Alagaësia

Alagaësia is a fictional land in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Trilogy. It consists of several major regions, namely the Beor Mountains, Hadarac Desert, Du Weldenvarden, The Empire, and Surda.

File:Alagaesia.jpg

Alagaësia as depicted on Eldest's inside cover.

Geography

Beor Mountains

The Beor Mountains are the tallest mountains in Alagaësia, being over ten miles high (nearly twice as tall as Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth). They are located southeast of the Empire, across the Hadarac Desert. The Beors are steep, have vegetation only at their bases, and are almost maze-like with valleys and crevices. Beneath these mountains the dwarves have created cities, the greatest being Tronjheim, which is located in Farthen Dûr. The dwarves within these mountains believe they were created out of the living granite by their god, Helzvog.

The region has five species unique to it. Among them are Feldunost, large goats that the dwarves use for steeds (they are also known as the legendary tang donkey); Beorn, enormous bears for which the elves named the range, the dwarf Orik said that the true name of the Beor mountains is a secret they share with no other race; Shrrg, giant wolves; and Nagra, gigantic boars which the dwarves consider to be a delicious dish, though they are rarely hunted since they are so vicious. Another species native to the Beor Mountains are the Fanghur, which resemble dragons, though they are thinner, more agile, and a muddy green color. They attack their prey with their minds to incapacitate them.

Eragon and Saphira attempt to fly up one of these mountains, but as they climb higher the air begins to thin. Eragon tries to tell Saphira to fly back down, but as she is suffering from oxygen deprivation, she is unable to understand him. Eventually Eragon passes out and Saphira, understanding something is wrong, turns back. Upon regaining consciousness Eragon realizes the value of knowing about the lack of air when fighting another Rider.

Du Weldenvarden

Du Weldenvarden are the woods located in the north of Alagaësia. After King Galbatorix drove out the resistance, the elves fled to the forest where they have stayed since. Many cities exist in the forest, including the Elven capital, Ellesméra. Enchanted by the singing of the elves, these woods, along with their woodland habitants, grow comparably larger than normal trees in Algaësia. Du Weldenvarden is ruled by the elven queen, Islanzadi.

The elf who saved Eragon at the end of the first book, otherwise known as the Cripple Who is Whole and Togira Ikonoka, is revealed to be no other than an elf named Oromis, the last surviving dragon rider except Eragon and Galbatorix. Eragon is sent north to Du Weldenvarden to train with this elf so he can stand up to Galbatorix. As Eragon enters the forest, he sees harmony between the elves and their woodland paradise: the elves use magic to create their houses from trees, and they refuse to eat meat.

During Eragon's stay, his feelings for Arya Dröttningu grow. He also attends the Agaeti Blodhren, or the Blood-Oath Celebration, an event that celebrates the truce between the elves and the dragons. During this event, the dragons bestow upon him their power, making him extremely powerful, agile, and perceptive. It also finally rids him of the injury from the Shade, Durza.

Near the end of Eldest, Eragon leaves Du Weldenvarden to aid the Battle of Burning Plains in the south, between the rebel nation of Surda and the mighty Empire.

The Empire

Main article: The Empire (Inheritance)

The Empire collectively refers to the nation dominating Alagaësia in the fictional world of the Inheritance Trilogy, by Christopher Paolini. In the time period of the events of the Inheritance Trilogy, The Empire is in control of all Alagaësia except for the elven controlled Du Weldenvarden, the dwarven controlled Beor Mountains, the uninhabitable Hadarac Desert and Surda.

Hadarac Desert

The Hadarac Desert is located in the heart of Alagaësia.

The Empire effectively ends at the Hadarac Desert, which fills the heart of Alagaësia. Without the Dragon Riders, it is simply too difficult to maintain a government over the vast tract of desolate earth. In fact, the desert is one of the few things that prevents the king from expanding the Empire to include all of eastern Alagaësia. The Hadarac Desert is the ancestral land of the dragons. Currently, nothing lives in the desert besides nomads, a few roaming slavers and bandits who look prey on weary travelers in the area.

Eragon, Saphira, and Murtagh travel through the vast and desolate desert in search of the Varden, even while being chased by Kull. While in the Hadarac, they encounter a group of slavers. Murtagh slays the leader of the bandits in cold blood, which deeply disturbs Eragon.

Eragon, Saphira, and the dwarf Orik flew over the Hadarac on their journey to Surda to assist the Varden/Surdan alliance against the might of the Empire. It takes them no longer than two days to cross on Saphira's back.

Surda

Surda is a small country in the continent of Alagaësia. Created roughly a century before the story of Eragon, Surda shares the southwest border of The Empire; it is south of the Broddring Kingdom, from which Galbatorix rules his ever growing empire.

Surda escaped being annexed into the Empire by 'not being a threat' to the king, Galbatorix. During the past century Surda has been using up its resources secretly conducting guerrilla warfare with the Empire, and supporting the Varden, a rebel organization created to destroy Galbatorix. Because of the all-powerful emperor and the small size of Surda, the smaller country remains officially neutral, not daring to openly confront the Empire. The kings of Surda are historically allied with the Varden leaders. The Surdan king at the time of Eragon is Orrin, son of Larkin, who is well trained in battle even though he initially lacks experience. King Orrin rules Surda from the Borromeo Castle at Aberon, the capital of Surda. Borromeo Castle is situated on a high bluff, giving its inhabitants and guards excellent views of the surrounding area - a security measure for the castle's safety. The ballista mounted on Borromeo's battlements (as well as the towers circling Aberon) were especially designed to shoot down approaching dragons, a precautionary measure no doubt installed to fight the Thirteen Forsworn and Galbatorix himself.

A year after Saphira hatches for Eragon, the Varden, under their new leader Nasuada, move into Aberon to regroup and prepare to openly battle the Empire. The Surdan and Varden armies together fought the Empire's forces in the Battle of the Burning Plains an area that lies immediately northwest of Surda, during the battle Eragon and Saphira faced the Empire's Rider Murtagh and his dragon Thorn. This was the first open battle between Surda and the Empire.

Lands Outside of Alagaësia

Alalëa

Alalëa is a speculative land outside of Alagaësia, from which the elves first came. Little is known about it. It may also be the origin of the Urgals, as Brom mentions in Eragon that they "followed the elves over the sea, like ticks seeking blood."The current location of Alalëa is unknown, though Brom mentions that only the elves know where it is.

Other Land

In Eldest, Oromis mentions that humans and the Ra'zac came across the sea from another land, similar to the elves.

More Land The Dwarves also have water south of the Beors where they found coral.

Inhabitants

Alagaësia inhabitants include Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Urgals, and Dragons, although the Dragons are on the verge of extinction, with only five members still alive. There are also a number of creatures whose origins are hidden and are not understood, such as the Ra'zac. Apart from the different kind of beings found in Alagaësía, there are also societies that have existed or do exist that deserve recognition, such as the Varden, the Dragon Riders, and the Forsworn.

Humans

Humans seem to populate most of the known world of Alagaësía, though they came from across the sea relatively recently. A group of twenty humans came to Alagaësía, and came three hundred more years after the formation of the Dragon Riders. They landed in Surda from lands far south of Alagaёsía. The humans began adapting to this new place they had found, and lived in peace. Here they first learned of the existence of Dwarves, with whom they frequently traded with for a few years before they left for isolation. The warriors went northwest and began to settle in a nice area of isolated land for two thousand years. After two thousand years or so, King Palancar, current king of the humans from whence the warriors came, arrived in Alagaësia. First the humans arrived in Surda, and then found Palancar Valley, which was where the original humans had settled. Palancar Valley was named after the king and it still retains that name in Eragon's time. Palancar then began to construct a mighty state. Palancar learned from the humans that this land was populated by short, hairy beasts that stole their children. These beasts were, of course, the Dwarves, and they did not actually steal human children, but the true nature of the Dwarves were forgotten over time and remembered as such. Palancar wanted to expand his boundaries and fought against the Elves three times, and lost all three.

A group of lords brought a treaty before the Elves requesting peace without Palancar's knowledge. Palancar was usurped and banished, but he, his family, and vassals refused to leave the Valley. To prevent Palancar from attacking anyone or rising to power, the Riders constructed Ristvak'baen on Utgard Mountain, to watch over Palancar and his empire. Eventually, a greedy son who couldn't wait until Palancar died naturally killed Palancar so that the son could become King. That led to assassination, betrayal and other such things in Palancar's house, reducing Palancar's once mighty state into a mere shadow of its old self. The predecessor of Vrael - ruler of the Riders - Anurin, wanted Human Riders to come into existence to prevent things like that from happening. They would then be allowed to watch and protect human governments, a choice that was very unpopular and led to a huge argument between him and the Elvish Queen Dellanir. Anurin separated the Riders from the Elfish government and moved to Vroengard. They could not watch and protect the governments, so their purpose waned, until Queen Dellanir saw wisdom in letting the Riders free of any government, and allowed them back into Du Weldenvarden. However, this choice did not please her, as now the Riders' power was greater than her own, and therefore no one could watch the watchers, as the Elves used to do, which led to the eventual downfall of the Riders (known as The Fall) at the hands of now-king Galbatorix.

Humans make up a major part Varden, an alliance of men and dwarves who resist Galbatorix's rule, started by Brom. Surda is a human kingdom that aids the Varden but is threatened by Galbatorix's empire.

Elves

The Elven race dates back to ancient times, when they existed with other creatures that were bound to the land. Their appearance is that of a fair, smooth faced human with pointed ears, pale skin, slanted eyes, thin brows and refined facial features. The Elves are usually thin, but they have muscular bodies. Unlike the other races introduced so far, Elves do not have any body hair, because their strength in magic lets them change their bodies how they would like. The Elves love song and revelry.

They came on silver ships from a land they called Alalëa and settled in Alagaësía. It is rumored that Teirm is where they first landed in Alagaësía. Nowadays, they have withdrawn to the forests in hopes of distancing themselves from Galbatorix. The Elves are led by Queen Islanzadí Dröttning, who was married Evandar and succeeded Queen Dellanir. Islanzadí became Queen after her mate, Evandar, was killed in the Elves' last stand against Galbatorix in Ilirea. She inherited the title through marriage, not birth. Should Islanzadí die, her daughter Arya will become queen, but if she finds the job distasteful she would not be required to. Then the elves would find someone else.

The elves' natural abilities are said to be immense, to the point that even the weakest, untrained elf could defeat a well-trained human in a battle of swordsmanship. At one point in their history, the Elves once had a horrible misunderstanding with the dragons which led to a massive war. Once a young elf decided to track down and kill a dragon as sport. The dragons retaliated aggressively and a war was started. At first it is said the elves didn't want fight, and only killed dragons for self defense, however eventually they turned to warfare themselves. They eventually were able to settle their disputes with the help of an Elf called Eragon (the main character's namesake), who had raised a white dragon hatching and, in doing so, became the first Dragon Rider. To ensure that there would be no more wars between them, the Elves and Dragons gathered at Ilirea to magically join their races together. The Elves provided the structure, the Dragons the power necessary, and the souls of Elves and Dragons melded together. The Dragons received the trappings of language and other things of civilization and became less ferocious. The Elves obtained great strength and grace, as well as greater ability to work magic. This also resulted in the Dragon Riders, who were originally diplomats, but gained authority as their power was realized. The Elfish lifespan increased until they were nearly immortal. Their skill as magicians took the form of song, wherein their voices became a tool of shaping. As a result, all their tools, including their houses, were soon sung out of the source material.

Before The Fall of the Riders, the Elves had many great cities not only located in Du Weldenvarden, but all over the continent; places taken over by Galbatorix during the Fall.

It is said they loved the seas more than anything and probably had many cities among the coast. Ellesméra is the Elfish capital city after The Fall, and is located in the heart of Du Weldenvarden. It is protected by arcane barriers that make it impossible to send any item or thought to Du Weldenvarden by magical means - it is unknown if these barriers prevent anything else. To enter Ellesméra, you must pass the Gatekeeper, Gilderean the Wise, or it is impossible to enter. He has existed since the Dragon War with the Elves, and is the wielder of the white flames of Vandil and is Prince of the House Miolandra. It is known that the typical Elfish greeting is touching your middle and index finger to your lips and saying a certain response in the Ancient Language.

The traditional greeting is:

Atra esterní ono thelduin

Mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr

Un du evarínya ono varda.

which translates as

May good fortune rule over you

And peace live in your heart.

May the stars watch over you

This is used to ensure that conversation will not be altered by lies.

Because they speak in this language, the Elves are unable to lie, though they can conceal the truth or imply something while meaning something else. In conversation, the person of lesser status speaks first, the one of higher status second. If one is unsure which person's status is higher, one waits for the other to speak, and if he/she doesn't, one may speak.

The Elves are known as the "Fair Folk"; their greatest weakness is their vanity. They often use magic to change their appearance to better suit who they really are. The Elves have used their exceptionally powerful magical abilities to create their homes in the forests of Du Weldenvarden by melding the trees and plants in various ways to create a living area. All Elves are vegans, because they value life very highly (though Arya is often described wearing leather clothing) and they sing their weapons and tools from the trees and plants - using magic to send energy into them and give them certain attributes. For instance, Arya told Eragon that elven bows are "sung from trees that do not grow". This technique is used by Rhunon, forger of the Riders' swords and the most accomplished forger in Alagaësia; she charms the Riders' swords so they will be eternally sharp, will never break, and can not get blood stained. This technique also led to the creation of the Menoa Tree, where the Elves celebrate the Blood-Oath Celebration, or the Agaeti Blodhren. The Menoa Tree was originally a Singer, called Linnea, who was disappointed in love. After killing her insincere fiancé, Linnea sang herself into a pine tree.

The Dashelgr Invocation

The Dagshelgr Invocation is the name of an elfish event in Du Weldenvarden. The Elves participate in the Dagshelgr festival every spring "to keep the forest healthy and fertile". There song is for the trees, the plants and animals, and helps all these to prosper and thrive. Without the Elves the forest would be "half its size". After hearing the song, all the humans, dwarves, animals and elves are fueled with a passionate desire, the animals to find a mate and reproduce. While elves can resist the call, the songs can be deadly to dwarves and humans. Even Dragons are affected, as was shown by Saphira.

This event was first documented in chapter 23 of Eldest. It starts as a single woman's voice is heard drifting through the woods. As more voices joined into the invocation, "the air itself seemed to shimmer with the fabric of the tempestuous music". Eragon and a Dwarf who is accompanying him: Orik, come under the influence of the song, and wish to dash away and find the source of the music, and it is only with the help of their Elvish companions that they are restrained.

Later, it is explained to them that the celebrations are perilous for mortals, as opposed to the demi-mortal Elves, who "sing in the ancient language, and the lyrics weave spells of passion and longing that are hard to resist, even for the elves". Considering the way it's described, it's probably a rite of spring, much like Midsummer.

Dwarves

The Dwarves first lived in the Hadarac Desert, when it was a plain. When it transformed into a desert, they migrated to the Beor Mountains , reputedly eight millennia ago. They are short and stocky humanoids with long, dense hair, and have seven toes on each foot. The Dwarves have long lives, but are not immortal like Elves and Dragons. They believe that the god Helzvog created them. They are polytheistic and devout.

According to the Dwarvish religion, Guntera, King of the Gods, is a warrior and a scholar, but he is moody, so they offer sacrifices to please him. They worship him because he used the bones of a giant to create the land. It is said he was born to a she-wolf at the dawn of the stars, and battled giants and monsters for a place for his kin in Alagaësia. He took Kilf, the goddess of rivers and seas, as his mate.

Urur is the master of the Heavens and the air, and his brother is the god of fire, Morgothal. The brothers loved each other so much that they could not separate - hence the sun and the stars, and the dependence of fire on oxygen.

In the Dwarves' religion, Sindri is the mother of the earth, and Helzvog is the favorite of the Dwarves' gods. After the giants were eradicated, Helzvog believed that Alagaësia should be populated, and though the other gods disagreed, he secretly created the first Dwarf from the roots of the mountains. Learning of this, the gods created various other things: Sindri created Humans from the soil, and Urur and Morgothal created Dragons. Guntera created the Elves, and thus the races entered the world.

The Dwarves' burial rituals say that all Dwarves must be buried in stone; otherwise, so they believe, their spirits will never join Helzvog in his stone halls. If one does not complete the ritual by joining the dead dwarf with stone, they will be banished from their clan and never spoken of until their death. The more scientific Elves do not share the Dwarves' religious values. Arya believes the religions to be foolish.

Dwarves and dragons did not coexist easily. Before the Dragon Riders were established, Dragons made a habit of stealing gold from the Dwarves and eating their livestock, causing tension between the two races. These happenings caused that the dwarves refused to be included in the pact between the elves and the dragons; thus, there were never Dwarven Dragon Riders.

The Dwarves are split into thirteen clans. As well as a King who rules over all the Dwarves, there are thirteen Clan Chiefs who decide the new king when the old one dies. These Clan Chiefs wield enormous power, and many are against Eragon, resenting the new Rider.

In the course of 8,000 years, there have been 42 Kings, the first being Korgan, the forty-second being Hrothgar, a prominent Dwarf in Inheritance; assuming the monarchy was never interrupted, this apparently means dwarves live around 200 years at least. Volund, the hammer of Korgan, first of the Dwarf Kings, is wielded by the current Dwarf King. In Inheritance, they were led by King Hrothgar before he was killed by Murtagh, as were four other Dwarven magicians who were drained of their life in an attempt to save their King. Orik, a friend of Eragon's, is the heir of Hrothgar; though, as the king is elected by the thirteen clans, this may or may not mean he will succeed him to the throne.

The Dwarves are possibly the finest smiths, rivaled only by the Elves. In Inheritance, it is said that Orthiad, one of the Dwarves' abandoned cities, used to be the capital Dwarven city, before Tronjheim was created in Farthen Dûr. Tronjheim is so large it can house the entire Dwarf nation if facing emergencies, which has happened three times. They have created many marvels, including iron fists, ascudgamln, for which they embed metal studs into one's knuckles and attach spikes to them. The Dwarves provided Eragon with his armor and created Dragons' armor for previous Riders. The Dwarves have a form of magic that can be fused with their creations. They gave Eragon a necklace that prevents him from being able to be scryed, although it drains the wearer’s energy. This is due to it being made from metal, which cannot hold energy. Not surprisingly, their craftsmanship is also only rivaled by the Elves.

Humans use the form of rune writing which the Dwarves invented, because when Humans first arrived in Alagaësia, they were illiterate, and so the Dwarves taught them. The Dwarves ally and secretly house the Varden, giving them much aid. They, along with the Elves, have pledged their support to the Varden, and have sworn that when needed, they will march against Galbatorix.

Urgals

Urgals are a race that serve an antagonistic role in Eragon, but become Eragon's allies in Eldest. Like the elves, Urgals are not native to the land of Alagaësia. The Urgals followed the elves from Alalëa. Urgals resemble humans with bowed legs and thick brutish arms made for crushing, and very large ram-like horns. They have yellow, piggish eyes, and have grayish skin. The Urgals are usually split into small clans which fight with each other over food, land, and power. The Kull are a particularly strong subspecies of Urgals. They are strong enough to match any non-magical being of Alagaësia. The average height for a Kull is eight feet.

The Urgal's rank in society is determined through combat skills, whether male or female. The more an Urgal kills, the more authority he or she given. The Urgals were magically forced to fight together against their will by Durza, a lieutenant of Galbatorix. In Eragon, Durza led this Urgal army when they attacked Farthen Dûr, but when Durza was slain, the enslaving magic was lifted, and the clans turned on each other. This allowed the Varden and the dwarves to defeat the diminishing army.

Later, the decimated Bolvek Tribe approached the Varden, seeking revenge on Galbatorix for his shameless deeds. The Varden formed an alliance with the tribe, desperate for help.

Dragons

Dragons have lived in Alagaësía since ancient times. The skin of a Dragon is nearly impenetrable, though the thin membrane of their wings can be easily pierced. Their scales glitter like gems. They have eye color identical to that of their scales, and their teeth and neck spikes are usually white. The Dragons start to breathe flame when they are five to six months old. The flames are the color of the dragon's scales; some can impressively hold the flame for minutes. They never stop growing until their death.

Since the Dragons are psychically bound to the land, they possess magical properties. They cannot voluntarily use their magic, except for their fire. After the creation of their bond with Elves (and later humans), they gained such things as articulate language and a more calm way of thought. The dragons and riders have a special bond that makes it so if one is hurt, the other will feel the same pain. This is demonstrated in both Eragon and Eldest.

Dragon Riders

Main article: Dragon Riders

In early history, an Elf, not knowing the intelligence of the creature, killed a Dragon in the manner he would kill a deer. The mistake caused a large-scale war between the Elven and Dragon races until one day a teenage elf named Eragon found an abandoned egg and raised the Dragon. They formed a strong friendship and became ambassadors between the two races. Finally, peace was brought to the land and so the first Dragon Rider's task was simply to keep the peace between the groups. Later, the Riders were given the power to watch over all the land and to keep peace, becoming more powerful than the other governments. Because there was no one to keep the riders in check, they grew arrogant and this led to the Fall.

Riders' Dragons will only hatch for the Human or Elf they believe best suited for them. Humans that are Riders undergo physical changes over time, such as their ears growing more pointed like those of the Elves. Dragon Riders become stronger of body, keener of mind, and truer of sight, whether Elf or Human. When a Dragon hatches, his Rider forms a bond with him/her by touching the Dragon. This touch leaves a mark, the gedwëy ignasia, on the Dragon Rider’s hand. Argetlam, which means Silver Hand in the ancient language is what many call dragon riders. the gedwëy ignasia which means Shining palm in the ancient language, is a silver mark on Eragon's hand in the film, while Brom's and Galbatorix's are both black.

Galbatorix led a rebellion that crushed the Dragon Riders and their leader Vrael and brought an end to this peaceful rule. Notable Dragon Riders include Eragon, Brom, Murtaugh, Oromis, and Galbatorix himself.

The Dragon Riders are, in conception, similar to the Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern from the series of the same name.

Werecats

Werecats are beings with the ability to shapeshift from feline to human-like forms. They talk to people using their minds. They are described as large, fierce-looking cats with lean bodies, powerful shoulders, and oversized paws. They also have shaggy manes, which surround their angular faces. The werecats' origins and natures are very hard to understand because of the cryptic way in which they communicate, never fully explaining themselves and often speaking in nothing but riddles. They tend to keep to themselves and only appear to help in random times of need. It is said that during the heyday of the Riders, they were as renowned as Dragons. In the Riders' time, they were the favorite pet of Kings and Elves, although Werecats decided when they would stay and leave. Their race has begun to deplete over the years, although why that is so is not explained so far.

A notable Werecat in Eragon would be Solembum, who gives Eragon advice and guides him a few times. In Eldest, another werecat is seen, Maud, but little information is revealed about her, other than the fact she stays with the Elves in Ellesméra and is probably the pet of Queen Islanzadí. Besides that, little information has been revealed about her, although there are hints of a possible connection between the two, as they both show some sign of knowing each other.

Shades

Shades are sorcerers possessed by spirits: the process occurs when either a sorceror allows a spirit to possess them for greater magical strength, or if a sorceror summons a spirit too powerful for them to control, and the spirit takes possession of them. The main problem to this is that only the most evil of spirits seek to possess humans, and once they take possession, they never leave willingly: only the destruction of their body gets rid of them. They are sorcerers, in which they use the strengths of spirits in order to accomplish magical tasks, but a sorcerer controls the spirits he uses, whereas a Shade controls neither the spirits nor his actions. Shades are immensely powerful, and only three beings have ever succeeded in destroying one and remaining sane and/or alive; Laetri the Elf, Irnstad the Dragon Rider, and Eragon. The only way a Shade can be killed is to pierce the heart; otherwise they'll merely reappear elsewhere and return stronger than before. The only notable Shade in Eragon is Durza. This Shade took control of the Urgal race through mind-control and spells, and organised them into a ramshackle army to destroy the Varden, nearly killed Eragon in a city called Gil'ead and later in their Battle under Farthen Dûr, but Eragon survived with help of his dragon Saphira, his friend Murtagh, and the female elf warrior Arya. It is unknown whether there are any other Shades in Alagaësia at the time of the book, though Paolini did say that it was possible that another Shade might turn up. No new Shades were seen in Eldest, though Durza was often discussed.

Ra'zac

The Ra'zac are extremely powerful beings who have no grasp of magic.

The Ra'zac lifecycle goes as follows: when the Ra'zac are born, they are known to their parents as pupae, and they develop a roughly human exoskeleton that allows them approach their ultimate prey, humans. As described in Eldest, they have shining black skin, a humped back where future wings may be hidden, a sharp beak, a barbed purple tongue, and huge, lidless eyes with no pupils or irises. At twenty years of age or Ra'zac, shed their exoskeletons and emerge as fully grown Lethrblaka.

The Lethrblaka have great wings, tight gray skin with huge corded muscles, a sharp killing beak, a crested head and hind legs strong enough to crush a boulder. When mature, they can reproduce by laying eggs. The pupae/Ra'zac have many terrifying abilities, including the ability to see on a cloudy night, track scents keenly, jump higher and move quicker than any Human. Their last, most terrible weapon is their evil breath, which fogs the mind of Humans and incapacitates others, though to a slightly lesser extent: dwarves are less affected, and elves are immune to it entirely. The only four Ra'zac who still survive have been so far unnamed. They were discovered by Galbatorix and enlisted in his service. They work for Galbatorix as his personal Dragon Hunters and are housed at Helgrind.

When the Riders learned of the Ra'zac, they decided they were too dangerous to let live, and the Riders followed a campaign of genocide as they did all they could to destroy the Ra'zac. Unfortunately for the Riders, two Lethrblaka and their pupae – the ones mentioned above– escaped.

The Ra'zac are quite similar to the Nazgûl of Lord of the Rings in appearance and the fact they often ride around, hunting down enemies of those they serve. Another possible similarity is that they might ride around on flying mounts, which is strongly hinted in Eragon, and is confirmed in Eldest. These flying mounts are really their parents.

Grey Folk

The Grey Folk were a powerful race that created Gramarye, the art of using the ancient language for magic. They did not completely create the language, but rather augmented it so it would be impossible to lie, and to give it more control over magic. In fact it was said by in the book, Eldest that they wrought the greatest enchantment that perhaps ever was or perhaps ever will be, by tying the ancient language to magic. The race is now believed extinct, and little else is known about them.

Languages

Although much of Alagaësia speaks the same language, there are a few others as well. These are spoken throughout the books by the different races.

The Ancient Language

The Ancient Language is the language of the Elves and is used in magic. It is not commonly used for communication in Eragon, but is used frequently in Eldest, although mostly accompanied by English translations. The name of anything in this language is its true name, which is what makes it the language of magic. If one knows something's name in the Ancient Language, one has the ability to control it. This includes people: If one knows a person's true name, one can control them. If one knows the true name of the Ancient Language itself, one has the ability to control anybody that uses it. It is said that one cannot lie or break their word in the Ancient Language.

The Ancient Language is based on Old Norse.

The Dwarf Language

The Dwarf language is rough-accented. Unlike the Ancient Language it was not based directly on a real language, but was mostly made up by Paolini. Not much is known of its grammar, though -n seems to denote plural.

The Urgal Language

The Urgal language is a very rough language consisting of grunts and other noises. Some Urgals also speak the common language. When greeting war chiefs, Urgal raise their head and bellow. The proper response is usually to butt heads. Baring their throat is seen to be a sign of respect whereas lowering your head means that you are about to butt the person and, thus, is taken as a sign of great disrespect.

References

• Christopher Paolini Q&A from Shurtugal.Com

See also

• Project Page
• Category:Inheritance Trilogy
• Category:Inheritance Trilogy characters
• Category:Inheritance Trilogy locations

External links

• Official website, which includes autobiographical comments from Paolini