In The City of the Nightmare King [Formerly Wizards Are So Gay]

Glossary

Asura: An Institute term used to describe any entity originating from the Void that has yet to take human form. Ordinary humans can't see them, but wizards can. They can exist in the material world or in Everywhen.

Aura: The magical envelope around a wizard or magical creature. A wizard's aura always reflects the wizard's life and personality, whether it smells like their favorite cologne, or if it sounds like people playing their favorite sport. When an aura belongs to a magical creature, it usually reflects the creature's nature, whether its base, atavistic hunger or menacing, Machiavellian power designs. Ordinary humans do not have auras. Although wizards can mask their auras, only very intelligent, advanced Asuras and Maras can.

bloom: The term Institute agents use to describe the burst of color around a human who has just become a wizard.

Defectors, the: A rebel group of formerly extracted wizards, and some Lineage and Legacy sympathizers, who are fighting to bring down the Institute and the admins. They informally refer to themselves as The Legacy of Freedom.

Devas: An Institute term used to describe a mythical race of Asuras who escaped the Void, supposedly to build a paradise. Creatures in Everywhen and the City at the End of the World often refer to them as "the builders." According to wizard lore, and the stories Maras tell, they were wiped out in an eon's long war with the Asuras.

Dual-soul: A permanent union between a wizard and an Asura that confers great power to the wizard.

"Eirineftis" (ειρηνευτής): A Greek word that means "pacifier." It is often bottled up in small metal canisters which Institute agents carry on them. Eirineftis is used to suppress magical abilities, and in higher doses, can be used to cause loss of consciousness. It's preferred that agents use as little magic as possible during an extraction, so the Institute's sensors won't go off, so eirineftis is often used to knock out non-compliant wizards. The Institute can also pump eirineftis into its extraction vehicles.

glossing: When wizards interact with the magical world, whether by directly manipulating the vivit apparatus or casting a spell from the top of their head, it leaves behind an ambient signature, usually based on the wizards aura. This signature can be used to track down wizards. Wizards who want to prevent themselves from being tracked this way can "gloss their auras," or essentially use magic and undo the presence of magic.

Hard-reading: Using the wizard sight to see the vivit apparatus, the magical clockwork governing the laws of the material world.

Legacy: One of five fraternal orders within the Institute. Each order corresponds to a sphere of power in the Western world. Although members of a Lineage are always Legacies, Legacies are not always part of a Lineage. The most powerful, and influential, Legacy is thought to be the Legacy of the Crowns, which is tied into Western political power structures (kings, queens, presidents, etc.)

Lineage: A bloodline that claims to have descended from a mythical figure, usually a wizard or a God. There is no evidence that a) these mythical figures ever existed and b) that Lineages actually have blood ties to the claimed figures.

Mara: An Institute term used to describe an Asura who has become lost in Everywhen and gone mad. Maras have developed a greater than cursory intelligence and sense of self, so they often act in pursuit of their own motives.

Night Market, the: A place in Everywhen where Maras gather to trade secrets and memories.

Night City, the: The border between Everywhen and the Void.

Somnambulist: "Sleep walker." A wizard whose mind is trapped between the material world and Everywhen. These wizards are often incredibly powerful. Being trapped in Everywhen is physically traumatic for wizards, so those who return as somnambulists always have white hair.

union, dream-rave: When two or more wizards enter Everywhen together. To enter into a union, or a dream-rave, the two wizards must be touching in some way. During a union, all participants' can fully view the contents of one another's minds, without restriction, which is why unions are often greatly discouraged.

vampire: A wizard who has become a dual-soul with a powerful Asura. This union causes the wizard to grow fangs and an animalistic hunger for blood, which lend to the historical stereotypes about vampires.

Vivit Apparatus: The magical clockwork that The Devas supposedly built to govern the laws of the material world. When viewed using the wizard sight, the cogs and wheels of the vivit apparatus shine a translucent gold-orange color. Wizards can manipulate the cogs and wheels to change the laws of the world around them i.e.: magic.

wizard sight: The wizard's magical senses of the world around them. This is a passive ability that allows wizards to tune into the emotional frequencies of everything around them, including things humans often claim don't experience emotions (like rocks). Wizards can use a technique called "hard-reading" to see the magical clockwork governing the laws of the universe, too.