Emerson Cole & The Wayward Souls

Index

This section is to explain some particular World Building terms. Many are reappropriated from mythology or other folklore. I'll be updating this Chapter as we update. All terms will be explained in the story itself. But I know sometimes having a sort of 'dictionary' can be helpful.

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Ley-Line:  These are a network of magical 'veins'. It's from these that magic is able to circulate the planet and is the source beings able to connect with magic pull from. Not only this but these lines connect different planes of reality to each other allowing for the travel of the supernatural and paranormal across worlds. It is here that the will and spirit of magic resides.

Shade: The Shade is the truest version of a person. The Shade is a person's essence and is what allows those with magical affinity to commune with magic and make trades with it. The Shade acts as the middle man between magic and the being invoking magic in the physical realm.

Word-of-Mastery: These are what allow Mages to use magic easily. In exchange for some part of themselves, they gain knowledge that allows them to invoke one of the six schools of magic humans have access to without a focus, outside assistance, or a lengthy incantation/ritual. There are some magics that can only be performed with a Word-of-Mastery if done by a human and certain subsets of schools that are completely unknowable to those without them. You can not be a mage without a Word-of-Mastery and due to the price and effort, it takes to acquire one most Mages only have one, maybe two, words-of-mastery. The more words the more powerful the Mage, but the less human and more synonymous with magic they become. 

Mage: A human who has gained a Word-of-Mastery. This is only achievable by humans sensitive to Ley-Lines and the Call of Magic. Most mages are taught within their families and because of this, particular families have become associated with specific schools. The strength of the Mage is in part dependent on the value of what they traded to gain the word, also their inherent aptitude towards the Call. A Word will increase a Mage's sensitivity and strength but again is built on whatever their baseline was.

Call of Magic: Or the Call, is what sensitives describe the affinity for magic as. The Call is what allows for their communion with magic through their Shade.

The Unknowable Place: The-place-of-endings-is-the-place-of-beginnings-is-the-place-of-memory-is-the-place-of-forgetting-is-the-place-of-knowing-is-the-place-that-is-unknowable

Lethe (IRL): Lethe was also the name of the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion, with whom the river was often identified. In Classical Greek, the word lethe (λήθη) literally means "oblivion", "forgetfulness", or "concealment". This is also a place in specific mythos where spirits came before reincarnation.

Styx (IRL): The River Styx is a principal river in the Greek underworld (also called Hades). The river forms a border between the underworld and the world of the living. The word means hate in Greek and is named after the goddess, Styx. She was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys.

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Delphi (IRL): Delphi was an ancient religious sanctuary dedicated to the Greek god Apollo. Developed in the 8th century B.C., the sanctuary was home to the Oracle of Delphi and the priestess Pythia, who was famed throughout the ancient world for divining the future and was consulted before all major undertakings.

Delphi Foundation: The principal organization under the U.S government in charge of dealing with magical, paranormal, and supernatural threats to national security. It is a woman-run organization of 50 sister-sites regionally led by a council of 5 directors known as the Pythia's. (more under Pythia Justice). The name was chosen to honor and channel the precognitive power of the Oracles of old. Names hold power and the Delphi Foundation may not see the future but there is a certain protection to be had in channeling its purpose.

Pythia (IRL): The Pythia (or Oracle of Delphi) was the priestess who held court at Pytho, the sanctuary of the Delphinians, a sanctuary dedicated to the Greek god Apollo. Pythia were highly regarded, for it was believed that she channeled prophecies from Apollo himself, while steeped in a dreamlike trance.

Pythia Justice: One of the 5 directors of the Delphi Foundation. The title Pythia Justice is more than a title, it is also an identity. When a Pythia is chosen they shed their old lives, renounce their name, and embody the attributes assigned to them. The Pythia then chooses a sister site to be her base of operations. Each Pythia is in charge of 10 districts (states). Other Pythia's include Pythia Order, Pythia Liberty, Pythia Noyade, and Pythia Chaos.

Nemesis (IRL): Nemesis was the goddess of divine retribution and revenge, who would show her wrath to any human being that would commit hubris, i.e. arrogance before the gods. She was considered a remorseless goddess.

The Sight: There are two versions of the Sight. One is True-Sight. True-Sight allows for the visual representation of magic and the ability to see through it. Twin-Sight allows for the person to see the Shade of a being and to see through the effects of magic but not the magic itself. This lets them see through things like glamours, illusions, transfigurations, and shifts. Everything that applies to Twin-Sight applies to True-Sight but not vice versa.

Wards: A class of defensive spell. These create barriers that can be used for shielding, containment, and banishment.

Construct: A low-grade grunt worker made of magic. Usually, these don't look too impressive and can only hold simple commands.

Golem: A high-grade construct that while typically being made of stone or other natural materials can be worked to appear almost human. Golems are capable of thought and independent action and can hold complex commands. Careful not to give them too much control though or they may rebel thinking themselves truly alive.

Undead: Classification for beings that hail from the Hells. 

Reanimated: Tied to acts of necromancy, the reanimated are people who had once been alive and have been in some form brought back to life at least physically if not in spirit as well.

Iron: Iron is deadly to the Fae and generally disruptive to magic in general. Worked iron, such as steel, holds similar properties but with less power. Many magical creatures don't like cities for this reason. 

Axis Mundi: In astronomy, axis mundi is the Latin term for the Earth axis (the celestial pole). In a geocentric coordinate system, this is the axis of rotation of the celestial sphere. In the context of the story it is a point of connection and power in a spell.