Far less gracefully but just as certainly, Lucius landed next to Loer’allon in a small plume of dust.
Lucius was asleep as soon as he settled in place and showed no signs of rousing.
I wondered if I had survived.
The odds were slim, but I liked my chances.
I always did.
“That was something,” I said, gazing upward through Loer’allon’s facets toward the immense sweep once occupied by the Chaos Gate, my essence only a miniscule ripple within Loer’allon’s vast stillness.
The others in Loer’allon agreed.
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Glossary of Terms
People, Places, and Things
Abyss – the nether realms of Chaos.
Abyssal – a curse.
Adros – a mighty river in central Maeron.
Aegis – Sigil Armor, Sigil Shield or Empyrean Aegis. Armor worn by the Empyrean Guard woven entirely from magical Art.
Aerilon – a sidhe of Il’alen.
Alric – Knight of the Empyrean Guard, defender of the realm and its peoples, and protector of the Light.
Alaurana Leyalia – literally, ‘those who walk in Light.’ A sidhe name for themselves.
Alaurana Nuerda – literally, ‘those who walk in Darkness.’ A sidhe name for demons.
Al’zakara – a flesh dancer or skin dancer. A demon capable of taking over and subjugating a human host.
Angel – heavenly beings of great wisdom, compassion, foresight, and power.
Angel Sword – blades Crafted in Heaven for use by the Heavenly Host explicitly to destroy agents of Chaos, demons, fallen Angels, and their ilk.
Aracana – magic in any form.
Arcane tempest – a magical storm fueled by magical energies.
Archmage – a highly skilled, powerful practitioner of the arcane arts.
Art – the highest expressions of magical endeavor.
Bailiff Landsdown – principal law enforcement authority in the town of Balde.
Balde – a small village in the Graven Wastes hidden within the vast forest of Silvaeron.
Chaos – the original, primal substrate from which the Multiverse derived. Also a name for those entities stemming directly from its depths.
Chaos Gate – the gateway to the realms of Chaos allowing demonic incursion into Uërthly realms. The Empyrean Gate was created by the Heavenly Host to seal the Chaos Gate and hold back the legions of Chaos. With the fall of the Empyrean Gate and the Heavenly Host, the Chaos Gate is open once more.
Craft – high magical arts. See Magic or Art.
Darkness – that which is unholy, Abyssal, of Chaos, or unclean. Also energies or magics from demonic sources. A corruption of primal Chaos.
Deep – the Abyss.
Demon – powerful beings of Chaos.
Djen’toth – literally ‘soul stealer’ in the Old Tongue. An almost extinct branch of Humanity capable of taking some of the knowledge, power, and ability from the lifeblood of those they have slain. Thought to have arisen as a means to protect humanity from demonic assault.
Doeren Muer – a range of mountains in central Maeron. Home to numerous fey races and creatures of great power. Also called Heaven’s Edge and Leyalia D’anuer among other names.
Dragon – one of several intelligent races of Uërth; gigantic flying reptiles of awesome power, wisdom, and arcana.
Dro’mangus – massive demons embodied in powerful, monstrous forms.
Dryad – magical beings with deep connections to the land and great magical skill. Kin to sidhe.
Duaga – a demon lord. Also a Lord of Chaos.
Elemental – creatures of magic sustained by primal forces of nature. Natural enemies to demons.
Elemantus Magisterium – wizards highly attuned to elemental forces and the elementals themselves. Also called the Elemental Speakers.
Empyrean Aegis – see Aegis.
Empyrean Gate – the great Seal forged by the forces of Heaven protecting Uërth from the incursions of Chaos. The fall of the Empyrean Gate allowed demonic forces to reenter Uërth. See the Chaos Gate.
Empyrean Guard – noble Knights sworn to defeat the legions of Chaos. The most blessed Knights wield Angel Swords. Also called Knights of the Undying Light and Empyrean Knights.
Empyrean Knights – see Empyrean Guard.
Essence – the soul, heart, or intrinsic magic of a living being, place or object. Also the source of magic.
Fall – a reference to the defeat of the Heavenly Host by the forces of Chaos. Evinced by the rain of Angel Swords from the heavens.
Fey – races with greater innate magical talents than men, including dryads, dragons, and sidhe, among others.
Flesh Dancer – see Al’zakara.
Fornost – a small, isolated kingdom ringed by mountains, inhabited by men and fey, known for its valiant warriors, game, and lush forests. Homeland of Alric.
Front – the frontlines where men, their allies, and those few remaining members of the Uërthly Host attempt to prevent Chaos’s incursion into the mortal realm. The Front wages war directly beneath the Chaos Gate.
Gate – short for energy gate. Primary means of access and expression of magical energies and forces.
Graven Wastes – a largely uninhabited wilderness in northern Maeron.
Heaven’s Mark – magical coins used as currency across Uërth.
Heavenly Host – the massed forces of Heaven. Defeated by the legions of Chaos in the Fall. See Uërthly Host.
Heaven’s Edge – see Doeren Muer.
Hedge wizard – a wizard of low ability or skill. Often an untrained spellcaster or one who survives on innate talent.
Hellspawn – a broad term for demons.
Humanity – a general term inclusive of sentient humanoid beings native to Uërth.
Il’alen – city of the sidhe within Leyalia D’anuer.
Infernal Plains – wastelands north of Doeren Muer. Also called the Infernal Wastes or the Wastes.
Infernals – demons.
J’andre Fulminants – an order of fanatics using self-sacrifice and voluntary possession to capture and destroy demons.
Jon Longshadow – a town guard in Balde.
Kerraboer – the principal fastness of the Empyrean Guard. The focal point of the Front. The primary point of resistance before the Chaos Gate.
King’s road – although not necessarily managed or overseen by a king, a general term for any maintained roadway throughout Maeron.
Knights of the Holy Sword – an elite division of Empyrean Knights. Led by Lord Chalmeire the Bright.
Knights of the Undying Light – see Empyrean Guard.
Laric – Alric’s father and Empyrean Knight.
Leyalia – literally, ‘light.’ A sidhe name for Light.
Leyalia D’anuer – literally, ‘light’s bridge.’ Sidhe name for Doeren Muer.
Light – that which is holy, heavenly or divine. Also energies or magics from celestial sources. Considered by some scholars as the true source of the less refined essence. Sometimes thought of as refined, sublimated, or rarefied Chaos. Called yaera by the sidhe.
Light Rider – see Yaera Leyalia.
…loel… – a yaera’l working with the sidhe.
Loer’allon – lite
rally, ‘Light’s edge’. Alric’s Angel Sword. Blade of Light and Truth.
Lord Chalmeire the Bright – an Empyrean Knight of great renown. Leader of the Knights of the Holy Sword.
Lord of Chaos – a Duaga.
Lord Ruler – the leader of the Empyrean Guard and commander of Kerraboer.
Loremaster – a highly knowledgeable scholar often versed in the ways of arcane Craft and intellectual arts.
Lucius – Saedeus’s pet rock and force of nature.
Macroverse – the multidimensional multiverse. See also multiverse.
Maeron – one of Uërth’s major continents.
Magic – the deliberate manipulation of Chaos in various manifest states. The more refined the magical symmetries, the greater the Art.
Magistrate Goodkind – the magistrate of the free town of Balde.
Mason – a shopkeeper in Balde.
Multiverse – the myriad universes, planes, dimensions, and layers of reality encompassing the totality of existence. Also macroverse.
Narblung – demon dung. Often used as a curse.
Nether realms – demonic realms or planes. See also Abyss.
Northern Reaches – a largely undeveloped, unpopulated wilderness region in northern Maeron. Balde, lying within its southern extent, is one of the forested region’s few inhabited areas.
Oblivion – the realms of Chaos.
Ogre – a race of giant humanoids known for their strength and toughness.
O’nila Lagund – an adventurer in the Scarlet Company.
Plains of D’rith Sinae – a vast open expanse bordering Kerraboer. Once home to fertile river valleys and thriving communities, the area is now a wasteland overrun by demons.
Power – high magic.
Priests of D’almere – an order of monks dedicated to the embodiment and furtherance of the divine Light.
Puppetmasters – see Ysigoth.
Raynard – a large rock. Cousin to Lucius.
Saedeus – mushroom farmer and reluctant adventurer.
SAG – Saedeus Award for Genius. Personal recognition given by Saedeus to himself in honor of acts of true intelligence, foresight, and wisdom, or, rather, the general lack thereof.
Scarlet Company – a heroic band of adventurers.
Seal – a protective ward of unmatched Craft. The Empyrean Gate was a heavenly Seal that formerly capped the Chaos Gate.
Sidhe – fey creatures of great, innate magical ability. See Alaurana Leyalia.
Sigil Armor – see Aegis.
Sigil Shield – see Aegis.
Silvaeron – the unending wood. A vast forest wilderness stretching across much of the Northern Reaches.
Skaerholme – a village in northern Maeron.
Skin Dancer – see Al’zakara.
SMU – theSaedeus Mark of Unbravery. A special award given by Saedeus to himself for deeds of particular cowardice and general lack of bravery in the line of duty.
Soul Eye – magical vision enabling the discernment of the essence of beings and things.
Soul Sight – see Soul Eye.
Southern Reaches – the more populous region of Maeron.
Theuron – a large, magically shielded city in Maeron.
Uërth – the world. One mortal realm of many in the boundless Macroverse.
Uërthen Stoics – an order of fanatical monks and mages who confine their souls to protected reliquaries to better combat demonic hordes.
Uërthly Host – the alliance of mortal and angelic beings tasked with protecting Uërth from the marauding legions of Chaos after Heaven’s Fall.
Ueryan – a sidhe Yaera Leyalia.
Unbroken Range – a near impassable mountain range on the northern border of Silvaeron.
Unending Wood – see Silvaeron.
Valdueren – majestic eldritch trees common to sidhe settlements.
Ways – permanent portals linking two locations.
Wizard – a magician of great skill and power.
Yaera – literally, ‘the Light.’ A sidhe name for the energies of Creation.
Yaera’l – literally, ‘of the Light.’ A sidhe name for creatures of Light.
Yaera Leyalia – literally, ‘those who ride the Light.’ A sidhe Light Rider.
Ysigoth – a nebulous demon that gathers and controls the dead, creating armies of minions to do its bidding. Sometimes called puppetmasters.
Yurka – large, powerful reptilian herbivores. Thought to be unintelligent dragon kin.
About the Author
Joe holds an advanced degree in environmental management from Duke University where he also studied religion with a focus on meditative, experiential, and transformative traditions. Additionally, he graduated with (dubious) honors from the Tellanon Institute of Noetic Knowledge, Education, and Research (TINKER), but has yet to put this knowledge to good use.
When not at play with his family, he enjoys reading, writing, and relaxation. When he can, Joe also practices various martial arts in which he has attained the victim level of proficiency.
In addition to Soul Stealer, Joe is also the author of the Chronicles of the Fists trilogy, Mulogo’s Treatise on Wizardry, Everygnome’s Guide to Paratechnology, Nemesis – A Good Guide for Bad Guys, Confessions of an Angry Dwarf, Contagion, and Octopocalypse.
Copyright Information
First Edition: September 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9964756-1-7
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, ideas, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Joseph J. Bailey. All rights reserved worldwide under the Berne Convention. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.
If you have this file (or a printout) and did not pay for it, you are depriving the author and publisher of their rightful royalties. Please pay for your authorized copy by purchasing it through the appropriate retail channels.
Cover art by Jon Sullivan
For more information on Joe and his works, please visit his website or Facebook Author’s Page.
Thank you and enjoy!
Contents
Less than Worthless
A Man’s Hovel is Not His Castle
The Fall of Heaven’s Gate
Stupid Is as Stupid Does
Empyrean Guard
Life from Death
And Now the Cavalry
The True Beginning of My Travails
Djen’toth
From Here to There
Sword in the Loam
And Now We Wait
A Shadow This Way Comes
On Waking
Up in Smoke
Home Sweet Heap
Leave-Taking
Of Storms and Ruin
The True Measure of a Knight
South and East
To Not Dance with a Demon
What Now?
The Road Ahead
Spells Uncast
Higher Ground
How We Got Here
I Find Myself Here Because?
Waylaid
Headache
Theuron
Walking
Again?
Hunger without End
Return
Clarity
Whither My Weapon?
Dreams to Come
Reality After Dreams
To Call and Hope for an Answer
Reunited
To Begin Again
A Conversation
A Change of Scenery
Something New
A Man and His Blade
A Gift Regiven
A Chance Encounter
Heaven’s Edge
To Not Be
Eyes Open
All Not So Good Things Must Come to an End
Disappointment
Hills and Dells
The Peaks and Valleys Within
Il’alen
Light Rider
To Fair Kerraboer
The Plains of D’rith Sinae
The Dust Beneath My Boots