Glossaries
This list contains minor spoilers and reader discretion is advised.
Aisling: One of two etherite swords crafted by Ishen Delamora. Originally wielded by Ishen Delamora during the Malian Rebellion. Safekept the Vesperins as a family heirloom after Ishen Delamora’s death. Wielded by Maurice Vesperin against imperial soldiers during the siege of Surolifia, then given to Lucian Vesperin prior to Maurice Vesperin’s death. Entrusted by Lucian Vesperin to Edmund Hayden before the prior left Venni. Later stolen by Fayrian Phlorik.
Arcane science: A branch of science concerning the manipulation of entities and forces by using principles of essentialism coupled with principles of natural sciences.
Arcanist: A person who practices the arcane sciences.
Black epistum: A toxic and addictive aphrodisiac. A prohibited substance. Once prevalent in Azena until its eradication by the Crownsguard Gendarmerie. Still prevalent in the underworld of Venni.
Boundless Thinker: The deity of the Elthanoran Empire. Usually depicted as a robed, gender-neutral scholar with blindfolded eyes.
Channelling: The act by which the human mind accesses an entity’s essence.
Channelling catalysts: Any matter or substance which can amplify the essence of entities so that such essence may be detected and manipulated by the human mind. Usually, crystalline substances with varying degree of uniform lattice structures. Purer crystals are better at revealing hidden essence and at better clarity and accessibility.
Common Continental: The common language of the continent.
Crownsguard Gendarmerie: Al Senia’s military and police force.
Essence: The totality of the properties (attributes) and potentials comprising an entity at any given point in time.
Essentialism: The metaphysical view that every entity has a set of attributes that are necessary to its identity and function, which may be changed naturally or unnaturally to effect permanent or temporary changes in the substance of the entity.
Etherite: The purest form of channel catalyst known. Capable of being used for noumenmancy and spaciomancy. A monocrystalline substance, i.e., a single-crystal, a substance in which the crystal lattice of the entire sample is continuous and unbroken to the edge of the sample, with no grain boundaries. The purest etherite has the appearance of potassium dideuterium phosphate (KDP). Etherite with more impurity has the appearance of monopotassium phosphate (MKP).
Firesalt: A highly flammable and explosive substance. Usually dark red in colour, has the consistency of coarse grain sand. The fundamental ingredients to all explosives.
The Grand Concillium: The highest governmental authority of the Republic of Maliona. Holds all executive and legislative power. All members are voted into office by direct democracy on a per district basis.
High Virlisian: A dead language dating back to the historical Virlisian Empire. Now only used for artistic or religious expression.
The Imperial Viceroy: The figurehead monarch of the Imperial State of Al Senia. Appointed by the Empress of Elthanora. Holds no de facto power and is mainly at the whims of the Inner Council.
Impresa: The severed piece of one’s own consciousness which is planted into another person’s noumenal space. Main purpose is to be a warning system for the host. If the recipient is subject to hypnotism, complete mental compulsion, or any noumenmantic coercion, the impresa can assist the host’s consciousness to regain control. The procedure of creating an impresa has a high risk of causing severe damage or death to the donor and is therefore rarely undertaken.
The Inner Council: The executive committee to Al Senia’s national government. Holds all de facto power in enacting and executing laws passed by the Senate. Each member is appointed by the Imperial Viceroy with approval from the Elthanoran government and heads a ministry or department of government.
The Justiciary Court: The criminal justice system of Al Senia.
Matter: The metaphysical substance upon which essence is instantiated to give identity to entities.
The Ministry of Natural Resources: A ministry in the Al Senian government with jurisdiction over all matters relating to any natural resource, including etherite.
Myrianna’s Grace: An expensive antidote for black epistum addiction.
The National Bank of Al Senia: The central bank of Al Senia. Responsible for issuing currency, coins, and bullions, and for setting benchmark investment rates.
Natural science: A stream of science concerning the understanding of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation.
Nightbloom: A white flower, similar to a lily, with pedals that close into a bud during the day but open up during the night. Open pedals glow with a gentle, milky white light. Usually found in high altitude, mountainous regions.
Noumenmancy: The stream of arcane science concerning the manipulation of the mental substance (i.e., consciousness, thoughts, and memories). Requires etherite.
Noumenmancer: A practitioner of noumenmancy.
Noumenal abjuration: The ability to shield one’s mind from noumenal manipulation.
The Royal University of Science: The most prestigious academy in Al Senia. Offers degrees in all streams of natural, arcane, and social sciences, save and except any arcane sciences requiring etherite.
The Senate: The legislative body of Al Senia, responsible for drafting and debating legislative bills. Senatorial representatives are voted into office by direct democracy on a per district basis.
Serabellum: A potent sedative. Colourless and tasteless, difficult to detect.
Silver: Any person who has lost their natural hair and eye colour due to prolonged or acute exposure to etherite.
Spaciomancy: The stream of arcane science concerning the manipulating the fabric of space. Requires etherite.
Spaciomancer: A practitioner of spaciomancy.
Spacial gate: An essential anomaly that exists at two places at once, allowing anyone who can access its essence to move between its two locations instantaneously.
Sulphate of Atropia: Belladonna extract. A poison, but sometimes used in small doses to counteract acuate morphia poisoning.
Sulphate of Morphia: An analgesic drug.
Sweet Ruin: A lethal poison that can kill a person within minutes if introduced into the blood stream. Has a sickly-sweet scent.
Phenomancy: The stream of arcane science concerning the manipulation of material qualities of entities within their natural laws. The only stream of arcane sciences that doesn’t require etherite.
Phenomancer: A practitioner of phenomancy.
The Prince Sovereign: The historical monarch of Al Senia prior to annexation by the Elthanoran Empire. Has the power to appoint members of the Inner Council and veto legislation passed by the Senate.
Virlisian Six: The deistic icons originating from Virlisian art and literature. Respectively:
- Ellipsis, personification of knowledge, language, logic, and promises.
- Moros, personification of time, cycles, growth and decay, the void and the unknown.
- Krios, personification of dualities, paradoxes, balance, misfortune and redemption.
- Veena, personification of love, innocence, wanderlust, and artistic muse.
- Valera, personification of fortune, luck, valour, and ambition.
- Idina, personification of law, order, morality, justice, and truth.
