Gellid Nola—savant of phasing
Tong Nola—savant of minds
Ein’Doc Nola—savant of traveling
Brill’Kes Nola—savant of sound
Mairn’Tete Nola—savant of gases
Mairn’Kath Nola—savant of metals
Mairn’Reth Nola—savant of organics
See Also: ascendant, Kergatha, Vanidaar, Kergatha, Liandra {Wren} Idun-daughter, magic
scalebark — Sturdy heavy-boled trees with thick scale-like bark and extremely dense wood. Quite similar to an oak actually.
scanning — The act of utilizing a scanner.
scoreday — A period of twenty days.
scrying — Scrying is the term used to describe magical remote observation. Scrying can be done through devices and through spells, and their a varying levels of strength that range anywhere from being able to see a few rooms away to being able to see events taking place on other planes of existence.
Shadowstalker, Bronawyn — Deposed princess of Silissia and adventurer, sister of Nevarr Shadowstalker who is now the current Castellan of Drakmourn. Member of the Brethren guild of Ivaneth. Bronawyn married Caldorian Felspar in 1101 N.I.S.
Bronawyn has two daughters by Caldorian: Cassopia and DonaRae.
Bronawyn was cast out of Silissian because of a bloody coup staged by Gabriella Sarn Ariok over the Kingdom’s harboring of the followers of Kali. Bronawyn’s parents and immediate family aside from her brother Nevarr were all slain.
Later when Nevarr returned to reclaim the Shadowstalker birthright from Gabriella through an arranged marriage, Bronawyn regained her royal titles and rights to the lands in Drakmourn.
Through her contacts in the Felspar family Bronawyn happened to meet Gwensullan Techstar, the matriarch of the powerful 2nd generation Kriar house of Techstar. The Kriar lady technologist was looking to purchase lands on habitable worlds and it so happened that Bronawyn was willing to sell the (to her) worthless chunk of desert on the western border of Drakmourn, several hundred square leagues of barren rock and sand that were uninhabitable (for humans). Bronawyn sold the land to Gwensullan against the urgings of many in the Felspar clan (especially Cassandra—the reasons for Cassandra’s desire to block her adopted great-grandmother’s land deal are murky). Bronawyn received a payment of several million Kriar comtimes for the land parcel, a currency valid only on the Kriar homeworld. Bronawyn had known that the comtimes could purchase Kriar ‘magicks’ far beyond the meager means of anything that could be bought with gold. With Dame Techstar’s assistance, she ventured to the Kriar homeworld searching through catalogs to find something appropriate to purchase with her money. Many of the first things she chose the Kriar simply would not sell to a “primitive”. After a long negotiation period, and purchases of several trivial items, Bronawyn came upon the idea of purchasing a Kriar cybermed. The Silissian princess had seen the miraculous healing abilities of cybermeds because she had seen the one Clan Felspar consulted from time to time for healing critical injuries and ailments. When she made the request to purchase a cybermed, surprisingly the approval was granted for the sum of two million comtimes. The reasons the Kriar allowed the sale of Mercedes’ contract are unclear, but it is surmised that Mercedes herself through the network of cybers on homeworld arranged her own ‘vacation’.
Mercedes lived as a member of the Felspar household and acted Bronawyn’s assistant and later the caregiver for Bronawyn’s two babies. It is believed that Bronawyn’s relationship to the clan was one of the other ulterior motives that Mercedes had when she arranged the approval for the contract. The Kriar, and the cyber hierarchy were intensely interested in the science of magic and this was a golden opportunity to study a whole household full of mages in their “natural environment”.
Not long after Mercedes became a part of their family, Bronawyn came up with a money-making scheme utilizing the cyber’s incredible healing ability. She would locate rich families that had members with incurable ailments, and for a price restore them to health.
While it was a good idea, the basically good-hearted and very “human” cyber would have nothing to do with this “selling life to the highest bidder” mercenary plot. Try as she might, Bronawyn could do nothing to persuade the cyber to cooperate. She was ready to give up the cyber as a wasted investment and try “to get her money back” when her far more diplomatic husband, Caldorian stepped in. He suggested a compromise, run a clinic that offered healing at whatever the patients could afford, if free, so-be-it, but whatever could be reasonably born by the patients and their family… They had to charge something as he later explained to Mercedes, in order to pay for the facilities and such to support the endeavor. With careful persuasion they were finally able to convince the cybermed to agree, and the Shadowstalker Miracle Clinic was born. Bronawyn was careful to limit the knowledge of this institution and help enough less fortunate people to satisfy Mercedes’ sense of equity, while raking in huge sums of cash from rich families desperate to cure the incurable. This enterprise was as can be imagined, wildly successful. Mercedes was only one individual though and there was a limit to what she could do. Bronawyn then branched out into pharmaceuticals, the cyber’s knowledge of advanced medicines made her capable of devising vaccines and inoculations of incredible worth. Again, to satisfy Mercedes she had to temper the sales providing the product to the poor as well as the rich. The enterprise continued, with Bronawyn organizing better and more efficient ways to utilize Mercedes skills while still satisfying the temperamental cyber’s saintly sense of equity.
As Bronawyn’s financial resources blossomed, she hatched another scheme. The Kriar wanted to purchase land in the idyllic core-worlds of the Ring Realms, however, Elsbeth Crowninshield was utilizing her vast resources as an elder elite, to block, intimidate sellers, and buy up land to prevent any Kriar homesteads from being created. Remembering her initial extremely profitable deal with house Techstar, Bronawyn saw another way to make money. She began buying land in the different locations where the Kriar were showing interest and secretly brokering it to agencies on Homeworld. This simple enterprise far outstripped the extraordinary profits that she had been bringing in with Mercedes. However, it was not long before Elsbeth learned that her embargo had been undermined and the Crimson Mage turned her wrath on the Princess. Only by fact of her being Loric’s daughter-in-law did Bronawyn escape severe punishment at the hands of the elder elite. It was while hiding behind Loric and Cassandra that Bronawyn decided that if she was going to make enemies like Elsbeth, that she needed serious protection. She put word out on homeworld that she would pay handsomely for Kriar bodyguard.
Bronawyn was teased by the Felspar family that there was no way that some ancient Kriar warrior would “babysit” a human for any amount of pay.
They were wrong. Not only did Bronawyn get an applicant, the one who answered the call was none other than retired Tarkath Eclipse Shargris, one of the most renowned warriors on homeworld. This development stunned the family elders. It was a conundrum as to whether they should allow Eclipse to be in or around the household. It wasn’t until Bronawyn threatened to move out that they finally agreed to allow it as long as Eclipse promised ‘good behavior’. This Eclipse did do but the ancient Kriar’s assurances did little to calm misgivings. Loric knew if this impossibly old creature decided to cause trouble there was virtually nothing he or anyone else in the citadel could do.
Eclipse became the next Kriar member of Bronawyn’s household within a household. Loric’s unease proved unwarranted, the Tarkath turned out to be a model houseguest causing decidedly less trouble than the mistress he hired on to guard. In fact, he helped Cassandra out with several thorny problems which helped ease tensions. It was shortly thereafter Eclipse’s acceptance that family members discovered Desiray’s involvement with the rogue Kriar Quasar, who by coincidence was Eclipse’s mate. Which involvement came first remains in question, but it soon became clear that the Felspar clan had some ancient Kriar mercenaries now vacationing
in their midst.
It was shortly after these events that the elder elite Aleesha Cloudwalker, who had recently come back on the scene due to the efforts of Cassandra and Dorian, got wind of Bronawyn’s recent hijinx. For whatever reason, the elder elite took exception to the Silissian woman and decided to make an end of her. Only the intervention of Eclipse prevented Bronawyn from meeting an untimely “conversion” to the light.
The rivalry between Aleesha and Bronawyn continues. The elder elite is waiting for Eclipse to get tired of protecting Bronawyn, and then she shall finally have her way…
***
For those time conscious individuals, the aforementioned details concerning Eclipse come after the events in both Savant’s Blood and in Shaladen Chronicles: A Knot In Time. They have already taken place by the time of the events in Reality’s Plaything.
***
See Also: cyber-unit, Felspar, Desiray Illkaren, Felspar, Loric, Felspar Clan, Felspar, Caldorian, Felspar, Cassandra Kel’Ishtauri, Kirikos, Dame, kriar, kriar ranks, Mercedes, Shargris, Eclipse, Shadowstalker, Nevarr, shaladen, tarkath
Shadowstalker, Nevarr — Younger brother of Bronawyn Shadowstalker, and only surviving male member of the Shadowstalker royal family. Nevarr, returned to Silissia to validate the Ariok coup. He married the Sabella Ariok as a gesture to bind the Shadowstalker and Ariok families, and restore the Shadowstalker stewardship of the Kingdom of Drakmourn.
See Also: Shadowstalker, Bronawyn
shaladen — A weapon made of the spirit metal shael dal. The most notable Shaladens are those wielded by the ki’succorund surrogates of the eternals. See eternals.
The shaladens of the eternals are a physical manifestation of that particular eternal’s spirit that has been combined into alloy of ishtite, adamantine, and krill. The resulting material is for most practical purposes indestructible. See krill.
All of the shaladens have a ‘vorpul’ quality edge. When a user is “bound” to any of the blades the following abilities are conferred to the wielder: ·
Physical enhancement: All wielders are endowed with varying degrees of enhanced strength and resistance to physical injury. The smallest such enhancement (provided by the shaladen Cataract) confers strength sufficient to lift 30 stone overhead without straining. The body is toughened to the point that the user’s bare skin is as resistant to injury as if they were wearing chain mail. Most of the blades confer a limited form of “environment adaptation” that allows operation in hostile environments including airless space for a short periods of time. ·
Unlimited telepathy: this ability allows mental communication across any normal-space distance, and in many cases across trans-dimensional distances as well. This communication can take place regardless of whether the target creature has any telepathic ability. ·
Cross-culture idiomatic language translation: The shaladen confers the ability to synchronize with a particular creature to speak and understand in their mother tongue. The spoken language is as non-biased and idiomatically correct as is possible when translating the wielder’s thoughts to words in the target language. ·
Point-to-point summoning: A wielder can “summon” another wielder via plane-shifting provided the other wielder is willing and not resisting the transfer. The “summonee” must be conscious and able to grant permission for the summoning to work. The “call” of the blades is very powerful and can occur across dimensional barriers and through all but a few kinds of magical and technological defenses. ·
Temporal autonomy: After binding with an eternal shaladen, the wielder is thereafter completely immune to the effects of time. They do not age, and chronological shifts and attacks are ineffective. The shaladen acts as an anomaly compensator allowing the wielder to function in back-time without causing downstream event disruption. The shaladen’s most unique power is its ability to confer pan-temporal uniqueness. The wielder cannot meet his “alternate” parallel time-lines. ·
Undetectability: As a function of its anomaly compensation, under normal circumstances the wielder of the shaladen is completely undetectable. The user’s presence is not registered by electronic or magical devices. There have been some agencies which developed items specifically for the detection and tracking of the Shael Dal, but in most of the cases the eternals soon confiscated the devices.
shapeshifting — Literally, the altering of a creatures physical form. In the case of more sophisticated magic, this can also mean assuming special abilities, and in the most extreme cases taking on a new aura, memories and even personality.
Shargris, Eclipse — Tarkath of the Kriar Shrike Legion Elite, twelve time decorated hero of the Jyril conflicts, and various war causes. Eclipse was a career military warrior with extreme patriotic dedication to his people. He and his close companion Quasar Diliaysus were two of the best warriors the Kriar corps ever saw. On many occasions these two resilient warriors were the last Kriar standing in several unfortunate encounters.
See Also: kriar, kriar ranks, tarkath
Sharikaar — The largest continental landmass on Titaan. The major continents of Titaan in order of size are Sharikaar, Fraestar, Canth, Pedon, and Silissia.
sharonsheen — The shaladen focus for Protectorate Prime Commander Koass Vinax. Koass’ wife Megan wields the reality altering powers of Sharonsheen.
See Also: shaladen
Sheento, Daena — An orphaned teenage savant whom Bannor meets in order for her to bind with her beta half, the Aesir pantheon lord Hella. Daena is a Da’Jhamack Nola, a savant of attractions. Daena joins with Hella, and the two merge into what is thought to be a reincarnation of a first one. Daena’s natural abilities equal and in some cases surpass that of a pantheon lord. She has virtually limitless astral strength, and amazing powers of recovery. Daena’s biggest limitation is her age and inexperience. Having the powers of a goddess and knowing how to use them are different things. Though she is learning quickly, it will be some time before she ever realizes a significant portion of her full potential.
Daena now lives as the protégé of Princess Janai T’Evagduran of Malan, who is educating and gentrifying the young girl turned first one. The youngster has already learned to alter her shape at will, and can now transport herself across vast distances through psionic teleportation. The Malanian princess’ real intentions for Daena are an ongoing issue for concern.
shields — (generic) For a force-field (c.f.) protecting an area.
sil’matra — Translated literally this term means ‘bright mother’ or ‘star mother’. It is typically used as a respectful form of address for a woman who is older or of higher station. In the novel Gaea’s Legacy, Cassandra uses this form when speaking to Queen Kalindinai (rather than her given title “Matradomma”). Ordinarily, this would be considered disrespectful, but in that particular situation the Queen wanted a favor from Cassandra that she couldn’t get elsewhere. By using the lesser title, Cassandra was testing to see how badly Kalindinai wanted the particular favor. If Kalindinai let it pass without comment, it showed that it was important enough she wouldn’t risk rebuffing Cassandra’s deliberate misuse of title.
See Also: Felspar, Cassandra Kel’Ishtauri, Matradomma, titles/honorifics, T’Evagduran, Kalindinai (Queen)
Silissia — Large island continent in the southern hemi-sphere of Titaan. Silissia is renowned for the evil creatures which have bred and grown in its territories. Most notable are the enclaves of evil dragons that have extensive cavern networks on the borders of the Silissian desert.
silissian — Someone from Silissia. see Silissia.
Skyedoom, Ziedra — Ziedra Skyedoom is an expatriate noblewoman of the eastern Silissian kingdom of Drakmourn. Daughter of General Zhentar Skyedoom, and Beldwin Skyedoom. At a young age, Ziedra was sent away from her home to seek refuge in the Sharikaarian city of Corwin. There Ziedra joined up with a band of gypsies for shelter and refuge. She later met and befriended Wren Kergatha another orphaned young girl. Wren joined the Brethren guild and with her guild earnings supported
herself and Ziedra for many seasons. In the interim Ziedra began learning to dance, and over a span of seasons grew famous and prosperous on her own. She took up with royalty and she and Wren gradually grew apart. Ziedra’s prosperity was not to last, she dallied with the wrong man and was forced to escape Corwin with city guard on her heels. Again destitute, the young woman wandered from kingdom to kingdom doing odd jobs and staying ahead of the princess’ agents. She finally ended up in the port city of Ivaneth where she again met up with an older wiser Wren Kergatha who again took her under her wing.
It shortly after this reunion that Ziedra’s destiny was to truly crystalize. Through Wren’s recent acquaintances she met Bronawyn Shadowstalker, one of the only surviving family members of the uprising that killed her father. She also discovered her father’s relationship to family Frielos, discovering she was actually the niece of Caladar Skyedoom the paramour of Aarlen Frielos. The revelations were not to end there. Wren Kergatha also discovered that Ziedra was a savant, an Ishtar Nola, a savant of magic.
Through circumstances, Ziedra was forced to develop skills quickly simply to survive the events that her relationship with Wren got her involved in. Ziedra learned sword fighting and ended up as an magical apprentice of Aarlen Frielos.
As an Ishtar Nola, Ziedra is a natural mage, able to learn spells simply by touching the caster during the incantation. She has an eidetic memory that allows her to memorize movements and vocal sounds with the briefest exposure. Her ability to couple memorization and the coordination of her body makes Ziedra an incredible student of any coordination reliant skill. This ability is sophisticated enough that she can build skills virtually as fast as she is exposed to the nuances. The Ishtar Nola also allows the reading of magical auras. Ziedra can read not only the properties of magic, but can discern details about the caster who created the enchantments. As a living avatar of magic Ziedra is extremely resistant to harmful magicks, and totally impervious to all forms of magical charms, paralyzation, control and domination. She can manipulate magical energies much the same way the Kel’Varan Nola manipulates forces. This control combined with her personification of magic allows Ziedra to use a magic item that would otherwise work only for a specific person. The exact limits of this last skill are unknown, but it is believed that her nature as ‘magick’s mistress’ causes all magical items to see her as their ‘true creator‘. The pantheon lord Isis possesses a similar capability and some surmise she is the tao-beta to the Ishtar Nola.
Reality's Plaything 3: Eternal's Agenda Page 50
