Page 72 of Red Demon (Oria #1)
(Spoiler-Free)
Pronunciation Notes:
Long vowels are marked with macrons: ā as in say, ē as in see, ī as in eye, ō as in go, ū as in blue. Short vowels are unmarked: a as in cat, e as in bed, i as in sit, o as in hot, u as in cup.
? - “Ah” sound as in father.
? - short, neutral vowel like the beginning and ending sound in “arena.”
KH - a throaty K common in many non-english languages. Found in the Scottish “loch,” the Vietnamese KH, or the German CH in “Bach,” for example. Voiceless velar fricative.
t - soft th, as in “thin.”
? - This Asri consonant falls somewhere between the English "Ch" and "Sh," and I'll write it either way—whatever looks better.
Most will pronounce it wrong, but look at you—my fellow nerd—reading this glossary.
You know the truth, that the canon pronunciation for both Ch arania and Ea Sh adohe is technically “voiceless postalveolar fricative.”
Academy – Boarding schools and career guilds that originated within the Chaeten culture.
Academies raise and train children year-round in the same facility, allowing the most prestigious in that discipline to practice their work on site.
Academies are often associated with a specific military, academic, or religious order, and details vary widely between these orders.
Academy Mother (or Father) – An advisor assigned to oversee the progress of a student in an Academy.
A's'aan Khel ( ?-s-?N KHEL) – A perception filter works both at the level of neurological systems and photoreceptors to expand the human blind spot. Anyone staring an an A's'aan khel will not see the hidden area, and not be aware that something is missing in their field of view.
Attiq-ka (?-tē-K?) – Reincarnated immortals whose memories/souls were preserved in Oria.
Since the Ghost War and the destruction of specific Asri tech, there has been no record of an Attiq-ka reincarnation.
Physiologically, Attiq-ka were indistinguishable from the humans they coexisted with on Nara Mnaet at the time of birth and were born into Asri families.
Culturally, the Attiq-ka preferred to choose names from among the oldest of Earth’s heroes and gods.
The vast majority of surviving Attiq-ka did not support Azara and Jeron Alexander in their rise to power, and remain hunted outlaws.
Asri-ka (?S-rē-K?) – The original inhabitants of Nara Mnaet before the Chaeten arrived.
This term covers both immortal humans (Attiq-ka) and mortals (Sedo-ka).
Asri maintained much of the core genetics of their home planet and focused any genetic engineering on preventing disease rather than further experimentation and refinement.
They would appear similar to the people of Earth in terms of range of skin tones and hair, although far more diverse in terms of ethnic heritage.
Their eyes have darker limbal rings and layered irises in otherwise natural colors.
Azara (?-Z?-r?) – The only known Chaeten to survive to adulthood and merge with the reincarnated soul of an Attiq-ka. Her unique lineage was originally a symbol of peace that helped her garner support among both Chaeten and humans in the years following the Ghost War.
(Magic) Blocker – A Chaeten machine that emits a frequency that mimics and disrupts the delta rhythm specific to Chout Attiq-ka.
Enhancement/use of magic employs this rhythm, and anyone using magic within the radius of the frequency would experience an intense, focal seizure.
Even with short exposure and immediate treatment, the magic user would experience neuronal death and possible bleeding within the brain.
Anyone incapable of—or untrained in—using magic would not be affected, and trained wielders not currently using magic would be less affected than those actively using their skills.
Chaeten (CHā-ten) – A species of humans that came to Nara Mnaet as refugees two hundred years prior to the Ghost War, following the destruction of their home planet.
They quickly adapted their genetics to survive on the planet, introgressing their genes to the Asri.
Chaeten were allowed to settle in Thebos, but wide scale peaceful, mutual cohabitation was never achieved before the reign of Azara.
Chaeten-Sa (CHā-ten-S?) – A deliberately ambiguous term!
This originally referred to any Chaeten deemed inhuman (and to the most radical Asri at the time of the Ghost War, this meant all Chaeten).
Since the Ghost War, it refers to a specifically genetically enhanced line of immortals created by the Chaeten to mimic Attiq-ka longevity and abilities.
Jeron Alexander chose the term to refer to his spec line as a way of taking back power from those who intended it as a slur.
Although the Chaeten-sa spec line was designed to limit their skin tones to those among the Asri, the eyes for that spec line were always bright yellow-green and their hair always red.
Charania ( ? ?-R?-ē-?) – A large island in the northern hemisphere with the oldest temples and the least Chaeten influence.
Chout (CHOWT) – Discipline. See “magic.”
[The Attiq-ka] Council – The government prior to Azara’s reign, comprising a group of reincarnated elders who voted on major judicial and executive decisions in partnership with local governments. Local government generally (and often intentionally) comprised mortal elders.
Dahn (D?N) – A magical power that is innate and does not require meditation or training to use at its most basic level. (See also: magic.)
Earth – Although the reader can be safely told both the Chaeten and Asri ancestors originated from the third planet orbiting Sol, the general population on Nara Mnaet does not generally think this far back.
It has been hundreds of thousands of years since humans first ventured into the stars.
The Asri/Attiq-ka are aware that they originated from the “Planet of a Thousand Names” and have some highly overtranslated accounts of what the planet was like.
Ea Shadohe (ē-?-sh?-Dō-hā) – Capital of the Nine Islands, and of Nara Mnaet, located on the island of Iyad.
Ghosts – Spirits/souls that are either not welcomed into Oria, incompatible, or whose minds are too damaged to rejoin it.
Composed of subatomic energy signatures, ghosts can interact with minds and brains attuned to them and have minimal to no impact on anything else in the natural world.
They also have little protection from both Asri magic and Chaeten tech outside of a mind or brain, so further degradation of memories or functions is inevitable unless the ghost finds a host. (In Asri – Ruren .)
Ghost War – A brutal war between the Chaeten and Attiq-ka prior to Azara’s rise to power that wiped out 90 percent of the world population over the course of several years.
There were many factors that contributed to the start of the war, but all agree the creation of the Chaeten-sa immortal line was one of the final fractures, causing the majority of Attiq-ka to call for their extinction.
It’s the reason most of the immortals on the planet (particularly Chaeten-sa) are now dead.
Inner Empire – The equatorial islands of Iyad, Meyit, and Thebos. Chaeten cities and culture are more concentrated in these regions.
Iyad (ī-ad) – Largest of the Nine Islands, located on the equator. Contains the world capital Ea Shadohe.
Jeron Alexander (JāR-on) – General of Azara’s armies and royal consort, and the second most powerful immortal on the planet.
Ka (K?) – This term is most commonly translated as “human.” Layered with both the ethical and philosophical connotations in “mind” or “soul,” but not encompassing intangibility or immutability.
The most literal translation would be “the sum of the connections between synapses in a human mind,” and the programs and systems that could be translated to Oria.
A ka can briefly live on beyond the scope of the human brain as a ghost. Although the term can be used on an individual level, the most common usage is to assign humanity to a group.
Example: Noé-ka would be understood to mean humans who live on the island of Noé, and Chaeten-ka would be one or more humans from the Chaeten culture.
Khel (KHEL) – A wall or a barrier. The broad term is usually used in the context of Asri magic (chout). Depending on the type of energy employed, it might harm minds that pass through it, interact with certain technologies, or alter perception.
Long Hour – The hour in the daily cycle with nineteen extra minutes, so that the day has twenty-four hours; the third hour after midnight.
The original inhabitants of Nara Mnaet tried to incorporate a time system similar to the planet they came from (Earth) where seconds and minutes were identical to their original system.
Magic – Any technology whose mechanics are generally not fully understood by the user from a technical standpoint but are integrated within the mind.
Asri purists will prefer the term “Chout,” meaning “discipline.” Although the Chaeten are aware that magic runs in Asri families, they have never isolated a gene or marker associated with its use.
The Attiq-ka retained skills gained during prior lives and generally had higher discipline/a broader array of magical skills.
Magic use is restricted within the empire, with more powerful skills only allowed to be performed by elite Z’har priests or Azara herself.
(The) Nara (N?-r?) – Short form of Nara Mnaet, and the more commonly used term to refer to the planet.
Nara Mnaet (N?-r? m-Nā-et) – The original name of the planet, translating to “New Beginning.” Nara Mnaet is roughly Mars-sized with similar concentrations of iron oxide dust, but it has a thicker atmosphere than the original planet Earth.
The vast majority of Nara Mnaet is covered with misty, shallow seas.
Niire Mai (Nē-rā Mī) – The mandate for Asri to do no [intentional] harm.
Although the principles that comprise this are complex, the main ones that factor in this book are to never kill and never eat anything with a brain, with guidelines to limit intentional harm to brains.
There's some other exceptions to the rules beyond "Sa" being excluded from this prohibition, but for the purpose of Red Demon , don’t worry about it.
Nine Islands – Although other islands in the Nara were occupied prior to the war, the Nine Islands in Azara’s empire remain the only human-occupied land in the Nara.
Oria (ō-Rī-?) – The underground mycelial bionetwork array that contains the memories of ancestors whose souls were welcomed back.
A living, sentient database composed of the sum of the knowledge of the dead.
Oria is a symbiotic life form developed by the ancient Asri, consisting of a native life form fused with a fungal strain originating from the “Planet of a Thousand Names.” Oria derives energy both from the heat of the planet’s core and chemical decomposition at the surface.
Pathfinder – One of the positions on the Attiq-ka Council, which must be held by someone with a magical ability to model and/or make credible predictions about the future.
Red Demon – A figure in an increasing number of bedtime or campfire stories, with a long trail of blood behind her. A lone Chaeten-sa who wanders the wilds and kills indiscriminately and quietly, often without saying a word.
Reic (Rā-ik) – Attiq-ka founder of one of the Underground networks.
Ruren-sa (Rū-ren-S?) – Although any dead spirit might choose to be malicious, the majority of those that wander the wild in Jesse’s world are left behind from the Ghost War.
90 percent of the population was destroyed at that time, and some souls that were once in Oria were damaged.
Many Ruren-sa want revenge but have a blind, driving desire to preserve themselves by joining a human mind—or failing that—a brain.
They cannot join a mind without causing harm, inflicting rage and hatred without much context.
Sa (S?) – A derogatory Asri word translated in Chaeten to “demon.” The Attiq-ka originally used it to describe humans who committed crimes/sins that stripped them of their humanity, precluding them from access to Oria.
The term Sa was later expanded to refer to any humans genetically modified to a point where it was impossible for them to live according to the principles of Niire Mai.
Sedo-ka (Sā-dō-K?) – The Asri word for non-immortal humans, which were the majority of humans at any given time. It literally means “Dead (past tense) soul,” with the connotation of a pre-life death. Any Sedo-ka whose soul is accepted into Oria has the potential to reincarnate as an Attiq-ka.
Shortgrain – Originally derived from wheat, it has been heavily genetically modified to maximize both shelf-life and nutrition. The crop reaches maturity in about two months.
Ruren (Rū-ren) – See “ghost.”
Ruren-sa (Rū-ren-S?) – Ghosts that are corrupted in such a way that they cannot enter a host without killing the mind they inhabit—and prove willing to do it anyway. Demon ghosts.
Thebos (tā-bōs) – A densely populated urban island with Chaeten tech on full display and many Z’har academies.
Year – Because the author allowed themself to be lazy somewhere, the time it takes Nara Mnaet to fully orbit its star is only negligibly different from an Earth year in terms of minutes.
The day is nineteen minutes longer, but the Nara Mnaet year is 360.
243 days shorter to make up for that—so, 360 days with a leap year about every four years.
Twenty-eight-day months, seven days in each week, with twenty-four days left over for festivals not formally incorporated into those months or weeks.
This author does not plan to name the days of the week if they can avoid it.
Z’har (z’-H?R) – One who is formally pledged to the service of the empire through one of several religious, academic, or military fraternal orders. Z’har, while not expected to be celibate, are not allowed to marry or raise their own children.