Aether: energy from heavenly bodies, the sun being the most immediate and powerful. Such energy can be harnessed by gifted individuals who through focus and training can use it to perform acts of tremendous power.
Aetheric: a description of any Craft or Discipline that uses Aether as a source of power.
Age of Chaos: the time following the Age of Enlightenment. After the Aelon departed Erseta, the Elious and the Five Sages fell to warring amongst each other, to the detriment of humankind. In the chaos, Anko the Shadow Prince returned to claim his dominion over Erseta. Talan the Dawnrider was impelled to gather forces to combat Anko. The ensuing conflicts reached their climax at the Battle of Khelios, where both Anko and Talan were reportedly destroyed. Yet in the aftermath came a new threat: Stygan the Dreadlord, whose acts of destruction ignited the Age of Despair.
Age of Dawn: the little-known era of time before the Age of Illumination when beings called the Ios Shi prepared the Aelon for their future roles of guardianship.
Age of Despair: the time following the Age of Chaos. With the kingdoms of Erseta in massive disarray, Stygan quickly conquered the known world and destroyed nearly all of his enemies. Only his betrayal by Leilavin, his chief Acolyte, allowed the Five Sages to rise against him. Unable to destroy him, they imprisoned him in the realm of Narak. In the aftermath, Erseta became mired in violence and endless conflicts from factions warring for what remained of power and wealth. Education, knowledge, and civility became a token of the past as Gutoth barbarians, Bruallian warmongers, and Norlanders went rampant across the land, battling constantly against one another and destroying any who opposed them. The rampant bloodshed continued unchecked until the rise of Kaerleon and the Age of Kings.
Age of Illumination: the era when Aelon dwelt among humankind, teaching and guiding them. Many wondrous creations were constructed in this time, along with many gifts and talents that have since been lost to men.
Age of Kings: the era following the Age of Despair. On the island of Kaerleon, a young man named Endran Lucretius began a path that would lead him to glory and eventually kingship. His example inspired others, and soon other kingdoms began to follow suit. Eventually Kaerleon would lead the charge against the barbarian tribes and clans, driving them over the Dragonspine and restoring Erseta to a more civilized era.
Akhkharu: term alternately meaning 'soul drinkers' or 'wraith people'. Often used to describe the Co'nane, but mainly directed toward the most faithful Thralls that were Gifted during the Scourge of Leilavin, granting them a number of uncanny abilities, including being able to focus the Crafts. Though they share many of the Co'nane's traits, they are generally less powerful. They amass large amounts of wealth, and can be found passing themselves off as powerful kings, rulers, and nobles, lording over kingdoms of humans unaware of their immortal nature.
Apokrypy: the study and mastery of the language of Glyphs, which along with special focus grants the user a number of powerful abilities.
Athanasia: the river that flows in Nolavani, granting those who drink the water life so long as they drink it.
Banestone: A rare mineral found only in and around the Dragonspine Mountains, it induces severe to fatal reactions in the akhkharu and even more so in the Co'nane. The knowledge of using it as a ward and weapon was passed to the Sha by the departing Aelon during the Exodus.
Barbar: a fast and powerful horse bred by nomadic tribes in the Sea of Sand.
Blood: a term used by the Co'nane to differentiate themselves from their Gifted brethren.
Blood Legion: a highly efficient unit of soldiers employed by the Co'nane for special missions.
Blueshift Rings: Aetheric-powered gateways used by the Aelon to traverse long distances in mere seconds.
Canchu: a term used by the Onosho caste to describe the akhkharu.
Caretaker of the Blood: some of the Blood continued to cohabit with humans, diluting the blood-line and producing weaker and different types of akhkharu, while others Gifted humans without authorization from the Co'nane. Those true to the Blood found these acts both disgusting and dangerous, so they elected a Caretaker whose only responsibility was to preserve the bloodline by destroying all who would taint its purity, thus keeping the original Aelon stock true.
Chamber of Pools: a chamber in Halladen that serves as a conduit for Aetheric energy, encompassing three Blueshift Rings used by the Sha for distinct purposes.
Coercion: perhaps the most common Craft and easiest learned for an akhkharu. Compulsion is used to block the will of their human victims, making their minds open for subjection and domination, and their will to fight or resist nonexistent. This Craft is varied in strength according to the individual akhkharu, and is best used on those who do not believe akhkharu exist. It can be successfully resisted by anyone whose will of mind is unusually strong. The Paphic Sect are especially skilled in this Craft.
Companions: the name of Marcellus Admorran's knightly brotherhood, men sworn to his ideology on knighthood and chivalry. Collected from many different lands of Erseta, they had the repute of having never tasted defeat.
Co'nane: the Aelon that resisted against their brethren and remained behind after the Exodus. They followed the philosophies of an acolyte of Stygan named Leilavin and called themselves the Guelph, or Dark Aelon. Severed from the eternal streams of Athanasia, they were subsequently deceived by Leilavin into accepting a different source of immortality, which forced them to feed on the pran of humans to survive. The majority learned to live with this condition, some thriving with it, while a small remnant went mad and eventually died off.
Later, division arose in the direction of the Blood, and those called the Co'nane rebelled against their Guelph brothers and crushed them in civil war. The Co'nane then opposed Leilavin, refusing to obey her orders. Leilavin then created Reavers to destroy them, a campaign that nearly succeeded. The Co'nane Gifted their most faithful Thralls to combat the Reavers, buying time to find a way to destroy them. Alaric Aelfvalder eventually secured the means by obtaining Mothros, destroying the Reavers and greatly weakening Leilavin, who retreated to Everfell. The surviving Co'nane were few, but still mighty enough to control the Gifted, though their hold grows more precarious as the ages pass.
Being former Aelon, the Co'nane are unusually strong, have heightened senses and strong mental abilities, and are able to sense emotions and thoughts. They are more powerful than their akhkharu brethren, naturally adept in various Crafts. Unlike the akhkharu, their powers are not diminished by sunlight. The Co'nane cannot reproduce, so when one of their kind is destroyed, their numbers shrink that much.
Crafts: a possession of special powers harnessed first by the Aelon and passed on to the Gifted. They are developed through special focus and force of will. The Co'nane focus the Crafts with the most ease, while the Sects must spend much time developing such skills. While each Sect is proficient in a certain many of the Crafts, each one develops their expertise according to individual and personality. Called Disciplines by humans.