His only hope is the Black Jade that lies buried in the heart of a cursed and blighted forest, forgotten since the War of the Stone. Through this, the greatest black gelstei ever created, Val will seek to understand the darkness inside himself so that he can use evil to fight evil. If he does not, the world will fall into final corruption as the Dark Universe of the Lord of Lies. In either case, evil prevails. But Val must risk everything, even his soul. The stakes are too high for anything less. Val is the Guardian of the Lightstone until a new master is made known, that person who will rightfully wield its power. Should Val find the sacred gem and take it for himself, he will become a new Red Dragon, only mightier and more terrible than the Lord of Lies.
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The universe of Neverness is intriguingly complex and filled with extraordinary beings. There are the Alaloi, whose genes have ‘backmutated’ so that they look like Neanderthals... the Order of Pilots, which reworks the laws of time and physics to slingshot its members through dense regions of ‘thickspace’... the Solid State Entity, a nebula-sized brain made up of moon-sized biocomputers...
Against this backdrop stands Mallory Ringer, the headstrong novitiate of the Order of Pilots, who, against all odds, navigates a maze of interspatial passageways to penetrate the Solid State Entity. There he makes a stunning discovery. A discovery that could unlock the secret of immortality hidden among the Alaloi.
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A triumphant close to The Requiem for Homo Sapiens — an epic tour de force that began with The Broken God and was followed by The Wild. Danlo wi Soli Ringess now has the greatest mission of his life to complete. With Bertram Jaspari’s evil Architects terrorising the universe with their killing star — the morrashar — and Hanuman’s Ringists intent on converting the rest of humanity to the Way of Ringess, Danlo must somehow try to prevent War in Heaven.
Behind him travels an army of lightships, commanded by the ever–larger–than–life Bardo, falling from fixed–point to fixed–point throughout the deep, dark spaces of the Vild, ready to do battle, if they must, with the Ringists’ fleet, lying in ambush for them beyond the Star of Neverness. War in Heaven brings to a cataclysmic finale the most amazing and awe-inspiring journey in modern science fiction, combining the ultimate in space adventure with philosophy, mathematics, spirituality and superb characterization. It is truly the greatest romantic epic of modern sf.
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Into its maze of colour–coded streets of ice a wild boy stumbles, starving, frostbitten and grieving, a spear in his hand: Danlo the Wild, a messenger from the deep past of man. Brought up from Neverness by the Alaloi people, Neanderthal cave-dwellers, Danlo alone of his tribe has survived a plague — because he is not, as he thought, a misshaped Neanderthal, but human with immunity engineered into his genes. He learns that the disease was created by the sinister Architects of the Universal Cybernetic Church. The Architects possess a cure which can save other Alaloi tribes. But the Architects have migrated to the region of space known as the Vild, and there they are killing stars.
All of civilisation has converged on Neverness through the manifold of space travel. Beyond science, beyond decadence, sects and disciplines multiply there. Danlo, his mind shaped by the primitive man, brings to Neverness a single long–lost memory that will change them all.
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APPENDICES
HERALDRY
THE NINE KINGDOMS
The shield and surcoat arms of the warriors of the Nine Kingdoms differ from those of the other lands in two respects. First, they tend to be simpler, with a single, bold charge emblazoned on a field of a single color. Second, every fighting man, from the simple warrior up through the ranks of knight, master and lord to the king himself, is entitled to bear the arms of his line.
There is no mark or insignia of service to any lord save the king. Loyalty to one’s ruling king is displayed on shield borders as a field matching the color of the king’s field, and a repeating motif of the king’s charge. Thus, for instance, every fighting man of Ishka, from warrior to lord, will display a red shield border with white bears surrounding whatever arms have been passed down to him. With the exception of the lords of Anjo, only the kings and the royal families of the Nine Kingdoms bear unbordered shields and surcoats.
In Anjo, although a king in name still rules in Jathay, the lords of the other regions have broken away from his rule to assert their own sovereignty. Thus, for instance, Baron Yashur of Vishal bears a shield of simple green emblazoned with a white crescent moon without bordure as if he were already a king or aspiring to be one.
Once there was a time when all Valari kings bore the seven stars of the Swan Constellation on their shields as a reminder of the Elijin and Galadin to whom they owed allegiance. But by the time of the Second Lightstone Quest, only the House of Elahad has as part of its emblem the seven silver stars.
In the heraldry of the Nine Kingdoms, white and silver are used interchangeably as are silver and gold. Marks of cadence – those smaller charges that distinguish individual members of a line, house or family – are usually placed at the point of the shield.
Mesh
House of Elahad – a black field; a silver-white swan with spread wings gazes upon the seven silver-white stars of the Swan constellation
Lord Harsha – a blue field; gold lion rampant filling nearly all of it
Lord Tomavar – white field; black tower
Lord Tanu – white field; black, double-headed eagle
Lord Raasharu – gold field; blue rose
Lord Navaru – blue field; gold sunburst
Lord Juluval – gold field; three red roses
Lord Durrivar – red field; white bull
Lord Arshan – white field; three blue stars
Ishka
King Hadaru Aradar – red field; great white bear
Lord Mestivan – gold field; black dragon
Lord Nadhru – green field; three white swords, points touching upwards
Lord Solhtar – red field; gold sunburst
Uruk
King Mohan – gold field; blue horse
Lagash
King Kurshan – blue field; white Tree of Life
Waas
King Sandarkan – black field; two crossed silver swords
Taron
King Waray – red field; white winged horse
Kaash
King Talanu Solaru – blue field; white snow tiger
Anjo
King Danashu – blue field; gold dragon
Duke Gorador Shurvar of Daksh – white field; red heart
Duke Rezu of Rajak – white field; green falcon
Duke Barwan of Adar – blue field; white candle
Baron Yashur of Vishal – green field; white crescent moon
Count Rodru Narvu of Yarvanu – white field; two green lions rampant
Count Atanu Tuval of Onkar – white field; red maple leaf
Baron Yuval of Natesh – black field; golden flute
FREE KINGDOMS
As in the Nine Kingdoms, the bordure pattern is that of the field and charge of the ruling king. But in the Free Kingdoms, only nobles and knights are permitted to display arms on their shields and surcoats. Common soldiers wear two badges: the first, usually on their right arm, displaying the emblems of their kings, and the second, worn on their left arm, displaying those of whatever baron, duke or knight to whom they have sworn allegiance.
In the houses of Free Kingdoms, excepting the ancient Five Families of Tria from whom Alonia has drawn most of her kings, the heraldry tends toward more complicated and geometric patterns than in the Nine Kingdoms.
Alonia
House of Narmada – blue field; gold caduceus
House of Eriades – Field divided per bend; blue upper, white lower; white star on blue, blue star on white
House of Kirriland – White field; black raven
House of Hastar – Black field; two gold lions rampant
House of Ma
rshan – white field; red star inside black circle
Baron Narcavage of Arngin – white field; red bend; black oak lower; black eagle upper
Baron Maruth of Aquantir – green field; gold cross; two gold arrows on each quadrant
Duke Ashvar of Raanan – gold field; repeating pattern of black swords
Baron Monteer of Iviendenhall – white and black checkered shield
Count Muar of Iviunn – black field; white cross of Ashtoreth
Duke Malatam of Tarlan – white field; black saltire; repeating red roses on white quadrants
Eanna
King Hanniban Dujar – gold field; red cross; blue lions rampant on each gold quadrant
Surrapam
King Kaiman – red field; white saltire; blue star at center
Thalu
King Aryaman – Black and white gyronny; white swords on four black sectors
Delu
King Santoval Marshayk – green field; two gold rampant lions facing each other
The Elyssu
King Theodor Jardan – blue field; repeating breaching silver dolphins
Nedu
King Tal – blue field; gold cross; gold eagle volant on each blue quadrant
THE DRAGON KINGDOMS
With one exception, in these lands, only Morjin himself bears his own arms: a great, red dragon on a gold field. Kings who have sworn fealty to him – King Orunjan, King Arsu, King Mansul – have been forced to surrender their ancient arms and display a somewhat smaller red dragon on their shields and surcoats. Kallimun priests who have been appointed to kingship or who have conquered realms in Morjin’s name – King Mansul, King Yarkul, Count Ulanu – also display this emblem but are proud to do so.
Nobles serving these kings bear slightly smaller dragons, and the knights serving them bear yet smaller ones. Common soldiers wear a yellow livery displaying a repeating pattern of very small red dragons.
King Angand of Sunguru, as an ally of Morjin, bears his family’s arms as does any free king.
The kings of Hesperu and Uskudar have been allowed to retain their family crests as a mark of their kingship, though they have surrendered their arms.
Sunguru
King Angand – blue field; white heart with wings
Uskudar
King Orunjan – gold field; 3/4 red dragon
Karabuk
King Mansul – gold field; 3/4 red dragon
Hesperu
King Arsu – gold field; 3/4 red dragon
Galda
King Yarkul – gold field; 3/4 red dragon
Yarkona
Count Ulanu – gold field; 1/2 red dragon
THE GELSTEI
THE GOLD
The history of the gold gelstei, called the Lightstone, is shrouded in mystery. Most people believe the legend of Elahad: that this Valari king of the Star People made the Lightstone and brought it to earth. Some of the Brotherhoods, however, teach that the Elijin or the Galadin made the Lightstone. Some teach that the mythical Ieldra, who are like gods, made the Lightstone millions of years earlier. A few hold that the Lightstone may be a transcendental, increate object from before the beginning of time, and as such, much as the One or the universe itself, has always existed and always will. Also, there are people who believe that this golden cup, the greatest of the gelstei, was made in Ea during the great Age of Law.
The Lightstone is the image of solar light, the sun, and hence of divine intelligence. It is made into the shape of a plain golden cup because ‘it holds the whole universe inside’. Upon being activated by a powerful enough being, the gold begins to turn clear like a crystal and to radiate light like the sun. As it connects with the infinite power of the universe, the One, it radiates light like that of ten thousand suns. Ultimately, its light is pure, clear and infinite – the light of pure consciousness. The light inside light, the light inside all things that is all things. The Lightstone quickens consciousness in itself, the power of consciousness to enfold itself and form up as matter and thus evolve into infinite possibilities. It enables certain human beings to channel and magnify this power. Its power is infinitely greater than that of the red gelstei, the firestones. Indeed, the Lightstone gives power over all the other gelstei, the green, purple, blue and white, the black and the silver – and potentially over all matter, energy, space and time. The final secret of the Lightstone is that, as the very consciousness and substance of the universe itself, it is found within each human being, interwoven and interfused with each separate soul. To quote from the Saganom Elu, it is ‘the perfect jewel within the lotus found inside the human heart’.
The Lightstone has many specific powers, and each person finds in it a reflection of himself. Those seeking healing are healed. In some, it recalls their true nature and origins as Star People; others, in their lust for immortality, find only the hell of endless life. Some – such as Morjin or Angra Mainyu – it blinds with its terrible and beautiful light. Its potential to be misused by such maddened beings is vast: ultimately it has the power to blow up the sun and destroy the stars, perhaps the whole universe itself.
Used properly, the Lightstone can quicken the evolution of all beings. In its light, Star People may transcend to their higher angelic natures while angels evolve into archangels. And the Galadin themselves, in the act of creation only, may use the Lightstone to create whole new universes.
The Lightstone is activated at once by individual consciousness, the collective unconscious and the energies of the stars. It also becomes somewhat active at certain key times, such as when the Seven Sisters are rising in the sky. Its most transcendental powers manifest when it is in the presence of an enlightened being and/or when the earth enters the Golden Band.
It is not known if there are many Lightstones throughout the universe, or only one that somehow appears at the same time in different places. One of the greatest mysteries of the Lightstone is that on Ea, only a human man, woman or child can use it for its best and highest purpose: to bring the sacred light to others and awaken each being to his angelic nature. Neither the Elijin nor the Galadin, the archangels, possess this special resonance. And only a very few of the Star People do.
These rare beings are the Maitreyas who come forth every few millennia or so to share their enlightenment with the world. They have cast off all illusion and apprehend the One in all things and all things as manifestations of the One. Thus they are the deadly enemies of Morjin and the Dark Angel, and other Lords of the Lie.
THE GREATER GELSTEI
THE SILVER
The silver gelstei is made of a marvelous substance called silustria. The crystal resembles pure silver, but is brighter, reflecting even more light. Depending on how forged, the silver gelstei can be much harder than diamond.
The silver gelstei is the stone of reflection, and thus of the soul, for the soul is that part of man that reflects the light of the universe. The silver reflects and magnifies the powers of the soul, including, in its lower emanations, those of mind: logic, deduction, calculation, awareness, ordinary memory, judgment and insight. It can confer upon those who wield it holistic vision: the ability to see whole patterns and reach astonishing conclusions from only a few details or clues. Its higher emanations allow one to see how the individual soul must align itself with the universal soul to achieve the unfolding of fate.
In its reflective qualities, the silver gelstei may be used as a shield against various energies: vital, mental, or physical. In other ages, it has been shaped into arms and armor, such as swords, mail shirts and actual shields. Although not giving power over another, in body or in mind, the silver can be used to quicken the working of another’s mind, and is thus a great pedagogical tool leading to knowledge and laying bare truth. A sword made of silver gelstei can cut through all things physical as the mind cuts through ignorance and darkness.
In its fundamental composition, the silver is very much like the gold gelstei, and is one of the two noble stones.
THE WHITE
&nb
sp; These stones are called the white, but in appearance are usually clear, like diamonds. During the Age of Law, many of them were cast into the form of crystal balls to be used by scryers, and are thus often called ‘scryers’ spheres’
These are the stones of far-seeing: of perceiving events distant in either space or time. They are sometimes used by remembrancers to uncover the secrets of the past. The kristei, as they are called, have helped the master healers of the Brotherhoods read the auras of the sick that they might be brought back to strength and health.
THE BLUE
The blue gelstei, or blestei, have been fabricated on Ea at least as far back as the Age of the Mother. These crystals range in color from a deep cobalt to a bright, lapis blue. They have been cast into many forms: amulets, cups, figurines, rings and others.
The blue gelstei quicken and deepen all kinds of knowing and communication. They are an aid to mindspeakers and truthsayers, and confer a greater sensitivity to music, poetry, painting, languages and dreams.
THE GREEN
Other than the Lightstone itself, these are the oldest of the gelstei. Many books of the Saganom Elu tell of how the Star People brought twelve of the green stones with them to Ea. The varistei look like beautiful emeralds; they are usually cast – or grown – in the shape of baguettes or astragals, and range in size from that of a pin or bead to great jewels nearly a foot in length.
The green gelstei resonate with the vital fires of plants and animals, and of the earth. They are the stones of healing and can be used to quicken and strengthen life and lengthen its span. As the purple gelstei can be used to mold crystals and other inanimate substances into new shapes, the green gelstei have powers over the forms of living things. In the Lost Ages, it was said that masters of the varistei used them to create new races of man (and sometimes monsters) but this art is thought to be long since lost.
These crystals confer great vitality on those who use them in harmony with nature; they can open the body’s chakras and awaken the kundalini fire so the whole body and soul vibrate at a higher level of being.
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