Extracts from an encyclopedia written by Idorious of Venice, House Bonisagous.

The Black Elves - also known as Dwarfs, Duergar or Svart-alfa - are commonly found in Ultima Thule. It is said by the Norse people, that after Ymir had been slain by the gods, they found many maggot like creatures breeding in his flesh. They were divided into two groups - those who were dark and treacherous, and those which were fair and good. The former were banished to Svart-alfa-heim - the home of the black dwarfs - which is situated underground, deep beneath the mountains, and never allowed to come forth during the day, under penalty of being turned into stone.

Among their kind number the Dwarfs, Trolls, Gnomes and Kobolds, and they spend all heir time and energy in exploring the secret recesses of the earth. They collect gold, silver and precious stones.

Some of their kind, notably the Dverge, or Duergar as they are sometimes called, are famed for their legendary skills at artificing and smithcraft, and have created such magcal artificats as the hammer Mjollnir, and the spear Gungnir. They have been known to make items for mortals who dare to ask them, but the price is often much greater than it first seems.

It has been known for dwarfs to present items to people who have a great destiny before them. Such items have great power, but often bring disaster down on their recipient in the end.

The gods who were worshipped before the rise of Christianity were many and varied, though few survived the transition. As their followers turned away from them, so the power of the gods waned, until they were no more than powerful spirits, or faerie lords living their lives in Arcadia.

The old gods have their origins in the distant past, before even Egypt or Greece, at the time when the greatest human city was Babylon the Great, which drew on the wisdom of those early gods. In time, the civilisation of the old gods was destroyed, and the gods went out into the world and were worshipped by man. But as the Christian God spread his word, so the gods vanished into the wilderness. Today, it is said, they sleep upon Mount Olympus, the forest of Tertius Quid, and some say at Stonehenge as well.

The Dragons are also descended from these gods, for some of them took beastly forms in their search for new pleasures. The children they bore ar the Dragons, Worms, Drakes and Serpents of today. Perhaps a few of the mightiest dragons are actually old gods who have never given up their new forms, or who have forgotton how to.

See also The True Origins of the Magical Traditions, by the Arch-Mage Infamitus.

Iceland is the most northern of all islands, and is perpetually covered in snow and ice all year around, and no part of it is warm. Apart from a few monks, no-one lives there.

The Keepers were an ancient group of sages, who sought to preserve the knowledge of the past. Similar to the Seekers of the Order, they were descended from ancient bloodlines, and are not entirely human, being part of the Scarabae. They ceased to exist over a thousand years ago.

See Scarabae.

The Scarabae are a tight knit group of people, strongly related to the fey, though capable of moving amongst mundanes without being noticed. Of whether they are dark or light, it is difficult to say, for they are secretive, almost to the point of obsession.

They were once part of a much larger group, but were betrayed long before even the pyramids were built. They took to hiding within mundane cities, and took on their current name during the height of Egypt, while obtaining for themselves much political power and wealth.

The nature of their betrayel is unclear, though it would seem that their original source of magic was stolen from them, by those wishing to squander its power for their own ends. The best description of this magical artifact is that it was similar to a source of raw vis.

Since Egypt, they have moved out across Europe, and have people in all the highest places, possibly even within the Vatican. It is said that their new home is located in the farthest North, and that they deal with the Order of Odin.

After the Saxon Hengest had slaughtered many Britons, King Aurelius asked Merlin for advice on constructing a suitable monument to honour his fallen warriors. Merlin replied that the only suitable monument which would last for all time would be the Giant's Ring in Ireland. So the King sent Merlin with Uther and an army to claim the stones, where they fought Gillomaur the King of Ireland, and slew him and his army as they tried to stop the Britons from taking their stones.

The stones were so large that none could lift them, but Merlin spoke to the stones, and cast his magics upon them, such that a single man could carry each stone, and so they were brought to Britain from Ireland, and set up on the plain near Sarum where the Britons had been murdered.

Since then, it has been a place of great magical power, used by the Druids for their own rituals until Christianity and the Schism War put an end to that. According to Callistratus ex Bonisagus, the stones are sleeping, and the magic within them is dormant. This may be why they have not been used by the Order for the last two centuries.

The Vampires are infernal creatures of the night, who feed on the blood of the living in order to sustain their existence. They fear the light of day, the sign of God, and garlic. They are said to be difficult to slay, and only a wooden stake through the heart, or total immersion in running water will do it. Some are even unable to cross running water, though there are many stories of vampires crossing huge distances, which would be difficult if this were indeed the case.

Vampires achieve their state by making infernal pacts with demons in exchange for immortality. At this point of course, their soul is damned, and their desire for blood drives them away from human society, until their become slaves to their own dark desires.