by R. M Garino
Pit, the: A contiguous valley attached to the Gates complex, used for training graduates to fight against a shrulk. A small captive breach, the Pit is calibrated to the individual users so that as soon as they fall, they are transported to the infirmary.
Pledge: A Blade of the Areth’kon who has completed their training at the Vaults and the Gates, and has pledged allegiance to a specific House. A group of Pledges are referred to as a ‘pack.’
Porcupine: A disciplinary practice at the Gates. A squad whose performance is less than exemplary is forced to jump into the river Miu, swim out, run to the mud flats, roll in the mud, run to the pine forest, and then roll in the carpet of pine needles. They are expected to stay covered in pine needles for the day, and are forbidden to wash. It is designed to teach attention to detail, as well as the ability to push past discomfort.
Porth: One of the nine major human kingdoms; borders Patheran to the west.
Pyramids, running of: A disciplinary practice at the Gates. A squad whose performance is less than exemplary can be assigned to “run pyramid passes.” To either side of the Grand Gate is a pyramid of stones, one white pile, one black pile. There is also a pile of stones atop the mountain pass leading to Gallows’ Peak. The squad running the pass must collect the white stones from the gates, stow them in their packs, run up the mountain pass to Gallows’ Peak, divest themselves of the stones, build them into a new pyramid, and then collect the black stones to repeat the process at the Gates. Once each of the two pyramids at each location has been changed, a single pass has been completed. This is designed to teach teamwork and the ability to push past discomfort and exhaustion.
Quain (Kw-ain): The Lethen’al term for the world, or creation.
Quickroot: A spice that is added to tea as part of the Elc’atar tea ceremony. Quickroot must be prepared correctly, by being blanched in boiling water before being ground, or else it results in a catastrophic purging of the bowels.
Red River: The main Extipana village, located on a sliver of land known as the Divers, just north east of Aklediem.
Resident: The Elc’atar Guards pledged to a specific House who represents the Head of that House while they are absent from the Gates.
Reven Marthal (REV-en MAR-th-all): The Great Tree, and major Lethen’al city in the Patresilen. Also called the Occanum.
Ri’en (REE-en): The harmony of balance in the natural world that is devoid of higher thought. The animals of the forest exist in Ri’en, and its movement toward balance guides their thoughts. As such, their actions are congruent with the needs of the Ri’en.
Rhen’val, House (ren-val): The Noble House of the Areth’kon, whose members are descendants of Sui Rhen’val, the founder of the Areth’kon. All the martial Houses pledge to Rhen’val. The House Rhen’val crest depicts a pair of wings representing the Aesari they were, and the Gates which they defend.
Roots of Reven Marthal: Lowest region of the Great Tree Occanum, where prisoners of the Lethen’al are held.
Sa’Doran (SA-door-ann): Ancient capital of the Lethen’al Northern Kingdom.
Satyagarha (SAT-yah-Gar-ha): An action performed by the advanced Elc’atar and the Mala’kar, wherein they are able to condense their sin’del to the point where it becomes an impenetrable armor. The word means, “The firmness that comes from the pursuit of truth,” and the process is related to the practitioner’s belief in their own self and abilities.
Seven hells: A popular curse. The phrase is used to describe the seven layers of hell an individual creates for themselves: resisting change, accepting limiting beliefs, clinging to the past, seeking approval of others, complaining, blaming others for their misfortune, and holding to a negative mindset. It is believed that these seven layers create the misery and misfortune in life, and they are all self-imposed.
Sharen Ka Quabalen (SHA-ren/ ka/ KWA-bal-len): The dead lands to the far north, on the other side of the Agerian Mountains. Also known as the Sands of Kilbaine, it was once a lush, green land that is now barren and cracked, covered with a blackened crimson sky. This was once the human kingdom called the Pala’dine, but was destroyed when Thenaria Tu’renthien banished Tarek back to the Sur.
Sharakeen, Mage (SHA-reh-KEEN): A human Mage.
Shrulk (SH-rulk): A creature of the Sur known to be vicious and bloodthirsty. A shrulk is on average six and a half to eight feet tall, standing on two legs. The two front forelegs are stunted and tipped with claws. The rear legs are powerful, and house a single great talon. A long, thick tail balances the shrulk. It is covered with small green, blue, and gray feathers, and a mane of black hair around the shoulders and head. The head is extended into a muzzle, which is filled with multiple rows of sharp teeth. The bones of a shrulk are hollow and filled with holes, allowing it to reach incredible speeds as it does not need to exhale.
Sigrid: A wandering Magi who teaches advanced meditational practices in exchange for a meal and a bed. He wrote the Phren Al’Gatta, one of the most important of the texts among the Occanium; pertains to the Ta’shin and the Ri’en.
Si’ru (See-roo): The sprite-like fragments of a Lethen’al’s sin’del, which appear after death of the physical form.
Sin’del (sin-dell): The aura around all living things, which is perceived by the Lethen’al. The Lethen’al are able to manipulate the sin’del with varying degrees of success. This is their life force. It is the aura that envelopes and permeates them. Humans have a similar aura, but it is smaller, held closer to the body. There is a language of the sin’del that every Lethen’al can read, but which few humans can. Emotions can be read, truth or falsehood perceived, and even the decisions reached before the body reacts to it. This is the language of the spirit, and the Lethen’al are spirits made flesh. The Lethen’al believe that it is the sin’del that defines them; that it is, in essence, their soul. Through it, they come to know the world around them, but they also store the threads of their lives in it. It is where memory resides. Lethen’al are not reborn, but while they live, they can access and relive their memories with perfect clarity. They can imprint them on objects, or share them with others.
Soul Lights: 1) Made by the Lethen’al Magi, these are magical constructs are made of harvested, free flowing energy that light up a room when a sin’del is present. The illumination can be set to the desired intensity, and can be found throughout the Patresilen. Some are in fixed positions, whereas others can be free floating. 2) Made by the human Sharakeen Mages, these are twisted versions of the Lethen’al originals; magical constructs made of a captured soul imprisoned during a ritual murder. The illumination is set by a predetermined warding, and can only be adjusted by a Sharakeen Mage.
Strategy of Aggression, the: A treatise by one of the two legendary strategy Masters in Areth’kon. The Tactician Banoffe is considered advanced reading for every Yearling, as it gives a counterpoint to the works of Phaedrus. Banoffe argues that while emotion is the guiding principle, he cautions against it much as Phaedrus does. The main disagreement between them is that Banoffe believed that emotion can be harnessed and guided, especially anger. Phaedrus felt that emotion was all powerful, to which we all are slaves
Suixander (SOO-an-der): Lethen’al who have chosen not to lead a life in the Areth’kon, the Occanum, or the Fiftanu. They tend to the farming, art, history, and gardening in the Patresilen.
Sur (Sir): The location of the tear in the fabric of reality, known as the Nexus, through which the original Aesari defied the Edict of Heaven and entered the Quain. The Nexus is guarded by the Aesari Tarek. The Sur was removed from the Quain, but remains tethered to it by two points (see Temples).
Ta’shin: The ability of a Lethen’al to extend their life force outward, to blend with the energies around them and create a harmony with those energies in themselves. A Lethen’al’s sin’del continuously interacts with the energies in the environment, mostly without conscious thought. Energy strives for balance, the way water will find its own level. Without conscious intervention, the world finds its own
balance in all things.
Techte (Te-kt): The “definite plane” that is the specialty of the Fiftanu. It is believed that the Fiftanu separate their minds from their bodies, and enter a realm of existence that is just below the celestial realm of Heaven. Here, they are able to gain knowledge about the future by observing the differing paths of probability.
Temple of Mourning: A hidden temple; one half of the tether connecting the Sur to the Quain.
Temple of Night: A hidden temple; one half of the tether connecting the Sur to the Quain. The Temple of Night was discovered and destroyed by Rastef Rhom De’Veldrin for reasons unknown.
True Soul: A Lethen’al who is born with all of the Si’ru present from when they were Aesari. In essence they are Aesari reborn and made whole again.
Tu’renthien, House: The Royal House of the Lethen’al from before the Apostate War; all Houses swear allegiance to House Tu’renthien. The crest of House Tu’renthien depicts the great tree of Reven Marthal with the roots and leaves showing: this represents the prison of the demon Thelas the House is determined to guard. The tree is covered by a crown with five pinnacles, which represents the strength coming from the five lesser Houses. Behind these is a sword, which represents the protection of the Lethen’al.
Tu’renthien, El’Cain: Eldest son of Kilbaine and uncrowned King of Sa’Doran. He held the mouth of Golan’s Pass for two days with his guards. They were all killed, but bought enough time for the Lethen’al to flee into the Patresilen and seal the Gates of Golorath behind them. The Elc’atar Guard take their name from him.
Tu’renthien, Li’lian: (Deceased at age six.) Eldest daughter of Thenaria, who was pulled from her mother’s hand during the flight through Golan’s Pass to the Patresilen in the Apostate’s War.
Unity: A bond that links two separate Lethen’al sin’del together in marriage.
Vaults, the: The mountain home of the Areth’kon, where every Lethen’al goes to learn the martial arts originated by Sui Rhen’val. Students study here for the first fifty years of their training.
Vale of Sorrows: A contiguous valley to the Gates of Golorath, which holds the gate to the Sur, through which the Yearlings pass on their final test to become Elc’atar.
Vol, the: A meditational physical exercise employed by the Areth’kon that involves very slow movements that fully stretch and limber the body. Created by the Magi Sigrid, it was devised as a way for the mind to seek the Ri’en and establish the mid-point on Belg’s Continuum.
Whomp: A slang term used by the Lethen’al to describe a physical reaction within a Lethen’al’s sin’del to another Lethen’al, indicating a strong attraction.
Yearling: A graduate of the Areth’kon who has successfully completed their tour at the Gates of Golorath and has been accepted as an Elc’atar Guard apprentice.
Author’s Note
(A Cautionary Tale)
This book started thirty years ago, in middle school with the urge to write down a dream from the night before. What I had written was tolerable, as far as dreams went. It made sense in parts, and none in others, as dreams tend to do. What bothered me about it was how I told the story. It wasn’t right. So, I rewrote it, again and again. Trying to understand what was missing I became a voracious reader, devouring every novel that came my way and listening to the characters on the pages tell their tales.
It wasn’t long before I started noticing the voices when I wasn’t reading. Not the scary kind that whisper sweet destruction and leave you medicated. These were the other kind, the ones who have a story to tell with their own unique inflections. They would slip into my normal narrative feed as I went through the day. Staring out the window of a New York City bus, I would transition from my normal self-depreciating dialogue into some madman’s self-aggrandizing tale of murder. Like any good citizen overhearing a bloody confession, I wrote it down like the juicy bit of gossip it was. I didn’t pay attention to the process. I didn’t notice the empty dust jackets scattered about my room, or the paper cuts and calluses on my fingers. I didn’t have a problem. Before I knew it, the voices filled notebooks, and I found myself seeking them out. There were short stories, poems, snippets, and yes, I’m sorry to say, even vignettes when that’s all I could get.
Years later, at some point in college, I came to a place where I had to admit the awful truth I had been running from. I was addicted. Hi, my name is R.M. Garino, and I am a recovering writer. I seem to keep falling off the wagon.
This book is the evolution of that original dream, and it has been a long time coming. Actually, it is the first book in a much longer story. Now, I’m not going to say that I’m possessive and reluctant to let things go, but all it took was a groping brush with death to get me to share it with others.
So, here are the voices and what they have produced. Leave an Amazon review if you like them. Hell, leave a review if you don’t. Any and all feedback helps (yes, all of us recovering writers are needy folks, desperate and craving the attention that vindicates our addictions). So please, do your part and help end the suffering. Feel free to drop in for updates about the world at http://www.rmgarino.com/ or, stop by and leave a comment at Facebook.com/ChaosOfSoulsSeries, or check out the Twitter feed at Twitter.com/rmgarino
And so, Gather the Blades!
R.M. Garino
2017
Photo by Marissa Golub
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Gather the Blades …
