Glossary

Below is a list of terms that appear in An Oath to Eternity. This page will be updated as needed. In time, I intend this to evolve into a more in=depth Lore page for Aevum

Accord of the Pantheons: An ancient treaty governing interactions between the various pantheons across the world. It establishes limits on divine involvement in mortal affairs and sets the rules for diplomacy between nations, including the recognition of envoy immunity.

Aegis of Eternity: A powerful spell intended to strengthen and unify the Aevite Empire. Considered controversial by both the Senate and the Magister Council, it requires rare components believed to be hidden within the Imperial Academy vaults. Concerns range from uncertainty about the Aegis’ true nature to doubts about whether such a spell even exists. Academy librarians deny possessing any of the required artefacts, including the fabled Eye of the Old One.

Aeternarch: The sovereign ruler of the Aevite Empire, holding supreme political, military, and religious authority. The title signifies stewardship over the Empire’s provinces, command of its legions, and the mandate to uphold the will of the Dii Consentes.

Aevi City: The capital of the Aevite Empire and its largest metropolitan centre. Built far inland and sheltered by the Inva Mountains, it serves as the political, military, and religious heart of the Empire, housing the Senate, the Pantheum of the Dii Consentes, and the Imperial Academy.

Aevite Empire: The dominant human civilisation of the continent, governed by the Aeternarch from Aevi City. Known for its disciplined Legions, centralised Senate, and worship of the Dii Consentes, the Empire spans multiple provinces and maintains political, military, and spiritual authority across its territories. Officially the Empire is referred to as The Eternal Empire.

Anahari: A people marked by elongated, angular ears and a cultural heritage rooted in the desert kingdoms of the south. The Anahari are known for their precision craftsmanship, mathematical expertise, and strong civic traditions. Under Imperial rule, many serve the Empire as artisans, scholars, administrative officials, and engineers, their skills valued across both civil and military institutions.

Aos Sí: An ancient, fae-like people tied to the land and the old Taulican gods. They serve as guardians, guides, and stewards of sacred places, often appearing as ethereal, nature-marked beings. Known for their riddling humour, unpredictability, and deep connection to the Dryws and the grove.

Artimi (airship): One of the flagships of the Imperial Fleet, named in honour of the goddess Artimi.

Artimi (Goddess): One of the Dii Consentes, the Aevite goddess of the hunt. Artimi’s blessings manifest through sharp perception and endurance, empowering her devotees in battle.

Colosseum: The grand arena of Aevi City, used for gladiatorial contests, beast hunts, executions, and large-scale public spectacles. As one of the Empire’s most iconic structures, it serves both as mass entertainment for the populace and as a monumental display of Aevite power, wealth, and imperial unity.

Dagda: King of the Tuath Dé and revered by the Dryws as a god of strength, protection, and ancestral power. Known for his blunt, uncompromising manner, Dagda speaks to mortals with a directness few other gods display. As ruler of the Tuath Dé, his judgement shapes the rites and destinies of the Dryws nations, and his favour is considered a rare and formidable blessing.

Dasken Demons: The demonic people who constitute the entirety of the Dasken Federation. Unlike other nations, the Federation is not a human civilisation but a unified society of demons bound to their own pantheon. Feared for their discipline and supernatural resilience, they stand in opposition to the Aevite Empire. Their magic, customs, and military organisation differ markedly from Imperial practice, making them one of the Empire’s most dangerous and least understood enemies.

Dasken Federation: A coalition of demon-ruled territories east of the Empire, united under a shared pantheon and central military command. The Daskens field fully organised armies supported by veilbound magic, specialist mage-castes, and covert agents. Much of their society remains hidden from Imperial knowledge, but their presence is felt through incursions, corruption magic, and long-standing conflict with the Aevite Empire.

Dii Consentes (Airship): The personal ship of the Aevite Aeternarch, named after the twelve gods of the Aevite pantheon. It serves as the Aeternarch’s primary command vessel, built to project imperial authority and host high-level diplomatic and military operations.

Dii Consentes (Pantheon): The twelve principal deities of the Aevite pantheon, honoured as the Empire’s highest divine council. Aevite citizens traditionally seek a blessing from one of them to awaken their magic. Their temples, rites, and trials form the core of Aevite religious and civic life.

Dryws: An ancient cultural group composed of three nations — Taulica, Hibernia, and Cimbri — united by their shared traditions, and reverence for the Tuath Dé. Dryws identity centres on ancestry, ritual, and a deep connection to the natural world, with sacred groves and trials forming key parts of their spiritual life. Though politically distinct, the three nations share a common heritage that predates the Empire.

Eagle Warriors: One of the four traditional military castes of the Ioxerials. Sol Quintas, being founded by Huitzilopochtli, adopted the Eagle Warriors as its sole warrior caste, making them the city’s primary soldiers and elite fighting force.

Elicia Ferona: The current Magister-Pontiff of the Aevite Empire and head of House Ferona. As the Empire’s highest religious authority, Elicia oversees all temple governance, major rites, and divine trials. She is responsible for overseeing the transfer of Glacier Amethysts to the capital upon their bearer’s death, giving her a politically sensitive role in the Empire’s pact with the Glacierborn. Mother to Driana and Owin.

Eternal Throne, The: The symbolic and political seat of the Aeternarch, representing the enduring authority of the Aevite Empire. More than a physical chair, it embodies the Empire’s claim to unbroken rule, divine mandate, and imperial continuity across generations.

Eye of the Old One: A legendary relic said to be sealed within the Imperial Academy’s deepest vaults. Known in ancient lore for its dangerous associations, it is believed to be one of the required components for completing the Aegis of Eternity.

Festival of Renewal: The Empire’s annual new year celebration, observed across all provinces. Marked by rites, public gatherings, and civic ceremonies, it signifies the end of the old cycle and the beginning of the new.

Firewall: A large-scale ritual barrier composed of chained glyphs, capable of creating a vertical wall of magical flame once activated. Firewall wards are used to trap intruders within a controlled kill zone or prevent escape. The fire burns in a fixed formation, fed by the spell’s internal glyph structure rather than physical fuel.

Glacier Amethyst: A crystalline core that functions as the heart of every Glacierborn, pulsing with the cold magic that sustains their living-ice bodies. The Glacier Amethyst grants life, resilience, and magical affinity. Historically hunted as valuable gemstones, these hearts became the foundation of the pact between the Glacierborn and the Aevite Empire, wherein every Glacierborn must give up their Amethyst to the Empire upon death, in exchange for imperial protection.

Glacierborn: A people of living ice whose bodies are sustained by a Glacier Amethyst in place of a heart. Created by the god Odin, they possess a natural affinity for magic and are among the Empire’s most respected Magisters. Once nearly hunted to extinction for their gemstones, they entered a long-standing pact with the Aevite Empire that grants them protection in exchange for their Amethyst cores upon death.

Glyph: A structured magical symbol more complex than a sigil. Glyphs hold preset spells that trigger once activated. They are used for larger, more deliberate effects that require preparation rather than instinct or speed. Like sigils, glyphs vanish when their power is released and must be created again for each use.

Glyph Pack: A portable arrangement of pre-inscribed glyphs stored on parchment, metal plates, or similar materials. A glyph pack allows a spellcaster to ready their magic ahead of time and carry it for later use. Because the glyphs are pre-made, even those without magic can activate them when needed, as long as the pack remains intact.

Gomin, King: The reigning monarch of the Glacierborn and one of the Empire’s oldest allies. Renowned for his honour and stern sense of justice, Gomin maintains the ancient pact that protects his people from poaching and exploitation. His authority carries immense weight among the loyal Glacierborn.

Helmic: A coastal people from the province of Helmis, now governed by the Aevite Empire but still recognised for their distinct cultural identity. Helmic society is shaped by maritime skill, civic tradition, and a long heritage of philosophy and scholarship. Though ruled by the Empire, the Helmic continue to honour the same gods as the Aevites, using older Helmic names that reflect their ancient roots. They are known for sharp political instincts and strong local governance, and many serve the Empire as sailors, scholars, diplomats, and respected provincial officials.

Hornet: A fast Imperial attack craft used by the Imperial Fleet. Designed for precision strikes, rapid manoeuvring, and close-range engagements during sieges and aerial combat.

Huitzilopochtli: The sun god of the ancient Ioxerial Empire, revered as a divine patron of war, discipline, and sacrifice. Huitzilopochtli founded Sol Quintas, a human city-state established to repel demon incursions. His intervention created a rare alliance between a deity and mortals outside his own civilisation, shaping the city’s martial identity and its devotion to his warrior traditions.

Imperial Academy: The Empire’s foremost military and civic training institution, dedicated entirely to non-magical education. Students study combat, tactics, statecraft, history, diplomacy, and physical discipline under Praeceptors, preparing for future service in the Legions, government, and other Imperial institutions.

Incantium: The seat of the Magister Council and the Empire’s foremost centre of magical governance. It is located on the eastern frontier beneath the Inva Mountains.

Inva Mountains: A harsh mountain range north east of the Empire’s capital. The Inva region is known for unpredictable storms, deep ravines, and treacherous winter travel. It forms a natural barrier between the Empire’s northern regions and the Dasken Federation.

Iovis: King of the Dii Consentes and chief god of the Aevite pantheon. Iovis is widely seen as the divine protector of the imperial family and the Empire itself, with his favour believed to uphold the stability of the Eternal Throne.

Ioxerials: An ancient civilisation whose empire once dominated the continent before collapsing and retreating into the deep jungle to the west. Ruins of their former cities are scattered across the world, though their modern society remains largely unknown due to their isolation. They maintain a rigid caste structure, practise blood magic, and occasionally conduct ritual raids on Aevite border towns.

Lady, The: A god from the original pantheon that once guided the Dasken people. This older faith began to fall when new gods appeared and drew followers to their side. Their rise created the Federation, and its new leadership displaced both the old rulers and the gods who had supported them. The defeated pantheon came to be known as the Shattered Court and faded from public memory. Only a few demons who live outside the Federation still honour the Lady and preserve what remains of the old faith.

Legatus: One of the highest-ranking officers in the Aevite Legions, responsible for commanding an entire legion. A Legatus holds broad strategic authority, often acting as the Aeternarch’s representative on the battlefield and overseeing subordinate centurions and cohorts.

Legion: The primary large-scale military unit of the Aevite Empire, typically commanded by a Legatus and composed of multiple cohorts of legionaries and support divisions. Each Legion operates as a self-sufficient fighting force, capable of extended campaigns, siege work, and coordinated ground operations in conjunction with the Imperial Fleet.

Legionary: A professional soldier of the Aevite Legions. Legionaries form the backbone of the Empire’s military, serving within cohorts under centurions and ultimately answering to a Legatus.

Magic: All magic comes from the gods. A mortal must have a patron god who recognises them before they can shape or call upon any magical force. Magic is expressed through visible symbols formed in the air or etched into objects, and each act of magic is a deliberate request made through these symbols.

Magister: A formally trained magic-user of the Aevite Empire. Magisters are responsible for regulated spellwork across civilian, military, and scholarly institutions. They are overseen by the Magister Council. They are distinguished from untrained casters by their rigorous education, mastery of sigils and glyphs.

Magister Council: The Empire’s central body of magical governance, composed of senior Magisters from across the provinces. The Council regulates all sanctioned magic, issues licences, oversees magical research, and advises both the Senate and Aeternarch on matters touching divine power and arcane law.

Magister-Pontiff: The highest religious authority in the Aevite Empire and the head of the Pantheum that oversees all worship of the Dii Consentes.

Magister-Primus: The highest-ranking mage within the Magister Council, responsible for overseeing all sanctioned magical practice across the Empire.

Medici: Specialised Magisters dedicated to healing and medical magic. Medici serve as the Empire’s primary physicians, trained in both traditional medicine and divine spellwork granted through their patron gods. They operate across civilian clinics, military fortresses, and frontier outposts, providing continuous care to the populace.

Menerva: One of the Dii Consentes, the goddess of wisdom, strategy, and battle magic. Menerva’s blessings manifest as heightened insight, disciplined magical control, and the ability to read both opponents and battlefields with clarity.

Military Council: The Empire’s senior command body responsible for overseeing long-term military strategy, legion deployment, and provincial defence. Composed of high-ranking officers, the Military Council advises the Aeternarch on matters of war and maintains the readiness of the Imperial Legions in times of both peace and crisis.

Onyx Heart: A corrupted crystalline core crafted through Dasken demon-forging and implanted into Glacierborn who willingly surrender their natural Amethysts. The Onyx Heart replaces all life-giving properties of the original Glacierborn core, trading purity and emotional clarity for strength, obedience, and a tether to the magic that fuels the Onyxborn. Its glow is dark red rather than pale blue, a constant reminder of the pact made. While the Onyx Heart grants resilience and power, it also severs previous loyalties, binding its bearer to Thjora Icevein’s faction and the demonic influence behind the transformation.

Onyxborn: A splinter faction of Glacierborn who have abandoned their ancestral Glacier Amethysts in favour of demon-forged Onyx Hearts. Once loyal to King Gomin, these defectors embraced Dasken corruption in pursuit of power and liberation from the Empire’s long-standing pact. Their bodies retain the ice-born form of their origin, but their chests pulse with a dark, red-tinged shadow instead of glacial light. Onyxborn are physically formidable, emotionally blunted, and bound to Thjora Icevein’s leadership.

Order of the Five Suns: The ruling martial order of Sol Quintas, founded in honour of the sun god Huitzilopochtli. Its warriors serve as the city’s elite defenders, and its Grand Master acts as Sol Quintas’ highest military and political authority.

Pantheum: The Empire’s central temple complex dedicated to the Dii Consentes, serving as both a sacred site and the primary training ground for Magisters. Unlike the Imperial Academy, the Pantheum provides magical education, divine trials, and initiation rites for those seeking blessings from the gods.

Praeceptor: An instructional title at the Imperial Academy, referring to senior tutors responsible for teaching combat, strategy, statecraft, and other non-magical disciplines. Praeceptors oversee student training and evaluations, serving as the Academy’s primary educators.

Praetorian: An elite soldier of the Aevite Empire, selected for exceptional discipline, combat ability, and unwavering loyalty to the Aeternarch. Praetorians serve within their own dedicated Praetorian Legions, operating as the Empire’s foremost shock troops, and high-risk strike forces under the direct authority of a Legatus.

Praetorium: A major Imperial city that serves as the headquarters of the Aevite military. It houses the Military Council, the command infrastructure of the Legions, and the administrative heart of Imperial warfare. Strategically positioned and heavily fortified, the Praetorium functions as the Empire’s primary centre for martial governance.

Princeps Senatus: The formal title of the Speaker of the Aevite Senate. The Princeps Senatus presides over Senate sessions, sets the order of debate, and serves as the highest-ranking parliamentary authority within the Empire’s legislative chamber.

Rune: An enchanted marking carved or forged into an object. Unlike sigils or glyphs, a rune is permanent and does not fade after use. Runes power the engines of airships, open sealed doors, maintain wards, and keep ancient mechanisms functioning. They are channels of continuous divine force and allow magic to operate without a living caster present.

Senate: The central legislative body of the Aevite Empire, composed of provincial and institutional representatives who debate policy, oversee imperial governance, and advise the Aeternarch. Though powerful, the Senate often competes with the throne for influence, creating a delicate balance within the Empire’s political structure.

Sigil: A single symbol drawn in the air, a sigil produces an immediate effect, such as heat, light, force, or movement. Every sigil is cast once and then fades, and must be redrawn each time the effect is needed. Sigils represent the most direct and reactive form of magic used by trained spellcasters.

Sol Quintas: A fortified, independent city personally established by the Ioxerial sun god Huitzilopochtli. Governed by the Order of the Five Suns, it stands as humanity’s front line against the Dasken Federation, its diverse population united under a martial tradition shaped by their founding god.

Sunhawk: An elite aerial craft of Sol Quintas, designed for high-speed interception and patrol. Sunhawks serve as the city’s primary air-defence units, operating alongside the Eagle Warriors to secure Sol Quintas’ borders and skies.

Tanebari: A desert people known for their jackal-like features, sharp senses, and deep-rooted traditions shaped by an ancient river-kingdom. Though now ruled by the Aevite Empire, Tanebari society remains under the authority of their pharaoh, whose title is still honoured even if his power has been reduced to that of a provincial governor.

Thieves Guild: An underground organisation with its own hierarchy, codes, and hidden networks, operating across the Empire beneath the notice of most citizens. Though commonly dismissed as criminals, the Guild maintains a far more disciplined structure than most realise, with trusted crews, concealed safehouses, and information channels woven through the Empire’s cities.

Thjora Icevein: Once a respected Glacierborn spiritual leader, Thjora used her authority to push her people toward radical transformation. She led the breakaway faction that embraced the demon-forged Onyx Hearts, reshaping their rites and loyalties into a new militant order.

Tribune: A commissioned officer in the Aevite Legions who serves directly under a Legatus, helping oversee cohorts, enforce discipline, and execute orders. Tribunes are often appointed from young members of noble houses with little or no battlefield experience, using their service under a Legatus as both training and political grooming for future command.

Tuath Dé: The gods of the Dryws people. As ancient as the Dii Consentes, the Tuath Dé are closely bound to the land.

Tundra Wolf: Large, cold-adapted wolves native to the Empire’s northern region, often employed by Glacierborn as hunting companions and war-beasts. Recognisable by their thick blue-grey fur, Tundra Wolves are fast, silent, and fiercely loyal to their handlers.

Veilbound: A variant of demons known for their stealth, resilience, and supernatural perception. The Dasken Federation typically deploy them as rangers and scouts.

Vermilion Banner: A distinguished seat on the Aevite Military Council, one of several high command positions identified by a colour and an emblem. The title signifies both authority and legacy, as each Banner-bearer inherits the accumulated reputation of those who held the seat before them. Brennus Trisval, commander of the First Imperial Praetorian Legion, is the current holder of the Vermilion Banner.

Ward (Academy): An ancient ward surrounds the Imperial Academy, allowing only staff and students to enter its grounds. Even Aeternarchs and Senators are barred from crossing its threshold. The ward is widely believed to exist to prevent the powerful from misusing the artefacts and knowledge housed within.

Wardline: A perimeter ward carved into ice or snow and filled with reactive magical powder, designed to hold pre-set glyphs in a dormant state until crossed. When activated, these glyphs release their stored effects, raising alarms, igniting barriers, or triggering defensive spells.

Wasp: A versatile Imperial dropship used for transport, deployment, and tactical mobility. Faster and lighter than larger carriers, Wasps are commonly used for inserting squads into hostile territory and extracting personnel under fire.