Above the Storm

by JMD Reid

  Wriavia wasn’t worried. The disease was safe and dormant, crystallized in the powder. But once mixed into food or drink, the disease would come back to life. His order had long known the secret of the plague. It was seldom used because of the collateral damage.

  Sacrifices sometimes had to be made for Riasruo’s glory.

  “Is this . . .?” Vel swallowed.

  “Sprinkle this on his food or in his drink. You should find a widowed Chaylene far more amenable.” Wriavia hoped the fool before him would be another victim of the disease.

  Vel gave a smile, color returning to his face, and slipped the pouch into his trouser pocket. “I’ve been assigned to the Dauntless as a cook’s assistant.”

  Wriavia clucked his beak in delight. “Well, I have a long day ahead of me. Word has reached me. Other opportunities await.”

  Vel nodded. “Swift winds on your journey.”

  “And you as well,” Wriavia bowed.

  Vel left. Wriavia departed soon after, winging into the night sky and leaving Shon behind.

  The END of Book One of THE STORM BELOW

  Glossary

  Creation: In the beginning, all was darkness. Priopii, the Sky, found her existence dreary and lonely. Everywhere she existed was the same—a black, empty, void. Out of her loneliness was born a world for her to gaze upon, a single, round gem floating at the heart of her—Welkinia. But Welkinia was a dead world. Priopii’s loneliness intensified.

  She desired to create life.

  To bring and sustain life on her dark world, Priopii sang into being two daughters: Riasruo the Sun and Theisseg the Storm. Riasruo’s warmth and light shone down on Welkinia while Theisseg’s Storm spread sustaining water about the world. Priopii sang into creation all the plants that grew green across the brown world, and populated the earth with animals, the skies with birds, and the seas with fish. To light the night sky, she sang into being the twin brothers: Twiuasra the Swift Moon and Jwiaswo the Graceful Moon.

  Last, Priopii, Riasruo, and Theisseg sang life into the five Mortal races: the bird-like Luastria for the mountains and skies, Humans for the plains, the serpent-like Szezziith for the forests, the mole-like Zalg for the earth, and the crab-like Threv for the waters. Later, Riasruo created the lizard-like Gezitziz from the Szezziith.

  The Blessings of Riasruo: Across the skies, except the Petty Kingdoms of the Agerzaks, the citizens are granted one of four powers by the Sun Goddess on the Summer Solstice. Every citizen who reaches the age of majority (seventeen for Humans, twenty-three for Luastria, nineteen for Zalg, and fifteen for Gezitziz) gather at the nearest temple to receive their Blessings.

  No one understands why Riasruo gives certain Blessings to certain individuals or why some Blessings (Wind and Mist) are more common than other Blessings (Lightning and Pressure). Each Blessing can come in one of three strengths: Minor, Moderate, or Major. Most individuals receive a Moderate and a Minor Blessing. A few receive a Major blessing along with one or two lesser Blessings, and someone may even receive only a single Minor or Moderate Blessing. Without the Blessings, life in the skies would be far more difficult.

  The Blessings were first given to help the Desperate Alliance defeat the tyrannical Wrackthar.

  Blessing of Lightning: The second rarest blessing. Most commonly used in military and law enforcement where discharged lightning can stun or kill an opponent.

  Minor Lighting grants a person immunity to lightning.

  Moderate Lighting allows a person to generate a discharge of electricity at a touch.

  Major Lightning allows the person to discharge actual lightning bolts.

  Blessing of Mist: The second most common Blessing behind Wind. Helpful on arid skylands and necessary to operate the Weathertowers.

  Minor Mist allows a person to peer through smoke, clouds, fog, and other hazes without hindrance.

  Moderate Mist allows a person to precipitate water out of the immediate air. With this blessing, a person can, on average, produce enough water in an hour to sustain five people for a day.

  Major Mist can precipitate even more water, causing limited rain to fall, or the conjuring of a large fog bank.

  Blessing of Pressure: The rarest blessing. Allows the riding of various species of flying beasts by generating more lift so the mounts can carry increased weight. Useful for couriers and scouts.

  Minor Pressure grants a person immunity to pressure changes.

  Moderate Pressure allows a person to change the pressure, often dramatically, in a small bubble around them.

  Major Pressure allows a person to control the pressure of the air around them at both a greater volume and at a greater distance.

  Blessing of Wind: The most common Blessing of Riasruo and the most necessary for life among the skies. The engines of ships are powered by this Blessing.

  Minor Wind allows a person to fall slowly, drifting down like a feather.

  Moderate Wind allows a person to see the wind, witnessing how it flows and eddies around object, as well as controlling the wind in a small radius.

  Major Wind allows a person to generate great gusts of wind strong enough to propel ships.

  The Ages of History: Scholars divide the world’s history into Ages.

  The Age of Mist is the oldest and most dimly remembered. This was a time when fantastical monsters and great heroes roamed the world. This Age ended with the conclusion of the Sisters’ War, caused when Theisseg was imprisoned on Mount Wraiucwii and Riasruo retreated to her fiery sun.

  The Age of Dirt followed the Age of Mist. The mortal races founded kingdoms, tribes, nations, and flocks upon the ground. Peace reigned until Kaltein freed Theisseg and, with her Blessings, conquered most of the world. But with Riasruo’s intervention, the free races defeated Kaltein. This Age ended when Kaltein summoned the Storm.

  The Age of Dawn began on the Summer Solstice when Lanii, daughter of Riasruo, hatched fully-grown from a golden egg and founded the Dawn Empire. The Age of Dawn was marked by a thousand years of peace. It ended when the Great Cyclone tore out the heart of the Dawn Empire.

  The Age of Isolation began as the Dawn Empire fractured into a myriad of nations. With the skyland of Swuopii lost, no new ships could be constructed. As the nations warred and the years passed, the ships dwindled through attrition until most skylands lost all contact with each other. During this Age, the Agerzaks appeared, occupying the eastern skylands and exterminating the original inhabitants.

  The Modern Age, also called the Age of Strife, began when the Vaarckthians discovered a new way to build ships. This Age is marked by the rapid domination of the Empire of the Vaarck, who at first alone possessed ships, then the slow collapse of the Vaarckthian hegemony as rebellious peoples gained their own ships.

  The Calendars: When Lanii founded the Dawn Empire, she established a new calendar with the first year starting on the day she hatched. This calendar became known as the Skylands Rising (SR) calendar. It divided the 416-day solar year into thirteen 28-day months: Yruoujoa, Coajyoa, Aernoa, Isamoa, Lheshoa, Haashoa, Mehnetoa, Nmiozhoa, Bwuovoa, Amechoa, Neiddoa, Lsaapoa, and Hruvvoa. She established a five-day week: Dawnsday, Redday, Starday, Blueday, and Skyday. Traditionally, a new day starts at sunset. Each day is divided into 24 hours.

  The Skylands Rising calendar ended with the Great Cyclone, and people began counting years from that dominant event, using AF (After Fall) to denote years.

  When Emperor Zhnavth I Ckaeqoigk founded the Empire of Vaarck, he started a new year count beginning with the first Summer Solstice of his reign. The Vaarck’s Founding (VF) calendar became used across the entire sky as the Empire’s hegemony grew. It is still used by the breakaway nations of the Empire out of convenience.

  A

  Agerzak Humans: A race of Humans characterized by white skin, dark brown to black hair, and brown to amber, slanted eyes. They dwell in the eastern skies amid the fractious Petty Kingdoms or in the Autonomy-conquered Fringe. Considered uncivilized barbarians by the rest of the skies. U
nlike Vaarckthian or Vionese Humans, the Agerzaks were not lifted up into the skies by Riasruo. They are theorized to be colonizing Stormriders who conquered the eastern skylands during the Age of Isolation.

  The Autonomy of Les-Vion: A large nation that dominates the southern skies. Little more than a hundred years ago (296 VF), the Autonomy won their independence from the Empire of Vaarck. The population of the Autonomy is dominated by Vionese Humans, with a significant population of Agerzak Humans dwelling in the Fringe. Every five years, the Autonomy elects a president. In 398 VF, Jordyn Kalthin assumed the presidency. The Autonomy’s flag is a gold, two-headed griffin on a field of blue and red.

  B

  Bronith: A hunter who witnessed the moon nymph Eyia dancing upon a moonlit glade. He fell in love with her. But when the moon set, she danced up the moonbeams. He followed her, refusing to be parted from his love. He chases her still, his constellation behind hers in the night sky.

  C

  Chaylene the Shieldmaiden: The Vionese member of the Hopeful Company. When the Hopeful Company was betrayed, Chaylene attacked the Tyrant-King. She surprised Kaltein’s forces and bought the Company time to flee at the cost of her life. Riasruo placed her in the Heavens.

  The Church of Riasruo: The official religion of the majority of the skies. Only the Agerzak barbarians reject Riasruo’s benevolent gifts. The church is symbolized by the five feathery rays of Riasruo. The clergy of the Church is divided between the priestesses who minister to Riasruo’s flock, and the skeins, the male monastic orders that fulfill various, specialized roles. Only Luastria, as Riasruo’s favored race, can serve as clergy, and most come from the Jwauahwii Flock. The Church performs anointments of newborns, marriages, funerals, and Blessings, as well as devotional ceremonies on Dawnsday where effigies are burned in bonfires, symbolizing a person’s sin to be cleansed by the flames.

  The Church (Organization): The lowest members of the clergy are the acolytes. They perform the bulk of the church’s rituals from marriages to funerals. The only services they are not allowed to perform are the Blessings. Priestesses serve in a Parish, which may be a simple temple in a small town to a region of a skyland where they wander on a circuit from village to village. Multiple parishes form a Diocese administered by a bishopress. Most skylands are a single Diocese, while the large skylands (Les, Vion, Vaarck, and Ulanii) are split into several. The canton is the largest administration level stretching across multiple skylands. Each of the fifteen cantons are administered by an archbishopress who serves on the Synod of the Faithful, the advisory council to the Bishriarch, the head of the Church.

  The Circle of the Stars: The thirteen constellations that encircle the world around the elliptic. As the year passes, the sun rises before a different constellation. The thirteen months of the year are named for them: Yruoujwia, Coajyii, Aernigk, Isame, King Lhesh the Blind, Haashwil, Dread Mehnet, Nmiozhn, Bwuova, Ameche, Neiddar, Lsaapsu, and Hruvv.

  Coinage: With metal being scarce in the skies, coins are manufactured from porcelain with ground gemstones mixed in. With an engine that uses Major Pressure, the coins are hardened to the point of near indestructibility. While all nations, except the Theocracy, mint their own coins, they follow the Vaarckthian model of names. The lowest coin is the Sapphire. 5 Sapphires make up a Ruby. 4 Rubies (20 Sapphires) make up a Diamond. 5 Diamonds (100 Sapphires) make up an Emerald, the largest denomination.

  Constellations: The skies are populated by the heroes, monsters, and mythical beasts of bygone eras, placed in the skies at the whim of Riasruo and Theisseg. The stories and legends of the past are painted on the tapestry of the night sky.

  Cyclones: The Cyclones are mighty maelstroms that rise out of the Storm Below. At the heart of each is an engine called the Eye that sits in a calm center. It glows gold and pulses with lightning shooting out into the Cyclone. The Stormriders’ lives are tied to the Cyclone and are unaffected by its violent winds. If the Eye is not destroyed, the Cyclone can ravage a skyland before the engine’s energy peters out. Every skyland has at least one ship ready to defend its eastern shores. Many questions persist about the Cyclones and the Stormriders.

  D

  The Dawn Empire: The Dawn Empire was founded when Lanii, Riasruo’s daughter, hatched from a golden egg on Jyuou, the easternmost skyland. Lanii’s descendants ruled the skies in peace from Vauabrii on the Skyland of Swuopii. On the first day of 1026 SR (1 AF), the Great Cyclone struck. Xaiutwoa III and her heir Niiwa perished, but her youngest daughter, Yriitwao, survived.

  The Dawn Empire in Exile: In the wake of the Great Cyclone and the loss of Swuopii, Yriitwao II succeeded her dead mother as the Dawn Empress. She established her new capital at Ianwoa on the Skyland of Ulanii. Over the next 150 years, the Dawn Empire contracted as skylands rebelled. In 148 AF (1173 SR), Pwayii III died without an heir. She entrusted the Dawn Empire to the Bishopress of Ulanii, creating the Theocracy of Riasruo.

  Dawnspire: Another name for Sky Towers used in the Autonomy.

  The Desperate Alliance: An alliance of the Dzet Clan, the Jwauahwii Flock, the Soweral Flock, the Vaarck Nation, the Vion Nation, the Ethinsk Tribe, and the Zzuk Tribe against the Wrackthar’s aggression. Iiwroa, the representative of the Jwauahwii Flock, proposed journeying to Mount Wraiucwii and beseeching Riasruo for help. The Hopeful Company was formed, made up of a champion from each nation. Ultimately, the Alliance prevailed and defeated the Wrackthar.

  Dzetian Zalg: The only race of Zalg carried into the skies by Riasruo were the Dzet Clan. They are characterized by brown to yellow fur and beady, black eyes.

  E

  The Empire of Vaarck: Also known as the Vaarckthian Empire. When the ship engines were rediscovered by the Republic of Vaarck, the merchant princes expanded their commerce to the surrounding skylands. When a rebellion threatened them, the Republic appointed Zhnavth Ckaeqoigk to lead their military. After routing the rebellion, the general used the military’s loyalty to declare himself Emperor Zhnavth I Ckaeqoigk. In two hundred years, through a series of expansive conquests, most of the skies were under the Empire’s rule. Only the Theocracy of Riasruo and the Kingdom of Agerz remained free. Thanks to the Agerzak’s metal weapons and fearless prowess in battle, the Empire of Vaarck suffered three devastating defeats attempting to conquer the barbarians. These defeats weakened the empire and emboldened the nationalist rebels around the skies. Today, the Empire only controls the central skies, the heartland of the Vaarckthian peoples.

  Engine: A magical construct with a gem at its core attached to a wooden frame. The combination of the right gem, the right wood, and the right Blessing can produce different results. With ships, the entire hull is the frame. Scholars research new combinations all the time, discovering new devices to ease life or create new weapons. Engines are used in the saddles of flying beasts, to mint coinage, to irrigate fields, and to control the weather. Numerous engines exist for warfare. These weapons are expensive, but most believe the advantages outweigh the costs.

  Ethinski Gezitziz: A race of Gezitziz characterized by red scales with yellow underbellies, and ruby to sapphire eyes. The majority dwell in the Ethinsk Union in the northwestern skylands.

  The Ethinsk Union: The nation of the Ethinski Gezitziz located in the northwestern skylands. The Ethinski won their independence from the Empire in 299 VF. They are famed for their high-quality ceramics, including their fine porcelain. Every seven years, the nation elects a doge to rule their republic.

  Eyia: A moon nymph danced on a moonlit glade before a mortal named Bronith. When morning came, she was forced to leave her lover and return to the moon for a thousand years. But he followed her. Now Eyia rests in the skies, her constellation forever chased by her lover Bronith.

  F

  The Five Sacred Beasts of Riasruo: When the world was in its infancy, Riasruo created five beasts to teach the mortal races. Thus were born: the Vermilion Roc Coajyii, the Golden Hawk Lsaapsu, the Alabaster Ostrich Hruvv, the Azure Songbird Shian, and the Rainbow Peacock Xiadwul. The p
opularity of her beasts only increased Theisseg’s jealousy and led to the start of the Sisters’ War.

  The Free Nests of the Soweral: The nation of the Sowerese Luastria dominates the northern skies. The ships of the Free Nests are the fastest. The country won its independence from the Empire of Vaarck in 308 VF. The Free Nests are a constitutional monarchy led by an empress who is advised by the parliament.

  The Fringe: A region of the Autonomy that used to be the two Agerzak Kingdoms: Thusseldem and Mecheissen. During the Pirate Wars, the Autonomy subjugated this region to gain safer shipping lines to the Great Empty and the lucrative whale oil. The conquered territory was nicknamed the Fringe. The Autonomy colonized the area, establishing sugar and pineapple plantations.

  G

  The Gezitziz: A species of lizard-like, bipedal humanoids. Their origins lie in the Age of Mist when Haashwil, a serpent-like Szezziith, was rewarded by Riasruo and granted arms and legs. Two tribes of Gezitziz were carried into the sky at the end of the Wrackthar War: the Zzuki and the Ethinski.

  The Grand Temple of Riasruo: The seat of power of the Church. It resides atop a hill overlooking the city of Ianwoa on the Skyland of Ulanii. From here the Bishriarch and the Synod administers the faithful of Riasruo. At its pinnacle resides the Sun Lance.

  The Great Cyclone: On the Summer Solstice, the first Cyclone attacked. It struck the great Skyland of Swuopii, dragging it and the other eastern skylands down into the Storm Below and leaving behind the Great Empty.

  The Great Empty: The great sky to the east. Haunted by vast clouds of krill that nourish the mighty whales.

  H

  The Hopeful Company: A group of seven heroes, one from each nation of the Desperate Alliance, who sought to reach Mount Wraiucwii and gain Riasruo’s aid during the Wrackthar War. Led by Iiwroa, the company faced many dangers, but ultimately succeeded and gained her Blessings, shifting the fortunes of the Wrackthar War. The members were: Iiwroa (Diplomat of the Jwauahwii Flock), Rakl (Miner of the Dzet Clan), Ukzin (Spearman of the Ethinsk Tribe), Nreef (Swordrooster of the Soweral Flock), Qobthien (Huntsmen of the Vaarck Nation), Chaylene (Shieldmaiden of the Vion Nation), and Zzupwish (Broodmother of the Zzuk Tribe). Only Iiwroa survived the company’s journey.