Reliquary of the Faithless: Bastards of the Gods Dark Fantasy (Enthraller Book 3)
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NORTHERN REACHES: refers exclusively to the northernmost territories of Edrinor
PLAGUE CARRIER: a magic user from Morenne who specializes in delivering demonic energies to the battlefield
RAVENER: a demon formed newly within a human host upon introduction of refined poison from demons; they form their own flesh of the life energy and material taken from the host and in time become a separate being
ROTTHERLEN: the surname of the deceased ruling family of Edrinor, whose contact with the Spectrum of magic was both singular and essential
SCAVENGER: a lesser demon, marked by a propensity for taking from victims that other demons have already begun feeding from, or from recently deceased bodies; they often will flee readily when challenged
SPECTRUM OF MAGIC: the relationship of natural elements as referred to in an accessible, magical sense and in specific regard to a connection between the natural elements and the psyche of sentient beings; understanding of it is believed to have been unlocked by the first king of Edrinor
SOULKEEPER: an insect-appearing creature who carries a thread of a priest’s soul, thereby enabling the generation of magic which hides their presence from demons and also prevents a demon feeding from the priest; when a priest dies, they carry that thread back to the Vassenleigh lily garden, where they expire and initiate the birth of a new soulkeeper, which will then assign itself to a new priest
THE SOURCE: an energy artifact created by priests and the first Rottherlen king which channels and distributes magic within the system of the Vassenleigh Order
SUPERIOR: a patriarch/matriarch or an archpriest of the Vassenleigh Order; one of the Council of Superiors
VADRYN: demonic, parasitic entities which exist primarily in a spiritual form and which gain strength and substance through the life essence of other beings; their feeding methods bring about weakness, disease, and death in their hosts; they are territorial and rarely tolerate their own kind; considered destroyers and agents of Hell
WELKYN: gods who were primarily considered creators and beings of Heaven; their perceived absence is said to have brought about both the freedom of the Vadryn and the wrath of the Malakym
WYRR: an ancient race from the distant north of Morenne, remembered as the original aristocratic line of the region, believed to have been banished to the forests by the Welkyn
Vassenleigh Order
HIERARCHY OF RANK
Patriarch/Matriarch
Archpriest
Priest-Adept
Priest
Priest-Apprentice
CLASSES
Hunter
Enthraller
Ambassador
Educator
Warrior
Healer
GRADUATION OF TALENT STATES
Dormant
Emergent
Resonant
Ambient
CITADEL
Temple
Seminary
Residence
Introduction to the Spectrum of Magic
The Spectrum relates to the portals of access to the elements perceivable by individuals. While magic is believed to exist within all elements, and can be derived from or generated by those elements, the Spectrum connects individuals specifically to magic, based upon the makeup of their souls. It is believed that the souls of human beings and animals travel through their blood, and it is by taking blood that the Vadryn siphon magic for themselves. While the Vadryn are not completely without access to magic, they are considered largely impoverished in their basic form.
It is believed that all sentient beings have a natural, albeit typically low-level relationship with the Spectrum of magic. However, there are some who hold a higher potential that can be coaxed to emerge, or that will emerge when some catalyst awakens the individual to their potential.
When a priest undergoes Emergence, he/she becomes hyper-aware of their potential in relation to the natural and magical elements of their world. Emergence makes it evident at which points the priest has made contact with the Spectrum and, by translating the marks that appear for a brief time upon the priest’s body, the Superiors are able to decipher their talents.
As a priest grows in age, strength, and skill, the levels of their talents attain greater range and the magic holds a stronger presence within and around them. Dormant is the neutral state and the state which most individuals outside of the Order are believed to exist at normally. Emergent is the lowest active level recognized within Vassenleigh, followed by Resonant, and Ambient, which is the most potent. Priests require at least two talents at Ambient level in order to become Adepts. Only Adepts are sent from Vassenleigh on assignment.
Contact with the Spectrum is labeled by color. When a priest makes contact with a specific color, access to connected talents and related spells is opened. A priest does not gain access to all talents and all spells connected or related to any given color. A priest who has made contact with multiple colors and awakened repeated talents (e.g. Endurance on both black and white), may have greater ability than a priest with fewer points of contact and no repeated, or stacked, talents.
Stacked talents maintain their essential relationship to each color, strengthening the talent overall, but also attuning the priest to specific applications of magic. For example, a priest with Healing on black, who masters the Healing spell, will be able to heal physically, since black is related to the physical being. A priest with Healing on both black and white, who masters the Healing spell, will be able to heal both physically and spiritually.
Universal spells are enhanced by all talents and include essentials such as Reach, Release, and Lantern. (See the Spectrum color sheets for full lists of talents and spells)
Below is a chart depicting the points of contact and subsequent relationship to magic of a priest. (key: (D) = Dormant/(E) = Emergent/(R) = Resonant/(A) = Ambient)
Priest-Adept Merran;
HUNTER, HEALER
Points of Contact
Black(physical)
Blue(mental)
White(spiritual)
Connected Talents
(R)Endurance
(R)Endurance
(R)Endurance
(A)Healing
(E)Healing
(R)Foresight
(R)Foresight
(A)Reasoning
(A)Reasoning
(R)Strength
Unique Spells
Fire
Shroud
Shroud
Megrim
Megrim
Megrim
Sleep
Sleep
Sleep
Mist
Wind
Healing
Healing
Bind
Priest-Adept Korsten;
HUNTER, ENTHRALLER
Points of Contact
Red(sensual)
Brown(environmental)
White(spiritual)
Connected Talents
(R)Reasoning
(A)Reasoning
(D)Will
(R)Balance
(R)Balance
(R)Quick
(R)Quick
(A)Allurance
(D)Song
Unique Spells
Fire
Megrim
Megrim
Megrim
Sleep
Sleep
Mist
Wind
Bind
Siren
Patriarch Ashwin
Points of Contact
Green(emotional)
White(spiritual)
Connected Talents
(A)Endurance
(A)Endurance
(A)Healing
(A)Reasoning
(A)Reasoning
(A)Strength
(A)Will
(A)Balance
(A)Empathy
Unique Spells
Shroud
Megrim
Sleep(neutralizing)
Sleep(neutralizing)
Mis
t
Wind
Healing
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BASTARDS OF THE GODS DARK FANTASY:
The Demon Shroud (Enthraller, 1)
Mother of Heretics (Enthraller, 2)
Reliquary of the Faithless (Coming October 2013) (Enthraller, 3)
DRYTH CHRONICLES EPIC FANTASY:
Six Celestial Swords (Celestial Empire, 1)
Five Kingdoms (Celestial Empire, 2)
Four Barbarian Generals (Celestial Empire, 3)
Three Fates (Celestial Empire, 4)
Two Warring Dragons (Coming 2017) (Celestial Empire, 5)
One Empire (Coming 2018) (Celestial Empire, 6)
DRYTH CHRONICLES COMPANION STORIES:
The Bone Tree (Stories of Sheng Fan, 1)
DARK & GOTHIC FANTASY:
Raventide
Masque of Shadow
T.A. MILES is a being owned by curiosity and fueled by internal magic. She claims to have fallen down a rabbit hole as a child, but in reality seems to be living in a semi-permanent out-of-body experience where she meets fantastical people and magical creatures in lands unknown to earth. She believes her characters are real people, and she publishes for one reason only: to share these people and the experiences they relay in carefully constructed stories unmarred by common human perception. Which sounds very complicated. It’s easier to say she prefers to write about exceptionally human experiences.
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Table of Contents
Titlepage
Copyright
Get Your Free Short Story
More Books By T.A. Miles
Map
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue