Glossary

== Overview ==
The Glossary is a feature that explains terminology and events in game that reveal information about certain topics. Glossary entries can be accessed by clicking underlined words or phrases in NPC dialogue.
== Glossary ==
===Factions===
==== The Central Authority ====
* The predominant military and political force within the Central Authority, and perhaps even across all of Lumen.
* Built upon the foundations of the Adretian Empire who headed the coalition of nations that came together to found the Central Authority in 65 BCE.
* The Central Authority's stated goal is to unify all of the world under one banner in a bid to present a united front against the Depths.
* To many, and indeed to those they have conquered, the Central Authority is an empire all the same.
* Despite their imperial proclivities, they are the primary funders of expeditions into the Depths by the Divers and the Ignition Union.
* The Central Authority is helmed by the Sovereign Drallis Ehr and his Council. An immortal, the Sovereign has been the head of state for the Central Authority since its inception.
==== The Divers ====
* An expeditionary organisation stemming from the Citadel of Markor that conduct routine expeditions into the Depths in order to gather research, materials, and eliminate emergent threats.
* Though seen as a noble profession by many, the survival rate of a Apprentice Diver is staggeringly low.
===Magic===
==== Flamecharm ====
* The ability to conjure flames and heat through the Song.
* As an attunement, Flamecharm is thought to have been discovered and pioneered by Amorus Pleeksty, who is said to have descended into the Third Layer and consumed a flower of Korilfiend. Productions of flame through the Song are recorded to histories prior to Pleeksty's discovery of the attunement, and indeed these were the foundation of the so-called Songwork that spurred the Canticlysm's industry.
==== Oaths ====
* An extension of the Song brought about by swearing a Vow to oneself.
* By expanding upon the Song and incorporating a self-sworn Vow in its workings, the effects of its magic are greatly amplified, granting the adherents of Oaths unique and powerful abilities.
==== The Song ====
* Thought to be the source of much of the 'magic' of Lumen, its wielders often invoke its magic through the use of Mantras.
* The discovery of the Song and the ensuing research into its applications is said to have precipitated the Canticlysm — the so-called 'Golden Age of Mankind' 
* Before its discovery, few within Lumen could perceive its tones. Now, it is inescapable. The Song is everywhere, like an earworm that lingers at the back of your mind, always ready to spring into action and play its tones once more.
* The Song is not strictly music — it's not composed of sounds, or even words that can be pronounced by humans. However, much of the terminology surrounding the Song is musical in nature due to its striking similarities.
* Many believe that the Song was responsible for the advent of the Tides, and of the resulting collapse of civilisation . In spite of the dangers many believe are presented by the Song, it has become a necessity for survival in a Post-Tidal world due to the power it grants.
==== Vows ====
* Within Lumen, and indeed everywhere beyond it, it is a self-evident fact that words, oaths, and promises spoken from the heart hold within them a supernatural force.
* On their own, Vows can be used to enforce deals and promises, as breaking a Vow is incredibly difficult.
* Advanced usage of Vows can yield incredible effects, sometimes extending even beyond the limitations of the Song.
* Vows are poorly understood by the people of the Resurgence, but are still a fundamental part of their daily lives.
* Vows do not have to be made with others, and can be made with oneself. Indeed, the powerful magic of an Oath is facilitated by such a Vow.
===Notable Figures===
==== The Sovereign Drallis Ehr ====
* An ageless Adretian man, the Sovereign has been the supreme ruler of the Central Authority since its inception.
* The histories recount that Drallis Ehr became a hero in the Adretian Empire by dispelling the Godstorm that had brought the nation to its knees, bringing peace to its people. With the Adretian Emperor and his line having fallen into the Godstorm, Drallis took the reins and spearheaded the coalition that would become the Central Authority.
* Beyond the histories told by the Citadel, little is known about the man himself. His identity is one of the most enduring mysteries of the era.
* Some sceptics believe that the identity of the Sovereign is actually passed down in secret, and that the supposed immortality of its ruler is propaganda designed to suppress resistance.
===Objects of Interest===
==== The Moonseye ====
* At night, the Moonseye rises over Lumen and shields it under its watchful gaze.
* Many believe that the Moonseye is a gate to the afterlife, and that their ancestors look down upon them from it.
* The light produced by the Moonseye is its own, and not a reflection of the Suncross.
===Phenomena===
==== The Tides ====
* Following the discovery and widespread use of the Song during the Canticlysm, a tipping point was reached, and all manner of strange phenomena emerged.
* Chiefly, the waters of Lumen arose. Slowly at first, but over all the years all but the tallest of mountain peaks were submerged beneath the waves
* But, to say the waters rose is not strictly accurate — rather, Lumen was dragged down further into the sea. Further into the Depths below.
* With the Depths closer than ever before, sightings of misshapen monstrosities and nightmarish beasts emerging from below plagued the shores of Lumen, hemming mankind ever inwards towards the safety of the peaks.
* As the Tides came, so too did the Void snake its fingers into the now-vacant shallows of sunken ruins. In modern times, the vast majority of Lumen is ensnared in the grasp of the Voidsea.
* Though the Tides brought about a physical calamity through the submergence of Lumen, they also brought about an existential calamity in the Drowning.
* The times since the Tides began are often referred to as 'The Aftertide', or as being 'Post-Tidal'. 
* It is important to understand that the Tides are not a historical event. They are an ongoing calamity, as Lumen continues to slip further and further into the Depths below.
===Places===
==== The Central Luminant ====
* The central and largest Luminant of all, the Central Luminant is a tumultuous region that is governed overall by the Central Authority.
* Enclaves outside of the Central Authority's purview do exist within the Central Luminant, however. One such example are the Lullaby Isles, the homeland of the Chrysid and the Moonlit Faith.
==== Driftlands ====
* Islands that have a tendency to 'drift' in and out of the Voidsea are known as Driftlands.
* Due to the anomalous metaphysics of the Voidsea, Driftlands often appear to be unscathed by the effects of time, almost as if their time in the Void was a frozen moment.
==== The Drowned City of Celtor ====
* Formerly the capital of the Celtor peoples, now a site of pilgrimage for those lost to the Depths.
* At the centre lies the Cathedral of the Interstice, to which many travel in the hopes of succeeding in its Trial.
* The City of Celtor was dragged down from the Surface to the Depths in an event known as the Submergence of Celtor in 904 CE.
==== Lumen ====
* The world you call home.
* Lumen is composed of two halves; the Surface below and the Heavens above
* The skies between the Surface and the Heavens are obscured by vast amounts of Voidfog.
==== The Voidsea ====
* Much of the world following the Tides has been subsumed into the Voidsea, an anomalous and near-insurmountable stretch of water that represents the gradual dissolution of Lumen into the Depths.
* When it comes to the Voidsea, the conventional laws of times and space hang in the towel.
* Islands dragged into the Voidsea, may suddenly be spat back out fifty years later, its inhabitants wholly unaware of the time that has passed. 
* Ships that sail into the Voidsea may find themselves heading back the way they came, with no apparent error in their instruments or navigation. These, of course, are the lucky ones. Few ships have ever passed into the Voidsea and ever been seen again.
===Terminology===
==== Pathfinders ====
* Those that make a living by exploring ruins and driftlands.
* Many are scavengers looking to fence the treasures they find, though there are many ways to turn a profit.
=== Black Divers ===
* The highest-ranking field personnel of the Divers, granted oversight and authority second only to the Administrators of Operating Bases.
* Black Divers have all descended beyond the First Layer on solo expeditions and have lived to tell the tale. As such, every Black Diver stands as a formidable individual, with many of their rank consisting of the most brilliant (and twisted) minds of the era.
=== Mur of Light ===
* A goddess worshipped by many in the Etrean Luminant.
* Many believe that Mur was responsible for bringing about the knowledge that Murmurs to the Kingdom of Etrea.
* As with many Gods, the contemporary understanding is that Mur may have been a Celestial
* Andros said they hadn't seen any accounts of Mur outside of the Etrean Luminant.
=== The Celestials ===
* The former inhabitants of the Heavens above. Similar in many ways to Mankind, but of a different species altogether.
* When the Tides came, the Celestials were driven from the Heavens down to the Surface below.
* Many within Lumen view the Celestials as Gods, with many major religions within Lumen worshipping them.
* Of these religions, the Starkindred Faith is one of the most populous, holding considerable influence over the Western Luminant and beyond.
=== The Citadel of Markor ===
* Perhaps the most prominent research organization in Lumen, the Citadel pride themselves as the foremost keepers of knowledge, history, and research into Lumen and the surrounding Depths.
* The Citadel receives the majority of its funding from the Central Authority, a contribution that the Authority claims falls in line with their desire for global unity, and for a united front against the Depths. 
* The widely used epick of 'CE' in dates refers to 'Citadel Era', i.e. the years since the foundation of the Citadel.
=== The Depths ===
* Beyond Lumen there is only the Depths, a vast and inconceivable expanse of fractured and convoluted space.
* The Depths is often thought to be structured in 'Layers', referring to the distinct regions of the Depths, with deeper layers holding to the conventions of reality ever more loosely.
* In spite of mankind's attempts to apply structure, logic and order to the Depths, layers are not strictly ordered in the manner they are described. One may conceivably travel to the Third Layer without ever passing through the First and Second Layers. This being said, the typical routes established do generally follow this order.
* The way most individuals reach the Depths is through the effects of the Drowning.
=== The Drowned Gods ===
* Entities of immense and unknowable power that are said to slumber deep within the Depths.
* Many believe that the Song has stirred them from their sleep and brought about the Tides. Should a Drowned God wake, it's also believed that it would result in Lumen's undoing.
* The names of Drowned gods are often spoken in hushed tones or through euphemisms in fear that it may bring them closer. Worship of Drowned Gods is taboo across most of the Lumen, with their faithful being branded as cultists and heretics.
=== The Eternal Gale, The Second Layer ===
* Said to be a snow-torn hellscape buffeted by the Winds of Ethiron, the Second Layer makes the First seem safe by comparison.
=== The Etrean Luminant ===
* The so-called 'sub-luminant' of the Eastern Luminant that is home to the Kingdom of Etrea and the Isle of Vigils
* In times past, the Kingdom of Etrea held claim over the vast majority of the Eastern Luminant, so the designation of the Etrean Luminant is a somewhat modern invention.
=== The Heavens ===
* The other half of Lumen, an inverted dome suspended above the Surface.
* The waters of the Heavens are known as the Nightsea.
* The former home of the Celestials.
=== The Luminants ===
* Akin to continents, the Luminants are the remaining regions of Lumen that haven't been claimed by the Voidsea.
* In a sense, the Luminants and their safe waters are islands into their own, with each Luminant separated from one-another by the Void.
* In order to secure safe passage through the Voidsea, the work of a Lightkeeper is required.
* Today, there are broadly considered to be 5 Luminants: the Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern, and Central Luminants. In the Old World, the Luminants were larger and more numerous.
=== The Suncross ===
* The bringer of life and warmth to Lumen.
* At night, the Suncross retreats into the Voidfog and its light dims, darkness falling over Lumen.
=== The Surface ===
* The half of Lumen in which you reside.
* The Surface is made up of the Luminants and the Voidsea that surrounds them.
=== Lightkeeper ===
* Stationed in Lighthouses at the edges of Luminants, these rare individuals are capable of Illuminating a path through the Voidsea, forcing it to retreat.
* A scant few are born with the Gift of Lightkeeping, with each individual bearing the heavy responsibility of driving back the Void to enable the transportation and exchange of goods, information, and people. 
* Lightkeepers are afforded little freedom, when spending their lives wasting away in their Lighthouses guarded by a legion of soldiers
* A nation's economy rests on its Lightkeepers, with passage between the Luminants being strictly controlled and tariffed by the few that have Lightkeepers in their retinue.
* The Radiant Tones utilized by adherents of the Dawnwalker Oath are based on research into Lightkeeping, though are incapable of illuminating the Void.
=== Mantras ===
* A small passage of the Song that can be 'spoken' in order to invoke its effects into being.
* Though a Mantra is described as a 'passage' that one 'speaks', the words cannot be pronounced, at least by a human, and are not strictly even sounds. Those that speak aloud the name of a Mantra are not speaking the words of a Mantra, they do so in order to bring forth the Mantra's 'words' in their mind.
* Speech isn't necessary to cast Mantras. The precise means of invoking a Mantra varies from person-to-person, but is broadly described as "speaking' from within, akin to holding an inner monologue, or to bringing a memory to the forefront of your thoughts.
* Often, the more one understands and is able to conjure fourth the words of a Mantra, the more effective they are at using it.
==Trivia==
* In many cases, the word city links to the Drowned City of Celtor despite the city in question not being Celtor at all. Similarly, the world Luminant will often link to Central Luminant.
Category:Mechanics