catalyst – item used in conjunction with an Access Key to trigger a Chainin’s power.
Chainin – A divya that has special properties and needs an Access Key and a catalyst to activate its power.
construct – An entity created from essences.
daggerpaw – Mix of wolf and a mountain lion that has bones for a mane that it can turn into blade-like spikes. They can grow to the size of a pony. Are also adept in sensing shade.
Dagodin – A Matus who cannot Forge but can wield items imbued with Mater called divya.
Darkwraith – A type of shadeling created by merging the sela essences, spirit, and shade of a Matus.
dartan – A massive beast of burden, bigger than any horse. It has 6 legs, hardened skin, and a shell into which it can withdraw its legs. It also has a long snake-like neck and is a meat eater. Originally created during the Luminance Wars.
Deathbringer – A type of Matii used by the Felani and others, said to be already crazed Matii. Only the Felani know how they’re controlled.
Denestia – The world where this story takes place, said to have been the crowning achievement of the god Ilumni who defeated his brother Amuni for its possession.
Devout – A priest who serves Ilumni and goes on pilgrimages to do the Tribunal’s bidding, often preaching the word of Streamean worship and its virtues.
divya – An item imbued with Mater.
Dosteri – A race originating in Everland who later inhabited Granadia.
Elements of Mater – The completed essences that make up the Flows, the Forms, and the Streams. (See Mater)
Entopi – the god of sela (life and death) it is actually two gods in one.
Entosis – Place where Prima Materium gathers.
Erastonia – A kingdom in Everland.
Erastonian – Powerful warriors from Everland, specifically from a place called Erastonia. They possess some of the strongest Matii within the known world. Their main task is defending the Great Divide and killing any shadelings that happen to escape from the prisons contained with the Divide.
Essences – The individual strands of power that make up the elements of Mater.
Everland – The northernmost continent in Denestia.
Exalted – Mythical leaders of the Tribunal.
Eztezian – The Eztezians were the descendants of the gods. Great warriors and the most powerful Matii to grace Denestia. They were tasked with protecting Denestia from the shade and from itself. Driven mad by their overuse of Mater however, they almost destroyed the world. They created the Great Divide, which brought about the shade’s defeat. Then they turned on the gods, sealing them in the Nether to prevent future wars and the creation of more creatures like the shadelings.
Felan – A kingdom is western Ostania. Their people are known as the Felani.
Flowic – The religions named after the elements of Flows and its gods.
Flows – The combination of two essences—primarily water and air that make up liquids known as the Flows. There are other variations that involve other essences. E.g Water and cold to form ice. Heat, air, and something flammable to create fire.
Forger – A Matus who can Forge essences of Mater
Forging – See Materforging
Formist – The religion named after the elements of Forms and its gods.
Forms – The combination of three essences—earth, metal, and wood, that make up solids known as the Forms. There are other variations of solids that can be enhanced by using other essences, as well as other essences not in this umbrella that can be used to form solids. (See example in Streams.)
Gerde – Stoneform beasts with eight-legs that bear similarities to crabs, but were the size of ponies.
Granadia – The Western continent of Denestia. Have been at conflict with most of Ostania for millenia.
Harna – A kingdom in northern Ostania. Followers of Formist religion. Descendants of the Sven.
Humelen – One of the gods of Forms, specifically earth.
Hydae – A world formed by Amuni when he lost to his brother Ilumni.
Ilumni – One of the gods of Streams, specifically, light. Brother of Amuni.
Imbuer – A Matus who can imbue properties of essences into an item to create divya.
kinai – A special plant that draws on essences, used in many healing formulas and potent drinks. Said to enhance the user’s strength, stamina, and agility.
Luminance War – An ancient war when shadelings escaped the Great Divide and swept across Ostania.
Mater – Mater is the core elemental power which exists within everything. It makes up the three elements the gods represent and their individual essences. Mater drives all worlds. The three elements are the solids of the Forms, the liquids of the Flows, and the energy of the Streams. Those are further broken down into separate essences. For instance, earth, wood and metal are a part of the Forms. Heat, cold, light and shade are a part of the Streams. Water and air are a part of the Flows. Finally, there’s sela essence, a combination of life and death which sits outside the three elements and is required for anything to live or die. (See Streams, Flows, Forms.)
Materialize – Ability to Forge a portal between two places for travel.
Materforging – The act of wielding the essences or elements of Mater.
Matersense – The ability to open up one’s mind to be able to sense or see nearby essences within the elements of Mater.
Matus – One who can sense Mater (Plural – Matii) Not every Matus can manipulate or Forge Mater. What essence a Matus is strongest in is often determined by bloodline. However, one can train to become adept in other essences. It is difficult and takes powerful Matii to wield essences from two separate elements simultaneously. It is considered to only be an ability of the netherlings or gods to wield all essences within all three elements at the same time.
Mystera – Schools built throughout Granadia for the purpose of teaching and recruiting Matii.
Namazzi – Matii who wield mostly the Flows, ancestors of the Cardians and Astocans.
Nema – A mountain clan whose descendants are the Eratonians.
Netherling – Primordial beings from the Nether, said to have been the ones to bestow their power on the Eztezians in order to save the world. This act was part of their revenge against the gods for their experiments.
Ostania – The Eastern continent of Denestia. Have been at conflict with most of Ostania for millenia.
Pathfinder – Powerful Matii, trained by the Tribunal, who have passed the ultimate tests of control over their emotions, which ensure they will not succumb to the temptations of the power the essences promise. They are used to hunt Matii who break the laws governing the use of Forging or those who go insane. They often accompany Ashishin to protect the Ashishin from attackers and from themselves.
Prima Materium – The primordial elements of Mater first created by the Annendin using his blood.
Principles of Mater – Rules governing all the elements.
Pupa – An Ashishin-in-Training
Raijin – An elite assassin corps within the Tribunal.
Sanctums of Shelter – Similar to the Bastions of Light but more powerful and arrayed along the mountains in Northern Granadia to protect from any direct incursion by the shade through the Great Divide. They also provide power to the Vallum and the Bastions. Like the Chainin, it is imbued through the use of Etchings.
Scorpio – A massive crossbow–type weapon that fires large metal projectiles.
Seifer – See Nema
Senjin – A sport played with a leather ball, featuring 14 combatants, 7 per side, on a field spilt into 6 parts, with two halves. The team to score three times first, wins.
Seti – A kingdom in north western Ostania. Their people the Setian are descendants of the
Alzari. (See Alzari)
Shadelings – Creatures created in the God Wars, primarily by the god Amuni, and his followers by experimenting with netherlings and the essence of shade. The effects of the couplings can be seen within some of the strange beasts within Denestia.
Shin – The respectful title given to Ashishin Matii.
Shunyata – A place within each person where they can separate and control their emotions. Also the place where sela essence is stored within any living being. Also known as the Eye.
sentient – construct created by Prima Materium and the use of the Tenets. It carries the memories of whatever creature it was made after. It can think, but has no sela and therefore is not alive. (Also Prima construct.)
Streamean – The religion named after the elements of Streams and its gods.
Streams – The combination of four essences—light, heat, cold, and shade that make up energy. The energy can be used in the forming of the other elements e.g cold is needed to form ice which is part of the Forms and part of the Flows.
Sven – The earth elemental peoples that inhabit the Nevermore Mountains in north eastern Ostania. Descendants of the Svenzar.
Svenzar – Form elementals that reside in mountainous areas. Their power resides in earth, metal, and wood.
Tenets – the laws governing individual essences. Also sued as a focus to summon Prima constructs.
The Aegis – Said to be a power or a person who would help either protect the gods or defend against their resurgence.
The Chronicles – Said to be sacred tomes written by the Eztezians themselves and their descendants, dictating the past and the future of the world.
The Disciplines – A set of rules and pointers on how to govern and lead soldiers.
The Eye – See Shunyata.
The Great Divide – A massive rift in the land created by the Eztezians to defeat the shadelings. It runs from north to south across central Everland, and is guarded by the Erastonians.
The Iluminus – Named after the god Ilumni, it is the central city, learning hub and home of the Tribunal and its Matii.
The Nether – A realm between the worlds thought to be the origination of Mater, the gods, and netherlings.
The Stone – The great hidden city where the Svenzar and Sven live in northern Ostania.
The Unvanquished – Stefan Dorn’s elite troops in Ostania.
Travelshaft – Tunnels developed by the Svenzar using the Forms, where time is slowed and speed increased to allow travel between large distances in a small amount of time. Said to somehow be constructed between the Planes of Existence.
Tribunal – The founding society of Ashishin among the Matii. They determined what was needed for the Matii as a whole to function in their proper roles as protectors and mediators. Eventually, the different Matii split apart due to conflicts in ideals, philosophies and religions. The Tribunal rules in Granadia. They left Ostania where most of the other Matii fled, to fend for themselves.
Vallum of Light – A massive wall imbued with Mater and erected by Eztezians within the Tribunal to separate Ostania from Granadia.
vasumbral – A gigantic worm-like creature from Hydae that travels by burrowing. It eats Mater.
Warping – A Forging by powerful Matii, using the sela essences of something recently killed, to twist the essences in a specific area, thus rendering them unusable for a period of time.
Wraithwolf – A type of shadeling using a combination of wolf or other canine type beast, as well as the sela of a person, and essences of shade.
Zar – The respectful title given to Alzari Matii.
From the Author
Ashes and Blood was a joy and a pain to write. Making sure I got everything correct and the different plots and threads made sense as well as keeping everything in the world intact took a lot of work. Sometimes, I felt like I stopped my own momentum. The book could have been much longer, but I’m pleased with where I took it and where it ended. Sometimes, I have so many ideas that I don’t know what to do with myself.
I personally think my writing has gotten better and continues to improve. I’m thankful to those of you who enjoy my work. Be sure to review the book on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Nobles, Itunes and Kobo. Reviews mean a lot to us authors, good or bad.
As I give the ideas for the next Aegis book some mulling over, I’m currently working on a new series, named Sundered Souls. I smile when I’m writing this one because it shows how far I’ve come. Expect its release in a month or so.
Until then, enjoy.
Be sure to look me up on twitter, facebook, Google+, or on my blog at terrycsimpson.com.
Copyright
The Shadowbearer is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Golden Arm Press
Copyright © November 2012 Terry C. Simpson All rights reserved
Edited by D Kai Wilson-Viola
Mapwork by Terry C. Simpson
Cover Illustration by Chrisnfy
The right of Terry C. Simpson to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to author and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Find out more about the author and upcoming books online at terrycsimpson.com or @TeeSimps, TCSimpson on Facebook or Alexanddria Publishing Group
ISBN: 978-1-939172-06-8
Table Of Contents
Cover
Title
Welcome
Novels by T.C. Simpson
Dedication
Map of Denestia
Prelude to Ascension
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
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Glossary
Game of Souls
From the Author
Copyright
Aegis of The Gods: Book 02 - Ashes and Blood Page 40