Glossary

A
Aether:

B
Balla Anamacha: the wall between the World and the Otherwhere, originally erected by the fae as a defense against mortal aggression and crystallized by the Tzadikim Nistarim into an impermeable border, intended to bar the fae and other thaumavores from the World for all time.

C
Changeling’s Exchange: the process by which the soul of a mortal infant is extracted and replaced with the essence of a newborn tuatha.

Cogadh Dé Dannan: [Irish: cog-uh deh dan-non] the war between the Daughters of Ernmas and the Tuatha Dé Dannan which ended in the total annihilation of the Unseelie Court and the binding of the Morrigan of Mab. After watching her sister's court destroyed to the last man, woman, and changeling child, Titania handed herself over to the Wizards of the Tzadikim in exchange for free passage of her people into the Otherwhere, sealing the Balla Anamacha behind them.

D
The Daughters of Ernmas: Badb, Morrigan, and Macha, the three wizard sisters who led the Cogadh Dé Dannan, forged the Abred, constructed the fortress of Evaron, and defeated the High King and Queens of the tuatha.

Disciples: a tradition of mortal warlocks who have devoted their lives and communities to the mastery of elemental forces through specialization in one of a myriad of means. Often mistaken for cults by outsiders, the disciples live in scattered, tight-knit communities built around libraries containing the combined discoveries of all members throughout their existence. The contents of these libraries are revered by the resident disciples themselves and highly coveted by those outsiders who know of their existence. Examples include: air dancers, earth warriors, fire tinkerers, and water singers.

G
Geas: a magical contract that amounts to a compulsion

H
Hound: minion or lackey

K
Knight: as a sort of shorthand for the triumvirate of body, heart, and mind, and the elements to which they correspond as proposed by the Palandyne, the Knights of Solomon reference their divine inheritance using animals."Knights of the Horse: Body of Stone, Heart of Stone, Mind of Water""Knights of the Lion: Body of Fire, Heart of Fire, Mind of Fire""Knights of the Stoat: Body of Air, Heart of Fire, Mind of Air""Knights of the Wolf: Body of Stone, Heart of Fire, Mind of Stone"

L
Lich:

M
Magicians: those mortals who make use of Sa in the complicated arts of magic. Examples include: Wizards, Warlocks, and Witches.

Mnemetic Flash: the propensity of magic (defined here as the consumption of Sa) to trigger memories in those nearby, similarly to how scents and other such mnemetic triggers can cause a sudden recollection. The memory stirred up by a mnemetic flash correlates strongly to the caster or even the spell itself but can vary from one “sensor” to the next. For example, Shanna’s magic leaves Jenny remembering “Hiding under my bed, trying not to hear my parents screaming at each other in the next room” while Charlie’s magic can feel like “being snowed in with your girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.”  For variance based on individual sensor, note how Jenny perceives the spells connecting the Celandine to the World as “waiting for [her first boyfriend] to text her back” while Emma is reminded of the first time she walked into a contemporary worship service, and Bobbie feels the anticipation of having sex with a new partner for the first time. All are exciting, safe-feeling memories with a touch of lust of one variation or another - after all, it is Deirdre’s magic connecting that door.

Mnemetic Fuge: Curiously, the production of Sa as by Sorcerers can often make it very difficult for those unaccustomed to the sensations to form memories at all while in proximity. This can be as minor as struggling to recall the face of a vampire who is simply existing (as the conversion of blood into Sa is a constant feature of their unliving biology) or as intense as the complete and total failure to remember the entire evening spent tangled up with one of the Lilin. It is this feature of the Sorcerous species that have allowed most of them to live among the mortals without exposing themselves and invoking the wrath of the Tzadikim and their Shambles.

O
Otherwhere: the combined lands cleft off from creation and used as a sort of “reservation” for thaumavores, bordered on all sides by the Balla Anamacha. See full article: The Otherwhere.

P
The Palandyne: essentially a “how-to” tome for the Elohim of Solomon, the Palandyne takes the form of an illuminated manuscript (despite being only a little over three-quarters of a century old) and details the types, purposes, rituals, capabilities, and names of those who have taken up the mantle. While this book proves invaluable in the education and training of new Elohim brought into the fold, its acquisition by the group’s enemies could expose gaping holes in their organization and defenses.

S
Sa: Kemeticism; the stuff of magic, created by sorcerous creatures, consumed by thaumavores, and employed by magicians.

Shambles: a two-part unit, made up of a soul (an incredibly powerful entity with an equally powerful Wizard volunteer) imbued into a specific physical item and its handler (a Mortal Wizard), created by the Tzadikim Nistarim as enforcers for the most dire of supernatural situations. This is considered a great honor; not only is it immortality, but grants you the power of some of the mightiest creatures in all the supernatural world. Use of the object essentially grants the soul possession of the handler's body. Examples include the Morrigan of Mab and the Saki Mitama Wagasa tsukomugami.

T
Thaumavore: a being that requires Sa as sustenance. Examples include Vampires, Faeries, and Lilin.

Thirst: the monstrous nature of vampires that can overpower their higher brain functions in times of fear, hunger, rage, or even simple overstimulation.

Three-Day Thirst: the tendency of vampires to go no longer than three nights before succumbing entirely to their Thirst.

Threshold: an intangible, invisible barrier that forms around a mortal domicile and fueled by the belief of its inhabitants that, within its walls they are safe; grows stronger as that belief is allowed to grow over the years. A threshold stops most magics and even bars some creatures (vampires, the most iconic example) from entry without invitation, lest they risk profound consequences. Note that in recent decades it has become common practice among such creatures (and less than benevolent magicians) to diminish or even eliminate a threshold entirely by sending mortal criminals to invade the home and rob its inhabitants of this belief in safety.

V
The Veil: a term coined by Victorian spiritualists to refer to the Balla Anamacha.

W
Warlock: Magician; mortals with a usually single, often very powerful, magical talent such as telekinesis, pyromancy, or telepathy, among near-infinite other possibilities. These gifts are often inherited from family lines but in ages past it was not uncommon for such powers to come as rewards from gods, wizards, faeries, or any of the other more powerful entities of creation.

Witch: Magician; a mortal who has learned or uncovered methods by which to employ Sa using rite and ritual. Examples include: shamans, occultists, and disciples

Wizard: Magician; a mortal whose knowledge of the internal workings of creation allows her to accomplish incredible feats of magic without resorting to the prefabricated rituals and rites of witches, or the trial and error guesswork of creating her own. While wizards are by far the rarest of all magicians, any mortal who devotes his or herself to the study of the mystical arts could, in theory, attain the title.