The Medieval Dictionary
Version 1.0
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A
Alba -- An island nation of the northwest coast of Creata. Roughly equivalent to Britain.
Alchemy -- A scientific form of magic, using transmutation circles to focus mental energy to transmute and rearrange matter into new forms. Alchemy has three steps: analyze a structure, break it down, and then put it back together in a new form.
Alchemical Circle -- A circle drawn or engraved on a surface to focus the mental energy of an Alchemist to allow transmutations and transformations.
Alchemist -- A practitioner or student of the science of Alchemy. In order to become an Alchemist, it takes years of training and a natural ability to precisely visualize the structure of a substance.
Amestria -- The area bordered on the north by the Briggs Mountain Range, on the west by the Rhondel and Rhovana rivers, on the south by the Arean highlands and Heike Bay, and on the East by the Ishbal Desert. A thousand years ago, it was ruled as an empire from the city of Amestris in its center.
Amestris -- The present-day city of Amestris, as well as the surrounding area that forms a dukedom. In the future era seen in the anime/manga Fullmetal Alchemist, it will also be the name of a nation roughly corresponding to the ancient empire of Amestria.
Andulasia -- A nation on a large peninsula southwest of Creata. Roughly equivalent to Spain and Portugal.
Aquaroya -- A city and a petty dukedom of Amestria, in the southeast of Amestria, centered on a city on the shores of a lake.
Arbalest -- A heavy crossbow that requires a ratchet or winch system to re-cock the mechanism between shots.
An Arbalest, showing the windlass mechanism used to reset the mechanism between shots
Arean Fire -- A liquid concoction of naptha, quicklime, and pitch that can be sprayed from a pump nozzle and then ignited to create something like a primitive flamethrower. When used on a naval vessel, it can be devastating to wooden warships, as the resulting flames cannot be put out using water. Originally developed by alchemists in Areugo.
Areugo -- A cultural region on a mountainous peninsula southwest of Amestris. Roughly equivalent to Greece.
Armor -- Heavy padded clothing reinforced with wood, leather, metal, or some combination of those that is used to protect the wearer from blows in hand-to-hand combat. Metal armor falls into three rough categories: scale, chainmail, and plate.
Arrow -- A projectile of wood, bone, or metal with feather fletchings at one end to provide stability and a sharpened stone or metal tip at the other. Fired from a bow of some sort to provide the primary type of ranged weaponry in the medieval world.
Assegai -- A short spear with a broad-bladed tip used primarily for thrusting and slicing. The primary hand-to-hand combat weapon of Bengaza and Karnaka. Usually used in concert with a large shield.
A typical Assegai
Automail -- Metallic motorized prosthetic limbs. Used in the future world seen in the anime/manga Fullmetal Alchemist to replace missing human limbs such as arms and legs.
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B
Backplate -- A piece of plate armor that protects the wearer's back.
Baggala -- A large seagoing vessel similar to a Dhow that is the main warship and trading vessel used by Bengaza, Karnaka, Ishbal, and Sindi.
Bailiff -- An overseer who manages the estate of a feudal lord and directly supervises the work of the estate's inhabitants. Roughly equivalent to a manager combined with a mayor.
Ballista -- An extremely heavy crossbow-like device on a framework used as light artillery. Ballistae fire either very heavy arrows or small stones a much greater distance than any man-portable crossbow or arbalest could manage. Unlikely to damage walls, but very useful in field battles to disrupt enemy formations, or in sieges to clear defenders off of the tops of walls.
A ballista on a fixed mounting for use in open combat
Barque -- A small or medium-sized sailing vessel best suited to coastal voyages but also capable of cross-ocean voyages. The standard ship type used in Creata, Alba, Drachma, and Andulasia.
Bastia -- One of the Amestrian Petty Dukedoms, in Western Amestria between Amestris itself and the border with Creata.
Bengaza -- A nation on the southern coast of the Southern Sea to the west of Karnaka. Roughly equivalent to the Maghreb (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco), with a culture similar to ancient Carthage.
Beramy -- One of the Amestrian petty dukedoms, in south-central Amestria just south of Amestris itself. Basically an agricultural puppet-state of Amestris itself.
Billhook -- A heavy polearm based on a farming implement, basically a large sharp hook on a pole used to drag cavalrymen or knights off their horses to the ground so they can be attacked with swords, maces, or daggers.
Bolt -- A short, heavy, all-metal arrow fired from a crossbow or arbalest, or a larger equivalent fired from a ballista. Crossbow bolts are better at piercing armor than standard arrows.
Bombard -- A primitive cannon on a fixed mounting, often built in place, mainly used in siege warfare to batter down walls. Bombards suffer from both a very low rate of fire (one or two shots per hour), poor accuracy, and a disturbing tendency to explode and kill the user instead of the target.
A typical bombard on its fixed mounting
Boyar -- The noble ruling class of Sarmatia and Drachma, Boyars fight much as knights do, but are much more likely to also wield a shortbow on horseback and double as horse archers.
Breastplate -- A piece of plate armor worn to protect the chest and abdomen. Often worn separately from a true suit of armor, especially by non-noble cavalrymen or by the best-equipped sort of foot soldier.
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C
Catapult -- A piece of pre-gunpowder field artillery, mostly used in siege warfare to batter down walls or hurl projectiles over them into a besieged city or castle. Catapaults use the torsion principle, employing twisted ropes or animal sinews to drive a throwing arm to hurl rocks or similar projectiles.
Cataphract -- A heavily-armored type of cavalry used in Areugo and southern Ishbal. Cataphracts combine the ranged-attack abilities of horse archers with the shock-attack abilities of a knight.
Castle -- A large fortified compound, which will often be the seat of a feudal nobleman, or else a fort protecting a small city or large town. Many castles are large enough to contain the population of the protected city and the surrounding countryside in times of war.
Chainmail -- A type of armor consisting of thousands of tiny interlocking metal rings. Chainmail does not provide as much protection as plate mail, but is generally much cheaper, and is much more flexible and thus less likely to impede movement.
Chimera -- A beast made by alchemically combining two species of animal, or melding together an animal with a human. Such combination of creatures is generally considered to be immoral, but is nevertheless widely practiced. Some chimera are produced to be basically exceptionally powerful guard dogs, others to replace horses as the mounts for cavalry, and some are produced to be objects of worship, representing gods in temples of a variety of cults.
Composite Bow -- A bow made of several materials, usually wood, horn or bone, and animal sinew. By combining the stiffness of horn or wood with the flexibility of animal sinew, they allow a short, compact bow to have the power of a larger longbow or arbalest. Especially popular in Ishbal, Sindi, and Sarmatia.
A composite bow of the type used in Sarmatia
Creata -- A nation to the west of Amestria, roughly equivalent to France.
Crossbow -- An arrow-firing device consisting of a wooden or metal arm crossed with a heavy flexible-steel crosspiece. Easier to aim and use than a longbow, crossbows are popular weapons of mass-army footsoldiers and mercenaries throughout the medieval world. They have a relatively short range and a slower rate of fire than traditional bows, but the greater ease of use and the improved penetrating power of metal bolts make them especially good for attacking armored troops such as mounted knights.
Cuirass -- A partial suit of armor consisting of a backplate and breastplate, but lacking protection for the limbs. May or may not be used in conjunction with a helmet. Especially popular with non-noble cavalrymen and the better-equipped sort of foot soldier.
Cutlass -- A heavy slashing sword with a broad, curved blade, favored by cavalry and sailors.
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D
Dhow -- A small, light coastal vessel popular in Ishbal, Sindi, Bengaza, and Karnaka.
Drachma -- A nation to the north of Amestria across the Briggs Mountain Range, roughly equivalent to Germany and Poland.
Dragoon -- A type of medium calvary that either fights from horseback with sabers, or else rides the horse to the battle but then dismounts and fights on foot with crossbows and swords.
Dromon -- A small, light, shallow-draft oared vessel used for coastal voyages or on rivers. Popular in Areugo and Amestria.
A typical Arean Dromon
Duke -- In autonomous dukedoms such as found in Amestria, the ruler of a dukedom, whether the nobleman in question is an actual duke or has some other equivalent title such as Prince, King, or Baron. In larger nations such as Creata, a duke is either the highest-ranking level of the petty nobility, or else is a title given to members of the immediate royal family who are not likely to succeed the current monarch, such as his brothers and uncles.
Dukedom -- A political unit larger than a city-state but smaller than a nation. Amestria is divided into twelve petty dukedoms. Other nations such as Creata and Alba, while theoretically unified and ruled by a centralized monarchy, often are in practice divided into dukedoms for the purposes of day-to-day administration. Dukedoms may (as in the case of Amestria) be fully autonomous, or may be subject to a higher royal authority. Dukedoms in turn are often divided into smaller units such as counties or baronies controlled by petty nobility subject to the authority of the Duke.
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E
Elladona -- One of the Amestrian Petty Dukedoms, in the southwest along the borders with Areugo and Creata.
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F
Fearless Leader -- The pseudonym of the current ruler of Pottsylvania. The true identity of Fearless Leader is a closely-guarded secret.
Firegalley -- A large oared warship which uses catapults and Arean Fire as its primary weapons. Popular in Areugo and Amestria.
Fletching -- The feathers or similar projections on the tail end of an arrow, which provide stability in flight.
Florin -- A nation consisting of a peninsula and several offshore islands to the north of Creata and the northwest of Drachma. Roughly equivalent to Denmark.
Francisca -- A medium throwing-axe popular in Creata and Drachma, and to a lesser extent in Alba and Florin.
A typical Creatari Francisca
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G
Galleass -- The heaviest sort of oared fighting ship, using both oars and sails, and armed either with catapults or even a Bombard or two. Galeasses both seek to sink enemy ships with flaming catapult projectiles, and to board and capture enemy vessels.
Galley -- Generic term for naval vessels that use oars for the primary propulsion in combat, but most also have sails for strategic mobility. Galleys may be used for civilian trading ships, or in wartime as warships which seek to ram and sink, or else grapple and board enemy ships with the intent of capture.
Gauntlet -- The armored gloves which form part of a suit of armor.
Greaves -- The armored leg-guards of a suit of armor.
Guild -- A medieval predecessor to a union, a group of craftsmen or merchants in a single industry who establish uniform price schedules and oversee the training of apprentices.
Guilder -- A nation on a large island to the north of Florin and Drachma. Roughly equivalent to Sweden and Norway.
Gunpowder -- A mixture of saltpeter (Potassium Chloride), Sulfur, and Charcoal (Carbon). When ignited, it burns quickly, and if it is confined, the pressure of the expanding gasses of combustion can produce a spectacular explosion. Gunpowder is mainly used in fireworks, primitive grenades, mining, and siege warfare. Actual man-portable guns are as yet unknown.
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H
Halberd -- A heavy weapon consisting of a spear with an attached axe blade, used primarily against cavalry such as knights, or against heavily-armored foot soldiers. Halberdiers themselves also tend to be heavily armored. Halberds are also useful for carving a way past a wall of pike or spear points in order to allow sword-weilding infantry to get inside enemy formations and wreak havoc.
Hauberk -- A garment made of chainmail consisting of a shirt and hood to protect the head and upper body.
Heikatic League -- One of the Amestrian petty states, on the southeast coast along Heike Bay. The Heikatic League is not so much a true dukedom as it is a loose confederation of coastal city-states who focus on maritime trade. Roughly equivalent to the Hanseatic League or Venice.
Heike Bay -- An arm of the Southern Sea between Areugo and Ishbal, on which Amestria has its sole coastline.
Helm -- A heavy armored helmet that also extends down to protect the face, cheeks, and neck.
Hobilar -- A type of light cavalry mounted on small "hobby horses" or ponies, used for scouting and attacking lightly-armed foot soldiers with lances and swords. Popular in Creata, Alba, and Western Amestria. Hobilars cannot stand up to pikemen, spearmen, or true knights.
Homunculi -- Alchemically-created artificial human beings without souls. Homunculi cannot perform true alchemy, but they usually have special powers somewhat similar to alchemy. These special powers vary widely and are difficult to predict.
Horse Archer -- A type of light cavalry armed with bows and arrows, generally shortbows or composite bows, but mounted crossbowmen are not unknown. Especially popular in Sindi, Ishbal, Xing, Karnaka, Bengaza, and Eastern Amestria, although Drachmonians often employ mounted crossbowmen. Various sub-types of horse archers may also employ swords or light lances for shock action, but generally they stay out of hand-to-hand range and pepper their enemies with arrows. Horse archers employ tactics of ambush and retreat and are especially good at raiding and scouting.
Human Transmutation -- Attempts to resurrect dead human beings or create humans from raw materials. It is not known if any attempts have ever been successful except for creating Homunculi, but rumors constantly circulate that such transmutations are possible with the use of the Philosopher's Stone.
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I
Ishbal -- A country to the east of Amestris and west of Xing, consisting of a wide desert. Roughly equivalent to the Middle East.
Ishb'allah -- Formally the Sky God and king of the gods in the Ishbalan pantheon, now the one-true-god of a new Ishbalan cult started by a prophet known as Taleb al-Azim.
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J
Javelin -- A short, light spear designed for throwing at an enemy.
Jinette -- A type of light cavalry mounted on smaller horses, and who fight by hurling javelins and using slashing swords. Jinettes are primarily used in Andulasia and Bengaza.
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K
Karnaka -- A nation on the southern shore of the Southern Sea, across from Areugo and Ishbal. Roughly equivalent to Egypt.
Knight -- A heavily armored and well-armed type of heavy cavalry, drawn from the ranks of the petty nobility. Knights generally employ heavy lances as well as swords, maces, or warhammers.
Kroze -- A petty dukedom in north-central Amestria, centered on the Koluminaq river valley.
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L
Lance -- A heavy spear used by mounted cavalrymen to impale infantry or joust with enemy cavalry.
Leyhara -- One of the Amestrian Petty States, in west-central Amestria along the border with Creata.
Liora -- One of the Amestrian Petty States, in northeast Amestria along the border with Ishbal, and with a culture very similar to Ishbal.
Longboat -- A small, shallow-draft vessel using oars and sails, used in coastal voyages but also capable of cross-ocean voyages and entering rivers. Popular in Florin, Guilder, and Drachma.
Longbow -- A very large wooden bow mainly used in Alba. With a high rate of fire and great range and penetrating power, longbows are probably the best ranged weapon of the medieval world, but they require years of training and great strength and skill to use effectively.
Lord -- A member of the feudal nobility with political and military authority over a city or region.
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M
Mace -- A short, blunt weapon used to crush skulls and break bones rather than cut into skin. Maces are especially effective at wounding enemies protected by armor, thus are a favorite weapon of armored knights when fighting other knights.
Mangonel -- A very heavy type of pre-gunpowder artillery. Mangonels are so large and heavy that they usually include a hamster-wheel-like device which their operators climb in order to reset the throwing arm between shots.
Manor -- The large unfortified house that is the seat of a member of the petty nobility that doesn't control an actual castle. The term also can refer to the estate of such a nobleman, including any attached farmland and peasant housing.
Morningstar -- A mace that has the outer surface also covered with narrow sharp blades, for greater damage potential to unarmored flesh without sacrificing the crushing ability against armored opponents.
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N
Naptha -- A waxy, highly flammable substance distilled from petroleum, used both in Arean Fire and in more primitive forms of incendiary weaponry. Naptha Grenades are used to incinerate armored opponents, and naptha catapault projectiles are used to set fires inside a besieged city.
Norga -- Term for the freelance coastal raiders from Florin and Guilder who play much the same role in the world of FMK that Vikings played in real history.
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O
Onanger -- A small torsion-based catapult designed to be used in field battles rather than siege warfare.
Order of the Serpent -- A secret society of knights and alchemists dedicated to preventing anyone from ever acquiring or producing a Philospher's Stone. At least, anyone other than themselves, that is.
Order of the Winged Cross -- A secret society of knights and alchemists dedicated to finding or producing a Philosopher's Stone for the good of all mankind.
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P
Palace -- A large and luxurious building or castle that serves as the headquarters and residence of a particularly powerful ruler, such as a king or the duke of an Amestrian dukedom.
Pavise -- A large man-sized shield which is rested on the ground so that an archer of some sort (usually a crossbowman or arbalester) can hide behind it while reloading and thus be protected from opposing archers.
Pennon Lance -- A particularly large and heavy wooden lance with an attached pennant flag used by knights both for impaling enemies and waving the pennant as a form of battlefield signal communication.
Petard -- A short-barreled bombard designed to be rested in direct contact with a wall or castle gate and then detonated to create a breach so the castle can be stormed by ground troops.
Philosopher's Stone -- A semi-mythical substance which is said to amplify alchemical energy and allow Alchemists to completely bypass the law of equivalent exchange. A necessary tool in completing successful human transmutation.
Pike -- A very long and heavy spear, used by foot soldiers in dense formations to defend against cavalry, as well as to roll over opposing infantry formations.
Pilum -- A type of heavy javelin which has a long metal point socketed into a wooden handle. The central portion of the metal point is forged to be soft and flexible, so once the Pilum is thrown and hits a target, it will bend and become very difficult to pull out. This makes a shield hit by a Pilum useless, and prevents Pilae from being thrown back at their owners by an opponent.
Portcullis -- A heavy metal or wooden grate used something like a garage door to close a castle gate in emergencies but still allow archers from inside to shoot out through the gaps.
Pottsylvania -- One of the Amestrian Petty States, in the extreme northwest of Amestria, bordering Creata and Drachma.
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Q
Quiver -- A container for arrows, slung over an archer's back or attached to their belt.
Quinquireme -- A large galley warship with five vertical rows of oarsmen. Now somewhat obsolete, quinquiremes were designed to ram and sink enemy ships, or to board and capture them.
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R
Red Stone -- An incomplete Philosopher's Stone made of crystallized red water. It amplifies alchemical powers but does not have the full power of a true Philosopher's Stone.
Red Water -- A mysterious liquid containing dissolved red mercury salts which somehow amplifies alchemical powers and allows the law of equivalent exchange to be partially bypassed.
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S
Sage's Road -- The traditional caravan routes across the Ishbalan Desert connecting Sindi and Xing to Amestria and Drachma (and then the western kingdoms beyond them). There are three main routes. The South Coast Road passes along the coast from Sindi to its western terminus in the city of Rios. The Central Road passes through the Great Desert through the city of Ishval and has its terminus in Taliana. The Northern Road passed through Northern Ishbal and ends in Liora.
Sarmatia -- A large cultural region to the north of Xing and Ishbal, and east of Drachma, consisting of wide steppes, deep conifer forests, and endless snowbound tundra. Roughly equivalent to Russia, Mongolia, and Siberia.
Scutum -- A large convex rectangular shield that is the traditional defensive equipment for foot soldiers in Amestria.
Serf -- An agricultural worker who is not quite a slave, but not exactly free, either. Typically, Serfs are freemen except that they are not allowed to move off the lands of their birth without permission from their feudal lord, and they owe one or two days of labor each week to their feudal overlord. Other days, they labor for their own benefit.
Sindi -- A cultural region occupying a large squat peninsula to the south of Xing and Ishbal. Roughly equivalent to India.
Shortbow -- A simple bow for firing arrows, generally made of wood.
Stiletto -- A decorative dagger with a very narrow blade designed for stabbing rather than slicing. A favorite type of macho jewelry for noblemen, and a favorite weapon of assassins.
Strattonia -- One of the Amestrian Petty Dukedoms, in the extreme northeast of Amestria, bordering Drachma and Ishbal.
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T
Taliana -- One of the Amestrian Petty Dukedoms, in east-central Amestria, along the border with Ishbal.
Transformation -- An alchemical reaction in which the particles of a material are re-arranged into a new shape, but the fundamental material remains unchanged.
Transmutation -- An alchemical reaction where a material is not just changed in shape, its microscopic structure is changed so that it becomes a fundamentally different material.
Transmutation Circle -- Another name for an alchemical circle.
Trireme -- A traditional form of a galley, with three vertical rows of oarsmen. Now somewhat obsolete, Triremes are still found in the fleets of some Arean city-states.
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U
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V
Vizier -- Originally the chief minister and deputy ruler of Karnaka, now a term widely used for the top non-royal administrator of a dukedom or nation.
Voluge -- A type of Halberd with a particularly elaborate blade with multiple cutting edges. Mostly used for ceremonial purposes rather than in battle.
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W
Warhammer -- A type of mace consisting of a large blunt-tipped hammer, often with a spike or axe blade on the other side of the head. Typically used by armored heavy cavalry such as knights when facing heavily-armored opponents.
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X
Xing -- A large empire to the East of Ishbal. Roughly equivalent to China.
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Y
Yamato -- A nation on a large island archipelago off the eastern coast of Xing. Roughly equivalent to Japan.
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Z
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