The Abbey
The Abbey on Auchinmurn Isle starts its life as a fortress, then a monastery housing a community of monks in the early Middle Ages, developing into a modern home and a place of learning in the twenty-first century. Through time, wars and strife, the buildings and their continuous line of owners have held the islands of Auchinmurn and Era Mina together and kept their secrets safe.
Animare
A person who can animate - bring pictures to life by drawing. The fact of their existence is known only to a few, but there are those who wish to use the power of Animare for their own evil gain. For this reason, Animare live by the Five Rules;
1. They mustn’t animate in public.
2. They must always be in control of their animations.
3. If they endanger the secret of their existence, they can be “bound” (see below).
4. They are forbidden from having children with Guardians (see below), as this can result in dangerous hybrids with an unpredictable mix of powers.
5. Children cannot be bound.
Guardian
A Guardian helps to keep an Animare’s powers and emotions under control. Each Animare is allocated a specific Guardian at the age of sixteen. A Guardian’s way of influencing an Animare’s thinking is known as ‘inspiriting’. Guardians can use this power on other people as well.
Council of Guardians
A body of Guardians who enforce the Five Rules for Animare. Council Members do not always agree about how Animare should be guided. When hybrid children are created, for example, some Guardians believe that their talents should be nurtured, while other believe that binding (see below) is the only safe course of action.
Binding
Binding is a kind of suspended animation. Animare are bound into a work of art as a last resort when they lose control of their powers or endanger the secret of their existence. Binding an Animare can only be authorised by a Council of Guardians, and can only take place when a Guardian and a second Animare are present.
There are five secure vaults all over the world containing bound paintings. One lies at the Abbey on Auchinmurn Isle.
Hollow Earth
The supernatural place where all monsters, demons, devils and creatures from the dangerous, mystical past have been trapped by the medieval monks of the Order of Era Mina (see below).
The Hollow Earth Society
Founded by Duncan Fox in 1848, the original Hollow Earth Society was designed to prevent the world from knowing about the monsters and imagined creatures locked away in Hollow Earth. The reformed Hollow Earth Society has a very different outlook; to retrieve the monsters, control them and unleash them on the world.
The Order of Era Mina
The monks in medieval Auchinmurn belonged to the order of Era Mina, which had a particular mission: locking away the monsters of the superstitious past by drawing them into a bestiary called the Book of Beasts, thereby reinventing the world as a place of modern enlightenment and learning.