For Random Adventure

Notes on Fantasy Entries

If you read my fantasy entries, you will likely notice a theme. I've been building a particular fantasy world called Avildia for the past twelve years. Though the stories it was created for (the "Exigent" series) are still in progress, I'm taking every opportunity to expand upon the worldbuilding process. As such, most (if not all) of my fantasy stories will take place in this world.

Please do NOT use this world for your own stories, as it is my baby, and I do not want to have put in a decade of work to have it stolen by a better writer or ruined by a bad one. It is mine, and more importantly to those who aren't deterred by the concept of ownership, it is also copyrighted (as in full copyrights with paperwork and everything, not the limited kind you find elsewhere on Wattpad).

That said, you may use the world in the form of a fanfiction or something, so long as credit is given where it is due (for example, "This story is based on the world of Avildia created by DannyFleenor"). By fair use laws, this tiny little add-on protects you from getting sued, so be smart and use it.

In reading my fantasy stories, you will undoubtedly come across some words that you don't recognize, or that are used in ways they aren't typically used. Do not be alarmed. I will explain them here.

First of all, 'exigent.' This term, when used in any other work, it is an adjective meaning something akin to "immediate" or "demanding." In my stories, however, it refers to a person born with the ability to use magic, and it can be used as either an adjective or a noun. They differ from modern witches, who can only use magic in the form of enchantments, as well as differing from traditional witches, who have gained the ability to use magic through dedicated study and practice. Additionally, witches are rebuked by the Church of Bledjaviya, while exigents are considered holy men and women, and are often given positions of power within their local governments. It's rather more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it.

Bledjaviya is a religion in which the practitioners worship the gods Açura (pronounced 'ah-SHOO-rah'), Bequno ('beh-KHOO-noh'), Tiafa ('CHAH-fah'), and Bledja (pronounced just like it looks). Bledjaviya doesn't have an actual holy book, but they do have a collection of moving sermons called the Writ, which details the various virtues the Church values in its believers. That's as far as I'm getting into this here, because the more I tell, the more I'll have to tell.

'Bonewalkers' are a type of undead human similar to zombies. While they are technically dead, their bodies are cursed with a protection spell that animates them whenever a living body is close. The soul of the bonewalker resides in a paradise-like realm most of the time, but it is forced back into its body whenever the spell activates. As the spell relies on a living human spirit to maintain it, the bonewalkers will kill anyone who disturbs their rest, thus temporarily breaking the spell and allowing the bonewalker's spirit to return to paradise. Bonewalkers are primarily used to guard treasures or tombs, and in certain countries, becoming a bonewalker is considered an honor.l

As other terms come up in the anthology, I will add them here, but for now, these are all you'll need.