The Godswar Saga (Omnibus)

by Jennifer Vale

  Placite Rebellion: A group of religious extremists who attempted to take over a Solarian province in 2009 AG.

  Rebirth, the: The period directly following the Godswar, circa 0-300 AG. The era sees many tribal wars between scattered human settlements and the construction of several new empires.

  Salien Orothar: Revered king of Solaria during the 1500s. Responsible for the alliance with the Last Dawn.

  Serogar Gate: A wall constructed in 1276 AG by the Solarians to protect their border against the Asgardian hordes to the north. In 2013 it was the site of a conflux of demonic cultists, led by Gaul Teroth, who attempted to summon an ancient demon. Serogar is also the name of Solarian’s northwestern province.

  Sevel Thorean: A Solarian rebel and Unbound who led a successful revolution against the government in 1689 AG. He was a legendary telepath, and his revolution was the motivation for the creation of the Solarian Academy of Aether Studies. He was eventually slain by a Knight of the Last Dawn.

  Sightless: A term used to describe the masses of non-channelers in the world who cannot perceive Aether.

  Sol: An Immortal who organized remnants of the Hassians and other tribes to fight under his banner in the Godswar. He is considered the founding father of the Solarian Alliance and his tenets form the basis of their religion. Sol is also revered in Solipei, though they differ on numerous interpretations of his will.

  Solarian Alliance: A human nation located across central Torsia. It is the union of six provinces and considers itself the only true democracy in the world.

  Solipei: An ancient and spiritual nation on the eastern coast of Torsia. Solipeans are known as philosophers, poets, and mystics throughout the world.

  Talisham: Also known as the Empire of the Tali-Pah, Talisham is a deeply religious nation in southern Torsia known for its extreme isolationism and oppression of women and non-sanctioned channelers. Its people are referred to as Talishites.

  Talishite Offensive: An invasion by the Crell Imperium into the Empire of the Tali-Pah during 2014 AG. The fighting only lasted two months and was the result of the assassination of a Crell diplomat inside Elashi. The sides signed a cease-fire pact but have not officially negotiated a peace.

  Tauros: The lone human nation in Calhara located within the fertile Rivani Basin.

  Torsia: The largest continent in the eastern hemisphere of Obsidian.

  Triumvirate: A name given to three Immortals—Anvira, Maeleon, and Orias—who merged their spirits with the world rather than be destroyed at the end of the Godswar. As a group they made a pact to protect Obsidian from destruction as penance for the devastation wrought by their species. Each Immortal forged an organization responsible for a specific defense against the world: Anvira’s druids protect life in all its forms, Maeleon’s knights ward against demons and evil, and Orias’s watchers protect against the reckless use of the Aether.

  Tulia: A Solarian trade city about fifty miles east of Celenest. It sits at the base of the Frostpeak Mountains.

  Unbound: A mortal able to perceive and channel the Aether without an Ascendant tether. Unbound are feared and loathed across the world. They are branded as heretics by most religions and often killed on sight. No one knows the nature of the Unbound, but the condition is often hereditary.

  Vaeyn: The cousin race to the faeyn who separated at the end of the Godswar during the Rebirth. They believed their duty was to destroy the war’s lasting legacy, demons, rather than rebuild the world. They organized an underground empire in northern Calhara that constantly wars with the demonic forces of Zereloth. They have a reputation around the world as being twisted and evil, but in reality their society is far more open and tolerant than most human ones. While they live apart from their faeyn cousins, they refuse to ever harm another of their race. Some humans refer to them by the racial slur “dark elves.”

  Vorhang: A Crell term used to describe non-channelers.

  The Void: The demonic realm that exists parallel to the mortal world. It has many names, and it is believed to be the remains of the original realm of the Immortals, formerly a paradise now infested by malevolent creatures of thought and energy called demons. Mortals cannot survive in the Void without powerful magic, and its denizens cannot enter Obsidian without mortal assistance.

  Warlock: A mortal being who has made a pact with a demon. Typically, this pact allows them to summon and control other demons, often in large number. The summoning process is highly damaging to mortals and ultimately results in death if overused. While not technically channelers (warlocks cannot channel the Aether), warlocks are still feared across Obsidian.

  Watchers: The name for agents of the Order of Orias, an organization dedicated to the service of the Immortal of the same name. They are often seen as the invisible arm of the Triumvirate, typically observing but rarely interfering with the affairs of the world. Their purpose is to contain and potentially destroy Unbound and any government that openly supports them.

  Zarul: A semi-autonomous organization within the Crell Imperium responsible for security, both domestic and foreign. It is one of the few organizations in the world controlled by its own Ascendant. Zarul agents are often referred to as “Green Coats.”

  About the Author

  Jennifer Vale is a pseudonym for fantasy and science fiction writer C.E. Stalbaum. To see more of the author’s work, please visit www.cestalbaum.com.