Glossary of Terms

Visions of Flesh and Blood: A Blood and Ash/Flesh and Fire Compendium

Before I get into relaying what I know about the world and the important people of note in both this timeline and the one that came before, I feel it necessary to give some background on some of the terms used throughout my notes. I likely use others not defined here, but this should be helpful to those using this in the future.

Abyss: Where souls pay for every evil deed they committed while alive.

Houses the Pit of Endless Flames that burns continuously, turning the sky iron-hued from the smoke.

Ancients: Pure energy that fell as stars, creating the realms. They eventually rose to walk amongst their creations, creating the Primals as a way to limit their power and maintain balance.

Arae: Another word for the Fates. They reside on Mount Lotho.

Arcadia: Another realm where the gods take their eternal rest. Denoted by pillars with bright light shining between them.

Atlantians: Citizens of Atlantia with varying bloodlines. Born mortal until the ages of nineteen to twenty-one, upon which time they enter their Culling and mature, allowing their strength and abilities to manifest fully. All Atlantians have two fangs and some shade of amber eyes; however, only Elemental Atlantians have pure gold irises. Must drink Atlantian blood to thrive. They won’t die without it, but they become something that is not quite alive. Full-blooded Atlantians are essentially immortal.

Barrat: Large rodent, about the size of a boar.

Blessing: Mortals believed the touch of the Royals had healing properties. They lined up for days for the chance to receive one. It was simply a temporary reprieve from illness obtained by ingesting Atlantian blood—a fallacy.

Bloodstone: Material used to make weapons that can kill Craven, Ascended, and wolven but has no effect on Atlantians or Revenants. Created from ruby-red rocks found on the coast of the Seas of Saion, thought to be the angry or sad tears of the gods petrified by the sun.

Bones of the Ancients: These bones were once used to bind gods, stripping them of their powers and leaving them susceptible to being entombed. They also have the ability to nullify the Primal notam. When fashioned into a weapon, even a single nick can kill a god or incapacitate a Primal. If left embedded in a Primal, it will render them powerless until removed. Only the Primal of Life or the Primal of Death can destroy these bones.

Ceeren: An Atlantian bloodline that could shift into waterfolk. A large contingent of them lived near the Triton Isles off the coast of Hygeia.

Thought to have died out before the war once Saion went to sleep.

Changelings: An Atlantian bloodline believed to be the result of a union between a deity and a wolven. Most are able to shift their forms. Some—though few—can take the shape of another individual, but when they do, they also adopt their mannerisms.

Craven: A creature with four fangs and claws that emerges from mist to attack in search of blood. A bite from a Craven causes the victim to become cursed, thus turning into a Craven within days. The people of Solis led everyone to believe that the Atlantians were responsible for the creation the Craven, a product of their poisonous kiss, and said they were controlled by Prince Casteel as the purported Dark One. In reality, they are what becomes of a mortal when all their blood is stolen through feeding without being replaced. The act rots them, both body and mind, turning them into amoral creatures driven by insatiable hunger…hence why the act of killing a mortal while feeding was forbidden. However, the Craven existed before the vamprys those of Solis know. They were around in the time of the gods,

byproducts of the first Ascended feeding without replacing the victim’s blood, or a god draining them without replacing the essence.

Dakkais: A race of vicious, flesh-eating creatures rumored to have been birthed from the bottomless pits located somewhere in Iliseeum. Featureless except for mouths full of teeth and slits for a nose. They like to attack from the water and are drawn to eather. The dakkais acted like trained bloodhounds for Dalos, and Kolis treated some like pets.

Deities: Children of the gods. One is rumored to have given rise to Atlantia.

Demis: A mortal who is not a second or third son or daughter and is Ascended by a god. They have godlike powers but are considered abominations.

Draken: The Primals’ protectors and guardians. Descended from dragons given mortal form by Eythos, the then Primal of Life. The fire they breathe is the essence of the gods, as is their blood. Only the blood of the draken can kill a Revenant (see more on them later).

Eather: The potent residual power believed to not only have created the mortal realm and Iliseeum (more on the creation of the realms to come) but which also courses through the blood of a god, giving even the lesser, unknown ones unthinkable power. Also referred to as Primal essence and the essence of the gods. The Chosen all have some eather within them. The ones who Ascend have more than most.

Elemental Atlantians: Atlantians with the purest bloodline. Children of the first mortal who underwent the heartmate trial with a deity. They can survive without food for days but require more blood. Most have heightened senses and mental capabilities or gifts.

Godlings: The children of a mortal and a god. Those descended from powerful gods will have powers and abilities, while others are born mortal.

Gods of Divination: Gods able to see what was hidden to others—their truths—both past and future.

Graeca: A word in the old language of the Primals meaning life or love.

Gyrms: In the time of the gods, it was said they were mortals who pledged themselves to the gods or Primals for eternity, becoming Hunters or Seekers. Or souls who refused to enter the Shadowlands at the time of their death, thus striking a deal to serve and ultimately becoming Sentinels. They are all wraithlike beings with stitched mouths and are filled with serpents.

In the time after the War of Two Kings, it is said they were not once alive but were instead created from Iliseeum soil and eather, summoned to be soldiers or guards of sacred places. In the time of the gods, they could only be destroyed by a blow to the head. In the time after the War of Two Kings, any fatal puncture wound worked.

Handmaidens: The Blood Queen’s personal guards. Not all are Revenants, but many are. Those who are wear painted masks on the upper halves of their faces that look like wings.

Heartmates: Like soulmates. Two halves of a whole. When the Arae look upon the threads of fate and see all the many different possibilities of one’s life, they can sometimes see what may come of the love between two or more souls. And in that union, they see possibilities that can reshape the realms by either creating something never seen before or ushering in great change. Almost considered more of a legend. So rare it became a myth for a very long time.

Huntsmen: A division of the army that ferries information between the cities and escorts travelers and goods.

Iliseeum: The realm of the Primals, gods, godlings, and mortals who serve them. Accessed through the Primal mist or a gateway in the human realm that takes the traveler to a specific place in Iliseeum. In the time of the gods, there were access points in Sera’s lake and the Bonelands—the area that eventually became Atlantia.

Kardia: The piece of the soul—the spark—that all living creatures are born and die with that allows them to love another not of their blood— irrevocably and selflessly.

Liessa: Means Queen.

Meyaah: Means my.

Mortals: Born of the flesh of a Primal and the fire of a draken. Most carry a dormant ember of Primal essence within them, except for the third sons and daughters. In them, the ember isn’t always dormant. There is no explanation for this, but it is why they were the Chosen used for Ascension.

Revenants: Considered abominations of life and death. Kolis’s magical creation. Originally, they were the Chosen who disappeared—those with an ember of eather. They died and came back changed after being given god blood. They can survive almost any wound, even mortal ones, and can resurrect regardless of injury. Their only weakness is draken blood. Kolis called them his “works in progress,” saying he needed his graeca to perfect them. It was also stated that the blood of a King, or at least one destined to become a King, was needed to ensure they reached their full potential, though that’s not entirely true. Callum was the first Revenant, created when he took his life out of grief, and Kolis gave him his blood. Though he is different, given he wasn’t a third son. Millicent is also different than other Revenants because she was a first daughter and transitioned differently, as well. Revenants do not need to eat, nor do they need blood or any other comforts, and normal Revs do not have a soul—their pale eyes are like windows to their true nature, showing they are not alive.

Rises: Mountainous walls constructed from limestone and iron mined from the Elysium Peaks and used to protect cities within the kingdoms.

Senturion: The Atlantian warrior lines. Born, not trained. Made up of multiple bloodlines: Primordial (can summon elements during battle), Cimmerian (can call upon the night, blocking out the sun to blind their foe), Empaths (able to read emotions and turn them into weapons, could also heal, were favored by the deities, and feared by others. They were also

exceptional fighters—braver and bolder than any other line. Often called Soul Eaters), Pryo (able to summon flames to their blades), Unnamed Others (could call upon the souls of the ones who were slain by the ones they fought).

Shades: Shadowlike souls that refuse to pass the Pillars of Asphodel to face judgment. Because of this, they cannot return to the mortal realm nor enter the Vale. Therefore, they stay in the Dying Woods and are driven mad by unending hunger, thirst, and their desire to live, turning them dangerous. If they are destroyed, there is no redemption, and no coming back.

Shadowlands: The Primal of Death’s Court. Contains the city of Lethe and the Vale and Abyss beyond the Pillars of Asphodel.

Shadowstep: A Primal willing oneself where they want to go and then simply stepping into that reality.

Shadowstone: Black stone used in weapons that can kill a god. One of the strongest materials around, if not the strongest. Created with dragon fire before the time of the draken. It’s what all life forms turned into when burned by dragon fire. Basically, the organic material became like slag and soaked into the ground, leaving deposits of stone. Shadowstone was thought to only be vulnerable to itself and the bones of the Ancients but can be destroyed with eather wielded by a powerful god or Primal. One of the largest deposits in the mortal realm is in Sera’s lake, though the Shadow Temples are also made of it. There are vast deposits in the Mountains of Nyktos and the Elysium Peaks, as well.

Sirens: Guardians of the Vale.

So’lis: Means my soul.

The Ascended/Vamprys: Mortals who underwent the Ascension. Pale skin and fathomless, fully black eyes. Ageless, unnaturally fast, and strong, they’re nearly immortal. They do not walk in the sun and are prone to bloodlust.

The Ascension: The definition varies depending on timeline. In the time of the gods, the process allowed the Chosen to enter Iliseeum to serve the Primal of Life, thus granting them eternal life. It could also be the Ascension of a god into a Primal, or a god into a more powerful god. It was also used to describe the process of a god Ascending a mortal who was not a third son or daughter, thereby making them a demis. In the time after the War of Two Kings, the “Ascension” is still about being given to the gods but is more about allowing those Ascended to engage in prohibited activities since they become vamprys.

The Chosen: Third sons and daughters born in a shroud (a caul), who were picked to serve in the Court of the Primal of Life. It is said the Chosen are born with some non-dormant essence of the gods in their blood, which allows them to complete the Ascension.

The Joining: The bonding process between an Atlantian, his/her/their bonded wolven, and the Atlantian’s partner to sync lifespans. Requires a blood exchange and can sometimes be sexual. In order to work, there must be Atlantian blood present in the exchange. Once bonded, if the strongest of the party dies, the others will follow. By Joining, heartbeats and breaths synchronize, and emotions are felt.

The Maiden: One of the Chosen, born in a shroud, the one whose Ascension is said to save the Kingdom of Solis and allow the Ascension of hundreds of Lords and Ladies in Wait.

The Primals: The highest beings of power in Iliseeum outside of the Fates. Each rules a Court and have gods who serve them: Shadowlands (Primal of Death), Dalos (Primal of Life), Lotho (Primal of Wisdom, Loyalty, and Duty), Kithreia (Primal of Love, Beauty, and Fertility), Vathi (Primals of War and Accord and Peace and Vengeance), Thyia Plains (Primal of Rebirth), Sirta (Primal of the Hunt and Divine Justice), Callasta Isles (The Eternal Goddess / Primal of Rites and Prosperity), Triton Isles (Primal of Sea, Wind, Earth, and Sky). They cannot stay in the mortal realm for too long, as their powers begin affecting those around them. If a Primal dies, catastrophic events can occur in both realms; therefore, a new vessel

for the eather must be found. They have many abilities that differ between them, but one thing is true of all: If a promise is made, it must be kept.

The Rite: In the time of the gods, it was when mortal third sons and daughters were Chosen to Ascend and enter the realm of the gods to serve. The act of Ascension was highly guarded, but it was assumed that Kolis attempted to turn them into Revenants. He actually turned many of them into Ascended by draining them to the point of death and then using the blood of one of his gods to Ascend them. After the creation of Atlantia and Solis, the Rite was the celebration that took place before an Ascension. The second and third sons and daughters were often offered to the gods during the Rite. However, following the War of Two Kings, it changed to be the time when the children served as sustenance for the vamprys.

The Rot: A plague spreading across both the realm of the gods and the mortal realm, killing the land and creating hardship. Thought to be the result of a deal made between the Primal of Death and the then Lasanian King. It was actually the result of the power shift and lack of balance when Kolis stole Eythos’s power. The embers of life residing in a dying mortal vessel only sped up the spread of the Rot. Once the Consort became the Primal of Life in truth, the Rot began to recede.

The Star: A one-of-a-kind diamond known not only for its indestructible strength but also its irregular, jagged beauty and silver sheen. Said to have been created by the flames of the dragons who used to inhabit Iliseeum before the Primals were capable of shedding joyous tears. It sank into the earth where it remained for eons before finally being unearthed by the Fates. Able to hold both Primal embers and souls. It is actually an Ancient turned to stone by dragon fire.

Unseen: Initially created by the deities to serve as spies and soldiers and head off any rebellion, but eventually turned against their creators. They wear wolven masks to hide their identities.

Viktors: Eternal beings born with a goal: to guard someone the Fates believe is destined to bring about great change or purpose. They are neither mortal nor god. Not all are aware of their duty, but the Fates will always put

them with the one they are to safeguard. They always reincarnate. When they die, their souls return to Mount Lotho, where the Arae give them new mortal forms and purposes with no memory of their previous lives.

However, some viktors are predestined to figure out what they are, who they were sent to protect, and retain their memories.

Wivern: An Atlantian bloodline that could shift into the form of a large cat. Believed to have died out.

Wolven: Kiyou wolves given mortal form to serve as the deities’ protectors and guides in the mortal realm. When the Elemental Atlantians began to outnumber the deities, the wolven bonds shifted to them. They predate the Atlantians. Their senses are much keener than most. When bonded, they can feel the emotions of the Atlantian(s) they are bonded to, and the Atlantian(s) can use the wolven for energy if needed. They prefer not to remain in their mortal forms for too long.