GLOSSARY
Bearers and wielders, crossings and flows, the Bonding and the Bowl; the world of Resonance carries terms that are particular to it, some born of ancient tradition, others forged by the Houses in the centuries since the Empire was unified. Some you will encounter in the first chapter. Others will only make sense later.
This glossary is intended as a companion to the book, a reference tome to keep close as you read, to return to when a term surfaces and the meaning sits just out of reach. It will grow as the Saga does.
Ancients Vast, sacred creatures that have roamed the world since before the Empire. Held in reverence by the wardens.
The Axis A chamber below the House of Wayfinders with a plinth of harmonite, used by wayfinders to find their path through the house’s shifting corridors.
Banner A unit of the imperial army comprising ten spears, or five hundred soldiers. Ten banners form a legion. A banner is led by a captain who is usually a battle-trained wielder.
Bearer One who has drawn a harmonite stone during the Testing, capable of sensing the flows of the Resonance.
Blade A wielder of the House of Blades. Most serve as soldiers or guards.
Bonded weapon A weapon of harmonite to which a wielder has tied themselves through the Bonding. It strengthens a wielder’s abilities and may bestow upon them a unique gift.
The Bonding The ritual undertaken at the Great Pyramid in which a bearer attempts to bond with a weapon of harmonite. Success makes a wielder. Failure almost always results in the bearer’s death.
Bowl of Resonance A shallow vessel used for the Testing. Only three such bowls exist in the world.
Compulsion A working of the Resonance that imposes another’s will upon a mind. Only Salirs are known to be able to cast a compulsion on another. A shielded mind might be able to resist it.
Crafter A wielder of the House of Crafters. Most are smiths, architects, artists and musicians.
Currents See flows.
Drawing The second fundamental of the Resonance. After perceiving the flows, a wielder may draw upon them, either to hold in reserve or to wield instantly.
Dreamer A wielder of the House of Dreamers, gifted with visions and prophecy.
The Firsts The eight heads of the houses, who together form the empress’s council and the highest authority of imperial wielders below the Radiant Throne.
Flows The currents of the Resonance as they thread the world. A wielder must perceive the flows before they can draw upon them, store them, or wield them.
The Great Pyramid A vast, ancient structure within the capital and the location of the Bonding ritual.
Harmonite A living material, neither stone nor metal, that reacts to flows of the Resonance. It can be shaped into weapons, tools, and architecture.
Healer A wielder of the House of Healers, capable of sensing the flows within a body and mending the wounds.
Herbmother Village title from the old lands of Krakonia marking the healer of the village.
House A term describing one of the eight great institutions that train bearers and wielders depending on their gift. These include blades, crafters, dreamers, healers, scholars, shields, wardens and wayfinders.
Kaafaa A dark, hot drink brewed from crushed seeds of plants grown in remote and difficult places. It carries the imprint of the Resonance of the land where it was grown. Distinct from tea.
Kambaza A bitter, herbal drink. Said to open one’s senses to the flows of the Resonance.
Knot A point at which currents of the Resonance cross, used by wayfinders for jumps.
The Lantern The seat of the House of Scholars. Second largest library in the world after the one in Mirandis.
The Mother The wardens’ name for nature and the world around them.
Node An area where the flows of Resonance pool, often found near cities. Wayfinders can use them to grant safe passage across great distances.
Novara The capital city of the Empire.
Obsidian A name used for a harmonite stone drawn from the Bowl of Resonance.
The Ordning The ranked order within a house representing those wielders whose weapons have awakened.
Perception The first fundamental of the Resonance. Before drawing, storing, or wielding, one must first perceive the flows.
The Radiant Throne The seat of power of the Empire. The throne decides whether it accepts its ruler. Made of harmonite.
The Resonance The living force that threads through the world. It is believed to hold the world together, control weather and climate.
Salir One born with the rare gift of reading others’ minds, casting powerful illusions, or compelling another’s will. A Salir’s particular gifts vary depending on their bend towards one of the great houses.
Scholar A wielder of the House of Scholars, devoted to the keeping and pursuit of knowledge. Most serve as librarians, historians, or researchers within the Lantern.
Seal A working of the Resonance, shaped through gesture, that produces a chosen effect upon the flows, on a node, or on a knot. Wayfinders recognise twelve basic seals.
Shield A wielder of the House of Shields, capable of creating powerful barriers.
Spear The smallest unit of the imperial army, comprising fifty soldiers. Ten spears make a banner.
The Spire The seat of the House of Dreamers.
The Stillhold The seat of the House of Shields. A desert fortress without gates.
Storing The third fundamental of the Resonance. After perceiving and drawing the flows, a wielder may hold them in reserve, against the moment when they are needed.
Stonefather Village title from the old lands of Krakonia marking the leader of a settlement.
The Testing A ritual undertaken by every youth who has come of age, performed by placing a hand into the Bowl of Resonance. Most draw nothing. A few draw a black stone of harmonite, marking them as bearers.
The Threshold The seat of the House of Wayfinders.
Warden A wielder of the House of Wardens, sworn to the Mother and to the wild.
Wayfinder A wielder of the House of Wayfinders, capable of travel across great distances in an instant.
The White Orchard The seat of the House of Healers. A walled garden of white stone housing an infirmary.
Wielder A bearer who has mastered how to draw, store, and wield the flows of the Resonance and completed the Bonding. Marked by ability to wield a harmonite weapon.
Wielding The fourth fundamental of the Resonance. After perceiving, drawing and storing the flows, a wielder may release them for desired effect.
