Terminology & Inspirations - Heartsplit Info

> [!info] General/Shared Terminology > - **Interwoven Worlds:** This term refers to the worlds of Gaia, Reverie, and Brume, which have all be woven together and are now trapped within the dimensional pocket of Elswyth. > - **Wight:** The term used for those who have completed a secretive ritual which allows for temporary escape from the bounds of Elswyth. No one knows where those who do the ritual go for the time they are gone, but upon their return, they are able to manipulate magic in an unnatural and powerful way. > - **Doors/Bridges:** There are many different ways to refer to the points of connection between the Interwoven Worlds. > - **The Circle:** A world which exists outside the IW. It sits at the origin of magic, and nothing is known about it. Most do not even know it exists. > - **The First Ones:** An ancient congregation made up of all life that existed before the Cataclysm. Only two First Ones survived, although the Artifacts wielded by the Viceroys and Governails are known to be the vessels of First Ones who channel their selves and power through the wielder of their Artifact, giving them access to immense power at the slow cost of their own sense of self as it is slowly overcome by the Artifact. > - **If:** The First One of Creation. > - **Iruiel:** The First One of Utter Destruction. > - **The Cataclysm:** Iruiel's attempt to destroy everything, which was thwarted by If. This is the event which caused the phenomenon of Elswyth, which created the Interwoven Worlds, and thus introduced magic to each conjoined world. --- > [!info] Gaian Terminology Bank > - **Gaia:** The world itself > - **Meteor Sea:** Freshwater sea located at the center of Eysle > - **Lost Empire:** ancient cultural center/imperial power that united all of Eysle under its power > - **BA/AA:** Before Advent/After Advent; historical timeline metrics > - **Advent of Ages:** The event in which one of Gaia's moons crashed into Eysle and destroyed the Lost Empire > - **Moonseed:** The habitable side of Gaia (where Eysle is) > - **Cold's Waste:** The inhospitable and highly dangerous side of Gaia, covered in snow/ice > - **Eysle:** The singular mass-continent on Gaia > - **Advent-Borne:** Humans that have been mutated by Gaia's evolved form of magic, which arrived during the Advent. Gaia's magic is incredibly difficult/near-impossible to harness without some form of vessel. For the Advent-Borne, their bodies are the vessel, and they can naturally express their magic as specific powers. > - **Wasteward Ocean:** The outer saltwater ocean surrounding Eysle, containing Cold's Waste. (Wasteward --> going towards the Wastes.) > - **Dragoon's Canter:** A forest in the Eastern-most sect of Eysle. > - **Iridescent:** A massive whirlpool at the center of the Meteor Sea. Named for a deity worshipped by the Lost Empire. --- >[!info] Brume Terminology Bank > **Kitagi:** Draconic humanoids. Some of whom possess the ability to fully shift into a dragon-like form. Their wings were once considered a highly valuable good, which led to a number of them being mutilated and stripped of their wings until the Nereid uprising led to the end of many such practices. > **Grimalkin:** The general term used for the shadowy animals and monsters which have formed out of the Rot. It is common knowledge to not be out after dark in Brume, as Grimalkin swarm the land each night in hunt of prey. > **Eoans:** A people who are particularly skilled with dispelling magic and creating protective wards. They are nomadic, although in modern times more of them are settling in the districts of Brume. Their nomadic culture and religion revolves around an eternal pilgrimage towards the Ever-Sun, in the far West of Brume, believed to be at the very end of the desert. > **Ambagi:** A species about which little is known. They were believed to be hunted to extinction during the Witching Wars. They now only exist in myth, spoken of quietly in the far areas of Brume. It is believed that they were able to hold magic inside of themselves, and generate magic innately, skills now lost to history. There is a lot of disagreement about what they looked like, and how sentient they were. > **Chantsmith:** Sometimes called Artificers, Chantsmiths are those who are able to speak to and understand the language of magic. This allows them to channel magic into powerful Artifacts and many other forms, creating legendary weaponry and other enchanted accessories. > **Rak:** A species that varies greatly in appearance, but is very animalistic in stature. A forest-people, they came to settle in the mainland of Brume long ago and now work as merchants and medics using their knowledge of the land. They are also often guides, being able to protect against Grimalkin -- which are also a delicacy for Rak, who are the only beings able to eat magic and Rot without being harmed. > **Spindrift:** An underwater people who live in the Innersea and rarely leave the water. They mostly work at the docks and selling fish and other goods found in the water. They are covered in scales and most speak via hand-sign as their native language (alongside sonar chirping), but some have learnt the land language in order to better their business. > **Heirrier:** Refers to a traditional role used in different ruling hierarchies, which is basically a knight-in-waiting for a specific person. It is usually someone assigned to protect a valuable heir to ensure that they survive long enough to inherit their right. > **The Innersea:** The primary source of water for Brume. which claims its East coast, which turns into the Farsea eventually. It's said that the Farsea goes on forever, with no end, a mirror to the desert of Brume to the West. > **Wraiths:** The aftermath of an Eoan that died from Rot related sickness, or whose corpse was consumed by Rot. Extremely powerful Grimalkin that are apex predators of Brume's forest, and feared even by Raks. > **Nereid:** Artificial life forms created by a past Viceroy of Desire, which bare an odd resemblance to the Vespers of Reverie. Were used as workers and servants due to being seen as automatons until the Nereid uprising in solidarity with the Kitagi and Eoans several hundred years ago led to the end of this and other objectifying and cruel practices, and a more fair social order. During this, the Desire that had created the Nereid was killed, and her younger sister became the next and current Desire. > **Viceroys:** The title given to the council in possession of the ancient Viceroy artifacts that keep the peace and balance of Brume, although they have been known to keep a hands-off approach to as much of Brume's problems as possible. The current Viceroys: Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Desire. --- >[!info] Reverie Terminology Bank >**Senium:** The capital of Reverie. It is a major hub of society, and extremely lively. It is also the main residence of the Governails. >**Vesper:** A species of Reverie that have a suspicious similarity in likeness to the Nereid of Brume, though unlike the Nereid, Vespers are organic lifeforms. They sport long tails and most have wings and bright colorations. They enjoy work as couriers, artisans, guides, and search-and-rescue crews when someone gets lost in the Fainmeadow. >**Path:** The term for the specific magic users native to Reverie. Paths are able to use powerful magic, and often even magic that holds sway over the other Interwoven Worlds in some ways. However, they are not able to use magic in a way that is not in line with their inherent affinity. A Path of Fire cannot use water magic. Many Paths are attuned to more abstract concepts, which both narrows and concentrates the strength and ability of their magic. Basically: The less a Path deviates, the stronger its connection to magic. >**Sens:** Term for general inhabitants of Senium, and the servants of the Governails by extension. >**The Fainmeadow:** Reverie is a world that contains endless doors to pocket dimensions within it, such as Senium. The Fainmeadow is the outlying landscape; an endless field of flowers, grass, and all kinds of life. The only way to traverse the Fainmeadow is to know where you are going and keep it in your mind's eye. It is incredibly easy for novice travelers to be able to navigate the Fainmeadow, and learning how to do so reliably is a rite of passage for many Reveries. >**The Fain-Kept:** When a being has been found by the Governails to have violated the laws of Reverie in a way beyond redemption, they may be sentenced to being kept by the Fainmeadow. In these cases, a person's memory is wiped using the power of the Governail's Artifacts, and then left in the wild of the Fainmeadow. Without memory, there is no ability to perceive any of the doors which exit out of the Fainmeadow. This person's memory is additionally outlawed across Reverie, since one might be able to locate the condemned using that memory of them. It is essentially an irrevocable sentence of life in solitary confinement. >**Forsaken Stead:** A land corrupted by a mysterious and overwhelming force which occurred after the loss of the Governail of Fear and its Artifact thousands of years ago. The Fainmeadow breaks here, and it is infested with dangerous and deformed monsters that all seem to have been driven to a strange type of magic madness. This space, as its name suggests, is off limits to any and all throughout Reverie. To speak of it is considered to invite bad luck. >**Niddering:** The name of the residents of the Forsaken Stead. "The ones who reek of Madness and Frenzy", as it might be described by the few who have laid eyes on such beings. >**Governails:** The title given to the council in possession of the ancient Governail artifacts that keep the peace and balance of Reverie. As opposed to Brume, the Governails rule with a close eye on all of Reverie, and without mercy for those who fail to uphold their standards. The Governail of Fear went mysteriously missing thousands of years ago without a trace, causing the emergence of the Forsaken Stead in the area which was once that of Fear's. The current Governails: Charity, Temperance, Fair, and Hope. --- >[!info] Elswyth Terminology Bank >**Sor-Sing:** A mysterious being that inhabits Elswyth and seems to function as its ruler and deity. It often appears to the dying and lost, described as a being of white and black flame. >**Elsen:** The term for the residents of Elswyth. >**Ginny Rust:** A sickness unique to Elswyth, caused by the deterioration of those who are not suited to withstanding the heavily irradiated-with-magic atmosphere of Elswyth. It is fatal without intervention, which usually requires swift exiting of Elswyth. >**Cithara:** Tiny, lightning-bug looking creatures which often flock around light sources and Rags, one of the residents of Elswyth. They are sometimes called Soul Moths. They can eat a floating soul from the deceased and assume the souls' form, memories, and sense of self, although it is not a true resurrection as much as it is a near-perfect copy. Due to the nature of the Cithara, they are also still capable of some unique Elsen magic even after transforming. However, as Soul Moths do not have a soul, and only gain form and sentience through the consumption of a soul, they are not able to be resurrected or affected by Fishmonger's magic. When a transformed Cithara dies, it is final--there is nothing to save. >**Psecho:** The name given to the species which formed from amalgamations created by Ruth. They were cast out of Reverie and instead found a home in Elswyth, and over thousands of years have evolved into a highly diverse species and populace in Elswyth. There is a myth that the Psechos most closely related to the original amalgamations have naturally pink hair; this is not always the case, but the misconception is widespread and believed by many, even Psechos themselves. The only ones who know the truth are those who can see into a being's true nature. --- > [!cite] References/Inspirations > - Origin: Spirits of the Past > - Final Fantasy 7 > - Majora's Mask > - Kingdom Hearts