INTRO

Welcome to Rivaga, a world in which a select few can use the energy of their souls to do some shady things. I hope you enjoy your stay!

GLOSSARY

Core: soul

Coric: energy associated/created from a core. (think: magic, sourced by a core)

Corist: a scientist who studies cores, corebonds, coricers, etc.

Coricer: someone who can utilize the power their core to manipulate the element it is associated with it. Only 10% of the world's population are coricers. Typcially a coricer will be referred to by their "element", followed by the word coricer. Ex. firecoricer, stormcoricer. Sometimes a coricer may also be referred to by their coretype. Ex. a firecoricer might simply be referred to as a firecore.

Coreline: the lineage of one's core. Works similar to bloodlines.

Coricer Subtypes: Ex. Windspinner, Fogspinner, Waverunner, Conduit, etc. Some coricers are limited to controlling certain aspects of the element associated with their core. For example, a stormcoricer might only be able to control wind or summon a light rain.

Conduit: a fairly commmon subtype of coricer who can absorb electricity into their core.

Draci: Malroix money.

Limiter: a band of metal imported from the neutral trade island of Ilterna. This metal can suppress coric when worn, however, it always feels ice cold and often causes the wearer incredible discomfort, ranging from cramps, to headaches, to fevers, etc.

Godcore/Greatcore: enormous cores detached from physical bodies. Often used to power cities. Thought by some societies to be the souls/cores of long-dead gods. It is believed by many that human cores gained elemental affinities thanks to long-term exposure to these giant cores.

Firecore: infamous throughout history for being ruthless and cruel. Their bad reputation has led many societies to kill firecores even at birth. It is known that firecores are smart and ambitious. All firecores are born coricers, no matter how diluted their coreline.

LANGUAGE NOTES

Thundering: used like hecking/freaking. It's the gentler version of f*cking as used in conversation. Ex. that thundering idiot!

Sucks/Blows: applies basically the same way we'd use it in modern American English. That sucks! Or Well, that blows! It works well in Malais, because most of their derogatory slang is storm-related, and hey! Wind!

Corescursed: similar to goddamn, but only in a specific context. Ex. That corescursed moron! But a person wouldn't just say Corescursed! when frustrated, as they might with goddamn. They'd be more likely to say Cores!

Damn/Blessing: you can be "damned" to Styx (though see notes on Styx; it's not quite like Hell). Blessings were once also bestowed upon humanity by old gods, so these words are relevant.

Haunted Hills: Jinhai will be the most likely to say this. He comes from the foothills of the Ghostrun Mountains, which are mighty haunted, and most people there casually call them the "Haunted Hills". There is a saying "what in the Haunted Hills?" that Jinhai uses often.

Cores: used to express bafflement/frustration: like God I hate working! only it's Cores I hate working!

Styx: Styx is the land of the dead, but it's not quite like Hell. People in this world (Rivaga) are reincarnated. However, to be reincarnated, one must past through Styx, the realm of ghosts, first. Most souls pass on their own, but many don't. Some stay in there so long that they change drastically and become something other that can't be reincarnated. Unless The Salariat comes along to collect them, many dead turn into ghosts that haunt the living world. People in this world will frequently say "What in Styx?!".

The Salariat: You might see him mentioned a time or two. He's a god who lives in Styx and collects the souls of the dead. "What in The Salariat's name?" is something you might also hear from Jinhai, as there is an ancient mystery surrounding The Salariat's true identity, and people use that phrase as an exclamation of surprise.

PEOPLE/PLACES

Rivaga: The world/planet the story takes place in/on.

The Golden Isles: a set of small islands in a tropical region, includes Malais and Busurul.

Malais: [Pr. Mah-laze] (People: Malroix) [Pr. Mal-roy] based INCREDIBLY loosely on France/America. A small, city-sized nation, it is the largest of The Golden Isles. It is incredibly militant. People most commonly appear with pink skin, white hair, and blue or gray eyes.

Busurul: [Pr. Boo-sue-rule.] (People: Busuruli) [Pr. Boo-sue-rule-ee.] located in The Golden Isles, consists of three small isles, the largest of which contains The Primrose Palace, which the Busuruli Royal Family ruled from. Known for its pink beaches. All Busuruli people use the "she" pronoun. People most commonly appear with brown skin, golden hair, and golden-brown eyes. Busurul was once a Rajaskian subculture.

XaiQing: [Pr. Shy-ching] (People: Xai) [Pr. Shy] A very large and populated empire across The Knell (the sea), containing The Houses of Nine (eventual spin-off novella: The House of Ru) which guards the borders, a reigning council for the interior, and many great and powerful cities. Xai are incredibly diverse, as they have absorbed many cultures since the historic floods, but most are easily distinguished by their hooded eyes.

Vulthariak: [Pr. Vul-thar-ee-ack] (People: Vultharian) Ruled by an immortal known as The Vulthar. This frozen nation's main population exists at its heart, in The Burning City, which has a mysterious heat source. Very little is known about Vulthariak outside of its borders, other than that every nation knows to fear its might. People here are typically dark-skinned and dark-haired. However, most coricers here are wintercored, and they tend to have white hair and pale blue eyes.

The Keshling: These people once resided on the outskirts of Vulthariak on an island chain in a cold and foggy region, but the melting ice off the mainland has since swallowed their land, and The Keshling, as a sea people, decided to live on ships rather than move inland and live under The Vulthar's control. These people are usually dark-skinned, gray-eyed, and have red-curly hair.

Simikee: [Sim-ih-key] (People: Simikee) A very spiritual nation that exists in marshes and swamps. Ruled by a long line of Chiefs and containing numerous spirits [read: nature gods] that coexist with the people. People typically are brown-skinned, stocky, dark-haired, and broadfaced--green or brown eyes.

Rajask: [Pr: Ruh-josk] (People: Rajaskian) A highly defensible valley nation, smack dab in the middle of the Ghostrun Mts. A melting pot with many cruel laws and an unjust ruler. Most other nations despise its existence, but it produces a lot of unique products for trade, such as jade and ivory.

Ilterna: the neutral trade island. It is technically lawless and draws a lot of crime and piracy. When nations send people there to trade, they often have to send a company of guards protect their wares.

Kairii: [Pr: K-eye-ree] (People: Kairii) a small island empire that once existed near XaiQing but was independent from its rule. It was said to contain mountainous jungles. This is where the Yamiichi (shadowcoricers) originated. It has long-since sunk. The surviving Kairii founded Tetsushi.

Tetsushi: where most assassins are trained. A small, hidden village near the shores outside of Rajask, in the foothills of the Ghostrun Mts.

Tutenkha: a desert nation that was said to have sunk thousands of years ago, after being destroyed by dragons.

MALROIX MILITARY

RANKING STRUCTURE

(TO BE UPDATED LATER)

ENLISTED Commander General COMMISSIONED Councillor General [Civilian] Councillor General Councillor General General Lieutenant Commander Sergeant Lieutenant (LT)

Dramatis Persona

Celosia Cendrillion

A young firecore with a quick mind and a quicker temper.

Other names: Cel, Little General, spitfire.

Firecored

Arthur Cendrillion

A military genius with great ambitions and a past shrouded in death.

Other names: The Golden General, Tsula, Fox, Bloodfox

Firecored

Fukashi

A prodigal assassin who fell in love with his most deadly mark.

Other names: Shadowshy, ShiShi, Teacher

Shadowcored (Yamiichi)

Noranine Zikesh

A young prisoner of war, fiercely loyal to her new charge.

3 years older than Cel.

Other names: Nora

Cornelia Duste

Cel’s mother. A wealthy Malroix woman.

Vivienne Vonadieu

Malroix Military Commander.

Leopold Vonadieu

Found/owner of Sunrise Solaris power company.

Husband to Vivienne. Renowned businessman.

Lache Vonadieu

Eldest child of Vivienne and Leopold.

1 year older than Cel.

Atro Vonadieu

Youngest child of Vivienne and Leopold.

1 year younger than Cel.

Zypyria Lem

Young smuggler boss. ~4 years older than Nora. Vultharian.

Parents smuggled Arthur into Malais.

Lives in the port of Malais.

Other Names: Zy

Rarder Lem

Zypyria's older brother. Vultharian. ~2 years older than Zy.

Disappeared shortly after their parent's died of Dragon Fever.