recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Construct sanctums

**Construct sanctums** or **construct archives** are comprehensive memorial databases from the Thunderhead's backbrain.

## Description

Construct sanctums are shrines open twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. Even though they are available to everyone they are intentionally difficult to access. The Thunderhead had decided that "communion with the memories of loved ones should require pilgrimage".

Construct sanctums were deep in dark forests or on top of treacherous mountains. They were at the bottoms of lakes or the end of underground mazes. There was an entire industry devoted to building increasingly inaccessible, and creatively dangerous, sanctums.

It isn't speaking to the dead. Since nanites were introduced into the human bloodstream, the Thunderhead was able to upload and store all experiences and memories of just about every individual on the planet. In this way, it could better comprehend the human condition and prevent the tragic loss of a lifetime of memories — a fate that fell on everyone back in the mortal age. A comprehensive memorial database also allowed for full memory restoration in instances of revival after brain damage — as would occur during splatting or any other violent method of deadishness.

Scythes rarely visited construct sanctums. Not because they were forbidden to, but because it was considered beneath them. As if to do so somehow sullied the purity of their profession. Besides, it required skill at digging through the backbrain because, while ordinary citizens could find their loved ones through a user-friendly interface, scythes had to search manually.

## Meeting a Construct

Constructs appear ghostly and transparent. They won't speak until spoken to as they aren't alive. It's only detailed recreation of a mind that no longer exists. A construct does not make new memories and ignores the fact they are dead and a construct.

Talking to a construct can be repetitive. Constructs cannot be creative. They can only access what is already there. The same question will always bring forth the same response, word for word.

## Known Construct Sanctums

### Antarctic Construct Sanctum

Scythe Rand visited an Antarctic construct sanctum. To get there she crossed the face of a glacier. She had to weave back and forth around treacherous crevasses and cross narrow ice bridges. Many had gone deadish attempting to visit this particular construct sanctum.

The sanctum was a neoclassical structure, with a high roof supported by Doric columns. It looked like something one might have found in ancient Rome, except that it was made entirely of ice.

Claiming the ice steps entrance. Inside were about a dozen niches with holographic welcome screens and a simple interface.
Scythe Truth

Scythe Truth is a Scythe of the MidMerican Scythedom and one of the characters in A Death of Many Colors.

## Biography

Scythe Truth was born in Tasmania. Her parents wanted her to have actual wings instead of flaps of skin like other people did.

She was ordained in Harvest Conclave before A Death Of Many Colors. In that story, she attends an All Hallows Eve party hosted by the Robinsons, unlike everyone in the town, she believes in scythes(as she is one). She was made fun of for believing in scythes by the people who thought they were her classmates. After being left alone in a room with Dax, she reveals that she is Scythe Sojourner Truth and has selected Dax for gleaning.

After gleaning Dax, she takes his robe for herself, which she had him take off first. One of the party guests says she doesn’t know what to believe anymore, which is a start in that town. She also tries, futilely, to tell Scythe Truth that she won’t be able to change the minds of the people of that town, no matter how hard she tries.

## Gleaning Method

Scythe Truth only gleans those who lie about the Scythedom, she does this by beating her wings to gain altitude up to the peak of her endurance, which is only about 10 to 15 seconds since the human body was not made for wings large enough to fly, and drops her gleaning subject to their demise.

## Appearances

* Gleanings
	+ A Death of Many Colors

## Trivia

* Scythe Truth picked her name because of her crusade to rid the world of those who lie about the Scythedom.
Scythe Brahms

**Scythe Brahms** was a scythe that leaned towards the teachings of Scythe Goddard because he enjoyed gleaning immensely.

## Biography

Scythe Brahms is chased one night by Scythe Lucifer, and accused of abusing his position and multiple crimes against humanity. He is outraged by the claims and believes Scythe Lucifer will kill him while holding him at knifepoint. Scythe Lucifer decides to spare his life, telling him he will give him one chance to rectify his ways and start gleaning with honor. He then tells him that if he continues his current behavior he will chase him again and kill him. After this Scythe Lucifer vanishes, and a couple that was passing by helps him, and he grants them immunity to prevent them from asking questions.

After this encounter Scythe Brahms considers changing his ways but his resolve quickly fades, and he continues to abuse his position as scythe, and begins working for Scythe Rand as a go-between to carry out the attempts on the lives of Scythe Anastasia and Scythe Curie.

As revenge to Scythe Lucifer for humiliating him he kills his father, he went to the house where the family lived and made the entire family listen to him playing a Brahms's piece. After he gleaned Scythe Lucifer's father, he granted the family immunity for 1 year.

After his encounter with Scythe Lucifer he placed guards in his house for protection, they capture Scythe Lucifer after he had tried to climb in through a window of the home, and then bring him to Scythe Rand's penthouse in Texas.

At the Winter Conclave, January 7th, Year of the Raptor, he nominates Scythe Goddard for High Blade of MidMerica.

He lends his vacation home in Endura to Goddard and his entourage so they can stay during their visit there. He is blamed by Scythe Rand for being careless and letting Rowan escape from the basement of the house where he was kept captive. Furious Scythe Goddard kills him by thrusting a blade through his heart.

## Gleaning method

Scythe Brahms's routine was always the same, though methods varied. He would choose his subject, restrain him or her, then play Brahm's lullaby, the most famous piece of music composed by his Patron Historic, for he believed that figure had to be integrated into the scythe's life. He would play the lullaby on whatever instrument was convenient, and if there was none available, he would simply hum it. And then, he would end the subject's life.

Politically, he leaned toward the teachings of the late Scythe Goddard, for he enjoyed gleaning immensely and saw no reason why it should be a problem for anyone.

## Appearances

* Thunderhead
* The Toll (mentioned only)

## Trivia

* Scythe Brahms lives in Omaha and does all his gleanings around his home.
* He has breakfast at the same diner every day, and it's the place he chooses to give out immunity to the families of the gleaned.
* He has a Maltese dog called Requiem.
Grandslayer Amundsen

> "*For an organization with only ten laws, we sure have a lot of rules.*" — Grandslayer Amundsen, Thunderhead
>
>

**Grandslayer Amundsen** was the Antartic Grandslayer.

## Biography

### Pre-Thunderhead

At some point in time, Grandslayer Amundsen had a pleasure sub that sank in icy waters off the RossShelf region of Antarctica, Jerico Soberanis was summoned with the vessel the Spence to retrieve the sub.

### Thunderhead

Grandslayer Amundsen was present at the proceeding of the inquest presented by Scythe Anastasia on the case of the candidature for High Blade of Scythe Goddard.

### Death

When Scythe Goddard caused Endura to sink he was trapped in the council chamber along with the other Grandslayers as it filled with water, he was killed by the reef sharks that had entered the chamber.

## Appearances

* Thunderhead
* The Toll (mentioned only)

## Trivia

* Grandslayer Amundsen's Seat of Consideration in the council chamber was made of white marble.
Bradford Ziller

**Bradford Ziller** was a man chosen to be gleaned by Rowan Damisch for Scythe Faraday as part of his scythe apprenticeship training.

Bradford was chosen for gleaning because he fit a certain profile, back in the Age of Mortality people died trying to perform rescues, a lot of people who jumped into flooded rivers to save their pets perished in the act.

Scythe Faraday chose for him a traditional drowning. Citra had sedated his dogs when they entered his house to wait for him, so she suggested he take sedation so he wouldn't suffer. Bradford rejected it saying he wanted to be awake it since it would be the last thing he would experience. They took him to the river and drowned him.
Energy Resources

**Energy Resources** was the power core of the Mars colony.

## Description

The power core was in a shielded silo deep beneath the (Humanus Mons) dome, and was off-limits to anyone without security clearance. For Carson, his biometrics could bypass any lock under Scythe Xenocrates. All he needed to do was palm the control panel, or peer into a retinal scanner. But he kept that fact to himself. The core control room was an intimidating and complicated affair, full of screens, toggles, buttons, and lights. There was a huge leaded window that showed a breathtaking view of the fusion reaction which powered the whole colony; a glowing sphere the size of a golf ball, held in place by a magnetic containment field.
Ethan J. Hogan

**Ethan J. Hogan** was a cellist.

## Biography

Ethan J. Hogan was a cellist at the Cleveland Philharmonic. He was 143 years old and had raised several families during his lifetime, he was chosen for gleaning by Scythe Anastasia on October 11th, Year of the Capybara.

Mr. Hogan chose to be gleaned in a casino in Cleveland by drinking a poisoned martini, he wanted it to be James Bond, 007 style because he admired him.

After gleaning him Scythe Anastasia granted his entire family a year of immunity, even giving immunity to his daughter Carmen who no longer lived in his household.
Scythe Boudica

> It is the unending burden of a scythe to suffer the stifling weight of humanity, and humanity certainly does chafe.
>
>

**Scythe Boudica** is a Scythe from Britannia region.

## Personality

Scythe Boudica is unlike her patron historic, she is small of stature, and of even smaller mind, overly concerned with middling things. Her greatest pleasure in life was the endless airing of complaints. If whinging could be a method of gleaning she would have happily employed it.

## Physical Appearance

She is a small woman. Her distinctive robe was made of an authentic medieval tapestry featuring a unicorn that looked like a goat, a lion that looked like a golden retriever, and fancy ladies with oblong, undersized heads. The tapestry-robe was enormously heavy and Scythe Boudica complained of the weight on a regular basis, but bore it nonetheless.

## Gleaning Method

Scythe Boudica’s method of gleaning is to invite her subjects to her home for tea and glean them using a lever activated springboard platform at the top of her home. After she does this she feeds the bunnies that roam the grounds, and the bunnies got used to seeing someone dead, that they come near the castle. She tried to glean Cochran like this, but it backfired and Marni rendered her deadish.

## Trivia

* Scythe Boudica, named after a legendary hero of early Britannia, long before it was Britannia. The original Boudica was known to be a tall and commanding woman of broad vision.
* Originally, she had planned to be Scythe Beatrix Potter, since the beloved writer's stories not only reminded her of her childhood, but had also led to a lifetime love of rabbits. But as with Ms. Stæinsby, the name "Beatrix" did not make for flattering nicknames. She was worried people would call her Trixie, Which might be a fine name for a dog, but certainly not a scythe. Boudica, on the other hand, was a regal-sounding name. Only when other scythes began calling her "Boo" did she realize her folly.
RossShelf region

The **RossShelf** region is a charter region in Antarctica. At first the residents could read each other’s minds "the closest the Thunderhead got to a failure". Now they share minds during REM sleep.

The Grand Rêve--the big communal dream that the residents of RossShelf shared. The people you knew in waking life - friends, family, neighbors, teachers--rarely crossed paths with the people you came to know in the dream. And the Thunderhead's rules on privacy made it against the law to seek out a dream friend in real life. Speaking of home while in the Grand Rêve is against the law and besides, while you were dreaming, the details of waking life were hard to recall. Once waking up your dream will fade away in the waking world.

"If the dream feels wrong, run." It was advice every kid living in the RossShelf region of Antarctica was told from the moment they began communal- dreaming -which was usually the same time they started school. Not that dreams could harm you-they couldn't. But sometimes they did. Or more accurately, it was scythes who could mess with the dream.

## RossShelf Scythes

RossShelf scythes had free reign to do whatever they wanted in the communal dream, just as scythes had free reign in waking life everywhere else. Dreamscythes can glean in any form they like, and their targets we're allowed to run unless they present themselves as a scythe, in human, robed form."

If you're gleaned in a dream, you have 12 hours to find the scythe who gleaned you in the waking world to be gleaned.

## Geography

RossShelf is a huge region, with many cities, towns, and rural icefields. A five-hundred-mile-long leading edge of the shelf was always calving into the sea. Even though the Thunderhead had slowed the glacier flow to nil, the homes built into the shelf face didn't last long. A ten-year “shelf life“ at best.

Life is spent in ice tunnels and huge human-made caverns carved directly in the deep blue glacier. Some parts of RossShelf region are breathtakingly beautiful, but mostly it was monotonous and utilitarian, making vivid dreams all the more important

Most RossShelf schools have an expansive open design full of ice pillars and movable walls.

## Residents

* Dayne
* Alex
* Dayne’s Mother
* Dayne’s Father
* Ophelia
* Gertie
* Lonnie
* Mr. Ramos
* Scythe Borgia
* Scythe Gallico
* Scythe Crawford

## Trivia

* “Slumber collective” is an old-fashioned expression to call the Rêve.
Kevin Tong

**Kevin Tong** is an illustrator, and graphic artist living in Austin, Texas. He has illustrated several book covers, including Neal Shusterman's *Arc of a Scythe* series.

## External links

* Kevin Tong on Facebook
* Kevin Tong's site
* Kevin Tong on Twitter
* Kevin Tong on Instagram
* Kevin Tong on Tumblr
* Kevin Tong on Youtube
Scythe Coleman

>
>
> Scythe Coleman
> --------------
>
>
>
> Physical description
> --------------------
>
>
>
> ### Gender
>
>
> Female
>
>
>
> Affiliation
> -----------
>
>
>
> ### Patron Historic
>
>
> Bessie Coleman
>
>
>
>
> He must face the consequences of his laziness.
>
>

**Scythe Coleman**, one of the Texas Scythes who rescued Rowan.

## Biography

### Anastasia’s Shadow

Scythe Coleman, was Ben’s Bokator trainer. She had ordered that his pain nanites be set on a ten-second delay, experience a full measure of pain before it was doused.

### The Toll

After Rowan was revealed as Scythe Lucifer, public enemy #1, the Texas Scythes kept most of his family in Texas. Scythe Travis and Scythe Coleman rescued Rowan from his execution. With Scythe Constantine they managed to convince Rowan to kill for them.

## Personality

To Scythe Coleman, anything short of achievement was laziness. She firmly believed that practice made perfect in all things.

## Appearances

* The Toll
* Gleanings
	+ Anastasia’s Shadow

## Trivia

* Her Patron Historic, Bessie Coleman, had been of both Afric and Merican- Native descent and was the first non-Caucasoid woman to fly a plane. That was in a time when the concept of "race" was used against people. The original Bessie Coleman must have been driven to achieve greatness when the odds were stacked against her — and the scythe who took her name clearly demanded that everyone around her do the same.
Supreme Blade Napoleon

**Supreme Blade Napoleon** was the Second World Supreme Blade, and the successor of Scythe Prometheus.

Not long after the Scythedom was formed, Second World Supreme Blade Napoleon set the following rule: "Any contentious event that has no precedent in parliamentary procedure may be brought before the World Council of Scythes in an official inquest" this rule was later used by Scythe Anastasia to hinder Scythe Goddard's candidature for High Blade of MidMerica.
Publicar

A **publicar** is a form of public transportation in the post-mortal world, a car that drives itself.

## Description

Publicars are self-driven cars available to the public at points designated by the Thunderhead to supply the demand for transportation in a region. Upon entering the vehicle, the passenger is greeted by an AI, the passenger tells the vehicle the destination, and the car self-drives to it. After the ride is completed, publicars return to one of the designated points and await new passengers.

When a scythe uses a publicar, it recognizes them by a signal from their scythe rings, therefore disconnecting them from the grid, and the AI, a computerized program, takes over, as the Thunderhead cannot interfere with scythes.

Publicars have to be told the destination by the passenger or the destination can be preset if a person sent the publicar for someone else. Publicars read unsavories the "riot act" every time they enter one of the vehicles.

Publicars are not permitted on private roads without the owner's permission.

Publicars are on the grid, their navigational data is dropped into the backbrain every 60 minutes.

## Trivia

* Rowan Damisch had always wanted a car, but his parents did not see the point in buying him one since publicars were available.
* Rowan went to school using a publicar.
* Scythe Faraday sees publicars as an extravagance and prefers to take the bus.
* Citra Terranova used several publicars to escape the MidMerican Scythedom.
* The Toll recommended Ezra Van Otterloo to spray-paint a publicar in the middle of the night.
* The Thunderhead caused publicars to encircle Tonists, herding them like sheep when the Toll and his entourage were trying to bring Sibilants around.

## References

1. ↑ Thunderhead
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Scythe
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Toll
Splatting

**Splatting** is the act of hurling oneself from a great height to experience the thrill of the drop. In the Age of Mortality this would have ended in death, but since immortality became a reality, people started doing it for the experience since they do not die, instead, they are taken to a revival center to be revived and undergo speedhealing. People who splat as a hobby are known as "splatting junkies".

## Honorable Mentions

* Tyger Salazar, a splatting junkie. Tyger had hurled himself out a thirty-nine-story win-dow, leaving a terrible mess on the marble plaza below, annoying his parents. He was happy because the revival took  four days beating his record. [1]
* Rowan Damisch. Mentions he splatted and found it a monumental pain. He ended up behind his schoolwork, and his parents levied all forms of punishment-which they promptly forgot to enforce, one of the perks of being the lettuce.[1]
* **Unknown girl**: One of Tyger's former love interests was convinced by him to splat, (just so he could say they die for me). After she was revived, her parents forbade her to see him ever again.[1]
* Rhonda Flowers: Mentions she splatted just to taste the ice cream at the revival center again.[1]
* Citra Terranova. Citra had to splat to escape the Scythedom. Having to free fall from a hundred nineteen floor building, it was undoubtedly the best splat ever.[1]
* Greyson Tolliver. Hurdle himself into Scythe Curie’s car creating a dent in it. He also managed to save them.[2]
* Scythe Boudica. This was no accident. Her niece render her deadish, convincing High Blade Churchill it was an accident.[3]

## References

1. Scythe
2. Thunderhead
3. Gleanings - Meet Cute and Die
Scythe Salk

**Scythe Salk** is a scythe from the MidMerican Scythedom.

He administered the trial at the Winter Conclave of January 7th, Year of the Raptor. The test consisted of knowledge of poisons. Each scythe apprentice had to prepare a specific poison and its antidote, then take them in succession. Six apprentices succeeded, but three did not, rendering themselves deadish, they had to be rushed to a revival center.
Scythe Meir

> "*If you can do this, then you have the inner strength needed to be a scythe.*" — Scythe Meir to Citra, Scythe
>
>

**Scythe Meir** is one of the greatest living scythes. She had once been a delegate to the Global Conclave in Geneva.

## Biography

### Scythe

She was present at Harvest Conclave, Scythe Curie introduced her to Citra, since it appeared both scythes were friends.

Later on, she was one of the 5 scythes who tested Citra and Rowan in their final test as scythe apprentices.

### Thunderhead

She was one of the scythes who supported Scythe Curie's candidature for High Blade, a lot of people (Curie included) wanted Scythe Meir to be High Blade, but she claimed she did not want the position because she was not a strong leader, but would help Curie write her speeches as she was good with words.

## Appearances

* Scythe
* Thunderhead

## Relationships

* Team Curie
	+ Scythe Curie
	+ Scythe Mandela
	+ Scythe Twain
	+ Scythe Cervantes
	+ Scythe Angelou
	+ Scythe Sun Tzu
	+ Scythe Anastasia
Scythe Coloring Book

This article contains info that may not yet be final because it deals with material that has yet to be released. As such, some of the information might be inaccurate and is subject to change. It will be updated accordingly when new information becomes available.

Neal Shusterman said he is planning to release a coloring book on the *Arc of a Scythe* series. The title and release date have not been announced yet.

## References

1. ↑ "a Scythe coloring book. Now it’s on my agenda!" Neal Shusterman on his Reddit AMA
Aria

**Aria** is a planet that a spaceship from Kwajalein Atoll landed on. The spaceship had only one living occupant, Sister Astrid, a tonist. Her only companion was Cirrus Alpha, a "Thunderhead 2.0", who was not an actual person. Despite there being only one person who is living, there were many frozen bodies that were deadish.
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Munira Atrushi

**Munira Atrushi** is a former librarian of the Library of Alexandria.

## Biography

### Scythe apprenticeship

Three years before the events of *Thunderhead*, Munira was a scythe apprentice under Scythe Ben-Gurion. She failed to be ordained due to there being five candidates and only one open slot for a new scythe. Because of this, she has grown to both love and hate the Scythedom.

### Thunderhead

Munira is a student of informational science at the Cairo campus of the Israebian University during the day in order to "have power over the Scythedom's entire history," according to Scythe Faraday's evaluation of her, and become a full curator at the Library of Alexandria.

She was working part-time, 2 nights a week, from midnight until six in the morning, at the information desk in the Library of Alexandria. Among her duties was to close out the collections of the scythes who had self-gleaned, or had been ended by other means. Since the library was usually empty during her shifts she spent her time reading scythe journals.

When Scythe Faraday comes to the library to do research on the fail-safe of the Scythedom, he asks Munira to help him stay hidden, and make sure that the other scythes don't find out he is alive. She agrees because she feels like it will give her life purpose.

Later, Munira is key to helping Scythe Faraday figure out where the location of the Scythedom's fail-safe is, the Land of Nod. When she travels with Scythe Faraday to the Library of Congress, she discovers that the Land of Nod is one of the islands that is a part of the Marshall Atolls. Unfortunately, the Thunderhead overhears this revelation because there was a camera in the room that neither of them noticed.

## Etymology

Munira means 'luminous'. This is pointed out by Faraday.

## Trivia

* If her unofficial ordaining can be counted, she is the last scythe ordained.

## Appearances

* *Thunderhead*
* *The Toll*
Rowan's mother

> "*If you think that's best.*" — Rowan's mother to her son Rowan Damisch, *Scythe*
>
>

This unnamed woman is **Rowan Damisch's mother**.

## Biography

### Thunderhead

Rowan talks to his mother (not face to face) in a public car, a few blocks away from his parents house, after his father/stepfather was gleaned by Scythe Brahms. The conversation ends up with Rowan in tears and anger that he ends up punching the public car screen, leaving him stranded.

## Physical description

Although her exact age is unknown, biologically she looks 35 years old.

## Appearances

* *Scythe*
* *Thunderhead*
* *The Toll* (mentioned only)

## Trivia

* Rowan's parents had seen so many birthdays that by the time Rowan was born, they had stopped celebrating them. Rowan never had a birthday party, and was lucky if his parents got him a gift.
Perchance to Glean

**“Perchance to Glean”** is the eleventh story in *Gleanings*. It was written by Neal Shusterman and co-authored with Michelle Knowlden.

## Plot

In the RossShelf region, Danye and Alex are friends in communal dreams, and this time Dayne feels uneasy as a scythe is near. Dayne discovers Scythe Borgia, who first appears as a paisley panther, and tries to run from the Scythe with Alex. After many nights of this, Dayne makes a deal with Scythe Borgia saying Dayne will willingly be pursued by the Scythe, but Alex must be spared.

## Characters

### Appeared

* Dayne
* Alex
* Dayne’s mother
* Dayne’s father
* Ophelia
* Gertie
* Lonnie
* Mr. Ramos
* Scythe Borgia

### Mentioned

* Thunderhead
* Scythe Gallico
* Scythe Crawford

## Inspiration behind the story

> "*Neal and I whittled down a dozen ideas for the anthology, eventually focusing on Antarctic dreamers that Neal mentions (I believe) in The Toll. We were about fifty pages in when Neal decided that story needed another platform, so we brainstormed a more narrow slice of the Antarctic dreamers world. It was a fast and furious rollercoaster ride as we threw in ideas each more bizarre than the next. The story shares our love of space technology and Shakespeare and spins interesting ideas of the subconscious and Quantum mechanics. In the end, the story had to be shortened again. I still miss the ghost, the hot air balloons, and funnel cakes but Perchance to Dream is one of my favorites of our collaborations that span over twenty years*" — Michelle Knowlden co-author of “Perchance to Glean”
>
>

## Trivia

* In the short story "Perchance to Glean", Dayne and Alex's genders/pronouns aren’t revealed because they are not allowed to know each other's personal details, and dreams are based on what is known, making the reader feel more immersed in the story.

## References

1. ↑ Neal Shusterman's Shustermania December 2022 newsletter
The mortal purges

In the earlier days of the Scythedom, the remaining members of the allegedly corrupt human governments were gleaned. Afterward, a number of scythes advocated for the gleaning of those born prior to the post-mortal age, to erase mortal ideals. Many scythes, including Scythe Curie, argued against this; the World Scythe Council eventually deemed the mortal purges to violate the Second Commandment and punished its perpetrators.
The Terranova's apartment

**The Terranova's apartment** was the home of the Terranova family in MidMerica.

## Description

The building is located in a neighborhood in MidMerica. It's high enough to need an elevator.

The apartment itself has a kitchen, a dining room, a living room with a TV and a sofa, and three bedrooms.

## History

At some point, the Terranova family came to inhabit the apartment. One day in November, Scythe Faraday arrived at the Terranova's apartment. The family thought he wanted to glean one of them but he only ate dinner with them and later revealed he was there to glean their neighbor, Bridget Chadwell, but she wasn't home. Before he left he gave a year of immunity to Jenny for her hospitality and pointed out to Citra that she would make a good scythe.

When Citra accepted her apprenticeship, Faraday went to the Terranova's apartment to give the family a year of immunity from gleaning, to Ben and Mr. Terranova, and to add several months to Citra's mother immunity so they would all expire at the same time. Citra then went to live at Faraday's house

After Faraday faked his self-gleaning and Scythe Curie became Citra's mentor, she visited her family with Scythe Curie on a Sunday. They rode the elevator with Mrs. Yeltner to the Terranova's apartment floor, Scythe Curie only met Citra's family briefly then left to attend other business but returned for Citra at dusk.

In the Year of the Capybara, Citra was ordained and she visited the apartment several times. The last time she visited it was for Thanksgiving that year.

## Known residents

* Citra Terranova (former)
* Ben Terranova
* Jenny Terranova
* Mr. Terranova

## Trivia

* Citra mentioned guests were frequent at the apartment.
* Citra would sometimes do her homework on the dining room table, although she had a desk in her room.
* Even after Citra had moved out, her parents kept her room the same way she had left it.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 *Scythe*
2. ↑ Thunderhead
A Martian Minute

**“A Martian Minute”** is the fifth story in *Gleanings*. It was written by Neal Shusterman.

## Plot

A seventeen year old Carson Lusk seeks to escape the Mars colony by getting scholarships to attend college on Earth. News of a scythe visit to the colony presents him with a new opportunity. Second Undersycthe Xenocrates sees something "special" in Carson and offers him refuge on Earth in exchange for sabotage of the Mars colony. Carson worms his way into the inner workings of the colony's power source and causes a catastrophic failure. He manages to escape on the last shuttle off the planet, watching a blinding explosion decimate everyone he has ever known. Back on Earth his efforts are rewarded with a scythe apprenticeship under Honorable Scythe Xenocrates.

## Characters

### Appeared

* Carson Lusk
* Thunderhead
* Carson's mother
* Carson's father
* Devona
* Underscythe Xenocrates
* Acheron Yost
* Governor Vallerin
* Photographers and reporters
* Xenocrate's chief of staff
* Xenocrate's chef
* Two members of the scytheguard.
* Lisa Riojas
* Otto
* 97 survivors onboard the cargo ship that managed to escape the destruction of the colony.
* Captain Quarry

### Mentioned

* Sakari Hernandez
* Acheron's parents
* Scythe Poe
Maw

## SpiderMaw

**SpiderMaw**, better known as **Maw**, is an Unsavory and one of the “podmates“ of Kila Whitlock. Since she is an Apocalyte, she is also a Nimbus agent.

## Biography

Maw was a Scythe Apprentice but wasn’t ordained because she lost to one vote: Scythe Chandler's. She later tricked Scythe Chandler into falling in love with her, but ultimately revealed to him that it was fake. This caused him to self-glean and got her unsavory status bumped up to Apocalyte.

In Unsavory Row, she takes Kila to an AWFul Club on Unsavory Row; Kila decides they go to Gallery de Basch, where unsavories smash replica works of art. When they get home, Kila asks her what made her an Apocalyte, which Maw tells her. She also tells Kila that the submarine story was true, but that she was the only one who drowned.

Kila locates a supposed Thunderhead cerebral node and wants to destroy it. After they succeed in blowing it up and Kila realizes the node was fake, Kila stabs Maw in the gut with a shard of the broken server stacks. Kila also realized that Maw is a Nimbus Agent, as are all Apocalytes.

Upon waking up, Maw asks Kila if that was really necessary, and Kila responds that it makes it feel more real. Maw then tells her that she will make a great Apocalyte one day.

## Appearances

* The Toll (she was one of the people who texted Greyson)
* *Gleanings*
	+ Unsavory Row

## Trivia

* Maw is the shortened name of her Unsavory name, SpiderMaw.
* She is described as “not very motherly”, which makes her name ironic.
Scythe Goodall

> "*Don't you know anything? ´Spat´, as in ´spatula´. It's what they call new apprentices, because you're not good for anything but flipping your scythe's burguers.*" — Scythe Goodall to Rowan, *Scythe*
>
>

**Scythe Goodall** was one of the newly ordained scythes at Vernal Conclave, the first Conclave Citra and Rowan attended.

Earlier that day, before she was ordained she had been talking to Ransom Paladini complaining about how for the first 4 years as junior scythes they would have to get the approval of the selection committee for their gleanings, when Rowan inserted himself in their conversation, both noticing Rowan was much younger than them, called him a spat, a derogatory term for new scythe apprentices. Citra told both off and was backed up by Scythe Faraday, who predicted Ransom would not be ordained later that day, but she would receive her ring.

She was ordained alongside Scythe Colbert and Scythe Schrödinger.

Later on, at Harvest Conclave, Citra spotted Scythe Goodall and noted her robes were made by designer Claude DeGlasse.
Loriana Barchok

**Loriana Barchok** is a Nimbus agent.

## Biography

### Thunderhead

Loriana had been a Nimbus agent trainee at the Nimbus Academy. Loriana was the unnamed junior Nimbus agent who greeted Greyson Tolliver when he first goes to the Authority Interface offices and shakes his hand profusely.

### The Toll

After 1 year of being graduated from the Academy, she was fired from her job by the Thunderhead via email. Since the email was sent April 1st, Year of the Raptor, at first she had thought it was a joke. It wasn't, as every Nimbus agent everywhere had received an identical message from the Thunderhead. The Authority Interface had been shut down, every single agent now unemployed, and unsavory.

She began to reevaluate her life and moved back in with her parents. A month after, her former boss, Audra Hilliard showed up at her door, offering her a new job that involved traveling. Loriana accepted, and embarked into the ocean on the Lanikai Lady with Director Hilliard and her crew, after 2 weeks of wandering in the ocean, they receive mysterious coordinates from the Thunderhead, which take them to Kwajalein Atoll.

Loriana took charge of the crew when she swam to Kwajalein and even after Director Hilliard committed suicide. She is the Thunderhead confidant, keeping the Thunderhead’s plans to launch.

### Gleanings

She is in the short story “Cirri”. Loriana talks to Cirrus and even asked for the names of the people who died on other ships. Naming her daughter, Alethea-Mariela, after them, and no one will know because it will be their secret.

## Personality

Loriana is pleasant, perky, and cheerful. She does her best to liven things up, and see the glass as half-full instead of half-empty, which very often irked her fellow Nimbus agents. Although it is shown that she can be serious when the situation calls for it.

## Appearances

* *Thunderhead*
* *The Toll*
* *Gleanings*
	+ Cirri

## Etymology

Her name came from a fan on Facebook.  The meaning of the name Loriana is "laurel". Loriana is a variant form of Lori.

## Trivia

* When writing The Toll, Loriana became one of Neal's favorite characters.
* Her email address is LBarchok@FCAI.net.
* Loriana had been a distance swimmer on the Nimbus Academy's swim team.
* Loriana was introduced in the Thunderhead. In *The Toll* she was given a name and became a more important character to the story as Neal Shusterman said he needed a young and under-appreciated Nimbus Agent to become an important force among them.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Thunderhead*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *The Toll*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *The Toll*: Author Commentary in *The Toll* Barnes & Noble Limited Edition
4. ↑ Loriana - Name Meaning
Agent Traxler

**Agent Traxler** was a Nimbus agent.

## Biography

Traxler was chosen by The Thunderhead to serve as a bridge of communication between it and Greyson Tolliver. He first met Greyson at the Fulcrum City Authority Interface. His death was caused by Purity who thought she was doing Greyson a favor when she asked for a favor from an unknown person to glean agent Traxler.

 Appearances

* *Thunderhead* (first and only appearance)
Brother Ferguson

> "*Very well. That which comes can't be avoided.*" — Brother Ferguson, Scythe
>
>

**Brother Ferguson** is a tonist. Citra Terranova goes to find him to a Tonist monastery to give him the news that his sister Marissa Ferguson had been gleaned by Scythe Curie. Citra is taken aback because the man did not seem bothered by the news, she tells him arrangements need to be made for her sister's funeral, to that he replies that the Thunderhead will take care of it if no one comes forward. Citra tells him since he was Marissa's only documented relative he is entitled to a year of immunity, he replies he doesn't want it.
Agent Kreel

> "*I know gleanings are never pleasant or convenient, but even we, at the Authority Interface, are not immune. Scythes can take whomever they choose, and we have no say in the matter. It's the way of the world."*" — –Agent Kreel, Thunderhead
>
>

**Agent Kreel** is a Nimbus agent and probation officer.

Agent Kreel was assigned to Slayd Bridger as his new probation officer after Agent Traxler was gleaned.

## Physical description

Agent Kreel has orange hair with a buzz cut. She wears red lipstick, that Slayd notes, is too red for her face.

## Appearances

* *Thunderhead* (first and only appearance)
Supreme Blade Kahlo

> "*I despise surprises.*" — Supreme Blade Kahlo, *Thunderhead*
>
>

**Supreme Blade Kahlo** was the Eighth World Supreme Blade at the World Scythe Council.

## Biography

Supreme Blade Kahlo judged the proceeding of the inquest presented by Scythe Anastasia on the case of the candidature for High Blade of Scythe Goddard.

She passed judgment and decided together with the council that the replacement of more than 50% of the scythe's physical body by another person's physical body severely diminished the person, therefore Goddard had to undergo scythe apprenticeship again and was ineligible for High Blade of MidMerica, giving Scythe Curie the position as the only viable candidate.

### Death

Supreme Blade Kahlo had the council chamber's emergency alarms disconnected due to repeated false alarms in the past, this caused the people at the chambers to not realize Endura was sinking.

When water filled the locked chamber, Goddard appeared with a helicopter pretending to have come to rescue the scythes, Supreme Blade Kahlo had swum towards him and grabbed the strut when Goddard kicked her to the water, where she was eaten by sharks.

## Personality

Supreme Blade Kahlo despised surprises. She would constantly mock Xenocrates.

## Physical description

Physically, Supreme Blade Kahlo was the exact copy of her patron historic Frida Kahlo, using flowers in her hair and hirsute eyebrows.

## Trivia

* Supreme Blade Kahlo's Seat of Consideration in the council chamber was made of pink onyx.
Scythe Prometheus

> "*My greatest hope is that, in time, our wisdom will become as perfect as our knowledge.*" — From the gleaning journal of H.S. Prometheus, the first World Supreme Blade, *Scythe*
>
>

**Scythe Prometheus** was one of the founding scythes and the first World Supreme Blade.

## Biography

Prometheus was the scythe that found out about the romance between Scythe Curie and Scythe Faraday. After they were brought before the Global Conclave, Scythe Prometheus saw fit to give them a less severe punishment due to the renowned skill and status of both scythes. He sentenced them to seven deaths (one for each year of their relationship). Then he forbade them from having contact with each other for the next seventy years.

Prometheus and the other founding scythes eventually murdered each other, due to the disagreements and factions caused on if the Scythedom should be put in place, and how the Scythedom should act, if it was to be put in place.

### Legacy

In his birth place Pittsburgh, MidMerica, there is a great memorial, the Mortality Memorial, in the heart of the city, with larger than life white marble statues of the founding scythes.

His journals can be found in the Library of Alexandria. His robe and ring were preserved in the Vault of Relics and Futures in Endura. He oversaw the construction of said island.

## Appearances

* *Scythe* (mentioned only)
* *Thunderhead* (mentioned only)
* *The Toll* (mentioned only)

## Quotes

* "Human nature is both predictable and mysterious; prone to great and sudden advances, yet still mired in despicable self-interest.”

## Trivia

• His were wearn by Rowan in the Vault of Relics and Futures.

## References

1. ↑ From the gleaning journal of H.S. Prometheus, the first World Supreme Blade in *Scythe*
Cirri

**“Cirri”** is the seventh story in *Gleanings*. It was written by Neal Shusterman.

## Plot

This story shows how some of the ships were destroyed after *The Toll*, and how more were almost destroyed.

## Characters

### Appeared

* Cirri
	+ Cirrus 23
	+ Cirrus 19
	+ Cirrus 37
	+ Cirrus 12
* Thunderhead
* Passengers aboard Cirrus 19
* Stevens
* Mariela
* Alethea
* Loriana

### Mentioned

* Jerico Soberanis (alluded to)
* Greyson Tolliver
* Members of the Starboard Alliance
* Mariela's husband / Leader of the Starboard Alliance
* Joel
* Alethea-Mariela
Meet Cute and Die

**“Meet Cute and Die”** is the tenth story in *Gleanings*. It was written by Neal Shusterman.

## Plot

A girl named Marni meets a man at a revival center and likes him, but her aunt, Scythe Boudica, doesn't agree.

## Characters

### Appeared

* Scythe Boudica
* Marni Wittle
* Nurse Lucille
* Cochran Stæinsby

## Mentioned

* Scythe Cromwell
* Scythe Godiva
* High Blade Churchill

## Trivia

* It is informed that the revival center ice cream is infused with nanites that go straight to the brain's pleasure center. It's intended to combat Revival Depression Syndrome.
* There is no direct reference to timeline placement, however the reference to Grandslayer Cromwell as Scythe Cromwell may insinuate that it takes place when he was neither a High Blade nor a Grandslayer.
Supplanting memories

**Memory Supplanting** is when someone’s memories are replaced, usually new ones.

## Creation

Since nanites were introduced into the human bloodstream, the Thunderhead was able to upload and store all experiences and memories of just about every individual on the planet. In this way, it could better comprehend the human condition and prevent the tragic loss of a lifetime of memories. A comprehensive memorial database also allowed for full memory restoration in instances of revival after brain damage — as would occur during splatting, or any other violent method of deadishness.

## People with Supplanted Memories

* Loriana’s old friend
* Rowan’s sisters
* Nimbus Agents who wanted to get off of the Atoll.
* The revived tonists from the colony ships.
* Rajesh
Peace officers

**Peace officers** are the civil force, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.

## Description

### Duties

Peace officers like Nimbus agents answer to the Thunderhead. They take care of unsavories when they break the law in minor ways. The more troublesome offenders are assigned their own peace officer 24/7.

Along with BladeGuards they hold back spectators and keep order at Conclaves. And are also called whenever there is a fire or any kind of emergency that requires keeping a crowd in check.

## Trivia

* A lot of unsavories end up marrying their assigned peace officers.
* Peace officers often worked together with the BladeGuard and firefighters.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Thunderhead*
2. ↑ *Scythe*
3. ↑ *The Toll*
Zachary Swain

**Zachary Swain** is Hunter Morrison's boyfriend.

Hunter was a boy that went to school with Zachary, and invited him to the school's homecoming in the Unknown Year before the Unknown Year before the Unknown Year before the Year of the Capybara (or a year before the beginning of Scythe). They both became a couple, and have been together since.
Rowan's Grandpa

Rowan’s grandpa was much more sensible than his grandma. He was off in EuroScandia, charming the ladies and maintaining his age at a respectable thirty-eight. Rowan, at sixteen, had resolved he would experience gray hair before he turned his first corner and even then, he wouldn't reset so far down as to be embarrassing.
Scythe Angelou

> *"I suspect your account of this day will go down in antiquity as a key scyte writing– much like Marie's account of her early gleanings."*–Scythe Angelou to Scythe Anastasia, Thunderhead
>
>

## Affiliation

### Alignment

Old Guard

**Scythe Angelou** is a scythe of the Old Guard.

## Biography

Scythe Angelou along with Scythe Cervantes proposed Scythe Anastasia to be the comittee chair to lead younger scythes.

She was also one of the core supporters of Scythe Curie's candidature for High Blade.

## Relationships

* Team Curie
	+ Scythe Curie
	+ Scythe Mandela
	+ Scythe Twain
	+ Scythe Meir
	+ Scythe Cervantes
	+ Scythe Sun Tzu
	+ Scythe Anastasia