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The Return of Tharn
The Return of Tharn

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Return of Tharn is here in full — 343 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Return of Tharn
Context Illustration Reading 1/68 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.
Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.
No one spoke.
Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.
It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Return of Tharn

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Return of Tharn is here in full — 343 sentences across 69 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/68 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.
Line 2
Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.
Line 3
No one spoke.
/noʊ wʌn spoʊk/
Line 4
Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.
Line 5
It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

dungeon noun US /ˈdʌndʒən/

the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress

From this reading “NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.”

dwarf noun US /dwɔːrf/

a person who is markedly small

From this reading “Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.”

folded verb US /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading “Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.”

guards noun US /ɡɑːrdz/

plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading “Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.”

rugged adjective US /ˈrʌɡəd/

sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring

From this reading “Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.”

seeming adjective US /ˈsiːmɪŋ/

appearing as such but not necessarily so

From this reading “Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.”

tunic noun US /ˈtuːnɪk/

an enveloping or covering membrane or layer of body tissue

From this reading “Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.”

visitors noun US /ˈvɪzɪtərz/

plural of “visitor” — someone who visits

From this reading “NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

rugged features adjective + noun counted as “rugged feature”

In this reading “Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.”

arms folded noun + noun counted as “arms fold”

In this reading “Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.”

entered the apartment verb + article + noun counted as “enter … apartment”

In this reading “NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.”

stood with verb + particle

In this reading “Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.”

All words in this reading · 61

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

Ammad

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

apartmentnounUS /əˈpɑːrtmənt/

a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

captainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

closedadjectiveUS /kloʊzd/

not open or affording passage or access

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

Curzad

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

DEEPERadverbUS /ˈdiːpər/

comparative of “deeply” — to a great depth psychologically or emotionally

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

DUNGEONnounUS /ˈdʌndʒən/

the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

dwarfnounUS /dwɔːrf/

a person who is markedly small

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

else

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

emptyverbUS /ˈempti/

make void or empty of contents

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

expressionnounUS /ɪkˈspreʃən/

the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

featuresnounUS /ˈfiːtʃərz/

plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.

foldedverbUS /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

Garlud

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.

guardsnounUS /ɡɑːrdz/

plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

Jaltor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

Jotan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.

kingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

magnificentadjectiveUS /mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/

characterized by grandeur

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

NOdeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading No one spoke.

palacenounUS /ˈpæləs/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

purple-edged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

rosenounUS /roʊz/

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

ruggedadjectiveUS /ˈrʌɡəd/

sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

seemingadjectiveUS /ˈsiːmɪŋ/

appearing as such but not necessarily so

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

softlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːftli/

with low volume

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading No one spoke.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

StraightadjectiveUS /streɪt/

successive (without a break)

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

tunicnounUS /ˈtuːnɪk/

an enveloping or covering membrane or layer of body tissue

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

visitorsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪtərz/

plural of “visitor” — someone who visits

From this reading NO DEEPER DUNGEON Jaltor, king of all Ammad, rose from his chair as his four visitors entered the apartment.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading It was Jotan, son of Garlud, who was the first to speak.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Curzad, captain of the palace guards, closed the door softly and stood with his back against it, arms folded and his rugged features empty of all expression.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading Straight and tall he stood, his magnificent body in its purple-edged tunic seeming to dwarf all else within the room.

Chapter 12 of The Return of Tharn by Howard Browne holds 343 sentences, grouped into 69 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 12 of The Return of Tharn contain?

Chapter 12 holds 343 sentences of The Return of Tharn, unabridged, divided into 69 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Return of Tharn by Howard Browne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 343 sentences, grouped into 69 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 12 of The Return of Tharn?

Work through the 69 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 69 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Return of Tharn

Common questions about reading The Return of Tharn by Howard Browne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Return of Tharn?

Yes. All 4233 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33529 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Return of Tharn is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33529, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Return of Tharn take to read?

About 352 minutes of reading across 847 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Return of Tharn section by section

How to work through The Return of Tharn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Return of Tharn to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Return of Tharn

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Return of Tharn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tharn
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Return of Tharn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rescue
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Return of Tharn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beloved
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Return of Tharn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dylara
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Return of Tharn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.