Morn Glossary K thru O

Knick Flies: Small gnats which infest the underside of tilth leaves. When disturbed, they swarm in thick clouds which can be inconvenient to travelers. When crushed, these insects exude a soapy fluid.The only time knick flies bite is during mating season which occurs every two years, and then only by the female of the species who grows proboscis which is falls off after egg laying. Because Morn is a reptilian planet, this proboscis is designed to pierce through tough hide and even some scales. The resulting bites are deep, painful and tend to become infected quite easily. The bites can be fatal to humans.

Regarding Knick Flies: An excerpt from "The First Battle of Morn" by Deborah Moulton

..."The undersides of the flat leaves were coated with tiny white insects that flew about in clouds when they were disturbed. Although not biters, they proved to be a nuisance as they were often drawn into Torin's throat with his breath, or unwittingly flew into his eyes, nose, and east. The tiny whirring wings trapped close to the boy's eardrum were a loud, painful rattle in his head. Soon Grizzum looked as though he were covered in soft white ashes."

Medallion: Medallions are worn by the supervising class on Morn. They are a symbol of authority. They are not awarded before the age of twelve and only to those who have proven themselves worthy by superior intelligence and ability to lead.

Nambroth: A favorite food of gorbuls, nambroth is always served hot in the form of a broth. Nambroth is stored as a gray powder which is then reconstituted by adding water and allowing to simmer. Nambroth’s main ingredients are mushroom powder and finely ground slithgard. Tilth roots are a necessary component primarily for their high salt content. Various local herbs can be added at time of preparation

Earth Horse

Earth Pterodactyl

Morn Mountain Lizard: Similar to Earth’s long extinct pterodactyl, the morn mountain lizard is a flying reptile with light bones and leathery wings which can have a span of up to forty feet. Carnivorous, the morn mountain lizard has excellent eye sight. Its large protuberant black eyes are evenly spaced on either side of its head which resembles both in size and appearance that of Earth’s larger crocodile species. Morn’s famous flying horse, the transport, is actually a cross between the common Earth equine and the Morn mountain lizard.

Muvin: Sentient cold-blooded life form native to planet Morn. Muvins are closely related to gorbuls. The lower part of their body, waist down is identical. However, the upper part of their body, while somewhat humanoid, differs from the gorbul in that the muvin is covered with thick coarse hair. Instead of lobes, the muvins have hair which is grown out like dread locks. They also only have two fingers and a thumb at the end of each of their arms. Muvins have no telepathic ability and communicate verbally through their own version of Morn universal language. Their voices are much deeper than those of gorbuls.

Once-humans: The sentient life forms on Morn believed that the ruling class of humans had lost their humanity both physically and spiritually. While not inherently opposed to humans, most of Morn hated the teachers – with the possible exception of the muvins who cooperated with them in terms of tracking and trade.