Glossary

Aaron Adicio—first born son of the Magistrate of Palrio, deemed marred by the Bone Throwers and sacrificed to the sea, an act which has fueled the Magistrate’s hatred of the black-robes.

Agahpa—a tree-like warrior phantom with incredible endurance and strength.

Aku—also referred to as the Sacred Isle of Aku, a politically neutral island realm where all initiate savants go to train for advancement to yellow robes.

Alters—phantoms who can change shape from one solid form to another. They are most common in Aturnia and Gollnar but can be found in any realm.

Amassia—the third planet from the sun whose seven continents have, over millenniums, formed a single landmass surrounded by sea. Alternate spelling is Amasia.

An’awntia—pronounced an-ON-tee-ah—the highest state of mind-body-spirit unity an Amassian can embody, where they have mastered every lot and reached the end of their path.

Ancient Sea Scrolls—historical fossil records, preserved in petrified tablets, that record the histories of the realms previous Great Dyings. Only fragments have been found to date…

Ash—orphaned at age eight, Ash, best friend of Marcus Adicio, is a seventeen-year-old non-savant wordsmith whose dream is to set foot in every realm of Amassia. Though she doesn’t raise a phantom of her own, other phantoms are oddly curious about her.

Asyleen—the Sierrak Sanctuary in the far north of the continent lead by the red-robe Zanovine and the Magistrate, Rantorjin.

Atikis—the red-robe of the Sanctuary of Goll who raises a monstrous alter phantom.

Aturnia—the realms of both Northern Aturnia and Southern Aturnia are to the north of Palrio and hostile. Tann of Lepsea has taken over from their deceased red-robe, peace be his path. Due to political misconduct, Northern Aturnian savants are banned from training on Aku.

Avon Eyre—pronounced ah-von-are. Stories describe it as a small island at the top of the world reached only by an ice bridge in winter. It hosts a Sanctuary where the fabled Brotherhood of Anon dwell.

Baiseen—the seat of the throne in the realm of Palrio. Home city to Marcus and Ash.

Belair Duquan—a green-robe warrior savant from Tangeen who joins Marcus on the initiation journey to the Isle of Aku.

Black-Sailed Ships—outlawed in Palrio, these vessels hoist black sails when they carry a marred child to the Drop to be sacrificed to the sea.

Bone Throwers—those who carve and throw the whistle bones, belonging to a sect of savants whose phantoms never take solid form but remain as wisps of energy and colored light. They wear black robes, no matter their rank, and are oracles, throwing the bones to determine when to sow, harvest, go to war, and most importantly, which child has the potential to be savant, non-savant or marred.

Brogal—the High Savant of Baiseen and Ash’s guardian. He raises a bird of paradise caller.

Brotherhood of Anon—an ancient sect of savants from the far northern Sanctuary of Avon Eyre who worship the Second Sun.

Bucheen—the orange-robe master healer on Aku. Raises a chameleon healer phantom.

Callers—phantoms who use vocalizations to call things to them, such as: fish to nets, weapons from a warrior, weeds from a garden bed, or in rare cases, blood from bone or memories from the mind.

Council members—high-ranking officials of the Sanctuary and Magistrate court allowed to attend policy meetings and vote on the Summits.

Crown of Bones—the group of twelve original whistle bones, when collected and played together at once.

De’ral—Marcus’s warrior, a phantom of massive size and will.

Destan—an Aturnian green-robe with a warrior phantom, training on Aku.

Dina—an orange-robe healer savant at the Sanctuary of Baiseen who specializes in herbal medicine.

Drop—a deep-sea trench along the continental shelf where the black-sailed ships take the marred children for sacrifice.

Er—King of Se Er Rak (now known simply as Sierrak) the northern realm of Amassia. King Er was thought to be the first known savant, and from his skeleton the original whistle bones were carved.

Ferus River Falls—originally named Mossman’s Shoals, the falls above Capper Point.

First Whistle Bones—also called the original whistle bones—the first twelve whistle bones, purportedly carved from the skeleton of King Er, which actually stem from much earlier times. Each represents one of the lots or ways on the path to An’awntia. Once made into a Crown of Bones, eventually they were dismantled and sent to the sanctuaries for protection. Each is kept in a place of honor, symbolic of the responsibility and privileges of being savant. In order, they are:

Crown of Er (jaw) —First Lot—Awareness of Self

Tree of Eternity (vertebra)—Second Lot—Awareness of Body

Ancient Shearwater (scapula)—Third Lot—Awareness of Mind

Ma’ata (Femur)—Fourth Lot—Awareness of Feelings

Water Serpent (coccyx)—Fifth Lot—Awareness of Creativity

Mummy Wheat (radius)—Sixth Lot—Awareness of Service

Mask of Anon (cranium)—Seventh Lot—Awareness of Relationship

Scroll of Hetta (rib)—Eighth Lot– Awareness of Renewal

Arrow of Nii (femur)—Ninth Lot—Awareness of Expansion

Jenin Stones (Tibia)—Tenth Lot—Awareness of Leadership

Eye of Sierrak (fibula)—Eleventh Lot—Nonjudgment

Prince of the Sea (scapula)—Twelfth Lot—Self-acceptance.

Gaveren the Great—a celebrated Sierrak warrior out of history whose phantom was thought to be the largest and most powerful ever raised.

Ghost Phantoms—a rare occurrence where, upon the death of its savant, the phantom becomes untethered from the depths of its being. A ghost phantom roams for an unknown time, always in search of a new savant to serve as host.

Goll—the main Sanctuary in the northern regions of Gollnar, led by the red-robe Atikis and his terrifying, multiformed alter phantom.

Gollnar—the realm to the northwest of Baiseen, home of the red-robes Atikis of Goll and Zekia of Kutoon.

Great Dying—the once every twenty-five-million year extinction that wipes out most of the life forms on Amassia, leaving what survives to evolve along a new path.

Healers—phantoms devoted to the care and well-being of all life no matter the realm, rank, or species. Healer phantoms are found in all the realms.

High Savant—a red-robe savant who has obtained the highest level of aptitude and rank. They usually oversee one of the Sanctuaries.

Huewin—the orange-robe library master on the Isle of Aku.

Initiate—a green-robe savant who has advanced in training far enough to attempt the journey to Aku to earn their yellow robes.

Jacas Adicio—Marcus’s father and Magistrate of Palrio, savant to a caller phantom and lord of the throne of Baiseen.

Kaylin—a bosun’s mate who guides Marcus and his company when they are stranded on their way to Aku.

Klaavic—Palrion fish stew with prawns, crab, fish, mussels, and clams in a tomato, garlic, and basil broth.

Kutoon—the main Sanctuary in the south of Gollnar, led by the High Savant Zakia and her alter phantom.

Landers—a term for those who cannot swim, or when used by Mar, for those who do not live beneath the waves.

Larseen—a yellow-robe friend of Marcus who raises a jackal caller phantom.

Lepsea—High Savant Tann’s Sanctuary on the far northeast of Sierrak.

Lots or “Ways” to An’awntia—twelve in number, they are: receptivity, awareness of body, awareness of mind, awareness of feelings, play, work, partnership, renewal, travel, leadership, nonjudgment, and self-acceptance. The journey begins on the eastern point of the great circle and travels like the visible sun around the Earth. Once the first twelve ways are taken, the journey begins again, each lot building on a theme that, over lifetimes along the path, develops to its highest form of expression.

Ma’ata Corals—the ancient polyps that grow from the bones of the old gods and surround the tombs of the Mar. Sometimes written ma’atta.

Ma’ata Keeper—a Mar who tends the underwater tombs and oversees the turnings of sacrificed children into Mar.

Mar—long thought to be a mythic race who live beneath the sea but can pass on land as non-savant, or even savant, under certain circumstances. Some say they feed on the child sacrifices; others say they turn the drowned children into Mar.

Marcus Adicio—the green-robe Heir to the throne of Baiseen, Marcus is the third son of Jacas Adicio and raises a warrior phantom. He’s also Ash’s best friend.

Morning Ritual—An early morning practice on the Isle of Aku where all gather for a short meditation followed by rigorous, dynamic exercise.

Natsari—a phantom told of in the ancient sea scrolls who rises to bring balance to the world.

Nonnova—the island chain to the south west of Baiseen, allies of Palrio, led by the High Savant Servine and her healer-caller phantom.

Ochee—a Tangeen spiced tea made from an aromatic mix of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black tea leaf, and dried orange peel.

Old gods—a pantheon of deities said to have been trapped under the earth eons ago, before the last Great Dying. From them the Ma’ata rose.

Ousters—these phantoms dispel or vanquish objects, weather, animals, or people. The more advanced ones are very specific. They can push away certain types of objects but pass through others. The Aturnians originally used these phantoms to control weather and rain cycles but in the last five hundred years they have been trained for war/battle. Opposite of a caller but can create similar results.

Palrio—the realm south of Aturnia, ruled from the city and Sanctuary of Baiseen.

Pandom City—the seat of rule for all of Tangeen, the realm across the sea to the west of Palrio. The rulers are the Magistrate Riveren and the High Savant Havest. This is the home realm of Belair Duquan.

Path—the path is the road to An’awntia one walks. No one is fully aware of how far they’ve come along the path with each new lifetime, or how far they have yet to go. It is believed that the savants are closer to An’awntia—further along the path—but it has never been proven.

Petén Adicio—second son of the Magistrate of Palrio, the non-savant brother of Marcus.

Phantoms—a phantom is energy in the savant’s inner being and can rise only when the trained savant drops one or both knees to the ground. At that point, the phantom rushes out of the depths of their core, into the earth and rises, blasting from the ground and taking form. In essence, it is a materialization of the savant’s shadowed, subliminal, often unknown side of themselves. It is all that is suppressed, and all that is yet to actualize. All that is potential. The savant must come to terms with their own fears and longings if they are to control their phantom, serve the Sanctuaries and protect the realm.

Phantom Throne—the throne in the Hall of Baiseen. In the time of each magistrate’s reign, their phantom is carved into the massive wood of this high-backed seat. Over the centuries, it explodes with dozens of phantoms, Jacas’s wolf being the most conspicuous.

Piper—an orange-robe, one of the top healers in the Baiseen Sanctuary who raises a double-headed black serpent healer. She’s the official healer on Marcus’s initiation journey to the Isle of Aku.

Potentials—the children whom the Bone Throwers deem worthy to try to raise a phantom. They are sent to the sanctuaries at eight years of age. The brown-robes receive intensive training to see if they are indeed savant. Most will fail and go back to their families, declared non-savant. Those who do raise their phantom will stay on as blue-robes and train up through the ranks, as far as they can go.

Realms of Amassia—see the map and individual realms for details.

Palrio

Tangeen

Isle of Aku

Nonnova

Sierrak

Gollnar

Northern Aturnia

Southern Aturnia

Avon Eyre

Recorder—a wordsmith or scribe, usually savant, who chronicles the initiation journey and other significant events of the realm.

Retoren—an ancient language Ash tries to translate.

Rhiannon—Baiseen’s treasurer’s most ambitious daughter, yellow-robe to a meercat caller phantom and childhood friend/once love interest of Marcus.

Rigg-tackle-stuggs—a Sierrak football game played with two balls, four teams and four goals, one on each point of the compass.

Rowten—non-savant captain of the Baiseen Palace honor guard.

Rune bands—also known as rune chains—manacles or bracelets made from copper, bone, or sometimes gold. Etched with runes from the ancient sea scrolls, when worn they are said to keep a savant’s phantom from rising and cause terrible pain if they try.

Salila—a Mar woman with extreme appetites, intractable will, and no obvious morals. Her only fear is Teern, known to all Mar as Father, and King of the Sea.

Samsen—a yellow-robe savant who raises a part caller-part alter phantom that is confined to various forms of birds. He accompanies Marcus on his initiation journey as guard.

Sanctuaries—the temple retreats devoted to the training of savants and their phantoms.

Savant—One who can raise their phantom, bringing forth a manifestation of their being that is either caller, ouster, alter, warrior, or healer, or some combination of two. The ranks are:

Brown-robe—those deemed as potentials by the Bone Throwers who, when eight years old, are brought to the sanctuaries to try to raise their phantom

Blue-robe—successful potentials who have begun their training at the sanctuary

Green-robe—more advanced savants but haven’t held their phantom to form

Yellow-robe—savants who have successfully completed their initiation journey

Orange-robe—highly trained savants who have reached master level

Red-robe—the highest-ranking savant in a given sanctuary

Black-robe—one of the Bone Throwers whose phantoms never hold solid form

Sea Eagle—Captain Nadonis’s carrack that sails Marcus and his party toward Aku.

Second Sun (also Dark Sun or Twin Sun)—Amassia’s binary sun that travels an extremely eccentric orbit. It can be viewed by the naked eye once every twenty-five-million years, when it heralds the next Great Dying.

Sierrak—the realm to the far north, main Sanctuary in Asyleen. Sierrak is the home of the High Savant Tann, and famous for their starwatchers, and finely made distance viewers.

Summits—These are meetings attended by council members, usually yellow-robe and higher, to make policies for the realms. A vote on the Summit carries weight, as even the Magistrate must uphold Summit decisions, agreed with or not.

Talus—a mysterious white-robe savant Ash meets on the Isle of Aku.

Tangeen—the realm to the west of Palrio, whose seat of rule is Pandom City. Home of Belair Duquan. Also home realm to the most beautiful Sanctuary in all of Amassia, Whitewing.

Tann—a red-robe, High Savant of Lepsea, Sierrak, who raises a reptilian ouster phantom.

Taruna—the Ma’ata keeper charged with minding the Mar’s underwater tombs off the coast of Kutoon in Gollnar.

Teern—called Father by all Mar, and the King of the Sea, Teern has the responsibility of ensuring the survival of his people. Some say he isn’t Mar himself, but the last of the old gods, surviving many cycles of the Great Dying and remaining unchanged.

Tessellated columns—the monoliths that rise when called to protect Baiseen. Nearly three stories tall, they are carved from obsidian found in the high ranges of Palrio. Ancient legends say they were set by Mar, back when the southwest of Palrio was under the sea.

Tutapa—the island archipelago realm in the South Seas. Their Sanctuary, La’hanta, is very small and thought not to host an original whistle bone.

Tyche—granddaughter of Yuki, a ten-year-old orange-robe savant who raises a caller phantom in the form of an impala.

U’karn—head of the war council of Baiseen.

Warriors—phantoms that train for battle, prepared to guard and protect their realm. Seen more in Sierrak and Aturnia but can be found in any realm, though very rare in Palrio.

Whistle Bones—carved from bone, baleen, shell, or tusk. Only the whistle bones, thrown by the black-robe savants, can predict which child will raise their phantom, which will be non-savant, and which is marred and must be sacrificed to the sea.

Yuki—the High Savant of Aku and Tyche’s grandmother.

Zakia—High Savant of Kutoon in Gollnar who raises an alter phantom.

Zarah—an orange-robe warrior from Northern Aturnia who teaches on the Isle of Aku, Marcus and Belair’s instructor.