (The Leprechaun Library)
			and other sources ]
chickatrice
	This beastie is the recently-hatched broodling of a cockatrice, a
	creature feared by adventurers great and small for its petrifying
	peck.  
		[ The New Bestiary, Wizard Endlebrook ]
pyrolisk
	A single glance from this red-feathered cockatrice  can cause even
	the bravest adventurer to burst into flames, their flesh withering
	and blackening and curling beneath the creature's baleful gaze.
		[ The New Bestiary, Wizard Endlebrook ]
cornuthaum
	He was dressed in a flowing gown with fur tippets which had
	the signs of the zodiac embroidered over it, with various
	cabalistic signs, such as triangles with eyes in them, queer
	crosses, leaves of trees, bones of birds and animals, and a
	planetarium whose stars shone like bits of looking-glass with
	the sun on them.  He had a pointed hat like a dunce's cap, or
	like the headgear worn by ladies of that time, except that
	the ladies were accustomed to have a bit of veil floating
	from the top of it.
		[ The Once and Future King, by T.H. White ]

		"A wizard!" Dooley exclaimed, astounded.
		"At your service, sirs," said the wizard.  "How
	perceptive of you to notice.  I suppose my hat rather gives me
	away.  Something of a beacon, I don't doubt."  His hat was
	pretty much that, tall and cone-shaped with stars and crescent
	moons all over it.  All in all, it couldn't have been more
	wizardish.
		[ The Elfin Ship, James P. Blaylock ]
couatl
	A mythical feathered serpent.  The couatl are very rare.
	The couatl  are feathered serpents of myth and lore. It is believed
	that  they are  distant relatives  of dragons,  though this remains
	unproven.  So rare  as to be  considered legendary,  the couatl are
	some  of the  most beautiful creatures  in existence.  A couatl has
	the body of  a long serpent and  feathered wings the colour of  the
	rainbow. Occasionally  sent as  messengers from  the gods to  their
	erring servants,  a couatl  will always  seek to  punish those  who
	deserve it.
		[ 2nd ed. Monstrous Compendium, by TSR, Inc. ]
coyote
	This carnivore is known for its voracious appetite and
	inflated view of its own intelligence.
cram*
	If you want to know what cram is, I can only say that I don't
	know the recipe; but it is biscuitish, keeps good indefinitely,
	is supposed to be sustaining, and is certainly not entertaining,
	being in fact very uninteresting except as a chewing
	exercise.  It was made by the Lake-men for long journeys.
		[ The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien ]
*crocodile
	A big animal with the appearance of a lizard, constituting
	an order of the reptiles (_Loricata_ or _Crocodylia_), the
	crocodile is a large, dangerous predator native to tropical
	and subtropical climes.  It spends most of its time in large
	bodies of water.
croesus
kroisos
creosote
	Croesus (in Greek: Kroisos), the wealthy last king of Lydia;
	his empire was destroyed when he attacked Cyrus in 549, after
	the Oracle of Delphi (q.v.) had told him:  "if you attack the
	Persians, you will destroy a mighty empire".  Herodotus
	relates of his legendary conversation with Solon of Athens,
	who impressed upon him that being rich does not imply being
	happy and that no one should be considered fortunate before
	his death.
crom
	Warily Conan scanned his surroundings, all of his senses alert
	for signs of possible danger.  Off in the distance, he could
	see the familiar shapes of the Camp of the Duali tribe.
	Suddenly, the hairs on his neck stand on end as he detects the
	aura of evil magic in the air.  Without thought, he readies
	his weapon, and mutters under his breath:
	"By Crom, there will be blood spilt today."

	[ Conan the Avenger by Robert E. Howard, Bjorn Nyberg, and
	  L. Sprague de Camp ]
crossbow*
	"God save thee, ancient Mariner!
	From the fiends, that plague thee thus! -
	Why look'st thou so?" - With my cross-bow
	I shot the Albatross.
		[ The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor
		  Coleridge ]
crystal ball
	You look into one of these and see _vapours swirling like
	clouds_.  These shortly clear away to show a sort of video
	without sound of something that is going to happen to you
	soon.  It is seldom good news.
	[ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones ]
ct*ul*u
kt*ul*u
cht*ul*u
kht*ul*u
	"The Thing cannot be described -- there is no language for such
	abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch
	contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order.  A
	mountain walked or stumbled.  God!... the Thing of t…