gifts of the Auldtree
Book Two: Coming Soon!
gifts of the Auldtree book two
The Sandmother
The sands test the mettle of those who walk them, and Kazir tests their faith. Those found weak of body or soul feed the desert, giving what little worth they have to those more deserving.
Their Light
After millennia spent cultivating the church and its influence over the regions of the world, now is their chance to restore the Tribunal of the Stars. But the future changes with every setting sun.
The King of Hearts
Nothing worked out quite how he wanted—but it may yet. Perhaps he cannot have it all, but rats if he won’t do his best to keep it all from everyone else.
The Princess
In the midst of so many power-hungry fiends greater than herself, Amelia must be a little more creative to impose her will on the world. But she certainly can’t exercise the true chaos of her whims in the bounds of Tarth…
gifts of the Auldtree book two
The Sandmother
The sands test the mettle of those who walk them, and Kazir tests their faith. Those found weak of body or soul feed the desert, giving what little worth they have to those more deserving.
The Sandsiren
Marri Rolesa and her basilisk, Braga, have fought tooth and scale for her wealth and position. But honor dictates that they enforce the old ways of Remorra, fighting the encroaching corruption at the borders.
Their Light
After millennia spent cultivating the church and its influence over the regions of the world, now is their chance to restore the Tribunal of the Stars. But the future changes with every setting sun.
The King of Hearts
Nothing worked out quite how he wanted—but it may yet. Perhaps he cannot have it all, but rats if he won’t do his best to keep it all from everyone else.
The Green Knight
The best master for a man with no tongue is a man who needs no words to see right through to the soul. Still… there are ghosts in Minalav he eventually must face.
The Princess
In the midst of so many power-hungry fiends greater than herself, Amelia must be a little more creative to impose her will on the world. But she certainly can’t exercise the true chaos of her whims in the bounds of Tarth…
The Characters
Marri and Braga
Fighting tooth and scale to preserve Old Remorra, they won’t let corruption take root in the sands.
Kazir
The Starkindled keeper of all that crawls, clicks, and creeps over the sands of Remorra.
Fria'lav
Her people went astray long ago, but now she has a chance to redeem them and herself.
Jory
He’s not winning hearts and minds, but he’s got some tricks up his sleeve.
Henry
The experiments with the raccoons turned out to be a bust. Alas, he’s still got his eye on other pets.
*spoiler* Ramus
The Stars do not revel in diplomacy. He was given such revelations, so it is surely his duty to keep the game… exciting.
Old Remorra Vs. New Remorra
Millenia ago, a few hundred nomads of the Yeshin Ice Desert left the north, traveling through the lands that are now Tarth and Ifer—where they weren’t welcomed. They ventured into the desert, so like the home they’d abandoned. They thought they might travel through it and find uninhabited lands beyond, but the desert stretched on and on… much vaster than the desert they’d come from. The heat bore down on them and eventually, they settled in the shadows of the mountains.
Soon after, basilisks started to pick off the humans at night, and oil moats were constructed around the cities and lit at night to protect the inhabitants. However, one woman ventured into the desert at night rather than marry the city’s leader. She had faith that the beasts would sense her plight and let her be. The Sandmother, touched by the woman’s faith in and understanding of her beloved beasts, rewarded her and granted her a bond with a basilisk. She returned to her city, had the basilisk kill her betrothed, and began to teach lessons given to her by the Sandmother. Lessons in honor, merit, and survival.
Remorra became a place known for these characteristics and the fearsome warriors they produced. The Sandmother blessed more of the faithful women with basilisks.
However, the Church of the Stars began exerting their influence at the borders and encouraging a more “stable” system with nobility and royal lineages. The two factions have been at odds for a few centuries.
Remorrian Cities
Lazhan
Lazhan is one of few centers of Old Remorrian culture left on the coast and has changed hands several times in the last decades. Currently it’s run by the honorable and ruthless, Marri Rolesa. Honorable may be up for interpretation in this instance.
Halsuin
A New Remorran city just to the northwest of Lazhan. It’s vast and benefits from the Church of the Stars’ generous support. Prior to the church’s support it was a small city, but it’s grown with their influence and trade benefits.
Vhiat
The city closest to Mount Zyrin—and the biggest stronghold of Old Remorran ideals and beliefs. It’s also the key point of trade between Old Remorra and Ifer. New Remorra would benefit by taking this central point over—and New Remorra is backed by the Church of the Stars.
Mount Ziryn
Home of the Sandmother, Kazir. This is a large volcano on the eastern side of the Remorrian desert. The basilisks dig caves out of the sides of the surrounding mountains to live in. Some basilisks are blinded so that they can guard Kazir during the day.
The Gifts of Connection
While the hybrids and sprygans of the world have many gifts, they are not the only creatures blessed by the Stars with innate abilities. The Stars have also blessed others with gifts of connection. These others are known as the Starkin.
Starkindled are those beings sent by the Stars themselves, and the Starkindred are their offspring, who inherit some measure of the gifts.
Roarik, the oldest and most powerful of the Starkindled, is also the most gifted. But each Starkindled was blessed with a unique ability to connect with the world. There are gifts of perception, gifts of binding, gifts of things to come, and the gift of life.
Each of these gifts is known to increase longevity and regeneration of the one who was endowed with it. However, the body still ages and breaks down over time. Even in the Starkindled, age and death eventually take hold. This can be thwarted only with the living fragments of fallen stars.
Such teachings are not meant for the common man, who is better kept in the dark in how the Church leads them with such grace, lest their greed cause them to rise up and attempt to take such powers for themselves.
gifts of Perception
Clarity
The ability to accurately extrapolate more information based on micro-expressions, tone of voice, words, and circumstances than others. Those with clarity also tend to have better reasoning and analyzing skills.
Drawing
Drawing, also known as effacer by hybrids is the ability to draw memories, gifts, and emotions from another person. In sprygrans this is used as a means of communication and connection, while in hybrids it’s used as a means of erasing the memories of humans. However, the use of drawing on hybrids themselves has mixed results due to the uncertain nature of their minds, and the use is therefore forbidden by the Starlight Company. In sprygan males, the gift is not entirely in their control during high emotional states.
gifts of Binding
Impartation
Impartation is the mirror of drawing, allowing one to impart memories, feelings, and gifts to others. Its use in sprygans, and historically in hybrids, has been for communication and at times the sharing of gifts not inherited by others. It can allow a hybrid Waiter to serve as an intermediary of gifts for a Watcher.
Weaving
Weaving enables the weakening and strengthening of bonds within the web of connections between all things of the world—not limited to that which is alive. Pulling threads of bonding from one connection and weaving them into another creates a bond that cannot be undone.
gifts of Things to Come
Paths
The ability to dream of the future or futures. While there is the main course of the future, once someone has seen this future, they can create new paths. Complications rise when more than one person has the gift of paths, or those with the gifts of perception discern what those with paths have seen. In this way, new paths can be created. In the past, some children were planned to have both the gifts of paths and clarity, but this poses more nefarious dangers—both to the world and to the one who is dually gifted.
Conjure
Conjure in its weakest form, that found in Watchers of Roarik’s making, allows one to conjure images of others through fragments of glass. However, in the time of the Starkindled originator of the gift, Cael, it was used to conjure items from elsewhere in the world through the glass. The extent of his ability was unknown, as he spent little time using the gift and was secretive about his methods.
gift of Life
Heartfire
Heartfire is what Roarik the Auldtree calls his gift, which at one point had the ability to wake the fallen stars, bringing them to their potential. Since splitting his heart to create Dawn, Roarik’s heartfire has diminished, and can no longer spark life in the fallen stars. However, it can still sustain life indefinitely if a strong enough bond is formed and kept.