Way Walkers: Tangled Paths (The Tazu Saga)

by Leigh, J.

  Nemon: official stenographer of the Tazu court.

  Nhr: native name of the Zo River in Zo’den.

  Nijū-Iki: meaning ‘double breath’ or ‘duel breathers.’ Refers to the plant-hybrid race that lives in the Furōrin-Iki. See also Iki.

  Nor’wah: the country north of the Clan Lands, home to the Ki’ra race and founded by Kubesh.

  Nosalia, Lady: Clanswoman resident of Fauve in the Lu’shun Republic, patron of the arts and historical excavation.

  O

  Obsidian Dragon: see Rhean.

  old soul: a soul that has incarnated numerous times, though not necessarily going the farthest back in history.

  Originals, the: the first eight vampires who gave rise to the race known as Clan; four couples who founded the four Great Clans.

  Orrick Ashton: a Clan Original, he and his wife Yvette founded the Ashoni clan and the Ashton bloodline.

  P

  Pallotos Nuummith: moot captain of the dirigible Charmed Wind.

  Path: also, ‘Way Path,’ referring to the different orders and classes under each Way.

  Pearl Dragon: referring to Angani, one of the Twelve Children; she represents purity.

  Petalith: personal Daughter of Desmoulein for the Monortith family.

  Pit, the: banishment place of the Red, a dimension even deeper than Hell. Also the birthplace of all demons.

  processor-charm: the most complex of the charmed objects, processor-charms are charm-devices that are used to absorb one type of energy and then put out another type of energy, spell, or information. See also charm, master-charm, or charm-device.

  Prothidian Altar: historical figure, supposedly imprisoned beneath one of the capitals. The first Red Mage, he is responsible for both destroying the word and then reseeding it with his own creations, including many of the current races.

  R

  ral: Old Clan word for ‘bad’ or ‘nasty.’ Ral snakes are black and green and are the deadliest animals on the continent in terms of venom.

  Raspiss: one of Rhodonith’s personal guardsmen.

  Ra’vien: formal name of the Aspect of Rhean, known also as the Punisher or Shadow Bird, represented by a dark-feathered phoenix. Hers is the task of dispensing spiritual justice.

  recorder crystal: a single charm usually made from a quartz crystal, used to record information. See also crystal recorder.

  Red, the: The Red Dragon, the Fallen One, the disgraced Child. His way represents a Way that turns from Spirit’s laws and is commonly known as the Way of Evil.

  Red Mages: powerful Talents that have given the Red a piece of their soul; the effect of this actually fuses them with the elements of both fire and air, unlike High Mages, who are only fused with one. Immortal of body and very, very dangerous.

  Red Tide: historical event in which a hundred Red Mages attacked half of the Continent during a search for Prothidian Altar.

  Rhean: the Obsidian Dragon of the Children, Way of the Protector.

  Rhodonith Monortith: Queen of the Tazu Nation and mother of Jathen, Thee, and Dolomith.

  rmlkoka: ‘sand cat.’ Large feline capable of shifting into sand for short periods.

  Rosin: the Amethyst Dragon, whose Way is the Way of Magic. Also called the Mistress of Mages.

  S

  sangcordis: the organ in Clan bodies that regulates blood intake. It is located in the chest between the lungs and heart, with an attachment to the esophagus.

  Serendibiss Chertith: Thee’s best friend.

  Setsuken Daten: Way Walker, Tesgree Path. Leader of a mercenary group in Zo’den.

  Skaniss Malachith: Captain of the Monortith Royal Guard.

  slaga: pack beast in the Tazu Nation, similar to large salamanders.

  Solki: Turin’s chosen race, they are sexless and inhumanly strange, feeding only from emotional energies of fear and pain.

  soul-circle: term referring to a group of soul-mates that incarnate together often.

  soul-mate: a term used for souls that choose to incarnate together often, sometimes as friends, sometimes as lovers, sometimes as family, and often changing roles among themselves.

  Spirit: the recognized God of the Way Walkers, the eternal consciousness that all souls return to once evolved enough.

  Spirit Guide: a Guide attached to a mortal soul that has been born to a physical body itself; Guides watch their Charges and offer advice and spiritual guidance.

  T

  Taint: term referring to the evil influence of the Red that interferes with the soul’s evolution, often manifested in large amounts of anger, fear, sorrow, arrogance, or even full-blown psychotic behaviors. To be Tainted is to be under influence of Taint; ‘the Tainted’ is a term also used to describe the race of the Annarite. Can also manifest in environment; places where extreme violence has occurred are often Tainted.

  Talent: term referring to a person with more than one measurable classification of the five Abilities. General Talent describes most emphatics or low-level mediums, Classic Talent describes the empathic-telepathic combination, True Talent is reserved for people who have at least three combined Abilities, and Exemplary Talent refers to a Talent with measurable levels of all five Abilities. There is also the term ‘nontraditional Talent,’ which refers to those Abilities and combinations that don’t readily fit into the typical categories.

  Tar’cil: the scholar’s tongue and written language of Tar’citadel.

  Tar’citadel: the holy city of ice and light, where lies the Great Temple of Spirit, the Tar’citadel University, and the formal meeting place of the twelve nations.

  tar’ka-besh: the home guard of Tar’citadel, they learn all the fighting Paths.

  Tarshishum: capital of the Angani country Aralim.

  Tazu: Montage’s race, they are shape shifters who can appear human-like (Tazu) or as a full dragon (tyrn).

  Tazu Nation: the country founded by Montage and home of the Tazu.

  teleportation: the spell to transport one’s physical body through time and space; powerful Talents can also move multiple people with them. A physical destination must be in one’s head to do it, though, so the Talent would have to have been in the area once before.

  Tesgree: Kubesh Way Path, masters of the bastard sword.

  Tghyyr’sāqyn: meaning ‘changing legs.’ Native term for the native race of Zo’den, whose legs shape shift. Tg’sāqyn is also used commonly as a shortened version of the term.

  Thee (Genthelvith) Monortith: Jathen’s half sister, daughter of Rhodonith Monortith and Dicinith Attieth. Princess of the blood, heir to the Queen of the Tazu Nation’s throne.

  tru’suli: a Path under Ulic’s Way of Truth, known as a ‘truth seeker’—they are academics and lecturers.

  Turin: Sapphire Dragon of the Children, Way of Death.

  Twelve, The: another name for the Children of Spirit. See Children.

  Twelve Ways, The: the twelve individual Ways taught by the Children; each Way is an aspect of Spirit and aids the soul in evolving to become one with Spirit once more. They are: Ultimate Way, Truth, Protection, Magic, Healing, Warrior, Death, Creativity, Love, Purity, History, and ‘the Way of Evil,’ which diverts from the rest and goes against evolution.

  twin-flame: term referring to the soul-pairing of each mortal soul, the masculine and feminine Aspects. Each twin-flame pairing is romantically linked to each other for eternity.

  tyrn: a Tazu who is in dragon-form.

  Tyr’sat: Tar’cil word for the shifter race of the Zo’den region. From ‘Tghyyr‘sāqyn’ and ‘shifter.’

  U

  Ulic: Silver dragon of the Children, Way of Truth.

  V

  Veil: term referring to the invisible spiritual barrier that divides the physical world from the sp
iritual world. There is the distinction between the near and far side of the Veil; the near side refers to spiritual beings that can be sensed and interacted with by physical beings while in physical form. The far side of the Veil refers to the higher planes and the whole of Spirit, also known as ‘Heaven.’

  Veil-sliding: term referring to when the person can raise the vibration of their body high enough to slide along the barrier between time and space. Unlike teleportation, it is easier to take other people along for the ride, and no distinct destination is needed, though it does take longer than teleportation.

  W

  ward: a magical protective barrier.

  Way: one of the individual Twelve Ways.

  Way Walker: a trained disciple of a Way, usually a member of one of the many Paths; essentially an ordained priest or priestess of an individual Way, as opposed to a ‘follower,’ who is not ordained. They are almost always Talents of measurable Ability.

  Whydā Shrā: ‘lonely desert’—native name for Zo’den Desert.

  Y

  Yuta: Restaurant owner in Fauve, friend of Hatori and Jephue.

  Yvette Ashton: Historical figure; deceased. Mistress of Metals, greatest charm master to ever live. One of the eight Original Clan who founded the Clan race; wife of Orrick Ashton. Founder of the Ashoni Clan of the Clan Lands. Murdered by A’ron De’contes.

  Z

  Zo’den: refers to the country as well as two ‘city sites’ of the nomadic Msāfryan and Tghyyr’sāqyn peoples. The country borders the Tazu Nation.