On dissecting it, I learned that its food is earth and rock. I can only wonder at the final size it would have attained.

I believe that this third type of creature, the vartek (plural form: varteki), is the most formidable of the three samples I investigated. There could also be something far worse within the jars that I did not study.

In view of our approaching conflict with the Kobalos, this does not bode well.

Glossary of the Kobalos World

Original written by Nicholas Browne

Notes added by Tom Ward and Grimalkin

Anchiette: A burrowing mammal found in northern forests on the edge of the snow line. The Kobalos consider them a delicacy eaten raw. There is little meat on the creature, but the leg bones are chewed with relish.

Note: I tried eating the creatures (which are hardly bigger than mice), and I definitely prefer rabbit. However, they are numerous and easy to catch, best eaten in a stew. With the addition of the correct herbs, the meal is tolerable.—Grimalkin

Askana: The dwelling place of the Kobalos gods. Probably just another term for the dark.

Note: This is intriguing. Nicholas Browne might be right, but could it be that the Kobalos gods exist outside what we term the dark? Cuchulain dwelled within the Hollow Hills, accessed from Ireland. That too was not directly within the dark.—Tom Ward

Baelic: The ordinary low tongue of the Kobalos people, used only in informal situations between family members or to show friendship. The true language of the Kobalos is Losta, which is also spoken by humans who border their territory. For a stranger to speak to another Kobalos in Baelic implies warmth, but it is sometimes used before a “trade” is made.

Balkai: The first and most powerful of the three Kobalos high mages who formed the triumvirate after the slaying of the king, and now rule Valkarky.

Berserkers: These are Kobalos warriors sworn to die in battle.

Bindos: Bindos is the Kobalos law that demands each citizen sell at least one purra in the slave markets every forty years. Failure to do so makes the perpetrator of the crime an outcast, shunned by his fellows.

Boska: This is the breath of a Kobalos mage, which can be used to induce sudden unconsciousness, paralysis, or terror in a human victim. The mage varies the effects of boska by altering the chemical composition of his breath. It is also sometimes used to change the mood of animals.

Note: This was used on me; it leached the strength from my body. But I was taken by surprise. It is wise to be on our guard against such a threat and not allow a haizda mage to get close. Perhaps a scarf worn across the mouth and nose would provide an effective defense. Or perhaps plugs of wax could be fitted into the nostrils.—Tom Ward

Bychon: This is the Kobalos name for the spirit known in the County as a boggart.

Note: It will be interesting to discover whether these boggarts fall into the same categories we have in the County or whether there are new types there.—Tom Ward