Astrea – The nightmare.
Aura – The flows of Essence generated by living creatures which surround them and hold their pattern.
Baobab – A wood elf with innate fire resistance. Strong-willed, this woman can handle the heat.
Bard – A lucrative profession deriving profit from other people’s misery. Some make coin through song or instrument, but all of them love a good story. Particularly inconvenient ones. This includes Kinnan, Pollard, and Jillian.
Beast Core – A small gem that contains the Essence of Beasts. Also used to strip new cultivators of their corruption.
Blanket – The best sugar glider. Blanket defends. Blanket protects.
Blight – A big bad. Also known as a Caligene, this entity can take many forms. Widespread and far-reaching, this thing has been around for over a millennia, and enjoys scheming to play the long game.
Birch – A friendly set of wood elves, of the Birch-tree Variant. They’re friendly and well meaning, even if limited in what they can do. They like scented candles, particularly vanilla.
Blooming Spirit – The Wood Elven equivalent of Aura. See Aura.
Boro – A trader in exotics, this man allied himself with the raider faction. He assists in swindling deals, and robbing villages blind after flooding them with gold that they will not keep.
Cataphron – One of the Skyspear headmasters. Uses the Imperius body technique of the Iron-Shelled Mastodont Kings.
Celestial – The Essence of Heaven, the embodiment of life and considered the ultimate good.
Center – The very center of a person’s soul. This is the area Essence accumulates (in creatures that do not have a Core) before it binds to the Life Force.
Chants – Affect a choir-cleric’s growth, and overall fighting ability. A Choir war host in action matches the chant of every other. Each voice added to the whole increases the power and ability of each person whose voice is involved, through celestial and aural sympathy.
Chasuble – The name of both a particular type of scarf worn loosely around the neck, and the name of a Major church-controlled city. Chasuble scarves are marked to show the rank of the person wearing them.
Church – ‘The’ Church, to be specific. Also known as the Ecclesiarchy, is one of the few stable major powers active in the world. It has several branches, each operating under different specifications.
The Choir – The Face of the church, they carry to torch and spread the call far and wide. Operates as exploratory force and functions on heart and mind campaigns. The Choir’s special function is to use harmonizing sound to buff and empower every member included in the group-effect.
Paladin Order – The Fast-Attack branch, these mounted warriors function as cavalry would. The mounted creatures in question vary greatly, and most members employ a high-ranked beast for these purposes.
Phalanx Sentinels – The Siege or Hold branch, the Sentinels are a heavy-armor branch that specialize entirely on securing locations. They are well known to be notoriously slow, and just as notoriously impossible to uproot from a position.
Inquisitors – The Information gathering branch. This branch remains secretive.
Church Ranks – There are multiple Ecclesiarchy ranks, stacking in importance mostly based on cultivation progress.
Initiate – A fresh entry to the church faction, the lowest rank. Generally given to someone still in training.
Scribe – An initiate who failed to become a D-ranked cultivator, was trusted enough by the faction to remain.
Acolyte – Achieved by becoming a D-ranked cultivator. The third lowest rank in the church faction.
Battle Leader – A trusted acolyte who shows promise in the fields of leadership and battle.
Head Cleric – A high D-ranking cultivator, or a person who has been a Battle Leader long enough for their achievements to grant them their personal unit. Head Clerics are trusted to go on missions, excursions, and expeditions that differ based on the specific church faction.
Keeper – Ranked equal to a Head Cleric. People who specifically keep administrative records, and interpret ancient texts. Keepers famously do not get along, and hold bitter rivalries due to said interpretations of the scriptures. Keepers tend to be Head Clerics who failed to enter the C-ranks.
Arbiter – Achieved upon becoming a C-rank cultivator. An Arbiter is a settler of disputes of all kinds, whose authority is overshadowed only by those of higher rank. Otherwise, their say is final.
Friar – A B-ranked Cultivator in the church faction. Friars are glorified problem solvers.
Father – An A-ranked Cultivator in the church faction. A Father may be of a high rank, but has fallen out of favor with the upper echelons of church command.
Vicar – An A-ranked Cultivator in the church faction. The de-facto rulers, movers, and shakers, of the church faction.
Saint – An S-ranked Cultivator in the church faction. They do as they please.
Choppy – The prime woodcutter in the Salt Village.
Chi spiral – A person’s Chi spiral is a vast amount of intricately knotted Essence. The more complex and complete the pattern woven into it, the more Essence it can hold and the finer the Essence would be refined.
Cleric – A Cultivator of Celestial Essence, a cleric tends to be support for a group, rarely fighting directly. Their main purpose in the lower rankings is to heal and comfort others.
Compound Essence – Essence that has formed together in complex ways. If two or more Essences come together to form something else, is is called a compound Essence. Or Higher Essence.
Corruption – Corruption is the remnant of the matter that pure Essence was formed into. It taints Essence but allows beings to absorb it through open affinity channels. This taint has been argued about for centuries; is it the source of life or a nasty side effect?
C’towl – A mixture between cat and owl. Usually considered an apex predator due to the intermingling of attributes and sheer hunting prowess.
Currency values:
Copper: one hundred copper coins are worth a silver coin
Silver: one hundred silver coins are worth a Gold coin
Gold: one hundred Gold coins are worth a Platinum coin
Platinum: the highest coin currency in the Human Kingdoms
Cultivate – Cultivating is the process of refining Essence by removing corruption then cycling the purified Essence into the center of the soul.
Cultivation technique – A name for the specific method in which cultivators draw in and refine the energies of the Heavens and Earth.
Cultivator – A cultivator is a silly person who thinks messing with forces they don’t understand will somehow make life better for them.
Daughter of Wrath – A ranking female servant to the Ziggurat, that showed promise and was given troops to lead.
Dawn – The name taken by Ember as her S-ranked incarnation. A full perspective change from her original self, new options and a new life have opened before her. While the way of being Ember espoused still exists within her, room for the new is now possible.
Deverash Editor Neverdash the Dashingly Dapper – Also called Dev, or Dev Editor. A gnome that retained his intelligence, and may have quite the impact on adventures to come.
Duskgrove Castle – A Location within the Phantomdusk Forest. It is the primary hideout for the main antagonist.
D. Kota – An initiate in the choir, who has grand aspirations of becoming a scholar.
Distortion Cat – An upper C-ranked Beast that can bend light and create artificial darkness. In its home territory, it is attacked and bound by tentacle like parasites that form a symbiotic relationship with it.
Dimitri – Also goes by Dimi-Tree, due to his size. A mix between a dwarf and a giant, this brash and brazen mountain loves to dabble. Doing a little bit of everything, he has a reputation that there’s nothing he can’t fix.
Don Modsognir – Goes by Big Mo. Leader of the Modsognir clan. Responsible for trading and caravan operations. Known
to be a troublemaker, he has an impeccable link of loyalty to his family. He enjoys finery, nice suits, and better company. He’s got the heart of a king, and the trouble making penchant of a feisty five year old.
Dwarves – Stocky humanoids that like to work with stone, metal, and alcohol. Good miners.
Eucalyptus – A wood elf skilled in defensive and protective essence techniques.
Ember – Secondary main character: A burnt-out Ancient Elf from well over a millennia ago. She’s lived too long, and most of it has been in one War or another. She finds a new spark, but until them suffer from extreme weariness, depression, and wear. Her sense of humor lies buried deep within, dry as a cork. Ember enjoys speaking laconically, getting to the point, and getting fired up. She will burn eternal to see her tasks complete. No matter the cost, and no matter the effort.
Electrum – The metal used as Chasuble’s currency. These coins are collectively known as ‘divines’ due to the very minor essence effect on them that keeps them clean. Their worth and value differs greatly from the established monetary system many other cities use, specifically to undercut them.
Elves – A race of willowy humanoids with pointy ears. There are five main types:
High Elves: The largest nation of Elvenkind, they spend most of their time as merchants, artists, or thinkers. Rich beyond any need to actually work, their King is an S-ranked expert, and their cities shine with light and wealth. They like to think of themselves as ‘above’ other Elves, thus ‘High’ Elves.
Wood Elves: Wood Elves live more simply than High Elves, but have greater connection to the earth and the elements. They are ruled by a counsel of S-ranked elders and rarely leave their woods. Though seen less often, they have great power. They grow and collect food and animal products for themselves and other Elven nations.
Wild: Wild Elves are the outcasts of their societies, basically feral, they scorn society, civilization, and the rules of others. They have the worst reputation of any of the races of Elves, practicing dark arts and infernal summoning. They have no homeland, living only where they can get away with their dark deeds.
Dark: The Drow are known as Dark Elves. No one knows where they live, only where they can go to get in contact with them. Dark Elves also have a dark reputation as Assassins and mercenaries for the other races. The worst of their lot are ‘Moon Elves’, the best-known Assassins of any race. These are the Elves that Dale made a deal with for land and protection.
Sea: The Sea Elves live on boats their entire lives. They facilitate trade between all the races of Elves and man, trying not to take sides in conflicts. They work for themselves and are considered rather mysterious.
Essence – Essence is the fundamental energy of the universe, the pure power of heavens and earth that is used by the basic elements to become all forms of matter. There are six major types are names: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Celestial, Infernal.
Essence cycling – A trick to move energy around, to enhance the ability of an organ.
Faux High Elf – A person who has the appearance of a High Elf, but is not actually one. It is a ‘Fake’ Elf, who takes the position in name only. A mockery and status-display rolled into one.
Fighter – A generic archetype of a being that uses melee weapons to fight.
Fringe – The Fringe region is located in the western region of Pangea. It has been scrapped from maps and scraped from history, by order of the Ecclesiarchy.
Gathering webway – A web of essence created around one's center. For the purpose of gathering and retaining essence. This was the first method concerning essence refining techniques. It should never be sticky.
Gilded blade – A weapon, status title, occupation, and profession all in one. A Gilded blade is a weapon of the raider faction. They are brutally efficient at a single thing, and terrible at everything else.
Gran’mama – Ephira Mayev Stonequeen is Grand Matron of all the centralized Dwarven clans. She goes by Matron, or Gran’mama. While not a royal, she tends to be treated like one due to the vast respect she holds. She also keeps the great majority of land contracts.
Hadurin Fellstone – Supposed head healer of the motley Fringe expedition crew.
Hadurin Fellhammer – Grand-Inquisitor Fellhammer. Executor of the Inquisition, Lord of the Azure Jade mountain, and slayer of a thousand traitors. While not fully of the dwarven race, he is short, portly, jovial to a fault, and as sly as a certain old man.
Hakan – A gilded blade, She is the main antagonist of Axiom. Her personality is as unpleasant as her fashion sense. She’s snide, cuts to the chase, and speaks abrasively without much poise or respect to anyone else.
Hawthorn – A set of wood elves that has taken it upon themselves to guard and patrol the edges of the forest. They are generally abrasive as the threats they come home with aren’t taken seriously enough. Or abundantly happy to see you, with matching southern cadence and happy reed-chewing style. Rules are actually guidelines. Make no mistake. In any other setting, Hawthorne would be a dastardly set of troublemakers.
Incantation – Essentially a spell, an incantation is created from words and gestures. It releases all of the power of an enchantment in a single burst.
Infernal – The Essence of death and demonic beings, considered to be always evil.
Inscription – A permanent pattern made of Essence that creates an effect on the universe. Try not to get the pattern wrong as it could have… unintended consequences. This is another name for an incomplete or unknown Rune.
Irene – A Keeper in the Choir. There is more to her than meets the eye, and is far more powerful than she initially appears to be. Do not argue with her about scripture. This world-weary Keeper plays with subterfuge like children play outside. Though when able, she speaks with her fists. Her rage meter is tiny, and fills with a swiftness.
Jiivra – A battle leader in the choir, she aspires to be a Paladin. She has the potential to become truly great, if only given the opportunity. Young, and full of splendor. She’s hasty, sticks to order, dislikes surprises, and answers to them with well-measured responses.
Jin – The child of Tarrean and Irene, a Keeper in the Fringe.
Lapis – A mineral-mining town in the vicinity of the Salt Flats. They refine the color Lapis into varying shades of Blue, and are a prime exporter. Lapis Is located in the Fringe.
Maccreus Tarrean – Head Cleric of a choir expeditionary force. His pride is his most distinguishing feature, next to that ostentatious affront known as his armor. Short and portly for non-dwarven reasons, this blundering Ego-driven voice blusters through life like a drunk through a tavern. Elbows first. His ability to craft schemes is as sharp as a dull, smooth rock. His Charisma unfortunately doesn't notice and charges on anyway.
Mahogany – Chosen leaders of the Phantomdusk Wood Elves. As a congregation of Sultans, they care deeply for their people. Forced to make difficult decisions on behalf of the people as a whole, they function with the full permission of the S-ranked council. Which is less active than they’d like it to be. A good soul, they speak with deep voices.
Mages’ Guild – A secretive sub-sect of the Adventurers’ Guild only Mage level cultivators are allowed to join.
Mana – A higher stage of Essence only able to be cultivated by those who have broken into at least the B-rankings and found the true name of something in the universe.
Mana Signature – A name for a signature that can be neither forged nor replicated, and is used in binding oaths.
Marud – Choir second-in-command Battle Leader, of the second expeditionary force to the Fringe.
Meridians – Meridians are energy channels that transport life energy (Chi/Essence) throughout the body.
Memory Core – Also known as a Memory Stone, depending on the base materials used in their production. Pressing the stone to your forehead lets a person store or gain the knowledge contained within. As if you’d gone through the events yourself. Generally never sold.
Mob – A shortened version of “
dungeon monster”.
Morovia – A world region located in the south-eastern section of the central Pangea band.
Necromancer – An Infernal Essence cultivator who can raise and control the dead and demons. A title for a cultivator who specializes in re-animating that which has died.
Nefellum – Head Cleric of the second expedition force into the Fringe.
Noble rankings:
King/Queen – Ruler of their country. (Addressed as ‘Your Majesty’)
Crown Prince/Princess – Next in line to the throne, has the same political power as a Grand Duke. (Addressed as ‘Your Royal Highness’)
Prince/Princess – Child of the King/Queen, has the same political power as a Duke. (Addressed as ‘Your Highness’)
Grand Duke – Ruler of a grand duchy and is senior to a Duke. (Addressed as ‘Your Grace’)
Duke – Is senior to a Marquis or Marquess. (Addressed as ‘Your Grace’)
Marquis/Marquess – Is senior to an Earl and has at least three Earls in their domain. (Addressed as ‘Honorable’)
Artorian's Archives Omnibus Page 111