[NOTE: These terms are revealed gradually within the story itself, but I'll just leave this here as a reference for those who want to ease any cognitive load they may experience. Minor spoilers.]
- Descendant
A person carrying a dormant curse in their blood. Once the Curse manifests, a Descendant must survive a deadly trial or be lost to it.
- Severin's Curse
The force that awakens in certain Descendants, typically at puberty. When first awakened, Descendants may blackout, feel extreme hunger, or lose memories; symptoms that only stop once they enter the First Vision. The Curse also grants Celestial Fragments, which are consumed to trigger a Vision.
- Vision
The trial triggered by consuming a Celestial Fragment: a recreation of real historical events from the Forsaken Realm's past, into which the Descendant's soul is dropped to inhabit a body from that era. Surviving grants the rank of Divine Spark; dying turns the Descendant's real body into a Plague catalyst.
- Vision spell
A short, involuntary episode caused by the newly-awakened Curse that renders a Descendant immobile. Each spell causes a hunger that feeds on the Descendant's memories.
- Celestial Fragment
A piece of celestial power a Descendant consumes to trigger a Vision. A newly awakened celestial core is incomplete; consuming more Fragments (up to 7 total) advances a Divine's rank. The Curse only awards Descendants with two of these; one upon awakening, and another after successfully crossing the Great Break into the Forsaken Realm. If a Descendant wishes to grow into more celestial power, they must personally search for more Celestial Fragments.
- The Forsaken Realm
The long-fallen world from which the Plague originates. Both a real, physical place beyond the Great Break and the setting the Curse recreates (via historical simulation) inside a Vision. Its true size is unknown, as it is largely unexplored, but evidence suggests that it is much more ancient than the real world.
- The Great Break
The catastrophic tear that opened between the real world and the Forsaken Realm five centuries ago, unleashing the Plague. It is a portal that is usually closed but reopens in cycles, called Vision Cycles. The opening lasts for eight hundred and thirty days.
- Vision Cycle
An event, occurring once every seven years, during which the Great Break briefly opens. It is preceded by the mass awakening of Severin's Curse within chosen Descendants.
- Havens
Ancient ruins found in the Forsaken Realm that have been turned into fortress colonies. They contain Lesser Breaks, which are the gateways that serve as a Divine's anchor point into the Forsaken Realm, as well as their exit points.
MAGIC AND ABILITIES
- Divine
A fully awakened Descendant. After passing the First Vision, Descendants become Sparks, which is a transitional stage. To fully become a Divine, a Descendant must successfully cross the Great Break into the Forsaken Realm, find a Haven, and return.
The ability to access the Forsaken Realm freely is the main difference between a Spark and a full-fledged Divine. A Spark must complete the long and treacherous journey to access the Great Break, whereas a Divine simply has to wish it, and they'll appear at their anchor point.
- Celestial Core
The internal seat of celestial power in a Divine. Facilitates the expression of one's celestial Authority. A Divine's Rank is determined by how complete their celestial core is, that is, how many Celestial Fragments they have consumed. A complete celestial core is made up of seven Fragments; therefore, there are seven ranks:
- Spark
- Herald
- Power
- Virtue
- Throne
- Archon
- Divinity
- Authority
A Divine's capacity to command celestial essence, gained by purging Plague creatures.
- Celestial Essence
The power native to Divines. It's the only thing shown capable of purging the Plague. On its own, though, celestial essence grants a Divine no physical enhancement at all outside of what their specific Lineage Path allows — which is why non-combatant Divines rely on specialized bodysuits (powered via Authority) for physical augmentation instead.
- Lineage Path
The specific ability-set a Descendant's Fate is bound to. Through it, a Divine is granted Traits, a Birthright Ability, and Path Abilities.
- Traits
A passive or semi-passive quality gained through the Curse, separate from (but often derived from) a Lineage Path.
- Birthright Ability
The foundational ability tied directly to a Lineage Path.
- Path Ability
A secondary ability gained alongside rank-up, distinct from a Birthright Ability.
- Vital Core
The organ unique to beings native to the Forsaken Realm, storing vital essence.
- Vital Essence
The mystical power drawn from a vital core, used by natives of the Forsaken Realm. Core level is graded by color in ascending order of strength and potency:
- Dormant
- Yellow
- Orange
- Red
- Purple
- Black
- White
- The Plague
The corrupting force spreading from the Forsaken Realm. It primarily targets vital essence, which saturates all of nature.
- Plague Monster
Any hostile creature born of or corrupted by the Plague. Depending on how many vital cores a creature has (1 to 7 cores), Plague Monsters fall into seven distinct classes:
- Mortals
- Beasts
- Demons
- Dragons
- Giants
- Titans
- Disasters
- Vestiges
A crystallization of celestial essence sometimes awarded by the Curse that manifests as a special item. They bind to a Divine's celestial core and can be carried into the real world. Vestiges have a Type, Rank, and Grade. Rank is determined by the slain creature's core level, while Grade is determined by the creature's class.
Rank represents the overall potency and effectiveness of the spells imbued within a Vestige.
Grade represents how many spells a single Vestige can carry out. For instance, a Mortal-grade Vestige contains one spell, a Beast-grade contains two spells, Demon-grade contains three and so on…
- Spell
A special enchantment imbued within a Vestige.