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Angel/Daemon

Afterworld, the (archaic)

The once-unified realm souls enter after death. It was ruled jointly by the Twin Thrones. Now considered a relic term, as the unified realm ended after the Scisson War.

Afterlives, the (modern)

The divided realms souls enter after death, governed by the High Councils of After and Elsewhere. No longer unified, the afterlives are disparate, each ruled by seperate forces of Archangels or Archdaemons.

Archangel/Archdaemon

Exceptionally rare. Scores must exceed ±10,000. Considered a miracle when achieved.

Arcana Deck, The

One of the eight Vestiges. A deck of many-eyed cards resembling the tarot.

Ascended

Students marked in the Angel stratum. They have a chance of entering the After upon graduation.

After, The

The domain of the Archangels, once ruled by the High Queen.

Commons

Mortals who lack the gland required to process ether. They cannot Ascend or Fall upon death.

Common World, The

The mortal world .

Court of Dawns, The

The fallen court of the Queen of After.

Court of Midnights, The

The fallen court of the King of Elsewhere.

Crucible, The

An invisible, omniscient judgment system that activates once a Luminari enters Evermore.

It tracks ether in real time and tallies every action, intention, and emotional charge.

The Crucible doesn’t simply observe. It responds, rewarding or punishing choices that shape a student’s final stratum. No one knows who, or what, created it.

Elsewhere, The

The domain of the Archdaemons and the High King of Elsewhere.

Ether

A mystical life force that exists in all realms but only flows through those with the gland to receive it. It is drawn to intention, emotion, and will. Ether determines fate, fuels magic, and defines whether a soul Ascends or Falls. It is not light or dark, but pure potential.

Fallen

Students marked in the Daemon stratum. They have a chance of entering Elsewhere upon graduation.

Fallen Angel

A rare, rumored entity. An Angel who commits an act of pure selfish depravity can Fall, never to rise again. They do not become Daemons, but something else entirely, cursed and infertile.

Fate

The lowest level of Angel or Daemon, requiring a score of ±200. As the lowest ranking stratum, they act as energetic vampires. They must take ether directly from the vein to make meaningful gains. This is more difficult for Angels, who must ask for consent.

Graduation

The final step in the Ascension or Falling process. The full chalice of severing tonic is consumed, inducing a complete soul-body split. Few survive. Ether scores are critical .

Guardian Angels

Don’t exist.

High Council(s)

The governing bodies that rose after the fall of the Twin Thrones.

One rules the After, the other Elsewhere.

Each council is made up of Archangels or Archdaemons, tasked with preserving the balance of light and dark.

While powerful, they are not eternal, and whispers suggest their reign is not as stable as it seems.

Houses

Named after divine ranks beyond Evermore. They are: Seraphim, Ophanim, Thrones, Cherubim, and Virtues.

Lumen

One of the eight Vestiges. It protects the wearer from death by tethering the body to the Common World, allowing them to appear mortal.

Luminari

A human descended from the first Nephilim. They are born with blood that responds to ether, allowing them to Ascend or Fall at death with the right guidance.

Marked

The mark you bear determines your fate at graduation.

Lower Sixth students drink a sip of severing tonic to induce the Rift and begin the dying process.

If you claw your way back, you are marked.

Those with positive scores are marked Ascended; negative, marked Fallen.

Students with near-zero scores rarely survive.

Nephilim

The highest achievable student rank apart from Archangel or Archdaemon. Requires a score of ±1,000.

Points System

Luminari accrue ether throughout their mortal lives.

Upon entering Evermore, a judgment system called the Crucible begins to track this tally.

Think: karmic scoreboard. Every choice matters.

Once marked as a Daemon, points count down.

For Angels, they count up. Only the highest scorers survive to Ascend or Fall .

Preparatory College

A middle ground between school and university. In this case, an institution designed to prepare students for the afterlife.

Rhunes

Carved symbols in a language forged by ancient beings, either the original Nephilim or the first Saints. When activated, rhunes channel raw ether and unlock buried memories, abilities, or curses.

Rift, The

Not a physical place, but a mental one. When a student drinks severing tonic, a split ruptures deep within, tearing the soul from the body. It is a Rift between who you are, and who you might become.

Saints, The

Legend says the Saints were once Archangels or Archdaemons who died long before the Scisson War. Venerated by both sides, they are rarely named, only invoked in rites or final prayers. Their bones are said to be infused with ether so potent that entire cities were once built around them.

Scisson War, The

The great divide nearly a thousand years ago. The After and Elsewhere were once united, ruled by the Twin Thrones until the rulers turned on one another. The war split the realms and ended in their disappearance. From the ashes, the High Councils rose.

Severing Tonic

A sacred, alchemical elixir brewed from marrowroot and arcane salts. The tonic induces a suspended, near-death state, allowing the Rift to open within. Survival depends on strength of will, emotional clarity, and total ether score.

Stratum

A divine ranking assigned to Daemonic or Angelic beings after they are marked by the Rift in Lower Sixth.

It is determined by the flow of ether. The stratum cements after their final year at Evermore.

Officially, the academy recognizes only three ranks as a guideline, though far more exist. Many find that their true stratum emerges only after graduation, once they begin shaping their afterlife.

In rare cases, a stratum may shift entirely.

Sixth Form (Lower and Upper Sixth )

In British education, the final two years of school. They are divided into Lower and Upper Sixth, corresponding to Evermore’s two-year cycle.

Slate

A sleek, obsidian-like device with no visible screen. It displays ether scores, allows communication between students (and beyond), maps the campus, and includes a built-in camera.

Stratum

The various ranks of Angels or Daemons in each legion. You do not fully claim your rank until graduation, but Evermore places students into temporary bands to enforce a class hierarchy.

Thread, The

The voice Arabella hears in her mind. It feels stitched into her both physically and metaphorically. Whether it is memory, magic, or madness remains unclear.

Twin Thrones, The

Long ago, the Queen of After and the King of Elsewhere ruled the afterlives as divine twins. When peace shattered, so did the realms. Their disappearance ended an era, and ushered in the rise of the High Councils.

Vestige

One of eight powerful artifacts scattered after the Scisson War. It is rumored that reuniting the Vestiges would tip the balance of light and dark into the hands of whoever holds them.