Alagaësia

Alagaësia is a literary fantasy world in which the Inheritance trilogy takes place. Alagaësia, which was developed by Christopher Paolini, is home to many memorable characters, including Eragon, Saphira, Brom, and Murtagh. So far, Eragon and Eldest are Christopher Paolini's only novels to take place in this fantastical world.

Who Dwells in Alagaësia?

Major races include Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Urgals, and Dragons, although Dragons are on the verge of extinction. There are also a number of creatures whose origins are hidden and are not understood, such as Shades, and the Ra'zac. Apart from the different kind of beings found in Alagaësia, 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 Alagaësia, though they came from across the sea relatively recently. A group of twenty warriors found Alagaësia, and although their exact cause for coming has not been revealed, it's quite possible that the Ra'zac made them leave. They landed in Surda from lands far south. They lived, began expanding themselves and adapting to this new place they had found, and lived in peace. Here they first learned of the existence of Dwarves, who they frequently traded with for a few years before they left for isolation. The warriors came three hundred years after the formation of the Dragon Riders. 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 had came from two thousand years previous, arrived in Alagaësia. First they arrived in Surda, and then found Palancar Valley, which was where the original humans had settled. Palancar Valley was named after the human's king, Palancar 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 Dwarves were forgotten over time and remembered as such. Palancar wanted to expand his boundaries and fought against the Elves and Dwarves three times, and lost all three times.

A group of lords brought a treaty before the Elves requesting peace without Palancar's knowledge, and Palancar was banished and usurped, 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 he could become King, and that threw Palancar's house into assassination, betrayal and other such things, 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 as 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 Elven Queen Dellanir, and that also led to Anurin separating the Riders from the Elven government and leaving to Vroengard. Unfortunately, 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. This choice never pleased her however, 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 (also called the Fall) at the hands of now-king Galbatorix. For details, see The Fall.

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, thin brows and elegant facial features. The Elves are usually thin, but they have muscular bodies. The Elves love to sing and dance; they also have no hair anywhere on their bodies except for their head.

They came on silver ships from a land they called Alalea and began living life in Alagaësia. It is rumored that Teirm is where they first landed in Alagaësia. Nowadays, they have withdrawn to Ellesméra in hopes of distancing themselves from Galbatorix. The Elves are led by Queen Islanzadí, who succeeded King Evandar and Queen Dellanir. Queen Dellanir was the Elf Queen who argued over the creation of the Human Riders, and was succeeded by Evandar five hundred years later when she wished to study the mysteries of magic. However, she eventually let Human Riders come into existence before giving up the knotted throne. King Evandar's mate is Islanzadí, current ruler of the Elves, but Islanzadí became Queen after her mate, Evandar, was killed in the Elves' last stand against Galbatorix in Ilirea. Arya will become Queen when her mother dies.

Their powers are said to be limitless, to the point that even the weakest, untrained elf could defeat a well-trained human in a battle of swordsmanship, whether male or female. Although they're such powerful creatures, the Elves once had a horrible misunderstanding with the dragons which led to a massive war. They eventually were able to settle their disputes with the help of the Dragon Riders. Paper meant nothing to the Dragons, so a treaty could not be made, and another war would kill both races. To ensure that there would be no more wars between them, the Elves and Dragons gathered at Ilirea to perform the spell which took nine years to find. 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, but the Elves got the most out of the deal. They were now immortal, although they were still vulnerable to the weaknesses of flesh; they had more powerful magic techniques and had increased strength of body. Queen Tarmunora provided the mechanism to allow a Dragon and its Rider to become linked.

Before The Fall of the Riders, the Elves had many great cities not only located in Du Weldenvarden, 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 Elven 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 or appear in Ellesméra 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. Ellesméra and the Elves in general remain a mysterious race, but we do know that they possess incredibly powerful magic, physical strength, and finesse. It is known that the typical Elven greeting is touching your middle and index finger to your lips and saying a certain response in the language they only speak in the Ancient Language.

The traditional greeting is:
Atra esterní ono thelduin/Mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr/Un du evarínya ono varda.
which stands for May good fortune rule over you/Peace live in your heart/And 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 have often hide part of the truth or imply something while meaning something else. If you are of higher status than the person you speak to, you speak second, or speak first if it's the other way around. If you are unsure how to proceed, you wait for the other to speak, and if he/she doesn't, then speak first.

The Elves are known as the Fair Folk as well as Elves, as their greatest weakness is their vanity. They often use magic to change their appearance and mind 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 vegetarians, because they value life very highly, and they sing their weapons and tools from the trees and plants - using magic to send energy into them and give them certain attributes. 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, never dull, and will never break. This technique also led to the creation of the Menoa Tree, where the Elves celebrate the Blood-Oath Celebration.

Once, there was an Elf maiden, named Linnea. She was a master at singing items from trees. Linnea was very old and would never have the comfort of a mate or children, but one day a young Elf who greatly admired her wooed her, and asked that she be his mate, and she accepted, not being able to resist another chance to live life fully. Unfortunately, the Elf was young, and therefore began looking for a mate closer to his age, and found one, who he wooed and they also lived happy together. When Linnea learned of this, she killed her mate, stabbing him to death in her grief, and fled to the oldest tree in Du Weldenvarden. Linnea, knowing she had done something evil and could never return to her old life, sang for three days and three nights, letting go of her duties and obligations to her race, and finally the elf and the tree were one. To this day, the Menoa Tree lives on, now a sentient being with an enormous conscious, still full of life, watching over the forest. One of the Elves largest celebrations is the Blood-Oath Celebration which is held under The Menoa Tree, The Blood-Oath Celebration honors the forging of the pact between the Elves and the Dragons and, as said above, is celebrated at the roots of the Menoa Tree.

Dwarves

The Dwarves, who are the oldest race of them all (said to have lived for over 8 millennia), have lived in the Beor Mountains since the beginning of their race. They are described as short and stocky humans with long, dense beards, and have seven toes on each foot. The Dwarves have long lives, but are not immortal like Elves and Dragons. They have lived in Alagaësia since they were first created, and they, along with Dragons and a few others are the true natives to the land. They believe themselves created by one of their many Gods, who they call Helzvog and worship him and the many others with great devotion

The story of the Gods is that 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, and how 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, and Morgothal's burning Palace, which was in the air during the day, glimmered with sparks from his forge at night.

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 only exeption to this are on acount of injury or abundent enemies. The Elves find this religion highly unlikley. They only belief in life, death, and survival. Also the elves claim that they have no need of a religion and say that if evidence should present itself they will quickly adopt the believe in their own culture. Despite theese claims there has been much cotroversy between the elves and the dwarves on this matter.

Dwarves and Dragons never got along, unfortunately. 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 made it that the dwarves refused to be included in the pact between the elves and the dragons and thus, there were never Dwarven Dragon Riders.

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. Volund, the hammer of Korgan, first of the Dwarf Kings, is wielded by the current Dwarf King. In Inheritance, they were led by the late King Hrothgar before he was killed by the evil Dragon Rider Murtagh, as were four other Dwarven magicians who were drained of their life in an attempt to save their King. According to the first book, Orik, another prominent Dwarf in Inheritance and a friend of Eragon's, is the heir of Hrothgar.

The Dwarves are split into thirteen clans, the metalworkers and master smiths clan being meant to rule them. 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 in his time. 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 two or three times.

They have created many marvels, including iron fists, where they embed metal studs into your knuckles and attach spikes to them. The Dwarves also provided Eragon with his armor and created Dragon armor for the Riders of old. Not only that, but the Dwarves gave Eragon a necklace that prevents him from being able to be scryed, although it drains the wearer’s energy. Dwarven spell weavers created that artifact. Not surprisingly, their craftsmanship is rivaled only 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 also (secretly) house the Varden (and are part of it, in a sense), their aid being invaluable. They, along with the Elves, have pledged their support to the Varden, and have sworn that when needed, they will march against Galbatorix.

Urgals

Main article: Urgal

Urgals serve as the primary opposing forces in Eragon. They are not native to the land of Alagaësia, as they followed the Elves across the seas. They are described as men with bowed legs and thick brutish arms made for crushing, and very large 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, which are a particularly strong race of Urgals, are easily a match for a non-magical being of Alagaësia. On average, they stand over eight feet tall.

The Urgal's rank in society is determined through combat skills, whether male or female. The more an Urgal kills, the more authority they are given. The Urgals were forced to fight together against their will by Durza, a lieutenant of Galbatorix. In Eragon, the Shade 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, diminishing the army, and therefore allowing the Varden to win the battle.

It must be noted that the name "Urgal" resembles J.R.R. Tolkien's "Uruk" (a type of orc, larger than most others). Both are naturally violent soldier-races constituting a large part of the armies of the series' villains. The Uruk-hai of The Lord of the Rings (larger and stronger than other orcs, able to run long distances at great speed) are paralleled by the Kull in Eragon. However, unlike in Lord of the Rings, Eldest showed that Urgals, while violent, are not evil. They simply appear so because of their violent ways, and even aid the Varden against Galbatorix's army.

Dragons

Main article: Dragon (Inheritance)

Dragons have lived in Alagaësia 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, although each Dragon only has one scale color. They also have the same eye color as their scales, and their teeth and neck spikes are usually white. The Dragons breathe flame the color of their scales, and some can impressively hold the flame for over an hour. They never stop growing until their death.

Since the Dragons are bound to the land, they possess magical properties. They cannot willingly use their magic, except for their fire. In the war between Elves and Dragons, which started when an Elven youth hunted down and killed a Dragon like a normal animal, the Dragons banded together, and furiously attacked the Elves, leading to war. Five years into the war, an Elf found a white Dragon egg and raised it, and they stopped the war, bringing peace. In order to prevent another war, the Dragons connected their souls with the Elves, changing both races. Dragons gained the use of language and other trappings of civilization, as well as a less fierce outlook on things. Elves gained strong magic, agility, and immortality. Since Humans came afterwards, the Human Riders were not affected by the Dragons as much.

Dragons give their Riders "shining palms", the Gedwëy Ignasia, as a result of first touching them. Dragons communicate telepathically with their Riders, and house incredible magic that can combine with that of the Rider. Dragons are immortal and also allow their Riders to be immortal.

Dragon Riders

Main article: Dragon Riders

Early on, an Elf 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 an Elven teenager named Eragon found an abandoned egg and raised the Dragon. They become great friends and were able to become ambassadors between the two races. Finally, peace was brought to the land and so the first Dragon Rider's purpose was simply to keep the peace between the groups.

Riders' Dragons will only hatch for the Humans and Elves they believe best suited for them. Humans that are Riders experience changes over time, such as their ears growing more slanted like that of an Elf. Also, all 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. The Dragon Riders also communicate with their Dragons telepathically.

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, Murtagh, 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.

=Thirteen Forsworn

Also known as Wyrdfell, the Forsworn were the group of Dragon Riders whom Galbatorix used to overthrow the other Dragon Riders. They all used to be Riders, but they and their Dragons were corrupted and served Galbatorix. Morzan was the only one of the thirteen who was known to have a child (there could be others), Murtagh, who accompanies Eragon on his journey for quite a while. Eragon is also the son of Morzan, as revealed in Eldest, though that is still to be debated. Brom, a Dragon Rider, was the one to slay Morzan and personally killed two others, and was responsible for the deaths of five more of them. The rest died from ambush, suicide, overuse of magic, and mostly because of the Varden.

It is noted that the Forsworn are similar to the Nazgul of Lord of the Rings, in that they are powerful sorcerers who are sworn to serve the dark lord. They even more similar to the Forsaken of the Wheel of Time book series in name, number, and the fact that they were promised great power for their service. Like the Forsaken, they often fought among themselves for power over one another, although unlike the Forsaken, the Forsworn paid for their petty battles with each other with their lives, although mostly these battles just weakened them. Murder, war, and overuse of magic are some of the actual causes.

Werecats

Werecats are interesting beings with the ability to shapeshift from cats to human-like creatures. They are described as larger, 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. Is it said that during the time 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. Unfortunately, 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

Main article: Shade (Inheritance)

Shades are humans possessed by spirits. They're similar to sorcerers in that they both use spirits in order to accomplish magical tasks, but the difference is that a sorcerer controls the spirits he uses, whereas a Shade either gives up his mind and body to a spirit or is overpowered by one and has no control over his actions. Shades are immensely powerful, and only three beings have ever succeeded in destroying one; an Elf, a Dragon Rider, and Eragon. The only way a Shade can be killed is to pierce their heart; otherwise they'll merely reappear elsewhere and return stronger than before. The only notable shade in Eragon is Durza. This Shade nearly killed Eragon in a city called Gil'ead but he survived by the help of his Dragon and Murtagh. 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

Main article: Ra'zac

The Ra'zac are extremely powerful beings physically 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, the size of a fist. Their eyes have no pupils or irises. At twenty years of age, the pupae, or Ra'zac, shed their exoskeletons and emerge as fully grown Lethrblaka (bats).

The Lethrblaka have great wings, tight gray skin with huge corded muscles, a sharp killing beak, and have hind legs strong enough to crush a boulder. When they have morphed into fully grown Lethrblaka, 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 like dogs, jump higher and move quicker than any Human - and their last, most terrible weapon is their evil breath, which fogs the mind of Humans and incapacitates others, though to a slightly lesser extent. The only two notable Ra'zac so far remain 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.

This was after The Fall of the Riders, as they were finally allowed to emerge from their hiding places, because when the Riders learned of the Ra'zac, they did all they could to destroy them. Unfortunately for the Riders, two Lethrblaka and their pupae escaped.

The Ra'zac are quite similar to the Nazgul 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.

The Varden

Main article: Varden

The Varden is a group of rebels who are based in Farthen Dûr. Varden in the Ancient Language means 'The Warders'. This rebel organization was founded by Brom during the very end of The Fall, their purpose being to rid the world of Galbatorix and the Empire, and to restore the world a benevolent government. Originally, Brom gathered together a group of rebels opposed to Galbatorix, and using his alliances with the Elves and Dwarves he made during his time as a Dragon Rider, began the Varden. For a few years, Brom led the Varden and helped create the foundation for it, but then passed leadership on to another and departed, but still always keeping in touch with the Varden. The leadership of the Varden is given to one single person who has gained approval from the Council of Elders. Due to Brom's relations with the Dwarves, the Varden is located in Tronjheim, which is inside a mountain known to the Dwarves as Farthen Dûr, which is located in the Beor Mountains.

In Eragon, the Varden is led by a man known as Ajihad, a cunning warrior who led the Varden to victory many times and almost killed a Shade. The Varden is faring badly at that time, due to lack of supplies, silence between the Varden and the Elves, and traitors intercepting the Varden’s most ingenious plans. Despite this, Ajihad organizes an army and leads them to victory, due to his cunning traps to snare the Urgals, and his ideas that killed many Urgals before they reached the Varden's army. Due to the actions of Eragon, Ajihad was able to drive away the Urgals, whose numbers had dwindled due to the Shade's magic being lifted and the different clans turning on each other. The Varden suffers a great loss three days later, as an Urgal ambush killed Ajihad.

The Council of Elders, seeking power, plan to place Ajihad's daughter, Nasuada, as leader of the Varden. The Council believes she is weak and plans to use her as a puppet to gain power, but Nasuada proves them wrong. She accepts their offer to become the next head of the Varden, but is strong enough to defend against the Council's lies, and the Council suffers defeat at Nasuada's hands. With Eragon and Arya gone, Nasuada plans to move the Varden into Surda, fearing Galbatorix may have discovered the location of the Varden. She also moves to gather her forces and mix them with Surda, another rebel state dedicated to the Varden's cause. The Varden moves to Surda successfully by using tunnels in the Beor Mountains, and plan to attack a weakened Galbatorix using the combined might of the Varden, the Dwarves, and the Surda.

Nasuada then faces unexpected problems. After a few weeks, they receive reports of Galbatorix massing a huge army that had been only recently discovered, due to the King's protective magic. The Varden sends a warning to the Elves and Dwarves, and then march to meet the Empire on the Burning Plains. To their astonishment and trepidation, the opposing army has at least 100,000 soldiers, but the Varden fights despite that fact. Soon, Eragon arrives from Ellesméra to assist the Varden. A day before the battle, a group of Kull opposed to Galbatorix join the Varden due to their enslavement at Durza's hands. Angela, a witch, poisons the Empire's water and food supply, killing many troops. The next morning, they meet the Empire in a terrible battle that shifts back and forth. The Varden is pushed back again, but are soon reinforced by the villagers of Carvahall, ending the battle with no supreme victor as of yet.

After this battle, the Varden discovers (from Eragon) that Murtagh is really the new Dragon Rider and that the Twins were traitors. The Twins are killed by Roran, thus avenging the death of Ajihad. The Dwarves lost their King in the battle, but it is said the Elves are finally entering Alagaësia once more to help overthrow Galbatorix.

Grey Folk

(See main article: Grey Folk.) The Grey Folk were a once-powerful, now-extinct race that created Gramarye (source of magic).

Magic

Main article: Magic (Inheritance)

Humans, Elves, or any other living things are not the source of magic (or gramayre in the ancient language). Magic that is wild is often much more powerful than any living creature. Magicians, before the creation of the Ancient Language, merely had to be born with the innate ability to use magic, and then had to think in their own languages. To use the magic in those days, energy was required in only small amounts, as it is energy that generates magical power.

It should be noted that magic leaves its user fatigued. If you use magic, it will take the same amount of energy required to perform the task physically. Attributes such as the distance from the target and the severity of the magic affect the amount of fatigue the user gains. Extremely powerful magic will overcome the user, leaving him or her dead and their task unfulfilled.

A magic user also cannot raise anyone or anything from the dead, because an abyss exists between life and death where magic means nothing. If a magic user tries to raise someone from the dead, they will lose all of their energy and die instead. A user of magic does not have the ability to stop a spell after they have begun it unless and until the task is completed or the task uses up all of their energy, in which case, again, they'll be left dead and their task will be unfulfilled.

Spells should be used in a sequence so that, if the magic user knows they are about to die from their own spell, they can break off the spell and save themselves.

The method of thinking the spell in the spell weaver's own language method is extremely dangerous, as stray thoughts could enter the mind and end up releasing great evils upon the land. An event that nearly destroyed every living thing on the earth brought about by? the Grey Folk. They were the ancient race of Elves before they were altered by their bond with the Dragons, but most of their history is unknown, except it is known they possessed powerful magic. The Grey Folk, realizing what could happen if such an event were to happen again, gathered their strength and wrought the greatest, most powerful spell ever performed with success. The Grey Folk used all their energy casting the spell, and almost all the spell-weavers died. But they actually changed the nature of magic itself, using the spell.

First of all, one must still be born with the innate ability of magic so that one can access it. Secondly, they made it so that their language, the Ancient Language, controls what the magic will do. For example, if one said 'Burn the door', and looked at someone and thought of that person, the door would still burn. However, it is still possible to think the word in the Ancient Language, giving one the advantage of surprise. If one knows the name of a thing in the Ancient Language, one will have complete control over it. This also includes a person’s real name in the ancient language, which is hidden from most.

The ancient language has two unique traits: one, it describes the true nature of things, and two is that it is impossible to lie when speaking in this language. In Alagaësia, the language is spoken by the Elves, who are not really the creators of this language but rediscovered it and taught it to the rest of the world. Apparently, everything was once spoken in this language after the time the nature of magic changed, but no more.

Magic is also accessed by wizards and witches through spells and potions. Sorcerers have an inborn talent as well, but it is different from Dragon Riders, as sorcerers and Shades summon spirits to perform magical acts, but can be possessed by spirits they summon. If this happens, they become a Shade - an innately evil creature that can only be killed with a blow directly to the heart. Dragon Riders, however, gain powerful magic through forging a bond with their Dragon and through the Dragon, a bond with the primal forces of the land.

Some of the basic magical techniques taught to spell weavers are these: The ability to extend one's consciousness beyond oneself and meld one's consciousness with other living thing's consciousnesses. One learns how to attack a person's mind and gain control over that person, and one is taught to close one's mind to the ones assaulting one by thinking of one thing only. One is taught how to place wards around oneself to help defend against both magical and physical assaults. These wards only survive as long as the warder can maintain them using the energy in their bodies.

In magical battles, the opponents do not attack until they have broken into the mind of their enemy. This is for two reasons, the fist being that in the instant before the magic takes place, the enemy has a chance to retaliate, and second is that now they are in the enemy's mind - they can now sense whatever attack their opponent will throw at them. Most magical duels last for only a few seconds before both sides are destroyed, although those who are more disciplined have longer battles.

In battles between armies, a spell weaver will only have an army to make sure they are protected while they are involved in their mental struggles. In order to defend their troops against the attacks of enemy magicians, they spread their own spell weavers out into different parts of the army and are responsible for putting wards around their charges. Magicians seeking to break these wards must batter past the mind of the spell weaver maintaining the wards and take control. Spell weavers also spread their minds outwards in order to sense enemy magicians.

Some of the secrets of magic, preserved for only the wisest and most experienced Dragon Riders, are listed below.

An ability that only experienced Riders learn is twelve death words that can kill an entire army by cutting off certain nerves or arteries and only using as much energy as one would to lift a finger.
They learn how to meld matter and energy together to give that matter certain attributes not natural to it or to be released later.
They are taught the spell that can instantaneously transport an item.
They learn spells to identify poisons in food and drinks.
They learn how to perform an alternate version of scrying that allows the Rider to hear as well as see.
Finally, one of the most potentially dangerous techniques: the ability to draw energy from your surroundings, including the earth and living things of all kind.

One secret yet to be revealed is how Galbatorix's strength continues to increase each year.

Languages of Alagaësia

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

Main article: Ancient Language (Inheritance)

The Ancient Language is the language of the Elves and is used in magic. It is not commonly used for communication in Eragon, but it is used a lot in Eldest, although mostly represented 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, one has the ability to control anybody that uses it. It is based on Old Norse, says author Christopher Paolini.

The Dwarf Language

The Dwarf language in the Inheritance Trilogy is very similar to that of the Lord of the Rings with a rough accent.

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.

Important Places

Some notable areas in Alagaësia are (in alphabetical order):

External Links

The Official Eragon Web Site
The Official Eragon Movie Web Site
Shurtugal.com - the largest Inheritance fan site on the Internet, with all the news and latest happenings in the IT community!
Du Shur'tugals :: The First Eragon Fan Site
Dragonriders.co.uk - we look the same as Mugglenet

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